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A Bengaluru-based automotive dealership will become the first Castrol Certified Carbon Neutral dealership by offsetting 100% of its operating emissions across all its 12 sales and service locations.
Privately-held Bosch, the world's biggest automotive supplier, delivered around 17 million technical devices equipped with engine management software, including tools that allowed carmakers to manipulate emissions tests, prosecutors said in a statement.
The Scottish city plans to reach the goal by consuming greener energy and promoting a mass electric car charging scheme, as well as boosting investment in the renewable electricity grid.
France has around 223,000 electric vehicles on its roads and like some other European countries plans to end the sale of diesel and gasoline vehicles by 2040 as part of efforts to curb pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.
Volkswagen was caught using illegal software to cheat U.S. pollution tests in 2015, triggering a global backlash against diesel vehicles that has so far cost it 29 billion euros.
"Our calculations show that it's possible, so we're doing it," Bosch chief executive Volkmar Denner said during the German group's annual press conference.
Japan's seventh-biggest automaker released its results hours ahead of schedule after it inadvertently uploaded its financials on its website earlier than planned. The company initially withdrew the material, but not before social media noticed, sending its shares down more than 2 percent after the snafu.
The global trucking industry is undergoing enormous change. Older vehicles are being replaced with ‘smart trucks’, using Machine-to-Machine (M2M) / Internet of Things (IoT systems and cellular communications technologies to transmit essential information for management of today's fleet operations.
The tyremaker has currently installed 1 MW of solar capacity in its Pune Plant in Chakan, Maharshtra and is in the process of setting up of another 4 MW of capacity which will commence operations by September 2019.
Measures like market creation and adoption, domestic manufacturing of vehicles, components and batteries, strategic sourcing of key raw material and skill development in India are needed to support policies like FAME to embrace mass adoption of electric vehicles by 2030, it said.
The Italian-American automaker on Jan 10 announced it had settled with the U.S. Justice Department, the state of California and diesel owners over civil claims that it used illegal software that produced false results on diesel-emissions tests.
Veoneer has suffered as carmakers have extended their timeline for the mass adoption of self-driving vehicles and robotaxis due to regulatory and technological challenges and due to a slide in conventional car sales needed to fund development.
European Union rules call for trucks to cut carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by 15 percent by 2025, and 30 percent by 2030 which will force the industry to adopt hybrid and electric powertrains.
The country's biggest car plant and largest private sector employer has seen investment of 2.8 billion euros ($3.16 billion) since 2010
The auto industry is facing a downturn in European demand just as it struggles to make drastic cuts to average fleet carbon dioxide emissions, or face massive fines.
A spokesman for Daimler, owner of Mercedes-Benz, said the carmaker was reviewing the facts and fully cooperating with the KBA.
The vehicles could slash greenhouse gas emissions in half for three people on a 100-km (62-mile) trip, said researchers, though much of the savings come by assuming passengers will be more willing to share their space than they are in cars.
Hot Trends ›
Editor's Picks ›
Hero MotoCorp inaugurates children traffic training park in Hyderabad / MG Motor partners with Fortum to install public DC fast charging station in NCR / Volkswagen Group global delivery grows 12.2% to 949,800 in October / Forging body raises concern over dearth of fresh orders from auto sector / ZF partners with Wolong Electric for producing electric motors and components / Vehicle retail registered growth in October, says dealers' lobby / Uber's Chief Product Officer Manik Gupta to step down - Report / Mercedes-Benz delivers eCitaro electric buses to ESWE Verkehrsgesellschaft / PV retail sales up 11%; inventories down 25% in October / Uttar Pradesh continues to be at the top in road accident fatalities


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THE ANDROID BASED Gamestick games console has been shown off in all its up to date design finery.
We are expecting the Gamestick in the Spring, and it's so far, so good. Playjam, the company behind it, was looking for £100,000 in funding. By now they have five times that much, and the console still has until 1 February to run on Kickstarter.
"It's hard to believe that we launched Gamestick just a few short weeks ago. The Kickstarter campaign has been a roller coaster of a ride and one which has given us more feedback than we could ever have possibly imagined." said PlayJam CMO Anthony Johnson.
"We have been able to take that input and literally better shape our product to give our backers a truly bespoke creation - one which has been designed by the Kickstarter community that backed it."
Guess what, the controller is more ergonomic and should sit nicer in the hand, while the joystick part of the Gamestick now makes room for a microSD card slot. Gamestick said that this was included "in response to overwhelming demand".
Last week as the pocket console hit other targets, a dock was announced. While this adds to the overall Gamestick concept, it also adds room for a lot more peripherals. Not to mention, karaoke games.
"The Gamestick Dock is a prime example of how we have moved rapidly to innovate while still in the pre-production phase," added Johnson.
"It has made for a 'hairy' 30 days but we think the results are worth it and we are delighted that we have been able to tailor the product as much as we have in such a short timeframe." µ
Piton processor aims to make servers run more efficiently and cheaply
It might, it might not
You're not The Queen, Linus
As if that wasn't bad enough, it's also going to let businesses spam you with messages

