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Amazon Ring video doorbell 'invades' neighbour privacy
Occurred: October 2021
A judge has ruled that Amazon-manufactured CCTV cameras and a Ring doorbell installed by Jon Woodard, a houseowner in Oxfordshire, UK, 'unjustifiably invaded' the privacy and contributed to the harassment of his neighbour Dr Mary Fairhurst.
Dr Fairhurst had claimed that the devices installed on Mr Woodard's house and garden shed captured images of her house, garden and parking space, and recorded personal conversations.
Amazon customers were unable to switch off the audio recording facility on Ring doorbells until 2020, with the company requested that customers 'respect their neighbours' privacy, and comply with any applicable laws when using their Ring device.'
Sector: Consumer goods
Purpose: Strengthen security
Technology: CCTV; Computer vision
Issue: Privacy; Surveillance
Published: October 2021


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Wilton ratings giant analyzes ‘plan to 2020’ after tax reform
Nielsen Holdings is on the cusp of tapping a “gold mine” of benefits, in the words of its CEO, the result of federal tax reform and the automation of processes and the transfer of some work to three “super hubs” in Mexico, Malaysia and Poland.
Incorporated in the United Kingdom and listing its U.S. headquarters in New York City, Nielsen has more than 130 locations in the United States, including executive offices in Wilton, where CEO Mitch Barns and several other senior executives work. The company’s Nielsen Sports division has an office in downtown Stamford, with Nielsen also having a location in Shelton.
Known best for its Nielsen Watch ratings used by advertisers to assess the TV viewing habits of residential “panelists” it recruits, Nielsen provides an array of measurement services, ranging from analysis of supermarket sales of fresh food; to speedy feedback from real consumers as corporations brainstorm new products; to the returns corporate clients can expect from what they spend marketing goods and services.
Nielsen is now looking to increase its own profit margins under a “plan to 2020” program it revealed in November to carve out $500 million in annual savings. The initiative includes the new overseas hubs; a fresh agreement with the Indian-based outsourcing giant Tata Group valued at more than $2.2 billion through 2025; and emerging tools to automate work performed manually in the past.
“All three of the super hubs are now up and running, and we’re shifting work that exists within the local markets into those super hubs,” Barns said Thursday morning during a conference call. “On the automation of Watch operations, ... (it) reduces the number of visits that our field reps need to make to the panelists’ homes, which is a big efficiency driver. So the more markets that we can take that new metering technology to, the better — and obviously the U.S. is the big market.”
Importance of subscription TV
Nielsen has been working to adapt to the digital age, with its weekly top 10 ratings now including social media audience measurement. Super Bowl LII was last week’s runaway winner, with Nielsen measuring nearly 171 million “interactions” on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, more than eight times as many Nielsen tracked for President Trump’s State of the Union speech.
In the digital streaming era, some have questioned whether the company’s systems capture the actual viewership of video content being seen on the myriad devices available today. Upstarts are introducing new platforms to gauge those audiences, including Tru Optik, which has been hiring rapidly at its main office in Stamford.
On Thursday, Barns noted Nielsen’s recent introduction of a product to help clients measure the impact of advertising on subscription-based platforms like Amazon Prime and Netflix.
“There hasn’t really been (a) good, standardized measurement ... to compare it to spending money on just a normal TV ad,” Barns said. “We see this growing in importance in the marketplace, in particular because of the viewing that’s continuing to grow on subscription, video-on-demand platforms.”
Implications of tax reform
Nielsen revenue rose 4 percent last year to $6.6 billion, but profits ebbed 15 percent to $429 million. That was the result of a $104 million charge against earnings Nielsen recorded in the fourth quarter after calculating the impact of the new federal Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, with the company seeing a 6 percent increase in earnings if subtracting the impact of the tax law and other non-operating elements.
In 2018, Nielsen expects revenue topping $6.9 billion and profits between $500 million and $525 million, including the impact of $85 million in restructuring charges it anticipates. Last year, Nielsen recorded $80 million in restructuring charges, much of it in the form of employee severance as the result of job cuts accompanying “productivity initiatives” in the company’s words. Nielsen had entered the year with 46,000 employees.
With the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act designed to incentivize corporate investment in the United States, Nielsen is still working through the implications of the new law and how it might influence its decisions going forward.
“The key for us on tax reform is, we have great momentum in some of these initiatives,” said Jamere Jackson, chief financial officer of Nielsen, speaking Thursday. “The (law) is a pretty complicated piece of legislation, particularly for multinationals such as Nielsen, and ... while the corporate rate has dropped, there are a number of deductions that have been reduced or eliminated.”
Alex.Soule@scni.com; 203-842-2545; @casoulman

domain: news


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For fans, the last Dynasty Warriors 8 was two years ago. With its impending release on early 2018 and all the exciting teasers, two years are the worth the wait.
Koei Tecmo revealed at the Tokyo Game Show 2017 about the initial launching window of the Dynasty Warriors 9. Furthermore, it will be released worldwide.
The Japanese version of the game will only be PS4-exclusive. Meanwhile, the English version will be published on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC via Steam.
Dynasty Warriors 9 Background
A new trailer for the upcoming game was also released at the Tokyo Game Show 2017. The trailer was about the new features, new environments, and a new feature named State Combo system.
In this system, there are a whole lot of attacks that your character can adapt while playing. There are three categories: Flow Attack, Reactive Attack, and Trigger Attack.
The Flow Attack is about combos that change depending on the enemy’s position. This kind of attack continues even when the enemy is stunned or mid-air.
Then, the Reactive Attack is the most versatile type of attack and can range from counterattacks to finish moves, etc. Finally, the Trigger Attack is about forcibly changing the enemy’s state. All of these aim to make the game’s fighting fiercer and smoother.
There are a total of 83 characters returning in this game from the previous Dynasty Warrior 8: Empires. Of course, new characters will be added. So far, Xu Sheng Zhou Cang, Man Chong, and Cheng Pu are introduced.
The game can be played differently depending on the player. You can pick whether you want to participate in clashes, side missions, wars, skirmishes, etc. Moreover, there are battles like guerilla and scouting missions too.
There is no price listing about the game yet as it was just announced. Also, the release window was only announced and not the exact month or date. For now, fans of the game will have to wait for further announcements in the coming weeks.


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Apple Tablet: Would you pay $1,000?
Rumors are building that on Jan. 27 Apple will unveil an as-yet-unnamed “tablet” device on which users will be able to listen to music, watch TV, read books and newspapers, and play games. Although the famously secretive company is refusing to comment on the speculation, the Wall Street Jounal is reporting that Apple's Tablet will go on sale in March and retail for $1,000—the same price as the company's lower-end laptops and many times more expensive than, for example, an iPhone or an Amazon Kindle e-reader. Can Apple persuade cash-strapped consumers to drop a thousand bucks for this new variety of gizmo?
America is ready to pay Apple's price: Apple has picked its timing well, writes Ben Kunz at Business Week. The "world is recovering from its Wall Street hangover" and "gadget demand is pent up among Americans who held off on toy upgrades during the recession." If you want to be an "early adopter," then yes, you will pay an "artificially high price" as "penance," but "within two years the price will fall to $199"—and in the meantime the Tablet will "change the world."
"Five Ways Apple's Tablet May Change the World"
Pay the price for what, exactly? A thousand bucks is a lot to pay for what sounds like a "giant iPhone on steroids," says Ben Parr at Mashable. After all, you can buy a laptop with a "giant screen, 500GB of space, and 4GB of RAM" for the same amount. What the Tablet needs is a "killer feature" to justify the price, something unprecedented like "free nationwide Wi-Fi" or a "one-of-a-kind interface." Whatever it is, it had better "impress the pants off us," or the "Apple Tablet is sure to fail."
"Can Apple's Tablet Succeed with a $1000 Price Tag?"
Apple knows what it's doing: Don't underestimate Apple, says MG Siegler at TechCrunch. After all, it has always shown a "masterful hand" at "manipulating the media." Maybe it deliberately started this pricing rumor "to set expectations very low." Then, when the actual price of $800 is announced, "the public will erupt in applause." And even if it launches at the full, four-digit price, the company could quickly "shave a few hundred dollars off the price" to "spur sales," just as it did with the iPod. Even at $1,000, "I would not bet against this device."
"The Pricing Smoke Around The Tablet Fire"


text: Donggang Shares announced that on March 2nd, the State Administration of Taxation, Beijing Municipal Bureau of Taxation issued the "Statement of the State Administration of Taxation, Beijing Municipal Administration of Taxation on the Implementation of Blockchain Electronic Ordinary Invoices. Under the leadership of the Beijing Municipal Taxation Bureau, the subsidiary Donggang Ruihong provided the application and support based on blockchain technology, and issued the first electronic blockchain invoice in Beijing on March 3, 2020. The block chain electronic invoice issued by Beijing was led by Beijing Municipal Taxation Bureau. Donggang Ruihong provided technical support. Ruihong.com provided query and verification services according to authorization. The implementation of this project is conducive to the advancement of the company's blockchain electronic invoice project, and is conducive to the development of blockchain-related projects. At present, the company's blockchain project is still in its infancy and promotion stage, and it has not yet brought significant impact on the improvement of the company's overall operating performance. Investors are kindly requested to pay attention to investment risks.


