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On my way to Mobile World Congress this year — and even in the weeks leading up to it — I had a hard time trying to figure out what to get excited about. New phones? Sure, there’s always a bit of a fire inside of me for new hardware and tech. As I’ve already argued, however, it feels like last year’s phones are still really, really solid devices. We’ve reached some sort of plateau where manufacturers can only do so much to make their devices compelling anymore.
LG knows this and admits it. The company said that, look, most smartphones out there already take pretty good pictures. The software is good, hardware is solid, battery life is OK. So what does LG, knowing this, do to distinguish itself?
That’s where the G5 comes in.
We had a chance to play with the LG G5 this week. It has all of the trimmings of a 2016 flagship, including a 5.3-inch Quad HD display, a Snapdragon 820 processor, 4GB of RAM, a 16MP camera, a 2,800mAh battery, a microSD card slot, a removable battery and more. But LG did a few things that make this phone stand out.
Remember that “Magic Slot” that we heard so much about in early rumors? The G5 doesn’t have one — at least it isn’t called a “Magic Slot” and LG says it has never used such terminology. Instead, LG has what the company is calling “Friends” that the phone works with.
The bottom of the phone pops open — that’s where you can slide out the battery and pop in a new one, almost like a cartridge — and this is where you can also add different “Friends” or accessories. There’s one called the “LG CAM Plus,” for example, that adds additional battery power, and a special grip that provides zoom controls, focus controls for the camera and more.
Another such accessory is the LG HiFi Plus, which was built with Bang & Olufson. It upsamples audio from anywhere, even streaming services, to provide the best audio experience. I’m not much of an audiophile, and we couldn’t test this during our brief hands-on, but it snaps onto the bottom of the phone and seems like a really compelling upgrade.
It’s all very unique and unlike anything we’ve seen outside of Google’s modular smartphone efforts. It actually has me a bit more excited for a smartphone again, which is more than I can say for other OEMs out there. The rest of the phone, as LG said, is neat, but isn’t exactly groundbreaking. There’s a fingerprint reader that doubles as a home button, the Quad HD screen looks sharp and the experience seems snappy.
One area where I do like LG’s hardware improvements, however, is the camera. It’s capable of snapping both standard and super wide angle, almost fish-eye, photos. It does this using two camera sensors, enabling an end user to snap a 135-degree wide-angle photo. It was really fun to use in my tests, and you can actually capture more than what the human eye can see in the frame.
LG will also sell a VR headset that works with Google Street View and YouTube 360, in addition to a new 360-degree camera as accessories for the smartphone. There’s even a unique little BB-8 type robot that the company will sell, which doubles as a security camera when you’re away from home.
If you’ve been following closely, LG seems to have addressed my very concern coming to the show. It knows that smartphones are “good enough” now, so it’s creating an ecosystem. From what I’ve seen so far, it’s off to a really great start.


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Yahoo rebuffs Microsoft, says open to better deal
Yahoo Inc responding to a three-week deadline issued by Microsoft Corp to accept its $42 billion takeover bid, again rejected the deal for undervaluing the Web pioneer.
“Our board's view of your proposal has not changed,” said the letter, signed by Yahoo Chairman Roy Bostock and Chief Executive Jerry Yang. “We continue to believe that your proposal is not in the best interests of Yahoo and our stockholders.”
Ballmer on Saturday set a three-week deadline for Yahoo to agree to its cash-and-stock offer or risk seeing the bid lowered, citing a deteriorating economy and market for Internet stocks as well as a decline in Yahoo's share of the Web search and advertising business.
Yahoo countered that its business is in good shape and suggested the software giant should look to the value of its own enterprise.
“As a result of the decrease in your own stock price, the value of your proposal today is significantly lower than it was when you made your initial proposal,” Yahoo's letter said.
When Microsoft first announced its bid on February 1, the deal valued Yahoo at $31 per share, or $44.6 billion in total, representing a 62% premium to Yahoo's market price.
But a fall in Microsoft's stock price means the proposal now values Yahoo at only $29.62 per share. Yahoo shares slipped 1.3% to $27.99 in midday Nasdaq trading.
"Yahoo management's position is still that Microsoft's bid is too low and undervalues the company,” said Bernstein analyst Charles Di Bona in a note to clients. “Investors are becoming increasingly skeptical and there appears to be growing concern that this view is both unrealistic and self-interested on the part of Yahoo's management.”
Microsoft shares rose 12 cents to $29.28 on Nasdaq.
If the two sides can agree to a deal, it would be the biggest takeover in the high-tech industry.
The deal drama has spurred Chinese Internet firm Alibaba Group to speed up plans to buy back a near 40% stake owned by Yahoo. Alibaba, parent of Alibaba.com, seeks to calm Beijing's fears that a Microsoft deal would increase foreign influence over China's leading Internet firms.
In their letter, Yang and Bostock charged that Ballmer's letter “mischaracterizes the nature” of their talks so far, calling his assertion that Yahoo had refused to enter into negotiations to conclude an agreement “particularly curious.”
“Moreover, Steve, you personally attended two of these meetings and could have advanced discussions in any way you saw fit,” the letter said.
Directors of Sunnyvale, California-based Yahoo continue to explore alternatives, the company said. Talks on a potential alliance with Time Warner Inc's, AOL have intensified, according to a person familiar with the matter.
Yahoo shareholders and analysts say the company's best options are to find an ally to help demonstrate Yahoo is worth more as an independent player, or surprise the market with a strong show in its quarterly results on April 22.
But the consensus on Wall Street is that no “white knight” will emerge to whisk Yahoo away from Microsoft and its proposed cash-and-stock offer currently valued at $42.2 billion.
Yahoo's Yang also criticized Microsoft for not providing it with data that would help the companies identify regulatory issues that might be associated with any merger. Yahoo said it has already provided Microsoft with such details. (Reuters)
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For week ending January 27th
While Brits are facing a sharp cold snap that swept across the country and held the UK in an icy grip, the business travel industry keeps moving fast with lot of updates and new stories from the rest of the world: Hilton Worldwide launched its 14th brand and Finnair announces long-haul expansion for winter 2017. All this and much more in our weekly travel update!
Glasgow airport introduces drop-off fee
After Edinburgh and Aberdeen, Glasgow airport will introduce a drop-off fee for travellers arriving by car from the end of April. The new charge will be set at £2 for a stay of up to ten minutes. The drop-off zone will be moved to a new location opposite the airport terminal.
Carlson Rezidor to open 17 Middle East hotels this year
Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group is to open a total of 17 properties across the Middle East this year. The new hotels will add over 3,000 rooms to the group’s portfolio across the region, and will be located in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Egypt. Among the openings in the UAE include the 432-room Radisson Blu Hotel, Dubai Waterfront (exterior pictured above), the Park Inn by Radisson Hotel, Dubai Motor City, and the Radisson Blu Hotel, Ajman.
Air India re-locates at Heathrow T2
Air India has moved its Heathrow operations from T4 to T2, joining its fellow Star Alliance member carriers at the Queen’s Terminal. The airline operates up to eight departing and arriving flights per day at Heathrow. The move means that all 24 Star Alliance carriers serving Heathrow now operate from one terminal, with facilities including 81 multi-airline check-in kiosks, shared baggage drop counters, and four lounges operated by Star Alliance members Air Canada, Lufthansa, Singapore Airlines and United.
Manchester airport opens adult-only lounge
Manchester airport has unveiled plans to launch a new luxury lounge at Terminal 3. Set to open in April, the 1903 lounge is named after the year the Wright Brothers first took flight, and will offer guests a free Fast Track security pass included in their booking. Guests must be 18 years-old to enter. With a capacity for 71 people, the lounge will offer complimentary hot and cold buffets, self-service soft drinks, tea and coffee and free alcoholic drinks. It will also have scanning, printing and fax facilities.
Hilton launches 14th brand – Tapestry Collection
Hilton has launched its 14th hotel brand called Tapestry Collection. It is the second “collection” brand after Curio – a Collection by Hilton, which launched in 2014. Curio operates more than 30 upper upscale hotels in seven countries with another 45 in development. The new Tapestry Collection by Hilton will be in the upscale segment just below Curio, according to Hilton, and seven hotels have signed letters of intent in the US. “Tapestry Collection by Hilton will enable us to provide the best of both worlds to travelers who are looking for an independent hotel experience but also want the consistency and reassurance they expect from Hilton” said Christopher J. Nassetta, president and CEO, Hilton.
Hilton to open new Bogota property
Hilton has announced a new property under its Hilton Hotels and Resorts brand for the Colombian capital Bogota. Scheduled to open in 2018, the 414-room Hilton Bogota Corferias will be located next to the city’s existing Corferias convention and exhibition centre, as well as the forthcoming Agora Bogota International Convention Centre. The property will also be situated around ten minutes from Bogota’s main El Dorado International Airport
Marriott opens first Renaissance property in Lagos
Marriott International has debuted its Renaissance Hotels brand in sub-Saharan Africa, with opening of the Renaissance Lagos Ikeja. The 155-room hotel is located 5km from the city’s international airport, and features an outdoor swimming pool, fitness centre, eight meeting rooms, the Cut steakhouse restaurant, all-day dining restaurant Iyeru Okin, Choco-Latte coffeehouse, and the 24-hour RBar for cocktails and light bites.
Finnair announces long-haul expansion for winter 2017
Finnair has announced plans for new long-haul routes and increased frequencies for the winter 2017 season. The carrier will operate a twice-weekly service to the Indian coastal city of Goa between November 2017 and March 2018, as well as increasing the frequency of its Delhi service to six flights per week during the winter season. In addition Finnair will fly twice weekly to Havana between December and March, weekly to Puerto Vallarta (Mexico) between November 19 and March 18, and weekly to Puerto Plata (Dominican Republic) between November 30 and March 22.
Main source: Business Traveller


