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Safer Internet Day: The '10 Commandments' to avoid online dangers
Intended to highlight positive uses of technology and help create a better and safer online community, it’s celebrated globally with over 100 countries taking part.
The campaign is particularly aimed at children, and their parents, to highlight the dangers of the web. And it's worth remembering that while youngsters are the most prolific users of social media, there are age restrictions in place to protect them
The age limit for most of the major social networks is 13, including Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter, Skype, Instagram, Reddit and Pinterest.
It’s the same age for Flickr and Youtube with the additional proviso that approval of a parent or guardian is required.
Whatsapp’s lower limit is 16 years old, and Tinder’s is 18.
Of course, it’s not just children who face potential hazards on the web. There are various security risks which can affect users of all ages. Web security site https://safeandsavvy.f-secure.com recently offered its ‘10 Commandments’ for safer surfing, which we attempt to put into layman’s terms.
Thou shalt not use public WiFi without a VPN.
A Virtual Private Network will add security to your device - clicking on what seems to be a ‘legitimate’ WiFi network is highly risky as these could turn out to be insecure, if not an actual fake version aimed at stealing your data.
Thou shalt not click “Enable Macros.”
Macros are essentially computer programs which, if allowed to run on your phone or PC, could run amok, erasing or stealing your data.
Thou shalt not open attachments which were unexpected or from a stranger.
An attachment could contain, well, anything - a virus or malware, or a macro (see #2) or similar malicious code.
Thou shalt not share personal, identifiable information on social media platforms.
Identity theft is becoming more and more common, and the more personal details a criminal has on you - no matter how seemingly trivial - the easier it will be for them to adopt your persona.
Thou shalt use a unique, uncrackable password for all important accounts and — ideally — store them in a password manager.
Unfortunately, having many complicated passwords makes it hard to remember how to get into your various accounts. But it’s worth it. And a password manager will make it easier.
Honor your privacy settings by checking them regularly.
Social networks are adding more ‘features’ all the time, and these are sometimes buried in lengthy Terms and Conditions. (Did you know that Facebook now has Facial Recognition? You can turn it off, and probably should!)
Thou shalt not keep the default password on anything, especially routers.
Because that’s the first password a hacker will try. And in the case of a router, it’s the quickest way into your home network.
Thou shalt not do online banking without security software that includes anti-phishing and banking protection features.
Your bank will probably offer this as a matter of course, so you should take advantage of it.
Remember two-step verification and use it whenever possible.
This will, for example, send a code to your phone when you login to your online banking. A little inconvenient, but not as much as it is for the cybercriminal who doesn’t have access to your mobile.
Thou shalt not leave your devices unlocked
It could lead to your workmates posting an ‘amusing’ status. Or much much worse...


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|Pandemic forces firms to modernize their supply chains|
||Posted: Sunday, May 17, 2020|
Pandemic forces firms to modernize their supply chains
Companies are on a drive to look for technological solutions, both emerging and existing, to supply chain bottlenecks caused by covid-19 and the subsequent nationwide lockdown.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for the country to modernize its supply chain. “One clear trend I have witnessed is that clients who were already invested in technology are able to manage the current situation much better," said Ashish Nanda, supply chain leader, EY India.
The pandemic has set physical constraints, and access to digital solutions allow firms to have visibility not only within their organizations, but across the value chain, said Nanda.
Traditional planning models do not apply due to the pandemic, said experts.
Companies could set forecasts for months in advance earlier, but now they have to work on real-time models. For this, traditional technology tools aren’t always feasible.
“What is happening now is that companies are investing in low cost add-ons or hold-ons, which are helping them monitor the constraints on a real-time basis," Nanda said, adding that emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence and blockchain, will play a crucial role.
“Covid has taught us to look at new ways of patternization, understanding demand and supply and fulfilment," said Easwaran P.S., Partner, Deloitte India. “One of the big applications that’s coming up is artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud-based inventory optimization," he added.
Food products brand Parle and IBM are working together to create an “intelligent supply chain". They will make use of IBM’s Watson AI solution to predict demand, reduce time-to-market and right-size its inventory across the supply chain.
In the fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector, firms have rushed to tie-up with delivery platforms, such as Zomato, Swiggy and Dunzo, to ensure their goods keep moving. These firms traditionally depended on neighbourhood mom-and-pop stores to meet the market demand.
Big companies aside, digital transformation extends right to the lowest levels of the supply chain right now.
According to Pankaj Ghodde, CEO of Agro10X, he added over 100,000 new farmers to its platform in the past month-and-a-half. It had taken the platform six months to add the same number before the pandemic. “We had to actually put a load balance on our server because of the load coming from the platform," he said.

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The “Fabric Of Our Lives” found itself softly in the hands of blockchain this week.
Eighty-eight bales of cotton became part of, arguably, one of the biggest breakthroughs in blockchain this month, all through the first global trade shipment and transaction between independent banks depending on blockchain as a ledger. The Commonwealth Bank of Australia and Wells Fargo used blockchain for that trade shipment from Texas to Qingdao in China. It involved an open account transaction similar to a traditional bank letter of credit — from seller Brighann Cotton of the U.S. to buyer Brighann Cotton Marketing Australia — and blockchain to prove that the goods were shipped, which all ultimately elevated transparency, security measures and tracking.
This is clearly a real-world implementation of a smart contract for the shipping of goods. Goods are received, codes are scanned, data is inputted, transfer of title occurs and ultimately payment is released.
“A key result of this application is in the reduction of paperwork and delays in processing and, therefore, the ability to reduce fraud. A common problem with the shipping of goods, similar to that faced by cryptocurrencies, is the ‘double spend,’” said Ira Schaefer of Hogan Lovells. “The smart contract and blockchain technologies will prevent the use of the same shipment of goods to satisfy more than one contract.”
Indeed, smart contracts are more efficient and, well, smart.
“Smart contracts are the most commonly talked about opportunities for blockchain at the moment, because the business case for automating what can be an extremely manual business is clear,” said Andy Schmidt, principal executive advisor at CEB. “This experiment with the Commonwealth Bank of Australia and Wells Fargo will be a test case for what types of improvements can be made in the trade finance market, which is long overdue for improvement.”
Blockchain experts say that improvement especially includes intervening against the cost of fraud, which ultimately adds to the price of goods. As a result, this could trickle down to help the pocketbooks of manufacturers and consumers.
And that’s at the international level.
At the state level, Illinois’ government has shown interest in delving into incorporating blockchain into how it does business.
Governor Bruce Rauner — who came into the office nearly 20 months ago from the private sector — has established a working group focused on developing the strategy to integrate blockchain. Bringing together the state’s Department of Innovation and Technology, Department of Financial and Professional Regulation and Department of Insurance, the goal is to find ways that blockchain can make government services more efficient.
The state's Department of Insurance, specifically, has said that the office has eyes on being among the first agencies of its kind in the country to utilize the technology.
“The state of Illinois is taking an important step forward by directly recognizing the many ways in which blockchain and distributed ledger technologies can improve the workings of a variety of state- and county-level governmental functions,” said Lewis Cohen at Hogan Lovells. “By signaling a willingness to explore these technologies, Illinois opens the door for partnering with the broad range of private-sector companies pioneering innovative solutions in this area.”
Schmidt at CEB agreed: “Moving to a distributed ledger approach for the use and sharing of information can reduce costs for Illinois, while making the state easier to do business with — a win-win for all involved.”
Cohen, who also represents the International Blockchain Real Estate Association (IBREA), said Cook County (IL) has already been leading with its pilot program to explore ways in which blockchain technology can improve the process of recording and transferring title to real property.
The political benefits of supporting innovation through the use of blockchain and distributed ledger technologies could be stemming from projects like IBREA and the Illinois government. Nationally, Congress recently formed the bipartisan Congressional Blockchain Alliance, proving the level of interest and support in pursuing these technologies at the federal level.
“With such a high degree of dissension at the federal level, it makes great sense for states like Illinois to align with initiatives that share support on both sides of the political landscape,” said Cohen. “These technologies will also empower the government to deliver services much more efficiently, freeing up scarce budget for other important programs and generating positive support from voters and local businesses alike.”
But whether it’s international trade, state government data or just a slew of industries hopping on the blockchain train, experts agree blockchain is certainly going to change our world, possibly faster than we can anticipate.
The adoption may be the key in turning on the engine.
“On the one hand, blockchain has a lot of potential, but real adoption and wide-stream live applications will still take a number of years before they become a reality,” said Bart Cant, principal and blockchain practice lead at Capgemini. “Wide-stream adoption of blockchain will take place at the earliest in 2019–2020, as we have still a lot to experiment, build and test.”
Schaefer agreed with this and likened the adoption of blockchain to similar aspects of the digital world.
“I think of the idea of the blockchain/distributed ledger technology in the same way as the iPhone, which came out at around the same time as bitcoin,” said Schaefer. “At first, many people did not realize the potential of the iPhone because it was programmable and there were no ‘killer’ apps. However, once developers started coming out with apps that showed the real potential of the iPhone, it was realized that the iPhone would change the world.”
The same may indeed be true for blockchain technology. Perhaps we’ll be as dependent on blockchain as we are on our smartphones. Perhaps.


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Route X8A withdrawal
2 months ago
Route X8A will be withdrawn after service on Saturday 13 February 2021.
Route X8A was provided with developer funding secured by Dorset Council from Lidl when the new Blandford store opened and this funding has been sufficient to support the operation of the service for the past three years. That funding has now expired and in its absence, usage is insufficient to cover the cost of operation, even at pre-covid patronage levels. No replacement source of funding has been forthcoming.
Route X8 will continue to operate as normal so most stops will continue to be served.


