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These 28 Underpriced Stocks Can Make You Money
Money is not a client of any investment adviser featured on this page. The information provided on this page is for educational purposes only and is not intended as investment advice. Money does not offer advisory services.
With the economy on a tear, it's harder and harder to find bargains in the stock market. But they're still there, if you look.
It's no secret stocks are pricey. In August, the bull market, which began nearly a decade ago in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, became the longest in history. Despite retreating slightly from it's late September record highs, the S&P 500 is still up 2% this year. The upshot is that stocks in the index are trading at 24 times earnings over the past 12-months' profits, compared to an historical average of just 17 times.
Still, not all corners of the market are overpriced. Some sectors like technology and healthcare have outperformed, making these stocks especially expensive, while others, like telecommunications have lagged, remaining relatively cheap. Then, of course, there are individual companies in all industries that have suffered missteps or just bad luck – but whose long-term prospects remain bright.
Earlier this month, investment researcher Morningstar named 28 of the market's biggest values – stocks that are trading at discounts but nonetheless enjoy competitive advantages among peers. Money then worked with Morningstar analysts to single out five standouts that offer the best long-term prospects, without being enormous risks.
Read on to see the picks:
Company Name: BlackRock
BlackRock is the world’s largest asset manager, overseeing more than $6 trillion. But it’s not immune to the investor anxieties – over trade disputes, rising interest rates and emerging markets turmoil – that have dogged the industry for the past several quarters. Investors pulled a net $3.1 billion from BlackRock in the third quarter – including $17 billion from stock funds – in what was the firm’s first net outflow since 2015. While Blackrock’s third-quarter profit rose 27% – thanks to last year’s tax cut – it’s $3.6 billion in revenue was nearly 2% short of what analysts expected. So far shares are down about 20% this year.
Despite this industry-wide slowdown, BlackRock continues to take advantage of the larger shift from actively-managed investments into lower-cost options like index funds. Passive investing accounts for two-thirds of the firm’s assets under management and nearly half of its revenue. BlackRock is especially dominant in the exchange-traded fund business, and its well-known iShares brand took in $34 billion during the third-quarter, despite the company-wide outflow.
BlackRock is currently trading at just under $390, or roughly 12 times its earnings, but Morningstar argues that because of its strong brand, the stock price should be roughly 20 times earnings, about $580 per share. The market’s volatility may hurt revenue in the short-term but it won’t last forever.
Company Name: Intel
Intel is facing a host of high-profile problems this year. One is that the chip maker has had trouble keeping up with an unexpected uptick in P.C. sales – leading to a shortage of its computer chips that has rippled through the tech industry. Another is product delays as Intel moves to update its line-up, rolling out a new generation of smaller, faster chips. The delays have meant that, for the first time in years, Intel won't be releasing a new microchip in 2018, likely ceding market share to rival American Micro Devices. All in all, Intel's shares are down 6% this year, despite record second-quarter revenue of $17 billion.
While issues like the chip shortage have led to bad press, Intel's bigger problem is that P.C. sales – which until 2018 have declined each of the past seven years – are gradually shrinking. The good news is that Intel has been investing heavily in projects to help it expand elsewhere. These include recent purchases such as server processor company Altera in 2015, A.I. companies Nervana and Movidius in 2016, and last year Mobileye, a firm that could help Intel play a role in the burgeoning driverless car business. Morningstar thinks Mobile eye could boost Intel's revenue roughly $3.7 billion by 2025.
Intel currently trades at around $45 per share. But, taking into account how the company’s diversified growth strategy, Morningstar values the stock at $65 – almost a third higher than its current price. Intel is also cheaper than its competitors, trading at almost 19 times earnings, compared to 91 for AMD’s and 36 for Nvidea.
Company Name: Anheuser-Busch InBev
Anheuser-Busch InBev – the world’s largest brewer with brands like Budweiser, Corona, and Stella Artois – has struggled in the face of a strengthening dollar, which has lowered the the value of profits it earns in Brazil, its second largest market. Currency headwinds have helped knock down the price of AB InBev’s stock to $83 from just over $110 in January.
There are other problems too. The company has been laboring to pay off its $109 billion in debt, largely the result of its 2016 purchase of SABMiller. And in the U.S. market, AB InBev’s largest, it’s gradually losing market share to the rise of craft beers. Last quarter, U.S. revenue fell 3%, even as total revenue grew nearly 5% to $14 billion.
But Morningstar, which values the company at $124 a share, thinks these problems will offset by the company’s longer-term advantages. Not only is AB InBev globally diversified; it enjoys a near-monopoly in several Latin American and African markets, giving it significant pricing power over its peers, according Morningstar. What’s more, the SABMiller acquisition is already bearing fruit – by the end of last year, AB InBev had already wrung $2.1 billion in annual savings from the deal, out of the the $3.2 billion it expected.
Company Name: Telefónica
The Spanish firm became one of the largest telephone operators in the world after recent purchases of E-Plus in Germany and GVT in Brazil gave it dominant positions in those two countries. But telecommunications stocks have been left behind by tech and others sectors during the global bull market. What’s more, regulatory problems and exposure to falling Latin American currencies have crimped Telefónica's revenue, which declined slightly to $52.01 billion in 2017 from $52.04 billion, a year earlier. The stock, trading at $8, is near five-year lows.
That said, Telefónica looks primed to grow again. It is an industry-leader in Europe for converged services, which bundles fixed-line and wireless telephones together. That infrastructure should give the company a big leg-up when customers eventually move beyond 4G mobile technology, and embrace 5G. Morningstar values the telecom giant at $15 per share, in part because analysts see Telefónica's advantage extending not just to Europe but also Latin America, where it has started rolling out its converged services product. The upshot, according to Morningstar, should be a return to revenue growth by 2020.
Company Name: Hanesbrands
This maker of classic Hanes t-shirts and other duds under brands including Polo Ralph Lauren took a hit recently when Target, one if its largest distributors, decided not to renew its exclusive contract for the C9 line of Champion sports clothing. Investors’ verdict was swift. The stock, which had been trading at around $22, immediately dropped 19% to just under $18 – its worst daily drop since the financial crisis. But today’s pullback may have been an overreaction by the market, says Morningstar.
While a big loss, the C9 contract only represents $380 million in yearly sales, or about 6% of overall revenue. The company’s position otherwise looks sound. Its business extends far beyond the U.S. – 32% of sales are international, with Hanes a leading brand in places from Europe to Australia. Another big advantage: a global and vertically integrated supply chain means it can make garments as cheap or cheaper than its competitors. In 2017, over 70% of units sold were produced in company-owned manufacturing plants or through dedicated contractors. While maximizing low-cost production, Hanes has also been successful in making acquisitions, purchasing one or two brands a year, which has helped boost earnings growth.
Hanes stock has yet to recover while trading at around $17. Morningstar said that although the lost Target contract would hurt, they value the company at $27 per share because the growth of online – currently 11% of 2017 revenue – and international sales are expected to continue at a steady clip and offset Champion losses. “It’s certainly a name that we’ve liked for a while,” says Markets Editor Jeremy Glaser.
Company Name: BT Group
Company Name: Comcast
Company Name: Cameco
Company Name: Compass Minerals International
Company Name: Martin Marietta Materials
Company Name: Imperial Brands
Company Name: Philip Morris International
Company Name: Cenovus Energy
Company Name: Enbridge
Company Name: Enterprise Products Partners
Company Name: American International Group
Company Name: Credit Suisse Group
Company Name: Cardinal Health
Company Name: McKesson
Company Name: Roche Holding
Company Name: Anixter International
Company Name: Boston Properties
Company Name: Welltower
Company Name: Broadcom
Company Name: Microchip Technology
Company Name: Dominion Energy
Company Name: PPL
Company Name: Scana


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Weber’s Corner has been sold to a corporation based in Owensboro, with the new owners preparing the store for reopening on April 29.
Neil Patel told the Clarion his brother Amrick Jammu will operate the business, which is included in the family’s Kanika, Inc., company. The family operates several gas stations and liquor stores in Owensboro.
“We are excited to be in Hancock County,” Patel said. “We will have all kinds of foods in the market, such as hamburgers, pizza, and plate lunches and dinners.”
The family is currently readying the property for renewed business after the location had been closed for several years.
Patel said the company has applied for a malt beverage license from Kentucky Alcoholic Beverage Control, and will be able to sell beer with a conditional license until the formal license is approved.
The legal advertisement for the license application appears in this edition of the Clarion. Patel said the store will also be a licensed retailer for the Kentucky Lottery.
As well, the Clarion will be carried for single-copy sales.
“We will also offer a seating area for customers who would like to relax for a while or eat their lunch at the store,” Patel said. “This will be our first store in Hancock County, and we are happy to be a part of the community.”
The store will also have an ATM for cash withdrawals.
Weber’s Corner market is located near Pellville at 9637 State Route 69, at the highway’s intersection with Kentucky 144.
By C. Josh Givens

domain: news


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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Friday, June 21, 2019
CONTACT: Tim Bormann (605) 773-3215
PIERRE, S.D. – Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg today advises all South Dakota consumers to be on the lookout for online messages offering free grants. The Division of Consumer Protection has received several consumer calls relating to these scams and reports of contact from Facebook Messenger accounts not connected to Facebook pages.
Individuals should be cautious of messenger contacts that are identified as “Using Messenger without Facebook”. These individuals can appear to be a friend, family member or even an elected official or well-known person.
If an individual were to follow these links, they may be asked for identifying information including items like name, address, phone number, driver’s license information, bank account information, or social security number.
"No one is immune from online impersonators, so it’s imperative you exercise caution while engaging with new people on social media platforms,” said Ravnsborg. “Online scammers frequently impersonate loved ones or publicly elected officials in an attempt to obtain personal information or take money from accounts. Remember that sources of grant money do not award grants to individuals for personal need, they are geared towards social necessities like preserving historic sites or funding community projects. Be careful and use caution online.”
If you know someone is impersonating either you or another person on Facebook Messenger, you can report it to Facebook. Instructions can be found at
If you think you have been a victim of a grant scam or would like additional information contact the Division of Consumer Protection at 1-800-300-1986 or email firstname.lastname@example.org.


