text:
ChickQueen’s Sensational Oakville Grand Opening Shakes Up the GTA Fast-Food Landscape
OAKVILLE, Ontario, May 12, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — ChickQueen, the fastest-growing fast food franchise in Greater Toronto Area (GTA), has marked a historic day with the grand opening of its third location in Oakville. The local community flocked together in record numbers, creating an electrifying atmosphere that was nothing short of a poultry party.
On a day that saw the sun rise on an incredibly long queue of enthusiastic patrons, ChickQueen proved once again why it’s the fastest-growing fast-food franchise in the region. The grand opening was a resounding success, a testament to ChickQueen’s unique combination of delectable offerings, unmatched service, and an unwavering commitment to the communities it serves.
Mayor Rob Burton officiated the ribbon-cutting ceremony, an occasion that will go down in Oakville’s history. The Mayor’s enthusiasm echoed the sentiments of the crowds, who had been eagerly waiting since the crack of dawn to enjoy the much-anticipated fare. His presence underscored the significance of ChickQueen’s expansion in the GTA, and the positive impact of new businesses in the local economy.
Since its inception, ChickQueen has been disrupting the fast-food market with its innovative approach to quick service and quality food. Known for its tantalizing menu and top-notch customer service, the franchise has been expanding rapidly across the GTA, with plans to continue spreading its wings even further.
“We are deeply humbled and thrilled by the overwhelming response from the Oakville community,” said ChickQueen’s Spokesperson. “This grand opening isn’t just a celebration of our growth, but a celebration of our customers, who have been the key ingredient to our success. We look forward to serving our irresistible offerings to the people of Oakville.”
With the successful launch of the Oakville branch, ChickQueen has proven itself to be a significant player in the fast-food industry. The message is clear – ChickQueen isn’t just serving up chicken, they’re serving an experience that GTA has fallen in love with. The successful launch of this location only further cements ChickQueen’s status as a heavyweight in the region’s fast-food industry.
As ChickQueen continues to spread its wings across the GTA, the food industry eagerly watches. If this grand opening is anything to go by, ChickQueen is setting the pace and rewriting the narrative of the fast-food scene.
For more information about ChickQueen, its menu, or upcoming locations, please visit www.chickqueen.ca.
ChickQueen is a fast-growing fast-food franchise renowned for its unique blend of quality, speed and customer service. With a commitment to serving fresh, flavorful food, ChickQueen is rewriting the narrative of the fast-food industry, one restaurant at a time.
Photos accompanying this announcement are available at


text:
Suffering from dry skin? You’re not alone. A recent study in the British Journal of Dermatology noted that many people suffer more from dry skin in winter because the harsh climatic changes affects our skin’s natural barrier function by breaking down a key protein in the skin called filaggrin. In winter, rapidly changing temperatures, from heated indoors to cold outdoor environments, can affect the capillaries, and prolonged exposure to wet weather can strip the skin’s barrier function.
“Both children and adults suffer from red cheeks in winter and some may even develop more permanent skin conditions such as atopic eczema and rosacea,” said senior author Dr. Jacob Thyssen, of the University of Copenhagen.
The solution? It’s important to protect your skin and treat dryness with good-quality skincare products and emollients in winter and focus on sunscreen to reduce the risk of UVB and UVA damage.
Not sure where to start with the right products? You’re in luck! We’ve found the best skincare products for dry skin – which show visible results. So, go ahead and pamper yourself, as well as treat dry skin with these expert tips and reviving buys to keep your skin soft, smooth and supple.

domain: news


text:
Drinking THIS Popular Beverage May Help You Live Longer!
A popular beverage has been proven to help boost life longevity!
Research has revealed that drinking beer can actually be very good for one’s health and protect against obesity, insomnia, dementia and life expectancy.
Scientists have declared beer to be “very good for you” and drinking one a day “can help you to live longer.”
The research has discovered ingredients in beer can be healthy and protect you against serious health conditions.
It’s the health-boosting probiotics found in beer which can help to extend one’s life. So, enjoy!


text:
Google's Jeff Huber wrote: "Congratulations to the Maps Team on the recognition for the passion and hard work they poured into it, for this release and over the last 7+ years."
Google Maps was the default maps application on Apple's iOS devices from the launch of the first iPhone, in 2007, until this summer when Apple released iOS 6 and replaced Google Maps with its own maps app.
However, Apple Maps was soon found to be filled with errors and omissions. Tim Cook, Apple's chief executive, apologised for the problem and said Apple "fell short" on its commitment to customers.
Apple encouraged users to report problems with Maps and revised the layout of the application to make the 'report a problem' feature more prominent.
In October, the company announced that Scott Forstall, the executive responsible for iOS software, including Maps, would be leaving the company in 2013. Eddy Cue, who runs Apple's internet software and services, was given responsibility for maps.
According to The Wall Street Journal, Cue recently held talks with Foursquare, the mobile app that lets users 'check-in' to places and recommends local shops and services. Apple is said to be in talks with several companies in a bid to improve the data used by its maps.
Foursquare, the Journal reports, has "amassed business listings, and collects data about the relative popularity of places as well as user-generated tips about them that could help Apple's mapping service stand out".
Apple's challenge is now not just about improving its own maps but winning back users who have switched to alternatives. Google Maps for iPhone includes public transport directions, StreetView and turn-by-turn navigation.
Daniel Graf, director of Google Maps for mobile, said: "It is designed from the ground up to combine the comprehensiveness and accuracy of Google Maps with an interface that makes finding what you're looking for faster and easier."


text:
Sign up now to receive our weekly newsletter and more.
Search Results for 'Kelheim Fibres acquires FR Fibre Technology'
Published May 6, 2013
In line with its strategy of continued specialization, Kelheim Fibres GmbH, a leading producer of speciality viscose fibers, has reached an agreement with the bankrupt Finnish fiber company Avilon for the acquisition of knowhow and technology for the… Read More »
Published October 3, 2012
The R&D team of the Bavarian viscose specialities manufacturer Kelheim Fibres has developed a new viscose fiber named Umberto. By tuning a multitude of parameters during the spinning process, Kelheim’s R&D has created a fiber with varyi… Read More »
Published March 16, 2011
Techtextil North America will be held March 15-17, 2011 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, NV. Over 150 exhibitors will showcase their company’s capabilities to more than 2000 attendees. The entire spectrum of tec… Read More »
By Helena Engqvist, Engqvist Consulting
Published September 6, 2013
Numerous innovations underscored the willingness of exhibitors to invest and act as visitor magnets at TechTextil 2013 in Frankfurt from June 10-13. Read More »


text:
College dropout takes his net worth to Rs 100 crore at age 23 investing in stocks and launching fintech startup
Vol 13 | Issue 19
Sankarsh Chanda, a 23-year-old from Hyderabad, started investing in the stock market from the age of 17, and today his net worth has skyrocketed to Rs 100 crore.
Sankarsh is founder of Savart, a fintech startup, which helps people to invest in stocks, mutual funds and bonds. His company’s registered name is Svobodha Infinity Investment Advisors Private Limited.
|Sankarsh Chanda started Savart with an investment of Rs 8 lakh after dropping out of college (Photos: Special Arrangement)
This stock market prodigy has a 2,000 sq ft office at Gagan Mahal in Hyderabad where 35 people work for him. He started Savart in 2017 with an investment of Rs 8 lakh after dropping out of college.
Sankarsh was in his second year B.Tech Computer Science in Bennett University, Greater Noida, when he decided to quit studies and focus on stock trading full time.
He had started to invest in stock market in 2016 after completing his Class 12 from Slate – The School in Hyderabad. He started with Rs 2,000 and pumped in more money over the next two years.
His investment began to grow fast and he took some of that money to start his company. “I invested around Rs 1.5 lakh over a period of two years. The market value of my shares had gone up to around Rs 13 lakh in two years,” says Sankarsh.
He sold shares worth Rs 8 lakh to start his company in 2017. He kept the rest of the money in the market and continued to invest from his earnings through his startup.
“My net worth now is Rs 100 crore. It is not just my stock market investment, but is also based on my company's valuation," says Sankarsh, who developed interest in stock market after reading an article by American economist Benjamin Graham, known as the ‘father of value investing,’ at age 14.
|Sankarsh has been a voracious reader since his early teenage years
Since then he has been a voracious reader and it led him on a journey to learn about human behavior towards money.
“The more I read about money and investment the more I got fascinated and hence my experiment started with investment,” he says.
“I used to borrow books from libraries and other people, because if I started buying them I would have needed two to three rooms just to keep the books.”
Initially, he planned to go abroad for his higher studies, but then he changed his mind and joined B.Tech Computer Science at Bennett University, where he began to do his research on human attitude to money.
“I embarked on a survey spending more than six months talking to lower-middle-class people, rich people, and entrepreneurs to know what they prioritize in life,” says Sankarsh.
“The university is located on the outskirts of Greater Noida, so I got in touch with many villagers. I spoke to around 2000 people. Through my mentors in the university, I connected with successful business people and entrepreneurs to understand their behavior towards money.”
The findings from the survey came as a surprise to the youngster, who has a very conservative mindset when it comes to spending money. “Almost all of them said money was very important for them,” recounts Sankarsh.
He was expecting something else.
|Sankarsh believes that people need to know how much they need to spend so that they can invest the remaining money
“I thought people would say it is their passion and happiness that were important to them. But when I delved deeper on the subject, I found that people think if they have money they can trade it for anything that makes them happier and healthier.
“It is not the case in reality,” he says, sounding more philosophical and showing a maturity beyond his age.
“People who have money are unable to spend quality time with friends and family and pursue what they are passionate about. They want million dollars, but fail to understand what they want to do with this money.”
He appears to suggest that many do not know the difference between their needs and wants and end up spending on non-essential things.
“If people are clear how much money they need to pay the bills they can save some money to invest regularly. Hence the invested money will keep growing and they don’t have to work extra for that,” he says.
“Then they can pursue what they are passionate about; they can have enough time to spend with loved ones.
“On the other hand, if you are not clear where you want to spend, you end up spending money on things which are necessarily not important, and you have to keep working to earn money.”
At Bennett University he found his mentor, Ajay Batra, Director, Center of Innovation and Entrepreneurship & Bennett Hatchery. “He helped in my research and also helped me to start Savart,” says Sankarsh.
To invest through his company, you need to download a smartphone app called Savart on Google play and create an account. The subscription cost is Rs 4999, excluding taxes.
The app provides different investment options for various budgets. “It is so simple that you can start investing with even small amounts,” says Sankarsh.
|Sankarsh has published a book titled Financial Nirvana
“The annual subscription plan was just for Rs 99 when we started. Then it became 299 and since January it became Rs 4999.”
The company’s revenue comes from their subscriptions and from about 1% to 2.5% of the profit that customers make on their investments. So far, customers have made investments close to Rs 9 crore through Savart.
The company achieved a turnover of Rs 12 lakh in the first year, Rs 14 lakh in the second year, Rs 32 lakh in the third year and Rs 40 lakh during FY 2020-21.
In 2016 Sankarsh published a book titled Financial Nirvana, where he talks about the difference between trading and investment, and offers tips on diversifying the investment and understanding the market.
He recommends three books to those who want to learn about money and investment - The Intelligent Investor, Security Analysis, and The First Three Minutes of the Universe.
Sankarsh is interested in space science and has launched Stardour, an aerospace technology startup that is going to be involved in space mobility tech and deep space exploration.
“I aim to help as many people as possible to invest better so that they can do what they are passionate about while their money is growing,” says Sankarsh.
|Sankarsh has hardly converted his stocks into cash and is content leading a simple life
Sankarsh stays with his parents in a 2BHK apartment based in Himayat Nagar, Hyderabad. His father, Chandrasekhar Chanda, used to run a small IT company, but now he looks after finance in Savart.
His elder sister Taruni Chanda is a Charted Accountant in the United States and his mother Sangeeta Chanda who was into content writing, is also helping in the business.
For the wealth he has created at such a young age, Sankarsh loves to live a simple life.
“I hardly convert my stocks into cash because I am less attracted to materialistic life,” says Sankarsh, who likes to be in a t-shirt and shorts most of the time. “I wear formals only when I need to attend a show or give a talk somewhere.”


