text:
Is ‘Innovation’ overrated?
Here’s a silly game. Say a word over and over again until it sounds odd. There’s a Friends episode where a stoner guy does this with “tartlets” until he says, “The word has lost all meaning”.
The scientific term for this is “semantic saturation”. The brain can’t cope with endless repetition and gives up interpreting the word, leaving only the empty sounds.
One word in business is perilously close to this. That word is “innovate”.
Everyone wants to innovate. The new Microsoft chief executive on his first day sent a memo to all employees telling them to “prioritise innovation”. He’s used the word in almost every speech, ticking it off like buzzword bingo.
The old Technology Strategy Board has rebranded as Innovate UK. In a Dilbert cartoon, the cruel Dogbert tells a meeting: “To survive you must create disruptive innovations which redefine the market.” Dilbert replies: “Does that mean the same thing as ‘Sell things that people want?’”.
There are 32,428 books with “innovation” in the title. There are more than 6,000 examples of “innovative trousers” to be found on Google.
The word is overdone. Overused. Exhausted. But is there something worse at hand. Something more worrying?
The word itself may be having a malign effect on corporations. The rush to innovate may be forcing firms to behave in risky and foolish ways.
Innovative firms are early adopters. When the NHS launched the Connecting for Health computer system, it was hailed an innovative in terms of size and design. No one had seen anything like it.
House of Commons oversight committee chairman Edward Leigh remarked: “This is the biggest IT project in the world and it is turning into the biggest disaster.” Around £20 billion was lost before the plug was pulled. The National Audit Office review pointed out that the NHS had no business trying to use untested technologies. Innovative software is buggy, has no support and no eco-system of third parties to offer their help. Being innovative led the NHS to catastrophe.
Entrepreneurs are encouraged to be innovative. That’s where the glory is. Henry Oakes launched a rival to the National Lottery in his early-20s. His revolutionary idea was a map of the UK, with squares being bought by punters. The draw would select a square at random. He got big money backing. The idea was totally new. It failed.
He recalls: “Part of the problem I think was that we were too busy trying to be cool: we were putting so much of our attention into being the next big thing in gaming that we lost focus on the fundamentals of what our customers really wanted.
The rush to innovate may be forcing firms to behave in risky and foolish ways
“The real problem with this myth, though, is not that it’s a cliché; it’s that it’s a damaging cliché. It’s distorting our view of what it’s like to be an entrepreneur, glossing over the difficulties with a romantic veneer. It makes us think that the best way to build a business is to come up with some brilliant, daring idea and make everyone fall in love with it. We seriously need to get a reality check.”
Mr Oakes saved his firm Geonomics by moving into gambling software – a much safer sector. He now employs 40, has global clients and last year landed £10 million in investment.
Firms which believe they are innovative can distract themselves from their shortcomings. Ogilvy & Mather’s chief innovation officer Mark Lainas says: “Innovation as a word is continuously overused and abused, and is perhaps in danger of overkill. It is a word that firms hide behind when they’re yet to work out what business problem it is that they are facing.” Clear action needs clear thinking, which requires clear language.
The pressure to be innovative results in pointless novelty. The London 2012 Olympic logo was declared by brand agency Wolff Olins to be “truly innovative”. It was, but arguably at the cost of leaving behind all reference to the nation and city it was representing.
Innovating can confuse customers, not to mention the firm’s own employees. Andy Barr, boss of public relations firm 10 Yetis says big changes make marketers’ jobs so much harder. “Innovation isn’t always the best route for a brand to try and go down,” he says.
“Going overboard with innovation can lead to a certain complexity which alienates users or potential customers and that’s always the risk brands take. If you have a solid product or service that people have come to rely on and recognise, changing things too drastically or trying to fix something that isn’t broken can do more harm than good.”
Abandoning the siren call of innovation means using reliable software; using lower-cost hardware. It means milking products which you know consumers will buy.
Guinness has used the same recipe since 1759. Drinkers love the fact Guinness never changes and owners Diageo knows the product won’t fall out of fashion, unlike perhaps the dozens of innovative spirits on its books.
Opening a franchise is the least innovative way to start a business. It is also the most likely to succeed. The model is proven. The franchisee provides support. Banks love them. The British Franchise Association reports 92 per cent of franchises are profitable. Sexy? No, but sane.
To be clear, innovation has its place. The world needs Apollo 11 rockets and driverless cars. But it should be OK not to innovate. And to be open about that.


text:
Issue Brief: Financial Literacy and Small Business Resilience
The Covid-19 pandemic is the most significant economic shock in modern history. Overnight, the country went from steady growth and full employment to a full stop. As lockdowns were implemented, businesses shuddered operations. Since March 2020, we have developed ways to cope with the virus, but even two years later, we continue to deal with supply chain disruptions, virus variants, and remarkably changed business landscape.

domain: news


text:
A lot of people were shaking their heads when YouTube was acquired by Google. A lot of people were skeptical about the deal. They thought that Google was doing a typical Yahoo move. Remember that Yahoo bought Broadcast.com and Geocities for billions of dollars and proceeded to basically do nothing substantial with them and as a result, Yahoo shut down the last Geocities page a few years ago, in other words, billions of dollars down the toilet. Skeptics of Google-YouTube deal thought that this was happening.
It turns out that YouTube has become a cornerstone and Google’s ongoing campaign to completely dominate the internet. YouTube sucks up traffic, make no mistake about it. It gets millions and millions of unique visitors every single day. It’s one of the consistently most popular online destinations on the planet. As a result, Google has really assimilated this website like the Borg and Star Trek. It started of course with assimilating its ad technology then it has moved into its user accounts. Now, you need to have a Google Plus account to comment on a video and Google Plus would publish your full name, at least the name that you give Google Plus. This is all part of Google’s effort to cut down on comment spam, trolling and of course boost Google Plus. After all, many skeptics look at the Google Plus as a herpes sores. It’s just something that you have to put up with permanently but thankfully, it goes away most of the time. You don’t have to think about it most of the time.
This has ruffled a few feathers and one of the cofounders of YouTube Jawed Karim actually posted his first comment on YouTube in eight years saying that “Why the fuck does he have to need a Google Plus account just to comment on a video?” the profanity does raise suspicions that maybe Karim’s account got hacked but regardless, his comment does post a slap to the assimilation of YouTube into Google’s overarching web strategy. Make no mistake about it, Google is serious about creating a seamless experience for people using Google online services. Like it or not, YouTube is part of Google’s empire and it can do whatever it wants.


text:
You are here
CINCINNATI -- The Central Division of The Kroger Co. here yesterday launched an environmental partnership with Keep Indianapolis Beautiful, Inc. (KIB) with an initial $25,000 contribution, and with a portion of that 2008 funding earmarked to support beautification projects in the neighborhoods adjacent to Kroger's newest regional stores.
The move is the latest commitment Kroger is making as part of a comprehensive green initiative intended to reduce its impact on the environment. Preliminary components of the program include support of the city’s tree canopy campaign, placing plastic recycling barrels in every Central division store, placing recycle containers in the parking lot of every metro Indianapolis store, and generating substantial revenues in support of KIB’s operations.
Working with KIB and paper recycler AbitibiBowater – the latter of which will manage the program -- Kroger will place large recycle containers in the parking lots of all 46 Kroger stores in the metro Indianapolis market. The food retailer will support the program with marketing and communications programs intended to raise customer and associate awareness and recycling participation. KIB will receive all revenue from the program to support their ongoing operations.
"The recycle containers in our parking lots represent only the beginning of a comprehensive green campaign led by Kroger and community partners,” said John Elliott, Kroger Central Division spokesman. “Protecting the environment matters a great deal to our associates and our customers. This is the beginning of an exciting partnership that will allow us to truly make a positive difference for our environment."
Kroger also recently launched a national plastic recycling program called "Bag 2 Bag," which includes custom-designed barrels allowing customers to contribute plastic grocery bags, dry cleaning plastic and other types of plastic bags for recycling. The barrels also are used for plastic generated by Kroger’s store operations, including shrink-wrap. In the first two months following the launch of the "Bag 2 Bag" program 122,320 pounds (more than 61 tons) of plastic has been gathered for recycling by Kroger’s Central Division stores.
The Kroger Central Division operates 129 pharmacies and 49 fuel centers operating under five banners; Kroger, Scott’s, Owen’s, Hilander, and Pay Less, with locations primarily in Indiana and Illinois, in addition to five stores in Missouri, one in Michigan and one in Ohio.


text:
Austin Engineering Ltd has provided an update on its growth initiative to expand Austin’s presence into new markets.
Recently, Austin was awarded contracts from four separate clients for new products into key new target territories. Product will be delivered to Africa (Egypt) and Eastern Europe (Ukraine), as well as into South and Central America (Argentina and the Dominican Republic). This is the first time in the company’s history that product has been supplied to these countries.
The total value of orders, consisting of truck bodies and buckets, received is in excess of AUS$6 million and is anticipated to provide a springboard for further sales into these markets. The majority of the orders received by value have been provided from subsidiary companies of large global miners.
The order received in Egypt was made possible by the Austin ETT joint venture partnership entered into earlier in 2020. Prior to this partnership, the company would not have been in the running for this opportunity, further cementing the value in collaborating with the right strategic partners in territories that Austin does not currently have a physical presence.
In line with this strategy, the company has also recently signed a contract with a representative in South America to work with potential clients in Brazil and is in the process of finalising a representative to support Austin in Eastern Europe. Both of these markets have a large field population of mining trucks and shovels and could be important markets for Austin in the medium term.
Managing Director, Peter Forsyth, said: “These new territories are important to Austin’s growth aspirations, as there are a number of mining regions around the world that are still largely operating with standard OEM products for truck bodies and excavator buckets. Adoption of Austin’s innovative replacement products in these regions would enhance production metrics significantly. Partnerships are proving key to our success in entering these new regions and allow us to leverage our experience with our partners’ commercial contacts to achieve great outcomes for Austin, our clients and our partners.”
The new market sales success is supportive of Austin’s guidance for underlying profit after tax to be in excess of AUS$9 million for FY2021, which remains unchanged.
Read the article online at: https://www.globalminingreview.com/finance-business/13112020/austin-engineering-awarded-new-contracts/
You might also like
Flender has received the Supplier Excellence Recognition Award from Caterpillar.


