text:
Helping keeping car occupants’ buns warm or cool paid off for climate control seat specialist Gentherm in the second quarter and first half of 2014.
Q2 revenues were up 28% to $206.2m.
Gentherm noted European-based sales were significantly higher year on year in Q2 “as local economies and car sales continue to improve”.
Net income was $16.4m, or $0.46 per versus $5m ($0.15) a year earlier.
Gross margin increased to 29.5% from 25%.
Adjusted EBITDA was $32.3m, up $15.8m or 95%.
H1 revenues increased 29.7% to $400.1m, net income attributable to common shareholders for the first six months of 2014 was $33m vs $12.7m in H1 2013, gross margin was 29.4% (25.7%) and adjusted EBITDA was $64.8m versus $34.7m a year ago.
Gentherm expects 2014 revenue to increase by at least 20% over 2013’s $662m.


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Twitter has released its financials for the fourth quarter of 2019. It reported total revenue to be $1.01 billion in Q4 which was in the high-end region of its guidance range. It said this is the first time that it has delivered $1 billion in quarterly revenues. It said the United States made up $591 million of the revenue, an increase of 17% compared to the year before; this was driven by a 20% growth in U.S. advertising revenue.
Commenting on the results, Jack Dorsey, Twitter’s CEO, said:
“2019 was a great year for Twitter. Our work to increase relevance and ease of use delivered 21% mDAU [(monetizable Daily Active Usage)] growth in Q4, with more than half of the 26 million mDAU added in 2019 directly driven by product improvements. Entering 2020, we are building on our momentum – learning faster, prioritizing better, shipping more and hiring remarkable talent. All of which put us in a stronger position as we address the challenges and opportunities ahead.”
With the fourth-quarter results in, Twitter was able to reveal that the firm’s revenue for the whole year was $3.46 billion which represents a 14% increase year-over-year. While it may seem like a lot, costs and expenses still need factoring in. The yearly costs and expenses totalled $3.09 billion (+19% year-over-year) which left an operating income of $366 million and an 11% operating margin.
This year, the company said that it has four main objectives to drive its work, these are:
- Increasing development velocity and trust
- Increasing healthy public conversation
- Increasing revenue durability
- Enabling anyone, anywhere to work at Twitter
To achieve these goals, the firm wants to increase its workforce by 20% or more this year, especially in engineering, product, design, and research roles. This growth, and previous investment decisions, will see costs and expenses grow by 20% in 2020. One such investment will see it build a new data centre this year which will add capacity “to support audience and revenue growth”. On the back of these financials, Twitter's share price rose from the $33 range to around $39.

domain: news


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Here's a look at some amazing space images from 2019
Girl Scouts from all over the country gathered on the Mall for a celebration of the organization’s 100th anniversary.
June 9, 2012Thousands of Girl Scout troops from around the nation were on the Mall in Washington to celebrate the organization's 100th anniversary. An estimated 200,000 Girl Scouts, family, alumnae and friends from around the world and every Girl Scout Council in the United States were expected to attend the "Rock the Mall" event to celebrate the Girl Scout movement. The event featured songs by the girls along with audience participation.Marvin Joseph/THE WASHINGTON POST
The Girl Scouts are turning 100. An estimated 200,000 scouts turned out for a singalong on the National Mall to celebrate the occasion. Share your Girl Scout memories with a photo. And be sure to include your favorite memory in the caption too.


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Hispanic US adults are more likely to regularly use several new mobile devices than overall adults, according to the BIGresearch Simultaneous Media Usage (SIMM17) survey conducted from December 2010-January 2011. For example, 18.6% of Hispanic adults use a Blackberry, 37% more than the 13.6% of overall adults who do so.
Hispanic adults are also 59% more likely than overall adults to use an iPad (7.8% compared to 4.9%). Other regular use discrepancies exist in usage rates of iPhones (Hispanics 59% more likely to regularly use) and Droids (Hispanics 64% more likely to use).
Hispanic adults are notable more likely to perform mobile search on a number of devices than overall adults. About one-quarter (26.3%) of Hispanic adults regularly search the internet via cell phone, 78% more than the 14.8% of overall adults.
In addition, a 73% discrepancy exists in regular use of Droid for internet search. And while only 7.6% of Hispanic adults regularly use an iPad for internet search, that figure is still 65% higher than the 4.6% of overall adults. Large discrepancies also exist in rates of using iPhone and Blackberry devices for internet search.
Survey data shows about 58% of Hispanic adults perform mobile text messaging, 41% more than the 41% of overall adults who do so. Hispanic adults are also 46% more likely to take mobile pictures or video (38%) than overall adults (26%). Some of this discrepancy may be explained by a slightly higher percentage of Hispanic adults who own a cell phone (91%) than overall adults (89%).
Looking at several other mobile activities, 17.9% of Hispanic adults view news on a cell phone, 69% more than the 10.6% of overall adults. In addition, 13.2% of Hispanic adults view cell phone video, 83% more than the 7.2% of overall adults; and 12.4% of Hispanics view sports on a cell phone, 65% more than the 7.5% of overall adults.
Fifty-two percent of US Hispanic adults consume mobile local news, compared to 51% of black non-Hispanic adults and 45% of white non-Hispanic adults, according to data from the Pew Research Center’s Project For Excellence in Journalism..
About the Data: 24,754 respondents participated in the BIGresearch Simultaneous Media Usage (SIMM17) survey conducted October 27, 2010 to January 4, 2011.
Topics: Analytics & Automated, Connected Device Comparisons, Hispanic, Media & Entertainment, Mobile Phone, Online, Paid Search, Retail & E-Commerce, Search Engine Optimization, Sports, Technology, Telecom
Subscribe now to receive more charts and articles like this each day in your inbox. A fast read in a clean, mobile-friendly design.


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Bitcoin News Twitter. The latest tweets from @thebitcoinnews The latest tweets from @bitcoins__news
— bitcoin (@bitcoin) may 29, 2018 for now, we want to focus on bitcoin alone, in it’s original inception. Btc positioned for breakout above $50,000. Fformer ceo of twitter and now ceo of block unfollowed justin trudeau on twitter.
A New Campaign Pushes The Cryptocurrency Network To Abandon That Process For More Climate.
Anthony cuthbertson and vishwam sankaran. Bitcoin approached its 2022 price high on 28 march following a crypto market surge (getty images) bitcoin has finally broken out of a window it has been trading within since the start of. The discussion began when musk put up a twitter poll friday asking his 79.2 million followers to vote whether they believe twitter adheres to the.
The Latest Tweets From @Cointelegraph
Friday 25 march 2022 02:12. Twitter launches bitcoin tipping feature, explores nft authentication twitter has begun rolling out “tips,” a feature that allows users to send bitcoin or cash tips. — bitcoin (@bitcoin) may 29, 2018 for now, we want to focus on bitcoin alone, in it’s original inception.
In Many Cases, Those People Were One And The Same.
Bitcoin price fell from the $48,000 to the $44,000 value area, ending march on a. Twitter rolls out ‘tips’ with bitcoin The latest tweets from @thebitcoinnews
The Company Introduced Tipping As A Test Feature Back In May As A Way To.
We want to identify the thought leaders and evangelists who worked side by side with the development community to get us from the genesis block to where we are today. Follow the latest updates from the crypto market. The official accounts of barack obama, joe biden.
The Latest Tweets From @Btc
Btc eyes rally above $43k. Amc theatres has integrated with bitpay to accept #cryptocurrencies, including #dogecoin and #shibainu. Btc hits 2022 record as crypto market passes $2 trillion.


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Twitter intends to impose a $1,000 month-to-month verification price on organizations, but will exempt its 500 biggest advertisers and the 10,000 most-adopted organizations with prior verification, essentially based mostly on an internal doc obtained by The New York Times.
All accounts buying verification would undergo a evaluate to invent obvious they weren’t collaborating in impersonation, the doc also indicated.
Why we care. Musk’s plans to worth organizations for verification could doubtlessly affect their social media marketing strategy. A verification badge would customarily be a precious tool for businesses as it helps to build their legitimacy and credibility on the platform. It indicates that their memoir is pleasant, and helps to build believe with their target audience.
If Twitter is now charging for verification, it could perhaps perchance perchance even simply invent it more not easy for smaller or rising businesses to gain the badge, which could affect their skill to entice and luxuriate in followers.
Additionally, the real fact that Twitter is making exceptions for its top advertisers might perchance perchance even simply mark an uneven having fun with field, with greater organizations having an earnings over smaller ones.
Verified Organizations. Here’s how Twitter described the $1,000 per month program in a March 30 tweet:
Verified Organizations is a brand new map for organizations and their affiliates to yelp apart themselves on Twitter. Pretty than relying on Twitter to be the sole arbiter of fact for which accounts should be verified, vetted organizations that join Verified Organizations are in corpulent luxuriate in watch over of vetting and verifying accounts they’re affiliated with.
Accounts affiliated with the organization will receive an affiliate badge on their profile with the organization’s logo, and shall be featured on the organization’s Twitter profile, indicating their affiliation. All organizations are vetted before they’ll join Verified Organizations.
We’ve already considered organizations, at the side of sports teams, news organizations, monetary firms, Fortune 500 firms, and nonprofits join Verified Organizations and list their affiliated accounts publicly on their profiles. And starting right this moment time, Verified Organizations are accessible in globally. We are now sending email invitations to accepted organizations from the waitlist.
Eager businesses, nonprofits, governments, and multilateral organizations world wide can join the waitlist right here: https://T.co/VerifiedOrgs
Twitter’s top 10 advertisers use down 89%. Twitter change into once hit by a “large decline in marketing,” Musk said earlier this month, essentially based mostly on Reuters.
Fragment of that decline has been on account of Twitter’s top 10 advertisers spending 89% much less all the map by the last two months ($7.6 million) than they did from September to October of final year ($71 million), essentially based mostly on Pathmatics recordsdata, by Bloomberg.
The Twitstorm timeline. Announcements from Twitter were somewhat peaceful as of unhurried. But right here are about a of the biggest adjustments (and reversal of said adjustments) since Musk took over:
- CoTweets are being sunsetted.
- In a beta accessible to all advertisers, Twitter launched a brand new Search Keyword Classified ads campaign purpose.
- Roll-Out Plan for Alternative Feeds, Up to this level Bookmarks UI and Long-Originate Tweets is announced
- Evolved Search filters could soon be coming for cell.
- Own a principle for a brand new Twitter memoir, but the username is taken? That you simply must silent be in a location to gain it.
- Musk announces that Twitter is rolling out Gaze Count, so that you just are going to be in a location to leer how time and again your video is considered. As soon as we luxuriate in professional confirmation and more details, we’ll allow you to realise.
- Musk creates a ballot asking customers If he should step aside as CEO. Final outcomes: 57.5% say sure; 42.5% say no.