text:
Thanks to digital skullduggery, brand safety remains hotter than the devil’s anvil.
From the stump speeches of Procter & Gamble’s Marc Pritchard to the role of ad tech in funding misleading content to YouTube’s multiple ad scandals, the perils of digital media buying were on full display throughout 2017. Here are five charts that summarize the state of brand safety.
Brands claim responsibility
Whether you’re examining brand safety, fraud or data leakage, there’s plenty of blame to go around the complex ad-supply chain whenever a snafu arises. But brands have more to lose than others if their ads appear next to questionable content.
A survey of 30 brand marketers by Digiday+ showed that brands place more responsibility on themselves than on agencies, vendors or publishers, when it comes to maintaining brand safety. Marc Goldberg, CEO of anti-ad fraud vendor Trust Metrics, said brand advertisers should be leading the conversation on brand safety because if they don’t care about it, nobody else will.
YouTube’s brand pullouts
In March, brands like AT&T and Verizon took their ads off YouTube after The Times of London published an exposé that showed brand ads appearing in videos that promoted terrorism. Although most of the brands that pulled their ads from YouTube were back on the platform within a few months, posturing surrounding this event catapulted brand safety into elite buzzword territory.
The concept of brand safety has been around for years, but as seen in the Google Trends graph below, searches for brand safety peaked in March.
Violent content is widespread
From drugs to piracy to sex, there is a lot of content on the internet that advertisers try to distance themselves from. Violence is the category that ad-verification company Integral Ad Science blocks, most often for brand-safety reasons, for its advertiser clients.
Travis Lusk, vp of global sales strategy at IAS, said advertisers aren’t necessarily more sensitive to violence in content than they are to sex content or illegal downloads. Compared to other touchy topics, there just happens to be more content across the web that gets categorized as violent.
In November, video ad platform Teads surveyed 100 CMOs and vps at large brands about brand safety. Nearly 80 percent of them said they are more concerned about brand safety than ever before.
About half of the survey respondents said they had reviewed their agency and vendor contracts over the past year. More than a third said they layered on more third-party ad measurement to their campaigns.
“Marketers are stepping up to take control over the way their money is spent,” said Forrester analyst Susan Bidel.
IAS found that across display and video for both mobile and desktop, programmatic buys have a greater likelihood of exposing brands to unsafe content than direct buys. This makes sense, given that with direct deals, brands know who they are working with. Programmatic platforms, on the other hand, are engineered to bring ads to thousands of publishers simultaneously, and the long-tail sites featured on these platforms offer cheap scale at the price of appearing next to low-quality or sensational content.
As Pritchard noted in a recent interview with Digiday: “We’ve still got to do work on brand safety.”
Digiday+ Research: Instagram wins over Facebook for role in brands’ holiday marketing
Brands differ on how they use each marketing channel during the holidays -- even when it comes to sibling social media platforms Facebook and Instagram, Digiday+ Research found.
How — and why — Candy Crush is in the midst of a 10th anniversary brand refresh
In the years since Activision Blizzard acquired the Swedish game studio King in 2016, employees at the gaming giant have started to internally refer to their company as “ABK” — that is, Activision Blizzard King. But the corporation’s recent financial reports indicate that “KAB” might be a more accurate abbreviation.
Independent agency Goat invests in influencer strategy for clients as it expands in the U.S.
Everyone is after influencers to up their marketing game. But the secret to success, Goat contends, is in viewing influencers as performance media and using data to deliver clients guaranteed outcomes.
SponsoredHow brands are measuring incremental performance on CTV
Connected TV is unique among other advertising channels because it combines linear television’s storytelling capabilities with digital marketing’s targeting and measurement. As more marketers leverage CTV advertisements to reach relevant and engaged audiences, they also want to understand the real value they are generating with their investment. Incrementality reporting and measurement allow advertisers to measure […]
Marketers bring Web3 to the FIFA World Cup with augmented reality, NFTs and virtual worlds
The month-long tournament, which begins this weekend, will be the first World Cup since it took place in Russia in 2018 long before “Web3” entered the global lexicon. Now, official and non-official sponsors are hoping to harness the hype with a range of NFTs, virtual worlds, augmented reality tools and other trendy tech.
U-Haul diversifies its social strategy to tell people it’s more than moving trucks
In recent years, U-Haul's in-house agency has been working to "better leverage social media for brand loyalty."


text:
According to a statement made by a Google employee on the Pixel product forums, a somewhat widespread problem with receiving MMS messages on the Pixel 2 XL has been resolved. But if you ask the people that claimed to be affected, you’ll get a very different answer.
Image via Omar Ramadan
We had heard some reports for this problem ourselves, which manifests as an inability to receive or download MMS messages sent to a Pixel 2 or Pixel 2 XL.
Google claims Pixel 2 MMS issues fixed despite continued reports was written by the awesome team at Android Police.
Apple has confirmed that iOS 11.2.7 or iOS 11.3 final version will fix Siri reading hidden notifications on lock screen bug.
[ Continue reading this over at RedmondPie.com ]
Apple’s iPhone X is significantly below expectations, some reports say, while others claim the opposite. The $ 999 entry price is one of the main reasons why the iPhone X isn’t selling as good as some expected. There are plenty of ways to make it more tolerable, including trade-in deals and installment plans. But that’s still plenty of money to pay for a smartphone, especially in international markets.
A new report now claims that Apple’s next-gen 5.85-inch OLED iPhone X will be cheaper to produce. But will it be less expensive for customers?
Apple was able to reduce the manufacturing bill of materials by 10% for this year’s cheapest iPhone X model, Digitimes Research analyst Luke Lin discovered. The iPhone X currently costs more than $ 400 to make.
Apple has reportedly finalized its lineup for the 2018 iPhone X series. We’re looking at three smartphones in total, including two OLED-based iPhones (5.85-inch and 6.45-inch) and an LCD model (6.1-inch).
The 2018 5.85-inch iPhone X might be priced as the cheapest option of the three, Lin says, without specifying an actual price quote. Apple could always keep in place the $ 999 price tag for the cheapest iPhone X, but that would mean it would have no brand new iPhone in the $ 650 to $ 850 price range.
Apple had been working on a 5.85-inch LCD iPhone X, the report notes, but that version was recently dropped.
The cost of OLED panels is one reason why the iPhone X is so expensive. But it looks like Apple reached an agreement with Samsung Display to secure “satisfactory terms” that will prevent cost increases in the future. The report also notes that Apple pulled in a lot fewer OELD panels from Samsung than it had committed.
Digitimes says that some of the recent 2018 5.8-inch iPhone X engineering samples adopted “lower-level specifications or lower capacities” than those of the 6.1-inch LCD iPhone, with LPDDR memory being one of the major differences. Does that mean the cheaper iPhone X will have less RAM? Or worse RAM? We have no idea at this point, and these are unconfirmed rumors.
A recently discovered bug that causes app and system crashing on iPhone, iPad, and Mac due to a specific letter in the Indian language Telugu has been fixed in Apple’s upcoming iOS 11.3 and macOS 10.13.4 software updates.
MacRumors has not been able to reproduce any crashes, freezes, or resprings on any devices running the latest iOS 11.3 and macOS 10.13.4 betas when the particular letter is present anywhere across the systems, as the upcoming software versions can now display the affected character properly.
On earlier software versions, including the latest publicly released versions iOS 11.2.5 and macOS 10.13.3, it appears that Apple devices are unable to render the Indian character for some reason, causing apps or the entire system to abruptly crash depending on where it is trying to be displayed.
If the character is sent in an iMessage, for example, the recipient’s Messages app will crash when the conversation is opened. Likewise, if the character is pasted into the Safari or Chrome address bar on Mac, the browsers crash. This behavior extends to virtually any system text field on iOS and macOS, resulting in many third-party apps like WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger being affected as well.
Even worse, some users have found that if the character is displayed in an iOS notification, it can cause an entire iPhone or iPad to respring, and in worst-case scenarios, restoring in DFU mode is the only possible solution.
If you’ve already received the letter and can no longer open Messages, try having a friend message you, which may allow you to regain access to the app and delete the conversation with the bad character. If not, consider enrolling in Apple’s free public beta program and upgrade to iOS 11.3 or macOS 10.13.4 beta.
MacRumors was alerted about this bug by developer Peter Steinberger on Monday, and it was submitted to Open Radar by developer Igor Bulyga on the same day. We elected not to report on the bug at the time to avoid contributing to its spread, since it can be used maliciously and a fix will be widely available soon.
The bug has received widespread attention today, so we wanted to acknowledge that Apple is aware of the issue and has implemented a fix. iOS 11.3 and macOS 10.13.4 should be publicly released by the end of March, but it’s very possible we’ll see minor updates pushed out with fixes in the near term.
These kinds of bugs have surfaced several times in the past, with text strings, videos, and more crashing the Messages app and causing other glitches. Just last month, a link to a GitHub page surfaced that froze the Messages app when received.
Discuss this article in our forums
Samsung has made great strides to fix its custom Android UI over the past few years, going from the bloated and ugly TouchWiz to the less-bloated and sleek Samsung Experience. Unfortunately, its emoji have continued to be terrible, often expressing radically different emotions than those of other brands. Thankfully, Samsung is finally doing something about that as it rolls out Android Oreo to its suite of flagships. As first reported by Emojipedia, the Oreo update includes Samsung Experience 9.0, which brings redesigned the redesigned emoji in addition to a host of new features. Although the overall aesthetic of the emoji…
This story continues at The Next Web
When Tal Golesworthy was told he was at risk of his aorta bursting, he wasn’t impressed with the surgery on offer – so he came up with his own idea. Lunchtime at a small medical engineering company in Tewkesbury. The entertainment thoughtfully laid on to garnish our sandwiches is a colourful video: a neat bit of cardiovascular surgery featuring someone’s heart and blood vessels. Someone? Well, not quite anyone. The exposed and beating heart at which we’re gazing belongs to one of my dining companions. Tal Golesworthy, 60, is balding, quick-talking and often outspoken. He’s also – a clue here…
Multiple iCloud services are currently experiencing downtime, according to Apple’s System Status page, leaving them inaccessible to some users.
Find My Friends, Find My iPhone, iCloud Backup, Contacts, Calendar, Drive, Keychain, Mail, Notes, Reminders, Storage Upgrades, and Web Apps have all been down for some people since 8:35 a.m. Pacific Time.
Back to My Mac, iWork for iCloud apps, Mail Drop, and Photos are also impacted.
Apple’s System Status report says that 1.5 percent of users are affected and may be unable to use the above listed services. It’s not clear how long the outage will last, but we’ll update when it’s resolved.
Update: According to Apple’s System Status page, the iCloud issue has been resolved.
Discuss this article in our forums
Last week, Google confirmed that it has identified a fix for the problem that’s causing the Nexus Player’s remote to sleep after 5-10 minutes of inactivity, and the solution is being tested internally. Well, good news is the solution is now live. A Google employee updated the issue tracker thread discussing the problem, saying the server-side fix went live yesterday. Following is what else they said: Please make sure your Google Play services is up-to-date to receive the fix. You would also need to have a Google account logged-in on your Android TV to receive this fix (without an…