domain: news


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by Louis Smith
Brazil’s internal consumer market is the frequent topic of a lot of hand-wringing and disdain from both the financial media and people living in the country. High costs, poor quality and lack of choice are frequently cited as problems caused the protectionist policies that Brazil has had in place for decades.
As someone that faces the challenge of being a consumer in Brazil on a daily basis it would be easy to throw my hands up and blame Brazilians for allowing this to happen, but like many assumptions about Brazil blaming the victims of this policy is simplistic and shortsighted. Brazil is expensive if you compare it to a developed consumer market like the United States, but such comparisons are superficial without seriously looking at the context and reasons. The first thing to say is that Brazil is expensive, that is without out a doubt, however the problem with many articles in the financial press is they tend contextualise Brazil through their own editorial position rather than objective analysis. Often it is not what is said; examples often include high taxation, or editorial aversion to minimum wage policies, the problem is most often what is not said. Reasons and excuses are not the same thing, and this not written as a defence of historical economic decision making by Brazil’s leadership. However, to actually understand the reasons behind Brazil’s current consumer market model it does need to be put in context, both historically and in terms of successive Brazilian administrations’ policies over the past 20 years.
Firstly we need to look at who is participating in Brazil’s consumer market in the 21st Century. What is ignored is that a true mass consumer market in Brazil is less than 10 years old. That may sound odd to someone that has recently arrived in the country, with all the appliance stores, giant indoor malls and people driving new cars. But up until very recently the amount of people that could afford to participate consumerism was around at the most 20% of the population. The driver of this has been the emergence of a stable working class whom banks and credit companies can risk lending for goods such as cars and appliances – these people are frequently referred to as the “New Middle Class” or Class C in the Brazilian government categorisation, with a monthly income of around R$1,000-2,000 per month. The term “middle class” to describe this economic group has more to do with contemporary political semantics than what we would recognise as “middle class” in the context of a developed economy.
Poverty reduction in Brazil is often discussed in terms of conditional income support programs such as Bolsa Familia, however the real story of poverty reduction in Brazil is the continued stability and rising incomes of formal sector employees. This is intrinsically linked to Brazil’s closed market policies. It needs to be considered that the current Workers Party administration behaves much less like a traditional leftwing party and much more in the style of a Latin American corporatist party operating a post-colonial economic policy of Import Substitution Industrialisation. This is a policy put in place to offset the damage done to Latin American economies by the previous colonial systems.
Anti-colonialism arguments are often dismissed by some as antiquated excuses or radical leftist rhetoric, however to simplify why colonialism was so damaging it needs to be understood that most colonisers had a strict policy of suppressing industrial development in the colonised country favouring home industry to export refined and manufactured products back to the colonised country that was often the supplier of the raw materials. It isn’t hard to imagine the damage this did to economies like Brazil’s as they entered the modern era.
How does this relate to Brazil’s high prices? Imagine of how things are in most Western consumer markets; the post-war settlement in developed countries created a mass “middle class” over 60 years ago – which is more accurately described as working class with access to credit. Everything that follows reduces costs; infrastructure investment, which in turn has massive payoffs in reducing the cost of logistics, then 60 years of expertise in designing and managing supply and demand for goods from raw material extraction, to factory, to store shelf. As the world economy globalised this was followed by a decline of the developed economies’ industrial sector and a move from production to service work. This has reduced costs further in the wake of the end of mass labour movements and the subsequent weakening of the private sector workforce’s ability to organise to defend pay and conditions. The result is a service sector that at the bottom line has had labour costs squeezed to the point where working in a store in London means you are unlikely to own your own home or afford to pay for your children’s university or if you live in the US the need of health insurance effectively ties you to your employer, further minimising the ability to fight for better pay.
In terms of a single item what does this have to do with an expensive microwave in Brazil? Everything. The microwave brought in the US or UK, for example, is cheap because costs have been reduced across the lifecycle of the product and not just in terms of importation tariffs and taxation. On the positive, one cost reduction has been in the cost per kilometre in getting goods from factory to market – this applies to the components of the product prior to assembly as well -. This means that from the mine that extracted the metal, to the glass tray, to the copper in the wires, to the finished product there have been logistical and productivity gains that have dropped the price for the consumer. Now we get the negative, and it is a big negative. The Chinese assembled microwave that is sold in these markets has also had something else in it’s cost reduced to the minimum, wages. From the factory worker in China, to the US warehouse worker, to the shop assistant in Manchester all have had their wages pushed down so far that we now have a kind of reverse Fordism -that is the people that make and sell mass products can no longer afford to buy them, or if they can this is about all they can buy.
Now let’s look at the Brazilian consumer market and we’ll see the reason for expensive microwaves. Firstly as I mention Brazil has an incredibly immature consumer market, the cost reductions in management and logistics are not there, it is very easy to underestimate the effect Brazil’s weak logistics has on prices. On wage costs, the ability to push wages down is near impossible, not only is rising real wages the cornerstone of the current administration’s social and economic policy, the massive expansion of the economy in the past 20 years means the only way wages are going is up. Compound this with record low unemployment and skill shortages across the economy. On top of everything Brazil has one of the most complex and outdated taxation systems in the world. The issue with Brazilian taxes isn’t simply that they are too high, more importantly they are made up of decades of ad-hock policy making. Examples of this are the inter-State taxes. The original idea of this was to encourage competition between the States and to create locally accountable taxation – it is important to remember that although the Brazilian constitution guarantees access to public services individual states have the responsibility to deliver them, hence the need for sources of local state taxation. Instead what has happened is that State governments have used the local taxation system to shore up their own revenues separate from Federal allocation, so what was meant to provide independence and local accountability reverted to local clientism and what was supposed to encourage inter-State competition for lower taxes actually resulted in internal protectionism as States’ act to protect their own industry.
The solution often proposed is that Brazil should do what the US and UK did and drop tariffs on cheap imported goods, therefore there will be cheaper goods in the stores. But that is much easier said than done, and the reason is Brazil’s current stage of economic development. Protectionism is highly addictive to any economy, the longer it is in place the more difficult and socially damaging its removal becomes. An example of “how not to do it” was the shock therapy implemented in the post-USSR, the results for the country were plummeting life expectancy, vast inequality and a near total economic collapse in 1998. How does this relate to Brazil? It relates because in the terms of the closed nature of Brazil’s economy a sudden dropping of tariffs could have a similar effect, and in Brazil’s case would be far more socially destabilising. The principle of import tariff removal and free-trade is that cheaper manufacturing costs in – mostly Asian – markets will reduce the cost of living in the country that imports the goods. Also that superior imported goods will drive out low quality manufacturers and reward competitive industries rising productivity. However in any country for this is function efficiently it is highly dependant on a developed and sophisticated service sector that over time will mop up the lost manufacturing jobs and provide an economic base for the purchase of the imported goods, which in turn generates an ecosystem of further service sector employment in retail, distribution and call centres etc. Although Brazil has a roughly 20-20-60% spilt between manufacturing, agricultural and service sector employment that does not mean that the service sector is self-supporting or even stable. The service sector statistics seem impressive until you think but what those services are in Brazil. For example, women’s service sector employment mostly means cleaning up after other people, Brazil has the largest domestic workforce in the world. Without breaking down reams of statistics Brazil’s service sector it is not like the US or Europe, much of it is precarious domestic work.
Corporatism is another major cause of the famous “Brazil Cost” and the private sector in Brazil are complicit. Protectionism is the order of the day and Brazil’s business leaders encourage it – the argo-business sector being a rare exception. Due to the country’s erratic historical economic cycles – like Brazil’s consumers – there is often little culture of long term planning. The result is Brazilian businesses will price already uncompetitive products at the limits of consumer tolerance, rather than establish a long-term goal of building a customer base. On top of price gouging, there is almost no competitive behaviour between major retailers. Unlike the mass retailers of the United States and Europe Brazil’s retail prices are often still set by the supplier, so for example a bottle of beer will be sold at almost identical prices regardless of which supermarket you are purchasing from. The results that Brazilian consumers often have little understanding of competitive actions between retailers. Many in the wealthy and middle class will pay R$500 for a pair of jeans as a status symbol. The lower classes are often in a position where this is the first time in their lives they could afford anything and have no consumer education, and look at the monthly instalment, not the end price. Likewise brand supermarkets in Brazil are not competitive stores offering value via economies of scale, they are regarded as luxury stores that charge a premium for providing a pleasant shopping experience, buying from a street vender is almost always cheaper. An example of this is US giant Walmart’s Brazilian Nacional stores; on the surface they look like any supermarket in the US, however on a closer look they are nothing of the kind, no competitive pricing, poorly managed, little in the way of customer service. Walmart arrived in Brazil and instead of shaking up the market it just started behaving like a Brazilian company. This happens time and time again. Look at Spanish clothing giant Zara. A Brit or Spaniard would regard a Zara as a cheap and cheerful clothing store, in Brazil it’s a luxury brand reserved for high end malls. Other anomalies include European beers such as Heineken and Stella Artois, both hardly regarded a classy beverage in Europe. In fact Stella Artois is more often associated with poverty and anti social behaviour, its popular nickname in England is “wife beater”.
The reality of protectionism is that it does protect jobs, but the question is the cost to the broader society. There is no doubt that a sudden shift to an open economy would create mass unemployment and possibly threaten serious social unrest. That said, there are a lot of bright spots in Brazil and considering how difficult it is to do business in Brazil it is an amazingly entrepreneurial country – much out of necessity, and it isn’t hard to imagine that even if the bureaucratic brakes were loosen slightly the results could be very positive. In Brazil, like in the US, there is always a level of cognitive dissonance about opening markets; as in the US you often hear complaints about cars etc. not being “Made in America” at the same time not realising that cheaper imports from Japan and China actually increase their purchasing power, reducing perceived inflation etc. This also happens in Brazil, It is common to hear complaints regarding the ever increasing previlance of China made goods.
Regardless of economic positions Brazil’s protectionism protects Brazilian jobs reducing aching inequality and the result is paying more for things. Essentially Brazilians pay more to keep their fellow Brazilians in a job. Protectionism in Brazil is effectively a form of social welfare that the State doesn’t have to deliver. Brazil is not a rich country yet, it is an upper middle income country that needs to maintain the social and economic gains of the past 20 years. A sudden opening of its market would directly threaten Brazil’s future development. A sudden opening of markets would have the effect of mass unemployment as the service sector would not be able to pick up the slack and would actually contract as demand slumped, creating a downwards spiral that would risk all of Brazil’s impressive gains post-dictatorship. There may be another longer term positive externality to Brazilian protectionism, maybe that Brazil’s consumers would be shielded or at least accustomed to future higher costs of Asian made products. Real wages in China are growing rapidly and we may see a slow motion “oil shock” as rising prices for Chinese goods start eating into the purchasing power of consumers reliant on cheap prices to maintain living standards. Brazil with a large internal – albeit inefficient – manufacturing sector means this would have less of an effect, or at least allow for mitigation. Much of Brazil’s economic oddity can be explained by the massive expansion in its consumer base over the past 20 years. Both money for investment and, as important, expertise is spread too thinly. Plummeting poverty in Brazil has created the odd situation of being a victim of their own success.


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The automobile industry is shifting to smaller and more fuel-efficient engines. Big V8 engines are being replaced by turbocharged V6 and V4 units. Moreover, Swedish automaker Volvo recently announced that it would no longer invest in the development of new diesel engines. Now Mercedes-Benz is also taking a step in the similar direction and is working on the development of smaller petrol engines for its entry level range of cars.
Mercedes-Benz is working on 1.2-litre and 1.4-litre four-cylinder petrol engines. They are being developed in partnership with Renault-Nissan and will be transversely mounted, which means their use will be restricted to only front wheel-driven models and can’t be used in other larger Mercedes-Benz models or have any scope for hybridization in the near future.
These engines are internally codenamed as M282 and are expected to debut with the fourth-generation A-Class which is planned to go on sale in the international market in the second quarter of 2018. The A-Class Concept Saloon, which was showcased at the 2017 Shanghai Motor Show, can also come equipped with these engines. However, the upcoming generations of the front wheel drive Mercedes like the B-Class, CLA and the GLA might also come with these new engines in the future.
The downsized engines will have improved fuel efficiency and reduced emissions at the same time. Currently the A-Class is powered by a 1.6-litre petrol and 2.1-litre diesel engines. While the petrol engine produces 123.7PS of power and 200Nm of torque, the diesel produces 137.9PS and 300Nm. Also, Mercedes is replacing the 2.1-litre diesel engine with a new 2.0-litre diesel engine. The upcoming E220d variant of the E-Class will be first Mercedes in India to come with the new 2.0-litre diesel engine. Mercedes-Benz is also likely to replace the 2.1-litre diesel unit in other models with the 2.0-litre unit in the future.
[ Source :- Cardekho ]


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Google Music Label Talks "Going Backwards"
Google has spent a year trying to build a music service that could compete with Apple’s iTunes. But those efforts seem to have stalled again.
Google’s negotiations with the big music labels are “broken,” says a source familiar with the search giant’s thinking: “There’s definitely a problem with the Google music conversations.” Another industry source says Google’s top executives are reconsidering their music plans altogether. “They’ve gone backwards,” I’m told.
That may be news to some corners of the music industry. Google had representatives in New York last week to talk to the labels, and several label executives I’ve spoken to in recent days told me that they believed their negotiations were progressing smoothly and that they felt confident they would strike deals with Google soon.
But others contended that Google has changed its terms in the past few weeks and that has held up negotiations.
Google officials, who have yet to formally acknowledge their music plans in public, haven’t responded to requests for comment. Wayne Rosso, who once ran the file-sharing service Grokster, wrote a blog post earlier this week asserting that Google was “just about at the end of their rope” with the labels.
One issue that could have complicated Google’s discussions with the labels is Amazon’s launch of its own music service last month. The online retailer, which already sells digital music it licenses from the big labels, launched a cloud-based storage service without getting approval from any music owners.
That service is fairly limited, and Google had envisioned a more robust offering with the labels’ participation. But it’s possible to imagine a scenario in which Google launches something similar without label buy-in, too.
In that scenario, Google wouldn’t be able to sell music, but it would at least be able to offer online storage that users could access from their PCs or phones. Lack of a decent music service has been a notable weakness for Google’s Android platform, and Android head Andy Rubin has been the driving force in Google’s music efforts.


