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Campylobacter may have struck yet another raw-milk dairy.
Claravale Farm, one of the two state-licensed commercial raw milk dairies in California, is being investigated for the possibility that some of its milk was contaminated with Campylobacter, an infectious disease that can cause serious gastric problems and in some cases can be life-threatening.
Raw milk is milk that hasn’t been pasteurized to kill harmful bacteria that may be present in the milk. An ongoing Campylobacter outbreak involving product from a Pennsylvania raw milk dairy has so far sickened at least 77.
Claravale Dairy last week voluntarily stopped distributing to the many stores that sell its products, which include cream and raw cow and goat milk. Its distribution area ranges from the Bay Area all the way down to San Diego. However, as of Feb. 17, the dairy had not yet informed its customers, either through its website or its Facebook page, that it had stopped production.
The dairy, which is owned by husband and wife Ron Garthwaite and Collette Cassidy, did not respond to an e-mail and a phone call request for comment from Food Safety News.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control Prevention, unpasteurized milk can become contaminated if the cow has an infection with Campylobacter in her udder or the milk is contaminated with manure.
Matt Conens, a spokesman for the state’s Public Health Department, said the agency is working with local health departments on reported illnesses where raw milk was consumed prior to the onset of illness.
“More than one bacterial agent causing gastrointestinal illness is being investigated, including campylobacter,” he said in an email to Food Safety News. But because the investigation is ongoing, the department cannot provide information about the number of reported illnesses or their locations.
Steve Lyle, spokesman for the state’s Agriculture Department, said in a Feb. 16 email to Food Safety News that the department is aware of the action taken by Claravale and that tests of the dairy’s products are pending. The department is also taking samples from the dairy itself. Results are still several days away, Lyle said, and the department has not taken any regulatory action.
According to information provided by Claravale on a “fact sheet” about raw milk, raw milk can be stored in refrigerators for up to two weeks. This means that customers may still have some of the dairy’s raw milk in their refrigerators.
Claravale Farm, located in San Benito, Calif., has been producing raw milk since 1927. As of September 2011, it had a herd of 65 Jersey cows. It has recently added some goats to its operation. Its website touts its milk as being “entirely natural” and unprocessed. Until this investigation by the state, it has not had a problem with foodborne illnesses linked to its milk.


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What ‘OK Boomer!’ Means For Retailers
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Last week in New Zealand, a 25-year-old member of Parliament, Chlöe Swarbrick, dismissed an older heckler by offhandedly tossing off the phrase, “OK Boomer!” during her statement about the need for action on climate change. For the benefit of my fellow Baby Boomers, this phrase is definitely a trend. In the November 5th edition of the Washington Post, editorial writer Molly Roberts commented:
“Two words have launched a thousand tweets and opened a new front in the generational wars… OK boomer. The Gen Z-generated phrase ‘OK boomer’ has turned into an epithet rallying the country’s young against their forebears in collective mockery. The all-purpose reply is designed to disarm oldish people who dispense condescension dressed up as wisdom… It’s glib, it’s short, and it’s not at all sweet…’OK boomer’ is appealing because, on the simplest level, it flips the script… Now, young people have developed a cryptic code for telling old people that they’re the ones who don’t get it, and that failure is all the more flagrant because they have had countless chances to learn.”
What does this have to do with the retail industry? Well, in RSR’s March 2019 study on the state of merchandising, retailers told us that while decision makers skew older (Baby Boomers and Gen-X’ers), core consumers are skewing younger (Gen-Xers and Millennials). Take a look:
As we opined in the report, while retail decision makers may be generationally aligned with today’s customers, they aren’t well aligned with the future. We saw this misalignment in our 2018 study too, and in that report we concluded that, “…given how active Millennials have become in the current marketplace, retailers would do well to plan for a time when Millennials usurp Gen Xers in purchasing power. The one thing time promises for certain: the day will come when they do. It’s best to start planning now.”
The importance of the inevitable generational shift goes far beyond merchandising decision making, however. Unlike both Baby Boomers and Gen-Xers, Millennials’ lives have been shaped by the Internet and the Great Recession. They are tech-savvy, smart shoppers, and are skeptical of traditional ways. Essentially, Millennials are pushing the “omnichannel” agenda, and they don’t care at all about retailers’ struggles to modernize their operations. The motto of the Millennial generation might as well be, “we want the world, and we want it now”.
But there’s more! The generation right after the Millennials – Gen-Z – is increasingly a part of the workforce and is joining the ranks of consumers that retailers depend on. People in this generation think of the Web as a birthright, cannot remember a world without smart phones, are social-media savvy, and are saddled with massive student debt. A recent Business Insider piece defined Gen-Z shoppers with these traits:
- Generation Z’s approach to brands is part of what sets it apart from previous generations
- When deciding where to shop, their primary motivator is price
- Since they frequently document their life on social media, they feel a pressure to always have new clothes. That is fueling growth in unconventional forms of shopping, like rental and resale
- Being unique — and balancing that with saving money — is a defining trait of this generation
In short, the change cycle being forced upon retailers is speeding up, not slowing down. But the generational shift isn’t driving the so-called “Retail Apocalypse”; in fact, a September 2019 study by A.T. Kearney shows that a big percentage of Gen-Zers actually enjoy browsing a physical store as a type of “mental therapy”, a chance to unplug from social media. However, retailers can’t get too comfortable with that finding. Those same shoppers are increasingly intolerant of “a lousy experience”. The study states that, “a poor online experience has prevented 22% of Gen Z shoppers from making a purchase three to five times in the past year. In a store that rate rises to 24%. By comparison, 15% of millennials halted an online purchase and 21% halted an in-store purchase three to five times over the past year because of a lousy experience.”
Back to the “OK Boomer” meme. In the time it took me to write this piece (about an hour), Twitter reported that the hashtag #okboomer occurred in 720 tweets. In other words, the dismissive catchphrase is hot and getting hotter. It denotes a generational exhaustion with excuses for lack of progress, not just with politics or climate change, but with the ways of the world in general. Post Gen-X people want a world that reflects their realities, and they are increasingly tired of “oldish” decision makers that get in the way of that.
Retailers beware! The industry needs to recognize that there’s a changing of the guard, and integrate Millennials (and soon, Gen-Zers) into the decision-making process. And that change has to happen – now.
 Ironically, this quote is from the 1967 song “When the Music’s Over” by that most Baby Boomer of rock bands, The Doors.
 According to a Business Insider survey of more than 1,800 Gen-Zers

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As expected, Google confirmed rumors that it has purchased social apps platform Slide.
However, the company provided no indication as for the value of the deal. TechCrunch sources gave a price tag of $182 million, while The New York Times said the deal came up to $228 million. In a blog post, engineering director, David Glazer, said Google "will be investing even more to make Google services socially aware and expand these capabilities for our users across the web." The acquisition is widely seen as a further step towards the search behemoth's social platform, believed to be called 'Google Me.'
Twitter Canada MD Kirstine Stewart to Keynote Toronto
ClickZ Live Toronto (May 14-16) is a new event addressing the rapidly changing landscape that digital marketers face. The agenda focuses on customer engagement and attaining maximum ROI through online marketing efforts across paid, owned & earned media. Register now and save!


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A store in Australia is apparently taking an extreme approach to eliminating showrooming, alerting would-be customers that they'll be charged $5 if they come in to browse but don't buy anything.
Reddit user BarrettFox posted a snapshot of a sign warning shoppers that the store would impose a $5 fee for people who are "just looking." The fee, the sign explains, will be deducted from the final purchase price, ensuring that people who actually buy something won't be charged. It notes that it's pursuing this strategy because of "a high volume of people who use this store as a reference and then purchase goods elsewhere."
The user identified the store as a specialty food retailer based in Brisbane, Australia; we've reached out to the store to confirm that they posted the sign, but because it's currently the middle of the night in Australia, we haven't heard back yet.
But if this store is actually charging people just for walking in the door, it has to be the most misguided strategy we've seen for dealing with showrooming. While it's undoubtedly frustrating to have people use your store as a showroom just so they can buy the same goods online, imposing a cover charge is hardly the ideal solution. The goal of any retailer should be to impress customers with competitive pricing and great customer service -- not treat their customers with suspicion and hostility from the moment they walk in the door.
That approach won't just keep the showroomers away, either -- it's inevitably going to turn off a lot of potential customers who had no intention of showrooming, but aren't about to step into a store that forces them to pay an entrance fee if they don't find anything they like.
It's not the first time we've seen a store take this approach. A couple of years ago, a shoe store got fed up with people who tried on their shoes and then bought them online, and decided to impose a $20 "fitting fee." In both cases, we're struggling to understand how the store would even enforce such a charge; if we hear back on how it's going, we'll let you know.
But in the meantime, this store and other retailers considering a similar scheme might instead want to explore a more consumer-friendly approach. Target and Best Buy were likewise stung by shoppers who came in, tried out their products and then went home to buy on Amazon. But instead of banning phones or trying to charge an entrance fee, they instead extended their price-matching policy to Amazon and other online retailers.
Obviously doing so might cut into those retailers' profit margins, and that will also be true for this small business owner. But if, as the sign claims, the store's prices "are almost the same as the other stores," it shouldn't be much of a problem.
Matt Brownell is the consumer and retail reporter for DailyFinance. You can reach him at Matt.Brownell@teamaol.com, and follow him on Twitter at @Brownellorama.
When Customer Service Goes Viral: The Good and the Bad
Store Charges Browsing Customers $5 'Just Looking' Fee
In an age of social media, a story about good or bad experience with customer service is no longer confined to you and your circle of friends. A particularly egregious misstep by a call-center employee – or, for that matter, an exceptional display of customer service – has the potential to quickly go viral on social networks, bringing good or bad publicity to companies overnight. Here are a few customer service exchanges that saw widespread exposure due to the power of the internet.
When Canadian musician Dave Carroll's pricey guitar was broken during a 2008 flight on United Airlines, he made a stink with airline employees and filed a claim with the airline. When United refused to pay up, he turned to the power of music, recording a protest song entitled "United Breaks Guitars." The video exploded in popularity on YouTube, where it's grabbed more than 12.5 million views and led to widespread media attention. United quickly changed its tune in the face of overwhelming negative publicity, and Carroll went on to co-found Gripevine, a company that helps customers use social media to get better customer service.
The Ritz-Carlton is famed for its customer service – one policy allows employees to spend up to $2,000 on a single customer to ensure satisfaction. And once in a while, going above and beyond goes viral. Consider the case of Joshie, a stuffed giraffe accidentally left behind by a guest's son upon checkout. Hotel staff found the stuffed animal, then took a series of pictures of Joshie enjoying his stay at the hotel to corroborate the father's story that the giraffe was simply taking an extended vacation.
Having a PR professional handling your customer service doesn't always go smoothly. When a PlayStation controller peripheral missed its planned launch date, one customer with a pre-order contacted the manufacturer's
marketing firm to see whether he would be able to get his product by Christmas. The resulting exchange with Ocean Marketing's Paul Christoforo devolved into insults and name-calling ("Grow up you look like a complete child bro," the rep writes at one point), and quickly spread on social networks and in the video game press. The manufacturer, N-Control, soon cut ties with the marketing firm and offered a $10 discount to everyone with a pre-order, salvaging its standing among gamers.
Sir Patrick Stewart, the acclaimed actor best known for his turn as Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation, just wanted Time Warner to come and hook up his cable. But after waiting 36 hours for the cable guy to show up, he fired off an angry tweet noting that the experience had caused him to "lose the will to live." Time Warner's Twitter customer service representatives quickly responded, but this particular customer's high-profile ensured that the dispute would go viral. More than 1,800 users retweeted the complaint, media outlets picked up the story, and even co-star LeVar Burton (visor-wearing engineer Geordi LaForge) chimed in to share his own gripes with the company. The lesson: Don't mess with the Enterprise.
Plenty of people find reasons to complain about shipping services during the holiday season. But it's not often that poor service is caught on film. That's what happened last Christmas season when a
Social news site Reddit is known for occasionally making life miserable for companies behaving badly – observe, for instance, the role it played in leading a boycott against web registry GoDaddy for the company's support of the controversial Stop Online Piracy Act. But some companies find their fortunes lifted by appearing on the site. One user, for instance, contacted Amazon customer service after the US Postal Service lost his package; even though Amazon wasn't at fault, it gave him a full refund of the $25 purchase. A screenshot of the exchange has more than 800,000 views – not a bad PR return for $25.


