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美国硅谷的内部人士告诉 BBC ，社交媒体公司故意让用户沉迷于他们的产品以从中获取经济利益。
Aza Raskin from the Centre for Humane Technology said social media companies deliberately use addictive technology in their apps in order to lure us in to spending as much time on their platforms as possible.
Aza Raskin invented the endless scroll – the app feature that means you don't have to click to get to the next page and can keep scrolling for far longer than maybe necessary or healthy.
Aza says he did not intend to hook users with it but says the business model of many social media companies is designed to maximise user time online. He says this encourages designers to come up with technological tricks that hook users.
Sandy Parakilas, who was a platform operations manager at Facebook in 2011 and 2012, said there was definitely an awareness that Facebook was habit-forming when he worked at the company.
桑迪·帕拉吉拉斯在 2011年和 2012年间担任脸书的平台运营经理，他说他在任期间，公司内部确实意识到脸书容易让用户上瘾。
Facebook and Instagram have told the BBC that their apps are designed to bring people together and that they never set out to create addictive products.


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One Billion Cars
It won't be long before the world
hits that number.
Here's what it means for the consumer,
the industry — and the planet.
JOSEPH B. WHITE / Wall Street Journal 17apr2006
One billion. By 2020 or sooner, that's how many cars and light trucks there will be on the road around the world. That's one for every 6 1/2 people on the planet — and over 25% more vehicles than we have today.
For auto giants General Motors Corp. and Ford Motor Co., racked by billion-dollar losses and slumping market share in the U.S., that milestone represents the potential for growth and a rare cause for optimism. But it also represents a huge challenge for the auto makers — as well as regulators, environmentalists and ordinary people trying to get from place to place.
The auto boom will only add to the congestion in major cities, as well as deepening the world's thirst for petroleum and spewing even more carbon dioxide into the air. That will leave drivers facing rising costs and traffic headaches, and force the auto industry to deal with rising demands for fuel efficiency, pollution control and a host of other rules and regulations. For instance, worried that the European landscape will be littered with junked cars, the European Parliament has demanded that car makers devise ways to recycle and reuse 95% of the weight of a vehicle by 2015.
Longer term, the struggle to accommodate one billion autos on the planet may lead to a rethinking of the car's place in society.
Automobiles have long been symbols of personal freedom. They've enabled people to live in the country and earn better wages in town. Auto makers have enjoyed special status as national industrial champions, protected to some degree from competition in return for providing high-paying jobs on a mass scale.
The view of cars as a symbol of all that's right in the economy and society still holds a lot of power, especially in developing countries. In India, car sales are booming. Auto makers are ramping up production as the government loosens restrictions on foreign auto makers and increases spending on roads to meet the demands of an increasingly affluent middle class. China, meanwhile, is engaged in a massive road-building campaign to accommodate the surge in privately owned vehicles. Chinese auto makers are talking up ambitious plans to crack the U.S. market with their cars within two years.
"There's a perception the industry is stagnant," says Paul Ballew, executive director of market and industry analysis at GM, the No. 1 auto maker in global sales. In reality, Mr. Ballew says, the auto industry's challenge in coming years will be "managing growth."
At the same time, governments and car makers are beginning to demonstrate some concern that too many cars could be too much of a good thing.
Note: Among key assumptions underlying these projections are that present trends continue, that new policies be implemented, that consumer behaviors do not change significantly, and that alternative fuels and radical technological innovations do not significantly penetrate the market. Limits in oil availability are also not considered in the projections. Source: World Business Council for Sustainable Development, International Energy Agency, Sustainable Mobility Project.
In London, the city government has imposed a tax on cars entering the center of the city in an effort to encourage commuters to use mass transit. Other cities around the world are considering similar policies to ease congestion. The impetus for limiting traffic isn't coming just from environmentalists. The Partnership for New York, a business group, has urged the city to consider a congestion tax similar to London's, among other measures, to ease the city's gridlock.
"We have a serious problem with lost productivity in our economy" that costs the New York metro area $6 billion a year, says Kathryn Wilde, president and chief executive officer of the partnership.
Others are looking for ways to speed the flow of cars without imposing limits on their use. In the U.S., communities are experimenting with systems that do a better job of synchronizing traffic lights with traffic flow. Car makers and radio broadcasters, meanwhile, are rolling out systems that feed real-time traffic information to navigation systems in cars, giving drivers a chance to avoid delays.
The auto industry also faces a renewed challenge to make vehicles that burn less petroleum — for both environmental and political reasons. And it seems likely the industry will deliver.
Since the 1970s, when concerns about smog prompted the first Clean Air Act in the U.S., auto makers have complained that demands for cleaner or more fuel-efficient cars would do nothing but cut into profits. But at most critical points, the industry has developed the technology to overcome the hurdles, such as Honda Motor Co.'s clean-running CVCC engine or the first exhaust-scrubbing catalytic converters pioneered by GM in the 1970s.
A Clean Start
Now car makers are redirecting research budgets and marketing resources toward technologies designed to reduce petroleum consumption. Rising demand for motor-vehicle fuel is "perhaps the most strategic development...in international oil-and-gas geopolitics," says Fatih Birol, chief economist of the International Energy Agency in Brussels.
Toyota Motor Corp. scored a coup in the U.S. market with its highly efficient Toyota Prius gasoline-electric hybrid, a distinctively designed car that has become a green status symbol. Toyota is now pushing gas-electric hybrid technology, in various forms, across a wide array of its vehicles, from a high-performance Lexus luxury sedan to crossover SUVs to its best-selling model, the Toyota Camry.
Ford, which racked up record profits during the 1990s by selling SUVs, is now charting a new course under Chairman and Chief Executive William Clay Ford Jr. The company has cut back its SUV-making capacity and, despite slumping profits, has pumped money into developing its own hybrid-vehicle technology.
At DaimlerChrysler AG, the emphasis is on developing highly efficient diesel engines that are also clean enough to meet tough U.S. clean-air regulations. This fall, DaimlerChrysler's Mercedes unit plans to start offering an E Class sedan with the first of its new Bluetec diesel engines that are designed to meet current U.S. clean-air regulations.
"If one-third of SUVs were driven by diesel engines, you could save the imports from Saudi Arabia in total" to the U.S. market, says DaimlerChrysler Chief Environmental Officer Herbert Kohler. Using fuels produced from rapeseed or other vegetation — so-called biofuels — could reduce oil consumption even more, he says. DaimlerChrysler recently committed to work toward expanding the use of biofuels to 10% of the total motor-fuels market.
Some industry leaders say new technology won't be enough to change America's oil consumption or driving habits. Michael J. Jackson, head of AutoNation Inc., the No. 1 U.S. auto retailer, says the time has come for the U.S. to impose higher gasoline taxes.
Of course, someone could perfect a means of personal transport that makes the four-wheel motorcar an antique. That's what Moller International Inc. hopes to accomplish with its experimental flying cars.
"For us in the industry," says GM's Mr. Ballew, "the next 10 years will be fascinating."
—Mr. White, The Wall Street Journal's Detroit bureau chief, served as contributing editor of this report.

domain: news


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It’s been nearly three decades years since Allen Iverson first laced up the Reebok Question Mid, which was his first signature shoe with the brand. To celebrate the sneaker’s milestone, Reebok has created a special iteration of the shoe for the occasion.
Dubbed “25th Anniversary,” the forthcoming makeup is outfitted with a predominantly white leather upper that’s coupled with silver accents on the toe box, Vector logo, and ankle collar. Anniversary-specific details on this Question Mid include the number “25” embroidered on the right heel as well as stamped on the footbed. Completing the look are the Hexalite-cushioned midsole and a translucent outsole featuring Reebok’s iconic red and blue logo.
Although this pair was intended to mark the Question’s 25th anniversary, it’s actually arriving 26 years after the release of the original, a possible result of supply chain delays.
This “25th Anniversary” Reebok Question Mid is scheduled to release on Feb. 17 at Reebok.com and at select Reebok retailers. The shoes retail for $160.


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Carphone Warehouse, a major UK mobile phone retailer, has achieved single euro payments area (SEPA) compliance in advance of the 1 February 2014 deadline for migration by automating its entire direct debit collection process using Automic software.
Automic has provided an end-to-end Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solution to Carphone Warehouse, giving the UK retail management team visibility into the collection process. With automatic checks performed at every stage, Automic’s SaaS offering is targeting a reduction in direct debit failures of 90%. The vendor says it won the contract at the retailers as part of the firm’s ‘Connected World’ initiative.
“We have huge aspirations for ‘Connected World’ from Carphone Warehouse,” said David Byrne, enterprise architecture director, Carphone Warehouse and chief information officer (CIO) for the ‘Connected World’ effort. “We see it as enabling retailers, original equipment manufacturers and network businesses around the globe to leverage all the expertise and processes that we have built into our operations over the last 24 years.
“Automic’s automation platform is part of the software product that we have developed that implements this knowledge which we are now offering customers of ‘Connected World’ all over the globe.”


