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FORTUNE — Don’t know much about Vodafone (VOD), the U.K.-based wireless carrier? That’s all about to change.
The company is poised to complete the sale of its 45% stake in Verizon Wireless to New York-based Verizon Communications (VZ) for $130 billion. Once the transaction is complete, Vodafone will embark on a series of strategic and financial moves that are sure to raise the company’s profile around the world, and especially in the U.S.
Ever since Vodafone contributed its U.S. wireless assets to the Verizon Wireless joint venture in 2000, Vodafone has remained virtually anonymous, by design, to U.S. consumers and even many retail investors. Likewise, Verizon wasn’t exactly trumpeting its accomplishments on the other side of the pond.
The mutually agreed upon exile appears to be over. Vodafone CEO Vittorio Colao, a former investment banker and management consultant, is meeting with U.S. media Monday to, among other things, outline some of the moves Vodafone will make once its alliance with Verizon concludes.
MORE: Who is John Thompson?
For starters the carrier will return more than $80 billion of the proceeds of the sale back to shareholders through a mixture of cash and Verizon stock. It also has announced an ambitious $11 billion-plus capital expenditure program, Project Spring, aimed not only at bolstering its core European wireless facilities, but also on wireless services in Asia and wireline broadband networks.
Telecom-equipment vendors such as Ericsson
, Alcatel-Lucent (ALU), and Huawei are hungrily eyeing Vodafone’s capex budget. At the end of last year Reuters quoted Ericsson’s chief financial officer as saying Project Spring would make it “fun to be a vendor and an investor in Europe.”
And Ericsson, which specializes in wireless infrastructure, won’t be the only vendor basking in the glow of Vodafone’s spending. At a time when its U.S. counterparts are looking to shed some of their wireline assets, Vodafone is pushing deeper into so-called fixed line businesses. It recently acquired German cable operator Kabel Deutschland, and CEO Colao has said he is interested in reaching consumers and businesses using a variety of “last mile” technologies, from 4G cellular networks and WiMax broadband wireless, to coaxial cable, fiber, and even copper leased from incumbent phone companies.
But even as Vodafone looks to expand into emerging markets and into new technologies, people close to the company say the telecom giant has no immediate plans to become a major player in the U.S. (Vodafone has not commented on reports that AT&T (T) remains potentially interested in buying it; Dallas-based AT&T issued a statement late last month, at the request of the U.K. Takeover Panel, confirming that “it does not intend to make an offer for Vodafone.”)
For now, the company seems content to maintain a Silicon Valley innovation center — and to meet with large American shareholders and key Wall Street analysts. But after decades in the U.S., albeit as a silent partner for the last 14 years, Vodafone eventually may be drawn back.


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Remittances from Kenyans in the diaspora are a vital source of funds for many families around the world and are an area of payments where, for all parties involved, time is of the essence and every cent counts.
Low- and middle-income countries make up the bulk of receivers of these inflows – representing $605 billion of the total $773 billion of incoming remittances in 2021, according to the World Bank.
Thirty poor countries received more than 10 percent of the GDP in remittances, with eight receiving over a quarter of GDP through these inflows.
However, poor access to traditional banking facilities means that cross-border payments can be slow, risky, and expensive.
The World Bank data from the second quarter of last year shows that on average, a $200 remittance costs the sender 6.01 percent.
Cash-funded remittances, traditionally the most expensive means of sending money, are 6.52 percent while digital remittances are 4.8 percent.
Meanwhile, when consumers have access to sufficient information, the figure drops to just 3.35 percent.
The past six years have seen substantial progress in the transition from cash- to digitally initiated and digital end-to-end remittances.
In the second quarter of 2016, 93 percent of remittances worldwide were cash-initiated – six years on, the figure had dropped to 66 percent, with digital end-to-end and digitally initiated transactions at 13 percent and 21 percent respectively.
By launching two innovative products that make cross-border person-to-person (P2P) payment transactions significantly faster and cheaper, Visa has also introduced sub-Saharan African consumers to a global financial network of billions of users.
In the region, Nigeria received the largest sum of remittances, at $19.2 billion, followed by Ghana ($4.5 billion) and Kenya ($3.7 billion) in 2021.
In Kenya, in a first-of-its-kind market solution in sub-Saharan Africa, Visa has partnered with Absa Bank Kenya to launch a domestic and cross-border remittance service via the Visa Global network that will allow seamless money transfers and payments to any of the two billion-plus Visa cardholders in over 100 fast funds-enabled markets, in near real-time with the complete security and reliability associated with Visa cards.
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, meanwhile, it is estimated that in 2021 citizens received remittances valued at more than $1.33 billion– in an economy where only an estimated 26 percent of the population is part of the formal financial system.
With around 650 million mobile phone users, sub-Saharan Africa is home to some of the fastest-growing economies across the globe and is a leader in the adoption of mobile digital payments, according to the World Bank and African Development Bank.
Africans are making frequent transnational payments related to trade, education, and healthcare, among other things, and this service is giving them a powerful, efficient new option for transacting across borders.
With these products, Visa is not just making the remittance process more efficient but is introducing millions of people to connected, global platforms and accelerating financial and digital inclusion in Sub-Saharan Africa and around the world.
Khan is the senior vice president, head of new payment flows for CEMEA at Visa.

domain: news


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Google today rolled out the Android OS dessert cart with the release of the 2.0 SDK.
The Android 2.0 SDK, dubbed Éclair, includes new developer APIs for syncing features and Bluetooth, Android’s SDK tech lead Xavier Ducrohet said in a post on the Android developer blog.
“Using the new sync, account manager and contacts APIs, you can write applications to enable users to sync their devices to various contact sources,” Ducrohet wrote. “You can also give users a faster way to communicate with others by embedding Quick Contact within your application. With the new Bluetooth API, you can now easily add peer-to-peer connectivity or gaming to your applications.”
New user features include contact, calendar and e-mail management tools, messaging enhancements and more camera functionality. It also includes an HTML 5 browser that supports client-side data storage and double-tap zooming, and an updated virtual keyboard with better accuracy and usability.
“Current developers can use the SDK Manager to add Android 2.0 support to their SDK as well as update their SDK Tools to revision 3. New developers can download the Android SDK from the download site. After the download, Android platforms must be added using the SDK Manager,” according to Ducrohet.
The news of Éclair comes at a time when the mobile open source operating system is starting to propel a whole new set of releases aimed at capturing a slice of the lucrative fourth-quarter holiday shopping season. These include the HTC Hero, Motorola Cliq and Samsung Behold II.
Verizon is expected to roll out Droid, its first Android handset, in early November, and it will run version 2.0.
Android, which Google launched a little more than a year ago, had some growing pains in its first few iterations, with few handset makers initially buying into the OS’s premise with compatible models of their own.
At least one analyst suggested that Android may have been overhyped and that it underdelivered on its promise to shake up the mobile industry with an affordable, customizable and open OS that would spur innovation.
Months later, the situation is changing. While the HTC-manufactured G1 and its early iteration of Android may have underwhelmed some critics, the Cliq, Hero and Droid are wowing critics and major manufacturers and carriers are on board to deliver their own Android models.
Three of the nation’s top four carriers, Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile, now offer Android-powered handsets. If reports of a Dell-manufacturered Android phone on AT&T prove to be accurate as well, Android smartphones may soon be available on all four of the major U.S. wireless networks.


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“There are two million bees here,” said Shlomki Frankin as he entered a 12-square-meter white container in the middle of a kibbutz avocado field in Beth Hemek, northern Israel.
A container called Beehome holds 24 hives, explains a 41-year-old beekeeper who wears a hat with a veil to protect himself from possible bites.
These beehives function like ordinary wooden hives, except that they are controlled by a robot inside that monitors, monitors and cares for these insects, says Shlomki Frankin, who works for Beewise, which was created by a megavoli. .
The robot can automatically dispense sugar, water, medicine. In case of a problem, he notifies the beekeeper through the application. The latter can intervene remotely from your computer
Arriving on a test visit, he observes an electrical device moving in the center of the buzzing box and pulls out a frame of honey in which honey bees are collected.
on solar panels
“The robot is equipped with sensors that let it know what’s going on in the frames,” said Netali Harari, Beewise’s chief operating officer.
“Thanks to artificial intelligence, our software knows what bees need,” she said in a workshop that collects large metal hives.
The robot can also automatically dispense sugar, water, medicine.
In case of a problem, he notifies the beekeeper through the application. The latter can then remotely intervene from your computer and move if necessary.
The solar-powered megawoo can also regulate temperature, eliminate trouble and even extract honey thanks to a built-in centrifuge, says Netali Harari.
From the end of May, the startup will produce honey for the first time, “the world’s first honey made with the help of artificial intelligence! captures the director.
Europe in two years
For Shlomka Frankin, “the robot is a tool for the beekeeper, but he does not replace it.”
“I can perform many simple tasks remotely, such as expanding or reducing a hive […] or let the work do it and focus on other tasks, ”he says, adding that it“ saves a lot of time ”.
Hundreds of such robotic hives have already been deployed in Israel and a dozen in the United States. Beewise plans to enter the European market in two years.
Founded in April 2018, the startup, which has more than 100 employees, has attracted about 76 million euros in investment to develop its exports.
Protective technologies for endangered bees
According to Professor Sharoni Shafir, who heads the Center for Beekeeping at the Hebrew University of Rehovot, this technology can help protect increasingly fragile bee families.
“Sometimes it takes a beekeeper several months to realize the problem, with a robot he can handle a problem in real time, it reduces bee mortality,” he explains.
In recent years, many of them have disappeared around the world, falling victim to the “colony disintegration syndrome” associated with a combination of several factors.
“The reduction of flower fields as a result of construction has reduced the sources and diversification of bee food,” said the expert.
“In Israel, 20 to 30% of hives disappear every year,” but much of the human diet depends on pollination
Added to this is the use of pesticides, diseases and parasites such as Varroa destructor, a destructive mite, says Professor Shafir.
“In Israel, 20 to 30 percent of hives disappear each year,” but “we depend on bees,” said the entomologist, who said that much of the human diet was the result of insect-induced pollination that allowed plants to reproduce.
More than 70% of crops – almost all fruits, vegetables, oilseeds, spices, coffee and cocoa – are highly dependent on it.
“Bees and other pollinators are important for food security and nutrition,” said the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), which celebrates World Bee Day on May 20, to emphasize the importance of preserving them.


