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WASHINGTON – American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) President and CEO Donna Harman today issued the following statement regarding the Senate’s passage of the 2013 Farm Bill.
“We commend Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow and Ranking Member Thad Cochran for their leadership in providing an exhaustive review of the 2013 Farm Bill. We appreciate their recognition of the importance of the conservation programs for forestry and wood fiber supply for the nation’s manufacturers of pulp, paper, and wood products.
“We are also pleased to see the Forest Service directive to update the strategic plan for the Forest Inventory and Analysis Program, including integration of remote sensing and spatial analysis.
AF&PA especially appreciates the work of the Chairwoman and the Ranking Member to take steps to recognize forest products in USDA’s BioPreferred program. Paper, packaging, and wood products should be eligible to compete on a level playing field with other biobased products as was originally intended by the law. Earlier this year Sens. Blunt and Pryor along with 12 of their colleagues introduced the Forest Products Fairness Act (S. 463), which specifically calls for the inclusion of all forest products in the biobased programs and provides the most certainty for the forest products industry.
“We hope that as the Farm Bill process moves forward, Congress will take a close look at the energy title of the farm bill and work to prevent the potential unintended consequences of government incentives and mandates. AF&PA believes that the free market should determine the highest and best use of biomass.”
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The American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) serves to advance a sustainable U.S. pulp, paper, packaging, and wood products manufacturing industry through fact-based public policy and marketplace advocacy. AF&PA member companies make products essential for everyday life from renewable and recyclable resources and are committed to continuous improvement through the industry’s sustainability initiative - Better Practices, Better Planet 2020. The forest products industry accounts for approximately 4.5 percent of the total U.S. manufacturing GDP, manufactures approximately $200 billion in products annually, and employs nearly 900,000 men and women. The industry meets a payroll of approximately $50 billion annually and is among the top 10 manufacturing sector employers in 47 states. Visit AF&PA online at www.afandpa.org or follow us on Twitter @ForestandPaper.


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If your household is like many households in North America, then you have a home wireless network. Home Wi-Fi networks are convenient and easy to setup. However, the home networks we know and love are facing an increasingly serious problem: network malware.
Although network hackers previously targeted corporate networks more often than home networks, more and more hackers are realizing that there is a considerable amount of value in home networks. With multiple internet-connected devices per household, each network malware attack adds several new devices onto existing botnets. And that is bad news for PC security experts around the world.
But how likely is it that your home network is infected with malware? According to a new report by Kindsight Security Labs of Mountain View, California, about 1 in every 8 home networks (13%) in North America is infected with malware.
About half of these infected networks were rated as high-level threats that could be used to transform home computers into virus-creating machines through massive botnets. In other words, your home’s computers, tablets, and smartphones could be being used to send viruses and malware to other networks.
What is a botnet and why should you be concerned?
Botnets are massive networks of infected computers. Hackers create malware with the intention of turning computers into bots on a network. When a computer becomes infected with that malware, it becomes just another bot on the network.
These botnets can lie dormant for weeks or even years before hackers take control of them. And once they take control, they have the power of hundreds of thousands (and often millions) of computers at their fingertips.
With that kind of power, hackers can launch millions of simultaneous attacks or flood the internet with malicious links. Just think of the damage a hacker can do over a single computer. Now multiply that by millions of computers and you should understand why botnets are so dangerous.
The new ZeroAccess botnet and how to remove it
A new type of botnet has taken over computers all over North America. That botnet is called ZeroAccess, and it’s the most complicated “click-spam” fraud scheme to date. Computers infected with ZeroAccess will automatically begin clicking online advertisements.
According to PCWorld.com, online advertisers are losing almost $1 million per day in fraudulent clicks. And although this might seem like a problem that only affects advertisers, it’s not: clicking on online advertising links will expose your computer to more risk. And since your computer’s security defenses have already been weakened or disabled through the ZeroAccess botnet, it’s at a high security risk of developing more viruses.
To make the ZeroAccess botnet even more significant, it has infected over 2.2 million home networks around the world – with the majority of those networks located in North America.
Defend your computer today!
Antivirus companies are already rolling out updates that defend your computer against ZeroAccess, so try performing an antivirus scan today. Or, download your free trial of PC Cleaner Pro and see if the anti-malware filters pick up anything. If they do, then you can purchase the full program license in order to remote that malware from your system.

domain: news


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(Image source: Jim Wilson/The New York Times)
Evidently, nobody was more inspired by Pokemon Go than Facebook’s very own Mark Zuckerberg. To him, it showed that the future of augmented reality is coming and its coming fast!
Although virtual reality was his original focus, Zuckerberg announced at Facebook’s annual F8 developers’ conference that their new focus would be making augmented reality tools for third parties. These features will include making custom masks, filters, and other effects!
Not only will this enhance users’ experience, but this will give Facebook the edge it needs to keep up with its competition. Snap Inc.’s Snapchat has already pulled ahead with virtual reality through the use of face-warping filters and its newly introduced feature that captures backgrounds and lets users interact with them in 3D.
For the full article, visit The Wall Street Journal


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latest news releases from the newsroom
RESCUECOM Issues Computer Buyer Checklist for Holiday Shoppers
SYRACUSE, N.Y., Nov. 20, 2006 (PRIMEZONE) -- Among the most popular holiday gifts this year will be computer laptops, desktops and related products. Those who buy computers as gifts can easily make the wrong purchase if they don't give their decision the proper thought. With that in mind, the national computer repair company RESCUECOM has issued a Holiday Computer Buyer Checklist -- items to consider before buying that first computer you see, or the first one the retailer suggests you buy.
Dow Jones Financial Information Services
Executives From Yahoo!, MSN India and Texas Pacific Group to Speak at Consumer Technology-Focused Asian Ventures
SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 20, 2006 (PRIMEZONE) -- As consumer technology focused companies continue to find new opportunities in Asia, attendees at the second annual Asian Ventures Conference, produced by Dow Jones VentureWire, will gain in-depth perspective from leading corporate executives, investors and industry experts about what the future holds for start-ups in Asia. In addition, the chief executives from more than 40 entrepreneurial companies active or based in Asia will be presenting their business plans at the event, Dec. 5 and 6, at the Fairmont Hotel in San Jose.
Arasan Chip Systems, Inc.
Arasan Chip Systems Appoints Kevin Walsh Vice President of Marketing and Business Development
SAN JOSE, Calif., Nov. 20, 2006 (PRIMEZONE) -- Arasan Chip Systems, a leading supplier of reusable Intellectual Property (IP) cores, semiconductors and design services, announced today that Kevin Walsh has joined the company as its vice president of marketing and business development. Mr. Walsh brings more than 15 years of executive marketing and management experience in semiconductor IP and software marketing to Arasan. He will drive the company's product marketing, business development, market communications and partner programs.
SmallCap Sentinel: The Buy Here/Pay Here Strategy
IRVINE, Calif., Nov. 20, 2006 (PRIMEZONE) -- "Just as mortgage companies found a bounty of opportunity working with individuals with less than stellar credit, savvy auto sellers and financiers are blending their services to provide buyers with limited or less than perfect credit the opportunity to purchase a vehicle," stated SmallCap Sentinel analyst D.R. Clark.
First Equity Group
StockMarketNewsAlert.com Issues New Trade Alert for BioStem, Inc.
BOCA RATON, Fla., Nov. 20, 2006 (PRIMEZONE) -- StockMarketNewsAlert.com issues New Trade Alert for BioStem, Inc. (OTCBB:BTEM). According to M. D'Alonzo at First Equity Group Inc., recent news flow from the company has been very positive: "Cryobanks International, Inc., research affiliates at the center of two important cord blood discoveries."
Delta Air Lines, Inc.
Delta to Recall More Maintenance Professionals
ATLANTA, Nov. 20, 2006 (PRIMEZONE) -- Delta Air Lines today announced plans to recall approximately 700 additional maintenance employees beginning in mid-December. This latest recall expands on the approximately 200 previously furloughed maintenance employees that have been recalled during the last few months.


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BALTIMORE—Amit Mathur has joined Sinclair Broadcast Group as vice president of product engineering, where he will continue scaling the station group’s digital publishing as well as expanding its suite of digital products and services, Sinclair said this week.
“I am thrilled to join Sinclair and have an opportunity to develop and enhance audience experiences that take advantage of the company’s expansive local news and content operations,” said Mathur.
Mathur, who will report to Kevin Cotlove, VP and GM of Sinclair Digital Operations, most recently was head of engineering of the player and developer experience team at Electronic Arts. There he led engineering, product management, program management and quality assurance for the company’s Digital Gaming Platform.
Before EA, Mathur held various positions at mobile social platform Tango, was an early member of the Microsoft Azure incubation team and worked to develop AI and machine learning techniques at Symantec. Mathur earned a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign College of Engineering.
“Amit brings a strong background of leadership and software engineering excellence, and his expertise in building large-scale consumer products will help position Sinclair for continued digital audience growth,” said Cotlove.
More information is available on the Sinclair website.
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Phil Kurz is a contributing editor to TV Tech. He has written about TV and video technology for more than 30 years and served as editor of three leading industry magazines. He earned a Bachelor of Journalism and a Master’s Degree in Journalism from the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Journalism.
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According to a new survey, chips and other salty snacks are the hardest thing to stop eating once you’ve started. 35% of us have issues with it. Sugary snacks and chocolate are next, followed by crackers and cheese.
1. Chips, pretzels, and other salty snacks. 35% of people said they have a hard time stopping once they’ve started.
2. Candy, not including chocolate, 18%. So stuff like Skittles and Starburst.
3. Chocolate, 12%. That includes candy bars, like Snickers and Butterfingers.
4. Crackers and other bread-based snacks, 11%. So things like Cheez-Its.
5. Cheese, 10%. String cheese might be one of the main culprits there.