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IBM is ready to ship an Android-compatible new version of its push-based e-mail software Lotus Notes Traveler, an IBM employee wrote in a blog posting Tuesday.
Chrome OS notebooks won't be for sale until mid-2011, but some tech writers are getting a taste with the Cr-48, Google's unbranded Chrome OS test notebook.
A little mentioned fact about the new Google CR-48 notebook is that it's designed to be jailbroken. This was announced by Sundar Pichai, during Google Chrome's recent preview presentation. There's a switch on the inside of the battery compartment tha...
Google's prototype Chrome OS laptops do not yet support Java, and support for Flash Player 10.1 is being called a "work in progress."
Google today launched its location-sharing Latitude app for the iPhone, making good on a promise nearly two years old.
Google is rolling out a new Android Market client over the next two weeks, a move that leaves developers with mixed feelings.
The first phone to ship with Android 2.3 (also known as "Gingerbread") as the well as the follow-up to last January's Nexus One, the Nexus S (available unlocked for $530 or for $200 with a two-year plan from T-Mobile) is a joint effort between Samsun...
A company using crowdsourcing methods to challenge patents has targeted three mobile e-mail patents held by NTP, a Virginia company that has filed more than a dozen infringement lawsuits in the past four years.
The recent announcement of Google Chrome OS included something that's slipped under the radar of most reports: Google Cloud Print. Hinted at earlier this year, Cloud Print is to be the solution to printing demands within the cloud, and will eventuall...
For a brief period this week, cybercriminals managed to infect Google's and Microsoft's online ad networks with malicious advertisements that attacked users' PCs, according to security consultancy Armorize.
Competing with Apple on quality, elegance, and innovation is nearly always a losing battle. By comparison, most products feel awkward and substandard. And so it is with the Samsung Galaxy Tab, a 7-inch, Android 2.2-powered touch-based slate device.
Google's lead Android developer Andy Rubin tweeted that the company is activating more than 300,000 Android phones each day. This equates to more than 9 million Android phones activated per month, despite reports that the platform's activation number...
Google this week reiterated its interest in being able to give users search results before they even know they want them.
Chrome OS is grabbing headlines this week, as Google reveals more details about its cloud-based operating system for mobile devices. Netbooks running Chrome OS won't ship until mid-2011, however, which allows us plenty of time to speculate on potenti...
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The consumer electronics and videogames probes come out of the Commission’s e-commerce sector inquiry, which was launched in May 2015 amidst concerns that businesses may be seeking to restrict online sales with a view to limiting price competition and cross-border trade. The Commission is yet to publish its final report in the e-commerce sector inquiry, but the preliminary report published last September made very clear that the Commission considers the competition rules are being broken and that enforcement action would follow.
It is common for a sector inquiry to result in enforcement action, and the two probes announced today might not be the only ones we see coming out of the e-commerce sector inquiry. The inquiry has also focused on clothing and shoes, toys and childcare, media (books, CDs, DVDs and Blu-ray discs), cosmetics and healthcare products, sports and outdoor equipment and house and garden, as well as digital content. For further information on the e-commerce sector inquiry, see our briefings in the recommended reading section.
The hotels probe results from customer complaints received by the Commission. It seems to be unrelated to the hotel online booking investigations carried out by several member states or the joint monitoring project into hotel online booking carried out by the Commission and around 10 national regulators.
The Commission is investigating whether manufacturers of consumer electronics such as household appliances, notebooks and hi-fi products have restricted the ability of their online retailers to set their own prices. The Commission considers that the effect of these suspected price restrictions may be “aggravated due to the use by many online retailers of pricing software that automatically adapts retail prices to those of leading competitors”.
It is a long-established principle that a retailer must be free to set its own price, whether online or offline. But the focus on automated repricing software is more recent. Last year the US Department of Justice and UK Competition & Markets Authority investigated two online sellers of posters and frames who had agreed not to undercut each other’s prices and who used automated repricing software to implement their price-fixing agreement. In the current Commission probe, there does not appear to be any suggestion that the online retailers reached agreement – either as between retailers or with the respective manufacturers – that they would use this software. Rather the inference is that certain retailers independently chose to use automated repricing software and this worsened the effect of the restrictions suspected to have been agreed between each manufacturer and retailer. It will be interesting therefore to see how the Commission approaches this.
The Commission is investigating bilateral agreements between a game distribution platform and five PC videogame publishers. The Commission suspects ‘geo-blocking’, more specifically, that the parties agreed that customers would be required to use ‘activation keys’, which would allow them to limit access to a purchased game only to customers in a particular EU Member State. This is not the first time the Commission has tackled geo-blocking as a means of restricting parallel trade – in a major investigation, the Commission has also probed geo-blocking of films by Sky and six major Hollywood film studios.
The Commission is investigating agreements between the largest European tour operators and certain hotels. The Commission suspects that these companies discriminated against customers based on their nationality or country of residence, effectively preventing customers from taking advantage of better terms offered by tour operators in other Member States.
In recent years, enforcement in relation to pricing and parallel trade restrictions has been left to the national competition authorities. Whilst we have seen an increase in the levels of enforcement across several Member States, it has been patchy and inconsistent. This is not helped by the fact that the Commission’s guidelines on ‘vertical’ restrictions are now 7 years old and do not fully address the increasingly important new sales channels and technologies. These probes by the Commission may represent the first step towards a more harmonised approach. Additionally, it would be helpful to see clearer guidance from the Commission so that businesses can ensure they stay on the right side of the line.


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Today, we know that a healthy diet is important for physical well-being.
Researchers are studying whether probiotics — live bacteria that are safe to eat — can improve gastrointestinal health and your mood.
“Probiotics are what we believe to be good organisms that are beneficial to our health,” says Linda Lee, M.D.
But do they work?
Possible Benefits of Probiotics
Probiotics can have many positive effects on the body, including:
Shaping the body’s immune system
Producing antimicrobial substances
Fermenting fiber in the diet to generate nutrients for the cells that line our intestines
Now researchers are finding evidence that the effects of bacteria in the gastrointestinal (GI) system send signals to the central nervous system, linking the gut with the brain. This could account for some known connections between GI illness and mental illness. For Probiotics are beneficial bacteria that exist naturally in foods like yogurt and kimchi. They’re also available in pill or powder form. Probiotics are thought to improve digestive health, and they’re often used to treat diarrhea or bloating.
Example, a higher-than-average number of people with irritable bowel syndrome also develop depression and anxiety. Could better GI health via probiotics boost emotional health too? The link between probiotics and mood isn’t clear, says Lee.
She points out that certain foods can seem to boost mood — just think of the comfort foods we reach for when we’re low, whether it’s macaroni and cheese or a bowl of ice cream. However, this might simply be a behavioral association rather than something triggered by bacterial responses to nutrients in food.
“It's not to say that the food itself has nutrients that are affecting our mood, but it's that our brains associate eating that food with comfort,” she says.
Although it’s tempting to link probiotic use with mood, more research is needed, says Lee. “Right now, we don't have a lot of proof that taking probiotics is going to change depression or anxiety. It's an attractive theory, but we need a lot more research to guide us.”
Pick Your Probiotics Carefully
One problem with probiotics is a lack of consistency. Lee warns that consumers can’t always be sure of what they’re getting.
“Probiotics are considered food supplements, not drugs, by the FDA. Therefore, we don't have a lot of regulation over how they're made or whether they even contain what they say they contain,” says Lee.
In the United States, Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium are the probiotic strains most commonly used to treat GI issues, but there are many probiotic products on the market. They contain different types of bacteria and in different amounts. Lee cautions that the lack of regulation means that one batch might be different from another.
“By the time you buy a probiotic off the shelf, there’s no way to know if the bacteria in it are as active as they were as when the product was made,” Lee says. In addition, each person may have different types and numbers of bacteria in their gut. This means the probiotic that works for one person might not work for another.
How to Take a Probiotic
The good news is that it appears most probiotic strains are probably harmless. But use caution. “There have been many studies that have shown that often what's on the label is not what's in the bottle. People really have to be careful,” Lee says.
Will taking one a day improve your mood? The jury is still out, says Lee, and she cautions against using them as a replacement for any prescribed mood-managing medication. But if taking one a day for a month at least helps ease your gut issues, that alone might make you feel a little bit more “up.”
But if the probiotic you’ve tried doesn’t have any effect at all? “It probably isn’t the right one for you,” concludes Lee.
Hope you enjoyed this article about Probiotics and improving our mood.