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What's up everyone. We are doing a contest with T.I. and we are giving away $1200 a day for the next 10 days. Just wanted to give you all a heads up.
Royals Foams Back! Copper Foams Back! Eggplants Foams Back!...2017
TSG can confirm that Nike will release three ultra popular Foamposite One colorways next year.
2017 marks the 20th Anniversary of the iconic Air Foamposite silhouette. That said, Nike is bringing back some of the most loved Foamposite One colorways, including Copper, Eggplant and the one that started it all, Royal Blue.
The wait will soon come to an end if you’ve been patiently waiting for one of these colors to re-release. It’s too early confirm release dates, but stay tuned for additional release info.
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Financially, Tesla has been moderate with a market capitalization of $30 billion and about 25,000 cars sold around the world over the last three years (Niedermeyer, 2014), however compared to its competitors like Toyota and General Motors, this growth is small. Their most recent annual report shows a negative net income due to their high cost of goods and operating expenses. This is because the lithium ion battery used for these electric cars is a highly expensive product in which Tesla currently buys from an outside supplier, Panasonic. Tesla’s is considering building their own “giga plant” to start producing their own batteries and becoming their own supplier so that they can have control over the market price and their operating expenses (Putros, 2014). Tesla’s current market price is at $241 and seems to be growing strong as
Tesla Motors, Inc. was formed in 2003 in Palo Alto California with an aim to use technology to produce cars that ran on electricity. The company majors in two main brands of electric cars, the Model S sedan and the Roadster sports car. However, customers have raised concern over the battery life of the Tesla brands of cars and as such, producing a wind-powered generator to recharge the car batteries would be a welcome move for the company. The company’s target group is males aged 30 and 50 who are environmentally –conscious and would like to travel long distances without stopping thereby cutting back on the use of non-renewable sources of energy. Moreover, the company’s value proposition includes building top quality cars that would perform well and thus provide customers with high quality service. As such, the company had envisioned a move to tap the market for vehicles that use renewable energy before competition creeps in.
Inventor or innovator, many may think these two terms are synonymous, the fact is they are not. Clear in his determination that he was not simply an inventor like his rival Thomas Edison, Tesla considered himself an innovator; he was a man who discovered new concepts and revolutionized old ideas to bring about change. Throughout his life Tesla faced heavy skepticism from his peers, and even still today the scientific community questions many of his findings. In article The Tesla Files it notes, “Tesla is shunned largely because his ideas are too radical for the larger scientific community and the industry that supports them” (Howard). However, despite the skepticism Tesla faced, he spent his entire life tirelessly working to prove all of those
One of the main political factors facing Tesla in the US are the incentives offered by different states and cities to Tesla owners. They must co-ordinate with these policy makers and inform the consumer. In China, the key political factor is that “the Chinese government wants to put around 5 million electric or plug-in hybrid vehicles on its roads by 2020, but to date reports have confirmed that there are a mere 70,000 electric vehicles plying on China’s roads. In order to promote EV sales, the government has set a target that 30% of government vehicles purchased by 2016 should be EVs. To reach the target set for 2020, the Chinese government is ready to fund nearly $16 billion to build electric charging stations. To further promote EVs among Chinese car buyers, the government is looking to impose a new tax on gasoline engines and has renewed the private-buyer subsidies for electric-powered vehicles for another three years.” (GuruFocus. 2014.
Elon Musk also uses partnerships strategically to better the Tesla brand and further develop them and use this a source of revenue for the company. Tesla partnered with a number of other companies including Dailmer, which brought in 15.7 million dollars in development services revenue. Toyota was also a company that Tesla partnered with to help develop some of their vehicles one of which being to help develop an electric powertrain system for Toyota’s compact SUV the Toyota RAV4. This generated 45.1 million dollars in revenue for Tesla after a powertrain system sale to Toyota.
Tesla is an automobile company that designs and manufactures electric cars. Cars produce a lot of carbon emissions that are ejected into our natural atmosphere, leaving us vulnerable to things like pollution and greenhouse gases. In order to help positively the environment we live in, an electric car is a great step forward. It does not emit toxic gases or smoke in the environment as it runs on clean energy source. Electric cars are far more efficient than any other kind of car, and because they are the ultimate multi-fuel cars. The neat thing about electricity is that pretty much any burnable fuel can be converted to electricity efficiently. we can make electricity in so many different ways such as we can put a million solar panels on our
The case study about TESLA was very insightful in the relentless quest for innovation and redefining the world’s transition to sustainable energy. It is inexplicable at times to understand the current policies of our administration such as the US withdrawal from Paris climate agreement. However the road has been paved for the investment in renewable energy and we now see more and more world governments, global commerce and transnational industry are embarking on a plan to
The third and final sensational destination within Fremont is the Tesla Factory. The Tesla factory, one of the world’s most advanced automobile factory, is a great place within Fremont for many reasons, of which there are three that I rate the most important. First of all, the Tesla Factory provides over 6,000 people with jobs, which allows many families to be able to survive in the expensive Fremont neighborhood. Also, the Tesla Factory manufactures over 100,000 cars a year, helping many people have more environmentally friendly cars, which will help reduce the pollution that is being
As the EV and HEV trend strengthens, key industry players are offering models that directly compete with Tesla. Competing models include the Chevy Volt and Spark, Nissan Leaf, Toyota Prius, Ford Focus, Honda Fit, Smart Car, Volkswagen Golf, BMW i3, and Mercedes Benz B-class EV (Grant, 2015). However, Elon Musk does not view these offerings as Tesla’s competition. With only 1% of total vehicle sales going to non-hydrocarbon burning cars, Musk identifies Tesla’s true competition as the gasoline cars with production rates of about 100 million per year (Musk 2014).
The literature reviewed for this assignment comes from information resources ranging from academic journals, internal reports, financial statements, and Tesla’s Form 10-K 2016. The information ranges in date from 2015 – 2017.
Tesla is a company that barely started growing and was barely founded. “Tesla was founded in 2003 by a group of engineers who wanted to prove that people didn’t need to compromise to drive electric – that electric vehicles can be better, quicker and more fun to drive than gasoline cars. Today, Tesla builds not only all-electric vehicles but also infinitely scalable clean energy generation and storage products. Tesla believes the faster the world stops relying
Tesla Motors Incorporated, an American company that designs, produces, and sells electric vehicles and their electric components, has become one of the fastest growing car companies in recent history. The company’s main goal was to start creating electric vehicles that were accessible and affordable to the public. Founded in 2003 and taking off successfully by 2009, Tesla Motors started selling the first mass-produced vehicle to use lithium-ion battery cells and hold a range of greater than 200 miles on just one charge. Along with building their own electric vehicle models, Tesla also builds electric powertrain components for vehicles from other automakers including cars such as the Toyota RAV4 electric vehicle. Tesla has begun to maximize
Rarity: Tesla Motors is known to have a differentiated product over other firms in the sense that it sells electric based cars. It is the only successfully running electric sports cars in the U.S. At the beginning sales were not enough to sustain the business but tesla motors proved it self after introducing the new model, Tesla Roadster 2. There is only few car manufacturing companies trying to enter this industry which makes Tesla Motors have a competitive advantage.


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The country’s horticulture exports declined 10 percent in the four months to April this year, latest statistics from national trade promotion and development body, ZimTrade show, as the sector slowly recovers from the negative impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The value of exports dropped to about US$13,1 million from US$14,6 million during the same period last year, ZimTrade chief executive Allan Majuru said.
Major contributors were macadamia, citrus, leguminous vegetables, and fresh flowers.
“The sector has performed at high and low (levels) over the past few years, but overall projections indicate the potential for export growth,” said Mr Majuru.
“Between January and December 2020, the sector was one of the sectors hit hard by the coronavirus, recording a 13,5 percent decline during that year compared to the previous year.”
The sector however picked up in 2021, recording a 6,8 percent growth between January and December during the year compared to the previous year, Majuru said, with exports growing from US$59,5 million recorded in 2020 to US$63,6 million.
Zimbabwe’s horticulture sector is among the top five contributors to the gross domestic product (GDP), behind tobacco, maize and cotton, with huge potential to contribute to the overall strong growth of Zimbabwe’s exports.
The southern Africa country has a diverse horticultural sector and most of the producers are small scale farmers.
Majuru said the growing global market for horticulture, in the form of fruits, nuts and vegetables, presented opportunities for Zimbabwean sector players to grow their exports.
“As Zimbabwe intensifies efforts to revive the economy, the agricultural sector is a low hanging fruit with potential to earn the much-needed foreign currency through export of quality horticultural products,” said Majuru.
“With regards to market penetration, Zimbabwe has a reputation for being a source of good quality horticultural products.”
“In fact, there is a general appreciation in countries like the Netherlands where buyers say Zimbabwean products such as blueberries taste better compared to those from other countries.”
Majuru said horticulture exporters in Zimbabwe were facing capacity challenges in accessing the European Union market, thus limiting their ability to realise full export growth opportunities.
“To address this challenge, ZimTrade is developing export clusters across the country where the target is also to integrate smallholder farmers into export business.
“By doing this, the country will increase the number of producers, which in turn will boost production. In the previous years, other horticulture farmers have also not been able to fully participate in exports due to market access requirements being imposed by the EU.
“This has resulted in some farmers giving up on exports, closing and others downsizing,” said Majuru.
He said ZimTrade was increasing engagements between Zimbabwean farmers and buyers in Europe and the United Kingdom, where focus was on market requirements.
ZimTrade has so far facilitated for sector players to take part in two global exhibitions, the Fruit Logistica that took place in Germany, and MacFrut Fair in Italy.
The participants engaged buyers who expressed willingness to source from Zimbabwe.


