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What You Need To Know About Facebook’s New Business Tool
Facebook is rolling out some updates that are very important to businesses and advertisers. We all know there have been concerns regarding the privacy of its users. And there have been several attempts and improvements in this area. Zuckerberg has made promises of a more secure, private future for Facebook and they claim this tool will be a huge leap in the right direction for both parties. That being said, let’s take a look at the details of this off-Facebook activity management tool.
Of course, at last year’s F8 conference, Zuckerberg announced that they would be rolling out some new features. One specifically to give users more control and transparency of the data other apps shared with Facebook. Included in this feature will be a list of apps that use Facebook’s business tools. Some examples of these apps are Pixel, SDK, API, etc.
Before rolling out this update and this new tool, Facebook wanted to ensure that agencies, businesses, and individuals had all of the information they needed to know. Knowing this, they gave us these four main points to summarize the changes.
The Four Main Points
Facebook is showing people how advertisers use their tools.
One of the main elements of this new feature is to help users understand where information is coming and going. The focus is to inform the users where advertisers get their information and what is being done with said information. The goal here is to let the user understand what information is being shared but also to help them understand the importance and benefit of that sharing. According to Facebook, the more in the loop and informed users are, the more likely they are to allow this information to be shared. In the announcement, Facebook encouraged businesses to start thinking of ways to educate customers about their advertising methods.
Transparency is good for business.
Finding and maintaining new customers is all about trust. When people trust you and your business, they’re more likely to purchase and more likely to become a recurring or lifelong client. Like many online services, ads allow people to use these apps and platforms for free. Facebook hopes that companies across the board will be able to understand and educate that they can both advertise and protect people’s privacy at the same time.
This feature will affect targeting.
With this new tool, people will be able to view their off-Facebook activity. In addition, they’ll be able to disconnect this feature so the outside apps don’t communicate with Facebook. If they opt to do this, Facebook will not use the data they cleared for targeting. For example, with this change, Facebook Pixel cannot be used to reach someone with ads if they opt out of this. Remember this and adjust accordingly when building your campaigns and strategizing for the second half of this year and moving forward.
Measurements will remain the same.
It looks like Measurements are going to stay put. With the changes they’ve implemented over the years, Measurements are already in a spot to provide info to advertisers while protecting user’s privacy.
To Wrap It Up
In conclusion, this change is going to require some adjustments and expected speed bumps for advertisers. Facebook claims that this will be a positive change for both advertisers and users. What are your thoughts on these changes? Let us know in the comments on the post.


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Greenwich, Conn.-based freight transportation services provider XPO Logistics said today it is opening up two new less-than-truckload (LTL) terminals in the second quarter, which are located in Adelanto, Calif. and Conley Ga.
A company spokesperson told LM that with these new terminals, XPO is adding capacity in two strategically important areas, as well as moving XPO closer to one of its stated five-point LTL action plans: to open 900 doors by the end of 2023. With the two new openings, XPO said it will have added 345 cumulative net new doors under the plan.
“We’re making strategic investments to optimize our network for the long-term,” said Mario Harik, acting president, less-than-truckload, and chief information officer of XPO Logistics, in a statement. “In California, demand is on the rise from manufacturing and retail expansion in the High Desert area. Atlanta is one of the largest LTL regions in the South, and a freight gateway into Florida. We’ll continue to add capacity where it will be most effective in driving efficiency, growth and returns.”
XPO offered up specifics on these new terminals, including:
- the Adelanto, California terminal will expand XPO’s footprint in San Bernardino County, where an influx of business development is driving demand for LTL services, adding that the 51,500 sq. ft. facility includes 99 doors and a freight assembly center, and is expected to open this month; and
- the Conley, Georgia terminal will be a sister site to XPO’s existing terminal and freight assembly center in Atlanta, adding pickup-and-delivery capacity in a high-volume metropolitan area, saying that the 55,000 sq. ft. facility has 97 doors and is expected to open in May
XPO noted that today’s initiatives represent the company’s progress with its five-point LTL action plan that was introduced in October 2021, which focuses on: continuously improving network efficiencies to best serve customers; continuing to deploy proprietary pricing technology; increasing the annual graduate count in the company’s national truck driver training network; increasing production at the company’s trailer manufacturing facility in Arkansas; and adding 900 net new doors to the network by the end of 2023.
XPO’s Chief Investor Relations Officer Tavio Headley told LM in February of this year that in looking back at the fourth quarter, coupled with XPO beating expectations and issuing strong 2022 guidance that the company’s LTL five-point action plan has also been working very well.
“What we saw from an operational standpoint is as we went through the quarter, we gained momentum on a slew of metrics and that momentum carried over into January,” he said.
Addressing LTL, Headley observed that quarterly yield, excluding fuel, was up 11% annually, representing its highest annual quarterly growth rate, going back to when it acquired Con-way Freight in 2015, to launch its LTL operations, nearly doubling the previous record set in the third quarter. The fourth quarter LTL operating ratio, excluding real estate, came in at 87.5%, a degradation of 300 basis points annually.
When XPO implemented its five-point LTL action plan in October 2021, within weeks of the implementation, Headley said XPO saw significant improvements in network fluidity, on-time transit, yield, employee satisfaction, and customer satisfaction. And, in terms of additional capacity, he said XPO is on track to add about 900 net new doors by the end of 2023, a 6% increase over current levels.
In March, XPO said it plans to spin off its North American truck brokerage from its less-than-truckload business, as well as its related asset-light businesses. What’s more, XPO also announced it plans to divest its XPO Europe business and is also in exclusive negotiations with a buyer for the sale of its North American intermodal business.
Upon the completion of these initiatives, which are expected to be done by the fourth quarter of this year, XPO officials said that it will create two focused, publicly-traded companies at the top of their industries.
“Our two core businesses of North American less-than-truckload and tech-enabled truck brokerage are industry-leading platforms in their own right, each with a distinct operating model and a high return on invested capital,” said Brad Jacobs, chairman and chief executive officer of XPO Logistics, in a statement. “We believe that by separating these businesses through a spin-off, we can significantly enhance value creation for our customers, employees and shareholders, as we did with our successful spin-off of GXO last year.”
On the LTL side, XPO said the when the spin-off is official it will be a “pure play LTL industry leader” and the third largest provider of domestic and cross-border LTL freight shipping, with a competitively advantaged network of transportation assets managed by proprietary technology.
About the Author
Jeff Berman, Group News Editor
Jeff Berman is Group News Editor for Logistics Management, Modern Materials Handling, and Supply Chain Management Review. Jeff works and lives in Cape Elizabeth, Maine, where he covers all aspects of the supply chain, logistics, freight transportation, and materials handling sectors on a daily basis. Contact Jeff Berman

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Tesla Model Y HEPA Filter Revealed, Now Easier to Replace
Tesla launched Model Y sales in China on New Year’s day, offering some exclusive features for the SUV in the country, including a new HEPA filter and Bioweapon Defense Mode, and more.
A picture of the new HEPA filter in the Shanghai-made Model Y has now been revealed, thanks to a post on Reddit by u/xiaoteshushu.
“Model Y HEPA filter, seems like as big as Model X,” said the user. The photo of the HEPA filter sits above the front trunk (frunk) of the Model Y, easily accessible by popping the hood. Previous filters need to be changed by going through the interior underneath the glove box area, a difficult to reach area.
The Model Y frunk remains the same, even with this new HEPA filter. Given the large size of this HEPA filter in the Model Y, it does not appear a retrofit will be possible on older models outside of China.
Here’s how to replace the cabin air filter on your Model 3 and Model Y:
Many suspect Tesla will rollout the HEPA filter to the United States and beyond eventually, but for now, the HEPA filter remains exclusive for Chinese buyers, who deal with some of the worst pollution on the planet. This will be a selling feature for buyers seeking healthier air thanks to their Tesla.
Click here to see a high definition video overview of the made-in-China Tesla Model Y.


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Apple launch the iPad
January 29, 2010
The new kit on the block is neither a phone nor a laptop but a tablet PC … it is sleek, sharp and cutting edge but technophiles around the globe are seriously wondering after months of speculation whether we really do need another portable digital device. Hunter Davies of the Daily Mail believes the iPad is iPointless; alternatively Georgia Warren in the Sunday Times is more circumspect as she compares the iPad to a dream machine whilst admitting that not all Apple’s products have been shooting stars. So it is you the consumer who hold the success or failure of this product in the palm of your hands! The spec is as follows:
The iPad resembles a supersized iPhone with a 10 inch touchscreen keyboard available in two colours. It goes on sale in March (in the USA) for approximately $1,000 or £620. To control it you prod and stroke the touch-sensitive display. To turn the page of an electric book you swipe your fingers across the screen. To zoom out of a picture, you pinch your fingers together, giving multitouch control. Browsing the web is an incredibly tactile experience says Tom Dunmore of the Daily Mail (29.1.10) as he has had the opportunity to give the new iPad a test drive.
Although videos look great on the new screen there is no way to record or watch TV which means users will have to buy films or shows from Apple’s iTunes store. It seems that iPhone’s apps will greatly extend the iPad’s functions. The New York Times has alreadt developed an iPad app that replicates the paper and this may lead the way to other newspapers and magazines doing the same in the UK. Apple may be banking that its iPad will do for television,magazines and newspapers what iTunes did for music.
If you know of anyone who has test driven the new iPad please send us their/your thoughts.
Apple in top ten noughties
January 9, 2010
Marc Ferranti writing for Macworld 2 January 2010 confirms that Apple products were leading the tech markets in the noughties and two of the top ten tech stories of the decade were the iPod launched in October 2001 and the iPhone in June 2007. Apple products are riding high and this accolade from MacWorld confirms that its design mojo can still outsmart its competitors.
The iPhone combination of cool design, phone functions, Internet connectivity and multimedia features have raised the bar for its competitors. The iPhone excels for ease of use – the handset can be used without referring to a manual. The iPhone’s add on apps outshine any other smartphone. iPhone’s app store has 100,000 applications -that is more than three times as many as any rival.
The Sunday Times In Gear journalist Mark Harris suggests that it’s hard to imagine other stores catching up for years, if ever. Albeit, Nokia still has the largest share of the mobile market but competition is strong with the BlackBerry coming second and Apple third. Nokia is being challenged on all sides and its market share is looking vulnerable as Google introduces its smartphone rival, Nexus One, this Easter the marketing leaders battle for a larker slice of the cake. You, the consumer hold the power … it pays to be informed.
For those of you who want to test out the rivals to the iPhone why not try the following:


