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Chinese trade negotiators suddenly canceled a visit to meet U.S. farmers after they wrapped up trade talks in Washington this week.Marketsread more
Blackstone Executive Vice Chairman Tony James says he's less optimistic now than before that the U.S.-China trade war could be resolved, but even a smaller deal could help...World Economyread more
The Pentagon will deploy U.S. forces to the Middle East on the heels of the attack on Saudi Arabian oil facilities, United States Secretary of Defense Mark Esper announced...Defenseread more
President Trump also said he is "not looking for a partial deal" with Beijing, moving away from his suggestion last week that he would consider an "interim deal."Politicsread more
Progress on trade talks will determine how far market will move above new highs.Trader Talk with Bob Pisaniread more
"Sure, the trade war's taking its toll on business ... it's just not taking its toll where it was supposed to," Jim Cramer says.Mad Money with Jim Cramerread more
Joe Biden called on President Donald Trump Friday to release the transcript of a call with a foreign leader that is the subject of a whistleblower complaint. Biden described...Politicsread more
For investors taking a breather from the chaos in August, buckle up as the market is about go crazy again, Goldman Sachs warned.Marketsread more
Palantir Technologies is targeting a valuation of at least $26 billion in a private fundraising round, the first for the Peter Thiel-backed data analytics startup in four...Wall Streetread more
Michael Pack, a conservative filmmaker linked to Steve Bannon, saw at least $1.6 million in donations from his nonprofit sent into the coffers of his independent production...Politicsread more
The New England Patriots released Antonio Brown just 11 days after signing the wide receiver. The NFL Super Bowl champion team initially had kept him in the face of a rape...Sportsread more
New details about how Apple's new subscription magazine service, expected to launch inside of a revamped Apple News application, surfaced on Tuesday. Apple is expected to announce the service during a March 25 press event.
Developer Steve Troughton-Smith dug through recent beta code for Apple's software and discovered a bit about how the Apple magazine service, which could be called Apple News Magazines, may work.
Troughton-Smith noticed that users who subscribe to the service -- which may largely be based on the digital magazine platform Texture that Apple acquired last year -- will likely be able to download and store magazines for offline reading. That means magazines will be available even if a Wi-Fi or cellular connection is not. Apple will alert users through a pop-up when new issues are available, too.
Troughton-Smith also said that the magazines will be "PDF-based" and found genres that include health, fitness, food, cooking, entertainment, gardening, home, lifestyle, politics, science and technology, among other topics.
The code doesn't reveal how much Apple will charge for the all-you-can-eat magazine and news subscription. Texture, which is still live, charges $9.99 a month for access to more than 200 magazines. Apple has reportedly been interested in bundling subscription news services, too, which might raise the price. The Wall Street Journal said in February that Apple has struggled with publishers who don't want to split 50 percent of revenues from the app.
In addition to the magazine and news services, Apple will reportedly unveil a new video service on March 25 that will include original content and is expected to launch in April.


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We've seen for ourselves just how fast Intel's new Xeon 5500-series processors are. So, what's AMD planning now? The folks at PC World learned from AMD spokespeople that a "very low-power" version of the firm's 45nm quad-core Opteron will be out "within three months."
PC World writes that future low-power Opteron EE processors will "deliver similar performance while drawing significantly less power than [their] predecessors." For the record, AMD's lowest-power 45nm Opterons available today have 55W ACP ratings, and they run at up to 2.3GHz. Their faster brethren have ACP ratings of 75W or 105W and clock speeds as high as 2.9GHz.
The same article also talks a little bit about Istanbul, the upcoming six-core Opteron design. AMD has reiterated its intention to release Istanbul processors in the second half of this year, and PC World writes that the CPUs will find their way into HP and Dell servers. As we learned last month, AMD aims to deliver six-core Opterons with the same power envelopes as current quad-core models.
|G.Skill KM560 MX keyboard drops the numpad||3|
|Rumor: Acer Triton 700 may use an unreleased Pascal GPU||0|
|Silverstone Vital VT02 could hold a Core i7 in under two liters||0|
|Galax and KFA2 induct the GTX 1080 Ti into the Hall of Fame||16|
|Acer's Aspire GX-281 lineup brings Ryzen to the masses||9|
|Deals of the week: discounts on CPUs, mobos, and more||6|
|Asetek gets $600,000 from Cooler Master in AIO cooler patent spat||10|
|Acer Predator Triton and Helios laptops are ready for serious play||7|
|Intel enjoys healthy revenue and profits for Q1 2017||27|

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As inextricably linked as beauty and fashion are, the former has historically taken a backseat to the latter. Beauty was commerce, not art—a sideshow, rather than the main event. Anyone who’s been backstage at a fashion show recently, though, knows that’s no longer the case. From trend creation to product ideation, a business platform for emerging brands to a breeding ground for burgeoning talent, the runway is now as much about what’s going on above the neck as below it. Even Vogue recently ran a cover story on makeup superstar Pat McGrath. This issue of WWD Beauty Biz is the ultimate guide to the convergence of fashion and beauty, starting with a veritable backstage bonanza from London, New York, Milan and Paris in “Project Runway” on page 32. Beauty-wise, each city has its own particular strength—New York often drives red-carpet trends in Hollywood and beyond, for example, while Paris is the epicenter of creativity and artistry. What each city has in common, though, is the number of hair and makeup companies sponsoring shows, all vying for attention. While once backstage was the primary domain of MAC Cosmetics, now brands big and small ply their wares there. Discover who the major players are in “A Common Thread” on page 28, and whether their attempts to monetize runway efforts into retail sales are succeeding.One area where sales have not been a problem is the realm of designer fragrances—the category rings up almost $2 billion annually in the U.S. alone. Although celebrity scents have dominated in the last few years, the designer category came roaring back for fall. But as Molly Prior reports, ideas for designers’ scents “don’t simply march off the runways. Behind each one is a team of designers in their own right.” Meet the behind-the-scenes teams in “What Goes Inside” on page 40, then turn to “The Candid Kors” for an exclusive conversation with Michael Kors on his methods for making a mint at the fragrance counter.In this issue, you’ll notice another change as well: WWD Beauty Biz has a new look. Created by art director Pamela Olecki, our new design combines clarity, boldness and confidence—not unlike our cover model, Sasha Pivovarova. Pivovarova’s story truly is one dreams are made of: Just two weeks after her photographer husband sent pictures of her to the modeling agency IMG, she opened the Prada show. That was two years ago. Now, she’s on a first-name basis with the fashion cognoscenti, a status that the 12 young models in “The Catwalk’s Meow” on page 22 no doubt hope to reach soon. Meticulously researched by WWD bookings editor Cinnamon St. John, they represent the freshest faces of the spring 2008 season—and we think you’ll find their looks as striking as our own.
A first look at @virgilabloh’s sneakers for @louisvuitton. Abloh spoke to WWD about his debut collection for Louis Vuitton, creating @kendalljenner’s #metgala outfit and redefining the heritage brand. Read the full story on WWD.com. #wwdfashion 📷: @alfredo_piola)
The world’s largest producer of denim @iskodenim is sharing the strategy behind its product development process. Read our full interview with ISKO’s product development manager Baris Ozden on the company’s extensive research practices, upcoming denim trends and the latest material innovations on WWD.com. #iskodenim
“I genuinely fell in love with water, I fell in love with Fiji, I fell in love with the whole life that we lived for those few months,” says @mrsamclaflin of filming for his new movie “Adrift” with @shailenewoodley. The 31-year-old actor spoke with WWD about his upcoming projects, meeting Jamie Dornan and working with co-star Woodley. #wwdeye (📷: @jamstoker)
3 years ago, fans of the late singer Aaliyah started calling for a collaboration with @maccosmetics. With the strength of social media — including mock ups of products — 25,000 people signed a Change.org petition for a limited-edition collection, and MAC couldn’t ignore the buzz. Tomorrow, MAC will unveil MAC x Aaliyah, a tribute to the singer who passed away nearly 17 years ago. Head to our stories to preview the new collection, which was worked on by Aaliyah’s family and inspired directly by her makeup bag. #wwdbeauty
Artistic director @clarewaightkeller will be dedicating @givenchyofficial’s fall 2018 couture show in Paris on July 1 to house founder Hubert de Givenchy, who passed away in March at age 91. Givenchy said the collection would be “an homage to his iconic creations, technique, and personal lexicon” and a “celebration of his timeless elegance and grace.” Head to WWD.com to read more. #wwdfashion (📷: Delphine Achard)
La Double J made a name for itself with its vintage-inspired prints, but for resort, designer JJ Martin has ventured into new territory: enter rich jewel toned solids and decadent embellishment, in the form of appliqués, crystals and sequins. #wwdfashion #resort19 #ladoublej
This Just In: J. Crew Group has named Johanna Uurasjarvi as its chief design officer.
Uurasjarvi succeeds Somsack Sikhounmuong, who left the company last September. Tap the link in bio for the full report. #wwdnews
“She came into my hotel room and she was like, ‘I have Chanel and Christian Dior.’ She was like, ‘Chanel likes you.’ And I was like, ‘I’m going to start crying,’” breakout star Maddie Hasson tells WWD of her styling sessions Molly Dickson. “I really like classic, elegant things. I love the way Anna Wintour dresses.” Read more about Hasson’s role in @impulseseries on wwd.com. (📸: @jgreenery ) #wwdeye
@virgilabloh revealed he's working with Australian stylist and
Vogue Australia fashion director @christinecentenera for his debut @louisvuitton men's collection, which will be presented in Paris on June 21. Centenera met Abloh while both working with Kanye West, where she consulted on his all his runway collections since his debut spring 2012 women's wear show. Read the full story on WWD.com. #wwdfashion #wwdnews (📷: @asussmanphoto)


