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Nvidia’s Shield Tablet has made another appearance online where it was recently spotted getting certified at the Global Certification Forum (GCF) website. The device was previously mentioned on the TegraZone page as well, and it’s being developed under the Mocha codename.
Ubergizmo points out that the certification website has listed the Nvidia Shield Tablet under different models with cellular support on 3G and 4G networks. Apart from this, there’s nothing new to share about the device. However, there are reports doing the rounds stating the possibility of the chip maker offering its GameStream technology with the slate which would allow users to play PC titles remotely.
The first time we heard about Nvidia’s upcoming Shield device was when the slate was spotted on GFX Bench under the Mocha name. A lot about the tablet has been leaked thanks to the benchmark listing and we know that the company plans to implement its latest Tegra K1 chipset which is also being used by Google’s Porject Tango and Xiaomi’s MiPad amongst others.
The SOC comes with quad Cortex A15 cores clocked at 2.1GHz and a 192 core Kepler GPU. Unlike the Tegra Note, the slate in question will be a high-end one offering a high resolution QXGA 2048 x 1536p display. The screen size is estimated to be around 7.9 inches.
Here are the leaked specs:
– 2.1GHz quad core Tegra K1 SOC
– 7.9-inch 2048 x 1536p display
– 2GB RAM, 16GB storage
– 7MP rear camera, 4.8MP front snapper
– Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, 3G, 4G LTE
The Nvidia Shield Tablet has also made it through the FCC which means that it could go official soon. The company is even working on a successor to its first Android handheld console.


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If The AFA Boycotts Google Over Gay Rights, Will It Remove Itself From Google?
The American Family Association doesn’t like Google’s new Legalize Love effort to promote gay rights worldwide. Doesn’t like it so much that it’s planning a Google boycott. If AFA is really serious about that, I expect it will be removing itself from Google shortly. I wasn’t familiar with the AFA until today, when I caught […]
The American Family Association doesn’t like Google’s new Legalize Love effort to promote gay rights worldwide. Doesn’t like it so much that it’s planning a Google boycott. If AFA is really serious about that, I expect it will be removing itself from Google shortly.
I wasn’t familiar with the AFA until today, when I caught a tweet about how it plans to boycott Google, as covered by Right Wing Watch. AFA has boycotts against other companies like Home Depot or products like Oreo cookies (seriously).
Buster Wilson, general manager of AFA’s radio network and host of the AFA Today show, suggested yesterday that Google is next on the list. Right Wing Watch has the video, which is also posted at the AFA site here:
[youtube width=”560″ height=”315″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JodzGtYq3Lo[/youtube]
Wilson remarked how difficult a Google boycott will be:
This going to be hard for a lot of us. A lot of us are so integrated into Google and Google products. This is going to be a tough one. It’s more than just a search engine.
Wilson goes on to mention Google products like Android phones, Google Calendar and YouTube, then says abandoning these and other Google products will “test the meat of our convictions.”
Indeed. AFA’s blogs allow you to search them using Google’s custom search. That will have to go. The group has a YouTube channel. Goodbye. But the real test — the one I suspect AFA will fail — will be dropping out of Google itself.
All it takes is adding a line to the AFA web site’s robots.txt file, and all the pages current listed from that site in Google, over 16,000 of them right now, would be gone:
So far, the file hasn’t been changed.
Over the years, I’ve seen all types of companies, groups and people say they were done with Google. None of them ever seem to back this up by removing themselves from Google’s search engine. Not Viacom, which sued Google over YouTube copyright issues. Not book publishers who sued Google over Google Book Search copyright issues. Nor do I expect the AFA will do the same. But we’ll see. I’m checking for a response.
Consumers can, of course, quit Google. The BBC just had an article today about Tom Henderson, who has been living a mostly Google-free life for the past four months. But he was able to search using an alternative search engine. AFA members who want to avoid gay-friendly search engines will find that tough.
As Right Wing Watch points out, Microsoft backs marriage equality for gays. That potentially prevents Bing from being a search alternative. That potentially means using a service like Duck Duck Go, which depends on Bing, is also out.
Full disclosure. I support gay rights, because those are at their core also human rights. And gays are human. Denying gays human rights? Not so human.

domain: news


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As music pulsed through Boston University’s Center for Gender, Sexuality and Activism on Sunday, students eyed the space, full of used clothing, with anticipation. Through racks of shirts, coats and accessories, Alex Shadrow walked to the head of the room, cut the music and shouted, “Go.” With students ripping clothes off the racks and guarding them protectively in their arms, BU’s first clothing swap had just begun.
“We didn’t want to make it a money event, but something more around the fun of clothing shopping,” Shadrow, a College of Communication senior, said. “We wanted to do something fun for BU girls to bond over.”
Shadrow is the CEO and founder of Unitiques, a free, student-exclusive online marketplace that hosted Sunday’s clothing swap. With over 3,000 college and university students across the country using her website, Shadrow said she is constantly looking to expand her brand, a process spurred on by events at BU.
“Unitiques was never an idea that I had. It sort of just came to me,” she said. “I tried to go to secondhand stores carrying these heavy bags, only to be ripped off. I didn’t like that process, [and] I figured there had to be something else out there for college students, which there wasn’t. So I created Unitiques.”
Shadrow’s website allows students to buy and sell new and used clothing and offers a search bar based on college, price range, category, color and size.
“Unitiques is great because it feels safer, and it’s good to give our clothes a second chance,” said clothing swap attendee Sara Tse, a first-year graduate student in Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences. “It’s easy for students to make a few extra bucks.”
Since its inception in December 2013, Unitiques has grown from a Facebook group solely within BU to an online shop with users in states as far away as California and Alaska.
“What’s really been special for me is the response from students and how much they like the website. It’s my motivation to keep on going,” Shadrow said. “Watching the website go up has been a major challenge with multiple hurdles, but it’s really rewarding.”
To promote Unitiques and network with other students and young entrepreneurs, Shadrow said she is focusing on projects that foster collaboration and support in the BU community.
In a partnership with Cookin Cafe and Grille — who also catered Sunday’s clothing swap — Shadrow is working with College of Fine Arts students Alexander Golob and Addie Camp to paint a BU and Boston-themed mural in the Allston restaurant.
Aslan Zadeh, owner of Cookin Café and Grille, said he has planned to remodel the interior of his restaurant since purchasing it.
“It’s a popular area with a lot of students, and white walls don’t really make sense for a place around here,” Zadeh said. “Originally, I thought I would just paint the wall, but the more Alex and I started talking, we both thought about a large mural.”
Work on the mural will begin once the final designs are solidified and will conclude in early October, Zadeh said.
Golob, a CFA junior, said a friend recommended him to Shadrow, who then contacted him about designing and painting the 12-by-16 foot mural.
“The nice thing about murals that involve community members is that it becomes not just about the final project, but about the enriching procedure that you went through,” Golob said. “I have confidence that the design we come out with will be enjoyable, a piece of art in itself that will be memorable and promote what Cookin Cafe is going for, which is building a community and a fun space to hang out in.”
Working with Shadrow has fostered a strong relationship between Cookin Cafe and Unitiques, Zadeh said.
“BU takes care of me really well, bringing these students into the area,” he said. “I would really like to give back because the more I give, the more I get back…Personally, if I didn’t have Alex, it would take me years to get into the market and reach out to all these students. I think we’ll be working for a long time together.”
Shadrow will continue to develop Unitiques, support fellow entrepreneurs and strive to empower women through her site, which she said pushes her to “be the best I can be.”
“Before I started the Unitiques site, I had confidence issues, and doing this has proven what I can do for myself,” she said. “My message is to find something that you tell yourself that you’re good at rather than things other people tell you you’re good at. Taking risks is worth it.”