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A Trademark Filing for 'Apple Rosetta' was recently made by Apple in Japan for 'Translation Software' likely Aimed for ARM based Macs
As the Apple community awaits the WWDC20 keynote later this morning, Patently Apple has discovered the filing for "Apple Rosetta" at the Japan Patent Office this morning after the news of this development began to surface. The Japanese trademark filing that we discovered is presented below. Apple filed for it on April 30, 2020 and it was made public on May 26, 2020. Apple's recent filing would strongly suggest that they intend to reuse this software with upcoming ARM based Macs to allow x86 coded apps to be translated.
Apple filed their trademark under International Class 09 with the following verbiage:
"Downloadable computer software for developing/translating/executing computer programs on computer/computer networks and global communication networks, computer software for computing on a cross platform, computer software, electronic application machines instruments and parts."
In the U.S. Apple was assigned the trademark "Rosetta" from Rosetta, Inc. Corporation in Texas. The trademark was registered on December 10, 1985. The USPTO record lists apple Inc. Corporation as the "Last Listed Owner" via assignment. The last renewal date is listed as June 19, 2015 which is good for 10 years (June 2025).
Currently Rosetta is a discontinued dynamic binary translator for Mac OS X that allowed many PowerPC applications to run on certain Intel-based Macintosh computers without modification. Apple released Rosetta in 2006 when it changed the instruction set architecture of the Macintosh platform from the PowerPC to the Intel processor. The name "Rosetta" is a reference to the Rosetta Stone, the discovery that made it possible to comprehend and translate Egyptian hieroglyphs.
Rosetta is based on QuickTransit technology. It has no graphical user interface, which led Apple to describe Rosetta as "the most amazing software you'll never see."
Rosetta was initially included with Mac OS X v10.4.4 "Tiger", the version that was released with the first Intel-based Macintosh models. Below is a photo of the late Steve Jobs introducing Rosetta at a keynote event.


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Malaysia's YTL prices 5G below 4G as it bets on service revenue growth
Pricing 5G lower than 4G services sounds counter-intuitive. But for YTL Communications in Malaysia it makes business sense, according to its CEO, Wing Lee, speaking at DTW Asia 2023.
One of major factors shaping YTL’s 5G pricing decisions is the structure of Malaysia’s 5G market. In March 2021, Malaysia’s government, which has since changed hands, mandated the creation of a single, national cloud-native wholesale 5G netco, called Digital Nasional Bhd (DNB), to serve the country’s existing communications service providers (CSPs).
The country’s network operators were given the opportunity to acquire equity in DNB and four did so: YTL, TM Digi and Celcom. However, the wholesale 5G network plan has come under criticism in its home market and in February this year, Malaysia's other telco, Maxis, said it will await the results of a review of the national wholesale 5G plan by Malaysia’s new government before seeking shareholder approval for investment in DNB.
In the meantime, in May 2022, YTL became the first operator to launch 5G services using DNB's wholesale network. Part of DNB's goal was to enable CSPs to offer 5G connectivity at lower prices than 4G services. For now, YTL is delivering on this ambition.
“We did something that is totally against the grain. We offer 5G at a lower price than 4G, enabled by the economy of scale of the single [network],” said Lee.
YTL, he explained, has two principal 5G products, a prepaid service that costs US$7 per month and a 5G unlimited data service for $13 per month.
“This single ... network model has allowed us to move up the value chain. We've gone from heavy capex investment upfront for 5G to an opex model,” he explained. This “frees up our resources and - most importantly - capital to let us do high value things,” said Lee. “Because after all, the digital economy is not about towers … the digital economy is about service, applications and innovation.”
YTL's strategy is also shaped by being part of the Malaysian industrial conglomerate, YTL Group, which is active in ecommerce, as well as utilities, construction contracting, cement manufacturing and property development.
“We have numerous investments in utilities. At the board level we look at [YTL Communications] as a utility investment,” according to Lee. “The internet is the ultimate digital utility.”
Despite the relatively low price YTL charges consumers for 5G, Lee said the company makes money from connectivity. However, longer term the company is betting on service revenue.
“The key is that we don't look at the telco business as the only source of revenue. This is about cloud gaming. This is about banking, and …. additional services on top where the network can help with the distribution. Once you have a distributed architecture, the question for us is that how do we add value on top.”.
In the immediate term, for example, YTL is launching a cloud gaming service with Nvidia and will offer 5G-based gaming from a choice of gaming platforms. It has also acquired a banking license and plans to launch a digital bank next year. In addition, it is building a data center with 500 megawatts of capacity to help reduce latency both for consumer services such as gaming, and for future enterprise services.


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Few consumers find sticking to a budget to be easy, a new survey shows, and the reason could be that many just aren’t good at it.
SlickDeals, an online shopping platform where consumers share information about sales and saving money, surveyed 2,000 consumers to gain some insight into their budgeting habits. A majority of those surveyed — 74% — said they work with a budget. However, only 10% said they thought budgeting was easy while a whopping 79% of those who have a budget say they have trouble sticking to it.
Survey respondents were asked to provide their weekly budgets excluding debts such as housing and credit card bills. The average weekly budget among respondents was $197.31. However, the actual amount spent each week on average totaled $340.18, which is $142.87Online shopping, groceries the biggest budget killers over their projections. When multiplied over the course of 52 weeks, or one year, respondents spent approximately $7,429.24 more each year than they budgeted for.
While impulsive spending can wreak havoc on a budget, the survey suggests that insufficient planning may be part of the problem since many respondents overspend on necessary monthly expenses. For example, 32% of respondents said they overspend on household essentials, which suggests that their budget does not accurately reflect the costs of their needs. Grocery shopping — another necessary expense — was the second biggest budget killer among respondents, with 39% saying they went over budget in the grocery store.
The No. 1 budget killer was online shopping, cited by 40% of respondents. Other categories that respondents overspend in include subscriptions (37%), technology products (36%) and buying lunch every day (35%).
Rounding out the top 10 budget killers were:
household essentials (32%)
food delivery (32%)
gym memberships (30%)
Consumers appear to be aware that they are spending more than they intend. In fact, 76% of respondents said they feel guilty when they go over budget, and the average consumer resists the temptation to buy six items because they want to be cognizant of their budgets. Yet, many have conflicting emotions because 69% of respondents said they actually feel happier when they overlook the constraints of their budget and spend more than they allotted for.
While creating a budget is key to monitoring your spending and ensuring that your money goes toward your biggest priorities, it’s important to make sure your budget reflects reality. After all, if the cost of your monthly needs exceeds what you’re budgeting for them, your budget is destined for failure. Take some time to track your spending before creating a budget so you know what you’re really spending on a daily basis. For example, find out what your average food costs are so you can budget accordingly. Finally, it’s worth noting that making a budget and sticking to a budget are two different things. If your budget challenges are behavioral, find ways to avoid temptations like staying off of shopping websites and unsubscribing from retailers’ mailing lists.


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With an updated, intuitively designed look and feel, the Qatar Airways mobile app now presents a personalised home screen that provides the most relevant information to each user. For those with an upcoming flight, the mobile app’s existing ‘My Trips’ feature will now be displayed on the home screen, highlighting the most important information at each stage of their journey. For those without a current booking, special offers will be displayed, tailored to their location.
Additionally, the mobile app is now available in the Arabic language, demonstrating the airline’s commitment to Arabic-speaking customers around the world.
Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, Akbar Al Baker, said, “Our refreshed mobile app is the perfect travel companion for our passengers, allowing them to take control of their travel plans, keep them informed at all times and, importantly in the current climate, limit physical contact throughout their journey."
“At Qatar Airways, we continue to invest in award-winning, five-star products and services across all stages of our customers’ journey, and digital technology plays an important role in this. Our customers expect their digital interactions with the Qatar Airways brand to be as smooth and seamless as their journey onboard, and we are working to ensure that our digital products continue to be world-class,” he said.
With the airline’s mobile app’s ‘MyTrips’ feature now prominently presented on the home screen, passengers can select their preferred seat and meals in advance, check-in online, download their boarding pass to a mobile wallet, and generate a baggage tag to print and attach to their luggage at home.
Other features of Qatar Airways’ mobile app will continue to be offered to its customers. Before travel, customers can use the mobile app to check the latest information on country and travel requirements, including visa and passport information.


