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Canon announces production of 90 millionth EF lens
Canon has announced that it has now produced 90 million EF lenses since the launch of the EOS system in 1987. The proliferation of digital SLRs has seen a rapid increase in lens production in recent years, and the company's 90 millionth lens - an EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM - was manufactured on May 23 2013, just over 9 months after its 80 millionth. The company's lens lineup currently consists of no fewer than 84 models, ranging from the inexpensive EF 50mm f/1.8 II to high-end exotica such as the recently-announced EF 200-400mm f/4L IS USM Extender 1.4x - the world's first SLR lens with a built-in switchable teleconverter.
Canon Celebrates Significant Milestone with the Production of 90 Million EF Interchangeable Lenses
MELVILLE, N.Y., May 29, 2013 – Canon U.S.A., Inc., a leader in digital imaging solutions, today announced its parent company, Canon Inc., has reached a new lens-manufacturing milestone with the production of its 90-millionth EF-series interchangeable lens for EOS cameras. Canon turned out its 90-millionth lens, an EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM (released in September 2012), on May 23, 2013.
The production of interchangeable EF lenses for Canon EOS-series AF (autofocus) single-lens reflex film cameras began in 1987 at the Company’s Utsunomiya Plant. Since that time, supported by a wide range of users, demand has steadily increased and production has expanded. Today, Canon produces EF lenses at four of the Company’s manufacturing bases, including Canon Inc., Taiwan; Canon Opto (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd.; and Oita Canon Inc. in southern Japan.
EF lens production surpassed the 10-million-unit mark in 1995, doubled to 20 million lenses in 2001, and went on to reach 30 million units in 2006 and 40 million units in 2008. Afterward, due to the rapid spread of EOS digital SLR cameras, production of EF lenses gained further momentum, crossing the 50-million-unit threshold in 2009, reaching 60 million units in January 2011, and hitting the 70-million-unit mark in October of the same year. In August 2012, lens production reached 80 million units and now, a little over nine months later, the company commemorates its latest manufacturing milestone of 90 million lenses.
Canon’s proprietary EF lenses, launched in March 1987 along with the EOS SLR camera system, have continued to evolve since their introduction, leading the industry through the incorporation of a wide range of innovative technologies, including the Ultrasonic Motor (USM), Image Stabilizer (IS) technology, a multi-layered diffractive optical (DO) element, and Subwavelength Structure Coating (SWC) anti-reflection technology.
With the introduction in May this year of the EF 200-400mm f/4L IS USM Extender 1.4x, super-telephoto zoom lens with a built-in 1.4x extender that makes possible a 200-560 mm focal length range, along with EF Cinema Lenses for digital cinematography, Canon’s extensive EF lens-series lineup now comprises a total of 84 models.1
Canon will continue refining its diverse imaging technologies based on its core optical technologies, striving to produce exceptional and reliable lenses and cameras that cater to the varying needs of photographers—from first-time users to advanced amateurs and professionals—while contributing to expanding the photographic and video imaging culture.
1Including two EF lens extenders and three models available outside of Japan. As of May 29, 2013.
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QuickStories is integrated into the latest version of the GoPro app and automatically creates 'stories' using the video clips you've shot during a day.
Journalists photographing a protest in the US Capitol building claim they were told by Capitol Police to delete photos and videos of arrests.
The Meizu Pro 7 Plus secondary display can be used for music playback, date and weather-related information, or as viewfinder when taking selfies with the rear cameras.
Nikon is marking its 100th anniversary in many ways, including the creation of a new scholarship program for 'future visual creators' in the USA and Canada.
Take one Digital ELPH (or IXUS), rotate it vertically, add a fully articulating LCD and a lens with a camcorder-like focal length, and what do you get? Why, the Canon PowerShot TX1, of course. In this week's Throwback Thursday we revisit Canon's one-of-a-kind hybrid stills/video camera.
Just in case there was any doubt in your mind, here's the definitive video proof that yes, a $50,000 cinema camera beats the pants off a $50 camcorder in a side-by-side test.
Photographers who fly frequently in the US may want to finally invest in that TSA Pre-check status: in standard security lines, cameras and all other electronics larger than a smartphone will need to be placed in a separate bin for screening.
Images have appeared which claim to show Nikon's forthcoming D850 DSLR, the development of which was announced this week. If genuine, the pictures indicate that the D850 will offer illuminated controls and a tilting LCD screen, but no built-in flash.
To celebrate the Daguerreotype Achromat 2.9/64 lens' successful Kickstarter campaign, Lomography has announced a chrome-plated version of the lens in Nikon and Canon DSLR mounts.
Nikon just released four new firmware updates, adding features and fixing bugs in the D600, D610, D750 and the KeyMission 80.
It probably hasn't made your landscape photography bucket list just yet, but there's a good reason to visit Idaho. Here are 9 must-visit locations in this beautiful state.
Oops... Adobe accidentally leaked their unfinished Lightroom-powered cloud-based photo editor 'Project Nimbus' to some Creative Cloud users yesterday.
Storm chaser and award-winning photographer Mike Oblinski just released his latest time-lapse, and it is absolutely stunning.
Looking to level up your video capture capabilities without buying a whole new camera? Blackmagic's Video Assist 4K is well worth considering, despite a few flaws and its lack of 4K/60p support.
We're big fans of Fujifilm's fast-growing GFX system, and the GF 110mm F2 lens is no exception. Positioned as the system's classic portrait lens, its optics are just as impressive with non-human subjects as well.
Nikon turns 100 years old today, and the company is celebrating with a wacky music video, some tributes to its history, and a new vision presented by president Kazuo Ushida.
Phottix just released the Premio Parabolic Umbrellas series, replacing their Para-Pro line with a stronger, deeper and better made set of parabolic umbrellas.
The Moto Z2 is Motorola's first dual-camera smartphone and, compared to its predecessor, comes with a number of improvements and new camera features.
Researchers at Stanford have revealed a new '4D camera system' built for robots. The system is based on the same light field tech that allowed Lytro cameras to refocus images after they were taken.
If you want 'beautiful rendition' from your lenses, follow this simple rule: only buy classic low-element prime lenses with lead glass elements—everything else is junk.
In an interview with CNBC, Leica Chairman Andreas Kaufmann said he dreams of a 'true Leica phone,' and hinted at what's next for the Leica and Huawei partnership.
Wildlife and nature photographer Peter Mather tells the story behind this exceptional shot of a mama grizzly and her cub searching for salmon in Yukon, Canada.
Popular YouTube channel TastyTuts has put together this 33-video Beginner's Guide to Adobe Photoshop—a godsend for anybody who wants to learn Photoshop from scratch.
The long anticipated replacement for the popular Rode VideoMic Pro is almost ready for shipping. The price of the upgraded VideoMic Pro+ will be £290/$300 when it goes on sale in mid-August.
A new iOS app called Explorest wants to help you find new locations to shoot. It's limited to Singapore for now, but the app is packed full of useful location scouting features.
Nikon's D850 development announcement is extremely light on details, so we assembled a wish list of upgrades and features we'd love to see.
Nikon has announced the development of the long-awaited replacement to its full-frame D810: the D850. Nikon says that the D850 will build on the strengths of its predecessor and offer 'new technologies, features and performance enhancements.'
Lens manufacturer Voigtlander has introduced a 65mm F2 macro lens for Sony E-mount that it says "rates as one of the finest in the history of Voigtländer."
The UK released a preview of their upcoming drone safety regulations, and it looks like drone pilots will have to both register their device and pass safety awareness tests.
National Geographic photographer Bob Holmes talks about light, and why you need to learn how to 'see' and not just 'look' at your subject.


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Pain at the pump? Not for these shoppers. More than 28% of U.S. consumers say they are shopping online more because of rising gas costs, according to a survey conducted exclusively for Internet Retailer by Synovate, a global market research firm.
National average gasoline prices have shot up $1.07 per gallon in the last year to an average this week of $3.96, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. And many consumers recognize that they can drive less if they shop the web more, the Synovate survey shows.
The survey, conducted online Apr. 28 – May 1, asked 1,000 U.S. adults whether the recent rise in gas costs had led them to do more shopping online rather than travel to stores. 28.2% answered yes, with consumers in the Northeast and Midwest leading the pack, each at 31.5%. Fewer consumers in the South (26.8%) and West (24.5%) answered the same. Gas prices this week were the highest in the West and Midwest, where the average cost per gallon was $4.14 and $4.01, respectively. Consumers in the Rocky Mountain and Gulf Coast regions, as defined by the EIA, paid the least, at $3.70 and $3.81, respectively. The Rocky Mountain area is included in Synovate’s West category and the Gulf Coast in the South region.
More than one-third of consumers living in areas with a population density—defined as the total population of a defined metropolitan area and its adjacent counties—of 50,000 to 100,000 said they were shopping more online because of higher gas costs, 35.1%. According to the Census Bureau, this would include areas like Casper, WY, and Grand Forks, ND. 35.9% of consumers living in areas with 1 million to 2 million residents, such as Providence, RI, and Cleveland, OH, said the same.
Fewer shoppers, but still more than a fourth, living in extremely rural areas said they were shopping more online because of higher gas costs (26.3%).
The impact of high gas prices may already be showing up in e-retail sales.April online retail sales were up 19.2% year over year, according to MasterCard Advisors’ SpendingPulse report that tracks retail sales using all payment forms, including credit and debit cards of all brands, cash and checks.
Michael McNamara, vice president, research and analysis for MasterCard Advisors SpendingPulse, says higher gas prices will likely boost online sales. “We can expect consumers to make fewer shopping trips, especially on weekends, and this may contribute to an ever stronger growth for e-commerce,” he says.

