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iRadio da Motorola; ainda não é desta
«Motorola's iRadio mobile music solution is on hold for a while. The much-hyped service that had been in beta testing for more than a year now is going back to the drawing board for some major revisions, in the hopes it can one day see the light of day.
According to Motorola's Dave Ulmer, iRadio's primary champion and spokesperson, U.S. wireless operators balked at the idea of mobile phones that cached Internet radio streams via a PC connection, and instead wanted it to be a streaming music service that used their networks.
Operators in Asia and Europe are more open to the original iRadio model, and would adopt iRadio-capable device more quickly he says, but Motorola has no music licensing agreements in those areas like it does in the U.S.»
fonte: «Motorola's iRadio Delayed, February 28, 2007, Billboardbiz, by Antony Bruno


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The Gap Inc. is showing continued turnaround muscle as its fourth-quarter results, reported after Thursday’s market close, bested Wall Street’s consensus expectations by 2 cents.
Shares of Gap rose 1.3 percent to $32.92 and then gained 2.2 percent to $33.65 in early after-market trading following the earnings report.
For the three months ended Feb. 2, net income rose 61 percent to $351 million, or 73 cents a diluted share, from $218 million, or 44 cents, a year ago. Net sales for the period rose 10.3 percent to $4.73 billion from $4.28 billion.
For the North American businesses in the quarter, Gap posted a 4 percent comparable-store sales gain; Banana Republic was up 3 percent and Old Navy rose 8 percent. International comps were down 2 percent. According to the company, the Gap, Banana Republic and Old Navy businesses in North America each posted positive comparable sales for four consecutive quarters. In the U.S., Gap sales rose 4 percent to $972 million; Banana Republic sales gained 6.3 percent to $655 million, and Old Navy sales climbed 11.5 percent to $1.46 billion.
For the year, net income rose 36.3 percent to $1.14 billion, or $2.33 a diluted share, from $833 million, or $1.56, last year. Net sales rose 7.6 percent to $15.65 billion from $14.55 billion. The Gap Inc. Direct division saw $1.9 billion in net sales, or a 24 percent increase over fiscal year 2011.
Glenn Murphy, chairman and chief executive officer, said during the conference call regarding the fourth quarter: “We believe there’s a lot more business to be had for us in December. When I look at the business and dissected it and spent time with the teams after the holidays, we still have quite a bit of opportunity available to us [to unlock] between Thanksgiving and Christmas. The consumer patterns are really shifting and we have a big amount of business done around Thanksgiving and Black Friday, and a lot of business being done the last three days before Christmas.”
He said the company needs to figure out the three weeks in between. As for its $130 million acquisition of specialty retailer Intermix on Dec. 31, Murphy said, “We love that business. There are a lot of talented people at Intermix. We are going to help them when it comes to the integration strategy [and] we feel better about the decision we made today than six weeks ago.”
As for why the company is doing so well, the ceo had one answer: “It starts, for me, and ends with product.”
He also gave kudos to the merchant and design teams for product that is “absolutely right on [for] what the brands stand for.”
Murphy also addressed some sourcing policy changes at the company, noting that a few years ago during the recession it was focused more on vendors and margin rate, negotiating cut-and-make prices. Under the new focus on chasing rapid response and putting new styles to work inside of a season, the company has focused on stronger relationships with mills and fabrics because a company that wants speed and understands the gross margin upside has to “have fabric ready to go.”
As for the overseas business, Murphy said China continues to do well for Gap Inc., where it has core Gap stores, an outlet business and an online operation. He said they plan to open 35 stores in China in 2013.
The first international store for Old Navy was opened in 2012 in Tokyo. The company said it plans to open as many as 20 more stores in 2013. Murphy said customer response has been great because “what’s missing for so many customers in Tokyo is a family brand based on [an] American aesthetics value proposition.”
As for fiscal year 2013, Murphy said the company has been spending time asking questions about the customer and the economy: “That’s important for us. With the new global platform we have choices. Where do we think the biggest potential is for us?”
The ceo said the company needs to “continue to give her reasons to buy. More excitement. Think of some examples last year: We launched the Rockstar jeans at Old Navy that was provocative. That gave her a reason to buy. When Gap came up with the marketing campaign called Icons Redefined, that gave her a reason to buy. If you are going to win in this environment, doing the same thing all over again is not a winning strategy. We have to bring more and more uniqueness, differentiation and excitement to the business. So beyond that, some big priorities for us as we look forward, one is the growth.”
The ceo also spoke cryptically about “some really good ideas that will be launched in 2013, which we will talk about down the road. We have to have this to win long-term.”
Sabrina Simmons, the firm’s chief financial officer, said the company will use a balanced approach to deliver on its financial goals: “We will focus on growing sales with healthy merchandise margins, managing our expenses in a disciplined manner, and delivering operating margin expansion and earnings-per-share growth.”
The cfo added that Gap expects to “grow operating margin from about 12% in 2012 to about 13% in 2013.” She added that it is also committed to returning excess cash to shareholders. Separately, the company raised its dividend by 20 percent to 60 cents in fiscal year 2013, with the first quarterly payment of 15 cents a share payable on May 1 to shareholders of record as of April 10, 2013.
The company provided fiscal 2013 guidance and said diluted earnings-per-share is expected at between $2.52 and $2.60, representing an 8 to 12 percent increase from fiscal year 2012.
@margotrobbie steps out onto the red carpet wearing @miumiu. The actress is nominated for “Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role” in “I, Tonya” at the #SagAwards. (📷: Stewart Cook) #wwdfashion
For @massimogiorgetti of @msgm, the Nineties are his favorite decade. “They had a huge impact on my personal growth. What I like of the Nineties is that they are not so precise in terms of style as other decades…there was actually a bit of everything,” he said. As seen on MSGM’s Spring 2018 show: tie-dye and a bit of grunge, two styles that are synonymous with the decade #wwdfashion #wwddecades (📷: @kukukuba)
Breaking News: @hedislimane joins @celine as its new artistic, creative and image director. One of fashion’s preeminent image-makers and trendsetters, Slimane is to join the LVMH brand on Feb. 1 and unveil his first fashion proposition for men and women next September during Paris Fashion Week. It marks a major homecoming for Slimane, who cemented his reputation – and influenced men’s tailoring for more than a decade – as the designer of Dior Homme between 2000 and 2007. He went on to reinvent and ignite the house of Yves Saint Laurent, which he rechristened Saint Laurent, between 2012 and 2016 – all the while maintaining a close relationship with the Arnault family, which controls LVMH and Dior. Read the full exclusive story on WWD.com. Link in bio. #wwdnews #wwdfashion
“Personally I believe the Eighties have been the richest and more vivacious period for international fashion,” Giorgio Armani said when asked what his favorite decade of fashion is. It was a moment of disruption and experimentation and only thinking back to the first years of that decade is always an emotion for me, for what they have meant to me and my work.” The influence is clear in @giorgioarmani spring 2018 collection, pictured here, which was full of bright colors and unexpected prints. Read more about which decades designers loved most on WWD.com #wwdfashion #wwddecades (📷: @aitorrosasphoto)
For Lady Gaga’s only Italian show on her “Joanne World Tour,” the singer wore a range of @versace_official outfits. The standout piece: this custom-made bodysuit inspired by the brand’s spring 2018 collection. #wwdfashion (RG: @ladygaga)
@_camillaruth_ is expanding on the wellness-craze concept with @westbourne – a new NYC restaurant that’s both a healthy-minded café as well as a business that gives back to the community. Marcus works with the Robin Hood foundation to give back to The Door, a non-profit providing youth development services, and also hires employees through The Door. Read our full interview with Marcus on giving back through food on WWD.com. #wwdeye (📷: @lexieblacklock)

