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Topic summary contributed by volunteer(s): Wyatt
Japan has the number one life expectancy of any nation while the US falls around 19th. A study recently suggested that eating a single serving of berries every day could add an extra year to our lifespan. The available evidence also suggests that eating nuts (specifically walnuts) and beans may extend our life (see also here). A plant based diet overall is thought to be capable of reversing heart disease and, thus, extending the lifespan (see also here, here, here, here) by almost 14 years. A study found that those eating one serving of fruits and vegetables a day died 19 months sooner than those eating five servings a day, a direct correlation between plant-based diets and lifespan. Just reducing the amount of meat one eats can increase lifespan. However, British vegetarians do not appear to live longer than British meat eaters (possibly due to the fact that they are less likely to supplement their diet with vitamin B12). Coffee has been associated with decreased all-cause mortality. Besides diet, sleeping 7 hours a night may maximize longevity. Severe caloric restriction has been found to extend the lives of animals in laboratories, and lowers our target of rapamycin, or TOR, which is a major determinant of aging. This caloric restriction can easily be met by reducing animal protein and increasing plant consumption. Meditation and stress management, along with a whole-food, plant-based, may slow the aging of our DNA. On the other hand, there are a few vitamin supplements that may increase all-cause mortality, or shorten the lifespan (see also here). Vitamin C and multivitamins don’t appear to offer net benefit.. Iron pills have also been linked to a shorter lifespan. Vitamin D, however, actually appears to make us live longer (see also here, here, here, here, here). Meat intake may increase total mortality according to the massive NIH-AARP study (the largest forward looking study of diet and health in history). Similarly, the Harvard Health Professionals Follow-up Study and the Harvard Nurses’ Health Study linked red meat consumption to living a significantly shorter life—increased cancer mortality, increased heart disease mortality, and increased overall mortality. Not surprisingly then, people on animal-based, low carb diets have been found to live significantly shorter lives (increased risk of all cause mortality). A shorter life span has also been associated with untreated celiac disease, early puberty, consumption of processed meats and fish, kombucha tea, and eating just one egg a day has been found to shorten our lifespan (see also here, here, here). Dark fish consumption (such as salmon) has been linked with atrial fibrillation (a heartbeat arrhythmia, which can significantly shorten the lifespan). Moderate alcohol consumption does not appear to affect the lifespan of healthy people either positively or negatively.
Image Credit: Pixabay. This image has been modified.


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Two weeks in to the coronavirus crisis, Lisa Morales-Hellebo and Brian Aoaeh, founders of The Worldwide Supply Chain Federation (#TWSCF), knew they had to help. “The shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) and ventilators was staggering; not to mention the difficulty finding suppliers, red tape in the ordering process, price gouging and fraud”, said Morales-Hellebo. “This creates an impossible hurdle for hospitals, nursing homes, local governments, shelters, prisons, and the like to filter through the noise to place orders,” she said. As an interdisciplinary, grassroots community of innovators and enterprises devoted to building supply chain networks of the future, #TWSCF is in a perfect position to help.
Morales-Hellebo and her team created a global clearinghouse to carefully vet and onboard PPE and related suppliers along with set fixed pricing. This is orchestrated with the help of numerous donations and both U.S. and overseas manufacturers.
#TWSCF partnered with JOOR, the leading tech fashion wholesale platform/marketplace that connects thousands of brand manufacturers and retailers. JOOR is providing #TWSCF a private marketplace for their verified suppliers and buyers, which enables instant access and scale for manufacturers, and the ones who need it most on the front lines. “We are taking orders through our private marketplace platform and harnessing the time and energy of JOOR employees who have volunteered to reach the thousands of brands who use us and engage them in the effort,” said Kristin Savilia, CEO of JOOR.
Airtable, an online data collaboration company has also been helping with the global database while logistics partners are in place to manage shipments from four regional hubs around the country. “It’s a terrific example of a localised, agile, and collaborative network”, said Aoaeh. Brands like Tibi, Everlane, Vera Bradley, Citizens of Humanity, Guess, Walter Baker, and more are participating.
“We’re also enabling small factories to rehire their workers that they recently laid off,” said Aoaeh. He added: “We’re not limited to fashion — we’ve been documenting innovative “Made in the USA” filtration materials for masks, new open source & lower cost ventilators, and emerging certified innovations for sterilisation and reuse of existing PPE, sourced from around the world.”
According to Morales-Hellebo: “If there is any silver lining to this global crisis, it has made crystal clear that our globalised supply chains are at risk. This is our wake-up call to invest in needed infrastructure for our most critical supplies to be manufactured in America which will create jobs and increase our national security.”
Manufacturers are encouraged to participate by going to www.theworldwidesupplychainfederation.com to match production capabilities with a list of healthcare products in demand. Healthcare facilities can sign up for the PPE they most need and will be granted access to the private marketplace once onboarded.
Also, local Government offices are encouraged to connect so they can take pressure off their resources and healthcare facilities in orchestration of PPE supply.

domain: news


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STXNEWS LATAM-Brazil consumer loan demand rises in April, Serasa says
Demand for consumer credit in Brazil rose 1.3 percent in April from the previous month, though higher interest rates and declining consumer confidence continue to weigh on new borrowing, credit research company Serasa Experian said on Friday.
Demand for consumer credit fell 11 percent in April from a year earlier, Serasa added, partly due to fewer working days in the month.
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- Suspect in Pennsylvania police ambush captured after seven-week manhunt
- Oil price declines have small-cap shale investors scrambling
- Japan shares soar, yen skids after BOJ stuns with more easing steps
- China says nets 180 graft suspects in overseas manhunt


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Blog: Danone goes beyond digital marketing
Katy Askew | 20 February 2014
Starbucks JV will help Danone target 170m US consumers, French group's CEO said
Danone is hoping to reach out to US consumers and "educate" them on the merits of dairy through its joint venture with Starbucks, CEO Franck Riboud suggested today (20 February).
Speaking during a conference call to discuss the group's full-year results, Riboud insisted the tie-up, which was announced last summer, goes far beyond representing a "new channel" for Danone. Instead, he argued, it is a new way to interact with consumers.
"It is much more than a new channel. It is my Facebook, my Google. Why? Because every morning in the US, 170m consumers have had their breakfast and go into a Starbucks... and they will explain to them fresh dairy."
There is an almost subversive element to this approach, which goes beyond conventional and even digital marketing. Danone is feeding into established consumption patterns and altering them from within. A smart way to boost US yoghurt consumption, which still significantly trails European consumption levels.
Singapore-based agribusiness giant Wilmar International is to publish more information on how it sources its palm oil, a move welcomed by environmentalists....
Just two weeks into 2015 and competition among UK grocers is heating up further. Will suppliers be caught in the crossfire? Corporate restructuring firm Begbies Traynor thinks so....
Boulder Brands is expanding its Udi's brand in the foodservice channel through a tie-up that will bring two varieties of gluten-free pizza to Pizza Hut outlets throughout the US....
- Unilever must "speed" response to consumer trends
- What the analysts say: Unilever's mixed 2014
- Premier Foods CEO expects UK supermarket rebound
- Briefing: The risks and rewards of e-tail in China
- Why US diet guidelines should consider environment
- Unilever revenues disappoint as food sales fall
- Findus: "No sale process underway" in UK
- Lifeway Foods CEO denies sale talks
- Hovis CFO Michael Kennedy exits
- Weston Foods acquires Creative Occasions
- 10 Key Trends in Food, Health and Nutrition 2015
- The Sugar Backlash and its Effects on Global Consumer Markets
- The Future of Retailing in the UK to 2017
- Global Consumer Trend Framework: Understanding Attitudes and Behaviors that Influence Global Consumption Habits
- Meat Substitutes Market - Global Trends, Forecasts up to 2019


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By Jim Donovan
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — To buy or not to buy. How do you know when you’re getting a really good price? Well 3 On Your Side Consumer Reporter Jim Donovan heads straight to the experts to find out.
When the retail shopping experts at Dealnews.com examined November pricing trends, several things were certain. First, cookware deals this month are red hot. In fact there are 41 percent more deals in November than there were in October. Mark LoCastro from Dealnews says, “Cookware, cutlery, small appliances, bakeware, pots and pans, these are some of the best of the year prices.”
Tools are a good buy right now too. According to LoCastro, “Winter in general is a great time in general to buy tools and hardware for that matter. We’re talking about drills, wrenches, socket sets, drill bits, tool storage from these really big retailers, Home Depot, Sears, Lowes.”
Need a wedding dress down the road? Dealnews.com found you may be able to snag a better deal now. “Not a lot of weddings typically happen this time of the year, and so when demand is low for such items like a wedding dress that’s when you have an opportunity to bargain with the boutique,” says LoCastro.
Finally, if you have a sweet tooth, left-over trick or treat candy is priced to move. According to LoCastro, “All these stores stock up on candy for Halloween, and now that Halloween has passed they have all this excess inventory so expect huge discounts on candy.”
So what should you hold off on buying for now? Toys. The best deals on toys show up in mid-December. So unless you’re looking for a specific must-have toy, you’re better off waiting until December if you’re in search of a rock bottom price.
For more advice from Dealnews.com on what to buy and when, visit:


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Cellular South launches Motorola Milestone
RIDGELAND — Cellular South plans to offer what it says is one of the world’s most advanced Android-powered touchscreen smartphones – the Motorola Milestone. The Milestone is the first of several new Android-based smartphones the carrier plans to launch this year.
Featuring high-speed web browsing, access to thousands of applications from Android Market, voice-activated search and a 3.7-inch widescreen display over the company’s 3G network, Cellular South said the Android-powered Motorola Milestone sets a new standard for speed, performance and reliability.
The Milestone features a full QWERTY keyboard and advanced touchscreen navigation integrated with built-in Google mobile services, including Google Search, Google Maps, Gmail, YouTube and Google Maps Navigation BETA with voice-aided turn-by-turn directions.
“We’re looking forward to bringing the benefits of the Motorola Milestone and other Android devices to our customers,” said Kevin Hankins, COO of Cellular South.
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According to a new rumor, Gamestop will be getting an amiibo restock beginning this Wednesday. Supposedly, this restock would come from Nintendo’s new allocation of amiibo to North America, which includes rare amiibo such as Wii Fit Trainer, Villager, and Fox. Moreover, it looks like different rare amiibo are being sent to different locations, probably in an attempt to limit scalping of amiibo at a single store.