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Disneyland’s version of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, the highly anticipated Star Wars-themed land, will open in summer of 2019, while Disney World’s version in Hollywood Studios will open later in Fall 2019. But while the grand opening of those lands are a little less than a year away, the Disney Parks Magical Christmas Day Parade just made that far, far away premiere date seem just a bit closer. The annual parade gave us a Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge sneak peek that will hold Star Wars fans over until the summer and fall 2019 debuts.
Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge Sneak Peek
The annual Disney Parks Magical Christmas Day Parade, which included performances from Gwen Stefani, Brett Eldredge, and Matteo and Andrea Bocelli, as well as appearances by beloved Disney characters, aired on ABC on Tuesday, December 25 at 10 a.m. ET/9 a.m. CT. And during that Christmas morning celebration, Star Wars fans were given an exciting Christmas present: a sneak peek at the upcoming Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.
Not much new was revealed that we didn’t already learn from the last major update about Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, but Scott Trowbridge, a creative executive at Walt Disney Imagineering, did provide some more details about the Rise of the Resistance attraction. On the ride, guests will be recruited by the Resistance and face-off with the First Order, even standing toe-to-toe with Kylo Ren. Trowbridge called it “the most epic attraction we’ve ever built,” which sounds like a big promise to make. But we can’t wait to check it out next year.
Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge, set to open in both Anaheim’s Disneyland and Orlando’s Walt Disney World, will take visitors to Batuu, a new never before seen Star Wars planet. Described as a “gateway planet located on the outer rim, full of places and characters familiar and not so familiar,” the world will be “occupied by many inhabitants; humanoids, aliens, and droids … the attractions, the entertainment, everything we create will be part of our storytelling. Nothing will be out of character or stray from the mythology.” The planet is a “remote frontier outpost” that has existed within the canon “for thousands and thousands of years” but used to be a vibrant spaceport, until the advent of hyperspace.
At Galaxy’s Edge, visitors can line up for two signature attractions, a motion simulator ride that will put you and your small flight crew in control of the Millenium Falcon, and a dark ride which puts you in the middle of a battle between the First Order and the Resistance.
Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge opens in summer and fall 2019.
Source: Read Full Article


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Samsung Electronics the world’s largest memory chipmaker, will make Tesla next-generation Full Self-Driving (FSD) chips to be used in the top US electric carmaker’s Level-5 autonomous driving vehicles.
The chips, to be manufactured on Samsung’s 4-nanometer node, will go into Tesla’s Hardware 5 (HW 5.0) computers, which the EV maker plans to mass-produce three to four years from now, industry officials said on Tuesday.
Last year, Tesla chose Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (TSMC) as its sole partner for the production of the HW 5.0 auto chip.
Now, Tesla plans to work with both TSMC and Samsung, or could switch from TSMC to Samsung altogether, for mass production of the fifth-generation auto chips, industry officials said.
“Splitting next-generation chip production between the two is more likely though,” said one of the officials.
WINDS OF CHANGE
The winds of change started in May when Samsung leader Lee Jay-yong met with Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk to discuss ways to strengthen their tech alliance.
During their meeting at a Samsung research center in Silicon Valley, San Jose, the Samsung chairman, widely known in international business circles as Jay Y. Lee, offered Musk terms including favorable contract prices that he could not refuse, industry officials said.
Samsung officials earlier said the Lee-Musk meeting focused on strengthening their technology partnership, including jointly developing chips for fully autonomous vehicles.
Samsung had been supplying earlier versions of FSD chips to Tesla for EVs such as the Model 3, Model 5, Model X and Model Y.
As its next-generation FSD chip vendor, however, Tesla picked TSMC over Samsung last year as the Korean chipmaker was thought to be behind the Taiwanese company in foundry chip manufacturing yields at the cutting-edge 4 nm process node.
Industry watchers said Samsung has since improved its foundry yields, now nearly on par with those of TSMC.
Last week, HI Investment & Securities analyst Park Sang-wook said in a research note that Samsung’s chip production yield rates for the 4 nm and finer 3 nm nodes have improved to over 75% and 60%, respectively.
Although Samsung is the world’s top memory vendor, it is a distant second in contract manufacturing, with a low double-digit market share. TSMC controls more than half the global foundry market.
BIG BETS ON AUTO CHIPS
Samsung fiercely competes with TSMC to win automotive chip supply deals from EV makers, including Tesla.
In February, it clinched a deal to make auto chips for US chip designer Ambarella.
Under the deal, Samsung Foundry, the Korean chipmaker’s contract chipmaking unit, will manufacture Ambarella’s CV3-AD685 chip, which processes data for autonomous driving from Level 2 to Level 4.
In April, the Korean company won a chip production order from Intel autonomous driving tech affiliate Mobileye Global.
The chipmaker will provide Mobileye with semiconductors for advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), key devices for self-driving cars. Mobileye previously secured such chips from TSMC.
Samsung plans to significantly increase its foundry capacity at its main Pyeongtack plant in Korea this year and begin operations at its Taylor, Texas plant by the end of 2024 to triple the company’s 2022 global contract chipmaking capacity by 2027.
It has been solidifying its high-tech chip lineup as global carmakers are rapidly adopting autonomous and in-vehicle infotainment systems, which has upped the demand for advanced auto chips.
According to market researcher IHS Markit, the global auto chip market is forecast to grow to $143 billion by 2029 from this year’s estimated $76 billion.


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After last year’s Kindle Fire announcement, there was a lot of chatter about the device, but also about Amazon chief executive Jeff Bezos.
Bezos, headlines told us, was the “next Steve Jobs,” noting how smoothly the executive handled the launch event and how well he introduced a tablet that would put a direct Amazon buying portal into the hands of millions. So while Bezos may not have the cult-like following or showmanship of Apple’s late co-founder, it’s hard to argue with the success that Amazon’s seen in the past few years.
The company is a quiet but formidable competitor in the technology space. Amazon is far beyond the stage of being an online mall. It provides storage space for enterprises with its Amazon Web Services, going after the same customers that Microsoft and Google are fighting for. It’s building out its video offerings to take on the likes of Netflix and Apple’s iTunes store. It’s still dominating in books with the Kindle reader — a position that could only be enhanced by the Department of Justice’s decision to stop Apple’s pricing structure for e-books.
And, under the guidance of Bezos, Amazon has done this all by moving into areas that stray from Amazon’s original retail roots.
In 2009, Bezos discussed the Kindle’s surprise success with Dan Lyons for Newsweek, saying that his decisions to expand from retail were rooted in looking at what the customer wanted.
“We start with the customer and we work backward,” Bezos said in the interview. “We learn whatever skills we need to service the customer. We build whatever technology we need to service the customer.”
He also told Lyons that he didn’t listen too much to investors, who — as CNET pointed out Thursday — have often second-guessed Bezos and the amount of money he’s spent on new services and products. But in the past two years, Amazon has seen strong, steady growth.
And investors, it seems, are willing to let his intuition about the customer take the lead for now. Shares again passed the $250 mark Thursday — something they did for the first time just last month after Amazon announced it had run out of first-generation Kindle Fires.


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For companies that operate on a calendar year, October marks the beginning of the 4th Quarter and a time when the performance of the previous three quarters is analyzed to project next year’s budgets.
For retailers, October marks the beginning of the holiday season and a time when consumers open their wallets in search of the perfect gifts for friends and loved ones. According to the National Retail Federation (NRF), 19% of the annual retail revenue is generated in the 4th quarter of the year.
Over the last decade, consumers have been kicking off their holiday shopping early, beginning in late October and early November, to spread their budgets and avoid last-minute stress. In 2021, nearly 180 million Americans shopped during the Thanksgiving weekend, spending an average of $301.27. In 2022, according to a recent poll, 45% of holiday shoppers say they will browse and buy in stores on Black Friday this year.
For many consumers, Thanksgiving weekend shopping is not just about the sales — it’s a tradition or something to do with friends and family over the holiday season. So despite the threat of a COVID surge of new variants during the colder months, many consumers said they might be more eager to embrace pre-pandemic norms and ways of celebrating.
An NRF survey of 2,000 consumers in late September found that 62% of holiday shoppers agree that spending on holiday gifts and celebrations is important. And they will do what they need to, even cutting back in other areas, so their loved ones can celebrate like they always do.
According to NRF’s latest consumer survey, 44% of holiday shoppers say it’s better to purchase gifts and other seasonal items now because they believe inflation will continue to impact prices later in the year. Another 31% think buying items now is best because the deals won’t get any better. Higher prices and inflation are top of mind for holiday shoppers.
According to a report by McKinsey & Company, two years into the pandemic, people across the country have discovered that they like shopping online, but they’re also going back to brick-and-mortar stores. They’re venturing out of their homes again but continue spending money on home improvement. And—in what could be a boon or bane for manufacturers and retailers—today’s consumers are quite willing to abandon their once-preferred brands in favor of new ones that offer value or novelty.
In the early months of 2022, amid record inflation, US consumers continued to open their wallets. US inflation grew to nearly 8.5 percent in March 2022, with the May 2021 to March 2022 period showing the highest inflation in a decade. Yet, US consumers spent 18 percent more in March 2022 than they did two years earlier, and 12 percent more than they were forecast to spend based on the pre-COVID-19 trajectory.
Supply chain disruptions are still a big problem for retailers, and they have implemented mitigation strategies. For example, many retailers decided to move up their holiday shipping season and brought products in earlier than normal to ensure they would have products available for consumers. Some also shifted to the East Coast/Gulf Coast ports to avoid potential disruptions on the West Coast because of the ongoing labor contract negotiations.
Retailers and businesses of all types are very cognizant of the times in which we live and the possibility of a recession. Finishing the fourth quarter on a high note is important, but so is planning for the future.
Set S.M.A.R.T. financial goals by implementing the following:
- Specific: Lay out the details of your goals so you have a clear measurement to see when you reach the goal. For example, set a specific sales dollar amount you want to achieve before the end of the year.
- Measurable: Generic, unmeasurable goals make it hard to see if you achieved the desired results. Instead of saying that your goal is to increase sales, set a plan to boost sales by 2% compared to the previous quarter.
- Attainable: Choose a goal that is attainable within a three-month. It is good to reach for the stars, but don’t shoot so high that you face failure.
- Realistic: Also, think about realistic changes that can be made in your company.
- Timely: A three-month goal is an excellent timeframe. It gives you enough time to work on the goal without making the deadline so far out that it will get kicked down the road.
Here are a few questions that you can ask as you are evaluating your goals and success:
- Are you on track to reach your target sales numbers for the year? If not, why?
- What are the best activities that are bringing in more sales and revenue?
- Where are the categories that are cutting into your profits?
- Do you have an effective accounting system in place to show current financial reports?
- What is working? What isn’t working?
- Is your marketing plan bringing in the customers that you anticipated?
- How can you leverage the holiday season to boost your sales?
The fourth quarter is also a great time to take advantage of Section 179 of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code, which provides an immediate expense deduction that business owners can take for purchases of depreciable business equipment instead of capitalizing and depreciating the asset over a period of time. The Section 179 deduction can be taken if the piece of equipment is purchased or financed, and the full amount of the purchase price is eligible for the deduction.
- Section 179 of the IRC allows businesses to take an immediate deduction for business expenses related to depreciable assets such as equipment, vehicles, and software.
- This deduction allows businesses to lower their current-year tax liability rather than capitalizing an asset and depreciating it over time in future tax years.
- Section 179 is limited to a maximum deduction of $1,080,000 and a value of the property purchased to $2,700,000 for the year 2022.
Business Finance Corporation (BFC) can help you with your Fourth Quarter Planning. We can turn your accounts receivables into instant cash for those end-of-the-year equipment purchases, IRS deposits, employee holiday bonuses, or any other general expense. By establishing an account with BFC now, you can be ready for any financial crunch that should happen in the future. Call 702-947-3800 or go to https://bfc.vegas/.
Your Partner In Success,