text:
If you are someone who has been eagerly waiting to play Apex Legends on your mobile phone, then the wait is over for you as you will soon be able to do so, according to the announcement of Apex Legends Mobile’s release date.
Respawn Entertainment has stated that this mobile adaption of the battle royale game will be released this month, but no specific date has been established. This eventual rollout comes after a series of the previous testing, which was initially confined to a few places before progressively extending to other areas in preparation for the full release. While we still don’t have an exact release date for Apex Legends Mobile, we’re getting closer to making an announcement now that we’re in the release month. Respawn teased the Apex Legends Mobile release date in May during an Apex Legends Season 13 preview event before announcing it officially on Tuesday.
Unlike some other mobile games that launch first on Android before moving to iOS, Apex Legends Mobile will be available on both platforms at the same time. It’ll also have several features that are only available on the mobile edition of Apex, such as mobile-only maps, Legends, and more. Though there may be certain content specific to the Apex Legends mobile edition, this game will not support crossplay as Apex Legends does, therefore mobile users will only be able to play versus other mobile players.
The Legends from the main game will, nevertheless, be present. For example, during the regional previews, Respawn enabled Bloodhound, Gibraltar, Lifeline, Wraith, Bangalore, Octane, Mirage, Pathfinder, and Caustic for testing. During the Season 13 preview, when Apex Legends Mobile was discussed, design director Jordan Patz stated that the game will start with 10 Legends, with one more to be revealed later. Holosprays, banner frames, badges, a banner stance, and a new Pathfinder skin were among the incentives, all of which have been unlocked now that over 25 million pre-registrations have been collected.
Apex Legends Mobile will be available in May for Android and iOS smartphones.


text:
The coveted Subaru snow sports Badge of Ownership sticker
Subaru vehicles are synonymous with the ski and snowboard world. Whether it’s the company’s corporate sponsorship of the Freesking World Tour, or being the official car brand of nearly any ski town USA, Subaru has established a niche among snow sports enthusiasts.
To reward their loyal customers, many of which are on their second, third, or fourth model, the Japanese company has announced a special customer appreciation program directed at further developing a personal relationship between owners and their respective Subaru. “The Badge of Ownership” is a simple, yet highly intriguing idea where a current Subaru owner can select a badge (think merit badge) that designates their number of Subaru vehicles owned, along with options for lifestyle icons that reflect personal interests and hobbies.
The process is simple, just log on to http://www.badgeofownership.com/ and enter your name, address, and VIN number. The VIN number ensures you actually own a Subaru, and you’re not just being a poser. It’s really that easy, and doesn’t even require a credit card or any billing information.
This here Ski Channel writer already has his badge on the way, and while he might be a newbie to the brand, he has a feeling this might not be the last he owns.


text:
Shoe Carnival Inc. has followed in the footsteps of many retailers that have announced store closures to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
According to a statement on Thursday, the Evansville, Ind.-based company made the decision to temporarily shutter its stores across the United States and in Puerto Rico until April 2. During that period, the company said, it will continue to pay store associates.
Consumers will still be able to shop on Shoe Carnival’s website as well as its mobile app.
“The health and safety of our employees, our customers and the communities we serve is our primary concern,” CEO and Vice Chairman Cliff Sifford said. “While the decision to close our stores was not made lightly, we believe ensuring the well-being of our teams and doing our part to minimize the spread of this deadly virus is the right one.”
In the release, Sifford reiterated Shoe Carnival’s “strong” balance sheet, which includes a $50 million credit facility, as well as its longstanding relationship with vendors — both of which he said provides the company with “sufficient flexibility to meet the needs of our stakeholders” during a national health crisis that has sickened more than 13,000 people and killed at least 195 in the U.S.
Shoe Carnival is expected to release fourth-quarter and full-year 2019 earnings results after the market closes on March 25. However, the retailer said it would not be releasing its guidance for the next fiscal year due to uncertainties about how much the outbreak might impact its business.
Several fashion and footwear businesses — including Caleres Inc., Genesco Inc. and Steven Madden Ltd. — have also opted to withhold or pull their guidance, which has traditionally been viewed as an important data set for investors, market watchers, other key decision-makers and companies themselves.
TJ Maxx, Macy’s + More Retailers Closing Amid the Coronavirus Crisis
These Retailers Are Paying Workers While Closed Due to the Coronavirus Outbreak
Coronavirus Blamed for 70K Surge in Jobless Claims Last Week Alone


text:
The event’s impact extends globally, enabling businesses and individuals to work from anywhere while having their base in Qatar.
The Web Summit Qatar 2024, which will take place for the first time in the Middle East from February 26 to 29 at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Center, has witnessed unprecedented global demand as all ticket categories sold out a week before the event begins.
Both partner and startup program passes reached full capacity over two weeks ago, surpassing initial expectations.
Among the distinguished attendees are representatives from tech giants such as Amazon, Meta, Google, Shell, Huawei, Snapchat, TikTok, and Whoop.
Startups like Replit, specialising in software development, also join the lineup.
Chairman of the Web Summit Qatar Organising Committee Sheikh Jassim bin Mansour Al Thani expressed enthusiasm about hosting the inaugural Middle East and Africa edition.
He emphasised the event’s significance in showcasing Qatar’s capabilities to a global audience and went on to stress its potential to attract international companies eager to establish a footprint in the region.
Regarding some of the high-profile representatives participating, Sheikh Jassim said that this turnout highlights Qatar’s ever-developing status as a global tech hub and the confidence industry leaders place in the summit’s value.
1,100 startups from 80 countries have been selected to participate. Participating startups represent nearly 30 industries, marking a historic level of global participation for a Web Summit debut. Countries such as the United States, Egypt, Brazil, Italy, Nigeria, the United Kingdom, and India are also making a significant presence in the event.
Following Qatar’s active participation in the Web Summit 2023 in Lisbon, Portugal, the Gulf country is now gearing up to host the conference for the first time in the region over the next five years.


text:
Sugar and obesity
Fact : Two thirds of US adults are overweight or obese and obesity rates have risen substantially in the past 20 years, according to the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
Opinion : “We know there is a direct link between excessive consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages and obesity”, according to the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network.
Fact : Between 2000 and 2011, US carbonated soft drinks calories per person per day fell by 20.6%, according to Beverage Digest newsletter. Carbonated soft drinks consumption accounts for 6% of average daily calories.
Opinion : “If calories and added sugars consumed from beverages are going down and obesity is going up, soft drinks are not to blame for the obesity epidemic”, according to the American Beverage Association.
Opinion : “No consistent association between beverage intake patterns and overweight and obesity,” author of study in Canadian journal of Applied Physiology, Nutrition and Metabolism, 14 June 2012.
My opinion: The causes matter, but actions matter more.


