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Yesterday, on National Ag Day, Nebraska Farm Bureau unveiled a new report illustrating the benefits of trade for Nebraska agriculture. And, while Nebraska is the Cornhusker State and the Beef State, the report shows Nebraska soybeans benefit the most from exports – followed by corn, beef and distillers grains.
"Nebraska in 2016 was the fifth largest ag exporting state in the nation. In that year, we exported an estimated $6.6 billion of ag exports," said Jay Rempe, senior economist at Nebraska Farm Bureau. "The first three, soybeans, corn and beef were all over a billion dollars, and distillers grains was about $300 million dollars. Our exports in 2016 are three times the value that they were in the year 2000."
And that number continues to grow, Rempe added.
Similar to previous studies on the North Atlantic Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), and the U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement (KORUS), this study examines the value of trade based on 2016 export values for each commodity, and the amount of production in the state in 2016. The report also apportions the value of total ag exports across counties based on production in the county, and gives an estimated per-farm value for exports.
The value of soybean exports, including both soybeans and soybean meal, was worth $6.27 for the state of Nebraska. The value of corn exports, including ethanol and distillers grains, was worth $1.03 per bushel. Meanwhile, the export value of wheat was $2.04 per bushel, beef $169 per head, and pork $68 per head.
Ag powerhouse counties
At the county level, Platte, Cuming, Custer, Holt and Antelope counties were in the top five, with over $148 million, $141 million, $139 million, $132 million, and $129 million in total export value in 2016, respectively.
"I'm going to start calling these the powerhouse counties in terms of ag exports, because in all the trade agreements we've looked at, these counties consistently come out on top," said Rempe. "I think the reason is not only are they near the top in corn and soybean production in the state, but they also have a healthy livestock sector. For four of the counties, Cuming, Custer, Holt and Antelope, cattle production is a significant portion of their county agriculture base. For Platte County, it was pork."
COUNTY LEVEL BREAKDOWN: Estimated total ag export value per county using 2016 export values. Platte, Cuming, Custer, Holt and Antelope counties were in the top five, with over $148 million, $141 million, $139 million, $132 million, and $129 million in total export value in 2016, respectively.
On a per farm basis, Phelps County came out on top, with an average export value of $265,921 per farm, followed by Kearney County at $241,437 per farm, and Fillmore County at $199,873 per farm.
Lastly, the report evaluated the top export commodities for each county.
"What we found is a bit surprising. In 42 counties in the state, soybeans were the top export commodity in terms of value. Beef came in next in 28 counties, and corn was in 19 counties, and wheat in four counties," Rempe said. "I say that's somewhat surprising, because if you ask most Nebraskans what our most important exports would be, they would say corn and beef. But you can see in most Nebraska counties it's soybeans. The reason is nearly half of our soybeans are exported out of the country, whereas corn stays and is processed into ethanol or fed to cattle or hogs."
INDIVIDUAL FARMER BENEFIT: The report also estimates the value of ag exports on a per farm basis for each county. Phelps County came out on top, with an average export value of $265,921 per farm, followed by Kearney County at $241,437 per farm, and Fillmore County at $199,873 per farm.
Regionally, most of the eastern third of the state saw the biggest export benefits from soybeans, while the Sandhills and northern Panhandle saw the biggest benefit from beef exports. The central and southwest parts of the state saw the biggest benefit from corn exports, while the southern Panhandle benefited the most from wheat exports.
Real market risk
The top two markets for U.S. soybeans and Nebraska soybeans are China, followed by Mexico, and Nebraska Farm Bureau president Steve Nelson noted that at a time when President Trump and his administration are looking to implement tariffs on places like China, and considering withdrawing from trade deals like NAFTA, the analysis continues to show trade is critical to Nebraska agriculture. This has drawn criticism from the agricultural community over fear of trade wars and retaliatory tariffs placed on U.S. ag products.
TOP EXPORTS: For 42 of Nebraska's counties, soybeans were the top export – mostly in the eastern third of the state. Beef came in second in 28 counties in the Sandhills and northern Panhandle. Meanwhile, corn was the top export in 19 counties in the central and southwest parts of the state, while wheat was the top export in four counties – mostly in the southern Panhandle.
"There's a fairly wide range between counties based on the production and the type of production in those counties, but those are significant numbers all the way across the board," said Nelson. "Any kind of further disruption that would lower those numbers I think could create more difficulties for farmers and ranchers."
In a recent example, Jordan Dux, national affairs director at Nebraska Farm Bureau, noted the European Union's list of products to place retaliatory tariffs on, should the U.S. expand tariffs on steel and aluminum imports – that list included imports of U.S. corn. "When you go down this path, it certainly is our fear that you begin that process of initiating what we've talked about is a trade war – we have a tit-for-tat retaliation of things," Dux said. "That's a very real thing for us."
Read the full report at: www.nefb.org/images/FEDeration/PDFs/NE-Agriculture-International-Trade.pdf


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At this year’s CES in Las Vegas, HTC and the company Under Armour announced their partnership and promised to launch products related to fitness at the end of this year. The end of 2015 is approaching and we haven’t seen anything yet of these two companies. So far we only had the information that the new product would be delayed, and today again this information is repeated. If previously the announcement of the new product would only be postponed until the end of the year, this time the product is pushed back to the first quarter of 2016, one year after the first announcement at CES.
There is also a rumor which states that the HTC Grip will actually be canceled by HTC, since the brand decided to launch early next year a fully integrated digital ecosystem of products. The Phandroid decided to question the HTC about this issue, to what the brand said that they are still developing a Connected Fitness platform and will still continue to elevate product offerings.
In this answer, HTC didn’t mention directly the HTC Grip but at least we know that the company is focused on developing wearables.The partnership with Under Armour will be really great to HTC, since the brand already has a few fitness accessories and applications.

domain: news


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Hollywood producer and director Ava DuVernay has now set her sights on the podcast game and has signed a multiyear deal to produce a slate of exclusive podcasts with Spotify. According to Variety, DuVernay will develop and produce exclusive original audio programming through Array, her multiplatform arts and social impact collective in concert with Spotify’s Gimlet studio.
“Recognizing the undeniable power of voice and sound, I’m thrilled to extend Array’s storytelling into the realm of podcasts. The opportunity to work with Lydia Polgreen [Gimlet’s managing director] and her passionate team drew us to Spotify as a home for our audio narratives and we couldn’t be more excited to begin this new creative journey,” DuVernay revealed in a statement to Variety.
All podcasts on Spotify, including those exclusive titles stemming from this partnership, will be available for free. “Ava DuVernay and her team at Array are at the forefront of telling powerful stories about the most pressing issues of our time. We’re so excited to bring their passion for lifting up forgotten and neglected voices to life in audio,” Polgreen told Variety,
In related news, Ava DuVernay will be bringing DC Comics’ “Naomi” to the small screen on the CW. DuVernay will co-write and executive produce the series based around the Black teen action hero. According to Deadline, “Naomi follows a teen girl’s journey from her small northwestern town to the heights of the multiverse. When a supernatural event shakes her hometown to the core, Naomi sets out to uncover its origins, and what she discovers will challenge everything we believe about our heroes.”
DuVernay will also direct DC Comics upcoming film New Gods based off Jack Kirby’s comic book series of the same name. Both projects are currently in production but no release dates have been revealed yet.


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True to its ethical mandate of seeking new opportunities to support entrepreneurs in South Africa’s circular economy, the PET Plastic Recycling Company (PETCO) has come on board as sponsor of the inaugural Twyg Sustainable Fashion Awards, which are open for nominations until August 18.
The eight award categories* are aimed at recognising South African designers who have adopted a sustainable design approach and fostered ethical practices in the fashion industry.
Aside from the student award, all nominees must have been in business for at least one year and be able to demonstrate ethical labour practice and transparency in practices and sourcing.
The platform provides winners with the opportunity to raise their business profile through recognition from industry peers and media exposure around the awards.
The judging panel includes Superbalist head of content Kelly Fung, University of Johannesburg fashion design academic Dr Desiree Smal, Fashion Revolution South Africa coordinator Cyril Naicker, Durban University of Technology lecturer Fezile Mdletshe-Mkhize, and Aaniyah Omardien, founder of The Beach Co-op, an NGO focused on changing consumer behaviour through clean-up activations.
Judging takes place in the first week of September and the category winners will be announced at an awards evening in Cape Town on Thursday 19 September 2019.
PETCO stakeholder relations manager Janine Osborne said the organisation is proud to support the efforts of non-profit organisations such as Twyg to create platforms that encourage sustainable living.
“Our greatest asset is the remarkable network of partners we work with every day to achieve our recycling and sustainability goals,” said Osborne, adding that R1.2 billion was injected into South Africa’s downstream economy last year from the designing, manufacturing and distribution of products made from recycled PET plastic.
She said the value of PET plastic as circular material drove the sector’s approach to waste management, with PETCO’s model underpinning industry-driven and financed “cradle to cradle” packaging solutions.
“PET bottles are made from one of the few polymers that can be recycled into the same form – and they can also be recycled into polyester fibre which is used in a wide range of textiles for clothing, household goods and industrial purposes.”
Twyg founder Jackie May said she was grateful for PETCO’s support of the inaugural fashion awards.
“We salute their continued efforts of imposing accountability over the entire life cycle of PET products and packaging. Sustainability is complex and achieving 100% sustainability is an on-going and shared commitment,” said May.
“Our work supports the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 12: sustainable consumption and production, especially in the fashion industry. By acknowledging changemakers in fashion, Twyg highlights what the industry is capable of achieving, and shows its support of conscious fashion in a very complex industry.”
May said calls for a sustainable approach to a greener future in the fashion industry had become overwhelming, with top UK designer Stella McCartney launching the UN Sustainable Fashion Industry Charter for Climate in December 2018.
“The Twyg Sustainable Fashion Awards aim to create awareness around this issue and showcase the impact designers have had on the fashion industry of the SADC region.”
Twyg partners at Fashion Revolution, Southern African Clothing and Textile Workers’ Union (SACTWU) and SA Fashion Week will choose finalists, while the panel of judges will select the final winners.
For more information on the Twyg Sustainable Fashion Awards’ categories and to submit nominations, visit www.twyg.co.za.
* Award categories include:
Innovative Design and Materials; Trans-seasonal Fashion Award; Sustainable Accessory Award; Sustainable Fashion Influencer; Sustainable Retail Award; Student Award; Nicholas Coutts Award; and the Change-maker Award.
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Quick Cape Town Fact: The Table Mountain Aerial Cableway is nearly a century old? Before then, the only way up the mountain was by foot and only the most adventurous—or foolhardy—had been to its summit. On 4 October 1929, after two years of difficult and dangerous work, the first Cable Car chugged its way to the top filled with excited and probably very nervous visitors. It’s been upgraded a number of times since, and today the trip to the top is smooth sailing.