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Media company Viacom International is suing online video provider YouTube and its parent company, Google, for more than US$1 billion, saying the companies are infringing on Viacom's copyrights because almost 160,000 unauthorised video clips are available for viewing on YouTube.
New York-based Viacom also says it is seeking an injunction prohibiting Google and YouTube from further copyright infringement. Google acquired YouTube in November for US$1.65 billion.
The 27-page lawsuit, filed in US District Court for the Southern District of New York, alleges that thousands of unauthorised clips of Viacom's programming have been viewed on YouTube more than 1.5 billion times.
In a statement emailed by a company spokesman, Google says it hasn't yet received the lawsuit but is "confident that YouTube has respected the legal rights of copyright holders and believe the courts will agree."
"YouTube is great for users and offers real opportunities to rights holders: the opportunity to interact with users; to promote their content to a young and growing audience; and to tap into the online advertising market. We will certainly not let this suit become a distraction to the continuing growth and strong performance of YouTube and its ability to attract more users, more traffic and build a stronger community," the statement says.
Viacom, in its statement says, "YouTube is a significant, for-profit organisation that has built a lucrative business out of exploiting the devotion of fans to others' creative works in order to enrich itself and its corporate parent, Google."
"Their business model, which is based on building traffic and selling advertising off of unlicensed content, is clearly illegal and is in obvious conflict with copyright laws. In fact, YouTube's strategy has been to avoid taking proactive steps to curtail the infringement on its site, thus generating significant traffic and revenues for itself while shifting the entire burden -- and high cost -- of monitoring YouTube onto the victims of its infringement," Viacom states.
Viacom says it filed the suit "after a great deal of unproductive negotiation" and that "YouTube continues in its unlawful business model." Last month, the company demanded that YouTube remove more than 100,000 of Viacom's video clips from its site.
"There is no question that YouTube and Google are continuing to take the fruit of our efforts without permission and destroying enormous value in the process," says Viacom. "Therefore, we must turn to the courts to prevent Google and YouTube from continuing to steal value from artists and to obtain compensation for the significant damage they have caused."
A Viacom spokesman said the company has no comment beyond the press release and lawsuit.
In the lawsuit, Viacom alleges that "YouTube's brazen disregard of the intellectual property laws fundamentally threatens not just [Viacom], but the economic underpinnings of one of the most important sectors of the United States economy."
The lawsuit also alleges that YouTube "purports to be a forum for users to share their own original 'user generated' video content. In reality, however, a vast amount of that content consists of infringing copies of [Viacom's] copyrighted works, including such popular (and obviously copyrighted) television programming and motion pictures as SpongeBob SquarePants, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, The Colbert Report, South Park, Ren & Stimpy, MTV Unplugged, An Inconvenient Truth, Mean Girls and many others."
Through its operations, YouTube "knowingly reproduces and publicly performs the copyrighted works uploaded to its site," the lawsuit alleges. "Defendants know and intend that a substantial amount of the content on the YouTube site consists of unlicensed infringing copies of copyrighted works and have done little or nothing to prevent this massive infringement."
While YouTube has a process where copyright holders can identify postings of material that infringes on copyrights so that it can be removed, YouTube makes the process onerous on the copyright holders, the lawsuit alleges.
According to the lawsuit, YouTube "has decided to shift the burden entirely onto copyright owners to monitor the YouTube site on a daily or hourly basis to detect infringing videos and send notices to YouTube demanding that it 'take down' the infringing works."
The problem with that process, the lawsuit continues, is that even after being removed, the infringing video is often uploaded again by another YouTube user and it appears again on the site within hours.
"Defendants have actual knowledge and clear notice of this massive infringement, which is obvious to even the most casual visitor to the site," the lawsuit states. "Indeed, the presence of infringing copyrighted material on YouTube is fully intended by defendants as a critical part of their business plan to drive traffic and increase YouTube's network, market share and enterprise value, as reflected in the recent purchase price of US$1.65 billion."
"YouTube has failed to employ reasonable measures that could substantially reduce, or eliminate, the massive amount of copyright infringement on the YouTube site from which YouTube directly profits," the lawsuit alleges. "Even though defendants are well aware of the rampant infringement on the YouTube website, and YouTube has the right and ability to control it, YouTube's intentional strategy has been to take no steps to curtail the infringement from which it profits unless notified of specific infringing videos by copyright owners, thereby shifting the entire burden -- and high cost -- of monitoring YouTube's infringement onto the victims of that infringement."
David A. Gurwin, a lawyer who specialises in technology, entertainment and media law for Pittsburgh, Pa.-based Buchanan, Ingersoll & Rooney PC, says that under US copyright law, Viacom won't have to show that it's been harmed by the alleged YouTube infringements.
"It's the ability to control [one's own content], which rests with the copyright owner, and Google appears to be saying 'we know better than you what's in your best interest,'" Gurwin says. Google made a similar argument in the past when the company announced plans to digitise books and make them available online, he says. The company argued that such a move would benefit authors and publishers by disseminating works more widely and would increase market demand because people would read the books online then want to buy them for themselves, he says.
"Frankly, all that may be true, but in my view it's up to the copyright holder to make that decision," Gurwin says.
Google will likely defend itself, Gurwin says, by arguing that it is protected by the 1998 Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), which provides a framework to regulate copyrights in the world of electronic content. The DMCA gives copyright holders procedures to follow to protect their content when alleged violations occur and provides protections to cover unintentional posting of copyrighted materials. Google and YouTube will likely argue that they provide a service and don't actually post the content in dispute, using the DMCA as "a statutory shield," he says.
Viacom's lawsuit, however, alleges that once YouTube takes the submitted content from its users, it then copies it into its own software formats and places it on its own servers. In that case, Gurwin says, Viacom is "trying to allege that the Safe Harbor provisions under the DMCA don't apply because of their manipulation of the content" after it is received from users.
Viacom's entertainment brands include MTV: Music Television, VH1, CMT: Country Music Television, Logo, Nickelodeon, Nick at Nite, Comedy Central, Spike TV, TV Land, and more than 130 networks around the world, as well as MTV.com, comedycentral.com, VSPOT, TurboNick, Neopets, Xfire and iFilm, BET Networks, Paramount Pictures, DreamWorks and Famous Music.


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New Samsung Malaysia Di Hatiku Campaign aspires to unite the nation
In these dark times, Samsung Malaysia Electronics is looking to spread a bit of sunshine and have kicked off a ‘Malaysia Di Hatiku’ campaign in partnership with Universal Music Malaysia that features the release of a single by the same name.
What is Malaysia Di Hatiku
The Malaysia Di Hatiku single features the talents of hip-hop artist Yonnyboii, Tabby from girl group Dolla and rappers Kmy Kmo and Luca Sickta that is marked via the release of a music video and TikTok campaign.
“The past year has seen Malaysians, and indeed the world, face unprecedented circumstances. Yet within this struggle is the opportunity for many of us to bring forth the ‘Malaysia Boleh’ spirit and goodwill. If music connects people, then love should be its message and we want Malaysians to share their love and be reminded of the possibilities that our nation can once more strive towards,” said Elaine Soh, Chief Marketing Officer of Samsung Malaysia Electronics.
“Music is a human trait, one that we use to connect, to communicate, and to relate. With all that has happened this is an opportunity to bring in some positivity back to the community. As such we are pleased to be working once more with Samsung, not only in shining the spotlight on our local talents, but in working together to bring a positive change to the country,” said Kim Lim, Managing Director of Universal Music Malaysia.
From 20th August to 2nd September 2021, patriotic Malaysians can duet artists Yonnyboii or Tabby and even rap it out with Kmy Kmo and Luca Sickta on TikTok and hashtag #MalaysiaDiHatiku. The top 3 most creative submissions that capture the spirit of Malaysia Di Hatiku will each with a brand new Samsung Galaxy A32 each. Winners will be announced on 16 September 2021 which is Malaysia day.
You can check out the new track on all digital streaming platforms and their official music video here


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Wearables maker and the first brand under the Realme Techlife umbrella, Dizo on Monday announced it will manufacture its products locally in partnership with homegrown Optiemus Electronics Limited. Backing the Indian government’s initiative of Make in India, the brand has inked a partnership with Optiemus Electronics Limited to manufacture its smartwatches and audio wearables in India.
The brand has already started manufacturing some of its products, including the Dizo Watch D in India and will eventually move to local production of other Dizo products, including existing and upcoming devices in phases. Delhi-based Optiemus Electronics Limited is one of the leading electronic manufacturing services (EMS) providers in India.
Optiemus Electronics Limited has its manufacturing plant based in Noida and it has had successful partnerships with the top consumer tech brands, including OnePlus, Oppo, LG, HTC, Jio, Nokia, Harman and Noise, among others.
“We are thrilled to announce our participation in the ‘Make in India’ initiative by Govt. of India. From selling out products within minutes of the first sale to touching 1 million consumer base in just 5 months of inception to being rated as one of the top five smartwatch brands and fastest growing brands in audio wearables, our journey has been nothing less than a dream come true. We have been talking about local manufacturing since the beginning and today, this dream is realised too and we are very excited about the future,” Abhilash Panda, CEO, Dizo India, said in a statement.
“Our alliance with Optiemus Electronics Limited, only supports our commitment towards India and the Indian consumers. We are positive that through this partnership we will be able to bridge the gap of making more futuristic AIoT and lifestyle products for the growing consumer needs,” he added.
Dizo embarked on its India journey last year on May 25, enhanced by “smart tech life”. Pronounced “dee-zoe”, the brand has been creating a distinct proposition for its products and has been offering solutions that are aligned to the needs of every different consumer.