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UBER lost £2.3 billion in the first quarter of 2020 as its bookings were hammered by coronavirus lockdowns.
However company bosses are now looking to their growing food delivery business and aggressive cost-cutting to ease the pain.
⚠ Read our coronavirus live blog for the latest news & updates
The company's loss for the January to March period is nearly three times worse than the £800m loss reported a year earlier.
However, there are signs things are picking up as the number of people riding with Uber has increased in each of the last three weeks.
Meanwhile, Uber Eats revenue was £652m - which is UP more than 50 per cent compared to the same time 12 months ago.
The Silicon Valley firm admitted its hail-a-ride business had been "hit hard by the ongoing pandemic".
The financial results come just a day after it announced it was to cut 3,700 jobs as the outbreak had led to a huge slump in ride bookings.
However, chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi said business in the US had started to recover after some states reopened following lengthy lockdowns.
He said: "While our rides business has been hit hard by the ongoing pandemic, we have taken quick action to preserve the strength of our balance sheet, focus additional resources on Uber Eats, and prepare us for any recovery scenario.
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The ride-sharing app are taking the precautions to help stop the spread of the killer pandemic.
Those hailing a cab will now see a message advising that they wash their hands before their journey, wear face protection and open a window for ventilation.
Executives from Uber have already voted to make the new mask-wearing policy compulsory in the US, but it will also be rolled out in other countries.


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Ford Motor Company is recalling 39,013 model year 2021 Expeditions and Lincoln Navigators.
An engine compartment fire may occur while the vehicle is being driven or parked, even when the ignition is in the "Off" position.
A vehicle fire increases the risk of injury.
What to do
A remedy for this issue is still under development. Owners are advised to park their vehicles outside and away from structures until a remedy becomes available and is performed.
Letters notifying owners of the safety risk are expected to be mailed on May 23, 2022. A second letter will be mailed once the remedy is available.
Owners may contact Ford customer service at (866) 436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 22S36.


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LOUISVILLE, ky. —Yo quiero Taco Bell breakfast burrito! The Mexican-style fast-food chain that’s best remembered for a 1990s ad in which a Chihuahua proclaimed “I want Taco Bell” in Spanish, introduced a breakfast menu Thursday at nearly 800 restaurants in 14 states, including Colorado.
If the launch goes well, Taco Bell plans to begin selling breakfast burritos and hash browns along with its tacos and gorditas in its 5,600 locations nationwide by 2014.
Taco Bell is entering the mad scramble by fast-food heavyweights to compete for the morning on-the-go crowd. Breakfast has become the most important meal of the day for restaurants, accounting for virtually all of the industry’s growth in the past five years.
“Right now we’re not getting our fair share of that,” said Brian Niccol, Taco Bell’s chief marketing and innovation officer. “We want to get our fair share and then some.”
Fast-food restaurants are clamoring to take advantage of the growing breakfast demand. Subway started offering breakfast in 2010. Wendy’s is starting to get into the game too. And Burger King, Starbucks and McDonald’s in recent years have expanded their offerings of everything from breakfast sandwiches to oatmeal and smoothies. The Associated Press


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The upcoming Watch Dogs 2 sequel is going to bring back the “Hacking Invasion” PVP mode from the original release, Ubisoft confirmed at Gamescom 2016.
Players will once again be assigned opponents as potential targets for collecting data. The ultimate goal is to locate and stalk the target until an opportunity arises to successfully download a certain amount of data without being detected. Stealth is key in this mode and to increase their odds players can choose to team up with friends in cooperative play. According to Ubisoft, the co-op feature extends to exploring the entire map of San Francisco and groups can also take on similar missions throughout their progression.
In addition to Hacking Invasion, another online multiplayer modes has also been revealed for Watch Dogs 2. The second is a brand new mode called “Bounty Hunter” which is linked with the police heat system. Contributing to the chaos in the city is going to have law enforcement on your back. Once detected, it’s a race against being captured and escaping the police, having successfully completed your mission.
Both online modes are separate from the single-player campaign and once triggered, pulls the player out of the story campaign and into a challenging PVP mode.
Watch Dogs 2 is scheduled for release on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC on November 15. Pre-orders are currently open but many have decided to play it safe this time around. Recalling to the time of the PC release of the first game, Watch Dogs was hyped to be an extraordinary title but failed in numerous departments upon release. The Windows port was a broken mess and plagued with a severe case of downgrade.


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The Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines, and Agriculture has said insecurity crisis in the country has significantly affected farming activities and drastically reduced ability to locally produce raw materials for manufacturing purposes.
The association also said Nigeria’s inflationary statistics might be incorrectly underestimated considering the primary research on the price of essential foods, transportation and household goods.
According to a statement by the association, the increase in inflation could be linked to several factors, including the high cost of raw materials, devaluation and the disruption of the supply chain caused by insecurity among others.
The statement said the persistent insecurity in the nation had continued to impede agricultural activities and deterred investments in agriculture in the nation’s food-producing regions, resulting in a decline in agricultural output.
Consequently, NACCIMA said the entire agricultural value chain had been disrupted due to the restrictions imposed by insecurity.
It stated that it wass conceived that the primary cause of inflation, particularly food inflation, was endogenous.
The statement said most farmers and those earning a living within the value chain had been left unemployed, worsening the spiralling unemployment rate in the country.
According to NACCIMA, Nigeria was currently suffering stagflation as opposed to the widely reported inflation.


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China’s crackdown on private enterprise in 2021 knocked more than $1 trillion off the market value of some of the country’s largest companies.
Beijing’s tightening grip on the economy came as officials stressed the importance of prioritising “high-quality” growth that benefits the general population over maximising gross domestic product.
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The “common prosperity” drive targeted sectors ranging from real estate and education to technology and entertainment, tanking the stock price of household names such as Alibaba Group, Tencent Holdings, Didi Chuxing Technology Co, and New Oriental Education and Technology Group, and reining in the personal influence of corporate bigwigs such as Jack Ma and Pony Ma.
The crackdown has left many businesses and investors wondering nervously about the future of growth and innovation in China.
“For companies, this means that their job is no longer to make money, but instead to contribute to societal goods,” Trey McArver, an analyst at Trivium China, told Al Jazeera. “Where companies are not seen doing that, they will face swift regulatory action.”
Kyle Jaros, associate professor of global affairs at the University of Notre Dame, told Al Jazeera the Chinese Communist Party had made it clear the “party-state can dictate terms to business, not the other way around.”
“This has meant cutting people such as Alibaba’s Jack Ma down to size, forcing the private sector to demonstrate obeisance – as with Tencent’s Pony Ma and Xiaomi’s Lei Jun – and demonstrating that the party-state has the right to set both technical standards and moral parameters for business activity,” Jaros said.
In August 2020, Beijing introduced the “three red lines” policy to prevent overleveraged private developers from taking on new loans.
With the rationale that “houses are for living, not for speculation,” the policy sought to cool the property market, which had expanded rapidly over the last decade amid rampant speculative buying.
The lending curbs have been cited as a primary driver of the liquidity crisis that led to two of China’s largest private developers – Evergrande Group and Kaisa – defaulting on their loans. In October, new regulations were rolled out to prohibit smaller Chinese cities from building skyscrapers taller than 250 metres.
“The regulatory crackdowns are part of a broader paradigm shift that has taken place in how Beijing is approaching its economic policy and management,” Shehzad Qazi, managing director of China Beige Book International, told Al Jazeera.
“This includes acknowledging that China’s old debt-fueled, investment-heavy growth model has run out of road.”
In November 2020, Chinese regulators suspended a planned $37bn initial public offering by Jack Ma’s Ant Group.
Beijing said it suspended what would have been the biggest IPO in history to protect investors, but many analysts believe Ma’s public criticism of China’s financial regulators and state banks triggered the move.
Andrew Collier, founder and managing director of Orient Capital Research, told the New York Times the suspension may have been to protect state banks that paid Ant Group fees to help them extend credit to customers at a cost to their own profitability.
“My personal view is that the banks were looking for an excuse to nip this in the bud and also give them adequate time to try to get their own online operations up to speed,” Collier said.
In February this year, Beijing revealed new anti-monopoly rules for tech companies. These included measures to ensure companies do not use algorithms that encourage users to spend excessively or in a way that might disrupt public order. Alibaba, Tencent and Baidu are among the tech giants that have been issued fines over allegedly monopolistic practices.
In April, regulators slapped Alibaba with a $2.8bn antitrust fine, and ordered Ant Group to restructure itself with supervision from China’s central bank.
Beijing has also expressed disapproval of tech companies seeking foreign IPOs. In July, days after ride-hailing giant Didi launched its $4.4bn IPO in the United States, Chinese regulators banned the company from app stores.
New rules require companies with data on more than one million users to seek regulatory approval before they can list overseas and allow regulators to block listings on national security grounds.
In August, Beijing banned under-18s from playing video games for more than three hours each week to prevent gaming addiction.
In September, Beijing prohibited cryptocurrency transactions and mining. Banks, institutions and online payment firms were banned from carrying out transactions with cryptocurrencies, and fund managers were prohibited from investing in cryptocurrencies as assets.
The Chinese government has also built its own state-backed cloud system, which competes with Alibaba, Huawei, and Tencent in the private sector. In the city of Tianjin, municipally controlled companies were asked to migrate their data from private sector operators to the state-backed cloud.
“The new paradigm prioritises national security concerns, especially as far as data is concerned, and brings increased attention to socioeconomic trends, such as inequality that can cause instability and threaten the Party’s control,” Qazi said.
In July, China unveiled restrictions on private education that it said were aimed at relieving pressure on school children and reducing the cost burden of tutoring for parents.
Beijing ordered private tutoring companies to be registered as non-profits and to refrain from offering subjects already taught in schools.
The companies have also been barred from raising capital overseas and from giving lessons on weekends and holidays. The clampdown upended the $120bn industry, with New Oriental Education and Technology, China’s largest private tutoring firm, seeing the market value of its US-listed shares fall by $7.4bn.
In August, to curb what authorities have described as “chaotic” celebrity fan culture, Beijing ordered broadcasters not to work with entertainers who had “incorrect political positions” and “effeminate” styles, which it deemed unpatriotic. Beijing also regulated the sale of fan merchandise for controversial performers and barred online platforms from publishing popularity lists.
The road ahead
The push for “common prosperity” could mean that in the long run, China will transition away from “wild west” capitalism and towards a more consumption-driven economy aimed at promoting socialist values. Although the period of freewheeling economic expansion may be over, analysts believe businesses that can adapt will succeed.
McArver predicts that companies that contribute to the societal good, such as those providing healthcare and education, will find a largely favourable operating environment, while companies helping to develop core technologies will also do well.
“Successful businessmen in China have always understood that they prosper when their business dovetails with broader policy initiatives,” McArver said.
“That will continue to be the case. Businessmen will pivot away from sectors that Beijing sees as unproductive and towards those that Beijing supports, such as environmental protection and advanced manufacturing.”
Qazi said innovation would be “guided by the priorities of the Party”.
“Companies in sectors the state is prioritising, such as high-tech manufacturing, where China seeks to lessen foreign dependence, will thrive,” he said.
However, the stricter environment could compel some companies to put off expansion or look elsewhere for opportunities.
“Some firms may decide that a more controlling regulatory environment and greater pressure to pursue party-assigned social and political missions will cut into their bottom lines,” Jaros said. “As a result, they may limit their scope for innovation, curtail or redirect investments, or in some cases, look for more open markets outside China.”


