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Have you noticed a lot more campervans, camper trailers, RVs and motorhomes on the road lately?
No, you’re not crazy — many Americans with travel vehicles are taking to the highways in bigger numbers than ever before.
Public interest in the nomadic lifestyle made possible by campervans, motorhomes and RVs is at an all-time high—as evidenced by the popularity of the “Nomadland.” The film, which is about a woman in her 60s searching for work in the West while living out of her camper van, recently won Oscars for best picture, director and actress.
Beginning in 2016 and ballooning in a major way during the 2020 pandemic, a growing number of Americans have purchased travel vehicles—so much so that we’ve seen shortages in motorhomes, campervans and RVs (not to mention RV parts) across much of North America.
According to the RV Industry Association, new shipments of travel trailers and motorhomes are expected to hit their highest level on record in 2021, with projections showing about 533,356 units to be shipped to dealers and customers by year-end. That’s a nearly 24% increase over 2020’s numbers (430,412 units) and at least 5% above the last record set in 2017 (504,600 units).
Jeff Rutherford, President & CEO of Airxcel, Inc. and RV Industry Association Chairman, said this in an RVIA interview:
“A year ago, when RV plants shut down for nearly two months, who would have thought we would be talking about record-breaking shipments less than a year later. The fact that 2021 is projected to be the best year ever for RV shipments speaks to the strengths of our industry and the incredible appeal of the RV lifestyle.”
Who’s buying campervans, motorhomes and RVs?
While the RV industry demographic is wide-ranging, many camper companies are reporting that some of their most common customers are retired folks (seniors), women, millennials and — more recently — people who are enjoying their newfound freedom of working from home.
For example, while millennials make up 31 percent of the general population, they account for approximately 38 percent of campers, according to TheWanderingRV.com. However, the median RV owner in the U.S. is 48 years old.
What is causing the growing popularity of campervans, motorhomes and RVs?
Much of the latest boon in the RV industry, which has generally seen steady, reliable growth over the past 40 years (apart from the 2008-2010 recession), is attributed to several factors:
- The removal of supply constraints following the pandemic
- A multitude of RV manufacturers looking to expand their capacity, and
- Vigorous consumer demand for motorhomes and travel trailers.
What does this mean for folks interested in buying a campervan or motorhome?
One silver lining in the current state of tight RV inventory is that some people who jumped on the trend will put their rig up for sale in the coming year or two when normal travel patterns resume post-pandemic and they realize that the RVing lifestyle isn’t for them.
So if you’re in the market for a gently used, modern travel rig, hold tight because a lot of quality inventory may hit the market in the coming months and years.
What does this summer look like for RV, motorhome and campervan owners?
Most experts and industry insiders believe that busy campgrounds, low RV inventory and busy roadways will continue for several years to come. Longtime boondockers may notice an influx of new visitors at their favorite “getaway” spots.
And with more people being allowed to work from home, you are bound to see some of these folks turning to the full-time RV lifestyle.
With many campgrounds filling up this summer, we suggest that you keep calling and watching online reservation systems to see if you can squeeze in. A spur-of-the-moment trip can sometimes be the best kind, giving you and your family time away from the daily grind and reminding everyone just how good we have it in these modern times.


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just-style's most read stories this week...
The most-read stories on just-style this week include the response from Chinese cotton producers to the planned end of the national reserve programme, Adidas cutting fabric waste in two of its latest ranges, and a comment on South Asia's role in the post-Bangladesh world.
CHINA: Cotton producers hail end of cotton reserve scheme
A director at the China Cotton Association has welcomed the planned replacement of China's national cotton reserve programme with a system of subsidies.
GERMANY: Adidas cuts fabric waste by focusing on design
Performance sportswear brand Adidas says it has almost completely eliminated fabric waste in the production of its Running and Adidas by Stella McCartney ranges by changing the way it makes patterns.
BANGLADESH: Alliance factory safety inspections on track
The US-based group working to improve safety conditions for garment workers in Bangladesh says it has inspected nearly one-third (31%) of the 700 factories used by its members - and is on track to have the process finished by July.
Comment: South Asia's role in the post-Bangladesh world
While it may be too early to state with any degree of certainty that the Bangladesh bubble has burst, most sourcing professionals now accept that the bubble has developed sizeable leaks. These same sourcing professionals are also taking fast action not be caught in an increasingly probable implosion.
H&M continues to dispel disposable fashion image
Swedish fashion retailer Hennes & Mauritz (H&M) has had a busy 12 months, including a ramp-up of its sustainability efforts, a 'living wage' project, and a focus on expanding its global presence. While its latest fourth-quarter earnings disappointed the market, the company appears forthright in its ambitions to make 2014 an equally, if not more successful, year for the group.
An interactive databank with intelligence on the major apparel sourcing countries
Myanmar Garment Manufacturers' Association have registered more than one new garment factory opening each week throughout 2014, a consistent indicator of high growth in the industry. This popular repo...
Levi Strauss & Co has settled an investigation through the US International Trade Commission (ITC) over patent infringement regarding certain laser abraded denim garments....
The US apparel and footwear industry has welcomed the re-introduction of the GSP Update Act, that would lift the exclusion of travel goods from the existing GSP programme....
- How apparel retailers should react to Brexit
- US fashion firms share their sourcing strategies
- Britain votes for Brexit – what happens next?
- Retailers warned of high volatility in Brexit wake
- Brexit uncertainty over pending EU trade deals
- Online fabric platform to "revolutionise" buying
- Alliance cuts ties with three more factories
- Uniqlo said to be scaling back US expansion
- Better Work Vietnam launches labour law mobile app
- UK must act with urgency to cut Brexit uncertainty
- Southeast Asia strategic sourcing review – a focus on Cambodia, Vietnam and Myanmar
- Primark Stores Limited: Retailing - Company Profile & SWOT Analysis
- Clothing & Footwear Retailing in Indonesia– Market Summary & Forecasts
- Clothing & Footwear Retailing in Denmark
- Clothing & Footwear Retailing in China – Market Summary & Forecasts

domain: news


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A sign is posted in front of a McDonald’s restaurant on April 28, 2022 in San Leandro, California.
Justin Sullivan | Getty Images
The head of McDonald’s U.S. on Wednesday publicly criticized a landmark California bill that would give the state more control over pay for fast-food workers, saying it unfairly targets big chains.
The remarks by Joe Erlinger, president of McDonald’s U.S., come after the California State Senate earlier this week passed a bill that would give a 10-person council the authority to raise the industry’s minimum wage to up to $22 an hour for chains with more than 100 locations nationally. California’s current wage floor is $15.50 an hour. The council would also have the authority to establish safety conditions.
Proponents of the bill say it will empower fast-food workers and help solve industry problems such as unsafe working conditions and wage theft, which can include not paying for employees for overtime. But the FAST Act faces strong opposition from the restaurant industry, which fears the impact on California restaurants and the example it sets for other states.
“It imposes higher costs on one type of restaurant, while sparing another. That’s true even if those two restaurants have the same revenues and the same number of employees,” Erlinger wrote in a letter posted to the company’s site Wednesday.
For example, Erlinger said a McDonald’s franchisee with two locations would subject to the bill, since it’s part of a large national chain. But he said the owner of 20 restaurants that aren’t part of a chain would be exempt.
“Aggressive wage increases are not bad … But if it’s essential to increase restaurant workers’ wages and protect their welfare – and it is – shouldn’t all restaurant workers benefit?” Erlinger wrote.
It’s rare for McDonald’s to speak out publicly against state legislation, although the chain was reportedly pushing its franchisees to lobby against the California bill. Nearly 10% of McDonald’s U.S. restaurants are located in California, according to Citi Research.
McDonald’s only operates about 5% of its more than 13,000 U.S. locations. Its franchisees operate the rest, but the chain often lobbies on their behalf. In 2019, McDonald’s told the National Restaurant Association it would no longer oppose federal, state or local minimum-wage hikes.
Other restaurant companies have been fighting the bill as well. State records show that Chipotle Mexican Grill, Chick-fil-A, Yum Brands and Restaurant Brands International are among the chains that have been spending money to lobby California lawmakers to oppose the legislation.
The National Restaurant Association, an industry group, has also spent at least $140,000 to fight the bill, according to California records. The organization’s president Michelle Korsmo said in a statement that 45% of California restaurant operators report that business conditions are worse today than they were three months ago.
“The FAST Act isn’t going to achieve its objective of providing a better environment for the workforce, it’s going to force the outcomes our communities don’t want to see,” she said.
A stricter version of the FAST Act that would make franchisors like McDonald’s liable for their franchisees’ labor violations passed California State Assembly. But the number of changes made to the Senate version mean the bill will have be re-voted on in the assembly or reconciled before it can make its way to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk.
Newsom hasn’t indicated whether he’ll sign or veto the bill, although his Department of Finance opposed the initial version of the bill.
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Columbia-based email delivery firm SparkPost is getting acquired by a Dutch startup for $600 million. Rich Harris, CEO of SparkPost, announced in a blog post Wednesday that his company has signed a definitive agreement to be acquired by Amsterdam-based cloud communications company MessageBird. The move comes just three months after SparkPost raised a whopping $180 million to fuel major growth plans.
Columbia email delivery firm SparkPost to be acquired by Dutch firm for $600M
April 29, 2021


