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December 18, 2020
As the natural products industry’s stature has grown in market size, so too has its influence on the broader food manufacturing and CPG landscape. What’s happening with organic and natural food trends is what’s happening at food retail in every channel, including the restaurant industry from casual eateries to fine dining restaurants.
Local? Budweiser has touted itself as “America’s largest local brewer.”
Plant-based protein? Even McDonald’s has jumped on the latest exploding food trend with its McPlant offering.
The natural products industry, overall, passed $250 billion in consumer sales in 2020, with a compound annual growth rate of 8% over 10 years, according to Nutrition Business Journal. At the same time, conventional grocery has maintained much slower 1.6% growth.
Sales are expected to surpass $300 billion by 2024, according to NBJ forecasts.
No wonder eyes turn to natural food brands for what’s next in natural.
Innovation in the natural products industry isn’t the prime driver of growth, even though it is a factor in growing market share and rising organic and natural food trends. Just look at what today’s consumer is demanding from the food industry: clean label ingredient lists to meet healthier lifestyles and myriad ways of eating such as paleo, keto, vegan, plant based, etc. Gone are the fad diets of yesterday. Today, these ways of eating feed a lifestyle.
The organic and natural foods industry has long been the leader in serving these dieters’ needs while also addressing environmental and social issues.
Here’s a high-level look at how those foundational industry values combined with a changing consumer market translate into the food trends of today.
First, some definitions. What’s a food trend? What is a food fad? And what is the difference?
Too often people use the words “trend” and “fad” interchangeably.
Fads have a short life. Remember when #unicornfood filled Instagram feeds. (Of course, you forgot about that social media food fad.) Or think back to the rush on health food stores and supplement stores across the country for raspberry ketones for weight loss fed by the Dr. Oz effect.
Oat milk? It seems every brand has launched one. Fad or trend? The continued growth in the plant-based market points to possible longevity.
Trends last longer and tend to grow and shift as they mature. Consider the rise of plant-based eating today. Foodies and industry don’t fully agree on its origins, or even its definition, but a shift to including more, if not primarily, plants on the American plate has grown, continues to grow and likely will take a larger hold in the years to come.
Such changes that birth smaller trends (and sometimes even fads) are what we call macro forces. For example, the paleo diet might fade from the forefront (it is still an important way of eating) but the macro trend of “ancient wisdom,” which involves taking the wellness lessons of the past and applying them to the present, will continue to manifest in the organic and natural products industry.
As food has grown as a hobby, top social media topic and a trend unto itself, sharing organic and natural food trends predictions has become a special annual season of its own.
Here’s what some trend watchers say people will be eating and seeking in their natural products purchases in 2021. The chart offers a shorthand view of some of the top natural products trend picks and where trend spotters agree.
Whole Foods Market is among one of the most highly watched trends predictors every year. The natural products retailer’s food and health trends predictions for 2021 range from consumers bringing cereal back as a pantry staple to the more specific growth of chickpeas and fruit jerky.
“There have been radical shifts in consumer habits in 2020. For example, shoppers have found new passions for cooking, they’ve purchased more items related to health and wellness, and more are eating breakfast at home every day compared to pre-COVID,” said Sonya Gafsi Oblisk, chief marketing officer at Whole Foods Market. “Food trends are a sign of the times, and our 2021 trends are no exception.”
But in good trend-watching fashion, some of the panel’s prognostications also build on wider natural products industry focuses such as upcycled foods.
Food processing and commodities trading corporation Archer-Daniels-Midland Co., known as ADM, focused its 2021 predictions on changes spurred by the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic.
"The global health crisis has changed consumer preferences in new and unexpected ways," says Vince Macciocchi, ADM president, Nutrition. "We are seeing a heightened demand for foods and beverages that support immune systems, enhance our mood and reduce our environmental impact, driven in part by emerging human tensions. This has provided a unique opportunity for brands to develop disruptive new products that will forever change the way we eat and drink. It's going to be a year of innovation, marked by significant breakthroughs in nutrition."
The top trend prognosticators seem to agree on: plant-based food.
More 2021 food trends predictions
Organic food has grown up from the crunchy image of its roots. Today, organic is a $55.1 billion market across all retail channels. Organic food sales reached $50.1 billion while nonfood sales, including dietary supplements, personal care, textiles, household cleaning products, pet food and flowers, hit $5 billion in sales.
Once upon a time, industry analysts and marketers believed consumers graduated to organic food when they started their families and wanted the best for their babies. Today, organic product appeal for millennials and Gen Z shoppers now extends beyond their families and into more than issues of food and farming. They also choose organic food for its human and animal welfare practices and for its sustainability and transparent supply chain stories.
Organic has grown from food trend to foundational expectation for food brands in the natural products industry.
Where is the organic market headed next?
The conversation is expanding as producers adopt and brands demand regenerative agriculture practices, those which “regenerate” soil that has been stripped of its nutrients and biodiversity by synthetic fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides. The marketplace hasn’t yet caught up with the regenerative movement, but such movements do take a while to make it to the wider consumer market. Just consider organic’s birth itself.
It’s the chicken and the egg question of natural products trends and innovation: Which comes first, vision or consumer demand or some magical blend of the two?
We at New Hope Network believe that to truly understand the nature of trends in organic, natural foods, supplements and personal care—and the forces driving these markets—we must expand our field of vision to take a look at the "why" behind them or, in other words, the "macro force" most relevant to shaping the future of natural products.
Macro forces have their origins in three paradigm-shifting cultural forces New Hope Network identifies as "Holistic Health and Wellbeing," "Empowered Communities" and "Modern Life." Each can comprise more nuanced macro force trend patterns, patterns that paint a more holistic and longer-term vision to indicate how the natural products industry is innovating. Below those macro forces are trends that come to life in today’s products.
New Hope Network tracks about 70 trends across 18 macro forces.
For example, the “plant wisdom” macro force encompasses social, environmental, animal welfare and health concerns. This longtime rising market force in the food landscape has natural brands meeting consumer demand for ways to replace or reduce consumption of animal products with plants. Trends such as “eat more plants,” “plants elevated” and “more protein please” emerge as consumers look to plants to nourish themselves and the planet. These trends manifest in myriad ways, in what we identify as subtrends: plant-based superfoods, foods with “hidden” vegetables, as well as a new generation of plant-based proteins, alternative dairy products and new “meat” products—some of which combine meat and vegetables to reduce but not entirely omit meat consumption.
Understanding natural products industry trends
New Hope Network NEXT Data and Insights created natural products industry consumer behavior and engagement indexes to track consumer attention on natural and organic values including interest in health, economic and social issues.
The index was set at 100 based upon “normal” 2017 behavior before the COVID-19 pandemic emerged. Since spring 2020, New Hope has assessed the state of consumer alignment with natural products industry values with biweekly surveys of how consumers perceive their shopping behaviors. The above chart is updated monthly to measure consumer sentiment.
Understanding what consumers say is important to them helps us to assess the health of the industry. From this brand owners can see the values driving today’s market and how they might be shifting.
The total consumer NPI behavior index is an aggregation of core consumer behaviors that drive natural products industry growth. Within the index are eight behaviors that analysts measure to create the total consumer behavior index. Represented as statements such as, “I am willing to pay more for environmentally responsible practices or socially responsible practices” or “I pay more for high-quality ingredients and prioritize natural brands and ingredients.” Ultimately there are eight statements consumers evaluate based upon the degree to which each statement reflects their behaviors. New Hope analysts then group eight statements into three aggregate measures of eco-social behaviors, nutritional quality behaviors and a total score.
The eco-social consumer behavior index measures environmental, community and other externally focused behaviors:
I believe buying can be a moral decision.
I am concerned with how livestock are treated.
I am willing to pay more for products that demonstrate socially responsible practices.
I am willing to pay more for products that demonstrate environmentally responsible practices.
The nutritional quality consumer behavior index measures personal health and other internally focused behaviors:
When making food choices, I prioritize natural brands, products or ingredients when possible.
I buy food which was grown in a way to maximize its nutrition (such as local, organic, free-range).
I value who grew my food and how it is made.
I pay more for high-quality ingredients.
Get a deeper understanding of the development and use of these consumer indexes.
Read more about:Organic
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Councillors have backed plans for the Transient Visitor Levy (TVL), which will see an extra £2-a-night charge added to the cost of a room.
But the plans are subject to approval from the Scottish Parliament, which will need to pass enabling legislation.
Edinburgh City Council estimates £14.6m would be raised by the tax every year and invested in infrastructure to help the city cope with its visitor numbers.
The £2 tax will apply to all accommodation types, including short term lets, but campsites will be exempt.
It will be capped at seven consecutive nights, in a move designed to protect seasonal and festival workers for staying in the city for an extended time.
But it has faced opposition from the tourism and hospitality industry, with trade body UKHospitality criticising the tax as “ill-informed and badly conceived”.
The Scottish Tourism Alliance (STA) says occupancy in Edinburgh hotels has fallen this year, and it is concerned a tax could put the city at a further competitive disadvantage.
‘Tourist taxes’ are already used in cities such as Berlin, Paris and Barcelona, but the majority of European countries are also subject to a lower rate of tourism VAT than the UK’s 20%.
The prospect of a TVL in Edinburgh has been debated at a national and local level for over a decade.
Bath is also considering introducing a similar £1 a night tax, and councillors in Aberdeen and Liverpool have also expressed interest in the idea.

