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Unlock Kashmir Campaign launched for Tourism Promotion ,70 tourists from Mumbai reach Kashmir
Mumbai: It comes a Good News for those who love to visit Kashmir and need to spend their holiday in the picturesque valley
Now following an eight month lockdown, Jammu and Kashmir Tourism have launched ‘Unlock Kashmir campaign which garnered a fairly good response specially from Mumbai, as 70 Tourists reached kashmir to enjoy not only the beauty of Kashmir but its cool climate amid the snowfall
Mumbai based tour company Pooja Holidays organised this eight days tour group and Hello Mumbai News Team took the opportunity and became a part of the trip.
While speaking with Hello Mumbai News, Mr .Nisar Wani, Director of Jammu and Kashmir Tourism said, ” After this 8 months lockdown there is an influx of Tourists arriving in Kashmir daily. More than 500 tourists are coming and our tourism Department is following all rules and regulations and protocols of covid-19..
We have an exclusive set-up at Srinagar Airport and a team of doctors check their covid test after they enter the city. We are providing all kinds of facilities to all the tourists,”
Mr.Nisar Wani further stated we are very much concerned about the safety of our tourists. Winter season is in full swing and I personally invite all the tourists to please visit Kashmir.
Mr.Satish Shah, owner of Pooja Holidays, said, this is our first group of 70 people who have come to Kashmir with us. Our group is enjoing this 8 day tour package. We will visit all popular destinations such as, Sanmarg,Gulmarg,Pahalgam hand and other scenic location.
Unlock Kashmir is the first ever campaign launched by JK tourism and we are the first from Mumbai who supported this campaign.Very soon our 90 Members from Mumbai are ready to visit kashmir.
It’s my appeal to all to not to fear of covid 19 as all saftey measures are available.
This unlock Kashmir campaign was inaugurated by Mr Nisar Wani Director, Tourism in Jammu and Kashmir in Dal lake Srinagar. He addressed the media and explained the very purpose of Unlock Kashmir campaign .
Mital shah one of the businessman from Mumbai shared his experience, “we love to Kashmir regularly i visit kashmir with my family because this is my favourite popular destination and its safe ,after 8 month lovkdown we visited kashmir and enjoing the holidays .”
On Saturday evening JK Tourism had organised Cultural programme at Komposh in Srinagar and the tourists from Mumbai and Maharashtra enjoyed the musical evening with Kashmiri folklore. In between tourists from Mumbai also performed Gujarati Garba.
News Edit by K.V.Raman


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By Kristopher Porter
The 2019 Motorsports Parts Manufacturers Council (MPMC) Media Trade Conference will be held January 22–24 at the Embassy Suites Orange County Airport North.
This is the last call for exhibitor applications for the 2019 Motorsports Parts Manufacturers Council (MPMC) Media Trade Conference—a unique event that brings together editors, reporters and editorial teams from all over the world with manufacturers of racing and performance parts and accessories. Unlike a traditional trade show, where exhibitors meet with attendees on the show floor, the Media Trade Conference consists of individual, private, one-on-one interviews between media representatives and manufacturers. The event consistently serves as one of the largest platforms for manufacturers in the motorsports segment to promote their product lines while creating lasting relationships with the media.
Exhibitor applications for the 2019 MPMC Media Trade Conference are open through September 7, 2018. Only 100 exhibitor spots are available—participants will be chosen using a random-number lottery system.
Media registration will open in October 2018. For media inquiries, contact Della Domingo at firstname.lastname@example.org or 909-978-6723. For general or exhibitor inquiries, contact Lindsay Bianco at email@example.com, 909-978-6692.
Manufacturers who submitted an application but were not selected for the 2018 event are automatically guaranteed a spot in the 2019 event if they submit a new application by the deadline of September 7, 2018. Exhibitor selection is available only for MPMC-member companies.

domain: news


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A Breakthrough for Global Trade?
You have to admit, it's getting better.
When the world's two largest economies agree on anything -- whether climate change or trade -- the agreement has global impact. The question then becomes how to maximize the good and minimize the bad.
In the case of trade, the economic benefits of the China-U.S. deal to cut tariffs on information technology are clear to both countries. It may also help revive global trade talks, which have been stuck in a morass for well more than a decade.
The agreement covers devices that weren’t around in 1996, when the original agreement entered into force under the auspices of the World Trade Organization. If the other signatories to the planned agreement sign on, the reduction in more than 200 separate tariffs could boost global gross domestic product by more than $190 billion and create as many as 60,000 jobs in the U.S.
As the first major cuts to tariffs at the WTO in 17 years, the expanded agreement would also be a rare bit of good news for an institution that has descended into paralysis. No wonder that so many of the WTO’s members have been seeing other people -- that is, making regional trade agreements such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership and the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership. Although WTO rules allow such free-trade agreements to discriminate against nonmembers, these big pacts risk creating conflicting standards and stoking regional rivalries.
One of the advantages of this U.S.-China deal is that it is part of the larger WTO framework: As a nondiscriminatory “plurilateral” agreement on a given trade sector, it extends the same benefits to all WTO members -- even those that haven’t signed on.
That makes it much easier to sell to the WTO’s 160 members. True, the WTO has discriminatory agreements on government procurement and civil aircraft whose benefits (and obligations) are limited to signatories. But those were grandfathered in from the old General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade. Any new ones would be much harder to get approved. That constraint is pushing nations to go outside the WTO framework for talks on trade in services and in solar panels, wind turbines and other environmental goods.
Fundamentally, restoring the WTO’s effectiveness will require moving away from this insistence on consensus. (A proposal to allow agreements in some areas to be approved by a three-quarters vote of its members, for example, makes sense.) For all the problems the organization has had in negotiating agreements, it has worked well as an arbitrator of trade disputes. Its expertise in compiling and analyzing trade data is unrivaled. And it provides an invaluable forum for members to review one another’s proposed trade regulations and prevent small disagreements from becoming major disputes.
Of course, changing WTO voting rules will hardly be easy or quick. There is one speedy way, however, to build on this week’s agreement: India could approve the trade facilitation deal it blocked this summer to protect its wasteful food subsidies. If that agreement came into force, global trade could expand by as much as $1 trillion -- and the WTO would get back some of its mojo.
To contact the senior editor responsible for Bloomberg View’s editorials: David Shipley at email@example.com.


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OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Berkshire Hathaway has sold nearly 1.4 million more Moody's shares, so it has unloaded more than 3 million shares of the credit ratings agency this month.
But Warren Buffett's company still controls 11% of Moody's because it continued to hold 25.3 million shares after the sales.
Berkshire reported the latest transactions that happened between Thursday and Monday to the Securities and Exchange Commission on Monday.
Berkshire used to own 48 million Moody's shares in March 2009 before it started selling the stock.
Berkshire generated roughly $84.5 million from the latest stock sales because it sold the shares at prices between $60 and $62.78 per share.
Berkshire reported selling 1.7 million Moody's shares last week.
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The “Cannabis in Food and Beverage Market Share, Size, Trends, Industry Analysis Report, By Product Type; By Distribution Channel; By End-Use; By Source Type; By Region; Segment Forecast, 2022 – 2030” report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com’s offering. The global cannabis in food and beverage market size is expected to reach USD 3411.43 million by 2030, according to a new study. The report gives a detailed insight into current market dynamics and provides analysis on future market growth. Cannabis’s social acceptance in many nations is a big motivator for its incorporation in food and drinks. This acceptance has cleared the road for recreational marijuana legalization, increasing the demand for marijuana-infused sweets and drinks. Furthermore, marijuana meals and drinks have the appropriate amount of marijuana produced with healthful ingredients. Marijuana is in high demand due to the increasing legalization of marijuana for medical and recreational purposes. Based on the product type, the bakery products segment accounted for the leading share in the market in 2021.
Cannabis News, 06/02/2022 14:34:00


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iPhone – Apple Wallet, Pay to use digital health insurance cards
Australians will be the first users in the world to have contactless digital health insurance cards built into their Apple Wallet system, the tech giant has announced.
In a move Apple believes all but makes a physical wallet redundant, the US tech company will now offer contactless health insurance cards and policies from major insurers including Medibank, Bupa, NIB and GU Health through Apple Wallet.
HBF will join the system in early August.
The digital cards, which can be added to the Apple Wallet function within iPhones and Apple Watches, will let consumers claim money from their provider at the cash register without carrying a physical card.
To add your health care card, you need your health insurance app, through which you can simply tap to add your card to Apple Wallet.
NAB, which owns the health industry claims and payments service or HICAPS, said in a statement customers could now make a health insurance claim “by simply holding their iPhone or Apple Watch near any HICAPS terminal in Australia – creating a true digital wallet experience”.
“Customers can also pay for gap payments simply and securely using Apple Pay,” the statement read.
Apple Pay internet services vice-president Jennifer Bailey said health insurance firms would make up more than 60 per cent of the market in Australia.
“Australia was already was a very strong market for Apple Pay and contactless but I do think the pandemic has increased that adoption even further,” Ms Bailey said.
Health insurance cards have not yet been added to Samsung or Google digital wallets.
The move comes as Apple works to strengthen its position in Australia’s cashless payments industry.
Apple Pay has more than 100 partners, including every major Australian bank, fintechs and niche payment providers, leading retailers and corporates with co-brand cards as well as buy-now-pay-later prodivers.
Bupa managing director Emily Amos told ETFM the demand for the change was customer-led.
“We know our customers are using iPhone and Apple Watch to buy groceries, tap on to public transport and pay for their morning coffees, so it’s no surprise that they now expect to be able to make their Bupa claims with a quick tap of their device,” she said.
“We’re always looking to enhance our products and services so they are both good for our customers and good for our planet. With Bupa digital membership cards now available in Apple Wallet, we’re pleased to be reducing the amount of paper and plastic used in the claiming process, while also providing a secure way to make a claim and pay.”