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The Data Standard
In today’s episode of The Data Standard, Daren Kaplan speaks with Alison McCauley about blockchain technology. Alison is a social scientist, and she helps us understand how new technologies impact humans and vice versa.
Alison talks about the origins of blockchain, how new technologies impact our everyday life, and how important it is to understand the latest technology. She explains how blockchain technology is often confused with cryptocurrencies even by company CEOs and directors.
She says that blockchain technology is going to add value to the existing infrastructure. It will lead to an entirely new ecosystem where companies collaborate in new ways based on trust. It shows the potential to change the business ecosystem forever, even though it’s still in the early stages of development.
As the technology improves, new problems are exposed along the way, so companies and researchers have to face issues and fix them to prevent more significant issues in the future. The world is at a crossroads, and Alison talks about how blockchain technologies can be used for good and bad things, like any other available tool.
Blockchain will establish a new infrastructure where businesses rely on each other to create a better environment and share information directly without any middlemen.


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A huge truffle that was found by a dog in woods in Italy has reached a record price at an auction that took place in three countries at the same time!
The edible delicacy weighs in at 1.5kg, nearly as much as a bag of sugar, and fetched £165,000.
Luciano Savini and his son found the highly-prized fungus after it was dug up by his truffle-seeking dog, Rocco. It was bought by a billionaire businessman Stanley Ho - and all the money was given to charity!
Mr Savini said he was overwhelmed by the high price paid for his discovery.
He said: "The biggest truffle of the century and the most expensive truffle of the century. There are no more words to say - it is all very beautiful."
The previous auction record was set only in November when a white truffle fetched £103,000 in Hong Kong.


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In The Atlantic, Alexander Furnas writes about the collectivization of online data, the cost of which "will be felt at a societal scale," adding, "in aggregate, this knowledge is powerful, and we are granting those who gather our data far more than we realize." Furnas notes privacy advocates worry about what social media sites, among others, do with consumer data but says we need to look at the bigger picture. "Rather than caring about what they know about me, we should care about what they know about us." The combination of detailed online data with aggregate data on human behavior grants companies "incredible power" and "provides a roadmap for designing persuasive technologies." Furnas adds, "the ethical implications of widespread deployment of persuasive technologies remains unexamined."
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Mobile, AL (WKRG)-Two new cargo cranes are headed to Mobile and will forever change the riverfront skyline. According to the Alabama State Port Authority, The 100 Long Ton Super Post-Panamax container cranes “will usher in a new era of global trade for the 10th largest US seaport in total volume.”
The cranes should arrive on or about June 26 after an ocean crossing from the manufacturing facility in China.
Each 100 LT (long ton) capacity crane is capable of reaching 22 to 23 containers wide and 10 containers high on deck. Upon arrival, the cranes will be placed on the dock at APM Terminals Mobile to support growing containerized cargo volumes and new ocean carrier services, the press release stated.


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NB Studio has created packaging for Cobella, a haircare range from Boots the Chemists and current British Hairdresser of the Year Beverly Cobella, which goes on shelf this week.
The range, which launches as new chief executive Richard Baker takes over the reins at the company, is part of the £3m New@Boots campaign. The company hopes the campaign will recapture Boots’ pre-eminence in the health and beauty sector.
The Cobella packs take their design cues from perfume and cosmetics packaging and feature a ‘sexier and more feminine look’ than many of its competitors, says NB Studio director Ben Stott.
‘Cobella is a powerful character and we’re making the most of that,’ he explains. ‘The packs are pick-up-able. And the range is being positioned for 30-something women who want to treat themselves.’
Stott adds, ‘The graphics were kept monochromatic [like] the vernacular of fragrance and fashion.’
NB Studio is a roster consultancy at Boots and began work on the project last August.


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PMMI, the Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, has opened registration for 2015’s PACK EXPO Las Vegas which features the largest show floor in the history of the event.
The event, held Sept. 28-30 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, expects to draw more than 2,000 exhibitors and 30,000 attendees in over 800,000 net square feet of exhibit space. The show will debut the latest solutions for manufacturers can utilize to enhance their efficiency, flexibility, automation, sustainability and productivity of their supply chains.
“By connecting manufacturing professionals and suppliers representing so many different market segments, PACK EXPO events play a critical role in driving manufacturing forward,” says Charles Yuska, president and CEO of PMMI.
PACK EXPO Las Vegas and the co-located Pharma EXPO 2015 open on Sept. 28. For more information and to register, visit packexpolasvegas.com. Registration for PACK EXPO Las Vegas and Pharma EXPO is $30 through Sept. 14, when it increases to $100.


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Beyond the Buzzwords – Three Trends to Watch in 2017: B2B2X, Video Service Providers & CX
2016 was a big year for communication service providers and the pressure to introduce new digital services to consumers on-the-go reached an all-time high. Looking back to my 2016 predictions piece, I projected that service providers would be increasingly pressed with the need to transform their business models to better serve digital consumers – while also trying to manage traditional networks and systems.
While that certainly proved true and will continue to be a huge initiative for providers across the globe, as an industry, we also can’t take our eyes off three more emerging trends that will shape the communications services landscape in the coming year:
B2B2X Business Models, Enabled by the IoT, Will Take Shape
2017 may just be the year when we see “B2B2X” business models contributing more significantly to a service provider’s revenues. We are now past the era of multi-device, and are moving into an era of “multi-connected devices” and that makes a service provider’s ability to move data to both businesses and consumers more important than ever. The IoT has introduced a whole new level of connectivity to the industry – from sensors knowing when you’re out of laundry detergent and automatically ordering more, to new advances in e-healthcare, the IoT-driven customer experience will become more sophisticated, and continue to spur innovations across all industry verticals in 2017.
The IoT-powered evolution will better position the service provider to drive profits from selling network and data services in a “B2B2X” model – delivering digital services to anynumber of end-users – including enterprise, retail, partner, suppliers or end consumers. To actually monetize the IoT requires service providers to operate on an open, interoperable, and virtualized digital services platform. Ecosystems of partners will be needed to deliver digital services, also making the ability to manage and settle revenues with myriad partners a critical component of a service provider’s infrastructure.
Internet Tech Giants Will Dive Heavily Into Video – Especially Live Content
Netflix has partnered with Comcast to deliver a unified user experience that eliminates the need to toggle between TV inputs, creating a seamless experience that allows a user to browse Netflix and Comcast content simultaneously. This is a great example of the two titans in the industry, that have been bitter rivals in the past, partnering to deliver the best possible customer experience.
Earlier this year, Facebook rolled out a new feature on its social network which allows users to stream live video. The significance of this should not be overlooked. Technology has evolved to a point where anyone can produce live content and broadcast it around the world. With this new capability, Facebook has signed contracts with over 100 media companies and celebrities to deliver content for their live-streaming service.
This season, the NFL’s Thursday Night Football got an unexpected new home– Twitter. The Thursday Night Football streaming deal with the NFL transformed the streaming, sports and live/premium content viewing experience – and corresponding customer viewing experience expectations.
Streaming live, premium content enables consumers to access content and information in real-time on their device of preference and in 2017, social networks and streaming services will look to usher in the next generation experience that puts viewers closer to the action – or even in the action by leveraging virtual reality.
It will not be long before tech giants like Google and Amazon follow Facebook and Twitter’s lead with live content, and cash into the business and customer experience benefits that content partnerships present – especially when it comes to live streaming. In fact, YouTube also wants in on the action and Amazon is looking to negotiate deals with the National Basketball Association, Major League Baseball and the National Football League for the rights to carry live games.
Going Beyond Personalization in 2017 Means Being Everywhere Consumers Are
The power of personalization will separate the exceptional customer experience from the average in 2017. Beyond just mobile, being everywhere consumers are and providing them with a personalized customer experience will be critical in 2017. What will this look like? Here are a few examples:
- Consumers already expect service providers to make recommendations for new content and services, but the stakes are set to get higher. Personalization will evolve to include recommendations based on device, content, viewing preferences, location, demographic and behavioral data. Consumers will also want the ability to build their own, personalized, content packages – a custom mix of streamed, live and on-demand content rather than choosing from pre-exiting bundles of channels or services.
- A focus on 5G services in 2017 will transform data into the new gold for service providers. By taking advantage of the consumer demand for data services, providers will explore opportunities to create more sophisticated app experiences. They will especially look to leverage geolocation data within the app experience – enabling them to offer promotions and services exactly where their customer is.
- Service providers will also work to deliver customer experiences where their customer wants to be. This means they will cater to each specific consumer’s customer service preference – whether it be at a physical kiosk, online support page, mobile app or retail store front. In 2017, tailoring the offer, and service experience, to the buyer will be more essential than ever before.
Looking forward to seeing what the next year will hold for the industry’s digital transformation initiatives – and to being part of the ride.