I am told that most GameStops this Wednesday will have "rare" amiibo like Wii Fit Trainer and others, different selection at locations
— Wario64 (@Wario64) June 22, 2015

Which amiibo are you hoping to pick up? Let us know in the comments below!


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EDITION 34By Mathias Eichler
Awesome. In a report on ad buys in newspapers vs. online a German newspaper ‘Die Zeit’ uses a picture of the last issue of the P.I. being sold at Pike Place Market in Seattle. Now, that looks familiar!!
Written & published by Mathias Eichler in the great Pacific Northwest. LIVELIFELOUD has been online since December 2000. Designed by Einmaleins.


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The Monsters of Rock Cruise will be setting sail for the Bahamas this April 18-22 2015 aboard the MSC Divina, the four-day-and-night cruise celebrating the original legendary Castle Donington music festival held in England in 1980, will showcase Heavy Metal and Hard Rock music icons, including artists on the original festival bill.
This year’s cruise itinerary is kicked off by a two-night pre-party event at Miami’s Magic City Casino on April 15, featuring performances by Queensryche and Lillian Axe, and April 17, featuring performances by Stryper, Tyketto, Gabbie Rae and a special surprise guest artist.
The official line-up for the 2015 Monsters of Rock Cruise is as follows:
Tom Keifer of Cinderella
The Winery Dogs
Black Star Riders
Black ’N Blue
Derek St. Holmes
Frank Hannon Band
In addition, Eddie Trunk, host of VH1’s That Metal Show and “The Trunk Nation” on Sirius XM, is returning this year as Master of Ceremony. Eddie will be assisted by an all-star lineup of personalities including Luc Carl from XM’s Hair Nation, Nikki Blakk from 107.7 FM’s “The Bone,” Keith Roth, host on Sirius XM’s Hair Nation/Boneyard, Don Jamieson, comedian, co-host of VH1’s That Metal Show; Craig Gass, comedian/actor from Howard Stern’s channel on Sirius XM and DJ Will, music supervisor of VH1’s “That Metal Show,” In addition, this year’s cruise will feature a “Monster” version of the world famous Cathouse nightclub, complete with original proprietors Taime Downe of Faster Pussycat and Riki Rachtman of MTV’s Headbangers Ball.
The Monsters of Rock Cruise on Facebook
The Monsters of Rock Cruise on Twitter


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• The global blockchain market is expected to reach USD 469.49 billion by 2030.
• AI applications are revolutionizing various industries, with potential to generate an additional global economic output of around USD 13 trillion by 2030.
• It is important to implement ethical frameworks that prioritize human well-being and privacy in order to build public trust in these technologies.
The Trifecta of Innovation: Blockchain, AI, and Humanity
The Rise of Blockchain Technology
Blockchain technology has seen tremendous growth and adoption worldwide, indicating its potential to revolutionize various sectors. According to Fortune Business Insights, the global blockchain market is projected to hit USD 469.49 billion in 2030 at a CAGR of 59.9% from 2023-2030. Industries such as finance, supply chain management, healthcare, and real estate have already embraced blockchain for improved efficiency and security. Deloitte’s Global Blockchain Survey 2021 revealed that 81% of surveyed executives believe blockchain technology provides greater security than conventional systems and 73% view it as a critical strategic priority for their organizations.
Artificial Intelligence: The Game Changer
AI applications have had an incredible impact on different industries globally. A study done by McKinsey & Company predicted that AI could potentially bring about an additional global economic output worth around USD 13 trillion by 2030. Healthcare sector has greatly benefited from AI applications; a study published in Nature Medicine showed that an AI system outperformed human dermatologists when it came to diagnosing skin cancer accurately. Moreover, AI-enabled chatbots and virtual assistants have transformed customer service across sectors, improving response times while enhancing customer experiences along the way.
Human-Centric Principles: The Core of Innovation
The importance of human-centric principles in technological advancements cannot be overstated; a report by the World Economic Forum emphasizes on the need for transparency, fairness, and accountability when it comes to implementing AI systems so they do not perpetuate biases or discriminate against any particular group of people; this is essential if we want public trust in these transformative technologies as they continue disrupt industries with automation capabilities..
Ethical Frameworks: Essential for Trust Building
In order for these technologies to be trusted amongst the public there needs to be implementations of ethical frameworks that prioritize human well-being & privacy . This will ensure that the use cases are fair & acceptable while also making sure there are no negative implications brought onto society through their usage .


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There might be some merit to the president’s change of heart on ZTE. But the manner in which the decision was reached is disturbing.
As our lives become increasingly dependent upon computer systems and cyber technologies grow ever more sophisticated, the internet has emerged as the new battleground of the 21st century. From criminals' stealing credit card and social security number information to foreign governments' hacking into American companies’ information systems, cyber attacks can take on myriad forms, prompting the government to formulate new measures to protect online security. Since cyberwarfare knows no territorial bounds, ensuring cybersecurity will also require international cooperation and an updated understanding of jus ad bellum, as it applies to cyber attacks.


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Cannabis consumption and cultivation isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when someone mentions North Macedonia. While the tiny Balkan country is looking to join the EU and has been a membership candidate for more than 14 years now, it isn’t big on tourism as some of other countries in the region, like Croatia or Montenegro, for example. Also, there aren’t any big or advanced industries in the country that could guarantee a sustainable economic growth. So, in an effort to boost its economy, there have been several developments in the past few months that suggest the country could be heading into a new direction regarding the lucrative cannabis business, which in 2018 was estimated to be worth around $13 billion.
Mysterious visit from a cannabis mogul
A mysterious visit from an American marijuana mogul towards the end of August was one of those developments. When millionaire entrepreneur Michael Straumietis, also known as “Big Mike”, visited the country, many were caught by surprise. But not the Macedonian government and its representatives, with whom Big Mike apparently had a lot to talk about. During the short stay, Big Mike met with Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev, Health Minister Venko Filipce, and a few local government representatives. While the government kept quiet about the discussions and offered a dull response that this was just a regular business meeting, Big Mike had a lot more to say about the talks he had with the Macedonian authorities.
“North Macedonia is full of hardworking and intelligent people ready for a change. Cannabis can be that change. With around 40,000 potential new jobs after legalization, there’s a huge opportunity for North Macedonia — if they do it right,” Big Mike wrote in an Instagram post, published on September 10, along with a short video from his meeting with Zaev.
Even though Zaev was grilled for several days by opposition MPs in the Macedonian Parliament about his talks with Straumietis, he didn’t reveal any details about his discussions with the marijuana mogul.
“That’s why I spoke directly with the prime minister about fair cannabis licensing and how to create a clear pathway into the European marketplace. With cost-effective land, electricity, and water, #NorthMacedonia is a prime location for a cannabis boom,” the American businessman added in the Instagram post.
In another post titled “My trip from Europe’s new Cannabis superpower,” Straumietis, who has 2.7 million followers on Instagram, pointed out that he cannot wait to “return and continue to strengthen my partnership with this new opportunity for North Macedonia and the Cannabis community.” It wasn’t his first time in the Balkans, though — in the past, he had been to Bulgaria, where he had a team of researchers studying the medical benefits of the cannabis plant.In an interview he gave for Bulgarian media back in 2013, Straumietis said that the main reason why he choose Bulgaria, was that the country had many good scientists who could do the research he wanted.
Bulgarian authorities are still reluctant when it comes to legalizing medicinal cannabis. They only allow cannabis cultivation of limited quantities for medical and scientific research, so Big Mike’s presence in the country is basically limited to that extent. However, he has stayed for a while in the country, and in 2012 he founded a charity called “Holiday Heroes”, which supports socially disadvantaged families, elderly people, single parents and persons with disabilities.
Big Mike’s road to success
Oregon-born 59-year-old Straumietis, CEO of Advanced Nutrients, has a long history in the marijuana world. Big Mike claims that he now owns the “most powerful privately held company in the marijuana business world.” Straumietis went into the marijuana business when he was just 19 years old. After learning how to illegally grow and traffic marijuana during the early 1990s, he also earn himself several run-ins with the law in the U.S. Then, in 1996, he moved to Canada. And three years later, he founded Advanced Nutrients, a hydroponic fertilizer company. Hydroponic fertilizers are essential for the growing technique for plants, and as Big Mike says, Advanced Nutrients had the goal of creating better hydroponics nutrients and equipment that would allow growers to gain more success and bigger profits.
Two decades into the business, the company makes over $110 million a year from selling its marijuana-specific supplements and medical marijuana products in over 93 countries. And it was Big Mike’s innovative marijuana growing techniques, over 50 of them, that helped him build an empire, which he is now looking to expand.
No matter how unlikely a destination North Macedonia may sound, when Straumietis sees a business potential, he goes for it. And the potential is there, as he wrote in an Instagram story, for the partnership with Macedonian authorities to “grow the cleanest, healthiest and most potent cannabis the world has ever seen.” The country’s favorable climate and agriculture conditions, and the big number of sunny days throughout the year, also suggest that North Macedonia could be optimal for cannabis cultivation. Currently, cannabis in North Macedonia is grown on an area of 140 thousands square meters. Being the only country in the region that has legalized the medicinal cannabis cultivation, also gives the country a good advantage in positioning itself on the market.
“I know cannabis will save lives and even pull countries out of dark times,” Big Mike pointed out in another post after meeting up with the authorities.
A business opportunity worth exploring
While the Balkan country is looking to boost its fragile economy, expanding into the medical marijuana business could be worthwhile. Even Prime Minister Zaev himself called on entrepreneurs to get involved in the industry, expecting a profit of more than 100 million euros.
Growing cannabis for medicinal purposes has been legal in the country since 2016. During the past two years, 28 companies got licensed for growth and production of cannabis oil, some of them owned even by Prime Minister Zaev’s relatives. MAM, a company based in the small town of Sveti Nikole, has 30 employees and is owned by the Prime Minister’s cousin Trajce Zaev. And there are plenty of businesses like MAM in the country, hoping to get a slice of a global market that could be worth up to $50 billion over the next five years.
When it comes to actually making a profit out of the medicinal marijuana business, things haven’t gone as smoothly as the companies might have hoped. For one, there isn’t a law that would regulate the export of the dried cannabis flower — which is one of the most precious exports of the business.
According to some of the farmers, a kilogram of dried marijuana flower is estimated to be worth up to four thousand euros. Most of the companies already have already produced around half a tonne of it, which could be worth a whopping 45 million euros in total. Only a few of the companies extract cannabis oil, which is allowed for exporting under the existing law.
According to the medicinal marijuana producers, the law also requires that companies have a bank guarantee of one million euros and at least 15 employees, which significantly increases start-up costs. But recently, the government announced that it is ready to make the changes in the existing law. Should this be done soon, it will attract even more companies to enter the fray.
Another problem, however, would be investing in the technology needed for setting up production, since the government hasn’t provided sufficient guidelines yet, farmers claim. But, this is precisely where Big Mike’s expertise could come in handy.
Legal recreational use still remains out of reach
Much of Big Mike’s businesses also focuses on the sale of marijuana for recreational use. However, Macedonian authorities are not yet ready to discuss this topic. Although Health Minister Filipce noted that he expects that the cannabis industry will play an essential part in North Macedonia’s economy, when it comes to legalizing marijuana for recreational use, the country is still far away from that step, he said. As Filipce pointed out, what the country lacks at this point are “strong control mechanisms” that would regulate this area. While the country also is looking to start the accession negotiations with the EU during next year, authorities have kept the marijuana legalization debate quiet. For the time being, they are focused on more pressing issues instead, such as the fight against corruption and the rule of law.
And Macedonian authorities have been rather harsh with those that have advocated for the idea. Recently, an outspoken activist for marijuana legalization was sentenced to a year in prison. Monika Ristovska was held in detention since the summer after the police arrested her for the possession of 15 grams of marijuana. Ristovska is a vocal supporter of marijuana legalization, often staging guerilla actions such as smoking a joint in public or making a live broadcast of smoking marijuana on social networks.
While various non-governmental organizations have also called on authorities to follow the global trends of marijuana legalization, it seems that such a decision is still far off. Almost all of the Balkan countries are on the same page when it comes to this issue, so it’s hard to predict when the authorities in the region might take a different approach towards marijuana legalization. But, should the medical marijuana business in North Macedonia turn out to be a profitable one, it could start a new trend in the region, especially when most of the Western Balkans countries, in the absence of an EU membership, are looking to strengthen their weak economies.


