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According to Dylan, the technology was designed from the ground up to avoid using PII. Avoided PII deliberately. Even before the Cambridge Analytica scandal, we anticipated a backlash. Amazon hyped Prime Day, first held in honor of the company 20th anniversary in e retail, as being bigger than Black Friday. And indeed, Amazon reported that its sales on Prime Day were up 80% compared with a normal day, and that the rate of sales even surpassed Black Friday. Arguably more importantly for Amazon, Prime Day helped boost the ranks of Amazon highly lucrative subscription service, Prime..
But when Nielsen looked at English dominant Hispanics 12 and older, none of those Mexican and Spanish formats cracked the group’s top five radio station formats. Hispanics are younger than the general population. Research has found they are heavier media consumers in general, and they over index in their interest and use of emerging technologies, especially in terms of finding additional functionality for devices they own..
Pension Insurance Corporation said the buyout left members of the scheme, which was set up in 2017 following BHS collapse and a cash injection by former owner Philip Green, fully insured and certain to receive benefits under the scheme.Chinese tourist dies in hippo attack on Kenyan lakeA Chinese tourist has died in Kenya after being attacked by a hippo on the shores of Lake Naivasha, the East African nation wildlife service said on Sunday. The man, who had been taking photographs, was pronounced dead on arrival at the Naivasha District Hospital, while another tourist survived the attack on Saturday evening, according to the Kenya Wildlife Service. Sky News has learnt that Tom Martin, who has been managing the SFO sprawling probe into Unaoil, a Monaco based oil consultancy, was suspended within the last few weeks for gross misconduct.
Vols to me is more than a brand and it more than a logo, Davenport said. What I heard over and over again this is our legacy, this is something that celebrates women, women excellence, women winning and women hard fought challenges to be on equal (footing) with men. It much more of a celebration of that history and that legacy.
To reach the most malarial town on earth, head north from Kampala, cross the Victoria Nile and, just before you come to the refugee camps that mark the southern edge of Uganda’s 20 year civil war, turn east to Lake Kwania. Africa’s other Great Lakes are known for freshwater beaches and cool evenings, but Kwania is more of a giant swamp: shallow, full of crocodiles and choked with lily, papyrus and hyacinth. The malaria parasite loves it here..


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Some individuals hail vaping as being a safer substitute for cigarettes, arguing that there’s no tobacco smoke, so it’s have got to be safer. It remains to be seen if that’s true, and there is a few evidence that the stuff inside vapes and e-cigs is toxic. But beyond that, there’s the very fact this stuff occasionally blow up.
You hadn’t found out about this? Some pretty gruesome reports are starting to accumulate. In November, a person in Colorado broke his neck, lost some teeth, and suffered burns and facial fractures when his electronic cigarette exploded. A 15-year-old California boy lost half 12 teeth in the similar mishap recently. In Tennessee, another teen is dealing with the severe burns caused when a vape pen starter kit no nicotine caught fire in his pocket a few weeks ago.
Statistics outlining precisely how prevalent this is remain thin, nevertheless the Federal Emergency Management Agency, of all things, identified 25 cases of e-cigarette explosions in the united states between 2009-2014. However, that list is located only on incidents reported by the media. Considering the fact that vaping’s seen a surge in popularity since that time-just last year, the CDC reported a 3-fold increase among middle- and high school students alone-the telephone number certainly is rising. A brief Google search shows at the very least a dozen explosions in 2015 alone.
As opposed to burning tobacco, vape pens and e-cigs work with a small lithium-ion battery to heat an aerosol cartridge to discharge a vapor that’s inhaled. Like any device that utilizes lithium-ion batteries, it is possible to encounter problems when the battery is damaged or subjected to extremes in temperature. A quick circuit may cause the battery to overheat, catch fire, or even explode. These issues usually appear in cheap consumer gadgets which can be quickly churned out of factories. All in all, it’s relatively rare, but obviously it occurs-recently, in hoverboard scooters.
“With lithium-ion batteries generally, whenever you operate one outside its safety window, there’s a tendency where things may go wrong,” says Venkat Viswanathan, who teaches mechanical engineering Carnegie Mellon University. That window is startlingly small: Viswanathan says batteries would be best kept between 50 and 115 degrees Fahrenheit. It’s February, and all but four US states are averaging temperatures below 50 at this time.
In some cases, the problem is compounded by cheap lithium-ion batteries that “don’t get the luxury of utilizing sophisticated management systems,” Viswanathan says. That can cause dangerously over- or under-charged batteries. Dendrite can be another potential problem. Dendrite is a conductive filament that can form over the course of boxmmod charge/discharge cycles, particularly if the battery is rapidly charged. These things can spread just like a weed, eventually bridging the electrodes and creating a short circuit. “You have basically something equivalent to gasoline inside of your lithium-ion battery,” Viswanathan says, “so immediately it catches fire.”
Lithium-ion batteries power a whole lot of gadgets obviously, and sometimes do this without trouble. But stuff like mobile phone devices and laptops and electric vehicles typically are made to exacting specifications and rigorously tested, both from the company and outside experts. The Smoke-Free Alternative Trade Association, which represents for vape-makers, said it “cannot talk with user error or with respect to a manufacturer with regard to their device” and, “If you have truly an issue with a specific device, comparable to a lap top or cell phone manufacturer, that company should take the appropriate action.”
As well as to be fair, it’s not unusual for users to change their vape box mod kit, and numerous websites offer guidelines on how to do just that. The business trade group duly notes that hacked and modded devices can pose a safety risk.