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Up in Smoke: Spruce Grove's Elation takes the bus on 420
April 20, 2018 — colloquially known as 420 — marked the last time that it will be illegal to smoke marijuana on the cannabis-centric holiday in Canada and to mark the occasion, a group of local marijuana enthusiasts decided to make the trip from Spruce Grove to Edmonton to celebrate in the city’s annual 420 celebrations.
Thousands of people gathered at the Alberta Legislature to peacefully protest in favour of legalization of marijuana by freely and openly smoking marijuana. The smoke-in is an annual event that occurs in cities across North America and beyond. Law enforcement typically gives protesters a pass on the use of the drug during the protests.
Joseph Boros is the owner of Spruce Grove’s Elation Glass and Vape and is the organizer behind the stoner pilgrimage. A regular attendee of the event in years past, Boros said that he decided to rent the bus to offer an opportunity for people to participate in the last true 420 protest and to help discourage impaired driving. At $10 a head to join, 100 per cent of the profits made were donated to the Parkland Food Bank.
“I’ve always loved going to the 420 celebrations so the idea came from there,” Boros said. “I know that the driving while high has been an issue in the past so I thought it would be cool if we could get a bus and raise some money for the Parkland Food Bank.”
A grand total of 13 people from Spruce Grove participated in the bus commute to the celebrations.
Boros is also spearheading a petition regarding proposed City bylaws that would govern the retail of legalized cannabis. With an application in to be a licensed retailer for the soon-to-be-legal drug, Boros said the proposed bylaws would limit business options for those who wish to sell recreational and medical marijuana.
“I don’t think its fair that the City of Spruce Grove can limit my options once cannabis becomes legal,” he said. “I want to have as many options as possible. I think that the supply is going to be a huge issue and if you only have a couple of stores or a few places that you can get it you’re going to really stifle a lot of people.”
Boros’ petition, which is available at Elation Glass and Vape, cites economic growth as key to the opposition of the proposed land-use bylaws.
“The bylaws proposed by the City of Spruce Grove’s Planning and Infrastructure department would restrict cannabis sales, preventing economic growth and business development in our city,” reads the petition. “Distance restrictions — specifically in relation to childcare distance provisions — will work against legalization efforts, limiting the potential of the cannabis industry within our city.”
Under provincial legislation, no cannabis retailer would be able to operate within 100-metres of school sites or provincial healthcare facilities. The legislation allows increased autonomy for municipalities to decide how to regulate legalization within the community but bars them from banning the sale outright.
While nothing has been passed on the municipal level at the present time, the City has been in discussions about how best to implement legalization within the city. During the City’s March 19 committee of the whole meeting, City administration proposed land-use bylaws that would increase the 100-metre buffer zone to 300-metres around schools, libraries and recreational facilities. A 200-metre buffer zone would be imposed around parks and a 100-metre buffer around healthcare and childcare facilities. Under those guidelines, the City has identified the city centre and the City’s vehicle commercial area as potential retail zones for cannabis.
Under provincial legislation, cannabis retailers would be able to operate until 2 a.m., but Spruce Grove has proposed limiting those hours to 11 p.m., as is the practice in some parts of the United States where cannabis is legal.
Mayor Stuart Houston and council said that they would be taking a conservative approach to legalization.
“I think from council’s perspective, we’re all in agreement we don’t want to see a free for all when this opens up. When this goes through, I think we would rather have a more conservative number of stores. Even allowing six stores I think would be a pretty good start,” Houston said.
Boros said that one of his chief concerns with the proposed bylaws would be the potential for that revenue to be lost to those who would find it easier to access cannabis in major centres like Edmonton.
“The other big thing is that I don’t want to see that money leaving the municipality,” he said. “I don’t want to see people driving to the city and spending that money there and Edmonton getting all of those tax dollars. We should be getting it, there’s no reason not to.”
A public hearing aimed at amassing input on the regulations from the community is scheduled for this May. Boros’ petitions must be dropped off to the City by May 9.
A final decision on what regulations the City will impose will happen this June.


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MILAN – ChemChina's takeover of Pirelli (IW 1000/491) has guaranteed the future of the Italian tire maker, and its celebrated racy calendars, according to the group's chief executive.
In an interview with AFP at the company's Milan headquarters, Marco Tronchetti had a reassuring message for fans of the annual collection of pictures of scantily-clad supermodels shot by leading photographers.
"It is the one thing Chinese, Italians and Russians can all agree on -- we'll never give it up," Tronchetti said on Wednesday.
Launched in 1964 as an annual giveaway for garages that sold Pirelli tires, the main calendar has evolved from the cheesy to the arty end of the erotica spectrum.
It's glossy celebration of feminine curves has become integral to a brand that, thanks also to its Formula One links, is sufficiently strong for it be described by one analyst as the Prada of the world of burning rubber.
ChemChina's principal interest lies in the access it gains to Pirelli's technology, notably its capacity to produce tires on which components can be replaced, extending their lives and making them more economical and environmentally friendly.
The deal has been attacked by labor unions as a sign of Italy ceding control of a strategic industrial asset but misgivings have otherwise been muted, with most politicians apparently accepting Prime Minister Matteo Renzi's emphasis on the need for the economy to become more open to inward investment.
"Renzi is on the right path," Tronchetti said. "This is the future. There are Italian, Russian, Chinese shareholders, the company will return to the stock exchange but we have protected Italian technology.
"Italy has made some very bad industrial choices in the last few decades, protecting only a few state companies while allowing them to become marginalized from world markets.
"Those who take an interest in the future of the country have all welcomed this deal."
The alternative, the 67-year-old says, would have been a merger of equals with a rival tiremaker that would have been doomed to failure.
With ChemChina, "there is no conflict. It seems balanced to me."
Tronchetti, who has been guaranteed five more years at the wheel of the company, recalled that he had taken over as CEO in 1992 in the aftermath of an aborted attempt to forge an alliance with the German group Continental.
"At the time the company was under serious threat (of losing its independence). Now my objective is to give Pirelli a future that is, as far as possible, guaranteed so that, tomorrow, someone cannot come along and buy it with the intention of dismantling the company and destroying the work that has been done."
Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2015


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Every wonder why you are constantly asked to install DirectX 9.0c even though you already have it installed? Here's the answer as the folks over at Coding Horror have found an interesting
little trick that Microsoft has been doing with DirectX 9.0c versions. You'd think that since they haven't released 9.0d or 9.0e that it's been the same version for the last year or so right? Turns out that Microsoft has released almost seven versions since the initial release last year and while each version is completely backwards compatible they just didn't update the numbers (although it looks like Vista ships with DirectX 9.0L).


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Finally, you have definitive proof that your significant other is only 52% happy. Face detection and recognition service Face.com has been busy since it launched its free API a year ago. The company has been adding servers to handle the load of the over 20,000 developers who signed up. It's also been adding features, the most recent the ability to detect the mood of a face, along with a confidence rating.
NetDNA, a content delivery solutions provider, has just announced the launch of the NetDNA Acceleration Platform and brand new REST API. The NetDNA Acceleration Platform provides developers the ability to embed web acceleration capabilities into websites and third-party applications. The New NetDNA REST API was designed specifically for use in third-party applications allowing access to resources such as accounts, users, zones and reports.


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AT&T has joined forces with a host of telco giants to create a new IoT Cybersecurity Alliance to address security challenges in the burgeoning segment.
IoT certainly presents a significant opportunity for the telecoms and tech industries, though there have been sceptics who have noted the potential security challenges of the segment. For every advantage which has been bounded around, concerns over whether such an expansive perimeter can remain secure considering the number of entry points. AT&T has stated it has has seen a 3,198% increase in attackers scanning for vulnerabilities in IoT devices over the course of the last three years alone.
Alongside AT&T, the alliance will consist of IBM, Nokia, Palo Alto Networks, Symantec and Trustonic. The group now has the ambitions to expand research and raise awareness of ways to better secure the IoT ecosystem.
“The explosive growth in the number of IoT devices is only expected to continue; therefore, so must the associated cybersecurity protections,” said Mo Katibeh, AT&T SVP of Advanced Solutions. “Today’s businesses are connecting devices ranging from robots on factory floors to pacemakers and refrigerators. Helping these organizations stay protected requires innovation across the whole IoT ecosystem to enable sustainable growth.”
In terms of top-line goals, the initial focus will be on four areas:
“Be it a connected car, pacemaker or coffee maker, every connected device is a potential new entry point for cyberattacks,” said AT&T Chief Security Officer Bill O’Hern. “Yet, each device requires very different security considerations. It’s become essential for industry leaders and innovators like those in the founding members of this Alliance, to work together to help the industry find more holistic security approaches for IoT.”
While it could be seen as relatively self-serving, it is an encouraging sign. Many security critics of current technologies note that security is seen as an afterthought, with security being built onto products as opposed to in products. The retrospective view on security can be seen as a vulnerability to many technologies and products around the world.
The IoT revolution may have already started, though it is still very much in the embryonic stages. Yes, there will be a bit of playing catch-up with the products and platforms which are already on the market, but influencing security concerns before IoT hits the heights of mainstream will go some way to avoid a few of the problems which are being faced today.
Although it would not be considered more than PR rhetoric currently, security concerns are becoming more prominent, and would appear to be featuring more heavily on corporate agendas. Our sister-site, Light Reading, recently noted there has been much more of a machine learning flavour to security acquisitions in the last couple of months, which can only be a good thing.
As IoT continues to grow and penetrate more areas of our life, it is simply going to be too much for humans to oversee defensive tactics. The workload would simply be too much and varied for us to comprehend. Bearing this in mind, artificial intelligence is now a necessity not a nice-to-have in the world of security.
With Amazon and Google launching smart home initiatives, have the telcos missed out on their chance to cash in on this market?
Total Voters: 62