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GameStop reportedly plans NFT marketplace
Video game retailer GameStop is looking to dive further into the digital realm. The company has recently hired several experts in cryptocurrency and blockchain technology to reportedly lead a project developing a marketplace where users can buy and sell non-fungible tokens, better known as NFTs. NFTs are digital assets whose ownership is authenticated through the blockchain so that they can only be owned by one person at a time.
Kroger continues to explore ghost kitchen models
As digital food ordering continues to proliferate, Kroger is looking for the best way to provide delivery options for customers near its retail locations. The company recently announced the opening of Kitchen United Mix in a Los Angeles Ralphs location. Customers will be able to order from 10 different restaurants with a single delivery fee. Kroger and its partner, Kitchen United, expect to open more in-store ghost kitchens this month in Texas.
Nonalcoholic beverage shops begin to blossom
The last year has seen the rise of the booze-free beverage shop; think of it like a liquor store without any of the liquor. Carrying products like spirits, bitters, and vermouths, storefronts such as Boisson, Spirited Away, and Minus Moonshine offer education, tastings, and sales of nonalcoholic beverages. While it sounds like an ideal shop for “Dry January,” analysts expect the nonalcoholic beverage market to reach $1.6 trillion in annual sales by 2025.


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Last week, I set a little challenge in the private SOS Facebook group, asking the ladies to consider what they could go without in order to make more time and room for the things that would make them truly happy.
For a couple of us, technology came up, big time.
Managing technology and time online is one of the biggest issues we need to tackle for our health and happiness these days. It’s prevalence in our lives has snuck up on us, and whitewashed our time like a tsunami, without our realising it.
It’s a whole new paradigm of life that our mothers didn’t have to deal with, and that had no impact on us as children. Times have changed. This report found people were online as much as 23 hours a week – a whole day a week spent on (mostly) email and Facebook. This article in the Daily Mail which quotes research this month from the UK that found adults now spend more time online than they do sleeping – more than eight-hours a day.
This Nielsen report also from last year, found more than 60 per cent of mobile phone owners in the US had a Smartphone now, up from just 20 percent three years before, and that women were the biggest users of Smartphones.
Another Nielsen report on online usage in Australia in February this year found Australians are spending 37 hours a month online – a whole working week every month – browsing web content.
You don’t need surveys to know you’re spending a lot of time online or connected to a device of some sort each day, several times a day.
While this technology and online connection has added much richness and amazing opportunities to our lives, it has come at a cost.
Logging in and checking in to multiple social media sites, cruising online at all hours and scanning multiple email accounts have now all become a regular part of our day, but they affect us in multiple ways: they suck up much or our time, they affect our stress levels via an overloaded mind that is constantly bombarded with information, and they can add to the comparison-itis that is in plague proportions.
It can also cause a deep disconnection with what is truly happening around us.
How ironic, that the more connected we are, the more disconnected we are. All this technology and information, all this ability and we’re so stuck in the online world that we’ve left the physical one.
I recently went through a process of checking myself.
There was the iPause where I was checking FB, email, messages on the phone where once I would have chatted to people around me, or spent time looking at what was happening around me. It had become a time filler but what started as a quick check, sometimes spread to a lost half-an-hour.
There was the need to take my phone with me everywhere, at all times, where once I would have walked hands-free, biked with nothing more than a helmet, or put a wallet in my pocket and not a phone.
There was the realisation that I’d rather lose my wallet than my phone because it has become more valuable to me than the cards that identify me and the cash that supports my life.
There was the habit of checking-in at the computer before the drive to school, after the drive to school and again in the afternoon when homework is done, all work-related but yet it I was ashamed to realise my children were looking for me in the office, not by their side.
There was also the time at the computer at night, instead of on the couch with my husband; or worse, on the couch but on the iPad. A new habit. A bad habit.
I had realised for some time that all this connection was distracting, and affecting my ability to concentrate. The drip feed and flood of information is jarring. It causes an attention deficit. It stimulates comparison and self-condemnation. It’s an all-night marathon on repeat.
Social media is great, but it’s become all invasive. I’m not against it – I enjoy it, get some good laughs and information from it, and it’s a vital part of my business – but it needs to be managed and kept in-hand. It’s potential to spiral out of control unnoticed is extreme. Especially for women, who just love to connect, share and discuss.
Tips for containing time online[unordered_list style=”green-dot”]
- Don’t keep electronic devices in your bedroom. So many ladies tell me the first thing they do in the morning before they even get out of bed is pick up their phone to check Facebook or emails! Or it’s the last thing they do before turning out the light. Artificial light from devices at night will disrupt your sleep and keep your mind active when you really need it to be switching off.
- Set aside tech-free days, like Wifi-free weekends.
- Choose certain times of the day to browse social media. Set a time limit and stick to it.
- Leave the phone at home sometimes.
- Write a list of all the things you wish you had more time for – and then choose one of them instead when you head for the computer or phone. [/unordered_list]
Every client who has disconnected or set boundaries around their time online has found it completely liberating. They achieved more with their time, they felt they were in a better mood, and not one of them missed the online connection.
How do you manage your online time, or has it overtaken your days a little too much? I’d love for you to share your thoughts in the comments below.


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Honda Motor wants to boost sales of its Acura premium brand with a new “flagship” sedan that uses two electric motors and a V-6 gasoline engine to generate V-8 luxury-car power and small-car fuel economy.
The RLX, replacing the current RL sedan, goes on sale early next year, Honda said at the car’s debut yesterday at the New York International Auto Show. The large hybrid sedan uses a new 3.5-liter gasoline engine which, in combination with the electric motors and lithium-ion battery pack, delivers 370 horsepower while averaging 30 miles (48 kilometers) per gallon in combined city and highway driving, Honda said.
The model follows the revamped RDX crossover, on sale this month, and ILX sedan due in May as Honda seeks to make Acura, the oldest premium brand from an Asian carmaker, a stronger competitor to Bayerische Motoren Werke AG (BMW)’s, Daimler AG’s Mercedes-Benz and Toyota Motor’s Lexus. Honda targets a 46 per cent increase in Acura US sales this year.
While Honda makes high-powered V-8s for race cars, the Tokyo-based company has avoided them in Honda- and Acura-brand sedans and light trucks. The RLX is positioned against premium sedans, including BMW’s high-powered 5 Series and 7 Series, Mercedes’ E-Class and Lexus GS and LS models, that have base prices ranging between $47,000 and $71,000.
The RLX “is significant in terms of the gains in gas mileage, but does the buyer in that segment really put gas mileage as a top priority?” said Jesse Toprak, an industry analyst for TrueCar.com in Santa Monica, California. “Styling, prestige, the brand image, tend to be more important for these buyers.”
Tetsuo Iwamura, Honda’s executive vice president, said in a December interview the company’s new hybrid and “super- handling” all-wheel-drive system that’s being used on both the RLX and racing-style NSX supercar that goes on sale in about two years will distinguish Acura from competitors.
“We have created a true luxury sedan based on our Acura DNA,” Iwamura, who is also president and head of Honda’s US unit, said in a statement yesterday.
Separately, Lexus yesterday in New York showed a redesigned ES sedan, a competitor to Acura’s TL, that will also be available this year in a hybrid version for the first time. Lexus already sells hybrid CT hatchbacks and HS sedans to luxury buyers, as well as gasoline-electric versions of its RX sport- utility vehicle and GS and LS sedans.
The 2013 ES 300h, featuring the “spindle” grille Lexus previously added to its revamped GS sedan, will combine a 4- cylinder engine with a battery pack and motor that gives the car a combined 40 mpg in city and highway driving, the company said. The front-wheel drive sedan will also be sold with a 3.5-liter V-6, Lexus said.
Acura US sales peaked at 209,610 vehicles in 2005 and slid to 123,299 last year. Honda wants the brand to sell 180,000 cars and trucks in 2012.
A base version of the RLX will be offered as a front-wheel drive model with only a V-6 engine car, the company said. Honda didn’t give pricing for either version, or immediately provide an annual sales target for the RLX.
Sales of RL, Acura’s top-end sedan since 1996, peaked at 17,572 in 2005. US deliveries of the model, which has a $47,700 base price, plunged to 1,096 last year.
The RLX’s fuel economy is 50 percent better than the current RL, which averages 20 mpg, according to Acura’s website.
The exterior look of the RLX may be too conservative, Toprak said. “They got the gas mileage right, but the styling may be wrong.”
Acura is based in Torrance, California. Honda’s American depositary receipts fell 2.8 percent to $37.32 at the close in New York yesterday. They’ve risen 22 percent this year.
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Tax breaks for small business welcomed
Updated: 2013-07-29 20:49
Favorable tax policies for small businesses will boost the economy and employment, said an article in Beijing Youth Daily (excerpts below).
The State Council has decided to waive added-value and turnover tax for small businesses whose monthly revenue is less than 20,000 yuan ($3,258) from Aug 1.
It's estimated that this policy will benefit more than 6 million small businesses that employ tens of millions.
For years, small businesses have struggled due to currency appreciation, increasing labor costs as well as the difficulty of financing.
While this is a welcome step, more must be done to ensure that these enterprises continue to flourish.


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Stellantis on Thursday posted an 11 percent annual rise in annual profits to a record 18.6 billion euros (R380 billion) for 2023.
The French-Italian-US group, created from a merger of Peugeot-Citroen and Fiat-Chrysler, posted an annual rise of six percent in net revenue to 189.5 billion euros (R3.8 trillion) after selling 6.4 million vehicles worldwide, up from 6.0 million in 2022.
The group saw saw strong European sales of models including the Fiat Ducato, Opel Astra, as well as SUV favourites such as Peugeot 2008, Jeep Avenger and Alfa Romeo Tonale.
North America, where the group gets most of its profits, was hit last year by a lengthy strike by its US workforce. That cost some $3.2 billion in lost revenue.
This was offset by strong sales in Africa, the Middle East and South America.
The increase in net profit is largely due to an absence of penalties on CO2 emissions or recalls on airbags which had marred 2022.
The group, whose share price added 4.5 percent in early Paris trading, is also planning a new employee shareholding programme.
"Today's record financial results are proof that we have become a new global leader in our industry and will remain rock solid as we look to a turbulent 2024," CEO Carlos Tavares said in a statement.
But the group believes car sales this year - particularly those of electric vehicles - will likely be disrupted by "macroeconomic and political" phenomena, according to chief financial officer Nathalie Knight.
Even so, the launch of dozens of new models, improved logistics flows and lower raw material costs should benefit the group, which continues to target a double-digit operating margin, as in 2023 (12.8 percent).
Group global sales of electric vehicles grew 21 percent in 2023.


