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While megacap tech stocks Apple and Facebook stole the show with their earnings releases last week, some smaller names in tech are poised to get some attention this week. Square (SQ 1.74%), Roku (ROKU 1.22%), and Upwork (UPWK 1.18%), in particular, are three companies worth watching.
All set to report earnings after market close on Wednesday, Nov. 7, here's a preview of some key areas for investors to watch for each of these companies.
Financial-technology company Square has been on a roll recently -- and investors expect more of the same. After posting its fifth quarter in a row of accelerating revenue growth in its second quarter, featuring an impressive 60% year-over-year increase in adjusted revenue, the consensus analyst estimate for the company's third-quarter top line implies a 61% year-over-year jump -- yet another acceleration.
Investors also expect further improvement in Square's profitability. On average, analysts expect Square to report adjusted earnings per share of $0.11, up from $0.07 in the year-ago quarter. In the company's second quarter of 2018, Square reported adjusted earnings per share of $0.13, up from $0.07 in the second quarter of 2017. Can the company grow its earnings meaningfully again?
Roku, too, has been impressing investors recently with accelerating growth. Shares of the TV streaming platform company surged after the company reported 57% year-over-year revenue growth for its second quarter. This was a huge jump from the 36% growth the company posted in its first quarter.
Driving Roku's strong momentum recently has been surging growth in platform revenue, or revenue primarily from advertising and subscription revenue share on the company's streaming TV platform. Platform revenue surged in Roku's second quarter, rising 96% year over year. Can platform revenue growth accelerate again, or was Roku's second-quarter growth as good as it gets?
Finally, there's Upwork -- a company some investors may have not heard of yet because it didn't go public until October of this year. The company operates an online marketplace enabling businesses to find and work with freelancers.
Upwork's gross services volume (GSV), or the total amount that clients spend on Upwork's platform, has been growing rapidly. GSV in 2017 increased 20% over 2016 -- and this growth rate accelerated for the first six months of 2018, with GSV rising 30% compared to the same period in 2017.
Because this will be Upwork's first quarterly update as a publicly traded company, there's a lot of uncertainty about what it will report. However, given the company's recent acceleration in GSV, investors will likely be looking for year-over-year growth in GSV of at least 30% for the period.
Square, Roku, and Upwork will all post their third-quarter financial results after market close on Wednesday.


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Mexico has opened its market to egg imports from Brazil, according to the announcement made by the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply (Mapa).
The Mexican Government’s National Service for Health, Safety and Quality (SENASICA) authorised the import of products coming from all over the Brazilian territory.
Mexico is the largest egg consumer per capita in the world, with 378 eggs per year. The country has imported 20,000 tons of eggs in 2019, according to data from the National Poultry Union of Mexico.
Mexico is strategic for Brazil’s agricultural sector…”
Various organisations, such as Brazilian Animal Protein Association (ABPA), Agricultural Adidance in Mexico, Mapa and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, joined efforts in order to come to this new agreement.
Global egg production continues to rise
Global egg production continues to see substantial growth with latest figures suggesting a 24% increase in the past decade.
“Mexico is strategic for Brazil’s agricultural sector, not only for the importance of this market, but for the recognition of our health standards. Quality and health were pivotal to get our product in this highly competitive market,” says Ricardo Santin, president of ABPA. According to him, Brazilian egg producers are committed to growing within the international egg market due to its considerable value-added. In 2019, Brazil exported just 7,600 tons of eggs.
The country’s total production reached 49 billion eggs last year and is expected to reach 53 billion in 2020. This productive leap is attributed to Covid-19 impact in Brazilian internal market.
Due to the pandemic, Brazil’s unemployment rate grew to 14,1% in September. As a consequence, consumers bought more relatively cheap eggs. According to ABPA, Brazilians will consume, on average, a record 250 eggs per person in 2020, an increase of 8.5% compared to last year, and above overall average of 235 eggs.

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Car Culture: Traffic ticket magnets, other miscellany
There’s a little basket on my desk that tends to fill up with autos-related tidbits, factoids and resources that don’t quite rise to the level of their own column topic but are fun and useful just the same. Here’s a sampling of what’s on those sticky notes, index cards and backs of envelopes:
Speed traps: The comparison-shopping website Insurance.com is out with a ranking of which auto makes and models attract the most traffic tickets. The study is based on consumer data gathered in generating more than 300,000 insurance quotes in early 2014.
The most frequently ticketed drivers were behind the wheel of the Lexus ES 300; 33.4 percent of such owners reported being ticketed, compared to an all-car average of 21.7 percent. The Nissan 350Z and the Dodge Charger were next in the ranking. The Buick Encore appears to attract the least law-enforcement action, with only 3.2 percent of owners reporting tickets.
As Insurance.com points out, cars don’t get tickets — people do. But apparently lead-foot drivers do tend to gravitate to certain rides. Want to see where yours falls in the ranking? Visit the searchable database at bit.ly/ZN0Cx9 — it’s fun to plug in your own make and model. My little compact falls about dead center at No. 150, and just over the average in terms of its Ticket Magnet track record.
Thanks for the memories ... not: You know the jolt you get when, after a routine commute, you realize you don’t recall much of the journey? You’re not alone, and if you’re a female driver you’re far more likely to experience that disoriented sense of traveling on autopilot while the mind busily churns with to-do lists, or just chills to music or talk radio.
According to a recent study by British AA, the automobile association across the pond, women say they blank out behind the wheel more often than men do; about 17 percent of female drivers report such memory gaps vs. 13 percent of males. The issue is most prevalent in the 25-34 age range; 24 percent of those respondents said they blank out “very or quite often.”
The British AA’s experts said drivers are prone to losing concentration on familiar routes and close to home, and warns that autopilot driving is a big contributor to accidents.
Barely driven Corvette: For hard-core classic car mavens, it could feel like stumbling upon a winning lottery ticket: Up for local sale this spring will be a 1966 all-original Chevy Corvette coupe with only about 51,000 actual miles on the odometer.
It’ll be on the block as part of the semi-annual collectibles sale produced by Woodhaven-based Showtime Auctions, which specializes in antiques and niche rarities, like advertising ephemera and of course automotive-related memorabilia and paraphernalia. Their spring auction featuring the Corvette (Lot 1104) will take place April 2 at the Washtenaw Farm Council Grounds in Ann Arbor. For information, visit www.showtimeauctions.com.
Commuting conundrum: Even the most ardent auto aficionado can dread slogging out before dawn on a humdrum trip to the workplace. But if you’ve been using “... and it’s great for the environment, too!” to persuade your boss to let you work from home, you might be surprised.
According to some recent studies, keeping the lights on and the heat turned up while you pound the keyboard in your yoga pants, instead of going to a communal workspace, actually isn’t all that great for Planet Earth when multiplied by a few tens of millions of households.
One report from the Britain-based Carbon Trust says heating the house for just an hour and 15 minutes a day can cancel out the emissions savings of skipping an average commute. However, the more your commute exceeds eight miles by car, the greater the environmental argument in favor of working from home — especially if the house is occupied during the day, anyway.
Melissa Preddy is a Michigan-based freelance writer. Reach her via Melissa@MelissaPreddy.com.


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Some Changes Coming to Android Wear
Sony Says Pop-Up Notifications Will Come to Android Wear - ReadWrite
According to Sony, Google gave its watch platform more than just flick-based controls, always-on apps, and a new built-in app launcher. Android Wear devices like the SmartWatch 3 will also get pop-up notifications and adjustable font sizes. Considering there are no actual software differences between Android smartwatches, all of them should get the changes. I contacted Google, which confirmed the new additions.
The pop up notifications described in the article are one of the big ways that Apple Watch differs from the present version of Android Wear, and now it looks like Google is following Apple’s lead. Kind of reminds me of how Google responded to Apple entering the smartphone game in 2007…
image via Apple Insider


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Popular net streaming service Hulu announced November 1st that it finalized deals to include programming from Walt Disney Co. and 21st Century Fox to its new TV streaming service that is scheduled to debut early next year.
Financial details were not made public. Hulu disclosed that more than 35 leading networks are part of the deals, which means that the net video service now has live and on-demand content from 21st Century Fox’s news and sports channels, ABC and Fox broadcast networks, as well as Disney’s Disney Channel and ESPN, ESPN2, and a host of other ESPN channels.
ESPN in particular is a notable addition given the highly competitive space which includes a number of other equally impressive net services including Play Station Vue, Sling TV, and Direct TV Now, AT&T’s soon to launch net service.
Sling TV got priceless mileage over its rivals when it was the first to provide ESPN’s content without subscription to a cable TV service. With time, however, this has changed as other services have added ESPN channels.
It would appear that these net streaming services will end up competing for channels and content but that is not the case. Instead, services are likely to be wooing viewers based on other factors such as pricing, platform support, user experience, and concurrent streaming support.
In August, Hulu announced the inclusion of networks from the Time Warner company including CNN, TNT, and TBS.
In a statement released to the press, Hulu CEO Mike Hopkins noted “We’re building a service that offers subscribers the most sought-after programming on television — and channels from 21st Century Fox and The Walt Disney Company are essential to that mix…”. “With these two new deals in place, and additional partners to come, Hulu will soon give TV fans of all ages live and on-demand access to their favorite programs in a whole new, more flexible, highly personalized way.”
Time Warner bought a 10% stake in Hulu for $583 million, joining 21st Century Fox, Comcast, and the Walt Disney Company, each of which owns 30% of the net streaming service.
Among additions to the new streaming service are Comcast’s NBC networks as well as other NBC Universal channels such as USA and Bravo, among others. Hulu continues to seek partnerships with other top content companies to add channels on their service.
Since 2008, Hulu has been offering on-demand video online. The company ceased offering free content and introduced two paid monthly subscriptions in August: $7.99 and $11.99, with the former including limited advertising while the latter has no advertising.
Hulu’s current library includes popular TV series such as South Park and Seinfield, and movies such as James Bond films, The Hunger Games, and many more. The net service also has its own original series such as Casual and The Mindy Project, which was acquired from Fox when it was cancelled.
Hulu’s new deals with Fox and Disney give consumers a varied selection of TV channels to select from.
Hulu has a simple interface that’s easy to browse although it is no where near that of Netflix, which is miles ahead in terms of design and ease of use. Netflix is the best because it offers best designs and is also very ease to use.
Changing TV landscape
Among other things, Hulu’s deals with two big TV companies show just how much the TV landscape has changed over the past few years (and bound to change forever).
Just a few years ago, big TV company’s such as Disney and Fox insisted that pay TV companies that entered into deals with them had to take all their channels, rather than only those that people wanted to watch. And they did, which explains why your cable TV program guide is crammed with programs you’ve never watched and probably will never.
But now, the tables have turned as people have found more flexibility with net streaming services. TV companies are scrambling for viewers and fighting them not to cut the cord – or at least pay for some channels instead of cutting the cord all together.
It remains to be seen, however, how Hulu will package it’s growing list of TV channels from TV conglomerates that are selling the same channels to a net streaming service as they do to pay TV companies.