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The landscape of companies reaching PCT’s Top 100 has never looked more different, even if familiar names stand out at the highest levels of industry achievement.
The reason is simple: as certain companies grow through mergers and acquisitions, there’s an opportunity for smaller, but equally industrious, business owners to move up the ranks.
For both routes to the Top 100, we’re seeing PMPs taking a more wholistic approach to their business practices. They’re offering customers a wider range of services and solutions, serviced by technicians who are better stocked and more thoroughly trained. Plus, these companies are using smarter technology to help employees make better use of their time.
The result? Greater customer satisfaction…and record-breaking revenue.
We’re proud to know that many of the names you see on this year’s PCT Top 100 List are business owners who’ve sat down with their Univar Solutions representatives to talk strategy. These are companies who are innovating — and growing — because they seek out new efficiencies for themselves and their customers.
To everyone on the Top 100, congratulations. Each year, Univar Solutions is pleased to acknowledge this highly successful group. We are also looking forward to recognizing the growth and successes of the smaller, innovative companies at the PCT Rising Stars event later this year.
Univar Solutions Environmental Sciences – Americas


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AI startup Anthropic recently unveiled its latest chatbot, “Claude 3” with a claim to be more advanced and that it surpasses previous models in capabilities.
Anthropic, established by former leaders of OpenAI, markets itself as a rival to OpenAI’s ChatGPT. Regulators in the US are concerned about Anthropic’s support from cloud giants Amazon and Google, despite OpenAI’s partnership with Microsoft.
This new AI chatbot Claude 3 comes in new versions, all versions are provided with good computer vision capabilities to analyze images and not create them, thus avoiding issues facing Google’s Gemini chatbot.
Following more reports, the most complex version, “Claude 3 Opus,” has proven to have the best performance as compared to its competitors ChatGPT-4 and Gemini Ultra.


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iPhone SE is Apple’s small-screen low-cost model. Since its release, it has been a huge hit with consumers. People have been looking forward to the release of a new generation of iPhone SE. Recently, Mirror released part of the news on the iPhone SE2 and it is expected to be released in March next year.
Mirror said, iPhone SE2 will still maintain the basic shape of the iPhone 5, while the changes are mainly from the performance of the machine and the back of the design.iPhone SE2 will most likely sport a double-sided glass structure while carrying a single camera back.But unfortunately for many customers, iPhone SE2 will still g the t rid of 3.5mm headphone jack.
Also Read: Apple Says There Is No General Age Brake On iPhones
Earlier Indian media gave the news that iPhone SE is about to launch second-generation products, and in design will have a great change. Now, Apple Marketing President Schiller also confirmed this one-sided news. Schiller told the media that as long as consumers demand products, Apple will not easily give up. Earlier iGeneration website reported that Apple will launch in December a new generation of iPhone SE, and still maintain the 4-inch screen. Specific specifications are temporarily unknown, but the price is said to be much cheaper.


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Netflix Says Squid Game Becomes Its Biggest TV Show
Muhammad Irfan 2 months ago Wed 20th October 2021 | 05:00 PM
ANKARA, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 20th Oct, 2021 ) :Netflix said Squid Game has become its biggest tv show ever, while the company saw its number of subscribers increase in the third quarter of this year.
Released by the global streaming service on Sept. 17, the South Korean drama series was watched by 142 million member households in its first four weeks, according to the company's financial results statement on Tuesday.
"The breadth of Squid Game's popularity is truly amazing; this show has been ranked as our no. 1 program in 94 countries, including the US," it said.
The company's global paid memberships hit 213.5 million in the July-September period of the year -- up 9.4% from 195.1 million the same period of last year. Netflix said it estimates global paid memberships climbing to over 222 million in the October-December period of this year.
It saw its net income reach around $1.45 billion in the third quarter, which rose 83.5% from $790 million in the same period of 2020.Its revenue increased around 17% to almost $7.5 billion, from $6.4 billion, year-over-year.


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London, 2nd January 2018: Emmy-nominated show, Oddbods, is building on its strong portfolio of brand partners in 2018. Q1 2018 sees the launch of their year-long program with the UK’s no.1 scheduled coach service, National Express and first of its kind multi-media marketing campaign with the Australian Football League, with further announcements to be made very shortly in the education, transport, entertainment and telecoms spheres.
This growing list of partnership deals, which follows highly successful Carl’s Junior and Ferrero Kinder Surprise campaigns last year and China’s multi-media supported Tencent QQ sticker campaign, form a key part of Oddbods’ expansion strategy. The new year will also see the launch of major consumer category deals across Europe, the USA, Latin America and Asia confirming the worldwide popularity and appeal of Oddbods across consumer audiences, retailers and brand partners.
“Our ideal partner is one who shares our values and sense of fun” comments Anabel Higgin, Marketing Director of One Animation. “Oddbods is a highly humorous show centring on friendship and embracing your inner odd so prepare for some great innovative Oddbods partnerships in the months to come!”


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Small Business Borrowing
Small businesses borrowing costs are at their highest level since late 2009 hitting companies that are hoping to expand.
The average rate of interest paid on loans of under £1m has risen to 3.92 per cent.
Said, Gerald Irwin of Sutton Coldfield based Licensed Insolvency Practitioners and Business Advisers, Irwin Insolvency, “Rising costs of credit at a time when firms want to expand means small businesses are being forced to turn to alternative forms of funding to finance their investments such as leasing.
“Lending to small businesses has been a major focus for the government and they will undoubtedly be disappointed that despite all their efforts to reduce the cost of loans they have actually increased.
Project Merlin has failed to have any major impact on small business lending with the Enterprise Financial Guarantee scheme and quantitative easing measures fairing little better, the task now falls to the government, Bank of England and high street lenders to plot a course forward.
When all is said and done, the very survival of many small firms may depend upon new plans of credit easing being more successful in delivering the finance they require. Perhaps the National Loan Guarantee Scheme will fit the bill?


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NEW DELHI (IND Samachar) – China is preparing to give swift regulatory approvals to India-manufactured drugs, the head of an Indian export promotion group said, as Beijing looks for new commercial partners ahead of what could be a protracted trade war with the United States.
Indian firms are looking to fill gaps in Chinese demand for generic drugs, software, sugar and some varieties of rice, trade officials in New Delhi said.
“We do feel that China is receptive at this time and it’s all about making prices competitive,” said a government official involved in the effort to promote trade with China. The official declined to be identified since he is not authorized to speak to the media.
No concrete deals have been signed but the outlook for pharmaceutical sales from India is positive, according to officials from both nations.
India dominates the world’s generic drugs market, exporting $17.3 billion worth of drugs in the 2017/18 (April-March) year, including to the United States and the EU. But only one percent of that went to China, the world’s second-largest market for pharmaceuticals, industry data showed.
Dinesh Dua, chairman of the Pharmaceuticals Export Promotion Council (Pharmexcil), which falls under India’s trade ministry, told Reuters in an interview that Indian firms could expect to win licenses to export to China within six months of application.
“We understand internally that Chinese authorities have issued instructions that EU-approved Indian suppliers should be granted the industrial drug license in an expeditious manner so they can enter the Chinese market within six months,” Dua said.
Many Indian drug-makers are already selling to the European Union. The EU is already one of India’s key export markets for medicines, and accounted for about 15 percent of overall drug exports in 2016/17, according to Pharmexcil.
Swift regulatory approvals in China, the world’s second-largest drug market, would allow Indian companies to boost revenue at a time when pricing scrutiny and regulatory troubles have hurt U.S. sales.
Some of India’s largest drugmakers, Sun Pharmaceutical Industries (SUN.NS) and Lupin Ltd (LUPN.NS) as well as Aurobindo Pharma Ltd (ARBN.NS) have been trying for years to expand in the massive Chinese market, which is second only to the United States.
Details of Chinese moves to open up its heavily regulated pharmaceuticals sector have not been previously reported.
The CFDA did not respond to a Reuters’ request for comment.
But Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said this week that China was moving forward on giving greater market access to Indian drug makers.
“China and India are witnessing a growth in pharmaceutical trade, and the two sides are in sound communication on opening the Chinese market to drugs from India and conducting dialogue and cooperation between the two sides’ pharmaceutical industries,” Hua told a regular news conference on Monday.
“The relevant departments have formulated specific measures on promoting China-India pharmaceutical trade cooperation and granting greater access to drugs from India. We believe that stronger pharmaceutical trade cooperation will contribute to the well being of the people in our two countries.”
In May, China exempted import tariffs on 28 drugs, including all cancer drugs, a move that would help India reduce its trade imbalance with China, Luo Zhaohui, the Chinese ambassador to India said.
About 250 product applications from Indian drug firms are pending before the China Food and Drug Administration (CFDA), some of them for years, an Indian trade ministry official said.
Bilateral trade between the two Asian nations touched $89.6 billion in 2017/18 with the trade deficit widening to $62.9 billion in China’s favor, an over nine-fold increase over the last decade.
The two sides are discussing ways to increase Indian sales of farm products, including sugar and some varieties of rice, to China.
India is also trying to persuade China to give access to its cost-competitive software service firms that have dominated global markets. Some of these firms are pitching for ‘smart’ manufacturing projects in the central city of Wuhan and two other provinces in the healthcare and automotive sector.
But it is in the drugs sector that India is hoping to make the first dent, according to officials and a government document.
China has agreed to train Indian pharmaceutical executives to help them gain a swifter entry into the Chinese market, a government document seen by Reuters on efforts to improve trade with China showed. The training is planned for next month.
India’s Pharmexcil and the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Medicines and Health Products will shortly sign an agreement to ease clearance processes and help Indian companies find Chinese partners, according to the document.
Dua and the Indian trade ministry official said China will soon open a desk at its embassy in New Delhi to facilitate Indian drug makers.
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API unveiled the new 2448 analogue recording console at AES’s 145th international pro audio convention yesterday, which is currently taking place from October 17-20, 2018, in New York.
Larry Droppa, API’s president, displayed the 2448 recording and mixing console at the API booth yesterday for the first time.
The console is intended to be a middle ground between API’s 1608 and the AXS consoles. The 2448 is available in 24, 32 and 40 channel frame sizes, and also includes 24 channels for multitrack recording and 56 channels for mixing.
The console features dual inputs on each channel, four stereo returns and a new cross-platform Final Touch fader automation system.
The model has already sold eight desks prior to the show, with the first going to producer and engineer Dave Trumfio of Kingsize Soundlabs and Pulsars. He is expected to use the 32-channel desk at the newly constructed facility at the Gold-Diggers club and hotel in Los Angeles.


