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June 23rd, 2008 Jackie
For some reason, Google being the number one search engine – a fact that hasn’t changed since 2002 – is hitting all the e-zines as the top news story of this Monday morning. MediaPost’s article “Google Stays at the Top of the Search Heap” does cite some interesting statistics, but the most fascinating thing about these numbers (in my opinion) isn’t that Google is at the top, it’s the sheer volume of searches being performed on sites and/or networks whose core focus is not search (e.g., Facebook, Amazon, MySpace).
According to Nielson’s latest stats, in May 2008:
- Google’s share of the search market is 60% or 4.7 billion queries for the month
- Yahoo’s share of searches was 17% or 21% (2.4 billion queries), according to Nielson or Comsore respectively
- There were 10.8 billion search queries across Google, Yahoo, MSN, Ask and AOL
- YouTube searches hit 2 billion in May
- MySpace had 395 million queries
- Facebook had 121 million queries
- Ebay had 449 million queries
- Amazon.com had 141 million queries
I often tell clients that search is expanding well beyond search engines. My own search habits have changed throughout the years, and I’m glad to see that destinations other than pure play search engines are showing up on these types of studies. I wonder if iTunes will make the list. I’m always searching for music and podcats via iTunes and rarely go to Google or anywhere else for this information.
To be fair, Google’s not going anywhere for a long time. Another interesting headline about Google’s popularity appeared in Ad Age today titled, “America Has Spoken: In Google We Trust“, which reports that Google has bumped Microsoft off the top of the list of the most reputable company in America, according to a recent Harris Interactive poll. Marketing Pilgrim also picked up this story this morning. In short, 82% of Americans feel that Google is a reputable brand. Google is the “best liked” company in America, winning out above Johnson & Johnson, Intel, General Mills and Kraft Foods. And all this without spending a dime on advertising. Long live the Internet!
Entry Filed under: E-Marketing Advice


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In case you haven’t noticed, the migration of New York businesses to the Hudson Valley is becoming something of a trend. This time around, pasta maker Sfoglini says ciao to its former home in Brooklyn as it makes itself cozy in Coxsackie.
This June, Sfoglini, which combines traditional Italian techniques with organic American grains, officially opened the doors to its Greene county factory. The 40,000-square-foot space is nearly 10 times the size of the brand’s original location in Brooklyn. It holds the Italian imported equipment that cranks out pound after pound of dough in artisan flavors and shapes like hemp zucca, beet fusilli, and cuttlefish ink spaccatelli.
Sfoglini came to life in 2012 when Steve Gonzalez, a New York City chef, and Scott Ketchum, a former creative director, decided to bring a better, local pasta to the Big Apple. In a few short years, the artisan pastas have found a home in acclaimed New York restaurants like Tom Colicchio’s Riverpark and the Mandarin Oriental Hotel.
“Sfoglini’s traditional offerings include 16 organic durham semolina pastas plus a series of New York State grain pastas made with organic whole-grain, rye, emmer, einkorn, and spelt flours,” the website declares. Throughout the year, the brand also produces unique seasonal pastas that incorporate local ingredients like basil, nettles, and ramps from New York markets and farms.
This year, the brand made the move north in order to better accommodate its increase in popularity.
“Sfoglini has seen a real demand for thoughtfully sourced products, and in an effort to grow to meet that demand started looking for a bigger production facility which led to being upstate,” explains Aureal Cordero of Krupa Consulting, the marketing firm for the brand. Coxsackie turned out to be the perfect spot, allowing the company to stretch its legs and maintain its New York roots. Although production is the primary goal for now, the company hopes to build a stronger presence within the local community. In May, it donated 25,000 pounds of pasta to the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York.
Locally, Sfoglini is available in a number of Hudson Valley spots, including Millbrook Vineyards & Winery in Millbrook, Sprout Creek Farm in Poughkeepsie, and Adams Fairacre Farms in Newburgh. To find a location near you, use the store locator feature on the brand’s website.

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After wreaking havoc on our families, the economy, and the overall social fabric of countries around the world, COVID is abating. Or at least we are learning to live with a pandemic hanging over our collective heads. According to an article in Deloitte Insights, the North American economies are recovering, and demand is ahead of pre-COVID levels. All good – but what about manufacturing labor? When COVID exploded in March 2020, we were struggling to find workers, skilled or entry level, for manufacturing jobs in all industries. And where are we today? Deeper in the hole!
Cobots are transforming food and beverage plants all over the world, stepping in and taking over a wide range of business-critical, yet repetitive and manual tasks. These intuitive machines can assume responsibility for tasks that threaten the safety or satisfaction of workers, or the productivity and profitability of the entire outfit. Here are some examples of how cobots have transformed the way our clients operate.
The global Covid-19 pandemic has led a significant amount of people to re-evaluate their working lives. Many have decided to turn away from roles that are repetitive, lack progression opportunities or pose risks to their mental or physical wellbeing. Cobots are providing an answer to this recruitment and retention challenge by freeing workers from the dullest or riskiest tasks on the production line and helping employers create more efficient workflows.
That’s a common reaction in the furniture industry when manufacturers try to envision bringing robots into sanding and polishing applications. And you can’t blame them; when it comes to shaping a plank of wood into the back of a chair or finish sanding cabinet doors or a headboard, automation hasn’t been as common – until recently.
Endutec GmbH is a special machine manufacturer. The company from Chieming am Chiemsee in Germany is also a Certified System Integrator of Universal Robots. Managing Director, Andreas Flieher talked to us about how they are coping with the COVID crisis. "Our cobot operated around the clock to meet tight delivery schedules."
Unlike most human workers, robots are content to do the same job over and over, for days and years on end. Not only that, robots do the job the same way every time, helping manufacturers increase production output and improve product quality and consistency. Today, cobots are the fastest-growing segment in the robotics industry.
The benefits of collaborative automation are undisputed – more profitability, productivity, flexibility, higher quality, and even more employee satisfaction. Given the current economic landscape, manufacturers need these advantages now more than ever. Cobots are a proven, valuable, and accessible solution for manufacturers.
Manufacturers are used to living between a rock and a hard place – and navigating the space between. Demand vs. supply. Consumer appetites for customized product and their expectations for ever-lowering costs. The list goes on. So the current tug-of-war over if, when, and where a recession will hit is not unchartered territory.
Navigating today’s manufacturing landscape has never been more challenging. Organizations are experiencing significant labor shortages as baby boomers age into retirement and exit the workforce. In fact, Deloitte predicts that a skills gap may leave an estimated 2.4 million positions unfilled between 2018 and 2028 in the U.S...
One of the primary challenges facing manufacturers today continues to be their inability to fill open positions, which strains overall productivity and growth. Recent reports and surveys have confirmed that finding skilled workers remains a top challenge for manufacturing executives today. The situation does not appear ready...
Worldwide conglomerates and huge corporations headquartered in major industrialized countries have an inherent edge in the global marketplace. Their ability to take advantage of economies of scale, their access to lucrative local and international markets, their ability to acquire the latest technology, and having the first...
Online sales show no sign of slowing and the growth is driving demand for fulfillment operations to pack and ship all those ordered goods. The work is repetitive, however, and requires high accuracy to reduce costly errors or returns. That means that jobs in picking and packaging items for shipping aren’t particularly desirable.