text:
CVS Caremark says it hopes it is "setting an example" by declaring that it will stop selling cigarettes at its more than 7,600 retail pharmacies. Whether the move will have an impact on other retailers remains an open question.
Shares of CVS fell after the drug store chain said it would stop selling tobacco products. That's a short-sighted reaction from Wall Street.
In the modern economy, credit is king, according to Pimco's Bill Gross.
|FCC to Marriott and other hotels: Never try to block Wi-Fi again|
|Apple just posted the best quarter in corporate history|
|Warning sign: Stocks take nosedive|
|I have a fiancé, a girlfriend and two boyfriends|
|When Silicon Valley takes LSD|


text:
The economy may be showing signs of recovery, but high street retailers still find themselves facing huge challenges to regain ground in the battle against online retailing, mobile retailing, out of town retail developments and the increasingly sophisticated ‘lifestyle’ experience offered by shopping centres that extends far beyond retail to include dining and entertainment.
Never has there been a more important time for retailers to ensure the visual appeal of their premises doesn’t turn customers off, and shop front refurbishment could be the answer.
In her 2011 high street review, Mary Portas outlines a belief that high streets are ‘uniquely placed to deliver something new.’ In her report, she says: “I believe that our high streets can be lively, dynamic, exciting and social places that give a sense of belonging and trust to a community. A sense of belonging which has been eroded and in some instances eradicated. I also fundamentally believe that once we invest in and create social capital in the heart of our communities, the economic capital will follow.”
Coming together as a community requires a collective effort from retailers and a commitment to making their own local high street somewhere people want to visit, meet, shop and spend time with friends and family. Creating the right mix of attractive looking shops and welcoming cafés is a fundamental part of that bigger picture – and one which is within your control.
Following the Portas Review in 2011, the government has introduced a number of measures aimed at reinvigorating Britain’s high street. They include a billion pound package of support aimed at creating more jobs and making it easier for retailers to expand and take people on; business rates discounts and relief; a movement away from aggressive parking policies and guidance for local authorities to help them attract shoppers; the creation of community-led renewal and business improvement districts; lifting planning restrictions to help landlords make better use of empty properties and the introduction of initiatives such as the Business Premises Renovation Allowance (BPRA), which offers tax relief for expenditure involved in converting, renovating or repairing business premises.
Much of this government support came into effect in April this year, which means there has never been a better time to take action and attract browsing customers who are ready to spend. But nothing puts customers off like a tired looking high street full of worn out shop fronts. Getting your business premises looking the part is crucial to encouraging people through the door, and it has never been easier or more cost effective to do.
On-site spraying gives your shop front its professional facade back and makes sure customers get that all-important positive first impression. Shop front spraying provides a cost effective way of restoring your building to its former glory, giving a quality finish that is backed by a 10-year guarantee. The service covers cladding spraying as well as doors and windows, in a vast array of colours, offering a quick and easy shop front refurbishment that will leave your building looking as good as new.
Find out more about our onsite spraying services here


text:
Firefighters have rescued people trapped in their homes and cars following flash flooding in west London this morning.
Dive-bombing seagulls have turned a London street into “something out of Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds”, say residents.
Diageo planning £1bn investment
Published: 06 June 2012
The company intends to build a major new malt distillery as part of the investment, alongside a programme of major expansion at a number of its existing distilleries.
It also plans to invest in substantial new warehousing capacity to house the millions of additional litres of Scotch whisky which the distillation boost will produce. The firm said that the plans will create more than 100 new Diageo jobs across Scotland, mainly in rural areas.
It also intends to take on around 100 apprentices and graduate trainees over the term of the investment, as well as encouraging its suppliers and construction contractors to focus on youth job creation and apprenticeships.
In addition it is expected that an average of 250 construction jobs will be created for each year of the investment period.
Diageo chief executive Paul Walsh said: "This is a pivotal moment in the development of the Scotch whisky category for Diageo. Over recent years our brands have achieved remarkable, sustained global growth. Scotch whisky is Scotland's most celebrated manufactured export, led by brands like Johnnie Walker, resonating with consumers from Boston to Beijing.
"We expect that success to continue, particularly in the high growth markets around the world, which is why we are announcing this major investment in Scotch whisky production, committing over £1 billion in the next five years, to seize that opportunity for global growth."
Diageo said that detailed plans will also be developed for a second new distillery which will be built if global demand for Scotch is sustained at expected levels. The location of the new distillery has not yet been decided. Diageo also plans to commit £5 million over five years towards community initiatives as part of its sustainability and responsibility programme in Scotland.
Scottish Secretary Michael Moore said the announcement was a "huge boost for the industry". He said: "This investment is a sign of the commercial success of the whisky industry and I welcome the fact it will create hundreds of jobs in Scotland."
Finance Secretary John Swinney said: "The investment in new distilleries and warehousing capacity is a vivid illustration of the positive and optimistic outlook for demand in the sector. This major decision by Diageo provides continued evidence that new private sector investment will help to deliver economic recovery and demonstrates that Scotland is very much open for business and investment."
- Flash floods and storms cause travel chaos across London
- Secret Cinema boss explains to angry fans why Back to the Future shows were cancelled
- Passport office staff 'irresponsible' to go on strike, says Home Office
- Tulisa: I’m a paranoid wreck after newspaper's drugs sting
- MasterChef star Ross Burden dies aged 45 after cancer battle
- Commuters hit by 'brutal' temperatures on London's transport network that it would be illegal to transport livestock in
- 'Stop promoting cycling in an unsafe city,' son of doctor killed in an accident with lorry tells Boris Johnson
- Thousands line London's streets for pro-Palestine protest during 12-hour Gaza ceasefire
- Ed Miliband: I look like Wallace and don't look good eating bacon sandwiches... but I can lead
- British economy bigger than any time in history after 0.8% surge in growth
- CCTV released in hunt for thug who slashed autistic boy for 'looking at someone funny'
- Boy, six, dies after being hit by car yards from primary school in Thamesmead
- 64 Degrees, the London restaurant where the chefs double as waiters
- Conchita who? The return of RuPaul, the original drag queen
- Secret Cinema faces race against time to rescue Back To The Future screening amid fan fury
Week 5 of the Fit Lifestyle Challenge doesn't leave Laura feeling left out when her friends order Chinese.
Make the British 10k the beginning of a summer of keeping active and in shape.
Calling all fashionistas! Enter our film competition to win a £2,000 Westfield Gift Card plus an internship at London Live.
Discover Swiss alpine holidays – your way
With Prudential RideLondon taking place on 9 and 10 August, it is worth finding out where the best places to spectate are during the weekend
Shop London has teamed up with Topman. View the latest film clips shot at Topman Oxford Circus.
The Gambia may be the smallest country in mainland Africa but this is no reflection of it rich versatile offering.
Prudential RideLondon is coming this August, so get on your bike and join in the family fun on traffic-free roads, passing historic landmarks
Update your holiday wardrobe with tropical prints, the perfect pair of sandals and some seriously stylish swimwear to make a splash in. Bon voyage.
After a hard day spent sunbathing, breeze into dusk with relaxed separates and sunset hues. Polish it off with shimmering details and an Aperol spritz


text:
Panel Maker Q3 Earnings Preview
In the next few weeks, we will see the Q3 earnings announcements for flat panel display makers, starting with LG Display and AUO on Wednesday, October 26th. The heady profits of 2021 seem like a distant memory, and the industry looks poised for its worst quarter since the start of the pandemic. Panel prices started to decline a year ago and have not stopped their decline, and even with lower prices the demand for panels has decreased. After panel makers along with their downstream partners in the display supply chain built a tremendous amount of excess inventory, they slowed their utilization in the third quarter in a bid to reverse the industry oversupply. We expect that panel makers will report another quarter of declining margins for Q3’22 and expect several panel makers to report operating losses.


text:
Countries around the world are suffering as pandemic restrictions affect the trade of flowers, causing leading export countries like Kenya to lose millions of dollars while tonnes of flowers wilt and rot.
But the drop in international flower trade may offer a windfall for Australian farmers.
Almost half of the flowers sold in Australia are brought in from Kenya, Ecuador, Colombia, Vietnam, Malaysia and China.
According to Flowers Victoria chairman Michael van der Zwet, Australia imports $75 million worth of flowers each year.
He said imports had "squashed a lot of local growers in Australia", forcing many to leave the industry.
But COVID-19 restrictions — and the halt of passenger jets carrying floral produce — had seen "a scarcity of [overseas] flowers" down under, he said.