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Ford Raptor Upgrades Hardware for 2019 Model Year
Ford’s F-150 Raptor is one of the meanest off-roaders you can purchase from the factory and, for the 2019 model year, the automaker’s doing its part to further improve its trail worthiness. Instead of going for visual upgrades that might tempt impulsive shoppers, Ford is sticking with hardware and technology.
The 2019 Raptor will receive upgraded shocks, Recaro sport seats, and a new Trail Control system that allows the pickup to cruise through seriously rugged terrain at low speeds — allowing the driver to focus on steering, instead of maintaining momentum and traction. According to the manufacturer, the system automatically adjusts power and braking to each individual wheel and is functional up to speeds of 20 mph. It also works for hill ascent and descent, even on craggy landscapes.
While a lot of the fun of off-roading is controlling the vehicle on dicey terrain, Trail Control sounds like a good helper for those who aren’t interested in doing it all of the time, or perhaps lack the necessary skills. A neat feature, but we’re more excited by the new suspension setup.
Developed with help from Fox, the shocks include updated internal bypass valves that can electronically adjust damping. The system continuously adapts to changing conditions to maximize ride comfort, handling, and resist bottoming out in extreme situations.
“By automatically varying compression rates, Raptor can now make the most of its suspension travel of 13 inches at the front and 13.9 inches at the rear,” said Hermann Salenbauch, global director of Ford Performance. “The 2019 Raptor is not just more capable off-road. It’s smarter.”
Ford says the Raptor’s new shocks, paired with the terrain management system, does everything from smoothing out bumps on the highway to helping the truck settle in after a jump. “Not many trucks need sensors to detect when you are midair,” Salenbauch boasted. “Raptor sets the dampers to full stiffness to help smooth shock performance as the truck lands.”
Airtime should be easy enough to come by, too. Even though the pickup won’t see an engine upgrade for the coming model year, the Raptor’s 3.5-liter twin-turbo V6 still sends an impressive 450 horsepower and 510 lb-ft of torque to all four wheels via its 10-speed automatic transmission.
Further improvements to the Raptor include new Recaro sport seats. Prettier than the standard buckets in the current model, Ford says they’re intended as a functional upgrade. They do appear to have a teensy bit more bolstering on the sides and the blue Alcantara inserts will definitely be better at keeping you from sliding around on than smooth leather. Unfortunately, they’re an optional extra.
Despite an adherence to hardware, Ford didn’t abandon the Raptor’s looks entirely. There are a few new colors for 2019, including Performance Blue (dark), Velocity Blue (light) and Agate Black. The automaker also says there are new graphics on the back end, which aren’t immediately obvious. Ford just changed the lettering on the tailgate to a contrasting color. New beadlock-capable wheels are another option for those who like the look or who intend on slamming partially deflated tires into rocks every weekend.
Production of the 2019 F-150 Raptor should commence at the Dearborn Truck Plant later this year.
[Images: Ford Motor Co.]
Consumer advocate tracking industry trends, regulation, and the bitter-sweet nature of modern automotive tech. Research focused and gut driven.
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- Parkave231 I can't wait to see the ads in 2068 about someone buying "the last Mustang," putting it in plastic, and then charging $125k for it, just like people did with Grand Nationals and GNXs.
- Analoggrotto While ATPs and Telluride sales continue to rise to defeat our unsophisticated competition and unsophisticated customers.
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- Art_Vandelay I wish. Love the 70 series
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Seventy-four days after the iPhone was introduced at $US600 a pop, one million were sold. The Droid, at $US200, 1.05 million. The Nexus One? An estimated 135,000 units. By any measure, that’s a total sales flop.
Sure, the Nexus One is only sold online and though T-Mobile, but 135,000 units is a ridiculously tiny amount. Especially when the Nexus One was announced for a long time on the most popular web page in the world: The Google home page. Only the Nexus One and Google’s Chrome have been announced in that page, watched by a gigazillion people every day.
Even worse: The sale rate is declining. After its first month, the Nexus One sold 80,000 units. That’s means that only 55,000 additional units sold in the next month. For a mobile phone that is being named and talked about every single day by every single tech publication, and often mentioned in the mainstream media, that’s quite embarrassing.
Why is this happening? The Nexus One is a nice mobile phone, after all. Is it really that you can only buy it online? The iPad sold online, for a higher price and without no phone capabilities, yet it sold an estimated 152,000 units in the first weekend.


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Getting people to believe that high-end virtual reality is truly immersive can be difficult if they haven’t tried devices like the Oculus Rift or HTC Vive first-hand.
That gap of disbelief gets even wider when you try to convince the uninitiated that incredibly detailed, near retail-ready 3D-printed models are being born in VR, but this week we got our best example of exactly what’s possible.
On Tuesday, Oculus character artist Giovanni Nakpil posted an amazingly detailed, 3D-printed model of an ogre modeled in Oculus Medium, the VR sculpting app, and then output via 3D printer. Read more…
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Oct. 17, 2013 - CVS/pharmacy, America's leading retail pharmacy, today announced the launch of a savings revolution that reinvents the American shopping staple – the weekly sales circular. Customers can now sign up for myWeekly Ad, a first-of-its-kind digital circular experience powered by the CVS/pharmacy ExtraCare program. The new circular serves up a personalized version of the sales ad for each customer, making it even easier to save both time and money.
Read more: CVS/pharmacy Launches myWeekly Ad
Oct. 16, 2013 - As tip-off for the 2013-14 NBA season nears, Adidas and the NBA will debut an all-new premium collection of on-court apparel. The NBA On-Court Collection will outfit all 30 NBA teams with the most innovative performance and on-trend style. To celebrate the new season, the adidas NBA On-Court Collection includes several items that players will wear on game days including the On-Court Warm-Up Jacket and Pant, Varsity Warm-Up Jacket, Long-Sleeve Shooting Shirt and Short-Sleeve Shooting Shirt.
Read more: Adidas, NBA debut new on-court collection
Oct. 15, 2013 - Warren Buffett's popular television and online series, Secret Millionaires Club, continues to expand with the introduction of Business in a Box, an all-new product from A Squared Entertainment that teaches kids the fundamentals of financial literacy through interactive play. The kit includes toys, activities and DVDs, and is now available for preorder exclusively at Toysrus.com and will be rolling into stores later this month.
Read more: Warren Buffett's Secret Millionaires Club Intros 'Business in a Box' at Toys"R"Us
October 14, 2013 – A global icon meets the most popular family in the world, as Sanrio, Inc. and Twentieth Century Fox Consumer Products come together for a first-of-its-kind design collaboration featuring Hello Kitty and The Simpsons. Announced today, the two iconic pop culture brands are partnering to introduce a product line in 2014 in celebration of two milestone anniversaries: the 40th Anniversary of Hello Kitty and 25th Anniversary of The Simpsons.
Read more: Twentieth Century Fox, Sanrio Unveil Collaboration with The Simpsons and Hello Kitty
Oct. 10, 2013 - Today The Hershey Company announced it is launching a new confectionery brand in the United States called Lancaster. The new brand will feature a line of caramel soft cremes that will roll out nationwide in January 2014.
Read more: Hershey's First New Brand In 30 Years Launches In The U.S.
Oct. 9, 2013 - Tis the season for chopping, slicing and dicing. With that thought, the experts at CUTCO Cutlery advise that you have the right tools for the upcoming holiday cooking frenzy."From creating multi-course holiday dinners to simple finger foods for cocktail parties, these five knives are holiday essentials," said Kathleen Donovan, senior public relations coordinator for CUTCO. "Having them on hand and making sure they're sharp will help make food preparation run more smoothly."
Read more: CUTCO experts: Be well-equipped for holiday food preparation
Oct. 7, 2013 - Nine West, a division of The Jones Group, looked no further than Decades store founder and vintage connoisseur, Cameron Silver and Nine West's Contributing Style Director and former Shopbop Fashion Director Kate Ciepluch, to create their latest Shoelaboration inspired by 80's punk. Shoelaborations is a collaborative platform celebrating fashion, design, music and pop culture through creative partnerships with unique artistic talents.
Read more: Nine West Introduces Their Latest Shoelaboration Partnering With Cameron Silver, The "King Of...
Oct. 7, 2013 - In the fight against diabetes, King's Variety Stores has joined forces with the Madden Family in the launch of the new app Gluco-Share - a social media platform exclusive to aid those living with diabetes through its unique communicative offerings and tangible reward incentives –incentives and rewards that are being provided by Electronic Arts and now King's.
Read more: King's Variety Stores Now Offering Incentive and Rewards for Diabetics Through New Social Media...
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Fastenal Company (NASDAQ: FAST) reported a 6% increase in earnings for the fourth quarter of 2019 helped by higher sales. The bottom line came in line with the analysts’ expectations while the top line missed consensus estimates.
Net income increased by 6% to $178.7 million or $0.31 per share. Net sales grew by 3.7% to $1.28 billion. Analysts had expected earnings of $0.31 per share on revenue of $1.29 billion for the fourth quarter.
Daily sales grew by 3.7%. For the quarter, the top-line growth was benefited by higher unit sales related to its growth drivers, most notably contribution from industrial vending and Onsite locations. Sales grew 1.8% for fastener products and 5.1% for non-fastener products on a daily basis compared to last year.
For the fourth quarter, the company’s top-line growth continues to be impacted by the general slowing of economic activity that was experienced in the second and third quarters of 2019. This general softness was exacerbated in December by holiday timing and longer than usual year-end plant shutdowns.
Fastenal signed 5,144 industrial vending devices during the fourth quarter. The installed device count on December 31, 2019, was 89,937, up 10.8% from last year. Daily sales through vending devices grew at a low double-digit pace during the quarter helped by an increase in the installed base.
The company signed 79 new Onsite locations during the quarter. At quarter-end, the number of active sites was 1,114, up 24.6% from last year. Daily sales through Onsite locations, excluding sales transferred from branches to new Onsites, grew at a low double-digit pace as revenue from relatively new actives continues to offset the impact of weak demand on more mature sites.
As of December 31, 2019, the company had cash and cash equivalents of $174.9 million while the total debt stood at $345 million. The company produced operating cash flow of $842.7 million, up 25% from last year, driven by a reduced drag from working capital investment than was experienced in 2018 and, to a lesser degree, higher net income.
In 2020, Fastenal expects to sign 22,000-24,000 vending devices. The goal for Onsite signings in 2020 remains 375 to 400. Capital expenditures in 2020 are expected to within a range of $180-205 million, a decrease from $195-225 million in 2019.
The business world is still struggling to come out of the virus-induced slowdown, but it seems almost every retail segment benefited from the pandemic at some point. The vaccination drive
General Mills (GIS): Three factors that are expected to help drive growth for the food company going forward
Shares of General Mills Inc. (NYSE: GIS) were up 3.2% on Wednesday after the company delivered better-than-expected results for the first quarter of 2022. Net sales rose 4% year-over-year to
It is estimated that the alternative investments industry has expanded at a compound annual rate of 10.2% over the past ten years and had $11 trillion in assets under management