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Despite all his efforts, there was one thing Telstra chief executive Andy Penn couldn’t change in his almost seven years at the top – anaemic margins in the telco’s fixed-line consumer and small business portfolio.
While mobile soared to fresh heights in the 2022 financial year, supporting a surprise lift in the dividend, Telstra’s other core business had floundered yet again. Earnings went backwards by more than 60 per cent to $55 million, crushed in part by the tall task of reselling the national broadband network.
It has long been a sour point for the industry. The wholesale pricing model of the NBN has squeezed home internet margins for nearly a decade but, as Mr Penn heads for the exit, could that be about to change?
NBN Co has proposed a new pricing construct, one freed from the shackles of near-term privatisation, which may see these issues turned on their head.
Wholesale prices for the fastest speed tiers would fall by $5 to $7 per month, while capacity pricing is phased out for the slower speeds too. This is a gift to incoming Telstra boss Vicki Brady – and for other major telcos – providing a possible path to the home internet margin expansion the company craves.
“Telstra’s target for the 2023 financial year is to lift its reseller margin from 5 per cent to 8 per cent, and even into the mid-teens by 2025, which Ms Brady says will be achieved via “price rises, mix and cost outs”.
The question is whether this looks more achievable now that the NBN has finally started to cede ground on pricing?
Internally and across the broader telco industry, there is a reluctance to say if the NBN’s new proposed model could lead to margin expansion in fixed-line businesses.
The view is that this initial proposal is more “tinkering at the edges” rather than a reset, although it is unclear if this is a negotiating tactic to get NBN Co to limit its wholesale prices even further going forward.
But UBS analyst Lucy Huang says there is still a lot of uncertainty for telcos.
“Whilst we are unclear as to whether the SAU proposals could drive an overall reduction in input cost to the telcos, the proposal does appear to remove uncertainty around the variable cost component for NBN,” she said.
Ms Huang noted this was a starting point for talks as well, and remarked the final pricing model was still subject to industry and Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) sign-offs.
Importantly, NBN Co’s proposed discounts also at this stage apply just to the fastest speeds on offer – 100mbps download speeds and higher. She said this only accounted for 9 per cent of Telstra’s NBN customers, and at rival TPG Telecom 33 per cent, with both more sensitive to the prices of slower plans.
“Telcos are more sensitive to changes to the 50mbps plan (~65 per cent of [the] TLS NBN base, 34 per cent of TPG), and under NBN’s proposal, there is effectively a $5 nominal price increase in the monthly charge to the telcos.”
As it stands, the increase to earnings per share from the changes would only land between 1 per cent and 2 per cent at Telstra and TPG, Ms Huang found, supporting the industry view these changes are not drastic enough for them.
NBN’s credit rating central
So, Telstra and the other telcos will need more from NBN for any meaningful uplift in fixed-line margins, yet key to the infrastructure’s ability to give extra relief is its ability to achieve a standalone investment grade credit rating.
This is a key outcome the ACCC has even recognised. It wrote in May 2021, as the pricing discussions first started, NBN Co needed the “opportunity to earn the minimum revenues it needs to meet its legitimated financing objectives, including to transition to a standalone investment grade credit rating”.
NBN Co has raised about $17.4 billion of private debt – much of which is used to refinance a $19.5 billion Commonwealth loan – at a stable credit rating of “A1” from Moody’s Investor Service and “AA” from Fitch Ratings.
But Nomura credit analyst Eric Liu says the government ownership bolsters these ratings and, if NBN Co was a standalone business, its rating would be six notches lower and below investment grade at “Ba1”. The flipside is that the pricing changes will not lead to any credit downgrade for NBN yet.
If the telcos want to reduce wholesale prices further to fatten their fixed-line margins, they need to come to the table with a model that also secures NBN Co’s revenues when talks start in earnest with the ACCC this month.
The talks will feed NBN Co’s final pricing proposal due in October, which will hopefully give internet providers and investors a clearer idea of how fixed-line margins can expand beyond consumer price hikes and cost cuts.
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The cannabis sector is the most disappointing sector on the TSX in 2019. I say this because the total of losses by the cannabis companies is over $20 billion as of mid-August. Weeds stocks went downhill in April and the tailspin continues.
The hype that occurred before the legalization of adult-use marijuana in Canada was overwhelming, with investors excited about the marijuana boom until the opening of Pandora’s Box. Since that time, the market received nothing but dreadful earnings reports. Is there light at the end of the tunnel?
Ray of hope
On top of the staggering losses, scandals and controversies keep emerging. There seem to be no catalysts that will lift weed stocks from out of the bottomless pit. Now, cannabis companies are using the launching of vape and edibles in the fourth quarter to revive the interest of investors.
However, one stock is offering a ray of hope. Aphria (TSX:APHA)(NYSE:APHA), the once-scorned company stands as the most profitable pot stock. The cannabis producer reported a $15.8 million profit in its fourth quarter ending May 31, 2019.
Never mind if the net income did not come from cannabis operations. The newly acquired CC Pharma, a medical cannabis and pharmaceutical distributor from Germany, was chiefly responsible for the profit. However, that shouldn’t take the glory away from Aphria. The results are better than zero profit.
Aphria’s Chairman and interim CEO Irwin Simon did not hide his jubilation. During the Q4 conference call, Simon said, “Aphria’s team is energized and excited to drive growth and profitability for many, many years to come.” That should at least calm down investors.
The excellent news boosted the stock by 40% to $9.60. As of the close of August, APHA is down to $8.39.
Aphria will be the flavour of the month in September. After the upbeat earnings results, analysts are optimistic about the near-term future of Aphria. The company is finally receiving recognition instead of rejection.
Several headwinds are still affecting the cannabis landscape. Industry peers are still struggling with profitability. In order for Aphria to maintain its appeal, the company should continue reporting profit in the quarters of fiscal 2020.
Management’s guidance in fiscal 2020 is total revenue of $650 to $700 million with adjusted EBITDA ranging from $88 to $95 million. Canada’s third-largest cannabis cultivator said that by the time all its facilities obtain licenses, the company will be on track to produce an annual capacity of 255,000 kilograms.
CC Pharma gives Aphria a competitive advantage and strength to win big in the international medical cannabis markets. Aphria is one of only three cannabis producers with the rights to cultivate medical cannabis in Germany. The company is also present in nine countries where medical marijuana is legal.
But the biggest market for Aphria at the moment is Canada. The company could gain a significant market share in Canada’s adult-use recreational cannabis market. It has supply agreements with all provinces, including the Yukon Territory. A partnership with wine and spirits distributor Southern Glazer is also in place.
If you’re thinking of taking a position in the cannabis space, Aphria could be your best bet today. The company has done what industry rivals haven’t: deliver profits. The stock will rise in value as Aphria’s sales soar.


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Fring keeps adding new handsets to its list of supported devices and just recently they’ve announce that another phone is on the list. This time it’s the Sony Ericsson G900, the one which we consider to be the single best Symbian UIQ powered smartphone released to date.
The WiFi-enabled, 5 megapixel camera equipped candybar can now be used for low-cost phone calls or just for staying in touch with friends. In addition, you can send files via Fring and/or chat on multiple IM network at once — all while on-the-go.
To download fring, visit this page, follow the easy instructions and you’re ready to go. Enjoy!
[Via: Fring Blog]


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SHANGHAI, Nov. 10, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — doTERRA, a world-renowned aroma care and essential oil brand, took its place alongside a number of Fortune 500 companies and industry leaders during its attendance at the 4th China International Import Expo (CIIE) which opened in Shanghai on November 5. The aroma producer joined hands with Dunhuang Academy to exhibit its new aroma essential oils blend, Flying Apsaras Rose. The blend made its world debut on the second day of the event, marking another milestone in doTERRA’s continuous expansion of products containing Chinese elements.
Owen K Messick, president of doTERRA China, said this is the fourth consecutive year that doTERRA has attended the CIIE and that the company has witnessed rapid growth in China. CIIE acts as an entry point for multinational firms seeking partners and distributors in China, and for medium-sized overseas firms like doTERRA to expand into the Chinese market.
Rooted deeply in Chinese elements, Flying Apsaras Rose expresses the beauty of Dunhuang
For seven years since its entry into the Chinese market, doTERRA has embraced green innovation and development, making the allure of plants unique to China known to more people by utilizing its superior resources to launch 14 essential oils made from locally sourced raw materials.
The longstanding collaboration with Dunhuang Academy provided the headroom to develop Flying Apsaras Rose, a blend of myrrh, lilac, and other aromatic plants that arrived in China from the West via the Silk Road, suffused with roses from Yongdeng County in Lanzhou, an important destination along the ancient trade route. The essential oil product is also an integration of both the East and West cultural details.
As part of the partnership, doTERRA will donate protective display facilities through China Dunhuang Grottoes Conservation Research Foundation, which will be used to protect Caves 335 and 338 of the Mogao Caves. During the event, the company set aside a large part of its booked exhibition space to promote the Dunhuang culture, and hosted a live in-person event during which experts from Dunhuang Academy related stories about the amazing lineup of underground caves.
doTERRA facilitates its rapid expansion by attending CIIE
This is the fourth consecutive year that doTERRA has participated in the CIIE. The continuously enlarged exhibition area represented an epitome of the company’s rapid development in China.
When attending the first CIIE, doTERRA grabbed headlines and concluded several important business deals. A month later, the firm set up its regional headquarters in Jing’an District, Shanghai, and started the construction of its Chinese factory and first overseas laboratory, making the localization of raw materials and the availability of new products a priority in an effort to drive growth. At the second CIIE, doTERRA increased the size of its booth by a factor of ten and showcased the world debut of a Chinese-influenced liquidambar aroma essential oil. The third year, the company further expanded the booth area and debuted its Dream aroma essential oil inspired by Shanghai elements. doTERRA experienced a significant increase in the value of initial contracts that it had signed during the three exhibitions, from 380 million yuan to 700 million yuan. This year, the value of its contracts grew another notch to reach a 1 billion yuan milestone.
For 4 years, doTERRA’s presence at CIIE facilitated the expansion in the number of partners and loyal consumers, with growth in sales averaging above 60 percent annually, making China its second largest market worldwide.
CIIE has provided a tremendous opportunity for doTERRA’s development and intercommunication with others by gathering resources from all parties, and, by the same token, injecting confidence and dynamism into the company’s efforts in R&D, innovation, production, services, talent training and sustainable development in China. The company plans to follow the Chinese government’s guidance for participation in the country’s dual circulation initiative whereby businesses cooperate with government in developing a self-sufficient domestic economy alongside continued strengthening of existing export channels, with the goal of delivering a generally improved standard of living across Chinese society.