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SHOPPERS will have less choice at supermarkets as supply shortages leave shelves bare, experts have warned.
Supermarkets are preparing for months of shortages – from crisps and meat to toilet paper and flour.
There is a shortage of HGV drivers in the UK and a spike in demand for shipping containers worldwide as the global economy restarts after the pandemic.
It will likely be most fiercely felt on inexpensive but bulky goods such as toilet paper, pre-packed bread and chilled goods.
One senior food industry source said: “Whether it’s attracting people to work in factories, fields, food processing plants or to drive lorries – it feels like the whole food and supermarket industry is grinding to a halt.
“We’re already anticipating there’ll be two or three types of beef joint instead of six or seven, or a much smaller range of tomatoes.
“The aim will be to get products on to shelves but not anything like a full range of pack sizes and options – so don’t expect to match your toilet paper colour to your downstairs toilet wallpaper.”
The ‘systemic’ problem has already seen a shortage of CO2, affecting the production of products like crisps and fizzy drinks.
The government has urged people not to panic buy, with Transport Secretary Grant Shapps saying people should “carry on as normal”.
Despite the reassurances, queues have been spotted at petrol stations across the country creating long tailbacks in some places.
EG Group, which runs around 400 fuel stops, has imposed a limit of £30 per fill up to ensure customers “have a fair chance to refuel”.
All the petrol stations with the brand names BP, Esso, Shell and Texaco now have a £30 fuel limit in place.
But there will be other garages with the same branding that are not imposing the limit because they are run by different companies.


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Facial recognition technology has a lot of interesting applications, both governmental and in the private sector. As companies seek better ways to authenticate customers rather than the weak passwords and challenge questions they use now, facial recognition is one of the methods proposed, along with voiceprint technology that recognizes individual and unique speech patterns. Some gaming systems already use facial recognition to save multiple users of a system having to log in, and a smattering of police departments use it to compare individuals under arrest to databases of known criminals.
The privacy implications for facial recognition technology are not insignificant however. It is acceptable, for example, for a store to use the technology to recognize customers walking in so they can customize offers to that individual via text messaging, for example? Many people would draw the line there, unnerved by the idea that a company is scanning your face and registering your presence in the store, and perhaps saving that information.
The National Telecommunications & Information Administration (NTIA), a branch of the Commerce Department that oversees issues of technology, recently announced the date of the first meeting of what it’s calling a “privacy multi-stakeholder process” with regards to the commercial use of facial recognition technology. The meeting has been scheduled for February 6, 2014. Other meetings will follow in February, March, April, May, and June 2014, said the agency.
The goal of the meetings, according to the NTIA, is to develop a voluntary, enforceable code of conduct that specifies how the Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights applies to facial recognition technology. The process regarding facial recognition technology is part of the framework set up in the White House’s 2012 document, “Consumer Data Privacy in a Networked World: A Framework for Protecting Privacy and Promoting Innovation in the Global Digital Economy” (sometimes called the ‘‘Privacy Blueprint’’).
“Facial recognition technology has the potential to improve services for consumers, support innovation by businesses, and affect identification and authentication online and offline," the NTIA said in a statement. "However, the technology poses distinct consumer privacy challenges."
The group is expected to make decisions on a number of issues, including how to keep sensitive biometric data (facial images, in this case) secure, providing transparency when facial recognition is being used in retail stores or other public places, and developing meaningful controls for consumers when the source material for facial recognition technology – digital images – is often widely available.
Edited by Cassandra Tucker


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CHICAGO HEIGHTS, Ill. – State Rep. Anthony DeLuca, D-Chicago Heights, is encouraging residents to nominate local businesses for the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association’s (IMA) “Makers’ Madness” contest, which annually awards and highlights the “coolest thing made in Illinois.”
“Our area is home to a number of tremendous manufacturers who develop products used across the globe,” DeLuca said. “I love this contest because it highlights the ingenuity and strong entrepreneurial spirit we have here in Illinois. Particularly for local businesses, they deserve to be highlighted as part of this program.”
IMA is currently accepting nominations through Feb. 19. Following nomination voting, selected products will face off in a series of voting rounds before a winner is named on March 29. For more information and to submit a nomination, please visit https://makersmadnessil.com/.
Last year’s winner, selected amongst 400 entries, was the Rivian R1T truck manufactured in Normal, Ill. According to the IMA, an estimated 662,000 women and men are employed as manufacturers in Illinois.
“It would be great for an area manufacturer to win bragging rights in this contest, but this contest also underscores the important role manufacturers have in our state,” DeLuca said. “It’s critical that we continue to prioritize these job-creating businesses by training a skilled workforce and developing the infrastructure needed to support these industries.”
For more information, please contact email@example.com.
267-S Stratton Office Building
Springfield, IL 62706
195 W. Joe Orr Rd.
Chicago Heights, IL 60411
(708) 754-7904 FAX


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CUPERTINO, CALIF. — Apple (AAPL) is going to hold on to its enormous pile of cash for now, despite calls to return more of it to shareholders, Chief Executive Tim Cook said Wednesday at the company's annual shareholders meeting.
Cook says the board is continuing to evaluate alternatives for its $137 billion in cash and ways to distribute more of it to shareholders, but he didn't provide any fresh insights. Options for the cash could include dividend increases, stock buybacks and, if hedge fund manager David Einhorn had his way, preferred stock. Apple also could use the cash to make acquisitions and capital investments.
Apple is likely to take action within the next few weeks, with a dividend increase the most logical move, two analysts told IBD.
Apple's Tim Cook, here at last year's iPhone 5 event, told shareholders Wednesday that directors are evaluating options for the firm's cash. AP View Enlarged Image
"They're most likely to increase the dividend. It's the path of least resistance," said BGC Partners analyst Colin Gillis. Apple will probably make the announcement between now and its earnings report in April, he said.
That's what Apple did last year, so it's set an historical precedent, says RBC Capital Markets analyst Amit Daryanani.
A year ago, Apple was facing similar calls to return more cash to shareholders. About three weeks after its annual shareholders meeting, Apple announced on March 19, 2012, that it would initiate a quarterly cash dividend. It currently pays $2.65 a share per quarter.
"My take is that we need to be a little more patient," Daryanani said.
Apple pays about $2.5 billion per quarter, or $10 billion a year, in cash dividends to investors.
Apple could comfortably increase its dividends by 50% to $4 a share per quarter, or $16 per year, Gillis says. That would result in a yield of 3.7%, the same as high-quality corporate bonds, he says.
"When you initiate a dividend, what you usually do is you start it small and you review it annually and you increase it annually," Gillis said.
The annual shareholders meeting is not the proper forum to make such an announcement, Gillis says. Apple isn't going to "drop a bomb" like that in the middle of the trading day, he says.
A limiting factor for Apple is that only 30% of its cash is in the U.S. It would face steep tax penalties if it tried to repatriate the other 70% of its cash.
Many corporations are hoping that Washington will institute a tax holiday, allowing them to bring back that foreign cash at more favorable tax rates.


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Malicious actors are throwing a twist to an old saying that ‘Nothing comes for free’ by scamming people into giving away their funds and personal data during this COVID-19 outbreak. They have devised many unique tactics to dupe users with items or offers that actually does not exits.
While fake PPE, and vaccines for Coronavirus as lures are giving a boost to malicious actors’ phishing intents, online media have now become a new hotbed for cybercrime during the COVID-19 pandemic.
With lockdown still in place in many parts of the world, attackers are paying attention to the increase in the use of online streaming services and torrent downloads in a bid to capitalize themselves.
According to Mimecast, threat actors registered over 700 domains impersonating the Netflix and Disney+ brands. The sole purpose of these websites was to steal users’ login credentials.
Malicious actors took advantage of pirate streaming services and movie piracy sites during the COVID-19 pandemic to infect users. In one such campaign observed, threat actors, inserted a malicious VBScript in ZIP files meant for movie downloads.
Avast reported a scam wherein malicious actors had set up a phony website that hyped about an ebook named ‘Pandemic Survival’. The website was tied to several well-known media brands including, CNN, People Magazine and CNBC to dupe as many people as possible.
How to address it?
Users should be vigilant about the phony websites that pretend to be streaming services or other well-known online media brands.
They should check the spellings of the URL before clicking on them.
Users should not be lured away by free subscriptions and offers which ultimately can lead to both personal and financial loss.


