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DETROIT - Ford Motor Co. rocked the magazine community last week by eliminating nine magazines and publishing houses from its media buys.
The cuts will be effective in the 2000 model year, starting in the fourth quarter.
Ford declined to reveal the ad dollars involved. But the company is one of the nation's biggest magazine advertisers. Last year Ford spent about $300 million on magazines and $1.1 billion in total measured media, according to Competitive Media Reporting.
Automotive News estimates the cuts amount to at least 10 percent of Ford's annual magazine spending, based on information from various sources. The company is not saying whether the changes cut overall media spending; shift spending to other media, such as the Internet; or both.
'What we're seeing here is a strategy shift due to the changes in the marketplace and a proliferation in media and our ability to reach consumers in other ways,' said Mark Kaline, manager of media services at Ford corporate's Central Media Group.
He declined to discuss what criteria were used to drop the magazines.
SHIFT OF CONTROL?
The publishing houses involved were surprised by the size of the cuts and by the abrupt way Ford executed the changes.
Kaline said his group made the decision and discussed it with ad managers at each vehicle division, but not with its ad agencies. Each agency has media planners who recommend to Ford's internal media unit, Central Media Group, and the automaker's dedicated media buyer, Ford Motor Media in Detroit, which media they want to buy for specific models.
Two executives, one inside and one outside Ford, who both asked not to be named, said the move signals Ford's Central Media Group's tightening of control over media planning. It signals a shift of control from the divisions and their ad agencies, they said.
Last fall, Ford's Central Media Group signed its first multiyear deal across all of its brands with two publishers, Hachette Filipacchi Magazines and Time Inc. Detroit carmakers traditionally shied away from multiyear deals.
'The issue isn't control,' said Kaline. 'It's taking a look at what's in the best interest of Ford Motor Co. and what we know about our divisional needs.'
He declined to confirm the names or number of publishers cut from the 2000 model-year media schedule.
Those losing Ford business, according to sources close to the situation, are: Walt Disney Co.; Hearst Corp.; Washington Post Co.'s Newsweek; News Corp.'s TV Guide; Meredith Corp.; Reader's Digest Association; Smithsonian Institute's Smithsonian; Gruner & Jahr; and U.S News & World Report.
Automotive News contacted four magazine sales representatives affected by the changes. They all declined to comment for publication.


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August 15, 2012 |
Los Angeles clothier American Apparel Inc. on Tuesday reported a higher loss in the second quarter despite a bump in sales. For the quarter ended June 30, the retailer reported a net loss of $15.3 million, or 14 cents a share, compared with a loss of $213,000, or flat earnings per share, in the same period a year earlier. Sales totaled $149.5 million, a 13% jump from $132.8 million in the year-ago period. Peter Schey, an attorney for American Apparel, said the bigger loss was mostly attributable to stock warrants, which give investors the right to buy shares at a set price even if the stock soars in value.
April 3, 2008 |
In a move to put a new spin on a sore subject, American Apparel Inc. is opening stores in China this spring, stocking them with T-shirts, shorts and hoodies made in downtown Los Angeles. Talk about swimming against the tide: A third of the clothes sold in the U.S. come from China. Just 6% of the things we wear are made here. Whether the Chinese will warm to American Apparel's logo-free, no-glitz offerings as they have to loftier brands -- such as Louis Vuitton and Gucci -- and to trendy lower-priced fashions is a big unknown.
August 31, 2011 |
A group of Canadian investors is looking to sell its shares in Los Angeles clothier American Apparel Inc. just four months after investing $15 million to help rescue the company. American Apparel said in a regulatory filing that the group, led by Canadian financier Michael Serruya, could sell up to 43.2 million shares of common stock. "We do not know when or in what amount the selling stockholders may offer the shares for sale," American Apparel said in the filing Tuesday.
May 11, 2012 |
Los Angeles clothier American Apparel Inc. reported a narrower financial loss and improved sales in its first quarter of 2012, but it continued to struggle. For the quarter that ended March 31, the retailer reported a loss of $7.9 million, or 7 cents a share, an improvement from the loss of $20.7 million, or 28 cents a share, a year earlier. Sales totaled $132.7 million, a 14% jump from $116.1 million in the year-earlier period. "We're beginning to see the results of greater efficiency in merchandise planning, systems for delivery to markets and inventory control," said Peter Schey, a lawyer for American Apparel.
April 23, 2011 |
American Apparel Inc. is getting a desperately needed financial lifeline. A group of Canadian investors has agreed to inject up to $45 million to help the trendy Los Angeles clothier — and its iconoclastic chief executive, Dov Charney — stave off a potential bankruptcy filing. The retailer has been buffeted by declining sales and a sagging stock price — not to mention a public-relations firestorm stemming from sexual-harassment lawsuits filed by former employees against Charney.
July 6, 2011 |
???Two American Apparel Inc. board members have resigned, Chief Executive Dov Charney said. The move was expected after the Los Angeles clothing maker reported last week that it had appointed two new board members, one of them effective immediately, the other effective "upon a future board vacancy. " Charney denied speculation that the two outgoing directors, Mark Samson and Mark Thornton, had been forced out because they disagreed with the company's decision not to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the spring during a liquidity crisis.
August 30, 2011 |
When author Robert Greene wrote his bestselling book "The 48 Laws of Power," his win-at-all-costs message turned him into a cult hero with the hip-hop set, Hollywood elite and prison inmates alike. Crush your enemy totally, he wrote in Law 15. Play a sucker to catch a sucker, he said in another. Get others to do the work for you, but always take the credit. Greene's warrior-like take on the quest for power, written more than a decade ago, would eventually attract another devotee: Dov Charney, the provocative and sometimes impish chief executive of Los Angeles clothing company American Apparel Inc. The 52-year-old Greene — a former screenwriter who speaks five languages and worked 80 jobs before writing "The 48 Laws" — has become Charney's guru, a trusted confidant to the 42-year-old entrepreneur and, insiders say, a voice of reason on American Apparel's board of directors.
March 10, 2011 |
A New York judge has temporarily halted a $250-million sexual harassment lawsuit brought by a former employee against Dov Charney, the controversial chief executive of American Apparel Inc. The ruling came in response to a motion filed Wednesday by the Los Angeles clothing maker that contended that the issues raised by Irene Morales' lawsuit should be settled in confidential arbitration and not at trial. She alleged in her lawsuit that Charney forced her to perform oral sex in his New York apartment in 2008, when she was 18, and that he sexually harassed her for months, including demanding that she send him explicit photographs, e-mails and text messages.
September 2, 2012 |
VF Corp., one of the world's largest apparel companies, will move the headquarters of its Splendid and Ella Moss clothing lines to a historic industrial complex in downtown Los Angeles. The clothier agreed to lease 80,000 square feet in Alameda Square near the intersection of Alameda Street and Olympic Boulevard, said real estate broker John Zanetos of CBRE Group Inc. The 10-year deal is valued at about $18 million. VF will convert raw warehouse space into offices in preparation for a move early next year.

domain: news


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SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Internet-sector stocks traded lower on selling pressure Wednesday, while shares of VeriSign Inc. held steady after the company made an acquisition to strengthen its e-commerce infrastructure.
The Dow Jones Internet Index
was down 2.1% to 88.24, while the technology-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index
fell 33.33 points to 2,195.80.
shares closed down 0.4 % to $22.21. The company said that it acquired GeoTrust Inc., a Needham, Mass.-based supplier of solutions to secure e-business transactions, for $125 million cash. The acquisition is expected to close in the second half.
shares closed down 2.8% to $30.11 as the company held its analyst day at headquarters in Sunnyvale, Calif.
In a video interview, Yahoo's Patrick Crane said that growth of Yahoo Answers lies in altruism and the social recognition for users that comes when sharing knowledge. He added that Yahoo's scale is a competitive advantage in the crowded user-driven Q&A space. See interview.
Sector bellwether Google Inc.
saw its shares gain 0.9% to $374.50 while eBay Inc.
shares lost 2.5%.
China's biggest online-game operator, saw its shares off more that 5% after the company said first-quarter profit and revenue were higher than expected, owing to strong sales of its Fantasy Westward Journey game title.
shares rose more than 7% ahead of its quarterly results, due out after the market close.
Also in the sector, Viacom Inc. unveils the public beta of its MTV-branded digital-music service, called Urge. In conjunction with the launch, Microsoft Corp.
released a new version of its Windows Media Player.
Among the bigger share price losers, TheStreet.com Inc.
shares were off 7%; India's Rediff.com Inc.
was down more than 5%; and ValueClick Inc.
shares were 4.4% lower.


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Case-Picking Solutions Advance Distributor
Vertique helps Florida’s J.J.Taylor improve efficiency
When Florida beer distributor J.J. Taylor was looking to consolidate its two facilities, it was also looking for ways to improve its system. At the time, the distributor was moving “a little more than 17 million cases — 12 million out of Tampa and 5 million out of a leased facility in Ft. Myers,” explains Jay Martin, vice president of operations.
To expand its capabilities, the company opted to enlarge its Tampa warehouse and locate sales personnel in Ft. Myers.
J.J. Taylor installed a fully automated system by Vertique, Arden, N.C. to pick its top volume SKUs. Alternate layer picking for orders is still done by hand, Martin says. A main advantage of the Vertique system allows the beer wholesaler to pick orders by stop, which allows for better deliveries, he explains.
“As a wholesaler of beverages at a supermarket stop with a sideload truck, the driver would have to go by bays and pick the orders at the store,” Martin says. “Now the driver opens one bay and the whole order is there and the pallet is shrinkwrapped — it’s ready to go.”
This allows the wholesaler to route trucks to deliver to both supermarkets and convenience stores, which increases route efficiencies.
Vertique’s solutions also have boosted productivity. On a cases-per-employee basis, the company improved nearly 20 percent on delivery and almost 14 percent in cases per delivery route. In the warehouse, personnel efficiencies also have seen improvement. He also reports the company went from 250 SKUs in the warehouse to 400.
“On top of that, the complexity of our SKU mix has gone up more than 50 percent,” Martin says.
Overall, J.J. Taylor is pleased with its Vertique case picking system.
“At the end of the day, we’re loading 17 million cases,” Martin says. “We will do that from management to mechanics, with 55 people on board and an average of 110 trucks a night. We couldn’t do it by stop without the Vertique solutions; we just couldn’t afford it.”
Martin sums up that J.J. Taylor’s partnership with Vertique is not yet complete. The company continue to work with Vertique regarding upcoming efficiencies and improving its system, Martin says. — Vertique Inc., 115 Vista Blvd., Arden N.C. 28701; 828/654-7500; vertique.com.


