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Industry Veteran Hall Joins Mindshare from IPG's Matterkind
NEW YORK, May 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Mindshare, the global media agency network that is part of WPP, announced today the appointment of industry veteran Nancy Hall as CEO, North America. In this role, Hall will lead the strategy and operations for Mindshare's work across the U.S. and Canada, connecting the culture of more than 1,700 people and overseeing its diverse roster of both domestic and multinational clients. She will report directly into Mindshare Global CEO Adam Gerhart and GroupM NA CEO Kirk McDonald, and partner closely with Mindshare, GroupM, and WPP leaders across the global network.
Hall starts in this role mid-June, bringing more than 20 years of industry experience. She joins Mindshare from IPG's Matterkind, where she served as U.S. CEO, driving addressable strategies, data and audience programs, and media activation capabilities for clients across verticals such as retail, pharma, beauty, auto, and more. During her time at Matterkind, she held several leadership roles and launched the agency's outcomes-based business practice to great success, along with growing IPG's addressable, commerce, and activation capabilities.
“As a media, data, and technology leader, Nancy's work and deep experience in performance and business outcomes is unparalleled,” says Adam Gerhart, Global CEO, Mindshare. “Equally important, she's also a champion of people and culture. As Mindshare continues to drive Good Growth for our teams, clients, and the industry at large, we're excited to bring Nancy onboard as a partner and leader for the future.”
“Nancy brings a singular blend of vision, tenacity, and strategic acumen to her role as CEO of Mindshare, North America,” says Kirk McDonald, North America CEO, GroupM. “Her leadership is uniquely suited for this time of industry evolution, characterized by rapid technological advancements and the ever-changing dynamics of consumer engagement. There is no doubt Nancy will help both Mindshare and GroupM shape the next era of media.”
Prior to her work at Matterkind (formerly Cadreon), Hall's previous experience includes 15 years at Epsilon Conversant, where she held roles such as SVP, Sales and SVP, Travel Solutions. During her tenure with the company, she also held other leadership roles spanning client, sales, and technical services in verticals such as healthcare, retail, and CPG. Hall's expertise includes addressable, performance marketing, branding, programmatic, commerce, search, social, streaming and advanced TV, data, technology, and media strategy. Last year she was named one of PerformanceIN's Top 30 US Changemakers in Partnership Marketing.
“I've long admired the work of Mindshare and GroupM. In an industry that prides itself on innovation, tangible business growth for clients, and wider social impact, this team is leading the way for marketers everywhere,” says Nancy Hall, incoming North America CEO, Mindshare. “This is a company that's not afraid to take risks and make big moves when it comes to growing and transforming clients' businesses, as well as their own. At a time when brands need more diverse skillsets, more bespoke solutions, and partners who look beyond short-term metrics, I'm excited to come onboard and be a part of the vision for Good Growth.”
Growth and Innovation for Mindshare and GroupM
Hall's appointment follows a slew of wins, appointments, and innovations for Mindshare and GroupM. In March, Mindshare elevated performance marketing leader Patricia Marange to Executive Director, LA Office Lead and Head of Affiliate Marketing for the Americas.
And in just the past few months, Mindshare won Campaign USA's “Media Agency of the Year” (for the second time in three years), MediaPost's “Media Agency of the Year” (for the third time in four years), and PerformanceIN's “Best Affiliate and Partner Marketing Agency,” along with taking a top agency spot at the MMA's SMARTIES with 25 award wins around the globe.
Hall's appointment also follows a number of other product and capability innovations across Mindshare and GroupM. The group continues to grow its performance marketing and data capabilities, as Mindshare finalized its integration of performance agency Neo Media World last year, working in partnership with GroupM's Nexus (which now celebrates its one-year anniversary).
Mindshare also recently launched the Women's PMP, the latest in the agency's award-winning series of inclusion private marketplaces (also known as Inclusion PMPs) that were created to support underrepresented and marginalized communities in journalism through media investment. The Women's PMP focuses on supporting women-owned and women-centered media, particularly in areas around news, healthcare, civil rights, and more. Since 2020 the agency has launched three other PMPs dedicated to the LGBTQ, Black, and Hispanic and Latine communities as well.
Mindshare is a media services company that accelerates Good Growth for its clients in the age of transformation. Good Growth is business growth that is enduring and sustainable whilst also helping to shape society and the world for the better. We accelerate it for our clients by using media as a multiplier to drive sales and maximize marketing investments. We use Precisely Human Intelligence that combines data science and behavioral science to understand consumers and their motivations better and we act on that intelligence by planning media with intention to connect brands with consumers around their shared values. We were the first purpose-built company created by WPP and today our 10,000 people operate in 116 offices in 86 countries, helping to drive Good Growth for our clients, our people, the industry and the world.


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Research In Motion (RIM) has unveiled the results of its latest research it commissioned from Ipsos Reid, looking at the tangible time saving and productivity benefits of BlackBerry.
The survey shows that BlackBerry increases the efficiency of mobile workers, with the average BlackBerry user converting an average of 60 minutes downtime into productive time each day. And for workers on the move, BlackBerry not only increases their productivity, but also that of their overall team, with the research finding that BlackBerry users increase team efficiency by 38%.
As mobile technology becomes increasingly sophisticated, the number of employees working on the move, remotely and flexibly is growing. Recent Yankee Group research found that more than 50% of small business employees in Europe are classified as mobile workers, and as this figure increases it is essential that workers use tools, such as BlackBerry smartphones, to remain productive while out of the office.
BlackBerry increases the efficiency of its users through mobile access to email phone, internet, text messaging, organiser and a large range of applications. Mobile professionals are increasingly turning to BlackBerry for a complete mobile experience, through the use of third-party business and lifestyle applications.
Applications beyond email allow mobile professionals to access information that equips them to make better decisions on the move. The immediacy of BlackBerry enables fast and effective decision making, with the average BlackBerry user processing 2,500 time sensitive emails and 1,200 time sensitive phone calls per year.
Currently, 70% of RIM’s customers use applications beyond email on their BlackBerry smartphones and this number is on the increase, meaning BlackBerry is making individuals and teams even more efficient.
By enabling mobile professionals to make the most of their working day, BlackBerry helps users make the most of their professional and personal lives.
“These figures bring to light the tangible time saving benefits of BlackBerry,” said Charmaine Eggberry, vice president and managing director for RIM, EMEA. “With such clear benefits, mobile professionals can feel confident in choosing BlackBerry for its work/life balance benefits, in order to get the most out of each day.”
The study was conducted with 1,335 BlackBerry smartphone users and 1,387 IT managers in North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Latin America.

domain: news


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News Corp is a network of leading companies in the worlds of diversified media, news, education, and information services.
Wheelchair-bound man films Uber driver who 'refused to let him into his car saying he needed a disabled vehicle'
Real life Robin Hood streams himself robbing bank on Facebook then gives away cash
Uber will 'wipe out iconic New York City yellow taxis' and London's black cabs could be next
How can you get a free Uber home on Christmas Eve and what is the price limit?
Uber tells passengers to stop having sex with its drivers and even forbids FLIRTING
How to get a FREE taxi ride home this Christmas Eve
Uber blame human error for self-driving car that jumped a red light but witness says NOBODY was at wheel
Uber customers 'offered DRUGS by drivers' amid claims dealers have infiltrated taxi firm
Uber threatened with legal action over safety of self-driving cars in California
Disastrous moment Uber’s self-driving car blazed through a red light on FIRST DAY of trial
Uber staff ‘helped men stalk their ex-lovers and searched for journey data of celebrities'
Girl goes to epic lengths to land a date with her Uber driver... but it doesn’t go quite to plan
Driver's eight-hour 400 mile journey is believed to be the longest Uber ride EVER... but only cost £233
Uber bans FLIRTING and physical contact between Uber Pool passengers as people use it to meet for sex
Uber driver records sing-a-longs to Mariah Carey’s All I Want For Christmas is you'
Why are London minicab drivers being made to sit an English test and what are the questions?


