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(ETX Daily Up) – Jeff Bezos bought The Washington Post in 2013 for $250 million. Amazon Prime members took advantage of this takeover by taking advantage of a discounted press subscription. The American media now returns to this exclusive campaign.
Since 2015, Amazon Prime subscribers who want to read the digital edition of the Washington Post have had free access for six months before having to subscribe to a monthly subscription for $3.99 (about 4 euros). It is significantly less than the rest of internet users who have to pay 9.99 dollars (about 10 euros) a month.
That era seems to be over. Amazon Prime members will now see their monthly subscription drop to $7.99 (about $8), according to Nieman Lab. This increase will be effective from the next renewal date of their package. It comes as the Washington Post is losing momentum, after years of profitability.
The US daily would have less than three million digital subscribers, according to the New York Times. His rival has a total of 8.8 million subscribers, of which more than 90% are online. Like the entire newspaper industry, Posten is also facing an erosion of its advertising revenue, as readers are increasingly turning to free content on the internet. They would have fallen to $70 million during the first half of the year, nearly 15% less than in the first half of 2021.
In order to win new readers, Posten launched an innovative digital subscription in June. Its price: 50 dollars (about 51 euros) per year. So far, nothing really original. However, the US daily announced that this amount will remain unchanged … until 2072. “This special offer celebrates the life of the Washington Post and projects far into the future,” said Mike Ribero, head of subscriptions, in a press release cited by Nieman Lab. “It’s an offer that only comes around once in half a century.”
Innovate in the face of “churn”
This new formula aims to expand Posten’s digital audience, while preventing these new readers from quickly canceling their subscription. A phenomenon known in the English-speaking world as “churn” (“attrition rate” in French). This now concerns a large part of the international press, as is evident from a study carried out in 2021 by the media consultancy Mather Economics.
It says the weekly cancellation rate for newspapers is 0.70%, and 0.85% for digital subscriptions. In other words, if a media outlet has 10,000 subscribers, it can expect 85 of them to unsubscribe each week. This represents 4,420 terminations over a year, or nearly half of its subscriber base.
Retaining readers is the top priority for The Washington Post — and Jeff Bezos. The billionaire is clearly committed to the paper’s strategy, as explained by Steve Hills, then managing director of the publication. “He asks us to pay more attention to our readers than to our competitors and to forget those who favor short-term profits. What journalist wouldn’t dream of that?” he told Les Echos in 2015. .
Seven years later, Posten no longer seems to rely on the huge mass of Amazon Prime subscribers to win new readers. Whether this strategy will pay off in the long term remains to be seen.


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CAPE CORAL, Fla. – A woman is accused of running out of a Cape Coral Home Depot without paying for her purchase on Monday.
Police were able to identify the woman, who stole from the store at around 4 p.m., according to SWFL Crime Stoppers. The store is located at 3031 NE Pine Island Road.
She was last seen running from the store toward the Judd Creek area.
Anyone with information is asked to submit an anonymous tip to Crime Stoppers here or call 1-800-780-TIPS.

domain: news


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Nintendo N64 emulator programmer quits
RealityMan folds over legal threats, illegal ROM peddlers
One of the authors of the controversial Nintendo N64 emulator, UltraHLE, has decided to abandon not only that particular project but work on any kind of emulation -- "for good". In a statement, the developer, known only as 'RealityMan', said threatened legal action from Nintendo, time pressures and users only interested in using emulation software to pirate games had all contributed to his decision. "This decision has not been made lightly," he said. "The concern about the legal issues with Nintendo alone was not enough to drive me to this decision... There are many skilled and dedicated programmers out there who, like me, write emulators as a hobby. However, there is a growing element out there who just want to peddle illegal ROMs, openly bash our work and generally may a nuisance of themselves. Quite frankly, I am sick of this, the increased back-biting and derogatory comments being made. "I have decided to look at new projects outside of emulation and will not be able to devote enough time to emulation [now]," he added. RealityMan's departure still leaves his collaborator, 'Epsilon', still working on the project, at least theoretically. As yet, he has not commented on his colleague's decision. However, with Nintendo legal action still pending, he too may quit the emulation scene -- probably exactly the planned effects of Nintendo's aggressive stance on UltraHLE (see Nintendo will sue UltraHLE developers). If Epsilon does abandon UltraHLE, it will be interesting to see whether he or RealityMan releases the emulator's source code to the open source community. The strong demand for that code was demonstrated earlier this year when a UK-based programmer released what he claimed was UltraHLE's source but which was soon exposed as just a disassembled version of the application of little use to anyone keen to continue work in it (see Programmers slam 'useless' UltraHLE source code). ®
Sponsored: RAID: End of an era?


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Netflix employees who slammed Dave Chappelle’s special labor complaint | Netflix
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Two former Netflix employees who criticized Dave Chappelle’s comments against the trans community on his TV show drop their work complaints and one has quit the company, he said. we announced Monday.
Terra Field, a Netflix software engineer who is trans, announced her voluntary resignation from the streaming company on Monday.
Field had spoken out against Netflix for promoting comedian’s special The Closer, saying Chapelle’s comments were damaging to transgender people and the LGBTQ + community. She was suspended during controversy for attending a workplace meeting for senior executives where she was not permitted and was later reinstated.
“That’s not how I thought it would end, but I’m relieved to have the shutdown,” Field said of his resignation in a letter posted online.
Field has dropped a labor complaint against Netflix filed with the National Labor Relations Board. Field and B Pagels-Minor, a game launch operations program manager who is also trans, alleged that Netflix retaliated against workers to prevent them from talking about working conditions.
Pagels-Minor was fired by Netflix last month for allegedly leaking confidential financial information about what he paid for The Closer to Bloomberg reporters, who referred to the numbers in an article. Pagels-Minor has denied the allegations.
Field and Pagels-Minor said the company banned employees from speaking out about “Netflix products and the impact of its product choices on the LGBTQ + community.” But Pagels-Minor and Field have since dropped the labor complaints.
“We have resolved our differences in a way that recognizes the erosion of trust on both sides and hopefully keeps everyone moving forward,” Netflix said in a statement Monday.
The Closer first aired on October 1, 2021 and has garnered millions of views. But Chapelle’s derogatory remarks about the transgender community sparked protests within Netflix and activists. About 30 Netflix employees staged a walkout on October 20 and joined a rally at Netflix’s Los Angeles offices. Dozens of the streaming giant’s customers also tweeted their decisions to suspend their subscriptions in protest.
Netflix has faced criticism not only with the special, but also over how the internal memos have responded to employee concerns, including co-CEO Ted Sarandos’ assertion that “the content at the ‘screen does not translate directly into damage in the real world. “
Sarandos also wrote that Netflix does not allow titles “designed to incite hatred or violence, and we don’t think The Closer crosses that line.”
Netflix continues to make the special available for streaming. Netflix last reported 209 million paid subscriptions globally after adding just 1.5 million in its most recent quarter.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
News Today abc News Netflix employees who slammed Dave Chappelle’s special labor complaint | Netflix


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For Mariah Carey, an injury is just another reason to accessorize. The singer performed with the New York Philharmonic last night and brought out three different, custom, insanely glamorous arm slings for the occasion.
Carey had dislocated her shoulder last week while filming a video. While she was able to finish filming, she did have to go to the hospital, and she left with her arm in a sling. For last night’s concert, which was a baseball-themed benefit for victims of Hurricane Sandy, Carey decided to pair her sparkly white Mariah-esque gown with three different matching arm slings. One was white and covered in rhinestones, another was a fluffy white fur, and the last one was covered in black feathers that the New York Post said, “looked like a wing.”
We like it when celebrities look like themselves, and nothing could be more true to Mariah Carey’s sparkly, glamorous style than an arm sling encrusted with rhinestones.
And we have to admit that we do love it when people take mundane objects and temporary medical necessities like casts and arm slings and make them into crazy fashion accessories. The custom eye patches Holland of Holland made for Agyness Deyn when she came down with an eye infection during Fashion Week made us think a minor case of pinkeye wouldn’t be so bad. (Or at least it’d be slightly less bad if it came with a cool plaid eye patch.)
Nobody wants to wear an arm sling, but if you have to wear one for a while, why not cover it in sequins?
Via The New York Post/Photo: WENN