text:
- Is it safe to eat KFC in India?
- What challenges did McDonald’s face in India?
- Why Mcds are closed?
- How many cows are killed for McDonalds?
- Is KFC successful in India?
- Why did KFC fail in India?
- Is McDonalds expensive in India?
- Does India have Mcdonalds?
- Which country has no McDonalds?
- Why is McDonald’s Sprite so crispy?
- Is KFC India halal?
- Why is McDonald’s coke so good?
- Why did McDonald’s fail in India?
- Who owns McDonald’s India?
- Who owns McDonald’s now?
- Who is Vikram Bakshi?
- Is there KFC in India?
- Is Mcdonalds shutting down in India?
- How is McDonald’s different in India?
- Where is McDonald’s banned?
- Are all Mcdonalds 24 hours?
Is it safe to eat KFC in India?
As long as the meat is handled as per norms it should be safe for consumption.
However, remember that the chicken pieces at KFC are deep fried..
What challenges did McDonald’s face in India?
New Delhi, India – McDonald’s has faced boycott calls in India from right-wing Hindus after the global fast-food chain said its outlets served halal meat. The controversy erupted after McDonald’s India said on Twitter that all its restaurants are halal certified. “All our restaurants have HALAL certificates.
Why Mcds are closed?
Coronavirus pandemic prompts McDonald’s to temporarily close 50 restaurants. In an interview Friday with CNBC, McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski said the Chicago-based quick service chain has had to temporarily close 50 of its nearly 14,000 U.S. restaurants as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
How many cows are killed for McDonalds?
Assuming that the average retail-ready meat from cow is about 450 lbs, and making the simplified assumption that the sales growth of Big Mac has been linear since its inception 50 years ago, we estimate over 11 million animals (animal-life equivalent) have been slaughtered to make up the 3.2oz of uncooked beef weight …
Is KFC successful in India?
KFC had three outlets in India for its first 10 years, and opened two more in 2005. They became runaway successes and set the pattern for the company’s expansion.
Why did KFC fail in India?
Authorities in the Indian state of Kerala have shut down a restaurant of fast-food giant KFC after a customer complained that he had been served a chicken meal containing live worms.
Is McDonalds expensive in India?
McDonald’s 2.0 For many years, McDonald’s did brisk business in India by relying on low prices, offering burgers at around Rs20. … In 2015, it also relaunched the fast-food chain’s most expensive burger in India, the Maharaja Mac, priced between Rs176 and Rs194.
Does India have Mcdonalds?
McDonald’s, which runs over 400 stores in India, arrived here in 1996. The company operates through two partners: Bakshi’s CPRL and Westlife Development, led by Amit Jatia, which operates 260 restaurants in the south and west. … Since its arrival, McDonald’s has helped shape fast-food consumption in India.
Which country has no McDonalds?
Bermuda1. Bermuda. Foreign fast-food franchises are banned from the British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean, with the only McDonald’s to have existed on the island now shut.
Why is McDonald’s Sprite so crispy?
McDonald’s uses a higher ratio of syrup concentrate to carbonated water, so that you get more of the delicious flavor you want. It also amps that sugar content up, making your body crave it more.
Is KFC India halal?
Chicken used by KFC is procured from big suppliers and highest safety standards are maintained, and due to safety and sentimental reasons all the suppliers are halal certified , so there is no doubt that KFC chicken served in India is Halal.
Why is McDonald’s coke so good?
There are many reasons the Coca-Cola® tastes so great at McDonald’s. … The water and Coca-Cola® syrup are pre-chilled before entering our fountain dispensers with the ratio of syrup set to allow for ice to melt. We also keep our fountain beverage system cold so your drink is always refreshing.
Why did McDonald’s fail in India?
McDonald’s is headed for a crisis in India. … The closure of 43 Delhi outlets in July, following a licence expiry, was another reason that compelled the chain to terminate its ties with CPRL, McDonald’s said in a statement following the notice issued to CPRL.
Who owns McDonald’s India?
In India, McDonald’s is a joint-venture company managed by two Indians. While Amit Jatia, M.D. Hardcastle Restaurants Pvt. Ltd. owns and spearheads McDonalds in west & south India, McDonald’s restaurants in North & East India are owned and managed by Vikram Bakshi’s Connaught Plaza Restaurants Private Limited.
Who owns McDonald’s now?
Chris Kempczinski is President and CEO of McDonald’s, the world’s largest restaurant company. He previously served as President of McDonald’s USA, where he was responsible for the business operations of approximately 14,000 McDonald’s restaurants in the United States.
Who is Vikram Bakshi?
The entrepreneur who first led McDonald’s in India—then fought it. … Among the many legacies that Vikram Bakshi, the entrepreneur who exited a long-standing, precarious partnership with McDonald’s last week, leaves behind, is the Indianisation of the American burger chain.
Is there KFC in India?
There are 350 KFC outlets in India. The company has adapted the standard KFC offerings to Indian tastes and the menu options in India include the Hot & Crispy Chicken and Fiery Grilled bucket options, Chicken Zinger, Krushers, Rice Bowlz and the more recently launched 5-in-1 Meal Box.
Is Mcdonalds shutting down in India?
McDonald’s recently announced that it was shutting down 169 of its 430 outlets in India, following the termination of its franchise agreement with CRPL (Connaught Plaza Restaurant) due to alleged breach of franchise terms.
How is McDonald’s different in India?
Already, McDonald’s said its restaurants in India do not sell beef or pork, and that the kitchens are separated into sections for cooking vegetarian and non-vegetarian food.
Where is McDonald’s banned?
Iran. In recent years, relations between this Middle Eastern country and the United States have been tense to say the least, and Western franchises like McDonald’s have been collateral damage. There hasn’t been a set of Golden Arches in Iran since 1979.
Are all Mcdonalds 24 hours?
To 24 hours or not to 24 hours—that’s the question. The reason why all McDonald’s aren’t open 24 hours is pretty straightforward: It has to do with what’s best for business. If a location is bustling during lunch but quiet at night, it’s not cost-effective to stay open 24 hours.


text:
Japanese restaurant chain Yoshinoya has opened its first Hanamaru udon noodle venue in Indonesia.
The first branch opened last week in Lippo Mall Puri, western Jakarta, under local operator Happy Restaurants Indonesia, Yoshinoya’s wholly owned subsidiary.
The brand intends to launch two further restaurants in Jakarta this year, with the aim of opening 50 within five years. The restaurant interiors are being designed to resemble a Japanese shrine.
Vriska Virginia Lahama, the subsidiary’s GM, said: “By building an interesting restaurant concept like in its home country, Japan, I am sure this concept can attract consumers to come and eat and then they take pictures and post them on social media.”
Yoshinoya already runs 83 beef bowl restaurants in the country.


text:
Jack Stock, a leading Chinese sewing technology group, recently announced that Bullmer – a Jack-owned cutting tech company – is planning to invest in Shenzhen LINTSENSE Technology Co., Ltd. with its own capital of RMB 10.2 million.
Once the investment is done, Bullmer will own 51 per cent of equity of LINTSENSE, which mainly produces intelligent AI-based fabric inspection machines. The Chinese company has a number of trademarks, patents and software copyrights in its name.
As there is a boom in demand of high-end cloth inspection machines in domestic market as well as in abroad, Bullmer eyes to encash the opportunity.
“LINTSENSE’s machine can store the data of defects in inspected fabric, form self-learning ability through ML programming after accumulating data and finally improve the fabric inspection process – all through cloud data service,” mentioned Jack Stock.
LINTSENSE machines are also able to detect the fabric of a particular textile manufacturing factory, helping form the connection between upstream and downstream data.
The investment or Bullmer LINTSENSE is in lines of Jack’s acquisition strategy. Over the years, Jack has acquired Germany’s Bullmer, Italy’s MAICA and VIBEMAC as well as several Chinese technology companies too.


text:
Google commits $150 million to renewable energy projects
The investment comes as major tech companies have been working to do more on climate change.
At Tuesday's Made by Google event in Manhattan. Sarah Tew/ CNET
Google on Tuesday announced plans to spend $150 million on renewable energy projects, looking to use the funding to bring green initiatives to the countries where its products are made.
The announcement comes less than a month after Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos unveiled a broad initiative to reduce his company's carbon footprint, too.
"We believe Google has the ability and responsibility to create systemic change," Google hardware chief Rick Osterloh said on stage at a product launch event Tuesday.
He said the investment in "key manufacturing regions" -- which he didn't mention by name -- is meant to extend Google's internal effort to reduce its carbon footprint. Osterloh said that Google's operations became carbon neutral in 2007 and that the company as of 2017 had matched all energy consumption with 100% renewable energy.
"When you choose to buy hardware products from Google, you're contributing to bringing renewable energy to communities around the world," he said.
Additionally, Ivy Ross, Google's hardware design head, said Tuesday that all Nest products launching this year will include recycled plastics and that the fabric on the Nest Mini speakers will come from recycled bottles.
Google's announcements Tuesday continue stepped-up efforts by major tech companies to show they are working to preserve the environment, a push they hope will please customers as well as their own employees. For example, at its product launch events Apple often touts its work to use recycled aluminum in more of its devices.
The new Google spending may have been influenced by increased activism among the company's rank-and-file employees. Last month, Google, Amazon and Microsoft workers publicly joined a global climate walkout that was sparked by climate activist Greta Thunberg, a 16-year-old from Sweden.
These recycling and renewables initiatives may also help the tech giants buff up their reputations after they've been battered by negative news about privacy blunders, potentially monopolistic practices and, in Amazon's case, reports of poor working conditions for employees.
Just a day before last month's demonstration, Bezos announced plans to make Amazon carbon neutral by 2040, helped along by a new $100 million reforestation effort and a new order for 100,000 electric delivery vans to move away from diesel vehicles.
While Amazon employees cheered the effort, they called for more action, including a demand that Amazon stop working with oil and gas companies.


text:
just the Week in - Soft Drinks & Bottled Water
The week in soft drinks and water
PepsiCo has revealed who will take on the responsibilities of its departing group president, and has appointed a new CEO for its Europe business.
Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages has unveiled plans for a a US$160m manufacturing plant in southern India.
AG Barr has said it is confident of delivering on its full-year forecasts, despite a slight slip in third-quarter sales.
As the end of the year approaches, just-drinks is starting its review of the events that shaped the drinks industry in 2014. First up, Ben Cooper considers what the last 12 months have meant for the bottled water category.
Croatia's largest spirits producer Badel 1862 is to exit the non-alcoholic beverage market, according to a report....
Key UK flavour trends for 2016 include microbe-based cocktails, cachaca and algae, according to research released this week....
Britvic has lined up new launches for next year, including a Purdy's overhaul, as the soft drinks maker battles a weak UK consumer backdrop....
- Most Valuable Spirits Brands in 2017 - The facts
- Most Valuable Beer Brands in 2017 - The facts
- Has the politics of M&A changed? - Analysis
- IAADFS Duty Free Show of the Americas - Preview
- What the future looks like for Australian wine
- Coca-Cola Co announces senior executive shake-up
- Heineken sees Tesco pull SKUs in UK
- Baijius brand value overtakes whisk(e)y - figures
- Heineken releases colour-change bottles
- Diageo's Captain Morgan LocoNut - NPD
- Central and East Europe Report Package
- Battle of the Generations - The fight for iGen, Millennial, Gen X and Baby Boomer consumers
- Global vodka insights - market forecasts, product innovation and consumer trends
- Global Scotch insights - market forecasts, product innovation and consumer trends
- Global liqueurs insights - market forecasts, product innovation and consumer trends research


text:
Oracle has lost its bid to have the original $1.3bn damages awarded in its legal spat against SAP over code theft reinstated. However, it has been offered damages of $356.7m or the chance to head for a retrial.
The ruling is the latest in the long-running legal saga that began five years ago when Oracle accused TomorrowNow, a company bought by SAP in 2005, of stealing code from Oracle and passing it off as it own.
SAP was originally ordered to pay $1.3bn in damages by a jury when the case came to trial in 2010. However, the German company successfully appealed this amount and had it reduced to $272m.
However, a ruling on Friday at the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in San Francisco, ruled that $1.3bn was too high and had been reached by the original jury based on “undue speculation”.
The court also ruled, though, that the subsequent figure offered to Oracle, of $272m, was too low. As such it offered the company a choice of $356.7m or “proceeding to a second trial”.
Oracle did not indicate how it would proceeded and had not responded to a request for comment when contacted by V3. SAP also had not commented on the latest twist in the trial when contacted by V3.
Oracle could still now accept the damages offered by SAP, for a combined $426m, but given its desire to achieve the $1.3bn ruling, it may well head to another trial to seek a higher figure.
Latest Tesla news: Tesla stock price tanks amid reports of 'widening probe' by SEC and claims the base Model 3 loses money
SEC 'probe' takes its toll on Tesla as new research suggests that Tesla loses $6,000 on every $35,000 Model 3
10nm Cannon Lake Core i3-8121U CPUs make a rare outing with Intel's NUC mini PC
'Notorious' Australian child hacker thought he had executed 'flawless' hack
The former employee says that Tesla fired him for bringing the accusations to management internally


