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IMF cuts global growth forecast amid trade tensions and no-deal Brexit
THE International Monetary Fund (IMF) has cut its growth forecasts for the global economy for this year and next
THE International Monetary Fund (IMF) has cut its growth forecasts for the global economy for this year and next.
It predicts growth of 3.2 per cent in 2019, down from its April forecast of 3.3 per cent. Growth next year is set to pick up to 3.5 per cent next year, down from its earlier forecast of 3.6 per cent.
Growth 'remains subdued', the IMF says, and there is an urgent need to reduce trade and technology tensions.
The Fund has raised its growth forecast for the UK this year to 1.3 per cent from 1.2 per cent. The report said the revision for the UK reflects a stronger-than-expected first three months of the year, boosted by pre-Brexit stockpiling.
Next year, the report predicts 1.4 per cent growth in the UK based on an assumption of an orderly Brexit followed by a gradual transition to the new regime. As the report notes, what this will be remains highly uncertain, according to the BBC.
The IMF named a no-deal Brexit as one of the key risks to global economic growth.
The Fund also said: 'The principal risk factor to the global economy is that adverse developments - including further US-China tariffs, US auto tariffs, or a no-deal Brexit - sap confidence, weaken investment, dislocate global supply chains, and severely slow global growth below the baseline.'
IMF's chief economist, Gita Gopinath, said in an interview that 'global growth is sluggish and precarious. But it doesn't have to be this way because some of this is self-inflicted'.
The report is, by implication, strongly critical of US President Donald Trump's approach to trade policy. It says countries should not use tariffs - taxes on traded goods - to target bilateral trade balances, or as a substitute for dialogue to pressure others for reform.
The IMF also calls for the uncertainty surrounding trade agreements to be resolved quickly, including Brexit and the free-trade area encompassing the US, Canada and Mexico.
The IMF predicts that the US economy will see a significant slowdown as the stimulus from tax cuts fades. After 2.9 per cent growth last year, it predicts 1.9 per cent in 2020.
The largest forecast downgrades were in some of the major emerging economies, including Brazil where there is uncertainty about pension and other reforms, and South Africa, which is affected by strikes, energy supply problems and weak agricultural production.
There was also a smaller forecast downgrade for both years for China which partly reflects the trade tension with the US.


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A group of managers and engineers who worked around the A4 project, the processor behind the iPad, left Apple. The New York Times gave the information, in the context of an article dedicated to the chip.
To have left are prominent figures including Mark Hayter, one of the technicians and chief executives among those who from PAsemi had moved to Cupertino. Hayter of PASEmi was systems architect and vice president of hardware, basically the main person in charge of the processor development sector. Apple also left Amarjit Gill, who was in charge of sales and business development at PASemi and who co-founded PASemi with Dobberpuhl.
The managers who left Cupertino, the ever-informed EETimes points out, would be half a dozen and everyone would have married, at least from what is learned from LinkedIn, to Agnilux, a new company that would be led by Hayter and Gill. Little or nothing is known about the Agnilux except that according to some rumors he would have started working with Cisco and for new server processors. The purpose would be the same that Apple is pursuing with the incorporation of PASemi: to create low-consumption components based on ARM architecture.
According to the clues collected, the two managers, in any case, would have left Apple at a very early stage of the development of the A4 processor which would therefore have been created, in fact, without their contribution. The abandonment of Hayter and Gill, and of all the other engineers, would therefore not be decisive in light of the future development of the chip and its hypothetical inclusion in the next iPhone.

domain: news


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AT&T started its pre-orders for the Samsung Galaxy S III earlier this week, with the 16GB model priced at $199.99 on a two-year contract. The company now says that orders are scheduled to begin shipping on June 18th, just ahead of Sprint's release on June 21st, but there's still no mention of a 32GB model — unlike Verizon, Sprint, and US Cellular who are offering 16GB and 32GB versions.
AT&T's Samsung Galaxy S III will run on the company's LTE and HSPA+ networks. The four major US carriers all have the S III available on pre-order but AT&T is also stocking an exclusive red version. We were impressed with Samsung's latest Android 4.0 handset in our review, describing it as a technological triumph with one of the best cameras for an Android device.


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Still Early Days
As Global Entrepreneurship Week celebrations fade, efforts to strengthen year-round programs to support entrepreneurs and help them grow continue to gain momentum.
This is part of a series of blogs from the four entrepreneurs participating in the Women’s Venture Xchange-Africa initiative.
The Entrepreneurs Boot Camp (EBC) is partnering with Global Entrepreneurship Network - Kenya (GEN Kenya) to deliver the second entrepreneur’s acce
Nigeria has one of the fastest growing economies in Africa, and PBS NewsHour spotlights the country in a series of segments about Nigeria’s development.


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Bloomingdale's is attaching chunky plastic tags to some dresses to fight "wardrobing"--the practice of wearing an item once and then returning it.» Read More
The Victoria's Secret Fashion Show, with its flashing lights and hip-hop music, attracts a big TV audience every year as millions tune in to gawk at leggy blondes strutting down the runway in lingerie.
Around 60 percent of customers said they feel guilty when they buy something they don't need, and they want to simplify their lives, JC Penney Chairman and CEO Mike Ullman told CNBC Tuesday.
The retail sector continues to send mixed signals heading into the holiday season.
Cash-strapped consumers should have more left in their wallets when they finish shopping for their Thanksgiving feast this year, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation's annual price survey.
Dollar General's public offering may have priced at the low-end of its expected range, but investors are flocking to the company's shares on its first day of trading.
This year retailers won't be the only ones betting big on Black Friday sales.
Bookmaker.com , a leading sports betting Web site, has put together odds on consumer spending habits during this year's Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, which has traditionally been seen as the start of Christmas holiday shopping season.
Are retailers trying to manage expectations for the all-important holiday selling season? Or have expectations gotten a bit ahead of themselves?
The weather may be getting colder, but sales of intimate apparel are getting hotter, Maidenform CEO Maurice Reznick told CNBC.
“Intimate apparel across almost every channel is doing extremely well. Fortunately for us, we are doing even better in the category. We’re gaining a lot of share,” Reznick said.
Maidenform on Monday reported a quarterly profit that nearly doubling compared with last year. In August, the company raised its guidance for a second time.
Christina Cheddar Berk is editor of CNBC.com's Consumer Nation and chief trend spotter.
Courtney Reagan is CNBC's Retail Reporter.
Tom is a Senior Editor and Assignment Desk Manager for CNBC TV. He also writes about the business of beer for CNBC.com.
Stephanie Landsman is one of the producers of "Fast Money."
Coordinating Producer, Squawk on the Street & Squawk Alley
Honest, co-founded by actress Jessica Alba, is working with Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley on an IPO, Bloomberg reported.
J.C. Penney said it is pursuing the potential sale and partial leaseback of its headquarters building in Plano, Texas in an effort to cut costs.
It has bought a 30-second spot just before kickoff of Sunday's Super Bowl, according to USA Today.


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Amazon.com Inc. is trimming its corporate ranks, in a rare round of cuts for a tech giant that has mostly seen consistent growth throughout its history.
The company said Wednesday that it is shedding workers as part of efforts to control costs. Amazon could cut about 10,000 jobs, including in its retail, devices and human-resources divisions, a person familiar with the matter said, who also noted that the final number could change. The cuts would affect roughly 3% of its corporate staff and don’t appear likely to affect its hundreds of thousands of warehouse workers.
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Editor | April 10, 2019 @ 06:31 PM
The district consumer court has directed a plot developer to provide promised amenities and pay Rs 2.5 lakh in compensation and cost to a Navi Peth resident for deficient service and unfair trade practice in relation to a non-agricultural plot scheme at Donje village in Haveli taluka.
"The bench of consumer court president Anil Khadse and members Kshitija Kulkarni and Sangita Deshmukh directed developer Krishnakant Vasantrao Raskar on April 3 to pay Rs 2 lakh towards compensation and Rs 50,000 towards cost to the buyer, Mahesh Namdeorao Ladkat, within three months from the date of the order. Once the three-month period lapses, Raskar will have to pay the buyer Rs 500/day till the actual compliance," Ladkat's Lawyer Dnyanaraj G Sant told TOI on April 9.
Raskar and Ladkat got an agreement registered for the plot in October 2009, but despite handing over the plot to the buyer, the developer failed to provide the promised amenities. In May 2016, Ladkat issued a legal notice to the developer and filed a complaint before the consumer court on August 31, 2016.
In his written version filed on March 21, 2017, Raskar contested all the claims made by the complainant and argued that the project was not yet completed and the development work was in progress. He then assured that the scheme would be completed in all respects within 12 months.
"As the opposite party (Raskar) had introduced the scheme and some plots are sold out, he cannot take the stand that after completion of the entire scheme, he will start the development to provide the amenities. At the same time, no reasonable and plausible explanation is coming forward as to why the amenities are not provided within the period of 12 months from March 21, 2017. Resultantly, there is no legal impediment to reach the conclusion that there is deficiency in service on the part of the opposite party and it also amounts to unfair trade practice," the bench said.
Vishwas Kothari, The Times of India, Pune


