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Posts Tagged ‘Hero’
Upcoming mobile exercise games hope to make workouts more social; company is currently accepting interest from game developers wishing to develop for the new platform.
RedOctane founders Kai and Charles Huang–best known for the Guitar Hero series–have announced plans to create new types of fitness games for mobile devices, with a focus on increasing social play.
The new company, Blue Goji, aims to overhaul current cardio workouts by directly linking physical exertion and gameplay. While few specific details were made in the announcement, the company has said that it intends to track activity to help monitor personal fitness goals, as well as turn exercise into a more social experience.
“Our goal is to help people lead healthier and more active lives by providing anyone across all fitness levels with a fun way to work out, one that is accessible and compelling to use,“ Kai Huang said in a statement. “With Blue Goji, we“re developing a platform to support a variety of entertainment content that enables people to immerse themselves in their workout routines for a more enjoyable and social experience.“
The games will target mobile and tablet devices, with plans to interface directly with exercise equipment, including treadmills, stationary bicycles, and elliptical machines. The company is currently accepting applications from software developers who are interested in working on the platform.
Source says Activision killed development of guitar-focused game in 2011 after rocky production cycle, overreaching ambitions.
A new Guitar Hero game was in development at Activision subsidiary Vicarious Visions until early 2011, when the publisher killed the project mid-development, a source has told Kotaku. The game was going to be different than 2010′s most recent entry Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock, in that it was planned as a return-to-roots guitar-focused game. No compatibility for drums, bass, microphones, or any other peripherals was planned. It was all about the guitar.
The plastic guitar for Guitar Hero 7, or whatever it was to be called, was going to have the classic Guitar Hero buttons on the neck (as well as a new button) and six actual strings where the strum bar was in past games.
Prototypes of the guitar were made, the source said, but they did not meet performance expectations and proved too expensive to produce.
“The strings were unresponsive and loose, and the guitars cost a fortune to make,” the source said. “No one could figure out a way to make it so your average Joe could buy one.”
The source said development on the project began well, with an early demo for the game proving to be ambitious and compelling. Every time music changed in a significant way in a song, the venue’s aesthetics would change, too. This was one of the core ideas for the new game. However, the project went south quickly when real development actually began, the source said.
Vicarious Visions elected to build Guitar Hero 7 from the ground up, deciding to forgo the series’ familiar art style and characters for an entirely new approach. Additionally, the studio’s “big ambitions” across the board proved too far-reaching to follow through on. What’s more, the soundtrack was not up to snuff.
“When the songs started coming in, a great sense of dread came about everyone with an active brain,” the source said. “The game had all of the worst hits from the 1990′s. They realized that, with our lack of budget and time, they couldn’t get quality music so they bought bargain basement music like ‘Closing time’ and ‘Sex and Candy.’ There were some songs in there that had been used at least three times in the Guitar Hero franchises before.”
Guitar Hero 7 saw its last days when Activision Publishing CEO Eric Hirshberg visited the studio. He saw the progress that had been made and after he returned from his trip, development was halted and members of the development team were let go.
The most recent entry in the Guitar Hero series was 2010′s Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Wii game Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock. Activision officially put the franchise in hiatus in 2011, making clear that Guitar Hero was not dead, but rather taking time to reinvent itself before returning.
Storm-related power outages at Activision’s New York-based data centers impacting online play for all Guitar Hero games, numerous Call of Duty titles.
Hurricane Sandy ripped through the northeast United States this week, laying waste to Atlantic City’s famed boardwalk, toppling a New York City construction crane, and knocking out power for millions.
The storm is also impacting online functionality for all Guitar Hero games and several Call of Duty titles, Activision has revealed.
Activision community manager Dan Amrich explained through the One of Swords blog recently that players may experience connectivity issues with the following games until power is stabilized at Activision’s New York-based data centers:
–Call of Duty: World at War (all platforms)
–Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (PlayStation 3)
–Call of Duty: Black Ops (PlayStation 3, PC, Wii)
–Guitar Hero (all titles and platforms)
According to Amrich, Activision is working to restore complete functionality “as soon as possible,” though no specific timeframe was provided. An update to the Activision support website does not offer much more, stating only that the hurricane has impacted multiplayer gaming.
“Due to the hurricane that affected the East Coast of the United States, multiplayer gaming with some of our online title is experiencing connectivity issues,” the statement reads. “We appreciate your patience.”
Guns N’ Roses frontman claims Activision offered him a dedicated game featuring music from 2008 Chinese Democracy album to resolve Guitar Hero III issues.
Axl Rose’s 2010 million lawsuit against Activision concerning rights issues stemming from 2007′s Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock has taken a new twist. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the reason Rose waited until 2010 to sue Activision over Guitar Hero III was because the publisher promised him a dedicated game as a means to settle and resolve the issues he had.
Rose claims Activision made this offer–as well as “other proposals” he says were worth “millions of dollars”–between December 2007 and November 2010. The project was to feature songs from Guns N’ Roses’ long-in-the-making Chinese Democracy album, which was released in 2008 to very mixed reviews.
The news came during proceedings in a Los Angeles courtroom on Tuesday as part of Rose’s ongoing suit against the publisher. A judge tossed out Rose’s fraud claim, but will allow his breach-of-contract claim to see trial. A trial is scheduled to begin on February 1, 2013.
Rose sued Activision in 2010 for its use of the virtual likeness of Saul Hudson (better known as the top-hat-donning axe legend Slash) in Guitar Hero III. Rose further alleges that Activision convinced him to lend “Welcome to the Jungle” to Guitar Hero III on the grounds that the game would not feature Slash’s likeness or the guitarist’s follow-up group, Velvet Revolver.
Slash was featured heavily in Guitar Hero III. He graced the game’s cover and was a playable character in the game. Further, songs from Velvet Revolver (“She Builds Quick Machines,” “Slither,” and “Messages”) were made available to gamers as downloadable content following the game’s release.
Activision is also currently facing a suit from the Gwen Stefani-fronted rock band No Doubt. In that 2009 suit, the band claimed Activision had no contractual right to allow the group’s in-game avatars to be used to perform other artists’ songs. Additionally, the suit alleges Activision secretly hired actors to create dance movements that no band member had ever performed. No Doubt vs. Activision will go before a jury in Los Angeles Superior Court beginning October 15.
Rock band’s legal representation at Kendall Brill & Klieger says group has lost millions, hopes Activision will apologize; case going before jury October 15 in Los Angeles Superior Court.
The legal proceedings between No Doubt and international heavyweight publisher Activision over Band Hero will go before a jury beginning October 15 in Los Angeles Superior Court, the band’s legal representation has told GameSpot.
No Doubt attorney Bert Deixler explained that the band has suffered losses of millions, that Activision’s “meritless” appeals have delayed the case, and that the publisher’s settlement offers thus far have been lacking. Deixler also claimed that Activision secretly hired actors to design dance moves for Band Hero that no member of No Doubt had ever performed.
No Doubt sued Activision in November 2009, claiming the publisher had no contractual right to allow the group’s in-game avatars to be used to perform other artists’ songs. The band took exception in its suit with having individual band members perform other artists’ songs, particularly those that include suggestive lyrics such as The Rolling Stones’ “Honky Tonk Women.” The suit claims this action turns the band “into a virtual karaoke circus act.”
Activision countersued No Doubt a month later, saying it is “publicly known” that characters in previous Guitar Hero games have been “unlockable” in the same fashion, suggesting No Doubt did not exercise due diligence before entering into the agreement.
Activision’s legal team did not respond to interview requests.
GameSpot: No Doubt originally sued Activision in 2009. Why are the proceedings taking so long?
Bert Deixler: Activision has delayed by filing unsuccessful motions and taking meritless appeals from losing motions. And, of course, the courts are crowded, and we had to return to the end of the line to wait for a courtroom.
GS: In Activision’s immediate 2009 countersuit, the publisher claimed No Doubt did not exercise due diligence before entering the agreement for Band Hero and that it was ’publicly known’ that avatars could be unlocked and used to sing other songs. What’s your response to this?
BD: It’s nonsense. The contract clearly defined the rights of the parties. Two superior court judges, three appellate court judges, seven California Supreme Court justices, and a federal judge all agree that Activision’s rights are limited to the contract. Activision’s ’publicly known’ argument is irrelevant, and, incidentally, false. Indeed, several of their executives testified that they didn’t know about unlocking.
GS: In May, superior court judge Ramona See ruled that the case should go before a jury because of ’genuine disputes’ including questions of ’loss.’ How will you prove No Doubt’s unauthorized appearance in the game caused them loss?
“Activision even went as far as secretly hiring actors to create dance movements for the game that no band member has ever performed.”
BD: We don’t license the use of our songs and our appearances for free. Here, we licensed No Doubt’s appearance for three songs, but Activision instead used it in 63 unpermitted songs. Activision also created a game that, contrary to No Doubt’s rights, allows for any member of No Doubt to appear as a solo artist, as a member of another group, or as a performer in a capacity that he or she never actually performs in. Activision even went as far as secretly hiring actors to create dance movements for the game that no band member has ever performed. There’s no question that there’s loss, and it is millions and millions of dollars. A jury will understand why the use of an artist’s appearance to endorse projects without permission is harmful. Many, many artists have succeeded when they complained about having their valuable names and likeness taken without permission. Our experts will have innumerable examples.
GS: No Doubt has won numerous partial victories thus far in the case against Activision, including having several Activision claims tossed out, as well as a request to have the matter bumped up to a federal court. How have these decisions advanced No Doubt’s argument against Activision?
“So far Activision has been ordered to pay No Doubt nearly 0,000 in attorneys’ fees and costs, and Activision continues to pursue a strategy that will have it financing both sides of the lawsuit. That’s a pretty bad business idea.”
BD: Yes, our legal judgments have proven to be correct and Activision’s have proven to be incorrect repeatedly. We look forward to presenting our case to the jury. Activision will come to recognize that its strategy of ignoring No Doubt’s rights, then ignoring No Doubt’s requests that it not release the infringing game, then delaying and losing appeals and motions in an effort to discourage No Doubt from pursuing its claims has just run up the costs that Activision will wind up paying. So far Activision has been ordered to pay No Doubt nearly 0,000 in attorneys’ fees and costs, and Activision continues to pursue a strategy that will have it financing both sides of the lawsuit. That’s a pretty bad business idea.
GS: Activision recently settled in a high-profile case against fired developers Jason West and Vince Zampella for an undisclosed sum. Is a settlement at all possible in the case between No Doubt and Activision?
BD:Settlement is always possible. Unfortunately, Activision’s settlement proposals thus far have not reflected its substantial exposure to millions of dollars in damages and attorneys’ fees. Should a proposal be forthcoming that does, No Doubt will entertain it. If not, the case will go to trial, and No Doubt will prevail and obtain a jury award that will have Activision regretting its decision to abuse these artists’ rights and wishing it had settled this case when it had the chance.
GS: What does No Doubt want from Activision in this case?
BD: Ideally they would like Activision to apologize and promise to never mistreat artists in the manner they have mistreated No Doubt and countless others. The group told Activision repeatedly that they were not interested in filing a lawsuit and that they didn’t want this to happen. Now No Doubt is stuck asking for compensation for the misappropriation of its rights, and an injunction preventing the continued sale and future release of the infringing product.
GS: Lastly, what are the implications here, provided No Doubt emerges the victor?
BD: Artists can’t allow themselves to be ripped off by multi-national billion dollar companies that act only in their own financial best interest while completely ignoring legally binding agreements. We hope Activision has learned a lesson and will think twice when deciding to risk the cost of litigation as a business practice as a result of No Doubt bringing this lawsuit, and, if it persists in taking this case to trial, Activision will be forced to learn an even harsher and more expensive lesson.