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Finally, a family game for Xbox360 consoleFinally, a game has been released that proves that advanced technology does not have to be used for destruction.
The Xbox360 console, which started selling in Korea early this year, boasts enhanced graphics and game interfaces that gaming fans raved over, but the titles that have been released for the console during the past year have all been pretty much hard-core.
From a marketing perspective, it was an understandable move to an extent ― what would be a better way of showing off the functions of the console than through action scenes that involved much slashing, bashing, and swarms of enemies rendered in perfect detail?
Last Friday, however, Microsoft Korea decided that it was time to show its soft side, by releasing its first family-targeted game, Viva Pinata.
The simulation game was developed by the video game developer Rare Ltd. and Microsoft Game studios and is similar to The Sims or Sim City, only you are dealing with cute animals instead of people.
These fictional wild animals are called pinata, like the Mexican papier mache dolls filled with candy and beaten open at parties by blind-folded players wielding a stick.
There are about 60 different types of pinata, with funny names such as Horstachios, Fizzlybears and Fudgehogs. You start out the game with a smoky, littered lot, and try to clean up the area and attract various pinata to live in the environment you create.
The cute simulation game is a huge contrast from the previous titles that have been released for Xbox360 in Korea, but whether it will succeed is yet to be determined. The most recent release, for instance, was Gears of War, which sold out only minutes after it went on pre-release online sale.
A day after it hit offline stores, Microsoft Korea had to put in new orders. That game is a third-person tactical horror-action game based on a story of mankind’s efforts to survive attack from weird creatures.
In addition, other upcoming Xbox360 titles are also targeted at the “big boys.” Dead or Alive Xtreme 2 is a volleyball game featuring girls in teeny bikinis and Halo 3, available in a couple of months, is yet another sequel to a classic first-person alien-shooting number.
by Wohn Dong-hee


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Peer to Peer Bitcoin exchange firm Paxful alongside OKEx, another crypto exchange, and Over the Counter (OTC) market firm based in Malta have partnered to improve the Bitcoin market in Africa and reach more users in the continent.
With this partnership, crypto users in South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya in Africa, and other continents would be able to access crypto services more easily and top up their OKEx account through Paxful’s virtual kiosks.
OKEx, Paxful CEO reacts to partnership
Jay Hao, OKEx CEO, said in a statement that with Paxful partnership, they would be able to reach more users in developing regions using Paxful’s existing infrastructure and payment options and give them exposure to the benefits of OKEx’s advanced technology and diversified product suite.
It has been made easy that anybody can sign up and get registered to start a virtual Kiosk on Paxful, enabling payment via bank transfers, online wallets, gift cards, and fiat payment.
Bitcoin market improvement and this partnership, however, remains’ key for Ray Youssef, Paxful CEO, who explains that to help the crypto community move forward industry businesses are working together to uplift each other in providing more options for their users.
He said further that the partnership has not only activated more options for users of both platforms but also increase functionality too. However, both firms together work to strengthen the overall ecosystem and help make crypto more accessible as a real-world payment method by expanding to different geographic markets.
Paxful to use Bitcoin market solve financial exclusion in Africa
Cryptopolitan reported recently about the prospect of the Bitcoin market and the crypto industry in Africa and how the continent holds the future of digital assets. Paxful is ready to tap into that by providing financial services to unbanked citizens in the country through cryptos.
Nigeria, South Africa are two emerging markets in the continent. Reportedly, Nigeria saw $35 million in peer to peer bitcoin trades between May and June, while South Africa saw $7 million.
Theis is said to be because of uncertainty in the ‘traditional’ economy, increasing education about the crypto-economy, and the emergence of various virtual currency marketplaces in Africa.


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Is Ford Working On A Bronco-Based Pickup Truck Called Maverick?
A leaked image with the Maverick stamp on the tailgate points at new mid-size pickup truckby Sidd Dhimaan, on LISTEN 03:00
Ford has had a long relationship with the Maverick moniker. Even recently when Ford went all berserk by filing tens of names like Outer Banks, Wildtrak, Adrenaline, and whatnot, Maverick appeared at the forefront everywhere.
Now, it looks like Ford will use it for a new vehicle. TFL Truck has reported a leaked 3-D image of a tailgate with MAVERICK embossing on it. One thing is for sure: that this is a pickup truck’s tailgate, but is it for a new Bronco based truck, or will we be receiving another Ranger-based pickup?
What Kind Of A Truck Will The Maverick Be?
According to the outlet’s source, the tailgate’s dimensions match the Ford Ranger’s, which points at a mid-size pickup truck. Earlier this week, we saw a camouflaged vehicle which Ford tried to pass off as a minivan, perhaps, but it was clearly a pickup truck. Given the shape of that URO (unidentified road object), it looks to be based more on the Bronco than the Ranger. If yes, then it will be a unibody truck rather than a body-on-frame.
Unibody trucks aren’t that bad actually. Take the Honda Ridgeline, for instance. It doesn’t have the rugged truck appearance but works as a great family hauler. Honda even offers independent rear suspension on it, so the ride quality is exceptional. Considering that Honda is selling over 30,000 examples of the Ridgeline every year, which isn’t bad, it wouldn’t be the worst idea to enter this segment. Ford has a body-on-frame mid-size truck in its portfolio anyway – the Ranger.
Maverick Sounds Familiar, Doesn’t It?
“Maverick” isn’t a new term in Ford’s lingo. The Maverick moniker has been prevalent in the Ford family for very long. Originally, it was used for a compact car sold in the 70s.
Later, Ford went on to slap the term on a rebadged Nissan Patrol in Australia in the 80s and 90s, on the rebadged Nissan Terrano sold in Europe in the 90s, and even on the European version of the Ford Escape sold in the early 2000s. Imagine a Military Green Bronco truck following the design philosophy and theme of the ‘60s Maverick with the same badge. How cool that would be?
If Ford is considering a new pickup truck, it needs to be different from the other trucks at its core. It doesn’t make sense to have two body-on-frame midsize trucks as they are going to cannibalize into each other’s sales. Instead, Ford should get the Ranger Raptor to the States which will essentially serve as a ‘different truck’, and make the Maverick a unibody truck. Hyundai is planning to come up with a unibody truck as well, perhaps called the Santa Cruz, so the market is going to get competitive. However, don’t expect it to come any time soon.
What do you think the ‘Maverick’ will be used for? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.