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JEO INSPECTS Rs.300 ADVANCE BOOKING QUEUE LINE
Tirumala, 17 October, 14: Tirumala JEO Sri KS Sreenivasa Raju on Friday inspected the Rs.300 advance booking queue lines near TBC area.
In this inspection which lasted for over three hours, the JEO personally guided the pilgrims on the importance of traditional dress imposed by TTD. Later he instructed the officials concerned to make continuous announcements in Telugu, Hindi, Tamil, Kannada and English and create awareness on the traditional dress code as well on the reporting time for the sake of the pilgrims. He also instructed to display sign boards with instructions in all five languages near the darshan queue lines for the awareness of the pilgrims.
“Being the biggest Hindu Religious Organisations and the custodian of Hindu Sanatana Dharma,TTD has introduced traditional dress code for Rs.50 and Rs.300 advance booking ticket holders and we have also printed the guidelines on the ticket. But most of them are not going through the guidelines and reporting much earlier than the scheduled time of darshan. So we have decided to give wide range of publicity through mike announcements and display boards”, he added.
Later he instructed the vigilance officials to strictly observe dress code and reporting time of these sections of pilgrims without fail.
SE II Sri Ramesh Reddy,Additional CVSO Sri Sivakumar Reddy, EE I Sri Krishna Reddy, Divisional EE Sri Ravishankar Reddy and others were also present.
ISSUED BY TTDs PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICER, TIRUPATI


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Disharoon Brings a Strong Leadership Background and a Passion for Implementing Innovative Solutions to His New Role
OneSource Virtual (OSV), a leading Workday service partner, is proud to announce that Joe Disharoon has joined the Dallas-based company as its new Chief Technology Officer.
Disharoon brings more than 27 years of experience in the technology sector to his new role and has a proven track record of deploying advanced technology solutions as a business partner with more than 50 Fortune 500 companies.
Prior to joining OSV, Disharoon was the Chief Technology Officer for Kobie Marketing and the Senior Vice President of Technology for Epsilon. He has also held technology roles with Halliburton and Secor.
“Joe understands the commercial impact of technology, which is why we’re so happy to have him on board with us,” says Trey Campbell, CEO for OneSource Virtual. “OSV is a pioneer of the Business Process as a Service delivery model, which means that technology and innovation are part of our DNA. As we look to the future, we’re excited to see how Joe can help us build on our existing foundation to deliver even more for our customers.”
“I’m incredibly honored to be joining OSV as their next CTO,” Disharoon says. “I’m passionate about creating solutions that drive efficiency and empower teams to be successful. And with a global service organization like OSV, I know the solutions we develop will not only empower our people for success but our customers as well.”


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The King eats a worm burger
01 februari 2024 | Forum for Democracy
Last week, the Netherlands was captivated by remarkable footage showing the Dutch King Willem visiting an insect farm and indulging in a worm burger. This event fits into a wider pattern that is now unfolding. International organisations, governments and even our royal family are advocating a radical agenda: a total revolution of our way of life. It is a phenomenon they refer to as the 'protein transition'; in which natural, animal products must be replaced by man-made alternatives.
The Netherlands is taking a leading role in this, acting as a kind of testing ground for globalism. The Dutch government is strongly represented at the World Economic Forum. The Netherlands was the first country to make plans to expropriate farmers and it is even the country where cultured meat was invented.
A radical agenda
The profound idea behind these developments is that humans should get away from nature – that they should control the world through technology and chemistry. This includes genetic modification of crops, replacing animal products with laboratory-created alternatives - yes, even ultimately striving to change humans themselves through transhumanism.
Multinationals and large companies in the food industry are also part of this movement. For example, Unilever has developed a "Future Foods" programme, as a commitment to the protein transition. The supermarket chain Albert Heijn launched its new AH Terra brand, with the explicit goal that 50% of the proteins they sell will be of plant origin by 2025. Both companies are members of the World Economic Forum. Quality meat, meanwhile, is being made increasingly unattainable for most people.
Maintaining a healthy, natural diet
FVD does not believe in this hubris. It is not our place to manipulate nature on this scale. The rollout of mRNA vaccines was another clear example of this: something that was considered proven by "science" turned out to have unpredictable side effects. We believe in restraint in this area and favour a healthy connection between humans and nature. Therefore, we also believe that the human dimension should return to the food chain. It is better to eat food from the land than from a test tube.
We are the only party that has been fighting from day 1 to preserve our millennia-old agricultural tradition, because only agriculture can ensure this connection between man and nature.
That is also why we started an initiative: EerlijkEten (Honest Eating). We want to form the largest possible network of farmers and consumers so that agriculture in the Netherlands is preserved in the future. We want to bypass supermarket chains and big business by allowing consumers to buy directly from producers. This is good for farmers, because they regain their autonomy, and for consumers, who regain access to high-quality food.
The bigger our network, the more resistance we can offer to international organisations and governments that want to slowly make farmers disappear - and who want to replace naturally produced products with artificial alternatives, such as E-number burgers, cultured meat and insects.
EerlijkEten is a company that brings fresh produce straight from the land into people's homes. It is different from other meal services: no precisely measured bags of pine nuts and recipes you have to make, but healthy staples that let you choose what to make.
The Groceries Box contains the best meat from Dutch farmers, healthy fruit and vegetables, potatoes, pasta and something extra every week. EerlijkEten also recently launched the Meat Box, for the true carnivore: premium meat, exclusively from Dutch farmers, no hormones or additives and always from animals that have had a good life.
With EerlijkEten, you contribute to the preservation of the agricultural sector in the Netherlands and gain access to fairly produced, healthy food. Read more on the EerlijkEten website and try it too!