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Companies in Illinois and across the country that supply parts to General Motors are increasingly feeling the pressure of the month-old strike against the automaker by the United Auto Workers.
Some 49,000 UAW members walked off their jobs after the four-year contract expired Sept. 16. As of last week, more than 120 companies that are GM suppliers had temporarily laid off nearly 17,000 workers, according to the Original Equipment Suppliers Association.
The industry group declined to say how many of those companies are in Illinois but a number of suppliers have operations here. What the impact has been in the Chicago area is unclear — the companies either aren’t talking or aren’t revealing any specifics.
“At this point, the strike is affecting the entire automotive supply chain,” said Brian Peterson, director of public policy and economic analysis at consulting firm Anderson Economic Group in Chicago. Many suppliers have temporarily laid off workers or cut their hours, he said.
Anderson estimates that 150,000 workers have been affected by the strike, including the striking UAW members.
“The automotive supply chain is a huge supply chain, especially here in the Midwest,” Peterson said.
American Axle & Manufacturing has nearly 90 locations globally, including two plants on the city’s South Side and one in Bolingbrook. The company’s plants across North America “aren’t shut down but are operating below normal levels of productivity,” according to a Goldman Sachs research note from late last month.
Axle representatives did not return calls for comment.
Another supplier, Urbana-based auto parts manufacturer Flex-N-Gate, opened a facility on Chicago’s South Side earlier this year. The company is the 10th-largest original equipment supplier in North America and has more than 24,000 employees at manufacturing facilities worldwide.
“The strike is obviously having an effect, but the impact to now has been manageable,” said Flex-N-Gate spokesman Jim Woodcock, in a statement. “This is a collective bargaining process that all parties must respect and allow to run its course.”
He declined to provide additional detail.
Magna International has 347 manufacturing plants around the world, including locations in Belvidere and Nashville, Ill. Those two locations have about 1,900 employees, according to the company, and a Magna executive last month called GM the company’s “biggest customer globally.”
Company spokesman Scott Worden declined to say how those two sites have been affected.
“As a supplier to GM with global programs, a number of our divisions in North America remain impacted, some more than others based on the amount of GM-specific business at each location,” Worden said in a statement. “While we attempted to keep our employees at these impacted plants working as long as possible through training, maintenance and inventory, a few of our GM-dedicated plants are now idle.”
Lear Corp. has 261 locations across the world, including in Hammond and Portage, Ind. Lear makes seating and electrical systems.
“Our UAW employees at impacted facilities are unable to work due to lack of production volume,” said company spokesman Brian Corbett in a statement. He declined to say which plants or how many employees have been affected.
Other suppliers in Illinois include Lake Forest-based Tenneco; Brake Parts, of McHenry; MacLean-Fogg, of Mundelein; and Dynamic Manufacturing, of Hillside. Representatives of those companies did not respond to requests for comment.
Bill Kirchner, president of Barnes International, of Rockford, said the strike hasn’t affected his company so far because Barnes works on longer-term projects for GM. Barnes builds filters for machine tools used to manufacture engines and transmissions.
But if the strike were to stretch into December, it could force changes to the workforce, Kirchner said.
The longer the strike goes on, the more it may also begin to affect third-tier suppliers, such as metal stampers and plastic injection molding companies, said Peterson, with Anderson Economic Group.
General Motors CEO Mary Barra joined in negotiations early this week, indicating that a deal may be near, according to The Associated Press. But even if there’s an agreement, the union chapters would still have to ratify the contract, meaning it’s unlikely production would be able to start this week at GM, Peterson said.
The Original Equipment Suppliers Association also has warned that it could be difficult to get some laid-off employees to return to work, given low unemployment rates and a shortage of skilled tradesworkers.
“Upon conclusion of the strike, this could cause extended disruption in the supply chain as suppliers ramp up their production,” association President and CEO Julie Fream said in a statement.
The strike involves 33 GM manufacturing plants across the country and 22 parts distribution warehouses, including one in Bolingbrook.
Chicago Tribune’s Bob Channick contributed.


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Android made up 86% of Q4 smartphone shipments in China, iOS was 12%
0. phoneArena 31 Jan 2013, 17:47 posted on
China is a huge smartphone market and growing at quite a rapid clip, but more amazing than the size of the market in China is the relative lack of mobile platform competition in the region. New data from Strategy Analytics says that 86% of smartphone shipments in Q4 2012 were Android devices, and a mere 12% were iOS...
This is a discussion for a news. To read the whole news, click here
1. networkdood (Posts: 6330; Member since: 31 Mar 2010)
Hmmm, I wonder if APPLE would create a specially made, and cheap version of the iphone, just for CHINA? It could be worth it.
2. networkdood (Posts: 6330; Member since: 31 Mar 2010)
say 256MB RAM, 3.0" screen with 123 pixel density, somewhat a fat phone with breakable glass and 4GB of storage.
4. sorcio46 (Posts: 435; Member since: 27 Jul 2011)
this phone in 2013 is even too low for the low range smartphones
6. PhoneArenaUser (Posts: 5498; Member since: 05 Aug 2011)
I'm pretty sure that any cheap Apple phone won't be popular! Because people who loves to show off won't buy cheap phone even if it has Apple logo on it! Why? Because according to this kind of Apple lovers - CHEAP IS NOT COOL!
Other people who loves technologies also won't buy it because I'm pretty sure that cheap Apple phone will be even more boring and outdated than usual iPhone. ;)
11. networkdood (Posts: 6330; Member since: 31 Mar 2010)
could make an exception in China...they have lots of people there...
14. anywherehome (Posts: 971; Member since: 13 Dec 2011)
they can not.....what would you do with cheap iPhone? even that overpriced iPhone you can not
1) plug to PC
2) bluetooth transfer
3) dictate in iTunes
4) no widgets, just an iConboard
5) always worse HW than competition
6) zero innovations
so what would you do with any cheap iPhone, a cheap iConboard?
Apple must stay "exclusive" for some people or they lost its exclusivity and then "why to buy an iConboard when every one can afford it?"
so even 12 % is too much
3. joey_sfb (Posts: 5741; Member since: 29 Mar 2012)
i visited China recently, most people i run into use an Android smartphone with a screen size of 4.3" and above. Their phone have local chinese branding not heard outside China.
Google open source effect on full swing there. Most phone don't have Google apps but were able to run Android Apps side loaded i think.. LOL!!
5. flower99 (banned) (Posts: 54; Member since: 18 Nov 2012)
i still count kindle fire an android device tho :)
7. Aeires (unregistered)
Agreed, especially when I can download apps from the Amazon App Store on my N4 & N7.
10. D_Tech-tive (Posts: 104; Member since: 12 Feb 2012)
It will only get worse for Apple watch and see!
Time to get your nose out the air and put your pinky down Apple fans! LOL
13. dorianb (Posts: 595; Member since: 24 Oct 2012)
LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL @ THE FRUIT.
16. sithvenger (banned) (Posts: 371; Member since: 25 Aug 2012)
I don't think you'll see forked versions of iOS. China is android land.


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The best stocks of 2020 so far have made pandemic investors much richer
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Through the mid-year point, results for the biggest U.S. indexes were an equally wild mix. Amid the coronavirus carnage in the markets, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 9.6% and the S&P 500 declined 4%. On the other hand, the tech-heavy Nasdaq rose 12.1%. Gold did even better, up 17.4%.
But those gains are nothing compared to the best performers on the stock market, where the top ten S&P 500 stocks eclipsed those numbers, and the best Nasdaq stocks went even further—with returns that more than doubled their value, at a minimum.
Perhaps surprisingly, several pandemic darling stocks such as Netflix, whose subscribers surged with people stuck at home, didn’t even crack the top 10—even though Netflix stock returned nearly 41% in the first half of 2020.
In the S&P 500, the first half’s best performing stocks included Clorox (up nearly 45% as its sanitizing wipes sold out everywhere) and Amazon (rising more than 49% as people relied more on e-commerce), as well as electronic payments company PayPal (up 61%) and semiconductor giant Nvidia (up almost 62%).
In an even bigger surprise, the two biggest winners in the S&P 500 were both health care stocks—though their performance can’t entirely be credited to a coronavirus boost. The best-performing S&P 500 stock was DexCom, a maker of smart glucose monitors for diabetes patients, which rose more than 85%, followed by Regeneron (up 66%), which is trying to replicate its success with Ebola treatments in finding an antidote for COVID-19.
Those returns, however, were all overshadowed by the best performers in the Nasdaq. (For this article, we looked only at companies with at least $10 billion in market value). While Tesla came in at No. 5, with a first-half return of over 158%, that performance was dwarfed by its upstart competitor, Nikola, which came in first, soaring 554%. Nikola has had an eventful year; it just began taking pre-orders for its new electric pickup truck, and its share price soared after it joined the Nasdaq in June via a reverse merger.
Coming in second among Nasdaq stocks, of course, was Zoom Video—the virtual meeting software company that has been the talk of the pandemic among corporate employees and home fitness enthusiasts alike, rising nearly 273%.
Even strong contenders like Peloton Interactive, whose stock more than doubled in value as its at-home bikes and workout classes were a quarantine hit, didn’t quite make the list.
On the flip side, a good many other stocks—as might be expected— have had a terrible 2020 so far. The worst performers among the S&P 500 include the major cruise lines like Norwegian (down 72%) and Carnival (down nearly 68%), along with a smattering of energy companies and airlines.
One noteworthy anomaly among the losers is beauty company Coty. That stock fell more than 60% in the first half of the year—and that’s even after Coty stock surged this week on news that it would take a 20% stake in Kim Kardashian’s cosmetics brand.


