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Filipino men ‘most narcissistic in Asia’
Selling mirrors must be a robust business in the Philippines. That is because Filipinos are supposed to be the most vain, the most narcissistic men in Asia.
A 2006 survey by a company called Synovate was recently cited by CNN in a story about the “most sinful cities” in Asia. The story ranks the cities according to the “seven deadly sins” and Manila is right there as the city that is the most proud of them all.
Much is made about the loveliness of the Filipino female. But you wouldn’t know it by talking to the Filipino men — they’re too busy gazing lustfully into the mirror.
According to a study from Synovate, Filipino men are the most narcissistic in Asia. A whopping 48 percent consider themselves sexually attractive.
And if the ladies reading this think the guys’ encounters with the brow tweazers are for your benefit, sorry — nine out of 10 Filipino men polled said they liked to look good for themselves, not anyone else.
By way of comparison, just 25 percent of men in Singapore considered themselves sexually attractive, 17 percent in China and Taiwan and a measly 12 percent of Hong Kong guys think the same.
The Synovate survey notes that “the findings have a wide-ranging implication for the marketers of personal grooming products.” Traditionally, it says, “marketers have addressed this market by selling to wives, mothers, sisters, girlfriends. Now, they can go directly to the newly minted beautiful male.”
It’s not difficult to substantiate the survey’s claim. If you have a Filipino male friend, take a peek into his backpack or bathroom cabinet and you will invariably find all sorts of personal hygiene, even beauty, products: toothbrush, toothpaste, perhaps even a mouthwash, an underarm roll or spray, a cologne or perfume, an aftershave perhaps, a comb, a pair of nail cutters, hair gel… If you’re lucky you can probably even find a compact mirror.
Filipino men are just as finicky about their looks as the women. The “metrosexual” phenomenon has recently caught on in urban centers. Products that used to be marketed only to women are now also being peddled to men, such as Nivea for Men. On its Facebook page for the Philippines, Nivea tells Filipino men: “Hey BROs, how’s the summer vacation preps so far? But first, make sure your skin has the freedom to enjoy under the sun by getting the right sunblock based on your skin tone, skin type, target location and date!” One fan remarked: “I love this stuff ^ ^ The best way to look good and smell good:) Honestly Nivea team ^ ^ Thumbs up;)”
The “narcissistic Filipino,” in fact, is now part of popular culture. Movie posters and billboards always feature men in various stages of undress, usually to display washboard abs. One movie star, Piolo Pascual, has made a career out of these advertising endorsements apparently with the stipulation that all of his posters should show his midsection — even if what he endorses has absolutely nothing to do with those abs, like a condominium.
Looking at these posters and billboards, you’d think that Filipino men are the healthiest, fittest men on earth. In truth, obesity is rising in the Philippines. Cases of diabetes and other so-called lifestyle diseases, such as hypertension, are on the rise.
This, of course, has not stopped and should not stop Filipinos from adoring themselves in the mirror. If only we could do it less so we can actually get some things done in this country…


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As the debate over the nation’s expanding waistline continues, trial lawyers and food cop organizations (led by George Washington University’s John “Sue the Bastards” Banzhaf and the Center for Science in the Public Interest) are determined to gain a super-sized payday by suing restaurants and food companies. The Center for Consumer Freedom (CCF) unveiled its latest television commercial today, lampooning the relentless efforts of those who seek to cash in on the nation’s obesity.
In June CCF unveiled its popular “Cookies” TV ad, which depicted a greedy trial lawyer grilling a young scout because she sold cookies to his overweight client. CCF’s newest spot follows the continuing saga of this trial lawyer, who now chases a pizza deliveryman in his search for obesity lawsuit plaintiffs-and a fat wallet.
The 15-second ad, “Delivery,” airs nationally this week on CNN’s American Morning.
To view the “Delivery” ad, visit www.ConsumerFreedom.com or call (202) 463-7112 to request a VHS or Beta copy.
The Center for Consumer Freedom is a nonprofit coalition supported by restaurants, food companies, and consumers working together to promote personal responsibility and protect consumer choices.

domain: news


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Microsoft has made it easy for people to get the latest news from all over the world. The Microsoft News website has several different ways to get the news. It is also available on mobile devices. The start page of the app features selected articles. These include top stories, international and regional events, business, technology, entertainment, sports, opinion, and miscellaneous stories.
Microsoft Start news is an application that allows you to read selected articles from around the world. It covers a wide variety of topics including top stories, regional events, and international affairs. You can also read about technology, entertainment, sports, and opinion stories. In addition to these, you can browse miscellaneous stories.
Microsoft Start uses AI to automatically suggest news articles that are relevant to your interests. You can customize your feed by adding or removing topics. In addition, you can choose the publishers or news outlets that you want to follow. It also has a search bar that allows you to type in the topic you’re interested in.
The Microsoft Start news feed is a global news feed that aggregates news from over 4,500 premium publishers. It features a community of users and will learn your preferences.
Slate online magazine
Slate online magazine is part of MSN News and is published by Cyrus Krohn. Previously, the online magazine was run by Scott Moore, who is now the associate publisher. Before joining Slate, he headed political advertising for the Microsoft Network, produced programs for CNN, and worked in the special projects office of President Dan Quayle. His writing has been widely published. The site attracts approximately 4 million visitors a month.
Microsoft has already been approached by several media companies about selling Slate, but so far has yet to come to a deal. The company is most interested in a partnership with another media company, which would increase advertising revenue on its MSN website. Although Microsoft would prefer to keep Slate on the MSN network, it is not opposed to a deal that would put Slate’s content on a different platform.
Slate is an online magazine that covers news, politics, sports, and low-arts. The site combines daily and weekly updates, and is geared towards the adult audience. The site also includes links to articles in PDF format.
Curated news feeds
MSN news curates news feeds for you and presents it in a logical manner. It focuses on news from a range of mainstream sources and then breaks them down into categories. This way, you’ll be able to see the most relevant stories, and you won’t be flooded with irrelevant information.
MSN News uses an engine to gather content from more than a thousand publishers and display it in a curated format. The news is ranked according to relevance and freshness, and filtered by editors. This means that MSN news feeds contain content that other sites can’t provide.
Microsoft is also making it easier for people to read news on the web. The company recently introduced a new personalized news service called Start. The service will be available across Windows 10 and Windows Edge and will use machine learning and AI to make news recommendations. It will feature breaking news on the front page and make it easy for you to customize what you see.
Local weather conditions on taskbar
In Windows 10, you can choose whether to display the local weather conditions on your taskbar or not. You can toggle between showing the icon or the text. You can also choose to show only the icon or remove the text. The default card will return when you restart the computer. You can also choose whether to reduce the number of updates you get from MSN.
The first thing to keep in mind is that the weather widget will take up a lot of space. This is one reason why some users might want to hide it if they use a small screen. Alternatively, they might want to hide the News and Interest button. Regardless of how you choose to display the widget, it will update accordingly to the current weather forecast.
In addition to displaying the weather, the News and Interests icon also offers traffic updates and sports scores. The widget also features a link to read the full story in Microsoft Edge. If you don’t want to see the widget, you can also remove it by selecting the appropriate icon on the taskbar.


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Orange Spain Q1 revenues down 7.4%
April 22, 2021
From David Del Valle in Madrid
Tough market competition, along with low cost offers and promotions, have driven Orange Spain to experience a 7.4 per cent fall in its revenues to €1.1 billion in the first quarter of the year. In retail services, the fall was even worse, with a 10.2 per cent decline to €818 million. ARPU in convergent packages dropped by 8.4 per cent to €53.3.
In terms of customers, the company ended March with over 4 million broadband customers, up 0.4 per cent versus the same period last year, of which 85 per cent took convergent packages. In TV, Orange has 703,000 subscribers, up 0.6 per cent, representing 17.4 per cent of its broadband customers. FTTH connections grew by 6.1 per cent to 3.40 million.
“We are in a complicated situation as the Spanish market is very competitive with a strong commercial aggressiveness from all operators , above all in the low cost segment,” claimed Jean Francois Fallacher, CEO of Orange Spain.


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Futon Mattress makers: wake up to marketing
GIVEN THE CURRENT SHAPE OF THE U.S. market, the nation's mattress manufacturers believe that the time is ripe for new approaches to marketing and merchandize these products.
According to the latest retail sales figures from the International Sleep Products Association, year-to-date mattress sales through October, on both a dollar and unit basis, are well behind the comparable period of last year. Unit sales were off by 9.5 percent for the first 10 months of this year, while dollar sales fell 11.1 percent. However, providers still got positive result in the sector of high-end products, details at High-end mattress retailers poised for strong growth
In ISPA's latest futon mattress market forecast, the association said, "Any hopes of a fourth-quarter industry recovery ... have been dashed by the meltdown on Wall Street." ISPA predicted that for all of 2008, dollar sales will plummet by 9.5 percent. "This will be the first industry contraction in dollar sales in over 25 years," ISPA said.
Looking ahead, ISPA forecasted that the industry won't hit bottom until well into 2009. U.S. mattress sales should rise by 4.2 percent for next year as a whole, but given how low the industry sunk this year, this won't be anything to write home about, ISPA said.
According to some of the industry's largest manufacturers, this industry needs fresh approaches flit to turn its slide into a climb--not only because of the industry's downturn, but because of the nacre of consumer purchasing patterns.
"A consumer purchases a futon mattress, on average, once every nine years," said Tim Oakhill, executive vice president of marketing for Simmons. "In other words, you have one decade, basically, to sell a consumer--and you can't make a mistake."
Given these aspects of the industry, mattress manufacturers are becoming more aggressive in marketing their products. For Simmons, Oakhill said, part of this effort involves studying consumer purchasing habits and drivers.
"This is an industry issue," Oakhill said. "We're saying, let's study the consumer and then create marketing that's backed up with the facts. It's always about understanding drivers, how and where purchasing decisions are made. Once you figure this out, it'll change your approach to the market."
Sealy's marketing approach is based partly on one particular consumer driver, the desire for a better night's sleep. Toward that end, its 2009 strategy will focus on its Get a Better Six national advertising campaign, which refers to the average number of hours an adult sleeps each night.
"This effort builds brand conviction because today's consumers are aware of how important sleep and its health benefits are, even though we continue to get less than the recommended eight hours of sleep," said Larry Rogers, Sealy's president and chief executive officer. Rogers also said Scaly will work with its retail customers to put co-op spending behind the campaign, "to ensure the message is consistent and clear across all channels, and maximizes the benefits of their expense."
Rogers also said Scaly will engage in "strategic R&D" to develop products that are technologically advanced, along with creating new marketing strategies to push those products.
Innovative marketing and products will also be crucial to Serta in 2009.
"The hot trend and big driver will be value for consumers, and successful marketing and merchandising programs need to reflect this," said Bob Sherman, the company's president. "Serta will continue to invest in growing our retailers' businesses by offering innovative products and marketing programs that will reflect to the consumer's desire for value."
Even with the unfolding of creative marketing and product development, mattress industry executives agree that it will be some time before sales pick up any velocity.
"It doesn't figure to be much of a growth year," said Joe Vicens, executive vice president of 1800mattress.com, the multichannel mattress retailer. Next year, "the focus will be on holding market share and sales numbers," Vicens added. "Consumers will continue to trend toward shopping for the best value. Specialty sleep mattresses that are drop-shippable will also continue to gain consumers' attention because of the lower price."
"Similar to what we observed in 2008, Scaly predicts the bedding industry will likely continue on its current sales plateau into early 2009," Rogers said. "The bedding and overall retail environment and constraints on consumer credit continue to impact consumer spend."
Oakhill's outlook is somewhat more optimistic. He compared the look of the industry now with 10 years ago: "Today, you've got retailers streamlining their point-of-sale strategies. You have the creation of the mattress specialty channel, which is more consolidated but which has given us more thought leaders than 10 years ago. Also, furniture retailers understand this category better now than 10 years ago. Related post: https://futonszone.com/sealy-changes-lines-marketing/
"By the nature of how this category is managing now, I think the industry will do better next year from the marketing approaches they use," Oakhill said.