text:
by Admin | Aug 15, 2019
If you’re reading this blog, it’s very likely that you already know how vital the trucking industry is to the US. In fact, 71% of all freight in the US is delivered by truck.
But did you know some of these other amazing facts about the trucking industry?
American Freight Inc. is proud to be part of this growing industry. AFI projects that in 2019, we will:
Truck drivers who go through AFI will travel over 6.5 million miles in 2019, which is up from just under 5 million miles in 2017.
American Freight Inc. prides itself on a reputation for excellence in the trucking industry. For almost 20 years, we have focused on building strong partnerships with high-quality carriers to ensure that customers get the freight they need on the timeline they expect. Troy Hutchens, President, says, “I have always believed that brokers or ‘logistics firms’ should work as a bridge between carriers and customers and vice versa—not as an enemy or competition.”
At AFI, we consider ourselves a “trucker first” brokerage. As a third generation truck driver, our Vice President, Dave Marleau, has a clear understanding of the challenges drivers face. “From driving all night long to meet a 6:00 a.m. loading or delivery appointment, to the ‘hurry up and wait’ that happens a lot at shippers and receivers, to stringent federal regulations, to the stress of being away from family for days or weeks at a time, drivers make a lot of sacrifices to make sure the products we buy every day are always on the local shelves,” he says. “We at AFI love our truckers!”
AFI still pays its carriers within 21 days and focuses on building strong relationships with excellent carriers to keep the freight moving across the country. “Paying our carriers quickly helps them keep their businesses humming and gives customers the assurance that our truckers aren’t being gouged,” says Hutchens.
Twenty years is just the beginning. AFI is looking forward to contributing to the proud tradition of freight hauling for decades to come. Contact us to learn how you can be a part of our team.


text:
Audubon Aquarium of the Americas is excited to announce the opening of a new interactive exhibit that shines light on Louisiana’s fishing industry. GEAUX FISH! offers visitors a fun, hands-on opportunity to learn about Louisiana’s fishing industry, while educating guests about the importance of protecting these abundant aquatic resources.
Located in the Aquarium’s Changing Exhibits Gallery, guests can cast a virtual reel, identify local species, visit a seafood market, or hop on a fishing boat. GEAUX FISH! immerses visitors in Louisiana’s aquatic ecosystems through exhibitry fit for all ages.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to multivu.com/mnr/62500-audubon-aquarium-geaux-fish-gulf-coast-louisiana-fishing-industry-exhibit
3494 days ago by
Runtime: 1m16s | Views: 2673 |
Not yet rated


text:
Noble Financial Reiterates a Buy Rating on Gannett Co.By Jason Carr
In a report released today, Michael Kupinski from Noble Financial reiterated a Buy rating on Gannett Co. (NYSE: GCI), with a price target of $16. The company’s shares closed yesterday at $7.59, close to its 52-week low of $7.54.
According to TipRanks.com, Kupinski is ranked 0 out of 5 stars with an average return of -12.3% and a 40.0% success rate. Kupinski covers the Services sector, focusing on stocks such as Cumulus Media Inc., 1-800 Flowers.Com, and Townsquare Media.
Gannett Co. has an analyst consensus of Moderate Buy, with a price target consensus of $12.
Based on Gannett Co.’s latest earnings report from June 30, the company posted quarterly revenue of $748.8M and quarterly net profit of $12.27M. In comparison, last year the company earned revenue of $701.2M and had a net profit of $39.17M.
Based on the recent corporate insider activity of 20 insiders, corporate insider sentiment is positive on the stock. This means that over the past quarter there has been an increase of insiders buying their shares of GCI in relation to earlier this year. Most recently, in December 2015, John Jeffry Louis, a Director at GCI bought 27,504 shares for a total of $188,856.
Gannett Co., Inc. engages in the publishing business. Its operations include commercial printing, newswire, marketing and data services. The company was founded on November 21, 2014 and is headquartered in McLean, VA.


text:
PHOENIX — Producing T-shirts bearing slogans such as “Chillionaire” and “Work Hard, Love Hard,” Scottsdale’s Michael Poulos hopes that his beach clothing line will inspire others to live their dreams.
Poulos has been able to make his company, Living Dreams, his top priority since June 2012, when being accepted into Phoenix Fashion Week’s incubator for designers connected him with four months of fashion shows, media exposure and lessons in marketing.
“It’s been, I’d say, full-time from that day forward,” he said, adding that the experience led to $4,000 in sales.
Phoenix Fashion Week, a company that organizes the annual fashion show and connects designers with buyers, is trying to make the Valley a fashion hub through the Emerging Designer Program, which helped Poulos, as well as through its Fashion Hub co-working space.
Poulos, one of 12 designers selected for the 2012 program, didn’t win the $10,000 prize package that included business consulting and a magazine spread. But he and the others were still eligible for business training, promotion and placement in two fashion shows, valued at $1,295.
The program culminated at Phoenix Fashion Week’s October event, which drew dozens of designers to showcase their fashions.
Brian Hill, Phoenix Fashion Week’s executive director, said next year’s Emerging Designer Program will select 15 designers from a pool of about 300 fashion brands.
It was developed four years ago to prepare designers for Fashion Week beyond just designs, he said.
“In reality, young designers were really focused on their clothing and their craft. They weren’t focused on the business side of it,” Hill said.
Young designers need to target specialized retailers and bloggers who will love their products and evangelize for the brands, he said.
“You have to get the people who will drink your Kool-Aid,” Hill said.
The program originated as a way to build sustainable clothing brands in Arizona, he said.
“If you gotta go to LA or New York to run your fashion brand, you can’t hire a great marketing person from NAU,” Hill said.
From June until October, designers meet online every other Wednesday to learn business skills like marketing, writing press releases and developing appropriate profit margins, he said, noting that the designers only need to be in Phoenix three times during the program.
Los Angeles-based brand Shawl Dawls expanded from being in one store to 110 retails across the country because of the program, Hill said.
Zappos.com, the online shoe and clothing retailer, now carries four brands from the program, he said.
In addition to the Emerging Designer Program, Phoenix Fashion Week’s Fashion Hub, workspace located in east Phoenix, allows designers to collaborate and hone their skills while renting cubicles for $250 a month, Hill said.
Designers who use the Fashion Hub can take advantage of Phoenix Fashion Week’s weekly classes on topics like branding and profit margins, and they can immediately apply the knowledge to their brands, he said.
Hill said Phoenix Fashion Week plans to expand in 2014 to let designers cut and sew their fashions as well as adding a photography studio.
Elizabeth Norris-Baines, an aspiring fashion designer from Northern California, said the Fashion Hub has helped her develop contacts and learn about business
while she designs a line of business shirts for women.
“So it’s really given me a platform to succeed,” she said.
Norris-Baines, who owns a construction company in Oakland, Calif., said that despite having success starting and running a company she still has much to learn about the fashion industry.
“This is retail. This is completely different than what I’m accustomed to,” she said.


text:
Cattle farmers in Kiruhura district are struggling with infestation of ticks that have increasingly become resistant to acaricides.
One of the affected farmers is Dr Dick Kamuganga, who has lost 27 cows in the last two years. Kamuganga says he has been changing from one acaricide to another with hope he could find the best, but in vain.
“This problem is widespread in Kiruhura,” says Kamuganga. “We have been relying on government zoning which has not come to pass. We have been receiving different signals from NDA [National Drug Authority] and the ministry of Agriculture, but signal extraction for the farmer who is ignorant is very limited.”
According to the ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF), the country is faced with an influx of adulterated animal drugs, chemicals, acaricides and agrochemicals. This has resulted into failure to cure the intended diseases or kill the targeted pests.
To fight this problem, Kamuganga proposes that government traces the origin of the fake chemicals on the market and direct dealers to stop importing them.
Responding to Kamuganga and other farmers’ pleas, the government has set control and regulation measures on the importation, manufacture, distribution and retailing of animal drugs, biologicals, chemicals, acaricides, and agrochemicals.
Addressing dealers and importers of agrochemicals in Kampala today, minister for Agriculture, Vincent Bamulangaki Ssempijja, said research is being undertaken to identify an acaricides that is capable of killing of the resistant ticks.
“The effective acaricides will be used in the affected districts,” said Ssempijja. “Once the resistant tick is cleared, acaricides zoning will be adopted using single molecule acaricides.”
Citing his visit to Kiruhura on Tuesday, Ssempijja said farmers presented strange bottles labeled with brands of acaricides they use to spray ticks.
“They had been assured by some dealers that these concoctions will work,” he said. “We found out yesterday, with technical officers, that some of these concoctions have even killed their animals.”
To avoid further damage, Ssempijja said government would register and license all manufactures of animal drugs, chemicals, acaricides and agrochemicals as a prerequisite to operate.
To the farmers, government will provide information on authorised dealers from whom to buy animal drugs, chemicals, acaricides and agrochemicals. Within three months, all importers and dealers are expected to comply with the regulations.


text:
Market watcher Gartner has pointed to continued decline in the market for traditional PCs, claiming a 1.4 percent drop in shipments for the first quarter of the year - the 14th consecutive quarter of decline the company has recorded.
The explosion of interest in smartphone and tablet technology, devices which are typically cheaper than a traditional PC and yet can handle the majority of mainstream computing requirements such as communication apps, web browsing, and casual gaming, was bad news for the traditional PC market. Shipments of traditional PCs have been sliding for years, and while that decline has been slowing - driven, analysts claim, by a tailing off of interest in smartphone and tablet devices - sustained growth still seems to be a dim and distant memory.
Market watcher Gartner has released preliminary results for the PC market in the first quarter of 2018, and it's not great news: The company has recorded a 1.4 percent drop in shipments year-on-year, marking the 14th consecutive quarter of decline following a small uptick in shipments in the first quarter of 2012. The biggest contributor to a poor quarter, the company claims, was China with a 5.7 percent year-on-year drop in shipments, blamed on large enterprises delaying purchases and upgrades while awaiting guidance from the National People's Congress, while Asia Pacific (APAC) dropped 3.9 percent and the US 2.9 percent over the same period, slumps that were not offset by small growth in other regions including a 1.7 percent year-on-year increase for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA).
For individual vendors, only the top four saw growth overall: According to Gartner's estimates, HP saw 2.8 percent growth, Lenovo 0.3 percent growth, Dell impressive 6.5 percent growth, and Apple 1.5 percent growth. Asus and Acer, meanwhile, did poorly indeed, recording 12.5 percent and 8.6 percent declines respectively.
One potential contributing factor in the continued decline of traditional PC sales is, few will be surprised to read, higher average selling prices (ASPs) driven in no small part by the scarcity and subsequent increase in cost of DRAM parts. 'In contrast to other DRAM-related price spikes, PC vendors are not reacting by reducing DRAM content. Rather they have passed the cost increase to consumers,' explains principal analyst Mikako Kitagawa. 'With fewer people buying new machines, manufacturers need to get the highest profit margin from each sale. To do that, they are raising the selling points and focusing on customer experience or perception of value.'
Gartner has not included predictions for the coming quarter in its preliminary report.
October 14 2021 | 15:04


text: The Tredyffrin Township Police Department is actively investigating a pick-pocket theft incident which occurred on Saturday, June 9th, 2018 at the Panera Bread Café, located in the Gateway Shopping Center in Tredyffrin Township. The victim's credit cards were later fraudulently used at retail locations along the Route 422 corridor between Montgomery and Chester Counties. We are seeking the public's assistance in identifying the two individuals shown. Anyone with information is asked to contact Ofc. John Heleniak at 610-644-3221 or via e-mail at firstname.lastname@example.org. Anonymous tips can alsobe submitted via CRIMEWATCH at TredyffrinPD.org.