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Riders can buy a new hat at a discounted price today (Saturday 11 June) as part of International Helmet Awareness Day 2011.
Charles Owen, Gatehouse, Airowear and Champion Hats are all offering their hats at cut prices through participating retailers for one day only.
Lyndsey White of campaign group Riders4Helmets, which is organising the day, said: “Wearing a correctly fitting and certified helmet is essential. Helmets can and do save lives.
“Oliver Townend’s helmet lining was crushed from 21mm to 13mm following his fall at Rolex Kentucky last year, confirming just how much protection helmets offer.”
She is urging riders to take the opportunity to replace old hats.
The campaign was launched in early 2010 after US Olympic dressage rider Courtney King Dye suffered a serious head injury while training hatless at home (news, 29 April 2010).
More than 500 tackshops across the world are expected to take part, with more than 80 hat retailers in the UK committing to the scheme.
Charles Owen is offering 10% off its hats and Champion said it is leaving it up to retailers to decide how much discount to give.
John Eyres, of FBI, which produces Champion hats, said: “We are all guilty of not checking our hats enough. Anything that encourages riders to think about safety has to be applauded.”
Gatehouse and Airowear are both offering a 10% discount to retailers to pass on for riders.
A Gatehouse spokesman said: “It’s a great chance to raise awareness, it’s amazing how many ill-fitting hats we see that are unfit for use.”
A spokesman for Airowear added: “It’s a perfect opportunity to encourage riders to check their helmets — I’m not sure if people are aware of how much the condition of a hat can change over time. Wearing an ill-fitting helmet can be as dangerous as not wearing one at all.”
Visit www.riders4helmets.com for more details, including a list of UK retailers taking part.
This news story was first published in the current issue of Horse & Hound (9 June, 2011)


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To celebrate their leadership in the market, Xiaomi has announced a permanent price drop on some of their hottest selling smartphones. With effect from 12 pm on 16 November, the Redmi Note 5 Pro, the Mi A2, and Redmi Y2 have got new prices with a Rs 1,000 drop across the different configurations.
The 4GB + 64GB Redmi Note 5 Pro is now priced at Rs 13,999 while the handset’s 6GB + 64GB version now costs Rs 15,999. The highly successful Mi A2 also gets a Rs 1,000 price cut with the 4GB + 64GB variant now costing Rs 15,999 while the revised price of the 6GB + 128GB Mi A2 is Rs 18,999. The Redmi Y2 4GB + 64GB handset is now priced at Rs 11,999.
Xiaomi states that they have a philosophy of honest pricing where they never make more than 5 per cent profit margin on any hardware product and if they do make more profits, it gets given back to their Mi Fans.
They have also announced that they have witnessed a reduction in component costs of some of their best-selling smartphones. Moreover, Xiaomi was announced as the number one smartphone vendor in India for the 5th consecutive quarter, as per IDC Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker, 14 November 2018.
In the past few months upon their launch, the Redmi Note 5 Pro, Mi A2, and Redmi Y2 have seen immense love and admiration from Mi fans and customers in India. The brand goes on to claim that these devices have redefined the consumer smartphone experience by delivering incredible specifications of the highest quality at the best possible pricing.
The note by Xiaomi ends by stating that they believe by offering these products at even more attractive prices will make them even more accessible to Mi fans.


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A new online multiplayer mode will arrive for Rock Band 4 this holiday.
Developer Harmonix announced via the PlayStation Blog that the new expansion is something the company has thought about before the main game was even completed, calling it one of their “most requested features.”
“Synchronous online multiplayer will be like Quickplay, modified to provide a fair and streamlined experience for console friends looking to play Rock Band 4 together online,” Harmonix community manager Criss Burki wrote. “We’ll be implementing enhancements on the back end to address issues for folks who don’t have the same DLC libraries and want a more fluid process for choosing songs together as a band (you all know that one person who would pick a song before you had the chance). Stay tuned for more details at E3!”
While no other details were revealed other than a projected holiday 2016 release window, Harmonix added that “synchronous online multiplayer isn’t even the major focus or feature we have in store!” Thoughts?


