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Charities working to support homeless people and their pets have warned they are braced for a rise in demand this autumn amid a potential homelessness crisis and a surging number of pet owners during the pandemic.
“We’ve definitely started to see an increase in demand already over the last few months,” said Zoe Abbotts, the general manager at charity StreetVet, “but I have no doubt that we will see a further increase in demand and we are preparing for it.”
The Big Issue’s Stop Mass Homelessness campaign is working to prevent a rise in homelessness this autumn when pandemic support measures come to an end, including the furlough scheme and the £20 universal credit increase, leaving thousands of people at risk of eviction from their homes.
That could see a rise in the number of people on the street with their pets after animal ownership rose sharply during the pandemic. As many as 3.2 million households got a pet in the first year of the pandemic, according to figures from the Pet Food Manufacturers’ Association, meaning the UK now has 17 million pet-owning homes.
We’re very much getting approached now by families that are having to be evicted due to this Covid pandemicDogs on the StreetsDogs on the Streets
An increase in homelessness could see thousands of people and their pets needing help and charities who work with animals and their homeless owners told The Big Issue they are preparing to meet demand on International Dog Day.
“We’re running as normally as normal again,” Abbotts said, but with “a huge increase in demand for care and support”.


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Samsung mobile division president DJ Koh confirmed months ago that the company was building its own Samsung smart speaker. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, today, reports the company intends to release the speaker for around $200 in early 2018.
Samsung Smart Speaker a Near Possibility
While Koh hadn’t made the confirmation earlier, Bloomberg reports the device will focus on audio quality and IoT management, thus running Bixby. Including Galaxy phones, all Samsung devices will work with the speaker. This also makes it a central control hub for Samsung’s SmartThings ecosystem. Bloomberg reports, however, that the Samsung smart speaker voice-based web searches still need a bit more of tweaking and improvements.
Reports claim Samsung’s plans on releasing the device possibly in the US, and in other multiple markets, as well.
Most of Samsung’s competitors already offer their own speaker alternatives. Even Apple’s delayed HomePod and Google’s Google Home lineup have recently received traction among users. The new Microsoft Harman Kardon Invoke and Amazon’s Alexa devices also beat Samsung to the game. Its strength, however, could lie in markets where Alexa remains currently unavailable.

domain: news


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The vast majority of U.S. adults are ready to move beyond gaming experiences in the metaverse and see value in immersive interactions, such as socializing with friends and family (78%), and on-the-job training (76%), according to a new survey from KPMG LLP1. Further, 59% of U.S. adults report they expect the metaverse to have a significant impact on their lives in the next 12 months with an additional 48% reporting a significant impact in next 5 years.2
“While it may still be early days, U.S. adults are increasingly adapting to creating real life experiences across the ‘phygital’ world,” said Cliff Justice, U.S. leader of Enterprise Innovation, KPMG. “With each interaction, people are becoming more accustomed to engaging in everyday activities in the metaverse. From banking and telemedicine to learning and working, the medium we use to communicate and interact is perpetually shifting towards virtual.”
The metaverse has the potential to revolutionize the way businesses and consumers engage, transact, socialize and work. Of those participating in the metaverse, 92% of respondents say it enhances learning opportunities, including job training, school, and higher education while 86% report the metaverse provides opportunities for entrepreneurship, including marketing and selling.


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Media stories about The Ultimate Software Group (NASDAQ:ULTI) have been trending somewhat positive on Wednesday, Accern reports. The research group rates the sentiment of media coverage by analyzing more than twenty million news and blog sources in real time. Accern ranks coverage of public companies on a scale of negative one to one, with scores nearest to one being the most favorable. The Ultimate Software Group earned a media sentiment score of 0.22 on Accern’s scale. Accern also gave news stories about the technology company an impact score of 45.0039714926774 out of 100, meaning that recent media coverage is somewhat unlikely to have an effect on the stock’s share price in the next several days.
Here are some of the media headlines that may have impacted Accern Sentiment’s analysis:
- Analyst: Ultimate Software Executes, But Further Multiple Expansion Unlikely (finance.yahoo.com)
- Ultimate Software Brings Mercer | Sirota Employee Engagement Benchmarking to UltiPro Customers – Business Wire (press release) (businesswire.com)
- Ultimate Software Named to Canada’s 50 Best Workplaces for Women List (conferencing.tmcnet.com)
- Ultimate Software Named to Canada’s 50 Best Workplaces for Women List – Markets Insider (markets.businessinsider.com)
- Ultimate Software Named to Canada’s 50 Best Workplaces for Women List (finance.yahoo.com)
ULTI has been the subject of several research reports. Mizuho reissued a “hold” rating and set a $200.00 price target on shares of The Ultimate Software Group in a report on Wednesday, December 6th. BidaskClub raised The Ultimate Software Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 21st. Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating and set a $245.00 price target on shares of The Ultimate Software Group in a report on Thursday, January 11th. Piper Jaffray Companies reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $250.00 price target on shares of The Ultimate Software Group in a report on Tuesday, January 16th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on The Ultimate Software Group to $260.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 30th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the stock. The company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $244.95.
The Ultimate Software Group (NASDAQ:ULTI) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 6th. The technology company reported $1.11 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the Thomson Reuters’ consensus estimate of $0.87 by $0.24. The firm had revenue of $251.43 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $244.83 million. The Ultimate Software Group had a return on equity of 5.31% and a net margin of 1.59%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 19.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.91 EPS. equities research analysts expect that The Ultimate Software Group will post 1.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
In other news, CFO Mitchell K. Dauerman sold 28,125 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $224.68, for a total transaction of $6,319,125.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 102,349 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $22,995,773.32. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Scott Scherr sold 32,166 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $222.37, for a total value of $7,152,753.42. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 343,139 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $76,303,819.43. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 284,019 shares of company stock valued at $63,840,036 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 4.90% of the company’s stock.
WARNING: This piece was originally reported by BBNS and is the sole property of of BBNS. If you are accessing this piece on another publication, it was copied illegally and reposted in violation of international copyright & trademark legislation. The legal version of this piece can be viewed at https://baseballnewssource.com/2018/03/14/somewhat-positive-press-coverage-somewhat-unlikely-to-impact-the-ultimate-software-group-ulti-stock-price/2032065.html.
The Ultimate Software Group Company Profile
The Ultimate Software Group, Inc (Ultimate) is a cloud provider of people management solutions, referred to as human capital management (HCM). The Company’s UltiPro product suite (UltiPro) is an engaging solution that has human resources (HR), payroll and benefits management. As of December 31, 2016, UltiPro included global people management, available in 14 languages with more than 35 country-specific localizations.
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One of the writers behind last year’s ‘Mortal Kombat’ reboot, Greg Russo, will write and direct a TV series based on the iconic ‘System Shock’ game franchise.
"I'm honored to have the opportunity to work alongside the fantastic team at Binge and Nightdive Studios to bring the iconic System Shock franchise to life," Russo said, speaking of his first outing as a director. "I've been waiting for the right opportunity to make my directorial debut, and I finally found it."
The ‘System Shock’ games, which have become cult classics over the years, put the player in the role of a nameless hacker, making their way through a cyberpunk space station and battling against a rogue artificial intelligence that tries to turn humans into cyborgs. The latest entry into the franchise is currently available for pre-purchase on Steam.
Russo has previously worked on several video game adaptations, including last year’s ‘Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City’ and ‘Mortal Kombat.’ Despite both films receiving mixed reviews, ‘Mortal Kombat’ has proven to be a streaming hit for HBO Max.
The new ‘System Shock’ TV series will be developed for the upcoming Binge streaming platform, which is set to focus heavily on video game adaptations as well as other gaming content. Aside from ‘System Shock’, Binge’s original content slate also includes an adaptation of the ‘Driver’ games series, developed with the help of Ubisoft, as well as a ‘Hunt: Showdown’ film exec produced by Crytek co-founder Avni Yerli among others.