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FAST FACTS HAWAII
Hawaiian, Aloha, top rankings again
Hawaiian and Aloha airlines again ranked at or near the top of the U.S. Department of Transportation consumer benchmarks for March, according to figures released yesterday.
Hawaiian Airlines took top honors in on-time performance among the 20 airlines reporting, with 93.9 percent of its flights arriving within 15 minutes of schedule.
But Aloha Airlines was a close second, at 93.2 percent. Mesa Air Group, which operates go! in Hawaii as well as numerous mainland commuter operations, was 14th at 70.7 percent systemwide.
Aloha came in first in consumer complaints, with none in 348,854 enplanements. Hawaiian was fourth, with three complaints for 609,812 boardings. Mesa was seventh, with nine in 1.19 million enplanements.
In cancellations, Hawaiian, Aloha and Mesa ranked first, third and 17th, respectively. On baggage handling, Aloha was first, Hawaiian second and Mesa 15th.
Neighbor isle home sales mixed
The number of residential real estate sales continued dropping on the the Big Island and Kauai last month, while prices presented a mixed bag, according to a report from Hawaii Information Service
Single-family home transactions on the Big Island fell from 187 to 139, a 25.7 percent decline; while condominium sales dropped 26.9 percent to 49 from 67.
The median home price on the Big Island declined 6.34 percent to $412,000 and the median condominium price dropped to $385,000, a 28.7 percent drop.
The number of single-family home sales on Kauai fell only 2.38 percent to 41; however condominium sales dropped by 62.8 percent to 29.
Still, home prices in Kauai were strong. The median price paid for a single-family home rose 4.03 percent to $749,000, while the median price paid for a condominium nearly doubled, rising 94.74 percent to $685,000.
Hawaii late to Starbucks fat cut
SEATTLE » Starbucks Corp.
announced yesterday that it will cut artificial trans fats out of food and drinks in its stores in the continental United States, Alaska and Canada by the end of the year.
Starbucks started ridding its U.S. and Canadian stores of trans fats in January. Company spokesman Brandon Borrman said trans fats will eventually be eliminated from its Hawaii stores, but that it will not likely happen by the end of the year because jurisdiction for the state is being shifted from Starbuck's international division to its domestic unit.
The coffee retailer isn't about to quit selling its whipped cream-topped Frappuccino shakes or rich baked sweets, but said it will only use ingredients with naturally occurring fats, like butter, whole milk, eggs and whipped cream.
Listed on food labels as partially hydrogenated vegetable oil, trans fats are thought to boost "bad" cholesterol and decrease "good" cholesterol. They have attracted attention from health regulators, most notably in New York City, where they have been banned in restaurants and eateries.
Starbucks also said yesterday that it is working to rid trans fats from stores in markets outside North America, but Borrman said no timeline has been set.


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By Carolyn Crist
(Reuters Health) – Parents may allow kids to eat too much sugary breakfast cereal because the suggested serving size is smaller than they realize, according to a new study.
The cereals with the most sugar per ounce also tend to have child-oriented marketing such as mascots, games, colors and fun cereal shapes, researchers found in a study of brands that have pledged to help reduce added sugars in kids’ diets.
“For many children in the U.S., daily sugar intake exceeds the levels recommended by health organizations,” said co-author Sarah Vaala of High Point University in North Carolina.
The American Heart Association recommends that children and teens consume less than six teaspoons or 25 grams of added sugars per day. For breakfast cereal in particular, federal guidelines recommend 6 grams or less per ounce of cereal. Sugary cereals often contain much more per serving, the study team notes in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior.
“Cereal boxes appeal to children when families are actually making purchasing decisions,” Vaala told Reuters Health by email. “Prior studies indicate that features like friendly mascots and familiar TV characters attract children’s attention and interest, and children’s requests for food products are often more successful than not with parents.”
Vaala and co-author Matthew Ritter analyzed sugar content and child-oriented marketing features on 159 cereal boxes. They focused on cereals manufactured by companies that participate in a voluntary initiative launched in 2007 by the Council of Better Business Bureaus to limit the food products that are advertised to children on TV and other media based on certain sugar, fat, salt and calorie guidelines.
The researchers studied whether cereal manufacturers applied the same standards to packaging and whether those standards seemed sufficient to promote low-sugar cereals to children.
Although the manufacturers seemed to apply the same nutritional standards to cereal packages, that wasn’t enough to promote healthier products to kids. The guidelines are oriented around sugar per suggested serving, but serving sizes vary based on cereal density, which can be tough for consumers to calculate, the study authors note.
“Because different cereals weigh different amounts, the information on the label can be confusing,” Ritter told Reuters Health by email. “Listing a standard metric applied across all weights of cereal would enable consumers to make more informed choices with a quick glance and no complicated math.”
New U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulations around these serving size designations went into effect in January in response to a creeping trend in recent years of consumers eating more cereal at each sitting, Ritter added.
“When you compute the amount of sugar by weight of the cereal, the sugar content is quite high and higher than federal recommendations,” said Jennifer Emond of the Dartmouth School of Medicine in Hanover, New Hampshire, who wasn’t involved in the study.
“There is a long history of the food industry being at odds with public health advocates when it comes to child-directed foods,” she said by email. “Raising awareness of this issue is important.”
On January 1, manufacturers in the voluntary initiative pledged to limit added sugars to 12 grams or less per serving of cereal, which is half of AHA’s recommendation for total daily consumption.
“These cartoon characters are cute and hard to resist. They are also used to market to adults through ‘nostalgic marketing’ because we all remember them from when we grew up,” said Vivica Kraak of Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia, who also wasn’t involved with this study.
“But we are in the middle of an obesity and type-2 diabetes crisis in the United States and worldwide and need companies to do more to either meet recommended nutrient targets or stop using them to attract children,” she said by email. “Parents and concerned consumers can use social media to ask manufacturers to strengthen their pledges and make meaningful actions to be part of the solution and not part of the problem.”
SOURCE: https://bit.ly/3cUTW6A Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, online March 6, 2020.