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Arturo Estrella has a message for recession naysayers: It could hit sooner than you think.Marketsread more
Local governments commonly share single service providers, making many vulnerable at once. On top of this, ransomware has often been used to mask more targeted, malicious...Technologyread more
Salesforce released its first earnings report since its $15.3 billion acquisition of Tableau Software, the company's largest deal ever.Technologyread more
Fed Chairman Jerome Powell faces the tough challenge of presenting a unified voice on Fed policy from the most divided Fed in years.Market Insiderread more
Kudlow also confirmed to CNBC that he supported a tax cut proposal floated earlier Thursday by Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla.Politicsread more
VMware is following through on its proposal to buy Pivotal, a fellow Dell subsidiary, and expanding into cybersecurity with the acquisition of Carbon Black.Technologyread more
Google says it shut down hundreds of YouTube channels tied to misinformation around the Hong Kong protests.Technologyread more
It is a rare scenario where long-term interest rates suddenly fall below short-term interest rates.Real Estateread more
Investors are rushing to get a piece of its privately held rival Impossible Foods before it goes public, according to the Wall Street Journal.Food & Beverageread more
Weisler has been CEO at the company since 2015 when it split from HPE.Technologyread more
Companies want to know our values and if they work with us, "they want to be aligned with those values," Salesforce co-CEO Keith Block says.Mad Money with Jim Cramerread more
Newell Brands stock plunged more than 20 percent Thursday after the Rubbermaid maker said it may sell off assets.
The company said it will explore strategic options for at least 10 of its industrial and consumer businesses. They include: Waddington, Process Solutions, Rubbermaid Commercial Products, Rawlings, Goody, Rubbermaid Outdoor and U.S. Playing Cards.
If Newell moves forward with all of its restructuring plans, the company's global factory and warehouse footprint would see a reduction of 50 percent.
The company plans to refocus on nine core consumer businesses, which generate $11 billion in total net sales, roughly 82 percent of Newell's fiscal 2016 sales.
The moves come a little over a year after its $13.22 billion acquisition of Jarden Corp. in a combination of two consumer giants with vast portfolios. Investors at the time questioned how difficult it would be to integrate a collection of brands spanning Elmer's Glue, Sharpie Pens and Yankee Candle. Several of the brands Newell is selling came from the Jarden acquisition.
"It's a big and broad portfolio, the work will not be easy, but it will come together through great leadership," Newell Brands CEO Michael Polk told CNBC after the deal closed.
Newell's stock was down nearly 22 percent by midday Thursday. Newell shares have lost more than 32 percent in the new year through Wednesday's close. In recent months, consumer products giants have seen escalating pressure from retailers, who are working hard to keep prices low to attract shoppers and manage their inventory.
Martin Franklin announced his resignation Thursday from the board, as did Ian G.H. Ashken and Domenico De Sole. The three had joined Newell's board as part of the acquisition.
"While there is still much work to be done, Domenico, Martin, and Ian have helped management and the Board bring these two great companies together into one of the leading branded goods companies," the company said in a statement.
Franklin is an investor known for his acquisition vehicles like Jarden and frozen food-focused Nomad Foods. He left the board because he felt limited in his ability to influence the company's strategy going forward, sources familiar with the situation said.
Those sources spoke on the condition of anonymity because the information is not public. Franklin could not be reached for comment and Newell declined to comment.
Part of the company's strategy, as outlined in 2016, has been a focus on driving growth through innovation.


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Total Estimated Corporate Tax Fraud
As many people are aware, the U.S. Government imposes a corporate tax on businesses around the nation. Data on the scope of corporate tax scandal and evasion of taxes has begun to emerge for the 2009 fiscal year. Check out this infographic to get a visual of how much corporations pay in taxes annually, total income taxes, penalties for corporate tax fraud, and more.
**This infographic does not represent the views of Rasmussen College in any ways, it is merely a visual depiction of corporate tax evasion.


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The day may finally be near when digital technology eviscerates a $60 billion ad business. How will the networks survive?
As the broadcast networks rev up to debut dozens of comedies, dramas and not-so-real reality shows, the new fall television season already is a smash hit, financially. Advertisers placed $9.3 billion in advance orders for commercial time, blowing away last year's $8.1 billion mark. This year total TV ad sales, excluding cable, could crack the $60 billion barrier for the first time.
Yet many of the biggest buyers look at the heights the ad market has reached and see a precipice. In a few years over half of the nation's 108 million homes will have digital recording technology that will let them zap past commercials effortlessly or choose from a vast selection of commercial-free shows. That will threaten the economics of most TV programming and force networks and marketers alike to find new ways to reach elusive masses of ad-evading consumers.
This digital wave started with a trickle called TiVo, one of the first computer-hard-drive-based digital video recorders (DVRs). It debuted to bold expectations in 1999 but has struggled, signing up fewer than a million homes. Now, however, TiVo-like technology has plunged in price and complexity and is gaining momentum, for the first time being offered by cable and satellite providers that reach almost 90 million U.S. households.
Most network executives play down the digital threat (as incumbents often do), and the networks are resorting to cleverer--and potentially more intrusive--product placements as a way to zap the zappers (see related story, p. 82). But others have begun to fret. The digital wave will be "a brutal attack on the underpinnings of our business," warns Garth Ancier, who oversees programming at CNN, the WB network, TBS and other AOLTime Warner outlets.
The TV ad market is "reaching the top of the curve," and digital technologies will accelerate the coming decline, says Peter Sealey, a former Coke marketing chief who now teaches at the University of California at Berkeley. He recently leveled this warning to a group of advertisers: "Folks, this is a tidal wave. It is happening, and it is profound. And we have got to figure out a way to deal with that."
Digitally armed consumers can suddenly destroy business models that thrived for generations, as people in the battered music and photography industries can attest. Yet even comparisons to Napster undersell the potential economic upheaval and social impact of overturning the TV ad market. It has twice the combined revenues of the recorded-music and film-photography markets. Americans spend an average of four hours a day watching TV, an hour of that enduring ads. That adds up to an astounding 10% of total leisure time; at current rates, a typical viewer fritters away three years of his life getting bombarded with commercials.
For 50 years advertising has paid for the production of most of the TV shows that have graced the three (and later four)main broadcast networks and run later on a panoply of local stations and cable networks. Advertising also finances a big part of the first-run programs now popping up with increasing frequency on cable, as well. (Seen Queer Eye for the Straight Guyon Bravo?)
And, year after year, the big networks imposed hefty price increases for ads, even as millions of viewers defected to cable, and early zapping technology--the remote control and the VCR--took hold. They have raised their per-viewer rates 110%in the last ten years, despite a 30% decline in their prime-time audience, more than making up for a 30% increase in the cost of living. Advertisers obligingly went along, buying on faith and lacking a way to precisely quantify how many viewers were not watching the ads.
Now all of that's changing. The threat posed by the fidgety remote control and the poky VCR pales in comparison with the digital threat.Eighty-five percent of TiVo homes skip most ads and can watch a half-hour sitcom in 23 minutes.
No problem, net execs say: While DVRs and other gear may proliferate, most viewers won't use the gadgets as ad-killers or pay for commercial-free programs. "This is the big myth. The big majority of people are not commercial avoiders," says David Poltrack, the head of CBS research and strategic planning, who has heard predictions of the networks' demise for 20 years. At worst, he figures, DVRs will erode audience by just under 3% a year. Alan Wurtzel, NBC's research head, says that networks can survive such losses, pointing to the huge checks that advertisers just wrote: "Until you can find an alternative that's better, they really will have no choice."
That what-me-worry attitude doesn't sit well with advertisers fed up with the networks' incessantly rising prices. "I guarantee you that will not sustain itself. Higher prices for diminished return? That gap can only get so big before people come up with alternatives," says C.J. Fraleigh, the General Motors advertising czar who oversees the nation's biggest ad budget, including $1.7 billion for TV. Fraleigh says GM will probably spend less on TV ads a few years from now; how much less will depend on how the networks respond.
The biggest broadcasters--Viacom's CBS, General Electric Co.'s NBC, Walt Disney's ABC and News Corp.'s Fox--could feel the sting worst and soonest. "Over-the-air broadcasters sustain the highest costs, and [unlike cable] you've got absolutely no money coming back from consumers in terms of subscriber fees," says AOLTime Warner's Ancier. But big cable channels like Disney's ESPN and Vivendi's USANetwork could be hurt, too. Advertising now accounts for 30% of the cable industry's $49billion in annual revenue, almost double the percentage a decade ago.
The networks could probably survive TiVo, which in four years has signed up only 800,000 subscriber homes. But they can't brush aside other players responding to TiVo. Cable and satellite services are beginning to offer cheap DVR features, too. Starting last month, customers who order EchoStar satellite TV service can get--free--a DVR with 100 hours of storage (120 gigabytes) and a "30-second skip" button expressly designed for ad-zapping. Cable companies, racing to keep up, are installing a TiVo-like disk into their set-top boxes. About half a million cable subscribers now have the devices, and half of the nation's 72 million cable homes could be similarly wired in five years, TBS' Ancier says.
Cable operators charge just $10 a month for DVR service--and nothing up front. (TiVo's slow uptake is due in part to the fact that users must pay, besides a $13 monthly fee, $300 for the hardware, then slog through a complicated installation.) In eight months Time Warner Cable has snagged 300,000 new DVR customers, despite scant advertising. TiVo took more than twice as long to hit that mark, despite having nine times as many potential customers. Comcast, the biggest cabler, now has 6.7 million digital subscribers and says all will be able to get a DVR box by early next year.
The cable cabal also pushes video-on-demand--individual shows sold to individual viewers at a few bucks a pop or less. Already 4 million cable customers regularly order their TV à la carte from an ever-expanding menu of movies, sitcoms, dramas and news shows, most of them ad-free or zappable.
"It is inevitable that technology will give consumers more choices, and that includes when and how many commercials they want to view," says Chuck B. Fruit, a senior vice president at Coca-Cola. "We want to move away from an exclusive reliance on 30-second commercials to talk to the consumer." As ads become more voluntary, he says, "it puts a great obligation on the advertiser to be a part of the viewing experience and to add to the experience." Otherwise, he warns, "they will risk being irrelevant or ignored."
Ad agencies, too, will have to abide by a new level of digital accountability. Imagine firing your shop because TiVo says your spots get skipped more often than those of your rivals. In May TiVo began selling viewing data detailed enough to show the precise number of TiVo households in New Hampshire that skip past the Cingular half-time report during the NCAA finals. "We are in a position to measure viewership of commercials, and if you are an advertiser, that's what you care about," says TiVo President Martin Yudkovitz.
Some advertisers already are mulling new strategies, such as micro ads too short to skip; shrewder product placements; and even paying consumers to watch ads. In one novel experiment Coke recently bought part of a college sports cable network, the better to creatively weave in ads consumers can't flee.
The best way to combat the zap, though, is to give individual viewers only the commercials that interest them. Digital technology will let marketers better target their ads to the people most likely to watch them.Nielsen's traditional demographic groups, such as men ages 18 to 49, are imprecise relics of an era when broadcast networks beamed signals only one way and when gathering audience data was laborious and expensive. Digital devices on two-way networks, including one Nielsen will introduce next year, can track viewing habits down to the second.
GM would take aim at, say, 30-ish men whose cars are more than four years old, says Charles Thurston, president of Comcast advertising sales. Such increased precision could vastly increase the value of the ad market, even if fewer ads are watched. "It's a way to let consumers do much more thorough research on a product, and really make it come to life," he says. Comcast planners hope to combine the precision of Google (which tailors ads to Web search results) with the impact of traditional TV ads (with rich images and stereo sound).
Big advertisers are experimenting with using digital technology to provide optional ads to viewers, typically packaged in longer formats. Lexus, Best Buy, New Line Cinema and Sony Pictures have linked up with TiVo to create "video showcases" that viewers can choose to watch. Movie trailers are an especially popular form of "voluntary" ads; two-thirds of TiVo viewers watched the Austin Powers in Goldmember preview.
Much of the impending upheaval owes to the blistering pace of improvement in the humble computer hard drive. Five years ago storing video on hard drives was too costly. In 1999 the first TiVo let viewers record 30 hours of shows. Hard-drive prices are down 75% since TiVo launched; now DVRs can store 120hours of TV fare.
The same cheaper, denser storage has let cable companies finally deliver ubiquitous video-on-demand, after a decade of overpromising. Capacity used to be so precious that movies were the only on-demand programming that cable systems offered. Now the program menu has expanded steadily to include Sex and the City and otherHBO fare and, more recently, regular network programming (which includes commercials, but it's now possible to fast-forward through them).
Comcast can deliver the NBC Nightly News and other network shows to any of 700,000 homes in New Jersey. If viewers come home an hour after NBCanchor Tom Brokaw airs, they can immediately cue him up. PBShopes to make its entire catalog available eventually--tens of thousands of hours of programming.
One day, not too far off, TV delivery systems may allow viewers to download specific programs straight from any network or production company. A total of 100,000 baseball fans got a glimpse of the future this season, downloading games off the Internet for a fixed price. Major League Baseball charges $3 a game or $15 for a month. Seth Meyers, a diehard Boston Red Sox fan now living in New York, uses the service to watch his home team when games aren't aired locally. The video is a little jerky. Still, says Meyers: "Iofficially feel like I'm living in the future."
Selling direct completes the television industry's long drift away from its original incarnation: a limited menu of shows, served on a fixed schedule and funded by a healthy dose of commercials. From the start that model was built on a rickety economic foundation, requiring customers to pay for programming with a horribly inefficient currency: their leisure time. Sponsors spend $43,000 to air a 30-second spot on Fox's Cops and $365,000 for 30 seconds on NBC's Friends--and either way, it's a raw deal for viewers. Every hour Joe Six-Pack watches TV, advertisers get 15 minutes of his time for a mere 8 to 40 cents, a fraction of the minimum wage. Customers like Meyers would much rather buy what they want, when they want, for cash.
Digital alternatives to the broadcast model are sure to exacerbate what Federal Communications Commission Chairman Michael Powell has publicly called "a disturbing trend ... the movement of high-quality content from free, over-the-air broadcast." The networks could play on that sentiment to launch a legal counterattack, waging war in court and lobbying in Washington, D.C. to push for measures to protect "free" television.
So far they have offered only mild resistance, to scant effect. In June they succeeded in pressuring TiVo rival ReplayTV to remove an automatic commercial-skip feature from its latest models. Cable and satellite execs, locked in a pitched battle for subscribers, say they must put consumer-friendly features above the concerns of the channels they carry.
It is questionable whether a legal assault would succeed. It hasn't worked for the music industry, which did manage to kill Napster in court but hasn't vanquished myriad other song-swapping services. Moreover, many media executives still don't see DVRs as worthy of efforts to repel them. They scoff at forecasts of mass adoption and cite predictions that TiVo would be in 20 million homes by now.
"What I feel absolutely confident is going to happen is this: The traditional 30-second commercial will continue to prosper, and TiVo and Replay will never amount to much more than a minor irritant to the TV networks," Rance Crain, the editor-in-chief of Advertising Age, wrote in a column earlier this year.
"Somebody is wrong about these damn things," says Berkeley's Sealey. He is convinced that role belongs to the skeptics. What about that $9.3 billion? His answer: "Let me suggest to you that an incandescent light bulb burns brightest just before it goes out. And a business model can sometimes be at its most profitable before a plunge."


