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From burgers to spinach, food chain is vulnerable to outbreaks
Critics call for creation of agency to ensure food safety
Published 10:00 pm, Monday, October 9, 2006
WASHINGTON -- The recent outbreak of E. coli in spinach from California exposed a weakness in the nation's food chain: A system that quickly delivers meat, fruits and vegetables to consumers just as easily can spread potentially deadly bacteria.
Like most food, spinach travels from the field to a central facility, where it mixes with spinach from other fields. If any is tainted, the threat to people is amplified as leaves are washed, dried, bagged and shipped throughout the country.
Within days of the first reported E. coli-related case on Aug. 30, illness from the tainted California spinach had spread to two dozen states. Nearly 200 people were sickened -- one-third of them in the first 72 hours. Two elderly women and a 2-year-old boy died.
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"When you open a bag of spinach, do you wonder how many different plants are in there, and how many different fields it came from?" said Dr. Robert Tauxe, chief of foodborne diseases at the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
"If something went wrong on any one of those fields ... one rotten apple spoils the whole barrel," Tauxe said.
It was the 20th time lettuce or spinach has been blamed for an outbreak of illness since 1995.
Food safety advocates are calling for stringent regulations, and they say a single agency should be in charge of making sure all food is safe.
"If you raise spinach in the Salinas Valley and it's in 40 states in a few days, you can't have a system that says we won't do anything until somebody gets sick," said Carol Tucker Foreman, director of food policy for the Consumer Federation of America and a former USDA official.
"Because look how many people get sick before you can even know it," Foreman said.
The Food and Drug Administration has repeatedly told the entire industry to get the problem under control, but the FDA does not have inspection or safety programs for produce like the Agriculture Department has for meat and poultry.
While the food system is vastly centralized, "what we don't have is a centralized agency that's really in charge of ensuring that the products are safe," said Caroline Smith DeWaal, director of food safety for the Center for Science in the Public Interest.
An E. coli outbreak in 1993 was a painful demonstration of weakness in the highly centralized beef supply chain. Hundreds of people got sick and four children died after eating undercooked hamburgers from Jack in the Box restaurants.
The outbreak prompted the Agriculture Department to tighten safety standards and expand government testing. And in 1996, it replaced its old visual inspection with one that requires a scientific look at vulnerable places in the production chain and constant monitoring of those points.
Today, illnesses from E. coli are down 29 percent from when the government tracking system began a decade ago, although illness rates inched up from 2004 to 2005.
The company at the center of the spinach crisis, Natural Selection Foods, has begun sampling every lot of greens and holding shipments until test results come back.
"Even if we nail this particular problem down to a certain point, I think it's really important to have that firewall in place, so no matter where it might come from, we feel like we can catch it," company spokeswoman Samantha Cabaluna said.
With beef, an important step was figuring out just how contamination happened in the first place. Government scientists discovered the primary source entered the slaughterhouse on the hides of cattle, and that it could transfer directly to the surface of the meat.
Solving that mystery may be more critical for lettuce and spinach because -- unlike beef -- most leafy produce is eaten raw and not cooked to temperatures that will kill E. coli.
So far, no one has determined the cause of nine outbreaks, including the one from late August, in lettuce and spinach grown in Salinas.


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(G.N.S) Dt. 11
India can seize the opportunity to provide “alternative investment hub” for the American companies which are downgrading their operations in China, US ambassador Kenneth Juster said on Thursday.
Observing that ‘America First’ and ‘Make in India’ are not incompatible, he said rather investing in each other’s markets will be mutually beneficial.
It will increase economic interactions and volume of trade, lead to collaboration on emerging technologies and create jobs in both countries, Juster said in his first policy speech since taking over as ambassador to India.
“But let me go further and suggest that it is time to put a strategic lens on our economic relationship, just as we have done with our defence relationship,” he said.
The Washington’s envoy to New Delhi added that a number of US companies have reported increasing difficulties in conducting business in the largest market in the region, China.
Also read: US sees India as leading power in Indo-Pacific region: Envoy Kenneth Juster
“Accordingly, some companies are downgrading their operations there, while others are looking with great interest at alternative markets. India can seize the strategic opportunity — through trade and investment — to become an alternative hub for US business in the Indo-Pacific region,” he said.
He noted that accelerating the economic and regulatory reform processes kick-started by Prime Minister Narendra Modi will help ensure that India is seen as an increasingly efficient, transparent and well-regulated market.
“This will further promote growth and development. Continued reforms and trade liberalisation will also enable Indian products to more readily become part of the global supply chain, thereby accelerating job creation,” Juster said.
Bilateral trade has increased from approximately $20 billion in 2001 to $115 billion in 2016.
“Of course, given the size of our respective markets, there is still a plenty of room to expand the flow of goods and services in both directions and, in the process, for trade to become more reciprocal,” he said.
He, however, expressed concerns about persistent trade deficits, including the one the US has with India. He said the US want to work with India to expeditiously resolve trade and investment disputes.
“In our view, fully free and fair trade will support and accelerate Prime Minister Modi’s effort to improve India’s long-term growth rate in a sustained way,” he said, adding that Modi’s determination to move India further up on the World Bank’s ease of doing business index is inspiring.
Juster further said that greater US trade and investment, combined with a strong environment protecting intellectual property, will lead to increased flows of capital and further sharing of intellectual know-how.
“Technological transformation needs a constant upgrade, which occurs when countries are involved in unimpeded international economic and data flows,” he said.
Juster also said that a strategic view of the bilateral economic relationship could eventually lead to a road map for a US-India free trade agreement.
“To be sure, we are a long way right now from that aspiration, and there are many intermediate steps to be taken. But we should find creative ways to use our trade policy forum and our commercial dialogue to enhance understanding, build confidence and solve problems,” he said.
Referring to energy and environment, the ambassador said the US-India Strategic Energy Partnership will convene early this year at the ministerial level.
(G.N.S) Dt. 11

domain: news


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Lahore (Web Desk): Across the globe, many new and exciting Android and iOS games are being developed, grabbing the attention of gamers.
Many Pakistani also have become addicted of these games and gamers have been seen playing some top-played games on Android.
From Candy crush to Pokemon Go. Ludo Star joined the list of most addictive games around the world.
Indian game developers Gameberry Labs developed the app and the game is no less than playing original board game Ludo.
There are news that the game is being blamed for spying on Pakistanis. The news is that India is using this game to get hold of all our information, from contact info to personal details to spy on us.
Now if you download an app like WhatsApp, in setting in the privacy and safety icon of your phone, WhatsApp is allowed to access your camera, microphone, location, contacts etc. The user has the ability to turn it on or off but usually, it is turned on. Now in these privacy settings even if Ludo Star is downloaded on your phone, it is nowhere in the privacy and safety icon accessing your camera, microphone, contacts or location. So how is India spying on us without accessing our private information?
A cyber security expert Rafay Baloch expressed his opinion regarding Ludo Star spying on Pakistanis in a Facebook post: "There has been a lot of conspiracy theories around Ludo Star application, here is my take: A lot of popular applications request such permissions even Facebook, Twitter, True caller that doesn't necessarily mean that they are stealing our data. One should understand that there is nothing free on the internet, everything comes with a price i.e. At cost of our privacy. Is there any sufficient evidence about this app storing, abusing or selling data?. With that being said, i will investigate this application and see if there are any such signs."


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Reese and Ray's IGA sold to Superfoods
August 29, 2019
Some changes will be coming to one of our local businesses as Reese and Ray’s IGA has been sold to Superfoods.
The company has actually purchased all three Reese and Ray’s stores in Wyoming to add to their holdings in Dubois, Glenrock and other Wyoming towns.
It is unknown at this time whethe...


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The Stop’s Night Market is expanding to two days of feasting and folly in 2013 in the Honest Ed’s laneway. Taking place on June 18th and 19th, 2013, The Stop’s Night Market is inspired by night markets all over the world, where great, affordable food and newfangled art foster positive vibes. On June 20, 2012, The Stop transformed Honest Ed’s laneway into a bustling night market, teeming with food vendors and chock-full of merriment, raising $56,000 towards The Stop Community Food Centre, according to their Facebook page.
This year, they hope to dwarf that number. The Stop Community Food Centre is a Toronto organization that aims to increase access to food in communities across the city, while maintaining dignity and challenging the common barriers that perpetuate inequality amongst our citizens. Tickets for this all you can eat, all you can drink extravaganza are $50, with all proceeds going directly towards The Stop Community Food Centre.
What: The Stop’s Night Market
Where: Honest Ed’s laneway and parking lot (Corner of Bathurst and Bloor)
When: Tuesday, June 18th and Wednesday, June 19th
Tickets: $50 (all you can eat and drink). On sale May 22 at noon (check Twitter and Facebook for up to date info)
Photo courtesy of The Stop’s Night Market Facebook page.
Check out what went down at last year’s The Stop’s Night Market…


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In line with equity market, the rupee dropped another 33 paise to 62.16 per dollar in late morning deals today, as it continued its slide for the third day on sustained demand for the American currency from importers.
A sharp spike in consumer price inflation in November and a worse-than-expected contraction in industrial production in October also affected the rupee sentiment, a dealer said.
The rupee opened lower at 62.10 per dollar as against the previous closing level of 61.83 at the Interbank Foreign Exchange (Forex) Market.
It dropped further to 62.18 before quoting at 62.16 per dollar at 1045 hours.
It hovered in a range of 62.06-62.18 per dollar during the morning deals.
In New York market, the dollar rose yesterday after US retail sales gained momentum in November, adding to speculation about when the Federal Reserve could begin slowing its monthly bond purchases.
Meanwhile, the Indian benchmark BSE-30 share barometer Sensex dropped by 138.94 points or 0.66 per cent to 20,786.67 at 1045 hours.