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ALBANY, N.Y. — Under pressure from gun control advocates, Facebook agreed Wednesday to delete posts from users seeking to buy or sell weapons illegally or without a background check.
A similar policy will be applied to Instagram, the company’s photo-sharing network, Facebook said. The measures will be put into effect over the next few weeks at the world’s largest social network, with 1.3 billion active users.
“We will remove reported posts that explicitly indicate a specific attempt to evade or help others evade the law,” the company said in a statement.
The move reflects growing alarm that the Internet is being used to sell banned weapons or put guns in the hands of convicted felons, domestic abusers, the mentally ill or others barred under federal law from obtaining firearms. Gun control advocates say Facebook has become a significant marketplace, with thousands of gun-related posts.
Google Plus and Craigslist prohibit all gun sales, legal or illegal.
Facebook said that instead of patrolling its network for violators, it will rely on reports from users and police.
The new policy was worked out in an agreement with New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, who has been pressing the company along with Mayors Against Illegal Guns, a group backed by former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and Moms Demand Action. Moms Demand Action collected more than 230,000 signatures on petitions calling on Facebook to act.
The new policy was crafted to deal with the patchwork of laws around the country. New York, for example, has some of the nation’s toughest gun laws. It prohibits the sale of weapons such the AR-15 semi-automatic rifle, and it is one of 16 states that require background checks on buyers making private firearm purchases.
Under the policy, Facebook would allow a user to list an AR-15 as long as it wasn’t offered for sale in states where the weapon is illegal.
It will remove posts in which a gun seller offers to skip a background check, even if such checks aren’t required in the seller’s state.


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Grocers and retailers play a vital role in providing life-sustaining food to people each and every day. In 2012, there were 37,000-plus supermarkets in the United States, ringing up a total of more than $602 billion in food sales, according to Food Marketing Institute data. That’s a lot of food, no matter how you slice it.
Of course, not every pound of food that a grocery store carries gets purchased by consumers. Food waste losses (PDF) account for almost $100 billion per year, with $30 billion to $40 billion of those losses occurring in the commercial retail sector, reports the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Leading the Way
How can grocers and retailers do their part to reduce the waste in their sector? Several are stepping up to this challenge.
In 2004, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection and Massachusetts Food Association created a voluntary supermarket recycling program. Shortly after the program debuted in August 2005, participating supermarkets reported annual savings (PDF) of $3,000 to $20,000 by simply diverting organics.
Portland-based New Seasons Market implemented a recycle/compost program (PDF) in 2011 that resulted in a 30 percent reduction in overall garbage volume, composting of 2,410 tons of organic waste, and a waste-expense savings of $26,982.
In 2011, Quest Resource Management Group helped a national retailer facilitate the donation of more than 10 million pounds of meat to 125 animal parks across the country. (While still fresh, some meat is not eligible for distribution to food banks and is therefore given to local animal shelters and zoos.) Quest also helped recycle more than 800 million pounds of food waste in compost and animal feed additives to aid a national retailer’s quest toward zero waste.
Next page: Financial Incentives for Reducing Food Waste


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Bad times those that seem to run for OnePlus, and once the expectation created by its terminal, the OnePlus One, has passed, to all the problems and critics that both the device and the form of sale has raised, now a new incident is added.
We have already talked on other occasions about the issue they have in hand with Micromax in India, due to Cyanogen’s development ofsoftware for Micromax, whathas left the OnePlus Oneconan uncertain futurein India.
First was the running out of a software partner, and now the ban on selling the OnePlus Onein Indiafollowing the legal actions initiated by Micromax.
Micromax, the demanding company, has brought before theDelhi Supreme Court allegation to prevent OnePlus One sales in India and for this it is based on the exclusive license it has to make use of Cyanogen and its software in the Indian subcontinent.
Micromax supports its demand in the fact that “will suffer irreparable damage and loss if OnePlus is allowed to continue with its illegal acts, which violate the agreement between Micromax and Cyanogen. ”
The first measure taken by the high court has beenprohibit selling, marketing or even importing your devices in India, preventing if this were not enough the arrival by any method to India of devices with the Cyanogen logo.
Another setback for Cyanogen, it’s pretty hard, remember tries to avoid the creation and development ofa custom ROM, which, with many Cyanogen influences, this list is expected in February.
Apparently the owners of these terminals they will not have supportofficial or updates, something that has ignited the mood among the owners.
It seems unlikely that Indian courts will reconsider their position, so it seems difficult the immediate future of OnePlus in India, although a ray of hope isXiaomi, who already experienced a similar situation a few days ago and then saw how theDelhi High Court cautiously lifted the ban.


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Now is the time to become part of the community of SheEO ‘Activators’ who support a small number of ‘Ventures’ led by women.
SheEO is a disruptive economic funding model which sees hundreds of women contributing capital into a collective fund. The fund lends money at no interest to five female-led businesses – in an act called "radical generosity".
Businesses that would like to access the fund along with business mentoring can apply for a loan which is paid back over a five year period.
Theresa Gattung is behind the local launch of SheEO which aims to bring together 500 local female Activators who contribute $1,100 each ($1,000 invested to create a perpetual fund and $100 as a programme fee) to create a funding pool of $500,000. So far hundreds of activators have signed up and the push is on to get the final few by the end of March.
Ms Gattung says women who become Activators enjoy the benefits of being a part of, and engaging with, the wider community of Activators and ventures in SheEO’s ever expanding online community.
“Around the world, it’s always more difficult for women-led businesses to get finance or to sell into companies, so this is really about giving some women-led businesses a good start and a hand up,” she says.
Westpac New Zealand is a major supporter of SheEO. Westpac NZ’s chief executive David McLean says female-led companies are an important driver of the New Zealand economy.
“By supporting these ventures, it creates a positive financial impact not only on these companies but on the country as well,” Mr McLean says.
Ms Gattung says about a hundred entrepreneurial businesses have applied for funding, with the 10 finalists just announced. They include everything from worker safety ventures, ethical manufacturing, a business employing refugee women as cooks, to a brain fitness business.
The top five ventures, which will receive the funding, will be announced in April 2018.


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Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez wants to keep the import tariff on mechanically deboned meat at 5 percent “for the best of the people and the country.”
“If not, we will all see higher major costing for the basic canned meat products that will push up prices of a basic commodity consumed by the mass-based market if we allow a major input to have higher tariff when MDM is not even locally produced. [There is] no sense in increasing tariff on MDM,” Lopez said over the weekend.
The Philippines mainly imports MDM, made from beef, pork, mutton, turkey or chicken, as raw material for the local production of corned beef, hotdog, sausage and other canned meat products.
A rough estimate by DTI showed that if the tariff of MDM was increased to 40 percent from 5 percent, the price of canned products would go up by around 25 percent.
“Assuming a P25 canned meat product, the price can go up to P31. We should not trigger this thing to happen,” Lopez said.
He said there would also be a high probability that local manufacturers would leave or reduce operations, leading to job losses.
These companies may pull out investments to start operating in other countries, where MDMs are levied 5-percent, and export products to the Philippines at a lower tariff, according to the agency.
The department said such a scenario would be quite unfortunate because, amid the current inflation, it is the manufactured food products that enjoyed stable prices and was not a major cause of the 5.2-percent inflation in June.
The agency emphasized the importance of stability in prices especially at a time when other prices in other sectors were going up.
Canned products are basic commodities in the food basket of the mass-based market and are the usual part of the grocery items of common Filipinos.
Lopez signed an amendment to Executive Order 190 on April 30, 2017 that extended the importation of MBMs and other edible offals at lower tariff over the next three years.
The EO stated that the reduction of tariff for MBM imports to 5 percent was in compliance with the country’s commitment to the World Trade Organization as a concession to the extension of protective measures on rice imports.
The tariff on edible meat and animal offals would have reverted back to the original tariff of 40 percent on July 1, 2017 if not for the extension.
Meat processors welcomed the development as this would continue to stabilize canned meat prices for the next three years.


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Dayton reappoints three to rural health panel
ST. PAUL — Gov. Mark Dayton has reappointed three members to the state’s Rural Health Advisory Committee.
They are John Baerg, Butterfield, consumer member; Ellen De la torre, North Mankato, consumer member; and Margaret Kalina, Alexandria, nurse member.
Each will serve four-year...


