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All the Samsung galaxy lovers are eagerly waiting for the release of the next flagship S9 and S9+. The wait is finally over and the Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ will be unveiled on Feb 25 in Barcelone. Samsung has released the invitation this Wednesday for the event where S9 and S9+ make their appearance.The invitation teases the Camera improvements.
“IF A PICTURE IS a WORTH a thousand words, the latest member of the Galaxy family has a lot to say. On February 25, Samsung Electronics will showcase the next generation of Galaxy devices that reimagines the camera and redefines the way you share your moments” writes the company with the invitation.
From the recent leak of Samsung S9 retail box tipped that the smartphone will have ‘SuperSpeed’ camera technology, in the form of a Super Speed-backed Dual Pixel 12-megapixel rear camera sensor, Apart from this it has an 8-megapixel AF selfie camera on the front and it has two different aperture sizes-f/1.5 and f/2.4. S9 is coming with AKG-tuned speakers as well as AKG-tuned earphones. The box listed a 5.8-inch QHD+ Super AMOLED display with corners round.
Samsung S9 powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor. The Global version of Samsung Series are expected to run on Samsung’s Exynos 9810 SoC. Samsung has claimed that Exynos 9 Series 9810 is its most innovative mobile processor with AI feature and Better face recognization capability. The new SoC has single-core performance two-fold multimedia.
The Exynos 9 Series 9810 is reported to be the most innovative mobile processor till date, with the third-generation custom CPU, ultra-fast gigabit LTE modem and, deep learning-enhanced image processing- as describe by the vice president of System LSI marketing at Samsung Electronics, Ben Hur. The company says that the Exynos 9810 enables a depth sensing capability to scan user’s face in 3D for face tracking filters and also for stronger security when unlocking a device with one’s face.
Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 845 processor improves their chipset across the board, ranging from new processing technology to an improved modem. Qualcomm’s are majorly focused on multimedia, virtual reality, and security. Galaxy S9 may come with 4GB RAM and 64GB internal memory, Galaxy S9+ comes with 6GB RAM and 128 internal memory.
Do you want to upgrade your smartphone and bring home a Samsung Smartphone, then you surely must be right. Samsung has always come up with brilliant deals and offers which never disappoint the buyers. If you further want some more discount ( which you sure will prefer) then simply log in to budli.in. Budli is the largest online store for refurbished products and it is very easy to upgrade your device here. There are wide range of products from smartphones to desktops and the best part is that they give amazing discounts which are hard to resist. Visit budli.in and grab your device today!!


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In recent years, efforts to develop the Next Big Thing — whether in medicine, computer technology, pollution prevention or high-performance materials — have turned to some really, really small things: nanomaterials.
What to do about the antidepressants, antibiotics, and other drugs in our water
There’s no way around it, the headlines are disturbing. And they come, not from tabloids or click-bait blogs, but from papers published in scientific journals. They describe fish and birds responding with altered behavior and reproductive systems to antidepressants, diabetes medication, and other psychoactive or hormonally active drugs at concentrations found in the environment. They report on opiods, amphetamines and…
Cotton, cashmere, chemicals … what really goes into making our clothes?
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has something to say about what you wear. While not a fashion arbiter and unable to advise on attire for family gatherings, the FTC oversees what appears on the labels inside your clothes. As the federal agency responsible for enforcing the Textile Products Identification Act and related laws, it makes sure clothing is accurately labeled…
What are we doing to our children’s brains?
The numbers are startling. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 1.8 million more children in the U.S. were diagnosed with developmental disabilities between 2006 and 2008 than a decade earlier. During this time, the prevalence of autism climbed nearly 300 percent, while that of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder increased 33 percent. CDC figures also show…
Banned in Europe, safe in the U.S.
In the United States, children can drink fruit juice beverages made with Red Dye No. 40 and eat macaroni and cheese colored with Yellow Dye No. 5 and No. 6. Yet in the U.K., these artificial colorings have been taken off the market due to health concerns, while in the rest of Europe, products that contain them must carry labels…

domain: news


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In 2020, the current generation of the Mercedes-Benz S-Class will pass the baton to a completely new generation and it is that very new flagship that has surfaced before the lens of espionage photographers today.
The current S-Class dates back to 2013 and has recently undergone a comprehensive facelift (see the test below). The top Mercedes is now in its last round according to the planning of Mercedes-Benz and that means that the test work with the new generation is already in full swing.
A new ‘Sonderklasse’ obviously brings a whole new set of tech with it. The current generation is capable of autonomous driving at level 2, but the new S-Class certainly needs to be at level 3 (at least). That still means keeping your hands on the steering wheel, although the car will drive itself if wanted in most situations.
Inside and out, we expect Mercedes-Benz to be inspired by the design of the Mercedes-Maybach Ultimate Luxury that the brand revealed in China in April this year. Expect the new S-Class on the market by 2020.


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CARTES Paris has traditionally been a resounding success for HID Global and CARTES 2013 was no exception. This year, booth attendees were consistently saying that it was the busiest the show has been for years with 2013 marking a major rejuvenation of the largest contactless technology-centric trade event in EMEA. This was certainly reflected at HID Global’s booth, where there was a constant stream of customers and prospects eager to gain in-depth insights about the new and innovative products and solutions we showcased under our “Create, Use and Manage Secure Identity” theme.
At the entrance of our booth, customers were greeted by HID Global’s latest solutions in our broad portfolio of secure card printers. Our new FARGO C50 entry-level printer is targeted for small- and medium-sized businesses as well as the leisure and retail market, opening new and exciting market opportunities for partners. Together, with refreshing our Direct-to-Card (DTC) printers, HID Global’s comprehensive line of card personalization solutions meet the broadest range of customer’s needs – from entry-level printers to highly sophisticated printer/encoder solutions.
Another important theme at our booth was “building trust in a mobile world,” which demonstrated how smartphones can be trusted for secure applications including opening doors and far beyond. HID Global’s portfolio addresses this conundrum with our mobile access solutions that are part of our iCLASS SE platform, powered by Seos. End-customers and prospects were abuzz with questions on how our iCLASS SE platform can empower them with a unique range of secure identity solutions, and they were very excited to hear about the plethora of applications it can support, including secure printing, mobile access, time and attendance and cashless payments.
In addition to hands-on demonstrations of our latest products and solutions, our CARTES speaking engagements were extremely well received. Attendees were eager to learn more about our latest innovations using NFC to authenticate documents, processes, and high-value assets from Daniel Bailin; the emergence of multi-functional PIV cards for today and tomorrow from Julian Lovelock; and how governments are embracing a more citizen-centric approach to secure ID issuance from Craig Sandness and Nils Wahlander.
As another year at CARTES drew to a close, we are all enthused and even more energized than ever to continue assisting customers and prospects in exploring all of the new and exciting possibilities Genuine HID products and solutions offer.


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Union calls on members to buy Irish
The State's largest union, Siptu, has today urged people to buy Irish products this Christmas.
In a statement, the National Executive Council of Siptu called on union members and their families to support jobs in Ireland by buying Irish.
Jack O'Connor, Siptu general president, said: “We know how hard pressed families will find it to make ends meet in these particularly difficult economic circumstances and they will rightly be looking for value for money.
"But if value for money is to be found in Irish goods and services, retail businesses have a responsibility to ensure that the purchase of Irish products is not disadvantaged competitively by price mark ups to enhance profit margins excessively.”
He continued: “Buying Irish this Christmas is in the national interest in a very definite economic sense as well as being patriotic. The cost of not doing so is far greater than the short term benefit from any particular price differential."
Mr O'Connor added: "The cost in jobs lost would only exacerbate the worsening tax/social welfare burden now being experienced.
“Every Irish job lost as a consequence would, in addition, result in further reductions in consumer expenditure in those same retail outlets."
Earlier this month, Lord Mayor of Dublin Eibhlin Byrne urged people to do their Christmas shopping in the capital.
“I would be concerned that if we don’t promote Dublin shopping the likes of Grafton Street will diminish. I would encourage people to show civic patriotism and make a special effort to do some focused shopping in the city,” she said.


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India-Bangladesh sign Inland Water Transit and Trade Protocol
On May 20, 2020, India and Bangladesh signed the second Addendum of the Inland Water Transit and Trade Protocol in Bangladesh.
Under the new protocol, the countries can ply on designated protocol route. Also, movement of shallow draft mechanized vessels have been allowed between Dhubri (India) and Chilmari (Bangladesh). This is being considered as path breaking development. This will help in export of Bhutanese cargo, stone chips and North East Cargo to Bangladesh. The step will increase economy of Bangladesh and lower Assam.
Under the new addendum signed, the number of Indo Bangladesh Protocol routes are being increased from 8 to 10.
Currently there are 6 ports that are operated under the protocol. Now with the new agreement, five more ports of call have been included. The inclusion of Jogigopha will help in connectivity with Meghalaya, Bhutan and Assam
The inland water transit is important for India to transport food grains, agricultural products, fertilizers, containerized cargo and cement. The major export cargo from India to Bangladesh is fly ash. India exports around 30 lakh metric tonnes of fly ash to Bangladesh in a year. It is to be noted that recently environmentalists raised concerns of fly ash barges sinking in Hooghly river.
Month: Current Affairs - May, 2020


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Backbone magazine is going digital!
We are proud to announce the launch of the first online edition of Backbone Magazine. Besides the annual print production, Backbone will now have two extra digital issues per year. We hope you will enjoy reading it as much as we did making it. Check it out now! www.backbonemagazine.com


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You can have an Audi Q-model in almost any size. And those after a city-slicker with off-road ambitions will take delight in the forthcoming Q1. Products like the Ford EcoSport are pioneering this niche segment. And the German automakers have no plans to leave this piece of the market untouched.
Audi announced that the development of the Q1 is underway. Production is set to begin in 2016 at their Ingolstadt plant. Underpinning the baby SUV is the Volkswagen Group’s modular transverse platform. The manufacturer has high hopes: according to the marketing folks, by 2020 they would have had expanded their range from the current 49 to more than 60 models.
They’re hoping to reach total sales of more than two million units a year by then. By making accessibility into the marque easier; there’s little doubt that they’ll achieve the number they’re aiming for. The Q-range of SUVs are doing rather well for Audi. This year Audi delivered around 195 000 units of their Q5 to customers worldwide. And overall; Audi’s managed more than 1.5 million Q-models since the launch of the Q7 back in 2006.