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IO Interactive has released Hitman 3 update 3.20 across all platforms and we’ve got you covered with the release notes.
Today’s March patch weighs in at roughly 3.5GB on all platforms and prepares the title for the release for a new 7-part premium expansion, a new seasonal event in Berlin, and more. In addition, the new patch packs some stability and visual improvements alongside numerous location changes. Also interesting is that the new update unlocks the framerate of the game on Xbox One consoles (including Xbox One, Xbox One S, and Xbox One X.
You’ll find a large part of the release notes for the new March update down below. For the full extensive notes, including details on the new content, be sure to read IO Interactive’s blog post.
Hitman 3 Update 3.20 Release Notes
We’ve resolved several issues that could cause the game to crash or, in rare cases, cause endless loading.
The Requiem Pack is back, and included in the H1 GOTY Access Pass. Any HITMAN 3 owners who have installed the H1 GOTY Access Pass will also have access to the three items included in the Requiem Pack.
We’ve resolved several issues that could prevent players from unlocking the following trophies; Shortcut Killer, Dune Rider (Dubai), Full House (Dartmoor), Rich Harvest (Mendoza), Future Shock (Chongqing), Pure Poetry (Hantu Port).
Additionally, fixes for the following challenges that are required to unlock some trophies/achievements have also been implemented: Discover Dubai, Discover Mendoza.
Players that have been affected should unlock the relevant trophies/achievements when they launch the game after installing the 3.20 patch. We know some players are also having ussues with other trophies/achievements. We’re tracking and working on updates for those.
Xbox One, Xbox One S and Xbox One X users can now toggle between a locked/ 30fps or unlocked framerate. Locked is the default option. In testing, we’ve hit a very consistent 60 fps on Xbox One X across all three games in the trilogy, with only occasional dips.
We’ve resolved an issue where a white, floating attachment could be seen on the weapons in the Trinity Pack (pre-order bonus)
We’ve resolved an issue that could cause players to see erratic leaderboard positions after completing a mission. In some cases, this would show players that they performed worse than the entire leaderboard, i.e 501/500.
We’ve resolved an issue that could cause 47 to start in a suit, even when a starting location with a forced disguise was selected. This could cause him to be immediately suspicious in some circumstances.
We’ve resolved an issue that could cause the sound effects of the Bartoli 12G and the Shashka A33 to not play when they are fired by NPC’s.
We’ve resolved an issue where the ‘Piercing’ perk was not properly displayed on the ICA Bartoli Woodsman Hunting Rifle Covert.
Interaction Font Size
We’ve added more options for the size of interaction prompts, allowing players to choose from font size 10, 15, 20, 25, 30 and 35. Choosing a larger font size may cause text to overlap in crowded instances, where multiple prompts are on the screen.
We’ve resolved several issues across multiple locations that could cause textures to ‘disappear’ at certain angles, where items would appear to be ‘floating’ or where positioning the camera in a certain position could cause Agent 47 to disappear.
We’ve ironed out a few inconsistencies with several silenced weapons. The HKW21 Pale Homemade Silencer, ICA DTI Stealth, ICA Tactical Shotgun Covert, DAK Gold Covert and DAK Black Covert were all missing the ‘suppressor’ tag in their inventory description. Also, the ICA Tactical Shotgun Covert was not being treated as a silenced weapon by NPCs. That’s changed as well now.
We’ve resolved an issue that was preventing the ‘holster’ sound effect from triggering.
Normal vs Medium
We’ve adjusted the text on some of our ‘graphics settings’ descriptions so that they’re consistent between the game and the launcher. Medium is the new normal.
We’ve added an extra line to the settings menu to also display the current version ID of the game. This will help us when troubleshooting issues in development and with players.
Where It’s Due, 3.20
We have updated the HITMAN 3 credits to reflect the work that has been done since we submitted the game for release. We also correct a few errors and included new members of the team.
Location Changes: Dubai, UAE
Drop The Body
We’ve resolved an issue where it was not possible to dump bodies off some ledges of the building in Dubai.
Wait, what water?
We’ve resolved an issue where overflowing the sink in one of the bathrooms in Dubai wouldn’t attract anyone.
We’ve tweaked the setup of the guard at the VIP balcony in Dubai so that he will enforce trespassing rules. Previously, he would allow 47 to trespass all too easily without consequence.
We identified an issue where Carl Ingram would often repeat a line of dialogue when using the dictaphone, so we’ve resolved the issue where Carl Ingram would often repeat a line of dialogue when using the dictaphone.
Location Changes: Dartmoor, England
We’ve resolved an issue where 47 could be spotted by guards that were outside, when he was inside the greenhouse in Dartmoor.
We’ve resolved an issue with some containers in Dartmoor where a prompt on the side of the container would allow 47 to ‘dump’ the body. He wasn’t supposed to be allowed to do it though, so the body would be launched into the air. We’ve removed the prompt.
Location Changes: Berlin, Germany
We’ve resolved an issue where the description of the weapons carried by targets in Berlin was not accurate.
We’ve resolved an issue where debug text would appear as an objective after performing specific actions in Berlin.
We’ve resolved an issue that could prevent a target from being displayed in Instinct and their details being added to the Intel menu.
Location Changes: Chongqing, China
This was the Silenced Version
We’d like to award Reddit user u/StealthyBastard94 the prize for ‘Most Entertaining HITMAN 3 Bug Report’ for March. Here’s how they won this presigious and unique award. We’ve now changed the description so that it no longer says that the gun is silenced.
We’ve resolved an issue where unlocking a shortcut in Chongqing could prevent players from unlocking the associated challenges with all shortcuts.
We’ve resolved an issue that could cause inconsistencies in the ‘Controller’ Mission Story.
We’ve removed a piece of cover in Chongqing that was floating.
The Phoenix Discourse
We’ve resolved an issue where 47 could ‘hack’ a laptop in Chongqing despite not having the proper clearance. We know that’s the whole point of hacking, but it makes sense if you play the game.
Location Changes: Mendoza, Argentina
We’ve resolved an issue in Mendoza where an erroneous objective would appear in the menu after interacting with the security door terminal.
We’ve fixed an issue where Contracts created on Mendoza would sometimes fail to load, depending on when they were created.
We’ve (apparently) resolved an issue that could cause 47 to get stuck inside a grape box in Mendoza.
(Editor’s Note: Sometimes I wonder if our developers just make up some of these ‘fixes’ to see if they can get them in the patch notes…)
We’ve resolved an issue that could cause some inconsistencies with the locations of the Head of Security and the Sommelier in Mendoza.
We’ve resolved an issue where some bodies could not be contained within the grape presser.
Location Changes: Carpathian Mountains, Romania
We’ve resolved an issue that could cause lighting issues in the environment, including the water.
Legacy Location Changes: HITMAN 1 and HITMAN 2
We’ve resolved an issue that was preventing the ‘Play Next’ option from displaying after completing one of the first three missions in the Patient Zero campaign.
We’ve resolved an issue that made it very difficult to locate a specific pigeon in the Himmelstein Sniper Assassin map. We’ll quote the internal bug report resolution: “tweaked tree to unhide pigeon.”
We’ve resolved an issue where one particular guard on the beach wouldn’t react to an exploding truck. Lazy.
We’ve resolved an issue that could cause visual issues when zooming with a sniper rifle in Miami.
We’ve resolved an issue in Santa Fortuna where some trees were lacking collision properties and 47 could walk (or jog) right through them.
We’ve resolved an issue where one specific guard in Mumbai would hold his weapon above his head, with twisted arms.
We’ve resolved an issue that was causing clipping on the hood of the Elite Guard outfit in Isle of Sgail
We’ve resolved an issue that made it impossible to shoot through the mirror between the conference room and the CEO’s Private Room in New York (The Bank)
Virtual Reality (PS VR)
VR Crash Fixes
We’ve improved stability to resolving several issues that could cause the game to crash when playing in VR.
We’ve resolved an issue where Agent 47 would consistently fall off the map when vaulting the railing on Dexter’s balcony when playing in VR.
We’ve tweaked a few things to reduce the flickering that could occur on some of the rooftops in Berlin and some plants and hedges in Dartmoor when playing in VR.
We’ve tweaked the measuring tape item so that it looks better in 47’s hands when playing in VR.
Platform-Specific Changes: Switch
We’ve resolved an issue that could cause players to experience frequent disconnects.
Platform-Specific Changes: Stadia
We’ve resolved an issue where ??? might be displayed as a button prompt when attempting to take a photo, depending on the assigned button.
We’ve resolved an issue that could cause the game to crash when progressing from the Guided Training to the Freeform Training.
We’ve resolved several issues that could cause the game to crash when performing various actions; shooting guards in Himmelstein, shooting plastic bottles in Dubai, when shooting a camera, and a few other instances.
Hitman 3 is available globally now for PS5, PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC, Stadia, and Switch.


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We know how you all like to wallow in nostalgia, so Terry Richardson reminds us that last week was the 20th anniversary of that technology breakthrough – the Sinclair C5. Go to www.sinclairc5.com...
Technology and staff to shift to Google following deal
Four terabyte data dump also being sold by online seller behind Collection #1
Trade secrets don't enjoy the same legal protection as patents, warns Withers & Rogers patent attorney John-Paul Rooney. So how should they be protected?
Collection #1, originally posted in December, contains 140 million email addresses that haven't been seen in security breaches before


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Plans come as discounter reveals it is recruiting over 1,500 warehouse staff
Lidl is planning a new regional distribution centre (RDC) on a 35-acre site in Gildersome, Leeds.
The plans submitted to Leeds City Council for a 54,000 sq m build ”showcases Lidl GB’s commitment to fostering local economic growth, alongside its continued expansion within Great Britain”, according to the discounter.
The new RDC would create over 400 jobs, and comes as Lidl announced it is recruiting over 1,500 warehouse colleagues across its existing regional distribution centre network.
Over the last five years Lidl has opened four RDCs including Motherwell, Peterborough, Doncaster and a second site in Belvedere. The three sites have collectively created over 1,400 jobs.
Richard Taylor, chief development officer at Lidl GB, said: “Our ambitious warehouse plans demonstrate our commitment to investing not only in our distribution network but the country as a whole. An RDC in Leeds would be a great addition to the north, while we continue to keep a lookout for new sites in the south.
“In the last five years we have opened over 240,000 sq m of warehouse space and invested over £700m, but we need more space and people to help us meet our growth targets. We’ve built an impressive store portfolio across the country and our vision to have over 1,100 stores in Great Britain remains unchanged.”