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HUNT VALLEY, Md., April 11, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Flavor Forecast, which highlights fresh flavor insights and inspiration from around the globe for nearly 20 years, revealed 'Mexicana Vegana' (Mexican Vegan) as the next flavor in focus. You may not have noticed that this amazing duo is appearing on restaurant menus and in food halls in major cities around the world. McCormick & Company, Inc., which produces Flavor Forecast, has been tracking this fusion and predicts home cooks will soon adopt Mexicana Vegana.
Mexican food is one of the most beautiful, fresh and flavorful cuisines and continues to grow in popularity, with more than 237 million Americans who enjoyed Mexican food and ingredients in 2018. Also, more than ever, consumers are leaning into meatless meals with a conscious focus on the environment and their wellness goals.
"It's the two together, looking at Mexican food from a vegan lens, that appeals to Americans," said McCormick Executive Chef Kevan Vetter. "Some consumers hear vegan and are intimidated. We found that leaning into familiar foods is a great entry into this trend."
With classic bold spices and ingredients found in Mexican cooking like smoky dried chilies, bright citrus, cumin, garlic and onions, vegan dishes can deliver the uncompromising flavor everyone wants. Simple techniques like shredding eggplant and mushrooms to mimic pulled pork and crumbling garbanzo beans to replace chorizo sausage makes great meatless fillings for tacos, tortas and tostadas.
"We developed new Mexican vegan recipes to encourage at-home experimentation. There's a cauliflower queso sauce, butternut squash tacos al pastor, no-churn vanilla ice cream with caramel sauce and more," said McCormick Executive Chef Kevan Vetter.
Watch videos and download recipes on FlavorForecast.com. Learn more about Mexicana Vegana street foods, simple techniques for meatless mains, and non-dairy desserts like the classic tres leches cake.
Follow @FlavorForecast on Instagram for always-on flavor news including weekly inspiration and insider content from global experts, chefs and influencers.
Statistica (2018, September). U.S.: Consumption of Mexican food and ingredients 2018 | Statistic. Retrieved from https://www.statista.com/statistics/281028/us-households-consumption-of-mexican-food-and-ingredients/
About Flavor Forecast
Since 2000, the McCormick® Flavor Forecast® has identified top trends and ingredients to discover the tastes of tomorrow. For 129 years, McCormick & Company has been guided by a passion for flavor. This passion drives our constant pursuit of what's next in flavor. Created by a global team of McCormick experts — including chefs, culinary professionals, trend trackers and food technologists — the Flavor Forecast inspires culinary exploration and innovation around the world. Visit FlavorForecast.com to learn more.
McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE: MKC) is a global leader in flavor. With $5.3 billion in annual sales, the company manufactures, markets and distributes spices, seasoning mixes, condiments and other flavorful products to the entire food industry – retail outlets, food manufacturers and foodservice businesses. Every day, no matter where or what you eat, you can enjoy food flavored by McCormick. McCormick Brings the Joy of Flavor to Life™. For more information, visit www.mccormickcorporation.com.
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Chinese agrochemical company Flagchem’s agrochemical sales were up 28.2% to Yuan 1,642.8 million ($245.4 million) in 2018.
Chinese agrochemical company Yangnong Chemical’s agrochemical sales were up by 19.2% to Yuan 5,201.6 million ($776.9 million) in 2018.
ChemChina subsidiary Adama anticipates near flat sales in the first quarter compared with the same period last year.
DowDuPont has lowered its expectation for the performance of its first-quarter its agricultural product division sales.
Chinese agrochemical company Jiangsu Changqing’s agrochemicals sales were up 34.6% to Yuan 2,937.7 million ($438.8 million) in 2018.
Chinese agrochemical company Lier Chemical ’s agrochemical sales were up 29.9% to Yuan 4,001 million ($597.6 million) in 2018.
Double-digit sales growth in Europe and the Americas boosted Nufarm's crop protection (excluding seed treatments) revenues by 7.8% to Aus$1,449.3 million (US$1,063.5 million at the current rate) in the six months to January 31st 2019.
ChemChina subsidiary Adama has posted a 20.3% rise in agrochemical sales to $900 million for the fourth quarter of 2018.
Higher sales in Japan and overseas boosted Japanese company Nihon Nohyaku's agrochemical revenues by 3.9% to ¥53,900 million ($481.5 million at the current rate) in its fiscal year ended September 30th 2018.
The US biopesticide company, Marrone Bio Innovations (MBI – Davis, California), recorded a 72% jump in product revenues to $5.7 million in the fourth quarter of 2017.
Italian company Isagro (Milan) posted a 2.3% rise in fourth-quarter 2018 agrochemical sales of some €36.6 million ($41.3 million at the current rate).
The acquisition of products and businesses in 2017 boosted American Vanguard's crop protection sales by 30.2% to $392.3 million in 2018.
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On Wednesday afternoon, Ford Electric motor Firm (F 4.93%) reported outstanding second-quarter incomes outcomes. Income surpassed $40 billion for the first time since 2019, while the company’s adjusted operating margin reached 9.3%, powering a substantial profits beat.
Somewhat, Ford’s second-quarter incomes may have gained from positive timing of shipments. However, the outcomes showed that the automobile titan’s initiatives to sustainably enhance its profitability are functioning. Because of this, ford stock rallied 15% recently– and also it might maintain rising in the years ahead.
A huge earnings healing.
In Q2 2021, a severe semiconductor scarcity smashed Ford’s income and also productivity, specifically in The United States and Canada. Supply constraints have actually reduced dramatically ever since. Heaven Oval’s wholesale quantity surged 89% year over year in North America last quarter, increasing from roughly 327,000 units to 618,000 units.
That quantity recuperation created earnings to virtually increase to $29.1 billion in the region, while the section’s changed operating margin expanded by 10 percentage points to 11.3%. This allowed Ford to tape a $3.3 billion quarterly adjusted operating profit in North America: up from less than $200 million a year previously.
The sharp rebound in Ford’s largest and also essential market aided the firm more than triple its global modified operating revenue to $3.7 billion, improving adjusted earnings per share to $0.68. That squashed the expert agreement of $0.45.
Thanks to this strong quarterly performance, Ford maintained its full-year assistance for modified operating profit to rise 15% to 25% year over year to in between $11.5 billion and also $12.5 billion. It likewise continues to anticipate modified free cash flow to land in between $5.5 billion as well as $6.5 billion.
Lots of job left.
Ford’s Q2 incomes beat doesn’t suggest the firm’s turn-around is full. Initially, the business is still having a hard time just to break even in its two largest overseas markets: Europe and China. (To be fair, short-term supply chain restrictions added to that underperformance– and also breakeven would be a huge improvement compared to 2018 and also 2019 in China.).
In addition, success has been quite unpredictable from quarter to quarter considering that 2020, based on the timing of production and also shipments. Last quarter, Ford delivered significantly more cars than it provided in The United States and Canada, enhancing its earnings in the region.
Indeed, Ford’s full-year guidance implies that it will certainly generate an adjusted operating earnings of about $6 billion in the 2nd half of the year: an average of $3 billion per quarter. That implies a step down in earnings contrasted to the car manufacturer’s Q2 readjusted operating earnings of $3.7 billion.
Ford is on the ideal track.
For investors, the essential takeaway from Ford’s incomes report is that administration’s lasting turn-around plan is getting grip. Success has actually enhanced dramatically compared to 2019 regardless of lower wholesale quantity. That’s a testimony to the firm’s cost-cutting efforts and its strategic decision to discontinue a lot of its sedans as well as hatchbacks in North America in favor of a wider series of higher-margin crossovers, SUVs, and pickup trucks.
To be sure, Ford requires to continue cutting costs so that it can endure possible prices stress as vehicle supply improves and financial growth reduces. Its plans to aggressively grow sales of its electric lorries over the following few years can weigh on its near-term margins, also.
Nevertheless, Ford shares had actually lost majority of their worth between mid-January and also very early July, suggesting that several investors as well as analysts had a much bleaker overview.
Even after rallying last week, Ford stock professions for around 7 times onward earnings. That leaves huge upside potential if administration’s plans to expand the company’s readjusted operating margin to 10% by 2026 is successful. In the meantime, financiers are earning money to wait. Combined with its strong earnings record, Ford increased its quarterly reward to $0.15 per share, boosting its annual accept an eye-catching 4%.