text:
BitTorrent has unveiled its latest partnership with a music artist – EDM star Kaskade – through a deal with his label Ultra Music. The partnership will see the release of an 'Ultra Bundle' on...
May 7th, 2013 by Stuart Dredge
May 7th, 2013 by Music Ally
BitTorrent isn't too impressed with Netflix, after the streaming TV/films service used falling BitTorrent traffic as evidence that it cannibalises piracy.
April 25th, 2013 by Music Ally
In what's becoming a frenetic spring for BitTorrent, the company has launched its own accelerator scheme for startups.
April 24th, 2013 by Music Ally
BitTorrent has opened up its new Dropbox-like Sync service to all, following a "pre-Alpha" test launched earlier in the year.
March 22nd, 2013 by Stuart Dredge
Earlier this month, we reported the news that British artist Alex Day was working with BitTorrent to distribute a bundle of 10 tracks and other content ahead of the release of his new album 'Epigrams and...
March 12th, 2013 by Music Ally
In the latest Music Ally podcast, Stuart Dredge and Eamonn Forde broadcast live from among the bustle and barbecue smoke of SXSW (they really are there – it's true) to make sense of the latest digital...
March 12th, 2013 by Stuart Dredge
Musician Alex Day made his name on YouTube, and used that as a platform to sell more than 500k paid downloads. Now he's about to release a new collection of tracks... on BitTorrent. Day has become the...
January 11th, 2013 by Music Ally
BitTorrent has opened the doors to a new product: BitTorrent Surf. Described as "a new web client alpha" that's been in the works for six months, it's an extension for Google's Chrome web browser that...
December 20th, 2012 by Music Ally
Does BitTorrent equal piracy? That's the title of a new website created by the company is providing an answer to the question: No


text:
New rule: The customer is king.
Old rule: Shareholders rule.
NEW YORK (Fortune) -- Whenever you ask a CEO about the importance of customers, you hear the requisite platitudes. But in fact, customers have often lost out in the relentless push to maximize shareholder value (as represented by the stock price) and to maximize it immediately.
One Bain & Co. study found a huge gap between the perceptions of executives - 80 percent of whom think they are doing an excellent job of serving customers - and the perceptions of customers themselves: Only 8 percent of them agree.
Every four years, according to Bain, the average company loses more than half its customers. Aggressive pricing (on hotel phone bills, rental-car gas charges, and credit card fees, to name a few examples) has increased as the profit pressure on companies has mounted, says Bain's Fred Reichheld.
Abusing customers this way, says Reichheld, "destroys the future of a business." He believes that such behavior - and not scandals like Enron and Tyco - is why fewer than half of all Americans have a favorable opinion of business today.
This is shareholder-value theory taken to the extreme: the tail wagging the dog. One CEO, who asked not to be named, describes the pressures this way: Businesses became disconnected from their fundamentals, producing "perceived value" instead of real value, because that's what the stock market rewards.
When investor-driven capitalism took over from managerial-driven capitalism, as Harvard's Khurana puts it, CEOs began managing the company by earnings per share instead of focusing on details like new products, service calls, customer-satisfaction scores - all those things that are supposed to produce the earnings per share.
Yet some renegades thumbed their noses at Wall Street and truly kept the consumer experience front and center. Think Apple (Charts), which has from inception been predicated on dreaming up what customers want before they know it. Or look at Genentech (Charts), whose employees are greeted each day by billboards of the cancer patients who take its drugs, to remind everyone of the importance of their work.
At GE (Charts), CEO Immelt has instigated what he calls "dreaming sessions" to brainstorm with key customers. He also requires all businesses to be judged using a metric called Net Promoter Score, developed by Reichheld and his colleagues at Bain, that measures how likely a customer is to have you back.
"When everything is focused on delivering for customers, that makes employees proud," Reichheld says. "They become the powerful engine."


text:
Great news for the all-too ignored and diminished children of celebrities: The fashion industry is finally giving you what you’ve long deserved and never been given—a job based off of your parents’ accomplishments.
In an article in The New York Times Style section headlined “Fashion’s Latest Obsession: Chips Off the Celebrity Block,” writer Vanessa Friedman—to our collective glee—reports that “never before have so many children of famous parents been so celebrated and rewarded for their lineage, and so willing to publicly embrace it.
But it gets better!
[The recent modeling success of other celebrity children] presaged the release this week of a new Gap video campaign featuring Rumer Willis (daughter of Demi Moore), T J Mizell (son of Jam Master Jay), Coco Gordon (daughter of Kim Gordon), Lizzy Jagger (daughter of Mick Jagger), Chelsea Tyler (daughter of Steven Tyler) and Evan Ross (son of Diana Ross) — all of whose famous forebears once upon a time also made their own Gap ads.
Given that the title is “Generation Gap,” and the clothes being worn are all reissued updated versions of 15 staple Gap pieces of the ’90s that their respective parents wore — the black bodysuit, the sleeveless tee, the logo sweatshirt — the connection makes a certain amount of sense. But it also may signal the second, institutionalized phase of what has become a bona fide cross-border fashion phenomenon.
“We call it the ‘children of,’” said Stefano Tonchi, the editor of W, who happened to have just shot Brandon Thomas Lee (son of Tommy Lee and Pamela Anderson) and Nyima Ward (the model Trish Goff’s son) among others for the April issue.
Aren’t you so glad that we finally have created a culture of nepotism in the fashion business? Can’t wait for this trend to touch other industries—showbiz, you’re next!
“Regardless of what we do in life, every article starts with ‘daughter of,’” new Gap model Rumer Willis, daughter of Demi Moore and Bruce Willis, told the Times. “We were all talking about it during the Gap shoot. You can fight that, or accept it and appreciate it. Personally, I love the idea of being a part of something my parents were part of but putting my own spin on it.”
So freakin’ brave.
Best of luck to these bold pioneers. May they all have illustrious modeling careers until they get bored of it and want to try something else, like DJing or purse design.


text:
Unilever to use geo-location technology to track palm oil supplies
Unilever is planning to use new geo-location technology to make its palm oil supply chains more transparent and tackle a farm-to-table traceability problem that has plagued the industry for decades.
The maker of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream, Hellmann’s mayonnaise and Dove soap will use mobile phone geo-location data to track palm oil moving across thousands of supply chains and to achieve the elusive “first-mile” traceability. After a pilot test in Indonesia, Unilever is scaling up that approach to cover all palm facilities in Southeast Asia, including farms, refineries and processing plants, and is looking into whether the technology can be applied to other regions.
“With a clearer picture, it’s easier to estimate the risk of issues, such as deforestation,” says Marc Engel, chief supply chain officer at Unilever. “We want to be the first to know, and the first to act.”
The technology is another step towards making the controversial industry more transparent as growers face increasing scrutiny over production of the oil used in everything from chocolate to lipstick and shampoo. Rapid expansion of plantations in past decades, fuelled by surging demand for a cheap and versatile edible oil, has been linked to the burning of tropical rainforests, destruction of wildlife and land conflicts with local communities.
Environmental concerns have spurred the adoption of sustainable palm oil, but complex supply chains that begin with estates spanning millions of hectares make it difficult for the industry to be fully traceable. What’s more, the credibility of certified-sustainable palm oil, such as that of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil, has been questioned by environmental groups, who say greenwashing and bad practices still take place, albeit hidden from the public.
Palm oil is one of the most important raw ingredients in Unilever’s products. The consumer goods giant purchases about 1 million tons of palm oil, palm kernel oil and derivatives annually for use in products such as ice cream, cosmetics and soaps, making it one of the world’s largest buyers of the commodity. It aims to make all its supply chains deforestation-free by 2023.
Overseeing the supply of palm oil on the “first mile” from estates to mills is a “particularly unique challenge for sustainable sourcing”, Mr Engel said. “Crops such as palm oil fruit or soy can be harvested from lots of different areas of land, belonging to several farmers, and mixed with raw material from other farms or plantations several times before reaching the mill,” he said.
Providing granular visibility into Unilever’s palm-supply chains is Orbital Insight, a California-based Big Data company that uses geo-location data, satellites, drones and balloons to track what’s happening on the planet. Orbital will use a combination of geo-fencing, anonymous mobile data and satellite imagery to monitor movement of trucks and their deliveries, and to identify any deforestation that has taken place in the past, or recently, at suppliers’ sites. For example, it’ll be able to track if a virgin rainforest was levelled to plant oil palm or to build roads and buildings.
“This is the first time we’re dealing with palm oil this way, and it’s the first time we’re using cellphone pings to uncover the structure of the supply chain,” James Crawford, founder and chief executive officer at Orbital, said in an interview. “We’re looking at what’s actually happening every day on the ground and tracing materials all the way back to the first mile – which farms are linked to which mills, which mills are linked to which refineries, and which refineries are linked to which warehouses.”
It’s consumers who are driving manufacturers to seek better visibility into where raw materials are sourced from, especially if it involves commodities associated with farming practices that aren’t sustainable, Mr Crawford said.
“All these companies are being pushed by their end-customers who are buying in the grocery stores based on the ability of these different products to be certified as sustainably developed,” he said. After developing the tracking technique for palm, Orbital is now getting interest ranging from chocolate manufacturers to furniture makers trying to understand where their goods are sourced from, and if coronavirus is causing any supply disruptions.
“One way to ensure that the products people choose to buy are sustainable is by becoming more transparent, and that’s something everyone wants to see, including consumers and investors,” Mr Engel said. Besides palm, Unilever is running a pilot test on soy mills in Brazil, and looking into how the technology can be applied to other raw materials such as like cocoa and wood fibre.


