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Former Memphis Starbucks workers (from left) Nabretta Hardin, Kylie Throckmorton, Emma Worrell, Beto Sanchez, Nikki Taylor and LaKota McGlawn pose in solidarity after being fired out of retaliation, union organizers suspect. PHOTO BY ANDREA MORALES
In interviews, Starbucks workers tell In These Times that starting a union campaign is the first time they’ve felt hopeful in their adult lives. “A lot of us have gotten used to a sense of hopelessness and helplessness when it comes to our jobs,” says Rachel Ybarra, 22, an organizer at a Starbucks in Seattle. “But unionizing can give you a sense of agency,” Ybarra adds.
“If a union is involved, your coworkers have the power to go to bat for you.”
In Memphis, Tenn., Nikki Taylor, at age 32, is one of the oldest Starbucks baristas at the busy corner of Poplar Avenue and S. Highland Street. She says she feels like a mother figure to a “close-knit, regular barbecue-type family.” When she started as a shift supervisor two years ago, working in the café was a dream job — but this soon changed.
During the pandemic her store has faced chronic staffing shortages and baristas have been tasked with the work of three or four people. “You’re getting hundreds of drink orders, making them all yourself, still having to give that ultimate customer service,” Taylor says.
So workers began to talk. “When you’re working alongside people going through the same thing every day, you guys bond so much,” Taylor says.
One concern was pay. The starting wage at the store is about $12, and some workers take multiple jobs to make ends meet, Taylor says. According to MIT’s living wage calculator, the living wage in Memphis is $13.26 for a single adult, $18.02 for a family of four.
Another issue was Covid-19 policy. Vaccinated workers who were exposed to Covid-19 but had no symptoms were expected to work their shifts. During the highly contagious Omicron wave of the virus this winter, workers say they’d see people with known exposures come in for work, only to develop symptoms while on the clock.
Asked for comment, “Anthony D.,” a corporate Starbucks representative, told In These Times in an emailed statement, “Throughout the pandemic, we have met and exceeded the latest direction from the CDC. … Over and above that, all leaders are empowered to make any changes make sense [sic] for their neighborhood, which includes shortening store hours or moving to 100 percent take-out only.”
Taylor says the store’s policies still presented a dilemma: “[Do] I not get paid and be at home and try to be safe — and then not be paying my bills? Or go to work and continue to be exposed?”
In January, Taylor contracted the virus soon after working alongside someone with a known exposure. At home, Taylor exposed her fiancé and 8‑year-old daughter, who developed a 102-degree fever days later. The previous month, a location in Buffalo, N.Y., had become the first unionized Starbucks café in the country. (Some smaller Starbucks “kiosks,” such as those inside grocery stores and airports, do run under union contracts with the larger venue.)
When Taylor heard that, she thought her Memphis store might have a real shot at a union, too. She contacted Starbucks Workers United, the Buffalo-based campaign assisted by Workers United, itself an independent affiliate of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU).
When they replied, Taylor says, she jumped and cried with excitement.
The Starbucks union drive went public in Memphis on January 17, Martin Luther King Jr. Day — a deeply personal event for many of the Memphis workers.
“We have [workers] here that were born and raised in Memphis, whose grandparents were in those same rallies and walks that Martin Luther King Jr. did,” says Beto Sanchez, 25, an R&B and jazz musician who began working at the Memphis café after the pandemic decimated the music industry. “We are practically 10 minutes away from Lorraine Motel [where King was assassinated]. Whether it was the Kellogg’s strike, whether it was the sanitation workers, there’s a lot of union history in this city.”
But immediately, workers say, they felt like they were under surveillance, with high-level managers frequenting the store, loitering in the café and watching the counter.
On February 8, Taylor, Sanchez and five other union supporters were fired without warning. The company cited minor policy violations that workers and a former store manager, Amy Holden, say were never enforced nor taught in training.
“One of the employees literally walked in, signed her union card, took a sip of a drink and left — and she was fired,” Taylor says.
Starbucks rep Anthony D. claims the workers “violated several safety and security policies and protocols, including opening the store after hours, allowing unauthorized personnel inside, leaving the doors unlocked and opening the safe without permission.” Workers reply that, on the night being referenced, they did let a local news crew film in their lobby, all within 10 minutes of the store closing, which they say is company policy — but then they talked about the union campaign on camera.
“How we got fired is not why we got fired,” Sanchez tells In These Times. He notes he was the one fired for opening the safe while off-shift, though he generally had that authority as a shift supervisor. He also points out an irony: “Starbucks decided to tweet about Martin Luther King Jr. and then … decided to fire Black workers here in Memphis for unionizing.” Two of the seven fired workers, including Taylor, are Black.
“It’s union-busting, completely,” Taylor says. “We were loud, we were bold and the company tried to use us as examples. … That scare tactic wildly backfired.”
News of the firings spread rapidly, and the workers became known as “the Memphis 7.” Workers and community members gather outside the Poplar and Highland store early each morning to picket in solidarity. Within a week, rallies demanding their reinstatement sprang up in Boston, Chicago and on the doorstep of Starbucks headquarters in Seattle. Starbucks responded to the Memphis pickets by drastically reducing store hours in the name of “worker safety.” Sanchez says this shows they’re hitting the company “where it hurts … in the wallet.”
Since the first Starbucks union campaign succeeded in Buffalo, N.Y., in December 2021, more than 110 Starbucks stores in 27 states have filed union petitions for elections. That effort encompasses more than 2,000 workers, from Miami-Dade to Seattle.
Common goals include a living wage, access to benefits, adequate staffing, consistent scheduling, more hours, improved health and safety conditions, proper training — and for “partners,” the corporate lingo Starbucks uses to refer to employees, to actually be treated like “partners.”
For Ky Fireside, 31, who works at a Starbucks in Eugene, Ore., one driving force is a living wage. After nearly seven years at the store, Fireside makes $14.70 an hour. According to MIT’s living wage calculator, the living wage in Eugene is $15.58 for a single adult, $22.10 for a family of four.
“In my store, we’ve got three partners who have been with the company for over 15 years,” Fireside says. “These aren’t people working temporary jobs, these are people that are trying to support their family on this income. I’m in my 30s, this is my career. And we’re watching the prices of everything go up, including the coffee that we serve.”
Starbucks has touted itself as an industry leader in wages and benefits, pledging to raise wages nationwide to a range of $15 to $23 by this summer. Benefits include paid parental leave, healthcare plans that cover gender-affirming procedures, and tuition for an online degree at Arizona State University.
According to Fireside, however, less than half of the 30 workers at the Eugene location are scheduled enough hours to be eligible for benefits.
“I’m on state healthcare,” Fireside says. “Starbucks doesn’t pay me enough to buy health insurance and does not work me enough hours to qualify for Starbucks insurance.” Starbucks requires its workers to average 24 hours a week to qualify for the health insurance benefit, which, on the recommended plan, still costs workers a minimum of $84 each month.
Brick Zurek, 25, a Starbucks worker in downtown Chicago, says their store organized after management’s dismal response to workers receiving death threats in December 2021. When a customer threatened to shoot up the store one night, Zurek says, management refused to allow the store to close early. “Starbucks really laid the foundations [for organizing] themselves, on accident,” Zurek says. “When we were so understaffed, when we were threatened, and when we were scared — we were taking care of each other. … We were forming those bonds and connections.”
Meanwhile, as these small union campaigns await their election dates from the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), they are facing a multimillion-dollar anti-union effort considered to be one of the most intense in decades.
In These Times spoke with more than a dozen Starbucks workers trying to unionize their shops. They say, within weeks of their filing for an election, corporate broke out the union-busting playbook. Common tactics include disciplining workers for infractions that were never a concern previously (such as wearing buttons on their aprons or even how they tie their aprons), hiring new workers en masse to dilute the union vote at the store, tense meetings with workers, and surveillance on the floor.
During Buffalo’s campaign, organizers from Workers United say corporate flew in more than 100 “support managers’’ from across the country, including such high-ranking corporate officials as former CEO Howard Schultz, to cafés throughout the district. They began hosting mandatory “listening sessions” between managers and workers. The sessions run under a pretext of addressing grievances, but management uses them to disseminate “facts” about unions.
Workers at other stores with unionizing efforts say the listening sessions, once unheard of, are now routine. While it’s illegal for management to threaten to take away benefits in response to a union campaign, In These Times spoke with Starbucks workers who say managers imply their current benefits won’t be guaranteed with a union, claim that union dues are expensive and suggest that a “third party” (i.e., the union) “will get between” workers and management.
Fireside says listening sessions are a daily occurrence in Eugene and workers in a district-wide group chat alert each other when management is en route, so they can prepare. Fireside adds that, in addition to pulling workers off the floor during busy shifts, the sessions cause stress in other ways, like the anxiety that comes with being cornered. “They say things like, ‘You never know what’s going to happen in a contract: You could lose your benefits, and then where would you be? Where would your kids be?’”
After some sessions, Fireside says, workers leave the floor to cry privately.
Starbucks Workers United has filed an NLRB complaint of unfair labor practices, alleging that the company waged a campaign of interference, intimidation and coercion during the Eugene union drive.
As of March 1, all eight Eugene cafés had filed for a union election.
“You wouldn’t expect us to be the first store, after Buffalo, to unionize — but we did,” says Tyler Ralston proudly. Ralston works at a small, “hole-in-the-wall” Starbucks “connected to a Smashburger” in Mesa, Ariz., a conservative community in a state not known for its union support.
Workers felt compelled to unionize, Ralston says, when manager Brittany Harrison was fired after leaking a video she recorded of Starbucks corporate coaches warning Arizona managers against union organizing. Harrison shared the video with Starbucks Workers United and the New York Times, and “[corporate] started calling me, asking if I was the ‘whistleblower,’” Harrison says in an interview with More Perfect Union. Harrison put in her notice to quit, but was fired instead.
In response, workers in Mesa filed for a union election Nov. 18, 2021. As one of the earliest stores to file, they have been subject to corporate’s full arsenal of anti-union tactics. Within weeks, three new managers were hired to oversee the store — who, according to workers, spent most of their days just sitting in the lobby on laptops or watching employees at the counter.
Starbucks began holding “captive audience meetings,” meetings in which management tries to dissuade workers from unionizing. (These types of meetings would be banned under the Protecting the Right to Organize Act, or PRO Act, a pro-labor bill currently stalled in Congress.) Workers who had been outspoken about the union were taken to a meeting at an offsite hotel, while everyone else talked at the store.
Ralston was outraged at what he says were “intimidation tactics,” and printed out a 12-page document detailing workers’ allegations of mistreatment, passing it around at a captive audience meeting in December 2021.
“I thought it was time for [management] to feel intimidated,” Ralston says.
Ralston was then called into a meeting with two managers. “We sat down at a table and they called me a bully to my face,” Ralston says. “They said I needed to apologize [to the store managers] because of the union and everything that [the union] has done to them.”
Ralston, of course, did not.
Then, in advance of the February election, management began mass-hiring new workers, a tactic the union alleges is used to dilute the vote; staffing went from 25 to 40. According to Ralston, the in flux of hires caused chaos, at times doubling the number of workers necessary, reducing hours and diluting tips.
Starbucks has also contracted legal services from Littler Mendelson, one of the largest and most notorious union-busting law firms in the country, with hourly rates reportedly as high as $600 to $700. The firm worked with McDonald’s and Uber during two of the largest labor battles of the last decade: the national fight for a $15 minimum wage, and the corporate campaign to pass California’s Proposition 22, which classified app-based gig workers as contractors rather than employees.
Starbucks is not required to disclose how much they’re paying Littler Mendelson, though in a February review of NLRB filings, HuffPost found at least 30 Littler lawyers attached to Starbucks cases.
Starbucks does seem concerned that the company’s anti-union efforts are hurting its image as a forward-thinking corporate citizen, writing in a February 1 report to the SEC that “our responses to any union organizing efforts could negatively impact how our brand is perceived and have adverse effects on our business.”
Starbucks’ “Anthony D.” tells In These Times, “From the beginning, we have been clear in our belief that we are better together as partners, without a union between us, and that conviction has not changed. Our position since the beginning is all of our partners in a market or district deserve the right to vote.”
But Workers United organizer Richard Bensinger, 71, former national organizing director of the AFL-CIO, sees no sign of Starbucks letting up on its anti-union efforts. “This has to be the most intense [anti-union] campaign in modern U.S. history, and there’s really nothing in second place,” Bensinger says.
On February 16, for example — the day the Mesa store’s votes were scheduled to be counted — corporate Starbucks lawyers appealed to the NLRB to delay the vote count, arguing that stores should vote district-wide rather than one by one. Organizers allege the goal of this tactic is to dilute the vote. Starbucks lost the appeal.
“They’ve lost this case [for district-wide votes] [four] times now, and they’re going to lose it 100 times,” says Bensinger, who works with the Buffalo union campaigns. “This is 50 years of legal precedent.”
Starbucks also lost the union vote — with a landslide 25 – 3 win for the workers of the Mesa café, which became the third unionized Starbucks in the United States.
But for every successful union drive, Bensinger notes, countless stores silently buckle under immense corporate pressure before filing. Bensinger describes one failed effort at a store in Buffalo where 80 percent of workers signed union cards; Starbucks simply closed the store and converted it into a training center, relocating the workers to stores that were miles away. Most of them quit.
This store reopened after publishing and won their union election — by one vote — on March 9.
“We’ve passed 100 [organized] stores,” Bensinger says. “That’s great. But that’s in spite of what [corporate] is doing.”
Previously, the only union to try to organize Starbucks nationwide was the Industrial Workers of the World, with a campaign that started in 2004. They never won a union election, and the campaign was hindered by relentless corporate anti-union efforts and high worker turnover (often due to firings the union said were retaliatory); the effort died out by 2017. But by garnering free media attention, organizers did pressure image-conscious Starbucks into regional wage increases, fairer scheduling and one additional paid holiday — Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
When Workers United began organizing cafés in Buffalo in 2019, Starbucks was not a consideration.
While on the picket with striking Rainforest Cafe workers in Niagara Falls, Canada, Bensinger was approached by workers from SPoT Coffee, a Buffalo-based chain. Those initial organizers were fired in short order, but SPoT workers won a union that year.
Bensinger says that union election was a rallying cry for Buffalo’s labor and progressive community. After SPoT workers secured a strong contract (the median hourly pay rose $4), workers at the Starbucks across the street took notice. They soon reached out to Workers United.
“The partners really get the campaigns going,” Bensinger says. By 2021, Starbucks Workers United had formed an organizing committee with more than 100 workers from Starbucks across Buffalo, training them in union organizing.
“It’s all organic,” Bensinger says. “Any good organizing campaign is either run by the workers, or you lose.”
Workers United formed in 2009 (by splitting off from Unite Here) and operates as an “independent affiliate” of the SEIU. The Starbucks unionizing effort, however, bears little resemblance to the SEIU’s Fight for $15 campaign, which attempted to organize fast-food workers nationwide for “$15 and a union,” and for which the union hired dozens of organizers in 2011 and 2012, investing millions.
For starters, Fight for $15 was not focused on store-by-store organizing. Its primary strategies were to build momentum for a $15 minimum wage while pushing the NLRB to allow franchises (such as McDonald’s) to be unionized at the national level, rather than shop by shop. The SEIU lost its case under the Trump-era NLRB, then lost a final appeal in 2021.
Starbucks Workers United, however, is a worker-led campaign with support from Workers United. The union is primarily made up of volunteer organizers from around the country who continue to work at Starbucks and serve on their cafés’ organizing committees. Fewer than 20 paid organizers with Workers United nationwide help by facilitating communication between stores and filling support roles like printing and delivering union cards. The union is not planning new hires. Instead, at national trainings, workers at active campaigns learn to move other stores in their region through the process.
Casey Moore, 25, a Starbucks worker in Buffalo, runs communications for Starbucks Workers United as a volunteer. Moore had never been involved in a union campaign before joining her store’s organizing committee. Now, she helps new stores start organizing every day.
“I joke now that I don’t have a life; this is my life,” says Moore. “But I think it’s the coolest thing ever to be a part of.”
Workers interested in learning more about unionizing often email Starbucks Workers United or reach out via Twitter and Instagram, accounts run entirely by Starbucks workers. Since the Memphis 7 firings, Moore says, there’s been a surge in organizing.
“I’ve heard from a lot of partners that this just angered them and was the driving force telling them to message us,” Moore says.
“I’m on Zoom call after Zoom call, just listening,” Bensinger says. “On many of the calls, I never say a word — just marvel at it. It’s an honor just to listen to them. And everybody knows exactly what to do. The partners all are wired in through social media and they share everything. The second something new happened in a store, it’s all over social media. They’re wickedly, devastatingly funny and positive.”
Starbucks Workers United is also building a virtual network of organizers to share resources, answers to common questions, organizing strategies and updates on corporate tactics. If a new anti-union leaflet pops up in Seattle, for example, Moore says a worker in Knoxville or Cleveland can confirm they’ve seen identical material and share how they responded.
“A lot of the things that people are asking for,” Moore says, “are, ‘What can I share with my coworkers to dispel these lies that Starbucks is telling to scare people?’ And answering questions like, ‘What is a union? What do we fight for with the union? Why organize? What’s collective bargaining?’”
Labor historians are connecting the Starbucks Workers United momentum with the wave of labor militancy that began in 2018 when West Virginia public school teachers went on strike.
Importantly, “[the teachers] framed the strike as being about community, rather than about just being themselves,” says Erik Loomis, associate professor of history at the University of Rhode Island. “It’s about dignity. It’s about fairness.”
Christian Sweeney, deputy organizing director of the AFL-CIO, confirms the AFL-CIO has seen a significant increase in organizing interest since 2018. He notes, however, that larger labor unions have limited appetite for organizing a few dozen workers at a time, store by store, as the Starbucks campaign is doing. Though the campaign is growing rapidly, the number of stores that have organized for an election are a fraction of the 9,000 company-operated Starbucks in the United States. And across all sectors, U.S. union density has been on the decline for decades, bottoming out at about 10 percent within the past few years.
Instead, Sweeney says, unions have been looking for ways to work around a “terribly broken” NLRB process by putting resources into getting reform legislation, such as the PRO Act, passed.
The PRO Act, however, is likely stalled in the current Congress without filibuster reform. Sweeney sees in the Starbucks campaign one alternate way forward.
“Waves of labor movement growth [in the 1880s, 1910s, 1930s and 1950s] have been associated with different ways that workers figured out how to organize, reflective of both changes in the economy, but also changes in the ways that work is organized,” Sweeney says. “I think we’re on the verge of bigger things to come, and these Starbucks workers might just be the caffeine that we all need to figure out the next thing.”
“Maybe there are lessons to learn from this for established labor unions, that if you can get in the door, you can create this wave you’re seeing in Starbucks,” Loomis agrees. “There’s lots of other kinds of companies, both in fast food and other forms of service industries, that can easily build on this.” Loomis cautions that rebuilding a powerful labor movement will take decades, just as building one did.
“It does give me hope every day knowing that people are starting to recognize the power that they have, as a collective force, as a workforce,” says Sanchez from the Memphis store. He adds that “there are always going to be more of us” and hopes the rest of the coffee industry will follow suit, “whether it’s the coffee farmers, whether it’s the suppliers, whether it’s the manufacturing area.” As of press time, two of the nation’s three flagship Starbucks roasteries have filed to hold union elections.
In the midst of a fierce corporate intimidation campaign, organizers say that public attention and community support are crucial. “Everybody’s rallied around the Starbucks workers, and that’s what it’s going to take to win, because you have to get [Starbucks] to stop their anti-unionism,” Bensinger says.
When captive audience meetings began at one of the first Starbucks to file for an election in Portland, Ore., members of the Democratic Socialists of America, the Teamsters and other union members occupied the café with a “solidarity sip-in” at a table adjacent to management. Management was eventually forced to conduct meetings outside.
When the first captive audience meeting hit the downtown Chicago store, a crowd of 50 from Workers United and the other two Chicago stores with unionizing efforts picketed directly outside.
Members of the Memphis 7 say workers there have since formed a new organizing committee and are going harder than ever. On lunch breaks and after clocking out for the night, workers brush past management and head straight for the picket.
“Like I said, we’re a family,” Taylor says. “You hurt one family member, you hurt them all.”