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In “Don’t blame the eater”, by David Zinczenko, the main idea of the article is to express the aspect of “a daily choice between McDonald 's, Taco Bell, Kentucky Fried Chicken or Pizza Hut”, especially in the cities with no benefits (Zinczenko 1). Grocery stores are unavailable in the act of cooking since its time consuming. There act creates diseases that spread through substances such as diabetes, but “the National Institutes of Health, Type 2 diabetes accounts for at least 30 percent of all new childhood cases”(Zinczenko 1). The number that has increased where children remain at risk at such an early age. Furthermore, the idea of manipulating the children is easier to acquire their attention through television and toys . “The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that diabetes accounted for $2.6 billion in health care costs”(Zinczenko 1). The amount of money used to help the public who continue increasing diseases. It’s the type of food pe...
... middle of paper ...
...ast food companies for not informing the public of what they are eating. People are not aware of the vegetable field being consumed with chemicals or the way animals are treated for their meat. The knowledge gained at a young age is to eat fast food but not know how much it can eventually harm in the future. There is no groceries near urban places and only fast food seems to be the only option of survival. Obesity in America will continue until the fast food industry decides to stop giving false commercial advertisement. The fast food industry needs to stop worrying about money, but instead guide their attention to the number of lives taken away and think about the life expectancy of future generations. Besides, the public needs to recognize the crisis they present and what the fast food industry is turning the public to be or else nothing can change our lifestyle.
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- How many Americans do you think eat at fast food restaurants daily. How many Americans have experienced weight gain and health issues of the years. We as Americans are overweight and unhealthy who is to blame. We want to believe that McDonalds, Burger King, Taco Bell, Wendy’s etc. is the reason why we are fat. But the truth is that we are becoming overweight and unhealthy because of the lack of responsibility over our own diet and eating habits. In the essay, “Don’t Blame the Eater” by David Zinczenko he, believes that the fast food industry is responsible for the health and obesity epidemic in America.... [tags: Fast food, Nutrition, Food, Fast food restaurant]
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- “Are we taking it too far by blaming fast food restaurants for obesity. When is it individual responsibility and when is it appropriate to place blame?” - Midway College The quote says it all. We are all responsible for our own choices. The fast food industry is just another business trying to sell a product and survive. But yeah, there should be regulations regarding fast food and its nutrition. Are they still responsible for the obesity epidemic. So when we are first born, we are legally liable for all the choices that we make.... [tags: Nutrition, Fast food, Obesity, Junk food]
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- As general prices have risen and wages have fallen consumers have changed their spending habits in particular food. This has lead fast food joints to profits, proving that there is an upside to our low economy Today's industry faces high real-estate prices and highway strips teeming with fast-fooleries, there is now one restaurant for every 2,700 Americans, compared with one for every 7,000 in the late 1970s (Clark). Chains have been branching out into sports arenas, airports, hospitals, colleges, turnpike stops, mall food courts, kiosks, airline in-flight meal services and even zoos.... [tags: Business Management]
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- According to 2014 statistics, 27.7% of Americans are considered obese. However the big question is, whom do we blame for the increase in obesity. Is it an individual’s own fault or the fast food chains. As individual’s, we have failed in taking responsibility for our actions and instead we look to put the blame on someone or something else. In Morgan Spurlock’s documentary Supersize Me, he ate “nothing but McDonald’s food for one month” (McCook 35) and put on approximately 25 pounds. We all know that the fast food industry provides processed and unhealthy foods but isn’t it our choice on whether or not to put those unhealthy foods in our body while knowing the result they will give us.... [tags: Nutrition, Hamburger, Fast food, McDonald's]
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- “Future historians, I hope, will consider the American fast food industry a relic of the twentieth century--a set of attitudes, systems, and beliefs that emerged from postwar southern California, that embodied its limitless faith in technology, that quickly spread across the globe, flourished briefly, and then receded, once its true costs became clear...” -- Eric Schlosser -- Fast Food Nation Is fast food worth the trouble it may cause you? Obesity is a growing problem and it is taking a toll on kids’ health due to eating too much fast food. But w... [tags: Fast Food and Health 2014]
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- When working at a fast food restaurant, more often than not it is accompanied with a stigma. People tend to believe that those who work in fast food restaurants are not capable of anything better. They assume people working at fast food restaurants are slow and uneducated, or they simply look down upon them because these jobs have become known as "dead-end jobs." This so-called "dead-end job" is what people might describe as low-wage labor that employees have a susceptibility to become trapped in.... [tags: Restaurants Employment Essays]
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- The dependence on fast food by Americans has developed into a major predicament. In 2013 about eighty percent of Americans report eating at fast food restaurants at least once a month; more than half of them (about forty-seven percent of Americans) report that they eat at a fast food restaurant at least once a week (Richmond 2). Compared to the year 2006 the percentage of Americans who ate at least once a month have dropped only one percent from eighty-one percent to eighty percent (Richmond 2).... [tags: Alternatives, Homemade Food]
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January 10, 2010 |
MUMBAI: Social networking sites like Facebook are a veritable Aladdin's cave offering bored employees a chance to try their luck at farming (Farmville), word games and following their friend's recent trek to the Himalayas. With people Facebooking, twittering and chatting during office hours either on their computers or via the latest 'app' on their touch-screen cellphones , corporates across the country are losing the internet battle. A recent national survey conducted by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India's (Assocham )
June 9, 2010 |
NEW DELHI: People can now link their Yahoo! and Facebook accounts to view and share updates, a move that will enable the search engine to reach out to a wide audience in the social networking space with its sites and services. The partnership between the two online majors, announced in December last year, will help Yahoo! add networking features like status update and news feed from Facebook on its services like mail, messenger, Pulse, News, Sports and Finance services.
July 16, 2012 |
LONDON: With a burst of casino-type games on Facebook, experts have warned that the social networking site is turning youngsters into gambling addicts. According to addiction experts in the UK, these type of games encourage teenagers to think gambling is harmless fun. Children are using 'virtual coins' to imitate the thrill of hitting the jackpot with slot machine and roulette games on their home computers and mobile phones, the 'Daily Mail' reported. At present Facebook provides hundreds of virtual slot machine and poker games, including Jackpotjoy, Slotomania and DoubleDownCasino.
June 7, 2011 |
BANGALORE: That dream job you coveted, did not quite turn out that way. All the information you had gathered from friends - on how smoothly the company works, what your role might entail, how you would rise rapidly up the ladder - turned out to be wrong. And you only got to know this once you joined the company. If any of this rings true, and you're wishing there was some foolproof way you could've known what the job will be like, well at least this wish might be granted. Taking a cue from Farmville, the extremely popular application on Facebook, which gives you a taste of running and managing a virtual farm, a host of companies have resorted to games to recruit people - right from the entry-level to that of the CXO - and train employees on the way business should be conducted.
November 3, 2010 |
Farm ads Zynga, the gaming giant behind time-sucking Facebook phenomena such as Farmville and Frontierville, is building a media giant out of tiny transactions from millions of people buying seeds, sheep, tractors, weapons, skill points and other virtual goods, reports Advertising Age. The company has a tortured history with advertising, and was once known for low-rent lead-generation ads such as the IQ...
August 7, 2013
Researchers from Cardiff, Derby and Nottingham Trent universities have published a new study, warning videogame makers that they need to do more to prevent players becoming addicted. Published in the Addiction Research and Theory Journal, the study claims that approximately seven to eleven per cent of gamers can be considered to have "pathological" addictions, citing documented gaming sessions lasting 40-90 hours as evidence. The universities also analysed the architecture of different game types, paying special attention to the genre of Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games (MMORPGs)
June 21, 2012 |
SAN FRANCISCO: It knows who you are. It knows what you like. Now it wants to make it easier for you to buy things, in your own currency. Facebook on Tuesday signaled its ambitions to grow as a payment platform, with changes to how its users can buy goods and services without leaving its site. It was also a clear indication to Wall Street that the company was pushing to make more money. Concerns about the company's revenue prospects have held its shares back since its disappointing public offering last month.
November 1, 2010 |
Never mind wishful thinking by the government and RBI. Food will never be cheaper than what it is today. Not this year. Or in future. The reason is simple. Growing food in India has become extremely expensive. Crops are pricier even before they reach the market and face the pulls and tugs of rising local demand and exports. The farmer's single biggest cost now is labour. Farm labour wages have doubled in the last year across states and crops. The worst affected are fruits and vegetables because they need careful tending.
August 8, 2010 |
SAN FRANCISCO: As lives move increasingly online, Legacy Locker is building virtual safe-deposit boxes where people can leave digital estates for descendants. "I have young children that can't read yet," said LegacyLocker.com founder Jeremy Toeman. "One day my blog will have meaning to them in the same way you find an old photo of your grandfather and wonder what the story was. " Toeman launched his startup in San Francisco in April of 2009 after the birth of his first son; the death of his 94-year-old Internet-savvy grandmother, and a turbulent airplane flight.
October 13, 2011 |
SAN FRANCISCO: "We are hiring aggressively for our Bangalore office," Cadir Lee , CTO of social gaming company Zynga told The Economic Times shortly after the Zynga Unleashed event on Wednesday, where it unveiled many new products, including its first game, Mafia Wars 2 - on Google+ social network. "There are certain pockets in the world where you get people that build world-class companies. Those people bring in diversity of experience, which is why we chose Bangalore.