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Mmule Ramothibe is the founder of Nandikwa Dolls.
September 24 marks an important holiday in the South African calendar: Heritage Day. Although this holiday commemorates the death of Zulu King Shaka Zulu, many people celebrate this day by remembering the cultural heritage of the many different cultures that make up our Rainbow Nation.
Many of us only wear our traditional clothes on this day and on special occasions, but some local brands have made sure that their customers incorporate their traditions into their daily lives through accessories, toys, clothing. and even household appliances.
Here are 5 brands we should be supporting this Heritage Month.
1. Era by DJ Zinhle
Era by DJ Zinhle is a brand of accessories for women founded by DJ Zinhle in 2012. The brand now offers watches, sunglasses and other jewelry such as bracelets and earrings. The Afro and Asante watch collections have a design inspired by African prints and are perfect for everyday wear.
Prices for the collections currently range from R350 to R749 on the website.
2. Nandikwa dolls
The Nandikwa Doll brand was founded by Meyerton’s internal auditor Mmule Ramothibe in 2012. It first started making dolls to deal with the shortage of ethnic dolls in the market. Now, the Nandikwa doll line includes dolls with different ethnic hairstyles that wear different clothes in all different cultures, such as Sotho, Tswana, Pedi, Zulu, Xhosa, Swati, Venda and Tsonga.
The dolls retail at R480 each and are available on their website.
3. Zulu devices
Zulu home appliance founder Yandisa Zulu recently launched his first electronic product, a kettle. Speaking to IOL, the 32-year-old entrepreneur revealed that he needs financial help to create job opportunities at his company. Zulu also revealed that the brand’s name is inspired by the idea of ââmaking it big and will serve as a reminder of where its products come from when sold internationally.
For now, the kettle is available for purchase in the company’s WhatsApp store.
4. Katso Lux Curtains
Provided to the legend.
Provided to TRUELOVE.
Katso Lux Curtains founder Dimakatso Dlamini was tired of seeing curtains made in Italy and other European countries when he visited friends and family. She then came up with the idea of ââadding a heritage collection to her line of luxury curtains and incorporating South African cultural motifs.
The curtains are available for purchase in the company’s WhatsApp store.
5. Personalized bags Carol Bouwer
Handbag designer and media personality Carol Bouwer last year collaborated with acclaimed artist Dr Esther Mahlangu to design personalized bags that would testify to Africa’s richness and beauty. The luxury bag will be a collector’s item.
The luxury bags are available on their website.


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People in the UK now prefer pizza to spicy Indian curries.
In 2009, Britons bought 466 million pizzas from shops compared to 191 million currys.
And an estimated 12,700 restaurants serve Italian food – beating the UK’s 12,000 Indian eateries and 10,500 fish and chip shops.
More than 90 per cent of Britons now eat pizza at least once a week and the biggest increase is buying them in supermarkets.
Nine years after Cabinet Minister Robin Cook declared chicken tikka masala our national dish, Brits prefer margaritas.
“It’s the ultimate TV dinner and good for sharing. And it doesn’t get in the way of watching the action,” The Sun quoted Tesco pizza buyer Adam Chadwick, whose supermarket sells 117 varieties.
The top 10 pizza flavors are:
3. Ham and pineapple
4. Cheese feast
5. Meat feast
6. Sloppy Giuseppe
7. Ham, mushrooms and mascarpone
8. Barbecue chicken
9. Chicken and bacon
10. Bacon and mushrooms


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It’s not just Samsung, LG, and Sony that will have 8K TVs in Australia by the year’s end, as TCL will offer one, too.
For years, we’ve been told that 4K was “Ultra HD” and the replacement for Full HD, but in 2019, we’re seeing the replacement come to life.
Announced at this year’s CES, 8K is finally here, and the first sets are arriving, ready for folks with deep pockets to get their early adoption game on and get into a new TV standard before everyone else.
Sporting more pixels and more definition (at least technically), 8K is the new high-end, and it’s the new top end of TV town.
We’re beginning to see the first 8K TVs arrive in Australia, and recently, that started with the likes of Samsung, which delivered its 8K Q900 back in April to the first buyers of the new technology. Granted, they won’t have any true 8K content for a while, and will have to be happy with upscaling, but if they want the latest technology ahead of everyone else, it’s very likely in the 8K screens that are beginning to arrive.
Back at CES earlier in the year, Samsung was joined by the likes of Sony and LG with announcements in the 8K TV world, and TCL was alongside, which has recently announced that September is when Australians can expect TCL’s first 8K TV.
“8K TVs have been on the lips of everyone in the tech world and are at the forefront of at-home entertainment,” said Mark Zhang, General Manager for TCL in Australia.
“We are driven to deliver the latest innovative TV experience to our customers, bringing a new era of breathtaking colour and uncompromising quality,” he said.
TCL’s first 8K TV will be the X10, a 75 inch screen featuring the quantum-dot screen technology more commonly known as “QLED”, whereby the screen is an LED-backlit LCD technology, but with little crystals in place over the pixels to focus and hone the colour, making them look more vibrant.
While you can find QLED technology on more than just the 75 inch 8K X10 technology, TCL is looking to give more reason with an inclusion for both Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa control, as well as an Onkyo-tuned soundbar built into the frame of the X10 complete with support for Dolby Atmos’ 3D sound alongside Dolby Vision for the screen itself.
TCL’s inclusion of an Onkyo soundbar won’t be limited to the 8K model, though, with the technology supported in TCL’s 4K-capable X7 QLED screen, though with DTS sound instead of Dolby Atmos.
As for when you can expect TCL’s foray into 8K, the company’s Australian arm has suggested September as the likely time, giving you plenty of time to save if you fancy an alternative to Samsung’s 8K take. Given what we know about other companies making 8K screens, it won’t be the only one, either.


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Amazon Inc. has rejected Connecticut’s long-shot bid for its second headquarters, announcing Thursday the selection of 20 jurisdictions as finalists in the online retailer’s closely watched North American competition.
Other Connecticut proposals — made separately by Bridgeport-New Haven, Danbury and Enfield — also fell as Amazon said it sorted through 238 plans.
“Getting from 238 to 20 was very tough,” the Seattle company said in a prepared statement. “All the proposals showed tremendous enthusiasm and creativity.”
Catherine Smith, commissioner of the state Department of Economic and Community Development, said a look at the finalists shows Amazon is interested in cities much bigger than what Connecticut offers. “When you’re recruiting 50,000 people, you have to have access to a very large talent pool,” she said.
“Obviously, we’re very disappointed, but not surprised in some ways,” Smith said.
In a statement, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy said Connecticut “did not have a large enough metropolitan area for this particular proposal.”
New Haven Mayor Toni Harp said that. despite Amazon’s decision. she is willing to match the New Haven area’s “talent pool, market accessibility, quality of life and cultural amenities with literally any other American city.”
New England still has a shot at the prize: Boston was picked as a finalist.
The offer was tantalizing to communities. Amazon promises to spend up to $5 billion developing 8 million square feet of office space for 50,000 workers. In addition, the high-tech company, valued at $624 billion, is a magnet for highly educated workers who write software, research artificial intelligence and otherwise delve into next-generation technology.
Other cities chosen were Atlanta; Austin, Texas; Chicago; Columbus, Ohio; Dallas; Denver; Indianapolis; Los Angeles; Miami; Montgomery County, Maryland; Nashville, Tenn.; Newark, N.J.; New York City; Northern Virginia; Philadelphia; Pittsburgh; Raleigh, N.C.; Toronto, Ontario; and Washington, D.C.
With its short list, Amazon is covering the nation’s political capital by including Washington, D.C., and its Maryland and Virginia suburbs. Amazon founder and Chief Executive Officer Jeff Bezos owns The Washington Post.
Connecticut pitched Stamford and Hartford-East Hartford after paring a list of 17 municipalities hoping to make the final cut. Proposals also were submitted to Amazon by Danbury, New Haven and Bridgeport in a single bid, and Enfield, which pitched the faded Enfield Square Mall as a site for Amazon’s second headquarters.
While many of the cities chosen by Amazon are major population centers, smaller cities such as Columbus, Ohio, are not. Still, with a 2016 population of 860,090, Ohio’s capital city is significantly larger than Hartford and East Hartford, with a combined population in 2016 of 174,495, and Stamford, with a population of 129,113.
It’s also home to Ohio State University, a state institution with an enrollment of more than 66,000.
In its proposal to Amazon, Connecticut officials broadened the potential sites for the retailer’s headquarters, with the Hartford-East Hartford and Stamford regions each boasting a population of 1 million, a requirement set by Amazon.
The two cities also offer a “deep talent pool,” are close to international airports and have easy access to mass transit and interstate highways, the state said in its proposal.
State officials submitted Connecticut’s proposal in October, touting the state’s rivers and forests, universities, industry, transportation and communities.
It included a video narrated by Malloy, who described Connecticut as a “great place to live, from the shores of Long Island Sound to the hills of Litchfield and everywhere in between.”
Connecticut’s bid may not have been helped by its chronic state budget troubles and weak economic and labor force growth. Among Amazon’s requirements is a preference for a “stable and business-friendly environment.”
Cities and states juiced their proposals to Amazon with promises of financial aid. Just before leaving office this week, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie signed legislation authorizing billions of dollars in potential tax credits to lure Amazon to Newark.
Connecticut did not provide details of its financial aid offer to Amazon. It included an incentive package with a commitment to a long-term single tax rate and a “partnership fund” tapping some of the billions generated by the Amazon headquarters to pay for schools, housing, transportation and other public systems that would feel an impact from the new Amazon headquarters.
Amazon expects to make a decision later this year.