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The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) does not view ‘stagflation’ – an economic condition characterized by slow growth, high unemployment, and rising inflation – as an immediate risk to the Philippine economy.
The BSP is optimistic that the Philippine economy would sustain its recovery given the stronger-than-expected GDP growth of 8.3 percent in the first quarter of the year.
It pointed out that the steady upturn in credit activity, ample domestic liquidity, and favorable market sentiment should also help boost economic activity.
Likewise, it added consumer confidence has improved in first quarter, while the country’s foreign direct investments yielded net inflows in March.
Furthermore, domestic labor conditions also continue to improve, with employment now approaching pre-pandemic levels following the easing of COVID-related mobility restrictions and sustained vaccination efforts.
Latest data released by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) showed the country’s unemployment rate was down to 5.7 percent in April from a peak of 17.6 percent during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in April 2020.
While domestic inflation is seen to remain elevated in the near term, as a result of supply-side factors linked to volatile global commodity prices, inflation is expected to revert to the government’s target range of two to four percent by 2023.
In the meantime, the balance of risks to the inflation outlook now leans toward the upside for both 2022 and 2023.
Given these considerations, the BSP reiterates its support for urgent and coordinated efforts of government agencies to ensure adequate domestic food supply.
Direct and targeted interventions made by the national government will be critical in tempering the impact of persistent supply-side pressures on prices and wage-setting.
The BSP vowed to remain vigilant over emerging price and output conditions and will undertake necessary action to ensure that monetary policy settings remain appropriately calibrated, consistent with the BSP’s price and financial stability mandates.


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Jun 2, 2018
On this Saturday’s episode of MotortradeRadio.com, Philip Nothard of @COX AutomotiveUK is joined by Curtis Hutchinson chat about this week’s news as we discuss the stories of the week as @AMChatter reports on @HendyGroup acquiring Portsmouth's @Unbeatablecar used car supermarket.
@Motortrademag reports that big SUVs are coming under pressure and experiencing some of the biggest prices falls in the used car market. Whilst, @AMChatter reports on @CaffynsGroup 16% profit decline amid ‘very disappointing’ performance of volume car brands.
@AutoRetil reports Retail group @JohnsonsCars has reported a reduction in certain manufacturers’ volume targets - “Manufacturer volume targets have been met naturally” and @AutoExpress highlight that UK petrol and diesel fuel prices increase for 59 consecutive days.
And finally…… the IMDA is proud to announce its first ever 'Best Practice' Masterclass. Click here for tickets


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BPM Holds Key to IoT Success in Retail
Blog: Appian Insight
Business process management (BPM) software is a critical supporting tool in Internet of Things (IoT) strategies. The IoT hinges on not only moving data between different sources, but also allowing for automated process decisions as that data feeds into different software platforms. BPM provides the process standardization and optimization needed to enact such measures to their full potential.
IoT in retail
A recent report from CIO magazine explained that retail is one of the most mature sectors for IoT programs. The technology is already beginning to transform retail in a few key ways. These include being able to transform customer service models, optimize the supply chain and create better experiences both in brick-and-mortar stores and when shoppers use alternative channels.
In particular, the news source noted that shoppers increasingly expect to have a common experience across all channels, something that isn’t possible if the background data systems that support retailers are not well integrated with one another.
The automatic data gathering and delivery offered through the IoT provide retailers with new opportunities to provide truly connected shopping experiences across diverse channels, industry expert Nayaki Nayyar told CIO magazine.
Overcoming process barriers
There are plenty of technical challenges that come into play when implementing an IoT solution. However, a 451 Research study explained that the need to make business process changes to support the IoT remains the greatest barrier to large-scale adoption. Essentially, the IoT drives digital transformation, and businesses are wary of the cultural and operational implications of such a move.
This is one area where BPM tools particularly stand out. BPM supports IoT programs in a few key ways, including:
- Supporting rapid app development so users can create IoT-optimized apps and services to meet specific operational demands
- Putting data in context across different channels so both humans and software systems can act more effectively based on data they receive
- Ensuring process and data workflows extend seamlessly across different device types so users can interact with IoT systems any time, anywhere
- Automating repeatable processes and optimizing operations to allow IoT machines to act without requiring human input in safe, secure ways
- Fueling digital transformation while eliminating repetitive tasks, freeing organizations to focus on cultural gains
The degree of automation that retailers can gain through the IoT can seem intimidating, especially if connected devices and software seem like they may replace human workers. With BPM software in place, retailers can use the IoT to free their workers from mundane tasks and open up new channels for value creation.


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- Minister Lee attends semiconductor industry conference 2022-07-27
Trade, Industry and Energy Minister Lee Chang-yang attended the semiconductor industry conference at Dongjin Semichem plant in Gyeonggi-do on July 21 to announce the semiconductor superpower strategy and hold the industry-academia cooperation infrastructure MOU signing ceremony.
In his opening message, Minister Lee relayed that battery, display, future mobility, robot, bio and such promising new industries will be grouped together as “semiconductor-plus industry,” and that mutual growth based on virtuous cycle will be achieved through competitiveness strengthening measures. The conference also included discussions on how to train up semiconductor industry specialists for creating a rich industry-academia ecosystem.
The event was attended by various representatives from relevant industries and academia, including SK Hynix CEO Kwak No-jung, Samsung Electronics CEO Kyung Kye-hyun, Korea Semiconductor Industry Association Vice Chairman Lee Chang-han and Seoul National University Professor Hwang Cheol-seong.


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UP CLOSE: In season
Lake Placid Farmers Market returns
LAKE PLACID — Prescott Doyle works as a field grower at the Mossbrook Roots Flower Farm in Keeseville.
He starts his day by opening up the high tunnels and keeping a close eye on the various factors that could affect how the flowers grow. He makes sure all the plants have enough water, that there’s not too much sunlight on them, and there are no pests around. He tries to cut the flowers at the right time, just before they open, so they can be put in the cooler at the right time and last longer for customers.
“Every single day you’re just running circles around the farm,” he said, surrounded by the farm’s fragrant peonies and fresh bouquets at the Lake Placid Farmers Market on Wednesday, June 16. “It keeps you busy, but it’s a fun job. And there’s a lot more to it than you think. I remember I took the gig and I thought, oh, I’ll be working with flowers all day. That’ll be nice. … It’s more challenging than you think, I think it’s one of the hardest jobs I’ve ever had. It really makes you appreciate what goes on behind the flower.”
At the Lake Placid Farmers Market, which opened for the season on June 16, Doyle has been given a new opportunity. He’s familiar with the difficult process of nursing a flower from seed to bloom, but now, he’s able to meet customers face-to-face and see the real end result of that process.
“You see people excited and it makes you excited,” he said.
With flowers, it can be pretty high-stakes — Doyle mentioned an old classmate who had visited the farm recently to talk about flowers for their wedding.
“You think about, you’re growing this flower from a little seed and it’s going to be someone’s big day and they’re holding your flower, and that’s part of their excitement,” he said. “It’s exciting, and it also adds a lot of pressure. … It’s fun, it’s cool to see the whole process all the way through.”
Doyle was one of nearly a dozen vendors selling their crops, crafts and food at the Lake Placid Farmers Market on June 16. The location of the farmers market has changed over the years, but this year it returned to the Green Goddess parking lot on Saranac Avenue every Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
One of the vendors returning this year is Janea Montroy, of Saranac Lake, who is the owner of Moon Child Boutique. She creates a variety of jewelry, some with crystals and New Age elements.
“I meet a lot of really interesting people, with the tourists and stuff that come to town,” Montroy said, when asked about her favorite part of the Lake Placid Farmers Market. “Last year I had a lot of really fun conversations with people from all over the place.”
Montroy has been doing crafts for a while, but she started her business officially about three years ago. She started off selling on Etsy — she still does that — but now she tables at the farmers market, too.
New at the Lake Placid Farmers Market this year is a table where Irma and Isaac Hernandez of Keene Valley, are serving up fresh chicken and cheese tamales. Irma cooked often when she lived in Mexico, and Isaac is a line cook at Big Slide Brewery in Lake Placid. Irma’s chicken tamales include homemade mole, a decadent Mexican sauce made with a variety of chili peppers and spices. Her mole includes guajillo, ancho chile, mulato and serano peppers.
Mole takes several hours — if not a whole day or more — to make. Isaac said Irma sometimes wakes up at 1 a.m. to start the sauce and cooks until 8 a.m. And while the Tri-Lakes region now has a place where residents can buy some European ingredients — at Euromart, in Lake Placid — many ingredients used in cuisines in other parts of the world, such as Mexican cuisine, are still hard to come by in the Adirondacks. Though they’re able to use local chicken, vegetables grown in Keene Valley and Dutch knuckle, a cheese made at Sugar House Creamery in Upper Jay, Irma and Isaac have to buy some ingredients online or ask their family in New York City to send some to them.
The result of this effort is available not just at the Lake Placid Farmers Market, but also the Saranac Lake and Keene Valley farmers markets on Saturday and Sunday, respectively.