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A New bout of duties hitting US wine trade comes as setback to importers yet hope of a Biden overhaul remains
A further set of tariffs have been introduced by the outgoing Trump administration on wine imports from France and Germany, coming as a setback for burgeoning hopes the arrival of the Biden administration would repeal earlier measures.
The new fees will see still wine over 14 per cent ABV hit with a 25 per cent tariff rate for all shipments into the USA and are expected to predominantly affect French imports of stronger wines and cognac.
The charges come in addition to the previous 25 per cent rate added to all still wines of 14 per cent and below from France, Germany, Spain and the UK in 2019.
The new tariffs, which were levied at short notice and with no exemption for wine shipments already in transit to the US, are likely to have the biggest effect on American wine merchants and importers focusing on French wine, who had been hoping 2019’s tariffs would soon be repealed.
Paolo Battegazzore, CEO of Folio Fine Wine Partners, a wine importer based in Napa, California, told Goedhuis that, “Tariffs have reduced both the volume and number of wines imported, with some wines priced out of the market, resulting in reduced margins for producers, importers, and in some cases, distributors.”
The new tariffs, a fallout from the 16-year-old ongoing Airbus spat, have left beleaguered importers and merchants already reeling from 2019’s duties, with many feeling they are suffering repeatedly through no fault of their own.
“Our industry is collateral damage in trade disputes that have nothing to do with the agriculture or beverage alcohol sectors,” said Mr Battegazzore. “We believe that wine should not be targeted in retaliation in trade disputes involving products other than wine. Punishing the wine industry for trade is nonsensical.”
For buyers in the US, a likely impact will be a scarcity of wines no longer profitable to import, however it is hoped the buck will stop there, with companies striving to limit the disruption passed down to retail level. “Our own customers, buyers, consumers and collectors are not being heavily impacted by tariffs as we have attempted to absorb most of the impacts,” said Mr Battegazzore, “but this can only be held for so long.”
Exports of French wine from the UK to the US see the same challenge, with the tariffs placed on the product’s country of origin, causing concern amongst UK-based merchants moving wine between France and the USA.
There is, however, optimism amongst the trade that the arrival of President Joe Biden’s administration will see the tariffs reversed, but this is far from guaranteed. Ben Aneff, President of the US Wine Trade Alliance, said in a statement responding to the new bout of tariffs, “This is not the news we wanted to hear. But it underscores the necessity of the Biden administration to make changes to the tariff policies brought on by his predecessor, particularly those that do such disproportionate damage to U.S. businesses in this time of crisis.
The arrival of the Joe Biden administration brings hope of a softer stance on tariffs on the wine trade, but no guarantees have been made. Source: Wikimedia Commons
“We need to convince [then] President-elect Biden that tariff relief should be a major priority of his first few weeks in office, and this is no small task.
“While it is not a silver bullet for restaurants, [then] President-elect Biden can bring relief to huge numbers by repealing these tariffs, with no need to rely on Congress.”
Despite hopes for a quick fix with the incoming administration being somewhat subdued by Trump’s parting actions, attention must in the meantime shift to how best buyers and collectors can perpetuate business.
Despite little in the way of guarantees on behalf of the Biden administration, optimism regarding policy reversal remains high. While US-based importers will likely be forced to wait until policy-led support arrives, a solution for private buyers may come from storing wines under bond in the UK, which can then be shipped to the US once the now comprehensive 25 per cent tariff has been removed -- allowing overseas buyers to purchase and keep wine until the opportune moment to ship or sell.
For more information on UK wine storage, visit www.privatereservesltd.com


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TOKYO – Toyota Motor Corp. plans to install solar panels on some Prius hybrids in its next remodeling, responding to growing demand for green cars amid record-high oil prices. The panels, supplied by Kyocera Corp, would be able to power part of the air-conditioning on high-end versions of the gasoline-electric Prius, according to Reuters.
Toyota is due to launch the third-generation Prius next year. It is unknown how much the solar panels on the new Prius cars will cost or how many solar-mounted versions Toyota would build.
Toyota has a goal of selling at least 1 million hybrid cars a year in the early part of the next decade by offering the fuel-saving system on more vehicles.


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In a circumstance of a person information reader application serving to one more, Japan’s Gunosy has invested $five million in Indonesia-centered Kurio.
Gunosy went general public in Tokyo final yr and this yr it has embarked on a series of investments, which incorporated the acquisition of recreation strategy web-site Game8. Now it is turning to Southeast Asia by stumping up the cash for Kurio’s Series B round, which values the Indonesian startup at all over $twelve million, in accordance to a filing [PDF in Japanese].
Contrary to the assumption that Gunosy’s investment is the precursor to an acquisition, David Wayne Ika — co-founder and CEO of Kurio — advised TechCrunch that his organization is plotting for a general public listing just like Gunosy. Kurio currently has links with Japan, possessing taken past investment from CyberAgent Ventures, and Ika reported that a funding-led trip to Japan yielded 9 potential traders from the place.
Finally Kurio chose Gunosy, he described, simply because of the experience that it can lean on from its Japanese husband or wife.
“Given [the recent point out of expenditure in] the Indonesian current market right now, we need clever dollars,” Ika advised us in an interview.
Gunosy has currently eked out profitability in the deal with of level of competition from Smartnews, a Japanese organization that has lifted huge and expanded to the U.S., and Flipboard, which created Japan a person of its initially worldwide priorities. That, Ika additional, is a person instance proving that it is the right advisor to assist Kurio fulfill its ambition to scale throughout Southeast Asia and get started producing dollars from its support.
Right now, Kurio has a lot more than 200 media associates in Indonesia, the place it claims 600,000 downloads, 90 % of which are on Android. The organization has begun to get hold of potential associates in Singapore and Malaysia, and it has ambitions to be in all sections of Southeast Asia with Romanic alphabet languages right now — the relaxation will need additional resources, Ika reported.
Publishers when seen information reader companies as entities that contend for its buyers, and use its content material in the system. That look at has shifted between forward-pondering media firms, who enjoy that the most effective information readers carry a all set-created viewers for new publicity and potential promoting dollars. Ika reported that that this viewpoint — that information reader companies can help in this tough period of social media — is developing worldwide, but nonetheless many media in Southeast Asia are driving the curve.
That’s particularly ironic simply because, in countries like Indonesia, smartphones and tablets are the too much to handle platforms for accessing the Online and consuming media. Given that handful of have a dedicated cell strategy, partnerships with specialists like Kurio could be a person way to adapt to mobile.
Ika reported publishers employed to take care of Kurio “like a risk,” but now many are beginning to see the positive aspects.
“The greatest dilemma we want to tackle for publishers is that sixty-sixty five % of their viewers appear from cell but, right now, their earnings is possibly only fifteen-20 % from cell,” he reported. “We’re doing work carefully to determine out how to give fantastic promoting and advertising and marketing devoid of disrupting the consumer knowledge.”
Kurio, Ika reported, will be get started tests promoting — both of those in-application and in-posting — with chosen associates in advance of the end of the yr. Beyond just supplying new possibilities to bring in an viewers (and, in time, to make dollars) he reported that the support also presents publishers a probability to greater understand their readers and tweak their approach accordingly. It is doing work on a dashboard that will equip media associates with “rich information throughout million of users” such as its own “interest and preference graph” that can be employed for editorial or promoting needs.


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Despite daily COVID-19 cases hovering around zero and alert level 2 causing a jump in retail spending, experts say the economic fall-out of COVID-19 is just beginning.
It comes as companies such as Fletcher Building, Air New Zealand, Smith's City and Trade Me announced cuts to jobs and Bunnings and Michael Hill close stores, and the end of the 12-week wage subsidy from mid-June.
Economist Shamubeel Eaqub said that initial pent-up spending after lockdown was expected. As the wage subsidy runs out and the country settles into recession, he expects business cost-cutting to continue.
"This is the beginning: all we've seen is the health disruption, the real recession starts now," Eaqub said.
Around 80,000 jobs were lost during the Global Financial Crisis (GFC). As a result of COVID-19, Eaqub sees job losses being two-to-three times that. However, the real concern is that fear and uncertainty is causing a retraction in household spending and investment, including large-scale purchases and construction.
"Global trade has come off a lot and current drought [means that] the outlook for agriculture is also tough," Eaqub added.
He said that while Treasury is forecasting a short, sharp recession similar to the Global Financial Crisis, the COVID-19 environment is a lot different, with certain sectors coming to a complete stop.
"More likely, it's going to be a very deep recession and a shallow, long recovery," he said.
The unemployment rate is currently 4.2 percent (March 2020 quarter). Sharon Zollner, chief economist at ANZ, said that bank forecasts put the peak rate at 10.5 percent (Q3, 2020), dropping to 9.4 percent by the end of the year. Budget 2020 reports show Treasury's main forecast for unemployment in 2020 is 8.3 percent.
She said that what's more important is the rate of economic decline after the peak in unemployment, as in two years' time, the unemployment rate is unlikely to be back to pre-COVID-19 levels.
"At the end of 2022, we have the unemployment rate at 5.7 percent," Zollner said.
Labour market changes typically lag six months' behind changes to the economic cycle. COVID-19 is different in that it not only affected every sector but also brought a wide number of business activities to a complete stop.
Zollner expects to labour market data to be volatile, with a spike in unemployment when the wage subsidy runs out in late June - and another at the end of the subsidy extension in August.
"We see the unemployment rate remaining elevated because firms are naturally cautious in bad times.
"The virus shock requires reallocation of resources across the economy and reskilling and relocating isn't a fast process," Zollner said.
Caution around spending decisions will feed into a negative economic outlook, but this could be a welcome reprieve for house-hunters.
"We'll see downward pressure on house prices and rents [and] fewer renovations," Zollner added.
The start of alert level 2 saw an increase in spending, particularly at pharmacies and fruit and vegetable outlets, a trend which is likely to continue as households cut back on discretionary spending.
"[We're] likely to see substitution towards cheaper products: home brands rather than fancy brands, sausages rather than steak."
Overall, shops will continue to do it tough as households cut back on discretionary spending.
"The household debt level relative to incomes is about the same as it was going into [the 2008-2009] recession and this shock is bigger for the economy," Zollner added.