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, the Dutch-British maker of Lipton teas, Dove soaps and other popular brands of food and personal-care products, blamed exchange rates for lower profitability in the fourth quarter and the full year.
"Underlying sales growth of 7.4% was partly offset by movements in exchange rates (4.8%)" for 2008, the company said in a statement. Growth in 2008 operating profit was only 1% at current exchange rates, but rose 6% after adjusting for currency fluctuations.
Unilever also said a decline in its fourth-quarter operating margin was "exacerbated by adverse currency movements."
Unilever reported a loss of 1.7 billion euros from "currency retranslation" in its statement of recognized income and expense for 2008, compared with 413 million euros in 2007.
, the Purchase, N.Y.-based credit card issuer, specifically blamed the U.S. dollar and Brazil's real for weaker revenue growth.
"Currency fluctuations (driven by movement of the euro and the Brazilian real relative to the U.S. dollar) tempered net revenue growth by 3.5 percentage points for the quarter," Mastercard said in a statement.
The company reported $175.0 million as "cumulative foreign currency translation adjustments" among liabilities on its balance sheet at the end of 2008 compared with $216.6 million at the end of 2007.
Hall is the editor of
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in Frankfurt, Amsterdam and Washington, D.C. As a reporter, he covered business and financial markets, worked in both print and television in the U.S. and Europe, and conducted in-depth investigative coverage at
in Fort Wayne, Ind. His work also has been published in a variety of newspapers including
The Wall Street Journal
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. Hall received a bachelor�s degree in journalism and political science from The Ohio State University and has taken graduate management science courses at Boston University.


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Expedia simplifies travel process via new mobile itinerary capabilities
The app uses location-based technology and time zone updates to give users the most relevant part of the itinerary and related information such as airport maps, flight status, confirmation codes and addresses at the moment the traveler is most likely to need that piece of information. The new features are part of the company’s ongoing efforts to build-up its mobile portfolio.
“What we already know from existing investments is that the person who books via mobile has a really different set of needs and what we learned from the first set of needs is this idea of last-minute booking,” said Sarah Gavin, director of public relations at Expedia, Bellevue, WA.
“It’s all about making that entire trip more manageable,” she said. “Air travel in particular can be chaotic.
“And mobile helps manage that.”
Through Expedia’s new mobile app itineraries feature, consumers can get free flight status updates and one-touch access to the company’s customer service.
Users can also share their itinerary with friends and family via email and SMS.
The mobile itineraries display confirmation code, airline, flight number, travel dates and times, gate information and flight status.
Through the feature, travelers can also browse a flights map that shows pins for departure and arrival, as well as potential layover airports and paths between them.
The app also shows airport terminal maps for more than 200 major airports worldwide.
Via the hotels feature of the app, consumers can view their hotel address, contact information and a map of where it is located.
Additionally, the car rentals tab provides consumers with a confirmation code, car rental company information, phone number for the national 800 number, the local phone number and the pickup and drop-off date and time.
The cruise tab lets users see when the ship starts, then tap their cruise to open up their full itinerary on the Web.
Finally, the destination services feature within the app shows the valid start date for each activity and the date the activity expires.
“It’s amazing to think about how fast technology moves and not having systematic updates can leave you behind,” Ms. Gavin said.
Expedia has been ramping up its mobile booking strategy over the past few years.
In November, the company added flight bookings to its mobile application to make it easier for users to manage their travel itineraries (see story).
Most recently, Expedia expanded its presence in mobile with a Windows 8 application that offered consumers exclusive mobile deals (see story).
“Mobile is huge,” Ms. Gavin said. “Mobile is one of the top priorities for us.
“It’s a different type of customer especially on the mobile phone side – a different type of booking,” she said.
Rimma Kats is associate editor on Mobile Commerce Daily, New York


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» Contoh Contoh Soal Un Matematika Sd
Contoh Contoh Soal Un Matematika Sd
Contoh Contoh Soal Un Matematika Sd on Technology News and Updates AdmaTechnology.com at Wednesday, April 23, 2014
Many Japanese game lovers prefer to search for information about the price of PlayStation 4 (PS4), rather than the design of the console and software support.
The poll Famitsu, Japan’s leading game magazine, mentions 1064 respondents finding out [...]
The launch of Apple’s tiny tablet, iPad Mini, Tuesday (10/24) morning was really a magnet for lovers of the gadget world, to the extent that the presence of a fourth-generation iPad was released simultaneously ignored.
The fourth generation of [...]
Researchers from IBM managed to break the record by making the world’s smallest movie.
The film uses atoms as an actor in a movie called “A Boy And His Atomic” lasted 1 minute 35 seconds.
The film is made using stop-motion technique, [...]
Computers are often problematic certainly very disturbing your busy day with work or just play using the computer.
Problems that occur on a computer is often assumed to be a problem we can not solve yourself, so you often bring the problematic computer [...]
Fujitsu, Japan’s IT development company today announced the newest technology in the field of health is to know the pulse of a person through face image as reported by Cnet.com (18/03).
This technology uses a camera that has been embedded in a [...]
The design is minimalist.
Leaked photo of the latest BlackBerry smart phone cellular seemed talkative use touch screen technology, rated following the design of the iPhone from Apple.
The photos leaked to tech site Vietnam, Tinhte.vn it, believed to [...]
Screen sharing or screenshots into its own excitement for BlackBerry users. But how do I do this on the BlackBerry 10 platform?
Like on iOS and Android, BlackBerry 10 does not require an additional application for taking screenshots.
Quoted from CNET, [...]
This product is a breakthrough which brings the Go Green campaign. What are these phones? Read short reviews below.
Samsung Blue Earth
Blue Earth phone is a touchscreen mobile phone made by Samsung’s first solar-powered, which first appeared [...]
PHENOMENON of Storms Sandy that hit the United States and around to make many people cringe and increasingly wary of the increasingly erratic weather. Natural conditions also makes a number of flooded social networking posts related to storm sandy.
The news about the presence of the successor to the iPhone 5 more widely heard. If previously only known to be released summer of 2013, the latest info mengunkapkan that the smartphone is ready to go July.
Quoted from Techradar, Tuesday (30/4), about [...]
Iron Man 3 movie has not been released, Gameloft has prepared his game to iOS and Android devices.
Quoted from Slashgear, Thursday (28/3), Iron Man 3 games scheduled to be released on 25 April, or the day before the movie appeared in theaters.


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Friday’s downtown holiday-season kickoff events
Published 1:28 pm, Thursday, November 22, 2012
Lights, then floats
The basic info of Friday’s downtown holiday-season kickoff events:
H-E-B Tree Lighting
What: Celebration culminates with the switching on of more than 10,000 LED lights on the giant tree, decorated with ornaments made by students and nonprofit groups.
When, where: 3-7 p.m. Friday, Alamo Plaza, downtown
Schedule: Entertainment begins at 3 p.m.; lighting ceremony at 6:20 (Santa flips the switch)
Ford Holiday River Parade
What: Holiday tradition features illuminated floats
When: 7-10 p.m. along the River Walk; parade starts immediately after some 1.4 million lights are switched on.
- BCSO: 2 arrested after leading deputies on chase in stolen truckmysa
- Venezuela's opposition leader, Antonio Ledezma, flees to SpainEuronews_News
- Simulation: Harvey-level storm floods in San Antoniomysa
- Eddie Van Halen's $100K guitar stolen from Hard Rock Cafemysa
- Lt. Gen Steven Kwast takes reins of air education and training commandpremiummysa
- Mi Tierra customer performs knockout mariachi serenademysa
- SAPD: Convenience store employee assaulted child in back roommysa
- Amber Alert Rescue missing childrenFox7
- 5 Things to know about the supermarket chain Lidlmysa
- Recovery of SAPD Officer Cavazos Part 2mysa
Tickets: $10-$25; go to www.paseodelrio.com TV: KMYS Channel 7, 7 p.m.


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The push by tech companies to encrypt smartphone data and operating systems is dangerous, warns Director James Comey, arguing that murder cases could be stalled and suspects could walk free.
In a blow to cable and satellite TV providers, HBO will offer its programs to consumers over the Internet, potentially giving millions more Americans another reason to cancel their pay TV service.
Some loyal Tesla Model S owners, particularly those who recently got cars that don't include the new hardware package or missed out on the chance to order all-wheel drive, are crying foul.
Tech giant Google's third-quarter earnings slipped as the search leader hired nearly 3,000 more employees while pouring more money into its quest for new markets and zest for innovation.
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North Bend sees surge in automobile thefts
NORTH BEND - A Valley resident, who asked not to be named, never entertained the possibility of having a vehicle stolen from in front of her North Bend apartment until now.
A truck belonging to her grandson was stolen from a well-lit area in front of the building on July 17. Gone was not only the truck, but also the tools inside it, which he uses at his job.
Although the truck may never be seen again, the woman wants to use the incident as a reminder to Valley residents that it could happen to them.
According to the 2002 National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) report, thieves often target a wide range of passenger vehicles, usually seeking valuable parts from older models for sale on the black market. Individual car parts are in high demand among street racers, according to the report.
Nationally the 1989 Toyota Camry is the top stolen vehicles, according to the report, with the 1994 Honda Accord second and the 2000 Honda Civic third. In Washington the Honda Civic was the most popular car among thieves, with the Honda Accord in second and the Toyota Camry in third.
The report also states that nationwide, white is the most popular color for a stolen car, with red in second and blue in third.
In 2002, the FBI stated that about 1.2-million vehicle thefts were reported. The nation's vehicle theft rate per 100,000 was up slightly (.4 percent), marking the third consecutive year of increases in the auto theft rate following a 10-year decline. The estimated total value of stolen motor vehicles in 2002, according to the report, was $8.2 billion.
North Bend Police Chief Sgt. Joe Hodgson, of the King County Sheriff's Office North Bend Substation, said auto theft seems to happen in spurts and that right now the city is experiencing an increase.
So far in the month of July there have been four incidents of auto theft, with similar totals in January and April. With about 20-25 auto thefts a year, Hodgson said, the average is around two per month.
Several auto thefts occur at local apartment complexes, Hodgson said. Not only are there lots of cars at an apartment complex, he said, but due to the numerous people living there, it's unlikely notice will be taken of people in the parking lot.
The NICB recommends that motorists always remove the keys from the ignition and vehicle, lock the doors, close the windows, hide valuable items, park in well-lit areas and use a combination of anti-theft devices. Those with cars more prone to being stolen are advised by the NICB to add a steering wheel lock, an alarm, a starter or fuel disabler and a tracking device to their vehicle.
"Light is a great deterrent," added Hodgson.
He said that deputies have seen cars stolen from in front of stores or residences when the driver has left the car running while going into the house or business to grab something. No matter how long you're going to be inside, don't leave the keys in your car or leave the vehicle running, he said.
To combat the problem, North Bend deputies will be running more license plates through the crime database, he said, and stepping up patrols around area apartment complexes.
Travis Peterson can be reached at (425) 888-2311 or by e-mail at firstname.lastname@example.org.