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The decline in GDP share of agriculture, combined with falling imports, raises the question of possible shortages. However, experts dismiss the risk of an acute food crisis in the short term.
In its latest report, the Centre de Recherche et d'Etudes Agricole Libanais (Creal) goes straight to the point: Lebanon’s agricultural production will collapse in 2020, if nothing is done to help farmers pass this terrible year. According to projections by the private agency, which collects data on the agricultural sector, the drop in the production is expected to be around 40% of agriculture’s total share in the GDP, and this share won’t exceed $1.2 billion this year.
In some crops, declines could be up to 70% (in value) and more than 50% (in volume) compared to 2018 crops. This is particularly the case with regard to some common foods in the Lebanese cuisine, such as potatoes and onions, which are among the most affected crops.
The reason for this brutal and violent interruption is known. It is the banking and financial crisis that is endangering this year’s agricultural seasons and, more certainly, those of 2021.
To understand why agriculture may be more affected than other sectors, one must know that since the end of the 1975-1990 war, its main actors – local wholesalers and resellers, farmers… – have been living on credit. Even their current cash flow is financed by credits from input import companies, which see it as a means of guaranteeing the sale of their seeds, fertilizers and other phytosanitary products.
“Nothing has been done for the development of the food production sector. Trade has almost always been promoted through, inter alia, the signing of free trade agreements. This has been at the expense of local agricultural products, whose costs make them less competitive vis-à-vis foreign products; which are, in addition, all subsidized,” said Moussa Freiji, founder of the Tanmia group and president of the association of poultry farmers.
For an already dying sector, the final blow was struck when banks imposed a freeze on credit lines. “Those who didn’t have a sound management of their finances will find it difficult to survive,” said Riad Saadé, director of Creal. “There will be business closures, including some of the biggest names in the sector.”
The debts aren’t huge relative to the scale of the Lebanese economy: according to Creal, it’s about USD 140 million in arrears. But the fact that the debts haven’t been paid prohibits the import of new seeds, fertilizers and other quality phytosanitary products.
“There is an urgent need to decide a moratorium on agricultural debt to allow the sector to recover. Otherwise, the catastrophe will take place in 2021,” said Riad Saadé. “Then, we’ll really no longer have any means to recover.”
Is a Food Crisis Looming?
Without reliable statistical tools, it’s difficult to measure precisely the impact of local production drop on the country’s food supply. “In general, Lebanon imports 80% of its needs, whether agricultural or agro-industrial products,” said Maurice Saadé, representative of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in Lebanon. The problem is that agricultural imports are also in a free-fall. They dropped to about 32% in December 2019 – the most recent available figure – compared to the same period in 2018, according to customs authority.
Correlated with the fall of GDP share of agriculture, this trend raises the question of possible shortages. Some products may without doubt disappear from the market, but the scenario of an acute crisis is ruled out in the immediate future. “Nobody will die of hunger in Lebanon,” said Maurice Saadé.
To begin with, if agriculture is in very bad shape, agro-industry is doing better. A majority of these businesses still have access to foreign currencies to pay their foreign suppliers. This is particularly the case with the poultry sector, which is still able to import the feed needed for the farms by securing foreign currency from moneychangers. But “that means a rise in our costs of about 20%, which has been reflected on our selling prices,” said Moussa Freiji.
This situation will affect the most vulnerable, knowing that over the period 2016-2018, 11% of the Lebanese were already undernourished, according to the American University of Beirut (AUB). However, the inflationary impact may be mitigated by agricultural imports from Syria, which, most of the time, enter the country illegally. The devaluation of the Syrian pound makes these imports even more competitive in light of the Lebanese economic crisis.
“Apart from the fact that agricultural prices very rarely follow inflation in the same proportions, these prices are continually subject to competition from Syrian products smuggled in their vast majority and sold to Lebanese wholesale markets,” said Riad Saadé. This should ultimately limit consumer price inflation, or even offer a possible way out for some agro-industrial businesses, which may look for some of their raw materials in Syria.
More than the food shortage risk in the short term, the danger may be social and may affect some 250,000 to 300,000 households living in whole or in part on agriculture. “Agriculture and agro-industry account for 25% of private jobs,” said Maurice Saadé.
But these farmers might prefer to leave their land uncultivated and get rid of their livestock rather than selling at cost price or at a loss. “This is already the case with small farmers,” said Saïd Gédéon, director of the Agriculture Department at the Zahle and Bekaa Chamber of Commerce and Industry. “If nothing is done, the phenomenon will exacerbate. These families are likely to increase the number of people in precarious situation,” he added. Despite this worrying situation, the authorities have done nothing so far. “The ministry has no solution,” said Moussa Freiji. “The minister is totally unaware of the problems of the agricultural sector.”
The government has established a Food Security Committee supervised by the new combined ministry of agriculture and culture, but it has yet never met. The ministry even saw its budget cut by 11.4% this year to USD 50 million. The decline in funding is mainly bearing on the too few subsidies that the ministry has so far granted to small farmers.
“Yet, the crisis may be an opportunity,” said Moussa Freiji.
“Within three or four years, this may create a different dynamic,” said Maurice Saadé.
The devaluation of the Lebanese pound will, of course, make “made in Lebanon” products more competitive, and cessation of activities by small-scale farmers will contribute to the consolidation of the sector.
“The number of farms may decrease, but those which would survive should become more efficient,” said Maurice Saadé.
That is a wishful thinking, which the expert uses as a “message of hope” to encourage the agriculture sector players to hold on, despite everything.


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Restaurant tips hold steady for another quarter despite rising food costs.
BOSTON, MA – November 17, 2022 – Toast (NYSE: TOST), the all-in-one digital platform built for restaurants, today announced its Q3 Restaurant Trends Report, providing visibility into the overall state of the restaurant industry through aggregated sales data from selected cohorts of restaurants on the Toast platform, which serves approximately 74,000 locations in the U.S. as of Sept. 30, 2022.
Restaurants continued to manage rising food costs and labor constraints in Q3 of 2022, as inflation finally started to slow but remained the highest it's been in decades. Despite higher prices at the table, patrons continued to tip well, especially in full-service restaurants. Here are some of the key findings Toast observed this quarter:Inflation has touched nearly all aspects of life in the past two years, including an American food staple: the cheeseburger. Toast analyzed burger prices from applicable restaurants on its platform and found that the menu price for a cheeseburger has jumped significantly in recent years. The average price of a cheeseburger in Q3 2019 was $9.74. In Q3 2022, the average price jumped to $11.74. That’s an 8.9% increase YOY and $2 more compared to Q3 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic — a 20% increase in just three years.
Toast observed the average menu price of cheeseburgers by region and found the Northeast takes the prize for the area with the most expensive cheeseburgers in the United States. In Q3 2022, the average price of a cheeseburger was $12.40 in the Northeast, $12.29 on the West Coast, $11.28 in the South, and $11.29 in the Midwest. To gain further insight into state tipping trends, Toast looked at the average tip percentage for both quick and full-service restaurants in each state across transactions where a tip was added to the order via a credit card or digital payment. Indiana remains the state with the highest average tip percentage at 21% for the third quarter in a row in Q3 2022, though Delaware is inching closer with an average tip percentage of 20.9%. To beat Indiana, Delawareans will need to tip more at quick-service restaurants.
California, one of the most expensive states in the country, had the worst tipping percentages for both full-service restaurants (18.3%) and quick-service restaurants (15.3%). Rhode Island also shared the lowest tip rate for QSRs at 15.3%, though its average tip percentage for FSR in Q3 was much higher at 20.5%.
Consumers continued to tip restaurant staff generously as inflation remained high in Q3 2022. The tipping percentage for quick-service restaurants dipped slightly this quarter, averaging 16.8% vs. 16.9% in Q2 2022. Tips at full-service restaurants remained unchanged in Q3, averaging 19.6%. Diners continued to tip more when eating inside an establishment, as in-person dining tips averaged 19.6% in Q3 2022, while those who got delivery or takeout tipped an average of 14.4%. Chinese cuisine had the most significant increase in YOY same-store sales in Q3 2022 at 11.3%, followed by Thai at 11.2% and Middle Eastern cuisine at 8.8%. Bakeries cooked up an 8.2% increase, while coffee sales jolted a 7.6% increase in Q3 2022 YOY sales. European food sales increased by 7.4%, and Italian cuisine grew sales by 6.5%. Japanese cuisine sales increased by 6.3%, and pizza sales grew by 5.7% in Q3 2022 YOY sales.
The Restaurant Trends Report, powered by Toast, uncovers key trends across the restaurant industry through aggregated sales data from a cohort of restaurants on the Toast platform, which has approximately 74,000 locations as of Sept. 30, 2022, in the U.S. All growth rates are calculated on a same-store sales basis for the applicable period of time. The Restaurant Trends Report is not indicative of the operational performance of Toast or its reported financial metrics, including GMV growth and same-store GMV growth.
Cheeseburgers: Toast analyzed all menu items sold on a one-week period each month from January 2019 to September 2022 and identified keywords and phrases to determine cheeseburgers as a menu item. Cheeseburger adjacent menu items such as veggie, turkey, black bean, vegan, and slider burgers were excluded. Kid menu items were also excluded in addition to double, triple, and quad to account for multi-patty burgers. Unit prices analyzed were greater than zero and less than $50 to exclude promotions and overtly expensive burgers from fine-dining restaurants.