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EVANSTON, IL: Irish dairy brand Kerrygold has retained Weber Shandwick to lead its corporate and consumer PR efforts in the US.
The brand, owned by Irish dairy cooperative Ornua, sells butter and other products made with milk from grass-fed cows in Ireland.
Weber is the first PR agency that Kerrygold has hired for ongoing PR work in the US.
“Ornua had a PR consultant on a project basis,” said Kerrygold marketing director Brian Cleere. “This is the first time we’ve had an agency [on board] full-time.”
The Interpublic Group agency is responsible for growing brand awareness and maintaining brand equity via strategic media storytelling and corporate communications counsel.
“We are a growing brand but still a niche brand. We still have a decent way to go,” Cleere said. “We are really looking to Weber to help us reach new consumers beyond our core consumer base.”
Kerrygold issued an RFP over the summer to three agencies, Cleere said. He declined to name the other two shops but said they were “all Chicago-based, and no boutique [shops].”
The company began working with Weber in September.
Cleere declined to discuss financial details of its contract with Weber, which does not include creative advertising or media buying.
Kerrygold saw $1.2 billion in annual retail sales in 2019, the company said in a statement.
The PR firms within IPG’s Constituency Management Group, which includes Weber, posted a mid-single-digit revenue decline in Q3 on both an as-reported and organic basis. CMG was reconstituted as IPG Dxtra last month.


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Warner Bros has signed a pay-per-view (PPV) and video-on-demand (VoD) deal with VoD platform YOU On Demand Media, which is an official partner of Chinese state-owned movie channel CCTV-6.
The deal will make Warner Bros movies available to three million homes with access to CCTV-6’s pay-TV arm, China Home Cinema. Headed by former WWE executive Shane McMahon, New York and Beijing-based YOU On Demand has a 20-year joint venture deal with CCTV-6.
The Harry Potter franchise, including Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows - Part 1, are among the first movies that will be offered to China Home Cinema subscribers under the deal. Delivered by cable TV and IPTV, the service is expected to eventually reach 200 million households in China.
“China is developing methods for consumers to view movies outside the cinema in a legitimate fashion,” said Jim Wuthrich, Warner Bros president for international home video and digital distribution. “Through YOU On Demand’s platform, millions of potential consumers will be able to view our films.”
McMahon, YOU On Demand’s chairman and CEO, added: “I’m excited for the millions of Chinese consumers that will be able to experience and enjoy the very best content that Hollywood has to offer.”
The Warner Bros deal was brokered by CAV Warner Home Entertainment Co, which is Warner Bros Home Entertainment Group’s joint venture in China, and You On Demand Holdings.
The deal appears to widen access to US movies in a marketplace where theatrical distribution of foreign films is handled by just two state-owned companies – China Film Group and Huaxia Film Distribution – and limited to 20 revenue-sharing releases a year. Additionally, foreign media conglomerates have not been granted broadcast TV licences for China.
However it doesn’t open the landscape to competition; CCTV-6 is part of the same state-owned conglomerate as China Film Group.
China missed a March 19 deadline imposed by the World Trade Organization (WTO) to allow a wider range of companies to handle theatrical distribution of foreign films. The quota issue and broadcast licence issues were not addressed by the WTO.
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Slidell's Board of Zoning and Adjustment is scheduled to take up a parking variance request for a proposed Walmart grocery store in north Slidell during its meeting Thursday night (Feb. 6). The zoning board is among several governmental bodies meeting in St. Tammany Parish Thursday night.
The meeting begins at 7 p.m. in the City Council chambers, 2045 Second St., in Olde Towne.
Walmart has proposed building a Neighborhood Market grocery store on land fronting Robert Boulevard between Dijon Drive and North Boulevard. Representatives of the development are asking the zoning board to grant a variance that would allow the store to have fewer parking spaces than are currently mandated in city regulations.
During a sometimes testy meeting with area residents earlier this week, an attorney for Walmart said having fewer parking spaces - 165 instead of the 206 now required - would enable to the development to keep more green space and pour less concrete. The city's Planning Department has recommended that the board grant the variance, agreeing that the store will still have ample parking and that green space is more desirable. The city is currently in the midst of revising its parking regulations, city Planning Director Tara Ingram-Hunter said.
Finally, the St. Tammany Parish School Board will conduct two committee meetings tonight at the C. J. Schoen Administrative Complex, 321 N. Theard St. The Human Resources and Education Committee meets at 7; it will be followed by the Business Affairs and Administrative Committee. This link will take you to the agendas.


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It’s no secret that Amazon is building out its logistics capabilities with fulfillment centers, sortation centers, and a network of vehicles and planes to move inventory from point A to point B. But Amazon also learns a lot over time and makes improvements to its warehouses, so it was interesting to read about its recent activity in Germany.
Amazon relocated a fulfillment center in Germany to new state-of-the-art logistics center in Werne. It was a logistical feat and likely the largest relocation in Europe, according to the company, with 650,000 items having to be moved to the new warehouse.
The Werne site (DTM1) opened in the fall and specializes in large items such as TVs and garden tools. About 1,500 employees gradually moved from the old building to the new logistics center in recent months, and the old centers (EDE4 and EDE5) are being prepared as delivery centers.
Interestingly the company noted that the old logistics center had been housed in a former Ikea warehouse.
For the new Werne warehouse, Amazon invested 28 million euros in technology that includes state-of-the-art employee workstations specifically geared towards the requirements of Amazon logistics.
Amazon’s also learning how to take advantage of every inch of space. “In addition to new conveyor technology in bright and friendly halls, there are over ten meters high shelves. So that the team can pick the goods from a great height, more than 300 employees received training in high-platform stacker driving,” according to the company (translated from German).
As Supply Chain Digest noted in 2015, “You know a company is a little different when it talks about what generation it is on for its distribution center design, like a Boeing aircraft or something.”


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Rice production likely to fall 7 million tonnes. No export impact, but higher prices for Thai consumers possible.
In photo above fields in Lop Buri are among the hundreds of thousands of rai now under water (Photo: PHRAKRIT JUNTAWONG).
Click button to listen to Impact of Floods on Rice Exports to download
FLOODING: Damage to paddy may hit 7m tonnes, But officials claim exports won't suffer by Post Reporters
Floods have already damaged about 700,000 tonnes of paddy but the final tally could be 6-7 million tonnes, says the Commerce Ministry.
However, the impact on exports of Thai rice this year is expected to be limited and the country will still be able to export 11 million tonnes of rice, said Yanyong Phuangrach, the ministry's permanent secretary.
The Agriculture Ministry reported total damage of 10 million rai of cultivated areas, of which 8 million are paddy, meaning rice production could be cut by 6-7 million tonnes. Prior to the floods, Thailand expected main-crop paddy production of 25 million tonnes to enter the government's paddy mortgage scheme. Phitsanulok, Nakhon Sawan, Phichit and Suphan Buri are among the affected provinces.
Mr Yanyong said he hoped traders and the public would understand that supplies will be reduced and prices may rise.
We have to understand that farmers usually cultivate two crops of paddy, but they will only get income from one crop this year because of the floods.
Though some have speculated that Thai rice exports would be affected, Mr Yanyong is still optimistic the country can export 11 million tonnes this year.
The kingdom has already shipped 9 million tonnes this year. He admitted the price of Thai rice has increased, but not so high as to affect orders.
There are some problems in transporting rice to the port due to the floods but demand for Thai rice is still high.
He noted India had exported only 10,000 tonnes of rice, after an earlier announcement it would export 2 million. India exports mainly to Pakistan, which is not a main market for Thailand, which is increasingly focusing on Africa.
Thai white rice is around US$600 a tonne, while Vietnamese rice is at $570. Mr Yanyong said traditional customers were still buying Thai rice, such as the Ivory Coast, which is likely to purchase over 200,000 tonnes this year.
In another development, Internal Trade Department director-general Vatchari Wimooktayon said a large suburban construction materials store was selling 20-kilogramme sandbags at 55 baht, double the normal price.
The department intends to charge the business under Article 29 of the Goods and Services Price Control Act. Punishment includes up to seven years in jail and/or a fine up to 140,000 baht. It will also ask the Revenue Department to investigate the earnings of the shop.
(Source: Bangkok Post, FLOODING, Damage to paddy may hit 7m tonnes, But officials claim exports won't suffer, 15/10/2011, Post Reporters, link)
Rice Export Vocabulary
paddy - rice after it has been harvested from the field ข้าวเปลือก
claim - saying something is true without proving it yet
suffer - to experience physical or mental pain
claim exports won't suffer - say (without proving) that exports will not be less, because of flood damage to rice production
tally - a record or count of a number of items การบันทึกจำนวน
the final tally - in the end, after all damage has happened, the final damage count or statistics
the final tally could be 6-7 million tonnes (of damage)
impact - an effect or influence ผลกระทบ
expected - believe will happen คาดว่า (จะเกิดขึ้น)
impact expected to be limited - not a big reduction (in rice exports from the floods)
the impact on exports of Thai rice this year is expected to be limited
cultivate - to prepare land and grow crops on it เตรียมเพื่อเพาะปลูก, เพาะปลูก
cultivated areas - area where crops are grown on
armers usually cultivate two crops of paddy
main-crop paddy production
mortgage - a legal agreement in which you borrow money from a bank in order to buy a house, build something, develop a piece of land, etc.การจำนอง
scheme - a plan that is developed by a government or large organisation in order to provide a particular service for people แผนการ โครงการ
government's paddy mortgage scheme - the government program that gives farmers a price for their rice that is at ofr above the market price
traders - people and companies that buy and sell goods (or assets) for profit
income - money that people receive from work or some other source, used for household consumption and savings
optimistic - feels that the future will be good; expecting good things to happen or to be successful (opposite of pessimistic) มีทัศนคติที่ดี โดยคาดหวังสิ่งที่ดี, มองโลกในแง่ดี
port - an area of water where ships stop, including the buildings around it ท่าเรือ
demand - the need and desire to buy goods and services by households and businesses
announcement - information given to public ประกาศ
traditional - things that have existed for a long time
traditional customers - customers that businesses have had for a long time
purchase - buy
suburban - outside the center of a town or city
construction - the work of building or making something, especially buildings, bridges, etc. การก่อสร้าง
construction materials - materials used to build buildings (such as sand, cement, cement blocks, etc)
a large suburban construction materials store
double - to become twice as big, twice as much or twice as many เพิ่มเป็นสองเท่า
double the normal price - two times the usual price (example: if the price is usually 100, then 200 is "double the normal price")
charge - to accuse someone officially of committing a crime ตั้งข้อกล่าวหา
charge the business under Article 29 of the Goods and Services Price Control Act
fine - an amount of money that you have to pay because you have broken the law ค่าปรับ
a fine up to 140,000 baht
Latest stories in this category:
- Military leaders not taking sides
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- Thailand's dilemma
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- Protests: "Final push" not yet final
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- Protests: Marching day, PM dissolves parliament
- Protests: “Final battle” starts tomorrow


