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Walmart on Thursday announced that it will increase the starting wage rate for hourly employees to $11 and provide additional benefits to other workers in the wake of the $1.5 trillion tax-cut package Congress passed last month.
“We are early in the stages of assessing the opportunities tax reform creates for us to invest in our customers and associates and to further strengthen our business, all of which should benefit our shareholders,” said Doug McMillion, the company’s president and CEO.
“Tax reform gives us the opportunity to be more competitive globally and to accelerate plans for the U.S,” he said.
The company also said it is expanding maternity and parental leave benefits, providing one-time cash bonuses of up to $1,000 for certain employees, and creating a new adoption expense benefit.
A number of companies have announced bonuses or new benefits in recent weeks, citing the tax package. Among other measures, the new law lowers the corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 21 percent.
Copyright © 2018 The Washington Times, LLC. Click here for reprint permission.

domain: news


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Urgent Repairs Needed for Leaky Roof at New Ash Green Shopping Centre, Village Pharmacy Taking Action
The New Ash Green Shopping Centre, located on the outskirts of town, is in desperate need of repairs to its leaky roof. The pharmacy, one of the businesses located in the shopping centre, is taking action to combat the constant leaks.
New owners of the dated out-of-town shopping centre have acknowledged the urgent need for repairs and are currently working to address the issue before it becomes a larger problem. The shopping centre, which was built in the 1960s, is showing signs of wear and tear and is in need of significant repairs.
The Village Pharmacy is just one of the businesses affected by the damaged ceiling. Staff members are forced to work around buckets collecting dripping water, making it difficult to provide quality service to customers. Along with the pharmacy, other shops in The Row are also dealing with leaking ceilings, causing concern for the safety of employees and customers.
Cllr Laura Manston, who founded the New Ash Green Shopping Centre Preservation Group, has been advocating for repairs for almost two years. She is worried about the safety of staff in the pharmacy and the potential consequences for residents if the businesses are forced to close.
The new management company, KMP Solutions, took over the shopping centre in July and has made some minor improvements, including repairs to crumbling steps and faded signage. However, the issue of the leaking ceilings has yet to be addressed.
A spokesperson for KMP Solutions stated that the roof is their top priority and they are working with roofing and drain specialists to find the best solution. They have already instructed contractors to work on the residential roofs and are prioritizing the commercial aspects in multiple phases.
The new owners also expressed their disappointment in the previous neglect of the shopping centre, which has left them scrambling to fix multiple issues at once. They are committed to getting it right and ensuring the shopping centre remains a vital part of the community.
Other affected businesses include the pet supplies shop, Pets Pantry & Hardware, and the Clocktower Gym. The new owners purchased the site at auction last year and have promised to give the shopping centre the attention it deserves.
Residents and local businesses are hopeful that the urgent repairs will be completed soon, preventing any further damage and ensuring the safety of those who visit and work in the shopping centre.
The text and images in this article are generated with the assistance of AI and may contain errors. Please verify any important information as we cannot accept any responsibility for incorrect information.


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Local chefs will get more of a focus on Seahawks gamedays.
At last the burrito—king of the gut-bomb—gets the festival it deserves.
It pays to be a Seahawks fan.
Reporter Angie Mentink literally didn't see this coming.
The Seattle Storm star opens up in a new ESPN interview.
Beast Mode jerseys are flying off the shelves in unexpected places.
Where to watch the rave green when you can't be at the game.
Get ready to roll and learn a truly Pacific Northwest sport.
The owner of the Houston Rockets announced Monday that the team is up for sale.
The WNBA player and fashion blogger dishes on her fashion faves.


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Primary-age children are connected, mobile and social. Parents and carers see evidence of this every day – children appear to be going online younger and younger, with the rapid uptake (and almost hypnotic appeal) of tablets and other touch screen devices. But anecdotal evidence is also supported by research findings. In 2013, the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) released Like, post, share: Young Australian’s experience of social media and some of the highlights included:
- The vast majority (95 per cent) of eight to 11 year olds had accessed the internet ‘in the last four weeks’, with almost all having accessed the internet at some point in their lives.
- Children in this age group use multiple internet-enabled devices (up to three) for a 10 to 11 year old. And these are all sorts of devices, not just computers and laptops but also handheld mobile devices such as iPads, iPods and game consoles (Nintendo DS, PlayStation Portables, PlayStations).
- Thirty-seven per cent of eight to nine year olds and 51 per cent of 10 to 11 year olds have – at some time – accessed the internet via a handheld mobile device.
- Mobile phone ‘ownership’ increases significantly with age. The report found that 11 per cent of eight to nine year olds have their own mobile phone, increasing to 67 per cent of 12 to 13 year olds. (According to 2012 ABS data1, 29 per cent of children aged five to 14 years of age have a mobile phone.)
- While the majority in this age group accesses the internet at home, increasing numbers are using technology at school and at a friends’ house, away from direct parental supervision.
Even at this young age children are avid social media users. Forty-five per cent of eight to 11 year olds use social networking sites2. For the eight to 11 year olds the report found that the top four sites were YouTube, Moshi Monsters, Club Penguin and Facebook*, with the most popular activities being playing games, private messaging, posting comments and posting status updates. In other words, they ‘like’, they post, they share just the same as their older counterparts. And they value it, very much. In fact, the proportion of eight to nine year olds who rated the internet as ‘very important’ had doubled since 2009.
*To be eligible to sign up for a Facebook page, children must be at least 13 years old.
1 Australian Bureau of Statistics, October 2012, Internet and Mobile phones
2 Connected Parents in the Cybersafety Age


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Editor’s note: As we celebrate Nutrition Month this July, GoodRap is highlighting the various campaigns and initiatives created by brands to support the health and wellness of Filipinos.
In line with this, we feature Gardenia’s health and wellness efforts through the initiatives of its Gardenia Nutrition & Wellness Team.
How can employees maintain their health while working from home?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) noted that a one-size-fits-all approach is not the best solution for this problem. Since businesses now operate in different ways – with some adopting a flexible structure while others maintaining a remote work setup – and employees work from different locations, wellness programs should be varied and catered towards the needs of individual employees.
Gardenia understands Filipino employees’ various preferences when it comes to online wellness activities. Here are some of the initiatives of its Nutrition & Wellness Team.
Corporate online wellness activities
There are some companies that utilize health and wellness programs as team-building opportunities. Because of this, they prefer group activities that can be conducted during work hours and with their coworkers.
The Gardenia Corporate Wellness Movement is a long-running initiative to help the private sector and government employees achieve their health and wellness goals. The program, which began in 2009, used to be a series of onground wellness activities.
When the pandemic hit, they shifted their focus to online activities such as webinars and nutrition consultations administered by Gardenia’s Registered Nutritionist-Dietitians (RNDs) via video conferencing applications. They have tapped 135 offices all over the country since June 2020.
The workshops are free and open to corporate offices and institutions. For more information, interested representatives can email email@example.com.
There are, on the other hand, employees who prefer individual activities. Through the Start with GWellness Webinar Series, employees working at home can access free online webinars on their own time.
The first episode of the webinar series is free for the public and can be viewed on their Facebook page.
Other fun content
There could also be employees who prefer short-form educational content. The Gardenia Nutrition & Wellness Team also provides short infographics and videos that cover healthy tips for various occasions.
The team celebrates events such as World Chocolate Day and International Joke Day, among others, with bite-sized information related to the occasion. As an example, during this year’s National Allergy Day, they shared some tips on how to prepare allergy-friendly meals for the family.
Aside from these, the team also recently launched the Gardenia Quiz Game. In line with Nutrition Month, the online quiz encourages participants to answer questions related to nutrition and health.
Interested participants can join by scanning the QR Code or clicking on this link. After sharing their quiz results online, they also get a chance to win exciting prizes from Gardenia.
Gardenia’s various initiatives are all in line with their goal of encouraging Filipinos to practice an active lifestyle as well as eat a well-balanced diet.
For more health and wellness tips, fun activities, and various content, you can visit the Gardenia Nutrition & Wellness Team’s Facebook page. – Rappler.com


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Netflix attracted a record number of new subscribers to its service in the first quarter of 2019, the streaming giant said.
During January, February and March, Netflix added 9.6 million subscribers around the world, the company said in an earnings report.
It is the most subscribers Netflix has gained in a three-month period since launching its streaming service in 2007.
Netflix now has nearly 149 million subscribers around the world.
The numbers beat its own projections as well as those of Wall Street, however its stock dipped by 1% after it predicted a slowdown over the next quarter.
Tuesday's earnings call also revealed Netflix's revenue for the first quarter was 4.5 billion US dollars (£3.45 billion), a jump of 22% over the same period last year.
However, it continues to spend more than it makes while pumping millions of dollars into its original content.
Netflix's impressive start to 2019 comes amid heightened competition in the form of two of the world's biggest companies - Apple and Disney - which have both announced plans for streaming services of their own.
Apple TV Plus is expected to arrive later this year while Disney's offering, Disney Plus, will arrive on November 12.
Disney boasts one of the most fearsome back catalogues in the entertainment industry and announced a competitive pricing strategy, with subscribers asked to pay a monthly fee of seven US dollars - about £5.
Netflix's basic subscription costs 8.99 dollars, or about £7.
Analysts expect Disney Plus to pose a serious threat to Netflix's domination of the streaming industry.