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The United Auto Workers (UAW) have begun a threatened strike against
Chrysler LLC, the second UAW strike against an American automobile
company in the last three weeks. Multiple sources, including CNN and
The New York Times, report that workers have left the factories and are
setting up picket lines outside work sites. The union and Chrysler have
been negotiating a new four-year contract. The strike affects more than
45,000 workers at 24 manufacturing plants and 22 other facilities
spread across 14 states. However, five facilities in Michigan,
Delaware, and Illinois are being exempted from the strike, as they have
previously been tagged for shutdown by the company. Negotiations are
expected to continue during the walkout.
All contents copyright 2020 Halcyon Business Publications, Inc.


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Elle celebrates 21 years with Versace as guest editor
LONDON - Hachette Filipacchi UK's fashion magazine Elle is launching a special collectors' issue, guest-edited by Donatella Versace to celebrate its 21st birthday and featuring Drew Barrymore being interviewed by 'Charlie's Angels' co-star Cameron Diaz.
The 462-page issue, out today, will feature Barrymore on the cover, interviewed inside by Diaz, and featured again in a 10-page picture portfolio shot by Elle photographer Mark Seliger.
As part of the launch, Elle has secured 26 one-off pieces from the world's top designers, including Mulberry, Dior, Versace, Burberry, Armani, Dolce & Gabbana and Prada, to be auctioned on eBay to raise money for the Breast Health Institute -- a charity dedicated to breast cancer research and treatment.
Elle's original cover girl Yasmin le Bon, wife of Duran Duran singer Simon, models some of the designer pieces created for the charity auction.
Lorraine Candy, Elle editor-in-chief, said: "This iconic fashion monthly is all about how you wear it, not what you wear and that holds true for young women as much today as 21 years ago. It was an honour having Donatella so involved in the issue and she brought some big names to the magazine."
Earlier this year, Hachette Filipacchi UK launched Elle Collections, a guide to the coming season's catwalk collections, with a print run of 50,000.
Former Cosmopolitan editor Candy took over as editor of Elle two years ago as the magazine launched its handbag-sized edition in central London and airport and station outlets.
If you have an opinion on this or any other issue raised on Brand Republic, join the debate in the Forum.
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Airbnb is trying to win on brand with a reduced reliance on Google while the smaller Vrbo embraced YouTube big-time, and will spend, spend, spend to advantage.
Vacation rental brand Vrbo has seemingly made significant gains, even over the larger Airbnb, in recent months, but it was steep advertising spend that bolstered those gains as Vrbo outspent Airbnb 10-fold in U.S. advertising during the first two months of 2021.
In other words, Vrbo bought a lot of traffic, overwhelmingly through online video, including Google’s YouTube, raising the question whether Vrbo’s boost is sustainable.
In the chart below, you’ll see that Vrbo spent an estimated $91 million — with $82.6 million of that for online video — in U.S. advertising in January and February, the latest statistics available, according to Kantar Media.
Airbnb, on the other hand, spent merely one-tenth of Vrbo’s level, namely $9 million during that timespan. Airbnb’s advertising outlays tilted toward television, with $4.8 million in spend, and the short-term rental brand shelled out $3.9 million for search engine marketing, likely mostly with Google.
Online Travel U.S. Advertising Spend January-February 2021
|Brand||Total Brand Spend|
Source: Kantar Media
Asked about Vrbo’s marketing strategy, an Expedia Group spokesperson said: “Our marketing strategies are specific to the brand and geography, and while we can’t share specifics, we are seeing positive growth across all of our alternative accommodation brands in our top performing markets. In the coming weeks, we’re launching new marketing initiatives aimed at continuing to attract hosts to our platforms. These initiatives will roll out across a variety of mediums.”
Airbnb declined to comment on these advertising trends.
These advertising trends may have shifted in the interim. Airbnb launched its largest global advertising campaign in the last handful of years in late February. Expedia.com — not sister brand Vrbo — likewise is debuting its biggest advertising campaign in five years.
The backdrop to Vrbo’s advertising blitz is the gains it has made starting last year following the advent of the coronavirus pandemic when travelers avoided hotels in cities, and checked into vacation rentals and other short-term rentals in non-urban locales.
“Vrbo is likely the best performing brand in travel, with search traffic up
15 percent year over year, outperforming the more global Airbnb,” an April 20 AB Bernstein research note stated.
The chart shows that Vrbo’s free search traffic in Google increased 15 percent year over year in the first quarter of 2021 while Airbnb’s organic traffic was down double digits.
But during this period, or for at least for the first two months of the quarter, Vrbo’s advertising budget was 10 times larger than Airbnb’s. Although Bernstein’s numbers were for organic traffic, advertising spend certainly boosts brand awareness and can often spur more queries of the free variety.
Richard Clarke, AB Bernstein managing director, told Skift Vrbo is making gains because it has the right mix, including its focus on the U.S., where it gets more than 65 percent of its revenue, whole homes, and more rural locations.
“However, they (Vrbo) are clearly investing behind this — trying to get the brand engrained,” Clarke said. “It shows that likely they don’t expect the same flywheel, if Airbnb does really have a flywheel.”
The competition between global short-term rental market leader Airbnb and the smaller and U.S.-oriented Vrbo is certainly picking up.
Marketing spend levels among Airbnb, Expedia Group, and Booking.com are a flash point. Airbnb has vowed to downsize its paid marketing through Google, arguing, as it did before becoming a public company last year, that the strength of its global brand would spur direct traffic, and be a key advantage over rivals.
Asked in March about Airbnb’s new global advertising campaign and whether Vrbo would mimic for its new host recruitment plan, in which it is trying to steal Airbnb super hosts, Cyril Ranque, president of Expedia’s Travel Partner Group, said Vrbo wouldn’t launch such an advertising blitz. “For us, it is not so much marketing but actual fact,” Ranque said.
Skift pointed out at the time in a news story that Vrbo had indeed been spending substantial amounts on U.S. TV commercials in early January. It turned out that Vrbo indeed spent nearly $91 million on advertising during the first two months of 2021 — although the advertising blitz was not tied to host recruitment.
It is interesting to note that Vrbo, according to Kantar Media, spent more than any other online travel brand in the United States during the first couple of months of the year. Vrbo’s $91.8 million in U.S. advertising spend dwarfed the budgets of Europe-heavy Booking.com ($48.8 million), Vrbo sister brand Expedia.com ($38.1 million), and Tripadvisor ($34.9 million).
Lean Away From Google? Nope
Major travel brands, including Expedia, Booking.com, and Tripadvisor have all been talking about reducing their dependence on Google advertising before and during the pandemic, but the Kantar Media numbers showed those inclinations have been tossed aside during the current crisis. They’ve all been relying overwhelmingly on paid search engine marketing, presumably most of it with Google.
The big exception to the search engine marketing trend in the U.S. during the first two months of the year was Vrbo, which went big in online video — but Google’s YouTube got a major chunk of those dollars.
Some would say that keeping Google advertising at arm’s length will have to await a post-crisis period.
Have a confidential tip for Skift? Get in touch
Photo credit: Vrbo spent big time in early 2020, reaching consumers through YouTube advertising, in many, cases seen on mobile phones. Luis Alvarez / Getty


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The Tenant Farmers Association (TFA) has apologised for failing to support dairy farmers sooner in their protests over plummeting milk prices.
Stephen Wyrill, TFA national chairman, said the organisation had not taken action soon enough to back the industry as it tackled processors and retailers.
Speaking at the Farmers For Action (FFA) meeting in Market Drayton on Thursday (16 July), Mr Wyrill said farmer organisations needed to put pressure on processors and supermarkets and be prepared for the possibility of direct action.
Responding to audience criticism over the lack of support from the TFA and the NFU for protests in the past, Mr Wyrill said: “We apologise. We haven’t stood up soon enough.
“This is the time we need to discuss what actions we take. “If we are going to do this, then it’s together,” he added. “If everyone joins in then it will have momentum.”
“We apologise. We haven’t stood up soon enough.”
Stephen Wyrill, TFA
Mr Wyrill said the TFA had been working with The Royal Association of British Dairy Farmers, NFU and NFUS, FFA and the Country Land and Business Association to address the crisis, and that no one was prepared to sit back.
‘No silver bullet’
“There’s no silver bullet and we should have started this a long time ago, but our aim is to find a stable situation.
“We have got a lot of milk in the UK and Europe, but that doesn’t mean to say we can feed 70 million people with the milk we are producing.
“We have too much milk powder, butter and cheese coming in and down-grading our products.
“We have free trade, but there comes a point where domestic markets and businesses are being ruined by having it.”
Rob Harrison, NFU dairy board chairman, said the union did not have a problem with peaceful protests, provided attempts at negotiation had been made.
“They need to be targeted in the right manner and we need to make sure the right discussions happen as well,” he said.
“We are clear in we want to achieve and don’t see a problem with advertising [protests] to our members if we have reason to go there.”