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"ALPHABET" content on TweakTown - Page 1
We found 17 items for the tag: ALPHABET
Facebook is the youngest company to receive a $1 trillion valuation
After some favorable rulings, Facebook has joined the few other companies to close above $1 trillion in market capitalization.
President Biden wants GPUs and next-gen consoles in your hands ASAP
The White House and cabinet officials will host a virtual CEO summit on semiconductor supply chain resilience on Monday.
Google talks about reopening its offices to workers
Pichai also announced May 22 as an official day off for Google employees who may be nearing 'burnout.'
Alphabet: Google has a 'multibillion-dollar' hardware business
Alphabet has dropped a hint that Google's hardware division is a 'multi-billion' business.
YouTube Premium will soon allow 1080p video downloads
Until now, YouTube downloads were limited to 720p but with YouTube Premium it'll soon be knocked up to 1080p.
Alphabet executive chairman Eric Schmidt steps down
Eric Schmidt, Alphabets executive chairman has stepped down and will be filling in his new role as a technical advisor.
Google uses AI on next-gen image compressing tech
Google taps the near unlimited brains of AI to create a new image compression tool, uses 75% less bandwidth.
Here are some facts about Google for their 18th birthday
Google's birthday varied during the years, but September 27th is its official birthday since 2006. Happy 18th birthday, Google!
Google-owned company Verily and big pharma ink $700 million deal
Google's parent company invests $700 million into an experimental medical field that could disease without medication.
Alphabet wants to beam internet directly to customers, testing now
Google parent company envisions truly wireless future for the internet.
Nest underperformed with $340m in revenue last year, sources say
Revenue for smart home company Nest hasn't hit expectations, could be the end of Alphabet relationship.
Alphabet has put Boston Dynamics up for sale, sources say
Alphabet not happy with Boston Dynamics production and is now up for sale, sources say.
Alphabet chairman Eric Schmidt appointed to Pentagon advisory board
Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt now directly tied to government with new advisory position.
Alphabet passes Apple as world's most valuable public company
Google parent company Alphabet posts wild success in latest earnings report, beats out Apple.
Google will make autonomous cars within its Alphabet company in 2016
Google wants to make self-driving cars its own entity as easy as A-B-C.
Google shaking things up, so please say hello to Alphabet
Google rebranding as... Alphabet.
Genetic code utilization for passwords is a real thing
Stuck for new password options? Here comes science to the rescue.


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Cross Timbers Food Cooperative
Connecting North Texas customers with local farmers and craftspeople
Ordering for the first May delivery is CLOSED.
Delivery is Saturday, May 5, from 1:30 – 2:30 P.M.
Next order opens May 7.
The delivery schedule for the rest of 2018 will be posted soon.
The Market Managers have temporarily disabled ordering at this market.


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ITASCA, Ill.—Noting that it continues to be concerned about a soft overall automotive service aftermarket, Midas Inc. reported drops in sales, operating income and net income for fiscal 2000 as well as for the fourth quarter in particular.
The Itasca-based company's net income for the year fell 20.6 percent to $30.5 million vs. $38.4 million the previous year. It showed a fourth-quarter net loss of $1.4 million vs. $7.4 million profit for the 1999 period.
Sales and revenue in fiscal 2000 were $346.2 million vs. $355.5 million in 1999. For the fourth quarter, Midas' sales dropped 6.3 percent to $74.9 million compared with $79.9 million in 1999. Operating income for the year, at $45.1 million, sank 34.1 percent from $68.4 million reported the previous year.
The company said it took a number of charges against earnings "to increase the allowance for bad debts and to implement a program to reduce ongoing employee-related operating costs."
Despite a "challenging" automotive aftermarket in 2000, Midas Chairman and CEO Wendel H. Province said the company "made progress in implementing strategic initiatives designed to improve Midas' long-term retail and wholesale sales and profitability."
Midas has, in the past year, "expanded our service offering to include climate control and maintenance services, upgraded the appearance of shops in North America, launched the Parts Warehouse Inc. network of quick delivery wholesale parts distribution sites, and improved our corporate and franchisee information systems," Mr. Province said.
The company will continue to expand those initiatives in 2001 "to support the long-term growth and success" of the Midas system, he added, though Midas "continues to be concerned about the softness in the overall automotive service aftermarket."
Two years ago, during the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Week shows in Las Vegas, Mr. Province had announced Midas' introduction of climate control products into its North American franchised installation shops, which then numbered 2,150. That initiative involved a multi-year pact, with Visteon Automotive Systems becoming Midas' exclusive supplier of a full line of air conditioning and heat-transfer products for domestic and import cars and light trucks.
At the time, Mr. Province said Midas would continue to expand its services—including tire sales—as opportunities arose.
Midas currently has 2,700 franchised and licensed shops in 19 countries, including more than 2,000 in the U.S. and Canada. They provide exhaust, brake, steering and suspension services, as well as batteries, climate control and maintenance services.


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There was a joke that claimed you could take a parrot and make them into an economist just by teaching them to say “supply and demand”. We all understand that the supply or scarcity of a product will help dictate the demand and the price for the product. Well, marijuana growers are just as susceptible to the governing dynamics of economics as the rest of us.
However, with the recent downfall of our American economy over the past couple of years, quite a different effect has occurred for the marijuana growers in the Western United States. Since 1998 Oregon has allowed for the use of medicinal marijuana. The states bordering to the north and south, California and Washington also allow for the use of medical marijuana.
The opening of these laws have allowed professional marijuana growers to gain a foot hold in the market by legally growing for patients that have been prescribed marijuana. Each patient is allowed to have up to 18 seedlings and six plants in Oregon. Each patient is allowed to have up to one and a half pounds of marijuana at any given time. A good grower can easily produce three pounds or more off of six plants in a four month growing cycle.
So, what does all of this mean? It means that a lot of people are now able to grow with less fear of legal repercussions. The next contributing factor is that for the past two years we have had record unemployment rates and people desperate to make money, at times by any means possible. According to an unidentified source the flood of marijuana in recent months has made it a buyers market.
One source told us that they have been contacted by many people looking to sell some of their finished product at lower than average prices. They went on to explain that there is so much pot on the market in the Northwest United States that it is hard to get rid of at the moment.
Our source went on to tell us a story about their friend who grows in Humboldt County California, a well-known marijuana producing area of the United States. He explained that due to the flood of pot in the market the friend was unable to sell their product in California and came to Oregon to try and find buyers, with little luck.
Normally, when marijuana is sold in small amounts such as a three and a half gram bag of marijuana or an eighth of an ounce is sold for $40. Eight of these bags makes one ounce and if purchased as an ounce the seller will usually give a discount between $20 to $80, (6% to 25% savings) depending on the quality. Some growers can’t even get rid of their product for up to a 50% discount.
Historically during bad economic times the sales of drugs and alcohol increase due to the depression people feel and their need to escape. The economy has taken its toll on everyone and hopefully the recession will be over soon. As jobs come back and fewer people are in desperate positions this small bursting marijuana bubble will regulate itself back to the stable market that it use to be.
As the economy improves the sales of intoxicants should go back down. As the rest of America has been fighting to rebuild the economy and get jobs the marijuana growers have been busy growing and it seems that they may have grown themselves into their own recession by flooding the market and bringing the price down.