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Foot Locker Rating Lowered to Neutral at Piper Jaffray (FL)
Foot Locker (NYSE:FL) was downgraded by investment analysts at Piper Jaffray from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating in a note issued to investors on Monday, TheFlyOnTheWall.com reports. They currently have a $57.00 price target on the stock, up from their previous price target of $54.00. Piper Jaffray’s price target indicates a potential upside of 5.32% from the stock’s previous close. The analysts noted that the move was a valuation call.
Foot Locker (NYSE:FL) opened at 54.12 on Monday. Foot Locker has a 52 week low of $31.91 and a 52 week high of $55.33. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $49.65 and a 200-day moving average of $46.92. The company has a market cap of $7.923 billion and a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.23. Foot Locker also was the target of some unusual options trading activity on Friday. Stock investors purchased 6,767 call options on the company. This represents an increase of approximately 517% compared to the average volume of 1,096 call options.
Foot Locker (NYSE:FL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, August 22nd. The company reported $0.64 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the analysts’ consensus estimate of $0.54 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $1.64 billion for the quarter. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.46 earnings per share. Foot Locker’s revenue was up 12.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that Foot Locker will post $3.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.
The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which is scheduled for Friday, October 31st. Investors of record on Friday, October 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.63%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, October 15th.
In other Foot Locker news, CFO Lauren B. Peters sold 40,000 shares of the company’s stock on the open market in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $52.00, for a total transaction of $2,080,000.00. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link.
A number of other analysts have also recently weighed in on FL. Analysts at Deutsche Bank reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Foot Locker in a research note on Wednesday, August 20th. They now have a $55.00 price target on the stock, up previously from $53.00. Separately, analysts at Buckingham Research initiated coverage on shares of Foot Locker in a research note on Wednesday, June 25th. They set a “buy” rating and a $58.00 price target on the stock. Finally, analysts at Sterne Agee raised their price target on shares of Foot Locker from $55.00 to $60.00 in a research note on Thursday, June 12th. They now have a “buy” rating on the stock. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. The company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $53.36.
Foot Locker, Inc is a global retailer of shoes and apparel, operating 3,473 primarily mall-based stores in the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia and New Zealand as of February 1, 2014.
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You searched for '' - 2,594 results found
That is because they be more ‘rash’ in their behaviour and take more risks compared to more cautious drivers who may fail at their first attempt, it says.
The number of drivers dodging the annual payment has soared from 210,000 in 2013 – when the paper disc was still in place - to 560,000 now, according to Department for Transport statistics.
The new Chelsea tractor is designed for fashionable, adventurous types who want wind-in-the-hair motoring.
In plenty of time to add it to your Christmas present wish-list, British supercar-maker McLaren has started production of its new Sports Series family of luxury high-performance sports cars.
There are nearly 12,000 miles of roads blighted by potholes in the country which amounts to the distance from London to Wellington, the capital of New Zealand.
It looks faintly threatening, with a front end that has a touch of Darth Vader. But that won’t put off power and speed merchants keen to get behind the wheel of BMW’s muscular new M2 Coupe.
Vauxhall has announced prices for its new British-built Astra Sports Tourer which will drive out of showrooms in March. The range, firmly aimed at busy families on the move, starts at £16,585.
Car fans with lots of cash have made a killing over the past seven years buying supercars whose values have soared. But take heed. The rollercoaster could soon turn into a big dipper.
The number of motorists who suddenly slam their breaks on is, on average, around six times higher at fixed speed-camera sites, according to the study.
Eyes will turn East this month for the Tokyo Motor Show, where cars that will soon be on sale in Britain share space with some of the most outlandish designs on the planet.
Charge up your flux capacitors! We're going back to the future with Tesla Motors' unveiling of its gull-winged, all-electric sports utility vehicle.
New diesel cars from manufacturers including Renault, Hyundai, Citroen, Fiat, Volvo allegedly produce more emissions when tested in realistic driving conditions.
The company said that includes 508,276 Volkswagens, 393,450 Audis, 76,773 Seats and 131,569 Skodas. They are expected to be part of a worldwide recall of more than 11million vehicles.
Cars made by Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Peugeot are using up to 50 per cent more fuel than their official laboratory tests suggest, a report claims.
What a week. And it's not over yet by a long chalk. The scandal sparked by Volkswagen caught cheating on its diesel emissions in America has a fair way to run
Diesel cars sold in this country by the German carmaker are believed to have been fitted with illegal software that allows them to cheat emissions tests.
Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin ordered officials to run tests on every type of diesel vehicle in the country after Volkswagen's emissions-rigging scandal was brought to light.
The report was commissioned last year by the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, which wants vehicles approved by US regulators to be sold in Europe and vice versa.
Germany’s Greens claim Chancellor Mrs Merkel’s government admitted knowing about VW’s emissions test cheating software in an answer to a parliamentary question in July.
Volkswagen owners, whose cars could plunge in value, can now band together in ‘collective actions’ under the Consumer Rights Act, which comes into force next Thursday.
VW said yesterday that 11million of its diesel vehicles had been programmed to cheat emissions tests – with the company’s US boss Mike Horn admitting: ‘We have totally screwed up.’
Jaguar Land Rover left its German rivals shaken and stirred with a star-studded James Bond car launch and a jaw-dropping stunt at this year's Frankfurt Motor Show.
Last night Jaguar, which is supplying a C-X75 supercar and a host of Land Rovers to the latest 007 movie Spectre, hosted a party where guests included several of the film's stars.
Naomie Harris - who reprises in Spectre the role of Eve Moneypenny - trod the red carpet for a star-studded outing at the special event held at the Frankfurt Motor Show in Germany.
Harald Krueger, 49, fainted just five minutes into his press conference this morning at the Frankfurt auto show. The high-powered executive staggered backwards slightly before falling over.
The report by the Road Safety Foundation found that fatal and serious crashes on the A18 increased from ten in 2008-10 to 17 in 2011-13
Land Rover has unveiled a Defender pedal car aimed at collectors and children of all ages which measures 55in by 22in and will go on sale next spring.
The gravity-defying 360 degree stunt was performed by the British car-maker’s new F-PACE sports utility vehicle in Frankfurt on the eve of the city’s prestigious international motor show.
The motoring organisation is demanding action by Westminster to outlaw the latest cash-raising scam by councils that have become ‘addicted to the lucrative income from these rat traps’.
The world's two foremost luxury car makers, Rolls-Royce and Bentley, will lead the charge of top British marques at next week's Frankfurt Motor Show. Bentley this week unveiled its first 4x4.
The new second-generation Qashqai was announced as the fastest UK-manufactured car ever to reach the half million milestone – achieving it in just 21 months.
The work at London’s Euston station was due to finish by 2026 but will now last until 2033. It is part of the ambitious project to link London and the North with 225mph trains.
British luxury car giant Bentley has unleashed its first ever 4X4 and pledged that the £160,000 Bentayga will be ‘the most powerful, luxurious, and exclusive sports utility vehicle in the world’.
Rolls-Royce says its new four-seater 155mph soft-top was inspired by its famous 1950s Silver Dawn car and Anita Eckberg in classic film La Dolce Vita.
Edinburgh-based Celtic Renewables has been awarded the cash from the taxpayer to fund a new factory to make biofuels from Scotch whisky by-products.
The number of uninsured drivers on UK roads has soared by a ‘worrying’ 10 per cent in just a year, as compensation pay-outs due to accidents involving uninsured motorists increases to 24,213.
Jaguar has unveiled its first sports utility 'crossover' vehicle, the F-PACE. The five-door five-seater is designed for families who need child seats in the back. It goes on sale next year, priced from £35,000.
For school run mums who still hanker for a bit of motoring fun and dads who feel too young for a traditional saloon, Jaguar has today taken the wraps off its first 'family friendly' sports car.
Chancellor George Osborne hailed the announcement as ‘fantastic news' for the UK and another step towards creating a ‘Northern Powerhouse’ for economic growth.
Land Rover is developing technology that effectively allows drivers to see through the caravan or trailer they are towing, by combining feeds from cameras on wing mirrors and rear of the trailer.
Growing families may be contemplating a bigger car as the summer holidays give way to 'back to school' - and work. Korean car company Kia is preparing to unveil its new fourth generation Sportage.
Research by the Department of Transport found that the number of traffic signs has doubled in the last 20 years, to the point that many are now confusing, distracting and dangerous.
Research comes just months after Tim Haines left his daughter outside a chemist in Evesham, Worcestershire, and was charged with child neglect. Now most parents admit they do it routinely.
The study, by London-based Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) shows bad driving such as road rage 'reduced attractiveness by 50 per cent'.
Research shows the number running out of petrol or diesel has risen every year since 2011, when the figure was a third lower. Men made up most of the 827,000 who ignored the warning light.
Last year some 27.48 million vehicles took the MOT test with a pass rate of 60 per cent. A DVSA report said 18.1 per cent of those which passed should have failed, which is up from last year.
London (pictured) is the worst city in the UK and Europe for congestion with the highest recorded delays at 96 hours - equivalent to four full days of misery going nowhere fast stuck in gridlock.
Ryanair was accused of using the small print to get around rules that give passengers six years to make a claim if their flight is delayed – effectively reducing that limit to two years by stealth.
The AA said that the price of diesel has tumbled 9p over the summer, from a peak of 121p a litre in mid-June to 111.93p now – a price last seen in January 2010 due to falling oil prices.
Sir Richard Branson's West Coast rail service has been forced to make the largest compensation payments to passengers as a result of late or cancelled trains according to new figures.
Published by Associated Newspapers Ltd
Part of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday & Metro Media Group


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Microsoft has started rolling out an update to OneDrive for Android with support for Android Wear.
Microsoft has announced an update to its OneDrive app for Android today that adds support for Android Wear with a watch face that scrolls through your photos. Once you've grabbed the update, you'll be able to select the OneDrive watch face to display on your Android Wear device. Microsoft says that the watch face will then rotate through photos from the last 30 days, switching each time you activate the watch.
Other than support for Android Wear, it doesn't look like there's anything else of note in this update. However, it seems that Microsoft is keeping up with its interest with supporting its services on other platforms. The company says the update started rolling out today, so it should be too long before it hits your device.


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Charging Ahead This Summer
As summer begins to heat up, MEC will unveil the first level 3 electric vehicle (EV) fast charger in our service territory. The EV charging station, which will provide drivers with approximately 200 miles of range per hour spent charging, was constructed with assistance from the Montana Department of Environmental Quality’s “Fast Charge Your Ride” grant. The purpose of these grants is to offset the cost of building a high-speed electric vehicle charging network along interstate corridors and in tourist locations. Seeley Lake, the new location of a 50-kilowatt DC charger, was identified as a travel destination that would support EV drivers exploring Western Montana.
When the opportunity arose to apply for a grant that would support one of our communities, MEC jumped at the chance. Likewise, when we were looking for a partner to host the site, we thought of the Seeley Lake Community Foundation for its mission, values and commitment to the community. As local residents and tourists seek to explore the Seeley and Swan Valleys, it is essential that we provide charging infrastructure to take the headache out of finding reliable charging stations. Another added benefit is that while EV drivers are charging their cars, they can take in the Seeley Lake community and visit local eateries and shops.
As we prepare for a more electrified future, we hope to ease accessibility for tourists visiting local hot-spots, like the Seeley Lake community, for years to come!