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Apple continues its crusade against sideloading and it’s Craig Federighi’s turn to step up. Guest of the Web Summit 2021, the vice-president of software engineering of Cupertino defended the closed garden of iOS, today threatened by the European Commission.
What if the App Store was soon no longer the only way to get apps on iPhone or iPad? The idea makes cringe on the side of the Cupertino company which has always praised – and protected – the closed model of its operating system. However, this threat exists through the European Digital Markets Act (DMA) which could force Apple to change its rules. Proposed in December 2020, the digital market legislation wants to fight against the abuses of the digital giants (GAFAM) by imposing new obligations on them.
The bill deals in particular with the issue of competition. It predicts that giants like Apple and Google will no longer be able to prevent the uninstallation of applications or integrated services by default. He also wants to give more space to alternative players, an ambition that worries Tim Cook and his teams. Indeed, the DMA would force the Apple brand to allow sideloading on the iPhone and the iPad, that is to say the possibility of recovering applications from a store other than the App Store. Guest of the Web Summit 2021, Craig Federighi strongly criticized this practice which threatens the closed garden of the App Store. While Cupertino’s vice president of software engineering recognizes that“No system is perfect”, he claims that the sideloading “Is cybercriminals’ best friend”, reports The Verge.
“The floodgates would be open for malware”
During his speech, he multiplied the arguments to defend Apple’s model and warn of the risks of sideloading. Craig Federighi says requiring sideloading “On the iPhone would be a gold rush for the malware industry”. The one who oversees the iOS and macOS software divisions took the opportunity to point out that his company’s operating system is much less prone to malware than Android. Its competitor, which allows sideloading, would be the target of “5 million attacks […] per month “ according to a study unveiled by the leader. This is not the first time that the Cupertino group has compared itself to its rival without really criticizing Google’s method, moreover, but rather to warn of the risks that an open application universe can present.
This subject has worried Apple for many months and these remarks echo those made by Tim Cook during the VivaTech show. According to the CEO of the Californian firm, the European Union could “Destroy iPhone security” with the Digital Markets Act. Strong words from the American leader who highlighted Apple’s initiatives to strengthen the security and protection of the privacy of its users. Craig Federighi advances the same arguments and assures: “The fact that anyone can be a victim of malware is not something we should put up with”.
“Sideloading compromises security and puts people’s data at risk”
Apple’s vice president of software engineering, Craig Federighi was invited to the 2021 Web Summit. © Screenshot / Web Summit 2021
Particularly worried at the idea of seeing this practice appear on iOS, the software boss at Apple however forgets to explain that the company has been able to put in place protective measures on macOS like Gatekeeper. From the operating system of Macs, it is indeed possible to freely install applications that have not come from the App Store for many years. However, it will be recalled that Craig Federighi admitted having “A much bigger malware problem on the Mac” during the trial with Epic Games.
Words and two reports to defend the App Store model
Apple is not content with just a statement on this subject and has published two reports. The first, released in June and intended for the general public, is available in French (PDF) under the name “Create a reliable ecosystem for millions of apps”. The second was released in October (PDF) and is titled “Building a Trusted Ecosystem for Millions of Apps, A threat analysis of sideloading”, that is “Building a Trusted Ecosystem for Millions of Applications – A Sideloading Threat Analysis”. These documents present Apple’s position with a first part that looks at “Importance” protection mechanisms provided by the App Store. The second warns above all against the risks associated with the practice of sideloading.