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Economic development creates opportunities to grow state, local and metro areas, which are essential for economic growth, improved quality of life and community development. Mesa articles below.
The electric vehicle designer and manufacturer will establish its U.S.-based assembly facility and engineering technical center in Mesa, AZ.
With a booming economy fueled by a business-friendly climate and a thriving startup ecosystem, Arizona was fourth among U.S. states in GDP growth in 2018.
The first international air cargo hub to house customs operations for Mexico and the U.S. is expected to create 17,000 jobs in Greater Phoenix.
The 2013 Economic Development Deal of the Year recognizes the locations and economic development agencies that landed the highest impact projects announced between July 1, 2012 and December 1, 2013. This year, the game-changing transformation of a former solar panel plant in Mesa, AZ into a new $1.5-billion manufacturing facility for tech giant Apple takes the top prize.
Greater Phoenix takes top prize for Apple's new manufacturing plant.
Sky-high expectations that renewable energy would be the growth driver of a new economy are giving way to market-driven realities. From the January/February 2012 issue.


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Blake Nordstrom, who led the upscale department store chain Nordstrom as co-president with his brothers Erik and Peter, has died. He was 58.
The Seattle-based company did not disclose the cause of death, saying Nordstrom passed away unexpectedly early Wednesday. Last month, Nordstrom said that he had been diagnosed with lymphoma, but that his cancer was treatable.
Nordstrom Inc. said in a statement that its executive leadership will continue under Erik and Peter Nordstrom. The company is publicly traded, but family members still own about 30 per cent of its shares. The family group had hoped to take the company private last year, but a special committee for its board rejected the offer as too low.
Blake Nordstrom had worked at the chain for more than 40 years. He was the great-grandson of company founder John W. Nordstrom, a Swedish immigrant who opened a Seattle shoe store in 1901 that eventually became a national department store chain.
“Everyone who worked with Blake knew of his passion and deep commitment to employees, customers and the communities we serve,” said Nordstrom Inc. Chairman Brad Smith said.


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Dick Costolo, Twitter’s embattled chief executive, is stepping down, the company said on Thursday.
Jack Dorsey, the company’s co-founder and chairman, will serve as interim chief executive while the board searches for a permanent successor.
The change is effective July 1. Twitter shares were up more than 7 percent in after-hours trading immediately after the news was announced.
Since Twitter’s debut as a public company in 2013, Mr. Costolo has repeatedly disappointed Wall Street as the company struggled to attract new users, refine its products and develop new forms of advertising.
Mr. Costolo’s departure is likely to renew speculation that Twitter is an acquisition target for the handful of tech giants that could afford the company, which currently has a market valuation topping $24 billion. In recent weeks, Google has been rumored to be eyeing Twitter, but people with knowledge of the companies denied that a deal was in the works.
“The situation at Twitter must be much worse than it appears, as replacing the C.E.O. is such a big step,” said Brian Blau, an analyst with Gartner. “Twitter’s problems are clearly not over, and while Jack Dorsey knows Twitter well, they really should bring in some outside perspective as most of their strategies so far are not working out so well.”
The analyst firm eMarketer estimates that Twitter’s monthly user base will grow 14.1 percent this year, down from 30 percent two years ago. By 2019, its worldwide user growth rate will be 6 percent, according to the firm.
Twitter accounted for 3.6 percent of the $19.2 billion mobile Internet ad market in the United States last year, according to eMarketer, while Facebook held an 18.5 percent share and Google dominated with 36.9 percent.
“I am tremendously proud of the Twitter team and all that the team has accomplished together during my six years with the company,” Mr. Costolo said in a statement on Thursday. “We have great leaders who work well together and a clear strategy that informs our objectives and priorities. There is no one better than Jack Dorsey to lead Twitter during this transition.”
Pressure on Mr. Costolo grew in recent weeks after Chris Sacca, an early Twitter investor, went public with an 8,500-word analysis of what Twitter could be and how it could get there.
Shortly after the essay was published on Mr. Sacca’s blog, Mr. Costolo fielded some tough questions from Twitter stockholders at the company’s annual shareholder meeting.
Mr. Sacca’s manifesto calls for a much deeper rethinking of Twitter’s service, which is still focused on 140-character text messages, to attract new users beyond the 302 million active users it reported for the first quarter.
“Twitter can afford to build the wrong things,” Mr. Sacca wrote. “However, Twitter cannot afford to build the right things too slowly.”
After Mr. Sacca posted his letter, Robert Peck, an analyst at SunTrust Robinson Humphrey, said that if Twitter’s financial results disappointed investors again in July, as they had for the last two quarters, “we think it’s possible that the company may look to make some changes” in leadership.
Twitter said on Thursday that its second-quarter financial results were on track to meet its previous forecasts.
Twitter, founded in 2006, has never been known for its stable management, with plots and counterplots among its founders and early executives.
Mr. Costolo became chief executive in October 2010 as part of a boardroom coup against Evan Williams, Twitter’s co-founder and then-chief executive. Mr. Williams remains on the board and is one of the company’s biggest shareholders. He will be part of a search committee for a new chief executive.
Last year, much of Mr. Costolo’s executive team was fired or resigned as he sought to speed up the company’s pace of product improvements.
Mr. Costolo told Twitter’s board about six months ago that he thought it was time for it to start thinking about succession.
When meeting with advertisers at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in January, it was clear he was tiring of the stresses of the job, according to a person with knowledge of the discussions who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
Mr. Costolo and the board eventually agreed he should step down before a successor was found to allow for a public search process, this person said.
Mr. Dorsey, who preceded Mr. Costolo as chief executive, is deeply familiar with the company and its products. He is also the chief executive of Square, a tech start-up he founded in 2009 that specializes in online payments and has its headquarters in the same San Francisco office building as Twitter.
This is the second rise to Twitter’s top ranks for Mr. Dorsey. After being ousted as chief executive and replaced by Mr. Williams in 2008, Mr. Dorsey returned to Twitter as executive chairman in 2011 when Mr. Williams himself was pushed out of the chief executive’s office, replaced by Mr. Costolo.
But ever since his ouster in 2008, Mr. Dorsey has wanted to return to the helm of Twitter, according to two people with knowledge of his thinking. While he has retained a board seat during Mr. Costolo’s tenure, Mr. Dorsey has angled to become more prominent in his influence on Twitter’s direction, these people said.
Mr. Dorsey will continue as chief executive of Square and will not be on the search committee for a new Twitter boss, according to a person with knowledge of the matter.
As rumors swirled around Mr. Costolo, Twitter insiders have divided into camps regarding who should replace him.
Adam Bain, who oversees global revenue and partnerships, is a particular favorite for the top job among many Twitter employees, according to multiple people inside of the company. Mr. Bain, a longtime media industry executive who worked at Fox Interactive Media, has strong relationships with many of Twitter’s media partners.


