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Despite the efforts of influential fashion and sustainability nonprofits to promote sustainable fashion practices, the industry’s emissions keep rising. It contributes an estimated 4-8.6% of the world’s greenhouse gasses, fast fashion continues to expand and garment workers around the world remain exploited. Legal remedies are needed and increasing consideration is given to the idea of introducing fashion sustainability laws into the legal system.
In short, the goal is to get the fashion industry to adopt environmental, social and governance (ESG) standards.
Seeking to address the environmental and social impact of the industry, last Friday, January 7, a coalition of fashion and sustainability-focused nonprofit organizations, including the New Standard Institute, the Natural Resources Defense Council and the New York City Environmental Justice Alliance worked to formulate a legislative proposal, the Fashion Sustainability and Social Accountability Bill which was introduced last October.
If this project passes into law, all fashion companies that sell their products in NY and make over $100 million in annual worldwide revenues would be required “to disclose environmental and social due diligence policies”.
Brands such as Armani, Nike, Prada or LVMH would have to map at least 50% of their supply chains and disclose impacts such as the wages of workers, greenhouse gas emissions, water footprint and chemical management.
The Fashion Act sponsored by New York State senator Alessandra Biaggi and assembly member Dr. Anna Kelles “establishes a community benefit fund for the purpose of implementing one or more environmental benefit projects that directly and verifiably benefit environmental justice communities”.
. @SenatorBiaggi first became passionate abt the intersection of fashion, climate, & social justice after taking classes at @FordhamLawNYC‘s @FashionLawInst, which opened her eyes to the connections btwn those subjects. https://t.co/t4DOSebhbl via @ELLEmagazine‘s @veroniquean
— Fordham University (@FordhamNYC) January 13, 2022
These brands would also have to disclose the type and quantity of materials their suppliers produce and the volume of recycled materials used annually. This information will also have to be placed online, thus raising peer pressure as laggards and deviations from sustainable production methods come into full view. And companies will be required to reduce their impact by meeting the Science-Based Targets in line with the goals of the Paris Agreement.
Under the bill, those apparel or footwear brands that fail to comply with the law can be fined up to 2% of revenues of $450 million or more. The New York Attorney General would be required to identify and publish annually a list of companies that violate the law and the fines will be used for environmental justice projects in New York and would go to a new community benefit fund administered by the Department of Environmental Conservation.
Brands would have to act in accordance with safeguards for their workers as called for in the proposed fashion sustainability law
According to an article published in The Fashion Law in July 2021, although evidence that workers in garment factories supplying world-renowned brands have reported inhumane working conditions, no health and safety guarantees and receiving low wages for exorbitant working hours exist, in short, “Fashion industry giants keep failing to fix labor exploitation”.
But that was written before the news came in that substantial progress had been made at least in Bangladesh, the home of the tragedy that killed over a thousand women with the collapse of the building where they worked. That spurred a worldwide movement to ensure garments workers safety from fire and other hazards and four months ago, an expansion of coverage was achieved with a new legally-binding agreement placed under the supervision of the Ready-Made Garments Sustainability Council:
In this sense, and in line with projects carried out in the country such as Transparency in Supply Chains Act or Garment Worker Protection Act, New York’s Fashion bill stipulates that brands must not only disclose the average wages of workers, but also the measures they apply to integrate responsible business conduct into their policies.
Not everyone feels the new bill is going far enough. Vogue Business reported that “a range of insiders and advocates focused on labor rights, racial justice and global equity say that while the bill is an important and bold first step, they are not quite ready to celebrate. The bill must be refined and strengthened, and done so with a more inclusive process than the one that led to the bill’s creation, to force much-needed change in the industry”
“As a global fashion and business capital of the world, New York State has a moral responsibility to serve as a leader in mitigating the environmental and social impact of the fashion industry.” Senator Biaggi
If passed, this law would set a global precedent and will influence the other fashion capitals. As stated by Vogue “New York City’s significant market size will effectively require brands around the world to comply”.
It should be noted that the bill is being proposed at a historical moment when the new generations are more aware in socio-environmental terms. A survey conducted in December 2019 by First Insight, revealed that Gen Z Shoppers Demand Sustainable Retail. On the other hand, a survey taken by DoSomething, a social impact consultancy, reported that “75 percent of Gen Z respondents said they wanted to see that brands were ensuring employee and consumer safety”.
The Fashion Sustainability Law responds to the demands of the new generations and the latent need to promote environmental policies and although this type of process can take years, its stakeholders have started the campaign and expect it to be approved by mid-2022.


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Global Consumer Attitudes Examined in Latest CEA Study
CEA tells us that, “essential information for building businesses and refining global strategies” is revealed in a new study from the Consumer Electronics Association, which sheds light on consumer attitudes around the world regarding brands, product information sources and retail channels. CEA also released global consumer electronics (CE) sales in aggregate and by major product categories, groundbreaking new data collected in conjunction with GfK, a Germany-based global research firm.
The report, “International CE Ownership and Market Potential,” focuses on nine countries: Brazil, Canada, China, India, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Turkey and the United States and provides a country-by-country analysis of CE ownership, usage and intent to buy. The survey also studies media consumption and expenditures, shopping processes and the psychographic and cultural differences that influence consumers’ purchasing behaviors around the world.
The study also finds that global CE industry revenues will exceed $600 billion in 2007. In 2007, global sales of mobile phones through retail channels are expected to reach almost one billion units. Sales of televisions are expected to reach nearly 200 million units and more than 100 million computers will be sold.

domain: news


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CLEVELAND — In 2007, more than one in seven Halloween and holiday products purchased in Ohio and tested by Ashland University Professor Jeff Weidenhamer contained dangerous levels of lead contamination
Weidenhamer joined U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, at a news conference in Cleveland this morning to announce that none of the Halloween toys, costumes and other products tested this year contained unacceptable levels of lead.
“Unlike the testing undertaken in 2007-2008, I have not found any problems this year with the painted Halloween items,” Weidenhamer said. “I am pleased to see that some measurable improvements in product safety have been made.”
He credited federal legislation passed in 2008, Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act, for having a positive impact on product safety.
Brown, who sponsored the legislation, echoed the perspective.
“Thanks to a new law, and tough safety standards for children’s toys, parents can be confident that toys and costumes are indeed safer for our children,” he said.
In 2007, Brown requested that Weidenhamer test Halloween and holiday items purchased in Ohio for levels of lead. More than 14 percent contained high lead levels.
According to guidelines set by the Consumer Product Safety Commission at the time, acceptable levels of lead were 600 parts per million (ppm), or 99.97 percent lead-free. Items like a witch candy bucket tested at 88,900 ppm; a treat basket with pumpkin ornament tested at 87,800 ppm, and fake “ugly” teeth tested at 65,200 ppm. All were recalled. In recent years, tainted imports from China and other countries have led to the recall of hundreds of thousands of toys, tires, food products, and pet food products.
This year, following the implementation of consumer product standards and at Brown’s request, Weidenhamer tested 75 Halloween items purchased in Ohio from 11 different retailers. All but four were made in China. The items included candy buckets, drinking cups, costume components and toys. Items were screened using an X-ray fluorescence spectrometer, which can detect contamination with lead other heavy metals.
No lead levels of concern were detected.


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Kayser Automotive provides Ford store
Kayser Automotive Group, of Madison, Wis., has obtained its second Ford dealership in two months.
Kayser Automotive and Gregg Tank on Monday bought Peterson Ford in Oconto Falls, Wis., from Toby Peterson and Mike Peterson. Oconto Falls is north of Inexperienced Bay.
“The Petersons have built a fantastic company, serving Northeast Wisconsin for approximately 50 yrs,” Sean Baxter, president of Kayser Automotive, reported in a statement. “We glance forward to carrying on that tradition as we grow our S&L model to better serve the Eco-friendly Bay marketplace.”
The dealership was renamed S&L Ford. Tank will be its normal manager. He already is normal supervisor at Kayser Automotive’s S&L Motors dealership in Pulaski, Wis., which sells Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram motor vehicles.
On Sept. 30, Kayser purchased Courtesy Ford of Sauk City, also in Wisconsin, from dealer Ray Fregia Jr. The team, with all domestic models, now has 7 dealerships in the point out.
Wade Micoley represented the vendor in the Peterson Ford transaction.
Rising Kendall Automotive Group, of Eugene, Ore., has expanded into Montana, and it bolstered its Oregon existence past thirty day period with the acquisition of a few dealerships.
Kendall on Oct. 18 acquired Robberson Ford-Lincoln and Robberson Mazda in Bend and Robberson Ford of Prineville from supplier Jeff Robberson, who retired.
“It was just a very good time to hop off,” Robberson advised Automotive News. “I preferred to get off when factors ended up heading easy so the changeover would be as easy as feasible for the workforce and prospects, as opposed to just one of our downturns. Even while we are in a chip shortage, we are in a potent motor vehicle overall economy.”
Robberson’s father opened the Ford dealership in Bend in 1957. The Prineville spot opened in 2003.
The dealerships have been renamed Kendall Ford-Lincoln of Bend, Kendall Mazda of Bend and Kendall Ford of Prineville. Prineville is about 35 miles northeast of Bend.
Kendall expanded into Montana in September with the purchase of Bozeman Ford-Lincoln, in accordance to a Sept. 19 article in the Bozeman Every day Chronicle.
The dealership has been renamed Kendall Ford-Lincoln of Bozeman, Kendall claimed in a LinkedIn article.
Kendall has stores across Alaska, Montana, Oregon, Washington and Idaho and sells extra than 20 brands, which includes Toyota, Lexus, Volkswagen, Honda, Kia, Lincoln, Mercedes-Benz and Audi, according to its web-site.
In June, Kendall bought Roy Robinson Subaru and Roy Robinson Chevrolet, equally in Marysville, Clean., in the vicinity of Seattle.
Coughlin Automotive provides Kia retail outlet
Coughlin Automotive Team, of Pataskala, Ohio, additional a second Kia dealership last month to develop to 13 dealerships in central Ohio.
Coughlin Automotive on Oct. 7 bought Matt Taylor Kia in Lancaster from dealer Matt Taylor, according to Tim Lamb of Tim Lamb Group, who represented the vendor in the transaction.
“We are thrilled about expanding into Fairfield County and aiding the nearby community,” vehicle group owner Al Coughlin stated in a assertion. “The Kia franchise is a excellent model. By continuing to pursue progress in Central Ohio, we have access to far more stock and more services spots to improved serve our shoppers.”
In 2020, Matt Taylor Kia sold more than 1,400 cars, in accordance to Tim Lamb Team.
The retail outlet was renamed Coughlin Kia of Lancaster. Lancaster is about 25 miles south of Pataskala.


