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It is rare for corporate branding to become so intertwined with everyday conversation that it becomes action. It is still rare for the owner of such a trademark to announce plans to deliberately destroy it.
On Sunday, in the middle of a quiet summer vacation, Elon Musk decreed that Twitter’s product name would be changed to an “X,” and that it would get rid of the bird logo and all associated words, including “tweet.” Musk’s move wiped out between $4 billion and $20 billion in value, according to analysts and branding agencies.
“It took more than 15 years to gain this much worldwide share, so losing Twitter as a brand name is a huge financial blow,” said Steve Susi, director of brand communication at Siegel & Gale.
Musk, whose company has already plummeted in value since buying it for $44 billion in October, announced the change Saturday night. By Monday morning, a new black “X” logo, designed by a fan over the weekend, began appearing across the site. New CEO Linda Iaccarino outlines the company’s vision for X to become a site for voice, video, messaging, payments and banking.
Analysts and branding agencies call product rebranding a mistake. Todd Irwin, founder of branding agency Fazer, said that Twitter is one of the most popular brands on social media. Bird stickers adorn small businesses and websites around the world, along with Instagram and Facebook logos.
The popularity of Twitter has made verbs like “tweet” and “retweet” part of modern culture, said Joshua White, a professor of finance at Vanderbilt University, used regularly to explain how celebrities, politicians and others communicate with the public.
X will require the company to rebuild this cultural attraction and language consensus from scratch. But that may be part of the motivation, so users stop comparing the post-takeover of Twitter to what it was before. “It’s very rare – in life or in business – that you get a second chance to make another big impression,” Iaccarino wrote on Twitter.
Other tech companies have rebranded themselves in recent years. Google turned to Alphabet Inc. To allow the different businesses within the company to grow without being restricted by search. Facebook changed to Meta Platforms Inc. In order to confirm the company’s commitment to Metaverse. But the product names remained; We still google things by going to google.
This is worth a lot. The Twitter brand is valued at around $4 billion, according to brand valuation consulting firm Brand Finance. The company values the Facebook brand at $59 billion and Instagram at $47.4 billion. Vanderbilt University values the Twitter brand at $15 billion to $20 billion, which is comparable to Snapchat.
Brand valuation is difficult to quantify, and there is no one-size-fits-all approach, which is why estimations vary, said Dipanjan Chatterjee, an analyst with Forrester Research Inc. But many analysts and agencies agree that the company’s brand has already taken a hit since Musk’s acquisition. For example, Brand Finance estimates that the Twitter brand has lost 32% of its value since last year.
As the concept of the Twitter brand changed, advertisers fled. Advertisers were worried about Musk courting controversy and embracing tweeters who broke content rules. Musk said that ad revenue on Twitter has fallen by more than 50% since October.
“Twitter’s brand is already heavily overlapped with Musk’s personal brand, with or without the name X, and a lot of brand equity has been lost on Twitter between users and advertisers,” said Jasmine Enberg, an analyst with Insider Intelligence.
“It’s completely inconsequential from a business and brand standpoint,” said Allen Adamson, co-founder of marketing and branding advisory group Metaforce. Call it an “ego decision” on Musk’s part. “For me, it will go down in history as one of the fastest business and brand breakups ever.”
There is also a risk to Musk’s future goals. Building banking and payments into an app will require customer trust — something that’s hard to come by with an entirely new product name. “I just think customers outside of Musk’s core fan base are going to really struggle to use Twitter to trade their money,” Vanderbilt’s White said.
One thing works for Musk, Irwin said: “the Elon brand.” “His personal brand may be stronger than Twitter’s.”


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The U.S. auto industry has obviously seen better days, with Chrysler becoming the first major automaker to enter bankruptcy since the Great Depression and General Motors pursuing a similar path (though facing legal challenges from Indiana’s pension funds). Sales have plummeted and the future is cloudy.
The automotive industry represents around 16% of Indiana’s total manufacturing jobs. Our manufacturing industry is immense (employing one of every five Hoosiers and accounting for more than a third of our Gross State Product), but clearly companies like GM have a huge presence.
One thing is certain – manufacturing will continue to be the foundation of Indiana’s economy for the foreseeable future. But like every sector of our economy, manufacturing continues to evolve…
That’s why it was interesting to note a new Milken Institute report on high-tech metropolitan areas ranked the Indianapolis region #5 nationally in pharmaceutical manufacturing and #10 in medical instrument manufacturing. This comes on the heels of an IU study that showed that the life sciences sector increased its share of the state’s total manufacturing output from 11% in 1997 to 20% in 2007.
Clearly this is good news at the intersection of two of our largest and most dynamic industry clusters, advanced manufacturing and the life sciences. And while we all hope for a robust economic recovery that includes the auto sector, it also tells us that we have other emerging manufacturing opportunities that we need to pursue, in the life sciences, ‘clean technologies,’ nanotechnology, aerospace, and more. The automotive industry is hugely important, but diversity is strength in this economy.
What we make and how we make it is changing and will continue to change. We have to be agile in adapting our economic development, business climate and workforce policies to welcome these new opportunities in addition to playing to our traditional strengths.

domain: news


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These times are fascinating times to live in, technology wise. Just last week we saw how Panasonic unveiled a new pin-sized battery that is going to fit perfectly with smart glasses and other wearables. Today, we’re going to take a look at gesture control and how gesture control phones are coming in 2015.
Gesture Control Phones
Say goodbye to touch screens, because gesture control phones are coming next year. You’ll be able to unlock your phone, swipe left and right, up and down through gestures in mid-air. Think Tom Cruise’s Minority Report!
A new company called Elliptic Labs created gesture control technology; last year it presented the concept at the CEATEC tech conference in Tokyo and it was pretty impressive. But at this year’s conference that has just ended, Elliptic Labs showcased their smart ultrasonic technology that is ready to be incorporated into smartphones and other gadgets.
The company revealed that it already signed partnership deals and the first gesture control phones will be hitting the market at the beginning of 2015. We wonder is Apple wants a piece of this pie?
The most interesting feature of this technology is Multi Layer Interaction, which enables the phone display various content that is based on the distance between the user’s hand and the handset.
Laila Danielsen, Elliptic Labs chief executive office, said this in a statement:
Without touching the device, as your hand moves towards your phone for example, the screen lights up and information is displayed. As you continue to move your hand closer, different information is revealed. It’s all about improving the user experience and by presenting easier ways to interact with mobile devices. Our new Multi Layer Interaction makes it faster to work with applications you use repeatedly during the day, such as checking messages, playing games, navigating maps, interacting with social media, and watching videos.
Do you think this is the next step for smartphones? Drop us a line in the comment section below and share your thoughts with us.


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It’s like we’re used to stealing user information on sites. Selling user information on the site in many different areas on forums has become the main source of income for hackers. Dusty could be the new target of a similar attack.
According to the claim made in a forum, the personal data of 800,000 users of the American shopping site Tozlu has been captured by internet hackers. No statement has yet been received from Tozlu about the claim made in the Raid Forums , where user information is sold .
Post shared on Raid Forum about the sale of Dusty user information:
According to a post shared by a user on Raid Forums, 800 The data of about a thousand Tozlu users are on sale. The only proof of the claim, whose accuracy is not yet known, is a sample list image allegedly belonging to users. The information, which is stated to have been leaked by a Tozlu employee, who is a ‘friend’ of the people who put the data up for sale on the forum, is sold for $ 500 dollars .
We don’t know if sales made via Telegram really contain correct user information. Because the claim is new and Tozlu has not yet made a statement on the subject. ThreatMonIT, which warns users by reporting cybercrime, announced on Twitter that the information was stolen in the same way.


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The general assumption is that airlines must offer fare sales to keep their business afloat during the recession. After all, lower fares mean more people can (and, theoretically, will) fly, right?
Maybe not. The Dallas Morning News‘ Terry Maxon reports that a number of airline executives want to rein in the fare sales we’ve seen through the first half of 2009. According to US Airways Group Inc. President Scott Kirby, “I think our load factors would be lower if we had higher fares, but I think our revenues would be higher.”
Execs point out that the number of leisure travelers hasn’t really dropped too much this year, but the average fare those travelers pay has gone down considerably. Conversely, the number of business travelers has gone down considerably, but business fares have remained fairly even. So the logic is: Raise fares on leisure travelers, and even if the airlines lose a few they’ll still be bringing in more revenue.
Of course, that’s a big “if.” What if the airlines lose a lot of travelers? Presumably they’d just lower fares again, but the damage could already be done.
Readers, what would you do if the airlines started raising prices, or simply cut back on the sales? What’s your fare threshold these days? Let me know what you think by leaving a comment below.


