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If you've been looking at the photos your iPhone 14 Pro is taking and wondering what is going on with them, you aren't alone. Something's amiss, and YouTuber Marques (MKBHD) Brownlee thinks he has the answer.
Brownlee recently ran his annual smartphone camera awards to see which device people think is taking the best photos and, as is often the case, Apple's flagship found itself floundering in the middle of the pack. But given the new 48-megapixel camera, you'd be forgiven for expecting better.
So what's going on?
It's all about the software
In a new YouTube video looking at the iPhone 14 Pro's camera performance, Brownlee points to the Google Pixel lineup as one example of where Apple needs to do some work.
You should definitely watch the full video to see what's going on, but Brownlee points to the fact that Google historically relied on the same camera sensor across most of its Pixel devices — using software to then tweak photos to look pretty great. The combination of the same sensor and gradually improving software meant for some awesome photos — even if the video performance sometimes left a little to be desired.
But Google found that when it changed the sensor for a new 50-megapixel one, things didn't look right. The software was doing too much work, creating an image that appeared artificial and overworked. And Apple now has the same problem.
For years, Apple's iPhones all used the same 12-megapixel camera sensor with Apple layering its own software on top to work out any kinks. Just like Google, that allowed Apple to iterate and refine that software, taking great photos along the way.
But things changed with the iPhone 14 Pro. Now, Apple's using a much higher resolution sensor — a 48-megapixel one, no less. But Brownlee believes that Apple's software is going overboard, working just as hard as it did with that 12-megapixel sensor when in reality it doesn't need to anymore.
The result? An artificial-looking photo. One that appears over-processed and just...off.
So what happens next? It's all down to Apple and, in all likelihood, this will all get fixed in software. Apple just needs to dial things back a bit to let that new sensor do the work, not its software.
Whether that'll come to the iPhone 14 Pro or not, we'll have to wait and see. Will Apple's best iPhone get a camera software update or will we all have to buy a new iPhone 15 Pro to see the fruits of Apple's labor?
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Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too.
Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.


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Government has granted a five-year contract to a US-based firm to beef up marketing of the island’s products and services at the Grantley Adams International Airport (GAIA).
The first-of-its-kind partnership for Barbados with Clear Channel Airports (CCA), is aimed at increasing revenue for the country.
Minister of Tourism and International Transport Kerrie Symmonds told Barbados TODAY a lot of the airport’s space was currently under-utilized and it was therefore necessary to put it to good use.
“The Clear Channel contract is an effort to try to up the level of non-aeronautical revenue in Barbados. Frankly speaking, if you go through any airport in the world that is a serious place you are going to find that the airport almost takes on shopping mall experience,” said Symmonds.
“You will find a variety of purchase options and the customers are invariably led through a path that makes you come almost in contact with all of those shopping options. In addition to that you see a lot of advertising and that advertising space is paid for,” he explained.
Symmonds said: “Grantley Adams has failed in the context of using its space and terminals for the purposes of developing a pattern of revenue growth. We don’t get a lot of non-aeronautical revenue. We rely on parking fees, landing charges, et cetera and that is a mistake we are making.”
A release quoting the Acting Chief Executive Officer of the GAIA Terry Layne identified Clear Channels Airports as “the airport media innovator and leader”.
“The sophisticated media programme CCA proposed is comprehensive, best-in-class and will deliver what brands want, and, improve overall experience for our valued customers,” said Layne.
There was an estimated 2.2 million passengers through the GAIA in 2018. The airport gets passengers from two-dozen regional and international cities
Symmonds said many airports were able to get about 40 per cent or more of their revenue from airport advertising and marketing.
“A part of what we are trying to do is have a more aggressive type of marketing of the island’s products and allow people to place within the terminals of the airport, advertisements that better facilitate that type of revenue for the airport, and opportunities for visitors to learn what the country is about even as they arrive,” he said.
Among other displays, the media programme is expected to include LED video walls, illuminated and non-illuminated tension fabric displays, mobile charging stations, exhibit and other special displays.

domain: news


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As the world faced months of restrictions on social gatherings and celebrations, the demand for champagne hit historic lows.
French producers of the pricey specialty wine estimate they have already lost $2 billion in sales this year.
Champagne is named for the eastern area of France where it comes from. The drink is traditionally served at celebratory events or enjoyed at parties or while eating out.
Thibaut Le Mailloux is a member of the Champagne Committee, a group representing about 16,000 champagne producers. “We are experiencing a crisis that we evaluate to be even worse than the Great Depression” of 1929, he told The Associated Press.
The group said it expects about 100 million bottles of champagne to be left unsold by the end of the year.
In an effort to reduce the surplus, the committee has launched emergency production limits. Like oil-producing nations, the committee sets rules for the size of each year’s harvest. This aims to prevent too much production and large price drops.
The committee is expected to set a strict limit at a meeting scheduled for August 18. The limit will likely lead to record supplies of grapes being destroyed or sold off at greatly reduced prices. The expected limit could especially be difficult for smaller producers to deal with.
“We are to destroy (the grapes) and we pay for them to be destroyed,” said Anselme Selosse, of Jacques Selosse Champagnes.
Selosse told The Associated Press he also sees it as “an insult to nature” that the area’s famous grapes might even be used to produce alcohol for hand sanitizer. Such production happened in other wine-producing areas after demand for sanitizer has risen during the virus crisis.
Paul-Francois Vranken, founder of producer Vranken-Pommery Monopole, called the current situation “a catastrophe.” He noted that the champagne business had “lived through every single war.” But with past crises, “there was a way out.” Now, Vranken sees no way out “unless we find a vaccine.”
Major producers such as Vranken-Pommery predict the crisis could last for years.
Vranken says he thinks there needs to be a change in how companies market champagne to succeed in the new normal. A drop in celebrations and group events moving forward will lead to continued reductions in champagne sales.
Vranken said marketing campaigns should center more on champagne’s quality as a naturally, often organically produced drink from a historic area of France. “Even if the bars and the nightclubs are closed for five years, we don’t plan on missing out on customers,” he added.
Selosse, who produces many “natural“ champagnes with no added sugar, also hopes the coronavirus crisis will lead to changes in marketing. He is also calling for more cooperative efforts in production, such as “communal wine presses” to help smaller producers share costs.
I’m Bryan Lynn.
The Associate Press reported this story. Bryan Lynn adapted the report for VOA Learning English. Hai Do was the editor.
We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page.
Words in This Story
evaluate – v. to consider or study something carefully
sanitizer – n. a liquid that kills germs
organic – adj. grown from the earth and not using artificial chemicals
customer – n. a buyer of goods or services


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Lisa Price of Carol’s Daughter has done it again! She picked a stunning group of women who represent a wide array of ethnicities (Cassie, Selita, & Solange Knowles) to be the faces of her brand.
What we’re doing now is moving into a polyethnic space. When I say polyethnic, I mean women who are made up of several ethnicities,” Stoute explained. “If you ask them what they are, they’re going to use a lot of different words to describe themselves. That’s in line with the Census data coming out — people are checking much more than two boxes.
According to Women’s Wear Daily:
Carol’s Daughter aims to showcase the customers who can’t be neatly slotted into one category or another. Take, for instance, Cassie, who is of black and Filipina descent, or Ebanks, who has Jamaican, Irish, Indian and African heritage and grew up in the Cayman Islands. Knowles is of African-American and French Creole descent.“Carol’s Daughter doesn’t have just one direct demographic,” said Ebanks. “Solange’s hair is a different texture than mine; so is Cassie’s. Our skin and body types are different. Today, people are blended, and I think the three of us are a prime example. Women in my family range from vanilla to the deepest chocolate.”
“They will serve as cultural ambassadors in bringing forth this acceptance that the definition of beauty is now colorless,” said Steve Stoute, chairman and lead investor in the company. “There are no longer boxes of white, black, Latina, Asian. More and more women are checking the other box.”
Kudos again to Lisa Price for such an awesome showcase of diversity for Carol’s Daughter.
What do you think of Carol’s Daughters newest Ambassadors?
Enjoy the Journeys. ~ Kristi


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Amazon negotiated a settlement with the US Federal Trade Commission over the company’s behavior with Ring doorbell camera and Alexa data. Amazon’s Privacy Violations Should Concern Customers Amazon agreed Wednesday to pay a $25 million civil penalty to settle Federal Trade Commission allegations it violated a child privacy law and deceived parents by keeping kids’ voice and location data recorded by its popular Alexa voice … Continue reading Amazon Sued Over Massive Privacy Violations
An eavesdropping facility on the island of Cuba, 100 miles from Florida, would allow China to gather electronic communications from the US. China and Cuba Eavesdropping? China has reached a secret deal with Cuba to establish an electronic eavesdropping facility on the island roughly 100 miles from Florida, the Wall Street Journal has reported, but the White House cast some doubt on the report. The … Continue reading Cuba Hosts Secret Chinese Spy Base To Spy On U.S.