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Customers eager to buy bulk granola, dried fruit and organically grown produce from two natural foods supermarkets entering the Cleveland market may need to cross a picket line to get them. Both the Cleveland AFL-CIO and Local 880 of the United Food & Commercial Workers union said they will picket Wild Oats Markets Inc. of Boulder, Colo., and Mustard Seed Market & Cafe of Montrose if the companies follow through on plans to open stores in Cleveland without hiring union labor. 'We will do everything in our power to make it clear to customers why they should not shop at these stores,' said John Ryan, executive secretary of the Cleveland AFL-CIO, which represents 100,000 workers in the Cleveland area. 'That could mean picketing or it could mean a boycott,' Mr. Ryan said. 'But I guarantee they will face some form of activism.' Guarantees of union activism haven't fazed either Mustard Seed or Wild Oats, which don't have any union employees. Mustard Seed is building a 56,000-square-foot natural foods supermarket along Kruse Drive in Solon. The store is slated to open this September. Meanwhile, Wild Oats, a publicly traded company with 64 stores nationwide, says it is looking for sites in the Cleveland area and hopes to open a store here in 2000. Both companies said they offer competitive employment packages, including health care benefits and profit-sharing, that should keep organizing efforts at bay. 'They (the unions) can try to unionize, but we don't think there's an appetite for it,' said Phillip Nabors, president and co-owner of Mustard Seed, which employs 150 at a 31,500-square-foot store in Montrose. 'We have a history of treating our people well, of respecting their demands and opinions,' Mr. Na-bors said. 'Besides, we have free spirits working here. I'm not sure they want some outside organization imposing strict work rules.' For Wild Oats, which already has a store in Upper Arlington, near Columbus, the philosophy is, " ;let the workers decide,' said Mary Beth Lewis, chief financial officer and treasurer. 'We have coexisted with those people (union organizers) in the past and it has not been an issue for us,' Ms. Lewis said. Still, local unions have a history of disrupting business for supermarkets attempting to enter this market without union labor. Giant Eagle Inc. of Pittsburgh shut down two Cleveland-area stores in 1987 in a decision that 'had a lot to do with the unions' protesting in front of the stores, said Anthony Rego, vice chairman of Giant Eagle. 'I think it's fair to say they (the unions) can disrupt business,' Mr. Rego said. Giant Eagle re-entered the market in 1997 by acquiring 41 Rini-Rego Stop-N-Shop supermarkets, all of which employ union labor. Irene Stroh, operations manager at the Cleveland Food Co-op, which owns two natural foods stores in the Cleveland area, has experienced such organizing efforts firsthand. Last November and December, members of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers from Toledo handed out leaflets to customers entering the Co-op stores at 11702 Euclid Ave. in Cleveland and 1807 Coventry Road in Cleveland Heights. In a vote last December, a majority of the Food Co-op's 50 full-time workers rejected a motion to form a union. But Ms. Stroh said the organizing effort had a 'serious impact on our business.' 'It created strife among our workers and may have created the impression among some customers that we were not sensitive to labor issues,' she said. Tom Robertson, secretary and treasurer of Local 880 of the UFCW, said Wild Oats and Mustard Seed could get similar treatment. He noted that both stores cater to a clientele that is 'sympathetic to labor interests.' 'People who are concerned about the exploitation of the environment also tend to be concerned about the exploitation of labor,' Mr. Robertson said. Mustard Seed and Wild Oats clearly are concerned about ecological issues. Both encourage customers to bring bags from home to cut the use of plastic and paper in their stores. Although both sell meat, they insist that it come from animals free of growth hormones and antibiotics. But will the eco-sensitive shoppers at Wild Oats and Mustard Seed be sympathetic to union pickets? Holly Wilson, an in-store graphics designer at Wild Oats Community Market in Upper Arlington, doesn't think so. Ms. Wilson and other Wild Oats employees crossed a picket line last year when labor organizers gathered in front of a Wild Oats store in St. Louis, where she received training for her new job. 'I don't remember many customers or employees having a problem crossing that line,' she said.
UNIONS SEND WARNING SHOT TO NATURAL FOOD STORES
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Fifty-five cent Whoppers. Free food for a select few people at Red Robin. And the return of the McRib.
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(Grace Natoli Sheldon — Taste of Home)
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(Photo courtesy of Guidewire Software.)
There has been more change of consequence to the insurance industry in the last several years than the last several decades, and that change could be grouped into five categories, said Marcus Ryu, CEO of Guidewire Software in his keynote speech on Nov. 2 at Guidewire Connections 2015, the property/casualty insurance systems vendor’s user group meeting and industry conference, in San Francisco.
Rising Digital Expectations
Insurers face an inexorable rise in digital expectations, as exemplified by the fact that from half to two-thirds of adults in the developed world already use a smart phone and the number is rising, Ryu noted. “Last month I saw a man set off a metal detector at the airport and say, ‘What!’ to the TSA guard, while holding an iPhone—it had become part of his body,” Ryu related. “I thought it was hilarious, then I did the same thing myself.”
The incident illustrates a defining fact of modern life, Ryu suggested: everyone walks around with a supercomputer in their pocket. Computation is reshaping education as well, with about 20 million students now using a $200 Chromebook, which provides adaptive content rather than paper textbooks that are static and actually more expensive. In daily life, he added, “we take for granted services from Amazon, Uber and AirBnB that did not exist 10 years ago.”
However, the insurance industry isn’t on the same level as much of the rest of the culture when it comes to digital, Ryu submitted. He cited a BCG and Morgan Stanley study that placed insurance 14th out of 16 industries in providing a consumer-grade digital experience. “We should draw no comfort from the reliably unpopular performance of landlords and cable companies,” Ryu quipped. “Instead we should be reading the writing on the wall: the competitive battleground for sales and service will be digital.”
Decline in Personal Auto Risk
The largest P&C risk segment—personal auto—is suffering an inexorable decline, which cannot fail to have profound implications for the industry, according to Ryu. Among the factors causing the decline is that people are driving less: 16 to 34 year olds are driving 23 percent fewer miles, and the proportion of high school seniors with driver’s licenses has dropped from 85 percent to 70 percent since 1996, Ryu reported.
Various safety related innovations are reducing risk also—ranging from a variety of collision-avoidance and driver-assistance technologies all the way to driverless cars—as is the transportation-as-a-service phenomenon exemplified in Ryu’s comment by the emergence of rideshare companies Uber and Lyft.
“In response to these trends, your companies have been diversifying aggressively into other lines of business and rethinking how auto insurance should be distributed and serviced,” Ryu said. “Not just internet-based sales, but fundamentally new products and digital customer engagement models.”
Insurers also face competition from a host of non-traditional market entrants, according to Ryu. He cited aggregators such as Compare.com, white-labeling retailers such as Costco, Wal-Mart, Overstock and others, and Google.
“These players start with the premise that they are the logical owner of the customer relationship because of their brand strength or because they are present at the point of search and sale,” Ryu said.
Ryu also cited greenfield carrier entrants such as Metromile, who seek to redefine auto insurance as a metered service. “A similar principle is taken a step further by a UK start-up called Cuvva,” he said. “They let you take a picture of a license plate to buy coverage on an hourly basis—super flexible, nearly instantaneous.”
New Insurance-Relevant Technologies
The industry is also being rocked by the emergence of relevant new technologies, many of which fall within the category of the Internet of Things, Ryu cautiouned. As a result of the cost of sensing technologies dropping, within five years there will be 100 trillion sensors—or about 14,000 for every person on the planet—capturing and streaming data, he asserted. “In principle, being able to attach a device to a risk and capture data from it continuously should affect every aspect of the insurance lifecycle from product definition, to pricing and underwriting, policyholder service, and claims,” Ryu said.
Drones will also have a significant effect on the industry, according to Ryu. He noted that five years ago the FAA estimated that by 2020 there would be 15,000 of them in operation—and yet today more than that number are now sold every month. “They are being used to track storms, apply fertilizer and pesticides to crops, monitor endangered wildlife, even perform search-and-rescue missions in remote areas,” he said. “I would not doubt Jeff Bezos’s intention to have them deliver packages to our doorsteps within 5 years.
Most relevantly for insurance, drones can capture vast amounts of data at far greater speed and at radically lower cost than human beings for many applications, Ryu stressed. Thus, any insurance scenario that requires surveying of physical location could potentially use drones with current technology. “Consequently, carriers such as American Family, State Farm, AIG, and USAA are already very active,” Ryu said.
New Categories of Risk
The fifth trend Ryu said insurers should be alert to is the emergence of new categories of risk needing intermediation. “The most discussed opportunity is in cyber insurance, which is still in the low single digits billions of premium globally with only 14 percent of U.S. companies having any sort of coverage,” Ryu observed. “Intuitively we know is only a fraction of the actual risk implicit in having our personal and commercial lives stored in digital form.”
Supply chain disruption is another emerging risk category, rated as more significant than natural catastrophes, explosion and regulation by risk managers surveyed by Allianz and McKinsey, Ryu said. He related that last year, strikes in Europe cased $1.5 billion in business interruption, $23 billion was lost to theft in the supply chain, and the four most recent natural disasters caused $33 billion in supply chain disruption. “And yet, these same risk managers consider insurance to be the least useful risk mitigation tool for this category of risk,” Ryu remarked. “There’s a similar story for product recall risk, which looms much larger than property or workers comp risk for any manufacturer or pharmaceutical company.