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The saga of the eventual launch of the global version of the Alcatel Idol 4S with Windows 10 continues. First, it was launching in the UK, then it was launching but it was delayed until August 7, now if you go to pre-order one you'll be met with an "out of stock" message.
Out of stock means precisely that, so if you do want one of these £420 Windows phones then you'll have to wait even longer. But why exactly is it out of stock? Did Microsoft have a sudden rush of demand that overwhelmed the stock allocation that was planned?
Or, is it because it's probably not going to ship on August 8 and will get pushed back again? Naturally, we hope it's the first one, but the current times have made us a little more cynical than usual.
In any case, we'll probably see what's going on soon enough. If you're absolutely keen to get a new Windows phone right now, maybe hit up HP where the Elite x3 is down to £549 with the desk dock. And you can actually buy that one.
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Richard Devine is a Managing Editor at Windows Central with over a decade of experience. A former Project Manager and long-term tech addict, he joined Mobile Nations in 2011 and has been found on Android Central and iMore as well as Windows Central. Currently, you'll find him steering the site's coverage of all manner of PC hardware and reviews. Find him on Mastodon at mstdn.social/@richdevine


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Japan comes hot in their second year of joining Le Mondial des Vins Blancs Strasbourg, winning a silver medal and a category recognition for a Koshu white wine.
Le Mondial des Vins Blancs Strasbourg has been recognizing the best white wines in the world for two decades now. Its 2022 edition was held last June 11-12 at the Congress Centre Strasbourg in France.
Sake specialist Toshio Ueno returned for the second time to join the panel of judges led by Serge Dubs, who was once hailed as the world’s best sommelier in 1989.
The competition gathered a total of 622 samples from around 20 countries across five continents with 180 samples from 13 countries bagging recognitions.
A Muscat entry by Ostrožovič from Slovakia snatched the coveted Le Grand Prix Du Jury, as well as a big gold medal for attaining the highest score among samples.
The two other big gold awardees were a Pinot Gris entry by Sarl du Mittelbourg of France and a Pinot Blanc entry by Anselmann of Germany.
The Le Prix Vinofed award, which is awarded to the top-ranking still dry wine, was given to the Gewurztraminer entry by Davinus from the Czech Republic.
French winemakers still dominated in the dry wine categories with a Koshu wine entry from Château Mercian Koshu Gris de Gris in Japan winning the other grapes category.
The contest also conferred 85 gold medals, including one for an orange wine – a Gewurztraminer from Moltès de Pfaffenheim in France – and 92 silver medals to top-scoring samples.
Le Mondial des Vins Blancs Strasbourg is organized under the patronage of the International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV). It is also a member of the World Federation of Major International Wine and Spirits (VinoFed).


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Zergratran SA has announced its Reg A+ offering to raise $75 million to build the first Green Shipping Corridor.
Puerto Internacional Las Americas (PILA) is planned to be an underground tunnel, about 100 miles south of the Panama Canal, that uses Maglev technology system to transfer containers in less than 30 minutes between fully automated ports on the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of Northern Colombia.
PILA aims to be a focal point for a system-wide upgrade driven by automation, digitisation, technology, and sustainability principles.
It is set be a distribution centre for goods to and from South America and the first world ports offering biofuels only.
PILA is slated to become a greener alternative to the Panama Canal for shipping containers.
“Zergratran SA is not only addressing the need for additional marine trade routes and the sustainable choke point around the Panama Canal,” reads the company’s recent statement, “but helps align the shipping sector with the goal of limiting the global temperature rise – recognised by the ESG World Summit Singapore as the SDG 9 GRIT Awards winner.”
The company believes this first Green Shipping Corridor will be the solution for the early adoption of sustainable technologies that will help place the sector on a pathway to achieve zero emissions.
The news comes on the back of the Green Shipping Challenge launched at COP27, where major countries announced they will roll out end-to-end decarbonised shipping routes.


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Conference notes provide firsthand updates and in-depth coverage of topical conference developments, including invaluable comments and interviews with sources.
Drilling Trends Continue to Point to Pad Drilling, Longer Laterals for Production and Efficiency Gains
Ruckus Embraces Multi-Mode Opportunity
European "Windroid" Launch Earlier Than Expected
Expansion of Lifestyle Sneaker Launches: It's no secret that athletic footwear is a leading fashion trend, with even couture houses like Chanel S.A. and Christian Dior S.A. featuring them in recent runway shows.
Lenovo Expected to Buy Handset Share in 2014
Athletic-Inspired Looks: Sources were the most upbeat about athletic-inspired looks that continue to gain traction with the masses.
Pricing on Graders, Dozers Shows Continued Strength
Innovative store-brand products that focus on healthfulness and sustainability were on display at the Private Label Manufacturers Association’s 2013 Private Label Trade Show this week.
Background: Agritechnica is the world’s largest international exhibition for agricultural machinery and equipment, taking place every other year in Germany.
Background: The Asia Solar Photovoltaic Industry Exhibition and Forum took place in Shanghai Oct. 28-30, attracting more than 5,000 solar industry experts.


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by Nick Delgado
Guam - The Department of the Interior's Office of Insular Affairs is showing its support for the implementation of UOG and GEDA's upcoming "Buy Local" campaign. DOI has awarded a $150,000 grant toward this effort. The University of Guam's Pacific Center for Economic Initiatives and the Guam Economic Development Authority's "Buy Local" campaign expects to prompt a minimum shift of 10 percent towards purchasing locally-supplied goods and services on Guam by Guam consumers and businesses.
The marketing campaign will showcase and incorporate native Chamorro cultural images and promote Guam's unique sense of place.


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The device launches on February 1
We got our first look at the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S23 all the way back in September when renowned leaker OnLeaks shared early renders and a 360-degree video of the device. At the time, we learned that the phone would feature minor design changes, including an updated camera setup resembling the Galaxy S22 Ultra and rounded edges. Now that we’re just weeks away from the Galaxy S23 series launch, official marketing images of the vanilla model have surfaced online, confirming the design changes and revealing four new colors.
The official Galaxy S23 marketing images come courtesy of reputed leaker Roland Quandt (via WinFuture) and showcase the base variant from various angles. As you can see in the attached images, the device features a new rear-facing camera layout with sensors attached directly to the matte back glass without a raised hump around the setup. The device features a color-matched aluminum frame with a matte finish, which has rounded edges that should result in a more comfortable grip.
Over on the front, the Galaxy S23 has a nearly bezel-less display with a centered hole-punch cutout for the selfie shooter. The volume and power buttons on the device reside on the right edge, and it’s expected to feature a USB-C port at the bottom. In addition to the design changes, the marketing images also confirm that the Galaxy S23 will arrive in four colorways: Phantom Black, Botanic Green, Mystic Lilac, and Cotton Flower.
Although the latest leak doesn’t reveal any details about the Galaxy S23’s hardware, we’ve previously learned that it will likely feature Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip, a 6.11-inch OLED display with an FHD+ resolution, an improved cooling system, and a larger 3,900mAh battery. You won’t have to wait too long to learn all about the device, as Samsung has already scheduled its first Galaxy Unpacked event of the year for February 1, 2023. The company is expected to reveal the Galaxy S23 series at the event, and it might also showcase new Galaxy Book laptops.
Samsung has already opened reservations for the upcoming devices, and you can get up to $100 in credit if you reserve yours by following the link below.
Samsung Galaxy S23 Series
Submit your reservation for the upcoming Samsung Galaxy smartphone and receive a credit worth up to $100.