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When was the last time you made a phone call from a pay phone booth? Heck, when was the last time you even saw a phone booth? While we’ve been busy texting and downloading and surfing the web, phone booths have disappeared right out from under our noses, much like the album store and the electric typewriter and a slew of other things I can’t think of because out-of-sight, out-of-mind. Sigh.
The phone booth in Prairie Grove recently received lots of attention when a lady fell asleep at the wheel and plowed into it. Since it only generated about four bucks in annual revenue, the Prairie Grove Telephone Company (serving the western portion of Washington County), debated about “retiring” it. Forced retirement is rarely a good thing. People took to social media and raised a hullabaloo about their beloved phone booth. It had become a photo op destination and part of what made Prairie Grove special. The phone booth was not only repaired, it’s been nominated to the National Register of Historic Places.
And that’s pretty cool.
Can you imagine all the phone calls placed in this small space since 1959? Words spoken. Promises made. Pleas pled by curfew-breaking teenagers. But mom…
There’s a phone book inside, too.
According to Smithsonian, the world’s first pay phone was installed at the corner of Main Street and Central Row in downtown Hartford, Connecticut. There’s a plaque to mark the spot. As phone booths become extinct, maybe Prairie Grove’s phone booth will someday be the last working pay phone booth.
Or maybe pay phone booths will become WiFi hot spots. It could happen. Maybe?
Grace Grits and Gardening
Farm. Food. Garden. Life.
[tweetthis]Dial N for #Nostalgia. Ode to the Pay Phone Booth. #PrairieGrove #NorthwestAr @artourism[/tweetthis]
Robert Cray – Phone Booth


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Edward Snowden says he took no secret files to Russia. The NSA leaker tells the New York Times he gave all the materials he had to journalists in Hong Kong and that there is "a zero percent chance" that government officials in Russia or China have acquired the documents. "He also asserted that he was able to protect the documents from China’s spies because he was familiar with that nation’s intelligence abilities, saying that as an N.S.A. contractor he had targeted Chinese operations and had taught a course on Chinese cybercounterintelligence."
Google still makes lots of money. Google's latest earnings call revealed that the company pulled in nearly $15 billion in revenue in the last quarter, Engadget reports. "Motorola, however, continues its downward decline, as it posted another $250 million dollar loss in spite of the Moto X launch — evidently those personalized phones haven't been selling swiftly enough to stem the tide."
Apple CFO Oppenheimer says new carbon-balanced ‘Campus 2′ will foster collaboration. The tech giant has received approval to construct a massive new headquarters not far from its existing campus in Cupertino, Calif. Watch the full press conference here. "Currently, Apple HQ is overcrowded," writes Techcrunch, "with many workers sharing cubicles inside engineering groups. This has been the case since at least 2009, and is only more so now as Apple has grown its employees worldwide to over 72,000."
Filesharing site isoHunt to close. The movie industry announced yesterday that isoHunt, a search-engine for BitTorrent files, is shutting down. My colleague Timothy Lee argues that's a well-deserved win for Hollywood. "The inducement test gives the courts an easy way to distinguish legitimate entrepreneurs who happen to have their products used for piracy from those who intend from the outset to profit from copyright infringement."
Russian e-mail service fined for not coughing up data to the government. It's not just Lavabit that's refusing to comply with requests for e-mail communications. A company known as the Mail.ru Group is being hit with a $15,000 penalty after "the Federal Service for Financial Markets of Russia requested that the Mail.ru Group provide information regarding Mail.ru users’ correspondence, specifically demanding to know with whom users were in contact over a set period," according to VentureBeat.


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Over the past two decades, avocados have exploded into American cuisine and culture, taking millennials, hipsters, and health-conscious consumers by storm. The trend includes everything from avocado smoothies to “avolattes,” an Australian invention for those hoping to unite their love for coffee with their passion for hollowed out avocado shells. While Mexican restaurants have embraced guacamole as a quintessential side dish for years, many other U.S. chains have recently joined this national trend with McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Subway, and Panera Bread all adopting avocado as a key ingredient to appease America’s newest culinary obsession. In total, the demand for avocados grew from 682 million pounds in 2004 to over 2.2 billion pounds in 2016, a 230 percent increase in just 12 years. Initial data show Americans consumed 1.6 times more of the fruit in the first half of 2017 than in all of 2004.
While U.S.-based suppliers have worked tirelessly to keep up with this newfound demand, most avocados consumed in the United States come from the state of Michoacán, Mexico, where gang violence and profit-driven deforestation have tainted the local avocado industry. With almost 90 percent of all imported avocados coming from Mexico, most of the fruit’s consumption within the United States has a direct tie to cartel violence and government sanctioned environmental destruction. The latest fads in “all things avocado” may not be slowing down anytime soon, but along with the increase in avocado consumption come caustic environmental and humanitarian effects internationally.
The Good Kind of Fat
While overall consumption of whole fruit in the United States has not changed dramatically between 1994 and the present, the exponential rise in avocado consumption has overwhelmed media outlets and advertising since 2012. Prior to the 2000s, avocados were rarely consumed outside of a few West Coast cities, and thought of it as an ugly fruit that did not ripen well. Given the rest of the country’s unfamiliarity with the Hass avocado—the most commonly grown strand—many relegated the fruit to obscurity, derisively labeling them “alligator pears,” which only further hurt their marketability. With its relatively limited publicity outside of California, the avocado only entered the national spotlight as a go-to dip for Super Bowl parties, forcing the industry to employ several aggressive advertising campaigns that tried to convert the crop into a year-round sensation.
“It took quite some time before avocado popularity spread to the East Coast,” said Tom Bellamore, president of the California Avocado Commission, in an interview with the HPR. “It began with some chefs in different restaurants and with guacamole, but it took a while to get avocados in the home.” Perhaps one of the most noticeably aggressive marketing maneuvers came in a seductive 1980s television commercial in which actress Angie Dickinson famously asked, “Would this body lie to you?” Only a few years later, the public relations firm Hill & Knowlton undertook a “years-long crusade” to promote avocados, in which the costumed “Mr. Ripe Guy” scouring the country for “Ms. Ripe,” all while getting some positive publicity from morning talk shows like Good Day New York.
Not long after Mr. Ripe Guy joined the national stage in his avocado-tinted Mazda, demand for the fruit skyrocketed. Jan DeLyser, vice president of marketing for the California Avocado Commission, told the HPR, “When the Hass Avocado Board began in the early 2000s to assess imports, they expanded programming and marketing efforts with accurate nutritional information from third-party resources and dietitians … which helped increase demand for avocados.” While health-conscious consumers flocked to the avocado’s nutrient-packed “good fats” (promoted by numerous National Institute of Health surveys), several other factors likely played a significant role. For example, the diasporic spread of Hispanic Americans across the United States in the 1990s and 2000s corresponds strikingly with the rise in avocado consumption.
Perhaps most importantly, though, the Mexican avocado industry gained full access to the United States in 2007, finally fulfilling NAFTA requirements. Once the fruit was readily supplied to all 50 states, people became more comfortable with “alligator pears,” and by 2017, the avocado became the first product in Super Bowl history with a commercial dedicated solely to a fruit. Given the United States’ current fetishization of a) superfoods like kale and quinoa, b) Mexican chains like Chipotle and Qdoba, and c) Instagram-worthy products like avolattes and avocado toast, DeLyser does not anticipate this “meteoric rise” in avocado consumption going away anytime soon. In fact, she maintained, “I have not seen anything that shows a slowdown in the acceleration of avocado consumption for 2017 or beyond.” With the average American consuming seven pounds of avocado in a given year—more than double the consumption from just one decade earlier—the remaining question is how producers can possibly keep up with its current prestige.
Guap for the Guac
While the avocado industry enjoys a lucrative 10 percent annual growth, such rapid increase in demand for the Mediterranean fruit is reminiscent of the 20th century banana industry, marked by human rights violations and environmental disasters across Central and South America. Compared to other superfoods like kale and quinoa, avocados are far more expensive to grow and maintain in the United States due to California’s high water costs and limited acreage. As DeLyser noted, “The industry in California is really fairly stable on its acreage with about 53,000 acres of farmland. Any new plans can only deal with density for water and nutrient efficiency.” Moreover, avocados lack any close substitute, while spinach can replace kale and rice can replace quinoa if prices rise too drastically. Because of this perfect storm of high production costs, low substitutability, limited acreage for domestic farming, and explosive popularity, avocados enjoy a peerless premium when sold in grocery stores, costing almost $28 for a 22-pound box. A single avocado can easily cost more than $1, with some supermarkets charging an unprecedented $2 per piece of fruit.
Although bananas do not cost nearly as much as avocados, their tropical origin, ubiquitous popularity, and lack of substitutability have caused the deaths of thousands of workers in Central and South America since the 1900s. In the mid-twentieth century, reporters and human rights organizations began to notice concerning trends in Central American nations like Guatemala and Honduras. Multinational firms like La United Fruit Company (presently Chiquita Banana) effectively bribed government officials to overlook environmental and humanitarian crimes at local banana plantations. Despite intense backlash by foreign and domestic activists (including Pablo Neruda and Gabriel García Márquez, both of whom penned works detailing the atrocities), banana plantations from Ecuador to Mexico continue to use child labor and to fire workers who attempt to unionize. Meanwhile, American consumers remained none the wiser about where their fruit came from—an issue now seen in the avocado industry.
With avocado prices soaring far beyond those of the banana, this burgeoning market is plagued by its own ecological and humanitarian atrocities, which are more concentrated than in the case of bananas and have the potential to become equally severe. As Bellamore noted, “Several years ago, California had the United States market to itself, but back then the industry was a fraction of what it is today … The majority of the California crop today is sold in the west, so the rest of the country receives imported avocados from Mexico.” While Mexico’s 85 to 90 percent market share in the avocado trade stems naturally from its subtropical conditions, the country’s ubiquitous corruption and lax labor laws have incited many Chiquita-esque concerns both in politics and agriculture.
Perhaps most noticeably, many of the famous monarch butterfly pine forests in Michoacán, Mexico—the state that produces most of the country’s avocados—have increasingly receded from nearby avocado farms, largely due to profit-driven illegal deforestation. While federal authorities try to prevent such environmental destruction, Mexico’s National Institute of Forestry found that deforestation near avocado plantations occurred at a rate of 1,700 acres per year between 2000 and 2010—a trend that has likely increased as the fruit’s popularity continues to skyrocket. As Avi Crane, an industry expert who has worked for many of the top U.S. avocado importers, told the HPR, “If you want to grow more avocados than there are now, you have to go into the pine forests.” In 2016, one case of suspected arson eradicated almost 1,173 acres of a pine forest in Uruapan, the second largest city in Michoacán. As the Institute’s Mario Tapia Vargas told the Associated Press, “Even where they aren’t visibly cutting down forest, there are avocados growing underneath [the pine boughs], and sooner or later they’ll cut down the pines completely.”
The ecological impacts of Michoacán’s favorite cash crop aren’t limited to deforestation, making it all the more necessary to know the origin of the America’s new fruit obsession. Because avocados require far more water, more pesticides, and more fertilizer than the mature pine forest, spreading plantations across the Mexican landscape is costly for those living nearby. According to Crane, 80 percent of the cost of producing avocados in California comes from water, and although water is far cheaper in Mexico, the sheer volume needed to grow the crop has its own consequences. It takes approximately 72 gallons of water just to grow two or three medium sized avocados, whereas traditional forests consumed a fraction of this amount, leaving more water for locals to drink or to use elsewhere. Moreover, the Michoacán Food Sovereignty Defense Front claims that rates of cancer have spiked in the area since avocado farmers began their pesticide use, though no formal study has been conducted to verify this claim.
Avocados and Heroin and Cocaine: Oh My!
While the avocado’s rise to fame remains unprecedented, its explosive popularity and surging costs reveal stark overlaps with another Mexican crisis—the drug trade. At first glance, the avocado bears little resemblance to cocaine or heroin; however, all three items share a privileged place within Michoacán’s most active drug cartel—Los Caballeros Templarios (the Knights Templar). Los Caballeros have encroached more and more on plantation owners and packinghouse operators through violence and coercion. In cities like Tancítaro, where nine out of every ten pesos come either directly or indirectly from the avocado trade, racketeering fees and bribes add up quickly, with hundreds of millions of dollars from the avocado’s “green gold” entering the cartel’s coffers. Crane explained that “65 to 70 percent of all the avocados that cross into the United States are on trucks going to California companies.” Once the cartel receives its share of the profits, almost one billion pounds of “blood avocados” pour into the United States.
Not only does this cartel demand extorted fees from farmers and packers, but it also resorts to extreme violence when individuals refuse to pay for the gang’s “protection.” In some instances, farmers who turned Los Caballeros Templarios away were kidnapped or killed to discourage dissent within Michoacán. While the largest packers pay a hefty fine of $15,000 per month to continue their operations, many farmers lose far more than money. In one instance, a farmer’s daughter was raped and murdered after her father failed to meet Los Caballeros’s demands for $600,000. Considering the cartel makes more than $150 million per year from extortion deals and sells the avocados grown on almost 5,000 acres of its own plantation property, the financial stakes have clearly driven a portion of the avocado industry into murky, blood-filled waters.
Even with such atrocities fueling America’s newest culinary craze, Crane reiterates that “there are still a lot of legitimate companies in Mexico. Just because [issues with drug cartels] are happening doesn’t mean the industry is corrupt … This doesn’t reflect on the avocado industry. It reflects on the prices.” Because the issues are location-specific, avocado industry promoters like the California Avocado Commission and the Hass Avocado Board argue that “it becomes really important to make sure consumers know where their fruit is produced,” according to DeLyser. Because of these concerns, most new advertisements clearly mark their produce’s origin, using “Avocados from Peru” and “California Avocado” stickers to discourage consumers from purchasing Mexican fruit. As countries like South Africa, Chile, and Indonesia expand their own fruit supply to feed U.S. demand, avoiding avocados with ties to gang-violence may become more feasible.
Despite these marketing strategies, most of the avocados consumed within the United States in the coming year will still have an indirect relation to governmental corruption, drug cartel violence, and ecological devastation thanks to the avocado’s ever-growing popularity and unprecedented return on investment. Projections for 2017 reveal no slowdown in the rate of avocado consumption, with some predicting a 200-million-pound increase in demand. America’s fetishization of and obsession with the avocado isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. The environmental and humanitarian crises that such greed incites should give every avolatte-loving, avocado-toast-Instagramming consumer pause when deciding which producers to buy from and whether or not the latest fad is worth its weight in inadvertent imprudence.
Image Source: Your Best Digs/Flickr