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Thailand’s consumer confidence index (CCI) plunged for the sixth consecutive month to 77.9 in September and to its lowest in 11 months, an academic survey revealed today.
Thanawat Polvichai, director of the Economic and Business Research Centre of the University of Thai Chamber of Commerce, said Thai people’s consumption will slow successively until the fourth quarter in light of lack of any recovery signals.
He said consumers have remained wary of various situations, especially Thailand’s export slowdown, which has its consequences for the Thai economy, such as the higher cost of living, political volatility, global economic drawbacks and floods.
The university research centre predicted a slowdown in consumer purchasing until at least mid-Q4 since there are no signs of economic recovery, said Dr Thanawat who indicated that the CCI in the fourth quarter would not improve unless the government achieves political stability and speeds up budget disbursements through financial policy to encourage liquidity. (MCOT online news)


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09:32 AM - June 6, 2014 by Panicshade
Back in October, Brian Hayes confirmed EA Sports UFC would run at 1080p on both the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. In the face of that widely circulated report, no one had denied those claims at EA in an official capacity.
However, thanks to an analysis by Digital Foundry, the demo appears to be running at 900p instead of the touted 1080p.
It is possible that the demo is running at a lower resolution than it will in the full version, but this is obviously something many fans want to know more about as we approach the launch of EA Sports UFC in just a couple of weeks.


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The products will complement the Sherpa line.
NOVATO, CA — Pet product maker Worldwise Inc. has acquired Chicago, IL-based PetEgo LLC, a maker of travel and lifestyle pet products.
PetEgo's product lines will complement to the Sherpa travel line, which scheduled to premier at Global Pet Expo in Orlando, FL, March 21-23, according to press release.
The PetEgo line includes crash-tested carriers, products to protect car interiors, and patented solutions for the active outdoor lifestyle, all "designed with modern Italian flair," the release explains. These products have caught the attention of auto industry leaders such as Mercedes Benz and Subaru, which distribute PetEgo products internationally under their own brands.
“As a trusted innovator in the pet travel and safety segments, the PetEgo product line and their design expertise further enhances innovation and new technologies within the Worldwise portfolio and positions our company to have one of the most comprehensive offering that supports an active lifestyle for both pets and people,” said Kevin Fick, CEO of Worldwise. “In addition, PetEgo brings strong relationships with international retailers to propel Worldwise’s growth outside of the North American market. We are excited to build upon and expand the strong PetEgo following that mirrors our commitment to innovation, design, safety and quality, which are the cornerstones of the Worldwise mission and model.”
Emanuele Bianchi of PetEgo will become an integral part of Worldwise’s product development efforts and join the Worldwise executive team. He will head up the Travel Design Group under the leadership of Neil Werde, Denver-based managing director of canine products.
“The fact that PetEgo’s high quality products caught the attention of the executives at Worldwise Inc. is truly a remarkable achievement for me personally and professionally,” said Emanuele Bianchi, founder and lead designer of PetEgo. “In my career as an inventor and designer, I’ve always had tremendous respect for the innovation in the SHERPA brand and product execution, and have thought many times about the countless opportunities I could achieve merging our strengths. I am thrilled to not only have my products as part of the SHERPA line, but also now have the opportunity to be involved in on-going development and the creation of new innovative products that are both safe and unique, incorporating the design elements I’ve been developing for many years.”


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Volkswagen UK is rolling out a spin-off of its successful “See film differently” campaign targeted at drivers who love independent cinema. The «anti-action» follow-up of the campaign, developed by adam&eveDDB, is taglined “Made for real life, not the movies” and explores the differences between the cinema rides and rides in real life.
Harvey Nichols, the UK’s upmarket department store, has launched a tongue-in-cheek campaign to inspire customers to spend less on Christmas gifts for others in order to save more money and buy pricy gifts for themselves. The effort taglined “Sorry I Spent It On Myself” is developed by adam&eveDDB—it includes a TV spot and a range of low-cost retail items with a self-indulgent explanation on the packaging.
Google is spreading the word about its Global Impact Challenge in the UK with the launch of a new campaign by adam&eve DDB, which shows that a simple click can make a difference. The effort is designed to attract the audience to the dedicated website, where they can vote for UK not-for-profits and their ways to revolutionize the world.


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Apple Car ?
According to recent reports, Apple will intensify its focus on autonomous driving technology, while at the same time putting development of its secret electric car ("Project Titan") on the back burner.
As Autocar reports:
"It’s now emerged that Dan Dodge, the former head of Blackberry’s automotive software division, has been signed up to work on the project..."
"According to sources interviewed by Bloomberg, Dodge’s appointment shows a change of strategy from Apple as it focuses efforts on developing a self-driving system, giving it the option of partnering with an existing car maker, rather than building a car itself..."
This change in direction may have been prompted by the recent high-profile Tesla Autopilot incident. Perhaps Apple is trying to get ahead of Tesla in self-driving technology?
Whatever the case may be, it seems that both programs are still on for Apple...building a car and developing autonomous tech, but the latter now seems to be the area of more intense focus.
Apple still reportedly targets 2020 or 2021 for the release of its first electric car on the market - which is 12-24 months behind initial speculation.


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Service firms should approach AI today like the early days of cloud computing. They must keep in mind that not every client, partner, or internal team is ready for it yet.
Artificial intelligence isn’t new. Manufacturers have been building AI into cars for years, media companies around the world use it to recommend content, and retailers use it to predict consumer behavior. But in the past few months, AI – and more specifically, generative AI – has captured the imagination of nearly everyone. Technology and digital services firms are no exception.
Data-oriented consultancies and digital engineering firms have been working with AI and Machine Learning for quite some time, but the release of ChatGPT and the broader accessibility of AI platforms have forced nearly every professional services firm to take notice. And for good reason.
AI is going to impact every aspect of this sector – from how work gets done, to the solutions that are delivered, to who they hire and train, and how they operate. AI is disruptive, which makes it both an opportunity and a risk. It’s an opportunity for those who can effectively use it and a risk for those who ignore it.
It feels very similar to the first wave of cloud computing in the late 2000s and early 2010s. A time when companies like Salesforce and Workday were disrupting long-standing enterprise players like Oracle and PeopleSoft. Consumer software companies like Adobe, Intuit, and Microsoft had started to shift business models and move their apps to subscriptions, and cloudwashing was in full effect.
However, there was also a sense of fear. Many enterprises didn’t think the cloud was secure or stable enough for what they needed. Vendors and VARs saw their business models in jeopardy, and IT leaders were scared for their jobs. We hear many of these same fears today around AI, and honestly, some of those fears are legitimate.
But the AI wave is coming – whether we like it or not. The technology will evolve and mature the way cloud computing did, but probably at a much faster pace.
We believe AI, particularly generative AI in the near term, will likely be an even bigger disruption and opportunity for services firms than cloud computing.
There is a reason why the global systems integrators are jumping into the fray with both feet. In the last few months alone, Deloitte launched its Generative AI practice expanding its strategic partnership with Google Cloud, Accenture acquired an industrial AI company to help clients get to their net zero goals faster, and Globant introduced an AI challenge awarding $200,000 for ideas on how AI can transform business.
Technology services firms across the board are finding ways to incorporate AI into their marketing and internal operations, in the solutions they develop for customers, and in how they help clients and partners adopt AI. But there are questions leaders need to ask themselves about where and how to incorporate AI before jumping into the fray, or they could get themselves into trouble.
Like cloud computing in the early days, not every client, partner, or internal team is ready for AI. Especially when it comes to AI solutions for large enterprises that have complex technical and compliance requirements. If you approach AI in the wrong way, you may find yourself distracting the business, wasting money, or worse, alienating customers and teams.
Here are five questions to ask yourself when developing your AI strategy:
1. Have I started using AI internally?
Before you start advising customers, make sure you’re drinking your own champagne. Using these technologies internally first will allow you to see the opportunities and risks before passing those along to customers. Showing customers how you’re benefiting from AI also makes the sales pitch a lot easier and makes every consultant smarter on the topic.
2. Where are my customers on the AI maturity curve?
Not every customer or use case is ready for AI. In fact, many aren’t. Cloud computing has been around for a quarter of a century, yet many mission-critical systems remain on-premises. You’d be surprised at how many of the Fortune 100 still use mainframes (don’t believe me, check out these stats!) The best businesses out there know the needs of their customers and how to bring them along.
3. What are my partners doing in AI?
Many services companies work closely with a select set of software vendors. Know what your partners are doing with AI in their own product set – not just what they’re talking about, but what is specifically on their roadmap. Knowing this will help you be a better advisor to clients who use these systems and may prevent you from spending valuable resources building an extension or add-on that could be coming to market shortly.
4. Where do I have permission to play?
Understand where your expertise lies and where clients and partners look to you for execution and guidance. In services, failure to focus breeds mediocrity. If you specialize in retail or manufacturing, identify the specific use cases where AI can have a big impact in the near term. If you are an SI for hyperscalers like Google or AWS, find ways to help their customers (and their sales people) use AI to get the most value out of those platforms. Identify the white space, and make that space yours.
5. Is my team prepared?
This question might be the most important one of all. It’s easy for a CEO, CTO, or CMO to paint a vision for what is possible, but if there isn’t a team capable (or willing) to execute on that vision, you won’t be successful no matter how much money you put in. Once you know the skills that are needed evaluate the team you currently have, where you can train or reskill, and where you may need to hire. And remember, it’s not just about skill set; it also comes down to mindset.
This is a meaningful moment in technology but for IT services especially. Businesses have relied on services companies for decades to be their Sherpa to the technology promise land, and this will be no different. Even if you aren’t actively investing in this area, make sure you’re thinking about how this technology will impact your team, your partners, your clients, and your business. Don’t wait, or you’ll be behind.