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This Week in Car Buying: Black Friday sales, part deux; New used window stickers; Pacifica production restarted; GM cuts car production; Ram Power Wagon priced
Manufacturers continue to ramp up their year-end sales events, going full bore into so-called Black Friday sales, which will morph into holiday sales events on through Christmas and New Year’s Day. Smart shoppers may want to include Nissan on their rounds since the newly launched 2017 Titan half-ton pickup is being offered with as much as $3,000 cash back. The 2017 Maxima has $2,500 back with the automaker offering up to $4,500 on 2016 models of the 4-door sedan.
Kia is skipping right past the Black Friday labeling and calling theirs a holiday sales event, which offers 0-percent financing up to 66 months and no payments until spring 2017. On its midsize Optima sedan you can find rebates of up to $2,500 on 2016 models.
With several significant new product launches occurring near the end of the calendar year, deals on the previous-generation models are cropping up. If you plan on buying and keeping a new car, the previous- generation model can net substantial savings, although you’ll find that the newer model will undercut your resale value if you try to trade or sell your purchase within the first two or three years. Kia recently introduced an all-new Cadenza and its pricing of the new model at $32,890 -- which is about $950 less than the previous model -- can be offset somewhat by a $2,000 rebate on 2016 models. Or you might consider a Hyundai Azera, essentially a sibling to the Cadenza, which is eligible for rebates of up to $4,500 on 2016 versions.
Honda doesn’t have a holiday sales event per se, but it does have an all-new CR-V rolling out, which has led to an attractive lease deal on the model it replaces. The Japanese automaker is offering to lease 2016 CR-Vs on the lot now for $199 per month over 3 years with $2,299 up front. Or you can opt for an Accord at $199 per month over 3 years with $1,999 down. For the same down payment, you can have a Civic for $179 per month.
New used window stickers
The Federal Trade Commission has issued rules revising window stickers used by dealers on pre-owned vehicles. The changes, which go in effect Jan. 27, require checked boxes to indicate whether or not a vehicle is covered by third-party warranties or that service contracts are available, as well as if there is any unexpired factory warranty left. The list of major defects that may occur in a used car also has been amended to include airbags and catalytic converters and a statement that directs the buyer to get a vehicle history and check for open recalls.
The changes also include providing Spanish-language disclosures and buyer’s guides if the sale is being conducted in Spanish. The FTC is also redefining an “as is” sale as one without a warranty. If the sale is with a warranty, those terms and conditions must be disclosed in the buyer’s guide.
Chrysler minivan production resumes
A parts shortage that halted Chrysler and Dodge minivan production at Fiat Chrysler Automobiles’ Windsor, Canada, plant for a week has been resolved with the line slated to be back up and running the week of Nov. 14. It’s not clear how the stoppage will affect deliveries of Chrysler Pacifica and Dodge Grand Caravan deliveries. The plant builds a total of 1,500 of these vehicles per day. FCA is continuing production of the previous-generation Grand Caravan alongside the all-new Pacifica. Current incentives include $500 back on the 2017 Chrysler and as much as $2,750 on 2016 Grand Caravan models.
GM cuts car production
While FCA is cranking production back up at its minivan plant, General Motors is cutting car production as the market continues to favor crossovers, SUVs and trucks over traditional sedans and coupes. The company laid off 2,000 workers and cut shifts at its Lansing, Mich. and Lordstown, Ohio, assembly plants. The Lansing plant builds Chevrolet Camaro and Cadillac ATS and CTS. The eliminated third shift employed 810 hourly workers. At Lordstown, GM makes the Chevrolet Cruze. Its third shift employed 1,202 hourly workers.
Automotive News said that GM has more than 100 days’ supply of the four vehicles and that car deliveries have fallen 9.7 percent for the auto giant. GM announced that while it is cutting shifts at those car plants, it will be keeping 784 jobs in Ohio, Michigan and Indiana to work on future products.
Ram Power Wagon priced
FCA has announced pricing on its 2017 Ram Power Wagon, a vehicle the company describes as the most capable off-road truck in America. Built on the heavy-duty Ram 2500 chassis, the Power Wagon has a new look inside and out, with unique grille and tailgate designs complemented by black accents. Inside, the seats sport a tire-tread embossed seat coverings and Power Wagon logo embroidery.
Among the off-road equipment included in the 4-wheel-drive package are a 12,000-pound Warn winch, Bilstein mono-tube shocks, 5-link rear coil spring suspension, electric locking front and rear differentials, 33-inch Goodyear Wrangler DuraTrac tires and tow hooks. The Power Wagon is equipped with a 410-horsepower 6.4-liter Hemi V8, which also makes 429 lb-ft of torque. It offers 14.3 inches of ground clearance, 26 inches of wheel travel and is capable of fording water 30 inches deep.
Pricing starts at $51,695 plus $1,320 destination. A $4,495 leather and luxury package is also offered as an option. It includes an 8.4-inch screen with Uconnect telematics, dual-zone automatic climate control, heated and ventilated high back leather front bench seat, heated steering wheel, a 60/40 split folding rear seat with under-seat storage, back-up camera, power folding mirrors and integrated voice command with Bluetooth connectivity.
Check out the This Week in Car Buying Podcast here.
Convertible versions of Audi’s handsome come are coming as the German automaker unveils the 2018 Audi A5/S5 Cabriolets, which will go on sale next year.
In the market for a new car? Explore these useful tips on how to get the best deal:


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Samsung facing consumer backlash over Android 4.3 problems
There is no doubting Samsung has been responsible for some great smartphones over the last couple of years but the company has been tarnishing its reputation recently, and Samsung could be facing a consumer backlash over the ongoing Android 4.3 update problems.
The last few weeks the Internet has been awash with news about various problems that have been affecting owners of the Samsung Galaxy S3 and Galaxy S4 after installing the Android 4.3 Jelly Bean update. Both versions of the new firmware was pulled by the company and despite reports to the contrary no fix has been released for the Galaxy S3 at the time of writing, while some users are seeing a new version of the Galaxy S4 Android 4.3 update.
Despite this new version many users are still reporting the software contains problems such as battery drain. The biggest complaint that many owners of the handsets though is the silence from the company, although it has commented on its UK Facebook page and confirmed it is aware of the problems with the operating system on the Galaxy S3 and that they are working on a solution.
But reading through some of the comments we have received from users and those on the UK Facebook account for Samsung many are unhappy at the amount of time a fix is taking. Many feel that Samsung is ignoring them with many claiming that despite buying a number of Samsung smartphones in the past, in the future they will look elsewhere.
Many have commented asking about any information about the whereabouts of the new update for a fix to their problems, but so far there has been no further comment from the company. At the time of writing there is no sign of the Android 4.3 update for our unlocked version of the Galaxy S3, but once it is available we will download the software to report back on how it performs.
While Samsung can look forward to selling millions of new smartphones in the coming months, some consumers at least could be thinking of looking at rival manufacturers for their next smartphone.
Update: The Android 4.3 firmware has been released again for Galaxy S3 more details here.
Will you purchase another Samsung smartphone after these problems with the Android 4.3 update?


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As COVID-19 keeps many of us from gathering due to social distancing and lockdowns, Facebook has quietly introduced a new application for couples forced apart.
In order to try and limit the spread of coronavirus and reduce the pressure on medical systems as much as possible, many cities have implemented social distancing measures and, in some cases, strict lockdowns. This impacts members of the general public and healthcare professionals who may need to stay away from families and friends in order to shield them from an increased risk of exposure.
This new form of 'normal' life has resulted in our increased reliance on the Internet not only to shift work from the office to home but also to maintain our social connections.
It may be particularly difficult for couples unable to see each other, and so Facebook has released a new app, called Tuned, which allows them to create a form of digital scrapbook to stay connected.
Available on iPhone and iPad, the free mobile application has been built by the Facebook New Product Experimental Team (NPE) team, a developer name used by the social media giant to "give people entirely new experiences for building community."
The new NPE offering, released when users may be far more interested in connectivity apps than during other times, is described as a "private space" for you and your significant other to "be yourselves."
"With Tuned, you can be as mushy, quirky, and silly as you are together in person, even when you're apart," the app's description reads.
The mobile app can be used to exchange messages, music, photos, and other content to build a digital scrapbook. You can also set your mood, connect Spotify accounts, send notes, cards, and voice memos, and use standard Facebook stickers and reactions.
"We decided to create this separate developer name to help set the appropriate expectations with people that, unlike Facebook's family of apps, NPE Team apps will change very rapidly and will be shut down if we learn that they're not useful to people," Facebook says.
ZDNet has reached out to Facebook with additional queries and will update when we hear back.
Innovative projects now online to combat coronavirus outbreak


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Wiliot, the Internet of Things pioneer whose IoT platform is enabling trillions of “things” to gain intelligence, will premier its breakthrough ambient computing technology – the Wiliot IoT Pixel – to the telecommunications industry at MWC 2022 from September 28 through September 30 at Wiliot Booth.
Wiliot, along with other IoT and telecommunications leaders, are creating a new, fully scaled Massive IoT, or internet of trillions of things, that will leverage ambient computing to connect nearly everything to the internet. Doing so will address some of the world’s biggest problems across supply chain efficiency, food & drug safety, and planetary sustainability.
At MWC 2022 Wiliot will forecast the future of an ambient-powered, 6G-enabled Massive IoT in a presentation titled “6G Ambient Computing Intro: Antidote to Supply Chain & Climate Crises?”, which will be delivered with ABI Research and other key 6G and IoT leaders.
“While 5G tracked cars, appliances, and shipping containers, 6G will track everything in those cars, appliances, and shipping containers – evolving from an Internet of Expensive Things to an Internet of Trillions of Things, or Massive IoT,” stated Steve Statler, SVP at Wiliot. “The arrival of 6G represents a seminal moment for both the IoT and telecommunications industry, as the latest technologies, standards, and use cases converge to create a new economic order, rising to meet the challenges of supply chain disruption, omnichannel retail, and the threat to the planet.”
The inclusion of ambient computing within 6G opens the opportunity for wireless carriers to expand beyond services for a few billion mobile devices to include the trillions of things that mobile devices can connect to, creating a Massive IoT. 6G can provide the standards that will open up more competition, more interoperability, and remove the last elements of friction that will allow billions of wireless-enabled devices to talk directly to trillions of packages, clothes, tools, food, and medicine containers.
Wiliot is helping create this 6G Massive IoT through a fundamental breakthrough in ambient computing technology featured in its IoT Pixels, which are stamp-sized computer stickers that cost pennies, attach to any product or packaging, and power themselves using recycled ambient energy waves. Wiliot has designed and manufactured its new IoT Pixel stickers with computing power, long range communication, and out-of-air energy that deliver pre-standard service to customers.
Once attached, and connected to the Wiliot Cloud, companies are equipped with real-time, item-level visibility into every product within their supply chains, which has a profound impact on both profits and the planet.
Vaccines are more effective because they maintain their proper temperature throughout the cold chain; produce stays fresher longer, reducing the amount wasted due to rot and spoil; delivery routes are more efficient, requiring less fuel and emitting lower greenhouse gas; stock-checks transition from daily to real-time, resulting in supply chains with lower carbon footprints; and so much more.
“It’s going to take trillions of connections to solve the world’s biggest challenges,” continued Statler. “Every single thing in our global supply chain – veggies and vaccines, crates and skates, airplane parts and toy airplanes – all connected to the internet and transmitting real-time, item-level information about their location, temperate, fill rate, carbon footprint, and more. This is the IoT we’ve long been promised and now, thanks to breakthroughs in ambient computing, we’re finally positioned to unlock its full potential.”
Wiliot is backed by many of the telecommunications industry’s leading players, including Verizon, NTT Docomo, Samsung, and Qualcomm. At MWC 2022, Wiliot will be presenting alongside ABI Research, who will be previewing their market-sizing for the future of 6G Massive IoT and forecasting specific use cases across industries.
“ABI Research has for years been a leader in its focus on IoT and the wireless standards that enable,” said Dominique Bonte, Vice President, Verticals/End Markets ABI Research. “We are excited to offer one of the first insights into 6G Ambient IoT and the opportunity it offers to bring together the telecommunications industry, with the CPG, food and pharma industries, to unlock the full power of the internet as it connects whole new categories of products to the cloud. This represents an expansion of the addressable market for telecommunications that dwarfs what we see today.”