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DETROIT -- It's the sort of late-in-the-game fiddling that for years has bogged down vehicle-development programs at General Motors: A designer repositions the headlamps. An engineer tweaks the decklid. A product planner lobbies for another cupholder.
No more -- or at least that's the idea behind a process installed by GM product chief Mary Barra aimed at quickening the pace of vehicle development and eliminating costly tinkering and delays.
GM calls the program, which started about a year ago, "front loading." It seeks to ensure that all of the key decision makers -- from design, engineering, manufacturing, purchasing and other areas -- nail down the major aspects of a vehicle program by the time the clay model hardens, or about 18 months ahead of launch. After that, changes are harder to make and can cost time and money.
In the past, tweaks to a vehicle's design or content might be pushed through as late as six months before a launch, says engineer Doug Parks, whom Barra elevated on Aug. 1 to the new post of vice president for product programs. Those late changes sometimes meant juggling supply schedules or costly changes in tooling.
"We're realizing that we can't continue to make changes to surfaces and vehicle content and powertrains late in the process. It drives extra costs into the program," says Parks, 51, who previously was the lead engineer for electric cars, including the Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid.
Parks says such fiddling happened during the development of the Chevy Cruze, which he worked on as global vehicle chief engineer. Designers were going back and forth on exactly where to place the cupholder in the center console.
"The time it takes to sit down in meetings and check with the suppliers and investigate the change -- all of that time and effort just took your eye off the ball," Parks says in his rapid-fire delivery.
Parks acknowledges that required changes will always pop up after the vehicle design and content is locked in. But he says those are happening far less frequently, which should allow GM "to bring that product to market faster."
The process is part of a broader effort under way inside GM's product development operations to cut costs and vanquish the decision-by-committee culture that has long plagued GM. It comes as CEO Dan Akerson pushes his team to reduce superfluous costs and complexity.
Former product chief Bob Lutz did much to speed decision making during his tenure, from 2001 to 2009. But insiders say last-minute changes still have been common.
The changes won't come seamlessly. Late-change requests happen for myriad reasons, such as a response to a competitor adding content to a rival vehicle.
"Say you're developing a vehicle that's going into the marketplace in 2017 and it needs to stay fresh until 2021 or 2022," says Ed Welburn, GM's vice president of design. "There's no other product in the world on which you have to make those decisions so early."
Still, Welburn argues that making those calls sooner "really helps us with the business case of the vehicle, and it will become far more profitable."


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Uber, an online taxi-hailing application and an on-demand mobility company has joined hands with popular ice-cream brand Magnum as part of its promotional drive for endorsing Uber Ice Cream on July 15.
As part of the 'Indulge Together' theme this year, riders will be able to slide to the 'Uber Ice Cream' view on the app on July 15, between 11 am and 3 pm, and can request for delivery of two Magnum Classic and two Chocolate Truffle ice-creams, priced at Rs 300 each, at their doorstep, across select 20 cities in India.
The objective of the activity is to celebrate one's commonalities, as well as indulge in the sheer joy of digging into an ice-cream. The images of the activity can be shared by using the hashtag #UberIceCream Day.
To participate in the promotional activity, the user will need to open the Uber app on Friday, July 15, between 11 am and 3 pm, set his/her location, and choose the ice-cream option in the app by sliding towards the right hand side. If a vehicle is available, users will be able to enjoy their choice of ice-cream at their doorstep within a few minutes. One can also log on to uber.com/icecream to avail of the full ice-cream scoop.
The company, in a press release, claims that 400 cities across 69 countries around the world are participating in what it calls the 'largest global promotion in the history of Uber'. Of this, the 20 Indian cities where the activation will be executed later this week on July 15 include Bengaluru, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Chandigarh, Chennai, Coimbatore, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Indore, Jaipur, Kochi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Nagpur, Nashik, New Delhi, Pune, Surat, Vadodara, and Vishakhapatnam.
Uber was founded in 2009, with the service being available in 27 Indian cities. Uber Ice Cream is a way for Uber cities around the world to connect on one day and celebrate the shared loved for this frozen treat. It's also an opportunity for members of Uber's city teams to get out in their communities and meet riders and drivers face-to-face. Launched in 1989, Magnum was the first hand-held ice-cream.
For feedback/comments, please write to firstname.lastname@example.orgFirst Published : July 12, 2016


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We recently announced our new partnership with Lorenz Technology to provide automated drone solutions in the UK for security and first responders. As the UK’s leading commercial drone experts, this is an exciting partnership as Coptrz will become the official seller of Lorenz Technology in the UK.
What Products do Lorenz Technology Offer?
Based in Denmark, Lorenz produce artificial intelligence software for drones and robots that are already being used by organisations such as G4S. Coptrz now aim to expand the availability of this technology, creating new business opportunities within the sector.
Coptrz CEO Steve Coulson stated that “COPTRZ has built its brand and market leading position by finding the Best-in-World drone technology to provide to our customer base in a total 360° solution. We are very pleased to partner with Lorenz Technology as they lead the world in their field.”
For information on how this technology can help your business, you can contact our business development manager- Sam Denniff
Now lets have a look at what products Lorenz technology offer!
The Lorenz Al-Link
The Lorenz Al-Link offers artificial intelligence for UAVs and UGVs. It can be mounted onto the drone of your choice and you can then plan your route and collect data, providing an excellent overview of your site. On top of that, you’ll be able to plan autonomous routes while also managing your flights with the Lorenz Hive.
The Lorenz Al-Link is an edge-computer that offers on-board data processing, which is then sent over to the web interface that you’ll find on the Lorenz Hive. The latency is less than half a second, so it’s an incredible real-time solution for performing autonomous drone flights. You can train an unmanned vehicle to follow pre-planned routes and detect incidents on its journey. The 3rd generation Lorenz AI-Link can be operated with your DJI OSDK, MAVLink, or ROS.
The Lorenz Hive
The Lorenz Hive is a software solution that allows you to plan your routes and offers real-time video streaming of your autonomous flights. This service software is designed to connect with the Lorenz Al-Link and provides intelligent recognition of incidents with the real-time video stream while also archiving any data in the cloud platform.
Designed to be the one of the most user-friendly solutions on the market, it supplies users with an easy-to-navigate interface, also giving you the option to operate multiple locations at one time and overlook various drone applications simultaneously.
Being cloud-based, Lorenz Hive can be accessed from anywhere in the world. Multiple sites can be managed with one system, and numerous tasks can also be completed on each site. You’ll enjoy various video formats and can receive optic and thermal data. Finally, through the use of the archive function, you can manage all your data and documentation.
Are you interested in how drones can aid your workflow, why not download our FREE guide?
Offering Intelligent Drone Solutions Across Europe
In recent years, Lorenz Technology has expanded its operations across multiple markets. They are currently operating within Denmark, the United Kingdom, Belgium, and Germany and are continuing to establish a wider network of local resellers. Lorenz Technology’s Sales Director Søren Land commented that: “The entire business model of Lorenz Technology is based on delivering our unique product Lorenz Hive and Lorenz AI-Link through a market-leading local partner with the highest standards on professionalism, tech-knowledge and trustworthiness.”
He went on to say, “We searched the UK market and from the very beginning we were impressed by the professional approach provided by Coptrz. With the track record from ports, security companies, defence we hold as a team, Coptrz and Lorenz Technology will mark an obvious go-to for companies and authorities that focuses on drone-tech to drive digitalization, security, surveillance and inspection.”
At Coptrz, we know this technology will revolutionise the experience for our customers, offering them innovative technology like nothing else that’s currently on offer in the UK. “We look forward to enhancing our new and existing customer base with this ground-breaking technology,” added CEO of Coptrz, Steve Coulson.
Over the years, Coptrz have worked with companies such as BMW, Ford, Thames Water, and Pfizer, catering each solution to their own needs. Coptrz were the first and only dedicated experts in commercial drone solutions, currently boasting the widest range of ‘best in class’ commercial drones in the world. We understand that everyone is different, which is why we don’t offer ‘one-size-fits-all’ solutions.
For information, contact our business development manager – Sam Denniff
Working with Coptrz
When working with Coptrz, you’ll know you are in safe hands as we are the only commercial drone experts certified to the government Cyber Essentials scheme. With over 5,000+ students enrolled on Coptrz Academy Drone Training courses, we are continuously staying ahead of the competition in the industry. Coptrz can provide drone pilot training certified by ELCAS for Armed Forces personnel resettlement training, and we also offer lifelong CPD with certified GVC & Ofqual 5 and qualifications. On top of the training and advice we can offer you, we are proud to be certified to ISO14001, showing our dedication to protecting the environment.
For more information about the partnership between Coptrz and Lorenz Technology and how their technology can assist your business, don’t hesitate to contact our team today. We are excited to now be the official seller of Lorenz Technology in the UK and will work with you to understand how this solution can benefit your company this year.