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The major retraction in the economy during the March quarter should send a loud message to the RBA to keep the cash rate on hold, Loan Market Group's chief operating officer Dean Rushton has said.
According to Mr Rushton, the 1.2 per cent fall in the GDP for the March quarter should persuade the RBA of the far reaching negative impacts a rate rise would have.
“The fact is, the Australian economy has had its largest decline in two decades and we’ve seen housing aprovals hit 10 year lows. There’s a recovery period this country needs," he said.
“It’s been no secret; cost of living increases have dominated headlines in 2011. The confidence of the Australian consumer is clearly waning.”
Australian Bureau of Statistics data revealed retail sales unexpectedly fell 0.5 per cent in March, the first drop in five months.
“There are many positives for consumers, both wages and employment are at healthy levels, but it seems that external economic issues are overriding their willingness to spend,” Mr Rushton said.


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Storage and disk drive manufacturer Seagate has revealed that it’s in discussions with an unnamed party about taking the company private, which would mean de-listing the company from the stock market and converting to a privately-held entity. Seagate hasn’t named its suitor, but says it has hired Morgan Stanley and Perella Weinberg Partners to provide financial advice, as well as retained legal counsel. Seagate says there is no assurance at this time that they’ll receive a formal offer to take the company private.
Such a move would actually mark the second time Seagate has backed away from being a publicly traded company. Seagate was founded back in 1979, but in 2000 a group of investors led by Silver Lake Capital and the Texas Pacific Group took the company private in a transaction worth about $1.7 billion. However, when the dot-com bubble burst, Seagate went public again to raise funds, relaunching as a public company in 2002 with an IPO that brought in around $870 million, making it one of the largest IPOs of the time.
Seagate’s current CEO, Steve Luczo, was one of the founders of the Silver Lake Capital fund. Luczo was named Seagate’s CEO in 1998, although he gave up the CEO chair (retaining a his role as board chairman) in 2004. In early 2009, Seagate’s board appointed Luczo president and CEO.
Although Seagate was founded in Ireland, the bulk of its more than 50,000 employees worth in Asia. The company is headquartered in California.
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Do you know L’Arroseur Arrosé? This classic of the Lumière brothers continues today to resonate through the video game news, while a new episode of the trench warfare around Fortnite brings down some masks.
The case between the giants Apple and Epic Games continues to delight teasing observers of the video game industry : Last week, the Northern California District Court rendered its verdict in a 185-page decision, and found that Apple’s methods violated the principles of local competition law, by preventing third parties from offering their own payment methods inside Fortnite (and elsewhere). If Epic Games only prevailed on one of the ten rights points raised during the trial, the CEO of the publisher Tim Sweeney did not wait any less to boast:
Fortnite will only return to the App Store when Epic can offer in-app payment, which can fairly compete with Apple’s method, saving our customers money. Thank you to those who took the time and made the effort to fight for fairness on digital platforms, and to the Court for promptly rendering a decision in such a complex case.
Tim Sweeney, CEO of Epic Games
Lie to me
But now one of the world’s top 200 fortunes is taken at its own game, sinceApple has in fact decided to continue to ban Fortnite from the App Store until the final exhaustion of legal proceedings, which can obviously take some time, if not a certain time. He’s a less cheerful Tim Sweeny than a few days ago who teaches us :
Apple lied. Apple has spent a year telling the world, the courts and the press that they “will allow Epic to return to the App Store as long as they agree to play by the same rules as everyone else.” Epic agreed, and now Apple has again abused its monopoly power with a billion users.
Apple informed us overnight that Fornite would be balcklisted from its ecosystem until the end of the appeal proceedings, a process that could take five years.
Tim Sweeney, bitter
Those passionate about court-videogame soap operas rest assured: the next episode is already dated, since the agency Reuters tells us thatEpic will begin its appeals process on December 12, and that Apple will be invited to share its side of the story on January 20, 2022.
So many questions remain, we can not help but wonder if Fortnite will experience the same commercial success by the end of this incredible trial, somewhere in 2026 …