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Macy’s Inc (NYSE:M) was left for dead by the market. But M stock roared back as a robust Christmas season proved Macy’s could still drive store traffic.
Unlike some retailers, Macy’s has stayed profitable despite the threat from e-commerce players. As the company closes stores and faces falling profits in future years, however, many wonder if Macy’s stock remains a good investment.
But given the company’s assets, profitability, and dividends, Macy’s is poised to generate investor returns for years to come.
M stock bounced back from Amazon-inspired fears
M stock powered higher in Tuesday’s trading session after the company announced new initiatives.
CEO Jeffrey Gennette announced Macy’s will be experimenting with experiential stores, which entail more of a “community hub” than a store. Additionally, they’re working on credit-less loyalty programs and mobile checkout. They also plan to add 100 Macy’s Backstage locations, which are discount stores within existing stores.
Last year, M stock fell to lows not seen since 2010 on fears that Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) sales growth would sink Macy’s and its brick-and-mortar-based peers.
Those fears proved unfounded as the company enjoyed one of its best Christmas selling seasons in years. In its fourth-quarter 2017 earnings report, the company beat earnings estimates by 11 cents per share. It also announced guidance for 2018 of $3.55-$3.75 per share. Analysts estimated only $3.04 consensus before the announcement.
Macy’s still has its struggles.
Store closures continue. Analysts also project profit estimates to fall by nearly 50% by 2020. Still, unlike peers such as J C Penney Company Inc (NYSE:JCP) or Sears Holdings Corp (NASDAQ:SHLD), Macy’s will remain profitable. And Macy’s stands as the fifth largest e-commerce retailer by sales volume. The company recently reported its 34th consecutive quarter of double-digit e-commerce sales growth.
M stock a buy on dividends alone
Still, M stock’s dividend and Macy’s assets alone make the stock a buy.
The company currently pays $1.51 per share in annual dividends. With the current stock price hovering at around $30 per share, the company maintains a dividend yield above 5%. And even if the $1.91 per share consensus estimate on earnings holds for fiscal 2020, Macy’s can pay that dividend from current profits.
Moreover, the market cap of the company stands at just over $9 billion. However, estimates of the value of Macy’s real estate stand between $16 billion or $21 billion depending on the estimate. With short and long-term debt standing at just under $7 billion, the enterprise value stands at around $17.25 billion, which is within the range of the estimated value of its real estate.
This valuation does not account for the nearly 900 million in free cash flow the company generated in the previous fiscal year or the $1.51 per share in dividends paid. Hence, I think M stock stands as a profitable buy, if only for the cash flow produced.
Plus, over time the real estate values should climb, particularly in the more expensive markets served by Macy’s. And unlike Rite Aid Corporation (NYSE:RAD), the company faces no pressure to sell its real estate holdings to stay alive.
The bottom line on M stock
Despite its challenges, investors in M stock appear well-positioned to enjoy both dividends and asset values that have yet to be unlocked.
Macy’s stock took a beating last year amid fears of an Amazon takeover. A robust Christmas season brought life back into the venerable retailer, however, and the stock price rose. Moreover, the company has maintained profits and dividends throughout Amazon’s rise. It has also become a major e-commerce retailer in its own right.
As it stands now, Macy’s real estate holdings alone account for the entire enterprise value of the company. This valuation excludes both cash flows and the generous dividend the company currently pays.
Buyers who purchase now can conservatively expect to collect a dividend and over time profit from increased real estate values, and perhaps, even the revival of Macy’s as a company. Hence, buying M stock should pay off for investors, regardless of how well the company performs or how well they respond to the latest company initiatives.
As of this writing, Will Healy did not hold a position in any of the aforementioned stocks.


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Ford TwinForce to debut in 2009 Lincoln MKSEnlarge Photo
The engine that will debut in the upcoming MKS will be a flex-fuel 3.5L V6 delivering 415hp and 400lb-ft of torque thanks to a pair of turbochargers and direct injection technology. According to Edmunds, Ford is also developing a 2.5L four-cylinder variant that will eventually power the Fusion sedan and Edge crossover by the end of the decade, as well as a new dual-clutch six-speed PowerShift gearbox that should also appear in the new MKS.
Performance buffs will be pleased to know that the Mustang is destined to receive a 5.0L TwinForce V8, while an even larger 6.2L engine will be relegated to the Blue Oval’s full-size pickups and utility vehicles. Both V8 engines will not only benefit from TwinForce technology, but they’ll also feature a cylinder deactivation mechanism.


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Children are seeing as many as 12 advertisements for junk food within an hour while watching family television shows such as The Voice, new research has revealed on Tuesday.
Children as young as four are seeing ads for pizza, burgers, sweets and biscuits in breaks during shows on ITV, C4 and E4 such as Hollyoaks and The Simpsons, Liverpool University researchers found.
The findings have led to renewed calls from health experts to ministers to toughen up rules restricting the broadcast of adverts for foods high in fat, sugar and salt (HFSS), which they claim are “not fit for purpose”.
Dr Emma Boyland and Dr Rosa Whalen, from Liverpool University’s appetite and obesity research group, found that a half-hour episode of Hollyoaks on E4 in February – seen by 140,225 children – contained no fewer than nine adverts for such products. They included promotions of McDonald’s bacon double clubhouse burger, Domino’s chicken strippers and their pepperoni passion pizza, Oreo thins biscuits and Haribo sweets.
An episode of The Voice the next day on ITV watched by 708,500 children featured 12 ads for HFSS foods, including Domino’s pizzas, McVitie’s chocolate digestive nibbles and Anchor spreadable butter.
“This report is another grim reminder why we’re losing the fight against the scourge of childhood obesity,” said Prof Mary Fewtrell, nutrition lead at the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health.
“Children are very impressionable and need protection from the hundreds of millions of pounds spent each year on junk food advertising, much of which is within the family viewing hours of 6-9pm.”
Under current rules, put in place a decade ago by the broadcasting regulator Ofcom, adverts for HFSS foods are banned from being shown in or around children’s programmes or any programme where 75% of the audience will be children.
But the Obesity Health Alliance (OHA), which commissioned the new study, said children were still being exposed to adverts for unhealthy foods because no such restrictions apply to shows aimed at adults but watched by many under-18s. It wants the ban extended to everything shown before the 9pm watershed.
“We know brand recognition influences children’s behaviours from as young as 18 months, which is why the government saw it fit to ban junk food advertising during children’s shows back in 2010,” added Fewtrell.
Caroline Cerny, the OHA’s lead, said: “The rules to protect children from junk food advertising in the UK are 10 years old. They weren’t strong enough then and they are definitely not fit for purpose now, as they only cover 27% of children’s viewing time.” Three-quarters of adverts during The Voice would be banned if Ofcom changed the rules, the OHA said.
ITV said the Ofcom rules do not need to be extended. “There is already a robust system of regulation in place in the UK to restrict both the content and scheduling of advertising for food high in fat, salt or sugar, to children and young people, which is enforced by the Advertising Standards Authority, is endorsed by Ofcom and is rigorously applied by ITV across all of its platforms,” said a spokesman for the broadcaster.
The government ruled out any change. “Current advertising restrictions in the UK on junk food are among the toughest in the world, including a ban on advertising junk food in children’s media.”
Labour pledged that it would ban all junk food advertising before the 9pm watershed if it was elected.


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When it comes to companies in the consumer staples sector, the chief technical analyst at Miller Tabak is putting his bets on General Mills , Hershey and Campbell Soup as December trading begins.
In a report Monday, Jonathan Krinksy noted that the Consumer Staples Select SPDR ETF has shown relative strength on increasing momentum of late. Back in October, the ETF sold off after hitting a 52-week high.
Chart: Consumer Staples Select SPDR ETF
On General Mills, Krinksy said the stock recently broke above the $40.50-$40.70 resistance area. His target price on the stock is $44. The stock's 52-week range is $41.06 and $36.75. Shares recently traded at $40.74.
Hershey has been a sweet place to be for longtime investors in consumer staples.
The stock's return, including dividends, has been 119% since 2008. The past couple months, the stock has been trading sideways. But on Nov. 30, Hershey flirted with its September 52-week high of $73.42 on good volume, Krinksy said. His target price is $78. Shares recently traded at $72.93.
Campbell Soup shares have been gaining since June. The stock recently broke from its 3-month base of roughly $34-36, Krinksy said. His target price on Campbell is $39. Shares recently traded at $36.66.
Follow me on Twitter @MarketwatchMatt
Follow The Tell blog on Twitter @thetellblog


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VK Company announced on May 11 that Dmitry Grishin would quit the post of president and director of the non-executive company. VK plans to announce the names of the new chairman of the board in a short time.
The photo source is VKontakte.
We are grateful for our invaluable contribution to the development of VK, which he has made throughout the company’s history. After years of work in various positions, VK became one of the world’s biggest digital ecosystems. I wish Dmitry luck in all his future endeavors.
Recall that Dmitry Grishin is the founder of a VK (formerly Mail.ru) group. He became president of the board in 2012. So, through Mail.ru, Grishin was involved in the development of online games. A few years ago, Grishin launched Grishin Robotics, a company with headquarters in the U.S. that works with consumer robotics, artificial intelligence, and software. Grishin Robotics invested in motor vehicle-related development, Starsky Robotics and auto-pilot company Yellow, which created a multi-media bicyclesharing service in Latin America.
If you notice an error, simply select it with the mouse and press the button “Enter”.


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Hyundai chairman accents design
Chung, who began his three-day trip to Europe on Tuesday, visited Hyundai’s European design center in Russelsheim, Germany, on Wednesday, local time.
He previously visited Kia’s plant in Slovakia and Hyundai’s facility in the Czech Republic.
“I often hear that customers in the world select our products because our cars’ design is getting better,” he said. “But what’s important is the future and we need to consistently continue the design DNA of Hyundai and Kia.”
Chung emphasized that Hyundai and Kia vehicles have focused on upgrading performance and said the company needs to do the same with design.
“With light, high-strength steel used in automobiles, the basic performance of the car is upgraded, but adding a great design will give more pleasure to customers,” he said. “Let’s produce innovative design that can lead the industry and develop design with dignity inside.”
Chung’s was accompanied by Peter Schreyer, chief design officer for Hyundai and Kia.
Schreyer said the design unit is focusing on segment diversity, and has been the leading advocate of separating the design aspects of Hyundai and Kia, trying to make the former more elegant and the latter fresher.
BY JOO KYUNG-DON [email@example.com]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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Black Friday Sales Down At Stores, Surge Online
Black Friday shopping at brick-and-mortar stores in the United States was down about 7 percent from a year ago, according to ShopperTrak, but more purchases on Thanksgiving Day nearly made up the difference. Meanwhile, online retailers recorded double-digit year-on-year increases in sales.
ShopperTrak says Friday store sales hit $9.1 billion, but that shoppers spent $3.2 billion on Thanksgiving — a 24 percent increase for sales on that day from over last year. Overall, it represented a 0.5 percent drop from last year.
The New York Times says: "ShopperTrak, a consumer analytics firm based in Chicago, warned that its estimates were preliminary, and that shifting spending patterns meant that holiday sales were now dispersed over a longer period. Retailers have been offering deep discounts well before their sales on Friday, and many stores moved the start of those offers to Thursday evening."
A separate survey by IBM showed a 9.5 percent jump on Black Friday and a 14.3 percent increase on Thanksgiving Day for online sales over the same period last year.
Amazon.com saw a 24 percent increase in sales over the two days and it predicts that its Cyber Monday sales will show an even bigger increase.
The National Retail Federation is predicting that this will be the strongest holiday shopping season in the last three years.
Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