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Like cassette tapes and hand phones, the traditional wholesale model of fashion industry seems to be out of date. The so-called wholesale is to sell products to department stores at a certain discount price, and then the department stores are responsible for the external sales.
As a fashion leader, retailers have become averse to the risk overlap brought about by discount cycles. Over the past five years, prada has been trying to rectify its wholesale business to maintain its high-end positioning, and has decided to gradually replace these reduced wholesale channel businesses with new online channel businesses. Small brands that used to rely on big shopping malls to convey information can no longer do business with them. At the same time, the rise of direct consumer oriented channels makes the wholesale model look like a thing of the past.
Prada derives 82% of its sales from direct retail channels, including more than 630 Direct stores and e-commerce businesses. However, it is a move that can not be ignored to publicly announce further reduction of wholesale distribution channels.
The wholesale model is indeed out of date, but it will never die out.
For more than a decade - at least since the 2008 financial crisis - retailers have been considering possible ways to refresh their stores through franchises, flash stores and social retailing. However, it is often the first time that the original price has been sold, and the discount is started earlier and earlier, and then the unsold goods are returned, which makes the seller very upset.
Retailers are beginning to ask brands and designers to launch exclusive capsule series more frequently, asking them to make more things so that they can continue to sell products to customers in a topical way. So that discount stores, charity stores and landfills are finally packed.
Vid-19, a new cognitive model of fashion and sustainability, has suddenly emerged.
Franck delpal, a French economics professor, says that in the past 30 years, the market share of independent multi brand retailers in France has fallen from about 40% to less than 10% today, and retailers in Italy have also been hit hard.
According to an in-depth report by Roland Berger and the Federation Francaise Du pret a porter feminin, the wholesale channel lost more than 50% of the women's wear market share between 1990 and 2015.
From 2011 to 2015, this trend was echoed around the world, with the share of women's clothing wholesale market falling from 42% to 30% in Italy, from 60% to 45% in China and from 34% to 27% in Japan, the report said. In the United States, the share of the wholesale market has stabilized at around 42%, while the share of online retailers has risen sharply.
Most industry observers agree that retailers must change their thinking and business models as soon as possible.
They believe that stores should put customers first; cooperate more actively and effectively with the brands they sell; rely on data rather than intuition when making decisions; and understand that "less is more.". In order to be successful, multi brand retailers must differentiate between brand and product planning, exclusive sales or experience, and products that are closer to the market and closer to the season. Customer oriented, not business oriented.
Ed Burstall, who has worked for luxury retailers Bergdorf Goodman, liberty London and Neiman Marcus, said: "the wholesale system is not in line with reality, consumers are constantly bombarded by social media and their attention is constantly shrinking. Social responsibility around equity, the earth's environment and sustainable development has now become the mainstream. You can't predict fashion trends six months from now. "
David Dubois, associate professor of marketing at INSEAD, agrees. He believes that stores need to give priority to sustainability, reduce periodicity and improve transparency, and brands should also consider local production, personalization and being close to seasons and consumers.
Brands should shift from "value chain" (channel) to "circular chain" (recyclable, sustainable materials). For stores and brands, what is needed is a "bottom-up" drive, not a "top-down" approach, and "a truly data centric Omni channel strategy combining online and offline," which most brands and retailers still have today But separate the two.
One of the biggest risks a store can take is to invest money in a brand, designer or specific collection, and then let them wait for customers to leave in the store storeroom.
Christopher Suarez, founder of London fashion brand SS ō ne, who has been working with matchsfashion.com to reuse retailers' excess inventory, believes that stores need to adopt a data-oriented, consumer oriented model.
"Retailers need to get better products and then let the data guide them, they can minimize the risk of the goods they buy, and the fashion director can act as a 'relationship builder' between the store and the brand, without having to pay attention to it from season to season," he said
Luxury goods giants such as Chanel, Dior, Gucci and Saint Laurent know exactly how to reduce the risk of retailers buying. Gachoucha Kretz, a marketing professor at HEC in Paris, said the well-known brands have learned to fill the space of stores and franchises with enduring iconic products that can continue and gain greater pricing power.
Nicholas Kirkwood's co-founder, Suarez, directly addressed the needs of large department stores such as Harrods and Selfridges, as well as other multi brand retailers, by betting on smaller brands to limit risk and help them grow. He said the focus needs to be on "less volume and better sales," allowing stores to give emerging brands "enough time and space to grow and show them a clear path to expand their influence in stores."
Both Selfridges and Le Bon March é in France have adopted the business model of combining wholesale and franchising, which can guide the brand by providing the overall data of department store consumers. At the same time, department stores don't have to worry too much about overstocking at the end of the season.
Earlier this year, Bernstein's Luca Solca also talked about the demise of the wholesale model, but he said wholesale still has a place in the luxury fashion ecosystem. Independent retailers with high reputation and multi brand will survive, but it will be a niche market,
Burstell agrees that retailers still have a lot of room to help them grow after they discover new brands. Unlike well-known brands, small brands or start-ups without financial support may be vulnerable to sustainable sales models. "This is where the wholesale model can flourish - by investing and promoting new, diverse products to consumers."
"Wholesale is very important because not all brands are suitable for retail. In Balmain, for example, luxury brands rely heavily on wholesale channels," Kretz said
JW Anderson is also a brand that relies on wholesale mode. Designer Jonathan Anderson still takes great pains to ensure that buyers can purchase goods normally under the dangerous situation of prohibiting international travel. "I'm not going to give up on our buyers," he said in an interview at the studio
At the same time, the wholesale model is still the main channel to enter such huge and dynamic markets as China, India and the Middle East. It is actually a good thing to have wholesalers at this time. You can understand the market demand more intuitively.
Selfs should be able to diversify the scope of their own products and purchase products in such a way as to diversify the scope of their own business, and at the same time, they should be able to maintain a diversified business model for their own customers.


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Samsung has slashed the price of the Galaxy A50 in India by INR1,500 ($22), bringing down the 4GB RAM model to INR18,490 ($267) and the 6GB RAM variant to INR21,490 ($310). You can purchase the A50 at the new price from Flipkart, Amazon.in, and the company's official India site.
The Samsung Galaxy A50 is powered by an Exynos 9610 SoC and runs Android Pie out-of-the-box. It flaunts a 6.4-inch FHD+ Super AMOLED Infinity-U display and packs a 4,000 mAh battery with 15W fast charging support.
The Galaxy A50 comes with a triple camera setup at the back which is a combination of 25MP main, 8MP ultra-wide, and 5MP depth sensing modules. And on the front, you get a 25MP camera for selfies and video calls. The smartphone has 64GB of onboard storage and ships with an in-display fingerprint scanner.
Of-course, there is nothing better than a discount; big or small, we love them all...


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Caroline is a zealous writer who recently picked interest in Bitcoin and the cryptocurrency community. She's always learning about the industry and aims to provide timely and accurate information about the latest developments in the crypto space
The co-founder of Altonomy Ricky Li has disclosed plans to turn Altonomy toward venture investments and proprietary trading.
Blockchain.com, a leading and pioneering cryptocurrency exchange, has just announced an acquisition deal of Altonomy’s over-the-counter (OTC) trading desk according to a recent report.
Founded in 2018, Altonomy is a digital assets investments, market making and OTC firm that basically focuses on altcoins. The firm’s OTC desk is used to pair buyers and sellers of hard-to-move assets.
Blockchain.com Expands Crypto OTC Network, Focuses on Altcoins
Despite the prominence Blockchain.com had gained in the crypto space over the years, the exchange is seeking to further serve its users with exclusive functionalities as it has made a huge move to significantly expand its crypto OTC network.
According to Dan Bookstaber, the VP of Markets, “Altonomy’s client network, its Asia footprint and the altcoin focus” were the key factors that triggered the acquisition deal. Prior to the acquisition, Blockchain.com already had one of the larger desks for OTC options that are more complex than spot trades, however, it has decided to further acquire Altonomy’s OTC trading desk in a bid to effectively boost its altcoin trading capacity.
It is correct to say that the acquisition was indeed a milestone to push Blockchain.com into achieving its goals as reports revealed that the deal has significantly expanded Blockchain.com’s presence in crypto OTC trading.
Bookstaber commented on the acquisition saying that “their technology is very good at finding liquidity and managing execution on coins that are much lower liquidity,” “…They have quite a bit of network within the ecosystem of people who are building these clients, far before they ever get listed,” added he.
Autonomy Looks Forward to Venture Investments and Proprietary Trading
Although Blockchain.com did not disclose the terms of the deal, it only revealed that it has already integrated Altonomy’s “core systems” with its existing OTC trading capabilities. With up to 26 employees of Altonomy moving to Blockchan.com. As such, the acquisition will see Altonomy exiting the Altcoin space as it has apparently sold its OTC trading capabilities.q
Nonetheless, the co-founder of Altonomy Ricky Li has disclosed plans to turn Altonomy toward venture investments and proprietary trading.
“The company’s OTC trading “paid well for us” but it was time to make an exit. Clients wanted borrowing and lending services that Altonomy had little interest in building,” Li explained.
“[Now] we just get to manage our own money and trade on the market,” he added.


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Jumia Becomes First African-Built Internet Startup To Launch An IPO
Jumia’s historic initial public offering has gone live last Friday trading on the New York Stock Exchange and its stock shot up.
The African eCommerce giant has sold 13.5 million American Depositary Shares at $14.50 each to raise $216 million and will be trading with the stock symbol “JMIA”.
With the public offering, Jumia is first African-built internet startup to launch an IPO and be listed on the NYSE. Jumia also joins the ranks of a few African companies listed on an American stock exchange.
While the sharp jump on its first day of trading signals a positive outlook from investors, it is by no means a permanent trend as another recent high-profile tech IPO proves. After launching amid strong interest and gaining on its share price on its first trading day, ride-hailing company Lyft has broken its IPO price just two weeks after its launch.
So Jumia has not turned a profit, but its revenues have increased steadily, up 11 percent to €93.8 million (roughly $106.2 million) in 2017 and up again to €130 million (or $147 million) in 2018.
Founded in 2012 as a Rocket Internet-backed startup for Nigerians to buy and sell online, Jumia has come a long way and had a positive impact on the Nigerian and African startup ecosystem.
In 2016 Jumia became the first African unicorn with a $1 billion valuation following a $326 million funding round.


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EA DICE is still rolling out updates for the glitchy “Battlefield 4.” The newest update launched this morning for the Xbox One and PC, promising “BF4” players improvements on several issues - from sound loop crashes to missing sound in team/squad death matches.
The updates are listed below via a recent forum post on the site.
We’ve started rolling out a new "Battlefield 4" game update on Xbox One. You may experience some downtime during this rollout, as we are also updating the game servers. As usual, it will take a few hours before the majority of servers are updated.
Feb 25 Xbox One Game update notes
-Fix for an issue where spawning into, or switching to, a gunner seat in an IFV/MBT sometimes could cause the game to crash
-Fix for a crash that could occur when signing out as an active user
-Fix for missing sound in Team/Squad Death match -Fix for an issue in the Defuse game mode, where a bomb carrier would be permanently spotted
-Decreased the rate at which the kill card would incorrectly display 0 health, while the enemy was clearly alive
-Fix for an invisible wall that was incorrectly present in one of the fallen concrete pipes on Zavod 311
-Fix for an issue where bullet impact sounds weren’t properly matching the actual number of impacts, causing the players to feel that they died too quickly.
-Fix for an issue where the “Draw” message would not display on-screen once a Conquest round ended with both teams having the same amount of tickets
-Fix for an issue where long IDs wouldn’t scroll on dog tags -Fix for missing grass physics in terrain
-Fix for an issue that would appear if a 10-user party joined a game with 8 available slots, leaving 2 of the players stuck on the loading screen
-Fix for an issue where the player camera would be positioned inside of the soldier when parachute spawning -Fix for a MAV exploit that let players reach various out-of-map locations
For the PC, EA DICE fixed a number of errors, including a sound loop crash that caused the game to freeze, an issue that prevented players from shooting while in the gunner position of a vehicle and the headshot icon appearing incorrectly at non-headshot deaths.
Since “Battlefield 4” launched on Oct. 29, the game has experienced major technical issues and crashes across all platforms. When players voiced their complaints, EA and DICE responded swiftly, creating patches for the game. A patch for PS4 errors was launched on Jan. 14.
The title is now available for the next-gen Xbox One and PlayStation 4 in addition to the PS3, the Xbox 360 and the PC version of the game.
DICE has promised that development of future games would be on hold until “BF4” was working correctly.
"We know we still have a ways to go with fixing the game -- it is absolutely our No. 1 priority. The team at DICE is working non-stop to update the game,” an EA representative told gaming website IGN in December.
"We know many of our players are frustrated, and we feel your pain. We will not stop until this is right."