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American Airlines passengers may find themselves fighting harder for overhead bin space this fall after the airline decided to allow carry-on bags for customers flying on basic economy tickets.
Starting Sept. 5, passengers who book the cheaper, more restrictive fares will be able to fly with a personal item and carry-on bag, like regular coach flyers, the Fort Worth, Texas-based carrier said Thursday in a news release.
Getting rid of the bag restrictions on shorter flights will make its basic economy fares more competitive with airlines that include a full-size carry-on in their cheapest fares, American said. Travelers choosing the cheaper fares still can’t select a specific seat in advance for free and aren’t eligible for upgrades.
Neither American nor Chicago-based United Airlines allowed basic economy flyers to bring carry-ons that had to be stored in overhead bins when they began selling the few-frills fares last year, though some frequent flyers and airline credit-card holders were exempt from the restrictions. Basic economy travelers who pay to check bags would quickly see those fees eat into savings on their fares.
Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines, which already had its version of basic economy, was more generous, letting all coach passengers bring a carry-on and personal item.
American wants its version of basic economy to be more competitive with Delta’s, said Henry Harteveldt, travel industry analyst and president of Atmosphere Research Group. Given a choice between two similarly priced tickets, most passengers would pick the one with fewer restrictions, Harteveldt said.
A United spokesman declined to say whether the airline is planning a similar policy change.
“We continuously review our fare offerings to give customers options that best fit their personal travel needs,” spokesman Jonathan Guerin said.
Restrictions like carry-on bag limits are meant to encourage passengers who are willing to pay more to upgrade to a regular coach ticket. But if United remains the odd man out among the three largest traditional carriers when it comes to carry-on bag rules, it will have to lower basic economy fares, limit the number of tickets it sells or risk losing basic economy passengers to rivals, Harteveldt said.
“If United is opting not to match, they are penny-wise and pound-foolish,” he said.
Guerin said basic economy’s carry-on restriction has other benefits, like making boarding easier, freeing up overhead bin space and reducing the number of bags passengers must check at the gate when bins fill up.
But Ben Schlappig, author of the travel blog One Mile at a Time, said he’s also seen the limits on carry-on bags hold up boarding when basic economy flyers who said they were unaware of the rules argued about having to pay a fee to check their carry-on.
“I think it’s great for consumers,” Schlappig said of American’s policy reversal. “At least it’s a nonpunitive option.”
American’s policy change also brings rules for domestic basic economy passengers in line with those for customers flying between the U.S. and Europe.
Both American and United began offering cheaper but more restrictive fares on some trans-Atlantic flights earlier this year, and both allow each passenger a personal item and larger carry-on. United described those new fares as a step toward an international version of basic economy.
Both airlines have said more than 60 percent of passengers offered a choice between basic and regular economy pay up for a standard coach ticket.
While American’s basic economy wasn’t bringing in as much extra revenue as the airline originally expected, tweaking the rules will “make this product more competitive, allowing us to offer this low-fare product to more customers,” airline President Robert Isom said Thursday during a call with investors.
About a year ago, United also said it wasn’t seeing the expected benefits from basic economy, but executives chalked it up to being more aggressive than competitors in rolling out the new fares.
During a call with investors earlier this month, Chief Commercial Officer Andrew Nocella said the airline was “very happy” with the rollout.
“It’s a great competitive tool, and we’re going to use it even more and more,” he said.


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To delve into a stock that’s been moving recently on the heels of some promising press, we’re taking a look at Alliance Creative Group Inc (OTCMKTS:ACGX)’s Early last month, Chief Operating Officer, Paul Sorkin commented on growing revenues for the company and projected some lofty goals.
“Our team has put in a lot of time, effort, and money to create a solid foundation to build off of these last few years. We continue to make a lot of positive progress and have been able to see the benefits of our hard work these last few months. I am very proud of the sacrifices everyone has made to get us to this point and believe we have some very positive days ahead of us… We are projecting a 50% increase in revenues for 2017 compared to 2016 and if we are able to execute our business plans we hope to continue an accelerated growth rate in 2018 and beyond. We will also continue looking for new ways to create long-term value for our shareholders, investors, and employees and will update the public as things progress.” (Source: Accesswire)
At the time, one might not have thought that Alliance Creative Group Inc (OTCMKTS:ACGX) was up to the task of achieving its growth goals, but just one month later, the company provided updates on the subject that might surprise a lot of people.
It was reported last week that the overall gross revenues for the entire Company was over $5,000,000 for Q1. The gross revenue number represents a new company quarterly record and exceeds recent projections by almost 10%. The full quarterly and disclosure report will be released and uploaded to the OTC Markets by May 15, 2017.
COO Paul Sorkin commented once again, saying, “We are very proud of our team’s significant accomplishments. The $5,000,000 threshold exceeded all of our internal goals. Many of our projects are progressing well and we hope to have continued success moving forward. Our top priorities continue to be focused on growing the overall company, diversifying our revenue streams, and leveraging our shared resources while looking for ways to grow faster and create long-term value for our shareholders, investors, and employees.” (Source:Accesswire)
ACGX is a company that has its hands in a lot of honeypots, with focus on Creative Design, Branding and Packaging, as well as online marketing and digital engagement. That portion of its business is also supplemented by trucking and freight logistics, which itself was bolstered by the recent addition of Rapid Freight Solutions (http://RapidFreightSolutions.com) to its family of services. The full-service transportation brokerage company provides domestic shipping services nationwide and will augment ACGX’s logistical capabilities. You can learn more about the various facets of ACGX’s business at the company’s website.
The stock does trade in the subpenny range, so it’s certainly not something to base an investment portfolio around, but in terms of a speculative play, the well-diversified yet synergistic nature of its various arms makes Alliance Creative Group difficult to ignore completely. We’ll be interested to track its progress in the Second Quarter after Q1 results yielded company records. You can follow the story right along with us. Stay locked to Street Register for updates, and we’ll deliver important developments on ACGX as they unfold. In the meantime, if you have not yet gotten yourself signed up for our 100% free newsletter, do so now! Just enter your active email address into the box below and submit!
Disclosure: No one at Street Register has been compensated in any way for the publishing of this article, nor do we hold any position in ACGX stock, short or long.


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Amazon supports free computer science for Colorado students during COVID-19
posted by: Mile High Mamas
We know that right now schools in Colorado are experiencing disruption during this pandemic and we want to help. Year-round, Amazon is committed to ensuring more students and teachers get access to a computer science education through its Amazon Future Engineer program, and now that mission is more important than ever.
Right now, Amazon Future Engineer is providing free access to sponsored computer science courses in the US, which is for independent learners grades 6-12, and teachers who are remotely teaching this age group. Parents can also access this curriculum.
And, as of today, Amazon Future Engineer is offering a virtual robotics program through partners CoderZ. The fully sequenced course accommodates age levels from second grade with block-based coding to high school with text-based coding.
Amazon Future Engineer also is providing access to EarSketch, a free program that helps students learn to code through music. Grammy-award winning artists Ciara and Common have both provided studio-quality music STEMs that students can remix from home using code.
Students, teachers, and parents can access a variety of free, online opportunities.
Our partners at BootUp PD offer free access to lesson plans and coding resources in the Scratch and ScratchJr applications for students to develop creative coding projects from home.
Additionally, our partner Code.org is hosting new “Code Break” episodes with special celebrity guests every Wednesday to teach students about computer science.
Second grade through high school
Amazon Future Engineer is offering a free online coding course designed to teach students about the fundamentals of coding through coding a virtual robot. The fully sequenced course focuses on block-based coding for younger students and text-based coding for more advanced students. (Available in English and Spanish.)
Middle school and high school
Amazon Future Engineer is providing free access to our sponsored computer science courses, including Introductory and Advanced Placement (AP) courses. Through this offering, teachers can also access online professional development.
Amazon Future Engineer is also providing access to EarSketch, a free program that helps students learn to code through music. Grammy-award winning artists Ciara and Common have both provided songs that students can remix from home using code. Students can also enter their remixes into weekly challenges managed by our partners at Georgia Tech.
Now and always, our Amazon Future Engineer program is focused on increasing access to computer science education for hundreds of thousands of students and teachers.
Visit the Amazon Future Engineer website, to get free course materials.
About Amazon Future Engineer
Amazon is committed to bringing more resources to children and young adults to help them build their best future. Amazon has invested more than $50 million to increase access to computer science/STEM education and has donated more than $20 million to organizations that promote computer science/STEM education across the country. Amazon’s primary computer science access program, Amazon Future Engineer, is a four-part childhood-to-career program intended to inspire, educate, and prepare children and young adults from underrepresented and underserved communities to try computer science.


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Maoyan Entertainment, an entertainment services provider in China, has witnessed a decrease in its annual financial reporting in 2022, as the country continued to be affected by COVID-19 restrictions.
Revenue decreased from RMB 3.3bn (£393m/€450m/$480m) in 2021 to total RMB 2.3bn in 2022, while gross profit was also down from RMB 1bn compared with RMB 1.8bn in 2021. Profit saw a decline from RMB 368m in 2021 to RMB 104m in 2022, while adjusted EBITDA amounted to RMB 320m compared to RMB 743m in 2021.
Adjusted net profit totalled RMB 233m compared to RMB 540m in 2021.
A release noted that continued ‘risks and challenges caused by the pandemic’ were behind the downturn.
The company said: “During 2022, the entertainment industry continued to face complex situation and the various related risks and challenges caused by the pandemic.
“According to statistics from the China Film Administration, the total box office (including service fees) of Mainland China in 2022 was RMB 30bn, representing a year-over-year decrease of 36.38% from RMB 47bn in 2021. Furthermore, the live entertainment market was also significantly affected.
“For instance, according to the relevant market data released on the official website of the China Association of Performing Arts, nearly 9,000 performances were cancelled or postponed nationwide in the first quarter of 2022, and the total number of performances decreased by approximately 80% at the box office during the Labor Day holiday.”
Maoyan also reported that its online movie ticketing services business remained competitive in 2022. It launched a number of marketing functions such as family ticket packages and cinema combo deals to meet different demands of users.
“In 2022, we continued to invest in and develop live entertainment services, including online ticketing services, and actively explored and developed investments in the production of and IP development for live entertainment events,” added Maoyan.
“During the reporting period, we also actively addressed the needs of the whole industry and constructively contributed to its recovery by providing complete sets of smart venue ticketing system solutions to nearly 200 emerging small and medium-sized venues across the country.”