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A mobile-technology patent that Samsung deems essential to the UMTS standard is likely to be invalid, the Regional Court in Mannheim, Germany, said.
The U.S. International Trade Commission has decided to review an earlier decision that found Samsung Electronics' products infringed four patents owned by Apple.
Microsoft has identified 13 PC resellers based in Shanghai that it claims have been distributing counterfeit versions of its Windows OS, and the company could take legal action against them if a settlement isn't reached.
A court in California has allowed Apple and Samsung Electronics to add recent products from both companies in a patent infringement lawsuit.
A federal judge in California has ordered Apple and Amazon.com to sit down and attempt to settle a lawsuit between them over Amazon's use of the "Appstore" name for its online application marketplace.
Samsung Electronics' Galaxy tablets do not infringe on an Apple design right, the District Court of The Hague ruled Wednesday in response to a request by Samsung.
Advanced Micro Devices has been granted by a court in Massachusetts a temporary restraining order against four former employees, three of whom are alleged to have left the company to join Nvidia with confidential documents and trade secrets.
The U.S. Department of Justice did not mislead a court and attempt to entrap file storage site Megaupload on copyright infringement charges, the agency said in a new filing in the case.
Ericsson has agreed to transfer 1,922 patents and 263 patent applications to Unwired Planet in return for a share in ongoing revenue from the patents.
IBM has always been bullish on patents and 2012 proved to be no exception. IBM once again amassed more patents than any other company in a single year, a distinction it has enjoyed for the past 20 years.
Motorola Mobility has withdrawn its claims with regard to its standard-essential patents in its complaint against Microsoft's Xbox before the U.S. International Trade Commission.
Companies that license their patents under fair, reasonable and nondiscriminatory (FRAND) terms, but then seek import or sales injunctions against competitors, may often be
A Chinese man has pleaded guilty in a U.S. court to selling pirated software used in defense, space and other industries with a retail value of more than US$100 million.
Microsoft told the U.S. International Trade Commission that it expects Motorola Mobility to withdraw claims relating to two patents it says are essential to the H.264 standard in its complaint against the Xbox, in view of a settlement last week betwe...
Apple, Research in Motion (RIM) and Motorola Mobility are among 15 companies sued in the U.S. over a fundamental 3G and 4G patent on determining when devices should switch cells in a mobile network.
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CANTON (CBS) — Dunkin’ lovers can now get an extra caffeine boost in their coffee. The Canton-based chain is now selling a new blend with 20% more caffeine than a normal cup.
The “Extra Charged Coffee” features green coffee extract. Medium sizes will be on sale for $2 through Jan. 26 for both hot and iced versions.READ MORE: Jury Selection Begins In Trial Of Thomas Latanowich, Charged With Killing Yarmouth Police Sgt. Sean Gannon
Dunkin is also releasing two new blends: A super dark roast called “Dunkin’ Midnight” and “Explorer Batch” – the first of Dunkin’s limited batch series.READ MORE: E. Coli Outbreak Linked To Cake Mix Reported In 12 States, Including Massachusetts
All will be available through the end of January.MORE NEWS: Second Of 5 VaxMillions Drawings To Be Held Monday
Dunkin’ was sold to Inspire Brands in the fall in a $11.3 billion deal.


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The number of people waking up on Christmas Day to receive an Apple iPad 2 could rocket once the results of a new poll become known.
According to the new Sunday Times Tech List’s best gadgets of the year study, the new winner of the title is the Elgato EyeTV mobile.
This is described as a feature that allows users to watch and record their favourite television shows from a Freeview platform.
Consumers do not even need an internet connection in order to take advantage of the technology, which could appeal to fans of the small screen.
The newspaper noted that such praise could now lead to thousands of “gadget-mad Britons” asking Santa for the popular tablet device and then using it to watch the Queen’s speech on December 25th.
Anthony Williams, creative director at The Comic Stripper, recently said the release of the Apple iPad 2 has revolutionised the way comic readers access their favourite publications.
Posted by Simon Thomas


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Marks & Spencer says “good progress” is being made in the overhaul of its supply chain, IT systems and warehousing. In its final year results announced today (22 May), the retail giant says the first […]
Mitsubishi Electric Europe has renewed its contract with Norbert Dentressangle for another five years.
Norbert Dentressangle’s five-year, £100m contract with Comet is in the hands of administrator Deloitte following the biggest high street collapse since Woolworths in 2008. Wincanton, Comet’s previous logistics partner, walked away from a warehousing and […]


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According to a Reuters investigation, pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson has known for decades that its baby powders could contain small amounts of asbestos. The investigation found that instead of informing consumers and regulators about the contamination, the company hid the problem.
Currently, J&J is facing nearly 12,000 plaintiffs in lawsuits that allege that Baby Powder and other powder products caused cancer, including thousands of cases of ovarian cancer. J&J was compelled to release internal documents and confidential memos as part of the litigation. This documentation, coupled with trial testimony, shows that small amounts of asbestos were found not only in the raw talc used to make Baby Powder but also in the finished product. J&J knew that asbestos was found in some samples dating back as far as 1971 and that samples continued to show contamination to the early 2000s, the report suggests.
While the company, its doctors, mine managers, scientists, and attorneys were all concerned about the asbestos contamination issue and how to address it, the company failed to inform the public of the problem, Reuters reported.
Johnson & Johnson is under fire over a mounting number of lawsuits and information contained in the Reuters investigation report. Within days of the investigation being published, the company’s stock took a nosedive to the tune of $40 billion.
The company is maintaining that its powders are safe and that there is no science backing up what thousands of lawsuits claim – that the powders are dangerous and cause cancer. In July 2018, 22 women who blamed their ovarian cancer on regular use of powders were awarded $4.6 billion in damages. The pharma giant is appealing the award as well as other judgments.
Johnson & Johnson hit back at the Reuters report calling it inflammatory, false, and one-sided, and hired a public relations firm to promote the report as old news. The company said that any suggestion that the mega-corporation knew about or hid information concerning talc safety is false. It even took out a full-page ad in the New York Times stating that the safety of its talc was backed by scientific data.
Johnson & Johnson was already battling thousands of lawsuits alleging their powder products could cause ovarian cancer. Then, a New Jersey jury awarded $117 million to a man who alleged his mesothelioma was caused by baby powder, a product he used since birth. Now, patients from across the country are questioning if J&J powder products could have caused their cancer.
If you or a loved one develop cancer after using Baby Powder or Shower-to-Shower powder, you may be entitled to significant compensation. Women and men across the country are standing up and fighting for their rights. They are demanding J&J be held accountable for the talc powders the company has spent decades promoting and marketing as safe.
We are helping these plaintiffs get maximum compensation for their injuries, and we can help you too. If you developed cancer after using J&J talc powders, contact us now. You have rights, and we defend those rights and make sure you get the highest compensation available by law for damages.


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Update: Sun confirms it's cutting 1,500 jobs this week
New layoffs continue cutbacks announced in November; sales and service workers included
IDG News Service - Sun Microsystems Inc. confirmed late Monday that it is laying off about 1,500 employees this week as part of the restructuring plan that the struggling company announced last fall.
The job cuts will involve a portion of Sun's customer-facing staff, including direct sales and professional services employees, according to a research note from Wedge Partners Corp., a financial analysis firm in Denver.
Wedge Partners claimed that 25% to 50% of those workers may be affected, and it said that such a move would make Sun more reliant on channel partners to sell its products.
In response, Sun said the actual percentage of customer-facing staffers being cut is significantly lower, although it wouldn't disclose the specific figure. The vendor added that the layoffs will affect employees at all levels, including vice presidents and director-level executives.
In a statement sent via e-mail, Sun said that it "continues to make important choices to streamline operations and align resources to best address market opportunity and position the company for improved financial performance and long-term growth."
Sun announced in November that it planned to lay off 15% to 18% of its workforce, or up to 6,000 employees, in an effort to reduce costs by $700 million to $800 million annually.
In January, it confirmed that it had laid off 1,300 workers as part of that plan, and the cuts this week appear to be a continuation of the same effort, said Ryan Hunter, an analyst at Wedge Partners.
The latest cuts would have been planned before any acquisition talks with IBM got under way, said Dan Olds, principal analyst at Gabriel Consulting Group Inc. Olds said he also has heard that sales personnel are among those being let go this week.
A Sun executive said last summer that the company planned to move its North American business to an indirect sales model for all but its largest customers, so a move to reduce its sales team wouldn't be a surprise.
"Effectively, we're going to go 100% 'channel' below the top 300 or so accounts," Tom Wagner, vice president of Sun's North American partner sales organization, told the IDG News Service at the time.
Sun hoped the move would invigorate its channel partners, which would no longer have to worry about competing with Sun for business, Wagner said. He added that Sun was doing about two-thirds of its business through the channel as of last summer.
A move to rely even more heavily on indirect sales carries some risk, however.
"Sun doesn't have as many exclusive channel partners as HP and IBM," Olds said. "Partners that aren't exclusive to Sun will pitch its products right up to the point when the customer asks them for something else, then they'll turn on a dime and sell them whatever they want. The difference with the Sun guys is that they would keep on pitching Sun products."
The company's sales force may have been anticipating the job cuts and, as a result, "has been particularly ineffective in the current quarter," Wedge Partners said. "We understand that Sun has had a very weak [fiscal third quarter]."
Sun's third quarter ends Tuesday, and the company plans to report its financial results on April 28.
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If the early and mid-2000s were characterized by large, thirsty SUVs, then the last few years have been the age of smaller SUVs and crossovers.
Read This Article
The 2014 Chevrolet Malibu is the latest midsize car to score top marks in stringent new tests by IIHS.
Way back in 2009, Volkswagen, BMW, Ford, General Motors, Fiat, Toyota, and Mitsubishi came together and agreed to a universal plug standard for electric vehicles.
Is the Chevrolet Cruze radioactive?