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NEW YORK — Chico’s new division for 25-to-35-year-olds, to be called Pazo, will launch with eight stores in the first quarter of fiscal 2003.
"Our plans are for Pazo to be a cutting-edge store for the contemporary, fashion-conscious woman," said Chico’s vice president Barry Shapiro, who is heading up the launch of Pazo, in a statement. "Merchandise will be presented in a boutique atmosphere that is unique and fun, with the newest European and American fashion at impulse prices. We will provide a service level that complements this shopping experience."
Scott Edmonds, president and chief operating officer, added: "The strength of our executive management team, combined with our strong balance sheet, has given us the ability to test this new concept. Interestingly enough, we have found that landlords [have responded well to] the new concept. We do, however, want to assure the Chico’s customer and our stockholders that the Chico’s design and product development team, as well as the field management team, will remain completely focused on the Chico’s brand."
He told WWD that Chico’s will introduce new categories of merchandise within "the four walls" of the Chico’s stores, but declined to specify.
He also said he doesn’t expect Pazo units, which will have 2,500 to 3,000 square feet of selling space, to be as productive as Chico’s units, which post $835 in sales per square foot. "Pazo speaks to a different customer and will employ entirely separate design, product development and field management teams." Pazo means country manor in Spanish, Edmonds noted.
The Fort Myers, Fla.-based Chico’s, with 338 stores in 40 states and Washington, sells private label women’s casual clothing and related accessories. Its volume last year was $378million, and it continues to grow rapidly.
At a conference in Boston earlier this year, Charles Klemen, chief financial officer, said the first units of the new division would probably be in Atlanta, San Diego, Washington and Charlotte, as well as Florida and Texas. He also said the division will target household incomes of $40,000 to $60,000, a younger and less affluent customer than the Chico’s chain, and feature outfits about half the price of those at its sister division. The company declined to specify the sites, pending finalization of leases.As reported, merchandise for the new division has been tested since the start of fiscal 2001 at Chico’s stores.
Peter Kim's Los Angeles-based premium denim line has always had its finger on the pulse of youth. This season, novelty is back in a way reminiscent of early Aughts, with studs, lace-ups, racing waxed denim and more. For more highlights if some of the key brands at the Vegas trade shows, go to WWD.com. #wwdfashion (📷: Patrick Gray; Styles by @thealexbadia; Story by @karihamanaka and @marcy_wwd)
"I was driving back on Saturday afternoon from the beach, and I just saw this sign saying 'Skydiving for $95.' And I was like, I can't not sky dive for $95," says Tom Bateman about a moment in Hawaii while shooting "Snatched." #wwdeye (📷: @vsteves; Interview by @ktauer; Styled by @thealexbadia)


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Amid speculations that Android 4.4.3 KitKat update will be made available to Nexus 4, Nexus 5 smartphones and Nexus 7, Nexus 10 tablets, Google has hinted that the devices would receive new operating system (OS) upgrade soon.Apr 25, 2014
Earlier in the week, home grown smartphone maker, Micromax launched third-generation Canvas Doodle phablet, now the company has teased a new mid-range handset dubbed as Canvas 2 Colours at the company official website.Apr 25, 2014
With the pace of advancing technology, electronic equipment gets outdated in no time leading in electronic waste. Phonebloks is a concept that revolutionizes smartphones. Customizing your phone has never been this innovative and fun.
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A Ventuno Production : www.ventunotech.comApr 25, 2014
Samsung Electronics has not announced the release date of its upcoming device Galaxy Note 4 yet but speculations have been doing the rounds, ever since Galaxy S5 was released. Now, a patent filed by the South Korean electronics giant for a device, possibly the much-hyped phablet, has hinted at drastic changes in design.Apr 24, 2014


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Tourism growth in Ceará is surprising. From January to May in 2019, there has been a raise of 12,2% in landings and departures in Fortaleza airport.
Fortaleza is one of the top places in Brazil for startup businesses and foreign direct investment surged last year. Find out more here
With peak season on the horizon, Ceará tourism looks set for a record holiday period with 47 direct flights arriving at Fortaleza Airport every week.
Find out how tourism in Ceará is expanding its horizons fast on the back of the new flight hub at Fortaleza Airport and discover its effects.
More Brazilians plan to travel this summer with a holiday in Fortaleza the preferred option, confirming Northeast Brazil’s continued popularity for vacations.
Ceará authorities have announced more flights to Fortaleza from 2018. This together with 2,450 extra flights at Christmas augers well for tourism.
Professionals snap up property in Fortaleza, dominating the market. Low interest rates and high consumer confidence point to a good start to 2018
Investment in Ceará moves up a notch with the arrival of tech parks and a health hub, bringing the state to the forefront of ICT in Brazil.
The market for luxury property in Fortaleza is currently riding the crest of a wave. August was a particularly buoyant month with high-end properties dominating sales performance.
The growth in popularity of Airbnb is no secret and the past summer season ranks as the best ever for the holiday let platform. Brazilian cities feature on the global ranking and Fortaleza holiday lets performed particularly well in the new markets rating. Airbnb bookings in the capital of Ceará rose by 192% over the year.


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American Printer's mission is to be the most reliable and authoritative source of information on integrating tomorrow's technology with today's management.
Apr 13, 2010 12:00 AM
Great Lakes Integrated (GLI) (Cleveland, OH) has evolved into a valued marketing communications partner with corporations across the United States by helping those customers realize the full scope of their marketing potential.
Evidence of the firm’s commitment to providing integrated communications solutions came in the form of five national awards, presented by the National Association for Printing Leadership (NAPL) at its second annual Marketing Plus awards competition in Marco Island, FL, last month. GLI was honored in the following categories: Cross-channel Marketing, Direct-mail Marketing, Corporate Identity, Corporate Re-branding, and Website Presence.
“We established our reputation in the marketplace decades ago by providing exceptional printing quality and service,” says GLI chairman, president and CEO James R. Schultz. “But today, as our customers face unprecedented competition, we owe them even more. So we have revitalized our capabilities and now deliver comprehensive, integrated, state-of-the-art marketing solutions.”
Among the services GLI has added to its printing, fulfillment and warehousing capabilities are personalized URL (PURL) campaign management and implementation, Web analytics, cross-media solutions, direct-mail innovations, asset management, and data collection and reporting.
“We’ve made the same investment in ourselves that we recommend to our customers,” Schultz says, pointing to the NAPL trophies. “The reality is that this is how you overcome adverse market conditions and thrive.”
Based in Cleveland for 79 years, Great Lakes Integrated provides traditional and digital print manufacturing, distribution, mailing, fulfillment, warehousing and the AKSESS suite of web-based marketing solutions for national and international clients.


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Wirecard and Visa have signed a partnership agreement to collaborate on new products in the field of digital financial technology, according to a press release.
Wirecard said in the release that combining its digital payment platform with Visa's global capabilities will enable the company to "extend card issuance, increase merchant acceptance of innovative digital payment methods and provide retailers with business analytics to help them streamline and improve the consumer purchase experience."
Additionally, partnership with Visa will enable Wirecard to further support fintechs and startups to develop new commerce ideas through white-label products and banking as a platform, the release said.
"This is an exciting time for the global payments industry with new payment innovators accelerating the creation of new ways to pay and be paid," said Suzan Kereere, head of merchant services for Visa Europe. "We fundamentally believe this is good for consumers and good for merchants. Together with Wirecard, we have the opportunity to making it easier for merchants and startups to access Visa's capabilities, and support the next generation of payment services."
Copyright © 2018 Networld Media. All rights reserved., source Industry News


text: Terri wants to buy a phone with a keyboard. Can she still get a Blackberry? Leo says that Blackberry doesn't make phones anymore, but the brand/design is made by TCL. The Key2 is the new model. It also runs on Android now. Blackberry's OS died a few years ago. It will retail for $649 and is available in July. If she likes a physical keyboard, this is her last, best choice.


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If businesses want to ensure sensitive corporate data remains secure, then they should think long and hard before enabling employees to carry it on mobile devices - especially those that aren't owned and...
RSAL is designed to clarify the controversial licensing changes brought in last summer
Apple considering merger of MacOS and iOS apps under plan to be unveiled at Worldwide Developers Conference in June
Apps for iPhones, iPads and Mac machines could be merged into a single binary from 2021
Samsung shrugs off struggling sales of super-premium smartphones with £1800 Galaxy Fold coming in May
Samsung also first major manufacturer to rush out 5G smartphone with the Galaxy S10 5G
The company says it will try again in the next few days


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Nobull is a training brand founded in 2015 by former Reebok executives Marcus Wilson and Michael Schaeffer
The man who turned Vitaminwater and BodyArmor into household beverage names is turning his attention to the sneaker industry.
Mike Repole’s private equity firm will buy a majority stake in the company Nobull, he told CNBC on Thursday. It’s the first significant investment for Impact Capital, the private equity arm of Repole’s family office.
related investing news
“I fell in love with just the name, the brilliance of Nobull and what it stands for. It is no excuses, no BS, just get it done,” he said.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but Repole said it’s his biggest investment in a brand to date.
Nobull is a training brand founded in 2015 by former Reebok executives Marcus Wilson and Michael Schaeffer. The Boston-based company employs about 100 people across the United States, United Kingdom and China and sells its sneakers and apparel primarily online.
Nobull is a footwear, apparel and accessory brand based in Boston, MA.
In recent years, the company has signed partnerships with fitness brand CrossFit, The PGA Tour and the NFL Combine.
Repole said he first reached out to the founders about 14 months ago with a deal proposal. It went ignored. He continued to reach out until about two months ago when they met and immediately hit it off with a shared vision of success, Repole said.
“I think that this brand can really be a life-changing brand for so many people,” Repole said. “The Nobull mentality is about being a better version of yourself and just cutting out the noise and clutter.”
Repole said his plans for the brand may include an eventual IPO.
“If we want to build this big multi-billion platform … taking this public I think is going to be the best way to go about it,” he said.
Co-founder Wilson said Repole’s history of successful exits is part of what makes him a compelling partner for Nobull.
Repole sold BodyArmor to Coca-Cola for $5.6 billion in 2021. Before that, he co-founded Glaceau, maker of the popular brands Vitaminwater and Smartwater, which were also sold to Coke in 2007.
“As we think about the next phase or the next chapter in this book of our brand, Mike is someone who’s been multiple times to where we’re going and is often several chapters ahead in that book,” Wilson told CNBC.
In the near term, the trio will be focused on broadening the brand’s reach.
“Some of the many things that [Repole] and his team bring are operational excellence,” Wilson said. “Mike gets what it takes to go from hundreds of millions into billions.”