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Leaked manual reveals features of Sony's upcoming iPhone-compatible wireless camera lenses
New details on Sony's anticipated Bluetooth camera lens accessories, which will be able to use Apple's iOS devices as viewfinders, have been revealed through a leaked product manual, including an integrated microphone and hardware shutter button.
Part of the manual was published on Friday by Sony Alpha Rumors, revealing that Sony apparently plans to release two models: a high-end DSC-QX100, alongside a more basic model dubbed DSC-QX10. Both products will offer the same functionality, but feature different quality lenses.
The QX100 is revealed to have the same internal components as the RX100m2 camera, including a 20.2-megapixel Exmor R sensor and f/1.8 Carl Zeiss lens. The manual says it will include focus ring control, while weighing 179 grams.
The QX10 will have a lower end 18-megapixel CMOS sensor, and an f/3.3-5.9 lens, the same found in the Sony WX150 point-and-shoot camera. It will weigh 105 grams.
Product manual leak via Sony Alpha Rumors.
Aside from the different lenses and inclusion of ring control on the QX100, both lenses will sport many of the same features, including a microphone, display panel for showing battery charge or lack of SD card, a hook for a belt, and a tripod mount. Both will also include a zoom lever, dedicated shutter button, and multifunctional jack.
The lenses are expected to offer compatibility with both Apple's iOS and devices running Google Android. Rather than mounting to the existing camera on an iPhone, as some current accessories do, the Sony lenses will be their own separate cameras that will connect wirelessly to an iOS device, allowing the Apple product to serve as the viewfinder for the higher-quality lens.
The anticipated products were revealed in leaked promotional photos earlier this week. Sony is expected to officially announce the products at a media event scheduled for Sept. 4.


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By ROBERT J. PITCHMORE Associated Press | 07/02/2018 12:17:52 The idea that you can save money by buying a home with a wood floor may be more than a dream.
The idea is so prevalent that a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development report on the subject has been cited more than 50 times in recent months.
But it’s not clear that a home built on a wood frame has much value.
In fact, a study conducted by the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Center for Home and Landscape Architecture, based on more than 1,000 samples of existing and new home construction, found that a wood panel in the new home’s exterior wall was the least costly material.
While a wood-framed home is often viewed as more durable, it has some drawbacks, including the potential for damage and mold.
It’s also likely to cause problems when it comes to ventilation, according to the study, which was published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
While wood panels may be a better option for people looking to save money on their homes, they aren’t necessarily better for the environment, said Andrew Gell, a UW-Madison associate professor of architecture and urban planning and a co-author of the study.
In the study’s findings, the researchers said wood panels typically cost more than conventional wood floorings.
That’s because a wood slab is heavier and has a thicker surface than wood floors.
So, the lumber used to make the panels tends to weigh more and has higher density, the study found.
A study published in 2016 by the American Institute of Architects found that wood-backed wood floor plans are more costly than traditional wood floor materials.
The study said that while wood floors have lower density than conventional floor materials, they tend to be more expensive.
But a wood or slate flooring is considered the safest option for home construction because it can last for decades, Gell said.
Wood-backed lumber, the paper said, has been around for nearly two centuries and is a popular choice for building materials for both commercial and residential applications.
In recent years, however, home builders have been turning to new materials like wood and slate to meet home needs.
A paper in the journal American Journal.
of Structural Engineering and Design found that, on average, a home constructed using wood-based materials is $1,100 more expensive than a wood finished home, according the paper.
It also found that the cost of a home that uses wood floor designs was higher than a home finished in traditional wood.
Home buyers beware: Wood has some downsides as well, said Chris Miller, a landscape architecture professor at Wisconsin-Milwaukee who has written about the subject extensively.
The material has a high moisture content, which can cause water damage if left unheated for long periods, Miller said.
A typical home built from a wood planing product could require a home inspector to inspect every inch of the exterior wall and interior wall, and to inspect the exterior of the home once a year, Miller noted.
Wood also requires a certain amount of energy to produce and maintain, and it tends to dry quickly.
Miller also said that many of the materials used for home flooring and roofs are less expensive than those used for building.
The U.K. government recently announced a $4.4 billion fund to help support the development of new materials that will meet the growing demand for homes that incorporate new technologies.
A report in The Guardian on Tuesday said that a government-backed fund would help fund the construction of more sustainable materials.
Miller said he’s not convinced that there’s a lot of demand for wood, even though the government has pledged to make new products available to homeowners and renters.
“There’s a big demand for new products,” he said.
Miller noted that the paper’s authors looked at the impact of materials on the environment and on the health of the land and water resources.
“We think that there is an important place for the development and implementation of technologies to help address these issues,” Miller said in a phone interview.
“I don’t think it’s an environmental or social or social justice issue.”
The U-M study noted that some homeowners and architects are considering replacing their homes with wood panels.
A recent survey of home owners in Texas found that 43 percent of respondents have decided to replace their homes.
The majority of respondents also said they’re considering installing wood paneling.
But there are many homeowners who say they don’t want to use a new material, said Joel Kagan, a professor of landscape architecture at the University at Buffalo.
He said that if homeowners want to replace a home’s flooring, they should consider using traditional wood products.
“The only reason that a building can survive is because it’s being maintained,” he told the AP.
A lot of wood panel projects are based on the idea that a new home is cheaper to build than a current home.
That idea is based on an old adage


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A Texas couple is threatening legal action against Justin Bieber after receiving thousands of phone calls shortly after the pop star tweeted a phone number, TMZ reported.
The tweet containing the phone number had the caption “call me now.” However, the phone number was missing its final digit, leaving Justin Bieber’s nearly 19 million followers to guess what it might be.
The tweet has since been deleted, but not before teenage girls started blowing up the Texas couple’s phone.
The couple's lawyer has stated that they are now looking for compensation.
Suggestions from the legal team have apparently included tickets for the couple’s grandchildren, an apology from Bieber, an endorsement for an online project created by the husband and monetary compensation.
- Cowboys owner Jerry Jones gets roasted during Twitter Q&A
- Black Friday is killing families (and Cyber Monday could save it)
- This fake Target coupon is tricking thousands on Facebook
- This 'Pokémon or Big Data' quiz will leave you stumped
This article originally published at The Daily Dot here


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Eric Savitz, Forbes Staff
Covering the intersection of tech and investing.
FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski made that comment Wednesday in a talk at the 2012 International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, as he made the case that America needs to drive universal broadband adoption by the end of the decade – and that to get there, we need incentive spectrum auctions to free up more space for wireless Internet service.
“We need ubiquitous broadband,” he says.
Here are some of the other key points he made in his remarks:


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Twitter’s board has unanimously recommended shareholders vote for the takeover of the social media giant by Elon Musk.
Twitter’s board of directors originally accepted a $44 billion takeover bid at $54.20 a share at the end of April, and shareholder approval is the latest hurdle to a deal, barring any potentially unsustainable antics from Musk.
According to the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) dated June 21. registrationTwitter’s board of directors unanimously decided that “the merger agreement is appropriate” and urged shareholders to vote in favor of the deal.
The board said Twitter will hold a virtual meeting — on an unspecified date — to vote on the merger, with a deadline of October 24.
If the merger goes through, shareholders will receive $54.20 in cash for each share they own, and given that Twitter TWTR shares are worth $38.91 at the time of writing, the deal would represent a premium of around 39%.
A takeover seemed to be in the air earlier this month after Musk targeted Twitter’s board for failing to provide data regarding the number of fake users on the platform and threatened to withdraw his application if the data was not released. .
Council since then agreed share the data with Musk and the problem was solved. Many observers believed that Musk was trying to get out of the deal as a result of the share price drop since the first takeover bid.
A sign that Musk was serious about pushing his takeover came on June 16, when Tesla’s CEO first addressed employees in a question-and-answer session about his plans for the company.
According to a leaked transcript of the call released by Vox, Musk suggested that he might try to integrate a variety of digital payments into the service, including cryptocurrencies:
“I think it would make sense to integrate payments into Twitter so that you can easily send money back and forth. And if you have currency as well as crypto. Basically, whenever someone might need it.”
“So my goal would be to maximize the usefulness of the service — the more useful it is, the better. And if you can use it to make convenient payments, it increases utility,” he added.
Another issue he highlighted was bots and account verification, with Musk highlighting the value of introducing paid verified accounts so that users can distinguish between real and fake users.
Elon Musk faces ‘ridiculous’ $258 billion Dogecoin lawsuit
Musk stressed that “quite a lot of cryptocurrency scams on Twitter” is one of the main reasons for introducing such a feature.
This issue is especially relevant for a Dogecoin proponent, given that a series of deepfake videos have recently been circulated on social media using his likeness to promote a crypto scam.
Credit : cointelegraph.com


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North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un, bottom left, watches an archery game in Pyongyang, North Korea on March 10.
北韓領導人金正恩（左下方）三月十日在北韓平壤看一場射箭賽。Mar 23, 2013
This photo has been viewed 308 times.
Listing from 2015-03-22 to 2015-03-29
- Most read
- Most e-mailed
1BlackBerry sales are bottoming out in turnaround: CEO
2Ma makes unexpected visit to Singapore
3Outdoor forum invites discussion on legislative reform
4China’s South China Sea claim has no legal basis: Widodo
5‘Made in China’ tops EU list of unsafe products