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Greater Victoria ranked #2 for amount of scenic restaurants in Canada
Victoria has so many scenic restaurants, that the region nearly topped the charts.
The OpenTable app released it's Top 100 Scenic Restaurants in Canada list, and Greater Victoria tied with Toronto for second place, with Vancouver taking the number 1 spot
Jeff Bray, executive director of the Downtown Victoria Business Association, says having 11 restaurants on the list is big news for Victoria.
"I would sort of say this would be like getting a top ranking on Expedia or something like that. People from around the world use this app, and so this is not only locals, but international people who are not only enjoying it, but actually going that extra effort to actually put in a rating and record it"
He adds that scenery is nice, but it's the meal that really makes a difference.
"If you have a sub-par meal, it sort of impacts the scenery. You wouldn't be so big on talking about the scenery if you have a sub-par meal. But if you have a good meal, then you're motivated to give credit and give feedback through the app. So it speaks to not only the scenery, but it also speaks to the overall food and beverage products that we have here in Victoria. That's to me why this is such a positive news story."
He says Victoria's food scene has been featured in prominent publications recently, including the New York Times and Washington Post, and he's not surprised that the region is nearly topping the list.
Bray adds both visitors and Victorians should go out, and experience some of the great restaurants in and around the city.


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NEW YORK -- CBS Corp., owner of the top-rated U.S. television network, said yesterday that it is buying a 35 percent stake in Medscape Inc., the No. 1 Internet site aimed at doctors, in exchange for $150 million worth of advertising and promotion.
New York-based Medscape, whose Web site for medical professionals has more than 1.1 million registered users, will be permitted to use the CBS trademark and eye logo. It also will be promoted for seven years on CBS' network and TV stations, and its radio and billboard operations.
The move is the latest example of CBS' strategy of gaining a toehold on niche Web sites by swapping promotional power for equity. Under Chief Executive Mel Karmazin, CBS is working to establish a higher profile on the Internet by capitalizing on the company's widely recognized name and logo.
"They're doing what's necessary to create a total media company," said analyst Barry Hyman of Ehrenkrantz King Nussbaum Inc., who rates CBS stock a "buy." "They aren't taking outrageous positions and overpaying for many of these [Internet] portal companies."
The purchase marks the biggest Internet transaction for New York-based CBS since it bought a 38 percent stake in financial news Web site MarketWatch.com Inc. Like MarketWatch.com, CBS will integrate Medscape into CBS News.
CBS and Medscape said they'll work together to create a public Web site, CBS.Medscape.com. The site will be integrated into CBS News, which will provide editorial content to the site along with audio and video materials. Medscape will develop online reports that complement CBS's health-related programming.
"Sports, finance and health are the three biggest areas on the Internet. Now we are well represented in all of them," CBS News President Andrew Heyward said.
CBS' other Internet interests include stakes in Switchboard.com, an Internet directory service; StoreRunner.com, an online mall; and SportsLine USA Inc. CBS has said it plans to sell shares in its online businesses to the public this year.
CBS shares fell 62.5 cents yesterday to close at $44.25.


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| Too dear |
Bhubaneswar, April 19: Potato and onion prices are rising in the city and residents fear that if no steps are taken to check the prices, the situation may go out of control like it did last November.
Potato, which used to cost around Rs 12 a kg till a few days ago, is now sold at Rs 17. The price of onion, too, climbed by around Rs 5 to touch Rs 18 a kg.
A government official said they would take steps to check the price hike and dealers blamed transportation charges and a gap between supply and demand.
“We were buying potato for Rs 10 to Rs 12 per kilo a month ago. The rate slightly increased at the end of March. But over the past few days, it has reached Rs 17 a kilo and the price is even higher at some places,” said Chakeisiani resident Rubina Nanda.
Last November, potato vanished from the market and the state government had to beg from the neighbouring states for more supply. “We had to suffer a lot after Phailin when the potato went missing,” said Chandrasekharpur resident Shyam Sundar Rout.
However, a trader said the price rise was not very high and there was no need to panic. They said that normally in April, the supply of products from farmers come to an end and the potato and onion kept in cold storages take some time to come to market.
“That’s why the rates sometimes go up for a brief period. The cold storage product will come by the beginning of May and the prices will stabilise thereafter,” said Gayadhar Swain, president of Byabasayi Sangh, Unit- I market. As several trucks were requisitioned for election, the transportation charges went up in the past few days, which also affected the rate of the vegetables, he said.
“With the election over, the transportation charges will also come down,” said Santosh Rout, a trader.
The rate of potato in the wholesale market is Rs 10, but it is sold Rs 5 higher in the retail market. The same situation prevails for onion.
The city and its outskirts require around 35 truckloads of potato and equal amount of onion.
Wholesale dealers, however, said they were getting regular supply of potato and onion and their prices were normal.
In another development, a food and supply official said they were busy with election duties and could not send their officials for raid.
“Once they return from poll duty, we will conduct raids and see who are responsible for such price rise,” said a senior official.


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The University Of Oregon Ducks will wear uniforms that have been designed to look like actual ducks. Or actual animated ducks…
Nike has unveiled the latest uniforms for the team, that strive to get back to the true identity of the the latest get back to their roots: being ducks.
The Duck mascot is based on Disney’s Donald Duck. The school had an agreement with Walt Disney to use Donald as their mascot to replace the students’ self-appointed nickname, the Webfooters. To this day, the school still refers to the mascot as Donald.
These uniforms could be the only ones in college football history to be based on a Disney character.