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Own brand products continue to grow in presence in the shopping basket of Spanish households. To deepen this trend, ALDI and Kantar have prepared the Study on own brand in Spain 2021, which shows that this type of products currently represents more than half, 52%, of the shopping basket of Spanish families .
This same trend is reflected in spending on private label products, which represents 40% of the annual budget of the shopping basket. Specifically, the average spending of Spanish consumers on these products has increased in the last three years by 13%, from an average of 903 euros
in 2018 to 1,016 euros in the first half of 2021. The supermarket own-brand products that are most consumed in Spain, in number of items, are frozen fruit and vegetables (85% share in the purchase), cellulose ( 78%), frozen dishes and pizzas (72%) and cereals and snacks (70%).
83% of consumers say that buys its own brand, mainly due to its good relation between quality and price. Other relevant reasons are trust in this type of product (41%) and that its origin is national (28%).
According to the report prepared by ALDI, more than half of consumers in Spain (54%) acknowledge consuming more own brands than in 2018, mainly due to the fact that they consider that prices are lower than those of manufacturer brands (56 %), better quality-price than other brands (51%) and the increase in the variety of this type of products in recent years (49%). During 2020, the consumption of private label products increased by 31%, especially among those consumers whose income was most affected by the pandemic.
The study also highlights that three out of four consumers in Spain consider that the quality of their own brand products is not in doubt, even though the price is lower than that of other brands, an opinion that is especially widespread among older consumers . What’s more, 81% admit that if they have a good experience with the product, they usually recommend it to their family and friends. In fact, six out of 10 shoppers say they are guided by recommendations when trying a new supermarket own brand.
On the other hand, 70% of consumers affirm that they prioritize their own brand if they know the manufacturer, as well as if their origin is national. In addition, about half of shoppers (47%) prioritize supermarket own-brand products if they are organic, especially women and the youngest.
Sustainability is another aspect that consumers also value when making the usual purchase. 81% give importance to the type of packaging used, 71% prefer sustainable packaging and 87% take into account the reduction of plastics in their decision making.


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Australian customers will be forced to wait until mid 2008 for the release of SAP's hosted Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solution, Business ByDesign, despite its launch this week in the United States and Germany.
BusinessByDesign, built on a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) model, targets the SME market, which accounts for $30 billion of SAP's revenues, and integrates purchasing, HR, manufacturing, finance, sales and support through a Web portal.
Pricing for the service starts at $US149 per user per month for a minimum of 25 users, including services and support, while a restricted package is available at $US54 per month for a group of five users to access the software just to fill out expense reports and purchase confirmations, for example.
SAP Australia and New Zealand CEO, Alan Hyde, said the application, previously codenamed A1S, will be hosted from the company's German headquarters, but refuted security concerns with the offshore model
"Many SMEs typically do not have the resources for their own IT department and their security can be [lax], so they would see this as strengthening security," Hyde said.
"There could be a customer backlash over offshoring customer data, but we are extremely flexible and we could move the hosted service locally, or build a Virtual Private Network if necessary.
"The big benefit is the ability to avoid big lengthy upgrades because the application will be continuously upgraded as an SaaS model."
Hyde said Australian customers would have to wait until the "controlled roll out" for next year, and a local support centre would also be built next year.
Customers won't be able to simply purchase the service and opt to use overseas support staff because the portal will lock-out customers originating in countries which have not received an official launch.
SAP Australia and New Zealand A1S launch manager, John Goldrick, said the network connecting Australia to Germany has sufficient bandwidth to handle unlimited video streaming and customer data requests because of a high packet compression ratio used on the links.
SAP has said it will invest $US400 million to $US550 million by the end of 2008 to support the introduction of the service, including a consumer marketing campaign on the Web to alter the perception of SAP as a provider of software for big business.
The software is live today at 20 customers in Germany and the US including a small aircraft manufacturer, a manufacturer of air fresheners, a technology consulting company and a company that offers packaging and distribution services to pharmaceutical companies.
SAP is "currently engaging with pilot customers" in the US and Germany and "validating" the product with customers in the U.K., France and China.
Next year it will offer the service in additional markets including Australia and India in the Asia-Pacific; Italy, the Netherlands, the Nordic region and Spain in Europe; Canada and Mexico in the Americas; and South Africa. Other countries will follow in 2009.
Rivals in the market include Salesforce.com, and Microsoft which is in the process of rolling out a hosted version of its Dynamics CRM software, and many smaller companies operating in the Australian market including WebCentra, Saasu and TPP Internet.
A study by Springboard Research found that SaaS was growing at a compound annual growth rate of 65 per cent and was set to top $506 million by 2010.
Growth in the Australian market is attributed to a growing awareness of the SaaS model. Springboard Research says awareness of SaaS has jumped 31 per cent over the last year.


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Domino's to top up store count as Irish sales soar
Pizza chain Domino's is expanding its supply facilities in Ireland as it eyes expanding the number of outlets here from 49 to 75.
UK-listed Domino's Pizza Group - which controls the franchise in Ireland, the UK and other countries in Europe such as Switzerland - said a recovering Irish economy has boosted sales for the group here.
And it said adoption of digital channels by consumers has helped to propel purchases.
The company said that so-called system sales - the total sales by all Domino's outlets here - soared 10.8pc in the last financial year on a like-for-like basis, with online sales almost 29pc higher.
The company opened two outlets in Ireland last year - the first it had opened here in six years.
Its online sales in Ireland now represent 56.9pc of its total sales here.
"We also plan to invest in extending our supply chain capacity to allow us to serve 75 stores in the Republic of Ireland, as well as our stores in Northern Ireland," it said.
A big slice of the Domino's business in Ireland is controlled by Northern Ireland businessmen Charles and Adrian Caldwell.
In 2016, the company owned by them, which controls a number of Domino's Pizza outlets in Ireland, saw revenue rise 5.3pc to €45.5m.
Its pre-tax profit was 4.7pc higher at just under €7.5m.
The Caldwells paid over €22m to buy Irish Domino's outlets from former franchisees Kevin and Murph O'Driscoll a number of years ago.
UK-based Domino's Pizza Group had 1,192 outlets across six markets at the end of 2017, including 1,045 stores in the UK. It expects to open between 65 and 75 new outlets in that market this year.
The stores reported total system revenue of £1.17bn (€1.31bn) in 2017, which was up 15.1pc.
The company's own revenue - which includes sales from its owned stores and payments from franchisees - rose 31.6pc to £474.6m (€532.5m) in the reported 53-week period, and was 29.3pc higher on a 52-week basis. Reported operating profit fell 9pc to £75.5m (€84.7m). Underlying pre-tax profit was 10.2pc higher, at £96.2m (€107.9m).
Chief executive David Wild said that UK growth had "moderated" in 2017 after three years of a "very strong" like-for-like performance.
"Consumers were more cautious and value-conscious, and incomes were squeezed as wage inflation lagged broader cost inflation," the pizza boss said.
"The competitive environment continued to evolve, with delivery service companies continuing to invest heavily in growing scale," Mr Wild added.


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Clothing that can monitor your vital signs and alert your doctor if anything goes wrong could soon be a reality thanks to a Wilmslow-based company.
Smartlife is behind a range of ‘intelligent garments’ containing wireless sensor technology originally developed at the University of Manchester.
The clothes can measure signs like heart rate, temperature and respiration and transmit the data to another location. This year Smartlife opened a new research facility in Burnley and signed development deals with four companies looking to commercialise the idea in different sectors.
The main applications are in the fields of healthcare, sport, military and hazardous environments like fire-fighting and mining.
Chief executive Mark Pedley believes specialised clothing for miners which can monitor their health and also detect poisonous gas may be the first product to hit the market.
But he reckons the biggest opportunity will be for clothing that allows healthcare professionals to remotely monitor patients.
That might mean keeping a check on patients who have been discharged after an operation or who have pre-existing medical conditions like heart disease.
Mark said: “It’s a lot cheaper than keeping people in hospital, but off-the-shelf remote monitoring clothing given out by medics or hospitals is still probably two or three years away yet.
“It could also be used by people who have elderly relatives who live far away. It can give their family peace of mind to know that their vital signs are stable. The potential market is phenomenal.”
Smartlife has three potential revenue streams: R&D, licensing the technology and royalties from commercialised products. Chief executive Mark Pedley said: “What sets Smartlife apart is that our sensors are textile, not plastic, and are made as part of the garment. That means the sensors are fully washable and act and feel like a normal garment.”
Smartlife currently has a staff of seven and Mark predicts it will hit £1m turnover for the first time in 2011, based entirely on research


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ATLANTA (PRWEB) MAY 02, 2023
CorServ, a company that empowers banks and fintechs with innovative payment card issuing solutions, announces that inbanx, a modern platform to manage business budgets and digital payments, will integrate CorServ’s modern payment card issuing platform, Payment Cards as a Service API (PCaaSA), to launch Visa commercial credit cards.
inbanx automates expense reporting and budget tracking to allow businesses to prevent overspend and achieve unprecedented real-time visibility into spending. To service their business customers, a modern payment card solution with real-time spend controls and cooperative authorization was needed.
CorServ’s advanced API technology empowers inbanx to issue commercial credit cards with flexible features including highly configurable spend controls. CorServ’s PCaaSA platform is secure, configurable, and developer-friendly to offer embedded payment card solutions that integrate seamlessly with inbanx’s innovative capabilities.
“We serve our customers with an innovative and easy-to-use solution that adopts the next generation of payment capabilities to allow businesses and their employees to spend efficiently,” said Rob Kaczmarek, CEO of inbanx. “CorServ’s payment card platform was the only solution that afforded us the customizability and flexibility to build exactly what we needed for our customers.”
“Our highly configurable PCaaSA platform simplifies complex processes for inbanx to launch and embed commercial cards in a secure, compliant and flexible way,” said Anil Goyal, CEO of CorServ. “We are thrilled to work with inbanx to integrate with their innovative budget and expense management solution.”
inbanx is a budget and spending control solution that allows businesses to budget, manage their card program and control spending across divisions, departments, and teams. The inbanx solution gives real-time visibility into spending against budgets and automatically reports the expenses, removing the need for time-consuming manual expense reports. For more information, please visit http://www.inbanx.com.