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Six out of ten Americans cook at home more than five times a week. Back in 2019, only 33.14% of Americans had declared the same, and another 37.22% said they only manage to cook meals at home three to five times a week.
Does this mean that home cooking is making a comeback in the US? Or are Americans starting to enjoy spending time in the kitchen?
To give you an insight into the eating habits of Americans and how they’ve changed since the pandemic, we went through the latest statistics and surveys. Read on to learn how Americans feel about home cooking, how many hours they spend in the kitchen, their attitudes toward cooking, and more.
Fascinating Facts and Stats
- 60% of Americans cook at home more than five days a week. (Taste of Home)
- Americans spend around 400 hours a year in the kitchen. (Bosch Home Appliances, Statista)
- With 84%, hamburgers and cheeseburgers are America’s most popular dishes. (Statista)
- With 80%, women are the leading planners and meal preppers in the family. (National Library of Medicine)
- Mothers spend an average of 68 minutes per day on meal preparation. (Pew Research)
- 89% of Millennials cook meals at home. (Statista)
- Americans spend an average of $3030 on eating out. (Statista, Statista)
- 53% of Americans feel inspired to try a recipe they’ve seen on social media. (Study Finds)
How Many Americans Cook at Home
1. 60% of Americans cook at home more than five days a week.
A recent survey of more than 4,000 people over the age of 18 found that Americans are now cooking at home more than ever. Moreover, 68% of respondents who cook their meals at home revealed they are focused on eating meals that are healthy and made of quality ingredients. Also, 53% said they are looking for easier ways to prep meals, like simple and quick recipes but may extend to new kitchen equipment.
2. Over 90% of Americans cook a meal at home at least once a week.
Statistics show that only 7% of Americans do not cook at home on a weekly basis. But this does not mean that the majority enjoy cooking. In fact, when it comes to home cooking, the attitudes of Americans are divided as 45% declared they do not enjoy cooking, and another 45% said they have mixed feelings about it. Only 10% of Americans declared they love to cook.
3. Americans spend around 400 hours a year in the kitchen.
According to a recent survey conducted by OnePoll on behalf of Bosch Home Appliances, Americans spend roughly 67 minutes in the kitchen every day, which equals approximately 400 hours a year.
Statistics from 2019 show that only 8.4% of Americans spent more than an hour cooking a weeknight meal. The same report shows that 41.43% spent less than half an hour, and 50.17% spent between 30 to 60 minutes preparing meals.
4. At least 50% of Americans cook dinner every day.
Dinner is the most-cooked meal of Americans, and Monday is the day when 60% of them make an effort to prepare it from scratch. Data also shows that the share of Americans cooking dinner throughout the week declines to 49% on Fridays and 50% on Saturdays, which are the days when most decide to either eat out or prepare their meal from pre-packaged or frozen food. Additionally, 58% of Americans said that they eat homemade dinner on Tuesdays, and 56% said the same for Wednesdays and Thursdays.
5. 4% of Americans never sit down for a family dinner.
Three-quarters of American adults who share a household with at least one other person find the time to sit down for a family dinner at least once a week. Of these, nearly 30% said they have family dinners with all members of their household every single day. Another 23% said they do so 4-6 times a week, while 16% do it just 2-3 times every week. Ten percent of US adults who live with other members have dinner together only on special occasions, while 14% just once a week or less.
U.S. Cooking Habits
6. With 84%, hamburgers, and cheeseburgers are America’s most popular dishes.
Burgers are the number one dish in the US, and traditionally the most home-cooked meal in the country. Mashed potatoes rank second, while french fries and grilled cheese are the favorite meals of 83% of Americans. Steak and baked potatoes, and corn on the cob are the number one choice for 81%, while fried chicken is the meal of choice for 80%. Hash brown and steak and fries complete the list of top ten most loved foods in the US with 79% each.
7. Chinese is the number-one ethnic cuisine in the US.
Chinese food has an average of 3.35 million searches per month in America. And despite popular opinion that Mexican is a threat to every American household, it comes in second with an average of 1.22 million Google searches per month. Thai food ranks third with a little over 823,000 monthly Google searches. Indian and Korean follow with 673,000 and 246,000 monthly Google searches, respectively.
Based on the results from a similar study done in 2019, it seems Thai food has not only gained in popularity but has replaced the good old Italian pasta and pizza. Also, Japanese cuisine used to rank as the sixth favorite, but it’s now replaced with Hawaiian.
Demographics of Americans Who Cook at Home
8. With 80%, women are the family’s leading planners and meal preppers.
A recent study exploring sex distribution in meal prepping in the US shows women cook more than men. When asked who does most of the planning or preparing of meals in the family, 80% of women said yes vs 40% of men. The overlap indicates the times when women and men share this responsibility.
Moreover, 85.97% of women between the ages of 35 and 44 are most involved in planning and preparing meals, followed by women aged 55 to 63, and those over 65+ with 82.30% and 82.26%, respectively.
In the realm of men with 43.20%, the age group between 55 and 64 is the one that’s most focused on meal prepping, followed by a younger group of men (25–34 years) with 42.45%. Looking at data from both genders, the youngest group (18–24 years) is the least involved in home cooking, or 49.81% of women vs. 34.05% of men.
9. Mothers spend an average of 68 minutes per day on meal preparation.
In general, dads spend 23 minutes on meal preparation. Statistics show that a massive 80% of moms are the primary meal preppers. Also, 10% of moms say meal prepping is something they equally share with dads, though the percentage of dads who declared the same is higher at 20 points.
In households where moms are in charge of meal prepping, the average time spent in the kitchen is 75 minutes. The same role costs dads only 43 minutes. What is interesting is that the gap persists even among parents who say they do not usually handle meal preparation. Moms in this category spend an average of 30 minutes on meal prep daily, while fathers spend around 15 minutes.
10. 89% of Millennials cook meals at home.
Statistics about the cooking practices of Millennials in North America show that this age group is also fond of baking and preparing meals for friends and family. In fact, 76% of Millennials said they bake, and 58% declared they typically make home-cooked meals for their friends and family.
Compared to Millennials, the number of Gen Zers who cook their own meals is lower at 73% while only 53% are fans of baking. Cooking for friends and family is the segment where Millennials and Gen Zers show similar affinities. Namely, 49% of Gen Zers said they make time to prepare meals for their friends and family.
11. Around 60% of consumers earning under $50k a year cook meals every day.
Consumers with an income of under $50,000 a year are most likely to prepare meals from scratch from Mondays to Sundays and are least likely to dine in restaurants, get takeout, or order delivery. What’s more, research shows that from Sunday to Wednesday, all income groups, even those earning over $100k a year, tend to cook their own meals from scratch.
Fridays are the days when groups with higher incomes are less likely to cook at home. Namely, around 40% of consumers with income of over $100k a year and 30% of those with income between $50k to $100k.
Cost of Eating Out vs Cooking at Home in the US
12. Americans spend an average of $155.62 on groceries every time they visit a store.
The majority of Americans go to the grocery at least eight times a month. And according to a recent grocery store shopping survey, over 70% spend at least $100 per trip. Numbers further show that 35% of Americans spend less than $100 per shopping trip, 38% spend from $100 to $199 per trip, and 27% spend more than $200.
13. Americans spend an average of $3030 on eating out.
Back in 2015, Americans were spending an average of $3,008 a year in restaurants. And even though this amount was growing exponentially and peaked at $3,526 in 2019, the pandemic significantly affected the ability of US citizens to dine out. This caused the spending on this item to drop to a record low level of $2,375. However, as per the latest figures, sales in food service and drinking places in the US are booming again and, in 2021, reached a record high of $876,33 billion.
14. Up to 40% of the food supply in the US is wasted.
Even though the US government does not have an exact number on how much of the food prepared at home is lost or wasted, estimates are that a single person (which can qualify as a household), wastes an average of exactly 218.9 pounds of food. At a retail and consumer level, as per the estimates, 31% of the food is lost or wasted. This corresponds to around $161 billion or 133 billion pounds of food waste.
Impact of COVID on Cooking Habits and Behaviors in the US
15. A total of 85% of people changed their food habits as a result of the pandemic.
Statistics from the 2020 Food & Health Survey, revealed that the pandemic altered the food habits of the majority of Americans. Namely, 60% declared that thanks to COVID-19, they started to cook more at home, 32% snack more than they did before, and 30% disclosed they now wash fresh produce more often. Interestingly, 27% of Americans revealed they now think about food more than usual.
16. 81% of Americans enjoy cooking more than they did before COVID-19.
It appears the pandemic has not only changed the eating habits of Americans but also how they feel about home cooking and spending time in the kitchen. Namely, 78% reported that they enjoy baking more, and another 62% said they’re seeking new recipes more than they did before the pandemic. The change extends to household appliances and the kitchen too. In fact, 78% reported they now use household appliances more than ever, and 76% said they are now interested in improving the way their kitchen is organized.
Impact of Social Media on How Often Americans Cook
17. 31% of Americans take photos of the food they cook.
Smartphones and social media have a major influence on how people experience food. A recent survey revealed that 22% of Americans take food photos during special occasions such as weddings or parties, 20% snap photos of meals they order in restaurants, and 13% do it with food that someone has prepared for them. Only 28% of Americans never take food photos, not even of the food they’ve cooked.
18. 53% of Americans feel inspired to try a recipe they’ve seen on social media.
A study about how social media impacts Americans’ cooking habits found that 85% percent of people experienced food cravings because of something they saw on social media. Also, 22% said social media made them try old recipes from a few decades ago, and 22% tried plant-based alternatives to meat. Similarly, 21% said they tried cooking recipes that included trendy fruits. One respondent declared they even tried eating watermelon and mustard after seeing it on TikTok.


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If you’re wondering how the April 2022 free PS Plus games lineup looks throughout the year, here’s everything we know so far.
While Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass continues to dominate the conversation when it comes to gaming subscriptions, Sony’s PlayStation Plus has been offering some great titles over the past few months.
In March alone, Ghostrunner, Ark Survival Evolved, Team Sonic Racing and even the added bonuses of Ghost of Tsushima Legends and GTA Online were added.
That means a new selection of titles arrive at the start of each month, all available to players for the cost of a PS Plus membership. Here’s everything we know about PS Plus coming April 2022.
Don’t forget that PS Plus’ days may also be numbered, as Sony is reportedly working on an Xbox Game Pass alternative called Spartacus.
Rumored and requested PS Plus games for April 2022
Other fans are hoping for a showcase of their PS5 – with Sony’s console being on the market for well over a year. Many were actually disappointed that Ghost of Tsushima Legends was part of last month’s lineup and not the entire game.
With Cuphead’s Netflix show out now, maybe we can enjoy the game as part of the lineup.
Something PS Plus members can definitely enjoy while we wait for news is Rainbow Six: Siege, as the game gets a “free week” starting March 17th. This will also allow players to immerse themselves in the new Demon Veil content. It’s available until March 24th.
We’ll update this page as we hear more.
PlayStation Now updates may be released on the PlayStation Blog out of nowhere at the start of a new month, but PlayStation Plus is much more consistent.
This is because games are mostly announced on the last Wednesday of the month at 8:30am PST / 11:30am EST / 4:30pm BST / 5:30pm CEST. Expect to hear what’s coming March 30, 2022.
How to get PS Plus games for free
If you want to claim these games as part of the April 2022 lineup, you need to follow these few quick steps:
- On the home screen Go to the on your PlayStation console PlayStation Plus icon top left
- Once you are there you will be able to Download all active games for the current month from PS Plus.
- You can also subscribe to the service if you haven’t already.
- The new titles are now in your library!
So there you have it – that’s all we know about PS Plus games for April 2022.
For more information on free games you can snag right now, be sure to check out our guides for the latest information Xbox Game Pass.
https://www.dexerto.com/gaming/ps-plus-april-2022-leaks-rumors-announcement-date-1784110/ PS Plus April 2022: Leaks, Rumors & Announcement Date