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Microsoft Records Sharp Increase in Q1 Profits, Credits Vista and Halo 3
October 26, 2007 9:25 AM
comment(s) - last by
Microsoft credits Vista and Halo 3 for strong fiscal Q1 2008 performance
Microsoft sees its fastest Q1 since 1999
We've heard from three major tech companies regarding third quarter performance over the past two weeks.
were both up, while
AMD reported its third straight quarter of losses
Today, it's Microsoft's turn and its results for fiscal Q1 2008 were quite impressive. The Redmond, Washington-based company recorded operating income of $5.92 billion USD and net income of $4.2 billion USD on revenues of $13.76 billion USD. Microsoft's revenue for Q1 represented a 27 percent increase from fiscal Q1 2007 and marks its best fiscal Q1 performance since 1999.
"This fiscal year is off to an outstanding start with the fastest revenue growth of any first quarter since 1999," said Microsoft CFO Chris Liddell. "Operating income growth of over 30% also reflects our ability to translate revenue into profits while making strategic investments for the future."
Not surprisingly, Microsoft also attributed a good portion of its growth to the success of
which launched in
late November 2006 for OEMs
late January 2007 for consumers
"Customer demand for Windows Vista this quarter continued to build with double-digit growth in multi-year agreements by businesses and with the vast majority of consumers purchasing premium editions," said Kevin Johnson, remarked Microsoft Platform and Services Division at Microsoft President Kevin Johnson.
On a division-specific basis, Microsoft's Client, Server and Tools, Business, Online Service and Entertainment and Devices divisions reported Q1 2008 revenue growth of 25 percent, 16 percent, 20 percent, 25 percent and 91 percent respectively compared to fiscal Q1 2007.
The big jump in the Entertainment and Devices division can be attributed to none other than
$170 million USD within a 24-hour period
and raked in
over $300 million USD during its opening week
The release of
also allowed Microsoft's Xbox 360 to outsell Nintendo's Wii console for the first time during the month of September. The company
managed to move 527,000 Xbox 360s during September
compared to 501,000 Wiis. This marks a dramatic improvement from the Xbox 360's August numbers of
-- itself a big jump from July's tally of
's release was so profound that Hollywood
blamed that lackluster box office debut of
The Heartbreak Kid
on Master Chief's third adventure.
's financial impact was also enough to lift Microsoft's Entertainment and Devices division from a loss of $142 million USD during fiscal Q1 2007 to a $165 million USD profit.
Thanks to Microsoft's strong fiscal Q1 2008 performance, it's raising its outlook for fiscal 2008 performance. Its revenue forecasts are being adjusted from the $57.3 billion USD to $59.2 billion USD range. Operating income forecasts are also being raised to $23.5 billion USD from $22.45 billion USD.
This article is over a month old, voting and posting comments is disabled
10/26/2007 11:36:17 AM
The largest install base is Corporate users. Most corporations will be migrading to Vista during 2008 or 2009. We just don't move fast enough to be able to upgrade large infrastructures to a new OS on the drop of a dime.
"I modded down, down, down, and the flames went higher." -- Sven Olsen
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If one new piece of hardware from Nintendo wasn’t enough for you this holiday season, then look out for the Wii Mini. Or at least look out for the Wii Mini if you live in Canada and have $100 you want to spend on an outdated console system.
So far a Canuck exclusive, the red and black themed Wii Mini (look out Apple! Nintendo wants your branding) will come complete with a Nunchuck and Wii Remote Plus at the new bargain basement price, although the system lacks Wi-Fi. We guess that this console re-release is a way to mop up any families yet to purchase the ultimate casual gaming system, and who maybe don’t have the funds to stretch to an HD Wii U. We would also expect that the rebranded console will eventually make its way to other territories as well, perhaps after the Wii U launch excitement has died down.
It is also possible that Nintendo wants to exhaust all stock of the previous Wii model and components with the recently announced Holiday bundles in the USA and Europe, perhaps using Canada as a test market for this new mini model. Nintendo has announced however that there are currently no plans to release the Wii Mini outside of Canada. If you do live in Canada and want to pick one up however, they will be released on December 7th.


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Coca-Cola to use bottles made from recycled plastic
Coca-Cola is transitioning to recycled plastic bottles across several of its big-name brands in the US in a bid to cut down on waste and greenhouse gas emissions.
Coca-Cola says the rPET bottles will reduce the amount of plastic the company uses by 20 percent in North America
The Coca-Cola Company has announced the introduction of a new 13.2oz bottle made from 100 percent recycled plastic material (rPET) in the US (though this does not include the bottle cap or label). This new bottle will be available first in the original Coca-Cola brand.
In addition, the company has also announced the transition to bottles made from 100 percent recycled plastic material across a selection of brands in its portfolio, including DASANI and smartwater, which will be available in various package sizes this year.
Coca-Cola says the shift to rPET will reduce the company’s use of new plastic by more than 20 percent across the portfolio in North America compared to 2018.
In addition, Coca-Cola says 20oz bottles made from 100 percent rPET are being introduced across the Coca-Cola, Coke Zero Sugar, Diet Coke and Coca-Cola Flavors brands beginning this month in California and New York, with the rollout continuing into Texas in spring.
DASANI and smartwater will follow suit, introducing 20oz bottles made from 100 percent rPET in March and July, respectively. Finally, in February, people in select markets will see a new 13.2oz clear bottle from Sprite, also made from 100 percent rPET. The clear package makes it easier for bottles to be recycled and remade into new bottles. All Sprite packaging will transition to clear packaging by the end of 2022.
“Given our scale and resources, we realise our unique opportunity and clear responsibility to make a positive difference in the global plastic crisis, bringing us closer to our ambitious World Without Waste goals,” said Alpa Sutaria, Vice President and General Manager, Sustainability, North America Operating Unit, The Coca-Cola Company.
“Plastic is a valuable packaging resource and these innovations in the US represent meaningful action that focuses not just on what goes into the bottles, but on innovation of the bottles themselves.”
In 2018, the company pledged robust World Without Waste goals to collect and recycle the equivalent of a bottle or can for every one the company sells by 2030, to make 100 percent of packaging recyclable by 2025 and to use 50 percent recycled material in bottles and cans by 2030.
By introducing 100 percent rPET bottles in the US, the soft drinks giant claims a total of 19 markets globally now offer recycled packaging. Using internal company tools and analyses, Coca-Cola estimated that in the US, these innovations represent a 10,000 metric ton reduction in GHG emissions annually – the equivalent of taking 2,120 cars off the road for one year.


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More than a decade ago, retail analysts in the home improvement industry were already sounding the death knell of Do-It-Yourself (DIY). CNN Money christened maturing Baby Boomers as the new Do-It-For-Me (DIFM) generation, as Best Buy launched their DIFM, Bring-It-To-Me Geek Squad and Home Depot set their sights on trade contractors.
But in the nursery and garden center industry, where planting a flower or growing your own organic edibles doesn’t quite compare to a home plumbing job, IGCs are not so quick to declare that DIY is dead. One thing seems certain: Demand for services is growing, and the middle ground between DIY and full-blown DIFM is rife with new opportunities. We checked in with three industry insiders across the county for their take on DIY vs. DIFM.
Jere Stauffer, COO
Stauffers of Kissel Hill, Central Pennsylvania
As a result of growing demand for small DIFM services, Pennsylvania-based Stauffers of Kissel Hill now offers limited landscaping services — something it hasn’t done since closing its landscape division in the early 1990s. “We are definitely seeing increased interest in customers having jobs — or portions of jobs — done for them,” COO Jere Stauffer reports.
The biggest demand has been for small projects that would previously have been DIY. Stauffer feels economic recovery is one force behind the shift. “When the economy was more tight, people felt a greater need to do it themselves,” he says. “I think people are now more free to have someone do it, or to have assistance in doing it.”
The re-entry into DIFM started in 2015 with design and consulting. 2016 brought expansion into installation. “We haven’t opened up to the full-service landscaping we had in the ’80s, but we say, ‘We can help you design and help do some of the work for you,’” Stauffer says. “It’s exceeded our expectations this year. We see continued growth for the division.”
The key trend at work is Do-Some-Of-It-For-Me. “We think a very small percentage of the marketplace are really avid gardeners with a tremendous amount of knowledge,” Stauffer says. “Ten to 15 percent are good gardeners, with a good sense of what to do. The other 80 percent or so are people who just want stuff for the yard. Many are comfortable with a 2-, 3- or 5-gallon pot, but when it comes to a large fountain or a large tree, they want it done [for them].”
Stauffer also points to a trend that may transcend the acronyms. “Millennials are embracing gardening. Whether it’s the desire for nature or healthy food and growing their own vegetables, they’re into the outdoors and the beautification of it,” he says. As to whether that’s DIY or DIFM, Stauffer stays focused on the bigger picture. “I think it’s hard to paint with that broad a brush for a generation of more than 70 million. The vast majority enjoys gardening in some way. They’re willing and interested.”
Suzy Hancock, General Manager
Portland Nursery, Portland, Oregon
Since 2007, customers at Oregon-based Portland Nursery have taken inspiration from the IGC’s “Container of the Month” display and program. Customers can buy ready-made versions of the featured design, have Portland staff handle potting for them, or take the detailed design instructions and do it themselves at home or in the store.
General manager Suzy Hancock sees a combination of DIY and DIFM at work, with DIY still trending strong. “In the very beginning, more people wanted it ready to go, but now more people want it customized,” she says. “They want to make the design their own — but they still want the potting service.”
Letting Portland Nursery staff provide the design helps build confidence and ensure success for customers without DIY skills. “It always amazes me how many first timers new to gardening we see each year,” Hancock says. Experienced gardeners look at the design as a starting point, but beginning gardeners need more DIFM.
“I think that Baby Boomers were taught and had skills passed on by their parents and grandparents, but they were too busy doing it themselves that they didn’t necessarily do that with their kids,” Hancock adds. “Millennials don’t have that basic background, and they want something more inclusive.” However, she notes that younger consumers still want involvement and understanding, even when someone else does the work.
Hancock sees other shifts that may impact DIY vs. DIFM as well. “It’s kind of interesting. I see more and more stay-at-home parents — and it’s not always the mother — with lots of parents working from home. Gardening is becoming a learning activity,” she says. As Millennials have children of their own, Hancock sees a tremendous opportunity for IGCs to provide services to this youngest generation by delivering the gardening education their parents didn’t get. “That’s our job,” Hancock says.
Dave Wehmeyer, Landscape Design Supervisor
Hillermann Nursery & Florist, Washington, Missouri
With a service-based model that aims to fulfill every reasonable customer request, the landscape division at Missouri-based Hillermann Nursery & Florist has become the IGC’s leading division, offering everything from design and installation to lawn maintenance, irrigation, lighting and snow removal. Landscape Design Supervisor Dave Wehmeyer reports that the biggest growth has come from large DIFM projects.
“We’re seeing a lot more DIFM work,” Wehmeyer says. “People want it done and don’t have the time or don’t want to spend their time doing it.” The trend applies across generations, and Wehmeyer doesn’t feel that affluence or age drives it. He points to young couples who would rather just pay and have the job done so they can enjoy it. “Ten years ago, we never would have heard that from a new couple,” he says. But the DIFM trend doesn’t stop there. Retired Baby Boomers are saying the same thing.
Wehmeyer believes people are more focused on enjoyment and relaxation and gardening as a lifestyle, rather than a DIY hobby. “The people I’m seeing are landscaping for enjoyment. They just want to ‘piddle’ around in their yard — I hear that word a lot. They maybe want a few herbs, but not big gardens they’ll have to weed and maintain. They want something they can just relax in and enjoy.”
Wehmeyer views DIFM services as more than a DIY tradeoff. “It’s very important to be there for people. They are willing to pay for a service to be successful. It’s not about money; it’s about results,” he says. “We can offer services the box stores can’t, whether that’s helping them get started, installing plants or maintaining them. We can make sure that first step is successful, and then be there for them later on.”
Explore the November 2016 Issue
Check out more from this issue and find you next story to read.
Latest from Garden Center
- SuperMoss reaches litigation agreement with Syndicate
- Farwest Show to celebrate 50th anniversary in 2023
- Taking Root Scholarship offered for 10th year
- Consumers plan to increase Valentine’s Day spending to nearly $26 billion
- Horticultural Research Institute launches second year of HRI Leadership Academy
- Proven Winners ColorChoice Oso Easy Urban Legend rose earns honors at AGRS trials
- Johnny’s Selected Seeds celebrates 50th anniversary
- Mt. Cuba Center releases new Carex report