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ComScore reports top Smartphones: Android first, iPhone second
- Azadeh Rongere
ComScore Inc., the leading estimator of digital products, identified Apple as the top smartphone manufacturer with 34.3 percent and Google's Android as the leader in the smartphone platform with 53.4 percent in a three-month period that ended in December 2012.
Apple's OEM ranking is up 2 percent since September, followed by Samsung with 21 percent (up 2.3 percent), HTC with 10.2 percent (down 1.8 percent), Motorola with 9.1 percent (down 0.7 percent) and LG with 7.1 percent (up 0.5 percent).
Google's Android status is up 0.9 percent since September, while Apple ranked second with 36.3 percent (up 2 percent), Blackberry third with 6.4 percent (down 2 percent), Microsoft fourth with 2.9 percent (down 0.7) and Symbian fifth with 0.6 percent, the same result as September's.
Also, according to a comScore survey of subscribers age 13 or older, smartphone users occupy 54 percent of the mobile market, a 5 percent increase since September, with 125.9 million people in the U.S. owning smartphones.
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There’s not a whole lot to go off here but we can expect Rebecca Judd’s Logies gown is going to be spectacular.
The Channel Nine presenter shared a snap on Instagram of her gorgeous daughter Billie, soon to be big sister to twins, swimming in a big pile of tulle.
“Logies prep with princess. She was in HEAVEN!” she captioned the image. And judging by the look on Billie’s face we’d have to agree. She’s pretty pleased.
Judd tagged J’Aton Couture in the image, so as we all might have guessed, she will be teaming up with her long-running partners in fashion for the up-coming awards.
J’Aton designers Jacob Luppino and Anthony Pittorino have kitted out Judd for several glamorous events including Logies past, the AFL Brownlow Medal awards, and sister Kate’s wedding.


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Salesforce for Google Apps Announced Today
There’s already been some coverage on the topic from Techcrunch, Mashable, and SalesforceWatch as well as on the official Salesforce Blog so I won’t rehash that here. There will be a live webcast of the announcement at 3pm EST / 12pm PST that you can watch here, and in the meantime you can check out the quick videos on the basic capabilities:
ZD Net blogger Joshua Greenbaum has been skeptical since the start, claiming that Google’s terms of service make it nearly impossible for corporations to take any product integrations seriously. Since my company already uses Google to host our corporate mail, having some of this new functionality certainly won’t hurt even if it doesn’t live up to the hype.


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Trump said in exchange for the pause, China intends "to start purchasing agricultural product immediately" after saying in a late Sunday night tweet that Beijing "agreed to reduce and remove" a 40 percent tariff on us vehicle imports.
Trump expressed optimism that, based on his and Xi's friendship, the two sides would be able to hammer out an agreement that would prevent US tariffs on Chinese imports from a scheduled increase in January.
But the language used in the Trump administration's announcement of the deal was very different to that in Chinese government statements, especially on Beijing's promises to buy more U.S. goods and the possibility of removing existing tariffs.
The statement said that the countries agreed to implement this transaction within the next 90 days.
President Trump left the Group of 20 summit in Argentina with an agreement not to raise tariffs on Chinese goods in the next 90 days, the White House said. "They intend to start purchasing agricultural product immediately".
President Donald Trump's Monday morning tweet about the trade deal with China stands in sharp contrast to what's being reported on China's media.
"I believe Trump took advice from his advisers because the Republican Party did not perform very well during the U.S. midterm elections in the agriculture-dependent states".
Sophie Turner's desi jora at 'NickYanka' pre-wedding event steals limelight
From the magnificent Royal Wedding in May to #DeepVeer's extravagant celebrations this month, 2018 just can't seem to get enough. The Namaste England actor dressed up in white overalls that she layered with a navy blue cape from Payal Khandwala's collection.
The US trade deficit with China was US$335 billion past year and many manufacturers rely on inputs from the world's number two economy, so eliminating the deficit would be an extraordinary goal.
National Economic Council Director Larry Kudlow said he, Mnuchin and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer had lunch with China's vice premier in Argentina and he told them that Beijing would move immediately on the new commitments.
While he praised the meeting as "highly successful" and a "great honor" to be working with Xi, Trump would only say that tariff increases are on hold for now. "I believe Trump wants all this to be settled and avoid any possible impact on his chances in future elections", he said. "China, right now, has major trade barriers-they're major tariffs-and also major non-tariff barriers, which are brutal".
USA companies and consumers are bearing part of the cost of the United States tariffs on China by paying higher prices for goods, and many companies have hiked prices on imported goods.
Prior to having dinner with Trump, Xi said he was "very happy" to have an opportunity to address issues with the United States leader.
The White House made clear that the 10 percent tariffs would still leap up to 25 percent if China doesn't meet U.S. demands in 90 days. The same goes for Trump who is under pressure from USA lobby groups, who have pointed out that higher tariffs would mean higher costs for American manufacturers, leading to higher prices for United States consumers.


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One of the main conveniences of the Apple Watch is that it provides at-a-glance information without needing to take your iPhone out of your pocket, whether you are stuck in a meeting, walking down the sidewalk or watching Netflix on your couch. For a task as simple as checking the weather, the ability to simply look at your wrist will make Apple Watch weather apps very appealing for a lot of users.
Many developers have been quick to jump on the opportunity to release weather-related Apple Watch apps, including CARROT Weather, The Weather Channel, Weather Underground, Yahoo Weather, AccuWeather, Weather Nerd, Thermo Diem, NOAA Radar Pro and more. While the apps all share a common thread of providing weather information, each have unique designs and features that are worth trying out.
CARROT Weather for Apple Watch
Earlier this week, CARROT Weather received its first-ever update with Apple Watch support, bringing its humorously twisted 24-hour and 7-day forecasts to the wrist. Tapping on a section brings up a color-coded interface with more detailed weather information, including the current temperature, type and chance of precipitation, wind speed, humidity, barometric pressure and more. CARROT Weather is $2.99 on the App Store.
The Weather Channel will also be releasing an updated version of their app to support Apple Watch, enabling users to view current weather conditions, hourly forecasts with temperature and precipitation visuals, and weekend forecasts. The app also offers customizable real-time notifications for rain, snow, lightning and severe weather on your wrist, and features a live radar based on your GPS location. The Weather Channel app is free on the App Store.
Weather Underground for Apple Watch
Weather Underground for Apple Watch provides current conditions, 10-day forecasts, severe weather alerts, radar imagery and more on the wrist, with Force Touch navigation for quick access to hourly, ten-day forecasts and saved locations. The app can also notify you about the latest National Weather Service severe weather alerts in the United States. Weather Underground is free on the App Store.
Yahoo Weather for Apple Watch features a sleek design that provides the current temperature at a glance, alongside the current weather conditions, type and chance of precipitation, wind speed, barometric pressure, sunrise and sunset times, and more. Yahoo Weather is free on the App Store.
Yahoo Weather for Apple Watch
AccuWeather for Apple Watch features MinuteCast, which provides minute-by-minute precipitation forecasts for the forthcoming two hours hyper-localized to your exact street address or GPS location. The app keeps you up to date with other current weather conditions based on your location, including temperature, the forecasted high and low for the day, wind speed, and times for sunrise or sunset. Breaking weather notifications in the U.S. can also be enabled. AccuWeather is free on the App Store.
More Weather Apps for Apple Watch:
- Weather Nerd ($4.99)
- Thermo Diem (Free)
- Weather Live ($1.99)
- NOAA Radar Pro – Severe Weather Alerts ($1.99)
- Dark Sky ($3.99)
This roundup will be updated with more popular Apple Watch weather apps as they become available.