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If our federal authorities are going to construct a prison-worthy surveillance state, can they at least buy American while they do it?
According to a report from Axios, federal law enforcement agencies — including the FBI and the Secret Service — have purchased drones from a Chinese company that was flagged by the Department of Defense as a national security threat.
The drones were purchased from Da Jiang Innovations, a company based in Shenzhen, China, that’s the biggest consumer drone manufacturer in the world.
“DJI makes an array of consumer products that are tremendously popular, including the Phantom and Mavic drone series, as well as the Osmo image-stabilization handle,” Axios reported.
“While the products are used for personal and commercial purposes, they also require the user to download proprietary DJI software, and to fly using mapping databases that have the potential to be monitored remotely.”
The FBI bought 19 of the drones for nearly $60,000 on July 20 and on July 26, the Secret Service purchased eight of the drones for over $12,000, according to records included in the Axios account. And yet, on July 23, the Pentagon warned in a news release that DJI’s drones “pose potential threats to national security.”
“Existing DOD policy and practices associated with the use of these systems by U.S. government entities and forces working with U.S. military services remain unchanged contrary to any written reports not approved for release by the DOD,” a release read.
“A recent report indicated that certain models of DJI systems had been found to be approved for procurement and operations for US government departments and agencies. This report was inaccurate and uncoordinated, and its unauthorized release is currently under review by the department.”
It was unclear what specific report the release was citing.
Just over four years ago, in an August 2017 report, as Axios noted, the Department of Homeland Security said it had “moderate confidence” that DJI drones were “providing U.S. critical infrastructure and law enforcement data to the Chinese government.”
In 2019, according to a Wall Street Journal report Axios cited, the Interior Department grounded its entire drone fleet over national security concerns related to Chinese manufacturing.
However, Axios reported that efforts to rid government agencies of the drones have stalled due to red tape, partially due to what the outlet called the “cost and complexity of replacing the systems.”
The Secret Service said the drones will “supplement the agency’s existing fleet of small unmanned aircraft and improved [sic] mission support through the use of the most up-to-date equipment nd [sic] software,” according to purchasing records cited by Axios.
The FBI, in its purchasing records, said DJI’s Phantom 4 Pro was “the only commercially available consumer [drone] to combine all [its required] capabilities at an acceptable cost.”
A DJI representative told Axios there’s nothing to be concerned about and the company’s data won’t be transmitted to Chinese authorities.
“Claims that somehow DJI products are transmitting customer data back to China, or to DJI, or anywhere they’re not supposed to be … are just false,” DJI spokesman Adam Lisberg told the outlet. “No one has ever found a deliberate attempt to steal data, or any of the other fantasies promoted by some of our critics. It simply isn’t true.”
There’s also another potential explanation: That the FBI is securing the drones to study Chinese data mining and devise methods to counteract hacking attempts.
“If the federal government is purchasing DJI drones for counter-drone or other security research — fine,” American Enterprise Institute defense and cybersecurity expert Klon Kitchen told Axios via email.
“But otherwise, in a world where you have plenty of alternatives — including some U.S. alternatives that are very good — why would federal agencies assume the inherent risks of Chinese-made systems?”
Florida GOP Sen. Marco Rubio was similarly unimpressed, according to Axios.
“DJI’s cyber security vulnerabilities are well documented,” Rubio wrote in an email to the outlet.
“Given everything we know about the Chinese Communist Party and its companies, there is absolutely no excuse for any government agency to use DJI drones, or any other drones manufactured in countries identified as national security threats.”
And that’s the critical problem here — if these agencies aren’t using these drones as vehicles to study China’s data-collection efforts and hacking, this is handing Beijing the keys to our national security apparatus.
The fact that these off-the-shelf drones are in the fleets of our federal government is worrying enough as it is.
The Interior Department has already stopped using DJI drones, after all. If the FBI and Secret Service are using these drones, it’d be impossible to ensure complete sequestration between our systems and Chinese software.
We’d also be hard-pressed to stop them from seeing and hearing exactly what our federal law enforcement sees and hears — which is, by its very nature, sensitive data. No matter what role the unmanned vehicles are playing in either agency’s mission, I’m guessing it won’t just involve a dad playing with his son in the backyard, teaching him how to use the drone.
Say what you will about the necessity of our surveillance state and how invasive (or not) it is. If it’s going to exist and it’s going to be peeking into our backyards and up our streets with panopticon-like omniprescence, it would help if China isn’t seeing what the federal government sees, too.
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Black dolls come to Mass.
Black dolls made of porcelain, cloth and wood. Black dolls from Somalia, Germany and the Philippines. Some a half-inch tall, some big as life. RuPaul dolls dressed in red leather. Relics from the 1700s.
All these and many, many more — more than 5,000, to be exact — will be exhibited at Harambee: The 2008 Black Doll Collectors Convention, the first such event of its kind in the United States, taking place at the Mansfield Holiday Inn from May 30 to June 1.
The Harambee convention, named for a Kiswahili word meaning “coming together,” will gather collectors from all over the world.Historians, dealers, doll makers and lots of curious people will attend as well, says Debra Britt, one of the convention’s creators.
The convention’s exhibits and the marketplace will be open to the public on Saturday and Sunday. For $10 per person, visitors will be able to see several different exhibitions, participate in auctions, get doll appraisals and buy dolls at 35 vendor tables from different artisans and toymakers. Admission for seniors and children is $5.
More than 5,000 visitors are expected, thanks in part to the support of the Tri County Chamber of Commerce and Mansfield businesses, according to Britt. Local shops will exhibit thousands of dolls in their windows and on their shelves during convention days.
Those interested in fully immersing themselves in the world of black dolls can register to the full convention program — featuring private exhibits and workshops on topics like the history of black dolls, black dolls as a teaching tool, creating furniture for dolls and preserving paper dolls — for $250. Attendance is limited to 250 people.
Registered visitors will also be able to attend a fashion show where collectors will parade wearing outfits identical to their dolls, as well as a competition for the rarest, oldest and biggest dolls, among other categories. They will receive a souvenir doll created by the Big Beautiful Doll Company, designed by fashion Amanda Keeling.
Dolls to be proud of
The inspiration for the convention goes back to 2004, when Britt and her sister Felicia Walker began to exhibit more than 4,000 black dolls throughout Massachusetts libraries and schools. They teach black history and promote cultural diversity through workshops on how to make black dolls.
In three years more than 17,000 African wrap dolls were created with recycled materials during the workshops, says Britt.
In her family, this habit has been kept for generations.
“It’s not that I don’t like the other dolls. It’s that … I want a [doll] that looks like me. I want to feel proud of who I am,” she says.
When they were little girls, the sisters recall, their grandmother looked for black dolls for the children. She never found one.
“She wanted me to have a black doll,” recalls Britt. “She couldn’t find one, so she made dolls for me; she dyed dolls for me.”
Even their father, Walter Thomas, was attached to dolls. The sisters say he was very meticulous about his kids keeping their toys in good condition, so he would take the dolls and put them away.
“When he died in 1997, we went into his little room and discovered all of our childhood dolls,” remembers Britt. “It was a houseful of adult children sitting on the floor playing with toys and crying.”
That same year, the family learned how to heal through the dolls as well. Britt and Walker’s sister, Kareema Thomas, had a stroke, and doctors said she would not be able to talk or walk again.
One day, Kareema — also a collector — saw a rare black Barbie in a magazine that she wanted so badly, her sisters promised her they would find it.
They started looking in flea markets, taking Kareema in a wheelchair. When they found the doll, though, she wanted more, and asked to keep looking for others.
“We told her she could have as many Barbies as she wanted, but she had to walk,” remembers Britt.
The three sisters started visiting flea markets together — Kareema with the help of a walker and later a cane. Soon, she was walking and talking again.
After going through many positive experiences with black dolls, the sisters say the next step is to find a place to celebrate black history and empowerment through dolls.
Through auctions, raffles, donations and sales at the convention, they expect to raise around $60,000 to put toward opening the first black doll museum in New England — and second in the U. S., joining the Philadelphia Doll Museum — where they can place their family collection of more than 5,000 dolls.
“We’re preserving history, and we want to ensure the legacy lives on,” says Britt.
For tickets or more information on the 2008 Black Doll Collectors Convention, call 617-448-0527 or visit www.blackdollcollectors.com.


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Infiniti M hybrid aimed for double mileage
Infiniti’s new M35 Hybrid is about to go on sale and it seems that Nissan is pretty confident about their new hybrid system. The company expects the new model to deliver nearly double the mileage of the gasoline-engine version.
"Typically, carmakers say the fuel economy improvement on their cars using a ’strong’ or ’full’ hybrid system is roughly 30 percent, while for ’mild’ hybrids (like Honda’s), it’s 15 percent," said Koichi Hayasaki, chief engineer of Nissan’s rear-wheel-drive hybrid system. "We’re aiming for an improvement of 60 to 90 percent," meaning the future M hybrid will have the same fuel economy of a compact car."
The M35 Hybrid is powered by a gas/electric power train system that combines a naturally aspirated 3.5 Liter V6 and an efficient electric motor. The electric motor acts as both a propulsion unit, boosting the V6 with a “power assist” mode when the pedal is pushed to the metal and also as a generator to power the vehicle’s accessories and improve the engine’s efficiency. However, the combination of electrically charged wound wires and powerful magnets is not the only item that charges the hybrid’s next generation Lithium ion battery pack, but it is also recharged by the luxury sedans deceleration and braking.
Source: Automotive News


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ESPN distribution executives may be thinking thank heavens for football. There’s the annual excitement with the prospect of big ratings from the NFL and college games. But this year, the benefit may stretch mightily into the reach realm.
ESPN’s eight-year deal for carriage on Dish Network is set to expire next month. If the two sides like each other, certainly Dish’s behavior indicates the opposite as its engaged ESPN in all kinds of litigation in recent years.
Testimony in a recent federal case indicates the ESPN-Dish agreement lapses on Sept. 30 when all that gridiron interest is percolating. So, the date could offer an impetus for Dish to make a deal and prevent an ESPN blackout in its 14 million-plus homes.
CBS hasn’t had the NFL luxury yet in its fee battle with Time Warner Cable that has brought a blackout in millions of homes. But the number of households affected isn't nearly as many as could be left without ESPN and maybe other Disney programming in the ESPN-Dish fight.
How much is at stake? Billions of dollars. Testimony indicated Dish is paying an average of more than $5 a month per subscriber for ESPN. Under, say, an eight-year deal with an annual increase of 5%, Dish would be paying well over $7 a month per subscriber at the end of the contract. At a 6% rate, it would end up owing just about $8.
(According to testimony, the expiring Dish-ESPN deal cut in 2005 started with Dish paying ESPN $3.26 per subscriber a month, which increased annually at a rate of between 5% and 7%.)
If Dish wants rights to offer customers TV Everywhere access, there would likely be a fee on top. The testimony indicated that under a 2010 deal, Time Warner Cable is paying a fee of 19 cents a month for subscribers to offer online access to customers.
The 2005 Dish-ESPN deal took about a year to hammer out, with considerable effort placed on language protecting Dish from paying a less favorable rate than competitors. In the federal case, Dish alleged ESPN failed to adhere to that so-called most favored nations clause. Dish won a tiny portion of the $152 million it sought.
The most intriguing aspect involving Dish-ESPN, however, could come if other Disney properties are involved, including local ABC stations. Dish and Disney are involved in a legal case (along with other programmers) looking to shut down a Dish functionality that automatically removes commercials from ABC shows.
The two sides could make a deal and agree that the fate of Auto Hop and other functionality in Dish’s Hopper DVR should be settled in the courts. Or, perhaps Disney would use the negotiations to gain some concessions.
Barring some sort of peace not seen in the court room, though, it’s hard to envision a settlement without some public vitriol in advance of a Disney-Dish D-Day. Then again, football has a way of bringing people together.