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tv Bloomberg Technology Bloomberg January 19, 2017 12:00am-1:01am EST
shery: it is what rpm here in hong kong. i'm shery ahn with a hot dust of the update. remains untainted on this thursday. it is expected to plunge as say thel backers structuring must outweigh wise -- buys. toshiba fell as much as 26%, the most important case -- the most in four decades. it could come to more than $6
billion in losses. is not enough evidence to arrest syndrome ceo. he is a -- accused of perjury and bribery and paying millions in return for influence. the investigation will continue. global news 24 hours they powered by more than 2600 journalists and analysts in more than 120 countries, you are watching bloomberg. let's get a check of the markets. after trading just getting underway in hong kong. composite remains unchanged. tokyo think this. this is bloomberg. ♪ caroline: this is bloomberg technology.
netflix's "crown jewels" beat estimates again. new customers flock to see original content. plus salesforce ceo marc benioff joins us taking down rising competition in the cloud. and why a judge decided not to arrest samsung's heir apparent. what is next for south korea's most valuable company. first to our lead. netflix shares spiking in after-hours trading. they report their biggest quarter ever. they added more than 7 million subscribers to finish the year with 94 million members. the company credits the popularity of original content including "the crown" and new seasons of "gilmore girls" and "black mirror." this is one of investors chief concerns. joining us now, cory johnson. walk us through.
it looks pretty record. cory: those are some great numbers here. there were some terrible numbers here. the first show they mentioned was luke cage. it was my favorite show a netflix, so it was interesting. that is part of their long-term plan. thissn't too long ago company rented dvds. most of their spending right now is going towards original content including luke cage where they are thinking it's not just luke cage, but daredevil, jessica jones, iron fist, they will have their own avengers. part of the marvel universe. they are thinking of how they are going to build a mountain of original content. they have spent a fortune on marketing. this is the biggest spin they have ever had. the numbers they put up in terms of marketing spent were not only greater than ever before. it even shows an increase. it is 11.5% of revenue. they just raise a bunch of money
in the debt market to buy more content. they are plowing get into marketing. they actually saw not only great success in buying subscribers internationally, also buying subscribers domestically. there was a take-up in the domestic subscribers. it looked like that market was completely saturated. this last quarter they grew at 4%. function of how much you spend. what we want to see is how long the subscribers stick around. caroline: it is interesting. sales are still up. you are seeing earnings, despite marketing, still beating. it looks as though the market is liking it from a sharing point of view. the cost of all this, not just of marketing, but $6 billion being promised to spend, is this
bells anding alarm long-term? >> it is a way to see where the content cost is happening. netflix said in the press release that gross margins don't show you what they are. this is hollywood. it shows you whatever cost they want to show. they said that will is going on with this thing was the recognition of content costs, not the actual content costs. there was one number. you can see it trading up. everyone is ignoring me. they spent about $100 for every new subscriber they got. they will have to keep those subscribers for 35 years. that is not feasible. content cost has to come down.
the cost person's driver has to come down. can still make inroads into countries they are big yet. if you look at the u.s., 50% of broadband homes. far less if you're looking at the united kingdom. there is still room to grow. cory: if they can grow that much. any kind of increase was interesting to them. you can sell a dollar for $.50 for only so long. when is it going to show up for this company? the cash flow numbers were stunningly bad. the amount of my these guys are going through. we see those numbers and they are positive numbers. they have to have a go up in order to pay for this content. with that big raise to spend on content, 600 $18 million in 13 weeks. million in 13 weeks. that is $7 million a day. how do you do that? all of this content in all of this marketing. they can't do this forever.
there is cash flowing out of the door and incredible sizes. they are hoping they can outlast their competitors. i don't know what the plan is. if costs go up, and running out of places to grow and burning through this cash flow it could be a real problem. eventually the piper is going to have to be paid. caroline: we will see how they trade up tomorrow. cory johnson, editor at large. staying with netflix, it has been 10 years since the company made its strategic shift away from dvds into streaming. we look back at the company's evolution. >> in 2007 netflix announced a bold departure from its dvd rental business. watch instantly allowed users for the first time to stream a library of a thousand movies and tv shows over the internet.
the ceo explained the move saying mainstream consumer adoption of online movie watching will take a number of years. the time is right for netflix to take the first step. analysts were skeptical. there were just as many hold as by ratings on the stock. consumers saw something different and signed on in droves. by the end of 2010 subscribers had grown to 20 million. at the same time, blockbuster filed for bankruptcy. netflix set its sights on a new venture in 2013. original content. launching what would become an arms race amongst its arm -- amongst its rivals, netflix spent an estimated $100 million on two seasons of its first original series, house of cards. original hits don't come cheap. by 2016, netflix had produced 600 hours of original content at
$500 million. they plan to shell up another $6 billion this year. that is nearly the double the programming budget. positive freeted cash flow in two years. it is on the hook for $14 billion in future payments. cash flow concerns aside, reed hastings bet on streaming video is paying off. netflix now has over 90 million global subscribers and makes 94% of its revenue on streaming video. caroline: a story we were watching, alibaba's jack ma addressed one of the biggest global issues looming around the upcoming trump presidency -- a trade war between the u.s. and china. he said a trade war would spell disaster for the world and that he would do anything in his power to prevent it from happening. alibaba has a large part of its
inclusion. oracle shares were little changed in wednesday trade. now to an oracle competitor. it is been a challenging few months for salesforce.com. they have slowed growth but the company has seen a strong start to 2017. shares have jumped year to date. the forecasting sales will jump 21%. speaking to bloomberg, marc benioff discussed the growth of the company and its competition. >> we had to do what we were doing from the beginning. help them connect with their customers in a new way. that is why so many companies here, using salesforce. there is this sea change going on. companies are working hard to develop that customer intimacy.
>> you have a lot of competition. jeff bezos just bought the largest house in washington. i think it is the size of delaware. how do you compete with other pretenders to what you invented? amazon is a great partner of ours, actually. and a great customer of ours. amazon uses salesforce to connect its people. we work with a lot of amazing retailers. i have a feeling you know who he is. those guys, those next generate -- generation retailers who are getting slaughtered in the brick-and-mortar world, they need to connect with a new way through retail. >> they are exciting times. i guess everybody is making money, but you have your
critics. how are you going to position salesforce with new technology? you are one of the few technology guys and happy valley here. how are you going to reposition for the next five years? i can't imagine where the iphone 7 is in five years. business, started our crm or customer management was nascent. it will be the largest segment of enterprise software by 2020. we are number one in that segment. we are continuing to innovate and look for ways we can become more successful. >> in your world, we are going to go through a phone. how do salesforce, your competitors handle the cloud through whichever phone you have in your hand, business or personal. >> that is fascinating. you just made a huge shift in your mind from where we started with personal computers.
the most popular computer today is the mobile phone. everybody can have a computer far more powerful than the most powerful macintosh. that is something now in your pocket. now computers are going to disappear. you see things like alexa, google home and others. we are just talking to our computers, talking to our watch. that is an incredible next-generation of computing. >> i came here with a theme, the idea of davos and the uncertainty of the uncertainty. i've never seen so much lack of confidence here in public policy philanthropy. what would be your counsel to
mr. trump as he becomes president? what is his first to do list? >> when we were here in 2009 and 2010 -- things were a lot worse. people were pretty dour. they were really worried. we were on the brink of a global financial collapse. i think they have political anxiety but i don't think they have economic anxiety. caroline: that was mark benioff at the world economic forum. netflix shares remaining higher in after-hours trading. the ceo spoke just moments ago on the earnings about the company's global ambitions, we will bring you more on netflix earnings throughout the hour. >> international expansion has been remarkably steady. if you don't look at it by the
caroline: in 2016 we saw a number of businesses get disrupted by tech giants, get hit by regulators, and responsibility of silicon valley commented question. will 2017 debate the consequences of their business? i asked who will lead the way, regulators or the tech titans like facebook and google? >> the smart businesses, including the ones you mentioned
have gotten to where they are because they are forward thinking. they don't want to wait for a regulator to tell them what to do. they want to be ahead of that. not just because they are good people but because that is the smart thing for their business, to ensure the sustainability and longevity of their businesses. >> sometimes a company that is expanding is disrupting and has negative repercussions. some taxi drivers will be displaced and not have jobs. there is going to be some automation that means those of less skilled will find themselves under employed for what they would wish. does the company's health tackle that? >> you can't be disruptive and not break some eggs. all of these companies are creating much more value than they are destroying. they are creating more opportunities than they are eliminating.
there's always going to be some portion of the workforce trained in a specific skill who may not be able to transition to the new skill. the may not be able to make that transition. the vast majority will. not only that, these technologies will attract more people to that job and grow the workforce as well. >> would it be uber's responsibility to re-skill people? >> i don't think question of responsibility. it's a question of strategy. if your business requires somebody to re-skill a group of people and incur some expense in doing that, your business is not going to grow.
we have to build a business that somebody can teach themselves. star earning money in a flexible way. without any kind of specific training or retooling. that is what they are doing. >> we might see companies reevaluate how they talk to their user base. 2017, is that the year for that? >> we are very excited about what we have in our work folio. we have been doing this for 20 years. many of these businesses have been growing a very exciting businesses in market positions that are reaching a point where some of them could tap public markets and that would get them to the next stage of their growth and development.
>> is the ipo the way to go? how do you feel the market is shaping up? >> the entrepreneurs we know always think about the ipo because it is a step in the path to being the company they want to be, the resources to be able to take on the whole world with their platform. it is not an end within itself. it is a step along the way. it can come along after an ipo. that is kind of a final transaction. that is something where a team has to actually sell their baby. the entrepreneurs we work with want to push that off as long as they can.
they want to keep building their company. >> the investment opportunities, many vcs have been building up funds. have they been able to find the assets they wanted to the money to work on? >> we've had a very active quarter. the last quarter of last year. we continue to see exciting opportunities in europe and in the u.s. >> what sort of verticals are you most excited about? >> we continue to invest in consumer propositions. that is always something we have been active then. we continue to see exciting things there. on the deeper technology, on the deeper technology, enterprise infrastructure side. we are seeing some interesting opportunities. caroline: said -- chairwoman
janet yellen spoke wednesday from the commonwealth club here in san francisco on the goals of monetary policy. she showed optimism in block chains. >> it's promising the technologies we use ourselves in many financial institutions looking at it. it could make a big difference to the way in which transactions are cleared and sold in the global economy. >> coming up, the south korean court has objected -- rejected the arrest warrant for sims and ceo. this is bloomberg. ♪
here int is 1:30 p.m. hong kong. i am shery ahn with an update of the top stories. tech caps on shares are set the shares are seta the plunge. they are weighing buys around 10 to one. they are said to be leaning toward bankruptcy to shield them from liability. china's injections into money markets are heading for a record. they dumped about $28 million. taking injections this week above $150 billion. that is unprecedented going back to 2008.
they're waiting to restart a nuclear reactor. the website says a satellite picture indicated new activity at the site. south korea is reporting signs that the north may soon fire a long-range ballistic missile. no plan for a state even though the two carriers are exploring further corroboration. they say they may be approaching a cochair deal. much as 40%.y as you are watching bloomberg.
let's get a check of the market. trading in the asia-pacific. >> a bit of a mixed picture today. we have seen an upside coming through from the nikkei 225. some export stocks, the hang seng down. the biggest change is the vegemite deal. we also saw good deals coming through from steel players. you are seeing some weakness coming through from these energy players. still very much trading off that 2.7% slump that we saw during the new york session. shanghai has turned negative. quite a lot of speculation.
there was quite a bit of state intervention coming through into that market. you are seeing things mixed across the southeast asian markets. we are going to be live from london at the top of the hour. this is bloomberg. caroline: this is bloomberg technology. netflix up after hours. that is the biggest quarter ever. 7 million added. that beat analysts' estimates. that brought its total user base, 94 million. a big draw for those new users have been original content. certainly been relatively addicted to the crown as of late. spending a concern for investors. about $6 billion is what they are looking to spend next year.
i want to check out one particular area of the bloomberg crate analysts recommend nations always check it out on your terminal, go to the stop you are looking at. this shows you how many analysts are saying, by this stock. 60% still say buy. we will be in $143 per share. that is trading around 150 times earnings, based on 2017 estimates. you see the price target, 12 month price target, is actually lower than the $130 we saw track from yesterday's trading. we are looking to see if those price targets could be matched to raise where the netflix stop currently trades. now, let's get back to one of our other key top tech stories around the globe. a south korean court rejected a request to issue an arrest warrant to samsung's heir apparent. is the investigation completely over? a senior director at the korean institute of america joins me.
gentlemen, welcome to "bloomberg technology." jeffrey, i want to ask you first the key question. as the investigation continues, how much of this has had a damaging effect on samsung within south korea? >> we have to keep in mind that for south koreans, this would not be something out of line. many south korean business leaders, including jay lee's father, have been convicted of white-collar crimes. the samsung chairman was convicted twice of white-collar crimes. because of his economic benefit for the nation, he was given two presidential pardons by two separate presidents. he continued his chairmanship throughout his life. his son is preparing to take
that chairmanship most likely. he technically is second in command of the empire. caroline: troy, elaborate, even if this isn't much of a surprise potentially to those in south korea, how much should international investors and consumers brace themselves for change? >> initially you won't see much change at samsung. even if they were to face continued legal issues, i think you would see this plan continue. the larger question at least for investors will be, are the prosecutors able to actually tie samsung to the government and coercing it to vote for the merger through the national pension fund. that will be the real key for investors going forward. caroline: how do you react to that, if that is the key question? how much more broadly does this affect conglomerates within south korea? are we going to see a changing of the relationship between the
government and these huge conglomerates? >> it's hard to tell at this point. it is very traditional and south korea for businesses to get donations, and sometimes even bribes, two government officials. this is something that goes back into the country's authoritarianism in the past. businesses get favors from the government and the government gives favors to these businesses. that's how the south korean nation was built initially with the nexus of business and politics. with these allegations, we are seeing this question over whether samsung was coerced into giving a donation to this crony, or whether samsung willfully went into this trying to get benefits for this merger that was going to happen, trying to get the national pension service to vote for that merger that got jay lee more power.
caroline: you actually feel that perhaps this isn't the particular leader to be bashing right now, because jay lee is progressive compared to many within the conglomerates of south korea. will we see change if he is indeed ousted? >> that the interesting thing about this story. if you look at what samsung has done since he is coming to power, he has essentially made it more progressive. he's taken and allowed employees to not necessarily address each other by title. he's asked his own guards not bow to him. he is really tried to loosen the company up and move it more towards international standards. there is still more to do, that it is something he has pushed forward. he's a much more humble, much more laid-back individual. and so, if he were to be brought down by something that was an old-school korean type of scandal, i think it would actually be very detrimental. one, the question becomes, how would these reforms stay at samsung. two, because of samsung's
importance of the broader economy, it is a symbol of the way it should go. caroline: a quick glance, jeffrey. how much do you think this will change rivals? will samsung be as important to the economy going forward? >> yes, i think samsung will be. it makes up a large part of the south korean economy. if you are apple, some other company and you need to put in an order for parts for displays for semiconductors, samsung is often one of the first choices because they can make things faster than a lot of other companies can, and they make it as high quality. they have a reputation as a fast follower. in hardware, they are often at the leading edge. caroline: i want to see how this story continues to unravel.
thank you very much indeed. the at&t ceo remains confident about one of the biggest mergers on the books in 2017. randall stephenson expects confidence that the deal with time warner will go through. >> the confidence level is fairly high. it is a straightforward business combination, a vertical merger, which means we don't compete with them. and so this merger closes. today after it closes, the telecom industry looks exactly like it does today. so, from letter of the law, this is probably a deal that ought to be approved, we think. caroline: coming up, one of you earliest executives opens up about the company's future and the looming $4.8 billion verizon deal. an exclusive with the former yahoo! president next. this is bloomberg. ♪
caroline: a bloomberg scoop on two of the biggest companies in tech. google announced it will purchase a twitter on business that provides a software toolkit for mobile app's and is part of the deal, will google also get a popular tool for tracking software failures. the company's did not disclose financial terms. looking ahead to this week's inauguration and the key issues that will impact the future of washington's relationship with silicon valley or, earlier we sat down with susan decker. we started by asking her about trump's approach to technology and the changes that will come with this new administration. susan: the relationship between silicon valley and washington is a very good question and one
that i think was due for some conversation this year regardless of whether hillary had won or trump won. there are some broader economic factors out there. a generation today where our children at the age of 30 are -- fewer than half of them are likely to be making more than their parents in income, which is a big reversal from the trends in america for many years, were each set of parents to like they wanted their kids to have it better than them. there are many reasons than that. tech does play a role, in the sense that a lot of the great innovations here that have added so much to this economy, in the bay area and other economies, haven't necessarily been shared by all of america. i think the anxiety around that has been bubbling for some time. regardless of who is sitting in the white house, i think it's an issue and it will be a really important issue how those tensions get resolved in the next year.
there are different ways to solve them. both silicon valley and washington need each other, in many important ways. it's important that silicon valley not find itself two years from now with the public perception that wall street has with washington. and i think that's a risk, if there isn't some olive branches extended in both directions. caroline: how potentially can silicon valley step up to the responsibility to ensure the globalization works for the many and not just the few? is it about skills they can provide? how can they ensure they are more inclusive? susan: the skill set is a really good one. ultimately, there has to be some transfer of some of the wealth that is created here, and displaces workers elsewhere to those families. how that transfer happens is not necessarily the responsibility of silicon valley.
but they can certainly do things, like try to educate people in certain regions that may be losing jobs in coding. there are definitely think silicon valley can do. they also may find themselves in more regulated position or taxed in certain ways that help transfer some of that wealth. to me, the core issue, where it would be done right is if nothing in washington and -- and the restricting the free flow of labor and capital that is what's creating this innovation, if tariffs and other forms of regulation that try to keep jobs here and set of allowing foreign challenge workers to stay here and keep the cost of producing low. i think that would be a bad outcome. if we could keep free capital and labor and innovation going here, and then with the benefits of that figure out how to help
the people who are displaced from self driving cars and trucks drivers, etc, that would be important and silicon valley needs to step up and look for ways they can help. caroline: more of our exclusive with susan decker coming up next. bloomberg television will continue its covered from davos, switzerland, speaking with the goldman sachs chairman and ceo lloyd blankfein. tune in to that conversation at 6:00 a.m. eastern. "all due respect" will add special episodes all this week on bloomberg television, taking a look at the key issues facing the incoming trump to dramatic rpm -- 9:00 p.m. this all leads up to bloomberg special coverage of president-elect trump's inauguration on friday. this is bloomberg. ♪
exclusive interview with susan decker. in part two of our conversation, i asked her to reflect on her time as president and what she thinks of the $4.8 billion verizon deal. susan: i think based on where yahoo! was in the last year, he was an inevitable outcome that it was supposed to be sold. the fact that it was sold to verizon in some ways is very logical, they own aol and there's probably a good consolidation opportunity to look at the properties a well has and the ones yahoo! has, which ones overlap, cut some cost. i can see the business logic behind it. caroline: why was it inevitable? susan: because the core issue at yahoo! is that no administration that has been running it has been able to solve, is what the core distinction is in consumers minds and what makes yahoo!
great. in my mind, it was all about content. with yahoo! they are still struggling with what their core identity is because they did not get really great at the thing they had a core identity in. they had gotten sort of mediocre and everything because they were spread so broadly. by the time the last year came along, it needed to be sold. i sort of wish it had been sold to a company that was -- i don't know what verizon will do. i hope they revitalize that spirit and make it unique again. i think either way it needed to become private or semiprivate. by being in verizon, even though it's a public company, it's a small part and they will be able to take the steps that are hard and long term in nature, but couldn't have been taken when it was a public company because of all the media scrutiny. whether it was a private eye or -- private buyer or whether it becomes a subsidiary of a public
company, this is a good home in the sense that i think they can probably make some tough decisions. caroline: was some of the media scrutiny unfair on marissa mayer? susan: probably. i think she was dealt a tough hand. i would say really, some of the seeds of the challenge that yahoo! were sewn very early. when you inherit a company that's already operating certain ways, it isn't easy to change it. there are certain things she probably wishes she did differently, just like all of us probably wish we did certain things differently. i think she did the best she could, and unfortunately it wasn't enough. caroline: what about the hacks that seem to have come with disclosures much later than the actually occurred. how would that affect the price point with verizon? how much do you think marissa mayer and people at the helm of yahoo! would be taking this on stability for that?
susan: i don't know how it will affect the price, if at all. it is certainly possible there could be a renegotiation to some degree. i don't think it will stop a deal from going through. and, sure, i think the leadership of the company should always take responsibility when something goes awry on their watch, even though if whatever happened had seats in a previous administration. i don't know anything about the background of that. if the right thing to do to step up when you are leaving a company. caroline: what are you going to look back on. do you think it was correct to get into alibaba or a chinese company, looking at value abroad and the way they seem to? susan: i do. if you look at the original stake in alibaba, started in 2005, that would be worth $70 a yahoo! share today. it was sold the years, in pieces. today it's worth considerably less than that. but still, if it was the single biggest value creator in yahoo's
history. it's a sad sunset for this company. we all had a great love for yahoo. we wish it were different. it did innovate in many ways and create some great value and there are some wonderful leaders who are all over the valley now. caroline: are there many other companies over there at the moment that you think are excelling or perhaps you are worried about the need to be looking at their strategy? susan: we are in an unusual situation here for silicon valley. we touched on it earlier. you have companies like apple, google, facebook, amazon, microsoft, in the top 10 in market cap in the world. if you think about the top companies, silicon valley and north to seattle are a big part
of that. it's very important that this relationship with washington gets resolved in an effective way. caroline: a man who has spoken about the way it is divided is warren buffett, a man you work alongside of berkshire hathaway. is this something you see being returned to investors at any point? susan: i would say it's possible. i don't think there's pressure in the next several years to be returning that cash. one of the things that is so remarkable about berkshire hathaway is, it is a collection of businesses that generate a lot of cash. and many of them generate more than they need. and others are quite capital-intensive, like the railroad businesses. you have insurance and consumer businesses that generate cash, and a cash free way to allocate cash to businesses that need them.
that's been a wonderful model. but it isn't a model that is even every year. a major acquisition could come up, and it's good to have the resources on the balance sheet to be ready for that kind of acquisition coming up. as long as the core capital allocation proposition is working for investors, taking capital that's not productive and putting it into highly productive uses in a value created way, i think investors will be tolerant of short periods of time where the cash builds up before the next deal. caroline: that was susan decker, director of berkshire hathaway and former yahoo! president. that does it for this edition of "bloomberg technology." on thursday's show, we will be speaking to bret taylor. taylor comes with years of experience in tech as a cocreator of google maps. this is bloomberg. ♪
manus: rates going up. janet yellen says the fed's coast -- close to the fed projections. draghi divergence. ecb watchers will be looking for clues about the direction of policy and the central bank's first meeting of 2017. cuts, the german lender is set to tell employees that job cuts are on the way. after slashing bonuses for senior staff.