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By Doron Levin
FORTUNE -- The 2015 A3 sedan soon arriving at U.S. dealerships will offer a key option not available in the other models in Audi's lineup -- or, in fact, any vehicle now on sale: 4G LTE.
As the first vehicle with 4G LTE connectivity, the A3 portends an automotive era in which drivers and passengers will stream video, audio and use a wide variety of apps that weren't possible with 3G. Other Audi models may offer the higher-speed Internet in a year or so, the company says. General Motors Co. (GM) has announced that it will begin to offer broadband in its models later this year; others are expected to follow.
The feature is being offered first on Audi's lowest-priced model, which starts in price at about $30,000, because younger and entry-level shoppers are expected to have more interest in advanced connectivity than shoppers for larger, more expensive Audi models, such as the A8 sedan.
Good-bye, FM radio. Hello, House of Cards. The A3's navigation system will enable operation of Google Earth and Google Street View, allowing drivers to view destinations, buildings, and landmarks on the car's display as photographs rather than as representations on maps.
When searching points of interest in navigation mode, drivers with 4G connectivity will be able to use Google's (GOOG) search function in the same manner as on a laptop or tablet.
Car-based Internet represents the next logical step for a digital technology that has become increasingly ubiquitous in homes and hotels, on airline flights, and at retail establishments like Starbucks (SBUX). At the same time, broadband in cars could also pose an additional distraction to drivers who already are using smartphones to navigate, text, and conduct phone conversations. Carmakers are bracing for criticism and, possibly, regulatory pushback.
Filip Brabec, Audi program manager, said "4G LTE in the car is an opportunity for the people who are coming along for the ride to have a seamless data connection and the ability to enjoy much more content on their devices. All the services in the car also naturally get a lot faster."
The service will provide a new revenue source for Audi, as well as for its partner, AT&T (T), which have agreed to split revenue generated from car-based broadband. After a six-month trial period, AT&T will charge A3 owners $99 for 6 gigabytes of data over a six-month period or $499 for 30 gigabytes of data over a 30-month period. Audi says the cost averages to about $16 a month.
Brabec noted that "digital technology and innovation is moving much faster than automotive." Thus, the usual four to five years between new vehicle introductions is too long to wait to introduce infotainment features that carbuyers want now. Audi said the new A3 sedan is the first with a self-contained module that holds the hardware and software needed for broadband and other infotainment systems. Previous systems were designed within an electronic network throughout the car and, therefore, were impractical to replace until the entire vehicle was redesigned.
With the new module, Brabec said, Audi will gain the capability of introducing entirely new digital features -- if it wishes -- in a 2016 A3, without other major changes to the car.
The automotive industry appears on the brink of being driven as much by bandwidth as by horsepower.
And that's a very good sign for the automakers.
By Doron Levin
FORTUNE -- The Newport Beach, Calif. periodontist who trades regularly among the latest Mercedes, BMW, and Lexus sedans is typical of a client that prefers to lease, rather than to buy, vehicles. Now her assistant, who keeps his Honda Civic for a long stretch, is leasing as well.
The recovering U.S. auto market has been characterized, in part, by a MOREJul 22, 2013 10:37 AM ET
All-electric cars are being shunned in favor of hybrids.
By Michael Fitzpatrick
FORTUNE -- Japan -- a leader in the development of electrically powered vehicles -- has largely failed to fall for so-called EVs.
Not that the Japanese don't care about CO2 emissions. Millions of dollars have been spent by the state to promote greener alternatives to the internal combustion engine, while hybrid car purchases remain the highest in the world. Last MOREJun 3, 2013 11:34 AM ET
The growth of the Chinese auto market, once a playground only for the wealthy, is being fueled more and more by consumers who aren't elite. At the same time, the rich are buying more luxury than ever before.
By Doron Levin
FORTUNE -- Back in the day when Toyota (TM) and the rest of Japan Inc. appeared on the verge of capsizing U.S. automakers and suppliers, industry figures dutifully boarded airliners MOREApr 18, 2013 10:41 AM ET
A quibble between two of the world's most successful automakers.
By Doron Levin
FORTUNE -- Ford Motor Company can't be faulted for bragging that it sells more of a single car model, the compact Ford Focus, than any automaker in the world -- even if the claim is debatable, given Toyota's rebuttal that its Corolla compact is the true champ.
The number of cars separating the two models isn't that large. Which MOREApr 15, 2013 11:47 AM ET
Korean auto giant Hyundai is still surging, but conflict at home could curb its growth.
By Doron Levin
FORTUNE -- The remarkable rise in popularity of Hyundai and sister brand Kia with U.S. car buyers has largely unfolded over the past few years against a backdrop of calm on the Korean peninsula. As tensions rise in the manufacturer's homeland, some are asking how unrest might affect Hyundai's surging global business.
The prospect MOREApr 4, 2013 7:22 AM ET
Rumors of the automobile's demise are persistent but wrong. A review of Paul Ingrassia's Engines of Change: A History of the American Dream in Fifteen Cars.
By Alex Taylor III, senior editor-at-large
FORTUNE -- It has become an all-too familiar trope for the lazy writer or overworked editor: The American love affair with the automobile is over. The evidence for this assertion is usually shallow, and its half-life fleeting: a dip MOREMay 11, 2012 7:42 AM ET
This fall business travel comes in a new flavor of recession-proof: high style. Rental shops on both coasts harbor every form of extreme machine, from green to gas-guzzling.
By Sue Callaway, contributor
An oxymoronic truism of the times is that indulgence these days is best experienced in moderation. So it should come as no surprise that the business of renting expensive sheet metal is booming. Ken Kerzner, managing partner of Midway Car MORESep 2, 2010 3:00 AM ET
|Regulators pave way for Internet "fast lane" with net neutrality rules|
|GM's $1.3 billion recall cost wipes out profit|
|Taxpayers are subsidizing CEO pay - The Buzz|
|Coffee prices skyrocket after Brazil drought - The Buzz|
|Female gun instructors in hot demand|


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Twitter rolls out inline image and Vine previews to iOS, Android, and web
Dell officially turns into a private company again Wednesday
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Events / Causes
March 8, 2021
Many luxury brands have used International Women's Day to highlight new initiatives and programs being implemented to elevate women. Image credit: Net-A-Porter
By Luxury Daily News Service
Several luxury brands are celebrating International Women’s Day 2021 by highlighting new initiatives and programs designed to support women.
Share your thoughts. Click here


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Gifts That Keep Giving
First impressions count. For my wedding in May, the gifts I received from the online arm of department store Marshall Field's, Fields.com, came wrapped in stylish white paper with matching bows and elegant greeting cards. And when a coffee mug arrived chipped, Field's dispatched another in a snap. Other e-tailers botched delivery, sending gifts late, without a card, or unwrapped. As my bride said, ever so delicately, "They sucked"--which made Fields.com look that much better. I had never bought from the site before, but now I'm hooked.
That's why the online gift business should matter to e-tailers. If done right, it can attract not one but two sources of future sales. A satisfied buyer is likely to return. And if the recipient is pleased, she may try out the site as well. Another reason it should matter: Gift giving is big business. Nearly 60% of cyber-shoppers will buy presents online this year, spending some $13 billion, according to Forrester Research Inc. And gift buyers are better customers: Last year, they laid out an average of $1,141 online, compared with $833 that typical Web shoppers spent. "I don't like to go to the mall for gifts," says Dawn Monfries, a busy mother of two. Buying presents online "is a huge convenience."
Convenient or not, customers will buy only if the total experience is good. That's why Fields scored so big with me. Everything about receiving presents from the site felt special. "It's important for people to feel like they're getting a gift and not a UPS box wrapped in brown paper," says Forrester analyst Carrie Johnson. "Otherwise, they might as well be getting pet food."
Savvy sites know gifts aren't just puppy chow, so they woo recipients with a taste of their products. Luxury goods e-tailer Ashford.com Inc. inserts a brochure showcasing products at the site along with a 20%-off coupon. Targeting gift recipients helped push sales from $30 million in 1999 to $65 million last year, says Kim A. Richard, Ashford's vice-president for marketing. "More often than not," she says, "recipients check us out and buy."
Here's the caveat: Some recipients feel that pamphlets and coupons taint the gift. You can market, just don't let the promo overwhelm the present. On Secretaries Day, 1-800-Flowers.com Inc. slipped an unobtrusive note in bouquets sent to secretaries reminding them that Boss's Day was coming up. Nearly 10%--far higher than the 1% or 2% typical of direct mail--bought a gift. "We believe [recipients] are fertile ground," says Joe Pittito, a 1-800 vice-president. "But it has to be handled with care."
The key is to make sure people find nothing but pleasure in their gift boxes. Hallmark.com, for example, has dropped sugar cookies into its gifts. With its flowers, it sometimes includes a classical CD. "You can't be blatant," says John W. Sullivan, senior vice-president of e-commerce for Hallmark Cards Inc. "You want to romance them." Hallmark's romancing helped boost Mother's Day orders this year by 165% over last year, Sullivan says.
The bow on the package for e-tailers is that targeting gift recipients can cut costs. Online merchants spend anywhere from $25 to $100 to land a new customer, says analyst Kenneth R. Cassar of Net researcher Jupiter Media Metrix Inc. By marketing to gift recipients, merchants avoid the biggest expense: acquiring customer names and mailing the promotion. They simply drop the promo in a box that's already headed out the door. They only pay for the coupon or cookie--usually less than $1 per customer. "It's critical that merchants think like this," Cassar says. Remember, all it took for Fields.com to nab me was some pretty white paper, a few ribbons, and a little punctuality.