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This past Thursday, our very own Walter Lamothe, President and CEO of Bentley, was invited by Melanie Beland and Canada Post to join the TAG Event organised by the Quebec Retail Council (CQCD). Walter shared his insights on the motivations between shopping online versus the in-store shopping experience. If you would like to learn more, we encourage you to read the article Lapresse shared following the interview. Bentley’s journey continues and we are excited for our future projects to flourish.
This might interest you...
New Tracker store
You & the World Last month, Tracker marked a significant milestone in its expansion beyond airports with the opening of its very first store located at Galeries Terrebonne. This new boutique represents an opportunity for Tracker to extend its influence beyond Canada after more than 30 years of renown in the travel industry. The Tracker […]
Dreams Take Flight
We are very proud to announce that we raised a grand total of $350,000 for Dreams Take Flight. The money raised will help provide a magical day for special children with some of our very own employees volunteering to provide assistance on the day of event, as well as donating a specially designed backpack to […]
Article Canadian Press
‘Fashion doesn’t stop at handbags:’ Resurrected Bentley changes stores, plots growth A luggage and bag store isn’t exactly top of mind during lockdowns. So Bentley & Co. Ltd. quietly tightened operations and positioned itself for a post-pandemic comeback. The retailer’s predecessor, Bentley Leathers Inc., filed for bankruptcy protection in late 2019. It then began cutting […]


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It seems as if you can’t log on to the internet today without hearing about AI. ChatGPT dominated the headlines a few weeks ago as it started making inroads. Even Microsoft and Google are preparing in-browser AI integration. Our homes have smart assistants, every smartphone has AI built into it, and machine learning continues to drive various
industries. Does this mean that someday soon, even SEO will be replaced by AI? The answer is more nuanced than you might expect.
How AI has grown recently
We’ve already mentioned a few ways that AI has grown in just the past few months — and, as of this blog, we’re only into March of 2023! Of course, everyone is familiar with Siri, Alexa, and Google’s smartphone-based AI assistants.
However, ChatGPT made massive headlines last month when news broke that students were using it for their homework. Then, what felt like just a few hours later, Microsoft announced that their Bing web browser would be complemented with an on board AI briefly known as Sydney; almost immediately, Google announced its version called Bard. Apple seems content to let Siri stay as-is for now.
AI is in everything from dictation to our smart TVs to even our vehicles. Machine-based assistance is here to stay.
The role of AI and SEO
However, SEO is still the primary method for web users to find the content they need. Have you ever asked Siri to tell you something complex? Perhaps you wanted to know when a particular athlete joined your favorite team. Siri has no clue, and cannot use contextual-based clues to provide you with an answer. In our quick test, it didn’t even pull up the right industry (telling us about some random, non-athlete).
However, if you type into a search engine, “When did Sergio Aguero retire?”, Google gave us the answer immediately as a quick snippet with info pulled from — you guessed it — a website with quality SEO.
Indeed, most of the answers ChatGPT provided for the previously mentioned homework assignments were pulled from those same sources: websites with functional SEO. In other words, AI is only as smart as the source feeding it: in this case, SEO.
Will SEO be replaced by AI?
For this question to be “Yes”, AI will have to grow beyond its current capabilities. In fact, we would argue that AI would need to be borderline sentient — just like a human — to even begin to hope to replace SEO. It’s far, far more likely that AI will be powered by SEO, which means it’s even more imperative that your company have the best website SEO it possibly can.
Let us be your SEO partner
Our company has grown to become one of Central Ohio’s SEO and web design experts. As a digital marketing agency, our mission is to help you be the big fish in whatever size pond you may have.
That means that, as your SEO partner, we’ll ensure your website has all of the necessary components as AI continues to grow. Do you need assistance ensuring that your copy and website coding can help your brand be found online, whether via traditional search engine searches or AI assistants? If so, then let us know! We’ll be happy to go over your current site and provide you with feedback on how it can be taken to the next level!


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Kanye West has mysteriously scrubbed his social media presence.
Today, May 5, the rapper quietly vanished from both social platforms, without leaving as much as an explanation. Visiting the handle @kanyewest on both Twitter and Instagram takes visitors to displays saying "that page doesn't exist," instead of Kanye's 140-character stream-of-conscious dispatches or the archival of Maison Martin Margiela with which the musician-turned-fashion designer launched his Instagram account.
The move comes months after Kanye has been quiet on social media, following his hospitalization for exhaustion last December. However, it's not the first time Twitter users have received this message when trying to visit Kanye's timeline: Back in August of 2016, the same notification appeared, as Complex then reported. Twitter quickly resolved the issue though, telling The FADER that the message wasn't due to "any specific Twitter account and is now resolved." Apparently, some Twitter users "may have briefly been unable to access certain Twitter accounts."
It's possible that this could be another bug, however, given West's recent comments on social media, it's just as plausible that he is taking a much-needed hiatus. Or perhaps he's rebranding as today marked the launch of his latest fashion venture with his wife Kim Kardashian West: a children's clothing line. While we wait for exactly what happened with West's accounts to be revealed, you can spend time on Kim's timeline, which is still very much active.


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STEVEN CIOBO: I just wanted to update people on where things sit with respect to the beef export issue from Australia into China. Obviously we were notified in the last 24 – 48 hours that a Chinese quarantine agency had some issues with respect to six meat processing facilities in Australia. These facilities are responsible for a significant proportion of Australia's beef exports to China. As a consequence we could potentially see tens of millions and potentially more than $100 million worth of our meat export trade into China adversely affected.
We have been very mobilised and I've been very focused on trying to resolve this issue as quickly as possible. I am very grateful we've had very constructive discussions with Chinese authorities in the last 24 hours and I am very pleased that China has indicated that for beef that is already on the water, that is, beef that has already been dispatched prior to the 24th July, that beef will be accepted by China. That is a terrific outcome, of course, for the stakeholders, for those meat-processing facilities. I can't reinforce enough the seriousness of which I and the Australian Government take this matter.
Of course there is six processing facilities that are affected, the owners of those, there is also the employees that work in those facilities plus of course the many farmers that supply beef to these facilities. We have been front and centre when it comes to discussions we are having with China and take China's concerns seriously and we want to make sure we address their concerns and get this trade back on track as soon as possible.
JOURNALIST: What exactly is the problem with the beef? What is their beef with the beef?
STEVEN CIOBO: China's concern is that they have raised with Australia some labelling inconsistencies, some of the labels on the outside of the boxes of beef, for example, are different to some of the labels according to the concerns they have raised with us some of the labels on the insides of the boxes. These are largely technical issues; they are not health and safety related, so as a consequence we have seen these six facilities have had a stop put on them by Chinese authorities.
JOURNALIST: Have the Chinese authorities made any representations here?
STEVEN CIOBO: The Australian Department of Agriculture is undertaking a snap audit of the six affected facilities. We want to make sure that we are able to provide the assurances that the Chinese agency and the Chinese Government are looking for. In order to do that this snap audit will take place. I have certainly had very constructive discussions with nearly all of the CEOs of the affected facilities. I want to make sure that we keep them informed, their employees informed and farmers informed about where things sit with respect to this very important export trade for Australia.
STEVEN CIOBO: We are seeing a very high level of constructive level engagement between Australian authorities and Chinese authorities. Our Embassy in Beijing has been talking on a regular basis with Chinese authorities. Of course I've also had the opportunity to be briefed by our acting ambassador in Beijing, making sure that we are very focused on trying to resolve this issue as quickly as we can.
STEVEN CIOBO: Well it is difficult to predict what the actual value of the trade that's going to be affected is. It will depend on how long this issue goes on for. I am very focused on getting as quick a resolution as possible. Certainly our beef exports to China are worth hundreds of millions of dollars a year. I want to make sure that we can deal with this in a way that's respectful of Chinese concerns and hopefully overcomes this as quickly as possible and the way to do that is through constructive engagement with the Chinese Government.