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H&M aims to save clothes from landfill
Program offers vouchers when old items are dropped off.
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Frugal fashionista chain H&M has announced a global partnership with European recycling group I: Collect to keep their used clothes out of landfills.
“The program started at H&M in Switzerland last year,” company Toronto spokeswoman Emily Scarlett told the Star.
“The response from customers was overwhelming. They got an incredible amount of garments to go into the recycling programs.”
Starting in February, H&M stores in Canada and other countries will give customers a $5 voucher for each bag of used clothes they drop in the I: Collect recycling box next to the checkout counter, Scarlett explained.
Any pieces of clothing, from any brand and in any condition, are accepted, H&M said in a release.
This isn’t meant to divert clothing donations to existing charities, Scarlett said. “We know we get a lot of traffic, a lot of loyal customers who come in repeatedly.”
The clothing will be sorted at a central recycling facility into four categories: second-hand clothes; textiles to be converted into other uses, such as cleaning clothes; textiles to be broken town and used for other purposes, such as insulation or the auto industry; and textiles to be used for energy.
Many H&M garments are manufactured in factories in Bangladesh and China, Scarlett said, although some are made in more developed countries, such as Italy and Turkey.
About 150 million tonnes of shoes and clothing are sold worldwide every year and only 20 per cent of that becomes recycled second-hand clothing, said I: Collect, which has bases in California, the U.K. and Germany.
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Cummins Inc., a global diesel engine manufacturer has said it would to continue to expand its network of Regional Distribution Centres (RDCs) in Africa with the launch of the Ghana center.
This the company says is to enhance the logistics of its parts delivery in the region.
Cummins global RDC network expansion strategy enables a wider inventory of parts that may not be carried at a distributor or dealer level in some parts of the world, enabling faster service for repairs.
By redistributing its global parts inventory to RDCs, fulfilment times for stock orders and emergency orders are reduced, as multiple shipments of parts are sent from the RDCs to Cummins distributors each week to ensure in-stock availability closer to Cummins global customer base.
“As the global nature of Cummins business expands, and the pace of business continues to accelerate, the need to increase our support to our customer base does so as well,” said Doug Sunkel, Executive Director – Cummins Global Logistics.
“Virtually every aspect of our parts delivery system has been improved, providing an even higher level of service excellence to enable exceptional customer support.”
The new Cummins RDC in Ghana is a state-of-the-art facility designed to expedite the movement of Genuine Cummins new and ReCon parts and Fleetguard filters, utilizing a robust supply chain footprint.
With prioritized shipping, orders are classified and fulfilled based on customer need. Stock orders received before 3:30 p.m. on any business day will be ready for pickup anytime after 3:30 p.m. two business days later.
For critical orders – where an engine is down – the order can be expedited and ready for pickup in 24 hours.
The Ghana RDC will eventually include a bonded warehousing solution, providing regional customers outside of Ghana’s borders the ability to order Genuine Cummins parts and Fleetguard filters faster and with potential for duty savings.
The establishment of the RDC in Ghana enhances Cummins capabilities in Africa – and those of its local service providers – to better manage inventory, shipping, and handling.
This enables Cummins customers to achieve increased productivity from their equipment with reduced downtime, helping them to manage their businesses for even greater profitability.
“Cummins engines have a reputation for high quality and reliability,” said Sunkel. “We’re working just as hard to ensure our parts delivery system is as efficient as our engines.”
The Ghana RDC is the first to open on the continent of Africa. Additional RDCs in Africa are being evaluated so that Cummins customers throughout Africa can benefit from the increased availability of Genuine Cummins parts and Fleetguard filters.
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For the first time since the Covid-19 outbreak began, Africa may be poised to reshape rapid testing for the virus on the continent.
The Pasteur Institute, a biomedical research centre based in Senegal’s capital city of Dakar, says it is close to producing an affordable, handheld Covid-19 diagnostic test kit that can give results in a matter of minutes. The institute is running a new venture called DiaTropix, which has been working in partnership with five research organisations since March, including Mologic in the UK, to create the test kit.
Amadou Sall, director of the Pasteur Institute and Dia Tropix, said that the biomedical centre hopes the kit will cost as little as US$1 to purchase.
Also read: Nigeria develops its own Covid-19 test kit
“This is a very simple technology, like a pregnancy test that you can use everywhere at the community level, which is important for Africa,” he said.
According to Mologic, this rapid test kit does not require electricity or need laboratory analysis.


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Fashion designers, cosmetic brands and industry suppliers have been asked to create Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) for frontline healthcare works in the UAE, including surgical masks and isolation gowns, in a new ‘emergency network’ formed by the Arab Fashion Council.
“The Dubai Health Authority is proud to endorse the Arab Fashion Council’s initiative which highlights the strength of Made-in-UAE and proves how Dubai is taking a leading role and all measures to provide safety to its citizens and residents,” said the Dubai Health Authority.
The new AFC initiative is titled #thread4cause, and aims to respond to high demands for PPE due to the Covid-19 pandemic, as hospitals deal with high numbers of patients.
PPE is defined as protective gear, such as clothing, helmets, goggles or other garments, that protect the wearer’s body from injury or infection.
Members of #thread4cause will create items such as masks, gowns, hoodies and locally made sanitisers for medical workers, in full compliance with the UAE and Dubai’s legislations, as well as specifications and standards approved by the DHA.
“We are aware of the potential number of brands that could try to benefit from this situation and we ensure to keep a track and all the production and enable the consumer to verify the product’s date on the website using the latest technology,” said Ayman Al Bayaa, the chief legal officer at the AFC and a UN Goodwill Ambassador.
To ensure their legitimacy, AFC will run their products through a tracking system on their website, using Artificial Intelligence Technology. After receiving approval from the DHA over the safety of the products, the products will receive a green checkmark in the system.
Marmar Halim, a Dubai-based designer of Egyptian origin, represents one of the first Arab brands to adhere to the AFC’s new initiative.
“[He] showcased a very professional capacity to go beyond creativity in producing Personal Protection Equipment in quality and quantity of millions of surgical masks,” said Mohammed Aqra, the chief strategy officer at the AFC.
Halim wrote: “Our fashion house and factory will be putting its resources at full capacity to produce medical gowns and surgical masks, proudly #MadeInUAE for the medical community front-liners fighting COVID-19.”
He added: “Special thanks to Arab Fashion Council who has given its support to make this project viable. #TimeToGiveBacktoUAE.”


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- Epic Games drops subscription model, Unreal Engine 4 now free
- EA announces, details Battlefield Hardline Premium Edition
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Fancy A Date?
Daily Archives: April 25, 2011
… newcomers would be better off checking out Melody of Elemia or Melody of Elemia.
Atlus has released some new shots of Catherine, their upcoming surreal platform puzzler steeped in mythological and Freudian imagery. Players will take on the role of Vincent, a young land who is going through a few things due to his recent … indiscretions. Players will have to see him through his many moral quandaries via a series of puzzles, alone or with a friend.
Rockstar has released some new details and screenshots for their upcoming third-person shooter Max Payne 3. Set eight years after the second, Max is no longer a cop but an alcoholic pill addict working in in Sao Paulo, Brazil’s private security sector. The story revolves around Max’s fall from a New York detective to hired guard for the family of wealthy real estate magnate Rodrigo Branco.


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Big Tobacco has faced some hardships in the past. More and more adults are quitting tobacco and teens are wisening up to Big Tobacco’s dirty marketing tactics, choosing to never even start using tobacco. In the last 15 years, the number of cigarettes sold in the US dropped 37% . States and localities are implementing stronger policies such as smoke-free air laws, cigarette taxes, and stricter tobacco control regulations. How is the industry managing to stay afloat?
The answer? They’re bumping up the prices of their products. The industry raked in $93.4 billion and hiked up revenue by 32%. In fact, profits have increased 77% since 2007. Americans have officially begun to spend more money on tobacco than on soda or beer. And it certainly helps that the industry faces virtually no competition– tobacco companies Altria and Reynolds American Inc. bought out smaller companies until they became the only ones left.
The biggest threat to the industry is stricter regulations and the American tobacco industry faces fewer restrictions than in other countries. Our average cigarette tax is about $4 less than in the United Kingdom and tobacco products sold there must have plain, drab, form packaging with graphic health warnings. The industry also tries to find new ways to make a buck by introducing new products, like Altira’s “heat-not-burn” electronic device called IQOS. FDA oversight and regulation on electronic devices is currently up in the air. Soon, Congress must vote on a budget bill with a dangerous provision snuck in that would make FDA review of e-cigarettes a thing of the past. Click here to find your local congressional representative and tell them that they need to reign in the tobacco industry.


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A VERY Posh sale! She's a walking billboard for her fashion label but Victoria's Beckham's push for sales seems to have failed as 400 items on her website have their prices slashed
- The former Spice Girl, 44, reduced the price of 200 items in January
- Some items from her collection have been reduced by four-figure amounts
- Her losses had almost doubled in 2017 from £4.8million to nearly £8.5million
She has become a walking advertisement for her own fashion label, wearing her designs for most of her high-profile appearances.
But it seems that Victoria Beckham’s attempts to push sales have failed after more than 400 items on her website had their prices slashed by up to 70 per cent.
The former Spice Girl, 44, reduced the price of 200 items in January, and has now cut the price of hundreds more.
Victoria Beckham pictured left in pink pyjamas which have been reduced from £1,395 to £419 and right in a plaid skirt paired with a matching button up and turtleneck which have gone from £1,250 to £375
Certain items from her spring/summer 2018 collection have been reduced by four-figure amounts.
This latest sale follows accounts which revealed in December that her losses had almost doubled in 2017 from £4.8million to nearly £8.5million.
Among the discounted items now on sale is a red ruffle-neck dress which has been reduced by £1,746 from £2,495 to £749.
A beige ruffle trench coat has been reduced by £1,400 from £1,999 to £599.
Several of the designer’s handbags have also been heavily discounted, including a ‘bucket’ bag which has been reduced from £1,650 to £495.
A pair of ‘The VB’ sunglasses can be snapped up for £66, reduced from £220.
The mother of four, who has a store in central London, regularly wears her own designs for media appearances.
In March she was pictured walking into the Dover Street store dressed all in lavender. The jacket, tailored trousers, high heels and sunglasses are all her own design – and all have since been reduced by 70 per cent online. Last August she was pictured in New York dressed in a pink pyjama-style two-piece outfit and her trademark sunglasses. The price of both the shirt and trousers has also been reduced by 70 per cent.
Mrs Beckham and her ex-footballer husband David, 43, recently dismissed rumours that they were about to divorce.
The former Spice Girl wears pink trousers which have been slashed from £595 to £179 and a lilac suit which has been reduced from £2,420 to £727
And on Wednesday this week they enjoyed a romantic dinner date together as they celebrated their 19th wedding anniversary. The couple paid tribute to each other by sharing the same picture on their Instagram accounts of Mrs Beckham holding her husband’s hand across the table as he smiled and they shared a £1,544 bottle of wine.
Offering her trademark pout, Mrs Beckham captioned the picture: ‘19 years!!! X I love u so much.’ Beckham captioned his post: ‘19 Years WOW... This time 19 years ago I was dressed from head to toe in purple... Happy anniversary to the most amazing wife & mummy... Love You.’
A representative for Mrs Beckham last night refused to comment.
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With the holiday season upon us, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention want to remind cookie bakers to “say no to raw dough.”
The CDC is reminding all holiday bakers that consuming raw cookie or bread dough can make you sick. The flour and raw egg in the doughs can carry bacteria such as E. coli and Salmonella which can lead to food poisoning.
According to the CDC, symptoms of food poisoning differ depending on the specific germ but can range from severe stomach cramps to vomiting. They offer a full list of symptoms on their website: https://www.cdc.gov/features/no-raw-dough/index.html