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Making self-driving cars work—from the software that gently guides them through traffic without mishap, to the involved hardware that processes millions of bits of data every second—is a complex process. So it comes as something of a surprise to hear that Nvidia, maker of graphics cards and hardware for self-driving cars, used a video game to help create its self-driving simulations during testing.
Speaking at DICE 2016 on a panel titled "Automobiles, the Next Mobile Platform", Nvidia's car chief Sahin Kirtavit explained: "We actually used the [Gran Turismo] engine two years ago to start our simulation effort and we figured out we needed more high fidelity graphics. The game engines have a lot that the simulator needs. I think game engines are extremely close to perfect simulators."
The Gran Turismo series has been widely praised for the quality of its simulation, with developer Polyphony Digital going to great lengths to meticulously recreate cars and tracks down to the tiniest detail. It's so good, in fact, that racers in Nissan's GT Academy—which takes people that are really good at Gran Turismo and puts them in actual racing cars—weren't allowed to compete in the British GT Championship, because they were too fast.
Nvidia's Kirtavit went on to explain that he believes self-driving cars will hit the road "in the next few years," no doubt hoping that they'll all be powered by the company's Drive PX 2 computer, which is currently being tested by car-maker Volvo.
"I think you're going to see truly self-driving cars—I'm not talking about cars that drive only thirty seconds and then gives control back to you—truly self-driving cars in the next few years on the road," said Kirtavit. "And we are super excited that once the car drives itself, what you're going to do is play games." [That's some pro double-dipping, Nvidia! -Ed]
While Kirtavit may be a tad optimistic about the future of self-driving cars, there are signs that they could hit the roads sooner rather than later. Earlier this month, the US government removed the need for Google to have a human driver inside the car, making the driving software itself the vehicle's legal driver. That means not only will none of the people in the car require a driving licence, but frivolities such the steering wheel and pedals could be removed.
The extra space could then be used for creature comforts such as larger passenger chairs, more cup holders, and yes, even an entertainment system for playing games like Gran Turimso. Whether or not we'll all be able to cope with the irony of playing driving games while being driven around remains to be seen.
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Emma Hallberg’s Instagram is filled with photos away from the woman radiant brownish body, thick dark curls and you will significantly shiny pout. It was a shock, then, for just one fan to find out that Hallberg is actually light.
It’s you to definitely matter of just what Fb profiles name “blackfishing” – the fresh new phenomena from white females influencers acting to be black thanks to a mix of cosmetics and generally black colored hair styles and you can trends.
The products and you will campaigns girls particularly Hallberg found out-of social media is attending real black female, Hart laments
“On social media, they might be curating an increase regarding on their own which is dependent towards the appropriating pieces of black colored people,” https://datingranking.net/it/incontri-etero/ said Alisha Gaines, an associate professor out-of English within Florida Condition College or university and author away from “Black colored getting a day: Ambitions out-of Competition and you may Empathy.”
The expression “blackfishing” took off once a myspace thread of the establish Like to Thompson ran widespread last year after she named out “most of the white lady cosplaying since the black colored lady toward Instagram.”
Photographs away from influencers put inside, a lot of them juxtaposing old photo with an increase of latest of them appearing female with noticeably darker body.
Long before Thompson’s post, racial impersonation was stabilized of the Kardashians, indexed Jessamyn Stanley, a black colored Instagram influencer. The signature look contains phenotypically black beauty – emphasized mouth area and popular contours. Nonetheless they recreation usually black colored hair styles particularly box braids, cornrows otherwise applied edges.
“Exactly how common the newest Kardashians try speaks amounts and cannot end up being overlooked,” said Ericka Hart, a black colored Instagram influencer and you can sex educator. “They’re capable capitalize of black bodies, and folks should imitate one to.”
Kim and you may Khloe Kardashian enjoys an online value of $350 billion, while the youngest of your own Kardashian-Jenner family members, Kylie, has been titled the earth’s youngest millionaire by Forbes.
The women appeared within the Thompson’s seemingly unlimited Myspace thread may not end up being also-referred to as Kardashians, nonetheless they along with profit from brand name recommendations and collaborations, Gaines told you.
“They set on their own on the market and also most of these followers thinking they truly are a person who they’re not,” Gaines told you. “It is so deeply grounded on light advantage as they possibly can need up a gap you to definitely an actual black woman might have had.”
“They normally use black visual including it is a halloween costume,” told you Hart, who’s plus an adjunct teacher within Colombia School of Social Functions. “If you aren’t black, avoid being performing one to.”
As the indelible reputation for blackface in america has contributed to the present day phenomena out of blackfishing, Gaines told you there can be a unique difference in both. Blackface is designed to wear-out and you may humiliate. These influencers rather behavior racial impersonation and social appropriation, based on Gaines.
“Individuals were capable contort themselves surface toward means that black colored ladies look, or take what they thought will be most beautiful bits and you will perhaps not regard a full black colored girl,” Gaines told you.
The new “charm aesthetic” viewed with blackfishing is what Stanley phone calls the latest Barbie sort of black colored title. It does not is black facial skin, twisted tresses or full waistlines, she stated.
Hallberg performed, and you may she disputed allegations from blackfishing by send pictures toward Instagram researching the woman tan some other members of the family and away from youth proving their which have absolute curls.
“Really don’t get sponsorships, job opportunities and collaborations by colour of my personal body,” among the many posts checks out. “I have they due to the way We style my personal dresses and build my personal make-up seems.”
Regarding blackface minstrel shows on freak-let you know interest for the nineteenth millennium London off Sarah Baartman, a south African girl, “almost always there is become a preference when planning on taking from black regulators,” Hart told you
“You get enough supporters out of individuals who believe you are someone who you’re not,” Hart told you. “Anybody lookup to you in the a myriad of ways you might not actually understand, and you’ve just started lying to them.”


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Are YOU getting ready for Christmas too early? Debate breaks out on GMB as panellists clash over the right time to get into the festive spirit
- With Christmas still two months away, guests debate if it's too early to celebrate
- READ MORE: Walkers launch quirky new flavour in time for Christmas
After spooky season ended on October 31st, festive fans have already started preparing for Christmas - but is it too early to be getting into the spirit?
A debate broke out on Good Morning Britain this morning about whether Christmas has arrived too early this year, with presenter Danielle Mason and former gymnast Lisa Mason clashing over when is the right time to get into the festive spirit.
While Lisa argued that some families simply couldn't afford the early merriment amid a cost-of-living crisis, Danielle said that Christmas cheer creates a 'positive' atmosphere.
The debate comes after Britons slammed another ITV daytime show, This Morning, for airing a Christmas segment iat the end of August - before the school summer holidays had ended.
But as retailers around the UK released their Christmas adverts promptly on 1 November, some people have argued it's simply too soon to crack open the Quality Streets and line their dinner tables with mince pies.
A debate broke out on Good Morning Britain today about whether Christmas has arrived too early this year. Danielle Mason (pictured) advocated for building a 'positive' atmosphere during the run up to Christmas
For Lisa, the Yuletide spirit can 'drag on' if you decorate your house too early. She said: 'You kind of walk into your home that's been decorated for two months - three months with some people - and it just becomes the norm.
'I work with schools and I work with children and I know they can get excited leading up to Christmas and I feel like it's becoming a longer period of excitement as such.
'I feel that a lot of people that decorate early do it for themselves and not necessarily for the children.'
On the other hand Danielle said there was 'nothing wrong' with enjoying the feel good spirit, especially while it boosted the country's economy.
'We're sat here in this lovely Christmas environment and all I'm getting is good vibes, I'm getting excited for Christmas already.
'It's great for the economy because, remember, we had them two years of horrid Covid going on. Everyone is trying to get back on their feet so we're supporting all that. The kids are getting excited'.
Ben buttressed her point by questioning how children would be expected to sustain their 'energy' on the long road to December 25 - which is still under two months away.
'If you start now' he began. 'You've got to build and build and build. Christmas day, the 25th of December is still a long time away. Fifty-two days in fact'.
Former gymnast Lisa Mason (pictured) argued that some families simply couldn't afford the early merriment
Danielle beamed: 'Yes but you've got all that to look forward to'.
She explained that in the long run, 'everybody would be a lot happier' and two months of merry spirit would be justifiable.
However Lisa remained unmoved and added that as she celebrated Thanksgiving with her half-American daughter, it was still far too early to give in to Yuletide festivities - a custom she'd learned from her own mother.
'I remember as a child my mother would never put up the tree or anything until Christmas Eve,' she recalled.
'I remember coming down and just the whole house had completely changed and it was magical for me. My memories of Christmas are amazing'.
She concluded by considering her finances, as keeping Christmas lights on for two months would likely incur a costly bill.
The guests joined Good Morning Britain hosts Ben Shephard and Charlotte Hawkins (pictured centre)
'It's giving people a longer period of times to buy presents' she added. 'People are spending more money because they have a longer period of time leading up to Christmas'.
Danielle said limiting spending to just before Christmas would 'cripple' her.
Back in August, TV presenters Andi Peters and Rochelle Humes, took to This Morning to present a special Christmas segment which left viewers far from impressed.
Viewers were taken aback when Rochelle started to promote an entire selection of seasonal Christmas foods and gifts already available in stores around the UK.
The episode fell on the last day of August, a time when many families are considered to still be on summer holidays, and as one person frankly put it: 'Ah here. They're on about Christmas on #Thismorning. We're still in bloody August'.
During the episode, celebrity make-up artist and presenter Bryony Blake made a deep dive into all things Christmas.
Even more of a surprise was the list of department stores and supermarkets she listed that have already started decorating their interiors with various Christmas decorations and even Christmas trees.


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Cole Haan ‘pops up’ at the ‘Big Show’
An upscale footwear and accessories brand opened a pop-up store in the Big Apple — but in an unlikely place.
Cole Haan’s new pop-up store can be found at the National Retail Federation’s annual conference, NRF 2020 Vision, which is being held at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City from Jan. 12-14. The pop-up is located inside the booth of retailer’s e-commerce solution provider, Aptos.
The pop-up shop features the retailer’s gravity-defying GrandPro Rally Sneakers, and a new line of Zerogrand outerwear. NRF attendees can place mobile orders onsite and have merchandise delivered to their hotel rooms — two services that are supported by Aptos' fulfillment and order management solutions.
Cole Haan, which operates more than 100 stores in the U.S., and abroad, is currently preparing to take its company public. In October, the company confidentially submitted a draft registration statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission relating to the proposed initial public offering of its common stock. The size and price range of the proposed offering have not yet been determined.
Cole Haan is owned by U.K. private equity firm Apax Partners, which acquired the company from Nike in 2013.