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Augmented reality gets traction down under
Hollywood's rendering of the future via films such as the Minority Report may soon not seem so fictional courtesy of development of augmented reality. Augmented reality (AR) apps are suddenly being embraced by brands and getting traction in Asian markets with heavy mobile density.
AR is the concept of combining digital information with the real world. Google's StreetView is an early glance at the possibilities. Nokia's research labs are currently working on a prototype, Mixed Reality View, which does just that combining data from a variety of mobile phone-based sensors such as camera, GPS, and overlays it with streaming information about the image you are viewing.
The first augmented reality mobile phone browser Layar launched in June on the Google Android handsets. Layar, a free application, combines a raft of data streams from sources such as Google, Twitter and Flickr localizing information on your mobile phone pertinent to your location. A recent report from Juniper Research predicts that the market for mobile AR services will reach US$732 million by 2014, with revenues derived from a combination of paid-for app downloads, subscription based services and advertising.
An Australian based firm, Insqribe, specializing in AR has secured a pivotal deal with fast food giant Pizza Hut for an AR based iPhone app. The service provides an advanced GPS store locator and ordering system in addition to distance and directions to the required store. For Insqribe, the company's recent successes with marketers in Australia and Japan has led to the launch of a Solution Partner Program focused on partnerships with developers, media, agencies and mobile carriers worldwide
Australia is being used as a testing ground for AR technology with IBM using AR at this year's Australian Open tennis tournaments which was used to display information about facilities at the events as well as information on court events. Over 1,500 people downloaded the application.
Another Australian developer MOB, has launched a development tool called builderAR to help companies create AR applications based on the Layar AR software. The platform is already receiving interest from banks for branch and ATM locator services and tourism service Urban Walkabout, which has worked with MOB to create an AR version of its printed guides to inner Sydney suburbs.
Juniper forecasts that 350 million handsets expected to be AR enabled by 2014 with AR advertising expected to be increasingly attractive to brands and retailers as the potential user base increases. The theory is that with traction AR and networks will be able to charge higher CPC and CPM rates because of location relevance.
Blog post contributed by Sydney, Australia-based correspondent Natalie Apostolou


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Have you been noticing all the “NON-GMO Verified” labels on products lately?
There is an ensuing battle to keep our foods free of genetic engineering – mixing one form of plant life or virus with another plant life to make super crops. Something big is happening and big name companies like Kellogg’s, Dean Foods, Kraft, MiracleGro, Scott’s, and Roundup don’t want you to know about it.
Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) were introduced as alternatives to pure bred crops in an effort to reduce food waste, save money, extend crop life, and to make food more affordable for the buying public. Unfortunately, much has gone wrong since then.
Probably the most notorious claim GM foods scientists boast is their interest in helping farmers. The argument that genetic alterations to food strands to make crops root rot and insect resistant means more profit for farmers cannot be farther from the truth.
Monsanto, the giant of GM foods, controls 90% of the GM market. Currently, Monsanto seeds are patented so farmers will have to pay for their GM crops each season, making it illegal for United States farmers to save seeds. Even if farmers are not using the GM seeds, if they cross pollinate by wind, storm, or product distribution, the farmers have no rights to Monsanto’s seeds on their own land. Due to the patent, farms can be seized or their entire crop yields destroyed.
Monsanto Canada, Inc. v. Schmeiser is a case in which Canadian Canola farmer, Percy Shmeiser, was sued by Monsanto in the amount of $1 Million for using their seeds without permission. Monsanto seeds had spread into his field through storms and crop drift, cross pollinating with his pure canola crop compromising his product resulting from fifty-years of labor. According to patent laws, no matter how the seeds arrive in an unauthorized farmer’s field, even if the farmer is not planting the seeds himself, Monsanto has the right to destroy that farmer’s entire crop or seize the farm and equipment. Ultimately, Schmeiser elevated the case to the Supreme Court who ruled that Schmeiser did not have to pay Monsanto based on plant life being sacred and the rights a farmer has to his / her land. Two years following, Schmeiser found Monsanto’s crop in his fields again, upon which Monsanto tried forcing the farmer to revoke his freedom of speech to discuss this matter to anyone. This again was presented to the Supreme Court and Schmeiser had a second victory setting a precedent for farmers everywhere to have control over crop on their lands, regardless of Monsanto’s patent.
Most developed nations do not consider GMOs to be safe. In more than 60 countries around the world, including Australia, Japan, and all of the countries in the European Union, there are significant restrictions or outright bans on the production and sale of GMOs. In the U.S., the government has approved GMOs based on studies conducted by the same corporations that created them and profit from their sale. Increasingly, Americans are taking matters into their own hands and choosing to opt out of the GMO experiment. – The Non-GMO Project
Giant GM corporations are trying to take over the food industry. Though they have not yet fully succeeded, other countries who have succumbed to the industry for profit resulted in taking their lives. SeedFreedom, an organization advocating independent farming and seed saving across the globe notes:
“While profitable to the few companies producing them, GMO seeds reinforce a model of farming that undermines sustainability of cash-poor farmers, who make up most of the world’s hungry. GMO seeds continue farmers’ dependency on purchased seed and chemical inputs. The most dramatic impact of such dependency is in India, where 270,000 farmers, many trapped in debt for buying seeds and chemicals, committed suicide between 1995 and 2012.”
GM crop pollen has been linked to destroyed Monarch butterfly larvae by a study from Cornell assistant professor, John E. Losey, and contamination of indigineous corn crop in Oaxaca, Mexico, proven by UC Berkeley environmental science professor IgnacioChapela. BeyondPesticides.org explains farmers use RoundUp with trace amounts of Bt to kill insects and weeds in crops, but GM plants contain Bt in their pollen yielding stronger plants and stronger bugs. The website also states the following regarding the adverse impact on human health:
A 1996 study, published in the International Journal of Heath Services, reported that milk from cows injected with recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone (rBGH), a synthetically produced hormone that makes cows produce more milk, contains increased levels of a growth factor that has been linked to breast and gastrointestinal cancers in humans.
GMO corporations paint a vividly different picture promising better health, more abundance, affordable food, and profitable farmers if their seeds are planted. This is only the beginning of scientific evidence reaching the surface. Monsanto and the GM industry seeks control not only for our food, but over our environment. The dangers of GM crops are imminent. Our ecosystem is threatened in a way that has never existed. As crops become radically evolved, our life cycle balance is thrown into disarray. It is not only the crops that are effected, but it is the living animal and insect organisms. GMOs harm our crop yields, our soil, our bodies, and the food chain, but most of all, it compromises sustainable farming practices making family farming less doable in a world valuing convenience over long term production and health.
Stop supporting GM production before our farmers become too poor to defend themselves and our rights to real food! Here’s how:
1. Contact Congress to make change happen!
2. Purchase NON-GMO Project Verified products. You will see a label with those words in the corners of product packaging. Find alternative brands here.
3. Make your own food! In an effort to be self-sufficient, I replaced store brought cereal with home made granola, as well as making my own bread and grain products.
4. Support local farms. There are plenty of small farms with heirloom varieties and some farms conduct business all year round.
5. Go organic. Check out this great guide on how to do it affordably!


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Fitbit launched its first wearable for children, aiming to open a fresh growth segment to offset declines in its traditional wearables business.
The Ace tracker, unveiled in March, is designed to motivate children aged eight years old and over to be active. Users will have access to statistics including the number of steps taken, minutes of activity and time spent sleeping. Fitbit also lined up family challenges, celebratory messages and badges for achieving goals.
Children are being viewed as a new avenue for device makers like Fitbit to pursue gains as wearables sales growth stagnates. Indeed, when it debuted the Ace, Fitbit said its research showed 75 per cent of parents expressed an interest in using a fitness tracker to help keep their kids moving.
Chinese vendor Coolpad also sees opportunities in children’s wearables: in February it revealed it would launch a smartwatch in the US towards the end of the year. The device will run Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Wear chipset, and be designed to act as a phone, watch, GPS device, activity tracker and learning platform.
John Choi, VP of new product planning and innovation at Coolpad, told Mobile World Live the device is meant to fill a gap for parents who want to stay connected with children aged between six and eleven years old who may not yet have a smartphone.
“Interest in this category has been growing. Our research shows there was a 20 per cent plus increase in interest in kids’ smartwatches in the US between 2016 and 2017, and we expect this trend to continue.”
But both companies will have to compete with Garmin, which first launched wearables for children in September 2016; and LG, which offers GPS tracking and limited communication capabilities in its child-oriented Gizmo series.