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Astral Aviation, Ethiopian, Etihad, AirFrance/KLM/Martinair will be having to make space on the cargo stage come SEP21, as a new cargo airline is planning to take off from Dar es Salaam, Tanzania: W-Cargo Airlines…
Yet a few of the W-questions: what, where, who, why, and when, are open given that neither the new airline nor its recently registered company, Warnercom Tanzania Limited, (I’m guessing that’s where the W comes from) appear on the internet or in LinkedIn, for example. Begs the question, then, how bookings are going to be made at this point, just weeks away from take-off?
Have license, will transport
What is certain, is that W-Cargo is licensed to fly. It received a one-year license from the Tanzanian Civil Aviation Authority (TCAA) on 02JUN21, in line with its plans to finally commence cargo operations in mid-SEP21. It will trade as “W-Cargo Airlines” and aims to deploy a B737-400F to begin with, adding a Fokker F-27 for domestic activities at a later stage. The license information on the TCAA includes the following scheduled routes: (a) Mwanza-Kia-Brussels-Mwanza, (b) Dar-Doha-Dar, (c) Dar-Sharjah-Dar, (d) Dar-Hong Kong-Guangzhou-Dar, (e) Dar-The Netherlands-Spain-Dar, (f) Dar-London-Milan-Liege-Dar, (g) Dar-Hahaya-Dar, (h) Dar-Mumbai-Dar, (i) Dar-Lilongwe-Johannesburg-Dar, (j) Dar-Entebbe-Kinshasa-Goma-Dar, (k) Dar-Lusaka-Luanda-Dar, (l) Dar-Khartoum-Nairobi-Dar, (m) Kilimanjaro-Dar, (n) Mwanza-Kilimanjaro-Dar, (o) Dar-Songwe-Dar (p) Dar-Zanzibar-Kilimanjaro-Dar, as well permission for non-scheduled (air charter) cargo services.
Who’s the boss?
Searching for W-Cargo Airlines information, a Mr. John Lupemba pops up with a LinkedIn profile and 20 contacts, bearing the title “Director W-Cargo Airlines” since JAN19. The W-Cargo Airlines page does not yet exist, but a description is given: “W-Cargo Airlines, is an airfreight company based in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Operating Scheduled and Non-Scheduled air services.” An article in Tanzania’s “The Citizen” from 02JUL20, names Mr. John Buyamba as W-Cargo Airlines’ Managing Director, who reveals that the airline is working together with a Romanian consulting company, Darmah Greens SRL (also founded in 2019, though no information is available regarding any airline financial management expertise as again no online presence exists), which has been instrumental in providing financial systems support. The airline has allocated $10 million (Sh23bn) to begin business. Given that African airports are notoriously expensive, and Tanzanian airports are no exception with high landing, fuel, and airport service charges, it will be a challenge for the new airline starting out, particularly since it is up against established, large competitors. In addition, Tanzania suffers from a lack of two-way cargo traffic, so it will be tough to balance profitability on flights. The call to reduce airport charges has long been there, yet with the added losses suffered through the pandemic, every cent counts. W-Cargo Airlines will therefore also be competing against those operating out of neighboring airports.
High time for a home-grown cargo airline
19 airlines serve Tanzania, and, since its local carrier Air Tanzania is still waiting for its promised B767F (an agenda item that has been in place for years, and which was yet again mentioned by President John Magufuli at the 12th Parliament inauguration in NOV20, where he confirmed that the government was planning to “buy one cargo aircraft for the national carrier with a view to boosting exportation of horticultural products, fish fillets and meat” according to The Citizen, 19NOV20), and though it, like local competitor Precision Air, has carried cargo on some of its passenger flights during the pandemic, the lucrative cargo that exists is all imported and exported on strong, foreign carriers. Voices in the industry have long pushed for a local cargo focus. Quoted in The Citizen back on 19NOV20, one veteran aviation expert, Juma Fimbo urged “We need to make local cargo business our priority. Cargo's demand characteristics should be independent of air passenger demand,” and called for more favorable costs to encourage and support local cargo businesses.
Direct routes save time
On the positive side, W-Cargo Airlines will be the first local cargo-only airline operating from Tanzania. It will be offering direct capacity at a time when passenger aircraft, which have in the past carried cargo out of Tanzania, are still limited in their operations and it will take a couple of years before they return (if they do) to pre-COVID-19 levels.
Tanzania exports a great deal of horticulture and perishables cargo, and these products will benefit from shorter, more direct routes and minimized handling times. A freighter also does not compete against passenger luggage, which normally is the case during the peak perishable season coinciding with the peak holiday season. Local perishable cargo dealers will therefore welcome the newcomer – the price just has to be right, too.
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He’s a leading expert on marketing and management, but now London Met lecturer Barry Dwyer has added internet celebrity to his resume.
He’s a leading expert on marketing and management, has consulted for companies like Ebay and has five degrees (all done whilst working full-time), but now London Met lecturer Barry Dwyer has added internet celebrity to his resume.
Barry, Senior Lecturer in Management, recently appeared in a video for popular website www.lovemoney.com, in which he explained why brands like Apple and Starbucks enjoy such remarkable success.
“It’s no coincidence that both those companies have their origins in the 1970s on the American west coast”, said Barry. “At that time, there was a real sense of liberation and young, creative people had the time and space to explore ideas. They were having fun, and these businesses grew from that sense of fun and innovation.
“This fresh and creative ethos makes Apple and Starbucks very attractive to customers, especially as they appeal to people in an individual sense.”
For Barry, this approach to business is as vibrant as ever, with London’s Old Street being home to many innovative companies, including www.lovemoney.com itself.
“This is a great time for students to get out there and set up their own businesses”, he said. “There are lots of opportunities for innovative SMEs at the moment, and the so-called ‘Silicon Roundabout’ at Old Street is showing that.”
So how does Barry, who teaches on both undergraduate and postgraduate courses at London Met, prepare his students for the challenges of working in the marketing and business world?
“The key advice I give to my students is to first establish your product, service, or brand – you need something to market. I also encourage them to specialise during their studies. For example, if they’re interested in fashion marketing, I advise them to focus on that so they become experts in their field.”
Barry joined London Met five years ago, having been attracted by the University’s outlook. He said: “I’ve always shared London Met’s belief in social justice, widening participation and the value of education in transforming people’s lives, so I really wanted to join the University. We have an up-to-date curriculum, are at the cutting edge of business, and I’m delighted to be working here.”
Before joining academia, Barry worked for management consultancy firm McKinsey and as a business consultant at The DACG Group. More recently, he has consulted for companies including Ebay, Head4Business, and Credo Reference.
“My main academic and research interest is in how digital technology is changing the way film, media, and associated businesses are marketed and consumed”, he added.


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A sharp fall in the container spot rates last month indicates that there is no discipline in pricing in the industry in its low season and suggests a weaker than foreseen 2015, a senior analyst said.
“Falls in freight rates have continued in April, with the rates 12% lower than in March and at record low levels,” said Jacob Pedersen, shipping analyst at Sydbank in Denmark.
“The record low rates highlight brutal overcapacity, compounded by non-existent discipline in pricing in the middle of the low season,” he said in a monthly report on the shipping markets.
General rate increases of USD700 to USD1,000 teu that carriers have announced to take effect from the beginning of this month will provide a new test of the carriers’ negotiating position. “Should success with the rate increases fail to take place, a lot would indicate that the fall in rates for (the full year) 2015 will be greater than what we had foreseen in the sector,” he said.
In such a case, the carriers should pay even greater attention to optimising their networks and to control of capacity and to lay up tonnage, he concluded.


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MADRID (MarketWatch) -- German automaker BMW AG
was upgraded to outperform from market perform on Wednesday at Bernstein Research, which cited "profoundly cheap" shares and lifted its price target to 70 euros from 65 euros. "We calculate that the stock is discounting margins of just 5% to perpetuity despite delivering near 10% margins," said analysts in a note to investors. "Its phenomenal cashflow in 2010, if sustained, would support a value far in excess of €100 per share." Bernstein gave four main reasons for the upgrade: Less dependence on the Chinese market; strong sales growth, massive cashflow and low earnings valuation; and management alignment with shareholders. Bernstein kept its outperform rating on Daimler AG
and said while valuations for Volkswagen AG
are interesting, that stock remains market-perform as it's a fundamentally lower return business than Daimler and BMW.


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Take Five is a look at five new, refreshed or retooled vehicles that are destined for or have recently entered the Canadian market. Here are some offerings from Chevrolet, Ram, Dodge, Lincoln and BMW.
The aging full-size sedan will be eliminated in 2020, ending a 15-year production run. There is no word yet on what the end of the vehicle's production will mean at FCA's assembly plant in Brampton, Ont.
More than 2,000 people, including townsfolk, Fiat workers, politicians, and corporate executives, gathered in a packed Turin cathedral for a memorial service to honor the late Fiat Chrysler CEO, Sergio Marchionne.
FCA CEO Mike Manley will announce his management team by the end of September, the company's chairman said at a shareholder meeting.
President Donald Trump is “weaponizing” uncertainty in his campaign to force U.S. companies to repatriate manufacturing, said a recent report by the C.D. Howe Institute.
Philosophically, Canada's FCA dealers like what the late CEO Sergio Marchionne was about, but the immediate problem they want new CEO Mike Manley to deal with is a shortage of Ram truck models.
Under the late Sergio Marchionne, FCA used strong-arm tactics on suppliers to drive for the lowest price for parts, said John Henke, president of Planning Perspectives. Henke said that needs to change under Mike Manley.
FCA's new CEO Mike Manley intends to fulfill the late Sergio Marchionne's vision, but he's not Canadian. That lack of connection — and China being a priority for the automaker — is creating some angst.
Soon after news of Sergio Marchionne's death broke in July, Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens announced that flags would fly at half-staff. He now wants officials to consider a permanent memorial for the man many believe saved the city.
In certain vehicles, gas bubbles can form in the brake fluid and lead to “a soft brake pedal feel."
Fiat Chrysler's Brampton, Ont., assembly plant is in the midst of a five-week shutdown as the automaker retools its aging paint shop there. The upgrades are part of a $325 million commitment FCA made to the plant in 2016.
Take Five is a look at five new or upgraded vehicles that are destined for or have recently entered the Canadian market. Here is a sampling of vehicles from Rolls-Royce, Mercedes-Benz, Subaru, FCA and GM.