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Bank under pressure over printing money
The Bank of England's money-printing gambit has come under fire after official figures revealed inflation is running well above City expectations.
Cashflow: The Bank risks pumping in too much money
UK consumer price inflation stuck at 1.8% in July, unchanged on June's reading and contrasting with outright deflation across Europe and the US.
Rising prices of video games and DVDs helped keep July's inflation rate above City forecasts of 1.5%.
The reading sits uneasily with the Bank's strategy of printing £175bn to counter the perceived menace of deflation.
The Bank put its printing presses into overdrive this Spring amid fears inflation was heading well below its 2% target.
But economists said the Bank now risks pumping too much cash into the economy via its quantitative easing strategy.
Neville Hill at Credit Suisse said: 'The UK is probably the economy in the world that is furthest away from deflation at the moment, and yet the Bank of England is behaving in a way that would make you believe we are the closest.
Economist Peter Dixon of Commerzbank said: 'These inflation numbers are not supportive of doing additional QE.' The eurozone saw deflation of 0.7% in July, as all of its major economies saw falling prices.
The US saw a 2.1% fall in consumer prices - the steepest declines since 1950.
Declines in the pound earlier this year are part of the explanation for Britain's 'sticky' inflation rate, because this is pushing up companies' import costs and prompting some to hike prices.
Yesterday, the pound rallied on speculation the Bank could tighten monetary policy in the New Year, trading at $1.64 against the dollar from $1.63 the previous day.
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Everyone right now is waiting for Samsung Galaxy Note 9, but rumours circulating around suggesting that Samsung is ready to give users its next Galaxy A series device which is expected to house a triple-camera configuration just like Huawei P20 Pro. Not only a triple camera, but an on-screen fingerprint scanner will also be a part of this package, based on a report from ET News.
ET News on its recently released report further says that,
“Samsung is expected to use optical technology for an on-screen fingerprint scanner on the Galaxy A series smartphone – the potentially highly advanced ultrasonic sensor would be left for Samsung’s Galaxy S10”.
By giving Galaxy A 9 (2019) an optical sensor and ultrasonic sensor, Samsung would still be able to deliver an incentive to buy the most expensive device. It’s also most likely that there would be differences in camera quality setup. Either it’s true or not, we are short on words on, for now.
Undoubtedly, adding a triple-camera setup, an on-screen display fingerprint and other high-end specifications to Samsung Galaxy A series smartphone would definitely make it highly competitive at its price range. This is something that ET News suggests Samsung is particularly trying to do as Galaxy A 9 (2019) sales have already begun to stall.
This time around, there are only a bunch of devices housing in-display fingerprint sensors such as Oppo Find X and Vivo Nex S. Samsung is also ready to release a device with such technology in the form of Galaxy Note 9.
Chances are Samsung Galaxy A 9 (2019) will start landing on shores before Samsung Galaxy S10. And in case, Samsung adjusts the release schedule slightly, both devices then will be released at a similar time.
Perhaps, this is an exciting news for you but let us be more clear that Samsung didn’t confirm any rumours about on-screen fingerprint scanner, neither a triple-camera in a phone.


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The PlayStation Move title Datura now has a release date, thanks to Sony quietly slipping one up on a product page for the game. The game from Sony Santa Monica and Linger in Shadows developer Plastic Studios will hit the PlayStation Network on May 8.
The PlayStation Blog promises an "eerie, intriguing realm in this unique, interactive art experience." This is similar to recent comments from game director Michal Staniszewski, who called it "an interactive experience, rather than a game."
The game can be played with a standard PS3 controller, but the Move is the hook, serving as your hand while you explore the spooky forest. Check out the first trailer below.
Steve Watts posted a new article, Datura dated for May 8, gets gameplay trailer.
Sony has quietly announced a release date for Datura, the PlayStation Move "interactive experience." It will hit PSN on May 8.


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Ice mats are soaked in saltwater and then frozen. Once frozen, they are laid over the crates containing live seafood to help maintain freshness. Perfect for lobster and crab.
Chinese police have detained five employees of Husi Food Company after investigators found the expired beef and chicken scandal to be an organized effort by the supplier. The scandal has alarmed Chinese diners and disrupted operations for fast food chains.
The expired meat scandal from China has spread to Japan, leading the government to enhance the check system to prevent problematic food from entering Japan. Shanghai Husi Food Co. has sold outdated chicken and beef to Japanese retailers and restaurants.
The appointment of Angela Tagtow, a controversial 'environmental nutritionist', to head the USDA's Nutrition Policy and Promotion is facing criticism about politicization of federal nutrition advice and its consequences for public health.
The world's largest hamburger chain, McDonald's, is struggling to boost its sales due to changing eating habits and the persistent financial struggles of lower-income customers. Sales fell approximately 1.5 percent for the second quarter.
The scandal surrounding meat supplier Husi Food has added to a string of safety scares in China over expired beef and chicken that have left the public wary of restaurants and other suppliers. The meat scandal has tainted popular restaurant chains and spread to Japan.
According to a new study published by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, beef produces five times the amount of heat-trapped gases per calorie. Cows are not efficient at converting feed to protein for human consumption.
The National Chicken Council says more consumers are choosing chicken. In a study, the average number of meals or snacks that contained chicken eaten by survey respondents in the two weeks prior to the survey was 6.1, up 17 percent from 2012 findings.
The Gateway Meat Market in Dartmouth, near Halifax, is advising its customers to avoid eating any ground beef and pork sold by them. The Agriculture Department says the products might look OK to eat, but doing so could be a health risk.
B. Roberts Foods of Charlotte, North Carolina is recalling 200 pounds of grilled chicken entrees for mislabeling and containing milk, an allergen not declared on the label. Among the products recalled are Harris Teeter, Fresh Foods Market and Deli-Bakery.
The Peoria, Illinois-based Raber's Packing Company is recalling 21 pounds of beef jerky for improper inspection. The Illinois Department of Agriculture says the product was sold in 25-ounce bags labeled "Grand Champion Raber's Beef Jerky."
Canadian shoppers will soon be seeing labels on their meat notifying them if it has been mechanically tenderized. The regulations taking effect Aug. 21 are designed to protect consumers after the largest meat recall in the country's history two years ago.
McDonald's and KFC in China said a supplier, Husi Food Co., sold them expired beef and chicken. The report added to a series of food safety scares in China that have battered public confidence in dairies and fast food outlets.
Did you know 51 percent of dog owners believe that pet food made in the U.S. is the most important factor in their purchasing decisions? Consumers who consider their pet a member of the family should read on to find out the nine emerging trends in gourmet pet food.
Germany's antitrust authority is imposing fines totaling $460 million on 21 sausage manufacturers, including Nestle subsidiary Herta and Meica, for colluding to push through higher prices and agreeing on price ranges for various products.
Northern Natural Processing LP, a beef slaughter plant in southeastern Saskatchewan, had its license suspended by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. The suspension is due to the operator of the plant failing to use corrective measures to ensure the safety of the meat.
A year ago, President Barack Obama and his European peers sought an agreement to create the trading bloc by the end of 2014. Now, the thought of chlorine-drenched chickens on the dinner table is driving the EU away from the free trade agreement.
The investigations of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency has lead to the recall of Podravka luncheon meat. The product recall is from an undeclared milk ingredient in the meat. Consumers with an allergy to dairy are being advised not to consume the product.
Urban Organics, a Minnesota-based company, is taking an ancient farming method and making it trendy. Aquaponics, a technique that grows vegetables in water and uses fish waste for nourishment, is featured in this week's segment of "The Lempert Report" Innovation Series.
The rise in prices of certain foods, like beef and fresh fruits, is outpacing overall inflation. With the pricey costs of eating, there has also been a hike in consumer-price indexes for food at home, more commonly known as groceries.
The slicing system reduces giveaway and increases yields with a patented technology that provides complete automated control of each log being delivered to the blade.
As populations skyrocket, global demand for food has never been higher. But in the U.S., more than one-third of the food produced is never eaten and a new survey shows that food waste is near the top of the list of consumers' environmental concerns.
OpenTable honors our nation's longstanding love affair with barbecuing by announcing the top 30 best barbecue restaurants in America. These awards reflect the opinions of more than 5 million restaurant reviews. From Maryland to California, what beats your eats?
The cold winter may be to blame for the lobster population not having shed its shells yet. The harvesting season usually begins in mid June, and has not happened yet this year. Some lobstermen are reporting catches half the size they saw at this time last year.
After four months of increases, wholesale food prices fell 0.2 percent in May. That should bring some grocery bill relief. Food costs had been rising because crops were damaged by a drought in California and brutal winter storms in the Midwest.


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If you've been following Automotive.com's European sales reports at the start of every month, you will have noticed sales of German autos have been scorching here in the U.S.
Read This Article
The autosphere's a-buzzing with what may be the first exterior shot of the upcoming Mercedes-Benz B-Class scheduled to debut next month at the Frankfurt Motor Show.
Mercedes is beginning to trickle out information on its 2013 Mercedes-Benz GL-Class, the full-sized, seven-passenger crossover SUV which debuted at this year's New York Auto Show.
The 2014 Mercedes-Benz S-Class is the hot-seller in its segment.


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Did You Know...
According to a 2012 Teen Internet Behavior study done by McAfee, Inc., the world's largest dedicated security technology company, 70% of teens hide their online behavior from their parents.
The study investigated the online habits, behaviors, interests, and lifestyles of teens and revealed that they are not only engaging in risky behaviors, but are also hiding it from their parents. The hidden behaviors include everything from posting personal information and risky photos online, and accessing inappropriate online content including simulated violence, sexual topics, and nude content or pornography to cheating on schoolwork.
Teens are tech-savvy and more and more are participating in dangerous and even illegal activities online. The following behaviors were reported by the McAffee study.
- Accessed simulated violence online (43%)
- Accessed nude content or pornography online (32%)
- Hacking a social network site (15%)
- Accessing pirated movies and music (30.7%)
- Hacking someone’s email online (8.7%)
- Cheating in school by looking for test answers on their phone (16%)
- Looking up test answers online (48.1%)
Less than 15% of parents are aware their children are engaging in any of these behaviors, and sadly, 77.2% of parents said they were not very or not at all worried about their teens cheating online.
According to the McAffee study, the top 10 ways teens are fooling their parents include:
- Clearing the browser history (53%)
- Close/minimize browser when parent walked in (46%)
- Hide or delete IMs or videos (34%)
- Lie or omit details about online activities (23%)
- Use a computer your parents don’t check (23%)
- Use an internet-enabled mobile device (21%)
- Use privacy settings to make certain content viewable only by friends (20%)
- Use private browsing modes (20%)
- Create private email address unknown to parents (15%)
- Create duplicate/fake social network profiles (9%)
“While it is not necessarily surprising that teens are engaging in the same types of rebellious behaviors online that they exhibit offline, it is surprising how disconnected their parents are,” says Stanley Holditch, Online Safety Expert for McAfee. “There is a major increase in the number of teens finding ways to hide what they do online from their parents, as compared to the 2010 study. This is a generation that is so comfortable with technology that they are surpassing their parents in understanding and getting away with behaviors that are putting their safety at risk.”
Some parents are being proactive in helping to keep their kids safe online including:
- Setting parental controls (49%) -- One of the best internet filters available and a FamilyMint recommendation is K9 Web protection. The best part is it’s FREE!
- Obtaining email and social network passwords (44%)
- Taking away computer and mobile devices (27%)
- Using location-based devices to keep track of teens (10%)
Other parents are simply overwhelmed. Twenty-three percent of the surveyed parents disclosed that they are not monitoring their children’s online behaviors because they are overwhelmed by technology.
“Parents need to get informed about their children’s online behavior,” says Robert Siciliano, McAfee Online Security Expert. “The fact is that allowing teens to participate in unmonitored online activity exposes them to real dangers with real consequences, and these dangers are growing exponentially with the proliferation of social networks.”
Click here to learn more about the McAffee study.
Photo Source: www.teensafe.com