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Eight Tallahassee restaurants fail Oct. health inspections
Within the month of Oct., eight Tallahassee restaurants failed health inspections presenting priority violations within Leon and Wakulla counties.
According to the Tallahassee Democrat, within Leon County five restaurants were reported to have hygiene and handwashing practice violations, 18 food cross-contamination and protection violations and no pest control violations were noted. All of these restaurants required a follow-up inspection to ensure violations have been properly addressed and no restaurants in Leon County were closed due to violations.
These restaurants include Stix Pool & Bar (6 total violations and 2 high-priority violations), Earley’s at the capital (8 total violations and 2 high-priority violations), Hamaknockers (1 total violation and 1 high-priority violation), Kezzy’s Bistro (4 total violations), Ology Brewing (5 total violations and 1 high-priority violation), Tony Cafe in the Courthouse (3 total violations and 1 high-priority), and more.
Overall, the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation accounted for 161 violations within 47 restaurant standard inspections.
“I had no idea that so many restaurants had been brought notice of health violations within Tallahassee and really hope that those businesses addressed or address those issues with urgency,” said FSU student Grace Lancaster. “Regardless of how small or big a violation is, Tallahassee is a town filled with families and students, so I really feel this issue is of high importance in order to prevent the spread of sickness and germs across populations.”
The Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation and the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (subsectors of FDOH) conduct routine restaurant inspections, re-inspections, and complaint inspections. Routine and complaint inspections are conducted without notice, however, for re-inspections establishments are provided a specific date on which certain violations need to be taken care of and when an inspector may appear to reevaluate.
Following routine health inspections, restaurants are graded on the scale of incomplete, unsatisfactory, or satisfactory. A satisfactory report would indicate no violations were noticed during the inspection or those that were noticed were extremely minuscule. Unsatisfactory is of greater urgency and would indicate that the establishment has significant corrections to be made before its re-inspection as these violations could be threatening to the health and safety of customers. An incomplete violation means that was an interruption during the inspection and that an inspector will need to return to finalize the said report.
“Remember that in some cases, violations are noted are technical issues not directly linked to hygiene or cleanliness. Remember, too, that broken refrigerators, chipped tiles or fast work may add up to unintended mistakes,” said the Tallahassee Democrat.
Throughout health inspections from Oct. 10-16, aside from the mentioned establishments with violations, some received perfect inspection reports. These restaurants included One Fresh Stir Fry on Monroe St., Peoples Choice Mobile Kitchen on Monroe St., and the Waffle House on Capital Circle.
If you suspect that food you or others have consumed has led to sickness or contamination, the Florida Department of Health has pointers on what to do.
For those who believe they may have contracted food poisoning, should contact their physician as soon as possible or pursue medical assistance immediately if needed.
For unsafe or unsanitary restaurant conditions, call the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation at (850) 487-1395 or you may report online at the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation. If you hear of or witness unsanitary conditions within a grocery store, or other forms of food store providers call the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services at (850) 245-5520.


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Microsoft News Roundup: Windows 12 and Windows 11 hidden themes, the RX 7900 XT, and more
With so much news coming out every week, it’s easy to miss some stories. That’s why we’re here to bring together the biggest trends and topics in the Microsoft and Windows worlds. Over the past seven days, we’ve seen hidden themes revealed in Windows 11, Microsoft discussed the future of HoloLens, and AMD launched its new flagship graphics cards.
If you prefer to hear the latest news discussed in more detail, be sure to check out The latest episode of the Windows Central Podcast.
Windows 12 Wish List
While no official information has been revealed about Windows 12, or whatever Microsoft decides to call its next version of Windows, our senior editor Zac Bowden has compiled a wish list of what he’d like to see in the operating system.
Microsoft is known to be working hard on the next version of Windows. It is currently codenamed ‘Next Valley’ and has a target release date of 2024. But it is in the early stages of the operating system currently, we could see many changes before Microsoft ships the major update to Windows.
For now, you’d better take a look at what Bowden asked for, such as a better lock screen and scalable functionality.
Hidden themes in Windows 11
Windows 11 2022 Update has many new features and improvements for PCs when it was introduced earlier this year. But this week, our Senior Editor, Zach Bowden, highlighted a bunch of hidden, previously undiscovered desktop themes. Themes were originally intended for Windows 11 SE but can be set on any Windows 11 PC.
Twitter user PhantomOcean3 was the first to discover the wallpapers.
Fun fact: Windows 11 22H2+ includes Education Topics, intended for students using school machines. You can enable them using regedit: 1. Open it and go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\PolicyManager\current\device2. Create a key in the terminal, name it education (cont) pic.twitter.com/t9OB3qVqiHDecember 11, 2022
AMD RX 7900 XT and XTX launched
New flagship graphics cards from AMD shipped this week. Although finding the RX 7900 XT and RX 7900 XTX in stock proved challenging, the GPUs became publicly available.
The XT and XTS are the first GPUs to have a microchip design similar to AMD’s Zen-based Ryzen CPUs. The cards’ RDNA 3 architecture improves performance by more than 54% over the previous generation, according to AMD.
The AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT and 7900 XTX cost $899 and $999, respectively, at least when found at MSRP. We have a directory with regularly updated retail listings of cards to help you find a GPU in stock.
HoloLens 3 is coming
Two HoloLens stories appeared this week. A flurry of updates for HoloLens 2 fully integrated Microsoft Teams with an augmented reality headset. Users can now view shared content, chat, and better guide people through operations through augmented reality. Microsoft has also highlighted success in the industry, such as Toyota’s use of HoloLens 2.
Perhaps even more interesting to the general public is the fact that Microsoft publicly discussed the next version of HoloLens this week. The company’s vision for augmented reality has been in question for some time, especially after the departure of Alex Kipman. Microsoft’s vice president of mixed reality, Scott Evans, said the company will ship a new version of the HoloLens when the time is right.
The VP made it clear that the next version of the HoloLens should be a “meaningful update,” not just a small spec bump.
Our expert team stays up to date with the latest gadgets, games, and more. This week, we looked at the Logitech G Cloud, Geekom Mini IT8, and a handful of other devices.
#Microsoft #News #Roundup #Windows #Windows #hidden #themes


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AMMUNITIONagency, a digitally-led creative agency, has selected award-winning Integrated PR & Digital Marketing agency Media Frenzy Global to build their brand and be recognized as industry experts within the U.S. market.
Media Frenzy Global will create and leverage public relations initiatives, to build brand awareness and raise the profile of AMMUNITIONagency executives. Through effective media counsel, the campaigns being put into action will create opportunities for AMMUNITIONagency to provide insights at key events and conferences, increase thought leadership and opportunity for business growth within their industry.
“We were focused on finding a like-mined partner that could help build the profile of AMMUNITIONagency as we work to set up shop and leverage the collective experience of our team,” says Jeremy Heilpern, President and CEO of AMMUNITIONagency. “With Media Frenzy, not only did we find a partner that thinks like we do, but we found a team that we felt would be able to really help cultivate our story and provide the support we need from a PR point of view going forward. We’re excited to work with them and know they’ll make a demonstrable difference in our business.”
“The Southeast, Atlanta in particular, is a powerhouse location for growth among organizations and businesses looking to stimulate and innovate the economy and technology marketplaces. AMMUNITIONagency brings to Atlanta a refreshed, yet seasoned energy to the community. Between Jeremy Heilpern (President and CEO), David Bernardino (Chief Operating Officer) and Brent Guinn (Chief Strategy Officer), these three well-versed executives bring over 30 years of diverse, brand marketing to the industry. We are excited to work alongside the tech-driven branding and communications firm to produce meaningful results that connects them with key decision-makers looking for experts—like AMMUNITIONagency—that are equipped to create insightful digital strategies and brand experiences,” says Sarah Tourville, Founder and CEO of Media Frenzy Global.
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Property portal, Housing.com has launched its campaign ‘Ghar Dhoondna Koi Inse Seekhe’ across television and platforms online with an aim to increase its reach among the youth audience. Under its "Livewire" initiative, the Elara Technologies-owned portal will run its campaign across more than 40 channels/platforms.
This time its ad campaign features Bollywood stars Vicky Kaushal and Kiara Advani. Competitor MagicBricks.com released a campaign with Ayushmann Khurrana and Kriti Sanon as its face last year.
Dhruv Agarwala, Group CEO, Housing.com, Makaan.com, and PropTiger.com, said, "Today’s on-the-go screenagers generation meets its infotainment requirements through various channels, including television, live streaming platforms, social media channels, video-sharing platforms, etc. Since we have already created a unique property-search platform that fills the gap left by others in the market, we have witnessed increasing acceptability among today’s youth. Through our new media mix, we expect to widen our reach among consumers."
Snehil Gautam, head of growth and marketing, Housing.com, Makaan.com, and PropTiger.com, said, "While celebrating the increased decision-making power of Indian women, we are also striving to be heard among a larger audience through our campaign ‘Ghar Dhoondhna Koi Inse Seekhe’. At the same time, we have consistently tried to create an unmatched tech-supported experience on our site so that every user’s search for their dream home becomes completely hassle-free.”
The TV commercial will also feature during the Budget and Delhi Elections coverage on diverse platforms. In addition, the campaign will also appear on OTT video platforms such as Hotstar and YouTube.


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After the release of Disney+ in the U.S. on Nov. 12, 2019, many students at Edina Schools have been using it to watch all the Disney content they desire, while others who cannot afford it are being left out. Disney+ is conquering the streaming industry, only a month into its release.
Competing with other already-existing popular streaming programs like Netflix, Hulu, HBO, and Amazon Video, Disney+ was considered one of the most anticipated platforms pre-release. Over the past few years, Disney has been removing their content from Netflix, leaving people frustrated as to why they cannot watch it anymore. It just so happened that Disney was concocting a streaming service of their very own for just $6.99 a month, almost half of Netflix’s average subscription price. Since the Disney+ platform promised all of the original Disney movies leading up to 2019 and new Disney Original Series’ like the Mandalorian, the platform caught eye to many across the world.
The question: is creating a streaming service of this size a positive thing? “If you can have [Disney+] it’s positive, but I feel like for those who can’t afford it, it’s kind of hard to see everyone else get to watch it [when you] might not be able to have access to it,” junior Lissi Reid said. Disney’s objective to do this would be for the money, gaining more as they release the platform around the world.
Even though Disney+ has not been released in most European countries yet, the service is currently available in many other nations including the U.S., Australia, Puerto Rico, and New Zealand. Disney is a monopoly that tries to get the most money they can, and there is a widespread belief that it is trying to “take over the world.” Releasing an exclusive streaming platform as a hub for Disney content causes a lack of diversity of content on the web. This can also cause other platforms to go out of business, because people do not want to pay for multiple streaming services. Whether or not the Disney+ platform is bad, it allows you to watch any Disney movie you desire, for a lower price than many other streaming services.