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We’ve just been made aware of a change to the Galaxy Nexus’ shipping date from Amazon UK. Instead of November 17th, they are committing to Dec. 2nd for the SIM free model. Don’t fret – this doesn’t mean that November 17th for the UK is a far and away dream as Samsung has already confirmed the date. But if you preordered the device from Amazon hoping to get it in 9 days’ time, you’re probably out of luck. Of course, as it’s happened a couple of times already including today, anything can happen between now and early next month. [Amazon, Thanks Phil!]
- Waze comes pre-installed
- Google+ being split up
- YotaPhone 2 launches this Spring
- Lenovo Pocket Projector
- Check out the Galaxy Nexus forums, see the specs, or find news and reviews.
TAGS: Galaxy Nexus


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This week, we hosted Accel Partners' Rich Wong in the studio for our Ask A VC show. Wong, who has invested in Angry Birds (Rovio), Lookout, Atlassian, MoPub, talked about where he sees the next wave of disruption in mobile technologies. He believes mobile security is a huge opportunity mobile, especially at the enterprise level.
Rovio announced feature-film plans for its money-printing game back in December, tapping Despicable Me producer John Cohen as producer. Former Marvel Studios boss David Maisel, who came aboard the gamemaker as a special adviser in June 2011, is now an exec producer on the movie, which Sony Pictures has now landed. Show More Summary
The long discussed Angry Birds movie has officially fallen into the hands of Sony Pictures Entertainment, where the game's developer Rovio announced it's set to come out 1st July 2016. That's a Friday, so clear your calenders now. The movie will be in 3D and is being developed, produced and financed by Rovio. Show More Summary
The Abra-Ca-Bacon update is now available for Rovio’s Angry Birds Seasons, bringing portals and 30 new levels of gaming to your devices. Pocket Gamer reports that the levels are carnival themed and feature magic hats and secrets to uncover. There is also a magic box that explodes whenever you hit it, a new power up [...]
You Tube personality and real world iPad Magician is helping to announce the latest update for Rovio’s Angry Birds on Android and iOS called Abra-Ca-Bacon. The new update to Angry Birds Seasons includes Magic Portals, so the video and talent fit was a perfect match. Show More Summary
The first time we heard anything about a feature-length animated film coming from Rovio focusing on the hit video game Angry Birds was in December of 2012. At the time, Rovio had…
Rovio's latest update to its Angry Birds Seasons game involves a new element called Magic Portals, letting players teleport birds, pigs and other characters from one location in the game to another. To promote this new magical dimension...Show More Summary
Today's free "Abra-Ca-Bacon" to Rovio's Angry Birds Seasons adds magical apertures that transcend spatial boundaries. You can get it here. Read more...
Rovio really does make its games a worthwhile investment. Angry Birds Seasons is almost two and a half years old now, and it has just received yet another 36 new levels — plus a new power-up — on Android and iOS. That’s not bad for a 99¢ game now, is it. The update’s description reads: Abra-Ca-Bacon! It’s [...]Show More Summary
Uh oh, other than having green colored pigs steal their eggs, them birds from Rovio have another reason to be all angry – it seems that Candy Crush Saga has overtaken Angry Birds to be the most popular mobile game [...] Like It, +1, Tweet It, Pin It Original content from Ubergizmo.
A release for the upcoming Angry Birds flick has been narrowed to July 1, 2016, with Sony distributing the movie worldwide, Rovio announced on its website today. Rovio's intent on creating a feature film was made public late last year, when the studio tapped producers John Cohen and David Maisel from Despicable Me and Iron Man to lead the project. Show More Summary
Rovio knows for sure that they have yet to finish milking their seemingly bottomless cash cow known as Angry Birds, despite seeing plenty of merch released in the past, various add-ons and expansions in the game, in addition to theme [...] Like It, +1, Tweet It, Pin It Original content from Ubergizmo.
Angry Birds movie talks heated up on Wednesday when Sony announced via press release that it would be teaming up with Rovio to bring a film version of the popular video game to the big screen by July 1, 2016. “Every studio in town would love to add Angry Birds to their slate,” said Sony [...] ‘Angry Birds’ Movie On The Way From Sony is a post from: The Inquisitr
Rovio has announced, via tweet and then by news release, that it has lined up a deal and a date with Sony Pictures to distribute the upcoming Angry Birds movie. Rovio's been working on putting the frustrated fowl into a motion picture...Show More Summary
Rovio, the cash-injected developers of the Angry Birds series, has announced Rovio Stars, a new publishing initiative. According to EVP Jami Laes, the company's foray into third-party publishing will "help our fans find quality entertainment" on crowded app stores. Show More Summary
Beaks here... ANGRY BIRDS, the popular time-waster of a video game designed by Rovio Entertainment, has been downloaded a whopping 1.7 billion times. That's a whole bunch-a downloadin'! That means it's a brand with crossover potential,...Show More Summary
John Cohen and David Maisel are producing and developing this adaptation of Rovio's popular video game series. [...]
"Angry Birds" will soon arrive at your local movie theater - and they'll be in 3-D. Sony Pictures announced Wednesday that the studio's acquired rights for the animated film, which will be developed, financed and produced by Rovio Entertainment, the creator of the addictive "Angry Birds" game. Rovio masterminded the top-selling mobile app, which has […]
Sony announced today that it's sealed a deal with Rovio to distribute their CG-animated Angry Birds movie in summer 2016.
We just gave you the Rio 2 teaser, and now here’s an appropriate accompaniment. The original Rio was promoted with a movie-specific version of the massively popular mobile game Angry Birds, and the original Angry Birds concept (inasmuch as it can be called a concept, at least as far as a movie goes) is also [...]


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Genitop, that develops Chinese character information processing software and semiconductor chips, sued Qualcomm last year, alleging it had infringed its China-registered trademarks by using the Chinese phrase Gaotong in its Chinese company name and product brand. Genitop says it registered this phrase, which means “high communication“, as its trademark in 1992 and demanded $100 million in compensation, which is three times the firm’s sales.
China has it’s own particularities when it comes to protecting and enforcing intellectual property. Be sure to check this with your trademark attorney.
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// Amazon snaps up former Tesco chief strategy officer Tony Hoggett as senior vice president of physical stores
// Hoggett will move to Amazon’s headquarters in Seattle, Washington
Amazon has reportedly poached the former Tesco chief strategy officer Tony Hoggett as senior vice president of its physical stores.
Hoggett will move to Amazon’s headquarters in Seattle, Washington and take up his new role in January 2022, reporting directly to chief executive of worldwide consumer Dave Clark.
Clark said Hoggett was most recently group chief strategy and innovation officer at Tesco where he led strategic planning globally and development of new businesses, customer and tech innovations, Retail Week reported.
In March, Amazon opened its first physical grocery store in the UK in Ealing, London.
The 25,000sq ft space sells hundreds of own-label “By Amazon” products alongside established brands such as Morrisons and Booths.
Amazon began offering free grocery delivery to millions of Prime members last summer.
Hoggett said: “I’m so excited to be joining Amazon. I started at Tesco as a 16-year old student in a store in Yorkshire, I spent my early career as a trolley boy, as well as filling shelves and serving on checkouts, and over the last 30 years I’ve had great fun working with teams across Europe and Asia.
“It was a big decision to move on from Tesco but after meeting members of the Amazon leadership team and hearing the ambitions for the business and physical stores, I know it’s a journey and an opportunity that I want to be part of.
“When not serving customers, we love to travel and spend as much time outdoors as possible walking, cycling and playing all sorts of sports. Especially soccer of which we are proud supporters of Manchester United.”


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NAVTEQ Network for Developers Releases Visioglobe’s Latest SDK on NN4D.com
NAVTEQ, the leading global provider of maps, traffic and location data enabling navigation, location-based services and mobile advertising around the world, today announced the availability of VisioDevKit 1.1 from VisioglobeÂ® on the NAVTEQ Network for Developersâ¢ website.
Read more on PR Newswire via Yahoo! Finance
CHICAGO CAUSE TO DONATE MORE THAN 32,000 IN SERVICES TO CHICAGO-BASED NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION
CHICAGO June 7, 2011 Three Chicago-based companies are donating 32,000 worth of web design; video production services; social media; emailing marketing and public relations consulting via an initiative called Chicago Cause. The program is being spearheaded by Orbit Media Studios, in partnership with Lightspan Digital and Flanigan Communications, Inc.We launched Chicago Cause last year…
Read more on PitchEngine


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SCEA has released the first batch of screenshots for MLB 10: The Show (PS3). A cover athlete announcement is expected to follow soon.
Wow looks incredible and even better than last years PS3 MLB 09 The Show game.
Great game. Utley should be on the cover.
looks like watching the game in HD
Looks pretty good, but that's to be expected from a PS3 exclusive.
N4G is a community of gamers posting and discussing the latest game news. It’s part of NewsBoiler, a network of social news sites covering today’s pop culture.