Which begs the question what, if anything, has been done concerning this. Most regulatory discussions about e-cigarettes and vapes focus on the Food and Drug Administration’s critique from the chemicals based in the devices. The FDA is going to introduce rules regulating the industry, a move that could classify e-cigarettes and vaping products very much like tobacco. Products would carry warning labels, sales to minors could be banned, and you’d see restrictions on stuff like offering free samples. But little has been said regarding the safety in the devices.
The Smoke-Free Alternative Trade Association says it supports “reasonable science-based regulations,” but opposes anything that might “stifle innovation.” But it really argues “e-cigs and vapor merchandise is technology products, separate and distinct from combustible tobacco.” They liken these to consumer electronics.
That’s where things get tricky. Asked whether it has any safety concerns concerning the devices, the customer Products Safety Commission deferred for the FDA, saying it is the federal regulator in charge there. The FDA does claim responsibility for ensuring the security of the parts from the devices which can be found in the consumption of tobacco products. But there aren’t a great deal of safety rules for manufacturers to adhere to, and also the FDA is encouraging individuals to report any problems.
Viswanathan includes a recommendation for companies making what is vaping and also other gadgets designed to use lithium-ion batteries: Crib from automakers making electric cars. They’ve developed sophisticated systems for minimizing the potential risks of problems. “Lithium-ion batteries fundamentally are susceptible to catching fire,” he says, “and car makers are finding efficient approaches to create zones where these batteries are secure to use.”
Granted, the percentages that your particular vape pen will blow up like an exploding cigar are slim. But it is possible, so your best bet is to find an excellent vape pen from the reputable manufacturer. Look into the parts-once they appear and feel cheap, they probably are. Viswanathan suggests ensuring that it’s got some form of battery management system to stop shorts and thermal runaway. Make certain you’re making use of the right battery and charger, and don’t modify anything.

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The collapse of Toys “R” Us Inc. is yet another blow for landlords—including Indianapolis-based Simon Property Group—who now will have gaping holes of suburban retail space up for grabs. And few tenants would want them.
The company's troubles have affected toy makers Mattel and Hasbro, which are big suppliers to the chain. But the likely liquidation will have a more significant impact on smaller toy makers that rely more on the chain for sales.
The world's largest toy chain is planning to close about 180 Toys "R" Us and Babies "R" Us stores nationally as part of a reorganization plan to emerge from its September bankruptcy, according to a court filing.
A Marion Superior Court judge has granted the Indianapolis-based mall giant's request for a temporary injunction, at least for now preventing Starbucks from closing 77 Teavana stores in its properties nationwide.


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Buybacks have gotten a bad rap from both Republicans and Democrats. But stocks would be trading at a massive discount without them.Marketsread more
The president's state visit comes amid tensions with carmaker Toyota over potential auto tariffs. Trump has repeatedly threatened Japanese and European carmakers with tariffs.Traderead more
The IRS is about to release a new draft of Form W-4, which will more closely reflect the changes stemming from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. For workers, that means they'll need...Personal Financeread more
The Mega Millions jackpot has spilled over $400 million. It would be the ninth largest winning since the game began in 2002.Personal Financeread more
Trump was speaking at a meeting of Japanese business leaders in Tokyo during his state visit to Japan on Saturday.Marketsread more
When commercial real estate investor Manny Khoshbin spent $2.2 million on the fastest production car in the world, he had no idea it would very quickly also become the...Autosread more
The biggest U.S. gasoline price surge in years is running out of steam just in time for the start of the summer driving season.Energyread more
The federal minimum wage has remained $7.25 per hour since 2009. But several states, and even some companies, have since taken matters into their own hands to pay employees a...Workread more
Stocks rose on Friday, but notched weekly losses as investors worried the U.S.-China trade war is hurting economic growth.US Marketsread more
The combination of mounting recession fears, bets on a more cautious Fed and a regular uptick in market volatility could spell more losses.Marketsread more
Younger consumers are likely to be one of the hardest groups to market to, with shorter attention spans and a higher propensity to avoid advertising, according to a new report.
Generation Z – or those aged 16 to 19 – demand humorous commercials, like to co-create with brands and want to watch videos that are less than 10 seconds long, according to Kantar Millward Brown's AdReaction: Engaging Gen X, Y and Z, study, which interviewed nearly 24,000 people aged 16 to 49 in 39 countries.
Most challenging of all, they are most likely to physically avoid ads, with 69 percent doing so, versus a global figure of 50 percent.
To reach them, brands would do best to use humor, rather than celebrities, in their advertising. Gen Z is three times more likely to be receptive to funny advertising, and they also want music and a good story to feature.
When it comes to blocking digital advertising, Gen Z is "more adept" at downloading ad blocking software in the U.S., according to the report. Ad blocking is an increasing problem for brands, with 309 million people doing so on the mobile web alone, according to statistics from PageFair released in May 2016.
These teenagers are also more likely to avoid online advertising, and are less tolerant of it than older generations, as they skip ads three seconds earlier than Gen X (aged 35 to 49). Sixty-nine percent of Gen Z respondents claim they like ads they can skip, compared to 56 percent of Gen X.
The report suggests that better creativity may help to avoid this. "Buying 'non-skippable' content is not a recommended option. It's likely to result in a backlash, both to the individual advertiser and ultimately to the entire industry when this frustration results in more people installing ad blocking software. Given this, the only real way forward is for brands to create content that will stop Gen Z in their tracks."