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Windsor, ON. Windsor ComiCon presented by Cartoon Kingdom is pleased to announce that Gotham Central Comics and Collectibles will provide third-party grading services for attendees on behalf of the Certified Guaranty Company (CGC) at the upcoming convention, which will take place at Caesars Windsor (September 21-22, 2019).
As a leading third-party grading service for comics, magazines and other collectibles, CGC is a recognized authority and brand for comic collectors around the World.
Gotham Central Comics and Collectibles will be taking submissions on-site at the show while providing witnessing services for collectors that get their books autographed by various comic guests. Books will then be submitted to CGC for grading/certification.
Gotham Central Comics and Collectibles welcomes attendees to visit their booth at Windsor ComiCon and/or to contact them pre-show via email firstname.lastname@example.org to submit any questions they may have.
Attendees are welcome to learn more about Gotham’s services online at www.gothamcentralcomics.com
“We are pleased to welcome Gotham Central Comics back to the show,” says Windsor ComiCon President, Colin Douglas. “Collectors will have the opportunity have their books submitted for grading at the show with witnesses on-site.”
Windsor ComiCon is presented by Cartoon Kingdom.
General Manager – Windsor ComiCon
Phone: 519.566.1735 I Email: email@example.com
ABOUT WINDSOR COMICON: Windsor ComiCon presented by Cartoon Kingdom is an all-ages event, featuring popular genres such as: comics, sci-fi, horror, gaming, and anime / cosplay. The colossal event will take place inside The Colosseum at Caesars Windsor (September 21-22, 2019). For more information, visit: www.windsorcomicon.com


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Top Madden 22 News
Madden 22 Review: The best change in a long time
This year Madden 22 finally started. Fortunately, Madden's long-term Franchise has ushered in a very significant change and change. Compared to the poor performance of the face of the Franchise in Madden 21 last year is the change this year worth looking forward to. In the face of players' criticism of the beginning of the franchise mode in Madden 21, can EA sports bring new updates to meet the players' expectations?


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BOSTON — Buoyed by a slight uptick in mass cosmetics sales, retailers scrambled to find fresh merchandise at the National Association of Chain Drug Stores’ Total Store Expo this week at the Boston Convention Center.
The show offered a chance for buyers to sift through the aisles for unique, value-priced items to wake consumers from their shopping slumber. Early indicators are promising with Nielsen data showing the 3 percent declines in color cosmetics registered earlier this year have shrunk to a 1.2 percent deficit for the 52 weeks ended July 26.
“We’re looking for up-and-coming brands that offer something the competitors don’t have,” said Jim Devine, president of the Chain Drug Marketing Association, representing regional and independent pharmacies.
Underscoring the vibrancy of the industry was record-breaking attendance exceeding 6,000 executives, a 5 percent gain over last year’s 5,700 attendees. To cap it off, former Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke predicted economic growth because of America’s strong and free markets, its entrepreneurial spirit and diverse and growing workforce.
Those latter two points struck home with poignancy for many of those at the meeting, which was a hotbed of upstart, indie beauty companies as well as more products, aimed at multicultural shoppers. There was also a healthy dose of beauty products with wellness attributes.
With sales exceeding $6 billion in all mass retail outlets, color cosmetics is the cornerstone of the entire beauty and personal-care business. Bill Bergin, group vice president, health and beauty at Rite Aid, said color has a “holistic” impact on the entire store. Upgrades to the color cosmetics assortment are credited with lifting total volume at chains including Rite Aid and Walgreens’ Look Boutiques. He also cited the synergy between wellness and beauty. Candace Corlett, president of WSL Strategic Retail, added, “If we are rested and healthy, we look better, and if we don’t look good, we don’t feel healthy. People are making the connection.”
The confluence of two factors fuel expansion of small beauty companies, buyers said. “I’m forced to look for smaller brands with more profit potential because the big companies are eliminating direct shipments for those with smaller volume,” said one source. But even more crucial was the urgent need for buyers to find brands that distinguish their assortments from competitors, be it others in their channel or the migration to value stores.
Garnering a great deal of attention was Eddie Funkhouser, who was on hand to demonstrate his namesake brand gaining traction at Rite Aid. Funkhouser showed his assortment of prestige-inspired items priced between $10 and $65. “I want to bring quality products to everyone,” he explained.
Other exhibitors attracting interest for unique items included German power Cosnova, which is extending its U.S. distribution for Essence and Catrice color collections. Others hoping to gain footage included Bellapierre Cosmetics, a natural mineral line, and Clio’s Mwah, a new natural lip line in packaging designed to appeal to Millennials.
Social media is viewed as the great equalizer in the cosmetics category. While these firms can’t spend on advertising like the big players, they can get their message across via bloggers, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
Paul Murphy, president and general manager for SinfulColors, agreed that social media has fueled demand for the on-trend nail color line. The SinfulColors mission is to bring its consumer the color she craves at a price she loves, and she can’t resist buying two to three bottles and sharing her nail artwork with her friends online.
Retailers remain confident on the nail business, despite a downturn in dollar sales. They are looking at items such as nail treatment to offset color declines. One top executive flashed her long talons, which she credited to a nail repair product from Vitry, a company from Paris that is looking for U.S. growth. MBA Beauty is also getting big attention for its Dr. Marvey brand of treatments as well as its water-based colors called Color Well. Red Carpet Manicure showed a new 30-second light to cure its at-home gel nails.
Accessories were also a category several chains said they wanted to expand, especially as products cross over from salon to retail requiring applicators, sponges and brushes for application. Companies with new retail programs included Pacific World, Swissco and Paris Presents. Another big opportunity is eyes, buyers said, with initiatives from L’Oréal for brows and color palettes from Wet ‘n’ Wild. Retailers are still buzzing over the growth of appliances and praised the new Kiss curling wand called Instawave, priced at $59.99.
Other news included:
• Skin care for pregnant and postpartum women from Clio called Mumsie.
• Toodaloo, a mass odor neutralizer inspired by the upscale Poopouri, from Advanced Beauty Systems.
• Bee Bald Men Care Products are skin care for men without hair — both their head and face.
• No Text Red, a limited program from Sinful Colors, designed to halt texting while driving. The concept is to paint thumbs with red nail color to remind drivers not to text.
NACDS president and chief executive officer Steven Anderson captured the brightening mood of the market. “The opportunity is greater right now than ever before,” he said. “If this moment in time cannot be called a renaissance of health, wellness and consumer-focused retailing, then no time in our history will ever bear that name.”
London’s newly opened @designmuseum will look back on the life and work of Azzedine Alaïa in a show that the designer helped to curate before he died of heart failure last month. The retrospective, which Alaïa had worked on with Mark Wilson, chief curator of the @groningermuseum, will look at the impact of his work worldwide. The show, “Azzedine Alaïa: The Couturier,” will run from May 10 to October 7. Read more about the exhibit on WWD.com #wwdnews #wwdfashion (📷: @zefashioninsider)
@Pharrell and his wife Helen Lasichanh were among the stars that came out to celebrate @rimowa’s first pop-up concept shop. The space, which is located on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, draws inspiration from airport luggage carousels and lounge areas – and features the company’s luggage and accessories. If the pop-up is successful it could pave the way for addition temporary shops throughout the world. #wwdfashion (📷: Owen Kolasinski/BFA)
@carineroitfeld celebrated @crfashionbook’s first calendar last night with a dinner party at Spring Place in Manhattan. Photographed by @stevenkleinstudio, the calendar takes on a fitness theme and features @joansmalls, @gigihadid, @danielle_herrington_ – pictured here – and more. “[Carine Roitfeld] wanted me to feel sexy and she wanted me to be myself and feel it out on my own and do what I felt was right,” said Herrington, aka Miss October. #wwdeye
@saintrecords and @virgilabloh last night at @americanexpress’ “A Night With Success Makers” event. “I always bring it back to community because without that I wouldn’t have the courage,” said Knowles when asked how she has gotten where she is now. Read more highlights from their conversation on WWD.com. #wwdeye (📷: @lizdoupnik)
This Just In: Industry sources have told WWD that Anastasia Soare is rumored to be considering selling her beauty business, @anastasiabeverlyhills. According to those sources, Soare has tapped investment bank Imperial Capital to explore sale options for her eponymous beauty brand –– and with at least $340 million in net sales, this would be a big deal. Put in context of other recent transactions for makeup companies, Soare’s price tag could be in the billions if she were to sell the whole thing. #wwdnews #wwdbeauty (📷: @clint_spaulding)
@assouline’s latest book, “The Spirit of Bentley: Be Extraordinary” captures the adventurous attitudes and opulent lifestyles of @bentleymotors’ most creative owners and enthusiasts throughout the U.K. The 292-page hardcover has a section dedicated to showing its team of skilled artisans and photos of its most colorful owners, from George Bamford to designer @alicetemperley, pictured here by Aline Coquelle. #wwdeye
@google released its report on the most popular search terms this year. For fashion brands, the list was led by @gucci, the luxury brand that stunned the market last October when it pledged to stop using fur. Runner ups were @supremenewyork and @fashionnova, along with more established brands like @louisvuitton, @chanelofficial and @ysl. #wwdfashion (📷: @aitorrosasphoto)
In yet another fashion show shuffle, @elleryland is moving its show in sync with the Paris couture calendar — though the brand is still keeping one foot on the city’s ready-to-wear schedule. Their runway show in January will coincide with the launch of a new strategy: designing two main collections each year instead of four, which will then be released in four drops. “As we all know, the system needs to change. We need to show sooner to give time back to artisans and designers to do what they do best — create,” said founder Kym Ellery. #wwdnews #wwdfashion (📷: @kukukuba)
@maxmara’s classic 101801 coat was the cornerstone of its pre-fall 2018 collection. The design team expanded the traditional double-breasted, kimono-sleeved style into a trapeze coat, lean belted styles and a peacoat and presented them in monochromatic looks – like the camel one pictured here. #wwdfashion #prefall18 (📷: George Chinsee)