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A highly competitive landscape is showcased by the global 3D printing plastics market, says Transparency Market Research on the basis of a newly published report. Such competition mainly exists due to the presence of numerous players in the market. Some of the major players operating in the global 3D printing market are Solidscape, Inc., Stratasys, Ltd., EOS GmbH, Concept Laser GmbH, Arcam AB, Voxeljet Technology GmbH, SLM Solutions GmbH, and ExOne GmbH. The competition is prophesized to further intensify with an increase in the number of players in the global 3D printing market.
Most regional players face stiff competition from the more renowned and international businesses in this sector. Several companies are working towards improving their product portfolios and expanding their geographical horizons in the global 3D printing market. With technological development taking place through several players coupled with an increase in the number of players, the global dental 3D printing market is expected to showcase a highly intensified competition in the near future.
3D printing offers an immense number of benefits such as sturdiness, attractive designs, enhanced quality of products, and more. Due to these benefits, the demand for the products is quite high, thereby stoking growth in the global 3D printing market. Moreover, several favorable initiatives from governments and other manufacturing organization to increase awareness about the availability of 3D printed products too is fueling expansion in the market.
Request PDF Sample – https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=S&rep_id=1803
A major reason for driving growth in the global 3D printing market involves a rampant increase in its applications in various fields. Ranging from automobiles and healthcare to consumer commodities and aerospace, the requirement for quality components can easily be met through the use of 3D printing technologies.
Many companies are focusing on using new materials as well as investing in developing better technologies, thus making the global 3D printing market spurt growth at a splendid pace. As players focus on regulating product prices and improving their sales techniques, the 3D printing industry is prophesized to see a great future.


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Recently, at its Envision 2023 global partner conference, Trip.com Group showcased its vision for the future of travel. At the conference were approximately 700 industry participants from around the world.
Chairman of Trip.com Group James Liang stated in his video address, “Travel is unique. It not only promotes economic growth and development but also fulfils our intellectual needs. Trip.com Group is dedicated to enriching the travel experience while maintaining industry responsibility. We believe that travel, as a fundamental human need, has the power to inspire innovation, drive progress, and foster a greater sense of unity and understanding among people from around the world.”
Jane Sun, the chief executive officer of Trip.com Group, spoke at the conference and recapped the company’s voyage, including the initiatives and programmes implemented in support of its partners over the past three years. Over the years, Trip.com Group has actively collaborated with partners across hotels, flights, vacations, and attractions to support their efforts in serving Chinese travellers, who are among the top spenders in a number of markets. In 2019, Chinese tourists accounted for 15% of international expenditure; post-pandemic, this percentage is projected to increase dramatically.
Increasing Partner Growth on All Levels
Specifically, Trip.com Group’s strategies for collaborating with its partners to shape the travel and tourism industry’s future. Over the past few years, Trip.com Group has strengthened its technological capabilities and implemented targeted strategies in a variety of markets in an effort to connect its partners with its consumers. Among them are our series of BOSS Live livestream sessions, enhancements to our global airfare capabilities, and the introduction of our artificial intelligence travel assistant TripGenie.
“Today, we are well-positioned to support our partners unlock new opportunities and expand their reach to our international customers. We will leverage our technology to strengthen the positioning and visibility of our partners and their offerings to our customers, including the high-spending consumers from China. The travel and tourism industry contribute significantly to global GDP and employment, and Trip.com Group will continue to utilise advanced technology and innovation to create new opportunities and growths for our partners.”
Sustainable Travel Vision for the Future
On the sustainability front, the company’s senior leadership delved into comprehensive ESG strategies as well as the industry’s approach to sustainability.
The sun confirmed the optimistic outlook of a revitalised, environmentally conscious landscape. She stated, “In this revitalised travel industry, the opportunities ahead are immense. We’re poised to redefine the travel landscape with our cutting-edge tech innovations, expanding partnerships, and strong investor confidence. As we harness these opportunities, we envision a future where travel is not just thriving but is also greener and more responsible. The horizon is bright for our partners, investors, and travellers, and together, we’ll journey towards a sustainable and prosperous future in travel.”
Ms. Sun thanked the partners for their support throughout the years before concluding, “Let us envision a future where travel is not just a destination, but a transformational experience. Together, we can chart the future of travel.”


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November 21, 2022
The Thanksgiving holiday is about gratitude for all that we have, including the typical family weirdness. Yes, even football and shopping have become part of the tradition. While this year may not be the black Friday of years past, it does mark the beginning of the Christmas shopping season. Investors and economists alike should get a good reading on how robust the consumer is given the high inflation rates this year. Will they still be spending, no matter the price? Will they hold off until retailers mark down prices? Or will they spend as usual with the credit card getting a workout? Based upon some of the comments from various retailers last week, the consumer seems to be in pretty good health, however, the credit card is getting more of a workout than usual. Retail sales and consumer credit both rose last month, with sales the strongest in six months. If the economy is hitting a recession, the consumer doesn’t seem to think so just yet. The other feature of the week was the Fed chatter about interest rates and the “terminal rate” at which they may stop increasing rates. The basic message was that interest rates will still be rising, although at a slower pace, until such time that inflation gets much closer to their 2% target. The Fed has one more meeting on December 14th, when they are expected to hike another 0.50% and wish everyone a Merry Christmas on their way out the door.
The markets did the Texas two-step during the week, one step forward, two steps back as investors reacted to better-than-expected PPI and retail sales data. However, the comments from the various Fed governors tossed cold water on the hope the Fed would not be as aggressive in hiking rates. The retailers’ earnings highlighted above, also marked the end of the earnings season. The most recent peak in earnings was the quarter ending 12/31/21. Earnings have fallen 5% through 9/30 and are expected to bottom with yearend figures (due to report in January). The decline is merely 8% with a return to “peak” earnings by the third quarter of 2023. This does not look like “the market” is anticipating much more than a mild recession and modest decline in earnings. Looking back at history, since 1990, earnings have generally fallen 20% in prior “earnings declines”. Something is going to have to give, and it may be the optimistic market sometime in 2023.
The discussion around the higher short-term rates vs. long-term rates as an indication of a pending recession has gotten very loud of late. Even the Fed Funds rate is above the 10-year rate, a very strong indication that a recession is likely in 2023. There have been signs since even 2021 a recession was likely, but that has been postponed due to the large amount of money injected by fiscal and monetary policies over the past two years. The very recent decline in rates is giving some hope that a peak in rates is close, but there have only been four weeks this year where the rate picture has been this bright, only to be dashed a week or two later. The Fed has been adamant that rates are going higher and have called the market’s bluff every time this year.
The modest decline last week was generally across the board and helped take some of the speculative fervor out of the markets. The path from here, through a potential recession to better earnings/economy/market on the other side, is not very clear. The volatility experienced so far is likely to continue in the weeks ahead as investors place bets as to when the Fed will back off increasing interest rates. There are a few indicators that have not yet signaled big stresses in the market that usually accompany a meaningful market bottom. One is the valuation based on the most recent peak in earnings. IF the SP500 hits 15x the most recent peak in earnings, it would mean a 20%+ decline from here. High yield spreads have been very calm, higher than the low of the year, but well below prior stress peaks. Finally, the stress index that the Fed measures is also well below historical levels, indicating an easy monetary policy rather than tight one.
As brutal as the market has been over the past year, there does not yet seem to be the panic that usually accompanies a meaningful market bottom. There is a point at which everyone wants to be in the safety of cash. That has yet to happen and may indicate that “the” bottom remains somewhere in that foggy future. The rotation toward financially sound companies with good cash flow, dividends, and revenue growth continues and likely will be rewarding investors in the years ahead.
The opinions expressed in the Investment Newsletter are those of the author and are based upon information that is believed to be accurate and reliable but are opinions and do not constitute a guarantee of present or future financial market conditions.