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2019 has been quite a year for the privacy world.
The GDPR celebrated its first birthday with a slew of fines and investigations.
The Nevada privacy law (Senate Bill 220) passed and went into effect, as well as ones for Illinois and Maine. Vermont and South Carolina followed suit with minor updates to existing laws. And in all, 24 states considered enacting data privacy laws in 2019.
Not to mention with a deadline of Jan. 1, 2020, the California Consumer Protection Act (CCPA) has ushered in a slew of preparations of its own.
With all of these privacy regulations a part of business as usual in 2019 – and more coming down the pipeline – it’s important companies look at privacy best practices as more than just a nice-to-have. It could make or break your brand in the future.
Protecting consumer rights isn’t just the law anymore. It’s a way to prove your trustworthiness to consumers.
Because it’s such an important part of how brands will function and prosper in the future, we’re highlighting the ways big and small brands alike have embraced privacy best practices in 2019. Use these examples to shape your own strategy for privacy in 2020 and years to come.
Go Above and Beyond
71% of marketers believe lack of compliance could have a detrimental impact on their company’s ability to conduct business. That makes sense when you consider that today 53% of online users are more worried about their online privacy than compared to a year ago.
The best way to address these concerns is by being up front with consumers about what exactly you’re doing to protect their data and follow privacy best practices. In other words, don’t wait until you’re asked. Inform consumers as soon as possible and as clearly as possible.
Case in point, Indeed.com was one of the first to announce all its users – in all locations – would have GDPR rights. This is the specific language they used in their email to users:
Another company first in line to implement privacy rules for all its users and products was Microsoft, which just made a similar decision related to CCPA rights. Replicating what it did when the GDPR was released, Microsoft pushed out a high-impact blog post pledging to honor CCPA rights not just for California consumers, but for those throughout the entire United States.
“By being transparent about the data we collect and how we use it, and by providing solutions that empower businesses to safeguard personal data and comply with privacy laws, we can demonstrate our commitment in the absence of Congressional action,” wrote Julie Brill, Chief Privacy Officer for Microsoft.
This type of above-and-beyond, honesty-is-the-best-policy approach is what cements a company as a trustworthy brand to do business with in the minds of consumers.
This approach is worth noting, and imitating.
Be a Privacy-First Brand
It’s one thing to check all the boxes for privacy best practices. It’s a whole other to make your brand synonymous with protecting users’ rights.
True to form, that’s exactly what Apple is doing with its “Privacy. That’s iPhone.” brand messaging.
- Web browsing
- Location history
- Photo storage
- Text messaging
- AI listening
- Content tracking
- Financial information
- Health data
Apple has even dedicated advertising dollars to campaigns about the topic of privacy protection. Apple’s masterful video ads that touch on the most important aspects of privacy protection have earned high exposure: iMessage encryption, browser cookie tracking, and the security of using Face ID.
The latest installment shouts the theme: If privacy matters in your life, than it should matter to the phone your life is on.
As per usual, Apple focuses on the why instead of the what. It believes privacy is a fundamental human right, and that belief is reflected in the products it creates.
Being a privacy-first brand isn’t only for big name companies, though.
Smaller startups and budding enterprises like Monday.com are also making it a part of their feature sets.
As a project management tool, Monday.com users exchange a lot of sensitive information. From messages to copy to financial data, everything inside the platform needs to stay secure. The company thinks this is so important to how it operates, it included a special section about privacy protection on its product feature page instead of just burying it in a privacy notice.
It probably won’t be long before another bubble pops up in this section denoting compliance with the CCPA and other U.S. privacy laws soon to be passed. It’s obvious that earning customer trust through privacy best practices is at the top of the priority list for Monday.com.
And that just proves no matter the size of your company, your brand can be – and should be – privacy-first.
If that wasn’t enough to melt your cold hard consumer heart, there’s also a stunning video that follows.
When the New York Times deems most privacy policies “an incomprensible disaster” because of their walls of text and vague language, brands like Ticketmaster are a breath of fresh air.
Most companies include the must-haves in their privacy policies. But taking it a step further to make it an opportunity to elevate your brand is the way you will gain more customer trust and, eventually, dollars.
Conclusion: A Fresh Perspective
The truth is, privacy laws aren’t going away.
Quite the opposite, there’s already a national trend supporting more data protection, more consumer rights, and more brand accountability.
For companies who understand the benefits of privacy regulations to consumer retention and the bottom line, this comes as good news. In fact, privacy best practices can open a door to brand authenticity, renewed customer confidence, and perhaps a different way to do business than the world has ever experienced before.
Are you ready to go beyond compliance and build trust with customers? We’re a team of privacy experts who can help navigate you through best practices, strategies and tactics.


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Harbor Freight to expand to Connecticut
New Haven, Conn. — RHYS Commercial said that Harbor Freight Tools is opening three Connecticut locations – in New Haven (17,000 sq. ft.), Bridgeport (14,284 sq. ft.) and Waterbury (16,813 sq. ft.).
The tool and equipment retailer’s location in New Haven opened April 27; construction is underway on the other two outlets.
Passco arranges $25.8 million to refinance Silver City Plaza
Las Vegas — Irvine, Calif.-based Passco Cos., said it has negotiated a $25.8 million loan to refinance Silver City Plaza, a 41,583-sq.-ft. neighborhood shopping center in Las Vegas.
The new loan was arranged with Cantor Commercial Real Estate, an affiliate of Cantor Fitzgerald, and was uniquely structured to accommodate a challenged market.
The center, which is situated on 1.92 acres and anchored by Ross Dress for Less and Walgreens, is less than one block from the new $2.4 billion Wynn Las Vegas and Encore Resort and less than a mile from the Fashion Show Mall and Las Vegas Convention Center.
Costco opens new club in Huntington Beach
Huntington Beach, Calif. — DJM Capital Partners said that a new 154,000-sq.-ft. Costco has opened at Bella Terra, an open-air center in Huntington Beach, Calif. Costco opened in a building vacated by Mervyn’s.
Costco at Bella Terra is a full-format store offering Gas Station, Fresh Bakery, Fresh Meat, Fresh Produce, Fresh Deli with Rotisserie Chicken, Optical Department, 1-Hour Photo, Pharmacy, Tire Center, Hearing Aid Center, Fine Wine & Liquor and Food Court.
“Securing Costco for Bella Terra in 2010, with retailers expanding very cautiously, was a significant achievement for our company and a testament to the quality and location of the center,” said Lindsay Parton, president, DJM Development Partners, an affiliate of DJM Capital Partners, Inc.
The new Costco is adjacent to The Village at Bella Terra development, currently under construction and slated for a summer 2013 opening.


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Total wholesale trade sales, after adjusting for seasonal effects, rose 1.9 percent ($383 million) in the December 2009 quarter, Statistics New Zealand said today. This is the first increase since June 2008.
“Although more industries posted sales decreases than increases this quarter," business statistics manager Louise Holmes-Oliver said, "four of the increases were more than $100 million, resulting in the rise in overall sales.” These industries were:
motor vehicle wholesaling, up 10.9 percent ($140 million)
petroleum product wholesaling, up 8.5 percent ($139 million)
builders' supplies wholesaling, up 6.7 percent ($109 million)
primary product food wholesaling, up 6.5 percent ($105 million).
The biggest sales decrease was in machinery and equipment not elsewhere classified, down 9.7 percent or $80 million. This industry includes a wide range of activities such as wholesaling air conditioning equipment, office furniture, paper-making, and woodworking machinery and equipment.
“Wholesale sales trend figures indicate a slight upwards movement during the September and December 2009 quarters, rising 1.5 percent,” Mrs Holmes-Oliver said, “however, latest trend estimates should be used with caution as they may be revised when more information becomes available.” The sales trend fell
10.2 percent between the September 2008 and June 2009 quarters.
Following four quarters of large stock decreases, total wholesale trade stocks were flat in the December 2009 quarter, down just 0.1 percent or $11 million.