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DETROIT - Chrysler pulled off a major coup Thursday, hiring away the highly-regarded Jim Press, Toyota's top North American executive, to run its sales and marketing operations.
Press, 60, formerly president and chief operating officer for Toyota in North America and the first non-Japanese member of Toyota Motor Corp.'s board of directors, will become Chrysler vice chairman and president.
He joins new Chairman and chief executive Robert Nardelli and Tom LaSorda on Chrysler LLC's top management team. LaSorda already has and will retain the same titles as Press.
LaSorda will run the company's manufacturing and purchasing operations, while Press will handle sales, marketing and product strategy, said company spokesman Mike Aberlich.
Toyota said Press' resignation will be effective Sept. 14. Shigeru Hayakawa, a Japanese veteran at the company and Toyota managing officer, will be the new president of Toyota North America.
Hiring Press is Chrysler's second major executive announcement since August, when private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management LP took control of 80.1 percent of the company from DaimlerChrysler AG. Cerberus announced Aug. 6 that Nardelli, a former Home Depot Inc. CEO, would become Chrysler's chairman and CEO.
"Toyota has been the centerpiece of my life. This was the most difficult decision I have made," Press said in a statement.
Press, an American, has been with Toyota for 37 years. His rise at Toyota was widely seen as furthering the company's effort to bolster its standing as a multinational corporation.
"Jim has played a significant role in strengthening Toyota's presence in the U.S," Toyota President Katsuaki Watanabe said. "I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to all he has done for Toyota."
Press comes to Chrysler with a great record of success at Toyota, which has seen continued U.S. sales increases for the past several years. Chrysler's sales have been dropping.
Aberlich said hiring Press is no reflection on LaSorda, who was demoted from chairman and CEO when Nardelli was hired. "The guy is such a remarkable 'get' that you're going to do it," Aberlich said of Press, equating the hiring with a baseball team bringing another power hitter onto its roster.
Chrysler would not comment on Press' compensation package, and because it now is a private company, details likely will be kept quiet.
Aberlich said the compensation, like Nardelli's, will be tied to Chrysler's performance. "He'll help turn us around, and he'll be rewarded."
Press will face two immediate challenges: managing the launch of crucial new vehicles such as the Chrysler Town & Country minivan and Dodge Avenger sedan, and repairing the company's frayed relations with its dealers. Both tasks should play to his strengths.
As the key figure at Toyota's Torrance, Calif .-based U.S. sales division from 1999 to 2005, Press served as the automaker's eyes and ears in this country and was credited with having a keen understanding of what appealed to U.S. drivers. As head of Toyota Motor Sales USA, Press led Toyota's rapid sales climb from a 9.3 percent U.S. market share in 2000 to 13.1 percent in 2005.
"He's smart enough to know how to bring to market what the customer wants," said Jim Hall, an analyst with Tustin, Calif. -based consulting company AutoPacific Inc. "And knowing the secret of how to put the customer No. 1 is how Toyota went from being an importer with their headquarters Hollywood Boulevard to what may be the smartest car company on the planet."
Press also displayed a talent for working with car dealers, which will be "incredibly important at Chrysler because Chrysler has bungled its relations with its dealers," said Michelle Krebs, editor of Edmunds' AutoObserver.com.
Press is the second Toyota defector to join Auburn Hills, Mich.-based Chrysler. Last month, it hired a top marketing executive from the other company's Lexus luxury division - a division Press ran in the 1990s. Deborah Wahl Meyer, 44, was named vice president and chief marketing officer.


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Apple CEO Tim Cook opened up the Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) Monday with a mantra of hardware, software and services, but the biggest takeaways are that the Apple Watch will become more independent and the company is honing its focus on health.
The gist here is that the iPad and features such as slide-over, split-view, drag and drop and pencil are multitasking tools that have their own independent approach.
Certainly, there are some business-friendly features in iPadOS such as the ability to add a thumb drive, separate accounts for business and personal and a download manager.
Multitasking will improve and this will also raise questions about whether iPadOS ultimately evolves to be the operating system of the Mac. One big hint: Federighi said Safari on iPad will have "Desktop-class browsing."
Add it up and Apple's move to pitch the iPad as a laptop replacement has become more real. What remains to be seen is whether iPadOS is the MacOS at some point.
Cook said Apple "loves the Mac" and the company actually delivered something new with the Mac Pro, available this fall, starting at $5,999. It will also be optimized for rack deployments. A display designed to go with it -- the Pro Display XDR -- will be $4,999.
The Mac Pro has a stainless steel frame that's designed for tweaking and modules that can move around the frame. Every subsystem has been optimized.
Mac Pro will be a draw for creative pros with an Intel Xeon processor with up to 28-cores and 300 watts of power.
An Afterburner expansion card for video editing that can play
A module, called MPX Module, to replace graphic cards for Nvidia or AMD. Mac Pro will support Radeon Pro 580X, Vega II with the ability to put two Vega II cards together
MacOS will be updated to power the Mac Pro. Federighi outlined the latest MacOS Catalina that included a bevy of pro features. He also confirmed that iTunes has had a good run, but couldn't do much more. MacOS will break iTunes into music, podcast and TV apps.
MacOS Catalina features include:
SideCar, which enables you to use your iPad as a second display for the Mac. The system works across apps and Apple Pencil.
Find My is a feature that can locate Apple devices even when they're offline. The feature is a nice bridge to iOS and can be handy. A secure Bluetooth beacon that's encrypted and anonymous enables Find My.
Activation Lock will prevent a lost or stolen MacBook from starting up.
Apps in the latest MacOS have also been updated.
Project Catalyst, a tool that allows iPad developers to easily create Mac apps. Developers will get tools that allow them to check off features that will automatically appear in the Mac app.
Why it matters? Mac Pro can address the workstation market, creative pros and maybe even the server market to some degree. MacOS Catalina lays the foundation between the Mac and iPad OS. The bridge is being built in a way that won't freak out developers or customers. The move to make it easier for iPad developers to bolster Mac apps is big.
Cook said Apple is "taking another leap forward with the Apple Watch" and moves to make the device more independent from the iPhone are a big deal.
Kevin Lynch, vice president of technology at Apple, kicked off with the WatchOS overview with new watch faces (a crowd favorite) and native apps such as voice memos and a calculator with tips.
But with apps that operate independently from iPhone, Apple is setting up for perhaps a bigger hint.
"We're enabling a whole new generation of apps for WatchOS," said Lynch, who also outlined a new app store. Dictation, scribble and Siri will get you into the App Store.
When the dust clears, the WatchOS 6 update may be the most important development. Apple has given the Apple Watch some independence by enabling cellular connections, but the device still needs the iPhone.
Apple Watch needs to break free entirely and an App Store devoted to the device is a good start. Why? Anecdotally speaking, Apple Watch users are picking up their iPhone less, tracking health more and ultimately setting the stage for more enterprise use cases. Apple Watch can be as big as the iPhone and it's time to cut it loose.
Why it matters? Peak iPhone has come and gone. And the iPhone of 2019 isn't likely to have 5G. As a result, everyone will wait until 2020. Apple needs something to hold the fort. That something is the Apple Watch.
Apple overhauled a bevy of native apps in iOS 13 including new Maps with more land and air data. Many of the map features will allow you to create collections similar to what Google offers. The new spin for Apple is that iOS 13 will give users a lot more privacy controls.
Meanwhile, to-do lists were updated along with Safari and Notes. Mail will get more rich formatting.
Federighi wrapped many of the updates into privacy for sharing location and signing in. Apple added features to keep personal emails private and allow users to provide a random email address. Each app will have a unique random address for "when you're tired of hearing from that app."
Privacy controls over your data is a core theme for Apple all the way to HomeKit and its interaction with security cameras.
HomeKit Secure Video -- video is encrypted with 10 days of iCloud storage.
"Sign in with Apple" will give Apple more of a gatekeeper role in identity over the likes of Google and Facebook.
New sharing controls in Messages.
Apple's iOS will also provide more picture editing in video as well as photo features. The photo app also gets an overhaul for easier browsing. Apple iOS 13 will remove clutter and create a "diary of your life."
And yes, these photo app updates will rhyme with the way Google and Amazon handle organization.
Other iOS 13 items worth noting:
AirPods will enable Siri to read incoming messages to you and allow you to respond via Announce Messages. AirPods will also get audio sharing via a simple tap.
HomePod can recognize voices and offer a personalized response.
Siri gets neural text to speech with better cadence and more complex sentences.
Why it matters? Apple has added a series of performance improvements as well as Memoji new features (naturally), but the privacy controls are the biggest item.
Sign in with Apple and the privacy mantra
Apple outlined Sign in with Apple with a feature that adds privacy, enables random email addresses and gives customers more control over how data is shared. What's interesting is that Apple is taking on Google and Facebook, two companies that often serve as sign-in vehicles for Web sites and apps.
You know, we're not really taking a shot at anybody. We're – we focus on the user. And the user wants the ability to go across numerous properties on the web without being under surveillance. We're moving privacy protections forward. And I actually think it's a very reasonable request for people to make.
Why it matters? Cook may argue that Apple's sign-in effort isn't about first party data, but it's clear that the company sees privacy as a way to differentiate itself from Google and Facebook. There's also a regulatory angle here too. As Congress is examining big tech, Apple's privacy efforts may help win regulators over.
New Health App
Health App has been redesigned with a new summary view with data and highlights, charts over time and machine learning to determine what's interesting to users, said Lynch.
Apple overhauled Activity trends for Apple Watch with hearing health features to track decibel levels. Apple's health app overhaul will hit Apple Watch and iOS.
Activity will now compare your progress over the last 90 days vs the last 365. If you're trending up, great. If you're trending down, it'll recommend things like climbing more stairs or running a faster pace.
Women's cycle tracking was also added to the Apple Watch health app.
Apple also outlined changes to App Store policies with VPN, mobile device management and privacy requirements.
Why it matters? Hell, Apple is already among the top three in smart glasses and it doesn't even have a product yet. Apple is likely to have AR glasses at some point and WWDC may yield a few more clues. Again, Apple's AR strategy is all about business. The enterprise use cases are everywhere for AR.
Swift is being updated with a new UI and features that take hundreds of lines and cram it down to just a few. By automatically adding tools to move toward low code, Apple is simplifying workflows for developers.
Swift UI will create automated transitions and offer a bevy of new features. Apple is also adding a framework to building Apple Watch apps. Swift UI will be available across all platforms with a common API.
Why it matters? The world is going low code and Apple's move to streamline developer workflows is critical to keep them on the platform.
Apple outlined TVOS and multi-user support, which brings it in line with multiple viewers with personalized recommendations. In other words, TVOS will match what Netflix already has.
Yet, TVOS is also a window into personalized Apple Music delivery as well as its services content. Cook promised the best music experience on TV. And TVOS will be a way into Apple's game services with hooks into controllers for Sony PlayStation and Microsoft XBox.
Why it matters? TVOS is a window to Apple's services and the company needs to keep up with the digital living room.
The BS bin
Apple iOS 13 got its dark mode. At the end of the day all Apple is doing is matching Android Q. Dark is easier on the eyes and saves battery life -- maybe. What's not to love? To hear Federighi talk about how much dark mode will change your life was comical given Apple had far meatier things on deck.
The other almost comical development is that Apple is likely to kill iTunes for Apple Music and podcasts apps. Forgive me for not realizing that ITUNES WASN'T DEAD IN 2012. iTunes was a bloated mess for years so let's not get crazy and think it's a big deal that Apple is killing it. Apple should have nixed iTunes years ago.
Why it matters? It doesn't. Dark mode is nice but a diversion. And as far as iTunes go file it into the "whatever" category.