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Its Coach brand, incorporating handbags, womenswear and menswear lines, will remain unchanged.
"We are now at a defining moment in our corporate reinvention, having evolved from a mono-brand specialty retailer to a true house of emotional, desirable brands", Luis said in a company release.
Tapestry is "a wonderful metaphor for what we believe in, which is individual threads of different colors all working together to create a picture", company CEO Victor Luis said in a statement. Coach shares fell as much as 2.8 percent to $38.90 in NY, the biggest intraday drop in more than three weeks. Coach bought Kate Spade earlier this year and shoemaker Stuart Weitzman in 2015 to grow into a broader lifestyle company.
Indeed, social media users have not been too happy about this change, after 76 years as an industry leader.
"$COH changing its name to "Tapestry" is a frightful branding idea".
Coach Inc. will also change its ticker symbol on the New York Stock Exchange from "COH", to "TPR". "Fire the executive who proposed the change", J Christian Bernabe, a nonprofit digital content director, tweeted.
Founded in a loft in Manhattan in 1941, Coach has grown into a multi-billion dollar company, building its business on the success of its Coach handbags that for many years were widely coveted by wealthy women shoppers around the world.
Another Twitter user, SpecialK, posted: "Coach is changing its name to a popular Carole King album & a awful name for a leather bag maker!"
In recent years, Coach has lost its shine and title as a luxury brand due to the over saturation of their bags in outlet malls and shops.
The venison (that's deer meat, by the way) is marinated in garlic, salt, and pepper, then cooked for three hours until juicy. Well, on October 21, those who have been pining for a fast food deer meat option will want to make a break for Arby's.
Ghana stands the chance of qualifying from Group A as second placed team or finish as a best third placed country. De Matos said his boys are determined to fight it out for a win and do even better than against Colombia.
However, it has been made mandatory to have a human driver behind the wheel at all times in case something goes wrong. It's this that the newly proposed driverless testing and deployment regulations addresses.
If you're noticing some error messages or sluggish loading speeds on Instagram or Facebook this morning, you're not the only one. Facebook confirmed the outage, saying: "We're aware that some people are now having trouble accessing Facebook and Instagram".
New songs, videos, and photos will be added each week for those who download the app, available in the app store later this year. While there is no exact release date yet set for " The Swift Life ", it can be expected in beta form before the end of 2017.
Rodgers-Cromartie has been one of the Giants' key defensive players, missing just two games since he arrived in NY . Apple vented to reporters after the loss to the Chargers about "the whole culture" of the Giants.
Champion said he believed Tellis suffocated Chambers and "thought he had killed her", but realized the woman was still alive. The prosecution is preparing to call more than 40 possible witnesses in the case, according to court records.
FIFA has banned the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) with immediate effect on account of "undue 3rd-party interference". The row between the two organisations has plunged Pakistani football into chaos and ended up in the legal courts.
A White House official described Nielsen as on the "inside track" for the job, adding that the president is "very fond" of her. Bush and launched the Offices of Legislative Policy and Government Affairs at the Transportation Security Administration.
During his current trip in Europe, Apple's Tim Cook sat down with The Independent for a wide-ranging interview. By putting it on iPhone, Apple was able to "instantly overnight become the largest AR platform", Cook says.
The average Wall Street analyst rating for Applied Materials, Inc .is Strong Buy, according to the average of 14 analyst scores. The High Revenue estimate is predicted as 4.06 Million, while the Low Revenue Estimate prediction stands at 3.92 Million.
Man dressed as shark arrested under burka ban in Austria
Despite this the law does cover a number of face coverings including party masks, ski masks and surgical masks worn on the street. Police issued a misdemeanor citation to the man along with a fine, which can be nearly as high as $180.
Motorola Moto Z2 Play Lands On Vodafone
The original price of Moto E4 smartphone is Rs.8,999 but under the Diwali Offer it can be purchased in Rs.8,199 only. It has to be noted that the Moto Diwali special offer is valid only when you buy the devices from offline stores.
Western Digital Corporation (NASDAQ:WDC) Undervalued by 1.2%
As of December 31, 2016, the Company operated in two geographically organized groups, including the National and American Groups. The investment professionals in our partner's database now hold: 233.59 million shares, up from 231.11 million shares in 2017Q1.
Featured Stock Overview: Repros Therapeutics Inc. (RPRX)
The stock is now moving above its 20-Day Simple Moving Average of 67.85% with a 50-Day Simple Moving Average of 68.6 percent. In current trading day Gulfport Energy Corporation (GPOR ) stock confirmed the flow of 0.76% with the final price of $14.49.
K2M Group Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTWO) Under Analyst Spotlight
Schroder Investment Management Group increased its position in shares of K2M Group Holdings by 1.6% during the second quarter. TimesSquare Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of K2M Group Holdings by 31.5% during the second quarter.


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..PIC: See Katy Perry's Drastic Hair Makeover
Us Weekly – 19 hours ago
Peace out, bright pink hair!
Katy Perry is celebrating the wrap of her eight month-long California Dreams tour with a fresh, new makeover.
PHOTOS: Katy Perry's outrageous style
At the Change Begins Within Benefit Celebration in Los Angeles Saturday, the singer debuted a dramatically short new haircut and a baby pink color that looks much lighter than the bubblegum hue she sported at the 2011 American Music Awards November 21.
PHOTOS: Katy Perry's craziest cleavage moments
With her hubby Russell Brand at her side, the star covered up in a white knee-length Versace sheath with gold embellishments and matching heels at the event benefitting filmmaker David Lynch's foundation for Transcendental Meditation.
VOTE: Who has the better hair in Hollywood?
Just this year, Perry, 27, has underwent several hair color changes. In June, the brunette beauty dyed her hair a fiery red, which was a result of a botched dye job. Weeks later, she traded auburn for blonde and in August, debuted a punk-rock "lavender" color.
Get more Us! Follow us on Twitter, Friend us


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A $150-million investment in Indonesian over the top (OTT) services provider Vidio earlier this month capped two frenetic years for the streaming market in Southeast Asia. Local players iflix and HOOQ bowed out of the market last year, while new entrant Disney+ has managed to make impressive strides in the region.
The battle, however, is far from over. In fact, it has only just begun. With a penetration of less than 5% and a limited presence beyond the big cities, the region’s VOD market is anyone’s to win.
The next stage of growth, which is expected from second and third-tier cities, will largely hinge on flexible pricing and payment options and content curated to suit local preferences.
These factors will require platforms to diversify their content offering and revenue streams. Livestreaming, gamification and merchandising of original content are expected to be growth drivers where foreign players will exercise their capital spend and local players will leverage on their grasp of home markets.
Ripe for disruption
Two recent developments in Southeast Asia’s VOD market indicate room for growth and disruption – Disney+ becoming the largest player in the region only a year since its launch and the latest investment by private equity firm Affinity Partners in Indonesia’s Vidio.
Disney+, which entered the region in September last year, had more than 7 million subscribers at the end of September this year, outperforming both Netflix and Viu, according to estimates by Media Partners Asia (MPA) published last week.
Hong Kong-headquartered Viu, which has been operating in the region since 2016, had 6.1 million subscribers.
MPA does not disclose Netflix’s subscriber count. It said that despite losing in terms of subscription numbers, the platform retained its lead in Southeast Asia in terms of total minutes streamed in the third quarter with a 39% share. Meanwhile, Viu and other platforms such as Tencent-backed WeTV and Baidu-backed iQiyi competed for second place.
The US and Chinese players are dominant across most markets in the region. Indonesia remains an exception where local players GoPlay, Mola TV, Vidio and Vision+ have used a hyperlocal strategy and leveraged their domestic networks to defend themselves.
Among Indonesian players, Vidio, which is owned by the Indonesian media conglomerate Emtek Group, is the largest. As of September, it had 62 million average monthly active users (MAUs) and 2 million paying subscribers.
Vidio, which ranks number one on the Google Play Store in the entertainment category, was the top OTT platform in August in terms of unique visitors, according to Comscore, and had the most daily active users across Southeast Asia in Q2, per MPA.
MPA estimates that Vidio accounted for 17% of video streaming minutes in Q3, behind Netflix and Viu (22% each).
Top 3 platforms’ share of premium video streaming minutes in Q3 2021
The investment by Affinity Partners will further help turbocharge user acquisition and content production at Vidio as it seeks to double subscriptions to four million next year. The funding also reflects strong confidence in the ability of local players, particularly those that are country-focused, to fend off foreign competition.
Vidio is the second Indonesian VOD startup to receive external funding after GoPlay raised an undisclosed sum from a group of investors in June last year.
Beyond the metro cities
Helped in part by the rapid digitalisation during the pandemic, VOD subscriptions are expected to grow 30% this year, according to Google, Temasek and Bain & Company’s SEA e-Conomy 2021 report. This follows a 38% growth in 2020. The report adds that subscriptions “have multiplied” beyond metro areas on the back of ready internet access and convenient access to digital payment infrastructure.
The report does not specify the number of subscriptions but concludes that despite the rapid growth it is “still in early stages.”
Search volumes for select video subscription services indexed to 2017 levels
A study by MPA estimates Southeast Asia had 33 million OTT users as of September. That is a 4.8% penetration in a market of 676 million users. Move to Indonesia, the region’s largest market, and it dips below 4% to 11.2 million. If one accounts for multiple subscriptions held by a single user, the numbers could be far lower.
“The next battle seems to be more towards the non-metro areas which require innovative pricing mechanisms [such as sachet pricing] and multiple payment options as most of the users are still unbanked,” said Aldi Adrian Hartanto, partner at ARISE, a joint fund between MDI Ventures and Finch Capital.
Hartanto said that to compete with deep-pocketed global players, local players would have to focus on what they do best – hyperlocal content, non-metro market focus, and cost-conscious spending on content acquisition with a mix of advertising arrangement.
Agreeing with Hartanto on the role of advertising, Golden Gate Ventures partner Michael Lints said advertisers that are interested in local and regional demographic can leverage local streaming services for better reach.
“Localisation is key in this market. The global players have deep pockets and are able to buy titles that appeal to a mass audience. Local titles can play to a large but more curated audience, and it’s a big differentiator,” said Golden Gate Ventures partner Michael Lints.
The fight for content
In the battle for market share, securing the right balance between international and local content could well set the winners and losers apart.
Last month, Chinese internet giant Tencent, which owns WeTV and iflix, picked up a minority stake in publicly listed Indonesian film production company MD Pictures to gain access to the latter’s local content portfolio.
Disney+ has been working closely with Bumilangit, Indonesia’s largest intellectual property rights holder of superhero comics content, for the distribution of films and series such as Gundala and TIRA.
It is rumoured that Disney+ has been looking to pick up a stake in Bumilangit, which is partly controlled by Indonesian business mogul Erick Thohir, who currently serves as the country’s minister of state-owned enterprises.
Meanwhile, local players are seeking to offer more than the traditional fare of feature films and series.
GoPlay, which is owned by Indonesia’s largest tech conglomerate GoTo, has diversified to include live streaming programmes across various categories, such as hobbies, music, sports, comedy and games. Earlier this year, the company launched the GoPlay Studio app, a professional user-generated content (PUGC) application to allow influencers and content creators to onboard their videos faster and directly interact with followers.
“Given the size of the market in Indonesia and the huge talent pool here, there is definitely room for multiple players to grow the creative industry,” said GoPlay CEO Edy Sulistyo, while adding that GoPlay’s live streaming business had recorded 19 times increase of MAU from April to August this year, outperforming its VOD offering.
Vidio, which has been broadcasting live streams of local TV stations and sports events, is also tapping independent content creators. The biggest among them is celebrity couple Raffi Ahmad and Nagita that boasts the largest social media following in the country. Under RANS Entertainment, the couple runs a reality show on their family, a music channel and a sports entity covering football, basketball and esports.
Vidio’s parent, publicly listed Surya Citra Media (SCMA), acquired a minority stake in RANS in October, according to SCMA CEO Sutanto Hartono. Emtek is also partnering with Wattpad, an online social storytelling platform backed by South Korean media company NAVER Corp. Under the partnership, Vidio will acquire some of Wattpad’s popular stories and stream them on its platform.
Blibli, which is backed by Indonesian conglomerate Djarum Group, is sticking to sports programming, particularly soccer, to beef up its live streaming offering. The company holds the broadcasting rights for all championships under Indonesia Football Association (PSSI), the English Premier League and Germany’s Bundesliga, among others.
The Indonesia playbook
OTT players in the archipelago are counting on the support provided by their parent companies’ ecosystems and a large pool of local content and talent to keep larger rivals at bay.
Startups that are backed by large media conglomerates such as Vidio and Vision+ have benefitted from the cross-pollination of resources under their parent companies. These resources include vast collections of films and series held by TV stations under Emtek and MNC Media, respectively, as well as their formidable marketing infrastructure.
Emtek also controls a majority stake in e-commerce giant Bukalapak and digital payments startup DANA, both of which have been tapped by Vidio for promotions.
GoPlay is also unique due to its position as part of the GoTo ecosystem, which boasts 100 million MAUs via subsidiaries: ride-hailing giant Gojek, e-commerce powerhouse Tokopedia and Indonesia’s largest digital payments app GoPay. GoPlay is a native tile in the Gojek application, while Tokopedia helps sell its live streaming vouchers.
Having the support of large parent companies also means startups such as GoPlay and Vidio are under less pressure to turn a profit. At the same time, their ability to raise funding independently means a lower financial burden for their parent entities.
Thailand and Vietnam are two of the most promising markets where local players could potentially emulate Indonesia’s playbook. Both markets have large consumer bases with populations of close to 70 million and 100 million, respectively.
Thailand is already a competitive market for VOD with a subscription count that is comparable to Indonesia, according to MPA, albeit dominated by foreign players. As one of the region’s top destinations for film and video production historically, the country also has a lot of local content to offer.
Vietnam, on the other hand, is the region’s third most active destination for tech investments after Singapore and Indonesia. The development of homegrown tech companies, particularly in e-commerce, ride-hailing and fintech, should incentivise content production as companies compete to increase adoption and user retention.