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Check it Out: Same-Day Delivery the Key to Saving Malls?
Providing in-store shoppers a better overall experience through the use of technology is the impetus for these partnerships. Brick-and-mortar retailers have come to realize that competing in today's on-demand environment means diversifying their businesses. These four mall operators — which manage over 660 malls, featuring thousands of retailers across the country — are taking the first steps to doing that.
"Our partnership with Deliv is another example of our holistic approach to multichannel retailing and our commitment to support our mall-based retailers’ business strategies through technology while continuing to improve the overall shopping experience," said Ken Volk, chief marketing officer of Macerich, in the Deliv press release. "Same-day delivery is in high demand no matter how a purchase is made, and our malls can be the hub of distribution for in-store and online purchasing, facilitating convenience and immediate shopper gratification."
I'm skeptical that same-day delivery is the answer to years of decline for shopping malls. Can it help, especially during high-volume shopping trips typical during the holidays? Sure, but those events are, for the most part, few and far between. I just don't see much use in having a pair of jeans shipped to my house if I'm already in the store to try them on. I don't have any data to support this theory, but I'd argue the vast majority of consumers shopping in malls walk out with one or two items. It's not the grocery store where you're picking up a week's worth of food.
That said, what these mall operators are doing is admirable. They're not standing by and watching their businesses fade away into irrelevancy; they're taking steps to compete in today's on-demand, omnichannel environment. Whether it's too little too late is a whole other argument.


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By Bhavika Vallecha
New Delhi: Online marketplace Snapdeal
said it's next-day delivery service is now available for over 5 million products and the e-tailer aims to double that to 10 million products by this Diwali
The company said these 5 million products are stocked in more than 3 million sq.ft space available across 69 Snapdeal Plus fulfilment centres which has the capacity to handle over 14 million products.
“Next Day Delivery
is a key preference driver for our consumers and through the 5 Million+ stocked products across our nationwide network, we can now provide next day delivery in 104 cities while ensuring significant quality checks for each product,” said Jayant Sood, chief customer experience officer at Snapdeal.
Currently Snapdeal's next day delivery service is present in 104 cities.
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Fake Gucci purses and pirated DVDs sold at flea markets may not be dangerous, but counterfeit products bought and used by the government can put national security and infrastructure at risk.
The Justice Department has convicted military suppliers of selling phony parts used in military equipment in Fallujah, Iraq.
“Almost every product is susceptible to counterfeiting as manufacturing in China has become more sophisticated,” said Victoria Espinel, the White House coordinator for intellectual property enforcement, in an interview with Federal News Radio. “Some of these products have the potential to, at best, waste the time and resources of employees through testing and then trying to pull them out when they have failures, and, at worst, actually cause some kind of mishap or accident that has an impact on health and safety.”
Espinel is leading an interagency working group that will recommend stronger measures to the president by the end of the year.
Procurement experts at the General Services Administration, the Defense Department and NASA are core members because they have the most to lose by using fake products.
“The guys at NASA like to say if something goes wrong on a mission, they’re up in space and there’s no way to fix it. So they have to make sure everything is 100 percent perfect before it leaves the ground,” Espinel said.
She said NASA detects counterfeit products through testing but that more preventative measures are needed governmentwide.
“The working group will look at all of our legislative authority — our laws, regulations, policy and guidance that already exist in the government — to see if there are any gaps,” she said. “Clearly there are gaps because there are counterfeits getting into our supply chain.”
Espinel said the group’s recommendations will include new legislative proposals, procurement regulations and better training of federal employees responsible for purchasing equipment.
“We’re past the days of easy detection,” she said. “This is big, big business. These are organized criminal enterprises. To the extent that we tell federal employees red flags to look out for, they quickly become aware of that and change their processes.”