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USA: Tag-It Pacific Sales Drop 37 Per Cent
Apparel trim specialist Tag-It Pacific Inc reported a 37 per cent drop in net sales for the third quarter 2001, down to $11.039m compared to $17.515m for same period last year. But the company believes its restructuring programme, launched at the beginning of the 2001 fiscal year, is now starting to show up in reduced operating costs and improved operations. It says that it has also solved distribution problems linked to its Talon products.
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Support grows for Costa Rican small firms
Tuesday, November 4, 2014
The Central American Bank for Economic Integration, CABEI, has signed an accord with Costa Rica for credit worth $2 million to support the country's small and medium enterprises.
The agreement will give small firms preferential access to credit, and CABEI said it expects to help with the creation of jobs in the country.
The move comes after proposed reform of Costa Rica's development bank system, which will give small companies, farmers, young entrepreneurs and female-led firms access to credit at interest rates lower than the market average, Costa Rican daily La República reported.
Full story (in Spanish)


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Agriculture faces a monumental challenge in meeting the food needs of global populations over the next 40 years, and a diverse panel of stakeholders discussed strategies and challenges during this week’s joint convention of the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association and Colorado Livestock Association.
The panel featured Mark Gustafson, who manages international marketing for beef packer JBS, Tom Goding, president of Bank of Colorado, and Jason Clay, senior vice president for market transformation for the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).
Gustafson began the discussion, presenting the meat-packer’s perspective, and particularly the opportunities and challenges for f U.S. meat companies in international markets. JBS is the world’s largest meat packer, with global capacity to slaughter 94,000 cattle, 48,500 hogs and 7.2 million chickens per day. In the United States, the company's beef division operates eight beef plants and Five Rivers Cattle Feeding. The beef plants and feedyards employ about 18,000 people and the packer holds a 21 percent market share among beef processors.
Gustafson presented a “SWOT” analysis of the U.S. beef industry’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats in international marketing.
- Among the U.S. beef industry’s strengths, Gustafson listed Cost-effective production, grain feeding, consistent product, consistent supply, USDA grading and economies of scale.
- Under weaknesses, he lists the lack of traceability, lingering BSE issues, political image overseas, and the industry’s slowness in responding to changes in consumer demand.
- For opportunities, he lists growth in consumer trust, growth in demand for chilled beef, retail growth overseas and U.S. input costs increasing less than those for some international competitors.
- Among threats, he lists the shrinking U.S. beef herd, higher input prices, food-safety concerns, competition from other proteins and effective marketing programs from export competitors such as Canada and Australia.
Gustafson also outlined how some importing countries continue to impose trade barriers, often based on food-safety issues not supported by scientific evidence. These include rejecting technologies such as implants and beta agonists that improve production efficiency. He says, however, that the greatest challenge to the U.S. beef industry is the decline in our cattle numbers during a time when global demand is growing.
Goding focused on roadblocks to feeding the world from the economic perspective of a bank officer. He listed two key issues that challenge U.S. livestock producers in providing protein to global markets.
- Price volatility, both for inputs and end products. Volatile cost of production equals volatile profitability, he says.
- Increased capital requirements. Due to the high value of feeder cattle, for example, a feeder today needs almost 50 percent more capital investment for the same equity position on a pen of steers.


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A month ago, Bajaj revealed its first electric scooter and revived an iconic moniker with the new Chetak e-scooter. The unveil also witnessed the flag-off of the 3,000km-long ‘Chetak Electric Yatra’ that has just concluded in Pune in the presence of Rajiv Bajaj, Managing Director, Bajaj Auto.
At the event, Rajiv Bajaj revealed some very interesting information – the company is working on a performance-oriented version of the Chetak, which will be sold under the KTM or Husqvarna brand. Now KTM is no stranger to high-performance electric two-wheelers. The brand sells the Freeride E-XC – the electronic counterpart of the Freeride 250 R enduro bike – in international markets. And lest we forget, the manufacturer also revealed the E-Speed electric scooter concept at the 2013 Tokyo motor show, whose final product never saw the light of day.
However, KTM is now expected to use the Chetak platform to make its first electric scooter. The Chetak features retro-styling and is powered by a 4kW motor. We can also expect the KTM/Husqvarna iteration of the model to feature a much bolder and sharper design language with better performance; and, most likely, more premium hardware in terms of suspension and brakes.
This high-performance scooter is still very much in its nascent stages, so a launch in the near future is unlikely. However, the Chetak is here and we will see it go on sale in early 2020.


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VCN - In order to further develop livestock products, many businesses have proposed to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to have mechanisms and policies to support the development of the domestic breeding field.
|Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Phung Duc Tien, Head of the Working Group directing the production, connecting the supply and consumption of agricultural products in the northern provinces and cities in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic, spoke at Vietnam Agriculture Newspaper.|
Ministries join hands to develop breeding stock
On October 30, 2021, speaking at the 970 agricultural connection forum, the 9th session held by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), Truong Chi Thien, General Director of Vinh Thanh Dat Food Joint Stock Company (a unit specializing in the field of poultry eggs, having participated in the price stabilization program of Ho Chi Minh City) said that the egg market is highly competitive.
Currently, the company is piloting egg-laying chickens under the cage-free model.
"In order to further develop livestock products, it is recommended that the MARD have mechanisms and policies to support the development of the domestic breeding field," said Truong Chi Thien.
Also interested in the issue of breeding animals, Luu Son Thuy, General Director of Son Thuy Ha Co., Ltd. said: “In the past few years, Vietnam has mainly imported live cows from Australia and Thailand with a huge scale. Specifically, in 2020, livestock establishments and businesses in Vietnam imported 270,000 cows from Thailand and about 270,000 Australian cows for fattening.
“If you only import Australian cows for fattening, businesses can't survive. Therefore, we hope that the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development will create conditions for businesses to import cows from many different countries in order to increase the scale of livestock production. In addition, the enterprise also hopes to create favorable conditions for the land fund to produce breeds, from that the enterprise will raise and fatten to improve efficiency,” said Luu Son Thuy.
Responding to the opinions of businesses on the issue of breeding animals, especially the development of cow breeds, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Phung Duc Tien said that every year, Vietnam's total herd of cows is about 6.3-6.3 million but mainly from imported sources. In the near future, the Ministry of Science and Technology and the MARD will develop a breed development program, in which business is the driving force.
Improve livestock products through processing
From a local perspective, Le Ba Thanh, Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Bac Giang province, said that Bac Giang is one of the localities with strong development in livestock production in recent years, including the strength of pigs and beef cattle. However, the consumption of livestock products is currently facing difficulties, especially pigs.
However, according to Thanh, Bac Giang needs to improve two issues. One is breeding production, which currently only meets 60% of the demand. The second is to develop a deep processing system.
"Bac Giang proposes the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and neighboring localities to create a consumption support mechanism, so the province can develop deep processing chains of livestock," Thanh said.
Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien also said that currently, the cost of animal feed accounts for about 65-70% of production costs. If this problem cannot be solved, it will be difficult to reduce costs and improve competitiveness.
From a processing perspective, Vietnam has set a target that the rate of processed livestock products will be about 60%. Currently, processing technology is still limited; the rate of processed meat, eggs and milk is still very low.
Affirming that in order to develop livestock sustainably, science and technology is the leading national policy and needs to play a role to create motivation.
The closed chain trend is irreversible, the closed chain can be both vertical and horizontal, in which cooperatives and enterprises play a very important role. "I believe that if the livestock strategy is well implemented, with the participation of the whole political system, we will have an output and export value of the livestock industry exceeding US$1 billion," said Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien.
By Thanh Nguyen/ Kieu Oanh


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The highstreet will return, but may look slightly different. Challenger brands and Pop-Up boutiques will replace some of our well known names, but there may be an element of much needed simplification. Rather than mega monolith stores offering a multi-brand bazaar, the smaller, single offering brands focused on in-store customer experience, could take advantage of any potential high street rent decreases.
The reality is many people became first-time online buyers in 2020. Some will revel in the newfound convenience, and some will still enjoy a physical shopping experience, especially for luxury goods, maybe combined with a cup of coffee with a friend, the truth is most will prefer a hybrid of both. For larger brands, hybrid experiences are the future, and companies set for true omnichannel, rather than an often disconnected multi-channel approach, will capitalise on the footfall return.
A recent survey carried out by Statista and released in August 2020 showed that the use of online shopping in those aged over 65 in the UK jumped to 65% in 2020, up from 54% the year before. Whilst not an entirely untapped market, and with some added consideration needed towards accessibility, it has traditionally been a bypassed demographic.
For many shoppers, it will be a completely new experience, and brand and customer support will help capture customer loyalty from the start. Demand and expectation may be lower, that DPD order later than it’s assigned 1 hour slot is doubtful to produce a Facebook rant, however a poor or confusing customer journey will. Many e-commerce giants will find interesting UX information by studying new demographics online journeys, things Millennials consider to be second nature might not be so evident as first thought for other users.
A positive effect could be a reexamining of accessibility and e-commerce, not just for the new generations joining, but for the wider multi-aged, multi-abled community. Accessibility adjustments have for a long time been seen as a compliance necessity, now they are a new revenue stream, more attention should be paid. Branwell Moffat, our Director of CX Consulting, has investigated the topic further, read more about it here, Accessibility is about more than just compliance.
Will digital marketing costs continue to rise?
While the market for e-commerce has been expanded due to the pandemic, so too has the competition. In March, advertisers started noticing an increase in online ad costs, especially through Google Shopping and Facebook Business. Google Shopping ads saw a +19% Shopping conversion rates YoY throughout lockdown and with Facebook’s Q3 earnings announced at $21.5 billion. Television adverts have boomed again, with a captive audience guaranteed on Friday and Saturday nights, the average cost of television advertising has tripled over the last year.
But there’s also a lot of noise. Brands competing for retargeting, small businesses struggling to be heard against companies with deeper pockets, inboxes full of sales and special offers. When will consumers simply stop listening?
The 2021 focus needs to be on retention and customer experience. In line with the e-commerce boom of 2020, retaining new customers, through either loyalty programs or outstanding customer experiences, will be key to capitalise on the opportunity. This will require personalised marketing, greater data segmentation and real time understanding of customer needs.
The e-commerce boom of 2020, showed the keys to successfully prepare for the year ahead. It’s safe to say retention and customer experience are key focal points that will help you in making the most of opportunities that may come your way. Whether that’s through introducing a loyalty program, adopting a new form of marketing or integrating new technology such as a chat-bot, it will require personalised marketing, great data segmentation and real-time understanding of customer needs.