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Amina Abdullahi Shuaib is a young entrepreneur who ventured into poultry business after secondary school education in 2018 after getting her inspiration from her mother who was also into the business.
She has been able to grow the business from a few birds to 100 over the course of four years but a grant intervention of N50,000 from StartUpKano, a business incubation and acceleration hub, has now enabled her to increase her business capacity by 50%.
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Amina is among the 10 rising women entrepreneurs in Kano State out of 200 applicants to have won the N50,000 grant interventions each from StartUpKano to boost their businesses.
“I can now stretch my budget to increase the number of poultry I put from 100 to 150 especially now that the agro foods are expensive; the grant intervention from StartupKano will augment my budget to make my poultry business flourish,” Amina said.
Aside these 10 women, over 800 other women entrepreneurs were also mentored on entrepreneurship, business start-ups and sustainability.
Despite the daunting challenges of starting up a business, a lot of women have been able to fight against all odds in standing out among their peers, making fortunes by diving into the world entrepreneurship in various businesses.
In an effort to promote technology, entrepreneurship and agribusiness by women, young girls and youth in Kano State, StartupKano in collaboration with Sterling Bank Ltd and support from Daily Trust, organised the 5th edition of the Women Founders Conference 2022 to focus on mentoring women in business and start-ups.
The conference which was held in Kano brought together women in businesses to share their stories and practical advice to help and inspire other women entrepreneurs and start-ups to take their dreams with compassion and pride.
Some of the Speakers are Hajiya Amal Hassan, CEO of Outsource Global; Zainab Buba Galadima, a grassroot politician; Hauwa Bako, CEO HB Green Acres Farm & Agro Allied Ltd; Hajara Masaga, Founder of The Airmingle; Dr Amina Sambo Magaji from Digital Economy, NITDA, as well as Mr Abubakar Suleiman, MD/CEO of Sterling Bank Plc.
One of the participants, Maryam Umar, who owns a catering business, explained how the conference inspired and helped her to network with other women in business.
“I am excited to have met with great minds and strong women in businesses, and I have also learnt from their stories in order to surmount the challenges in my business.”
Amira Yusif, who is also a Kano-based entrepreneur with an established make-up business, pointed out that having attended the women conference, she can now leverage the technological ideas discussed at the gathering to promote her business and increase her customers.
Several other women also bagged awards of excellence of the 50 inspiring women in northern Nigeria for their mammoth contribution in the state towards changing the narratives of entrepreneurship and women growth.
A chef, Hafsatu Ibrahim Yahaya, was among others who received the award of recognition for their immense efforts and contribution in society. Hafsatu, who started her company, Safron Catering, in 2006, has been an advocate for promoting and remodelling Arewa (northern) dishes and delicacies to achieve international recognition.
“I have been teaching women how to cook, partnering with companies and organisations on different types of Arewa dishes as well as their nutritional values. I have been doing this for 16 years and that is why I am so grateful that the Women Founders’ conference recognised my effort and contributions to society,” she added.
Intisar Bashir Kurfi, who owns Ifrik Eco Solutions, a company that recycles waste into interlocks, said the award given to her will serve as a motivation to other women to realise the value of establishing problem-solving businesses that would bring change in society.
Another entrepreneur, Farida Yahaya, the founder of the Brief Academy also received the award of the 50 inspiring women in northern Nigeria. She said she received the award for her effort in working with female founders to help women to meet their businesses better, enter the markets and scale their businesses in the best way.
In her remarks, Aisha Tofa, the co-founder of StartupKano, said having realised the unavailability of job opportunities for the youths, StartupKano was established in order to create a platform for young people to interact, network and provide solutions and opportunities among themselves.
Tofa pointed out that the women in northern Nigeria have been left behind and facing religious, traditional, and socio-economic challenges that stop them from achieving their goals.
She further explained that the Women Founders’ Conference was organised to bring together women in businesses to give talks, advice and share experiences for other women to learn among each other in order to be able to compete locally and globally.
Some participants who spoke to Daily Trust expressed their satisfaction with the programME, calling on the organisers to continue. Halima Aminu, a housewife who ventured into interior decoration business in the past two years, said that she has been motivated and inspired by the people she met at the event.
“To me, the Women Founders’ Conference is like an eye opener, because I am now being motivated and inspired by the speakers who talked not only on their success stories but also on the challenges that a business owner may encounter in her day-to-day affairs business,” she said.
Halima added that she also benefited from the conference as she used the gathering as an avenue to advertise her wares to the participants.
“You know these days, networking is very important in the business. So I used the conference as an avenue to get contact of other business women. I also shared my flyers to the new people I met at the conference. And Alhamdullilah! Since then people have started calling me and buying my wares.”
Working with these other businesses can help you reach new customers and establish your credentials on a national or even international scale, all of which can help grow your business, she added.
In her remarks at the conference, a business consultant, Malama Hafsat Ahmad said that a business has both good and bad sides that an entrepreneur has to believe in.
“As a business owner, you have to understand that the path of business isn’t always smooth; just ask any entrepreneur. Sometimes, it helps to hear some business success stories, especially when you’re mired in the details of writing a business plan, getting a business loan, or finding a space. Even the most successful businesses-small, medium, and large alike-went through their share of challenges. And it can be so helpful to remind yourself you’re not crazy for feeling overwhelmed. When you’re deep in the weeds of starting your business, it can be easy to think about quitting, but learning about others’ success can help lift your spirits,” she advised.
She added that determination is the key of any successful business, calling on the entrepreneurs to shun the compelling desires to go for quick wins.
“In each case, determination and willpower helped the entrepreneurs to take an idea and convert it into a profitable venture,” she said.


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While Tory Burch riffed on the traditional Fashion Week livestream by shrinking the display and dispersing it across the Web, in the form of live action sidebar ads, Topshop is making an equal and opposite effort at London Fashion Week with its own tech-enhanced show.
When the company presents its Fall/Winter 2014 Unique line at the Tate Modern on February 16th, a concomitant 3D virtual reality experience will be planted in the window of the brand’s Oxford Circus flagship store. Five lucky viewers will don Oculus Rift headsets — for the unfamiliar, they’re a little like Google Glass — and be immersed in a virtual, 3D front row in which the live show is augmented with backstage and VIP arrival footage, set design recaps, and some animations. For everyone else, there’s the usual livestreaming via Topshop’s site. Or you can watch the watchers, since by taking part in the 3D experience, they’ll also be acting as publicity bordering on performance art for the brand.
In a nod to their High Street roots, watching Topshop’s show in person will be possible for anyone who can get themselves to the Tate this Sunday. The runway will be visible and open to the public from various viewing platforms overlooking the hall where the stage is set up.


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CITY DIARY: Taxi for the bonk manager... Tesco boss Benny Higgins racks up an £18,000 cab bill
'The bonk manager': Tesco boss Benny Higgins
Tesco Bank’s recherché, opera-loving boss Benny Higgins has some explaining to do after racking up an £18,000 taxi bill.
The loquacious Glaswegian, 56, who peppers his speeches with show-off references to TS Eliot and F Scott Fitzgerald, is well-versed in crisis management.
Previous tin hat moments include receiving a £2million golden goodbye from HBOS in 2007 after just two year’s work.
Four times married, his rackety private life has also provoked headlines north of the border. Caledonian hacks labelled him ‘the bonk manager’.
Remember Jerome Kerviel, the arrogant rogue trader who racked up losses of £3.2billion almost bringing French bank Société Générale to its knees?
Monsieur Kerviel, 39, was jailed for three years in 2010 but released after five months. He’s suing his ex-employer for unfair dismissal, demanding £4billion in compensation.
Brazen little so-and-so, n’est ce pas?
City fat cats who have forked out £15,000 for a ‘premier’ table at next month’s Tory summer ball moan they’re still to be told which Minister they’ve been assigned to schmooze with.
Why the hold-up? Because the bash at London’s Hurlingham Club takes a place just days after the referendum, when there’s likely to be a merciless, Game of Thrones-style cabinet reshuffle, Aka a bloodbath.
Forthright Sir Philip Green associate Lord Grabiner remained cordial during his exchanges with the Works and Pensions Select Committee yesterday over the BHS collapse.
A far cry from last year when he was grilled over his investigation for the Bank of England into the forex market, for which he was paid £401,000.
Quizzed about the size of the fee, he said barristers such as himself ‘do not get into the grubby world of negotiating fees’, adding: ‘I am sure we did a cheap deal.’
Asked how many hours had he spent on the investigation, he replied loftily he hadn’t the ‘faintest idea.’ Grab-it-all, 71, appears to have learned his lesson.
From convivial city spinner Peter Bingle comes muffled wailing: ‘Knocked myself out in the bike shed and ended up in A&E.
Nothing serious but I have a large bump and a very sore head.’
News that club man ‘Bingers’ owns a bicycle might raise eyebrows around the Square Mile. A committed luncher, he’s a cherished ornament in its exclusive canteens.
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Google and Verizon have partnered to make getting YouTube TV even easier for Verizon customers. Verizon announced today that customers will soon be able to subscribe to YouTube TV through Verizon, offering the standard fare of network channels to all wireless and broadband customers.
Whether you have Verizon wireless service, FIOS, or a wireless 5G home, you'll now have the ability to bundle YouTube TV along with it. With YouTube TV you get a cable-free live TV service which includes over 70 networks such as ABC, CBS, CNN, ESPN, Fox, FX, HGTV, NBC, TBS, TNT, and more.
Your YouTube TV membership also provides you with six accounts per household, a personal DVR with no storage limits, and access to on-demand content. YouTube TV lets you can watch all your favorite shows anywhere you go with apps available for your phone, tablet, TV, and the YouTube TV website.
This news comes after the recent controversial YouTube TV price hike, where Google added additional channels for an extra $15 bringing the total to $50 per month. The recent price hike left many users angry and disappointed because you are now forced to pay substantially more for channels you may have never wanted in the first place.
Cable-free live TV
Live TV anywhere you want it
YouTube TV offers over 70 of your favorite networks on any device you own. With up to six accounts per household everyone gets their own account and personal recommendations along with unlimited DVR storage.
We may earn a commission for purchases using our links. Learn more.
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Vu Tien Loc, Chairman of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Photo by VnExpress.
Chairman of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Vu Tien Loc, said the actual number of scrapped business conditions in 2017-2019 is 30 percent instead of the reported 60 percent.
Loc added that reducing business conditions is more urgent than ever for enterprises amid the Covid-19 pandemic. "The reduction must be action based rather than mere talk," he told a recent seminar on enterprise market access.
Ministries and agencies recently reported to the government that they had simplified and eliminated more than 50-60 percent of business conditions in the 2017-2019 period, according to a report by the Central Institute for Economic Management (CIEM).
Loc also proposed the government implement a third wave of reforms on reducing business conditions and improve the investment environment.
At the seminar, Nguyen Hoai Nam, deputy general secretary of the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), complained about the slow reaction of agencies on reforming the business environment and reducing market entry conditions.
"We proposed changes to regulations on issuance of barcodes on exported aquaculture. The agency we contacted stated that the amendment would take time as there are hundreds of associations like VASEP," he said.
Nam claimed that for processing and exporting seafood, Vietnamese standards are currently stricter than those in the U.S. "We are creating difficulties for ourselves," he added.
In a recent survey by the VCCI's legal department on the conditions for entering the market, nearly 1000 enterprises stated bottlenecks remain in the legal system of business investment, creating barriers for small and medium enterprises.
VCCI called on ministries to amend 93 legal documents, 32 laws, 51 decrees and 10 circulars to overcome current business overlaps and inhibitors.
By: Pham Van/Vnexpress
- Reforms must focus on regulation inconsistencies and overlaps
- Reform must focus on removing inconsistencies, overlaps in business regulations: VCCI
- Vietnam needs reform 3.0 to further improve business environment
- The Finance sector continues cutting costs for businesses
- Indian business chamber to host seminar on trade, investment
- US supports Vietnam to improve business satisfaction in conducting customs procedures