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Treatt has released a trend report detailing the top 10 fastest growing flavors, specifically in the sports and energy market.
Highlights of the report include:
- Citrus continues to command a place in the top five beverage flavors globally.
- Sports drinks are adding functionality and formats, moving to powder/liquid to support at-home exercising, and personalization.
- Energy drinks are looking to more natural formulations (natural, not synthetic caffeine, for example, and less sugar).
- One of the defining trends driving growth and purchasing behavior remains health and wellbeing. However, there are signs of a new consciousness among consumers in taking personal action on the environment.
- The growing importance of natural ingredients is highlighted in a report by Fior Markets in May 2021, which reports that the global organic food and beverages market is expected to grow from $255.2 billion in 2020 and to reach $849.7 billion by 2028, growing at a CAGR of 16.42% during the forecast period 2021-2028.
- Supply chain transparency will only become more important as ingredient provenance comes under increasing scrutiny. GlobalData report that 85% of consumers globally say that information on what is in their food and drink is of major importance to them.
- North America is the largest market for sports and energy drinks, but Latin America is expected to witness the strongest growth in the coming 12-18 months. Younger consumers are driving interest in energy drinks with better-for-you ingredients. Along with sugar, artificial ingredients are one of the key barriers to the consumption of sports drinks.
- U.K. consumers are the biggest European market, but Poland and Norway are the key growth opportunity markets for sports and energy drinks. Although liquid format sports drinks are the most popular, innovation in sports drink brands is increasingly moving beyond liquid formats and into gels, powders and tablets.
- 44% of U.K. sports drink users say that sports drink formats that can be diluted before use (e.g. powders) are appealing (Kantar/Mintel Apr 2021).
- Markets across APAC will see steady value growth across both sports and energy drinks in 2022. Beverages in this space that offer maximum functionality and improved hydration are increasingly seeing the most success.
- In the year to April 2022, Asia has seen a marked increase in energy drink launches featuring ‘functional brain and nervous system’ claims (Mintel GNPD). In 2022, the energy drinks category volume will increase by 11.5% (Global Data), while sports drinks volume is forecast to grow by 10%.


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|Bid||808.20 x 0|
|Ask||809.65 x 0|
|Day's range||798.50 - 822.40|
|52-week range||356.75 - 869.65|
|Beta (5Y monthly)||N/A|
|PE ratio (TTM)||39.63|
|Earnings date||06-Aug-2019 - 10-Aug-2019|
|Forward dividend & yield||N/A (N/A)|
|1y target est||N/A|
Demand for COVID-19 antiviral drug remdesivir is rising sharply in India, a top executive at drugmaker Cipla Ltd <CIPL.NS> said on Monday, even as experts remain divided over its effectiveness. Remdesivir was developed by U.S. drugmaker Gilead Sciences Inc <GILD.O>, which cut its 2020 revenue forecast last month, citing lower-than-expected demand and difficulty in predicting sales of the treatment. Cipla is among several firms licensed to make and sell generic versions in developing nations.
Zydus Cadila on Thursday launched the cheapest generic version of Gilead Sciences' antiviral drug remdesivir in India to treat COVID-19 following reports of shortages at hospitals in the world's third-worst hit nation. Zydus has priced it at 2,800 rupees ($37.44) per 100mg vial. It will be sold under the brand name Remdac to government and private hospitals treating COVID-19 patients, the company said in a regulatory filing https://reut.rs/3gTivT4.
India's supply of antiviral drug remdesivir and generic equivalents is stabilising after shortages of the vital COVID-19 medicine at hospitals, according to a top executive at one of the country's big drugmakers, Cipla Ltd. Remdesivir, made by U.S.-based Gilead Sciences Inc, has been in high demand globally, and a handful of companies including Cipla are authorised to make and sell generic versions in 127 developing nations. Cipla's launch of remdesivir in late June, along with subsequent launches by others, has helped ease supply bottlenecks in India, Cipla's Global Chief Financial Officer, Kedar Upadhye, told Reuters.


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Fashion retailers such as Centerpoint online, 6thstreet, namshi and offline players are expected to benefit the most from the new policy change effective from January 1, as fashion and beauty account for around 70 per cent of UAE’s cross-border trade.
This new policy reduced the high-value threshold for shipments imported into the UAE from AED1000 ($272) to AED300 ($81).
In light of this custom change, the UAE should be prepared for an abundance of international players in fashion and beauty products flocking to the country to establish their bases here or seeking partnerships with local retailers thanks, industry experts noted.
Moreover, it is speculated that the policy change will push local retailers to embark on major product and marketing initiatives to enhance value propositions to woo and retain consumers seeking local alternatives.
Details of new UAE customs rules
Under this new policy, a five per cent customs duty will apply to any shipment valued above the threshold level, on top of an AED65 ($18) administration fee.
Tobacco, tobacco products, e-cigarettes, nicotine liquid, alcoholic beverages and products containing alcohol are not eligible for the exemption threshold of AED300, since the duties tariffs for these products differ.
Besides, these product categories also require extra approvals for clearance.
Red Seer perspective
Global consultancy RedSeer Strategy Consultant shared its insights in a new market impact study: “The trend of collaboration will rise further as international players looking for newer prospects for growth would be further encouraged to partner with local retailers following the new customs duty policy change.”
For now, the UAE has one of the highest cross-border trade penetration compared to global benchmarks, as the local expat population prefer buying from global brands.
The RedSeer study said the policy change is going to impact the UAE’s cross-border trade market, with fashion products responsible for the highest contribution to the value of cross-border sales.
“Within fashion, luxury fashion will be the most impacted as CBT share in this category is higher than others,” the report said.
However, when it comes to the ultra-luxury fashion sector, the impact will be negligible as the vast majority of its consumers are not price-conscious
Likewise, the home and electronics sector will be minimally affected “as most of the orders’ value doesn’t lie within AED300 – AED1000”, according to the study.
It is crucial to point out that the country’s cross-border trade has been been on a downward trajectory since 2018, with local players enhancing their value propositions, coupled with consumer behaviour progressively leaning more towards delivery experience, and convenience.
Managing partner of RedSeer Strategy Consultants, Sandeep Ganediwalla, told Arabian Business: “The latest customs change will further streamline the retail business in the UAE, as it should help deepen partnerships between international and local players, improve overall consumer experience and add value to the local economy.”
Thus, MR Ganediwalla noted, a delicate balance should be struck between policy, tax, local supplier profits and customer spending: “I think tax imports only benefit consumers…so such moves [customs duty change] help get the balance right by creating stronger local players …creating more jobs locally.”


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The Next Big Crime Wave
The savvy social networker realizes that there are ways to keep Facebook postings private, said Jeff Ingalsbe, who runs the Center for Cyber Security and Intelligence Studies at the University of Detroit Mercy. Nevertheless even those who are then-versed in the company's byzantine privacy policies have a hard time staying ahead of the game.
The mobile world
"Especially in the mobile world, it becomes more difficult," Ingalsbe said. "The Samsung Galaxy, the iPhone, you set up Facebook on these devices and you're automatically logged in, all the time. It adds another dimension of confusion. You can say, 'That wasn't me, somebody must have picked up my phone and messed with it.' "
"Facebook, Twitter, they put their stuff on servers all over the place," Ingalsbe said. "Those servers are dynamically moving, based on the volume of traffic. Cloud computing makes it more difficult for a forensic investigation. It's much more useful as an investigative tool."
It's as well more useful as social networkers trend younger. They tend not to worry about hiding personal information from the world, Ingalsbe said. "They're much more willing to share information, and to assume the risks are low. They've grown up with this; they don't think it's a big deal."
As time marches on, said Tyler Willis, vice president at the social-media company Unified, so will continue the "arms race" between cybercops and social network-using thugs. And to some extent, it will all be out in the open.
- · Rackspace debuts OpenStack cloud servers
- · America's broadband adoption challenges
- · EPAM Systems Leverages the Cloud to Enhance Its Global Delivery Model With Nimbula Director
- · Telcom & Data intros emergency VOIP phones
- · Lorton Data Announces Partnership with Krengeltech Through A-Quaâ¢ Integration into DocuMailer


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Killzone 2. Hellgate: London. Battlefield 2142. A sea of NDA titles from countless developers including Microsoft, Sony, Nintendo, Activision, id Software and Midway. What is this, a list of titles and companies showing up at Tokyo Game Show?
These are the projects that Massive Black Inc. has been working on -- and the business that Massive Black Inc. alleges ex-employees James Xi Zhang and Jenny Chen tried to steal in a civil suit filed with the San Francisco Supreme Court.


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Chitika, a new contextual ad network that launched in May, has come under fire from publishers in its network — mostly bloggers — who once sang its praises.
Their eMiniMalls ads had been gaining steam among bloggers, with many reports of Chitika’s ads performing better than AdSense on some sites. But once Chitika began auditing its results in October, revenues began dropping — by anywhere from 15 percent to as much as 90 percent, according to reports on blogs like JenSense and ThreadWatch. And if that was not enough of a problem for publishers, Chitika is also being criticized for not telling publishers of the drastic drops until early December, so most publishers ended up keeping the lower-performing ads on their site for over a month before they knew the extent of the reductions caused by the audits.
So it seems there are at least two lessons to be learned from this:
1. Transparency is good. Hiding things is bad.
2. Don’t mess with bloggers. When they get mad, they tell people, and some of them know a whole lot of people.