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- Cyclone Idai has destroyed nearly 90% of the Mozambican port city of Beira, according to the Red Cross.
- Communication lines have been cut and roads have been destroyed.
- The port of Beira is a gateway for imports to landlocked countries in Southern Africa.
MAPUTO (Reuters) – Cyclone Idai has caused massive damage to the Mozambican port city of Beira, with nearly 90 percent of the area destroyed, the Red Cross said on Monday.
Mozambican media said about 84 people have died, 68 of those in Beira.See the rest of the story at Business Insider
- MAC has created a special-edition ‘Aladdin’ makeup collection inspired by the confidence and beauty of Princess Jasmine
- The French agency analyzing Ethiopian jet’s black boxes is known for its world-famous plane crash investigators
- Here’s what the Avengers’ new suits teased in the ‘Endgame’ trailer may be for


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Want to learn more about virtual reality? Join our session and VR networking event August 27. RSVP here.
The global Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality market is expected to reach a staggering $766 billion by 2025, a growth rate of 73.7%, according to a new report from India-based Market Research Future.
The report takes in the totality of use cases and covers technology, components and device type as well as bundling AR and VR together but nonetheless the leap is astronomic over comparable surveys.
READ MORE: AR and VR Market to Hit USD 766 Billion by 2025 Registering a 73.7% CAGR (Market Research Future)
For instance, Grand View Research pinned the global virtual reality market size at $15.81 billion in 2020 and expected it to grow at a rate of 18.0% from 2021 to 2028. Fortune Business Insights reckoned the market was only worth $3.10 billion in 2019 with projections to reach $57.55 billion by 2027, while Mordor Intelligence valued it at $17.25 billion in 2020 to reach $184.66 billion by 2026, at a CAGR of 48.7%.
The difference appears to be the impact of Covid-19, according to Grand View Research.
“COVID 19 has hastened digitization and given a much-needed push to technology adoption around the world. The coronavirus-driven lockdowns made people look for new solutions for everyday needs, from food deliveries to medical requirements and education. Crises can sometimes be the key to the development of new technologies, and the current coronavirus outbreak has proven to be a springboard for the popularization of AR/VR.”
Other key factors identified by the research group as positively impacting growth include the growing demand for head-mounted displays (HMDs) in gaming and entertainment, adoption of augmented and virtual reality for marketing strategies, and increasing demand for AR/VR in the retail and e-commerce industry. Furthermore, the rising demand for augmented and VR devices in the manufacturing and healthcare sectors, alongside growing investments and funding by key market players to develop AR/VR solutions, are driving the market growth.
In its analysis, North America is the market leader driven by factors such as the presence of a number of key players, including Google, Microsoft, and Facebook, and demand from the industrial sector. The US is projected to reach a valuation of $307.91 billion by 2025 with a 78.3% CAGR during the forecast period.
Europe accounts for the second most significant share in the global AR/VR market, set to reach $168.58 billion by 2025 up from $170 billion in 2018. Media & entertainment is a driving factor as are , increasing PlayStation and mobile games applications plus demand from education and healthcare.
READ MORE: Virtual Reality (VR) Market – Growth, Trends, COVID-19 Impact, and Forecasts (2021 – 2026) (Mordor Intelligence)
China dominates APAC region usage with wide adoptions in infrastructural and industrial sectors, per the report. The Chinese AR/VR market is estimated to rise with a 65% CAGR during the forecast period.
Personally, I would take this report with a big dose of salt. The press release is badly worded and doesn’t give one grounds for confidence in the veracity of its research. An example: “Over recent years, augmented reality and virtual reality have excitedly ascended in prominence. Increasing utilization of these capabilities in corporate communications and historic accomplishment of games would foster the AR/VR market.”
The report’s prediction is an outlier although it can’t be denied that demand for AR/VR is rising across the board.


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The article explains this difference very well:
- Amazon’s approach: sell now, profit later
- Apple: big profits from small devices
An interesting read – ReadWriteWeb우분투 16.04 이미지 다운로드 애프터이펙트 2018 다운로드 ssl 인증서 카카오스토리 멀티 다운로드
NBC Sports and Adobe Systems have teamed up to give fans two apps that stream the Olympics live on mobile devices, record footage for playback, and share the experience through social media 다운로드.
The apps — a live-streaming app for the more than 3,500 hours of content, and a companion app loaded with additional content launched today 다운로드. The apps are now available for the iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch via Apple’s App Store, and select Android handset and tablet devices within Google Play 에이핑크 노래 다운로드. (For Apple users, the apps seems a bit hard to find in iTunes. Get them here and here).
The NBC Olympics Live Extra app features the streaming of all 32 athletic competitions and the awarding of all 302 medals, while the NBC Olympics app provides content like interviews, news stories, highlight videos and live results, according to a joint press release from NBC and Adobe 버츄얼dj. (It may be confusing because the “Extra” app is actually the live streaming app, while the one with the extras is call the “NBC Olympics” app.)
Keep reading– c|net: NBC Olympics to stream games live on mobile devices
Netflix continued the roll-out of its Just for Kids UI to a number of connected devices this week.
Upon launch, the app prompts viewers to either access the regular Netflix experience or Just for Kids 위닝일레븐 다운로드. The kids section adds TV show characters as categories and allows children to find episodes of a show without relying on text. Check out a few snapshots of Just for Kids on the Boxee Box below 다운로드.
Kids content is undeniably one of Netflix’s key strengths, and the company has been adding numerous kids TV shows from PBS, Nickelodeon and others to its catalog 다운로드. In fact, Netflix has been so successful with the youngsters that some blame it for Nickelodeon’s recent double-digits ratings drop.


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New York real estate tycoon Harry Macklowe and his ex-wife, Linda, are selling off 65 pieces from their legendary art collection following their bitter divorce that the auction house Sotheby’s estimates could fetch over $600 million, which would make it the most expensive art collection ever sold.
Sotheby’s said Thursday morning that it will sell the Macklowe collection in two separate auctions in November and May.
Two of the jewels of the collection are “La Nez,” a grotesque hanging statue of a human-like figure with no limbs and a long, pointed nose by sculptor Alberto Giacometti, and Mark Rothko’s “No. 7,” from 1951, when the abstract artist perfected his signature square and rectangle paintings — a Sotheby’s representative said the two works could sell for up to $70 million combined.
Also up for grabs is one of Andy Warhol’s pop prints, “Nine Marilyns,” which features repeating images of actress Marilyn Monroe on a metallic background, estimated to sell for $60 million.
A rare sculpture by Pablo Picasso called “Figure (Projet pour un monument à Guillaume Apollinaire)” that the artist created as an homage to the death of his close friend Guillaume Apollinaire, a French poet, and kept in his personal collection until his death could fetch $20 million.
Cy Twombly’s “Untitled” painting from 2007, a monumental canvas with splatterings of red floral shapes, was inspired by Japanese poetry and could sell for another $60 million, the auction house said, adding it will likely appeal to Asia’s booming art market.
The initial 34-piece collection to hit the block will preview in Sotheby’s spaces, in New York, Taipei, Hong Kong, London, Los Angeles and Paris before returning to New York, where the sale will take place.
$665 million to $830 million. That’s how much the Macklowe art collection was worth before the couple’s divorce, according to a court estimate. The record for the most expensive art collection sold at auction belongs to that of late banker David Rockefeller, whose art hoard sold for $832 million after it was estimated to fetch only around $500 million.
Over 50 years, Linda and Harry Macklowe collected pieces by some of art’s most well-known and expensive contemporary and modern artists. The Macklowes divorced in 2016, and in 2018 a judge ordered that the two split their fortune. Macklowe is often reported to be a billionaire, but in 2019 Forbes estimated the couple had a net worth of between $900 million and $1.1 billion before the divorce. In 2018, a judge ordered that the couple split their fortune in half, leaving each with between $450 million and $550 million, Forbes estimated.