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PITTSBURGH -- Increasingly, supermarkets are delving into online floral ordering and delivery services in response to more marketing overtures from providers and because the Internet has the potential to be a low-cost source of revenue for retailers.
Giant Eagle recently became the latest retailer to put floral delivery just a few keystrokes away for customers. In conjunction with becoming an FTD-member florist, the Pittsburgh-based chain of 200-plus stores announced an online tie-in allowing customers to route an order through FTD by first logging onto the GiantEagle.com site.
"Giant Eagle now has an FTD-affiliate Web site where customers can order flowers for delivery to all 50 states," the company said in a news release. "In addition, the site offers member features, such as valuable information on various flowers, an online address book, an e-mail reminder service, and order history."
While Giant Eagle's Internet floral foray is not groundbreaking, it's a by-product of what appears to be a successful recent push by FTD and other floral delivery providers, such as grower-direct provider ProFlowers, to bring more supermarkets into their networks. "FTD, for instance, has begun offering supermarkets an affiliation arrangement that's different from its traditional model, under which you had to be both an originator and a fulfiller of orders," said floriculture industry consultant Stan Pohmer, Minnetonka, Minn. "The new program, which is being sold by a new sales force dedicated to building the supermarket business, allows them to join without having to be an order filler."
While supermarkets can participate without offering an online ordering component, there's mounting evidence that more are opting to provide one. Boise, Idaho-based Albertsons, for instance, rolled out an online floral program just prior to the winter holidays last year. To help promote it, the chain offered a seven-day freshness guarantee.
According to chains that have had online programs, promoting the service is essential. That's especially important because the vast majority of shoppers probably don't even know their supermarket has an Internet site, much less that they can order flowers from it online.
For that reason, Price Chopper Supermarkets, Schenectady, N.Y., recently ran a special promotion that earmarked $2 of every Internet order for a breast cancer charity, said Jon Strom, vice president of floral merchandising.
"This year we've seen our overall FTD business increase by about 30%, and our next step is to more vigorously promote and advertise the Internet service," Strom stated. "It's something we'll promote in an e-mail newsletter for card holders, as well as in store around key flower-sending holidays."
St. Louis-based Dierbergs Markets, another early adopter of Internet-enabled FTD delivery, regularly promotes the Internet site and the floral ordering capability through in-store signs, weekly ad circulars, and signs on its floral delivery trucks. Its reputation as one of the leading full-line florists in its service area also has helped Dierbergs get customers comfortable with online floral ordering.
"Our Internet floral business has probably doubled or tripled since it began in the late '90s," said Val Hinman, director of floral operations.
Like Price Chopper, Dierbergs generates revenue from filling many of its Internet orders, and not just from a fee that FTD order originators collect. Since both have extensive florist-quality floral operations, many Internet orders can be filled by individual stores or, in the case of Dierbergs, from a central design facility, provided the recipient is in the service area. Strom estimated that 70% of all Internet-generated orders are filled by Price Chopper, whose floral operation runs under the Central Market Florist banner.
In addition to being a revenue and profit generator, an online floral component can serve as an image builder. It can help burnish a retailer's reputation as being in tune with the public's growing interest in online shopping. In cases where the supermarket also fills the order, whether online or store-originated, flowers that arrive bearing the store name can be a good marketing vehicle.
Of course, that can be a two-edged sword. If the flowers don't arrive in good shape or don't hold up, the retailer who originated the order can suffer the consequences. Retailers have to take a calculated risk that an order filled by another florist will be up to par, and that word of a botched order won't find its way back to the customer who placed it.
Even with that potential downside, online floral programs are increasingly being viewed by supermarkets as a generally inexpensive, low-risk way of building floral sales; enhancing a store's image with younger, Internet-savvy consumers; and driving traffic to the company Web site.
"The more services a retailer can provide today, the better, because supermarkets are looking to offer anything they can that will set them apart from the discount food competition," said Pohmer. "Plus, many of these online orders can go through untouched by supermarket hands, but the retailer can still get a piece of the transaction with very little up-front investment."


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The ballsy blokes suspected to have stolen two of Becks' BMW X5s did so by using software on a laptop to hack into the car's computer. Once in, they opened the doors, started the ignition, and drove away with the feeling you only get when you steal from a guy who can afford it—not that we know what that feels like, or condone theft in any way.
The software, which takes 20 minutes to get past the car's built in protection, is going real popular real fast as carmakers are starting to rely solely on software to protect their autos.
However, we suspect the thieves were actually in there looking for Posh and Beck's "home videos", and when they couldn't find it the first time they tried their luck again. You know where to reach us!
Gone in 20 Minutes: using laptops to steal cars [Leftlane News]


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Today in the news: We have a hands-on look at Stardock, we calm someone's panic over Windows 10 ushering in the end times, and we look at what's new in Windows 10 Mobile Build 10512.
On our sites ...
Take a tour of the Start10 menu from Stardock — The level of customization is extensive and provides users who want to set things up for their own personal usage preferences plenty of flexibility.
Q: Is Windows 10 really the end for normal computer users? — A user who really, really loves .NET and Windows Media Center is not too happy about the changes the new operating system has ushered onto users' desktops
Windows 10 Mobile Build 10512 hits Insider Fast Ring for testing — This bug-smashing build still has a few issues, so be careful when updating your systems.
New partner add-ins revealed in Outlook.com's expanded roll-out — Uber, Paypal, Evernote and Boomerang are now available for Outlook 2013 users and Office 365 customers through Outlook on the web.
Microsoft releases a Remote Desktop Preview app for Mac — Microsoft is now beginning a new preview program to update that app with several new features, including user account management and using either CTRL-X/C/V or CMD-X/C/V to cut/copy/paste.
We've got Windows 10 update delivery optimization defaults by edition — Now presented in a handy chart form.


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Clay Travis took to Twitter to call out Nike for picking Colin Kaepernick as the face of their 30th anniversary of Just Do It.
If Nike had wanted to go full social justice warrior they could have gone with Aly Raisman as a thirty year spokesperson and sent a powerful message embraced by virtually everyone. Kaepernick is a disaster. Fallout will be massive.
â€” Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) September 3, 2018
Here is Nike’s AD:
BREAKING: Nike had been paying Colin Kaepernick all along, waiting for the right moment. That moment is now, as he becomes the face of the companyâ€™s 30th anniversary of the â€œJust Do Itâ€ campaign. pic.twitter.com/uccpDStbq5
â€” Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) September 3, 2018


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Travel PR handles PR for the Association of Independent Tour Operators (AITO), whose specialist operators take clients to a wide variety of destinations worldwide. So, when a situation such as that in Libya arises, we always find out quickly, courtesy of AITO, which operators currently have tours in that country. In this instance, there were
Noel Josephides, Managing Director of Sunvil Holidays, was invited to speak on Radio 4 at 12.30 pm today, 7th February, 2011, about the difference in travel advice on travelling to Egypt while demonstrations were underway given by the UK Government compared with that, for example, of the American and German governments. He was interviewed alongside travel writer Alison Rice.
Learning about new places is getting increasingly difficult these days as we we think we’ve heard it all before. At Travel PR, we scoured the earth to find a list of amazing places that aren’t in the public eye, a collection of the unusual, the amazing and the downright mysterious, we hope you like them!
Advice on where to buy a particular brand of shoes in Italy is just one of the bizarre requests British holidaymakers have recently been making to embassies across the world. Other enquiries revealed by the Foreign Office included a jam-maker asking what ratio of fruit-to-sugar he should use, and a woman seeking help after becoming unhappy at the
We spoke to Derek Moore, AITO Chairman, and he shared his thoughts on Spain and the recent terrorist attack.
The Foreign Office has just relaxed its warnings about travel to certain parts of Sri Lanka, including several areas ripe for tourism that have been off the map for ten years. So are these areas worth a visit, and will they soon take off? Here are the thoughts of Oliver James, part of the expert
Probably not, in the way that life at home can never be 100% safe, says Sue Ockwell, speaking on behalf of the Association of Independent Tour Operators (AITO, www.aito.com). There are some sensible precautions that you can take when going on holiday, however – read on…


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Labor is one of the biggest expenses in any cannabis business.
Cannabis companies are hunting for ways to tighten their belts during the economic downturn, and executives are looking at personnel as one area where savings can be found.
Businesses wanting to save money on labor costs might consider:
- Running as lean of a team as possible by relying on versatile, productive workers.
- Retaining the good talent they’ve worked hard to find and develop.
- Keeping a lid on overtime and other excess payroll expenses.
- Keeping employees healthy to avoid lost production.
Lean and Mean
Peterson advises cannabis retailers that want to save on labor to schedule the most productive employees to work shifts where they will have the biggest impact.
For example, a salesperson who can upsell a client should work during the company’s busiest hours.
Retail data shows that in some markets, cannabis consumers are shopping less often but purchasing more each time they visit a store.
A savvy business manager would put that high-performing sales associate on the floor when the most customers are visiting while encouraging that salesperson to steer consumers toward higher-value products.
During tough economic times, Peterson said, “each person has to make a bigger impact across the organization.” The same thinking can be applied across the industry, including in cultivation and extraction operations.
Losing good employees who require time and money to replace can be a significant drain on a company’s resources.
At Portland, Oregon-based Chalice Farms, a vertically integrated cannabis company, John Ford, vice president of customer experience, is highly focused on retaining the business’ strong employees.
“In the middle of this epidemic, you can’t afford to lose good talent,” Ford said. “We’ve worked very hard to make sure our teams are happy.”
The company has made investments in its employees, including buying lunches, offering more cannabis samples and increasing how much paid time off they’re eligible to earn.
Losing those employees with institutional knowledge and training “takes so much time to replace,” Ford added.
Trim the Fat
Another way for cannabis companies to save cash is to get rid of “labor waste.”
That means limiting the amount of overtime that’s paid. Paying an employee time-and-a-half can add up.
“If someone doesn’t need to be in the office, then let them be at home,” Peterson said.
Make sure employees aren’t clocking in or out of work late or early. Companies can set up software systems that allow employees to check in or out only according to a predetermined schedule.
For example, if the worker is scheduled to come in at 8 a.m. and leave at 5 p.m., the system won’t allow that person to clock in a half-hour early or out a half-hour late.
Another way to prevent lost production time is to make sure everyone stays healthy and feels comfortable coming to work.
A company that experiences a COVID-19 outbreak at work will have a major disruption to its operation in the form of lost revenue and workers who don’t feel safe.
In response to safety concerns, managers at Full Spec, a Seattle-based cannabis brand, are spacing out shifts for employees in the grow rooms by extending hours into the evenings and on weekends, said Marcus Naramore, director of business development.
“We’ve created an environment where risk is minimized,” Naramore noted.
Würk’s Peterson recommends grouping employees into pods that work together in staggered shifts, so if someone does get sick, the illness won’t spread to the entire workforce.
“We’ve got to rethink how we’re deploying (our workers,)” he said. “You’ve got to keep your doors open for your business.”
NEXT: Bypassing Bankruptcy