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By Jonathan O'Connell April 10, 2015
RENO — For months, Randy Walden peddled a 30-week course in manufacturing at Truckee Meadows Community College, in its warehouse campus by Reno-Tahoe International Airport.
He called job prep agencies looking for students and plugged the class on the school’s Web site. Two people signed up. It took him four weeks to drum up four more.
“I was getting ready to cancel it,” he said.
Then in September, electric carmaker Tesla announced that it would build the
battery factory, or “gigafactory,” outside Reno, Nev., where it and its partner Panasonic — which will manufacture the lithium battery cells that Tesla will bundle into battery packs to run its cars — would hire 6,500 employees.
The phone calls poured in to Truckee Meadows. That first class grew to 14 people. The second has 45, with a nearly 400-person wait list.
For Tesla and Nevada, success will depend on quickly deploying a skilled workforce of many more.
Tesla’s agreement to a $1.3 billion incentive package to build its factory set off a frenzy to prepare Nevadans for the jobs their taxes are now subsidizing at a rate of $190,000 per position.
The Tesla deal is one of the nation’s top economic development prizes in a decade. In Nevada, one lawmaker
, it’s the “biggest thing” going “since at least the Hoover Dam.” Gov. Brian Sandoval (R) and state lawmakers project that over 20 years it will create 20,000 jobs and generate $100 billion for the state, which suffered in the recession.
But the agreement also comes at a time when economists and academics are
the wisdom of making big-ticket bets on single companies.
For all the promises of jobs and growth, Tesla’s founder, Elon Musk, says the company isn’t likely
to be profitable
until 2020, when he hopes to sell 500,000 cars a year. Tesla reported last week that it
a record 10,030 cars in the first quarter.
The match of America’s buzzy electric carmaker with a town whose best-known industry features weathered casinos would be less stark if Northern Nevada was already a hotbed of engineering or advanced manufacturing.
It is not. Nevada ranked last in the country in the percentage of its workforce that is in science, technology, engineering and math occupations, according to a 2014 Brookings Institution report. Only 15 percent of its workers are in those fields, compared with 21 percent nationally.
“Our biggest concern is capacity,” said Jim New, dean of Truckee Meadows, who has twice toured Tesla’s car plant in Fremont, Calif., to get a better idea of its needs.
By fall, the school plans to renovate the warehouse to expand capacity, open on Saturdays and allow students to come in anytime between 7 a.m. and 9 p.m. “We’re talking about preparing thousands of people every semester, when normally it would be 50,” New said.
A boomtown bio
Reno’s biography is one of booms and busts: silver-mining in the 1850s, divorces a half-century later, casinos beginning in the 1930s and housing during the real estate bubble, fueled by cheap land and easy mortgages.
Nevada was dragged low by the housing crash and recession, leading to an unemployment rate of 13.7 percent late in 2010, four points above the national average. As of January it still had the highest joblessness rate of any state, at 7.1 percent.
The arrival of the stock market darling has created optimism among locals that Reno could be an outpost of Silicon Valley, anchored by Lake Tahoe and the Burning Man festival. The median price of a single-family home is one-third that of the Bay Area. It boasts more than 300 days of sunshine, and locals brag about hitting the slopes nearby 30 minutes after work. Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak recently tweeted about his ride through the mountains to Reno — in a Tesla, of course.
Nevada secured the gigafactory deal after intense competition from California, Texas, New Mexico and Arizona, all dangling hundreds of millions of dollars in incentives. It triumphed by providing 980 acres of rocky, barren land — donated by a private landowner — access to lithium deposits, tax breaks and proximity to Tesla’s California auto assembly plant.
When it selected Nevada for its factory, Tesla’s stock had soared to more than $280 a share. Twelve years after Musk founded it, the company is valued at
around $24 billion
It was not the first tech firm to land here, but the other big-name firms mostly have back-office operations that employ far fewer people. Apple has a large data presence, and Microsoft’s operations center is nearby. In January Switch, based in Las Vegas, announced that it would build a $1 billion data center.
Tesla has largely promised Nevada production work, not the high-minded stuff that leads Musk to call it a “software company as much as it is a hardware company.” By 2020 Musk said he would like to
35 gigawatts annually of battery power, the accelerant to launch his cars into the mass market.
It seems a far-off goal: The company sold an estimated 18,750 of its Model S roadsters in 2014, at a sticker price of about $70,000. Tesla says the batteries will help it to bring the cost of a future car, the Model 3, down to about $35,000. No one really knows how big the nascent, and competitive, market for electric cars will be. And other auto titans — Ford, Nissan, General Motors — are making inroads.
Growing a cooperative culture
Making sure that Nevadans land the jobs and that Tesla gets the people it needs will require expansive cooperation between the company, schools and the government. Reno stakeholders are painfully aware of how close the California border is, about 250 miles along the interstate through the Tahoe National Forest, for engineers or managers who would consider a weekly commute.
“I think there is a real possibility that there will be commuter workers,” said Mark Muro, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution who co-authored the report on the state’s workforce. “If the skills are not there, then there will not be the quality of the battery product, and that will complicate things both for Tesla and for the State of Nevada.”
A challenge for some educators has been determining what types of workers the companies need and when they will be needed. In its application for subsidies, Tesla outlined 6,500 jobs created over eight years, including 4,550 production associates, 460 equipment technicians, 360 quality technicians and 200 material handlers making $22 to $28 an hour. It also lists 930 jobs for engineers and senior staff making an average of $41.83 an hour, or $80,000 annually.
Since then New, the dean of Truckee Meadows, was given a more specific breakdown of positions needed, along with qualifications. Among the jobs and descriptions listed are Paint Robotics Technician (requirements: “Expert in robot programming. Good overall computer skills.”) and Inventory Control Manager (“Knowledge of change control processes is a must.”).
Officials also say they expect Tesla to hire about 300 interns, and students who have interviewed said they believed the jobs required working in the Fremont facility and then returning to open the one in Reno.
Taylor Glasgow, 23, an engineering student at the University of Nevada at Reno, said he interviewed to be an operations intern helping to expand the Fremont facility. The school will launch a minor in battery science this fall.“They’re just going so fast,” he said. “I think everyone wants to start off with them.”
In March, Tesla set up at a career fair at UNR, and more than 200 people got in line, résumés in hand. “It was a three-hour wait for a five-minute conversation,” said engineering student Lander Kennedy, 24.
Secretive on some counts
Like many software companies, Tesla closely guards its secrets. Construction of the gigafactory itself can be viewed by the public only by driving up a steep rocky trail, passing wild horses and tumbleweed on the way. A dirt berm has been raised on the perimeter, restricting the view, and Stan Thomas, executive vice president of the Economic Development Authority of Western Nevada, said he expected Tesla to acquire the surrounding ridge.
“They’re going to buy the mountains around it so no can see in there,” he said.
Officials for Tesla and Panasonic declined to discuss gigafactory h


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Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) bull Ron Baron and his investment firm Baron Capital have been some of the biggest supporters of Elon Musk’s electric car company. Baron Capital, however, has sold 1.8 million TSLA shares over the past six months, Ron Baron said, due to portfolio concentration. The billionaire investor remains bullish on Tesla, revealing that his personal 1.1 million shares haven’t been sold, and none of them will be for at least a decade.
“In the past six months, we have sold about 1.7 million out of our 8 million shares that we held. We sold them between $450 and $900, an average of $666.70. So, we still own 75% of our stock, actually, more than 75%,” Baron told CNBC. Baron still maintains a $2,000 price target per share for ten years in the future, and believes it “could be light by $500 or $1,000.”
Interestingly, if Baron feels that Tesla is still going up, why would his firm decide to sell shares. Ultimately, it comes down to portfolio concentration, and Tesla’s meteoric rise in 2020, which saw the stock price surge over 700%, caused some accounts to become too heavily concentrated in Tesla stock. Portfolio diversity is important, especially for large fund managers, who are investing client’s money based on trust.
Baron Capital made the decision to sell because “it was up 20 times,” Baron said. “It became a very large percentage of some accounts.” Despite Baron Capital’s decision to sell for its clients, Ron Baron stated that his personal ownership stake in Tesla hasn’t budged, and it won’t for at least ten years.
Tesla investor Ron Baron on BTC purchase: ‘I look forward to learning the rationale’
“I happen to own 1,115,000 shares personally. I haven’t sold a single share, and I don’t expect to for ten years,” Baron added. “But, for clients, I sold 27% or 25% of their stock. I told Elon, ‘I was the last one in, I bought it for all my clients first.’ And in 2016, when I was totally filled on the accounts that I could buy for at our firm, I couldn’t convince other people to buy more, then I invested for in my firm into this company [Tesla], and I think I’m going to hold it for another ten years, at least.”
Baron said that Tesla holdings became more than 50% of two focused funds at Baron Capital and it became a risk management issue. Instead, Baron has invested in several other automotive companies, including Rivian, which is currently still a privately owned company, and Cruise, an autonomous vehicle company that is majority-owned by General Motors. Baron Capital bought more than 1.2 million shares in Janary for $10 million, he said.
While keeping some of the investments behind closed doors, Baron did say that several other EV startups are driving his speculation of the evergrowing market. However, he admits that not all of them will succeed. “If you think all these companies starting up are going to make it, I think it’s a dream. I think it’s astonishing they’re getting so much capital.”
Baron’s interview with CNBC is available below.
Disclosure: Joey Klender is a TSLA Shareholder.