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MegaUpload.com landed a Mega lawyer: Hogan Lovells’s Robert Bennett.
According to the AP, Bennett said Friday he’ll represent the company, which was charged Thursday, along with seven key company officials, with orchestrating a massive piracy scheme that allowed Mega users to download hundreds of millions of dollars worth of illegal movies, music and software.
Bennett told the AP the company would put up a vigorous defense, but he declined to discuss specifics.
Bennett is a household name, having represented two secretaries of defense, President Bill Clinton (in the Paula Jones case), Enron and KPMG (in the tax shelter case).
How will MegaUpload pay for Bennett’s four-figure-an-hour services?
According to the Justice Department, the company has made $175 million on subscriptions and advertising. MegaUpload founder and chief Kim Dotcom (aka Kim Schmitz) received more than $42 million in 2010 alone, the indictment says. So there’s that.
Or the defendants could sell their fleet of luxury cars, each with its own cringe-worthy vanity plate. Here are just a few that the Justice Department is seeking to forfeit, according to the indictment:
2008 Rolls-Royce Phantom Drop Head Coupe, VINSCA2D68096UH07049; License Plate No. “GOD”;72.
2010 Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG, VIN WDD2120772A103834, LicensePlate No. “STONED”;73.
2010 Mini Cooper S Coupe, VIN WMWZG32000TZ03651, License PlateNo. “V”;74.
2010 Mercedes-Benz ML63 AMG, VIN WDC1641772A608055, LicensePlate No. “GUILTY”;75.
2007 Mercedes-Benz CL65 AMG, VIN WDD2163792A025130, LicensePlate No. “KIMCOM”;76.
2009 Mercedes-Benz ML63 AMG, VIN WDC1641772A542449,LicensePlate No. “MAFIA”;77.
2010 Toyota Vellfire, VIN 7AT0H65MX11041670, License Plate Nos.“WOW” or “7”;78.
2011 Mercedes-Benz G55 AMG, VIN WDB4632702X193395, LicensePlate Nos. “POLICE” or “GDS672”
We’ve got a call out to Bennett.


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‘Little Sheep Mongolian Hot Pot’ Opening its Bowery Flagship Next Month
This image has been archived or removed.
Earlier this month, we revealed that a new fast-casual eatery called Little Sheep Mongolian Hot Pot is slated to open on the Lower East Side. It’s replacing an old computer repair (and cosmetics) shop at 105 Bowery. Build-out is advancing at quite a clip; three weeks later, signage is in place and the dining room nearly complete.
A spokesperson from corporate relays word that the chain should open sometime in February.
Little Sheep Mongolian Hot Pot is an international chain with locations in eight states (Texas, California, New Jersey, et al), China, Japan, and Canada. 105 Bowery is their flagship Manhattan location. There is already a new outpost on 37th Avenue in Flushing, which opened last spring.


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As PM Modi is poised to visit Nepal, a possible topic during his visit will be revision of 1950 India-Nepal Treaty of Peace & Friendship.
"Following up on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's historic initiative to invite leaders of SAARC countries and Mauritius to his swearing in ceremony."
"We will continue to place special emphasis on our neighbourhood, stretching from West Asia to East Asia," said Sushma Swaraj
Modi has urged the scientists of the Indian Space Research Organisation to build and launch a common satellite for all the SAARC countries.
India has fought a war with China in 1962 as also with Pakistan in 1947, 1965 and 1971 besides the 1999 Kargil conflict.
The initiative helps the maker of Lux soap and Dove personal care products woo consumers with offers, but also to subtly convince them to pick its brands.
Ways to prevent cross-border terrorism and criminal activities and boosting trade ties will be among the issues that will be discussed.
India Inc puts increased emphasis on generational diversity to understand younger generation, attract & retain top quality talent


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WASHINGTON-Research and consulting firm MTA-EMCI has moved with the times with the announcement last week of its new name-The Strategis Group. The 30-year-old company will continue to focus on telecommunications strategic planning, financial consulting, consumer and market research and telecom technologies in the wireline, wireless, satellite and cable television, and Internet arenas.
“This holistic understanding of the total telecommunications marketplace enables the firm to provide insight into the next generation of converging telecommunications services,” commented Andrew Roscoe, the company’s president and chairman.
Along with its new moniker, the company introduced a new white paper-“Telecommunications in the Next Millennium: Specialization in a Unified Market”-that introduced the premise that telecom companies during the next few years will have to strike “a delicate balance between specialization based on a firm’s intrinsic strengths and scale in an increasingly unified telecommunications marketplace.”
Strategis believes that paging and cellular services, which have been in growth mode during the first half of the 1990s, will stabilize during the last half, with a compounded annual growth rate of 17 percent for the combined cellular/personal communications services market and nine percent for paging. The firm also estimated that U.S. cellular/PCS subscribership will reach 80 million by 2000, and that paging will serve 60 million customers.
To survive competition from PCS carriers, cellular providers must decrease their emphasis on garnering new subscribers to refocus on extracting more revenue per subscriber; they also must build digital systems. New PCS players, overwhelmed by existing competition in the marketplace, could become partners or acquisition targets.
The paging industry, which Strategis said is “badly in need of a success story” following financial problems experienced by big players, faces a “critical” period of combining the addition of new, high-speed services with the continuing customer care of traditional subscribers.
To cut high customer-acquisition costs, Strategis believes carriers will have to consider bundling opportunities.
A national survey conducted by the company found that more than 80 percent of telecom consumers would buy a combination of telephony, video and Internet services if such deals were offered in an economical package. Two-thirds would buy two or three services from one provider and 14 percent would buy more than three. Strategis speculated that long-distance carriers by the end of the decade could provide the best bundling programs, which could include local and long-distance calling, high-speed data transfer, and mobile voice and data.


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New York (Dec. 2, 2003) - The nation’s businesses are getting better at uncovering fraud within their respective organizations, according to a comprehensive fraud survey conducted by Big Four firm KPMG.
Some 75 percent of those responding to KPMG’s fraud poll indicated they discovered some type of fraud at their organizations, compared to 62 percent of those responding to a similar survey some five years ago.
KPMG’s 2003 report surveyed executives at 459 U.S. public companies with revenues of more than $250 million, and at state and federal government agencies.
The KPMG poll found that company management is taking a more pro-active approach in detecting fraud through internal controls and internal audits. The 2003 survey showed a rise in internal controls, from 51 percent in 1998 to 77 percent, as the primary means for detecting fraud, followed by internal audit, rising from 43 percent to 65 percent.
Among the other findings of the KPMG survey were:
- The number of companies who said that they were uncovering financial reporting fraud more than doubled (7 percent in 2003 compared with 3 percent in 1998), with the average cost reaching more than $250 million per episode.
- The cost of fraud to organizations overall is higher. Some 36 percent of companies participating in the survey reported $1 million or more in costs due to fraud in 2003, compared with 21 percent in 1998.
- Some 60 percent of companies reported being victimized by employee fraud, almost twice the rate of the next-highest category of fraud.
The survey also found that collusion between employees and outside third parties – for example a vendor offering kickbacks if a company employee buys its product - is a growing problem, with almost half (48 percent) of respondents citing collusion as contributing to fraud, versus 31 percent in the 1998 survey.
However, despite broader implementation of fraud detection controls, 22 percent said they do not plan to implement new controls, even though many companies are still evaluating their internal controls as required by Sarbanes-Oxley.
- WebCPA staff
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CBS Outdoor adds Bluetooth to London bus ad offering
CBS Outdoor UK is to offer Bluetooth connectivity to brands advertising on 100 London buses operating in central London, following a successful trial with brands such as Walkers Crisps, Lynx and Cornetto.
Through a CBS Outdoor partnership with mobile media owner BlisMobile, advertisers will be able to offer additional content to people travelling on 100 buses operating on the so-called "gold routes" through areas such as Oxford Street and Regent Street.
Brands advertising on sites inside the bus can prompt travellers to turn on the Bluetooth connectivity on their handset and accept a message to download content.
According to CBS Outdoor, in the trials there were 9,000 downloads during the four-week Walkers Crisps campaign, 4,351 downloads during the one-week Lynx campaign, and 1,363 downloads during the four-week Cornetto campaign.
Jason Cotterrell, country director at CBS Outdoor UK, said: "Bluetooth perfectly complements those who want to engage on a one-to-basis with an audience on the move, whilst not disturbing other bus commuters who don't wish to be.
"The combination of extended dwell time and the ability to interact with commuters will also make this the perfect platform for engaging with visitors during the 2012 Olympic period."
Cotterrell said CBS Outdoor hoped to roll out the technology nationwide in the future.
Charlie Smith, commercial manager at BlisMobile, said: "This partnership with CBS Outdoor UK allows us to create a unique and engaging experience for the bus commuter, which in turn, brings them much closer to campaigns."
Follow Maisie McCabe on Twitter @MaisieMcCabe
This article was first published on mediaweek.co.uk
- Campaign Marketing Manager EMAP Competitive + Bonus, London (Greater) / London (East), London (Greater)
- Exhibition Designers WRG Live Competitive salary and benefits package dependant upon experience, Manchester, Greater Manchester
- Producer WRG Live Competitve salary and benefits package dependent upon experience, London (Central), London (Greater) / Manchester, Greater Manchester
- Content Manager WRG Live Competitive salary and benefits package, Manchester, Greater Manchester
- DIGITAL ACCOUNT MANAGER / £35K + Benefits Ultimate Asset £30000 - £35000 per annum, City of London
- Macmillan defends hijacking ice bucket challenge
- Comparethemarket.com first UK brand to run Facebook Premium Video ads
- Game Of Thrones actress stars in online Karen Millen campaign
- Twitter launches learning hub for agencies
- Guinness Africa launches 'made of black' campaign with Kanye West ad
- Uncle Ben's launches YouTube cooking show