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Extensive federal research puts forth dietary supplements risks with finding that 23,000 emergency room visits per year are the side effect of dietary supplements use.
The extensive federal research has been carried out by a joint team of medical researchers from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Conducted on medical records spanning a 10-year timeframe, the study reveals that the majority of emergency room visits due to dietary supplements use occur among the young.
At the same time, the extensive federal research puts forth dietary supplements risks associated with a largely unregulated industry and use. Misusing these supplements, particularly those that promise energy enhancement and weight loss or muscle building is a serious health problem among younger adults and teenagers alike.
Unaware of the risks as no physician visit is required before, nor a prescription to buy dietary supplements, many are also unaware of the risks dietary supplements carry. The industry is doing well, with a reported 32 billion dollars annually. However, for people who are at risk of medical complications or have already been diagnosed with heart problems or others, the largely unregulated industry is doing more harm than good.
In the wake of the study, industry representative argue that what the study shows in fact is that dietary supplements are safer than prescription drugs. With over 150 million U.S. citizens estimated to use dietary supplements, the percentage of those visiting the emergency room is quite reduced.
The results of the extensive federal research have been published in The New England Journal of Medicine. The effects of dietary supplement use or misuse in this case included a long list of ailments.
Among them, heart issues, vomiting, nausea, severe allergic reactions topped the list. These effects stem from using dietary supplements such as minerals and vitamins, amino acids or what is advertised as herbal pills. Of the patients who reached the emergency room each year, 10 percent required prolonged hospitalization.
Moreover, the age group of those who ended up in the emergency room for dietary supplements use was between 20 and 34. The overall number of emergency room records for dietary supplements side effects is only approximately 5 percent of those due to prescription drugs. Nonetheless, the latter occurs with older adults.
Photo Credits: Pixabay


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Brexit Event Video Released
The Supply Chain Academy, along with group partner Customs Insights, collaborated to deliver their most recent thought leadership event earlier this month, which covered the most topical and important issue of the millennium so far – Brexit.
We have now published a series of short video clips that provide insight into Brexit from our expert panelists and can be viewed by clicking the link below.
Alex Golledge – Deputy Agent at the Bank of England provided a snap-shot of the current state of the UK economy and then our panel of experts answered questions from the audience about how businesses can prepare for the medium and long-term results of Brexit.
Our panelists were: Terry Clear, Managing Director Customs Insights – Gary Cobbing, Commercial Director Uniserve Group – Charlotte Horobin, Regional Director EEF – Richard Rumbelow, EEF Europe Policy and Government Affairs Advisor.
View Our Brexit Event Videos
For further information on how the Supply Chain Academy can assist in adding leverage to your post Brexit supply chain, please email email@example.com, or call 01708 259450
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Our in-company thought leadership workshop, which can be tailored to specific needs.
Supply Chain Degree Apprenticeship
Find out more about the new Degree Apprenticeship.
Join our webinar on 28th April to find out more about the Supply Chain degree apprenticeship.
Global aerospace giant Airbus has reaffirmed its commitment to the Supply Chain Degree Apprenticeship
RS Components has joined the expanding list of global businesses signing its people up to the Supply Chain Degree Apprenticeships with the Supply Chain Academy and CP Training.


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You’ve heard about Rivian’s plan to develop and market an electric commercial delivery van, with Amazon its principal customer out of the gate. The retail giant has ordered 100,000 units of the future Rivian product.
The widespread use of electric delivery vans is only a matter of time. Mercedes-Benz began production of the eSprinter last December, while Hyundai and Kia bought British electric van manufacturer Arrival, which has an order for 10,000 units under its arm from UPS.
Now it's Ford's turn to throw its hat in the ring. The company, which dominates the delivery van market around the world, will offer an all-electric Transit for the U.S. and Canadian markets.
Ford in 2019 announced an electric Transit van for the European market, with 2021 the target date. The American automaker has been testing electric trucks and delivery vans in the Old Continent with shipping giant DHL for several years now. Now we learn that North America will be next to receive the Electric Transit. In this case the aim is to bring it to market by 2022.


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As part of its plan to shape up the downtown, the Barrington Village Center Redevelopment Commission is drafting an ordinance that would reduce the number of ground-floor businesses in the town center that do not generate sales-tax revenue.
The commission envisions an amortization clause that does away with so-called "non-conforming" businesses over a predetermined period.
The draft ordinance eventually calls for non-sales-tax-generating businesses to be limited to no more than 10 percent of the number of ground-floor businesses in the Village Center. Commissioners pointed to businesses such as real estate offices, hair salons and financial institutions as fitting in that category.
Before the next Village Center Redevelopment Commission meeting on June 6, village staff will categorize the various types of businesses downtown to determine which businesses there produce sales-tax revenue and which ones do not. The Elgin, Joliet & Eastern Railroad tracks, Northwest Highway and Lake Street border the downtown area that would be governed by the ordinance.
"We want barbershops but not a great number of them," said VCRC Chairwoman Karen Kabbes.
One commissioner asked about prohibiting businesses that cater solely to the sale of tobacco products. Currently there are tobacco specialty stores within the Village Center boundary.
"The village doesn't need to promote the sale of tobacco," said Commissioner Dave Hendrickson, who raised the issue. "Cigarettes are sold at every gas station and restaurant. We don't need to promote the product any more than that."
Following the meeting, George Vodin, president of the Retail Merchants Association, which serves the downtown businesses, said such an attempt to further restrict businesses would be an attempt to "micromanage."
"The market should decide who and what is a viable business downtown," Vodin said. "Our association is concerned that there is a good mix of shops in a high-quality shopping area."
In Lake Forest a similar sales-tax-generating ordinance has been in place for 15 years. Charles Crook, Lake Forest's community development director, believes it has proved successful. He said limits on the types of businesses protect the smaller shops. He said office and financial institutions can afford the downtown rents much more readily than the small entrepreneur.
Lake Forest worked the law into place through attrition to weed out non-conforming businesses, Crook said. As businesses left, businesses wanting to locate in the Market Square area were required to follow the then-15 percent sales-tax-producing rule. The city has since reduced that percentage to no more than 10 percent of businesses on the ground floor can be non-sales-tax-generating, Crook said.
Barrington trustees and staff agreed ground-floor retail shops make for a vibrant community.
"We want to encourage retail activity that attracts pedestrians and shoppers to the downtown," said Barrington Community and Economic Development Director Peg Blanchard.


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So it has been made officially official that any PII that the PSN may have been keeping for you has been breached. Ok, that may be a bit of an exaggeration, but seeing how it has been down since what, Wednesday of last week, can you blame me? And now they have come out to say how big the breach actually was. Sony has engaged a private security firm to examine what they might have been taken in the attack and it was a decent amount of information:
- Address (City, State and ZIP)
- Email Address
- Birth Date
- Playstation / Qriocity Login
- Playstation / Qriocity Password
- PSN Handle / Online ID
On top of that profile data such as purchase history, billing address, and security answers could have been taken as well. And while they have no proof that credit card numbers and expiration dates have been collected they are still advising people to check their credit reports if they kept that information on their PSN account.
So what does this mean for PSN? It is getting a strip down and rebuild. Sony has decided instead of just patching the hole and risking something of this magnitude happening again that they are going to rebuild the system to have stronger security from the ground up. Unfortunately this means that we are going to be out of the PSN and Qriocity services a bit longer (read: a long time).


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Search Jim Cramer's "Mad Money" trading recommendations using our exclusive "Mad Money" Stock Screener.
NEW YORK ( TheStreet) -- It's hard to hate a market that's making so many new highs, Jim Cramer told his "Mad Money" TV show viewers Monday as he recapped the day's action on Wall Street. Cramer said with so many diverse stocks on the 52-week and all-time high lists, there's just too many good things to ignore. Among those on the all-time high list catching Cramer's attention were TJX Stores ( TJX), which is having a heyday buying unsold inventory from other failing retailers, and Cigna ( CI), which is benefiting from ever-rising HMO costs. Cramer also noted that Cabot Oil & Gas ( COG) continues to grow its production and remains a takeover candidate. Still others making the list include Amgen ( AMGN), which jump-started its growth by buying Onyx Pharmaceuticals ( ONXX); Lockheed Martin ( LMT), a defense stock that seems totally unfazed by the sequester; and Viacom ( VIA), which continues to be bought up by mutual fund managers. Then there are those stocks on the 52-week high list, said Cramer, including FedEx ( FDX), Dollar General ( DG) and Netflix ( NFLX), along with Dow Chemical ( DOW) and Wynn Resorts ( WYNN). Cramer said all of these stocks are rallying for different reasons, an eclectic mix that makes for one powerful rally.
Tesla in the Driver's SeatWhy is the stock of Tesla Motors ( TSLA) has been taking off like a rocket? Was it the positive reviews and awards the company's won? Was it the fact that Tesla owners just can't stop raving about their cars? Of course not. Cramer said there's only one reason why Tesla shares have been soaring since May and that's because the company blew away the numbers. Cramer said there were three things "known" to be true going into Tesla's last earnings call. First, the company was losing a fortune due to supply problems. Second, there was no real demand for its cars outside of a few enthusiasts. Third, Tesla would need a boatload of new financing to stay afloat. In reality, Tesla announced it didn't lose money, it made $15 million in profit. It also increased its production to 21,000 vehicles for 2013. Then there were the higher margins and labor improvements that Wall Street never saw coming, along with Tesla announcing that it's stepping up its showroom growth by 50% to meet growing demand.
Being Sure of Software Security StocksIt's time to take a second look at software security stocks, Cramer told viewers. He said these stocks have been beaten down hard over the past 12 months thanks to the global economic malaise, but with cloud computing continuing to soar in popularity software security has never been more important. Cramer said with Cisco's ( CSCO) recent security acquisition and Hewlett-Packard ( HPQ) CEO Meg Whitman also stating she's interested in this space, the time is now to get in ahead of any additional takeovers. There are only three software security pure plays, noted Cramer, and a rising tide should lift all of these boats. He said Checkpoint Systems ( CKP) trades at 17 times earnings, although the company's software seems to have lost some of its luster, making it his least favorite. Then there's Fortinet ( FTNT), which has been struggling to fight the economic weakness. Cramer said this company can deliver the goods and convince Wall Street that the turn is at hand. But Cramer's favorite among the group is Palo Alto Networks ( PANW), a stock he liked at its IPO for a 71% gain but then advised selling just before the stock pulled back to nearly its IPO price. Cramer said it's once again time to buy this stock -- it has got the best growth of the three; investors will not only value it the highest, but will also make it a prime takeover candidate.