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Adele has apparently given up sugar and follows a clean diet that includes more fruits and vegetables—factors that have certainly contributed to her recent weight loss success.
But there might be more that explains her weight loss than munching on veggies.
The latest diet craze is the sirtfood diet, which claims that certain foods will help a person lose weight because they help stimulate the metabolism and burn fat.
The 10 most common sirtfoods are:
- Green tea
- Dark chocolate (over 85% cocoa)
- Citrus fruits
- Red wine
Researchers believe that these foods trigger particular proteins in the body called sirtuins, which are thought to protect cells from dying when under stress. Sirtuins are also thought to regulate inflammation and aging—as though we needed another reason to indulge in chocolate and red wine!
The sirtfood diet plan calls for a low caloric intake for the first week at only 1,000 per day—the normal caloric intake for an adult woman is 1,600 to 2,000 calories. During the second week, the caloric intake bumps up to 1,500, and then after that there’s no guideline at all. What’s more important at that point is that you stick to a diet rich in sirtuins.
Has Adele Switched to a Sirtfood Diet?
Since her return to the music scene last November (the musically gifted English singer’s latest album 25 has been breaking records globally)—Adele has sported a new look and slimmer figure, and the weight loss has been partly attributed to eating a clean diet packed with fruits and vegetables, lean protein, complex carbohydrates, and giving up sugar (which she consumed a great deal of from her tea intake alone—10 teas a day with two sugars each).
Adele has also quit her smoking habit, which contributes to good health and a boost in energy, but it’s the sirtfood diet plan that seems to have helped her health and weight loss the most.
Sources for Today’s Article:
“Adele Reveals the Truth behind Her Weight Loss,” LOOK web site; http://www.look.co.uk/news/adele-weight-loss, last accessed June 23, 2016.
“Daily Recommended Caloric Intake for Women,” SF Gate web site; http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/daily-recommended-caloric-intake-women-6675.html, last accessed June 23, 2016.
“What Is the Sirtfood Diet—And Why Is Adele into It?” Well and Good web site; http://www.wellandgood.com/good-food/sirtfood-diet-adele/, last accessed June 23, 2016.


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The hotel industry has suffered multiple threats in the past couple of years, one of the main being compromised cybersecurity. Hotels seem to be under attack from all angles, as the industry’s most well-known brands have all fallen victim to cybercrime. Brands are investing bigger sums and researching intensively in order to make sure they’ve done the legwork and laid out the preventing protective measures against all potential cyber attacks. Despite these defensive courses of action, threats are still out there and these are the top 6 that might still take place in your hotel.
- Phishing attacks
The sending and receiving of emails that seem to have a valid, genuine source is what phishing refers to. The person using this method intends to persuade the recipient that they should share personal information. This often means passwords, social security numbers, credit card information etc. Phishing attacks are internet criminals’ oldest trick in the book. Recent years have shown more sophistication in the performance of these attacks, with the targets being authority figures. The aim of these attacks is to gain access to a user’s email account and then take over by sending fake emails to colleagues, thus attempting to convince recipients to authorize financial transactions ordered from above.
The most recent case of ransomware attacks happened simultaneously to numerous countries and businesses all over the world, the latest being WannaCry. It posed a serious threat, as it took over information and certain systems hostage with the intent to gain financially. The goal is to make the victims pay the demanded figure in order to liberate their data or systems that have been contaminated. Your hotel might be at high risk from these types of cybersecurity failures that allow the occurrence of this type of attack. Hotels that fell victim to ransomware attacks in the past have paid large sums to hackers to be able to create electronic keys and let guests into their rooms.
Distributed denial of service attack or DDoS is another form of a very unpleasant attack used to target hotels across the world. It is considered one of the most potent weapons used by hackers and when you hear the phrase “brought down by hackers”, this usually means this type of attack took place. When utilizing this scam, hackers tend to flood or crash the websites or computers with too much traffic, thus attempting to make them unavailable or inoperable. By overwhelming the website or an online service with traffic that can involve messages, requests for connection or fake packets, hackers give the server more that it can accommodate. Hotel cybersecurity should include in any event a process that can mitigate any compromised system, should it fall victim to a DDoS attack.
- Payment Card Attacks
Point-of-sale attacks seem to be one of the biggest threats to the hotel industry nowadays, seeing that rather than attacking the hotel itself, they attack the vendor, making this type of attack a third-party crime. A third-party crime implies that there is a weakness in the system revealed by human error, which makes data breaches that affect payment cards and customer information possible. Cyber security attacks of this nature result in customers being out of pocket, but also with media involvement, which results in bad press for the hotel. Additionally, there could be financial implications for the business that might damage the reputation of the hotel. Due to data sensitivity, breaches associated with PoS attacks should be approached with the readiness to react as quickly as possible and notify the affected parties and authorities immediately in order to take appropriate actions.
- DarkHotel Hacks
The term DarkHotel is a relatively new one and it usually involves criminals using hotels Wi-Fi to target their business guests. These types of attacks typically use forged digital certificates in order to convince victims that a certain software download is secure. To enable this action, the attackers upload a malicious code to a hotel server after which the targeting of specific guests can take place. The first example of DarkHotel hacking was documented in 2007 and derived from a peer-to-peer network and spear-phishing con. In order to prevent these hacks, be sure to encourage guests to use virtual private networks or VPNs if they plan to conduct business with sensitive or confidential data.
- Customer data – identity theft
The protection of identity and personal information of customers is of utmost importance for the success of any business and the hotel industry is no exception. Hoteliers report a large number of hackings surrounding guest information, which further underlines the importance of network/cyber security. There is always a certain number of criminals aiming to steal identities and credit card data all around the world. Unfortunately, as the security measures adapt, so does the crime. In order to protect both the data and the network, be sure to inform yourself and your staff about the possible fraudulent schemes and equip your hotel properly to secure your reputation, but most importantly, the safety of your guests and their personal information.


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Abercrombie urges Hawaii residents to buy locally made products for holiday gifts
- Staff Pacific Business News
Gov. Neil Abercrombie wants Hawaii residents to buy local this holiday shopping season, and he doesn’t just mean from locally owned stores.
The state launched a “Buy Hawaii, Give Aloha!” campaign Wednesday to urge residents to buy locally made products for holiday gifts.
“Buying and giving locally made products is an investment in our economy and keeps our hard-earned dollars here in Hawaii,” Abercrombie said in a statement.
The state, with a grant from the U.S. Small Business Administration, also will sponsor exhibits at several trade shows in Asia in 2013 aimed at increasing the export of Hawaii-made goods throughout the year.
Working with the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism, Abercrombie’s administration will host a Hawaii pavilion at the JFW International Fashion Fair trade show in Japan in January, a “Hawaii Islands of Booths” at the Hong Kong Natural Products show in August, and a Made in Hawaii pavilion at the Tokyo International Gift Show in September.
Abercrombie said he also plans to revive the “Governor’s Fashion Awards” next year to help stimulate the local clothing and jewelry design industries and will designate October 2013 “Hawaii Fashion Month,” during which local retailers will be “encouraged to celebrate” Hawaii-made clothing, the state said.
In addition to the SBA, the state’s “Buy Hawaii, Give Aloha!” program’s partners include the Hawaii Fashion Incubator, Hawaii Food Industry Association, Made-In-Hawaii Festival, Hawaii Book Publishers Association, Hawaii Association of Recording Artists, Hawaii Pacific Export Council and Hawaii Food Manufacturers Association.
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Brisbane's CityCycle sharebike scheme is set to be shut down and replaced with dockless e-bikes in July 2021.
Brisbane City Council decided to cut the CityCycle scheme which has waned in popularity since electric scooters came on to the scene.
The council is going to tender for the e-bike scheme and is looking for two separate operators to supply a total of 2,000 e-bikes, about the same number of bikes as the CityCycle scheme.
"Brisbane has embraced the CityCycle scheme over the past 10 years, but with ridership declining since November 2018, a decision needed to be made over the scheme’s future," said Brisbane councillor Ryan Murphy.
"The reality is that CityCycle is not as popular as it used to be and COVID-19 has seen numbers reduced further. Today, there are five trips being taken on an e-scooter for every trip on a CityCycle."
"We’re a hot, humid, sub-tropical city so when it comes to travelling that last mile from transport hub to home, e-wheeling can make it so much more comfortable."
Plans will be made to help the proper use and parking of dockless e-bikes. Operators will also need to ensure an even spread of availability of bikes in the city centre and suburbs.
"Strong consideration will be given to safety features like helmet-lock systems and suitable deployment, maintenance, charging and parking arrangements," Cr Murphy said.
The existing bikes will be "recycled", a job to be done by JCDecaux whose advertising panels funded the CityCycle scheme. While docks and bikes will be removed from the streets, advertising boards will stay.
Decommissioning will begin in February 2021 with some overlap between the final shutdown of CityCycle and the introduction of dockless e-bikes.
CityCycle memberships will become free, however trips over 30 minutes will continue to be charged. The CityCycle call centre will continue to operate its standard hours.