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- Big ad agencies are cutting the number of ad-tech companies they work with as regulation and pressure on business models sweep through the industry.
- WPP's GroupM and Havas Group have slashed their ad-tech roster, while Publicis Groupe said it's also planning to make cuts.
- The moves have ad-tech firms like OwnerIQ scrambling to stay relevant.
- However, some agencies worry that too much ad-tech consolidation will only strengthen the walled gardens of Facebook, Google, and media companies.
- Click here for more BI Prime stories.
Advertising agencies are getting hit on all sides. They're under pressure to cut costs, meet clients' demands for transparency, and deal with new privacy concerns and regulation like the forthcoming California Consumer Privacy Act that could dramatically change how advertisers collect data and target ads.
As a result, the world's biggest ad agencies are slashing the number of ad-tech companies they work with and scrutinizing how they use data more closely. To minimize regulation headaches, holding companies Interpublic Group and Publicis have even acquired companies that help marketers collect first-party data.
Agencies also said the number of ad-tech firms pitching the same technology has ballooned over the past few years, and it's expensive and cumbersome for agencies to maintain a multitude of suppliers.
Executives from four major agency networks told Business Insider they'd pare the number of ad-tech companies that they work with, particularly those that provide third-party data.
Arthur Sadoun, CEO of Publicis, said the company would cut third parties as a result of its Epsilon acquisition, which closed on July 2. "What we are bringing is amazing scale with incredible talent and expertise," he said. "Most of what we need is within Epsilon."
WPP's GroupM has cut more than half of its ad-tech partners over the past few years and is examining all the ad-tech companies it uses to see if there is any overlap between them.
"We've done a lot of testing and learning and we understand where there is duplication and where there isn't within the ad-tech and data provider ecosystem," said Evan Hanlon, chief strategy officer of GroupM US. "Right now we're at a point where it feels like the deck of cards is going to be thrown into the air again."
Havas Group for its part has cut down the number of suppliers to roughly 15 from around 60.
Bret Leece, global chief data and innovation officer at Havas Group, said the agency tries to work with groups of three ad-tech companies that provide similar offerings to give clients choices while making the agency's work manageable.
"If we added up all the ROIs from these things, our clients' business should be doing a lot better than it is," Leece said about how ad-tech companies' pitches don't directly translate to clients' goals. "It takes a long time to get on the media plan — you really have to prove yourself."
A fourth agency network, which wouldn't speak for attribution, also said it was working to reign in its ad-tech vendors.
Agencies' slimmer rosters are reflected in recent ad-tech deals
Recent ad-tech deals also show how marketers are increasingly moving to working with less companies.
- Foursquare acquired like-minded location data firm Placed to create a scaled platform for advertisers.
- Zeta Global bought part of Sizmek's assets to mesh its marketing cloud product with Sizmek's demand-side platform for ad targeting. Zeta Global is also taking over ad sales for location firm PlaceIQ.
- Ad giant Publicis bought Epsilon for $4.4 billion.
Agencies are asking ad-tech firms to come clean about their practices
Along with cutting back on ad-tech companies, agencies also are scrutinizing ad-tech companies' data collection practices.
Arun Kumar, IPG's chief data and technology officer, said while the agency isn't actively cutting the number of ad-tech companies it works with, its $2.3 billion acquisition of Acxiom will help it see if a tech firm's practices are legitimate and fair for consumers.
"Sometimes we've found data providers who, if you go right to the source of collection, they do not have the required basis to collect that data," he said. "We have over the last couple of years become a lot more stringent."
GroupM's Hanlon said the agency has a couple red flags that they watch out for, like ad-tech companies that promise marketers access to data that's behind a firewall, such as browsing or transaction patterns on Amazon; or companies that won't reveal their raw data.
"If there's 100 data points that go into creating an audience profile, I want to know which 10 are most valuable," he said.
Ad-tech companies are scrambling to re-invent themselves
As for ad-tech companies, they're scrambling to stay relevant. Boston-based OwnerIQ is adapting its services for agencies by moving to a software as a service model, and laid off 10% of its workforce in the process in April. OwnerIQ has a demand-side platform and a data-management platform that help retailers and brands organize data and target ads.
"We had to adjust our product and go-to market strategy," said Steve Ustaris, CMO of OwnerIQ. "You're not only updating product; you're also re-looking at staff to make sure that you can support that new reality."
According to one agency executive, one of the major challenges for OwnerIQ and other ad-tech companies is that they make most of their revenue from selling ads that bundle in their data.
But agencies are increasingly moving out of the media buying business and in turn, becoming more interested in data that can be used to understand consumers more broadly. At the same time, Facebook, Google, and Amazon already pump out troves of that kind of data for marketers, said Jay MacDonald, CEO and cofounder of Digital Capital Advisors.
"It's very difficult for a lot of these guys to scale because the larger platforms do that plus a whole bunch more and [ad-tech companies] get marginalized from a revenue perspective," he said.
Agencies are worried that too much consolidation will hurt the industry
Still, the recent uptick in ad-tech acquisitions is a double-edged sword for agencies.
Even as they look to work with fewer suppliers, some said they're concerned that more consolidation will only strengthen the walled gardens of Facebook, Google and others, leaving them with fewer options for their clients.
"There's a huge data pool behind Facebook, Google, Amazon and behind the broadcasters' walls if you take a look at Xandr, NCC, Viacom and Comcast," GroupM's Hanlon said. "They're all looking to make their data more usable but not necessarily more available outside of their walls."
Hanlon said he's especially worried about independent ad-tech companies The Trade Desk and LiveRamp being acquired. The Trade Desk lets buyers buy digital ads programmatically, and LiveRamp helps advertisers match offline, anonymous data for ad targeting.
"The roster of big, scaled independent partners that are not attached to a larger data, technology or media environment is getting smaller," Hanlon said. "If someone is willing to pay the multiples to take [The Trade Desk and LiveRamp] off the board, that has profound impacts on the open internet."


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Shrimp production of 27,000 shrimp growers has increased by 16.6% in six years under the Safe Aqua Farming for Economic and Trade Improvement (Safeti) Project, said the project officials.
Besides, their shrimp sales have improved by 47% and productivity by 125%. Shrimp farmers who had an average production of 295 kg per hectare in 2017, produce 664 kg at present.
The project's implementation areas were 10 upazilas of Khulna, Bagerhat, Satkhira, Jashore, and Cox's Bazar.
Funded by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), this project started in 2016 through a local partnership with Winrock International and was implemented by the Bangladesh Shrimp and Fish Foundation, Community Development Centre, and Thengamara Mohila Sabuj Sangha. The project was completed this year.
Safeti Project Chief of Party SM Shaheen Anwar told The Business Standard that the annual average production of shrimp increased after following six steps of improved farming recommended by the project. The sales value per farmer was $918 at the beginning, which increased to $2,044 in 2021.
The safeti project contributed to the expansion of trade and export value by building the capacity of value chain actors and stakeholders in the shrimp sector.
Victoria Becker, international programme specialist, Food for Progress, International Food Assistance Division, Foreign Agricultural Service, USDA, said that this contributes significantly to improving the life and livelihood of the farmers involved in shrimp and prawn farming in Bangladesh.
Project officials said that the beneficiary farmers of the project used to cultivate shrimp in the traditional way. Emphasis is placed on implementing six points by training them which are keeping the water depth 3-5 feet in shrimp farming and keeping the bottom of the enclosure free of mud, purifying and disinfecting the enclosure water, preventing infection of disease organisms, selecting healthy seedlings, providing good quality food in moderation and ensuring the quality of shrimp and water.
Recently, the closing ceremony of this project was held where Fisheries and Livestock Minister SM Rezaul Karim said that the country has produced 2,51,000 tonnes of shrimp in 2020-21. Conversion of shrimp hatcheries to SPF PL (Specific Pathogen Free Post Larvae) hatcheries is in progress.
As much as 621 million SPF shrimp PL was produced this year from three approved SPF hatcheries. As part of the implementation of the traceability system in the shrimp sector, about two lakh shrimp farms and 9,651 commercial shrimp farms have been registered. All the hatcheries should come forward to produce SPF PL for safe and quality shrimp production in the country, the minister added.


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UMIDIGI C Note presales kick off as it gets nominated for Red Dot Design Award 2017
Recently launched UMIDIGI C Note, together with the UMIDIGI Z and Z Pro, have been nominated from the CIE (Chinese Institute of Electronics) to win the …
UMi Z will be available in Red and Black, say no to White bezels!
After the release of the iPhone 7 / 7 Plus coming out in a new shiny red body, many Chinese phone makers have followed with their …
UMIDIGI C NOTE Launched: An UMi Z-looking budget phone
UMIDIGI have just launched the C NOTE, a mid-range device with seemingly premium design and build materials and a 3800mAh battery in a slim 8.3mm body. The …
UMi Z: The cheapest alternative to play demanding 3D games on?
In recent years, an increasing number of people have begun playing games on their mobile devices, sometimes more, sometimes less demanding ones. So, how do …
UMi Plus E vs UMi Z: Which one should you get?
UMIDIGI has been focusing on making relatively high-end phone in the last 6 months, two easy examples are the UMi Plus E and UMi Z, which …
UMIDIGI Z Pro will feature a unique 3D Capture function
We already know that UMIDIGI (formerly known just as UMI) will be presenting the UMIDIGI Z Pro model at the MWC 2017 in just few …
UMi Z Unboxing and Hands On: Hmmm, exciting
The UMi Z is one of the first Helio X27-powered phones to have hit the market. Here’s how it feels unboxing it, and after a few hours!
The UMi Z gets two new hands-free camera features (Video)
The UMi Z gets two new camera features that allows to snap photos without touching the screen. How do they work? Enter to find out.
Helio X27 powered UMi Z on pre-sale for $219.99
The UMi Z is an upcoming Helio X27-powered smartphone from UMi with a slim design, powerful SoC. It’s on presale for $219, $60 off it’s retail price.
UMi Z’s presale to commence on January 4th!
The UMi Z gets officially launched and the presale starts on January 4th. Will you be getting this Mediatek Helio X27-equipped phone?
UMi Z: A closer look at the Selfie Soft Light and Dual Focus system
The UMIDIGI Z Pro will be the first smartphone from the freshly renamed Chinese phone maker. It will also be the first smartphone boasting the …
UMi will be rebranded, UMi Z to be the last phone under the old brand
China’s Letv earlier rebranded to LeEco, Xiaomi to Mi (kind of officially), and now there’s another brand joining the boat – UMi.
UMi Z: UMi’s big checkpoint on the journey
Today UMi shows us what went into the creation of their latest UMi Z smartphone. Plus a video that shows what they’ve been doing up until now.
UMi share their inspiration behind the UMi Z
This year has probably been the best year in UMi’s short history; in 2016 they dedicated their hearts developing towards global markets and created products that …
CPU-Z grab from UMi Z confirms it’ll pack a Helio X27
A leaked image of the UMi Z confirms the next UMi flagship will pack the latest and powerful Mediatek Helio X27 CPU. Let’s check it out.
UMI Z coming soon with Helio X27 ?
Just two days we have seen the taiwanese giant Mediatek unveil some new chipsets into the Helio family and while new X23 and X27 are …