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How The Law You Never Heard Of Could Affect Everything You Eat
By Beth Hoffman | Forbes
Two years ago, amidst spinach recalls and E. coli outbreaks, President Obama signed the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), the first such update of safety laws since 1938. Among other things, the Act calls for better regulation of produce and gives the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) the ability to detect and respond to food safety issues.
How exactly the FDA was to do that was not clear. After a comment period that ends this week, a final rule must be published by June 30, 2015.
Which will make us all safer, right?
That’s questionable. And what is worse, many say, the new laws might also put many farmers out of business, and make organic foods both harder to grow and more expensive.
Although those involved could cite countless issues with the proposed rules, three problems in particular jump out as game-changers for farmers.
Compost is the back bone of organic agriculture. It nourishes the soil with decaying matter, and fertilizes the fields without the use of chemical additives.
“We use compost on every field, every season,” says Judith Redmond of Full Belly Farm. ”The whole organic edifice is built around the idea that microbes are our friends. We encourage growth of beneficial microbes so that they suppress the growth of pathogens dangerous to humans.”
Current organic laws mandate that compost must test pathogen free before it can be used on fields. But now the proposed FDA rules say compost on fields would need to sit for 45 days before produce could be harvested (or 9 months if the manure is untreated). The thinking is that the longer the compost – often comprised of manure – is on a field, the longer it is rendered inert, and void of organisms harmful to humans.
But research shows that healthier soil – soil teaming with microbes – makes for healthier, heartier plants. Using compost also relieves society of another potentially hazardous problem: increasing methane. Reusing organic waste as compost means less greenhouse gas emissions from rotting landfills.
Additionally, the longer farmers must wait for compost to become “safe,” the less fruits and vegetables they are able to harvest each year, which means higher prices for organic produce. It also means the end of organic crops picked before the wait limits, like baby spinach and arugula.
But the additional cost to farmers and consumers will not stop there. According to the proposed rules, farmers will also need to keep records of their compost use and to test some water sources weekly. This will result in logistical and operational expenses for farms, and, according to a recent study could result in increased costs of about $4,500 a year for a farm making over $25,000 (or 6 percent of annual gross sales for “very small farms.”)
The USDA estimates farmers take home only 10 percent of their sales as income.
These costs again put the little guy at a competitive disadvantage, and means that all those consumers currently buying their food locally might need to find larger farms to purchase from.
But if more regulation means safer food, then who cares about the cost?
The problem is that there is little scientific evidence that many of the proposed changes will indeed make people safer.
The testing of generic E. coli for example, does not alert farmers to the presence of sickening pathogens, says Daniel Cohen owner of Maccabee Seed Co., an agricultural research-and-development and consulting company in Davis California (and arguably one of the best informed on the issues with FSMA). Cohen wrote in Food Safety News:
The problem is that the generic E. coli standard is completely uncorrelated with the human pathogens of concern that have caused produce outbreaks and recalls such as E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella. Worse, it has been shown to be uncorrelated with these human pathogens in actual production of leafy greens and other produce in numerous published studies, including by researchers from USDA and UC Davis, for California production, and by other researchers across the country.
In fact many of the issues with contaminated food come from the processing of food, not from the farmer’s fields. To place the bulk of the responsibility on farmers could cripple our local food systems and make fresh fruits and vegetables even more expensive for people to buy.
The comment period for the proposed new laws ends Friday, November 15. Click here for more information on how to comment or use the hashtag #fixFSMA.
Article from: forbes.com
READ: Is it Organic? Trust the farmer or a Third Party?
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Dr. Robert Verkerk - EU Banning Herbs & Pushing GMOs
Jeffrey Smith - Seeds of Deception & The Danger of Genetically Engineered Foods
William Davis - The Dangers of Wheat
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Brian & Anna Maria Clement - Toxic Clothing: Synthetic vs. Natural Fibers
Whole Foods Market whistleblower says employees were deliberately trained to lie about GMOs
FDA issues new rules on gluten labeling
Monsanto Wins Fight to Take Away State Food Labeling Rights
Horsemeat scandal raises ante on food labelling
Aspartame in Milk Without a Label? Big Dairy Petitions FDA For Approval
Heavy Metals Found in Many Cosmetics: Not Listed on Labels
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Entrepreneurs should not rush to turn their ideas into a reality, according to the founder of a Melbourne startup which has re-launched after “going back to the drawing board”.
EatNoise, a website aimed at cultivating and fostering the live music scene, originally launched in 2009. However, founder Evan Read decided to pivot after a number of bugs and less user engagement than expected.
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“When I started, I just wanted to get it done and wanted it out there,” he told StartupSmart.
“What I should have done is learn how to code and do it myself. I always encourage people to learn how to code, even if it’s tweaks they can do themselves so they don’t have to rely on their developers to do all the tweaks.”
Read says he rushed to launch his startup and in hindsight shouldn’t have. He advises other entrepreneurs who are just starting out to set realistic, achievable goals.
“Have an absolutely clear plan about not just what you want the site to do, but exactly what you need to do to market it and get it off the ground,” he says.
“And make sure you have the funds to do that. I just sort of went in and said ‘I’m going to do this’ but I really shouldn’t have.”
Read says it is always helpful to go to friends in the tech space for honest advice.
“Take good advice where you can. But then again you make mistakes and you learn from those.”
Now, EatNoise has taken on more of a social networking aspect. Read says this will set it apart from an ordinary online gig guide.
“I wanted to add the social media aspect to give interaction between the three main user groups. It’s connecting bands, live music venues and the fans.”
Since launching the beta version two weeks ago, the website has partnered with around 90 bands. Read says the plan now will be to grow the user base and “iron out bugs” in Melbourne first, before focusing on other Australian cities and potentially international locations.