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For nearly 50 years Bud’s has offered custom meats and ranch slaughtering as a thriving agricultural enterprise in the North Bay’s Food Shed
By Tim Tesconi
The holiday season is one of the busiest times of the year for Matt Gamba, the owner of Bud’s Custom Meats in Penngrove, but he loves every minute of the bustling activity. It’s during November and December that a steady stream of valued customers meander up the ranch’s long driveway off Petaluma Hill Road to pick up their turkeys, hams and prime rib for festive family dinners.
Everyone is in the holiday spirit and eager to celebrate the season with a trussed turkey or one of Gamba’s au jus infused prime ribs. This year, Bud’s will process more than 1,000 holiday orders, keeping cash registers humming and meat saws buzzing.
“I love being a part of this community, greeting and serving people who want quality, locally sourced meats. Our customers like to personally know their butcher and where their food comes from, it’s an honor they turn to Bud’s,” said Gamba, 63, who runs Bud’s Custom Meats with his wife Natalie.
Some of the holiday customers have been coming to the ranch for the 50 years that Bud’s has operated as a country outpost for meats and custom ranch slaughtering. For many, it’s like a trip to grandpa’s farm for the smoked ham that will be the centerpiece of the holiday meal. Getting there is half the fun. The pastures of beef cattle and the resident pet goats on the 50-acre Gamba ranch provide a pleasant alternative to crowded, over-chilled supermarkets.
Gamba took over Bud’s Meats in 1997 when his father Bud Gamba, the business’s namesake who started the company in 1975, retired, worn-out from a lifetime of hard work to build the business he loved. Bud Gamba had followed the path of ancestors in Italy who had been small -town butchers.
Matt Gamba, who had worked in construction for 15 years while working part-time doing the ranch slaughtering for his father, rolled up his sleeves to expand the business, modernizing buildings and developing new product lines and services. When Gamba took the reins 30 years ago, it was just himself, one full time worker and a part time helper. Today there are 22 full-time employees, many of them professionally trained meat cutters. In addition to the retail shop, which is open every day but Sunday, Bud’s Custom Meats are sold at farmers markets in Petaluma and Santa Rosa.
Despite the growth and upgrades, Bud’s Meas remains a traditional family-owned butcher offering custom butchery services and processing of both livestock and game animals. Bud’s also offers many exotic meats like buffalo, elk, wild boar, quail, and rabbits.
Gamba takes the pursuit of excellence seriously in his life and business He oversees the production of more than 120 different hand made products like Bud’s signature cowboy jerky, Italian sausage and Spicy chipotle bacon sauce. Many are unique products found nowhere else and some are the original recipes developed by his father.
This is the go-to candy story for meat lovers and connoisseurs of cowboy cuisine like Santa Maria marinated trip tip and dry aged T-Bones. Gamba’s au jus infused prime ribs are a Christmas tradition for many of his customers. And it’s what he and his family prepare for their dinner on Christmas Eve, which also happens to be his daughter Jennifer’s birthday. Jennifer, 28, who was an outstanding member of the Sonoma County 4-H program, is completing her master’s degree in psychology at Boston College and works with troubled youth in the Boston area.
Gamba said quality and value are the benchmarks he strives for as a family butcher doing business in his native Sonoma County. He’s proud to say that last year his prime ribs were $1 a pound cheaper than the prices at Costco.
“My goal is putting value in everything we do. That’s something important to me in serving my customers, many who are friends and neighbors,” said Gamba, who attended Liberty School in Petaluma and graduated from Rancho Cotate High School. “I was always taught to live within my means. I respect value and want that for my customers.”
Gamba said when he is awake at night his mind is always racing to develop a new product or plot the next improvement on the property, which continues to be a work in progress as it earns advanced certifications from the USDA. As an approved facility, there is a USDA inspector at Bud’s every day making sure workers follow federal regulations and that the facility is in compliance for health and safety.
While Bud’s Meats feels like rustic Sonoma County, the USDA certified meat shop is all gleaming stainless steel, polished glass, and scrubbed floors. Shoppers can see the meat being processed while browsing the cases of frozen meats, picking up custom orders or making their purchases.
Gamba said there is nothing to hide, and he wants customers to see what’s going on in the processing area where workers break down carcasses and package meat.
“I have always believed in transparency in all I do here,’ said Gamba, who is a longtime member of Sonoma County Farm Bureau. He appreciates the work that Farm Bureau does to keep agriculture strong in Sonoma County and the help and support that Farm Bureau has provided his business. Farm Bureau wrote letters of support when Bud’s Custom Meats was in the process of expanding its facilities and seeking certification from the USDA.
Natalie Gamba handles all the paperwork filed with the USDA for certification and works closely with administrators in the department’s district office in Alameda.
“The USDA has been really good to work with and super helpful in all we are doing here to be a USDA certified facility” said Natalie Gamba.
Meanwhile, Farm Bureau counts Bud’s Custom Meats among its valued members and one of the thriving agricultural enterprises serving the growing number of people who want their food fresh and local.
“Bud’s Custom Meats is something of an institution in Sonoma County,” said Dayna Ghirardelli, executive director of Sonoma County Farm Bureau. “We hope that the expansion and USDA Certification at Bud’s Custom Meats will offer sustainability and longevity to the business, which is a direct benefit to our ranchers and the local community.”
Business at Bud’s has only grown since the pandemic when many people were fearful of eating what comes from the commercial meat pipeline and processed someplace far away. Then, too, the farm-to- table movement is strong and growing in the North Bay, the premiere food and wine region in California.
Gamba is active in the California Meat Processors Association, which meets once a year at colleges, like UC Davis, Chico State University and Cal Pol, San Luis Obispo, to offer meat science programs. Gamba said it’s a good way to network with other family-owned butchers while mentoring college students interested in careers in the meat industry. The association also holds quality competitions, with Bud’s Custom Meats often taking grand champion honors for its smoked hams and other products.
Gamba sees continued growth for his company in the years ahead as the food industry undergoes massive changes like the production of laboratory produced meat from animal stem cells. Billions of dollars are being invested to produce meat in laboratories instead of on farms and ranches.
As the lines blur between farm raised and laboratory manufactured meats, Gamba believes discerning consumers who want their meat farm-raised will rely on trusted, authentic local butchers like Bud’s for their meat, particularly, the hams, turkeys, and prime ribs for special holiday meals.
Looking back, Gamba feels a sense of pride and accomplishment in what he has built over the last 30 years. He is proud to say that the improvements were made with the money the business generated and without incurring debt. That’s another lesson learned from his father Bud and mother Marcy.
Gamba has channeled his skills in construction and his love for the family butcher business to build a USDA meat facility that is sanitary and functional yet has a country feel and is genuinely Sonoma County. A vintage flatbed truck that Gamba repurposed into a water feature offers a sense of whimsy and fun for customers who know Bud’s is a place like no other.
“For me it’s been the best of both worlds to be able to do the construction work here while being a family butcher,” said Gamba. “I feel everything has come full circle and it’s very satisfying.”


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Mercedes-Benz is expanding its love for iDevices by outfitting its dealers with the Apple tablet and trying to prove that it can work in enterprise environments.
The auto company will provide iPads to 40 dealers around the country as part of a test program. These units will come with special proprietary software – a mobile version of the applications on existing computer systems throughout the dealerships.
This will allow salespeople to walk around the show floor with all the software’s tools at their disposal without being tethered to a bulky desktop.
Mercedes-Benz was an early adopter to the iPhone after it released an app that allows users to make payments on their lease directly through the device. More than 5 thousand payments, totaling $3.6 million, have been processed on the iPhone and iPod Touch.


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Cyberattacks continue to affect a variety of businesses. As an example, a vulnerability that has recently been highlighted by the FBI is where any stolen smartphone that has a credit card added to Apple Pay, Samsung Pay or Google Pay, and public transportation schemes enabled can be used by criminals to make unlimited payments at any point-of-sale (PoS) terminal.
The flaws lie in the contactless payment system, and can be exploited even when a phone’s battery is dead, as in the case of iPhones. Even the latest iPhone model have weaknesses.
Can we expect these concerns to continue into 2022?
According to expert Josh Rickard (Security Solutions Architect at Swimlane) it is important for businesses to periodically re-assess their cybersecurity systems.
Rickard tells Digital Journal this is particularly important within the context of 2021, “To re-evaluate their cybersecurity posture after a tumultuous year of cyberattacks across industries.”
Trends suggest that cyberattacks are not going away and they are generally increasing in terms of frequency. Rickard cautions: “The dramatic spike in ransomware and supply chain attacks illustrates that every company, regardless of vertical, is a software company and security will only continue to rise in importance when it comes to ensuring the continued operations of the business.”
This means that businesses should be building robust and proactive programs to counterbalance these external threats. As an example, Rickard recommends: “To protect valuable information and prevent breaches, enterprises must invest in multi-faceted platforms that centralize and automate detection, response and investigation protocols. Security teams need full visibility into IT environments and the ability to respond in real-time to limit the consequences should a cyberattack occur.”
Rickard also puts forward the idea of automating and centralizing security processes. Through this he says: “Organizations can reduce the chance of human error while achieving infinitely smoother execution of security-related tasks and ultimately ensuring that highly-sensitive personal information is kept safe and secure.”