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China’s Huawei and Xiaomi are the latest TV makers to embrace OLED, and will start selling their first models from next year, it’s being reported. The move is likely to accelerate what has been a slow but steady decline in LCD TVs, which are already being phased out by some of the biggest TV brands.
The focus on OLED is of course great news for LG Display, which is currently the sole supplier of the technology to 15 companies now, including brands such as Philips, Sony and Skyworth, as well as LG Electronics.
Other companies to recently jump on the OLED boat include Vizio, which is to start selling its first models next year. Hisense is also going to expand its OLED lineup to the U.S. for the first time in 2020, it said earlier this year.
Now, Xiaomi says it too will also start using OLED panels in some of its premium TVs from next year, while Korean media adds that Huawei is also planning to follow suit, though there’s been no official confirmation from that company yet.
Xiaomi and Huawei are both major consumer electronics brands in China and so the news is a bonus for consumers as it will mean a lot more choices. Business Korea reports that most of the OLED panels will be manufactured at LG Display’s new fab in Guangzhou, China, which opened earlier this year and will scale up to mass production by early next.
Meanwhile, the increased focus on OLED comes at a time when the sun seems to be setting on the LCD TV market. In recent months, big brands including LG Display, Samsung and Panasonic have all said they’re either giving up LCD production entirely, or will start transitioning away from it. In the case of LG Display, it has said it will halve LCD panel production from next year, while Samsung has already said it’s transitioning to new technologies such as Quantum Dot OLED. Panasonic has said it will end LCD production by 2021.
While some Chinese TV panel makers have stepped up their own LCD display production capacity, this is only likely to be temporary as IHS Markit says it expects investment in the sector to grind to a complete halt by 2022. At the same time, investment in OLED will surge, it said.
The changes represent a major shift in the TV industry, which was dominated by LCD for more than a decade but now seems destined to be surpassed by OLED.
IHS Markit said the next big thing after OLED will most likely be MicroLED, which is a modular display technology made up of tiny, inorganic light emitting diodes, though this probably won’t reach mass-market until 2026 at the earliest, it said.


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Nintendo 3DS has 3D Video Recorder?
Since the Nintendo 3DS can shoot photos in 3D, why not shoot videos in 3D too? Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata seems to be playing with the thought.
We got 3DS capable of playing video games in 3D, it’s also capable of capturing photos in 3D. So why not make it record videos in 3D as well? That’s not precisely what Satoru Iwata, the CEO of Nintendo Company, said, but he did give a little hint of what might happen once the Nintendo 3DS kicks into full throttle come February.
During a dialogue session between Shigeru Miyamoto and Satoru Iwata, the two gave some pretty inspiring hints that they may make the 3DS’s 3D photo feature into a video feature. Soon-to-be 3DS owners won’t need to worry of purchasing another console just to get the feature, as the Nintendo executives expresses that the 3D video will come in the form of a firmware update.
Nintendo may be pushing it a little too much since the console hasn’t been released yet, but then again, Nintendo is a company who knows no boundaries when it comes to gaming technology as they continue to imagine and display a unique sense of creativity and innovation. But first, we need decent games first since the 3DS is first and foremost a handheld gaming console.View Article Source »


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CrystalTech hit By Cyber Monday DDoS
1st December, 2006
Cyber Monday was a busy day for cybervandals as well as online retailers. A distributed denial of service attack (DDoS) Monday morning caused more than four hours of downtime for customers of CrystalTech, a business hosting provider in Phoenix, Ariz. that hosts 91,000 web sites.
The DDoS featured more than 5,000 machines attacking CrystalTech's DNS servers, flooding the company's network. "This was not just a simple DDOS," Bob Cichon, the President and Chief Operating Officer of CrystalTech, said in a posting on the customer forum. We get those all the time and no one sees it, since our team and equipment handle it very well. This was a very well planned and professional DNS DDOS." The impact of the attack can be clearly seen in our performance chart for CrystalTech:
U.S. retail industry groups have dubbed the Monday after Thanksgiving "Cyber Monday" in a bid to promote online shopping. The effort appears to have paid dividends, as content distribution provider Akamai reported that traffic on its North American network was up 19 percent from the Thanksgiving Monday in 2005.
CrystalTech didn't say whether the attack targeted a particular customer or the hosting company itself. Industries conducting large volumes of transactions are frequent targets for a cottage industry of digital extortionists using distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks. These attacks typically are preceded by a request for payment from parties who claim the ability to "prevent" an imminent attack. If no payment is made, a DDoS attack follows. Attacks are often timed to peak traffic periods when uptime is critical.
The attack on CrystalTech, along with a software-related outage at MediaTemple on Tuesday, demonstrated how web hosts are seeking to keep customers better informed during downtime in hopes of defusing customer frustration during extended outages. Cichon posted regular updates on CrystalTech customer support forums throughout the day Monday, while a half dozen CrystalTech staffers contributed to the discussion with specific responses to customer inquiries. During Tuesday's outage at MediaTemple's GridServer, the company provided detailed updates on its web site.
Netcraft offers a web site performance monitoring service that provides detailed uptime charts, along with e-mail alerts when an outage occurs.


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After AirAsia, Jet Airways, and SpiceJet launched special fares for the festive season, Vistara announced its discounted ticket prices yesterday. And like its competitors, the airline will close bookings on October 7.
Sanjiv Kapoor, the chief strategy and commercial officer at Vistara, says, “It is a wonderful opportunity for travellers to experience our rapidly expanding network, including new flights connecting Delhi and Kolkata to Port Blair, and Bengaluru to Guwahati via Kolkata. What’s more, the sale covers not only the festive season, but also the New Year thru March 2017. And as a bonus, the offers are not only for economy class, we have also got fantastic offers for premium economy and business class. As always, the earlier you book, the better fare you get.”
One-way economy fares start at ₹ 999 (inclusive of taxes)
One-way premium economy fares start at ₹ 2,999 (inclusive of taxes)
One-way business fares start at ₹ 5,999 (inclusive of taxes)
The offer is valid for travel between October 12, 2016 and March 25, 2017.


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Wellington Airport has become the first airport in New Zealand to welcome Uber after reaching an agreement with the ridesharing company.
The decision follows the passage of the Land Transport Amendment Bill which recognizes ridesharing services, like Uber, as part of New Zealand’s land transport regulatory framework. From September 1, travelers can be dropped off at the airport by an Uber driver-partner and a pickup zone has been opened at the site.
Greg Thomas, spokesman for Wellington Airport, said, “We’re pleased to reach an agreement with Uber and be the first airport to add ridesharing to our ground transport services.
“This is another example of how we are making transport to and from the airport easy and convenient for travelers. This means even greater options for travelers which already include a highly efficient bus service, shuttles, taxi, motorcycle and bicycle access, along with 10 minutes free pick-up and drop-off.
“We’re also investing in a NZ$70m transport hub and multi-level car park undercover right next to the terminal, which is due to open in June 2018. Finding a park on busy days isn’t always easy, but that will be addressed by the new car park building and we are adding more car parking spaces to the south of the terminal from late October this year. We are also committed to continuing to offer discounted day parking in our long-term parking facilities when booking online.”
Uber New Zealand general manager, Richard Menzies, added, “This is a win for consumer choice, tourism and the Wellington travelling public. Uber is an app trusted by tens of millions of customers from more than 70 different countries across the world, and we’re pleased visitors and locals will now have seamless access to the service at Wellington Airport.”
Passengers using Uber can now be dropped off in the public drop-off area on Level 1, and can meet their driver in the new pick-up zone on Level 0. Wellington Airport will charge drivers drop-off and pick-up fees of NZ$3 – the same as taxi and private hire operators, with Uber collecting this fee on behalf of Wellington Airport.


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MTorrice (2611475) writes "Lithium-sulfur batteries promise to store four to five times as much energy as today’s best lithium-ion batteries. But their short lifetimes have stood in the way of their commercialization. Now researchers demonstrate that a sulfur-based polymer could be the solution for lightweight, inexpensive batteries that store large amounts of energy. Battery electrodes made from the material have one of the highest energy-storage capacities ever reported" Link to Original Source
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The Hechinger Co., which bills itself as the "world's most unusual lumber yard," has asked a Montgomery County court to overrule a recent decision of the county's zoning appeals board that took the the company at its word and revoked a building permit for a store on River Road in Bethesda.
Stephen Elmendorf, Hechinger's attorney, said he filed an appeal notice earlier this month in Montgomery County Circuit Court to contest a board of appeals decision that the business would violate the River Road location's zoning because Hechinger's is not a hardware store.
The board ruled, on a 3-to-2 vote Oct. 30, that because "of the variety of merchandise that Hechinger's offers" and because "Hechinger represents itself to the public as the world's most unusual lumber yard, and to its stockholders as a successful retailer in the home center industry," it is a general retail business. Consequently, the board decided that Hechinger did not meet the location's C-4 zoning, which permits only hardware stores and other local specialty shops, but not general merchandise stores.
The board's ruling was a response to a petition filed by the Kenwood Citizens Association, which is fighting to keep Hechinger's out of the neighborhood because it fears the store would worsen traffic congestion. The association charged that the county's Department of Environmental Protection made a mistake 13 months ago when it issued the company a building permit to renovate a 40,000-square-foot building that had been a bowling alley, according to Norman Knopf, the association's attorney.
"Hechinger does not advertise itself to be a hardware store. In annual reports to stockholders and in industry listings, it doesn't list itself as a hardware store. ... . And if the board of appeals doesn't believe it's a hardware store, why should anyone else?" Knopf asked. "It's a building materials store. What the board was trying to do was fit the store within a zoning category. And it found it merely fit within a retail store of a general commercial nature," he said. "Any store that sells 40,000 different items can't be a hardware store." The board noted in its opinion that the company derives only 14 percent of its earnings from hardware and tools.
The county will not appeal the board's decision, according to John Menke, director of the Department of Environmental Protection.
The ruling reverses a long-standing county interpretation of what constitutes a hardware store, even though no ordinance defines the term. Kathy Hart, an assistant county attorney, said that when the issue arose once before, in 1971 when Hechinger's was seeking a permit for its store in Glenmont on Randolph Road, the county attorney wrote an opinion that Hechinger's outlets and home centers are hardware stores.
Roger Wright, Hechinger's vice president of real estate, said the board clearly erred in its definition. "We are a hardware store. The 14 percent figure was absolutely misleading. If you pull out hardware as one item that we sell, then it's 14 percent. But if you include paint, electrical and plumbing supplies, you're talking about 80-plus percent of our merchandise," he said. Wright said "all hardware stores sell paint and electrical supplies. They also sell garden supplies. They're all expanding their merchandise."
The company's slogan -- "the world's most unusual lumber yard" -- has been used for years. "It could be taken to mean that it's a hardware store that sells lumber," Wright said. "A home center is a hardware store," he said. Elmendorf said the board applied a narrow "1940s nuts and bolts definition of what a hardware store is."
Wright said the firm had signed a long-term lease for the River Road site, but had done little to the building when the county's Department of Environmental Protection ordered it to stop work soon after the Kenwood Citizens Association filed its petition. Menke said his agency won't take steps to revoke Hechinger's permit until the company's appeal is heard.
But Menke said the department will have to review all the building permits for hardware stores in the county if the court does not overrule the Board of Appeals. "I don't know of a single hardware store that doesn't have insecticide, paint, electrical or plumbing supplies," Menke said.
Hart said the definition of several types of stores might have to be reviewed. "Once you start defining what a hardware store is, you have to start defining what a lot of other stores are. There are a lot of stores that cross over in their merchandise," she said.