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Roku plans to embed its Linux-powered streaming media player technology into a thumbdrive-style device that plugs directly into a TV’s HDMI port. The “Roku Streaming Stick” will instantly convert ordinary TVs into “smart TVs,” says Roku CEO Anthony Wood.
Wood unveiled his company’s bold new product idea in a blog post today. He expects the tiny device to be priced along the lines of the company’s current generation of standalone players: between $50 and $100.
Roku’s streaming media player-on-a-stick plugs into a TV’s HDMI port
(click images to enlarge)
Roku’s new thumb-drive-sized media player interfaces with the TV via the new Mobile High-definition Link (MHL) standard. MHL, just now beginning to show up on TVs and other devices, is governed by the MHL Consortium. The group’s membership currently includes Nokia, Samsung, Silicon Image, Sony, and Toshiba.
MHL uses a single cable and 5-pin interface. Functions included on the interface include: 1080p HD video; digital audio; DC power for powering an external device; and signaling, so the TV can control and communicate with the external device (for example, so the TV’s remote can control the device’s operation).
Although embedding a Roku Player’s worth of electronics into an HDMI stick represents a major design challenge, it saves significant connector and power supply component costs.
Roku takes on the “Smart TV” market
“Now that 2012 is upon us, we are turning our attention to the Smart (Connected) TV market, which will no doubt be a hot topic at the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas next week,” says Wood in his blog post. “We think there are some fundamental issues that are preventing the current breed of Smart TVs from gaining mass adoption.”
“Even though a lot of Smart TVs are sold, according to Parks Associates only 11 percent of Smart TVs sold in the U.S. are ever connected to the Internet and less are actually used,” Wood continues. “Some of this is probably just lack of awareness… Yet another reason is the quality of the streaming experience can be poor. We’ve found that it just takes a lot of work to keep the experience current and performing at its best. We issue software updates almost every month, and add about one new channel per day. It used to be sufficient enough to have a few key channels (remember we launched with just Netflix [LinuxGizmos story]) but those days are rapidly fading. With more and more content available for streaming the software stack and associated updates are a challenge for TV vendors.”
Wood continues: “With the rapid pace of innovation in the streaming world, and all the software updates, it’s inevitable that over time the software needs more hardware power. You see this in the mobile world. Apple and Google increase the memory requirements of their platforms regularly. New games come out that require faster processors. This same problem exists in the Smart TV world, but unlike phones people don’t replace their TVs every two years.”
“We’ve thought about this problem a lot, and believe we have the solution: the Roku Streaming Stick — a little stick about the size of a standard USB flash drive that will simply plug into a TV to instantly transform it into a Smart TV. It essentially includes everything in a Roku player — built-in WiFi, processor, memory and software — and will deliver all the channels found on the Roku platform today. It will also benefit from regular free software updates and channel enhancements.”
Continually shrinking streaming media players…
Left to right: original Roku Netflix Player; Roku 2 line; Roku Streaming Stick
(click thumbnails for larger images)
Further information is available on the Roku Streaming Stick page of Roku’s website.


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Looking For Love in Yakima? Don’t Let Your Heart Be Scammed
February is right around the corner and many people will be looking for love and some in all the wrong places as Valentines Day approaches.
The BBB and federal officials warn people ever year about the love scams
The Better Business Bureau and the Federal Trade Commission say beware of romance scams that capture your interest and your heart and then take your money. Many people in Yakima and across the nation have been victims of the scams that have taken millions of dollars from Americans.
Police say don't let love blind you from seeing a true scam
The BBB says beware of dating sites that are popular at this time of year. Information from the Federal Trade Commission's Consumer Sentinel Network people reported losing $201 million in 2019 in romance scams up almost 40% since 2018. The BBB and FTC say the scammers prey on people who are looking for love turning what feels like a new relationship into an ask for money to help the scammer with some made up crisis. FTC officials say they received more than 25,000 complaints in 2019 from consumers concerning romance scams.
Not everyone who gets hurt in a love scam report the problem
BBB officials say for every one scam that's reported more than 40 go unreported but they say the number is even higher when it comes to romance scams.
they say be aware of what you are doing...the information you give out...especially if you're looking for love...because sometimes love is blind....
before you enter your information check out the dating site at bbb.org
You can learn more about consumer topics and file a consumer complaint online or by calling 1-877-FTC-HELP (382-4357).


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Wisconsin Spotlight | June 24, 2020
MADISON — The Badger State’s economy is showing signs of recovery after being battered by the pandemic and state and local lockdowns, according to a report by the Center for Research on Wisconsin on the Wisconsin Economy (CROWE), at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
But trouble signs remain, including anxious consumers and the constant threat of heavy-handed government regulations that could deliver the knockout punch for many struggling businesses.
CROWE’s examination of foot traffic at commercial locations found activity declined by 55 percent during the last two weeks in March, in year-over-year-same-location changes. Gov. Tony Evers began shutting down the state’s public schools and universities, restricting public gatherings and curtailing travel in mid-March, before his statewide stay-at-home order went into effect on March 24.
Consumer activity dropped by about 60 percent during the week of April 12-18, the low point of the rapid downturn, according to CROWE’s report. The decline was even sharper in some industries. Hotels and restaurants, for instance, saw traffic drop by 75 percent and 70 percent respectively.
“Since bottoming out, activity has recovered, accelerating following the May 13 invalidation of the Safer at Home order,” states the report, referring to the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruling that struck down the Evers administration lockdown.
Consumer foot traffic on the year is down 17 percent, with the reopening of business across much of the state helping to shrink the historic sales declines by two-thirds.
But the report finds there’s a long way to go. Bars and full service restaurants have seen north of 150 percent growth since April, when the economy bottomed out and the Evers administration declared such businesses “nonessential.” Activity, however, remains down by as much as 30 percent, CROWE’s data show.
“Madison had a sharper activity drop than the rest of the state due to the closing of the University of Wisconsin, and its more gradual reopening hand meant slower recovery,” the report notes. Riots, looting and the destruction of stores on Madison’s iconic State Street and downtown amid radical left demonstrations haven’t helped matters. The report does not cover that period of upheaval, which began in late May and continued into early June.
The CROWE report also finds 40 percent of Wisconsin businesses were closed in the worst of the pandemic and lockdowns, with employment down more than 50 percent. Since then, employment has sharply rebounded.
“The food and drink sector had a larger 70% employment drop through April, as not only did 50% of locations close, but those remaining open had minimal staffing,” the report states. “As food and drink establishments have reopened, they have brought back more workers, with employment now down about 15%.”
Wisconsin’s jobless rate recovered slightly to 12 percent last month, down from a revised 13.6 percent in April, according to the state Department of Workforce Development. The Badger State economy added — or returned — nearly 75,000 non-farm jobs in May, many of those retail, food service, leisure and hospitality.
After plummeting in March and into April, spending in Wisconsin has recovered and is now up 1.7 percent over the same period in 2019, according to CROWE’s analysis.
“Consumption patterns shifted, with more spending on groceries and less at restaurants, and a growing share of spending has moved on-line,” the report states. In-store sales remain down over 10 percent.
U.S. consumer confidence was up in early June as the national reopening continued, according to the most recent consumer-sentiment survey. Fear of another virus outbreak, future lockdowns and high unemployment, however, continue to unnerve the American consumer.
“Despite the expected economic gains, few consumers anticipate the reestablishment of favorable economic conditions anytime soon,” said Richard Curtin, the chief economist of the sentiment survey, conducted at the University of Michigan.


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Facebook unveils Internet app, starting in Zambia
Published on Jul 31, 2014 9:18 PM
NEW YORK (AFP) - Facebook on Thursday unveiled an app to allow people around the world with mobile phones but no Internet access to access online services for health, education and basic communications.
The Internet.org app is being released first in Zambia, and is to be rolled out in other countries where Internet access is lacking or unaffordable, Facebook said.
"Over 85 per cent of the world's population lives in areas with existing cellular coverage, yet only about 30 per cent of the total population accesses the Internet," Facebook's Guy Rosen said in a blog post.
"Affordability and awareness are significant barriers to Internet adoption for many and today we are introducing the Internet.org app to make the Internet accessible to more people by providing a set of free basic services." The app allows people with Android-powered mobile phones to get free access to services including Wikipedia, Google Search, Facebook, AccuWeather and websites offering health and other services.
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Scheels manager Dewey Algaard attached the last bolt to a beam 95-feet in the air at the superstore being built at Shiloh Crossing at Shiloh Road and King Avenue West. The “last bolt” ceremony Friday marked the completion of 18,000 bolts that have attached 3 million pounds of steel, enough to make 3,000 cars.
When the megastore opens Sept. 6, 2014, it will carry more than 2 million sporting goods items, compared to about 750,000 at the current store at Rimrock Mall, Algaard said.
The store with a Ferris wheel and saltwater aquarium will be the size of two football fields. Each year, the company based in Fargo, N.D., donates 10 percent of local sales to the Billings community. Scheels, initially a hardware store, has been a Billings business for 58 years.


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This month, Constellation acquired Integrys Energy Services, Inc., to strengthen its retail power and gas business, and now serves approximately 2.5 million residential, commercial and public sector customers across 22 states in the United States.
Over the next several months, Constellation and Integrys Energy Services will begin integrating systems, people and processes, while ensuring a seamless customer experience. In the near term, the Integrys Energy Services name and branding will begin to change to Constellation, while both Integrys and Constellation legal entities continue to operate independently in the marketplace.
Rest assured, our customers will experience no disruption to service as a result of the transaction, and all existing customer prices, contracts, and terms and conditions will remain the same.
Constellation team members are excited to have Integrys join the family and look forward to bringing even more value to our customers across the country.
This acquisition creates opportunities for Constellation:
Provide your zip code and/or promo code below to compare rates in your area:
If you have a small business, the wrong type of roofing can make the summer incredibly hot, forcing your HVAC system to work overtime and leaving your employees—and customers—overheated and uncomfortable. Cool roofs help combat rising temperatures in hot climates, offering small businesses opportunities to save on air-conditioning costs while providing a cool work environment.
Smart-Home Assistants are becoming increasingly popular in homes and offices around the country. But many people aren’t using them to their full potential.
Improving the energy efficiency of your attic helps maintain a comfortable temperature in your home while saving you money on heating and cooling costs. Despite this, it’s easy to overlook the benefits of proper attic ventilation, radiant barriers and energy-efficient insulation: over 90 percent of US homes are improperly insulated.