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Ask Jeeves looks for a little help from a friend as it prepares to debut its Japanese search service.
As it prepares its new Ask.jp Japanese search service for an official debut, Ask Jeeves hopes to leverage a number of distribution deals with its venture partner, transcosmos.
Ask Jeeves Japan is jointly held between Ask Jeeves and transcosmos, a consulting firm and holding company based in Tokyo. The new company hopes to offer competition to Google and Yahoo, which provide the dominant search technologies in the country.
Transcosmos is a shareholder in a number of other Japanese plays by successful U.S.-based companies, including DoubleClick, AtomShockwave and Nielsen//NetRatings. Ask Jeeves hopes to leverage transcosmos' relationships to advance its brand and search technology in the country. Several deals are in the works, but none have been announced yet.
"We'll be leveraging our brand with the distribution partnerships that transcosmos is bringing to the table," said Jim Lanzone, Ask Jeeves' VP of product management and representative on the joint venture's board. "Despite being late to the game by a couple years, we see a real opportunity in Japan."
Ask.jp is now in a beta testing phase, during which the company plans to collect feedback from users before rolling out the official site early in 2005. The search destination marks only the second international expansion for Ask Jeeves, and the first since the company rolled out a search offering in the U.K. in 2000.
Lanzone said further international expansion is now in the works.
"Near to mid-term, you'll see us launching in Asia and Europe. When we do so, we're not going to do it capriciously. We're going to build country specific search indexes... There's a significant lack of choice in many marketplaces," he said.
As with Ask Jeeves' U.S. and U.K. properties, the Japanese engine uses the company's proprietary Teoma search technology. Its Japanese-only index now contains approximately 150 million Web pages. Ask.jp does not yet offer Ask Jeeves' trademark "smart search" shortcuts or other special features, such as the "look ahead" graphical preview tool introduced this year. Those will be added during the lead up to the official launch, Lanzone said.
Japan has approximately 77 million Internet users, placing it second in global Internet use behind the U.S., according to the country's ministry of public management, home affairs, posts and telecommunications.
Jupiter Research recently found search engine adoption in the U.S. will slow over the next several years, likely making international expansion a priority for the mega-players in search.
But Lanzone doesn't believe the U.S. market is facing atrophy, and he said Ask Jeeves isn't seriously concerned about diminishing search uptake here. He argued twin forces will continue to increase the size of the domestic search market: first, pricing pressure will drive up keyword bids, and second, existing users will steadily up their use of search as they become better at it.
"Search volume will continue to go up, as people get more confident in their ability to search," he said. "We're at the beginning, not the end of something."
Rather than responding to the threat of a shrinking market, Lanzone said Ask Jeeves is expanding because it's the right time for the company to do so.
"International expansion is going to be an important part of our growth," he said. "This is more about it being the right time in our life cycle than it is about market [dynamics]."
The new venture is led by Hirotaka Shiokawa, a transcosmos exec who will serve Ask Jeeves Japan as president and CEO.
Join the Industry's Leading eCommerce & Direct Marketing Experts in Chicago
ClickZ Live Chicago (Nov 3-6) will deliver over 50 sessions across 4 days and 10 individual tracks, including Data-Driven Marketing, Social, Mobile, Display, Search and Email. Check out the full agenda and register by Friday, Oct 3 to take advantage of Early Bird Rates!
Until March 2012, Zach Rodgers was managing editor of ClickZ's award-winning coverage of news and trends in digital marketing. He reported on the rise of web companies, data markets, ad technologies, and government Internet policy, among other subjects.
IBM Social Analytics: The Science Behind Social Media Marketing
80% of internet users say they prefer to connect with brands via Facebook. 65% of social media users say they use it to learn more about brands, products and services. Learn about how to find more about customers' attitudes, preferences and buying habits from what they say on social media channels.
An Introduction to Marketing Attribution: Selecting the Right Model for Search, Display & Social Advertising
If you're considering implementing a marketing attribution model to measure and optimize your programs, this paper is a great introduction. It also includes real-life tips from marketers who have successfully implemented attribution in their organizations.
September 23, 2014
September 30, 2014
1:00pm ET/10:00am PT
October 23, 2014
1:00pm ET/10:00am PT


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They are part of the family, why not have them do their part in making the world a greener place?
Last week I wrote about a large scale local green project, and I am happy to report there is yet another eco-friendly company nearby. ABC Pet in Lewisburg, TN is making pet activity centers, toys, and other cat products from sustainable and recycled materials. They use sisal and carpeting made from recycled bottles, bamboo, and various other eco-conscious resources to make their cat climbers, scratching posts, toys and beds.
In an industry first, the Mars, Incorporated’s Petcare business today announced its commitment to using only sustainably sourced fish by 2020. Set against a backdrop of dwindling global fish stocks, Mars, which operates one of the world’s largest petcare businesses - has worked with World Wide Fund for Nature (also known as World Wildlife Fund or WWF) to develop its fish sustainability commitment.
“Going green” can be more of a trend than a practice. Take Green Lawnger, for instance.
To the untrained eye, like this Oregon TV station, the product is double green: It will turn a brown lawn into a green lawn without watering, and it’s “environmentally friendly.”


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Hostess and Bakers Union Asked Accept Strike Mediation
The judge overseeing Hostess Brands Inc., while declining to approve the company’s liquidation, asked management and the bakers’ union to enter mediation today to resolve the strike that the maker of Twinkies and Wonder bread said forced it to shut.
U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Robert Drain said yesterday at a hearing in White Plains, New York, that there are “serious questions as to the logic behind the decision to strike.” Hostess and the bakers’ union agreed to Drain’s request to enter confidential mediation under his supervision.
“To me, not to have gone through that step leaves a huge question mark over this case which I think will only be answered in litigation,” Drain said. “My desire to do this is prompted primarily by the potential loss of over 18,000 jobs, as well as my belief that there is a possibility to resolve this matter, notwithstanding the losses the debtors have incurred over the last week or so.”
Hostess hasn’t spoken with the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union since August, said Heather Lennox, a lawyer for the company. Hostess is seeking permission from Drain to pay bonuses to key managers while closing operations that will leave most of its 18,500 workers unemployed. Any agreement arising from the mediation would probably come too late to save the company, Lennox said.
“Things have gone too far to repair themselves under the current form,” Lennox, a partner at Jones Day, told Drain. “It would be very hard for us to recover from this damage even if there were to be an agreement in the near term.”
“Our best shot is to see what we can sell as going concerns and have the company continue that way,” she said. The hearing to consider Hostess’s request to wind down was postponed until Nov. 21.
Hostess said Nov. 16 that it would shut, claiming that a weeklong strike by the bakers’ union forced liquidation. The union blamed management’s concession demands, while some employees blamed both sides. Strikers were still outside the company’s facilities yesterday, Hostess’s lawyers said.
Corrina Christensen, a spokeswoman for the bakers’ union, didn’t immediately respond to an e-mail seeking comment on the mediation.
The International Brotherhood of Teamsters, whose members distribute Hostess products, had ratified a new contract with 8 percent in wage concessions and 17 percent in benefit reductions.
“The Teamsters will closely monitor the mediation between the BCTGM and Hostess management and assist in any way we can to help the two sides reach an agreement that keeps the company’s doors open,” Ken Hall, the Teamsters general secretary- treasurer, said yesterday in a statement.
The judge may be creating risk for both sides that encourages them to reach a deal, Ken Russak, a bankruptcy attorney at Frandzel Robins Bloom & Csato in Los Angeles, said yesterday in an interview. “The bankruptcy judge would much prefer to have the parties work something out than having to make a decision in this highly charged environment,” Russak said.
Drain said courts have established that the law doesn’t prevent monetary claims against a union for a strike that’s unlawful or improper. Discovery may bring out what was said to Hostess’s competitors and prospective buyers, he said.
“A decision in essence to accept the termination of 6,000 jobs and what appears to me the inevitable reduction of recoveries at least raises issues as to why it was made, particularly when there was no attempt made to contest the terms that were imposed,” Drain said.
“I’m giving the union as well as the debtors and their lenders a last chance to try and work those issues out in private,” the judge said. “If they don’t take it, it’s not as if they won’t be worked out. They will be worked out, but they will be worked out in public and, I believe, ultimately in an expensive way.”
Tom Becker, a spokesman for Hostess, didn’t immediately respond to voice-mail and e-mail messages seeking comment on the mediation.
The U.S. trustee, a Justice Department official responsible for protecting creditors, yesterday asked Drain to take control of the liquidation from the company. U.S. Trustee Tracy Hope Davis asked the judge to convert the case to a Chapter 7 from Chapter 11 bankruptcy, based partly on the company’s intent to pay bonuses, and appoint a trustee to supervise the wind-down.
Hostess officials “have not demonstrated that the insider bonuses are permissible,” Davis wrote in a court filing. They also “improperly seek to exculpate and indemnify their management from past and future liabilities” and want to “cherry-pick which administrative claims get paid.”
In seeking court permission for its demise, Hostess said it wants to pay as much as $1.75 million in incentive bonuses to 19 senior managers during the liquidation. Hostess is asking the judge to approve its plan to shut 36 bakeries, 242 depots, 216 retail stores, and 311 hybrid depot-store facilities, according to court filings. The company has 58 other leased or owned sites used for storage, warehousing of products or parking.
The process requires “intensive” planning, staffing and funding, the company said. A fire-sale liquidation would damage equipment and result in improper disposal of waste materials.
It’s “not a simple matter of turning off the lights and shutting the doors,” Hostess said in court papers.
The baker estimated that shutting the plants will cost $17.6 million in the next three months. The plants have about $29 million worth of excess product ingredients, Hostess said.
About $6.9 million will be spent to close depots, while $8.8 million will be used to idle retail stores and $8.1 million will go to shutting corporate offices, according to a court filing. Perishable baked goods at retail stores will be sold at going-out-of-business sales, donated to charity or destroyed, Hostess said.
Potential bidder C. Dean Metropoulos & Co., owner of Pabst Brewing Co., said it may seek to buy Hostess’s “iconic brands,” which include Dolly Madison, Drake’s, Merita and Butternut. Flowers Foods Inc. (FLO), maker of Nature’s Own bread and Tastykake snacks, also may pursue some of its rival’s assets, wrote William Chappell, an analyst with SunTrust Robinson Humphrey, in a note to investors last week.
Flowers is “one of the most eligible acquirers” of Hostess assets and brands, Amit Sharma, an analyst at BMO Capital Markets Corp. in New York, said in a separate note. Keith Hancock, a spokesman for Thomasville, Georgia-based Flowers, didn’t say whether it would bid.
While Hostess has seen interest in pieces of the business, its labor contracts and pension obligations have deterred offers for the whole company, Chief Executive Officer Gregory F. Rayburn said last week.
“We will try to get what we can from the assets,” Rayburn told Bloomberg Television. “It’s an over-capacity industry, though, so that’s going to be a difficult prospect.”
Hostess, based in Irving, Texas, said in court papers the liquidation will take about a year and about 3,200 workers will be retained to clean bakeries and mothball equipment. The company has plants in 22 states, stretching from Alaska to New Jersey.
Ding Dongs, Ho Hos
The 82-year-old maker of Hostess CupCakes, Ding Dongs and Ho Hos has endured years of declining sales as Americans turned to rivals’ snacks and breads, while ingredient costs and labor expenses climbed.
Hostess said it was pushed toward liquidation when the bakers’ union went on strike Nov. 9 after Drain imposed contract concessions opposed by 92 percent of the union’s members. The union represents about 5,000 Hostess workers.
Hostess closed three plants permanently Nov. 12, blaming the strike, and warned that the company would liquidate unless enough employees returned to work to resume normal operations.
Bakers’ international union President Frank Hurt said Nov. 16 that the liquidation is a “deep disappointment for all of our Hostess members.” If they hadn’t accepted concessions earlier, “this company would have gone out of business long ago. Our members decided they were not going to take any more abuse.”
Hostess sought court protection in January, its second time in bankruptcy, listing assets of $982 million and debt of $1.43 billion.
The case is In re Hostess Brands Inc., 12-22052, U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Southern District of New York (White Plains).
To contact the reporter on this story: Dawn McCarty in Wilmington at firstname.lastname@example.org