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While he has financially supported cancer research and scholarships for immigrants, among other causes, Bezos has primarily devoted his fortune to his Blue Origin rocket company, which he described Thursday as an "investment in the future of our planet through the development of foundational space infrastructure".
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos seems to be Seattle City Councilmember Kshama Sawant's arch-nemesis, so it only makes sense that she would have something to say about the entrepreneur's $2 billion charitable fund toward homelessness and education.
Bezos's fortune comes mainly from his stake in Amazon, the diversified online firm which briefly hit $1 trillion in market value this month and is the second most valuable company after Apple.
Bezos's personal wealth has soared with the value of Amazon, whose stock price has doubled over the past year with its expansion into new sectors and geographies. Amazon's digital assistant Alexa has helped drive its hardware sales and is used on smart devices ranging from cars to refrigerators. The most notable involving more than $40 million USA to the local nonprofit FareStart - a hospitality training program and restaurant business that aims to combat homelessness and poverty - and Mary's Place, whose mission to find and provide shelter for every child. He has not signed on to the Giving Pledge, and the Bezos Family Foundation is reportedly run by his parents; Bezos does not play an active role.
"He's a pretty unbelievable neighbour, him and [his wife] MacKenzie", said Mary's Place director Marty Hartman.
"We will build an organisation to directly operate these schools".
The announcement, made through a statement from Bezos, comes after the executive reached out previous year to ask for suggestions on approaches to philanthropy. In January, Bezos also personally gave $33 million United States in college scholarships for young immigrants living in the USA illegally. This year, Gates also announced it was taking up systemic poverty in the U.S.


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Since covid-19 invaded our shores, it has not been, and it could not be, business as usual. Businesses all around the world have had to adapt their practices in response to the threat of the corona virus. One such recent
You need to dismiss an employee. The legal framework regulating dismissals is vast and complex. Without expert, professional legal assistance, you can very quickly find yourself in a quagmire of legal uncertainty.
In a recent case of CDH Invest NV (CDH) v Petrotank South Africa Pty Ltd (Petrotank), the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) held that failure by company directors to disclose the true purpose of a proposed resolution amounted


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There are a boatload of MOBA games, both domestic and foreign, in China right now. But there’s one Chinese-developed game that’s trying something new by putting players into a third-person MOBA battleground that mixes the strategy of games like Dota and League of Legends with the hack-and-slash fun of action games.
The game, which will hit semi-open beta this upcoming Saturday, was developed by Hunan’s Nebula Stormsoft, and it has apparently been in the works for years. Check out what it looks like in action in the trailer below:
In the trailer above, the company claims the game is the world’s first blending of 3rd-person 3D action and esports-style MOBA gameplay. That isn’t true, nor is Code 105 the first MOBA/action hybrid to enter open beta. But it’s certainly the first such game to be developed in China.
If you’re interested in trying the game out, you can register an account here; registered accounts should automatically receive an activation code for the beta kicking off on the 15th. You can go here to download the game client.
UPDATED 10-3-2014: Updated to state categorically that Code 105 isn’t the first such game to enter open beta.


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5G has been the battle cry of many network operators and device makers so it wasn’t surprising to see carriers scrambling to promote their network as the 5G network to beat. More than two years ago, however, AT&T ruffled no small amount of feathers when it rolled out its “5G Evolution” advertising campaign and its accompanying “5G E” icon on phones. That has lead to formal complaints and now AT&T is being given a slap on the wrist though that decision may come too little too late to make a difference anyway.
AT&T made a rather cunning move to beat its rivals to the 5G race by promoting its 5G Evolution network. Underneath all the marketing, however, it’s really just a form of 4G LTE and that fact has given rise to confusion, presumptions, and now, a formal ruling against AT&T.
Both the investigating National Advertising Division and the appellate National Advertising Review Board agree that AT&T engaged in misleading advertising no matter which way you look at it. The “5G” alone will make consumers presume it is a 5G network, regardless of how AT&T qualifies the marketing. In fact, the “Evolution” part only makes matters worse because it will be contrasted with 4G “Long-Term Evolution” or LTE while “The First Step in 5G” implies it is 5G already.
AT&T respectfully disagrees, of course, but it doesn’t have much choice really. It will remove prominent “5G Evolution” advertising and marketing materials but there’s a slight catch to the NARB’s verdict. The ruling only covers the advertising part of the campaign, leaving AT&T free to keep on using the equally misleading 5G E network indicator on smartphones. At least until a complaint is filed against that, too.
The ruling also comes late to make any substantial difference at this point. By this time, AT&T already does have 5G networks ready to go live soon so it no longer matters if it keeps that 5G Evolution marketing or not. For consumers that didn’t know any better, AT&T was the first to roll out a 5G-branded service and that’s all that matters to the carrier.


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Buffett's Heinz expects US$160m job-cut costs
HJ Heinz Co., the ketchup maker taken private by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc. and Jorge Paulo Lemann’s 3G Capital, expects about US$160 million in severance-related expenses tied to job cuts.
About 1,200 employees are affected as part a plan to eliminate corporate and field positions worldwide, Pittsburgh- based Heinz said today in a regulatory filing. The company employed about 31,900 as of April 28, the end of its fiscal year.
Managers appointed by 3G, including new chief executive officer Bernardo Hees, are cutting costs as the company faces payments tied to the financing of the deal. Heinz also shut a factory in China and reduced manufacturing at a U.K. facility, according to today’s filing.
“The company is investing in productivity initiatives designed to increase manufacturing effectiveness and efficiency,” according to today’s filing.
Buffett, 83, took an US$8 billion preferred stake with a 9 per cent dividend, meaning Heinz has to pay his Omaha, Nebraska- based company US$720 million a year on those securities. The US$23.3 billion takeover was completed in June.
Heinz posted a net loss of US$75.9 million in the period from Feb. 8 through July 28 as the company incurred merger-related costs, according to today’s filing. Feb. 8 is the date a merger subsidiary was created for the deal.


text: "Kim and Kanye West don't play. The have officially allowed 13-month-old North to make her first big fashion editorial debut for the latest issue of Carine Roitfeld's CR Fashion Book. North, who poses with a Chanel bag and a brooch, is described as 'The Future' of fashion. The quote next to her above says "It's never too early to care about fashion!"- Karl Lagerfeld."