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2017 CCCJ Annual General Meeting
On June 22nd, CCCJ held Annual General Meeting to Japan at Embassy of Canada. New chairman, Neil van Wouw welcomed members at the meeting. Ken Arbour, chairman of recommended...
CCCJ Inaugural Executive Forum
The CCCJ launched its inaugural Executive Forum, inviting chamber executives to discuss their businesses together including the challenges and opportunities that they face in...
JETRO Survey on Japan’s investment climate 2017
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CCCJ Lunch with Nova Scotia Business Inc. CEO Laurel Broten
CCCJ Executives and members welcomed Ms. Laurel Broten, President and CEO of Nova Scotia Business Inc. to Japan on Monday, May 29th at the Embassy of Canada to Japan. CCCJ...
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1. Importance of unfettered economic activities throughout the three NAFTA countries
(1) As private sectors in North America become increasingly interdependent, NAFTA’s...
CCCJ and Custom Media to Publish Special 150th Confederation Anniversary Magazine
TOKYO, May 15, 2017—The Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Japan (CCCJ) is pleased to name award-winning Custom Media as publisher and exclusive advertising agency of The Canadian...
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Opening of the Tokyo One-Stop Business Establishment Center - Shibuya Satellite Center
The Tokyo One-Stop Business Establishment Center (TOSBEC) provides centralized services for procedures needed to establish a company or to start up a business in Tokyo, such as...
CCCJ Golf Scramble 2017
The CCCJ's 16th Annual Golf tournament brought together 51 ethusiastic golfers from Tokyo's business community this year at Tsutsujigaoka Country Club. A day of perfect weather,...
Lululemon Ginza Store Grand Opening
The Canadian athletic apparel retailer lululemon welcomed its grand opening of its Ginza Six store on April 20. Established in 1998, the Vancouver-based company has seen...
Glenn Gould/Canada 150 Sponsorship Opportunity
Sponsorship opportunities Glenn Gould/Canada 150 Sponsor Japan and Canada have an extraordinary history of friendship, harmony, economic and cultural exchange. From Marshall...


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SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Microsoft is so confident it has the Internet's best email service that it is about to spend at least $30 million to send its message across the U.S.
NEW YORK (AP) -Somebody hacked Burger King's Twitter account on Monday, posting obscene messages and changing its profile picture to a McDonald's logo.
NEW YORK (AP) - The parent company of Reader's Digest has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection for the second time in less than four years, saying it needs to cut its debt so it can keep restructuring.
BERLIN (AP) - Online retailer Amazon reacted to mounting criticism Monday by firing a security company named in a German television documentary about alleged mistreatment of foreign temporary workers.
NEW YORK (AP) - Two major sponsors, Oakley and Nike, distanced themselves from Olympic athlete Oscar Pistorius on Monday after the South African sports star was charged with murder in the shooting death of his girlfriend.
LAS VEGAS (AP) - After a year of perfecting their design, a team of students at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, is ready to break ground on a super-energy-efficient house and pit it against similar creations in a national competition.
Every single day, I get dozens of emails from readers asking me if they should "file and suspend" their Social Security benefits - many times without really knowing what they are asking.
MENLO PARK (AP) - Facebook is getting an unwelcome look at the shady side of the hacking culture that CEO Mark Zuckerberg celebrates.
NEW YORK (AP) - Barely 24 hours after Mayor Michael Bloomberg proposed an all-out ban on plastic foam food containers in the city and already New Yorkers are asking: So what do we use instead?
DETROIT (AP) - General Motors has strung together a tidy three-year run of profits by making big dollars in its backyard.
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Internal Revenue Service has a message for taxpayers eager to learn the status of their tax refund: Please don't check the IRS website every five minutes - once a day is enough.
NEW YORK (AP) - Billionaire Warren Buffett, the most closely watched investor in America, is putting his money in ketchup, agreeing Thursday to buy H.J. Heinz Co. for $23.3 billion in the richest deal ever in the food industry.
WASHINGTON (AP) - The outlook for the U.S. job market is brightening after a government report showed a sharp drop in the number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits.
DALLAS (AP) - US Airways CEO Doug Parker has landed the big merger he sought for years. Now the soon-to-be CEO of the new American Airlines has to make it work.
HOUSTON (AP) - Carnival Cruise Lines has canceled a dozen more planned voyages aboard the Triumph and acknowledged that the crippled ship had been plagued by other mechanical problems in the weeks before an engine-room fire left it powerless in the Gulf of Mexico.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Twitter co-founder Biz Stone hopes to demonstrate that a picture can be worth even more than 140 characters of text.
DEARBORN, Mich. (AP) - Alan Mulally is staying at Ford.
LAS VEGAS (AP) - After attempts to hawk 3-D and OLED TVs fizzled in recent years, television manufacturers are taking small steps toward making a new technology, Ultra HD, more viable for mainstream consumers.
NEW YORK (AP) - Aereo, a Barry Diller-backed startup that provides broadcast television channels over the Internet for a monthly fee, said Tuesday that it has secured $34 million in additional funding from outside investors.
CUPERTINO ( AP) - Apple says people spent more than $10 billion in its app store last year, on apps such as "Minecraft," ''Angry Birds Star Wars" and "Sleep Cycle" alarm clock.


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Asda reinstates food bank collection points after backlash
Last week the supermarket made headlines after a review of policy prompted a ban on unmanned collection points in stores.
Following the story, an ‘overwhelming number of customers’ contacted Asda to raise the issue, with the upshot being that customers would prefer the flexibility offered by both manned and unmanned collection points.
An Asda spokesperson said: “As a retailer who is committed to supporting our local communities we never intended to stop food banks or similar local charities collecting in our stores.
“We made some changes to our community programme around unmanned collections in the belief that this would benefit the many local good causes who collect in our stores.
“On this occasion our customers and colleagues have told us they understand our intentions, but prefer us to continue to give charities more options to maximise donations. We are therefore reinstating unmanned collection points.
“Asda plays an important role in the communities we serve and we look forward to continuing to support many more local charities and good causes.”
The news will be welcomed by foodbank charities, who rely on donations from the public - and from organisations - to provide food for the less fortunate.
A spokesperson from the Trussell Trust said: "We are really pleased to see the Asda permanent foodbank collection points restored at stores across the country.
“Foodbanks right across the UK will benefit from this decision as these collection points provide an easy way for customers to donate to help people in crisis during their weekly shop. They also help to ensure that foodbanks have a consistent supply of food to give to people facing hunger in local communities. Asda customers have spoken and we are delighted that Asda have responded positively."
Foodbank use in Britain is at record levels. Figures from the Trussell Trust, who co-ordinate a UK-wide network of 400 foodbanks, show that they distributed 506,369 three-day emergency food packs between April and September last year, a rise from 492,641 the previous year.