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Probably the most carefully watched union election in latest historical past is underway in Alabama, the place nearly 6,000 employees at an Amazon warehouse near Birmingham are voting on whether or not they need to type a union. The election has attracted attention from President Biden, N.F.L. gamers and Hollywood actors, making it a high-stakes check of whether or not a union has a task in one of many nation’s greatest employers.
The unionization effort, which started final summer time, is the most important and most viable organizing marketing campaign amongst Amazon employees in the US. Here’s what you want to learn about it.
Who’re the employees behind it?
The unionization push got here from a bunch of largely Black employees on the Amazon fulfillment center in Bessemer, Ala., which is simply outdoors Birmingham. Late final summer time, they approached an area department of the Retail, Wholesale and Division Retailer Union, which has grown within the South, significantly in poultry, an business with historically harmful jobs and lots of Black staff.
The union deployed organizers who labored at close by warehouses and poultry processing amenities to focus full time on speaking to employees on the Amazon warehouse. By late December, greater than 2,000 employees signed playing cards indicating they needed an election, the union mentioned. The Nationwide Labor Relations Board decided that these signatures signaled “enough” curiosity in holding a vote.
Why is that this taking place now?
Two huge forces have helped drive the unionization effort: the pandemic’s deal with important employees and the racial reckoning introduced on by Black Lives Matter protests.
Amazon opened the Bessemer warehouse in March 2020, simply because the coronavirus was taking maintain in America. The pandemic made clear the essential position important employees, a lot of whom have been Black and paid hourly, performed in serving prospects and the economic system broadly. Amazon had extraordinary development final yr, as individuals turned to on-line purchasing as a substitute of venturing into shops. It went on a huge hiring spree, ending the yr with 1.three million staff and $386 billion in gross sales.
In early summer time, George Floyd’s killing prompted requires racial justice, and the union has targeted its organizing on problems with racial equality and empowerment. It has a decades-long historical past of engaged on civil rights and labor points within the area. Across the identical time, Amazon ended the additional pay it had given employees earlier within the pandemic. The employees who began the organizing mentioned their pay was not commensurate with the dangers they took and the productiveness they need to preserve.
What’s Amazon’s place?
Amazon has mentioned it doesn’t consider the union represents the views of a majority of its employees and that it might disrupt the direct relationship the corporate has with staff. Amazon performs up its minimal wage of $15 an hour, plus advantages like well being care and parental go away. The minimal wage in Alabama is $7.25 an hour.
In its communications with employees, by means of indicators plastered in lavatory stalls, an internet site and mailers, Amazon has said the union’s dues would depart employees with much less cash for issues they need or want, like faculty provides. It doesn’t point out that in Alabama, a “proper to work” state, paying dues is optionally available.
How does voting occur?
Amazon needed the voting to occur in particular person, as is typical, however the Nationwide Labor Relations Board discovered that the pandemic made it too dangerous and ordered a mail-in election. The ballots have been mailed out to employees in early February and should be signed and acquired by the labor board earlier than March 30, when they may begin to be counted. As a result of either side can dispute votes, there’s a likelihood that the ultimate tally will not be introduced for days or perhaps weeks after the counting begins.
The labor board will acknowledge the union if a majority of votes solid are in favor of it.


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Today, Growth Energy announced that New Mexico is the newest state to offer consumers greater choice at the fuel pump with the availability of E15 – a fuel blended with 15 percent renewable ethanol.
The latest in this market expansion is a Murphy USA station in Albuquerque – now one of nearly 1,800 locations nationwide to offer Americans this more affordable, cleaner biofuel blend. E15 — known to consumers as Unleaded 88 — is giving drivers an option at the pump that saves them up to 10 cents per gallon each trip to the fuel station, while being a smart choice for their engines and a friendlier choice for the Earth.
“With Murphy USA’s addition of E15 at their Albuquerque, New Mexico station, more Americans than ever can now choose Unleaded 88,” said Growth Energy CEO Emily Skor. “We know that when it’s available at the pump, Unleaded 88 is taking off with consumers and becoming their go-to fuel. We applaud Murphy USA for expanding this choice for the people of New Mexico and look forward to celebrating more states doing the same.”
Growth Energy works with leading retailers including Casey’s, Cumberland Farms, Family Express, Holiday, Kum & Go, Kwik Trip, Minnoco, Murphy USA, Protec Fuel, QuikTrip, RaceTrac, Royal Farms, Rutter’s, Sheetz, and Thorntons to offer American drivers the Unleaded 88 choice.
Drivers can head to UNL88.com to learn more about the engine smart, earth kind benefits of this fuel and find their nearest station.
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released its supplemental proposal to the proposed 2020 renewable volume obligations. Growth Energy CEO Emily Skor issued the following statement: “It is unconscionable that EPA’s proposal betrays President Trump’s promise to rural America. A week ago, Administrator Wheeler personally took to the airwaves and promised Iowa farmers that he would […]
Ethanol is smart domestic policy, plain and simple. It's better for engines, it's cleaner to produce, and it supports rural communities. We drove that message home this week at the Global Ethanol Summit, as we push for the free trade of ethanol all over the world. https://t.co/smxBYJXxjH
We know ethanol burns cleaner than gas. We just released a new report that shows even more benefits: 1) Using less land for much higher crop yields 2) Using less water to irrigate those crops 3) Gas production process is far dirtier than ethanol process ethanolproducer.com/articles/16600…
New report released by @GrowthEnergy shows how “new innovations have allowed us to ramp up #biofuel production year after year, without expanding our environmental footprint.” https://t.co/Te6A10zblq
Dozens of biofuel plants shut down because of these exemptions. That's not an exaggeration — it's already happened. If these rules from the EPA are finalized, we're no closer to reopening those plants. We're determined to make sure that doesn't happen. agri-pulse.com/articles/12713…


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Toyota RAV4 reviews have revealed a new and much tougher-looking RAV4.The entry-level powerplant at launch is 2.0-litre petrol. No specifications have moved published as of still, but it’s likely to build on the four-pot motor of the same space in the outgoing RAV4 that offers 191.3. Next up is a 2.5-litre petrol engine that works with an electric motor. Inside, there’s a plusher cabin that gets a centrally mounted infotainment system above a cleanly designed console. Toyota RAV4 used wants to keep the drive going by launching the all-new 2019 RAV4 at the expected New York Auto Show.Right-sized and loaded with helpful tech features.
Toyota RAV4 2018 fourth generation of the soft-roader that started the whole soft roader trend. There’s also a 148bhp 2.2-litre diesel but no petrol option. The new RAV4’s standard suite of safety features includes the ability to read road signs and alert the driver to yield or stop. Toyota RAV4 price was the best-selling non-pickup in the U.S. last year as demand for the new American family haulers boom. The fuel power is really in line with mid-size customer cars today,” Fay said of the compact SUV segment The 2019 Toyota RAV4 has a little more SUV in its compact crossover shape this year.The 2019 RAV4 goes on sale to the end of 2018, with a hybrid version to follow early next year.At 180.9 inches from bumper-to-bumper, the 2019 RAV4 is a hair shorter than last year’s model.
Toyota RAV4 for sale features an approximately symmetrical dash that puts its standard 7.0-inch or available 8.0-inch infotEvery RAV4 comes standard with automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, adaptive cruise control, active lane control, and natural high-beam headlight statement screen up high on the taste.The RAV4 Hybrid swaps in a continuously alternating transmission (CVT) and a battery pack. Toyota also delivers in two years or 25,000 miles of scheduled maintenance.


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Expect over 1,070 exhibitors of exquisite wines and spirits from 32 countries and regions at this year’s Hong Kong International Wine and Spirits Fair.
Following last year’s success, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) will be presenting the 11th edition of the Hong Kong International Wine and Spirits Fair 2018 on 8 to 10 November at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.
The fair in 2017 was one of the biggest the organiser has ever hosted, attracting nearly 20,000 visitors from 70 countries and regions, and this year’s edition is expected to be just as well received, if not even better than before.
Both exhibitors and buyers were pleased with the positive outcome of the 2017 fair, with many of them sharing that there were numerous opportunities generated from the three-day event.
Buyers can look forward to an array of highlights at this year’s fair with exhibitors showcasing some of the finest wines and spirits from around the world such as Clos Du Val Estate’s Cabernet Sauvignon, which received the highest rank in the 10th anniversary of the Judgment of Paris Tasting; Bleu de Mer’s Sauvignon Blanc and Merlot; TATENOKAWA Junmai Daiginjo “Zenith Dewasansan”; Edel Cider, an exclusive cider from Norway made with organic apples; and more.
To further enhance the diversity of exhibits at the fair this year, there will be new zones for more options, such as the World of Olive Oil, who will be showcasing their extensive olive oil selection and offering tastings of their oils.
For those who are keen to learn more about wines and spirits, there will be plenty of grand tastings, wine tastings, master classes and thematic seminars held throughout the event, conducted by industry experts. The highlighted events this year are the annual Wine Industry Conference with Debra Meiburg as the moderator and programme advisor while Asia wine Academy is returned on high demand with the two sophisticated lectures, Jeannie Cho Lee MW and Sarah Heller MW. The events equips your for the latest market trend and enhance the knowledge.
Public visitors and wine lovers are welcome to join in on the fair’s last day (10 November) – tickets are available at the special price of HK$99 here.
Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre,1 Expo Dr, Wan Chai, Hong Kong. Tel: +852 1830 668.
This post is brought to you in partnership with Hong Kong Trade Development Council. For more information, please visit HKTDC’s website.