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Lenovo has recently announced a recall of its USB-C Laptop Power Bank, citing fire hazard concerns. The affected units, identified by the part number 40ALLG2WWW, were manufactured between December 2021 and June 2022. This recall highlights the ongoing challenges faced by manufacturers in ensuring the safety of lithium-ion batteries, which are commonly used in a wide range of electronic devices but are known to pose fire risks under certain conditions.
The issue with the recalled Lenovo power bank stems from internal screws that may become loose. This defect can potentially lead to a short circuit, causing the lithium-ion battery to overheat. Given the volatile nature of lithium-ion batteries when exposed to air, this overheating can result in dangerous fire hazards.
Lenovo recalls USB-C Laptop Power Bank
Lenovo has not specified the scale of the recall but has issued a statement urging users who own this specific model of the power bank to immediately cease its use. The company has set up a process for affected customers to verify their device's eligibility for replacement. Customers are required to provide the serial number of their device, along with a clear photo of the label, and their shipping and contact information.
In compliance with local, state, and federal laws, regulations, and guidelines, Lenovo advises customers to dispose of the recalled power bank at a facility equipped to handle lithium batteries. This step ensures the safe disposal of the device, aligning with environmental and safety standards. Lenovo has also made available a list of contact points for customers across various regions, including North America, Latin America, South America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia Pacific, to facilitate the recall process. Further details regarding the recall can be found on Lenovo's official website.


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Hailing from Indianapolis, Indiana, Courtney Cowan and her husband Adam Tiller opened Milk Jar Cookies in April of 2013, focusing on a number of unique cookie flavors with 14 different revolving flavors featured at the shop such as banana split and chocolate pecan caramel. Cowan is also hoping to soon begin serving locally-sourced fresh milk and Handsome Coffee beverages.
Milk Jar Cookies has also since built a thriving online community to drive sales that includes a “Cookie of the Month Club” that launched last year. “Online shopping is clearly becoming one of the favorite ways for people to shop,” Cowan told reporters at Miracle Mile LA. “We’re very proud of the user-friendly nature of our website.”
Read more as we ask the chef six quick questions, discover the first meal that changed her life and learn the one ingredient she couldn’t live without.


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Viewing 1 to 10 of 100 news
New Lufthansa website revamps the entire online purchasing experience for the traveller with a simpler, more personal and streamlined service
Lufthansa.com to offer a seamless experience across both web and tablet, enabling individuals to plan their journeys according to their own preferences
Addition of a leading provider of travel management solutions for corporations will allow Amadeus to tap into a fast-growing market
Major industry study written by Oxford Economics and commissioned by Amadeus, forecasts travel to grow by 5.4% per annum over the next 10 years, outpacing global GDP
Report also predicts that large emerging markets will be driving this growth, with China set to surpass the U.S to become the world’s largest outbound travel market this year and the biggest domestic market by 2017
•Cloud based Common Use platform to save airports costs and space by eliminating on-site infrastructure dependency
•Scalable to any size airport, airline and ground handler
•Airports to improve the passenger experience, eliminating queues and frustration
•Platform allows airports to be more flexible and quicker to respond to irregular operations from anywhere
Amadeus and ETC will work together to promote Europe aiming at strengthening the European tourism industry’s competitiveness as one of the main engines of economic growth and employment.
Strong performance and growth of Distribution and IT Solutions businesses
Companies sign a multi-year agreement which now includes AERTiCKET subsidiaries globally
Amadeus, the leading technology provider for the global travel industry, and Orbitz Worldwide (NYSE: OWW), a leading global online travel company which uses technology to transform the way consumers around the world plan and purchase travel, today announced the two companies have entered into a new multi-year agreement.
Amadeus, a leading technology partner for the global travel industry, today announced that it continues its expansion into the Airport IT space with the acquisition of UFIS Airport Solutions, a leading airport information technology player.
Amadeus, a leading technology partner for the global travel industry, announces an agreement today with Icelandair, a customer-oriented airline and travel service company serving 31 gateways in Europe, the USA and Canada, to develop a baggage reconciliation system, Amadeus Airport BRS, capable of offering real-time, automated loading, tracking and management of baggage. As launch partner, Icelandair will deploy this solution as of mid-2014 on all its worldwide flights handled from its hub at Keflavik International Airport.


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Emap warns of tough year
Emap, owner of FHM and Closer magazines and radio stations Kiss and Magic, told investors that they should not expect any great recovery in the coming year, after it issued a profits warning last month.
It said it expects weak advertising for its consumer magazines, radio stations and recruitment advertising in trade magazines like Nursing Times for the year starting on 1 April.
It also warned that consumer magazines would continue to see mixed circulation fortunes as various publishing houses battle it out in key markets like lads' mags and women's glossies.
Magazines are also being hit by the rapid shift from news-stand sales to websites.
The only two areas the group reckons should be strong in the coming year are exhibitions and conferences and trade magazine subscriptions.
Chief executive Tom Moloney said the group would deliver 3% growth for the year just ending.
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A Federal Communications Commission (FCC) filing has revealed a new Samsung powerbank. According to documentation on FCC, the 10,000mAh powerbank supports 25W fast charging.
This new Samsung powerbank is seen in a photo on FCC website. The photo shows the Powerbank with two USB-C ports. The picture also reveals a wireless charging pad for the powerbank. The powerbank has come in time, since the Galaxy Note 10 series come with 25W and 45W output. It only means that the Powerbank, at 25W output, will be able to charge the devices.
The projected release date for the Powerbank is unknown, however, it might be released with the Samsung Galaxy S11 series.


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This is fantastic news, GOG.com
are finally going to open up their store to penguin lovers of the Linux family!
You may remember that I spoke to GOG.com in September of last year
, where they explained they couldn't support Linux as it would be too challenging with their business model.
I am happy to share with you that they will, finally be supporting Linux.
QuoteNo, don't duck. This is actually good news. We just wanted to announce that, after much deliberation, we've decided that one of the next steps for us is to support Linux. Now, we're not ready to launch Linux games on GOG.com just yet. We've only been working on bringing these Linux games to our service for a few months, and there's lots more to go, but we wanted to let you know what's going to be coming this fall to a digital distributor near you.Source
We're initially going to be launching our Linux support on GOG.com with the full GOG.com treatment for Ubuntu and Mint. That means that right now, we're hammering away at testing games on a variety of configurations, training up our teams on Linux-speak, and generally getting geared up for a big kick-off in the fall with at least 100 Linux games ready for you to play. This is, of course, going to include games that we sell which already have Linux clients, but we'll also be bringing Linux gamers a variety of classics that are, for the first time, officially supported and maintained by a storefront like ours.
This is, as we mentioned, something that we're in the early stages of, so we can't talk about what games will be a part of our GOG.com on Linux gaming launch--in part because we, ourselves, don't know what those games are--but we hope that you're excited about the fact that we're able to set "GOG.com Support for Linux" in our community wishlist as a task that is "In Progress." We know we are!
This means we will finally have a true DRM free store that really fights for DRM free, this is exactly what a lot of Linux users have wanted as GOG.com's stance aligns with a lot of Linux users thoughts.
Not only that, but they will bring classic games over to our platform themselves and support them just like they do for Mac and Windows. This is exactly the way to win customers GOG.com and I applaud you.
So, who else do we have to conquer now? Not many places I imagine.


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MOSCOW – Russias base oil production increased 3 percent in the first half of 2018, compared to 2017s first half, and the trend was forecasted to continue for the rest of 2018 thanks to a surge in vehicle sales and increased base oil exports.
The Commonwealth of Independent States – a loose political body comprised of Russia, Belarus and some Central Asian countries – has over 3 million tons per year of base oil capacity, Dimitry Terentiev, business development manager at Argus consultancys Moscow office, told RPIs Global Lubricants conference here in October.
Argus expects Russias base oil production for full-year 2018 to increase because the countrys car sales rose significantly in 2018, and base oil exports surged 15 percent in the first half of the year. Russian passenger car and light commercial vehicle sales reached 1.6 million units for the first 11 months of 2018, up 14 percent from the same period in 2017, according to the Moscow-based Association of European Businesses. The group, which represents and promotes the interests of European companies conducting business in and with the Russian Federation, has not yet published results for full-year 2018.
In addition, foreign base oil shipments to Russia decreased by 9 percent in the first half of 2018, compared to the same period last year. Volumes of base oils that Russian refiners kept in-house for their own finished lubricant production rose by 2 percent.
Russia exported 514,000 tons of base oil in the first half of 2018. The largest portion – totaling 208,000 tons – was handled by ports on the Baltic Sea while 153,000 tons went to Eastern Europe and Baltic States via land routes, 88,000 tons were shipped via the Black Sea or exported by river, and 66,000 tons were shipped to East and Central Asia and the Caucasus region, according to Argus.
Characteristic for [2018s] first half is that the base oil shipments to Turkey decreased by half, as a result of more active competition by other international market players and lower consumption in Turkey, Ternetiev said.
Argus found that Tatnefts Nizhnekamsk refinery increased its Group III base oil output from 73,000 tons in the first half of 2017 to 89,000 tons for 2018s first half. Meanwhile, Slavnefts Yaroslavl refinery boosted its Group III base oil output from 5,000 tons in the first half of 2017 to 49,000 for the same period in 2018. Tatnefts Group II output increased from 17,000 tons in 2017s first half to 32,000 tons in 2018s first half.
The Nizhnekamsk plant has capacity to produce 190,000 t/y of Group II and Group III, while Slavneft has 100,000 t/y of Group II and Group III and 150,000 t/y of Group I production capacity. Slavneft is a joint venture between state-owned Rosneft and Gazprom Neft.
Argus also found that there is a widening spread between Group I solvent neutral 150 product and Group II N150 product. Terentiev said this reflects slowing demand in Europe for Group I.


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We’ve Got Exciting News
WoodWorks Will Co-Produce Mass Timber+!
Mass Timber+ has just taken a major step forward.
We are excited to announce that going forward, Mass Timber+ will be co-produced by WoodWorks and Forest Economic Advisors (FEA)!
For more than a decade, WoodWorks has been the go-to resource for commercial and multifamily wood building design, engineering and construction. They have held thousands of seminars and workshops on mass timber and light wood framing across the US and are available to help architects, engineers, owners and developers with free one-on-one project assistance, continuing education, design tools and on-demand resources. FEA’s partnership with WoodWorks will ensure the high quality of Mass Timber+ content and its usefulness to developers, design and construction teams, the wood industry, and others interested in wood construction.
Don’t miss out! There are still good exhibit locations available and registration will open soon!