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Recently, news that domestic manufacturing factories are short of orders has flooded the screens of major platforms.
Some time ago, factories in Southeast Asia, which had been unable to recruit workers and were full of orders, began to run out of orders. Many factories have also implemented measures such as reducing overtime hours, taking holidays, and laying off employees.
India’s textile export orders drop 20%
According to foreign reports, affected by the global economic recession, the Indian textile industry has felt the cold wind. The impact of the recession on new orders received by Indian exporters is clear. Industry bodies and businessmen said export orders for clothing and home textiles from the United States and Europe fell by about 15%-20% as Western retail brands faced slow demand.
In Panipat, an important center for home textile production, there are signs that export orders have dropped by as much as 40%. It is reported that inflation and rising interest rates caused by the Russia-Ukraine war are the reasons for the economic recession and reduced export orders.
Industry sources said importers from Western countries have not only reduced orders for the next season but also delayed deliveries of previous orders. Last month, importers for several home textile exporters refused to accept deliveries. Buyers say retail sales in Western countries have slowed sharply due to high inflation. Warehouses are filled with unsold goods. Therefore, it is impossible for them to deliver immediately.
Exporters from Panipat, after attending a trade fair in Germany in June, said they had received 40% fewer export orders for home textiles than last year. Ramesh Verma, a Panipat exporter and member of the Handloom Export Promotion Council, said big companies and retail brands from the US and Europe purchased a large number of home textile products last year, but retail sales remained very weak. Therefore, they have to buy less, and exporters have fewer orders for the next season.
Not even in Vietnam?
No one is filling the orders at the beginning of the year, but there are no orders in the middle of the year, and the workers all take turns
At the same time, factories in Vietnam that were full of orders and were unable to recruit workers some time ago are also starting to run out of orders. Many factories have also implemented measures such as reducing overtime hours, taking holidays, and laying off employees.
On July 30, according to Vietnamese media vnexpress:
After six months of strong recovery in the first half of the year, many factories began to run out of orders in the second half of the year and had to shorten production times, stop recruitment, and reduce labor force. The second half of the year is also a difficult period for textile, footwear and clothing workers and companies to reduce orders. Some factories have had to arrange for workers to be furloughed on a rotating basis.
In the second quarter, the Russia-Ukraine war broke out, oil prices rose, and the epidemic… had an impact on people’s global consumption habits. The purchasing power of fashion apparel products has dropped sharply, and inventory cannot be sold. The brand does not sign new orders. Some factories are running out of orders, forcing them to recalculate appropriate labor plans, such as giving workers Saturdays off.
Mr Nguyen Huu Tuan, human resources director of Tanh Cong Textile – Investment – Trade Joint Stock Company located in Tan Binh Industrial Park (Tan Phu District), said the factory is still operating normally, but orders will be lost by September to October.
Mr. Duan, who has more than 30 years of experience in the textile industry, said that the second half of this year will be a good time to “purify” the industry. If financial companies are weak and have no orders, they will find it difficult to survive due to high costs, and they will have to reduce production or go bankrupt. There is a shortage of workers and unemployment is easily visible.
Mr. Tran Viet Anh, Vice Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City Business Association (HUBA), said that not only electronics, textiles, shoes and clothing, but also wood and steel production… are also facing many difficulties due to the purchasing power of key markets. Usually, starting in June, the sales season starts with Mid-Autumn Festival, the new school year, Christmas… But this year things are quite quiet.
“Many factories have a lot of inventory and have cut prices, but there are no buyers,” Mr. Viet Anh said, adding that difficulties from the pandemic, world wars, inflation… are slowly seeping in. Many businesses have had to rearrange production activities and reduce working hours. The means of production in some industries have begun to cool down, and many powerful financial institutions will buy reserves and wait for recovery. The market for this group looks warm, but no new jobs are being created.
According to the person in charge of HUBA, judging from the scale of production, many companies are still short of workers and have stopped hiring. Currently, the factory is mainly reducing overtime and giving annual leave. However, the next work will not be enough for a full week of 8 hours a day. At the same time, workers are eager to work, working overtime to pay for post-pandemic expenses, prices are rising, and children in the new school year…
Vietnam’s “Youth Daily” reported on July 28 that on July 27, Pham Chung Cheng, executive president of Vietnam Textile and Garment Group (Vinatex), said at the opening ceremony of the “2022 Textile and Garment Industry Industry-Equipment and Raw Materials International Exhibition” that due to some The Vietnamese textile and apparel industry will face many difficulties in the first few months before the end of the year due to the decline in international market demand caused by national inflation, political instability and other reasons. At the same time, in addition to the sharp drop in cotton prices, the prices of other raw and auxiliary materials in the clothing industry continue to rise due to transportation factors. Some distributors are building large backlogs of goods and are faced with both overstocking and declining sales. Manufacturers and colleagues��We must face the difficulty of rising raw material prices against the backdrop of declining purchasing power. Pham Xuan Hong, chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City Textile, Garment and Embroidery and Weaving Association, said that the textile and apparel industry is facing a downward trend due to tensions between Russia and Ukraine and rising inflation. Sales in the United States and Europe have been on a downward trend. Many customers have postponed orders and are likely to face many challenges.
European and American consumer demand slows down
Orders from various industries are booming
Risks of global recession rising
Narendra Goenka, chairman of the Indian Apparel Export Promotion Council, had earlier said that apparel export orders are expected to decrease by about 15% to 20%. Indeed, the current situation around the world remains uncertain. Foreign buyers are wary of placing new orders.
Exporters are currently placing orders for Christmas and next summer. A Tiruppur exporter said the impact of the economic downturn on export orders in the textile industry was clear. In western countries, due to inflation and unfavorable economic conditions, the average consumer does not have enough money to purchase textiles and other discretionary items.
It is reported that the global PMI has entered a downward cycle, and multiple forward-looking indicators in US economic data hint at recession; Europe is facing high inflation, with multiple indicators pointing downward, and expectations for a global economic recession are heating up. According to the 2022 Panoramic Outlook mid-year report “Inflation – Meeting the Challenge” recently released by UBS Asset Management, global growth panic will be the economic factor most likely to be priced by market participants in the second half of 2022.
Data show that the growth momentum of the global manufacturing industry dropped significantly in July compared with June. The global manufacturing PMI index in July was 51.1, a decrease of 1.1 percentage points from the previous month. The readings in most countries have been declining for many consecutive months, and the trend of regional differentiation is obvious, showing a situation of “weak in Europe and Latin America, divided in Asia, and strong in North America”.
Major U.S. retailers have warned that sales of clothing, electronic products, furniture and other goods are slowing down, but the Christmas supplies, gifts and daily food market is ushering in another wave of peak shipments!
Some time ago, truck drivers at U.S. ports went on strike. Containers shipped from Asia to the United States could not be transported from the port in time, and the goods were seriously piled up at the port. And as large retailers like Walmart and Target find themselves in an unprecedented inventory crisis, warehouse capacity across the U.S. remains tight and excess inventory continues to pile up.
However, some experts hope that the situation will improve in the coming months. Most foreign buyers have placed orders for the upcoming Christmas in December this year. If the global economic situation improves, export orders may increase.


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Facebook users would use Market Lodge to build an online store where they would recommend products from a catalogue to their friends. Then, bSocial will pay Facebook members a 10 per cent commission on all sales made on their recommendations.
That’s right: Those people you don’t remember from grade school who send messages asking to join your network aren’t just irritating losers anymore. They’re now salespeople. Which some might say is the same thing.


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Today I thought I would try something new. We are all looking for ways to save money and ways to create some extra cash. So why not start a post called Money Mondays I thought, and show ways we can find a little more cash for our piggy bank!
In looking for ideas I came across this article from MSN Money, ” Is there cash in your kids closet?” According to the article by Donna_Freedman, “A new study says the average family has $1,318 worth of saleable children’s gear and resale has never been easier. Some parents even turn a profit.” Here’s how
Until next time,
Enjoy your day, your family, and your home! ❤


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Sometimes it can feel like the world of social media marketing has grown stagnant, with Facebook holding the throne since 2008 and Twitter long dominating real-time discussion.
But as Adweek staff writer Garett Sloane reports in this week's issue, brands are still willing to experiment, and several are finding that smaller networks can often yield bigger rewards in terms of fan engagement. It's highly likely that the coming years will see dramatic shifts in what we think of as the pillars of social media.
So to kick off our new #AdweekChat events on Twitter, we'll be focusing this week's discussion on the often-subtle evolution of today's social networks. We'll be covering a lot of ground, from Facebook's ever-shifting organic reach to Tumblr's role as a melting pot for content, curation and conversation.
In addition, we'll have a great team of marketing experts on hand to talk about the practical reality of guiding major brands through the emerging and shifting social media landscape.
Already confirmed to join us for #AdweekChat will be:
How to take part in #AdweekChat:
2. Log in to Twitter around 2 p.m. Eastern (11 a.m. Pacific) tomorrow, which is Wednesday, July 30.
3. Watch for questions being posted by @Adweek, jump in with your own responses and engage with our experts. Just be sure to use the #AdweekChat hashtag in each post so that you'll be part of the conversation.
Can't make it to the chat? Don't worry, we'll have a transcript of the questions and some of our favorite responses on Adweek.com by Thursday morning. Hope you can make it!
Please note, this is different from the (always enjoyable) #awchat run on Tuesdays by the Advertising Week Social Club, part of the Advertising Week global event series that is unrelated to Adweek magazine.


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This is a firm stance and we fully support it. I think the president has conveyed that message on several occasions, but the bureaucracy below him is still slow to respond," a member of parliament applauds.
Sorghum is an important commodity that can be utilized as a replacement for wheat. For instance, the sorghum commodity can be processed into noodles for which wheat is still utilized in Indonesia, he explained.
President Joko Widodo in his speech said that since 2015 Indonesia has built many dams, rainwater reservoirs or reservoirs, and irrigation networks.
Bogor Agricultural University Offers Five Substitutes for Wheat in Noodles
TheIndonesia.id - Bogor Agricultural University (IPB), West Java, offers instant noodle producers to utilize researchers' innovations to use five high-yielding local food varieties, corn, canna, breadfruit, cassava, and sago, as a substitute for imported wheat. These innovations can solve the problem of dependency on imports.
"207 Million tons (wheat) are stuck in Ukraine and in Russia. This is a momentum for Indonesia to become more food-sovereign and not dependent on wheat and flour with this import substitution innovation," said IPB Chancellor Arief Satria to Antara in Bogor City, Sunday, August 14, 2022.
Satria said that currently, IPB has produced innovative noodle products from the five local staples that can be collaborated with quality instant noodle industry producers. With these various innovations, Satria believes, it is time for the government to provide a policy on the wheat imports ratio, substituting it with various local staples. So that we can achieve self-sufficiency such as rice.
"Well, I suggest to the government to implement a ratio policy. So every time it is imported, for example, 10 tons of wheat, the importer must buy several tons of local products. That's a ratio policy and it can be gradual," said the Chancellor.
The first stage, he said, still depends on local capacity. If the local capacity is 100 percent sufficient, starting with a "10 to 1-ton ratio", or in other words 10 tons of imported products and 1 ton of local products. Even if the local area has developed, it could be "10 to 5 tons" to "1 to 1 ton".
"If it's 1 to 1 (ratio), it's good. What does it mean? Local products will be absorbed. If local products will be absorbed, what does that mean? Villages grow. If villages grow, the economy grows," said Satria.
The Chancellor of IPB also stated that the threat of a food crisis that exists globally due to Russia's war with Ukraine could be a momentum to be more committed to food sovereignty and food self-sufficiency. "So we don't depend on the outside world anymore. We have a lot of lands, we have a lot of products, we have a lot of innovations to substitute that," he said.
Satrio also encouraged the government to have a supportive policy along with strong actions so that wheat substitution would be carried out immediately.
Director of Cereals at the Directorate General of Food Crops at the Ministry of Agriculture, M Ismail Wahab, on Saturday, August 13, said that to meet the domestic demand for wheat, which has risen in price due to the impact of the Russo-Ukrainian war, the government is considering several local food crops to substitute them, such as cassava, sago, and sorghum.
"I think sorghum has great potential to replace wheat," said Wahab.
Wahab emphasized that food technology assistance is needed to give sorghum the same ability as wheat, namely that it contains gluten or a substance that can expand when processed. In 2021 wheat imports will be recorded at 11.69 million tons.
The government targets to reduce imports of these commodities gradually, namely wheat imports to decrease by 5 percent this year, to decrease by 10 percent in 2023, until 2025, the wheat imports to decrease by 20 percent.