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Survey: Gaming ‘default’ entertainment for 42% young males
October 16, 2019
A study from Hub suggests that gaming is not only compelling entertainment, but also a forum where friendships are created and maintained – especially for young men.
Highlights from Hub’s Gaming 360 survey include:
- Gaming is “social grease” for young men. Male gamers under 35 are far more likely to have social motivators for playing.
- 72 per cent agree that “gaming is how my friends and I spend time together”, compared with just 47 per cent of gamers in general.
- 63 per cent say that gaming “is what my friends and I talk about when we’re together”, more than 20 points higher than gamers in general (42 per cent).
- 45 per cent say they play with at least one person they consider a friend, but that they have never met in real life.
- Gaming is also their home base for entertainment: 42 per cent of male gamers under 35 say that gaming is their ‘default’- choice for entertainment – the first thing they’re most likely to do if they have some free time. Fewer than half as many (17 per cent) said their first choice is watching something on TV.
- Game consoles are often the hub for entertainment consumption in general. Respondents with game consoles said that on average, only half (53 per cent) of the time spent on their console is gaming. Almost a quarter (22 per cent) of their console time is spent watching videos and just over 10 per cent on listening to music/audio.
- Sponsored game content is a powerful way to engage with consumers. 46 per cent of gamers, and 63 per cent of gamers under 35, say they play games with sponsored content or DLC.
- Among those who have seen it, 42 per cent have downloaded or played with sponsored content.
- Of those who played with sponsored content, 61 per cent said it made the game more fun. Only 23 per cent said the advertising made them enjoy the game less.
“This research underscores the immersiveness of gaming – the games themselves, but also that for many they’ve become the forum for basic interaction with other people,” said Jon Giegengack, Hub principal and co-author of the study. “Reed Hastings [Netflix CEO] famously said that Netflix considers Fortnite a bigger competitor than HBO. Many of these findings suggest that he’s right: with more entertainment choices competing for the same pool of disposable time, persistent engagement is maybe the most important yardstick for success.”
These findings are from Hub’s Gaming 360 study, conducted among 2,636 US consumers. Interviews were conducted in September 2019.


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OPM star April Boy Regino has passed away on November 29, 2020. This saddening news about his death was shared by his brother Vingo Regino through social media. On a Facebook post Vingo shared early on Sunday morning, he said, “Nakakalungkot naman ang araw na […]
Events, culture, trends, and other stuff that captures the modern Filipino way of life.
Press Release of foodpanda BACOLOD, PHILIPPINES — foodpanda, the on-demand food delivery service in the Philippines, prides itself in delivering food from the best restaurants in the City of Smiles, Bacolod City. The delivery service aims to make local and delicious food more accessible […]
Good news! The Philippines’ most popular eyewear brand, Sunnies Specs, now offers FREE delivery of eyeglasses anywhere in the Philippines. How can I get my specs replaced during the quarantine? I know most of us are asking THIS very question. I, for one, am due […]
Tanduay Rum Fest 2019 Press Release Kicking off the activities in the first-ever Tanduay Rum Festival 2019 in Bacolod are exciting culinary and mixology contests that will have leading names in the industry as judges. The finals of the Culinaria Competition will have Victoria Beckley, […]


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The ivory trade in China is a burgeoning one. There seems little relent in demand yet little understanding that precious mammals die in the production of so-deemed ‘precious’ ornaments.
ITV News secretly filmed at a legitimate factory in Guangzhou, southern China, where expert carvers work to order.
The company's practices do fall within government regulations yet the organisation still wouldn’t allow us to film openly inside. They know that within the trade there are ‘grey’ areas and that their craft inevitably feeds an insatiable appetite for the product which spurs on the slaughter.
A sales assistant at their shop told us that the price of ivory has doubled in the last five years, but determining what is legal and illegal is difficult, so as a result sensitivity surrounds the whole issue.
China allows the sale of ivory as long as businesses conform to rules:
Any company carving or dealing in ivory in the country has to have a licence.
Imports of ivory and its products must be permitted by the State Forestry Administration.
Raw elephant ivory and its products should also be processed at designated places, sold at fixed shops and tracked on an individual item basis.
Each legal ivory product can be tracked through a unique photo ID and is recorded in a database.
Last week, China also introduced a one-year ban on African ivory imports to see how it will affect the trade over the next 12 months.
But Zhou Fei, from the wildlife trade monitoring group TRAFFIC, told me it won't have much effect.
He said: "The ban will only be on legal imports which isn’t the difficulty we’re facing. The unlawful trade is the real problem.
"The ban therefore won’t have much of an effect on the illegal trade, but the message it sends out is a good one. It shows that the Chinese government is determined to do something to protect African elephants."
His organisation shares intelligence with police, and says the illegal marketplace is changing.
“It’s moving very fast from physical shops, to online, to social media now,” he said.
At its peak in March 2012, more than 4,000 new advertisements a month for illegal wildlife products were appearing on Chinese online shopping websites. More than half of those were for ivory.
Since then TRAFFIC has worked with internet institutions like Alibaba, Taobao and Tencent to get them to remove advertisements and block "code words" used to describe illegal wildlife products.
Sixty-four "code words" have been identified by TRAFFIC that describe products like rhino horn, tiger bone and ivory including “white plastic", "African materials" and "jelly.”
After July 2012, sales fell to 1,500 and have remained at that level since but the sellers have grown wise to the monitoring and the trade has shifted again.
They’re now choosing to put their products on social networking sites where they can control exactly who is in their network and who is a regular and bonafide buyer.
The anonymity of these sites is allowing the illicit economy to thrive and it keeps evolving because while ivory has appeal, the population of the world’s most prized mammals will be undermined.
Watch ITV News' China Correspondent Lucy Watson's full report:


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Fall flea market
Ellington - posted Jul, 17 2013
ELLINGTON - The Ellington Historical Society is seeking exhibitors for its fall flea market to be held from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 7, on the grounds of the Nellie McKnight Museum, 70 Main St. Ellington. There is no rain date. Spaces are 10' x 20' for $20 for nonmembers; and $15 for members. The fee is nonrefundable. Craft and food exhibitors will not be accepted. For an application, call 860-875-5804. For details, call 860-875-7160 or visit www.ellingtonhistsoc.org.


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- Subscribe NowLimited Time Offer
QuinStreet plans $250M public offering
QuinStreet Inc. said Thursday in a regulatory filing that it plans to go public with the sale of about $250 million in common stock.
The Foster City online marketing and media services company said in a press release that Credit Suisse Securities LLC, Bank of America Merrill Lynch, and JP Morgan Securities Inc. are managing and underwriting the offering. Qatalyst Partners LP, Frank Quatttone's San Francisco firm, is acting as a financial advisor.
QuinStreet said in its filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission that it expects to trade using the ticker symbol "QNST."
It didn't say how many shares it plans to offer nor what the price range will be.
In the fiscal year ended June 30, the company said its net income rose about 34 percent year-to-year to $17.3 million while revenue rose about 36 percent to $260.5 million.
QuinStreet is backed by about $60 million in venture funding, including from Partech International, which has an office in San Francisco (more than 5 percent pre-IPO stake); Minneapolis-based Split Rock Partners (16.4 percent pre-IPO stake), Palo Alto-based Sutter Hill Ventures (10.55 percent), Menlo Park-based Granite Global Ventures (7.05 percent) and Connecticut-based Catterton Partners (5.87 percent). New York-based direct secondaries firm W Capital Partners has a 6.86 percent stake.
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The CEO of “MicroStrategy” clarifies the situation of the company after the Bitcoin drop to the levels of 21 thousand dollars
The content site is one of the sites that provide the service of answering general questions and solving puzzles and crossword puzzles
Where the content site is primarily interested in answering your questions in all areas, including solving puzzles and crossword puzzles
Answer The CEO of “MicroStrategy” clarifies the situation of the company after the Bitcoin drop to the levels of 21 thousand dollars
Michael Saylor, CEO of MicroStrategy, has refuted speculation that his company could face a margin call on its Bitcoin loan.
The Bitcoin proponent has made it clear that such a scenario will not happen as long as the loan-to-value (LTV) ratio remains below 50%.
Before that, Saylor tweeted that MicroStrategy’s balance sheet was structured in a way that beats high volatility.
MicroStrategy has secured a $205 million loan from crypto-focused bank Silvergate Capital in order to fund its bitcoin purchases.
At the time, he told Saylor that his company was able to convert major cryptocurrencies into product collateral after a deal with the bank.Read:Coinbase intends to launch a dedicated platform for subscriptions (IEO)
MicroStrategy has 129,218 Bitcoins in its vaults, which are worth about $2.8 billion at today’s prices.
Virginia-based MicroStrategy lost nearly $1 billion in a failed bet on Bitcoin.
In May, MicroStrategy’s chief financial officer, Fong Li, warned that the company could face a margin call if Bitcoin drops below $21,000.
Earlier today, the top cryptocurrency fell as low as $20,816 on trading platform Bitstamp.
The company switched to bitcoin in August 2020, adopting the world’s largest cryptocurrency as its primary reserve asset.
The company announced its big bet on Bitcoin just a few months before the start of the Bitcoin rally.
Saylor has managed to return to the spotlight after losing $6 billion badly at the height of the dotcom bubble, and is now one of the most influential voices in the cryptocurrency community.
MicroStrategy’s shares crossed the $1,000 mark for the first time since last February and for the first time since March 2000.Read:One of the founders of Ethereum: The Ethereum network will improve 1000 times by 2021
However, the rally was not sustainable, and the company’s stock recently erased all of its gains that were driven by Bitcoin.
Tron stablecoin USDD slips out of dollar peg amid crypto market crash
Bitcoin dips below $21,000 as inflation continues to rise
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Aston Martin, McLaren, Rolls Royce — and cars for the rest of us
It's a strange thing when in a roomful of cars, the latest Porsche Cayman S, price tag around $85,000, looks surprisingly affordable. Or where the very appealing Nissan Sentra Versa SV (price tag $16,335) has to complete with another Nissan called the GT-R Track going for $117,000. But variety is a big part of what makes the New England International Auto Show so fun.
This year's event at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center was set to open this afternoon and run through Monday. A slideshow with information about some standout cars appears alongside this article.
Here are a few observations from this year's show:
Blue is in. One advantage of attending an auto show is that one gets an insight into what automakers perceive as the latest tends in consumer behavior. The car-makers show off what they think people want to see. A few years ago, it seemed every car on the floor was red. This year, there was some read, but blue seemed bigger.
Small cars remain hot. Nearly every automaker showed off not just its big, powerful, expensive models but also compact and even subcompact models reflecting sensitivity to gasoline costs and perhaps, even, urban parking and driving requirements. Smart Car showed off current models. Mini had more than a few vehicles on display, including the surprisingly big Countryman. Chevrolet and Scion also had interesting offerings in the space.
More than one auto company executive was well-aware of a potential problem Sunday afternoon — the risk New England Patriots fans will remain glued to their television sets rather than venture to South Boston for the auto show. But maybe here's a good omen: The Patriots' colors — red, blue and silver — are on full display at the show.
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Experts describe their research into how smartphones collect and share private personal information with tracking companies and advertisers.
Inaudible sounds are being used to transmit data from our devices. While not new technology, these ultrasonic beacons may be in breach of laws regarding surveillance devices.
It's not just fitness trackers – mobile phones can reveal users' whereabouts too, even with location tracking turned off.
Should police be able to use cellphone records to track suspects – and law-abiding citizens?
You can learn a lot about the movement of people and animals if you tap into the tracking data from many of today's mobile phones.
Mine communications are complex, slow and unreliable. The solution to keeping miners safe, and rescuing them when disaster strikes, might just be in their hands already.
The navigation tactics of certain Australian ants could point the way to helping driverless cars find their way around.
New York City is developing a 'free' public Wi-Fi network to be deployed throughout the city, but the poorly appreciated price is our privacy.
There's a global race on to harness mapping technology, delivering companies the data they need to gain a competitive advantage.