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Stalled shopping center in Elk Grove gets new push
Developer hopes to resume work on Elk Grove Promenade
With help from city officials, owners of the stalled Elk Grove Promenade are making a new push to get the project back on track.
But those involved in developing the open-air mall west of Highway 99 at Grant Line Road have a long road to travel.
“It’s a viable project,” said Paul Cunha, vice president of S.D. Deacon Corp. of California, which was general contractor for two of the project’s intended anchor tenants. “It’s just a matter of timing.”
Construction started in 2007 and stopped in 2008 as the retail and real estate markets collapsed. Today half-finished steel and concrete building skeletons sit behind a wire-mesh fence.
As of 2008, prospective anchors for the 1.1 million-square-foot center included Macy’s, JCPenney and Target, none of which were willing to discuss their current plans. Other expected anchors included a 16-screen Cinemark Theatre and a Barnes & Noble bookstore.
Macy’s has already made a major investment in the project, ordering about $1 million worth of steel for the Elk Grove Promenade. Macy’s has been paying to store it in a Stockton fabrication yard, Cunha said.
S.D. Deacon also had a contract with Target to build a store at Elk Grove Promenade, and was working on pre-construction tasks for Merlone Geier Partners for a planned project surrounding the open-air mall.
“We’re waiting to go when they want to go,” Cunha said. “It’s really a question of the number of rooftops in the area.”
Seeking retail tenants
Indeed, the mall was launched on the assumption that more housing would be built in Elk Grove. Residential development would have to resume to encourage retailers to pull the trigger at Elk Grove Promenade.
Kelly Johnson covers retail, insurance, marketing and media, manufacturing and distribution, sports business, nonprofits and education for the Sacramento Business Journal.
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Over the summer months Nintendo of America has been taking its Play Nintendo Tour around the US, a 2DS / 3DS event that's offered various games for attendees to try out while enjoying the luxuries of themed furniture, StreetPass hits and competitions.
Up until now the featured games have been those already available in stores, but Nintendo of America has now confirmed that for the final few weeks of the tour Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS will be playable.
Below are the details of the final three legs in which gamers will have a chance to try out the October release.
- August 15-17 — Atlanta, GA — Mall of Georgia, 3333 Buford Drive, Buford, GA 30519
- August 22-24 — Houston, TX — The Galleria, 5085 Westheimer Road, Houston, TX 77056
- August 29-September 1 — Irvine, CA — Irvine Spectrum Center, 71 Fortune Drive, Irvine, CA 92618
Are you planning to head to any of these events to try it out, or will you join the legions on Twitter demanded an eShop demo so all can play? Maybe both? Let us know.


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Recently, Facebook has bought a stake 9.9% in Reliance Jio that amounts to $5.7 billion that is Rs 43,574 crore. With this venture, a whole new box of opportunities has opened up for both the companies respectively.
India is a fast growing economy and many companies have grown the interest to venture exceptionally. While Facebook is seeing this as a positive prospect for a firm foothold in the Indian economy, for Jio it is a scope to liquidate the debts.
In the Court of Facebook
Facebook has become a minority shareholder in Reliance Jio. This also means the social media giant gets access to approximately 400 million customers. A wider perspective has opened for the company as it gets access to even the remotest parts of India where advertisements would be unresponsive.
With this venture, Facebook is expected to create an estimated 60 million small scale and medium scale business all across India. This will also aid to ‘Digital India’ mission put forth by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This will ease the living standard of Indian startup entrepreneur along with a good platform to undertake business. Rural and urban communities, both will be benefitted similarly.
India has escalated to be one of the hotspots in the world for Facebook as more users are signing up daily and even utilising the portal for other features as well that includes business expansion and branding. According to the social media giant, India gives the largest users cluster in the world. Hence, through this deal, Facebook can get even more close to its user.
We all know about WhatsApp and use it vehemently. Facebook is planning on introducing a payment platform in WhatsApp and having a local partner smoothens the process like dealing with regulatory issues, privacy and local storage.
In the Court of Reliance Jio
When viewed in respect of Reliance Jio, the venture will add to the growing digital economy. One of the instances is that people will be able to undertake business in an elevated platform through WhatsApp. The entire business can be undertaken through a smartphone itself that is easy to understand and work on. This Jio’s initiative new opportunities will open up feeding the Indian economy and people’s prosperity.
Through this billion dollars deal, RIL will get loose from the burden of debt as well. Mukesh Ambani has been in an ever-expanding phase and the last three years have been a bottleneck competition for RIL with the expansion regime of Jio along with other projects. Jio initiative itself attracted $40 billion initial investment in the year 2016.
RIL’s JioMart project will get a push in this deal. JioMart is Jio’s initiative for small businesses and startups that will offer the platform to connect with suitable customers and shareholders and undertake transactions through mobile itself leaving behind any advanced technological setup.
This deal is by far the most praised venture, where both the companies along with Indian citizens and government is going to be benefitted excessively. Even the cryptocurrency world is praising such a decision as more Indian people will likely be investing and start experimenting in digital assets. Additionally, blockchain and bitcoin will get good exposure. It is time to wait and watch the benefits in practical terms after worklife resumes globally after the pandemic COVID 19 recedes.


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Some of the retro food trends making a comeback are grass fed meat and raw milk, but the strongest health trend these days is back-to-basics with a primarily vegan diet. Eating a plant-based diet will not only help reduce carbon emissions but dramatically increase your health and wellbeing. Nicole Sherwin, editor of Simply Green magazine and founder The Green Lounge Experience reports.
Last year the world's leading authority on climate change, Dr Rajendra Pachauri told the Observer that going meat-free once a week was the most attractive¹ way http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/sep/07/food.foodanddrink for individuals to reduce carbon emissions. Hospitals are even taking meat off menus in the U.K as part of a strategy to cut greenhouse gas emissions, while the Belgian town of Ghent announced plans
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/may/13/ghent-belgium-vegetarian-day to make every Thursday a meat-free day.
The links between meat and climate change have been well known for several years. A UN study in 2006 showed http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/may/16/ghent-belgium-vegetarian- town-environment that the livestock industry was responsible for a staggering 18% of man's global greenhouse gas emissions, partly because of deforestation in the Amazon http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/may/31/cattle-trade-brazil-green peace-amazon-deforestation> .
Instead of eating animal-based products, vegans choose great-tasting,cholesterol-free, fibre-rich fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains and some soy-based foods. (See www.thekindlife.com by actress Alicia Silverstone for great vegan recipes)
We must take action now if we want to create a kinder, greener and healthier planet. Fortunately, vegetarians and vegans have been sprouting up all over.
Even former US President Bill Clinton has been publicly touting his new near-vegan diet, pointing out that by going vegan, he has lost weight,
lowered his cholesterol and reduced his risk for many life-threatening diseases. Other celebrity vegans include Sheryl Crow, Chris Martin, Daryl Hannah, Elijah Wood, Ellen Degeneres and Sir Paul McCartney. See the latest issue of Simply Green magazine for our full vegan focus.
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Interior designer Lee Broom is set to transform a street of disused shops to create ‘The Department Store’. Launching over 20 new products, this will be Brooms largest exhibition to date. Furniture, lighting and home accessories will be present against moody grey backdrops within a series of interconnected spaces.
“I wanted to explore all the things that inspire me right now, from new materials, vivid colours, pop culture, craft culture, techniques from the past and shapes from the future,” said Broom. “All of which to be housed in my very own Department Store.”
The products on show are highly playful including a Hanging Hoop chair, Chapel lights and illuminated spheres, which have been sliced diagonally and slid apart to reveal a flash of brass.
If you are lucky enough to be in Milan next month, make time to visit the Design week and experience it for yourselves.
April 14-19th 2015, 10am -7pm


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Citi continues to expand branches to tap Asia clients
Lender's changing face proves effective as HK customer base grows 27 per cent in 12 months
Citibank plans to add more branches in Hong Kong and in mainland China as it expands further into the Asia region.
Jonathan Larsen, the US lender's newly appointed global retail banking head, said he would like to see the number of Citi branches in Hong Kong increase to 70 in the long run, up from 47 now. The bank has doubled its network in the city in the last two years.
Up to 97 per cent of standard services were now accessed through non-branch channels such as the internet, ATMs, or mobile phones, said Larsen. But branch expansion nonetheless remains an important strategy to expand the bank's business.
"The branches we opened over the past couple of years are completely different from the traditional style of branches where people line up in long queues to deposit or withdraw money at teller's counters," he said.
"Today, branches are an effective way to attract new affluent clients to open new accounts; apply for credit cards and have their applications approved and a card issued within one hour; as well as to have face-to-face services from relationship managers who give investment advice to help wealth management clients manage their money."
This mix of technology and human services represented the future of retail banking, said Larsen. "It is on this basis that we are expanding our branch network in Hong Kong, China and Asia as a whole."
The branch openings have boosted Citi's customer base by 27 per cent in the 12 months ended June this year, securities' trading accounts are up 20 per cent, and card issuance has risen 13 per cent.
The bank has nearly 700 branches in the 14 Asian markets it operates in, up from only about 100 a decade ago. Its Asia consumer banking business represents about a third of the global consumer bank turnover compared with about 8 per cent 10 years ago.
The bank's Asian operations contributed US$4 billion to group profits last year, with half coming from the consumer banking division.
"Asia is a very important region for our bank's retail banking business as this is the area likely to have the strongest growth worldwide," Larsen said in an exclusive interview with the South China Morning Post. "It is natural for us to be very focused on Asia along with other key emerging markets such as Latin America."
He said the bank would also like to expand retail banking in other emerging markets such as Eastern Europe.
Mainland high-net-worth clients visiting Hong Kong are target customers for Citibank so newer branches are in tourist hotspots such as Tsim Sha Tsui, Mong Kok, Causeway Bay, and Central. Citibank's trading hours also differ from rivals; branches are open until 7pm rather than the standard 5pm closing of most banks.
"A significant number of customers opened new accounts during the extended opening hours between 5pm and 7pm - and indeed up to 11pm in selective branches. Flexible banking hours help meet the needs of the many clients for whom banking during normal office hours is not convenient," Larsen said.
The bank's branch expansion policies will vary among markets in Asia in line with regulatory differences. The policies in Hong Kong and Singapore allow more freedom, while India, Malaysia, and Thailand have more restrictions on branch locations. On the mainland, branch approval for foreign banks is also subject to heavy regulation.