text: State-rescued Royal Bank of Scotland said Friday that it has sold 918 pubs to Scottish & Newcastle, the British division of Dutch brewer Heineken, for £422 million ($662 million, 491 million euros). \"The Royal Bank of Scotland Group plc today announces the sale of its tenanted pub business to Scottish & Newcastle Pub Company Limited (S&NPC), a subsidiary of Heineken NV,\" it said in a statement. \"The business, which comprises 918 pubs across the UK, has been operated since 1999 by S&NPC under a management agreement.\" The sale is part of Royal Bank of Scotland\'s ongoing plans to sell off non-core assets after receiving an enormous government bailout. The British taxpayer owns 83 percent of the company after a huge state rescue that was triggered by the 2008 global financial crisis. In a separate announcement, Heineken said it would combine the 918 pubs with its existing portfolio of 462 outlets in Britain. The Dutch firm added that the acquisition would make it one of the leading pub owners and operators in Britain.


text:
Cardano (ADA) prolonged its latest rally as a spike in NFT buying and selling on the blockchain and enhancing crypto sentiment drove extra ADA shopping for.
ADA jumped 14% up to now 24 hours to $0.624, bringing its good points up to now week to almost 22%. The token broadly outpaced its main crypto friends the previous week, amid hype over an upcoming improve and new options within the blockchain.
However ADA’s soar on Monday seems to be spurred by rising curiosity in Cardano’s NFT capabilities.
Cardano turns into the Third-largest NFT blockchain
Cardano’s day by day NFT sales reached $1.3 million on Monday, making the blockchain the third-largest NFT participant after Solana and Ethereum.
A big a part of this surge seemingly stems from customers shifting out of Solana and into Cardano, after the previous’s recent outage. A number of NFT merchants on Twitter had expressed their frustration over the common Solana outages, with some outright stating they might shift to Cardano.
Information from Cryptoslam reveals Solana’s day by day NFT gross sales plummeted practically 20% up to now 24 hours to $2.4 million. SOL, the blockchain’s native token, has additionally largely lagged the broader market, slumping 6% up to now week.
Land gross sales in Cardano-based play-to-earn game Cornucopias presently account for the biggest portion of NFT gross sales on the blockchain, at practically 5.1%. JPG Store is the biggest NFT market on Cardano, making up over 90% of day by day volumes.
The blockchain has now overtaken ImmutableX in day by day gross sales, in response to knowledge from Cryptoslam.
NFT curiosity, Vasil fork hype drive stellar ADA good points
ADA has benefited from the elevated NFT commerce. However the token has additionally surged on anticipation of a serious upcoming replace.
Cardano creator Charles Hoskinson stated new options for the blockchain can be revealed later this week.
The variety of builders constructing on Cardano additionally hit a record high recently, Github knowledge confirmed. This has additionally attracted elevated curiosity in ADA by massive whale merchants, which has additionally contributed to the token’s latest energy.
The offered content material could embody the non-public opinion of the creator and is topic to market situation. Do your market analysis earlier than investing in cryptocurrencies. The creator or the publication doesn’t maintain any duty in your private monetary loss.


text:
Livestock futures inched higher on Thursday, reversing course after a mixed start to the trading session.
Cash prices for cattle so far this week are lower than previous weeks, though they remain at a considerable premium to futures. That's helping to anchor cattle futures and prevent them from falling sharply as the market enters a seasonal slump.
Continue Reading Below
"There's no doubt that the cash market is starting to come down," said Don Roose, president of brokerage U.S. Commodities in Des Moines, Iowa. "Going through June that's going to be the pattern: The cash comes down more than the futures go up."
The U.S. Department of Agriculture reported live cattle sales for Wednesday of $1.32 a pound on moderate demand in southern states like Texas and Kansas, rising to $1.33 a pound in Colorado. That demand helped to lift futures on Thursday, said Brian Hoops, president of brokerage Midwest Market Solutions in Springfield, Mo.
Live cattle futures for June delivery rose 1.5% to $1.23925 a pound at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange on Thursday. Feeder cattle futures for August delivery also rose.
Analysts said demand for beef appears weaker. Retailers' efforts to secure supply of the meat ahead of Memorial Day weekend pushed prices higher and encouraged packers to raise bids on the cash market, analysts said, though they're now well stocked.
"Retailers have all the beef they need for the coming weekend, and that the high retail price might discourage demand," said Chicago-based forecaster the Hightower Report in a note to clients.
Hog futures also reversed course, closing higher after sliding at the opening. Cash hog prices and pork values, which were lower on Wednesday, starting rising on Thursday morning, according to the USDA.
CME June lean hog futures closed up 0.9% at 80.95 cents a pound. That was a new high for the June contract, and the highest for a front-month contract since July last year.
Write to Benjamin Parkin at firstname.lastname@example.org
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
May 25, 2017 15:03 ET (19:03 GMT)


text:
The Chinese smartphone company may unveil the Redmi Note 11 Pro variant soon. The Redmi Note 11 lineup, which included the Redmi Note 11 Pro and Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G, debuted in India earlier this year. It appears that the Xiaomi sub-brand will soon launch a refreshed model from this series, which is believed to affect the moniker Redmi Note 11 Pro 2023. The handset has reportedly been spotted on the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) database and has received the EEC. certificate.
according to recent report good By MySmartPrice, a Redmi smartphone with model number 2209116AG has been spotted on the FCC database. The alleged listing reveals that the handset has been named Redmi Note 11 Pro 2023. Further, it mentions that the handset runs on MIUI 13 out-of-the-box, which could be based on Android 12.
In related news, previous XiaomiUI report good Spotted the Redmi 2209116AG model on the IMEI database. The alleged listing by itself did not reveal any details about the handset; However, the report speculates that the Redmi Note 11 Pro 2023 could be a rebadge of the Redmi Note 10 Pro.
If true, the Redmi Note 11 Pro 2023 could boast of similar specifications to the handset that arrived in India last year. The price of Redmi Note 10 Pro is Rs. 15,999 for its base 6GB RAM + 64GB storage model at launch. It has a 6.67-inch full-HD + Super AMOLED display with 1,200 nits brightness and Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection. Under the hood, it packs a Qualcomm Snapdragon 732G SoC, paired with Adreno 618 GPU. The handset packs a 64-megapixel quad rear camera setup and a 16-megapixel selfie shooter.
As of now, Redmi has not officially confirmed the existence of Redmi Note 11 Pro 2023. However, considering that the handset is arriving on multiple certification sites, we may get an official announcement soon.


text:
Nokia has revealed that its Nokia X smartphone has garnered 1 million pre-orders in China in just 4 days.
The Finnish company’s first Android-running smartphone was launched at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2014, but it didn’t garner rave reviews considering the low level hardware it used in its three smartphones in contrast to high-end offerings that eager fans were waiting for.
Nokia announced its latest pre-order numbers for China through a post on its official Weibo account. There are still 10 days to go before Nokia X hits store shelves and many more are expected to order the smartphones.
Nokia X is powered by a dual-core Snapdragon S4 Play processor clocked at 1GHz, 4.0-inch IPS LCD display with 480 x 800 resolution, 512MB of RAM, 4GB of storage expandable by up to 32GB via microSD card, a 3.15-megapixel rear camera, and 1,500 mAh battery among other things.
Read More: Nokia X malware fears – are they legit?