This generation is highly reliant on their mobile phones, and "the digital world is all they have ever known," the report suggests. The wide variety of media channels are making it harder for brands to reach them, and as marketers are likely to be older than their Gen Z target audience they are facing new challenges.
"People who work in the marketing industry are tech-savvy, but experts from earlier generations are now faced with this new group of consumers who are more technologically advanced."
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BehavioSec’s Behavioral Biometrics platform fulfills critical requirements achieving Payment Services Directive 2 (PSD2) compliance The European Banking Authority confirms behavioral biometrics as a proven technology delivering enhanced authentication and anti-fraud measures for payment service providers. Widely deployed across global banks, BehavioSec’s behavioral biometrics platform keeps customers prepared for PSD2 mandates and business opportunities. Stockholm/München – July 17, 2018 BehavioSec, the first vendor to pioneer behavioral biometrics, today announced that […]
Enhance your existing fraud detection capabilities with Behaviosec's behavioral biometrics platform.
- Detect threats real-time
- Lower false positive noise
- Improve digital experience
- Orchestrate in your systems
Easily integrate via REST APIs to existing anti-fraud systems.
Integrate with your apps via a powerful mobile and web SDK framework.
- Hugo Bongers, Director Digital Impact Fund, ABN AMRO.


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British Business Investments is set to provide £30m of funding for SMEs through Independent Growth Finance (IGF).
The increase in funding from the commercial arm of the British Business Bank and the commercial finance provider will offer SMEs the opportunity to invest for rapid growth.
IGF provides a number of asset-based lending products, including loans secured against property, plant, equipment and inventory.
John Onslow, CEO of IGF, said: “Ten years on from the financial crisis, UK SMEs are still struggling to access the finance they need to grow their businesses.
“Our partnership with British Business Investments will provide much-needed finance to SMEs.
“The finance we will be providing allows them to unlock the value of the assets they own and use them to borrow funds to expand and create jobs.”
“We think that we have only begun to scratch the surface in this form of finance.
“It has enormous growth potential.”
IGF has provided financing to SMEs since 1997 and focuses on businesses with a turnover between £500,000 and £100m per annum.
In the 12 months to September 2017, IGF increased its funding to UK businesses by 180% year-on-year to £53m.
Catherine Lewis La Torre, chief executive officer at British Business Investments, added: “For innovative smaller businesses, asset-based lending can be the key to unlocking rapid growth without losing control of their business.
“This £30m commitment with IGF is another vital step in supporting businesses that are looking to expand, and is a further demonstration of our commitment to increasing the diversity of finance available to small businesses.”
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TSB names new general counsel
TSB has announced that Lorna Curry (pictured above) will become its new general counsel in January 2018.
Why business owners need to know about Help to Grow
Last week, I read with interest some new research from the Institute of Directors’ start-up network (the IoD99) which revealed that UK entrepreneurs are feeling confident about growing and developing their businesses in 2018, despite challenges posed by Brexit and new regulatory requirements.
Metro reveals new director of commercial real estate
Metro Bank has announced Gabrielle Berring will join the challenger bank as its new director of commercial real estate on 2nd January 2018.
Aldermore names new chairman
Aldermore Group PLC has announced that Pat Butler will become its new chairman.
Have banks changed their behaviour since the financial crisis?
A quarter of UK SMEs (24%) believe that banks have failed to change their behaviour since the global financial crisis in 2008, according to a new study.
Revolut introduces cryptocurrency feature
Revolut has added a new feature to its mobile app which allows customers to buy and exchange three major cryptocurrencies.
Secure Trust Bank partners with Complete FS
Secure Trust Bank has been added to the Complete FS lending panel.
FCA publishes new rules for current account providers
The FCA has published final rules which will require providers of personal and business current accounts to publish information that will help customers to compare the service they could receive.
Will there be a rise in UK ‘drive-thru’ banks?
Just over half of finance professionals have said they expect to see an increase in ‘drive-thru’ banks, according to a survey conducted by Specialist Banking.
Swedish mobile banking start-up secures new funding
Swedish mobile banking start-up firm Plexian has completed its secondary public offering.


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NextPerformance, an online advertising services platform that specialises in dynamic (re)targeting, has appointed Céline Douay as sales director for the UK market.
Having contributed to the success and growth of Shopzilla, Douay will be in charge of the sales team and responsible for expanding NextPerformance’s services within the British market.
‘We’re delighted to have new talent joining the ranks at our firm,” said Vincent Karachira, CEO of NextPerformance.
“This truly is a first step towards being established internationally. We’re convinced the British market will become one of our primary markets, much like Germany and France. Over the last few months we’ve observed this market is very open to advancements in targeting and retargeting services, such as NextPerformance.”


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Bill Gates Says Tesla Semi And Electric Airplanes Will ‘Probably Never’ Work...
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September 8 ,2020 - by Fred Lambert for electrek.co
Bill Gates has thrown some cold water on the Tesla Semi project and recent comments from Elon Musk about the possibility of commercial electric airplanes.
Is he right?
In recent years, Gates has focused on using his fortune to try and fix major problems in the world.
He is getting more attention lately due to his early warnings of the world not being ready for a pandemic prior to the COVID-19 crisis.
Now, he is using his platform to issue a similar warning about climate change
"The problem is that batteries are big and heavy. The more weight you're trying to move, the more batteries you need to power the vehicle. But the more batteries you use, the more weight you add—and the more power you need. Even with...