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. . . . IN THE REGION . . . .
First Star Bancorp reported profits of $715,000 in the three months ended Dec. 31, an increase of 20.5 percent over the same period a year ago. Better interest income helped the Bethlehem-based bank holding company, which owns First Star Savings Bank. Interest income was $243,000 in the quarter.
. . OF REGIONAL INTEREST . .
Armstrong World Industries Inc. of Lancaster announced that fourth-quarter earnings will be below estimates. The maker of vinyl floor coverings blamed weakness in Europe and rising lumber prices. Armstrong expects to earn between 90 cents and 95 cents a share in the quarter, below expectations of $1.21 -- the average estimate of analysts polled by First Call -- and below the $1.17 earned a year ago.
Samuels Jewelers Inc., a jewelry retail chain owner, agreed to buy closely held rival Musselman Jewelers for about $300,000 in stock to enter markets in central Pennsylvania and the Tidewater region of Virginia.
Samuels will issue 60,000 shares of for Trenton, N.J.-based Musselman. The Austin, Texas-based company will gain 14 retail jewelry stores, located primarily in Pennsylvania and it will also expand the company's presence in West Virginia. The purchase doesn't include the assumption of debt, Musselman's headquarters, and the company's inventory, which was sold separately. No job cuts are planned as a result of the transaction.
Samuels operates 196 stores in 27 states under the names Samuels Jewelers, Samuels Diamonds, Schubach Jewelers, C & H Rauch Jewelers and Hart's Jewelers. The company had revenue of about $128 million in fiscal 1999.
. . . . INDICATORS . . . .
Consumers will pay more for electronic goodies over the next two years because of a squeeze in computer chip supplies. The cost of some memory chips has more than doubled in recent months, and the tight supply probably will continue through 2002 until new production plants come online, analysts said Tuesday.
`Bad news for shoppers, great news for the industry,` said G. Dan Hutcheson, president of VLSI Research Inc. in San Jose. `What we will see with these higher prices is it will fund things like breaking the Internet bottleneck, increase bandwidth,` Hutcheson said in an interview.
Analysts suggested the higher prices could lead to better and ultimately less expensive products as companies invest in more efficient manufacturing techniques.
. . . . DEALS . . . .
A partnership owned by the Warner Bros. and Paramount studios has acquired the Mann Theatres chain after a bankruptcy court approved a $91 million sale agreement. The theater chain's parent company, WestStar Cinemas Inc., had filed for bankruptcy protection last year. WestStar agreed to sell the chain to WF Cinema Holdings, a partnership between Warner Bros. and Paramount, but the bankruptcy court ordered the sale opened up to competitive bids. However, no other companies bid on the 351-screen chain, and the previous agreement was approved Tuesday.
. . . . AMONG COMPANIES . . . .
PacifiCare Health Systems Inc., one of the biggest health insurers in California, said it will cut about 450 jobs, or 5 percent of its work force, in the next year and take a charge of $7 million to $8 million in the first quarter to cover severance costs. PacifiCare, which has 8,300 employees, said it will fire about 250 employees and eliminate an additional 200 positions through attrition.
PacifiCare, which has 3.7 million customers in nine states, is consolidating its sales-and-marketing and human-resources departments after it said its board is exploring options to increase shareholder value, including sale of the Santa Ana, California-based company.
The cuts, which were reported Wednesday in the Wall Street Journal, will come from all the states in which the company operates, a spokeswoman said.
Boeing Co. plans to buy Hughes Electronics Corp.'s satellite-manufacturing business, hastening its expansion into the industry by acquiring the world's biggest maker of commercial-communications satellites, people familiar with the matter said. An announcement may come as soon as today, the people said. The El Segundo, California-based division employs 8,000 people and analysts forecast 1999 sales of almost $2.3 billion. Analysts estimated the business could fetch $2 billion to $3 billion. Boeing, the world's biggest planemaker, has been trying for years to build up its space business to balance its reliance on jetliners, an economically sensitive industry that faces heavy price pressure. Hughes, majority owned by General Motors Corp., wants to spend less on satellites, so as to invest more in its DirecTV unit, the largest U.S. satellite-television service.


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As you know, the pot industry is engaging in a full-court-press effort to get a taxpayer-funded bailout from Congress under the next round of COVID-19 stimulus aid.
It has mostly been industry organizations calling for this. But now, some of the industry’s biggest supporters in Congress have introduced a bill to make it happen.
Representative Earl Blumenauer of Oregon and Representative Ed Perlmutter of Colorado introduced HR. 6602, the so-called “Emergency Cannabis Small Business Health and Safety Act”, that would take the unprecedented step of subsidizing federally illegal pot businesses in the midst of a health crisis.
The bill would allow pot shops access to loans, incentives, and other taxpayer-funded benefits. All while the industry has been openly celebrating record profits as its lobbyists have strong-armed state leaders into declaring pot shops “essential.”
These two members of Congress have taken at least $118,000 from Big Pot, so it comes as no surprise that they are now blatantly doing the bidding of the industry.
It is absolutely galling that when so many businesses are sacrificing to protect the health and safety of the American public, pot shops would simultaneously demand to stay open and then request a federal bailout.


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A brief background Debenhams has 165 shops in the UK and Ireland, and around 26,000 employees. Sir Ian Cheshire became chairman in April 2016, having previously been chief executive of DIY conglomerate Kingfisher and Sergio Bucher, who had been vice president of Amazon's fashion unit across Europe, joined Debenhams as Chief Executive in late 2016. However, … Continue reading Debenhams – The Story So Far
This post has been co-authored by Nelson Blackley (Nottingham Trent University) and Dr Jason Sit (University of Portsmouth) Mike Ashley, the owner of Sports Direct, whose retail empire now also includes Flannels, USC, House of Fraser and Evans Cycles is planning to attend the Housing, Community and Local Government Select Committee evidence session on Monday … Continue reading Can Mike Ashley save the UK High Street? His track record might suggest otherwise.
As retail continues to evolve, one of the trends attracting interest and media coverage is the increasing number of online ‘pureplay’ retailers opening physical stores. Whilst, in many cases, these are developed more as ‘showrooms’ or ‘guideshops’ than full-inventory stores, this move from ‘clicks to bricks’ is something that, even a few years ago, wasn’t … Continue reading Sears Roebuck – ‘Clicks to Bricks’ in 1925.
As has been well documented, UK retail is facing multiple challenges. These include upward cost pressures because of business rates, weak sterling, the living wage, apprenticeship levy and the economic uncertainty of Brexit, together with the burden of excess retail space and large underproductive store estates under which ‘legacy retailers’ now operate. Many retailers are … Continue reading Can UK’s Shopping Centres Survive?
Introduction The Chancellor is expected to include several retail-related topics in his budget statement tomorrow afternoon. Specifically, it is expected he will announce a £1.5bn package to support Britain’s high streets, including proposals to turn over more town centre premises to housing and office space and measures to ease the short-term pain facing the smallest … Continue reading Budget 2018: Likely to be just a sticking plaster for UK retail
If Debenhams, the UK’s largest standalone Department Store chain, and who announced their latest set of annual result earlier today, have a sustainable future they are going to quickly deliver the very challenging balancing act of simultaneously generating cash, reducing debt and addressing all the complex structural challenges they face as a ‘legacy’ retailer. Like … Continue reading Can Debenhams Survive?
Sears Holding Corporation is planning on closing up to 150 of its stores, keeping at least 300 open, with the fate of the remaining 250 uncertain, as part of a restructuring plan under U.S. bankruptcy protection. A bankruptcy filing is expected by Monday 15 October, when a $134 million loan payment is due. Lenders are … Continue reading Sears Today, Gone Tomorrow?