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HealthKit has a bug, and not the kind that you can just squish and call it a day. It's the technical kind of bug, and it has delayed the launch of the new service.
HealthKit — by the way — is a platform for health and fitness apps that basically curates data from those apps so that users and health professionals can see it all in one place. (Video via Apple)
And because it had the potential to be pretty groundbreaking for the healthcare industry — it was a much-anticipated feature of iOS 8. So what the bug means is you don't get to see those third-party apps working with HealthKit until the issue's fixed — which Apple plans to do in an update later this month.
You know, playing off that "illnesses are also called bugs" thing. Clever. But let's do some real talk here. In all reality, HealthKit was a much-talked about feature; some would say it's one of the biggest features in the release of iOS 8, Apple certainly did.
Now, aside from promising a fix this month, Apple isn't really explaining the last-minute problem. All we know:
WCIV: "A bug ... A glitch."
WKTV: "Has found a bug."
News 12 Long Island: "There is a bug affecting health apps."
OK, we get it. It's broken. iPhone Hacks calls this the third major blow ahead of the release of iOS 8, citing Apple's pulling of the iCloud Photo Library and SMS Continuity.
But let's be real. Thousands of people are still going to download iOS 8 regardless. We all know it ... most of us have already done it. The iPhone 6 goes on sale September 19.


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Mercedes-Benz future SUVs to get significant weight reduction thanks to the intensive use of aluminium materials and improved joining techniques
Mercedes-Benz, one of highly rated luxury brands in the world, could be all set to build the next generation SUV range manufactured at the Vance, Alabama facility in US with lightweight materials. A report surfaced on Automotivenews said the upcoming iterations of its successful portfolio of SUVs will strip weight due to the addition of more aluminium and other composite materials. The advanced joining processes used in producing the existing C-Class sedan will be expanded as well.
The SUV makers have come under immense pressure as emission standards around the world get stringent and in addition to the technology improvements to gain more economy, shedding weight will play a key role in competitive fuel efficiency as it cuts down carbon dioxide emissions by large amounts. In a presentation at the Center for Automotive Research’s Management Briefing Seminars, Mercedes US arm’s CEO Jason Hoff hinted at the next-gen SUVs and the joining technologies will include increased use of bonding, laser welding and riveting.
The aluminium composition will also be substantial as components like doors, bonnets, boot lids and non-structural are applied with lightweight sheet metal. In America, the Ford F-150 pickup truck has the body and bed made entirely out of aluminium which is joined by riveting, screwing and gluing processes.
As the global auto industry moves towards next level, the engineering processes in manufacturing are improving as well. The new techniques dig a big hole in the pockets of automakers and they require retooling in plant’s setup.
The best-selling C-Class sedan is not only popular in India but also abroad as Mercedes-Benz invested over a billion dollars in the significant restructuring of its Alabama assembly facility to introduce the latest gen model in 2014. The existing C-Class, enduring a redesign in late 2014, sold in the US tips the weighing scale between 1,550 and 1,840 kilograms based on the trim and option levels.
Mercedes-Benz has its local manufacturing facilities in Chakan and Pune. Given the fact that the German brand enters each potential global model within a few months of world premiere for India, the forthcoming SUVs could adapt a similar production techniques for lower curb weight and improved fuel economy.


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Or, vice versa? From Reuters:
Shares of leading Web search company Google Inc. (GOOG.O: Quote, Profile, Research) jumped 8 percent in after-hours trading after Standard & Poor’s said the company’s stock listing would be added to the S&P 500 Index on March 31.
Actually, now it’s up more than 35 bucks. Fickle, fickle, fickle. Of course, when a company makes the S&P, it makes the index buyers, and that drives demand, and demand drives the stock up.
4 thoughts on “GOOG Loves the S&P”
Here is an interesting perspective by a ex-Googler who made a substantial amount….
Search Engine Web,
I confirm what you say 🙂
I would just like to note that this does not make Google intrinsically worth anymore than it was before. It just makes it so every person on earth owns a share via an index.
@Brad Twohig I agree with you.


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Moon Dog Pie House is now open at 116 Bartram Oaks Walk.
It’s a family-friendly restaurant with a fun atmosphere and a full menu of specialty pizzas — your choice of New York or Chicago style crust — wings, subs, panini, calzones and stromboli, plus old-school Italian favorites such as lasagna, chicken parmesan and linguini with clam sauce.
Restaurateurs John Spitler and Robert Kapuschanski hope to build on the success of Kapuschanski’s Riverside restaurants, Carmine’s Pie House and Lola’s Burrito Joint.
Panera Bread adopts new food policy to remove additives
Panera Bread Co. announced this week that it now has a comprehensive food policy that makes its menu ingredients more transparent.
In addition, Panera says it will remove artificial additives (colors, flavors, sweeteners and preservatives) from the menu by the end of 2016.
You can sing and help set a world record at Steak ’n Shake
Steak ’n Shake is celebrating 80 years of Steakburgers and hand-dipped milk shakes, and you’re invited to help them achieve the Guinness world record for the largest birthday sing-along.
You can go to one of three First Coast Steak ’n Shake locations for the record attempt at 1 p.m. Saturday. If you participate, you can get a half-price Birthday Cake Milk Shake during the event. Jacksonville Steak ’n Shake restaurants at 9560 Regency Square Blvd. N., 10661 San Jose Blvd., and 9431 Phillips Highway are participating in the nationwide event.
Applebee’s on Old St. Augustine unveils new community theme
Applebee’s at 14560 Old St. Augustine Road unveiled its new local community theme earlier this week. The new look celebrates education, nonprofit organizations and first responders in the community, with photos from local professional and college sports teams, community groups and schools.
The 3,100-square-foot restaurant can fit up to 206 guests in a large dining area with new booths and lighting, as well as a new 887-square-foot outdoor patio and bar area.
New features include TV screens throughout, ranging from 42 inches to 70 inches. Exterior renovations include new paint, awnings, signage and a newly designed entrance.
Roy’s pairs with Engine 15 Brewing Co. for beer dinner
Roy’s in Jacksonville Beach is hosting an Engine 15 Brewing Co. beer dinner at 6 p.m. Wednesday, June 25. The price is $59.95 per person (excluding tax and gratuity).
Chefs have created a seasonally fresh five-course menu showcasing Roy’s Pacific Rim cuisine, paired with Engine 15’s local craft brews.
Seating is limited and reservations are required. Call (904) 241-7697.
Wells Road Kangaroo now offering Little Caesars Pizza
Little Caesars Pizza has opened in the Kangaroo Express at 1690 Wells Road in Orange Park. Little Caesars pizzas are ready for carry-out, with no waiting or need to call ahead to order.
Jersey Mike’s Subs adds location on San Jose Boulevard
Jersey Mike’s Subs, which offers fresh sliced cold or grilled subs, has opened at 12795 San Jose Blvd. Hours are 10 a.m.-9 p.m. daily. This is franchise owner Ryan McLaughlin’s fourth Jersey Mike’s location in Jacksonville.
Nursing assistants can get free lunch at area food trucks
To honor nursing assistants during Nursing Assistants Week, June 12-19, Community Hospice will offer all Northeast Florida nursing assistants a free, hot lunch from one of eight Jax Truckies food trucks in Jacksonville, Orange Park, Macclenny, Fernandina Beach and St. Augustine.
Lunch will be free when assistants show their employer-issued photo IDs from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Thursday. Others may purchase lunch at regular menu prices.
For locations and more information, visit facebook.com/communityhospicenefl or CommunityHospice.com.
Nancy White blogs about food and culture at www.nourishthebeast.com. Feast your eyes on her mouth-watering photography on Instagram @nourish_the_beast. She’s also pinning on Pinterest and posting on Flickr @nourishthebeast. If you see something happening in the dining world, email Nancy at firstname.lastname@example.org.