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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 25/2/2013 (1640 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
Theirs is an enduring love affair, but writers and readers no longer have the traditional relationship they once did.
More and more of them are meeting electronically, for one thing. And, as with Internet dating, self-publishing is becoming increasingly mainstream and acceptable, so a growing number of would-be authors are bypassing the literary matchmaker altogether.
Who needs an agent and a royalty-paying publisher when you've got a manuscript and a credit card?
Winnipegger Mary Anne Appleby says she always knew she'd self-publish if the story that had been percolating in her head for 20 years ever made it onto the page. It did in November 2011, when 3,200 copies of Winnie the Bear rolled off the presses at Friesens Corp., in Altona.
The hardcover, colour-illustrated book ($34.95) tells the true story of the famous bear cub named for Winnipeg that became A.A. Milne's inspiration for Winnie the Pooh. Around 1,700 copies have sold thus far, mostly on consignment at bookstores and gift shops. Appleby says she sold 700 books on her own, just by tapping the friends-and-family market.
The retired mental-health worker, who had no previous writing credits nor publishing experience, prefers to call her book "independently published." The term "self-published" still carries a stigma, she says, harkening back to a time when the "vanity press" was seen as the last refuge for failed authors or substandard works that no legitimate publishing house would touch.
"I literally started my own publishing company (Dominion Street Publishing) and did everything exactly as a publishing company would do it," says Appleby. That included hiring a professional editor, designer, illustrator and printer to produce the book, then pounding the pavement to sell it. She even sent a copy to the Queen and applied to be on Dragon's Den in hopes of reaching a national audience.
She didn't want to reveal the precise amount, but Appleby did say she spent "tens of thousands" of dollars to bring Winnie the Bear to market. She pockets $28 from every book she sells on her own and $14 for consignment sales, compared with the $3.50 per book (or 10 per cent) she says she'd get if she'd signed on with a traditional publishing house.
Relatively few authors get in that door.
"In a typical year, we get around 150 manuscripts and we publish three," says Maurice Mierau, associate publisher at Great Plains Publications, which specializes in Prairie history and biography.
Appleby is far from alone on the independent path.
The number of self-published books produced annually in the United States has nearly tripled, growing 287 per cent, since 2006, according to a recent report by Bowker, the agency that issues all International Standard Book Numbers (ISBNs) in the United States. Ebooks showed the greatest gains, up 129 per cent since 2010, while print grew 33 per cent in that same period.
"Self-publishing is now supported by a sophisticated and highly accessible support structure. It's provided everyone who has a story to tell with a method for sharing it and levelled the playing field to an unprecedented degree," Beat Barblan, director of identifier services for Bowker, said in a news release, which also noted that a number of self-published authors have landed their titles on the prestigious New York Times bestseller list for ebook fiction.
The poster child for self-publishing, of course, is E L James, whose Fifty Shades of Grey erotica trilogy began life as an ebook and has since sold 35 million copies (print and digital) in the U.S. alone and brought in more than $200 million to publisher Random House. Publishers Weekly, the bible of the American book trade, named James its Publishing Person of the Year for 2012 -- the first time the accolade has gone to an author.
Critics might say that self-publishing has lowered the bar on quality writing by removing the gatekeeper and filters that the conventional publishing model represented. Getting a publishing contract, after various editors had deemed the subject matter and content worthy, used to mean a writer had passed the test.
Now, even publishing giants like Penguin Group and Simon & Schuster offer aspiring authors a fast track into print.
There's no shortage of companies selling design, editorial and marketing services. They'll even take care of such tedious tasks as registering copyright and assigning ISBNs and bar codes.
"It's definitely gone from a very slow trickle to incredibly busy. We do about 200 books a month, and that's growing month after month," says Tammara Kennelly, president of FriesenPress, the vanity-publishing subsidiary of Manitoba-based printer Friesens Corp. It has published around 1,200 books since opening in Victoria in 2009.
FriesenPress offers self-publishing packages ranging from $899 for an ebook or a "personal project" to more than $4,000 for the "all-inclusive package," which might be a full-colour, hard-cover commercial product.
Where self-publishing really differs from the conventional publishing model is, of course, financially. Self-published authors take on the risk and the reward, says Donovan Bergman, sales representative with Friesens Corp.
"Part of the whole process with self-publishers is making sure they have realistic expectations early on," he says. "If it's just a pet project they've dreamed of doing, that's very different than somebody who wants to go on a tour and do readings and who is really interested in the marketing and distribution side.
"A lot of people think that once the book is done, their work is done, but realistically, the work has only begun."
Winnipeg educational assistant Marla Paul-Merasty is finding that out, following the recent release of her first children's book.
The mother of two, who had no formal writing experience, says she literally dreamed up Chuck the Different Vampire, which tells the tale of a young, sneaker-wearing vampire who eschews blood and likes sunlight. The caped youngster discovers the special power that allows him to be outside in the daytime is activated through good manners and politeness.
"I dreamed this," says Paul-Merasty, holding up one of the colourful softcover books she self-published through FriesenPress. "It was this little vampire running around the Exchange District doing good deeds -- helping people and opening doors. Everybody says write your dreams down, but nobody ever does anything with them."
Paul-Merasty, who works with special-needs children and is also known as Miss Marla, says her book carries a message of diversity and acceptance. She's been doing readings at schools and libraries around the city, has a website (chuckthedifferentvampire.ca) and is working on a YouTube video to promote the book. Chuck even has a theme song.