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"I will hope if under-recoveries (or losses) end, prices should come down," he said at an event here.
Softening of international prices from multi-year peak hit last year had led to companies making profit on petrol but they continue to incur losses on diesel.
At one time, profit on petrol was Rs 10 per litre but subsequent firming of oil prices have trimmed it down to halve. Diesel losses have widened to Rs 13 a litre from Rs 10-11 earlier this month, industry sources said.
Puri said oil companies acted as responsible corporate citizens by not burdening consumers of the rally in global energy prices in aftermath of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
"We didn't ask them to hold prices. They did it on their own," he said.
That freeze had led to record high losses of Rs 17.4 per litre on petrol and Rs 27.7 a litre diesel for the week ended June 24, 2022.
The three fuel retailers haven't changed petrol and diesel prices since April 6, 2022, despite input crude oil prices rising from USD 102.97 per barrel that month to USD 116.01 per barrel in June and falling to USD 82 per barrel this month.
Holding prices when input cost was higher than retail selling prices led to the three firms posting net earnings loss. They posted a combined net loss of Rs 21,201.18 crore during April-September despite accounting for Rs 22,000 crore announced but not paid LPG subsidy.
Puri said the six-month loss numbers are known and they have to be recovered.
International oil prices have been turbulent in the last couple of years. It dipped into the negative zone at the start of the pandemic in 2020 and swung wildly in 2022 -- climbing to a 14-year high of nearly USD 140 per barrel in March 2022 after Russia invaded Ukraine, before sliding on weaker demand from top importer China and worries of an economic contraction.
But for a nation that is 85 per cent dependent on imports, the spike meant adding to already firming inflation and derailing the economic recovery from the pandemic.
So, the three fuel retailers, who control roughly 90 per cent of the market, froze petrol and diesel prices for the longest duration in at least two decades. They stopped daily price revision in early November 2021 when rates across the country hit an all-time high, prompting the government to roll back a part of the excise duty hike it had effected during the pandemic to take advantage of low oil prices.
The freeze continued into 2022 but the war-led spike in international oil prices prompted a Rs 10 a litre hike in petrol and diesel prices from mid-March before another round of excise duty cut rolled back all of the Rs 13 a litre and Rs 16 per litre increase in taxes on petrol and diesel effected during the pandemic.
That followed the current price freeze that began on April 6 and still continues.
The oil ministry is pushing for compensation for the three retailers to make up for the losses they incurred.
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- Fed Hikes Rates by 25bps, Signals One More on Cards
The Federal Reserve on Wednesday raised interest rates by a quarter of a percentage point, but indicated it was on the verge of pausing further increases in borrowing costs amid recent turmoil in financial markets spurred by the collapse of two US banks.FM Calls State-owned Lenders’ Meet Amid Global Banking Crisis
Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman has called a special meeting of state-run lenders later this week to seek their views on heightened global concerns over the banking system’s vulnerability due to monetary tightening.With Great Ecommerce Comes Great Responsibility for Online Platforms
The consumer affairs ministry is working on tightening ecommerce rules to make online retail platforms liable for fraud committed by sellers and attaching “fallback liability” to their role as intermediaries, said a senior official.
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Since it was launched in May 2004, MadeForOne.com, an online news resource for all aspects of mass customization, has provided news on a wide variety of products that can be configured to users unique requirements.
Some of the mass customized products covered in MadeForOne.com News items include watches, shirts, golf clubs, computers and sports shoes.
Feature articles have covered enterprises using mass customization, in diverse industries such as personalized calendar printing, parachute manufacture, customized earphone manufacturing and rapid prototyping services.
MadeForOne.com Technology news has covered recent developments by information systems providers that are of interest to mass customizers.
Upcoming articles will include a feature on the use of mass customization in the food industry, and additional features on mass customized products for industry.
MadeForOne.com is an online news resource covering mass customization issues. It covers news on mass customized products and technologies, and feature articles on companies that use mass customization. For those enterprises who have taken the decision offer mass customization, the site is an opportunity to reach new customers, and keep up-to-date themselves with new mass customization technologies and ideas.
MadeForOne.com also provides information on the concepts that underpin mass customization.
MadeForOne.com is edited and published by Donal Reddington M.Sc., a systems analyst from Kerry, Ireland. He is a member of the International Institute of Mass Customization and Personalization.


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Crumbs says it is shuttering all its stores, a week after the struggling cupcake shop operator was delisted from the Nasdaq.
The New York City-based company said all employees were notified of the closures Monday. A representative for Crumbs could not immediately say how many workers were affected or how many stores it had remaining on its last day.
"Regrettably Crumbs has been forced to cease operations and is immediately attending to the dislocation of its employees while it evaluates its limited remaining options," the company said in an emailed statement. That will include filing for Chapter 7 bankruptcy liquidation.
A press release from its website in March listed 65 locations in 12 states and Washington, D.C. The website had not been updated with notification of the closures late Monday.
Crumbs was founded in 2003 and went public in 2011, selling giant cupcakes in flavors including Cookie Dough and Girl Scouts Thin Mints. More recently, however, it had been suffering from a steep decline in sales. For the three months ending March 31, Crumbs Bake Shop Inc. reported a loss of $3.8 million, steeper than the loss of $2 million from the same period a year ago.
The company had warned in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission this past May that it "may be forced to curtail or cease its activities" if its operations didn't generate enough cash flow.
As of the end of last year, Crumbs listed about 165 full-time employees and about 655 part-time hourly employees working in its stores.


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Plant-based chicken breast
Meatless Farm has launched a plant-based chicken breast into Tesco and Asda Stores.
Unlike some other plant-based chicken products that are sold in pieces, crumbed or made from soya, Meatless Farm’s offering is a whole breast fillet and made from peas.
Designed to be used in any way chicken would be used, the plant-based breast can be cooked from chilled in the oven, pan or grill.
Michael Hunter, managing director of Meatless Farm UK and Ireland said: “We are committed to making great tasting plant-based food more accessible and reduce the world’s dependency on intensively farmed meat, so we have made one of the nation’s favourite meats meatless with the launch of our new chicken breast.
“Our move into the white meat market is one of our most exciting yet and looks set to provide a viable meat alternative to more people than ever before with added versatility from being able to serve the chicken breast whole, sliced or shredded.”
Lupin beans in the spotlight
Tarwi, a new healthy snacking brand, has launched a range of high-protein products made from lupin beans – Marinated Lupin Beans and Lummus, a lupin based hummus.
The marinated lupin beans are available in three flavours – Sea Salt, Basil and Chilli flavours – and can be eaten on the go or added to hot or cold meals.
Lummus is available in four flavours – Original Flavour or With Herbs, Sun-dried Tomatoes or Beetroot. Lummus is higher in protein and fibre than traditional chickpea hummus with zero net carbs, and 50% less fat and calories, according to Tarwi.
“Lupin beans are the undiscovered legume, possessing one of the world’s richest natural resources of combined protein and fibre, thus representing a significant alternative to soya beans,” said a spokesman.
“Furthermore, they carry incredible sustainability credentials, by consuming very little water to grow and also by fixing nitrogen to the soil, resulting in them being a prime candidate for the rising interest in regenerative agricultural practices.
Everyday Sourdough lands in Waitrose stores
A new range of sourdough products designed for more everyday use has launched into Waitrose stores.
The Every Day range from Jason’s Sourdough adds its sourdough mix into traditional bloomer dough and allows the bulk dough to ferment.
Jason’s Sourdough loaves are baked using a twenty-four-hour fermentation process typical of artisanal sourdough. There is no added sugar, preservatives or additives and the loaves are made up of minimal ingredients.
The new range will be launching into Waitrose alongside Grains & Seeds and White Ciabattin, and new this year, the Olive & Basil Twisted Sourdough.
Angel Delight on-the-go
Premier Foods has launched a new range of Angel Delight Pots specifically for the food to go occasion.
Available in Chocolate & salted Caramel and Butterscotch & Chocolate flavours, the new pots are each under 120 calories and are suitable for vegetarians.
Ben Knop, food to go innovation manager for Premier Foods, said: “These new Angel Delight pots are an ideal solution for growing the choice of desserts for consumers shopping Food to Go. They taste great and are light enough for those looking for a sweet treat without the guilt.
“The light, bubbly texture and delicious flavours really appeal to shoppers looking for a light treat, while the convenient format and long shelf life make the launch well suited to retailers to bolster their sweet offering in their chillers.”
Additionally, the packaging has been made fully recyclable in an effort to reduce wastage and help protect the environment.
Ice Cream gets boozy this Christmas
Sugar-free, high protein ice cream brand Wheyhey is to release a trio of boozy frozen desserts this festive season.
The limited edition range of ice creams come in three classic Christmas flavours, Mulled Wine, Champagne and Eggnog.
Dan Kaminski, head of innovation at Wheyhey, said: “Our motto is to live outrageously well and now that we can finally have a normal Christmas together again, we want to create something special for the nation to enjoy.
“We often worry about overindulging during the festive period. But fear not, our three flavours are sugar free, low in calories and high in protein, so you can enjoy a delicious healthy dessert after the indulgent Christmas dinner.”
Bourbon gets the 0% treatment
Non-alcoholic spirits brand Spirits of Virtue has launched a 0% alcohol ‘bourbonesque’ drink designed to replicate the taste of American whiskey.
Made with bourbon cask chips, Sobour will be available as two 70cl SKUs, one rye whiskey style and one bourbon style, as well as two pre-mixed, ready to drink cans – Bourbon & Premium Cola and Whiskey & Ginger Ale.
Spirits of Virtue said the bourbon drink offered flavours of ‘fragrant Madagascan vanilla’ with ‘woody American oak, toasted nuts and dry spice’ , while the rye variant offered ‘warming black pepper and toasted spices’ with ‘hints of French oak’.
Both variants will be available through online retailer Amazon and the brands web shop from November 22.