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DURBAN - Tenor, an online search engine and database, has announced that GIF searches will now be available for LinkedIn Messaging.
Google had just recently obtained tenor to assist the company in bringing up GIFS inside Google Images and other services like Gboard easily.
With the new integration, LinkedIn Messaging users will be able to search for new GIFs within the service as well as have access to GIFs that are trending.
There will also be a feature that will have a custom stream that displays the most often used GIF within LinkedIn in the near future.
This GIF update will be ready to use for 50% of the LinkedIn users and will be available to everyone in the near future.
According to Tenor, messaging within LinkedIn has grown by 60% in the past year.
Although LinkedIn is generally a place that people will be closing deals or getting customers or job searching, LinkedIn does not change the main value premise of what a GIF is.
Tenor looks to position a GIF as an option on how to squeeze more information or emotion into a more short form.
Tenor powers more than 12 million GIF searches every month. LinkedIn was acquired by Microsoft in 2016 for $26,2 billion.
- BUSINESS REPORT ONLINE


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Numbers can be confusing and fascinating, particularly when there's a plethora representing the digital media scene and its breakdown into diverse components worldwide.
But they're quite relevant when they provide detailed information on which to base plans and expenditures, as laid out in the FIPP World Digital Media Factbook 2012-13.
FIPP 2012-13 Media Fact Book Cover (courtesy FIPP)
The 186-page book is chock-full of data to mine on digital media revenue, usage patterns, tablets and mobile apps, as well as their impact on the magazine, newspaper and broadcast industries.
What is clear from the statistics published in this book is that digital media can no longer be ignored or marginalized by advertisers, consumers and traditional media.
The fact-book draws on over 100 reports from around the world so first-time readers are excused if they are thrown off by references to monetary values in both U.S. dollars and euros.
Asked about the findings listing both currencies, publisher World Newsmedia Network's (WNMN) CEO Martha L. Stone told me it would be statistically incorrect to assign converted currencies since they fluctuate over time, hence the need to keep the figures in their original forms.
Online, TV and out-of-home advertising have been growing since the 2008 economic slump, according to research by MAGNAGLOBAL, the fact-book reported.
"While overall advertising rose 4.7 percent in 2011 and 5 percent in 2012, print media has experienced a decline both years, while broadcast and Internet have enjoyed a rebound effect," it said.
Global media growth 2011-2012 by category (courtesy FIPP)
Remarkably, it said the most significant growth occurred in developing or second-tier economies such as China, Peru and Argentina, with more than 21 percent expansion from 2011 to 2012.
They were followed by Russia, Turkey, Ukraine, India and Indonesia, which experienced an 11 to 20 percent surge in advertising revenue growth from 2011 to 2012.
But countries like Spain, Greece, Egypt and Japan incurred advertising losses due to economic or environmental setbacks, the report said.
The global advertising by segment chart for the years 2007-2016 is indicative of how the media-related industries have been edging upwards, albeit with a dip in 2009 and a beginning recovery the following year.
Figures listed by PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PwC) show growth from $495,358 million in 2007 to a projected $660,879 million by 2016.
Global advertising by segment 2007-2016 (courtesy FIPP)
PWC also provides a useful diagram on the share of dial-up, mobile and broadband Internet access worldwide broken down by region for the years 2007, 2012 and 2016.
In a case study on paid digital content, the fact-book touches on a subject that has plagued media, notably newspapers and magazines, in recent years given readers' aversion to it and the availability of countless online tools to circumvent it.
A section is devoted to Piano Media which helps publishers in Eastern Europe find a pay model best suited for them, UK-based Future publishing, which touts its creation and delivery of high-quality multimedia products that reach audiences online, on mobile and in print, and, The New York Times, which introduced a metered paywall that is apparently paying off.
A chapter of the book highlights digital media usage patterns and focuses on "hot spots," with the hottest countries being those with mobile penetration exceeding 75 percent and over 40 percent Internet penetration.
Share of Internet access (courtesy FIPP)
"Some countries are hot in either mobile or Internet," the report explained. "For example, African, Asian and Latin American countries tend to be hotter in mobile than Internet."
Western Europe and the United States tend to be hottest in both mobile and Internet, it added, noting that in seven years digital hot spots had shifted from a concentration in Nordic countries, the U.S. and UK to almost all of Europe.
"Seven years ago, no African or South American nation was hot in mobile, but the installation of wireless networks and the development of inexpensive mobile phones have leveled the playing field for mobile around the world," it said.
Media strategists can determine what apps and technologies to develop for which platforms based on users' patterns.
A comScore survey in the book found Canada favored the iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch, while Japan favored the iPhone and Android devices, and to a lesser extent, the iPad.
It also found that Argentina preferred feature and Android phones while India was more attracted to feature phones, followed by other smartphones.
In a chapter on tablets, mobiles and apps, the report draws on the Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism "The State of the Newsmedia 2012" (an annual report on American journalism) to indicate that digital news consumers were adding to their news consumption thanks to all the devices they use.
Digital news consumers devour more news (courtesy FIPP)
The WNMN is a not-for-profit, multiple media research company devoted to advocacy on the media industry's key issues, and to providing actionable strategies for revenue making across the media spectrum.
London-based FIPP, which produced this report, is the worldwide magazine media association representing companies and individuals involved in the creation, publishing, or distribution of quality content, in whatever form, by whatever channel, and in the most appropriate frequency, to defined audiences of interest.


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DID you make any changes to your annual Christmas shopping this year, amid dark financial times tightening people’s purse strings?
It would appear that the recent economic doom and gloom has affected our Christmas shopping habits.
With less money to spend on presents for loved ones, people are turning to charity shops to save a few pennies.
Jason Elder, general manager at Age Scotland on Dalkeith High Street, said he had seen a real change in shopping habits during this festive period: “More and more people are realising that in this type of environment you can get something that is good quality and good value.
“Now people are coming here to get clothes for a night out instead of fancy dress.”
And with many people living busier lives, not only are people looking for bargains, they are doing their Christmas shopping on their phone while on the move.
Internet shopping is more popular in the UK than in any other major country, a survey from regulator Ofcom suggests. Consumers in the UK spend an average of £1,083 a year on internet shopping, compared with Australia which spends the second highest at £842, it said. The country’s fondness for net shopping is, in part, driven by mobile devices.
For more on this feature, pick up a copy of this week’s Midlothian Advertiser out now.


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The Volvo S90 R-Design saloon and V90 R-Design Estate have been revealed as Volvo’s new ’90’ range of cars shows their sporty side. The new Volvo V90 and S90 may only just have arrived – and there are precious few out in the wild yet – but Volvo is already busy extending its 90 Series offerings […]
Car News from all around the world. Updated as the news happens for the car industry in the UK, Europe, the US and around the globe.
Cars UK covers everything that's going on in the car world, and we do all we can to make sure we bring you new car launches, spy photos, car videos and everything that happens in the car world ahead of the pack.
There is a slant towards the UK, but we also bring you the latest from around the world, which often gives a heads-up of what could be heading to the UK and Europe.
Check back here often for the latest car news - we update many time a day, every day. And if you want the latest news in your inbox - either as a daily digest or as it happens - then sign up for our Newsletters.
Now, enjoy the latest...
The ‘New’ Top Gear saw its audience drop still further this week, but the missing viewers only really missed a show with nothing new to offer. We’re trying really hard to like ‘new’ Top Gear with Evans, LeBlanc et al, and last week’s TG was actually rather enjoyable with a very good segment with Chris […]
The new Vauxhall Mokka X – the facelifted Mokka – arrives in Vauxhall’s UK showrooms in October and will cost from £17,590. The Vauxhall Mokka has actually been around for four years, so Vauxhall decided it was time for a bit of a facelift and a new name, with the new Vauxhall Mokka X (‘X’ for […]
The Jaguar Co-Pilot Nordschleife programme launches with the chance to be blasted round the Nurburgring in the Jaguar F-Type SVR as a passenger. The ultimate (well, for now at least) Jaguar F-Type is the new Jaguar F-Type SVR, revealed in February and given a proper public debut in March at the New York Motor Show. With […]
Honda are sending a new NSX-inspired electric concept up the Pikes Peak hill climb this month, as well as a pair of more conventional hybrid NSX cars. The Pikes Peak International Hilll Climb in Colorado is a 12.42 mile mountain climb for cars rising up through 156 twists and turns to finish at 14,110 feet. […]
Audi is promising a total of nine UK public debuts at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, from the new Q2 to the range-topping R8 V10 Spyder. This week’s Goodwood Festival of Speed will, see lots of UK debuts, but it seems Audi will probably take the gong for the most from a single maker with […]
The new range-topping Mercedes-AMG GT R will debut this week at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, ahead of which AMG give us a video tease. It’s almost two years since the AMG GT – AMG’s first proper standalone car – arrived as a range-topping performance model from Mercedes’ performance brand, but the AMG GT and […]
Nico Rosberg lead the Grand Prix of Europe in Baku, Azerbaijan, from beginning to end taking an easy win for Mercedes. Ferrari’s Vettel was second. It did seem, when Lewis Hamilton crashed out of Q3 for the Grand Prix of Europe yesterday and ended up starting in tenth, that Rosberg – who was on pole – […]
Qualifying in the European Grand Prix on the Baku city circuit in Azerbaijan saw Nico Rosberg take pole as Lewis Hamilton crashed out in Q3. If practice for the Grand Prix of Europe on the streets of Baku – Azerbaijan’s capital – told us anything, it was that Lewis Hamilton’s resurgence in the last two races […]
The Porsche 911 Carrera S Endurance Racing Edition unveiled at Le Mans to celebrate Porsche’s Motorsport history. Costs from £107,216. Porsche has a long motorsport history, and although much of it is thanks to specialist Porsches, it’s the 911 that is the foundation of Porsche’s success, and it’s the record 17 race wins at Le Mans […]