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This is a Call to Action for a Non-Hierarchical Occupation of Monsanto Everywhere
Whether you like it or not, chances are Monsanto contaminated the food you ate today with chemicals and unlabeled GMOs. Monsanto controls much of the world's food supply at the expense of food democracy worldwide. This site is dedicated to empowering citizens of the world to take action against Monsanto & it's enablers like the FDA, USDA, EPA, GMA, BIO, and the processed food companies that use Monsanto's products.
Something is looming in the shadows that could help erode our basic rights and contaminate our food. The Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) has the potential to become the biggest regional Free Trade Agreement in history, both in economic size and the ability to quietly add more countries in addition to those originally included. As of 2011 its 11 countries accounted for 30% of the world’s agricultural exports. Those countries are the US, Australia, Brunei, Chile, Canada, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam. Recently, Japan has joined the negotiations.
Six hundred US corporate advisors have had input into the TPP. The draft text has not been made available to the public, press or policy makers. The level of secrecy around this agreement is unparalleled. The majority of Congress is being kept in the dark while representatives of US corporations are being consulted and privy to the details.
The chief agricultural negotiator for the US is the former Monsanto lobbyist, Islam Siddique. If ratified the TPP would impose punishing regulations that give multinational corporations unprecedented right to demand taxpayer compensation for policies that corporations deem a barrier to their profits.
There appears not to be a specific agricultural chapter in the TPP. Instead, rules affecting food systems and food safety are woven throughout the text. This agreement is attempting to establish corporations’ rights to skirt domestic courts and laws and sue governments directly with taxpayers paying compensation and fines directly from the treasury.
Though TPP content remains hidden, here are some things we do know:
· Members of Congress are concerned that the TPP would open the door to imports without resolving questions around food safety or environmental impacts on its production.
· Procurement rules specifically forbid discrimination based on the quality of production. This means that public programs that favor the use of sustainably produced local foods in school lunch programs could be prohibited.
· The labeling of foods containing GMOs (Genetically Modified Organisms) will not be allowed. Japan currently has labeling laws for GMOs in food. Under the TPP Japan would no longer be able to label GMOs. This situation is the same for New Zealand and Australia. In the US we are just beginning to see some progress towards labeling GMOs. Under the TPP GMO labels for US food would not be allowed.
· In April 2013, Peru placed a 10-year moratorium on GMO foods and plants. This prohibits the import, production and use of GMOs in foods and GMO plants and is aimed at safeguarding Peru’s agricultural diversity. The hope is to prevent cross-pollination with non-GMO crops and to ban GMO crops like Bt corn. What will become of Peru’s moratorium if the TPP is passed?
· There is a growing resistance to Monsanto’s agricultural plans in Vietnam. Monsanto (the US corporation controlling an estimated 90% of the world seed genetics) has a dark history with Vietnam. Many believe that Monsanto has no right to do business in a country where Monsanto’s product Agent Orange is estimated to have killed 400,000 Vietnamese, deformed another 500,000 and stricken another 2 million with various diseases.
Legacies of other trade agreements that serve as a warning about the TPP. Trade agreements have a history of displacing small farmers and destroying local food economies. Ten years following the passage of NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement) 1.5 million Mexican farmers became bankrupt because they could not compete with the highly subsidized US corn entering the Mexican market.
In the same 10 years Mexico went from a country virtually producing all of its own corn to a country that now imports at least half of this food staple. Mexican consumers are now paying higher prices for Monsanto’s GMO corn.
With little or no competition for large corporations Monsanto, DuPont and Syngenta now control 57% of the commercial food market.
While the TPP is in many ways like NAFTA and other existing trade agreements, it appears that the corporations have learned from previous experience. They are carefully crafting the TPP to insure that citizens of the involved countries have no control over food safety, what they will be eating, where it is grown, the conditions under which food is grown and the use of herbicides and pesticides.
If the TPP is adopted the door will be open wider for human rights and environmental abuse. Some of the things we should expect to see include:
· more large scale farming and more monocultures;
· destruction of local economies;
· no input into how our food is grown or what we will be eating;
· more deforestation;
· increased use of herbicides and pesticides;
· more industrial pollution;
· increased patenting of life forms;
· more GMO plants and foods; and
· no labeling of GMOs in food.
Together these are a step backwards for human rights and a giant step towards Monsanto’s control of our food.
Please pass the word to others about the TPP as most Americans are unaware of this trade agreement or its ominous effects if passed.
Barbara Chicherio is treasurer of the Gateway Green Alliance and National Committee member of the Green Party USA.
Genetic Crimes Unit to Investigate Expo West Trade Show
GCU to Wear Bio-Hazmat Suits to ID Victims of Monsanto’s Genetic Crimes
ANAHEIM, CA – On Friday, March 9, 2012, more than 30,000 people will attend North America’s largest trade show for the natural products industry, Expo West at the Anaheim Convention center located at 800 West Katella Avenue, Anaheim, CA 92802. At the event members of the Occupy movement within the organic sector have formed a Genetic Crimes Unit (GCU) to investigate increased spraying of food with toxic weed killers like 2,4 D (the main ingredient in Agent Orange), contamination of the organic food supply, and other risks associated with genetically modified food.
“Many of the world’s socially conscious organic and non-GMO brands will exhibit nutritious food at the three-day Expo. But in the background is a vast sea of unlabeled products sold in America containing GMOs that unsuspecting consumers eat without their knowledge,” says GCU Spokesman. “In the name of Wall Street profits, chemical corporations such as Monsanto genetically engineer crops to withstand high doses of their toxic weed killers that contaminate our food and water, and have not been proven safe. The California Medical Association has called for labeling GMOs because of concerns over adverse allergic reactions. Virtually every major country requires labeling of GMOs in foods so their citizens can make informed choices, including all in Europe, Japan and even China. But the US chemical lobby has so far made sure Americans are kept in the dark.”
“Our professional bio-hazmat suits are not meant to alarm the public, but we have an emergency here and wearing one of these suits is the only viable barrier to avoid GMOs,” says GCU Spokesman. “We are approaching this as a necessary civil defense against the unknown long-term effects of eating GMO foods currently under investigation by the GCU. We will ID people and animals by asking them what they ate for breakfast, lunch and dinner and then tag individual GMO victims with bracelets. We will follow-up before September 17, 2012 when world-wide GCUs will investigate and Occupy Monsanto.”
Attn: TV Assignment and Photographers
WHO: Genetic Crimes Unit
WHAT: ID’ing Victims of Monsanto’s Genetic Crimes by GCU Agents in Bio-Hazmat Suits
WHEN: Friday, March 9, 10:00 am
WHERE: Anaheim Convention Center 800 West Katella Ave, Anaheim, CA 92802
Currently, Monsanto faces a ballot proposition in California on GMO labeling. More than 750,000 people have signed onto the JustLabelit.org citizens’ petition to the Food and Drug Administration for GMO labeling and last fall about 100 people marched in the Right2Know March from New York to the White House to demand President Obama keep his campaign promise to label GMO foods. (Video of the promise can be seen here.)


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Amazon is reportedly considering an expansion into veterinary telehealth as it seeks to compete with Walmart, which began offering such services to its Walmart+ subscribers earlier this year. While Amazon is a dominant player in pet food and supplies, it has not yet significantly invested in pet health. The e-commerce giant is exploring veterinary telehealth, which enables virtual appointments with veterinarians and veterinary technicians, similar to human telemedicine.
This move aligns with the broader trend in the market, where companies like Chewy, Walmart, and Petco are expanding into pet health to stay competitive and tap into the growing $137 billion pet market. Amazon’s potential entry into veterinary telehealth could be facilitated through a partnership with a provider like Pawp, with which Walmart has already collaborated. Veterinary telehealth has gained traction during the pandemic, providing a convenient alternative to in-person visits.
The pet market is becoming increasingly competitive, with players racing to expand their offerings to include not just pet staples like food and toys but also health services. If Amazon proceeds with a pet telehealth program, it could integrate it into its Amazon Prime subscription service, similar to Walmart+ and its collaboration with Pawp.
However, the veterinary telehealth industry faces challenges, including a maze of state and federal laws and concerns about misdiagnosis or delayed treatment. The industry has been lobbying for regulatory changes, with contributions from corporate giants like Chewy and Mars Veterinary Health.
Amazon’s potential entry into veterinary telehealth reflects its broader interest in the pet market, as seen in its significant advertising spend earlier this year on a Super Bowl ad featuring a rescue dog. The U.S. pet market is expected to reach $200 billion by the end of the decade, driven by growth in pet health care.


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Microsoft's business customers may have come to expect delays in product releases, but the company is going to be under pressure over the next year to deliver its Vista OS on time.
While the majority of business customers are unlikely to immediately switch to the new OS, the official release will start a process for those that are planning major hardware and software upgrades. It's estimated that businesses need about 18 months to test and deploy a new OS for users.
Businesses that subscribe to Software Assurance, Microsoft's program that allows free upgrades as part of its volume licensing programs, want to see new versions released to get value for their money, analysts say.
"The irritation for most enterprises is that they are not getting the new versions as part of their software maintenance agreement," said David Bradshaw principal analyst at Ovum.
Microsoft has said it has not determined when it will release Vista to manufacturers, but has said it is on track for the general availability of Vista in the second half of 2006, according to a spokeswoman from Waggener Edstrom, Microsoft's public relations firm. Vista's release date will be driven by the product's quality, she said in an email response to questions.
Software Assurance also offers benefits such as telephone support, web-based support and classroom training, among others, Bradshaw said. The program has become an increasing revenue source for Microsoft, he said.
While the number of complaints has been low, Gartner has seen a "decent" number of organisations that have dropped their Software Assurance agreements on Windows because they felt those weren't of value, said Michael Silver, a Gartner research vice president.
But by dropping those agreements, businesses could be left out of certain features. Microsoft has said that some Vista encryption features will be available only to customers who have Software Assurance or Enterprise Agreement coverage on their Windows client, wrote Michael Cherry, an operating system analyst with Directions on Microsoft, in his paper titled A First Look at Windows Vista.
Users of Windows 2000 are likely to be the first to move to Vista, as vendor application support dwindles for that OS, Silver said. Windows XP users have more time, as mainstream support from Microsoft will continue two years beyond the Vista release, which now would be 2008, Cherry wrote.
About 25 percent of the installed consumer OS base uses Windows 2000, Silver said. For businesses, including educational institutions and government, the figure is around 37 percent of the market, Silver said.
Organisations with Windows 2000 may opt for a total hardware and software upgrade, Silver said. Organisations using Windows XP may delay moving to Vista until they decide to buy new hardware, possibly coordinating a change with the release of Office 12.0, the code name for Microsoft's office suite currently in a technical beta release.
But over the next two to five years, the desktop business in the enterprise is going to undergo long-term challenges, Bradshaw said. The enormous cost of running heavy desktop clients may give way to less expensive, thin-client configurations, he said.
Windows Vista is likely to see strong competition from vendors such as SAP or Oracle offering hosted enterprise applications running within browsers, Bradshaw said. Google and Sun are also working together on a software-as-services concept, which is another potential challenge to Microsoft's long desktop reign.
A widely publicised memo last month from Ray Ozzie, Microsoft's chief technology officer, emphasised the company's commitment to the software-as-services concept. But the question looms: "at what point do they begin to cannibalise their own desktop revenues" with those services, Bradshaw said.