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US equities posted a buoyant reaction to the minutes of the Fed meeting, released on Wednesday. The report showed that the majority of FOMC members judged that it would be appropriate to slow down the pace of rate hikes in the near future due to uncertain lag between monetary decisions and their impact on the economy. Incoming data on the US economy released yesterday had a favorable mix of readings in terms of household consumption and change in inflation pressure:
Initial jobless claims showed the highest weekly increase in several months (225K -> 240K):
PMI indices in services and manufacturing from S&P Global were slightly worse than expected. The activity index in the manufacturing sector fell from 50.4 to 47.6 (forecast 50 points), in the service sector - from 47.8 to 46.1 points (forecast 47.9 points). In other words, the situation in both manufacturing and services has changed for the worse compared to the previous month, and in the services sector, the deterioration has accelerated;
Orders for durable goods grew stronger than expected - +1% against the forecast of 0.4%. This indicator indirectly reflects the expectations of households regarding future income, since when making expensive purchases, consumers are guided by future opportunities to restore their savings level or repay a loan;
Consumer sentiment index from the U. of Michigan came in slightly higher than expected - 56.8 points against the forecast of 55 points. One-year inflation expectations of households declined from 5% to 4.9%. The indicator has been on the slippery slope from March and at its peak was 5.4%:
US equities react positively to downside surprises in US data as the continuation of the Fed's tightening cycle is a function of the state of the economy - the more signs that it slows down, the more likely it is that the Fed will announce a pause soon. In this sense, a significant increase in the number of initial jobless claims could be a signal that the labor market is starting to cool faster, which will soon convince the Fed to announce a pause in tightening.
The dollar came under pressure after the release of the Fed Minutes and US labor market data, DXY tumbled below 106 points. EURUSD topped 1.04 and GBPUSD climbed above 1.21. A slowdown in hostilities in Ukraine due to the approaching winter could also mean a pause in the growth of sanctions pressure on Russia, as well as its response, causing increased volatility in the energy and commodity markets. In turn, declining odds of the energy crisis may increase demand for European currencies.


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Five agricultural leaders were officially inducted into the Canadian Agricultural Hall of Fame this past weekend, as part of the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in Toronto.
The new members include agricultural business leader Ted Bilyea, cranberry farmer and business man Peter Dhillon, Plant Scientist Wilf Keller, Agricultural Economist Larry Martin and former federal ag minister Gerry Ritz.
“Every inductee acknowledged the vital role of teamwork in their careers and accomplishments, and that clearly emphasizes the humble nature of these tremendous individuals,” says Guy Charbonneau, President of the Canadian Agricultural Hall of Fame Association. “In Canada, we enjoy a rich and innovative agri-food sector and these five men have all laid game-changing groundwork through primary plant research to building better business models, expanding trade and export markets for Canadian goods, strengthening sector opportunities and creating a bigger brand for Canadian agri-food products. Our industry and our reputation are stronger because each of these individuals have dedicated their careers, their innovation and their leadership to Canadian agriculture.”
The Canadian Agricultural Hall of Fame Association was established in 1960 to honour and celebrate Canadians for outstanding contributions to the agriculture and food industry.
Send your news tips, story ideas and comments to [email protected]


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We’ve only got 7 exhibit hall booths left (the Meet Market is sold out) for Affiliate Summit West 2016, taking place January 10-12, 2016 at Paris Las Vegas in Las Vegas, NV.
There are a handful of tabletops available in the exhibit hall, too.
You can book a space online now.
Sponsorship opportunities start as low as $500 to reach thousands of digital marketers registered for the conference.
All of the top sponsorships are sold out for Affiliate Summit West 2016, and many of the smaller sponsorships are gone, too.
The conference hotel, Paris Las Vegas, is filling quickly at the Affiliate Summit group rate, as well.


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Blog: We are what we wear
Katie Smith | 17 June 2011
Dressing well has personal, social and professional benefits according to findings from US retailer Men's Wearhouse "Well-Dressed Men survey".
Overall nearly two-thirds (63%) of Americans admit fashion is something they value. So it's no surprise that 70% of women compared to 55% of men own up to the importance of fashion in their lives.
The study revealed that 68% of Americans consider being well-dressed an important part of life. However, 79% of Americans aged 55 and older go for comfort rather than a sleek style compared to 66% of 25-54 year old participants according to the study conducted by Kelton Research.
Maybe that's why 23% of participants think that shopping for a suit is more intimidating than going on a first date?
Whether its for a wedding, interview or a new job, 94% of men have purchased a suit some times in their lives.
The clothes men wear also have an impact on our professional outlook as three-quarters (75%) of Americans think well-dressed men are more successful in the workplace than guys who are not dressed as well.
However, when it comes to shopping for clothes many see this as a necessity they have to get through, rather than a fun or exciting experience. Not surprisingly, more men than women (56% versus 49%) despise going shopping to fill their wardrobes.
Fresh from their disappointment at seeing the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) free trade deal abandoned last month with an executive order by President Donald Trump, the US apparel and footwear sector...
With the ultimate aim of ensuring all the cotton in its products is sourced sustainably, value clothing retailer Primark is adamant that having a business model focused on offering the lowest prices o...
Last week we marked the inauguration of Donald Trump as the 45th president of the United States by taking a closer look at what's at stake for the textile and apparel trade – especially his promises t...
Continuing our look at what lies ahead for the apparel industry and its supply chain in 2017, the panel of industry experts consulted by just-style last week tackled likely shifts in the sourcing land...
- China leads US apparel sources with falling prices
- Hard hit Turkish industry is not knocked out
- Vietnam grows share of US apparel imports in 2016
- "Power of the many" drives change at Otto Group
- US apparel sector braces for potential cost hikes
- US Q4 in brief – Kohl's, L Brands
- Bangladesh crackdown has cost garment sector $100m
- Adidas and Burberry recognised for sustainability
- Inditex and H&M boycott Dhaka Apparel Summit
- Macy's will "do the right thing", says Lundgren
- When Things Go Wrong - A Practical Guide to Managing Common Problems in Apparel Sourcing
- Outdoor performance apparel 2016: A broader perspective
- Technical textile markets: product developments and innovations, December 2016
- Southeast Asia strategic sourcing review – a focus on Cambodia, Vietnam and Myanmar
- Global market review of lingerie – forecasts to 2022