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Digital Communication agency Hashtag Orange has appointed Gaurav Singh as Chief Growth Officer. Singh has multi-fold experience across brand strategy, marketing communication, and digital transformation programmes. He will be responsible for all three verticals creative, media and technology.
Entries open for BuzzInContent Awards 2021 - to avail Early Bird offer until October 22
Singh has launched multinational brands, built online businesses and managed large digital transformation programmes in India and other SEA (South East Asia) markets.
Prior to joining Hashtag Orange, Singh’s last stint was with Telenor, where he worked in India, Thailand and Myanmar. He played a key role in the launch of Virgin brand in India, which bagged multiple awards, including a coveted Cannes nomination.
Singh said, “Today the line between offline and online is disappearing and brands are looking for a partner who can offer integrated marketing solutions, including brand strategy, creative, media and technology to deliver business growth. The team at HO is already doing some great work in this direction. I am looking forward to working with them to accelerate this process.”
Mukesh Vij, Founder, Hashtag Orange, said, "Glad to have Gaurav with his astute and proven experience in building brands and online business. I am confident Gaurav adds fresh thinking and energy to our leadership team and adds value to our existing and new clients.”


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Results for "Windows"
Microsoft has announced a new Security processor for its Windows PCs called 'Pluton', which first featured in a Xbox console back in 2013.
Microsoft has made available some more of its surface series laptops in the Indian market.
Apple has announced 3 new Macs powered by its latest M1 chip including the MacBook Pro, MacBook Air and a Mac Mini.
Google Meet is now getting the ability to change backgrounds in a video call, same as the Zoom app.
Mi NoteBook 14 model with an Intel 10th generation i3 processor will come with 256GB internal storage.
The Vu Masterpiece TV comes with an 85-inch, 4K HDR screen that uses quantum dot i.e. QLED technology.
Here are the top 5 laptops that are low on price but decent on performance. All of these laptops cost under Rs 40,000.
AVITA Essential is available in three colour variants - Matt White, Matt Black, and Concrete Grey and comes with a 2-year onsite warranty. Avita Essential comes equipped with a 14" FHD 1920 x 1080 IPS an anti-glare screen and a 2M webcam.
In today's world we all need storage solution for storiing our memories like photos, videos, etc. Every type of person needs storage for some or the other purpose, so here our top 5 products for your storage needs.
Microsoft is working on a feature which will suppress the background noises while you are on a video or voice call. A similar feature is already present in Zoom and Google Meet.
Sandisk yet revealed another storage device for Indian consumers a while ago which is the Extreme Pro Portable SSD. Is it worth the price tag? Let's take a look.
The WD MyPassport SSD is a great SSD that comes with 256-bit AES encryption, and a bunch of other features with a portable design.
The Poco X3 which was launched a while back had some great specifications at a very reasonable price. The device was made to crush its competitors in the same price range, but was it successful in doing that? Let's take a look
Asus ROG Phone 3 shares a similar design language that was seen in Rog Phone 2 but has subtle changes as well.
Is it enough to make a long-lasting impression on consumers? Let’s find out.
We spent some time with the device and here are our first impressions.
When Galaxy Fold was showcased for the 1st time, some reviewers accidentally removed this protective layer on display, but that is a thing of past. Samsung has now added an edge to edge protective layer on top of the screen.
The latest tablet does come with a hefty price tag, but it is loaded with top-of-the-line specifications along with some sleek design, immersive display and more. So, does it make an interesting proposition?
Does it make any sense to buy for this latest flagship smartphone as Apple has already introduced its latest iPhone 11 series and Google is soon to launch its Pixel 4 lineup? Let’s find out.
Does it make any sense to invest your hard-earned money in this tablet? Let's find out.
Lenovo has launched the Yoga Book 2-in-1 tablet in India today at Rs 49,990.
HP Elite X3 with Windows 10 showcased at MWC 2016. HP has also unveiled innovative HP Desk Dock and HP Mobile Extender for the Elite X3.
HP Stream 8 comes with an 8 inch touchscreen and was launched in India on January 13 with a price tag of Rs 16,990.
It is the first Windows based smartphone from the stable of Lava.
It will be available on Flipkat from mid-November
Nokia has unveiled three smartphones which will run on Windows Phone 8.1 and the most affordable among them is Lumia 630.
Xolo Win will be launched in Indian by month end and is expected to be priced at around rs 20,000.


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Gloster names 2011 Retail Rep of the Year
Casual Living Staff -- Casual Living, June 23, 2011
For the second consecutive year, Charlie Hesson was honored as Gloster's Retail Sales Rep of the Year during its recent GALA (Gloster Advanced Learning Academy), held June 16-17, 2011 at the company's South Boston, Va. headquarters.
Charlie Hesson (left) is presented Gloster's Retail Rep of the Year Award by President Eric Parsons.
Having received the honor for the second straight year, Hesson was both gracious and humble in accepting the award.
"Gloster is such a design-focused, innovative and on-trend leader in our industry, and their focus on people makes them a wonderful and welcoming company to be a part of," said Hesson. "All the sales reps enjoy working for Gloster, and to win this award is very special."
GALA is an annual Gloster event in which sales representatives from across the United States and Canada visit the U.S. headquarters to preview new collections, provide critical market input and discuss sales strategies and goals for the following season.
Tiny Girl, Big Dream


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Newly revealed patent filings show that UPS could be building a new decentralized locker system that accepts bitcoin. The new service will be a computerized item exchange that will remove salespeople from the chain. Users will be able to create lockers in a ‘locker bank’ that will accept payments in various currencies, including bitcoin. The US patent office revealed that the locker bank would work as a storefront for purchasing items. The details of this system are not explicitly stated in the document.
What does the application say?
The patent application says that in-person transactions could lead to losses, mostly through theft. The need of the hour was to design a system that could facilitate transactions in a safer manner. Private sales include in-person exchanges between two entities or individuals who are selling privately owned items. Such sales are facilitating through classified ads, online retail sales, online auctions and other such transactions.
Of course, threats of being conned and physical hurt could be high with such sales as you never know whom you are interacting with. UPS believes that there should be faster and more convenient way to make transactions in private sales.
All things said and done, what could UPS help you do and what is this new system they talk about?
Brown is focusing on a new decentralized marketplace for private sales. Users can have lockers that could be sealed through a computerized system. You will need passwords to access these lockers. This is traditional. UPS went a step ahead and placed a camera inside the locker to provide you images of the products. A view screen is placed outside the locker. It can communicate sales and comes with a payment processing mechanism as well.
Cryptocurrency compliant lockers
The most interesting takeaway from this application is UPS’ support for bitcoin. Many traditional methods of payment are included in the application. Bitcoin is specifically mentioned in the form. In fact, UPS has also left scope for other cryptocurrencies in the application.
Here is what the application says:
…the locker bank 300 may include a point-of-sale (POS) system for accepting payment from users in the form of: (1) a cash transaction; (2) a credit or debit card transaction; (3) a gift certificate; (4) an electronic payment, such as payment by Google Pay, Apple Pay, PayPal, Bitcoin; and/or (5) any other suitable type of payment.
Though we cannot suggest that bitcoin will be one of the primary payment methods, it is interesting to note that a parcel service giant is making way for crypto transactions. There is no guarantee that UPS will work on this patent anytime soon. However, acceptance by UPS could go a long way for bitcoin and other currencies.
Meanwhile, cryptocurrency values are tanking around the world following regulations and FUDs. It is likely that the bearish move will continue for the currencies this week. Bitcoin is trading below $10,000, but crypto-enthusiasts are hopeful that the markets will bounce back. Meanwhile, a Senate hearing is scheduled for next week that may hamper crypto growth.


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WeChat: Bridge Champ, the NFT online bridge game platform, features a Play-To-Earn incentive mechanism for players to get token rewards by participating in tournaments. The goal of Bridge Champ is to provide a state-of-the-art, feature-rich platform with a seamless user interface and comprehensive solutions for bridge enthusiasts, federations and coaching. As covered in this Chinese article, the platform is based on the Ardor-Ignis blockchain, thus offering high scalability, high-speed data processing capabilities and the upcoming NFT in-game achievements.
August 22, 2022
Bear market vibes: At times like this, traders need to rely on solid projects that already proved themselves in 2017
ZyCrypto: At times of bear market like this one, crypto traders need to rely on solid projects that have already proved themselves in 2017. This article mentions the Jelurida team, known as a pioneer of blockchain technology, that created the Ardor, Ignis, and Nxt blockchain platforms. From 2017 on, Jelurida maintained the builder-first mentality, and strengthen its PoS platforms and decentralized applications.
August 17, 2022
Crypto’s dominance across Africa shows no signs of slowing
Bitcoinist: Despite the current market conditions, crypto adoption across emerging economies such as the African blockchain landscape continues to grow strong. The article mentions the Jelurida Africa Blockchain Expedition, a major educational program to accelerate the widespread adoption of blockchain technology and cryptocurrency in East African countries. While the team continues to engage with local governments, holding meetings and conferences, Jelurida Africa plans to launch a Pan African Hackathon soon, and a tailored solution service by Q4 2022.
August 16, 2022
Technology DeepFlow: This Chinese media article covers how Jelurida Africa is helping with financial inclusive solutions for the fast-growing large market of Africa. Starting with the Nigeria office in 2019, the Jelurida Africa team has now further strengthened its presence across the East African countries, offering blockchain solutions to the community, support for blockchain development and deployment to public and private organizations. Meanwhile, Jelurida Africa is encouraging the asset tokenization of resources and properties on the Ignis blockchain.
August 15, 2022
How Jelurida takes Contract Bridge into the modern era with blockchain technology
CryptoDaily: This article covers the major benefits of Bridge Champ, the platform that brings the famous card game Bridge into the digital world by using Ardor-Ignis blockchain platforms, developed by Jelurida. As mentioned by Lior Yaffe, Bridge Champ will serve as a flagship solution for third-parties gaming platforms, by creating reusable crypto integration components based on the Ardor blockchain.
August 14, 2022
WeChat: With the launch of the Ardor v.3.0.0e testnet version, the Jelurida team has been testing and developing major innovations in terms of data security and data processing capabilities. Following the Ardor and Ignis 2022 updated Roadmap, Ardor v3 will be launched soon on mainnet by Q4 2022, as covered in this Chinese article. The documentation aims to summarize the changes implemented in the new version, to help developers to migrate their applications built on Ardor v2 to Ardor v3.
August 8, 2022


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DHL Tradeteam has appointed James Gill as managing director, following Gavin Murdoch’s appointment as president and representative director of DHL Supply Chain, Japan.
Gill will oversee Tradeteam’s nationwide on-trade and off-trade drinks network, distributing brands for blue-chip customers. He has 15 years’ experience, and joined DHL in 2004.
Most recently he was vice president finance for consumer and life sciences UK. In addition he has three years’ experience on the Tradeteam board.