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Why aspen bedding for small animals outshines its alternatives
Let’s dive into the world of bedding derived from the aspen tree and discover why it’s the gold standard compared to its popular alternatives.
2024: looking back but moving forward
After an eventful 2023 worldwide, pet businesses and experts in the field are now looking to the future – but with caution.
New EU sustainability reporting – the facts
This year is the first time that some companies will need to comply with new EU rules as part of the European Green Deal. We explain some of the ins and outs.
Present and future of the equine industry
Despite it being a $100-billion industry, there is still a lack of awareness about the equestrian business sector across Europe. So, how are things changing?
GPF 2024: present and future of the pet industry
More than 300 insiders gathered in Venice to share their knowledge, experiences and key insights on opportunities for pet businesses.
The American Forest & Paper Association recognizes sustainable pet food packaging
The AF&PA has recognized Finnish Ahlstrom for its innovative, environmentally friendly approach.
Mars Thailand wins sustainability award for its plastic waste reduction program
The pet food manufacturer’s ‘SWAP Recycling’ initiative has prevented 7 tons of plastic waste from ending up as mismanaged waste.
Negotiations of new EU rules on sustainable packaging to kick off in 2024
The Council and the Parliament will start the legislative process to design regulations regarding the packaging and packaging waste proposal put forward by the European Commission last year.
Picart opens new production plant in Barcelona
The pet food manufacturer, which is celebrating its 70th anniversary, will triple capacity.
Arcaplanet: new digital features, more stores and sustainable targets
The biggest Italian pet retailer shares with GlobalPETS the achievements in 2023 and plans for the upcoming year.
Pet food brand recognized by the German Sustainability Award 2024
Green Petfood has been awarded for its holistic commitment to creating innovative and sustainable food concepts for dogs and cats.
Changes ahead in US labeling guidelines
From new nutrition facts to visual icons, what will the new rules mean for all pet food manufacturers operating in the US?
Pet Sustainability Coalition: helping businesses to reduce their environmental impact
With its wide range of resources, the Pet Sustainability Coalition has over 10 years of experience in supporting pet industry companies of all shapes and sizes on their sustainability journey.
BARF pet food: the story so far
The raw pet food sector is rapidly evolving, but there are some key challenges it needs to overcome.
Key considerations in the direct-to-consumer shift
What are the opportunities and challenges for pet food companies when expanding their direct-to-consumer footprint?
Harnessing protein power: sardines and anchovies as superfoods
As consumers become increasingly focused on holistic pet care, superfoods are gaining more traction. Are protein superfoods being overlooked in pet nutrition?
Building a pet company with global reach
Schulze Heimtierbedarf is a family business based in the small German town of Porta Westfalica. A sailing trip 40 years ago was how it all started.
Europe softens organic qualification criteria for pet food labeling
Now that the rule has been changed from 100% to 95% organic agricultural ingredients, will this accelerate the pet food industry’s contribution to a sustainable food value chain in the EU?
Australian food giant TasFoods moves into the pet food industry
The Sydney-based group will market a new range of premium pet treats nationwide.
These are the winners of the PIF 2023 awards
The UK’s Pet Industry Federation (PIF) recognized pet businesses in different categories.


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Bank of Ghana works on CBDC
As one of the first countries in West Africa, the Bank of Ghana is working with Giesecke+Devrient (G+D) to develop a digital central bank currency. Currently, this is still a pilot project, with much testing being done with banks, merchants, consumers and other payment service providers. Finally, the so-called e-Cedi is to be issued, which stands as a digital counterpart to the national currency, the Cedi. This was announced in an official statement.
In this regard, the digitization of payments is part of the Digital Ghana Agenda. In this program, the country’s 30 million inhabitants and its government services are to be completely digitized. Not only is the establishment of a digital structure crucial, but it is also meant to be a long-term robust.
The digital e-Cedi
The big advantage, which greatly improves the effectiveness of the payment system, is that payments can be made without a bank account. This is because it is also possible to use the digital services included in the e-Cedi via a smart contract or smartphone.
The project is divided into three phases:
- Pilot phase
In the first phase, the framework conditions for the CBDC are defined. Besides the economic and regulatory requirements, the technical ones are also of great importance. This is because the e-Cedi must be able to mirror the complete infrastructure of Ghana.
In the second phase, a CBDC solution is adapted by G+D to the previously defined concept.
Last but not least, the pilot phase begins. This involves the use of various test subjects. Besides demographic and socio-economic backgrounds, different channels or devices are used to test the digital e-Cedi.


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It’s not a secret that Android has surpassed iOS in terms of mobile market share, and that it’s well on its way to dominating the mobile market in much the same way that Windows has squashed Mac in the desktop arena for years. While Android loyalists take great pride in this fact, though,
The reality is that Apple doesn’t really compete with Android. Apple and Android cater to different markets with different needs. There are Android vendors who aspire to compete with Apple—like Samsung—but Apple isn’t actively striving to win over Android users.
It comes down to this simple fact: The people who buy cheap Android smartphones and cheap Android tablets were never in Apple’s market to begin with. It wouldn’t matter if Android didn’t exist at all—those customers are simply not part of Apple’s target audience.
It reminds me of the battle between the RIAA and MPAA over services like Napster and the concept of copyright infringement. Copyright is copyright, and the legal owners of the content have every right to enforce that copyright, but assertions by the RIAA and MPAA over the revenue impact were largely misguided.
The problem with the way the RIAA and MPAA attempted to enforce copyright is that their lawsuit damages assumed that every song or movie downloaded was actually lost revenue. For example, if an individual illegally downloaded 1,000 songs, the RIAA would multiply that figure by the average cost of a single song—say 99 cents—and assume the copyright infringement resulted in $990 of lost revenue.
However, that math takes for granted that the offender would be a paying customer if it weren’t for the theft. That is a silly, and in most cases completely wrong. In the absence of the availability of illegal content and the tools to acquire it, most offenders would simply go without the content. They wouldn’t magically become paying customers.
How does that relate to Apple and Android? The same logic applies. Vendors sell a ton of Android smartphones and tablets. However, that in no way indicates that the absence of cheap Android smartphones and tablets would cause those customers to buy iPhones or iPads instead. The vast majority would not.
Why should Apple care? Android has most of the pie, but the pie itself keeps growing as well. Apple continues to sell an increasing number iPhones and iPads each quarter. Apple’s sales, revenue, and profit have risen relatively unhindered, so it can be argued that Android expanded the size of the mobile market share pie, but really had virtually zero impact on Apple itself.
Besides, comparing Android and iOS is like comparing Tesla against the entire, combined auto industry. Apple has a couple iOS smartphone options, and a couple iOS tablet options, compared to countless Android smartphone and tablet models from a multitude of vendors. On a single device level, few—if any—individual smartphones or tablets are even in the same league as the iPhone or iPad in terms of sales.
In the end, what is the value of market share if it doesn’t result in revenue and, more importantly, profit? Apple doesn’t need to be concerned with the market share battle, because most of the customers who are driving the skyrocketing market share of Android are not Apple’s target market, and don’t provide any underlying value aside from headline fodder for tech news sites.
What benefit do Android vendors like LG, or
Samsung is the only Android mobile vendor that really competes head-to-head with Apple—providing high-end, premium smartphones and tablets that are well-engineered and deliver a superior user experience. Not coincidentally, Samsung is also the only mobile device vendor aside from Apple that seems to be making any money.
Google and Samsung deserve credit for establishing Android as a dominant mobile platform, but that success has been achieved by catering to a different audience than Apple, and it has been won by expanding the market overall, not by cutting into Apple’s market.
Android loyalists and tech media can hype Android market share stats all they want. Apple will just keep counting its cash.
Also on Forbes:


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Full Disclosure: I have financially backed Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night on Kickstarter.
Despite having been funded over two years ago on Kickstarter, we’ve learned that Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night may not be as far in development as we previously thought.
The news comes via an interview between Famitsu and game creator Koji Igarashi at this year’s BitSummit, who confirmed development on the game is roughly 20-30% complete. To compare, development on the game was roughly 10% done during last year’s BitSummit.
Igarashi noted that he is going to increase the pace of development, and that they dropped the Wii U version for the Nintendo Switch because the game is developed within Unreal Engine 4 – which the Wii U doesn’t support. He also noted the difficulty in porting the game to the Wii U from PC, in comparison to other platforms.
In total, the game raised over $5.5 million on Kickstarter alone during its crowdfunding run, plus whatever extra from Paypal.
Igarashi noted that Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night is still on track for a release sometime next year, across PC, Mac, Linux, PlayStation 4, PS Vita, Xbox One, and the Nintendo Switch. Finally, Igarashi also teased showing the game off at this year’s E3, as a considerable number of backers are from North America.