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There’s a new option in the frozen food aisle.
Self, the women’s lifestyle magazine, has entered the crowded packaged food market with Self Healthy Kitchen, a line made from all-natural ingredients that its proponents say is both healthy and delicious.
“You don’t need a dictionary to look up what’s in the food,” said chef Calvin Harris, CEO of Benevida Foods, who teamed up with the Condé Nast brand to create the line. “It’s a very clean label.”
There are eight entrees available, including a three-cheese lasagna with beef and marinara, steak with portobello mushrooms, and a Southwest-style vegetable enchilada with rice and sweet potatoes.
Each meal is 330 calories or fewer and low in sodium and fat, and features “trendy” ingredients such as kale and quinoa.
“We’re making something that’s sophisticated and grown-up,” Harris said. “It doesn’t look like a frozen meal.”
The line is currently sold at Stop & Shop stores in the city, with plans to expand to ShopRite and Whole Foods.
The single-serving meals average $4.99.


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According to an employee, Acosta simply called up the store and told them he would be coming. After he arrived, CNN’s heckler-in-chief stood behind a counter and signed books for an hour or so.
Surprise signing at Arlington, Virginia Barnes & Noble! pic.twitter.com/8UCrbfwsQ4
— Jim Acosta (@Acosta) June 13, 2019
“It was kind of very quiet — he showed up and signed,” the employee told the Caller. “No customers waiting for him to sign his book,” – he just showed up.
A manager at the Arlington Barnes & Noble told the Caller that the store sold “like 30-or-something” copies of Acosta’s book while he was there. He said the store still has some of Acosta’s books in stock. –Daily Caller – READ MORE


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May 15, 2012 14:50
QIWI Koshelek turnover grows 130% in Q1
MOSCOW. May 15 (Interfax) - QIWI Koshelek, part of the QIWI Ltd., holding company, saw turnover climb 130% in the first quarter of 2012 to 26.3 billion rubles, the company said in a press release.
The number of regular service users approached 8.7 million, 39% up on the first quarter of 2011.
The number of online stores where QIWI Koshelek can be used to pay for goods and services increased 88% and reached 6,000.
There was a 101% increase in the number of payments via the company website over the year to 19 million payments in the first quarter and payments via mobile phones increased 24% to 6.7 million.
QIWI Koshelek expanded its presence to 17 countries in the first quarter, adding Kazakhstan and Ukraine.
(Our editorial staff can be reached at email@example.com)
September 20, 2014
Russian army test-fires Iskander theater ballistic missiles
EU fruit, veggies smuggled into Russia via Belarus - watchdog
Gazprom Neft selling oil for rubles, yuan - chief
Donetsk militia, Ukraine govt swap more war prisoners
Govt adviser: blast rocks Donetsk militia arms depot
Russian ministry jeers at allegation that Russia used tactical nukes against Ukraine forces
Moscow: federalization crucial to resolution of Ukraine crisis
Ukraine security body to make reports whether truce observed
No criminal case opened based on attack on Ekho Moskvy journalist in St. Pete
Russian deputy PM: no retaliatory sanctions on the table
Russia's bigger trade with Asia "objective necessity" - Medvedev
Econ Ministry will suggest measures to increase large banks' capital - Ulyukayev (Part 2)
Dvorkovich hopes for successful negotiations between Mechel, creditors


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Yesterday, a Lady called out Domino’s pizza after she reportedly suffered food poisoning she claimed came from the pizza she ate, which was ordered at the Lekki’s branch of Dominos’.
Apparently, the pizza company has issued a statement, addressing the issue, they tag as “slander and character defamation”.
Read their full statement below;
We would like to address the comments associating our brand to the alleged case of food poisoning.
After thorough investigation, we would like to officially confirm that the products served from our restaurant on the same day we have conducted a routine call back to guests served just to find out how their dining experience was and we did not get any complaint.
At Domino’s Pizza Nigeria, safety and Hygiene are our watch words and we operate with International health guidelines, developed, audited and monitored by Domino’s International. Our guests trust us enough to walk through our doors, order online or call our lines and we will never betray that trust.
It is unfortunate that some media houses have picked this up as a confirmed story without speaking to anyone from our team. Our legal team will address this slander and brand character defamation accordingly.
We however are not inhumane to ignore the fact that someone fell ill; irrespective of the fact that the products as served from our restaurants could not have caused this incident; we empathize with her and we have also tried to reach out to her.
Domino’s Pizza is an internationally recognized brand that has been in existence over the years with a good record of safety and health control plan which is assessed periodically by both international and local health organizations and we will continue to keep up this standard as the health of our customers is our utmost priority.


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Party Like its 2000 with Microsoft, AOL, Yahoo! and Intel
Jonathan is a member of The Motley Fool Blog Network -- entries represent the personal opinion of the blogger and are not formally edited.
Old school Internet stocks such as Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT), Intel (NASDAQ: INTC), AOL, and Yahoo! have performed much better than social media newbies such as Facebook (NASDAQ: FB), Groupon (NASDAQ: GRPN) and Zynga (NASDAQ: ZNGA). While all of these companies have share prices far below their peaks during the dot.com boom, Microsoft, Intel, AOL and Yahoo have all stood the proverbial "test of time." Zynga, Groupon and Facebook are not faring so well in this most demanding of matches in just the first year of being publicly traded.
In March 2010, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, who made his billions from selling an Internet company to Yahoo!, wrote an article for his blog entitled, "Is Facebook the new internet and how soon before Microsoft tries to buy it?" He concluded his piece with, "Time will tell, but there is no question that Facebook is quickly becoming the biggest threat to the futures of Apple and Google."
In June of this year, Mark Cuban sold his 150,000 shares of Facebook stock, lamenting that, "I already sold it, I took my hit, my thesis was wrong. I thought we would get a quick bounce just about the excitement about the stock. I was wrong, and when you are wrong you don't wait, you just get out. So I took a beating and left." Cuban may have been wrong to buy, but he was certainly right to sell as Facebook is down 26.44% for the last month of market action.
What Microsoft, AOL, Yahoo and Intel all have that Facebook, Zynga and Groupon all lack are barriers-to-entry and an economic moat. About this, Warren Buffett stated, “In business, I look for economic castles protected by unbreachable ‘moats’.” Groupon, Zynga and Facebook have nothing even approaching this: the first clue is that all depend heavily on advertising revenues.
The competitors of Microsoft, Yahoo, AOL and Intel can be readily tallied. Each other, obviously, for Microsoft, AOL and Yahoo! in term of being Internet service providers with search engines, along with Google. For Intel, competitors are among the biggest companies in tech such as Samsung, Texas Instruments, and Applied Materials. You cannot build semi-conductor chips in a dorm room at Harvard.
For Facebook, Groupon and Zynga, virtually everyone is a competitor for advertising dollars. Periodicals such as newspapers and magazines compete, in addition to television and radio stations. The free community weekly takes away business; as do high school newspapers and yearbooks. AOL, Yahoo! and Microsoft all vie for revenues from marketing and public relations, too. This is such a competitive industry that Microsoft just wrote off the $6.2 billion acquisition cost for aQuantive, an online advertising company.
As a comparison, the current market capitalization for Zynga is $2.28 billion. For Groupon, it is $4.90 billion. There is something to be said for having the resources to stay in the race.
There is even more to be said for having the cash flow pay a dividend. Microsoft pays a dividend of around $2.70%. For Intel, the dividend income goes to shareholders at a 3.46% rate. The average dividend yield for a member of the Standard & Poor's 500 Index is around 2%. Facebook, Groupon and Zynga do not pay dividends.
The past year has been a rewarding one for the shareholders of the Internet stalwarts. For the last 52 weeks of market action, Intel is up by 19.36%. The last year of trading has been good for those owning Yahoo! as it has surged by 19.33%. Year to date, Microsoft has risen by16.16%. Over the same period, AOL has soared by 108.74%. Old school Internet stocks have been rewarded more than passing grades by the market.
By contrast, the new social media crowd is failing the test of time. Year to date, Facebook has fallen by 37.98%. Over the same period, Groupon is down by 63.21%. For 2012, Zynga has plunged 67.16%.
There will be survivors from the social media crowd, most likely Facebook, just like there were winners from the dot.com boom. Obviously, these include Microsoft, Intel, Yahoo! and AOL as each posses a formidable economic moat with challenging barriers-to-entry. Those companies have evolved to be profitable despite the vicious competiton on the Internet, rewarding shareholders with double digit, even triple for AOL, gains in recent market action. That is certainly not the case for those owning Facebook, Groupon and Zynga.
jonathanyates13 has no positions in the stocks mentioned above. The Motley Fool owns shares of Facebook, Intel, and Microsoft. Motley Fool newsletter services recommend Facebook, Intel, and Microsoft. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.If you have questions about this post or the Fool’s blog network, click here for information.