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American’s are gearing up for a busy shopping weekend following Thanksgiving.
Some 59% of Americans – an estimated 137.4 million people – are planning to or considering shopping during Thanksgiving weekend, according to the annual survey released today by the National Retail Federation (NRF) and Prosper Insights & Analytics. The numbers, which cover Thanksgiving Day, Black Friday and Small Business Saturday plus Sunday, include both in-store and online shopping and are up from 58.7% or 135.8 million people last year.
“Black Friday remains one of the busiest shopping days of the year, with Americans planning to take advantage of aggressive in-store and digital promotions over the entire holiday weekend,” NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay said. “Retailers know consumers are spreading out their holiday budgets to shop throughout the season. While there’s no doubt of the incredible promotions offered during the weekend, the holiday shopping season is long and consumers will look for and expect great deals down to the very last minute.”
The survey found that 21% of weekend shoppers plan to shop on Thanksgiving Day, nearly the same as last year’s 22%. But Black Friday will remain the busiest day of the holiday weekend with 74% planning to shop that day, the same as in 2015. A substantial 47% are expected to shop on Saturday; of those shoppers, 24% say they will be doing so specifically to support Small Business Saturday, up from 22% last year. On Sunday, 24% expect to shop.
According to the survey, 77% of 18 to 24-year-olds and 76% of 25 to 34-year-olds plan to shop over the weekend. As with shoppers overall, Black Friday is the day most Millennial weekend shoppers plan to shop – 86% of 18 to 24-year-olds and 78% of 25 to 34-year-olds.
“Millennials continue to drive the trend of hitting the stores – both on their feet and online – as soon as the turkey is finished,” Prosper Principal Analyst Pam Goodfellow said. “Whether they’re hoping to find gifts for themselves or for the folks on their lists, they will do their research to find the best deals of the weekend and have allotted a large part of their holiday budget for Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday spending.”
“For many Millennials, every Thanksgiving weekend they can remember has involved hopping online to find the best deals,” Goodfellow said. “For this group, it’s more than just a weekend of good deals, it’s a holiday tradition.”
While not included in the 137.4 million total for the Thanksgiving weekend, 36% of consumers say they plan to shop online on Cyber Monday, up from the 34% in 2015.
CyberMonday.com Turns 10
Even Cyber Monday will get in on the Black Friday frenzy, with the 10-year-old website CyberMonday.com promoting “Deal of the Hour” offers from hundreds of retailers throughout the day on Black Friday. The deals include:
Offers will include dollars off, free gifts with purchase and free shipping specials. NRF will announce Cyber Monday promotions on Nov. 27.
NRF will release the results of its Thanksgiving weekend survey by 2p.m. ET on Sunday, Nov. 27. Information will include what time people started shopping on Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday, how many people shopped for Small Business Saturday and the percentage of those shopping online over the weekend. That day NRF will also release the annual Cyber Monday Expectations survey.


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Google has agreed to pay roughly $270 million in fines and alter some enterprise practices as a part of a settlement introduced on Monday with French antitrust regulators who had accused the corporate of abusing its dominance of the internet advertising market.
The French competitors authority mentioned the settlement was the primary time an antitrust regulator had taken direct goal at Google’s internet advertising infrastructure, a platform that scores of internet sites worldwide depend on to promote advertisements.
The effective is pittance in contrast to Google’s general enterprise — its dad or mum firm, Alphabet, earned $41 billion final yr — however the French authorities hailed the concessions they acquired from Google as a result of they have an effect on know-how and practices on the coronary heart of the corporate’s enterprise.
In the United States, Google is going through related antitrust scrutiny over its internet advertising know-how from a gaggle of state attorneys common, in addition to from Britain’s antitrust regulator.
French competitors regulators mentioned Google used its place because the world’s largest web promoting firm to harm information publishers and different sellers of web advertisements. Authorities mentioned service owned by the Silicon Valley large and utilized by others to promote promoting throughout the web gave Google’s enterprise preferential therapy, undercutting competitors.
As a part of the settlement, French authorities mentioned Google agreed to finish the follow of giving its providers preferential therapy and to change its promoting system in order that it could work extra simply with different providers.
Among the businesses that complained to French authorities about Google was News Corp., the writer of The Wall Street Journal, and the French writer Rossel La Voix Group, the competitors authority mentioned.
Google didn’t admit to wrongdoing, however mentioned in an announcement that it could make adjustments to improve transparency of its internet advertising techniques and make the know-how extra interoperable with different providers.
The adjustments apply solely in France, however Google mentioned some would possibly finally be rolled out globally.
Bruno Le Maire, the French finance minister, embraced the settlement.
“It is essential to apply our competition rules to the digital giants who operate in our country,” he mentioned. The accusations of abuse of the promoting know-how are “serious,” he added, “and they have been rightly punished.”
Liz Alderman contributed reporting.


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Company that took over every Brains pub in Wales struggling to find workers
A pub group that took over every Brains pub in Wales has called for a relaxation of visa restrictions for hospitality staff.
The chief executive of Marston’s, which took over operations at 156 pubs previously run by the Welsh brewer Brains in December of last year, said that the sector was now facing severe labour shortages.
Almost one in ten of its 187 pubs were understaffed and an easing of visa rules for kitchen staff in particular “would be very welcome”, Andrew Andrea said.
The industry has been hit by the departure of European workers after Brexit, and staff finding new work while hospitality was closed during the pandemic.
In August, Marston’s had to close 30 pubs and limit trading at 50 others. Across the UK, 1,000 hospitality sites have closed since July because of supply chain and staffing challenges, according to the industry data tracker CGA.
The pubs the company took over in Wales will continue to operate under the Brains brand and will still sell the Welsh brewer’s beer.
That sale was in itself due to the pandemic putting huge pressure on hospitality in Wales, after the Welsh Government announced new rules on not selling alcohol and closing at 6pm at the height of the winter Covid surge.
In a statement made at the time, the companies said the deal was needed “to address Brains’ immediate funding requirements”.
“This agreement marks the formation of a lasting strategic relationship with Marston’s which secures the future of Brains’ pubs and 1,300 of our employees within them,” said chairman John Rhys.
“We know and trust Marston’s to be excellent custodians of our pubs and, whilst this is not a decision we have taken lightly, we are confident that both our pubs – and our pubs teams – will thrive under their stewardship.
“Furthermore, this transaction enables Brains to recapitalise its balance sheet and continue its long heritage as an independent entity, preserving this great Welsh business for generations to come.”
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The Countryside Agency says a "digital divide" is restricting businesses in rural areas, where just seven per cent have access to affordable broadband services.
Working in a rural location has distinct advantages
Two companies tell BBC News Online that unless they can get a faster computer connection, they face having to relocate.
Paul Froggett runs a software company, ranked in the top 40 fastest-growing firms in the UK.
When he started his own business - The Complete Product - he decided to locate it within cycling distance of his Wiltshire home.
The general perception is that rural businesses consist of pottery makers and basket weavers
He had already spent years commuting, including at one point a 90-mile daily journey to High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire.
After initially running the business from a disused granary store, then a converted barn, he and his 24 staff now operate from purpose-built premises on an old farm site in Sherston.
But while the location is idyllic, the downside of having slow computer access has been less attractive, he said.
"The general perception is that rural businesses consist of pottery makers and basket weavers," said Mr Froggett.
"But we are a serious IT hi-tech company and we are serving customers all over the world."
Over the last two years the company has been campaigning to have broadband installed in the local telephone exchange.
Broadband would allow images to be sent and downloaded at speed
"We still have no date," Mr Froggett told BBC News Online.
"We're told the commercial reality is that BT can only install broadband where it is cost effective.
"We could get better access with a satellite link, but that costs 10 times as much and goes at half the speed - plus it would not benefit anyone else in the community."
Mr Froggett said a lack of broadband facility meant added costs and potentially delayed the delivery of customer information.
"We want to expand but we do not want to work in cities, it should be possible," he said.
On the same site in Sherston, the Wentworth Wooden Jigsaw Company run by Richard Bridge has been in existence for more than six years.
But without a fast computer facility, the company's future in its pretty rural location is threatened, together with the jobs of its 18 staff.
The companies providing fast computer access say it costs a lot of money to convert telephone exchanges and there must be enough demand to make this viable.
The company may have to relocate, says Richard Bridge
But Mr Bridge said: "We seem to be penalised for working in the country, yet we need to get broadband or move."
The company makes wooden jigsaws to send all over the world, and increasingly needs to download pictures and artwork to use in creating puzzles.
"We need a way of getting quality images fast. At the moment we use an ISDN line which is very costly.
"There is a massive amount of detail, but with a broadband link we could do things like this within seconds."
Like Mr Froggett, Mr Bridge's company has campaigned to have broadband installed locally over the last two years, but to no avail.
"If I had to move, some three-quarters of my staff would have to disappear and I would have to start again, and that would be very sad," he said.