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Bahrain switchgear firm mulls Qatar expansion
Manama, 29 days ago
Bahrain-based Haji Ali Haji is planning to expand its switchgear business and its horizons by exploring the Qatar market, where it has already established an office.
Through its participation at the Gulf Industry Fair, the company aims to strengthen its customer base in Bahrain and establish new contacts with companies in the Gulf region, said group general manager Dr Adel Dairi.
Haji Ali Haji is a wholesale business entity in Bahrain and has been in operation for 75 years. The company, whose main business is trading, has three main divisions – electrical materials, building materials and home appliances. It also has a service centre, Smartech, in addition to the switchgear product segment.
The company specialises in the manufacture and assembly of low voltage (LV) panels and heavy-, medium- and light-duty cable trays, said Dr Dairi.
As the sole agent of Hyundai switchgear products, the company provides customised distribution boards and panels and manufactures its own cable trays and trunking, he added.
“The customised cable trays are available in different sizes to suit customer demand,” explained Hashir Ahammad, the assistant manager – sales and marketing – switchgear factory division.
The company also offers electrical telecommunications products that are ‘competitively priced”.
Haji Ali Haji is currently playing a key role in a number of Ministry of Housing projects in Bahrain.
It is also close to completing projects such as some KFC and Hardees outlets across the country. Its upcoming projects include Baisan Hotel on Amwaj Islands.-TradeArabia News Service
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You just have to turn up, and drive badly.
After crashing a pre-production test mule of the new Chevrolet Camaro during a press drive at Belle Isle State Park, Jalopnik's Patrick George had a day he'd rather forget. Was the crash bad? Not really. But General Motors was pissed and they threw the poor guy out of the event. GM's reaction to the crash is arguably more shocking than the crash itself, but Jalopnik had previously revealed some Camaro specs ahead of the car's official unveiling and some at the company didn't want the publication anywhere near the launch to begin with.
Well, after George slammed the car into a wall of tires they got their wish in the end. It just came at the expense of a Camaro.


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Samsung Galaxy Fold launch date mooted, and it's literally a week away
According to South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency (h/t: Android Central), Samsung and three mobile operators are discussing a September 6 launch date in the country. This date also coincides with the opening day of the IFA trade show in Berlin, and the outlet says Samsung will likely use the event to show off the revised model.
It’s believed that the phone was originally set to launch late in September, but it seems like Samsung is confident enough that it has brought the release window forward.
Yonhap reports that the initial shipment for South Korea numbers between 20,000 and 30,000 units, and that it will be available for 2.3 million won (~$1902). The foldable phone is then expected to launch in the U.S. and China later in September.
News of a potential launch comes just over a month after Samsung confirmed a September launch window. The company also detailed a few fixes it made to the Galaxy Fold, such as tucking in the protective screen layer, adding more metal layers beneath the screen to reinforce it, and reducing the space between the hinge and body.
The fixes were made after several reviewers reported major issues with review units, such as broken screens. Some reviewers also mistakenly peeled off the protective screen layer, assuming it was a screen protector rather than an integral part of the display.
Are you planning to buy the Galaxy Fold or any other foldable phone? Give us your thoughts below!


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Beginning Sunday, home-delivery subscribers and single-copy buyers of The Daily News each week will receive a brand-new entertainment guide in their newspapers.
Titled Tuned In Weekly, the publication will offer listings for local broadcast television and cable channels, as well as features on popular people in and news about the entertainment world.
Tuned In Weekly will be included each week at no additional charge in all Sunday newspapers, those delivered by our carriers, sold on news racks and over-the-counter at retail establishments.
The content also will be available to online subscribers and day pass buyers through the newspaper’s e-edition at galvnews.com.
With the debut of Tuned In Weekly, the TV grids that had been published each day will no longer appear.
• Leonard Woolsey


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Between December 2021 and January 2022, the UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) has been putting together the findings of an online survey investigating consumer awareness and perceptions of alternative, or novel, sources of protein.
Conducted by Ipsos MORI on behalf of the government agency, the survey recruited 1,930 adults aged 16-75 living in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
The survey largely focused on three different food categories: cultivated meat, edible insects, and plant-based proteins.
Cultivated meat in focus
According to the findings, one-third of UK consumers said they were willing to try cell-based meat.
Awareness of the product appeared to be high, with 78% of respondents having heard of cultivated meat alternatives. And amongst the reasons consumers were willing to try lab-grown meat, environmental sustainability (40%) was the most common.
While some reported they would be unwilling to try cultivated meat, over a quarter said they could be persuaded if they knew it was safe. And just under a quarter (23%) said they could be persuaded if they could trust that it was properly regulated.
Edible insects on the menu
Participants were also asked whether they would be willing to try edible insects, with one-quarter saying they would.
Awareness of edible insects was ever so slightly higher (80%) than for cultivated meat (78%), and again, environmental sustainability was the most common reason for being willing to try them.
Participants were also asked how willing or unwilling they would be to try edible insects in different forms. Whole edible insects were least favoured. But when edible insects were ground into food for added protein, and incorporated into food products such as bread, burgers, or falafel balls, nearly two in five (37%) said they would give them a go.
While similarly with cultivated meat, some respondents were clearly unwilling to try edible insects – with the majority (67%) reporting nothing could be done to make them try them – one in eight (13%) said they could be persuaded if they knew it was safe to eat.
A total of 11% said they might change their mind if they looked appetising.
Food safety perceptions
The survey suggested that respondents were not only more likely to have heard of plant-based proteins (90%) compared to cell-based meat and edible insects, but they also perceived plant-based proteins to be safer.
More than three-quarters (77%) said they consider plant-based proteins to be safe to eat, compared to 50% for edible insects and 30% for lab-grown meat.
“This important survey highlights that, while many consumers are considering trying alternative proteins, they will quite rightly only do so if they are confident that these products are safe and properly regulated,” said FSA Chief Scientific Adviser Prof Robin May.
“Consequently, we are working closely with businesses and trade bodies to ensure they make effective use of the FSA’s existing regulatory framework so that consumers can benefit from innovative food products whilst still having full confidence in their safety.”