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'Fortnite' Has Led To At Least 200 Divorces
Trending News: 'Fortnite' Has Caused Over 200 Divorces This Year
Fortnite has taken over.
The battle royale game has 125 million users worldwide as of June 2018 and is the most streamed game ever on Twitch. If you haven't played it, I'll assure you that it's insanely addicting. So addicting, in fact, that it has uprooted people's lives.
A report from www.divorce-online.co.uk found that Fortnite has been cited as one of the reasons for breaking up in 200 divorce petitions since January 1, 2018. The site said 'digital addictions,' have accounted for 5% of the 4,665 petitions it handled this year.
Related: Build The Ultimate Fortnite Setup With These Gaming Accessories
Here's what a spokesperson for www.divorce-online.co.uk had to say:
"Addiction to drugs, alcohol and gambling have often been cited as reasons for relationship breakdowns but the dawn of the digital revolution has introduced new addictions.”
The spokesperson added: "These now include online pornography, online gaming and social media, so it is no surprise to us that more and more people are having relationship problems because of our digital addictions.”
Now is it fair to blame Fortnite entirely for the breakups? I mean, I wasn't there, but I'm pretty sure there were other factors. My guess is a messy concoction of lack of communication, different interests and problems in the bedroom. Still, trowing a highly addictive game in the mix can add to the problems, no doubt.


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Chicago (IL) - This month's ChangeWave survey of consumer purchases over the past and next 90 days paints a bleak picture for makers of consumer PCs and electronics. Despite strong demand for low-end netbooks that continue to gain importance -- the result of the depressed economy, the survey clearly shows yet another decline in computer spending and weaknesses in consumer electronics spending. In short, only Apple laptop sales will increase in the next 90 days, according to the report, whereas HP and Dell portables will drop as consumers opt for cheaper netbooks. When it comes to desktops, most prefer Dell but sales of desktops continue free-falling across the board as consumers turn to much cheaper netbooks, now representing better than one in six of all notebooks sold.
The latest ChangeWave February research provides an unambiguous outlook of consumer PC and electronics purchases over the past 90 days, as well as insight into planned consumer purchases over the next three months. The findings released by the research firm are based on polling 3,115 consumers between February 2 - 9, based on a questionnaire that focuses on a consumer's current and future PC and electronics buying patterns. Readers should note that numbers exclude corporate buyers as these will be released in a separate report later this month.
Planned consumer electronics buying dropped to the lowest level since the 2002 survey, which followed the collapse of the dot com bubble and the World Trade Center attacks. The market for shiny gadgets is obviously shrinking, with 12% of respondents planning to spend more on electronics over the next 90 days, but a whopping 43% opting to spend less in the same period. The latter figure represents 5 full percentage points decline compared to December numbers, just 60 days ago.
Yet another decline in computer sales
Numbers show the lowest planned computer buying ever recorded in a ChangeWave survey. Just 4% of respondents plan to buy a desktop in the next 90 days, a 1% decline over January's survey, while laptop buying remains unchanged at 6%. Purchases in past 90 days don't look better either, with just 6% and 11% of respondents buying a desktop and a laptop respectively in the past 90 days. Both figures represent a 1 percentage point drop over January results. ChangeWave noted that the combined percentage is "down significantly compared to February of 2008."
Past and next 90 days: Apple wiggles, HP holds ground, Dell down
Purchases of Mac desktops and notebooks in the past 90 days compared with January numbers reveal a sharper drop than aforementioned 1 percentage point dip of the overall computer market. Among respondents who bought a computer over the past 90 days, 15% and 20% went for a Mac desktop and laptop respectively, down 2 percentage points from the month ago period. Planned purchases of Apple desktops in the next 90 days among respondents also dropped 2 percentage points over 26% recorded in January but planned Macbook purchases rose 3 percentage points over the 30% recorded month ago.
HP desktop and notebook sales in the past 90 days among respondents were up 5 and 4 percentage points respectively from the month ago period, and currently stand at 27% both. When it comes to the next 90 days, HP holds ground with 28% planned desktop purchases, the same as in January, and 22% (down 1 percentage point from the month ago) in planned notebook purchases. HP's figures should be taken with a grain of salt since the ChangeWave survey focuses only on the U.S. market where HP makes just 30% of its sales.
Sales of Dell desktops and laptops in the past 90 days dropped 2 and 1 percentage point respectively over January figures, with 33% respondents who said they bought a Dell desktop and 21% a Dell notebook. The company also recorded 2 percentage points decline in planned desktop (32%) and laptop (26%) purchases in the next 90 days compared to January figures. Readers should note that consumer sales represent only one fifth of Dell's total sales, which are mostly corporate.
Read on next page: Netbooks undercut desktops, Apple hurt by not having a Mac netbook, sales down 6%, Customer satisfactory ratings...
Netbooks cutting into desktop sales
The overall decline in planned PC desktop purchases, of course, is explained by the proliferation of ultra-cheap netbooks that cost around $500 and deliver power and function most desktops could not have achieved just five years ago. Netbooks are obviously starting cutting into desktop sales due to shrinking consumer budgets amid gloomy economic outlooks. For example, netbooks make up 17% of notebook purchases among respondents over the past 90 days, meaning that netbooks now contribute to better than one in six of all notebooks sold. In the next 90 days, 18% of respondents eyeing notebooks said they will go with a netbook, an uptick of 4 percentage points from a month ago.
Apple hurt by not having a Mac netbook, sales down 6%
This makes Acer, ASUS, HP and Dell the biggest beneficiaries of rising netbook sales. Apple has shown little interest to enter the market, although chief of operations Timothy Cook, who is covering for Steve Jobs during his leave of absence, recently told investors that the company is keeping a close eye on it. The executive apparently told Sanford C. Bernstein & Co analyst Toni Sacconaghi that the company has some "ideas" for an Apple netbook.
While Apple considers its iPhone a viable netbook replacement (because it replicates many Internet-related functions of a netbook), some analysts warn that the lack of a Mac netbook and long overdue iMac refresh have now contributed to NPD-estimated 6% Mac sales decline in Mac sales, first time in three years.
Consumers still love their Apples
"In terms of customer satisfaction, there's no question which company is the industry leader," said ChangeWave in a nod toward Apple and its unique vertically integrated user experience. Asked to choose if they were "very satisfied", "somewhat satisfied", "unsatisfied" or "very unsatisfied" with the computer they bought in the past 90 days, a whopping 81% of respondents who bought Mac said they are "very satisfied" with the system.
This 81% figure reflects the recent Change Wave survey of corporate satisfaction with operating systems, in which 54% OS X Leopard users express they are "very satisfied" with the software, compared to 40% of Windows XP Professional users (between 5% and 12% Vista users reported to be "very satisfied" with their operating system).
Established brands like HP, Dell and Sony are far from Apple in this ChangeWave survey, recording 52%, 55% and 56% in the "very satisfied" rating respectively. It is interesting to note that Dell outranked HP in consumer satisfaction, whereas both ASUS and Acer recorded higher ratings than HP and Dell with 67% and 61% respectively. This is most likely due to a rise of netbooks that ASUS and Acer rule.