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By Shazia Malik
Brampton – The opening of the new Chalo! FreshCo store at Financial Drive, north of Steeles Avenue in Brampton, was a very happening affair. A large number of customers had come not only to shop at the new outlet but to also enjoy a Bollywood dance performance. The atmosphere was imbued with a metropolitan-chic allure where the community enjoyed samosas and hot tea. Prior to the store opening, a ribbon cutting ceremony took place that was also attended by Sonia Sidhu, MP for Brampton South.
The Weekly Voice talked to several customers on this occasion who were loading their carts with items that were marked down to make it extra special for first time customers. Mothers were happy to pick up healthy snacks in large quantities to keep kids well-fed as March break continues. Some men just dropped in even without their wives to buy specials fearing stocks might end by the time they go home and return with their spouses.
Talking to the Weekly Voice, John Kendrick, franchisee, Financial Drive Chalo! FreshCo said the community lacked a proper grocery store in the vicinity and so finding the niche, this new outlet was opened. He pointed out that the store not only offers an international mix of products but a wide variety of Asian stuff. This, he said, has been done to cater for the large South Asian community residing in the area. He also informed not only the residents will find the produce fresh but halal meat, non-halal meat, fresh seafood and even medicines have been made available at their doorsteps. The store has an in-store pharmacy where customers can fill in their prescriptions while they shop. On the question of expansion, John said with the right marketing mix and research, it has been possible for Chalo! FreshCo to not only augment products but open stores at strategic locations.
On the question of competition, he was of the view that they are monitoring closely but Chalo! FreshCo is confident they will always attract the customers with their reasonable prices and offering of fresh products throughout the year.
John added: “Once customers see the amazing variety and unbeatable value, we know they will say ‘Vah!’ and come back for more!” Mike Venton, General Manager, FreshCo said: “At Chalo! FreshCo, we work hard to help our customers make every dollar count and offer a great assortment of South Asian products. Our Chalo! FreshCo stores have become such an important part of the community, and we’re proud to continue growing in Brampton.”
On the eve of grand opening, the first 500 customers received a free pack of 18 eggs and throughout opening week shoppers spending CAD$50 or more will receive a coupon for CAD$5 off their next visit to Chalo! FreshCo. The celebrations with continue well into the weekend with a Halal Food Truck offering free samples to customers.
The ongoing specials, food sampling and in-store demos will continue also. The store has also donated $500 to the Seva Food Bank, a local food bank in Peel region. Chalo! FreshCo now has four stores in Peel Region – three stores in Brampton and one in Mississauga. The new store is open 7 days a week from 7am to 11pm.


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With so much dissatisfaction over how companies like Facebook and YouTube moderate user speech, you might think that the groups that run the Internet’s infrastructure would want to stay far away from the speech-policing business. Sadly, two groups that control an important piece of the Internet’s infrastructure have decided to jump right in.
The organization that governs the .org top-level domain, known as Public Interest Registry (PIR), and the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) are expanding their role as speech regulators through a new agreement, negotiated behind closed doors. And they’re doing it despite the nearly unanimous opposition of nonprofit and civil society groups—the people who use .org domains. EFF is asking ICANN’s board to reconsider.
ICANN makes policies for resolving disputes over domain names, which are enforced through a web of contracts. Best-known is the Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP), which allows trademark holders to challenge bad-faith use of their trademarks in a domain name (specifically, cybersquatting or trademark infringement). UDRP offers a cheaper, faster alternative to domain name disputes than court. When ICANN began to add many new top-level domains beyond the traditional ones (.com, .net, .org, and a few others), major commercial brands and their trademark attorneys predicted a plague of bad-faith registrations and threatened to hold up creation of these new top-level domains, including much-needed domains in non-Latin scripts such as Chinese, Arabic, and Cyrillic.
In response, the community allowed trademark interests to create more enforcement mechanisms, but solely for these new top-level domains. One of these was Uniform Rapid Suspension (URS), a faster, cheaper version of UDRP. URS is a summary procedure designed for slam-dunk cases of cybersquatting or trademark infringement. it features shorter deadlines for responding to challenges, and its decisionmakers are paid much less than the panelists who decide UDRP cases.
In a move that has drawn lots of criticism, ICANN announced that it is requiring the use of URS in the .org domain, along with other rules that were developed specifically for the newer domains.
URS is a bad fit for .org, the third most-used domain and home to millions of nonprofit organizations (including, of course, eff.org). The .org domain has been around since 1985, long before ICANN was created. And with over ten million names already registered, there’s no reason to expect a “land rush” of people snatching up the names of popular brands and holding them for ransom.
When nonprofit organizations use brand names and other commercial trademarks, it’s often to call out corporations for their misdeeds—a classic First Amendment-protected activity. That means challenges to domain names in .org need more careful, thorough consideration than URS can provide. Adding URS to the .org domain puts nonprofit organizations who strive to hold powerful corporations and governments accountable at risk of losing their domain names, effectively removing those organizations from the Internet until they can register a new name and teach the public how to find it. Losing a domain name means losing search engine placement, breaking every inbound link to the website, and knocking email and other vital services offline.
Beyond URS, the new .org agreement gives Public Interest Registry carte blanche to “implement additional protections of the legal rights of third parties” whenever it chooses to. These aren’t necessarily limited to cases where a court has found a violation of law and orders a domain name suspended. And it could reach beyond disputes over domain names to include challenges to the content of a website, effectively making PIR a censorship bureau.
This form of content regulation has already happened in some TLDs. Donuts and Radix, which operate hundreds of top-level domains, already suspend websites’ domain names based on accusations of copyright infringement from the Motion Picture Association of America, without a court order. Some registries also take down the domain names of pharmacy-related websites based on requests from private groups affiliated with U.S. pharmaceutical companies, again without a court order or due process.
PIR, the operator of .org, has previously proposed to build its own copyright enforcement system. PIR quickly walked back that proposal after EFF spotlighted it. But PIR’s new agreement with ICANN provides a legal foundation for bringing back that proposal, or other forms of content regulation. And the existence of these contract terms could make it harder for PIR and registrars to say “No” the next time an industry group like MPAA, or a law enforcement agency from anywhere in the world, comes demanding that they act as judge, jury, and executioner of “bad” websites.
Bypassing Users’ Input
The process that led to these changes was problematic, too. The multistakeholder process, which is supposed to account for the views and needs of all groups affected by a policy change, was simply bypassed. ICANN did announce the new .org contract and provided for a period of public comment. But this seems to have been a hollow gesture.
The Non-Commercial Stakeholder Group, a group that represents many hundreds of the organizations that have .org domain names, filed a comment laying out why that domain shouldn’t have the URS system and other “rights protection mechanisms” beyond the UDRP. EFF and the Domain Name Rights Coalition also filed a comment, which was joined by top academics and activists on domain name policy.
An extraordinary and unprecedented 3,250 others filed comments opposing the new .org contract, mainly on the grounds that it removed price caps from .org registrations, potentially allowing Public Interest Registry to increase the fees it charges millions of nonprofit organizations. In contrast, only six commenters, including groups representing trademark holder interests and incumbent registries, filed supportive comments. But ICANN made no meaningful changes in response to these comments from the actual users of .org domain names. The contract they concluded on July 30th was the same as the one they proposed at the start of the public comment period. The ICANN Staff seem to think they can make any policies they choose by contract.
What Comes Next?
EFF has asked the ICANN board to reconsider their new contract, to submit the issue to the ICANN community for a decision, and to remove URS from the .org domain. Public Interest Registry has not yet created any new enforcement mechanisms, nor returned to the copyright enforcement proposal it made and shelved in 2016—but if the new contract stands, it will give them legal cover for doing so. It’s important that Internet users, especially nonprofits, make clear to ICANN, PIR, and PIR’s parent organization, the Internet Society, that nonprofits don’t need new, accelerated trademark enforcement or new forms of content regulation. After all, there’s no reason to think that these organizations will regulate the speech of Internet users any better than Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and other prominent social networks have done. It would be best if they stay out of that role entirely.


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Small businesses are being urged to persist with insurance payout claims covering losses brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic, despite average delays of up to eight months and “ridiculous” levels of evidence being required.
In September 2020, the High Court ruled that small stores suffering a reduction of trade due to Covid-19 closures could claim for losses, subject to policy limits.
The companies included were Arch Insurance, Argent Syndicate Management, Ecclestical Insurance Office, MS Amlin Underwriting, Hiscox Insurance Company, Royal & Sun Insurance and Zurich Insurance.
At the time, the Financial Conduct Authority ordered firms to pay compensation at the “earliest possible date to support businesses”. However, many failed to receive their settlements and were advised to lodge a complaint with the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS), which settles complaints between consumers and businesses.
Last week, Capital Law’s senior lawyer, Catrin Povey told betterRetailing that the FOS was asking for “ridiculous levels of evidence” to prove businesses were affected by Covid-19 on their premises.
“They are asking businesses to provide medical records to confirm a suspected diagnosis of Covid-19, or positive Covid-19 tests to prove the disease was to blame for their store closure in March 2020, which isn’t possible in most cases because people were told not to seek medical attention unless symptoms were severe and testing wasn’t widespread,” she said.
“Witness statements should be enough for a civil court case to prove on the balance of probabilities, but instead the FOS is expecting businesses to look for evidence that will be impossible to find.”
Policies requiring the occurrence of Covid-19 on the premises in the short period prior to the government announcing its restrictions, typically ask for evidence, and FOS admits the difficulty of demonstrating this.
In some cases, submission of evidence has been deemed insufficient, not because FOS believes it to be false, but symptoms were more likely to have been caused by other seasonal illnesses, such as colds and flu.
betterRetailing understands the FOS has received more than 4,000 complaints, of these about 3,300 have been resolved, and a further 300 have received an initial answer. Some complaints have had responses more quickly due to similar policies being grouped together, but FOS now expects to work through the remaining cases more quickly.
Despite the challenges posed, Povey encouraged store owners to continue fighting. “I understand how time-consuming it can be for small business owners,” she said. “But there is evidence to suggest cases are being worked on, even if it is taking longer than expected. Continue putting pressure on the FOS.”Have an unresolved business interruption insurance case? Contact betterRetailing on 07597 588972 for free legal advice
Find out more on our coronavirus information hub for retailers