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April 6, 2018
DCD Publishing has signed on to represent Jack Monroe, author of the successful budget food blog “A Girl called Jack,” and has already signed a deal with Penguin U.K.
Jack Monroe, a single mother, found herself with a food budget of just £10 a week while unemployed. In 2012, she turned her inventive and affordable meals into a daily blog that now has more than 100,000 visitors a day.
DCD will represent Monroe globally for publishing, TV, licensing, endorsements, consumer products, public appearances and home entertainment.
“Jack is a woman of our times, facing head-on the realities of recession-hit Britain and responding with a ‘make do and mend’ way of thinking that we all need to consider,” says Adrian Sington, chief executive officer, DCD Publishing. “We look forward to further brand development opportunities through the channels DCD operates in including television and merchandising.”
DCD has already lined up Monroe’s first brand extension, a cookbook with Penguin U.K. that is set to be released in March 2014.
“Jack Monroe is a fresh new voice for our times, and I am so pleased that Penguin will be publishing her first cookbook,” says Lindsey Evans, cookery publisher, Penguin U.K. “Not only has she managed to feed herself and her son on just £10 a week, but she has done so by coming up with delicious and nutritious recipes, all within that budget. More importantly, she can now show us how we can do the same.”
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Whataburger Temporarily Removes White Buns, Texas Toast From Some RestaurantsThe company said it was because of a yeast problem that affected the flavor, not a health and safety issue.
Security Guard Shot In Arm At Fort Worth WhataburgerPolice are searching for a suspect after they say a security guard at a Fort Worth Whataburger was shot in the arm.
Suspects Wanted For Fast Food Robbery Spree Across DFW MetroplexMesquite police are seeking help in finding two suspects for an aggravated robbery spree at various fast food restaurants across the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex.
Terrell Police Searching For Whataburger RobbersTerrell Police are looking for two men whom they say robbed a Whataburger on New Year's Day and another one the morning after.
Whataburger Teams Up With Yeti For Awesome TumblerIn tandem with Yeti, the Texas-based fast food chain released a tumbler that looks exactly like a Whataburger cup.
Shock After Whataburger Slight On Most Popular Fast-Food ListA survey by Business Insider and Foursquare determined that the most popular fast-food chain in Texas wasn't a San Antonio-based favorite, but a chain from the West Coast. Naturally many are outraged!
Texas Fast Food Worker Fired For Refusing To Serve OfficersA worker at a popular Texas-based fast food chain has been fired after refusing to serve two police officers.
New Yorker Helping Harvey Efforts Gets "First Sweet Taste" Of Whataburger Even first responders need breaks while helping Harvey recovery efforts in Texas, and one New Yorker took the opportunity to get his "first sweet taste" of Whataburger.
Houston Police Nix Use Of Fast-Food Numbers At Crime ScenesPolice spokeswoman Jodi Silva says there were concerns use of the markers amounted to a police endorsement of Whataburger.
Assault Victim: ‘Wow, We Just Got Attacked By The Sheriff'College student Caleb Tomgenovich said it all began with an exchange of dirty looks in the Whataburger parking lot, after he said one of the sheriff’s friends pulled up too close to him.
Whataburger Changing The Way It Serves ShakesQuietly and without fanfare, Whataburger restaurants across the state are changing the decades-long way customers are served shakes and malts.
Fake News! Whataburger Denounces Coupon On TwitterWhataburger says it's too good to be true and we're slightly disappointed.


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Canada’s favourite coffee chain is moving its headquarters from the suburbs to downtown Hogtown.
The company announced earlier this year that it will be relocating from Oakville to a 6,000-square-metre space in the Exchange Tower, right in the heart of the city’s financial district.
Timmy’s isn’t the first company to make the move from the suburbs to downtown. In fact, this is part of a larger trend that has been happening all across North America. Global corporations like Microsoft, Google and McDonald’s have all moved their headquarters from suburban areas to downtown cores.
Why the exodus? Despite the higher cost of downtown space, many corporations see the benefits of being at the heart of the action. It’s easier to attract younger workers with a downtown office, and that location helps bring the company closer to both its customers and peers from other businesses. The move also helps the company reduce its carbon footprint, as more of their employees can rely on public transit instead of cars to get downtown.
As for the specific reasons Tim Horton’s is making the move, President Alex Macedo said the corporation will now be closer to its business partners. Being downtown, Macedo said, will also enable Tim’s to “better use technology to serve customers and help keep abreast of industry trends.”
Tim Horton’s HQ will leave Oakville – where it’s been for more than 50 years – by the end of the year.


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Gimmicky features on smartphones are difficult to put your finger on. Often times when it comes to your smartphone experience, they can do more harm than good.
Lenovo is spicing up the low-end of the market with a brand new smartphone, the Vibe K5 which you can pick up for below RM600. We saw this device earlier during the Mobile World Congress 2016 in Barcelona and now Lenovo has brought it to our shores.
Pico projectors are one of those devices that never really caught on to the mainstream. They’re pretty cool and nifty, given the right circumstances, but for most of us, it’s more of a want than a need.
Lenovo recently launched their Pocket Projector here in Malaysia and it’s exactly as the name suggests — a pocket-sized projector. So, if you want/need a pico projector, is this the one you get? Well, I spent a weekend with it high in the mountains to find out.
So if you’ve been tuning into our Facebook page, you probably would have noticed that we ran a smartphone giveaway where we gave five Lenovo Vibe S1 smartphones to 5 of our most creative readers. They were tasked to take a selfie based on three different themes and post it on their Facebook wall. Here’s what happened.
Any manufacturer can cram high-end specs into a smartphone and call it a flagship device. Of course, a flagship device must have a smooth performance and good specifications, but we’ve come to a point where performance alone isn’t really enough to set you apart from the pack of existing devices.
A flagship device needs to unique, one of a kind…somewhat special.
Lenovo launched a massive roster of devices today. These products come in from all across the range from entry-level to high-end plus a bunch of funky new items. While time was rather limited, I did get to spend time with some of the more interesting items at the launch.
Lenovo launched quite a few devices over CES this year, and a bunch of them are now available for purchase locally. This includes the Lenovo Yoga 900s, ThinkPad X1 Tablet and the 3rd gen ThinkPad X1 Carbon.
Chinese New Year is only 10 days away and since it falls on the 8th of February, you can bet a lot of prosperity will be coming our way (sorry, didn’t mean to rhyme). Lenovo wants to sweeten the deal by quietly putting the Vibe X3 on sale and throwing in some goodies in the process.
And best of all, we won’t be getting the watered down Youth version. Instead, the specced out version will be available in Malaysia.
Launched recently, the Lenovo Vibe P1 and Vibe P1m are designed to last as long as you can with its enormous battery capacities of 5,000 mAh and 4,000 mAh respectively. These smartphones from Lenovo can also, in a pinch, double as powerbanks and charge your other devices via USB OTG (On-The-Go). As you can tell by the battery capacities, the Vibe P1 is designed to be the flag bearer of the “Power Player” line, while the Vibe P1m comes in as the runner-up.
Lenovo has finally officially unveiled its two battery behemoths, the Vibe P1 and Vibe P1m smartphones, sporting enormous battery capacities of up to 5,000 mAh. These devices are designed for the busy user who needs a phone that won’t run out of juice before they do.
|Android, Lenovo, Mobile Devices, Mobile OS|
|5000 mAh battery, Android, big battery, Lenovo, Lenovo Malaysia, Lenovo Vibe P1, Lenovo Vibe P1 launch, Lenovo Vibe P1 Malaysia, Lenovo Vibe P1 Malaysia Launch, Lenovo Vibe P1m, Lenovo Vibe P1m launch, Lenovo Vibe P1m Malaysia, Lenovo Vibe P1m Malaysia Launch, on the go charging, Quick Charge, smart phone, smartphone, Snapdragon|


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The new October 2014 issue of CAR magazine has a thrilling twin test between the new Ferrari 458 Speciale and the benchmark Porsche 911 GT3, our favourite fast Porsche since - well, the last one.
It's an epic battle across the wild moorlands of north Wales, shot beautifully by ace car photographer Mark Fagelson and told by veteran road tester Mark Walton.
We've shot a full video twin test, too, which you can watch in full on our iPad edition. It'll appear on www.carmagazine.co.uk in due course, too, but download our tablet edition to see it in full now.
Which car wins this most visceral of sports car twin tests? Buy the October 2014 issue of CAR magazine, on sale in print now and available for iPad, Google Play, Nook and Kobo e-readers now to read the full verdict.
CAR magazine's epic twin test: Ferrari 458 Speciale vs Porsche 911 GT3
Read the full 10-page feature in the October 2014 issue of CAR, available in print, for iPad, Google Play, Nook and Kobo e-readers