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Reports of the iPhone 4's demise on Sprint appear to be exaggerated, but not entirely untrue.
A company spokesperson confirmed with CNET that the phone will no longer be sold at Sprint's stores this Friday, but that customers will still be able to purchase it online.
"iPhone 4 will become a Web only device effective on September 21. We will certainly still be selling it," a company spokeswoman told CNET.
An image posted on 9to5Mac last night showed that the iPhone 4 would "removed from Planogram on 9/21/12" suggesting the device would no longer be available for sale.
Sprint became a carrier of Apple's iPhone last year with the release of the iPhone 4S. At the time the company also began selling the iPhone 4 alongside Apple's newer, flagship device.
With the release of the iPhone 5, which, the iPhone 4 becomes a free device on most carriers, with a two-year contract.
Apple - USE TAG
reading•Sprint to stop selling iPhone 4 in stores, but not online
Sep 20•Amazon Echo launch live blog: Get all your Alexa updates here
Sep 20•Apple Watch Series 4's new watch faces, reviewed: Great start, but more, please
Sep 20•Leaked pics of Huawei's updated Freebuds show wireless charging on Mate 20 phone
Sep 20•Apple Watch reviews are in, PlayStation Classic announced


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The pharmaceutical industry in the UAE has grown rapidly over the last decade and is expected to reach a value of AED13 billion by 2020. Even with the rapid expansion […]
The pharmaceutical industry in the UAE has grown rapidly over the last decade and is expected to reach a value of AED13 billion by 2020. Even with the rapid expansion and increasing competition in pharmaceutical manufacturing, the UAE has to import 80% of medicines to meet its needs.
The high cost of imported medicine is invariably passed on to the patient, leading the federal government to pass pharmaceutical pricing regulations in 2011 to contain drug prices. Under this legislation, the prices of over 8,500 pharmaceutical products have been cut to bring them in line with other countries in the region. However, demand for medicine is continuing to surge as a result of exponential population growth and the introduction of universal health insurance in the country. Lifestyle-related health conditions, such as heart diseases, strokes, cancers, and diabetes are also on the rise. As increased demand is likely to put medicine prices head-to-head against federal legislation, efforts aimed at bolstering the local pharmaceutical industry could provide much-needed relief. The manufacturing of generic medicines, in particular, provides a means for reducing prices while meeting the demands of the growing population. Only 20% of medicines in the GCC today are classified as generic, while local firms have the capability of manufacturing generics at cutting-edge research and development facilitates. Experts estimate that prescribing generic medication could save UAE healthcare providers up to 30% on pharmaceuticals. There is also room for much-needed competition as there are relatively few pharmaceutical manufacturers in the UAE. Based in Ras Al Khaimah, Julphar is one of the largest pharmaceutical manufacturers in the region. Manufacturing more than 1 million boxes of medicines per day, Julphar distributes its products to 50 countries with production in 16 internationally certified facilitates located around the globe. Julphar remains the dominant manufacturer in the UAE and the only major manufacturer in Ras Al Khaimah. However, in response to growing regional demand, several manufacturers have begun operating out of Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Foreign firms are also seeking entry into the UAE through partnerships with local manufacturers. Ittihad Drug Store (IDS) is an example of a local company that has successfully partnered with international pharmaceuticals. Based in the Dubai Biotechnology and Research Park, the company started out as a distributor of medication in 2016 working in partnership with GSK, Sanofi, and Beyer AG. IDS has since established Pharmax to develop, manufacture, and market branded generic pharmaceuticals—a decision indicative of the high potential of generic pharmaceutical manufacturing in the region. Developing the pharmaceutical manufacturing industry requires a highly skilled workforce of biotechnologists, pharmacologists, and professors. The wealth of knowledge and experience available in Ras Al Khaimah sets it apart in its ability to meet these needs. The Ras Al Khaimah Medical and Health Sciences University is the first in the UAE to offer a master of science degree in clinical pharmaceuticals and as well as a doctorate in pharmacy. Since its founding in 2006, the university has become a renowned facility for medical professionals in the UAE. Additionally, Julphar’s presence, as the leading national manufacturing company since 1980, has contributed a wealth of know-how and technical skill to the Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah and the UAE. Public awareness and education about the benefits of generic medicine is a significant hurdle that manufacturers must overcome. Only 4.4% of drugs prescribed in the UAE are generics as some consumers do not trust that generics will work as well as branded imports. Despite this challenge, a patent cliff is approaching in which USD121 million worth of small-molecule patents will lose protection in developed markets between 2014 and 2018. In the next three years, USD48 million in biological products will also lose protection. Generics are estimated to contribute to 52% of global pharmaceutical growth—more than 15 percentage points above that of branded medicines—providing massive medium- and long-term investment opportunities in the generic pharmaceutical manufacturing market.


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Taylor Swift to headline festivals across Europe including Open'er and Roskilde, before playing her own headline event Lover Fest in LA and Foxborough
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"They messed with the wrong fan base," says one attorney as more than two dozen fans launch lawsuit over The Eras Tour presale
By James Hanley on 05 Dec 2022
More than two dozen Taylor Swift fans are suing Ticketmaster owner Live Nation for “unlawful conduct”, alleging fraud, misrepresentation and antitrust violations over the controversial presale for the singer’s 2023 stadium tour.
Swift shifted a record 2.4 million tickets for her AEG-promoted 52-date The Eras Tour in a single day last month, but the sale was marred by reports of “significant service failures” and lengthy delays on Ticketmaster’s website.
Ticketmaster went on to cancel the scheduled general sale, citing “extraordinarily high demands on ticketing systems and insufficient remaining ticket inventory to meet that demand” and issued a public apology to Swift and her fans.
Now, as part of a new lawsuit filed with the Superior Court of California in Los Angeles, the company is accused of “anticompetitive conduct… to impose higher prices on music concert attendees in the presale, sale and resale market”.
“Defendant’s anticompetitive behaviour has substantially harmed and will continue to substantially harm Taylor Swift fans,” says the 33-page filing on behalf of 26 plaintiffs.
“Global investment and financial services firm Citi last week upgraded its outlook for Live Nation”
The lawsuit is seeking $2,500 for each violation of California’s Unfair Competition Law. Jennifer Kinder, attorney for one of the complainants, tells the Washington Post that around 150 fans have expressed interest in being added to the suit since it was filed on Friday (2 December).
“They messed with the wrong fan base,” says Kinder.
The Eras Tour experienced “historically unprecedented demand” as 3.5m people pre-registered for Swift’s Verified Fan presale, 1.5m of whom were later invited to participate in the onsale. However, the Ticketmaster site struggled to cope with the traffic after being swamped by bot attacks. Seatgeek (which took on $238m in private equity investment in August) experienced similar technical issues ticketing five of the Swift dates.
Senators Amy Klobuchar and Mike Lee announced last month that a US Senate antitrust panel would look into a “lack of competition in ticketing markets”, in response to the cancelled onsale. However, global investment and financial services firm Citi last week upgraded its outlook for Live Nation, saying it was unlikely to be split up as a result of the panel.
Live Nation has not responded to the lawsuit, but previously addressed competition concerns in a lengthy statement.
“Live Nation takes its responsibilities under the antitrust laws seriously and does not engage in behaviours that could justify antitrust litigation, let alone orders that would require it to alter fundamental business practices,” it said.
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October 17, 2014 / By Igne Graef
Inge Graef, an expert on the intersection between personal data and competition law on online media platforms from KU Leuven, looks at the Facebook/WhatsApp acquisition and argues that the European Commission should have examined the impact data concentration can have on attracting and retaining users and privacy as a means of competition between competing services.
Facebook’s acquisition of WhatsApp raises two issues, both relatively new to competition policy. First is the impact of combining the two parties’ data sets on the level of competition in a market. Second is the role of privacy in competition cases. According to the press release outlining its approval of the Facebook/WhatsApp acquisition (the full decision is not yet published), the European Commission took into consideration whether potential data concentration issues arising from the transaction could hamper competition in the market for online advertising services. However, the Commission does not seem to have analysed the possible effects of combining the data of the two parties on the user side of the market.
With regard to the role of privacy as a competition concern, the Commission explicitly states that the assessment of privacy issues does not fall within its competence as a competition authority. Although purely privacy-related considerations indeed go beyond the Commission’s scope of review in competition cases, privacy may become a parameter for competition, which could bring the issue into the remit of competition enforcement in the future.
Potential data concentration issues in online social networking
In addition to looking at the markets for consumer communications and online advertising services that had been examined by the Commission in earlier decisions, such asMicrosoft/Skype (consumer communications services), Google/DoubleClick andMicrosoft/Yahoo! (online advertising services), the Facebook/WhatsApp acquisition required the Commission to analyse the market for social networking services for the first time. While leaving the precise boundaries of the latter market open, the Commission concluded that competition for social networking services is unlikely to be negatively affected by the acquisition. With regard to a potential integration between WhatsApp and Facebook, the Commission stated that even though Facebook’s position in social networking could be strengthened as a result of the acquisition, the net gain in terms of new users would be limited on the ground that the user base of WhatsApp overlaps to a large extent with that of Facebook.
Although many WhatsApp users are already active on Facebook, the content that they share on WhatsApp and the knowledge that can be extracted from it may be a valuable addition to what Facebook already knows about its existing users from their behaviour on its own platform. In the context of the competition analysis in the market for communications services, the Commission itself argued that users seem to employ Facebook’s messaging service and WhatsApp in different ways, and indeed the main reason for Facebook’s interest in WhatsApp is believed to lie in the troves of data that come with the acquisition.
Nevertheless, the Commission seems to have assessed potential data concentration issues only in the market for online advertising. The Commission argued that the transaction did not raise competition concerns in this market, regardless of whether Facebook would introduce advertising on WhatsApp and start collecting WhatsApp user data to improve its targeting of ads on Facebook (something that Mark Zuckerberg assured would not happen). In the Commission’s view, there would continue to be a sufficient number of alternative providers of advertising services after the acquisition and a large amount of internet user data valuable for advertising purposes would not be within Facebook’s exclusive control.
The role of data in improving social networking services to users thus appears to be disregarded by the Commission. Knowledge about how users interact and the type of content they are interested in enables a social network provider to improve the relevance of its service to users (in Facebook’s case, for example, by choosing the stories to be shown in a user’s News Feed) which may lead users to share even more data that social network providers can then use to further strengthen the quality of their service. Although this issue would not have changed the outcome of the Commission’s investigation, considering that a large amount of social network data will remain with other players such as Twitter, Google and Microsoft, the role of data on the user side of online services is something that deserves the attention of competition authorities in future cases so as to acknowledge that data is not just instrumental in improving ad targeting.
Privacy as a future parameter for competition
In its press release, the Commission also made clear that it has not analysed any privacy-related concerns flowing from the increased concentration of data within Facebook’s control because such issues would not fall within the scope of European competition law. This reflects the Commission’s very limited view of the role of privacy in the online marketplace.
The European Commission’s statement in Facebook/WhatsApp that privacy issues cannot form part of the competition analysis indicates that the Commission is reluctant to take the protection of consumer privacy into account in competition cases. Although there is no European equivalent of Section 5 of the FTC Act enabling the FTC to look at unfair commercial practices in a broader perspective, a more proactive stance of the European Commission towards this issue will be necessary as soon as privacy becomes a true parameter for competition.
This post gives the views of the author, and does not represent the position of the LSE Media Policy Project blog, nor of the London School of Economics.