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The shopping and lifestyle destination says ‘thanks’ to visitors, rolling out ‘Monthly Rewards Programme’ running until 4 November, 2017
SCORES OF PRIZES up for grabs, including…
· AED 20,000 to spend at Carrefour
· AED 20,000 fashion spending sprees
· Movie experience worth AED 20,000
· Entry to children’s attraction Magic Planet
A spectacular six-month prize giveaway that ‘pays it back’ to loyal customers has been launched at City Centre Ajman.
The mall is owned and operated by Majid Al Futtaim – the leading shopping mall, communities, retail and leisure pioneer across the Middle East, Africa and Asia – which has launched the promotion in line with its commitment to create great moments for everyone, every day.
“Customer appreciation is extremely important,” said Abdulhamid Bukhashem, Senior Mall Manager for City Centre Ajman. “Our Monthly Rewards Program gives shoppers the chance to win big each time they visit the shops.”
Goods and gift vouchers will be awarded daily until 4 November, 2017, with offerings varying from month to month. Bukhashem added: “We encourage everyone to take full advantage of all our thrilling monthly prize giveaways. With every AED 200 spent at the mall, visitors will get a chance to win. The more you shop, the greater your chances are of winning!”
SUPERMARKET SWEEP – 6 June to 5 July
A generous AED 20,000 worth of free groceries will be up for grabs. Four shoppers will win Carrefour vouchers worth AED 5,000.
FASHION FRENZY – 6 July to 5 August
The following month will focus on fashion – four style-savvy visitors will be rewarded with dreamy AED 5,000 shopping spree.
MOVIE MADNESS – 6 August to 5 September
Film fans have much to look forward to. visitors could win movie tickets and candy shop experience worth up to AED 5,000.
SHOP ’TIL YOU DROP – 6 September to 5 October
Four shoppers will win AED 5,000 worth of mall gift cards to spend on shopping of their choice at City Centre Ajman.
DOUBLE YOUR LUCK – 6 October to 5 November
The same number will be treated to AED 5,000 worth grocery shopping at Carrefour.
From Sundays to Wednesdays throughout the six months of winning season, customers can scoop up to AED 1,000 in-mall gift cards as an added reward towards their weekday shopping,
City Centre Ajman is undergoing a comprehensive upgrade, the first phase of which will be complete by the end of the year.


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The true costs of developing life-saving, innovative new drugs
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The Massachusetts biotech cluster today is analogous to Apple 10 years ago. At the time, Apple was just coming out with products that would change the world, but which most people didn’t understand and thought they seemed way too expensive. Once the value of the iPhone and iPad became something everyone could appreciate, Samsung came along and forced down the initial costs. A decade later, no one questions the value of smart phones or the handful of companies which now produce them, but none of them would exist if Apple hadn’t paved the way.
Because Massachusetts biotech companies are overwhelmingly focused on making drugs for diseases for which no cures exist, they are in a similar position. The main difference is that “value” in terms of saving or improving lives is far more difficult to quantify, and more nuanced. The media doesn’t easily convey nuance. It more often gives sound bites.
The report calls for industry leaders to step up and help shape the debate over healthcare costs in order to preserve high reimbursement rates for breakthrough drugs and funding from the National Institutes of Health to discover those drugs. That’s exactly what will be needed to preserve the strength of the region’s life sciences sector in the past few years. But first those industry leaders are going to have to figure out how to communicate with the public about the true cost of developing new drugs versus the long-term costs — both economic and human — of not developing them.
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Castrol CEO Mandhir Singh to retire
Castrol Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Mandhir Singh will retire at the end of September 2022, British energy major and Castrol parent bp announced.
Singh, whose 32-year career with bp includes more than 20 years with leading global lubricant company Castrol, leaves a significant legacy, as well as a strong platform for Castrol’s future growth.
Castrol is part of bp’s Convenience & Mobility business – one of bp’s three strategic pillars to transform into an integrated energy company.
Singh will be succeeded by Michelle Jou, who brings extensive strategic commercial expertise, with more than 25 years’ experience across sales, marketing, supply chain and executive management in the chemical industry. She will join bp on 11 April 2022.
Most recently, Jou was global president of the Polycarbonates business unit at Covestro, one of the world’s leading polymer companies which serves the mobility, electronic and electrical industries. Under Jou’s leadership, the business unit became the global leader and a trusted partner of choice of many global OEMs.
Covestro, formerly Bayer MaterialScience, arose from the Bayer Group's chemicals and plastics unit. It was established as a legally independent company in 2015.
“Under Mandhir’s leadership, Castrol has set out a clear growth and sustainability strategy that will enable the business to play a key role in bp’s transition to an integrated energy company. I‘m delighted Michelle is joining bp and will build on the strong platform already established to drive further growth for Castrol. She brings extensive experience in strategy implementation, customer centricity and supply chain,” said Emma Delaney, EVP Customers & Products, bp.
“I’m passionate about sustainability. At Covestro, I established the first closed loop collaboration with partners in China and introduced the first Carbon Neutral Polycarbonates in the industry into the German market. I’m looking forward to helping drive Castrol’s sustainability agenda through our PATH360 strategy and meeting the evolving needs of our customers,” said Jou.


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By John Greenberg, Mount Pleasant Communications and Marketing Coordinator
MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. (February 1, 2021) – Medical Director and Owner Dr. Christopher DiOrio, along with Mount Pleasant Council Member Kathy Landing, and Mount Pleasant Chamber of Commerce Director of Development Rebecca Imholz, today attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony for Physician's Plan Weight Loss + Wellness, located at 1705 Beaucastel Road Unit #101, Mount Pleasant, SC 29464.
Physician's Plan Weight Loss & Wellness's medically-supervised treatment plans are created to fit the needs of each patient. For over a decade, the Physician’s Plan medical team has helped men and women achieve healthier lifestyle goals and enhance their natural beauty through the latest Med Spa and aesthetic treatments. "Nothing gives me greater satisfaction than to help patients reach their personal wellness goals," says Dr. DiOrio. "We all know when you look better, you feel better, and your self-confidence soars.”
In an effort to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, Liz Williamson, the Clinical Director, stated that “we also launched our online store so patients have nutritional foods and skincare products available for home-delivery or contactless rapid pick-up".
To celebrate the opening of the new location, Physician’s Plan will extend special discounts on many of their cutting-edge Med Spa services and anti-aging treatments including facials, microblading, collagen treatments, photo facials, laser hair removal, chemical peels, and injectables like Botox and Juvéderm. To view the full menu of services at Physician’s Plan, go to www.physiciansplan.com. For additional information, please contact Melissa Oak, Assistant Director at email@example.com, or call (843) 606-3333.


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Vodafone plugs into broadband against stiff competition
Mobile phone giant Vodafone has entered the fiercely competitive UK broadband market and aims to become the prime cheap utility in this arena.
Its service – called Vodafone at Home – costs £25 per month and offers up to 8Mb unlimited broadband and includes landline calls to those on a Vodafone contract.
Vodafone’s move follows recent similar launches by Carphone Warehouse and BSkyB. The broadband market is seen as a valuable UK investment opportunity by the telecoms companies and broadband now accounts for 69% of all UK Internet connections.
According to analysts Point Topic there could be as many as 2.5 million new broadband customers to be wooed in the first six months of the year, and the competition is so intense that Cable & Wireless – the UK’s second biggest telecoms firm – left the broadband market at the end of last year.
Vodafone intends to rent Internet access from BT rather than construct its own network, which will lessen the capital start-up costs of its UK investment – and which will mean its service will be available quickly for new customers.
There has been a lot of consumer and regulatory concern at the broadband market recently, as the fierce competition has encouraged some companies to overstep the mark in their sales pitches.
Regulator Ofcom has promised to impose swingeing fines of up to 10% of company turnover on offenders to ensure public confidence is maintained in this sector of the UK investment arena.