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According to market research company Canalys, the Xiaomi Band 4 will be the most popular selling health band in the world between the third quarter of 2019 and the first quarter of 2020.
Customers have clearly been won over by the mix of reliable features for fitness tracking and affordable pricing. One further element working in Xiaomi’s favour is the fact that the company has a significant portion of the Asian market; this is something that competitors like Fitbit and Garmin are unable to say about themselves.
The Mi Band 4 was released in June of the previous year, and around one million units were sold in just eight days after its introduction. Since it was released, the wearable has been selling like hotcakes. When all of Xiaomi’s wearables are included, the business has sold over 100 million units since 2014, which is an incredible accomplishment.
The most recent estimate can be attributed to Canalys. They announced shipping predictions for wearables between the third quarter of 2019 and the first quarter of 2020. We were unable to find the exact study on the website of the market research company, but it is clear that Xiaomi has seen the numbers because it turned to Twitter to let everyone know about them!
This is not a simple accomplishment. Although smartwatches have taken the lion’s share of market growth over the past several years, fitness wristbands are still doing quite well in terms of sales. The fitness tracking market is a crowded one.
You don’t need to empty your savings account to buy one of the several inexpensive tracking gadgets that are readily available. In addition to the Mi Band, the Huawei Band Pro, the Fitbit Inspire, and the Letscom Fitness Tracker are some of our favourites. However, there are a great many others.
It is uncertain if the Xiaomi Mi Band 5 will be able to achieve the same level of success as its predecessor, particularly given that the most recent model is sold at a somewhat higher price than its predecessor. The wearable was released in Asia a few weeks ago, and in comparison to the first version, it features some improvements. The most notable improvement is a display that is 1.2 inches bigger in size.
On July 15th, a premiere is scheduled to take place throughout Europe. On that day, viewers will be able to watch the launch via a live video broadcast. The gadget will be known as the Mi Smart Band 5 when it is released on the continent.
There are also rumours that a Pro edition will be released, which may have a Pulse Oximeter, support for international NFC, and features for Amazon Alexa. If what you’ve heard proves to be true, it will make it easier to tell the most recent iteration apart from the ones that came before it.


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A month after buying shares of Haivision to establish itself as the third largest shareholder of the streaming solutions provider, the Ontario company Evertz wants to buy the entire Montreal company.
Itself listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange, Evertz is offering to acquire all of Haivision’s shares at a price of $4.50 each, the equivalent of a 22% premium to the $3.70 share price recorded at markets close on Monday.
In response, Haivision’s stock quickly jumped 23% to $4.55 when trading opened Tuesday on the Toronto Stock Exchange, suggesting a higher bid is expected.
In response to Evertz’s initiative, Haivision simply said on Tuesday that its board would review the proposal to determine what is in the best interests of the company and its stakeholders.
Experts, however, expect the proposal to be rejected.
“I expect Haivision to be more demanding,” commented analyst Robert Young of Canaccord in a research note sent to clients.
His colleague Nick Corcoran, at Acumen, agrees. “It’s probably an opening offer with the potential for an increase if negotiations continue,” he said in a note published on Tuesday.
Nick Corcoran calculates that even by paying $9 per share to acquire Haivision, Evertz would achieve a beneficial transaction for its shareholders.
For his part, Robert Young does not exclude the possibility that a competing proposal will emerge.
Last month, Evertz revealed that it bought shares of Haivision to hold a 10% stake. The Ontario company said it had bought the shares of Haivision for investment purposes. Evertz, however, sold a small block of Haivision shares last week, reducing its stake to just under 10%. In this way, Evertz is now no longer required to report its transactions in the security unless it makes purchases that again increase this stake to 10% or more.
In interview with The Press a month ago, the founder and CEO of Haivision, Mirko Wicha, was adamant: Havision is not for sale.
Haivision made the leap to the stock market two years ago by completing an initial public offering at an initial price of $6 when Haivision’s turnover amounted to 83 million.
The company has since made two acquisitions and sales should soon reach 135 million. The company has grown and does not need money, pointed out Mirko Wicha last month. The value of the company nevertheless fell sharply with the whole of the tech sector.


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Sirius XM Radio has got a lot of big issues: a huge debt load; its deflated stock price; the auto industry — its biggest source of news subscribers — is hurting; and consumers are shying away from consumer electronics this holiday season.
The company planned to address some of those issues today at its shareholder meeting, hoping to win the right to issue 3.5 billion shares and launch a reverse stock split. Those moves may not fix all of its woes.
To be clear, they are bringing back “The Strobe” and “Backspin”, respectively, Disco and Old School Hip-Hip channels that bit the dust when Sirius last month combined its content with XM’s. The consolidation angered listeners and even sparked a mass cancellation effort.
Most people, save for “hip-hop heads”, have no idea who this respected figure in old school rap is. But for listeners of XM Satellite’s defunct channel “The Rhyme”, her show “Ladies’ First with Monie Love” was a “must-hear”, full of classic jams and special guests. (Think Little Steven’s show for rap crowd).


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Are you looking for a stock?
Try one of these
Visa Inc. (V-N) said Wednesday quarterly profit rose by 40 percent, on a higher volume of global payments and a gain from revaluing its Visa Europe put option.
San Francisco-based Visa also announced plans to buy back $1 billion US in Class A common shares, under a board authorization that expires in July 2012.
The credit card payment processor reported fiscal third-quarter net income of $1 billion, or $1.43 per Class A common share, up from $716 million, or 97 cents per share, a year ago.
Excluding the one-time, noncash gain on its Visa Europe put option, Visa earned $883 million, or $1.26 per share.
Analysts estimated the credit card payment processor would report net income of $1.23 per share, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.
Net operating revenue increased 14 percent to $2.3 billion from a year ago.


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As of February 11th, 2015, phone carriers in the USA are required to unlock phones if requested by the customer.
Why were phones locked in the first place? Well, since phone providers offer subsidized phone prices that are cheaper than unlocked phones, it became common practice (and legal) for them to lock phones, and it was somehow illegal for customers to unlock them.
Now, though, revisions have been made to the laws causing this complication. Now, the following is in effect:
Postpaid Unlocking Policy. Carriers, upon request, will unlock mobile wireless devices or provide the necessary information to unlock their devices for their customers and former customers in good standing and individual owners of eligible devices after the fulfillment of the applicable postpaid service contract, device financing plan, or payment of applicable early termination fee. Prepaid Unlocking Policy. Carriers, upon request, will unlock prepaid mobile wireless devices no later than one year after initial activation, consistent with reasonable time, payment or usage requirements.
These rules have actually been in place for quite some time, but carries had until today, February 11th, to follow all of the rules (before, they had to follow at least half of them by May 11, 2014).


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Amazon Smart TV Line Reportedly Launches In October
When it comes to buying TVs, one of the most common places that people shop online is Amazon. Amazon also has a full line of streaming hardware, allowing users to cut the cable and stream content from the Internet to the TV. Amazon already has its Fire TV streaming devices integrated into some brands of smart TVs available on its website and in stores.
A new report indicates that Amazon is getting ready to launch its own line of smart TVs, which presumably will be branded as Fire TVs. According to the report, the development of the smart TV line has been underway for two years.
The TVs will feature Alexa. The expectation is for models ranging from 55 to 75-inches in screen size. The report indicates the TVs are a result of Amazon Devices and Lab126 divisions working together.
While the TVs are being designed in-house, they are being manufactured by third parties. One of those third parties is TCL, which already offers smart TVs using the Amazon Fire streaming service.


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Nestle’s controversial food product Maggi has managed to strengthen its position with more than 50% market share in the Noodles category. The product was re-launched in the stores in November, 2015 after it was banned for about five months by the Food Safety and Standards Authority in India.
Maggi was banned after allegations were made that the noodles contained lead in excess of the permissible limit. The company after re-gaining success in the market has re-launched its popular variants oats noodles and vegetable aata noodles. The vegetable aata and oats noodles are available at Rs. 20 for 80 gms and Rs. 25 for 73 gms.
Suresh Narayanan, the chairman and managing director of Nestle India at the re-launch said, “Over the past 33 years, Maggi has become the most trusted and valuable food brand in India.” Narayanan also informed that they continue to lead the noodles category with more than 50% market share.
The Chairman also said that they understand the changing lifestyles of the generations and have constantly innovated products that add value to Maggi. At present Maggi is available in the market in two variants Chicken and Masala. Narayanan added that the company with the latest re-launch are aiming to suit the consumer preferences and building back their market share.