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It’s no secret that Wal-Mart (WMT) has had a bit of trouble with falling store traffic and weak U.S. sales.
Today, investors got a pleasant surprise. The world’s largest retailer reported that third-quarter same-store sales climbed for the first time in two years and per share earnings beat expectations.
Wal-Mart earned $1.15 a share on revenue of $119 billion quarter, which just inched out the $1.12 profit per share and $118.3 billion revenue expected by the Street.
Same store sales in the U.S. rose 0.5% despite a 0.7% drop in store traffic.
Wal-Mart shares rose 3.2% to $81.73.
Wal-Mart has been working to address slumping sales ahead of the holiday shopping season. Consumers are tighter with their money amid a slow economic recovery, so the current retail environment is very promotional, which cuts into profit margins.
Wal-Mart has acknowledged that tight consumer spending isn’t likely to change all that much. The retail giant expects to benefit from low fuel prices. Still, the company issued lackluster guidance for the current quarter, which includes the holiday shopping season. The company expects to earn between $1.46 a share and $1.56 a share during the fourth quarter compared to the $1.57 a share expected by analysts. Forecasts for U.S. same-store sales call for flat to 1% growth.
As for the full year, Wal-Mart’s per share profit projections range from $4.92 to $5.02, vs the $4.90 to $5.15 previously projected. Wal-Mart cut its forecasts in August, blaming higher-than-expected U.S. health-care costs and investments in its e-commerce operations.
As Janney Capital Markets analyst David Strasser writes:
Stabilizing results bode well…It is likely still to struggle with catching up on wage underinvestment, and healthcare. This catch-up spending is in our estimates, and after a string of misses, we are confident WMT can hit estimates Q4 onwards. Tailwinds in Q4+ include lower gas prices and lapping SNAP cuts. This should help drive shares higher, while providing some defense as consumer spending remains weak.
Analysts expect Wal-Mart to earn $4.99 a share for the full 2015 fiscal year on revenue of more than $486 billion.
It was early October when the National Retail Federation made the anouncement: Holiday sales in 2013 could rise 3.9%, despite there being six fewer shopping days before Christmas.
Today, market pundits see a far more ho-hum holiday for retailers.
Nick Colas, market strategist at ConvergEx Group, a global brokerage company based in New York, expects sales to expand 1% to 2% over last year. In a recent note, he writes:
“They had the season pegged for a 3.9% positive comp to last year. While the NRF has been overly conservative in prior years, our indicators actually point to a weaker holiday in 2013…Even a negative reading wouldn’t be a surprise.
The Thanksgiving holiday weekend didn’t do much to alleviate those worries.
Why? The NRF estimated some 141 million American hit stores and online retailers during weekend, up from 139 million in 2012. But people spent less, with the average shopper shelling out $407.02, against $423.55 last year.
Part of that drop may stem from cautious investors waiting for bigger discounts closer to Christmas, according to Thomson Reuters analyst Jharonne Martis.
Unfortunately, bigger discounts mean smaller profit margins. Just look at Express (EXPR).
During Wednesday market action, the teen clothing retailer plunged almost 23% to $19.08 after it lowered full-year profit projections as Thanksgiving week sales exceeded last year’s levels but didn’t meet expectations. Or as Chairman and Chief Executive Michael Weiss, said:
We had been planning for a promotional holiday season, but we now expect the intensity of those promotions to reach heightened levels and we are updating our full year guidance accordingly.
Express now sees per-share earnings at $1.46 to $1.51 on same-store sales growth in the low-single digits, compared to its previous estimate for a per-share profit of $1.52 to $1.60 and same-store sales growth in the low- to mid-single digits.
The company sees fourth-quarter per share profit of 66 cents to 71 cents, below recent the 78 cents a share expected by analysts recently surveyed by Thomson Reuters.
It’s been a mixed day for brick-and-mortar retailers.
Black Friday traditionally kicks off the holiday shopping season. Except this year the starting gun sounded on Thanksgiving, when a number of big box retailers opened their doors that evening hoping to lure more shoppers with sales and promotions.
But results were somewhat mixed results. The National Retail Federation reported a nearly 3% decline in Thanksgiving weekend sales compared to last year, while ComScore said online sales rose 3%.
More data will be available as the week progresses. On Tuesday, ShopperTrak will release statistics for the entire Black Friday weekend.
Meanwhile, Barclays Capital analyst Matthew McClintock expects to get “a good read” on the teen category from both Aeropostale (ARO) and American Eagle (AEO) when they report results on Wednesday and Friday, respectively. Meanwhile, November sales for Gap (GPS), L Brands (LB), and Costco Wholesale (COST) are slated to be released on Thursday.
As for today, many retail stocks sat in the red, including Urban Outfitters (URBN), which fell 3.5% to $37.65 and Aeropostale, which dropped 4.6% to $9.84. J.C. Penney (JCP) dropped 1.1% to $10.07 and Coach (COH) declined 2.3% to $56.64.
Shoppers want two things for the holidays: bargains and to avoid crowded shopping malls. So it’s easy to udnerstand why so many analysts forecast a happy holiday for online retailers.
But according to Wunderlich Securities analyst Chaz Jones, the global shipping giant FedEx (FDX) should also cash in, as it expects to handle more than 85 million shipments during the busiest week of the year that runs from Dec. 1 through Dec. 7.
True, the day after Thanksgiving, commonly known as Black Friday, is the official kickoff for the holiday shopping season that generates a big chunk of retailers’ profits. Monday, however, is when the online shoppers kick into gear.
The National Retail Association sees holiday retail sales rising 3.9% over 2012. Online sales, however, could climb almost four times faster – a rate of 15% — to $62 billion, according to forecasts from Emarketer.
Wunderlich’s Jones writes:
FedEx’s strong global network and broad suite of shipping solutions remain well positioned to benefit from solid secular trends in e-commerce growth.
Granted, FedEx’s exposure to ecommerce is only one of the reasons Jones raised his price target to $157 from $120. FedEx has an aggressive share repurchase program. The company’s $1.6 billion profit improvement plans remains on pace. And Jones sees profit growth accelerating and forecasts earnings per share rising 25% during the 2015 fiscal year to $8.70. Jones writes
This superior growth profile should help close the valuation gap vs. peers, and thus we apply an 18.0x multiple (0.71x PEG) to FY15 EPS to arrive at a new $157 price target.
As for activist investors taking positions in the stock, Jones had this to add:
…We do not believe these potential activists are pushing for short-term changes. Rather, it highlights FDX’s material earnings potential. The company’s multi-year $1.6B profit improvement program and recent share repurchase authorization point to an active management team focused on creating shareholder value. Founder Fredrick W. Smith has reiterated that he has no plans to step down.
Earnings reports, corporate strategies and analyst insights are all part of what moves stocks, and they’re all covered by the Stocks to Watch blog. We also look at macro issues, investor sentiments and hidden trends that are affecting the market. Stocks to Watch gives you the full picture of the U.S. stock markets, all day long.
The blog is written by Ben Levisohn, a former stock trader who has covered financial markets for the Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg and BusinessWeek.
Write to Ben at Ben.Levisohn@barrons.com


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New utility Social Energy says it is the first to win permission from National Grid ESO to aggregate domestic response, so it can be traded in the Balancing Market.
The company plans to offer batteries to domestic customers and will use proprietary Artificial Intelligence to manage the battery charge in accord with customers’ predicted usage patterns, allowing it to give the customers access to flexibility revenues. Initially it will offer dynamic frequency response, but other revenue lines include the Balancing Market (BM) and demand shifting (especially into negative pricing periods). Network constraints payments are “on the radar,” said chief executive Ryan Gill, who said, “There will always be value in demand side flex. Where it is accessed will change over time.”
To gain full benefits from their installations, consumers will have to elect for half-hourly settlement. But Gill thinks they will save up to 70% on electricity bills, and pay back the battery cost in 7-10 years.
To bid the minimum 1MW into the BM, Social Energy has to have access to around 400 household batteries and by Q3 2019 it plans to be signing up 4,000 customers per month. At present, however, the bottleneck for customers who have signed up for the company’s controlled market entry (beginning February next year) is battery supply.
Gill has spent recent years working with PV installers and he hopes battery installers (90 so far) will act as brand ambassadors.
Gill was unconcerned by the loss of several other energy suppliers as the launch took place. The company’s business model means “volatility doesn’t scare us,” he said. He also expects to benefit from the loss of feed-in tariffs for new PV installations, as new PV owners will be looking for other sources of revenue.


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BNP Paribas dumps big names
TWO of the biggest hitters at BNP Paribas have been ousted amid rumours of more job cuts to come in the London arm of the French investment bank.
The casualties are Jo Darlington, director of equity research, and Tim Draper, global head of European sales. The cuts are the result of the merger with Exane, the French research house, and more job losses could follow.
'There are a lot of worried people there,' according to one source close to the bank. However, Charlie Atkinson, global head of sales trading, has escaped the axe.
Darlington ran the BNP research team Europewide, in charge of about 100 analysts. Draper was responsible for about 75 equity sales people.
BNP Paribas, which had no comment to make today, announced in December the joint venture with Exane, the top-ranked domestic French broker.
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Ep. 5: Why your customers’ hybrid work computers need Intel Inside
April 14, 2022
Over the past couple of years millions of workers have had to adapt to new work environments that change frequently. What many companies discovered along the way is that workers can be just as productive at home as they can at the office—if they’re given the right tools and technologies.
While software makes up a critical part of the equation, customers also need reliable computers equipped with HD video graphics, high-speed processors, security features and more to create a good customer experience and optimize productivity.
In this short video, Shantee Perkins, sr. solutions specialist in the HP professional services group, and Erika Gregory, associate client services manager, Ingram Micro, explain the benefits of using computers outfitted with Intel processors, graphics and platforms.
View YouTube Playlist


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Gun Store Sells Out After Running 'Beto Special' Sale on AR-15s
Robert Francis “Beto” O’Rourke made a very off-the-cuff, fiery statement during the Democratic debate on Thursday:
“Hell yes, we are going to take your AR-15, your AK-47,” he said.
That was pretty unequivocal — and totally done at the spur of the moment. It’s not like it was something that was endlessly rehearsed or anything. And his campaign clearly wasn’t in on it.
Oh, wait, what was that? I’m hearing something in my rhetorical earpiece — ah yes, we’re going to go to Twitter, where we’ve seen reports of a new product in the Beto 2020 online store:
Hell yes, we’re going to take your AR-15.
Buy your shirt now: https://t.co/kEJxoLvfH5 pic.twitter.com/KKpAKX4IL8
— Beto O’Rourke (@BetoORourke) September 13, 2019
So I’m going to guess this line was every bit as rehearsed as it sounded. (These were out the day after the debate, after all.) Oh well, it’s good to see at least someone in the Democratic field embracing shameless capitalism.
And thankfully, O’Rourke’s threat to take away your guns has promoted some capitalistic activity of the less shameless variety, courtesy of Alpha Dog Firearms of Tempe, Arizona.
If Beto’s going to take your guns, well, he might as well have something to take while he’s trampling on the Second Amendment and endorsing a plan that would basically require police to make door-to-door confiscations. That’s why Alpha Dog is running a “Beto special” on AR-15s and AK-47s.
If you want to take advantage, however, you’re too late — since the store has already sold out of those awful “weapons of war” that probably won’t be on any battlefield you know anytime soon.
“Beto O’Rourke said ‘hell yes we’re taking your AR’s,'” Alpha Dog said in a Facebook post Friday.
“Well Beto, we’re discounting AR15’s to such a low price that EVERY AMERICAN can afford one. How about the low low price of just $349.99? Yeah, that works. Available online only. Go to www.alphadogfirearmsaz.com and look for all our AR15 and AK47 deals under the BETO SPECIALS tab. Deals and discounts will be added fresh all day!”
After 17,000 shares, and almost 5,000 likes, however, Alpha Dog Firearms was forced to post this message: “UPDATE: SOLD OUT. More deals will be on the website soon. Y’all broke our internet today!!!”
Apparently so. I wonder what Beto’s campaign will have to say about this.
Maybe they can respond by having a sale on the $30 T-shirt they used to cash in on Beto’s vulgar catchline, which repeated “THIS IS F—ED UP” (the T-shirt only omitted the U from the offending word) six times before “End gun violence now” appeared below it.
Yes, it seems Beto has a T-shirt for every occasion except for the one where he cracks 5 percent in a poll. (Those were sold out in February and haven’t been restocked recently, for reasons unbeknownst to me.)
But then, what do you expect? One person on the Alpha Dog page had a comment that pretty well summed it up: “Beto is working on Obamas [sic] record, Gun Salesman of the year.”
And that’s the hitch. Tell people they can’t have something they can responsibly use. What are they going to do? Buy it. It’s the American way, baby. Molon labe!
Sure, the scenarios in which Beto will win the nomination are about as numerous as the “I Dream of Jeannie” episodes where Barbara Eden’s character doesn’t manage to get Maj. Nelson out of whatever predicament he’s gotten himself into.
However, while Beto may not win the nomination, there were plenty of people on the stage Thursday that want to ban and confiscate your AR-15s.
They may not have the T-shirts, but let me assure you, they’re just as ready.
Truth and Accuracy
We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.