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From Shenzhen Julong Photoelectric Co., Ltd. (the "Parc Royale") investment in the domestic first sixth-generation LCD production line, drawn in to start this year, now is located in Shenzhen, leaving Cave Industrial Zone, Xili, feasibility study report is preparing to obtain approval.
Yesterday, Secretary of the Board Zhang Julong over China in the acceptance of "First Financial Daily" interview revealed this Julong launched the sixth generation line will mainly produce 32-inch, 37-inch LCD TV screen, the design capacity of about 700 million pieces / year 2008 is expected to supply products on the market.
Earlier this year, domestic color TV four giant TCL, Skyworth, Konka, Changhong for the first time into the upper LCD panel together, they have the background of the Shenzhen Municipal Government's "deep super-company" jointly set up a "Julong." In late April, the only company with TFT-LCD (liquid crystal display) core technology and independent intellectual property rights of enterprises - BOE, in order to increase their investment in the way of formal joining Julong, effectively promoting the progress of the project.
And settled in Foshan, Chi Mei projects before, settled in Guangzhou, LG-Philips project is different is that this sixth-generation line Julong is building the first sixth-generation TFT-LCD "whole process" production line, rather than just a simple module factory. However, as the BOE Julong technology investor, had just built in Beijing, a fifth-generation line.
Some people doubt whether the cross Julong technology related. In this regard, Zhang Man-hua told reporters the current Five online BOE has been successfully mass production of the 20.1-inch and 26-inch LCD TV screen, this sixth-generation line to build the technical basis.
Also, several TV industry Julong shareholders that the next few years 32-inch, 37-inch LCD TV will become the mainstream product, so the final decision Julong launched the sixth generation TFT-LCD line.
Investment needed to build a sixth-generation line of more than 20 billion dollars heavily. Zhang Man-hua told reporters, Julong are to banks, shareholders, government and other aspects of fund-raising.
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This month, KFC is the brand which has achieved the biggest uplift in its Ad Awareness, according to YouGov’s BrandIndex Ad Awareness score.
It has been a challenging start of the year for the fast-food chain. Back in February it saw several stores run out of chicken (much to the horror of fried chicken lovers across the nation). However, it managed to limit what could have developed into a very damaging crisis, with a full page newspaper apology cleverly stating “FCK. We’re sorry.”
The campaign reinstated faith in the brand, and gained praise from across the advertising and marketing industry. But that wasn’t enough for KFC, which has returned to our screens with a bang in its latest ad – a major comeback featuring the iconic colonel Sanders, his first appearance in 40 years.
The advert adopts the style of a film trailer, and has already had a significant impact among the general public, with the brand’s Ad Awareness score (whether someone has seen an advert for the brand) jumping from +20 to +25, since it was released.
It has also had an impact in other areas. Purchase Consideration (whether someone would consider purchasing from the brand) among the same group has also risen from +15 to +20 during the same timeframe.
The campaign has had particular cut through among those who already buy from KFC. Among its current customers, Impression (whether someone has a positive impression of a brand) has risen by a massive 29 points, going from +30 to +58.
Among the general population, the brand has done well to get Impression almost back to where it was pre chicken shortage, bringing it back up to neutral with a score of zero.
KFC can be confident that any trace of its faux pas back in February has been largely forgotten, and the brand will be looking to capitalise on the increased good-will that this campaign has fostered.


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The U.S. Department of Agriculture is releasing its final crop report for 2012, providing a glimpse of what last year's drought cost the nation's farmers and others.
The report covers a number of crops, but attention will likely focus on corn production.
The USDA predicted the nation's biggest harvest ever in the spring, when farmers planted 96.4 million acres of corn. But it began scaling back its estimates as the drought spread across two-thirds of the nation.
Analysts said Friday morning that they expect the final report to reflect an even smaller crop than the USDA's December estimate.
Analysts on average expect a final estimate of 10.6 billion bushels, down from December's 10.7 billion bushel figure.
That would still be the eighth largest corn crop in the nation's history.
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The all-new design, as well as look, is ready for the Facebook Messenger app, and soon it will be on a rollout, with a new interface. In its unique design, Facebook has discarded the Discover tab and also demotes chatbots to catch user attention to the simplicity of the app and not on other sections such as shopping and brands.
Three years ago, when chatbots were introduced in the Messenger app, it was central to the app’s strategy. But now, Facebook, along with games and businesses, is removing other stuff from the app to make it more simple and provide a better user experience.
As per TechCrunch, in the new design, there will be a People section where you will be shown large squares featuring your friends on Facebook, who were recently active on Facebook or updated any stories. Next to the Stories tab, there will be an ‘Active sub-tab’ that will feature the names of online friends.
Moreover, the new Messenger app is completely redesigned with a new and fresh People tab that now defaults to a full screen when you watch your friend’s stories.
The most used Discover tab is being removed from the app. A Facebook spokesperson confirms that the removal of the Discover tab will help users engage in conversing with friends and family rather than doing spooky things like exploring chatbots and playing games.
“Facebook Messenger is now removing the Discover tab as it focuses on speed and simplicity instead of broad utility like China’s WeChat,” according to reports by Tech Crunch.
A spokesperson from Facebook also confirmed that “chatbots, businesses, and games are being hidden, but not completely banished from Messenger. They’ll still be accessible if users purposefully seek them through the Messenger search bar, Pages and ads on Facebook, buttons to start conversations on businesses’ websites, and m.me URL that create QR codes which open to business accounts in Messenger.”


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Sacked CWG Organising Committee chief Suresh Kalmadi's troubles are far from over. The CBI has registered a preliminary enquiry (PE) against him for allegedly causing a loss of over Rs 2.5 crore by selling Rs 50,000 denomination tickets for the CWG opening and inauguration ceremonies for over Rs 5,000 to a select few.
CBI sources said the Indian Chamber of Commerce was the main beneficiary of Kalmadi's benevolence. Being the OC head, he played a key role in deciding on distribution of the Games' most expensive tickets for a fraction of the original price despite an overwhelming demand for them in market.
Kalmadi and his associates allegedly closed the sale of the tickets so that they could be given to the preferred ones for a pittance. His close aide and then OC secretary general, Lalit Bhanot's role, is also being probed. The PE would find out if Kalmadi could be held criminally liable for the loot of tickets.
The CBI's case against Kalmadi comes after an indictment of the OC's ticketing process by the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC).
"Officials concerned," the CVC said, "had wrongly recorded that the ticketing agency was approved as the sub-committee had called for putting the proposal before the executive board. The actual revenue generation from ticketing was only Rs 39.17 crore, which was only about 43 per cent of the revised projected revenue." The CBI probe would also look into allegations of the manipulation of tender documents by the OC. The OC appointed a consultant for ticketing work on nomination basis, that too, on the basis of the credentials of the company he was representing.
A CBI official said it was ironical that the OC denied itself the much-needed chance to redeem some of the investment by selling its most expensive tickets appropriately as the inauguration and closing ceremonies were a houseful affair.
The distribution of these tickets on almost complimentary basis highlighted Kalmadi's complete disregard of the financial matters, the official added.


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Press Release 06/12/07
BROKE BRITS PUSHED TOWARDS FINANCIAL FOLLY OF BANKRUPTCY AS GREEDY CREDITORS UP MINIMUM IVA REPAYMENT TERMS
- Big banks and other creditors raise IVA stakes – consumers need to clear 40 per cent rather than 25 per cent of their debt in order to qualify for an IVA
- IVAs shot up by nearly 750 per cent since 2002* (see table below)
- Debt-laden Brits helped through deal-breaker minefield to safe ground of affordable IVA
- No need to risk phone book lottery – IVA.com recommends best firms
- UK’s only comparison site for insolvency firms
BIG banks and other creditors are blocking attempts by debt-saddled consumers wanting to get back on their feet by raising the minimum IVA (Individual Voluntary Arrangement) repayment terms.
According to IVA comparison website IVA.com, giant creditors such as HSBC became disgruntled with the industry standard amount of 25 per cent of the debt and demanded 40 per cent - or no deal.
As a result, overstretched borrowers are giving up the halfway house of an IVA and caving in to the last resort of bankruptcy, says IVA.com director Terry Balfour.
“We have seen the likes of HSBC - a major creditor in the UK – demand debt riddled borrowers to settle an often unmanageable 40 per cent of their debt before green lighting them for an IVA solution,” says Balfour.
“Our concern is that many other creditors will now follow suit, forcing more and more people into the stigma of bankruptcy,” he adds
“The number of firms offering IVAs has soared over the past two years to match demand from debt-laden borrowers but as with any financial product, consumers shouldn’t sign up for the first deal they find.”
“Our unique rating system based on the real experiences of IVA customers shows which companies are the ones that really know what they are doing and can successfully negotiate between consumers and creditors,” adds Balfour.
The IVA.com site receives over 50 reviews a month and has now passed the significant milestone of 500 reviews. These range quite considerably with some firms getting a real bashing.
“If someone is mulling over the idea of entering into an IVA, they should check the reviews for the firm they have in mind before proceeding,” advises Balfour.
“Working up the courage to apply for an IVA is a big step,” he says. “It provides a huge relief for people who desperately want to start again without the stigma of bankruptcy – not to mention the massive blow of losing their house and the pasting their credit rating will take.
“Communication, sensitivity and thorough understanding of the IVA market are crucial to the success of the arrangement. It’s imperative to find the right IVA provider who will be able to help – and with the comparison tool that IVA.com offers, looking for the best practice should be fairly straightforward.”
There are nearly 1,000 IVA providers listed on IVA.com’s database covering the whole of the UK. The service allows clients to find an IP who is close enough for them to meet face to face and ensures they don’t leap from the frying pan into the fire by putting their financial security in the hands of a firm that cannot deliver.
Individual Voluntary Arrangements figures
*Source: The Insolvency Service, 2007
– Ends –
General enquiries: 0800 324 7011 / www.iva.com
Terry Balfour, Director
0800 324 7011
Lucie Ager, Consultant
01273 774109 / 07796 878263
David Andrews Media Ltd
David Andrews, Senior Consultant - Director
01273 774109 / 07941 255855
David Andrews Media Ltd
Founded by its managing director Terry Balfour in 2007, IVA.com is the first IVA comparison website in the UK. It is a free interactive online service for consumers looking for an IVA firm most suitable to their needs. Its database has over 1,000 UK-based IVA firms and insolvency practitioners (IPs). IVA.com brings transparency to the market by employing its unique rating system based on the real experiences of IVA customers. There are over 500 reviews and many more ratings that provide people with details of how IVA firms are performing.
IVA.com enables smaller firms to compete more effectively with the larger IVA factories.
Search for IP/IVA Firm
Last 10 Reviews