text:
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — In a year like no other, restaurants around the city are struggling to stay afloat.
There are hopes that the annual Restaurant Week will give them a much-needed boost, but it won’t be business as usual.
As CBS2’s Hazel Sanchez reported Monday, Neir’s Tavern in Woodhaven, Queens has been a popular watering hole for more than 190 years. You may have seen it featured in the classic film “Goodfellas.” But owner Loycent Gorden said even its storied history isn’t enough to save it from the financial struggles of the pandemic.
“Whether you open up 191 years or one year, we all are going through the same struggle,” he said.
A record 570 restaurants across the five boroughs are taking part in NYC & Company‘s 29th annual Restaurant Week. Many are barely making ends meet without indoor dining and few customers braving the cold for outdoor dining.
This year’s Restaurant Week to-go is the lifeline they need.
Domenico and Anthony Sacramone own Sac’s Place in Astoria, Queens.
“This is going to be a huge boost for us if the whole community, all of Queens, can come and help us out,” Anthony Sacramone said.
Restaurants will be offering take out or delivery deals for $20.21, commemorating the new year.
NYC & Company waived participation fees and delivery platforms are discounting their commission this week.
“The main goal of this is just to get New Yorkers to do their civic duty and support the dining industry during this critical time,” said Alyssa Schmid, of NYC & Company.
“It’s so important that people participate in this because you’re literally saving a restaurant one order at a time,” Gordon said.
This is the first time RedFarm on the Upper West Side is offering deals on their Chinese cuisine during Restaurant Week.
“Hopefully this will be a huge boost in business for us, and hopefully we’re reaching out to people who haven’t tried our food before,” said RedFarm Manager Lisa Rudolph. “Any chance to have a new customer come in and love us and become a regular once this is all over, it’s very exciting.”
The annual event comes as many who work in restaurants still await eligibility for the COVID-19 vaccine. There still have been no word on when exactly their turn will come.
Global food manufacturer Cuisine Solutions is running a pop-up delivery-only operation out of a cramped Midtown basement. Chef Sean Wheaton told CBS2’s Nick Caloway essential employees like those in food service should be considered for the vaccine soon.
“I’m glad that we are considered one of those next couple of tiers down. Because we are directly relating to the public, we are interacting directly with the public, and we are interacting with their food,” Wheaton said.
If you are wondering when eating inside New York City restaurants will be on the menu again, don’t hold your breath. Gov. Andrew Cuomo said that is not on the table, at least not yet.
“And we’re not at this point, at this point, contemplating any changes,” Cuomo said.
The New York City Hospitality Alliance said keeping indoor dining closed in the city, but not other parts of the state, is discriminatory and destroying the lives of small business owners.
Andrew Rigie, the executive director fo the Alliance issued a statement, saying in part, “Multiple legal actions have been filed to reopen indoor dining in New York City and we are exploring all additional legal options on behalf of the city’s restaurant industry to ensure equitable treatment and application of the governor’s executive orders.”
Renowned chef Daniel Boulud said it’s time to lift the restrictions.
“Of course. I think we are very responsible. We are very, very careful. And at 25% we were doing very well in terms of safety, and in terms of satisfaction, and in terms of business, itself. We kept more jobs,” Boulud said.
The chef said he would love to see indoor dining resume again before what is traditionally one of the busiest nights of the year — Valentine’s Day.
That’s a little less than three weeks away.
For more information on Restaurant Week to-go, please CLICK HERE.
CBS2’s Nick Caloway contributed to this report
More From CBS New York:


text:
Written by: Roshan Dwivedi
Viu, PCCW Media’s OTT app for mobiles has seen over 1.2 million downloads in Hong Kong within 6 months since its launch. This achievement has made Viu win the Gold Award for Best Mobile App in this year’s HKICT Awards. Viu is available on both Android and iOS devices. The app allows video streaming as well as to download and watch later on phones and tablets. The content is the key to its success. Latest shows from Korea, China, Taiwan and Japan with subtitles available as fast as 4 hours are a huge draw to the app.
Ms. Janice Lee, Managing Director of PCCW Media Group, said, “We are very honored to receive the Gold Award for Best Mobile App in this year’s HKICT Awards. Winning this award against a host of strong contenders bears testament not only to the popularity of our app among consumers but also to the recognition of Viu as a truly outstanding and innovative ICT invention and application by the industry and the Awards’ professional adjudicators panel. Kudos to my committed team members who work relentlessly on developing and marketing the product. It is also encouraging to see Viu’s successful rollout in Singapore, Malaysia and India this year following the Hong Kong launch.”


text:
Apr 11, 2020
Mushrooms have become a popular trend in the health food world: but what's the truth about mushrooms? Jeff Chilton, our guest today, will tell us.
Jeff studied Ethnomycology at the University of Washington before embarking on a 10-year career as a large scale commercial mushroom grower. During that time he also co-authored “The Mushroom Cultivator”. Jeff went on to establish Nammex, the first company to supply medicinal mushroom extracts to the nutritional supplement industry, and to organize the first organic certification workshop for mushroom production in China.


text:
Behind the Numbers: PCE Inflation Update, May 2012
This update, prepared by Dallas Fed Senior Economist Jim Dolmas, provides an in-depth analysis of the latest personal consumption expenditures (PCE) inflation data. Updates will be posted monthly, following the release of the official PCE data by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. NOTE: Terms in bold are defined in the Inflation Update Glossary.
The Dallas Fed’s trimmed mean PCE inflation rate for May was an annualized 1.4 percent, which is at the lower end of the trimmed mean’s recent range—the monthly trimmed mean rate last dipped to 1.4 percent back in September 2011, and has averaged 1.9 percent in the interim.
This month’s release incorporates the BEA’s revision of the underlying data since January of this year. Trimmed mean rates for January, March and April increased as a result. The revised data point to a slightly higher rate of trend PCE inflation. The 12-month trimmed mean rate through April had been 1.8 percent; post revision, it is now 1.9 percent, a level at which it held steady in May. The six-month trimmed mean rate for April was revised up to 2.0 percent from 1.8 percent. From the revised 2.0 percent for April, the six-month rate fell to 1.8 percent in May.
In the revised data, there continues to be no indication that the underlying trend is accelerating, though perhaps also less indication that it could be decelerating. As before, the trend rate remains just under 2 percent. Based on the revised data, our best forecast of the rate that the headline, or all-items, PCE index will average over the next 12 months is now 1.9 percent, the latest 12-month trimmed mean rate.
In last month’s Inflation Update, we confidently predicted a negative headline rate for May. We weren’t really going out on a limb with that prediction, given that we had, at that point, nearly complete data on the price of gasoline for May. The price of gasoline ended up falling a bit less than we had expected—just 6.9 percent (seasonally adjusted) versus our prediction of an 8.1 percent decline—but the decline was still more than enough to pull the headline rate into negative territory. The headline index fell at an annualized 2.2 percent rate in May, after posting a negligible increase in April.
The revision increased the six- and 12-month headline rates through April—where previously we thought those rates were 1.9 and 1.8 percent, respectively, they are now estimated at 2.0 and 1.9 percent. Both dropped off noticeably in May, with the six- and 12-month headline rates each coming in at 1.5 percent.
Note that the release of PCE data for June will incorporate a more comprehensive revision by BEA, affecting data going back to 2009.
Gasoline Prices Continue to Fall
As noted above, the seasonally adjusted price of gasoline (and other motor fuel) fell 6.9 percent in May. That follows a 2.6 percent decline in April. On a 12-month basis, the price index for gasoline and other motor fuel is down roughly 4.5 percent—its first 12-month decline since October of 2009.
Based on the data we have so far for June—collected weekly at the retail level by the Department of Energy—the price of gasoline is on pace for a 2.2 percent decline in July, after taking account of normal seasonal patterns. That’s probably not enough to produce another negative headline PCE inflation rate but is likely sufficient to push June’s headline rate to near zero, assuming the components apart from gasoline repeat their performance from May.
Looking further ahead, the decline in gasoline prices is apt to continue. Professor James Hamilton of the University of California, San Diego, had a very informative blog post this past week, examining the relationship between the price of crude oil and the price of gasoline. According to Hamilton, who is a noted expert in the economics of energy markets, based on recent movements in the price of crude oil, we can expect gasoline prices to come down by another 35 cents over the coming weeks. That would be a decline of roughly 10 percent. (Read Hamilton’s post.)
Food Prices Down in May; Trend Continues to Moderate
The PCE price index for food fell at a 1.3 percent annualized rate in May, following several months of either very modest increases or negligible declines. Overall food prices are up just 1 percent, annualized, over the past six months, and 2.3 percent over the past 12 months.
May’s decline was broadly based, with our indexes of less-processed and more-processed food items both showing declines (annualized 2 percent for the less-processed index and annualized 1 percent for the more-processed index).
The price index for more-processed food items has decelerated sharply over the past few months, following up a 3.4 percent annualized rate in February with monthly readings of 1.0 percent, 0.2 percent, and now –1.0 percent. The index’s six-month rate—probably a good indication of the trend in overall food price inflation—now stands at 1.6 percent.
Core Goods and Services Inflation Not Far from Long-Term Trends
Outside of food and energy, April saw a small increase in the prices of core goods (up roughly 0.6 percent annualized) and a modest increase in the prices of core services (up an annualized 1.7 percent). Over the past six months, our price indexes for core goods and services are up at annualized rates of 0.5 percent and 2.6 percent, respectively.
This pattern is not that far from what’s typical in a longer-run sense: On average, for the period of relatively low inflation that began around 1994, core goods inflation has average about –0.3 percent and core services inflation has averaged about 2.7 percent.
Among core goods, the big-impact items in May were women’s and girls’ clothing, jewelry, household linens and a couple portmanteau categories that consist mainly of personal care products (one focused on hair care and dental care products, the other on cosmetics and perfumes). The price index for women’s and girls’ clothing posted yet another large increase—annualized 6.3 percent—and added about 0.1 annualized percentage points to May’s headline inflation rate. The other components registered outsized declines in May. Among these, jewelry had the largest impact, subtracting about 0.1 annualized percentage points from the headline rate.
Within core services, the price index for hotels and motels (up 24 percent at an annualized rate) had a significant positive impact, contributing nearly 0.2 annualized percentage points to May’s headline inflation rate. At the other end of the spectrum, the index for the final consumption expenditures of nonprofit institutions serving households (down 11 percent at an annualized rate) shaved about a quarter of an annualized percentage point off May’s headline inflation rate.
A few other components of services had large impacts, though owing more to their heft in consumer expenditure than to any outsized movements in their prices—the price indexes for dining out (“other purchased meals”), nonprofit hospital services and owners’ equivalent rent.
Owners’ equivalent rent posted a 1.1 percent annualized increase in May—its lowest one-month reading since early 2011—and shows some slight downward drift over the past several months. Its six-month rate of increase has fallen off from an annualized 2.4 percent at the end of 2011 to 1.9 percent in May. Rent—the usual rent paid by renters—recorded a 2.4 percent annualized increase in May, in line with its current six-month rate (also 2.4 percent). Rent growth has experienced a more noticeable deceleration since the end of 2011—its six-month rate stood at 3.3 percent in December.
More Components Decline in Price; Fewer Big Price Increases
Finally, May saw an increase in the fraction of our 178 PCE components registering price declines, to 39 percent from 35 percent in April.
When components are weighted by their shares in expenditure, roughly 73 percent of the basket rose in price and 27 percent fell in price, about the same as in April. Among components rising in price, we saw a noticeable drop-off in the share experiencing more rapid price increases—the share of all 178 components increasing at a better-than-2-percent pace fell from about 55 percent in April to about 43 percent in May.
June 29, 2012