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U.S. Withdraws Foolish Threat of New Tariffs on Canadian Aluminum
One of the more bizarre episodes of President Donald Trump’s trade war—and there are plenty of contenders—came to an abrupt end on Tuesday afternoon when the United States backed down from a threat to impose new tariffs on aluminum imports from Canada.
“This was a day where common sense prevailed,” Chrystia Freeland, Canada’s deputy prime minister, said at a press conference on Tuesday where she announced that Canada would also drop its plans to retaliate against the threatened tariffs.
Indeed, much of American trade policy over the past few years has been marked by a shortage of common sense. But slapping new tariffs on aluminum imported from Canada—and doing so just weeks after the United States and Canada (and Mexico) signed a new trade agreement—was always completely indefensible.
Officially, the new tariffs were a response to what the White House called, at the urging of lobbyists for two domestic aluminum manufacturers, a surge in aluminum imports from Canada. That claim was a bunch of nonsense, but even if it were true, it wouldn’t be something to be upset about. The United States does not produce enough aluminum to meet domestic needs, so imports are essential for supporting the 97 percent of American aluminum industry jobs that are in downstream production. No wonder there was widespread opposition to the tariffs from the American aluminum industry—you know, the very industry that these tariffs were supposed to be protecting.
Unofficially, the entire episode is a good demonstration of how unmoored from reality the Trump administration’s views on trade have become. Like it did in 2018, the White House was planning to use Section 232 of the Trade
Article from Latest – Reason.com


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As the Christmas shopping season went into full swing in 2005, I sensed that journalists in general have a strong preference for using the term "holiday shopping" instead of "Christmas shopping" when covering business and commerce, but that when it came to people losing their jobs, they preferred to describe layoffs as relating to "Christmas."
My instincts have been proven correct, as you can see below from the results of three different sets of Google News searches in November and December in each of the last three years (links to last year's related posts are here, here, and here; 2006's are here, here, and here; 2005's are here, here, and here):
2005-2007 News stories have overwhelmingly preferred "holiday shopping" on the commerce side, but have used "Christmas" over twice as frequently in articles about layoffs.
I've decided to continue to track the same items this year to see if the trend continues or changes.
Based on the first set of Google News searches during this Christmas season (done tonight at roughly 9 PM ET), the early conclusion is "mostly, yes":
The continued upward creep in using "holiday shopping season" for commerce continues. Meanwhile, "Christmas" is still used with over two times as much frequency in stories about layoffs, in a year in which, thanks to the POR (Pelosi-Obama-Reid) Economy, there will probably be many more layoffs than in the past. The percentage usage for Christmas layoffs has dropped, and it will be interesting to see if that lower percentage holds.
But for now, what I concluded during the past three years is again proving to be true in 2008:
It seems beyond dispute that there is a strong bias against using the word "Christmas" to describe not only the shopping season, as noted above, but also events, parades, and festivals that happen during the Christmas season. There is, however, a bit of an exception -- "Christmas" is a word that is much more acceptable to use when "Scrooge" employers are letting people go.
Cross-posted at BizzyBlog.com.


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Apple Inc. has just cancelled the event that it had scheduled for March 31st, due to the coronavirus scare. The company was expected to announce the highly anticipated iPhone SE 2 (aka iPhone 9) phone with a compact design. The iPhone 9 is one of the most anticipated launches from the Cupertino-based tech conglomerates due to the presumably lower price tag the device is expected to carry. With the launch event now standing cancelled, Apple is yet to announce a new date for the event. Apart from the iPhone 9, Apple was also scheduled to launch the new iPad Pro at the event.
The decision to cancel the event was taken as Santa Clara County has put a temporary ban on mass public gatherings due to the rising number of COVID-19 infections in the area. According to Front Page Tech YouTuber, Apple is currently probing alternate possibilities like moving the event to a different venue or arranging an online press release. Formal announcements are yet to be made.
Coronavirus infections have heavily impacted the production schedule of the iPhone 9. Reports suggest the phone will launch in March or later, depending on the company’s ability to boost its current production capacity. If Apple fails to pick up the pace of production, it could also affect the launch of its upcoming flagship range, the iPhone 12, scheduled to arrive in September this year.
Apple has extended travel ban on its engineers till the end of April, further delaying the production cycle of the iPhone 12. Under normal circumstances, Apple engineers travel to China to check on new products before proceeding for mass production. If the company is to launch the iPhone 12 by fall of 2020, the device should be under mass production by March.


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Temasek set to reap $3-billion windfall from Alibaba IPO
Published on Sep 27, 2013 8:01 AM
Temasek Holdings looks set for a windfall from its stake in Chinese online retail giant Alibaba, which is said to be planning a mega initial public offering (IPO) in the United States.
The Singapore investment firm and three other partners took a stake worth US$1.6 billion in Alibaba in 2011, which valued the company at US$32 billion.
Today, Alibaba is estimated to be worth more than US$75 billion (S$94 billion), which means the value of Temasek's investment has doubled over two years. Some analysts have even put Alibaba's value at up to US$120 billion, according to reports by news agency Reuters.
Even if Temasek does not sell its stake as part of the IPO, it will be sitting on a major paper gain.
To continue reading, log in if you are a subscriber
If you are not a subscriber, you can get instant, unlimited access here


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Just announced from game company TGC, will be an upcoming horror shooter known as Afterfall: Insanity. The game takes place after a nuclear holocaust happens in October of 2012. Players like in most game, will face their destiny as they fight to stay alive against mutants, mercenaries, and other threats. You will be making your way through the ruins of destroyed cities, and through the sewers and underground tunnels. Fallout? Metro 2033?
The game will be running on the latest Unreal Engine. The press release tells of how amazing and interesting and great the game will be without actually saying much about the game. Which I hate and is a cop out. You play as a psychiatrist. Sounds interesting. So really only time will tell. But the game will be released in 2011 for the PC, Playstation 3, and Xbox 360. Couple more screens past the break.
this week in horror
This Week in Horror - May 1, 2017 - The Mist, Hellboy, Michael...
The Mist has an extra gory new trailer, Hellboy is getting an R-rated reboot, and legendary actor Michael Parks passed away.Posted by Bloody-Disgusting on Wednesday, May 17, 2017
Marvel Just Cast Tom Hardy as ‘VENOM’!
Netflix Series “The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance” Will Be a Prequel to the ’82 Classic!
Here’s Why We’ll Never See the Gruesome ‘Event Horizon’ Director’s Cut
‘Halloween’ Reboot Shooting This Fall; More On Making Michael Scary Again
As Suspected, They’re Going to Remake ‘Resident Evil’


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Industry grand ceremony, China paint won four awards
industry grand ceremony, China paint won four awards
June 11, 2019
recently, "the 30th anniversary celebration of Guangdong coating industry association and 2019 Guangdong coating industry development conference" was grandly held in Jiangmen Heshan Four Points Sheraton Hotel. Mr. Zeng Jianming, regional sales manager of China paint Guangzhou, attended the commendation meeting on behalf of more than 600 people on the scene
Guangdong coating industry association is a coating industry association established in the late 1980s. It has a group of senior coating experts and engineering technicians to serve the coating industry in the province. This conference aims to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the establishment of Guangdong coating industry association, comprehensively display the remarkable achievements made by Guangdong coating in the past 30 years, and find the source power of "Guangdong coating starts again". This time, Zhonghua paint once again demonstrated its strength with its brand, and won recognition with its strength. It won the honors of "Guangdong top 30 coating enterprises" and "Guangdong coating industry association 30-year growth enterprise". Its giraffe paint won the honor of "Guangdong excellent architectural coating brand" and its toy brand won the honor of "Guangdong excellent industrial coating brand"
then close the oil return valve
the products of giraffe paint brand under China paint are widely involved in various fields such as architectural coatings, wood home decoration, furniture paint, automobile surface coating, etc., which can fully meet the needs of all kinds of consumers for home decoration to remove the residual bubbles in resin raw materials and protection. Its related products have been unanimously praised in the water-based coatings, furniture coatings, automobile repair industry. Recently, the new giraffe brand without adding children's paint adheres to the concept of environmental protection and health. It is customized for children, without adding clean taste, safe and environmental protection, combined with personalized color schemes, and has the strength to create a genuine and healthy home space for children, enjoying high popularity and reputation. The brand has won the product honor of "Guangdong famous brand", the "top ten waterproof paint brands in China" and the "famous brand award of Chinese wood paint" for many times "Guangdong Province (industry) famous brand products" and many other titles
giraffe brand without added children's paint
toy brand was born in the 1970s. It uses advanced production technology, adopts high-quality raw materials, and scientific and environmental protection formula. It has been trusted by customers for many years. It is sold all over Hong Kong, Macao and China, and exported to all parts of Southeast Asia. It provides first-class products and services, which are widely used in the toy industry and clothing accessories industry, and has passed the Oeko tex Standard 100 certification, In 2015, toy paint first passed the PAHs class I standard, and won many honorary titles, such as "influential brand of light industrial coatings", "China anticorrosive coating brand award", Shenzhen toy industry association "2018 excellent supplier for considering the impact of box printing on compressive strength", and "China's top 100 enterprises in the paint industry in a century"
87 years ago, Zhonghua paint did not forget its original intention, created the brand-name product effect of real materials with quality, constantly studied new formulas, integrated new packaging, and continued to introduce and integrate the latest paint making technology. It always adhered to the consistent principle of "quality and service", took green environmental protection coating as the technical guidance, and will continue to move forward in the future


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All Sporting Kansas City fans are welcome to the grand re-opening of the SportingStyle Pop-In Store this Saturday, Jan. 27, at Children's Mercy Park.
To kick off the 2018 season in style, the SportingStyle Warehouse Sale is offering 25 percent off full-priced items and up to 50 percent off sale items. The event runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. CT at the Members Club inside Children's Mercy Park. Parking is available on Village West Parkway just outside the Members Club entrance and in Lot D (click here for directions).
As part of the shopping experience, supporters will have the opportunity to go on a complimentary tour of Children's Mercy Park between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. CT on Saturday. Tours are free of charge, allowing fans to visit exclusive areas of the stadium and take pictures with the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup trophy.
Can't make it to the Pop-In Store on Saturday? Simply email stylist@SportingKC.com or call 913-912-7563 to see what's in stock and to place orders.


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By Helen Le Caplain
Donald Trump’s wax figure has his own entourage and FULL TIME hairdresser on hand to set and blow his hair every day.
The 45th US president’s waxy doppelganger is expected to get through 30 cans of hairspray as well as requiring HOURLY hairdresser visits to ensure his luscious locks stay looking impeccable.
Keeping The Apprentice star looking presidential is a challenge for the team as visitors are encouraged to get up close and personal for snaps.
Each hair on a Madame Tussauds wax figure is inserted by hand and it takes a team of 20 talented sculptors, colourists and hair stylists several months to ensure that the whole figure is perfect.
General Manager, Matthew Titherington, said: “It’s great to have Trump in the attraction and we’ve been researching in depth to ensure our hairdresser uses he correct products to maintain his signature look.
“It was revealed by his doctor, Dr Bornstein, in the New York Times earlier this year that Trump himself takes Propecia to prevent hair loss and male pattern baldness, something which our figure won’t need to worry about.
“He’s a perfect snapshot of his appearance in 2017, the likeness is remarkable.”
The wax figure is seated behind an Oval office style desk with his phone in his hand as he tweets away. The attraction has also had to install additional queuing areas for visitors to cope with the popularity of the figure.