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In both legislative chambers, members’ ideology is a strong predictor of the number of people who follow them on Facebook.
Many experts say lack of trust won't hinder increased public reliance on the internet. Some expect trust to grow as tech and regulatory changes arise; others think it will worsen or maybe change entirely.
About one-in-four Americans who have been harassed online say an acquaintance was behind their most recent incident.
Although online harassment can take many forms, some minority groups in America more frequently encounter harassment that carries racial overtones.
Republicans and Democrats are about equally likely to have been harassed online because of their political views, but there are some notable differences in how members of each party view the issue of online harassment.
Among women who have experienced any form of online harassment, 35% say they found their most recent incident to be “extremely” or “very” upsetting.
Read a Q&A with Maeve Duggan, Pew Research Center research associate, on our survey examining online harassment in the United States.
Most Americans say that online harassment is a major problem, and many look to a host of institutions to curtail online abuse.
Quotes from Americans on their experiences with online harassment, from @pewresearch
Roughly four-in-ten Americans have personally experienced online harassment, and 62% consider it a major problem.


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‘Let China sleep, for when she awakes she will shake the world’, is attributed to Napolean Bonaparte. He was ahead of his time. But now the dragon is certainly stirring. The authority BRIC report (Brazil, Russia, India & China- the 4 leading countries in the world by 2050 A.D.) by Goldman Sachs has also forecasted that China will rank only after the USA as the world’s leading power by 2030. It is also the largest recipient of foreign direct investment as multinationals have moved operations to China to take advantage of its low labor costs two-thirds of all over half of all digital cameras and around 2/5ths of PCs.
China has witnessed probably the most dramatic burst of wealth creation:
More than 400 million people have been lifted out of severe poverty. Shanghai-the country’s industrial and financial capital-is perhaps the one of the most dynamic and cosmopolitan cities on earth. China’s demand for commodities has also rocketed, driving up the world prices.
The problem is that China, stranded midway between central planning and a market economy has yet to develop real capital markets to regulate credit. There is also an overheated property market given that there are hardly any instruments in the foreign exchange market to speculate.
China’s authoritarian communist government has achieved surging growth by relaxing state:
For purchasing power, China has grown to be 70% richer than India In 1990 China’s share of world exports was 1.9% and of imports 1.6%. By 2004 its share of exports had increased to 5.8% and of imports to 5.3%. India’s two way trades were only around $ 150 billion, less than 1% of the global total. China’s foreign exchange reserves are almost five times the size of India’s having increased by $ 207 billion in 2004 to reach $ 610 billion at the end of the year. The World Bank estimates that 35% of Indians live on less than $1 a day, compared with 17% of Chinese. Infant mortality is 65 per 1000 in India against 30 in China; life expectancy is 63 in India, 71 in China; and adult literacy is 57% against 91% in China.
India with its expert human capital has produced IT firms like Infosys, Wipro and TCS that are among the world’s best. There is no Chinese equivalent yet although it is now the world’s third-largest spender on research and development. Firing workers remain hard in India which deters firms from hiring them in the first place.
When China first started dumping goods on the Indian market, the volumes quickly fizzled out due to shoddy quality:
For both domestic and foreign investors, India’s poor infrastructure remains a huge barrier. But a fiscal deficit of about 10% of GDP for the past 7 years leaves little leeway to build for growth. In the case of China, the infrastructure was financed by bankrupt local governments who borrowed heavily from the banking system. Indian IT services and outsourcing requiring English speakers will retain their lead for a long time. But the industry as a whole will have to prepare for an invasion from the Chinese synthetics juggernaut where it is strong.
It is difficult to believe but true that Chinese exporters have engaged the services of some Kanjeevaram saree weavers from south India and plan to make inroads into our lucrative and traditional silk saree market! China pioneered the SEZ(Special Economic Zones) model to record spectacular growth in exports. These are specially delineated zones where world class broadband connectivity. Etc is provided so that any entrepreneur can set up shop and get into the business from day one.
Although India borrowed this model from China, very few SEZ have taken off as their establishment was plagued with land acquisition and delay in providing the requisite infrastructure to merit it being called a SEZ in the first place. When China first started dumping goods on the Indian market, volumes quickly fizzled out due to shoddy quality. But the Chinese learnt fast and, now they are quality conscious, too. For instance, Haier- the Chinese white (consumer) goods manufacturer now enjoys global brand equity due to high quality.
China’s average tariffs (custom duties) have fallen from 41% in 1992 to 6% after it acceded to the WTO in December 2001, giving it the lowest tariff protection of any developing country. India needs to take a leaf from China’s book and needs to reduce its custom duties further from the present peak level of 15% if it is benefiting fully from free trade.
China decided quite some time back to decrease the role of the state in running business enterprises. The continual shrinking of the state-owned sector in China is boosting productivity by ensuring better use of resources. This is especially true of the steel sector where inefficient state run mills are being sold off or being forced to compete with the private sector Here. Again, India needs to take note. Another impediment to rapid growth is India’s savings rate of 24%, only half China’s rate and too low to finance the required investment in industry and infrastructure.
The ascent of China in the economic sphere is now an accomplished fact. India needs to meet the competition fairly and squarely by concentrating on its areas of strengths to deliver world class products. Growth and the rise of the Chinese economy has been truly exceptional and most times provide sufficient glance to understand the newer concept of a world economy where even greatest and wisest amongst all economy instances learns and understands the process of accelerated growth mechanisms.
- Untold crisis story in China
- Cancun WTO Meet
- Lenovo Speakers! Get your jams on!
- A standby credit facility of $100million to help Maldives
- The World’s Most Networked Country is now Sweden
- ORIYA TO ENGLISH NAMES OF SEEDS
- KERALA, GOD`S OWN COUNTRY


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A pirated copy of 'Avengers: Endgame' was aired on Philippine cable TV
According to the Philippine News Agency, a cable company in the country aired Avengers: Endgame after it premiered on April 24th -- and, yes, it showed a bad pirated copy, because there was absolutely no way Marvel would've given it the right to show Endgame on TV that soon. Now, the provider has to deal with not only irate fans who were accidentally exposed to spoilers, but also with the lawsuit Teatro de Dapitan, a local movie house, plans to file.
'Sonic the Hedgehog' director: Changes are 'going to happen'
That the internet had an uneasy reaction to our first look at the upcoming Sonic the Hedgehog live-action movie isn't surprising, but the absolute horror induced by some elements of the furry hero's design has not gone unnoticed. Director Jeff Fowler tweeted: "The message is loud and clear... you aren't happy with the design & you want changes. It's going to happen." We'll see what Sega and Paramount can pull off before the movie is released -- and whether a goofy-looking lead is the movie's biggest problem.
Nintendo Labo VR review: Cute, cardboard and kinda boring
According to Kris Naudus, Nintendo's latest Labo accessory for the Switch "... offers decent VR with a lot of potential for growth thanks to updates to existing games like Super Mario Odyssey. If Nintendo continues to expand its Labo and virtual-reality ecosystems, the VR kit will be more than worth the price of entry."
How augmented reality put five Madonnas on stage at once
At Wednesday's Billboard Music Awards, Madonna performed her latest single, "Medellín". However, she (and her IRL dancers) weren't alone on the Las Vegas stage. Several virtual versions of the pop icon joined them: a secret agent, a musician, a cha-cha instructor and a bride. Augmented reality brought Madonna's personas to life with the help of volumetric capture -- essentially 3D video.
What to expect at Google I/O 2019
Google's I/O developer conference is right around the corner. While usually that means new software, features and web technology, Google confirmed during its latest financial-results call that it will make hardware announcements at I/O, breaking the device drought of the past few years. Aside from those regular leaks of cheaper Pixel 3 phones, let us guide you through what else you can expect.
Google's poetry algorithm automates teen angst
From today, you can use Google's AI to create a unique "poem portrait," an ethereal image of your self-portrait overlaid with an exclusive poem generated from a word of your choice (so basically a recreation of every image ever from DeviantArt circa 2002).
But wait, there's more...
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Angelika On October 1st 2012, San Francisco banned plastic bags at all store registers. Even before that, since 2007, there's been an ordinance in place to prohibit supermarkets and drug stores from bagging merchandise in plastic bags, only paper bags are permitted Rundbrief 04/2007). Now, the plastic ban has been expanded to all stores in San Francisco, and only bakeries and restaurants are exempt until 2013. What's more is that stores are required to charge 10c per provided paper bag. Customers who don't want to pay for bags need to bring their own, preferably reusable bags.
As you might know, this process has been well established in Germany since the 1970ies, when supermarkets started charging for plastic bags at the register. But over there, typically, only grocery stores charge the fee, while department stores still hand out bags at no cost. Unlike in San Francisco, plastic bags haven't vanished yet in Germany, so California is clearly ahead in this area. The 10 Cent fee in San Francisco was introduced in order to discourage customers from even getting paper bags at the register. And, I've got to say, this has indeed changed people's behavior since it was introduced, and many are bringing their own reusable fabric bags to the grocery store now.
You might want to inquire how this new system works with the grocery baggers, as you know, it's customary in the U.S. that there's extra employees at the register taking care of stuffing your items into bags. Simply place the reusable bag you brought onto the conveyor belt along with the merchanize and the cashier will hand it to the bagger who will then stuff it with your items. In the meantime, almost 50 cities in California followed suit with similar but less far reaching regulations. On the other hand, if we only leave city limits, and drive down to the suburbs of South San Francisco, they're still using plastic bags free of charge. Reason is that they're part of a different county, San Mateo, which apparently was left behind regarding going green.
As you might have expected, this didn't go over without legal battles. The "Save the Plastic Bag Coalition" tried to stop the plastic ban, but failed. They argued that paper bags aren't necessarily less harmful to the environment than plastic bags. And, curiously, that San Francisco is attracting a great number of tourists, who aren't exactly known to bring reusable bags along with them. The initiative argued that tourists will receive paper bags which then will end up in the trash when they leave. So let me reach out to all our beloved tourists: Please bring your reusable bags with you when you come visit San Francisco, or purchase a nice one here and take it home with you as a souvenir!