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May 5, 2010
SHIPPAGAN (CNB) - A new interactive website for the New Brunswick Aquarium and Marine Centre was launched today.
The website was developed and put online through a collaboration between the provincial government and the non-profit group Les Amis de l'Aquarium Inc. (friends of the aquarium).
"The New Brunswick Aquarium and Marine Centre is Atlantic Canada's largest aquarium," said Agriculture and Aquaculture Minister Ronald Ouellette. "The lively and educational nature of this new website will undoubtedly generate enthusiasm and curiosity among young Internet users, leading them to visit this magnificent tourism site."
Located in Shippagan, the New Brunswick Aquarium and Marine Centre opened in 1982 and welcomed its one-millionth visitor in August 2009.
"We are very grateful for the New Brunswick government's support in carrying out this major project," said Bernard Paulin, president of Les Amis de l'Aquarium. "We are thoroughly delighted with the quality of the product, which serves as a first-rate showcase for the New Brunswick Aquarium and Marine Centre and the Acadian Peninsula."
The website contains information about the education program for schools; children's activities; and the aquarium and its many marine species on display, including harbour seals, fish and invertebrates. It also features descriptions of the restaurant and gift shop; a calendar of activities; and numerous photos and videos.
The New Brunswick Aquarium and Marine Centre is preparing for its 28th tourism season, which will run from May 30 to Sept. 25.
MEDIA CONTACT: Laurent Robichaud, co-ordinator, development and promotion, New Brunswick Aquarium and Marine Centre, 506-336-3013.


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Advanced Micro Devices Inc. on Wednesday announced new mobile processors as it tries to bridge the power and performance gap with Intel, while trying to lower laptop prices.
The company’s new processors include its first triple-core and quad-core laptop processors as part of a new Phenom II line, which will boost application performance while reducing power consumption, AMD officials said. Mainstream laptops mostly come with dual-core chips, and adding cores brings more performance to users at lower prices.
“We’re able to hit triple-and quad-core price points at US$799,” said Leslie Sobon, vice president of marketing at AMD. Between 130 to 150 products are being designed around the new chips, which is a record for AMD.
The three quad-core and two triple-core Phenom II processors run at speeds between 1.6GHz and 2.3GHz and draw between 25 watts and 45 watts of power. The chips will be available in laptops from vendors including Dell, Hewlett-Packard and Lenovo starting later this month.
AMD also announced low-voltage Athlon II Neo and Turion II Neo processors for ultrathin laptops that run at speeds between 1.3GHz and 1.7GHz. The processors come in single-core and dual-core variants and draw between 12 watts and 15 watts of power.
The new laptop chips are an attempt by AMD to improve its weak market position and gain ground on Intel. AMD held a 12.1 percent market share in the first quarter of 2010 compared to 15 percent in the first quarter of 2009, according to IDC. Intel was the leader, holding an 87.8 percent laptop microprocessor market share in the first quarter of 2010, compared to the 84.3 percent market share from a year ago.
AMD’s CEO Dirk Meyer last month acknowledged that the company was underrepresented in the laptop market, but added that the company was making architectural improvements to its chips that could improve battery life and performance of the machines.
Intel Corp. last year gained a competitive advantage by moving to a new manufacturing process to make chips faster and more power efficient. Intel in January launched new Core i3, i5 and i7 dual-core mobile processors for laptops. The company will soon release new laptop processors for ultrathin laptops.
AMD’s triple- and quad-core offerings provide more options to buyers, AMD’s Sobon said. Computing tasks like antivirus can be off-loaded to the third core, while leaving two cores to process other applications.
PC makers including HP Co. and Dell Corp. said Intel’s package of chips facilitate longer battery life and better performance, but AMD’s new chips provide better graphics and bang-for-the-buck with performance relative to price. Meanwhile, AMD has taken big steps to close the gap with Intel, executives from the PC makers said.
HP last week launched seven new ProBook business laptops based on AMD’s new processors. Some power improvements have stretched AMD-based laptops’ battery life beyond five hours, a 72 percent improvement from laptops with AMD’s older chips. Intel-based laptops still offer performance advantages and battery life in excess of six hours, said Joanne Bugos, business notebook marketing manager at HP.
Laptops with AMD chips could be typically around 15 to 20 percent cheaper than Intel-based laptops, Bugos said. HP’s new laptops include ProBook 4325s, 4425s and 4525s laptops, which are priced starting at US$619 and will come with screens ranging from 13.3 inches to 15.6 inches. The HP ProBook 6445b, and 6555b laptops will be priced starting at $779, and will come between 14-inch and 15.6-inch screens.
AMD has started to address power and performance on its CPU and graphics offerings and is putting itself in a position of strength to catch up with Intel, said Lane McCullough, senior product planner at Dell. The PC maker likes what is seeing in AMD’s future, he said.
Dell announced new Inspiron laptops based on AMD chips including the M301z and the M501R models, which will be available with ATI integrated graphics. The laptops will offer storage of up to 640GB and support up to 8GB of memory. The M301z will come with a 13.3-inch display and include processors up to AMD’s dual-core Turion II Neo K625 processor, which runs at 1.5GHz. The laptop will be available in a few weeks in Europe, Japan and China. The M501R will come with a 15.6-inch screen and include up to AMD’s quad-core processors. It will be available later this year in Europe and the U.S.
Lenovo launched the IdeaPad Z565 laptop that will include AMD’s new chips. The laptop comes with a 15.6-inch screen, and provides four hours of battery life with a AMD Turion II N530 dual-core processor and a six-cell battery.
Lenovo declined to make comparisons between battery life provided by systems based on AMD and Intel processors.
“There are many configuration variables that play a factor in battery life, so Lenovo cannot comment on which processor offers an advantage,” a Lenovo spokeswoman said in an e-mail.
Intel chips are better for tasks that need intense computation, said Nathan Brookwood, principal analyst at Insight 64. But AMD holds some advantages, like better graphics capabilities, he said.
“What it comes down to is that folks who are sensitive to graphics and 3D may prefer the AMD solution,” Brookwood said. “But for a lot of people who don’t have strong requirements on either of those, systems based on AMD and Intel chips are almost indistinguishable.”


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PREVIEW JANUARY 2021 COVER Ellen Adarna Is Now in a Good Place, Thank You Very Much|Read more »
Tag: ten designers to watch
Preview introduces the Ten Designers to Watch for 2010 and launches an exciting project for its future emerging designers.
Preview magazine hosted a cocktail event and fashion show for the launch of the Preview Emerging Fashion Talent Awards (PEFTA), featuring this year's batch of Ten Designers to Watch: Jona Ballaran, Enrico Carado, Jaz Cerezo, Kenneth Chua, Camille Co, Noelle Llave, Nixon
A rundown of once-aspiring design talents who have since become the country's design bests.
Through the years, Preview has acknowledged the hottest emerging design talents of the country, and this year is no exception. This month they announce the promising names that make up this year’s batch, who will herald the magazine’s grand, exciting plans for


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The New York Times is picking up on the fact that Google's potential DoubleClick acquisition gets more difficult when you consider Performics, DoubleClick's search and affiliate marketing agency. In The Pangs of Two Becoming One, reporter Dan Mitchell notes that the DoubleClick deal is facing antitrust challenges from Microsoft and IBM (oh, the irony), as well as worries from privacy advocates. But the biggest challenge may well be what Google should do with Performics.
There's just no way that a conflict of interest would not arise, or at least the appearance of a conflict, which would be just as bad for Google. Every time a Performics client's site showed up at the top of the SERPs, competitors would cry foul. And every time a Performics client's site did not show up first, it would be assumed that Google is being too tough with those clients, and so those clients would eventually leave to find an agency that actually helped them improve their rank.
As we noted last week, Google appears to already be moving toward the possibility of selling off the division.
This Year's Premier Digital Marketing Event is #CZLSF
ClickZ Live San Francisco (Aug 11-14) will bring together the industry's leading online marketing practitioners to deliver 4 days of educational sessions and training workshops. From Data-Driven Marketing to Social, Mobile, Display, Search and Email, the comprehensive agenda will help you maximize your marketing efforts and ROI. Register today!


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By Dee Stewart
April 6, 2020 at 5:00 am ET
As our country continues to grapple with COVID-19, patient access to affordable health care remains a significant concern. While the Trump administration’s rapid response to this pandemic is appreciated, there is still much to be done to secure needed medications and medical products for Americans.
The Buy American Act of 1933 requires that items purchased with funds appropriated by Congress must be produced and manufactured in the United States. Medications currently do not apply under the Buy American Act and therefore do not have to follow these guidelines. Recent efforts by certain members of the administration to extend the Buy American Act of 1933 to medications and medical products would be detrimental to American health and safety, especially during a global pandemic. Issuing a Buy American executive order would require that federal agencies purchase only American-made goods, worsening medicine shortages and access to needed treatments.
Our pharmaceutical industry relies on the current global supply chain to manufacture high-quality medications at affordable costs. Most pharmaceutical products are not wholly manufactured in any single country. The United States simply does not produce the raw materials or products essential to drug development and treatments. While certain medications sold in the United States are made domestically, we rely on manufacturing plants abroad for more complex products. Further, even when made locally, active ingredients for these medications are produced in other countries. We also rely on foreign countries for access to additional medical products. Last year alone, the United States imported $45.6 billion of medical equipment for American use.
Issuing broad mandates on the global medical supply chain through Buy American will undermine American credibility abroad and erode our relationship with our closest allies. It would disrupt current treaty and trade obligations and cause distaste and possibly even retaliation from other countries. This would further contribute to shortages of critical supplies and hurt the competitiveness of important industries in America by restricting fundamental access to foreign markets.
Past proposals to combat drug costs in the United States have not prioritized free-market competition and the need for innovative cures and treatments. With the exponential growth and rapid spread of COVID-19, Americans lack vital care and access to necessary medications. Implementing a Buy American executive order will further dismantle our pharmaceutical industry. It could take up to 10 years and billions of dollars to build new facilities, secure needed supplies and comply with regulations. Requiring that raw materials, medicines and vaccines purchased by the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Defense and the Veterans Administration be American-made is simply not feasible under current conditions.
Imposing restrictions on the sourcing of needed materials and medications forces the government into the free market. This will lead to trade wars, high costs and low-quality care. Executing the Buy American order on medical products and materials associated with drug development and treatment will reduce access to needed care and limit our competitiveness. The administration’s intention to better American health care is applauded. However, expanding the Buy American mandates to the biopharmaceutical sector will just exacerbate an already pressing issue — the health of the American people during this time.
Dee Stewart is president of the Center for Innovation and Free Enterprise.
Morning Consult welcomes op-ed submissions on policy, politics and business strategy in our coverage areas. Updated submission guidelines can be found here.