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Agricultural and rural tourism is small and spontaneous
After more than 10 years of building a new rural area, the whole country has 5,706 standard communes, accounting for nearly 70% of the total number of communes. The appearance of the countryside has changed markedly, from this result many localities have become tourist destinations.
Along with the beautiful natural landscape, cultural identity and long-standing farming practices of 54 ethnic groups. Now is the time for Vietnam to promote the development of agricultural and rural tourism, thereby bringing livelihoods to the people, but to rural tourism professional development, there is still much work to be done.
Now is the time for Vietnam to promote the development of agricultural and rural tourism, thereby bringing livelihoods to the people. (Illustration image – Photo: Labor)
In Bac Giang, Mr. En’s organic pomelo garden is the most famous garden tourism model in Luc Ngan, but still only at the spontaneous level, farmers do it themselves. His family has not attended any training courses on tourism.
“Family’s communication skills with customers are not yet mature, so thanks to the help of the culture and information department of Luc Ngan district, they regularly open training classes,” said Mr. Tran Dinh En, Thanh Hai commune, Luc Ngan district. , Bac Giang, said.
The flower garden is located between Cam Son Lake and the key lychee growing area of Luc Ngan, Vinh’s idea is to create a stopover for tourists after harvesting agricultural products. However, the road is slick and bumpy, causing many visitors to give up.
“If there is a boat going from the other side of the dam to here, it will be too beautiful. Or if the locality allows the expansion of the previous paths and helps me invest, it will be too beautiful,” said Ms. Nguyen Thi Vinh, Luc Ngan district, Bac Giang province. To share.
The lack of synchronous transport infrastructure is making it difficult for rural tourism. Many localities also admit that the process of building a new countryside is separate from the path of rural tourism development, so even in communes that have met new rural standards, it is not necessarily convenient for tourists to visit.
“The points serving the parking lot, as well as the accommodation of tourists coming to the district who want to stay overnight to experience the care and collection of the district’s products, still face many difficulties,” said Mr. Van Huy, Head of Agriculture Department of Luc Ngan district, Bac Giang, said.
An experiential tourism model by buffalo cart to orchards with a 2-day, 1-night journey to discover the countryside has been tested by a travel agency in Luc Ngan. The road to rural tourism is still new and bumpy when in localities, strong thinking is popular.
Obviously, when there is no overall policy for rural tourism development at the national level, it will lead to lack of infrastructure planning, human resources and many other problems.
New strategy for agricultural and rural tourism
Currently, the management mechanism and policy for the rural tourism model and ensuring the chain link with travel companies are still quite loose. In order for the potential of agricultural and rural tourism to be awakened, at the end of March, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development submitted a report to the Prime Minister on the approval of the Rural Tourism Development Program in the region. building new rural areas in the period of 2021 – 2025 The total resources for the implementation of the Program are estimated at 2,500 billion VND.
Currently, the management mechanism and policy for the rural tourism model and ensuring the chain link with travel companies are still quite loose. (Illustration image – Photo: People’s Newspaper)
The goal is that by 2025, each province and city strives to have at least 1 recognized rural tourist destination associated with the advantages of agriculture, culture, craft villages or local ecological environment. At least 70% of rural tourism establishment owners are trained in tourism management, especially there will be a database and digital map of rural tourist attractions nationwide.
“In the provinces, there have appeared many models of rural tourism in the community, of which 36 products have been recognized as 3-star in rural tourism. From this core, pushing this content is associated with perfecting the mechanism and policy. policies to promote training,” said Mr. Tran Nhat Lam, deputy chief of the Central New Rural Coordination Office.
A pioneer in agricultural tourism since 2009, Ms. Oanh (Owner of Ba Vi Country Farm, Ba Vi district, Hanoi) believes that in order for this model to function properly, it is essential to preserve it. of agriculture and rural areas.
“The agricultural industry must prepare 80% to bring out the quintessence for the tourism industry to exploit according to tourism standards, so we must have a master plan on rural tourism,” said Dr. Ngo Kieu Oanh, Owner of Ba Vi Country Farm, Ba Vi District, Hanoi.
Right now, farmers in Moc Chau, Son La are more excited about the goal of becoming a national tourist area.
More than 80% of the land is planned for agriculture. Vu Pat Ly (Dong Sang commune, Moc Chau district, Son La) and many Mong people have been forming the habit of clean production, organic farming, and ecological agriculture to create an attractive environment for tourists.
Rural agricultural tourism will only be awakened when each citizen feels loved and proud of the beauty of the space where they live, the products they make and the preserved cultural values.
According to the Central New Rural Coordination Office, the whole country currently has 73 routes, with 365 rural tourist spots.
Practice shows that the rural construction program has the role of upgrading and completing the infrastructure system, ensuring environmental sanitation, preserving and promoting cultural values, traditional craft villages…
Not only that, rural tourism contributes to improving the quality of building a more sustainable new rural area through raising incomes, creating livelihoods for people, promoting consumption of specialty products, etc. Parallel development of these two programs is expected to create a new impetus for the material and spiritual life of rural residents.
at Blogtuan.info – Source: vtv.vn – Read the original article here


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Marriott Reports RevPAR Declined 84.4 Percent at its Hotels Worldwide in Second Quarter
BETHESDA, MD. — Marriott International (Nasdaq: MAR) has reported that its second-quarter revenue per available room (RevPAR) declined 84.4 percent worldwide at its hotels due to the coronavirus pandemic. RevPAR in its North American portfolio dropped 83.6 percent. Additionally, the hotelier’s occupancy rates are slowly recovering, having reached 34 percent during the week ending Aug. 1 after bottoming out at 11 percent April 11.
Currently, 91 percent of the company’s hotels are open, compared to 74 percent in April. Marriott reported a net loss of $210 million in the second quarter, a significant drop from second-quarter 2019 when the company gained $525 million.
The Bethesda-based company is seeing bright spots when it comes to its international recovery, especially in the area it refers to as “Greater China” (the area encompassing China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan).
“Greater China continues to lead the recovery,” says Arne Sorenson, president and CEO of Marriott. “As of early May, all our hotels in the region are open, and occupancy levels are now reaching 60 percent, compared to 70 percent the same time last year. While Greater China’s recovery was originally led by demand from leisure travelers, particularly in resorts and drive-to destinations, we are now seeing more widespread business demand, including some group activity.”
Marriott’s stock price closed Monday at $97.13, down from $132.41 a year ago.


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Both companies reported tonight.
Amazon is down 5% (down $42 from $818 to $775) in after hours trading on a substantial earnings miss: Amazon Reports 52 Cents per Share, vs. Expected EPS of 78 Cents.
Yahoo Finance reported trailing 12-months Amazon’s P/E at 654. That is before today’s report. Lovely.
Mike “Mish” Shedlock


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"Mr. Weil said advertisers could now use Twitter’s targeting abilities to aim their app install ads to particular subsets of mobile Twitter users and also serve the same ads to users of other apps that are served by MoPub. In theory, the advertisers now get access to around a billion potential viewers of their ads — roughly the same size audience that Facebook can offer. (Facebook announced in January that it was testing ways to sell app install ads that would be displayed in other apps besides Facebook.)Twitter Goes After a Facebook Cash Cow - NYTimes.com - NYTimes.com
Whether Twitter can replicate Facebook’s success with app install ads remains to be seen. But that’s probably one area where Twitter wouldn’t mind being called a copycat."
Friday, April 18, 2014
Twitter Goes After a Facebook Cash Cow - NYTimes.com - NYTimes.com
Still in search of a robust business model


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Citizen Staff Writer
For those expecting a stampede akin to the welcome the first In-N-Out Burger in town received, the second opening was much more tame.
Only seven people camped out early Thursday morning to be first in line at the new In-N-Out in Marana.
Thursday’s wait: five minutes.
That’s compared with hundreds of eager customers in line when the El Con store opened April 24. The wait then: more than two hours.
Though about 50 workers were prepared to handle expected crowds, Assistant Manager Steve Oroeco, was not disappointed with the lighter turnout.
The crew had 8,000 patties ready to be made into the famous Double-Doubles (double meat, double cheese) with onions, he said.
And Marana Police set up a command post nearby.
“I guarantee that by noon,” Oroeco said, “it will be awesome.”
As lunchtime neared, there were about 30 cars in the drive-through, said Rodney Campbell, community relations officer for the Town of Marana.
Despite the seemingly cooler greeting in Marana, customers were happy to get the burger joint at 8180 N. Cortaro Road.
“We used to drive to Phoenix, get one and drive back,” said Angie Belden, one of the store’s first customers.
Jamie Duerfeldt and her husband, Scott, were at the opening Thursday morning.
“We’ve been waiting so long for In-N-Out to come here,” she said. “Every time we went to California, we ate there.”


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Turkey’s exports this year have reached $142.7 billion this year - surpassing 2016’s total.
Experts predict that this year’s total exports will top $156 billion. Bordering eight countries and located at a crossroads between Western Asia and Southeastern Europe, Turkey’s always been an important trading partner within the region.
In 2016, Turkey shipped $142 billion worth of products around the world - almost 1% of global trade. In 2014, exports topped $157.6 billion, an all-time high. This figure dropped by $14 billion in 2015 and fell by a further billion last year. The falling levels came about due to regional security problems and political instability. However, with these problems addressed exports are once again on the rise.
Where are Turkish exports going?
Turkish exports have found new markets this year, and strengthened existing ties. Germany increased its Turkish imports by 11.3 percent, the UK by 16.4 percent and Italy by 14.5 percent. The highest increase was Romania, who upped their Turkish imports by 45 percent. Overall, the EU’s share in Turkish exports stood at around 50 percent. Exports to Oceania countries, the Far East and South America increased this year.
Automotive sector reaches new heights
Turkey’s automotive sector is helping to push Turkish exports, breaking its previous record with $26 billion worth of imports in the first eleven months of this year. Automotive exports accounted for almost a fifth of Turkey’s overall exports in November. Germany is the largest market for the industry, and exports to this market grew by 3 percent. Exports to the US grew by 145 percent. Turkey’s newest trading partners Growth is set to continue next year as Turkey seeks to expand its trade reach. Last week, Turkey and South Korea expanded their Free Trade Agreement, signalling a greater relationship between the two countries. The country is also forging new links with African and other Asian countries.
Turkey’s Top Trading Partners
- Germany: $14 billion
- UK: $12 billion
- Iraq: $7.6 billion
- Italy: $7.6 billion
- US: $6.6 billion
- France: $6 billion
- UAE: $5.4 billion
- Spain: $5 billion
- Iran: $5 billion
- Netherlands: $3.6 billion
Built to luxury standards from top to bottom, this outstanding Yali Mansion style villa is for sale in the Sariyer district of Istanbul and is a must see for those wanting to buy the very best of contemporary real estate in the city.
Our unique U shaped houses for sale in Gumusluk are designed from top to bottom with luxury living in mind, featuring an authentic fusion of architecture to create some of the most stunning properties in the Bodrum peninsula.
This panoramic sea view mansion is for sale at the edge of the water in the Sariyer district of Istanbul and is one of the best homes in the area – suitable for those wanting to live in Turkey on a permanent basis with their children.
One of our top investment or lifestyle opportunities in the entire city, this panoramic sea view project is found in the city centre of Istanbul in Cihangir and offers apartments for sale in sizes ranging from one – two bedrooms.