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Quite possibly one of the biggest moves electric vehicle maker Rivian (NASDAQ:RIVN) ever made was connecting with Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) to supply electric vans as delivery systems. With a presence in over 500 cities right now, Amazon’s new fleet of Rivian vehicles just crossed a major milestone, which was enough to send both Amazon and Rivian up slightly in Thursday’s trading.
The milestone in question: the Rivian fleet has delivered a combined total of 75 million packages to U.S. customers, and that number is climbing daily. With vans running from New York to Nashville and Provo to Pittsburgh, most of the country’s biggest cities have Rivian vans making deliveries therein. The Rivian vans were put in place as the result of an Amazon plan to reduce carbon emissions, and Amazon plans to step up their use from here.
Reports note that Amazon has already tripled the size of the fleet just since November. Several more cities—including Cleveland, Tampa, and Toledo—are on tap to see Rivian vans put to work as well. Amazon already plans to drop an additional billion euros over the next five years to stage a similar move throughout Europe, and Amazon is also laying cash into alternative fuels and green energy to keep the streak alive. Currently, reports note that Amazon’s electric fleet numbers over 3,000 vehicles, and Amazon expects to put 100,000 Rivian vans to work in the next seven years.
Rivian will land a lot of business in short order, and analysts look for big things. Currently, RIVN stock is rated as a Moderate Buy by analyst consensus with 95.21% upside potential thanks to its average share price of $28.11.


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Thanks to coronavirus, tasks that used to seem ordinary are now banned.
Getting a haircut, for example.
Barber shops, hair salons and beauty shops in Chattanooga have to close temporarily as of Wednesday at 12 a.m., according to an executive order by Mayor Andy Berke on Monday. Berke's order mandated that all "non-essential" businesses in the city temporarily close to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus.
Southside Salon & Spa on Market Street was booked all day Tuesday and today as customers took advantage of the service while they still can. Store owner Jennifer Odister cleaned with Lysol between clients and had masks and gloves on hand for customers if needed.
"We are trying to take care of our customers while we can and then we will sit back like everyone else and watch for when we can open back up," said Odister, who has four other employees. "I am not real sure what we are going to do. My girls who work here are W-2 and don't work for themselves, so they can hopefully file unemployment. We are going to wait this out. It's crazy times."
Several local hairstylists told the Times Free Press that they would be open to doing house calls for their clients if possible and would still cut hair for close friends, in both cases making sure their patrons were not showing any symptoms of the coronavirus.
Great Clips stores have already been closed and the company does not know when it will be able to open shop again.
Local hairdresser Darlene Stanton said she would handle the tough times by not living in fear, but by living life despite the uncertainty happening in the world.
Barber shops, salons and beauty shops around town have been an important thread in the community. And Top of the Line Barber Shop, which has been located at 422 East M.L. King Boulevard since 1993, doesn't just provide a service. It's also a place of unity.
"I just hope the city can come together. Everybody help everybody," said Top of the Line barber Jacques "Uncle Q" Carney. "If somebody has a lot of resources, maybe find a way to help others that maybe don't have as much.
"I am not rich, but I am trying to find anything I can do to help others. I have been in Chattanooga for four years now and it's left a lasting impression on me. This shop means a lot to people and Terry Nelson (shop owner) is a great family guy. All we can do is keep it in God's hands. That's all we can do," Carney said.
With so many businesses being drastically affected right now, stores hope that help can be provided.
Even before the executive order went out, Southside Salon & Spa said business had already been cut in half, if not even more, over the last two weeks.
"We are trying to get the cosmetology board and some of our distributors to help us get information about if there is anything our industry is going to offer to help us," Oddister said. "I talked to my insurance person this morning and, as of right now, Tennessee is not a state that has mandated that the coronavirus is going to help us with our policy. She did say that it is changing hourly, so that would be huge if our insurance policies come through to help out.
"We just have to all band together and get through this."
Reach Patrick MacCoon at email@example.com.


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Oxford Industries Inc. disappointed Wall Street with lower-than-expected fourth-quarter earnings and 2013 guidance late Tuesday.
The letdown was tempered by “beats” on revenue, both for the quarterly results and in projections for the new year, limiting damage to the stock in after-hours trading. Shares closed down 28 cents, or 0.5 percent, at $52.05 during the regular trading session and shed an additional 2.5 percent, to $50.73, in the first hour of after-hours trading.
In the three months ended Feb. 2, net income fell 25.2 percent to $5.3 million, or 32 cents a diluted share, from $7.1 million, or 43 cents, in the prior-year quarter. Stripping out an accounting adjustment and a change in the fair value of contingent consideration involving the purchase of Lilly Pulitzer, adjusted EPS was 65 cents, 5 cents below the 70 cents expected, on average, by analysts.
Revenues advanced 18.3 percent to $236.2 million from $199.7 million in the year-ago period, better than the $228.6 million estimated by analysts. Gross margin leaped 490 basis points to 53 percent of sales from 48.1 percent a year ago.
The Tommy Bahama, Lilly Pulitzer and Lanier Clothes units all registered double-digit increases in sales, led by Lilly Pulitzer’s 25.9 percent growth to $29.1 million.
Ben Sherman’s sales dropped 4.8 percent, to $24.7 million, and its operating loss grew to $4.5 million from a loss of $254,000 in the 2011 quarter.
“We are taking specific actions to stabilize and improve this business,” said Thomas Chubb 3rd, president and chief executive officer of Oxford, “but the impact of these challenges is expected to continue into 2013, particularly in the first half.”
Against that backdrop, Oxford projected first-quarter EPS of between 72 and 82 cents, below the $1.20 earlier estimated by analysts, with revenues of between $230 million and $240 million versus estimates of $255 million. Full-year guidance was for sales of $930 million to $945 million, better than the $928.2 million expected, and EPS of between $3 and $3.15, below the earlier estimate of $3.24.
In a call with analysts, Chubb said that after adding 12 domestic stores in 2012, Tommy Bahama is on track to open another 12 this year. In addition to the U.S., the brand branched out internationally for the first time in fiscal 2012 and there are now nine stores operating in the Asia-Pacific region. The newest store, in Yokohama, Japan, opened last week and a unit in Tokyo’s Ginza district is on tap for later this week.
“We believe Japan is a huge opportunity for us with its large, well-developed consumer market and the enthusiasm for American brands there,” Chubb said. “We believe that building Tommy Bahama’s international platform is an excellent long-term investment for Oxford and the runway it creates is substantial.”
Terry Pillow, ceo of Tommy Bahama Group, said the brand achieved several milestones in fiscal 2012 including achieving $500 million in net sales, operating over 100 domestic stores and generating over $100 million in women’s sales. Women’s wear now accounts for 28 percent of sales.
Turning to Lilly Pulitzer, Chubb said the company opened four stores for the brand in 2012, the first new store openings since 2009. “These new stores are performing very well and we would like to see four to six new carefully placed stores each year for the foreseeable future,” he said. Milestones for this brand include sales of over $100 million, he said, as revenues hit $122.6 million.
For both brands, Chubb said e-commerce continues to be a growth engine, now representing over 10 percent of Tommy Bahama’s sales and over 20 percent of Lilly Pulitzer’s.
At Lanier Clothes, operating margins rose to just over 10 percent on sales of $107 million. “While tailored clothing has been a softer category, we believe we are well positioned and continue to see and pursue opportunities to grow this business profitably,” Chubb said. “We believe opportunities exist to grow our trouser business, expand in the new channels of distribution and offer more tailored clothing at higher price points.”
At the beleaguered Ben Sherman division, where sales in fiscal 2012 dropped 10 percent to $82 million and operating losses increased to $10.9 million, Chubb blamed the results primarily on “poor execution of our strategy. With that said, with 69 percent of our business outside the U.S. predominantly in the U.K. and Europe, we also can’t overlook the significant negative impact of the economy on the Ben Sherman business,” he added.
Chubb said the company is “very focused on getting this business on a firmer footing in fiscal 2013” through expense reductions in distribution costs and marketing expenses that will be “most significant in the second half of the year,” and “exiting from customer relationships that are not profitable. While this will put an additional strain on the top line, we need to direct our resources on the areas where Ben Sherman has the most potential to be profitable, such as e-commerce,” he said.
Chubb said the company is expecting a 50 percent reduction in the brand’s operating loss in fiscal 2013 compared to fiscal 2012 and to break even from a cash flow perspective.
For the company as a whole for the full year, net income grew 6.6 percent to $31.3 million, or $1.89 a diluted share, while revenues increased 12.7 percent to $855.5 million.
@zacposen's go-to holiday gift? Cookies! "I'll usually bake cookies and send them as a gift," said the designer, who recently released his cookbook "Cooking With Zac: Recipes from Rustic to Refined." Get the recipe for his Brown Butter-Chocolate Chip Cookies via link in bio 🍪🍪🍪 #wwdeye #cookingwithzac
For @monsemaison’s pre-fall 2018 collection, Fernando Garcia and Laura Kim honed in on the brand’s many signatures — men’s wear, which was tweaked and feminized through deconstruction, proportion play and lots of bare shoulders. See the rest of the photos on WWD.com #wwdfashion (📷: George Chinese)
On Friday night, @yohjiyamamotoofficial received the Design for Asia Lifetime Achievement Award in Hong Kong. The 75-year-old designer has been celebrated for many years and is best known for his dark and avant-garde tailoring. “In my long career, in design, architecture, [I’ve been to] so many parties, this is the very first time that I have such a warm feeling, I really appreciate this,” Yamamoto said. #wwdfashion (📷: @dominiquemaitre)
Discovery is collaborating with British pop artist @philipcolbert on a new line of clothing and accessories called Discovery Shark. The collection, which will launch next summer for Shark Week’s 30th anniversary, features a whimsical line of women’s and men’s bomber jackets, sweatshirts, bags and more. #wwdfashion
“I’m always a big champion of a female rapper, and I’m glad to see a new voice that feels unique and authentic that’s coming up, and I think we’re going to see more great things from her,” said @itsjeremyscott about @iamcardib, who performed at @moschino’s Art Basel Miami Beach party last night. #wwdeye (📷: @lexieblacklock)
@janellemonae’s “What’s Your Frequency?” room in @refinery29's #29Rooms made its debut this week at the opening of the Los Angeles art exhibit. “It’s about the ongoing conversation around mass surveillance, the weaponization of technology and cultural uniformity. My space was created so that we can come together and talk about the complexities of our humanity,” said Monáe. #wwdeye (📷: @bucknerphoto)
@pantone announced their Color of the Year 2018: Ultra Violet. Nearly 20 months after the musician Prince’s death, fashion is having a purple moment. Varying shades of purple appeared on spring or fall runways, from @christopherkane to @calvinklein. @gucci’s Alessandro Michele bathed his fall runway in ultra violet-colored light at one point. Pantone 18-3838 is meant to “push the boundaries of what inspires us to look upward and outward to the future.” #wwdnews #wwdfashion (📷: @kukukuba)