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Valor Real Estate Partners and QuadReal Property Group have announced a joint venture to invest €1bn (£901m) in urban logistics assets located in UK, French and German cities.
The joint venture will reportedly focus on “last-mile” logistics assets located in the greater metropolitan areas of London, Paris and Berlin, with a “secondary focus” on major UK and EU gateway cities, such as Manchester, Lyon and Frankfurt.
The sector has benefitted strongly from “accelerating e-commerce growth” in response to changing consumer behaviour.
QuadReal will reportedly be the majority investor with an initial “capital commitments” of €440m (£396m) and said with “leverage”, it will provide in “excess” of €1bn (£901m) of investable capital.
Jay Kwan, managing director Europe, QuadReal, said: “Urban logistics is one of our highest conviction strategies globally.
“Given the e-commerce growth that has accelerated rapidly as a result of Covid-19 and which is forcing businesses of all shapes and sizes to ensure their distribution networks are fit-for-purpose.
“Valor is a fast-growing platform with proven capital deployment capabilities, and this new venture continues our strategy of working with best-in-class real estate partners with exceptional track records of generating strong returns.”
Valor will be responsible for developing in-house and managing “infill logistics” assets, having grown a circa “€1bn pan-european portfolio” of prime urban logistics assets in just four years.
Christian Jamison, managing partner, Valor, said: “There remains a critical shortage of warehouse space and an imbalance that is growing as a result of both near term drivers, such as Covid-19, as well as long term drivers, such as urbanisation.”


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AHF Products Purchases Armstrong Flooring Assets
AHF Products has acquired the rights to license the Armstrong Flooring brand name and three U.S. manufacturing facilities.
This expands AHF Products’ domestic footprint, enhancing the company’s customer base, production efficiencies and logistical capabilities. The addition also provides insulation from volatility around tariffs, duties and high shipping costs, which positions AHF Products to continue providing superior customer service given the dislocated global supply chain, says the company.
“AHF is primed to benefit from a strong long-term outlook in both residential repair and remodel spend and new residential housing construction, and the benefits afforded by our strong domestic manufacturing capabilities,” says the company’s president and CEO, Brian Carson. “This purchase also significantly increases our position in the commercial flooring segment, which is expected to grow.”
Since its inception, AHF Products has grown rapidly in both the residential and commercial flooring segments by broadening its product offerings through its brands, manufacturing capabilities and channels of distribution. The company previously acquired LM Flooring in 2019, followed by Parterre Flooring and American OEM in 2021.
With this purchase, the company now offers 14 brands and operates 11 manufacturing facilities — seven wood plants and three vinyl facilities in the U.S., and one engineered hardwood plant in Cambodia — as well as four stateside distribution facilities.


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Gwyneth Paltrow ‘Stunned’ By Artificial Makeup, Switches To Organic Makeup
Aging Hollywood belle Gwyneth Paltrow was shocked by the perils of prolonged use of synthetic makeup and has decided she has endured this long enough. Paltrow and entrepreneur Karen Behnke have set themselves a mission to address the growing concern in the beauty industry that the major organic ingredients and the desired effect have consistently been missing in organic makeup products.
The synthetic beauty industry, estimated to be worth more than $50 million by Forbes, is under scrutiny in light of recent discoveries that common beauty products, such as nail polish, can cause respiratory diseases.
— ForbesLife (@ForbesLife) January 11, 2016
Paltrow admits that she had been naïve to believe the cosmetics industry’s public claims to use organic ingredients in their products.
“I wear makeup heavily in my work. And now that I’m post-40, I’ve started to wear it more often in my day-to-day life. But once my lifestyle website, Goop, started investigating toxicity in these products… I was stunned. I genuinely thought makeup was safe, but that’s not the case.”
In a state of shock, she questioned, how, in 2016, it is still legal for American women to unknowingly slather tire lubricants, artificial dye, and carcinogens on their face.
Paltrow, after learning about the grave danger of synthetic makeup, immediately went on a quest to search for “organic — or at least natural — alternatives,” but she was left frustrated after she could not find anything high-performance enough to achieve the results she was used to.
After making the decision, however, there was a problem. An absolute rookie in the beauty world, she had no idea where to start. Thanks to her investor friend Amanda Eilian (Videolicious), she was introduced to Karen Behnke, a founding partner of the self-proclaimed “eco-chic” skincare line Juice Beauty.
“Juice Beauty had been in a place to hire what we call a ‘Triple A List’ celebrity partner for a long time,” Behnke explained. “But I couldn’t help feeling, ‘That’s not us.’ We wanted someone who could actually walk the walk of our brand… and Gwyneth embodied not only the entrepreneurial spirit and business savvy we were looking for, but also the true passion for clean, but fun, living.”
After nearly three months of intense discussion, the American beauty and the ace entrepreneur with more than 10 years of experience in the industry decided to form a partnership.
A year of frequent meetings soon followed. It was in these meetings the pair decided everything from marketing to package design.
In a press conference regarding the launch, Karen Behnke was all praises to Paltrow.
“Gwyneth was involved in product development from start to finish,” Behnke details. “She was there every step of the way, researching how we could use crushed rose petals instead of artificial dye in our lip colors… how plants and seaweeds are actually an effective, natural way to get pigment into your product.”
Some were skeptical that Paltrow sided with Juice Beauty. After all, the star of her stature could have easily created her own range of organic makeup products. Paltrow, though, had a sensible answer.
“I honestly fell in love with Karen,” Paltrow explained. “She’s a mom; she’s authentic. She has such incredible expertise in the space… You have to remember Goop is a startup. Our biggest problem is that we have too much opportunity, but we can’t do everything at once. When you’ve taken on investment and are trying to scale at a certain place, you don’t want to get diluted down by too many options.”
Paltrow seems satisfied that consumers are more aware than they used to be.
She said, “Everyone wants to know what they’re putting into their bodies… what they’re putting on their skin. Consumers are demanding transparency. And also, the consumer has a lot of information now that we didn’t have 10 or 20 years ago about what all of these various toxins are doing — whether that be GMOs [in our food], or plastics in our personal care products. Ultimately, the consumer is what will change the marketplace.”
— Anjali Khosla (@_anjalikhosla) January 15, 2016
“In the next few years, you’re going to see the prices of organic going down as the production quality goes up,” Paltrow continued. “Which is exactly what we want to see. We don’t want eating carcinogen free food, for example, to be a luxury. It’s insane, and it should be the same with beauty.”
Paltrow, seems to have developed enmity against synthetic products. “I even use Matcha Tea”, She joked. They are confident of their product and expect the organic makeup products to be a huge success in North America, but they have managed to attract the Asian Market as well.
“Our next step will be Asia”, a confident Behnke says.
The organic products, however, do not come so cheap. They cost anywhere from $20 to $48.
[Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images]


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When Disney finally launches its long-rumored Uber-like service, you may not have to worry about tipping your driver.
That’s because your car might not even have a driver.
According to the LA Times, Disney is in negotiations to bring “driverless shuttles” to Walt Disney World in the near future. The plan would be part of their massive overhaul of resort transportation, which includes a shuttle service and a new aerial gondola system.
From the Times…
The sources, who asked not be identified to avoid offending Disney, said the company plans a pilot program later this year to transport employees in the electric-drive robot vehicles. If that goes well, they said, the shuttles would begin transporting park visitors sometime next year.
Below is a video of talk show host James Corden hitching a ride on Local Motors’ Olli Shuttle.
It’s possible that the driverless shuttles are not tied to the Disney “Uber” service, but rather another transportation option that will be available to park guests. Disney declined to comment on the situation, but there will probably be a huge announcement of upgrades to resort transportation in the very near future as these “secret projects” are some of the worst kept secrets in the park’s history.
The Times’ sources said there are no plans for a Disneyland version at this time.
If the gondola is poised to be the Skyway 2.0, then these driverless shuttles could be considered an upgrade of the Peoplemover.
It’s a very forward-thinking concept, and should Disney be able to pull this off, I think Walt would be proud.
What are your thoughts? Comment below or in the forums!


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Tata Motors has always been upbeat about the Geneva Motor Show and has used the previous editions as the stage for world premieres. If fact the iconic Indica made its first European appearance in the prestigious auto show back in 1998.
This year, the Indian automaker will attend the show next month with as many as four world premieres. The Tata 45X in near-production trim will be one of them. This will be different than the 45X concept which was showcased by Tata at the 2018 Auto Expo. It will be closer to production-ready variant.
The 45X hatchback debuted at the 2018 Auto Expo in the form of a design study. The stylish concept previewed a Maruti Baleno and Hyundai i20 rivaling premium hatchback. While its powertrain lineup will be led by conventional IC engines, Tata Motors will also have the all-electric version ready to demonstrate its commitment towards electrification of mobility in India.
The near-production ready variant, which will be showcased next month, will be powered by an electric motor. Details are scarce as of now but we expect it to have an electric powertrain comparable to that of the E-Vision sedan concept that debuted at last year’s GIMS.
For reference, the EVision’s electric motor is claimed to propel the sedan from 0-100 kmph in less than 7 seconds before achieving a top-speed of 200 kmph. The battery, range, and charging time details have not been revealed though.
Although the 45X electric sits on the Alfa modular platform, compared to the EVision concept which employs JLR-derived Omega architecture, the design cues will be similar inside out. The IMPACT 2.0 design philosophy with low-slung stance and clean surfaces received largely positive reviews at the Auto Expo. The EV variant is expected to carry more flair than the IC-engined counterparts to distinguish itself.
If the EVision’s futuristic interiors are anything to go by, the 45X EV is likely to feature hanging cockpit which eases up significant front row space. We could also see the electric premium hatchback offering bench seats at the front. We will know more in a few weeks’ time.
Launch of Tata 45X, with petrol and diesel engine option is scheduled for later this year, around July-Aug 2019 period. It will be priced in the Rs 5.5 lakh to Rs 8.5 lakhs range. Camouflaged test mules in production ready guise have already been spotted on test in India, as seen in the gallery below.