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Cryptocurrencies in general have been labeled as money laundering conduits and facilitators of fraud and terrorist financing. This is all thanks to the way they are inherently designed. While some are anonymous, most are pseudonymous, free of central authority and most importantly thriving in an environment of self-regulation with no specific point of control. To keep it simple, cryptocurrencies are meant to be unregulated and communal with every node participating in issuing and validating transactions.
Uniquely though, Ripple the company took a different approach. As a software company keen on providing ample infrastructure for banks and companies willing to leverage on their cost cutting technologies as xCurrent and xRapid, Ripple have been in the forefront advocating for blockchain supporting regulations. As a matter of fact, they were amongst the very first blockchain start up to acquire the Bit License in New York.
US is Falling Behind
It’s in this vein that in a recent interview with Fox Business, Cory Johnson who is the chief marketing strategist is literally “thrilled” by the renewed efforts by different government officials to implement streamlining regulation within this developing sector.
In his view, this could work for Ripple and perhaps fill the grey space left by non-regulation now that the US is falling behind and experiencing difficulties in devising proper rules pertaining cryptocurrencies. Furthermore, Cory said regulations would further help enforce accountability of blockchain startups and even ICOs while ensuring investors are safeguarded against fraud.
“We’ve seen what happens when there aren’t investor protections. We’ve seen investors lose so much money, and we’ve seen it in the world of crypto. We’ve seen some real bad actors involved, so we’re thrilled that regulators are getting involved.”
Regulation Spurs Institutional Investment
Additionally, Cory pointed out that proper government oversight would be the much need impetus for institutions to flock in to cryptocurrencies. High tier investor often regard cryptos as volatile and open for manipulation not fit for investment.
Being a global phenomenon, the only way for effective regulation is when different government bodies join hand to weed out negative elements taking advantage of lack of regulation for their own benefits. This way, the crypto ship would have a better label and attractive for investment.
However, as it has been the case, it is a delicate balance since too much regulation would choke innovation and even perhaps centralize a system that is designed for control by specific entities.
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Arkansas AG match with You.S. Consumer Shelter Agency manager to express payday loans guidelines
After the day training, Cordray usually keep a beneficial briefing on CFPB’s suggested pay-day lending laws after you to day
Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge in the long run sat off that have government Individual Economic Coverage Bureau (CFPB) Movie director Richard Cordray to talk about the fresh new Obama administration suggested the brand new regulations to protect consumers out of short, small-dollars payday loan.
The new CFPB is additionally establishing an inquiry with the almost every other services strategies that will harm consumers up against cash shortfalls
“We enjoyed the ability to speak to Manager Cordray and you will speak about several important topics of concern to help you Arkansans,” Rutledge said in an announcement offered Wednesday (Summer 8) to speak Business & Government. “I reiterated my personal demand you to definitely Manager Cordray keep an event off claims to talk about the latest recommended federal conditions for credit lines, payment financing, put enhances, automobile-title secured loans and payday loans.”
Rutledge continued: “I explained that holding for example a meeting is the right move to make each time a federal code is about to supplant the brand new reasonable plan selections of sometimes Arkansas or any other states. According to research by the conference, I’m optimistic you to definitely Manager Cordray can meet that have a group out of Attorneys Standard soon to talk about the fresh new proposed federal conditions.”
Rutledge’s possibility to sit down with Cordray happened ahead of most of the-big date CFPB-backed fulfilling on the Thursday which is kept from the the downtown area Nothing Stone Seminar Cardio, in which the federal watchdog department are carrying a customers advisory board meeting.
Cordray and you may CFPB teams usually sit-in tomorrow’s appointment, where the Obama administration’s chief user recommend will explore a motor vehicle financing knowledge step, buyers shelter fashion and you will themes, and you will payday lending. You to session could be followed closely by a thirty-moment social message board in which people and consumers planning the fresh inserted enjoy is also make inquiries otherwise build statements.
Hank Klein, a long time payday loan business critic and you can originator out-of Arkansans Against Abusive Pay check Credit, intentions to sit-in the fresh all-go out meeting and hopes in order to drive Cordray to include arrangements so you can the brand new advised federal statutes that may stop all small and high-pricing funds made to individuals who’ll manage to repay new fund.
Even when Cordray talk with Rutledge and that is considered possess scheduled group meetings which have urban area lawmakers, banking and you will borrowing from the bank relationship authorities or any other teams, CFPB mass media workplace did not get back phone calls trying to facts about the brand new director’s Absolutely nothing Material agenda and availableness.
Over the past many weeks, Rutledge features stepped-up the girl issue out of CFPB once Cordray’s office did not respond to their Get eleven demand so you can convene a fulfilling of your says to discuss the latest construction and you will suggestions consisted of on recommended payday loan laws. Rutledge said brand new proposals present in a details regarding potential the fresh government important to possess – and limitations toward – personal lines of credit, installment financing, deposit enhances, automobile-name secured loans and payday loans are other question of the fresh new National government imposing federal laws and regulations more than states’ own hobbies.
An individual watchdog department championed because of the President Barack Obama towards Thursday (Summer 2) suggested the brand new laws and regulations requiring lenders for taking making sure consumers manage to pay back the payday loans of the reducing out-of bank debit effort you to definitely holder up charge. CFPB authorities said the recommended protections perform security pay day loan, auto identity loans, deposit get better circumstances, and you may specific high-costs repayment and you will unlock-stop funds.
On top of other things, the latest recommended rule carry out apply to specific short-term and you may lengthened-label credit products which is geared towards financially insecure users. Into the creating the guidelines a year ago, the CFPB told you it had major questions you to definitely risky lender practices about payday, automobile identity, and you may payday cost areas try pressing consumers into financial obligation traps.
Using its step last week, CFPB have a tendency to find input away from a variety of stakeholders from the appealing the general public to submit created comments into the suggested code immediately following it is blogged on Government Sign in, questioned any big date today. Comments towards suggestion is owed with the and will be considered cautiously in advance of latest guidelines are given, officials said.
Whilst not giving information, Rutledge states the girl place of work usually opinion CFPB’s advised laws off the fresh new CFPB and “gauge the most useful thing to do.”
When you look at the 2008, the new Arkansas Supreme Courtroom influenced that Have a look at Cashers Operate violated the official structure because it acceptance pay day lenders to help you costs higher rates of interest. The new country’s structure determine that user finance, financing for personal use, you should never exceed 17% per year whatever the discount speed.
From the time, extremely payday loans workers provides gone from the condition, in addition to highest federal chains and you may in public areas-exchanged people such as Improve America’s Payday loans Locations, Basic The united states Payday loans, Rushmore Loan Co. and Adept Bucks Express.