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Nintendo Wii U: No EA Games for You!
May 17, 2013 8:35 AM
comment(s) - last by
EA says no Wii U games in development
EA has its fingers in the video game segment
on just about every device out there from portable consoles to traditional consoles, computers, and even mobile devices. However, there is one particular platform that EA has no interest in accommodating.
That device is the Nintendo Wii U. EA spokesperson Jeff Brown recently told
that, "We have no games in development for the Wii U currently.”
The statement comes as no surprise as the popularity and
of Nintendo's Wii U console has plummeted since its introduction. Nintendo bet big on the Wii U and its touchscreen controller hoping for the same sort of success Nintendo have early on with original Wii.
That success has failed to materialize and things keep getting worse and worse for Nintendo.
EA's statement that it has no games in development for the console is a marked contrast to EA's plans of only a few years ago. EA was on stage during the Nintendo Wii U was unveiled in 2011 at E3 promising an "unprecedented partnership" with Nintendo.
EA did deliver on several games early in the Wii U lifecycle, including ports of Mass Effect 3, Need For Speed Most Wanted, Madden, and FIFA. Each of those games have been available on the Xbox 360 and the PS3 for a long time before hitting the Wii U.
EA's decision to not develop games for specific console has resulted in the death of consoles in the past. EA decided not to publish its incredibly popular sports games on the Sega Dreamcast back in 1999 and that move was seen as one of the big signs of Sega's decline as a console maker. The Dreamcast was the last game console produced by Sega.
This article is over a month old, voting and posting comments is disabled
RE: I just may
5/17/2013 10:57:31 AM
Logic: You're doing it wrong.
- EA's software does not affect you either way if you don't use it.
- Wii U sales don't hurt EA.
- Wii U sales help EA, if enough are sold to create a viable user base for EA to deploy software to.
- Purchasing a Wii U would contribute directly to the real problem, because the real problem is Nintendo. They've failed to produce a satisfactory flow of interesting software and they've failed to do anything else to compel developers
players to invest in their new design. They truly need to just double down on their software R&D right now, as well as invest in some 2nd-party development contracts. As cookie-cutter as the other two consoles are, Nintendo has a lot of opportunity available to them that they're just squandering somehow.
"When an individual makes a copy of a song for himself, I suppose we can say he stole a song." -- Sony BMG attorney Jennifer Pariser
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Recruitment advertising revenue up by a quarter this year, according to Deloitte
Recruitment adverts were the fastest growing type of advertising in for UK digital publishers, up by a quarter upon this time last year, experiencing its fastest growth since digital recruitment revenues were first tracked in 2009, according to Deloitte.
This was much faster than average growth in the industry as overall digital advertising revenues only grew by 18.3 per cent in the last year.
Many believe 2014 is the year of digital advertising
Mobile and tablet subscription revenues grew by a massive 60 per cent and revenue from video advertising was up by more than a quarter.
Over half of AOP members’ believe that 58 per cent the industry will experience double growth in the next year.
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Jodi Birkett, TMT partner at Deloitte NW, said: “Deloitte’s CFO survey revealed that 81 per cent of CFOs expect UK corporates to increase hiring in 2014. This positive sentiment is demonstrated by these results, showing another strong period of growth for publishers.
“The growth in digital recruitment advertising reflects a growing confidence in the jobs market. Improvements in economic conditions have supported a fall in unemployment rates as businesses regain confidence in their financial security.”
The UK Association of Online Publishers (AOP) is an industry body representing digital publishing companies.


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Creative Technology has filed a lawsuit in the United States against Apple and Samsung for alleged patent infringement.
The homegrown graphics and computer sound card maker claimed that certain Apple and Samsung products had infringed 10 of its 3D graphics patents and is seeking an injunction against the companies.
The products in question include Samsung's various Galaxy phones and tablets, and laptops, and various ranges of the Apple iPhone, iPad, iMac and MacBook Pro.
The lawsuit was filed on Monday in the Eastern district of Texas. Texas-based law firms Heim, Payne and Chorush and Susman Godfrey are acting for Creative, which filed the lawsuit via its ZiiLabs media subsidiary.


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Brokers downbeat on TPK
Several foreign brokerages have lowered their target prices on TPK Holding Co (宸鴻) after the touch panel maker reported its first quarterly net loss since joining the main board in October 2010. The brokerages have turned bearish about TPK’s earnings prospects amid concerns over intensifying price competition, which could further squeeze the company’s bottom line.
Bank of America Merrill Lynch said an escalating price downtrend in the industry is expected to continue to cut TPK’s profit margin and the touch panel maker will not see an improvement in operations until the annual peak season in the third quarter. Merrill Lynch cut its target price on TPK shares to NT$150 from NT$230, but maintained its "underperform" rating on the stock. The brokerage also reduced its forecasts for TPK’s earnings per share in this year and next year by 34 percent to NT$16.77 and NT$20.84, respectively. Daiwa Securities cut its forecast for TPK’s EPS for year and next year by 10 percent and 11 percent respectively, to NT$10.8 and NT$12.1. It maintained its target price of NT$140 and a "sell" recommendation on TPK shares. On Friday, TPK closed down 1.10 percent in Taipei trading at NT$180.
BenQ launches LED TVs
Taiwanese high-tech device supplier BenQ Corp (明基) has launched two large, full high-definition LED TVs to improve its product portfolio. Using AU Optronics Corp’s (友達光電) extremely narrow frame technology, BenQ said it aims to provide visually appealing products. The bezels of the 50-inch and 65-inch models are only 0.3cm and 1cm respectively, the smallest made in Taiwan, the company said. The models are the latest in BenQ’s RW series.
Softbank Group Corp plans to keep a stake in the chip designer Arm Ltd, even if it sells a partial interest to Nvidia Corp, the Nikkei reported. The companies are negotiating terms, the newspaper reported, citing sources. Softbank might take a stake in Nvidia after it buys Arm, the report said. Nvidia and Arm might also merge through a share swap, and Softbank would become a major shareholder in the combined company, it said. The two parties aim to reach a deal in the next few weeks, the sources said, asking not to be identified because the information is private. Nvidia is the
Gold surged to a fresh record on Friday, fueled by US dollar weakness and low interest rates, while silver headed for its best month since 1979. Spot bullion is up more than 10 percent this month, as US real yields lingered near record lows. While the ferocity of rallies in gold and silver cooled in the middle of the week, most market watchers predict there might be more gains ahead. Both metals have added about 30 percent this year, with gold and silver exchange-traded funds boosting holdings to a record, as concern about the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic fuels demand for
MOVING FROM CHINA? The article did not name the company, but Foxconn, Wistron and Pegatron were among firms chosen for a production-linked incentive plan in India An Apple Inc vendor is looking at shifting six production lines to India from China, which could result in US$5 billion of iPhone exports from the South Asian nation, the Times of India reported, citing people familiar with the matter who it did not identify. The establishment of the facility would create about 55,000 jobs over about a year, the newspaper reported, not naming the Apple vendor. It would also cater to the domestic market and expand operations to include tablets and laptops, the newspaper reported. Samsung Electronics Co and Apple’s assembly partners are among 22 companies that have pledged 110 billion
MediaTek Inc (聯發科) has hired a former US Department of Commerce official to help it navigate worsening US-China tensions that have already ensnared its customer Huawei Technologies Co (華為). Patrick Wilson, who most recently served as director of the department’s Office of Business Liaison, has been appointed vice president of government affairs at MediaTek USA to lead its public policy initiatives, the chip designer said in a draft press statement seen by Bloomberg News. Wilson previously worked at the Semiconductor Industry Association, where he led the trade group’s dealings with the US federal government. Technology companies with ties to or operations in China


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In the wake of the lockdown in two major regions of the country, the Alliance for Development and Industrialisation (ADI) is urging the Ministry of Finance to make resources available for the growth of agriculture.
These resources, according to ADI, should be aimed at strengthening the operations and output of farmers under the Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ) so the country could be assured of food security after the Covid-19 crisis.
“We want to reiterate that the government needs to release funds for the rural folks to continue with their farming activities which would reduce rural -urban drift” the agro-based think tank said in a press release.
According to the ADI, after its preliminary assessment of the deadly Covid-19 pandemic, is predicting that there would a major food crisis if the Ministry of Agriculture and the Finance Ministry fail to take pragmatic measures to address the needs and challenges of farmers under the PFJ programme.
In the statement issued in Accra and signed by Francis Mensah, the Convener of the group, ADI said the possible scarcity of food after the Covid-19 pandemic may lead to commodity price inflation.
“Food inflation has been in single digit for the past six months or so which has resulted into lower inflation for the country. However during the recent partial lockdown, prices of food commodity went up astronomically due to panic buying which may not drop now,” the group said.
The lockdown, ADI said, has resulted in the rise of food consumption within households and may exert some pressure on the available food in the system.
“Some farmers have hidden their food stuff because of this pandemic and want to sell them off at higher prices within the crisis period, but beyond the crisis period where are we going to get the food to buy. If care is not taken, by the end of September this year there would food scarcity in the country,” the think tank said.
“This is why the ADI is asking the Finance Ministry to release resources for quick cultivation and harvesting of commodities like rice and maize. Let’s not use the crises to lose sight of our immediate needs to stabilize our commodity stocks.
“For example, for protein crops like sorghum millet, soya beans which are grown in the Northern part of country, we should expect these crops being grown in Bono and Ahafo regions of the country, so it can be abundant,’ it said.
It added: “The government should also take steps in making sure that stable crops’ affordability availability and accessibility is guaranteed, which would help check food inflation. The government must consider post-harvest handling, packaging, storage, bagging and processing of these crops.”
ADI said farmers must be allowed to start farming and be educated to keep washing their hands with soup under running water as well as the use of hand sanitizer.
Additionally, the government must also allow institutions who deal in agricultural inputs and related materials to be allowed to operate so that farmers would not lack any material during their preparation and cultivation of farm produce, ADI said.