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Sprint Corp. plans to lay off 2,000 more employees as part of its companywide cost-cutting efforts, its chief executive officer said Monday.
Marcelo Claure, who gained the top post 85 days ago, said the cuts come on top of 687 layoffs announced last month in Sprint’s network and information technology groups. Those jobs were in Reston, Va., and at its Overland Park headquarters, where 452 were let go.
In a call with analysts after Sprint released its quarterly financial results, Claure said, “While we have announced some reductions, our cost structure analysis indicates that regrettably we need to make some additional reductions.
“Today, we’re announcing we’ll be eliminating approximately 2,000 additional positions from our workforce. While difficult, this move is necessary for Sprint to compete in the marketplace.”
Sprint said it expected to save $1.5 billion a year from its cost-cutting campaign, including $400 million in labor costs. The job cuts began with 33,000 on Sprint’s payrolls, including 7,500 in the Kansas City area.
Sprint’s quarterly results unveiled Monday showed it gained subscribers overall but continued to lose high-quality phone customers who generate the most revenue. The result was a $765 million net loss and a 3.4 percent drop in total revenues during the quarter.
In an interview with The Kansas City Star, Claure said a letter notified employees Monday of the pending job cuts that will come from throughout the company’s operations and its footprint across the country. Managers have the lists of the employees who will be notified in the next few weeks.
“It’s pretty much everything. We have done a review of every single area in the business, ranging from the engineering group to the administrative side,” Claure said.
Managers had been told to identify — in jobs and budgets — the “bare minimum” needed to run the company, he said.
Claure said the job cuts and other budget cuts are needed because Sprint’s costs are “out of whack” with the rest of the industry.
“It’s been a difficult experience for a lot of people, but it’s one that’s strictly necessary to continue with a strong Sprint,” he said.
At the same time, Claure said Sprint will reopen a call center on its headquarters campus by hiring 200 customer service representatives and enlarge the operation further. It will include callbacks of some employees who worked in Sprint’s Overland Park call center that closed earlier this year.
Claure said call center employees at the headquarters would see the thousands of other employees on the campus and, as a result, do a better job than those far away from the company’s operations. He made the decision after listening to customer care calls when he first joined Sprint.
“It bothered me that we had offshored a lot of the customer care, and I’m going to start a new trend,” Claure said.
Claure, however, said consumers probably won’t be bothered should Sprint slip from being the third-largest national wireless carrier. His counterpart at No. 4 T-Mobile US Inc. has said T-Mobile would surpass Sprint by the end of this year. Claure said it probably would mean more to Sprint employees, who he said have humbled him by how hard they’re working.
In the earnings report Monday, which came after the stock market’s close, Sprint said it continued to shed the most valuable kind of customers, those who traditionally have signed contracts for phone service. It lost 336,000 of these customers in the recently ended quarter.
Total connections to its network increased by 484,000 thanks to gains mostly from its wholesale business, which generates less revenue for Sprint.
Sprint ended September with 55.04 million subscribers, compared with 54.55 million in the previous quarter and 54.88 in the same period a year earlier, its announcement said. The report covered July, August and September, which is the second quarter of Sprint’s fiscal year that began April 1.
Revenues in the quarter were $8.49 billion, compared with $8.79 billion in the previous quarter.
Sprint suffered a net loss of $765 million, or 19 cents a share, after posting a profit of $23 million a quarter ago.
Claure, a billionaire Miami businessman, moved to Kansas City to lead Sprint, which is 80 percent owned by Tokyo-based SoftBank Corp. He has begun a companywide cost review, dramatically changed marketing plans and made adding customers his priority.
“We have started a transformational journey,” Claure said in the announcement. “While the company continues to face headwinds, we have begun the first phase of our plan and are encouraged with the early results. Every day we are focused on improving our standing with consumers, improving our network and controlling our costs.”
During the call with analysts, Claure said the strategy work continues as well as his efforts to build a new management team. He told The Star that some additions to and subtractions from the current management team would be announced next week.
The team will draw from within Sprint’s ranks and from outside the company. Sprint recently added SoftBank executive Junichi Miyakawa to its payroll as technical chief operating officer overseeing its network and technology efforts. Claure said that Miyakawa was moving to the Kansas City area and that he would welcome additional SoftBank crossovers.
Analyst Craig Moffett with MoffettNathanson Research said in a report on the quarterly results that those trends and recent price cuts are just starting to hit Sprint’s finances, and that “the worst is yet to come even if subscriber trends get a little better.”
Sprint said its new pricing plans, which are simpler and offer better value to customers, helped attract customers in September and October. Executives said they expected to boost the number of those high-value customers, with plans including phone and tablet connections, during the fourth quarter of the year but were not ready to say they will be adding more high-value phone customers in the final three months of 2014.
Claure also said that the efforts won’t change Sprint’s fortunes quickly and would even hurt it financially in the short term before making the company more successful in the long run.
Roger Entner, an analyst with Recon Analytics LLC in Dedham, Mass., said before the earnings release: “Most wireless carriers are like supertankers: It takes a while to turn them around. With a new captain on board, there might be more urgency than before.”


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Samsung were more than pleased to announce today that their brand new flagship device, the Samsung Galaxy S4 had sold 10 million units within the first month alone. To celebrate that impressive milestone they’re planning to introduce more colour variations to meet various consumer tastes and preferences which are planned to launch in the Summer.
The Samsung Galaxy S4 has to be one of the most leaked devices I’ve ever seen, it was also one of the most anticipated devices to come from Samsing. Since it’s launch it’s proved to be stupidly popular. It’s so popular we’re still in the queue for a review handset..
To put the handsets popularity into perspective sales of the GALAXY S3 reached the 10-million mark 50 days after its launch in 2012, while the GALAXY S2 took five months and the GALAXY S seven months to reach the same milestone. Granted, since the first Samsung Galaxy S the Android OS and Samsung’s flagship devices have become more widely known and trusted.
In addition to the currently available White Mist and Black Forest, new colours will be added this summer, including Blue Arctic and Red Aurora (pictured), followed by Purple Mirage and Brown Autumn.


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State launches website to help parents find formula
Copyright © 2022 Albuquerque Journal
A digital clearinghouse for information on the current infant formula shortage has been launched by the state of New Mexico.
NMformula.org is a comprehensive site offering information on where infant formula may be available. It also provides information on community resources such as local health boards, paediatricians, food pantries and support organizations.
The website connects people to the crowdsourcing Facebook page, NM Infant Formula Support Network, created by the Early Childhood Education and Care Department, as well as the Human Milk Repository of New Mexico, an accredited milk bank that collects donations from breast milk, filters it for safety and sells that milk to eligible families.
In a statement announcing the creation of the website, Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham said she encourages “all eligible families to enroll in the New Mexico Women Infant and Children (WIC) or Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) for help during this shortage. » Information on these programs is also available there.
The launch of NMformula.org comes in the wake of a shortage of powdered infant formula that began two years ago, following pandemic-related supply chain disruptions and hoarding of supplies available to consumers. Shortages have worsened in recent months after Cronobacter bacteria were discovered at the facilities of Abbott Laboratories in Sturgis, Michigan, which is one of four companies that produce about 90% of the U.S. formula, according to Food. and Drug Administration of the United States.
Infant formulas produced at the Abbott plant include those under the Similac brand names, Similac PM 60/40, Alimentum and EleCare products.
The bacteria outbreak has been linked to two infant deaths since February, but the FDA reported last week that seven other infant deaths were linked to the Abbott facility dating back to September 2021. The FDA also said that she had filed 25 “life-threatening illnesses/injuries” and 80 “non-life-threatening illnesses/injuries” complaints as a result of the contamination of infant formula.
The Abbott plant, closed since February, reopened on June 4 only to have to close again on June 13 after heavy rain caused flooding in parts of the manufacturing plant.