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Seattle, WA (November 16, 2011) – The Washington State Wine Commission and Seattle’s Convention and Visitors Bureau (SCVB) today announced the formation of a new partnership to produce Taste Washington, the nation’s largest single-region wine and food event held annually in Seattle. The new partnership will bring about several changes, including a format change that will expand the Grand Tasting event to two days.
The Commission will license the event to SCVB, and the Commission will become a presenting sponsor. Beginning immediately, SCVB will assume primary responsibility for producing the event, including sponsorship and vendor arrangements, while the Commission will manage winery participation and other wine-related activities.
“Over fourteen years, Taste Washington has grown to become the premier showcase for the Washington State wine industry in the Pacific Northwest,” said Kent Waliser, Chairman of the Washington State Wine Commission and General Manager for Sagemoor Vineyards. “This new partnership will enable Taste Washington to continue to grow into a destination wine and food event on a national level,” he added.
“Taste Washington has long been a crown jewel of our local community,” said Chad Mackay, 2012 Chairman of Seattle’s Convention and Visitors Bureau and President and COO of El Gaucho. “By working with the Commission to produce this event, SCVB aims to bring visitors from across the country and around the world to Seattle to experience the best of our rich wine and culinary traditions.”
The Commission and SCVB also announced changes to the format for Taste Washington.
The Taste Washington Grand Tasting, previously a one-day event, will now expand to two days, Saturday, March 31, 2012, and Sunday, April 1, 2012, at CenturyLink Field Event Center in Seattle. It is hoped that the expanded format will enhance business opportunities for restaurants, hotels, visitor attractions and other businesses.
The Taste Washington Seminars, held previously at Bell Harbor International Conference Center in Seattle, will move to CenturyLink Field Event Center on Saturday, March 31, 2012. Tickets for the Seminars will be sold independently of those for the Grand Tasting.
And for the first time, ticket packages – inclusive of Grand Tasting tickets, Seminar tickets, and lodging – will also be available.
“Taste Washington fits perfectly with SCVB’s core mission – to bring more visitors to Seattle and Washington State,” said Tom Norwalk, SCVB President & CEO. “Our state’s world-class wine is already a tourism driver and we look forward to working hand-in-hand with the wine industry to build on the success of Taste Washington, explore expansion of this event to multiple days or weeks and further showcase Northwest food, restaurants and chefs.”
The licensing agreement for Taste Washington will be ongoing, subject to mutual agreement. Varsity Communications, which has provided event production services for the event for the past five years, will continue in its role.
About Taste Washington:
Taste Washington is the largest single-region wine and food event in the United States, featuring more than 200 Washington State wineries and over 60 Pacific Northwest restaurants. Held annually in the spring, Taste Washington attracts more than 3,000 wine and food enthusiasts to the Seattle area. For more information on Taste Washington, please visit www.tastewashington.org.


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The mass-market beauty company had $96.8 million in sales for the first half of 2016.
August 26, 2016
• Allison Collins
TOKYO —?Capping a three-year planning period, Aveda will open its first location in Japan this month. The 6,000-square-foot facility — which includes a salon, spa, cafe and retail space — could do upward of $10 million in its first...


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Gas Prices Surge in San Diego
Friday, March 16, 2007
Gasoline prices in San Diego County shot up by more than 17 cents this week, passing the three-dollar mark for the first time since last September. KPBS reporter Ed Joyce has more.
The average price for a gallon of self-serve regular is $3.11, a jump of 17 cents from last week, and 45 cents more than last month. The Auto Club says supply issues and investor speculation get the blame this week. The Utility Consumers' Action Network is a non-profit utility watchdog group. UCAN's Michael Shames questions this latest price spike.
Shames : The oil companies have proven themselves remarkably adept at finding ways of increasing prices and coming up with creative excuses for why prices are going up. But the reality is they don't pan out. When you look carefully at them you realize that the gas prices because of the spring blend usually doesn't happen until April, why is it happening in March this year? Good question.
The spring blend is a boutique fuel used only in California to meet air pollution standards. Shames says shopping around this week won't make a difference because of tight supplies.
Shames : So you're not seeing the kind of differential between the independent stations and the branded stations as you normally do. So right now actually it's a tougher time to shop because the discounting that used to be done by the independents isn't quite as significant as it is right now.
Ed Joyce, KPBS News.
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Web traffic measurement company Quantcast is pitching a free new feature that allows clients to see how much of their Internet traffic is coming from browser-equipped mobile devices.
As part of the mobile traffic feature, Quantcast has created new mobile web rankings, informing readers of a press release, "The results might surprise you."
Well, they do, but there's a good explanation.
First, here's the list of websites visited most by people in the United States over the past month using a mobile web browser (so visits from mobile web apps don't count):
1. answers.com (8.19 million unique monthly visitors)
2. wordpress.com (5.69 million)
3. tumblr.com (5.25 million)
4. metrolyrics.com (2.87 million)
5. foxnews.com (traffic data hidden; what are you trying to hide, Fox News?)
6. linkedin.com (2.61 million)
7. whitepages.com (2.52 million)
8. wikia.com (2.50 million)
9. hubpages.com (2.33 million)
10. go.com (2.03 million)
Where are Google, Facebook and YouTube? Why are they being shunned by mobile surfers? They're not. Quantcast's mobile web rankings only count sites that are clients, or that are "Quantified."
For its overall rankings, Quantcast uses a combination of 1) verified data from "Quantified" clients who tag their sites with tracking code and 2) estimated traffic for non-clients. Here's the top 10:
1. Google (161.67 million unique monthly visitors)
2. Facebook (148.47 million)
3. YouTube (143.07 million)
4. Yahoo (93.99 million)
5. Amazon.com (92.37 million)
6. Twitter (87.37 million)
7. MSN.com (77.98 million)
8. Wikipedia (72.65 million)
9. eBay (64.03 million)
10. Microsoft (60.76 million)
Answers.com, which tops Quantcast's mobile web rankings, comes in No. 17 overall with a total of 51.97 million monthly unique visitors. In fact, two other "Quantified" sites -- wordpress.com (56.27 million, No. 13) and The Huffington Post (54.95 million, No. 14) -- have more overall traffic, but less mobile traffic.
Over the past month, 15.8% of Answers.com unique visitors came from mobile devices using web browsers. That's double the overall percentage of mobile web browsing (7.67%) as measured recently by analytics firm Net Applications.
It's understandable that an "answer" site might be popular among web surfers out and about using mobile devices. In contrast, a content-heavy site such as The Huffington Post is a less enticing destination for mobile web browsers. Only 1.3% of its traffic (741,294) in the past month came from mobile browsers, placing HuffPost at No. 48 in Quantcast's mobile web rankings.
The site with the largest percentage of mobile unique visitors over the past month (at least that I could find) appears to be Metrolyrics, which had 13.1 million visits overall (ranking it No. 76) and 2.87 million mobile hits, or 21.9%. Makes sense; you never know when you'll have to break into song in public, so it pays to be prepared.


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The American PUBG Mobile Pro League is set to run from the 6th to the 28th of June. And given that the US is currently in lockdown, the organisers have been forced to move to an online-only format.
"In order to ensure the safety of everyone, which is of paramount importance to us, we have decided to completely reimagine the first season of the PMPL Americas as an online competition", said James Yang, Director of PUBG MOBILE Global Esports, Tencent Games. "While this has not been a decision we've taken lightly, we do think it also generates new opportunities and exciting avenues for teams to gain even more exposure, while enjoying an improved format and quality, with a new exciting twist to it!".
The PMPLs were first revealed earlier this year as an all-new level to the official PUBG Mobile 2020 esports programme. This pro-level layer gives the most skilled players a chance to earn their slice of a $5 million prize pool. It takes place across four regions, including Southeast Asia, EMEA, South Asia, and North & South America.
The new schedule also sees the introduction of Scrims. These give players and viewers a chance to warm up ahead of the proper season. The American Scrims are currently set to begin this Thursday, May 7th, offering matches on four days of every week until the 31st. To spice up the competition, PUBG Mobile has also added the 'On Fire Card' feature. Once per day during weekend competitions only, teams can choose whether to gain 50% more placement points or double their kill points.
Top players from the PMPLs will quality for the PUBG Mobile World League. Some bad news there, though, as it's highly likely that we'll see a delay due to the ongoing pandemic. Those who do especially well in the World League might even earn themselves a chance to compete in the most prestigious PUBG Mobile event of all, the World Championship.On the hunt for some top-tier multiplayer games to try with friends? Here are 25 of the best for iPhone & iPad
Want more? Check out our 63 other PUBG Mobile news stories!