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Christmas 2016: A round-up of UK ecommerce stats and insight
We have an updated version of this blog to reflect stats and insights from Christmas 2018. See here.
Further to our popular Black Friday stats round up blog – Black Friday 2016: What really happened. A round up of UK ecommerce stats – we’ve collated the key predictions, data and insight you need to know about the Christmas period, a critical period in every Ecommerce Director’s calendar.
What were people predicting?
1. Record spending
IMRG, supported by SimilarWeb data, estimated that Christmas Day 2016 would be a significant online shopping day with online retail spend totalling £805m, a 10.1% year on year increase. Whilst total online retail spend on Boxing Day would see a 15% year on year increase reaching £984m.
Refering to this prediction, Dom Joseph, chief executive and co-founder of Captify, said: “Shopping online on Christmas Day is now as traditional as a ham and turkey dinner in the UK. Consumers no longer want to wait for the ‘sales’ to officially start on Boxing Day.”
Another contributing factor is the transition from physical, to virtual, gifts:
- Justin Opie, managing director of IMRG was quoted as saying “Many people now receive gift cards which they can instantly redeem on the day to download the kinds of items that have become highly virtual.”
- Amazon, who have seen Christmas Day sales more than double over the last five years, were expecting another busy day, made up primarily of:
- Last minute purchases of printable and email-able gift cards between midnight and 11am
- Digital downloads, Kindle books and steaming of music, TV and films from noon
- Bargain hunters shopping for Christmas sale items 9pm
2. Mobile and tablet traffic continuing to dominate
In 2015, and for the first time ever, over half of online sales were made through mobile devices. This Christmas, Captify, as reported in Internet Retailing, predicted we would see record levels of shoppers using their mobiles as their preferred device for shopping.
Neil Stewart, CEO of Salmon, said: “As consumers turn more towards digital solutions to satiate their shopping needs and wants, we fully expect online orders – including mobile – to continue to increase over the festive period. We predicted correctly that 2016 would be the first year where mobile overtook desktop during the ‘Black Fiveday’ period and we’re already seeing the same thing happening at Christmas this year.”
A UK-wide ICM consumer study exploring consumer buying behaviour between Black Friday and Christmas in the UK and Criteo data from November to December 2015 found that nearly two thirds (62%) of online purchases made on Christmas Day are carried out using a smartphone, with just 28% of shoppers opting to buy on a desktop, making it the busiest day for mobile shopping in the UK.
What actually happened?
Online sales did rise, boosting festive spending
Individual, daily data for Christmas and Boxing Day is hard to come by, with most retailers announcing results for December, or Q4 as a whole. But the data available is still indicative of many predictions coming true.
- Nearly a quarter of all December purchases were made online – the channel’s greatest share of sales to date with the British Retail Consortium reporting the penetration rate for online sales remaining above 20 per cent for the fifteenth consecutive month.
- Better than expected trading figures released on ‘Super Thursday’ suggested a strong online showing for UK retailers given that Ipsos Retail Performance indicator results showed retail footfall down 9.3% in December 2016 compared with 2015 – the lowest level ever recorded for the month of December.
- Visa reported consumer spending in the UK was up 2.6 per cent year-on-year in December, largely driven by online sales as face-to-face expenditure rose only slightly (0.7% year-on-year).
- According to BDO’s High Street Sales Tracker, (which takes weekly sales figures from 70 participating high street retailers)
- Online sales in December made up about 15% of all retail spending and were 19% higher than 2015.
- For the week to 25 December, online orders saw an even steeper rise, up 51.1%.
- Worldpay found that Boxing Day online sales jumped 15% year on year on.
- In the United States, on Christmas day, 46.1%. of all online sales were made on Amazon
And mobile did rule
- NetElixir analysed 90 million visits to retailer client websites between Thanksgiving and Christmas this year and reported:
- Mobile accounted for 54% of traffic compared with about 51% in 2015.
- Mobile purchases accounted for 31.3% of e-commerce sales, compared with just under 30% in 2015
- Mobile device conversion rate increased from 1.15% in 2015 to to 1.45% in 2016
- Average Order Value decreased 5.4% due to consumers typically spending more on desktops than on smartphones and tablets
- Nearly half (47.1%) of all John Lewis’ Christmas Day traffic came from mobile phones and they saw a record volume of customers buying on their mobile phones.
And there’s more
Online shopping habits are changing…
PCA Predict’s Monthly Ecommerce Traffic Volumes shows an interesting new shape. Whilst December traffic was up 4% year on year, it was down 4% month on month. Could this signal that November, thanks to Black Friday’s recent dominance, will be the new peak online traffic month in the UK? And if so, why weren’t more people predicting this trend? Especially given that December 2015 traffic was 0.1% lower than November 2015 (down from the 5% year on year increase seen in 2014 and 13% increase seen in 2013.
…and online shoppers showed increased savviness when it comes to Christmas shopping
- 12% bought from an alternative retailer because their preferred retailer did not have items available online
- 7% shopped with an alternative retailer because delivery times failed to meet their requirements
- 39% of online Christmas shoppers used click & collect services in 2016 compared to 41% (2015) and 39% (2014). This percentage is expected to increase again in 2017 with 20% of those that used click & collect this year saying they would use click & collect more next Christmas
How was Christmas trading for you?
This digest collates country-wide trends. But what did your numbers look like? Did they conform what others saw or did your trading go against the grain? We’d love to hear from you, leave a comment below sharing your findings.
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PHOENIX — Most people have forgotten that before there was an Arizona auction week, there was a classic car show created to raise money for charity.
In the 1960s, the organizers were the Barretts, who recently had moved from Chicago area, and the Jacksons, newcomers from Pontiac, Mich., and the event they launched wasn’t the now-famous Barrett-Jackson classic car auction but the Fiesta de los Autos Elegantes, a parade and car show that raised money for the Scottsdale library and the city’s new art center.
Russ Jackson and Tom Barrett were among the early classic car collectors, and by 1971 they found themselves with so many cars they brought in an auctioneer to sell not only some of theirs, but those owned by other collectors as well.
Fast-forward a few decades and we have the annual Arizona auction week, usually with six major auction companies selling classic and collector cars.
For several years, a local charity established to help people with cancer and those caring for them hosted a vintage racing car show at the start of auction week. But new management decided not to continue the effort. A small committee, including former Indy 500 race car driver and now Phoenix resident Lyn St. James, resurrected the event, though only for one year.
But their hope had been to grow that show into a full-fledged concours d’elegance, like the one held each summer at the Inn at St. John’s in Plymouth, Mich., or the most famous of all in the United States, the one each summer on the golf links at Pebble Beach in Monterey, Calif.
Phoenix car collector Kevin Cornish annually attends the Pebble Beach event, and in 2015 he came home and told his car-club friends it was “an embarrassment that we don’t have one.”
So he put together a small steering committee, which recruited a larger organizing committee, and they convened the famed Arizona Biltmore, that Art Deco oasis in the desert, to allow them to array nearly 80 classic automobiles on the oh-so-carefully-manicured lawns within the resort complex.
The inaugural Arizona Concours d’Elegance was staged in January, officially opened classic car auction week, and drew some 2,000 people to see 78 amazing automobiles and to raise money for Make-A-Wish Arizona.
The event included the typical concours classes, but featured cars from 100-year-old Italian automaker Maserati as well as those from famous American automaker Packard.
The committee members eve convinced many of their fellow Phoenix-area car collectors to share some gems from their otherwise well-hidden collections. They brought in respected judges with international reputations. And they impressed one and seemingly all with their inaugural effort.
For their part, the judges selected the best cars in each class, and from the best-in-class winners chose the best of show, a 1925 Hispano-Suiza H6B cabriolet de villa that Donald Nichols of Lompoc, Calif., had found deteriorating in an alley in Sarasota, Fla.
The car originally had been sold to industrialist-turned-U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Andrew Mellon, who later gave the car to his chauffeur as a retirement present. The chauffeur moved to Florida and kept the car garaged, but when he died, the car was rolled out into an alley.
Nichols saw and bought the car, but was so intimidated at the thought of its restoration that he kept it in his garage for 40 years, and then too nine more to bring it back to its original glory.