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DUARTE, CA (BRAIN)—Dahon continues to experience robust sales and is on track to produce half a million bicycles in 2008, a nearly 30 percent increase from the previous year.
Pre-orders for 2009 are also strong and Dahon expects to continue its healthy growth rate.
BOULDER, CO (BRAIN)—SmartEtailing has just introduced a fully integrated consumer Wish List feature for all SmartEtailing clients' Web site catalogs.
BETHESDA, MD (BRAIN)— A group from the Bicycle Product Suppliers Association met with key staff members from the Consumer Product Safety Commission last Friday to seek guidance on some of the industry’s sticking points with the new consumer product safety law.
MORGAN HILL, CA (BRAIN)—Counterfeit high-end Specialized raod bike frames are circulating the Internet, according to a press release from the supplier.
S Works Tarmac SL framesets, sizes 52 and 54 centimeters in red and blue, are being sold on eBay, Craigslist and other regional online sources.
PLANTATION, FL (BRAIN)—DHL will stop making express deliveries within the U.S. starting January 30, closing its 18 main distribution hubs while cutting most of its 13,000 U.S. jobs.
SEATTLE, WA (BRAIN)—Nuun has hired Tim McGee in the newly formed position of vice president of sales and marketing.
"I don't want to enter an unsafe situation but you see this stuff coming out of France. There [are] some aggressive, angry emotions. If you believe what you read, my personal safety could be in jeopardy."
WOODINVILLE, WA (BRAIN)—After six years with Full Speed Ahead, Ric Hjertberg is leaving the company.
WESTPORT, CT (BRAIN)—Sales for Fox Racing Shox jumped $10.2 million in the third quarter of the year, helping to boost the bottom line of its parent company, Compass Diversified Holdings.
"New Rule: Never give up hope! I never thought it would happen. You never thought it would happen. But you'll be able to tell your grandkids that in November of 2008, the impossible did happen: Guns N' Roses released 'Chinese Democracy.'"
ATLANTA, GA (BRAIN)—Organizers have canceled the Tour de Georgia cycling race for 2009 after failing to secure sponsorship dollars in the face of a looming state budget deficit and belt tightening by many corporate sponsors.
MONTGOMERYVILLE, PA (BRAIN)—The Bicycle Product Suppliers Association (BPSA) has opened up online registration for its annual Bicycle Leadership Conference (BLC), held in conjunction with the 2009 Sea Otter Classic, April 15-17, 2009 at the Monterey Bay Embassy Suites in Seaside, CA.
MADISON, WI (BRAIN)—Trek Bicycle has signed on as title sponsor of a new women’s triathlon Series.
LAGUNA NIGUEL, CA (BRAIN)—Rock N’ Road Cyclery founder Matt Ford views the current economic slump not as an obstacle, but an opportunity.
DANA POINT, CA (BRAIN)—Darrin Duhamel said to hell with the corporate world seven years ago.
SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, CA (BRAIN)—Jim Curwood isn’t participating in the current recession.
Only at San Juan Capistrano's "Buy My Bikes" will you find this sign...we think...
"Would you like to come check out the love van?"
—Tyler James, the man behind the wheel of Pedro's biodiesel love van, to the female BRAIN editors.
LAGUNA BEACH, CA (BRAIN)—Patrick Fetzer came to Southern California because of bikes and stayed because of a girl.


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March 8 is International Women’s Day (IWD), a day dedicated in honour of women all around the world. This year’s theme is #EachforEqual, in reference to forging an enabled world by celebrating women’s achievements and raising awareness against gender bias. And while we’ve certainly come a long way, there’s still more work to be done!
Though International Women’s Day falls one day, we believe that female empowerment doesn’t (and shouldn’t) end there. There should be a continuous campaign – don’t you agree, ladies?
From a rightful shopping treat and an empowering hike, to special Women’s Day meals and more, here is a list of meaningful International Women’s Day (and beyond) events and activities around Singapore to motivate and inspire you:


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Today, Aaron Rodgers’ wallet isn’t getting any thinner, and ice cream truck drivers are pinching for dinner, but first…
|The Hustle||Sponsored by|
With regulation ’round the corner, Big Tech lobbyists suit up for the Big Leagues
After regulators announced plans to put Google, Apple, Facebook, and Amazon under the microscope on Monday, the tech giants doubled down on a defensive strategy: lobbying lawmakers.
The 4 behemoths of Big Tech spent a combined $55m lobbying in Washington last year — 2x what they spent in 2016. Now, it looks like they’re gearing up to burn an even bigger pile o’ cash.
Big Tech’s legion of loyal lobbyists
In the first quarter of this year, 238 people were registered to lobby for tech’s Big 4, and 75% of them once worked in government or on political campaigns. In typical lobbying fashion, many of them worked for the very politicians they are now paid to influence.
Since politicians on both sides of the aisle are calling for the breakup of Big Tech, the surest path to safety for tech giants is to spend and schmooze as widely as possible.
Who to trust and who to anti-trust…?
Some connections between tech and government officials are very direct: The head of the Justice Department’s antitrust division used to work as a contract lobbyist for Google.
Also, last month, the Internet Association — which represents tech companies including Facebook, Google, and Amazon — awarded its “Internet Freedom Award” to Ivanka Trump.
Other efforts by Big Tech to influence policy are less direct: Facebook, Google, and other tech giants funnel oodles of cash into think tanks across the political spectrum.
Big Tech joins the Big Lobbying Club
Antitrust arguments against Big Tech likely won’t go away any time soon.
Now, Big Tech’s lobbying machine will likely join Big Auto, Big Banks, and Big Military Contractors in lobbying’s Big Leagues — and stick around Washington for years to come.
Have trust in the anti-trust
Future hall of famer Aaron Rodgers can now call himself a current venture capitalist
Aaron Rodgers and his partners at Rx3 Ventures announced a $50m fund to focus on consumer brands.
Rx3 has already invested in companies like CorePower Yoga, Hims, and VICIS — a company that makes safer football helmets.
The trend is real
Rodgers is only the latest added to the long roster of athletes looking to score big in the investment world. In 2016, Kobe Bryant launched a $100m fund where he has invested in companies like The Players’ Tribune and LegalZoom.
Serena Williams has invested in 34 startups in the past 5 years, and basically everyone on the Golden State Warriors has made good use of their close proximity to Silicon Valley.
*Has too much cash, becomes venture capitalist*
Many famed sports stars of yesteryear postponed the true potential of their business careers until after they hung up their [insert sports shoe here].
But these days, as many teams pay their stars more than ever before, why not get started early?
|»||Get it while it’s hot|
New York City ice cream trucks seized for shirking $4.5m in fines
Revenge is a cone best served cold as New York City towed away dozens of ice cream trucks on Wednesday for financially gaming the system.
According to The New York Times, the city is accusing the truck owners of owing $4.5m in fines for roughly 22.5k unpaid parking and traffic violations.
For ice cream trucks, Manhattan is the big leagues…
With tourists willing to pay top dollar for cones in the crowded streets of Times Square, Midtown revs rampant with ice cream trucks — but, with limited parking and NYC’s stern regulations, tickets have become a crippling expense for vendors.
The city alleges an onslaught of companies — totaling a number of 76 ice cream trucks — planned a scheme to avoid paying tickets for running red lights, using bus lanes and parking in crosswalks.
In order to duck city officials seeking to collect, the corporations reportedly re-registered their trucks under different shell companies — names like Ice Boyz, Ice Mania, and Twirly Twirl Ice Inc. were a few that stood out.
Cleanin’ up the cream
34 of the 46 “worst offenders” were towed in what the city is calling “Operation Meltdown.”
Mayor Bill de Blasio said the crackdown “marks the end of the road for these scofflaw ice cream vendors” — see what he did there?
|»||I scream, you scream…|
This Oris watch doesn’t just look good, it does good…
And the 115-year-old Swiss watchmaker is taking their eco-awareness up a notch.
Oris is partnering with Pacific Garbage Screening on The Oceans Project to capture plastic before it enters the ocean — then turn it into energy.
How’s that for going green?
The Clean Ocean Limited Edition
Oris kicked off the partnership by crafting 2,000 Clean Ocean Limited Edition timepieces — a version of the high-performance Oris Aquis diver’s watch, featuring a one-of-a-kind medal made of recycled plastic in the case-back.
So, not only are you wearing one of the highest-quality diving watches available… you’re also supporting sustainable materials and manufacturing practices, as well as non-profit organizations that keep our oceans clean.
Want to wear the cause? Shop the Oris Clean Ocean watch today.
Save the sea →
- The better a dating app is, the faster you’re supposed to delete it
- Failure is spelling a word so badly that there are no spelling suggestions
- At one point, some people were pissed off because they were late to the Titanic
- Images of Earth are actually group selfies where no one paid attention to the camera
- A person carrying a cup of fresh coffee in each hand is defenseless and quite dangerous simultaneously
- via Reddit
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Japanese minister woos Sri Lanka
Interest in Sri Lanka’s ports is increasing as other countries bid to stop Chinese expansion.
Japanese Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera, led the way with a late August visit and stopped at the controversial Port of Hambantota, leased to the Chinese for 99 years.
“As a defence minister, I think that it is very important to build a relationship with Sri Lanka, which is a particularly important location in the 'free and open' Indo-Pacific Strategy," Mr Onodera said in a statement.
Japanese ships regularly enter the ports of Trincomalee and Hambantota, Mr Onodera added.
The Minister discussed the issue with India’s Defence Minister, Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman, and the two agreed to more co-operation.
“We’re also excited to try out the air logistics hub concept which utilizes Sri Lanka’s strategic location in the Indian Ocean,” said Robert Hilton, chargé d’affaires ad interim of the United States Embassy in Colombo in Sri Lanka.
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Over the weekend, after under-performed stock-market debut, the ride-hailing giant is parting ways with two of Chief Executive Dara Khosrowshahi’s top lieutenants in a major leadership overhaul. Barney Harford, the chief operating officer, and Rebecca Messina, the chief marketing officer, are both leaving the company.
Khosrowshahi is now set to oversee the core functions of the company, and two long standing Uber executives are being promoted to fill in responsibilities, according to the email. Andrew Macdonald, vice president of Americas operations and business development, will head operations. Jill Hazelbaker, senior vice president of communications and public policy, will take on oversight of the marketing department.
Uber had largely shielded Harford from the public spotlight after he was the subject of an internal review over what some employees described as racially insensitive remarks he made last year. The investigation was closed last year and found no evidence of discrimination, the company said. Behind the scenes, Harford led much of Uber’s business, though he remained a divisive figure.
Messina’s worked at Uber lasted just nine months. She had moved to the top ranks at Coca-Cola Co. and at Uber, she was appointed as one of Khosrowshahi’s top executive staffs until now. However, Part of the reason for the change, Khosrowshahi wrote to staff, is that “marketing is so important to our business, and our brand continues to be challenged.”
Khosrowshahi sent Harford off with an appreciative note on Twitter: “Barney is a talented businessperson, and I can’t thank Barney enough for all of his contributions in helping us get to and through the IPO,” he wrote. “On a personal level, I’ve appreciated his strategic mind, analytical chops, and unflagging passion and efforts for our mission.” The reason for Harford’s stepping down is an apparent consensus that “the COO role no longer makes sense” at Uber. Harford and Khosrowshahi relationship dates back a decade to when the two were competing against each other as the CEOs of Orbitz and Expedia, respectively.
In an email Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi detailing the moves, which reads:
“We’ve made so much progress over the last two years, and Uber is in a far better spot both internally and externally. I now have the ability to be even more involved in the day-to-day operations of our biggest businesses, the core platform of Rides and Eats, and have decided they should report directly to me,” Khosrowshahi wrote. “Given this, Barney and I have agreed that the COO role no longer makes sense, and he’s decided to leave Uber.”
“Over the years, I’ve learned that at every critical milestone, it’s important to step back and think about how best to organize for the future. Given that we’re a month past the IPO, now is one of those times,” Khosrowshahi wrote in a Friday email to employees. “I now have the ability to be even more involved in the day-to-day operations of our biggest businesses, the core platform of Rides and Eats, and have decided they should report directly to me.”
It’s tremendous stock market fall in its first month as a publicly traded company, as investors question its ability to someday turn a profit. The company posted a $1.01-billion loss—The No. 1 ride-hailing company has struggled in the weeks following its initial public offering. Its stock broke above its IPO price of $45 per share for the first time since its May 10 public debut and shares fell as much as 2.3% in extended trading.