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Some hackers have just earned themselves $1 million by finding a remote jailbreak of an iPhone running
Our iOS #0day bounty has expired & we have one winning
teamwho made a remote browser-based iOS 9.1/9.2b #jailbreak (untethered). Congrats!
— Zerodium (@Zerodium) November 2, 2015
But Zerodium did not say who won or how they did so. Whoever they are, they likely spent a significant amount of time trying to meet the tough requirements of the $1 million bounty: a remote attack that successfully took control of an iPhone via either Apple's Safari browser,
Chaouki Bekrar, Zerodium's founder and a well-known zero-day hunter, had not responded to a request for comment. As with his previous exploits, there will be some who have concerns about who ends up buying the iOS zero-days from Bekrar. Little is known about Zerodium's customers. Bekrar has previously sold primarily to governments and he does not disclose issues to vendors, meaning the wider world rarely learns about the exploits he deals in.
Bekrar told FORBES two teams had submitted entries to the competition, but only one of them had achieved a "remote and full browser-based" jailbreak for iOS 9.1 and 9.2. "The other team has a partial jailbreak and they may qualify for a partial reward (still under discussion)," he wrote over email.
"The winning team has submitted the exploits just a few hours before the expiration of the Zerodium bounty as they have been working very hard to finish and polish the code until the last day.
"The exploit chain includes a number of vulnerabilities affecting both Google Chrome browser and iOS, and bypassing almost all mitigations in place. The exploit is still being extensively tested by Zerodium to understand each of the underlying vulnerabilities."
The $1 million figure might sound significant, but it's long been known that the hardest flaws to find can fetch big bucks. During research into the iOS jailbreak market, I was repeatedly told that a stable iPhone exploit would be rewarded with $1 million or more.
Some researchers aren't too keen on the idea of making money from jailbreaking, however. Team Pangu, the only hacker crew known to have jailbroken iOS 9, decided not to sell its findings (though it wouldn't have qualified for the Zerodium bounty), nor did it take sponsorship from a third-party app store provider, as Pangu and others have done before.


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Despite the doubts raised by the backers of Long Term Evolution, such as Ericsson Chief Technology Officer Hakan Eriksson, as to whether or not WiMAX is truly 4G, the technology’s champions believe it has a future. Today their belief can be backed by numbers. According to Infonetics Research, the demand for WiMAX-related gear will increase to just shy of $5 billion in 2013 from less than $500 million in 2007.
WiMAX equipment sales were about $255 million in the second quarter of 2009, thanks to a jump in demand in India and the U.S. Alvarion led the market during the quarter, followed by Motorola. The number of WiMAX subscribers is expected to near 140 million worldwide by 2013. In a recent conversation, WiMAX Forum President Dr. Mohammad Shakouri said that WiMAX’s future was in emerging telecom markets such as India, Russia and Brazil.


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I’ve been on #Teamblackberry for a long time. I tried the first iPhone and didn’t see what the big deal was so I never was on the iPhone bandwagon but I did say if they graduated from the 3g, then I would think about it.
The new iPhone OS 4 may just be the best phone ever created. Read on…
CNN – The new operating system, iPhone OS 4, will be released to developers this week and to consumers this summer. It will give developers access to calendar, photo library, still image and video data, and includes features aimed at helping apps run faster.
As expected, the new OS will support multitasking of apps.
“We weren’t the first to this party but we’re going to be the best, just like cut and paste,” said Apple CEO Steve Jobs, alluding to the fact that cut-and-paste hadn’t been available until a year after the first iPhone launched.
“It’s really easy to implement multitasking in a way that drains battery life. If you don’t do it just right your phone’s going to feel sluggish and your battery life is going to go way down. We’ve figured out how to implement multitasking of third-party apps and avoid those things.”
Apple demonstrated how you can keep listening to music in Pandora while doing other things on the phone, and how the phone could deliver push notifications to alert users to an incoming Skype call.
“It was really simple to implement. Just a dozen lines of code,” said Skype’s head of product development David Ponsford.
To address privacy concerns, the OS will also let you know (via a notification on the app’s icon) when an app running in the background has requested your location from the device’s GPS.
The announcement comes less than a week after Apple’s launch of its tablet computer, the iPad.
The current iPhone OS has been widely criticized for its lack of support for full multitasking: It only allows a few core apps, such as iPod and Mail, to run in the background while another app is active. The OS also restricts add-on software to apps available through Apple’s App Store.
The App Store currently contains 185,000 apps, Jobs said, adding than users have downloaded more than 4 billion apps from it to date. About 3,500 of those apps are optimized for the iPad.
The new OS also gives users the ability to group apps in folders, instead of just laying them out on the home screens.
Other features planned for iPhone OS 4 include a 5x digital zoom feature in the camera, and the ability to tap to focus in video. (Tap to focus was already available for still images in iPhone OS 3.)


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Lexington, KY-January 23, 2024 – CLARK Material Handling company, a top-ten manufacturer of forklifts and spare parts, today announces plans for upcoming leadership appointments in the North American company. 2023 was a record sales and revenue year for CLARK Material Handling since the purchase of the company by the Young An company in 2003.
Dennis Lawrence, President and CEO of CLARK commented on the business’s success, “Our team has worked tirelessly for the past 20 years to rebuild a brand that we can all be proud of. We have endured many challenges with the downturn in the market between 2009 to 2011 and COVID-19 in 2020. Through it all, we have been successful in building a strong team with dedicated employees, dealers, and customers.”
Additionally, Mr. S.S. Baik, Chairman of CLARK Material Handling Board remarked, “We had a vision for this business when we acquired the company, and we could not be more pleased with its growth. As we look to the future, we are now making plans to welcome the third generation of the family into this business. They will begin to shape the vison of the business for future generations.”
To prepare for this growth, Mr. Dennis Lawrence, President and C.E.O. of CLARK Material Handling Company, has been appointed to the Board of Directors for CLARK Material Handling and will step down as President and C.E.O. on July 1, 2024. He has made strong contributions as a key figure to YoungAn and the Baik Family for over 40 years. In this new role, he will work with the owners on various new strategic projects within the business. Mr. S.S. Baik commented, “We are excited to have Dennis as part of this new team and look forward to growing the business together.”
With the above changes, CLARK Material Handling Company is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Michael (Mike) Binnie as C.E.O. effective July 1, 2024. Mr. Binnie is currently serving as C.O.O. of CLARK Material Handling and comes to CLARK with decades of experience leading dynamic teams. Mr. S.S. Baik commented, “Mr. Binnie brings a wealth of business experience to the team, and we are looking forward to the continued growth of the brand.” Mr. Lawrence commented, “Mr. Binnie has proven his business acumen and leadership strength as C.O.O. of CLARK. As the business continues to grow, we have full confidence in Mr. Binnie’s ability to build on the success of the company.”
CLARK Material Handling Company thanks Mr. Lawrence for his dedicated contributions over the past 20 years and looks forward to continued growth with Mr. Binnie in his new role.
About CLARK Material Handling
An industry leader since it invented the first material handling truck in 1917, CLARK has built more than one million forklifts in its 100-year history. CLARK supplies a full line of electric and internal combustion forklifts, manual pallet jacks, powered pallet jacks, narrow aisle forklifts and genuine CLARK aftermarket parts. For additional information on CLARK, its products or to locate a dealer visit us at www.clarkmhc.com or call toll free 866-252-5275.
News stories are submitted by member companies. Publication of a story does not indicate an endorsement of any product, event, or company by MHEDA.