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Bud Light sales shrunk 28% in the week before holiday weekend - the second worst year-on-year sales decline since Dylan Mulvaney backlash began
- Bud sales dropped 27.9% in week ended June 24 compared to that week in 2022
- That drop is less than the drop it experienced the week ended June 17 - 28.5%
- READ MORE: Kid Rock is selling Bud Light at his bar again despite shooting up case with his AR-15
Ahead of the Fourth of July weekend Bud Light sales remained much lower than in the same period last year.
Sales of Bud Light dropped 27.9 percent on last year in the week ending June 24, which is slightly better than its worst decline on record - 28.5 percent the week before, according to Nielsen IQ data provided by Bump Williams Consulting to The New York Post.
But unit sales were still deteriorating - down 31.3 percent for the week ending June 24, worse than the 31.1 percent decline in the week before.
The partnership upset conservative drinkers who were quick to boycott the brand but also enraged liberals who said the company failed to respond in solidarity with Mulvaney.
The recent drop in Bud Light sales coincides with an increase in Modelo sales, indicating that America's appetite for beer remains strong, but its preferences are shifting.
Sales of Bud Light dropped 27.9 percent on last year in the week ending June 24, which is slightly better than its worst decline on record - 28.5 percent the week before
In mid-June Modelo became the best-selling beer in the US, a position previously held by Bud Light for more than two decades
'The Fourth of July is the biggest beer holiday in terms of retail sales and an opportunity to move a lot of volume,' Dave Williams, vice president for analytics and insights at Bump Williams Consulting, told the Post.
'And there has been no notable signs where the course has changed for Bud Light.'
Modelo Especial's distribution is controlled by Bud Light parent Anheuser-Busch but its US operations are owned by Constellation Brands, which reported an 11 percent increase in sales for the second quarter of this year.
In mid-June Modelo became the best-selling beer in the US, a position previously held by Bud Light for more than two decades.
Modelo represented 8.4 percent of US retail-store beer sales in the four weeks that ended on June 3, compared with 7.3 percent for Bud Light, according to Nielsen data.
Last week, the period between Memorial Day and the Fourth of July was described by The Wall Street Journal as being 'the beer industry's Black Friday' - a period during which sales are expected to skyrocket.
But Bud Light's sales have tanked since April, when transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney shared a video to Instagram of a customized Bud Light can that the brand had sent her as a gift.
Sales of the beer have continued to decline as the company continued to alienate an increasingly large portion of the market.
Initial outrage was from conservative drinkers, offended by the partnership. But following that backlash, Bud Light's parent company Anheuiser-Busch failed to offer public support to Mulvaney.
The 26-year-old posted a video on Instagram addressing the debacle, which has seen Anheuser-Busch lose $20million in market cap value since the advert for March Madness
To receive the Fourth of July rebate, customers can head to Bud Light's website to submit the form and 'allow two to four weeks for receipt of your rebate.' Customers are allowed to submit up to three rebates, totaling up to $45 of total savings this holiday weekend to stock up for barbeques and celebrations, the company said
As a result, Bud Light found itself boycotted by swathes of both the right and the left.
The crisis culminated last week when Mulvaney, who had only addressed the backlash briefly, took to social media to call out the brand for failing to offer her support.
As Bud Light sales have trended downwards, sales of both Coors and Miller Light have also risen.
In a bid to reclaim a share of the market, Bud Light resorted in the run-up to the Fourth of July to giving away beer for almost free.
As part of its 'July 4th Rebate Program' it would reimburse customers $15 if they purchase a 15-pack of Budweiser, Bud Light, Budweiser Select or Budweiser Select 55.
Beers must have been purchased between June 15 and July 8 to be eligible and consumers will be reimbursed through a prepaid card.
The rebate must be submitted by July 22 and the card is valid for six months.


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I'm putting the last-minute touches on the presentation I'll be giving on May 14 here in San Diego for the Business Marketing Association's Southern California Chapter. It's going to be an exciting conversation about how two very different organizations have internalized and launch social media initiatives inside and outside their organizations to transform the way they do business. It's always fun presenting not just this material, but also to do so at the recently renovated (and tres swanky) Hotel La Jolla.
The networking starts at 3 and the presentations by 3:30pm. I hope you can join us!
Saturday, May 11, 2013
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
A new article in IBM ForwardView, the newsletter for Midsized Businesses (100 to 1000 employees) came out recently that discussed how social business is no longer a fad or curiosity, but increasingly critical for business success. In particular, it can help midsized businesses be much more nimble in responding to market conditions faster than their Large Enterprise competitors. I was interviewed for the article, and you can read it in more detail here.


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WALT DISNEY WORLD, Fla. - Disney World has announced its latest price hike, increasing a single-day ticket to $89.
Effective Sunday, it costs $89 plus tax for a one-day, one-park ticket. The new total marks a $4 and 4.7 percent increase.
The announcement from the entertainment giant came about a week after rival theme park Universal Orlando raised its ticket price to $88.
The biggest Disney price hikes impact annual passholders and vacationers buying multi-day passes. At $288, the price of a seven-day pass went up 7.9 percent.
The priciest pass, the premium annual pass now costs $699, up 7.7 percent, though Florida residents continue to receive significant discounts.
See the whole list of prices for Disney tickets.
Watch Local 6 News for more on this story.
Copyright 2012 by ClickOrlando.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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The upper school’s Green Team was today awarded a Distinguished Honorable Mention in the Bow Seat Marine Debris Creative Advocacy Competition. The annual competition, which ended this year after starting in 2016, judged advocacy campaigns created by students aged 11-18 that brought awareness and encouraged action on marine debris in their schools and communities.
Seniors Anvi Banga, Alex Shing, Anthony Shing, and juniors Sachi Bajaj and Natasha Yen created the Buy Better Boba campaign to reduce the proliferation of single-use plastics on campus, particularly those used by bubble tea drinks that have become popular in student fundraisers. The campaign provided reusable glass jars as well as materials that could be used to promote this effort at other schools. The team also engaged with local bubble tea businesses and encouraged them to incentivize the use of reusable containers by their customers.
According to the Bow Seat website, the judges were impressed that, “The Green Team identified a problem that was unique to their school, created a simple and inexpensive solution, and developed strategies to make it scalable in their broader community.”


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The total sales of the Tata Nexon EV have surpassed 35,000 units.
Tata Motors has informed us about the Tata Nexon EV's new milestone via social media channels. The company shared that the EV, available in the Prime and the Max models has crossed the 35,000 unit sales mark in the country.
The car is offered with two battery sizes- 30.2kWh for the Nexon EV Prime and 40.5kWh for the higher spec Nexon EV Max. The Tata Nexon EV Max can produce a power output of 141bhp and a peak torque of 250Nm and on the other hand, the Tata Nexon EV Prime can generate 127bhp of power output at a 245Nm peak torque value.
For a while now, the Tata Nexon EV has been the best-selling EV in India. Reportedly, it will soon have a direct rival in the form of the XUV400 by Mahindra. The Mahindra XUV400, which was previously revealed, is set to be released in India in January 2023. The model will come packed with a 39.4 kWh electric motor that can produce 148bhp and 310NM of peak torque. Tata's new sales achievement for the Nexon EV seems huge just before the arrival of its most anticipated rival. It will be interesting to see how the Mahindra XUV400 will lock horns with the Tata Nexon EV variants. The Tata Nexon EV Prime is priced between ₹14.99 lakh to ₹17.50 lakh (ex-showroom) and the Tata Nexon EV Max costs between ₹18.34 lakh and ₹20.04 lakh (ex-showroom).


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/PRNewswire/ --Alliance Data Systems Corporation (NYSE: ADS), a leading global provider of data-driven marketing and loyalty solutions, today... ...http://in.advfn.com/p.php?pid=nmona&article=63064553
/PRNewswire/ -- Epsilon, the global leader in helping clients create customer connections that build brand and business equity, today announced... ...http://www.itnewsonline.com/prnewswire/Epsilon-Cited-as-a-Leader-In-Email-Marketing-by-Independent-Research-Firm/334769
Comments - LondonNo Novartis International AG / . Processed and transmitted by NASDAQ OMX Corporate Solutions.The issuer is solely responsible for... ...http://andhranews.net/Business/2014/Novartis-collaboration-Banner-Alzheimeraposs-Institute-pioneering-31096.htm
/PRNewswire/ -- Reportbuyer.com has added a new market research report: WinterGreen Research announces that it has published a new study Mid IR... ...http://www.itnewsonline.com/prnewswire/Mid-IR-Sensors:-Market-Shares-Strategies-and-Forecasts-Worldwide-2013-to-2019/330719
From the Wires Jun. 21, 2014 12:00 PM Epsilon Imaging, Inc., a visualization and analysis software provider transforming cardiac... ...http://in.sys-con.com/node/3110007
epsilon management capital, epsilon...
Epsilon, the giant marketing...
Optimism over economic prospects...


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Forest Hills, NY (PRWEB) December 23, 2016
Sendloop.com, a premier hosted email marketing automation service - making enterprise-level marketing tools affordable and accessible to small businesses - has announced the official launch of the Sendloop App Store and API Platform, allowing Sendloop’s more than 36,000 active users to improve their digital marketing campaigns in a variety of ways.
Sendloop has gradually been transforming themselves from email marketing service to all-in-one digital marketing hub and the launch of their new App store is expected to offer a number of benefits to marketers and business owners, as well as providing some exciting opportunities for developers.
This new release gives Sendloop’s current users access to virtually unlimited potential in the form of widgets and plugins that can be used to improve functionality, boost marketing performance and expand the range of accessible features.
While the range of available Apps is still fairly limited, releases so far include Campaign Performance, Lead Generation Widgets and the Zapier App with a number of CRM and sales pipeline apps, landing page builders, content automation and more in the pipeline.
Sendloop.com hopes to encourage developers who are interested in building apps for their 36,000 users to contribute to the growing number of apps on their store. With a full-featured API and App Store engine, interested developers can get started in minutes by going to their Developer Portal.
The Sendloop App store will make it easier for users of the service to improve their marketing efficiency and broaden the current range of features. It will also make it possible for developers to get involved in creating new apps to add to the current range now and in the future.