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Shares of Under Armour Inc. hit a new 52-week high on Thursday after the company delivered a strong fourth quarter and lifted its full-year forecast.
Net income for the quarter rose 28 percent to $64.2 million, or 59 cents a diluted share, from $50.1 million, or 47 cents, a year earlier. Analysts on average were expecting a profit of 53 cents a share.
The company also raised its revenue forecast for the full year to between $2.84 billion and $2.87 billion, from an earlier prediction of about $2.33 billion.
Citigroup analyst Kate McShane predicted the company’s strong momentum over the winter period will carry into spring, in part due to industry buzz about its new SpeedForm running shoe and continued apparel innovation with its ArmourVent mesh fabric.
John Zolidis, an analyst at The Buckingham Research Group, lauded the company for the better-than-expected results. “Our hats go off to Under Armour after an outstanding quarter,” he said, adding that the strong quarterly result should benefit other players in the athletic space, namely Dick’s Sporting Goods Inc. , Nike Inc., Foot Locker Inc. and Finish Line Inc.
Strong sales of Under Armour’s athletic apparel, footwear and accessories drove a 35 percent increase in revenue to $683 million in the fourth quarter, while sales for fiscal 2013 rose 27 percent to $2.33 billion from the same year-ago period.
Under Armour Chairman and CEO Kevin Plank said, “By any measure, 2013 was a banner year for the Under Armour brand. We surpassed $2 billion in net revenues for the year, which culminated with our 15th straight quarter of at least 20 percent total growth.” Plank noted that the company has continued to make investments in its women’s, footwear and international businesses to drive long-term growth.
Camilo Lyon, an analyst at Canaccord Genuity, attributed the strong result to the company’s robust sales, improved gross margin and lower tax rate in the fourth quarter. “Given the choppy retail environment, this is a particularly impressive earnings result that demonstrates the power and momentum the brand is enjoying now as all aspects of the company — apparel, footwear and accessories — are hitting on all cylinders.”
Fourth-quarter net footwear revenues increased 24 percent to $55 million, from $45 million a year earlier, led by gains in running.
Under Armour’s shares rose more than 22 percent to 104.76 at market close on Thursday.


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One hundred thousand South Koreans rioted (at least one was killed) and another 40,000 protesters held an all-night candlelight vigil because they don’t want to eat American beef. This from a country that eats dogs on a regular basis!
Before our first mad cow South Korea was our third leading export customer for beef. Then in 2003 they placed a ban on our beef because, in their words, “they didn’t want any crazy cows from the U.S.” Recently when their President announced that shipments of U.S. beef would resume his approval rating went from 50 percent to 19 percent! All because they are worried about our perceived sanitation shortcomings and mad cows. They are rioting in the streets about the safety of U.S. beef while at the same time health officials in South Korea are concerned with a rise in staph and salmonella infections that they have traced back to the dogs the South Koreans are eating. Still, the South Koreans seem to be more worried about mad cow than they are a mad Chow.
At the same time that Korean rioters were getting beat over the head, Evan Ramstad had an article in the Wall Street Journal about the Koreans preference for dog meat. (Before you get the idea that instead of beef we should start exporting our Great Danes, Chihuahuas and any of the four million dogs we euthanize every year, be advised that dog farmers in South Koreas are only getting 70 cents per pound.)
Although dog meat has officially been banned in Seoul since the 1988 Olympics (because they didn’t want the rest of the world to know about their hunger pangs for dogs) Ramstad says there are over 530 restaurants in Seoul alone that have dog meat on their menu. They have restaurants that sell nothing but dog in specialties like dog stomach, dog sour, head dog, crispy dog and feet dog. (Toenails, skin, pads and all!) The favorite dog dish is spicy dog meat stew that is supposed to bring you good luck. (Although it’s not that lucky for the dogs.) Currently the dog meat stew is selling for twice as much in South Korean restaurants than a similar stew made with beef. The South Koreans are rioting about our sanitation standards but there are no sanitation standards for the dogs because, technically, dogs are not livestock in South Korea.
There is even a doggie drink made by fermenting dog that has quite a quick to it. The dog’s reproductive organ is often added to provide an extra energy boost. Ramstad wrote that Doctors in South Korea often recommend dog meat to their patients and many Koreans believe that dog meat enhances ones sexual prowess. Just think men, you could throw away your Viagra and replace it with Cocker Spaniel!
When World Cup soccer came to South Korea in 2002 over 100 restaurants started a federation and launched an advertising campaign to sell dog to all the foreign visitors who came for the World Cup. It was like what our Beef Board would do in promoting beef. Can’t you just imagine? “Dog! It’s What’s for Dinner!” The brochures claimed that “dog meat gives you an energy boost without that filled-up feeling” and 350 different recipes for dog meat were featured. The rest of the world went to South Korea for the soccer, tasted dog and emitted one collective upchuck.
Personally, I’m having a hard time getting used to all this globalization where we are all supposed to sit down at the global dinner table like one big happy family. I mean, how do you plan a menu? The Hindus won’t eat beef because cows are sacred, Jews won’t eat smooth skinned fish or “The Other White Meat” and the Vietnamese won’t eat duck because ducks are stupid. (Who knew?) Besides dogs the South Koreans like to eat ornamental song birds and pig noses, most of the the world eats insects and a few eat horses. Instead of getting along, just like any family that gets together, I think the global family dinner would turn into one big food fight because as we are discovering in this age of globalization… one man’s pet is another man’s dinner.
Email Lee Pitts at email@example.com


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Research In Motion
is still growing, but the pace of that momentum is in question.
The Toronto-based BlackBerry maker will take the stage after the bell Thursday to report earnings for its May quarter, and Wall Street will be watching for insights into RIM's business outlook.
RIM's financial report comes as rivals like
released new phones to a touchscreen-fancying gadget crowd.
RIM has been on a tear with its push into the consumer market. But there will be a day, maybe soon, when sales of smartphones stop coming from easy dumbphone upgrades. Eventually RIM will have to slug it out with other smartphone makers.
With an eye on this battlefield, its notable that RIM was late with its
(formerly Niagara), which was expected to land at
The Tour is now expected to arrive a month late, a slight delay that could easily be ignored in a less competitive market. But this is the smartphone sector, which has no fewer than eight players, including
, all of which have new devices coming in the next few months.
So what do RIM and Verizon do in the face of the heated competition? What else: Cut prices.
Setting off a few alarms this week, RIM and Verizon have
planned to lower the price of the popular BlackBerry Curve to $50 from $120, and the Storm will sell for $150, down from $220. The move is expected to help boost RIM sales at Verizon as it makes way for new models.
The new BlackBerries, however, don't exactly break the mold. The Tour is basically for Verizon's version of the 3G Bold with an optical track sensor for scrolling and a full Qwerty keyboard, say analysts. And the new Aries is a Curve update that also includes an optical scroll sensor.
The new offerings may lack pizzazz, but bulls will argue that RIM doesn't need a whole lot of device sparkle to win new customers. Maybe price cuts are enough.
Analysts expect RIM to post adjusted earnings of 94 cents a share on $3.43 billion in sales, according to a Thomson Reuters tally. That profit number has crept up 11 cents in the past three months as RIM guided above consensus in April with a 89 cent price target for the May quarter.
And the so-called
is an even higher reach at 96 cents a share.
But price cuts might not help RIM's profit growth.