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Stumptown Coffee Roasters will be opening an outlet on the border of Highland Park and Eagle Rock in a former auto-repair shop now being converted into a restaurant and retail center, according to a broker who negotiated the deal.
Stumptown, which is based in Portland and operates a small nationwide chain of coffee shops, has signed a lease to occupy a building at the corner of York Boulevard and Munson Avenue, said broker Aram Pogosian with Industry Partners.
The approximately 1,700-square-foot, free-standing building sits on the same property where another former auto repair and body shop is being carved up into five separate retail or restaurant spaces. So far no other leases have been signed but talks are underway with prospective tenants, Pogosian said.
The Eastsider contacted Stumptown for comment and more details about the new outlet
Stumptown has been looking to expand outside of Downtown, where it operates a roasting plant and retail outlet in the Downtown Arts District and plans to open another outlet in the Fashion District.
Coffee drinkers already have several spots to get their fix on York Boulevard — including two Starbucks, Cafe de Leche, Collage Coffee, The Highland Cafe and à bloc.
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In a sign that OpenStack clouds are becoming the purview of only the high and mighty—not to mention wealthy—companies that can fund their own distributions of the open source platform, OpenStack-based private cloud vendor Nebula announced its closing this week.
Nebula, founded in 2011, built a business around OpenStack by using the platform to build private clouds on enterprises' existing hardware. Investors saw promise in the company early on, supplying a total of $38.5 million in venture capital through several rounds of funding in 2011 and 2012.
But on April 1—and no, there's no indication this was a prank—Nebula announced on its website and Twitter that it was ceasing operations. It said the private clouds it has provided to customers will continue to operate, but that it will no longer offer support for them, and suggested that customers consider adopting an OpenStack solution from another vendor.
Those other vendors are big-name companies including IBM (IBM), Red Hat (RHT) and Hewlett-Packard (HPQ) (each of which Nebula mentioned specifically in announcing its closing), which have used their own capital and development resources to build OpenStack distributions in-house in recent years. By most indications, their competition is what led Nebula to fold.
The lesson for the channel, then, is that, despite OpenStack's open-source nature and humble origins as a community-led project, the OpenStack world has now become mature enough that startups such as Nebula may have trouble finding commercial success for the OpenStack solutions they try to build. Larger software vendors that can integrate OpenStack into ecosystems that already exist have an advantage that even generous venture funding cannot overcome.
Of course, that doesn't mean all hope is lost for the small fry among us. Just like Linux, OpenStack can be packaged and distributed by anyone, and it's likely that niche OpenStack variants will continue to pop up. But, also like Linux, OpenStack may now only work in a commercial setting with the involvement of a major company—or the OpenStack equivalent of a guy like Mark Shuttleworth, who threw his personal fortune into the fray to make Ubuntu commercially viable.


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A popular Crosby charity shop will be holding a Christmas Fair as they close their doors for the last time in the Village.
Freshfields Animal Rescue is preparing to shut up shop at its Liverpool Road store and they want to use the Christmas Fair to say 'thank you' to the people of Crosby for their support.
The Christmas Fair will include "mince pies, cups of and lots of festive spirit", as well as a brass band and bargains galore.
Store manager Richard Lee said: "We got a lot of support here in Crosby.
"There are lots of people who are going to miss us here and we are going to miss them. There are a lot of people here who call in to see us regularly and lots of them are upset that we are moving.
"This Christmas Fair is an event that we are holding to say thank you to the people of Crosby who have supported us so well since we have been here.
"So come in and join us for our Christmas Fair and grab a bargain at the same time."
Sefton Central MP Bill Esterson be attending the event to give a send off speech to the store.
Bill said: "While it is really sad that Freshfields Animal Rescue is closing its store here in Crosby, I am delighted to be able to accept their invite to attend the Christmas Fair and give a farewell speech.
"This is a charity that fully support and it is where I even picked up one of the latest additions to my family. Jackson my cat was from the rescue centre in Ince Blundell.
"So I am looking forward to joining the team and their supporters here in Crosby for the festive fun and I look forward to continuing to work with the charity in the future."
Freshfields Animal Rescue Christmas Fair will be held on Saturday, December 5 from 12noon-3pm at the charity's shop at 113 Liverpool Road, Crosby, L23 5TD.


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Optical Coatings to Benefit from Increasing Consumer Electronics Demand
The global “Optical Coating Market” is expected to reach $19.7 billion by 2022, according to a recent report by Grand View Research, Inc. Growing demand for smartphones, tablets and high-resolution displays is expected to drive growth over the forecast period.
Rising utilization of consumer electronics, coupled with technological advancement in this area, is expected to augment demand over the next seven years. Growing concern regarding energy-efficient buildings has led to increased use of optical coatings in architectural glass. As per the LEED standards for green buildings, optical coatings play an important role in reducing energy consumption through thermal insulation and results in effective cooling and reduced costs. Favorable regulatory policies around the globe are expected to propel product demand in architectural glass applications over the forecast period.
The anti-reflective segment is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of over 10% from 2015 to 2022 in terms of volume. Declining prices of smartphones and tablets, coupled with the emergence of new technologies in terms of improved user interface, are expected to drive demand over the forecast period. Anti-reflective coatings are being widely used in the optics and laser industries, and are expected to further propel growth over the next seven years.
Solar applications are expected to witness significant development due to increasing investment to set up power plants, particularly in emerging economies across the globe. In addition, government policies (e.g., grants, incentives and subsidies) to promote the development of alternate energy sources is expected to increase product consumption over the forecast period.
North America accounted for over 30% of the global market in terms of revenue. Consumer demand for emerging technologies is expected to propel market growth. Continuous innovation and rising spending in military and defense industry for applications including night vision cameras, beam attenuators and range finding are expected to augment growth. Europe is expected to witness significant growth due to the rising use of optical coatings in automobile displays, car windows and headlamps. In addition, an increasing middle class population, coupled with rising requirements for affordable cars, is expected to propel the market over the forecast period.
For more information, visit www.grandviewresearch.com.


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She's had voluminous curls, a sleek bob, and now Jennifer Lopez has bangs. The singer and actor is rocking one of fall 2020's hottest hair trends, and it'll have you longing for a fresh cut.
Lopez's hairstylist Chris Appleton revealed the star's new bangs in a photo posted to Instagram. The look is a hybrid cut that falls between a curtain bang and a shaggier fringe to give off a cool '70s vibe. Lopez is wearing them with what seems to be the same ultra-long extensions Appleton gave her last week. And while it's always possible the style is courtesy of a clip-in, Appleton's caption, which reads "@jlo got bangs today," seems to imply that it's the real deal.
Lopez is also sporting a smoky navy eye, sculpted and bronzed cheeks, a glowing complexion, and a neutral, glossy lip from makeup artist Mary Phillips — and also perhaps courtesy of her upcoming beauty brand. J.Lo teased her line just a few weeks ago, and the brand's Instagram handle is tagged in Appleton's photo.
So in addition to her new fringe, the actor and singer may also be giving fans a sneak peek at her upcoming beauty brand.


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Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicts that the Apple Watch and Macs will come with a new design and are likely to launch in the second half of 2021.
Macs and Apple Watch to sport new form factors and designs
As reported by 9to5mac, Kuo said next year’s Apple Watch models will have “innovative health management functions and improved form factor design”. This also applies to the Macs as the recently ones that are powered by Apple’s own M1 chip has been well-received – the Macs are expected to come with an “industrial design”.
AirPods 3 will be delayed
Apart from the redesigns of the Macs and Apple Watch, the AirPods 3 that are supposedly launching in the first half of 2021 may be delayed to sometime from April to June instead. The AirPods 3 is expected to come with a smaller battery through the use of a soft board material.
iPad mini will arrive on time
However, there should be no delay for the iPad mini that will be supporting 5G connectivity and featuring a LED display. It will launch in March 2021 as usual.