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Action on Salt is a group of specialists concerned with salt and its effects on health. We are successfully working to reach a consensus with the food industry and government over the harmful effects of a high salt diet, and bring about a reduction in the amount of salt in processed foods as well as salt added to cooking, and the table. Action on Salt is supported by 24 expert scientific members.
Action on Salt is unique in its work. The role it performs is not undertaken by any other organisation, so your support is vital. If you can help with a donation, however big or small, we would be pleased to hear from you.
Salt in the news
- Action on Salt Release: Action on Salt Chairman Graham MacGregor Awarded a CBE (10th June)
- Action on Salt and Action on Sugar Release: Call for ban on using cartoon animations on-pack to market unhealthy products to children (4th June)
- Food Ingredients First: Keeping salt reduction on the agenda: Reduced sodium solutions in high demand for NPD (13th May)
- The Times: Deliveroo dishes up junk food deals to the obese (12th May)
- British Baker: Four lessons from the 2019 BSB spring conference (featuring our Chair Graham MacGregor) (16th April)
- Lo Salt: Lo Salt response to NICE Hypertension Guidelines (12th April)
- Action on Salt comment: New Report: Dietary Reference Intakes for Sodium and Potassium in the US (4th April)


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What just happened? We're all sick of the GPU market being in such shambles, but could things change this year? Nvidia chief financial officer (CFO) Colette Kress says that the company expects to increase supply of its cards in the second half of 2022, which likely coincides with the arrival of the RTX 4000 'Ada Lovelace' series.
Speaking at the virtual 24th Annual Needham Growth Conference (via Seeking Alpha ), Kress said that demand for Nvidia's GeForce products far outweighed supply last year, as we know, but team green is optimistic that the situation will improve later this year.
“We are working, as we’ve mentioned, in terms of longer-term, getting that supply. In the second half of calendar ’22, we believe we’ll be in a great position with our overall supply in terms of our estimations of what we will need going forward,” Kress explained.
Why the sudden increase in GPU supply? The obvious answer would be the arrival of Ampere's successor, codenamed Lovelace—we previously heard that the new series of cards would arrive in the third quarter of 2022.
Expect these to be replaced with RTX 4000 cards later this year
This is the second time Kress has claimed Nvidia would improve the supply of its graphics cards in the second half of 2022. At the UBS Global TMT conference last month , the CFO said, "The company as a whole will take the appropriate work to continue to procure more supply. We've been able to grow quite well during this year, each quarter, sequentially growing. And we do continue to plan to do that for Q4 […] So we believe we will be in a better situation in terms of supply when we look at the second half of next year."
Nvidia tends to release a new graphics card family every two years, so we can expect to see the RTX 4000 series in September if it follows that same cadence. Nvidia is rumored to be moving away from Samsung's 8nm node, which it uses for the RTX 3000 series, and tap TSMC's 5nm process node , used by Apple, AMD, and others.
We'll have to wait and see if there really is enough supply of RTX 4000 cards to meet consumer demand. TSMC recently committed to spending up to $44 billion on upgrading capacity this year, and lowering demand from miners is obviously a good thing, but scalpers aren't going away anytime soon. Moreover, the supply of RTX 3000 cards could get even tighter if Nvidia puts more focus on producing its latest generation of products.
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The Milk of Human Triviality
Milk is now trendy. It is definitively the new “it” food, according to Lessley Anderson of Chow.com. Not because there has been any monumental or compositional shift in what constitutes milk, but simply because we, as humans, are hungry (or in this case, thirsty) for reinvention and ballyhoo.
According to the piece titled, “Designer Milk: The New ‘It’ Food,” milk has been adopted by chefs around the country who are eager to exploit and ennoble the elemental extraction that is simply milk. Celebrity chefs David Chang of Momofuku in New York City, has embraced milk in his recent elaboration of the Momofuku concept, Momofuku Milk Bar. There is a milk bar in Chelsea Market in Manhattan, and the New York Times recently directed their culinary eye toward the trend of alcoholic milk shakes. But beyond New York City (which is a world onto itself), there have been countless other milk-based developments and outbreaks of dairy-laced hype throughout the country.
Artisan and decidedly experimental ice cream shops dot the United States with a fresh, if not whimsical take, on ice cream and milk products, and yogurt (which ran the risk of being killed off by its association with the 70s decade) is also becoming a niche ingredient.
In addition, there has been much ink spilled on the subject of raw milk recently, and the legions of the faithful that are willing to take a bullet (or at least get a tummy ache) for the right to drink the contraband. While the raw milk debate may be somewhat polarizing, it is fair to say that milk, while maybe not quite the “it” food it is purported to be, is apparently having somewhat of a moment in the limelight.
This is interesting, not because it says anything about milk per se, but because it reveals how we, as a hunger-obsessed and pleasure fixated lot, are always in love with the idea of recreation and lost, or overlooked, value in what we chose to consume. Milk, for many years, was very much maligned by health advocates and a portion of the medical establishment because of its negative impact on the body (constipation, irritable bowel syndrome, arthritis, chronic sinusitis and allergies being just some of the medical problems associated with milk consumption) and the milk industry (at least the industrial wing of that industry) was revealed to be less than wholesome with their deplorable standards and practices.
Chevy Chase on milk
In the 90s we got the Got Milk campaign, which did much to get people talking about milk (and the clever ad campaign) but didn’t really do much to counter the fear that milk did not, in fact, do a body good.
Still, milk consumption in the U.S. has been on the decline for some time, and Americans rank about 15th in the world when it comes to milk consumption (we drink an average of around 20 gallons per person annually, whereas a country like Finland consumes at least twice that amount). Whether the adoption of milk as a sort of boutique ingredient does anything to raise its profile remains to be seen.
Does milk deserve another chance? And if so, should its appeal trickle down from the high-end of the culinary spectrum to drench us all in its milky splendor?


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Survey Says Email Trumps Spouse, Coffee and Chocolate
Uncategorized Posted Apr 23, 2007 by metropolis
InfoWeek recently picked up on a survey by IncrediMail Ltd. that reveals just how devoted to our email we’ve become. More than 10,000 IncrediMail users completed the survey, with 73.8% indicating that email is essential to their lives.
When asked what they would rather give up for a day instead of losing email, the surveyed said that they would rather forego:
- chocolate (54.4%)’
- coffee (50.2%)
- television (41.4%)
- their cell phone (38.4%)
- their spouse/significant other (14.9%)
In the interest of marital harmony, I will not be asking my Blackberry-wielding spouse the survey questions.


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If you never heard the expression “Trashion Fashion” best getting used to it. The term was born in New Zealand around 2004 and is steadily growing. Though Stella McCartney might be a highly visible example of the new tendency to protect the environment by recycling and upcycling as much as possible, the trashion fashion movement is growing steady and even has its own organisation, Trashion Fashion, that gives courses, assistance and has a series of productions they will happily share with you if needed.
In the meantime, let’s enjoy Stella MaCartney glamorous version, surely better than the DIY version we can produce at home and most certainly more expensive.
Stella McCartney, long an advocate for ethical fashion, has been busy over the last several months trying to drive the industry away from a take-make-waste model; the luxury label recently announced plans to use Parley for the Oceans’ recycled plastic yarn and Aquafil’s ECONYL® fiber in its line of shoes, accessories and outerwear. In its latest bid to call attention to the cause, the vegetarian brand has shot its entire Autumn/Winter 2017 campaign on a landfill site on the Eastern Coast of Scotland.