When all is said and done, she says, she'll have spent close to $10,000 to produce and promote the 500 copies of Chuck that rolled off the press last Halloween and are for sale on Amazon and through McNally Robinson Booksellers ($11.99). The colour illustrations for the 32-page book, which were done by Illinois artist Alan Margolis and feature the Manitoba Legislative Building and other landmark buildings in the Exchange District, cost $1,500 alone.
But whether or not it turns into a profitable venture, Paul-Merasty says self-publishing a book has taken her out of her comfort zone and on an adventure she knows is only beginning. There may even be a Chuck series.
"It was something that was near and dear to my heart and I followed through with it," she says. "It's not a cheap process, but it's something I wanted to do."


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Germany’s Boehringer Ingelheim has been swapping out operations and changing up top management as it scrambles to recover from patent losses that have flattened its revenues. After doing deals to bolster its top line, it will now spend some money on manufacturing in hopes of riding the biopharma boom to greater heights, adding about 400 jobs in the process.
The company said Tuesday it will it build a commercial-scale biopharmaceutical production facility in Vienna, Austria, to produce active ingredients using cell cultures. It said it will fill in the details later but that it will spend roughly €500 million ($550 million) on the plant and take on up to 400 employees when it opens in 2021.
“This is a decision for Europe as a pharma location,” Boehringer Chairman Andreas Barner, said in a statement. Vienna was picked, Barner explained, after sizing up other international locations and considering the “research environment at potential sites.”
Boehringer’s key biopharma production is done in Biberach, Germany, but the company needs extra capacity for its pipeline and decided to build in a new location to spread the risk. It also expects to do more production for other companies. Sanofi this year selected Boehringer to handle some of its monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) manufacturing for drugs the French drugmaker has been working on with U.S. partner Regeneron.
Last week Boehringer and Sanofi announced negotiations around entirely different parts of their business. Boehringer intends to trade its consumer health business and pay the French drugmaker €4.7 billion for its Merial animal health unit. Each company expects the swap to boost its fortunes as they both struggle with soft spots in their businesses.
Germany’s second largest drugmaker has been dealing with patent losses and pricing pressures that have led it to lay off workers and unload assets. It sold its U.S. generics operation, Roxane Labs to Jordan’s Hikma Pharmaceuticals this year for $2.65 billion, saying it needed to focus on drug development and branded drug sales.
It has had some notable success in recent weeks with its drug development. The FDA approved the company’s Praxbind, a reversal agent for patients taking the drugmaker’s clot-fighter Pradaxa. It won an FDA breakthrough therapy designation for a drug candidate that demonstrated early-stage promise for T790M-positive cases of non-small cell lung cancer. The FDA last week also approved the biosimilar of Sanofi’s massively popular Lantus insulin that Boehringer developed with partner Eli Lilly.
To shepherd it through the next phase of its business, the company has picked a new, younger leader. It recently announced that Hubertus von Baumbach, a great-grandson of founder Albert Boehringer, would take over when Barner steps out of the the top role next year.
By Eric Palmer
Source: Fierce Pharma
Big Pharma has long seen the potential for AI and machine learning to accelerate drug development. But Novo Nordisk is going a step further by channeling $200 million toward the creation of a computer that will outrun anything in existence.
Current methods for diagnosing Alzheimer’s disease rely on a complex combination of self- and caregiver-reported symptoms, a physical examination and either a PET scan or a spinal tap to look for evidence of amyloid plaque build-ups in the brain. But a new artificial intelligence-based method may make the diagnostic process a much more objective one.
There is lots of talk about diversity and inclusion in business, including in pharma and medtech. A new report by the Open Political Economy Network (OPEN), a think tank focusing on migration and diversity, released its “Minority Businesses Matter: Europe” report highlighting the successes and challenges of ethnic minority-owned businesses in Europe.


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(MENAFN- Jordan Times) AMMAN — Reading is a thirst that only increases when you quench it: this could be the slogan of the recently launched Ebook mobile app by Abjjad, an online Arabic books website founded by Eman Hylooz five years ago.
'I am a bookworm. I love reading and I always wanted to share the beauty of Arabic books,' the 33-year-old Jordanian told The Jordan Times in an interview on Sunday.
With the advancement of technology and the multiplication of electronic devices, people reading books on phones, tablets and laptops has become a daily occurrence worldwide.
However, while people have an easy and instant access to millions of books on digital platforms, the lack of a proper online database for Arabic books dawned on Hylooz.
She recalled: 'I was hearing a lot: there is no readership in the Arab world, there are no Arabic books. But I know that there is actually a lot of passionate readers who would love to socialise around their reading experience.'
She used her background in computer science and years of experience in software development to establish the website Abjjad, with the aim of filling this literary gap and helping avid Arab readers to access their daily dose of prose and poetry.
An equivalent of the English website 'Goodreads', Abjjad offers Internet users the chance to browse through an online catalogue of over 160,000 books by Arab and international authors that encompass a wide variety of topics such as fiction, politics, psychology, religion, self-help, among others.
The 450,000 registered users also get to review the books and authors and share their experience through comments and ratings with other book enthusiasts worldwide.
Every month, more than 36,000 book-related posts are shared on the site,with writers engaging in conversations through over 5,000 comments, the founder of Abjjad said.