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Online Tech Reseller Slammed By ACCC
ACCC has announced it will take action against discount tech reseller MSY for alleged misrepresentation of consumer guarantees.
“The ACCC alleges that MSY Technology breached the Australian Consumer Law by misrepresenting consumers’ rights to a repair, replacement, or a refund when they have purchased faulty products,” ACCC Commissioner Sarah Court said.
The regulator says that statements made by the company both within its retail stores and website claim that the company had discretion over whether a customer was entitled to a remedy for a faulty product, within what period they could request a refund, the nature of that refund and whether or not customers could be charged an administration fee to replace a faulty product.
“Businesses must not mislead consumers about their consumer guarantee rights. Consumers who have purchased a faulty product have a right under the consumer guarantees to remedies which businesses cannot restrict, alter, or remove,” Court says.
MSY Technology operates 28 retail stores across Australia and an online site which sells computers, computer parts, accessories, and electronic goods. In 2011, a number of these stores were penalised $203,500 for false and misleading consumer warranty representations, following action by the ACCC.
“The ACCC is particularly concerned that this type of conduct by businesses which have a national presence has the potential to cause significant consumer harm,” Ms Court said.
The regulator is seeking declarations, injunctions, a comprehensive compliance program, penalties, and costs.


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AARP-American Association Retired Persons www.aarp.org
Federal Communication Commission (FCC) www.fcc.gov.
Federal Trade Commission (9-12 Noon) (FTC) www.ftc.gov
Internet Crime Compliant Center (FBI & NWCCC) www.ic3.gov
National Fraud Information Center/Internet Fraud Watch www.fraud.org
National DO NOT CALL Registry www.donotcall.gov
U.S. Postal Inspector www.uspsoig.gov
Consumer Sentinel http://www.consumer.gov/sentinel
The Consumer Sentinel is a one-stop, secure investigative cybertool and complaint database, on a separate restricted-access secure web site, that provides hundreds of law enforcement agencies immediate access to Internet cons, telemarketing scams and other consumer fraud-related complaints. It gives consumers a way to voice their complaints about fraud to law enforcement officials worldwide.
South Carolina Association of Counties http://www.sccounties.org/counties/county-web-govt.htm
South Carolina Chambers of Commerce and Jaycees http://www.sciway.net/org/buscoc.html
South Carolina Small Business Development Centers http://scsbdc.moore.sc.edu


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Son of Nor Summary
Austrian developer Stillalive Studios has announced they've teamed up with SteelSeries and Tobii to introduce their "revolutionary eye-tracking device" as part of the Son of Nor experience.
Already they support Oculus Rift and the emotiv EPOC brain-computer-interface, as Stillalive see their game as a "great case study" because of telekinesis and terraforming.
Austrian developer Stillalive Studios has posted two of their latest developer diaries for their Kickstarter project, Son of Nor. Both of the videos deal with AI and how the enemies are being programmed.
The team also reveal an alarm system we'll have to be mindful of. The official forums for Son of Nor are now also live, with backers able to gain access to an exclusive area once approved.
Today marked the end of Son of Nor's 30 day Kickstarter campaign and the singleplayer and co-op action adventure fantasy game almost didn't make it. It limped to victory with just $1,175 over its $150k goal.
2,244 backers are responsible stillalive Studios' Son of Nor to live, fight and landscape desert another day. "WOOOOO WE MADE IT!!!!!!" was the team's impassioned 'update' on Kickstarter.
Son of Nor has just over a day left of funding left, having covered $117K of the $150K goal, but stillalive studios promises that regardless of whether the game makes its goal, backers will be rewarded for their support.
Feel like Professor X when he plays a video game?! Well, that does sound a little far-fetched - and it is because I just made it up. What's not made up though is the Emotiv EPOC, and stillalive Studios will prove it.
CEO Julian Mautner demonstrates in a new video for Son or Nor how the device works with the game. He doesn't blame people for their scepticism, because of how "insane and fake it really sounds."


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LOS ANGELES (REUTERS) – Apple is delaying the planned December movie theatre release of movie The Banker, one of its first original films, a source close to the company said on Friday (Nov 22), amid ongoing concerns about the period drama.
The movie's debut on Apple's newly launched streaming service Apple TV+ will also likely be delayed, the source said.
No new dates for the release of the film were given.
The Banker was supposed to go into a limited number of US movie theatres on Dec 6, and onto the streaming platform in January.
However, Apple canceled the planned Nov 21 world premiere saying it was investigating unspecified concerns.
"Last week, some concerns surrounding the film were brought to our attention," Apple said in a statement on Wednesday, announcing the cancellation of the world premiere.
"We, along with the filmmakers, need some time to look into these matters and determine the best next steps."
Apple has given no details of its concerns.
The Banker is based on the real-life story of two African-ARead More – Source


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The Post Office has been given the go-ahead to complete its acquisition of the Payzone bill payment business by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA).
With over 500 million bill payment transactions across the UK last year, the newly-approved deal will provide nearly 25,000 locations at which customers can pay their household bills quickly and conveniently.
Post Office retail chief executive, Debbie Smith, said: “We’re thrilled to welcome Payzone’s bill payments network into the wider Post Office group. Bill payments are a vital service for customers, particularly for many vulnerable or elderly customers and people who don’t have online access so rely on paying their bills over the counter.
“This deal allows us to more than double our bill payment network. Through our combined reach of 25,000 bill payment outlets we are now in an even stronger position to compete for new and bigger bill payment contracts, helping to bring in more customers for Post Office branches and Payzone retailers alike.”
The deal, which sees the Post Office acquire an additional network of more than 13,000 Payzone bill payment outlets open more than 100 hours a week, is expected to be completed in the next week.
Work will also begin on integrating technology in both Payzone outlets and Post Offices, so customers will be able to pay the same bills at either a Payzone outlet or a Post Office branch.


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Do you know how much sugar is in your drink?
Do you know how much sugar is in your energy drink?
A new survey by safefood has revealed that energy drinks manufacturers have reduced sugar content in energy drinks in response to the Sugar Sweetened Drinks Tax, but that there has been an increase in the proportion of drinks being
sold in bigger serving sizes.
The survey found that the average sugar content per serving of energy drinks has fallen by approximately two level teaspoons of sugar (from 31g in 2015 to 23g in 2019).
Of the three leading energy drink brands who have a combined market share of 80%, there was a reduction in the sugar content of the market leader but no reduction in the sugar content of the other two.
The survey revealed that before the introduction of the sugar tax, 74% of energy drinks in the Irish market would have been eligible for taxation (i.e. containing at least 5g of sugar per 100ml).
The 2019 survey data shows that only 41% are now eligible for taxation.
The snapshot survey by safefood identified an increase in the number of energy drink products for sale (from 39 to 42) with a large increase in drinks sold in 500ml servings (8 in 2015 v 16 in 2019) and no change in the number of drinks sold in 250ml servings.
Commenting on the report, Minister for Health Simon Harris, TD said, “I welcome the progress in reformulation by manufacturers since the introduction of the Sugar Sweetened Drinks Tax and it is encouraging to see a significant reduction in sugar content in many products. However, it is disappointing that some of these manufacturers have not responded
appropriately. Many of these products are still high in sugar and I strongly urge retailers and manufacturers to consider further measures to reduce the sugar content of their products. I am also very concerned at the trend in increasing container sizes. I call on children, young people and their parents to be aware that these drinks are still unsuitable for consumption by them.”
The latest market research² shows that between 2015 and 2018, there was a 3.4% increase in the volume of energy drinks sold in off-trade (i.e. supermarkets, convenience stores and discounters) in Ireland and this now totals 26.7m litres. This is the equivalent of every man, woman and child drinking 5.5 litres of energy drinks every year and puts Ireland near the very top of energy drink consumption relative to other countries in the EU.
Dr Marian O’Reilly, Chief Specialist in Nutrition, safefood continued; “Regular energy drinks are basically sugary drinks with added caffeine and we know that sugary drinks are linked with poor dental health and excess weight. It’s a concern that they are cheap, readily available, in large containers and are marketed in a way that is appealing to young people. It is encouraging to see the fall in the average sugar content of these products. However, this is in contrast to caffeine contents appearing to have increased, with one serving of an energy drink contributing more caffeine than a standard espresso. These drinks are not suitable for children and we would encourage those aged over 16 to consider energy drinks as an occasional drink due to the often-high sugar and caffeine content.”
The report “A survey of energy drinks on the island of Ireland – 2019” is available to download from safefood website (www.safefood.eu) along with a poster for schools.
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Scandal leaves Kobe Steel with ‘zero credibility’
The chief executive of Kobe Steel said yesterday that a deepening scandal over false inspections data may have spread beyond Japan and conceded his company now had “zero credibility”.
US carmaker General Motors is the latest manufacturer to check whether its vehicles contain falsely certified parts or components sourced from Japan’s thirdbiggest steelmaker.
“General Motors is aware of the reports of material deviation in Kobe Steel copper and aluminium products,” said a spokesman. “We are investigating any potential impact and do not have any additional comments at this time.”
Kobe Steel’s chief executive, Hiroya Kawasaki, apologised yesterday and promised his firm would report to the trade ministry on the results of urgent safety inspections within a fortnight. He also said the cause of the falsified data would be explained within a month.
“The credibility of Kobe Steel has plunged to zero. We will make efforts to regain trust as soon as possible,” he said.
The scandal has forced some of Japan’s best-known manufacturers to confirm the safety of products sourced from the company. Toyota and Nissan are among about 200 affected companies, and Hitachi said it had used Kobe Steel parts in trains built for the UK market.
“Products used met safety standards, but they did not meet the specifications that were agreed between us and Kobe Steel,” a Hitachi spokesman said.