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Google’s smart speaker will be cheaper than the Amazon Echo, report says
Amazon might be getting a little worried.
Pricing details for Google’s upcoming smart speaker, the Amazon Echo-like Google Home, may have just been leaked and they suggest that Google’s speaker will be a lot cheaper than Amazon’s.
The speaker will sell for $ 129 when it goes on sale later this year, according to a report in Android Police. Google Home, which the company first introduced at its I/O developer conference in May, is a speaker that also has Google Assistant built in. (You can preview the assistant in the company’s new messaging app, Allo.) It can also control smart home devices, complete searches and help you manage tasks like managing your grocery list. Read more…


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But Is It Genuine?
WHAT one man can make, another can fake. What you see offered may seem to be exactly what you want, but is it genuine? At times, drastic remedies have been used to curb counterfeiting. One German innkeeper in the 14th century was hanged for selling inferior wine as genuine Rüdesheimer. In Britain, during 140 years prior to 1832, over 300 people were hanged for forgery. In 1597 two goldsmiths were nailed by the ears to the pillory for falsely marking inferior gold plate.
“The collecting mania created a paradise for dishonest dealers,” says Mark Jones, who worked with the British Museum’s exhibition Fake? The Art of Deception. Even the best-informed people have become victims. The “fossil” Piltdown man was fabricated and fooled the scientific establishment for years. The Hitler “diaries” give eloquent testimony to the ability of counterfeiters to deceive even those who should know better.
“The great growth area for faking today,” says Mark Jones, “is . . . the massive counterfeiting of brand-named goods.” It was estimated, for example, that from 10,000 to 15,000 counterfeit Apple computers were sold each month in the United States in 1987. A $33 million fraud in fake Waterford crystal was recently exposed. “Replicas of the world’s most famous crystal were being produced at a factory in a remote French village,” said The Sunday Times in Britain.
This generation covets luxury goods. “Today,” says Vincent Carratu, a veteran in the war against counterfeiters, the commercial counterfeiter “will produce false Chanel perfumes, tomorrow he will switch to counterfeit Fila sports shirts, then later he will import fake Dunlop tennis rackets.” Whatever the consumer wants, the counterfeiter makes. But, warns Britain’s Anti-Counterfeiting Group, “all too often . . . the ‘bargain’ designer watch sold for £50 is actually only worth £5.”
Anti-Counterfeiting News also points out another problem, the danger of inferior goods: “Dangerous and substandard products present a real threat to consumers’ safety.” How serious a threat is this? Trademark World gives these examples: “Fourteen aeroplane crashes and at least two deaths have been traced to counterfeit aviation parts.” The National Consumer Council in Britain exposed how thousands of below-standard electrical plugs and fake automobile brake cylinders with inferior rubber seals made their way to the market. “All these,” it said, “could present a hazard to the consumer.”
Particularly callous are those who produce fake drugs. “Up to 70% of all drugs sold in parts of Africa are counterfeit,” says The Anti-Counterfeiting Group in Britain. Eye drops found in Nigeria, for example, had no active ingredient and were made with contaminated water. They could have caused blindness. “If people have to rely on ‘antibiotics’ that contain no antibiotics,” said the World Health Organization in 1987, “there are bound to be deaths and so counterfeiting is mass murder.”
Even the bank notes you handle may be counterfeit. Recently, in one year alone, $110 million in counterfeit dollar notes were confiscated worldwide. Forged $100 notes circulating in Ireland were of such high quality “that 155 [were] passed in all the major banks,” says The Irish Times.
What can you do to protect yourself from fakes? One consumer-affairs expert says that “the best protection against fraud is an informed consumer.” She adds: “If it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is.”
[Picture on page 20]
The Piltdown “fossil” was a fake that fooled scientists for years