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The commerce ministry is considering to replace the multi-modal transportation of goods act with a full fledged national logistics law with a view to promote growth of the sector, a commerce ministry official said.
A National Logistics Efficiency and Advancement Predictability and Safety Act (NLEAPS) is under consideration and this law tends to define various participants of the logistics space and create a light regulatory ecosystem.
Multimodal transportation includes a combination of more than one mode of movement, such as rail, road or sea, for end-to-end delivery of goods.
The Ministry has sought views of the industry on the new law.
The logistics division is also working on how to modernise and formalise the logistics services and promoting digitisation in the sector, which is key for the smooth movement of goods.
Although the digital transformation of the sector is happening but adoption of technology across the board is still “very poor” particularly in the trucking sector, the official said, work is also going on for the development of a national logistics portal.
There have been suggestion for trucking sector to adopt providing electronic proof of delivery, install GPS devices to further improve the services.
The move assumes significance as high logistics cost impacts the competitiveness of domestic goods in the international market.
Effective implementation of the policy would help provide an impetus to trade, enhance export competitiveness, and improve India’s ranking in the Logistics Performance Index.
India’s logistics sector is highly fragmented and the government aims to reduce the logistics cost from the present 14 per cent of GDP (Gross Domestic Product) to less than 10 per cent.
According to an earlier statement of the ministry, the sector is very complex with more than 20 government agencies, 40 partnering government agencies, 37 export promotion councils, 500 certifications, and 10,000 commodities.


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Transaid royal patron HRH The Princess Royal thanked the transport industry for providing its expertise to help develop new forms of transport suitable for use in Africa at a lunch held yesterday in London to mark the 125th anniversary of trailer builder Schmitz Cargobull. “Without corporate members it would be more difficult to find new ways of working,” she said. “We rely on their expertise to prove new technology and basic forms of transport and then present them to big […]
Iveco and the Transport Association (TA) have launched a fundraising campaign for Transaid using three specially livered New Stralis XP tractors.
Polaris Logistics & Distribution takes delivery of five height-adjustable trailers from Schmitz Cargobull
Logistics firm Polaris Logistics & Distribution has taken delivery of five new S.CS Mega curtainside trailers after being impressed with their flexibility and fuel economy.
NR Evans has expanded its fleet with 15 new Schmitz Cargobull refrigerated trailers.


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Ammo was going 'like toilet paper' at some central Pa. gun shops
Bluestone Firearms is a small gun shop in southcentral Pennsylvania that draws a diverse clientele from the cities of York and Lancaster and the rural area in between.
On Saturday and Monday, Bluestone was busier than it’s ever been, according to owner Jeff Rodemyer. He says his shop has been busier than any last day before Christmas or any holiday rush.
Bluestone’s wasn’t the only gun shop that was busy on Monday. When contacted, several owners in multiple nearby counties said they would love to talk, but didn’t have the time.
Minutes after his store was scheduled to close Monday night, Rodemyer still had customers waiting for background checks to go through so they could complete their sales.
More:Coronavirus forces PennDOT to shut down driver license centers, stop construction projects
More:All state liquor stores in Pennsylvania will close indefinitely due to coronavirus
“It’s interesting, because a lot of the people coming in aren’t really gun people,” Rodemyer said. “They are first-time buyers, coming in to get a handgun or home defense shotgun. People are panicked.”
The 52-year-old, whose shop is in Lower Windsor Township, York County, said it’s not coronavirus that has people worried. It’s the panic that has people worried.
“Not a single person in the last month has been worried about catching the virus,” Rodemyer said. “They are worried about things being shut down, potential rioting and they want to protect their family.”
He said it’s not unusual to see an uptick in sales this time of year, thanks to income tax refunds and better weather as spring nears. But recent days have topped anything he’s seen.
And while it might be panic that brings people to his store, he said they are nothing but calm, patient and kind while they wait.
“I have a small store, and it was steady from 9 o’clock this morning,” Rodemyer said. “There were always 20-30 people in the store. I had to shut my phones off for a little while because they were ringing constantly.”
Because he was so busy, Rodemyer hasn’t had a chance to dive too deeply into Gov. Tom Wolf’s call for nonessential businesses to close for the next two weeks. He wants more direction before he makes a decision about staying open or closing.
[ The York Daily Record's coverage of coronavirus is being provided for free to our readers. Please consider supporting local journalism by subscribing at ydr.com/subscribe. ]
One of Rodemyer’s competitors has already made that decision. Freedom Armory in Springfield Township stayed open a little longer Monday night, but will be closed for the next two weeks according to the recording that plays when you call the business.
Rodemyer said it wasn’t just guns flying off his shelves. Plenty of ammo was going along with it, especially 9 mm ammunition.
“Ammunition was like toilet paper and [hand sanitizer] to us,” he said.
Shelly Stallsmith is a trends reporter for the York Daily Record. She can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.org or followed on Twitter at @ShelStallsmith.


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Because 2020 is a very different year, we have decided to reconsider GAYOT’s Annual Restaurant Awards. Read what we have done for 2020.
Since November 25, 2020, outdoor dining in restaurants in parts of California has been closed, Restaurants can only provide food for takeout and delivery.
Restaurants in Pasadena, California, remain open for outdoor dining despite LA County health orders to have them closed for three weeks, starting November 26, 2020.
While in Paris, Sophie Gayot was radio host Frank Mottek’s guest discussing about the restaurant situation created by the pandemic.
Making a wood-oven pizza with executive chef Michael Hung of Faith & Flower, located in downtown Los Angeles, Discover the rest of the menu with our photo gallery.
Discover the beautiful patio of One Pico restaurant at the iconic Shutters on the Beach hotel in Santa Monica, CA
September 2020 – View our très exclusive photos of the closed hotel taken in June. But we are happy to report that the Hôtel Plaza Athénée has now reopened
Paris, August 29, 2020 – The Hôtel Costes in Paris reopens better and grander. Sophie Gayot was there.
Celebrating the reopening of Ocean Prime restaurant in Beverly Hills, CA, where diners enjoy time on a beautiful patio.
Pasadena, July 2020 When it comes to restaurants, the key words right now are: dining outside and wearing a mask


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Jolla Debuts New Phone and Community Device Program
Jolla today added another chapter to its resurrection story by announcing a brand new smartphone and device community. The Jolla C is a simple handset that runs Sailfish OS 2.0. The phone has a 5-inch 720p HD screen; 1.3 GHz quad-core Snapdragon 212 processor with 2 GB of RAM and 16 GB of storage; 8-megapixel main camera and 2-megaixel selfie camera; and a removable 2,500mAh battery. The phone includes the typical batch of radios, but LTE support is limited to bands 1, 3, 7, and 20, which makes it incompatible with U.S. networks. Further, Jolla has created a new community around the Jolla C meant for developers and enthusiasts. The program includes access to support sessions, developer materials, and invitations to community events. Jolla is limiting the Jolla C smartphone to just 1,000 units, and is reassuring those interested that the device is already being manufactured and will ship in July. (Jolla reneged on some hardware shipments last year.) Jolla was created by former Nokia employees and Sailfish OS was born from the Ashes of Moblin/Maemo Linux.
Jolla Pushing Sailfish OS 2.0 to Early Adopters
Jolla today began distributing Sailfish OS 2.0 to members of its early access group. Jolla, a company formed by former Nokia employees, first revealed Sailfish OS 2.0 in March.
Jolla Finds Licensing Partners for Sailfish OS
Jolla today announced that Intex Technologies has licensed Sailfish OS and put it in the Aqua Fish handset. The Aqua Fish is the first handset to run Sailfish OS outside of the phones made by Jolla itself.
Jolla Debuts Sailfish OS 3 for Low-Cost Hardware
Jolla today revealed Sailfish 3, a significant update to its Linux-based mobile operating system. Jolla is targeting Sailfish 3 at inexpensive devices, such as feature phones, PDAs, and similar hardware.
Jolla Ports Sailfish to Sony Xperia X, Launches China Venture
Sailfish OS will find a new home on the Sony Xperia X smartphone. Jolla and Sony today said Jolla has created a custom version of Sailfish that can run on Xperia X handset.


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Today, Royal Caribbean International has revealed the next new ship in their fleet, sister of the coming Icon of the Seas. Star of the Seas will debut summer 2025!
The world’s largest cruise line will follow up Icon’s debut, the start of a new era of vacations, in the boldest way. With the combination of every kind of vacation that’s unique to Icon Class – from the beach retreat to the resort escape and the theme park adventure – the lineup of new experiences and favorites on Star will set the stage for even more ways for every type of family and adventurer to make memories without compromise. Currently under construction in Turku, Finland, the new ship and its features will soon be revealed.
“The idea of combining the best of every type of vacation into one ultimate adventure has created more excitement than ever anticipated, and Star of the Seas will be the next bold answer to the record-breaking consumer demand we’ve seen for nearly a year and counting with Icon of the Seas.”Michael Bayley, president and CEO, Royal Caribbean International.
The first look at Icon and Icon Class set the tone in October 2022 when it led to the cruise line’s single largest booking day and highest volume booking week in the brand’s then 53-year history. The unprecedented consumer demand sparked Royal Caribbean to release 2025-2026 vacations on Icon three months ahead of schedule and now Star’s name and debut season. Icon’s highlights include six record-breaking waterslides at Thrill Island’s Category 6 waterpark, seven pools – one for every day of the week; Surfside, a stay-all-day neighborhood for young families; entertainment across air, ice, water and stage; 40-plus ways to dine and drink; and more.
Star will also mark another step in this new era as the cruise line’s third ship powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG), combining the use of the cleanest-burning marine fuel available to date with a proven lineup of industry-leading environmental programs on board. With applications ranging from waste heat recovery systems to shore power connection, Royal Caribbean’s most sustainable ship will advance parent company Royal Caribbean Group’s journey to introducing a net-zero cruise ship by 2035.
Stay tuned for more details on Star of the Seas!