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Zhejiang Geely Holding Group has a foothold after shopping for the Swedish carmaker Volvo from Ford in 2010. Geely additionally owns the British sports activities automotive maker Lotus and the company that makes London taxicabs, while its chairman, Li Shufu, owns about 10 percent of Daimler, the maker of Mercedes-Benz cars. The wavering relationship between customers and automobiles has been hastened by the emergence of local weather change as a potent political problem, in addition to worsening air quality in main cities.
The term auto or auto sector nevertheless can at instances be tough to distinguish within the huge ocean of financial knowledge and investing options. Below is a breakdown of some key insights on the auto industry including how it can be analyzed in a different way by economists versus investing analysts.
The UK automotive business is a vital part of the UK economy worth more than Â£82 billion turnover and including Â£18.6 billion value to the UK financial system. market grew marginally, the shockwaves of Brexit and USMCA deal are anticipated create across world markets and the brand new US-China commerce warfare. This is anticipated to play out till 2020 no less than with world markets expected to rebound by around 2023. To sustain with the tempo of improvement in the automotive business and keep ahead of the competition, producers will need to get all of the insight they can get from their information.
How this Lamborghini became the last word 80s dream automobile
However, because of fierce competitors in the home car market not all the time have manufacturers and retailers been able to move these prices on to finish-users. However, car gross sales didn’t instantly observe the slowing economic growth tempo and, actually, nonetheless managed to hit an all-time report high gross sales determine in 2013 (1.23 million bought automobiles). This delay in falling car gross sales was partly attributable to overly optimistic views of the Indonesian financial system.
Indonesia not only has a big population (258 million inhabitants) but can also be characterized by having a quickly expanding middle class. Together, these two elements create a powerful client drive. Per 2017 Indonesia’s total installed car production capacity stands at 2.2 million units per yr. However, the utilization of Indonesia’s installed automotive manufacturing capability is anticipated to fall to 55 percent in 2017 as the expansion of domestic automobile manufacturing capacity has not been consistent with growth of domestic and overseas demand for Indonesia-made vehicles.
Winton demonstrated a genius for publicity when in 1897 he raced certainly one of his cars and reached 33.5 mph., an incredible speed on the time. In 1899 he drove from Cleveland to New York, accompanied by PLAIN DEALER reporter Charles Shanks, whose thrilling tales of that journey had been read throughout the nation (see CLEVELAND-NEW YORK DRIVE). When Winton reached New York he was greeted by admiring crowds, and it was estimated that ultimately a million people in that city noticed his automotive. In 1903 a brand new 2-cyl., 20-hp Winton car was driven from San Francisco to New York in sixty four days to establish distance and endurance data. The subsequent 12 months Winton brought representatives of the press in a special Pullman railroad car to see the Winton manufacturing unit in Cleveland.
Two-wheelers dominate the business and made up 81 per cent share within the domestic automobile gross sales in FY19. Overall, Domestic cars gross sales elevated at 6.seventy one per cent CAGR between FY13-18 with 26.27 million automobiles being bought in FY19. Indian vehicle trade has obtained Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) value Rs 1,forty nine,424 crore (US$ 21.38 billion) between April 2000 and March 2019. As a big part of all economies, auto manufacturing gets lots of attention. Two areas where it’s receiving essentially the most attention in 2019 include the manufacturing of electrical vehicles and international tariffs.
In early 2018 MOIA launched its take a look at service to a limited pool in Hanover with a plan to speak in confidence to all Hanoverians by the top of the 12 months. GM and Cruise, the autonomous driving begin-up that it acquired in 2016, are pushing ahead with their growth. GM plans to launch an autonomous experience-hailing service (sans steering wheel and pedals) in 2019 with the preliminary give attention to massive cities after which increasing to other urban areas. Lyft, the second most popular journey-hailing service within the U.S has signed collaboration partnerships for deploying autonomous autos with each Waymo and GM.
Winton, Baker, and White were leaders in Cleveland’s early rise to prominence in the American automotive industry. By 1909 the U.S. manufacturing census confirmed that vehicle manufacture ranked as the 3rd-largest industry in the city, with 32 factories employing over 7,000 employees and producing nearly $21 million worth of automobiles, an astonishing rise from 1899, when the census did not even record the business as a category. Other Cleveland-made automobiles have been introduced to the market after 1909, such as the Chandler (1913), the Jordan (1916), and the Cleveland (1919).
White soon established a status for high quality and dependability, and by 1906 reached an annual manufacturing of 1,500 automobiles, which the corporate claimed was twice that of some other automobile manufacturer on the planet. The similar yr the automobile division cut up off from the parent firm and established a new manufacturing unit at E. 79th and St. Clair (see WHITE MOTOR CO.). On that site the corporate later made the shift from steam to gasoline engines (1909-11), and from largely automobiles to the manufacture of trucks. White is regarded (with Stanley) as one of the 2 most essential steam automakers within the U.S. and into the Nineteen Seventies was one of the nation’s major heavy-truck producers.


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EchoStar's Sling Media subsidiary said it launched a channel on Roku's over-the-top video platform that allows pay TV subscribers to watch live programming and DVR content, and that it will introduce an app for Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) Windows 8.1 devices in December.
Sling also introduced a new version of its software, SlingPlayer 3.0, which the company said is designed to be used by viewers who are watching content on TV and mobile devices at the same time. "SlingPlayer 3.0 turns the iPad into the first screen and second screen at the same time," the company said in Monday's announcement.
EchoStar has marketed its Sling place-shifting set-tops and mobile video apps directly to consumers, and last month it struck a deal with Arris (Nasdaq: ARRS) which makes the set-top vendor the exclusive distributor of Sling devices to pay TV distributors.
Sling's mobile video apps are currently available on Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) iOS and Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) Android devices. Sling said its Windows 8.1 app will allow users to access content from Sling devices on the Microsoft Surface tablets, in addition to PCs and laptops.
- see the release
EchoStar signs Arris as exclusive distributor for Sling Media products
Arris teams with Sling to launch place-shifting media streamer
EchoStar redesigns Slingbox set-tops


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VACAVILLE, CALIF. - Master Plastics Inc., a custom injection molder in Vacaville, recently added its fifth new Toyo press within a year. The firm, started in 1991, has grown from nine to 16 presses with 55-150 tons of clamping force.
Kurt Hashemian, president, said the firm offers molding in a controlled-temperature environment for the medical and diagnostics industries. The firm operates in a 31,000-square-foot facility and employs 60.
Additionally, the company molds products for the educational toy industry for use by learning institutions, and the beverage dispensing industry.
Master Plastics also offers hot stamping and packaging as secondary services, and mold maintenance and repair capabilities.
Last month, Hashemian hired a new plant manager, Terry Hunt, and is installing a real-time process monitoring system.
In addition to overseeing his company's operations, Hashemian is active in the Community Awareness Program, giving local elementary school students tours of his plant and showing them how he uses regrind from his medical products to mold educational toys.
He also works with the University of California in Davis, Calif., helping with its plastics program and promoting an industry/academic alliance.


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Not only is the iPhone getting its third-party cherry popped, the Helio Ocean is now running third-party apps now as well. The first proof of concept app is Opera Mini, the small-ish browser from Opera that lets even lousy phones browse like a star. To get it to work on your Ocean (even though the default Ocean browser is just fine for us), just follow the directions on Heliocity. After you're done, you may want to check to see how you can support them to get even cooler apps on the Ocean. [Heliocity]
Custom Apps Now on Helio Ocean (Opera Mini)
Trending Stories Right Now
Doing so might have spoiled one of the plot’s big reveals.
The U.S. has deployed “American computer code” into Russian systems operating the nation’s power grid, the New York Times reported on Saturday, as part of the Donald Trump administration’s efforts to “deploy cybertools more aggressively.”


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'Wooden fork the worst thing I've ever put in my mouth'
TOOWOOMBA residents are split over whether a ban on single-use plastic items, such as cutlery and straws, is a good idea.
A poll asking readers if the government should ban single use plastic revealed 37 per cent of residents wanted to see the ban implemented, while 63 per cent didn't want it introduced.
"You can always take your own cutlery and stainless steel straw with you just like a Keep Cup if you don't like the alternatives but I also think any reduction in single-use plastic is good," Linda Rogers said in response to the proposal.
"I hate the idea," Anita Edwards said.
"The other day I was given a wooden like fork at a kebab shop for my potato and it was the worst feeling I have ever had to put in my mouth."
Grant Hirning said the "maybe the government should clean up its act first".
"Working for a government entity we receive a plastic item with loose plastic mounting brackets that are used less than five per cent of the time," Mr Hirning said.
"These items come in a cardboard box that is wrapped in plastic, and then each plastic wrapped box comes from a larger box that is also wrapped in plastic, and then plastic wrapped to a pallet and then there is plastic banding around the box and pallet.
"We have suggested several times to cut back on the plastic wrap with no success."
The government also wants to ban single-use coffee cups and heavy plastic bags.