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Category: Price Fixing
First published by Matt on July 16, 2020 in the following categories: Consumer Law Industry Latest Price Fixing Price Hikes Pricing and tagged with cma | competition law | investigations | price fixing | pricing
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has been looking into hand sanitiser pricing over concerns that important competition laws may be being breached.
Last month, the CMA announced that they were looking into the matter that is undoubtedly tied to how the use of such products has changed during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Although the investigation only started last month, and no assumptions are being made, there have been some significant changes and developments so far.
Clearly, given how the markets for such products has changed over the last few months, this is an important matter that needs to be looked into.
First published by Matt on June 03, 2020 in the following categories: Cartels Industry Market Sharing Price Fixing Pricing Selling Restrictions and tagged with cartels | cma | construction industry | investigations | marktet sharing | price fixing | pricing | roofing materials
The investigation by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) that’s looking into the UK roofing materials sector remains ongoing.
We understand that more news could be issued at the end of June in-line with the current timetable in place from the CMA. So far, we have seen extensive investigations carried out over the last few years, and a formal Statement of Objections issued last year.
With an alleged cartel in place that reportedly makes up for 90% of the lead rolling market in the UK, this is a significant investigation.
First published by Matt on February 12, 2020 in the following categories: Cartels Latest Price Fixing Price Hikes Pricing and tagged with cartels | cma | competition law | investigations | price fixing | pricing
Here’s the latest news involving the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) investigation into alleged competition infringements involving Berkshire residential estate agents.
The investigation was launched in early 2018 on the basis that the CMA suspected that there may be infringements of important competition law. In June last year, the CMA issued a formal statement of objections to four estate agents with allegations of breaches, and a settlement was reached with two agents in October. More fines were then issued at the end of last year.
In the often-volatile property market, competition law breaches that leave buyers and sellers paying more simply cannot go unpunished.
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has issued a substantial Fender competition breach fine in the sum of £4.5m.
The fine has been issued almost two years after an investigation into the prominent guitar maker was opened. In its ruling, the CMA has confirmed that Fender has admitted to breaking competition law by restricting prices for UK retailers. The fine that has been issued is therefore subject to the CMA’s leniency and cooperation protocols, which can see penalties reduced.
This is a key ruling given the size of this growing market and the fact that Fender is one of the major players in the sector.
More time has been allowed for representations to be made in the supply of groundworks investigation that’s currently being undertaken by the UK’s competition regulator.
The CMA (Compensation and Markets Authority) issued their statement of objections back in April 2019 and announced their provisional findings. The CMA confirmed that they suspect there are three suppliers who are engaging in behaviour that may distort competition in the market. Until final determinations are made, these are just allegations at this stage.
Notably, the CMA decided to continue with their investigations, so we assume that they must believe that there is some evidence to support their allegations.
First published by Matt on October 31, 2019 in the following categories: Cartels Market Sharing Price Fixing and tagged with cartels | cma | competition law | construction industry | investigations | marktet sharing | price fixing | pricing
The CMA (Competition and Markets Authority) has issued an update in the investigation into the supply of precast concrete drainage products.
The civil investigation has been ongoing since 2016 and a number of actions and steps have been taken in the three years since it was commenced.
This month, an important development has been announced which involves fines in the tens of millions for companies who have reportedly been engaging in cartel behaviour for a number of years.
First published by Matt on August 12, 2019 in the following categories: Market Sharing Price Fixing Price Hikes Pricing and tagged with cma | competition law | investigations | market abuse | marktet sharing | Pharmaceuticals | price fixing | pricing
In the latest investigation into suspected anti-competitive agreements for pharmaceutical drugs, a statement of objections has been issued by the CMA (Competition and Markets Authority).
The statement was issued last month and relates to a number of pharmaceutical companies who stand accused of participating in anti-competitive behaviour. Whether it’s a case of formal agreements in place, or concerted practices, the issue surrounds the supply of 50mg and 100mg nitrofurantoin capsules in the UK.
This investigation by the CMA into the practices of pharmaceutical firms is one of many that have been ongoing for a number of years. They’re one of the most important areas the CMA needs to safeguard.
First published by Matt on June 13, 2019 in the following categories: Cartels Investigations Price Fixing Price Hikes Pricing and tagged with cartels | cma | competition law | cover bidding | cover pricing | price fixing | pricing
The CMA (Competition and Markets Authority) has secured the disqualification of a number of directors in the aftermath of the fines issued in the office design and fit-out cartel investigation.
In April 2019, fines in the sum of £7m were issued to a number of companies who had been found guilty of breaking vital competition laws. For over a decade, the guilty companies had been engaging in cover bidding, where they were able to artificially inflate the prices of at least 14 contracts. This kind of behaviour can also reduce the quality of services on offer for the consumer as well.
Now, the CMA has taken further action by securing disqualifications for a number of directors who were involved in the cartel activity.
There’s an ongoing groundworks supplier investigation being conducted by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), so here’s the latest.
The investigation surrounds suspicions of anti-competitive behaviour in the sector for the supply of groundworks products to the construction industry. The CMA’s investigation is looking into whether any of the key suppliers in the market are breaching important competition laws. If they are found to be acting unethically, they could face substantial fines.
The investigation has been going on for some time now, and a great deal of evidence has been collected and reviewed so far.
First published by Matt on May 30, 2019 in the following categories: Cartels Industry Market Sharing Price Fixing Price Hikes Pricing and tagged with cartels | cma | competition law | market abuse | marktet sharing | Pharmaceuticals | price fixing | pricing
There has been a provisional finding in the pharmaceuticals competition investigation by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) who have been looking into companies for quite some time.
It has been alleged that anti-competitive agreements are in place between four firms in the sector, and the calculated costs to the NHS is terrifying. If the provisional finding is formalised, huge fines could be issued to the alleged offenders involved in the investigation.
The costs of anti-competitive arrangements in the pharmaceutical industry often fall on the NHS, and therefore on the taxpayer, which is why these kinds of investigations are incredibly important.


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Christina Farr is a technology and health reporter for CNBC.com in San Francisco. She most recently was a senior writer at Fast Company, covering biotech and health-tech for digital and print, and an Apple reporter at Reuters News. She hails from London, UK and is a graduate of Stanford's School of Journalism. Reach her on Twitter (@chrissyfarr).
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Morrisons has revealed they will be “following government guidance” and encouraging customers and employees to continue to wear a mask in store following July 19.
The government has confirmed that the current Covid restrictions will be lifted on Monday July 19, despite warnings from medical experts.
Amongst the rules to be lifted is wearing a face covering in stores, which from Monday will become a matter of personal choice.
The government’s decision has caused public controversy as the day of the announcement the hashtag #wearamask was number one trending on Twitter.
However, the government continues to encourage people to wear a mask in crowded spaces, despite it not being a legal requirement any longer.
Morrisons’ statement to EssexLive said they will continue to encourage social distancing and the wearing of masks in their stores as well as continue to offer free face covering to anyone who has forgotten theirs.
Protective screens at checkout tills and sanitizing stations will also “remain in place” and will be “cleaned and replenished regularly”.
However, the retailer has also vowed to encourage customers and employees to “exercise their own judgement” on such matters.
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The statement also added: “In Scotland and Wales face coverings remain a legal requirement and from Monday, a 1 metre social distancing rule in Scotland and 2 metre social distancing rule in Wales will apply.
“All customers and colleagues will be advised to follow this guidance in our stores.”
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Neil Ballinger looks at three aspects of engineering that will change for the better
Having shown overwhelming resilience in the face of adversity, the manufacturing and engineering sector is one that will be irrevocably changed as a result of the COVID-19 crisis.
It was heartening to see so many manufacturers, during great difficulty, support efforts to manufacture personal protective equipment (PPE) including face visors, masks, ventilators, hand gels and other critical medical supplies.
Many of these devices were created as a result of some creative ingenuity on the part of design engineers — including one UK company turning ordinary snorkelling masks into respiratory ventilators for coronavirus patients.
However, the vast majority of parts created by manufacturers used open source, readily available designs, including those that can be 3D printed.
Open-source software is nothing new, and engineering already has a rich history of free and open-source software (FOSS) with the likes of Linux, MySQL, Apache, Eclipse and OPC-UA being used in creating many of the fundamental industrial systems we have available today. However, we expect to see a growing trend towards its use in design engineering, whether that’s for robotic tools, motor design and simulation, or 3D printing low-cost precision microscopes.
While the pandemic resulted in nearly half of the UK workforce working from home, this has largely been impossible for businesses in the manufacturing and retail sectors. Further afield, in Germany, about 25 per cent of the country is working from home as a result of the pandemic, up from about 12 per cent a year earlier. What’s more, German Labour Minister Hubertus Heil has proposed legislation to give employees the legal right to work from home even after the crisis is over.
It’s no surprise then that, according to a survey by research firm Leesman, of the 52,240 people working in the manufacturing and engineering space in the UK, 53 per cent have no home working experience.
While we may not see staff in manufacturing businesses turn to home working on the same scale as office workers anytime soon, we will see the rise in the use of remote process and control software. This will be particularly useful in industrial alarm systems that can send SMS alerts to critical staff on detection of an alarm condition.
Staff can then acknowledge these alarms and remotely login using any device, whether it’s a smartphone, a tablet, or a desktop PC, to rectify the issue.
Diversified supply chains
China’s economy shrank by 6.8% in the first quarter of 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 lockdown. It was the first decline in the country since at least 1992 and had a knock-on effect on businesses around the world that rely on Chinese suppliers.
In response, the World Economic Forum explained that, “One likely consequence is that global firms will diversify their supply chains in the future, instead of relying only on China. Manufacturing hubs such as Vietnam, Mexico, and India are likely to benefit from that shift.”
This move to diversify and decentralise their supply chains makes it even more important that manufacturers do so while strengthening their relationships with industrial parts suppliers such as EU Automation. Being able to source the right new and used parts from suppliers quickly could prove critical when facing disruption such as that caused by the pandemic.
The manufacturing and engineering sector is set to change irrevocably following the events of 2020. By adapting with the right automation systems, working practises and supplier relationships, businesses can bounce-back stronger.
Neil Ballinger is head of EMEA at automation equipment supplier EU Automation.