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LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Dodgers have entered into a multi-year agreement with Japan’s largest and 5-Star airline, All Nippon Airways (ANA), that will make the Tokyo-based company the team’s Official Japanese Airline Partner.
The Dodgers will showcase All Nippon Airways in signage behind home plate at Dodger Stadium and at the Dodgers’ Spring Training home at Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Arizona. ANA branding will also appear on the Dodger Stadium outfield wall and the team’s backdrop for select media interviews during home and away games. ANA will serve as the presenting partner of select promotional stadium giveaways throughout the term.
“The Dodgers are excited to take flight with All Nippon Airways as a corporate partner for the 2024 season and beyond,” said Lon Rosen, Executive Vice President & Chief Marketing Officer, Los Angeles Dodgers. “We are taking advantage of several of our platforms to showcase the ANA brand. Together, these displays will drive brand exposure for ANA to more than 4 million in-stadium fans and millions of fans watching from home.”
All Nippon Airways serves over 100 global destinations and more than 40 million passengers annually, the most of any airline based in Asia. Alongside its six subsidiary operators, ANA also provides cargo and mail transportation services. Renowned for its attentive service, ANA is dedicated to delivering superior air travel experiences to all its passengers.
"Amid increasing interest and excitement in Japan toward the Dodgers, we are honored to become a proud partner of the Los Angeles Dodgers," ANA President and CEO Shinichi Inoue said. “We look forward to bringing the excitement as we connect fans between the U.S. and Japan alongside this esteemed team.”


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Apple decidedly has appear a new iPod Touch model. This is not advised to absolution the absolute 32GB and 64GB iPod Touch models, but instead to action a new slimmer, 16GB bargain iPod Touch option.
The rumor comminute for Apple’s next-generation smartphone has been churning after rest, and speculations – and some fantasies – of its appearance accept absorbed the iPhone fans, while the California-based tech behemothic has not yet accepted any detail on the device.The much-fantasized apparatus will be appear in June 2014, according to Jefferies analyst Peter Misek, [...]
Today news came out that Apple will delay the release date of their new mini tablet, iPad Mini 2. This news came to light after the refusal of its iPad Mini trade mark application.
There is a buzz in the tech world about what we can possibly expect from the Apple’s latest mini tablet, named as iPad Mini 2. Here we look at some of the possible features of iPad Mini 2.
Apple will launch is smaller iPad this week, and tech world is waiting what is Apple had to offer in it’s latest Tablet. Here we look at what is expected from the Apple’s latest product, named as Mini iPad.
Apple are ready to revolutionize the Tablet market by launching iPad Mini. Rumors are that Apple will launch the Mini iPad in October.
Apple today released a new version of iOS that could fixes bugs on the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. Apple’s iOS 5.1.1 includes five fixes, including a bug that could prevent the new iPad from switching between 2G and 3G networks. It also improves the dependability of using the camera’s HDR option from the [...]


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Wrocław, Poland – Polish PU foam maker Selena has reported improved financial results for 2022, posting revenues of more than PLN1.96bn (€426m), up 13.6% compared with a year earlier. Operating profit was up 65.7% year-on-year to PLN154m (€33.3m).
The company stated that its investments in factories last year enabled it to upgrade and expand their capacities. It is also working to boost its exports to a number of western markets.
“The strong results recorded in 2022 only confirm that we have chosen the right strategy, adapted to individual markets, and that we are on track towards meeting our goals,” Jacek Michalak, Selena Group’s CEO, said in a statement.
“The outbreak of the war in Ukraine had a big impact on doing business in the east,” he said. “Due to the geopolitical situation, we reoriented our strategic growth direction from the east to the west. We see potential in, for example, western countries of the EU, NATO-protected countries, the US and Brazil.”
He added that revenues in both North and South America were up strongly on the back of business development. “We hope that the armed conflict across the eastern border will end as soon as possible and we will be able to return to our traditional markets, although we are set to maintain our growth in the west,” he said.
Selena’s COO Roman Dziuba said the company aims to further boost its flexibility through a diversified and growing portfolio of products. “A proper distribution of production capacity across countries is also important,” he said. “We have concentrated on technological development of our plants, for example in Dzierżoniów, in Bolu, Turkey and in Quer, Spain, investing in equipment and production lines, in automation and robotization, as well as in raising safety standards.”
In addition to Poland, Spain and Turkey, the company also has production facilities in Brazil, China, Kazakhstan, Romania and South Korea, with a global workforce of about 1800. It sells its products, with brands including Tytan Professional, Quilosa, Artelit and Cool-R in about 100 markets worldwide.
Currency conversion: xe.com


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By Jai-Leen James, Contributing Reporter
MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA – Sports Illustrated Swimsuit is hosting an in-person, open casting call at the W South Beach on Friday, July 12th. The event coincides with Miami Swim Week 2019 which is running on Miami Beach from Thursday, July 11th through Tuesday, July 16th.
Launching some of the biggest names in the business including Christie Brinkley, Elle Macpherson, Heidi Klum, Chrissy Teigen, Kate Upton, Ashley Graham and more, Sports Illustrated is back on the beach to find undiscovered talent.
Celebrating body positivity and diversity, this year is set to be bigger than ever, with W South Beach hosting the SI Swimsuit Model Search that’ll bring over 5,000 hopefuls to the property, along with fashion shows by top designers and parties throughout the weekend.
MJ Day, Editor of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit, explained, “This is the second annual in-person, open casting call the team has hosted. Two years in a row in one of our favorite cities, Miami! […] In terms of turn out, Miami never disappoints. There are so many beautiful and unique women based here but that also fly in from around the country.”
Adding “The winner of our 2019 Model Search, Brooks Nader, came to our open casting call last year in Miami. She will now be a Rookie for our 2020 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. In addition, the six Model Search finalists featured in this year’s issue attended last year’s Miami event.”
Model contestants will be interviewed, mentored and deliberated by the swimsuit models from the 2019 SI Swimsuit edition. The open casting call provides an opportunity for both new and established models to meet with the SI Swimsuit team and demonstrate why they should be in the 2020 issue.
Attendees are asked to arrive using the 2201 Collins Avenue entrance and meetings with the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit team begin at 8AM. In addition to the open casting, applicants can submit their content online using #SISwimSeach on Instagram. If selected, contestants will receive an email with information on the next steps.
All model search contestants must be 18-years-old and up and are asked to keep an open and flexible schedule. Those invited to the callback may also need to be available Saturday, July 13th and Sunday, July 14th as well.
W South will be hosting a Swim Fashion Bazaar on Saturday and Sunday in The Grove on Saturday, July 13th and Sunday, July 14th from 10AM to 5PM. Hundreds of VIP hotel guests, influencers, media and models will be in attendance to shop swimwear brands, accessories, F&B pop-ups and more.
Then, on Sunday, July 14th, the Sports Illustrated SI Runway Show will take place at the W South Beach at 10PM (doors open at 9PM). Spectators can see which of the 5,000 hopefuls made the cut to walk in the iconic SI Runway Show. Past cover stars, runway models and SI legends will also be featured in the show.