After five years of online success, the team decided to launch a mobile app allowing Arab readers access to their favourite books anytime, anywhere. 'In the past five years, I could feel that users were being frustrated by reading nice reviews and getting recommendations from their followers, but being unable to find the book to acquire,' Hylooz explained, noting that 'it then made sense to start with eBooks'.
'This app introduces a revolution in the world of Arabic reading while preserving the rights of the publisher, as the 2,000 ebooks we have uploaded have already been downloaded 280,000 times on the application over the past three months,' the young woman said.
Hylooz's love for literature goes beyond the passion for reading; she also seeks to preserve the vitality of the industry by combating the illegal downloading of books that scraps publishers and authors from their revenues.
'By signing partnerships with the leading publishing houses in the Arab world, we ensure that they are not killed by the pirating of books that spread dangerously,' she explained, adding that, while these publishers were reluctant to the jump into the digital world, they are now fully on board.
'The problem with Arabic books is that they are not a priority for global companies like Google, Amazon or Kindle; their marketing strategy is mostly focused on the English reading community,' the entrepreneur highlighted.
However, the launch of the app comes at the time when the number of Internet subscribers in the Kingdom amounts to 8.7 million, and a total of 160 million around the Arab world, most of which are mobile broadband, according to official figures.
'We are the generation that is witnessing the change to the digital world and we need to take it upon ourselves to help publishers penetrate this huge market that has been left behind by global companies,' she stressed.
For Hylooz, Abjjad has gone beyond a mere readers' platform: it has turned into a social and intellectual one. 'The content that is produced by Abjjad's readers community is one of the most important sources for finding the best books. The users look for recommendations from other readers, interact with them over recent activities, opinions and quotations,' she noted.
On criticisms about the loss of authenticity in reading, Hylooz responded: 'The app does not take away the 'pleasure of reading a paper book', as everything was designed to give the reader a real-life reading sensation.'
'We actually raise the quality of reading, shifting away from the poor level of pirated Arabic books pdfs currently on the market,' she concluded.
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Vladimir Pekic is a freelance journalist who writes for both IEG Policy and IEG Vu. He has many years’ experience covering a wide range of agri-food and commodity topics across Europe and Latin America.
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Around 90% of the peanut crop has been harvested in Argentina’s grower provinces of Cordoba, San Luis, La Pampa and Buenos Aires, with in-shell production so-far reaching 842,600 tonnes and shelled peanut production totaling around 536,400 tonnes.
Colombian authorities have lent a helping hand to reducing domestic milk powder inventories by holding 13 public auctions that helped to move almost 3,500 tonnes of the product for a combined COP30.9 billion (USD10.7 million) in the past few months.
Orange fruit production in Brazil will rise from 16.9 million tonnes in 2017/18 to 18.2 mln tonnes in 2027/28, according to a new 10-year forecast for future orange and orange juice production in the country, unveiled by Brazilian authorities.
Brazil’s federal revenue service Receita Federal has reportedly initiated a new investigation to discover whether Coca-Cola is overstating the price of its carbonated soft drinks (CSDs) concentrates to expand its profit margin in the Manaus Duty Free Zone (ZFM), where the company’s concentrates plant is based.
Mexico's Grupo Lala intends to initiate operations in Guatemala at its new dairy processing plant in Palín, in a bid to reinforce Lala's presence in Central America and mitigate the damaging effects from the current tense political situation in Nicaragua.


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David Einhorn has a bit of a reputation for saying things that tank the shares of companies.
Even when he doesn’t actually give an opinion, a simple question can take down a stock (see: Herbalife).
Today he’s back on stage at the Value Investing Congress and Deal Journal is here to see if someone new gets “Einhorned.”
Einhorn is finished now. He declined to answer a question if Green Mountain would go to zero and declined to comment on Dick’s Sporting Goods.
By the way, he’s long on Apple, another position he declined to talk about today.
Einhorn is mocking the St. Joe CFO’s call says he avoided topics and that the company has cut costs but has no plans. Says it is trading at 2 or 3 times the value of its land.
Green Mountain to zero?
Einhorn is asked if Green Mountain should go to zero. He doesn’t particularly answer it.
Einhorn asked about St. Joe’s and gets excited. He says they had a call and practically no one listened. “Nothing is going on at that company”.
Einhorn: My view on Apple is largely unchanged.
Einhorn is drawing laughter out of his Greenlight Capital employees after answering, somewhat snarkily, a question about his short thesis on US Steel versus long on GM. “It seems to me lower steel prices would help automakers,” Einhorn said.
He doesn’t sound like he likes answering questions too much.
Einhorn is now asked about Moody’s stock gains. Says he still has concerns there and while some lawsuits have been dismissed, there are still lots of serious issues.
Einhorn on Chevy Volt: “it’s obviously not going well, but it’s a teeny tiny part of GM’s business”
Einhorn says he is not long Taco Bell’s owner Yum. Calls it interesting, but has questions about Pizza Hut and some other chains.
Blunt first question on returns
Einhorn asked about investment performance: We are up in the low-digit teens this year, and low single digits last year.
“Less long exposure to Chipotle stock is a good idea,” Einhorn says, finishing up the presentation.
Einhorn says Chipotle is likely to see sales fall and that Taco Bell with siphon off some of those sales, because prices are key.
Showdown at the Cantina Bell
Cantina Bell is the new Taco Bell brand, and Einhorn says Chipotle customers tried it and liked it. Einhorn is pitching this as a showdown between a higher-end Taco Bell offering and a pricey Chipotle menu.