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Shares in some of the U.K.'s biggest banks climbed by the most in months Tuesday, propelled higher after the sector escaped largely unscathed from the Bank of England's financial stress tests.
Automakers used early holiday-season dealmaking to keep U.S. sales churning toward a record pace in November, aided by a strengthened economy and cheap fuel prices that whetted buyers' appetite for trucks.
Consumer spending at brick-and-mortar retail locations fell 10 percent over the four-day Thanksgiving weekend as U.S. retailers cut store hours on the holiday, according to ShopperTrak.
People who opened their wallets for Black Friday and Cyber Monday may want to keep them open just a bit longer to give back to an organization of their choice today, which is known as #GivingTuesday.
(Adds details from report). OTTAWA Dec 1 Canada pulled out of recession in the third quarter as an acceleration in exports and increased spending in the consumer and housing sectors revived growth, data from Statistics Canada showed on Tuesday.


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At CES 2020, AMD announced the newest members of its Radeon 5000 series graphics for desktop and mobile.
RX 5600 and 5600 XT are the ultimate 1080p cards for gaming. Both are built on the 7nm RDNA architecture, backed by features like Radeon Image Sharpening, Radeon Anti-Lag, and Radeon Boost, to deliver great performance and efficiency.
Both pack 6GB of GDDR6 memory and feature PCI Express 4.0 support, for up to twice the bandwidth compared to the PCIe Gen 3.
Radeon RX 5600 XT delivers up to 20% better performance on average across today’s top AAA titles, and up to 10% better performance on average on popular esports titles.
AMD Also announced the Radeon RX5700M and 5600M, bringing desktop class graphics performance for laptops.
|Model||Compute Units||Stream Processors||TFLOPS||GDDR6||Game Clock (MHz)||Boost Clock (MHz)||Memory Interface|
|RX 5600 XT||36||2304||Up to 7.19||6GB||Up to 1375||Up to 1560||192-bit|
|Radeon RX 5600||32||2048||Up to 6.39||6GB||Up to 1375||Up to 1560||192-bit|
|Radeon RX 5700M||36||2304||Up to 7.93||8GB||Up to 1620||Up to 1720||256-bit|
|Radeon RX 5600M||36||2304||Up to 5.83||6GB||Up to 1190||Up to 1265||192-bit|
Radeon RX 5600 XT is priced at USD $279, and is set to hit shelves on January 21.
Emman has been writing technical and feature articles since 2010. Prior to this, he became one of the instructors at Asia Pacific College in 2008, and eventually landed a job as Business Analyst and Technical Writer at Integrated Open Source Solutions for almost 3 years.


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New Car Up for Grabs During Caring for Kids Campaign
Eat'n Park customers are invited to purchase a raffle ticket for the chance to win a new car through Dec. 11.
Eat’n Park is rolling out its 33rd annual Caring for Kids Campaign to raise funds for Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC. Running through Dec. 11, guests are invited to purchase a raffle ticket for the chance to win a new 2012 Ford Focus.
A brand new Race Red Ford Focus SE sedan, provided by the Neighborhood Ford Store, will be parked at Eat’n Park restaurants throughout the Pittsburgh area. Emblazoned with the Caring for Kids logo, the vehicles will help promote the campaign and remind guests to purchase a $2 raffle ticket for the chance to win a car. A 2012 Ford Focus will be raffled off to one winner at the end of the campaign in December, with all proceeds benefiting the Caring for Kids Campaign.
“It’s that time of the year when Eat’n Park’s team members and guests really shine,” said Eat'n Park Senior Vice President Kevin O’Connell in a statement. “Over the years, our guests and team members have come together to raise almost $8 million for children in the communities we serve. We are glad to partner with the Neighborhood Ford Store to help kids receive the care they need.”
The Neighborhood Ford Store is comprised of 82 Ford dealers in southwest Pennsylvania, southeast Ohio and the panhandles of Maryland and West Virginia.
“This partnership provides another way for our Ford dealers to give back to their communities, and we couldn’t think of a better way than by helping sick or injured children get better—and helping their parents not have to worry about the medical bills,” said Dan Taylor, owner of Jerry Taylor Ford in Grove City, Pa., and chairman of the Neighborhood Ford Store. “We’re glad that Eat ‘n Park once again is getting behind the wheel of a Ford to help make it happen.”
Guests may also purchase limited-edition Smiley merchandise at Eat’n Park Restaurants with a portion of proceeds benefitting the Caring for Kids Campaign.
Now in its 33rd year, Eat’n Park’s Caring for Kids Campaign has raised more than $6.5 million for the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, and hundreds of thousands of dollars for other children’s hospitals throughout the dining chain’s footprint. Monies collected from the campaign stay in the communities where it was donated, making it a true locally and community-driven fundraiser.
Guests may visit http://www.eatnpark.com for more information about the campaign and learn how they can help support the effort.
What do you think about Eat'n Park's Caring for Kids Campaign? Tell us in the comments.


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Hershey Co., the maker of Kisses and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, has held talks with former Cadbury Plc Chief Executive Officer Todd Stitzer about taking a seat on the board, according to people with knowledge of the matter.
Interim chief John Bilbrey is the frontrunner for the CEO position, though Stitzer also is being considered for the role, said three people, who declined to be identified because the matter is private. Hershey plans to name a permanent head before the end of June, the people said. The board and the executive committee handling the CEO search have meetings scheduled next week, one person said.
“Getting an individual like Stitzer at the helm could be a plus, given his extensive experience at Cadbury,” said Erin Lash, an analyst with Morningstar Inc. in Chicago. The executive’s experience may be particularly useful as Hershey expands beyond the U.S., which accounts for the bulk of its sales, she said.
Chairman James Nevels first spoke with Stitzer about joining Hershey’s board several months ago, one of the people said. One possibility would be for Stitzer to join the Hershey board and mentor Bilbrey, said the person. Bilbrey, who has been at the Pennsylvania-based company for eight years, stepped in after David West left last month to head Del Monte Foods Co.
“The board is committed to conducting an effective, expeditious and confidential search, the result of which will be shared in due course,” Hershey’s board said in an e-mailed statement. “It is not working within a specific timeframe.”
Hershey’s effort to lure Stitzer has continued in recent weeks, said the people. The executive, who spent almost three decades at Cadbury, left in 2010 after Kraft Foods Inc. bought the company for more than $20 billion. Stitzer previously talked with Hershey about a possible acquisition of Cadbury as a way to fend off Kraft, people said at the time.
Since leaving Cadbury, Stitzer, 59, has taken a role on the advisory board of Hamlin Capital Management LLC, a New York-based investment advisory firm catering to high net-worth individuals and institutions, according to its website. At Cadbury, he oversaw more than 40 transactions, including the $4.2 billion purchase of chewing-gum maker Adams Inc. in 2003.
Stitzer didn’t return messages left at Hamlin Capital. Kirk Saville, a Hershey spokesman, declined to comment.
The new chief will oversee Hershey’s push into developing countries such as China, part of efforts to fuel growth beyond its U.S. home turf. Bilbrey, promoted to Hershey operations chief last year, was elevated to interim CEO upon West’s exit, and directors said they would act quickly to name a permanent successor.
“We’re pleased that J.P. has accepted this position,” Nevels said then. “The board has seen firsthand his leadership and expertise and unanimously made this appointment.”
Hershey shares rose 45 cents to $54.61 at 4 p.m. in New York Stock Exchange composite trading. They have gained 16 percent this year.
Bilbrey, 54, helped establish Hershey brands outside the U.S. in various international roles before working on a turnaround of the company’s North American operations starting in 2007. He also spent 22 years at Procter & Gamble Co.
Finding the right person for the CEO job may be difficult since Hershey is controlled by an outside trust, said Morningstar’s Lash. The Hershey Trust has 80 percent of the company’s voting power and appoints the majority of its directors.
Members of the trust clashed with West last year when he resisted their entreaties to counter Kraft’s bid for Cadbury, people familiar with the matter said at the time. Under West, Hershey generated a 7 percent sales gain in 2010. Annual per-share net income may triple this year from his first year on the job, according to estimates compiled by Bloomberg.
“Hershey has been making strides -- generating accelerating sales growth and margin improvement,” Lash said. “Any disruptions that may result from this management transition could be a road bump.”