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In a decisive move against the incessant wave of illegal robocalls flooding American lives, California Attorney General Rob Bonta, supported by a bipartisan coalition of 49 attorneys general, has initiated a groundbreaking lawsuit against Avid Telecom. The telecommunications giant stands accused of sending billions of unsolicited robocalls across California and the United States, involving deceptive practices such as Social Security, Medicare, and employment scams. This legal action marks a significant step in the nationwide Anti-Robocall Litigation Task Force’s efforts, a group co-founded by Attorney General Bonta aimed at curtailing telecommunications companies’ facilitation of robocall traffic.
“Protecting consumers from the onslaught of unwanted robocalls is more than just curbing a daily nuisance; it’s about preventing the substantial financial harm they cause,” stated Attorney General Bonta. “Our legal action against Avid Telecom underscores our commitment to enforcing the law against those who seek to invade our privacy and security. Billions of robocalls have been made in blatant disregard of federal and state laws, and we’re determined to see justice served.”
Between December 2018 and January 2023, Avid Telecom is alleged to have made over 24.5 billion calls, with more than 90% lasting less than 15 seconds, indicating their nature as robocalls. Particularly egregious is the over 7.5 billion calls made to numbers listed on the National Do Not Call Registry, with nearly 578 million of those targeting Californians. The National Do Not Call Registry was established to shield consumers from telemarketing disturbances, yet companies like Avid Telecom have systematically bypassed these protections.
The lawsuit accuses Avid Telecom of multiple legal violations, including the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, the Telemarketing Sales Rule, the Truth in Caller ID Act, and California’s Unfair Competition Law. This legal action, joined by a wide array of state attorneys general, demonstrates a unified front in the battle against robocall violations, signaling a strong stance against deceptive and unlawful business practices.
The Path Forward: A Stand Against Robocall Violations
This lawsuit is not just a punitive measure but a clarion call for the telecommunications industry to adhere to ethical standards and legal requirements. It underscores the importance of robust legal frameworks like the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) in safeguarding consumer rights. For those affected by similar robocall invasions, this case highlights the potential for legal recourse and the importance of seeking knowledgeable representation.
Individuals and businesses tormented by illegal robocalls have avenues for redress, including pursuing robocall lawsuits with the assistance of experienced robocall attorneys. These legal experts can navigate the complexities of the TCPA and other relevant laws to hold violators accountable. Attorney General Bonta’s lawsuit against Avid Telecom not only seeks to rectify the immediate harm caused by billions of illegal robocalls but also serves as a deterrent to others who might flout the laws designed to protect consumers.
As this case progresses, it will undoubtedly shed light on the practices of telecommunications companies and the urgent need for systemic changes to eliminate the scourge of robocalls. Consumers are encouraged to remain vigilant, report unwanted calls, and explore legal options if they believe their rights have been violated. Together, through collective action and legal enforcement, there is hope for a future where consumer privacy is respected, and the robocall epidemic is finally brought under control.


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Providian National Bank, the sixth-largest Visa card issuer in the United States, said it will deny approval for most online wagers made by its customers.
"People who use credit cards to gamble on the Internet present a higher credit risk to a lending institution, and there also is a more significant fraud risk with Internet gambling transactions," Laurie Cole, Providian's vice president of corporate communications, said in explaining the bank's decision.
"Providian was evaluating the Internet gambling issue and has decided to decline to authorize transactions on its credit cards that we can identify are originating from Internet gambling sites," she added.
The decision comes as the company recently settled a lawsuit with a Net gambler and as online gambling comes under scrutiny by lawmakers on Capitol Hill.
Providian sued Cynthia Haines, who used her credit cards to gamble away more than $70,000 over the Internet from her home in California but didn't pay her bills. Haines responded by filing a countersuit against the bank as well as against Visa and MasterCard, claiming the companies were at fault for letting her gamble with credit in the first place.
In July, MasterCard settled with Haines and adopted a policy that gambling sites have to post a notice stating that Internet gambling could be illegal in a customer's jurisdiction.
Visa came to a similar agreement with Haines, concluding that she will not have to pay back her debts directly. The online gambling sites that took her bets will cover them with the issuing banks. The Visa merchant sites will pay Providian National Bank nearly $5,000 and will pay First Union Direct Bank $5,400.
Congress is considering a bill that would outlaw most forms of Net gambling. The Internet Gambling Prohibition Act, authored by Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Arizona), would update the Federal Wire Act, which prohibits taking bets over phone lines.


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(Press Release: London – 5th of June 2017)
Driven by resurgent interest from the catwalk (e.g. London AW 17 catwalks showing fur up 8% year on year) the international fur trade has remained strong despite a predicted slow down in the Chinese luxury sector, new figures reveal.
Demand from the fashion and interior design sectors continues to drive fur production in Europe and North America with items made from mink, chinchilla and sable more popular than ever.
In 2016 there were over 75 million mink pelts produced on farms globally with a total estimated value of $2.44bn USD.
There were also 15.25 million fox pelts produced with an estimated value of almost $1bn USD ($0.97bn).
While the overall figures compared to 2015 are slightly down they show a strong performance in Europe and North American with production figures stable and robust.
Valuation estimates now put the global fur trade at over $30bn USD including all stages like farming, manufacturing and retail. The International Fur Federation, which represents the world’s fur trade, is expected to update this figure in the coming weeks in an in-depth economic report.
What is clear is that world fur figures are defying the Chinese trend which has shown a slowdown hitting many luxury products.
Mink production in China fell by 41.2 per in 2016 though higher quality local producers have suffered least. Its production of fox also fell by 12.75 per cent year on year.
Reduction in Chinese production is a clear reaction to recent market saturation there and price drops especially at the lower end of the market.
Chinese producers are responding to demands from government and consumers for higher welfare and are seeking to adopt the modern techniques pioneered in Europe and North America to operate with better welfare, efficiency and profitability.
The broader effect of this drop in Chinese production is that global raw pelt prices are advancing from their recent lows, mirroring the pro-fur trends seen on the catwalks and at retailers.
Now that Chinese over-production has been reined in by market forces IFF expects the recent price growth at auctions (in Europe, North America and Russia) to continue steadily over the next 2-3 seasons at least, while production remains stable.
As well as the main fur types there were also other strong numbers posted with over 500k Sable coming from Russia, another (approximate) 500k Karakul coming from Namibia and Afghanistan and 250k chinchilla globally.
North America (US + Canada) also contributed over 4.3 million pelts from sustainable wild sources including in-demand types like coyote, bobcat & marten.
The production of wild fur is amongst the best examples of the sustainable use of wildlife as espoused by groups like the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
Mark Oaten, CEO of IFF, said
“These figures show that despite a difficult market in Russia and China, fur remains one of the most successful luxury trades in the globe, with these new figures showing an output of over 110 million raw furs in 2016.”
Notes to Editors
Formed over 60 years ago, the IFF ensure its members adhere to strict codes of practice and protects the fur trade’s interests and represents over 50 national fur trade associations and organisations from over 40 countries.
Its members are drawn from the fur supply chain from farmers, trappers and merchants to brokers, buyers, designers and wholesalers.


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How worried should we be over the shock rise in inflation?
The Office for National Statistics data defied forecasts for a drop to 9.9% last month, instead revealing a rise back up to 10.4%.
The surprise increase in the rate of inflation last month has confirmed that the cost-of-living crisis is far from over for British households and businesses.
The data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) defied forecasts for a drop in the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) last month, instead revealing a rise back up to 10.4% from 10.1% in January.
It comes after three straight months of declining inflation, which had seen hopes mount that the worst of the crisis was behind us and that the era of double-digit inflation was coming to an end.
So what was behind the unexpected increase and should we be worried that the cost crisis is ramping up again?
– Why was inflation in February so much higher than expected?
Economists were firmly pencilling in another drop, to 9.9% last month and have been taken aback by the surprise increase.
The rise comes after food prices leapt up by 18.3% year-on-year in February, driven largely by the salad and vegetable shortages seen across supermarkets in recent weeks.
Tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers were some of the vegetables impacted, with retailers saying a combination of bad weather and related transport problems in north Africa and Europe were causing significant supply problems.
The ONS said the rate of vegetable price inflation alone jumped to 18%, its highest level for 14 years.
– But experts knew about the pressure on food prices from last month’s shortages, didn’t they?
Economists had forecast a jump in food inflation, but nowhere near the 18.3% increase announced by the ONS.
There were also other factors behind the leap in CPI, with the ONS noting the rocketing cost of alcoholic drinks in pubs and restaurants as prices ticked up after discounts in January.
Inflation overall in restaurants and cafes stood at 11.4% last month, up from 9.4% in January and the highest since December 1991, with the hospitality sector more widely upping prices in the face of soaring energy and wage bills.
Higher clothing prices were another factor pushing up CPI, with this category seeing an 8.1% jump – the biggest for four months – with womenswear particularly seeing big rises.
– Do we need to be worried that the cost-of-living crisis is ramping up again?
Experts still believe that inflation will fall back sharply by the end of 2023.
The vegetable shortage has already largely resolved, suggesting food price inflation will ease off from March onwards.
There are also some prices that are dropping back considerably, for example at the fuel forecourts, where petrol and diesel are much lower than this time last year after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Inflation is due to drop further as last year’s rocketing energy increases fall out of the calculation, while more widely, wholesale gas and electricity prices are easing back sharply.
The Bank of England believes inflation will more than halve by the year end, thanks to falling wholesale energy costs while supply chain disruption is also easing up.
Meanwhile, the UK’s fiscal watchdog, the Office for Budget Responsibility, last week cut its forecasts for inflation, predicting CPI would end the year at around 2.9%.
– What does this all mean for interest rates?
The Bank of England is set to announce its latest decision on Thursday, having already raised rates 10 times in a row, to 4% last month, in an effort to rein in soaring prices.
Recent turmoil in financial markets due to fears of a global banking crisis has led some experts to believe it will hold fire on another rise this month.
But the surprise rise in CPI will make it a more difficult decision, with others pencilling in another quarter point rise, to 4.25%, as they believe the Bank will prioritise its battle with inflation.