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Careem captains can now cancel a trip after 10 minutes if the customer is late, according to a recent update.
“We’ve made some changes to the release times for captains in the UAE as part of our efforts to ensure that ride-hailing trips are dependable and fair for captains. A Careem spokesperson told Arabian Business that the release time is the period of time after which a captain may cancel a trip in the event of a no-show. If the rider does not start the ride after 10 minutes, customers will be charged. When a rider cancels within five minutes of booking a trip, they typically pay AED12.


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The automotive industry is lagging far behind others in terms of e-business progress, according to a study released Wednesday by consulting firm KPMG.
Brian Ambrose, national industry director of KPMG’s automotive practice, told the E-Commerce Times that both automotive suppliers and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) have been hesitant to join an e-marketplace that involves competitors sharing information.
In order to move forward, according to KPMG, automakers and their suppliers need to overcome significant cultural, technological and security issues. However, Ambrose said that in time, the automotive industry will become more comfortable with e-business marketplaces.
“A healthy competitive environment in the ranks is a good thing,” Ambrose said.
For the study, KPMG surveyed automotive leaders from multinational OEMs and Tier 1 and Tier 2 suppliers in the United States, England, Germany and Japan.
In the KPMG survey, 51 percent of automotive executives cited cost as a barrier to e-business. Forty-seven percent mentioned the need to re-engineer business processes, and 45 percent cited a lack of e-business skills.
The study also found that the majority of respondents reported “widespread concern” about security, citing it as one of the factors that prohibit OEMs and suppliers from swiftly adopting digital solutions.
“E-business security is a widespread concern that few companies really seem to understand,” Ambrose said. “There is a misperception out there that smaller Internet projects don’t need security protection by the nature of size.”
Ambrose added, “Security is one of the first e-business investments and one of the wisest. No one needs to have proprietary designs stolen or a production line shut down because of network penetration.”
Spread the Wealth
In order to succeed in the e-world, progress must come bottom-up, not top-down, according to KPMG. Chief executive officers must solicit ideas and initiatives from their operating units and then take action to implement and fund ideas as warranted. Successful ideas must, when possible, be leveraged across the organization.
“One of the hallmarks of successful e-business is integration of the value chain,” Ambrose said. “Instead of keeping all your cards close to the vest, share some of what you are holding with your value chain partners.”
Added Ambrose: “It isn’t a zero-sum game where your win is a value chain partner’s loss. It can be a win-win game where the whole value chain shares information and objectives.”
A study undertaken by KPMG and the Economist Intelligence Unit last summer found that the automotive industry ranked last among the seven industries studied — automotive, financial services, chemical, pharmaceutical, electronics, consumer markets, and communications — in terms of e-business progress, which was measured by advances in technology and to what degree senior management was involved in e-business implementation.
At the time of the survey, only 35 percent of automotive senior executives were actively involved in e-business activities. According to KPMG, this figure was “by far the lowest response” of all industries and “quite lower” than the cross-industry average of 58 percent.
However, Ambrose told the E-Commerce Times that since that time, he thinks the automotive industry has made substantial progress in terms of executive involvement.
Waiting and Seeing
For many, Covisint, the B2B e-marketplace formed last year by competitors General Motors, Ford, DaimlerChrysler, Renault and Nissan, is the role model for the e-marketplace and has been touted as an example of how rivals can work together for the common good.
Ambrose said that many in the automotive industry delayed implementing e-business strategies because they were waiting to see how Covisint fared before launching their own e-business initiatives. After receiving required regulatory approval, Covisint went live in September.
“Waiting to see what a competitor does is not a sound strategy in the e-business world, because those who take a leadership position stand to gain the most in terms of strengthening their balance sheets for acquisitions,” Ambrose said. “Leaders will be rewarded and followers forced to merge.”
Ambrose did say that “the good news is that very few industries have the right equation, and e-business momentum in the automotive industry can change fast.”
What the Future Holds
Overall, the future does look bright for automotive e-business. Ambrose believes the industry will begin realizing cost savings and efficiencies within the next 18 months as Covisint gets up to speed and companies implement their own e-procurement chains.
Ambrose stressed that progress “is going to take time because of the required commitment” and because e-marketplaces are very complex technologically. He also believes that Covisint’s progress will accelerate once it finds a CEO.


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Rihanna recently stepped out for dinner in a full-length fur coat, which quickly caught the attention of PETA. The animal rights organization sent a letter to the singer, pleading for her to wear faux fur clothing.
PETA also offered to collect and distribute the singer’s fur pieces to the survivors of the Turkey and Syria earthquakes. According to the organization, those people can wear fur clothing to stay warm during the upcoming winter. Rihanna previously won a PETA award for the Fenty clothing collection she made entirely from faux leather.
The “Umbrella” crooner also recently spoke about her upcoming ninth album, saying she’ll likely release it this year. When Rihanna finally drops the project, it will be her first studio album since she released “Anti” in 2016.
Read on to find out more.
PETA Sent A Letter To Rihanna
Earlier this month, Rihanna stepped out for dinner and was photographed in a full-length fur coat, which according to PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), is almost certainly made from real fur. The animal rights organization quickly responded to the photos by sending Rihanna’s team a letter, which an insider then shared with TMZ.
In the letter, PETA said they’d noticed the fur coat in the photos and pleaded with Rihanna to switch to faux fur clothing. The organization’s senior Vice President, Lisa Lange, mentioned the singer’s growing family, pleading with her to consider the families of the animals endangered by fur hunters.
She wrote, “As a mother, you know what it’s like to feel protective and to want to make sure no harm comes to your family. Please understand that this desire — this instinct even — is shared by the minks, foxes, and rabbits who are torn away from their families and killed for their fur.”
They Offered To Gift Her A Faux Fur Coat
In the letter, PETA also asked Rihanna to “please help create a kinder world for your children to grow up in” by deciding to stop wearing real fur. They also offered to collect the “Love on the Brain” singer’s fur clothing and donate them to survivors of the recent Turkey and Syria earthquakes.
According to PETA, the people in these ravaged countries have an excuse to wear authentic fur clothes because they’ve lost their homes to the earthquake. Millions have now been displaced, and with the upcoming cold winter, they need all the warmth they can get.
The organization concluded the letter by offering to send a faux fur coat made by the Unreal Fur company to Rihanna. They said the coat would help the singer “stay warm and fashionable while making the cruelty-free switch.”
Rihanna Previously Won A PETA Award
Rihanna has been photographed in multiple real fur outfits over the years, despite previously winning a PETA award for her Fenty clothing line. In early 2020, the “Rude Boy” singer released a clothing collection from the brand, made entirely from faux leather materials.
After announcing the award, PETA posted a statement on its website, thanking Rihanna for making the vegan clothing collection. The statement read, per Harper’s Bazaar, “PETA recognizes and thanks Rihanna for making her new FENTY capsule collection completely leather-free, showing off chic and cruelty-free vegan clothing that is both animal-friendly and better for the planet.”
The organization’s Senior VP at the time was also Lange, and she released a statement applauding the singer. She wrote, “Rihanna should take a bow for this stunning cruelty-free collection… With her new vegan collection, Rihanna shows how easy it is to create a killer look that no animal had to die for.”
Rihanna Recently Spoke On Her Ninth Album
In an interview with Vogue that was published earlier this month, Rihanna spoke about her highly anticipated ninth studio album. When she finally releases the project, it will be the “Desperado” singer’s first full-length album since “Anti” from 2016.
During the interview, Rihanna said, “Like, honestly, it’d be ridiculous if it’s not this year. But I just want to have fun. I just want to make music and make videos. And I need the right background music with the visuals. I can’t just go shoot a video of me talking.”
If her words are anything to go by, fans can finally heave a sigh of relief at the possibility of her album dropping anytime this year, 2023.