text: Toyota Supra 2017 steals many attentions of the whole automotive world with the design, power and performance. review of engine, interior and price..The upcoming 2017 Toyota Supra 2017 will be base on Toyota FT-1 concept car. Toyota Supra 2017 will be a car with excellent look, performance and handling..2017 Toyota Supra Release Date, Price, Interior, Engine – It appears that the newest Toyota Supra vehicle is going to appear a year later than it was firstly .The Toyota Supra is a sports car/grand tourer that was produced by Toyota Motor Corporation from . The styling of the Toyota Supra was derived from the .2017 Toyota Supra Redesign Exterior. The new 2017 Toyota Supra on the first look has a very aggressive appearance, but if you take a little better look you will find .The newest about the 2017 Toyota Supra is all but official as the latest confirmation and news are stating that the release date is right around the corner..Toyota is headquartered in Toyota City, Aichi. The main headquarters of Toyota is located in a 4-story building in Toyota. As of 2006 the head office has .Video embedded 2017 Toyota Supra engine set. Rumors say that the power will be hybrid, and a base version will have a four-cylinder turbocharged engine, an even .Video embedded Today we well talk about design of expected Toyota Supra 2017 – the new Toyota sport car. 2017 Toyota Supra Engine, interior, exterior and price of new Supra..Sources within Toyota have confirmed that they are ditching the FT-1 Concept design. Dimensions wise the new Supra will be as big as a Porsche 911..