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© GQ Images
Instagram Video has been pit against as direct competition to Twitter's video app: Vine. While Vine lets users record up to 6 seconds of video, Facebook's Instagram allows users 15 seconds, additionally providing video filters similar to its image filters which everybody loves so much. Instagram Video also has a 'Cinema' feature, enhancing stability in completely amateur videos. The social video app will be available to iOS and Android users with Instagram 4.0.
Jay-Z teams up with Samsung Hip-hop fans who have chosen any other smartphone brand apart from Samsung's Galaxy S III, S IV and Galaxy Note II have reason to repent. At game five of the NBA finals, rapper Jay-Z announced a new album titled Magna Carta Holy Grail. While many were pleasantly surprised to learn of Mr. Carter's new album, Samsung users were probably the happiest of the lot. The new album will be available to one million Samsung Galaxy users 72 hours before its worldwide release.
Microsoft learn their lesson, almost While Sony ruled E3, Microsoft seem to have learnt from their mistakes. Microsoft had earlier this year announced that gamers using their next-gen console would be required to connect to the Internet once every 24 hours in order to play games. The rule would include logging in, even if the user wanted to play offline and single-player games. The software company have now backtracked on their DRM and used-game policy. There will be no need for a user to log in once every 24 hours. Instead, users must only log in for the first set up and after that they are free to play whenever they want. Also, users can now use second-hand games without paying for it. In light of recent events, Microsoft should be able to capture a portion of the gamer market, however they'll need to price the Xbox One more competitively - and considering the PS4 is being sold for ?80 less than the One, they need to get their act together.
Android Nation comes to India India is set to be only the second nation to have Google's Android Nation retail stores. Google has partnered with Spice Global to set up about 50 stores across the country with the first store to open in Delhi's Select Citywalk later this year. The stores will sell smartphones and accessories of various brands while giving them a platform to sell their own Nexus range of smartphones. Google, who first opened the store in Indonesia, are looking to set-up shop in the Middle East, Malaysia, Thailand and Africa. Clearly world domination is on their mind.


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Wine enthusiast keeps businesses in touch with product
Saturday, November 20th 2004, 4:24 pm
News On 6
MUSTANG, Okla. (AP) _ After a few moments' consideration, wine broker Michelle Plueger finally settled on ``enthusiast'' as the word that best describes her relationship with the product she sells.
``It's not just my job. It's definitely my passion. It's in the blood,'' she said gesturing emphatically with her well-manicured hands as she noted her credentials as a fourth-generation Italian restaurant owner. ``I love helping customers find what they want. It's fun doing research and study in this business.''
From her home in Mustang, Plueger travels all over the state introducing retailers to her exclusive portfolio of domestic and foreign wines as a broker working for Tulsa-based Select Wines & Spirits, an affiliate of Jarboe Sales Co.
``Once it's in the blood, it's hard to shake. My 10-year-old son said, 'Mom, you're paid to drink wine all day? Whatever,''' she said, laughing as she demonstrates the way her son rolls his eyes. Her father and uncle have their own vineyard, she said.
To explain how the former Michelle Marcuzzi of Omaha, Neb., wound up selling wine in Oklahoma, she went back to the very beginning.
``My great-grandmother came over from Italy during Prohibition, with seven children _ five boys and two girls,'' she said. ``Her husband had passed on in Italy. She built up a restaurant with her own hands on blood, sweat and tears and sold bootlegged liquor out the back door to support her children.''
Plueger's grandfather, father and uncle also ran Italian restaurants. She was 13 years old when she started working in her father's restaurant, where she learned her first lessons in how to be an effective salesperson.
``(Service) is the only profession where you literally can set your own pay scale, based on your personality and your service. There is no limit,'' said Plueger. ``And you really get to study human nature, both the employees' and the customers.'''
During her college years, she studied dance, holistic health and massage therapy.'' But then Dad needed help,'' she said. Plueger ran her own restaurant for seven years, but the long hours and high health care costs eventually compelled her, then a single mother, to give up the restaurant in exchange for a steady paycheck at a wholesale house.
Though already familiar with both food and beverage wholesalers, she became increasingly specialized in the wine segment of the business. In time, she married a military man who was reassigned to Oklahoma.
The move from Nebraska to Oklahoma two years ago was not without its challenges, said Plueger. Besides learning the landscape and establishing relationships with new customers in a state where no one knew her extended family, Plueger had to learn a vastly different set of laws governing how alcohol is handled in Oklahoma.
``It was like selling liquor in the Twilight Zone,'' she said. ``In Nebraska, I could give out samples at the local Wal-Mart, Target. And there is nothing like the ABLE (Alcoholic Beverage Laws Enforcement) Commission.''
By working with other brokers, studying her market and focusing on developing good relationships with her clients, Plueger said she was able to make the transition.
``She's a pleasant professional,'' said Randy Meyer, co-owner of The Mantel restaurant in Bricktown. ``Really sharp, especially on European wine. They have quality products that meet our price points. But most importantly, they can deliver what they say they have. The industry has been volatile over the last year in Oklahoma, but she's been good at keeping me abreast of problems.''
In addition to providing reliable service, Plueger also helps educate her customers, and just about everyone around her, about wines and how they should be served.
``Word has gotten around that I'm the wine lady,'' she said. Though she tries not to impose on other people's tastes, she will offer some basic advice. ``Please don't chill the red wine,'' she said. ``You'll make me cry.''
Over the last decade or so, Americans are increasingly coming to appreciate good food as an art form, evidenced by a growing number of television shows, books and magazines on the subject. The rise of the culinary arts bodes well for the wine industry. ``Historically, wine was meant to be a condiment to food,'' said Plueger.
Wine drinkers are viewed as more culturally savvy, and often wine is more accepted in a professional setting, she said. People are more willing to experiment with wines than they have in the past, she said, noting that Oklahoma is often targeted as a test market for many of her clients.
The wine industry itself has worked to cause change, both through more aggressive marketing and pricing strategies. For instance a ``really good'' bottle of wine priced in the $10 range was unheard of a decade ago, she said, though today more affordable wines have helped the industry flourish even during the recent economic recession.
And as her great-grandmother knew years ago, the sale of alcoholic beverages is a fairly stable industry. ``Regardless of what the economy is like at one time, a war or not, gas crunch, whatever, people are not going to give up their vices,'' said Plueger. ``They might not buy that $50 bottle, but they're darn sure going to buy that $5 box of wine... or a $10 bottle of something. People are not going to stop drinking wine.''


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Cologne, Germany — In the hallway connecting the multiple levels of show floors here at the sprawling Koelnmesse exhibition center, Manfred Maus, the famous pioneer of German home center retailing and founder of OBI, is pacing while talking on his cell phone. He later tells a reporter that home centers maybe should rethink their model.
On an escalator going up, John Herbert, the secretary of the European DIY-Retail Association, is promoting European retailing in a general way to a reporter going down. Stores on the continent are getting better, he said, but they still can learn a lot from U.S. retailers’ commitment to customer service.
And elsewhere on the show floor, Frank Blake is spotted. Not in person, but on a magazine cover, proclaiming in German: “Den Turnaround Geschafft.” Translated: “The turnaround is finished.” It’s not something that Blake or anyone else in Atlanta would say, but we’re not in Atlanta. We’re in Cologne, Germany.
This ancient city on the Rhine hosted some 53,500 trade visitors from 130 countries for the 2012 Internationale Eisenwarenmesse, or International Hardware Fair. The four-day event also attracted 2,665 suppliers from 50 countries.
Those numbers are up from 2010 but down from 2008, when the every-other-year-show co-located with a DIY-focused Practical World event. And even with an occasional language barrier, there is no shortage of notebook entries for the English-speaking reporter.
• Maus is easy to identify with his mane of white hair, especially as he gestures while speaking on his cell phone between halls. When he hangs up, he is ambushed for an interview.
On the need for a new business model: “My children and my grandchildren will buy completely different than we buy. After 40 years of a retail concept, somebody has to sit down and find out what has to be done. “
On store size: “The question is, do we need a 15,000-square-meter or 25,000-square-meter store. I think it’s just too much.”
On the shifting power of retail merchandising: “Years ago I was always impressed about retail merchandising in the U.S. Today, I feel we in Europe have more know-how in presenting the merchandise in specialty stores.”
• There were 83 companies on the show floor here promoting their products. One of them is M.K. Morse, based in Canton, Ohio, with warehouses here in Europe. “The European market puts a lot of weight on ‘Made in the USA,’ ” said Alan Peterson, general product manager. “They like to see it and they like to promote it.”
• American companies aren’t the only ones with product pride. At the DeWit booth, a Dutch manufacturer of wooden handled-garden tools and shovels, S. de Wit explained, “Germans like tools made in Holland.”
What about made-in-the-USA products? “They’re OK,” he said. “I drive a Cadillac and a Buick.”
• Also at the DeWit booth, and a handful of other booths, attendees openly smoke cigarettes with no fear of rebuke or stigma. You don’t see that at trade shows in the United States.
• The Eisenwarenmesse encourages its reputation as a showcase of product innovation. To that end, three products were celebrated at a reception during the show.
From Gedore, the Dremaster DMK 200, the adjustable tubular torque wrench with square box profile and integ