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Supervalu's Save-A-Lot division on Tuesday announced plans for a new 250,374-sq.-ft. food distribution center in Pompano Beach, Fla. The center is expected to open by the end of fiscal year 2013, which ends Feb. 23, 2013.
Canadian retailer Shoppers Drug Mart is looking to acquire 19 retail pharmacies and three central fill pharmacies located in British Columbia, Alberta and Manitoba from Paragon for about $75 million in cash.
Albertsons LLC has announced that it is making a $56,000 donation to the Salvation Army’s disaster relief efforts in the South and Midwest, following the series of spring tornadoes that impacted the area.
Albertsons LLC is sharpening its focus on social media and digital marketing with the creation of a new social and digital marketing team that will be led by technology and social marketing expert Karl Meinhardt.
Looking ahead to fiscal 2013, Supervalu will continue its focus on "hyperlocal" merchandising, value-driven pricing and its transformational remodels to build on its momentum coming out of fiscal 2012.
CVS/pharmacy is shuttering all of its Beauty360 locations and ceasing operation of the Beauty360 e-commerce business to focus on the growth of its core CVS/pharmacy beauty business, the retailer confirmed on Wednesday.
Kantar Media on Wednesday reported that overall retailer advertising expenditures increased 1.6% and retailer participation in Free Standing Insert coupon promotion pages increased 30.7% over calendar year 2011, versus the corresponding year-ago period.


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This was stated by the ambassador of China here, Wang Gang, after the signing of the protocol of phytosanitary requirements for the export of sorghum from Uruguay to his country.
The diplomat commented that after 10 months of negotiations they ended the joint feasibility study with a view to signing a trade agreement.
The Minister of Livestock, Agriculture and Fisheries, Fernando Mattos, praised the authorization for the sale of sorghum to the Chinese market, the world’s main importer.
Mattos said that the agreed protocol will allow the diversification of sorghum production because it is a product that can be grown in different areas of the country.
He added that the grain will be exported for animal and human consumption.
He also said that there are some 21 companies registered with interest to participate in the production and export of this product.


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Unveiled earlier this year, Dyson finally released its highly anticipated headphones that promise to block noise and unwanted airborne particles thanks to a built-in filtration system and mask.
Perhaps better known as the “Bane mask” due to its resemblance to the Batman villain, it is part headphones and part air purifier. In February 2020, the British vacuum cleaner company applied for a patent for the model, dubbed Dyson Zone. It will both play crisp audio and purify the air that the wearer breathes through a removable “visor”. The strange design earned the Dyson Zone a lot of flak on Twitter.
Dyson has lost its everloving mind pic.twitter.com/OxJX4eC1Ut
— Vlad Savov (@vladsavov) March 30, 2022
In its press release, Dyson emphasized the Zone’s audio capabilities, highlighting the battery life — “50 hours of audio-only run-time or four hours of combined purification and audio run-time, charging to 100 percent in three hours.” — and “advanced” noise canceling achieved via sound-reducing microphones.
Most people know Dyson due to their innovation in vacuum cleaners. They eliminated the need for disposable bags and maximized suction even as its cleaners fill up with dirt. Over the years, the company has gradually expanded its product portfolio, including fans, air filters and even hair dryers.
As bizarre as the concept sounds, some experts believe this may be a good solution to all our pollution-induced problems. But it is also worth noting, that since the Zone was first announced many have also pointed out its disadvantages.
Dyson began developing the product years before the COVID-19 pandemic. The tech will not especially protect you from the virus. The Zone’s face visor also does not touch your skin. So, you may end up breathing in some polluted crosswind while wearing it.
One viral Twitter thread analyzing the device, authored by Naomi Wu, questioned whether its air purifying technology was safe for public personal use in the COVID-19 era, given the way the Dyson Zone projects airflow around its wearer.
Ok here's a technical breakdown of why the “@Dyson Zone™ Air-Purifying Headphones” aka. the Snot Cannon aka. the Wearable SuperSpreader Event is such a staggeringly bad idea and a significant danger to public health if it is allowed to be sold.
— Naomi Wu 机械妖姬 (@RealSexyCyborg) March 30, 2022
Another concern about the Dyson Zone is that the motors might be propelling out germy breath if you’re ill. So while the mask is intended to mostly protect the wearer, it can still put the general public in danger.
However, Dyson is confident that the Zone will not increase the chances of COVID-19 infection in those around the wearer. Since the initial announcement, the company has revealed plans for a medical-grade face mask attachment. This can clip into the visor to further protect against virus spread by blocking a wearer’s exhalations.
Despite the controversy, the Zone is not the most bizarre wearable product on the market. There have been many innovations in the past, combining fashion with tech. Most have failed, but a few have thrived. Like the Dash bluetooth headphones, which not only play music from your smartphone, but also function as a powerful workout assistant. They can measure heart rate, number of steps and calories burned.


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Australia Secures Far-reaching Benefits in Free Trade Agreement with China
By Steven Elsinga
Posted: 26th November 2014 09:43China and Australia concluded a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) on November 17 in Canberra, with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott signing the official document. This marks the conclusion of negotiations originally begun in 2005.
China is Australia’s largest trade partner, with 20 percent of Australian imports coming from China, and 36 percent of exports going to China. Previously, bilateral talks had stalled over two main key points: China reducing its tariffs on agricultural products and services, and Australia easing the investor climate for inbound Chinese companies.
Agriculture, mining, manufacturing
Australian producers and exporters of dairy, wine, seafood, and meats should be seen as the biggest winners in this deal. Tariffs on dairy are set to be lifted within four to eleven years, while those on livestock, horticulture products, seafood and wine – major industries in Australia – will be removed after four years.
As for meats, the import duties levied on lamb will be reduced over eight years, and those on beef over nine. Australia also received an additional duty-free quota for wool, above and beyond China’s current WTO quota. To the chagrin of Australian export producers, additional allowances were not granted for rice, sugar, wheat and cotton.
Tariffs on a range of mining products have been removed as well, effective once the treaty has fully entered into force. Pharmaceuticals, car parts, plastics, precious stones and pearls will also become duty-free after two years.
RELATED: With Reboot of Import Tariffs, A Sooty Future Awaits for Foreign Coal in China
China is Australia’s largest export market (12.5 percent) for services, and accordingly this agreement contains a number of advantages granted to Australian service providers. The agreement was hailed by the Australian government as China’s most generous concession on services, second only to those with Hong Kong and Macao.
For example, it will allow fully Australian owned companies (WFOEs) registered in the Shanghai Free Trade Zone to offer certain telecom services, whereas other foreign investors are required to establish a joint venture with a Chinese partner to achieve this end. The agreement also allows Australian WFOEs to construct and operate hospitals, aged care centers and travel agencies in China.
Dezan Shira & Associates has positioned itself as a leading advisor to Australian SMEs with operations in China. Richard Cant, Yangtze River Delta Regional Director and an Australian himself, had this to say of the agreement: “This is a landmark deal and one over a decade in the making. It provides great opportunities to a range of Australian companies in the agriculture, mining and services industries. We expect to see an ever greater engagement by Australian companies in trade and investment in China.”
Chinese investment into Australia
On the other side, the FTA is set to ease restrictions on Chinese investment into Australia, which has risen rapidly over the past several years. The threshold at which the Foreign Investment Review Board screens investment in non-sensitive sectors will be raised from AUD 248 million at present, to about AUD 1 billion.
To put this in context, Chinese investment into Australia has amounted to roughly AUD 32 billion to date. Government screening will remain in place for sensitive sectors like media, defence, telecom, agricultural land and agribusiness. The same deal was given to Japan and South Korea in their respective FTAs with Australia signed earlier this year.
RELATED: Australia Seals FTAs with Japan and Korea, Fast-Tracks Talks with China
The agreement has generally been well-received, but the economic impact of the new treaty should not be overstated. It is great news for the specific industries involved, but does not mean that China is now massively ramping up its commitment to free trade. The deal with Australia goes further than those China has closed with other nations, but those were all smaller economies to begin with.
Rather, the agreement should be seen against the background of China’s FTA with ASEAN, which is set to lift tariffs raised on virtually all goods traded, thus creating a nearly 100 percent duty-free zone. Furthermore, China has on several occasions resorted to throwing up new regulatory burdens where it feels foreign imports threaten its domestic producers, such as bans on American beef, pork and Filipino bananas.
While China has generally followed the global trend towards free trade in goods, the country’s service sector is still largely protected from foreign participation. The concessions China has offered to Australia are interesting, but should not be taken as an indication that China is ready to open its service sector. Australia’s own service sector is small compared to that of the U.S. or E.U. nations, with services only making up 18.7 percent of Australia’s exports. Within this, by far the biggest export service is education, followed by tourism.
“I’ve always taken the view that you should take what you can get today and pitch for the rest tomorrow,” Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott said of the FTA last year. Indeed, this week’s agreement appears prompted by the fact that New Zealand and Chile, major economic competitors to Australia in trade with China, signed their own respective FTAs with China in previous years.
RELATED: Shanghai-Hong Kong Stock Connect to Launch Nov. 17
On the same day, the Reserve Bank of Australia and People’s Bank of China signed an agreement to facilitate the development of the RMB market in Australia. The agreement includes setting up an official clearing bank for RMB in Australia, and granting Australia a quota of RMB 50 million to invest in China under the RMB Qualified Foreign Institutional Investors’ (QFII) scheme. China has recently signed similar agreements with RMB clearings banks in Canada, Qatar, South Korea and several European nations as well.
While Australia’s engagement with Asia has historically lagged behind other developed economies, its signing of FTAs with three Asian powerhouses – Japan, South Korea and China – all in this year is a strong signal that this dynamic is set to change.
An overview of the main features of the China-Australia FTA can be found here.
This article was first published on China Briefing.
Dezan Shira & Associates is a specialist foreign direct investment practice, providing corporate establishment, business advisory, tax advisory and compliance, accounting, payroll, due diligence and financial review services to multinationals investing in emerging Asia. Since its establishment in 1992, the firm has grown into one of Asia’s most versatile full-service consultancies with operational offices across China, Hong Kong, India, Singapore and Vietnam as well as liaison offices in Italy and the United States.
For further details or to contact the firm, please email firstname.lastname@example.org or visit www.dezshira.com.