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Apple now on offense against FBI
The FBI might have to disclose the security flaw it seeks to exploit in an Apple iPhone.
After the FBI backed down last week on its demand that Apple provide a way to break into an encrypted cell phone belonging to the person who killed 14 people in San Bernardino, Calif., it now is Apple's turn to go on the offensive.
The FBI might now be pressed into providing Apple with the details of how its third-party hacker – now reportedly Cellebrite – will break into the device so Apple can modify its security vulnerability, according to Bloomberg.
Owing to a recent ruling by the Obama administration, known as an equities review, the FBI might have to disclose the security flaw it seeks to exploit in the Apple phone, unless it can prove to administration officials that doing so would be a risk to national security.The rule sets a time frame for government entities to notify companies of security flaws, after deciding whether to keep them secret or not.


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Anglers swear by it; advertising and pop music thrive on it: the principle that the freshest bait has the most appeal.
As the two industries deepen their alliance with every season, advertisers who employ pop music as a lure have turned to rap for a fresh sound. In fact, so much rap has been incorporated into mainstream television, movies and radio that the former musical outlaw may be on the verge of the ultimate crossover -- total assimilation.
The journey from underground ghetto style to international trendsetter has taken a little more than 15 years, from rap's genesis in South Bronx playgrounds and neighborhood "yard" parties in Jamaica. For most of that time, rap was relegated to the streets, ruled too rough and unrefined for radio or television.
Rap's hard edge initially irritated a large chunk of listeners, explained veteran New York disc jockey Frankie Crocker of WBLS-FM, one of the nation's top "urban contemporary" stations. "We used to get complaints every now and again, especially from older people, and especially from older women."
Some segments of the American audience still cannot abide the machine-gun rhythms of hip-hop, and the ego-boosting swagger of hard-core rap. Advertisers, however, found fertile ground in rap -- especially noncontroversial pop/rap.
"It's effective, it's au courant. There's no doubt about that," said Charles Miesmer, vice chairman and executive creative director of BBDO, a major New York-based advertising agency. "It's hot now and enjoyable in some regards, although it's primarily a young person's thing."
Lane Atkins, creative director of BBDO's Miami branch, says rap's garrulous nature is key to its advertising appeal. "Rap allows you to get a lot of information to an audience in a short period of time."
Advertising and pop music dance a productive pas de deux because of their incessant search for something -- anything -- that defines hip. Hipness is not a quantifiable commodity, but youth appeal is -- in the old-fashioned numbers that companies like to see draped across their bottom lines. Whatever style attracts the teeming young market will be pounced upon by industries dependent upon young consumers. In other words, what youths like, youths get.
The premium placed on rap is most evident in the pitched market battle between Coca-Cola and Pepsi Cola, a big-budget fight for dollars dubbed "The Cola Wars." The stakes are high: 95 percent of American homes stock carbonated soft drinks of one type or another, said Gary Gerdemann, spokesman for Pepsi, which is based in Somers, N.Y.
"The beauty of rap is that it has a high appeal among teens and young adults across the demographic spectrum. That means it gets through to a lot of Pepsi drinkers," Gerdemann said. "People expect us to be on top of the trends of what's hot, what's in, what's cool."
Pepsi sold about 2 1/2 billion cases of soda last year, Gerdemann said.
Coke and Pepsi have slugged it out for the better part of the century, and there is no let-up in the '90s as both companies take credit for the first nationwide ad campaign featuring rap.
"We started it with Young M.C. in the summer of 1990, and now we have M.C. Hammer," Gerdemann said of Pepsi's solid one-two combination.
Pepsi signed Young M.C., a clean-cut kid from Queens, N.Y. with a degree in economics from the University of Southern California and a top-40 hit, Bust A Move. The company upped the ante by signing Hammer to a lucrative endorsement deal. In 1990, Hammer's pop/rap album Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em emerged as one of the most popular albums in history, to date selling more than 10 million copies and making the former Oakland Athletics batboy a household name.
Hammer's first Pepsi commercial took a blatant swipe at the archrival cola. In the 30-second spot, a thirsty Hammer is handed a Coke between songs and walks onstage crooning Feelings, the staple of shiny-suited lounge singers. He switches to Pepsi and the show returns to Hammertime.
The public loved the ad, according to an Adweek magazine poll early this year. Dave Vadehra of Video Storyboard in New York, an advertising pollster, said Hammer was one of the most popular pitchmen of 1990, placing two ads in the year's top 10.
But Coke says it was the first to use rap, with Kurtis Blow's plug for Sprite in 1984. Since then, Coca-Cola products have been pitched by Run- D.M.C., Heavy D and the Boyz, and Kid 'N Play, the latter a pair of comic rappers who parlayed their act into starring movie roles (House Party) and a popular Saturday-morning cartoon series.
M.C. Hammer dives into the youth pool later this year with his own Saturday- morning series.
A trip through Cartoonland reveals that rap is popping up between the shows, in soundtracks to commercials featuring precocious tykes in trendy clothes eating cereal, playing with toys and generally having a fantastic, adult-free time. Rap's popularity among teen-agers has trickled down to their younger siblings.
And therein lies the reason why advertisers and pop music executives are busy looking for the next big thing: The mainstreaming of any new style drains it of hipness, leaving it as flat as day-old soda.
Fewer new ad campaigns will feature rap, Vadehra predicted. "It has had its peak. Few styles stay on top for very long, usually until something else comes along."
And within rap, even the most controversial groups have lost some of their outlaw cachet. Consider Public Enemy, rappers with songs of sharply focused rage and defiance, whose Burn Hollywood Burn berates the movie industry's treatment of blacks, and whose T-shirt logo was splashed across movie screens this summer, worn by the young co-star of Terminator 2.
Or N.W.A. (Niggas With Attitude), whose latest album was briefly No. 1, and whose leader, Easy-E, met with President Bush at the White House and is an outspoken contributor to the California Republican Party.
The pendulum is always in motion and is already swinging away from rap, analysts predict.
BBDO's Atkins: "It works if you want to reach the kids, but its a different story when you want to reach people with money."
Rap, Miesmer predicts, will slowly lose its ad appeal. "It will get dull, like everything else. It might not be popular next year, five years or 10 years from now. "You can't say that about Aretha Franklin -- or Mozart, for that matter. People still listen to them and always will."
---- Michael Saunders writes a local music column for the Sun-Sentinel.


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Advertiser interest in over-the-top is picking up steam and dollars – but cross-platform measurement is lagging behind. Data and analytics company Samba TV hopes to speed the process with the acquisition Thursday of Amsterdam-based cross-device graph provider Screen6.
As the audience for video splits across devices and consumer viewing behavior shifts from linear TV to streaming video, the ability to understand, measure and deduplicate audiences has become critical for both advertisers and programmers. Samba TV, the leader in next-generation TV analytics, announced today it has acquired Screen6, the industry’s only real-time cross-device identity resolution platform.
Samba’s real-time TV viewership data combined with Screen6 technology for cross-device identification provides advertisers, publishers, and platforms immediate access to Samba’s suite of cross-screen measurement solutions to optimize reach and mitigate excess frequency of brand messages.
The topic of identity management has been brought to the fore in numerous guises in 2018: from omnichannel marketing, to GDPR, unique IDs, to navigating user identity and measurement through walled gardens. Keith Petri, CSO of Screen6, shares his views on what will constitute ‘identity’ in 2019 on ExchangeWire, along with other experts in the space.
Amsterdam-based Screen6, a provider of cross-device identity graphs, is out with a new solution that it says can help solve the problem of cookie matching — but without cookies. The Dutch company says its solution can work across a variety of devices, including Over-the-Top (OTT) TV and cookie-challenged mobile devices.
Screen6 laucnhes idSync to solve the match rate challenge and is built to drive better results than today’s server-side syncs. idSync is the only server-to-server solution that precisely matches identifiers between ad tech platforms and exchanges to resolve user identity across desktop, mobile, and cookieless environments such as OTT connected TV and the Internet of Things.
Screen6 announced the launch of idSync, a new data syncing technology that precisely matches IDs between multiple datasets offline. idSync is not reliant on traditional cookie syncing to connect datasets but instead operates independently between platforms to support device matching and ID resolution for optimal match rates.
The emergence of header bidding is further frustrating the efforts of independent ad tech with lower match rates caused by the move from client-side to server-side syncs. Adweek features Screen6’s idSync as the solution to obtain optimal match rates between clients and siloed datasets.
Screen6 launches idSync, a new data syncing technology that precisely matches IDs between multiple datasets offline. idSync is not reliant on traditional cookie syncing to connect datasets, but instead operates independently between platforms to support device matching and ID resolution for optimal match rates.
PulsePoint, the leading global authority in programmatic healthcare technology, has partnered with Screen6 to precisely identify which devices belong to the same user. This allows healthcare marketers to message and activate the patients and physicians they are looking for in privacy-compliant manner.