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Around our Scottsdale marketing offices, we often talk about the genius behind many advertising campaigns. And, as it often does here on the blog as well, Chrysler’s “Imported from Detroit” ad campaign becomes a topic of discussion. While we might not know everything there is to know about where cars are made, we do know advertising, and this campaign has done amazing things for Chrysler. Today I came across an article pointing out a very disturbing fact, and one that might have some serious consequences for Chrysler’s “Imported from Detroit” brand message; the Chrysler 300 is actually imported from Ontario and Mexico.
When Brands Are Not Authentic
When a brand message is not authentic, people will take notice, and the Made in the USA Foundation has definitely taken notice. They recently filed complaints with the Federal Trade Commission accusing the Chrysler Group of “misleading advertising.”
Chrysler has been successfully running their “Imported from Detroit” message since its launch during the 2011 Super Bowl. The advertisement with Eminem was so hugely successful, Chrysler has been communicating this brand message all year long, remaining committed to this inspiring story.
“In their eyes, the brand hasn't been this hot in years, thanks to clever marketing and a refreshed lineup, and they expect the summer to be strong -- especially with the redesigned Chrysler 300 starting to arrive in greater numbers and the Chrysler 200 convertible out just in time for warmer weather.” – The Detroit Free Press
The “Imported from Detroit” campaign did so well during the first quarter of this year that Chrysler posted a $116 million profit, whereas they lost $197 million during the first quarter of 2010. This campaign, while perhaps not entirely authentic, has created millions of brand advocates for Chrysler; advocates that believe they are driving an American built vehicle.
Of course, this campaign has had its critics, mainly those who remember the government bailout that Chrysler took. This complaint filed by the Made in the USA Foundation might not seem like much, but for a brand message that rests upon the idea of being Made in America, by Americans, it might be difficult to overcome.


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To Commonwealth Edison Co. customers, rate increases may seem as inevitable as the rising of the sun.
But a new set of rules is dawning on electric companies, changing the rules dramatically for once-monopolistic utilities such as Edison and their customers.
Already, change is evident.
Last week, the Illinois Commerce Commission sent a clear message to Edison after approving an overall 5.23 percent rate increase, which will generate $303 million in new revenue annually for Illinois' largest electric utility.
The rate hike was the first granted to Edison since it agreed in 1993 to refund more than $1 billion collected through the 1980s and early 1990s, mostly for its newest nuclear power plants.
Consumer groups had challenged the need for the plants before the commission and in the courts.
Though the Commerce Commission gave Edison permission to raise bills of its 3.3 million northern Illinois customers, the regulators warned the utility not to expect any more money for a while.
"I can't imagine any circumstances under which the commission would consider another rate increase in this century," Chairman Dan Miller said.
In fact, rather than seeking rate hikes, electric utilities such as Edison and Decatur-based Illinois Power Co. must begin finding ways to lower their rates, Miller and other industry observers say.
"That is the future of Edison," Miller said, pointing to the cut-rate, five-year deal that the utility had to make to supply electricity to the new Motorola Inc. plant under construction in McHenry County.
Motorola had considered dropping its business with Edison and taking it to Wisconsin Power & Light Co., a utility north of the state line with rates 40 percent below those that Edison charges its large industrial customers.
Edison, the costliest energy producer in the Midwest, was forced to bite the bullet and offer Motorola a deal.
"To have lost Motorola would have been devastating to Edison's credibility and its competitive situation," Miller said.
But keeping Motorola was just one victory in the battle that Edison and other electric utilities face in a rapidly changing industry. Competing energy producers are regularly surfacing as a result of industry deregulation that began in the early 1990s.
And large industrial customers like Motorola, which provide much of the revenue for utilities, are taking notice.
Bob Swaim, executive director of the Illinois Industrial Utility Consumers, said his organization is prepared to push legislation in Springfield that would let companies such as Deere & Co. and Abbott Laboratories shop around for cheaper electricity. State law currently bars all utility customers from doing this.
"We would like to have the opportunity to purchase power from sources other than our local utility," Swain said. "But right now if I'm a manufacturer in the ComEd territory, I can't go to Illinois Power and try and buy power."
Such legislation, Swaim said, would force the big power companies to "wake up . . . and deal with the realities of our costs."
Other Illinois companies, such as Archer Daniels Midland Co. and A.E. Staley Manufacturing Co. in Decatur, as well as Lauhoff Grain Co. in Danville, are building their own "co-generation" plants, a phenomenon that has grown in popularity nationwide.
Edison and Illinois Power are getting the message.
"The most important thing we need to do going forward is not to act like a monopoly, but rather to do everything we can to be responsive to our customers," said James J. O'Connor, Edison's chairman and chief executive officer. "The moment we forget we are in a competitive environment is the beginning of having us fail as a company."
Edison has set up an unregulated subsidiary that can compete for customers considering leaving the utility's system for cheaper energy alternatives. But right now, those customers are limited to big businesses.
Larry Altenbaumer, chief financial officer of Illinois Power, the state's second-largest electric utility, said his company is trying to position itself for the dramatic changes expected in the industry.
"To be successful in a competitive market, you have to be able to respond fast and have flexibility," Altenbaumer said.
Illinois Power has opened a subsidiary in Utah so it can learn firsthand how to work in a deregulated environment.
California is considering setting up a time frame within which all utility customers-industrial, commercial and residential-would be able to choose who they wanted as an energy supplier.
"Right now when you go to the store to buy a loaf of bread, you have several dozen choices," Altenbaumer said. "Under the California proposal, you could have several dozen choices as to whom you might buy electricity from."
Still, it probably will be well into the 21st Century before residential consumers get to make the same kind of choices becoming available to business customers.
"We hope the technology will continue to move in the direction of smaller, more efficient and decentralized electricity generation so that, some day, each house could have its own mini-power plant. But that day is probably decades away," said Martin Cohen, executive director of the Citizens Utility Board consumer group.
At the same time, industry regulators say companies like Edison no longer can force their captive residential customers to pay for cut-rate deals offered to larger customers.
Instead, the future of Edison and other utilities is likely to depend upon cost-saving measures that will benefit all customers.
"That's the message from regulators," CUB's Cohen said. "And I think they mean it."


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- Trove is gaining significant clout in the retail industry for helping major brands launch resale.
- Lululemon announced it partnered with the company to debut its new secondhand program, "Like New"
- "This is a new way customers shop. It's an opportunity to provide customers with an innovative model for resale," Trove's CEO said.
Retail brands eyeing the fast-growing resale market are increasingly turning to third-party services like Trove for help navigating the complexities of selling previously worn garments.
Lululemon became the latest brand to launch a secondhand effort on Tuesday when the athleticwear company announced "Like New," a program that allows customers in California and Texas to trade in gently used clothing in exchange for a gift card. The secondhand items can be dropped off online or at one of the 80 store locations across the two states beginning in May, while sales of the garments will begin in June.
With its first major foray into resale, Lululemon now joins brands including Patagonia, Levi's, REI, and Eileen Fisher, which all use Trove, a resale startup. These fashion brands are using Trove's technology to "develop white-label channels that take control of the resale marketplace," as the startup's website puts it.
According to Trove CEO Andy Ruben, the company provides the tools necessary for retailers to quickly and efficiently begin selling their own secondhand apparel "as opposed to the brand-building them from scratch."
"These are a set of capabilities that would cost tens of millions of dollars for brands to get going," Ruben told Insider discussing the complicated online resale industry. "It would take two to three years to develop capabilities like the ability to bring back items in stores or online."
'It's like BMW certified pre-owned cars but for apparel'
Trove, which was founded in 2012 as the company formerly Yerdle, is now valued at more than $72 million, according to Pitchbook. Between September 2020 and March 2021, the Silicon Valley-based company increased its employee base from 80 to 300 staffers.
The company's growth is indicative of the continued outpouring of interest in the resale industry, which is expected to be valued at $64 billion by 2025, according to ThredUp's 2020 resale report. (ThredUp itself recently raised $168 million in its initial public offering in March.) Statista estimates the current resale market is valued at more than $30 billion.
However, what sets Trove apart from marketplaces like ThredUp is its ability to streamline the most cumbersome parts of starting a resale business, particularly for premium mono-brands who want control over both their secondhand sales and brand perception.
"The last five years we've seen these marketplaces — the ThredUps and Poshmarks and The RealReals — and they've made this space more accessible, but brands know that for the premium brands they need to stay close to their customer," Ruben said.
Ruben said Trove works closely with members of the internal teams of its brand partners, who help with vital parts of the resale process like authentication.
"Think of it like a pre-certified Lexus that's got a 200-point inspection," Ruben told Insider. "Every piece is inspected. Every piece is cleaned. We are there to go piece by piece and make sure anything that's part of this program is right."
Sucharita Kodali, retail analyst at Forrester Research, continued the luxury used car analogy. Purchasing products through Trove is like buying "BMW certified pre-owned cars but for apparel," she said. Lululemon moving into resale with the help of Trove gives the company control over its secondhand market while bolstering consumer loyalty, she said.
"There is an aftermarket for Lululemon and they want to own it," Kodali told Insider. "They can 'buy back' some of their merch and give customers gift cards for future transactions which is a great way to lock in loyalty."
Doubling down on sustainability
For brands like Lululemon, adding a dedicated resale effort aids efforts to market itself as a sustainable company. According to Lululemon, 100% of proceeds from the Like New program will go toward internal sustainability efforts, including "circular product design, renew and recycle programs, and store environmental program."
Jonathan Treiber, CEO of offer-management platform RevTrax, said that while it may seem counterintuitive for a company with an affluent customer base to move into resale, it could serve as an effective way to reach new audiences.
"At first glance, it seemed contrary to their brand as a high-priced athleisure brand focusing on wealthy customers who want new versus used clothing," Treiber told Insider. "However, it seems like a great way to entice new customers wary of the price-tags to get into the brand with a more affordable offering, surrounded by a feel-good sustainability message."
And though Ruben said Trove has strategically forged partnerships with "incredible healthy brands" that have a "very loyal and engaged customer base," he foresees most retailers moving into some aspect of resale in the near future.
"This is a new way customers shop," he said. "It's an opportunity to provide customers with an innovative model for resale."