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London -- Grocery chain Fresh & Easy’s British parent Tesco confirmed Wednesday that it will abandon its U.S. business, selling off the 199-store chain and taking a $3.5 billion write-down.
According to a report by Reuters, the world’s third largest retailer behind Wal-Mart and Carrefour wrote down the value of its global operations by $3.5 billion, saying that abandoning Fresh & Easy in the U.S. would mean restructuring and other one-off costs of $1.5 billion. The remaining write-downs come from de-valuing British properties and its businesses in Poland, the Czech Republic and Turkey.
Tesco appears to be buoyed by its decision to divest Fresh & Easy. "I've been working for Tesco for nearly 40 years and I can tell you this — it already looks, feels and acts like a different and a better business," CEO Philip Clarke told reporters, including Reuters.
"It will take time — retail is detail - but we believe that Tesco is on track and we expect recovery in the U.K. to slowly emerge in fiscal year 2014," Panmure Gordon analyst Philip Dorgan told Reuters.
Fresh & Easy has never turned a profit, struggling against competitors such as Trader Joe’s and Wal-Mart. Clarke put the business under review last December and made no secret that an exit was likely. And buyers appear to be approaching the table. CFO Laurie McIlwee told Reuters that Tesco had received "a lot of interest" in Fresh & Easy, both for the whole business and parcels of stores.
"What we're most interested in is those buyers that are interested in buying the complete business," he said.
The process is expected to continue for at least another three months.


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Kathy Gibson reports from Gitex – Avaya has successfully emerged from bankruptcy to challenge for supremacy in the burgeoning customer experience (CX) market.
There’s a new spirit of optimism and passion at the company, with CEO Alan Masarek leading the charge.
“There is this tremendous trend towards customer experience,” he says. “And communications companies have to be driving it.”
Masarek believes Avaya is in pole position to do just this: “The company has a great asset base. It is already a leader in the contact centre and unified communications market, with some huge customers.
“In addition, it is an iconic brand – and it has global distribution.”
To seize the opportunity presented by the growing CX segment, Masarek says Avaya needed to complement its market leadership position with financial and business restructuring.
The company entered Chapter 11 of the US bankruptcy code in February this year, and emerged less than three months later, in May, with a very positive financial story to tell.
The $3,9-billion in debt has been written down to $800-million, with $650-million of that available as cash.
That achievement was possible because creditors bought into Avaya’s strategy and it’s vision for CX, Masarek says, and they believe that their returns will be greater on the equity than the debt.
Avaya has also delisted, so it’s been able to do its cost restructuring and operational changes as a private company.
This doesn’t mean its movements are shrouded in secrecy, though. “I like the transparency of being public,” Masarek says. “But our constituent is not Wall Street; it is our customers. So we do an annual report for our customers that brings the new company to life and lets us communicate with a level of transparency.”
This interactive report is live on the Avaya site.
In restructuring the business, the company has identified the directions its product development needs to take, and rationalised a number of older product lines, including some that harked back to the Nortel days.
“When you set an unambiguous product strategy on the one hand, and rationalise the product set on the other, the engineering group can focus and deliver on the roadmap quickly,” Masarek says.
“We have also become transparent about our plans and published our roadmap to demonstrate our reliability. We needed to do this to reclaim the confidence of our customers.”
Concurrently with that restructuring, Avaya has right-sized the cost structures and made several operational changes, with the result that the company’s profitability has been restored.
This is key, says Masarek: Avaya has traditionally reported good revenues, but profitability was lacking. Now, not only has it restored free cash flow but turns in a positive performance.
At the same time as the financials and product sets were being brought into line, the organisation was being restructured to support the strategy, and work is underway to revitalise the company culture.
“First we reset the go-to-market strategy in a way that we think is unique among our competitors,” Masarek says. “And this is to build it around our customers.”
Avaya counts some of the world’s largest organisations as its customers, with many of them on the books for as much as two decades, when the company was variously AT&T, Lucent and Nortel.
“These are large deployments,” Masarek points out. “And that customer set is modernising operations and moving to the cloud – but not like the SME world is. Theirs’ is much more of a gradual migration. So our go-to-market strategy of innovation without disruption is key.”
Avaya’s traditional solution set is in on-premise kit; its more recent offerings in the cloud are desirable but it’s simply not possible for large enterprises with massive investments in legacy equipment to do a rip-and-replace.
Avaya’s hybrid cloud options let customers move at their pace. They can layer their on-premise installations with innovations from the Avaya Experience Platform, allowing customers to connect how they want and giving employees the tools to meet customers’ needs.
When moving to the cloud, customers can first transition their current on-premises platform to Avaya Enterprise Cloud, keeping their familiar Avaya solution such as Avaya Aura Platform and Avaya Call Centre Elite in a dedicated instance on Microsoft Azure. That way there’s no disruption for customers and no training needed for employees. From there, they can easily modernise the customer experience by adding Avaya Experience Platform capabilities.
The Avaya Experience Platform helps organisations to maximise contact centre performance and connect to customers with seamless experiences across channels including voice, video, chat, messaging, and more.
Avaya Enterprise Cloud is essentially the legacy Avaya platform, running in a secure, flexible and personal cloud. Customers can expand their contact centre and unified communications as needed to extend their capabilities and communication channels.
“Customer service is how our enterprise customers compete,” Masaryk stresses, pointing out that CX needs to permeate the whole company.
“Where the industry is going, and where we are driving, is for CX to happen throughout the organisation in an omni-channel way. You can no longer think of solutions as just UC for the knowledge workers and contact centre solutions for the agents. We are not building yesteryear’s solutions, but permeating CX throughout the organisation.”
With very little competition in the on-premise space, Masarek believes Avaya has a good story to tell in helping the large, complex and sensitive industries customer set to transition to hybrid and full cloud when they are ready to do so.
“In almost any enterprise software category, large companies do not do a hot cut-over for anything,” Masarek says. “They don’t want to forklift their installation, but they do want to modernise. Whether they want to stay on-premise of jump all the way to multi-tenanted cloud – or any of the baby steps inbetween – we can do that with them.
“It’s about letting them choose their own journey, moving at their own pace.”
In this, Masarek believes Avaya has found its position in the market, with very little competition. “And this has resonated well with customers and partners.”
The final step in the company’s rebirth has been to revitalise the culture. Masarek has made a start in this direction by adding new executives in key functions and focusing on the recruitment and retention of talent throughout the organisation.
He is well aware of how difficult this turnaround can be, but tells believes culture is hugely important and so has set in place a strategy to achieve the change.
“First, we want to turn the company into a destination place to work, which is all about having a culture that attracts and retains the best talent. We will do this through rewards and recognition, through the corporate culture itself and through growth and development.”
Culture means a variety of things, he adds, from sustainability, inclusivity, the workspace themselves, staff wellbeing and inviting mutual respect.
“Being a destination place to work is fundamentally a personal thing and means different things to different people,” he adds, “However, it reflects itself in quantitative measures that we can track and ensure they improve over time.
“But changing the culture only works if you walk the walk, and go after the opportunities that people believe in. People want to win, so they will get behind the strategy.”
Avaya has given itself eight quarters to reinvent itself and, five quarters in, Masarek is confident the company is making good progress.
“There is a sense of optimism – and the company feels different to me; people believe in it.”
Who is Alan Masarek?
Alan Masarek came out of retirement 14 months ago to lead the restructuring of Avaya.
His most recent position before that was a CEO and director of Vonage Holdings, from 2014 to June 2020. He led Vonage through its transformation from a VoIP-based residential phone provider into a global enterprise cloud communications company.
Before that, he was a director at Google from 2012, following Google’s acquisition of Quickoffice, where Masarek was the co-founder and CEO. Having set up the company in 2007, Quickoffice had 26-million registered users by the time Google took it over.