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The Dubai-based startup, Spiderilk, raised $ 2.25 million in the pre-Series A round, led by venture companies Global Ventures and STV.
In the last two years SpiderSilk has uncovered some of the biggest data breaches: Blind, the seemingly anonymous social network that has uncovered private complaints from Silicon Valley employees; Lab leaked Samsung’s highly sensitive source code; An inadvertent public code repository has uncovered apps, code and cameras and apartment building cameras belonging to a controversial startup Clearview AI; And a massive spill of unencrypted customer card numbers in MoviePass now discontinued may have been the last nail in the coffers of a subscription service that was already under siege.
Many of the findings were found in the company’s proprietary Internet scanner, SpiderSilk’s co-founder and chief security officer, Musab Hussein, told TechCrunch.
Every company will want to lock their data, but errors occur and incorrect configurations can leave sensitive internal organizational data accessible from the Internet. SpiderSilk helps its customers understand their attack surface by searching for things that are exposed but should not be.
The cyber security activation uses its scanner to map company assets and attack surfaces to detect vulnerabilities and data exposures, and it also simulates cyber attacks to help customers understand where the vulnerabilities in their defenses are.
“The attack and threat management platform we have built scans the open Internet continuously in order to attribute all publicly accessible assets back to organizations that may be affected by them, directly or indirectly,” SpiderSilk founder and CEO Remy Al-Malak told TechCrunch. “The platform regularly exposes survivors and emphasizes how no organization is immune to blind spots in infrastructure vision.”
Al-Malek said the funding would help build its security, engineering and data science teams, as well as its marketing and sales. He said the company is expanding its presence to North America with sales and engineering teams.
This is the company’s second round of funding, following a $ 500,000 round of funding in November 2019, which was also led by Global Ventures and several Angel investors.
“The SpiderSilk team is an outstanding partner, solving a critical problem in the ever-complex security world, and protecting online companies from the growing threats of malicious activity,” said Basil Mufti, Global Ventures’ partner.


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It’s no surprise that anytime there’s discussion about finding effective ways to combat online piracy Google’s name seems to be in the mix. When the subject does come up, the constant refrain from Google officials is that they’re doing everything they can–but how much is just PR posturing versus real action?
Check out Google’s latest apparent stratagem. In a story by Katherine Rushton published on 2/16/13 in The Telegraph “Google looks to cut funds to illegal sites,” she reported that the company is pushing payment processors to cut off the flow of money sites linked to online piracy.
Google is in discussions with payment companies including Visa, Mastercard and PayPal to put illegal download websites out of existence by cutting off their funding. The web search giant, which is embroiled in a long-running row over the way it deals with pirated material, is considering the radical measure so that it can get rid of the root cause instead of having to change its own search results.
Executives want to stop websites more or less dedicated to offering links to pirated films, music and books from making money out of the illegal material. The plans, still in discussion, would also block funding to websites that do not respond to legal challenges, for example because they are offshore.
I’m not sure there’s anything very “radical” here. In fact, cutting off the flow of money is actually one area where some progress has already been made. PayPal, long a ubiquitous lifeline for such sites, has cut ties to numerous pirate cyberlockers including Putlocker, Mediafire, and Depositfiles.
Any progress in severing piracy’s blood supply is a certainly a good thing BUT for Google to claim the company is working to “block funding” of pirate sites–while simultaneously profiting from them–seems more than a tad disingenuous. What about blocking access to funding via their AdSense accounts on YouTube and Blogger? Why focus on Visa and Mastercard when one’s own house is in such disarray?
It’s not hard to find Google’s fingerprints on the dollars generated by online piracy. Here’s but a sampling I’ve documented from just the past few months:
- How Are Google’s Anti-Piracy Search Policies Working?
- Why Doesn’t YouTube Address the Real Content ID Fail?
- Blogspot.com-A Bridge to Piracy?
- Google Search #FAIL Means More $$$ for Them
- Google Complains that it’s Hard Work to Remove Reported Pirate Links
- Youtube Allows Pirate “Partners” to Profit From Illegal Movie Uploads
- Content Leeches-The Dark Underbelly of YouTube’s Content Monetization
- Chronic, Ill-Gotten Gains–Google’s Web of Piracy Profit
- YouTube (and Netflix) monetize online piracy
- 3 Strikes on YouTube and You’re OUT? Maybe…
- Netflix Ads + Google Blogspot + Stolen Movies = Piracy Profits
More examples, going back nearly 3 years, can be found on my blog Pop Up Pirates-Who Profits from Piracy? If Google is really serious about combatting piracy, shouldn’t they examine the skeletons in their own closet?
But the creative industries are not yet satisfied. They want those websites that are the subject of tens of thousands of “take down” requests to be blocked altogether – sites like fenopy.eu and filestube.com whose primary purpose appears to be offering downloads of pirated content. They also claim that the changes Google has made to its algorithm are not particularly effective.
I couldn’t agree more. Whether it’s Google’s search, YouTube, Blogger or AdSense, Google seems to have a finger in every slice of the piracy pie. Apparently the only buck that stops in Mountain View is the kind that goes into the bank.


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Flash back to 2008 and The New York Times (NYT) was in difficulty. Advertising was in decline as print subscriptions were being cancelled as readers sought to source their news online. And there was no obvious digital news revenue model to balance all this out.
Today, that’s all changed - nearly a third of total US population turns to the NYT every day, with upwards of 10 million signed up as digital subscribers. It’s a remarkable transformation story and a bellwether example of what Zuora long ago coined as the Subscription Economy.
At this week’s Subscribed event in New York, Ken Houseman, Vice President of Product at the New York Times, a long-standing Zuora user, provided an update on the story so far - and what’s on the next page. He began with a mission statement:
Our strategy is to become the essential subscription for every curious English-speaking person seeking to understand and engage in the world.
So that’s the goal. What are the tactical elements of delivering on that? It starts with a core of high-quality journalism, said Houseman, content that’s worth paying for:
Our strategy is aimed at ensuring that our subscribers find the most value in their subscription and that we continue to show them that truth-based journalism is worth paying for. In service to that mission, our digital evolution has been focused on creating a product portfolio that elevates our journalism, drives deeper subscriber engagement around the passions of our readers, and shows increased value across our portfolio.
That mission opens up a large market size opportunity, he added:
We see 50 to 100 million plus weekly average users, but only 9.7 million of those are digital paid subscribers today. That is a huge upside opportunity for us. One third of those paid subscribers are all access bundle, or multi-product subscribers. Our strategy is to find the most engaging and authentic way to reach more of those subscribers in the funnel and convert them to be paid subscribers, at the right time with the right product.
According to Houseman, there are two main mechanisms for achieving this, beginning with a focus on engagement within each product:
We know how important healthy engagement is to a healthy business. In each of our subscription categories, we have command over the product levers that help drive that, and we believe there's a huge growth runway ahead of us.
But second, and more importantly, is engagement as a driver of growth and retention across the bundle. Our digital bundle allows the Times to provide more everyday value to subscribers and drive higher engagement, retention, and ARPU [Average Revenue Per User].
This focus on engagement is crucial, explained Houseman:
First, our data shows that if we can engage a subscriber and keep them inside our platform, they're far less likely to churn. It's that stickiness that we talk about. We want to provide our subscribers with the most meaningful tailored news and deepest passion exploration, because those daily habits create a connection. Those connections become essential, and essential, authentic connections drive success.
Second, we believe that retention and engagement go hand-in-hand. In the digital world, we're able to measure how our subscribers leverage different features and connect those features to tenure and retention. In the digital landscape, we're able to understand our subscribers due to the sheer volume of information. We're able to track how they engage with our products and build that relationship. Our data shows that the most engaging features are the features that are aligned to the strongest retention. The more engagement we drive within our products, connecting them across the ecosystem, the more value our subscribers find in our bundle and are willing to pay for it.
That’s important as the NYT has set itself the bold ambition of reaching 15 million subscribers by 2027. Houseman acknowledged the challenge:
We got [to 10 million] in the last decade with digital. We want to be at 15 million by 2027. That's not that far away.
Again, there’s a multi-part strategy to hit that target, circling back to the importance of content and the goal of being the best news destination in the world:
We need to extend our product canvas to better showcase our core journalism and the many different types of news coverage that we produce. Breaking news, for example, helps people get caught up quickly on what's happening right now. Interpretation helps people feel connected to the journalist voices and opinions that they relate to and admire. But across our report, we want to differentiate and tailor how you receive your news based on your interests and your passions. We want to meet the multiple different needs and perspectives you have when it comes to consuming our core product.
There’s an intent to become more valuable to more people by meeting everyday life needs, Houseman added:
We want to apply the same approach to each of our individual products so that they drive the same depth of engagement and value on their own, but become magnified when experienced together. Culture and lifestyle helps people enrich their lives so that they can escape in a way that's worth their time. Our games - everyone knows Wordle - help you improve and engage in smart fun, learn something new. Cooking helps you manage your work/life balance, but also explore new cultures, ingredients, stories. And unlike our competitors, we can deliver on so many different needs across our products because of our vast and stellar journalistic coverage.
Finally, there’s a need to ensure ease of use, he said:
To expand and connect our products, we need to make it easy and seamless to navigate across all of our products, adding essential qualities that make our products more personally engaging and rewarding together. So net net, we believe that getting more subscribers on the bundle will boost their engagement and retention.
So, that’s the plan. For today, there’s plenty of evidence that this thinking is working out in practice. In Q1, the NYT reported its highest ever number of bundle starts in a quarter, the highest percentage of bundled subscribers in total, and the highest number of bundle upgrades, increasing their lifetime value and revenue to the company.
More of the same and better is the next phase. Houseman concluded:
News will always be the core and center of our solar system. Our promise is to create a product experience unlike any other, to help our subscribers make the most of every day, and our mission is to seek the truth continuously, highlighting that quality journalism is worth paying for. Our strategy is to connect with each and every subscriber across the bundle on a daily basis.