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"Intel has grown to become the No. 1 microprocessor in Chrome systems," said Navin Shenoy, vice president and general manager of Intel Mobile Client Platforms Group. "We've been working on five generations of Chrome and after Google, Intel is the largest contributor to the Chromium OS. Intel chips are the first and only to support 64-bit Chrome OS. This deep history and investment combined with our stellar Bay Trail and Haswell SoCs mean Intel can offer the best performing devices at every price point in the Chrome category. When people are shopping for Chrome devices, they should look for Intel Inside."
By offering up its processors at affordable price points that allow a new generation of Chromebooks maintain previous generation price tags, Intel is effectively muscling ARM right out of the category. Intel's interest and strong presence also add legitimacy to Google's cloud-based approach to computing via Chrome OS.
We're not talking about theoretical situations, either. With Intel fully on board, it's no wonder that Lenovo, the world's largest supplier of PCs, is suddenly interested in the category. Lenovo earlier this week introduced its first Chromebook models, the N20 (traditional clamshell design) and N20p (2-in-1 hybrid design), both with an Intel Celeron chip inside.
ASUS, which is already a player in the Chromebook space, recently unveiled new models built around Intel's Bay Trail-M platform. They include the 11.6-inch C200 and 13.3-inch C300, both powered by an Intel Bay Trail-M N2830 dual-core processor clocked at 2.42GHz.
The list goes on. Dell, the world's third largest PC builder, expanded it Chromebook line to include an additional configuration of the Dell Chromebook 11 with an Intel Core i3 processor inside. The same goes with Acer, which is using the same processor to drive its new C720 Chromebook
"Intel has been a strong partner since the inception of Chromebooks," said Caesar Sengputa, vice president, product management, Chrome OS at Google. "So it's exciting to see the continued innovation as evidenced by this new wave of Intel-based Chrome devices. With two of the three best-selling laptops on Amazon.com during the most recent holiday season, and now in nearly 10,000 schools, Chrome devices are providing to be a great computer for the way people work and live today."
HP, LG, and Toshiba also have plans to release next generation Chromebook models as the school year winds down and a new one begins.


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On Tuesday, stocks closed mixed with a preference for small-caps as they took gains in some blue chips and big-cap stocks.
Profit-taking started immediately, with a divergence of better-quality stocks being sold. Banks and other financials fell 1.4% at the close, while technology gained 0.9% and consumer discretionary rose 0.5%. Eight of the eleven sectors of the 500 lost ground. From the election until Monday most investing was based on the expectations that the new administration will increase fiscal spending and lower corporate tax rates. The goal is to raise interest rates, inflation and promote growth.
Yesterday buying slowed slightly, but floor traders said that consolidations are a good sign and that the “reflation trade” will probably resume again. The chief investment officer at Wells Fargo Private Bank was quoted by The Wall Street Journal who said “there’s a level of optimism I haven’t seen in a while.”
Crude oil WTI fell 0.7% at $45.56 per barrel due to an EIA report that crude oil supplies increased by 5.27 million barrels instead of an estimate of 1.48 million.
Top Growth Stocks To Own For 2018: Flowers Foods, Inc.(FLO)
- [By Dan Caplinger]
Consumers across the nation know Flowers Foods (NYSE:FLO) from its Wonder bread, Tastykake snack cakes, and Nature’s Own bakery brands. Yet the truly novel thing about Flowers is how it has done such a good job of building up a national presence in an industry that is typically dominated by local competition. Coming into Monday’s fourth-quarter financial report, Flowers investors were hoping to see at least some growth in sales and earnings, but the bakery company wasn’t able to deliver the pace of expansion that most shareholders really want to see.
- [By Lisa Levin]
Some of the stocks that may grab investor focus today are:
Wall Street expects Dr Pepper Snapple Group Inc. (NYSE: DPS) to report quarterly earnings at $1.06 per share on revenue of $1.57 billion before the opening bell. Dr Pepper Snapple shares fell 0.07 percent to close at $93.49 on Monday.
Analysts expect American International Group Inc (NYSE: AIG) to post quarterly earnings at $1.01 per share on revenue of $12.87 billion after the closing bell. AIG shares gained 0.38 percent to $66.39 in after-hours trading.
Flowers Foods, Inc. (NYSE: FLO) reported in-line earnings for its fourth quarter, while sales missed expectations. Flowers Foods shares fell 1.87 percent to $20.45 in the after-hours trading session.
Before the markets open, Diebold Nixdorf Inc (NYSE: DBD) is projected to report its quarterly earnings at $0.32 per share on revenue of $1.31 billion. Diebold Nixdorf shares slipped 0.73 percent to close at $27.20 on Monday.
Find out what's going on in today's market and bring any questions you have to Benzinga's PreMarket Prep.
Top Growth Stocks To Own For 2018: The First of Long Island Corporation(FLIC)
- [By Dividends4Life]
The First of Long Island Corporation (FLIC) operates as a bank holding company for The First National Bank of Long Island that provides financial services. Sept. 19, the company increased its quarterly dividend 4% to $0.26 per share. The dividend is payable Oct. 11, 2013 to shareholders of record on October 3, 2013. The yield based on the new payout is 2.7%.
Top Growth Stocks To Own For 2018: Tesla Motors, Inc.(TSLA)
- [By Demitrios Kalogeropoulos]
Earnings season is likely to continue to produce big stock swings for the companies involved. And the next five trading days have no shortage of big names posting their results, including Wal-Mart (NYSE:WMT), Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA),and Gap (NYSE:GPS).
- [By Abdul Jawula]
Since its IPO in 2010, Tesla (NSDQ:TSLA) has had short periods of volatility and also uncertainty about its viability as a game-changing company. Elon Musks ambitious projects had raised some eyebrows on the Wall Street. However, recent developments and geopolitical factors (more on those later) show that investors were right to stick with the company.
- [By Alex McGuire]
In June 2015, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said at a Tesla Inc. (Nasdaq: TSLA) shareholder meeting he intends to keep SpaceX private until its long-term goal of sending people to Mars begins. That’s not expected until 2020 at the earliest, meaning investors shouldn’t expect a SpaceX IPO until then.
- [By Kumar Abhishek] Model 3 is likely to be the main focus of Tesla Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) Q1 earnings.
Palo Alto, California, basedelectric car and renewableenergy company Tesla Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) is scheduled to report its Q1 2017 earnings on Wednesday, May 2nd. The earnings report will cap a record quarter for Tesla which is entering a crucial operational phase.It has been quite a good quarter for Tesla’s shareholders who have seen the stock rally to record levels. On the other hand, theshorts are feeling the pain. In his recently released letter to shareholders, Greenlight Capital’sDavid Einhorn said that”It was a difficult quarter to be short the bubble basket, and TSLA in particular,”. He further added, “With holders reluctant to sell, the stocks can only go up – seemingly to infinity and beyond. We have seen this before. It’s painful for the shorts, as the TSLA CEO has been happy to remind everyone via Twitter”.Mr. Einhorn expects this stock bubble burst sooner or later. However, given the recent momentum and strong quarterly results, shorts may have to wait for some more time.


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For physicians, 2006 was a forgettable year in terms of pricing, judging by the two federal gauges of price inflation: the Consumer Price Index and the Producer Price Index.
However, hospital price inflation to no ones surprise continued to outpace all other goods and services in 2006, giving sway to CMS projections that U.S. healthcare spending will double and hit the $4.1 trillion mark over the next decade.
Still, the CMS projections represent merely gradual growth in prices for all healthcare services in some small and odd part because of declining oil prices, said John Poisal, deputy director of the National Health Statistics Group at the CMS. There are lots of components as to why prices go up, including labor and supply costs, Poisal said. We are examining every possible thing that goes into hospital services, including the cost of cleaning fluid.
The preliminary annual PPI, which measures wholesale prices (or the prices received by producers of goods and services), rose a mere 1% for physician offices in 2006, down from 2005 when wholesale prices increased 1.8%. The nonseasonally adjusted CPI, which measures the prices paid by consumers (or retail inflation), increased a meager 1.5% for physician services in 2006, down more than half from the 3.3% increase in 2005.
Prices for hospitals in 2006 rose 6.5% compared with a 5.3% rise in the nonseasonally adjusted CPI in 2005. That rate represented more than double the overall 3.2% rise in the CPI for urban consumers in 2006. Meanwhile, the preliminary PPI for hospitals increased 4.1% in 2006, up from the 3.8% rise in wholesale prices in 2005.
In terms of the CPI, prices for physician services saw their smallest change since the 1950s, said Steve Reed, an economist for the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which publishes both indexes. Hospital services behaved more typically, he said, averaging 5.8% annual increases over the past 10 years. Thats compared with the overall CPI, which averaged half of that2.4% over the same period.
Its not anything surprising, Reed said. Its pretty widely known that medical prices have been rising faster than general inflation for quite some time.
But inflation has been outpacing physician services for a variety of reasons we dont even know, said Frankie Velez, also an economist at the bureau. One theory is that commercial payers have been mimicking the CMS, which much to doctors chagrin has not offered any rate hikes in some time. The trend reflects static pricing rather than prices increasing and decreasing and netting down to zero, he said. Were seeing a lot of nothinga lot of inactivity, Velez said.
Similarly, physician price changes were quite flat in the PPI, probably in large part because Medicare reimbursement stayed flat for physicians, said Bonnie Murphy, PPI services section chief for the bureau. Medicare and Medicaid increases have been comparatively better for hospitals. Since hospital services were introduced into the PPI calculation in December 1991, the Medicaid and Medicare rate of increase is a little less than half of the rate of increase in all other patient reimbursements, she said.
A Medicare outpatient fee schedule change was no doubt reflected in the 0.8% spike in January 2006 after no change in the index in December 2005, she noted. Wholesale prices for hospitals typically climb for all other patients as well in January because managed-care contracts are usually renegotiated in the beginning of the year, when hospitals list their chargemaster prices, Murphy said.