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|Financial Secretary Paul Chan delivered his budget address with sweetners|
|People are already wondering how to spend HK$10,000|
The eight months of anti-government protests and now the spread of the coronavirus in the city has resulted in a lot of empty shops and restaurants.
An acquaintance I had dinner with this evening described her recent visit to the newest shopping mall, K11 Musea in Tsim Sha Tsui. It's an upscale mall that has shops that aren't usually found in most other places (ie more expensive), and there are lots of vertical gardens to create a lush atmosphere, while the staff manning the information booths look like hipsters.
|Looking up at the ceiling at K11 Musea shopping mall|
The only relatively busy area was the food court, and even then it wasn't difficult to get a table.
Part of the problem is that because of the coronavirus, a lot of people are working from home, and the location of the mall is not where many office workers are.
When I asked if some of the shops were closed, she said over 90 percent of them were open. It's a sad -- no -- a disastrous situation for Hong Kong's economy.
The other day a colleague and her husband went to see Guy Ritchie's latest film, The Gentlemen and they had the whole cinema to themselves. Many aren't going because the government has strongly dissuaded people to go to the movies because there is a chance of being infected from droplets in the air, even though people are wearing masks and had their temperature taken at the door.
|K11 Musea was pretty empty of customers recently|
It's no wonder the restaurant is anxious to launch its take away lunch boxes, like char siu with vegetables and rice -- something they would have never considered doing before.
But this is the Lion Rock spirit -- finding any way to survive.
A lot of shops and restaurants are going to have to close, and while it's terrible for the people who will be laid off, there is a hope that those companies that do survive will be better -- they will have staff who appreciate their jobs, and are able to serve customers well.
It's the details that count, and people remember that.
Before all this chaos happened, service staff for the most part either didn't care for their jobs, or were too arrogant to serve potential customers. If Hong Kong wants to pull itself out of this economic crisis, it needs people with the right mindset who are willing to persevere -- with a smile.
Here's hoping for a stronger, leaner Hong Kong. Customer service doesn't mean pandering to people, but being professional, enthusiastic and compassionate. Is that too much to ask?


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Bulb still glowing well after 100yrs
ONE of Britain’s oldest lightbulbs is still in full use after 100 YEARS.
The 230-volt, 55-watt DC Osram bulb is believed to have been made in July 1912, just months after the Titanic disaster.
Owner Roger Dyball said it still lights his porch in Lowestoft, Suffolk, adding: “At this rate, it’ll burn for ever!
“We found it with its original fittings when we moved here in 1967 and it has never gone out.”
It was made at a factory in Wembley, North London. Roger, 74, sent the bulb serial numbers to Osram, which worked out its date of manufacture and gave him a special certificate.
Britain’s oldest working bulb was found at Margate, Kent, in 2008. Experts estimated it was made in 1895 — 15 years after US genius Thomas Edison invented the lightbulb. Modern bulbs last an average 1,000 hours before conking out.


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October 3, 2016
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The previously popular Google Earth API is being deprecated and is due to shut down in early 2016, signalling the end of access to its 3D imagery via the API. This post by Timothy Whitehead for Google Earth Blog looks at four applications that used to use the API, and what they are using now.
New York City is probably best known for its skyscrapers and millions of people, not the trees that line its avenues. A new iPhone app goes out on a limb to give a little credit to the oaks and maples. And it's doing it thanks to open government data.


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ATLANTA (August 25, 2021) — GreyOrange, a global provider of solutions that modernize fulfillment operations, today announced the appointment of Abhi Ravishankar as Vice President of Customer Success. Leading this new division, Ravishankar will expand the company’s customer-first strategy, building a global team and practices that enhance how GreyOrange serves as a trusted partner to its customers.
“We operate more AI software and robots at-scale than any other company in the market outside of Amazon,” said Samay Kohli, Co-founder and CEO of GreyOrange. “As our global presence grows, our established customers continue to expand with sophisticated deployments. Abhi brings a proven global track record from his time with BCG and Schlumberger of helping customers achieve transformative business outcomes. GreyOrange already delivers 20% year-over-year value to our customers through our platform. With Abhi joining us, his leadership and experience strengthens our ability to provide exceptional customer success that multiplies the return we create for the companies that deploy our fulfillment solutions.”
The GreyOrange Customer Success team will drive the post-sale customer experience across its rapidly growing global customer base. The division will leverage GreyOrange’s industry experience to ensure the best business outcomes for customers and deliver a world-class customer experience through professional services and support teams led by Ravishankar. Taking GreyOrange’s already outstanding customer service practices even further, the team will closely partner with customers to develop a deep understanding of their business, anticipate future needs and deliver value additions that empower customers to compete and grow their business.
“As an industry leader in automated fulfillment, GreyOrange is uniquely positioned to advise customers on transformative solutions to help optimize their operations and meet pressing fulfillment needs,” said Ravishankar. “I look forward to partnering with GreyOrange customers and helping them unlock maximum business value, quickly and sustainably, from applying our robust automation solutions.”
Ravishankar has over 12 years of leadership and engineering experience both as an advisor to C-suite executives and as an operator driving rapid growth. He joins GreyOrange from the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) where he served as Managing Director and Partner in their San Francisco office. His work at BCG covered high-impact transformational changes, fast-growth initiatives, go-to-market strategy and scaling operations in high-growth markets.
Prior to BCG, he managed operations in the Middle East for Schlumberger, a leading oilfield services and technology company. He is an alumnus of the UC Berkeley Haas School of Business and BITS Pilani.
For more information, please visit www.greyorange.com


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Google lists top ten malware websites
Google has published of the top ten worst-offending malware sites on the internet.
The list was published on the firm's online security blog.
Google has identified more than 4,000 websites which were guilty of supplying malware.
The company claimed that now more than ever before it is essential the home users and businesses protect themselves against malware with up to date anti-virus software.
Of those in the top ten list of worst offenders, six of the websites had top-level domain names with the cn extension denoting they are based in China.
Meanwhile, according to internet security specialist Brian Krebs, the number of malware franchises on the internet is increasing as cybercriminals pay for the dissemination of malicious code.
According to Mr Krebs, the gangs pay anything from $5 (£3) and $140 for the infection of 1000 computers.
- July 30, 2009 - Online bank users 'prioritise security'
- July 30, 2009 - Top ten IT security threats of the future unveiled
- July 30, 2009 - Spam 'accounts for 92% of emails'
- July 29, 2009 - Karoo slated over online security move
- July 29, 2009 - Emma Watson rumour scam threatens online security


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Intel’s next-gen chips for laptops, tablets, and convertibles are on their way, and the company says you can expect “double-digit” performance gains… even though the new processors are still part of the company’s 8th-gen Core lineup and still manufactured using a 14nm process.
While we didn’t learn a lot about the new Amber Lake-Y and Whiskey Lake-U series chips during Intel’s keynote today, I suppose it’s nice to know that Intel has something planned for mobile… especially as the company faces growing competition in the space from AMD and Qualcomm.
Intel’s Whiskey Lake-U processors will replace the current Kaby Lake Refresh processors as the company’s primary chip for low-power laptops. We can probably expect these new chips to be 15 watt quad-core processors, like their predecessors.
Amber Lake, meanwhile, will be the first 8th-gen chips in Intel’s Y-series, which means this is the follow-up to the 4.5 watt Core M3-7Y30, Core i5-7Y54, and Core i7-7Y75 chips released in 2016.
While Intel isn’t providing specifics about the new chips yet, the company says there we can expect to see as many as 140 different devices featuring the new chips this fall.


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The same day the New York Times published its explosive exposé on Harvey Weinstein, it was announced that Marchesa — the fashion brand co-founded by Weinstein’s wife, Georgina Chapman — would release a new collection of engagement rings through licensee Helzberg Diamonds.
The 18-piece “Marchesa Radiant Star” collection had been scheduled to hit stores later this month, but Helzberg Diamonds says they are no longer working with Marchesa and the original link to the collection is now broken. A representative for Helzberg confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter that “the company is not launching the Marchesa brand at this time.” No reason was given.
“Marchesa Radiant Star” has been rebranded as only “Radiant Star” on Helzberg Diamonds’ website.
Chapman announced Tuesday that she’s leaving Weinstein after 10 years of marriage.
“My heart breaks for all the women who have suffered tremendous pain because of these unforgivable actions,” she told People magazine. “I have chosen to leave my husband. Caring for my young children is my first priority and I ask the media for privacy at this time.”
Prior to Chapman’s announcement, The Post reported that the bombshell sexual harassment allegations against Weinstein could hurt Chapman’s fashion brand, which is a favorite of celebrities on the red carpet. “He’s going to get ostracized in the [fashion] business — at least for a while — and Marchesa could suffer, too,” one fashion exec said.
Weinstein, 65, and Chapman, 41, married in 2007 and share two kids together.
Reps for Helzberg Diamonds and Marchesa did not immediately respond to requests for comment.