text:
Viacom Sues Google for $1 Billion
March 13, 2007 2:27 PM
One of cable's largest media conglomorates has opened the litigation against YouTube
Viacom today announced it has filed a lawsuit against Google in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. Viacom filed the lawsuit claiming that
Google intentionally committed massive copyright infringement of Viacom’s entertainment properties
. The lawsuit seeks more than $1 billion in damages, in addition to an injunction that will prohibit Google/YouTube from further copyright infringement.
In its statement, Viacom said that “almost 160,000 unauthorized clips of Viacom’s programming have been available on YouTube and that these clips had been viewed more than 1.5 billion times.” Viacom would have greatly preferred these page views to have come from its own online video sharing website iFilm, so that it would have been able to receive advertising revenue.
Viacom also said Google,
which acquired YouTube in 2006
, has built a “lucrative business out of exploiting the devotion of fans to others’ creative works in order to enrich itself and its corporate parent.” Essentially, fans of content not owned by Google are watching the “creative works” on YouTube while Google benefits from and exploits these users’ devotions to these T.V. shows.
Viacom went on to say that YouTube’s entire business model is “based on building traffic and selling advertising off of unlicensed content.” Viacom’s statement even says that Google is avoiding taking “proactive steps to curtail the infringement on its site.” YouTube missed the
anti-piracy deadline that it promised to deliver by January 2007
Viacom is also unhappy that it has to police YouTube’s content and says that YouTube has placed “the entire burden – and high cost – of monitoring YouTube onto the victims of its infringement.”
Viacom believes that “YouTube and Google are continuing to take the fruit” of its efforts without permission while also “destroying enormous value in the process.” Viacom also added a little sentiment by saying the value “rightfully belongs to the writers, directors and talent who create it and companies like Viacom that have invested to make possible this innovation and creativity.” Despite the added emotion, however, there is no doubt that the lawsuit centers on money.
After unproductive negotiation Viacom believes that its only choice is to “turn to the courts to prevent Google and YouTube from continuing to steal” its content and to gain compensation for damages.
Prior to 2006, Viacom owned CBS broadcasting networks. CBS Corporation has also scrutinized YouTube; the company recently
declined a content sharing program
that was slated for 2007. Viacom, on the other hand, has
chosen to partner with Joost
for its online content sharing platform.
“We do believe we have a moral responsibility to keep porn off the iPhone.” -- Steve Jobs
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Mercedes-Benz Malaysia has revealed their updated prices for its models, valid from 15th June to 31st
Following Tesla’s return to Singapore, two banks have shown great initiative in the adoption of
Unexpected slide or skidding is not something the average driver would want to experience.
Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (MIROS) has announced their plans to restart campaigns to
cars.So although the Toyota Hilux and Isuzu D-Max are locally-assembled, both models will continue to
Your car ownership experience isn’t complete without having at least one flat tyre incident.
now have additional information confirming that prices of imported cars will also increase, also due to
One way to pay less road tax in Malaysia is to opt for a smaller engine, which usually means opting for
Value Users CarHow much do I need to make?
to inspect your used car to browsing for a used car on Carsome.Digitalisation has helped users to buy
The long-awaited city electric car by MINI, the MINI Cooper SE is has been confirmed to launch in Malaysia
between original Chinese donor car and the local Proton-badged equivalaent.But, if you feel the need to
March 2020.The new SOP for reinstated MCO (covers 5 states, 3 federal territories) from 13 January to
The financier made the prediction thanks to 2 factors, the soon to launch Proton X50 and the Penjana
Last week, the government announced that they have decided to postpone plans to increase toll rates on
ourselves to police officers.
The government has agreed to postpone plans to increase toll charges for 3 highways to 2022.
So, what’s taking so long to simply convert the car from left to right-hand drive?
DC Fast Charging can be done at a maximum rate of 50kW (80% charge in 36 minutes).
announced today that they will be adding the Proton X50, Honda City, Mitsubishi Xpander and Nissan Almera to
Now there are only 2 variants to pick with prices ranging from RM 119,888 for the Standard to RM 136,888
RM 70 for 1,201 cc to 1,400 cc, RM 90 for 1,401 cc to 1,600.From there the rates become progressive
Proton is proud to announce that the brand has reached a new milestone in terms of sales breaking the
Mercedes-Benz Malaysia (MBM) has added yet another model to their compact SUV line-up in the form of
Proton’s commerce company, Proton Commerce Sdn Bhd (PCSB), has a new campaign to help fresh graduates
Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has announced that they will be extending the existing moratorium to
reflect the revised payment terms with borrowers/customers with hire-purchase (HP) loans and fixed rate
conjunction with the 60th anniversary celebration, MINI Malaysia is incentivising buyers with three benefits to
Naza Automotive Group Malaysia is having a mid-year sale for all selected vehicles starting from now to
Interested buyers of the Mitsubishi ASX can opt to trade-in their current cars to get an RM 8,888 top-up


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The Australian central bank on Tuesday (August 9) announced that it will now begin year-long research into the merits of a central bank digital currency (CBDC), with a particular emphasis on the potential advantages it will have for the Australian economy. This programme is a partnership between the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) and the Digital Finance Cooperative Research Centre (DFCRC). In order to understand the technological, legal, and regulatory issues surrounding the issuing of a CBDC, the project will aim to find novel use cases and business models that can be supported by it, Reuters reported.
This will entail the creation of a pilot CBDC on a small scale that will operate in a ring-fenced setting and feature a digital currency claim on the reserve bank.
According to Mark Humphery-Jenner, an associate professor of finance, a CBDC typically proposes a number of advantages, like faster transactions, ease of government stimulus and money control, and smoother international transactions.
Development of particular use cases that illustrate how a CBDC can be utilised to offer cutting-edge and value-added payment and settlement services to consumers and enterprises will be requested from interested industry partners.
According to DFCRC CEO Andreas Furche, the technology for a digital currency already exists; the project is instead focused on figuring out how a CBDC may benefit the country.
He said, “The key research questions now are what economic benefits a CBDC could enable, and how it could be designed to maximize those benefits,” IANS reported.
The central bank digital current (CBDC), in contrast to conventional digital currencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum, would be stabilised and governed by the state.
(With inputs from agencies)
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text:
Despite EA abandoning its trademark application for Unravel, the publisher doesn't intend to change the title of Coldwood Interactive's puzzle-platformer.
In a statement provided to Gamespot, EA said the trademark issue won't "impact the game title," and that it's "looking forward" to launching the game in February.
Earlier this week, United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) documents posted on NeoGAF showed the government body had rejected EA's application over similarities to a board game created by SimplyFun called Beary’s Unravel.
In June, the USPTO gave EA six months to respond to the application refusal. Since the company never pursued the matter, the trademark was officially abandoned on January 19.
This caused many to believe EA would have to change the game's title. This is often the case in such matters unless something can be worked out - or a name change is submitted.
Unravel will be released digitally on current-gen consoles and PC February 9.