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ALBANY, N.Y. — Auto/Mate Dealership Systems today announced its dealership management system (DMS) is fully integrated with Dashboard Dealership Enterprises, a developer of data reporting systems and services for dealership management.
Auto dealerships using both solutions are now able to enjoy seamless data exchange and real-time updates between the two systems, said Auto/Mate President and CEO Mike Esposito.
“Managers at every level in automotive retail have more important things to do than spend time compiling data into reports, which quickly become inaccurate and don’t tell the story behind the numbers,” Esposito said. “Analytics and business intelligence software allow managers to drill down and identify why problems are occurring, so they can take immediate and appropriate action.”
Dashboard Dealership Enterprises’ flagship product, Executive Eye, is a mainstay in more than 750 dealerships, including many of those listed with the 2016 Automotive News Top 150 Dealership Groups.
“Our mission is to exceed customer expectations for services, quality, speed of implementation, ease of use and support,” said Josh Blick, Dashboard Dealership Enterprises CEO. “The Open/Mate integration process with Auto/Mate was painless and we are thrilled that more auto dealers now have an enterprise option to analytics and business intelligence.”
Originally posted on F&I and Showroom


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SFC’s Smart Trucks Platform partners with the China Green Freight Initiative (CGFI) that is managed by the China Road Transport Association (CRTA), Research Institute of Highways (RIOH) under the Ministry of Transport, and Clean Air Asia.
During 2015, SFC established partnerships with key players in the high quality tire pilot, especially carriers, tire manufacturers, industry associations and local government agencies.
CDP and Smart Freight Centre to collaborate SFC and CDP have signed a Memorandum of Understanding that will help bring about... >More news >
Multinationals that lead the way to logistics emissions transparency In April 2017, we released our vision for ‘Smart Freight Leadership’. Be a lea... >More blogs >


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At today’s stakeholder meeting with EU and US negotiators of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) the US Dairy Export Council (USDEC) rejected suggestions by the EU that US producers should relinquish their right to use long-standing generic food names on the US market.
The EU has over 1,200 food and beverage products, which are protected with Geographical Indications (GIs). While 95% of these product names do not pose a problem, the EU’s approach to also protect some common food names, such as feta, parmesan, munster and gorgonzola constitutes a lingering issue in the EU-US free trade negotiations.
“We believe it is reasonable for products with a specific geographic designation included in their compound name to be protected, such as ‘Gouda Holland’ or ‘Brie de Melun’. The names Gouda and Brie remain unrestricted, which means that when used in combination with a regional name the protection does not distort trade,” explained Maike Moellers, a USDEC representative. “The reality is, however, that the US and most other countries already provide the opportunity to protect terms such as these.
“What we strongly oppose is the EU’s overreaching approach to restrict in the EU and in third countries via FTAs, the use of common, generic names, claiming that these products can only come from specific regions in Europe. This results in the elimination of competition and provides commercial advantages to certain EU manufacturers,” said Moellers.
Many US producers of cheeses like parmesan, asiago and feta came from Europe as immigrants and started their production business in the US. They created and grew markets in the US for cheeses which names originated from Europe. As a result of EU legislation and EU court decisions, which have also raised disputes within the EU itself, US producers cannot sell their products under these generic names on the EU market. If this rule would now be transfer to the US market as part of TTIP, while existing barriers to common name usage in the EU and other markets are left in place, hundreds of companies across the US and supplying farms would be affected. They would lose the markets they grew for their products and would face high costs as non-EU companies would be forced to abandon the use of names best known to consumers. These restrictions would be at odds with TTIP’s overarching goal of liberalizing trade.
“We believe that negotiations on GIs should be taken out of TTIP and dealt with in a separate forum in order to carefully assess the legitimate concerns of both sides. We must avoid that this issue becomes a stumbling block for such an unprecedented opportunity to boost free trade such as TTIP,” he said.


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Japan's top three car makers said global production in July rose to records for that month, highlighting solid growth riding on their reputation for fuel-efficient models amid soaring petrol prices.
Toyota Motor Corp - close to passing up General Motors Corp to become the world's biggest automaker - said that worldwide output rose 10.2 per cent in July from a year ago to 812,147 vehicles.
Honda Motor Co, Japan's second-biggest automaker, reported July production jumped 17.7 per cent to 342,152 vehicles. Demand for its Fit subcompact, the best-selling car in Japan for the ninth month in a row, has benefited the company.
Nissan Motor Co also racked up record production for July at 315,975 vehicles, up 26.8 per cent on year, on strong sales of its Maxima and Altima sedans in the US and the Teana and other models in China.
The robust growth for the Japanese comes at a time when soaring gas prices have hurt the world's auto industry.
Honda makes more vehicles abroad than at home. Its output overseas shot up 19.3 per cent to 229,996 vehicles, while domestic production rose 14.5 per cent to 112,156, the first rise in 11 months.
Mazda Motor Corp also reported robust global production for July - up 25.5 per cent to 126,025 vehicles.
The Hiroshima-based partner of US automaker Ford Motor Co. credited healthy demand for Mazda2, sold as the Demio in Japan, and Mazda6, or Atenza in Japan, for the production increase.
All the world's car makers are struggling to shift their product offerings from gas-guzzling trucks and sport utility vehicles, whose profit margins per vehicle are bigger, to smaller models.
Toyota's exports surged 12.5 per cent in July to 246,809 vehicles, while Honda's exports declined in July for the third straight month at 56,415 vehicles, down 6.9 per cent from a year ago. Nissan's exports zoomed 84.2 per cent to 83,429 vehicles on healthy demand in North America, Europe and Russia.
Mitsubishi Motors Corp was the only major Japanese automaker to report a decline in global production last month at 113,538 vehicles, edging down 0.9 per cent over July 2007.
Japanese car makers have fared better than US car makers General Motors and Ford, which have lost billions of dollars this year.
Despite a falling dollar that hurts the earnings of global Japanese exporters, Honda reported a record Y179.6 billion ($A1.92 billion) profit for the fiscal first quarter, up 8 per cent from the previous year.
By contrast, Toyota, which has more trucks and SUVs than Honda in its lineup, saw its fiscal first quarter profit plunge 28 per cent on year to Y353.66 billion ($A3.78 billion). Nissan's April-June profit dropped 42.8 per cent to Y52.8 billion ($A564.68 million).
Despite the upbeat numbers - released before trading closed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange - the big three auto companies' shares fell. Toyota shares dipped 2.7 per cent to 4,770 yen, Honda stock fell 2.2 per cent to 3,530 yen, and Nissan lost 4.7 per cent to 814 yen.


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Food Day, What Is Old Is New AgainFood Day, What Is Old Is New Again
Oct. 24 is Food Day.
October 23, 2011
Oct. 24 is Food Day. If you missed it, you were not alone. Not exactly a major holiday, it is just another made-up occasion by an activist group and designed to draw attention to a particular issue. Food Day is the creation of the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI). It is not even a new idea, just one recycled from over 30 years ago. Yet, CSPI’s food message has not changed. They are still preaching that our food supply is bad and American diets unhealthy.
Back in 1975, the idea was to piggyback on Earth Day and to draw attention to what CSPI calls, “Increasing industrialization of the food supply and build awareness of America’s imminent health crisis.”
Food Day lasted only until 1977. In 2011, Food Day has been resurrected as a rallying point for a variety of food groups and causes. It is also about influencing food policy. According to the executive director of CSPI, “Food Day is also about agriculture policies and moving the country, as a whole, in a direction that’s healthier for consumers and for the environment."
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OYO started its journey back in April of 2017 in Nepal. Since then it has been able to gather 330+ hotel chains and more than 4000 exclusive rooms. Initially, bookings could be done only through their official app or their website, which was heavy on both data and storage.
In order to tackle this problem, OYO have finally launched the OYO Lite app in Nepal.The OYO Lite was launched globally back in May of 2019. OYO Lite is an authentic small OYO app which enables faster and smoother booking experience. They made it possible by compressing the larger app into a more browser-like environment, which made the app light and smooth. At just 850Kb size, it checks all the functionalities that the OYO app and OYO site has to offer.
Re-mapping the original app into a lighter version tackles various network and storage related problems. Network Fluctuation, limited phone memory, – these things will never affect your OYO booking experience, this is what the OYO Lite guarantees.
Just Imagine yourself being a foreigner and not being able to book hotels because of poor connectivity issue.
Well, OYO Lite is a step forward in ensuring that travelers who are searching for hotels will never have to suffer from such poor connectivity issues.
With security, quality and pricing as the main focus, OYO Lite aims to make it easier for people to find accommodations by minimizing the complications caused by low connectivity.
Not only is the OYO Lite minimizing problem of accommodation for tourists, it’s also empowering the Nepalese Economy.
With the upcoming “Tourism Year 2020” just around the corner, the launch of OYO Lite will definitely be effective. As more and more tourists arrive, more and more people will be searching for hotels. If they can easily search for hotels without being frustrated, it will be a huge bonus point for us.
Well I think that the implementation of OYO Lite is a great way at improving hospitality services. It’s a great approach to maintaining the crumbled hospitality services in the city.
Do you think OYO Lite is a great step to improving the fragmented Hospitality system in Nepal?
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New Delhi:The man who sells million dollar football dreams, Sepp Blatter is in New Delhi for two days.
Despite India's 165th rank, FIFA is convinced of India's potential. In fact there are moves to tap it and increase active particiaption from the industry in india to get some much needed money into the sport.
"Frankly speaking you only have history, as president of the Asian Confederatin, I haven't seen any future. With the actual infrastructure Indian football has, it should not dream of playing at the world level even after 100 years," said Mohammaed Bin Hamam, President, AFC.
Hamam, who is accompanying the FIFA chief, made this comment after visiting three of Kolkata's oldest clubs on Sunday.
But on Monday, Blatter arrived in Delhi with a bagful of dreams. The 71-year-old said that he may have been eager to buy football clubs in India, had he been young.
The FIFA president not only talked about developing the game and infrastructure but also tried to impress upon the corporates to become partners in developing professional football
"We are not lookig any longer for sponsors because sponsors give the impression that they are giving something but we want to exchange something. We will give you an opportunity to sell your product and display it. You offer us some compensation in cash or products - return in kind or cash," said Blatter.
Blatter, who sold FIFA 2006 world cup rights for nearly $2,500 million sees tremendous potential in the Indian market.
But to have returns, the game in India needs to be put on track, first. FIFA is likely to loosen its purse strings and make announcements on its plans for India. They have already announced a grant of approximately $1.5 million towards the same.
In fact, FIFA bosses have already laid out guidlines on launcing a professional football league. Asian Football Confederation's vision Delhi will shortly get underway followed by vision Tamil Nadu and vision Sikkim. But they realise that for India to rise from 165th, it's worst possible rank, it will take sometime.