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The annual IBC conference takes place this week and Adobe has announced it’ll be showcasing its latest advancements for its Creative Cloud and Marketing Cloud. Alongside improvements for 3D, motion graphics and character animation Adobe will be expanding its virtual reality (VR) feature list.
Adobe will be unveiling additional information for its next release of Premiere Pro CC, this includes auto-aware VR that detects and applies the correct setting to stereoscopic and monoscopic media. While Adobe Primetime will allow media companies to unlock the potential of VR by building sustainable businesses and delivering premium viewing experiences through video playback support, dynamic ad insertion and content protection via Adobe’s Virtual Reality Digital Rights Management (VRDRM).
“Adobe is helping video creators of all kinds – from broadcasters and big movie studios to YouTubers and brands – create their best work,” said Bill Roberts, senior director of product management at Adobe. “As these stories take shape, ideas need to seamlessly move between tools, technologies and teams. Adobe’s multiscreen solution helps media companies connect with their audiences in a personalized way by delivering compelling experiences and adopting immersive capabilities such as 3D, VR and AR.”
The company has also been working with Goldsmiths, University of London regarding VR user interaction and technology. Adobe held a conference in July in which Dr Chris Brauer, Director of Innovation at Goldsmiths University London said: “Augmented reality, virtual reality, artificial intelligence, wearable technology – in many ways these technologies offer a pathway to these more meaningful experiences, and this was really interesting for us to encounter.”
The IBC 2016 conference is due to feature other VR and 360-degree tech, with SES S.A. and Fraunhofer Heinrich Hertz Institute (HHI) demonstrating the transmitting of immersive content via satellite.
As further VR news from IBC 2016 is announced, VRFocus will report back accordingly.


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Photo: Man In "I Stand For The National Anthem" Shirt Sits On American FlagA New York Jets fan in a "I Stand for the National Anthem" shirt SITS on the American flag??!!
"American" Foods We Take For GrantedHere are some "American" foods that we take for granted, but most people in other countries have never tried them!
Signs You're Living The "Modern" American DreamA recent survey had people name the top signs you're living the "modern" American dream.
The Most Stressed Out American CitiesAccording to a new study, the most stressed out cities in America are...
American Foods Other Countries Would Never EatAn Irish newspaper published a list of American foods they would NEVER eat.
Viral Video: American Airlines Flight Attendant ConfrontationAn American Airlines flight attendant hit a woman with a stroller and tried to fight another passenger??!!
$10K to get BumpedThings are a changing at the airlines after last week and we all win BIG in the end!
Photo: Starbucks' American Cherry Pie FrappuccinoStarbucks has created a cherry pie frappuccino, BUT...
The Most American Car CompaniesWhat's the most "American" car you can own?
The Most Expensive American Cities To VisitThe MOST expensive American city to visit is...
Phillips Phunny: American Golf Fan Heckles Europeans, Sinks PuttA guy heckled Rory McIlroy for missing a putt, so he made it HIMSELF.
The Worst American Cities To Live InA new study found the WORST American cities to live in.


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Esports has experienced a meteoric rise in recent years, transforming the landscape of entertainment and capturing the attention of millions worldwide. From professional players earning substantial salaries to traditional sports teams investing in esports franchises, gaming has evolved into a legitimate and lucrative form of competition.
Esports Tournaments: Attracting Massive Audiences and Revenue
Esports events now draw large audiences, with major tournaments boasting millions of viewers and generating significant revenue. The COVID-19 pandemic has only accelerated this growth, as people increasingly turn to online entertainment in the absence of traditional sports and live events. As a result, clubs like FC Schalke 04 have recognized the potential of esports, becoming the first German soccer club to field a League of Legends team and tapping into a younger, more digitally-savvy audience.
Professional Esports Players: Earning Big and Gaining Recognition
With the rise of esports, professional gamers can now earn impressive salaries and secure lucrative sponsorships, rivaling the earnings of traditional athletes. Schalke’s League of Legends team, for example, launched in 2016 and spent three years working toward promotion before reaching the prestigious LEC in 2019. Despite selling their LEC franchised spot in 2022 due to financial difficulties, Schalke continues to compete in the Prime League, demonstrating the resilience and determination of esports athletes.
Mainstream Acceptance: Esports Gaining Traction in the World of Sports
As esports continues to grow in popularity, it is becoming more widely recognized as a legitimate form of competition. Traditional sports organizations are increasingly investing in esports teams and events, further solidifying their place in the world of entertainment. The Interactive Advertising Bureau’s PlayFronts, for example, has seen publishers, platforms, and brands come together to discuss the power of video games as a marketing tool, highlighting the industry’s growing influence.
Future Outlook: Esports Set to Continue its Upward Trajectory
As the esports industry continues to evolve, it is expected to maintain its upward trajectory, with mobile gaming and virtual reality poised for further expansion. However, challenges remain, such as convincing marketers to invest in gaming and overcoming misperceptions about the gaming audience. Nonetheless, companies like Coty, a beauty marketer, have begun to explore the gaming space, signaling a shift in consumer preferences and the potential for even greater growth in the future.


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ELIFE S7 and will be available in Black, White, and Blue.
Looking at the following key features, Indian smartphones buyer cannot find anything new with the latest ELIFE S7 smartphone.
# WCDMA 2100(B1)/1900(B2)/ 850(B5) GSM 850/900/1800/1900MHz
# TDD LTE B38/39/40 FDD LTE B3/7
# DUAL SIM
# 5.2″ Super AMOLED FHD（1920×1080）PPI=424 , Gorilla Glass 3rd
# Amigo OS 3.0 based on Android 5.0 Lollipop with OTA
# TRU Octa-core 1.7GHz CPU, 2GB of RAM
# 13.0MP rear camera, LED flash, AF, and 8.0MP front camera
# 16GB of built-in memory
# 2700mAh battery
But the Chinese smartphone brand claims that Gionee ELIFE S7 guarantees “a whole new sensation with its ravishing design and outstanding technology.”
Arvind R Vohra, country CEO & MD – Gionee India is confident that said that the ELIFE S7 phone will be accepted by Indians.
Gionee has already sold over 4 million devices in India. The smartphone brand has received good demand for the ELIFE S5.5 and S5.1 models.
The company claims that ELIFE S7 is an ultra slim smartphone with 5.5mm thin crafted in aviation level aluminum magnesium alloy. You need to remember that Samsung is yet to bring out its phones with full metal body. The latest Samsung smartphones – Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge – come with some metal and most glass.
As usual, Gionee brought Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection against scratches. The costly Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge also have Corning Gorilla Glass 3.
I am not sure whether you will be attracted to Gionee’s Amigo 3.0 UI that comes with Android 5.0 operating system.
Gionee says ELIFE S7 smartphone has a 595 density 2700 mAh battery that promises you one day life after charging. The main benefit of the 2700 mAh battery is that the 10 percent of remaining battery power lasts for 33 hours 45 minutes standby time by freezing functions except calling and text messages to ensure basic communications.
A 13MP camera available with the Gionee ELIFE S7 phone, which will be available in India at major retail shops, has a self-developed Image+ image processing system enabling users to shoot high quality images with easier user experience. S7’s 8MP front camera incorporates Face beauty 3.0 technology.
The S7 will include a Hi-Fi level headphone and offer superior sound quality with Hi-Fi standard sound system that features sound restorations bringing a home theater system experience to an ultra slim phone.
S7 is the first ultra slim phone that supports dual SIM, multi-band and multi-mode such as 4G FDD/TDD LTE and 3G WCDMA.
In image: Arvind R Vohra, country CEO & MD – Gionee India with William Lu, president of Gionee at the Gionee ELIFE S7 launch in India


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Posted Feb 19, 2013By
A fire triggered by a natural gas explosion engulfed a restaurant in Kansas City, Missouri, on Tuesday, February 19, 2013. A car crashed into a gas main in the upscale Plaza shopping district, sparking a massive blaze that engulfed an entire block and caused multiple injuries, police said.
Hugo made landfall just north of Charleston, SC at Sullivan's Island around midnight September 22, 1989 as a Catego
Crowds lined up at Apple stores around the world as the highly anticipated iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus are being rel
Apples new iPhone6′s go on sale tomorrow September 20, 2014.
Larry Ellison, 70, who for 37 years steered Oracle to become one of the world’s biggest and well-known techno
Ruth Atkins is the first person to receive the new vaccine for the Ebola virus after US President Barack Obama call
A Pentagon spokesman, Col. Steve Warren, said it will be a peacekeeping exercise with training through Sept. 26 in


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November 1, 2013
According to a study from social media analytics platform Simply Measured, the world’s top 100 brands are discovering new success with photo- and video-sharing service Instagram. Simply Measured found that 71 of the Interbrand 100 are currently using the Facebook-owned service, up from 40 last October. While the total number of brands on Instagram increased 55 percent in the past year, 57 percent of those brands average at least one post per week, a 38 percent increase from last year.
Instagram is currently the fastest growing social network with 150 million users and 40 million photos uploaded per day. “Brand adoption of Instagram is now rivaling Google+ and Pinterest that have 73 percent adoption and 74 percent adoption respectively,” notes Marketing Land (the post includes several of the Simply Measured charts).
“Brand engagement on Instagram has skyrocketed 350 percent year-over-year,” reports AllFacebook.
“Since launching two years ago, Instagram has captured the imagination of consumers and inspired brands to embrace visual dialogue in new and creative ways,” says Simply Measured CEO Adam Schoenfeld. “With the addition of hashtag tracking and other analytics tools, marketers can now measure which campaigns are performing the best and double down their efforts on deepening and expanding those relationships.”
Additional key findings of the Simply Measured study (as reported by AllFacebook):
- More than one-third of top brands have at least 10,000 followers, with 19 percent of them topping 100,000.
- The top 10 brands on Instagram are responsible for 33 percent of all posts but receive 83 percent of all engagement.
- Automakers dominate the top five, with Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and Audi claiming three spots.
- Video on Instagram accounts for just 6 percent of total posts, so photos drive 26 percent more engagement than videos.
- 83 percent of Instagram posts include at least one hashtag, and 63 of the 65 most active brands on the photo-sharing network use hashtags.
The 10 Most-Followed Brands on Instagram, Mashable, 10/25/13
Check Out the Top 10 Most-Shared Brands on Instagram Video, Adweek, 10/23/13