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A Quarter Of PPP Funding Went To Real Estate, Retail And Construction
Before the $350B Paycheck Protection Program ran out of money on Thursday, real estate, retail and construction businesses together received roughly $63.1B, or just over a quarter of the total amount distributed.
The construction industry, which is weathering mandated shutdowns in some places, had the largest chunk of PPP money of any industry as of Monday, the latest day for which data is available.
Over 114,000 loans totaling almost $34B were approved for construction companies, or 13.73% of all PPP funding, the Small Business Administration reports.
Retailers obtained $21.2B, or about 8.57% of the total, while real estate-related companies got $7.9B, or 3.22% of the total. The three sectors combined received 25.1% of available PPP money before the program's payouts ceased due to lack of funds.
Beyond those three, the accommodation and food services sector, which includes hotels and restaurants, received $22.7B, or 11.2% of the total. Transportation and warehousing businesses got $7.8B, or 3.1% of the total. The SBA uses the North American Industry Classification System to define businesses.
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act, which was signed into law late last month, created the PPP as a way to provide businesses immediate cash infusions to pay employees rather than firing them. They are also allowed to use the money for other urgent expenses, such as paying their rent or mortgage.
The money is structured as an SBA loan made by authorized financial institutions, but businesses can apply for loan forgiveness. Employers that lay off employees or reduce wages by more than 25% have that forgiven amount reduced.
An interim SBA rule issued shortly after the law passed suggested that smaller construction companies and homebuilders would not be eligible for PPP loans. The agency then revised the rule to allow all construction companies with fewer than 500 workers access to PPP. Whether homebuilders could participate is less clear.
As of Monday, the SBA has overseen more than 1 million PPP loans through 4,664 lenders. The majority of the loans (70%) were for less than $150K, totaling $37.1B. About 15% of the loans were for between $150K and $350K, totaling $35.7B.
Disagreements on Capitol Hill have prevented more money from being put into the PPP. Senate Republicans have proposed putting another $250B in the program, while House Democrats have insisted that another $250B for hospitals and state and local governments be part of any package. Each side has thus far blocked the other's proposals, The Hill reports.


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GTA: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition might possibly be another release to retail with an increased price tag for current-generation consoles.
While parent company Take-Two Interactive has not made any announcements at the time of writing, United Kingdom retailer Base has gone ahead to list GTA: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition for £60 and £70 on previous- and current-generation consoles respectively. The latter becoming $70 in the United States.
The pricing could be just a placeholder but may as well not be surprising since Take-Two Interactive has been one of several notable names to side with an increased $70 price tag for next-generation releases.
For instance, publisher 2K Games, a subsidiary of Take-Two Interactive, was the first one to announce NBA 2K21 to cost $70 on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series consoles at launch. The new Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands will also be sporting a $70 price tag on the new consoles.
$60 has stuck around as a standardized retail price for nearly 15 years but with development costs ballooning, publishers have reasoned that increasing retail prices of games to $70 will help keep up with renewed development costs.
Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick has often justified the $70 price tag for the same reasons. The highly acclaimed GTA 5 had a development budget of nearly $300 million, implying that GTA 6 will have an even larger development budget in line with next-generation visuals. The $10-increment hence offering a helping hand to balance out the scales.
GTA: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition will bundle remasters of GTA 3, GTA Vice City, and GTA San Andreas; three classic installments in the franchise which will now be overhauled with “across-the-board upgrades including graphical improvements and modern gameplay enhancements for all three titles, while still maintaining the classic look and feel of the originals.”
GTA: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition will reportedly be releasing around the coming 2021 holiday season. You can safely expect the remastered bundle to cost $70 on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series consoles.


text:
(Yicai Global) April 18 -- Kweichow Moutai Co. [SHG:600519], maker of high-end baijiu, a Chinese white spirit, saw its share price exceed CNY400 (USD58) this morning, reaching a new all-time high. The surge helped push its gross market value up to CNY502 billion, surpassing half of the 2016 gross domestic product (GDP) of Guizhou province in southern China where it is located.
The closing price of Kweichow Moutai stood at CNY404.65 per share, up by 2.24 percent, reaching a transaction volume of CNY2 billion. Its share price has gained nearly 90 percent since last year.
In terms of market value, Kweichow Moutai ranks ninth on the Shanghai and Shenzhen stock markets, with more than CNY500 billion. This means the current market value of the white spirit producer almost hit half of its province's GDP, with Guizhou province producing a GDP of CNY1.17 trillion last year.
In its recently released research report, Minsheng Securities pointed out that China's upscale catering industry has shown a pick-up trend fueled by consumption upgrading. The recent sharp rise in sales data of white spirit, beer and yellow rice wine added weight to this momentum. "From our perspective, the high-end catering industry is expected to continue to turn around," the report highlighted.
On April 15, Kweichow Moutai published its annual report 2016, recording a turnover of CNY28.8 billion, up 18.99 percent over the previous year, and a net profit of CNY16.7 billion, up 7.84 percent year-on-year. Its official website shows a profit of CNY6.9 billion in the first quarter this year, up 13 percent. The company's major economic indicators also posted a double-digit growth.


text:
Subscribe To The Nintendo Switch May Not Hit Its Sales Goal This Holiday Season Updates
The Nintendo Switch has been steamrolling through the sales charts since its release. The hybrid system combines home console gaming with the ability to indulge in portable gaming. However, despite the strong momentum and fast start off store shelves, the Switch may not hit the sales projections that Nintendo originally set out at the start of the year.
According to The Verge, the Nintendo Switch was projected to shift 20 million units throughout the fiscal year ending on March 31st, 2019. The system has been moving millions of units each quarter, with the last quarter seeing the system top 3.19 million. What this means is that, according to the Verge, Nintendo will have to move more than 14.4 million units over the course of the next two quarters to meet the 20 million goal.
The article points out that, last year during the holiday season, Nintendo managed to shift 7.23 million SKUs globally for the Nintendo Switch, setting it well on its way to surpassing the Wii U, catching up to and surpassing the GameCube, and now setting up to rival the Xbox One's install base.
Nintendo is definitely geared toward chasing down the tail of Sony's PlayStation 4, which currently leads the market with more than 86 million units shipped worldwide.
However, shipping 14 million units in a single quarter is very unlikely. Nintendo will more than likely be able to ship half that during the holiday season due to the release of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. However, from there it's looking kind of thin heading into the first quarter of 2019 when it comes to noteworthy exclusives.
I imagine 1 or 2 million SKUs may move with the release of Let's Go Pikachu and Let's Go Eevee, but will it be enough to topple 10 million?
As pointed out by The Verge, the quarter post-holiday season is typically slow. However, 2019 is shaping up to be one of the biggest years in gaming, given that a slew of high-profile titles are set to release. It's just that not all of them are coming to the Nintendo Switch, such as Kingdom Hearts 3 from Square Enix, or Resident Evil 2 Remake from Capcom. There are also hardcore shooters like Metro: Exodus that won't be appearing on the Switch.
Surely if any or all of those games were also penned in for Switch releases it would be easy to see how Nintendo could move maybe 7 -- 10 million SKUs during the holiday and another 2 -- 4 million during the first quarter of 2019. However, Nintendo only has Travis Strikes Again and New Super Mario Bros U Deluxe to tide gamers over during the early first half of 2019.
The most common sense way of moving 10 million units during a single quarter would be to cut the price down to $250 for the standard Switch SKU. But, Nintendo seems intent on sticking with the $299 launch price. It would take a market miracle at this point to move 20 million units throughout fiscal 2019, but then again, this is Nintendo we're talking about.
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The 2012 North American Auto Show kicked off in Detroit today, and according to early reports it’s greener than ever.
Ford put on a glitzy presentation, rolling out the new Ford Fusion, which boasts up to 100 MPG and a new more fuel-efficient EcoBoost engine that allows emits fewer greenhouse gasses. Ford also announced plans to increase hybrid/electric vehicle production threefold to over 100,000 by 2012.
Honda debuted the new Jetta Hybrid, which will come with a special button that allows drivers to take it up to 43 MPH and cover over a mile on electricity alone. They presented the sure-to-be-popular concept all-electric VW Beetle, called the E-Bugster.
Stay tuned for more updates on the 2012 North American Auto Show throughout the week.