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- The value of UK exports is expected to grow by USD25bn next year, more than the Netherlands (USD21bn), Germany (USD18bn), Belgium (USD16bn), France (USD11bn) and Spain (USD10bn). This performance in value terms is explained by an acceleration in volume growth of exports, but also by an appreciation of Sterling with respect to the USD.
- Britain sits only behind China (USD90bn), the US (USD87bn) and Canada (USD35bn) in global race
- Growth will spark a recovery for UK trade in 2020, following a -29USDbn contraction in 2019
- The insurer expects global trade volumes to grow by +1.7% in 2020 - with value forecast to rise by +2.3% - after slowest increase in a decade recorded this year
London, 7th January 2019 – Growth in the value of UK exports will outstrip the rest of Europe next year with only China, the US and Canada set to record bigger increases globally, according to research from Euler Hermes, the world’s leading trade credit insurance provider.
The insurer, which published the findings in its latest Global Trade report, expects the UK to record a USD25bn rise in the value of goods and services sold overseas in 2020, more than the Netherlands (USD21bn), Germany (USD18bn), Belgium (USD16bn), France (USD11bn), Spain (USD10bn), Switzerland (USD10bn) and Italy (USD10bn).
The UK is placed fourth overall globally behind China (USD90bn), the US (USD87bn) and Canada (USD35bn) in the analysis of the top 25 exporting nations.
The figures are based on the UK leaving the EU under terms agreed in the current deal.
The findings come as the business forecasts global trade volumes to grow by +1.7% in 2020 - with values forecast to rise by +2.3% - after recording the slowest growth in a decade this year (+1.5%).
The research shows that the software and IT services (USD62bn), agrifood (USD41bn) and chemicals (USD37bn) sectors will be the main contributors to the year-on-year growth.
China (-USD67bn), Germany (-USD62bn) and Hong Kong (-USD50bn) were the main victims of the global trade slowdown in 2019, with the UK losing -USD29bn as a result of the uncertainty surrounding Brexit.
Ana Boata, senior European economist at Euler Hermes, said: “We expect the UK to experience a strong rebound in export growth next year as the promise of a deal with the EU lowers the levels of uncertainty for both UK businesses and their customers overseas.
“While threat of a recession still looms and we forecast the economy to contract by -0.1% in the next two quarters, a recovery will follow in the second half of the year with quarterly growth expected to reach +0.6%.
“Globally, the worst is behind us but the resurgence in trade growth will be slow. The so-called phase 1 deal between the U.S. and China, despite being superficial, will help matters. But renewed threats of tariffs, the US elections and a calendar of global summits will result in more volatility, leaving little hope for sizable improvement this year.”
Euler Hermes Media Relations
+44 (0)20 7860 2728
+44 (0)161 235 0300


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When TikTok's Chief Executive Officer Shou Zi Chew testifies before Congress for the first time on Thursday, advertisers will be closely watching his appearance for news as well as the reaction of lawmakers, several ad agencies told Reuters.
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The company faces growing calls from lawmakers who are pressuring the Biden administration to ban the app over concerns that Americans' user data could fall into the hands of the Chinese government.
In recent discussions with ad buyers, TikTok representatives have stuck to the company's current talking points. TikTok employees have played up ongoing plans to separate the user data of Americans and store it in the country. The data will be housed in a new division called U.S. Data Security (USDS), which will be monitored by U.S. tech company Oracle, an effort dubbed Project Texas.
At least one major ad firm held a call this week with TikTok sales representatives in an attempt to learn more detail about its data security practices. Though TikTok provided an overview of Project Texas, it was unable to answer more detailed questions about how it would block U.S. user data from the Chinese government, said an executive at the ad firm, who declined to be named to discuss a private call.
Darren D'Altorio, vice president of social media at marketing agency Wpromote, said TikTok sent an email on Tuesday to note that it had launched a new website for USDS and included answers to frequently asked questions about the initiative.
In a section of the email titled "Can the Chinese government request TikTok U.S. user data?" the company wrote that Project Texas "prevents inappropriate access to that data, including no approval mechanism by which U.S. data would be shared with the Chinese government."
A TikTok spokesperson said the company is engaging with advertisers "in open, fact-based, and ongoing dialogue that includes providing regular updates and addressing questions about the ways we're working to build a trusted entertainment platform for users and brands."
Even with talk of a ban, most advertisers have not changed their spending plans on TikTok, media buyers said, because discussions of a ban have lingered since 2020 without any result.
TikTok CEO Chew plans to tell lawmakers on Thursday that the company has never, and would never, share U.S. user data with the Chinese government, according to written testimony posted by the House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee.
But it is a critical moment for TikTok, which has grown exponentially in importance to advertisers as the app's user numbers have surged in the two years since then-President Donald Trump first explored a ban of the app.
The renewed concerns over TikTok seem to have escalated quickly in the past few weeks, catching some brands off guard, D'Altorio said.
Some clients that are publicly-traded companies had been reluctant to buy ads on TikTok since 2020, and their wariness has only continued. "They say 'we don't want to touch this,'" he said.
Vinny Rinaldi, Hershey Co's head of media and analytics, said on Wednesday that the Reese's Cup maker built a contingency plan if TikTok is shut off in the U.S.
Hershey spends the least on TikTok compared to other social platforms, Rinaldi said, but it's an "area of growth (that is) working well." His bet is that TikTok users switch to YouTube if the platform shuts down.
The current situation also makes some smaller brands with a niche audience hesitant to experiment with ads on TikTok, said Adam Telian, vice president of media services at marketing agency New Engen, which has worked with The Home Depot and Google Fiber.
"People are hesitant to make that commitment and investment at a time when they're not sure TikTok will still be around," he said.
While tension brews in Washington, TikTok has continued to roll out new tools for Madison Avenue. Last month it introduced a feature to let brands easily turn their organic TikTok videos into ads.
Advertisers that are using TikTok and seeing strong performance from their ads are recommended to stay the course, said Erik Huberman, CEO of Hawke Media, a marketing consultancy that has worked with Red Bull and Alibaba.
Brands that have customers on TikTok will find it difficult to step away until real action happens in Washington, D'Altorio said.
"A ban isn't a ban until it's a ban," he said.
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Nirma will acquire 75% of Glenmark Life Sciences (GLS) in a deal valued at ₹5,651.5 crore, or ₹615 per share.Apple Bites Big, Turns Largest Smartphone Exporter from India
Apple has for the first time outpaced Samsung on smartphone export volumes from India, shipping 49% of the country’s total 12 million shipments in the June quarter compared to its Korean rival's 45%.China no More the Main Character in India TV Picture
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It seems as though Amazon has decided to takes it’s first real step into the gaming world. Amazon has recently acquired GameSparks, a company in the UK that builds backend tools for developers behind popular game franchises such as the Assassin’s Creed series and Final Fantasy. Amazon and has always been on good terms with GameSparks ever since it’s launch in 2013.
GameSparks builds tools as well as AWS infrastructure for companies such as Ubisfoft, Square Enix, EA Games, and more, in order to make it easier for their developers to take their games into the market. GameSpark has provided game developers with services that allow them to use server base functions on games as wee, such as scoreboards, leaderboards, and chat rooms, the company also had a part in creating different servers for certain video games so gamers wouldn’t have to all crowd into a single server when playing, thus preventing the game from freezing, lagging, or having errors.
The company itself and their methods have even become the topic of a case study on Amazon’s Web Services page, “The technical leadership at GameSparks had been pioneer users of cloud providers including AWS for years. From inception, they believed that the cloud was the best option to launch the platform due to its speed, low cost, breadth of features, and security.” The full details of the deal between Amazon and GameSparks have not been released to the public as of yet, but back in February Amazon announced their plans to sell games directly on Twitch which was bought by Amazon for $1 billion in 2014. Reports state that Amazon has been putting together a game developing team ever since it’s acquisition of the company and even announced its first games would be deeply integrated with Twitch.
Apparently one of the games will even allow users to wager loyalty points, which can be exchanged for in-game rewards. Amazon is no stranger to dabbling in other franchises besides shipping, ever since Amazon’s launch in 1995 the company has been growing and acquiring and partnering with more and more small businesses such as Twitch, Audible, IMDb and more. Amazon’s reading materials are some of Amazon’s most popular accessories, such as the Kindle Fire and by owning the company Audible the largest producer and retailer of audio books in the United States, Amazon is able to market their Kindle Fire since the tablet is able to listen to audiobooks through the tablet. With GameSpark now under Amazon’s ownership gamers can expect to see new and interesting games from the popular company.
Featured Image via Flickr/Canonicalized


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Most of the finance and entertainment industries are based in Mumbai which attracts the big spenders, through the city’s inhabitants who are not habitual high spenders. Also, Delhi has more of “Me” culture and Mumbai has more of a “We” culture. It is more common to find families eating out at restaurants in Mumbai than in Delhi. When it comes to holidaying, the Mumbaikar looks for convenience and comfort rather than flamboyance. A holiday maker from Mumbai is more likely to explore the country side abroad rather than do the tried and tested route of the metros.
Mumbai has a unique population spread and it poses unique challenges for retailers. For example: A store in Delhi’s South Extension can get 600 walk-ins on a weekend. But the walk-ins in a similar store on Mumbai’s linking road would be just 10. This happens because the market is spread out in Mumbai, with shopping clusters having moved from the traditional Colaba, Crawford Market and Kemps Corner to suburbs like Bandra, Andheri, Malad and Mulund.
Indicus analytics have found that suburban Mumbai, with a projected income of Rs. 1,16,273 crore will be the highest income earner after Delhi in 2008-09 but it will be the largest spender, spending around 86 per cent of its income in the current fiscal year.