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September 26, 2000 09:00pm
Pornography Vendors Target Sony's Next-Generation Gaming Console
Source: Fox News
by: Adam Pasick
The PS2, as it's known, will be introduced in the United States on October 26. And because the new games will be released on digital video disks (DVDs), Sony designed the console to play DVD movies as well.
That could let enterprising pornographers design games for the PS2 without authorization from Sony or a video games rating board that identifies products with overly violent or sexual content to keep them out of the hands of youngsters.
'There's very much a crossover — a huge link between video game and porn fans,' — Andrew Drake, Pixis Interactive
The ability to market porno video games is a demographic match made in heaven for electronic smut merchants.
"There's very much a crossover — a huge link between video game and porn fans," said Andrew Drake of Pixis Interactive. His company is making a PS2-compatible game called Ultravixen III: Y3K.
Other adult titles slated for the PS2 include Vivid Entertainment's Interactive Mind Teaser. Spanish Private Media anticipated releasing 10 adult DVDs per month; the company says it's also looking to looking to take advantage of the PS2's DVD-playing ability.
Sony did not respond to multiple requests for comment. But anti-pornography advocates are not surprised by the industry's entry into interactive video games.
"The pornography industry is making every effort to mainstream their product," said J. Robert Flores of the National Law Center for Children and Families, a group that fights for stricter enforcement of anti-porn laws. "And any claim that they're not interested in attracting minors is ludicrous. The tobacco industry said the same thing."
Interactive porn can be even more insidious than regular videos and magazines, Flores argued.
"The level of interactivity enhances fantasy, so you can customize it to fit your fantasy," he said. "It's incredibly destructive.... What you have is an effort by the industry to turn sexual exploitation into a game."
The adult entertainment industry has always catered to early adopters of new technology, like VCRs and the Internet, and even unauthorized adult video games are nothing new. Recent auctions on eBay have offered underground games for the original PlayStation — like Playboy: The Private Collection and Sextasy Volumes 1 & 2.
How It Works
DVD players can function like a VCR, but they allow far more interactivity. Non-PlayStation porn DVDs already offer multiple camera angles, story lines and zoom buttons.
On start-up, the PS2 will offer users the choice of a video-game or DVD movie playback mode. Once they choose the DVD mode and run Ultravixen, Drake said, "they won't know the difference" — the DVD will be just like a normal PS2 video game. He claims his company has deals to sell Ultravixen at mainstream retailers like Tower Records and Virgin Megastores, as well as through the Pixis Web site.
Amid a recent backlash against sex- and violence-laden video games, the electronic entertainment industry has adopted voluntary labeling standards: Titles rated "Mature (M)" have "content suitable for persons ages 17 and older," according to the Entertainment Software Rating Board, and "may also include mature sexual themes." Titles labeled "Adults Only" are "not intended to be sold or rented to persons under the age of 18," and "may include graphic depictions of sex and/or violence."
The effect of the ratings system on Ultravixens? Nil — for the very reason the games can exist in the first place.
"We haven't been able to use the video game rating system," Drake said, because the games will be sold in stores' DVD section, not with other computer games.
But they will end up in the same living rooms — if companies like Pixis are successful.


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One of four men charged with marijuana store robberies in Denver pleaded guilty Thursday and was sentenced up to 12 years in prions.
The post Man sentenced up to 12 years in prison for two armed robberies of same Denver pot shop appeared first on The Cannabist.
Colorado’s marijuana shops sold 11.1 million edibles, 411,000 pounds of flower and a sharply increasing amount of marijuana concentrate last year, according to the Colorado Marijuana Enforcement Division’s 2017 annual report that was released Friday.
The post 500 tons of marijuana was produced for sale in Colorado last year appeared first on The Cannabist.
Nevada marijuana sales continue to outpace projections, reaching the highest monthly total in March since recreational sales became legal last July.
The post New monthly high for Nevada pot sales; top projections again appeared first on The Cannabist.
When Danielle Schumacher attended her first convention of marijuana activists about 15 years ago, she could count on one hand all the women in a room of older men.
The post Women look to make mark on male-dominated marijuana industry appeared first on The Cannabist.
Recreational marijuana sales became legal in California this year, and the industry is targeting tourists as well as locals, with tours, shops, lodging and ads.
The post Los Angeles for tourists: Hollywood, beaches — and pot? appeared first on The Cannabist.
Colorado’s health department unveiled “Responsibility Grows Here,” the latest public education effort that will include four targeted campaigns addressing consumers, youth, trusted adults, and pregnant and breastfeeding women.
The post “Meg the Budtender” takes lead on new Colorado marijuana education campaign appeared first on The Cannabist.


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How Contactless Payment will Become Standard – Credit and Debits Cards vs Mobile Payment
Financial cards with contactless chips are trending currently, but mobile payment (NFC) is still met with some skepticism.
Bacteria and viruses often adhere to cash. This has long been scientifically proven. Back in 2014, Aix-Marseille University in France conducted an overview study showing that coins and bills can transport a number of pathogens, including salmonella, but also flu viruses.1 Even though, soon after the Corona pandemic outbreak, specialists from the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) emphasized in an article that cash posed very little danger of infection with this virus, consumer worries were nevertheless palpable – and measurable.2
According to the international “Back to Business” study prepared by Visa, a major global credit card scheme, in August 2020, almost eight of ten consumer respondents said that they had changed their payment methods during the course of the pandemic. Consumers in the U.S., Brazil, Canada, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Singapore, and the United Arab Emirates were included in the study. They were worried about being infected not just from cash, but from other surfaces such as card terminals or sales counters. In any case, two of three respondents said that they had taken special measures to keep even their financial cards clean – a third even reported using disinfectant.3
No More Shopping without Contactless Payment Options
It is little wonder, therefore, that the Visa study’s conclusion is that contactless payment has received a huge boost during the Corona pandemic. Asked to imagine their usual store would not offer contactless payment but another one did and all other parameters (prices, product range, etc.) stay the same, 65% of respondents said that they would move their daily shopping to the alternative store. Almost half said that contactless payment methods were among the most important safety measures that businesses could implement. The same proportion said that they would not buy from a store that offered only contact payment methods.
There are still no firm numbers on the medium for contactless payment that is actually preferred. Currently, credit cards and debit cards with contactless chips are one of the most popular methods among consumers. Mobile payment with smartphones (NFC), introduced four years ago, is not spreading quite as quickly, although there are regional differences. A survey by the Auriemma Group, a U.S.-based consultancy specialized in the financial sector, concluded in 2019: Even several years after the introduction of mobile payment, only a third of consumers with the technical capability actually use it. Twice as many used contactless credit cards: Of those consumers who have such credit cards, 60% use their capability of contactless payment.4
Great Uncertainty Concerning Mobile Payment
What are the reasons for this discrepancy? A study by Vibes, a U.S.-based platform for building customer loyalty using mobile wallets, shed some light on the subject in 2019. When asked what could keep them from using their smartphone to pay for goods and services, six of ten respondents mentioned security considerations.5 “That is completely understandable. There is a reason why smartphone security holes keep attracting attention. So of course consumers are uneasy about them,” says an expert from Atlantic Zeiser, a technology leader in systems for printing and personalizing flat financial cards, ID cards, and gift cards. The Vibes study indicates that mobile payment also experiences difficulty with acceptance because consumers do not know exactly how mobile payment works and where it is accepted. “But most consumers have been using credit cards for decades with no problem. So the transition from contact payment to contactless payment is a very small step that doesn’t overwhelm anybody,” the Atlantic Zeiser expert says.
But maybe that's just a matter of age. Those consumers who have been paying with a physical credit card for decades may worry about getting to check-out in a long line of shoppers and having problems getting the smartphone payment function to work, for example, with Face ID not being able to unlock the smartphone because of the mask. If that happens, the only solution remaining is often to fumble through their things for a physical card while the other irritated shoppers are watching. “However, if there is a problem with contactless payment with a card, there is always the option of simply inserting the card into the terminal slot,” says the Atlantic Zeiser expert. “At the moment, everything indicates that the demand for flat financial cards and contactless chips will increase greatly. And that personalization service providers will have to handle the spike in demand for card replacement or new card issuance. Our modular systems are ideally prepared to help with that and are therefore future-proof.”


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U.S. auto sales may not set new high in 2016 after all: forecasters
By Bernie Woodall
DETROIT (Reuters) - U.S. auto sales will grow nearly 5 percent in June compared to a year earlier, but it looks as if 2016 may not break the annual sales mark reached last year, J.D. Power and LMC Automotive said on Friday.
"Risks continue to mount for the second half of 2016," said Jeff Schuster, senior vice president of forecasting at LMC Automotive.
After assuming a healthy rise to an annualized rate of 17.5 million vehicles in the second half of the year, up from 17.1 million for the first half, 2016 sales would be 0.3 percent lower than last year's record of 17.47 million vehicles, Schuster said.
Last year's sales figure is from industry consultant Autodata Corp.
J.D. Power and LMC said total U.S. light vehicle sales for June would be 1.55 million, up nearly 5 percent from last June. There is one extra selling day this June compared with a year ago.
Auto sales have steadily been rising since they tumbled to 10.4 million vehicles in 2009 during a recession.
Auto company stocks for major automakers have been Wall Street duds over the past several years as investors factored in an expected downturn in the cyclical auto industry. This, despite record earnings and profit margins by the two biggest sellers in the U.S. market, General Motors Co (GM.N: Quote) and Ford Motor Co (F.N: Quote).
"The key going forward will be to what degree automakers are able to adjust production levels to slowing demand rather than relying on profit-damaging incentives," said John Humphrey, senior vice president of the global automotive practice at J.D. Power. Continued...