text:
Dorel Home, a segment of Dorel Industries Inc. has revamped its Commerce & Design building showroom (Space 9A) to better showcase its growing house of brands and has created a star-studded event for marketgoers to celebrate.
Sleep Number Corporation announced the launch of the Climate360 smart bed, which the company said is the world’s first sleep solution to help address temperature concerns by keeping sleepers at their ideal temperature throughout the night.
Global design company West Elm, a member of Williams-Sonoma, Inc., family of brands, has launched its own virtual world, West Elm Home Design, on Roblox, a global platform bringing 52 million daily users together through shared experiences.
Two furniture companies have recalled bunk beds and ladders for entrapment issues with the bed’s ladders and their frames.
Leather upholstery producer Natuzzi said second-quarter sales rose 7.8 percent to 116.9 million Euros, but its net loss widened to 600,000 Euros due largely to rising raw materials and transportation costs.
Outward, Inc., an independent Williams-Sonoma Inc. company, has changed the way Whalen Furniture conducts its product photography process with the Aperture Platform.
New factory orders for residential furniture tumbled 37 percent in July -- compared with July 2021 – as the industry continued to experience a significant slowdown in business. The data, included in the monthly Furniture Insights newsletter from the accounting and consulting firm Smith Leonard, also showed that July 2021 orders were 11 percent below July 2020. However, July 2020 new orders were up 39 percent over July 2019.


text:
USA: Men's Wearhouse Reports Earnings Per Share Increase Of 28 Percent For The First Quarter
Company Provides Outlook For Remainder Of Fiscal Year 2000 The Men's Wearhouse (Nasdaq:MENS) today announced results for the first quarter which ended April 29, 2000. For the quarter, net earnings increased 25.2 percent to $13.4 million, or $.32 of diluted earnings per share, versus pro forma net earnings before extraordinary item of $10.7 million, or $.25 of diluted earnings per share, in the same period a year ago. Sales for the quarter were $287.9 million compared with $258.9 million for the same period a year ago, an increase of 11.2 percent. Comparable store sales in the U.S. for the quarter increased 5.3 percent compared with a 5.6 percent increase a year ago and in Canada decreased 5.6 percent compared with a 6.5 percent decrease a year ago. During the first quarter, the company's comparable store sales at its core stores, Men's Wearhouse, were on plan and at its K&G Men's Center stores were above plan. Management's Update And Outlook for Remainder Of Fiscal Year 2000 "We have had a very strong start to the current fiscal year. Sales and net earnings for the first quarter continue to reach record levels. In addition, we achieved gross margin improvements at all of our brands. Operating expenses were up during the quarter and are reflective of our ongoing reinvestment in employee training, advertising, payroll, and infrastructure. We continue to invest in casual merchandise inventory to take advantage of the ongoing trend towards a more casual workplace. We are experiencing strong comparable store sales growth in these product categories. In addition, we continue to grow our market share in our core category, suits, having achieved an estimated market share of 16% at fiscal year end 1999, up from 15% in the prior year," said David Edwab, president of The Men's Wearhouse, Inc.
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Researchers at security firm Checkmarx say they built a proof-of-concept skill for Amazon’s Echo devices that in theory could have voice assistant Alexa listen to, transcribe, and report what users said after they thought they had finished using a legitimate service.
They took advantage of a feature that allows a skill to extend the time it listens to users after it’s been activated if it prompts them for more information by playing an inaudible prompt. That way, their skill, which offered a simple calculator, could keep getting transcripts from Alexa of what users said without them getting any audio cue that the device was still listening. A light would likely have been visible on affected devices, Threatpost reports, but users wouldn’t notice it unless they looked at the device.
Amazon also allows developers to build custom 'skills,' applications for Alexa, which is the brain behind millions of voice-activated smart devices including Amazon Echo Show, Echo Dot, and Amazon Tap.
However, security researchers at cybersecurity firm Checkmarx created a proof-of-concept voice-driven 'skill' for Alexa that forces device to indefinitely record surround voice to secretly eavesdrop on users’ conversations and then also sends the complete transcripts to a third-party website.
Disguised as a simple calculator for solving maths problems, the malicious skill, if installed, immediately gets activated in the background after a user says "Alexa, open calculator."
"The calculator skill is initialized, and the API\Lambda-function that's associated with the skill receives a launch request as an input," researchers said in its report.
In a video demonstration, researchers show that when a user opens up a session with the calculator app (in the background), it also creates a second session without verbally indicating the user that the microphone is still active.


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The Lego company has just announced the launch of their first LGBTQIA+ themed toy set titled Everybody is Awesome. The set is designed to celebrate the diversity of our fans and the world around us.
— LEGO (@LEGO_Group) May 20, 2021
Vice President of Design Matthew Ashton discussed the inspiration for the set:
“I wanted to create a model that symbolises inclusivity and celebrates everyone, no matter how they identify or who they love. Everyone is unique, and with a little more love, acceptance and understanding in the world, we can all feel more free to be our true AWESOME selves! This model shows that we care, and that we truly believe ‘Everyone is awesome’!” – Lego.com
In addition to the original six colors of the Rainbow flag, five other colors were added. The colors pink, white and pale blue represent the transgender community. The final two colors added – black and brown – represent the diversity of the LGBTQIA+ community. Each monochrome figurine has its own individual hairstyle. The only one assigned a gender is the beehive-wigged purple figurine who Matthew says is a “clear nod to all the fabulous drag queens out there.” Other figurines were created without a specific gender to “express individuality, while remaining ambiguous. It is up to the builder what gender they see the characters.”
“Our brand values of fun and creativity and learning and equality and imagination apply to absolutely everybody. That is why we created a set like this to say we want to include everybody no matter how young or old you are what gender you are. Lego is for everybody and we want to make sure everybody around the world knows it.” – Lego.com
Ashton explained that he created the set for his own personal desk at work before the Lego company decided to launch a product celebrating the LGBTQIA+ community. He went on to discuss how happy he was with the final design and how proud he is to work for a company as inclusive as Lego.
— 🌈 Ceri Edwards (@jceriedwards) May 20, 2021
The Lego company fan base includes a large number of adult fans. Adult Lego fans even have their own acronym – Afols! The second season of Lego Masters, a reality competition show hosted by Will Arnett, where teams of two Lego enthusiasts go head-to-head, premieres June 1 on Fox. Season one Lego Masters contestant and Afol Flynn DeMarco mentioned how important this is to the LGBTQIA+ community,
“This set means a lot. Often LGBTQ+ people don’t feel seen, especially by corporations. There’s a lot of lip service and not a lot of action. So this feels like a big statement.” – The Guardian
Knowing how much representation matters and how important it is, was another key reason Ashton created the set. He wants the LGBTQIA+ community to know that this set “is a real thank you to the LGBTQ community that has been so loyal to us over the years.” He also discussed how much something like this would have meant to him in his youth.
If I had been given this set by somebody at that point in my life, it would have been such a relief to know that somebody had my back. To know that I had somebody there to say “I love you, I believe in you. I’ll always be here for you.” – Lego.com
The 346 piece set goes on sale June 1, to mark the start of Pride Month. I am totally buying one! If you would like to see the full interview with Matthew Ashton watch the video below.


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By Carol Pierson Holding
Electric Vehicles (EVs) aren’t selling because retail charging has stalled and people are afraid of being stranded with no power source. According to the US Census, there are 121,000 gas stations in the U.S. and just 9,124 charging stations. Refueling takes minutes with gas vs. 30 minutes to hours to charge. According to Plugincars.com’s Ultimate Guide to Electric Car Charging Networks, most public chargers are free for now, but those that are not free require subscriptions to be set up in advance; using regular credit cards for a single charge is possible but complicated. The West Coast’s ballyhooed “Electric Highway” is made up of six different charger providers, each requiring a different subscription and another card for your wallet. Some chargers don’t fit every vehicle (!) and customer service can be terrible.
It’s just too early. Not surprising, most adventuresome new car buyers are skipping electric cars for now and buying another gas-powered vehicle to tide them over until the problems of range and public charging are solved.
Clearly, the EV charging market requires standards. Despite utilities being widely reviled for high rates, they are trusted to distribute power and maintain the electric grid to fairly high standards.
Electric utilities’ reputation for providing overall reliability and consistency is well suited to win the confidence of potential EV drivers.
That may be why utilities in Kansas City, Missouri, Madison, Wisconsin and in cities across California and Texas are investing in charging stations. Existing charging companies, in addition to offering competing systems at the expense of consumers, have failed to proliferate the stations fast enough. As a result, Public Utility Commissions have begun to open the charging market to electric utilities. Forbes described why regulators are allowing these giants into the market:
(California’s Pacific Gas and Electric) designed the (EV charger) project to help the state achieve its mandate to reduce its emissions by 80% below the 1990s levels by 2050. …To achieve that, Gov. Brown issued an executive order in 2012 that calls for putting 1.5 million zero-emissions cars on the road by 2025.
Why should utilities take on EV charging at all, a tough retail distribution business that EV owners expect to be free? Shouldn’t the utilities be paying more attention to their core business, endangered by distributed solar energy provided by roof top solar panels? A 2013 report from Edison Electric Institute, the trade group for publicly-owned electric companies, warned about the disruption about to hit these utilities.
Not only will utilities lose about 10% of their customers to roof top solar by 2020, but that loss would require increasing charges for remaining customers by about 20%, making solar panels even more attractive by comparison. Utilities have been fighting “tooth and nail” to keep solar installers out, including shutting down access to the grid, adding grid fees, and lobbying to regulate and tax solar alternatives out of the market. As it turned out, that strategy has kept the market open until they were allowed to enter.
For example, NRG’s CEO David Crane announced plans to participate in the charging market a year ago, stating that his company would straddle both models just as telephone companies straddled landline and cellular for twenty years before cellular became dominant. And the market in its home state of Texas is ready and waiting.
Was it the boldness of their plans to move into charging stations that gave utilities the moxy to start installing their own distributed solar power? What caused utilities to act outside their staid character, whose normal instinct is to shut down innovation that threatens the status quo?
The fact is, utilities are not only innovating but changing their core business model to accommodate the cheaper and more ubiquitous solar power source, one already visible across middle class neighborhoods, and one that might just save the electric companies from extinction. It feels like it all happened overnight, that our most conservative institutions have become bet-the-business proponents of green technology. Who knew?
Photo courtesy of avda-foto via Flickr cc.
Carol Pierson Holding writes on environmental issues and social responsibility for policy and news publications, including the Carnegie Council’s Policy Innovations, Harvard Business Review, San Francisco Chronicle, India Time, The Huffington Post and many other web sites. Her articles on corporate social responsibility can be found on CSRHub.com, a website that provides sustainability ratings data on 13,700+ companies worldwide. Carol holds degrees from Smith College and Harvard University.
CSRHub provides access to corporate social responsibility and sustainability ratings and information on 13,700+ companies from 135 industries in 127 countries. By aggregating and normalizing the information from 371 data sources, CSRHub has created a broad, consistent rating system and a searchable database that links millions of rating elements back to their source. Managers, researchers and activists use CSRHub to benchmark company performance, learn how stakeholders evaluate company CSR practices and seek ways to change the world.