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Poor spring weather is being blamed for a massive drop in mānuka honey supply that will turn sour for some producers.
Victor Goldsmith of Ngāti Porou Miere limited Partnership says, “For honey producers (beekeepers) the impact will be significant and for those that have over-capitalised - terminal.”
He says early indications are that mānuka honey production is down 60% to 70% on last season, due to cold, windy, weather during flowering in late spring.
Goldsmith says the export value of all honey was $300 million in 2016. But believes the poor mānuka nectar flow last spring will severely impact this year’s export figures. “You could be looking at less than $100 million. Depends on honey stock on hand from the previous season.”
Goldsmith is the General Manager of Ngāti Porou Miere, a collective of Ngāti Pōrou land trusts and incorporations. Miere helps iwi landowners participate more effectively in the multimillion dollar mānuka honey industry.
According to Goldsmith, Māori on the East Coast are less likely to be amongst the mānuka honey producers forced out of business by the poor season, but may be impacted as workers.
“There are very few Māori beekeepers on the East Coast. Most are working for existing honey businesses. These businesses will feel the pinch and will have some robust discussions with their investors and financiers. Some will struggle to survive,” he says.
Despite the difficulties, Goldsmith says the situation could sweeten the aspirations of Miere’s Māori landowners.
“From our perspective, the season has been poor, but there is a silver lining. Hives will be cheaper, some 'fly by night' beekeeping operations will fold and hopefully hive numbers will drop resulting in less bee pressure on our mānuka resource,” he says. Early reports suggest hives that were $1,100 each to purchase have dropped to $500 per hive.
Goldsmith is confident Miere’s landowners will not be unduly impacted by the poor season. “We have a very passive approach so there is little to no risk as a landowner. We will get into beekeeping so our capital requirements will be less which is a positive,” he says.


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Californian Representative, Republican Darrell Issa introduced the OPEN Act in the House of Representatives on Wednesday, claiming it can deliver stronger intellectual property rights for Americans while maintaining the openness of the internet. Issa has provided full details of the bill on his website, KeepTheWebOpen.
OPEN, the Online Protection and Enforcement of Digital Trade Act, will provide oversight to the International Trade Commission instead of the Justice Department. Its purpose will be to oversee those foreign websites that stubbornly promote copyright violation, and that too, following a proper notification and appeal process. In contrast, the SOPA and PIPA give authority to the American government to right away takedown the entire site that contains even a single page of infringed material. Moreover, SOPA imposes sanctions before the website owner is even convicted.
The OPEN Act has gained strong support from many websites including Google, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Reddit and Wikipedia. OPEN also differs from the other two bills on the premise that which government agency should be responsible for fighting online piracy. The OPEN Act will give power to the International Trade Commission (ITC) to stop infringement of copyrights instead of the US attorney general.
On his website, Issa explains, “If the ITC investigation finds that a foreign registered website is ‘primarily’ and ‘willfully’ infringing on the IP rights of a U.S. rights holder, the commission would issue a cease and desist order that would compel payment processors (like Visa and PayPal) and online advertising providers to cease doing business with the foreign site in question. This would cut off financial incentives for this illegal activity and deter these unfair imports from reaching the U.S. market.”
However, supporters of SOPA and PIPA complain that the bill does not do justice to the artists who no longer have control over their own content worth billions of dollars. “The OPEN Act creates loopholes that make the Internet even more open to foreign thieves that steal America’s technology and IP without protecting U.S. businesses and consumers. It amounts to a safe harbor for foreign criminals who steal American technology, products and intellectual property,” said the SOPA architect, Rep. Lamar Smith.
Although the OPEN Act was first introduced by Ron Wyden last month, little support prevented it from going too far. Now with the ongoing protests over SOPA and PIPA, Issa and Wyden hope that the bill will ultimately find its way into the American legislation.


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Here you will find all the latest information about Comforsa, as well as our own information materials and resources.
Barcelona, May 21st, 2020 Dear Valued Customer, We hope and wish that you are doing well and are safe as well as your colleagues at work and your beloved ones during this Covid-19 pandemic. We hope too that your company will be back to its normal activity very soon,...read more
Barcelona, April 14th, 2020 Dear Customers and Providers, We are pleased to announce that Comforsa has restarted its activity today, Tuesday 14th. All our sites have gone back to its activity, operating as usual and being able to produce and deliver the...read more
Barcelona, March 29th 2020 Dear Valued Customer, We hope and wish that you are doing well and safe as well as your colleagues at work and your beloved ones during this Covid-19 pandemic. These are difficult days that we hope will end soon so we all can go back to...read more
Dear valued customers, COMFORSA regrets the current global situation caused by the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) and wants to reassure its clients that the company is operating as usual. COMFORSA abides by all the prevention measures to prevent the contagion of the virus...read more
Comforsa completes a whole year with profits. Generalitat approves a new increase of capital. During last year, 1.7M € have been invested in the production plants. Comforsa completed the first year with profits since the company started the new Strategic Plan, in...read more


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The Drug Enforcement Administration told makers of medication for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder that it was concerned that “aggressive marketing practices” by companies including telehealth providers could be driving excessive prescriptions, according to a letter from the agency.
While the letter doesn’t cite specific companies, it reflects the DEA’s concerns about marketing efforts for ADHD treatment by telehealth companies such as Cerebral Inc. and Done Global Inc., whose prescribing practices the agency has been investigating. The DEA said in December that it wouldn’t allow any increase in 2023 production of pharmaceutical ingredients that go into Adderall and other stimulants used to treat ADHD. The letter, reviewed by The Wall Street Journal, was sent to drugmakers over the summer but hasn’t previously been reported.
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Digital NEST in Watsonville is offering low-income youth the chance to learn hi-tech skills. But the demand for knowledge has grown so quickly, the non-profit has not been able to keep up. But today, that’s all changed thanks, to Facebook.
Digital NEST provides students a chance to get a foot in the door toward a career in the high-tech industry. It has proven so successful that Silicon Valley companies like Facebook have taken notice.


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The latest iPhones have top-notch cameras, but you wouldn't know that if you looked at the photo Tim Cook posted from the Super Bowl last night.
The Apple CEO doesn't tweet that often, but he took to Twitter Sunday evening to congratulate the Denver Broncos on their Super Bowl victory (and humble brag that he was at the game). "Colorado Rocky Mountain High congrats," he tweeted along with a super blurry photo of the post-game festivities that the Internet was quick to mock. Check out the snap for yourself below.
It wasn't long before Twitter users noticed the blurry photo and started cracking jokes. In fact, Cook quickly became a trending topic on Twitter. Check out some of the most amusing reactions we spotted:
There's no word as to which device Cook used to take the photo, but we'd be surprised if the Apple exec wasn't using one of the company's new handsets. We'll just give Cook the benefit of the doubt and assume he was so excited while snapping the photo that he was shaking the camera around.
Cook actually redeemed himself not long after, posting a second, much clearer photo along with a congratulation to Peyton Manning and the Broncos on their "amazing season."
This is not the first time an Apple exec has been criticized for his iPhone camera work. A selfie that Eddy Cue took with Tim Cook in September also got the side-eye from Twitter users.
- YouTube Extends Trump Ban for Another Week
- Facebook AI Gets Better at Describing Photos for Visually Impaired Users
- Telegram Pulls 'Hundreds' of Calls for Violence in US
- Parler Is Back Online Thanks to Russian Tech Company DDos-Guard
- More in Apple
- More in Social Media


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Tuesday, May 21 2013 11:45 PM EDT2013-05-22 03:45:27 GMT
From LSU SportsHOOVER, Ala. – Second-ranked LSU (48-8) faces Alabama (33-24) at approximately 12:30 p.m. CT Wednesday in the SEC Tournament at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium.The game can be heard on the affiliatesMore >>
Second-ranked LSU faces Alabama at approximately 12:30 p.m. CT Wednesday in the SEC Tournament at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium.More >>
Tuesday, May 21 2013 10:24 AM EDT2013-05-21 14:24:32 GMT
A simple glance at the box scores will tell you LSU's Rachele Fico pitched two games against UL-Lafayette this past weekend and lost them both. They were a pair of defeats that ended the Tigers' seasonMore >>
As Fico grunted and launched strikes to UL-Lafayette batters Saturday and Sunday afternoon, she knew her father's longtime battle with cancer was likely nearing an unhappy end.
Tuesday, May 21 2013 9:45 PM EDT2013-05-22 01:45:51 GMT
Two people are wanted for questioning in connection with the use of a stolen credit card.LSU Police say three suspects took the victim's wallet and phone during an armed robbery on April 27th.The robberyMore >>
Two people are wanted for questioning in connection with the use of a stolen credit card.More >>
Tuesday, May 21 2013 5:43 PM EDT2013-05-21 21:43:45 GMT
A key piece of evidence in a Baton Rouge drunk driving case has been tossed out of city court. The ruling could have a major impact on future DWI trials. Baton Rouge attorney Cliff Ivey took one of hisMore >>
A key piece of evidence in a Baton Rouge drunk driving case has been tossed out of city court. The ruling could have a major impact on future DWI trials.More >>
At the corner of Plank Rd. and Scenic Highway sits a Chevron gas station. It's off I-110 near Memorial Stadium. Around 10 p.m.Sunday, a family stopped here to get gas. "Upon our arrival, we located threeMore >>
A man said he, his wife and his daughter were all punched because they were in the "wrong neighborhood" when they stopped to get gas at night. More >>
BATON ROUGE, LA (WAFB) -
You can buy just about anything online these days, but who you buy from isn't always reliable. One local woman found out the hard way and she contacted 9 News to spread the word.
Patty Giovingo thought it'd be fun to buy a new toy for family trips out of Walker.
"We had decided to buy just a small travel trailer," says Patty.
It was about a week ago that she thought she had a winner out of Monroe on Craigslist.
"The guy emailed me back tellin' me what a wonderful trailer it is, but the problem was he was fixin to be deployed in 2 days," said Patty.
The seller said the military would handle shipping and she could pay him through eBay.
Patty says the man, who called himself Martin Gibson, even had the eBay logo on his site.
"I said, "Well if it's eBay, it's gotta be legitimate ya know,'" she said.
She was almost entirely sold on the idea until she started googling, and learned the man had sent her a listing on the official eBay site that apparently already been sold. He had the same trailer listed with the same picture in cities all over the country.
Patty called eBay and was informed her situation is not uncommon. People use the eBay name to sell items on Craigslist. eBay called the seller a "spoof" in an email to Patty, saying most likely, the message she received was not sent by eBay. The site promised to work to disable all sites linked to him.
Patty took action before she took out her wallet, but the whole process was frustrating to say the least for her.
"I mean this is money we'd have taken out of our savings," she said.
Thankfully, she didn't lose her money, but she's hoping her story will save others trouble - and money while shopping on line.
Patty has now reported a similar site. She says it doesn't take long and eBay will take action if you contact them.