text:
Metro Bank will be rehoming dogs and cats at our Bromley Store Adopt-a-thon
Despite the rain on Saturday, the 11th store opening at High Wycombe was a huge success and drew large crowds
For the third time, Metro Bank's Borehamwood store has hosted a rehoming event for canines currently with the Battersea Dogs & Cats Home.
The opening of Metro Bank's 10th store at Hounslow was a great success!
All Metro Bank stores proudly hosted a day with Santa
Hundreds of people came down and all walked out with Metro bags, balloons, lollies and information on Metro and our upcoming event with Santa
Our Uxbridge grand opening was a huge success!
Dogs Rule Weekend was absolutely fantastic at High Street Kensington
In association with Metro Bank, NICOLA proudly presented their newest project, Art Market, on the 24th and 25th of September 2011.
Metro Bank, along with Battersea Dogs & Cats Home and the Kennel Club, rehomed two dogs at the Dogs Rule Adopt-a-thon at our Borehamwood store


text:
Bhushan is a FinTech enthusiast and holds a good flair in understanding financial markets. His interest in economics and finance draw his attention towards the new emerging Blockchain Technology and Cryptocurrency markets. He is continuously in a learning process and keeps himself motivated by sharing his acquired knowledge. In free time he reads thriller fictions novels and sometimes explore his culinary skills.
The tech sector continues to drive market optimism despite the rising COVID-19 cases. Amazon has been the biggest beneficiary of government lockdown as the platform’s consumer spending has surged 60% year-over-year since the end of April 2020.
The U.S. stock market started the week on a positive note with Nasdaq Composite (INDEXNASDAQ: .IXIC) gaining 2.5% by closing. On the day end, the Nasdaq index was trading at 10,767 levels. With Monday’s rally that was boosted significantly by the tech sector, the Nasdaq Index was trading 20% higher year-to-date.
The S&P 500 (INDEXSP: .INX) also closed in positive with a 0.84% rise. Closing the Monday trading session at 3251 levels, the S&P 500 recovered all its early year losses during the March 2020 market crash. Since its 2020-low on March 23, the S&P 500 has rallied more than 47% to date.
The tech sector contributed to Monday’s market rally with Amazon dominating yet again. Shares of Amazon.com Inc (NASDAQ: AMZN) jumped 7.93% giving a closing at 3196.84 levels. Amazon has been the top-performing stock on Wall Street with more than 50% returns year-to-date.
The Coronavirus pandemic and the lockdown has provided a major boost to the e-commerce industry. There’s a major shift in consumer behavior as most people prefer to buy online instead of going out. Amazon has been leading the way of making the best of this opportunity. On the other hand, COVID-19 cases continue to increase on a daily basis. Hence the e-commerce will continue to see accelerated growth in the coming months.
As per the data from Facteus, consumer spending on the Amazon platform surged 60% year-over-year since the end of April. Since the start of 2020, Amazon has added $561 billion to its market cap which currently stands at $1.59 trillion.
Goldman Sachs Expects Further Rally in Tech Sector
Wall Street banking giant Goldman Sachs is majorly bullish for the Amazon stock journey going ahead. Goldman expects Amazon’s revenue numbers to surge further in the coming quarters.
As a result, Goldman Sachs gave a price target of $3800 for the AMZN stock, nearly 25% from the current levels. Considering the latest set of data, Goldman has increased Amazon’s North American revenue estimates by 48% year-over-year. This is 15% higher from its previous estimates of 33%.
Apart from Amazon, Monday’s market rally also saw other tech giants contributing their share. Tech giant Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ: MSFT) gained 4.3% on the index. Apple Inc (NASDAQ: AAPL) and Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ: GOOGL) gained 2.1% and 3.1% respectively. Facebook Inc (NASDAQ: FB) and Netflix Inc (NASDAQ: NFLX) contributed over 1% gains each.
While the stock market continues to rally, the economic indicators are not so good. The rising COVID-19 cases are absolutely keeping the global economy on tenterhooks. The Trump administration has initiated some major economic measures over the last few months and pumped nearly $2 trillion in the U.S. economy. Besides, the government has also extended unemployment benefits with a $600 a week cheque. But these payments are set to expire later this month.
The market is pinning up its hopes for the next set of bills. Aneta Markowska, a chief financial economist at Jefferies said:
“There is a lot of uncertainty about the size and shape of the next bill, particularly on the consumer side.”
Read other stock market news on Coinspeaker.


text:
Introduction of the first Mercedes-Benz pick-up is still “a few years away,” according to Klaus Maier, Mercedes-Benz Vans Head of Sales and Marketing.
Speaking in Hamburg recently at a ‘TecForum’ event for Mercedes-Benz light commercial vehicle bodybuilders, Maier said that the as yet unnamed pick-up would be unveiled, as planned, “before the end of the decade”.
Speculation about the timing of its launch has been fuelled by confirmation from Nissan that its new NP300 Navara pick-up will go on sale in the UK early next year. The Mercedes-Benz pick-up will be based on the new Navara and is the result of an expansion of the co-operation between Daimler and the Renault/Nissan alliance. This co-operation has resulted already in the small Mercedes-Benz Citan van range (based on the Renault Kangoo) and use of Renault engines in the new Mercedes-Benz Vito van range.
Maier said, “We had often thought in the past about offering a pick-up. As we grow, especially in emerging markets, it’s obvious that we need a pick-up. There are customers who use the vehicle as a workhorse, but today we see a trend towards mixed use, with the pick-up being used more and more in leisure time.”
The final decision on whether to sell the pick-up through the car dealer network or through the commercial vehicle dealer network, or perhaps both, is still to be made.
“We need another 12 months to finalise this,” said Maier. “It depends a little on the product portfolio. Will it be more on the workhorse side or on the leisure side? I would not rule out two offers: one from commercial vehicle dealers and one from car dealers.”


text:
Enter a search term such as “mobile analytics” or browse our content using the filters above.
That’s not only a poor Scrabble score but we also couldn’t find any results matching
Check your spelling or try broadening your search.
Sorry about this, there is a problem with our search at the moment.
Please try again later.
Groupon’s scramble to bring in fresh talent (and technology) has taken yet another step forward with the acquisition of personalised shopping startup Adku.
The newly acquired company personalises the shopping experience for those visiting e-commerce sites, and was picked up for a price reported to be more than $10m.
Amazon is said to be opening a trial brick-and-mortar store in Seattle to see if a chain of shops could be profitable.
Though this might seem like a step backwards for Amazon, the need to give its tablets and e-readers a physical shop window seems to be the main motivation.
Google has released data from Sunday evening which reveals that 41% of searches relating to Super Bowl ads made during the game came from mobile devices.
A post on the company's blog states that this is up from 25% for the same time period on the day before.
Cadbury has again turned to social media to launch a new product called Bitsa Wispa.
Last week the chocolate brand ran a competition to find its ultimate Wispa fan, and the winner was invited to announce the launch on Facebook.
In January Cadbury launched a new Dairy Milk Bubbly bar on Google+ for the first time before also revealing the new product on Facebook and Twitter.
The Wispa bar was discontinued in 2003 as part of a relaunch of the Dairy Milk brand but was brought back in 2007 following a Facebook campaign.
The Olympics will help drive a 4.2% increase in UK adspend in 2012 compared to 2011, according to Warc’s International Ad Forecast.
It also predicts that most major advertising markets will see revenues rise, led by fast-growing economies such as China, India and Russia.
Ford has launched a new tool that allows its US franchises to show real time vehicle inventory information through their own social media profiles.
FordDirect DealerConnection Vehicle Showroom (VSR) integrates with Facebook pages, YouTube channels or blogs to allow customers to browse new and used car information without clicking out of their original destination.
Procter & Gamble (P&G) is to lay off 1,600 staff as part of a cost cutting exercise that will also include a re-evaluation of the company’s $10bn ad budget.
It comes as P&G chairman Robert McDonald revealed to analysts that the company had somewhat belatedly recognised the cost efficiency of digital marketing.
Google has been fined £415,000 by a French court for offering Google Maps to businesses as a free service.
Bottin Cartographes successfully sued for the damages after claiming Google was abusing its dominant position and stifling competition against companies that charged for the service.
Zynga is trialling ‘reward advertising’ on CityVille that allows players to refill their energy bar by interacting with an advertiser.
Sponsors involved in the trial, which began in December, include Coca-Cola, MasterCard and the 20th Century Fox film ‘What’s Your Number?’.
John Lewis says the new personalised recommendation tool on its website was a key factor in driving a 27.9% increase in sales over Christmas.
The tool, created by RichRelevance, provides customers with recommendations on fashion items by analysing shopping behaviour alongside the relationships between products and product categories.
Apple’s smartphone shipments increased by 128% year-on-year in Q4, meaning that it has now jumped to third overall in worldwide mobile phone shipments.
The report from the International Data Corporation shows that Nokia and Samsung maintained their positions as one and two in the table, with 113.5m and 97.6m units shipped respectively. For now, Apple is still some way behind with 37m units shipped.
M&S has become the first UK retailer to launch an app for Samsung’s connected TV range.
The app will showcase products ranges but has no transactional capability, though a spokesman for Samsung said that an e-commerce function may be added in future.