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Sony has continued to do well in the virtual reality space, and has sold a grand total of 4.2 million PlayStation VR systems worldwide, the company announced in a blog post on Monday. That’s total units actually bought by consumers, not just shipped.
“We’re also very excited to reveal that we have officially sold-through more than 4.2 million PS VR systems worldwide as of March 3, 2019,” PlayStation social-media chief Sid Shuman wrote. “We’d like to thank our fans for the amazing support for helping us achieve the milestone.”
As VentureBeat noted, recent estimates have put Sony well ahead of the competition, with industry firm IDC writing that it pegged PS VR sales at around 463,000 in Q4 2018, beating out Oculus Rift (300,000) and HTC Vive (230,000). The main advantage that the PS VR headset has over the competition is that it is natively supported by its namesake console, which is the most popular on the market and driving massive revenue for Sony. Meanwhile, Oculus and HTC headsets require pricey computer setups—PC Mag’s lowest-spec recommended graphics card, the GTX 1060, costs over half as much as a PS4 Pro by itself.
As VentureBeat noted, PlayStation also has a major advantage bringing games to the VR market first due to its leverage with developers:
PlayStation is also a globally recognized gaming brand with numerous developer partnerships. The publisher has leveraged those relationships to bring big-name VR experiences to the PSVR first. That includes hits like Tetris Effect and Resident Evil 7. And that’s on top of its first-party efforts like Farpoint and Astro Bot: Rescue Mission.
Sony announced the 4.2 million number as part of its State of Play video event today. During that presentation, the publisher revealed a number of new PSVR games and release dates.
Save big with this Samsung sale
If you’re ready to drop some cash on a TV, now’s a great time to do it. You can score the 75-inch Samsung Q70A QLED 4K TV for a whopping $800 off. That knocks the price down to $1,500 from $2,300, which is 35% off. This is a lot of TV for the money, and it also happens to be one of the best 4K TVs you can buy right now, according to Gizmodo.
PS VR’s success has also positioned Sony to do well when the next generation of consoles is announced. The next PlayStation is already under development and is expected to be announced in the next few months, though the ultimate timetable for when the system will be released remains unclear.


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China's second largest mobile phone operator will remove Google's search function from new handsets in response to the US Internet giant's tussle with Beijing, the Financial Times reported Thursday.
China Unicom Chairman & CEO Chang Xiaobing speaks during a news conference announcing the company's results in Hong Kong March 24, 2010.
The reported move by China Unicom comes as other Chinese companies appear to be severing ties with Google following its decision Monday to effectively shut down its Chinese search engine over Beijing's tough web censorship.
China Unicom said the search function would be dropped from new phones using Google's Android mobile operating system.
"We are willing to work with any company that abides by Chinese law.... We don't have any cooperation with Google currently," the Financial Times quoted China Unicom president Lu Yimin as saying.
China Unicom could not be reached for comment Thursday.
The FT report gave no indication of whether the company might eventually ditch Android altogether for a different mobile operating system.
But the report does point to wider ramifications for Google from its decision to scale back its China operations, as the country is not only the world's largest online market, but also the world's largest mobile market.
China currently has at least 384 million Internet users, but it has more than 750 million mobile subscribers -- many of whom access web content via their handsets.
In January, shortly after saying it could leave China altogether over web censorship and cyberattacks, Google postponed the launch of Android-based mobile handsets developed with Motorola and Samsung for China Unicom.
China Mobile, the country's biggest cell phone operator, is also likely to cancel a deal to use Google's search engine on its mobile Internet home page, the New York Times reported, citing an unnamed source in the media industry.
The report said the company was scrapping the agreement due to government pressure. Officials at China Mobile were not immediately available to comment.
At the end of January, China Mobile had 532.9 million subscribers, and China Unicom had 150.5 million, according to government data.
On Wednesday, Hong Kong-listed TOM Group -- owned by the city's richest man Li Ka-shing -- cut links to Google's search services on its web portal, saying it needed to adhere to Chinese rules and regulations.


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Photo by Dieter Bohn / The Verge
Every Tuesday this month, Vergecast co-host Dieter Bohn will host a series of discussions diving deep into tech review season, each focusing on a specific product.
This week on the show, Dieter talks with MKBHD, aka Marques Brownlee, about the various phones released by Samsung this year — from the Galaxy S20 released back in March all the way to the S20 FE we reviewed last week.
As Marques points out in his FE review video, Samsung now offers phones at almost every price point a customer can ask for. This results in a multitude of smartphones under the Galaxy umbrella — honestly too many to count. This also applies to even just the top-tier options from Samsung, with the S20, S20 Plus, S20 Ultra, Note 20, Note 20 Ultra, and S20 FE.


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Here we go. The Obama administration assured us when it engineered its multi-billion-dollar
bailout of GM and Chrysler that the government had no interest in running the auto-industry.
Guess the administration didn't think that House Democrats have a mind of their own. In a slap at the administration, the Democratic-control House approved legislation to force GM and Chrysler reinstate as many as 3,200 dealers the
car makers cut as part of their government-backed bankruptcy
reorganizations. You'll recall that the dealer shut-downs were part of the steps taken to restore the bankrupt companies to financial health.
We, the taxpayers, are in this mess big time, and now the politicians are moving in to micro-manage the companies.This could get creepy.


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The brand new "Bushfire Heroes" figure was created for two major reasons- honoring those heroic firefighters fighting against the devastating bushfires in Australia but also as part of a fundraiser campaign. Pre-orders for the figurine are now open, with delivery expected in June. What a cute figurine and an awesome initiative!
Recently, Funko has teamed up with Popcultcha to create a new figure of an Australian firefighter cuddling a koala.
In a Facebook post released by the company, they announced that they have joined forces in order to support the Australian wildlife impacted by the bushfire crisis -
The new toy price is 19.99$ Australian dollars and all profits will be donated to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals' National Bushfire Appeal.
In the same post, the company emphasized the importance of donating even after the fires have ceased:
"The RSPCA is working alongside government and emergency agencies, veterinarians and local authorities to provide much-needed equipment and supplies, emergency care and identifying and assessing injured animals in need of assistance. Their work will continue for months after the fires have ceased".
- Reposted by


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The Department for Business and Trade (DTI) has launched the Critical Imports and Supply Chains Strategy to safeguard the UK supplies of critical goods such as medicines, minerals and semiconductors. This should help importers counter the effects of the Red Sea disruption.
In their recent press release, the DTI said:
“Imports of critical goods for the NHS and UK manufacturing to be protected from global supply chain shocks, safeguarding business and consumers and boosting the economy.
- New Critical Imports and Supply Chains Strategy forms key part of government work to back business and grow the economy, helping UK companies build strong and resilient supply chains for vital goods and avoid dependence on protectionist or coercive states.
- Innovative research will be used to map the impacts of shocks on supply chains, such as those caused by the Covid pandemic and war in Ukraine and understand how the UK can secure the goods we need in future.
“UK supplies of critical goods such as medicines, minerals and semiconductors will be safeguarded, thanks to the Government’s new Critical Imports and Supply Chains Strategy launched today (Wednesday 17 January).
“The recent attacks in the Red Sea, one of the world’s most critical waterways, has threatened global trade. In response to increased geopolitical disruption, and the unprecedented challenges of recent years, like the Covid pandemic, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and environmental disasters, the UK Government and businesses have boosted their ability to manage supply chain shocks. This strategy builds on this and will further equip UK businesses to deal with global supply chain problems and access the imports they need which are essential to the functioning of the UK.”
More than 100 top UK firms, including pharmaceutical and manufacturing leaders like The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI), the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) and Green Lithium have contributed to the strategy to ensure it helps develop resilient and secure supply chains that protect both their business and the consumers who rely on them.
Minister for Industry and Economic Security Nusrat Ghani will launch the Strategy today during a visit to Heathrow Airport, the largest import hub in the UK which managed more than £86 billion of UK imports in 2022.