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September 5, 2012 |
NEW DELHI: Driven by youth, Internet subscriber base in the country is expected to reach 150 million by the end of this year, says a report. The report by Internet and Mobile Association of India ( IAMAI ) and IMRB said, "the number of claimed Internet users has seen a growth of 16 per cent over last year. This number is estimated to grow up to 150 million by December 2012. " There will be 105 million users in urban India while the rural areas will contribute 45 million subscribers, it added.
October 8, 2012 |
BANGALORE: It's one more thing to do on a flight, and it doesn't come too soon in a connected world. Four Lufthansa routes between India and Germany have started providing wi-fi broadband as a paid in-flight service -- one of the first airlines to do so on Indian skies. Passengers in all three classes on these flights can now browse the Internet on their laptops and tablets without interfering with radio signals from the cockpit. Lufthansa plans to extend this to mobile phones also by year end, enabling text messaging and data transfer.
April 23, 2013 |
At the InterContinental Miami hotel, guests in the lobby can call up the drink menu and flag down a server to order using a touch screen on the coffee tables. The Park Hyatt Tokyo and Park Hyatt Seoul give guests free access to over 2,300 international newspapers on their smartphones or tablets using the hotel's Wi-Fi network and an app called PressReader. Hotels around the world are using technology in new ways, with the goal of speeding up or personalizing more services for guests.
October 2, 2012 |
Plumber: That's the workmanlike, ungainly descriptor NandanNilekani likes to use to sum up his work after crossing over from the corporate sector to the government . Nilekani explains he is assembling , reorganising and cleaning the pipes - in his case, assigning a unique identity number called Aadhaar to every Indian - through which all manners of government benefits will flow to citizens, efficiently and transparently. Nilekani is not the only one. Removed from the delayed response that has been policymaking , there are at least four more ongoing projects that will change the way a large majority of Indians work, bank, transact , engage and live.
April 2, 2013 |
NEW DELHI: You can now use the internet using Wi-Fi facility free of cost while travelling in Howrah-bound Rajdhani Express train from New Delhi. The facility was launched by railways today in the premier train as a pilot project. "There was a demand for it and it was part of the budget announcement," Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal said after launching the Wi-Fi internet service in the train at New Delhi Railway station. He said the Wi-Fi service was launched as a pilot project and the passengers will be availing the service free of cost.
April 24, 2012 |
KORAMANGALA: Started with Rs 1 lakh as seed capital in 2008, Innoz Technologies Pvt Lmt now marks Rs 6 crores revenue and targets 150% increase in next financial year. Considering the growth of Innoz, which was started by four engineering students based in Kerala now set-up their head office in Koramangala are flying high and sky is the limit for them. Deepak Ravindran , Co-founder & CEO, Innoz Technologies which started when he was 20-year-old has inspiring journey for budding entrepreneurs.
January 2, 2013 |
NEW DELHI: India is expected to have close to 165 million mobile internet users by March 2015 (rpt) 2015, up from 87.1 million in December 2012 as more people are accessing the web through mobile devices and dongles, a report by Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) and IMRB said today. According to the report, the number of mobile Internet users increased to 87.1 million by December 2012 from 78.7 million users in October 2012, who accessed Internet through dongles and tablet PCs . This is expected to grow further to 92.9 million (by March 2013)
August 29, 2006 |
BANGALORE: America Online (AOL) may soon make its foray into India as a service and products provider. According to sources, the company will soon start providing its web services and products like AOL Pictures, AIM, ICQ, MapQuest and Netscape to its customers here. The India entry is part of its service launches in 35 countries. AOL's website states that several new international content portals are being readied for launch in '06. The key management team in India could include Maneesh Dhir, senior vice-president and country head of AOL Business Units in India, and company vice-president PG Ponnapa.
June 5, 2003 |
BANGALORE: Bharat Sanchar Nigam said on Thursday that it will offer caller line identification (CLI) based accountless internet facility to its subscribers in Bangalore shortly. "Landline customers would be able to browse the internet without having any separate account for internet access. Customers will have to pay only a nominal internet access charge of 10 paise per minute, besides the local call charges of Re 1.20 per three minutes," Principal General Manager, Bangalore Telecom B R Baliga told reporters here.
June 24, 2008 |
The Delhi High Court has held that where the assessee used internet bandwidth of a US company for providing internet access to its Indian subscribers, such transaction cannot be termed as technical services rendered by the US company, liable to tax in India. The assessee was engaged in the business of providing internet access to its subscribers. The main server, on the basis of which internet services were provided, was in the US. Out of the service charges collected by the assessee from the subscriber, it paid an amount to the US company.


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DOG owners have been warned to keep an eye out for a substance that can harm and even kill their pets.
Reports of palm oil being washed up on Bognor Regis beach have prompted Bognor Regis Town Council to released a statement.
“We have today received reports, from a concerned member of the public, that a substance believed to be palm oil has washed up on the beach near to Marine Park Gardens in Bognor Regis.”
“Deposits of the yellowish or white waxy substance, although not harmful to humans, can be fatal for pets, particularly dogs, if ingested.”
“The Cleansing Department at Arun District Council have been informed and will be dealing with this matter.”
Palm oil is a natural product used mainly in food processing and it can legally be released into the sea by ships. However, palm can be contaminated with fuel waste and other toxins and in solid form can be extremely harmful to dogs.
There has been growing concern for some years about the effects of legally dumped palm oil, not only in terms of its damage to the tourist industry but its possible ill effects on marine mammals as well as dogs on beaches.