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TOKYO (CBS.MW) -- Japan's NTT DoCoMo said Monday it will launch the world's first commercial third-generation mobile communications service on Oct. 1, initially in Tokyo.
Since May, when the 3G service's originally intended launch was postponed, DoCoMo has been testing the service on a trial basis among 4,500 corporate and individual users in the Japanese capital. The October launch is pending government approval, which is expected.
Technical glitches reported during the trial period have included software bugs, battery burnout and unstable connections, but DoCoMo executives said that 90 percent of the 448 problem cases have been resolved and the rest should be taken cares of by the time the time of the launch.
Mobile 3G technology allows users to transmit data, visual images and music over the Internet at speeds roughly 40 times faster than existing wireless technology.
DoCoMo NTDMY will expand its geographic coverage by the end of the year to key metropolitan areas on Japan's main island of Honshu; next spring the service is slated to be available nationwide, from Hokkaido to Kyushu islands.
Services will also be rolled out gradually, beginning with a video-clip service over the company's popular Net-based I-mode offering. Video, music and international roaming services will be added next year.
The carrier is targeting corporate users in particular, and a range of monthly rates apply depending on the desired service. For data-only services (no voice), the basic monthly charge is 2,200 yen ($18.25). The monthly charge for the most comprehensive plan is 15,000 yen. DoCoMo said it aims to better align billing units, currently 10 yen for every 30 seconds, to charges adopted in Europe and the U.S.
3G mobile handsets are likely to be expensive, priced at 50,000 yen ($420), the Nihon Keizai business daily reported over the weekend.
DoCoMo anticipates 150,000 customers will sign up for 3G by next March. By March 2004, the company expects to be able to cover 97 percent of Japan's population. It will spend some 1 trillion yen over this three-year period on capital investments.
DoCoMo CEO Keiji Tachikawa told reporters the company should break even some time in the third year, when it should have 6 million 3G subscribers. Tachikawa said he expects the service will be profitable in its fourth year, and that DoCoMo will be able to eliminate accumulated losses on it in year five.
Shares of DoCoMo (9437) plunged 5.5 percent to 1.38 million yen, down 29 percent since the start of 2001 and off 33.2 percent from the 2.066 million yen at which it issued new shares earlier this year.
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Americans can order live chickens, ladybugs, knives, and flamethrowers delivered right to our doors—some in just a few hours with Amazon! But a person can’t legally order a bottle of wine from California and have it shipped to Kentucky. You also can’t call a brewery in Oregon and have them ship a six-pack to Rhode Island. In fact, having any out-of-state alcohol delivered to Utah is a felony crime. Why?
Today’s alcohol-shipping laws
America’s alcohol-shipping laws are often described—politely—as confusing. But they’re not so much confusing, experts say, as they are varied and complex. Many of America’s alcohol laws were written after the 21st amendment repealed Prohibition in the 1930s—and that includes our shipping laws. That amendment left shipping regulation up to individual states, who all came up with laws at a time long before FedEx and UPS. But the Supreme Court’s decision to take up a wine-shipping case (Tennessee Wine & Spirits Retailers Association v. Byrd) next session means interstate alcohol shipment is as current a topic as ever.
“You’re dealing with 50 different countries, basically,” is how Dave Dobrow, vice president of business development and marketing for Copper Peak Logistics, a direct-to-consumer wine-shipping company, explains to me.
That means that right now, each state is able to determine what permits are necessary for a supplier (winery, brewery, distillery) to sell or ship goods within their borders. Some states require a business to have a physical presence in that state before they can begin shipping alcohol there; others are less or more restrictive.
Utah, Kentucky, and Mississippi are three of the most restrictive states when it comes to alcohol shipping. As mentioned above, it is a felony to ship alcohol directly to consumers in Utah. In Kentucky, shipping carriers won’t deliver alcohol to consumers because it’s too much effort to sort out which counties are “dry” and which are “wet.” In Mississippi, direct shipping is flat-out prohibited by law. States with some of the least restrictive alcohol-shipping laws include Alaska, Florida, Minnesota, and the District Of Columbia, where no special permits are required to ship to consumers.
If you want to get specific, check out this handy state-by-state guide from The Wine Institute, a California wine trade group, and Compli, an alcohol compliance services company. Penalties for breaking such laws range from fines to, in the most severe cases, a revocation of a business’ federal alcohol license.
Those laws, though, have been interpreted as applying not just to businesses that want to sell wine, but to individuals, too—which is why I can’t legally ship my brother in New York a bottle of beer brewed here in Montana. The United States Postal Service won’t ship alcohol, period; FedEx and UPS require special agreements for such exchanges, and can “dispose of” any sneaky booze shipments. These carriers would have to suspect there’s alcohol in your box in order to dispose of it, so some individuals are able to get away with occasionally sending a beer to a friend in another state. But making a habit, or a business of it, and you could find yourself in hot water.
“It’s not kosher,” Jeff Carroll, chief product officer at Compli, warns me. “State laws, the way they’re written, are that shipping is presumed to be prohibited unless it’s stated to be allowed.”
Could they change?
The question on people’s minds in 2018 is whether the upcoming Supreme Court case could majorly alter the fundamentals of alcohol-shipping laws. The answer is yes, and no.
“It certainly has the ability to change the landscape,” Carroll says. “It’s hard to get out the crystal ball and think of what the justices could do. They could take it very narrowly within this specific issue… or they could also expand it to a broader assessment of the three-tier system.”
The three-tier system, by the way, was put into place after Prohibition and refers to the three major groups within alcohol laws: Producers (breweries, wineries, distilleries), wholesalers/distributors, and retailers (wine shops, bottle shops, grocery stores). In essence, it requires that producers sell alcohol to wholesalers who sell it to retailers, who are the only group permitted to sell to consumers. (Some exceptions exist, but we won’t get into all those here.)
Back to Tennessee Wine & Spirits Retailers Association v. Byrd—this case challenges Tennessee’s requirement that a retailer or wholesaler prove residency for a certain period of time before legally selling booze there (Wine Spectator has a longer explanation of this case). So if ruled narrowly, the Court could just take up the issue of residency requirements. But some in the industry are crossing their fingers the Supreme Court will rule on whether banning out-of-state retailers is itself unconstitutional.
What this means, though, isn’t that the whole three-tier system crumbles. Even if the court ruled broadly, Carroll says, “that doesn’t change anything overnight.” If state laws were deemed unconstitutional, those legislators would be tasked with creating new alcohol-shipping and -selling laws.
“Some states would certainly level up [become more restrictive], some states would certainly level down [become less restrictive] and it would certainly be an interesting process,” Carroll says.
Perhaps even more interesting is what a Supreme Court ruling could mean for imported wine. Companies can, as of October, ship wine direct-to-consumer in 46 states, Carroll tells me, but that only applies to wine made in the U.S.
“So from a consumer standpoint, they can get American wines. They’ll have a really hard time getting a wine from France or Australia [imported to a different state],” Carroll explains.
The upcoming case has the potential to change that—which is why lovers of French Champagne and Spanish verdejo should keep an eye on it. But if you’re expecting to wake up after the Supreme Court decision and start shipping booze all willy-nilly, you’ll be in for a reality check. States will still be able to craft their own laws, and those laws won’t just allow anyone and everyone to ship booze.
“The consumer thinks ‘Why I can’t just have wine delivered like a pair of shoes from Amazon?’” Dobrow says. “But alcohol isn’t just something you can toss on the porch and run. In the next two years, from my perspective, I see the compliance and regulatory people being very, very busy.”


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A report released yesterday shows that the Port of San Diego plays a critical role in San Diego County’s economic rebound by pumping more than $7.6 billion a year into the region from employment, sales, and purchases of goods and services. The report is based on 2013, the most recent year for which data is available.
“The data confirms the Port of San Diego is a powerful regional economic engine with substantial benefits reaching far and wide,” commented Board of Port Commissioners Chairman Dan Malcolm. “As we plan ahead, our goal is to find opportunities for additional economic growth, balanced with public open space and continued investment in the future of the tidelands and the region.”
Key tenants for the port includes the marine cargo terminals, the convention center and the cruise terminals.
Although cruise calls declined from a high in 2008 of 255 to 2013, when 77 ships stopped in San Diego, the forecast is for more ships to be calling in the next few years (as the Mexican Riviera market rebounds).
According to the report, passengers and crew spent $20.1 million on personal consumption expenditures, and the cruise lines $11.1 million in San Diego in 2013. About $4 million of the cruise line and passenger/crew expenditure were estimated to have been spent in the immediate port district.
The analysis, completed by Economic and Planning Systems, Inc., an economics consulting company, and commissioned by the port, breaks down the overall economic impact of the port into two categories, direct impact and secondary impact, the latter including both indirect and induced effects. The port’s direct economic impact grew 8 percent and jobs grew 9 percent in two years. The direct economic impact is derived from sales, employment, and operating expenditures (purchases of goods and services) occurring on port-managed property.
Secondary impacts comprise the “ripple” effects from the direct impacts and includes both indirect impact, representing spending on goods and services required to run Port businesses, and induced effects, representing employee spending on consumer goods and services.
According to the report, more than 33,000 jobs are located on tidelands, generating more than $4.4 billion in direct economic output. This represents an 8 percent increase in direct economic impact over the previous analysis completed using 2011 data. The number of jobs has also increased to 33,356 in 2013, a 9 percent gain.