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ALD Automotive branches into corporate leasing for Teslas in Europe
Corporates and SMEs in Europe can now access operational leasing services for Tesla electric vehicles from ALD Automotive, which has become Tesla’s preferred operational leasing partner for the region.
The full service leasing packages are available on the Model 3 in 16 countries across Europe, including the UK, France, Germany, Spain and Italy major markets as well as the EV strongholds of the Netherlands and Norway.
The leasing packages provide customers with tyre change, breakdown assistance and vehicle registration, as well as maintenance provided through Tesla’s locations throughout Europe, as well as mobile service. Vehicles are available with flexible durations and mileage and can be customised directly on Tesla’s website. The lease is managed by ALD Automotive for the duration of the contract.
“We are proud to launch this new accessible and flexible leasing offering for Tesla’s range of electric vehicles to customers across Europe,” said John Saffrett, deputy chief executive officer of ALD. “This contributes to our sustainable growth strategy as a key player in the energy transition, as well as fully supports our commitment to providing innovative mobility solutions.”


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April 6, 2018
Following the recent announcement of SEGA’s collaboration with Nintendo for the Sonic the Hedgehog video game franchise, SEGA is looking to expand the classic game character with new products in core categories including toys, apparel, bed and bath, food and beverage and amusement.
Nintendo will debut the first game in the partners, “Sonic Lost World,” for Wii U and Nintendo 3DS later this year.
“2014 is going to be a significant year for the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise that will take our lovable blue hero to new heights. Our partnership with Nintendo creates the backbone of a program that will take its lead from gaming. With that support we can build a campaign for the character that will thrill and surprise fans all across the globe,” says John Cheng, president and chief operating officer, SEGA America.
SEGA is also expanding internationally, startingwith Latin America, and is showcasing classic game titles at Licensing Expo this week in Las Vegas including “Golden Axe,” “Altered Beast,” “Streets of Rage” and “Shinobi” along with the 25th anniversary of the SEGA Genesis gaming console.
With the recent acquisition of Relic Entertainment, SEGA is also seeking licensing opportunities for “Company of Heroes 2,” which will be released June 25.
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A local company has been ordered to stop infringing on the copyright of the US-based Starbucks Corporation and to pay compensation of 500,000 yuan (US$62,500) to the US company.
Shanghai Xingbake Coffee Co Ltd registered the Chinese name in the country before Starbucks arrived in the Shanghai market. Starbucks translates "Xingbake" in Chinese.
The ruling in the two-year-old case was issued on Saturday by the Shanghai No 2 Intermediate People's Court.
Lu Guoqiang, chief justice in the case, said Starbucks in both English and Chinese and its logo designs are deemed famous trademarks in Shanghai, thanks to their widespread use, publicity and reputation.
He said such copyrights enjoy special protection.
The Seattle-based Starbucks Corporation set up the first coffee house in Seattle in 1971.
It entered the Taiwanese market in 1998 and gave authority to Uni-President Group, a local firm, to manage its coffee houses in Taiwan and the Chinese mainland.
The multinational registered the Chinese translation of Starbucks, "Xingbake," in China the same year.
Starbucks Corporation entered the Shanghai market by asking Uni-President Group to found a Starbucks Coffee Company which now has 38 coffee shops in Shanghai.
Shanghai Xingbake registered its company name in Chinese in Shanghai on November 20, 1999 after Starbucks had registered its trademark but before it had registered the joint venture in March 2000.
The Shanghai company began setting up its coffee houses in 2003.
One of the shops of the local company in the city's downtown Nanjing Road has a design similar to that of Starbucks: a round logo with green characters against white background Chinese characters reading "Xing Ba Ke" on the top and Cafe at the bottom.
The Starbucks logo has white characters against a green background.
In December 2003, Starbucks Corporation sued the Shanghai retailer, claiming copyright infringement.
The court ruled that Shanghai Xingbake Coffee Co Ltd constituted illegitimate competition by using the Chinese translation of Starbucks in its company name and the translation and a similar design motif for its coffee houses.
Lu reminded companies intending to take advantage of famous copyrights that all market players should observe business ethics.
Starbucks Corporation is the world's largest coffee retailer with more than 6,500 coffee houses worldwide.
The company has established about 300 outlets in Chinese mainland, Taiwan and Hong Kong.
(China Daily January 2, 2006)


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A new report says the total cost of government regulation to Alberta businesses grew to more than $4.6 billion in 2014.
Canada’s Red Tape Report, released Wednesday by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business during Red Tape Awareness Week, said the cost to provincial businesses has been on the rise over the last few years. In 2005, it was $3.8 billion, reaching $4.4 billion in 2008 and $4.2 billion in 2012.
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“Business owners are telling us that rules, regulations, and requirements continue to pile up. If Alberta wants to preserve its status as a great place to run a business, the government must ramp up its efforts to measure regulatory requirements and be accountable for red tape. Finding ways to give entrepreneurs some of their own time back would no doubt be a big boost our province’s economy,” said Amber Ruddy, senior policy analyst for the CFIB in Calgary.
Nationally, it has risen to $37.1 billion in 2014 from $31.7 billion in 2012. It was $33.8 billion in 2005 and $33.3 billion in 2008.
The CFIB said Canadian businesses spent an average of 842 hours a year complying with government rules and paperwork in 2014. That figure was up 12 per cent from 2012.
It also said 42 per cent of small business owners would not advise their children to start a business given the burden of regulation.
“If today’s entrepreneurs are telling their kids don’t do it, where is that next generation of entrepreneurs going to come from?” said CFIB executive vice-president Laura Jones. “Red tape is a serious threat to our future prosperity.
“Reducing red tape frees up small business owners to spend more time training staff, serving customers, growing the business, and even getting home a little earlier to their families . . . We can’t afford to keep piling on more regulation. Whether you measure in terms of time wasted, money spent or business opportunities missed, the evidence is overwhelming. Red tape is out of hand, and governments need to get cutting.”


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Published: 13 April 2017
Between 2010 and 2015 mobile video consumption increased by an impressive 2,084% and by early 2016 mobile was accounting for a staggering 46% of all video plays. This is expected to rise to 75% by 2020. These figures clearly show that mobile video plays are now dominating the digital world, one of the likely reasons why popular social networks are in the process of rolling out upgraded functionalities to cater for this enormous trend.
The Power of Video Promotion
In recent weeks Facebook has updated its audience network service, helping to monetize mobile videos created by companies, allowing them to create brand awareness and drive views through their popular Ads section.
Twitter, the first mobile-first platform, now allows businesses to upload their own videos and promote them through boosted tweets.
Claire White, Account Director for Why Media explains; “The creation and promotion of video content now consumes around 70% of our content marketers resources. Attention spans are decreasing and with so many platforms to check these days, users are looking to take in information quickly through their eyes and ears. We have seen outstanding results from a number of video marketing campaigns recently, with engagement figures reaching new company highs compared to traditional text content.”
Live video streaming apps have also taken the world by storm over the last year with apps including Periscope, Livestream and of course Facebook LIVE. Live streaming video to mobile devices helps personalise your brand and make consumers feel more directly connected to you.
Why Media is an award-winning design, marketing, digital communications and PR agency offering tailored solutions to companies on a global scale. We have extensive experience in delivering design and marketing services to a spectrum of companies including professional services, property companies, financial institutions and shopping centres. We have offices in London UK, Hertford UK, Finestrat ES & Brescia IT.


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BMW will present ‘a strong line of pure-electric concept vehicles’ in 2018
German automaker BMW has recently announced that it will be presenting a series of new all-electric vehicles this year. The announcement was made by BMW’s CEO Harald Krüger at the company’s recently-held Annual Accounts Press Conference 2018.
BMW’s announcement of its plans to unveil several new all-electric vehicles in 2018 comes after a few years of complacency. The company had introduced the first wave of its all-electric vehicle back in the year 2013, when it launched the BMW i3.
According to the announcement made by Krüger, BMW will unveil “a number of pure-electric concept vehicles” in 2018. Krüger said that the pure-electric concept vehicles unveiled during the course of the year “will all go into series production.”
Revealing details about the forthcoming second wave of all-electric vehicles to be presented by BMW this year, Krüger said that these vehicles will include the iX3 (the first all-electric BMW), the BMW iNEXT (the company’s new technology flagship), and the entrancing BMW i Vision Dynamics (which will be available in the market as the BMW i4). These vehicles will likely hit production by 2021.
Krüger further disclosed that BMW will be producing the BMW iNEXT as well as the BMW i4 in Germany. Both the models were described by Krüger as a proof of BMW’s “innovative strength.”
Mercedes has planned to premiere its new Maybach-branded concept -- the new Vision Mercedes-Maybach Ultimate Luxury SUV -- on April 25, 2018, at the Beijing Motor Show; but the images of the vehicle have already made their way to the World Wide We
The forthcoming Auto China 2018 event in Beijing this week will unfold an important platform for China to showcase its ambitions to become an electric-vehicle (EV) market leader, along with giving EV manufacturers an opportunity to unveil their ne
According to recent reports, Karl-Thomas Neumann has joined Los Angeles-based electric vehicle (EV) start-up Evelozcity, and will be in charge of mobility at the company.
Electric car sales in France recorded a notable year-on-year increase during the month of March; with the results highlighting a kind of ‘March Madness’ in the electric-vehicle (EV) market in the country.
According to the latest electric vehicle (EV) sales report for China for the month of March 2018, the number of EVs sold in the country during the month touched a total of 59,000 units; thereby marking a noteworthy 85% year-on-year increase as com
Japanese automobile major Nissan is planning to launch 8 electrified vehicles by year 2022. The company will launch 3 new electric cars and 5 hybrid cars.


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NEW YORK (AP) — Don't expect to see "lady Doritos" on store shelves. The company that makes the cheesy chips says it's not developing a line of Doritos designed specifically for women — despite widespread online speculation that it was.
The phrase "lady Doritos" was trending on social media after PepsiCo Inc.'s longtime CEO Indra Nooyi said on a podcast that women don't like to lick their fingers after eating a bag of Doritos.
Nooyi, who has run the soda and snack company for more than a decade, later said the company is "getting ready to launch" snacks that are "designed and packaged differently" for women.
But PepsiCo said Tuesday that the interpretation of her comments to mean female-specific Doritos were in the works was "inaccurate."