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RIM overhauls Blackberry in bid to regain ground on iPhone
TORONTO -- Research In Motion is releasing three new versions of its BlackBerry smartphone simultaneously in the first overhaul of the handsets in a year as the company tries to regain ground against Apple.
RIM is introducing the first touchscreen version of its Bold model, plus an updated Torch slider phone and a new touchscreen-only BlackBerry, all based on RIM's new BlackBerry 7.0 platform, said Patrick Spence, managing director for global sales and regional marketing. The three devices will be available from 225 carriers, with some operators starting next week, in the "biggest launch in the history of BlackBerry," he said in a telephone interview.
RIM is counting on the phones, the first new models since August 2010, to reverse a revenue slowdown that led to RIM's prediction in June that sales this quarter may drop for the first time in nine years. All the models include pinch-and-zoom browsing and Web-page loading speeds that are 40 percent faster than the old Torch, said Spence.
"We're taking it a step further by enhancing the browsing experience, which is something we know we had to work on," he said. With the addition of what RIM calls liquid graphics that render images faster and make zooming smoother, "it's an industry-leading experience," he said.
While the Waterloo, Ontario-based company continues to gain market share in regions like Africa and the Middle East at the expense of Nokia, RIM is losing customers in the United States to Apple's iPhone and handsets running Google 's Android software. Those devices appealed to consumers with their Web browsing features and a wider selection of applications.
RIM's share of U.S. smartphone subscribers dropped 4.2 percentage points to 24.7 percent for the three months through May, according to ComScore Inc.
"They've definitely narrowed the gap with the competition," Will Stofega, a technology analyst at Framingham, Mass.-based IDC, said of RIM's new devices. "Display is definitely crisper and had to be, given what we've seen in terms of its competitors."
The new Bold 9900, first shown at RIM's BlackBerry World trade show in May, features a larger keyboard and thinner case.
The Torch 9810 with slide-out keyboard looks similar to the first edition of the device.
The last of the three new phones, the Torch 9850, is RIM's first touchscreen-only phone since the BlackBerry Storm, which was criticized for software glitches.
Spence declined to say whether that older model was being discontinued, saying only that "we're trying to keep it as clear as possible with a Torch, Bold and Curve family when you look at the BlackBerry portfolio."
The BlackBerry Curve, one of RIM's most popular models, may soon be available with a touch screen, he said.
"We'll be back shortly to talk to you about the Curve," Spence said, declining to say more.
The introduction of the new phones comes at a critical time for RIM. Last week, the company said it will cut cut 2,000 jobs to rein in costs, leaving the company with about 17,000 employees. These phones are set to be the last models that use the BlackBerry operating system as the company shifts to a platform called QNX that is at the heart of RIM's BlackBerry PlayBook tablet.
With the new BlackBerry 7 phones debuting now, "they've quelled a lot of concerns," said IDC's Stofega. "The sooner they get to QNX devices, the better."
In the same week as the job cuts, RIM introduced a new version of its popular BlackBerry Messenger instant-messaging platform that will let consumers use their own applications with BBM, as it's known. BlackBerry 7 is designed to capitalize on the BBM software and offer voice-activated search, Andrew Bocking, vice-president of BlackBerry Software, said in the joint interview with Spence.
The Torch slider has a 3.2-inch display, the Torch 9850's screen measures 3.7 inches, and the Bold 9900 has a 2.8-inch screen.
The new phones also feature near-field communications, or NFC capability, that is gradually being adopted as a means of scanning information or making payments by tapping your device against a reader.
Individual carriers will make their own announcements about details on pricing and availability, Bocking said.


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When the US government designated Huawei Technologies Co. as a national security risk, the Chinese firm was barred from purchasing American semiconductors and other essential technologies.
According to people familiar with the situation, the Chinese technology behemoth is assisting a startup in its hometown of Shenzhen that has bought chipmaking equipment, including from foreign suppliers, for a semiconductor production plant. According to one of the sources, PXW plans to take possession of the equipment as early as the first half of 2023.
The low-key PXW has already piqued the interest of the US Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security, which oversees American trade regulations. If the company intends to supply Huawei, the chipmaking equipment it may purchase from American suppliers will be severely limited.
It has more leeway in acquiring machines from overseas vendors like as ASML Holding NV and Tokyo Electron Ltd., however they may also require US permission depending on the amount of American technology included into any products sold.
PXW stated in a statement that it had signed agreements with suppliers and plans to begin manufacturing in 2025, but did not name any clients. According to one source familiar with the company’s strategy, the company aims to begin working on its 28-nanometer technology next year, which is six generations behind the most modern manufacturing.
Prior to the blacklisting, the company was the world’s leading supplier of mobile communications equipment, competing in the smartphone market alongside Apple Inc. and Samsung Electronics Co. Ren stated in an internal employee message earlier this year that the company is finding it increasingly difficult to grow in the face of American sanctions.


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COD Mobile Season 3: Top 3 upcoming features in Call of Duty Mobile' battle royale mode
Call of Duty Mobile is coming close to receiving its next major update and the much-awaited Season 3. A bunch of battle pass rewards leaks is already out, and some data miners have also uncovered the release date of the next major update. Apart from this, the version and size of the upcoming COD Mobile update have also been reported.
According to a recent leak, TiMi Studios, the developers of COD Mobile, are going to bring significant changes to the Battle Royale mode. These enhancements will be made in the global servers along with the next patch update. Moreover, most of the amendments are picked from the Windows version of Call of Duty.
Here are the Top 3 features that will be introduced in Battle Royale mode of Call of Duty Mobile.
#1 New Secret Map
While testing the beta version of COD Mobile, a secret map has been spotted on the battleground. The appearance of the map is similar to the blueprint of the room plan, and it can be found lying on the table. According to the source, the location of this map is near to the center of the map, between the snow mountains.
#2 Two-Wheeler Bike
Since the release of COD Mobile, a lot of players were requesting for a two-wheeled vehicle in the battle royale mode. Prioritizing the feedback of players, the developers are finally going to introduce a bike in the next major update. However, the full stats of the vehicle are yet to be revealed. Here's a glimpse at the new bike:
Blackhole is another unique feature that is going to arrive in the Call of Duty Mobile servers. While landing near the "Crash" spot, players can spot this new black hole in the sky. As the countdown starts, it will gradually grow and acquire a small part of the air. However, the purpose behind its initiation is still a mystery.
All the above information is gathered from the Anonymus YT YouTube channel. According to the leaks, the developers of COD Mobile will roll out an update on the 17th of January, and the Season 3 battle pass will release on 20 January 2020.


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Small-business owners may get a little hands-on help if Tehama County receives a $150,000 grant to develop a Business Incubation Program.
Tehama County is applying for the Community Development Block Grant to help replicate the model used in Butte and Glenn counties. The Board of Supervisors approved the grant application Tuesday, and Claudia Martin, director of Tehama Economic Development Corporation, is optimistic the county will be awarded the money for the program.
?Because it has had such success in other areas, we hope it will be moved to the front of the class and we?ll be able to secure some funds for our businesses,? she said.
The program?s premise is that business growth happens through the combination of sound business models, expert mentoring and appropriate financing tools. Tehama County has a great need for it, Martin said.
The grant application cites the county?s high unemployment rate and low per-capita income as evidence of need.
Job loss from closing or downsizing businesses is another problem, with more than 900 lost jobs in Tehama County since 2002, according to the Employment Development Department.
The program will give small businesses hands-on instruction for the management, mentoring, technical assistance and training they need, Martin said.
?This is really a winwin, especially for the small businesses,? said Tehama County Planning Director George Robson.
Another plus is the grant is a rare example of one that does not require a county match of in-kind services or funding, he said.
Ideally, the program will help businesses survive and thrive in Tehama County, said Kathy Schmitz, CEO of the Job Training Center.
For some businesses, Tehama County does not provide the consumer volume necessary for success.
But with proper marketing and distribution, such as creating Web sites and Internet sales, businesses could reach out to other areas, she said.
?It?s kind of like the chicken and the egg,? Martin said. ?If they had a Web site, they could increase their sales and then have the revenue to maintain the Web site.?
In the first phase, Tehama EDC would hope to identify eight to 10 businesses the program could help, Martin said.
Qualifying businesses would meet income requirements and employ five people or fewer, including the owner.
By starting small, the program will be able to offer 150 to 200 hours of intensive and personalized attention and expertise, Schmitz said.
Martin said she hopes the program would create a snowball effect throughout Tehama County.
?Success breeds success,? Martin said. ?If someone does something right, and it?s working, someone else might try.?
If the grant application is approved, businesses would work with Tehama EDC to qualify for the program.
Staff writer Ashley Gebb can be reached at 527-2153, extension 110 or firstname.lastname@example.org


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It was known for a while now that the 2009 model BMW Z4 will come with the award winning 3.0-liter twin-turbo engine, but apparently now it’s being speculated that the M version of the Z roadster will receive BMW M3’s V8 4.0-liter engine. The regular Z will be powered by the twin-turbo 3-liter engine, but an updated version, which is currently found in the BMW 3-series and the one in the new BMW 7er. The N54 will outoput 326 hp, which is approximately 20 more than the current one.
The 2009 BMW Z4 will be released in Europe with an entry level four-cylinder engine, allowing BMW to compete pricewise with other european roadsters. As we’ve said before, the BMW Z4 is set to be unveiled at the Los Angeles Auto Show in November this year. As for the BMW Z4M, the model is rumored to be launched at a certain point in 2010, probably as a MY2011, but things might change until then.
The photos seem to show the pre-FEP ( Final Evaluation Phase ).


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Yahoo! has signed a deal with telecoms firm SBC Communications to develop a co-branded high-speed service, accelerating its move away from dependence on advertising. The dial-up service, expected to launch beginning in mid 2002, is claimed to be the first of its kind.
The agreement, which the firms described as a "landmark strategic alliance", could help it market more premium services, potentially including multimedia features such as music and movies.
For Yahoo!, the agreement provides monthly subscriber payments from SBC, promotion through SBC's sales channels, and the ability to offer premium services via SBC's communications and billing infrastructure - in the first instance, broadband internet access through SBC phone lines.
"Yahoo! believes the strength of this alliance will rapidly accelerate the growth of DSL in the broadband market, and we have partnered with the leading provider in the country," said Jim Brock, senior Yahoo! vice president. "As more and more consumers transition to broadband, we believe this alliance will position us to capture market share from our competitors."
In return, Yahoo! will offer SBC a share of its non-subscriber revenue on advertising, e-commerce and other premium portal services. But analysts remained unsatisfied that the SBC tie-up would represent a genuine source of revenue, or just one more vague alliance for the firm.
"The winner of the broadband war will be the company that delivers the best broadband-powered content, communication services and features to its customers," said SBC senior executive vice president, James S. Kahan. "Together, we'll provide Internet customers with superior information and communications services."