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Inside Estee Lauder’s Black Friday weekend war room
As legacy beauty brands struggle to compete with the onslaught of younger, digitally savvy companies like Glossier and e.l.f., navigating the holiday sales period online has become even more important.
This year, the Estée Lauder Companies ramped up its digital efforts for the Black Friday shopping holiday to ensure that its umbrella of brands would stay top-of-mind for consumers. That involved the growth of the company’s digital “war room,” expanded virtual services and an improved purchasing experience. The changes managed to drive sales by 58 percent over the same period last year.
“It’s a really busy three to four days that require a whole year of preparation,” said Salima Popita, the company’s vice president of global consumer acquisition and retention. “But it was worth it — it was our best holiday yet, in terms of execution.”
Historically, on Cyber Monday, the company has staged a cross-brand war room of sorts in its New York City headquarters, where the digital team comes together to manage and monitor the frenzied sales day in real time as best they can. This year, they set up the war room for Black Friday, too, and added international arms in the U.K. and Hong Kong.
“It allowed us to be much more reactive, globally, on these critical days,” said Russ Moorehead, Estée Lauder’s svp of global digital operations and innovation.
The headquarters’ setup had 35 people working at any given time and was dialed-in to a conference line shared with both the other war rooms, as well as smaller teams from each brand. The setup allowed for real-time monitoring of consumer engagement, site performance, sales performance and customer service outlets (including live chat, ratings, reviews and social media).
Inside the war room, focus was on customer experience and personalization. While companies like Amazon and Walmart have become known for their great service, said Moorehead, luxury shoppers have different, more personalized expectations for what that means.
“They might have free shipping both ways, but you’re not necessarily looking at them as product experts,” he said. “When you’re on MacCosmetics.com doing a live chat, you’re actually speaking with a makeup artist who can direct you to the best product for your needs, not just someone who can tell you what to do if your lipstick breaks.”
As the company has noticed more people seeking out customer service reps available for live chat, it increased its live-chat staff coverage by 40 percent, compared to last year, and extended the service to nine brands.
The feature, available for brands including MAC and the namesake Estée Lauder, was especially popular on mobile, said Popita. The company reported a 60 percent increase in mobile traffic during the period, compared to the year prior, as well as the highest conversions it’s ever seen, having increased 20 percent from last year.
“We’re starting to see the payoff of customers getting pumped about mobile and being able to transact from wherever they are,” she said.
Another popular feature was the augmented reality virtual try-on option, which was rolled out for the first time this past year for brands including Clinique, MAC, Smashbox and Estée Lauder. The technology seems to have paid off: The brand saw two-times the conversions for users who interacted with it, with each user trying on an average of nine makeup shades per session.
To further enhance the shopping experience, the company also partnered with the post-purchase experience company Narvar to create better branded order and shipping confirmation emails. “Normally, those are not very high-touch or brand integrated,” explained Moorehead. Narvar allows companies to brand these emails along the lines of their site experience and uses a special algorithm to tell consumers exactly when their package will arrive.
To Estée Lauder’s surprise, the technology — which allows for in-email promotional buttons and product-centric content — also helped to drive further post-purchase orders, something it hadn’t seen before.
“It’s given us the opportunity to continue our storytelling beyond the sale,” said Moorehead.
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Toyota currently retails the Innova Crysta in India at a starting price of Rs 15.66, going all the way up to Rs 24.67 lakh (both prices, ex-showroom)
Toyota recently introduced the TRD Sportivo edition of the Innova in the Indonesian market on the country’s 75th Independence Day. Since the Innova Crysta is one of the most popular Toyota offerings in India, as well as one of the highest-selling MPVs in the country, we believe that the Japanese carmaker could also bring the TRD Sportivo edition of the car to our country as well.
Talking about the Indonesian-spec Kijang Innova TRD Sportivo, it is basically a limited edition version that gets a few cosmetic upgrades over the regular MPV to make it look more appealing. We have already seen two iterations of the TRD brand being introduced in India with current-gen Toyota Fortuner – first in 2017, and then in 2019 as the Celebratory Edition. The third TRD edition Fortuner has also been confirmed, and will be launched soon.
Similarly, the Innova Crysta TRD Sportivo could be launched in the Indian market around this year’s festive season, which would help the MPV attract more buyers, thanks to the visual enhancements which include a restyled front bumper with a faux lip-spoiler and air vents on the sides, as well as some chrome treatment on the radiator grille.
The car features ‘TRD Sportivo’ badging on the bottom of the rear doors near the wheel arches, as well as the tailgate, which will help distinguish between the regular Innova Crysta and the TRD Sportivo edition. It also features blacked-out alloy wheels. Inside the cabin, the foreign-spec Innova TRD Sportivo comes with an additional air purifier, while the overall layout remains unchanged.
Powering the Innova Crysta TRD Sportivo will likely be the same 2.4-litre, 4-cylinder diesel engine as well as the 2.7-litre, 4-cylinder petrol engine that are currently on offer with the regular MPV.
The 2.4-litre diesel engine puts out 150 PS of max power and 343 Nm of peak torque (360 Nm with auto), while the 2.7-litre petrol unit is rated at 166 PS/245 Nm. The transmission options include a 5-speed manual gearbox, as well as an optional 6-speed automatic with sequential shift.


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Netflix is planning to spend ₹3, 000 crore on content for India for this year, as mentioned by Reed Hastings, the chief executive of the company, on an event organized in Delhi. It was also added that a major part of this budget would be allocated towards original programs, but further specifications have not yet been provided.
The streaming giant has actually mentioned a content budget for the Indian market for the first time. This announcement comes at a time when there is a high demand for online content in the third-largest economy of Asia, along with rising competition. Hastings added that the next five to ten years in the future is slated to be the golden era of online streaming. The investments are going to go up and up from the giants of the industry, like Amazon, Apple, Viacom, Disney, and local businesses such as Zee TV.
India has actually become quite the content hub for the streaming giant, which has already released more than forty original films and series in the country. That’s not all because there are over two dozen shows available in regional languages, as well. Netflix also announced that it has nearly fifteen original films in the pipeline that it hopes to release by April this year.
The global investments of Netflix are going to be around $15 billion this year, with the figure expected to rise further in the years to come. Hastings cited the example of shows like Mighty Little Bheem and Sacred Games, which have done exceptionally well in not just the country but also outside it. The fact that original Indian content has earned favored worldwide is evident in the fact that Mighty Little Bheem was watched by more than twenty-seven million people outside India.


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Cadillac has been in the truck business since the 1980s, and in 2017, the company unveiled a new truck that’s been praised by truckers everywhere for being the best-selling truck in America.
The truck, the Cadillac Acadia, is a 5.5-liter diesel engine with a maximum torque of 4,400 hp and a 0-60 time of 6.1 seconds.
The diesel engine has a maximum range of 8,000 miles on a single charge.
The cab of the truck can go as high as 5,500 pounds and the wheels are made of a 6061 aluminum alloy.
The Acadia has a base price of $39,845, which includes the truck, cargo, and a $1,300 destination charge.
The truck was released in 2019 and has been praised for its fuel economy, fuel efficiency, and all-wheel drive capabilities.
It has also been lauded for its safety, as the truck has been rated to make 70,000-mile trips on the highway per year.
Cadillac has not yet announced a price for the truck.
The company has said that the truck will be available in 2018 and 2019.