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Press Releases 280 ITEMS
Entrust Datacard, a leading provider of trusted identity and secure transaction technology solutions, today announced that the company has released Entrust Certificate Services 12.1. The updated version of the company’s certificate services solution provides enhancements that allows users to more easily deploy, audit, manage and secure their full portfolio of digital certificates.
Entrust Datacard Partners with iovation to Enhance the Company’s Advanced Adaptive Authentication Capabilities
Partnership integrates advanced device reputation and threat intelligence into Entrust Datacard's robust adaptive authentication platform.
Zhu to lead the company's growth and initiatives across China
Entrust Datacard Authentication Cloud Service provides a powerful combination of Enterprise-grade security in the cloud - ultimately streamlining IT management, allowing organizations to focus on their essential digital business initiatives.
Entrust Datacard Provides Innovative Solution for Printing and Affixing Fully Customized Labels to Personalized Cards
The new color label printing module for Datacard® card issuance systems and the Datacard® card delivery system allows for personalized, full-color labels with high resolution images to be affixed inline
Entrust Datacard, a leading provider of trusted identity and secure transaction technologies, today announced that the company will participate at SmartCards Expo, a trade show organized by Electronics Today Oct. 19 – 21, 2016 at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi, India. The expo will center on smart card technology and application trends.
Company to speak and exhibit at the conference focused on border management and technologies to be held in Malaysia.
Entrust Datacard, a leading provider of trusted identity and secure transaction technologies, today announced that the company will exhibit at GovernmentWare (GovWare) 2016, October 10 – 12, 2016 at the Suntec Singapore Convention & Exhibition Centre in Singapore.
Entrust Datacard, a leading provider of trusted identity and secure transaction technologies, today announced that it will co-host a Digital Payment and Security Event 2016 on Sept. 28, 2016 at the Six Seasons Hotel in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The event is aimed at accelerating growth, creating new opportunities and driving greater agility in the payment and security marketplace.
Entrust Datacard Introduces Adaptive Issuance Suite for Secure End-to-End Credential and Payment Card Issuance
Datacard® Adaptive Issuance™ Suite provides users with the ability to securely issue credentials and payment cards across any existing platform or printer.
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The Maryland Jockey Club has unveiled the logo for the 2013 Preakness Stakes (gr. I) that will have its 138th renewal May 18 at Pimlico Race Course.
Churchill Downs has released the official logos for the 2013 Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) and Kentucky Oaks (gr. I) and has begun selling merchandise featuring the new logos.
The logo for the 2012 Preakness Stakes (gr. I) was released by the Maryland Jockey Club Dec. 14. The second leg of the Triple Crown is scheduled for May 19 at Pimlico Race Course.
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Traders Dump Potash Stocks As Pricing Power Expected to Drop
Potash companies saw shares plummet more than 25 percent in the pre-market Tuesday as the makers of the key fertilizer were hit by news that margins were set to fall as market prices for the key agricultural component decline.
Overnight, Vladimir Baumgartner, the CEO of the world's largest potash producer OAO Uralkali, announced that his firm was set to pull out of one of the two large fertilizer cartels. As such, he forecast that market prices for potash could fall more than 25 percent to below $300 per ton when prices currently trade near $400 per ton.
Shares of two large U.S.-listed potash producers, Mosaic (NYSE: MOS) and Potash (NYSE: POT) fell more than 25 percent at the lows in the pre-market as markets adjusted to the new pricing. Both companies have net costs of around $200 per ton of potash, meaning that the expected drop in prices would be about half of their profit margins.
Shares fell in response to this news as lower margins lead inevitably to lower earnings. Notably, the sell-off was not a sharp-spike lower but was more a tempered, measured sell-off that began around 4:00am and continued through the pre-market.
Baumgartner said pulled out of the Belarus Potash Corporation (BPC) export cartel that controlled almost half of the global potash market, after it said its Belarusian partner was violating an agreement and selling outside the partnership. He said the end of the cartel would lead to potash prices plunging by 25 per cent.
“We expect competition to become stronger – that will push prices down,” said Baumgertner on Tuesday, as Uralkali also announced a supply contract with a Chinese importer. Uralkali announced an agreement with CNAMPGC, a Chinese importer, to supply 500,000 tonnes of potash through to the end of the year.
BPC is one of two eastern European cartels which, along with the Campotex group, controls the entire global market for potash. North-American firms Mosaic, Potash, and Agrium (NYSE: AGU) are all members of Campotex.
© 2017 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.


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Home > Business > Special
Renovating the playroom
Arti Sharma |
May 22, 2004
Can toymaker Mattel fight off the Chinese hordes in the playground? For years it has struggled against cheaper Chinese imports and in recent times two managing directors have come and gone in quickfire succession.
Now Sanjay Luthra, who moved into the hotseat six months ago, has put together a new gameplan to win back young customers.
For a start Mattel has just launched its first concept store in Mumbai and it hopes to have 12 such stores in Indian metros by year-end.
The idea is that the company can play up its upmarket image with its own smart showrooms. "We are making it very clear to everyone in this company that the focus has to be profitable growth," says Luthra.
Inevitably, Mattel depends heavily on Barbie, the glam doll, which has ruled the shopshelves for several decades. But in today's media-dominated world children's toys have to be promoted in an entirely different way. And so Barbie is getting a website and will soon be having her own adventures on a CD.
That's not all. Children nowadays are heavily influenced by what they see on television and on the movies so Barbie is now starring in productions like Barbie of Swan Lake and Barbie in Nutcracker, which are shown on Cartoon Network.
As always Barbie is grabbing the biggest share of the action. But a slew of other launches is also on the cards. Coming soon is a new range of Hot Wheels and action figures apart from the current He-Man range.
Then in order to increase revenue from other avenues, Luthra and team are looking at merchandising in a big way. Two years back, Mattel had tied up with seven licenced manufacturers. Now, it's expanding that and today 14 licenced manufacturers are producing apparel, bags, accessories, cosmetics and other merchandise. Luthra is expecting merchandising to account for 20 per cent of revenue in two years.
Luthra needs to move quickly. While he doesn't talk numbers, as per market estimates Mattel India's turnover has fallen from two years back. Today, Barbie accounts for roughly 40 per cent of turnover, Hot Wheels about 33 per cent and Fisher-Price accounts for 22 per cent and the rest comes from its other lines.
The biggest difficulty is that unbranded Chinese toys are selling for much cheaper prices than Barbie and her friends can cope with. For instance, an imitation Barbie doll is available for as little as Rs 20 compared to the cheapest Barbie at Rs 175.
Another competitor Funskool sells a doll named Cindy for as little as Rs 99. "Parents are reluctant to spend large sums on toys their children will soon grow out of, the proposition has to combine value and quality," says a competitor.
Mattel is trying to match its cheaper competitors. For instance, in Mumbai, the company is offering a 40 per cent discount on its slow-moving, high-priced products. So a Rs 1,199 Barbie is now selling for Rs 720 and a Rs 99 Hot Wheels car model is retailing at Rs 69.
Luthra claims that the company has passed on the benefit of the duty reduction (from 52 per cent two years back to 20 per cent currently) to the customer. Mattel India imports all its toys from seven manufacturing units across the world, just like its parent.
However, two years back, the price for the cheapest Barbie was Rs 149 compared to the current Rs 175. "The company is only discounting products that are being phased out and for which they have excess stock," says one Mumbai retailer.
Today, in the Rs 1,500 crore-toy market, the unorganised players constitute 92 per cent while organised players like Mattel, Lego and Funskool account for the remaining 8 per cent. Another player Egmont International, exited the toy business recently due to a lack of funds from the Danish parent.
The other problem, is that mirroring global trends, the toy market target audience is shrinking in India. So where earlier, little girls bought dolls to play with till the age of 13, today retailers and companies are realising that girls beyond the age of eight are no longer interested in dolls.
To combat this, Mattel has launched a new range of four contemporary dolls -- with hip costumes -- called My Scene. The dolls were introduced globally early last year to combat competition from MGA Entertainment Inc's Bratz range of dolls.
The Bratz range targeted girls in the nine to 14 age group with dolls that wore contemporary clothes in line with teenage fashion trends.
In India, Luthra and team have launched My Scene to try and expand the target age group and induce slightly older girls to buy the range. Priced at Rs 699 to a maximum of Rs 1,499, the dolls come with accessories like mobile phones.
To make sure all this sells, Mattel is advertising on children's channels like Cartoon Network as well as targeting parents through channels like Star Plus. The ad budget is around 15 per cent to 20 per cent of turnover.
Currently, Mattel retails from 2,500 outlets in 35 cities. Compared to this, Funskool, for instance, retails from 7,000 outlets across the country.
"We are a premium brand and want to maintain that image," says Luthra. He adds that penetrating the second rung cities also comes along with logistic and distribution problems. "Our strength is building brands, we're not in the business of supply chain management," he says.
Mattel has revamped itself in recent years. The team has been downsized from 100 people two years back to the current 70 and tasks have been reallocated. Earlier there was only a sales and marketing team, today that has been divided to form a sales administration team for greater focus on tracking monthly sales and supply.
Today Mattel also has a trade marketing department, which caters to dealers and retailers. Retailers grumble that Mattel's products are slow moving and that margins are lower than local competitors.
Luthra is also looking at selling through other outlets like the Indian Naval Canteen Services and duty free shops. Where predecessor, Sangeeta Talwar had introduced the shop-in-shop concept along with visual merchandising, Luthra, in order to control costs of setting up the shop-in-shops has introduced the flex merchandising plan.
"There is no need for us to change the base unit of the shelving provided by the retailer, instead strips and flex units are added to the space for the same effect at a lower cost," he says.
So where earlier the company could afford to put up only 10-15 such shop-in-shops now they are able to afford 30 in a year since the costs are 10 times lower. Already 320 outlets have been covered.
Luthra is also betting big bucks on the retail revolution and believes that once organised retailing becomes the norm rather than the exception, Mattel and the organised market will grow from the current eight per cent to around 32 per cent of the total toy market.Will all of this be enough for Mattel to turnaround? The trade doesn't think so and neither does competition. Everyone is waiting to see if Luthra can sweep the board.