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The NGP: is going to have a ton of first party support when it releases later this year. At the PlayStation Conference it was unveiled that Uncharted, Killzone, and Resistance the big three feathers in Sony’s cap will be all have an offering for the device. During the video presentation other first party Sony names were mentioned as well.
Hot Shots Golf, Wipeout, and Little Big Planet were all mentioned as titles that would be coming to the device.
The presentation also included a little bit of live running Uncharted gameplay, which means this isn’t just a pie in the sky idea. This is real people. Seriously. The new controls were featured and a demonstration of how the new touchpad device was used to control Nathan Drake in his handheld adventure.
Everything was incorporated, the gyroscopic features, the touch pad, the analogs, it looks pretty neat.
- This article was updated on:November 20th, 2017


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First up, it’s London’s WorldDAB General Assembly. The event, promising ‘a vision for the future of radio’, will see the industry’s major players convene in central London on 3rd to 4th November.
Presentations will update on the continued growth of DAB/DAB+ digital radio, with keynote speakers including Ed Vaizey, UK Minister for Culture, Communications and the Creative Industries, joined by auto manufacturers.
“DABmotion are delighted to be supporting this global event as a sponsor and exhibitor,” said Mark Baker, Marketing Director. “Automotive is now regarded by DAB policy makers as a key priority.”
70% of new UK cars now have DAB fitted as standard, yet few drivers realise digital listening choices can be within easy reach for all. The DABmotion ROLA (DAB1002) conversion kit retails at £129.99 inc VAT and uses the latest FM modulation techniques to convert DAB into an FM signal that is transmitted directly to the original car radio wirelessly.
To help installer customers’ raise awareness of these in-car DAB possibilities, DABmotion recently teamed up with a leading London video agency to produce the 3 minute YouTube video below to quickly demonstrate benefits of DAB radio – and the ways to get it installed.
DABmotion have created a comprehensive automotive programme and are now looking to work with garages around the UK to maximise the opportunity presented by the future DAB switch-over.
Besides offering a Tick Mark approved conversion product, they can also train and award the IMI installer qualification needed for garages to advertise the Tick Mark as a ‘Registered DAB Installer’.
It’s a message DABmotion will be taking direct to garages later on in November, when exhibiting at MECHANEX Sandown Park, Surrey on 10th to 11th.
“We’re looking forward to speaking with many more garages at MECHANEX,” said Mark Baker, Marketing Director. “We’re seeing lots more interest now as digital switch-over draws closer.”
To find out more about the opportunity, please follow @DABmotion on Twitter, call 01202 664390 or visit the website using the ‘More Details’ button below.


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Apple's US retail notebook share up to 20 percent?One in five notebooks purchased at US retail outlets during the recent back-to-school buying season were Macs, according to a new report.
Citing data from market research firm NPD, the Register notes that sales of Apple's notebook lines shot up more than 35 percent year-over-year to claim 20 percent of the US retail market during the months of July and August.
When quantified in terms of retail dollar share, rather than unit share, the Mac maker's slice of the market came in even higher, rising 30 percent to account for an identical 35 percent of all moneys spent on notebook computers during those months.
Sales of Windows-based notebooks are reported to have fallen 1.5 percent in dollar share and 10 percent in units during the same time frame.
Word of the latest surge in MacBook sales comes less than two weeks after NPD released similar data, showing that Apple's share of the North American notebook market to have risen more than 60 percent to 10.6 percent during the three-month period ending June.
The surge was good enough to boost the company into the fourth position overall amongst all North American notebook manufacturers.
On Topic: General
- Turkey's deputy PM encourages Apple to move in wake of EU tax ruling
- New Apple patent would allow touch-sensing surfaces made using Liquidmetal tech
- Tim Cook responds to $14.5B EU tax bill with open letter, says decision will be reversed
- Alphabet executive steps down from Uber board as firms prep driverless cars
- Apple event invite inspires wild speculation about 'iPhone 7' iris scanning, bokeh, more


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While time travel, regeneration and Cybermen might seem like the stuff of fiction, The Science of Doctor Who attempts to find the facts behind the world's longest running science fiction show.
Apple is after more than just headphones in its rumoured multibillion-dollar acquisition of Beats, according to a report suggesting Dr Dre and Jimmy Iovine might join the tech giant.
The Hulu board member is in and acting CEO Andy Forssell is out at the video-streaming company owned by three of the top TV networks.
A Netflix rep plays the role of Captain Kirk to a Trekkie customer, as Grand Theft Auto gives away $500,000 worth of in-game currency. Yet, not every tech company seems to be as responsive about customer service -- as I found out.
The demure Charger Dr. may be small, but the tiny gadget is built to push all the power your laptop can muster to phones and tablets.
Our guest today is Dr. Josh King, an addiction psychologist at the Center for Motivation and Change in New York. We'll talk to him about the dangers of Internet and social media addiction, and some of the questions submitted in the past few weeks by 404 listeners. Thanks to everyone who sent us a message!
Our guest today is Josh King, an addiction psychologist at the Center for Motivation and Change in New York. We'll talk to him about the dangers of Internet and social media addiction and some of the questions submitted in the past few weeks by 404 listeners.
Dr Dre launches Spotify-rivalling streaming service Beats Music today in the US, promising better recommendations than other music services.
Intel's just-announced new devices division will be guided by Mike Bell, a former executive at Apple and Palm.
The Beats by Dr. Dre Executive noise-canceling headphones have an appealing design, strong features, and good sound, but they don't quite measure up to the Bose QuietComfort 15 noise-canceling headphones.


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Intel’s Shooting Star drones provided a dazzling aerial display during the 2018 Olympics opening ceremony Friday. While the synchronized 1,218 unmanned aerial vehicles weren’t deployed live, for fears of technical issues affecting the integrity of the event, the prerecorded event was still quite impressive. The LED-fitted drones formed shapes such as snowboarders and the Olympic rings, thanks to the programmable synchronization technology pioneered by Intel. According to Intel itself, the advanced drone tech employed at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games will remain a vital component of the Olympics through 2024.
The Shooting Star drones themselves are fitted with LED lights and were exclusively designed for performance and entertainment purposes, capable of creating a wide variety of color combinations and extensively programmable regarding the shapes, animations, and choreography required
Intel certainly seems to top itself with every subsequent light show it orchestrates. In 2016, the company set a mark recognized by the Guinness World Records by coordinating a fleet of 500 UAVs, and just last month, set another one at CES for flying 100 Shooting Star Mini drones indoors from a single computer. Of course, the company has also provided its visual flair to numerous musical performances like Lady Gag’s halftime show. On Friday, Intel’s stage was the world with its prerecorded 1,218 Shooting Star world record-setting light show in Pyeongchang, South Korea drawing 28.3 million viewers from across the globe.
Here’s what an Intel Shooting Star Winter Olympic Games opening ceremony looks like.
According to The New York Times, Intel initially planned on deploying 300 drones as part of a live event at the opening ceremony, but an "impromptu logistical change" made the International Olympic Committee think twice hence, the prerecorded version you see above, which was filmed in December. Nonetheless, Intel set a Guinness World Record for "most unmanned aerial vehicles airborne simultaneously," and wowed almost 30 million people simultaneously. That's pretty damn cool, and a promising sign of how much more complex and sophisticated this technology can make light shows in the future.
Regarding the set and setting, Natalie Cheung, general manager of Intel’s drone light show team, said, “The Olympics are a time when the sports and entertainment industries are buzzing with record-setting performances, so it was the perfect stage for Intel Shooting Star drones and our team to set their own kind of record.”
While light shows might not be the reason most of us got into the field of recreational drone piloting, they certainly impress upon us how rapidly technology is advancing and what we, the consumers, may be able to access at some point in the future. "We are honored to have Intel drones playing several roles at the Olympic Games,” said Vice President and General Manager of the Intel Drone Group, Anil Nanduri.