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This fiscal year has been quite a success for all the social media platforms in terms of online digital advertising revenue generation.
Digital advertising revenue is the income that businesses earn via displaying paid advertising advertisements on their social media platforms or websites.
Per sources, Facebook and Google rose big time on the online revenue charts of the year 2018-2019. Facebook gathered 2,233 and as compared to the Rs. 6389 crore of the last fiscal year, Google landed itself a sum of Rs. 9,203 crore in ad revenue.
According to reports the social media giant’s ad revenue partly builds up of the advertisement that Indians “spend” on trendy social applications like Messenger, Instagram, and other third-party affiliations and applications.
Per sources, over 4.39 billion people use the internet all over the world today. Digital advertising hence, is more than a fitting alternative for the online world. The field is growing at a flying rate. According to a major report, the expenditure of ads is likely to multiply exponentially in a couple of years.
Reports also say that Facebook and Google collectively have a share of 68 percent in India’s online advertising sphere. They also plan on expanding it, given the compelling competition from Amazon and other similar entities.
The Indian division of Facebook, Facebook Indian Online Service Pvt. Ltd., cites that it gives the ad inventory amount back to the main company, which adds somewhere up to Rs.1,960 crore in the latest fiscal year. The amount that contributed to the net revenue of this Indian division was Rs. 263 crore.
Per sources, Facebook’s revenue from online ad ventures had an overall rise of 71 percent this “year-on-year”, only to reach a glorious Rs. 892 crore in this fiscal year.
This made the profit for the social media colossus rise by 84 percent which amounts up to Rs. 105 crore, mentioned the reports.
Google India Pvt. on the other hand as per what the reports mentioned displayed Rs. 1, 097 crores as its “net sales” from online advertisements.
The overall revenue for this search engine master totaled Rs.4,147 crore which was half of what it acquired in the previous fiscal year. Nevertheless, its profit experienced a 16 percent hike equalling to Rs. 473 crore, sources indicated.
Source: E Hacking news
Facebook and Google- The Kingpins Who Generated Millions of Ad Revenue This Year!


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Snail bob 2 online
Again: Don't wait until the day after Thanksgiving to start shopping. Amazon, along with a number of other retailers, has started Black Friday sales way ahead of the traditional holiday shopping day, offering deals and deep discounts on Amazon devices, kitchen appliances, Chromebooks, streaming devices, the hottest toys of 2021 and more. Even Amazon gift cards are on sale. While Wayfair is most well-known as an online furniture destination, the retailer also carries lots of name-brand kitchen appliances. Shop Black Friday deals early now. This year, on Friday 27 November, Black Friday will fall and the festival will run until 30 November. which is Cyber Monday, over the weekend. Of course, that is just a taster of what's on offer with today's Walmart Black Friday deals - we've got plenty more just below. As things progress golf solitaire free online game we'll be adding in plenty more recommendations as we spot them so don't hesitate to bookmark and check in again if you don't find what you're looking for in today's deals.


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Mark Zuckerberg misplaced $29 billion in internet price on Thursday as Meta Platforms Inc’s inventory marked a report one-day plunge, whereas fellow billionaire Jeff Bezos was set so as to add $20 billion to his private valuation after Amazon’s blockbuster earnings.
Meta’s inventory fell 26%, erasing greater than $200 billion within the largest ever single-day market worth wipeout for a U.S. firm. That pulled down founder and Chief Government Officer Zuckerberg’s internet price to $85 billion, in line with Forbes.
Zuckerberg owns about 12.8% of the tech behemoth previously generally known as Fb.
Bezos, the founder and chairman of e-commerce retailer Amazon, owns about 9.9% of the corporate, in line with Refinitiv knowledge. He’s additionally the world’s third richest man, in line with Forbes.
Amazon’s holiday-quarter revenue surged, due to its investments in electrical automobile firm Rivian; and the corporate stated it will hike annual costs of Prime subscriptions in america, sending its shares up 15% in prolonged buying and selling and readying it for its largest proportion achieve since October 2009 on Friday.


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brand brand New Mexico reins in payday advances. Brand Brand New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez
brand New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez is flanked by advocates as she covers opioid and heroin overdoses in brand New Mexico during a bill ceremony that is signing a drug abuse therapy center in Albuquerque, N.M., on Thursday, April 6, 2017. The bill signed by Martinez requires all state and local law enforcement officers to be equipped with an overdose antidote kit among other things. (Photo: Susan Montoya Bryan/AP)
SANTA FE вЂ” brand brand New Mexico is reining in high-interest loans through the storefront financing industry under a bill finalized by Gov. Susana Martinez.
Signed on Thursday, the legislation efficiently eliminates pay day loans by definition and caps rates of interest at 175 per cent. Little loans which have terms significantly less than 120 times are prohibited.
Customer advocates have pressed unsuccessfully to cap rates of interest at 36 %, as a dozen of other states have. Industry lobbyists have actually voiced issues about double-digit rates placing storefront loan providers away from company.
Information from brand New Mexico regulation and certification officials reveal interest levels on name loans presently are priced between on average 238 % to a lot more than 450 per cent. Installment loans can get greater.
MORE ACTION AT THE CAPITOL
A proposition to increase brand brand New MexicoвЂ™s statewide minimum wage to $9.25 an hour or so from $7.50 happens to be vetoed.
Gov. Martinez stated in a veto message Thursday that small company in rural areas cannot sustain the proposed increase and criticized the Legislature for proposing taxation increases during the time that is same.
Martinez has stated she’d help an inferior minimum wage enhance compared to those proposed because of the Legislature.
The vetoed bill additionally might have prohibited ordinances that are local require advance notice for worker scheduling. Martinez highlighted opposition to that particular provision through the continuing business community.
The stateвЂ™s three biggest areas that are urban Santa Fe, Las Cruces and Albuquerque вЂ” curently have regional minimums. The best is $11.09 in Santa Fe.
A bill to spur the installing of solar panel systems on New Mexico state structures is vetoed.
Martinez stated in a veto message Thursday the legislation will have needed agency that is additional without supplying the necessary savings. The bill from Democratic Rep. Jeff Steinborn of Las Cruces will have directed this new Mexico General Services Department to follow agreements with solar providers that conserve hawaii cash on electricity expenses as time passes without any up-front investment that is public. The General solutions Department oversees 750 state structures.
The group that is environmental Voters brand brand New Mexico states issues raised by the Republican governor had been addressed into the bill through increased cost savings on electricity along with other measures.
Gov. Martinez has vetoed a bill that will have expanded monetary disclosure demands for lobbyists.
Martinez on Thursday rejected brand brand new needs that lobbyists report costs under $100 which can be allocated to lawmakers along with other officials that are public.
In a veto message, Martinez states she supports the intent for the bill but worries it could have a few consequences that are unintended without further description.
Republican and Democratic sponsors associated with the measure looked for to close a loophole in legislation authorized this past year that otherwise increased reporting demands for lobbyists. Costs over $100 meals that are including currently be reported sporadically to your brand brand New Mexico Secretary of StateвЂ™s workplace.
Gov. Martinez states she vetoed a bill built to control the usage of solitary confinement in jails and prisons since it may have jeopardized the life of inmates and guards. Martinez on Thursday vetoed a bill that could have prohibited the keeping of expecting mothers and juveniles in solitary confinement. The bill additionally could have restricted the usage of solitary confinement on inmates experiencing psychological disease.
The Republican governor and district that is former states in a veto message that the bill misconstrues isolated confinement and would eradicate required freedom for modifications officials. She describes a scenario by which a youthful offender might be sentenced to a grown-up detention center вЂ” posing a risk towards the juvenile or any other inmates without having the freedom to utilize limited housing.
Gov. Martinez has finalized at the least 65 bills and vetoed greater than a dozen more as being a deadline draws near for functioning on legislation.
The Republican governor on Thursday vetoed a measure targeted at curbing the utilization of solitary confinement in jails and prisons across brand brand New Mexico, while signing a multitude of legislation through the Democrat-controlled Legislature.
Approved bills are made to spur investment in high-speed access that is internet allow liquor sales whenever cash-advanceloan.net/payday-loans-in New YearвЂ™s Eve falls on a Sunday and provide municipality brand brand new control of curfews and alcohol taxes вЂ” to explain just a couple of.
Martinez has until noon Friday to do something on a $6.1 billion investing bill and associated tax measures. She actually is guaranteeing to veto proposed taxation increases.


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The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) has tightened its cyber security efforts and intensified surveillance while reinforcing collaboration and information sharing with key stakeholders to fend off a repeat of the recent attack on the financial system.
“We are working on enhancements to existing regulations on fraud risk management and consumer protection to better safeguard consumers against cyber risks,” BSP Governor
Benjamin Diokno said during the 73rd Inaugural Meeting of Management Association of the Philippines (MAP) on Thursday.
“We included sustainability as a strategic thrust by launching the Sustainable Central Banking Program where BSP enables, mobilizes and promotes the sustainability agenda,” he added.
As enabler, the BSP has issued regulations on the Sustainable Finance Framework that banks must adhere to.
In a nutshell, the framework emphasized BSP policies while setting out the duties and responsibilities of the board of directors in changing the strategic thrust and embedding risk consciousness within a financial organization.
“I hope that the MAP continues to champion sustainability as a strategic goal and for it to serve as upstanding corporate citizens as we chart our way out of this crisis,” Diokno noted.
Sustainability goals must be met
Also highlighted was management’s pivotal role in ensuring sustainability principles among business organizations.
Moreover, the BSP and other financial sector supervisors will continue to harmonize regulations and align expectations in the promotion of sustainable finance. This program is consistent with the Sustainable Finance Roadmap of the Green Force.
“The Green Force is an interagency government body tasked to promote sustainable finance that the BSP co-chairs with the Department of Finance,” Diokno said.
“Walking the talk, the BSP has invested $550 million in the Bank for International Settlements Green Bond Fund since 2019. We have implemented green initiatives that aim to influence the behavior of employees and highlight the importance of individual actions in achieving our goals,” he added.