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Food & Drink
Taylor Swift ham, egg and cheese named New Jersey's state sandwichMay 26, 2023 | 2:05pm
The pop star is the "anti-hero" of this age-old New Jersey food fight.
Breakfast at Tiffany's is back — and it's just what Fifth Avenue neededMay 26, 2023 | 12:59pm
Daniel Boulud is now in charge, and the scrambled eggs are heavenly.
Most avocado oil is rancid or impure, experts warnMay 25, 2023 | 5:44pm
It looks like good-quality avocado oil, but it probably contains numerous impurities, a new study finds.
Cardi B's epic lunches for daughter stun fans: 'You should adopt me'May 25, 2023 | 4:25pm
"I wanna be a little kid again...her lunch for school is everything...a kids dream...to have all those goodies..." one fan raved.
My nephew's birthday cake was misspelled — with a crude NSFW designMay 25, 2023 | 3:02pm
It's safe to say this bakery order did not go, um, swimmingly.
Top NYC chefs opening new restaurants in the Hamptons for summerMay 25, 2023 | 10:39am
Michelin award-winning chef Melissa O’Donnell plans a mid-June opening, PastaRAMEN will at Kissaki for a special weekly dinner party series and Rosé Soirée returns.
Critics slam Ireland's plan for alcohol warning labels: 'Totally disproportionate'May 23, 2023 | 9:29pm
"This law is designed to give all of us as consumers a better understanding of the alcohol content and health risks associated with consuming alcohol," Irish Health Minister Stephen Donnelly...
I'm a former paramedic – the 'squish test' could save your baby from chokingMay 22, 2023 | 3:07pm
A former paramedic has shared a one-second trick to minimize the risk of your baby choking on a piece of food.
Scientists finally know the secret to bubbly ChampagneMay 22, 2023 | 12:37pm
Raise a glass to this scientific breakthrough.
Foods that may help calm seasonal allergies, according to health expertsMay 21, 2023 | 4:29pm
Seasonal allergies are no fun, but did you know that some experts say that what you eat may have an impact? Also known as “hay fever,” symptoms run the gamut from...
This restaurant slings $700 hamburgerMay 20, 2023 | 11:41am
The Drury Beer Garden in Philadelphia, which opened Friday, is serving a "Gold Standard" burger that sells for $700 and features A5 Waygu beef, caviar, Louix XII cognac and rare...
World’s most expensive ice cream costs $6,696 per scoopMay 18, 2023 | 6:01pm
The Japanese food scientists who concocted the flavor described is as "complex" and a "glorious taste experience."
Chef behind LA hot spot Horses accused of killing cats — and worse — in bombshell divorce dramaMay 18, 2023 | 3:14pm
Elizabeth Johnson and Will Aghajanian opened Horses in late 2021; it quickly went on to become LA's chicest celeb hangout, boasting clientele like Jeff Bezos, Jay-Z and Chrissy Teigen.
Which wine should you drink based on your zodiac sign?May 18, 2023 | 2:58pm
A new poll has shown how one's favorite wine can determine aspects of their personality.
New Dr Pepper ice cream flavor freezes out fans: 'Disappointing'May 18, 2023 | 1:59pm
This bubbly, new concoction sounds soda-licious to some — and blasphemous to others.
Starbucks reveals change to its ice — and some fans are heated: 'Hate that'May 17, 2023 | 11:19pm
Nugget ice is noticeably smaller and denser than cubes, kind of like crushed ice — think of the iced drinks at Sonic.
McDonald’s fans shocked to discover purpose of doodads on drink lidsMay 17, 2023 | 12:48pm
While many McDonald’s diners already knew what the circular nubs are for, many were shocked to learn the purpose of the rectangular ones.
Chef tries to set world record while cooking for 100 hours straightMay 16, 2023 | 4:10pm
Hilda Bassey, 27, known on social media as Hilda Baci, began cooking in her kitchen Thursday and continued till Monday evening, preparing more than 100 meals in all.
Workers need this much coffee to get through the day, study saysMay 15, 2023 | 3:12pm
The average person spends nearly 50 hours a year purchasing beverages at the café during the workday.
Artificial sweeteners not recommended for weight loss, says WHOMay 15, 2023 | 1:38pm
New guidelines from the World Health Organization advises that artificial sweeteners, like aspartame, are not all that helpful for weight loss.


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Kenya plans to target countries with high vaccination levels in order to boost the revival of the tourism sector that has been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, a senior government official said on Tuesday.
Najib Balala, cabinet secretary of the Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife, noted that Kenya is seeking tourists from China, the United States and Britain to make visits to Kenya.
“2021 is almost ending and the crisis of quarantines and the Delta variant is complicating our efforts to revive the hospitality sector. We need foreign tourists who are fully vaccinated,” Balala said.
According to the state-owned Tourism Research Institute, 305 635 tourists visited Kenya in the first six months of 2021 as the Covid-19 pandemic cut international travel.
Balala said that vaccination of the local population will also help to attract more international visitors as they feel safer in the country.
He remained optimistic that over 20 million Kenyans will have received double vaccination jabs by the end of the year so that the country can create a safe travel bubble with countries that have fully vaccinated their populations.
The Kenyan official said that 2022 and 2023 should be rebuilding years for Kenya’s tourism sector.
“We project that the tourism sector will return to pre-Covid-19 levels in 2024,” Balala added.