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Apple Releases iOS 7.0.4 to Resolve Facetime Bug
Nov 14, 2013, 1:23 PM by Eric M. Zeman
Apple today made iOS 7.0.4 available to iPhones and iPads. The minor system update fixes a bug that caused Facetime calls to disconnect. The update is small and can be downloaded over the air.
ReSound is a line of proper hearing aids that connect to your iPhone or Android phone for both audio and control. They connect just like a Bluetooth headset, to enable the user to hear calls, music, and video clearly.
Sep 17, 2014
Apple today released iOS8 for the iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch (5th gen). iOS8 offers a number of refinements to Apple's mobile operating system.
Jul 15, 2016
T-Mobile's prepaid brand, MetroPCS, is now selling the entire range of Apple iPhones at more than 5,000 of its stores around the country. The prepaid carrier first tested iPhone sales at a limited number of stores in Florida.
Sep 28, 2018
Apple has won a reversal in a court case worth hundreds of millions of dollars. The U.S.
Jul 24, 2014
Google today rolled out an update for its Gmail app for iOS devices. The update carries over a feature given to the Android app earlier this month: the ability to share files from Google Drive.
4" display 640 x 1136 pixels
Apple A6 processor
Headphone Jack (3.5mm)


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The food and beverage industry has made significant headway on several of its longstanding challenges over the years. Working alongside the public sector, the industry has improved food security in several nations, and is also making good progress in reducing the environmental footprint of key production methods. However, the sudden and rapid onset of the COVID-19 pandemic has forced the industry to reconsider its approaches as the pandemic surfaced new challenges and amplified imbalances the food system, as Matt Kovac, executive director at Food Industry Asia, writes more.
Over the past months, national governments have implemented a range of precautionary measures to curb the spread of COVID-19. While the measures had been necessary to mitigate the consequences of the pandemic, they have also led to disruptions across the entire food supply chain.
Nationwide lockdowns and intensified border restrictions, for instance, have hindered food production due to limitations placed on the movement of raw materials and labour. With workers staying home and demand for fresh produce dropping dramatically due to the closure of food and beverage establishments, farmers had been left with no choice but to dispose perishable supplies. This has also left millions of seasonal workers without their livelihoods, further aggravating food insecurity among the most vulnerable.
Notably, food companies in Southeast Asia had identified labour shortages and border restrictions as some of the key challenges they have faced since the implementation of precautionary measures, according to a joint report the Food Industry Asia (FIA) had developed with PwC.
The situation today had been exacerbated by an increasing demand for food as consumers rushed to stock up on staples in the initial stages of the outbreak. While it has improved in recent weeks, countries are preparing for another round of panic buying in the event of subsequent waves of infections as we are already observing in countries like Australia.
Furthermore, the United Nations projected that the world population will reach 9.7 billion in 2050, requiring a significant increase in the production of affordable, healthy, and nutritious food. With over 820 million people already experiencing food insecurity, the adequate handling of supply chains in the face of COVID-19 may be the straw that breaks the camel’s back, particularly as food prices are projected to rise.
That said, the pandemic has presented a good opportunity for the food and beverage industry to address the challenges we currently face and reinvent systems to build a safer and more sustainable food ecosystem.
Leveraging new food innovations
As consumers adapt to a new normal, innovation will play an integral role in helping to build a safer and more sustainable food system, which the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) defines as one that “delivers food security and nutrition for all in such a way that the economic, social and environmental bases generate food security and nutrition for future generations are not compromised”.
Prior to the pandemic, interest and investments in urban agriculture and vertical farming have already been gradually rising and gaining mainstream acceptance as a sustainable alternative to traditional methods. With COVID-19 further reinforcing the vulnerabilities of global supply chains, countries are looking to increase their reliance on local food systems, and one way to do so is through the adoption of vertical farming technology. This is particularly the case in countries that are highly dependent on food imports, and have limited land supply such as Singapore.
Moving forward, urban agriculture will be key to helping countries achieve sustainable self-sufficiency and at the same time, improve the variety and nutritional value of foods in a post-pandemic world.
Riding on the popularity of plant-based alternatives
In addition to urban farming, alternative proteins are also emerging to meet the world’s growing demands for food. Even before the pandemic, a study by Barclays found that the market for alternative meat could reach US$140 billion over the next decade, capturing approximately 10% of the trillion-dollar global meat industry.
This serves as a timely reminder to countries on the importance of source diversification to protect against unexpected disruptions. However, rather than eliminating traditional sources completely, we view the pandemic as an opportunity to improve governments and consumers’ receptiveness to novel foods.
We are already seeing changes in consumer behaviour across the globe, with the sales of vegan meat increasing by 264% in the US within months of the outbreak. Similarly, in China, more consumers are shifting towards plant-based diets, keeping in line with the government’s goal to halve the country’s meat consumption by 2030.
Using science to deliver healthy food choices
The spotlight on health from COVID-19 has driven consumers to change their eating habits to better protect themselves from the virus. A study FIA conducted with Ai Palette revealed that health is among the top considerations for consumers across Indonesia, Philippines, and Thailand, as they look towards nutritious foods to enhance their immunity.
As an industry, FIA’s responsibility lies in ensuring that consumers have access to healthier food options, and we have made significant progress over the years as brands continue to introduce reformulated products. In doing so, manufacturers also make a conscious effort to ensure that taste is not compromised, which was similarly brought up as a key priority by industry experts speaking on the panel “Reformulation: Healthier Food for Asia Post-Pandemic” at the recent FIA Dialogues.
In addition, a technique that has been gaining a lot of traction due to its vast potential in transforming the food system is gene editing. While gene-editing food items are few and fat between, this technological breakthrough has the ability to upgrade current production methods and allow industry players to modify the DNA sequence of foods to enhance nutritional value.
Gene editing, with CRISPR being one of the technologies, can also bring about benefits to the agriculture industry and improve the world’s food security – a sentiment echoed by speakers who came together to discuss the role of CRISPR in building global food security at the FIA Dialogues – as it facilitates crop breeding by mitigating the impact of diseases, among other benefits.
In redesigning supply chains, we must do so with nutrition and human health in mind to better safeguard populations during times of crisis. Tapping on scientific advancements has the potential to change the food consumers eat everyday by enhancing nutritional value while bringing opportunities for improved yields in the long run.
Embracing digital solutions
New technology is revolutionising our understanding of modern farming, and this is not only limited to production methods. Digitalisation can also improve the ways of working within the supply chain.
COVID-19 has unveiled the risks associated with the world’s dependence on complex value chain that are close to impossible to track. Furthermore, as consumers and governments become increasingly conscious of the origin of foods, blockchain technology has once again become top-of-mind.
The adoption of blockchain technologies can provide stakeholders along the supply chain with greater transparency and knowledge on the product from start to finish. As traceability is enhanced, it also places businesses in a better position to identify critical processes or components that might be prone to failure, allowing them to quickly adapt to disruption even before it takes place.
Now, more than ever, is the time to focus on strengthen the food system to be one that is optimised for human health and the environment. This cannot be done without the close collaboration of all stakeholders, from leading food experts to global companies and government bodies. Together, we need to make the best of what the crisis has given us, and use the pandemic as an opportunity to create a new and improved food system.
This article was published in the October/November 2020 issue of Food & Beverage Asia.


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Spotify Technology SA is planning to cut about 6% of its employees, or around 600 employees, joining a slew of technology companies from Amazon.com Inc. to Meta Platforms Inc. in announcing job cuts to lower costs.
The move was announced in a filing Monday morning, confirming reports from over the weekend that there would be job cuts. Most departments will be impacted across the company, a Spotify spokesperson told Bloomberg.
The music streaming giant has about 9,800 employees, according to its third-quarter earnings report. Spotify laid off 38 staff from its Gimlet Media and Parcast podcast studios in October.


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Apple, an American technology giant, reveals that FaceTime and iMessage features might not work well on its recently launched iPhone 14 series due to some identified bugs. The Cupertino-based company has said that the issues have been fixed in the latest version of iOS 16 and it recommends iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro model users to update their handset to the latest iOS version.
According to Apple, the iPhone 14 series users might not be able to receive iMessages and FaceTime calls, or see a Green bubble instead of a Blue bubble while sending a text to another Apple device.
The Cupertino-based company highlights via a support page on its website that iMessage and FaceTime might not be working Properly on the latest iPhone 14 series handsets. Apple states that this could be because of several bugs. The smartphone brand has published a list of issues that users might be facing after setting up their new smartphones.
Furthermore, Apple notes that users might be facing one or more of these bugs. First, iPhone 14 series users can’t receive iMessages and FaceTime calls. Secondly, users are seeing a Green message bubble instead of a Blue bubble while sending a message to another Apple device. Third, a single conversation might show up as two separate threads. Moreover, the person receiving the message might see a user’s message coming from a different account, as per the Apple’s support website.
“iOS 16 brings a redesigned Lock Screen with new ways to customize and widgets for information at a glance,” said Apple iOS 16 update website. Big updates to Messages lets a user edit or unsend a message that was just sent and Visual Look Up lets users lift the subject of an image from the background and copy and paste it in apps like Mail and Messages. iOS 16 also includes new updates to Mail, Maps, Wallet, Health, News, and more, according to Apple.
Here’s how to upgrade to latest iOS 16.
STEP 1 Make sure your device is plugged in and connected to the internet with Wi-Fi.
STEP 2 Go to Settings > General > Software Update.
STEP 3 Tap Install Now.