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Walt Disney Co. said Monday it won unconditional approval from Chinese authorities for its $71 billion purchase of assets from 21st Century Fox.
The ruling removes one of the last major hurdles for the deal, which unites the entertainment assets of Rupert Murdoch's empire with Disney. The Burbank, California-based entertainment giant has already obtained approval from regulators in the U.S. and the European Union, though both required divestitures that the company has agreed to make.
There had been some concern in the investment community that China's approval of the deal might not come easily, given the ongoing disputes over trade and tariffs between the country and the Trump administration.
Disney continues to invest heavily in China, including in theme parks in Shanghai and Hong Kong.


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This article got me thinking about Alphabet’s need to buy back more Google stock despite the fact that the shares are up 21% in 2019.
Loads of Cash
The reality is that Alphabet’s primary breadwinners, Google search and digital display ads, are generating cash at a tremendous rate. GOOG could never comes close to spending it, given the cost-controlling talents of its CFO, Ruth Porat.
Alphabet finished the second quarter with $121.1 billion of cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities. That works out to $175 per share of Google stock.
While Alphabet spends a lot of money on “moonshots” (highly ambitious technical initiatives), they won’t bankrupt the company anytime soon.
And while some wonder if the company’s earnings are slowing, a quick look at its Q2 results shows that it generated $9.2 billion of operating profits, triple what they were a year earlier. The company’s sales rose 19% year-over-year.
Clearly, Alphabet is growing rapidly.
Alphabet Can’t Spend All Its Money
Alphabet’s cash and cash equivalents, subtracted by its total liabilities, equals $80.72 per share or about $56 billion. Its operating cash flow over the last year was $50.8 billion, suggesting that its cash hoard will greatly increase going forward.
At the end of June, Alphabet had $4.1 billion of long-term debt or just 1.6% of its equity, an amazingly low debt/equity ratio. As a result of its excess cash, Alphabet ought to consider buying back more Google stock.
Usually, I’m not a big fan of share repurchases. In February, I suggested that buybacks should be illegal. However, since they are legal, there are certain situations in which they make a lot of sense.
One of them is when companies have too much cash, as is the case with Alphabet.
How Much More Google Stock Should Alphabet Buy?
Since January 2018, Alphabet’s board has authorized the company to buy $46.1 billion of Google stock. Through Q2, it’s repurchased $15.7 billion of its Class C stock at an average price of $1,121 a share. That works out to a little over $1 billion of share repurchases per month.
That’s a return on investment of 11.2% through October 21. While that’s not great, it’s a higher return than Google would have gotten from leaving its cash in bank accounts.
Alphabet still has $30.4 billion left on its share repurchase authorizations.
If it were to utilize the entire amount over the next 24 months, it could buy $1.3 billion of Google stock every month.
On three occasions since the beginning of 2018, the Alphabet stock price has risen to $1,200, only to fall back to around $1,000 within months. Timing the market is a difficult task. But buying Google when it falls to around $1,000 makes a lot of sense.
If GOOG generates $50 billion of free cash flow per year, and buys back $1.3 billion of GOOG stock per month, it would still have over $34 billion to use for Moonshots and acquisitions.
While it might not buy back this much stock, it ought to buy more than it is currently. That’s especially true when Alphabet stock price falls below $1,000
At the time of this writing Will Ashworth did not hold a position in any of the aforementioned securities.


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Blue Ant Media has announced a pair of promotions for Jamie Schouela and Carlyn Staudt.
Schouela has served as president of Canadian Media, overseeing the entire Canadian business, since 2017, and has been handed a new title of president of global channels. He will be charged with leading the company’s streaming and linear television networks and digital platforms around the world, as well as Blue Ant Media’s existing print products and consumer events.
Staudt is formerly EVP, programming and development for family-friendly wildlife brand Love Nature. Her role has now been expanded to see her head up Love Nature’s strategic direction and operations globally, including commissioning and development, programming, digital content, marketing and communications, as well as international affiliate sales. She reports to Schouela as a part of Blue Ant Media’s corporate management team.
Schouela meanwhile will continue to report to Michael MacMillan, CEO and co-founder, Blue Ant Media, who said: “These promotions ladder up to Blue Ant Media’s commitment to streamlining its core priorities, which include content production, ownership and exploitation in all its forms. Jamie and Carlyn have proven track records building successful media brands in North America and around the globe. I am pleased to see them at the helm of our channels business, propelling our company forward in our ever-changing industry.”
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Haulage and logistics firm Austin Wilkinson, based in Atherton, Greater Manchester, has become the latest acquisition for EFS Global, as it continues its growth strategy across the UK. Mark Jones, MD of EFS Global, said: “Austin Wilkinson is a much respected name so we are pleased to welcome them to the EFS group of companies. “I’m sure it will be a positive acquisition as we continue to grow.” The sum was not disclosed. Read more EFS Global revenues surge but […]
Truck manufacturers have responded to the combined €2.9bn (£2.5bn) fine they were issued by the European Commission (EC) yesterday (19 July).
The Pallet Network (TPN) continued to thrive in its first full year after being acquired by Eddie Stobart Logistics (ESL), according to its latest annual results.
Kerry Logistics (UK), the Manchester-based 3PL and freight forwarding company, boosted its profit by 28.8% in the year ending 31 December 2019 following investment in its sales teams.


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American Airlines expands Miami Heat partnership
Building on their 20-year relationship, American Airlines and the Miami Heat have announced a multiyear partnership for the airline to serve as the team’s official carrier.
Additionally, as part of a new NBA program beginning this season allowing teams to designate international sponsorship rights, American has been named as the Heat’s first international marketing partner.
While previously sponsors were limited to a 75-mile marketing territory, as an international partner American is one of the first NBA team partners to utilise the worldwide rights and connect with Heat fans around the world.
The international program allows teams to include global advertising and marketing rights worldwide; activation at retail locations globally and rights to post non-game team content on the sponsors’ own digital and social media sites.
The opportunity to celebrate the passion of Heat fans, both in Miami and internationally, aligns with American’s place as Miami’s largest international carrier.
Additionally, American will be the presenting partner of the Heat City Edition uniform campaign.
City Edition gave birth to the wildly popular Heat Vice uniform.
Since 2018, the three iterations of the Vice uniform have sold more than all other franchises combined.
“As we celebrate the 30th anniversary of our Miami hub, our expanded partnership with the Heat is the perfect opportunity to recognise Miami and the major role it plays in connecting our customers to the rest of the world,” said Janelle Anderson, American vice president – global marketing.
“The Miami Heat has a proud history of delivering innovative, fan-focused campaigns.
“American shares this passion and looks forward to collaborating with the Heat to excite fans in Miami and around the world.”
American’s commitment to the Miami community has been unmatched over the last 30 years.
In 1989, American had just 19 flights a day to six cities from Miami International Airport.
Today, American operates more than 350 flights a day to nearly 130 destinations and carries 30 million people to and from MIA annually.
MIA is now the largest international gateway in the American system.
The airline is also the largest carrier to provide service to Latin America from MIA.


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Almost a third of Americans (29%) are unaware local TV is available free, according to a June survey by the National Association of Broadcasters, an industry trade group.
Cord-cutters accustomed to watching shows online are often shocked that $20 ‘rabbit ears’ pluck signals from the air; is this legal?
Dan Sisco has discovered a technology that allows him to access half a dozen major TV channels, completely free.
“I was just kind of surprised that this is technology that exists,” says Mr. Sisco, 28 years old. “It’s been awesome. It doesn’t log out and it doesn’t skip.”
Let’s hear a round of applause for TV antennas, often called “rabbit ears,” a technology invented roughly seven decades ago, long before there was even a cord to be cut, which had been consigned to the technology trash can along with cassette tapes and VCRs.
The antenna is mounting a quiet comeback, propelled by a generation that never knew life before cable television, and who primarily watch Netflix , Hulu and HBO via the internet. Antenna sales in the U.S. are projected to rise 7% in 2017 to nearly 8 million units, according to the Consumer Technology Association, a trade group.


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Skoda boss Thomas Schäfer has confirmed that its next three electric cars will be smaller than the Enyaq SUV and Enyaq Coupé, but has said the firm wouldn’t rule out launching larger EVs in the future.
- Skoda expected to be working on a new electric hatchback and sedan
- MEB Entry platform-based concept expected soon from carmaker
The new Enyaq Coupé iV is Skoda’s second model built on the Volkswagen Group’s versatile, bespoke electric MEB platform. As previously reported, the firm’s next priorities include a smaller sedan-style car – likely to be similar in size to the Volkswagen ID 3 – and its first model on the compact MEB Entry platform, which would essentially serve to replace the Citigo e-iV that went out of production in 2020.
Last year, the Volkswagen ID Life and Cupra Urban Rebel concept previewed the first cars from those respective brands that use the new, smaller MEB platform, previewing production models due to arrive in 2025.
Skoda MEB Entry-based concept expected
Asked when Skoda would showcase a model using that platform, Schäfer told our sister publication Autocar UK, “Our colleagues from Seat, Cupra and Volkswagen are pushing ahead a little stronger on that side. Within the group we are balancing this a bit.
“We’re coming shortly with an announcement on this one, but rest assured, it will be differentiated from our sister brands and a beautiful concept that really fits Skoda.”
Larger EVs positioned above Enyaq likely at a later stage
While the immediate priority is on filling the electric line-up below the Enyaq, Schäfer did not rule out eventually adding a larger, 7-seat SUV or an MPV similar to the forthcoming ID Buzz.
He said: “Never say never. It’s one step at a time – but we’ve promised that the three models below the Enyaq are the priority for now.”
The Czech firm is aiming for 50-70 percent of its Europe sales to be pure-electric cars by 2030, with plans for a major expansion.
Skoda’s plans for India
Shifting focus to the Indian market, Skoda is currently fresh off the Kodiaq SUV facelift's launch early last month. The carmaker is also gearing towards the launch of its new midsize sedan, the Slavia, which is expected to launch in March. The carmaker has plans to launch six new models in India in 2022, including the aforementioned SUV and sedan. On the electric vehicle front, the carmaker is considering bringing the all-electric Enyaq iV SUV to India.
What are your thoughts on Skoda's electrification strategy going ahead? Let us know in the comments below.