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Valentine’s spending up; Pet gifts soar to $815M
- Carla Caldwell, Morning Call Editor
The average person will spend $130.97 on candy, cards, gifts and more for Valentine’s Day, up from $126.03 last year, with total spending expected to reach $18.6 billion, according to a new survey by BIGinsight. Pets will get some love, too. More than $815 million is expected to go toward pet gifts, according to the National Retail Federation.
“Valentine’s Day remains one of the biggest gift-giving holidays of the year, and although consumers will be conscientious with their spending, it’s great to see that millions of Americans are still looking forward to celebrating with their loved ones,” NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay said in a statement. “Recognizing their customers will shop for both price and value, retailers and restaurants will offer plenty of promotions for anyone looking to spoil those that mean the most to them this February 14th.”
The NRF says a mix of traditional and non-traditional Valentine’s Day gifts will be popular this year. More than half (51.0 percent) of gift givers will buy candy, spending $1.6 billion in total, and another one-third (36.6 percent) will give flowers, with total spending expected to top $1.9 billion. Others will treat their sweetie to jewelry (19.7 percent), spending more than $4.4 billion on diamonds, gold and silver.
Another 15.6 percent will buy clothing, spending more than $1.6 billion. Gift cards, the gift that keeps on giving, will also be on the top of shoppers’ lists; 15.0 percent of gift givers will buy gift cards for their loved ones, totaling to $1.5 billion.
The survey found that more than one-quarter (26.3 percent) of those celebrating this year plan to shower their loved ones with gifts found online, up from 19.3 percent last year and the most in the survey’s 10-year history. Other shoppers will seek out the perfect gift at discount stores (39.6 percent), department stores (33.2 percent), specialty stores (22.9 percent), floral shops (19.6 percent), jewelry stores (11.2 percent), specialty clothing stores (7.5 percent) and through catalogs (2.6 percent).
They survey also shows that men will spend more than women on Valentine’s Day gifts. Men will spend an average of $175.61 on jewelry, flowers, a romantic evening out and more, while women will spend approximately $88.78.
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The response from our readers has been overwhelming
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agreed to settle a four-year-old patent infringement suit brought by
( PMTI) over technology used in laser-based hair removal systems.
Shares of Cutera soared on the settlement as Wall Street welcomed any outcome that didn't forbid it from selling the equipment in question. In premarket trading, the stock jumped $6.86, or 36.5%, to $25.64.
Cutera will pay Palomar $22 million to cover past royalties and legal fees, and pay Palomar a 7.5% royalty on the future sale of systems using the technology. The company will expense the payment in its second quarter, and said it now expects a loss of $12.8 million, or 89 cents a share, in the period, which ends June 30.
Excluding items, Cutera expects to earn $1.2 million, or 8 cents a share, on sales of $23 million in the second quarter. Analysts surveyed by Thomson First Call were forecasting earnings of 12 cents a share on sales of $23 million.
For the year, the company expects to earn 82 cents a share before items on sales of $68.8 million. Analysts were forecasting earnings of 94 cents a share on sales of $98.6 million.
"We have been engaged in this litigation since February 2002, and are pleased to get the cost and related distraction behind us," Cutera said. "Both the uncertainty associated with a jury trial, and the costly, protracted schedule of a second lawsuit and possible appeals have helped us determine that global resolution of these matters is the best solution."
Palomar said: "Cutera has admitted to the infringement, validity and enforceability of the Anderson Patents and agreed not to challenge them in the future."


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Taiwan-based set-top manufacturer Tatung Technology has joined UK-based not-for-profit DVB software stack organisation DTVKit to expand its DVB product range into the European market.
DTVKit provides the core building blocks of a broadcast DVB stack royalty free. Tatung provides a wide range of digital TV CPE devices, including video gateways, set-top boxes, wireless devices, content delivery OTT and multiple screen solutions.
Tatung’s collaboration with DTVKit is to develop a series of set-top box products, from H.264/1080p60 entry zapper to premium Ultra HD HEVC/4Kp60 gateway, for the delivery of MHEG and HbbTV solutions, in conjunction with IP, satellite, cable and terrestrial DVB services. Beyond its offering, this new development uses the latest software components from DTVKit and will be built on top of Tatung’s STB software platform including Linux/HTML5 Browser, Android and the latest RDK2.0 software.
“We are very pleased that [Tatung] has joined DTVKit,” said Amy Cleary, Marketing and Operations Manager at DTVKit. “[Tatung] is an innovative and well respected manufacturer in the digital TV industry and we look forward to their contribution to the foundation on accelerating time to market for new products in this ever evolving market.”
Luke Dang, president of Tatung said, “This collaboration allows [Tatung] to offer a mature technology platform to the rapidly growing Digital TV markets that are undergoing the next wave of deployments. DTVKit’s reliable DVB software stack compliments [Tatung’s] existing solution perfectly, and is essential to new product development and faster delivery to our customers.”
DTVKit is exhibiting at IBC on stand 4.A61c
Insight TV launches on Polsat Box and Netia in Poland digitaltveurope.com/2022/01/21/ins… https://t.co/cIU6SJaPAa
21 January 2022 @ 19:00:00 UTC
DTVE: the week in view – @Netflix’s ‘poor’ results serve as reflection of pull-forward pandemic and a competitive s… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
21 January 2022 @ 18:30:00 UTC


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Norwich-based commercial printing specialist Swallowtail Print has recently released a brand new flyer printing service which is already delivering rave reviews and some impressive ROIs for clients up and down the country.
The exclusive service, which combines premium quality flyers (in A5 and A4) with great value for money and personable customer support, produces flyers on digital and litho printing presses — which guarantees lightning quick turnaround times.
Swallowtail’s range of flyers also feature true-to-life colour matching, design and copywriting consultancy, as well as a high-quality finish on a variety of paper types.
A spokesman for the company, which has over 200 years of experience in the printing industry, said: “We are delighted to unveil this new flyer printing service for 2013.
“We have worked hard to come up with a service that is client centric — in other words, a service that delivers amazing quality flyers with rapid turnaround times.
“We believe this makes our service perfect for the commercial printing environment — and we look forward to delivering some amazing results for our clients in 2013.”
For more information on Swallowtail Print and its new industry-leading flyer printing service, visit the website at http://www.swallowtailprint.co.uk . Alternatively, telephone 01603 868 862.
Swallowtail Print is East Anglia’s leading commercial colour printing specialist. Whether its flyer printing or presentation folder printing, Swallowtail Print combine high-quality, efficiency and great value for money to deliver superb ROI.
Drayton Industrial Park,
Taverham Road, Drayton,
Norwich, NR8 6RL
+44 (0) 1603 868 862
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Chew on this: Co. launches stress-suppressing gum
NEW YORK Ventana Biotech on Friday announced that it is conducting research in developing a Stress Suppressing Chewing Gum.
A preliminary estimate of the royalty cash-flow from a successful stress-suppressing drug is $1.6 billion to $1.9 billion over a 10 year period, the company estimated.
According to the company, more Americans are suffering from chronic stress, a condition that could lead to a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder.
Investment group says Spartan’s board election process should change
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. A supermarket operating company’s practice for electing members of its board of directors needs to change, an investment group said at the company’s annual meeting and in an accompanying letter.
CtW Investment Group called on the board of Spartan Stores to elect members of its board every year, while also expressing concern over auditor independence and executive pay, urging Spartan’s board to “declassify” the board in time for next year’s shareholder meeting.
“The annual election of directors is a predicate for accountability to Spartan shareholders,” CtW executive director Bill Patterson said at the company’s annual meeting.
Under its current election system, Spartan has a “classified” or “staggered” board, whereby board members are elected for different periods of time depending on their position.
“Classified boards such as Spartan’s are an outdated governance practice that serves to protect entrenched boards and prevent shareholders from holding accountable the directors charged with safe-guarding their investments in the company,” Patterson wrote.
Former Walmart executive named partner, chief merchandising officer at Blue Ocean Innovative Solutions
BENTONVILLE, Ark. Chuck Fehlig was named a partner and chief merchandising officer of Blue Ocean Innovative Solutions, the company announced earlier this month.
Fehlig comes to Blue Ocean by way of Walmart, where he was VP and divisional merchandise manager of OTC merchandise. In 2003, Fehlig was named VP/DMM of the year in Walmart and in 2009 he was honored with the “Outstanding Leadership Award” from the Wal-Mart Health and Wellness Division of Wal-Mart Stores.
Fehlig first joined Walmart as a staff pharmacist and has held several positions in pharmacy operations for the first 18 years of his 27-year career with the mass merchant, including director of professional affairs and divisional operations manager overseeing the operations of more than 850 pharmacies and 10,000 employees.
Fehlig holds a degree in pharmacy from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.


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10 Things You Need To Know About Online-To-Offline Marketing This Week
All the location news this week, from YP's 'audience cartography' to answering questions about the on-demand economy.
GeoMarketing’s Link Picks of the Week:
- Success of Pokémon Helps Put Foursquare Back on the Map — Mike Isaac, The New York Times
- flok Launches Chatbots to Bolster Customer Engagement for Local Businesses — Joseph Zappa, StreetFight
- How chatbots and A.I. will change the future — Stefan Kojouharov, Venturebeat
- If You Can’t Follow Directions, You’ll End Up on Null Island — Robert Lee Hotz, The Wall Street Journal
- Analyst Warns of a Restaurant Downturn and Sees Harbinger of U.S. Recession — Julie Verhage and Janet Freund, Bloomberg
Top Stories of the Week:
7.6 million Americans will work as providers of on-demand services by 2020, Intuit has forecast. Why?
Once upon a time, local advertising was a simple commerce exchange. Local businesses that wanted more customers bought ads from ad reps at the media channels they read and trusted. Simple — dollars for eyeballs. What’s changed over time? Only everything, writes Simpli.fi CRO James Moore.
Showing that a mobile ad led to a local store visit is one thing. Understanding the context around those visits is ‘everything,’ says YP’s Bill Maslyn.
Shopkick will install at least two shopBeacon devices at 170 of New York & Company’s near 500 U.S. stores.
Foursquare is rolling out a real-time dashboard for its four-month-old Attribution reporting tool as it adds Anheuser-Busch, Peet’s Coffee, Blue Bite, Undertone, Opera Mediaworks, Clearstream, Drawbridge, and TubeMogul as partners.