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Saudi Ports Authority (Mawani) has created a strategic partnership agreement with Saudi Post (SPL) to optimize service delivery solutions in line with the objectives of the National Transport and Logistics Strategy (NTLS). The deal was signed by Dr. Majid Al Malik, VP, Shared Services and Digital Transformation, Mawani and Rakan Al-Daifallah, government sales general manager. The collaboration between the public sector entities is set to deploy the latest technologies and modern capabilities in developing a high-performance and cost-efficient logistics sector in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to enhance KSA’s ranking in the World Bank’s Logistics Performance Index. The partnership will see the nation’s trusted logistics provider manage Mawani’s postal needs through its Express Mail Service (EMS), a customized solution for the Kingdom’s government and non-government sectors that offers a reliable and low-cost distribution channel both locally and internationally.
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Government supports Makola fire victims with over GH¢2m
The financial support, which is a grant, is to mitigate effects of the disaster on the traders and help them revive their businesses.
Mr Alan Kojo Kyeremanten, the Minister of Trade and Industry, who presented a dummy cheque to the 98 victims, said the gesture from Government was to help the affected persons get back to business.
The money will be disbursed through the Consolidated Banks Ghana (CBG) to the victims.
The Minister underscored the important role trade and commerce played in the economic development of countries and restated Government’s commitment to supporting traders and small and scale enterprises.
“Trading has become the channel between manufacturing and consumption, as every product that is manufactured is consumed in order to complete the value chain,” he said, and stressed the commitment of his Ministry to traders nationwide.
Mr Kyeremanten said his commitment was unfettered because by acting as the channel between producers and consumers, trading had the potential to provide critical information as input into the production process, source of employment as well as serve as a platform for revenue mobilization in support of Government projects and programmes.
“It is against this background that among the components of the Ten-Point Plan for Industrial Transformation of Ghana, is enhancing Domestic Retail Trade by improving market and other distribution infrastructure as well as reducing administrative bottlenecks in domestic trade.
“Under this component, Government has sought to provide direct support to business operators in the trade and commerce ecosystem through the introduction of a number of measures to facilitate trade in and out of the country.
“For example, upon the assumption of office of the NPP Government in 2017, the Ministry of Trade and Industry took a strategic and decisive step to address the challenges in trade facilitation and customs management, which were impeding the work of many traders, by introducing a new Trade Facilitation and Customs Management System, UNIPASS.
This new trade facilitation system has significantly improved the operations at our ports and borders.
“In addition, Government took another strategic decision to support traders and micro enterprises through the provision of emergency liquidity support to the tune of GH¢600 million under the Coronavirus Alleviation Programme Business Support Scheme (CAPBuSS) when the whole world was struck by the COVID-19 Pandemic”, he stated.
Mr Kyeremanten said the interventions were to demonstrate Government’s commitment to the profitability and sustainability of businesses.
He assured the traders that the team had gone through a rigorous transparent process to determine the level of support to each victim and urged them to apply for the money to take care of very critical needs.
Ms Kosi Yanki Ayeh, the Chief Executive Officer, Ghana Enterprises Agency (GEA), said they would liaise with the affected victims to ensure they all received the support.
She was hopeful the support would help revive the businesses and make them grow to support the local economy.
Ms Ayeh said Government was in talks with insurance companies to address the issues of credit, insurance and security needed by the traders in times of disasters.
Ms Elizabeth Sackey, the Mayor of Accra, said the gesture was to fulfill the promise Government made to the affected traders.
Dr Joseph Obeng, the President of Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA), advised the traders to use the monies for the intended purposes and also go by fire safety measures to avoid future occurrences.
Mr Fredrick Osei, a victim of the July 5 inferno, on behalf of other victims, expressed appreciation to Government for the support.
He appealed to Government to reduce taxes on imports to promote their businesses.
On July 5, 2021, hosts of shops on three-storey building at the Makola Market in the central business district, was gutted by fire, causing substantial damage to goods and property worth thousands of cedis.


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The number of companies in the Swiss Crypto valley has grown to 750
A cluster of companies working with digital currencies and associated technologies in the Swiss Crypto valley has increased despite the onset of what has been dubbed as “crypto winter".
Fintech companies will destroy the traditional financial system
In a new report on the British banking industry said that Fintech startups can completely replace traditional financial institutions.
Cryptocurrency market will continue falling, despite the growth of capitalization
Although the total capitalization of the crypto market recently reached the mark of $ 104 billion, many traders and cryptocurrency technical analysts still are quite pessimistic.
Bithumb became the largest exchange by trading volume in november
The cryptocurrency market data aggregator Cryptocompare published a exchange review for November 2018, which contains information on the latest developments on the global market.
New York procuracy published report on disadvantages of cryptomarkets
The New York State Office of the Attorney General has conducted an investigation and made a report, which indicated vulnerability of many cryptocurrency exchanges to market manipulation.


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Samsung introduced the Galaxy Fold clamshell market in 2019. Thanks to its clamshell display, this smartphone technically offers the use of a tablet in the form of a device that fits in your pocket. Last year, the company unveiled the Z-Flip 3 and Z-Fold 3 clamshells, which were a huge success for the Korean tech giant. For this reason, Samsung is interested in the new generation of these phones to continue their good trend. Now that we are still a few months away from Samsung unveiling the Galaxy Z Fold 4, the company is expected to make significant improvements to its new foldable flagship, one of which is to increase its internal memory.
According to the latest reports from the SamMobile website, Samsung plans to release a 1TB version of the Galaxy Z Fold 4 internal storage Also provide users. This amount of internal memory is too much for even the most demanding users. In general, the Korean tech giant is not opposed to the idea of offering smartphones with 1TB of internal memory. This website exclusively announced before the release of the Galaxy S22 series that the Galaxy S22 Ultra will have a 1TB version, and it did.
Since the Samsung Galaxy S22 flagship series does not support microSD card slot, the version with 1TB of internal memory can meet the needs of users who need a lot of internal memory. The company also launched the Galaxy Z Fold 3 years ago with 256 GB of internal memory and 512 GB of internal memory. Both of these internal memories will also be available for Samsung's upcoming clamshell phone. Obviously, the company can attract a lot of users with the 1TB version of the Galaxy Z Fold 4.
SM-F936J, SM-F936N, SM-F936W are among the models with 1TB of memory Provide internals to users. It should be noted that the Galaxy Z Fold 3, like many smartphones today, does not support the microSD card slot, and this is likely to be the case for the next generation of these phones. In fact, instead of supporting the microSD memory card, Samsung has decided to offer a 1TB version of this phone to users who need a lot of internal memory.
- Galaxy Z Fold 4 protective case from Its wider aspect ratio indicates
it remains to be seen how this will affect the pricing of this clamshell smartphone. The 512GB version of the Galaxy Z Fold 3, priced at $ 1899, is currently the most expensive version of this clamshell smartphone. If Samsung is not going to cut prices, the 1TB version of the Galaxy Z4 Folder will probably cost around $ 1999.
There have been a lot of rumors and speculations about this Samsung smartphone in the news media. Is. It is said that the Galaxy Z Fold 4 may be equipped with a new generation of ultra-thin glass for longer durability. The same can be said for the Galaxy Z Flip 4. One of the relatively common problems that many users have reported is the sudden cracking of these flowers. But we must note that this problem has improved with the increase of its final layer in the previous generation. It seems that Samsung intends to use the new generation of these very thin protective glasses in the Galaxy Z Fold 4 smartphone. According to published reports, the new generation of these glasses will be much more durable and resistant to the glasses used in the Galaxy Z Fold 4.
Information released by the whistleblowers also shows that Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 4 will be a significant improvement over its predecessor, including its display. Revealers also say that the Galaxy Z Fold 4 will be thinner than the Z Fold 4. The dimensions of the ZFold 3 are about 4.6 mm, while the dimensions of the new generation of these phones are estimated at about 9.6 mm. It remains to be seen what other information will be released in the coming days about Samsung's new clamshell phones.
- Samsung is likely to be working on a Galaxy A series clamshell phone