Chipotle shares are down 6% on Einhorn’s comments.
A sales pitch
Einhorn says the audience should go to Taco Bell for their new menus. (He even gives the two closest locations.)
Taco Bell has many more locations and cheaper meals, Einhorn says, and notes a Chipotle price increase is a worrying sign.
Einhorn says he took a survey, and that 75% of customers of both chains visit both chains. Taco Bell’s “Doritos’ Locos” Tacos did pretty well.
Taco Bell threat
Einhorn says biggest challenge to Chipotle is a “resurgent” Taco Bell, owned by Yum Brands
Einhorn warns the market has ignored “obvious risks” but does point out that Chipotle has faced problems with illegal immigrants.
Einhorn says history shows that restaurants generally come back to earth. He’s helping that right now as shares are plunging 7.3% to $293.90
Nothing fishy, just pricey
Einhorn says this isn’t about anything fishy in their burritos or management, but the stock soared.
Topic No. 4: Chipotle, a short
And onto idea No. 4 (his final): Chipotle: A short!
Einhorn is now talking up Cigna’s international business expansion potential. He pretty much sees potential everywhere in the companies he likes.
Individual mandate a plus
Einhorn says Cigna is not very exposed to individual insurance clients, but it may be able to increase that when Obamacare forces individuals to purchase insurance on exchanges.
He likes Cigna's M&A
Einhorn is talking about Cigna’s acquisition of HealthSpring, which was aimed at the “potentially lucrative”, as he calls it, dual-coverage population, which is customer eligible for Medicare and Medicaid.
Cigna shares are only up about 1%. Maybe investors are heeding Einhorn’s first point: Don’t just follow him blindly?
Einhorn says Cigna is his “favorite HMO” and a “better business” with low trading valuations and best positioned for Obamacare.
Here’s a story Juliet Chung and I wrote about hedge funds piling up the shares of health-care
Zombies and Babies!
Einhorn admits most people don’t really get HMOs and are afraid of Obamacare. (It sounds like he’s about to get even more wonky.)
Though he’s adding more fun photos, we’ve got zombies and a gaggle of babies. (“Babies are cute, we love babies, but babies are expensive for HMOs,” Einhorn says.)
“Cigna has potential as a boring homework excerise,” but one with big rewards, Einhorn says.
New Topic: Cigna!
Onto his next topic: Cigna, which Einhorn has been buying up.
Einhorn says profits could replace $15 billion theoretically used to buy back the government stake in a few years.
Cash burning a hole
Einhorn: “GM doesn’t need this amount of cash” and since it is “earning the Bernanke rate” the company should do something with it. Though he also says the company should remain liquid to avoid repeating bankruptcy.
Einhorn on European car sales: Sees losses calming by 2014 and that it will at some point start turning around. “GM International should show real improvement and exceed consensus forecast,” he adds.
But does Einhorn drive one?
Einhorn even seems to like the product roll-outs from GM. He quotes “Esquire’s” glowing review of a new Cadillac.
Einhorn appears to have done his homework on the auto market. He’s spouting out plenty of numbers about licenses per people and cars and how many sales etc would get the U.S. back to its peaks.
That government stake is good
Einhorn says he views the governemment’s current stake as an oppurtunity, as GM could buy that stake back and boost earnings significantly.
shares up a tad
GM shares up about 1.7% right now
Forecasts too low
He says he doesn’t expect the auto maker to pay taxes for a long time and that the consensus forecast for “good growth” is, in fact, “too low.”
Einhorn says GM shouldn’t, but could, return a whole lot of cash to shareholders right now.
“Brand quality is improving drastically,” Einhorn says. “This has translated into improved pricing.”
He likes it
We believe that GM is better now than it was, Einhorn says, noting fixed costs are down, balance sheet is cleaned up and pension risk is overblown.
After falling more than 6% during Einhorn’s talk, Green Mountain’s shares have rebound and are down just 1.5%
Einhorn is reviewing the downfall of the auto maker and its June 2009 bankruptcy.
New Topic: GM!
Einhorn has moved onto a giant: General Motors.
Einhorn is now warning about the expiration of Green Mountain’s K-cup patent expiration: “We think there is significant downside from here.”
Einhorn is talking about Starbucks launch of a single-serve brewer, which spooked investors in Green Mountain. He refers to the “partnership” the two have with a very very old photo of Bill and Hillary Clinton
On Green Mountain:
“I’m sure they were eager to get the audit done as soon as they could,” Einhorn said. “Everything I said then is still true”
Herbalife is now up nearly 5% with a big spike since Einhorn began speaking
Einhorn is ripping into response from Green Mountain’s audit committee.
Still bearish on Green Mountain
Einhorn sticking with bear thesis on Green Mountain: he’s got follow up
Einhorn warns rumors on him and his investments are often wrong, but that he can’t correct them all.
Meet David's Wife
Einhorn’s wife Cheryl, who teaches at Columbia is sitting with a large group of Greenlight Capital employees in the balcony here. They greeted her quite warmly.
Now why would Herbalife fall?
“I was quite surprised” by the fall in Herbalife and calls out Caris for writing a note handicapping whether Einhorn would or wouldn’t talk about Herbalife at a conference.
No opinion on Herbalife
“On Green Mountain we have an opinion. Contrary to Herbalife..” He says he is not making an opinion on Herbalife and points out that investors were looking for a reason to fall.
To be 'Einhorned'
Einhorn shows a slide of the recent WSJ story: “apparently I’m now a verb”.