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In addition to firing CEO Carol Bartz, Yahoo's board has now put the company up for sale. The person who briefed the Wall Street Journal on the Bartz firing also told the paper that "Yahoo is open to selling itself to the right bidder." Link to Original Source
Gosh that takes me back... or is it forward? That's the trouble with
time travel, you never can tell."
-- Doctor Who, "Androids of Tara"


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Londis retailers have welcomed a new brand vision and retailer terms package, surpassing the symbol brands initial targets for sign up.
Londis unveiled its new brand vision at its conference in April, inviting retailers to sign up to Londis 2020 – a new package of retailer terms. By the end of July more than 400 retailers had signed up – a target the group had hoped to reach within six months.
Londis 2020 provides a single set of retailer terms and store standards and supports the delivery of the brand vision with a package of retailer benefits exclusive to Londis2020 outlets.
- Competitive cost of goods and exclusive deals for 2020 outlets
- Seasonal pre-sell extended credit terms
- Store investment and development funding and support
- Enhanced delivery services with shorter delivery windows
- Retailer and staff training e-learning modules
- Londis Manager EPoS wth a new Londis-only Price File
John Pattinson, Londis director (pictured) said: “Last year we outlined our commitment to delivering a compelling symbol brand offer that’s simple to do business with, delivering profitable growth for our retailers. We want consumers to recognise the great convenience stores our partners operate and that they are consistently great across the country. Londis2020 is the platform to make that possible. It was developed by retailers, for retailers and the sign-up rate has so far exceeded our expectations.”


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Tencent is paying a hefty price for being a tech giant in China. Does this mark the end of an era?
- Tencent, after almost a decade of exceptional pace of growth, recorded its first slump in sales and revenue since it got listed in China.
- The country’s most valuable company also slashed 5,000 jobs or nearly 5% of its workforce.
- Tencent has been grappling not just with an uncertain regime in China, but also the Covid Zero and consumer crisis that is hurting the country’s economy.
Beijing last year went on a ‘clamping down spree’ on online commerce, car-sharing, food delivery and gaming, with a speed and ferocity that has irrevocably reset growth expectations. For tech giants like Tencent Holdings Ltd, growth seems impossible in such a setting, especially considering the persistent struggle to juggle a torrent of negative signals despite expectations that China is finally easing up on its crackdown.
Like the rest of China’s tech universe that isn’t faring that well, even the country’s most valuable company, Tencent, has been paying a hefty price for simply being a Chinese tech giant. The latest, most priciest impact had been on Tencent’s sales and revenue that had slumped for the first time ever since the company was listed. To make it worse, Tencent also slashed 5,000 jobs or nearly 5% of its workforce this week.
For context, Tencent’s revenue fell a deeper-than-projected 3% to 134 billion yuan (US$19.8 billion) while net income also missed estimates, plunging 56% in the June quarter. Its online advertising revenue slid 18%, although it surpassed estimates. The move to reduce its workforce was the first since 2014 after layoffs rippling through the global tech sector finally hit the WeChat operator.
The social-media and video game behemoth said it would need time to absorb regulatory actions that over the past year cut into its advertising and video gaming revenues and warned that China’s Covid-19 restrictions could delay a recovery in its advertising business. Even before the macroeconomic turbulence, China’s giant internet industry had resigned itself to a new era of sedate growth after a decade of free-wheeling expansion.
Companies like Tencent are focusing on profitability over the market-grab of years past, after a sweeping government crackdown wiped more than US$1 trillion off Tencent and Alibaba combined market value in 2021. For Tencent, although regulators resumed approving games in April after a months-long hiatus intended to curb addiction, China’s premier developer has yet to win a nod for a single title this year.
Tencent has even admitted that its Chinese gaming business was facing “transitional challenges” including dwindling user spending. That said, Tencent executives also said that international games, cloud software and WeChat video will be their major strategic priorities. The TikTok-style feed inside Tencent’s super-app is the company’s latest hope of countering ByteDance Ltd., which is increasingly luring away users and marketing dollars.
While changes in Tencent seem to be abrupt and too much at this point, Union Bancaire’s analyst Vey-Sern Ling told Bloomberg that “Tencent is delivering on what management described as a ‘new industry paradigm’ two quarters ago — where growth slows but margins improve. Shifting away from reckless expansion and aggressive marketing should be taken positively for the industry as a whole.”
At this point, the fintech and business services segment — which includes cloud computing — is now the fastest growth engine for Tencent in China. Cloud revenue on the other hand suffered a mild decline this year after the company cut loss-making contracts and ventured into services beyond infrastructure. “During the second quarter, we actively exited non-core businesses, tightened our marketing spending, and trimmed operating expenses,” Tencent co-founder Pony Ma said in a statement. That “should position us for revenue growth as China’s economy expands.”
Overall, Chinese tech executives have repeatedly warned investors recently, to prepare for a new reality of sedate growth. As Covid lockdowns paralyze business activities in cities from Shanghai to Shenyang, China’s once-reliable economic engine seems to be losing its steam. What remains to be known is how will local tech giants come out of this dilemma, stronger than ever or with renewed focus?
- Ethical AI: The renewed importance of safeguarding data and customer privacy in Generative AI applications
- How Japan balances AI-driven opportunities with cybersecurity needs
- Deploying SASE: Benchmarking your approach
- Insurance everywhere all at once: the digital transformation of the APAC insurance industry
- Google parent Alphabet eyes HubSpot: A potential acquisition shaping the future of CRM


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OUTFRONT Media Inc. (NYSE: OUT) announced today a campaign for Dogology, Inc., a New York city based virtual dog training startup, that showcases the ability to use augmented reality in out-of-home campaigns, along with out-of-home and mobile advertising creative developed by OUTFRONT’s in-house creative boutique, OUTFRONT Studios.
Outfront Media Inc. launched in February 2020 an augmented reality DOOH Valentine’s Day campaign in the United States. QR codes can be scanned by customers on smaller Digital OOH assets or they can visit a URL on larger displays and access an AR filter in Instagram stories. Next, they can scan the display with a heart QR code to see a special Valentine’s Day message.
After seeing the messages, they can then tag friends in the message and post their story to the “Share Love” tag.
Between December 25, 2017 and January 12, 2018, OUTFRONT’s out-of-home displays and the OUTFRONT Mobile Network prompted consumers in New York and Atlanta to download Dogology’s mobile app on the company’s website. Once downloaded, the Dogology mobile app invited users to engage with nearby sidewalk art, billboard or subway creative, which prompted in-app augmented reality dogs to interact with users and lead them to Dogology’s website where they could learn about science-based dog or puppy training and book virtual training appointments with Dogology.
Online dog training startup Dogology has launched a campaign promoting its mobile app that uses augmented reality to bring out-of-home advertising to life, and give consumers a glimpse of its user experience.
Working with mobile and out-of-home specialists Outfront Media, the company deployed out-of-home displays in New York and Atlanta, promoting its mobile app. Once downloaded, users could interact with nearby sidewalk art, billboards or subway creative to generate in-app AR dogs which could then be interacted with.


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Masaba Gupta on how her youth and unfamiliarity with entrepreneurship helped her learn vital lessons in setting up her own clothing brand
Mahithi Pillay - November 02, 2015
In defence of tradition
Or why designers should stop forcing western silhouettes on Indian bridal wear
Kishore Singh - February 03, 2015
Multi-label fashion retail — with Evoluzione and Evolv, do we finally have a luxury format that works?
Kishore Singh - December 23, 2015


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Adidas has another reason to cheer with the opening of its latest store. It is located in one of the oldest and most popular shopping destinations in the country- Connaught Place.
The new store which is spread on 2000 sq ft, is part of the unified ‘Core Concept’. It includes elevated and flexible fixture systems which lets you relocate brands and categories and give the store a whole new look. The store also boasts of an exclusive ST (Sachin Tendulkar) range section, which includes the latest collection from the range. As a Sports Performance Centre, the store consists of footwear, apparel, accessories and equipment for all forms of sport.
Speaking at the launch of the new store, Andreas Gellner, Managing Director, adidas India said, “We have brought in the global Core concept and this is the second such store in India. The unique feature allows us to customize the layouts and create true sports destinations thus providing our customers with a world class experience. Sports and fitness has become part of everyone’s lifestyle and in order to keep up with the surging demand, we want to give a sporting experience every time a customer steps into the store.”


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Michael Agoglia will be speaking on the panel “Understanding the Role of the CFPB and the Death of Forced Arbitration” at the 30th National Forum on Consumer Finance Class Actions and Government, sponsored by the American Conference Institute.
The panel will discuss:
- Appraising the rollback of the rule that bans banks, credit issuers, and other financial institutions from using forced arbitration clauses in account contracts.
- Reviewing the new rule that restricts a lender’s ability to profit from high-interest, short-term loans.
- Comparing the outcomes of cases resolved by arbitrators v. lawsuits seeking class-action status.
- Predicting the regulatory efforts under Mulvaney and Trump and the potential impact on the consumer financial services industry.