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Google is one of four online advertising companies that have sneaked around the privacy settings in Apple’s Safari Web browser to track users of Cupertino’s devices, according to research from Stanford University graduate student Jonathan Mayer.
All four surreptitiously submitted a Web form and placed trackable cookies in Safari, Mayer’s research has found.
Later, The Wall Street Journal claimed Google disabled the code after being contacted by the publication.
However, “the Journal mischaracterizes what happened and why,” Google spokesperson Rachel Whetstone asserted.
What Google Did, and How
Safari is the first browser to block tracking cookies by default, Mayer said.
It also has a cookie-blocking policy that is less restrictive than those of other browsers. Safari allows a response to write cookies if an HTTP request to a third-party domain includes a cookie or is caused by the submission of an HTML form, Mayer said.
Google apparently leveraged the policy to circumvent Safari’s privacy settings.
iFrames and Their Use by Google
An iFrame places an HTML document in a frame in another HTML document. You can use links in one iFrame to change links in another.
The iFrame used by Google loads a page that contains a meta refresh to a Google ad link, Mayer found. If the user’s not logged into Google, the response directs the browser back to Google’s DoubleClick advertising management and serving platform. If the user is logged in, the user is directed to Google’s authentication service and then redirected to DoubleClick.
The tracking cookies last for 12 to 24 hours, Mayer said.
Vibrant Media, Media Innovation Group and PointRoll were the other three companies that Mayer found had circumvented Safari’s privacy settings. Like Google, they submitted a form in an invisible iFrame to place trackable cookies in Safari.
Reaction to Google’s Action
News of Google’s circumvention of Safari’s privacy policies has triggered outrage among consumer advocacy groups, some of which are calling on the Federal Trade Commission FTC to investigate.
“I expect many groups to express outrage at Google’s wanton violation of privacy rights,” John Simpson, consumer advocate at Consumer Watchdog, told TechNewsWorld. He has written to the FTC demanding an investigation of all four companies that sneaked around Safari’s privacy settings, but urging it to focus on Google first. Google gave false advice to Safari users on how to opt out of receiving targeted advertising, Simpson alleged.
EPIC has also written to the FTC urging it once again to enforce a consent order entered into with Google in November over the violation of privacy by Google Buzz, the company’s attempt to bring a social dimension to Gmail.
The Electronic Frontier Foundation called for Google to offer a built-in Do Not Track option. It said Google’s tracking was probably an unintended side effect of a system the company built to bypass social personalization.
Do Not Track is a technology and policy proposal that lets users opt out of tracking by websites they don’t visit. It’s been implemented by Microsoft in Internet Explorer 9 and the Mozilla Foundation in Firefox. Google’s solution is an option for users to keep their opt-outs as an extension for its Chrome browser.
Microsoft also took the opportunity to tweak Google over the circumvention of Safari’s privacy settings.
Across the Pond and Into the EU
The Office of the Irish Data Protection Commission is also keeping an eye on the situation.
“This office was notified of this issue by Google yesterday in broad outline terms,” Deputy Data Protection Commissioner Gary Davis of the Irish Data Protection Commission, told TechNewsWorld. “We have sought clarification from Google on a number of issues to assist our understanding of the matter and await a response.”
“We used known Safari functionality to provide features that signed in Google users had enabled,” Google’s Whetstone told TechNewsWorld. The advertising cookies don’t collect personal information, she added.
Google created a “temporary communication link” between Safari browsers and Google servers so that Google could ascertain whether Safari users were also signed into Google and had opted for personalized ads and other content, Whetstone said.
Google “didn’t anticipate” that the Safari browser contained functionality enabling other advertising cookies to be set on the browser, Whetstone stated. Google has begun removing these advertising cookies from Safari browsers.
Users of any browsers who have opted out of personalized ad programs using Google’s Ads Preferences Manager wouldn’t have been affected, Whetstone contended.
However, Google ads are automatically opt-in. When asked whether Google clearly told Safari browser users about the Ads Preferences Manager and opting out, another Google spokesperson, Andrea Faville, declined comment.
Apple did not respond to our request for comment.


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Philip Morris International invested USD20 mn in its production facility in Niš this year and thus the company’s overall investments in Serbia reached nearly USD900 mn.
The investment in the production facility for additional modernisation of the plant and procurement of new production and packaging machinery aims to support stable long-standing export growth of the Niš-based plant, which continues despite the global economic crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
By entering new export markets for Philip Morris International’s products, the export of this plant in Serbia rose twentyfold compared to the period 10 years ago.
General Manager of Philip Morris Southeast Europe Aleksandar Jakovljević said that the Niš-based plant had grown from a production facility for meeting demand of the Serbian market into a large regional and global production centre, exporting to 50+ countries worldwide.
“The position we have built in 17 years since the privatisation until the present day has ranked us among the top exporters and we have also become the second largest tax contributor to the national budget, as well as Philip Morris’ hub for Southeast Europe, coordinating operations in a number of markets. We have ambitious plans for the future and I am certain that, like before, the stable business environment and predictability of the regulatory and fiscal policy will support us in that endeavour,” – said Jakovljević.
According to him, the favourable business climate, which will undoubtedly be maintained with the new Government, will enable the company to continue investing in both its plant in Niš and commercialisation of products with a potential for making huge progress in the area of public health.


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June CPI Report: Inflation Is Hot And Getting Hotter
Time To Unspin The Spin Meisters
As early as yesterday, it was quite apparent that the June CPI Report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics was going to be beyond ugly. When the White House began launching preemptive spin in advance of the report’s release, that the report was going to be a disaster was a foregone conclusion.
The report did not disappoint—the CPI data is indeed ugly.
The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) increased 1.3 percent in June on a seasonally adjusted basis after rising 1.0 percent in May, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Over the last 12 months, the all items index increased 9.1 percent before seasonal adjustment.
In May official consumer price inflation was running at 8.6%. In June it topped 9.1%. Not only did inflation not “cool down” in June, it got even hotter than before.
Government efforts to rein in inflation, such as they have been, have so far been a complete and utter failure. There is simply no other way to look at the data.
The “Experts” Were Wrong….Again
One month ago to the day I commented that finance pundit and prognosticator Mohammed El-Erian’s prediction that inflation could go as high as 9% was wildly optimistic.
It took the space of one month and a single CPI report to prove me right. I said then that we could see 9% inflation as early as June, and here we are at 9.1%.
Nor was it just El-Erian who undershot on inflation. As I noted the other day, Edward Yardeni predicted headline inflation would come in at 1.1% for the month, and financial web site Trading Economics forecast 8.8% year-on-year. Both estimates were fall short of what actually printed today.
Yet the importance of my observations back then is not just about bragging points. It underscores the reality that the “experts” truly have no good understanding what is happening in the global economy. They do not understand why inflation is happening now, why it continues to get worse each month, and thus have no good idea of what will eventually cool inflation down.
With that reality in mind, let us consider some of the spin-doctoring that emerged starting yesterday as regards the June CPI report.
Is The Price Of Gas Going Down Or Not?
The most notable bit of spin came yesterday, when National Economic Council Director Brian Deese stated that today’s inflation numbers would not include recent shifts in the price of gasoline (energy is typically a major factor in inflation shifts).
One day before the release of the consumer price index for June, President Joe Biden’s top economic advisers issued a memo designed to temper the likely public reaction to a new round of recorded price spikes.
The CPI data coming Wednesday “will largely not reflect the substantial declines in gas prices we’ve seen since the middle of June,” wrote National Economic Council Director Brian Deese and Cecilia Rouse, chair of Biden’s Council of Economic Advisers, in a five-page memo designed to provide “context” for the upcoming report.
According to June CPI data, 12-month gas price inflation is at 59.9%, with month-on-month gas price inflation registering at 9.9% unadjusted, and 11.2% on a seasonally adjusted basis. Brian Deese went on record saying that figure did not factor in recent price declines in gasoline.
The average price data for gasoline within the CPI data sets shows the average price of gas in the US during the month of June was $5.149/gallon.
According to the American Automobile Association, as of June 30, the average price for gas in the US was approximately $4.85/gallon.
According to the US Energy Information Association, during the week of June 27th, the average price of gasoline in the US was $4.979/gallon, and peaked at $5.107/gallon during the week of June 13. The average price of gas, per the EIA data, during June was $5.032/gallon.
The EIA data shows the price of gas during the week of May 30th to be $4.727/gallon, and the average of the weekly gas prices during May was $4.545, which would make the June average price based on the EIA data 10.7% higher than the May average.
While the CPI price metric for gasoline in June is clearly higher than the average reported price for gasoline as of June 30th, it still captures most of the rise in average reported prices.
In other words, Brian Deese is flat out wrong. The CPI report does reflect broad price increases for gasoline during June.
But…Core Inflation Is What Matters, Right?
Brian Deese also claimed that “core inflation” (inflation less food and energy) was down for the quarter.
So-called core inflation, which strips out the volatile food and energy prices, has already shown signs of easing, they said, and is now running at an annualized rate of 4.2 percent this quarter, down from 4.5 percent in the first quarter of this year and 6 percent in the final quarter of 2021.
When we interrogate the CPI data sets, however, we find that the unadjusted CPI for all items less food and energy for June is 294.680, and for May was 292.506. In June of 2021, the CPI for all items less food and energy was 278.218. On a percentage basis, that works out to a monthly increase of 0.74%, and a 12-month increase of 5.92%. The 12-month increase for June is lower than the 12-month increase for May of 6.02%.
While it is technically true that, if you strip out food and energy prices, inflation is down year-on-year, on an unadjusted basis core inflation still rose from May to June.
Brian Deese apparently used a touch of Lou Costello Math to get to his core inflation numbers.
Of course, since most consumers are mightily concerned about putting food on the table and gas in the tank, the extent to which the “core inflation” argument is even relevant is itself more than a little problematic. While as a matter of pure economic analysis, how individual consumer price categories are shifting is a relevant question deserving of some scrutiny, attempting to shift the debate to “core inflation” numbers when the headline number shows food and energy prices getting worse is guaranteed to engender a reaction similar to Judge Judy Sheindlin’s memorable line “Don't pee on my leg and tell me it's raining.”
The reality: inflation—food price inflation, energy price inflation, core inflation, inflation inflation—is getting worse right now, not better.
Not A Surprise Based On The Data
As I pointed out last month, the current rise in consumer price inflation was in broad strokes almost inevitable based on trends in the Producer Price Index, which is a general leading indicator for movements in the CPI.
Because of where the PPI measures prices for goods and services, it generally acts as a leading indicator for the CPI—an upward trend in the PPI is generally followed by a similar trend in the CPI within a reporting period or two. Looking at the PPI and CPI for the United States since 2017, we can see that this is indeed the case.
While May’s producer price inflation clocked in at 10.8% year-on-year, down from the March peak of 11.5%, is was and still is well above consumer price inflation.
Thus, even though there has been a decline in producer price inflation since March, the size of the margin of producer price inflation above consumer price inflation meant that there were still inflationary forces as yet unresolved. Should the downward trend in the PPI continue, that will indicate that we are indeed at or near peak inflation for the CPI, but the inflation recorded by the Producer Price Index still has to percolate through to the Consumer Price Index before the CPI can join in the downward trend.
With the PPI data due to be released tomorrow morning, we shall soon have an idea of what the future holds for inflation in this country.
The Stagflation Scenario Still Holds
One thing the CPI report confirms is that a deepening stagflation is not merely the ‘worst case” scenario, but is increasingly the likely scenario—also very much in line with my earlier prognostications on the topic.
Although the US Purchasing Managers’ Index numbers have been revised upward for June from their initial release, there is still a significant deterioration from May.
This is a trend that is seen globally; only China shows a greatly improved PMI for June over May, and that is largely the result of stimulus measures specifically intended to goose the economy. Across much of Europe, PMI numbers are still showing economic deterioration and recession.
Consumer price inflation plus PMI deflation still equals stagflation.
While much will be said in the media about how the markets reacted to today’s inflation numbers, and what the Fed is now likely to do next, the reality is that today’s CPI report merely confirms what most consumers already know: rising prices mean Americans are paying more and buying less. That makes recession not just an hypothetical possibility but an actual reality. It’s here, it’s now, and it’s hitting everyone squarely in the wallet.
The government is losing its battle with inflation. Americans are losing their shirts.
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Good morning, and it has been a great start to the new year in regard to pricing and inventory. Today we are happy to announce a huge price drop on the new iPhone 6S repairs. (yes the iPhone 6S Plus repairs are also coming very soon!)
However we’re still working on iPhone 6S screen repairs…they are taking some time to get to us in the repair market. Could the news on CNN an hour ago have something to do with it?
From the article:
“Apple may be in a spot of trouble, at least in the short term, Credit Suisse said Tuesday.
The Swiss bank said in a note the tech giant has cut as much as 10 percent of its component orders. “The cuts seem to be driven by weak demand for the new iPhone 6s, as overall builds are now estimated to be below 80 million units for the December quarter and between 55-60 million units for the March quarter,” the bank said.
Credit Suisse also lowered its iPhone estimates for 2016 to 222 million from 242 million. It estimated a 6 percent year-over-year growth rate in 2017. “We believe such adjustments reflect a more subdued launch around the iPhone 6s/6s Plus in terms of uptake.”
Well, I do know that if Apple is cutting component orders, this will leave less components (screens!) in the market for the repair sector. While we are now offering a full line of repairs for the iPhone 6S, the screens are stil expensive and a bit scarce. I think we should be good by Christmas time, but ony time will tell. Good luck Apple!
Just as a finished a blog and a tweet a few minutes ago about iPhone 6S repairs, I received an email from one of our trusted vendors stating that they have the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus screens in stock. They are ready to ship…and don’t be fooled, the iPhone 6 screen is far different than the iPhone 6S screen even though they look similar!
The only caveat is that these are some of the first in the market to be released and the price is outrageous. Believe me, you wouldn’t want to buy one of these “first release” screens, even if your phone is broken. Just hang in there for another couple of weeks for the price to simmer down and you’ll save hundreds of $$.
So I’ve got my finger on the pulse here with the iPhone 6S parts, and as soon as we land (and I mean the collective “we” of the entire repair industry) on some reasonable pricing, I will active the repairs on our website.