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Europe's mobile operators flex their muscles
Balance of power shifts
Phones4U's announcement that it will be only independent retailer to sell Vodafone contracts has had an immediate impact on the whole mobile phone retail business.
Shares in Carphone Warehouse slumped on the news, and even pointing out that Vodafone contracts only accounted for 10 per cent of its business didn't make much difference.
Hopes that that this was a maverick move, rather than a trend, were dashed by the other operators' reactions to the announcement. Orange admitted a good relationship with independents, but that it was reviewing its retail strategy, while O2 went further with Peter Erskine pointing out that Vodafone's decision to drop Carphone gave O2 the chance to cut its commissions.
Only T-Mobile could be convinced to pledge unmitigated support. "We are happy with the terms of business we have negotiated with Carphone and look forward to building on the strong relationship we enjoy with them," T-Mobile UK managing director Jim Hyde said.
Details of the deal between Vodafone and Phones 4U emerged last weekend, with the Sunday Times reporting that the retailer had agreed to sell 30,000 units a month, with incentives and penalties for over and under performance.
Carphone Warehouse chief executive Andrew Harrison said even if it had been offered such an agreement it would have turned it down as "it goes against everything we stand for".
Shareholders might object to this principled stand, and it sounds like bluster to us, but there is a more seismic shift here than one contract awarded to one retailer.
In the UK and Europe retailers have largely held sway over which handsets, and networks, they have sold. Network operators have been forced to offer huge subsidies on the latest and greatest handsets to ensure the retailers gave prominence to their products.
When the retailers discovered they could make money selling Bluetooth headsets, they went to the networks and demanded phones with Bluetooth support, the networks went to the manufacturers and demanded Bluetooth, and so it came to be. The customers were the last on the list and it was the retailers who set the schedule.
We have pointed out before that the system of heavily-subsidised handsets is not sustainable, but as long as retailers are able to play the operators off against each other then there is little that can be done about it.
A plan for the operators to all cut subsidies at the same time went badly in the Netherlands, with multi-million Euro fines all round, so only by getting more closely involved with the retailers, and signing exclusive deals, can the operators exercise any control over the subsidy, with a view to wiping it out.
Eventually, we will return to multiple retail channels selling handsets and contracts, without such high levels of subsidy, but before then we will have to go through a period of pain during which operators will severely limit and control their retail channels.
The task for Carphone Warehouse, and any other independent retailer, is to survive the next five years without getting so close to one network operator that you are no longer distinguishable from them. ®


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Vodafone should end its F1 involvement really could obviously be Coca-Cola new title sponsor of the McLaren team
Coca-Cola appears to be a sponsorship commitment moves into Formula 1 and could be considered at the British McLaren team as title sponsor to replace Vodafone. The team suffered a setback earlier this week when it was announced that Vodafone will reconsider its involvement in Formula 1.
The telecommunications company reportedly invested GBP 48 million (approximately EUR 60 million) per year. Vodafone was the first time in 2002 Formula 1 sponsor, then still at Ferrari, McLaren moved to but 2007th 2010 the contract was extended until the end of 2013, but given the increasingly difficult economic situation, the company should have conducted an evaluation of whether to stay or get in F1.
Already active in sports sponsorship
Vodafone should leave McLaren, Coca-Cola would be an ideal replacement. It is one of the world’s most recognizable brands and a giant of sport sponsorship, with major deals including the Olympic Games and various football competitions of the European body, UEFA. Olympics alone will cost an estimated EUR 80 million per four-year cycle, but that is for a company that last year 8.6 billion dollars (the equivalent of seven billion euros) profit (with a 33 percent to $ 46.5 billion increase in written sales), has a no brainer.
Coca-Cola in the past was never Formula 1 sponsor, but it should be ever been close. 2005, it is said, talks with Bernie Ecclestone have taken place in order to become title sponsor of Formula 1. Ultimately, however, decided that such a close association with a company could jeopardize relations with other brands. “I would never engage in a title sponsorship for Formula 1, because that makes you break every race. It would be very restrictive,” Ecclestone said at the time.
Coca-Cola has not yet indicated whether it wants to enter the Formula 1, however, the sponsoring department’s headquarters in Atlanta for a month to study on beverage sponsorship in sport. It is said that Emmanuel Seuge, Coca-Cola’s director of sports and entertainment marketing, is to be personally involved in the process.
This article originally translated from German
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The brewer and operator of 296 pubs in Kent and the south-east said of its preliminary results: “Despite challenging economic conditions, we achieved record revenues and an increase in underlying profits to the end of June 2023.
“Consumer demand was strong throughout the year but significant inflationary pressure has increased costs across the business.”
Its results showed revenue for the year grew by 9.7% to a record £166.3m (2022: £151.5m), underlying profit before tax grew by 3.8% to £7.6m (2022: £7.3m) and statutory profit before tax was £4.9m (2022: £7.4m).
Other figures showed it was a year of increased investment at £17.2m (2022: £5.4m) while the company also put long-term financing in place with 65% of debt fixed at favourable rates.
Shepherd Neame reported it had transferred six tenanted pubs to retail and acquired four pubs and sold eight properties.
Like-for-like sales rise
In its retail pubs division – which represents 72 sites – total life-for-like (lfl) sales rose 12.9% versus 2022 with drinks sales taking the plaudits as it went up 22.4% v 2022 and food rose 3.1% while accommodation sales fell 4.2%.
In its 217 tenanted pubs, lfl income went up by 3.9% versus 2022 and the average pub’s income enjoyed a 3.4% lift.
CEO Neame said: “Demand has been strong all year with recent trade in our pubs encouraging.
“We have faced considerable inflationary challenges in the past year but these are now easing.
“We have an excellent pub estate, which has been performing in line with the best in the sector. We have a loyal customer base, a high profile within the communities we serve and we have an ambitious investment programme ahead.
“The turmoil of the past few years is now settling and the outlook is positive. We have much to look forward to. The balance sheet remains strong and the business has momentum in our pipeline of investment. We are confident we have the team and skills to deliver good returns for our shareholders over the long term.”
Series of crises
On the future, he added: “The hospitality sector has faced an unprecedented series of crises in the last three years. We still have known cost increases to absorb, but the dust is settling, the outlook is more positive and the fundamentals of the business are good.
“Consumer spending has remained resilient all year, better than many had expected, and better than many other parts of the retail and consumer economy. People are prioritising going out over other types of expenditure.
“Pubs are generally performing better than restaurants. Premium and neighbourhood pubs are performing well. We have an excellent pub estate with considerable potential, a loyal customer base, and a high profile within the individual communities we serve.”
For the 13 weeks to 23 September 2023, lfl sales in its retail pubs were up 5.6% versus the 2023 financial year. For the nine weeks to 26 August 2023, same outlet like-for-like income in its tenanted pubs was up 3.0% vs 2023. Total beer volumes were down 10.3% vs 2023 while own-brewed beer volume fell 15.9%.
Neame concluded: “We have much to look forward to. The balance sheet remains strong and the business has momentum in our pipeline of investment. We are confident we have the team and skills to deliver good returns for our shareholders over the long term.”