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Coinbase published its financials for the first quarter of 2022. Investors observed a fall of 12% in the stock price in after-hours trading. Revenue came to $1.17 billion, out of which $1 billion came from the cut in trading fees.
$152 million was collected in revenue from subscriptions and services in the first quarter.
The total trading volume slid down by 44% to fall to $309 billion compared to the fourth quarter of 2021. Cryptocurrencies are yet to deliver their best performance, and it is a decline in that sector that has been attributed by Coinbase as a factor to have caused the loss.
Another impact felt by the cryptocurrency exchange in UAE – Coinbase was in terms of the number of monthly active users on the platform, which dropped to 9.2 million, as was predicted by Street’s consensus for a mark of 9.5 million.
Brain Armstrong, the Chief Executive Officer of Coinbase, addressed the elephant in the room by stating that the impact was down to the broader market. Brain Armstrong assured that the team works at its best during the downturns, adding that he has therefore never been more bullish about the company.
Alesia Haas, the Chief Financial Officer of Coinbase, pitched in to reiterate that the platform would continue to build great product experiences, get ready for the return from the market, and build its user base.
Alesia Haas said that the company believes that it is well-equipped with the number of resources on the Balance Sheet.
Overall, the crypto trend remained on the lower side in the first quarter, affecting the financials of Coinbase. The volatility can remain in the financials based on the previous trend of digital currencies.
Coinbase is now looking to diversify by moving into prime brokerage offerings, futures & derivatives, and a subscription model with no transaction fee applies for the members.
The crypto trading platform was started in 2012 to make the transfer of Bitcoin accessible to all users irrespective of where they were located. With time, it integrated more products to expand its horizons in the industry.
Its operations are spread across the globe, with above 98 million verified users and $256 billion worth of assets. Coinbase houses nearly 4900 employees and has a $309 billion quarterly volume trade registered in its books.
In addition to Brian Armstrong and Alesia Haas, the executive team of Coinbase has Emilie Choi as the President & Chief Operating Officer, Surojit Chatterjee as the Chief Product Officer, L.J. Brock handling the position of Chief People Officer, Paul Grewal seated as the Chief Legal Officer, and Manish Gupta as the EVP of Engineering.
Coinbase has earned customers’ trust by being easy to use while facilitating investment, spending, earning, saving, and efficient use of cryptocurrencies.


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The Northern Ireland Executive is set to announce some key dates for when lockdown restrictions will be eased this afternoon.
It will see the likes of shops and hairdressers open by the end of April, but gyms, pubs and restaurants will have to wait until next month.
Northern Ireland eased some restrictions on Monday, with the remainder of post-primary students, Years 8-11, returning to school. Garden centres and car dealerships are allowed to reopen, and click-and-collect retail can resume.
The freshest exclusives and sharpest analysis, curated for your inbox
The “stay-at-home” messaging has also been replaced with “stay local” advice.
On Wednesday, Health Minister Robin Swann said the “scales are tipping” in favour of accelerating the pace of the exit from lockdown.
When is the lockdown announcement?
The announcement is expected at 3pm on Thursday 15 April.
You will be able to watch live on BBC Northern Ireland.
What will be allowed to reopen?
- Close-contact services, hairdressers and beauty salons reopen
- Outdoors visitor attractions reopen
- Driving lessons resume, as do theory and practical driving tests
- Outdoor competitive sport will be allowed with numbers not exceeding 100. No spectators allowed
- Equine assisted learning and therapy can take place outdoors, limited to 10 people.
- All remaining non-essential retail to reopen
- Self-contained tourist accommodation, such as caravans and rented holiday homes, can operate
- Hospitality venues can serve customers in outdoor settings in groups of six, from no more than two households
- Removal of curfews on takeaways and off-licences
- Gyms can reopen
- Wedding receptions and post-burial events can take place in indoor hospitality venues, limited to 30 people
- Limit on outdoor gatherings in domestic gardens increased to 15 people, from no more than three households
Not before 1 June
- Hospitality venues can open indoors
- Hotels reopen
- Domestic mixing allowed in indoor settings
- Indoors visitor attractions reopen
- Return of indoor group exercise, with numbers limited to suit the size of venue
The hospitality industry is angry at not being allowed to reopen until May.
“Our members and the wider industry are reacting very badly to the dates being suggested in the media this morning,” Hospitality Ulster chief executive Colin Neill told BBC News.
“We have been told time and again that the reopening programme will be driven by data but that is obviously not the case and that industry leaders have been made a mockery of.”
DUP ministers are reportedly pushing for these dates to be brought forward.


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Tue December 25, 2012
The U.S. Census Bureau is taking a look at the current state of Michigan businesses
130 thousand Michigan businesses are getting something special in the mail this week. Not a Christmas present, it’s a U.S. Census form.
The twice a decade Economic Census takes a snapshot of the state of American business.
Mark Wallace is the chief of the service sector statistics division for the U.S. Census Bureau. He says employers are being asked to give detailed information on their annual sales, payroll, the products they make or merchandise or commodities they sell or services they provide.
Wallace says it’s a lot of data.
“These statistics can then be used by trade associations, chambers of commerce and businesses for economic development…business decisions and strategic planning," says Wallace.
The last Economic Census was conducted at the end of 2007, just as the recession was beginning.
Wallace expects the 2012 numbers will show some improvement for businesses.
State of Opportunity


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by Jonathan Berr | August 15, 2012 10:36 am
Every few months, reports in the business press sound the death knell for the cable industry, arguing — as was done in a recent study released by IHS Screen Digest — that record numbers of people are “cutting the cord” with pay-TV companies because they are fed up with paying high prices and lousy service.
The reality is not so simple.
Though the pay-TV industry lost nearly 350,000 net subscribers in the last quarter, which IHS says is the largest drop in history, Comcast (NASDAQ:CMCSA), the country’s No. 1 cable company, lost 176,000 cable customers — while half the total of the industry, the figure still marks a 26% improvement from the year-ago period. No. 2 Time Warner Cable (NYSE:TWC) lost a disappointing 169,000 customers but was able to offset the declines with price increase and increased sales of more expensive services.
DirecTV (NASDAQ:DTV), the largest satellite provider, reported its first-ever decrease in U.S. customers, which the company attributed partly on its focus on customer retention instead of acquisitions, but gained 654,000 new clients in Latin America. Dish Network (NASDAQ:DISH), the second-largest satellite provider, lost 100,000 net customers in the quarter, which was better than what analysts expected.
Of course, some of these customers merely migrated. Verizon‘s (NYSE:VZ) Fios and AT&T‘s (NYSE:T) U-verse added 275,000 customers.
As for the others — even if you accept the “cutting the cord” thesis, it is not clear what is happening to these customers once they get rid of their pay-TV service.
Some might be scaling back their expenses and dusting off their rabbit ears because they are worried about the financial futures given the uncertainties surrounding the economy. The more bally-hooed cause is that customers are signing up for web-based alternatives such as Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX), Amazon‘s (NASDAQ:AMZN) Prime Instant Videos and Hulu.
The groundswell of anti-cable hatred, though, might not be as fierce as some tech journalists imagine.
Netflix, which has about 24 million streaming subscribers, spooked Wall Street last quarter because its growth is slowing. It’s unclear how many people have signed up for Amazon’s service, and Hulu Plus, the video site’s subscription service, has more than 2 million customers.
The pay TV industry also has many tricks up its sleeve to retain customers as it faces new rivals. Two years ago, Time Warner (NYSE:TWX) introduced HBO GO, which enables subscribers to the paid channel access to their favorite programs on any device that they choose. HBO GO currently has 5.3 million registered users, according to a spokeswoman.
There also is another advantage that the cable industry has that doesn’t get discussed much: customer inertia. Millions of Americans are sticking with cable because they figure it’s better to deal with the devil they know than with technology they might not understand.
Wall Street is betting that most customers are going to stay put as well. Netflix has dropped about 11% this year. Meanwhile, shares of Comcast and Time Warner have both surged more than 40% this year, DTV has climbed 20%, and Dish has been relegated to a more modest 7%.
For an industry that is supposedly in critical condition, that’s not too bad.
As of this writing, Jonathan Berr did not hold a position in any of the aforementioned securities. Follow him on Twitter@jdberr.
Source URL: https://investorplace.com/2012/08/reports-of-cable-demise-are-premature-cmcsa-twc-dtv-dish/
Short URL: http://invstplc.com/1fSFwkj
Copyright ©2017 InvestorPlace Media, LLC. All rights reserved. 700 Indian Springs Drive, Lancaster, PA 17601.