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According to on-line store CD Japan, Miyazaki’s latest Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea is being released on DVD (and VHS, charmingly) on July 3rd, with the DVD also including an English subtitle track. Excellent news for European importers, and those in the US with region-free players.
It’s the same old story: too much anime, not enough time. The new spring season kicks off in Japan this week, and here I am still trying to catch up with last season’s offerings. Well at least I can save myself – and maybe you – some time; this month’s first episodes round up features two shows I might watch more of and two I’ll shortly be dragging to the trash can. Still, that’s not to say you might not enjoy them.


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BEIJING (BLOOMBERG) - China's economy performed better than expected last month as retail sales climbed and energy shortages eased, partly offsetting a slump in property.
Industrial output rose 3.5 per cent in October from a year earlier, while retail sales growth accelerated to 4.9 per cent, beating economists' forecasts.
Growth in fixed-asset investment eased to 6.1 per cent in the first 10 months of the year, compared with a forecast of 6.2 per cent.
The surveyed jobless rate was steady at 4.9 per cent.
The better-than-expected number released on Monday (Nov 15) will come as a relief after the economy's momentum weakened in the second half of the year, with both demand and supply coming under pressure.
Beijing's crackdown on the property market has slowed lending to a sector that accounts for as much as 25 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP), while energy shortages have caused factories to curb production.
"The national economy was generally stable and maintained the trend of recovery," the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said in a statement. "However, we must be aware that the international environment is still complicated and severe with many unstable and uncertain factors."
Electricity shortages, which had been a key constraint on industrial output in September, eased last month, with power supply climbing 11.1 per cent in October from a year earlier.
The property slump continued to weigh on output though, with production of construction-related commodities, such as steel and iron, contracting.
Separate data from the NBS showed home prices fell 0.25 per cent in October from the previous month, a bigger decline than in September.
"Overall there is some improvement, especially in the mining and utility industries," said Mr Lu Ting, chief China economist for Nomura Holdings. "But other areas actually didn't improve substantially and remain at low levels, especially for investments."
Rising prices and consumers panic-buying goods at the beginning of October may have contributed to the pickup in spending, he said.
Retail spending benefited from pre-sales ahead of the Single's Day shopping festival, while the national holiday last month helped to drive a recovery in catering and accommodation sales, NBS spokesman Fu Linghui said at the briefing.
The slowdown has put the spotlight back on policymakers, who have so far taken a muted approach to stimulus, preferring to "fine-tune" policies rather than flood the economy with support.
In line with that approach, the People's Bank of China refrained from injecting additional cash into the financial system in its monthly liquidity operation on Monday, rolling over all the loans maturing instead.
Most economists expect Beijing to stick with the property curbs, resulting in weaker growth into next year. GDP growth is expected to slow to 3.5 per cent in the final quarter, reach 8 per cent for the full year and weaken to 5.4 per cent next year, according to a Bloomberg survey of economists.
"Growth will likely weaken in the rest of this year," said Pinpoint Asset Management chief economist Zhang Zhiwei. "The slowdown in the property sector continued, which is the key risk for the macro outlook in the next few quarters."


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Study confirms chocolate's benefits extend to men
Chocoholic men, rejoice—new research suggests that consuming chocolate could reduce the risk of stroke in men.
Researchers studied more than 37,000 Swedish men over the course of 10 years. Men who ate more than 2 ounces of chocolate per week had a 17 percent lower chance of having a stroke than men who ate very little or no chocolate. Previous studies have shown that chocolate can reduce the risk of stroke in women, but no research measured whether it reduced the chance of stroke in men.
"The association between chocolate consumption and stroke risk was similar in men and women," according to the report, which was published in the journal Neurology on Wednesday.
Previous research has suggested that chocolate can reduce blood pressure, stimulate brain activity, and even reduce pain associated with migraines. Susanna Larsson, of Stockholm's Karolinska Institute and lead author of the report, writes that chocolate likely reduces the risk of stroke because it contains flavonoids, which have similar properties to antioxidants.
"The flavonoids may reduce the risk of stroke through several biological mechanisms, including antioxidant, anti-platelet, and anti-inflammatory effects as well as by lowering blood pressure, increasing high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and improving endothelial function," she wrote.
According to the study, about 90 percent of all chocolate in Sweden consumed during the study was milk chocolate, so they were unable to determine if dark chocolate reduced the risk of stroke, though dark chocolate has more flavonoids than milk chocolate.
The caffeine in chocolate could potentially play a role as well, she speculates. Coffee consumption has been shown to similarly reduce the risk of stroke, though researchers aren't sure why. But there are likely other components of chocolate that reduce stroke risk more than caffeine.
"The amount of caffeine in chocolate is low and cannot fully explain" the stroke risk reduction, she writes.
Though Thursday's news is good for anyone with a sweet tooth, Larsson warns people not to go overboard.
"Further studies are required to confirm this finding before any recommendations about chocolate consumption can be given. Because chocolate is high in sugar, saturated fat, and calories, it should be consumed in moderation," she writes.
Jason Koebler is a science and technology reporter for U.S. News & World Report.


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Again, the high handedness of Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) officials at the nation’s ports hit the front burner recently as the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) is seeking an independent dispute resolution framework on product valuation and harmonised system of product classification among the business community. TAIWO HASSAN reports
Indeed, at many fora in the country, activities of the Nigeria Customs Service have been questioned, whether it is solely a revenue generating agency of the Federal Government or meant to aid the business community to ensure smooth trade facilitation at the country’s ports. Nevertheless, the latter has been judged by the business community as its core function, although it remains contentious following various complaints from port users. In fact, members of the organised private sector (OPS) have flayed Customs’ operations at the ports for dragging the country’s economy into retrogression. The concern of the business community is that if the modus operandi of NCS is not modified to improve trade facilitation and revenue generation, Nigeria could be heading to destruction as investors are leaving Nigerian ports for neighbouring countries for cargo delivery.
Following the attitude of the officials to trade facilitation and port operations, there has been surge in port congestion, a situation the business community levied against NCS with port operators and manufacturers paying heavily. Last week, the African Centre for Supply Chain (ACSC) practitioners disclosed that congestion at Nigerian ports was negatively impacting the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) by $14.2 billion annually. They said that financial cost of accumulated delays of trucks constituted about 40 per cent of the total cost borne at the port. The observations were identified as cause of port congestion apart from indiscipline amongst truckers, especially around the Lagos logistics ring, weak technology application, nonimplementation of 24-hour port operations, and manual cargo examination among others. LCCI However, the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry said it was seeking an independent dispute resolution framework between the NCS and the country’s business community that will improved trade facilitation at the gateways. With this, LCCI is calling on President Muhammadu Buhari to intervene by setting up an independent appeal mechanism to deal with issues of valuation and harmonisation system classification between the Nigeria Customs Service and the business community. LCCI’s Director-General, Dr. Muda Yusuf, told New Telegraph in Lagos that a situation where the customs are being allowed to be the sole arbiter of dispute resolution at the ports was hurting investment and weakening investor confidence. He said that managing disputes with the Nigeria Customs Service on matters of product valuation and harmonised system of product classification was one of the most distressing encounters experienced by investors in the Nigerian economy. According to him, lack of independent dispute resolution at the ports is a major shortcoming in the country’s international trade process following the absence of an independent, credible, and prompt appeal mechanism. Yusuf said: “Importers are left entirely at the mercy of the Customs in the absence of a credible, independent window for dispute settlement between the customs and the private sector. “Under the present arrangement, the Customs Service is the accuser and the judge. This mechanism is unfair to investors and not consistent with the principles of natural justice. Many companies have been compelled to pay outrageous additional charges on imports thus distorting their investment plans and projections. “Discretionary interpretations on product classification and valuation pose enormous corruption risks in customs processes. Indeed, the biggest corruption risks in the interface between the Customs and the business community are around these two issues.”
Implications to key sectors LCCI
Director-General explained that this situation was hurting investors across all sec-tors – manufacturing, agro-allied, ICT, construction, services etc. It is a disincentive to domestic and foreign investment; it creates uncertainty and aggravates investment risk, it undermines economic diversification prospects, depresses capacity utilization, and limits the scope for job creation. It is also not consistent with the vision to make Nigeria a top investment destination.
Speaking on the presidential’s intervention, Yusuf said: “This could be done within the framework of an Executive Order. This is necessary to restore the confidence of investors in the international trade process. “The reality is that the Nigeria Customs Service has a weak Trade Facilitation culture and an absence of customer service orientation. This disposition is hurting investment, frustrating trade, and creating a negative investment sentiment. “A presidential intervention has become inevitable, especially with the onset of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). “There is need to ensure a balance between regulatory controls, revenue generation and trade facilitation functions of the Nigerian customs service,” he added.
The business community is agitating for strengthening customs’ post-audit system, reducing the number of customs desk that importers have to go through or collapse same to two or three. Use of scanners, evacuation of all over-time cargo from the terminals to create space and enhancing terminal efficiency, effective consequence management for corrupt customs officials, dishonest importers and clearing agents, including naming and shaming of violators.
LCCI, in its research findings on the nation’s ports, indicated that the economy was currently losing about N600 billion in revenue and an estimated $10 billion (N3.6 trillion) on non-oil export, thereby making the NCS as the biggest institutional challenges facing the business community today.