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Leftovers is our look at a few of the product ideas popping up everywhere. Some are intriguing, some sound amazing and some are the kinds of ideas we would never dream of. We can’t write about everything that we get pitched, so here are some leftovers pulled from our inboxes.
Orange you glad Tropicana made a cereal to eat with juice?
Got milk? If the answer is no, Tropicana has the cereal for you.
Tropicana Crunch, a honey almond granola blend, was designed to be eaten with orange juice poured over it. And it becomes available through a giveaway on Tropicana Crunch’s website on May 4, National Orange Juice Day.
“For those who are cereal curious like us, we made Tropicana Crunch,” the website says. “Cereal that’s down to be drowned in OJ. Honey almond clusters that are made to be spooned and sipped. A breakfast taste test we can all take together. Because whether you hate it or love it, you won’t know until you try it.”
But, as the orange juice maker found, pouring orange juice on cereal isn’t really a crazy idea. Using estimates drawn from an online survey conducted in February, the company says about 52 million Americans are willing to do this. And an estimated 15 million Americans have already tried this combo — which is the populations of New York City, Los Angeles and Chicago combined. Half of the adults that poured orange juice on their cereal did it because they thought it looked like it would taste good, the company said.
Whether it actually tastes good is up in the air. While Tropicana has formulated this blend for orange juice, it’s clear from the company’s language that this will be a polarizing taste experience. But for those who love it, each box of Tropicana Crunch comes with a sipping straw to consume every drop that is in the bowl.
This is Tropicana’s latest new product to improve consumers’ morning orange juice experience. In November, the brand had a giveaway for Tropicana Toothpaste, a dentifrice designed to not leave a bitter aftertaste in a post-breakfast toothbrushing session.
Before the creation of Tropicana Crunch, there was quite a lot of online commentary about eating orange juice on cereal. While there are many who find the idea unpalatable, some science and medical information compiled by Mashed indicates there may be other reasons to skip the OJ on cereal. The juice can zap digestive enzymes needed to break down starches, leaving people with intestinal distress, the site says. And, given the naturally sugary composition of orange juice, it could make cereal get soggy faster.
Since this cereal was made for juice, those potential negatives may have been taken into consideration. Regardless, the idea is getting a lot of traction on Tropicana’s social media accounts, and it’s highly likely that there is a large crop of people ready to squeeze in a juicy and unconventional breakfast.
— Megan Poinski
Cinnabon muscles in on protein-packed nutritional beverages
Popular mall staple Cinnabon is making its way to an unexpected consumer: health aficianados.
The frosting-lathered cinnamon roll brand is partnering with Nestlé’s Boost on a high-protein nutritional drink. Each bottle has 20 grams of protein to help maintain muscle, 250 calories with B-vitamins to help convert food to energy, nutrients for immune support and calcium and vitamin D to support bone health.
Nestlé and Cinnabon noted that even though up to 44% of adults over 60 do not meet minimum protein requirements, the building block is considered to be one of the most important nutrients as a person ages.
“We’re always looking for new and exciting ways to give our fans access to our brands,” said Dave Mikita, a president with Focus Brands, the company that owns Cinnabon. “We’re looking forward to providing adults with the delicious taste of a Cinnabon cinnamon roll in a new protein-packed, ready-to-drink flavored beverage format.”
The Boost Cinnabon drink is available in 8- ounce ready-to-drink bottles nationwide at Walmart and online.
Cinnabon is among the most prominent licensors of its brand to other food products lining grocery store shelves. During the last decade, Cinnabon has found its name attached to Pinnacle Vodka, Breyers ice cream, International Delight Creamers and Cream of Wheat.
The licensing efforts like those used by Cinnabon not only expand a brand’s reach into other categories. They also allow each partner to piggyback on the other’s benefits, such as a brand name, experience making or marketing a certain product, and their ability to reach a specific consumer.
— Christopher Doering
ReGrained’s upcycled flour rises up in new baking mixes
Could flour resulting from wasted food result in healthy baked goods? ReGrained says it can, while still tasting delicious.
The upcycled food brand has launched a line of four sweet and savory baking mixes that feature its SuperGrain+ ingredient created from spent brewers grain. The varieties include banana bread, brownie, carrot cake and pizza dough. They are now available for a limited time on the company’s website.
ReGrained, launched almost a decade ago, uses a thermo-mechanical process to formulate spent brewer’s grain into a flour that it says has more than triple the dietary fiber of wheat flour and twice the protein of oats, along with being rich in prebiotics. According to ReGrained’s website, the flour has a nutty, toasted cereal flavor.
The launch, which coincided with Stop Food Waste Day, is a part of ReGrained’s pledge to upcycle 10 million pounds of food by 2025. ReGrained founder and CEO Dan Kurzrock said that the company’s goal to to improve the industry’s circular economy, and encourage producers to make more foods using upcycled ingredients.
“ReGrained, at its core, is a [business-to-business] innovation and ingredient platform,” Kurzrock said. “We selectively introduce consumer products to demonstrate commercial possibilities as well as to test ideas, iterate, learn, and improve.”
In June 2021, ReGrained’s SuperGrain+ flour became one of the first ingredients to earn Upcycled Food certification from the Upcycled Food Association.
In its press release, the brand cited research from Mattson that found 57% of consumers intend to buy more upcycled food items. As sustainability has become an important factor in purchasing decisions, presenting consumers with products that help to solve the issue of food waste could prove lucrative.
Other companies are also getting in on the upcycled action. AB InBev’s EverGrain subsidiary uses barley that is left over from making beer to create a new protein. The ingredient is being used in Take Two plant-based barley milk and Nestlé’s Garden of Life nutritional food supplement brand. EverGrain is also partnering with a subsidiary of Post Holdings to create “climate-positive” foods and with an Arkansas coffee maker to launch a barley milk latte, with other products slated for later this year.
— Chris Casey


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I have always had love for Maker’s Mark Bourbon; it is an American Classic, an institution.
In case you’ve been living under a rock for the past week, Maker’s Mark announced that they would be changing the bottled proof of their bourbon from 90 to 84. Not changing the recipe, just the proof. Point of fact: All spirits are watered down before bottling unless they are marked as cask strength. Maker’s Mark merely announced that they would be watering theirs down slightly more than before.
“The fact is, other than barrel-strength bourbons, all bourbons are cut with water to achieve the desired proof for bottling. This is a natural step in the bourbon-making process. Maker’s Mark has always been made this way and will continue to be made this way.”
Maker’s claimed that the watering down of their product was to combat shortages created by growing demand. In reality, the change in proof would likely be hard to notice. This whole thing did not bother me one bit and I would continue to buy Maker’s Mark. Maker’s themselves even stated that there would be no difference in taste. I am sure that it tastes great either way. To me this is not the story.
For days after the announcement media of all kinds was buzzing about Makers Mark; Bloggers railed, tweeters joked, even TV news covered it. After less than a week, Maker’s Mark announced that the people had spoken.
“We’re humbled by your overwhelming response and passion for Maker’s Mark. While we thought we were doing what’s right, this is your brand – and you told us in large numbers to change our decision. You spoke. We listened. And we’re sincerely sorry we let you down.”
And with that, much like New Coke, in a flash of smoke and a zing of PR, New Maker’s Mark is fading like a distant memory.
The story that was is a story no more. Unless…
Is there a possibility that this was a stunt? Did people run out to stock up on Maker’s Mark Classic? The collector in me considered it. In the end Maker’s Mark just got a week of massive free coverage as well as a possible up-tick in sales. P.T. Barnum couldn’t have drummed up something better. Now they can say that the people have spoken and that it behooves Maker’s Mark to give in to their customers’ desires. They may very well be a kind and responsive business that cares about their base, but they also may have just created a sensation. It does not matter if they were actually combating a shortage or not, because they just went viral.
I call shenanigans.
Ready for Another Round?


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Manufactured goods orders increased in January
New orders for manufactured goods increased 1.2 percent in January to $470.2 billion, the U.S. Census Bureau reported today.
The January increase followed a 1.3 percent increase in December. Transportation equipment led the increase, rising 6.2 percent to $76.5 billion.
New orders for manufactured nondurable goods increased 0.4 percent to $239.5 billion.
Shipments, up 10 of the last 11 months, increased 0.2 percent to $478.3 billion. Unfilled orders, down seven of the last eight months, decreased 0.4 percent to $1,114.1 billion.


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New ASP pricing: 'We're crying foul'
WASHINGTON - A 25% drop in reimbursement for albuterol has some in the industry scratching their heads. Average sales price for the drug fell 6 cents to 15 cents per dose in fourth quarter figures.
"We're crying foul on that one," said Mickey Letson, president of Decatur, Ala.-based Letco Companies. "That number cannot possibly be right."
Letson said the price for albuterol would have had to drop to almost nothing in at least one quarter to arrive at an ASP of 15 cents this time. But Letson said he hasn't seen any drop in the price for albuterol and doesn't know of anyone else who has either. He said he sent a letter to his congressman seeking an inquiry.
"We want to open up the last four quarters reported and recalculate them," said Letson.
Xopenex reversed a dramatic increase last quarter, losing 37 cents to fall from $3.76 to $3.39 a dose.
With the industry still awaiting final decisions on a proposal to reimburse brand-name drugs DuoNeb and Xopenex at generic rates and plans to cut payments to compounding pharmacies starting in January 2007, the future looks uncertain for neb-med providers.
Other prices held stable with DuoNeb and Pulmicort each up 2 cents a dose to $1.09 and $4.56, respectively; Ipratropium stayed at 21 cents per dose.