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Robertsbridge's Charles Secrett takes a tour d'horizon across the UK's green economy, and asks if mainstream businesses are ready for the disruption ahead
One would hope that the mainstream business community would react strongly to the launch of any new strategically determined legislative and policy programme, especially one which addressed evident market...
Tech giant quadruples number of locations for US customers to hand in old iPhones as part of recycling and reuse drive
GreenBiz releases its latest update on soaring renewables demand from US corporates
Record amount of future new wind capacity will be financed from last year's investment, according to WindEurope
Nation known for its natural beauty is under pressure with extinctions, polluted rivers and blighted lakes


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The Mediterranean-style "fast casual" chain follows in the footsteps of restaurant chains such as Noodles (NDLS) - Get Free Report, and Potbelly (PBPB) - Get Free Report, which have gone public in the past year. Earlier this month, restaurant pick-up and delivery provider GrubHubundefinedmade its trading debut.
Zoe's currently has 111 locations in 15 states, with most of its stores concentrated in the south. There 29 in Texas, 14 in Alabama, 13 in Georgia, 11 in North Carolina, seven in South Carolina and seven in Virginia. All but six of the stores are company-operated, and there are plans to open another 28 to 30 locations this year. The company also expects to double its current locations over the next four years.
Although Zoe's is relatively unknown in the Northeast, one of the chain's three Pennsylvania locations is in our town. Ironically, it replaced one of the two area Cosiundefined locations.
Given the focus on Mediterranean food, it was not on short list of places I wanted to try. When the restaurant opened here last year, one of our daughters became a part-time employee. In support of her new employer, I gave it a try and was pleasantly surprised. In fact, we've been back at least a dozen times, and will be there tonight. The grilled potato salad (you read that right) is amazing, and is now a nearly constant craving.
Few industries are as competitive as the restaurant business, and differentiation is very important. Zoe's, in my view, is unique. The food is very fresh, the concept is different, and I believe this chain has a shot at great success.
Zoe's has also taken advantage of technology in terms of customer retention via the Zoe's mobile phone app. Among other things, it allows customers to submit receipts that result in free food items, a couple of which we'll be redeeming tonight.
Last year, Zoe's lost $3.7 million on revenue of $116 million. The challenge for this company in reaching profitability will be to keep its costs in line and its menu simple. Those are two things that Cosi, which is comparable in some respects, has been unable to do. As a result, Cosi has never had a profitable year since its own 2002 IPO. Zoe's could learn a great deal from Cosi's plight.
Proceeds from Zoe's IPO, $87.5 million, will be used to pay off the company's credit facility ($41 million as of the end of 2013), and support the company's expansion plans.
The $15 IPO price, which was at the upper end of the expected price range, puts the company's market cap in the $275 million price range.
With markets opening lower today, it should be an interesting first day of trading for what may be one of the more interesting restaurant concepts we've seen in recent years.
At the time of publication, the author held no positions in any of the stocks mentioned.
This article represents the opinion of a contributor and not necessarily that of TheStreet or its editorial staff.


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24 Dec 2017.
Volatility in Bitcoin prices continued on Saturday, with the value of the cryptocurrency or digital currency recovering to $14,200 on Bitstamp,
17 Dec 2019.
Two years ago today, Bitcoin hit its highest price ever, reaching $19,783.
Bitcoin still accounts for 67% of the market value of cryptocurrencies,
The Bitcoin price is trading nicely above the $9,600 and the coin must climb above the $9,800 resistance to continue higher.
Downward bitcoin prices could impact stakeholders more than ever before, including derivatives traders and miners.
0.00020000 Btc To Usd 0.00020000 BTC. 1.9800 USD. 9927.0000 USD. 0.00045489 BTC. 4.5156 USD. 9999.9999 USD. 0.00003194 BTC. 0.3193 USD. 10000.0000 USD. Multidimension This
12 Mar 2020.
Bitcoin Cryptocurrency Value Goes Down : Illustration. Image Credits.
Uncertainty has led to today's crypto asset selloff. You don't want to.
9 May 2020.
The world's most famous cryptocurrency is once again generating chatter over social media. And it's not only because the price of Bitcoin fell.
Bitcoin Mining Hardware Requirements This call is just a months away from the last, but Bitcoin halving just happened on May 12 from the
Ethereum retreats from weekly highs at $252; finds it increasingly difficult to break the resistance at $250. The short term.
Today, Bitcoin can be used as a legal form of payment for products and services and because the transaction fees are substantially lower than typical credit card.
How Do I Invest In Bitcoin Evolution 14 May 2020. “History suggests that only short-term investors have lost money on bitcoin. My advice to investors would be
You can access information on the Bitcoin price in British Pounds (GBP), Euros ( EUR) and US Dollars (USD) in a wide variety of time frames from live prices.


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From: Tech News Today
After all the hub-bub back in May about the licensing of H.264, many people were worried about the future of the latest HD cameras using the MPEG4 compression. There was even talk of development of other codecs that would be more “open source.”
The MPEG Licensing Association announced yesterday that they are putting a permanent moratorium on licensing fees of H.264.
According to ARS Technica:
“Today’s announcement by the MPEG LA extends the time period of the moratorium for the life of its “AVC Patent Portfolio License,” effectively making free-to-view H.264 encoded video royalty-free indefinitely. The MPEG LA noted that licensing fees will still be in effect for video that consumers pay for, such as AVC-encoded Blu-ray discs, on demand services like Hulu+, and pay-to-download services like iTunes.”
I guess we can all keep shooting away in MPEG4 now…
Read the story on ARS Technica.
[…] a very positive note, b-roll.net posted an update that definitely has my heart […]


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While Amazon’s purchase of Whole Foods made national headlines, the online retailer is also making moves in another lucrative industry: medical supplies.
Modern Healthcare reports that the growing popularity of Amazon Business in the medical supply sector will put pressure on supply distributors to lower their prices. This could lead to a decreased price in medical care for the consumer, helping to offset the skyrocketing price of medical care in recent years.
Modern Healthcare notes that some products, such as implants and certain medications, will not be purchasable on Amazon due to regulation requirements. However, the article does state that Amazon is potentially looking into entering the pharmaceutical market, so only time will tell.
To learn more about Amazon’s step into the medical supply sector, click here.
If you are a healthcare company looking to lower the cost of supplies without turning to Amazon, our affiliates at HealthTrust Purchase Group have helped more than 1,600 hospitals to grow their bottom line. This is achieved through an array of services like group purchasing, custom sourcing, and inSight Advisory Services, producing savings higher than other purchasing alliances by double digits. To read some of their tips for increasing savings as well as productivity, click here.


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Cuts to prices of petrol and diesel announced today - RAC reaction
Reacting to the news this morning that supermarkets are beginning to cut the prices of petrol and diesel at UK forecourts, RAC fuel spokesman Simon Williams said:
“The average price of fuel at the big four supermarkets has frustratingly been higher than it should be for the last two weeks. This has an adverse knock-on effect on drivers all over the country as smaller retailers have no incentive to compete, meaning everyone who drives loses out on getting a fair price for their fuel. It’s a shame drivers are made to wait for a 2p a litre cut rather than the supermarkets transparently passing on downward moves in wholesale prices.
“We strongly urge other retailers – big and small – to lower their pump prices so the average price of fuel comes down everywhere. The last Asda fuel cut earlier this month led to the average price of unleaded coming down by 2p a litre so we expect to see an average price of 122p a litre in 10 days’ time. If diesel were to reduce by a similar amount that would yield an average price of 125p per litre, a price last seen nearly two years ago.
“A price of 116.7p for petrol is the lowest price Asda has charged for nearly a year. They last sold diesel for 118.7p in early April 2018.”
Stay up-to-date with what is happening with UK fuel prices via RAC Fuel Watch
Notes to Editors
Our dedicated line for journalists is +44 (0)1454 664 123. Please note: the press office is unable to help with individual customer enquiries - please visit the RAC contacts page for the right number to call.
ISDN radio studio facilities are available for interviews Monday to Friday.
About the RAC
The RAC provides complete peace of mind to 12m UK private and business drivers, whatever their motoring needs. Its services include:
- Breakdown assistance. Its highly-skilled, 1,600-strong branded patrol workforce attends more than two million breakdowns every year, fixing on average four out of five vehicles at the roadside. The RAC’s patrol fleet is one of the most advanced in the UK, and was the first to roll out both an All-Wheels-Up recovery system, allowing the vast majority of vehicles to be recovered from a single patrol van, and EV Boost mobile electric vehicle charging units
- Insurance. The RAC is a top-five car insurance broker having surpassed the 500,000 policies-in-force milestone in 2018. It also offers ‘black box’ telematics policies, as well as home and travel insurance
- Other motoring services. The RAC leads in the development of new solutions for business, fleets, electric vehicles and future car technology. Its additional products and services include a personal loans offering, a used car buying website, vehicle inspections and checks, legal services or up-to-the-minute traffic and travel information. It also has a network of Approved Dealers and Approved Garages which combine the trust of RAC brand with local service and convenience
The RAC also works to support the interests of its members and UK drivers on the most important motoring issues which it identifies via the annual RAC Report on Motoring and the RAC Opinion Panel. The Report on Motoring is the longest running analysis of driver opinion in the UK having been published every year since 1989.
For more information about the RAC, visit the RAC website.