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US luxury brand RéVive Skincare wants to expand its international footprint further and continue fast-paced product launches beyond North America, notably Eastern and Western Europe and the Middle East, its CEO says.
Personal care major Johnson & Johnson (J&J) has reported a global sales rise for the first quarter of 2021, fuelled by pharmaceuticals and medical devices, but its consumer health division saw overall sales decline despite strength in oral and...
Giving the longest life possible to molecules that make up a product is what circularity is all about, and the reuse movement in beauty is a particularly exciting and innovative path forward, says the CEO and founder of US recycling major TerraCycle.
Korean scientists are claiming a world first in findings that suggests a mechanism linking the skin microbiome with ageing that the team says opens the door to a next generation of anti-aging cosmetics.
International beauty major L’Oréal has reported a surge in global sales for the first quarter of 2021, though activity in Western Europe remains in decline because of the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 crisis, its CEO says.
The firm behind US-based CBD skin care brand BOTA, Balanced Health Botanicals, says it will no longer invest in the APAC after China announced its proposal to ban the use of cannabis and cannabis extracts in cosmetics.
European Union (EU) marine research consortium Marisurf has released findings from its five-year project, identifying marine microbes as an important means to develop bio-based replacements for surfactants and emulsifiers in personal care, food and pharmaceutical...
The investment community is finally backing businesses with strong sustainability agendas and aligning with environmentalists on what diverse and inclusive supply chains should look like, says the co-founder and CEO of certification firm Positive Luxury.
There is a gap in the market for skin microbiome solutions to help treat atopic dermatitis, claims biotechnology company Marinova, for which it believes its brown seaweed extract could play a major role.
Online beauty customer reviews in 2020 showed a sharp decline in sentiment across hair care, largely fuelled by product dissatisfaction around DIY hair colour kits and shipping issues, according to AI data specialist Revuze.


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M-commerce in 2015 – three golden rules for marketers
March 3, 2015 10:02 am
Mobile e-commerce, or m-commerce, is becoming more and more important for retailers. A recent report from Criteo found that mobile now accounts for over 30% of e-commerce sales globally. One in four people worldwide now own a smartphone, and 55% of all time spent on retail sites now takes place on a mobile device.
While m-commerce commands only a small (1.6%) piece of the overall retail space (online and offline), research on a mobile device is an important part of a purchase decision. A March 2014 survey conducted by Nielsen for xAd and Telmetrics, found that between 70% and 80% of US smartphone or tablet users said they had completed or would soon complete a purchase related to their smartphone search.
In a piece for VentureBeat, Criteo Chief Revenue Officer Mollie Spilman, writes: ‘In 2015, mobile won’t just be a component of your digital strategy – it will be your digital strategy.’
According to Spilman, three things should be on marketers’ minds this year if they hope to boost m-commerce revenues:
- Optimizing beyond appearance
In other words, optimize for individual operating systems (Android, iOS, etc.), and different screen sizes. It’s not enough anymore to just fit a website onto a smartphone screen.
- Highlighting impulse items
Marketers should ‘optimize mobile assets to feature items that require less planning and more impulse’. In other words, in their focus on m-commerce, marketers should push smaller, more impulse items for mobile, as big-ticket items that consumers need more time to think about won’t immediately deliver results on mobile.
- Streamlining transactions
Spilman notes that mobile shopping is more often than not on-the-go, so retailers need to be sure there aren’t any obstacles to conversion – the whole process right through to payment should take a minimum number of clicks.
In conclusion, she writes, ‘The mobile opportunity for brands has never been greater nor more imperative. The biggest ecommerce winners in 2015 will be those that most effectively capture and convert their mobile audiences.’
Image: Highways Agency.


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Early this month Xiaomi Taiwan was fined by the FTC for falsely declaring that their Mi3 smartphone sold out in minutes. This was revealed to me by folks from Huawei over lunch earlier this week and asked if there is an FTC equivalent here in the Philippines.
Lazada, the sold channel for Xiaomi in the Philippines, reached out to us denying the numbers but would not correct our figures even if they declared that the sale of the handsets closed out during that day.
A week later, Lazada went out and declared an Open Sale which supports our earlier story that not all the units were sold out.
Since then (about 37 days) the Xiaomi Mi 3 are still being sold by Lazada with very heavy advertising in Facebook and Google.
This makes us wonder why such a very good product with a very affordable price tag would not sell as much as we’d expect them. It’s probably the familiarity, of lack thereof, of the brand among Filipino consumers.


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Hong Kong-funded factories across the border have been trying to open up the mainland market since the 2008 global financial crisis, partly because overseas demand has not quite fully recovered.
China’s policy shift to encourage domestic consumption is also a factor.
The problem is Hong Kong manufacturers have not had much luck with the China market.
Compared with their local rivals, Hong Kong manufacturers are much less willing to invest in branding and marketing, according to a report by the Federation of Hong Kong Industries.
Picking the wrong distribution platform is another challenge.
Initially, some Hong Kong manufacturers spent quite a bit of resources building up their retail presence only to face a drastic change in consumption patterns as e-commerce suddenly became the shopping vehicle of choice.
Failing to set up e-shops early enough, these manufacturers are finding it hard and expensive to catch up.
To boost traffic, an e-commerce site in China needs extensive marketing during the startup phase.
It often takes at least six months before there is any chance to see some notable results.
Many Hong Kong manufacturers simply do not have the time or money.
At the same time, the mainland is quite different from Hong Kong and other foreign markets.
Local manufacturers often don’t have enough marketing talent who understands the preferences and buying habits of Chinese shoppers well enough to succeed in e-commerce.
– Contact us at [email protected]


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The Nissan’s attractive crossover SUV which now includes excellent safety ratings is prepared to go on sale. It is a 2018 Nissan Murano. The Murano model is a distinctive-looking vehicle which is perhaps average in all sections but we should confess is a good option for those who are searching for a comfortable, strong and safe car. According to the latest news, besides the 2018 model which has simply launched for sale, the carmaker is likewise working on the newest 2019 Nissan Murano.
2019 Nissan Murano Design
The Nissan Murano is a sport energy vehicle which is understood for its sharp and unique exterior design and extremely comfortable cabin. As well, it is very well equipped and all the trims get the large touchscreen with a navigation system. The fuel economy is satisfying but regrettably, the Murano is not offered with a hybrid engine, at least for now. The security records are likewise on the high level, specifically now, when the manufacturer has actually equipped it with more safety systems. However, its cargo space is a bit restricted so it is not that practical if you’re preparing to tow some heavy and large things.
2019 Nissan Murano Interior Features
It appears that Nissan invested a lot of time and exertion to develop an interior that would appeal its lovers. Although no straight line is visible due big sweeping curves and surfaces, we are definitely certain that the 2019 Nissan Murano is planned for grown-ups. It places zero-gravity seats at four removable seating positions.
The cabin is impeccably illuminated such that it appears as though it were a back-patio sun space. More than 30 cubic feet of space is readily available behind the rear seat. Likewise, flipping the rear seat level supplies up to 65 cubic feet of additional room. The cabin accommodates four grownups in absolute comfort.
The brand-new 2019 Nissan Murano includes a number of features and driver’s functions as standard. These may consist of advanced chauffeur assist display with a seven-inch screen, double-zone automatic climate control, rearview cam and Bluetooth connectivity.
Other beneficial functions include the speed-sensitivity volume control, Vehicle Dynamic Control with Traction Control system, AM/FM/CD noise with MP3/WMZ CD capacity and six high-quality speakers. It is also most likely to bring forth the Nissan Connect with Mobile Apps.
2019 Nissan Murano Engine
Under the hood of the brand-new 2019, Nissan Murano will be a 3.5-liter DOHC V6 engine that will be capable of producing 260 horse power and will have a peak torque of 325 Nm. There are reports that this model could get a hybrid version of the engine and a 2.5-liter 4-cylinder engine linked to the electric engine will have 15kW. This model will feature CVT automated transmission, front-wheel drive will be standard, while the all-wheel drive is a choice.
2019 Nissan Murano Release Date
The Nissan Murano is expected to be a carryover for the 2019 model year. The vehicle was last revamped back in 2015 and has probably grown a little long in the tooth despite receiving crucial safety devices like automatic emergency braking as a basic feature for 2018. A redesign is reportedly on tap for 2021.
Unfortunately, Nissan has actually not yet released specs or rates for the 2019 Murano. Likewise, production estimates have actually not yet been offered. Based on last year’s schedule, we anticipate a release date at some point late in 2018. Rivals include the Ford Edge, Honda Pilot and Hyundai Santa Fe.