text:
Organizations are increasingly concerned about the loss or theft of electronic information, known as a data breach. A data breach is the unintentional release of secure electronic information through loss, theft, or unauthorized intrusion, either from within the organization or from external sources such as hackers. Typically, hackers* are those who exploit security weaknesses in computer systems or networks to gain unauthorized access to information, cause mischief, or make changes to files, settings, or systems.
Data breaches that result from unauthorized access by individuals within an organization have also become more common. These types of breaches, or data leaks, are commonly called insider threats. Insiders pose a unique challenge because they know how systems are configured, how to defeat these systems, and how to cover up any evidence. In addition, data can be lost or stolen over a network or system or lost via a desktop computer, laptop, mobile device, storage device, chip, disk, or anything that can store or transmit data. As devices get smaller and continue to hold more and more data, it becomes easier to simply walk one of these devices out of a secure environment.
During the last several years, data breaches have become more frequent, more severe, and more costly. Meanwhile, hackers have become increasingly sophisticated in their method of attacks, whether from state-sponsored cyberattacks (that is, hacking backed by a country or government), corporate espionage, or groups of hacker networks, like one called Anonymous.
Global hackers have launched an assault on corporate and government systems in search of valuable information, such as credit card numbers, trade secrets, personal information, state secrets, digital products, blackmail material, and other data.
The following slideshow for an overview of some of the more infamous cyberattacks in recent years.
Mirai, 2016: Mirai was a botnet attack in 2016 that brought down thousands of websites and Microsoft gaming servers. It was launched as a result of fighting between different hacker groups. Later, Mirai attacked the site of prominent cybersecurity journalist Brian Krebs and a DNS-hosting company called Dyn. The attack targeted insecure routers, DVRs, CCTV cameras, and other smart Internet of Things (IoT) devices.
WannaCry, 2017: Ransomware attacks reached a new level when the WannaCry cryptoworm began targeting Windows systems and encrypting data. The malware included backdoors and and the ability to find and infect vulnerable systems. Various companies, hospitals, and governments were affected, with damages estimated in the billions of dollars.
NotPetya, 2017: A class of encrypting malware, Petya was modified into NotPetya, which was even more destructive. It didn’t just encrypt files permanently but wiped out data of its primary targets in Ukraine. It then spread worldwide causing up to $10 billion in damages to companies, hospitals, and governments.
Target, 2013: Just as the 2013 holiday season was reaching its peak, retailer Target announced that it had suffered one of the largest data breaches in corporate history. Hackers stole 40 million credit card numbers and the personal data of as many as 70 million customers and associates. The retailer later said in financial filings that the breach cost $252 million as of the 4th quarter of 2014.
Home Depot, 2014: In September 2014, hackers infiltrated the networks of home improvement retailer Home Depot and stole information on as many as 56 million credit and debit cards. Attackers installed malware, that looked like anti-virus software, on point-of-sale systems at stores in the U.S. and Canada that collected information as it was scanned. In a February 2015 filing, the retailer said the cost of the breach to date was $63 million.
Common Types of Attacks
Efforts at understanding the full scope of the security problems modern organizations face are well underway. In Verizon’s 2019 Data Breach Investigations Report, there were 41,686 reported security incidents, with 2,013 confirmed data breaches. The top threats from 2018 were included in this report and are listed below.
|The top types of threat actions used in cyber breaches in 2018:|
|Use of stolen credentials|
|Command and Control (C2)|
|Use of backdoor or C2|
|Capture app data|
To successfully guard against cyberattacks, an organization needs to make all managers and employees aware of the potential dangers and the necessary defensive principles. It must also have a sufficient number of information security professionals who can offer specialized help.
To test your understanding of the content presented in this assignment, please click on the Question icon below. Choose your selected response
1. True or False?
The cost for organizations to store electronic information has been rising over the past few years.Choose only one answer below.
Correct. This is a false statement. The cost to store electronic information has declined rapidly over the last several years, partly influencing a massive boom in the volume of stored data.
2. True or False?
The accidental loss of a disk containing health information of hospital patients could be considered a data breach.Choose only one answer below.
Correct. This is a true statement. Any loss of secure information, even if it is accidental, can be considered a data breach and should trigger the proper response.


text:
The Toronto company announced this week that it entered a global licensing agreement with Warner Bros. Consumer Products as the new toy licensee for the Harry Potter franchise.
“Spin Master is all about creating magical experiences for kids through innovative toys, entertainment and digital platforms,” said John Blaney, senior vice president of licensing at Spin Master.
“We are thrilled to expand on our existing relationship with Warner Bros. Consumer Products and can’t wait to unveil our innovative toys, inspired by the stories and characters from the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts movies, for kids and fans of all ages around the world.”
View this post on Instagram
Spin Master will develop Wizarding World products based on the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts films including dolls, figures and accessories, play sets, select vehicles, games, feature plush, as well as role play and dress-up products.
“The Wizarding World is a fan favourite and we are excited to be growing our relationship with Spin Master who will bring innovation to the merchandise within the franchise for the constantly growing, worldwide fan community,” said Robert Oberschelp, SVP, Global Brand Product, WBCP.
The new products are expected to arrive on shelves in fall of 2021.


text:
Burger King Announcement of the Day: Burger King said today that it will begin buying eggs only from farms that don’t cage their hens — and similarly, pork only from producers that don’t use gestation stalls to confine sows — with a plan to complete the transition by 2017. The decision is the first of its kind by a global fast food industry giant, and comes amid recent undercover investigations by animal rights activists and concessions from major companies.
“So many tens of thousands of animals will now be in better living conditions,” said Wayne Pacelle, president of the Humane Society of the United States. “Numerically this is significant because Burger King is such a big purchaser of these products.”
This has to be a good thing, right?


text:
After GOES-R weather satellites successful launch Saturday, United Launch Alliance turns to future launches. Weather monitoring updates will come after GOES-R's six month calibration.
Lockheed Martin opened the doors of its Littleton facility for an exclusive peek at weather satellite GOES-S, before the Saturday launch of GOES-R.
We've got your guide to all those ballot measures and how to make decisions about less prominent races like judges, regents and RTD board.
The long-awaited launch will introduced the first major updates to the weather monitoring since the 1980s.
The economy is doing well, and the 0.03 percent sales tax is collecting more money than anticipated.


text:
Information provided by the Japan DIY Industry Association shows remarkable development in the sales and number of DIY stores/home centers in Japan since the first DIY store was opened in the country over 40 years ago. There are now over 4,500 DIY stores/home centers in Japan, the annual general proceeds reaching 3.97 trillion yen.
Home centers have expanded throughout Japan to the point that they are indispensable for consumers in every region. There are showing signs of an upturn in the economy, but retailers in the home center industry are still facing an uphill battle against market saturation caused by an increased number of home center stores. However, on the other hand, the interest by women in recent years in DIY, hand-made goods, and general craftsmanship is on the rise, and the promotion of home centers through TV and magazines as a home ground of hand-made is leading to increasing interest in DIY and home centers, with this trend forecasted to continue into the foreseeable future.
The key industry event for the DIY industry in Japan, JAPAN DIY HOMECENTER SHOW is an annual event organized by the Japan DIY Industry Association. Held under close cooperation between the member companies of the association from three different sectors of manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers, the show is the most significant event to share information in the Japanese DIY/home center industry.
Established in 1978, JAPAN DIY HOMECENTER SHOW is proudly celebrating its 50th edition in 2014. The Show last year, 2013, featured 412 exhibitors from Japan and overseas presenting in 925 booths and hosted 86,000 visitors.
The 2014 Japan DIY Homecenter Show takes place at the MAKUHARI MESSE Hall in Chiba, Japan, on August 28-30.
For more information on the show, see the show’s website at http://www.diy-show.jp/2014/e/.


text:
The next iPhone is coming -- here's what we think we'll see.
We're pretty sure that we know when the iPhone 5 will be announced and one man is already gearing himself up to get in the queue.
A survey of smartphone owners found 89 percent of iPhone buyers will stick with Apple for their next handset. I'm part of the 11 percent and here's why.
It appears that users believe the early October rumor date for the release of the iPhone 5 and are trying to sell their older iPhones now to have cash to buy the new one.
We don't have very long to wait until the iPhone 5 is launched, according to a new report.