text:
LONDON, May 21, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --
Aleksandr Orlov, founder of comparethemeerkat.com, is set to follow-up the success of his no.1 bestselling autobiography, A Simples Life, with a series of six books about the colourful characters from his home village Meerkovo, Russia. Ebury Press signed a new deal with Aleksandr Orlov, following the success of the last book. The series, aimed at Aleksandr fans, young and old, will be published in time for Christmas.
A Simples Life, published in 2010, sold over 500,000 copies beating celebrity autobiographies by Lord Sugar, Katie Price, Michael McIntyre, Cheryl Cole and Keith Richards to the coveted Christmas bestseller slot staying there for four weeks!
Although the contents of the new books remain a closely guarded secret, publishing industry experts are already predicting similar success. Andrew Goodfellow of Ebury Publishing said, "A Simples Life was the publishing story of 2010 and the nation's obsession with Aleksandr and all things meerkat continues to grow with over half a million books sold so far. We are looking forward to the same mix of fun and success that we enjoyed with Aleksandr last time."
Speaking from his home village of Meerkovo, Aleksandr said, "I am very excite to announce new book deal, people say I remind them of a young William Shakesmeer, I never heard of him."
About Aleksandr Orlov
Aleksandr Orlov has amassed over 800,000 Facebook fans and around 50,000 followers on Twitter since he first appeared on TV in January 2009, urging those looking for car insurance at http://www.comparethemarket.com not to come to http://www.comparethemeerkat.com by mistake. His iSimples iphone application attracted over 700,000 subscribers, reaching No.1 on the iTunes free app download chart. His catchphrase 'Simples' has even entered the Oxford English Dictionary. Aleksandr's biography "A Simples Life" sold 500,000 copies, topping the Christmas bestseller list in 2010. More recently he has given over three quarters of a million people an official Meerkat soft toy as a reward for knowing the difference between http://www.comparethemarket.com and http://www.comparethemeerkat.com


text:
The global number of Internet users has surpassed one billion with China accounting for the largest population of Web surfers, digital research firm comScore reported
"Surpassing one billion global users is a significant landmark in the history of the Internet," comScore chief executive Magid Abraham said in a statement. "It is a monument to the increasingly unified global community in which we live and reminds us that the world truly is becoming more flat," Abraham said. "The second billion will be online before we know it, and the third billion will arrive even faster than that," he said.
ComScore said the total number of Internet users had surpassed one billion in December. The actual number of Web surfers is probably higher than that as comScore said its figures were based only on the number of Internet users aged 15 and above working from home or work computers. They did not take into account traffic from public computers such as Internet cafes or access from mobile phones or personal digital assistants.
The Asia-Pacific region accounted for the highest share of global Internet users at 41 percent, followed by Europe (28 percent share), North America (18 percent share), Latin-America (7 percent share), and the Middle East & Africa (5 percent share).
China represented the largest online audience in the world in December 2008 with 180 million Internet users, representing nearly 18 percent of the total worldwide Internet audience, followed by the U.S. (16.2 percent share), Japan (6.0 percent share), Germany (3.7 percent share) and the U.K. (3.6 percent share).
The most popular property in the world in December was Google Sites, with 777.9 million visitors, followed by Microsoft Sites (647.9 million visitors), Yahoo! Sites (562.6 million visitors). Facebook.com, which has grown a dramatic 127-percent in the past year to 222 million visitors, now ranks as the top social networking site worldwide and the seventh most popular property in the world.


text:
With the spread of the novel coronavirus, demand for masks in China has exploded. While for many people in the country masks were already part of everyday attire, currently, literally every person across the Middle Kingdom wears one. The daily demand for masks is in the hundreds of millions, and there is a serious supply shortage.
From 2011 to 2018, China’s mask production has maintained a steady growth trend, that slowed around 2014 and then exploded again in 2018. In 2019, China’s mask production exceeded 5 billion units, accounting for about 50% of global production. China is the world’s largest mask producer and exporter.
Since masks are high-use products, the inventory cycle for them is roughly 1-2 weeks, and usually, factories do not have time to create substantial emergency stockpiles. Furthermore, given the fact that the current epidemic broke out during the Chinese New Year, when very few people in China were working, mask companies quickly emptied their inventories.
Currently, due to the lack of workers, most of whom are quarantining at home, suspension of work at companies providing mask manufacturers with raw materials, and disruptions in logistics, China’s mask industry is struggling to expand production to meet public demand. According to a report by the Chinese think tank Forward, China’s supply shortage of masks is not likely to end any time soon.
Nonetheless, most mask manufacturing companies have resumed work and aim to expand production. The output of masks in China is rapidly increasing.
On January 29, 2020, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology announced that the output of masks in China reached more than 8 million a day and that factories had rehabilitated their capacities by 40%. Based on this calculation, China’s actual mask production capacity is approximately 20 million per day.
Many factories across China are working around the clock to make up for the surging demand. According to Forward, at present, the daily output of masks in China has exceeded 15 million, which is close to 75% of China’s maximum production capacity, with more than 200 mask companies involved in the process.
The increase in production is most visible in Mainland China’s supermarkets. A month ago, buying a mask in a store or even online was virtually impossible. Currently, several supermarkets have stocked up on masks usually selling no more than two packs to one customer to avoid panic buying and ensuing shortages. Convenience stores like 7-11 have even started importing masks from overseas, selling Spanish and Japanese brands at a noticeably higher price compared to locally produced ones.
A few entrepreneurial Chinese have gone as far as to invest money in mask factories. However, it is still unclear if they will be able to make a return on their investments. As more people start pouring funds into mask factories, the whole industry might go down as a borderline Ponzi scheme with factories hoarding massive investments but unable to pay sufficient dividends.
Yet, the appeal of the investment is obvious. Over just two days on Jan. 20 and 21, 80 million masks were sold on Taobao. Between Dec. 30 and Jan. 24, American conglomerate 3M, producing hugely popular face masks in China, added $1.4 billion in market value. Another American mask-making conglomerate, Honeywell, added $500 million in market value. The total output value for China’s mask market in 2020 is estimated at around 13.1 billion yuan. If accurate, this forecast would mean that it will grow 28% year-on-year, more than twice the growth of previous years. And considering the fact that the pandemic is spreading like wildfire, Chinese mask-makers could see huge revenue growth.


text:
Killzone 3 dated in the US
Sony has finally given a final release date for Guerilla's 3D FPS opus Killzone 3.
Gamers in the US will finally be able to get their hands on the jetpacks that we have been teased with for the last few months now on February the 22nd.
February the 22nd is a Tuesday and bar Sony deciding to give Killzone 3 a worldwide launch it will probably arrive in the UK on Friday February the 25th.
Killzone 3 is one of the cornerstones of Sony's big 3D push and with the added Move functionality it will be one of the cutting-edge titles of next year.
- Stephen Colbert deconstructs #Gamergate last night with guest Anita Sarkeesian
- First Nosgoth eSports tournament to begin next month
- Stealth Inc 2 trailer peeks it head out of the shadows
- The Crew beta launches on PS4 and Xbox One next week
- PS3 and Xbox 360 versions of Dying Light cancelled, Techland describes their development as painful
- Sony investigating issues resulting from the release of PS4 firmware 2.0
- New trailer makes Final Fantasy Type-0 HD look like the darkest Final Fantasy game yet
- Screenshot on the PlayStation Blog points to an Uncharted re-release on PS4
- EA gives a release window for Star Wars: Battlefront


text:
The Montana House of Representatives Human Services Committee will hear a Food Freedom bill that has already passed Senate 31-18.
The public hearing won’t be on the same bill that started the process earlier this year in Helena, MT. That’s because Sen. Greg Hertz, R-Polson, as the prime sponsor, has made changes in Senate Bill 199 as it’s gone through the legislative gears.
SB 199’s initial language would have cost Montana taxpayers more than $1.1 million per year by threatening its federally approved meat inspection program.
But Hertz has made that go away. The new Fiscal Note finds that the Montana Department of Livestock anticipates “negligible new expresses because of this bill.” But says, “Montana’s federally sanctioned meat inspection program will not be jeopardized with the passage of SB 199, as amended.”
The new fiscal note estimates SB 199 won’t cost Montana taxpayers a single dime. Hertz, a retail grocer by trade, obtained the new fiscal note by amending Section 7 (a) to say that meat or meat products processed by a state-licensed or federally approved meat establishment “may not be used in the preparation of homemade food.”
A small producer who slaughters less than 1,000 birds per year must not produce adulterated or misbranded products.
Amendment language also added raw milk warning signs. “Research has found raw milk and raw milk products from cows, goats, and sheep can transmit life-threatening bacterial infections,” signage shall say. “Physicians advise elderly and immunocompromised individuals, pregnant women, infants and children to only consume pasteurized milk, cheese, and other milk products.”
Food Freedom has a somewhat different meaning in California’s General Assembly. Pandemic public health measures that came into being as temporary COVID-19 considerations would become permanent. “Food Freedom” bills would allow restaurants to set up outdoors and sell cocktails to go.
SB 314, sponsored by Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, makes outdoor seating and alcohol services imposed as temporary pandemic regulations permanent options. It would also permit two restaurants with two alcohol licenses to serve the same space.
Sen. Bill Dodd, D-Napa, has also introduced a bill to make it legal to sell carry-out cocktails along with take-out food.
Back in Montana, the official title is the Montana Local Food Choice Act. It exempts certain homemade food producers from certain licenses and permits.
The purpose of the act is to allow for the sale and consumption of homemade food and food products and to encourage the expansion of agricultural sales by ranches, farms, and home-based producers and the accessibility of homemade food and food products to informed end consumers by facilitating the purchase and consumption of fresh and local agricultural products; enhancing the agricultural economy; and providing Montana citizens with unimpeded access to healthy food from known sources.
It allows for food deliveries, meaning to transfer a product as a result of a transaction between a producer and an informed end consumer. The action may be performed by the producer or the producer’s designated agent at a farm, ranch, home, office, traditional community social event, or another location agreed to between the producer or agent and the informed end consumer.
“Home consumption” means the consumption of food or a food product in a private home; or the consumption of food or a food product from a private home.
If enacted, it will be the largest overhaul of Montana’s food policy since 2015.
(To sign up for a free subscription to Food Safety News, click here.)