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Notice from Association Competition Secretary
I have started to reschedule the games that were affected by lightning. Most of these games will go to the catchup weekend in July.
However, a number of teams had two games washed out on the weekend and the 36/6 and BBC(both 12 team divisions) will have games rescheduled to other dates as well, especially May 17.
Clubs should check all rounds as with most of this weekend washed out , it has become necessary to alter some existing games.


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Menlo Park, CA, August 15, 2023 – Joveo, a leading provider of programmatic job advertising worldwide, has been featured on Inc. magazine’s annual list of America’s fastest-growing private companies for the third year in a row. Despite the challenging environment for the broader recruitment industry, Joveo ranked 3,477 with 167% revenue growth.
The prestigious ranking provides a data-driven look at the most successful companies within the economy’s most dynamic segment – its independent, entrepreneurial businesses. Facebook, Chobani, Under Armour, Microsoft, Patagonia, and many other household name brands gained their first national exposure as honorees on the Inc. 5000.
Joveo Founder and CEO, Kshitij Jain, said, “We are truly honored to once again be counted on the Inc. 5000 – it is a profound privilege. This accomplishment reflects our colleagues’ relentless efforts and innovative thinking, coupled with our leadership team’s steadfast commitment to excellence. Our dedication to our clients and partners continues to drive constant enhancement and improvement.”
The Inc. 5000 class of 2023 represents companies that have driven rapid revenue growth while navigating inflationary pressure, the rising costs of capital, and seemingly intractable hiring challenges. Among this year’s top 500 companies, the average median three-year revenue growth rate ticked up to an astonishing 2,238%. In all, this year’s Inc. 5000 companies have added 1,187,266 jobs to the economy over the past three years.
“Running a business has only gotten harder since the end of the pandemic,” says Inc. editor-in-chief Scott Omelianuk. “To make the Inc. 5000—with the fast growth that requires—is truly an accomplishment. Inc. is thrilled to honor the companies that are building our future.”
For complete results of the Inc. 5000, including company profiles and an interactive database that can be sorted by industry, location, and other criteria, go to www.inc.com/inc5000. The top 500 companies are featured in the September issue of Inc. magazine, available on newsstands beginning Tuesday, August 23.
As the global leader in AI-powered programmatic job advertising and candidate engagement, we are transforming talent sourcing and recruitment media buying for the world’s largest and smartest employers, staffing businesses, RPOs, and media agencies.
The Joveo platform enables businesses to attract, source, engage, and hire the most relevant candidates on time, within their budget. Powering millions of jobs every day, our data-driven recruitment advertising platform uses advanced data science and machine learning to dynamically manage and optimize talent sourcing and applications across all online channels while providing real-time insights at every step of the job seeker journey, from click to hire.
To learn more about Joveo’s award-winning platform and services, visit www.joveo.com or email [email protected].
Heather van Werkhooven
Director, Content & Thought Leadership, Joveo
More about Inc. and the Inc. 5000
Companies on the 2022 Inc. 5000 are ranked according to percentage revenue growth from 2018 to 2021. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2018. They must be U.S.-based, privately held, for-profit, and independent—not subsidiaries or divisions of other companies—as of December 31, 2021. (Since then, some on the list may have gone public or been acquired.) The minimum revenue required for 2018 is $100,000; the minimum for 2021 is $2 million. As always, Inc. reserves the right to decline applicants for subjective reasons. Growth rates used to determine company rankings were calculated to four decimal places. The top 500 companies on the Inc. 5000 are featured in Inc. magazine’s September issue. The entire Inc. 5000 can be found at http://www.inc.com/inc5000.
The world’s most trusted business-media brand, Inc. offers entrepreneurs the knowledge, tools, connections, and community to build great companies. Its award-winning multiplatform content reaches more than 50 million people each month across a variety of channels including websites, newsletters, social media, podcasts, and print. Its prestigious Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since 1982, analyzes company data to recognize the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States. The global recognition that comes with inclusion in the 5000 gives the founders of the best businesses an opportunity to engage with an exclusive community of their peers, and the credibility that helps them drive sales and recruit talent. The associated Inc. 5000 Conference & Gala is part of a highly acclaimed portfolio of bespoke events produced by Inc. For more information, visit www.inc.com.


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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Starbucks Coffee shut down locations nationwide Tuesday to conduct racial bias training at stores.
The training took place after two black men were arrested in April, accused of trespassing at a Philadelphia Starbucks.
A store manager called the police because the two men were sitting in the store without placing an order. A video of the incident gained viral attention, causing a controversial discussion on race.
"In an ever-changing society, we still aspire to be a place where everyone feels welcome," Starbucks Executive Chairman Howard Schultz wrote in an open letter to customers. "Sometimes, however, we fall short, disappointing ourselves and all of you."
Brandon Williams, a customer at a San Marco Starbucks, said the Philadelphia incident was troubling.
"I've seen other people just sit at places and no one bother them, so I thought it was very troubling to see someone just be sitting there, waiting for someone, and then have all that happen," Williams said.
READ: Starbucks executive chairman's open letter to customers
To prevent discrimination in stores, more than 8,000 locations closed for three to four hours Tuesday afternoon for staff training. Starbucks locations in the Jacksonville area closed beginning at 2:30 p.m.
"The incident has prompted us to reflect more deeply on all forms of bias, the role of our stores in communities and our responsibility to ensure that nothing like this happens again at Starbucks," Schultz wrote. "The reflection has led to a long–term commitment to reform systemwide policies, while elevating inclusion and equity in all we do."
Training was provided to nearly 175,000 employees nationwide and added to the onboarding process for new hires. Employees gathered in small groups to discuss their personal experiences and watch a short film about racial bias.
WATCH: Starbucks preview of its training video
Dr. Chris Janson, associate professor and director of the University of North Florida's Center for Urban Education and Policy, said the training was a big first step.
"The idea of helping people look through implicit bias that we all hold is long, difficult work, but they are taking the first step," Janson told News4Jax. "I think this is a pretty amazing thing that we have corporate leaders stepping up as moral voices for our society."
Starbucks has also implemented a new policy allowing anyone, whether or not they have made a purchase, to spend time in a store or use the restroom.


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The uptick in famous faces is likely due to the fact that the highly anticipated Met Gala is set to take place in New York on Monday 13 September, marking the first time the annual fashion extravaganza has taken place in two years due to the pandemic.
It’s no wonder, then, that NYFW has been jam-packed with celebrities, many of whom will most likely be in attendance on Monday evening.
But as is always the case at any fashion week, the glamour off the runway is no less worth of attention than that which is on it.
Street style is one of the best parts of NYFW, and with this season’s attendees having spent the past 18 months viewing catwalks in their living rooms, it will come as no surprise that they have made quite the effort with their wardrobes.
Here are some of our favourite street style looks from NYFW.


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Workwear brand Dickies proved a huge hit at Donington Park, as the Somerset-based brand started their new MCE British Superbike Championship campaign.
Dickies, who is the associate sponsor of the new Be Wiser Kawasaki team, had a presence all over Donington Park. Along with the new team, Dickies had a mobile showroom in the trade area, along with a Dickies Paddock shop.
Dickies used the weekend to launch their new Be Wiser Kawasaki team clothing; that was sold from the Dickies mobile showroom. In addition, the new team merchandise, which includes riders’ Chris Walker and Danny Buchan clothing, can be purchased every UK based MCE British Superbike round, or alternatively, fans can buy it online at Dickies Store.
Maurice Morton, sales and marketing director at Dickies, stated: “It was a great weekend for all of us. We are incredibly proud to be sponsoring the new Be Wiser Kawasaki team and it was great to see the campaign kick start in the way it did. We have received great reviews regarding the new merchandise and it was fantastic to see hundreds of people enter UK Worker of the Year 2015. The Ninja 300 main prize was present on our stand and went down really well with spectators. It’s certainly shaping up to be the toughest competition yet.”
UK Worker of the Year is now in its sixth year, with Dickies again setting out to recognise and reward hard workers in the UK. With their involvement with the new team, Dickies have offered this year’s winner the luxurious choice between a Kawasaki Ninja 300 and a dream £5,000 holiday.