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Keke Palmer is an actor, singer and performer — and now she may be on her way to becoming a media mogul. Palmer announced on her social media platforms last week that she’s launching a digital network in the hopes of opening for other people all the doors she’s ever walked through.
“I’ve been doing this for 20 years, but this is what I’m most proud of,” she captioned the video posted to Instagram. “Y’all always say I keep a job, now I’m making sure we ALL got one. Sharing the keys to the culture is my greatest gift — this is for you & for us, from me.”
Palmer is not the first Black celebrity to explore the digital media industry. In February, actor and comedian Tim Reid announced the launch of “The Legacy of a People Network,” a streaming service focusing on the experiences of Black people, and in May, Byron Allen announced the launch of theGrio Black Podcast Network (TGBPN). Some years ago, in 2013, Sean “Diddy” Combs launched Revolt TV, the digital cable television network.
Samantha Sheppard, an associate professor of cinema and media studies at Cornell University, said it’s become somewhat of a growing trend for Black creatives to launch their own platforms. She noted that these platforms allow for creators to have more authentic opportunities to “show themselves and their work.”
“It’s definitely reminding content creators, and particularly Black content creators, that you can control — to a degree — your own means of production,” Sheppard said. “But also that… requires a certain skill level, both in terms of yourself as an on-screen or off-screen personality, but also a collaborator.”
In the video on KeyTV’s YouTube page, Palmer calls for more production designers, sound mixers, key grips and other production staff roles that she said grants creative power. Sheppard said because discrimination and racism is still a problem within Hollywood, Black-owned platforms like KeyTV are a much needed asset, as they create spaces for those who are historically underrepresented.
“It seems not just important, but imperative for Black creators to think about the ways in which they can share their creative aims and means,” Sheppard said. “So by creating your own platform, you begin to show people that you can still create content at a scale that matters to you and get your work out there.”


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Report says state will lose money if liquor initiatives pass
State and local governments stand to lose hundreds of millions of dollars if voters pass either of two initiatives on the November ballot aimed at putting Washington state out of the liquor business, according to analyses by the state's Office of Financial Management.
Seattle Times business reporter
State and local governments stand to lose hundreds of millions of dollars if voters pass either of two initiatives on the November ballot putting Washington state out of the liquor business, according to analyses by the state's Office of Financial Management (OFM).
The reports, released on Wednesday, paint a far different picture from most of the scenarios analyzed in a state auditor's report earlier this year, which predicted revenue boosts if the liquor business were privatized.
The OFM reports also conclude that consumption of hard liquor would go up.
Initiative 1100, which is backed by Costco Wholesale and other large retailers, would reduce state and local revenues by up to $277 million over the next five years, OFM said.
Initiative 1105, which is funded by large distributors, would decrease revenues by as much as $730 million — a bigger bite because that proposal also would eliminate the state's liquor tax.
Backers of both initiatives say the state Legislature could raise taxes to make up for any deficit. Initiative 1105 recommends a new, simplified liquor tax that — along with other aspects of the measure — it says would increase revenue by $100 million beyond what the liquor board now projects.
The OFM reports conclude both measures would increase liquor sales in Washington by 5 percent, based on sales growth experienced in Alberta, after the Canadian province privatized its liquor stores.
Liquor sales would increase partly because the number of sales outlets would multiply as grocery and convenience stores that currently sell only beer and wine put liquor on their shelves. Both the state auditor and the new OFM reports estimate that 3,357 outlets would sell liquor, compared to 315 liquor stores now.
Lower liquor prices also would boost sales, the new reports said.
Rick Garza, deputy director of the Washington State Liquor Control Board, said the initiatives are more costly than scenarios presented in the earlier auditor's report partly because they eliminate the state's markup on liquor, which accounts for about 23 percent of a bottle's price to the consumer.
In its report earlier this year, the auditor made up for the loss of the markup — which translates into $75 million for the state's general fund and $47 million for local governments — by assuming the state would increase liquor taxes to compensate, Garza said.
"That's the way to do it if you're not going to impact local governments," he said.
The liquor board employs about 1,200 people. About 930 would lose their jobs if liquor distribution and retailing is privatized, the state auditor estimated.
The initiatives' backers dispute findings in the new OFM reports.
"We don't have an exact figure to throw back at them, but we're casting doubt on the whole report, because they basically talked to the State Liquor Control Board, which is not an unbiased party in this and are trying to preserve themselves, and we feel we weren't brought into the process," said Ashley Bach, a spokesman for the group Yes to 1100, which is supported by Costco Wholesale and other large retailers.
OFM's reports did not account for additional tax revenues that would be paid as liquor sales went up, he said.
The state also could increase revenue by having the liquor-control board focus on enforcement activities such as catching people who smuggle low-cost liquor into Washington from Nevada and California, Bach said.
"That's a huge problem, and the state has basically ignored it," he said. "Everyone has a story of people bringing in liquor from a low-cost state. That could save millions of dollars a year."
Initiative 1105's plan for plugging the hole is more direct. It would eliminate a complex web of liquor taxes now in place, and suggests the Legislature make up for the shortfall with a new, simplified tax.
That tax, plus other taxes and fees in Initiative 1105, would add $100 million in revenue, said Bob Stevens, a 40-year liquor-industry veteran who consults with the Bellevue-based distributor Odom on the voter measure.
OFM did not include the initiative's new tax in its report because there were no specific numbers for it, said legislative director Julie Murray. "We include impacts actually from an initiative, because that's what becomes law."
Initiative 1105 calls for the liquor board to recommend a new tax rate. It is backed by $2.2 million from Odom Southern Holdings, Odom's partnership with Southern Wine and Spirits, and another distributor, Young's Market Co., which is based Southern California.
Initiative 1100 has attracted $1.2 million in funding from Costco, Safeway and others.
Melissa Allison: 206-464-3312 or email@example.com


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Travis Kalanick CEO of Uber Technologies Speaks at Fortune's 2013 Brainstorm Tech conference.
Travis Kalanick, CEO of Uber, Techweek Chicago 2012
UBER on Moving into Resistant Markets
Uber CEO on lobbying for new markets
Uber CEO on NYC free taxi week
Read more about The Geek Mind.


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HYDERABAD | BENGALURU: Taxi-aggregator Ola discusses a collaboration with a little known manufacturer of electric bicycles and auto-rickshaws for its proposed electric vehicle fleet.
Ola plans to partner with Gayam Motor Works based in Hyderabad for a series of electric vehicles in cities including Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru and Hyderabad, according to two people directly aware of the discussions. The pilot project is expected to start in June or July, they said. The partnership with GMW may not be for electric cars.
GMW, launched in 2010 by brothers Raja Gayam and Rahul Gayam, manufactures electric bicycles and electric cars. He is also working on the addition of four electric wheels to his fleet. The last year the company has been the news for striking partnerships with UberEATS and Swiggy food delivery to provide its bikes for their delivery staff.
Ola’s ambitious effort to launch a fleet of electric vehicles has the blessings of the chief executive of the main investor, Masayoshi Son. He declared in December after a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi that he wanted to “give a million electric cars, made in India, free to drivers of Ola cars.”
Since then, Ola has quickly embarked on pilot projects in its main markets. In March, the company announced a partnership with the Telangana government for an electric vehicle test.
“We are in discussions” We are in congress with Gayam Mo tor Works, who is helping us with this project, “said an Ola leader on condition of anonymity.” Ideally, it’s like the way you saw Tesla at United States. There will be plans to set up charging stations or battery replacement in cities. At present, we only look at major cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru and Hyderabad. “
Telangana’s Information Technology Secretary, Jayesh Ranjan, said the Ola electric vehicle pilot project in Hyderabad would start with 100 vehicles and includes cars, buses and automobiles.
“It’s up to Ola to create the vehicles for this project, they already have a partnership with Mahindra for electric cars, and they’re talking to GMW about electric cars and another bus company,” Ranjan said.
Automaker Mahindra and Mahindra BSE -0.69% manufactures electric vehicles under the brands E2O and eVerito.
Ola refused to comment on the report. GMW did not respond immediately to requests sent by ET.
Click here for Telangana News
The introduction of electric motor vehicles by Ola is expected to boost sales of electric vehicles in the country as well as help reduce air pollution and energy import bills in India.
“The electric vehicle segment will be a hot space to be in India in the coming years.” In addition, government support for Ola is a huge pressure for (electric vehicle manufacturers), “said an analyst.


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A Forks Township resident has collected 400 signatures in an online petition opposing plans for a McDonald's restaurant.
The zoning hearing board gave permission Monday night for a large sign, a flat roof and a loading zone for the fast-food restaurant on Town Center Boulevard. It's planned behind Rita's Italian Ice near Sullivan Trail.
The zoners postponed a decision on whether to allow the McDonald's to have fewer parking spaces than required by law.
Township resident Scott Haykin voiced opposition to the restaurant at Monday's meeting on behalf of the neighbors. His online petition, "Keep McDonald's OUT of Forks Township, PA" on change.org, had 436 supporters as of 7:25 tonight.
"We don't have a Route 22. We don't have a Route 248. We have a Trail," Haykin said, referring to Sullivan Trail. "It's a rural road. It's not set up for fast-food restaurants. If we allow one, where does it end?"
Zoning Hearing Board Chairman John Pappas told the handful of McDonald's opponents at the meeting that their questions and comments had to be limited to zoning issues. They will have a chance to comment further when the supervisors consider the matter, he said.
A few residents asked questions about the reasons for the variances, but most resolved to come to future planning or supervisors meetings when their objections could be heard.
If the development is approved, the developers say construction could begin in September and the McDonald's could open by the end of the year.
Board Vice Chairman Robert Kimmel was the only "no" vote to allow a Golden Arches sign on Sullivan Trail.
Township ordinances call for a maximum height of 6 feet. The McDonald's sign would be 15 feet tall. However, developers argued the sign would be next to the existing Town Center shopping center sign that is 34 feet tall and near a Rita's Water Ice sign that is 16 feet tall.
"We are comparable to other signs in the neighborhood," Michael Jeitner, of Bohler Engineering, testified on McDonald's behalf.
He said approximately 50 percent of the McDonald's business is impulse purchases as people drive by, and so an increased visibility is necessary.
Based on the shopping center's square footage, township laws require 531 parking spaces. The plan calls for 420 spaces, however. A McDonald's parking study in October determined only 146 existing parking spaces were in use at the lot's busiest time, so there should be ample parking for an additional restaurant, the study determined.
Zoner Peter Rossi was concerned landowner Norman Falk might lease out sections of the parking lot in the future, and overcrowded parking could become a problem, he said.
Zoning board solicitor Michael Shay suggested they delay the parking variance vote until Feb. 24. With Falk present, the zoners could impose a condition that no future leases of the parking area would be allowed without township approval.
To see the petition go to tinyurl.com/forks-mcdonalds.