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Pioneer chefs across the country are starting to embrace the new food revolution: a plant based burger that tastes, smells and feels like the real thing. Converts include traditional “meat only chefs” such as Chef Chris Cosentino, winner of ‘Top Chef Masters’ and a pioneer in butchery, who now includes this burger as his top recommendation in his San Francisco restaurant.
A new question sparks out of this phenomenon: if adopted by mainstream population, could these burgers reduce global warming?
Hidden costs in our habits
Our current food system places heavy pressures in our planet. FAO states that total emissions from global livestock represent 14.5 percent of all anthropogenic GHG emissions. The largest impact can be traced to our love for beef. Cattle are the animal species responsible for the most emissions, representing about 65 percent of the livestock sector’s emissions (1).
By changing our diet we can make significant changes in our carbon footprint. A study in the UK shows that an average 2,000 kcal high meat diet had 2.5 times as many GHG emissions than an average 2,000 kcal vegan diet (2). In addition to this, studies show that changing our dietary structure toward a more plant-based one would have both environmental and health benefits (3).
The problem is diet is a big part of our culture and it’s naive to expect most people to change their eating habits to reduce their impact in global warming. This is why we need to find better alternatives to meat that have a lower footprint in our planet.
Looking for the right alternative – Company background
“Impossible Foods” is a Silicon Valley startup on a mission to make the global food system more sustainable. The company aims to give people the taste and nutritional benefits of meat without the negative health and environmental impacts of livestock products. The twist is that their owners hope to target meat eaters as their primary customers. So far, they’ve received 108MM in funding from VC’s such as Gates Ventures and Google Ventures (4).
Their innovation process starts with research of animal products at the molecular level and then selection of specific proteins and nutrients from plants to recreate the experience of meats and dairy products from animals (5).
The secret behind the creation of their latest invention: the impossible burger, is the addition of plant based hemoprotein (Leghemoglobin), a main contributor in the characteristic color and taste of meat. Their process for producing ground meat replica has been patented (6) and they intend to keep investigating in additional meat substitutes.
Not only is the taste and texture amazing, but producing the Impossible Burger requires a quarter of the water used to produce the same burger from a cow, 1/20th of the land and 1/8th of the greenhouse gas emissions (7).
However, there are threats to be accounted for. As mentioned before, meat has been a big part of our culture. Not only it serves a dietary purpose, but has also played a big role in social gatherings. During the last 50 years, average world meat consumption has risen from 24.2 to 41.3 kg/year(8). Vegetable based products could take a longer time than expected to be accepted by the general market. Additionally, even though there isn’t any specific FDA requirement regulating meat alternatives as of today (9), it’s most likely that this will be the case in the future and the company should account for this risk. The biggest risk I find is the response from the industry of traditional livestock. This is a multi-billion dollar business that can lobby against meat substitutes, which would have legal implications for the company and could extend time to market new products.
Success in the business will depend on their ability to keep growing their product and having a clear vision of the role meat substitutes will play in the global economy. Only time will tell.
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(2) Scarborough, P., Appleby, P. N., Mizdrak, A., Briggs, A. D., M., Travis, R. C., . . . Key, T. J. (2014). Dietary greenhouse gas emissions of meat-eaters, fish-eaters, vegetarians and vegans in the UK. Climatic Change, 125(2), 179-192. http://dx.doi.org.ezp-prod1.hul.harvard.edu/10.1007/s10584-014-1169-1
(3) Mózner, Z. V., & Csutora, M. (2013). Designing lifestyle-specific food policies based on nutritional requirements and ecological footprints. Sustainability : Science, Practice, & Policy, 9(2) Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.ezp-prod1.hul.harvard.edu/docview/1460228017?accountid=11311
(5) (7) www.impossiblefoods.com/
(9) “Imitation or substitute products belong to the same product categories as the products they imitate or for which they substitute” – http://www.fda.gov/ICECI/Inspections/InspectionGuides/ucm114704.htm


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McDonald’s is featuring iconic landmarks from each state across Malaysia. These billboards are part of [...]
‘Reframed’, a new digital art exhibition series, launches this month. With Reframed, commuters are introduced to [...]
Billboards advertising a viable option for Facebook Billboard advertising hasn’t been put out to pasture [...]
Outdoor Advertising Association of Malaysia (OAAM) launches new logo in view of OAAM’s 25th anniversary [...]
The out-of-home (OOH) advertising landscape of the Greater Kuala Lumpur (KL)/Klang Valley’s rail transportation [...]
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Ninth Circuit Revives Children’s Privacy Class Action Against Google
January 9, 2023
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals recently held that Google will have to face a class action lawsuit alleging that its data collection practices violated the laws of six states. The plaintiffs, a class of guardians appearing on behalf of their children, claim that Google and YouTube violated state children’s privacy laws by tracking behavior and collecting data without their consent.
The Ninth Circuit reversed a lower court’s dismissal of the case, finding that the claims were not preempted by the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) because Congress did not intend to override state law privacy claims when it enacted COPPA. Sending the case back to the lower court, the panel concluded that “COPPA’s preemption clause does not bar state-law causes of action that are parallel to, or proscribe the same conduct forbidden by, COPPA.”
In 2019, the Federal Trade Commission, the federal regulator tasked with enforcing COPPA, fined Google and YouTube for violating COPPA by collecting children’s personal information without parental consent. Most recently, the FTC entered into a consent decree with Fortnite video game maker Epic Games (no relation to EPIC). As part of the settlement, Epic Games will be required to pay $520 million over COPPA violations.
EPIC regularly advocates for heightened privacy protections for children. In 2003, EPIC and 11 other consumer organizations alleged in a complaint to the FTC that Amazon illegally collected and disclosed children’s personal information in violation of COPPA. As part of EPIC’s comprehensive comments filed in response to the FTC’s recent rulemaking on commercial surveillance, EPIC explained that “COPPA is a floor, not a ceiling,” and recommended that that the FTC impose a new, stronger rule protecting minors from commercial surveillance harms.


text: MERRIMACK, N.H., Feb. 24, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- GT Advanced Technologies Inc. (Nasdaq:GTAT) today reported results for the fourth quarter and fiscal year 2013, which ended December 31, 2013. Management Commentary "Our results for the December quarter were in line with our guidance and the anticipated growth trajectory of our business remains unchanged," said Tom Gutierrez, president and chief executive officer. "We expect to return to profitability during the second half of 2014 . "Our arrangement to supply sapphire materials to Apple is progressing well and we started to build out the facility in Arizona and staff the operation during the quarter," said Gutierrez. "We are pleased to have Apple as a sapphire customer and to be in a position to leverage our proprietary know-how to enable the supply of this versatile material. While our primary focus during the balance of the year is to continue to execute on our commitments in Arizona, our aim is to position GT not only as an exceptional sapphire supplier to Apple but also as an unparalleled world-class supplier of sapphire material and equipment to a variety of customers. "Although we have significant opportunities in sapphire, the GT story is not only about our emerging sapphire materials business. In fact, our entry into sapphire materials may enable us to expand into other materials segments once we have fully ramped the operation in Arizona. The many diversification and investment seeds we have planted over the last several years in the LED, power electronics, advanced solar and industrial markets are expected to begin to bear fruit over the next 18 months. We are seeing significant interest in our new products and now expect equipment orders from these initiatives to be received during the latter part of 2014, with meaningful revenue recognition beginning in early 2015.


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Americans are obsessed with snacking
If the decline of the traditional three square meals isn’t evidence enough of Americans’ growing obsession with snacking, category sales surely are. Snack sales in the U.S. are projected to grow to $47.5 billion in 2015, up from $34.2 billion in 2005. Consumers’ evolving definition of what constitutes a snack is one of many driving factors in our country’s snacking surge.
The obsession with snacking can be outlined into five distinct snacker consumer segments. These segments include: the “Social Snacker,” the “Starving Snacker,” the “Healthy Snacker,” the “Bored Snacker,” and the “Non-Snacker.”


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Apple has limited the Lightning connector on the Apple iPhone 14 series to USB 2.0
The newly released iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max have an improved camera system, with the primary sensor increased from 12MP to 48MP, allowing the iPhone 14 Pro series phones to capture more details. The company has also created a new algorithm for image processing called the ‘Photonic engine.’
Customers can also take 48MP ProRAW photos, which are particularly useful when editing photos. However, according to Apple’s support website, ProRAW photos are approximately 75MB in size. According to MacRumors, Apple has restricted the Lightning connector on the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max to USB 2.0 speeds, with a maximum transfer speed of 480Mbps which means that shifting multiple ProRAW pictures to other phones could take several hours. Because the Lightning connector is a bottleneck, Apple suggests that users use either iCloud Photos or AirDrop to move ProRAW photos between devices.
The original iPad Pro, released in 2015, supported USB 3.0 and provided speeds of up to 5Gbps. However, it is still unknown why Apple chose to drop USB 3.0 support and limit the Lightning connector to USB 2.0 on newer phones.


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ZTE Axon M (Z999) has passed through Wi-Fi certification. Touted as a dual screen foldable smartphone, the upcoming ZTE Axon M will be pre-loaded with Android 7.1.2 Nougat. The handset recently received FCC certification. With the handset passing through the Wi-Fi and FCC labs, the launch of the ZTE Axon M (Z999) looks imminent.
Dubbed as ZTE Axom Multi, the handset will be designed in such a way that it features a foldable design with two displays. It will unfold themselves to make one huge display.
The rumors suggest that the ZTE Axon M smartphone is expected to ship on October 17. In terms of specifications, the ZTE Axon M (Z999) will be equipped with a 6.8-inch FHD+ display, Snapdragon 821 processor coupled with 4GB RAM. The smartphone was recently spotted on Geekbench with similar specifications.
The upcoming handset will be designed in such a way that it features a hinge-like setup on the side that attaches itself to the secondary display. In all probability, the handset will be unveiled on October 17 and will be exclusive to AT&T.
The ZTE Axom M foldable smartphone will set new dimensions in the smartphone segment. Samsung also planned to launch a foldable smartphone but the company faced serious production hurdles.
If the new smartphone to be launched by ZTE becomes a big hit, then other manufacturers will also follow the same trend. It remains to be seen as to whether Apple will also follow the same path in the iPhone 9 expected to launch in 2018.
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President Trump has been attacking China in every possible way in a trade war, but it seems China has stood as a strong opponent. According to the recent reports, China’s trade surplus with the US hit $323 billion benchmarks in 2018, in other words, the surplus has grown by more than 17 percent as compared to last year. According to the report China successfully managed to record a tremendous amount of trade surplus with the US despite going through trade war issues. It seems like China is in the active position since it has got no significant effect on its economy because of a trade dispute. In last year President Trump imposed a vast amount of extra tariffs on those Chinese items which were imported in the USA because of which many Chinese manufacturing companies were in troubles for some time.
However, the recent report says that China’s exports raised by more than 11.7 percent in 2018 on the other hand imports also increased by 0.7 percent in the same period. China’s top officials said that the biggest problem which China is going to face in 2019 is the external protectionism because these are this the only thing which might slow down China’s growth rate. China has already predicted a slow growth rate for the year 2019 and country targets to achieve a stagnant growth of 6 percent only.
However, experts think that this data might be right but it doe not show the real picture of China’s condition. Because many experts believe that China’s export and imports have slowed down in the last month of 2018. According to the report which states that China’s overall export for December 2018 fell by more than 4.4 percent and imports also decreased by 7.6 percent for the same time period.