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SPRINGFIELD — Conrad Myers has spent the past 25 years as a turnaround expert — parachuting into struggling companies and helping them regain their financial footing.
But last fall, when Myers became interim CEO at East West Tea Co. LLC, the maker of Yogi Tea, he didn’t find anything that needed turning around.
“The company was doing very well,” the silver-haired Myers said in his slight British accent in a recent interview at the company’s 70-employee tea packaging plant in Springfield’s Gateway area. The company has a similar facility in Imola, Italy, near Bologna, and administrative/sales offices in Portland and Hamburg, Germany.
“It speaks to the quality and the dedication of the employees and the middle management group,” he said. “It also speaks to what the exiting management group built in terms of a solid business.”
In December 2011, a Multnomah County judge found the previous management group — five top company managers, known as Golden Temple Management — was unjustly enriched by a 2007 corporate restructuring. The restructuring shifted 90 percent of ownership in Golden Temple, a Eugene food company, to the executives and away from its longtime owner, the Sikh religious community founded by the late Yogi Bhajan. The judge ordered the managers to return $36 million to the Sikh community. The previous management group included former Golden Temple CEO Kartar Singh Khalsa, a former Eugene resident and prominent businessman.
“What’s extraordinary is despite the litigation, which should (have been) a distraction, the company continued to grow and prosper through all of that,” Myers said.
Myers had been prepared to step in as a court-appointed receiver to oversee the return of the money from the managers and their departure from the company by the end of last year, but the litigation was settled and Myers became East West Tea Co.’s interim CEO in October 2012. The company is owned by the Sikh Dharma community, which is based in Espanola, N.M.
“After the settlement of litigation there was a very smooth transition of management without any drama,” Myers said. “Everyone decided to act for the benefit of the business.”
Myers was named East West Tea Co.’s CEO in early April. He signed a two-year contract as CEO, with options to renew. As the company’s leader, he hasn’t had to jump in to try to save a sinking ship. Rather, he is calmly guiding the company into its next wave of growth.
Could the company have grown even faster, had the Sikh community not had to spend tens of millions of dollars on litigation to press for the return of the community’s tea business?
“I can’t project what might have been,” Myers said. “It seems a shame to spend all this money on a dispute. It would be better to have it, but I can assure you we’re not suffering right now because of what happened. We’re moving forward and expanding. It’s an exciting time to be involved in the company.”
East West Tea Co. has had “very healthy growth over the past several years,” Myers said. “We expect that to continue and to have the need to continue to add people in this region.”
He declined to share financial figures. Yogi Tea had sales of $27 million in 2009, according to court documents.
So far this year, the company has hired about 18 people at the Springfield facility, bringing up head count there to about 70 full-time employees, Myers said. East West Tea Co. also has eight employees at an office in Portland, 32 in Hamburg and about 45 at its tea packaging facility in northern Italy, he said.
In mid-June the company plans to consolidate its Lane County warehouse operations by leasing a 30,000-square-foot building in west Eugene from Columbia Corrugated Box and Packaging Resources.
When that’s completed, the company will add lab space to its 35,000-square-foot plant at 950 International Way in Springfield, Myers said.
About eight current employees will move to the new warehouse, he said.
The company plans to continue to develop new products and increase sales, despite an ongoing trademark infringement lawsuit filed by Yogi Bhajan’s widow, Bibiji Inderjit Kaur Puri, a Los Angeles resident.
Two years ago, a panel of arbitrators found that the Yogi brand name belongs to Yogi Bhajan’s heirs. The yogi died in 2004, leaving half of his estate to his wife and half to a group of 15 female former assistants.
Myers said the tea company has “unlimited and perpetual license” from the group of assistants to use the Yogi trademark.
“We’re on record with the court that what we have is a totally acceptable legal way to continue,” he said.
East West Tea Co. is poised to benefit from two trends in the tea industry: continued growth in tea sales, which are growing more rapidly than sales of coffee and other hot beverages, and rising interest in “wellness” products, Myers said.
“It’s part of peoples’ increased awareness of the health benefits of the beverage and food they take into their bodies,” he said. “We have a very authentic product that is rooted in traditional Ayurvedic benefits.”
Yogi Tea is the market leader in the natural food market segment in the United States and in Germany, the hub of the company’s European sales.
Today, East West Tea Co.’s revenue is fairly equally split between the United States, where higher volumes are sold, and Europe, which sells less volume but at higher prices, Myers said.
Sales of all brands of bagged and loose tea in the United States were $1.6 billion last year, according to Mintel Group, a market research firm.
Yogi has a 4 percent slice of that market, behind Stash at 6 percent, Tazo at 10 percent, Celestial Seasonings at 31 percent and market leader Lipton at 70 percent, according to Mintel.
Sales of bagged and loose tea have grown consistently by 3 percent to 4 percent a year for the past five years, Mintel figures show.
Yogi Tea initially built distribution through natural food stores. In recent years it has expanded distribution through mainstream grocery stores, and today “slightly more than half of our sales are into the regular grocery channel,” Myers said.
“We still have very significant sales in the natural channel, and natural groceries are still very important to us,” he added.
The East West Tea Co. is all the Sikh Dharma community has left of the former Golden Temple foods company.
Golden Temple sold its cereal division to Illinois-based Hearthside Food Solutions for $71 million in May 2010. Hearthside’s owner, Wind Point Partners, a private equity group in Chicago, recently sold its cereals unit to Post Holdings, the parent company of Post Foods for $158 million cash.
Natural food and beverage companies still are in demand as acquisition targets by companies looking to enter or expand in those markets. But selling isn’t the goal of East West Tea Co.’s owners, Myers said.
“I don’t think that’s where their head is at,” he said. “You can run a company to take it to its ultimate potential, which is what we’re trying to do here with a very well-loved product and a very respected brand. Or you can dress a company up to sell it.”
Every indication is that the former management group was planning to sell, Myers said.
“That isn’t the program now,” he said. “The program now is to build what is already a good company and to see where we can take it.”


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STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - H&M HMb.ST, the world's second-biggest fashion retailer, swung into a steep loss in its March-May quarter and said its recovery outlook was uncertain, although trade had resumed faster than feared as pandemic lockdowns ease and stores reopen.
The biggest player Inditex ITX.MC, the owner of Zara, made its first loss in February-April. H&M's loss was the first in decades and possibly the first ever, a spokesman said.
The Swedish group reported a pretax loss of 6.5 billion crowns ($695 million), slightly below market expectations, against a year-ago 5.9 billion profit.
Its shares slipped 2%, taking a year-to-date fall to 25%.
H&M, which warned in April of the loss, gave no third-quarter earnings guidance.
“It’s incredibly uncertain how economies open up,” CEO Helena Helmersson told Reuters. “With that, it’s tremendously difficult to say how results will be. What’s encouraging now is that the sales recovery is picking up in June.”
Helmersson said it was particularly hard to predict developments in the United States, H&M’s biggest market after Germany.
June sales fell a better-than-expected 25%, against a 50% second-quarter dive. H&M, however, warned of more price cuts in the third quarter to shift unsold spring and summer wear, after markdowns squeezed second-quarter margins.
Helmersson said some, less seasonal surplus garments could probably be sold during autumn. On orders to suppliers for autumn ranges, she said flexibility was essential.
“We will need to be careful not to buy too much a long time in advance. We need to wait as long as we can with purchases - to take the decisions as near the sales moment as possible,” she said.
H&M, which has been battling a years-long rise in inventories, slightly reduced stocks in the second quarter.
It should also make savings with a decision to open fewer new stores this year than previously planned, and permanently close more.
Of more than 5,000 stores worldwide, 7% remained temporarily shut against around 80% at the height of lockdowns.
($1 = 9.3185 Swedish crowns)
Reporting by Anna Ringstrom and Niklas Pollard; editing by Barbara Lewis
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.


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• China is set to launch a research center for blockchain innovation.
• The focus of the research will be on basic blockchain theory, key technologies, and their software and hardware.
• The Chinese government has already launched e-yuan (e-CNY) across the country to promote the CBDC project.
China Establishes National Blockchain Innovation Center
China has decided to move deeper into blockchain technology after its ban on cryptocurrency transactions in 2021. A recent report from China Daily noted that the country is about to launch a research center for blockchain innovation in Beijing – the National Blockchain Innovation Center.
The research center will work with local universities, blockchain experts, and firms to explore core blockchain technologies. This includes basic blockchain theories, key technologies’ software and hardware, basic platforms and verification networks. The Beijing Academy of Blockchain and Edge Computing (BABEC) will take charge of the new research institution. BABEC is famous for its ChainMaker blockchain which currently executes 240 million transactions per second (TPS).
Despite China’s hawkish stance against cryptocurrency trading, the country has been active in blockchain innovation. In September 2022, the Chinese government claimed that it accounted for 84% of all filed blockchain applications worldwide; however only 19% had received approval so far. To promote adoption of its Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC), or e-yuan (e-CNY), worth millions of dollars have been rolled out across China by its central bank already.
China’s Commitment To Blockchain Technology
China prides itself as a nation dedicated to developing blockchain technology further; hence why it has placed BABEC in charge of this new research institution – an organization renowned for leading development when it comes to this field of digital infrastructure building blocks.
In conclusion, although China banned cryptocurrency trading back in 2021 it is clear that its commitment towards furthering digital infrastructure development through increased investment in Research & Development within the field of blockchain technology remains strong and unwavering given recent announcements regarding innovative projects like the National Blockchain Innovation Center being established in Beijing this year.