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News: Reads from WWW
Wednesday, 14 Aug 2013
There are reports that hackers have been stocking up on Windows XP exploits, and are planning to release them the moment Microsoft ceases support for the aging operating system.
As part of its monthly updates, Google Glass has now been equipped with new controls for video playback and new voice commands to help with navigation. Better integration with two apps, namely Path and Evernote, has also been introduced.
Tuesday, 13 Aug 2013
SamMobile received exclusive information on the specs of Samsung's upcoming Galaxy Note III.
NVIDIA has reported encouraging sales for Project Shield. Despite its limited availability, the company said that the several thousand units shipped to partners were all sold out.
Elon Musk has been involved with the founding of paradigm shifting companies such as PayPal, Tesla and SpaceX. His latest project Hyperloop is looking to change the way people travel and commute.
Monday, 12 Aug 2013
The rumored HTC One Max made an appearance in flesh, showing off a 5.9-inch full HD display and a chassis that is similar to the 4.7-inch HTC One.
With the new Nexus 7 and Moto X now official, the attention now turns to the successors of the existing Nexus 4 smartphone and Nexus 10 tablet. According to rumors, they would be made by Motorola and ASUS respectively.
Acer President, Jim Wang stated that the company will be offering less Microsoft products, while producing more Android products, as well as Chromebooks. This comes as the company posted a significant second quarter loss due to lower sales and rising expenses.
Google has just released the factory image of their new Nexus 7 tablet, just like they had for previous iterations. In addition, the driver binaries for the Nexus 7 have also been made available to the public for download.
Wednesday, 7 Aug 2013
Samsung has just introduced the world's first 3D Vertical NAND memory chip, which it says can help overcome the limitations of current flash technology.


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Infographic: Top Real-World Threats Facing Connected Cars and Fleets
Modern connected cars are a complex amalgamation of powerful on-board computers and connectivity. There is an ever-growing range of cyber security risks facing the connected car industry. The problem is acute for car manufacturers, connectivity service providers and businesses managing car fleets. Automotive cyber threats introduce the potential for mass compromise of vehicles and entire fleets. Here is a snapshot of the top real-world cyber threats highlighting the diversity of attack vectors already challenging connected car ecosystem players.
Upstream’s 2023 Global Automotive Cybersecurity Report
The Power Grid Must Be Protected, But Are EV Charging Stations Secure?
The widespread adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) depends on a robust and reliable network of charging stations. However, as the number of EVs on the…Read more
Navigating the Risks of Automotive Subscription Revenue Streams: Cyber Hacking Enables Bypassing, Tampering and Fraud
“A significant increase in hacking attempts by vehicle owners is expected, aimed at bypassing premium costs by manipulating systems fraudulently.” – Upstream Security 2023 Global…Read more
API Security Needs to be Integral in Automotive Threat Analysis and Risk Assesment
APIs enable the opportunity to innovate and improve services in the connected vehicle and smart mobility ecosystem. APIs are widely used in advanced features, services…Read more
NHTSA Updates US Cybersecurity Guidelines for Vehicles
Connected and software-defined vehicles technologies are on the rise, offering customers a better user experience, and introducing new monetization strategies for OEMs. Given the rising…Read more


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Even as airlines operated a normal schedule of flights into and out of Paris, travellers with future plans to visit the French capital reconsidered their options after a series of terror attacks. Some quickly cancelled their tickets, a worrisome sign for the travel and tourism industries.
Joe Nardozzi, a 31-year-old New York investment banker, and his wife won’t be taking the wedding-anniversary trip they planned later this month.
“I have no interest in losing my life over a trip to Paris,” he said.
Travel agents said some clients called to cancel trips, and one advocacy group for business travellers predicted that corporations would let frightened employees do the same.
In Paris, public museums and other venues will reopen Monday afternoon, after the country observes a minute of silence.
Decisions by companies and leisure travellers could hinge on whether the Paris attacks are seen as a one-time event or the vanguard of a stepped-up campaign by Islamic radicals. Islamic State, the group fighting in Syria and Iraq, also claimed last month that it bombed a Russian passenger jet over Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, although investigators have not determined the cause of the crash that killed 224 people.
Still, some Americans cancelled upcoming trips after seeing coverage of the terror on Paris streets.
Blake Fleetwood, president of New York-based Cook Travel, said about 10 customers out of the roughly 30 with trips booked to Paris told him they want to cancel. He and his wife might do the same next month.
“It’s a terrible situation,” Fleetwood said. “It’s going to hurt the travel industry, the hotels, the airlines, the restaurants.”
Tourism to the French capital already took a big hit earlier this year from the attacks in January that killed 17 journalists, police and shoppers at a kosher grocery. The Paris tourist office said the number of hotel stays fell 3.3 per cent in the first three months of the year, a drop it blamed specifically on the January attacks.
The situation had just begun to improve, with summer visits by U.S. travellers, who are Paris’ biggest group of foreign visitors rising significantly.
The new attacks targeted neighbourhoods in Paris’ trendy east side, which Paris tourist officials had specifically mentioned in a recent update on tourism in the capital.
Kevin Mitchell, who runs an advocacy group called the Business Travel Coalition, expects some worried corporate travellers to cancel trips to Europe.
“These companies have to continue to do business,” he said, ‘but for some period of time they’ll give employees a lot of leeway about travelling to Europe and Paris in particular.”
It’s not just Western visitors who might avoid Paris after the attacks. Egyptian college graduate Aya Sayed has always dreamed of strolling the streets of the City of Light.
“I would be too afraid to go because I don’t want to be mistreated because of my headscarf or ethnicity,” she said. “Who knows what they might do to us now?”
Consumers with travel insurance that includes terrorism coverage can probably recover the cost of a trip to Paris, according to Squaremouth, a policy-comparison website. But even policies that cover terrorism may only apply to trips scheduled in the next week or month and might not apply to travel in other parts of France or Europe more broadly, a company spokeswoman said.
Wendy Perrin, who writes about consumer topics for TripAdvisor, encouraged people to keep travelling in a post on her Facebook page.
“The answer is not to stop travelling … The answer is to keep travelling, to make friends around the world, to be a thoughtful ambassador for your country,” she wrote.
Even travellers who go to Paris are likely to be in a less celebratory mood. Toronto residents Mark Hutchison and Ashleigh Marshall planned a big night out during a Paris stopover on their trip back home from Tanzania — “go to a restaurant, go to a bar, have a glass of wine,” Hutchison said. Instead, they decided to hunker down in their hotel with a bottle of wine once the sun went down Saturday evening.
“It’s a lot to take in,” he said of the deadly attacks. “You can’t make sense of it.”


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LivingSocial promotes Fab for the holidays
Fab keeps making friends in all the right spaces.
Daily deals site LivingSocial today started featuring gifts from the spunky e-commerce site as part of its holiday gift list.
Fab CEO Jason Goldberg wrote in a blog today that the inclusion of Fab products into LivingSocial’s online store is a “perfect” partnership. “We could not be more excited about partnering with LivingSocial to bring Fab’s curation to their large and highly engaged customer base,” Goldberg wrote.
The move puts Fab’s products in front of LivingSocial’s 24 million U.S. members. While 50 products went live today, Fab is…
View post: LivingSocial promotes Fab for the holidays


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From an article in Al Masry Al Youm:
Balsam al-Saad took a moment on 1 May to assess a momentous first year at Cairo’s only children’s bookstore, and to survey the long road ahead. Readings, drawings, singing, talks and art events took place throughout the day, and some fans of the store and affiliated publishing houses stopped by just to shake Saad’s hand.
After all, it isn’t easy to publish and sell Arabic-language children’s books in a country where many parents are focused on teaching their child to read in a foreign tongue.
Saad has undertaken not just the difficult job of selling children’s books, but the even harder one of igniting a passion for Arabic children’s literature. Because of this, the store has a markedly different feel from other high-end bookstores in Cairo. While most stores relegate Arabic children’s literature to a small shelf or corner, at Al-Balsam it is foreign-language children’s books that get the less-desirable shelf space upstairs.
Saad is part of a growing core of Arab educators, authors, and publishers who believe that, for a nation to succeed, its citizens must read and write confidently in their own language.


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Heineken, the world’s third biggest brewer, on Wednesday reported an 8pc decline in its dominant Western Europe market in the first half, as “unusually” wet and cold weather exacerbated problems caused by economic austerity.
Heineken, which still generates more than a third of its revenue from developed Western European markets, said the downturn was particularly bad in the UK, with beer volume declines in the “high single digits”.
Results from rival “big four” brewer, Carlsberg, told a similar tale, with beer volumes in Western Europe dropping 5pc during the first half. The Danish brewer blamed the trend on the challenging consumer environment, poor weather and tough comparisons with last year, when the it sponsored the Euro 2012 football championships.
The UK market declined by around 4pc during the second quarter, Carlsberg said.
However, both companies struck an optimistic note over new innovations, which appear to be gaining traction with European drinkers, who have been increasingly turning their backs on beer in recent years.
Heineken said innovations such as Foster’s Radler contributed €600m (£512m) of the group’s €10.3bn of revenue in the six months of the year.
Foster’s Radler is a low 2pc alcohol drink, which mixes lager with natural lemon juice. The product, which Heineken claims is its biggest ever innovation, was launched in the UK in March and is based on a style of beer dating back to 1922, when a pub owner in Germany hastily mixed beer with several thousands of bottles of lemon juice for some 13,000 thirsty cyclists who had descended upon his pub.
“Radler”, meaning cyclist in German, has seen a resurgence in Europe, with 2,000pc volume growth in the last five years.
In the UK, where beer sales across the industry have been in decline since 2004, the Dutch brewer believe radlers can create a new mid-strength category worth an estimated £300m.
Overall, Heineken is targeting a 6pc rate of innovation from the year 2020, up from 2.6pc last year, which would equate to organic revenue of €1.5bn a year.
Carlsberg earlier this year launched “Carlsberg Citrus” in Britain, which mixes lager with limes. The Danish brewer said the product and its Somersby cider had “delivered good initial results in the UK”.
Other beer giants, including SABMiller, have also been branching out to revive a flagging interest in lager.
Overall, Heineken on Wednesday reported a 3pc rise in group revenue to €10.4bn, boosted by its takeover last year of Tiger beer-maker Asia Pacific Breweries. On an organic basis, revenue declined 1pc amid a 3pc drop in beer volumes across the group, while pre-tax profit decreased 17pc to €639m.
Carlsberg blamed challenging conditions in Russia, where the government is cracking down on beer consumption through measures such as a ban on sales from kiosks, for a 30pc fall in half year pre-tax profit to 3.2bn Danish Krone (£362m).
Carlsberg said it had been contacted by German authorities as they investigate alleged price-fixing of beer in the country, which is believed to have gone on for some 20 years.