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(This article originally appeared on The Hill)
President Biden’s sweeping executive order issued last week to spur competition contains 72 directives for more than a dozen federal agencies to act on over the coming months. There will be opposition, debates, hang-wringing, lawsuits and long periods of time before the federal bureaucracy turns these directives into reality. But small business owners should be happy with what he’s doing. Why? Because although his intention is to limit the anti-competitive power of large companies, there are a few important parts of the order that will have a direct impact on their small businesses. Here are eight.
1. They will have more choice in broadband services.
Can you choose between Xfinity and Verizon? No, you can’t. You have to go with the provider in your building. Many small businesses are stuck with few, if any, choices for critical internet services and oftentimes it’s down to whatever deal landlords have cut with a single company providing access to their property. The executive order wants the Federal Communications Commission to prevent internet service providers from making these kinds of deals with landlords because it simply limits your choice, undermines your control and potentially increases your costs. Thumbs up on that.
2. Speaking of the internet, you will not be at a disadvantage to larger companies.
The president’s order overturned his predecessor’s rulings that allowed large internet service providers to charge more – or limit access – for their services based on usage. So, in a nutshell: net neutrality is back. I know there’s a big debate about this and people on both sides are passionate about its impact.
Opponents of net neutrality say that doing so will impact the growth of the very companies that provide a critical part of the infrastructure that drives commerce. Supporters say it gives us all a fair chance. Both sides wave studies and research supporting their positions. I’m not sure that either side really knows the answer as this is uncharted territory. But for now I’ll say that net neutrality is more than likely a good thing for small businesses, until we have actual real life data that proves otherwise.
3. You may have more online advertising options
Speaking of a neutral net, thank goodness the government is finally taking steps to scrutinize firms such as Google and Facebook, which pretty much control the online advertising and search world. I’ve written before about how the Google monopoly kills small businesses, and the situation hasn’t gotten any better.
President Biden’s order will hopefully clamp down on Big Tech’s ability to swallow up smaller competitors and accumulate our data. It also directs the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to create rules “barring unfair methods of competition” that could harm smaller businesses. If there’s any part of this executive order that should be turned into legislation this is it.
4. We can get our devices fixed!
To take advantage of our neutral net, we need devices to surf it, and now maybe, just maybe, we can get all of these devices fixed instead of being forced to buy new ones. That’s because the executive order is asking the FTC to design rules that curb cellphone manufacturers’ onerous restrictions against repairs by independent shops or consumers. What a joy this would be. I would love to have more options for repairing our company-owned phones, tablets and laptops locally. I’m convinced that this will lower our technology costs and also contribute to a longer shelf life for our hardware. Apple is the worst offender of this practice, and recently the company’s co-founder Steve Wozniak indicated his support for the “right to repair” movement. The time has come.
5. Farmers can repair their equipment too
Speaking of repairs, the order also urges the FTC to limit farm equipment manufacturers from restricting repairs by independent shops or the farmers themselves. It’s the same issue as mentioned above. I’m not a farmer, but I get how this practice is costly and annoying. Thanks to all their so-called “complicated technology” and “proprietary materials” or other nonsense claimed by big farm equipment manufacturers, most smaller farmers are handcuffed whenever they need to make necessary repairs on their existing equipment. It’s why there’s such a hot market for used farm equipment. “All we’re looking for is the opportunity, as the owner, to fix what we own,” Tom Brandt, a Nebraska farmer, told the Wall Street Journal. Amen.
6. More places for farmers to sell
Speaking of farmers, the order also calls for more support to help them (and ranchers and small processing facilities) sell their goods in markets and other places currently restricted by the government’s onerous funding programs. This would help them expand their customer channels and drive more sources of revenue.
7. A relaxation of those ridiculous licensing rules
We’ve heard about all the excessive occupational licensing requirements levied on people who want to cut hair, sell flowers and provide both physical and emotional counseling. It’s clearly a revenue grab from the states, and it clearly limits the ability of many people to earn a living as independent contractors or freelancers.
President Biden’s order addresses that issue too. According to the Foundation for Free Economic Education’s Brad Polumbo “these laws serve only to stifle labor force participation and protect crony established interests from competition. One study found that onerous occupational licensing blocks 2.8 million jobs and costs consumers $203 billion a year in artificially high prices.” Good riddance to that.
8. Making the airlines pay
Finally, for business travelers, the order directs the Department of Transportation to clamp down on the airline industry’s avoidance of responsibility for lost baggage and broken inflight WIFI. As a business traveler, I say: thank you.
Of course, there are some provisions of the president’s executive order for which, as a business owner, I’m not exactly thrilled, the most significant (to me) being the potential ban on non-compete clauses in employee contracts. But if there’s one thing I’ve learned from decades of running a business, it’s that you can’t have it all. So, I’ll take what I can get. And I like what I’m potentially getting by this order so far. I think many small business owners will agree.


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The global cryptocurrency exchange launches its first Hong Kong NFT pop-up store at K11 Art Mall to celebrate innovative digital collectibles built on the blockchain platform.
Representing far more than just a JPEG minted on the blockchain, NFTs are now the key to a future where ownership of a unique digital asset on the blockchain can lead to infinite new opportunities.
Crypto exchange AAX is capitalising on the NFT boom, launching a pop-up store at K11 Art Mall to showcase a selection of NFT pieces emerged from the early days as well as those created by local Hong Kong artists. Apes, pixels and gods will be the central theme of the pop-up art space open to the public from now on until 9 May.
“Possibilities in the digital realm are endless, as evidenced by the development and innovation in digital assets, crypto, and NFT in recent years,” says Ben Caselin, Head of Research and Strategy at AAX, referring to the use of NFT for bragging rights, to complete a collection or as an investment profile.
“This AAX Trends pop-up explores the evolution of non-fungible digital assets and the potential and possibilities for NFT applications. By bringing together industry leaders, artists and a curious crowd, AAX Trends hopes to foster more understanding and uncover new perspectives on the NFT space,” Caselin adds.
In celebration of the opening, three double-decker trams are setting sail on Hong Kong Island from now until 12 May, displaying the key NFT collectibles exhibited at the pop-up store. The trams are designed to echo the pop-up theme of “The Early Days of Crypto – Apes. Pixels. Gods”, revisiting NFT apes in their earliest form, the pixelated art of CryptoPunks and the crypto gods series originating from AAX.
Learn more about the event here
“AAX Trends: Apes. Pixels. Gods” Pop-up
Date: Now until 9 May
Location: 121, 1/F, K11 Art Mall, 18 Hanoi Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong
Opening hours: 12:00pm – 8:00pm


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However, net profits were down 38.5% when taking into account an exceptional charge of £47.3m following a review of holiday pay policy. Last month, the John Lewis Partnership revealed it had underpaid 69,000 workers over a seven-year period, a costly oversight which cost the department store an estimated £40m.
Despite this one-off charge, the employee-owned partnership is optimistic about its long-term performance. In the first six weeks of the second half of its financial year, sales rose 5.1% on a like-for-like basis, while Waitrose was up 4.4%.
‘The Partnership has had a strong first half ... slightly ahead of our expectations due to a good trading performance in both businesses,’ said Charlie Mayfield, Chairman of John Lewis Partnership, which has 39 John Lewis shops and almost 300 Waitrose supermarkets.
Some 800 new jobs were created in the first six months of the year, taking the total headcount to 85,000. Waitrose is also gaining market share in the competitive supermarket sector.
‘Waitrose has outperformed the market for over four years and our market share now stands at 4.9 per cent, 0.3 per cent higher than a year ago,’ the company said. It plans to open six new branches and three convenience stores in the next six months.


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HP has just recycled its one billionth pound, six months ahead of schedule. HP has always had one of the best recycling programs in personal computing but this event marks a major milestone.
Not only is this a huge amount of recycled waste, but HP CEO Mark Hurd also says that "We've reached the levitra purchase tipping point where the price and buy cialis low price performance of IT are no longer compromised by being green, but are now enhanced by it." This is http://davenportinstitute.com/cialis-discount amazing news. It means that companies who have invested in recycling programs and infrastructure are now making a profit by recycling products at the end of buy dog tramadol uk their life.
It's one thing for HP to recycle out of the goodness of its heart, it's quite another thing for them to now be able to wag their tongues at their competitors and say "we're making friends and money."
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- 11 Jun, 2019
Tourists to recover VAT through self-service kiosks
Self-service kiosks have been set up across all the ports included in the Tax Refunds for Tourists Scheme in order to allow tourists to recover Value Added Tax, VAT, when leaving the UAE. The kiosks are operated by Planet, the company enlisted by the Federal Tax Authority, FTA, to operate the system for the Tax Refunds for Tourists Scheme. "The kiosks are signif...More...
- 03 Jun, 2019
UAE’s VAT collections exceeds expectations by a wide margin in 2018
UAE residents paid Dh27 billion in value-added tax (VAT) last year, surpassing the government's target of collecting of Dh12 billion, an increase of 125 per cent. It even surpassed the goal of Dh20 billion VAT revenue collections for 2019. The total VAT collection was also close to the UAE's nine-month of surplus, which stood at Dh28 billion during the January-Sept...More...
- 30 May, 2019
UAE Cabinet approves VAT revenues distribution between federal and local governments
The UAE Cabinet has approved distribution of the value-added tax (VAT) revenues totalled approximately AED27 billion between the federal and local government. According to the decision 30 percent of the revenue will go to the federal government, and 70 percent to the local governments. The decision ensures the sustainability and the quality of government service...More...


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Don’t say Intel never gave you nuthin’ for free. Although this news flew well under the radar when the company’s 7th-gen Kaby Lake desktop CPUs were launched last Tuesday at CES, Intel’s newest budget Pentium CPUs have received a performance buff with Hyper-Threading.
The Pentium G4600, Pentium G4620, and Pentium G4560, as well as their power-saving “T” versions, all feature Intel’s Hyper-Threading, which delegates unused portions of the CPU for other tasks (you can see the chips here on Intel’s ARK site.) While it doesn’t quite turn these dual-core CPUs into quad-cores, there is a real-world performance boost on most multi-threaded loads.
Hyper-Threading was introduced with the Pentium 4 in 2000 and has been a standard feature of Intel’s higher-end processors since then. The budget Pentium series, however, hasn’t had the feature until now.
Making budget chips sexier
Besides the support for Hyper-Threading, the new Kaby Lake budget chips also support Ultra HD 4K resolution and are capable of playing back 10-bit content easily. That can’t be done on Skylake, Haswell, or Ivy Bridge’s integrated graphics.
One issue for Intel, Tirias Research analyst Kevin Krewell noted, is the lack of air between its pricier Core i3 CPUs and Pentiums. For example, the dual-core 3.9GHz Core i3-7100 costs $117 in volume and has Hyper-Threading and HD 630 graphics. The dual-core 3.7GHz Pentium G4620 costs $86 to $93, has Hyper-Threading and HD 630 graphics. For that roughly 25-percent increase in price, all the customer gets is about a 5-percent performance boost.
Not all are as close, though. Some Core i3 chips have larger caches and much higher clock speeds. Intel also recently unveiled an unlocked “K” CPU with very high overclocking capability.
Why this matters: Company officials didn’t tell PCWorld why they decided to make the change, but the move gives Intel’s sub-$100 fare a performance edge compared to previous Pentium chips. Krewell said the move could signal Intel’s desire to offer budget shoppers an incentive to upgrade.