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March is Fraud Prevention Month, and the Canadian Federation of Independent Businesses says fraud is more common than some people think.
The CFIB says about one in five small businesses in Canada were scammed in some form in 2015.
Provincial Affairs Director Elliot Sims says one of the best ways to prevent fraud is to take your time and thoroughly research potential business deals before accepting anything.
"In many cases, business owners and their employees need to be aware of the different signs of how something might be fraudulent and why something might be fraudulent, and take the time to investigate the proposal that is coming forth.
Sims cites credit card fraud as the most common type of fraud facing small businesses. He says an unconventional, but surprisingly common type is directory fraud.
"If a business owner paid for [a spot in a business directory], it could be considered fraud, because in reality, this is just someone who's trying to scam them. They have no intention of actually printing that directory."


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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Dane Saville
REUNION MARKETING PLACES 2ND FOR BEST INNOVATION IN AUTOMOTIVE RETAIL AT THE 2020 DRIVING SALES EXECUTIVE SUMMIT
Raleigh, October 25, 2019 — Reunion Marketing recently came in 2nd Place for the Innovation Cup at the national Driving Sales Executive Summit at the Aria in Las Vegas, Nevada. Companies from across the nation applied to a panel of dealerships to compete, and the finalists presented in front of a handful of judges. Intelligent Social is a product for social media advertising where Reunion creates up to 50 unique ads and audiences that deliver varied messages to best match the vehicles advertised in each ad for its automotive dealership partners.
“We are proud and honored to be at the forefront of innovation in social media marketing for the automotive industry. The social media channel has allowed for a dramatic shift in the ability to create a large variety of ads targeted to the right audiences where each message best resonates and we at Reunion Marketing are excited to be leading the charge with our Intelligent Social product,” says Dave Spannhake, Founder and CEO of Reunion Marketing.
The Driving Sales Executive Summit is an annual conference that brings together thousands of automotive retail’s most progressive dealership management and vendors to offer thought leadership and networking opportunities. It boasts the highest concentration of decision-makers for dealerships of any conferences within this vertical.
ABOUT REUNION MARKETING. Reunion Marketing is a full-service digital marketing agency, specializing in automotive SEO, SEM, and social media marketing. Since its inception, the company has grown from six founders in apartment common areas and homes to a 12,000-square-foot downtown Raleigh historic building. Reunion has provided comprehensive strategies to increase its partners’ website traffic and conversions. Reunion Marketing also works with local nonprofits to give back to the community that has fostered its expeditious growth and development. To learn more, visit reunionmarketing.com. Follow us on Twitter at @reunionmktg, Instagram at @reunionmarketing, LinkedIn at linkedin.com/reunion-marketing, and like us on Facebook at facebook.com/reunionmarketing.


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Consumers spent $517.36 billion online with U.S. merchants in 2018, up 15.0% from $449.88 billion spent the year prior, according to a new Internet Retailer analysis of industry data and historical U.S. Commerce Department figures. That’s a slight slowdown from 2017, when online sales grew 15.6% year over year, according to Commerce Department figures.
Total retail sales, not including the sale of items not normally bought online like fuel, automobiles and food at restaurants, hit $3.628 trillion last year, up 3.9% year over year from $3.490 trillion, Internet Retailer’s analysis of the U.S. Commerce Department’s total retail sales figures shows. The U.S. Department of Commerce’s release of year-end retail data has been delayed until mid-March due to the federal government shutdown.
Ecommerce represented a growing share of the retail market in 2018, taking a 14.3% share of total retail sales last year, up from 12.9% in 2017 and 11.6% in 2016.
More significant is that ecommerce sales represented more than half, or 51.9%, of all retail sales growth. This is the largest share of growth for purchases made online since 2008, when ecommerce accounted for 63.8% of all sales growth.
Ecommerce had a strong start to 2018. Through the first three quarters of the year, online sales grew a strong 15.5%, which was higher than the previous three years. In 2017, sales were up 15.2% through the first nine months, and up 14.6% during the same period in 2016. But several indicators show a consumer spending slowed down in December, which may have contributed to slower-than-expected growth in the fourth quarter.
For one, the U.S. Commerce Department reported December nonstore sales grew just 3.1% compared with December 2017. Nonstore sales mainly take place online but also include other channels, such as mail and telephone orders, door-to-door sales and sales through vending machines.
Secondly, U.S. consumer confidence declined in November and December, after hitting an 18-year high in October. Consumer confidence, which is based on a survey that measures consumer sentiment on current economic conditions and prospects for the next six months, dropped to 126.6 in December from 136.4 in November and 137.9 in October, according to The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Survey. Generally speaking, when consumers believe the economy is doing well, they feel more secure and are more willing to spend.
In the fourth quarter, Internet Retailer estimates U.S. ecommerce sales grew 14.4% to $162.18 billion from $141.72 billion.
Total retail sales, factoring out sales of automobiles, fuel and restaurants, reached $998.40 billion in the fourth quarter, a 3.0% increase compared with $969.79 billion in fourth quarter of 2017, according to Internet Retailer’s estimate. Ecommerce represented 16.2% of total retail sales in the fourth quarter, compared with 14.8% a year earlier.
Amazon.com Inc., No. 1 in the United States and in Internet Retailer’s 2018 Top 1000, continues to increase its strong hold of the U.S. retail market. Internet Retailer estimates that the total value of transactions from U.S. consumers on Amazon.com reached $206.82 billion in sales last year (including sales of Amazon’s own products and of marketplace sellers), a 16.3% jump from 2017.
This means Amazon alone accounts for 40.0% of U.S. online retail, and Amazon accounted for 43.3% of ecommerce gains in the United States last year. Amazon’s dominance in ecommerce is in large part thanks to its marketplace, which allows the retailer to sell millions of SKUs. More than one-third—176—of the merchants ranked in Internet Retailer Top 500 sell
#ecommerce #retail #UStrends #consumers #dropship #3pl #fulfillment #marketplace


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US stосks аre set tо орen lоwer аgаin lаter, feared by the renewed sell-оff in сryрtо аssets аnd а fresh rise in US bоnd yields. The Federal Reserve would be releasing the minutes of its latest policy meeting held in April 2021. Inflаtiоn dаtа frоm аrоund the wоrld shоw рriсe gаins ассelerаting.
For Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN), expanding the cloud infrastructure business has been a key priority lately, while maintaining its dominance in the e-commerce market. Currently, the company is busy ramping
Homebuilders Lennar Corporation (NYSE: LEN) and KB Home (NYSE: KBH) reported their third quarter 2023 earnings results recently. Both companies saw their revenues and profits fall during the period amid
CarMax, Inc. (NYSE: KMX) is preparing to publish second-quarter results on Thursday. Over the years, it has evolved into a diversified company, with the scale of operations and omnichannel strategy


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With the opening of the Community Shop @ Boon Lay yesterday, needy families in the area now have the chance to shop for food items for free.
The small minimart at Block 176 Boon Lay Drive is operated by charity organisation Food from the Heart (FFTH) and supported by OCBC Bank.
With its shop-for-free concept, beneficiaries can select what they need, instead of receiving standard food packages.
Their beneficiary card allows them to redeem up to 12 items a month from a range of food staples, including canned food, bread spreads, biscuits, oil and condiments.
The store now serves 350 needy households and is projected to reach 1,000 by the year end.
It is the second of its kind, with the first outlet in Mountbatten opening in February last year.
The Boon Lay store was officially opened yesterday by Mr Desmond Lee, Minister for National Development and Minister-in-charge of Social Services Integration, and Mr Eric Chua, Parliamentary Secretary for Culture, Community and Youth, and Social and Family Development.
Mr Lee said that it "improves food matching, better meets residents' needs, and also helps coordinate charity food distribution better and reduces food wastage".
The store's concept also empowers families to choose the items they prefer at the time they need them, he added.
FFTH chief executive Sim Bee Hia said giving beneficiaries the ability to choose "changes the equilibrium of giving and receiving - there is no 'hand-me-down feeling' usually associated with beneficiaries".
Ms Koh Ching Ching, OCBC's head of group brand and communications, noted that there is no cookie-cutter solution for feeding the needy.
"For instance, those living alone may not be motivated to cook, whereas those with health conditions like diabetes should avoid consuming too many carbohydrates," she said.
A 24/7 food drop allows people to leave food donations.
Needy resident Ahmad Maricar, 82, collected eight food items at the store opening, including sardines, milk and cheese.
Mr Ahmad said he may not use items like light sauce and instant noodles in standard food packs.
"I prefer to choose the items myself, because I can take things that I will use. The shop has plenty of useful items to choose from, and I can even select the brands."
He lives with his daughter, 49, a single mother who works at a supermarket, and her two children, 15 and 17. They have a gross monthly household income of $950.