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Google is bypassing the channel to sell co-branded Android tablets directly via web shops.
The internet advertising giant's Android operating system has struggled to take a serious bite out of Apple's fondleslab market share and now the web goliath is fixin' to take the matter in hand rather than relying on hardware partners and their respective retailers, resellers or carriers.
Quoting loquacious sources familiar with the situation, the Wall Street Journal claimed the tablets will carry Google branding alongside that of the hardware manufacturers - be they Samsung or Asus.
The launch date of the online store or indeed the first co-branded box was not specified, but the next version of Android, codenamed Jelly Bean, is due mid-2012.
According to the report, Google will start producing tablets once the $12.5bn acquisition of Motorola Mobility Holdings is cleared by the Chinese authorities - the deal has been approved in the US sand Europe. Motorola's tablets are also expected to be punted online.
Google tried to sell its own branded smartphone, the Nexus One, online but Vodafone and other carriers could flog the products in their stores.
Sales were sluggish but Google defended the device, saying it sold 100,000 units and broke even on the investment. Android big cheese Andy Rubin said the Nexus One was nixed as other devices were better.
Sources said Google is mulling over the possibility of subsidising its tablets to take the fight to Apple and Amazon, which is selling the Kindle Fire in the US - the Kindle Touch launches in Europe next month.
The Android user interface has been heavily criticised by analysts and the hardware manufacturers priced products too high relative to the more popular iPad - those that slashed prices, including HP and RIM, saw an uplift. Even Samsung, the world's second largest tablet maker, recently admitted that sales were below expectations.
In 2011, Android-based devices including Amazon's Kindle Fire had 32 per cent market share worldwide and Apple's iOS had 64 per cent with others - including HP, RIM and Microsoft - constituting the remainder, Canalys revealed.
Tim Coulling, analyst at Canalys, described the eco-system around Android as "nascent" but argued Google had not managed the platform to the same extent as Apple. He said: "Google needs to create the flagship device that Android has been lacking. It makes sense to create a web store to showcase some of the products, we are seeing Google take greater control of pushing Android tablets."
The search giant needs to ramp volumes to make Android-based devices more attractive to developers, said Ranjit Atwal, research director at Gartner. ®


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KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A metro area Macy’s department store will soon be closing.
Prairie Village Mayor Eric Mikkelson told 41 Action News that the Macy’s in Prairie Village Shopping Center, located at 4000 W. 71st St., “will be winding down and closing over 90 days.”
First Washington Realty informed the city Monday of the closure.
A Macy's spokesperson said in a statement Monday night a clearance sale at the store will begin soon.
The sale is expected to last about 8 to 12 weeks.
Regular, non-seasonal employees who were unable to be placed at other Macy's stores in the area will be eligible for severance, including outplacement help, according to the statement.
"The decision to close a store is always a difficult one, but Macy's is proud to have served the Prairie Village community over the past 62 years and we look forward to continuing to do so at nearby Macy's stores, including Macy's Town Center Plaza, Macy's Oak Park, Macy's Summit Fair, Macy's Independence Center and Macy's Metro North Mall.''


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Coca-Cola says the incident at its bottling factory in Lisburn, Co Antrim, was an isolated one.
Henry McDonald Ireland correspondent:
“Coca-Cola has called in police to investigate how human waste turned up in a consignment of its drink cans at one of the company’s factories in Northern Ireland.”
Coca-Cola is rumored to have asked it’s employees to hand in a survey on the health benefits of Coca-cola the day before (prompting the assumption that this was a subtle way to respond honestly to the request)
The Police Service of Northern Ireland confirmed it had opened an investigation into how HUMAN faeces ended up in the cans at the Helllenic Bottling Company factory in Lisburn, Co Antrim.
Coca-Cola suspended night-time processing last week at the plant when machines became clogged.The cans arrive at the factory without tops, to be filled with the fizzy drink before they are sealed and sold across Northern Ireland.
A PSNI spokesman said: “Detectives are investigating an incident at commercial premises in the Lisburn area following reports that a consignment of containers delivered to the premises had been contaminated. The investigation is at an early stage and there are no further details available at this time.”
“We are aware of an incident involving empty cans at our plant in Knockmore Hill, Lisburn. We are treating this matter extremely seriously and are conducting a thorough investigation in co-operation with the PSNI.
“The problem was identified immediately through our robust quality procedures and all of the product from the affected production was immediately impounded and will not be sold. This is an isolated incident and does not affect any products currently on sale.”
The Food Standards Agency said none of the cans contaminated with faeces had reached the market in Northern Ireland. It added: “The incident is subject to an investigation by the PSNI and the environmental health unit of Lisburn and Castlereagh city council.”


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Qoros has revealed the first images of what its showrooms will look like in China.
Qoros is looking to make a mark in Europe and has brands like Volkswagen, Ford, Skoda and Kia in its sights as competitors. It could arrive in the UK within four years.
The Chinese brand is still considering entry to the UK market and was recently awarded five stars in the Euro NCAP safety test.
While it is unlikely the brand will launch with dealerships of the size shown here in the UK, it is interesting to see the design and approach Qoros is taking with its showrooms.
Qoros (pronounced chorus) is a joint venture between China’s Chery Automobile and Israel Corporation.
An international team of 25 people based in Shanghai is running the business, with executives from Fiat, Tesla, VW and former JLR and BMW engineers, as well as ex-Mini head of design Gert Volker Hildebrand.
Qoros has already started rolling out models of its Qoros3 (see gallery below) to Slovakia and is expected to enter more European countries in 2014.


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Ford Media Center
– A new and expanded fleet of Ford SUVs will be doing the heavy hauling when the 91st edition of America’s Thanksgiving Parade - one of Ford Motor Company’s signature community events - rolls along Woodward Avenue in downtown Detroit.
Ford is investing more than $870 million in to build the next-generation Ford Kuga medium-sized Sports Utility Vehicle in Valencia, Spain.
A larger-than-life slot car track is racing toward New York City to mark the 10th anniversary of Ford’s Drive 4UR School fundraising program.
After being diagnosed with cancer, Mike Butler was fascinated by the process through which patients were treated – but saw an opportunity to introduce practices from the car manufacturing facility, where he works, so that it might run more smoothly.
Do you really have time to learn everything your new car has to offer while sitting at the dealership?
Called EksoVest, the wearable technology elevates and supports a worker’s arms while performing overhead tasks.
On Wednesday, Nov. 15, Marcy Klevorn, Ford Motor Company executive vice president and president, Mobility, will participate in the Barclays 2017 Global Automotive Conference in New York, New York.
Ford Motor Company and Zotye today reached a definitive agreement to establish Zotye Ford Automobile Co., Ltd., a new 50:50 joint venture that will offer a range of stylish and affordable all-electric vehicles for consumers in China under a new indigenous brand.
On Tuesday, Nov. 14, Joe Hinrichs, Ford Motor Company executive vice president and president, Global Operations, will participate in the Goldman Sachs Industrials Conference 2017 in Boston, Massachusetts.


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The concept of hyperbitcoinization is that there will be a time when Bitcoin becomes the medium of exchange across planet Earth and replaces the current fiat monetary policies, with everything we buy priced in satoshis.
Although this is a hard concept for many to conceive initially as Bitcoin’s new monetary system is completely different to what we’re so used to, countries have already begun this process by using it as legal tender in 2021.
The first country to do so was El Salvador in September 2021 where businesses offer customers the option to pay for goods or services either in Bitcoin or the US Dollar.
How long it will be before the whole world starts adopting Bitcoin in this way, time will tell!
What Is A Lightning Network Escrow?
The bitcoin network today has a market cap in the billions and has even reached as high as 1 trillion dollars US. The network settles
How To Fix A Stuck Umbrel Bitcoin Node
I recently checked up on my Umbrel node to install some apps and play around and noticed that my bitcoin node was not syncing; it
What Is Ordisrespector?
Ordinals, the controversial NFT concept living on the bitcoin blockchain, has been a major topic for discussion in recent weeks. Since the introduction of the