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New Insights by Crypto Investor Asia
Stable (Bit)coin: not as volatile anymore?
It’s true that volatility in bitcoin has been declining. In fact, according to number crunching by CBOE Global Markets, the 20-day historical volatility (HV) of bitcoin has fallen to 31.5 percent. It is less ‘volatile’ than Amazon.com (35 percent), Netflix (52 percent) and inching close to, ahem, Apple which is sitting at 29.3 percent. Even chip producer Nvidia is higher at 40 percent.
Davitt added that “perhaps we are witnessing the maturation of a market”. He does concede that it’s “far too early to declare this the ‘new normal’ but the persistent range over the last few weeks may be hinting at a structural shift”. Adoption should improve with less instability, but many are also hankering for a bull run to solidify gains.
You can buy HTC’s blockchain phone Exodus 1 with crypto
A little over six months after HTC announced their plans for a blockchain smartphone, the Exodus 1 is now available for pre-order and will ship to customers in December. Notably, purchase of the smartphone can only be done with cryptocurrencies using either Bitcoin (0.15 BTC) or Ethereum (4.78 ETH).
At press time, that comes to around US$963—roughly the starting price of the iPhone Xs. As reported by Wired, the Exodus 1 comes with a Snapdragon 845, 6GM of RAM, and 128GB of storage.
HTC claims that users could safeguard their digital assets in the phone, arguably more secure than storing a wallet on a regular phone through an app. The Exodus uses the ARM chip’s secure enclave to build a trust zone that is encrypted and separate from the main Android OS. Of course, a very valid question arises: “what if you lose your phone?”
They have an answer for this too. A “Social Key Recovery” feature will be implemented which will allow users to select a few trusted contacts who will receive part of their recovery key. If the worse happens and the phone goes missing, users could still recover their wallets through the key. While this backup plan sounds feasible enough, it doesn’t take into account the myriad of possibilities that could very much go wrong. If one of your “trusted contacts” were to have their own phone stolen, or lose your data, or simply refuse to share their part of the key due to a falling out, then backups become unrecoverable. While hardly an ideal solution, HTC’s decentralised chief officer Phil Chen admits that it is still very much a work in progress:
“THE GOAL IS TO START WITH THE BLOCKCHAIN COMMUNITY AND GET ITS ASSISTANCE IN MAKING OUR WALLET AND THE TECHNOLOGY EVEN MORE SECURE.”
“WE ARE OPENLY INVITING THE COMMUNITY AND POTENTIAL PARTNERS WHO SHARE OUR VISION TO COLLABORATE WITH US TO BRING IN MORE APPLICATIONS AND TO HELP NEW USERS TO UNDERSTAND THE TECHNOLOGY. THIS SHOULD BE A COLLABORATIVE WORK WITH THE WHOLE BLOCKCHAIN COMMUNITY TO HELP EXPAND THE ECOSYSTEM.”
Whether or not the phone will catch on remains a mystery. This isn’t the first convergence of a smartphone and the blockchain however. Earlier this month Pundi X announced their very own XPhone, with a demo hailed as the “first ever blockchain phone call” in front of journalist and attendees at the XBlockchain Summit.


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Inspecting the wildfire damage in Jefferson County, Arkansas
Dry conditions bring an elevated risk for wildfire.
The Arkansas Farm Bureau takes us to the scene of one of these natural disasters to see its impact.
U.S. pork exports could outpace both chicken and beef shipments in the coming decade.
The Association of Equipment Manufacturers’ monthly flash report revealed the sale of all tractors last month was down 21 percent, and combines were down 5 percent from the same point last year.


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New Belgium Beer Makes List of Beers That Changed America
When it comes to beer, New Belgium has one of the greatest Fort Collins hometown stories. Man starts brewery on the seat of a bicycle. Man and woman go on to create one of the most iconic Fort Collins Breweries of all time. Pretty soon, this brewery and its staff of employee owners is making iconic American beer...and we love it.
New Belgium's La Folie is an iconic sour that was brewed in 1997, changing the game for sour beer production in America. According to the list published by Thrillist:
High praise for a beer that we, over here in FoCo, have been drinking for decades.
Congrats to New Belgium for making the list, which you can see in full right here.


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New Crypto Games July 2022. BeholdThe 2022 guide to crypto tax in Australia has EVERYTHING you need. Funding for crypto-gaming companies hit 500 million in the first half of the year.
Page Contents. Never invest what you cant lose. Crypto projects are not left out.
Crypto games focusing on metaverse and NFT gaming are on fire right now and many altcoin and IDO projects are blowing up.
So you are wondering what is bitcoin. After all if youre subscribed to Stadia Pro youll get some free games you can play on your TV tablet phone or PC all without downloading installing or patching. It is July 20 2021 and both the stock market and crypto market have seen a significant downturn. The following guide will talk about how to invest in crypto in 2022 whether you should start investing and what to know before you jump into this new opportunity.


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On the heels of Facebook proclaiming commitment to its Check-in Deals marketing feature, the social giant is killing off Deals, its Groupon competitor. Four-month-old Facebook Deals has been live in five cities but apparently never gained traction in the crowded daily deals space.
In a prepared statement emailed to ClickZ, the Palo Alto, CA-based company said it was shuttering the project in the coming weeks. “We think there is a lot of power in a social approach to driving people into local businesses,” the release said. “We remain committed to building products to help local businesses connect with people, like Ads, Pages, Sponsored Stories, and Check-in Deals. We’ve learned a lot from our test and we’ll continue to evaluate how to best serve local businesses.”
It’s a good sign for daily deals leaders Groupon and LivingSocial. And Facebook’s departure might be a harbinger of things to come for big-name players that recently launched daily deals initiatives, such as Google Offers, Amazon Local, and Priceline. Just this past week, consultancy Forrester Research predicted that Groupon-like daily deals will eventually die.
So, Facebook will continue competing with Foursquare by still having a dedicated feature where local merchants and retail chains can run Check-In Deals. But Facebook will no longer chase Groupon’s business. The development underscores the challenges that differientiate relatively lightweight self-service geo-social marketing platforms like Foursquare from daily deals services, which require an intensive national sales force.
When it comes to customer care, social media offers a chance for your brand to shine. But as with any public forum, it can be risky. Here are three quick tips to keep your customers happy.
It's not easy to keep track of the changes in Facebook's news feed algorithm, but it's always useful to stay up to date, as they may affect your Page's performance.
As social media marketing becomes more challenging and time-consuming, it’s time to get more organised when managing your brand’s social presence.
Everyone wants to go viral on social media. But sometimes your brand ends up going viral for the wrong reasons.


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Garden trade industry features including events, exhibitions, and shows
EcoGro are delighted to announce their new additions to their highly popular family of eco-friendly, sustainable and natural plant foods: EcoGro Lawn Power, and the EcoGro one litre range.
EcoGro Lawn Power is an exciting and innovative natural plant food designed to help your lawn flourish. This new product contains added nutrients and works with the soil microbes to aid root development. It also acts as a moss suppressant, helping avoid these dense mats which outcompete with grass for all vital water and nutrients. By activating microbes, it will also breakdown any dead matter and thatching. It also helps your grass grow greener, so your neighbours will be green with envy!
bio-bean Limited, a Certified B Corp and manufacturer of Coffee Logs, has been named a Best for the World™ B Corp in recognition of its exemplary performance beyond commercial metrics.
Christmas 2021 provides an opportunity for garden retailers to make up for losses sustained in the pandemic.
With national Covid restrictions easing, this festive season promises to be a brighter one than 2020. And for customers, buying a real Christmas tree is all part of the experience.
Here, we speak to the British Christmas Tree Growers’ Association (BCTGA) about its work in promoting British-grown trees. And we hear from some of the Association’s members who offer their insight into being part of an industry that’s growing – in more ways than one.
With the arrival of spring comes the perfect time to get out in the garden and make the most of your outdoor space. One way to completely transform your garden for 2021 is to invest in a garden sculpture. With so many styles and sizes to choose from, Ian Hay, Art Director at the Saul Hay Gallery (www.saulhayfineart.co.uk) in Manchester shares his tops tips
In preparation for the arrival of spring, wild birds start nesting early in the year. Due to climate change, nesting is starting earlier than usual when the winter ground is still hard and natural food can be scarce. So, it is essential to support the wild birds by feeding them nourishing food for their egg development and to ensure young birds receive the right nourishment to grow. Henry Bell (www.henrybell.co.uk), shares their top tips on what to feed wild birds and their young during this time.
We are nearly a year into the Covid-19 pandemic and its restrictions. It is needless to say that the virus caused an extreme effect on the garden retail industry with many stores forced to close several times during the different lockdowns. During these lockdowns, many consumers switched their spending to online platforms. Leading online marketing provider Garden Connect provides services to many garden centres to improve their online sales channels.