text:
Sulphur fuels battery breakthrough
Tucson-based Sion Power Corporation has demonstrated a new generation of batteries based on Li-S (Lithium Sulfur) technology. The demonstration at WinHEC last week powered a Transmeta Crusoe-based Tablet PC for a working day.
Sony shows wireless PlayStation Portable
Sony yesterday unwrapped the PlayStation Portable (PSP) and pledged to put PlayStation 2 visuals in the palm of players' hands around the world by next Spring.
Phatbot arrest throws open trade in zombie PCs
The arrest of the suspected author of the Phatbot Trojan could lead to valuable clues about the illicit trade in zombie PCs. The arrest of the alleged Phatbot perp was overshadowed by the unmasking of the admitted Sasser author, Sven Jaschan. But the Phatbot case may shed the mostlight into the dark recesses of the computer underground.
French call for SMS boycott
Europe in BriefConsumer watchdog Union Fédérale des Consommateurs (UFC-Que Choisir) in France has called for a national SMS boycott, claiming that tariffs for short messages are getting too high.
UK Eurocrats vote to legalise spam
It was five years ago today...Welcome indeed to a new El Reg feature - the snappily-titled It was five years ago today...
Nintendo DS: more communicator than console?
Nintendo yesterday launched its Nintendo DS handheld console, as anticipated. But while many of the details had already been revealed, the videogame pioneer did manage to pull a few surprises out of the bag.
Sony, IBM to offer Cell workstations for Xmas
Sony and IBM today said they will ship workstations based on the pair's upcoming Cell parallel processing chip in December.
Hutchison raises $2bn in soap sale
Hutchison Whampoa, owner of UK mobile network 3, is selling its stake Chinese joint venture with soap behemoth Procter and Gamble to its partner for $2bn.
HP to launch custom gaming rigs
HP is to challenge on system builders next month when it launches the Compaq X, a high-performance gaming oriented PC that the company will custom-build for buyers.
Northern Ireland touts low IT wages
A survey carried out by Invest NI has shown that Belfast technology workers are among the lowest-paid in Europe. The report, carried out by Watson Wyatt on behalf of the Northern Ireland investment agency, said that high-tech salaries in Belfast are among the lowest of cities surveyed in the UK, Europe, the US and Canada. Only Bangalore in India, and Budapest and Prague in Eastern Europe, have lower salary levels, the report said.
Broadband worth 52 days a year to UK.biz
UK businesses that upgrade to broadband recover a massive 52 days in year in lost productivity, according to new research. The study, conducted by ntl, found that small firms which replaced dial-up connections with broadband significantly improved their productivity and communication.
Dothan-based P4 appears on Intel roadmap
Intel will introduce processors operating across a 1066MHz frontside bus next quarter.
MS patch day: nothing critical
The Microsoft patch train rolled back into security central last night with a mercifully light load. In contrast to last month when we had four patches addressing 20 vulnerabilities - including the flaw infamously exploited by the Sasser worm - this month around we have just a single, solitary new patch.
Ofcom must act on £50 broadband 'barrier'
PlusNet has called on BT Wholesale to cut the up-front cost of signing up to ADSL claiming the £50 fee is the "single biggest block to mass acceptance of broadband". Unless BT moves to slash the cost of the activation fee, the Sheffield-based ISP wants communications regulator Ofcom to intervene and force the UK's dominant fixed line telco to act.
EC rules against illegal 'subsidy' of France Telecom
The European Commission is to take action against the French government for illegally subsidising France Telecom. But the accusations do not centre on illegal loans.
Supercooled lead hats aid brain scans
Magnetic brain scans look set to get more accurate, thanks to medical physicists at Los Alamos. The researchers have said they can filter out electronic background noise during measurements of brain activity if the patient wears a lead helmet.
SAP snuggles up to IBM and MS
SAP has announced new deals with IBM and Microsoft, including a plan to work more closely with IBM to sell products to retail customers. The two companies will share consulting knowledge and improve business process analysis and best practice. SAP for Retail, SAP NetWeaver, IBM Store Integration Framework and IBM WebSphere are among the products included in the deal.
MS drags Linspire back to court
Microsoft is taking Linspire back to court and demanding a €100 000 a day fine. Linspire is "the-operating-system-formerly-known-as-Lindows", which changed its name after Microsoft launched legal action in Finland, France, Sweden, the Netherlands and Canada.
Chinese youths trash Internet café
Staff at a Chinese Internet cafe have resigned after they were beaten up last week by a gang of 16 teenagers barred from entering the cybercafe. The gang of youths beat one worker with bins and fire extinguishers before trashing the Internet café. Earlier they threatened to beat up anyone who "dared to check identity cards" after being refused entry to the cybercafe.
PalmOne pledges to boost Treo shipments
PalmSource today trumpeted research findings that indicate the Palm OS is the US' leading smart phone operating system, even as its former owner, PalmOne, was promising to end the supply problems that have hindered sales of its Treo 600 handset.
Wal-Mart attracts more RFID flak
Grass-roots consumer group Consumers Against Supermarket Privacy Invasion and Numbering (CASPIAN), which is fighting retail surveillance schemes, says that Wal-Mart's decision to tag individual items on its store floor using radio frequency identification or RFID violates a call for a moratorium issued last November by 40 privacy and civil liberties organisations.
UK indies sign to Napster...
Napster has won the backing of the UK's Association of Independent Music (AIM) trade organisation with a deal that will allow the digital music download service to offer 50,000 songs from 50 independent labels on a worldwide basis.
Brits avoid MMS in droves
Mobile phone loving Brits have yet to embrace the multimedia messaging revolution, according to a poll conducted by NOP which is bound to strike fear and terror into the hearts of mobile operators.
Captain Cyborg terrorises UK conference
We recently said that we would be giving Kev "Captain Cyborg" Warwick no further coverage on this august organ. Sadly, we lied.
'Spam King' gets restraining order against SpamCop
A bulk mailing company headed by notorious spammer Scott Richter has won a restraining order against anti-spam reporting service SpamCop.
Cadence finds Intel's missing Fister
They say that the captain always goes down with the ship, but Mike Fister, former server processor chief at Intel, bucked that trend by leaving the company today.
Competition good for broadband - OECD
The threat of competition from wireless broadband providers is forcing incumbent telcos to speed-up the roll-out of DSL services.
On MS, GeCAD, lead hats and perlite
LettersWe never get letters about the things we expect letters about. But even we lowly hacks had a feeling this one would prompt a response. After all, it had all the ingredients: Microsoft, Linux, viruses and behavious that could, in low light, seem slightly suspicious. Yes, we mean the purchase of GeCAD.
Microsoft treads softly on compliance
Microsoft is taking a new approach to tackling piracy in the UK. The company's newly-appointed head of Licence Compliance Alex Hilton recently visited Vulture Central and admitted that previous MS anti-piracy efforts could be fairly compared to "a drive-by shooting". His appearence at El Reg saw him touting an altogether gentler message.
Napster gags university over RIAA's student tax
Napster moved into damage control mode today after a university gave some idea as to how much a RIAA music tax will add to student costs.
Can Veritas shift from dove to hawk?
AnalysisTo shift from software lackey to data center dominatrix, Veritas will need to make sure the basic tenets of the company can mature at the same pace as product - a feat it may not be capable of pulling off.
Picture messaging: Peace and love breaks out
In a rare example of co-operation, the rival standards bodies behind the world's two main mobile phone technologies have rushed through technical standards that will ensure American networks can exchange picture messages. The GSM MMS (Multimedia Messaging) standard is in place with over 200 GSM operators around the world and is already used by some CDMA network operators, including the largest - Verizon. However network interoperability between CDMA and GSM networks has remained elusive, obliging users to send pictures, video clips and other media files by email.


text:
Dec 6, 2019, 13:11 PM
Aston Martin Lagonda opens manufacturing plant in St Athan, Wales
- First Minister of Wales, Rt Hon Mark Drakeford joined Aston Martin Lagonda President and Group CEO, Dr Andy Palmer to officially open new manufacturing facility
- Aston Martin St Athan forms the cornerstone of the future of the brand’s ambitions
- Up to 750 new jobs to be created at the Welsh site
- Recently-launched SUV, the Aston Martin DBX, will be built at St Athan
6 December 2019, St Athan, Wales: Aston Martin Lagonda today opened its new manufacturing facility at St Athan in Wales. First Minister of Wales, Rt Hon Mark Drakeford AM joined Aston Martin Lagonda President and Group CEO, Dr Andy Palmer at a ceremony to officially open the British luxury marque’s new plant.
While Gaydon continues to be the home of the company’s sports car production, St Athan is the home of Aston Martin’s first SUV, the DBX. Upon the commencement of full production at St Athan in the second quarter of 2020, the company will have created up to 600 new highly-skilled jobs, rising to 750 at peak production.
Aston Martin Lagonda President and Group CEO, Dr Andy Palmer said: “Opening our new manufacturing facility at St Athan today is a pivotal day for Aston Martin and a vote of confidence in the UK, with the facility projected to employ up to 750 highly-skilled workers at its peak. St Athan is a critical step in delivering our new car, DBX, which will be built in the new facility. The opening of St Athan is a hugely important milestone in the company’s growth plan and integral to our ambitions as a global luxury brand with a presence in all major sectors of the market.”
First Minister of Wales, Mark Drakeford said: ““Today is a proud moment for Aston Martin, the Welsh Government and for Wales.
“Locating this world class and globally recognised brand in St Athan is a huge vote of confidence in the Welsh workforce. It is an example of the Welsh Government’s support and can-do attitude driving economic growth and creating jobs.
“I look forward to the first made-in-Wales Aston Martins rolling off the production line next year.”
The search for the best personnel began as soon as the purchase of Ministry of Defence (MOD) St Athan was announced in February 2016. Aston Martin launched a recruitment campaign in Cardiff, which attracted over 3,000 applicants, and within six months the first 40 employees had been hired. Creating world-class cars requires highly-skilled personnel so the new Welsh workforce began their careers with Aston Martin at its Gaydon headquarters, building DB11s. This core group of experts are now training new employees at St Athan as the workforce grows, ready for the start of DBX production in the second quarter of 2020.
Palmer added “Everyone involved in the creation of our new St Athan facility should feel proud today. It has taken a lot of hard work to get to this point. Our core business of producing beautiful, hand-crafted cars in England is now extended to Wales, which is extremely pertinent to us as a GREAT British company.“
The transformation from MOD St Athan to Aston Martin St Athan
In 2016, Aston Martin Lagonda chose the 90-acre St Athan to be its newest centre of manufacturing excellence in the UK. RAF St Athan officially opened in 1938 as the home of the No.4 School of Technical Training, which was soon expanded with the arrival of a fighter group pool the following year. The base was home to 14,000 personnel during World War II and was used for training both ground and air crew. After the war, St Athan continued primarily as a training facility and also the major RAF maintenance base for aircraft including Vulcan, Phantom, Harrier, Tornado and Hawk. The last aircraft to be serviced there departed the site in February 2012.
Since 2016, St Athan has undergone a three-year transformation from Royal Air Force base to state-of-the-art manufacturing facility.
Phase I of construction began in late 2016 with the creation of the customer and staff reception areas, administration and management offices and the employee restaurant.
Phase II got underway in Spring 2017 after the ceremonial handover of the three super-hangars that now house the new manufacturing facility from the MOD.
The final phase to fit out the now converted super-hangars got underway in late 2018, ready for pre-production to commence in 2019.
The completion of the St Athan facility means that it joins the marque’s Gaydon headquarters and its Wellesbourne and Newport Pagnell facilities as a centre of the highest quality of British craftmanship and engineering.
Aston Martin DBX
Revealed last month, the Aston Martin DBX will go into full production at St Athan in the second quarter of 2020. The British marque’s first SUV has been through an intensive development process, which fittingly began in the forests of Wales to test the mettle of the new, dedicated SUV platform.
The commencement of production of the Aston Martin DBX will be an important moment for the brand. The DBX is a true Aston Martin; it captures the very spirit of the brand as a beautiful hand built, yet technologically advanced car. Around 90% of production is expected to be exported and sold overseas.


text:
Indian manufacturer brings range of low-cost devices to the UK as part of global Android expansion
Indian phone manufacturer Karbonn has taken the wraps off its first range of UK devices as the company makes a play for the low cost market.
The company has teamed up with UK-based Santok to launch four Karbonn SIM-free phones from today, including the flagship Sparkle V device, supported by Google’s Android One partnership, meaning the phone will receive Android updates before many others.
The company is also releasing the Karbonn Titanium S6, Karbonn A19 and Karbonn A5S models as it looks to gain a slice of the budget smartphone market in the UK, a sector it feels is poorly served at the moment.
“For far too long the UK mobile device market has been dominated by a small group of huge brands and this has meant that the price for smartphones has been pushed extortionately high,” said Jay Pau, CEO of Santok Group.
“There are currently low-end cheap alternatives, which offer what people pay for them. With Karbonn we are introducing a high quality brand, with leading technological innovation and cutting edge design, but without the five star price tag.”
In a bid to boost initial uptake of its devices, Karbonn has teamed up with Amazon for exclusive distribution throughout the remainder of 2014. This includes the retail titan offering the Sparkle V for just £99 as part of its Black Friday promotion.
“We are pleased to be launching this device to the UK exclusively through Amazon.co.uk,” added Sarkar. “It really is an impressive smartphone and offers consumers something very different in terms of price, but retains the highest quality in its design and form.”
Karbonn is one of the manufacturers signed up by Google for its Android One initiative, which launched in September and aims to create cheap but high quality smartphones (pictured above) as part of the search giant’s efforts to extend its reach into developing markets.
All Android One handsets must be at least 4.5 inches in size, have 1GB of RAM, a five megapixel front-facing camera and two megapixel front-facing sensor and a quad core processor from Taiwanese manufacturer MediaTek. The devices run stock Android and there is room to add market-specific features such as FM radios, MicroSD card slots and replaceable batteries.
Do you know all about the Android platform? Take our quiz!