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|Top Page ＞Gifu Prefecture Promotional Event|
|Gifu Prefecture Promotional Event|
3 June 2014
On May 30, Ambassador Miyagawa hosted a Gifu Prefecture Promotional event with Mr. Hajime Furuta, Governor of Gifu Prefecture, at the Ambassador’s official residence inviting VIPs from Malaysia involved in the tourism and retail industries. Guests at the event include Y Bhg. Datuk Dr. Ong Hong Peng, Secretary General, Ministry of Tourism and Culture, Y Bhg. Datin Ng Lai Heng, wife of Y Bhg. Datuk Dr. Ong Hong Peng, Tuan Haji Hamzah Rahmat, President, MATTA, Y Bhg. Dato’ Sri Lee Ee Hoe, Group Managing Director, Apple Vacations & Conventions, Mr. Azran Osman Rani, CEO, AirAsiaX, and Mr. Nobuharu Yutani, Managing Director, Isetan of Japan.
At the event, guests were served dinner with Ayu (sweetfish) and vegetables from Gifu. Governor Furuta introduced the attractions of Gifu to the guests and exchanged views on ways to promote exchanges between Gifu and Malaysia.
(from left )Dato’Sri Lee, Secretary General Dr Ong and
|© Embassy of Japan in Malaysia
No.11 Persiaran Stonor, Off Jalan Tun Razak,
50450 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia


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While we're not quite back at the pre-recession high of 17 million vehicles sold in the U.S.
Read This Article
File this one under weird: a La Puente, California family woke up to a bang, which turned out to be a Lexus going for a nose dive in the family pool.
The Lexus ES isn't small and sporty like the Lexus IS.
Official prices were released today for the new 2014 Lexus IS sedan, which is set to arrive at dealerships this summer.


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For years there’s been talk of nanorobots repairing red blood cells from inside our artery walls.
As computers get smaller and more intelligent, they’ll find their way into every nook and cranny of our society. Supercomputers that used to take up an entire room are now outperformed by phones that fit in our pockets.
On top of that, all these devices are connected to each other, beaming information to space and back. We’ve entered an entirely new world, and there’s a lot of people working very hard to bring to fruition what’s being called the Internet-of-Things (IoT).
#InternetOfThings is when your toaster mines bitcoins to pay off its gambling debts to the fridge
— Andrew Miller 🦓🦓🦓 (@socrates1024) October 20, 2015
IoT and blockchain technology are simply meant for each other. Both were created specifically to operate using a decentralized network of computers spanning the globe. Both also have the opportunity to explode in value in the near future, and by the virtue of some of the projects listed in this article, it’s likely they’ll both rise in lockstep.
According to Bain, a massive global management consultancy:
The combined markets of the Internet of Things (IoT) will grow to about $520B in 2021, more than double the $235B spent in 2017.
Data center analytics and systems integration are forecasted to contribute to a majority of the growth, which are segments of the IoT industry that blockchain projects could influence directly. Combine this information with a few positive bull run arguments, and projects that have established their focus on the IoT could be some of the best picks on the market today.
Here are 4 IoT crypto projects making headway in Q1 2019, ranked by market cap at the time of writing.
IOTA (MIOTA) — Rank #14
IOTA is likely the top IoT crypto project. One of their biggest differentiators is the fact that they’re not strictly built on blockchain, but a technology called the Tangle. Nevertheless, IOTA has caught the attention of massive global corporations like Bosch, the World Trade Organization, and Volkswagen. They’ve also partnered with the city of Taipei, and together they’ve begun the smart city upgrade process.
Volkswagen Digital CarPass
Volkswagen’s interest in IOTA was solidified in February 2018 after the announcement of their partnership, and in September 2018 the duo announced they’d be launching a Digital CarPass in early 2019.
The computer systems in cars have been improving steadily since they were combined, but this will be the first major implementation of blockchain and IoT being used to improve the performance of automobiles.
Installing an IoT protocol under the hood of your car would allow for real-time data analysis, potentially leading to a number of improvements. For example, issues with your engine could be detected almost immediately, followed by your navigation system directing you to the nearest auto shop. Also, flaws would be found quicker, and recalls would become safer.
Mentioned above, the Digital CarPass launch in Q1 2019 will serve as a trial for IoT applications in the automobile industry, and Volkswagen is not alone.
IOTA Joins the Mobility Open Blockchain Initiative (MOBI)
MOBI is a new consortium for blockchain innovation in the mobility industry.
If all goes well with Volkswagen, IOTA is setting themselves up to be the go-to blockchain IoT provider for millions upon millions of vehicles around the world, and their partnership with MOBI would give them a direct connection to other companies like Bosch, Hyperledger, and VeChain.
VeChain (VET) — Rank #25
VeChain has proclaimed their mission for 2019 to grow transactions based on value provided to businesses, and to build infrastructure around their blockchain. According to their blog, this equates to “growing and enabling enterprise applications and dApps supporting real business activities.”
VeChain has started 2019 by expanding their list of business partnerships and releasing development updates to their mainnet.
DNV GL Group Partnership
DNV GL is an international accredited registrar based in Norway that works closely with the United Nations, with an estimated annual revenue of $19.5 billion. Their partnership with VeChain was announced at the end of January 2018.
Collaborating with VeChain will allow DNV GL to improve supply chain transparency, traceability, and efficiency. They’ll be targeting the food and beverage, fashion, and retail industries initially, with plans to expand to the aerospace and automotive industries thereafter. Ultimately, both partners intend this move to empower consumers. Sunny Lu, CEO of VeChain, states:
Together, we combine assurance and blockchain to help customers improve trust in their products across multiple dimensions; from quality and safety to performance aspects.
The New Sync v1.0
- Users no longer need to sync the entire blockchain before use.
- Improved user experience for VeChain dapps.
- Dapps are able to identify users easier with improved certificate of identification and agreement functions.
The launch of New Sync v1.0 is paving the way for a serverless VeChain explorer called Insight, a contract deployment tool called Inspector, and the Energy Station, a dapp which allows users to exchange VTHO and VET on the testnet. New Sync v1.0 will also serve as a blockchain explorer and integrated wallet.
IoTeX (IOTX) — Rank #145
IoTeX is an IoT-friendly blockchain with a strong focus on private blockchain applications.
While their 2018 focused on building the foundation of their company, 2019 is the year they plan to really launch.
A more democratic version of delegated proof of stake with high throughput, instant finality and high resilience to network attacks.
In an early January 2019 announcement, IoTeX revealed the requirements for their Delegates Program, which puts their ecosystems in motion, as well as the planned launch of their Mainnet Alpha, and a major exchange listing.
IoTeX Delegates Program
IoTeX believes their delegates need to stem from deep roots within their community, showing dedication to making the ecosystem prosperous and fair. The announcement lays out IoTeX’s guiding principles, chiefly that the governance of the entire network will be based on:
- Participation and Inclusivity — Ensures decentralization.
- Evolution Driven by all Stakeholders — To maintain sustainable and fair consensus.
- Growth as a Form of Stake — Delegates should contribute to network growth in meaningful ways.
- Sustainability in All Circumstances — Fair rewards regardless of the overall market environment.
Delegates are required to maintain a minimum level of technical operational efficiency, outlined in the infographic above. Aside from the behavioral and technical requirements, delegates will need a minimum stake of 1,200,000 IOTX tokens. It’s worth noting the minimum amount is subject to change as the ecosystem grows.
They’ve already managed to acquire 80 applicants from investors, community members, media outlets, and more, and fine-tuning the program will be the main focus of Q1 and Q2
For more information on their Delegate Program, check out their Reddit AMA video below.
Mainnet Launch and Exchange Listings
IoTeX is on track to launch the alpha version of their mainnet in March 2019, which will finalize the design of the Delegate Program and other network protocol parameters. The team is currently on track to make this deadline, which would set them up to release the beta version of their mainnet in Q3 2019.
IoTeX also recently announced their token’s listing on Bittrex, a major cryptocurrency exchange, with rumors of an upcoming UPbit listing. Also, the Korean exchange Allbit is currently hosting a contest that will list the top 3 most-voted tokens on their exchange. IoTex is incentivizing votes by “covering the costs” for voting, which you can do here.
OriginTrail (TRAC) — Rank #339
OriginTrail focuses on the interoperability between different stages in supply chains in order to increase the efficiency and profitability of the entire chain. The current method for managing supply chains leads to the formation of centralized data silos, which makes parts of the manufacture process inaccessible to the rest of the chain.
The OriginTrail team has been able to establish a number of use cases, as well as significant partnerships that serve the goal of international compatibility. One of their most notable partners is Oracle, which pulled in an estimated $39.8 billion in revenue during 2018.
OriginTrail is aiming to align themselves with established business standards, in order to streamline their international adoption. Added to their list of business-standardizing partnerships is the British Standards Institution (BSI).
According to the announcement blog post, OriginTrail’s partnership with BSI:
Will focus on delivering blockchain-enabled solutions that will enhance its global assessment, certification and supply chain services to confirm the provenance of goods and/or the integrity of digital records or services.
Furthermore, they aim to help BSI clients comply with industry standards and regulations, improve the safety and quality of associated supply chains, manage risk, reduce costs, and more effectively manage product recalls with “near-real-time corrective action.”
Mainnet — Freedom Stage
OriginTrail launched their current mainnet version, Vostok, in December 2018, and plan to launch the next stage in Q1 2019.
The next mainnet stage, called Freedom, will allow participants to join the network without submitting an application, and as explained in this blog post, also include “fully implemented litigation mechanisms in real market conditions.”