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As diesel drops, barging goods to Juneau gets cheaper. That could translate into relief on grocery bills - or relief for the grocers who ate those costs all year.
"People are able to get more out of their freight dollar than they did in July," said Eric Badger, Alaska Marine Lines Juneau port manager.
Barge companies Northland Services and Alaska Marine Lines dropped fuel surcharges again in December, this time to 11 percent. That's a 63 percent decrease from this summer's high of 30 percent. West Coast on-highway diesel fuel prices, meanwhile, have dropped 53 percent since mid-July.
Badger said he hadn't seen any change in freight demand that he could correlate to ups and downs in fuel surcharges.
Retailers that must ship large volumes continuously are at the mercy of freight prices. And the biggest continuous volume into Juneau is groceries, Badger said.
Whether customers will see lower prices depends on whether the grocers raised prices in the first place.
At two grocery stores downtown - Rainbow Foods, a natural-foods store, and the Alaskan and Proud supermarket - grocers ate the fuel surcharges rather than pass them on. They were already dealing with higher prices at the wholesale level, which they automatically build into the retail price.
Rainbow owner David Ottoson said he adjusted prices for a few heavy items that cost more to ship, such as juice in glass bottles, but absorbed most of the fuel surcharge.
Ben Williams, CEO of Ketchikan-based Williams Inc., which runs A&P markets in Juneau, Thorne Bay and Ketchikan, said his supermarkets didn't build the surcharge into prices. They're under pressure to compete with companies that can average freight costs, such as Wal-Mart.
"We ate it. I think most of the other merchants in Southeast did the same," Williams said. "My bottom line's not going to (be) worth a damn this year."
At Fred Meyer, prices were raised and will fall once again - a little.
"We have begun to see a little release on fuel surcharges," said Melinda Merrill, spokeswoman for the Portland-based Northwest supermarket chain. "If we haven't already started passing those savings onto customers, we will start doing so soon."
When costs went up, she said, "we ate as much of that as we could, because we knew people don't have extra money to spend."
Fuel is just one element of the retail cost of food, added Merrill and other grocers. When the price of corn goes up because of drought or demand for ethanol, so does that of corn-fed pork and beef.
"Changes in commodity prices have had a lot more impact on our prices than the fuel surcharges. We're starting to see a few things come down, but it takes a while," Ottoson said.
Ottoson said he noticed a few commodities were cheaper by the end of this year, including chocolate and breakfast cereal.
"We almost never see prices come down," he said.
Customers may have adjusted their buying habits to the higher prices.
Williams said many customers are "trading down" to house brands and less expensive national brands. Ottoson said some higher-priced items aren't selling as well, but bulk goods have become more popular.
Contact reporter Kate Golden at 523-2276 or email@example.com.
© 2018. All Rights Reserved. | Contact Us


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And we've made paying for auto repairs and upgrades as easy as a Sunday morning drive.
Founded in 2018, Wippy Pay is an industry-leading proprietary technology tool, all built to convert qualified customers from using traditional payment methods to the newest and most convenient way to pay both online, and in store. Whether you're a driver or a business owner, take Wippy for a test drive today.
Recognized by the Canadian Lenders
Association (CLA) as the 2021 Canadian Auto
Lending Platform of The Year.
State of the art technology — a web based micro services platform with significant automation and fully paperless.
We’re looking for committed, driven, solutions-focused people to join our team and push our mission forward.
Press Releases & Wippy Announcements
Are you in need of affordable auto mechanics that provide payment plans in Toronto? Finding an auto mechanic...
Winter is coming and that means it’s time to take your car outside and get some quality time...
With the days getting shorter and the temperature dropping, winter is fast approaching. For many of us that...


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The Chrysler PT Cruiser combines the retro look of late-'30s American iron with modern performance, efficiency and features. The PT...
You've come a long way, Chrysler.
Read This Article
Chrysler has announced today that it will no longer be seeking a loan from the U.S.
Minivans are experiencing a lull now, but we're just a few short years away from the next minivan renaissance.
The Chrysler 200 is the automaker's midsize sedan, but it may not be that way for long.


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Canadians are spending online, but not with Canadian retailers. Remarkably, online sales in Canada are forecasted to almost double between 2014 and 2015. According to Virtual Logistics Inc., Canadians are purchasing from multinationals such as Amazon, Costco and Walmart, with most of the remainder from out-of-country retailers. Canadian businesses are doing “very little” to combat this according to Virtual Logistics, as they are not mobile-friendly, few have websites, and some lack any web presence whatsoever.
Some of the numbers in the infographic below are staggering. Canadian online retail sales are expected to grow from $22 billion in 2014 to $40 billion in 2015, while only 12-13% of Canadian businesses sell online. Average Canadian online spending is on the rise, and the number of Canadians shopping online continues to grow. In 2014, it’s estimated that 1.5 million Canadian households shopped online for the first time, and that about 76% of all households have shopped online.
Virtual Logistics estimates that only 46% of Canadian businesses have a website, and that only 41% of small businesses have a website. Only 19% of Canadian retailers have websites optimized for mobile, while 56% of Canadians are smartphone users.
Given that almost 70% of all online purchases made by Canadians were bought from retailers outside of Canada last year, it’s time for Canadian retailers to re-examine or in some cases, examine ecommerce strategies.
For more on this and other topics, visit Virtual Logistics’ blog: www.blog.virtuallogistics.ca


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US stocks edged lower yesterday as an unexpected rise in initial jobless claims and unimpressive July retail sales dimmed optimism ahead of the monthly payrolls report.
Investors were cautious before today’s jobs report, and after a 10 per cent rise in the S&P 500 since July 2. Yesterday’s data showed initial claims for jobless benefits rose to 479,000, the highest level since early April.
The Dow Jones industrial average slipped 5.45 points, or 0.05 per cent, to 10,674.98. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index dropped 1.43 points, or 0.13 per cent, to 1,125.81. The Nasdaq Composite Index lost 10.51 points, or 0.46 per cent, to 2,293.06.
Economists are expecting today’s US Labor Department report to show a drop of 65,000 in non-farm payrolls in July as temporary US Census Bureau jobs dried up. Private employers are expected to have added 90,000 jobs.
Weakness in consumer spending trends also stayed in focus as 28 retailers reported that July same-store sales that rose only 2.9 per cent -- falling short of analysts’ expectations for a 3.1 per cent gain.
The Morgan Stanley Retail index shed 0.4 per cent.
After five straight days of gains, the Morgan Stanley Healthcare Payor index dropped 0.9 per cent, dragged lower by Molina Healthcare, which tumbled 10.7 per cent to $28.31 after the health insurer posted quarterly results that fell short of revenue expectations.
The drop in Molina shares overshadowed a 5.6 per cent gain in Cigna to $33.96 after the insurer reported a far higher-than-expected profit in the second quarter and raised its full-year forecast.
Shares of grain companies rose more than five per cent yesterday amid expectations that their wheat exports will be boosted by the worst drought in 130 years in Russia.
Volume was light, with about 6.49bn shares traded on the New York Stock Exchange, the American Stock Exchange and Nasdaq, the third lowest for the year.
Declining stocks outnumbered advancing ones on the New York Stock Exchange by a ratio of about 17-to-13, while on the Nasdaq, about two stocks fell for every one that rose.


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The auction for the sale of Voshchazhnikovo is scheduled for April 14
The initial price of the lot is 2.6 billion rubles. The auction will be held on April 14. To participate in them, you must make a deposit of 10% of the initial price of the bankrupt enterprise.
In early February, we wrote that on the portal bankrot.fedresurs.ru there were published the results of the evaluation of one of the largest enterprises in the milk production industry in Russia – the agricultural enterprise Voshchazhnikovo. According to the service, the value determined by evaluators is twice lower than the book value of the company under bankruptcy management.
The organizer of the auction is LLC Legal Bureau.
The DairyNews has been following the fate of Voshchazhnikovo very closely since its foundation. The successful agricultural producer in 2020 increased production by 4.4% despite the fact that a year earlier it was declared bankrupt. ‘At present, the company has retained the number of employees (more than 300 people), as well as all social guarantees. Salary increased by 5%. Now it has become more than 50 thousand rubles. The company increases the production of milk. In 2020, the figures amounted to 54.4 thousand tons, which is 4.4% more than in 2019. Milk yield per cow is 10,971 kg, which is 1.5% more than in 2019. All support measures remain in place at the agricultural complex Voshchazhnikovo,’ reported in the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Market of Yaroslavl region to The DairyNews.
Currently, the company is leased from a subsidiary of Agrivolga Holding.


text: Another pair of aggressive phone scams are being reported in the area, just in time for the holidays. Dreama Jensen with the Better Business Bureau says residents are getting calls from a fake police officer claiming his name is Zachary Smith. According to Jensen, he then claims that you owe the government money and if you don't pay that money immediately, you'll have a warrant out for your arrest. There's another fake caller who claims to be from the U.S. Treasury. Jensen says they claim you need to make a payment using Western Union or a Green Dot Card immediately. Jensen insists that the U.S. Treasury would not ask for payment in these forms. One elderly victim in South Bend was reportedly frightened out of more than $2,000.


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May 21, 2008
Producer prices tame but gain in core vexes
May 21, 2008
By Alister Bull
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Producer prices excluding energy and food rose at the fastest pace since 1991 in the year through April, highlighting inflation concerns that could limit the Federal Reserve's options in shoring up a weak economy.
The U.S. central bank has been counting on slower growth to prevent soaring energy and food prices from spilling into wider inflation, but the data on Tuesday on prices paid at the farm and factory gate suggested that battle has yet to be won.
The Labor Department said the producer price index rose 0.2 percent last month as food prices took a respite from their march upward and as gasoline costs, which usually climb sharply in April, fell after adjustment for seasonal swings.
However, core producer prices, which strip out volatile energy and food costs, increased by 0.4 percent -- twice the rate forecast on Wall Street.
Over the past 12 months, core prices rose 3 percent, the largest gain since December 1991. Overall producer prices were up an even-stiffer 6.5 percent.
U.S. stock prices fell as investors, already alarmed by a fresh record oil price notched on Tuesday above $129 per barrel, took further fright over the high core price gauge.
"Nothing here bodes well for consumers," said Joel Naroff, president at Naroff Economic Advisors in Holland, Pennsylvania.
"It's putting more pressure on businesses to raise their costs. This is problematic in an economic slowdown we are in right now. This will have a more negative news for earnings and inflation," he said.
Soaring energy costs have buoyed producer prices and spilled into broader measures of inflation in a worrying fashion for the Fed, which has slashed interest rates by 3.25 percentage points since mid-September to buffer the economy from the housing crisis and credit crunch.
Fed Vice Chairman Donald Kohn said in a speech in New Orleans that rising inflation expectations were a concern but the economy was still dogged by a housing slump, creating a high level of uncertainty that demands policy flexibility.
The Fed is widely expected to hold rates steady at its next meeting in late June, but financial markets see some chance policy-makers will push borrowing costs higher by year end.
The rise in the core index reflected increases in a broad range of costs, including higher auto prices.
Gasoline prices fell 4.6 percent, but they were up 23 percent over the past year. Seasonal factors aided the April drop and economists warned it would prove temporary.
While food prices were unchanged, the price of rice jumped by 17.4 percent, the largest rise since 1993.
The report also suggested price pressures further back in the chain of production, with core crude goods up 7.9 percent in April.
"Perhaps the most disturbing aspect of the PPI report was the surge in pipeline costs," said Stephen Stanley, chief economist at RBS Greenwich Capital.
Other data on Tuesday showed consumers feeling the pinch of record gasoline prices with one measure of chain store sales recording its third straight week of declines.
Target Corp , the No. 2 U.S. discount chain store, reported lower quarterly profits as customers cut back on clothes and jewelry in favor of basics like food. Home Depot's quarterly profit fell 66 percent as housing woes hurt sales.
A report from the Chicago Federal Reserve Bank showed economic activity was weaker in April across a range of sectors. The Chicago Fed's National Activity Index, compiled from an array of economic data, moved down to -1.17 from -0.98 in March.
A three-month moving average of the index tumbled to its lowest level since November 2001, when the United States emerged from its last recession, and showed the economy could be contracting for a fifth straight month.
(Additional reporting by Ros Krasny in Chicago, Ellen Frielich and Richard Leong in New York; Editing by Andrea Ricci)
© Thomson Reuters 2023 All rights reserved.