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“We are very excited to confirm the upcoming European availability for several of our hottest new products,” said Kan Yulun, CEO of EMEA & LATAM, ZTE Mobile Devices, and Vice President of ZTE Corporation. “We will continue to bring our latest smartphones to markets across Europe, as well as other smart connected devices such as our Spro 2 smart projector.”
ZTE Star 2 comes with optimized system-level voice control and has upgraded to feature English-language GPS and speech-to-text input that supports British English. ZTE’s Star 2 is set to launch in Germany at CeBIT on 12 March 2015. Company says, at present, voice control functions that support Spanish are under development, which will be the third smart voice language available after Chinese and English.
The ZTE Blade S6 features ZTE’s innovative Smart Sense – an intuitive and practical set of gesture and motion controls – will soon be launched with the offline partners in Germany, Spain, and France at the end of the month. It will be launched online via AliExpress globally, as well as via eBay and Amazon for the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy and Spain.
Outside Europe, the ZTE Blade S6 is also set for offline launches in Malaysia, Thailand, Russia and other markets across the Asia Pacific.
The ZTE Blade L3 low budget smartphone targeted for younger user, which is also destined for European launches in April 2015.
The ZTE Spro 2 projector features a touchscreen Android operating system that provides full access to the Google Play store and a mobile hotspot. The smart projector was revealed at the 2015 Consumer Electronics Show and received four prestigious awards. The Spro 2 will be available later this year in the United States through wireless carriers and across European markets.
ZTE Grand S3 also announced with Eyeprint ID, as well as the ZTE Open L. The Open L is the first LTE smartphone which will be shipped with the latest version of Firefox OS 2.2. In addition to smartphones, other technology on display included the ZTE Sports Camera and ZTE in-house LTE chipsets.


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WASHINGTON — Mexican truckers face one last obstacle before the U.S. opens its roads to them.
Following President Bush’s opening of all U.S. highways to Mexican trucks last month — a move that brought the U.S. into compliance with NAFTA provisions — a coalition of environmental, labor and trucking-industry groups who have sued to close the border asked a California court for an emergency stay to keep the trucks within their current limit of 20 miles from the border.
Under the current system, Mexican trucks have transferred their cargo, including billions of dollars worth of apparel, to U.S. truckers who haul the loads to destinations in the U.S.
Mexico is the number-one supplier of apparel and textiles to the U.S. For the year ended in September, Mexico shipped $4.32 billion worth of apparel and textile to the U.S., accounting for 12.1 percent of the overall U.S. import market, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce.
Bush is now permitting Mexican trucks to receive operating authority to deliver international cargo to the U.S., and shipments originating within the U.S. back to Mexico — a move that brings the U.S. in compliance with NAFTA rules. Mexican trucks will not be permitted to deliver goods point to point within the U.S.
The Department of Transportation estimated 63,000 Mexican trucks crossed the border last year, making about 4.3 million crossings, mostly at Texas. The numbers refer to the cabs that pull trailers — it’s possible for one cab to cross the border, drop its trailer and return several times per day.
Most of the border crossing is handled by companies that specialize in short hauls across the 20-mile border region.
The administration’s efforts to open the border to Mexican trucks in the immediate future could be thwarted, however, if the coalition suing the government wins its case.
Labor, trucking and environmental groups, which sued the government in April to stop the trucks from operating beyond commercial zones in the U.S., sought an emergency stay from the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco on Dec. 3, following Bush’s action.
In seeking an emergency stay, the coalition was attempting to prevent the Bush administration from processing applications from Mexican carriers until it completes a full review of the impact the trucks will have on air quality."The trucks in Mexico are older and do emit more pollution and are not subjected to the same emissions standards as our trucks are," claimed a spokesman from the Teamsters union, a plaintiff in the lawsuit.
The court has taken the case under advisement and said it would consider the issue further once the Department of Transportation was ready to grant permits or when the administration and the Mexican government reach agreement on what role U.S. safety inspectors will play in Mexico.
Meantime, the DOT has collected 146 applications from Mexican carriers requesting permits for travel beyond the commercial zones, according to a department spokesman.
Of the 146 Mexican motor carriers that have applied to begin cross-border long-haul service into the U.S., 90 are ready for safety audits, according to the spokesman.
The DOT’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, which regulates interstate truck and bus safety, will be granting operating authority only to Mexican motor carriers that comply with all U.S. safety standards and insurance requirements.
The DOT spokesman dismissed claims made by the coalition on the environmental impact Mexican trucks will have on the U.S.
"We believe we conducted environmental reviews that complied with all applicable environmental requirements in issuing our regulations," he said.
The Teamsters opposed passage of NAFTA.
Joan Claybrook, president of Ralph Nader’s consumer watchdog group Public Citizen and also a plaintiff in the lawsuit, said her group is concerned about whether Texas will comply with the Clean Air Act since 66 percent of all Mexican trucks pass through the Texas border.
Madonna turns 59 today, marking another year of show-stopping, one-of-a-kind bold looks from the singer. To celebrate, we took a look at the superstar's most memorable fashion moments. Here, Madonna sits front row at Versace's spring runway show in 1995. See more exclusive photos from the #wwdarchive on WWD.com. #wwdeye (📷: Cédric Dordevic)
WWD asked a handful of creative directors to evaluate the September covers of leading women's fashion magazines. How do they think the covers this year compare with years gone by, and what do they say about the current status of the publication? Link in bio. (GIF by @hypebreast)
"Stephen King is such a master, but I don't like being scared - there's enough that's really scary. How about the morning's news?" says Holland Taylor in an interview with WWD. See what else the actress said about starring in the TV adaptation of King's thriller "Mr. Mercedes" on WWD.com. #wwdeye (📷: @jgreenery)