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The president and chief operating officer of the Thinking Machines Corporation, a supercomputer maker in Cambridge, Mass., has resigned after only seven months on the job.
Harvey L. Weiss, who resigned last week, was a 20-year employee at the Digital Equipment Corporation before joining Thinking Machines in 1991. He was promoted earlier in the year with the assignment to cut costs at the company.
Sheryl Handler, chairman and chief executive of Thinking Machines, acknowledged yesterday that the company had hired a new president and chief operating officer, whose name she would not disclose. She denied industry rumors that there was a shake-up ahead in the top management of the company, which has 500 employees. 'Going as Planned'
Ms. Handler said sales of the company's massively parallel supercomputers, which are used primarily for scientific work that requires information retrieval from large data bases, were "going as planned."
Ms. Handler said Mr. Weiss's resignation did not signal trouble within the $100 million company and that Danny Hillis, co-founder and technical leader of Thinking Machines, was behind the decision to bring in a new president. Neither Mr. Weiss nor Mr. Hillis was available for comment.Continue reading the main story
Howard A. Richmond 2d, a computing consultant with the Gartner Group, said Mr. Weiss's resignation was not an indication of turmoil at Thinking Machines. He said the company was executing its business plan well considering the entire market for massively parallel computing was flat.
"All the vendors are having a difficult year," Mr. Richmond said. "Thinking Machines is probably doing better than some."
In 1992, Thinking Machines, which is privately held, lost $16.9 million on revenue of $91.6 million, according to Dun & Bradstreet.
Ms. Handler said the new president was voted in unanimously by the company's board last week. She said she could not disclose his name until he joins Thinking Machines after Labor Day because of contractual obligations with his current employer.
"This is someone the company has been interested in for some time," Ms. Handler said. "If we could have hired him two years ago, we would have. He already has experience working with the company and we are convinced he can make us a real competitive powerhouse." Government Spending
Mr. Weiss, who had run Digital's government sales sector, had been entrusted by the board to do some belt-tightening as Thinking Machines' sales felt the pinch of declining Government spending in the supercomputer sector. Insiders at the company said that Mr. Weiss was not considered to have the strategic insight to lead Thinking Machines in an increasingly competitive supercomputer marketplace.
Ms. Handler said the industry went through significant changes in 1992 and that it had been her decision to bring in a chief operating officer to help manage the once loosely organized company. She insisted that Government business was not a primary driver of Thinking Machine's sales.Continue reading the main story


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Mitsubishi Electric has announced today that it will invest 1.44 billion Turkish lira (89.6 million GBP) in a new plant at Mitsubishi Electric Air Conditioning Systems Manufacturing Turkey Joint Stock Company (MACT), the company’s air-conditioner production base in Turkey.
The expansion will expand MACT’s annual capacity for air-to-water (ATW) heat pumps* to 300,000 units, up by 100,000 units from current capacity, and room air conditioners to 1,100,000 units, up by 310,000 units. Production will begin in February 2024.
Mitsubishi Electric is growing its global Heating, Ventilation and Air-Conditioning (HVAC) business under an expansion strategy through 2025 that is focused especially on the European heating-system market. Conventional boiler-type heaters that rely on fossil fuel are rapidly being replaced with ATW heat pumps in line with Europe’s decarbonization policies, which is driving the rapid growth of the ATW market in Turkey and across Europe. Meanwhile, ongoing climate change is stimulating increased demand for room air conditioners, which are increasingly being viewed by local consumers as commodities rather than luxuries.
Mitsubishi Electric has continued to invest in MACT since establishing the subsidiary company in 2016, including making an additional investment of 222 million Turkish lira (17.3 million USD) in 2021.
President – Shingo Nonoue
Location – Manisa, Turkey
Capital – 571.3 million Turkish lira (44.7 million USD)
(Ownership: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation 100%)
Site area – Approx. 60,000 square meters (Floor area: Approx. 40,000 square meters)
Business – Development and production of air-to-water and room air conditioners
Employees – Approx. 630


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You are one of those who dreamed of adventure and find treasures from the past? Google may be able to realize the dream.
Quoted from Slashgear, Monday (1/4), Google Maps Street View Team reportedly managed to find a treasure map of William ‘Captain’ [...]
From Windows 8, until Outlook.com and Windows Phone 8, Sinofsky gave the main color on the recent changes in Microsoft.
Less than a month after the launch of Windows 8 operating system, President of the Windows Division at Microsoft, Steven Sinofsky, [...]
Lenovo’s new hotshot in laptops for SMBs, M490s, offers several security features and maintenance through LSSB (Lenovo Solutions for Small Business).
Among them is a Software Monitor that works to improve security by ensuring the safety of the [...]
BlackBerry seems very serious enrich the application ecosystem. This is evidenced by the achievement of 100 thousand apps in the app store BlackBerry World.
Quoted from Slashgear, Friday (22/3), this means that BlackBerry has added about 30 thousand [...]
Apple reportedly ready to release a mini-version of the course will also be priced cheaper than its flagship smartphone, the iPhone.
Quoted from Techradar, Saturday (2/23), according to the report, the presence of the iPhone Mini will happen this summer.
Not long after the presence of the Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 at Mobile World Congress, is now audible leaks on the presence of its 3G version.
It is verified through a newspaper as reported endgadget.com (12/03), the series Galaxy Note 8.0 3G has entered [...]
Through Vietnam blog site, Tinthe.vn, it was reported that the latest generation iPhone that was allegedly named the iPhone 5S will have a 12 megapixel camera.
In addition, Apple also improve low-light photography feature so image quality in low-light [...]
New news about the successor to the Galaxy S3 smartphone reappeared. This time, Samsung will release it issued on March 15, 2013.
Quoted from TechRadar, Thursday (2/7), the European market will be the first target and will be available a few weeks after [...]
Sony has just announced a new game console, the PlayStation 4, the PlayStation event in the U.S. (2/21). What are the new features of the PS4? The following brief review.
Yes, PS4 will include a new controller called the DualShock 4. Controller [...]
If the basic applications like wallpaper request access to the GPS data, then it is suspicious.
More than 100,000 Android apps in the Google Play are included in the category of “suspicious” and “questionable”, according to a [...]
After going through various rumors and long waits, BlackBerry 10 platform was officially launched at an event in New York, U.S., on Wednesday (01/30) local time.
Quoted from Techradar, Thursday (01/31), BlackBerry 10 straight comes with two new smartphones, [...]


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Formerly recognised as one of the world’s largest IT exhibitions, Cebit had been considered to be dying out. Visitor and exhibitor numbers have been shrinking faced with competition from other tech conferences, however, this year – 2018 – was a huge success.
Discussions on stage ranged from digital transformation and cyber security to digital healthcare and future mobility, customer centricity and women in digital business. We share below some of the ways one of the most long-standing IT exhibitions and conferences has reinvented itself.
The future of table football
Some of highlights included the virtual reality table football which set all-new standards for an all-time classic bar game and a sky dining venue 20 metres above the ground. Another highlight for us was the keynote by Robert LoCascio, CEO and Founder of adel & link client LivePerson, who talked about how the way we communicate with mostly female-voiced AI and home assistants might influence children and society and lead to a world of narrow-minded bots.
From artificial Intelligence to the internet of things
AI was everywhere during this year’s Cebit. Moshe Rappoport, Executive Technology Advocate at IBM Research, claimed that we can power just as much with AI as we like, be it data analysis, texting or creating new kinds of systems. Kareem Yusuf, General Manager Watson IoT at IBM, connected AI with the possibilities of industrial IoT, showing opportunities that arise when you take advantage of recent breakthroughs in IoT and AI.
A new digital festival without influencers? No way!
Another new addition was a conference focusing on Influencer Marketing, Social Media and Networking. Attendees could listen to 50 speakers and participate in expert workshops on best practices, trends and challenges in Influencer Marketing.
Instagram and YouTube and what we can learn from the US
In many of the speeches, Germany was compared to the US and how the mentality in the two countries differs. In the US, a “money mentality” is prevalent and it is accepted that content is sponsored or that the content creator is paid for a video. In Germany, this is still something many people look down on, even though “influencers are not kids filming videos in their basement”, as Robin Blase, YouTuber & CEO at Richtig Cool GmbH said.
An interesting fact mentioned in one of the speeches was that the biggest revenue from sponsored content is generated on Instagram and YouTube, even though more influencers are present on Facebook than on YouTube. Did you know that 80% of active Instagram users live outside the US? That over 25 million businesses are active on the platform and that 80% of the accounts follow a business? And that 51% of them discover businesses and brands on Instagram?
The bottom line? Cebit is not dying, but evolving. Here’s to Cebit 2019!


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However, Kweli recently revealed that the album’s announcement was a surprise to him.
“It looks like it might happen,” Kweli said to HipHopDX during a show in Boulder, Colorado. “I found out on the internet the same way y’all did. We’ve been talking about doing an album with Madlib for years. That’s been an idea we’ve had for so long, but for him to make that announcement …I didn’t know he was going to make the announcement.”
“He went to a Madlib show and he got hype. It’s not like we discussed it and said, ‘Ok, we’re going to announce it.'” Kweli added. “I got off the plane, I landed and was like, ‘Oh ok.’ It’s an idea we have been discussing for a long time, now we just gotta make it happen.”
Bey made the announcement during a Madlib DJ set in Denver, Colorado.
“New Black Star with Madlib, Talib Kweli, Yasiin, coming soon!” Bey said during a Madlib DJ set in Denver, Colorado. “All Madlib, all day. 2018, Madlib, Black Star. Madlib Black Star.”