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Youth rush to saloons for stylish hair cuts
With most of the devout avoiding haircut during the Ramzan owing to curbs during fasting, youngsters have begun knocking on the doors of ‘hair stylists’ during the night hours to avoid mad rush on Eid.
Moghalpura: With most of the devout avoiding haircut during the Ramzan owing to curbs during fasting, youngsters have begun knocking on the doors of ‘hair stylists’ during the night hours to avoid mad rush on Eid.
The Taj Men’s Saloon in Moghalpura has already started receiving scores of young men looking for stylish look this festival. The saloon which is expecting a huge rush during the last days has engaged eight hair stylists who will be working overtime to meet the demand in the the last 3 to 4 days of Ramzan. On an average a hair stylist takes care of 30 customers in a day, which includes trimming of beard.
“Our saloon handles 400 customers in a day during the Ramzan rush. During the last 2-days of Ramzan most of the customers arrive only after breaking their fast. We are forced to stay back till wee hours and if the moon is sighted, then the business will run till Eid prayers,” said Feroz Ahmed, hair stylist and owner of the saloon.
K Srinivas, a professional haircutter in Santoshnagar, was also gearing up for the mad rush for haircut. With his limited man force he would be doing his best to ensure satisfaction to the customers. While the hair stylists with modern interiors and equipment charge more, the traditional haircutter like Srinivas charge less. “We shall be handling about 15-30 persons per day during the last days and may only reach home while Muslims pray at Eid Gah,” he said.
Amidst the beeline, these youngsters could be seen busy with their smart phones in the saloons. It will be the once in a year time that these youth will be waiting patiently for haircut, sometimes it may stretch for over 2-hours. “Since there would be more rush after moon is sighted, I thought it will be better to have a haircut today itself,” said Syed Mohsin, a student.
This Ramzan the youth who are influenced by the global trends wants latest stylish haircuts. They would be wearing new clothes and to compliment that they would be trying out latest trendy hair-styles. “Many youngsters and children opt for stylish haircuts donned by well-known football players, Hollywood actors and singers. The trendy hair-cut styles have their own names like one-sided, double-sided, spikes etc., and there are many who also dye their hair with different colours.
One sided is like trimming hair of only one side of the head while trimming of hairs on both sides of head is called double- sided, and straightening of front hair termed as a spike cutting. These stylish haircuts are done by a machine for its good looks and we charge Rs120 to Rs180 in accordance to its styles, added Feroz.
BY M M Farooqui


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Honda claimed the top spot in an annual survey of automotive suppliers, knocking off Toyota from having the best rating among suppliers.
Toyota dropped to second in the survey by Planning Perspectives Inc., which has conducted the survey since 2002, and Nissan came in third. Of the Big Three automakers from Detroit, Ford Motor Co. (NYSE: F) came in ahead of the other U.S. giants, followed by General Motors Corp. (NYSE: GM) and Chrysler LLC, which came in last overall in the survey for the second year in a row.
“Research we began in the early 1990s always showed Toyota as having the best relationship with its suppliers, but something seems to be changing,” said John Henke Jr., president of Michigan-based Planning Perspectives. “They’re looking a little more like U.S. automakers.”
Toyota Motor Engineering and Manufacturing North America has its headquarters in Erlanger, Ky.. Ford operates two Louisville manufacturing plants and Honda opened an assembly plant in Greensburg, Ind., last year.


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The large living room has glass doors leading out to the heated pool and gazebo. From outside, there are views of Hobe Sound and nearby Jupiter Island.
Still one of the priciest homes of all time, the Spelling Manor sold for $85 million -- a 43% discount to its $150 million asking price.
|China stocks hammered as market crash continues|
|Europe gives Greece five days to save the euro|
|How China's media and risky trading fueled stock market crash|
|Gun sales spike in June|
|The car color that men and women can't agree on|


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A lot of the new up and coming innovations in the world of electric mobility are coming to us from China. Like it or not, companies from the country are taking huge strides when it comes to electric powertrains and battery technology, and a lot of them are making their presence felt on the global stage, particularly in Europe.
With EICMA just around the corner, we’re expected to see a lot of new EV specialists from China making the trip to Italy to showcase their latest tech to a bustling e-mobility industry. For example, Yadea, one of the already established Chinese electric mobility specialists, has announced its presence at EICMA 2023, and is eager to showcase what it has to offer for the upcoming model year.
Yadea is considered one of the pioneers in the lightweight e-mobility segment. The company first participated in EICMA back in 2015, in a time when acceptance and recognition for electric motorcycles wasn’t as widespread as it is today. Since then, the company has managed to deliver impressive performance in the markets it operates. In 2022, the company managed to sell an impressive 14.01 million units. In the same year, Yadea also increased R&D expenses by 31.1 percent, with six technology centers, a national industrial design center, and two CNAS (China National Accreditation Service for Conformity Assessment) laboratories.
For EICMA 2023, Yadea has teased a new product that will be unveiled on November 7, 2023. The company gives very little info other than that it will feature a “high-performance” motor, as well as come with “intelligent” technology. With the rapid integration of intelligent AI-powered systems in electric vehicles, chances are Yadea has something of this nature up its sleeve. On top of the new model, the Keeness will also be displayed, as well as a wide selection of other products, through the brand’s wide 800-square-meter space.
Yadea has previously launched some impressive models, at least on paper, and has worked with some of the industry’s biggest names, as well. For example, back in May, 2023, it launched the VF F200 electric scooter in partnership with Porsche. The company also has a selection of electric scooters, the Keeness VFD electric motorcycle, and an e-bike in its lineup, models that were previously showcased in CES 2023.


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Crypto.com Partners with AMF1 Team to Release Limited Edition NFTs in Anticipation of Miami Grand Prix
Cryptocurrency exchange Crypto.com has partnered with the AMF1 racing team to launch a set of limited-edition non-fungible tokens (NFTs) in celebration of the upcoming Miami Grand Prix to be held on May 8-9, 2021.
Crypto.com and AMF1 Racing Team Collaboration
Crypto.com, a leading cryptocurrency platform, has announced its collaboration with AMF1 racing team by releasing a set of limited edition NFTs. The partnership aims to celebrate the upcoming Miami Grand Prix in May, which will mark the first F1 race in Miami since 1959.
The AMF1 racing team, which combines the passion for racing with groundbreaking technology and innovation, is led by Alfa Romeo Formula One driver Antonio Giovinazzi. Together with Crypto.com, AMF1 is creating these collectible NFTs, offering fans a unique opportunity to own a unique piece of history.
What are NFTs?
NFTs are digital assets that use blockchain technology to certify the ownership and authenticity of a unique digital item. They are unique, indivisible, and non-interchangeable assets, meaning that no two NFTs are identical.
The Crypto.com X AMF1 NFTs will represent a momentous occasion in the history of F1 motorsports and will capture the essence of the first-ever F1 Grand Prix in Miami.
The NFT Collection
The limited-edition Miami Grand Prix NFTs will be available for purchase starting on May 6, 2021, exclusively on the Crypto.com NFT platform. Collectors and fans will have the opportunity to purchase one of the three unique NFTs in the collection.
The first NFT represents the official Miami Grand Prix track layout and is limited to only 258 pieces, symbolizing the number of laps in the race. The second NFT represents an image of AMF1 driver Antonio Giovinazzi and comes in a limited edition of only 155 pieces. The third NFT represents the Miami skyline and is limited to only 40 pieces, commemorating the 40 years since the last F1 race in Miami.
The Benefits of Owning NFTs
Owning an NFT gives fans ownership of a unique piece of digital history and offers the possibility for it to increase in value over time. Furthermore, NFTs can be used as a form of digital memorabilia, showcasing the owner’s fandom and love for the sport.
In addition, owning one of these limited-edition NFTs will give special perks, such as exclusive access to premium content from the AMF1 team and Crypto.com. The owners will also have the privilege to attend the live Miami Grand Prix event on May 8-9, 2021, where they can see firsthand how AMF1 drivers perform on the track.
Crypto and F1 Racing
Crypto.com has a long-standing interest in the world of F1 racing, starting with their partnership with the Aston Martin Formula One Team. With the growth of the NFT market, this partnership with the AMF1 racing team shows a continued commitment to the F1 racing world and their fan base.
The Final Verdict
The collaboration between Crypto.com and the AMF1 racing team to create limited-edition NFTs is a game-changer for the world of motorsports. This unique collection gives fans the opportunity to own a piece of history and get exclusive benefits, such as attending the Miami Grand Prix. As the NFT market continues to grow, this partnership marks a significant milestone for the sports industry and its use of blockchain technology.
Hashtags: #Crypto #AMF1 #NFTS #MiamiGrandPrix #blockchain #F1Racing
In conclusion, Crypto.com and AMF1 team’s collaboration to create limited edition NFTs is a new exciting chapter for blockchain use in the sports industry. It presents fans with an opportunity to own a unique piece of history and connect with the sport world digitally. #SPORT


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The robust business process outsourcing (BPO) industry in the Philippines continues to lift Filipinos’ incomes, thereby spurring demand for property, cars, consumer goods, and services, a Thomson Reuters report said. The report cited the nearly USD40bn worth of inflows from BPO contracts, in addition to the millions of Filipinos working abroad, to have spurred the buying power of the Filipino consumer. The Philippine economy, according to the report, posted a growth pickup late last year due to strong domestic demand and government spending. The economy grew 6.3% in Q4 from a year earlier, faster than the forecast of 5.9%. The country’s BPO sector and the overseas Filipinos workers have been considered as the important drivers of the local economy.
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ZAGREB, May 14, 2020 – The coronavirus-related epidemiological situation in Slovenia is improving, so it was announced on Thursday that nearly all shops would reopen as part of the increasingly greater relaxation of restrictive measures, and preparations are underway to restart tourism.
Nearly two months since the introduction of lockdown, all shops should reopen as of Monday.
“True, we haven’t completely stopped the epidemic, but we’re on the right track. After nearly two months, a significant number of restrictions on shops and tourism are being lifted,” State Secretary at the Economy Ministry, Simon Zajc, told a press conference in Ljubljana.
He underscored that all shops, including big shopping malls, were free to reopen as of Monday. In addition, pubs and restaurants, including those providing indoor service, as well as kitchens, may reopen, and preparations are underway to reopen tourism facilities.
In the last 24 hours, with 984 tests carried out, only one new case of the coronavirus infection was conformed in Slovenia, and there were no new deaths, while the number of hospitalised patients continues to drop, the government said on Thursday.
Currently, there are only 32 COVID-19 patients being treated in hospitals, including seven in intensive care units. The number of deaths is still 103.
With more than 66,000 tests carried out since the start of the epidemic, a total of 1,465 cases of the coronavirus infection have been confirmed to date.