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Our two cents:
This article serves as a good reminder more than a set of best practices to mobile marketers. It’s easy to fall back into the old advertising habits, saying things like “I paid for this media space, I’ll say what I damn well want to.” Nothing could be more costly (or fatal) to brands in the mobile space who take this approach. Instead, what Mihir Shah asks marketers to remember is that the reason mobile is unique is because of the value exchange between brand and customer. Therefore, brands must make certain they create something for the user to “unclock” if they want to succeed. The underlying mobile technologies used to enable this value exchange, e.g., SMS, APPs or display advertising should only be considered after the brand has figured out what kind of premium content they want to share with their customers.
This survey data was commissioned in July and polled consumers on their experience with SMS marketing.The data shows that men are significantly more likely to opt in to SMS campaigns than women — with 57% of male respondents indicating opt-in opposed to just 33% of female respondents.
Our two cents:
While tablets and mobile devices aren’t relegated to luxury brand retailer experiences, read story on Mazda dealerships they do add an err of sophistication to the overall shopping experience. However, it’s unlikely that the average sales associate is going to significantly boost bottom line sales by sending out personalized text messages to shoppers asking them for appointments. That being said, the idea of a CRM driven strategy using mobile is still valid—when done right. The main thing retailers should keep in mind is that any type of CRM program, whether it be mobile, email or traditional mail, takes several months to foster. So even though mobile maybe hot, it does not guarantee instant success. That comes from good, old-fashioned marketing know how.
From Kayla Hutxler, Luxury Daily
August 22, 2011
Luxury brands can significantly increase their CRM and deepen customer relationships by enabling employees to use mobile devices and applications in-store.
Brands that implement a mobile strategy for their employees have the ability to cater directly to each customer’s needs and increase customer retention. Mobile is becoming the best way for luxury brands to deliver superior experiences since affluent consumers expect a higher quality of service for the high price-points they are paying.
“Brands should use mobile in the store to help the salespeople collect and use data to create relationships,” said Milton Pedraza, CEO of theLuxury Institute, New York.
“Say the store is empty, employees can use the mobile device to send recent customers information and deals and offer to make them an in-store appointment,” he said.
“Every employee with a mobile device can be far more effective at creating customer relationships.”
“The mobile medium is particularly effective when used as an extension of the luxury sales associate that is capable of synchronizing the on-premise and off-premise experience with the brand,” said Scott Forshay, Dallas-based director of mobile strategy atMorpheus Media, a Createthe Group company.
Mobile devices can be effective for checking inventory without leaving the customer’s side and can also allow salespeople to easily order the item to the store or direct the customer to a nearby retailer that has the product in-stock.
By providing employees with detailed product information at their fingertips, they immediately become experts on every luxury good in the store.
In addition, the salesperson can show the interested consumer any videos or campaigns relating to the product.
Mobile apps can allow salespeople to seamlessly make a transaction without having a customer wait on a register line.
Furthermore, mobile devices can allow salespeople to look up a returning customer so that they can access spending habits and offer appropriate product suggestions.
If a customer chooses to share details such as family members and important dates, employees can also cater direct marketing approaches revolving around birthdays and anniversaries.
“Luxury brands, by and large, are highly personalized, deeply consultative and fanatically service-oriented,” Mr. Forshay said.
“Brands should use the mobile medium in ways that accentuate what makes them, by definition, luxurious,” he said. “It is this innovation that luxury shoppers expect from the brands they most covet.”
Lighting the way
Brands such as Nordstrom, Benefit Cosmetics and Burberry along with many luxury hotels are already using the iPad to increase CRM.
For example, luxury department store chain Nordstrom recently revealed plans to start using iPod touch devices to quickly and effectively help customers check-out and find products in-store (see story).
In addition, Benefit Cosmetics is using an in-store-only iPad app that educates users about services and products through videos, reviews and comparisons, as well as serving as an in-store shopping assistant.
Also, Burberry used the iPad in-store to let VIP customers view a livestream of the Fall 2011 runway and immediately pre-order the items (see story).
Furthermore luxury hotels are using the iPad to help with traveler check-in as well as with concierge and in-room services.
The St. Regis hotel in New York’s e-butler app acts as a virtual concierge for hotel guests, allowing them to browse restaurant, shopping and event suggestions as well as make reservations through the app (see story).
Taking it one step further, The Plaza hotel in New York implemented a digital concierge service that allows guests to order room service, book spa appointments, contact a concierge and make dinner reservations through in-room televisions, laptops and iPads (see story).
Overall, mobile usage in-store is all about increasing CRM and providing a luxurious shopping experience.
“CRM is absolutely critical, especially when there is a fear of an economic downturn,” Luxury Institute’s Mr. Pedraza said.
“Companies that have consumer data and the ability to go out there and build a relationship have an advantage over companies that have no data and are going to have to resort to deep discounts,” he said.
- 303 million Americans reported that they own a mobile device (CTIA)
- 96% of the U.S. Population owns a wireless device (CTIA)
- 26.6% of U.S. households are mobile-only, meaning that they do not own a landline phone (CTIA)
- 63.2 million Americans own a smartphone (comScore)
- 50% of consumers ages 25-34 have smartphones (comScore)
- 35% of smartphone users access the mobile Internet from their device (comScore)
- Two-year growth (2008 – 2010) of more than 2,000 percent in mobile-ready web sites. (DotMobi)
- 82% of consumers have used their mobile phones in a store (Insight Express)
- 55% percent in a doctor’s office or hospital (Insight Express)
- 17% during a movie at the theater (Insight Express)
- 14% while flying on a plane (Insight Express)
- 7% percent during church service (Insight Express)
- 17% of mobile users have shown a clerk in a store a picture of a product on their mobile phone
- 45% of users check their mobile devices first thing in the morning (Insight Express)
- 1/3 mobile searches have local intent (The Kelsey Group)
- 1/3 of all mobile users already actively engage with Web content on their mobile phones (comScore)
- 53% of smartphone users routinely engage in mobile Web browsing activities
- E-mail represents 41.6% of mobile Internet time for users in the United States (Nielsen)
- 86% of mobile internet users are using their device while watching TV
- Average US mobile user spends 2.7 hours socializing per day on a mobile device
- 8% of total eCommerce sales will come from mobile by 2014 (ABI Research)
- Mobile coupon users in North America increased more than tenfold in 2010. Triple-digit increases are expected in both 2011 and 2012. (Yankee Group)
- $2.37 billion of mobile coupon transactions will take place in North America in 2013, up from $5 million in 2010. (Yankee Group)
- Apple hosts more than 350,000 mobile apps in the Apple App Store
- Apple offers more than 65,000 iPad apps
- Currently more than 150,000 apps in the Android Market
- There were 10.9 billion worldwide app downloads in 2010 (International Data Corp)
- U.S. mobile advertising spend was estimated at $743.1 million in 2010 (eMarketer)
- Display mobile advertising spend will reach $334.5 million in total ad spend by the end of 2011, up from $202.5 million in 2010 (eMarketer)
- Spending for ads delivered via mobile apps in the U.S. will explode from $305 million in 2010 to $685 million in 2011 and more than $8 billion by 2015 (Borrell Associates)
- Google currently dominates mobile search advertising, with an ad revenue market share of 91.4 percent.
- 21% of Google’s largest advertisers have a mobile-optimized Web presence. (Google)
- 47% of mobile application users say they click or tap on mobile ads by mistake more than they do on purpose. (Harris Interactive Survey)
- Mobile search advertising spend will reach $295.1 million in 2011 (eMarketer)
- Mobile video advertising spend will reach $50.8 million in 2011, up from $28.3 million in 2010 (eMarketer)
- Mobile made up 3% of total online advertising budgets in 2010. This number will grow to 5% in 2011. (IDC)
- Mobile advertising is four-to-five times more effective than online advertising (InsightExpress)
- iPhone users are more likely to respond to a mobile Web ad than owners of other smartphones. (Luth Research on behalf of the Mobile Marketing Association)
- For smartphone users, seeing a mobile ad triggers a response with 43% of consumers seeing an ad (Luth Research on behalf of the Mobile Marketing Association)
- 65% of consumers have seen a QR code (MGH)
- 49% Of those respondents who had previously seen a QR code have used one (MGH)
- 72% of smartphone users would be likely to recall an ad featuring a QR code. (MGH)
- 35% of U.S. shoppers were interested in using QR codes as shopping tools (In-Store Marketing Institute conducted by Catapult and Ipsos OTX)
- Among those who were identified as being interested in QR Codes, 87% responded with an interest in using QR codes to gain coupons, deals or discounts. (MGH)
- 60% of those interested in using QR codes would use them to make a purchase. (MGH)
SMS / TEXT MESSAGING
- SMS will make up 24% of total U.S. ad spend in 2014, down from 44 percent in 2010 (eMarketer)
- Consumers worldwide will send more than 7 trillion SMS messages in 2011. (ABI Research)
- 36% respond to ads within text alerts, while only 11 percent responded to display ads on mobile Web sites.
- The US sends 187.7 billion text messages every month. (CTIA)
- Mobile video has higher viewer retention than online video, with 94 percent in the first 10 seconds compared to only 81 percent on the PC Internet. (Rhythm NewMedia)
- The number of U.S. mobile users who watch videos on their devices has increased more than 40 percent year-over-year in both the third and fourth quarters of 2010, ending the year at a grand total of almost 25 million people, according to a mobile video report fromNielsen
- These consumers watched an average of four hours and 20 minutes of mobile video per month in both the third and fourth quarter of 2010, which equals a 33 percent and 20 percent year-over-year bump in each quarter (Nielsen.)
- 10.3 million tablet users in 2010 and that number is expected to reach 82.1 million by 2015 (Yahoo Research)
- Tablet sales will grow to 36% of U.S. PC sales, outselling notebooks/mini-PCs, which are expected to be 32% of overall PC sales (Yahoo Research)
- iPad users are open to advertising, especially if coupled with an interesting video (49 percent) or interactive features (46 percent) (Yahoo Research)
- 80 Million Twitter mobile users
- 200 million Facebook users use the service on their mobile phone (Facebook Blog)
- 200 million YouTube views per day (YouTube Blog)
- Women aged 35 – 54 are the most active group in accessing social networks with mobile (Nielsen)
- 30% of smartphone owners have accessed social networks via browser (comScore)
- Nearly 1 in 5 Smartphone Owners Access Check-In Services Via their Mobile Device (comScore)
Even if the HSN isn’t your thing, you have to love this “content to commerce” approach they are taking. Giving shoppers tons of choices on how they not only buy, but how they engage with the content wrapped around those purchases is helping to drive mobile sales, traffic and customer acquisitions.
HSN’s mobile presence includes a mobile Web site and applications across several devices that serve up its TV programming and let users buy the products no matter where they are. “HSN is focused on eliminating the boundaries of how and where people shop and recognizes that mobile is key,” said Jill Braff, executive vice president of digital commerce at HSN, St. Petersburg, FL. “Mobile is our fastest growing revenue stream,” she said. “We’ve already surpassed last year’s revenue in mobile and we are very pleased with how our mobile platforms are taking off. “We’ve seen our mobile site traffic as a big growth area, too.”
At the core of the HSN’s mobile strategy is the idea of pairing rich content with commerce. For example, users who love food can create their own channel that consists of their favorite food-related content from HSN. The network regularly pushes out updated content. Below the content appears the items for sale that users can purchase from within the app. Items appear in synch with what is being used or discussed in the content.
BASICALLY WHAT THESE GUYS FIGURED OUT IS THE USER, PRODUCT, CONTENT, USER REVIEWS AND PURCHASING SHOULD ALL LIVE IN ONE PLACE.
“Someone watching Wolfgang Puck via the app will have commerce as part of the experience which makes it much more of an immersive experience than a linear e-commerce experience,” Ms. Braff said. One of the ways HSN is looking to improve the mobile experience is by adding greater personalization to its apps and mobile Web site. Sometime this month or in early August, HSN will add a “My Favorites” feature to mobile that will enable users to pick their favorite brands and products.
As a result, HSN will be able to personalize the experience by giving these brands and items more weight within the app or Web site.“Users can also receive notifications and alerts related to the products,” Ms. Braff said. “This is making it easier for people to get what they are looking for, recognizing that time is of the essence when consumers are on a mobile device.”
To further enhance the shopping experience, HSN recently introduced a shopping cart that is shared across devices. The new feature enables a user to add an item to the shopping cart via their mobile device and then complete the transaction via a desktop computer, tablet or other device.
HSN’s findings from its initial efforts in mobile include that customers like to use mobile in different ways.
“In habits, customers use mobile in two ways – as a second screen that lets them check-out while watching HSN at home or when she’s away from the TV and wants to watch our programming and shop,” Ms. Braff said.
Other learnings from mobile include that users are frequently looking for special deals and what’s on sale via mobile. With this in mind, HSN created a storefront just for the mobile Web site and applications that showcases daily deals and what’s on sale. HSN is also finding that its mobile audience is beginning to evolve now that it has been in the space for a little while.
Initially, HSN’s mobile users consisted mostly of core customers who were migrating to mobile shopping from TV shopping. The benefit of this is that multichannel customers spend more than single channel customers, per Ms. Braff. “More recently, we are finding that many new customers are finding us on mobile – new is growing in mobile,” Ms. Braff said.
Going forward, the shopping network will look to bring HSN Arcade to mobile and tablets in the future. HSN Arcade was launched June 1 and combines shopping, casual gaming and sharing via Facebook.
The company is also taking a close look at mobile advertising and marketing and will release news in this area later this year. “Our overarching strategy for mobile across devices is to make it a fully optimized experience,” Ms. Braff said. “We want to allow users to connect with us whenever and wherever they want,” she said. “It is important to have full distribution across platforms and then work on customizing the experience based on the device itself.”
Best practices necessitate that the SMS campaign should start by abiding to the message frequency they’ve outlined in their call to action. Telling a consumer/shopper to expect 4 messages per month, then sending 3 in the first 48 hours will sned them running for the nearest proverbial text club exit. Awaking on a Saturday morning to a text from a business telling them your store is now open late on Mondays isn’t going to win them over either.
A great example of a well executed SMS campaign is that of a Moe’s Southwest Grill location in South Florida. This Text2VIP client offered a Free Fountain Drink at the point of purchase to acquire nearly 5,000 opt-ins. They cap their frequency of touches at 4 per month, and always offer something of value. On July 4th, 2011, this particular Moe’s location offered a burrito, chips, and drink combination at a $3 discount.
Achieving 10% redemption
they drove nearly 500 customers through their door and broke same store sales records for Independence Day. Most tellingly though, may just be that of the nearly 5,000 messages sent, only one subscriber opted-out of their campaign. I largely attribute this to the quality of offer, timeliness of delivery, and restraint of messaging frequency. Not seeing the other 90% redeem an offer on what is generally considered a slow holiday isn’t the end of the world. Losing the opportunity to market to them again next week because you’ve abused your privilege-that’s another story.
by Wayne Friedman, Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Mobile entertainment continues to grow among teens and other young people.
Teenagers 12-17 watch almost twice as much mobile video as other mobile viewers — 7 hours and 13 minutes versus 4 hours and 20 minutes for every one else, according to the Nielsen Company.
Better news for marketers: Nielsen says youngsters are more accepting of mobile ads than older users. Almost 60% say they “always” or “sometimes” look at mobile ads.
As other studies have shown, young people also do a lot more texting and less talking on the phone. In the first quarter, teens 13-17 sent an average of 3,364 mobile texts per month, more than doubling the rate of the next-most active texting user group, 18- to-24-year-olds, who tap out 1,640 texts per month.
Also — as other studies continue to show — teens don’t use their mobile phones for what was assumed to be the primary activity of those devices. Teens talk on their phones on average 515 minutes per month, while their slightly older friends — 18- to-24-year-olds — spend 750 minutes a month talking on the phone.
They also watch less TV than the general population — 23 hours and 41 minutes a week, according to fourth-quarter 2010 survey findings — versus the average American who spends 34 hours and 39 minutes per week with the TV.
They also spend less time on their computers, according to Nielsen — 39 hours and 50 minutes a week, with 5 hours and 26 minutes spent streaming online video. And while they represent just 7.4% of all those who use social networks, almost 80% of all 12- to-17-year-olds visit social networks and blogs.