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SUPPORTING ASEAN ORGANIC
Ahmad Saleh has never dreamed of being a farmer like his parents, but when life brought him back to the rice paddy fields, he did so with a mission, ‘Our earth is sick and it’s our mission to save it’.
Saleh started what is to become one of the biggest organic farms in Central Java, the Sawangan Organic Farmers Association (GATOS), spanning across 425 hectares of land and over 2 000 members, ‘As farmers, we have been taught to use chemicals and pesticides to increase production’, he said. ‘But if we continue this practice, we may have nothing to leave our kids and grandkids’.
The association received its organic certification in 2012 and dreamed of entering the ASEAN market, ‘We currently produce over 7 500 tonnes of rice a year’, Saleh said. ‘Entering the regional market is our lifelong dream’.
The EU, through the ARISE+programme has assisted and supported the ASEAN Experts Group on Organics Agriculture (EWG-OA) in the development of a Mutual Recognition Arrangement on Organic Agriculture Products (MRAOAP). The Mutual Recognition Arrangement will provide credibility to qualified producers, like GATOS and provide them with market access across ASEAN.
Also drafted in parallel with the MRA-OAP is the ASEAN Certification Scheme for Organic Agriculture. The scheme will provide a credible and transparent basis for certification of Organic Agriculture based on international practices.


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Hemp may be coming to Sterling.
The Sterling Planning Commission met Wednesday with two items of new business on their agenda, both related to the property at 200 Hays Ave., the former Mr. D’s Farm and Ranch store.
The first item was a conditional use permit for the cultivation and development of hemp from L7 Ag, LLC.
Public Works Director George Good noted in his report that the hemp grow could be considered a greenhouse, which is permitted as a conditional use in a community business (CB) zone. “The purpose of the conditional use process recognizes that there are a number of uses which may or may not be appropriate in a particular zoning district depending upon all the circumstances of the individual case,” Good explained. “It is the intent of the chapter (in the city code) to provide a comprehensive review of such instances so that the city is assured that these uses are compatible with their locations and surrounding land uses.”
He added that the Planning Commission’s role is to review “the proposed use, intensity of use, and site development plan as it relates to the character of the surrounding area, the desirability and need for such a use in the specific area of the city, the availability of public utilities and services, the potential for environmental or objectionable impacts which could result from its approval, and compliance with the intent and purpose of the ordinance.”
Brad Lebsock, whose family owns the property, explained that they’d like to start growing hemp for seed in a portion of the building. They hope to sell the seed to local producers at a lower cost than the $1 per seed that it can cost now.
The 16,000-square foot building is currently being used for storage, Lebsock noted. They’d use up to half of it for the cultivation, which would involve growing the plants in pots, with grow lights above them. He said growing indoors is better when cultivating for seed because it allows for better control of the air and prevents cross-pollination.
“When you’re doing a seed project, you want to have very pure seeds,” he said.
He noted that the location is fairly distant from any other farm fields.
The plants would be pollinated with a special pollen to grow the correct variety. He noted that the whole operation has to be licensed by the Department of Agriculture.
Lebsock said they’d probably employ an average of five people, who would be parking in front of the building when working. He didn’t see it as producing a heavy traffic impact.
The commission members raised questions about odors from the operation affecting people in the area. Lebsock said growing for other products tends to produce more smell than growing for seed, but noted that there are methods to address odors.
He also didn’t believe that the operation would generate any additional noise than an air conditioning system, and said the lights, which could be on 24 hours a day depending on the growing cycle of the plants, will all be inside and the building doesn’t have much in the way of windows.
Lebsock was joined by James Williams of Centennial, who has set up multiple labs in the Front Range area. Williams said growing for seed involves growing male plants, which produce less odor than female plants. In the communities where he has set up labs, he said they have received great feedback.
After closing the public hearing, the commission voted to recommend conditional approval of the permit, with requirements for an odor mitigation plan and possible light mitigation, on a 3-1-1 vote, with Nate Laybourn voting against the motion and Devon Miller abstaining for a personal conflict.
The recommendation will be forwarded to the Sterling City Council for consideration.
The second request from L7 Ag was for a variance to allow for processing of CBD oil. Lebsock explained that they hope to be able to receive crude CBD oil and refine it for manufacturers of CBD oil products such as lotion or food products. Eventually they could start making their own products for white labeling, or selling them to companies that would distribute the products under their own brands.
Lebsock said the building has to be certified by the Food and Drug Administration for the post-refinement of the oil.
Williams explained that the extraction process does not result in any by-product, as everything is captured for further research and development. “Nothing would go down the drain,” he said.
Depending on the process used, Williams said the facility could process a couple of tons of oil every 24 hours, with a ton representing an acre of crop.
Lebsock said adding the processing facility to the building would not likely have a big impact on activity levels in the area. He added that there is not much available in the way of buildings or land in industrial zones, but there are a lot of commercial buildings sitting empty.
“My vision has always been to try to bring jobs in,” he said, adding that manufacturing jobs tend to be higher paying than retail jobs. “They’re going to be going somewhere. The industry’s a growing industry, and I say, why not Sterling.”
After closing the public hearing, Laybourn called for a motion. When none was forthcoming, he moved to deny the variance, and the motion passed on a 3-1-1 vote with Amy Chadim voting against and Miller abstaining.
Laybourn noted that L7 Ag could appeal the commission’s decision.
After the meeting, Laybourn explained that he voted against both applications because the property is not zoned for manufacturing.
Sara Waite: 970-526-9310, firstname.lastname@example.org


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Merchants’ Chamber of Commerce & Industry organized a Round Table Session of MCCI Economist Forum on Development Strategies in the era of disruption- Taking the Bull by Horn on January 9, 2023 at ITC Sonar, Kolkata.
For the first time in eastern India, MCCI has set up MCCI Economist Forum under the Chairmanship of Shri Suresh Prabhu, Former Union Minister for Civil Aviation, Railways, Commerce & Industry, Chemicals & Fertilizers, Environment & Forests, Power and Chancellor, Rishihood University with 14 Stalwarts from the field of Economics.
The Chief Guest of the Round Table Session was Dr. V. Amamtha Nageswaran, Chief Economic Adviser, Department of Economic Affairs, Government of India.
The President of MCCI, Mr. Namit Bajoria in his Welcome Address said “we are living in an era of disruptions in which powerful global forces are changing how we live and work. The rises of emerging economies, the rapid spread of digital technologies, the growing challenges to globalization, and, in some countries, the breakage of long-held social contracts are all roiling business, the economy, and society”.
Dr. V. Anantha Nageswaran, Chief Economic Adviser, Department of Economic Affairs, Government of India in his address said that India has an opportunity to not just grow consistently by about 6% in the remaining year of the decade and beyond. Now India has to start punching its weight in International Forums such as G20. G20 is an opportunity for India to begin internationalizing the currency.
While speaking on the global economy, Dr. Nageswaran expressed his concern over tightening of monetary policy by USA and Euro zone which will cause huge financial disruptions in the world economy.
He also pointed out that India has undertaken a lot of structural reforms since 2016. In the last year, digital infrastructural growth in real GDP registered at 0.3 to 0.5% per annum. The financial system in India is undergoing structural reforms. The banks are well-capitalized. He added that India will face the challenge of managing rupee strength rather than rupee depreciation likewise during the last decade.
Mr. Suresh Prabhu, Chairperson, MCCI, Economist Forum & Former Union Minister for Civil Aviation, Railways, Commerce & Industry, Chemicals & Fertilizers, Environment & Forests, Power and Chancellor, Rishihood University in his address said that there is an enormous change happening around the world and this change is the main cause of disruption. Disruption can come in various forms like disruption in supply chain, digitalization, geo-political issue, climate change, etc. but we also need to keep in mind that disruption can only open up opportunities for further development in economy.
Dr. Sachin Chaturvedi, Director General, Research and Information System for Developing Countries said that India is the only economy with lowest rising inflation in globally. India is in a zone where economic stability is there. Disruptions are to be addressed in long run, with indigenous policy prescriptions.
Dr. Mridul Saggar, Professor of Practice, Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Kozhikode said that in the current situation, India has faced the problem of limitation in monetary and fiscal space. The inflation rate has yet to come down to the targeted value. The Government needs to consider fiscal consolidation to increase monetary and fiscal space. He also focused on corporate deleveraging to turn around more investment in capital flow.
While speaking on digital disruption,Dr. Amitendu Palit, Senior Research Fellow and Research Lead (trade and economics), Institute of South Asian Studies, National University of Singapore mentioned that Digitalization has started creating gaps in society as well as in business. For example, in West Bengal, there is huge digital inequality. In the context of information, for the mass, it is also difficult to distinguish between the accurate and inaccurate information.
Dr. Achintan Bhattacharya, Professor of Practice in Lal Bahadur Shastri Institute of Management, New Delhi (Dwarka) suggested that in the digital era, the government needs to focus on the empowerment of people through digitalization.
Mr. Indranil Pan, Chief Economist, YES BANK expressed concern over the capital utilizing capacity for many large industries which are still below 80%. He also advised that the Government needs to look at Debt GDP stabilization which is still around 84%.
Mr. Siddhartha Sanyal, Chief Economist, Bandhan Bank pointed out that India is secured of its demand side support in the economy rather than other economies in the world. In India, it is important to boost the supply side and provide supply side support to cater the existing demand in economy. He also mentioned that if supply side has grown to meet excess demand, the economy will be at high growth with lower level of inflation. This demand pull inflation is much more manageable.
Mr. P.K.Gupta, Former MD, SBI, Non – Executive Chairman, Utkarsh Small Finance Bank mentioned that the impact of digitalization is going to be profound and its impact is also huge. The gap between people who have adopted digitization and who are lagged behind, is increasing day by day. There is need for skilling and up skilling of the youth.
Mr. Saugata Bhattacharya, Chief Economist, Axis Bank said that in India global supply-chain reconfiguration can only happen by improvement in technological infrastructure.India needs to focus on R&D sector to compete globally.
The Session was concluded by proposing a hearty vote of thanks by Mr. Lalit Beriwala, Senior Vice President, MCCI.