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Category Archives for : In The News
We are excited to announce that Ruby Has is on the 2021 Top 3Pls list completed annually by Multichannel Merchant magazine. The publication recognized Ruby Has among the leading third-party logistics providers in its annual directory, which determines rankings based.
Ruby Has, a leading ecommerce fulfillment company with a national footprint in the United States, announces the upcoming move of their Mississauga, Ontario, fulfillment center to a new, larger facility, which represents a 300% increase in capacity for Ruby Has’.
327.83% Hyper-growth Due to Geographic Expansion and Accelerated Ecommerce Adoption Link To PR Newswire Article Ruby Has Fulfillment has been selected by Inc. 5000 as one of the fastest growing companies in 2020, ranking #1363 with an impressive growth rate.
West Coast move is latest in company’s major national expansion Ruby Has, a leading ecommerce fulfillment company with a national footprint, announces the upcoming move of their Las Vegas fulfillment center to a new 374,000 square foot built-to-suit location, featuring.
Expands reach and provides European-based D2C brands the service and comfort of local presence NEW YORK & MILAN–(BUSINESS WIRE) Ruby Has, a leading bicoastal ecommerce fulfillment company (Inc. 5000, Crain’s Fast 50) has announced the establishment of a European sales.
All-star panel shares best practices with D2C founders and executives On Thursday April 4th Ruby Has, a leading ecommerce fulfillment company (Inc. 5000, Crain’s Fast 50) and Silicon Valley Bank co-hosted an overflow-crowd forum on “Tips Trends and Strategies on.
Some thoughts for Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day It’s no secret that retail is trending toward a direct-to-consumer model where brands all or partly bypass Amazon or traditional retail to address consumers directly through web and mobile assets..
Sunski is shaving at least one day off its order processing time by using services from Stitch Labs and Ruby Has. Online sunglasses retailer Sunski has been growing sales 20-30% each year since its launch six years ago, says Grant.
Ruby Has Fulfillment and Stitch Labs Partner to Create Complete Backend Ecommerce Solution and Elite Customer Program
Top Ecommerce Technology Companies Join Together to Best Serve Clients. Ruby Has Fulfillment is announcing the launch of a new partnership and elite customer program with Stitch Labs, the leading operations management platform for high-growth brands. This strategic partnership program is designed.
Watch our founder and CEO Rafael Zakinov in an interview discussing ecommerce fulfillment with Business Rockstars correspondent, Jeanne Yurman.
Amazon is setting the bar very high for e-commerce merchants in terms of delivery. Read how the industry is responding. Read the complete interview between Rafael Zakinov and Sramana Mitra, the founder and CEO of One Million by One.
Salesforce has tapped Esther Kestenbaum, President and COO of Ruby Has Fulfillment, a leading, fast-growing ecommerce fulfillment company (Inc 5000, Crain’s Fast 50) to participate in its Women in Leadership Panel: Disrupt the World, Create Outstanding Opportunities, taking place on.
Our founder and CEO Rafael Zakinov was featured on CNBC‘s Nightly Business Report (PBS) and explains how Ruby Has Fulfillment helps its clients (including THINX and KOIO) grow their businesses and fulfill their brand promises. Nightly Business Report produced by.
Ecommerce Fulfillment Company Awarded for its Fast Growth Ruby Has Fulfillment has been selected as one of the fastest growing companies in New York, according to Crain’s New York Business. Each year Crain’s awards fifty of the most innovative, successful.
RUBY HAS FULFILLMENT PREPARES FOR RECORD-BREAKING HOLIDAY SEASON Originally featured on BUSINESS WIRE Highest employment rates in recent history and a strong economy mean record-breaking spending this holiday season, coming on the heels of the biggest Amazon Prime Day ever..


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Amazon UK has launched a new £20,000 prize for authors who self publish through Kindle Direct Publishing on Amazon.co.uk between 20th February and 19th May 2017.
Readers will play a significant role in the competition with the award shortlist compiled based on a number of factors that measure customer interest in the titles, followed by an esteemed panel of judges – made up of both Amazon experts and literary authorities – selecting the Kindle Storyteller 2017 winner.
The prize will be announced at a central London ceremony in July, with the winning author being rewarded with a cash prize of £20,000 and a marketing campaign to support the book on Amazon.co.uk, as well as the opportunity to have their book translated for international sales.
“Great books deserve to be celebrated and that’s what we want to do with the Kindle Storyteller competition,” said Alessio Santarelli, EU Kindle Content Director, Amazon.
“We hope to encourage aspiring authors and those who have already been published, to get writing and make their new stories available to readers across the world. Publishing a book has never been easier, and the Kindle Storyteller Award will reward the author whose story resonates most with both readers and literary experts.”
The Kindle Storyteller prize is open to submissions of new English Language books from all authors and genres, and entries must be submitted using Kindle Direct Publishing. Titles must be previously unpublished and a minimum of 5,000 words with no upper word limit.
All books entered into the Prize will be available on Kindle and Fire devices as well as the Kindle reading app for iPhone, iPad, Android phones and tablets. Print copies will also available to buy on the Amazon.co.uk store.
Kindle Storyteller opens for entries on 20th of February and titles must be entered into the KDP Select programme for 90 days in order to be considered. For more information, visit: www.amazon.co.uk/storyteller


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The new location-aware MMO for iPhone, Parallel Kingdom, became available in the iTunes Store late last night. For those that don’t already know, this app is designed to allow you to play a large-scale RPG based on where you currently are. Further, the game was simultaneously released for the iPhone and the Android OS, so the number of potential players will only grow as time passes. Allowing you to attack nearby players and gather treasure, and even talk to other people, it’s the first MMO that allows you to actively interact with the world, because you’re already standing in it.
Anyway, it’s almost impossible to explain, but it’s free to download, so check it out and have fun. Hope to see you out there.
And then kill you.


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The Russian retail company "M. Video-Eldorado" has summed up development of the smartphone market in the first quarter of 2019, noting that the results of the period January-March market growth of 8% in units and 18% in the money to 6.8 million units and $ 112.8 billion rubles. The average price has thus increased year-on-year by 9% and reached 16 500 rubles. In this case, the market leader in unit sales for the first time has become the brand of Honor – he had more than a quarter of smartphones sold.
The market Leader for the first time for the quarter, the brand became the Honor, ahead of Samsung and occupying more than a quarter of the market. The demand for devices of this brand have increased year-on-year by 2.5 times. Earlier in 2018 was leading two brands together – Huawei & Honor – which, at the end of Q1 2018, accounted for about 16% of unit sales.
Posted on April 03, 2019 at 00:01


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Hero Impulse could come as a pocket rocket – EXCLUSIVE
We were the first to reveal that Hero has plans to get the Impulse with a 200cc or a 250cc engine. However, we have confirmed reports that Impulse will be coming with a 200cc and even a 250cc engine. The Indian two-wheeler manufacturer is looking at expanding its reach in the Indian bike market with this adventure bike.
Bajaj has introduced the AS 150 and the AS 200, however they aren’t proper off road bikes. Hero will want to capitalise on this segment with the new 250cc Impulse first (by this year end) and with a 200cc sometime in 2017. The new Hero Impulse will be launched with a range of engines. From what we hear Hero is also making a pocket rocket version of the Impulse. This could be coming with an all new 69cc engine, however we do not have complete clarity on that.
The new Hero Impulse will be a lot more stylish, powerful and even fuel-efficient. The 250cc engine will come an option of two riding modes, one will be city and other will be sport. The Impulse 250 will be fuel-injection and should be producing about 31bhp of power, which will be make it the most powerful 250cc in its segment. Hero will be introducing C-ABS (combi ABS) on the Impulse 250. This will be launched after the HX250, which is scheduled to be introduced by mid 2016. Hero MotoCorp’s next launch is the Splendor iSmart 110.


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The fair-trade label was created decades ago to help artisans in developing nations. Now, there are fair-trade soccer balls, fair-trade soaps and fair-trade ice pops. Next up for the movement: the American dairy industry.
The yogurt-maker Chobani is working with Fair Trade USA, a nonprofit group in Oakland, Calif., on creating a label that would signal that the milk in its products came from farms that treated their workers and cows humanely.
Chobani will pay a small premium for milk supplied by farms that agree to the Fair Trade USA vetting process, in which auditors periodically inspect the herd, interview workers and look at environmental issues like the containment of runoff.
Chobani’s fair-trade initiative — and likely marketing push — could help the company continue to stand out in an increasingly competitive yogurt market. Chobani says it believes the premium can help farmers hit by persistently low milk prices and highlight good practices in an industry that is under enormous strain and scrutiny. Environmentalists are concerned about carbon emissions from cows, critics question the health benefits of milk, and many small farmers are deep in debt and suffering from mental health issues as their livelihood is threatened.
“When did the farm become this guilty place?” Hamdi Ulukaya, Chobani’s founder and chief executive, asked in an interview about the effort. “It was a magical place. This is the backbone of this country.”
The relevance of Ulukaya’s comments was underscored in June by an undercover video of workers brutally abusing calves on a large farm that supplies milk for the Fairlife specialty brand. The video, which was filmed by an animal welfare group and quickly went viral, showed one calf being stomped in the head and others dying from heat.
Ulukaya said the fair-trade initiative, which was developed many months before the Fairlife scandal, was meant to create “comprehensive” standards for ensuring sound labor, environmental and animal welfare conditions on dairy farms.
One potential complication: Many dairy farmworkers in the United States are immigrants from Central America and a large number are believed to be in the country illegally. Ulukaya said he did not think that would make farmers in Central New York and Idaho, the two states where the yogurt company draws its milk, reluctant to open up to the fair-trade auditors.
Jeremy Brown a dairy farmer in New York’s Finger Lakes region, said he supported any effort to help consumers appreciate the effort that went into running a farm like his, which has about 2,900 cows.
Brown, who supplies milk to Chobani through a cooperative, said that he would welcome any premium but that for many farmers who faced serious financial issues, it was not likely to be enough to turn around their business.
“Every bit helps,” he said. “People are in a tough spot.”


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Hyundai has crossed a cumulative sales milestone of 10 lakh sales for its made-in-India SUVs, including domestic sales and exports
Hyundai Motor India has announced that it has crossed the 10 lakh cumulative sales figure for its made-in-India SUVs, including both domestic sales and export figures. The Creta, first introduced back in 2015, has been the South Korean manufacturer’s best-selling model in our market, with over 5.9 lakh sold in the Indian market and over 2.2 million units exported overseas.
Hyundai Creta’s sales have been especially strong since the introduction of the second-generation model last year. Along with updated styling, the new version also came with plenty of premium features, like a panoramic sunroof, ventilated seats, and Blue Link connected car technology. It also offers multiple engine and transmission options, making it an extremely versatile product.
Hyundai’s sub-4-metre SUV, the Venue, has also helped push the manufacturer’s SUV sales. Launched back in 2019, it was the first vehicle in our country to offer connected car technology (Hyundai Blue Link). Hyundai Venue is also available with multiple engine options, and it gets multiple transmission choices as well, including the innovative iMT (intelligent manual transmission).
Tarun Garg, Director of Sales, Marketing & Service, Hyundai Motor India said, “We are extremely grateful for the love and trust our customers have presented in Hyundai branded SUVs. As frontrunners in the introduction of revolutionary technologies, we continue to establish new milestones and redefine benchmarks across segments. With over 1 million cumulative SUV sales in domestic and export markets, we have reiterated the promise of Make-in-India over nearly two and a half decades of our presence in India.”
Hyundai’s SUV sales have shown exponential growth in the Indian market, with over 1 lakh units sold in just 2015. In 2016, its cumulative SUV sales touched the 2 lakh mark, and in 2017, it reached the 3 lakh mark. The company crossed the 5 lakh figure in 2018, and in 2019, it crossed the 7 lakh mark. The 9 lakh SUV sales milestone was achieved last year.
Hyundai will be expanding its SUV range in Indian soon with the Alcazar. This upcoming SUV is essentially a three-row version of the Creta (available in both 6- and 7-seater configuration), and is slated to debut globally on 6th April 2021.