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Paddlesports is again in the tariff crossfire as the United States opens a new offensive in the global trade war. In May the Trump administration increased tariffs from 10 percent to 25 percent on $200 billion worth of Chinese imports, including kayaks, canoes and inflatable boats. And on August 1, as Paddling Business went to press, President Trump announced a new 10 percent tariff on an additional $300 billion in Chinese imports, among them standup paddleboards, lifejackets, pedal drives and other components.
The increased tariffs come as a heavy blow to a paddlesports industry reeling from a three-punch tariff combo last year. First, the European Union imposed a 25 percent import tax on U.S. kayak and canoe exports in June 2018, and Canada followed suit with a 10 percent tariff in July.
Trade hostilities on the Chinese front have escalated steadily since September 2018, when the Trump administration imposed a 10 percent tariff on selected Chinese imports, since increased to 25 percent. The latest round of tariffs comes as U.S.-China trade negotiations faltered for the second time in three months, and makes almost all Chinese imports to the United States subject to tariffs of 10 to 25 percent, or even more. The levy on inflatable kayaks now stands at 27.5 percent.
Confused? You’re not alone.
Among the most difficult aspects of the tariff wars is the uncertainty they bring to supply chains and vendor-retailer relationships.
When the Canadian and EU tariffs took effect in June 2018, paddlesports industry leaders could only guess how their businesses would be affected. As million-dollar players in a trillion-dollar trade war, the best they could do is hunker down and hope for a speedy truce. A year later, the impact of those tariffs is visible on everyone’s balance sheets. The European Union’s 25 percent tariff on canoes and kayaks was a body blow to American manufacturers who play in the European market, some of whom saw their European sales decline as much as 80 percent. Canada’s 10 percent tariff was lifted in May, but with the majority of summer orders having already shipped, even that silver lining came with a bit of tarnish. The hangover will stretch deep into the 2019 season.
The increased tariffs on Chinese-made canoes, kayaks and inflatables will hurt some brands more than others, but industry leaders who spoke with Paddling Business agree there will be many more losers than winners. Even companies molding kayaks in the United States braced for a substantial hit, as the cost of some Chinese-made components increased 25 percent overnight. In May, less than two weeks after the Trump administration announced the increase in Chinese tariffs, Hobie scheduled a five percent mid-season price hike on all its kayaks and SUPs—even though most of the company’s boats are manufactured in Oceanside, California.
Components make up a substantial portion of production costs and like many other U.S.-based kayak companies, Hobie sources some of those parts from China. The company was already absorbing the impact of the 10 percent tariff on Chinese components which went into effect in October 2018, and when the tariff increased to 25 percent company brass concluded they had no choice but to raise prices to compensate.
“Hobie is proud to employ hundreds of people at our headquarters in Oceanside,” the company said in a statement. “While a majority of our manufacturing takes place in our Oceanside facility, some of our production and materials do come from overseas. Unfortunately, the recent tariffs, among other factors, have forced us to increase prices on select Hobie products.” The increase took effect June 15, accompanied by a new retail price list. Dealer margin was not impacted.
A similar dynamic is in play for other U.S.-based manufacturers using imported components, although they’ve been able to hold the line on pricing for now.
Doug Ragan, senior vice president for sales at Jackson Kayak, says that if the List 4 tariffs go into effect the Sparta, Tennessee-based kayak maker may have no choice but to raise prices. The company already is reeling from the Canadian and EU tariffs imposed last year. Jackson’s strategy was to cut margin to the bone and try to hold market share. The rope-a-dope tactic allowed the company to wait out the Canadian tariff, but Jackson Kayak is still absorbing body shots in Europe. Sales suffered despite the best efforts of Jackson and its European retailers to hold prices in the same ballpark as their non-U.S. competitors, who suddenly had a 25 percent pricing advantage.
“European distributors who were taking six containers a year ago are now taking one,” Ragan says. “It’s a slap in the gut, and meanwhile they’re pouring hot coals on you from China. It’s a perfect storm right now.”
How tariffs impact small business
Sea Eagle Boats is in the eye of that storm. The Long Island-based seller of inflatable kayaks, boats and standup paddleboards has become a high profile example of how tariffs impact small and mid-sized U.S. companies.The company has been featured in the Wall Street Journal and other major outlets, thanks to owners Cecil and John Hoge’s candid assessment of how the Trump tariffs have impacted their business. The first thing John Hoge wants to make clear is that China does not pay the tariffs, as President Trump has repeatedly asserted. Importers, and ultimately consumers, pick up the tab.
“It’s not debatable. We have the bills that CBP (Customs and Border Protection) gives us for the tariff, in black and white. We get seven days to pay,” says Hoge. He gives the feds an account number, and they help themselves to the money—about $180,000 since the 10 percent Chinese tariff increase went into effect in September 2018. At the new rate, he would have to pay about $450,000 to land the same imports. That’s a heavy burden for a family business with 30 employees, Hoge says.
His Chinese suppliers have been little help. One reduced prices by 5 percent. The other wouldn’t budge. (A third supplier shifted production of Sea Eagle boats from China to a factory it owns in Vietnam.) Hoge says he had no choice but to pass the cost on to consumers, raising prices an average of 7.5 percent in January to compensate for the 10 percent tariff hike. The increase came on top of a 2.5 percent tariff already in effect for inflatable boats, raising the total tax to 12.5 percent. Now he’s paying a total of 27.5 percent and expects he’ll have to raise prices again when his current inventory runs low. Other inflatable importers face the same choice.
“While every business sector is price sensitive, our product categories fall on the extreme end of the spectrum,” Aquaglide general manager Jeff Cunningham wrote in a public comment to U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer. The letter urged tariff exemptions for products the Bend, Oregon-based company imports from China, including kayaks, paddles and standup paddleboards.
“If the 25 percent tariff goes into effect, we will be forced to pass substantial price increases on to our dealers and customers . . . I anticipate a 20-30 percent decrease in revenue, which would then force us to reduce our staff,” Cunningham wrote.
Who pays the tariffs?
Entry-level hardshell brands who import from China face the daunting prospect of competing at rock-bottom retail prices with U.S. and Canadian rivals, while absorbing a 25 percent import tax on every boat they import. Selling a kayak and paddle for as little as $200 leaves precious little margin, and importers will likely have to pass at least a portion of the tariff on to consumers. North American manufacturers like Pelican and Lifetime will have a choice: raise their own prices to sweeten margins, or keep prices low to seize market share. Either way, the Alibaba brands are in for a rough ride. Prospects are better for mid-market brands that import from China.
Josh Thomas, co-founder and CEO of Vibe Kayaks, says his company will tighten belts and hold the line on pricing. “A 25-percent hike, let’s be honest—it sucks. But we’re not necessarily going from zero to 25,” Thomas says. “There was enough blood in the water to know that some kind of trade war or tariffs was coming, and being a younger brand it was a little bit easier for us to plan ahead for it.”
Vibe raised prices last year, with MSRP for the flagship Sea Ghost 130 fishing kayak increasing from $899 to $999. That gave the company a bit of extra margin, Thomas says. “We planned for 10 or 15 percent, and the way we tighten up and close that last 10 percent gap is internal operations, making sure we’re running as lean and as efficient as possible.” One thing Thomas won’t do is change suppliers. When he went into the kayak business in 2013, he couldn’t find a U.S. manufacturer willing to work at the volume and pricing needed for his business plan to pencil out. In China, he had his pick of suppliers. The company he partnered with has grown with him as his sales volume doubled every year for six years. Now plenty of U.S. molders are courting him, but Thomas remains committed to his Chinese partner, who has become a close friend. If he does move his operations, it would be to another Asian country with the same partner, he says. They’ve gone so far as to scout sites, but for now the timing and difficulty of such a move is prohibitive, Thomas says.
“Let me just move some molds over to what, a big empty field in the middle of Vietnam?” he says. “I’d have to put up a building, move machinery, learn their culture, learn their laws, learn their taxes.” That kind of investment doesn’t make sense, especially when there’s no telling what will happen next with tariffs.
While President Trump’s style of economic brinkmanship breeds uncertainty it’s also impossible to ignore. The tariffs could compel China to renegotiate a trade deal on terms more favorable to the U.S., or they could cause both sides to dig in deeper.
As Paddling Business went to press at the end of July, a U.S. trade delegation was preparing to travel to Shanghai for the first face-to-face negotiations since the proposed trade deal fell apart in May. That’s a promising development, though the parties are still miles apart. The Chinese say they won’t talk brass tacks until the U.S. lifts all tariffs, but have resisted U.S. demands that they strengthen regulations against intellectual property theft and forced technology transfers. President Trump’s response was a new round of tariffs and the threat of more escalation, saying his administration could raise tariffs in stages to “well beyond” 25 percent.
When Tennessee congressman John Rose toured the Jackson Kayak factory in April, founder Eric Jackson had one request—help with the crippling EU tariffs. Rose was sympathetic but said there was nothing he could do to help. “He said those decisions are coming from 16000 Pennsylvania Avenue,” Ragan says.
Jackson Kayak is one of the biggest employers in Rose’s district, with 160 workers most of whom are the primary breadwinners for their families. Tennessee is a deep red state, and Rose is a member of the President’s party. Still, Rose said there’s nothing he can do to influence tariff policy. The story is the same in New York. “My congressman understands, but he could lose his career with one tweet,” Hoge says of Rep. Lee Zeldin, a Republican. Hoge’s overtures to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer also fell on deaf ears. The New York Democrat is frequently at odds with the President, but on China tariffs he’s urged Trump to “hang tough.”
Canadian and European tariffs
The Canadian and European tariffs came last year in response to U.S. import duties on steel and aluminum. They’re tit-for-tat measures targeting finished products containing steel and aluminum. Motorboats are high on this list, and they happen to share the same tariff code as kayaks and canoes. Paddlesports was literally collateral damage. The trade conflict with China is a tougher knot to unravel. American companies have complained for decades of China’s heavy-handed trade practices, including currency manipulation and theft of intellectual property. These policies have been a driving force in the rapid rise of Chinese manufacturing, and some American companies are happy to push back.
“If you look at one of the big sticking points between the U.S. and China, it’s about intellectual property theft and government subsidies that allow them to be hypercompetitive,” says Luther Cifers, CEO of YakAttack and Bonafide Kayaks. “Those are two things that are kind of hard to argue with, you know. Don’t steal. So if there’s a little equalizer that makes doing business that way more difficult, I’m happy about that,” says Cifers, who got into the kayak fishing business after the automotive components plant in which he started his career moved to Mexico. His companies make injection-molded kayak fishing accessories in Virginia and kayaks in North Carolina, and Made in America is at the core of his philosophy.
Tariff policy had nothing to do with his decision to keep his factories close to home, Cifers says. Quality control and supply chain efficiency were reasons enough. With the percentage of homegrown components in his kayaks in “the high 90s,” Bonafide is immune to the tariffs on Chinese imports—but not the larger trade war.
“We could have picked up some European distribution if it wasn’t for the tariffs,” he says. “When you take tariffs and the strong dollar into account— and the fact that Chinese knockoffs of most American kayaks are readily available in Europe anyway—the export market’s pretty tough.”


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Sedan Form of the Next-Gen Nissan GT-R from Infiniti
There are rumours that the next-gen Nissan GT-R will receive a 4-door version.
The notion of a Nissan GT-R sedan should not be perceived as a crazy one as the Infinity has actually brought such an offering with its Q50 Eau Rouge concept to life.
Nissan has presented Skyline GT-R sedans during decades and it led to the R35 GT-R offering. Now it turned out that the producer is going to return to that for its next-gen offering. However, the GT-R sedan will have a badge of an Infinity car. The vehicle will be targeting at being similar to the Mercedes-Benz AMG and BMW M3 offerings.
More precise information about the next-gen Nissan GT-R will be revealed soon. According to the recent gossips, the offering will be equipped with a variant of the 3.0-litre six-cylinder hybrid powerplant. The same powerplant is used in the GT-R LM NISMO race vehicle. Though, it is obvious that, unlike the race vehicle, the production R36 GT-R will not be equipped with front-wheel drive system.
Not long ago the automaker revealed that it will have to delay the GT-R LM NISMO since it is working on some issues with the race vehicle’s ERS (energy recovery system). The front-wheel drive race car did not strike at the Le Mans 24 Hours.


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The Yeatman, Oporto’s Winery Hotel
Winemakers are generally known for their hospitality, and many have set up bed-and-breakfast facilities as add-ons to their wineries in order to accommodate wine tourists. A few larger wineries have gone a step further and built full-service hotels and spas in their vineyards, such as Marques de Riscal in Rioja, Spain, and Châteaux Smith Haut-Lafitte (Sources de Caudalie) and Cordeillan-Bages in Bordeaux, France.
What sets the Fladgate Partnership’s Yeatman Hotel in Portugal apart is its location. Because the art of making fine ports is in blending single or multiple vintages, most of these activities take place in the warehouses of Vila Nova de Gaia, perched on the hillsides looking across the Douro River at downtown Oporto.
And that’s where The Yeatman stands — a world-class, modern hotel opened in September 2010, just across the street from the warehouses and tasting rooms of Taylor Fladgate, which, along with Croft and Fonseca, make up the brands of the partnership.
In its first year, The Yeatman has joined the Relais & Châteaux collection, and just this past week the restaurant was given its first Michelin star, one of only a dozen restaurants in Spain and Portugal — and the only one in Oporto — to receive that status. The Yeatman also affords stunning,
panoramic views in all directions, ultra-luxurious suites, a vinotherapy spa, and one of the largest wine cellars in Portugal. (Photo courtesy of Flickr/PABLO ASOREY)
Previously, The Yeatman’s chef, Ricardo Costa, worked at Casa do Calçada, where he also achieved Michelin star status. At The Yeatman, Costa’s cuisine is a contemporary interpretation of classical Portuguese dishes and flavors, and the hotel’s wine director is Beatriz Machado.
“Everyone at The Yeatman is delighted to receive this award, which is recognition of the work that our chef Ricardo Costa and his team have done,” says CEO Adrian Bridge. “The Yeatman has always been an ambitious project to create a new level of experience for people who wish to visit Porto and northern Portugal.”


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BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — The girl who helped propel Starbucks shops towards unionization is getting much more nationwide recognition.
Michelle Eisen, an Elmwood Avenue Starbucks worker and union organizer who went on to speak before Congress, was named on the annual Bloomberg 50 record.
WATCH | Michelle Eisen speaks before House Committee on Education & Labor
The record acknowledges “individuals who outlined world enterprise in 2022.”
“Eisen performed a key function in unionizing about 200 shops throughout the US,” Bloomberg wrote.
In keeping with Starbucks Workers United, Eisen has been a barista for 12 years. Her retailer was the primary in the whole nation to unionize, sparking the nationwide motion.
“I’m honored to have our motion acknowledged by Bloomberg this yr,” Eisen stated. “This marketing campaign has been a useful alternative for all of us to acknowledge the ability we have now once we work collectively. Whereas I’m blissful to be highlighted, I’m one barista over the over 7,000 companions in our ranks and we couldn’t be the place we’re with out every and everybody one in every of them.”
In keeping with Starbucks Staff United, 270 Starbucks shops throughout 36 states are unionized. A whole bunch extra have filed for union elections, they are saying.