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Web marketing—Chart a winning course with social media
Social media is enabling companies to expand their Web marketing efforts at a minimal cost and more quickly than with traditional advertising. Consumers can be engaged now as “fans” to promote a company’s products and services, and companies can track the effectiveness of different Web marketing efforts.
The battery manufacturer Rayovac has always focused on mothers as the target consumer. “They make most of the household purchasing decisions,” explains David Carlson, creative director at Rayovac, who adds that mothers are the primary users of social media tools. So when new executives assumed key positions at the beginning of the year, they decided to make “mommy bloggers” the target of their initial venture into social media marketing. But before undertaking the venture, Rayovac engaged a partner to handle the social media-based marketing campaign and analytics.
Carlson learned from a former colleague about Shoutlet, a social media marketing platform that provides tools to build and monitor marketing campaigns using combinations of widgets, video, RSS feeds and e-mail through a single dashboard.
“They had the correct tools for us and a good roadmap for the future,” Carlson says. “We were looking for a firm that could provide us with relevant visitor outreach. We can roll with as many of their social media tools at one time as we reach.”
The first social media outreach for Rayovac through Shoutlet was providing 200 targeted bloggers with $3 off “coupons” that the bloggers could easily add to their pages. The bloggers didn’t receive any compensation, but offered the discounts as a service to their readership, according to Carlson.
Clicking on the coupon brought the consumer to the Rayovac home page. The redemption rate was 33 percent, far higher than other coupon campaigns. “Within 48 hours, we had 5,000 Facebook fans. We had only 200 when we started,” Carlson says.
However, the campaign also provided a tough lesson. The coupons were in a PDF format, with only an expiration date. Some people printed off several copies, according to Carlson, so subsequent campaigns have had ceilings on the total number of coupons that consumers can redeem.
Through the Shoutlet tools, Rayovac also places online “commercials,” tracking which bloggers use them and their effectiveness by tracing the origination of Web site hits.
Engines provide results
While Rayovac is focusing its social media efforts on bloggers, others are using social media engines as the core of their Web marketing efforts. Zu Audio, a provider of high-end speakers and cables for music buffs, doesn’t have any retail locations, and instead uses a direct-to-consumer model to sell its products, relying on its Web site to drive sales.
But when Kristian Pettengill joined the company as its new CEO in the middle of 2010, he wanted to expand sales without a large additional investment in marketing. A low-cost marketing campaign was seen as critical for the launch of the Omen, the company’s first sub-$1,000 speaker, during the second half of the year.
“We’re a small company with limited resources,” Pettengill says. “I look at Internet advertising as a spider web, with our website at the center. Social media helps us expand the reach of our website.”
“Rather than sending out announcements to an e-mail list of customers, you just update your Twitter account and it automatically goes out to everyone who is following you on Twitter,” Pettengill says. “Then they can retweet it, and it spreads like wildfire across Twitter.”
So Pettengill looked for a marketing firm that would help him use social media effectively, including analysis of sales leads and lead conversions. He found AgencyQ, a marketing and technology company, whose CEO, Tim Neill, is a music fan.
The first step was a new microsite that AgencyQ developed for Zu Audio featuring the new Omen speakers. The microsite feeds into Zu Audio’s website. Using the free version of HootSuite, one of many available social media management tools, all the marketing firm has to do is post an update on Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook and the other social media engines are updated automatically. There are several other social media engines, but those three were seen as being the most effective for reaching Zu Audio customers and target prospects.
Using another free tool, Google Analytics, AgencyQ tracks leads, reposts and retweets, as well as conversions to sales. That information helps Pettengill determine shifts in marketing strategy.


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10 March 2017
Product Durability and Planned Obsolescence Key Area of Action for European Parliament
Members of the European Parliament are increasing their efforts to ensure product durability as a key area of action for the EU. This change in pace is reflected in the recent publication of two key documents, both of which offer valuable insights into the policies that the European Parliament will push the EU to pursue.
First, a draft report entitled “A longer lifetime for products: benefits for consumers and companies” was published on 22 December 2016 by the European Parliament’s Committee on Internal Market and Consumer Protection (IMCO). Second, a complementary draft opinion addressing the same topic was published on 30 January 2017 by the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI).
Both documents feature a number of areas of further action that will feed into the European Parliament’s position on the lifetime of products. As this position could play an important role in dictating what legislative proposals the Commission will decide to put forward in the future, Hong Kong traders of a wide variety of goods may wish to pay close attention to these developments and the contents of each document.
In respect of IMCO’s draft report, written by rapporteur (chief draftsperson) Pascal Durand, seven key areas of action are considered. The first of these calls on the Commission to incentivise companies to develop and manufacture robust and durable high-quality products. Specifically, the draft report calls on the Commission to establish minimum criteria for each product category and to lay down standards in conjunction with the European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardisation (CENELEC). Rewards for the most compliant manufacturers and support for companies developing modular designs that are easy to dismantle and have interchangeable parts are also proposed.
Another key area of activity concerns promoting the reparability of products, particularly through the development of a “right to product reparability”. This right would include measures such as: (i) the standardisation of spare parts; (ii) ensuring that parts indispensable to the function of a product are always replaceable; (iii) extending the obligation to provide maintenance and repair guides at the time of purchase; (iv) pooling of repair information through the creation of a digital platform; and (v) ensuring that guarantees prioritise the repair of the product over its replacement, whenever practicable.
Further measures aimed at promoting the reparability of products include requiring companies to supply essential spare parts at a reasonable price and within a reasonable time frame, as well as developing a harmonised labelling system that would inform the customer of whether spare parts are available and for how long. Safeguarding the right to go to an independent repairer by, for instance, banning schemes that prevent repairs from being performed by anyone other than approved firms is another proposed measure.
The IMCO draft report suggests that ensuring better information for consumers is an additional key area of action in promoting product durability. Among the measures listed is the promotion of a European label stating the product’s durability, ecodesign features, as well as reparability and upgradeability in line with technical progress. The draft report further proposes mandatory labelling to indicate a product’s expected useful life.
Another key focus of IMCO’s draft report is putting a stop to planned obsolescence. The report notes that the suspected existence of such a phenomenon has destroyed consumer confidence and may have even dissuaded customers from buying more expensive, better quality products.
The draft report therefore calls on the Commission to develop a definition of “planned obsolescence”, for hardware and software, with a view to banning products whose lifespan has been deliberately shortened. Other measures include greater protection for whistle-blowers and the setting of standards for the minimum lifespan for software, as well as minimum periods for the availability of security updates.
To improve consumer confidence, the draft report emphasises the need to strengthen the right to the legal guarantee of conformity. Hong Kong traders will already be aware of the existence of this right. It requires sellers of consumer goods within the EU to guarantee the conformity of said goods under contract, for a period of two years after the delivery of the goods.
Going further, the draft report suggests that the legal guarantee of conformity could be extended beyond the current two-year minimum for certain families of energy-using products on the basis of the studies carried out on product life cycle as part of the ecodesign process. The report foresees a minimum five-year period for large household appliances.
Measures to allow consumers to benefit more easily from their guarantees, such as simplifying the means of showing proof of purchase and ensuring consumers are specifically informed of the guarantee in the sales contract, are also put forward.
In response to IMCO’s draft report, ENVI published a draft opinion requesting that IMCO incorporate a further seven suggestions into the final report. Among those seven suggestions, Christel Schaldemose, the opinion’s rapporteur, placed emphasis on the importance of promoting the EU Ecolabel to improve product lifetimes and consumer understanding of product durability.
She also stressed that a balance must be struck between durability and growth so that increasingly resource-efficient products do not encourage short product lifetimes or the premature disposal of products. In the draft opinion, there is also emphasis placed on the fact that the factors affecting a product’s durability and reparability are determined at the design phases, implying that measures should be focused in that regard.
In addition, ENVI’s opinion calls on the Commission to review the Batteries Directive (2006/66/EC) with a view to introducing an obligation on product manufacturers to design products in such a way that replacement of their batteries is possible.
The ENVI committee is expected to vote on its draft recommendation in mid-April, in advance of the adoption of IMCO’s position on the matter, which is expected to take place soon after.


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(Yicai Global) July 17 -- A subsidiary of China International Travel Service will spend CNY12.9 billion (USD1.9 billion) to build the world's largest duty-free center in China's southern Hainan province, taking advantage of the island's tax-free benefits for mainland tourists.
CITS Investment and Development aims to develop the 693,000 square-meter duty-free commercial, tourism and shopping complex between the Northern Hainan Economic Zone and the Western Coastal Cities' Sub-Center, it said in a statement yesterday. The new district will comprise apartment blocks, office buildings, a five-star hotel and shopping streets.
The duty-free industry in China's southern-most province is booming thanks to policies that allow each visitor to buy CNY30,000 (USD4,358) worth of tax-free goods a year. In the first half, Hainan's four duty-free shops had CNY6.6 billion in revenue, a 26.5 percent annual increase.
The compound growth rate for Hainan's duty-free sales from 2012 to 2018 was 28 percent, higher than the nationwide 11 percent. Last year, tax-free sales reached CNY10.1 billion, 26 percent of the nation's total.
Following closely on this trend, the parent company of CITS and the country's largest tourism conglomerate -- China National Travel Service Group -- has been shifting its business focus south in recent years. In September it relocated its headquarters to Haikou from Beijing. The provincial state assets administration expressed its appreciation by transferring some 51 percent of shares it held in Hainan Duty-Free Goods to the conglomerate.
The first phase of construction of the new CITS complex will comprise the duty-free business complex, apartment blocks and residential areas. It will take around three years to build and cost around CNY5.9 billion. The second phase will include office buildings and hotels and will cost around CNY7 billion.