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Replacements Again Recognized as Corporate Leader in the Ongoing Push for Workplace Equality
November 9, 2017,
GREENSBORO, N.C.—The Human Rights Campaign Foundation named Replacements, Ltd. as one of the top U.S. firms leading the charge for workplace equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) Americans.
Replacements is one of only eight U.S. companies to achieve a perfect score on HRC’s Corporate Equality Index (CEI) all 16 years the civil rights organization has monitored American corporations.
The report evaluates policies and practices including workplace protections, domestic partner benefits, transgender-inclusive health care benefits, competency programs and public engagement with the LGBTQ community. Businesses like Replacements achieving a 100 percent ranking are designated as a Best Place to Work for LGBTQ Equality.
In other company news, Replacements is transforming the roof of the company’s massive facility into one of the largest commercial rooftop solar projects in central North Carolina. The retailer is partnering with Cary, N.C.-based Yes Solar Solutions to install 4,072 325-watt solar panels, estimated to offset Replacements’ energy usage by 30 percent.
“This project truly reflects our longtime commitment to sustainability and environmental stewardship,” says Replacements’ Chief Marketing Officer Linh Calhoun. “We first started thinking about the possibility of using solar energy six years ago during our last building expansion when we designed the roof of the addition to hold the weight of solar panels. We’re thrilled Yes Solar Solutions is helping us make that vision a reality.”
The project marks Yes Solar Solutions’ largest commercial installation to date and reaches the maximum system size limit allowed for a net metered solar project in North Carolina.
“Yes Solar is proud to partner with Replacements, Ltd., a company that shares our strong commitment to protecting the environment,” says Co-Founder and President Stew Miller. “Helping our customers reach their financial and sustainability goals is a source of pride for our company, and we look forward to commissioning this solar system soon and maintaining our strong relationship with Replacements into the future.”
Panels are tilted based on Replacements’ latitude to generate the most electricity throughout the entire year.
Other Articles By Author
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ALSO IN THIS ISSUE:
- HFN Tech & Omnichannel Study- Although e-commerce shopping is increasing dramatically among consumers, home retailers lag in their current and future tech investments and implementation.
- Market Previews: High Point & Tabletop- The newest collections and influencer trends emerge in our High Point Market and N.Y. Tabletop Show special sections.


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Apple was the top smartphone vendor in the United States last quarter according to new data released on Monday. A new report from market research firm The NPD Group suggests that the three best-selling smartphones in America last quarter were all iPhones. Apple’s new iPhone 4S was deemed the top-selling smartphone this past holiday quarter, followed by the iPhone 4 and the iPhone 3GS, which is now free on contract from AT&T. Two versions of Samsung’s Galaxy S II smartphone rounded out the top-5.
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“Attracted by a faster processor, improved camera and the Siri speech-driven agent, most iPhone buyers paid a premium for the iPhone 4S, making it the top-selling handset in Q4,” NPD analyst Ross Rubin said in a statement. “The iPhone 4S outsold the iPhone 4 by 75 percent, and outsold the iPhone 3GS, available for free on AT&T, five to one.” Apple reported last month that it sold more than 37 million iPhones into channels last quarter.
While Apple was the top smartphone vendor in the U.S. last quarter, Android maintained its operating system share lead according to NPD’s data. 48% of smartphone buyers opted for an Android device during the holiday quarter, while 43% chose iOS. The discrepancy was even greater among first-time smartphone buyers — 57% chose an Android device compared to an estimated 34% who chose an iPhone.
“Android has been criticized for offering a more complex user experience than its competitors, but the company’s wide carrier support and large app selection is appealing to new smartphone customers,” Rubin noted. “Android’s support of LTE at Verizon has also made it the exclusive choice for customers who want to take advantage of that carrier’s fastest network.”


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HOW much longer will we have to deal with the Wuhan Pandemic of 2020?
It may well be years …?
With its awful ramifications for our Society … jobs market … our economy … and the threat of an insidious disease remaining …
Frank Lowy … we note was the former Chairman of Westfield, a global shopping centre company … so perhaps this would have some bearing on the way the questions were put together for this survey?
Mr Lowy it would seem has really enjoyed the benefits of ‘Globalisation’ … and the Liberal Coalition policies which would no doubt have contributed to the expansion of Westfield … like his fellow AFR Rich Listers with the real estate tourism … the World-wide expansion of the Westfield chain of shopping centres …
AND … Lowy is the founder of the Lowy Institute described as the Nation’s leading foreign affairs think tank also described as ‘neoliberal’ …
So with all that … it is put that Aussies still believe in globalisation contrary to the rest of the planet who are falling back to nationalism, and protectionism.
So where do these 2448 respondents to the survey come from? And how were the questions framed concerning the bushfires, climate change in the midst of the Pandemic in March with businesses closing and jobs lost?
In 2019 many had already been subject to underemployment let alone those made redundant before this Pandemic so it is not surprising that only 65% were optimistic. Now only 52% feel optimistic about the economy …
IT would seem it has taken the Worldwide devastation of the CoronaVirus for Australians to finally grasp the need to withdraw from China … to diversify our markets …
–a mere 23% of Australians trust China; a 29 point drop in 2 years
-22% have confidence in Xi Jinping
–nine in ten want the Australian government to diversify markets; reduce dependence on China
-despite Australians confidence in Trump in freefall 78% recognise our US alliance is important for our security
HOW come as the Lowy Institute alleges that until very recently Australians in the majority saw China as an economic opportunity?
Was that a consequence of the media, government ministers, Think Tanks like the Lowy Institute talking up the value of ‘our largest trading partner’? Constantly?
So that the intelligence reports somehow were overlooked?


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Pakistan is a developing country with a population of over 230 million people, and despite efforts to boost its economy, it still faces high levels of inflation. According to the State Bank of Pakistan, inflation reached a 50-year high of 35.4% in March 2023. Inflationary pressures are impacting the purchasing power of ordinary citizens, particularly those in low-income brackets. However, despite these challenges, Pakistan has a thriving shadow economy that plays a significant role in the lives of millions of people. According to estimates by global economics reports, the shadow economy in Pakistan accounted for over 35.6% of the country’s GDP in 2022.
The shadow economy, also known as the informal economy or black economy, refers to economic activities that are not taxed or regulated by the government. In Pakistan, the shadow economy includes everything from street vendors and small-scale traders to large-scale smuggling operations and unregistered businesses. According to a report by the World Bank, the shadow economy in Pakistan was valued at $457 billion in 2022, accounting for 35.6% of the country’s GDP-PPP level. Some reports by an economist at PIDE states that the ratio is more than 90%.
There are various reasons why the shadow economy exists in Pakistan. One reason is the high tax burden on formal businesses, which can make it difficult for them to operate profitably. Another reason is the lack of access to formal credit for small businesses, which pushes them towards informal lending and borrowing. Additionally, corruption and bureaucratic hurdles make it challenging for businesses to operate within the formal economy.
The shadow economy plays a significant role in Pakistan’s economy. It provides employment opportunities for millions of people, particularly those who are less educated or lack formal job skills. It also provides goods and services at lower prices, making them more accessible to low-income households. However, the shadow economy also has negative impacts on the economy, such as the loss of tax revenue for the government, the undermining of formal businesses, and the lack of regulation and oversight.
Pakistan has been facing high inflation rates in recent years, which has had a significant impact on the economy and people’s livelihoods. According to the State Bank of Pakistan, inflation reached a 50-year high of 35.4% in March 2023, up from 12.7% in March 2022. The highest inflation rates were seen in food items, with an increase of 69.98% in the prices of wheat, 82.41% in the price of rice, and 53.51% in the price of cooking oil in 2021.
The impact of high inflation on Pakistan’s economy due to the Covid-19 pandemic has been further exacerbated by the recent political unrest in the country and the floods. Pakistan is still failing to meet IMF conditions for loan schemes which would further unstable the economy.
Despite the negative impacts of high inflation, the shadow economy in Pakistan has been playing a critical role in helping people to survive. It provides access to goods and services at lower prices than the formal economy, making them more accessible to low-income households. For example, street vendors and small-scale traders often offer essential goods, such as food and clothing, at lower prices than formal retailers.
The shadow economy also creates employment opportunities for millions of people. According to a report by International Labor Organization (ILO), the shadow economy in Pakistan employed over 75% of the total workforce. This is particularly important given that the formal economy is unable to absorb the country’s growing workforce.
The lack of taxes and regulations on informal businesses means that they can offer lower prices for goods and services, which can help people to stretch their budgets further. Informal businesses are often more flexible and able to adjust their prices in response to changes in market conditions. This can help to mitigate the impact of inflation on people’s standard of living.
While the shadow economy has positive impacts on the lives of many people in Pakistan, it also has negative impacts on the economy. One of the most significant negative impacts is the loss of tax revenue for the government. According to the World Bank, Pakistan’s tax-to-GDP ratio is one of the lowest in the world, i.e. 5.6% in 2022. The shadow economy contributes to this problem by operating outside of formal tax systems.
The shadow economy also undermines formal businesses by creating unfair competition. Informal businesses are often able to offer lower prices due to their lack of taxes and regulations, which makes it difficult for formal businesses to compete. This can lead to a decline in formal business activity and a reduction in economic growth. Additionally, the lack of regulation and oversight in the shadow economy can lead to a range of negative outcomes, such as poor quality goods and services, exploitation of workers, and environmental degradation. These issues can harm the economy and society as a whole.
To strike a balance, policymakers need to implement measures that encourage informal businesses to enter the formal economy, such as tax incentives and simplified registration processes. This can help to increase tax revenues and reduce the unfair competition between formal and informal businesses. By striking a balance between the benefits and risks of the shadow economy, Pakistan can ensure that it continues to provide essential goods and services, create employment opportunities, and help people to cope with economic shocks while also promoting sustainable and equitable economic growth in the long run.