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Daniel Kivatinos, COO and Co-Founder of DrChrono
This is the year of the cloud. We’ve seen over time that the medical community is getting more and more comfortable embracing cloud software. Looking at some recent reports and statistics, you can see the mass adoption of cloud solutions is happening all around us. As I talk to the founders of companies, they agree there’s a massive change happening where medical centers and practices are moving to the cloud at a faster rate and with more ease than ever before. Cloud companies like Acronis, Ambra Health, NexHealth, Physitrack, and Updox are trending up and creating solutions for healthcare professionals to leverage.
Machine Learning & Artificial Intelligence
Startups in this space such as Diagnoss, Holly by Nimblr, and Ada geared towards digital health are also on the rise. Diagnoss provides an AI medical coding assistant, Nimblr offers a multilingual AI assistant that automates patient communication/scheduling and Ada is a popular medical machine learning company that benefits the entire industry because it helps patients and medical professionals gather insights quickly about a patient. These companies are helping to reduce costs for medical practices and help lower the staff burden by having to do more work than necessary. Additionally, if you take a closer look at the funding behind this group of the tech sector, you will see large amounts of investment on the venture-capital side.
Many health IT software vendors battle for market share, keeping data siloed and this has slowed innovation in healthcare. Software vendors have been keeping patients and medical facility customers, hostage, by forcing the customers to stay with their software. Now with the Affordable Care Act (ACA), software vendors are opening their data to common communication languages such as Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR). In my opinion, FHIR is the most widely accepted API standard and will continue to gain traction in 2020. Countless companies are starting to leverage FHIR according to the Argonaut implementation specifications, Apple, being the most notable. There is an incredible opportunity for innovation from APIs, and I see a brighter future where patients, medical professionals, and institutions will be able to share medical data at a much faster rate than ever before.
Internet of Things (IoT) AND Wearables
IoT companies are coming out with more health-related devices and software apps, such as wearable tattoos that can tell if you’ve had enough sun, IoT glucometers, and a blood pressure cuff that can track your sleep patterns. Also, it’s been in the press lately that Google bought Fitbit which will bring big change to the industry because this IoT wearable company will align with Google to become more of a health-focused company. Notable startups that I see as super innovate in the health tech space are Lief which is hardware for psychiatrists to remotely monitor patients and 100Plus smartwatch which monitors users’ heart activity.
Genomics is really becoming more commonplace with the rise of 23andMe and Ancestry.com. If you walk into Target or Walmart there are genomics tests available for purchase over the counter making these tests more accessible to everyone. Genomind is another great example of a company working in this space that allows physicians to gain more insights about what medications to give a patient based on their history and genetic background.


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This probably won’t make a difference to many of you but Mercedes-Benz USA has just announced that it has opened the doors to its 100th Mercedes-Benz Sprinter Van dealership, bringing the total number of dealerships to 156 including the Freightliner Sprinter Van network.
“This milestone in the development of our sales & service network underscores our commitment to the U.S. market,” said Claus Tritt, General Manager of Commercial Vans for MBUSA. “True to our philosophy “The Best – or Nothing”, we have been selective in our expansion of the commercial vehicle dealer body and will continue to appoint dealers in strategic locations to service the needs of our Sprinter customers.“
Want to learn more about the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter success story? Hit the jump to read more.
The Sprinter Success Story
The success story of the Sprinter commercial van has been attributed to its highly practical design and outstanding quality, which translate to impressive cargo capacity and low operating costs. With its efficient BlueTEC diesel engine, the Sprinter gets higher fuel mileage than its competitors, while its high roof and large door openings give the van class-leading cargo carrying ability. Large fleets have moved to Sprinter Vans and it’s also become a favorite of small businesses such as catering firms and building trades.
Only last year, Mercedes-Benz USA began offering the Sprinter Van line through select Mercedes-Benz dealers. The Sprinter has been sold in the U.S. since 2001 by Freightliner, the industry’s leading manufacturer of medium and heavy-duty trucks in North America. Both MBUSA and Freightliner are divisions of Daimler AG, the world’s largest manufacturer of commercial vehicles. In the U.S., the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter is targeted toward small businesses, while the Freightliner version continues to be available to its established customer base of commercial vehicle operators.
The Sprinter Van line includes five models: Cargo Van, Passenger Van, MiniBus, Chassis Cab and the new Crew Van. Both the cargo and passenger vans feature a side-door opening that’s 51 inches wide and 59 inches high, with a 71-inch height on high-roof versions. At the same time, their step-in height is only 19.9 inches. The Shuttle Bus has a power-operated split-entry door and step that’s 38 inches wide.
All Sprinter Vans are equipped with a 3.0-liter V6 diesel that gets 30 percent better fuel economy than a comparable gasoline engine, five-speed automatic transmissions, and fourwheel disc brakes.
– By: Omar Rana


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Espresso isn't the only thing frothing at coffee shops in Washington state; several of them now feature topless baristas. Well, almost topless -- they wear pasties, as well as only panties to protect them from the hot steam.
According to a report in the Daily Mail, five of these "sexpresso" bars, as they are known, have cropped up in Port Orchard, near Seattle. They have such names as "Fantasy Espresso," "Espresso Gone Wild," and a personal favorite "Steamy Grounds."
"Sex sells, and we're the busiest coffee stand in Kitsap County," said barista Vanessa Olson.
But of course some killjoys complained and now local county officials are considering regulations, including banning anyone younger than 18 from using the stores.
"You (would) have to have someone checking the cars as they go through the line making sure all of the occupants are 18," Larry Keeton of the County Department of Community Development told KATU.com.
Sexpresso owners say such regulations could hurt businesses -- and not only theirs.
"There's a lot of vendors we all use, too," said Espresso Gone Crazy owner J.J, Wilson. "This just doesn't touch those in the stand, but out of the stand as well."
He added, "There's a smaller minority of people trying to speak for a large majority."


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Many U.S. companies are unintentionally exposing their sensitive customer information and as a result opening themselves up to liabilities that could results in financial losses of hundreds of millions of dollars, and irreparable damage to their brand. The largest hacking scheme in U.S. history was reported last month, involving the theft of more than 160 million credit card numbers resulting in hundreds of millions of dollars in losses. Last year, the Amazon-owned online store Zappos was the target of a massive data breach that affected as many as 24 million users of the site, forcing Zappos not to accept phone calls from customers for a full week.
Although hackers’ techniques are becoming more and more sophisticated, there are some basic measures companies can take to avoid compromise of business and personal data. Some of these are as simple as tracking the process of how data flows through the enterprise, including how information is shared with partners, suppliers, and customers as part of doing day to day business.
As volumes of data accumulate, regulations multiply, workforces become more mobile, and enterprises move more of their data centers to the Cloud, the need for security that protects data in transit, as well as in storage, becomes increasingly critical.
Coping with Bring Your Own Disaster
One of the biggest threats of companies today is the mobile work force. A growing number of employees are using personal devices to access business applications namely smart phones, tablets and PC’s. According to a recent Forrester Report, 29% of the global workforce uses three or more devices and works from multiple locations. Popular applications such as the easily accessible Dropbox, introduces additional risks where copies of sensitive docs land up unexpectedly and unprotected on home computers while syncing to create a backup.
Corporate IT departments are fighting back with company-wide policies to educate employees about the importance of sealing the enterprise off from outside risks and possible leakage of sensitive data. New measures include checklists, policies, and programs such as Corporate Owned Personally Enabled (COPE) devices, where the company reserves the right to disconnect devices on the corporate network if security is jeopardized. However, experience has shown time and time again that employees are very creative when it comes to bypassing IT rules and policies, not always out of malice but simply because it makes their jobs easier. The convenience of cloud and collaboration solutions on the web provides too many temptations for employees who underestimate the security risks involved.
Protect the Process not the Data
One way to solve the problem is for organizations to focus on protecting the process and not just the data. Security measurements that focus on processes are more complete, more easily understood, and can simplify daily organizational tasks such as claims management, clinical chart completion, student admissions, contract management and invoice processing.
Adding plug-ins to everyday applications can make basic security functions part of everyday workflows. Imagine if people could send files of unlimited size securely using Outlook and Web interfaces, without having to load any applications onto their computers or mobile devices. In addition, by integrating with personnel and CRM systems it is relatively easy to use the latest corporate databases to check who is authorized to view, send or edit documents. A process designer that allows enterprises to create, edit, manage and protect data in transit between mission-critical system and security platforms can streamline the process of securing data in transit while increasing compliance and reducing the resources required to maintain security.
By being integrated with day to day applications and being part of a regular routine, security measures are less likely to be overlooked or sabotaged. Security measures have a greater chance of being followed if partners, suppliers and customers can conduct their business trading files securely without installing special software or setting up special accounts. When implemented seamlessly, things can be done quicker with fewer resources that also can help justify the security investment.
Today there are more and more incidents of hospitals, government agencies, and retailers paying the price for leaving personal data exposed. In the end, security needs to become a process integrated with day to day business. Once the business of security is part of every task, the chances of losing data, money, and a good reputation is vastly reduced.
Ronen Kenig is the Vice President of Marketing and Product Management at Safe-T.