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It’s a matter of class.
Apple and Google have traveled different paths on their road to success. Both have overcome challenges that could have tanked most tech companies in their early (Google) and middle (Apple) days as companies. Both have had strong leadership – Steve Jobs at Apple and most of the executive team at Google – that has kept them on course despite the challenges.
Both make good decisions and bad decisions, but it is in adversity that the the true heart of the companies come out. For Apple, they were on the edge of the abyss when they swallowed their pride and brought back Steve Jobs a few years after ousting him and let him lead the company to be the most valuable tech firm in the world. When it became clear that health would take Jobs away from his duties sooner than they would have liked, they prepared. Today, with Steve Jobs out as CEO, the prospects of the company are still high.
Google faced a different sort of adversity – failure. They were, for the most part, a one-trick pony. Sure, they have always had innovative products and services, but the vast majority of what they built or bought failed. Yet, they kept trying. They still haven’t given up on social media as they believe it’s the future. With Google+, they may have finally taken the big step in the right direction that they have missed a dozen other times in the past.
Now, let’s look at AOL and Yahoo. Today, Yahoo announced a leadership reorganization that included ousting CEO Carol Bartz. This is not a shocker – the company has been struggling with just about everything over the last 4 years since just before she started. What is surprising is very subtle, not really newsworthy, and all-too commonplace in today’s tech environment.
It’s also indicative of the types of mistakes that Yahoo has made over the years.
They fired her via telephone. There was no warning. No face-to-face interaction. There was no plan on how she was going to handle the situation nor how they would position it in the media other than the factual press release that stated the whats and whens.
Again, it’s not uncommon anymore, but it yields stories like this one about Bartz confirming over an iPad. It is these little nuances and missteps that have taken Yahoo from being on top of the internet less than a decade ago to fighting for their profitable lives today. What should have happened is this:
- First, they have a meeting with Bartz to discuss the decision, allowing an opportunity attached to a nice severance package for her to bow out with her head held high. By stepping down in order to “promote progress and the amazing initiatives that Yahoo has planned” the company would have avoided the perception of a ship falling apart.
- Then, they start the search for a new CEO quietly. There aren’t a ton of candidates to consider for a position as high as CEO of Yahoo. Beginning the search after her firing is ludicrous.
- They do it all on a Friday when the news will have less of an impact. That’s “Leadership Shakeup 101”, particularly in a Twitterized media environment.
Instead, they fired her over the phone and let her send out a broadcast confirmation email saying that she’d just been fired unexpectedly. Poor, poor planning. The thought process behind it is clear – they wanted an immediate message sent out. Shareholders will get a boost from the news as it’s a clear statement that the company has hit rock-bottom and is ready to rebound. Long-term, however, it will prove to be a mistake to use an old “quick action” technique.
For AOL, the situation is even worse. They have a CEO that possibly should be fired after the Techcrunch/CrunchFund debacle. As with Yahoo, AOL seems to not be in control of their own leaders’ actions and cannot formulate a plan that spans longer than a few hours before getting botched.
It’s these types of decisions that separate the strong companies from the weak. Yahoo and AOL were both pioneers in their respective arenas and held their own fates in their hands. They were on top of the world and needed only a good plan, some foresight, and strong leadership to continue to dominate. Both lost their ways.
Google and Apple, on the other hand, have the ability to recover from their mistakes. In many cases, their “mistakes” turn out to be beneficial (lest we forget that the iPad was reviewed very poorly by most tech blogs before its record-setting public release). It isn’t that they make fewer mistakes. It’s that they react properly when mistakes are made. Everything from leadership changes to shifts in products and services are carefully thought-out and executed properly in ways that make the companies look like they’re on top of their own companies.
For AOL and Yahoo, it seems that most moves they make are poor, but more importantly the mistakes they make turn bigger than they have to be. We won’t see either company around in their current level of influence within 2 years.
Compared with Google and Microsoft, AOL and Yahoo obviously seems blind and, don’t gain a specific plan of the future.


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Before high school, Michael Bicos didn't plan to get into the family business, but the fit seemed natural.
He spent his summers working at Everest, a family restaurant with diverse food fare including breakfast burritos, fried mushrooms and carnitas tacos. After he graduated from high school, his father and restaurant owner, Dino, suggested he work at the restaurant, which has locations in La Crescenta, Upland and Santa Clarita.
Bicos, 26, became co-owner soon after.
"I got comfortable here," Michael Bicos said. "I liked how my dad set this up, and started to get an idea of an opportunity here — how to improve and make it better."
That plan is coming to fruition with a fourth Everest to be located in Glendale. With a projected opening date of Dec. 15, the new location will have around 20 employees including chefs and cashiers. So far, a handful of staff has been hired with a second round of employees coming onboard two months before the grand opening, Michael Bicos said.
Expanding Everest — a name chosen because of the restaurant's big-portioned meals — has been an idea shared by the father-son duo for several years. Both wanted a new location with substantial customer traffic, and they considered places such as Hollywood and Burbank.
Then they saw that Hamburger Central, located on 241 N. Central Ave in Glendale., had closed.
"When it came up for sale, we were pretty excited," Michael Bicos said. "It's a great area we know. We jumped on it. It was kind of a no-brainer."
Hamburger Central's sign currently remains on the restaurant's corner, alongside bright yellow banners announcing Everest's arrival.
The announcement initiated a wave of phone calls to Michael Bicos from patrons who travel to the La Crescenta location.
"We've gotten a lot of feedback, saying we'll do great and that they're happy we're coming closer," Bicos said.
A few improvements are being made to the Glendale site as work crews are remodeling bathrooms and installing a floating bar, Michael Bicos said.
The vast menu will carry over to the new location as will the restaurant's take on customer service.
This past Wednesday morning, cashiers at the La Crescenta location carried trays of food to a handful of eager diners. Michael Bicos took customers' orders and waved at regular patrons.
He said his father established Everest as a different kind of fast-food experience. Everything is fresh and made to order.
"And it takes a little bit longer to make the food, but it's worth the wait," Michael Bicos said. "Our customers seem to be appreciative of that."
Although his father started the restaurant chain, Michael Bicos expects to eventually oversee the family business — though he doesn't know when that will happen, he said with a smile, noting his father enjoys working.
And the work his father put into the restaurants is something Michael Bicos wants to continue.


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In January 2014 Mexico declared war on its growing obesity epidemic by implementing a tax of one peso per litre on sugar-sweetened beverages. While introducing the tax has been debated in other countries, there has been little research into whether Mexico’s strategy is actually working – until now.
A new report published in The BMJ has found that one year on, sales of sugary drinks have dropped in Mexico - the first evidence of positive changes.
In 2014, the average person bought four fewer litres of taxed drinks, with the most significant decline in low socioeconomic households.
According to the report, there has been on average a six per cent decline in the purchases of sweetened beverages, not to mention a four per cent average increase in the purchase of untaxed drinks, such as bottled water. The overall decline in sugary drink purchases led to a 12 per cent drop in December 2014.
Researchers found that in 2014, the average person bought four fewer litres of taxed drinks, with the most significant decline happening in low socioeconomic households.
It's a promising start for one of the workd's top consumers of sugar, but experts say it’s too early to say whether Mexico’s soda tax is actually working – the research does not include other factors such as public health campaigns or economic changes.
While taxes may be part of a health strategy, they are not the “magic bullet in the fight against obesity.”
“The full extent of substitutions made by Mexican consumers is not known,” Franco Sassi, a senior health economist Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development in Paris wrote in a corresponding editorial. “We also do not know from the study whether a 1 peso/L tax is large enough to achieve meaningful health benefits.” He says that while taxes may be part of a health strategy, they are not the “magic bullet in the fight against obesity.”
According to Sassi, other complementary policies are necessary: health education, regulatory measures (such as food labelling and regulation of advertising), changes in food choices and doctors counselling those at high risk.
“Taxes do have a place in a broader strategy in countries that are facing disproportionate harms from unhealthy diets, but having to make people pay for their potentially unhealthy consumption choices is not a success for public health.”