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Google has spread an invitation for some parties to attend an event held on July 24th in San Francisco. The event will be led by Sundar Pichai, Senior Vice President For Android and Chrome. Unfortunately, the invitation doesn’t mention about the event topic.
It’s very possible that Google will announce second generation Nexus 7 (most likely will be named Nexus 2 7″) tablet considering that the host for that event is the boss of Android and Chrome and the first Nexus 7 was announced in July 2012. Other reason is the prices of new Nexus 7 have been leaked.
Second gen Nexus 7 will use quad-core processor and 16 GB or 32 GB internal storage. For 16 GB version, Nexus 7 will be priced at $229, while the 32 GB version will be priced at $269. No information about chip manufacturer, whether remains from Nvidia or change to Qualcomm Snapdragon. Most likely Nexus 7 still uses a 1080 x 1920 pixels display. It will have a 5 MP camera and run Android 4.3 Jelly Bean.
Besides the possibility of Nexus 7 announcement, event on July 24th may be used to announce Moto X, the first Motorola handset after Google acquisition. However, the possibility is very small because the host is not associated with Motorola. Another possibility is the announcement of Android 4.3 and no device announced at that time.
Truth about that event will be released on July 24th, 2013. You can watch the event via streaming on YouTube.


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The Bartlesville City Council met for a regularly scheduled meeting Monday evening at City Hall and decided to take $150,000 from the economic development fund and use it as development assistance for the combined Jimmy's Egg/Bricktown Brewery Building on the former K-Mart site.
President of the Bartlesville Development Authority, David Wood, saidthis is much needed for the city.
The Bartlesville City Council asked the BDA to address plummeting retail sales six-years ago. According to Wood, the BDA's research showed that they had 10-percent job growth and two-percent population growth in the last decade. He said the study determined that the young professionals in Bartlesville were choosing to live somewhere other than Bartlesville even though they were working within the Bartlesville City Limits.
Why was that happening? The data suggested to the Bartlesville Development Authority that there was not enough variety in Bartlesville's retail, bars and restaurants.
Co-owner of Midway Cafe, Payam Sharifi, says the addition of another breakfast restaurant is not needed. He claimed that the addition of a Jimmy's Egg continues the dissolution of mom and pop restaurants across the area.
Sharifi said it is ridiculous to think that Jimmy's Egg will make more people stop and eat in Bartlesville. He said the only thing it does is steal business from the other two restaurants that are within the same half-mile, including his own.
This means there will be three different breakfast restaurants within a half-mile. Sharifi said he the concept of a Bricktown Brewery is a great idea, but a Jimmy's Egg is not ideal.
Mayor Dale Copeland, a business owner himself, knows this is a touchy subject but believes the approval is important for economic success in Bartlesville.
To Mayor Copeland, business is finite. He said there is a certain challenge, and competition is not a bad thing. Brand preferences will be there, and like the mayor said, there will always be hard choices to make.
Referencing what David Wood had presented, Mayor Copeland said this is a highly desirable brand by a segment of Bartlesville's population. He said it is a good thing to have someone come in and invest in Bartlesville with a belief that the city is a good place to be.
Also at Monday evening's meeting, a concerned citizen alerted the council about trash she has seen in the Caney River. City Manager Mike Bailey said Christmas trees can still be dropped off at Sooner Park to be mulched.


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The connection between diet and the skin has long been known, but new research points to the connections between skin and gut health for a range of issues, including acne, atopic dermatitis, eczema and psoriasis.
Bengaluru, India,-based Hairline International Hair & Skin Research & Treatment Center conducted a two-year observational study from July 2021to June 2023 and found that, among patients seeking treatment at Hairline International during the study period, "a staggering 72% [with acne vulgaris] displayed indications of poor gut health, marked by symptoms like food intolerance, allergies, GERD and digestive problems," according to Kala Vimal, MD, consultant dermatologist and cosmetologist at Hairline International.
The data squares with a 2021 review of the skin-gut axis published in the journal Microorganisms, which found "observations such as the prevention of AD [atopic dermatitis] through probiotics and the increased prevalence of intestinal comorbidities in chronic skin diseases suggest that skin diseases can be linked to the gastrointestinal system."
Sixty-two percent of the 2,235 participating patients in the Hairline International study were female and 38% male. Each patient underwent an H. pylori test to assess their gut health. Of these patients, more than 70% suffered from atopic dermatitis, or eczema.
Here's what the study found:
- Pregnant women who supplemented with probiotics during pregnancy and while breastfeeding reduced the risk of eczema in their children up to the age of two
- Seventy-two percent of patients with skin issues were under the age of 40, underscoring the prevalence of skin issues among younger individuals
- Patients treated with oral Atogla probiotics and other treatments, including conventional medicines, experienced a 90% reduction in skin inflammation and redness among acne patients, compared to a control group that only received conventional medications and no probiotics
- Researchers also reportedly uncovered an inverse relationship between probiotic use and the occurrence of skin lesions


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April 23 2014 Latest news:
Retailers and designers have declared Norwich Fashion Week 2014 to be a success after reporting an increase in sales.
The finale show of Norwich Fashion Week 2014 fused fashion with local music talent in a sell out show that celebrated the end of a week of style.
International designers Patrick Ian Hartley and Juliana Sissons, original fashion and a sneak peek at some of the final designs from the third year fashion degree students at the Norwich University of the Arts, puts Norwich on the fashion map at fashion week.
In amongst the classic looks of Norwich Fashion Week were a handful of bizarre trends that raised eyebrows on the front row.
Eight local designers and makers take their latest collections to Norwich Fashion Week.


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Several of Sonoco’s customers, including HP, Unilever, Kraft Foods and PJ’s Coffee, are reporting significant savings in materials resources as well as cuts in carbon emissions and energy use and improved recyclability use thanks to the company’s sustainable packaging design software and recycling services.
Sonoco says its True Blue line of sustainable packaging solutions and recycling services require less energy, water and/or raw materials to produce or result in fewer carbon emissions.
As an example, Sonoco developed three-ply, foil-based flexible coffee bags for PJ’s Coffee of New Orleans, that require 10 percent less material and 15 percent less energy to produce, resulting in 10 percent fewer carbon emissions than traditional four-ply flexible coffee bags.
Sonoco also helped Kraft Foods convert its Maxwell House, Nabob and Yuban brands of coffee from metal cans to more environmentally-friendly rigid paperboard containers without sacrificing abuse resistance or shelf life.
The new cans are made from paperboard that contains more than 50 percent recycled materials and has received chain-of-custody certification from the Rainforest Alliance’s SmartWood program. The new package also reduced the brands’ materials use, energy use and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
Kraft Foods has been making significant efforts towards reducing product packaging, reaching its goal of cutting 150 million pounds of material from its supply chain two years ahead of schedule.
Mother Parkers is also making the switch to Sonoco’s rigid paper container from coffee cans for its Brown Gold, Martinson and private label brands, which will increase the overall recycled content of the package and reduce material weight by 27 percent, energy inputs by 34 percent and greenhouse gas emissions by 20 percent, reports R&D Magazine.
The food and beverage industry has been releasing a greater number of sustainable products over the past few years to meet growing demand from environmentally-conscious consumers and retailers to lower the environmental impact of their packaging.
In another example, Unilever cut packaging costs and reduced its environmental footprint by working with Sonoco Global Plastics to redesign the packaging of its Suave brand of shampoo and conditioners. The new packaging improved the overall strength of the bottles and reduced the resin required to produce the bottles by 16 percent.
Sonoco also redesigned an existing floorstand wing unit for Unilever’s Vaseline Sheer Infusion body lotion, which cut the paperboard required to produce the display in half from 65.2 to 32.65 square feet.
One of Sonoco’s new protective packaging designs for Hewlett-Packard (HP) LaserJet printers reduced the volume of foam required by more than half, cut the pack’s corrugated weight by 69 percent and decreased overall packaging volume by 52 percent. In addition, most of the pack’s components are made from recycled paperboard, so it’s easier to recycle than the previous protective packaging, says Sonoco.
Sonoco is also converting the world’s leading infant formulas from metal cans to composite cans, which average 50 percent recycled content by weight and provide the same performance as traditional metal cans in abuse resistance and shelf life, according to the company.
Sonoco is also helping customers reduce landfill waste through its Sonoco Sustainability Solutions (S3) waste-reduction consulting service. As an example, by identifying recycling alternatives for materials being sent to landfills and developing a more comprehensive recycling program at Unilever’s Lipton Tea plant in Suffolk, Va., the plant became a zero landfill facility in 2009.