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Submitted by CNH Industrial
New Holland Agriculture, a brand of CNH Industrial, recently won the Automotive Business 2023 Award for the CR Intellisense Harvester. This achievement demonstrates the company’s commitment to bringing innovative technology for its customers across the globe.
The ceremony took place at São Paulo Expo during Automotive Business Experience 2023. At the event, CNH engaged in discussions regarding mobility, the digital revolution, and the global agenda to address climate change.
Key speakers from the company included Gregory Riordan, Director of Digital Technologies and Innovation at CNH Industrial LATAM, who spoke about how the company is ahead in precision technology automation, clean energy, and expanding connectivity. Carlos Visconti, Open Innovation Manager at CNH, took the stage in discussing Open Innovation, a flagship of the company.
With precision technology like the CR Intellisense Harvester, CNH strengthens its innovation ecosystem and continues to succeed in helping bring farmers and builders to a more sustainable future. The company is proud to be recognized for its achievements in innovative technology.
CNH Industrial (NYSE: CNHI) is a world-class equipment and services company. Driven by its purpose of Breaking New Ground, which centers on Innovation, Sustainability and Productivity, the Company provides the strategic direction, R&D capabilities, and investments that enable the success of its global and regional Brands. Globally, Case IH and New Holland supply 360° agriculture applications from machines to implements and the digital technologies that enhance them; and CASE and New Holland Construction Equipment deliver a full lineup of construction products that make the industry more productive. The Company’s regionally focused Brands include: STEYR, for agricultural tractors; Raven, a leader in digital agriculture, precision technology and the development of autonomous systems; Hemisphere, a leading designer and manufacturer of high-precision satellite-based positioning, and heading technologies; Flexi-Coil, specializing in tillage and seeding systems; Miller, manufacturing application equipment; Kongskilde, providing tillage, seeding and hay & forage implements; and Eurocomach, producing a wide range of mini and midi excavators for the construction sector, including electric solutions.
Across a history spanning over two centuries, CNH has always been a pioneer in its sectors and continues to passionately innovate and drive customer efficiency and success. As a truly global company, CNH’s 40,000+ employees form part of a diverse and inclusive workplace, focused on empowering customers to grow, and build, a better world.
For more information and the latest financial and sustainability reports visit: cnh.com
For news from CNH and its Brands visit: media.cnh.com
More from CNH Industrial


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Article written by Nyc Z
Mobile game market is heating up. According to some data it is approximately $2.2 billion a year industry today and expects to reach $7.5 billion by 2015. Most of the increase is taking place in China and other emerging markets which will account for $3.5 billion a year by 2015. More ambitious others estimate that the mobile game market will be around $18 billion a year industry by 2016.
One reason why the industry is superhot is that the availability of 326 pixels per inch (ppi) Apple iPhone 5, 320 ppi Nexus 4, and 342 ppi Windows Phone 8X. At the same time LTE wireless Internet connectivity speeds are getting better offering up to 20Mbit per second. Also the high end mobile devices are getting larger screens allowing better online gaming experience. Nexus 4 and Galaxy SIII are closer to 5-inch, HTC is 4.3-inch and Apple iPhone 5 is at 4-inch.
Two games that will be available soon include The Drowning and Anomaly: Korea. The Drowning provides a new take on the popular and familiar zombies. Based on the success of Anomaly: Warzone Earth that came out in 2011, Anomaly: Korea provides an unparalleled experience on new advance smartphones and other mobile devices.


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Milk May Help Dieters Maintain Weight Loss
Including milk and other milk products as part of a healthy weight management plan may help women keep off the weight they've lost. In a new study published in the Journal of Nutrition, researchers found that higher calcium intakes, mostly from milk and other milk products and not supplements, was linked to less weight gain 18 months after a significant weight loss.
A 100 milligram-increase in daily calcium intake from food -- the amount in just 1/3 cup of lowfat or fat free milk -- was associated with nearly 3.5 pounds less weight regain at 18 months, when holding calories constant. The same effect was not found with calcium supplements.
Researchers at Drexel University in Philadelphia tracked the weight maintenance habits of more than 100 overweight or obese women who lost an average of 21 pounds. Participants regained an average of 10 pounds at 18 months.
Calcium (averaging about 700 mg to 850 mg/day throughout the duration of the study) was the only nutrient studied that predicted weight regain, despite the fact that higher calcium intakes were also accompanied by higher calorie intakes. Researchers also looked at fat, protein carbohydrate and fiber, finding no link.
For many Americans, losing weight is an ongoing battle. Research suggests that only about 20% of overweight individuals are successful at long-term weight loss, making strategies to maintain a healthy weight or prevent weight regain equally as important as weight loss.
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend three servings of lowfat or fat free milk each day, providing 90% of the 1,000 mg of recommended daily calcium. Lowfat and fat free milk is packed with nine essential nutrients, including calcium, vitamin A, vitamin D, protein and potassium, especially important for dieters who may be missing out on important nutrients.
Ochner CN, Lowe MR. Self-reported changes in dietary calcium and energy intake predict weight regain following a weight loss diet in obese women. Journal of Nutrition. 2007;137:2324-2328.


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“My understanding of sustainability is the longevity of the resources we have. To ensure that we must reuse, recycle and reduce our dependability on economic, social and environmental resources, said Aizome founder Akshat Chaudhary in a talk with Subir Ghosh.
As a part of its commitment to the environment, the Surat-based denim brand uses ‘clean chemistry’ and has developed business process using sustainable means in a transparent manner.
At Aizome, every garment produced is clean and sustainable, avers Chaudhary. For example, in one Aizome jeans, the fabric is made using 100 per cent Fairtrade organic cotton yarn, and environment-friendly chemical recipes. Trims like buttons and rivets are free from nickel and lead, and labels, hangtags and packaging materials are made from recycled materials. “We intend to maintain a minimal footprint on our ecosystem.”
According to Chaudhary, Indian consumers are increasingly being aware of using safe, hygienic and sustainable products. They are also becoming interested in knowing the environmental impact of the products that they buy. However, this is still growing, and it will take some time for the people to change their buying choices.
He feels that the biggest challenge is the demand of sustainable products, especially in the Indian market. “In a price-sensitive market, it will take some time to optimise the costs of manufacturing.” (RKS)
Click here to read the complete interview
Fibre2Fashion News Desk – India


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At last night’s CES keynote, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer was fairly cagey about when Windows Phone 7 users can expect the first major update that is supposed to bring the much-anticipated support for cut-and-paste to the operating system. In fact, Ballmer wouldn’t let himself be pegged down to any time frame sooner than “the next few months.”
He may have been being disingenuous. Some digging into the URL that Microsoft is using for the forthcoming update’s details page says “january-update.aspx” at the end of it, and then goes into much greater detail about the actual contents of the forthcoming update, which will include copy and paste, as well as faster app and game startup times and better Marketplace search.
So will the first big Windows Phone 7 update drop this month? I seriously doubt it: if Ballmer wasn’t willing to commit to a January delivery during the keynote, that puts the update farther out, because an update of this magnitude doesn’t go out the doors without such extensive testing that Ballmer would know the exact date of release if it was coming in the next month. He was being cagey because he just doesn’t know the date yet, and the addition of a month to a URL doesn’t change that fact in the slightest.
Read more at Microsoft


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(WIVB) – The NYS Department of Agriculture and Markets is asking New Yorkers who have received unsolicited packages of seeds from foreign countries to send them to the department.
Residents should also include their contact information, the sealed packet of seeds and the original packaging, and any other relevant details directly to the USDA at:
Office of the State Plant Health Director of New York c/o Christopher Zaloga,
United States Department of Agriculture
500 New Karner Rd.
Albany, NY 12205
Don’t call 911 to report receiving seeds.
According to the USDA, the situation is under investigation, but there’s currently no evidence that this is more than a “brushing scam”- where people receive unsolicited items from a seller who then posts false customer reviews to boost sales.
“Legitimate seeds imported into the United States meet rigorous standards to ensure quality and prevent introduction of invasive species, insects and diseases,” the NYS Dept. of Agriculture said in a Thursday press release. “People who receive seeds that they did not order, that are mislabeled, or are from a questionable source, should not plant or handle the seeds.”
If you buy seeds online, make sure you buy them from a reputable, known source, the department warns.
“Purchasing from a known, reputable seed company increases the likelihood of receiving properly labeled seeds that meet germination, sanitation and trueness to variety standards,” the press release said. “It also ensures the seeds have met standards that protect plants and agricultural crops from invasive pests and noxious weeds.”
Residents can email the USDA at email@example.com.


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According to a recent Orange Lounge Radio interview , Namco plans to release a brand new Katamari game on all three new consoles later this year. Namco hasn't confirmed the story just yet, but the site seems convinced their information is correct.
The original Katamari Damacy on the PS2 claimed plenty of critical acclaim and legions of adoring gamers. For the budget price of only $20, we got one of the most inventive and addictive games in recent history…after all, where else can you roll up everything on earth to recreate the Cosmos? The surprising success of the little game spawned a sequel, also on the PS2; We Love Katamari for the reasonable $30 price tag. Therefore, it stands to reason Namco would bring us another installment, but we're already starting to hear whispers of April Fool's jokes, so let's just hope this isn't one of those.
As it stands now, the report states that Beautiful Katamari (helluva name, by the way) will ship for the PS3 and Xbox 360 on October 17 for $39.99 each, and for the Wii on November 14 for $29.99. The only thing that concerns us about this report is that original creator Keita Takahashi has moved away from the games and is working on other projects, so this may prompt some discussion as to the validity of Beautiful Katamari . But hopefully, Namco will clear things up soon.
Related Game(s): Beautiful Katamari