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Egyptian taxi-hailing startup Ousta has raised a US$1.25 million bridge investment round, which will be used to grow its team and accelerate its growth.
Uber competitor Ousta only launched five months ago, but has now secured funding from a group of angels and venture capitalists from Egypt and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Ousta, now operating in 11 cities, claims to have a 30 per cent weekly growth rate, with co-founder and chairman Nader El-Batrawi saying this bridge investment round will be followed by another sizeable round in the near future.
“We are proud to be a local company founded by Egyptians, with a main focus to have a strong and recognisable presence in our home country before expanding to any other country,” El-Batrawi said.
Omar Salah, co-founder and chief executive officer (CEO) of Ousta, said the funding will be used to develop the team and increase Ousta’s availability across Egypt.
“We passion the shared economy business model, because it fundamentally helps the cities we work in by creating thousands of jobs for both genders, improving household incomes, optimizing personal transportation, saving customers’ precious time, and also decreasing carbon emissions, which improves our air quality,” he said.
“Our main goal is not just to build a strong and profitable business, but to participate in building better economy and environment.”
Nancy Farag is CEO of Axia Capital, the buy-side advisor to investing VCs. She said she believes in Ousta’s vision, work ethic and ability on execution.
“The Ousta application is built with solid and stable infrastructure with a great user experience interface. Noteworthy, the on-demand industry is no doubt the future of not just personal transportation, but will bring more great services to Egypt and soon the region,” she said.
“This bridge finance will be used mainly to maintain its business, while discussing the potential of another significant round of capital increase.”


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Nintendo president Satoru Iwata has addressed the issue of slow Wii U sales by reminding everyone that the original Game Boy didn’t explode until Pokemon hit the scene.
We posted our Mario Kart 8 review earlier today, and it’s a game that absolutely deserves to be played by all. Check it out.
As part of an analyst Q&A session, Iwata addressed the matter of Nintendo’s poor financials.
He compared the slow uptake of Wii U consoles to the launch of Game Boy, another format that saw a gradual increase in sales before erupting as the Pokemon phenomenon took hold.
“The fate of a video game system is often influenced greatly by the introduction of a single title,” Iwata said. “As many of you probably remember, before the release of the Pokémon game, Game Boy had been showing slow growth, and many people wondered whether it was the end of Game Boy.
“But the Pokémon game singlehandedly changed the landscape of the system, which then started to show the strongest sales in the lifecycle of the system.”
Further on, Iwata stressed that Nintendo isn’t trying to surpass the original Wii’s massive sales with Wii U, stating, “As I explained back in January, it is true that we cannot draw up a good business plan for Wii U by assuming that Wii U will sell more than Wii did. Therefore, we will need to think very carefully about the balance of revenue and expenses and try to operate by controlling overall costs.
“On the other hand, we do not believe that this year’s estimate of 3.60 million units of Wii U hardware will be the peak of its lifecycle, and we would like to work hard to make sure that we give sufficient momentum to the system so that we can expect good results in and after the next fiscal year, too.
“However, as for this fiscal year, as I explained before, the figures you see have been determined by rather conservative estimates.”
With Mario Kart 8 out May 30, and other titles like Super Smash Bros, Bayonetta and Monolith’s X, as well as new Zelda and Mario games in development, is Wii U just waiting for that killer app before it explodes?
Let us know below.


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Now retail sales pose quandary for reserve bank
Lower-than-expected retail sales in May have increased concerns about slower economic growth this year, which is likely to place the Reserve Bank in a bind over whether or not to raise interest rates.
The Bank’s monetary policy committee meets next week and economists are sharply divided over whether there will be a hike — the first in a year.
Some have said sagging retail sales reduced the probability of a hike but others believe the Bank has committed itself to hikes this year to curb rising inflation.
Retail sales growth dropped to 2.4% year on year, much lower than the 3.4% posted in April.
Household furniture and appliance sales hit an annual low, but sales of food in specialised stores and of clothing were up.
The figures are the latest in a series of data showing dire economic conditions. Business and consumer confidence indices have plunged to 16-year and 14-year lows, respectively, and manufacturing production fell for the second consecutive month in May, largely due to power outages.
Consumer spending has been a key contributor to economic growth over the past few years, and the sharp drops in confidence and retail sales do not augur well, with some economists saying gross domestic product (GDP) growth is unlikely to exceed 2% this year.
Higher interest rates may damp growth. But Investec economist Annabel Bishop said the Bank had regularly said that interest rates were likely to rise this year. "We continue to expect a 25 basis point hike next week," she said.
Ms Bishop said household expenditure growth was likely to average a modest 2.2% this year with GDP growth at 2%. Sales of luxury goods were expected to come under pressure and retail sales for the year were unlikely to exceed last year’ s.
Nedbank economist Dennis Dykes said it was increasingly unlikely that the Bank would hike rates next week.
Another factor to consider was the likelihood of the US Federal Reserve increasing rates in September and whether or not the Reserve Bank would wait until then for a hike.
UFX.com MD Dennis de Jong said the Bank could time its move for when the Fed took its step.
Stanlib chief economist Kevin Lings said the retail sector was under pressure, with little indicating that there would be relief soon and that the weakness would persist as consumers remained hard-pushed.
He said retail activity had lost momentum in the past three months after successive hikes in the fuel price and growing concerns about job cuts.
"We also have the prospect of the Reserve Bank increasing rates again," Mr Lings said.
John Ashbourne, Africa economist at Capital Economics, said his GDP tracker suggested growth fell from 2.8% in April to just 2.2% in May with the inclusion of the latest retail data.
"And even this rate of growth, which is only (slightly) above the first quarter’s 1.3%, is largely dependent on the faltering retail sector," he noted.
Mr Ashbourne reckons the Bank will respond to rising inflation and a weak rand by hiking rates by 50 basis points this year, with the first as early as next week. "Rising borrowing costs will curb the spending power of a population that is already heavily indebted," he said.


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Sberbank has participated in the conference Korea-Russia Dialogue on Economic Cooperation. At the session titled ‘The Digital Economy and Innovation: New Cooperation Area’, speakers discussed interaction between South Korea and Russia in the innovation sector, as well as measures that could make it more successful and productive.
Managing Director of Sberbank’s Digital Ecosystem Development Directorate Alexander Chebotaryov shared the bank’s experience of creating and developing its ecosystem and called on representatives of the Korean business community and government to create partnerships in a number of industries, including e-commerce, telemedicine, fintech and biometrics.
“We are ready to cultivate partnerships with South Korean companies. Promising areas of development include R&D and digital retail – we have the largest online retail space in the country and we can use it to list popular products from South Korea, such as cosmetics, hygiene products and other items. Another area is development of acquiring partnerships, which will help Korean retailers boost turnover,” Alexander Chebotaryov said.
The session’s participants looked at the prospects of creating a free trade area and an innovative platform to support joint Russian-Korean start-ups. In particular, representatives of South Korea were presented with the idea of selling goods on Yandex.Market’s Bringly platform. Sberbank also proposed that South Korean tourists could use the DocDoc medical system and that South Korean clinics could join it to provide services to Russian citizens.
“South Korea is investing more in the Russian economy and a number of major Korean corporations have opened production facilities in the country,” Alexander Chebotaryov noted.


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If you've been around for a while, you may recall how we worried our computers would crash at the stroke of midnight on the last day of 1999, wiping out our bank accounts and shutting down the infrastructure as every digit of that year vanished into the weirdly futuristic-sounding 2000.
Anyone who stocked canned goods in the cellar to prep for the Y2K meltdown learned pretty quickly that prognosticating can be a dicey proposition. But that's not going to stop us from making some predictions as another improbable number turns up on our calendars.
The last 20 years delivered some huge economic development milestones for the community we call home, from blazing-fast internet speeds that set up our region to become Gig City to the arrival of the Volkswagen plant that made Chattanooga a key player in the auto industry.
As we look ahead at the trends that will shape our region's business scene in 2020, some of the big developments we see on the horizon tie directly back to the defining moments the first two decades of this century delivered. For example, that Volkswagen plant is expanding and making the Scenic City the company's epicenter of electric vehicle production. (No, they aren't the flying cars the Jetsons promised us, but they're still pretty cool.)
The past year also set the stage for several trends we see coming, including the continuation — and evolution — of the Gold Rush growth of the hemp industry, and the changing landscape of our community as major development projects take shape — from the Red Wolves stadium complex in East Ridge to the transformation of the old Alstom plant on the city's Southside.