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In this week’s 45th edition of Kodansha’s Weekly Shōnen Magazine, it was officially announced that Sōichirō Yamamoto’s manga “When Will Ayumu Make His Move?” will be concluding its run in just five more chapters.
Published in English by Kodansha USA Publishing, this manga offers readers an enticing blend of the classic will-they-won’t-they romance trope, courtesy of the renowned creator of “Teasing Master Takagi-san.”
The story revolves around Ayumu, who finds himself deeply infatuated with his senpai, Yaotome. However, he has made a solemn vow not to confess his feelings until he can outsmart her in the intricate game of shogi. The catch? His affection for Yaotome is strikingly evident to her, and she can’t resist the temptation to playfully manipulate him into breaking his pledge.
For those who relish the romantic dynamics found in series like “Don’t Toy with Me, Miss Nagatoro,” “Komi Can’t Communicate,” and “Shikimori’s Not Just a Cutie,” this manga promises to rekindle that spark of love.
Yamamoto, renowned for “Teasing Master Takagi-san,” initially launched this series in Weekly Shōnen Magazine back in March 2019 as part of the magazine’s celebration of its 60th anniversary. With the 15th volume already available since July 14 and the 16th volume set to hit the shelves on October 17, readers can expect an exciting culmination of this romantic journey.
For English-speaking fans, Kodansha has been keeping pace with the series, releasing the 14th volume on September 26 and scheduling the 15th volume for publication on November 21.
Additionally, it’s worth noting that this manga adaptation led to an anime series in 2022, with Sentai Filmworks offering English-subtitled streaming via HIDIVE.
Source | Weekly Shōnen Magazine issue 45


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Smart plant-based food packaging is predicted to ride on their enhanced and novel preservation properties for increasing its demand in the market. This could be due to the implementation of value-added oxygen barriers in bioplastic. A new type of green plastic is envisaged to take shape in the market with the combination of complex technologies such as nanoparticle components and biopolymers.
The usage of sensors in smart plant-based food packaging could be a significant addition envisioned to up the demand in the market at a high rate. Such sensors could notify consumers when the food was sourced, its temperature, and also pH levels. Even seafood could be held inside smart plant-based food packaging with the introduction of pot and bottle type products. Furthermore, food manufacturers are forecasted to reduce their carbon footprint with the implementation of smart plant-based food packaging.
Food packaging is essential for containment of products, preservation and protection, to reduce food spoilage, eliminating the risk of adulteration and present food in a hygienic and aesthetically attractive way. According to the Agriculture and Food Organization, one third of the food in the world is wasted and most of this wasted food is generated by retailers and consumers who follow dates on packages and throw away edible food due to a label.
Request Brochure For More Information@ https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=14936
Therefore, a project was initiated in order to develop plant-based bioplastic food packaging which increases the shelf life of food and the researchers also have formulated sensors that notify the consumers and retailers whether the food inside can be consumed or not.
These smart plant-based food packaging not only extend the life of the food product but also eliminates the need for environment-harming plastic. The smart plant-based food packaging market can be segmented on the basis of product type, material type and as per the region. On the basis of product type, the market is segmented into blow moulded, pot designed and others. On the basis of material type, it is divided into cellulose based film and blow moulded film. On the basis of region, the market is segmented into North America, Europe and the emerging countries of Asia Pacific.


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Business operations have suffered in the past years, mostly due to the colossal impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
As this crisis eases in different areas all over the globe (thanks to the supply of vaccines now), many businesses are in recovery mode and are looking forward to enhanced business operations as they get back fully to work.
In light of this, this article analyzes key business trends driving the future of business operations in the areas of:
- Business planning
- Marketing, and
These areas are key to the sustainability of business operations currently and in subsequent years.
All four areas have taken a significant hit due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, this piece examines how business operations have been affected in these key scopes as well as the roles of business leaders in bringing innovation to scale operations in the future.
Several months back, Gartner predicted that “By 2022, more than 50% of enterprise data will be created and processed outside the data center or cloud.”
One of the major impacts of COVID-19 on work was to accelerate the adoption of the distributed work model. The cloud made it possible to maintain connectedness between multiple employees communicating across distances.
Yet, Gartner’s prediction sets forth an extension of this impact: basically, the omnipotence of infrastructure and data would stretch the abilities of operations leaders to protect critical business resources.
From an infrastructure perspective, this form of decentralization is good as it helps businesses to leverage limited resources.
However, data centralization still has its pitfalls, especially in the SaaS scope, when companies fail to integrate new technologies properly within the existing framework.
Also, it may open up a business to security risks. Therefore, there is a greater responsibility on businesses to protect their data and manage access to data and information adequately.
Business Continuity Plan
The current pandemic crisis, which hit the globe with shock just last year, has been a whole lesson in human adaptability.
Every business has a will to continue operations, regardless of internal or external obstacles. The companies that closed business temporarily last year have reopened. Most businesses that didn’t close (particularly large corporations) at all pivoted to adaptable solutions such as greater adoption of remote work, staff downsizing (temporarily or otherwise), revitalizing product offerings, etc.
Operational continuity is crucial to the survival of many businesses. Having experienced first-hand on a global scale the huge impact of external factors on business operations, leaders must be ready to scale up business continuity and contingency planning.
Already, the need for operational continuity is the key driver behind innovations such as automation and virtual service delivery. However, what can be expected in future business planning is a greater emphasis on worst-case scenarios.
This should be approached in a calculated manner, though.
For instance, the odds of a global-level disaster of the scale of COVID-19 are low. Hence, it would do no business well to focus on preparing for worst-case scenarios at the expense of combating present and more realistic, even though less impactful challenges.
The wind of customer-centric operations has been blowing for some time but it has gotten stronger again.
Many businesses would be trying to recoup the losses from last year by intensifying their efforts at adapting to the market needs of their customers.
The increased virtualization of businesses and service delivery models over the past year means that businesses need to do more to maintain contact with their customers and ensure increased personalization in service delivery.
HubSpot’s Not Another State of Marketing Report 2020 records “Over 60% of marketers surveyed say that their customer acquisition costs have increased in the past 3 years.”
Businesses are also focused on optimizing their customer journey to establish meaningful connections with their customers at every touchpoint. Even in conducting effective SEO, paying attention to the ‘rumblings’ of your audience is crucial to achieving meaningful results.
Business today is a little less about the ‘business’ than it is about the brand. That is, it is not mere exchange of value, but building a relationship based on trust that encourages loyalty to the brand.
Remote work has been repeated so many times it has become cliche. So have technological truisms of artificial intelligence and the like.
Rather, this section examines various predictions for what the future of work would be like. Hopefully, business leaders will be able to arrive at an overarching picture of what to prepare for in terms of how the model of labor now and in the future will shape business operations.
PwC defines three scenarios for the future of work:
- Large corporates turning into ministates and taking on a prominent role in society.
- Specialization creating the rise of collaborative networks.
- The social and environmental agenda forcing fundamental changes to business strategy.
The report admits, though, that no one of the three models would prevail. Instead, stakeholders within each of the three models would seek opportunities, evaluate market needs, and manage competing demands within each framework.
The increased connectedness of the workforce in most companies means that many leaders would have to restructure their device management policies.
As a McKinsey report says, “Creating relevant policies and having the right capabilities, including both talent and processes, to do so is crucial to… ensuring operational effectiveness.”
Business leaders have a responsibility for the innovation drive in their companies. New business leaders, in particular, have more work to do. These are challenging times to start a business but with strategic thinking, one can hit the ground running and go on to succeed.
IT, business planning, marketing, and work have surely been areas of concern for most leaders over the past several months.
However, with some change in strategy, businesses can enhance their operations for more fruitful results.


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Excellent news, Hov fans: Every album from JAY-Z's Blueprint series is now available on Apple Music.
One year after relaunching the Tidal streaming service, JAY removed the album trilogy from competing platforms like Spotify, Google Play, Rhapsody, Amazon, and Apple Music. The move took place after his debut album, Reasonable Doubt, was pulled from all major streaming services, with the exception of Tidal. Unfortunately, Reasonable Doubt remains unavailable on Apple Music, making it the only album in JAY's discography that can't be streamed via the service.
Not a drill: The Blueprint 1, 2 and 3 are now on Apple Music.— Julius J., MBA (@juliuscjohnson) May 22, 2019
PSA: jay-z added blueprint 1-3 to Apple Music 🗣 rt to save a life!!! pic.twitter.com/Bexh9tzrXq— Danny Ali (@youngspacewolf) May 22, 2019
Jay-Z being back on Apple Music is like a holiday. Blueprint in heavy rotation today.— C-San (@CSanmusic) May 23, 2019
Thanks to Apple Music my gym workout music soundtrack today will be The Blueprint— 80sbebe (@80sbebe) May 22, 2019
Blueprint finally back on Apple Music pic.twitter.com/pZAjUxX8T8— Matt Brown (@Matt__Br0wn) May 22, 2019
In other Hov-related news, Billboard reports Roc Nation has canned a number of senior-level executives, including senior vice president of promotion Azim Rashid, senior vice president of A&R Orlando McGhee, executive vice president of marketing Gita Williams, and senior director of publicity Fairley McCaskill. Sources did not explain the reasoning behind the terminations, which occurred nearly two months after Benny Pough left his post as Roc Nation's president. Again, it's unclear if these recent shake-ups were related.