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2013 Economic Forecast by Dr. Mario Belotti
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At the Economic Forecast in February, Dr. Mario Belotti, the W.M. Keck Professor of Economics and a veteran observer of the economic trends in Silicon Valley and the nation, offered keen insights on what to expect in the year ahead. After witnessing European economic crises, a slowdown in China, and the fiscal cliff in 2012, he foresees 2.5 percent growth this year. Factors contributing to this growth include improvements in the industrial, housing and manufacturing sectors, rising economic indicators, and increased consumer wages, spending and wealth.
Belotti predicts inflation will remain low this year, along with long-term interest rates.The Economic Forecast is an annual event hosted by the SCU Alumni Association in partnership with the Leavey School of Business.
Donohoe Alumni House
500 El Camino Real
Santa Clara, California
(866) 554-6800 (Toll-free)
(408) 554-2155 (Fax)


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Some of you might know the company, Nvidia already through its existence as one of the world’s most successful producers of graphics cards. On top of this, as a consequence, it has also become even more successful due to the proliferation of graphics card based Crypto mining.
Due to this success, Nvidia has moved to investing into Blockchain firms and one of its latest forays is into a firm called Ubex, which wants to use a specialized, artificial neural network, which is a computerized version of a human brain, to change how advertisements are shown on websites.
The specific way that they’re aiming to do this is by mining public, customer data on the Ubex Blockchain to more efficiently target advertisements.
Essentially, the ANN takes in data from customer activity on the internet and based on its ultimate goal, it works to improve the performance of internet advertisements in some specific way. What isn’t clear right now is what kind of ultimate goal this particular network has. To explain further, each and every AI has such a goal like one day working on a problem with ninety five percent accuracy for example. Everything that they do leads towards achieving this goal in what they decide is the best possible way to do so.
The Ubex CEO was quoted in a piece by Coin Desk as saying that the company uses a Blockchain because it is trying to be transparent, while promoting quick transactions on its network. Over all of this, the main purpose of the Ubex-chain seems to be to provide the necessary and ongoing training data for the company’s AI, so that it can continuously learn and improve how it targets internet advertisements.
This, put together with the overarching fact that Ubex’s ultimate goal actually might be said to be improving online advertising algorithms, is what attracted Nvidia to investing in their idea in the first place. Nvidia has even updated part of their main website to include the idea of them being a leader in Artificial Intelligence and computing, because of their investing efforts.
On top of Ubex’s final goal, it also hopes that it will one day reach a point in which it has no issues generating enough data to change internet advertising at a large scale. As of now, however, the chain is only in its test net phase.
The implications of such a venture are powerful. If an artificial neural network put together with a Blockchain can change how we experience internet advertising in a way that it is no longer intrusive, then perhaps more companies will see lasting results from online campaigns that include greater customer trust in what they are doing.
This end result could be said to be likely due to Ubex’s goal of cutting out the middle man and changing internet advertising to the point that it only includes publishers and advertisers, who interact in a direct exchange. Due to the fact that they plan to use the Blockchain to mine customer data, however, it will be essential that they act within the law and do not damage their business beyond repair because of a perceived breach of customer rights to privacy.
By: BGN Editorial Staff


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The 2023 Nissan Z has officially debuted in America. Sales of sport-car in the United States will begin in early 2023.
The official presentation of the new-generation Nissan Z took place at historical Brooklyn’s Duggal Greenhouse in New York City.
The long-awaited sports car should become an affordable alternative to the Nissan GT-R and compete primarily with the Toyota Supra.
Generally speaking, the Americans were looking forward to the new Nissan Z, like its predecessor, the Nissan 370Z, had and still has an army of fans.
Ashwani Gupta, chief operating officer of Nissan, says that the Z has always been an affordable sports car. However, information on the price of the 2023 Nissan Z is currently unavailable.
Nissan will offer three versions for the new car. The start of sales is slated for early 2023, according to Gupta.
All 2023 Nissan Z models come with a 3.0-liter 400-hp twin-turbo V6 engine with 475 Nm (350 lb-ft) of torque. The Chevy Corvette Stingray engine, by comparison, develops up to 495 hp and 637 Nm (470 lb-ft).
The Nissan Z buyers will be able to choose between a 6-speed manual gearbox and a new 9-speed automatic transmission.
Inside, Nissan highlights a 12.3-inch display, leather sports seats, and a premium Bose audio system.
Note that unlike the previous six generations, for which Nissan also offered digital designations, the newcomer will sell in the United States with only one letter Z – simply “Nissan Z”.


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A.P. Moller – Maersk has responded to Brexit and COVID-19 pressure with a new rail service from Felixstowe to Newell & Wright in Tinsley, UK.
The global integrator of container logistics reached an agreement with the UK’s third largest rail operator GB Railfreight to operate the service all working days of the week.
Jeremy Haycock, managing director for UK & Ireland at Maersk, said: “As any major container gateway in the world, Felixstowe has been under pressure due to the various disruptions affecting the supply chain such as Brexit, COVID-19 and the recent vessel blockage at the Suez Canal.
“By signing this agreement, we will be able to offer more reliable and flexible end-to-end services to both local as well as global importers and exporters.”
The Port of Felixstowe is Britain’s biggest and busiest container port and one of the largest in Europe.
Approximately 50% of traffic between Felixstowe and the North of England moves by rail.
“Expanding our rail footprint from Felixstowe is key for us to increase supply chain flexibility for our customers through the current challenging times and help them addressing their individual specific logistics needs as the business condition and pandemic continue to evolve,” Haycock added. “We want to help bringing capacity and reliability to this critical supply chain link.”
The new service will incorporate new eco-fret wagons from the German company VTG Aktiengesellschaft, state-of-art containers which maximise the number of 20- and 40-ft containers which can be carried on a train.
John Smith, managing director at GB Railfreight, said: “I am delighted we have agreed to this contract with Maersk. We are a growing organisation, always looking for the next opportunity and working with Maersk was an absolute no-brainer.”


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The former CEO of “Google” is betting on the future of Web 3.0 and reveals his possession of some digital currencies
The content site is one of the sites that provide the service of answering general questions and solving puzzles and crossword puzzles
Where the content site is primarily interested in answering your questions in all areas, including solving puzzles and crossword puzzles
Answer The former CEO of “Google” is betting on the future of Web 3.0 and reveals his possession of some digital currencies
Eric Schmidt, the former CEO of Google, recently revealed his views on the emerging blockchain and crypto industry.
He said that what fascinates him most is not cryptocurrency but the future of Web 3.0.
He revealed that he invested very little money in cryptocurrencies.
Speaking to CNBC, Schmidt stated:
The new model of the Internet where you as an individual can control who you are, and where you don’t have a central administrator, is very powerful.
It is very seductive and very decentralized.Read:The launch of the first laptop based on blockchain technology
I remember that feeling when I was 25 years old and I believed decentralization would be everything.
Web 3.0 generally refers to the new Internet era where services are created using decentralized blockchain networks.
Schmidt explained that if he started his career as a software engineer today, he would focus on AI algorithms or Web 3.0.
He also added that his interest in Web 3.0 involved a concept called “tokenomics,” and went on to explain:
Web 3.0 is an interesting economy.
Decentralized platforms are interesting and the usage patterns are interesting.
It’s not fully functional yet, but it will work in the future.
What cryptocurrency does Eric Schmidt own?
He told the ex-CEO of Google that he had just started investing in cryptocurrencies.
But he did not disclose the cryptocurrencies he currently holds.
Referring to Bitcoin, Schmidt said that the problem with blockchain technology today is that people spend most of their time on those systems to make sure the network is not attacked…
A number of prominent personalities from major tech companies have recently taken a dip in cryptocurrency.Read:Coinbase intends to launch a dedicated platform for subscriptions (IEO)
The goal was largely to understand the technology and the economics behind it.
One of the biggest proponents of cryptocurrency right now is technology expert and billionaire Elon Musk.
Investment bank “Goldman Sachs” begins offering dollar loans secured by “Bitcoin”
Cryptocurrency exchange CEO arrested for spying for North Korea…Details here
And you can ask questions on the content site through the word “Ask a question” at the top of the site, where we answer your questions in a short time


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Rounding out the list of hardware updates from Apple this morning is a battery charger. Before you dismiss it (as I initially did) as just a battery charger, consider the following.
First, Apple is pushing its green aspects. For example, the charger is smart enough to pull less power once the batteries are fully charged. In fact, Apple claims that it has the lowest standby power usage than any similar charger on the market (more on that in a minute). Also, Apple notes that the 6 batteries that ship with it are able to hold a long charge over hundreds of charges. Expect to get 10 years of use out of them, Apple says. The idea is that users will pull less power from the grid and use fewer batteries with Apple's charger.
Also consider that this is another step towards Apple's making "the whole widget." For example, you can now buy a computer, mouse, keyboard, Magic Trackpad, batteries and battery charger all from Apple. Who says Steve's a control freak?
Finally, let's compare it to a charger I currently own, the Engergizer Rechargeable 15 Minute Charger. When I say "own," I mean "despise." Yes, it charges batteries in 15 minutes, and they'll hold that charge for almost as long! It's also huge (it uses one socket and covers the other) and heats up like an iron forge. For $32 it ships with 4 batteries, compared to the 6 Apple gives you for $29.
Yes, it's a battery charger. But it's also been infused with Apple magic.


text: La Cañada Flintridge Calif., December 7, 2015 – The Allen Lund Company (ALC) will be participating in Navidad en el Barrio for the 10th consecutive year. Working together with growers, shippers, and carriers Navidad is able to provide food baskets to over 15,000 families-in-need during the holiday season. This year ALC worked with companies such as Wada Farms, Dayka+Hackett, Rainier Fruit Company, Wonderful Citrus, and Grimmway Farms to provide food donations. “We are thrilled with the great response our customers and shippers have given to Navidad this year,” stated Nora Trueblood, Director of Marketing and Communications. “Adding fresh produce to the dinner baskets is of huge value to the families.” To continue reading click here.