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Every week, we will be highlighting the top patent, copyright, trademark, intellectual property, etc. stories of the previous week in our “In Case You Missed It” segment. The list itself is in no particular order and includes a wide range of stories from the patent world that are informative, noteworthy, or just plain bizarre. The stories included encompass everything from Supreme Court cases to insights into growing industries. Please feel free to comment your thoughts on the stories or share an important one we missed!
“AI System ‘Should Be Recognised as Inventor’”
Can a robot be given credit for an invention? That is the question at the center of an ongoing debate in the UK after an AI algorithm named “Dabus” created two novel inventions on its own, without human intervention. Dabus is part of “The Artificial Inventor Project” which aims to provide IP rights for AI that autonomously invent. That said, the group still argues that AI has no “legal personality” and “cannot own property.”
The AI was able to conceive a food container with fractal shapes to allow for easier storage and transportation as well as a light with “uniquely-identifiable signal beacons.” The signals are recognizable to the human brain in the presence of other visual stimuli and intended for use in an emergency rescue situations. So, who gets the credit?
The AI’s own creator and two law professors teaming up with him believe the AI should get it and they are trying to attribute the inventions to the AI in their patent filings. They argue that although a robot’s creator should be the patent owner, the robot should be at least recognized for the invention. This is because as robots get more advanced, they will become more autonomous and create inventions on their own. They believe there should be a system for appropriately granting them credit.
It is currently the consensus amongst the different patent offices around the world that an inventor can only be a person. The U.K. Patents Act 1977 and European Patent Convention specifically require inventors be “natural persons.” In 35 U.S. Code § 100, the term “inventor” is restricted to an “individual” or “individuals.” For now, the legal definition of “individual” is limited to “every infant member of the species homo sapiens who is born alive at any stage of development.”
Although the major patent offices are still holding discussions regarding the issue, for now, AI fit in the invention process as “tools” to be used by inventors, not inventors themselves. . To read more about this story, click here (via BBC, August 1st, 2019).
“Court of a-Peel: Nasty Split Over Banana Costume Leads to Legal Monkey Business”
Last week. a district court ruled that costume maker Kangaroo Manufacturing Inc. had infringed on the design of a banana costume sold by Rasta Imposta. The two costume manufacturers had previously worked with each other in 2010 and soon after their split, Kangaroo began selling a nearly identical banana costume.
During the case, Rasta Imposta argued the costumes shared a similar style including unique features that would distinguish them from other banana costumes. Rasta Imposta provided 20 examples of other banana costumes that did not infringe, accounting for variation in details such as banana color, curvature, texture, tip color, etc. The court ruled in Rasta Imposta’s favor. To read more about this story, click here (via The Guardian, August 1st, 2019).
“Getting Under the Hood of Amazon’s Auto Ambitions”
Between December 2016 and May 2019, Amazon filed for 210 patents related to transportation more than Apple (105) and Google (140). These include everything from drones and delivery robots to self-driving car technology. The patents are part of an effort by the company to streamline the delivery process and enable them to have complete control over a package’s arrival. The entire logistics chain from Amazon.com to delivery will be controlled by Amazon Web Services (AWS), the company’s highly touted cloud infrastructure.
The large patent portfolio is part of a creative campaign by Amazon to patent every conceivable delivery apparatus. Back in February, we wrote about Amazon was patenting a process for picking up packages at bus stops. In April, we discussed the plans to deliver packages via drones with hot air balloons. In June, we discussed how Amazon patented a home surveillance feature for their delivery drones and how Wal-Mart and Amazon were both leading the retail space in drone patent filings.
Over the past 6 months, Amazon has shelled out $2 billion to fund transportation startups including Rivian Automotive which makes electric trucks, Aurora which makes self-driving systems, and Deliveroo, a food delivery service. Look for Amazon to be the next great player in the self-driving car and drone industry as their transportation acquisitions and patent filings quickly ramp up. To read more about this story, click here (via Reuters, July 31st, 2019).
“Patent Application Reveals That a Walmart Coin Could Be in the Works”
Following in the footsteps of Facebook’s Libra coin released last month, Wal-Mart is also looking to create a U.S. dollar-backed cryptocurrency according to a new patent application. The coin, backed 1-to-1 with real currency, would serve as an alternate payment for customers, especially those without access to banking services or who have bad credit.
One of the coin’s unique features outlined in the patent is the ability to store customer information within the blockchain. Such information would include customer order history and habits that could allow the store to tailor savings and suggestions to individuals. Iit would also serve as a customer rewards-like program. Additionally, the patent also includes methods for creating, processing, and storing the currency. To read more about this story, click here (via Yahoo! Finance, August 3rd, 2019).


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A recent tweet from Sony Worldwide Studios president – and official brand mascot – Shuhei Yoshida has confirmed that the PlayStation 4 has sold over one million units in its first day on sale in North America. The next-gen – or should we say, current-gen – system now ranks as the fastest selling PlayStation console, beating out the PlayStation 2 which took three days to reach the milestone.
This impressive number represents the PS4's that have been sold-through, which, translated from fancy business jargon, basically means the systems that were sold to customers directly. Sony has been struggling of late, with a particularly sluggish performance in the second financial quarter, so these encouraging figures are sure to see the company breathe a collective sigh of relief. However, if it's to meet its ambitious goal of five million units sold by March 2014, the console will have to maintain consistent sales throughout the rest of the year.
We don't think that there's any reason to be concerned, though. While we're certainly not mathematicians here at Push Square – we write about video games for goodness' sake – we've done some complex calculations and determined that if the PS4 continues to sell one million units a day, it'll reach this goal by Tuesday night. Seem plausible? We thought so, too. Is your shiny black box one of those inaugural one million? Do these outstanding figures get your blood pumping? Leave us one million comments below.


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Firstly, let me make a point - I love books and newspapers, and I love the medium that they use. I love the smell of fresh newsprint, and there's something cool about reading the news over the dining table in the morning. And books without leaves will ever be a problem for me - it just wouldn't feel natural. That said, let me get to the real point of this post. The printing business may have been disastrous for the environment, but the real battle for the newspaper has only just recently reared its ugly head. The upheaval of how information is disseminated through the web has taken a bigger toll on the newspaper industry, so much so that we may be looking at the very last days of the traditional newspaper format.
As of last week, several newspapers in the US have closed down due to insufficient revenues generated by a lack of interest in sales. If this trend continues, we could very well be looking at the total death of the newspaper industry the world over. We'll have to content ourselves with reading them through online mediums.
But take these two facts and mull them over:
1. Newspapers aren't selling. Slowly, all the broadsheets and tabloids throughout the world are giving way to digital media. You don't go check out the newsstands for the Inquirer, you go online and check out their website. Or if you're like me, you've got them on RSS, and that's more than enough news for you in a day. It makes you wonder how these guys still make money - well the answer comes by way of competent and intelligent advertising.
2. But wait. According to Rupert Murdoch, NewsCorp will soon be charging their readers for reading the content from their website. That's because the money they make through advertising online is so minimal that it doesn't even count as break-even.
So two conflicting facts. I don't know how publishers are going to reconcile the two facts in the future, but I don't see how newspapers can be making money online via advertising and still lose money in the process. I mean, if the free news business model is failing altogether, I don't understand why the newspaper has to go the way of the dinosaur.
But the most important thing to remember here is that the classic medium of the newspaper is slowly biting the dust. While this is good news for environmentalists in general, it's a different thing altogether for publishers. You KNOW they're losing money with the slow decrease in sales, and the free flow of information via the Internet is kicking their butts. Murdoch charging people to view online content that they could check elsewhere anyway is a last-ditch effort to milk the digital format for what it's worth.
Some revolutionaries are, of course, attempting to revitalize the broadsheet format with new technology. Converting the physical form of the newspaper into a digital ebook format that can be read by using PDF readers like Amazon's Kindle DX is a relatively new idea that merits consideration. Over at Least I Could Do, Ryan Sohmer postulated a model that could make the newspaper format work by bundling year-long newspaper subscriptions with free Kindles, postulating that by giving away free readers, Amazon stands to make more money with the technology by giving consumers the means to read ebooks that they can buy online.
It's amazing how the complementing products analogy works.
But even that solution isn't without its own roadbumps. Here in the Philippines, for example, it's rather easy for both government officials and your standard consumer to corrupt the business of Kindles and newspaper subscriptions. Just because consumers won't pay for information in my country doesn't mean that they won't get that information, one way or the other - PSP games are an example, much to my shame. And if you've heard of the Great Book Blockade of 2009 (which merits another post altogether), you'll know that bringing in Kindle shipments from overseas can be a very tedious and expensive affair for both Amazon and local distributors. And that's just an example of the problem with having the technology. Implementation is a bigger, more mystifying topic.
But then again, we're just in the second quarter of the year. Who knows, maybe somewhere down the road, we get to witness the birth of a totally new medium that will render both the Internet and newspapers obsolete. You can never tell these things.