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E3 2020 was scheduled to run June 9-11 before the whole thing was scuttled by the COVID-19 outbreak. But even though E3 is gone, June 11 will still be a day worth paying attention to, because that day will bring us... Night City Wire.
GET READY!📺 pic.twitter.com/eqQ3hMCOmAMay 5, 2020
And what exactly is Night City Wire? That's not entirely clear, but it will be a Cyberpunk 2077 reveal event of some sort: "Stuff will be shown!" CD Projekt global community lead Marcin Momot said on Twitter.
And not just bush league stuff, apparently.
pic.twitter.com/qb6mc0uAqsMay 5, 2020
One of the expectations (or at least hopes) is that CD Projekt will finally show off more of the game's setting. Night City, where most of the action will take place, is divided into six districts, but we've only had a look at two of them so far, Watson and Pacifica. It will also be possible to leave the city and explore the surrounding area: Lead quest designer Pawel Sasko said at E3 2019 that it's "an area that is mostly sort of destroyed basically after all the droughts and everything that happened in the 50 years from 2020 to '77," but it will have open-world content and specific quests to pick up for players who want to roam around in that sort of thing. With Cyberpunk 2077 edging ever closer, it'd be nice to finally get a look at some of those environments.
That release date is the other big question hanging over Cyberpunk 2077. It's set to come out on September 17 and CD Projekt said in April that it remains on track. But the need for studios to work remotely because of the COVID-19 outbreak has caused slowdowns and delays at multiple studios including Bethesda, Ubisoft, and Larian, and earlier today Xbox boss Phil Spencer suggested that some of its first-party games could be affected as well. Hopefully it won't happen, but if CD Projekt is planning on tapping the brakes, this is about the time you'd expect it to say so.
CD Projekt didn't say how or where Night City Wire will be viewable, but we'll let you know when it does. Our schedule of other digital reveal events coming this summer is available here.


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Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co (HPE.N)
19 Jun 2018
NEW YORK, June 8 (LPC) - MUFG said it promoted Bill Davidson to lead the new global technology sector within the bank's global corporate and investment banking group, according to a statement obtained by Thomson Reuters LPC.
June 5 HP Inc now expects 4,500 to 5,000 employees to leave the company by the end of fiscal 2019 as part of an ongoing restructuring plan, the PC maker said on Tuesday.
LONDON Britain's accountancy watchdog has filed formal complaints against the auditors and two former finance executives of Autonomy, the software business bought by Hewlett Packard (HP) for $11 billion in 2011.
NEW YORK U.S. stocks ended with small gains on Wednesday after minutes from the Federal Reserve's latest meeting suggested higher inflation may not result in faster interest rate hikes. | Video
Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co reported a better-than-expected quarterly profit and raised its full-year earnings forecast on Tuesday, helped by higher demand for its servers, storage and networking equipment.
May 22 Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co reported a better-than-expected quarterly profit and raised its full-year earnings forecast on Tuesday, helped by higher demand for its servers, storage and networking equipment.
* Q2 NON-GAAP EARNINGS PER SHARE $0.34 FROM CONTINUING OPERATIONS
May 22 Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co reported a 9.7 percent rise in quarterly revenue on Tuesday, helped by higher demand for servers and networking equipment.
May 18 Diary of U.S. (.SPX) corporate earnings for the week ahead. ** Please Note - All times given are in U.S. EST unless otherwise stated ** U.S. EARNINGS Start Date Start Time RIC Company Event Name 22-May-2018 BMO AZO.N Autozone Inc Q3 2018 Autozone Inc Earnings Release 22-May-2018 BMO KSS.N Kohls Corp Q1 2018 Kohls Corp Earnings Release 22-May-2018 BM
* GATWICK AIRPORT INSTALLS NEXT GENERATION IT NETWORK WITH HPE Source text for Eikon: Further company coverage:
|International Business Machines Corp. (IBM.N)||$143.90||-0.58|
|Dell Inc. (4331.HK)||--||--|
|EMC Corporation (EMC.N)||--||--|
|Cisco Systems, Inc. (CSCO.OQ)||$43.82||-0.39|
|Oracle Corporation (ORCL.N)||$46.27||-0.25|
|Lenovo Group Limited (0992.HK)||HK$4.22||+0.04|
|Fujitsu Ltd (6702.T)||¥670||-6.80|
|NetApp Inc. (NTAP.OQ)||$77.89||-0.30|
|Hitachi, Ltd. (6501.T)||¥779||-6.20|
|Juniper Networks, Inc. (JNPR.N)||$26.82||-0.25|


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Karachi, July 01, 2019: TPL Rupiya and Dosafar have entered into a strategic partnership for digitizing and scaling up the transport industry by providing the opportunity to increase the adoption of mobile payments.
Both have signed MoU under which, TPL Rupiya will enable transport industry by providing state-of-the-art e-ticketing and online booking to commuters and further facilitate customers to utilize cargo services while Dosafar customers will be able to access TPL Rupiya’s mobile payment solutions.
“With rapid advancements in technology, digitalization has become a major trend in business and everyday life,” said Danish Ahmed, Deputy CEO of TPL Rupiya. “Supporting the expansion of mobile payment solutions in the transport industry is one of our core focus areas. We are thrilled to be able to create synergy with a fellow disruptor while supporting them with a frictionless payment experience,” he added.
Ali Shan, CEO of Dosafar Pakistan said, “We started our ground operations in September 2018 by taking multiple transport vendors on board and have booked more than 71,000 tickets worth Rs. 42 million in just seven months.”
“Joining hands with TPL Rupiya will help us scale up the technology side of the business and enhance innovation. This partnership gives Dosafar users a great online booking experience and also provides the benefits of digital payments to a wider audience,” he added.


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IBM chief only non-Brit knighted this year by queen
NEW YORK (AP) - IBM Chief Executive Louis V. Gerstner is being awarded an honorary British knighthood, one of the kingdom?s highest honors and a rare tribute for an American business leader. He was the only non-British honoree this year.
Gerstner was named over the weekend on a list of honorees released to coincide with the birthday of Britain?s Queen Elizabeth II.
The award honors the role of Gerstner and IBM in developing e-commerce, or ways for businesses to market and sell via the Internet. It also praises an IBM initiative that seeks to augment education with technology.
The honors place Gerstner among an elite handful of knighted Americans, including film director Steven Spielberg, retired Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf, comedian Bob Hope and former presidents Reagan and Bush.
Cendant will buy No. 2 travel reservation system
CHICAGO (AP) - Hotel and rental car giant Cendant Corp. booked itself a big investment in the electronic travel reservation business, agreeing to pay $2.9 billion in cash and stock for Galileo International Inc.
The deal announced Monday further consolidates the travel industry and makes Cendant a more powerful player by taking over Galileo, the No. 2 reservations system for travel agents behind Sabre Holdings, which runs Travelocity.com.
Travel customers probably won?t be affected initially, according to analyst Henry Harteveldt of Forrester Research. But they ultimately could benefit from a more powerful travel Web site if Cendant puts its marketing muscle behind Galileo?s Trip.com, he said.
Airbus gets 44 orders as Paris Air Show opens
LE BOURGET, France (AP) - Taking the lead in the sales race at the Paris Air Show, Airbus Industrie on Monday announced firm orders for 44 airliners worth more than $4.2 billion and carved out a broader niche for its new superjumbo jet.
As U.S.-based rival Boeing Co. outlined prospects for its in-flight Internet service and its concept for a swift passenger jet, the European aircraft maker said it had received orders from three airlines - Air France, JetBlue Airways and Royal Air Maroc.
Topping the list for Airbus was the sale of 10 A380-800 superjumbos to the French carrier, which also took an option to buy four more A380-800s. The 555-seat behemoth has a list price of $230 million.
Garden product-maker settles with Ohio over pollution
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - The nation?s largest supplier of do-it-yourself lawn and garden products has damaged the environment with DDT and other chemicals, The Columbus Dispatch reported Monday.
The attorney general?s office is negotiating a settlement with the Scotts Co. that would involve cleanup, spokeswoman Stephanie Beougher said Monday. She said the state is hopeful the settlement will be reached soon.
The newspaper reported that records from the Ohio EPA show that dangerous levels of pesticides and herbicides, including DDT and chlordane, were seeping from Scotts landfills and waste lagoons into a creek that runs through the company?s 173-acre complex in the central Ohio city of Marysville.
Short-term T-bill rates fall
WASHINGTON (AP) - Interest rates on short-term Treasury securities fell in Monday?s auction to the lowest point in more than seven years.
The Treasury Department sold $14 billion in three-month bills at a discount rate of 3.435 percent, down from 3.510 percent last week. An additional $12 billion was sold in six-month bills at a rate of 3.380 percent, down from 3.510 percent.
The three-month rate was the lowest since Feb. 28, 1994, when the bills sold for 3.40 percent. The six-month rate was the lowest since Jan. 1, 1994, when the rate was 3.16.


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Govt working on scrapping import duty on cashew kernel: Prabhu
New Delhi, Feb 15 (KNN) Eyeing to facilitate India’s cashew industry, the government is working on scraping the import duty on cashew kernel, said Suresh Prabhu, Commerce & Industry Minister.
Addressing the Kaju India 2019 global cashew buyer-seller meet organised by the Cashew Export Promotion Council of India (CEPCI), he said “The government reduced customs duty to 2.5 per cent on cashew kernel and is now working on 0 per cent import duty.”
The Commerce Ministry will also set up a series of centres in states to help farmers and exporters to brand and sell products to international market, he added.
He stated the major global cashew exporting and processing countries including India, Vietnam and Brazil need to join hands and exchange information to cooperate and prevent competition to ensure sustainability of the cashew industry and meet future challenges.
"To generate more employment, particularly for rural women, earn foreign exchange, and add to economic development, we need to focus more on cashew exports”, Prabhu added.
He also mentioned that under the new National Agriculture Export Policy, the government has identified specific agriculture export zones and clusters that are well connected with ports and airports in the country.
The new agriculture policy has been jointly prepared by the ministries of Commerce, Agriculture, and Food Processing, said Prabhu.
According to CEPCI, India processes 17 lakh tonnes of raw cashew nuts per annum. Of this, around 9 lakh tonnes are imported, mainly from African countries.
Under pressure due to serious competition from foreign competitors at home and abroad, the Indian cashew industry has sought government intervention to create a "level playing field" and revision of the minimum import price (MIP) for cashew kernels and allied products. (KNN/YV)