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This is episode number forty in our series for 2020 and today’s date is Friday, November 6.
First I talk to Rob Wilson, CEO of Incent, a loyalty reward company using blockchain to provide a different consumer-centric reward offering. Consumers are rewarded for their entire expenditure including bills, rent, shopping, and utilities which can be redeemed to cryptocurrency or cash.
And then I’ll be talking to CommSec chief economist Craig James about what’s ahead in the market for the week.
But now, let’s talk to Rob Wilson.
The world’s demand for oil may now peak in 2028, two years earlier than previously thought, and at a much lower level, according to consultancy Rystad Energy, which has dramatically shifted its long-term forecast because of the COVID-19 crisis and the acceleration of the transition to clean energy. The firm expects the pandemic to significantly alter the peak oil demand “reckoning moment”, both in terms of timing and volume, helped along by more forceful moves by the government to target lower emissions.
Global consumption of crude oil is now seen reaching its peak at 102 million barrels per day in 2028, instead of more than 106 million barrels per day in 2030, according to Rystad’s latest forecast, released overnight. In 2020, the persistence of the pandemic is seen driving oil demand down to 89.3 million barrels a day, from 99.6 million b/d last year. While demand picks up next year it is still hampered by regional lockdowns and a slow recovery in international aviation and only returns to pre-COVID-19 levels in 2023 when it is expected to reach 100.1 million b/d.
Australia’s second-most populous state, Victoria, is only just emerging from a 112-day lockdown. But central bankers reckon that the national economy beat it out of a covid-induced slumber, eking out some growth in the third quarter.
That does not mean that Australia’s travails are over. Unemployment is rising and inflation is well below the Reserve Bank’s target of 2-3%. So the Reserve Bank of Australia has cut the official cash rate to a new historic low of 0.1%. The bank also cut its yield target on the Australian three-year bond to 0.1% and announced a slew of other measures to help Australia recover from the coronavirus-driven recession.
In a major new policy initiative, RBA governor Philip Lowe also announced the start of a $100 billion bond-buying program aimed at lowering longer-term rates. Known as quantitative easing, or QE, the commitment to buy over the next 6 months is aimed at weakening the Australian dollar, which would boost exporters and further assist the economy rebound from the COVID-19 downturn.
10 years ago was the last time the RBA increased the cash rate. It shows how far Australia has deteriorated. The RBA’s announcement is actually an indictment of the government’s weak fiscal policy. Much of the Government’s announced stimulus has not been spent so the RBA has been forced to do what it didn’t want to do. It now has to do the heavy lifting And it’s quite clear from the RBA’s statement that it’s not expecting an economic recovery for a few years.
That’s why it’s focusing whatever artillery it has on the economy. The RBA says: “For its part, the Board will not increase the cash rate until actual inflation is sustainably within the 2 to 3% target range.” For that to happen, we need wage growth and for that to happen, we need an unemployment rate of 4%. The RBA acknowledges that’s not going to happen for at least three years. We’re in for a very rocky road. So much for a V-shaped recovery.
The ANZ Job Ads recovery maintained a steady pace into October, rising 9.4% for the month. Job Ads have now regained more than three-quarters of the plunge they took in March and April.
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, building approvals soared during the month following the relaxation of COVID-19 restrictions, with Western Australia and South Australia leading the way. The data show that building approvals rose 15.4%, significantly beating expectations of a 1.5% rise. In August, that number had declined by 1.6%.
House prices across Australia have risen overall for the first time since the start of COVID-19. House prices were up nationally in October. It follows five months of national declines during the coronavirus pandemic. Melbourne is the only capital city market that did not record a rise in values in October Monthly data from CoreLogic shows that, as a collective average, the housing market experienced a 0.4% rise in October. It follows month-on-month average declines since the pandemic started shaking the nation’s economy.
New research has found that if climate change goes unchecked, it would cost Australia $3.4 trillion and almost 900,000 jobs by 2070, dwarfing the impact of the coronavirus recession and devastating key industries such as tourism and mining. The research by Deloitte Access Economics suggests the country could adopt a net-zero emissions policy at a fraction of the cost of dealing with the pandemic that would help grow the economy over the next half-century and add a quarter-of-a-million jobs.
The report, based on the assumption of a three-degree increase in global average temperatures by 2070, examines the economic fallout if nothing is done to address climate change. It differs from most other economic models because it takes into account the impact of higher global temperatures whereas almost all others assume there is no cost from a hotter, drier, and more variable climate.
According to Deloitte Access, unchecked climate change would reduce Australian economic growth by 3.6% a year and cost 310,000 jobs annually by 2050. By 2070, the economic cost will have almost doubled to 6%, or $3.4 trillion in present value terms, and 880,000 jobs. The impact is around the same as the economic cost of the coronavirus pandemic until 2055 and then grows. The report’s principal author, Dr. Pardeep Philip, said the costs to Australia of climate change would continue rising every year, with farmers, builders, manufacturers, miners, and tourism-related businesses at the economic “front line”.
Big United States retailers have been stocking up again on consumer staples in anticipation of a renewed bout of pantry hoarding by shoppers as COVID-19 cases soar, which has in turn flowed through to robust demand for pallets at logistics giant Brambles. Bramble’s chief executive Graham Chipchase tweaked the group’s full-year sales and profit guidance towards the upper end of a previous band given in mid-August because of the solid trading in the September quarter. Mr. Chipchase said conditions were volatile and it was hard to predict where the economy was headed. But the group’s US operations had experienced a strong three months to the end of September.
Australia’s fuels sector has been dealt a further blow with more than 100 jobs cut due to the slump in demand for jet fuel amid analyst predictions. Ampol may shut its Lytton refinery after BP’s decision to close Kwinana.
The reductions across jet fuel operations at some of Australia’s biggest airports have exceeded 100 workers after steep falls in demand given the shutdown of air travel. Several of Australia’s biggest jet fuel suppliers including Ampol and Viva Energy are among companies that have permanently shed roles given the rapid reduction in aviation demand.
Ampol said in October jet fuel volumes declined 64% due to international and domestic travel restrictions while Viva said volumes fell by three-quarters compared to the same period a year earlier. The job losses add to 600 manufacturing workers out of a job within six months following BP’s decision on Friday to close the nation’s largest refinery, Western Australia’s Kwinana facility.
BP will also slash 20% of its Australian staff in a further blow to the nation‘s energy sector, with the British oil and gas giant starting the process of cutting about 200 office roles. Energy Minister Angus Taylor held crunch talks this week with Ampol, which runs Lytton in Brisbane, Viva Energy, operator of Geelong in Victoria, and ExxonMobil, owner of Victoria’s Altona plant, as fears mount the entire oil refining industry could be gone within a year.
Online book retailer Booktopia is taking advantage of a COVID-inspired boom in book sales to list on the Australian stock exchange, four years after pulling the plug on a previous run at the boards. Booktopia is raising $43.1 million from investors, $25.1 million of which will be used to expand its range and distribution capacity and reduce debt and $18.1 million of which will be paid to existing shareholders.
However, co-founder and chief executive Tony Nash, who owns 20.2% of the company and is credited with building the business over the last 16 years amidst the arrival of online juggernauts Amazon and The Book Depository, does not plan to sell any of his shares into the IPO. Releasing Booktopia’s prospectus on Monday. Mr. Nash said online book sales had boomed in the second half of the financial year 2020, fuelled by demand during the pandemic.
A $41 billion pension fund being sued in Australia for failing to properly account for climate change in its investments has settled the lawsuit ahead of a three-day hearing Monday. The Federal Court in Sydney was adjourned after Retail Employees Superannuation Trust and Mark McVeigh, a 25-year-old fund member who brought the action, reached a settlement.
Details of the agreement were not revealed in court. McVeigh brought the case in 2018 claiming Rest wasn’t doing enough to protect his retirement savings against the impact of rising world temperatures. The case was seen as a test of whether money managers have a fiduciary duty to help combat the ravages of a warmer planet.
The settlement – while not binding on other investment funds – suggests that investors who lag their peers in testing their portfolios against climate change risk are vulnerable to lawsuits seeking to compel them to do so. Rest will now conduct scenario analysis to inform its investment strategy and strategic asset allocation, disclose its entire portfolio holdings and advocate as investors in companies to comply with the goals of the Paris Agreement, which seek to limit global warming by 1.5 degrees Celsius.
The battered 171-year-old wealth management icon AMP faces a potential sale. Australian wealth manager AMP Ltd. said a preliminary takeover approach from U.S. private equity firm Ares Management Corp. values the company at A$6.4 billion ($US4.5 billion.)
It is the first serious bid for the company since new AMP chairman Debra Hazelton put it on the sale block with a “portfolio review” in early September. In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission in the US, Ares Management said due diligence and “discussions” with AMP were “very preliminary and there is no certainty that any transaction will occur on the proposed terms, within any particular timeframe, or at all”.
Wesptac has revealed a 62% plummet in full-year cash profit to $2.608 billion, as the bank looks to draw a line under its AUSTRAC saga and battles with the fallout from the coronavirus. The hit saw cash profit for the full-year fall a whopping $4.247 billion lower and was well under analyst expectations for $2.65 billion, according to consensus forecasts from Bloomberg.
Among the key issues weighing on the result were the impact of COVID-19, lower-income, and higher costs. Impairments for bad and doubtful debts have been raised by $2.2 billion to $6.2 billion. The bank reported a steep fall in the number of loans it had frozen at the request of customers with 41,000 home loans in deferral worth $16.6 billion, down from 146,000 home loans worth $54.7 billion at the peak.
Woolworths’ September quarter sales rose at almost double the rate in the year-ago period – soaring 12.3% to $17.9 billion – buoyed by demand in stores and online for food, liquor, and homewares from consumers spending more time at home. Same-store sales in Woolworths’ earnings engine room, Australian supermarkets, rose 11.5% in the three months ending September, with online food sales doubling, surging 100% to reach 8% of sales. Food sales growth accelerated, despite the boost from pantry stuffing in the June quarter. The 11.5% September quarter gain followed 8.9% same-store sales growth in the June quarter and 6.6% in the September quarter a year ago.
China is threatening to impose bans on up to $6 billion of key Australian exports from Friday under a widely-distributed notice sent to the country’s food and wine distributors which has raised fears of a second wave of economic coercion as diplomatic relations hit a new low. The addition of copper ore and sugar to a growing list of Australian commodities being targeted by Chinese authorities has alarmed the agricultural and mining sectors which were on Tuesday scrambling to verify the authenticity of the notice.
The move came as China banned timber from Queensland and blocked trade from an Australian barley exporter after Customs claimed pests found in the imports threatened the country’s ecological security. China’s Commerce Ministry had verbally told food and wine importers at meetings in three cities on Friday not to initiate further orders for the six Australian commodities ahead of a possible ban. But traders and distributors interviewed on Tuesday questioned the authenticity of the directive.
Lobsters are the latest casualty of trade tensions. Commercial fishers across the country have been told to stop catching lobster amid fears tonnes of live product could sit stranded at Chinese airports as the seafood delicacy becomes the latest export caught up in trade tensions between Australia and China.
It is understood Chinese customs officials changed inspection procedures late on Friday, throwing the trade into chaos. Australia’s biggest lobster exporter, the Geraldton Fishermen’s Co-operative (GFC), has told fishermen to stop catching the seafood delicacy until at least Friday. Western Australian-based GFC has about 300 members who sell almost all of their catch to China. Trade Minister Simon Birmingham said the Morrison Government was aware of reports of customs clearance issues related to premium shellfish imports into China and was working closely with the industry to shed light on the situation.
Female workers bore the brunt of the economic shutdowns caused by the coronavirus pandemic, but men will be the bigger losers over the long term as male-dominated industries atrophy, according to an analysis released by Labor frontbencher Clare O’Neil. In a speech delivered to the McKell Institute think-tank, Ms. O’Neil, the shadow minister for the future of work, says there is no doubt women were “hurt terribly” by what she calls the artificial phase – when large sections of the economy were forcibly closed by governments.
But citing research by McKinsey, Ms. O’Neil says some of the hardest-hit industries running into March next year will be construction (88% male), manufacturing (73% male), and professional services (lawyers,
consultants – of which 57% are male). She said that McKinsey estimates that when JobKeeper and JobSeeker are withdrawn up to March next year, just under half a million jobs will be lost and that her analysis suggests that more than 60% of those jobs will be lost by men.
And that’s it for this week. And next week, I’ll be talking to entrepreneur Ringo Chan who is on his way to revolutionising the bedding industry with his eco-friendly, ergonomic, and philanthropic company, Ecosa. And I will talk to IFM Investors economist Alex Joiner about the RBA’s decision to cut interest rates to drag Australia out of the coronavirus recession.
In the meantime, you can find me on Twitter at talkingbizz, on Facebook, and on LinkedIn. And if you want, leave a comment. Wishing you all a safe and healthy week and looking forward to bringing you Talking Business next week.


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DealerPolicy Showcases Industry-First All-Inclusive Auto Insurance Solution for Dealers at NADA 2019
COLCHESTER, Vermont, January 17 -- DealerPolicy Inc. will be exhibiting its industry-first all-inclusive auto insurance solution for dealers at NADA in San Francisco from January 24th to 27th.
DealerPolicy enables more car sales with more profit by delivering the first complete, scalable, and turn-key auto insurance solution for car dealers that uses data and technology to provide consumers choice amongst a broad array of insurance carriers. This results in thousands more in purchasing power for consumers during the buying process, which they can put towards the purchase of their new car and F&I products. In fact, customers who purchased insurance gained an average of $3,200 in additional buying power, a sum that covers a full upgrade in vehicle trim level, or a full menu of F&I products. DealerPolicy’s solution provides technology, data, and access to licensed insurance agents to deliver this end-to-end capability, which binds insurance and delivers policy documents and insurance cards within minutes. The company also provides dealers with a new source of recurring income through its referral and payment programs. Each time a customer uses DealerPolicy’s technology to connect with a licensed insurance agent, dealers earn money.
“After operating a dealership myself for 15 years, we founded DealerPolicy with the vision to completely solve auto insurance for dealers – not just to write one or two policies when a customer needs insurance, but offering insurance to every car buyer. Doing that, we’ve been able to increase the buying power of nearly 70% of our customers by thousands of dollars,” said Travis Fitzgerald, CEO. “That extra buying power, plus our incentive program, gives dealers new income opportunities they can only get from DealerPolicy.”
“DealerPolicy isn’t just a turnkey auto insurance solution; equally important, we save dealers and their customers time completing car deals,” said Mike Burgiss, Chief Product Officer. “At NADA 2019, we’re showcasing our latest innovation, DriverIQ™, which saves time by instantly pre-filling the auto insurance and finance applications while providing dealers with customer insights only available through DealerPolicy.”
Dealer demand has fueled DealerPolicy’s tremendous growth. Each week, the company adds more dealers to the hundreds it already serves across nine states. Currently partnered with over 30 insurance carriers, the company plans to expand operations nationwide through 2020. To date, the company has helped automotive retailers generate over $10 million in additional buying power for their customers.
DealerPolicy is a leader in the emerging Insurtech sector. With its seamless integration into the car buying process, the company's innovative solution enables car-buying customers the opportunity to purchase insurance by connecting them with licensed insurance agents while at the dealership or after they arrive home with their new car. The company delivers these benefits through an industry-first combination of partnerships with car dealers, a growing insurance carrier network, and access to licensed agents. DealerPolicy is currently operating in nine states with plans to operate nationwide by 2020.