text:
World Bank Group Launches New Program to Support Africa’s Top Digital Entrepreneurs
Thursday, April 20, 2017
The World Bank Group (www.WorldBank.org) launched XL Africa (www.XL-Africa.com), a five-month business acceleration program designed to support the 20 most promising digital start-ups from Sub-Saharan Africa. Start-ups will receive mentoring from global and local experts, learn through a tailor-made curriculum, increase their regional visibility, and get access to potential corporate partners and investors. With support from prominent African investment groups, XL Africa will help the 20 selected start-ups attract early stage capital between $250,000 and $1.5 million.
“Digital start-ups are important drivers of innovation in Africa,” says Makhtar Diop, Vice President for the Africa Region at the World Bank. “To scale and spread new technologies and services beyond borders, they need an integrated ecosystem that provides access to regional markets and global finance; pan-African initiatives like XL Africa play a critical role by linking local start-ups with corporations and investors across the continent.”
The program comes at a time of increasing interest in the African digital sector. According to a recent report by Disrupt Africa, in 2016, the number of tech start-ups that secured funding increased by 16.8% compared to 2015.
“XL Africa aims to put a spotlight on the continent’s growing digital economy by scouting for and supporting the most innovative tech start-ups,” said Klaus Tilmes, Director of the Trade & Competitiveness Global Practice at the World Bank Group. “The success of these ventures will create a demonstration effect that can attract much-needed growth investment in the sector and catalyze scaling of transnational businesses in the region.”


text:
Vancouver, British Columbia
Vancouver lawyer Mark Hicken told Wines & Vines, “They’ve come up with policy statements that don’t have any legal effect.”
—Dan Albas, who represents British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley in Canada’s federal parliament, garnered cheers as he delivered a video message to those attending the Vinos film festival in Osoyoos on June 8 that his bill, C-311, received unanimous approval from parliamentarians two days earlier.
The bill amends Canada’s contentious 84-year-old Importation of Intoxicating Liquors Act to allow the interprovincial movement of wine by individuals “for his or her personal consumption, and not for resale or other commercial use.” (For background, see “Canadian Wine Law Challenged
Canadian senators are now reviewing the bill, something widely considered to be a mere formality prior to the bill being approved and enacted. Senate approval is expected prior to parliamentarians’ summer recess June 29.
But the cheering may be premature, as the provinces say tax laws prevent them from allowing the direct shipment of wine—one of the main boons wineries expected from changes to the federal law.
Direct shipping still illegal
Anticipating passage of the federal bill, BC Minister of Energy and Mines Rich Coleman announced that BC residents could bring home “one case of wine, four bottles of spirits and a combined total of six dozen beer, cider and coolers from other provinces for personal consumption.”
The changes bring BC in line with long-standing exemptions in place in Ontario, Nova Scotia and the Yukon, but exclude alcohol shipped to a B.C. address. “No jurisdiction allows direct shipping without incoming taxes at this time,” said Sandra Steilo, a representative for the B.C. Ministry of Energy and Mines.
Wines & Vines
asked Steilo why a distinction exists between the two manners of importation, specifically, “If I can purchase wine or any other alcoholic beverage in another province and bring it back with me, why can’t I just buy it in another province and have it shipped to me?”
After 15 seconds of silence, she reiterated her previous comment: “Because…no jurisdiction allows the direct shipping without incoming taxes.”
Steilo, quoting a ministry fact-sheet, said each province “is accountable for its own decision-making,” but a statutory framework exempting direct shipments from provincial taxes in the province of delivery has to be, “created, in partnership with other provinces.”
But that explanation doesn’t impress Vancouver lawyer Mark Hicken
, who specializes in wine-related legal matters and has followed the interprovincial shipment issue closely.
The text of Bill C-311 doesn’t specify the manner in which individuals bring (wine) across provincial borders, whether in their own vehicle or via a courier. “From a legal perspective the whole thing is kind of bizarre, because neither Ontario or BC have passed any statutory provisions or regulations that say that,” he told Wines & Vines
. “They’ve come up with policy statements that don’t have any legal effect.”
The pledge to work with other provinces to develop a framework addressing the collection of taxes also mystifies Hicken. “The government seems to be saying we’re just going to do this temporarily, and then we’ll try and figure something out between all the provinces and have some sort of unified approach,” he said. “But you know—we waited 80 years for them to figure it out among themselves, and they didn’t come up with anything. So I’m not optimistic.”
Wine industry supports spirit of bill
Wine industry representatives in the two main wine producing provinces of BC and Ontario also want to see the spirit of the bill respected.
“The spirit of what the federal law was meant to do is to open it up and no longer make it illegal to transport,” said Miles Prodan, executive director, BC Wine Institute
. “There’s a chance to be clear on the ability to direct-ship to a BC resident, and that hopefully will set a precedent…(allowing) our wineries’ shipments direct to consumers.”
Based on the U.S. experience, Prodan estimates that the potential movement of wine between provinces at 28,000 cases annually.
Debbie Zimmerman, CEO of the Grape Growers of Ontario
, said passage of the federal bill creates opportunities for small wineries to expand their markets, but the provinces—including Ontario—seem to be exercising a loophole to protect their own retail interests.
“I’ve always been concerned that they can’t ship a case of wine, that’s why we supported the bill,” Zimmerman said. “It’s a benefit to our small wineries, and we see it absolutely as being an important element to ensure that people have consumer choice in their own country. But it sounds like it’s not going to happen at this point.”
While the move by federal lawmakers is good, she feels more work could have been done to garner support from the various provincial liquor regulators.“C-311, in the spirit, is a very good bill. But the implementation of it rests with the provinces,” she said. “Maybe there should have been more consultation on this before it went forward.”


text:
Widening its long-running antitrust probe of the pharmaceutical industry, the European Commission said it is investigating Johnson & Johnson JNJ 0.40 % and Novartis AG's generic-drug unit for possibly colluding to keep a generic painkiller off the market.
J&J makes a painkiller patch called Fentanyl that is often used to treat cancer pain. In markets where J&J's patents on Fentanyl have expired, Novartis's generic-drug unit Sandoz sells low-cost copies of the drug.
In a statement, the commission's competition arm said it will investigate "whether contractual arrangements" between the companies "may have had the object or effect of hindering the entry on to the market of generic versions of Fentanyl in the Netherlands."
The commission said it is concerned that branded drug makers may be paying generic rivals to delay their launches of low-cost copies of branded medicines. "Paying a competitor to stay out of the market is a restriction of competition that the commission will not tolerate," the commission's competition czar, Joaquin Almunia, said in the statement.
A J&J spokesman said: "We had a contractual agreement with Sandoz in 2005 and 2006 with regards to Fentanyl patches in the Netherlands. Whether or not that infringes competition rules, that is something that will be the object of the investigation." He declined to comment further on the agreement.
A Novartis spokesman confirmed that the commission has notified the company about the investigation, but declined to comment further.
The commission is already investigating a handful of other drug companies, including France's Les Laboratoires Servier, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. TEVA 0.92 % of Israel and Cephalon Inc. of the U.S. for possible anticompetitive behavior. The probes are part of a broad investigation the commission opened in 2008, after concluding that anticompetitive practices by pharmaceutical companies may have cost European health systems as much as €3 billion ($4.1 billion) between 2000 and 2007. Servier has said it has "defended its [intellectual property] rights where appropriate." Teva, which recently acquired Cephalon, has said it is cooperating with the commission.
The commission said the practices under scrutiny allow branded drug makers to maintain their sales by delaying generic competition, and include: striking agreements that require generic-drug companies to keep their products off the market for a period of time; seeking frivolous patents for a drug in order to make it more difficult for a generic rival to launch a low-cost copy; and filing questionable lawsuits in order to block a generic drug from the market.
In the U.S., the Federal Trade Commission has been waging a multiyear campaign against some deals between branded drug makers and generic companies, saying they delay the launch of generic drugs and drive up the costs of health care.
Write to Jeanne Whalen at email@example.com


text:
Detroiters living in Lakeview will feel even more at home thanks to Union Full Board, the new pizzeria opening tonight inside the Wheelhouse Hotel, just south of Wrigley Field on Clark Street. The hotel’s speakeasy style cocktail lounge, Tinkers to Evers — named after legendary Cubs players from the early 1900s — will soon open.
Union, with locations in suburban Evanston and inside Revival Food Hall in the Loop, takes inspiration from Buddy’s Pizza, the Detroit-based pizza chain that specializes in squared pan pizza with caramelized crust that will remind Chicago pizza fans of Pequod’s Pizza. The crisp pepperoni that sits on top of the melted Wisconsin brick cheese is a unique experience that makes Michiganders grow nostalgic. Buddy’s also has a beef with New York pizza lovers.
But the new restaurant isn’t just about squares. Ownership unleashes a full menu including organic salmon with arugula and farro, a full line of sandwiches, salads, and entrees. There are also daily specials such as on Sunday when they’ll serve lasagna with veal and pancetta ragu.
Wrigleyville continues to transform as this spring, Hotel Zachary opened across from the home of the Cubs with seven restaurants and a view overlooking Wrigley Field’s marquee. The views aren’t as iconic from Union, as customers will see fans walking down Clark Street on the hotel’s ground floor. However, there’s also a rooftop space that customers can rent out for private events.
Check out the menu and photos below. Union opens tonight inside the Wheelhouse.
Union Full Board, inside the Wheelhouse Hotel, 3475 N. Clark Street, (224) 322-0100, open 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Sunday through Thursday; 11 a.m. to midnight on Friday and Saturday.


text:
A Facebook spokesman said: ‘It takes into account pages and places visited on Facebook, alongside browsing on the internet." She added that the changes help Facebook 'to better serve more relevant advertising to you.'
Facebook says that users have been given an option to opt out from the new settings. Users have to click on Facebook's privacy settings page, and choose to opt out of seeing Facebook ads on third party sites and sharing advertisement activity with friends. However, these new changes have been condemned by privacy groups who state that the new rules endanger a users online privacy.
British Member of Parliament Helen Goodman stated, "What this does is clearly put their financial interests ahead of the interests of their informed consumers. They're taking a significant step forward in terms of the amount of information they collect. It makes me feel very uneasy."
Source: Daily Mail