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Going green could be as easy as offering people a choice to do so. That’s what Oakland University is doing by adding a hydration station to the mix for its students.
Most of the time the term ‘hydration station’ comes across as fancy jargon for a water fountain. The university replaced one in the Oakland Center with a water dispenser that makes using a refillable bottle more convenient and lessens the need to buy bottled water.
“It’s designed to refill water bottles quickly,” says Richard Fekel, director of the Oakland Center.
The idea is to encourage more students to carry their own containers instead of buying disposable plastic ones that too often clog landfills. While this is the first hydration station on Oakland University’s campus, however, more might be in the future.
“My guess is this will start a new trend,” Fekel says. “We sell a lot of bottled water on campus so this is just another way for our students to give back to their environment.”
Source: Richard Fekel, director of the Oakland Center
Writer: Jon Zemke


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Is 2013 a failed year for Apple?
Did the year 2013 lacked innovation? Does 64-bit A7 mobile CPU count? Why are some pundits saying Apple products are made with planned obsolescence in mind, ignoring that Android devices barely get timely updates?
What’s wrong with technology reporting? Great analysis by John Gruber about whether 2013 was a lost year for Apple and the technology industry.
It’s a damned if they do, damned if they don’t scenario for Apple. If a three-year-old device doesn’t qualify for an iOS upgrade, one could argue that Apple is excluding it out of spite, to pressure the user to buy a new device just so they can run the latest software. But if Apple does provide an update for a three-year-old phone, and the upgrade proves problematic for some of them, then they’re accused of booby-trapping it, suckering users into upgrading their iPhones to a version of iOS that makes them run worse, so that the users will run out and buy a new iPhone. […]
Android devices are famously slow to receive major software updates, and tend to get none at all. The carriers control the updates for Android phones, and the carriers really do want you to buy a new phone as soon as your two-year contract is up. Even with Google’s Nexus phones — for which Google, not the carriers, issues software updates, like Apple does — they only support an 18-month window for OS updates. Thus their own Galaxy Nexus phone, released in November 2011, did not qualify for the Android 4.4 update released a few months ago.
Apple supports four generations of iPhone with iOS 7, Google just two generations of Nexus phone with Android 4.4 — but it’s Apple that has widely been accused of devious “planned obsolescence”.
Strange that Apple, the company that provides the most timely and longest support for mobile devices, is vilified. (Even when Apple products are getting the highest usage stats and highest resale value on the market.)
“There’s a nihilistic streak in tech journalism that I just don’t see in other fields. Sports, movies, cars, wristwatches, cameras, food — writers who cover these fields tend to celebrate, to relish, the best their fields have to offer. Technology, on the other hand, seems to attract enthusiasts with no actual enthusiasm.”
In sports, at least there are referees going by agreed upon rules. In technology, anything goes. For example, Samsung’s fake reviews only resulted in little punishment (there got a small fine in Taiwan but not so elsewhere).
ObamaPacman has a business idea for Google search competitors: create a search engine that ranks sites based on their link-bait article history.


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Does fruit belong on pizza? This question is responsible for almost half of the world’s problems. Some people think it should be a federal crime to order a Hawaiian at a pizza parlor, while others openly discuss their fruity food habits.
This new story, however, will make you angry whether you agree with pineapple on pizza or not. A restaurant now has kiwi as a topping option. What on earth? And upon hearing the news, the internet has collectively decided they are going to cancel the entire thing.
Keep scrolling to see what else made it onto the Huffington Post list of worst toppings including the horrendous photo of the kiwi pizza.


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(JTA) — A team of Israeli researchers has created a white wine made from grapes indigenous to Israel.
The researchers, based at Ariel University in the West Bank and headed by Dr. Elyashiv Drori, have been trying to find grape varieties indigenous to Israel since 2011. Using research about the biblical era and teams of field researchers, Drori located a living sample of the indigenous Marawi grape species.
Israel’s Recanati Winery then grew the grapes, and has now produced nearly 2,500 bottles of Marawi wine. The bottles were first presented on Oct. 18 at the International Milan EXPO, a world’s fair in Italy whose exhibits focus on food production.
Before the production of Marawi wine, Israel’s wineries largely produced wine from grape varieties indigenous to Europe.
“It’s not interesting to make chardonnay in Israel because there’s chardonnay that comes from California,” Drori, the agriculture and oenology research coordinator at the Samaria and Jordan Rift Center of Ariel University, told JTA last year. “But if you can make wine in Israel that isn’t elsewhere and that connects to the history here, that’s much more interesting.”


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Cryptocurrencies are Now Being Taken Seriously in the Financial World!
Examples of Growing Adoption
As we reach the end of 2017, the cryptocurrency space continues to defy the laws of economics. As the combined market cap breaks through $500 billion, we can look back at 2017 as the year cryptocurrencies began to move mainstream and be taken seriously as an investment and alternative to government-backed currencies.
With Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Ripple, Litecoin, and Dash all providing solutions for settling cross-border payments, the current system we use for payments is now under pressure to keep up.
Using cryptocurrencies is easier than ever. Companies like BitPay offer customers a payment card that allows for spending Bitcoin directly anywhere that accepts Visa.
BitPay will not be stopping with Bitcoin. With the implementation of Bitcoin Cash and more altcoins being promised throughout 2018, cryptocurrencies are becoming less speculative and more of a real asset that can be used to purchase goods and hold value.
Coinbase is just one of the many user-friendly exchanges that enable users to purchase Bitcoin and other popular cryptocurrencies directly from their bank accounts.
2018 will be an interesting year for Coinbase. With rumors of new coins being added, the hot favorites include those such as Ripple, Dash, IOTA, and even privacy-focused Monero.
Bitcoin is Now Mainstream and Can No Longer Be Labeled a Scam
With Bitcoin futures listed on the CBOE and CME, the financial world has to accept that Bitcoin and similar legitimate cryptocurrencies are assets to be taken seriously and are not just for reckless traders, criminals, and technology enthusiasts.
As we begin to see the potential that blockchain tech brings, this is no longer a space JUST for small-time developers. Corporations are now beginning to watch the progress of digital assets and blockchain tech closely, and Ethereum, NEM, IOTA, and Ripple are clear examples of this.
Blockchain technology is here to stay!


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Tehran, June 24. MOBNA – There is no place for i-mate mobile sets in smart phone markets, Persian TeleCom Company sales manager said.
“In view of the ban on i-mate mobile import, HTC sets have stood a better chance in attracting more customers,” Babak Aziz-zadegan told Mobna news agency.
“It was quite a while since i-mate offered new models on the market, while HTC presented a new model every two months,” he added.
“HTC intends to acquire seven percent share of Iran’s mobile market this year,” he said.


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NEW DELHI: South Korean automobile major Hyundai, a strong performer in the compact car segment, said on Tuesday it will introduce new products every year to boost volumes and strengthen its image as a modern and premium carmaker.
"We are strong in the compact car category. We have already attained significant market share in the SUV segment, with the new Elantra we will also strengthen our presence in the executive sedans' space. In order to achieve market leadership we will introduce two new products every year," YK Koo, managing director, Hyundai Motor India said.
To beef up its presence in the premium car category, Koo said the company will follow up the launch of the Elantra on Tuesday with premium SUV Tucson in October-November. The sixth generation Hyundai Elantra is priced between Rs 12.99 lakh and Rs 19.19 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi). The introductory prices announced are applicable till December.
Hyundai, which has sold over 22,000 units of the Elantra between August 2012 and July 2016, aims to sell 300-350 units of the new car to attain leadership in the executive sedan segment. Hyundai currently has a market share of 17.1 per cent in the passenger vehicle segment in India. The Indian subsidiary contributes 13 per cent to total global sales of the company.
Koo said that he expects the passenger vehicle market in India to grow by 6 per cent to 2.92 million units in this calendar year. Hyundai, he said, will grow at par with the industry to close 2016 with domestic sales of 0.5 million units.
The company expects a spike in sales of up to 25 per cent during the festive period this year given good monsoons, implementation of the Seventh Pay Commission recommendations and spurt in rural sales.
"Last few years the industry saw challenges in festive volumes. This year is expected to be the best in terms of festive sales. We expect a 25 per cent growth in sales over last year during the festive period," said Rakesh Srivastava, senior vice-president (sales & marketing), HMIL. To meet customer demand, the company is ramping up production and working towards reducing waiting period for models like Creta.
Is the American motoring dream in India coming to an abrupt and complete end? The answer looks affirmative. After the unceremonious exit of General Motors and Ford Motors’ complete sellout to Mahindra & Mahindra, the solitary American two-wheeler offering; Harley-Davidson is stopping production and scaling down operations to imported bikes only. This would leave the premium superbike market for the major European ones like Triumph, BMW, Ducati and Japanese rivals like Honda, Kawasaki, and Suzuki. How will the luxury bike market and overall auto market pan out in a complete absence of American players? Chanchal Pal Chauhan reports.


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Disney has provided fans with an all-new behind-the-scenes look at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, opening in 2019 at Disneyland and Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
In a new video released on Christmas Day, guests can check out the Millennium Falcon on the new attraction Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run, and join the battle on Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance.
Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge opens in the summer of 2019 at Disneyland and in the fall of 2019 at Disney’s Hollywood Studios at the Walt Disney World Resort.
In addition to the two new attractions guests will have a chance to see new droids, characters, and more in the new land.
Check out the video featuring the new behind-the-scenes sneak preview here.


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As the Memorial Day weekend kicks off the summer driving season, supply shortages blamed for the biggest, fastest gasoline price spike in U.S. history are in retreat.
Prices are falling nationwide in a trend that is expected to continue for several weeks as fire-damaged refineries in California return to normal operation and world markets work through a glut of crude oil.
Yet for motorists and some public officials, a big question remains: Were drivers gouged by the oil companies when prices shot up so high and so fast in March and early April?
The Federal Trade Commission and the California attorney general are trying to answer that question with separate investigations of gasoline prices in California, the nation's most populous state.
The investigations focus on a price spiral that sent U.S. retail gasoline prices up 23 cents per gallon on average between March 5 and April 9. In California, the increase was even sharper: a 45-cent climb to $1.60, according to the Lundberg Letter, a newsletter that analyzes oil and gasoline markets.
Nationally, the jump was faster and steeper than any other, including price increases that followed Iraq's invasion of Kuwait in 1990 and the Arab oil embargo in 1974, said Trilby Lundberg, publisher of the Lundberg Survey, a bimonthly review of gasoline prices. But it followed more than a year of historically low prices resulting from weak demand and an oversupply of crude.


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Harley-Davidson recently announced that Android Auto will be included a number of the company's motorcycles. The system will be added to Harley-Davidson bikes through an update.
The company states that any 2014, or latter, Touring, Trike, or CVO model that has a Boom! Box GTS system will be compatible with Android Auto. Additionally, if consumers do not have a Boom Box GTS on their bike, they can arrange to purchase one from Harley-Davidson, and following that they can access Android Auto.
Android Auto has been popular in cars, however, this marks one of the first times the system has been integrated into motorcycles. The system will allow people to access Google Maps, as well as control music and more.
Image Credit: Harley Davidson