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The Agriculture Department reports preliminary October milk output at bearish 18.1 billion pounds, up 1.3% from October 2018. Output in the top 24 states totaled 17.3 billion, up 1.7%. Revisions added 7 million pounds to the original September total, now put at 17.7 billion pounds, up 1.3% from September 2018.
Cow numbers were up in October. The 50-state count totaled 9.327 million head, up 5,000 from the September count, which was revised up 7,000 cows, but is still 40,000 head below October 2018. Output per cow averaged 1,941 pounds, up 51 pounds from September and 33 pounds above a year ago.
California output was up 2.8%, thanks to a 60 pound gain per cow offsetting 5,000 fewer cows milked. Wisconsin was up 1.0%, on a 30 pound gain per cow. Cow numbers were down 6,000 from a year ago.
Virginia again showed the biggest loss, down 7.0% on 7,000 fewer cows. Arizona was down 5.6% on 11,000 fewer cows. Texas showed the biggest increase, up 9.3%, thanks to 31,000 more cows and a 65 gain per cow.
Idaho was up 2.3%, on 20,000 more cows offsetting a 20 pound loss per cow. New York was up 1.8%, on 5,000 more cows and a 20 pound gain per cow, and Minnesota was up 1.8% on a 50 pound gain per cow offsetting 4,000 fewer cows.
Michigan was up 3.0% on a 35 pound gain per cow and 6,000 more cows. Strength remains in the international dairy market as this week’s weighted average of products offered in the Global Dairy Trade auction was up 1.7%, down from the 3.7% jump on November 5, but is the fifth consecutive session of gain. Sellers brought 83.7 million pounds of product to the market Tuesday, down from 85.3 million in the last event.
Rennet casein led the gains, up 5.6%, which follows a 5.1% gain last time. Skim milk powder was up 3.3%, after jumping 6.7%, and GDT Cheddar was up 2.5%, after slipping 0.6%. Whole milk powder was up 2.2%, following a 2.6% rise, and lactose was up 1.3%, after falling 1.9% last time.
Anhydrous milkfat and butter made up the losses, down 1.5% and 1.3% respectively, after respective gains of 2.6% and 0.2% in the last event.
Cooperatives Working Together member cooperatives accepted eleven offers of export assistance this week to help capture sales of 1.219 million pounds of Cheddar cheese, 606,271 pounds of whole milk powder, and 112,436 pounds of cream cheese. The product is going to customers in Asia, Central and South America through April 2020 and puts CWT’s 2019 exports at 46.7 million pounds of American-type and Swiss cheeses, 277,782 pounds of anhydrous milkfat, 4.6 million pounds of butter (82% milkfat), 6 million pounds of cream cheese and 44.1 million pounds of whole milk powder.
The December Federal order Class I base milk price was announced by the USDA at $19.33 per hundredweight, up $1.19 from November, a hefty $4.28 above December 2018, and the highest Class I price since December 2014. It equates to about $1.66 per gallon, up from $1.29 a year ago. The 2019 Class I average is $16.99, up from $14.84 in 2018 and $16.45 in 2017.
The Agriculture Department’s November 15 Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry Outlook stated that “Lower expected growth in milk cow numbers and higher expected milk per cow for the latter part of 2019 are expected to carry into 2020. Milk cows are forecast to average 9.335 million head in 2020, 5,000 less than last month’s forecast. Milk per cow is forecast at 23,830 pounds, 105 pounds higher than last month’s forecast. With higher yields expected to more than offset lower growth in the milking herd, milk production for 2020 is forecast at 222.4 billion pounds, 0.8 billion pounds higher than last month’s forecast.”
Matt Gould, editor of the Dairy and Food Market Analyst, warned of rising milk output in the U.S. in the Nov. 25 Dairy Radio now broadcast. He said the weather was cold in the U.S. in October so output would likely have been higher, had it not been for the cold, and that the milk supply is growing in Europe.
“If you just look at the supply side of the equation, you might conclude things are pretty price negative,” he said, “However there’s a number of very positive things on the demand side,” and he pointed to the five year highs on nonfat dry milk and skim milk powder prices, driven by purchases from Southeast Asia and China.
He said he’s hearing rumblings that China is getting its hands around its African Swine Fever situation and is coming back to the U.S. for feed for those new born piglets. “There’s a lot to be optimistic on the international demand side” he said. Cheese prices hit the highest levels since 2014 and remain strong, despite the recent fall.
When asked if he agreed with USDA’s prediction of a 1.7% increase in milk output in 2020 over 2019, Gould said, yes, as we are adding cows again. “If you hold cow numbers flat, we tend to increase milk production by a little over 1% so 1.7% growth rate means more cows, but USDA is also projecting the highest milk prices in 2020, highest since 2014,” he concluded.
Dairy margins strengthened further over the first half of November as milk prices continued to advance while feed costs remained relatively steady, according to the latest Margin Watch from Chicago-based Commodity & Ingredient Hedging LLC.
The MW stated that “Forward margins remain above the 90th percentile of historical profitability through the first half of 2020, with third quarter very close to that benchmark as well. Nearby Class III milk corrected following a drop in cheese futures, although extreme volatility remains between block and barrel prices in the spot market. The CME Group announced a new block cheese futures contract will be launched in January to address this volatility and provide both producers and end users with a better hedge.”
In politics, the National Milk Producers Federation thanked Senator Tammy Baldwin for “her advocacy for public health and labeling transparency in her questions for Dr. Stephen Hahn during this week’s hearing on his nomination to be commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.”
NMPF president and CEO, Jim Mulhern stated in his press release that “As the nation’s top health official, Dr. Hahn would face many challenging issues, labeling integrity high among them. It’s heartening to hear the nominee pledge that an FDA under his leadership will immediately examine this crucial unfinished business.” “Given his stated commitment to science and data-based decision-making and his concern for public nutrition, we expect FDA will soon begin enforcing its own standards, which clearly reserve dairy terms for real dairy products, not plant-based imposters who mislead consumers by mislabeling nutritionally inferior products.”
In response to a question from Senator Baldwin asking him whether and when the FDA will begin enforcing its own labeling standards, Dr. Hahn voiced his support for “clear, transparent, and understandable labeling for the American people. The American people need this so that they can make the appropriate decisions for their health and for their nutrition. I very much will look into this issue,” Dr. Hahn said, later adding he would “look at this as soon as I am confirmed.”


text:
Amazon May Announce New Kindle Fire at Sept. 6 Press Conference
August 24, 2012 12:25 PM
comment(s) - last by
Original Kindle Fire
The Kindle sector of Amazon sent out press conference invitations
Amazon recently sent out invitations for a press conference on September 6, and many believe this could be the unveiling of the
new Kindle Fire tablet
The September 6 press conference is being organized by the Kindle sector of Amazon, leading several news outlets to believe that a new Kindle Fire may be on the way. In fact, the e-tailer is expected to
reveal as many as six tablet SKUs
in an effort to continue expanding its offering of devices and its mobile platform.
Amazon's Kindle Fire has been the only tablet to give Apple's iPad a run for its money. The Fire cut into the iPad's market share over the holiday season in Q4 2011 by
moving 4.7 million units
while the iPad moved 15.4 million tablets.
However, as time goes by and tech companies continue releasing tablets of their own, the iPad is going up against more and more credible alternatives. For instance, Google recently released its
Nexus 7 tablet
, which is a 7-inch device that runs the Android 4.1 Jelly Bean mobile operating system. It also features a 1.3 GHz quad-core Tegra 3 processor, a GeForce 12-core graphics processor, 1 GB of RAM and a resolution of 1280x800 -- all for $199 (for 8 GB). It has received great reviews and sold out during the first days of release in many retailers and e-tailers.
This means Amazon's Fire is due for an update to keep the competition fresh. There have already been a few rumors as to what some new features may be, such as external volume controls, a camera and
a resolution of 1280x800
. However, many unknowns remain such as Bluetooth capabilities, the type of processor used, and the amount of memory. But a Fire with a 10-inch screen priced below the iPad (with some comparable features) as well as a refreshed 7-inch version would really put Amazon in the tablet race.
The original Kindle Fire was released November 2011, and featured a 7-inch screen, 8 GB of storage, a 1-GHz Texas Instruments OMAP 4430 dual-core processor, 1024x600 screen resolution and Wi-Fi connectivity.
This article is over a month old, voting and posting comments is disabled
RE: The Wait is Killing Me
8/24/2012 5:41:54 PM
Exactly. People want tablets that are simple to use that are integrated with media and app stores. End of story, Kindle and iPad sales figures speak for themselves.
As for tweakability, I really don't care about that in my phones, tablets, or game consoles. Hell, my Kindle e-reader is hands down the most locked down device I own, more than any iDevice out there, and I
It does what it is made for exceptionally well.
Tweaking is what my PC is for, and even that is limited given the fact that Windows is a closed OS and I do most of my gaming on Steam and Battlenet, both also walled-garden ecosystems.
"A politician stumbles over himself... Then they pick it out. They edit it. He runs the clip, and then he makes a funny face, and the whole audience has a Pavlovian response." -- Joe Scarborough on John Stewart over Jim Cramer
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Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos was named the richest American on Tuesday, September 8 by Forbes magazine. The businessman topped the list for the third time in a row, and Forbes also calls him the richest businessman in the world.
Naked king: Amazon founder declares war on media over privacy rights
The richest man in the world accused the media holding of blackmail because of intimate pictures
The fortune of the 56-year-old entrepreneur is estimated at $ 179 billion. In second place in the top 400 was one of the founders of Microsoft Corporation Bill Gates with $ 111 billion. The third line was taken by Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg with $ 85 billion. The top ten included investor Warren Buffett ($ 73 .5 billion), Oracle CEO Larry Ellison ($72 billion), Tesla CEO Elon Musk ($68 billion), and Google founders Larry Page ($67.5 billion) and Sergey Brin ($65.7 billion). In just a year, the wealth of the 400 richest Americans increased by a total of $240 billion, thereby reaching a total of $3.2 trillion.
Bezos founded Amazon in 1994, the company sells goods and services over the Internet, it was the first in the United States to offer users of its site a paid movie download service with the ability to watch them later without an Internet connection.
On September 3, according to the ranking of the richest people in the world by Bloomberg, the former wife of Jeff Bezos Mackenzie Scott became the richest woman in the world, her fortune reached $68 billion.