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This Is Not Made For TV: NeNe Leakes Hit $1 Million Lawsuit Over Unpaid Wedding Bill!
Oh Lenethia, it’s always something with you.
According to TMZ, Nene Leakes has been hit with a $1 million dollar lawsuit for not paying a vendor who says they were an intricate part of the festivities.
Tiffany Cook of Dream Design Weddings says Nene was supposed to pay 15 percent of the entire wedding budget plus fee design, execution of the wedding and travel expenses to the wedding.
She admits that Leakes gave a down payment of $18,750 but never paid her again and now owes a little over a million dollars plus damages. She’s asking that a judge award her a total of $2.5 million in the decision.
On the flip side, Nene Leakes’ reps say none of this is true. In fact, they say Cook was not the wedding planner at all; instead, they say it was a man named Tony Conway. They added:
“This lawsuit has no merit and it appears to be a baseless attempt to grab 15 min of fame.”
Well, this is interesting. But if the woman is claiming, and can prove, that Nene gave her a down payment, then maybe there is or was some truth to Cook having been the wedding planner. Maybe they eventually went with Mr. Conway and now Cook feels…slighted? Who knows.
Bigger than all that, I thought most of us were under the impression that Bravo would be paying for everything – no matter the cost – since the wedding is being aired on an upcoming special, I Dream of Nene: The Wedding.
I suppose we’ll see how this all plays out.


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When psychiatric social worker Barbara Jonas and retail executive Donald Jonas learned the extent of America’s shortage of professional nurses, they were determined to help end this growing healthcare crisis.Learn more
about our founders
Jonas Philanthropies is improving healthcare for the better by investing where it matters most. We address high-need issues and audiences with high-impact solutions: promoting leadership in nursing and veterans healthcare, preventing and treating low vision and blindness, and protecting our children’s environmental health.
Jonas Philanthropies is led and supported by leaders and experts from the worlds of healthcare, business, philanthropy and education.
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Each day across the country, Jonas Philanthropies is actively engaging with the healthcare system — forging partnerships, promoting bold leadership and applying our business acumen to address pressing issues.


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Consumer sentiment fell by 1.3% in May to 103.9 points, according to the Westpac-Melbourne Institute of Consumer Sentiment, making it the lowest level of the index since June 2010.
Westpac chief economist Bill Evans says while the drop is only a “modest adjustment” to the index, it still sends a subdued message about the state of the consumer in the current economic climate.
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“This is the lowest level of the index since June 2010, a month which followed three consecutive rate hikes by the Reserve Bank in March, April and May,” Evans says.
According to Evans, increasing talk of the next interest rate rise may have unnerved consumers, while the Federal budget may also have played on people’s perceptions of their own finances.
“36% of respondents expected that the budget would worsen their family finances over the next 12 months and only 7% expected it would improve their finances,” he says.
“That compares with [the results] in 2010 where 27% expected the budget to worsen their finances, with 11.5% expecting an improvement.”
According to the survey, the comparison of family finances to a year ago fell by 4.1% while expectations for family finances over the next 12 months fell by 6%.
However, other components of the index performed much more solidly in May. For example, the outlook for economic conditions over the next five years rose by 5%.
“The one year outlook for the economy fell by 3.2%, while ‘whether now is a good time to purchase a major household item’ rose by 1.7%,” the report says.
“The strength of the Australian dollar… and ongoing reports of Australia benefitting from the commodity boom are likely to be boosting long-term confidence in the economy.”
“The high dollar, with its associated impact on the prices of imported goods, may explain why respondents see buying opportunities, although concerns about their finances are holding back actual purchases.”
Evans’ comments are in line with the latest results of the Commonwealth Bank Business Sales Indicator, which reveals retail sales slumped in April by 0.2%.
According to CommSec chief economist Craig James, conservatism is “still clearly the word of choice” when it comes to the Australian consumer.
“Mums and dads throughout Australia were spared additional hardship thanks to the delivery of a softer Federal budget, however we don’t yet know what the full impact of this will be on their overall level of confidence,” James says.
“With the prospect of two additional rate rises over the remainder of 2011, it wouldn’t be surprising if sales continued to trudge along at this pace for some time to come.”


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Cereal manufacturer Cheerios is giving away millions of free wildflower seeds.
The giveaway is part of Cheerios’ ‘Bring Back the Bees’ campaign. Bees are important pollinators and their populations have been in decline for years for a number of reasons, including increased use of pesticides and the loss of places to pollinate.
To give the vital insects a boost, the company teamed up with Veseys Seeds to offer 100 million wildflower seeds online. All you have to do is provide Cheerios with your shipping information.
As of noon Wednesday, it appeared all of the 100 million seed packets had already been claimed. The website shows where the seeds have gone, and many of them seem to have made their way to Colorado.
Cheerios is also committed to filling its own oat farms with wildflowers to give bees more places to pollinate.
For more information, log on to cheerios.com.


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Nigeria's army has launched its "Special Anti-Kidnapping Squad" which will use drones in its surveillance efforts. What makes this launch curious is that it appears that the Nigerian army's 32 Artillery Brigade of the Owena Barracks in Akure will be using two DJI Phantom 4 drones which are no longer in production.
The DJI Phantom 4 Pro drone is not only any longer in production but it is also better suited for photography and shooting videos by civilians. Added to that, the drone has a maximum flight time of 30 minutes before requiring a battery recharge and it is not rugged nor suited for intelligence gathering.
"In recent times, the cases of kidnapping have increased in Ondo and Ekiti states and the General officer Commanding, GOC, 2 Division, General O.F Azinta has directed that we must do everything possible to bring the criminality in both states to an end. There are thick forests in these states and that is the advantage some of the criminals are using because some of the places you cannot penetrate them easily."
"So in line with the Chief of Army Staff directive to have a responsive Nigeria Army in the discharge of its constitutional role, we decided to use technology in addition to the anti-kidnapping squad. We have two of this drone, one for Ondo and the other one for Ekiti State which would easily help us to fight the issue of this kidnapping headlong. The two anti-kidnap squads will have each one mounted on a vehicle and once there is the issue of kidnapping they will immediately launch it, particularly in places that cannot be easily accessed. The device is the latest in the market, we decided to go for it with the support of my GOC. It can go on it own and it can avoid all obstacle. With its launching in this Osi community, we have been able to map out the vast forests and studied it, so our men can move in. I can tell you that bandits days are over in this state," Brigade Commander, Brigadier General Zakari Logun Abubakar is reported to have said.
At the time of publishing, we had been waiting a couple of hours to get a response from Nigeria's Army to no avail as we wanted to verify certain details around the drones. Specifically, we wanted to confirm that, as reported by some news media in Nigeria, Brigadier Abubakar did indeed state that the drones were "Phantom 5DGI" drones:
"Abubakar explained that the drone, a Phantom 5DGI, procured by the army would assist the military formation of the anti-kidnapping Squad in identifying the movement and activities of suspected bandits, kidnappers, and other criminals. - Sahara Reporters
no such drones as Phantom 5DGI exist, in fact, the only results you will get on the first page of Google Search about "Phantom 5DGI" are all media reports in Nigeria announcing the launch by the Nigerian army. Which led us to the second point and assumption that all the media merely copied each other and ran with Phantom 5DGI when they meant Phantom 5 by DJI.
This brings us to why we mention that those are possibly the discontinued Phantom 4 Pro drones by DJI because if you visit DJI's website, the Chinese manufacturer of drones, and search for DJI 5 or Phantom 5, it shows you only listings of the old Phantom 4 and 3 range of drones.
What is worrying is that just in neighboring Niger, the USA is building the world's largest military-grade drone plant and base. This drone base in the middle of the Sahara Desert is said to cost over $100 million to construct and over $10 million per year to run. The official line from the USA's army is that the drone base in Niger is to assist with anti-terrorist surveillance and launching of drone attacks in the region.
The typical surveillance drones or military drones are equivalent in most cases to the size of a small plane and have a flight range multiple times more than the DJI drones the Nigerian army will be using. Not to mention the type of cameras they use to provide much more detail from long distances away from their areas of interest.
— By Tefo Mohapi


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More than 30 restaurants will offer small plates at the second-annual Taste of Greenville Avenue festival Saturday, from 11 a.m.-7 p.m. at 5700 Richmond.
At a sneak preview at Mextopia last week, we tried some of the fare — Mextopia’s own brisket tacos and pozole, hummus and gyros from Cafe Izmir, beautiful thin-crust slices from i Fratelli, falafel from Kush, baklava from Ali Baba and more.
It was great stuff. Plates will start at $2, and we hear that The Grape will be offering burgers for $5.
Plus bands including the Cliff Blues Band, the King Bucks, Chameleon Chamber Group, Ricki Derek and the Vegas Six, and the BAcksliders will perform.
For more details and a full list of participating restaurants, check out the Taste of Greenville Avenue website.
Click to sign up for the Advocate's weekly news digest and be the first to know what’s happening in Lakewood/East Dallas.


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The Fisker EMotion electric car that was unveiled in Las Vegas on Tuesday is, for all intents and purposes, the production car.
Granted we won't see it in production and on the road for two years, give or take, according to company chairman and CEO Henrik Fisker, but that's the car.
Except for those rear butterfly doors.
In an interview with Fisker on Wednesday, the stylish CEO told Motor Authority that the rear butterfly doors and their associated hinge hardware might not make it to production.
Front butterfly doors are nothing new to supercars. In fact, some have taken to calling them billionaire doors, but rear butterfly doors are a newfangled thing.
Fisker told us, "the rear hinge has been some real late nights." He said the company wants to see that part of the car go into production, but it has to be feasible to do so reliably and to the quality standard the company expects.
Should it be determined the rear butterfly doors aren't feasible for production, Fisker told us he'd like to see them morph into coach doors hinged at the rear like you would find on a Rolls-Royce.
It looks like those rear butterfly doors will hinge on how well Fisker can make them work.