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FedEx Chairman Fred Smith talks before Orange Bowl
FedEx Chairman Fred Smith
Originally uploaded by marylandcpa.
Can the economy keep going strong in 2007?
I heard FedEx Chairman Fred Smith give his insights into the global marketplace and the future of U.S. businesses on New Year's Day. Smith said he thinks the future is very bright, and I agree.
He did an amazing job of putting things in context in a way that made a lot of sense.
Smith made the case that we should not see major long recessions anymore due to today's more efficient and connected supply chains. In the old days, slowdowns would take almost a year to work their way through the supply chain, from retailer to wholesaler and manufacturer. With the advent of companies like Dell, Wal-Mart and just-in-time manufacturing, inventories are measured in days, not months. Thus, we will expreience a series of mini-recessions in industries as they react to slowdowns. Makes sense to me.
He went on to talk about the top three trends affecting U.S businesses:
- Globalization and opportunities in emerging global markets.
- Web and technology connecting the global marketplace.
- Production of higher added-value products in the U.S.
Bottom line: If you are not positioning your busines or clients to deal in a better-connected global supply chain and marketplace, you'd better start now!
What do you think?


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It's not unusual for executives in key jobs to offer a parting statement that wishes all well when they depart, a kind of snappy salute to the troops. But the departing statement by Steve Jenkins, who is leaving his job as vice president of business development for the local economic development agency, bears special examination.
Jenkins gave some advice that Corpus Christi should heed if its economic prospects are ever going to achieve their full potential.
His words were written, by coincidence, just before the announcement of the decision by the Caller-Times to withdraw its membership from the Corpus Christi Chamber of Commerce. This was a step not taken lightly since the newspaper has been a member of the chamber for more than 75 years.
But the reasons for the newspaper's withdrawal from the chamber and Jenkins' message essentially revolve around the same point, that disunity is hindering the growth of Corpus Christi and is harming its economic health.
Not many communities would have the president of the local chamber be a prominent member of the opposition to the creation of a multimillion- dollar retail center. But Terry Carter, president of the Corpus Christi Chamber of Commerce, was in opposition to using tax-increment zone financing to support the proposed Crosstown Commons shopping center. Its developers say they plan to invest $300 million to create 2.2 million square feet of retail space near the Crosstown Expressway and South Padre Island Drive. Carter was part of the opposition put up by local businesses, including the owners of Padre Staples Mall who said the tax-increment zone was unfair.
If there's anyone who ought to see the bigger picture of more jobs, more business investment and increased sales taxes that comes from the creation of a major new shopping center, it should be the president of the entity that has the mission of fostering the local business climate. That position should be one that unites and advocates for "all of the business community, both existing companies and new companies trying to enter the market," as President and Publisher Patrick J. Birmingham wrote in a letter to Freddie Martinez, the chamber's chairman, explaining the newspaper's withdrawal from the chamber. Unfortunately, that is not true in Corpus Christi.
Which brings us to the heart of Jenkins' parting message about disunity.
"There are too many silos, turfs, agendas and egos," Jenkins wrote in his resignation letter. "As a result, everything is a battle. The community, as part of its culture at times, seems to thrive on such conflict, but there is little or no real progress because the energy is expended in destructive ways."
Jenkens is absolutely correct in his analysis of Corpus Christi's love for a brawl about growth and development. This has been the city's record whether it was about Crosstown Commons or about the expansion of Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi or about the proposed resort development along Packery Channel or about the entertainment center that was proposed for the land now occupied by Memorial Coliseum.
All these proposals had their positive talking points, but all generated fierce opposition, in some cases fatal opposition.
Too many agendas? Absolutely.
In the case of Carter and those who opposed Crosstown Commons, their agenda was local businesses. Others' agendas on other issues were golf enthusiasts, or vehicles on the beach, or simply, the status quo. Every agenda in opposition has its say in Corpus Christi whenever economic development is proposed, save one. That agenda is the job of growing Corpus Christi, making this a more vibrant city, and giving every family a chance at a better job, a higher standard of living and a better future. Jenkins' message ought to be received as a splash of cold reality about the cost of Corpus Christi's culture of opposition. Or it should be if the city wants to unite for a better community.
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“Earth Day is more than just a time for companies to show up once a year to proclaim their sustainability initiatives”, states Monarch Tractor. That’s why at the occasion of Earth Day 2022, they aim to go beyond these words of promise. The company highlights the impact of electrically powered tractors in every day of the year use.
On Earth Day 2021, Monarch Tractor officially deployed their pilot series at Wente Vineyards in California, USA. It was the first time a fully electric, drive-optional, smart tractor had ever been deployed to a commercial farm. Since then Monarch has been out in the field testing them every day The company conducts customer trials across the state of California, offsetting no less than 118 metric tons of CO2e emissions, with just a small fleet of electric tractors.
From the farms of Livermore to Napa Valley to Lodi, they receive feedback which is used to optimize the Monarch tractor for day-to-day challenges.
“We’ve seen firsthand the benefits of the Monarch tractor in our vineyards,” says Niki Wente of Wente Vineyards. “Monarch Tractor represents the future of tractors… Iit’s especially exciting as we kick off this new era of sustainable farming.”
Developing technology in a dynamic industry like agtech, means creating original, unique, and innovative solutions. For this achievement, Monarch Tractor has been honored with a series of awards and recognition for the innovative work they’ve been doing in sustainable farming.


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Aguli News ( 03-04-23 to 04-04-23): The recent G20 conference not only discussed scientific innovations and prospects but also opened up opportunities for major investments in the state. According to Chief Minister Dr. Manik Saha, some of the conference participants were impressed with the state’s potential and expressed their willingness to invest in sectors such as electric vehicles, medical colleges, hospitals, food processing, tourism, and information technology.
During the conference, the participants visited an exhibition beside the conference hall and later talked to the Chief Minister about the investment opportunities in the state. Dr. Manik Saha was enthusiastic about the interest shown by the participants and assured them that the state government would provide all necessary cooperation to facilitate these investments.
The delegates who attended the conference came from various countries and were pleased with the hospitality in the state. They visited popular tourist destinations such as Ujjayanta Palace, Neermahal, Musical Fountain at Kumari Tilla lake, Oxygen Park, Purbasha, and were elated with the beauty of the state. The delegates also spoke about the immense tourism possibilities of the state.
The G20 conference has brought in new investment prospects and has opened up a world of opportunities for the state. With the state government’s full support and cooperation, these investments can help bolster the economy and provide a brighter future for the people of the state.


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A new trailer has been revealed for the gritty undead adventure heading out for Nintendo’s new console.The new trailer shows a very harrowing experience inside an infested Buckingham Palace, chock full of royal zombie guards.
ZombiU was first unveiled at the E3 trade show earlier this year. It was the token Nintendo title that’s not designed for kids and families. Initial impressions for the game have bene positive but the real test will be if the final product comes together well and in time for the Wii U console launch window.
It’s believed that the Wii U will be released on or around November 18. ZombiU has been tipped for release around Christmas time.
Forget the new touchscreen controller. Forget the fact that Nintendo will finally offer HD graphics in a video game console. And you can even forget the new online community Miiverse.
All of those things are irrelevant if the Wii U doesn’t manage to bring significant third-party support and blockbuster franchises that have helped deliver success to its rival consoles.
So games like THQ’s ZombiU really need to be a success. Among the other major titles rumored to be hitting the Wii U is Call of Duty: BLack Ops 2.