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A welcomed late-surprise at the EICMA show in Milan, two Italian names in small-displacement racing have come together to get young riders on the race track.
I am of course talking about Aprilia and Ohvale, which have collaborated to build the Aprilia RS 250 SP race bike.
A purpose built racing machine, the Aprilia RS 250 SP is like a bigger Ohvale in its presentation, complete with 17″ wheels, and all the high-performance parts you would expect to see on a proper racing machine.
As such, the go-fast bits are brakes by Brembo, suspension by Öhlins, and a rowdy exhaust by SC-Project. The 17-inch Marchesini wheels will mount Pirelli rubber, making this a very Italian affair.
Though the engine is sourced from Aprilia, Ohvale will handle the production, with pricing set under €10,000.
To help groom younger riders, the Italian FMI Aprilia Sport Production Championship is being set up, which is a spec-series with the Aprilia RS 250 SP at its center.
The series will be a six-race affair and start next year, with the hopes of finding the next Max Biaggi, Loris Capirossi, or Valentino Rossi. It is a very interesting approach, and one that other locations should be keen to mimic.
“The new championship takes up a tradition that makes Aprilia unique, a brand that has taken generations of young people onto the track and that has raised up great champions,” said Massimo Rivola, CEO of Aprilia Racing.
“From 2020, thanks to the partnership with the Federation, we will once again be providing fun for young people who, in this championship, will find a way to make their dreams come true and perhaps, this is our wish, the start of a path in the world of competitive motorcycling.”
“This is why we have designed an easy bike and formula that will attract the highest number of young people to competitive motorcycling.”
Source: Aprilia via Our Silly Dutch Friends at Nieuwsmotor.nl
Be sure to follow all of our 2019 EICMA show coverage this over the coming days, for the latest news and releases for the 2020 motorcycle model year.
Our EICMA show coverage is made possible by our A&R Pro members. If you like reading this unique coverage on Asphalt & Rubber, you should consider supporting this content by signing up for A&R Pro.


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Online Advertising Programme could be a huge opportunity – if we engage with change
Of all the Government consultations that I have worked on in seven years at the IAB, this one is the most far-reaching.
Since it launched back in March, the Government’s consultation on the Online Advertising Programme (or OAP for short) hasn’t generated a huge amount of noise in the industry press. Overshadowed by the Online Safety Bill and without any concrete outputs to grab headlines, it may seem at first glance like there isn’t much to say about the OAP or that it’s nothing to worry about yet. Plus there is nothing quite like the term ‘Government consultation’ to get people to tune out. Please don’t, I promise this is worth your while.
Of all the Government consultations that I have worked on in seven years at the IAB, this one is the most far-reaching and has the most potential to change our industry. And when I say ‘our industry’ I mean everybody – from brands to publishers to ad tech, anyone whose business is involved in creating, serving or is funded by digital advertising will be impacted by the OAP.
If you’re thinking “but I don’t usually need to pay attention to Government consultations”, the OAP is different. For better or worse, it could entirely change the rules – and laws – that govern digital advertising and the companies engaged in it. It’s therefore essential that we – the IAB, our members and the wider industry – push the Government to take a nuanced, evidence-led approach that will address issues in a targeted way without damaging our diverse, ad funded web.
But before I continue, what actually is the OAP? Essentially, it’s reviewing how all paid-for digital advertising, and the companies involved in buying and selling it, are regulated in the UK. It will be assessing the entire regulatory framework for online advertising to understand what works and what doesn’t – all through the lens of addressing both legal and illegal ‘harms’.
That’s a very top line explanation (you can find more detail here) but you get the idea. The OAP is a big deal and, if there is one thing we do know, it’s that there will be changes made to how digital advertising is currently regulated. We don’t yet know what form these will take, but there are essentially three broad outcomes on the table:
1. Self-regulation is largely maintained, bolstered by industry-led efforts such as formally adopting the ASA’s Intermediary & Platform Principles (currently subject to an industry pilot).
2. A co-regulatory arrangement is adopted where self-regulation is maintained but a statutory regulator is introduced as a backstop to some or all parts of the advertising rules.
3. A full statutory approach is taken where self-regulation is abandoned and a statutory regulator is given rule-making, sanctioning and information-gathering powers.
It’s worth noting that these outcomes aren’t necessarily mutually exclusive – what’s right for one challenge within the industry might not work for another.
I know that the prospect of change on this level sounds pretty daunting, but I think it’s important to realise that the OAP is a huge opportunity for all of us to help positively evolve digital advertising. It’s our chance to champion the good work that is being done in terms of industry-led standards and initiatives and to tackle the challenges that need to be addressed.
So often regulation is seen as a negative or hostile development, but the OAP shouldn’t be a vehicle for more or blunt regulation. It should – if we as an industry engage with it and the Government listens – mean better and more effective regulation founded in robust evidence, that targets the areas of highest risk to consumers. It should mean a greater appreciation for the ad-funded digital ecosystem that we all enjoy. And it should mean more coordination and consistency from the Government on regulating digital advertising in a joined up, coherent way.
At the IAB, our consultation response will be focused on putting forward sound evidence to show what is currently working well and how the industry is proactively driving self-regulation forward, whether that’s via the IAB Gold Standard or the ASA/CAP system. Yet we will also be realistic about the fact that there are some gaps in the current framework where issues need more attention, as well as what we think the most appropriate solutions are. A perfect example of this is scam ads, which are currently falling into a regulatory crack between the ASA and law enforcement. The OAP has the ability to fill this, creating more coordination between industry, law enforcement, and existing regulators.
However, while there are clearly issues that need addressing, this needs to be done in a way that doesn’t damage what is currently working. Rather than overhauling all parts of the current regulatory system in a bid to be seen to be doing something, the Government needs to take a nuanced, evidence-led approach that will effectively address the issues while protecting the functionality of the ad funded web we all enjoy. This is what the IAB will be pushing for and we’re calling on the wider industry to do the same.
If this doesn’t happen and we end up with the full statutory approach (aka the third option listed above), we stand to see vast disruption to the digital ecosystem, growth hampered, and the diversity of digital media sharply curtailed. This is a very real risk if we don’t collectively engage with the consultation. Decisions will be made for us based on the input of others and we will end up with badly designed, poorly implemented, and ineffective regulation that won’t add value for consumers. It will make doing business more expensive and make the market less competitive.
While different areas of our industry will have different priorities and concerns, I think we can all agree that option three works for no one. None of the available evidence supports such drastic intervention and it’s essential that we come together to assert that challenges can be addressed more effectively in a targeted, proportionate way.
So what should you be doing? With just two weeks to go until the consultation closes, it’s crucial that as much of the industry as possible is engaging with the OAP and submitting responses to the consultation. If you’re an IAB member, please get in touch with us to feed into our response, but also make sure that you’re putting forward your own response. We can help with this if you drop us a line. There is an element of strength in numbers here, and DCMS wants to hear from all parts of the digital advertising supply chain, companies both large and small.
As an industry, this is our opportunity to help bring about positive change and shape the future of digital regulation. It’s a collective opportunity, but it rests on individual action. Don’t hesitate to get involved.
Christie Dennehy-Neil is head of policy & regulatory affairs, IAB UK


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Patrons of Vodafone’s mobile money service, Vodafone Cash, can now use the platform to pay for their DStv subscriptions.
This is as a result of a partnership deal between Vodafone and MultiChoice to provide customers a hassle-free option of cashless payments for both DStv and GOtv using Vodafone Cash.
The new option on the service enables customers to make payments for both monthly and yearly subscriptions.
This is a first for any of the satellite TV’s mobile money service payment avenues, giving customers the choice to side-step bothersome month-on-month payments and subscription renewals.
Commenting on the partnership, Martison Obeng-Agyei, Head of Vodafone Cash, said, “This is a further step in our quest to promote a cash-lite agenda in the country. We are grateful for such an opportunity by DStv to be part of their network and family.”
“We have put the right systems in place to ensure that our customers can transact business in the most secure and convenient manner. Vodafone will continue to introduce innovations that will help us fulfil our promise of an exciting future for our customers,” he said.
Cecil Sunkwa-Mills, Managing Director of MultiChoice Ghana, said, “We are excited to be part of the Vodafone mobile money success story. This partnership also coincides with a promotion we are running where we give discounts to all customers who pay on time – discounts to shop at some of the major retail outlets in the country including Electroland and Zoobashop.”
Vodafone Cash Customers who wish to pay for their DStv subscription can do so by dialling the short code *110# and selecting the “Pay Bills” and “Utilities” options.
After payment is completed, customers receive an SMS notice on their phones to confirm payment.
By Times Reporter