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Unveiled late last month, Nikon has now announced the launch of its next flagship camera in India. D850 has been priced at Rs 2,54,950 for body... ...http://www.businesstoday.in/technology/launch/nikon-launches-d850-with-4k-video-recording-in-india/story/259704.html
Extending its FX-format DSLR camera range, imaging technology major Nikon India on Monday launched Nikon D850, which comes with a 45.7 MP BSI CMOS... ...http://www.prokerala.com/news/articles/a770175.html
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan was recently in the news for being the first Indian woman to have hoisted the Indian National flag at IFFM 2017. Her... ...http://www.dnaindia.com/bollywood/report-throwback-thursday-this-pic-of-abhishek-bachchan-planting-a-kiss-on-aishwarya-rai-bachchan-s-head-is-all-heart-2532806
Veenu Sandhu meets the young filmmaker who won the Satyajit Ray Short Film Award. There is something about Shimla, about its meandering lanes... ...http://www.rediff.com/movies/report/he-wants-to-celebrate-the-uniqueness-of-india/20170809.htm
Smartphones with manual shooting modes, better sensors and more megapixels have already spelt doom for compact digital cameras (CDCs). Will... ...http://www.business-standard.com/article/news-ians/nikon-india-aims-for-rs-1-200-crore-revenue-in-2017-18-117080500761_1.html
FLLOW on Nikon
Nikon Camera Body Serial Number >...
Panorama Maker Nikon Download...
Nikon Camera Control Pro 2 Mac...
Nikon Manual Viewer 2 Download --...


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A new proposal moving through Congress would help preserve Route 66 as a cultural landmark, and it could help one New Mexico business in a legal battle.
After being sued by a European company that has a trademark on the Route 66 name, Henry Lackey, the owner of Route 66 Junkyard Brewery in Grants, has hope the proposed legislation could help his fight.
“As Americans we share it. As Americans we didn’t see that we wanted to stop somebody else from using it. We wanted to share it,” Lackey said.
Last year, KRQE News 13 told you about Lackey’s legal battle with Lodestar Anstalt, a European company that brews a Route 66 ale in Wisconsin, which Route 66 does not pass through.
Yet, the European company apparently owns the Route 66 trademark for any beverage-related product, leaving Lackey and his business, which actually sits along Route 66, in a bind.
However, hope came last week when Senator Tom Udall, D-New Mexico, introduced federal legislation to designate Route 66 as a national historic trail.
Although the act doesn’t specify how it would handle trademarks, Sen. Udall said in a statement that he wants the bipartisan legislation to help small businesses along the mother road.
Lackey hopes that means reviewing and analyzing trademarks granted with the Route 66 name.
“If it prevents anybody else from getting trademarks on this American icon that would be great,” Lackey said. “I am optimistic that we can win this lawsuit.”
Lackey says even if it doesn’t help his legal battle, he hopes it will help future business owners wanting to use the Route 66 name.


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Toyota Australia to export engines to Malaysia and Thailand
Manufacturers MonthlyFriday 18th January, 2013
Toyota Australia has announced this morning that it will begin exporting engines to Thailand and Malaysia. The best-selling car manufacturer in Australia expects that it will export 18,000 four-cylinder engines this year and will create 90,000 of these for use in its locally-made Camry and Camry Hybrid. "Our employees have worked incredibly hard to secure the investment for the new engine plant and ensure that we are producing the best qual...


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In a landmark victory for the U.S. industry, the U.S. Department of Commerce decided to revoke Russia's status as a market economy. The status was granted twenty years ago and limited the calculation of anti-dumping duties on Russian goods. The U.S. industry was represented by a Buchanan team led by Daniel Pickard, shareholder and chair of the firm's International Trade and National Security practice.
Reported by Reuters in “U.S. revokes Russia's market economy status,"the Commerce Department said in a statement, “This decision gives the United States the ability to apply the full force of the U.S. anti-dumping law to address the market distortions caused by increasing interference from the Russian government in their economy."


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Wyze announced the feature would “temporarily” disappear in November of 2019…
What you need to know
- Apple has confirmed the successful acquisition of Seattle AI company Xnor.ai.
- It means that Xnor.ai’s on-device people detection technology is no longer available on some Wyze cameras.
- In 2019, Wyze had previously stated that the feature would “temporarily” disappear this month.
Following Apple’s acquisition of Seattle AI company Xnor.ai, the company’s people detection software is no longer available on Wyze cameras.
News of Apple’s successful acquisition of Xnor.ai broke on Wednesday, January 15, in a deal reportedly worth around $200 million.
Now, The Verge is reporting that as a result of this acquisition, beta firmware to remove people detection from Wyze cameras has started to roll out. The report states:
Cameras from fellow Seattle-based company Wyze, including the Wyze Cam V2 and Wyze Cam Pan, have utilized Xnor.ai’s on-device people detection since last summer. But now that Apple owns the company, it’s no longer available. Some people on Wyze’s forum are noting that the beta firmware removing the people detection has already started to roll out.
In November of 2019, Wyze announced that the people detection feature would “temporarily” disappear from its cameras in January 2020. A clause in its agreement with Xnor.ai reportedly allowed the startup to terminate the contract “at any moment without reason.” It is unclear from that announcement whether Xnor.ai’s termination of the contract was directly related to an impending acquisition by Apple, however, it is implied in the report that the acquisition and the termination seem to be linked.
As the report notes, Wyze has promised to develop its own version of people detection to replace Xnor.ai’s technology, however, we have no indication as to when it might be ready. Commenting in its own forums, Wzye stated:
The release that will remove XNOR’s person detection is about to be released to beta. Our version is making great progress but I’m not sure when it will start moving through the test cycles.
Until then, Wyze camera’s and its users will remain devoid of people detection for a seemingly unspecified amount of time.
Source of the article – iMore


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MARKS & Spencer has moved a step closer to rolling out a combined credit and loyalty card that it has successfully piloted in South Wales.
The retailer, which has tested the card in nine Welsh stores since October last year, announced yesterday that banks backing its development have agreed a loan of #1.25bn.
Its card is now poised to be extended across the UK over the next three years.
It is part of a plan by the high street giant to rebrand its financial services business as M&S Money.
The move is intended to help M&S claw back business lost to the leading credit cards, while also offering customers the convenience of one card in their wallet instead of two.
Profits at the group's financial services division have deteriorated since the decision in 2000 to take mainstream credit cards, which led to a marked decline in the use of its store card.
M&S's new card will be run entirely in-house and the group hopes it will appeal to the existing 3.5 million chargecard holders, as well as helping to bring in much-needed new business.
In the year to March 29, operating profits for M&S financial services moved marginally ahead to #86.4m.
Developing the loyalty card scheme is expected to cost M&S another #60m in the current financial year, compared with #25m last year.
The 19 banks backing the deal include UK players Barclays, Lloyds TSB and Standard Chartered.
Laurel Powers-Freeling, who joined M&S in 2001 from Lloyds TSB's wealth management division, is heading up the financial services operation.
Besides credit cards, M&S sells pet, wedding and travel insurance and a trial of motor insurance is due to start in the coming year.


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‘BLADE Anywhere’ charter services launched
BLADE India, a helicopter charter company in India that was launched in 2019, has introduced the ‘BLADE Anywhere’, a programme for its personalised charter services.
Currently, this service is only for travel within the state of Maharashtra. BLADE’s by the seat services resume on November 2.
The bookings can be made on the website, on the app and via the Flier Relations team.
Once a customer books, they’re assigned a dedicated relationship manager to take care of all their travel requirements.


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Pokemon-like game arriving on PS5 first
Crema Games’s Temtem is on its way to PS5. Sony revealed the news on the PlayStation blog, showing off an Early Access trailer for the game. Temtem takes inspiration from the Pokemon series, as players can collect and battle monsters, and adds in an online world for them to interact with. The game is currently on Steam, and will offer crossplay between the PS5 and PC.
The game will eventually make it to other platforms, but the PS5 gets first dibs on living room screens.
Temtem arrives on PS5’s Early Access on December 8th.


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FDA: 'Healthy' Labels On Food Products Need To Be Redefined
It might be time to reconsider whether you can trust any food product that has the term "healthy" on its label. After a year-long battle with KIND granola bar, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has decided to reevaluate the "healthy" description for every food product.
The "Healthy" Announcement
FDA announced their decision to rethink "healthy" in a statement on their website. In addition to that, the agency aims to ask the masses for their help by getting "public comment on these issues."
But when will the new regulations be released? An FDA spokesperson recently spoke to Gizmodo about the decision to rethink "healthy" for the agency, although it was unclear as to when the new regulations will be released. "There is no timeline right now," the spokesperson said.
This doesn't mean that the current "healthy" regulation no longer stands. The FDA spokesperson added that food manufacturers must still abide by their current regulations in the meantime. "The FDA expects companies to continue to meet the current requirements for nutrient content claims that include the term 'healthy,'" the spokesperson stated.
What Is "Healthy?"
The definition should be as simple as "being good for the body." FDA has already established a clear definition of "healthy" as any food product that is within the boundaries of the agency's dietary recommendations. This means the food product has the right amount of total fats and saturated fats to be considered "healthy."
FDA VS KIND Bar
Last year, KIND granola bars were subject to FDA's investigation for the "healthy and tasty" label emblazoned on their product. The agency found that KIND bars might not necessarily be fit to be labeled "healthy" due to the amount of sweeteners in the product. In response, the KIND bar manufacturer insisted that the "healthy and tasty" label was more of a "corporate philosophy" rather than stating the product's nutritional value.