text:
88% of Trichy and Coimbatore airport passengers notice ads, says report
By M4G Bureau - April 02, 2019
The report conducted by Nielsen Research and Times OOH also shows that 89% of passengers at both these airports belong to NCCS A segment
A research conducted by leading media owner Times OOH in partnership with Nielsen Research on the footfalls of Trichy and Coimbatore airports, where Times OOH also has exclusive rights, throws up interesting findings.
As per the research, Coimbatore saw a passenger footfall of 2.9 million in 2018, which is a growth of 27.3% over the previous year, whereas Trichy Airport saw a 92% growth in the number of domestic passengers in the same period. The research also states that these passengers spend about 1 hour 40 minutes at the airport, out of which, a significant time is spent looking at advertisements.
At least 80% of people at both the airports use their smartphones for one of many routine activities such as making purchases online, booking airline tickets and internet banking. Further, 50% of these passengers make an online purchase at least once every month. 65% of these passengers use Samsung or Apple handsets. This is a reflection of technology empowering audience profile.
“We have seen multiple categories, including Automobile, BFSI, Healthcare, Education, Hospitality and Retail jewelry that are painting the airport media with some of the best campaigns. The research, along with basic demographic check, also delves into psychographics of the passengers and their connection with key consumer categories. The details of the research would facilitate the advertiser to take an informed decision on investments in airport media and our endeavour is to support our clients with as much information to make their campaign effective,” said Dhanraj Israni, Product Head – Airports, Times OOH.
Categories like Healthcare, education, Hospitality works at both the airports since visiting educational institutes, buying jewellery and visiting a city specialty hospital are the top three reasons for travelling to Trichy and Coimbatore apart from reasons such as visiting family and business. With exclusive advertising rights at these airports, Times OOH presents brands with a healthy combination of the right audience and advertising options such as digital OOH, events and activations, experiential zones amongst others.
Commenting on the airport growth, Mahalingam, Airport Director Coimbatore Airport said, “Aggressive & positive minded business personalities of the region should try out the attractive and sophisticated advertising opportunities inside and outside airport which are installed and maintained by our advertising partner Times OOH. These advertising opportunities help in improving the airport ambience and increase visibility for the brands, products and services advertising on it. This helps in projecting their brand reputation in the most important destination of the city: which is the Coimbatore International airport.”


text:
by Daniel Terdiman May 23, 2012
One hacker has her own idea of what a Lego set for girls should be. If 10,000 people agree with her, the toymaker could find itself producing her hacker-focused design.
The full display of Ladyada's Workshop, a proposed Lego set intended to show that girls can be hackers and makers, and not just stick to stereotyped gender roles. (Credit: Adafruit Industries/Bruce Lowell) Full set of images at http://news.cnet.com/2300-10797_3-10012384.html
For Limor Fried, a hardware hacker and leader in the booming maker and do-it-yourself movements, there was never a question of waiting for someone else to jump in and do a better job of inspiring girls than Lego has done with its widely-panned Lego Friends set.
The product was featured on the cover of Bloomberg Business Week last year and drew worldwide attention as the global toy company’s first major attempt at showcasing girls in a new set. Still, many Lego fans were upset that the company had focused on well-worn stereotypes and had ignored the modern reality that girls can do pretty much anything they want, whether or not there’s pink or purple involved.
For Fried, who runs open-source hardware developer Adafruit Industries, it sounded like it was time for a little culture hacking.
This week, Fried and business partner Phillip Torrone unveiled Ladyada’s Workshop, a Lego set they designed that features Ladyada (Fried’s hacker alter ego, wearing her work outfit) in her comfort zone: a workshop with a pick-and-place machine, a laser cutter, a sewing machine, a soldering station, a computer, a microscope, and shelves of parts and packages. And for good measure, her cat, Mosfet, looks on admiringly.
You might think that this is pure folly, but Fried is banking on succeeding at one of Lego’s recent initiatives. Known as Lego Cuusoo, it can commit the toymaker to manufacturing any community-created set that gets 10,000 votes on its Web site. As the Lego Cuusoo site puts it, “Have an Idea? Create a Project, share your product concept, and see what other people think….Projects with 10,000 supporters are reviewed quarterly by Lego for a chance to become an official Lego product.”
Spark a Movement sent that letter, along with an online petition that eventually had more than 56,000 signatories, to Lego, demanding that the company “stop selling out girls.”
Note: DO IT! There’s nothing wrong with skillful intelligent girls and women! REALLY! And it spells freedom for men too!


text:
Scott Heiferman of Meetup speaks to Henry Blodget of Business Insider about his company and Meetup made the transition to a pay model. “We have a product that’s good enough for people to pay for,” says Heiferman. I like the simplicity in that.
Archives for August 2010
ConAgra Foods, which owns Chef Boyardee, is running two campaigns at once. The spots above from Venables Bell & Partners are running in conjunction with the “Obviously delicious. Secretly nutritious.” campaign from DDB West, which launched last year. [via Adweek]
It was total randomness, but today at lunch I was driving around and spotted a place that I could eat and do some reading, because it was practically empty: Arby’s. And as reported recently, like here in Business First of Columbus, Arby’s is looking for a new agency. “We are deeply involved in analysis and […]
Californians use 19 billion plastic bags a year. Heal the Bay thinks there’s a better way.
It’s good to see Mad Men star Christina Hendricks in a London Fog. Or just about any other garment, for that matter. Mad Men fans will recall that London Fog was featured on the show last season. Don wanted to wrap the brand’s classic trench around a nude model, you know, to inject some life […]
At a time when computerized automation is the way of the world and even things like ads are becoming mass-produced commodities, there’s a counter current that’s also running strong. The counter current is our growing desire for hand-made one-of-a-kind products. According to The Wall Street Journal there’s a growing number of companies entering the customization […]
Imagine coming home from work to find a bag of free groceries waiting on your doorstep. That’s what 1000 households in Opelousas, La. found when Save-a-Lot supermarket ran a promotion in their city. According to Ad Age, Mark Kotcher, director of brand marketing and design for Save-a-Lot said the company wanted to do something different […]


text:
Proctor and Gamble devalued (“write down”) it’s Gillette brand by 8 billion dollars, after suffering $5.24 billion in losses last quarter. Write downs show that an asset is impaired and worth less than it’s book value. Estimates previously placed Gillette’s value at around $54 billion.
To put the write down in perspective, the decrease in value of Gillette as a brand is greater than their sales last year ($6.2 billion).
Despite the growing number of competitors in the shaving market, P&G blame the losses on fewer men shaving, etc. Any excuse goes when you don’t have the courage to admit your advertising is a disaster.


text:
Berenberg sees 20% upside potential for accesso Technology as it starts coverage with a ‘buy.’
Analysts from Berenberg note that accesso has delivered a steady compound average growth of 12% in organic revenue since 2012, and they forecast this will increase to 13% from 2018-2020. The bank attributes this growth, in part, to accesso's position as the leading provider of technology solutions for the global leisure industry. Analysts predict that in the coming years, accesso will take market share in its core theme park industry and also expand within the broader leisure industry.
"Coupled with the capacity to consolidate its fragmented industry and a scalable business model," they remarked, "We believe accesso can grow to multiples of its current size on a multi-year view.”
To read the full article, click here.


text:
Tech Firms on Buying Spree Rivaling Dot-Com Era
WSJ's Rolfe Winkler joins digits to explain how companies like Facebook and Google are spending billions to own digital platforms where users shop, talk and seek entertainment.
This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.
... what to Digits I'm Simon Constable has been and will as that of flying in the tech industry with the likes of Facebook Google and ... Apple spending billions on digital platforms to stay relevant provisions will Winkler joins us now from sentences go ... to help was so now he's inviting them in huge thanks obeying the trough radius seven ... look for saying you ... that buying binge ... tell us more about it it's probably based on fear is not ... well we have a it's a splurge we should say it's mostly Facebook and Google Apple has been noticeably absent from the buying binge but yes there's been a splurge in acquisitions ... investments and it's really driven by a mix of ... the year ambition and in Facebook in Google's case ... super voting shares and high stock prices ... and some of the Fed is fear of becoming irrelevant right that that is the big problem is that if you don't if you see on your laurels and just waitin around ... someone's gonna be a Hales and destroy your business ... as one venture capitalist put it to me he said look decade ... a few decades ago it it did take decades to build a company that was worth a hundred billion dollars and ... you'll get Facebook is a company in its ... ten years old and worth well over hundred billion so companies ... are being built much more quickly in the technology area and all of these big tech companies their perfectly aware that ... I've that they're very afraid of the guy who arrived to clean just build a better mousetrap ... and totally displaced ... and and and the fear is that is for this for a well founded them and we've seen companies that instills still bit like a young who's a great example they had such and then suddenly ... they wanna play she went to such they they still have the content of costs ... there are good examples now the other side of this besides fierce really its ambition to in some sense control your own destiny so for Facebook ... Facebook missed its chance in mobile to really control its own destiny in that case you have ... Apple and Google really controlling the two major platforms ... this is ... sort of what's going on behind the scenes here and what ... Mark sucker for talk about when he bought ... Oculus BR two days ago ... use he talked about the idea of a plan for the idea that you wanna control the computing ... platform on which developers develop and everyone comes back to interact communicate et-cetera because if you control that platform ... you control the profits and their examples of that in the past ... we also examples in the past in the late nineties although of buying surge is out with its usually I wear topped off ... by a oh well buying time worn out that way he did and what cabaret will add a pretty un happy ending ... the bank is of course but for everybody else ... it did but remember what what's important here ... especially from the nineties is to bring that up ... he is back then ... which I cannot platforms right and Micra soft was the dominant one in computers and PCs so they could total profits along with Intel in smartphones it's been Apple and Google also Apple and Google ... effectively split most of the profits of the few hardware in Google's case ... advertising ... now for Mark for Mark sucker for in Facebook ... we are hoping that ... virtual reality is that beat the ... five ten years the next peak platform on which we're all communicating if you've seen ... the movie her ... emails ... maybe maybe that could happen who knows ... Boehner's will find out enough on its enhanced by Kiran much for all when trouble Wall Street John all ... a key Senate ... time Simon Qassam on that's digits