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DETROIT: Ford hopes its redesigned Fusion can help it catch the Camry.
The original has been a huge hit since entering the market in 2005 and it topped the Honda Accord and Hyundai Sonata last year with sales of 250,000. But the Fusion is still lagging Toyota's Camry, the best-seller among midsize sedans, which sold nearly 309,000.
Ford unveiled the new Fusion on Monday at the Detroit auto show. Gone is the shuttered grille, replaced by a more aggressive diamond-shaped one. The new version borrows the chiseled, aerodynamic look of Ford's other new cars, the Fiesta and Focus.
In the past, Ford would make different versions of a car for different regions of the world, spending millions more on development. But the 2013 Fusion will be sold globally, so Ford canvassed customers worldwide before choosing the final design. The company changed its original headlight, for example, after Chinese customers found it too sinister.
Here's more about the 2013 Fusion:
POWER: Ford will offer several types of Fusions, including a hybrid and plug-in hybrid. Ford expects the hybrid to get 47 miles per gallon (20 kilometers per liter) in city driving, while the Fusion Energi, a plug-in hybrid which runs for a longer time on the battery alone, should get the equivalent of more than 100 miles per gallon (42 kpl). A 1.6-liter, four-cylinder engine with Ford's EcoBoost system will get 37 mpg (15.5 kpl) on the highway, while a 2.0-liter EcoBoost will be offered in a performance version.
Ford's base engine, a 1.6-liter I-4, will be the first Ford with an automatic stop-start system that shuts off the power when the car stops and restarts it when the driver releases the brake pedal, reducing fuel consumption. It's expected to get slightly better fuel economy than the current Fusion, which gets 33 mpg on the highway.
EXTERIOR: Ford wants the car to have a premium feel, so it even took the extra - and more expensive - step of embedding the Ford badge in the hood instead of attaching it to the grille. Ford designer Chris Hamilton described the look of the current Fusion as "slightly cold." Of the new Fusion, he says, "we wanted that feeling of the surfaces being worked on by hand."
INTERIOR: The 2013 has more rear-leg room thanks to thinner seats up front. Ford says it has used better, softer materials. Among the options are Ford's Sync voice-controlled entertainment system and its My Ford Touch dashboard screen.
OPTIONS: Ford will be the only car in its class with a lane-keeping system, which uses cameras to monitor whether a driver is staying in his lane and alerts him if he swerves off course. It will also have a system that parallel parks the car automatically, a blind-spot warning system and a cross-traffic alert which monitors oncoming traffic when the car is backing out of a parking space.
PRICE: Not revealed. But Ford Americas President Mark Fields said Monday that it will have a base price close to the current Fusion, which starts at $20,200.
CHEERS: Analysts were wowed by the design at a preview last month. The Fusion is likely to follow the success of other recent Ford redesigns, including the hot-selling Ford Explorer SUV.
JEERS: There is some concern among analysts that Ford will price the Fusion too high, especially when buyers pile on the options. The new Ford Focus compact car has seen sluggish sales this year, in part because dealers were stocked with high-end versions that cost more than the Fusion.


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This morning, Starbucks announced that starting next Tuesday it will post the calorie content of all its coffee drinks and food items in all its company-owned stores in the U.S.
This is big news, and overdue. For many people who don't want to think about calories, or think they have a good idea of the calories in what they're eating, Starbucks is the first place they experience sticker shock -- the 460-calorie blueberry scone that's a quarter of the 2000 calories many women aim to eat every day, the seemingly healthful slice of banana-walnut bread that's 490 calories. But then you can look for and find lower-calorie items on the menu that's labeled (at Starbucks, for instance, bagels under 300 calories), and start to acquire a sense of the calorie count of what you're regularly ordering out and eating at home -- the real utility of calorie labeling.
The FDA was supposed to release national rules for the national labeling required of all restaurants with at least 20 locations -- one of the best, if least-noticed, parts of the Affordable Care Act. Years later, food-industry skirmishes and rumored cold feet by the White House Office of Management and Budget are still holding up those rules, as Marion Nestle recently documented. My home state of Massachusetts passed a statewide calorie-labeling law in 2009; it never got implemented, so restaurants would not need to retool menus once the ACA rules went into national effect. That's four years of lost opportunity to modify eating behavior. And even after the rules come out, which the FDA says now will be by the end of this year, there'll be at least another year to wait for them to be implemented.
In the meantime, initial studies of the effects of menu labeling on behavior and weight reduction produced mixed results, to the delight of the food industry. But, as I wrote here, there will always be plenty of people who decide they don't want the food police telling them what to do, they want to splurge, they'll order more calories for better bang for the buck. That's all fine.
The point of public health is not to dictate personal behavior, however many times the soda industry dresses Mayor Bloomberg as a nanny. The point is to make the default food environment more healthful, and mandatory calorie labeling has an important curbing effect on businesses that don't want to look like they're only offering high-calorie, unhealthy offerings. Starbucks itself made its own default milk choice 2 percent rather than whole, to get ahead of the sticker shock it knew would come once calorie labeling became the rule in New York City.
One of the less discouraging early studies on consumer behavior, conducted by Stanford researchers at Starbucks stores in New York City, which had calorie labeling, and Boston and Philadelphia, which didn't yet, showed that people did consciously order lower-calorie items after the information was in their faces every time they made a purchase. Starbucks didn't take the news as encouragement, though; when I wrote about that and other more-encouraging studies, a spokeswoman implied that the company would wait until national standards were in place before implementing labeling anyplace it didn't have to.
Starbucks isn't the first big player to claim good corporate citizenship by not waiting for the FDA. McDonalds itself announced last year that it would post counts on its menu boards. Panera and Au Bon Pain make calorie counts easy to find in all their stores.
But it's significant. Particularly for the baked-goods-obsessed, like me. Much more important (okay, as important), to my mind, is the fact that the sawdust-seeming baked goods at Starbucks -- even if in 2009 the company laudably eliminated artificial flavorings, ingredients, high-fructose corn syrup, and trans fats -- are about to improve. Radically.
Last year, Starbucks paid $100 million to buy La Boulange, one of my favorite bakeries, in San Francisco, with the idea of using its skill at scaling up production throughout the Bay Area to produce similar-quality baked goods on a comparatively massive scale. I got to document and taste the Starbucks future when writing a long recent piece on the rollout, which has already begun in hundreds of California stores and will reach thousands of stores by the end of this year. Most of the the new La Boulange baked goods, each and every one of which will be served warm, are vastly better than what Starbucks sells now--and many of them are lower-calorie, too. I suspect that's part of what's behind this morning's Starbucks announcement.
Even better, for the people who value national health over quality baked goods, is that the news on menu labeling has recently gotten better than it ever has been -- as many observers predicted would be the case as the data started coming in from longer-term studies than the initial ones that delighted nay-sayers. A just-published large-scale Robert Wood Johnson Foundation review of four years of calorie labeling and the studies done to date shows widespread consumer support for national calorie labeling. Though results on behavior and weight are still mixed, the report finds encouraging changes in certain populations, such as women and people who are overweight; a reduction in the almost universal underestimation of calorie content in fast-food items; possible reduction of overall daily calories people consume once they are exposed to menu labeling in even one restaurant; and -- perhaps most encouragingly for the industry that fought and now mostly supports calorie labeling -- no reductions in revenue from voluntary labeling.
Even the National Restaurant Association, its president, Dawn Sweeney, said last week in response to a question at a Share Our Strength conference on reducing hunger and teaching people to cook, is eager for the FDA to release its standards -- standards it initially opposed, vehemently. There are battles still to be fought: so far movie theaters, grocery stores that sell prepared foods, and bars have wriggled out of labeling requirements.
But everyone's getting impatient. Canny chains are turning the delay to their public-relations advantage. Today's announcement by Starbucks is one more message to the FDA: implement national calorie labeling already.


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In a ground-breaking multinational study, researchers from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), in collaboration with the University of Vienna (Austria), have found that a higher consumption of ultra-processed foods is associated with an increased risk of cancer and cardiometabolic multimorbidity. The study was published in The Lancet Regional Health – Europe.
The study is based on data from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) and involves 266 666 men and women from seven European countries, where the consumption of ultra-processed foods is currently estimated at more than half of a person’s daily food intake. The researchers discovered that increased consumption of ultra-processed foods is linked to an elevated risk of multimorbidity involving cancer and cardiometabolic diseases.
Associations were specifically noted with animal-based products and artificially sweetened beverages (e.g. soft drinks). Ultra-processed foods are convenient (durable, ready to eat) industrially manufactured foods with added ingredients or additives (e.g. modified starch, hydrogenated oils) that are typically not available for food preparation at home or at artisanal restaurants or companies. Examples are soft drinks, sweet or savoury packaged snacks, processed meat, pre-prepared frozen or shelf-stable dishes, and sweetened breakfast cereals.
Multimorbidity is a growing health problem not only in Europe but in many world regions, including low- and middle-income countries. The findings of this study can inform preventive strategies for reducing the risk of multimorbidity from cancer and cardiometabolic diseases through dietary recommendations, health policies, and other interventions.
Cordova R, Viallon V, Fontvieille E, Peruchet-Noray L, Jansana A, Wagner K-H, et al.
Consumption of ultra-processed foods and risk of multimorbidity of cancer and cardiometabolic diseases: a multinational cohort study
Lancet Reg Health Eur, Published online 13 November 2023;
The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), the cancer agency of the World Health Org...
The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) today launched Volume 19: Oral Cancer Prev...
Volume 19: Oral Cancer Prevention of the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) Handb...


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FTSE 100 rises again as retail stocks push market higher
London's premier index touched a 14-month high and closed up for the seventh straight session as rising retail stocks pushed the market higher.
The FTSE 100 Index briefly hit 6931.04, before paring back gains to rise 1.31 to 6916.02 points.
Marks & Spencer and Tesco were in the ascendency, lifting 13p to 354.5p and 3.9p to 160.5p respectively, while budget airline easyJet topped the biggest risers, up nearly 4% or 42p to 1101p.
However, blue-chip mining stocks endured a torrid time on the top flight after a gloomy economic update from China sparked fears that the demand for commodities will slow down.
Antofagasta was the biggest faller, dropping 3% or 18p to 514p, while Anglo American slumped by 28p to 856.9p, as Chinese growth in retail sales, factory output and investment all decelerated from June levels.
Across Europe, the Cac 40 in France was flat and Germany's Dax edged down 0.27% after German gross domestic product (GDP) slowed to a 0.4% rise in the second quarter, compared with the three months before.
European markets were also weighed down by lacklustre retail figures from the United States, which were unchanged in July compared with the month before.
The stuttering growth in US retail sales cast fresh doubt over whether the US Federal Reserve will hike interest rates next month.
On the currency markets, the pound was 0.2% down against the dollar at 1.293 US dollars, despite the US retail figures announcement weighing on the greenback.
Sterling was also 0.5% lower against the euro at 1.157 euros, although the UK currency showed little reaction to an update on the UK construction sector, which fell back into recession for the first time in four years.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said construction output dropped 0.7% in the second quarter, following a 0.3% fall in the first quarter, meaning the industry recorded two consecutive quarters of negative growth for the first time since 2012.
It added that construction output dropped by a lower-than-expected 0.9% in June, compared with a 2.1% fall in May, with economists expecting a 1% decline.
In UK stocks, shares in Frankie & Benny's owner Restaurant Group lifted more than 10% after it ousted its chief executive and replaced him with the former boss of Paddy Power.
Shares were up 40.9p to 417.7p, with the FTSE 250 company revealing that Danny Breithaupt will step down with immediate effect, with former bookie boss Andy McCue taking the top job.
Mr Breithaupt had led the food firm, which also operates Chiquito and Garfunkel's, for 15 years. But in April the Restaurant Group was forced to issue its latest profit warning.
Chairman Debbie Hewitt said Mr McCue's "extensive strategic background, coupled with a strong commercial flair, proven hands-on operational expertise and digital credentials, will bring considerable strength and new skills".
The biggest risers on the FTSE 100 Index were easyJet up 42p to 1101p, Marks and Spencer up 13p to 354.5p, Paddy Power Betfair up 265p to 9580p, Whitbread up 110p to 4060p.
The biggest fallers were Antofagasta down 18p to 514p, Rio Tinto down 80p to 2409p, Anglo American down 28p to 856.9p, Glencore down 3.9p to 196.2p.