text:
Prince Harry has taken part in a TV skit to promote his new eco-travel campaign, which encourages people to travel sustainably.
The Duke of Sussex announced the campaign on a New Zealand TV station, and it is part of his eco-travel non-profit organisation Travalyst, which the royal founded in September 2019.
He took part in a pre-recorded skit with actors Rhys Darby and Dave Fane, in which he was given a positive rating by New Zealand for turning off the tap while brushing his teeth, but had points deducted for dropping litter on the beach.
Harry, who is dressed in a grey t-shirt bearing the words GIRL DAD, jogging bottoms and a cap, and wearing wireless earbuds, is ambushed by a “rating agent” who claims the duke left a lolly wrapper behind during his official tour with the Duchess of Sussex in 2018.
Harry is at first given three stars out of five, and then three and a half – as stamps on his arm – for only using one towel and for buying local honey.
Prince Harry told Te Ao Maori News: “For our campaign, we are encouraging people to flip the script. We are always being asked for our feedback on our trips and experiences, but what would happen if our holiday rated us?
“It’s an important question to ask, and we want all of you to help us answer it.”
The Travalyst website contains a survey to “find out how your holiday would rate you” and tips encouraging people to travel sustainably – including by shopping local, looking after nature and wildlife, and staying at sustainable accommodation.
He said the campaign was inspired by Maori culture, to which he feels a “deep connection”.
“The Maori culture inherently understands sustainable practices and taking better care of our life-giving land, which are critical lessons we can all learn,” he said.
Hopes zero carbon emission flights could be on the horizon
Britons becoming more climate conscious, according to Google
Travalyst already works with travel brands including Google and Skyscanner to display emissions data, allowing people to choose flights that will have less of an impact on the environment.
Te Ao with Moana presenter Moana Maniapoto said she thought it was a “scam” when she was first contacted by the prince’s representatives to have him on the show.
“I thought it was a scammer, truly, but no, it all checked out,” Ms Maniapoto said. “Prince Harry wanted the worldwide launch out of Aotearoa and on this programme.”


text:
The first restaurant that runs all by itself is going to open in Southern California.
In ‘CaliExpress by Flippy,’ robots are the ones doing the cooking – making burgers and fries. They handle the grill and the fry station.
Flippy, created by Miso Robotics, is an AI-powered robot for frying. The makers say Flippy works with people to make the food better and more consistent. It also helps restaurants save a lot of money.
Exciting Features at ‘CaliExpress by Flippy’
According to the company, using Flippy in the kitchen will make it safer by getting rid of accidents like slipping and burns. They also say Flippy can help in cutting down on wasted food.
A press release mentioned that the kitchen at CaliExpress by Flippy can be managed by a smaller team in a less stressful setting compared to other restaurants. Despite that, they can still pay their workers better than the average.
Apart from Flippy, the restaurant plans to use PopID technology. The company claims this technology will make ordering and paying easier and provide customers with personalized order suggestions.
Unique Experience at ‘CaliExpress by Flippy’
‘CaliExpress by Flippy’ aims to offer customers a unique experience resembling a museum. This includes robot arms from old Flippy units that dance, experimental 3D-printed items from previous development stages, and photo displays.
The restaurant ‘CaliExpress by Flippy’ can be found in downtown Pasadena at 561 E. Green St. It will start accepting reservations for its opening in December 2023, with a grand opening event scheduled for a later date.
CaliExpress by Flippy is a game-changer in the restaurant world, using an AI-powered robot, Flippy, to cook autonomously. It not only makes kitchens safer and reduces food waste but also offers customers a cool museum-like experience. This innovative restaurant in Pasadena is a glimpse into the future of dining.


text:
The Relationship Between CBD & Your Liver
An estimated 30 million Americans have liver disease, and it is the 12th most common cause of death in the US. As you may already know, the liver is our largest internal organ, and it is involved in cleaning the blood, processing food material, producing vital nutrients, and detoxifying harmful substances. Even when damaged, a healthy liver has an astounding ability to regenerate cells. However, when the liver is too damaged, it loses its ability to heal itself and creates scar tissue.
CBD is known for its anti-inflammatory and antioxidative properties, so it could help reduce the inflammatory response and protect the liver against oxidative damage. In experimental models, CBD effectively reduced inflammation, oxidative stress and promoted the death of malignant cells in the liver.
How does CBD Affect Liver Function?
As CBD is booming across the United States, people have become more aware of its health benefits and potential risks associated with the consumption of CBD products.
One recent study has sparked concerns among CBD users regarding liver function. While the study did show that substantial amounts of CBD can damage the liver, the news coverage that warned about the potential risk of taking CBD failed to put the study into context.
Like any supplement or medication, CBD does have side effects, including dose-dependent danger to liver health. However, while users using the peak-tested dosages should have their liver enzymes in check, the vast majority of people can safely use CBD without worrying about a negative impact on their liver function.
CBD Safety Profile
CBD has a perfect safety profile. Researchers have tested the efficacy and safety of CBD in humans using doses as high as 1,500 mg – 3,000 mg of CBD daily. With 1,500 mg of CBD taken for six weeks, no dangerous side effects were observed. However, a 2019 study on mice showed that high doses of CBD could damage the liver — causing a widespread sensation in the media.
The study also garnered attention among CBD skeptics who have been trying to undermine the therapeutic potential of CBD, looking for at least one profound side effect. Now, we’re not saying CBD doesn’t have any side effects — it does, like any other health supplement — but should you worry about your liver? It comes down to the quality of the CBD and to using the recommended dosage.
CBD Oil and Liver: Bottom Line
The liver is a real detoxifying organ that performs many vital functions to balance the body, and it plays a role in digestion, detoxification, drug metabolism, and more.
Many diseases affect the liver as it is constantly exposed to environmental damage from pollutants, alcohol, drugs, medications, etc. It is also prone to autoimmune diseases.
CBD has been shown to have therapeutic effects in many major liver diseases, including viral hepatitis, fatty liver disease, ischemia-reperfusion injury, cirrhosis, fibrosis, and liver cancer.
High-quality full-spectrum CBD oil could benefit a range of disorders that involve liver dysfunction and might help replace the long-term use of other medications.
Although extremely high doses of CBD taken daily have been associated with liver toxicity, so have other supplements and medications. Therefore, it’s best to keep your use of CBD within reason and always make sure to do your research and use a very high-quality CBD oil!
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text:
The Future of Chip Cards
As consumers continue to adopt and demand faster, more secure solutions, EMV will increase in importance.
Having been in Europe and Australia for some time EMV is finally being implemented in the US, China and India. EMV (which stands for Europay, MasterCard and Visa – the original founding members) is a worldwide standard created in the mid‐90s for authenticating credit and debit card transactions that involve chip‐compatible cards and point‐of‐sale (POS) terminals. The group now also includes AMEX, Discover, JCB and China Union Pay.
Despite newer technologies emerging, the chip card market for payment cards is still growing. When introduced in the UK, fraud at stores was slashed by 70 percent. EMV differs from traditional credit cards in how it hides data from potential thieves, making it a pivotal part of the future of payments. It is also well placed to protect against POS fraud as cloning of cards is now impossible.
The countries now implementing EMV are playing catch‐up with the rest of the world. For example, for travellers from the US it often meant turning up to buy a train ticket from a machine in London only to find that their chip‐less card isn’t accepted as the machine – set to only accept chip cards – has no way of reading the magnetic strip. When the card is not present (CNP) things can be just as complicated. Steps to reduce fraud in CNP transactions include dynamic code verification, which is time limited and less susceptible to hacking.
It wasn’t until October 2015 that most banks in the US finally accepted and provided EMV cards. In countries such as China and India, the liability shift (if the ATM or merchant POS does not support EMV, the ATM owner or merchant will be liable for the fraudulent transaction) will take place on the 1 October 2017.
The adoption of EMV means the bar has been raised for merchants as well as hackers. Swipe and sign terminals will soon appear outdated and insecure. Merchants that have not adopted EMV technology will have customers questioning why, and potentially wondering just how safe transactions are using the old method.
As consumers continue to adopt and demand faster, more secure solutions, EMV will increase in importance. However, as technology advances and ubiquitous adoption continues globally, fraud will also catch up. POS and CNP transactions have some compelling technology advances on the horizon to combat the increasing risk.