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- During an investor conference call, GCGX’s CEO noted that the company’s ultimate goal is to be listed and traded on the Nasdaq
- California has issued an annual license for adult and medicinal cannabis manufacturing to Global Consortium Group LLC
- CEO Dwyer added that GCGX subsidiary Infused Edibles is expected to see its production operations relocated to Sacramento, California, by the end of Q2
Global Consortium Inc. (OTC: GCGX) CEO Matthew Dwyer said during an investor conference call (http://cnw.fm/Us6Cp) that the company has already started its uplisting process by consolidating financials for its audit team. Following that, the company plans to begin the registration process to become listed and ultimately traded on a major stock exchange.
“Our goal is to go on Nasdaq and trade on that exchange,” Dwyer said during the call. He referred to the strategy of various companies in the cannabis space that were first listed on the Canadian Stock Exchange in Canada before trading on the Nasdaq in the United States.
Headquartered in Florida, GCGX is a diversified cannabis holding company that has a portfolio of companies related to cannabis, including Infused Edibles and Indulge Oils.
Dwyer also discussed the required California annual state license for manufacturing cannabis. After the call, the company tweeted that it had been granted an annual license for adult and medicinal cannabis manufacturing through April 9, 2020, by the state of California. The tweet included an image of the actual manufacturing license.
During the call, Dwyer also explained that the production operations of subsidiary Infused Edibles will be relocated to Sacramento, California. The move, he said, will take place by the end of Q2. Infused Edibles markets an infused menu that includes tinctures, gummies and cannabidiol. It also offers several products that require the addition of water, such as brownie and chocolate chip cookie mixes (www.InfusedEdibles.org).
Additionally, Dwyer provided insight on the location of the cannabis mall that the company is planning. The 64,000-square-foot unit will provide manufacturing, distribution, retail, testing and cultivation facilities, all under one roof. Dwyer noted that the cannabis mall will be located in Sacramento, California.
For more information, visit the company’s website at www.GCGX.org
NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to GCGX are available in the company’s newsroom at http://cnw.fm/GCGX
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