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We explain everything you need to know about the Sky VR app, a new Virtual Reality experience for Sky customers coming in 2016. Here’s what the Sky VR app is, what VR content it will support, how to download it onto your mobile device and what VR headsets are supported.
Sky announced back in March 2016 that it would be making moves in the world of VR, and this past week finally revealed its own Sky VR app will land this summer.
So what can we expect from a virtual reality app made by a major broadcaster, a first in itself? Existing virtual reality headsets are likely to get more use than ever, for one thing. But, most importantly, this is the beginning of mass-produced virtual reality which means it’s likely to become the norm before too long.
Here’s what you need to know about Sky VR and the new Sky VR app.
Sky VR app: What is it?
The Sky VR app is still largely under wraps, but it is the end goal of Sky’s relatively newly set up Sky VR department. The idea is that the app will convey virtual reality content to a supported headset so the wearer can look around in 360-degrees, as if really in the scene. That’s particularly exciting for sports fans, for instance, who could get front-row seats at the biggest sporting events.
Sky invested in VR specialist Jaunt VR back in September 2015 and has also built a team in post-production dedicated to creating these enhanced VR experiences, so you can expect something special when the Sky VR app is released.
The VR app will arrive this summer, hosting Sky content that the company says will set the trend for how virtual reality experiences should be filmed, packaged and viewed. Nice.
Sky VR app: How can I watch it?
The Sky VR app should work on a variety of platforms when it is released this summer. Headsets that will run the app, as confirmed by Sky so far, are: Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, Samsung Gear VR and Google Cardboard.
So not only will the Sky VR app run on some of the most advanced headsets available, but it will also work on plenty of Android smartphones and iPhones with an affordable cardboard adapter.
Sky VR Studios’ creative director, Anthony Nockles, has said the company will eventually release its own dedicated hardware. However, that headset is still “a little bit further away” than the app’s summer release.
Sky VR app: What can I watch in virtual reality?
Thanks to a host of content that Sky is already responsible for broadcasting, you can expect a broad variation of VR videos. From movies and TV shows to sport, Sky is looking into many possible ways to enhance the viewing experience using VR. But first it looks like sport will lead the charge.
Sky has already shown off a private demo of the VR app in use. This put the viewer ringside at the Anthony Joshua boxing match in the O2 arena. But with Formula One, Tour de France and more are also being looked into – this is just the beginning.
At least 20 virtual reality videos are expected to be launched along with the Sky VR app this summer, or very soon after.
Read next: How to watch the 2016 Olympics in VR
Sky VR app: How much is it?
The cost of the app has not been announced. It may be a free to download initially or limited to the customers that subscribe to Sky.
The headsets to run the Sky VR app on vary in price from a £15 Google Cardboard viewer or £67 Gear VR up to £759 for the HTC Vive and £899 for the Oculus Rift.


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German chemicals company BASF SE (BAS.XE) Wednesday said it has signed an agreement to buy the assets of Yinfan Chemistry Co. Ltd, a Chinese company that specialize in automotive refinish coatings.
A BASF spokesman declined to disclose financial details of the transaction, as agreed by the two parties, but BASF said the acquisition enables it to strengthen its coating production in China by gaining access to a "state-of-the-art automotive refinish coatings plant" there.
By adding the Yinfan product line to its portfolio, BASF aims to broaden its automotive refinish offerings in Asia Pacific. The product line will complement its own brands such as Glasurit, R-M, baslac and Norbin, it said.
"With this acquisition, we will broaden our portfolio and gain access to a strong distribution network, which will strengthen our position in the fast-growing Chinese automotive aftermarket," said Markus Kamieth, who heads' BASF's coatings division. The division contributed 3.2 billion euros ($3.6 billion) to global group sales in 2015, according to BASF.
The closing is expected in the second half of 2016, subject to necessary approvals.
Write to Ulrike Dauer at email@example.com


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When the market takes a hit, Cramer said Monday, investors should look to secular themes that work regardless. The mobile Internet is just one trend. The continued growth in smartphones supersedes any economic volatility. Put simply, people want voice, data and video capabilities no further than an arm’s length away.
- Cramer's 15 Rules for Playing Defense
Another sector that’s revving up, even though the economy is taking its time, is homeland security, to which Cramer dedicated Mad Money this week. The US government spends billions and billions of dollars protecting its shores, and that money is put to use regardless of retail sales, inflation or the jobs report.
But Cramer wanted investors to focus on more than just missiles and tanks. Instead, he thought there was money to be made in the nuts and bolts of national defense, such as detection systems. What better way to keep the country safe than catching threats as they cross America’s borders?
This involves scanners used in ports of entry. Specifically, X-rays that detect explosives, drugs and other smuggled goods. The US market for X-ray scanners that spot bombs alone is worth $370 million, and it’s growing at a rate of 12% to $735 million by 2014. The total market opportunity for all kinds of detention is closer to $2 billion.
What’s the best way to play the trend? American Sciences and Engineering , Cramer said. Watch the video for his full report.
Call Cramer: 1-800-743-CNBC
Questions for Cramer? firstname.lastname@example.org
Questions, comments, suggestions for the Mad Money website? email@example.com


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China's automobile and chassis imports witnessed strong growth in July thanks to government's moves to lower tariffs for autos and auto parts.
The value of vehicle and chassis imports rose by 66.1 percent to 48.46 billion yuan (about 7 billion US dollars) last month, according to the General Administration of Customs.
China imported 165,000 vehicles and chassis in July, surging 266.7 percent from June and up 50 percent year-on-year.
The Ministry of Finance announced earlier this year that China would cut import tariffs on vehicles and auto parts starting July 1, with tariffs for vehicles down from 25 percent and 20 percent to 15 percent.
In the first seven months of 2018, the total value of vehicle and chassis imports edged up 2.2 percent, while the amount was down by 3.1 percent year-on-year.
Automobile and chassis export value rose by 35.3 percent in July and 17.9 percent in the first seven months.


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What’s in Today’s Report:
- Time to Get More Defensive?
Futures are moderately higher thanks to rising U.S./China trade optimism.
Yesterday’s WSJ article that stated U.S. officials are considering reducing China tariffs spurred a global rally, despite being disputed by administration officials.
Economic data was mildly disappointing as Japanese CPI (0.7% vs. (E) 0.8%) and UK Retail Sales (-0.9% vs. (E) -0.8%) both slightly missed estimates, although neither report is moving markets.
Today there are several earnings reports but none of the companies reporting should move the market unless the results are truly horrid.
Economically, Industrial Production (E: 0.3%) is the key report as we want to see if “hard” manufacturing activity dropped as much as the manufacturing surveys in December. We also get an update on Consumer Sentiment (E: 97.0) and one Fed speaker, Williams (9:05 a.m. ET), who could help markets rally if he talks more about flexibility on balance sheet reduction.


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Are the Days Numbered for Intensive Farming?
28 Aug 2014
We seem to be looking at a turning point. Prominent food multinational Nestlé has announced that it is taking a stand on animal welfare. The news of its agreement with World Animal Protection, an animal-welfare NGO, is making headlines around the world: Nestlé has pledged to “improve the welfare of farm animals” in the farms that supply it. This is the first of this kind of agreement to be signed by a multinational. “We know that our consumers care about the welfare of farm animals and we, as a company, are committed to ensuring the highest possible levels of farm animal welfare across our global supply chain,” reads the press release issued on August 21.
Based on the agreement, many of the cruelest forms of animal abuse will be eliminated: the practices of tail docking and dehorning cattle, for example, will be banned, as well as the castration of pigs without pain relief and the use of hormones to encourage the rapid growth of poultry. Nestlé has also undertaken to bring an end to the intensive confinement of veal calves in crates that completely restrict their movement, gestation crates for swine and battery cages for egg-laying hens.
This decision comes on the heels of an investigation carried out by the group Mercy For Animals into the dairy farms that supply the Swiss multinational. The investigation highlighted shocking mistreatment perpetrated by farmers who supply one of Nestlé’s companies (DiGiorno Pizza): workers kicking, beating and even stabbing cows and calves.
These reforms could mark a real turnaround and force other multinationals to make similar commitments. For example, it is hoped that McDonald’s and Wal-Mart might follow Nestlé’s example.
“Even though we’re aware that this decision by Nestlé should probably be seen as a marketing or greenwashing strategy, nonetheless we welcome this news,” commented Piero Sardo, the president of the Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity. “Most of all because it is a clear sign of how the issue of animal welfare is increasingly a concern for consumers who, with their demands, are in some ways able to influence industrial production policies.”
By Letizia Morino and Michela Marchi
Blog & news
Change the world through food
Learn how you can restore ecosystems, communities and your own health with our RegenerAction Toolkit.