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A similar name can cause the kind of confusion USA Truck wants to avoid.
The Arkansas-based truckload carrier responded quickly to the bankruptcy of Texas-based USA Dry Van Logistics and USA Carriers, issuing a statement to clarify that it is in business, not in bankruptcy.
"USA Truck wishes to inform the public that there is no direct or indirect relationship between such companies and USA Truck," the company said, referring to the struggling carriers in Texas.
Established in 1983, USA Truck is a publicly owned truckload carrier with a growing intermodal and brokerage business. The Van Buren, Ark., company had $317.2 million in sales in 2009, and a net loss of $7.2 million.
USA Dry Van Logistics and USA Carriers filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Feb. 2. The McAllen-based companies received debtor in possession financing from GE Capital to keep running during reorganization.
"Under this arrangement the company will be paying drivers, employees, carriers, fuel and other critical vendors as the company works with its customers to continue to deliver freight in a secure and timely manner," the companies said in a statement.
USA Carriers, or USA Logistics Carriers, was founded in 2000 to serve the Maquila plants along the U.S.-Mexican border. In 2007 its sales reportedly topped $96 million.
Contact William B. Cassidy at email@example.com.


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Regulatory uncertainty and journey restrictions are forcing town’s crypto elites to shift their operations to extra hospitable jurisdictions.
Sam Bankman-Fried’s time in Hong Kong was comparatively transient, however extremely profitable. Within the three years he spent within the metropolis, the unabashed workaholic recognized for sleeping in his workplace established FTX, a crypto derivatives trade that rapidly grew to become one of many world’s busiest buying and selling retailers. And the success of that enterprise turned Bankman-Fried into the richest individual in crypto on the age of 29 with a $26.5 billion fortune. After which he left.
In September, Bankman-Fried jetted off to the Bahamas for good. His legions of social media followers have been shocked by the unfamiliar sight of him donning a swimsuit as FTX’s administration crew welcomed the nation’s prime minister to their new headquarters. Why the Bahamas?
“It’s actually vital that now we have long-term regulatory steering and readability,” he stated from the corporate’s workplace within the Caribbean archipelago. “Hong Kong has not but drafted the precise invoice…there’s uncertainty about precisely how that’s going to end up.”
Hong Kong has developed right into a hotbed for blockchain and crypto-related companies. Most of the international elites from the crypto trade bought their begin in Hong Kong, together with exchanges Crypto.com, BitMEX, Bitfinex, OSL and others. The world’s largest stablecoin, Tether, was launched from Hong Kong. And town notched up an astounding $60 billion value of incoming cryptocurrencies between July 2020 and June 2021, in line with blockchain information agency Chainalysis.
Register now for our hottest crypto webinar of the yr “Crypto Outlook 2022: What You Want To Know”
However regulatory uncertainty in Hong Kong mixed with strict quarantine necessities have develop into catalysts for some crypto corporations to shift their operations to different markets the place regulators are transferring extra swiftly to roll out guidelines that assist the nascent trade.
Singapore is the closest such location and it managed to draw a veritable who’s who of the crypto billionaire ranks. Because the city-state opened its door to “crypto tokens” in January 2020, Brian Armstrong’s Coinbase, Changpeng Zhao’s Binance, Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss’ Gemini have already arrange enterprise items and utilized for licenses to function there.
The Financial Authority of Singapore (MAS) stated that it’s already obtained 170 purposes for crypto-related service suppliers as of July. Though the monetary regulator has turned down two candidates thus far, three different candidates, Australia-based trade Impartial Reserve, the brokerage arm of DBS Financial institution and Singapore’s fintech firm Fomo Pay, introduced over the previous three months that that they had secured licenses. Coinhako additionally stated in November that it had obtained in-principle approval from MAS, making it the most recent to start working as a regulated crypto trade within the nation. To date, round 70 crypto-related service suppliers have been granted short-term exemptions that permit them to function and not using a license for six months.
Crypto.com, the world’s third-largest spot trade by 24-hour buying and selling quantity, in line with CoinGecko, shifted its headquarters this yr from Hong Kong to Singapore. Eqonex Group, a Nasdaq-listed digital asset monetary companies agency, established its crypto derivatives trade final yr in Singapore reasonably than Hong Kong, the place it operates a lot of its different companies. The agency, previously often known as Diginex, cited Hong Kong’s regulatory regime which bans crypto derivatives and limits buying and selling companies to skilled buyers.
“These have been the 2 issues that we actually didn’t really feel have been the appropriate approach to go, and actually have been opposite to the way in which that we had designed our merchandise,” stated Richard Byworth, CEO of Eqonex Group.
Hong Kong launched an opt-in licensing regime in 2018 for platforms that permit buyers to purchase and promote safety tokens, that are conventional shares and bonds in a digital type. On the time, most cryptocurrencies fell exterior the scope of the framework. Moreover, licensed exchanges are solely allowed to serve skilled buyers with a portfolio of a minimum of HK$8 million ($1 million) in liquid belongings. They’re additionally banned from providing merchants entry to crypto futures and derivatives.
To date, the one agency to be granted a license below Hong Kong’s voluntary regime is crypto buying and selling platform OSL. The Securities and Futures Fee (SFC) stated in November that it has purposes from a number of different corporations into account.
Now, town’s regulators are discussing the opportunity of a obligatory licensing regime for exchanges that supply digital asset buying and selling, together with bitcoin and others that have been beforehand excluded. The proposal, nevertheless, nonetheless suggests limiting exchanges working in Hong Kong to solely providing companies to high-net-worth people. The restrictions on crypto derivatives are additionally prone to apply on licensees below the brand new regime.
“Frankly, it’s not a simple algorithm to adjust to. However what the Hong Kong laws have executed is ship, in my thoughts, the very best degree of investor safety in digital belongings wherever on the earth,” stated Wayne Trench, CEO of OSL.
However others contend the coverage will lead to retail buyers taking even better dangers if their solely choice is to resort to utilizing unregulated exchanges to purchase and promote cryptocurrencies in Hong Kong. “As a lot as you need to ban it, folks will all the time discover a manner to purchase crypto, and they’ll do it someplace else,” stated Henri Arslanian, crypto chief of PwC primarily based in Hong Kong. “It’s simply the truth of it, which places the general public extra in danger paradoxically.”
Almost one-third of Hong Kong’s residents are estimated to have invested in, transferred, or exchanged cryptocurrencies for items and companies, in line with a newly revealed survey by funds large Visa. Amongst developed markets, Hong Kong was ranked solely behind the U.S. by way of its residents engagement with the digital belongings, the survey exhibits.
The SFC stated final month that they’re at present reviewing the foundations that block retail buyers from utilizing crypto buying and selling platforms as a part of its efforts in sustaining a sensible strategy towards offering a “well-defined” regulatory setting.
Byworth of Eqonex stated Hong Kong nonetheless has different insurance policies in its favor that make it simpler for town’s companies to recruit and retain worldwide expertise. “Even when Hong Kong goes down on a highway of restrictive laws round crypto and loses lots of people to Singapore, town can take various market share again at any second when it decides to vary course and reverse right into a extra versatile regulatory regime,” he stated.
It’s not simply the regulatory framework that issues, but additionally the pandemic journey restrictions that have an effect on Hong Kong’s enchantment as a spot to do enterprise. The town’s “zero an infection” technique has develop into a significant impediment for most of the companies primarily based there. Residents returning to Hong Kong face a compulsory resort quarantine interval of as much as three weeks.
The Asia Securities Business & Monetary Markets Affiliation, a foyer group representing among the world’s largest banks, stated Hong Kong’s standing as a monetary heart was in danger due to its “extremely restrictive” quarantine coverage. The group stated in October that 48% of the businesses polled in a latest survey have been considering transferring employees or features away from Hong Kong as a result of uncertainty over when the restrictions can be lifted.
In the meantime, Singapore has already opened its border to vaccinated vacationers from a minimum of 18 nations. Apart from beginning to ease journey restrictions, the city-state’s proactive stance on regulation makes it extra engaging as different jurisdictions transfer in the other way. Singapore is gaining headway as some close by nations, equivalent to China and South Korea, clamp down on their home crypto industries. China not too long ago banned all cryptocurrency transactions and mining, and South Korea shut down practically 40 exchanges deemed unqualified in September.
Coinbase’s debut in Japan in August shed a constructive gentle on the nation, which has been on the forefront of regulating crypto belongings since 2017 following the $460 million bitcoin hack on native trade Mt. Gox. However crypto-related crimes are nonetheless an issue for Japan, the place buying and selling platform Liquid additionally grew to become the sufferer of a cyberattack simply months in the past.
To make sure, Singapore can’t relaxation on its laurels simply but. The federal government nonetheless has to determine whether or not the buying and selling of crypto derivatives might be permitted. The digital devices vary from those who exist already in conventional market like futures and choices, to the extra revolutionary ones like “perpetual swaps,” a kind of futures contract with out an expiry date.
The Financial Authority of Singapore stated final yr that it’ll not regulate crypto derivatives until they’re provided on permitted buying and selling platforms, and the authority warned retail buyers of their dangers.
The truth is that solely a handful of nations have even begun to debate crypto derivatives. “There’s no one-size-fits-all excellent crypto regulatory regime on the market,” stated Arslanian of PwC. “All that the crypto ecosystem needs is readability and the flexibility to function a enterprise.”
The Bahamas is a standout on this regard as a result of it moved rapidly in late 2020 to put out a complete framework throughout each spot and derivatives buying and selling which gave it a first-mover benefit.
In accordance with Bankman-Fried, the restrictions on companies to an area market are much less vital than restrictions that hinder and even block a enterprise from providing its companies to the remainder of the world. “As a result of for many corporations, this isn’t nearly maximizing how a lot enterprise will be executed straight towards one place’s inhabitants, it’s extra about the place is an efficient house for a enterprise typically,” he stated.