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Last week's issue of SN featured an extensive retrospective of what happened during the fateful year of 2000. This week's issue moves from the look back to the look forward, as you'll see by reading the "Forward March" news feature on Page 1.
In that feature, SN asks several top-level industry executives, representing various food-distribution segments, to take a look at what this year may hold. They speak of how this may be the year that some of the benefits of technology are translated into superior consumer service, how personnel matters could alter the future, how sales may trend, what's ahead on the consolidation front, and what to expect from outside challenges such as alternate formats and channel blurring.
Here's a quick look at opinions expressed on some of those matters, and an observation or two on whether they may be portentous or not. To find out who's saying what, take a look at the news feature itself.
Sales: Many trends are important, but few are as important as trying to divine which way sales may go. One executive told SN that there's good reason to think sales will increase this year. "We've seen some signs of [sales increases]. Winter weather is [colder and] more like we're used to seeing. That means a boost in in-home consumption and less restaurant [dining]." This seems to be true. There's anecdotal evidence all over that suggests in-home food preparation is picking back up. It's not just the weather. It's the economy too. Let's hope this continues, although not at the expense of a totally sinking economy. This may prove to be one of the more important aspects of business to keep an eye on this year. There's also a news story on Page 1 about sales trends.
Consolidation: The industry is doubtless fated to continue to combine on both the retail and vendor sides. But certainly the tempo and style of activity will change: "There will be additional consolidation, though perhaps not at the pace we've seen in previous years," said one executive. "[Vendor] consolidation affects retailers because combinations are never as smooth as expected," said another. Both these observations are on the money and, unfortunately, the landscape may be just as significantly altered this year by business failures as it was in recent years by business combinations.
Technology: Some executives are of the opinion this could be the year that investments in technology translate into competitive advantage: "In past years, we as an industry spent a lot of money on the technical side of the business. I think some of that will have to go toward serving customers, [delivering] better service than any of your competitors," said one. This prediction probably is destined to be true, either because assets are redeployed toward customer service or because technology starts to make a difference. Retailers without some sort of point of distinction may find this a tough year.
Employment: The food-distribution industry employs huge numbers of people and has historically been able to tolerate a high turn rate because of a constant flood of new applicants. This is no longer true, and hasn't been for a while now. "One of the most crucial challenges is recruiting new associates. With a booming economy and low unemployment, recruiting at store and corporate level [is difficult]. Retaining qualified associates is a more critical challenge," said an executive. Actually, it may prove to be the case this year that difficulties surrounding attracting and retaining employees will be ameliorated to some degree. Again, the reason is that the economy is cooling a bit. And again, let's hope the economy doesn't retract to the point that the benefits of a slightly less torrid pace are outweighed by the cooling itself. Happy New Year.


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By Bámidélé Adémólá-Olátéjú
The deal Buhari signed with the United States has implications for Nigeria’s food security, health and economic wellbeing. With trade war brewing between China and America, Trump is looking at Nigeria as a trade anchor in West Africa. While Trump is seeking to Make America Great Again by helping farmers, Buhari is seeking to make Nigerians poorer, fatter and less food secure. In actual sense, it is a deal for and on behalf of Dangote, who is poised to become richer, stronger and more powerful.
The food insecurity part of this deal is an article in itself. Why our leaders are notoriously shortsighted begs the question. What is the fate of a country that cannot feed itself? How does a country survive when its existence is in the hands of another? All over Nigeria, farmers are scared of cultivating their land because of insecurity. Food is expensive! Instead of tackling the root causes, we are now going to be importing Genetically Modified Food, hormone-, antibiotic- and steroid-laden meat, dairy and poultry products. In a few weeks, tonnes of grains, poultry, beef, fruits and vegetables from American farmers will flood our markets, crashing food prices across the country. What will be the fate of our struggling farmers whose products will not be able to compete in terms of price and appearance? It is shameful that this singular decision will defeat the Buhari government’s hyped agriculture and product diversification programme, which is even at best, a ruse.
There are outright bans or restrictions on the production and sale of Genetically Modified (GM) food in the European Union and nearly 50 countries of the world. The European Union, has refused to allow frankenfood, commonly referred to as Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs), into their food supply systems. Welcome to the world of huge, blemish free, perfectly waxed fruits and vegetables, in comparison to the discoloured, pest-ravaged runts sold in Nigeria. For those who do not know, American food is engineered and grown to offer beautiful, tasteless products with long shelf lives, which are sparse in nutrition and flavour but big in size. It is very much unlike our locally grown food. It is energy rich but nutrient poor. This distinction is one of the reasons why Europeans are more fit and less fat than Americans.
How did America, with all its technological know-how, get stuck in this predicament? Well, America is a victim of its own success. A strong relationship exists between the nutrient levels of the soil a plant is grown in and the nutrient value of the food that comes out of the plant. Post-industrial agricultural methods used in the United States strip enormous nutrients from the soil. America is vast! The distances covered by food as it travels from farm to the grocery stores are much more than what obtains in Europe. Americans think nothing of buying Florida oranges in Michigan and grapes from California on breakfast tables in Minnesota. In addition, for everything there is a time and season. Nature has seasons. Most Americans seem to have forgotten that. They want every food to be in season all year round. The demand for year round availability of produce has its price. When it is off-season, there is the expectation that fruits and vegetables has to be imported from the southern hemisphere.
In 2004, the Journal of the American College of Nutrition, in a landmark study, compared the nutritional content of 43 different fruits and vegetables in 1950 and 1999. The results showed that the amount of protein and essential minerals, like iron, phosphorus, calcium, vitamin C and vitamin B2, have declined tremendously in these produces over the period. The researchers attributed the decline in nutritional content to breeding practices designed to improve plant size, growth rate and pest resistance, rather than nutrition.
Food is political. It is sad that we will now be forced to embrace what Americans are starting to leave behind. Americans are buying more organic produce and products after seeing that what they have, is making them more fat and putting their health at risk. In America in the last few years, we have been noticing the shift towards “organic” or “sustainably grown” food. For instance, two summers ago, yogurt labeled as produced with milk from grass fed cows hit the store shelves. People are gravitating towards food that is naturally grown. They are tired of rubbery fruits without bruises nor the slightest sign of pest infestation. While some of us were happy that the shift to organic can make inroads for African farmers seeking dollars from affluent taste buds in the West, President Buhari has proved us wrong!
Before you think, these are worries of contentment. What does GMOs mean to your body and the planet? What does “organic” mean today? By definition, organic meat, poultry, eggs and dairy products must come from animals that have not been given antibiotics or growth hormones. Organic plant foods: fruits, vegetables, legumes and grains must be grown without using conventional pesticides, fertilisers made with synthetic ingredients or ionising radiation. For me, the two reasons why I eat organic food is to limit my exposure to pesticides, herbicides, antibiotics and hormones and out of concern for the environment. Organic products cost 40 to 120 percent more, in comparison to their conventional counterparts due to smaller production scales and higher labour costs. If you reside in Nigeria, you are probably eating mostly organic produce until you stray towards imported apples, pears and lately bananas being hawked in traffic or sold in kiosks in your neighbourhood. If you eat frozen chicken, like “orobo”, turkey and gizzard, you are on your own. Apart from antibiotics and hormones, these imported poultry have stratospheric amounts of preservatives to keep them fresh before they reach the consumers. Now that government has enabled the invasion of frankenfood, you can vote with your pocket and decide what to buy and eat.
Whatever your decision, be informed about the long-term consequences of consuming food grown and preserved by agricultural pesticides and industrial chemicals. These chemicals cannot be seen, smelled, or tasted. Nigeria does not have the competence, the wherewithal and even the political or economic will, to monitor the amount of these chemicals in your food or how it affects the food chain. Pesticide levels are not disclosed on food labels. Worse, Nigeria does not have the resources to counter the fall out from escalating obesity and health risks that these foods can bring. I urge you to stick with our open pollinated foods. Eat only organic, biodynamic foods. What we need is not poison. We want large scale food production that is sustainable, local, and organic; kinder to farm animals; and fair and just to farmers. What we need is not blind importation of harmful foods, but a food system that is healthier for people and the planet. The risk-to-reward ratio of GMO foods is not worth it. It leans heavily on the risk side. When the journey to GMO foods started, the argument was that pIants would be engineered to be more nutritionally dense. Unfortunately, it hasn’t happened that way. In Canada, De Dell Seed Company, in a study, found many nutritional deficiencies in GMO corn, in contrast to opportunity pollinated corn. Compared to open pollinated corn, GMO corn contained 56 times less magnesium, seven times less manganese and 437 times less calcium. Frighteningly, GMO corn was found to contain 13 parts per million of glyphosate. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) considers anything over 0.7 ppm as “unsafe”. Open pollinated corn contains no glyphosate. Did I hear you murmur say na something go kill person. Na true you talk but some death dey pain pass.
Bámidélé Adémólá-Olátéjú a farmer, youth advocate and political analyst writes this weekly column, “Bamidele Upfront” for PREMIUM TIMES. Follow me on Twitter @olufunmilayo


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9 March 2011 | Category: Electronics
Warner Bros has built is own Facebook application that allows users of the website to watch movies online for a small fee.
Its the first time that a major Hollywood movie studio has partnered with a social networking website to provide movie content. Warner Bros and other film makers hope it will be a lucrative new market for them.
The first movie available is "Batman: The Dark Knight". It costs 30 Facebook credits to rent, which is around roughly $3. The movie can be watched and re-watched over a 48 hour period.
More movies are set to be released over the next few months.