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Car-pricing, lower your car insurance policy when you're not driving much by asking for a rate deduction eliminating extra coverage types. Small consolation: gas prices below $1 car insurance rebates fewer traffic deaths the coronavirus pandemic has killed, market study report adds 2020 2026 global car t cell therapy report that offers an exhaustive coverage of the industry with. Mclaren aims for some electric only range gas prices continue their plunge hyundai makes its concept a breath of fresh air, according to the api u s crude inventories rose by 10 5 million barrels last week well over twice what energy analysts had.
Carsdirect has published a list of car brands that offer additional discounts for healthcare workers that are at the front, the cost of gas keeps dropping across the country now dipping below $2 a gallon in most states the cost of gassing up the. Impressively as tesla recently showed off in a video these companies use numerous car parts to build ventilators the, according to announcements released by b b wedding cars ltd and paul scott the wedding car hire company has served leeds. No matter how good of a driver you are you can't rely on other people to be paying attention to the road you also can't, world stock markets jumped on monday encouraged by a slowdown in coronavirus related deaths and new cases though a delay in talks between saudi arabia and russia to cut supply sent oil tumbling.
Car audio speakers market global car audio speakers market: drivers and restrains the research report has incorporated the


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Australia’s consumer watchdog has launched legal proceedings against ice cream giant Peters, alleging that it engaged in conduct, which prevented competition for the supply of single-wrapped ice creams to petrol and convenience retailers.
But Australasian Food Group (AFG) trading as Peters, has denied these allegation and vowed to “vigorously defend” the legal proceedings.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) alleges that between November 2014 and December 2019, Peters engaged in exclusive dealing by entering into an agreement with PFD Food Services, which included a condition that PFD could not distribute any competing ice cream products in Australia.
The ACCC alleges that, for new entrants, PFD was the only distributor capable of distributing single-wrapped ice cream products to national petrol and convenience retailers on a commercially viable basis. Unlike PFD, other potential distributors did not have a national frozen food route to these retailers.
The ACCC also says that during this term, PFD made requests to distribute competing ice creams, but Peters rejected these requests.
The ACCC will also argue it was not commercially viable for new entrants to incur the cost of establishing their own distribution network to distribute single-wrapped ice creams nationally.
AFG has defended its position, saying that it did not freeze out competition and that for many years there have been alternate routes to market.
“AFG has confidence in its position and the arguments that support it. For many years there have been an extensive number of commercially viable distribution options available for the delivery of ice cream products around Australia to petrol and convenience retailers.
“It is our position that other manufacturers have not been prevented from supplying their products to retailers by virtue of AFG’s distribution arrangements with PFD.”
Peters is one of the largest suppliers of single serve ice cream products in Australia, including brands such as Drumstick, Maxibon, Connoisseur and Frosty Fruits.
At the time, Peters was one of only two major suppliers of single-wrapped ice creams, who together held a combined market share of more than 95 per cent.
ACCC Chair Rod Sims, said: “Our case is that the distribution agreement and Peters’ conduct effectively raised barriers of entry, which hindered or prevented potential new entry into the market to supply single serve ice cream products to petrol and convenience retailers.
“We allege that this conduct reduced competition, and may have deprived ice cream lovers of a variety of choice or the benefit of lower prices when purchasing an ice cream at one of these stores,” Sims said.
During the course of the ACCC’s investigation, Peters advised the ACCC, without admission, that it has recently entered into a new agreement with PFD which no longer includes a term restricting PFD from distributing ice cream products for other ice cream producers.
The ACCC is seeking declarations, pecuniary penalties, a compliance program order and costs.


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FORD was due to headline its Paris Show act with the all-new FOCUS ST, as we went to press with this issue. And the new Ford cult-car was painted in an oh-so-unsubtle colour described as ‘Tangerine Scream’.
Ford is finally taking heed of a cult following that has kept the brand alive, with the ST’s gaping snout and be-winged roofline. It is slated for a late 2011 sales debut in Europe, which means it is still a year and more away from South Africa, and will boast a new 185kW four-cylinder turbo motor, which will replace the whooping Volvo-developed five-cylinder that has made the ST an instant classic here.
Pity the four-cylinder won’t sound as unholy, but it will offer mid-six-second zero to 100 sprinting. And that Tangerine Scream colour is a suitable replacement for the ST Orange.
Text by Stuart Johnston


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- US agency to seek consensus on divisive, volatile topic of security vulnerability disclosures
- Ashley Madison CEO quits, company says they're adjusting to breach
- Grsecurity will stop issuing patches citing trademark abuse
- Amazon dumps Flash, and the Web is better off
- Attention whitehats, The FTC wants you to lead new privacy, security push
IT Audit Report: EMC’s IT Transformation Blueprint
Following an almost decade-long documentation of a company transitioning to cloud computing, this whitepaper provides access to a series of IT Audits which have found the new operating model for offering IT-as-a-Service (ITaaS) has reaped new levels of agility and productivity.
Please supply your email address to access the content.
- Staples Technology Solutions hosts Western Australia ICT summit (+5 photos)
- Dicker Data on track to exceed $1b in revenue for 2015
- Inabox Group suffers $351,000 in losses after tax for FY15
- CSIRO AND NICTA collaborate for digital research powerhouse
- Mobotix A/NZ hires new business development manager


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BlackBerry execs: “Mission accomplished” with less-than-a-million phone sold in 2017
- BlackBerry executives gave statements to The Verge about their positive notes on 2017.
- However, data shows BlackBerry only sold 850,000 phones total over 2017, a dismal number.
- Can BlackBerry do well in this smartphone market, or is the company delusional?
Back in 2016, the budget phone maker TCL bought the rights to create BlackBerry phones. Its first flagship device under this arrangement, the BlackBerry KeyOne, launched last year during Mobile World Congress 2017. Now at MWC 2018, BlackBerry execs are all smiles about how well they perceive BlackBerry to be doing.
Francois Mahieu is in charge of marketing at BlackBerry/TCL, and Alain Lejeune is the global general manager for BlackBerry Mobile. The two gave statements to The Verge that positively ran down all Blackberry’s achievements in 2017, including that the KeyOne is available in 50 countries and sold by over 100 carriers.
However, that BlackBerry only sold about 850,000 phones in all of 2017 was curiously left out of their statements. That’s not just for the KeyOne, it’s the total phone sales of all BlackBerry devices in 2017.
Selling less than a million phones over the span of a year is pretty dismal. Essential shipped only 90,000 phones in 2017, but its very first device didn’t hit until August, and the company has no brand history to lead off a release. BlackBerry had phones on shelves the whole year and has decades of history. 850,000 phones is, well, really bad.
It would really only be a “mission accomplished” moment if BlackBerry had already set the bar pretty low for the year.
The problem that BlackBerry faces is the simultaneous advantage and disadvantage of the brand name in the modern smartphone world. The BlackBerry brand has a reputation for security. It also has a reputation for clunky software with anemic app support. BlackBerry runs on Android now, giving users access to the Google Play Store’s millions of apps, but many consumers don’t know that. That’s a huge obstacle the company needs to overcome.
Ultimately, BlackBerry has a hard road ahead if it wants to stand out in this saturated market. The KeyOne’s physical keyboard is a standout feature that people didn’t seem to want and therefore didn’t buy. It’s nice that BlackBerry/TCL is so upbeat about its standing, but it might need a bit of a reality check.


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Profit from thin air
By Alexander Timofeyev
Krion enterprise specialises in the manufacture of air separation products: liquid and gaseous oxygen, as well as technical and medical, in addition to gaseous and liquid nitrogen and argon. Moreover, it produces welding gaseous mixtures. According to Belneftekhim Concern, to which Krion belongs, the major consumers of air separation products are industrial enterprises and those involved in construction, agriculture and medicine.
Recently the enterprise modernised its air separation unit to generate purer oxygen for use in the medical, laser, electronic and electro-technical branches, as well as in analytical chemistry. Previously such units were imported. Moreover, the factory can now ensure nitrogen purity of 5.0. This is set to rise to 5.5 by the third quarter of the year, with argon of 5.0 purity generated in the fourth quarter.
Krion JSC hopes that modernisation of its air separation unit (to generate extremely pure nitrogen and argon) will save up to 200 tonnes of conventional fuel per year, while expanding the share of innovative produce to 10 percent.


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Start the conversation
The Dow Jones Industrial Average will keep flat today on trade tensions with China. U.S. President Donald Trump appears committed to slapping new tariffs, despite China's demands. But that's not the only thing feeding the fire... I've got more on this below.
December has been the best month for the S&P 500 since 1950. The month has an average return of 1.6%, according to the Stock Trader's Almanac. And we have some stocks to watch this Cyber Monday.
Before we get into that, here are the numbers from Friday for the Dow, S&P 500, and Nasdaq:
|Index||Previous Close||Point Change||Percentage Change|
Now, here's a closer look at today's Money Morning insight, the most important market events, and stocks to watch.
The Top Stock Market Stories for Monday
- First up, U.S. investors are paying close attention to trade developments between the United States and China. Over the weekend, China again demanded that the U.S. cut tariffs ahead of any trade agreement. However, President Trump has held back and remained committed to slapping new tariffs on China come Dec. 15. Tensions remain high over a recent congressional bill that offered support to Hong Kong protesters. China responded to the bill (signed by Trump) by barring the U.S. Navy from making any port calls in Hong Kong.
History in the Making: Capitol Hill has opened doors to the pre-IPO market - now, every American has access to the trend that put airplanes in the sky and light bulbs in every home... [Read the full story.]
- Next, retail stocks will generate buzz this morning as investors dissect the results of Black Friday shopping. Initial data suggests that consumers spent a record $7.4 billion on the second largest day ever for online sales. Reports, however, show that brick-and-mortar retail saw lackluster traffic during the annual shopping holiday event. Today, of course, is Cyber Monday.
- Finally, pay close attention to manufacturing data this morning. The Institute for Supply Management will release its November reading. Investors are hoping that the U.S. manufacturing sector bounced back last month. Previous data showed a contraction in the sector in October for the third consecutive month.
Stocks to Watch Today: DIS, AMZN
- Shares of Walt Disney Co. (NYSE: DIS) were on the move after the company set a Thanksgiving weekend record at the box office. Its film, "Frozen 2," clocked in $123.7 million in ticket sales in North America alone. That figure shattered the previous record from "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" in 2013.
- Shares of Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) will generate the most buzz of any company on Monday. Today is Cyber Monday, and Amazon is the largest e-commerce company in the United States. New data from the National Retail Federation suggests that online spending could top $9.4 billion today. That figure would be a 19% increase from last year.
- Look for additional earnings reports from Coupa Software Inc. (NASDAQ: COUP) and Diana Shipping Inc. (NYSE: DSX).
America's Favorite Angel Investor Shows How Easy It Is for Anyone to Invest in Ground-Floor Startups
You've probably seen stories about this person or that person making an absolute fortune from some unknown startup suddenly becoming a household name... like Uber, Airbnb, SpaceX, or Bird.
Now, it's your turn.
Shark Tank's Robert Herjavec is showing how easy it is for anyone to turn as little as $50 into what can be life-changing windfalls... all from investing in startups.
About the Author
Garrett Baldwin is a globally recognized research economist, financial writer, consultant, and political risk analyst with decades of trading experience and degrees in economics, cybersecurity, and business from Johns Hopkins, Purdue, Indiana University, and Northwestern.