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A treasure trove of rare Highland Park single malt discovered in Japanese warehouses has been re-released onto the UK market.
The limited edition Bicentenary 1977 Vintage was originally launched in 1998 to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the Orkney distillery. International demand was on an unprecedented scale and the bottling sold out almost immediately, fast becoming a collectors' item.
Jason Craig, global controller, Highland Park said: "We were astounded to discover this rare stock in our previous distributor's warehouses in Japan. This is a very special expression of Highland Park and one which we thought had sold out and been consumed long ago. The Japanese have long been recognised as discerning consumers and collectors of single malt whisky and, as a result, a significant proportion made the journey to Tokyo and beyond. We decided to repatriate the remaining Bicentenary 1977 Vintage bottles to celebrate its extended Japanese sabbatical and offer whisky lovers a rare opportunity to enjoy this incredible single malt again."
The 21 Years Old single malt (40% abv) was awarded 9 Â½ out of 10 in issue 5 of Whisky Magazine by the late Michael Jackson, considered by many as the greatest whisky writer of them all, who said the single malt had "astonishing complexity and length". It also remains the favourite expression of Highland Park for both Distillery Manager, Russell Anderson, and Head of Brand Education, Gerry Tosh.
Just 694 bottles of the Bicentenary 1977 Vintage will be released onto the market at £250 and strong demand is expected from collectors, particularly as the first release of this edition sold for £69.99 and can now fetch £300 and upwards at specialist whisky auctions.
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The same report also says that the new 5.85 “and 6.46” iPhone are in operation and that the OLED screens come from more vendors. All this is based on “sources” from the supply chain that talk to the investor, so take it with a little salt for the time being.
Earlier reports indicate that Apple had planned to discontinue production of iPhone X after its successors appeared on the market, but according to a report by The Investor, this is not the case. It is said that the current top-tier mobile phone will remain as the smallest and probably the cheapest of the full-size iPhone.
Select Your iPhone Model
This dual CD, LCD, and OLED-based approach would be in line with what Apple did last year with iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone X. On the drawing board there is also another model with a screen with a screen diagonal of 6.0 to 6.1 inches, but it is finally scrapped, says DigiTimes.
In the meantime, DigiTimes analysts weigh four more iPhones, three of which will see the light of day: a 5.7-5.8-inch LCD model, a 6.0-6.1-inch LCD model, and a 6.4-6.5-inch OLED model. Of course, not everyone can be right.
The report also states that the new iPhone SE 2 will make all in full-size iPhone, which will be launched in the spring. Apparently, it will be equipped with a glass for wireless charging, but it will not have the 3D recognition technology required for facial recognition.


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It looks like Facebook-megaproducer Zynga may be readying themselves to attempt a spiritual successor to FarmVille. The company is currently working on a title which looks to be under the ‘temporary’ name of Big Harvest. Whether the name will eventually by changed to, say, Farmville 2, remains a mystery for now.
Regardless of titling, it’s safe to say that Big Harvest is big news for any follower of either Zynga or Facebook games.
FarmVille has been a giant in terms of revenue for Zynga, but the former behemoth has been losing ground to games like CityVille and other cash giants for some time now. With the farm-friendly game bringing in 29% of Zynga’s fiscal revenue, the company will be playing their cards extremely carefully whilst trying to implement such a sequel.
This isn’t new territory for Zynga – when they tried to transition users from Mafia Wars to Mafia Wars 2, a large amount of their cash whales (people who purchase a significant amount of e-product) quit playing the sequel within weeks. If this happened with Big Harvest, their income would suffer a critical blow.
With Zynga being valued between $15-20 billion, funding is certainly no problem for studio which has been occasionally accused of nefariousness. It looks like the development quality has been high, with a plush new 3D system in place with more lively graphics to keep users interested. There are also several new features to Big Harvest, like the ability to turn crops into feed and taking milk and eggs from animals. As the game comes closer to being released to the public, more new features – and ways to sell digital content – are sure to be revealed.
Zynga refused to comment on the current state of the product, but hinted to TechCrunch that a FarmVille sequel was certainly in the cards:
“We don’t comment on what we may or may not be working on. What we can tell you is that we’re always looking for ways to bring players the best experience by listening to their feedback and continuously innovating on our games.”
It goes without saying that this looks to be Zynga’s biggest challenge yet, and one that can either harvest a successful increase in profits, or seriously damage their main source of income.
Would you be excited for a FarmVille sequel? Do you think Zynga could successfully transition their users over to a new farming game?
Follow me on Twitter @Makelevi.


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Hey guys Megan Graddy here for this week’s Flavors we visited Bentonville at the Stone Mill Café where they are celebrating 20 years of serving their community and their recent expansion to Bentonville.
“Well where great taste comes naturally is the slogan that has been used at Stone Mill Bread for 20 years,” said Terry Comer, Owner of Stone Mill Café.
But their family tradition has just begun…
“To be able to be connected with the great icon that Stone Mill Bread has become in Fayetteville and extend that into Bentonville has been awesome,” said Comer.
“When they decided to come here we were all excited especially to get some fresh bread,” said Eileen Guillory.
“It’s is baked fresh in our production facility in Springdale and delivered daily, people really appreciate the freshness and the fact that everything we make is wholesome,” said Comer.
“You are having a fresh homemade sandwich,” said Guillory.
“Our chicken salad supreme is our biggest seller,” said Comer.
“I could just get a loaf of bread and a pint of the chicken salad and be good to go,” said Kristi King.
They also serve breakfast so they have menu options for every meal.
“We open up at 7am and our breakfast sandwiches are awesome,” said Comer.
And they also have a convenient drive through.
“It’s strictly call in and then we will prepare it for you; it’s usually ready in about 10 – 15 minutes and ready for pick up,” said Comer.
People can tell the difference, quality is a big thing because this is a family business and we are able to provide all of that as a value and customer service is huge with us” said Comer.
“We have Ozark Trail Bars which are very popular here, blueberry, triple berry, and chocolate chip has been introduced here at this café,” said Comer.
“Delicious I mean, like my favorite… my daughter has a nut allergy so this is great because she can’t have regular bars,” said Comer.
“We feel really privileged and blessed to be able to extend Stone Mill to Bentonville; we really want to continue the tradition of excellence, pride of ownership, and desire to delight customers that goes into every Stone Mill product,” said Comer.
With this week’s Flavors until next time, I’m Megan Graddy.
Segment Sponsored By: Stone Mill Café


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Finland-based Nokia, the worlds largest handset maker, sold 107.6 million mobile devices in the first quarter, and its share (25.1 percent) dipped 5.5 percentage points year over year.
Nokia will aggressively lower average selling prices in markets where communications service providers control the sales channels, in order to maintain shipments of Symbian devices while waiting for its first Windows Phone 7 devices to reach the market,” stated Gartner, referring to Nokias partnership with Microsoft to incorporate the Windows Phone 7 software in its handsets. Nokia will face challenges from Android competitors and from some Japan-induced supply constraints.”
Gartner found that Samsung the second-largest handset supplier recorded its strongest first quarter ever as the company sold higher end smartphones like its Galaxy line. Samsung holds 16.1 percent market share and sold roughly 68.8 million devices in the first quarter.
Meanwhile, Googles Android continues its ascent, ranking as the most popular operating system in smartphones with 36 percent market share, followed by Symbian (27.4 percent; the platform that Nokia is replacing with Microsoft Windows 7) and Apples iOS (16.8 percent).
Roberta Cozza, principal research analyst with Gartner, said Nokias retirement of Symbian and adoption of Windows Phone 7 will precipitate a competitors rush to capture Symbians market share in the midtier.”
Gartner found that smartphones represented 23.6 percent of overall sales in the first quarter, representing an increase of 85 percent year over year.
This share could have been even higher, but manufacturers announced a number of high-profile devices during the first quarter of 2011 that would not ship until the second quarter of 2011,” Cozza said. We believe some customers delayed their purchases to wait for these models.”
For more statistics on mobile phone sales in the first quarter, check out Gartners press release.


text: Barnesville is abuzz with Barnesville Buggy Days. With near-perfect weather, the 39th annual event boasts fun for all.There will be 71 vendors selling handmade items on Main Street from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Buggies will be on display outdoors and in the Old Jail Museum. Food will be available from 19 civic clubs, churches and other organizations at the food court. Local merchants offer a variety of wares.The parade, featuring buggies, floats, horses and civic groups, begins at 2 p.m. led by Grand Marshals and Outstanding Citizens of the Year Missy Kendrick and Amanda Rose. From Summers Field, the parade will make its way downtown onto Main Street.There will be local marching bands, dancers and Shriners.There will be an antique car display ‘“ some cars will be in the parade ‘“ and the Buggy Blast kids park in the United Bank parking lot where children may purchase a wristband for $10.Each wristband is good for an entire day of unlimited games and activities.Live music on the entertainment stage includes the Kim Ozier Studio of Dance, Kids in Motion, Pike Junior Players, Dixieland Dulcimers and The Big John and Chevy Show. The train depot will hold works of art from local Lamar County citizens.At Summers Field, gates will open for the Old Fashioned Games at 6 p.m. Games start at 7 p.m.Admission is $2 per person with children 4 and under free. The fireworks show will begin around 9:30 p.m. Kids park, arts and crafts and food continue Sunday, Sept. 16 from 1-5 p.m. with Church in the Courtyard at 10 a.m. at Barnesville Presbyterian Church. Entertainment Sunday will include Journey To, Autumn Clark, Earl Hatchett and Teddy Rewis and Franklin Washington.


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Lovers of popcorn buckets, we’ve got another one for you!
We’ve told you about some of the Halloween popcorn buckets you can find in Disney World during the spooky season and sometimes we see popcorn buckets surprisingly return at unexpected times of the year, so while we encourage you to grab something you love when you see it, there’s a slim chance it could return if you don’t! A new popcorn bucket has made its way into Disneyland that you’ll definitely want to check out!
There’s a new Rainbow Ombre Mickey Popcorn Bucket available in Disneyland for $18.25!
The popcorn bucket has Mickey’s face on the front and goes through the colors of the rainbow with red at the top and purple at the bottom.
The strap is also rainbow! You can grab this popcorn bucket at popcorn stands all over Disneyland. Gay Days at Disneyland is this weekend, and you can celebrate with this fun bucket. Last year, Gay Days was held in September in Disneyland, and this year is following the same schedule.
Looking for other special events in Disney? If you’re graduating you have your own after-hours event that’s going up a bit in price next year, and you can visit Tiana’s new store very soon!
As always, stay tuned to AllEars for all the latest Disney news.
What’s your favorite popcorn bucket you’ve seen? Let us know in the comments below!