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Just before the end of 2018, GE announced the formation of a new, independent company focused on building a comprehensive Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) software portfolio. This new company comprises GE Digital’s IIoT technologies as well as the company’s GE Power Digital and Grid Software Solutions businesses. Building from these units’ existing business, the company is starting life with $1.2 billion in annual revenues and a base of 20,000+ customers.
With the announcement of this new company in December, the question then became: What would this new business entity do first? We got the answer to that at ARC Industry Forum 2019 with the announcement that iFix 6.0 has been released.
This new version of iFix features enhanced security and alarm capabilities, as well as new HMI/SCADA application development capabilities, according to Matt Wells, vice president of product management at GE Digital.
GE notes that support for ISA 18.2 standards in iFix 6.0 allows for consistent alarm shelving and interface presentation, enabling operators to more easily prioritize critical alarms. A new alarm summary grid in iFix 6.0 allows operators to filter and focus on the critical alarms that matter, making it easier for immediate responders to review information and deal with the priority situation at hand. According to the company, this level of alarm management can help plants increase productivity by up to 70 percent.
New security enhancements in iFix 6.0 have been introduced via the addition of an OPC UA server. Incorporation of the OPC UA server ensures platform independence, meaning that iFix 6.0 can run across a variety of hardware platforms and operating systems, allowing organizations to more easily share data, alarms, and events across supply chains with user authentication and encryption, Wells says. iFix 6.0 security features also include the use of digital certificates and web tokens.
New application development features for HMI/SCADA in iFix 6.0 allow for long tag names and descriptions. This capability can help industrial users capture any existing hierarchy designations from their programmable logic controllers (PLCs), Wells says.
To help engineers create the right HMI/SCADA user experience, iFix 6.0 contains pre-defined objects and templates designed in accordance with high-performance HMI concepts, per ISA 101 standards. This means that iFix 6.0 also allows assembly of graphic content using external HTML5 editors, as well as automatic picture publishing for web HMIs. According to GE, “Rapid application development [features of iFix 6.0] significantly speeds the configuration and deployment of HMI/SCADA, reducing costs and saving time for automation systems integrators and in-house engineering teams.”
Wells says that more product enhancement news related to GE Digital software would be forthcoming in the first few months of 2019. One of these forthcoming announcements will focus on the Predix Manufacturing Data Cloud. This technology is an extension of GE's manufacturing execution (MES) software that will allow customers to aggregate data from multiple systems into a single, cloud-based, structured data store. "This will aid regulatory compliance and the ability to do more comprehensive analytics,” Wells says. He notes that Procter and Gamble is already rolling this out to dozens of sites to “allow them to take the next step in their digital transformation.”
“The GE Digital story is still being written,” says Karthik Suri, chief operating officer at GE Digital, during a meeting at the 2019 ARC Industry Forum. “We will meet customers wherever they are in the journey toward their digital transformation. We have offerings to help get machines connected and do proofs of concepts with short-term payback. We can start with our core products like Cimplicity, Historian and iFix to help determine and improve overall equipment effectiveness (OEE). From there, we can get into dashboards to optimize operations. We are also productizing our artificial intelligence, machine learning and asset performance management technologies.”
Suri added that end users across industries are increasingly requesting “productized” technologies. These are “available solutions that are scalable and part of our portfolio out of the box—not one-off builds designed for a customer’s particular application," he says. "With our new business, we’re connecting this all together—from off-the-shelf products to advanced capabilities.”


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While Jade Goody has been busy launching her Shh… perfume range, A-listers Gwyneth, Kate and Kelly will soon be able to create their own personal bespoke fragrances, with the launch of a top-end range by celebrity stylist Michael Boadi.
The hair stylist and art director has named, positioned and created the fragrance brand Boadicea the Victorious, set to launch at London Fashion Week next month.
Aimed at the über-rich and famous, the ‘three-tier’ range will feature visual brand language including an identity, graphics, illustration, artwork, packaging and structural forms designed by Boadi.
‘I wanted to find a way of connecting with the masses, giving them a little bit of history, celebrating Queen Boadicea. In naming the fragrances, I have given them the personality traits of human beings, such as majestic,’ says Boadi.
He reveals that all elements of the range – from the perfumer to the crystal and hallmark silver containers – are to be kept British, as a celebration of British craft.
‘Everyone goes to Lalique for fragrance ranges, no one celebrates British craft. All my fragrances are made with the help of an English perfumer –the English are always easier to deal with,’ Boadi says.
The range, which will be available online at www.boadiceathevictorious.co.uk from next month, will also include candles and hair perfume.
Digital studio Webglu is developing the site.
The range of 65 fragrances includes: a main collection; a ‘private collection’, from which customers can select perfumes and personalised packaging; and a bespoke, exclusive fragrance service, with bespoke packaging, costing up to £3000.
Funding for the range, on which Boadi has been working for five years, is coming from private backers, he says.
Boadicea the Victorious will launch on 17 September, during London Fashion Week.


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The iPhone 12 series just launched and it's not going to be available with a phone charger, coming out of the box. Of course people aren't happy about...
Malala just trolled the new iPhone but people are trolling her for what they believe is her inaction over the recent oppression by India on Kashmir.
The iPhone 11 just launched but people can't stop trolling the weird new design and the obviously extremely expensive price tag.
An anchor confused the tech giant Apple with the khaaney wala apple and oh dear Lord, people are trolling her relentlessly.
The new iphone is a highly anticipated device and someone shared a possible design. This has seriously pissed off so many people.
Samsung Galaxy S10 was launched on February 20 and people have actually become obsessed with how crazy good it is. They're calling it an iPhone killer...
In today's fast-paced world, where neighbors often pass each other without a word, 7UP is on a mission to change by sharing meals.
As the festive season draw near, the air fills with an electric anticipation, signaling the arrival of the much-awaited Ideas Festive Eid Sale
Cola Next's official hashtag for the campaign is #KyunKeColaNextHaiPakistani inviting viewers to share their love for Pakistani identity.
Zero Lifestyle just upped the ante on their highly successful "Your Beat Matters" campaign with the addition of global superstar Fawad Khan
JS Bank, a leading financial institution in Pakistan, partnered with Mario Testino, the internationally renowned celebrity and fashion photographer.
Ramadan America— Rifelion Media's first-of-its-kind film anthology written by, directed by and starring American Muslims just released its trailer.
© 2024 MangoBaaz. All Rights Reserved


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Adam Jonas, an analyst for the financial institution, said last week that SpaceX “is challenging any preconceived notion of what was possible and the time frame possible, in terms of rockets, launch vehicles and supporting infrastructure.”
“More than one client has told us if Elon Musk were to become the first trillionaire…it won’t be because of Tesla. Others have said SpaceX may eventually be the most highly valued company in the world — in any industry,” Jonas added.
While the prediction hinges on SpaceX’s performance, Musk’s wealth may soon propel to 13 digits in the wake of Tesla’s recent $1 trillion USD valuation. On Monday, rental car company Hertz put in an initial order of 100,000 Teslas by the end of 2022, giving the company a major financial boost. Sources told Bloomberg that the deal will bring in $4.2 billion USD for Tesla.
Tesla also recently posted a record Q3 revenue and profits, with total revenue growing to an all-time high of $13.76 billion USD. The company also said it saw record vehicle production and deliveries in Q3, boosting its widespread success.
In other news, Tesla is holding on to its $1.5 billion USD Bitcoin investment.


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Wanna know the big numbers for Americans who indulged during the month of November ’09?
170,000,000 & 31,000,000,000
No, these strings of zeroes have nothing to do with the total pounds of turkey consumed or total weight gained due to too much pie eating last November. These impressive figures reflect the number of Americans who watched video online, as well as the total number of videos viewed—respectively—for that month.
Yes, that’s right! 170 million of us looked to the Internet for video, and while looking, we took in nearly 31 billion videos all told. This is according to a news release by comScore, a leading provider of digital intelligence.
Suffice to say, online video is, uh, the real deal. Just as big time advertisers are reaping the benefits of this truth, so should small and mid-size business owners. With technology and resources, the online video playing field may not be level, but it surely is open—for businesses of any size.
Many proponents and providers of online video content are still throwing around stats from a 2007 poll conducted by the Online Publisher’s Association and Online Testing eXchange. After all, it is compelling data.
– Americans watch about 16 billion Web videos each month
– that’s up 25% from just a year ago
– 80% of online viewers recall seeing a video
– 52% take action and
– 16% of online video viewers make a purchase
Considering the steady growth of this category since this report first came out, it’s logical to presume there’s continued effectiveness for online video content. More and more retailers are adding “sell” videos, showing everything from swishing skirts to blenders blending, to motivate response from viewers.
A recent story from OpenForum punctuates the role of SEO tagging to maximize video’s impact on search rankings. The reports states that this targeted tagging approach will reach beyond (or around) YouTube to drive traffic more directly to marketers’ sites.
In my corner of the world, video has been a cornerstone of online content for many years, but the ante is certainly getting upped in twenty-ten. More clients newly perceive video as “must” rather than “plus.” What used to be an extra element is now core content.
After I finish this blog post, I’ll be working on what else but a video script! This project’s for a client convinced it’s time to add some motivating motion and emotion to their website. For someone who earns her keep writing copy that sells stuff, these are s-e-O, such fun times indeed!
Thanks for reading!
p.s. – All the inane, mundane, arcane, urbane, insane and write-brain tweets you can handle at http://bit.ly/7GkqvZ .


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Liverpool operates the largest chain of department stores in Mexico. Its 85 department stores comprise 73 stores under the Liverpool name and 22 stores under the Fábricas de Francia name.
Number of employees
Number of stores
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