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The inaugural Innovation Makers Challenge (IMC) Conference and Exhibition, which took place recently at the Eko Convention Centre in Lagos, was graced by the presence of notable public and industry leaders. Among the distinguished attendees were Leonie Van Der Stijl, Deputy-Consul General at the Netherlands Embassy, and Kate Hancock, the Founder of Metaverse XYZ.
The IMC is organised by the Telecommunication and Technology Sustainability Working Group (TTSWG), a multi-stakeholder advocacy organisation focused on advancing sustainability in the Nigerian telecom and technology sectors. IHS Towers was the principal sponsor of the IMC, with Quomodo Systems Africa and Arnergy as Gold and Silver sponsors respectively.
The conference featured other notable industry experts such as Lanre Bamisebi, Executive Director, IT & Digitalisation, Access Corporation; Reinier van Scherpenzeel, Chief Operations Officer, Tunga; Yomi Awobokun, Founder, CE-IV and Member, World Economic Forum; and Adedoyin Segun-Noibi, Managing Director, Quomodo Systems Africa.
Other participating dignitaries included Sean Burrowes, Co-Founder, Ingressive for Good; Omobola Omofaiye, Chief Commercial Officer, Arnergy; Myke Oseh, Venture Capitalist; Dr. Babs Omotowa, President, Nigerian University of Management and Technology (NUTM); Brent Van Wyk, Commercial Director, S&P Global Intelligence; and Dr Chuks Ekwueme, Chairman, Uniccon Group.
With the theme “Innovating for the Future” the conference gathered an array of industry experts and intellectuals from across the world to explore how to harness emerging technologies to build a more sustainable society and advance the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
A significant aspect of the event was the final round of the IMC Quest, a youth-oriented challenge where creative individuals presented their business ideas that relate to sustainability, to compete for the promised cash prize of N3,500,000, distributed among three categories of winners. Joseph Ojighoro, the founder of OJ Technologies Limited, a health tech business focused on using virtual reality to enhance clinical training and competency in Africa, emerged as the winner, receiving a cash prize of N2,000,000.
Valentine Nnamani, the founder of OneGrid Energies, a startup dedicated to addressing the energy poverty gap in rural communities, achieved the first runner-up position. Similarly, Elijah Moses, the founder of Kugatel, a platform aimed at enhancing financial inclusion through integrated payment solutions, was awarded the second runner-up spot. Both were recognised with cash prizes, with Nnamani receiving N1,000,000 and Moses securing N500,000 for their commendable contributions.
Bekeme Olowola, Lead Consultant for TTSWG Secretariat and Chief Executive, CSR-in-Action, whilst delivering the opening remark, also posited that it is vital to ponder the ethical application of the emerging technologies that are redefining the world, “Technology is the invincible hand shaping our future from the deep seas to the infinity of space. As we applaud the humanlike grace of humanoid robots, climate technology, and all the great progress among us today, we must ponder deeply the ethical tapestry of our creations. It’s not just about what technology can do, but what it should do.”
In addition to the keynote speeches and panel discussions, the conference featured an exhibition allowing various organisations and IMC-Quest finalists to showcase their technological inventions, products, and services. The highlight of this activity was the presence of “Omiefe,” Africa’s first humanoid robot created by the UNICCON Group, and another humanoid robot, Okikiola Sagamu, aka “Kiki Saggy,” a remarkable creation of young girls from the Federal Girls Government College (FGGC), Sagamu.
The event concluded with the unveiling and launch of the Telecommunication and Technology Citizenship Awareness Roadmap (TATCAR). TATCAR is a value-driven framework developed by TTSWG, designed to provide an easily adaptable template for businesses in the industry to ensure compliance with international sustainability standards. This aligns with TTSWG’s goal to embed sustainability in the Tech and Telecoms ecosystem. TATCAR comprises twenty-one indices covering governance, the economy, the environment, and society, including human resources. Drawing exclusively from the official constitutions, regulations, guidance, and laws of key government ministries, departments, agencies, and regulatory bodies, TATCAR offers a roadmap for businesses in the ICT sector to achieve sustainability.
About Innovation Makers Challenge
Pioneered in 2023 by the Telecommunication and Technology Sustainability Working Group (TTSWG), the Innovation Makers Challenge (IMC) is a youth-centric initiative designed to offer a platform to celebrate and accelerate the growth of innovative individuals and startup founders with sustainable technology-driven ideas and products.
The IMC is specifically designed to pinpoint young innovators and Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) with forward-thinking concepts within the realms of technology and telecommunications. They are subsequently provided with crucial assistance in the form of finance, technical training, commercial counsel, and business advisory services, enabling them to elevate their inventive concepts to unprecedented levels of success.
The Telecommunication and Technology Sustainability Working Group (TTSWG) is a collaborative network comprising various corporate entities committed to advancing the telecoms and technology sectors by promoting global best practices, innovation, and thought leadership in business sustainability. Its establishment was driven by a vision to ingrain sustainability in the ICT sector of Nigeria thereby contributing to the sustainable development of the nation.


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Fraud-wary consumers turn to alternative payment methods
With identity theft jumping 50% since 2003, more people are turning from credit cards to Internet-based payment services like PayPal and Google Checkout for online purchases and, increasingly, everyday transactions, Business Wee
k reports. Roughly 30% of US online shoppers used an alternative payment service last year. "Consumers are afraid...


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Apple Inc. Record-breaking iPhone sales in China to 6.34 million units in February 2020.
This figure dropped to 54.7% compared to the same period of the previous year, as many as 14 million units of the Smartphones by the outbreak of the corona virus, according to data from the Academy of information and communication technology Chinese (CAICT).
The decline in iPhone sales was the lowest since 2012. Due to the decline in sales, the Apple shares in the loss of 6% in US equities, especially in the middle of the growing concern about the economic recession, the countries of the global impact of the spread of the plague of corona.
“We would like to remind that the demand in China is on a quarterly basis in March, not a trend, but the “shocking events”, we believe that you will be short-lived,” said analysts from Wedbush Daniel Ives, as quoted by Reuters.
The delivery of your Apple device, according to strong, only to 494 thousand units, from 1.27 million in February 2019. Whereas, in January 2020, the delivery of the goods is still stable in the top 2 million units.
Points of sale that sell the Apple brand to be closed in China for two weeks in February, when the epidemic corona virus, which is constantly growing in the country.
Apple chief Executive Tim Cook had to remember, in a letter to investors last month that the company may not be the guidelines for the income of the first quarter in line with weak demand.
Research firms IDC and Canalys said earlier, that the global smartphone shipments are expected to can by about 40% in the first quarter of this year due to the outbreak of the corona virus suppress, demand, disturb, and supply chains.
As for the brand of Android, which includes devices from Huawei Technologies and Xiaomi most of the decline in smartphone sales accounted for.
The company collectively see a decline in the delivery of 12.72 million units in February 2019 only in the same period of this year to 5.85 million.


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Five Star Hotel Livada Prestige Offers Rare Amenity
Moravske Toplice, 27 September - A new five star hotel opened in the spa resort of Moravske Toplice on Tuesday, claiming to be the only hotel in the world with a source of genuine "black" thermo-mineral water in every room.
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This week is Respect for Shopworkers Week which, at the start of the very busy Christmas shopping period, aims to remind customers that retail staff are real people who do not deserve to be abused, threatened or assaulted.
Shopworkers’ trade union Usdaw organises the annual respect week, this year’s is 14 – 20 November, when Usdaw reps and members will be campaigning as part of the union’s Freedom from Fear Campaign. Whilst talking to shoppers about the issues, they will be surveying retail staff about incidents of verbal abuse, threats and violent attacks at work.
John Spellar MP said: “I pledge my wholehearted support to this vital campaign by Usdaw to protect shopworkers from violence, threats and abuse. It showcases the very best of what trade unions do for working people.”
John Hannett -; Usdaw General Secretary said: “Every minute of every day another shopworker is threatened, assaulted or verbally abused. No one should have to put up with violence or abuse at work.
“Respect for Shopworkers Week is an opportunity for our members to talk to the public about abuse at work and to ask customers to keep their cool and show respect for shopworkers.
“The week also highlights the important work Usdaw does negotiating with employers for safety and security improvements in stores, and lobbying the governments across the United Kingdom to tackle retail crime and anti-social behaviour in shopping areas and provide improved legal protection for public facing workers who are assaulted during the course of their jobs.”


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3/27/2014 1:10:00 PM
Phones 4u demonstrating Samsung Galaxy S5
Phones 4u will offer customers the chance to have a hands-on experience with the much-anticipated Samsung Galaxy S5 today (27 March).
Demo devices will be in ten stores across the UK, and will be presented to shoppers by Phones 4u and Samsung experts. The new flagship can be pre-ordered with the operator from tomorrow (28 March) ahead of its 11 April release date.
Stores include Birmingham Bullring, Cardiff Queens Street, Lakeside Essex, Manchester Trafford Centre, Newcastle Metrocentre, Dundee Overgate centre, Southampton Above Bar Road, Westfield White City, Westfield Stratford and London Oxford Street.
Phones 4u CMO Scott Hooton said: ‘We know that anticipation is quickly accelerating for the arrival of the new Samsung Galaxy S5. Our pre-registrations for the new handset have now reached an impressive five figures – the great British public clearly want to get their hands on Samsung’s newest addition to the Galaxy range! We’re incredibly proud to be giving people across the country that opportunity by giving live demonstrations of the Galaxy S5 in our stores today.’


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Ford is extending the warranty on certain Focus and Fiesta models in Canada and the U.S. for an issue with their automatic dual-clutch transmissions.
The announcement covers 2014 through 2016 Focus models (built from July 4, 2013 to November 5, 2015) and 2014 through 2015 Fiesta models (built from July 4, 2013 to October 15, 2014).
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Ford said the transmission, known as DPS6 and built by Getrag, was introduced in 2011 and 2012 on Fiesta and Focus models and “was designed to improve the fuel economy of those vehicles.”
Customers complained the transmissions hesitated, jerked and shuddered during operation. Ford has already replaced components and provided software updates to owners, and in addition to extending the warranty on the clutch and related components, will reimburse owners who paid for clutch repairs.
The new warranty extends coverage from five years/100,000 km to seven years/160,000 km. It applies to about 50,000 vehicles in Canada.
The company said it will also reach out to owners who were originally offered a software update, but who didn’t bring their vehicles in for the service, to have it done. The update provides an enhanced warning if a transmission control module begins to fail.
The module is covered for ten years/240,000 km, but Ford said that if necessary, it will replace the module at no charge for up to six months, even if the warranty has expired.
Ford sold transmissions it knew were faulty, claims report
Dual Clutch Transmissions: Innovation or headache?
In a statement, Ford said that it “acknowledged years ago and have determinedly addressed” two quality issues that emerged after the transmission was launched.
The first was vibration or shudder at low speeds, “similar to what is experienced with a manual transmission,” which the company said “was effectively a trade-off for a higher level of fuel efficiency” and which did not affect durability or safety. There was also a potential for the transmission to default to neutral, which was traced to a faulty control module.
According to Automotive News, Ford had previously been hit with class-action lawsuits over the transmissions in 2011 to 2016 models. It reached a settlement in 2017 that covered 1.9 million owners, but that decision is being challenged in California “on the grounds that not enough owners would be compensated,” the publication reported, adding that “a separate mass-tort case involving thousands of customers is pending in Michigan.”


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ZyngaPlusPoker and ZyngaPlusCasino will launch in the UK on April 3. GamesIndustry reports the two apps, the first of Zynga’s real-money gambling efforts, will be available for web and as downloadable clients, with Facebook and mobile versions also touted. Zynga is also pushing for real-money gambling games in the US, and the move is sort of the great white hope for the social and casual publisher since its Facebook revenue began drying up.
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