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(BOSTON, Mass. – May 7, 2007 – IDTheftSecurity.com) In late April, the Federal Identity Theft Task Force, formed last year to investigate this crime, released findings and recommendations. According to Robert Siciliano, a widely televised and quoted personal security and identity theft expert, the announcement was one more example of government bureaucracy seemingly unable to counter identity theft in a timely manner.
“Identity theft happens fast,” said Siciliano. “Ask anyone who’s been a victim. A year’s time at the mercy of an identity thief could mean a life’s savings gone. While we need government intervention to stop identity theft, we also need it to happen on identity theft’s timetable, not a bureaucracy’s.”
CEO of IDTheftSecurity.com and a member of the Bank Fraud & IT Security Report’s editorial board, Siciliano leads Fortune 500 companies and their clients in workshops that explore consumer education solutions for security issues. A longtime identity theft speaker and author of “The Safety Minute: 01,” he has discussed data security and consumer protection on CNBC, on NBC’s “Today Show,” FOX News, and elsewhere.
On April 23, President Bush’s Federal Identity Theft Task Force, led by Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and Federal Trade Commission Chairman Deborah Platt Majoras, announced its recommendations. The 190-page report addressed a wide spectrum of data and computer crime and its effects, calling for tougher laws against some identity theft–related crimes; longer prison sentences, in some cases, for those who steal electronic data; and improved monetary compensation for victims of identity theft.
One recommendation of note calls for the development of a federal law to supersede state laws that currently require data brokers, or any company, to inform the public when data breaches of certain magnitudes occurs. Thirty-five states already have such laws. One notable example is California’s SB 1386, which compelled ChoicePoint, Inc. to report a massive data breach in early 2005.
On April 20, SearchSecurity.com reported the on the activities of security industry lobbyists, the Cyber Security Industry Alliance, who have claimed that a preponderance of differing state laws makes data breach reporting costly to manage. The group has called for a simplification and nationalization of these requirements.
Although the report addressed these, and many of the other, issues Siciliano champions, he said government works too slowly to combat identity theft.
“Work to complete this report began nearly a year ago,” said Siciliano. “And now it will probably go through another year’s worth, at least, of committee hearings and debates in Congress before anything even remotely resembling it becomes law. In the meantime, thousands, maybe millions, of U.S. citizens have, or will have, fallen prey to identity thieves. A meaningful response to identity theft demands law enforcement initiatives rooted in law. But the system that gets us there is unable to get us there quickly enough.”
Recently, Siciliano appeared on CNBC to discuss credit and debit card scams. Readers may view his appearance here.
Identity theft affects us all. Robert Siciliano, CEO of IDTheftSecurity.com and member of the Bank Fraud & IT Security Report’s editorial board, makes it his mission to provide consumer education solutions on identity theft to Fortune 500 companies and their clients.
A leader of personal safety and security seminars nationwide, Siciliano has been featured on CNN, MSNBC, CNBC, “FOX News,” NBC’s “Today Show,” “The Suze Orman Show,” “The Montel Williams Show,” “Maury Povich,” “Sally Jesse Raphael,” “The Howard Stern Show,” and “Inside Edition.” The Privacy Learning Institute features him on its Website. Numerous magazines, print news outlets, and wire services have turned to him, as well, for expert commentary on personal security and identity theft. These include Entrepreneur, Woman’s Day, Mademoiselle, Good Housekeeping, The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Washington Times, The Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, United Press International, Reuters, and others.
The media are encouraged to get in touch with Siciliano directly:
The media may also contact:
ROBERT SICILIANO, CEO of IDTheftSecurity.com is fiercely committed to informing, educating, and empowering Americans so they can be protected from violence and crime in the physical and virtual worlds. His "tell it like it is" style is sought after by major media outlets, executives in the C-Suite of leading corporations, meeting planners, and community leaders to get the straight talk they need to stay safe in a world in which physical and virtual crime is commonplace. Siciliano is accessible, real, professional, and ready to weigh in and comment at a moment's notice on breaking news.
- Identity Theft Can Lead to the Most Devastating Instances of Mortgage Fraud—Identity Theft Expert and Speaker on Personal Security
(BOSTON, Mass. – April 4, 2007 – IDTheftSecurity.com) The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) have recently added to their joint efforts against mortgage fraud. Robert Siciliano, a widely televised and quoted personal security and identity theft expert, encouraged their cooperation and pressed for more action. According to Siciliano, identity thieves
- Identity Theft: Unmonitored Data May Be Online and Susceptible to Theft—Identity Theft Expert and Speaker on Personal Security
(BOSTON, Mass. – June 1, 2007 – IDTheftSecurity.com) Research has suggested that industry has not done enough to secure sensitive data that resides on enterprise networks. According to Robert Siciliano, a widely televised and quoted personal security and identity theft expert, this and other news again raises question regarding how to protect unknown quantities of
- Identity Theft: Expert Lauds Massachusetts' New Credit Freeze Law—Identity Theft Expert and Speaker on Personal Security
(BOSTON, Mass. – May 18, 2007 – IDTheftSecurity.com) Last week, both houses of the Massachusetts legislature passed versions of a bill that grants residents of the state the right to freeze access to their credit reports. Robert Siciliano, a widely televised and quoted personal security and identity theft expert, said consumers’ access to the credit
- Personal Security and Identity Theft Expert Speaker to Appear on E! Network’s ‘True Hollywood Stories Investigates’
(BOSTON, Mass. – June 5, 2008 – IDTheftSecurity.com) Robert Siciliano, a personal security and identity theft expert speaker and CEO of IDTheftSecurity.com, will appear in “THS Investigates: Dating Nightmares,” an episode of the series “E! True Hollywood Stories.” The episode will run on June 6. In it, Siciliano and others will share advice on how
- Identity Theft: P2P Networks Invite Online Thieves—Identity Theft Expert and Speaker on Personal Security
(BOSTON, Mass. – May 21, 2007 – IDTheftSecurity.com) Robert Siciliano, a personal security and identity theft expert, has demonstrated on television how file-sharing programs can render the contents of a computer’s hard viewable to online thieves. A new study has now shown that peer-to-peer network users may be inadvertently contributing to security breaches. “Parents should beware


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New York Comic Con isn't just about the comics and TV panels. One of the best parts of the four-day event is seeing the cosplayers.
Dressing like your favorite character from comics, video games, anime, movies, or television is a favorite tradition of the Con — one that presents a unique opportunity to let your freak flag fly in a welcoming and safe environment.
Cosplay, if you don't already know, is the combination of the words "costume" and "play." The term was likely coined at the 1984 World-Con science fiction convention, where a Japanese reporter was blown away by the attendee's outfits and returned home not knowing what to call the elaborate display.
So far this weekend, we've seen a seven-foot-tall, life-like Groot just begging to be hugged, video game villains that still give us nightmares, and a mashup of Thor and Ronald McDonald the internet has coined McThor.
We rounded up photos of the best cosplay we saw at the ninth annual New York Comic Con. We'll continue to update this post as the weekend continues.
See any great cosplay? Email us at mrobinson[at]businessinsider.com and kacuna[at]businessinsider.com.
What better way to kick off the Con than with Batman? Larry Smith was first in line for the unveiling of the new Batman Limited Edition Forever Stamps Thursday morning.
Smith told us this is his third or fourth version of the Batman Beyond costume. You can check out more of his work here.


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Growth in the UK services sector slowed in January against a backdrop of intense inflationary pressures and a slackening in new business, according to the latest PMI.
Input price inflation rose to the highest since March 2011 while charges rose at a rate unchanged from December’s 68-month record. The rate of new business growth was slower than in December, though still the second-fastest since January 2016.
The Markit/CIPS UK Services Purchasing Managers’ Index slumped to 54.5 in January, down on December’s 17-month high of 56.2. A reading of 50 signals neither expansion nor contraction.
David Noble, group CEO, CIPS, said: “Supply chain managers reported that cost burdens were weighing down more heavily and impacting on their business for the seventh time in eight months.
“The triple whammy of rising fuel costs, salaries and higher import prices were keenly felt, and these rising costs may have also had an effect on the number of new jobs on offer, reflected in the rate of job creation, which was at a five-month low.”
Expectation regarding the level of activity in 12 months’ time was the strongest since May 2016, with positive sentiment linked to new business pipelines, product launches, low interest rates, a recovery in oil prices and greater stability and clarity around Brexit.
Chris Williamson, chief business economist at IHS Markit, said: “Higher costs are feeding through to increased selling prices, which will inevitably put upward pressure on consumer prices.
“While the robust start to the year adds some justification to the Bank of England’s improved outlook for 2017, the degree to which costs are rising threatens to test the tolerance of some policymakers in terms of their willingness to ‘look through’ what’s likely to be a marked upturn in inflation in 2017.”
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By Amanda Sangster - May 24, 2022
According to data compiled by the American Cancer Society and the American Society of Clinical Oncologists, an estimated 3.4 million Americans will be diagnosed with skin cancer in 2022. Skin cancer is the most diagnosed cancer in the U.S. and is among the few preventable cancers. However, incidence rates continue to rise.
“The rates are only going up,” says Dr. Vernon Sondak, chair of Moffitt Cancer Center’s Department of Cutaneous Oncology. “If nothing changes, by 2040, melanoma will be the second most common major form of cancer in the U.S. and the first among males.”
The majority of those diagnosed will develop basal cell or squamous cell carcinoma while the other 99,780 will develop melanoma, the most dangerous and deadly type of skin cancer. While melanoma accounts for only about 1% of all skin cancers in the U.S., it is the deadliest form of the disease. The reports estimate that 7,650 deaths from melanoma will occur in 2022 and over 65% will be men.
Sondak says these estimates of expected skin cancers are accurate. “Many Americans will be diagnosed with more than one skin cancer at the same time, meaning the true incidence of skin cancer in the U.S. is even higher – probably as high as all other forms of cancer combined.”
Proper skin care and sun protection should be an important component for everyone, regardless of gender. However, men are more susceptible due to behavior factors. Simply put, men don’t protect themselves and pay attention to their skin care as much as women do. They are also less likely to follow up with medical providers when noticing areas of skin that may be concerning.
"Many Americans will be diagnosed with more than one skin cancer at the same time, meaning the true incidence of skin cancer in the U.S. is even higher – probably as high as all other forms of cancer combined."- Dr. Vernon Sondak, chair of Moffitt’s Department of Cutaneous Oncology
The risk of being diagnosed with melanoma increases with age, but it’s also one of the most common cancers in adolescents and young adults. Anyone can develop skin cancer, regardless of skin color or age.
Sondak says that everyone in the family should use proper skin protection before outdoor activities. This doesn’t just involve sunscreens. In fact, Sondak considers sunscreens as the third line of defense, with the first line being avoiding direct sun exposure during peak hours of UV intensity, generally 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. during the summer months. The second line of defense is wearing sun-protective clothing: long sleeves and long pants, as well as a broad-brimmed hat and sunglasses.
To help reduce the rising rates of skin cancer from overexposure to UV rays, the National Council on Skin Cancer Prevention has designated the Friday before Memorial Day as “Don’t Fry Day,” a holiday that encourages sun safety awareness and reminds everyone to protect their skin while enjoying the outdoors.
Sun Safety Tips
- Exposure – Limit sun exposure between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. when UV is its most intense.
- Clothing – Protect your skin from sun damage with clothing, including a loose-fitting, long-sleeved shirt and long pants made of a tightly woven fabric. Swimming? Opt for a T-shirt or rash guard while in the water.
- Hat – Protect your head, ears, face and neck with the shade of a wide-brimmed hat constructed of a tightly woven fabric like canvas (UV rays can penetrate a straw hat). If you wear a baseball cap, use sunscreen on exposed areas like your face, neck and ears.
- Sunglasses – Wear sunglasses that block both UVA and UVB rays. Well-designed sunglasses can help prevent cataracts and protect the delicate skin around your eyes from the harmful effects of sun exposure.
- Shade – Seek shade underneath a shelter, umbrella or tree, especially during the midday hours. Use extra caution near surfaces that reflect the sun’s rays, like water and sand.
- Sunscreen – 30 minutes before going outside, always apply a waterproof, broad-spectrum sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of 15 to 30. Don’t forget your ears, the tops of your feet and the scalp. Reapply every two hours.