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by Emmanuel Joseph
He came out of a “poor” family who did not think he would come to much.
But as prominent manufacturer and owner of One Accord Plaza in Warrens, St. Michael, Lawrence Andrew Stuart put it, “they” (his family) were surprised to see where I had reached as a businessman.
“I came out of a poor family of six girls and one boy; I being the only boy. My father was struggling with the seven of us,” related Stuart, the founder of Stuart’s Engineering. “I employed,” he added, “my father and mother and two sisters and a cousin. One of those sisters, who was the financial controller in my manufacturing company, now owns her own business.”
Stuart, whose passion and expertise are in manufacturing, told Barbados TODAY, he gave up his job as a welder repairing and rebuilding buses at the Transport Board in the 1970s, “because there were too many strikes,” and started his own business as a furniture maker.
“I worked from my back yard, building furniture, but had to move to Mahaica Gap after people complained that I was keeping too much noise,” recalled the 62-year-old business executive who constructed One Accord Plaza some 12 years ago for $5 million. He remembered that before local manufacturing declined significantly in the 1990s, he had been exporting as much as $3 million worth of furniture to Trinidad.
Stuart noted that when manufacturing “dropped” he was unable to continue servicing his commercial bank loans and pay other outstanding debts, forcing his company into receivership. He also told this newspaper of he had been selling furniture to local department stores such as Standard and Courts.
“I was earning as much as $20,000 per week in my backyard. I started opposite the BIM factory (on Green Hill, St.Michael), selling furniture to Courts and Trinidad and attending trade shows in the Caribbean and as far as the Bahamas,” he boasted.
“My journey started out in manufacturing way back in the 1970s, and then I ventured out into Trinidad and was exporting over $3 million and then Trinidad collapsed and all the manufacturers at that time were a little disappointed because they had to venture out then in other areas other markets,” he stated, with a sense of regret.
He suggested it became difficult afterwards, with a lot of companies shutting down in the late 1980s/1990s.
“I is one that at that time, went into receivership because my sales dropped from $4 million and it was tough for me to service loans and so forth; I went into receivership. My company was called Stuart Engineering,” the business leader noted.
Stuart described going into receivership was a big blow, because at the time, he was in England looking for a new product, to include in his business.
“I was looking for something new to venture into. But I had to survive and draw on the resources of God. And then I had this land (where One Accord now stands) before and I even wanted to sell this spot to get money to put back into manufacturing.”
He suggested, however, that God appeared to have stopped him from selling the land in that he found it difficult to get a buyer.
“Then I decided that this would be another move for the manufacturing, then after manufacturing was picking back up, this was a move for manufacturing,” declared the employer. Stuart therefore decided to build a complex on the land and use it as a manufacturing base along with showrooms.
We agreed then that we would use this as a manufacturing base where we had some offices where we would use for other manufacturers and showrooms that the other manufacturers would rent and they would benefit. So this was (to be) a manufacturing complex, it was never to be retailing.”
But he said that as manufacturing “got worse and seeing that there was no way of building back up, then I was forced then to turn this (One Accord), which it took a lot of money then, to turn this into a retail outlet, where we had to pay the mortgage for this. With the help of God, I was able to struggle through and Caribbean Financial Services, they helped me through … because after I went into receivership, I was turned down by all the banks in Barbados; and Caribbean Financial Services came to my rescue,” acknowledged the first elder in the Rock Dundo Seventh Day Adventist Church.
In spite of still owning the One Accord Plaza, which he describes as potentially a multimillion dollar profit-making venture, Stuart is not particularly over the moon. He continues to feel the fire burning inside him for manufacturing, where he said his real expertise lies and his passion and first love remain. As a result, Stuart has already taken steps to return to his “baby.”
Right now, he has registered a new company called Window and Doors Component which would produce wood and metal furniture. He would be in partnership with another veteran manufacturer and expects to move into a building on Spring Garden Highway by next month, for the time being.
The Window and Doors business will function from that location until plans are finalised to relocate on a piece of land which he is buying from the Barbados Investment and Development Corporation in order to build their own plant. That business will employ 70 people. Stuart said he now has about $2 million in machinery standing by.
There is much more, though, to a recent desire by Stuart to sell One Accord Plaza which spans 45,000 square feet of land, comprising 40 store spaces, 32 of which are occupied, and a roof deck on 8,000 square feet in the three storey building.
As a “devoted” Christian and Adventist, he insists that he cannot continue to work on the Sabbath – an obligation he has to his tenants when they call him out on Saturdays to address a problem – if he wants to serve God truthfully. He has made it clear he would not allow anything to hinder his service to God and that means someone else would have to own One Accord and operate it.
Stuart, who has been hosting a radio programme on gospel and health for the past 17 years, reasoned that running a manufacturing plant would allow him the flexibility to keep the Sabbath Day – a commandment from God. [email protected]


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Godrej Consumer Products Ltd., a major FMCG company, will invest Rs 100 crores in Early Spring, a new early consumer fund set up by Spring Marketing Capital (Spring).
Spring Marketing Capital’s brand-first investment franchise aims to help founders who are building the brands of tomorrow.
In addition to offering its expertise and experience to help founders build solid and sustainable companies, the FMCG arm of the Godrej group, Godrej Consumer Products, will anchor a new Rs 300 crore early-stage consumer fund being formed by Spring.
“Enabling companies to leverage marketing expertise along with capital, Spring’s first fund of Rs 150 crore continues to invest in companies at Series A and beyond. The Early Spring Fund will be investing Rs 5 crore to Rs 20 crore in each company, from seed to pre-Series A stage,” it said.
Omar Momin, Head M&A at Godrej Consumer Products, commented on the development and said it aligns with the company’s mission to provide consumers with health and beauty benefits.
“We intend to leverage our understanding of consumer space and learnings over the last decades to enable early-stage founders focused on building strong offline as well as online presence by offering differentiated products in India,” he said.
In the emerging markets of India, Indonesia, and Africa, Godrej Consumer Products is one of the major suppliers of household insecticides, air care products, and hair care products.


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M&M will come up with 3 completely new vehicle platforms, including 1 for a compact sports utility vehicle, between 2015 & 2017 as part of its programme to strengthen products range.
Mahindra XUV 5OO to open All India bookings from 8th June 2012
Mahindra XUV5OO to open all-India bookings from 8th June 2012
After the strong response to the Mahindra XUV5oo six months ago, it is the turn of Maruti Ertiga now. The new multiutility vehicle is priced attractively and has superior mileage compared to its peers. Waiting period for the car already range from 2–10 months.


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Customer satisfaction is passé. So is customer delight. Both have been eclipsed by what Amazon’s Jeff Bezos calls “customer obsession.” At Amazon, every effort is centered on providing the best possible experience for the customer—delivering on their needs and being worthy of their trust.
It is no secret that in this age of the customer, data creates business value, especially to us marketers. Each data point is an opportunity to know customers better and engage with them in what we call “a relevant dialogue”. But this opportunity is also a challenge. With the upsurge of technological advancements happening today, there is a heap of customer data piling up at an exponential pace and in most cases, just sitting there. Brands too are grappling to keep up with this wave of ‘big data’. Today, companies have more data than ever at their disposal and less time than ever to identify how to use it. This conundrum raises the question: How can marketers effectively use data as a strategic resource to surpass customer expectations and increase profitability?
IoT is disrupting all industries, exploding across new facets of behavior and putting customers in the driver’s seat. It has set new customer expectations that most brands are struggling to meet. Today’s CRM efforts must harness the power of IoT to deliver unmatched customer engagement and experience.


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Phillips 66 Warns of New Credit Card Scam
Chevron, CITGO rev up reward offers for summer
HOUSTON -- Summer is officially here, and with it come new rewards offers from refiners looking to lure consumers into their branded stores. But crooks don't take a vacation from crime, and officials at Phillips 66 are warning the company's marketers of a new credit-card scam now hitting its stations.
Phillips said a cashier at one of its stations received a nighttime call from a "customer" who said she needed to purchase phone cards over the telephone and proceeded to provide a full account number of an American Express card.
The "customer" said she regularly bought phone cards that way and that her son would come in and pick up the cards. The cashier began to manually enter the credit card number, at which point she was prompted to imprint the card. She then called the station manager, who declined the "customer's" request and said they would not process the transaction over the phone.
Some of their marketer's other stores had also been hit with the same request, according to the manager. Fortunately, the manual sale was not processed, said a Phillips 66 official.
Chevron and CITGO, meanwhile, are starting to promote new customer rewards offers. Like most of the new programs unveiled by refiners, however, the offers distinctly favor the banks' side of the transaction.
Chevron plans to revamp the reward structure for its Chevron and Texaco Visa cards in July in a move the company hopes will "promote more 'top-of-wallet' behavior among our cardholders."
Consumers can earn a 10-cents-per-gallon credit once they spend $300 to $999 on qualifying purchases of Chevron's network on any items except fuel--purchases at grocery, drug and hardware stores, restaurants, travel and any other non-fuel merchant that accepts Visa count toward rewards. Purchases of $1,000 or more qualify for a 20-cents-per-gallon kickback.
Customers see the fuel discounts once they have reached the qualifying amount when they fuel at a Chevron or Texaco station. Rewards are capped, however, at $300 in total fuel credits redeemed in any calendar year. Another limitation: Qualified spending resets at the beginning of each monthly billing period. Fuel credits are good for six months, however, and are automatically applied to card statements.
The new Chevron program is similar to one introduced by Shell in September last year that requires customers to charge at least $500 a month to their Shell MasterCard in order to qualify for discounts. The steep minimum purchase requirements--in Shell's case it replaced the company's 5% fuel discount offer--are aimed at lowering expenses for both the refiner and its card issuer. Banks found fuel discounts taking too big a bite out gasoline card profits as prices hit the $4-per-gallon mark.
Credit-card customers, however, will have to spend more in order to get a fuel reward. Chevron will tell consumers in direct mail pieces that they should consider using their co-branded Visa to make automatic payments on their regular bills if they fear they will not qualify for fuel credits on a monthly basis.
Citgo's new program, which will run June 1 through September 20, will reward customers with a $15 Citgo gift card once they make eight $20 or more purchases at a CITGO station, either in-store or at the pump using a Visa card.
The company said its "CITGO good rewards" program is "the highlight" of its advertising campaign this year, designed to increase traffic and sales at marketer stations. It will be promoted on cable TV and on Internet search sites.
To qualify, customers must register their Visa card at a special website, www.CITGOGoodRewards.com, and provide their mobile telephone number. Visa then tracks consumer purchases and sends text messages encouraging them to make additional purchases. Once the cardholder has earned a reward, he will receive a text message with a unique code and website link where they can redeem their gift card. They will have until November 22 to redeem the cards.
There are some catches, however. Visa debit-card users must choose the "credit" option when paying with their debit card and purchases made using a personal identification number (PIN) do not qualify. And, if a customer doesn't want to provide his mobile phone number or an email address, he or she won't get a discount. Further, CITGO acknowledges in a message to retailers that the consumer could be charged for the text messages they receive.
CITGO said it partnered with Visa on the promotion because Visa is the most popular payment method for consumers purchasing gasoline and "practically everything else." Approximately 67% of transactions are visa debit and credit cards, and 40% of those are made with a Visa, the company says. It cites NPD data as its source. "Additionally, the Visa real-time messaging platform reaches consumers at key times when they are most likely to purchase gasoline, reminding them to go to Citgo to earn their reward," CITGO said.
Effective July 1, CITGO will also introduce a 10-cent transaction fee on all first-time CITGO gift card activations. The fee will not apply top reloads of the card, stressed Mike Pooler, payment card operations manager in a message to CITGO marketers. The gift cards can be reloaded up to 999 times, he said.
"By encouraging consumers to reload their CITGO gift cards, your retailers can reduce their gift card transaction fees and help the environment by alleviating the amount of litter from gift cards being discarded after one-time use," he said.