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Coors Distributing Company (CDC) has added Colorado’s Best Drinks & DRAM Apothecary to its list of suppliers.
It is Coors’ official entrance into the growing hemp-infused sector. CDC an LLC of US brewer MillerCoors but operates independently.
Jennifer DeGraff, CDC’s director of marketing, said: “We are very excited to add Colorado’s Best Drinks and DRAM to our portfolio, giving us the ability to offer amazing CBD hemp products to retailers and consumers in the Denver Metro area.
“We see a big demand for high quality and unique products in the non-alcoholic space and we think Colorado’s Best Drinks and DRAM are the perfect solution to fill that consumer demand.
“While both brands… have relevant and unique brand propositions to fulfil varying consumer demands.”
Colorado’s Best Drinks (CBD) offers a line of sparkling beverages infused with broad spectrum hemp extract and DRAM Apothecary offers sparkling waters infused with broad spectrum hemp extract.
“We are thrilled about the partnership with Coors Distributing Company for many reasons,” says Moose Koons, co-founder of Colorado’s Best Drinks.
“We have worked hard to create the best possible product for our customers and are proud that Sparkling CBD has gotten the recognition it deserves and a stamp of approval from one of the best beverage companies in the world.
“Secondly, we are excited for what this does for the legitimacy of the hemp industry. We believe in the power of hemp and know that an endorsement from a great company like Coors Distributing Company will help bring the highest quality hemp beverages to more customers.”
A Molson Coors’ annual shareholder report listed CBD and cannabis-infused beverages as a major threat to the multi-billion-dollar booze industry.
It said: “Although the ultimate impact is currently unknown, the emergence of legal cannabis in certain US states and Canada may result in a shift of discretionary income away from our products or a change in consumer preferences away from beer.
“As a result, a shift in consumer preferences away from our products or beer or a decline in the consumption of our products could result in a material adverse effect on our business and financial results.”
Many alcohol companies are now seeking partnerships with CBD firms, such as Anheuser-Busch InBev announcing a partnership with Tilray to research non-alcoholic beverages infused with THC and CBD.


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Could things be turning up for MVNOs (Mobile Virtual Network Operators) in the US? Amp'd Mobile would be inclined to say Yes. According to a press release they issued yesterday, Amp'd subscriber base "jump[ed] nearly 70% in Q1 of 2007" with some 84,000 new activations tallied. This brings the youth-focused network's subscriber numbers up near the 200,000 mark which, while still a far cry from the millions of users heavyweights like Verizon (from whom Amp'd leases network space) can claim, is a big step in the right direction.
Of note is the bullet point at the bottom of the press release mentioning that the "Amp'd Live experience" now reaches "nearly 30 million mobile users in North America and Asia." Amp'd has been doing big business creating and distributing content overseas, and is now beginning to convert that expertise into strong ARPU (average revenue per user) numbers stateside. While the average US carrier rakes in just over $50/user per month in revenue, Amp'd is claiming ARPU of twice that at more than $100.
Businesses, of course, need to grow and as such Amp'd today unveiled their version of the Motorola Q smartphone. Dressed up in black and featuring a custom Flash Lite-based user interface (but the same ol' Windows Mobile 5 OS - where's the Crossbow?), the Q Amp'd Edition comes with a 256mb microSD memory card to store all those songs and video clips you'll be spending that monthly c-note per to download. The phone is available now for $199 with a service agreement.


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Chrysler has issued a recall for the V6 version of the 2013 Dodge Challenger (as pictured above in 2012MY) over the possibility of a wiring harness that could short circuit and lead to a fire. Owners of these V6 Challengers built from November 2012 through January 2013 are being urged to contact dealers immediately and, in the meantime, not to drive their cars or park in or near any buildings.
2013 Dodge Challenger
- 2018 Honda Accord is sleeker, more efficient
- Mercedes X-Class pickup truck revealed
- Find and compare 2017 Models


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OPUS will not only market USOC properties but the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City and most likely all Olympics staged in the U.S. after that.
Details of its structure and purpose will be finalized next month.
John Krimsky Jr., USOC deputy secretary general, will serve as president of OPUS. Within a year, about 15 executives will be hired to round out the USOC's current sponsorship services staff, which will be folded into OPUS.
The property organization will also establish and staff a licensing division.
LONG-TERM BUSINESS PLANS
In an interview with Advertising Age at last week's Sports Summit in New York, Mr. Krimsky said OPUS is needed as USOC and the International Olympic Committee formulate long-term business plans for the Olympic movement.
Those plans require extensive partnerships with major marketers and a forward-thinking entity to service them, he said.
Earlier this month, the USOC pitched eight-year sponsorship deals to companies, starting this year and including U.S. marketing rights to the 2002 Games for 12 marketers in 12 key categories. The USOC made those pitches with ad sales executives from NBC, the Olympics' U.S. broadcasting partner from 2000 to 2008.
Those pacts include rights to several new properties the USOC has created, such as the summer and winter Olympic Cups in between Olympics years.
Mr. Krimsky wouldn't disclose pricing, but it's believed the USOC is looking for a total of $100 million in fees and services in each category.
A-B IS BEER FRONT-RUNNER
Anheuser-Busch is the front-runner for the entire beer category, but not all categories will go to one company. Telecommunications, with its distinct services and product subsets, could be split up among at least three companies.
Long-distance phone service is the big ticket, valued at $60 million, with AT&T Corp. the front-runner, while Lucent Technologies appears all but signed for equipment.
The airline category will take two sponsors as well since current sponsor United Airlines doesn't service certain destinations.
Mr. Krimsky said one company, a consumer foods marketer, had reservations about the length of the deals, but added the USOC wants to accommodate it with a


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Huawei denies signing mobile procurement agreements with governments of Russia, Venezuela, Saudi Arabia, and other countries.
Ozon, one of the first e-commerce companies in Russia, will open a representative office in Shenzhen. The company plans to attract 100,000 Chinese merchants with operations on the platform and expand the transaction volume of goods from the country tenfold by 2024.
Major Chinese tech companies are discreetly pulling back from doing business in Russia under pressure from US sanctions and suppliers.
Shenzhen-based drone developer DJI announced on Tuesday that the company will temporarily suspend all business activities in Russia and Ukraine.
Google has halted certifying the Android mobile phones of Russian firm BQ, compelling it to begin tests for implementing Huawei's HarmonyOS instead.
Russian authorities have asked the management department of TikTok, a short video platform owned by ByteDance, to lift the restrictions on the video recording of Russian President Vladimir Putin's speech.
Influenced by the latest "fake news" law passed by the Russian government, TikTok has decided to suspend new video content and livestreaming services in the country.
Si Irina Guschina, direktor ng relasyon sa publiko para sa Russia at CIS sa Didi Taxi Convergence, ay nagsabi na ang kumpanya ay titigil sa operasyon sa Russia at Kazakhstan simula Marso 4 ngayong taon.
रूस और सीआईएस के लिए जनसंपर्क के निदेशक इरीना गुस्किना ने कहा कि कंपनी इस साल 4 मार्च से रूस और कजाकिस्तान में परिचालन बंद कर देगी।
DiDi taxi aggregator will cease operations in Russia and Kazakhstan from March 4 of this year, PR Director of the company in Russia and CIS, Irina Guschina said.
Didi Chuxing, the world’s leading mobile transportation and convenience platform, today offered its ride-hailing services in Russia, its first Eurasian market.
“On the way to the airport, I took two photos of the Red Square to congratulate Honor's No. 1 sales in Russia. Honor is now the most welcomed brand among young Russians.
Xiaomi has continued its international expansion by entering Russia, marking an initial foray into the European market after success in both India and Indonesia.


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With the upcoming re-introduction of the Ford Ranger to the U.S. market and the recent success of the Chevy Colorado and GMC Canyon, we’ve been wondering what Nissan is going to do with the Frontier. Nissan has now confirmed that it is working on the next-generation Nissan Frontier for the U.S. market.
The current Frontier has been on the market for over a decade, although Nissan does offer a newer pickup in other markets that’s sold as the Navara. There’s a chance that Nissan could simply introduce a version of the Navara in the U.S. as the next Frontier. Nissan also recently spun off a version of the Navara with Mercedes-Benz – the Mercedes-Benz X-Class.
The next-generation Frontier will be built at Nissan’s plant in Mississippi, but Nissan has not announced exactly when the it will be released. Hopefully it won’t be too long, since the current Frontier is facing some stiff competition from Honda, GM, Ford and Toyota. Even Hyundai is working on a new small pickup.


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Switzerland Stock Exchange (SIX) has asked the country’s central bank (SNB) to issue a stablecoin – a digital version of the Swiss Franc.
According to reports by local media Swissinfo, SIX pitches the crypto asset as a perfect currency for settling cross-border payments and trading on its new digital securities platform. The exchange also explains that users of its upcoming digital securities exchange (SDX) will be able to swap fiat currency for the new stablecoin.
The exchange states:
SDX would accept CHF payments from member banks in central bank money and issue equivalent tokenized CHF in SDX. The value of tokenized CHF would be pegged 1:1 with the CHF at all times. We most definitely favour a central bank issued stablecoin.
This new proposal though subject to a final decision, is reportedly being considered by the Swiss National Bank as its benefits will curb current hassles experienced using fiat currency.
The Switzerland Stock Exchange is owned by a consortium of Swiss banks and looks to continue its innovations around cryptocurrency, blockchain and trading of digital versions of stocks, bonds and other securities.
From becoming home to the Crypto Valley Association, to launching a blockchain-platform product for SDX as well as proposals for Blokckchain voting, Switzerland looks to maintain their domination of financial services and innovation; with the full support of its government.
More Financial Institutions Eye Cryptocurrency
On a global scale, financial institutions seem to fancy the idea of issuing stablecoins and use of blockchain in finance. However, cryptocurrency maximalists view this as a basic ‘centralized’ cryptocurrency which goes against the crypto decentralization metric.
It is yet to be seen if this rush to innovate is pegged to the growing popularity of cryptocurrencies and advantages associated with it or a move by these institutions to take a share of the emerging crypto market.