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Union Minister of State for Finance Arjun Ram Meghwal on Thursday said the transition towards digital and cashless economy will boost India's GDP numbers and also help prevent tax evasion and move towards compliance.
Yazad Dalal the of Head-Human Capital Management, Cloud Applications, Asia Pacific at Oracle, talks about the company's cloud solutions that enable that transformation.
Investment in these technologies will spin off new businesses and innovation and further propel our start-up ecosystem.
His first video post has already been viewed more than nine million times and received more than 18,000 likes.
The world's largest internet company is planning to directly invest in or acquire startups that cater to whom it refers to as next billion internet users.
With Watson, people can analyse and interpret all of their data, including unstructured text, images, audio and video.
Transactions on UPI jumped to 4.2 million for January against 0.3 million in November, while that on USSD leapfrogged to 3,14,000 in January from 7,000 in November.
People are feeding the wrong stories to the media. To be clear, I am not talking about the founders. A lot of these people are bystanders.
Reliability measures of electrical grid has risen to a new norm as it involves physical security and cybersecurity.
To educate the people about the threat posed by fabricated online stories, Cook pitched for a campaign akin to those that changed public attitude towards environment.
Unlike VR, which closes the world out, AR allows individuals to be present in the world but allows an improvement.
Bandaru Dattatreya said the NDA government at Centre was determined to provide employment for as many as five crore youths by 2020.
One person ET NOW spoke to that the call was aimed at assuaging concerns, on a day when it's founder NR Narayana Murthy said he was distressed with the poor corporate governance.
The complex mathematical formulas are playing a growing role in all walks of life: from detecting skin cancers to suggesting new Facebook friends, deciding who gets a job.
With 8.5 million daily transactions on its platform, Paytm today exuded confidence that the digital payment company will soon overtake the cumulative transaction volume for cards in the country.
As part of the deal, IBM will offer certified IT Courses in IL&FS Institutes of Skills, run and implement job exchange and other such facilities for the use of IL&FS training centres.
As technology continues to evolve, it has the ability to enable and delight but also frustrate and annoy.


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The face of celebrity endorsements is changing. Now, famous spokepeople aren't simply appearing for money, they're often taking a stake in the business itself. Marketers who are considering an endorsement now should take this into consideration and choose the right person, meme or trend as not only a way to boost sales temporarily, but for the long run.
In the age of social media, a face on a box of Wheaties just doesn’t mean what it used to. Consumers are given every opportunity to interact with brands through social-media technologies — from +1s to customer-service tweets to branded Farmville gear — and they’re expecting that those brands’ celebrity spokespeople will get a little more interactive, too. Celebrity endorsement has become celebrity collaboration. Let’s look into what that means.
We’re seeing a trend of celebrities, when becoming the spokesperson or “face” of a brand, taking on titles like investors, creative directors, and advisors that imply a much deeper level of involvement than simply being in a cosmetics company’s ads. Lady Gaga isn’t just the poster girl of camera brand Polaroid, she’s its “creative director,” brought on board to bring the struggling yet nostalgia-rich company some new clout among the millions of “little monsters” who follow her religiously, mostly on digital platforms; likewise, in December, actor and singer Justin Timberlake was named creative director of golf brand Callaway. Actor Adrian Grenier has “co-founded” a company called SHFT that creates, promotes, and sells “green” media — meaning that, effectively, he was a built-in spokesman from the beginning. And in a twist that eschews the classic model of the celebrity being the one getting compensated, entertainment figures like MC Hammer, Alyssa Milano, and (most famously) Ashton Kutcher have begun making venture capital investments in new companies, becoming involved not just as financial backers but as already-recognizable celebrity spokespeople.
The line has blurred between a celebrity who is known for entertainment talent and one for whom his or her primary accomplishments are business ventures.
In recent years, brick-and-mortar apparel chains have realized that celebrity-designed fashion lines can bring new customers in the door, and digital music retailers have realized the power of celebrity-picked playlists. Now, entire start-up retail businesses are being built on the premise of marketing products to consumers through celebrities who have “curated” them, like AHAlife and OpenSky, neither of which sells a product without a blurb from the notable figure who chose it. These can range from a Food Network chef or an actress who has reinvented herself as a yogi.
Now that celebrities’ use of social media — not to mention the culture of reality television and the incessant celebrity gossip press — is 24/7, entertainment figures are looking to present themselves, with the help of their PR and management teams, as businesses and brands themselves. The line has blurred between a celebrity who is known for entertainment talent and one for whom his or her primary accomplishments are business ventures. And thanks to reality TV and Twitter, there are now niche celebrities for everyone — comedians, interior designers, singer-songwriters, organic chefs.
What’s relevant to your brand is that seeking out these new kinds of business roles and endorsements is now par for the course when it comes to celebrities on the rise. And these days the popularity of a new pop star, comedian, or lifestyle guru is, more often than not, going to begin on the internet — not too long ago, Justin Bieber was a kid singing on YouTube. At Google we’re really excited about people like Daria Musk, an independent singer-songwriter who gained a loyal cult following by playing acoustic sets for hours in Google+ hangouts and now counts a guitar manufacturer among the number of brands looking to sponsor and reach out to her. There can even be a hint of irony to it; just look at teen pop singer Rebecca Black, whose music video on YouTube rose to popularity due in large part to people who didn’t like it — and yet she’s now appearing in mainstream singer Katy Perry’s videos and her music has popped up in TV commercials.
If you’re looking to find opportunities for celebrities to interact with your brand and power it forward in the process, you’re going to want to find the right match, and you’re going to want to find it early. Pay attention to what’s “trending” — hot new queries in Google Trends, rising memes on internet culture hubs like Reddit or BuzzFeed, or what’s cooking on the YouTube Trends blog. You might just find a sensation on the rise who’s looking for a brand like yours.


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"Law" and "technology" rarely appear in the same sentence outside of antitrust cases, but Canadian business firm McMillan LLP is aiming to change that. Last week the Toronto-headquartered organization, which employs some 300
A visitor to Macy's in Portland, Ore. or Miami, Fla. can now have their mobile device act as their personal shopping assistant, thanks to a joint venture between the 157-year-old retailer; cloud-based customer
IBM Corp. is making Apple Pay available to small and medium-sized ecommerce shops that want make the mobile payment option available to customers. Clients that use IBM's WebSphere Commerce or IBM Commerce on Cloud
IBM Corp. is expanding its footprint in the cloud video market, releasing a new software line that enables broadcast-quality live video feeds, the Armonk, N.Y.-based tech giant announced today. The company also revealed
On the show floor of IBM's InterConnect conference in Las Vegas, Kjell Kolstad, vice president of cloud services at Vantrix Corp. discusses how this Montreal-based company is not only solving video transcoding problems
During the grand opening of the BioSteel Centre, Masai Ujiri, president and general manager of the Toronto Raptors guaranteed that an National Basketball Association (NBA) championship would come one day to the city.
Published on: February 23rd, 2016 Paolo Del Nibletto @paolocdn
Business leaders are worried about the threat posed by cyber-criminals to their organizations, but not as worried as they are about rogue actors, according to a study conducted by IBM's Institute for Business


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VISTA, CA (BRAIN)—Electra Bicycle Company has hired Rich Wells for the new position of director of supply chain management.
Wells comes to Electra from Gematria Products, a nutraceutical firm located in Carlsbad, CA, where he was director of supply chain operations. Previously Wells was the director of global operations for Rhino Linings in San Diego.
“We’re excited to have Rich on our team,” said Jeano Erforth, Electra’s co-founder and co-chief executive officer. “His extensive knowledge of supply chain management will truly impact all aspects of Electra’s business. Having him on board will also allow those of us who had been dealing in supplier relations to focus on what we do best—creating exciting and innovative bicycles and accessories.”
“Coming here is a great opportunity for me to play a major role in bringing Electra to the next level,” Wells said. “I will focus on ensuring that our bicycles and accessories are delivered in a timely manner and are delivered where our customers need them.”
Wells can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.org or 760-607-2453.


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HGV driver medicals are being suspended by two of the largest providers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Fit2Drive Medicals suspended its D4 medicals yesterday (23 March) whilst D4Drivers suspended its medicals today (24 March).. Fit2Drive Medicals carries out between 1,000 to 3,000 D4 medicals a month, whilst D4Drivers processes up to 5,000 drivers a month. Speaking to motortransport.co.uk, Fit2Drive director Paul Andrews, who also runs Clitheroe-based Paul Andrews Haulage said: “We have taken the view it is safer not to expose […]
Aztek Logistics has opened a fifth warehouse in Letchworth Garden City after seeing a surge in demand including a double-digit increase in service enquiries over the past three months.
Road safety group Road Safety GB has teamed up with Scania to launch an education pack aimed at 10 to 11 year old school children warning of the dangers of heavy goods vehicle blindspots.
The relaxation of drivers’ hours rules has been extended until 30 December, in response to crippling port congestion, Covid-19 and “unusual demand patterns”.