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Now Microsoft can worry about Google. Has Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer thrown any chairs today?
It’s official. Google and Salesforce.com hooked up, as in Web 2.0 to Web 2.0. Salesforce customers now have direct access to Google productivity applications, including hosted word processor, spreadsheet and e-mail applications.
The Google-Salesforce mashup is problematic for Microsoft on so many levels. The two Web 2.0 companies have put together a pretty compelling business suite that’s sure to appeal to smaller shops. Think hosted CRM, Exchange, Office and SharePoint Server.
Microsoft executives will bark about the importance of software and how many more features products such as CRM, Exchange and Office deliver, locally, than Google and Salesforce.com hosted apps. Number of features isn’t what matters. It’s what features do users need—meaning what product delivers enough of them to be “good enough.”
Google, Salesforce, Mashup, Corporate News, Microsoft


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The 15th Finance Commission on Monday decided to set up an eight-member high level expert group headed by ITC chairman Sanjiv Puri to recommend strategies and measures to increase farm productivity and boost exports.
The panel will recommend measurable performance incentives for States to encourage agri exports as well as to promote crops to enable high import substitution, the Finance Commission said in a statement.
The committee will submit its recommendations within three months for further consideration of the Commission, it said.
As per the Terms of Reference, the panel would "assess export and import substitution opportunities for Indian agricultural products (commodities, semi processed and processed) in the changing international trade scenario and suggest ways to step up exports sustainably and reduce import dependence."
It will also recommend strategies and measures to increase farm productivity, enable higher value addition, ensure waste reduction, strengthen logistics infrastructure etc. related to Indian agriculture, to improve the sector's global competitiveness.
The panel is expected to identify the impediments for private sector investments along the agricultural value chain and suggest policy measures and reforms that would help attract the required investments.
The committee will also suggest appropriate performance-based incentives to the state governments for the period 2021-22 to 2025-26, to accelerate reforms in the agriculture sector as well as implement other policy measures in this regard.
Apart from Puri, other members of the committee also included former Agriculture Secretary Radha Singh Nestle India CMD Suresh Narayanan, UPL CEO Jay Shroff and RIS Director General Sachin Chaturvedi.
(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)


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Goa Chillout Zone Vol.13 to release on International Jazz Day
The 13th edition of the Goa Chillout Zone, the popular compilation series by WOA International is set to release on April 30, 2024, coinciding with International Jazz Day.
The album went on to hit various national charts around the world and came to be known as a launchpad for relatively unknown indie artists. Several artists from the Goa Chillout Zone series were picked up by major labels for licensing deals on mainstream Chillout compilations, like Universal Music Australia's hit album 'Cafe World Lounge' which featured artists like Nelly Furtado, Neneh Cherry, Youssou N'Dour alongside Goa Chillout Zone Artists
The Goa Chillout Zone series aims to showcase the best of independent music in the chillout, easy listening and of course the smooth jazz genre, as well as to promote Goa as a global chillout music destination for music lovers and artists alike. The 13th edition of the Goa Chillout Zone is expected to follow the success of the previous volumes, which hit the top of the charts consistently every year, including Amazon UK Bestseller lists, iTunes USA & UK #1 chart positions, various National Album charts and other platforms.
The album also brings in considerable goodwill from fans, because of its support for animal welfare - any revenue generated by WOA goes to the WOA Animal Welfare Fund, which works with various animal shelters and organizations around the world.
The Goa Chillout Zone Vol.13 will be available for pre-order on iTunes, Amazon, and other major stores starting in March, with Official downloads made available to fans on International Jazz Day, 30th April, 2024. The album will also be available to stream for free on Spotify, Apple Music, and other streaming platforms. Fans can tune in to the WOAFM99 Radio Show every weekend to catch exclusive previews and interviews with the artists who are going to be featured on this much anticipated album.
The Goa Chillout Zone Vol.13 is a must-have for fans of chillout music and independent artists. The album is a perfect soundtrack for relaxing and experiencing the 'chillout' lifestyle of Goa and how it inspires musicians from around the world.
For more information, visit the official website of the Goa Chillout Zone or follow the WOA Entertainment Group on socials:


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Everyone complains about junk mail, but no one does anything about it. That is, until America Online (AOL) apparently decided to strike a blow against the burgeoning business of junk E-mail. The result: AOL has found itself the target of a first-of-its-kind lawsuit by a junk E-mailer.
Philadelphia-based Cyber Promotions Inc. is a bulk E-mailer of promotional materials. The company claims to have 4,000 clients and a database of 850,000 recipients. It E-mails thousands of promotions daily. And because AOL has upwards of 5 million users, some of those mailings wind up in AOL mailboxes. AOL, meanwhile, as a matter of policy opposes what it defines as "junk E-mail." According to the Cyber Promotions lawsuit, AOL's efforts to enforce that policy amounted to a malicious attempt to put it out of business by "E-mail bombing" its Internet limited -service providers, UUNet Technologies and VoiceNet.
Here's how the lawsuit tells it: According to Cyber Promotions, AOL collected all the undeliverable messages Cyber Promotions sent to its addresses and returned them en masse to UUNet. It was as if UUNet had received the equivalent of 500,000 letters from Ed McMahon -- all at the same moment. The volume was so great that one of UUNet's computer systems failed -- no easy task, considering that UUNet is one of the largest Internet service providers (ISPs) in the country.
After the computer failure, the suit continues, UUNet decided to drop Cyber Promotions as a client. Cyber Promotions then contracted with VoiceNet to act as its limited service provider, and the same series of events unfolded. Except this time, instead of returning just the current batch of undeliverable mail, AOL also sent back any other previously undeliverable mail from Cyber Promotions. That brought down VoiceNet's computer system.
At this point Cyber Promotions turned to ComCat, yet another ISP. Cyber Promotions alleges that a representative of AOL phoned PREPnet, ComCat's backbone provider, to report that ComCat and Cyber Promotions were violating PREPnet's "acceptable-use policy." PREPnet, the lawsuit says, responded by announcing to ComCat that if it didn't drop Cyber Promotions as a client, ComCat's own access to the Internet would be jeopardized. Cyber Promotions wound up unwired once again. AOL, however, denies that it ever talked to anyone at PREPnet.
In a separate lawsuit filed by AOL against Cyber Promotions, AOL reportedly claims that the bulk E-mailer was using the AOL logo in its mailings to give it credibility. "We notified Cyber Promotions a number of times about its mailings," says AOL spokeswoman Pam McGraw. "We were concerned because Cyber Promotions said in its mailings that AOL endorsed the mailings. That violates AOL guidelines, not to mention the trademark issue."
Cyber Promotions insists it's not the bad guy. "We want to continue to do business," says Sanford Wallace, president of the company. "Bulk E-mail is a good, cheap way to advertise. For small companies, it's a very viable way to get a message out for a fraction of the cost of mainstream advertising." Although the mail it sends might be annoying, Cyber Promotions claims that interfering with and damaging the computer systems of two other companies is in violation of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (typically used to stop bank fraud and hacking).
Whatever the outcome of the case, the repercussions are going to affect more than a few people. "Unsolicited E-mail is going to be a serious issue in the industry," says AOL's McGraw. "We're going to have to deal with it."
-- Vladimir Edelman


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Ad agency plans $75m bond for new magazine launches
SEEC Media, a mainland print media advertising company, yesterday announced plans to raise $75 million by issuing convertible bonds and warrants to Templeton Fund to finance future acquisitions and launch new titles.
Shares in the company rose 5.41 per cent and closed at $0.39 yesterday. The shares were suspended pending the announcement.
SEEC Media is the advertising agency for six mainland publications including business news weekly Caijing Magazine, Securities Market Weekly and Successful Marketing.
'The advertising market in China is more robust than ever, with a growing consumer demand and upcoming events such as the Beijing 2008 Olympics. SEEC is positioned to benefit from the ongoing relaxation of the China media industry,' said Mark Mobius, head of Templeton's emerging markets investment teams.
SEEC Media aims to issue US$10 million of 2 per cent convertible bonds due in 2011.
The conversion price and the exercise price for the bond and warrant is 42.2 cents, or 90 per cent of the volume-weighted share price at the date of the conversion or exercise.
Templeton will hold a 12.35 per cent stake in the company if it fully converts the bonds into shares between 2008 and 2011. The warrant issue represents 4.3 per cent of the company stake.
Last month the company secured a deal with United States-based publisher Time Inc to launch the China edition of Time's Sports Illustrated magazine.
Sport Illustrated China is expected to launch by the end of this year as a bi-weekly. The new title will have a team of writers, editors and designers based in Beijing and aims eventually to become a weekly.
The new magazine will focus primarily on coverage of Chinese and American basketball, football and other 2008 Summer Games-related sports.
'The launch of the new title should help the company to expand its advertising revenue stream and reduce its reliance on finance-related clients,' Bertrand Chui, analyst at ICEA, said.
Net profit at the company was $39 million on revenue of $101 million for the year ending in December last year.


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The failure of Delta to respond in time on Twitter (or actually any communication channel) is more than irritating, as the airline industry already had its “bad behavior” example beginning this year when Ryanair failed to answer a consumer complaint in a fashionable way. There was a lot of buzz in the marketing community and you would expect an airline like Delta to learn from competitor’s mistakes.
The statement “We will align our social-media strategy to be in sync with our other communication vehicles for the benefit of our customers and employees.” leaves the consumers at least with the hope the industry is going to change soon towards a positive customer experience. However, I wrote such a statement already a couple of months ago after the Ryanair case and obviously nothing has really changed…
Related articles by Zemanta
- Ryanair caught up in fake Twitter account controversy (telegraph.co.uk)
- Big Brands in Social Media: Ford and Southwest Airlines (futurelab.net)


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During Capcom Captivate in Rome last week it was confirmed that Resident Evil 6 will include both online and local split-screen multiplayer co-op.
The action game has also adopted a new drop-in and drop-out feature which allows online players to come and go when ready. Something that wasn’t available in Resident Evil 5. Mercenaries mode will return in this installment of the series but unlike previous games this mode will be unlocked from the start.
Resident Evil 6 is scheduled to ship this October.


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Novel coronavirus drags India’s services sector down
India’s most advanced sector, the service sector that provides job opportunities and heavily contributes to economic growth, declined in March. Such inactivity was brought by insufficiency in export demand and new business due to the coronavirus contagion which had already caused worldwide disruptions.
March records have it that the Nikkei/IHS Markit Services Purchasing Manager’s Index INPMIS=ECI sunk down to a five-month low of 49.3. The index declined after reaching a record-breaking high of 57.5 in February. Currently, it sits below the 50-mark line that divides growh from contraction.
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi mandated the people of India to follow quarantine regulations such as staying at home and shutting down businesses which provide non-essential products. The said shutdown is set to run for 21 days starting March 25 to contain further spread of the virus.
This indicated that April’s records will bear worse results as the possibility of global recession is supported by economic paralysis due to the coronavirus contagion.