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IBM recently unveiled a radio-frequencyidentification (RFID) systemfor tracking and tracing pharmaceuticals.The company's new software andservices are designed to help manufacturersprotect products from theft andfraud and avoid replacement costs forproduct recalls.
The system for the pharmaceuticalsupply chain uses a combination ofRFID software and services to documentand track the movement of drugsthrough the supply chain. RFID tags areimplanted on products at the unit, case,and pallet level and authenticate theproduct from manufacturer to wholesalerto hospitals and pharmacies. Everytag is equipped with a unique identifierthat can be linked back to descriptiveproduct information such as dosageand strength, lot number, and productexpiration date. In addition to consumerprotection, the IBM system isanticipated to help manufacturers anddistributors improve their own performanceby reducing inventory,improve targeting recalls, and provide afaster response to market demand.


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Published on : Tuesday, October 27, 2020
The International Society of Furniture Designers (ISFD) announced the winners of the recently held 2020 Pinnacle Awards. The furniture industry’s highest honor recognizes the top professional and student furniture designers who envision and create the designs that ultimately become some of the most sought-after home furnishings items around the world. Their works are produced and marketed by companies large and small, but with a common denominator—to proudly illustrate that artistry, craft, and innovation are important and quite desirable to the consumer marketplace.
The Pinnacle finalists were recognized and the winners revealed on Saturday, October 24 during the Pinnacle Awards’ Great Designs Unmasked, an online TV-style program on the ISFD’s YouTube channel. Acclaimed interior designer Corey Damen Jenkins keynoted the awards ceremony.
According to John Conrad, ISFD executive director, “The judges commented that selecting just one winner in each of the 20 categories was incredibly difficult. We not only had a record number of entries but the designs from all of the finalists were exceptional this year creating very stiff competition. The designers should all be very proud of their work.”


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We just announced that Project xCloud – Microsoft’s game streaming service – would soon be integrated into Xbox Game Pass Ultimate at no additional cost. Now we’ve learned that even more details will come to light in August 2020, just one month before that integration happens. One of those big details will likely be a new name, but according to Xbox Head, Phil Spencer, in an interview with The Verge, an official and final name has yet to be decided on.
“This isn’t the official name, but you should think about it as Game Pass streaming or Xbox streaming, something like that. We actually don’t have the final name just yet, but it won’t be Project xCloud.”
And, Xbox isn’t planning to sleep easy on xCloud – or whatever it will be called – as it...
Microsoft’s Project xCloud game streaming service has been in the works for a while now, with limited public beta testing ongoing for the last year or so. Now, we’re learning that the service is going to be greatly expanded and made available to just about everyone.
Starting September 2020, just a month or two before the Xbox Series X launches, Microsoft will be adding Project xCloud to its Xbox Game Pass Ultimate Subscription. Don’t know what that is? Well, for $14.99 per month, you get access to Xbox Game Pass on Xbox and PC along with your Xbox Live subscription. So, basically access to more than 100 games, online multiplayer capability, and – pretty soon – the ability to stream those games (and any other digital purchases that are compatible) to your phone or tablet.
If money is kind of tight for you, and you’ve been saving up to get the new Xbox Series X, then you might be happy to know that there will probably be another option: Xbox All Access.
Word comes directly from Phil Spencer during the Game Lab Live keynote, where he did everything but confirm that the Series X would be supported by the subscription service at launch. And, if it’s not included in the program at launch, it will probably be included shortly thereafter.
“Xbox All Access is going to be critical to both our launch for Xbox Series X as well as just the overall generation”
He also went on to admit that in testing All Access there has been a major limitation in where it has been available, but that...
In an Xbox Wire blog post, Phil Spencer has confirmed that Microsoft’s xCloud streaming service will be coming to Xbox Game Pass later this year – something that will put more than 100 games at your disposal almost instantaneously.
“Later this year our cloud game streaming technology, Project xCloud, will come to Game Pass—so you and your friends can stream and play the games you love together on your devices”
This news in itself might not be that surprising since Microsoft announced that its game-streaming service would be coming to Xbox Game Pass before the turn of the decade, but to be honest, I don’t think anyone expected it to happen quite so soon. Right now, Project xCloud is exactly that – a project that’s still in development and being tested by a limited number of...
Rockstar is adding Red Dead Redemption 2 to Xbox Game Pass on May 7, but it doesn’t come without a big fat caveat – the removal of Grand Theft Auto 5 from the subscription service.
For the uninitiated, RDR 2 is the prequel to the original Red Dead Redemption that was launched to great success in 2010. In RDR 2, you get to experience the fall of the Van de Linde gang through the eyes of Arthur Morgan, one of the gang’s most trusted enforcers. The Game Pass version that’s coming on May 7 will include the base game as well as access to Red Dead Online multiplayer mode. It can be pre-loaded now if you’re a subscriber, so you’ll be able to jump right in when the game finally unlocks.
Unfortunately, RDR 2’s arrive to...
Nvidia’s GeForce Now game streaming service once held so much promise, and it seemed like it could have been the best thing to happen to the game streaming industry. But, game publishers have slowly be bowing out, with Bethesda removing its games from the service back in February of 2020, followed by 2K Games walking away just weeks later. Even Activision Blizzard has said no thanks as it pulled its games from the service. April has presented another round of pullouts as Warner Bros. Interactive, Xbox Game Studios, Codemasters, and Klei Entertainment will all pull their games from the service on Friday April 24, 2020.
It seems like publishers are pulling out of the service faster than a man with fear of being a father, and so far, we have yet to hear a real reason for it....
Following the removal of Activision
and Bethesda games from GeForce Now, 2K Games has now chosen to remove its
games from the once-promising cloud streaming service as well. When Bethesda
chose to remove all but one of its games – Wolfenstein Youngblood – it was said
that there was a misunderstanding on Nvidia’s part. As of now, there’s no word
about why 2K Games has joined the slowly growing list of publishers to leave
News comes via a post on Nvidia’s forums in a very short announcement that said nothing more than:
Per publisher request, please be
advised 2K Games titles will be removed from GeForce NOW today. We are working
with 2K Games to re-enable their games in the future.
Before GeForce Now exited the beta testing phase, Capcom and
Square Enix removed their games from the service, so...
Not so long ago, at the beginning of this month, Activision pulled its games from Nvidia's GeForce Now game streaming service. Activisions decision to do this has, reportedly, come down to a misunderstanding on Nvidia's part. Now, it looks like the same story might be repeating itself once again as Bethesda has decided to pull all of its games, aside from Wolfenstein: Youngblood, for unknown reasons. Is this yet another misunderstanding, this time between Nvidia and Bethesda or something more?
Nvidia made the following announcement in a blog post:
"Please be advised most Bethesda Softworks titles will be removed from the GeForce Now service today. Wolfenstein Youngblood will remain for all members."
Nvidia has yet to comment on why Bethesda games have been removed or prodide any informaiton on whether or not they...
If you’re an Xbox Game Pass subscriber, you can now play
Wolfenstein: Young Blood and Final Fantasy 15. And, starting February 13,
Microsoft is adding the an indie co-op puzzler Death Squared. If you’re a PC
subscriber, you have access to Wolfenstein and FF15 as well, but instead of
getting access to Death Squared on the 13th, you’ll get to place
Death’s Gambit, a 2d action platformer that is said to have “deep RPG
On top of all this, from February 14-16, you’ll get to
participate in the closed beta testing of Bleeding Edge, a new Microsoft Game
Studios multiplayer game. This is the game that Microsoft took over when it
acquired Ninja Theory some time ago. When the game officially launches on March
24th, assuming the closed beta testing goes well and delays aren’t
needed, it will be available to play via your Game Pass subscription. The
PlayStation’s PS Plus
subscription is kicking off February with a bang by not offering the usual two free
games but a bonus game as well. The two free PS4 games for February are
BioShock: The Collection, which is perfect timing as you’ll be able to get
caught up in time before the next BioShock Launches, and The Sims 4, a game
that requires no introduction
So, what’s the mystery bonus game? Well, you can get
Firewall Zero Hour a tactical VR game that is as fun as the other two games,
but you need to be a PSVR player to enjoy it.
If you’re not familiar with any of these games, you can check out the official trailers below or check out our latest coverage on PlayStation games and the PlayStation 5!
Bioshock: The Collection Official Trailer