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The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety is out with its list of the safest vehicles.
Over the last decade, vehicle safety has improved dramatically as automakers recognize that safety is a big selling point. To qualify for the TPS+ award, vehicles must also earn an acceptable rating in a new passenger-side small overlap front test introduced by the IIHS for 2018.
Scoring an acceptable rating for headlight visibility is enough for getting on the Top Safety Pick list but no longer for earning the coveted TPS+ award, which now requires a good rating unlike a year ago.
For 2018, IIHS said 47 vehicles earned its lower Top Safety Pick designation, which now requires acceptable- or good-rated headlights; headlights weren't a factor for the 2017 Top Safety Pick award. IIHS first began conducting driver-side small overlap crashes in 2012.
"Drivers expect that their passengers, who are often family, will be protected just as well as they are", IIHS President Adrian Lund said in a statement.
The 2018 list of the safest vehicles is out, and just 15 earned the highest rating, down from 69 a year ago.
Leading the way this year for the most top safety pick plus awards are Hyundai and Subaru. For small sized vehicles the Kia Forte, Kia Soul, Subaru Impreza and Subaru WRX came out on top. The Crosstrek and the Forester earn TOP SAFETY PICK, also with optional front crash prevention and specific headlights. All but one of the seven vehicles in Subaru's lineup, the BRZ, qualified for one of the awards.
Across manufacturers, the vast majority of winners qualify only when optionally equipped because front crash prevention and acceptable or good headlights aren't part of their base trims. Automakers have pledged to make it a standard feature by 2022. That list could grow, since IIHS has not yet reviewed all models and variations and plans to review more throughout 2018. In order to meet the top ranking, and in some instances, simply being a "Top Pick", the vehicle must be upgraded.
The Institute releases ratings as it evaluates new models, adjusting the list of winners throughout the year.


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Provad expands to Sweden
Finnish customer service solutions provider Provad is expanding its operations to Sweden.
Provad has already secured two large customers in Sweden: customer services company K2C and financial sector group Svea Ekonomi.
Both companies will start using Provad’s customer service system and will make use of its different robotic solutions.
“When we can gather all communication channels on one platform and interface, we get an excellent overview of customer relationship management,” comments Markus Karlsson, contact centre manager at Svea Ekonomi.
The decision to expand to Sweden came naturally according to a blog post on Provad’s website, due to the company having Finnish customers operating in Sweden and the widespread recognition among Swedish businesses regarding the importance of progressive customer service systems.
“The importance of customer service cannot be stressed enough,” says Jussi Mankki, country manager of Provad Sweden. “On every level of any company, the significance of customer service on the business must be understood. A successful customer service requires a multi-channelled and flexible customer service system, capable of meeting today’s constantly changing customer expectations and demands.”


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Italy is sending a 200-member delegation to India in April to scout for investment in railways and manufacturing, New Delhi’s envoy said, ending a hiatus in ties caused by the row over the arrest of Italian marines.
Italy is sending a 200-member delegation to India in April to scout for investment in railways and manufacturing, New Delhi’s envoy said, ending a hiatus in ties caused by the row over the arrest of Italian marines. Indian envoy Anil Wadhwa told FE, “The business delegation’s visit is part of efforts to restart engagement under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Make in India’ to boost domestic industry and fuel growth.” “Representatives from various sectors including railways, manufacturing and infrastructure will be part of the delegation led by Carlo Calenda, minister for trade and commerce development of Italy,” he added.
To push the Make in India initiative in consultation with Confindustria (the apex private chamber of Italy), both sides plan to organise an event with expected participation of more than 150 Italian companies. This will be followed by an ‘Indian Exporters and Italian Importers’ meet at Rome and Milan, said the Indian envoy.
Also, to attract more investment from Italian companies in various sectors, a series of commercial events has been planned for the whole year in Rome, including three investment meets in the sectors of renewable energy, engineering and auto components next month.
According to Wadhwa, the Indian embassy, in association with Tour operators Association of Italy (Federturismo) is planning to organise two tourism promotion and investment events in Rome and Verona, with the participation of Indian and Italian tour operators.
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In the last one year, several hundreds of Italian business representatives have participated in various meets in sectors including commerce, investment, promotion of tourism, and academics. The activities were spread out from the north of Italy (Turin, Padova, Verona, Bergamo, Milan, and Florence) to the south (Rome, Napoli).
Last September, with the support of Confindustria, the Indian mission had organised an investment and business meet, which was attended by DIPP secretary Ramesh Abhishek along with officials from Invest India, the ministry of railways and the ministry of food processing.
According to officials, one of the successful outcomes of those initiatives was the participation of senior executives of about 40 Italian companies from the railway, manufacturing and infrastructure sectors in the recently-concluded ‘Bengal Global Business Meet’ held in Kolkata in January
In a series of events organised to promote tourist traffic both ways, about 30 big tour operators from India participated in events organised in Rome by the Indian mission.


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OnePlus plans to launch a foldable-screen smartphone as competition heats up.
A foldable smartphone will add a level of prestige attached to the brand, which is exactly what OnePlus needs to better compete with Samsung and Apple.
OnePlus will debut its first foldable smartphone in the second half of the year, as the brand is finally ready to take a leap of faith in the folding phone form factor. The foldable phone was confirmed in Barcelona on Tuesday at the annual Mobile World Congress.
“It will be a flagship phone that doesn’t settle because of its folding form, whether it’s industrial design, mechanical technology or other aspects,” Kinder Liu, President, and COO of OnePlus told media at MWC. “It will be a phone with great performance, offering the ultimate OnePlus classic experience,” he added.
The Chinese smartphone brand hasn’t shared many details about the phone yet but promised that the device will deliver the same level of performance the brand is known for.
OnePlus, which is now a sub-brand of BBK-owned Oppo, has high ambitions to dominate the high-end smartphone segment. A foldable smartphone will add a level of prestige attached to the brand, which is exactly what OnePlus needs to better compete with Samsung and Apple, two of its biggest players in the top-end of the phone segment. Right now, OnePlus’ portfolio lacks an ultra-premium smartphone that can compete for neck-to-neck with the likes of the Galaxy Z Fold 4
At the Mobile World Congress trade show, Chinese smartphone brands are showcasing foldable phones for the first time outside of China as the market shifts towards high-end smartphones in key territories like Europe. Huawei spinoff brand Honor, China’s second-largest phone maker, launched the Magic Vs foldable smartphone which will go on sale in Europe for 1,599 euros (or approx $1690). Oppo, the world’s fourth largest smartphone player, is also bringing a clam-shell style foldable phone to international markets. Xiaomi, the world’s third-largest smartphone player globally, after Samsung and Apple, has yet to launch a foldable phone internationally. Apple, meanwhile, has no flagship phone in its portfolio


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Video: Apple IPhone 11 Versus 11 Pro: Which Device Should We Go To?
2023 Author: Lynn Laird | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-05-21 21:10
This September, for the second year in a row, the Californian giant Apple is releasing three new devices, the most accessible of which is iPhone 11. So, to what do we owe the difference of 350 euros? And which model should we orient ourselves towards? Features, price, release date and news, here's everything you need to know about these new smartphones from the Apple.
Apple iPhone 11 vs. iPhone 11 pro: comparison guide
As for the technological difference, it is the display technology which is not the same. On the one hand, we have a 5.1-inch “Liquid Retina HD” screen, including a conventional LCD panel, and on the other, a 5.8 or 6.5-inch “Super Retina XDR” screen. Apart from the technological characteristic, the screen of the iPhone 11 Pro, successor to the iPhones X and XS, benefits from a better definition, an HDR certification and a maximum brightness announced at 800 nits, against 625 for the iPhone 11, successor to the iPhone XR.
The cheapest of the new iPhones now has two cameras on the back instead of one, while the more expensive version benefits from a third device allowing optical zooms. Its optical mode is also more efficient than the successor to the iPhone XR.
When it came to battery life and fast charging, they were the strong point of the iPhone XR unlike the iPhones XS and XS Max. However, this is no longer the case on the new generation. In any case, the battery should last longer than on previous Apple models.
What distinguishes the iPhone 11 from the iPhone 11 Pro is undoubtedly the choice of colors offered: mauve, yellow, green, black, white and "red". Basically, Apple users will be spoiled for choice.
The good news is that this year the new range of smartphones shares several points in common, unlike previous generations. We can mention cameras, fast charging compatibility like the new Face ID.
Price side, the iPhone will be offered from 809 euros, while the iPhone 11 Pro will cost 1159 euros. Both devices hit the market on September 20.