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Provisions that extend several expiring energy tax incentives in the Internal Revenue Code, including those for existing homes (Section 25C), new home construction (Section 45L) and commercial buildings and larger multifamily properties (Section 179D) were part of the financial rescue package approved by Congress in October.
The Section 25C credit will provide immediate help with reducing utility bills while addressing one of the most significant contributors to energy inefficiency — existing homes, says the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), which lobbied for the provisions.
Taxpayers can use the incentive, for example, to purchase high-efficiency windows or heating and cooling appliances, or make other home renovations that can save hundreds of dollars per year in energy costs, according to the NAHB.
The tax credit for existing homes, which expired on Dec. 31, 2007, will be reinstated for installations made in calendar year 2009. The credit was not extended for installations in 2008.
Kolbe Acquires Point Five
Kolbe & Kolbe Millwork Co., Inc. of Wausau, Wis., has acquired Point Five Windows, Inc. of Fort Collins, Colo., a manufacturer of custom wood windows and doors for residential estates and light commercial projects. Point Five Windows primarily works with architects and builders of custom homes, many of which are more than 25,000 sq. ft.
Deck and Lighting Joint Venture
Two outdoor living companies — Archadeck and Outdoor Lighting Perspectives (OLP) — have joined forces, creating a new company that “will pursue global expansion in the outdoor products and services category through multiple independent franchise brands,” according to a release issued by Outdoor Living Brands, the new corporate umbrella brand.
Franchise owners of Archadeck, a designer-builder of decks, porches and outdoor living spaces, and OLP, a provider of residential outdoor lighting systems, will continue to operate under their existing brand names.
Founded in 1980, Archadeck has approximately 75 offices in the United States and Canada that have completed more than 70,000 custom projects. Outdoor Lighting Perspectives (OLP) is a provider of residential outdoor lighting systems, including lighting design, installation and maintenance. It operates through 80 independent franchises around the world.
Trex Partners with U.S. Lumber
Trex Company announced a strategic partnership with U.S. Lumber Group, a distributor of building materials headquartered in Atlanta. U.S. Lumber Group will serve as a full-line stocking distributor of new TrexTrim, a low-maintenance trim product.
U.S. Lumber Group will stock TrexTrim at each of its seven distribution centers serving 14 Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic states.
Energy Conversion Devices, Inc. (ECD), a manufacturer of thin-film flexible solar laminates, and CertainTeed Corp., a building products manufacturer, announced a joint agreement to develop roofing-integrated photovoltaic products for the residential market, combining ECD’s UNI-SOLAR cells with CertainTeed roofing products. The companies expect these new products to be commercially available in 2010.
Original Merillat Plant to Close
The Masco Builder Cabinet Group (MBCG), manufacturer of Merillat and Quality Cabinets, is consolidating manufacturing operations and will close its Adrian, Mich., plant in the second quarter of 2009. The MBCG corporate office will remain in its current location in Adrian.
Opened in 1953, the Adrian factory currently has 330 employees.
Homeowners Prefer Granite
A national survey finds United States consumers prefer granite countertops and believe they increase the resale value of a home.
The survey was conducted by Harris Interactive on behalf of the Marble Institute of America. At 55 percent, “granite countertops” was by the most popular response, followed by synthetic stone at 12 percent.


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The national coming-out party for the Toyota Prius was a television commercial during the 2005 Super Bowl. The narrator bragged, “Low emissions, high mileage, and you never plug it in.” In those early days of hybrids, Toyota marketers felt compelled to portray charging up your car via the electric grid as an evil to be avoided.
Three years later, Toyota announced that it would build its first plug-in hybrid by 2010. Katsuaki Watanabe, president of Toyota, made the announcement at the 2008 Detroit Auto Show. The announcement represents a change of direction on plug-in hybrids for Toyota—and a victory for tech-savvy hybrid drivers who have been asking, cajoling, even begging carmakers for the ability to recharge bigger batteries via the grid. Toyota’s answer up until now essentially has been, “No thank you. Our Prius is selling like hotcakes.”
Just when Toyota thought it might rest on its 45-mpg laurels, along came someone hotter than hotcakes—a small non-profit called CalCars, which demonstrated that plug-in capability could boost fuel efficiency to 100 miles per gallon. The outfit of envirogeeks waged a public relations war by hacking Priuses, ripping out OEM control systems, adding extra hybrid batteries, thus proving the benefits and feasibility of plug-in hybrids.
A Different Kettle of Volts
Environmentalists, politicians, and several car companies took notice. Toyota seemed unimpressed. “We’re immensely gratified that some enthusiasts…are, on a vehicle-by-vehicle basis, converting Toyota hybrids to plug-in technology,” recently wrote Toyota spokesman Irv Miller. “But doing one-by-one conversions is a different kettle of volts from making this technology viable for the sale of hundreds of thousands of cars, at an affordable price, with reasonable reliability expectations.”
But the genie had bolted from the bottle. The tide of public demand for grid-powered vehicles in the next generation of hybrids eroded Toyota’s resistance. In July 2007, the company announced that it “developed a plug-in hybrid vehicle and became the first manufacturer to have such a vehicle certified for use on public roads in Japan,” clearing the path for testing plug-in hybrid prototypes.
Five months later, Toyota showed off plug-in Prius prototypes to journalists and university researchers. HybridCars.com had a chance to ride in one Dec. 2-3 at EVS23, the international electric vehicle symposium in Anaheim, Calif. To make the prototype, Toyota threw away the spare tire and filled the void with additional packs of hybrid nickel-metal hydride batteries.
Driving the plug-in Prius prototype in Anaheim was completely uneventful. The all-electric stealth mode is familiar to any Prius driver. There’s just a whole lot more stealth behind the wheel of the grid-ready Prius. Unlike the conventional Prius, which has a single fuel-filler door, the plug-in version has a second door on the opposite side that opens to reveal an outlet for electric charging from an ordinary three-prong cord. The Plug-in Prius also has an “EV” button on the dash, to allow the driver to maintain the vehicle in all-electric mode as long as sufficient energy remains in the batteries.
The Race to 2010
In his speech at the 2008 Detroit Auto Show, Watanabe said Toyota would develop a fleet of plug-in hybrids to run on more powerful lithium-ion batteries, rather than using the current nickel-metal hydride battery technology. This decision will give the company greater opportunity to extend the electric range of its hybrids, beyond the seven miles achievable by its current plug-in Prius prototype. More importantly, Watanabe said that Toyota would make its plug-in hybrid available to commercial customers by 2010—roughly the same timeline provided by General Motors for introduction of its Chevrolet Volt and Saturn Vue plug-in hybrids.
Before the announcement, Toyota officials had refused to give a production timeline for a plug-in hybrid. Toyota’s North American sales chief, Jim Lentz, had told Reuters that Toyota was willing to be beaten to market for a plug-in vehicle if that meant building a better vehicle. "While we’d love to be first, we’re determined to be best." By establishing 2010 as the release date for its first plug-in hybrid, Toyota has apparently grown more interested in bragging rights for delivering the world’s first production-level plug-in hybrid. The race is on.