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Curious what a steak made from fungi tastes like?
You’re in luck if you are in Sacramento, California this weekend because that’s where the Better Meat Co will debut their mycelium-based steak. Made using Better Meat Co’s proprietary Rhiza mycoprotein, the alt-steak will be available for one day only at Bennett’s American Cooking steak house this Saturday.
The debut of the company’s new cut comes just a couple of months after the company opened its Rhiza manufacturing plant in West Sacramento. Better Meat CEO Paul Shapiro told me in a video call this week that they were able to create a steak-like experience so quickly in part because fungi are much closer in texture and overall makeup to meat than plants.
“It takes a lot to get plants to taste like animals, but because we’re using fungi which are much closer to animals, you have a shorter distance to bridge,” said Shapiro. “We can create a more meat-like experience with our fungi than we can with plants.”
In addition to Rhiza, the steak also had added avocado oil, fava beans, beet juice for coloring, and some natural flavors. The results, according to Shapiro, are pretty close to the real thing.
“[American Cooking Steak House owner] Brian Bennett says it’s the most convincing alternative meat he’s ever had,” said Shapiro.
And while that may be true, the steak still isn’t 100 percent there, in part because it’s missing the structural and flavor complexity of the fatty marbling that comes in in a traditional cut of meat. Shapiro admits this is something their alt-steak 1.0 edition doesn’t have but says they are working on it.
“[Marbling] is something that we would like to pursue but we have not yet gotten that down,” said Shapiro. “However, when you eat it, it really does have a steak-like experience.”
Better Meat is not the only company working on alt-steaks. Whole cuts are quickly becoming an obsession in the alternative meat space, as startups like Novameat, Green Rebel Foods, Atlast, and even Impossible Foods are working on plant-based steak, while ingredient companies like Motif and Melt&Marble are developing building blocks like plant-based fat to help those creating consumer products get closer to the real thing.
According to Shapiro, he believes this is the first time an alternative steak has been served at a high-end steakhouse. Maybe, but it’s certainly not the first plant-based steak on the menu at a restaurant, as companies like Meati (also made with mycelium) have been showing up at places like SALT’s Bistro since last year.
Either way, it certainly won’t be the last steak made with Rhiza and, according to Shapiro, the next one could be from one of their partners.
“This is our 1.0. What we want to do is showcase what our ingredients can do, and work with companies who can utilize these ingredients to take them to even higher heights.”
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The National Labor Relations Board seeks to force Starbucks to reopen 23 stores that the coffee giant closed last year, accusing the company of closing union and non-union stores as part of an effort to combat unions.
An NLRB regional director filed a complaint against Starbucks on Wednesday, accusing the company of violating federal labor laws with the closures.
The complaint states that Starbucks closed the stores without prior notice to Workers United, the union that has organized several Starbucks locations, and without allowing the union the opportunity to negotiate the decisions.
The complaint states that eight of the stores were unionized at the time of their closure, while the other 15 were not represented by a union.
STARBUCKS SUES UNION AMID REACTION TO UNION PRO-PALESTINE TWEET
The NLRB is seeking an order from an administrative law judge requiring Starbucks to immediately reopen all 23 stores, rehire employees, negotiate with unions at stores that have unionized, and provide compensation to workers who lost wages and benefits due to the closures.
Starbucks said in a blog post Thursday that the NLRB's allegations are without merit and that the company plans to defend its “lawful business decisions.”
The company said it regularly opens and closes stores for a variety of reasons and noted that it opened 437 new stores in the U.S. during fiscal 2022 and closed 116. Approximately 3% of the locations closed that year were unionized.
STARBUCKS RAISES WAGES BY AT LEAST 3% FROM JANUARY. 1
“Every year, as a standard course of business, we evaluate our store portfolio to determine where we can best meet the needs of our community and customers,” a Starbucks spokesperson said in a statement. “This includes opening new locations, identifying stores that require investment or renovation, exploring locations where an alternative format is needed and, in some cases, reevaluating our presence.”
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Workers at more than 360 of Starbucks' 9,300 U.S. stores have voted to join unions since 2021, and the company faces more than 100 complaints to the NLRB alleging a variety of illegal union-busting activities.
Reuters contributed to this report.


text: Claims that the EU is planning to ban the English names of fish and force retailers to replace them with Latin names on food packaging are unfounded, according to Catheribne Eva, Head of the European Commission's Representation in Wales , News Wales reports this week. The European Commission has proposed clearer labelling on the packaging of fish products to ensure that consumers are properly informed about what they are buying. Labels would include the exact name of the fish, how it was produced, and where it was caught. These proposals will be discussed on Tuesday 11 September in the Fisheries Management Committee of the European Commission. Three Member States (France, Portugal and Sweden) have also proposed putting Latin names on labels in addition to the original national name. This is not supported by the Commission or by the majority of EU member states. Commenting on the reports, Catherine Eva said, "There is no Commission support for the use of Latin names on food labelling. The aim of these proposals is to ensure that consumers are given as much information as possible about the food they are eating."


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The fifth version of the enormously popular Apple handset could be called the iPhone 5 or the iPhone 4S but observers are agreed that it will feature a faster processor - the same A5 processor that powers Apple's iPad 2 - and a better camera.
The new handset will also run iOS 5, the latest version of Apple's operating system for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. Apple unveiled iOS 5 at its Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco in June but rumour has it the new phone will add a voice control system.
The event, which Apple's invite headlined 'Let's talk iPhone, is expected to be led by Tim Cook, Apple's new chief executive. Mr Cook has recently taken over the role from Steve Jobs, who resigned for health reasons in August.
This will be Mr Cook's first event as Apple CEO and his performance will be scrutinised by observers who will be eager to discover whether he can match the charisma of Mr Jobs.
Launched in 2007, the iPhone is now Apple's most successful product. More than 20 million iPhones were sold in the second quarter of this year, despite the approaching update. Apple has typically launched its new iPhone in June but this year's release was delayed for reasons that have not been explained.
Apple typically holds an iPod-related event in the autumn. This year, the iPhone will be the focus of attention but there is also speculation about the future of the iPod. The MP3 player turns 10 this month and rumours suggest that Apple might be planning to 'retire' the iPod Classic.