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Protecting Your Online Reputation In business, reputation is everything. A good one can land you the client of a lifetime, while a bad rap could cost your business everything. As constructive as they are, social media, blogs and forums can just as easily become your firms worst nightmare. Here are some concepts that will give you […]
Internet Trends for Online Businesses Keeping an eye on new trends on the web is critical to the success of your website or business. Things can change so rapidly on the Internet that a failure to react quickly could mean that your website gets overlooked.
It is no secret that social media has changed the world within the past few years. There is no age limit or restrictions as to how much information you can gather using social media.
Before I begin this post I must highlight my twitteriffic title above that is exactly 140 characters. Twitter’s latest news, written by the CEO, however far exceeds the popular micro-blogging site’s limit.
Today, Facebook revealed a new ‘panic button’ that will allow youngsters to quickly report any suspicious behavior they encounter to the UK Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP) and the social networking site. You can ‘Like’ or add the application by visiting http://www.facebook.com/clickceop.
Unless you’ve been living under a rock this past year, chances are you have either tweeted or seen a tweet on today’s fastest growing social media website. The 140 character text based posts have spread like a wild fire throughout the world since 2006 with users tweeting about their current location, breaking news and even […]
This week Facebook, the world’s largest social networking site with over 400 million users, introduced a new series of profiles entitled
Follow us online at: http://twitter.com/urbangeko http://www.facebook.com/pages/Urban-Geko-Inc/163790202784?ref=mf http://www.linkedin.com/company/urban-geko


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CocoRose Boutique - May / Jun 21
Courtney Colleary says there were a couple times last year when she thought events would force her to close CocoRose Boutique. “But then there would be a really good weekend in sales, and I would think to keep going a little longer. It was a hard roller coaster to ride.”
Like most Old Towne businesses, Courtney Colleary’s CocoRose Boutique flourishes on the pedestrian foot traffic along North Glassell Street–in this case, shoppers attracted by the latest fashions on display inviting them to step inside.
So, what happens when mandates imposed to help slow a pandemic force your storefront to close for what turned out to be 110-plus days? You pivot, shifting from in-person shopping to fulfilling online sales via curbside pickup or the mail. There also were the matters of re-evaluating return policies, dealing with suppliers confronted with delivery problems of their own and an assortment of other issues.
“It was definitely a roller coaster every day. You’re trying to please everyone, and at the same time trying to juggle and figure out everything on the back end,” recalls Colleary, who launched CocoRose in her hometown in 2013. “This store is my livelihood. Closing it was not even an option.”
The store’s Instagram–@cocoroseboutique–proved to be invaluable, says Jackie Gold, who started working at the boutique three years ago.
“It’s a great way to communicate with the community,” she adds. “We’ll post try-on videos when new clothing arrives, showing what it looks like and how it feels. It helps build personal relationships with our customers.”
While the majority of CocoRose fans are locals, the online presence has attracted customers from around the country, and even a few who live overseas.
On the other side of the coin, this past year went on without several events that help drive business, including the Coachella and Stagecoach music festivals and sorority happenings at Chapman and other universities. And while those cancellations resulted in “massive” financial hits to her business, Colleary says she was touched by an outpouring of community support.
“If people had the means to help, they would,” she says. “They came out of the woodwork to buy gift cards because they knew a purchase like that would make a difference. It was amazing.”
Another important development was the start of the Orange Plaza Paseo, which opened large sections of Glassell for an alfresco dining experience and brought prospective shoppers to the area.
“That was an absolute game-changer,” Colleary says. “This past year was tough, but going forward I have a little more hope in terms of the business and the community.”
160 North Glassell St, Old Towne Orange CA 92866 / 714-383-3884
- New to the Neighborhood
- Know the Neighbors
- Talk of the Towne
- Old Towne Property
- Old Towne Talent
- Building Character
- Inside Art
- Garden Clippings
- Notes from a Neighbor
- Circle in the Square
- Country Roads Antiques
- Orange Images


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BUY OR SELL-Is it time to dial up AOL or hang up?
* AOL valuation attractive compared with some peers
* Structure of spin means some holders have to sell
By Yinka Adegoke
NEW YORK, Dec 9 (Reuters) - When AOL Inc (AOL.N) Chief Executive Tim Armstrong rings the opening bell of the New York Stock Exchange on Thursday, he hopes to put behind one of the most disastrous mergers in corporate history.
The question is whether investors will take to the newly independent Internet company, especially since the spin-off was structured so the first holders of the stock are Time Warner Inc (TWX.N) shareholders.
Armstrong wants to reposition AOL as an online content and advertising play -- whose rivals include Google Inc (GOOG.O) and Yahoo Inc (YHOO.O) -- but the company is still dependent on cash generated by its dwindling dial-up Internet access unit.
The spin-off gave Time Warner shareholders an AOL stock dividend for every 11 shares of Time Warner. Based on the Time Warner's closing share price on Nov. 16, when the plan was announced, AOL's market value was worth just over $3 billion.
But since AOL AOL_w.N has been trading on a 'when issued' basis, its value has fallen to around $2.4 billion.
Is AOL now a good buy, considering it was valued as high as $163 billion in January 2000, when the Time Warner merger was announced?
Looking at current 'when issued' valuations, Collins Stewart analyst Thomas Eagan thinks there might be an opportunity. Collins Stewart compared AOL's access business with the valuations of peers such as United Online Inc (UNTD.O) and EarthLink Inc (ELNK.O), using a ratio of enterprise value per subscriber.
"We think AOL's access business alone, which has 4.9 million subscribers, is worth $2.2 billion. This means that you're getting the AOL portal business and all the brands for less than $300 million," Eagan said.
He also thinks Wall Street may have underestimated the earnings boost from restructuring efforts that Armstrong's team have undertaken.
"A lot of folks aren't giving them credit for the $300 million savings next year and likely more in 2011," he said.
Todd Rethemeier, an analyst at Hudson Square Research, thinks most of the bad news about AOL is already known, such as the slump in advertising spending and the declining dial-up access business.
"There were a lot of things wrong with AOL, which are already priced into its current valuation," said Rethemeier, who has a 'hold' rating on AOL for when it starts trading on Thursday.
"Tim Armstrong is setting the bar pretty low. The question is how quickly can they turn around the advertising business."
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Others say the very nature of AOL's spin could work against it. The shareholders it inherited from Time Warner include funds that a newly independent AOL might not meet the requirements of their charters.
"There are some funds out there that may have to sell AOL off," said Chris Marangi, an analyst at Gabelli & Co, a long- time holder of Time Warner. "They may be restricted in what they can own in terms of market cap (AOL may be too small) or they may be required to own dividend payers for example."
These kinds of dynamics could put undue pressure on the stock, said Colin Gillis, an analyst at Brigantine Advisors.
"Many Time Warner holders are mostly not going to want this. It's going to be driven more by the machinations of the spin," he said.
Value investors may be disappointed by AOL unless they are prepared to stay for the long haul, Gillis said, as Armstrong will likely plunge cash back into the business rather than issue dividends or share buy backs.
"The problem is near-term holders have an incentive to sell and buyers have an incentive to wait to see how Tim and the stock perform," he said.
Broadpoint analyst Benjamin Schachter said in a note there is potential upside if AOL can get its advertising margins in line with peers such as Yahoo, but he was worried about audience losses due to declines in its access business.
Armstrong said on Wednesday that access subscribers account for a "minority" of its customer traffic. [ID:nWEN7371]
"We simply think it may be a long wait before overall margins might improve," said Schachter. "The bottom line is that, while shares of AOL may look attractive on a comparative multiple basis, we recommend investors wait for a more compelling entry point." (Reporting by Yinka Adegoke; editing by Tiffany Wu and Andre Grenon)
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Petrol, diesel prices hiked again, rates touch new high: View rates of your city
Was Battlegrounds Mobile India sending data to Chinese servers? Read here
Attractive finance deals launched by Tata Motors to attract potential buyers: Read here
Vivo V21e 5G will be launched today at 5 pm, you can watch live event on Instagram
PlayStation 5 and PS5 digital edition sold within minutes after being put on sale
Budget 2021: From the perspective of FM Nirmala Sitharaman,
Complete ban on crackers from Nov’9 to Nov’30 in Delhi, nearby areas.
Some states like Rajasthan, Maharastra, Delhi etc which have banned firecrackers this Diwali.
Navratri 2020! Colours To Wear On The 9 Days Of Navratri—And Their Significance
Gandhi Jayanti: President Kovind,PM Modi pay tribute to Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat.
Palestine Foreign Minister Riyad Al Maliki expressed his displeasure in a letter to S Jayshankar
Actress Nia Sharma’s dancing in backless top has left fans awestruck: Watch video
Disha Patani reacts to Sussanne Khan intense workout: See video
Fitness freak Hina Khan looking gorgeous at her gym session: See videos
Actor Nora Fatehi latest bikni shoot has set internet on fire: See photos and videos
Bigg Boss 14 fame Rakhi Sawant has landed herself in a huge trouble again. Now, the model and television talk show host has gotten herself entangled...