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The Extract is a condensed roundup of digital experience news for financial services institutions and our take from San Francisco.
This week, we look at changing consumer behaviors and the need for financial institutions to adapt. We also examine how China has become the leading eCommerce market in the world.
Consumer Behaviors Demand Transformation
On last week’s Extract, I brought up a story of a bank exec who once said, “People want to do business with people, not machines,” to explain why digital would never replace the human touch. Unfortunately, I have some bad news for this executive: As Chandra Steele notes in PC Magazine, “the majority of people would rather leave their finances in the hands of artificial intelligence.” Steele references a study by Oracle and Financial Expert Farnoosh Torabi that found some surprising results following the impact of COVID-19:
“Of consumers and business leaders, 67% trust a robot more than a human to manage finances. When considering their own finances, 53% of consumers felt that a robot would do better than they would, and even more (63%) said they would trust them more than a personal financial advisor.”
Surely, bankers would find this at odds with their own thoughts? Surprisingly, they were even more pro-AI: “Business leaders who face the responsibility of shepherding the fortunes of others were even more eager to employ robots in making financial decisions. They put a robot’s judgment over their own 73% of the time and over their finance teams 77% of the time.”
Steele quotes Torabi saying, “Robots are well-positioned to assist — they are great with numbers and don’t have the same emotional connection with money. This doesn’t mean finance professionals are going away or being replaced entirely, but the research suggests they should focus on developing additional soft skills as their role evolves.”
Now, I’m the first to point out that attitudes don’t always translate to behavior change. After all, it is a well-documented fact that many opinion surveys suffer from all kinds of response biases. That said, if people’s attitudes towards the use of technology for finances following COVID changed, has their behavior followed suit? According to Will Lasala, Director of Security Solutions at OneSpan, “While increased adoption of mobile and digital banking channels had already been on the rise, adoption has been greatly accelerated by the pandemic, with the majority of U.S. adults today using online (73%) or mobile (55%) banking channels.”
Similar rates of adoption are quoted by Garret Reich in an article in The Financial Brand, showing that research from JD Power, Credit Karma, Lightico, ABA, and Juniper Research found that behaviors and attitudes towards finances have been altered by COVID. Reich notes, “Despite the many innovative technologies blanketing the banking industry, some consumers continue clinging to the traditional in-branch experience they are familiar with. Roughly one in ten Americans still rely on their local branch as the primary channel for their banking needs, even if they supplement that with digital tools.”
Are these the people who won’t “do business with a machine?” Reich shares data from Credit Karma that suggests that only 24% (of the 10% of the population) are people that are “more comfortable dealing with financial matters in person.” The remaining 76% cite issues such as ease of use and security as barriers to adopting digital. Given that digitally-minded organizations are already tackling these issues, legacy financial institutions cannot just rest on serving these people.
So, the question remains: Will legacy banks and credit unions be left to fight over the 2.4% of people that “won’t do business with a machine?”
The Digital Transformation Imperative
For nearly two years, I’ve been quoting a study by S&P that found a wide gap in mobile banking capabilities between the average of the top four banks (Chase, Citi, Bank of America, and Wells Fargo) and the rest of the industry. The gap is wider between those four banks and organizations under $50B in assets (or the majority of the number of banks and credit unions).
I share this with financial institutions regularly and they tend to agree that there is a gap there and it continues to grow. However, the focus on digital banking continues to lag amongst the industry. Many of us thought the silver lining to COVID would be a sense of urgency growing within laggards in the industry. However, I’m still waiting to see signs of it. I thought I had finally found it in an article by Jim Marous, Co-Publisher of The Financial Brand, where he shares some of the findings of his 2021 Retail Banking Trends and Priorities Digital Banking Report. In it, Marous writes, “The need to remove friction from the customer journey was viewed (by FI Executives) as a more important trend in 2021, as was the need to support digital payments as consumers stopped using cash. There was also a realization that integrated delivery of services across channels was an imperative that can’t be ignored.”
However, Marous points out that these new priorities have resulted in a de-prioritization of use of data, advanced analytics, and innovation compared to previous years. Marous writes, “there was very little difference between big and small institutions in their perspective on trends for 2021.” His take on this change is that “lower than expected prioritization of the need for better use of data and advanced analytics, digitizing back-office processes, and investment in innovation could derail many digital transformation efforts.” Organizations seem to miss the point that to improve the customer journey (their top priority) they need better data and analytics, processes, and innovation.
We see that a small number of organizations – made up of most of the large banks, some of the regionals, and a smattering of community banks and credit unions – are leading the banking industry in digital transformation while the rest of the industry continues to implement change at the edges. Moreover, COVID has accelerated the speed of change for the leaders while the rest remain at the same speed as before. According to a cross-industry study by Accenture shared by Vala Afshar, Chief Data Evangelist at Salesforce, “Relying on a strong digital core to adapt and innovate at lighting speed, leaders are growing revenues 5x faster than laggards today, versus only 2x faster between 2015 to 2018.” Accenture estimates that the leaders in each industry account for 10% of the organizations.
Is your organization within this 10%? If not, reach out to us and we can help
The Future of eCommerce Is Already in China
Not long ago, I was in a heated debate with a banker on Twitter (is there any other kind of debate on social media?). He spoke about the supremacy of American technology and how the Chinese have built an economy based on nothing but cheap manufacturing and copying the West. My push back was that those days are long gone. China, regardless of what you think of its government, has quickly moved from a manufacturing-based economy to a knowledge-based one. Within eCommerce, financial services, and fintech we have seen China build powerful companies like Alibaba, Tencent, and Ping An that dwarf any fintech in the West.
According to an article in Fast Company by Michael Grothaus, “China is set to become the first country in history that will see a majority of its retail sales conducted online instead of via traditional brick-and-mortar stores.” While we might be tempted to attribute this solely to COVID, it is also due to China being able to leapfrog the West in building digital infrastructure from the ground up.
We may also be tempted to say that China isn’t alone in moving consumers to digital commerce. However, Grothaus says,
“But while China will see a shift to a predominantly e-commerce-driven retail sector, other countries are nowhere close to crossing the 50% threshold. South Korea is in second place, though e-commerce retail sales will only account for 28.9% of all retail sales in the country in 2021. America is even farther behind. Its e-commerce retail sales will only account for 15% of all retail sales in 2021.”
Ethan Cramer-Flood explains further, stating, “China seemingly reached a behavioral tipping point over the past few years, wherein eCommerce enthusiasm accelerated rather than leveled off. While the pandemic did not create this trend, it certainly buttressed it, and China’s most recent eCommerce boom did not decelerate even after the country got a handle on the virus and the economy fully reopened.”
Cramer-Flood describes how China has gotten to this point, given that “ten years ago, eCommerce’s share of total retail in the US and China were nearly identical (4.9% and 5.0%, respectively),” pointing to:
- The emergence of Alibaba as an easy to use eCommerce platform, followed by JD.com.
- The rise of digital payments by platforms like Alibaba’s Alipay and Tencent’s WeChat Pay.
- “An inconvenient, non-customer-centric, and often confrontational in-person shopping culture.”
- A nearly limitless supply of low-cost delivery services.
- The huge adoption of smartphones.
All of these factors got the ball rolling. Iteration and innovation in the space have taken eCommerce to the levels we see today. The forces now impacting growth, beyond COVID, include social commerce (including WeChat Mini programs), Pinduoduo (group buying social networking), and live streaming commerce. Expect these factors to start changing behavior in the West as well.
Cramer-Flood further notes that America’s lead in consumerism will soon be in the past, remarking that, “despite the US remaining just ahead of China in overall retail sales ($5.506 trillion versus $5.130 trillion in 2020), China will outpace the US by nearly $2 trillion in eCommerce this year.”
I’m sure we’ll examine China’s lead in fintech sometime in the future.


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Pandora Remains Top Webcaster, Even After Launch Of iTunes Radio
November 5, 2013 at 4:00 AM (PT)
In the first head-to-head matchup between PANDORA and iTUNES RADIO, PANDORA came out on top -- but was down 2 million active listeners. PANDORA posted listenership of 1.47 billion hours in OCTOBER, up 18% over OCTOBER 2012 figures.
TRITON DIGITAL SEPTEMBER metrics released YESTERDAY (NET NEWS 11/4) have PANDORA at #1.
PANDORA MEDIA CFO MICHAEL HERRING discussed the figures at an investor conference MONDAY, reported NPR, saying PANDORA "had 1.49 billion hours in MARCH, the last month before it imposed a 40-hour-per-month cap on free listening on mobile devices. It lifted the cap on SEPT. 1st, two weeks before APPLE INC. launched iTUNES RADIO."
HERRING noted PANDORA's active listeners fell to 70.9 million from 72.7 million in SEPTEMBER.
So far, APPLE CEO TIM COOK says that 20 million people have used iTUNES RADIO to listen to more than a billion songs.


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Almost 150 appeals per day were lodged against business rates last year after the overhaul of the system.
Westminster City Council’s Cabinet has confirmed that changes and improvements are to be made to the Oxford Street district.
Shaftesbury has announced that The Collection will open its two-floor 1215sq ft London flagship store this month.
The Wardrobe Workshop is set to make a physical retail debut with a new pop-up store in London’s Chelsea district next week.
Morphe Cosmetics has selected Liverpool as the location for its first store in the north west.
Shaftesbury has announced the line up of four new international retailers to open in London’s Carnaby district.
West End retailer are set to take another business rates battering in April with a tax hike of £45 million.
Primark has announced plans to open a second city centre store in Belfast on the back of the success of its relocation.
Iceland is contemplating on placing a bid for any stores Sainsbury's and Asda are required to sell.
Ocado has begun a search for a new location for its high-tech automated distribution centre.


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Nordstrom lets you buy online, pick up at the store
Published 10:00 pm, Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Nordstrom Inc. said Tuesday that its Internet shoppers could buy some merchandise online and then pick up their wares in the store -- a new option that customers have been asking for.
The Seattle-based fashion retailer started its "buy online, pick up in-store" program two weeks ago, and it is already gaining popularity, executives said Tuesday at the company's annual meeting of shareholders.
So far, the buy online, pick up in-store option is available only for women's and men's apparel, women's shoes and cosmetics, but all categories should be selling products online for store pickup by September.
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Selling to customers via multiple channels -- online, catalog and in stores -- is one of the company's main initiatives. Nordstrom has recently expanded its fulfillment and call center in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, by 270,000 square feet.
"They want to shop on their terms at Nordstrom seven days a week, 24 hours a day," President Blake Nordstrom told shareholders Tuesday at Benaroya Hall in Seattle.
Although the company had a record $8.8 billion in sales in 2007, it has seen slumping sales and profit in its first quarter, which ended May 3. The numbers drop reflects a slowdown in the larger retail sector and lagging consumer confidence.
Nordstrom cited "tough" times in California, for example, which accounts for 32 percent of Nordstrom's business. He described the current economic climate: "These are character-building times."
To combat lagging sales, Nordstrom said, the company will focus on what it can control: customer service, up-to-date merchandise and expenses.
"That particular customer that likes fashion spends two times as much as the average customer," he said.
"Even in these challenging times, there is a market there. A customer that has got high expectations -- we're trying hard as merchants to be her store of choice."
That the company is opening up its channels with in-store pickup is a "positive sign," said Dan Geiman, a Seattle-based analyst with McAdams Wright Ragen.
"For them to have long-term viability, they need to get those sales moving," Geiman said after the meeting.
Nordstrom honored two of its vendors Tuesday: Tory Burch and Juicy Couture, which is Nordstrom's fifth-largest vendor with $132 million in sales last year.
They wore tight, black knee-high boots and matching outfits -- designed by them -- and ended their remarks by yelling, "Thank you very much! Viva la Juicy!"
Erik Nordstrom, president of stores, later quipped, "My job is not as glamorous. Much less hugging and kissing."
"The people who purchase clothes and things at this price point are not as affected by the economy," Bill Fehr said.
Nordstrom currently operates 105 full stores and 50 Nordstrom Racks. Nordstrom shares closed down 64 cents at $36.92 on Tuesday. It has fluctuated between $28 and $54 in the past year.
Also Tuesday, the company's board of directors approved a quarterly dividend of 16 cents per share.


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Lagerfeld's cat, Choupette could inherit his fortune
With the world still mourning the death of the legendary Karl Lagerfeld, it has come to light that his cat Choupette, could inherit a slice of his estimated US$200 million fortune. With over 170,000 followers on social media, Choupette is the world’s most famous cat and enjoys a lifestyle that many humans can only dream of. The cat has two maids, a personal bodyguard, and a personal chef, who creates some of her favourite meals, from the hottest restaurants in Paris.
Last year, Lagerfeld was quoted as saying that his pet would receive a share of his riches. And it has been reported that it can actually be done if certain legal procedures and structures are put in place.
Is it speculated that the designer’s male model muse, Brad Kroenig and his son, Hudson (who also happens to be Lagerfeld’s godson) might also inherit some of the fortune.
Lagerfeld, who was the creative director of Fendi, Chanel and his eponymous label, Karl Lagerfeld, until his death, passed away on Tuesday, after reportedly battling pancreatic cancer.