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These days, Americans are more inclined to patch up household products like vacuum cleaners, blenders and mowers rather than junking them.
This wave of frugality is increasing call volume to customer help lines, prompting some companies to boost their call-center staffing and offer more online tutorials on fixing and maintaining household machinery.
Kathleen Jones, a retired accountant in Wenonah, N.J., was one of the thousands of people who recently called the Glenwillow, Ohio, office of Techtronic Industries Co., the Hong Kong-based maker of Hoover and Dirt Devil vacuum cleaners. Ms. Jones was tempted to replace her 20-year-old vacuum after the old floor-brush attachment broke. But she found it would cost at least $300 for a similar new model. Instead, she ordered a replacement brush for $15.47.
"If I get another couple years out of it, that's pretty good," Ms. Jones says.
In many cases, "if you call us, we can fix it with you over the phone," says Dan Gregory, president of Techtronic's floor-care business in the Americas. Techtronic has seen about a 20% increase in U.S. help-line call volume each of the past two years. To handle more than 2,000 calls a day, the staff at the Ohio call center has almost tripled over the past two years to 65. The company also puts how-to-repair videos on its websites.
For both financial and marketing reasons, Techtronic wants customers to call when vacuums break down. To encourage them, it has begun putting a sticker on each product with the call-center phone number. "At that moment of frustration, it's right then that you either lose a customer or keep a customer," says Mr. Gregory.
Before undertaking a repair, consult the owner's manual. Consumers who are uncomfortable or unfamiliar with electric appliances or gas-powered engines should consider a professional repair service. Here is a sampling of useful phone numbers and websites:
- Howstuffworks.com has step-by-step instructions and diagrams.
- YouTube.com has some instructional videos submitted by users.
- Homerepair.about.com offers DIY maintenance tips to avoid future repairs.
- Manualsonline.com has thousands of owner's manuals available for download.
Another risk: A customer who can't find a quick fix may return the vacuum to the store that sold it. The store may then give the customer a new machine, even if the old one wasn't really defective. Techtronic picks up the tab.
Other companies also report more interest in repairs. Briggs & Stratton Corp., which makes lawn mowers, pressure washers and back-up electricity generators, says do-it-yourself-repair calls and emails are the fastest-growing category at its "answer center." Overall call volume is up more than 60% from the level before the 2008-09 recession and totals several thousand per day during the peak summer season, says Dan Benischek, director of the call center. The number of call-center employees has risen to more than 60 in peak periods from 40 before the recession.
At Ariens Co., a maker of lawn mowers and blowers, sales of replacement parts now run at 12% to 13% of overall sales, up from 9% to 10% a few years ago. "Definitely consumers are extending the life cycle of products," says Daniel Ariens, president of the family owned company in Brillion, Wis. He has expanded his telephone tech-support team to nine people from five and persuaded three Ariens retirees to take calls at home during snowstorms, when lots of customers call in with blower problems.
At Techtronic's Ohio call center, employees deal with all kinds of cleaning crises.
"Hello, this is Heidi," Heidi Barchalk, a senior Techtronic help-line staffer, said on a recent afternoon as she picked up a call. Vivek Malik, the owner of four cellphone stores in southeastern Massachusetts, was having trouble with the Hoover Whisper Cyclonic vacuum used to clean one of the stores. A new belt hadn't done the trick.
After Ms. Barchalk prescribed a new part for the brush roller, Mr. Malik argued that Hoover should provide that for free because the vacuum was less than a year old. Ms. Barchalk said the warranty covered only residential use. Sturdier commercial vacuums should be used in stores, she advised.
"I can't believe this!" Mr. Malik barked. Ms. Barchalk offered to give him a 30% discount on the part, bringing the cost to $14.55 plus tax, and to rush the shipment.
Mr. Malik finally agreed. "We've already not vacuumed for three days, and the place is a disaster," he said. A week later, Mr. Malik said the Hoover worked with the new part, "so it's a happy ending."
Hundreds of vacuums line the aisles of the call center so employees can grab the relevant model if needed to explain something to a customer.
Sometimes it's only a matter of pushing a reset button, replacing a broken belt or cleaning a filter clogged by pet hair.
Another caller reported that her Hoover lacked suction. Ms. Barchalk asked the caller to remove the hose, hold it perpendicular to the ground and try dropping a quarter into the top end. The caller complied.
"Did it come out the other end?"
"That indicates the hose is clogged up," Ms. Barchalk said. She told the customer to use a broom handle to nudge debris out of the hose. After she hung up, Ms. Barchalk said, "We get that a lot."
Some vacuum crises are more difficult to resolve. The tough ones are escalated to a supervisor. If that doesn't suffice, the caller is referred to a local authorized repair shop. They don't offer advice on engine repairs, because that work is considered too dangerous for amateurs.
One woman called Techtronic to say her vacuum was "possessed," says Lisa Thomas, who manages the call center. Another had accidentally vacuumed up a beehive. "They were asking how to get the bees out," Ms. Thomas says. "We basically said, 'very carefully.' "
Write to James R. Hagerty at firstname.lastname@example.org


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It’s no secret that Facebook Co-Founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg was no fan of the 2010 film depicting the first few years of the company, The Social Network. But the leaked emails of Sony executives show that Zuckerberg may have gone as far as to try to have the movie stopped.
Justin Laffertyjustin@allfacebook.com Twitter: @JLaffertyAF
How effective is Facebook’s Audience Network? A new study by Fiksu looked at the Audience Network performance of eight of its clients, finding that Audience Network ads outperformed News Feed and display in key areas such as average revenue per user and conversion rate.
People-based marketing: Prepare to hear that term a lot more as Facebook develops ad-targeting and measurement platforms like Atlas, LiveRail and the Facebook Audience Network. Facebook has shifted its focus from providing advertising at scale to providing an ad solution where companies can target the right consumers.
Facebook appears to making it easier for pages to utilize a call to action. As discovered by Memorado and AllFacebook reader Matteo Gamba, some pages have the option to add a call to action when they upload a video.
People all over Facebook are soaking themselves with ice water to bring awareness to ALS — including Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg. But how widespread has this been? Facebook released statistics Friday, showing that 15 million people across the social network have posted about, commented or liked a post related to the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. People have also posted more than 1.2 million videos.
Facebook, as you’ve probably seen, has been a boon to viral sharing site Upworthy. But has the Facebook News Feed algorithm now shifted against it? What happens next you have to see to believe. WhoIsHostingThis.com compiled an interesting infographic illustrating the history of the Facebook/Upworthy relationship.
Wondering which summer movies to watch? Socialtyze, a Facebook Preferred Marketing Developer, teamed up with movie review site Rotten Tomatoes to help out. Through this online app, users can compete against Facebook friends in guessing which movies critics rated as fresh or rotten.
You’ve probably seen videos making the round on your News Feed, with people getting doused with a bucket of ice water to raise awareness for Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Recently, Facebook Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg responded to a challenge by New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, and took the plunge.
Facebook continues to make strides in becoming the “cross-platform platform,” as today the company announced a way to track performance of advertising across devices. This will enable advertisers to see how people are balancing desktop, mobile and tablet before they make a conversion.


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tech2 News StaffJun 26, 2019 13:06:25 IST
Oppo's officially joining the 5G bandwagon today with the launch of the company's first 5G smartphone — the Oppo Reno 5G.
Having launched the Oppo Reno and Oppo Reno 10x Zoom in China, Europe and India, the company took to the show floor at Shanghai's Mobile World Congress to formally unveil the 5G variant of the phone.
As far as availability of the phone in countries including India is concerned, it seems unlikely that the 5G variant of the Reno will be brought to India. This is since India lacks the necessary 5G infrastructure required to be in place before commercial 5G-ready smartphones can begin utilising them.
Oppo Reno 5G: Specifications and key features
On the hardware front, nothing's particularly new about the Oppo Reno 5G when compared to the Reno 10X Zoom Edition. The only minor difference is the presence of a 5G logo on the back of the phone, which sits above the camera upholstery.
The Reno 5G sports a 6.65-inch FHD+ AMOLED display that offers 2340 x 1080 pixels resolution. With the presence of a shark-fin styled pop-up camera, Oppo claims that this display delivers a 93.1 percent screen-to-body ratio. There's also an in-display fingerprint scanner which Oppo claims to be considerably faster than the ones used on olded Oppo phones.
On the inside, we have Qualcomm's flagship Snapdragon 855 chipset with up to 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB of internal storage, which can be expanded via a microSD card. The phone houses the same 4,065 mAh battery as the Reno 10X Zoom edition along with VOOC 3.0 fast charging support. Given the notion that the presence of a 5G modem does require more juice from the phone, it is rather surprising that Oppo's decided to stick with the same battery size.
Find latest and upcoming tech gadgets online on Tech2 Gadgets. Get technology news, gadgets reviews & ratings. Popular gadgets including laptop, tablet and mobile specifications, features, prices, comparison.