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Home Of Entertainmemt
YOU'RE HIGHLY WELCOME TO 1805LOADED MEDIA, DID YOU WANT TO CONTACT US? +2348022290573 OR SEND US AN EMAIL email@example.com
New Zealand on Friday became the latest country to impose restrictions on TikTok, announcing its ban on all devices with access to the country’s parliament. The decision was taken following the advice of cybersecurity experts and after discussions with government officials.
The UK government has announced a ban on the use of TikTok on official devices following a review by the National Cyber Security Centre. The ban, which was revealed on Thursday, will not apply to ministers and officials who wish to use the app on their personal phones. The Chinese-owned app has already been banned from many government devices in the US and other countries, amid concerns about the security and privacy of the platform. Critics have claimed that the app could be sending personal information to the Chinese government via its owner, Bytedance.
TikTok has previously defended itself against accusations that it collects more user data than other social media platforms, stating that it operates independently and does not share data with the Chinese government. However, many countries around the world remain cautious about the app and its links to China.
New Zealand is the latest country to impose restrictions on TikTok, with a ban on all devices with access to the country’s parliament. The decision was made following advice from cybersecurity experts and discussions with government officials
In India, TikTok was banned along with dozens of other Chinese apps, including the messaging app WeChat, in 2020 due to concerns about privacy and security. The ban was made permanent in January 2021, after the companies failed to address the government’s concerns.
Taiwan also imposed a ban on TikTok in 2022, following a warning by the FBI that the app posed a national security risk. The Taiwanese government prohibited the use of Chinese-made software, including TikTok, on all government devices, including mobile phones, tablets, and desktop computers.
In the United States, TikTok is banned on government devices, and several US lawmakers have called for an outright ban of the app. More than half of the 50 US states have also banned the app on government devices.
Canada has also banned TikTok from government-issued devices, citing concerns about privacy and security. Employees will also be prohibited from downloading the app in the future.
The European Parliament, European Commission, and EU Council have all imposed bans on TikTok on staff devices. The European Parliament’s ban will come into effect on March 20, 2023, and it has recommended that lawmakers and staff remove the app from their personal devices.
In Pakistan, TikTok has been temporarily banned at least four times since October 2020 due to concerns about the app promoting immoral content.
Finally, Afghanistan’s Taliban leadership banned TikTok and the Chinese game PUBG in 2022 on the grounds of protecting youths from “being misled.”
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NEW DELHI, Monday, Mar 4: Minister for Commerce and Industry Anand Sharma today said there is a need to revise import duty on rubber.
Industry officials have demanded around 70% hike in import duty for natural rubber in order to safeguard the interest of domestic rubber growers.
According to industry sources, the minister had a meeting with Members of Parliament from Kerala and it was decided that the commerce ministry would soon send a proposal on the same to the finance ministry.
Kerala is India’s biggest rubber producing state.
The minister confirmed having such a meeting, but refrained from detailing the likely alteration in the duty structure.
“We had consultation with MPs of Kerala on rubber import duty,” Sharma said on the sidelines of an event here today.
Industry officials said that rubber import duty is proposed to increase to 34 rupees per kg or 20%, whichever is lower.
Currently, natural rubber attracts an import duty of 20 rupees per kg or 20%, whichever is lower.
Domestic rubber growers are concerned due to rise in imports which is hurting domestic demand for rubber and local prices.
The country’s natural rubber imports rose over 18% on year to 197,113 tn during Apr-Jan.
Local price of benchmark RSS-4 variety of rubber has declined to 157 rupees per kg as on Friday from around 190 rupees in early October. End


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The new Swiss Business Hub (SBH) is located on the premises of the Swiss embassy in Jakarta. Wolfgang Schanzenbach, head of the new S-GE field office, and his team will provide advice and support to export-oriented Swiss and Liechtenstein SMEs looking to gain entry into the Indonesian market, including market evaluation support and providing business contacts.
Support for SMEs entering the market of the future
"As the largest country in Southeast Asia with a population of about 250 million, Indonesia already offers incredible potential to Swiss companies. The largest country in the ASEAN region is also a key future market for local exporters, and its global economic significance will only continue to grow," said Daniel Küng, CEO of S-GE, at the opening of the new SBH. "Finally, exporters with an additional foothold in this growth region can better offset the risks associated with currency and economic fluctuations. However, market entry in a far-off country like Indonesia requires a high level of preparation – and that's precisely where the new Swiss Business Hub in Jakarta can help companies from Switzerland and Liechtenstein."
With its new base in Indonesia, S-GE, in cooperation with the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA), is now operating 22 Swiss Business Hubs worldwide.
Indonesia as a future economic power
As the 16th largest economy in the world, Indonesia generates roughly 40% of the GDP of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). In 2016, it grew by 5%. The currency has stabilized, wages and consumption have gone up, and unemployment has fallen (World Bank). The most important growth factors for the years to come are the rapidly growing middle class and the resulting increased spending on infrastructure. By 2030, Indonesia could have the fourth-largest middle class in the world, after China, India and the United States (Brookings Institution).
Opportunities for medical technology, ICT, food processing, consumer goods and more
For Swiss companies, this means business opportunities in consumer goods sectors including capital goods industries, particularly for:
- medical technology such as surgical equipment, image diagnostics, IT solutions for hospitals; driven by the expansion of healthcare; Indonesia has virtually no local medical technology industry
- ICT, including for financial and security technology
- Food processing technology, such as automation, compressors, pneumatics and vacuum technology, storage technology, packing machines
- Consumer goods, such as FMCG and quality food products, high-quality cosmetics, luxury and lifestyle products
In 2016, Switzerland exported a total of more than CHF 455 million in goods to Indonesia. 42% of these exports were pharmaceutical and chemical products, 32% were machines and electronics and roughly 9% were precision instruments and watches. Negotiations are currently underway for a free trade agreement with EFTA.
Switzerland Global Enterprise (S-GE)
Switzerland Global Enterprise (S-GE) guides its clients on the path to new markets. On behalf of the Swiss Confederation (State Secretariat for Economic Affairs SECO) and the Swiss cantons, S-GE promotes exports and investments by helping its clients to realize new potential for their international businesses and thus to strengthen Switzerland as an economic hub. As the driver of a global network of experts and as a trusted and strong partner to clients, cantons and the Swiss government, S-GE is the first point of contact in Switzerland for all questions relating to internationalization.
S-GE is represented abroad by Swiss Business Hubs. These local teams are based at a Swiss Embassy or Swiss Consulate-General. The Swiss Business Hubs support Swiss companies expanding their activities in their respective countries and inform foreign companies about the advantages of Switzerland as a business location. All hubs have a first-rate network of contacts abroad on account of their official status.


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If you want to make the most out of Cyber Monday by taking advantage of all the upcoming deals, then there are a couple of important points that you need to make yourself aware of. If you haven’t heard of Black Friday, you may be a tad too late, however Cyber Monday arrives (unsurprisingly) on Monday 30th November.
Originally, Cyber Monday was effectively the online version of Black Friday, although with more of a focus on electronic based products. Last year in Australia we spent $2.28 billion on Cyber Monday alone, but now it appears as though these two days are blurring into one with many of the Black Friday and Cyber Monday offers overlapping this weekend. The advantage of this, however, is that there’s a greater opportunity to pick up a bargain on a wider variety of goods.