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(Reuters) - British speciality chemicals company Elementis ELM.L has struck a deal to buy Mondo Minerals for $100 million (76.8 million pounds) less than initially agreed following criticism of the original price from its shareholders.
Elementis said on Tuesday it had agreed with seller U.S. private equity firm Advent to pay $500 million for Mondo Minerals, down from $600 million previously.
Elementis said in June it was buying Amsterdam-based Mondo to expand into talc additives used in a range of products from plastics to cosmetics.
Chief Executive Office Paul Waterman said Elementis had agreed the revised deal after consulting with its shareholders.
“The feedback that they had from shareholders was that the business makes a lot of sense, strategically seems good, but they had some concerns raised about the price that Elementis was paying,” a source familiar with the matter told Reuters.
“A number of concerns were raised, but it was largely over the price,” the source added.
Mondo, which owns talc mines in central Finland, makes industrial talc additives used to strengthen plastics, provide corrosion resistance to coatings, an oxygen barrier to food packaging and UV protection to cosmetics.
Elementis, for its part, owns a mine in California that produces hectorite, a soft clay used in personal care and beauty products such as face creams, using a mine-to-market model similar to Mondo’s.
Elementis said the revised deal had received strong support from its top shareholders including Threadneedle Asset Management and APG Asset Management and written confirmation of support from two more of its top five investors.
It expects the deal to add to adjusted earnings per share in the first full year of ownership.
Elementis also said the acquisition would be funded by a rights issue of about $230 million and from debt facilities. It had previously flagged a rights issue of $280 million.
Shares in Elementis, which have fallen 12.3 percent this year, were down 3.9 percent at 243 pence at 0814 GMT.
The deal to buy Mondo comes after a $360 million acquisition last year by Elementis of U.S.-based SummitReheis to expand its personal care chemicals business.
Reporting by Noor Zainab Hussain in Bengaluru; Editing by Gopakumar Warrier and Mark Potter
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.


text: Over the years I have owned several glycine watches. Among them an Incursore and a Combat Sub. I ultimately flipped both. Nevertheless, I have always liked the brand, and I have defended it against recent attacks made simply because Glycine was recently acquired by Invicta. Having said that, one would be a fool not to notice that Glycine watches that once sold for hundreds, if not thousands of dollars, are now on the bargain list on eBay and Costco. What has really happened to cause the unprecedented price drop of Glycine watches? Although the Invicta acquisition seems much talked about on watch forums, I don't fail to recognize that the number of people on these forums pales in comparison to the real watch buying public who do not even know these forums exist. So, what really happened to Glycine? Why is a Combat Sub that a few years ago sold for about 1K USD now selling for $250 at a big box warehouse store? What's the Scoop?


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Siebel Launches Its Latest Application
The front office will continue to be the "new frontier" for generating revenue, said Siebel Systems' new CEO, George Shaheen today during his keynote at the fifth annual Siebel User Week, in Barcelona. Shaheen also introduced Siebel 7.8, the latest version of its CRM applications suite. Siebel 7.8 includes new and enhanced features, such as advanced order management and embedded analytics capabilities, which is a recognition of the increasing demand for BI.
The product extends the Siebel 7.x product family to help organizations better align and use their people, processes, and technology around their customers to deliver customer-driven business results. "The major challenge we have is how do we bring it all together? [Companies] used to rely on the power of technology alone. [Now] it's the integration of technology with people, business processes, methodologies, and practices," Shaheen said.
"We have a new way to look at ourselves," Shaheen told the roughly 2,000-member audience. The speech was also Web cast. "We're evolving as a company as how we market ourselves and how we present ourselves to you. Our new tagline is 'It's all about the customer,' a commitment to the customer."
CEOs have shifted their focus from cost-saving activities to revenue growth, Shaheen said. "Growth is back on the agenda and in that agenda the customer is seen as the key driver for revenue growth," he said. "The relationships we have with customers [are] key to unleashing [opportunities]. We are looking at a huge opportunity centered around the customer to create value--regardless of how you define it. The customer and your relationship with that customer will be key to that success." To help companies move toward their goals, Siebel created a customer experience blueprint with six steps to achieve business results. "The blueprint itself is new, but the concepts are not," said Eileen McPartland, senior vice president of global services.
The blueprint's steps are:
First, understand your business and your current metrics.
Second, envision your goals, determine how your customers want to work with you and make sure you have similar expectations across executive levels regarding expenses and expectations.
Third, define a detailed plan.
Fourth, build and deliver.
Fifth, confirm. "Ask, what does the customer think? Do your executives perceive your work as acceptable? What actions do we need to take to adjust the plan?"
Last, operate and optimize. Ask how you can take it to the next level and continue to roll out additional programs.
"Doing this stuff is hard," Shaheen said. "Building a customer-driven company is a challenge. But if it were easy, everyone would be doing it. To ignore [customers], to put them aside, you almost guarantee yourself a disappointment."
Shaheen was challenged not only with presenting this new branding and business model to Siebel's users, partners, and industry analysts, but with introducing himself to many of them for the first time. He took the reins on April 13 when Michael Lawrie resigned after less than one year on the job following disappointing first quarter financial results. "There's a lot to do, there's a lot to learn," Shaheen said. "Our mission as a company...is to be your most valued partner in helping drive outstanding, customer-driven business results."
Siebel's CEO Resigns Following Poor First Quarter Earnings
Siebel Gets the Contact Center Knack


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PayPal is updating its mobile application with a new design and more useful functions for users.
According to the managers of the company, it is a new application that could serve as a “one-stop shop” for all the digital payment needs of its customers.
According to an official statement, this new application will allow people to access all of the company’s digital financial products.
The most important changes are visual. Now, the new home page of the app is a kind of control panel with quick access to the balance, the amount of crypto that the client has and their most frequent contacts.
Direct deposit and features like PayPal debit and credit cards are now in the wallet tab.
At the center of payments are peer payments, bill pay, charitable donations and messaging.
Among the novelties, a savings account is also added. For this, the company partnered with online bank Synchrony Bank to provide a high-yield savings account through the app.
PayPal announced that customers will now be able to receive up to a 0.40 percent annual percentage return on their savings with the new application.
Individuals will also be able to withdraw their earnings from the savings account to the PayPal balance to use for online purchases.
The company announced that it intends to incorporate new functions in the coming months, such as the investment capacity and offline payment with QR codes.


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We’ve told you about an American food safety watchdog’s Dirty Dozen list of fruits and vegetables with the most pesticide residue. Now here’s the opposite number, the Clean 15. When the US Department of Agriculture tested these 15 fruits and vegetables, the least amount of residue was found on them. The Environmental Working Group says that consumers who choose five servings of fruits and vegetables a day from the Clean 15 can lower the volume of pesticides they consume by 92 percent.
So here’s the list:
Buying these conventionally grown fruits and vegetables will help you stay within your budget while limiting your exposure to harmful pesticides.


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Date: 02 July, 2016
From the Herald to the Spitfire, Triumph produced some iconic cars in its heyday.
To celebrate the classic brand in all its glory, Triumph Sports Six Club (TSSC) is gearing up for the most important weekend on its events calendar.
This year’s TriumFest is being held at Santa Pod Raceway on the weekend of July 2-3, alongside the all-classic Retro Show.
Unlike many motor shows where you park up in a field and bring a picnic, this is an action-packed day where you can take part in the racing and parade your vintage motor.
Anniversary celebrations and monster fun
This year marks 50 years since the launch of the stylish Triumph GT6, the six-cylinder sports coupe based on the popular Spitfire convertible.
On Saturday a procession of Triumphs will parade up the famous Santa Pod strip, and there will be displays to mark the GT6’s anniversary.
Sunday is the Santa Pod Retro Show. It’s open for all classics from the 1950s to 1990s.
Other attractions include a rocket car and monster truck displays, and there will be a dedicated Triumph display area, BMX displays, trade stands and fairground rides.
Don’t leave without…
• Watching the hi-octane action: See a Jet Dragster thunder down the strip, as well as demo runs from eight Wild Bunch cars, mainly made up of front-engined slingshot dragsters and altereds
• Running ‘What Ya Brung’: Put your motor to the test down the strip. It’s £25 for as many runs as you want, with trophies for the quickest in class
• Trying something new: Ready for some extreme sideways fun? Drift triking is new to the UK. It’s a cross between go-karting and triking, with 50cc motors and speeds of up to 30mph
• Listening to the live bands: Blues trio The Roadrunnerz will be rocking the stage on Saturday, while on Sunday Jinx Brothers perform classic hits from the 1960s and 70s
How to get tickets
Adult tickets cost £22 for a weekend pass (including camping) and £14 for a day pass. Children aged 13 or under go free. All tickets must be pre-booked through TSCC website.