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Trask River Mill
Purchased by Stimson
Stimson Lumber Co. has purchased from TreeSource Industries the former Trask
River Lumber sawmill in Tillamook, Ore., and operations under the new name
Stimson Lumber Tillamook began January 6. The mill will produce 50 percent green
Douglas fir and 50 percent kiln-dried white woods.
Caterpillar and Pape Brothers
Sign Asset Purchase Agreement
On February 5 Caterpillar Inc. and Pape Bros., Inc. announced an agreement in
principal that will transfer ownership of Caterpillar dealership assets from
Pape (an Eugene, Ore.-based company) to Caterpillar Inc. Pape will continue to
serve as the Caterpillar dealer for southern Oregon and adjacent counties in
northern California until the transaction is finalized.
Beijing International High-Tech
May 23-26, 2003 marks the sixth Beijing International High- Tech Expo. It’s a
high-tech international cooperation and exchange convention jointly organized by
the PRC Ministry of Science and Technology, the Ministry of Foreign Trade and
Economic Cooperation, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Information
Industry, the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade and Beijing
Municipality. For more information log onto
www.ciwf.com.cn or e-mail
Wallingford's and BABAC Join
With Brandt Tractor
Wallingford's Inc., North America’s largest manufacturer/ distributor of logging
supplies, and Brandt Tractor, the world’s largest independent John Deere dealer,
have announced a major marketing agreement for BABAC Tire Chains. Brandt
Tractor’s Paul Breitkreuz will be coordinating the tire chain program from the
newly established distribution center in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
A.A. "Red" Emmerson of Sierra Pacific Industries was awarded the 2002 Harry A.
Merlo Award at the World Forestry Center's board of directors meeting in New
Zealand on November 13.
Wetsel, Jr. Receives
Award BASF Forestry Products, along with the American Tree Farm System (ATFS), a
program of the American Forest Foundation, named Cecil Wetsel, Jr., president
and chief executive officer of Wetsel-Oviatt Lumber Company, as the winner of
the 2002 BASF Forestry Products Outstanding Achievements in Sustainable Forestry
Award. Wetsel was recognized for significant achievements in spreading the
message of sustainable forestry and demonstrating the positive benefits this
management approach brings to local communities and businesses. He has crafted
his second-generation lumber business, headquartered in El Dorado Hills, Calif.,
into a working classroom and living billboard to promote sustainable forestry.
Columbia Forest Products of Portland, Ore., has said it plans to purchase the
Nipigon Multiply hardwood plywood underlayment operation in Ontario, Canada from
Weyerhaeuser Co. Weyerhaeuser's Building Materials organization will maintain a
role as agent for Columbia in selling and distributing.
Hanson Named Stellar Regional
Gary Hanson has been appointed Stellar Industries’ regional sales manager for
the Western region of North America. His duties include servicing the Western
U.S. and Canadian Territories with sales of Stellar shuttle hooklift loaders,
mechanic cranes, and utility bodies. "I look forward to maintaining current
Stellar hooklift and service crane dealer relationships as well as establishing
new ones," says Hanson.
service is temporarily unavailable


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Last week Australia’s Fairfax Media announced the company will cut another 120 editorial jobs at the Sydney Morning Herald and the Melbourne Age. What strategies beyond cuts can save old media companies as traditional advertising revenues dry up?
For decades, the print and broadcast media was incredibly profitable as they provided an advertising platform for businesses and individuals. While television revenues have held up, the rest of the media industry has seen their income collapse.
In the early days of the web the hope was display advertising would provide revenues for online publishers, however it turns out readers are blind to the ads and, should the messages become too intrusive or resource heavy, people will install ad-blockers.
One revenue channel for publishers is ‘content marketing’ or ‘branded content’ where advertisers sponsor specific stories. At the Sydney Ad:Tech conference earlier this week Asia-Pacific Regional Advertising Director for the New York Times, Julia Whiting, described what the iconic masthead finds works in this medium.
Whiting says there are five key factors in making branded content work for advertisers.
- Give something of value. Be entertaining, informative, educative or provide some utility.
- Tell an authentic story. Make the link between the brand and story as subtle as possible.
- Produce high quality content. Consider how a newsroom cover the story and what would hook the reader.
- Choose the right environment. Advertisers have to align with publishers that have the right brand values and audience.
- Targeted campaigns. Use data to define and find target audiences then use that information to deliver relevant content.
The question with the branded content is how explicit the advertiser’s message or sponsorship can be before readers start losing trust.
Another aspect is creepiness. One of the campaigns Whiting showcased was The Creekmores, the story of a young family who travelled the world as the mother was dying of breast cancer that was sponsored by Holiday Inn.
On a personal level, this writer is uncomfortable with such a personal story being associated with a multinational brand and wonders if the family would have been happy for their tale to be part of a branded content campaign for a hotel chain.
For branded content to really work, that ‘alignment’ between the publisher, audience and advertiser is essential and in turn ultimately relies upon the credibility of the outlet.
In the case of the New York Times, that credibility rests upon good writing and strong editorial values, although the paper hasn’t been immune from scandal itself.
Good, well edited writing may turn out to be the greatest asset for today’s media outlets as smaller publications such as The Economist, Punch and The Spectator see readership and revenues increase.
The Guardian, ironically an outlet that itself is cutting 250 staff, reports these publications are succeeding due to well written articles. “If you produce journalism that is not just better but significantly better than what’s free on the web, people will pay for it,” says Spectator editor Fraser Nelson.
Which brings us back to Australia’s Fairfax where a succession of clueless managements have eroded editorial standards. Three years ago former editor Eric Beecher wrote a scathing account of his time at the company where an incompetent and unqualified board flailed in the face of market changes it could barely comprehend.
One of the villains of that tale, board chairman Roger Corbett, was a successful Chief Executive of the Woolworths supermarket chain. That he was so obsessed with a failed business model and protecting margins by slashing costs indicates much about the nature of Australia’s insular corporate world.
A consequence of Fairfax’s cost cutting obsession has been foreign outlets have stepped into the market with The Guardian, Daily Mail, Buzz Feed and a range of other sites setting up in the country – something that further squeezes the incumbent’s market position.
In opening her Ad:Tech presentation, the NY Times’ Julia Whiting noted Australia was the outlet’s fifth largest global market, something undoubtedly driven by the decline in the SMH’s and Age’s output.
The travails of Fairfax and the successes of smaller outlets show what might be an encouraging trend in the media – that a quality product actually attracts an audience and advertisers.
If that’s true, the managements that mindlessly cut costs that hurt the quality of their core product may be accelerating the demise of their businesses.


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It’s the legal battle that sounds as if it’s been planned by children: Eastman Kodak is suing Shutterfly, alleging that the site is infringing on Kodak patents in its manufacture and sale of photo-based products. In response, Shutterfly is countersuing, arguing that not only is the company not infringing on any patents, but that Kodak is actually infringing on their patents, so there. Both parties are seeking an injunction from the other continuing to offer services which infringe on their patents, as well as damages.
According to a spokesman, Kodak “has invested hundreds of millions of dollars to develop leading technology enabling online imaging systems and services, and, as a result, we have more than 400 patents in this space alone, and thousands more in the broader imaging category.” The company is alleging that Shutterfly is infringing on five of those 400+ patents. Depending on the outcome of this lawsuit, there’s the possibility that Kodak may go to to sue other photo-sharing sites like Flickr or Picasa; the company also currently has ongoing legal battles with Apple.
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Not sure what to do with that Star Wars R2-D2 tape measure or that remote-controlled flying fish you got from Aunt Jean at Christmas? We would love your unwanted presents in our Red Cross Shops.
Wednesday January 11, 2017
Did Santa find a gift so good he gave it twice? We have the solution.
It's estimated Australians spent up to $630 million on unwanted festive gifts last year, according to research by New Galaxy and Gumtree. That's 20.6 million presents that could go to waste.
"A lot of us get gifts we don't really need or want," says Andre Oosthuizen from the Red Cross retail team. "But this year, don't ditch your unwanted presents. Instead, re-gift them to a Red Cross shop.
"Maybe you received clothing that just isn't your style, or homewares you don't have room for. Maybe you don't really want to mount that singing fish on your wall - but someone else might think it's hilarious.
"When you donate your unwanted clothing, accessories, books and homewares, Red Cross can sell them to raise money for our vital support services, helping people in need around Australia and overseas.
"It's an easy way to make the Christmas cheer spread that little bit further."
Red Cross has a network of over 150 stores in every Australian state and territory. Donations can be brought into any Red Cross shop.
We regret we can't accept donations of mattresses, electrical goods or clothing with stains or damage.
Find your closest Red Cross shop.