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Nutson's Weekly Automotive News Digest March 14-20, 2016
By Larry Nutson
Senior Editor and Bureau Chief
The Auto Channel
AUTO CENTRAL Chicago, March 13, 2016; Every Sunday Larry Nutson, Senior Editor and Chicago Car Guy along with fellow senior editors Steve Purdy and Thom Cannell from The Auto Channel Michigan Bureau, give you TACH's "take" on this past week's automotive news in easy to digest mega-tweet sized nuggets. If you wish to know more just click on the link that will take you to the full story as published here on The Auto Channel.
If you are a car and driving fan like we all are here at The Auto Channel, you can easily wish to "catch up" on these stories as well put them in context with the past 20 year's 1,973,660 automotive news, automotive stories, articles, reviews, archived news, video, audio, rants and raves. Just search The Auto Channel's Automotive News Archive.
Hey Boston TV viewers, you can now enjoy The Auto Channel TV Network "Free and Clear" on WHDT Channel 3 in Boston and on your local cable systems. Just added Naples Florida, along with all South Florida auto fans who can continue to watch The Auto Channel TV Network on WHDT-TV Channel 9 in West Palm Beach as well as cable channel's 17 and 438, channel 9 Miami. WHDN launched its full schedule (including The Auto Channel)of broadcasting in the Naples-Fort Myers market on digital PSIP channel 9.1 channel. Enjoy and thanks for the positive feedback and ratings. See You Next Week, LN.
The Past Week's Automotive News Highlights In Easy To Digest Chunks
* The week's big news came from the National Highway Traffic Administration and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety announcing a deal with nearly all major automakers to equip most cars and light trucks with autonomous braking systems by 2022. These safety systems, available today on some cars, will automatically apply the vehicle's brakes with up to full force in order to prevent or mitigate a rear-end crash, say these safety agencies, and can prevent 40% of such incidents. Well-known safety advocate Joan Claybrook criticises the deal saying it will be unenforceable since it is being done outside the federal rule making process. Automakers making the commitment are Audi, BMW, FCA US LLC, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Jaguar Land Rover, Kia, Maserati, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi Motors, Nissan, Porsche, Subaru, Tesla Motors Inc., Toyota, Volkswagen and Volvo Car USA.
* Toyota will juggle nomenclature at next week’s New York International Auto Show. The Scion brand goes away but some products remain being rolled into the corporate product structure. The RWD little sport coupe co-designed with Subaru, formerly known as Scion FR-S, gets a modest refresh and becomes the Toyota 86 to honor the company’s racing history. The Scion iM becomes the Toyota Corolla iM and the Scion iA becomes Toyota Yaris iA.
* The New York Auto Show will be the scene of Alfa Romeo’s reveal of the full line of Giulia sedans headed for the North American market. We’ve already seen the 505-horsepower Quadrifoglio but we’ll also see in New York the 2.0-liter turbo four-cylinder making an impressive 276 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque. This rear-wheel drive sedan gets an 8-speed automatic and is said to be good for a 5.5-second 0 to 60 mph time. The other powertrain is a 3.8-liter V6 that will do 0 to 60 in 3.8 seconds.
* The American Horsepower Wars are on-going. Chevrolet unveiled the 2017 Camaro ZL1 with a new supercharged 6.2L V-8 engine estimated at 640 hp, and either a six-speed manual transmission with active rev matching or an all-new 10-speed automatic. Chevy hasn't released performance data, but just use your imagination. The Camaro ZL1 goes on sale late this year.
* Customer satisfaction with dealer service related to an automotive recall declines for the first time in six years, according to the J.D. Power 2016 U.S. Customer Service Index (CSI) Study. The drop in satisfaction this year, which comes on the heels of a record number of recalls, stems from customers feeling that dealers do not give the same level of attention to recall work as they do to non-recall maintenance and repairs. Audi ranks highest in satisfaction with dealer service among luxury brands. MINI ranks highest in satisfaction with dealer service among mass market brands.
* Chicago area folks who are looking to earn money driving for the ride-share service Lyft but who don't have a suitable car now can rent one from GM. The pilot program, which starts this month and is called Express Drive, will offer GM vehicles to Lyft drivers for $99 a week for up to eight weeks. The $99 will be waived to Lyft drivers in Chicago who log 65 or more rides per week. Lyft and Maven, GM's new car-sharing venture, will share the cost of insurance and maintenance. Low-mileage Chevrolet Equinox crossovers equipped with OnStar are being pulled from rental fleet programs for use in Chicago. Additional cities will be added to the program.
* New research from Autotrader and Kelley Blue Book offers an in-depth look at Generation Z…currently age from birth to 17 and about 23% of the population, delivering some surprising insights about how this new cohort differs greatly from the often-discussed Millennial generation that comes before it. The research says 92 percent of Gen Z own or plan to own a vehicle, and 97 percent have or plan to get a license. Compared to Gen Y, they are less materialistic, less "green", want more safety and want self-driving features for their safety aspect. And, interestingly, only one-quarter want to buy a vehicle on-line.
* The Rocky Mountain Automotive Press, a non-profit media association representing independent automotive journalists from 10 states including Colorado, Utah, Wyoming and New Mexico named the 2016 Volvo XC90 crossover of the year, 2016 Toyota Tacoma pickup of the year and 2016 Honda Civic Sedan car of the year.
Commute Time Report
* A new report from INRIX, Inc says Los Angeles, Washington D.C., San Francisco, Houston, New York and Seattle rank as most congested cities in U.S., where commuters spent a total of 8 billion hours stuck in traffic in 2015. The U.S. accounts for 50 percent of the top 10 metros with the worst traffic congestion across the U.S. and Europe; only London has worse traffic than top-ranked U.S. cities.
VW Diesel Talks On-Going
* It’s not a done deal yet but we learned this week that Volkswagen is in talks with U.S. officials to fund two “remediation funds” as partial atonement for cheating on diesel emissions. The funds will promote clean transportation projects around the country and zero-emissions vehicles in California. VW will still have to pay for recalls of affected vehicles. Other details of settlement and punishment will be addressed at a March 24th hearing in U.S. District Court.
* Diesels are alive and well according to Allen Schaeffer, the Executive Director of the Diesel Technology Forum, commenting to automotive writers at the International Motor Press Association (IMPA) this week in New York City. Schaeffer said that new federal fuel efficiency standards requiring higher vehicle mileage will be a significant boost for clean diesel vehicles, which have about 30 percent better fuel efficiency than gasoline vehicles. Schaeffer also noted that new diesel technology has helped diesel pickup trucks break the 30 mpg highway mark that will be key to reaching the new federal efficiency standards.
Jon Lowelll Passes
* The automotive journalist community lost another icon this week with the passing of Jon Lowell who worked for Newsweek among other major publications. Lowell is one of the founders of the Detroit-based Automotive Press Association and was known for “wit, wisdom, warm heart and a substantial body of work.” according to his colleague and competitor Ken Zino.
Gas Prices Up This Week
* If you haven't noticed gas prices are going up, having climbed 12 to 20 cents in a week. Refineries are shutting down for semi-annual maintenance, crimping supply, and then they will start producing the more-expensive summer blend of gasoline.
New Monopoly Piece - Ford Mustang
* Ford Mustang is Mr. Monopoly’s new ride in the new edition of Monopoly Empire. 2015’s best-selling sports car in the U.S. has made thousands of appearances on the silver screen and in numerous songs, and now it’s a playable piece in the iconic board game. Mustang fans can rev their engines and advance to go as they take laps around the board and build their empire of well-known brands, including Ford. The new version of the Monopoly Empire game is available now.


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Media: Huawei develops an alternative to Android
The company Huawei took up an active development of its own analog Android. The Chinese are studying a backup option in case the US authorities forbid them to buy processors and other components from American firms and deprive them of the license for the Google platform.
As reported by the media this week, an investigation into Huawei was initiated by the US Department of Justice. The regulator ascertains whether the company violated the terms of the sanctions regime in force against Iran. Presumably, the authorities want to know how closely the owner of the brands Mate and Honor is connected with the Chinese government and how this can affect national security.
Huawei risks becoming the second Chinese firm, which will be denied cooperation with US partners. Earlier this month, the right to buy Qualcomm processors and Dolby sound systems lost ZTE for seven years. She also faces a loss of the license to install Android in the US.
Huawei reflected on the creation of its own mobile OS in 2012 against the backdrop of a US investigation into the company. “We are developing our own OS for strategic reasons, because we will not be doomed if they deprive us of bread, do not allow us to use Android or Windows 8,” said Huawei’s head and founder Ren Zhenfei at the meeting.
As reported by SCMP with reference to informed sources, the “underperformance” OS has not come out – it was not as good as Android, and for it, not so many applications were created. Under the publication, a new investigation in the US forced Huawei to return to the development of the platform.


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BMW AG and Hyundai Motor Co. are the latest automakers to urge the U.S. not to impose tariffs on auto imports, joining General Motors in pressing their case to Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, even as a top aide to President Donald Trump dismissed the concerns as "smoke and mirrors."
"It seems that the threat to impose these sanctions is designed to achieve certain goals," BMW wrote to Ross, according to German newspaper Welt am Sonntag.
The luxury automaker said its investment of almost $9 billion at its Spartanburg, S.C., plant supports more than 120,000 U.S. jobs.
White House trade adviser Peter Navarro earlier addressed Friday's stern warning by GM to the Trump administration on Friday, that it could shrink U.S. operations and cut jobs if tariffs are broadly applied to imported vehicles and auto parts.
"Increased import tariffs could lead to a smaller GM, a reduced presence at home and risk less -- not more -- U.S. jobs," the nation's largest automaker said in comments submitted Friday to the Commerce Department, which Ross leads.


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As motorists continue to struggle with the cost of running a car, new research has revealed that as many as one in ten are try to save cash by putting off their MOT.
The findings come as part of a new survey conducted by car insurance firm InsureMyExcess.com, with over a 1,000 drivers questioned as part of the research on dodging vehicle costs.
According to the poll, ten per cent of respondents admitted to putting off MOT testing, while 16 per cent avoid mending problems with their car to save on costs.
The survey also showed that around one in five of the 18 to 24-year-olds questioned held back on making improvements to damaged cars.
"Motorists have been hit hard by spiralling motoring costs and it is very worrying that so many are struggling to pay for repairs to their vehicles and their insurance," director Matt Tumbridge said.
"With tightening budgets and further job losses looming, motorists are being very careful with their money and feel that they have no option as the cost of motoring continues to increase."
The poll also showed that over 50 per cent of respondents expressed concerns over paying for faults to be mended as a result of an MOT inspection.
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