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Post Covid, India has been witnessing a rise in corporate travel, driven by face-to-face meetings and conventions. New business hotels and convention centers are being developed to cater to the rising demand.
The Skift India Newsletter is your go-to platform for all news related to travel, tourism, airlines, and hospitality in India.
Flipkart-owned online travel company Cleartrip has launched ‘Out of Office’, a corporate travel management product. The product launch comes against the backdrop of Cleartrip’s aim to focus primarily with corporate booking travel.
In a statement, Cleartrip has said that the platform has been processing a monthly business volume of INR 200 million ($2.4 million). The Out of Office platform, which has several early-stage adopters including ACC Limited and MGM Healthcare, allows organizations to manage multiple booking behaviors, such as self booking and travel desk booking, and change or build policies in real time.
Increasing demand: Post Covid, corporate travel has been on a rise in India. The country has been witnessing a rise in meetings and conferences, and this has been supplemented by rapidly developing MICE infrastructure all over India in the form of Jio World Convention Centre, the revamped Pragati Maidan, which hosted the G20 Leadership Summit, and Yashobhoomi convention center. Apart from this, multiple business hotels are also being developed to cater to the growing demand for conferences and meetings.
More Indian Tourists Flocked to Sri Lanka Than Maldives in January
More Indians traveled to Sri Lanka in the month of January than to Maldives. After the relations between India and Maldives soured last month, Indians rapidly cancelled their bookings to Maldives. This led to India falling to the fifth position as a source market from its previous undisputed top position.
According to the figures released by Maldives Tourism, 15,006 Indian tourists visited the island destination between January 1 and 31. On the other hand, Sri Lanka, where India remained the top source market for the month, witnessed 34,399 tourists from India.
Soon after the India-Maldives row, Indian companies and celebrities took to promoting domestic beach destinations such as Lakshadweep. Online travel agency MakeMyTrip launched a new campaign called ‘Beaches of India’, while EaseMyTrip suspended all flight bookings to Maldives.
Hyatt’s Ronil Goa Opens, Marks Entry of JdV in India
Hyatt has announced the opening of 135-keys Ronil Goa, making the entry of JdV by Hyatt brand’s entry into India. The brand’s launch is a part of Hyatt’s expansion within the leisure market in India. According to Sanjae Sharma, managing director, India and Southwest Asia, Hyatt, the company is looking to expand the JdV’s footprint throughout the subcontinent.
Last year, the company had said that it is planning to reach the milestone of having 100 hotels in India over the next five years, and has been expanding aggressively with Hyatt Place and Hyatt Regency brands. In December, it opened its first-ever Hyatt Place hotel in Bihar with the launch of Hyatt Place Bodh Gaya.
IHCL Signs Ginger Hotel in Dibrugarh
Indian Hotels Company, parent of the Taj Hotels brand, has signed its first hotel in Assam’s Dibrugarh. The 77-key hotel will open under the company’s budget brand Ginger. With this, IHCL has six hotels in Assam, of which four are in the development stage.
The company has been undertaking aggressive expansion, making the most of the surge in travel in India. Till December 31, 2023, IHCL signed 28 and opened 16 hotels. With this, its portfolio reached 285 hotels, of which 85 are in the pipeline. The company has specifically been looking at scaling its budget hotel brand Ginger, while strategically expanding in the East and Northeast regions, having opened Taj Taal Kutir, Kolkata, Vivanta Tawang and Ginger hotels in Durgapur and Gangtok, and a signed hotel in Itanagar.
Over 400,000 Foreign Tourists Visited Goa Between Jan-Nov 2023
Between January and November 2023, the coastal state of Goa recorded the arrival of 403,000 foreign tourists. In 2022, the state recorded 175,000 visitors, marking an increase of 130% in 2023. The state witnessed a significant decline in tourists due to the pandemic, but is on its way to recovery, with the 2023 figure standing at about 45% that of the pre-pandemic statistics.
India has been actively promoting its destinations, and recently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to praising Goa for its charm during the India Energy Week 2024 held in the state.
New York City Expecting over 380,000 Visitors From India in 2024
In 2023, New York City welcomed 336,000 travelers from India, as the city’s total visitation level reached 93% of the pre-pandemic figure. In 2024, New York City is expecting an increase of 14% from the Indian market, hoping to receive a footfall of 383,000. Makiko Matsuda Healy, senior vice president, Tourism Market Development for New York City Tourism + Conventions, said that India is a rapidly growing feeder market for the tourism in the city.
Considering the potential market in India, New York City tourism has introduced the Travel Trade Academy program with Hindi subtitles for the Indian travel trade industry.
Akasa Air Adds Srinagar as 20th Destination to its Network
Akasa Air has forayed into Jammu and Kashmir by adding Srinagar to its network. The airline is set to operate daily flights between Mumbai and Srinagar starting March 1, 2024. This comes days after Akasa Air entered Madhya Pradesh by commencing operations in Gwalior and launching weekly flights between Gwalior and Ahmedabad.
The budget carrier has been operational for 17 months, and has served more than 6.3 million passengers. As of December 2023, Akasa Air accounted for 4.1% of the market share in India. It also had the highest on-time performance at the four metro airports of Bangalore, Delhi, Hyderabad, and Mumbai in December.
Skift India Report
The Skift India Report is your go-to newsletter for all news related to travel, tourism, airlines, and hospitality in India.
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Photo credit: Cleartrip strengthens commitment to corporate travel. Victor Freitas / Pexels


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Maxwell Lu, formerly a product engineer at Salesforce and the head of revenue operations at a previous startup, found himself frustrated by the task of re-listening to sales calls to write up notes an
OP3N, a web3 AI-powered platform, raised a $28 million Series A round that values the company at $100 million, the startup shared exclusively with TechCrunch. “I wanted to make a connection for crea
IPRally, a Finnish startup building a knowledge graph-based patent search engine, has raised €10 million ($10.8 million) in a Series A round of funding. Founded in 2018, IPRally is one of a number o
Amid the declining smartphone market, premium devices are having their moment. These pricy devices made up more than half of the worldwide smartphone market’s revenue, according to a report from
Italian supercar manufacturer Ferrari has confirmed it was hit by a ransomware attack that exposed customers’ personal information. “We regret to inform you of a cyber incident at Ferrari, where a
TikTok is announcing updates to its community guidelines that are designed to make the app a more secure environment for users. The company has overhauled the guidelines to make them easier to underst
Mecanizou provides auto parts and the price following input of a car's basic information. Mechanics can purchase the parts in one click and receive the parts in one hour.
Organizations dealing with large amounts of data often struggle to ensure that data remains high-quality. According to a survey from Great Expectations, which creates open source tools for data testin
Wingtra’s drones are used to perform surveying missions by organizations around the world, including NASA and the Army Corps of Engineers. Now the startup is mapping out a new expansion strategy aft
After months of regulatory delays, Apple users in South Korea finally saw the launch of Apple Pay today. As with other markets, Apple’s wallet and payment service in Korea will work across iPhon
In its latest piece of strategic litigation, the precision-punching European privacy rights campaign group noyb has used data donated by users of the ‘Who Targets me‘ browser extension, wh
French startup Roundtable has raised a $3.2 million (€3 million) funding round from a 100 business angels on its own platform.
Several apps made by Chinese e-commerce giant Pinduoduo were flagged as malicious and dangerous by Google.
India will not tolerate use of abusive language in movies and TV shows on on-demand video streaming services, a key minister has warned.
Duolingo, a language learning app with over 500 million users, is working on a music app, TechCrunch has learned. The Pittsburgh-based tech company currently has a small team working on a music produc
Hello, friends, and welcome to Daily Crunch, bringing you the most important startup, tech and venture capital news in a single package.
In this issue of Max Q: An "operational pause" at Virgin Orbit; Behold: New moon suits!; News from Project Kuiper; and more
While trying to gain traction, most of your time and attention should be focused on imitating successful marketing tactics.
Somewhere along the way, ProMat turned into a robotics show. It’s no surprise, of course. Logistics and automation go hand in hand these days. In the decade since Amazon absorbed Kiva, same- and nex
Social media giant Meta and its Kenya-based content moderation partners, Sama and Majorel, are facing a new lawsuit in Kenya. In a petition filed today, 43 content moderators allege “unlawful termin


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A person has shared his confusion after he was asked to tip as he made an online procuring buy.
Noah Miller, who goes by the username @whiteboyonthebeat on TikTok, uploaded a video in regards to the tipping dilemma on Sunday, the place he wrote: “Online procuring and this firm asked for a tip??”
The seven-second clip started with the digicam turned on Miller, who could possibly be seen making a face of confusion, earlier than it flipped towards his pc display screen, the place it confirmed a immediate asking clients whether or not they needed to tip while testing.
As well as to providing advisable ideas of 5 per cent, 10 per cent and 15 per cent, the online checkout web page additionally included a “customized tip” field, in addition to an choice to click on “none”.
“Thanks, we recognize it,” the unidentified store’s checkout web page learn beneath the tip field.
As of Tuesday, Miller’s video has been considered greater than 404,000 instances, with many viewers equally confused by the tipping suggestion.
“Who is it going to?” one individual asked, together with a crying face emoji. The query prompted a response from Miller, who wrote: “The mailman??? Idk.”
“THERE’S NO WAY,” one other individual commented beneath the video, while another person wrote: “That’s WILD.”
“The pc will get it,” one viewer joked.
Others questioned the purpose of tipping throughout the online checkout, with one other TikToker asking: “Like is the tip going to make it ship quicker orrr?”
The video additionally prompted viewers to share their very own experiences being asked to tip while online procuring, with one viewer revealing that the identical factor occurred to them after they had been “simply making an attempt to purchase bedding”.
“Bro I noticed this the opposite day going to purchase one thing and it made me shut the tab,” another person revealed.
Others shared extra conditions the place they’d been asked to tip, comparable to at a self-serve frozen yoghurt place and the grocery retailer.
“I used to be paying online to choose up a pizza on the retailer and so they asked for a tip,” one individual wrote.
While nearly all of viewers had been stunned by the tipping suggestion, some had been vital of Miller’s response.
“I didn’t take you as an anti-tipper,” one individual commented.
Nevertheless, in accordance to another person, tipping expectations have “gotten out of hand”.
“Tipping is getting ridiculous,” one other individual wrote.
This is not the primary time the idea of tipping while online procuring has sparked a debate, as one other TikToker went viral final yr when she revealed that she was asked to tip while searching for an workplace chair online.
“This is getting so ridiculous,” she wrote, while noting that she wasn’t positive who the tip could be for, as the corporate shipped “through UPS and Fedex”. “It’s not even their very own supply service or no matter. Which might make just a little extra sense,” she mentioned on the time.
The Impartial has contacted Miller for remark.


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London bullion trader entering U.S. market
- Published: Dec 11, 2012, 7 PM
A London-based bullion trader is entering the U.S. marketplace.
BullionVault, which provides investment gold and silver to private individuals, has hired a veteran of the bullion market and is cutting its initial trading commission charge, the firm announced Nov. 30.
The online bullion exchange, which states that it holds more than 1 million ounces of physical gold for its users, counts more than 6,000 Americans among its 43,000 customers worldwide.
The firm has recruited Miguel Perez-Santalla — a 30-year veteran of the precious metals markets — to establish its New York office as vice president for business development in the Americas.
In addition, BullionVault cut the initial commission fee charged to its users, reducing it from 0.8 percent to 0.5 percent.
Perez-Santalla began his career in 1982 at Deak Perera, a bullion-product retailer. He was president of marketing for the New York trading desk of Heraeus Precious Metals Management, the 150-year-old German precious metals and technology group, for seven years. Most recently he was vice president of purchasing for one of today’s largest U.S. bullion retailers, APMEX.
Perez-Santalla is a board member of the International Precious Metal Institute, New York Chapter, and a member of the Silver Users Association.
For more information about BullionVault, visit its website, www.bullionvault.com. ¦
US Coins Oct 23, 2021, 5 PM
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