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Facebook backed off plans to sell ads in WhatsApp, while Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey said we'll "probably never" see an edit feature in Twitter
Welcome to "#SocialStocks," The Fly's weekly recap of Wall Street's reactions to social media stock news.
FACEBOOK BACKS OFF OF WHATSAPP ADS: On January 16, The Wall Street Journal's Jeff Horwitz and Kirsten Grind reported that Facebook (FB) is now backing away from efforts to sell ads in WhatsApp. The report cites people familiar with the matter and explains this is a reversal of a decision which previously drove the creators of the popular messaging app to resign.
DORSEY SAYS “PROBABLY” NEVER TO EDIT FEATURE: On January 15, Input reported that Twitter (TWTR) CEO Jack Dorsey said you'll "probably" never be able to edit a tweet. Dorsey said recently, "The reason there's no edit button is we started as an SMS text messaging service. So, as you all know, when you send a text message, you can't really take it back. Twitter wants "to preserve that vibe, that feeling, in the early days."
LIBRA TRIGGERED CENTRAL BANKS TO STUDY DIGITAL CURRENCIES: On January 22, Reuters’ Leika Kihara and Takahiko Wada reported that Facebook's Libra cryptocurrency spurred central banks to set up a new group to study the potential for issuing their own digital currencies. The report cited comments made by Hiromi Yamaoka, former head of the Bank of Japan's division overseeing payment and settlement systems. The central banks of Britain, the Euro Zone, Japan, Canada, Sweden and Switzerland on Tuesday announced a plan to share experiences to look at the case for issuing digital currencies, amid a growing debate over the future of money, and Yamaoka says the decision is a sign of how Libra has triggered a global competition among central banks to make their currencies more appealing.
UBS SAYS SNAP SEES “POSITIVE MOMENTUM” SUSTAINED IN 2020: On January 17, UBS analyst Eric Sheridan upgraded Snap (SNAP) to Buy from Neutral with a price target of $24, up from $16. The analyst said the company exited 2019 with positive momentum in ad revenue as well as user growth, and he expects that momentum to be sustained this year. In spite of the 21% run-up in the past month, Sheridan remains positive on Snap and its management team's efforts on the Android OS refresh, stating that the company could see a multi-year- revenue growth.
Keywords: WhatsApp, Jack Dorsey, tweets, Libra, Snapchat, Android OS, Central Banks


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SCHENECTADY – The massive hit musical Hamilton is set to return to Proctors in March and Proctors has announced when tickets will go on sale to the public.
The sales opening date is set for 10 a.m. Dec. 13, with Hamilton set for a March 14 to March 26 run at Proctors.
They’re set to go on sale through the Proctors box office in person, by phone at 518-346-6204 or online at proctors.org.
Ticket sales will have a maximum purchase limit of eight tickets per account. Prices are from $49 to 159 with premiums from $169.
There will be a lottery for 40 $10 seats for all performances. Details on that will be announced closer to the show’s run.
Hamilton was previously at Proctors in August 2019.


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Scientists at Stanford University announced a breakthrough in creating a bendable aluminum battery last week, unveiling a new prototype that could change the face of both hobbyist and professional hardware development. The new battery charges rapidly, can withstand over 7,500 charging cycles without a drop in capacity, and can generate two volts of electricity—stats that represent a step forward compared to previous generations of the tech.
“We have developed a rechargeable aluminum-ion battery that may replace existing storage devices, such as alkaline batteries, which are bad for the environment, and lithium-ion batteries, which occasionally burst into flames,” said Stanford chemistry researcher Hongjie Dai. “Our new battery won’t catch fire, even if you drill through it.”
Scientists have long been intrigued by aluminum batteries due to their low cost and safety advantages over lithium, which can pose a fire hazard. A key challenge has been finding materials to use in combination with the aluminum to maintain voltage after repeated charging cycles, and though Stanford’s new battery yields about half the voltage as Lithium in its current form, researchers are optimistic that improvements to the cathode material will enable a more powerful battery.
Other than the voltage, the aluminum battery “has everything else you’d dream that a battery should have: inexpensive electrodes, good safety, high-speed charging, flexibility, and long cycle life,” Dai told the Stanford report. “I see this as a new battery in its early days. It’s quite exciting.”
The researchers’ full report is available in the April 6 edition of Nature.
2 thoughts on “Cheap, Safe, and Fast-Charging: Stanford Reveals Aluminum-Ion Battery Prototype”
Nice, except probably it’s not original. A similar battery has been demonstrated in 2003 by some independent researcher (Bruce Perreault) who did not patent it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-VaBLDqLjc
Comments are closed.


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: Latest #StockMarketNEWS by #MunafaSutra Daily Updates Ford, Volkswagen to team up on electric, commercial and autonomous vehicles
@StockMarketNEWS Wed 10 Jun, 2020
Latest #StockMarketNEWS by #MunafaSutra Daily Updates
Ford, Volkswagen to team up on electric, commercial and autonomous vehicles
Ford motor co. and volkswagen ag announced wednesday agreements for projects to make electric vehicles, commercial vehicles and for autonomous driving
vehicles. although the agreement does not involve cross-ownership between the automakers, the companie
Okta prices billion offering of convertible bonds that mature in 2026
Okta inc. priced a billion offering of convertible senior notes that mature in 2026 on wednesday, as the id-management platform provider joins many companies
raising funds during the coronavirus pandemic. the san francisco-based company said the notes
Hertz gets delisting notice from NYSE, will remain listed pending appeal
Hertz global holdings inc. disclosed wednesday that it received on may 26 a delisting notice from the new york stock exchange, which cited the car rental
company's filing for bankruptcy on may 22. hertz said it has appealed the delisting, and has requeste
United Natural Foods reports earnings that blow past expectations
United natural foods inc. reported third-quarter net income of .1 million, or .60 per share, up from .1 million, or .12 per share, last year. adjusted
eps of .40 blew past the .20 factset consensus. the food wholesaler rang up sales totaling
Luxury goods site RealReal to offer 5 million of convertible bonds
The realreal inc. said wednesday it's planning to offer 5 million of convertible bonds that mature in 2025, joining many other companies raising funds
during the coronavirus pandemic. the luxury goods website said the bonds will be convertible into cas
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As an added measure of security, you can prevent your Mac from storing FileVault encryption keys for the purpose of speeding wake times from standby mode.
The watch's life on a single charge may not meet Apple's target of a full day of use, according to 9to5Mac.
The Aurduboy Ö smart ring could be coming soon to a finger near you with scrolling Elvish graphics, email alerts and timekeeping capabilities.
The most important things to know when shopping for a cell phone.
You can add one in the form of a live tile, but it's a little tricky. Here's how!
Version 2.02 of the PlayStation 4 firmware comes hot on the heels of version 2.01, which Sony released last week to fix a Rest Mode bug.
Sony's newest update aims to fix a problem from a previous update that prevented the PlayStation 4 from coming out of Rest Mode.
The console has received lots of new features since it debuted almost a year ago. But have those updates helped boost sales?
A major PS4 firmware update is causing systems to crash, but Sony is aware of the problem.
Windows Phone fitness tracker packs a range of features including a color touchscreen, heart rate tracker and GPS.


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Apple TV appears to be a rare critical and commercial disappointment for Steve Jobs and Co. Help could be on the way. Apple is pressing on into the online video rental business, according to Britain’s Financial Times.
Apple is in advanced talks with the major studios about the service, the Times reported on its web site. Apple now sells movie downloads via its iTunes store, but they’re priced for sellthrough (sales).
A film would cost $2.99 for a 30-day rental. Its digital rights-management software would allow films to be moved from a computer to at least one other device such as the video iPod or iPhone. The software would prevent movies being copied. One studio executive said the service would “compete against cable companies and anyone else offering VOD into the home.”
Time Warner CEO Dick Parsons may be a prime candidate for the service. “It’ll be a cold day in hell” before he visits a video rental store, the exec told a media conference in London. TW is experimenting with same-day video-on-demand and DVD releases, as well as a TV network-enabled VOD model, Home Media magazine reports.
“Everybody is upset [VOD/DVD] is going to upset the 800-pound gorilla, Wal-Mart or Best Buy, but we don’t think so,” Parsons said. … “It is good for the cable company. It is good for the studios. And it is good for the sellthrough guys.”