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From one fan event to another, Disney confirmed at Destination D23 this past weekend that next year’s D23 Expo is rejiggering its format and going with a new name that’s just D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event.
Disney promises the D23: The ULtimate Disney Fan Experience will take the best of the former D23 Expo and merge it with new events at multiple locations in and around the Anaheim. From Disneyland to the Honda Center and even a D23 Day at Angel Stadium, there’s a lot in the works.
For now, details are mostly light but we know that the trademark exhibits, panels, shows, and shopping will still be taking place Anaheim Convention Center.
The new name seems to come from a place of “going with the flow” since the broader public never really caught on to calling D23 Expo by its proper name, often calling it just “D23.” Unfortunately, the name change now creates a bit of confusion for fans who know the entity of “D23” as the actual Disney fan club, independent of the D23 Expo. Hopefully Disney can continue to work out the kinks and messaging on naming conventions between now and next August!
D23 Fan Event Highlights
- Sunday, August 4: D23 Day at Angel Stadium, where D23 fans are invited to attend the Los Angeles Angels vs. New York Mets game
- Thursday, August 8: D23 kickoff celebration at Disneyland Resort
- Friday, August 9 – Sunday, August 11: Shopping, exhibits, panels, and presentations will take place at the Anaheim Convention Center during the day, with the fun extending into the evening at the Honda Center, the bigger home to marquee shows
D23 Fan Event Tickets
- Tickets for D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event will go on sale in Spring 2024.
- Ticketing options to be announced soon including how to access to the Anaheim Convention Center and the Honda Center.
- Admission for D23 Day at Angel Stadium and the D23 kickoff celebration at Disneyland Resort will be available as separate ticketed events.
See it for Yourself
D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event takes place in Anaheim from August 9 – 11, 2023.
Additional details for D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event will be announced in early 2024.


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Artificial Intelligence: Intel’s Venture Capital Arm invests $132 million in AI Start-ups
The money was invested across 11 start-ups in AI, automation, and chip design.
Intel Capital is the venture capital arm of Intel Corporation (NASDAQ: INTC). It frequently invests in start-ups to grow technology that it can use while competing with other companies in the fields of chip manufacturing, AI hardware, and software. The company revealed new investments in 11 AI start-ups aggregating $132 million. (SearchEnterpriseAI)
On track for a generous target in 2020
The 11 start-ups that received Intel’s funding are
- Anodot – it uses machine learning to perform business monitoring
- Astera Labs – fabless semiconductor company
- Axonne – ethernet connectivity for automobiles
- Hypersonix – autonomous analytics platform for the retail, restaurants, hospitality and e-commerce industries
- KFBIO – smart pathological systems with additional capabilities and connectivity
- Lilt – AI-powered language translation software and services
- MemVerge – very large-sized pools of memory and data services
- ProPlus Electronics* – electronic design automation
- Retrace – machine learning applied to real-time digital data
- Spectrum Materials* – material and gas provider for semiconductor fabricators
- Xsight Labs. – chipset designs
The company will target investment of between $300 million and $500 million in 2020 start-ups specializing in AI, particularly intelligent edge devices and network transformation.
*[According to Reuters, these are Chinese start-ups in the semiconductor sector. These companies compete in fields typically dominated by American companies, and it appears that Intel funded them despite ongoing tensions between the US and China regarding chip manufacturing.]
In 2019, Intel’s venture arm invested $466 million in 36 new investments and 35 follow-on investments.
Since its inception in 1991, the cumulative amount it has invested is $12.9 billion in 1,582 companies.
Intel’s investment logic, and why it makes sense for the startups
The company’s investment in these disruptive technology start-ups built synergistic advantages with its own business of selling hardware for AI applications.
“For some of these startups that could lead to being acquired by Intel in the future, but either way, Intel investing in an AI startup is a huge endorsement of the startup itself, so it’s not an investor that anyone would want to turn away,” says Alan Pelz-Sharpe, founder of market advisory and research firm Deep Analysis.
“Intel Capital identifies and invests in disruptive startups that are working to improve the way we work and live,” said Wendell Brooks, Intel senior vice president and president of Intel Capital in a statement. “Each of our recent investments is pushing the boundaries in areas such as AI, data analytics, autonomous systems, and semiconductor innovation.”
Image credit: Flickr
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Introducing Rita Smith’s “Uber Files.” It is gratifying, if undoubtedly frustrating, to read the “Uber Files” recently released by the International Consortium of Independent Journalists. The frustrating part is that all of the information regarding Uber’s unethical behavior (“We’re fucking illegal!” one of the leaked messages admits) has been known but ignored by politicians and law enforcement for years. The gratifying part is that at least part of the world is catching up to what the Taxi industy saws clearly almost a decade ago: if government chooses to gleefully destroy the business model into which you’ve invested a lifetime in good faith, they can and they will. Investors be warned; immigrants be warned.
The column below ran in Taxi News in November, 2017.
Taxi drivers are owed giant apologies by so many groups, it’s hard to keep track any more.
I have read so many ridiculous, misguided, inaccurate and plain pathetic media articles about Uber in the past 4 years, I am at risk of becoming inured to the lunacy. I’ve lobbied politicians and pleaded with cops. I’ve debated family members and friends. I’ve pestered media members until they ran away from me.
Their minds are impenetrable; people want so desperately to believe you can get something for nothing, you can’t overcome their magical thinking.
We should never give up thinking skeptically, though, and challenging the lunacy; because what happened to taxi drivers could happen to anyone in any industry. The corruption and massive breach of business and political ethics that have infected the vehicle for hire industry can – and will – affect EVERY industry in future. Uber’s business model and philosophy is a cancer that must be removed from commerce.
Cabbies, unfortunately, have been the canaries in the coal mine. I’m so sorry.
First, on behalf of women, I apologize to taxi drivers.
It appears that Uber’s terrible, horrible, very bad year was triggered by a blog post published in February by Susan Fowler, a female engineer at Uber. Her treatment was so egregious that her recounting of it set in motion a chain of events that forced CEO Travis Kalanick to resign.
What, you may ask, could possibly have happened to motivate Uber to send Arianna Huffington off on a fact-finding mission and hire former US Attorney General Eric Holder to investigate its toxic culture?
Well, this woman’s boss sent her an online message saying he would like to sleep with her. Instead of replying “Fuck you,” or even just “No,” or perhaps taking documentary evidence in the form of a printed chat message to a lawyer, she went to Human Resources, which did not help her. She was sad. She did not quit, though.
The next event, in a display of sexual discrimination so breathtakingly cruel I cry just thinking about it, Uber bought leather jackets for a team of male engineers, but they did not buy any for the women.
I contrast these dire circumstances with those of cab drivers whose stories I have heard over the past four years: one driver I met had his own apartment in spring of 2014. By summer, he was sleeping on a friend’s couch. By fall, he was homeless.
I wish the legal, licensed taxi drivers who’ve had their lives decimated by Uber got even the tiniest percentage of the media attention female engineers get when propositioned or deprived of leather jackets – but nobody cares. Not even Susan Fowler, who is clearly completely comfortable with the thought of wrecking the lives of thousands of law-abiding cab drivers and their families, but doesn’t have the guts to say “no” to a lecherous boss. I am sorry for the pain she was content to cause taxi drivers, and I am sorry we are even the same sex.
Second, cab drivers are owed an apology by technology writers at every outlet that covers Uber.
These writers are supposed to be smart and prescient and have their finger on the pulse of all the trends which are going to affect us in the years ahead. In fact, they are so out of touch with business reality that they shouldn’t even be allowed to predict whether VHS VCRs will overtake Betamax, or whether online music shopping might be more popular than vinyl records.
Here’s a quote from a ReCode article on self-driving cars written by Johana Bhuiyan:
“Uber’s future depends greatly on solving self-driving. It’s what will keep the ride-hail company relevant as more automakers produce their own autonomous vehicles. But taking drivers out of the equation would also increase the company’s profits: Self-driving cars give Uber 100 percent of the fare, the company would no longer have to subsidize driver pay and the cars can run nearly 24 hours a day.”
Let’s just skip over the fact that Uber has NEVER turned a profit, and is on track to lose more than $3 billion in 2017.
Uber doesn’t own, or maintain, or insure, ANY cars.
The cars are owned by the drivers, who absorb every dollar of the cost of maintaining them no matter how much or how little revenue they generate.
Imagine what Uber’s bottom line would look like if, in addition to buying leather jackets for female engineers, they also had to purchase, insure and maintain their own cars. And then pay drivers. Uber’s business model is based upon persuading car owners to share their cars with Uber, while those drivers assume 100% of the risk of the business. While this appears to be far too futuristic a concept for a tech writer to grasp, P.T. Barnum was able to sum it up succinctly over 100 years ago: “There’s a sucker born every minute.”
Third, the mainstream media.
There aren’t enough column inches in Taxi News for me to recount the ways in which the mainstream media missed the boat on Uber.
I’ll just focus my comment on one recurring inaccuracy which is repeated in almost every article I read about Uber around the globe (England, Australia, Canada, the US, India and various Asian and African nations): how fairly or unfairly Uber “pays” its drivers.
“Uber doesn’t pay drivers!” I groan every time. “Drivers pay Uber! The driver does all the work, invests all the time, pays all the vehicle maintenance, and gives Uber 25 per cent of the money he earns. Without drivers, Uber has nothing. The drivers are Uber’s only source of revenue. Uber doesn’t pay drivers; drivers pay Uber!”
If they don’t understand that, they don’t understand anything about Uber. Why would we trust anything else they report? I am sorry we can no longer trust the mainstream media on much of anything.
Where to start? The betrayal of the taxi industry by politicians around the globe has been complete, quick and starkly hypocritical.
From John Tory in Toronto to David Cameron in England to Daniel Andrews in Australia, politicians who are either air-headed or corrupt just rolled over backward for Uber, re-writing or eliminating safety standards that have been decades and millions of dollars in the making and shredding the social contract with drivers that supported consumer protection.
Nobody puts it better than Hamilton taxi driver and writer Hans Wienhold:
“All of the most expensive elements of a secure taxi industry were never about safety at all. Now we see clearly that none of these things ever had anything to do with safety: they were just power grabs and cash grabs. No one will ever buy the politicians’ BS again.”
People like cheap, there’s no arguing that.
When Uber first arrived, there was much ado about cartoon cars on cell phone screens and free ice cream and free puppy cuddles and hot women drivers.
Really, though, what it all comes down to is that Uber is cheaper than taxis, and people like cheap.
For the first two years after Uber arrived we read lots of stories about free water and candies in the car and happy grandmothers driving for extra cash.
When the first stories of sexual assault started showing up, a little dark cloud appeared on the horizon.
When an uninsured Uber driver killed a 6 year old girl in San Francisco, concerns were raised.
When London, England announced they were averaging almost one sexual assault per week and Londoners began referring to Uber as “rape roulette,” things began looking serious.
And then, when a woman in Texas was made a paraplegic in an accident in an uninsured Uber, people sat up and took notice.
Back in the day, when I was reading dozens of articles per day about Uber around the globe as part of my job, I felt some sympathy for these people.
Now, I confess, sympathy has evaporated. Now, when I come across complaints about Uber in my Twitter feed (“My Uber driver refused my service dog! My Uber driver left me at roadside! My Uber driver showed up at my apartment and told me he has feelings for me!”) I tend to reply sarcastically, “But you saved some money, so it’s all good, right?”
I particularly love the fact that there is a campaign underway by some women right now to get security cameras in Uber vehicles….now, consumers want to combine “cheap” with “safe.” They want it all; but as Austin Powers would say, “Some things just aren’t in the cards, baby.”
So on behalf of women, tech writers, media members and politicians, I apologize to all honest, law-abiding taxi drivers. You deserved better from everyone, and we let you down.
I’m so sorry.