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If you want to predict how much Tesla’s cheapest car will cost at any given time, you just have to know one thing: the average price paid for a new vehicle in the U.S. Only $300 or so separates the two figures, on average.
It’s been that way from the start, according to a new analysis of pricing data compiled by Bloomberg. When the Model 3 went into production in 2017, Elon Musk touted a $35,000 starting price that almost exactly mirrored the $34,944 average cost of a new vehicle at the time. Five years and a burst of inflation later, a Model 3 costs $46,990, versus the $47,692 average in the U.S.
Tesla’s floating-price strategy is unique among car companies. It was made possible by Musk’s rejection of two century-old traditions: First, he eschewed the franchised dealership model, putting Tesla in control of the final price paid by customers. Second, he’s bucked the industry norm of setting prices at the start of each model year, then mostly keeping them static. Tesla changes prices frequently, often multiple times a year.
As electric vehicle demand soars and established manufacturers chase after Tesla, carmakers including Ford and Volvo are beginning to move toward more centralized control over EV sales and pricing. Musk’s strategy also will be under more scrutiny than ever before after several quarters of disappointing deliveries has led some analysts to question whether Tesla will need to cut prices in order to keep growing as quickly as it’s projected.
Tesla doesn’t price cars the same way other automakers do.
Every year, beginning around August, car manufacturers lock in features and prices for each vehicle they sell. The 2023 Toyota RAV4 Prime, for example, starts at a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $41,590, and MSRPs for the various versions of the sport utility vehicle are unlikely to change again until the 2024 model year.
Dealerships will offer incentives, charge additional fees, cut deals or haggle over options and financing, but the MSRP stays steady.
It’s a beautiful car with no carbon emission, and initially, I was proud of owning it and being seen driving a vehicle that displayed my concern for the environment.
Dec. 28, 2022
This annual season for setting vehicle prices dates to a mid-1930s policy to stabilize jobs for the holiday shopping season during the Great Depression. Old traditions die hard.
In Tesla’s early days of Model S and Model X production — from 2012 to 2016 — the company justified many of its midyear price changes by offering new features or performance upgrades. It might, for example, increase the battery range of a base model by 17 miles, or offer a discounted model with certain options disabled by a software lock.
By the time the Model 3 reached mass production in 2018, however, all bets were off. Pricing sometimes changed week to week, with or without changes to the model lineup. At times, this didn’t go over well with customers.
Musk still gets chided for selling the Model 3 at the $35,000 price that he hyped only briefly before taking it off the menu. Over time, though, consumers seemed to accept that Tesla prices are always subject to change. This has given Tesla flexibility to boost demand by dropping prices, or adjust to parts shortages by outbidding competitors and passing the added cost on to customers.
Ford and Volvo are trying to move in a similar direction.
The basic rules of how U.S. dealerships conduct business were created by Henry Ford more than a century ago and later codified into law in most states. One of those rules is that although manufacturers set the recommended price, only dealerships can negotiate the final terms with customers.
The California’s Air Resources Board, who have been mandating emission standards for decades, recently voted to stop selling new gas cars in the state by 2035. But in this political climate, can California continue to lead the way?
Dec. 12, 2022
This has become a problem as demand for EVs outstrips manufacturers’ ability to build them. Early last year, reports started popping up of dealerships charging thousands of dollars more than the MSRP for models including Hyundai’s Ioniq 5, or even tens of thousands extra for Ford’s F-150 Lightning. Such extreme markups are negotiated by dealerships, with no financial benefit to the manufacturer, and can undermine trust in the brand.
In September, Ford Chief Executive Jim Farley met with dealer representatives and issued an ultimatum: They would have to agree to no-haggle pricing and make significant investments in charging infrastructure, or at the end of 2023, they’ll lose the right to sell any of the company’s electric vehicles. Dealers had until November of last year to decide, and almost two-thirds signed on.
Volvo is making similar moves, announcing last year that all of its electric cars will be sold online, with transparent, non-negotiable prices. As has been the case with Ford, the changes have put some dealers on edge.
Inflation turned MSRP strategy upside down.
Midyear changes to MSRPs have always been rare among traditional automakers, said Ivan Drury, an analyst for the car-shopping guide Edmunds. Consumers want to feel like they’re getting a good deal, so MSRPs are intentionally set a smidge high, with incentives then used to bring the price down to whatever the market will support.
This rule of thumb that new cars were almost always sold at a discount has been turned on its head since the pandemic. With demand strong and manufacturers unable to keep up because of widespread supply chain issues and higher costs of raw materials, automakers largely withdrew their incentives, saving hundreds of millions of dollars. Some dealers created new fees and tacked on mandatory services. For at least six consecutive months last year, the average U.S. consumer actually paid more than the MSRP — the first time that’s happened since Edmunds started tracking prices 20 years ago. The inversion lasted until November, when more of the new 2023 MSRPs kicked in.
Transparent, no-haggle pricing is ideal for manufacturers when demand is high, but less so in a downturn. At those times, dealers want negotiating flexibility in order to move cars off their lots.
“That’s why they have targeted the dealership changes literally only for the EVs,” Drury said of automakers. “Because that’s where they see the demand, and where they see it continuing for years.”
Ford flexed its new EV pricing control by changing the MSRP of its new electric pickup truck, the F-150 Lightning, three times last year. The base model now sells for almost 50% more than its debut starting price of just under $40,000.
EV wait lists are the new normal.
The prices of many EVs remain stuck in the stratosphere because manufacturers are still struggling to keep up with demand. Most of the bestselling models have wait lists, with some customers waiting six months or more to get new cars and trucks.
Last year, Tesla raised prices or changed its model offerings on a half-dozen occasions. During its second-quarter earnings call in July, Musk acknowledged the swings were unusual.
“We’ve raised our prices quite a few times. They’re frankly at embarrassing levels,” the chief executive said. “But we’ve also had a lot of supply chain and production shocks, and we’ve got crazy inflation. So I’m hopeful — and this is not a promise or anything — but I’m hopeful that at some point we can reduce the prices a little bit.”
As wait times lengthened early and midway through last year, Tesla even halted sales of two of its most desired models: the Long Range Model 3 and the Standard Range Model Y. “Waitlist is too long,” Musk said of the Model 3 in August. “Will enable again as we ramp production.” There’s no word yet on when that might be.
Wait times for most Tesla models have virtually evaporated in recent months as the company has increased production at its newest factories near Berlin and in Austin, Texas. Musk also has flagged several macroeconomic head winds hitting demand.
Tesla even pulled out some old-school incentives to juice sales, offering $7,500 to U.S. buyers who took possession of their new vehicles before Jan. 1, when new federal tax credits took effect. Deliveries still fell short of expectations, with the company handing over 405,278 vehicles in the last three months, well shy of the 420,760 average estimate compiled by Bloomberg.
How to predict Tesla’s new-vehicle prices.
Musk is also raising expectations for a new entry-level model, which he said in October will slot in below the Model 3 at roughly half the cost. Two years ago, he said the smaller Tesla would cost about $25,000. If the Model 3 price history is any guide, that target will end up being aspirational, and may need some inflation-based adjusting.
On Monday, the company said the generation 3 platform will be on the agenda for an investor day it’s scheduled for March 1.
Customers also are waiting for updated pricing on the delayed Cybertruck, the pickup the company plans to start delivering in the coming months. When Tesla began taking reservations for the vehicle in 2019, the all-wheel-drive version was priced at $50,000 — almost exactly the average price paid for a large truck that year. The average large truck today goes for more than $56,000.
With Tesla continuing to dominate the U.S. market for electric cars, competitors will want to account for the price of these vehicles when setting their own MSRPs — but they’re almost certain to find a moving target.


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Sprint Talks Android Apps in Series of Helpful Videos
Sprint has just released a handful of new YouTube videos to help new Android users get the most of their phone. Aimed at specific needs, Heather walks you through some excellent titles selected by the carrier. What apps should you look for if you’re planing a trip or trying to get in shape? There’s even a video dedicated to busy moms and dads! Hit the jump to watch the first five.
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Today Sprint announced (re-announced) the upcoming LG Optimus S. The Optimus S was originally announced about a month ago at CTIA, and was suppose to be on the shelves on
RadioShack’s PR team just shot us a quick note to advise us that the electronics and gadget retailer will soon be offering the Samsung Conquer 4G. Expected to arrive on


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CES 2014 - the world's biggest technology showcase - is now underway and the whathifi.com team are there to bring you the very latest as it happens.
More than 3200 exhibitors have arrived in Las Vegas, US, and you can follow all of the press conferences, product launches, keynotes and more.
Keep up to date with the big press conferences as they happen with our Facebook and Twitter pages, starting with LG at 8am PST today (Monday) (4pm, UK).
Sharp, Panasonic, Samsung and Sony are also among the press conferences that take place today (Monday), with more to follow during the week.
MORE: CES 2014 schedule - main press conferences and keynotes
You can also catch up with the highlights from the first day of CES 2014, which has seen a variety of new products unveiled as part of CES Unveiled.
MORE: CES 2014
by Pete Hayman
Follow whathifi.com on Twitter


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Rumor has it that Electronic Arts is approaching the final year of a licensing agreement with the NBA, but even if that is the case, EA chief operating officer Peter Moore says continuing the game doesn't depend on some miracle breakthrough for the beleaguered series this year.
"It's disappointing that we have allowed ourselves to get into this situation, and we're totally to blame," Moore told Game Informer at E3, "but we've got a great executive producer in Sean O'Brien. We're a company that has the resources to rally around it."
Moore reiterated that "we're committed to the license. We're committed to the sport."
NBA Live's troubles date to the cancellation of what was planned as a total remake, NBA Elite 11, in 2010. The series took a year off to sort out its troubles, tried to return with NBA Live 13 in 2012 but was abruptly canceled again. EA Sports cleaned out the senior creative leadership on that series and started over with O'Brien, a longtime veteran from the time the series was developed at EA Canada.
NBA Live 14's release, on PS4 and Xbox One only, was roundly panned in reviews but the development team continued to support the title with online content, dynamic roster updates, and a large patch in February that addressed some of the most glaring criticisms. Last week NBA Live 15 released its first screenshots, six closeups of player faces that look much better than their appearances in NBA Live 14.
NBA Live 15 will launch on Oct. 7 for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.