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// Work & Pensions Secretary Therese Coffey won’t “attack” Tesco for £900m dividend pay out
// Tesco under scrutiny for the pay out despite securing a £585m tax break from the government
// Coffey told ITV’s Robert Peston that Tesco deserved credit for its efforts in navigating the pandemic so far
Work and Pensions Secretary Therese Coffey has said she will not “attack” Tesco for its decision to pay huge dividends to shareholders while receiving government support during the coronavirus pandemic.
The supermarket giant has come under scrutiny from politicians and analysts for paying out £900 million in dividends to investors despite securing a £585 million tax break from the government.
The tax break is in the form of a business rates holiday for the current financial year, which the Chancellor announced last month as part of measures to support businesses impacted by the virus.
- Tesco defends £900m shareholder payout despite £585m tax break
- Tesco sales jump amid warning of “significant” coronavirus costs
- Tesco eyes pop-up stores at NHS Nightingale sites
However, Coffey told ITV’s Robert Peston last night that Tesco deserved credit for its efforts in navigating the pandemic so far.
“I know other businesses that have chosen not to pay dividends and have made that clear to shareholders,” she said.
“But I’m not going to necessarily attack people like Tesco who have actually been working flat out again to not only keep food on the table for people but also the amount of work they’re doing to support vulnerable people around the country.
“So I think businesses do need to consider carefully what this government is doing, what taxpayers are doing to help them stay afloat.”
Coffey still highlighted that companies should not be seen to abuse the “generosity” of support schemes.
“The furlough scheme is very generous, as you say all the other support schemes that are in place, whether it be loans, rate relief, grants, and I think they’ve got to be careful in making sure taxpayers’ generosity isn’t seen to then be used in a different way,” she said.
Her comments come after Labour MP and Treasury select committee member Rushanara Ali describing Tesco’s tax break as “completely disproportionate”.
“It’s an absolute scandal that the government is providing this tax break to Tesco while millions of self-employed and freelance workers, even those who qualify, cannot get any money until June,” Ali said.
The Share Centre investment research analyst Joe Healey said: “It appears there are no signs of Tesco taking the foot off the pedal on its dividend distributions, something that will please investors.
“In my opinion, this is a somewhat aggressive move by a company who has openly announced a significant uptick in costs associated with the pandemic, defying similar companies such as Morrisons which has deferred dividends in an effort to preserve cash.”
Tesco chief executive Dave Lewis defended the dividend pay out decision, saying it was “reflective of last year’s performance and the strength of the business” and ordinary people with shares stand to benefit.
“We looked at whether the business needs more liquidity even in the most stressed scenario and it was decided we do not,” he said.
“We have a strong balance sheet and we do not need surplus cash.”
Tesco shareholders will receive 9.15p per share in its first shareholder dividend in five years.
The dividend payout was first announced in Tesco’s full year trading update yesterday.
with PA Wires


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The iPhone keyboard reportedly contains one-handed typing mode that works on either sides.
One of the several distinguishing features of Windows Phone is its smart keyboard. It seems that Microsoft knows it very well. This is why the tech giant is reportedly busy these days testing out an initial version of a similar keyboard for iOS.
Image Source: theverge.com
Just like Windows 10 Mobile keyboard, the fan-shaped keyboard for iPhone also offers one-handed typing mode. What’s different is that iOS version easily shifts to the right or left, making it easier and simpler to use with either hand on the go.
The keyboard is currently being tested internally by the Microsoft team, after which it will be available for public testing.
The iPhone users should expect to get their hands on the Word Flow keyboard within the next few months, though Android users will have to wait a bit longer.
After Cortana, it is the second most appealing feature that the tech giant is willingly offering to its rival platforms.
Featured Image Courtesy: finance.yahoo.com


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Celebrating the Holy Month of Ramadan, Auto Class Cars, the authorised distributor of MG in Qatar, has launched a special offer on MG vehicles available now at Auto Class Cars showroom on Salwa Road.
Valid until the end of Ramadan, the offer allows the customers to buy MG RX5 or MG ZS for QAR 1,199 or 999 respectively. Customers can enjoy benefits including one-year free registration, one-year free comprehensive insurance, two years/30,000 kilometres free service, Door-to-door maintenance service, six years/200,000 kilometre manufacturer warranty, No early termination fees, and guaranteed buyback.
Sheikh Faleh Bin Nawaf Al Thani, Automotive Operations Director, at Nasser Bin Khaled Holding said:
Celebrating the Holy Month of Ramadan, Auto Class is pleased to launch this offer on two MG SUV cars, following their official launching in Qatar. We will continue our efforts to secure the best deals and flexible financing options to our clients to drive away with a brand-new car.’
Ihab El Feky – Group Automotive Director at NBK said:
The holy month of Ramadan is a precious occasion to celebrate with our customers. We congratulate them all and are pleased to provide them with this special offer to own an MG car that is known for their reliability and performance.’
Auto Class Cars has recently celebrated the launch of MG in Qatar at a special ceremony held at the new Auto Class Cars showroom. The launch of the iconic British automotive brand comes hot on the heels of the initial new partnership agreement that was signed by SAIC Motor and Auto Class.
The new MG ZS
The new MG ZS is now available in three high-value trim levels – 1.5L STD, 1.5L COM and 1.5L LUX – the perfect option for buyers seeking a good-looking, well-equipped, well-built car at a sensible price. The arrival of MG’s new crossover marks an exciting new era of design for the famous British car brand with the introduction of a totally modern design philosophy. Based on ‘Emotional Dynamism’, this more expressive design language showcased by the MG ZS is set to feature across all upcoming models and emphasises the premium experience and commitment to quality of the ambitious brand.
The new MG RX5 will appeal to a range of customers in Qatar, especially younger buyers looking for value for money in a stylish, technologically-advanced package that allows them to stand out from the crowd. Equipped with a 1.5T petrol engine and 7-speed automatic gearbox the MG RX5 is available as entry level standard or mid-range COM models. The more powerful 2.0T power plant is mated to a 6-speed automatic gearbox and is offered for either COM or top-of-the-range LUX trim levels, with the latter featuring all-wheel drive. The MG RX5 boasts an attractive, futuristic design that is instantly recognisable, notably at the front where the stylish square LED headlamps, imposing wing-shaped grille and innovative fog lamps endow it with real on-the-road presence.
The cars are available now in Auto Class Showroom on Salwa road. Customers can visit the showroom from Saturday to Thursday 8 am to 9 pm and on Friday from 5 pm to 9 pm. The working hours in Ramadan is from Saturday till Thursday from 8:30 am till noon, and from 8:30 pm till 12:30 am. Fridays open from 8:30 pm till 12:30 am.
Visit mg_qa.com for more information.


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US auto sales rose more than expected in October, amid concern that the market has peaked.
According to Autodata, sales rose at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 18.29 million.
Analysts had estimated that total vehicle sales rose at a rate of 17.6 million, according to Bloomberg, little changed from last month.
After a record sales year for the auto industry in 2015, analysts and automakers came into this year concerned that the market had peaked.
In response to that fear, carmakers offered potential buyers huge incentives like cash rebates to entice them. According to Barclays analyst Brian Johnson, the incentives offered in the past four months are near the highest level seen since the Great Recession.
Here's the final scoreboard:
- GM: -1.7% (-6.9% expected)
- Fiat Chrysler: -10% (-9.8% expected)
- Ford: -12.1%
- Nissan: -2.2% (-1.5% expected)
- Volkswagen: -18.46%
- Honda: -4.2% (-4.4% expected)
- Toyota: -8.7% (-4.7% expected)
- BMW: -16.6%
- Mitsubishi: 2.8%
- Subaru: 4.1%


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The Master Builders Association of Pierce County and the Remodelor’s Council are holding a Construction Trade Expo in Fife on March 26.
The event takes place 5–7:30 p.m., March 26 at the Emerald Queen Casino’s Event Center Ballroom, 5580 Pacific Highway East in Fife. Tickets are $10 in advance and $20 at the door. Light appetizers and one drink voucher are included with admission.
The trade show is being held to “help connect suppliers, sub-contractors and other industry related businesses,” according to a press release. It will feature companies specializing in flooring, cabinetry, interior design, and more.
Many exhibitors plan to feature raffle prizes and giveaways for attendees. The Remodelor’s Council is raffling a $1,000 Alaska Airlines gift card.
“This is a great opportunity for local businesses to expand their network of potential suppliers and sub-contractors before peak season,” said MBA Pierce Executive Officer Jeremiah Lafranca in a prepared statement.


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The exciting game expo G-Star 2016 is right around the corner, being set in Busan BEXCO in Korea for four days beginning November 17, and some developers are starting to reveal what they will be up to. Webzen has revealed the two games that will be on show, MU Legend for PC and Azera: Iron Heart for mobile.
MU LEGEND is the follow-up to MU Online and has just started its first global closed beta on October 25. A new cinematic trailer will be revealed, but you can have a taste right away.
Azera: Iron Heart is based on an old PC MMORPG with a somewhat adult tone (with some characters with reduced clothing) and offers some familiar 3D questing and combat. The closed beta is set to begin in December 2016 in South Korea with the official launch following soon afterwards.
Webzen was also working on Lightfall, a sci-fi fantasy PC MMORPG that was canceled in August, as well as other browser and mobile games, but none of these are apparently going to show up during G-Star 2016.