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Krill are among the most prolific and vital life forms in the ocean. These small shrimp-like animals congregate in enormous numbers. Krill are preyed on by everything to tiny fish to whales, which eat them by the ton.
As harvesting of krill has increased, scientists have called for strict regulations to protect krill populations. Several studies have shown a link between krill abundance and wildlife.
According to NOAA Fisheries, roughly 200,000 tons of krill are harvested in the Southern Ocean each year. Krill are harvested and used to produce omega-3 supplements, fishing baits, animal food, and other products.
Scientists estimate the volume of krill in the Southern Ocean to be between 170 and 300 million tons.
NOAA Bans Commercial Harvesting of Krill off the coasts of California, Oregon, and Washington.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has published a
final rule in the Federal Register prohibiting the harvesting of krill in the Exclusive
Economic Zone (EEZ) off the coasts of California, Oregon, and Washington.
The rule goes into effect on August 12, 2009. Krill are a small shrimp-like crustacean and a key source of nutrition in the marine food web.
“Krill are the foundation for a healthy marine ecosystem,” said Mark Helvey,
NOAA’s Fisheries Service Southwest Assistant Regional Administrator for Sustainable Fisheries.
“Protecting this vital food resource will help protect and maintain marine
resources and put federal regulations in line with West-Coast states.”
source: NOAA press release


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Splatoon 3 debut soundtrack sales detailed
The official Splatoon 3 soundtrack, dubbed Splatune 3, is now available in Japan. The album launched one day ago, and we now have the debut sales stats for the soundtrack.
Music sales tracker Oricon has announced that Splatune 3 was the 5th best-selling album on April 25th in Japan. Specific sales figures weren’t shown, but the third-place album (DELiCiOUS ViCiOUS by ASP) sold 6,178 units, so we know that Splatune 3 came in below that figure.
For comparison’s sake, here’s how other Splatoon albums fared in Japan when they launched.
- Splatune – 24,355 units sold on launch day (rank #2), ~43,000 units sold at launch (rank #2)
- SPLATOON LIVE IN MAKUHARI – Squid Sisters Live – 10,345 units sold at launch (rank #8), 2,157 units during the second week (rank #32)
- Splatune 2 – 18,007 units at launch (rank #4)
- Splatoon 2: Octotune – 19,210 units sold at launch (rank #7)


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Shares Slide on Demand Concerns
An affiliate of the leading Chinese Communist Party — Communist Youth League — has called for a boycott of certain Western companies, including Nike, H&M, and Adidas, for their statements related to the Xinjiang region.
Weibo, China’s version of Twitter, hosted a huge number of comments attacking the allegations and calling for a boycott of their products. This issue quickly became one of the hottest topics on the popular social network.
Communist Youth League activists used a statement from Nike, which was reportedly released months ago, to fuel the social media backlash.
“We are concerned about reports of forced labor in, and connected to, the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR),” Nike said in the statement.
“Nike does not source products from the XUAR and we have confirmed with our contract suppliers that they are not using textiles or spun yarn from the region.”
Numerous human rights organizations had been calling for years for Western countries to impose sanctions on China for their persecution of the minority Uyghur population in China's Xinjiang region. According to Human Rights Watch, the Muslim minorities are held for months in unlawful facilities.
A spokesperson for China’s Ministry of Commerce called these accusations “groundless” and asked Western companies to respect market rules and correct mistakes.
Multiple Chinese celebrities reportedly supported the backlash, with popular actor Wang Yibo having reportedly terminated his contract as a Nike representative. Worldwide fashion brands are now facing a huge dilemma — to continue expressing concerns over the treatment of Uyghur people or retreat to please the huge customer base in greater China.
H&M, which operates over 500 stores in China, has obviously opted for the latter, with the Swedish fashion business already removing their statement from the website and publishing a new one to say:
"[This] does not represent any political position ... H&M Group always respects Chinese consumers. We are committed to long-term investment and development in China.”
The world’s second-biggest clothing company has been removed from major ecommerce stores, including Alibaba and JD.com, in China, following the resurfacing of their previous statements concerning the Xinjiang region.
A few days ago, new sanctions against Chinese officials were introduced by the United States (US), European Union (EU), Canada, and the United Kingdom (UK) over the alleged genocide that took place in the Xinjiang region.
“The evidence, including from the Chinese Government's own documents, satellite imagery, and eyewitness testimony is overwhelming,” the joint statement reads.
Shares of Nike and H&M are trading more than 4% in the red as China is one of the biggest and most important regions for these businesses.
H&M and Nike are among the companies facing serious criticism in China over their previous statements on the government’s alleged treatment of Muslim minorities in the Xinjiang region.


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They call her Action Nan for her tireless environmental campaigning. But for 72-year-old Pat Smith, it’s as much about the small gestures as the grand ones – saying no to a plastic straw with your drink or remembering to take a bag for life to the supermarket.
“We all need to get off our backsides and do something,” she says with characteristic firmness. “If every single one of us does one thing, it all adds up to big change.”
As the owner with husband David of Bosinver Farm Cottages, near St Austell, Pat was already an ardent environmentalist, and an early adopter of eco-technology such as solar panels and electric car charging points.
In 2017, Pat saw the film A Plastic Ocean and was deeply moved by the problem her generation had helped to create. Around 88 billion tonnes of plastic have been produced since 1948; it’s estimated that 90% is used only once before being discarded. It will take hundreds of years to break down, and even then, will continue to exist in microscopic fragments, leaking toxic chemicals into the oceans and causing a danger to wildlife which could mistake it for food.
Not one to sit around, Pat did some research. “I felt a responsibility to my children and grandchildren to do something about it, to protect our living planet” she explains. “I thought: what’s the simplest thing I can target that people won’t miss if they don’t have it, and that might get people thinking about other things? I reasoned that the straw was the easiest thing for people to say ‘no, thank you’.”
Pat quickly discovered that 2.2 billion plastic straws were thrown away every year, having been used for an average of just 20 minutes; they will all outlive everyone reading these words. In summer 2017, Pat and a dedicated team of volunteers launched Final Straw Cornwall, a two-pronged attack focussing on hospitality businesses and their customers to try and eradicate plastic straws from the county, thus raising awareness of the damage being done by single-use plastics.
The campaign took off, and sister groups formed up and down the country. The ultimate triumph came in October 2020, when the government enforced a ban on selling not only plastic straws, but also drink stirrers and cotton buds. “I hope the 600 businesses we persuaded to give up plastic straws played their part in that decision,” says Pat, proudly.
Although covid 19 has seen many businesses compelled to take a backward step towards disposable utensils, Pat is hopeful this will be reversed as restrictions lift. The Final Straw lives on, meanwhile, as a campaign against other forms of persistent pollution: cigarette butts, for example, and an unexpected new enemy: single-use PPE, in particular face masks.
In 2018, Pat made a New Year’s Resolution to carry out 52 beach cleans and litter picks – one per week, from Coverack on the Lizard Peninsula to Blackpool Sands in Devon. She was often joined by volunteers, and having achieved her goal, made it her mission to set up local beach-cleaning groups. A founder member of the Charlestown Chums, she is looking forward to resuming regular sorties, in particular during Keep Britain Tidy’s Great British Spring Clean (May 28 to June 13) as she is now one of their Litter Ambassadors. “A lot of the rubbish I pick up consists of everyday items used by all of us,” she says. “We should all take responsibility for picking up litter, as well as ensuring we don’t drop it in the first place.”
Visitors to Bosinver will notice the efforts made to run a sustainable business. Solar panels adorn many of the cottage roofs and heating often involves ground- or air-source technologies; light bulbs are all LED and white goods are chosen for water and electrical efficiency. Pat and her team religiously recycle as much as possible, and make it easy for guests to compost food waste.
Guests are encouraged to explore the area on foot or via public transport, with 50 suggestions of car-free days out and plenty of walks to enjoy from the doorstep. Bosinver will even pay the taxi fare for those who choose to travel here by train.
“Our visitor surveys tell us families do notice and appreciate our efforts to reduce the environmental impact of our business, and the way we farm organically and maintain wildlife habitats,” says Pat. “Hopefully they will be inspired to implement some of those practices in their own homes and gardens after their holidays here at Bosinver!
Follow Pat on Facebook @FinalStrawCornwall or visit www.finalstrawcornwall.co.uk
You can also reach Pat on 01726 72128 or at firstname.lastname@example.org


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LG has unveiled the G Pro Lite smartphone. The device has a 5.5-inch qHD display and will be available in a single as well as dual SIM variant
LG has introduced a less expensive version of the LG G Pro called the LG G Pro Lite. The device has a 5.5-inch qHD IPS display. The smartphone will launch this month in Latin America followed by markets in Asia, Russia, China, India and the Middle East. There is no information available about the price of the phone. It will be available in single as well as dual SIM variants.
Coming to the specifications of the LG G Pro Lite, it has a dual-core MediaTek MT6577 1GHz processor coupled with 1GB of RAM. The 5.5-inch display has a 960x540 pixel resolution. The device has 8GB built-in storage expandable via a microSD card. The rear has an 8MP BSI camera with a 1.3MP front facing camera for video calling. It runs on Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean.
The G Pro Lite is slim measuring in at 9.4mm in thickness and weighs 161 grams. For its connectivity options, it has Bluetooth 3.0, USB2.0, A-GPS and Wi-Fi Direct. It is available in two colours – white and black. A 3140mAh battery powers the package.
“With LG G Pro Lite, we are introducing a competitive device to the masses in the growing large smartphone market,” said Dr. Jong-seok Park, president and CEO of LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company. “The market for smartphones with displays over five inches will continue to grow and LG is in a great position to capture these new customers when they’re ready to move up from their current phones.”
The LG G Pro Lite also comes with a stylus that can be stored in the device. The stylus can be used for handwriting recognition along with a bunch of utility apps.
With the specifications on offer, it looks like the G Pro Lite will take on the likes of the Spice Stellar Pinnacle Pro and the Micromax Canvas Doodle 2 that are available in India.