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On Saturday, March 8th, Ford is celebrating the invaluable influence that women have had over the past 50 years in the creation, development, and production of the Ford Mustang as part of International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month. Ford is showcasing the responsibilities and accomplishments of several important women that worked on the all-new 2015 Ford Mustang. Read more on the roles of these ladies here, and see their ideas in action in the short video below!
Women have long been a a vital catalyst in the growth and transformation of this American muscle car. For instance, did you know that the first Mustang sold was bought by a woman in Chicago (2 days before they even went on sale!) Women continue to hold key positions at Ford Motor Co. with a variety of responsibilities, including engineering, customer drive experience, and vehicle aesthetics oversight.
Join Planet Ford and Ford Motor Company as we celebrate the valuable contributions that women have had in one of the most famous muscle cars in American history. Browse our inventory of Mustangs and more of your favorite Fords at www.planetford59.com!


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In the years to come Samsung Electronics presents the long awaited, bold or foldable smartphone model. The new device was introduced on Wednesday at the company's annual San Francisco programmer's conference. Reuters news
At the same time, Samsung introduced the company's new interface named One UI. The new user interface will be useful for using smartphones in one hand. The company will have the plan on the first dependent smartphone. Until then, no neuron was observed on any Samsung phone screen. However, Samsung has come out with three new nail demonstrations from this conference.
The new Samsung smartphone found was part of the California Developer Conference. Samsung is working with Google to create this smartphone.
Samsung did not reveal any details about the features of the folding smartphone. The company said the foldable smartphone would look like a book while it wraps. The device will use the Infinity Flex Display. The device will be 7 inches inches when the crease is open. The screen resolution of the device will be 1536-2152 pixels. But in the aspect, the customer can see a 4.7-inch screen out. This analysis will amount to 1960-840 pixels.
Samsung has created a new material for use on this screen because it can not fold the glass. The company said that this new powerful material like glass is also used in a new grandson.


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Impossible Foods, which makes the popular patty, raised $300 million in its latest round of funding, taking its total money raised to a staggering $750 million.
The recent round also featured cash injections from plant-based or omnivorous stars including Jay-Z, Serena Williams, Bill Gates, and Katy Perry, as well as institutional investors like Google Ventures and Horizons Ventures.
Impossible Foods’ rival Beyond Foods recently launched on the New York Nasdaq, with share prices skyrocketing – but the Impossible says it is in no rush to follow just yet.
“We believe in self-reliance. Being ready to go public is a priority for the company because we need to be operating at the highest level of rigor,” Chief Financial Officer David Lee told Reuters.
“But we are not in a rush, nor are we announcing an IPO filing. I think their (Beyond Meat) IPO indicates that retail investors along with retail consumers are ready for something better than the meat they’ve been eating for decades.”
The Impossible Burger has made headlines in recent times thanks to fast-food giant Burger King using the patty in a vegetarian version of its famous Whopper sandwich (if the mayo is removed, the sandwich is plant-based).
The Impossible Whopper was launched in a limited number of outlets around St Louis on April 1. Since then, according to BK bosses, the burger has exceeded expectations, and will start rolling out across the States.
Impossible Foods controversy
While many in the food industry are encouraged by the Impossible Whopper’s success, it’s important to note that many vegans – and Impossible Foods itself consider the patty to be plant-based rather than vegan.
This is because in 2017, it was revealed that a key ingredient – soy leghemoglobin aka ‘heme’ – from the brand’s flagship item the Impossible Burger was fed to rats in order to test its safety. In excess of 180 rats were killed as a result of the testing.
CEO Pat Brown reacted to the controversy, publishing a statement titled The Agonizing Dilemma of Animal Testing. Brown, who has been vegan for more than 16 years, said the core of his company’s mission is to ‘eliminate exploitation of animals in the food system’, as well as reduce the impact of animal agriculture on the environment.
“Among the thousands of animal species surveyed every decade by the World Wildlife Fund, the total number of living individual wild animals today is less than half what it was 40 years ago,” he added.”This wildlife loss is overwhelmingly due to the exploitation of animals for food, including hunting, fishing and especially the replacement of wildlife habitat by animal farming.”


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TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (AP) -- Great Dane Trailers says it will lay off 108 workers at its Terre Haute plant on Friday due to the credit crunch.
In a letter to the Indiana Department of Workforce Development, the company blamed the economic downturn and the inability of many smaller customers to obtain financing to buy the company's trailers.
Department of Workforce Development spokesman Gary Abell says this is the first notice they have recieved of layoffs in the state directly related to the credit crunch.
Great Dane calls the layoffs temporary, but says it's uncertain when the workers might be called back.
About 175 workers will remain at the plant, which produces large trailers for the trucking industry.


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Toronto’s Wattpad, the world’s largest community of readers and writers, announced today that they have raised $46 million in Series C funding led by OMERS Ventures with participation from August Capital, Raine Ventures, and Northleaf Venture Catalyst Fund.
All of Wattpad’s existing investors also participated in the round, including: Union Square Ventures, Khosla Ventures, Jerry Yang/AME Cloud Ventures, Golden Venture Partners, and Boris Wertz of Version One Ventures.
Wattpad is the first social platform to create direct connections between readers and writers on a massive scale. With Wattpad, readers around the world can access millions of free stories from any mobile device or computer, as well as interact with writers. More than 25 million people spend upward of six billion minutes a month on Wattpad.
While the majority of users reside in the US, UK, and Canada, international growth is strong. Wattpad is already the number one app in the Philippines and 10 percent of overall traffic comes from Spanish-speaking countries.
Wattpad will use the latest funding to expand its Toronto team and it is actively recruiting on the Techvibes Job Board (pictured is CEO Allen Lau at Tech Fest Toronto). Wattpad is also in the process of moving to a new downtown office space at the end this month to accommodate its rapid growth. Series C funds will also be used to support product development and community growth.
“We’ve grown 200% since this time last year and tens of thousands of people join the Wattpad community each day,” said Allen Lau, Wattpad CEO and co-founder. “We’re on-track to become one of the most successful consumer Internet companies in the world.”
“People’s access to books and opportunities to tell the stories that matter to them varies greatly around the world. Wattpad is changing that by giving anyone an opportunity to read and write from the devices they own,” added Jim Orlando, Managing Director at OMERS Ventures.