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Year in and year out, the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord are America's best-selling cars. But neither is the top-selling vehicle.
Both are outsold almost 2 to 1 by the F-series, the full-size Ford pickup truck that often sells 800,000 copies each year. Right behind the Ford in sales volume are the Chevrolet Silverado-GMC Sierra and the Dodge Ram — a quartet that in the last decade has put nearly 20 million new trucks on the roads.
Now Nissan Motor Co. is trying to carve out a larger piece of the huge American pickup market with its Mississippi-made Titan.
Nissan will offer an optional diesel engine in its Titan full-size pickup — a 5-liter V-8 turbo diesel supplied by a venerable U.S. engine maker: Cummins Inc. of Columbus, Ind.
Details on timing were not disclosed but the Cummins diesel-Titan apparently will reach dealers next summer. It'll be the only diesel pickup on the market not beefed up as a work truck.
"Truck owners told us there's a demand for the performance and torque of a diesel in a capable truck that doesn't require the jump up to a heavy-duty commercial pickup," said Fred Diaz, vice president for North American Nissan sales and marketing.
Yokohama-based Nissan missed expectations a decade ago with Japan's first pickup that appeared to match the size and power of the trucks that are a cornerstone of U.S. sales for General Motors Co., Ford Motor Co. and Chrysler Group LLC.
Nissan never has come close to its initial target — selling 100,000 Titans a year. Only 10,020 have been shipped this year through July, a fraction of the sales of the Detroit trucks.
Struggling to sell pickups, Nissan turned to Chrysler to rebadge Rams as Titans, but the deal collapsed in 2009 when Fiat absorbed bankrupt Chrysler. Nissan then set out to revamp the Titan itself. The redesigned model will reach dealers next year. It's the first complete makeover since the truck's 2003 debut.
Cummins, a longtime engine maker for heavy trucks, has been supplying Chrysler for years, but was able to offer Nissan an engine because of unused capacity in Indiana.
Cummins in 2006 announced a partnership to sell the same light-duty diesel to Chrysler. Then the 2009 Chrysler bankruptcy forced Cummins to shelve the 5-liter V-8. A deal is possible because Nissan doesn't have exclusive rights to the diesel, so other automakers may buy the same engine from Cummins, the Indianapolis Star reported.
Sales of new full-size pickups jumped 23 percent this year through July, according to Autodata Corp. Large pickups account for most of the profits earned by U.S. automakers.
Diesel's power and towing capability appeal to drivers, particularly in work trucks. Cummins' 6.7-liter turbo diesel goes into Chrysler's Ram Heavy Duty truck, while GM uses an Isuzu version known as the Duramax and Ford makes its diesel after ending an engine deal with Navistar International.
Toyota City, Japan-based Toyota Motor Co., which is readying a revamped Tundra, has no plans to now add a diesel engine, said Bill Fay, the company's group vice president for U.S. sales.
Nissan's assembly plant at Canton, Miss., produces the Titan. Nissan makes the gasoline engines at Decherd, Tenn.
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Heineken, the world’s second-largest brewer, reported higher earnings on increased sales in the first half of 2017 as investment in innovations kicked in and its premium brands accounted for a larger share of total revenues.
Amsterdam-based Heineken said on Monday sales volume was 2.6% higher around the world, while its top brand, Heineken, booked a 3.9% gain in the first half.
‘We booked strong results with all four of our sales regions contributing to autonomous sales growth, turnover and operating profit,’ said Heineken CEO Jean-François van Boxmeer.
Turnover was 5.7% higher at €10.5bn, while gross operating profit was €1.8bn, a 5.9% increase over the year-earlier period. Net profit came in at €871m, a 48.6% gain. In the first half of 2016, Heineken’s net profit halved due to write-offs in Congo.
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Mark Cuban is a well-known American entrepreneur and investor. He is the owner of the NBA team, the Dallas Mavericks, and is also a shark on the hit TV show, Shark Tank.
Cuban is no stranger to investing in new and innovative businesses, so it’s no surprise that he has also invested in Bitcoin.
Cuban first revealed his investment in Bitcoin back in 2013, when the price of Bitcoin was just $100. At the time, Cuban said that he had purchased around $20 worth of Bitcoin.
Since then, the price of Bitcoin has risen astronomically, and Cuban’s investment is now worth millions of dollars.
Interestingly, Cuban is not only an investor in Bitcoin, but he is also a believer in the technology behind it. In an interview with CNBC, Cuban stated that he thinks Blockchain technology is “disruptive” and has the potential to change many industries.
So, does Mark Cuban own Bitcoin? Yes, he does! And he’s not the only one – there are many other well-known investors and entrepreneurs who have also invested in Bitcoin.


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Tough times for Matalan
TRADING figures showing tough times at budget retailer Matalan raised the temperature for founder-chairman John Hargreaves at today's heated annual meeting.
His biggest institutional shareholder, Harris Associates, has been infuriated by his behaviour in his moves to take over the company, and planned to oppose his re-election to the board.
Matalan's independent nonexecutive directors issued a statement to the stock market last week against Hargreaves's wishes, saying he was looking at bidding for the company and wanted to cut the dividend.
Matalan today warned that the environment across the sector remains tough. Sales in May and June at shops a year or more old were down 0.1% on last year's poor figures.
That was a modest improvement on the 2.2% fall in the previous two months but 1% of itwas due to a one-off uplift from World Cup-related products.
Matalan said its market share remained at 3%, as a result of improved ranges and better marketing.
It has also continued to reposition its homeware operation, with existing ranges being cleared ahead of the introduction of new stock later in the year.
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On May 5th, U of Ottawa Law professor Michael Geist wrote an article for the Toronto Star arguing that the impending arrival of the Apple iPhone in Canada highlights flaws in our wireless industry, pointing out that we have high prices and poor choice. In response, Rob Bruce, the president of Rogers, wrote a letter to the Star saying that we have all the choice we need. I want some of what Mr. Bruce is smoking, because it seems to be truly distorting reality for him.
The truth of it is that Rogers, nicknamed "Robbers" by many pundits, only offers the choice of one high-priced wireless data plan versus another. Virtually every offering of theirs costs more, and delivers less, than the plans offered by their two competitors Telus and Bell. But even the plans of these other competitors are markedly higher than the cost of plans in our neighbouring country to the south, and US plans cost a multiple of the plans in Europe.
Last year, Rogers reported profits of $2.6Billion on revenues of $5.5Billion. That's nearly a 50% profit margin, and is higher than any company in the Fortune 100 listing; the most profitable telecoms company on that list, Teléfonica, had only a 12% profit margin last year, while Rogers was nearly 4 times higher!. It really does serve to bring meaning to the old phrase "Sure, you can have a monopoly without greed, but what would be the point?". And make no mistake, in many ways Rogers is a monopoly, for just a few years ago it bought out its only real competitor, Fido. And before you blame the Conservative government for that, it happened under the previous Liberal government.
Rogers is also a monopoly for technical reasons. Cell phones are very personal devices. If you want to buy and use a specific model of phone, you'll find it will run on only one network. A model like the iPhone will only run on the Rogers GSM network; it won't operate on the Telus or Bell CDMA networks (and vice versa for many CDMA models). And since Rogers coerces(1) customers into signing 3-year contracts (longer than anywhere else in N. America, if not the world), you are indeed in the hands of a monopolist as soon as you buy one of their devices. In the United States however, there are two GSM networks (T-Mobile and AT&T), so if you have an unlocked phone, you can switch between networks (though it must be pointed out that AT&T has an exclusive contract for two years on the original iPhone; other cellphone models can be bought 'unlocked' and as such are easier to move from one network to another).
In summary, we have the worst of both worlds in Canada: no choice, and no value. The current spectrum auction should bring a new player to the scene by 2009, but it's too early to tell if better prices for Canadians will result. Should we suspend judgment and wait to see what happens, or should we start agitating now to dump the restrictive Canadian ownership provisions in the cellular industry and let in right now the big foreign players with their markedly lower prices?
(1) Rogers' subsidiary Fido refuses to provide you with its latest wireless data package unless you sign a 3-year term.


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As the National Weather Service's Hurricane Center notes, nothing is as important as preparedness when it comes to storm safety. Not only should you know when and what kind of storm is coming, but you'll want to take precautionary measures to make certain your home isn't vulnerable to damage from a major weather phenomena.
Marvin replacement windows in New Jersey can be a major step toward storm preparedness. The Jersey Shore has seen its fair share of hurricanes, and there's no telling when another may strike. Luckily, thanks to StormPlus protection, you'll be looking from the inside out staring down that hurricane in its tracks.
The key to StormPlus windows may just be the matched qualities of beauty and durability. These windows don't sacrifice any of their grace for strength. While they offer beautiful views and energy efficiency benefits, these fiberglass replacement windows are also designed with coastal codes in mind, which means they'll protect against flying debris, torrential downpour, pressure changes and temperature extremes.
Coastal homeowners are used to the elements taking a toll on their windows, but StormPlus sidesteps the wear and tear of sun, salt and humidity thanks to superior materials. The aluminum cladding on these products is fabricated using a five-step pre-treatment process, and you can expect colors to stay fresh and glossy years down the road, despite storm conditions.
Testing for the worst a storm will offer
As Jersey Shore natives know, hurricanes can throw a lot at you – sometimes literally. That's why StormPlus products aren't only designed for coastal conditions, but tested for major storms – including impact resistance. Dealing with winds of 120 to 140 miles per hour and withstanding major damage from wind-carried debris are what these windows do best, designed to meet all international building codes for any Atlantic coastal area. You can rest assured with StormPlus, even after a major impact, the window's structural integrity remains intact thanks to its laminate layers.
Just because StormPlus windows represent a new pinnacle of hurricane preparedness for homeowners doesn't mean they sacrifice aesthetic quality or style for it. For example, the double hung windows offer interlocking checkrail systems that combine added strength and reinforced frames with a clean and sleek appearance. Best of all, these windows are available in clad and wood as well as a variety of shapes, such as rounded tops.
Marvin Window News brought to you by Global Home Improvement, the Tri-State's Leading Home Remodeler. For your Free Estimate call (877) 711-9850 today!