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Watch what Apple has to say at this year’s WWDC
You can tune into the keynote for Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference at 9pm GST here, or stream it from your iOS device, computer, or Apple TV.
APPLE’S WORLDWIDE DEVELOPERS CONFERENCE kicks off at 9pm GST (10 am Pacific) tonight, and those tuning in can expect to see all the new software features due in the near future.
This year’s WWDC comes at a busy time for the Cupertino-based company. It’s been a little more than a month after the new iOS software update allowing users to opt-out of ad-tracking, an update that was heavily protested by Facebook. There’s also been no shortage of product-related news: Apple unveiled new iPads, redesigned iMacs, a new Apple TV 4k, and a series of new accessories at its spring product launch this April.
But Apple’s going full speed ahead, and we can bank on seeing a slew of new updates coming to iOS, macOS, iPadOS, and all of the software that powers Apple’s devices and services (you can scan through a rundown of what to expect here).
Like last year, this year’s WWDC 2021 is another lockdown special, opening up the conference to developers around the world. You can watch Apple CEO Tim Cook’s keynote speech at 9 pm GST using the player embedded at the top of the page, or else stream it on Apple’s website, in the Apple TV app, or on the company’s YouTube channel. After Cook’s speech, a series of demos from other top software executives and key app developers will follow.


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In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Trump said he might impose a 10% tariff on Apple's iPhone and notebook products. As a result, Apple's share price fell 1.9% in after-hours trading, according to Fortune's website.
Apple products are currently exempt from tariffs. But Trump said he might impose tariffs on Apple products: "Maybe, it depends on the tax rate. I mean, I'll charge 10% and people can easily tolerate that tax rate."
Apple's share price has fallen by 25% since reaching a high of $233.47 in early October. The decline was so steep, mainly because Apple warned investors of current-quarter revenue or lower than analysts expected, which included holidays and traditionally was the busiest time for Apple to sell.
Relevant reading: Microsoft overtook Apple for the first time in eight years: becoming the world's first company by market value
On the morning of November 27, Beijing time, according to The Verge, the US technology media, Microsoft briefly overtook Apple in market value on Monday to become the world's first in nearly eight years. Microsoft had a market capitalization of $812.93 billion, followed by Apple at $812.6 billion. At present, the two companies'market value competition is very fierce.
In 2010, Apple surpassed Microsoft for the first time. The New York Times commented that the moment marked the end of the old age and the beginning of a new era. Although Apple's share price has grown rapidly over the past five years, even exceeding $1 trillion at the beginning of the year, investors are worried about the sales of the iPhone, which accounts for 60% of the company's total revenue. When Apple warned Wall Street that it might not be able to meet its Christmas sales expectations, stock prices shook. Recent reports also show that Apple is starting to make the iPhone X again because of poor sales of the XS. Apple no longer discloses sales of devices such as the iPhone, the iPad and the Mac, making it difficult for analysts to accurately predict future sales of the iPhone.
Microsoft's share price has been doing well since Nadela became CEO in 2014. Nadela re-positioned Microsoft in the cloud computing arena, competing with major competitor Amazon. At the beginning of the year, Microsoft took the lead in overtaking Google in market capitalization, and last month it overtook Amazon. Compared with other technology giants, Microsoft's business is more diversified. For example, total sales of Windows, Xbox and Surface account for only 36% of Microsoft's total revenue, while 86% of Google's revenue comes from advertising.
Although Microsoft's Windows Phone failed, it did not have much impact on the company. Today, Microsoft focuses on cross-platform technology, cloud technology and artificial intelligence, and aims to gain a foothold in future quantum computing and hybrid reality computing. All these efforts are bound to put Microsoft under competitive pressure from Apple, Google, Amazon, Facebook and other companies.
Therefore, in the next few years, the name of "world market value first" may change ownership several times.


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Years after one would have thought that nearly every single data-carrying device would have been encrypted, it finally started happening in 2008.
The year saw almost every hard drive manufacturer add native encryption to their drives. These included drives aimed at midsize and enterprise data center users with their racks full of customer data, and drives for mobile PC users whose computers are regularly stolen or forgotten or left at the airport security checkpoint.
Fujitsu, Hitachi GST and Seagate all unveiled mobile hard drives with native encryption technology in 2008, while Seagate added encryption to its enterprise-class SAS hard drives.
Meanwhile, HP added encryption key management as a product of its storage line, while Brocade added encryption to its fabric-based SAN equipment. BUSlink, CMS, Iomega, Seagate and others are now selling encrypted portable hard drives. Encrypted thumb drives are available from companies like Anywhere, CMS Peripherals and IronKey.


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- 3 min read
BE+ Moment Marketing Debate: ‘Brand PV Sindhu actually doesn't belong to PV Sindhu’
Watch Sandeep Goyal, Harish Bijoor and Ashish Tiwari discuss the nuances of moment marketing and explain where brands are going wrong...
The panel touched upon various aspects of moment marketing, but focussed on the times brands get it wrong, and why. Malvania started off by asking the panelists whether the strategy of moment marketing is being abused by brands. “I don't know how you define ‘abuse’ here. Moment marketing by the definition of it is basically exploding onto a moment and taking it up and connecting with the consumer. There is a lot that can be done in a country like India which has just so many moments happening and brands can celebrate them. But if you are infringing somebody's copyright, if you are infringing somebody's personal space, then it certainly becomes a little bit of a challenge and concern,” Tiwari offered.
Goyal pointed out that the issue does not lie with the vanilla strategy of moment marketing. It lies when a brand’s moment marketing strategy involves a celebrity. “The problem starts when there is a celebrity involved, and you (the brand) are trying to ride the success of the celebrity by trying to attribute or steal a little bit of the value attached to that celebrity and bring it to your brand without compensating the celebrity,” he elaborated.
Bijoor concurred with Goyal saying that moment marketing around inanimate subjects was never an issue, but when animate subjects are involved, for example celebrities, the problems start. He laid a clear distinction when it comes to brands overstepping their boundaries while indulging in moment marketing. He said that there is a difference between a brand using, misusing, and hijacking a moment, and that is what decides whether it is using or abusing moment marketing.
“So the Government of India can put out a full page ad saying ‘Congratulations PV Sindhu’. That's fine. But then, you know, a political party can put out (communication saying) ‘Congratulations PV Sindhu’. Now that's a bit of a misuse. A political persona, an individual, can put out a big banner saying ‘Congratulations PV Sindhu’ because he wants to get burnished by her glory. That is incorrect,” he said, giving an example.
Goyal said that it was important for celebrities to protect their brands by registering them. “Is the name or the phrase PV Sindhu registered or not? I have checked, and it is not.”
He cited examples from around the world like Olympic long distance runner, Mo Farah who has registered the famous ‘Mobot pose’. “If anybody tries to infringe on it now, that is legally something that you can pursue. Similarly, Usain Bolt’s winning celebrations are incomplete without the ‘Bolting’ or “To Di World’ pose. Goyal says that the symbol is registered. “It is a trademark and a property of a guy called Usain Bolt.”
The three panelists however agreed that one brand that has always got moment marketing spot on is Amul. They said that Amul’s strategy of using humour (unless it's a tribute to someone who has passed away), and the fact that it's usually a copy that plays with words and puns has held it in good stead. Goyal pointed out that in fact, for someone to be featured on an Amul hoarding is now considered a badge of honour rather than a cause for concern.
Speaking from the brand marketer’s vantage point, Tiwari added that one way to ensure a brand does not overstep the line is to ask, “Is it ethical?”, and not just, “Is it legal?’.
Watch the full panel here.
Watch BE+ with Ambi Parameswaran: In conversation with industry leaders like Jasneet Bachal, Pawan Sarda, Siddhesh Joglekar


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SEOUL, April 10 (Yonhap) — U.S. Web big Google Inc. is prepared to make an funding totaling some 1 trillion gained (US$876 million) into LG Show Co.’s versatile natural light-emitting diode (OLED) panels, business sources mentioned Monday, in an obvious bid to safe a steady provide.
Business watchers mentioned the newest transfer by the tech firm is in step with its plan to make use of LG Show’s OLED panels in its Pixel smartphones.
If the deal is reached, Google may also scale back its dependency on Samsung Show Co., one other South Korean panel maker.
LG Show mentioned it can not present feedback on hypothesis circulating out there.
Business watchers mentioned Google is looking for to kind a strategic partnership with LG Show via the deal, fairly than simply making a purchase order settlement.
LG Show can even profit from Google’s potential funding as the corporate has been looking for to maneuver its focus to OLED panels from liquid crystal show (LCD) merchandise.