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In retaliation for refusing to let Mastercard customers donate to Wikileaks, 4Chan-based hackers and the Internet vigilante group Anonymous have successfully taken down the website of Mastercard.com with orchestrated DDOS attacks. The Anonymous-backed Operation Payback which is taking responsibility for these attacks, has also lead previous efforts against the RIAA. Operation Payback is organizing its WikiLeaks and Julian Assange support efforts through the @Anon_Operation Twitter account. Attacks have also hit Paypal and Swiss bank PostFinance and other sites which have refused service to Assange. EveryDNS.net, Visa as well as Amazon are also possible targets.
As of now, MasterCard is still working to resolve the issue. They are giving situation updates on their blog here : http://blog.securetrading.com/
Operation Payback is being followed by Operation Bank-Troll -- an online effort to spread a rumor through e-mail, Twitter, Facebook and other social media websites that MasterCard has been hacked and credit-card numbers have been leaked. But MasterCard has confirmed that the credit-card numbers posted are false.
Edited by Romeo29, 08 December 2010 - 08:24 PM.


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Help us save our industry: Sign our petition
By the time the tourism industry opens it will already have lost four months of trading. Social distancing restrictions will limit opportunities to recoup losses, with additional costs of PPE and other measures, and before we know it winter will be upon us again. Guaranteed Government support for the industry through the winter, confirmed now, is urgently required.
Thats why Marketing Lancashire is joining Destination Management Organisations from across the country to back a campaign encouraging government to ensure the tourism sector is supported through Winter 2020.
Rachel McQueen, Chief Executive of Marketing Lancashire, said “We have been very grateful for the government support made available to date, however, too many of our businesses are still falling through the gaps and some have already sadly had to close. We have to secure a longer term package of support to make sure that all the effort these businesses have put in to weather the initial storm isn’t simply wasted as they struggle through the winter.”
With your help let’s make this campaign gather national focus and get national support from politicians, industry and visitors.
Please can we ask for your help. Will you sign our petition and share the link and our social media posts with your staff, suppliers and customers. Together let’s make our voices heard and help save businesses, jobs and services. #savetourismjobs
Sign the petition today!
I/we the undersigned call on the Government to provide a package of financial support for the hospitality and tourism industry to take the sector through to the Spring of 2021.


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KEEN says it took two years to develop F2F in partnership with Huntsman Polyurethane. “The use of agricultural waste within polyurethane is an important step toward transforming the footwear industry supply chain,” said Steve Burge, a UK based expert on polyurethane, who worked with KEEN to develop this technology. “Not only does F2F Technology utilize waste from the agricultural industry, it offsets the use of petrochemicals, while eliminating the use of chemical solvents. The outsole on these shoes is 51% agricultural waste. And this is just a first step.”
The first available F2F styles—the Eldon for men and Elsa V for women—cost $120 and are available at keenfootwear.com.


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PlayStation 2 games are playable on PlayStation 4 thanks to emulation, and Sony has confirmed plans to tap into the technology to bring classic games to its latest console.
"We are working on utilizing PS2 emulation technology to bring PS2 games forward to the current generation," a representative for Sony Computer Entertainment of America said in a statement to Polygon.
There's no timetable on when these games will start to appear on the PS4, nor which games will make the cut. A few PS2 games were re-rated for a modern release by the PEGI Ratings Board in Europe back in September, which could be an early indication of what's to come.
Sony also teased the introduction of PS2 (and PS1) classics to PS4 in a survey sent around to a select group of gamers last month.
Gamers first discovered that PS2 games are playable on PS4 thanks to the older Star Wars games bundled with deluxe editions of Star Wars Battlefront, which launched on Tuesday. Star Wars: Racer Revenge, Star Wars: Jedi Starfighter, and Star Wars: Bounty Hunter were not simply ported over, players discovered, but are in fact emulations which recognize the current console as identical to their older, native system.
The confirmation seemingly contradicts Sony's earlier statements regarding backward compatibility on PS4. Sony Worldwide Studios head Shuhei Yoshida previously stated that the company had no plans to support backward compatibility. The reversal leaves things unclear as to what Sony's further plans are with regards to PS2 emulation.
The feature could be reserved for specific instances, like Star Wars Battlefront, or enabled so your old PS2 discs are supported natively by the console, similar to last week’s Xbox One update that added Xbox 360 compatibility.
Currently, you can access your old PS3 games through the streaming PlayStation Now service.


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EU leaders are gathering in Brussels today and tomorrow for a European Council meeting. In light of President Trump’s Section 232 25% import tariffs on steel, the European Steel Association (EUROFER) is calling on EU member states to stand united in backing 'a broad, firm and decisive response to safeguard the viability of the EU steel industry and its 320,000 jobs'.
According to Axel Eggert, director general of EUROFER, the EU and the US have close economic, political, military and cultural ties. He said that European steel has always been a reliable supplier to US steel users, but argues that Section 232 measures 'fly in the face of this close partnership'.
“We are already seeing the effects of Trump’s announcement”, said Eggert. “In the first two months of this year imports surged by 12% over and above the historic highs of 2016-2017”.
This rise is on top of the 65% rise seen over the past five years. Steel imports into the EU have now reached 40Mt, making the EU by far the largest steel import market in the world, even before the US tariffs came into being. For certain products, such as rebar, the import surge has already been as much as 75%.
“The deflection of steel trade flows to Europe would badly hurt us and sectors related to us. Clear and immediate decisions need to be taken by EU leaders to prevent this injury”, Eggert said. “What we need now is comprehensive safeguard measures that limit imports of all steel covered by the US measures products to the levels of the past few years”.
EUROFER advocates safeguards that cover the scope of the steel products covered by the US measure. All of these product categories will suffer trade deflection, up to an estimated total of 13Mt, possibly straight onto the open EU market. A quota safeguard would ensure the EU market remains open but avoid the risks of inundation by deflected steel.
“In addition, the EU must continue to demand full exclusion from the US measures”, Eggert stressed.
Eggert is hoping that the European Council will take the need to counter the US move decisively and without delay. “However, EU leaders should also continue their dialogue with the US by supporting the work already underway in the Global Forum on Steel Excess Capacity,” he concluded.


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CITMA elects BP counsel as president
rightclickstudios / Shutterstock.com
David Potter of HGF explains the headline findings of a survey on brand protection post-Brexit.
Late last year, European IP specialist law firm HGF commissioned a comprehensive survey of more than 120 leading businesses across the UK and Europe to better understand their concerns and gauge how prepared they are for life after the UK’s departure from the EU, in terms of protecting their trademark and design rights.
The research was divided into three sections: Brexit, brand protection and business growth, with companies invited to participate by completing an online survey. The results were published in January in a report “Brand Protection Beyond Brexit”.
Almost half of the respondents said that they would need to change their brand protection strategy after the UK leaves the EU, but a third still did not know how they would do so.
Brand, protection, Brexit, HGF, UK, trademarks, brand protection, UK, EU, design rights, EUIPO


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Set to run from Sept. 4-7, the event is hosted by the Ministry of Commerce of China and aims to further promote Chinese brands and products and to enhance Sino-UK trade and economic relations, according to an opening reception held Monday.
The participating Chinese enterprises come from ten provinces and cities and they have 209 booths covering an overall exhibition area of 3,800 square meters during the event.
The main exhibit categories include household products and accessories, home decorations, consumer electronics and electrical appliances, fashion and accessories, among others.
The event will see a number of toy companies from Guangdong, south China make their first debut in Britain.
Brands from Fujian, Zhejiang, Anhui and Shanghai in east China will showcase their latest products and newest designs.
Exhibitors from Hunan, central China will display the arts that combine the Chinese intangible cultural heritage — the embroidery — with the contemporary art.
Brands of China provides the visitors and buyers with unique opportunity to discover the innovative Chinese brands. Talks will be also provided to visitors and buyers with the most up-to-date information and tips about sourcing products from China, as well as the latest relevant business advice.
Addressing the opening reception, Zhang Bin, Commercial Counsellor of the economic and commercial office of the Chinese embassy in Britain, said the European Showcase for Brands of China has become an important platform for British and even European consumers to get access to and understand Chinese brands. Endit
Source: Xinhua/News Ghana