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The latest news on the API economy
Searching: No Search Term , Filtered By Category: "Mapping", Category: "Transportation", Category: "Travel"
Thirteen APIs have been added to the ProgrammableWeb directory in categories including Spam, Notifications, Prices, Travel and Machine Learning, among others. Highlights include two APIs from NASA and the SimpleML automated machine learning API. Here's a rundown of the latest additions.
The Google Maps API team maintains many Google Maps APIs and SDKs. Manually tracking updates across the various sets of Release Notes presents a challenge for developers. Google now offers auto-updates to Maps Release Notes via RSS feeds. RSS feeds for all Maps and Places APIs are available.
When developing a location-based application, displaying the most relevant information is the key to success. Countrywide.co.uk managed to increase their conversions by up to 300 percent when delivering points of interest by travel time. In this article, we’ll explain how to search and display
We've added ten APIs to the ProgrammableWeb directory in categories including Sports, Conversions, Science, and Transporation. One highlight today is the MediaBeacon API for programmatic access of digital asset management services . Here's a quick summary of the latest additions.
Emirates recently became the latest airline to join the IATA's NDC initiative with the launch of its Emirates Online B2B API. The API connects Emirates' host reservation system to partner companies for access to availability, pricing, shopping, ticketing, sale of excess baggage, visas, and more.
Maps are powerful tools that can be used in a variety of situations, from visualizing where customers live, to defining sales territories, to plotting crime patterns in neighborhoods. The first step in creating a map is to convert street addresses to latitude and longitude coordinates through a
eeGeo has released a Points of Interest API that allows developers to submit and manage custom points of interest to be used primarily with the eeGeo example app. The API also allows outdoor POIs to be created and includes search query options such as free text search and category search.
If you’re in the market for a Web mapping API and you’ve chosen to use Google Maps, I think you’ve made a smart choice. If you’re looking for tips on how to optimally implement Google Maps API into your transportation app, such as a taxi or ridesharing service, then you’re in the right place.
Thirteen APIs have been added to the ProgrammableWeb directory in categories including Travel and Safety. A Highlight today includes an API to access a database of information about the universe in George R. R. Martin's popular fantasy novel series. Here's a rundown of the latest additions.
Lyft is launching a developer program of its own in order to better compete with Uber. Lyft's first partner in this new endeavor is Facebook Messenger. Lyft hopes the program will eventually expand to see a wide number of developers add Lyft-hailing buttons to their own apps.
Developers have requested that Google better align the Places API and Google Maps search results. Google has answered the call by integrating the Places API with Google Maps search. The move offers better search quality, but developers need be aware the changes may affect current installations.
The previously popular Google Earth API is being deprecated and is due to shut down in early 2016, signalling the end of access to its 3D imagery via the API. This post by Timothy Whitehead for Google Earth Blog looks at four applications that used to use the API, and what they are using now.
Sickweather is known for its real-time illness tracking. Where hospitals and government agencies take weeks to report illness trends, Sickweather scans social media outlets for real-time tracking and reporting. Now, Sickweather has made the API behind the tracking service available to developers.
The recent experience of mapmaker RouteBuilder highlights one of the key issues that needs to be addressed when consuming APIs: how to manage the risk associated with an API becoming unavailable? Businesses consuming open APIs in their products need to take these risk management actions.
Little over a year after Uber released its API, Uber continues to add features that propel its offering well beyond a simple ride sharing service. Uber Trip Experiences allows third party apps to access a rider's Uber app and trip details. Think about a ten minute playlist, for a ten minute trip.
McLeod Software serves the freight and shipping industry with ERP software. Now, the company offers SMS integration for its leading product to open new channels of communication between logistic companies and drivers, speeding up internal processes to provide a faster service for its customers.
Expedia recently announced the expansion of its API portfolio. The new API includes integration with in-destination, local activity suppliers. The API is included within the larger, legacy Expedia API environment and enables significant upsell, cross-sell, and broader partner possibilities.
We've added 17 APIs to the ProgrammableWeb directory in categories including Marine, Transportation, Text-to-Speech and others. Included is an API from Pole Star that allows developers to track marine vessel navigation. Here's a summary of the new additions and how they could aid developers.


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Although some countries are preparing to ease their coronavirus lockdown measures, experts are expecting COVID-19 to last longer – till the end of 2020 at least. It is an understatement, to say the least, that the pandemic has drastically changed the world as we know it. Planes are grounded, oil is cheaper than water, millions of people are now working and studying at home.
With the impact of COVID-19 felt in virtually every aspect of life as we know it – work, health, human habits and behaviour – it is likely that life post-COVID-19 (when it finally comes) will be different from before.
1. Normalise wearing a mask when sick
If there’s one thing this pandemic has taught us, it’s to start putting on a mask when you feel ill. Unlike Taiwan and Japan where donning a mask is nothing out of the norm, wearing one in Singapore pre-COVID-19 outbreak could get you a few curious stares. However, with the current government mandated mask-wearing, it is no longer such a funny sight. It is hoped that this habit will carry on even after the outbreak is over.
2. Attitude shift: Not going to work as an act of responsibility rather than laziness
More pressing than ever, the beliefs around taking Medical Leave (MC) from work will have to change too. For fear of being thought of as intentionally skiving off, some workers in Singapore tend to “soldier on” when mildly sick. In some companies, anything milder than a fever may be considered not “serious enough” to warrant taking time off. The culture of rewarding employees who continue to show up for work even though they are sick will have to change. Such an act should not be seen as responsibility, commitment nor dedication.
Indeed, the Singpost cluster in Singapore, which was sparked when a worker showed up to work even when they were sick, is a painful lesson that such behaviour is anything but responsible.
3. Changes to the delivery of healthcare
A shift to telemedicine and teleconsulting may be needed to relieve some of the burden on clinics and hospitals. Additionally, doctor shopping (where patients visit more than one clinic to be diagnosed) might be discouraged more than ever as this pandemic has taught us that such behaviour may, on the contrary, aggravate the situation.
Image from https://mayfield.portsmouth.sch.uk/news/2020-03-18-school-closure-update-for-pupils-and-parents


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Saveology.com is hiring dozens of new employees and negotiating for 95,000 square feet of space as it launches an effort to compete with the likes of Groupon and LivingSocial, CEO Benzion "Benny" Aboud said Wednesday morning.
Saveology was busy sending out push e-mails about Saveology Deals, which was launched with $3 million of seed money and seven team leaders. At 10 a.m., the Saveology site went live, allowing newcomers to sign up for the deals service.
Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) on Wednesday also launched its competitor to Groupon – Google Offers. The service started in Portland, but the company also plans to roll it out soon in the San Francisco and New York areas.
Saveology already has a database of 4 million opt-in subscribers, which it has gathered by offering a shopping site for services such as telecommunications. Aboud said his company will save about $500,000 a month in e-mail address acquisition costs because of its existing business lines.
Detroit, Dallas, Fort Worth, Tucson, Phoenix and San Diego were part of today's marketing push, spokeswoman Tamar Burton said. Atlanta, Austin, Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Miami, Minneapolis, New York City, Philadelphia, San Francisco, St. Louis and Washington, D.C., are scheduled for next week.
Among the first deals offered were two movie tickets for $9 at AMC and Regal theaters.
Saveology was trying to do some catchy writing to help sell the deal: "In case you need a brush-up on your math, this deal comes out to be $4.50 per movie ticket. Umm, $4.50? That’s cheaper than the senior discount at a 7 a.m. showing of ‘Gone With the Wind’ in South Dakota on a Tuesday (non-holiday, of course). Movie tickets haven’t been that cheap since the 1970s – so get your disco dance on (actually, please don’t) and take advantage today."
Aboud said he expects to add 200,000 to 300,000 e-mail addresses a month, and his team is thinking out of the box compared to Groupon and LivingSocial.
One example is only taking 30 percent of the revenue from merchants, compared with the 50 percent taken by some of the existing deal companies.
Another example is asking consumers to pay a few dollars for a coupon that would give them a sizeable discount for a retailer, he said. Saveology would keep the coupon payment and the merchant would just make the sale without having to pay marketing costs.
Saveology cut a deal with Quicken Loans to promote a low introductory rate and a $1,000 closing, he said. "Everytime someone calls that 1-800 number, I get a fee of $18," Aboud said. "That makes me totally different than Groupon."
Saveology, which has 1,000 employees and $150 million in revenue, already had a lot of the infrastructure to launch the deals effort, Aboud said. "We were able to get in the poker game for a very low cost of entry."
The company is in the process of hiring 12 to 15 national sales managers, 15 to 20 technology staffers, 12 to 15 designers and a dozen content writers, Aboud said. He's negotiating to take over an additional 95,000 square feet in Broward County.
The South Florida Business Journal honored Aboud in 2009 at the Diamond Awards, which recognized Broward County’s top CEOs.
Aboud has founded and grown a half-dozen businesses. His first business was a wireless phone store while he attended Fairleigh Dickinson University. He left school after two years, and in 2002 sold his 120 mall-based kiosks and small storefront locations to Cingular Wireless.


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Rising milk prices shrink profits for Dean Foods, U.S. retailers
Raw milk prices have reached historically high levels, helping push Dean Foods to a first-quarter loss. Some retailers, however, have chosen to absorb the increase rather than risk alienating price-sensitive consumers.
The increase in the base price of a gallon of 2 percent milk across most of the United States has gone up at least 54 cents since last June, said Mary Ledman, who publishes the Daily Dairy Report, based in Libertyville, Ill.
But the price paid by many shoppers has not increased... read more
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