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Samsung Electronics Co yesterday announced the launch of its mobile payment service in China, where it is likely to struggle in an already crowded market that archrival Apple Inc entered about six weeks ago.
China is the world’s biggest smartphone market and Samsung Pay has a powerful partner in China — bank card provider UnionPay Co (中國銀聯) — which has links to the central bank.
However, unlike in most other countries, mobile payment systems are already well-established in China, with local providers dominating the market.
As an outsider, Samsung will also have to compete with Apple, which launched its own Apple Pay system last month — also in partnership with UnionPay.
Samsung said its service currently supports selected credit and debit cards from nine Chinese banks and is available on its top-end Galaxy smartphones, with mid-range models to follow.
China had 359 million online payment users in the middle of last year, up about 18 percent in six months, according to the state-backed China Internet Network Information Center.
MediaTek Inc (聯發科), the world’s biggest 5G chip supplier, saw its ranking rise by one notch to No. 7 last year among world semiconductor vendors, as it benefited from the rapid 5G smartphone uptake in China after Huawei Technologies Co (華為) was forced to exit the market, Gartner Inc said in a report yesterday. MediaTek’s revenue soared 58.8 percent to US$17.45 billion last year from US$10.99 billion in 2020, outpacing the global semiconductor industry’s growth of 25 percent, according to Gartner’s tally. That gave MediaTek a 3 percent market share. The Hsinchu-based chip company ranked No. 8 in 2020, behind Texas Instruments
Medigen Vaccine Biologics Corp (高端疫苗) yesterday reported higher neutralizing antibody levels in people who were given its COVID-19 vaccine as a booster after two AstraZeneca doses, the company said. In a trial of 200 participants who received Medigen’s COVID-19 vaccine, neutralizing antibodies against the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 grew by 5.7 times one month after being administered, Taoyuan General Hospital said. Medigen said that the results have been submitted to medRxiv, an online platform for researchers to share complete but unpublished papers. Another trial conducted by National Taiwan University Hospital showed that among 45 participants who received three doses of the Medigen vaccine,
BEATING EXPECTATIONS: With electric vehicles and the metaverse on the horizon, the company predicts a solid first quarter as customers stockpile inventories Key iPhone assembler Hon Hai Precision Industry Co (鴻海精密) could achieve an “unprecedented” performance in the first quarter, chairman Young Liu (劉揚偉) said. “Our performance in the first quarter might surpass how we fared in the past few years, and it is likely that some staff at key sites might only get two days off during the Lunar New Year holiday,” Liu said in prepared remarks for the company’s annual workers’ party yesterday. Manufacturers around the world are racing to build up inventory out of fear that outbreaks of the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 and other uncertainties could further disrupt their supply
Jardine Matheson Holdings Ltd (怡和洋行), a diversified Asia-based group whose businesses span property, transport, retail and luxury hotels, is considering strategic options for its restaurant unit, people with knowledge of the matter said. The Singapore-traded conglomerate is weighing a sale of Jardine Restaurant Group (怡和餐飲集團), a wholly owned subsidiary that operates KFC and Pizza Hut franchises in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau and Vietnam, said the people, who asked not to be identified as the information is private. The subsidiary also runs Pizza Hut restaurants in Myanmar, according to its Web site. Jardine Matheson has held preliminary discussions with advisers, the people said, adding


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The UK’s recent Digital Competition Report produced under the leadership of former Obama Council of Economic Advisors Chairman Jason Furman proposes a radical departure from existing competition policy that may create new problems and make some existing ones worse, potentially harming the consumers it seeks to protect.
That is the prediction of competition policy expert Thomas Lenard, a senior fellow at the Technology Policy Institute, following his detailed review of the Digital Competition Panel’s proposal. Lenard’s analysis is contained in a new study, UK’s Digital Competition Report: The Anticompetitive Risks of a Pro-Competition Policy.
“This new regulatory regime would represent a radical departure from standard competition policy, at least as practiced in the U.S.,” Lenard writes. “Although the report endorses the consumer welfare standard for antitrust, it fails to present analysis showing that its proposals would, in fact, enhance consumer welfare or pass a cost-benefit test.”
Lenard, an economist, predicts that, if enacted, the proposal would create opportunities for rent seeking and anticompetitive behavior by digital platforms and other parties, and advantage incumbents. “If the recommendations are implemented, incumbents may become more firmly entrenched and [market] entry may be more difficult, contrary to the panel’s intent.”
He questions the report’s recommendation to block mergers based on speculation about how companies and technologies may perform in the future. He also stands up for startups and investors, saying “Acquisition by a large platform, such as Facebook or Google, is a frequent exit strategy for successful tech startups, so making that strategy more difficult would be a disincentive to investing in those startups.”
He also challenges the report’s assumptions that the economic characteristics of digital markets always create a serious digital competition problem and that creating more competitors is always a good thing.
“As long as anticompetitive behavior is not discouraging entry, then policies that artificially encourage entry may simply deprive consumers of savings from scale and scope economies,” Lenard writes. “In other words, encouraging entry when no market failure is preventing it, and when consumers are happy with the status quo, may simply waste resources.”
Calling the panel’s recommendations “a risky experiment in public utility-style regulation of the digital sector of the economy,” Lenard believes the report “reflect[s] an unwarranted confidence in government’s ability to micromanage this complicated sector of the economy in the interest of consumers.”
His conclusion: “The report does not weigh the costs and benefits of its proposals and therefore cannot conclude with any confidence that consumer welfare would be enhanced. Consumers may be harmed because, under the best of circumstances, the regulatory task is difficult.”
Read the full paper here: https://techpolicyinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Lenard_The-UKs-Digital-Competition-Report.pdf
Contact: David Fish, 571-389-4446, [email protected]
The Technology Policy Institute
The Technology Policy Institute is a non-profit research and educational organization that focuses on the economics of innovation, technological change, and related regulation in the United States and around the world. More information is available at https://techpolicyinstitute.org/.


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ARKANSAS, Oct 1 (Future Headlines)- Electric trucks have long faced skepticism, with doubts about their ability to compete with traditional diesel-powered counterparts. Bill Gates, renowned for his tech insights, was among those who questioned the viability of electric semi-trucks due to concerns about battery weight and range limitations. However, Tesla set out to prove the skeptics wrong, demonstrating that electric trucks could indeed achieve the necessary range for long-haul trucking. Recently, a Tesla Semi accomplished a remarkable feat by traveling over 1,000 miles in a single day as part of a real-world test, reaffirming the potential of electric trucks in the freight industry.
Electric trucks, especially class 8 battery-electric semi-trucks, have faced significant skepticism within the freight and transportation industry. The primary concern has centered around their ability to match the performance and range of traditional diesel-powered trucks, which are the backbone of long-haul trucking. Critics like Bill Gates argued that the heavy batteries required for these trucks would be a major impediment to achieving a sufficient range for practical use.
Gates contended that achieving a range of 500 miles, a common benchmark for long-haul trucking, would be unattainable due to the limitations of battery technology. These doubts cast a shadow over the potential of electric trucks to revolutionize the freight industry and reduce its carbon footprint.
In response to these doubts, Tesla embarked on a mission to prove that electric semi-trucks could meet and even exceed the industry’s demanding expectations. In a bold move, Tesla conducted a groundbreaking test last year in which a Tesla Semi covered a 500-mile distance on a single charge, while carrying a load. This achievement was a watershed moment, dispelling the belief that electric trucks couldn’t match the range of their diesel counterparts.
The North American Council for Freight Efficiency (NACFE) recognized the need for comprehensive testing and data collection to evaluate the performance of electric trucks in real-world conditions. To address this, NACFE launched its Run on Less program, which aims to test various electric trucks and provide real-time data on their capabilities.
As part of this program, NACFE included three Tesla Semi trucks in its testing this year. The goal was to gather empirical data on how these electric trucks performed under actual operating conditions, dispelling uncertainties and providing valuable insights into their potential.
The latest milestone in the electric trucking industry came when a Tesla Semi achieved an extraordinary feat. It traveled over 1,000 miles in a single day during a real-world test conducted as part of the NACFE program. This achievement represents a significant step forward in showcasing the capabilities of electric trucks for long-haul transportation.
The NACFE study not only provided real-world data on the performance of electric trucks but also challenged preconceived notions about their limitations. Michael Lohscheller, the new CEO of Nikola Motor, previously touted one of their hydrogen fuel cell trucks for traveling 900 miles in a day as an unprecedented achievement in zero-emission trucking. However, the Tesla Semi has now achieved an even greater feat, surpassing the 900-mile mark, and proving that zero-emission electric trucks can be both practical and efficient.
The conclusion of the data-gathering phase of the NACFE study opens the door to a wealth of insights and implications for the future of electric trucks. While the initial findings are promising, the full scope of the data and its impact on the trucking industry remains to be seen.
Electric trucks, represented by the Tesla Semi and others, are poised to challenge the status quo in freight transportation. With their potential to reduce emissions and operating costs, electric trucks may soon become a common sight on highways, transforming the industry and contributing to a more sustainable future.
As NACFE prepares to release more detailed conclusions from the data gathered during this groundbreaking study, the freight industry and the world at large await a clearer picture of the possibilities and limitations of electric trucking. The journey to a greener and more efficient future for freight transportation has taken a significant step forward, thanks to the perseverance and innovation of companies like Tesla and initiatives like NACFE’s Run on Less program.
Writing by Alireza Sabet; Editing by Sarah White