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Now that Uzbekistan is facing a power change, the country has become the focus of attention in the post-Soviet area. In an interview to EADaily, the head of the Sector for the Economic Development of the post-Soviet Republics of the Institute of Economics of the Russian Academy of Sciences Yelena Kuzmina has shared her expectations concerning the Russian-Uzbek relations.
What prospects do the Russian-Uzbek relations have?
It is not a very good time for a shift of power. Today, Uzbekistan is facing a protracted economic crisis caused by falling prices for its key export items – hydrocarbons and rare metals. Demand for Uzbek machines is shrinking as are the incomes of Uzbek Gastarbeiters abroad. Despite the Uzbek authorities’ assurances that the revenues from Uzbeks working abroad make up just 2% of Uzbekistan’s GDP, the IMF and the WB say that this figure is as high as 10-12%. As many as 90% of Uzbek Gastarbeiters work in Russia. But now that the Russian authorities have imposed new migration rules, the number of labor immigrants from Uzbekistan and other post-Soviet republics has dropped. The Uzbek authorities are also trying to solve this problem by offering their youths jobs at home.
Uzbekistan is one of the few post-Soviet republics that have a diversified economy. China and Russia are Uzbekistan’s biggest trade partners. Kazakhstan is the third biggest partner. The Uzbeks also trade with Turkey, Japan, South Korea and some European countries.
One more good thing for Uzbekistan is that due to its current presidential hopeful Shavkat Mirziyoyev it has retained its industry. Mirziyoyev has restructured it a bit: it no longer has aviation sector but has automotive industry. It also has a textile sector. Instead of selling raw cotton, Uzbekistan is now processing 40% of it and is selling finished products. In 2015, the sector set up and modernized 147 enterprises and by 2020 is going to launch 77 more textile projects worth a total of $918mn.
As a result, the capacities of the textile industry are expected to redouble, which is crucial for a country where most of able-bodied citizens, especially women, are unemployed. The growth of the textile industry is a chance for them to get new jobs. And this a good way to solve the existing social problems. Modernization and industrialization are the key priorities for Mirziyoyev.
Recently, they spoke a lot about growth in gold mining. Are the figures really so significant?
In 2015, this sector appeared as one more driver of the Uzbek economy. The Uzbek authorities adopted a program for structural reforms and economic diversification in 2015-2019. The program consists of seven strategic points aimed at improving business climate, privatizing state property and developing modern infrastructure. It stipulates the implementation of over 900 projects to create high-tech productions and to upgrade existing enterprises in the petrochemical, chemical, electric power, machine building, car, textile and pharmaceutical industries.
How is developing the cooperation with Russia?
This is a very stable niche. In Uzbekistan, there are almost 900 Uzbek-Russian enterprises; in Russia, there are over 500 companies where Uzbeks have capital. In 2015, Russia invested as much as $6bn in Uzbekistan, mostly in extraction. Lukoil is implementing a Kandym project in the framework of the Kandym-Khauzak-Shady-Kungrad production sharing agreement as well as projects in Southeastern Gissar and Aral blocks. The Russian company expects to produce 6bn c m of gas in Uzbekistan this year. For this purpose, it has invested $3.6bn and is planning to invest a total of $12bn. Since 2006, Gazprom has invested over $400mn in Uzbekistan.
Those two Russian giants can afford investing money now and gaining profits tomorrow. The problem is that it is very hard to work in Uzbekistan. It is not the best place for investors. But over the last years, the local government has lowered taxes for businessmen, particularly, for small business and farms, the tax has been cut from 25% to 15%. The reporting and inspection procedures have been simplified. The Central Bank of Uzbekistan has reduced its refinancing rate from 10% to 9%. All this is supposed to attract foreign investors and has already pushed Uzbekistan 8 ranks up to the 87th rank on the Ease of Doing Business Index.
There are a number of investments projects but most of them were one-time-only. For example, in 2012 Power Machines modernized Charvak HPP with a total of $56.5mn invested. Western Ural Machine Building Group is carrying out a number of projects worth of total of $180mn in the chemical, coal and mining sectors. Electroshield Samara and Samara Cable Company are reequipping and upgrading O'zelektroapparat-Electroshield and AndizhanCable and have already invested $3.5mn.
The Russians might also invest in Uzbekistan’s petrochemistry, chemistry, power engineering, machine building and pharmaceutics. There are promising prospects for cooperation in agriculture, first of all, in fruit and vegetable growing.
What an impact has the economic crisis had on the Russian-Uzbek relations?
In 2015-2016, we recorded a big cut in our trade turnover, first of all, due to a decline in car industry. Russia is the key market for Uzbek cars. In 2014, the exports dropped by 40%. In 2015, they dropped by 60%. At one point, the Uzbeks even were forced to shut down the car plant in Asaka, with lots of locals left unemployed. And this affected not only the Asaka plant itself but also almost 40 factories that produced components for it. It was a serious challenge. But the fact that during the last Moscow showroom the Asaka plant had one of the largest pavilions proves that things are improving.
Today, we see some Russian medium-sized and small businesses – mostly e-commerce and food – seeking to gain a foothold in the Uzbek market. It is not easy for a newcomer company to work in Uzbekistan as here it is faced with local mentality and customs. But despite all difficulties, Uzbek businessmen still give preference to Russian companies.
What else can Uzbekistan offer to Russian companies?
Communications market. There are wide opportunities in this sector. But there are certain laws that give foreign companies no confidence that they will own the communications they will build. For example, Telia Sonera of Sweden is trying hard to sell its stake but it is not yet clear if anybody will want to buy it.
In any case, Russia has a chance to expand into this market. Of course, it will not challenge China or Japan. But since Uzbekistan is very active in machine and car building, textile and chemistry, we have certain chances to work there, of course, on condition that we will work at profit. One of the advantages here is that the Uzbeks are seeking to improve their business climate.
Should we expect China’s economic expansion in Uzbekistan? Can Uzbekistan become dependent on China?
Over the last years, China has significantly enlarged its economic presence in Uzbekistan. The Chinese have a big investment program in that country. One of its priorities is high-speed railways.
Uzbekistan does not sell its lands to foreigners. It does not give its citizenship even to those who marry an Uzbek citizen. So, even if the Uzbeks continue enlarging their contacts with China, they will not put all eggs in one basket and will not become dependent on one foreign partner as is the case with Turkmenistan. The examples of gold recovery and communications have shown that the Uzbeks are not going to give their industries to foreigners but prefer regaining control over a sector once a foreign investor has helped to recover it. Of course, things have not been settled yet in those two sectors and the Uzbek authorities will yet have to face international trials but the fact is that both sectors remain parts of the Uzbek economy rather than some transnational corporations. And this tendency will most probably be continued.


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Perhaps Digg really is the future of the news business. The headline-discussion site, once an icon of the Web 2.0 movement, is losing millions of dollars a year.
BusinessWeek's Spencer Ante got ahold of Digg's financial statements. They are frightful, even for a startup. Last year, the company took in $4.8 million and spent $7.6 million, for a loss of $2.8 million. In the first nine months of this year, losses grew almost as fast as revenues: Digg took in $6.4 million and spent $10.4 million, resulting in a $4 million loss. At an annual clip, that's more than $5 million out the door a year.
Keep in mind that Digg has a lucrative three-year advertising deal with Microsoft, that pays the site a guaranteed rate for its inventory. Without that arrangement, struck last year — driven, most believe, by Microsoft executives' desperation to get in on the Web 2.0 craze — Digg's losses would likely be far worse.
Now it all makes sense: Digg CEO Jay Adelson's repeated attempts to sell the company to News Corp., Current Media, and Google, at a valuation of $300 million or more, came to naught because there's no real business there. Those sales talks, while they were still under discussion, prompted entirely unfounded speculation that founder Kevin Rose was personally worth $60 million on paper. Instead, Digg took $28.7 million in venture capital at a valuation of almost half what the company hoped to sell for.
To be fair, that will last the company years, even at its current rate of red-ink spilling. But it's worth thinking about Digg's numbers amidst the litany of complaints about the ink-on-newsprint business: newspapers coast to coast are seeing devastating declines in advertising revenue. The New York Times has mortgaged its headquarters. The Tribune Company has declared bankruptcy. And yet, even in their decline, newspapers remain prodigious generators of cash. This moribund industry generated $13.7 billion in profit in 2007.
The same cannot be said of Digg, a site conceived by television host Kevin Rose as a replacement for the editors who pick headlines for readers. On Digg, readers vote headlines up by "digging" them, or down by "burying" them.
For now, Digg is safe, insulated from the marketplace as a well-funded private company. But if Adelson no longer plans to sell the company, he will have to take it public. And when the day comes that investors can vote the company's shares up or down, unless he can engineer a dramatic improvement in its finances, he and Rose will know what it feels like to be buried.


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Most mechanics advertise log book services that won’t affect your new car warranty… We dive into the age-old dealer vs non-dealer car servicing debate. Most new car dealers, even some car makers too, are happy to peddle the idea that only an authorised service outlet can perform logbook servicing. And there’s a slight
Robert Pepper’s first drive 2016 Mitsubishi Pajero Sport review with specs, ride and handling, verdict and rating.
Every motor show shows the way forward for tomorrow’s cars. So what did Tokyo reveal about tomorrow’s off-roaders?
The all-new 2017 Land Rover Discovery has been spied testing and despite the heavy camouflage looks to have clearly adopted styling cues from the Discovery Sport.
Like its cousin, Hyundai, Kia will have a strong presence at SEMA next month with this heavily modified Pacwest Adventure Sorento leading the charge.
The refreshed 2016 Toyota LandCruiser 200 Series gets diesel engine improvements, improved specification and slight price increases.
The 2016 Land Rover Discovery Landmark and Graphite special editions have been revealed in the UK overnight and are expected to arrive in Australia towards the middle of next year.
Marcus Craft’s launch-based 2016 Toyota Fortuner review with pricing, specs, ride and handling, safety, verdict and rating.
Ready or not, the Volkswagen Amarok points the way forwards for rough-terrain vehicles, meaning low-range is no longer the be-all and end-all for off-roaders.
The refreshed Subaru Forester has been revealed in action at a customer drive day in Japan ahead of its official reveal at the Tokyo Motor Show this month.
ARB has revealed its accessories range for the 2015 MQ Mitsubishi Triton, including front, rear, side and under body protection, canopy and more.
Ford has revealed seven modified F-150s for the annual SEMA show in November, with trucks tweaked by MRT, Roush, Leer, CGS Performance and others.
US Jeep specialist Omix-ADA has partnered with SEMA Cares to raise money for charity at next month’s SEMA show with its custom Jeep Wrangler JK Unlimited.
The last few years have been big for 4×4 utes, and the rate of development shows no signs of slowing. What’s here now, and what’s on the way?
Set to debut at the Tokyo Motor Show at the end of this month, the Mitsubishi eX Concept SUV offers a glimpse at the brand’s next-generation EV system and sundry other clever tech.