Do your homework!
Einhorn is telling the audience to “do your homework”. “I would never follow someone blindly into a stock”.
His presentation has a title
His presentation is entitled “kicking the tires” and he has four ideas and 120 slides
Einhorn takes the stage
Einhorn is taking the stage, with an introduction that is praising him. “He’s given us some presentations that until I have Alzheimers I’ll never forget”
And if you want to see how just a question from Einhorn can impact a stock, check out this interactive graphic looking at Hearbalife’s stock as David Einhorn asked a few questions on its conference call this spring.
Sizing Up Einhorn's Sway
As we wait to get started, check out the WSJ”s recent profile of David Einhorn writtne by Deal Journal colleague Juliet Chung


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Reuters is reporting that Samsung Electronics today has replaced its CEO. Choi Gee-sung, the current CEO, will be moving to a position as the head of corporate strategy. This is not a demotion for Choi, as the group he will lead is in charge of all of the companies within Samsung Group. Choi will be replaced by Kwon Oh-hyun (pictured), the current head of Samsung’s Device Solutions division.
Reuters quotes a very generic Samsung response to the issue:
“Choi is the best candidate who can chart Samsung through the global economic crisis and ever-intensifying competition,” Samsung said in a statement, citing an unnamed executive. “Under Choi, Samsung plans to pursue innovative changes.”
It’s easy to see why Samsung would want the person overseeing the company’s component division in the role of CEO. Samsung is the first smartphone manufacturer to show signs that it can truly compete with Apple in the mobile market. Kwon was in charge of the company’s rise as the supplier of many Apple device components. Recently, Kwon announced that Samsung was receiving “huge” orders for the company’s new flexible OLED screens, which it announced at this year’s Consumer Electonics Show in January. Kwon will continue to oversee the Device Solutions division as CEO.
Though Samsung has not officially announced the reasons behind the change in leadership, Reuters reports that Samsung Chairman Lee Kun-hee is involved in a public family feud, and that Lee is currently grooming his son Jay Y. Lee to take over control of Samsung. An analyst quoted by Reuters states that Choi, as the head of corporate strategy, will be helping to train Jay Y. Lee, who currently serves as Samsung’s chief operating officer, for his future leadership role.


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The virtual goods market, led by growth in purchases from companies such as
(ZNGA - Get Report)
, lets Facebook diversify its revenue from strictly advertising. Facebook takes a 30% cut from the goods purchased on its platform, similar to what Google and
(AAPL - Get Report)
do with their app stores. This market is expected to reach $14 billion by 2016.
There are several caveats Facebook investors should be aware of, however, including slowing growth, sequential decline in revenue, and potential challenges in China.
Bhatia notes that carving out a firm presence in China is difficult, as Google has shown. Compliance with Chinese regulatory authorities, for example, is difficult and addressing Chinese culture poses challenges, particularly in the face of incumbents such as Renren.
Facebook has said that it wants to touch each of the world's 2 billion Internet users. It already has over 900 million users, so there's potential for 1.1 billion more, or just over half of the world. "While we expect Facebook to benefit from an increasing base of internet users and to be able to achieve higher penetration rates of internet users, the hyper growth of past years is unlikely to be matched simply due to the law of large numbers," Bhatia said in his note.
Then there are the concerns about slowing revenue growth. Facebook said that
revenue grew 45% year-over-year
in its first-quarter, but that was down from 55% in the fourth quarter 2011 and 104% in third-quarter 2011. This could be a seasonal decline, but it's something investors will need to be aware of, especially given the hype surrounding Facebook.
Facebook is starting its roadshow for its IPO and is expected to go public late next week, either May 17 or May 18.
Interested in more on Google? See TheStreet Ratings' report card for
Check out our new tech blog,
. Follow TheStreet Tech
on your wireless devices
Written by Chris Ciaccia in New York


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Imagine waking up on your birthday to 100 free cupcakes delivered to your door...Every year! For the next 10 years! That's a pretty solid guarantee of a happy birthday, if you ask me. Ten lucky cupcake fans can soon receive this sweet reward courtesy of Baked By Melissa.
The cupcake shop, founded by Melissa Ben-Ishay in 2008, is celebrating its 10th birthday this year. Since launching the company, Baked by Melissa has gone on to make dozens of different bite-sized cupcakes, including their ubiquitous tie-dye cake. In honor of a decade in business, they're playing cupcake fairy, giving out 1,000 instant prizes and the aforementioned 100 cupcakes a year to fans who can "find the golden" cupcake.
BUY NOW Latest & Greatest Box, $28, bakedbymelissa.com
The fated golden cupcakes can be found on scratch off sleeves wrapped around every Latest & Greatest cupcake assortment sold in stores and online today through October 7. So even if you're not near one of Baked by Melissa's 14 storefronts, you can get in on the action, or send a box to a friend in hopes that they win the grand prize. If nothing else, they'll be excited to receive some sweets—which is Melissa's goal, at the end of the day.
"These last 10 years have been a magical journey, and I feel incredibly lucky to have created a company that makes people happy," she said in a press release. "I'm excited to continue working with our hard-working, passionate team to bring the delicious joy of Baked by Melissa to as many people as we can around the country."
Also in the winning Latest & Greatest box: A Vanilla Cookies & Cream Mini of the Month with a special gold stuffing! We know it's hard, but try not to eat that one in one bite.


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Here's some salt for JPMorgan's $920 million wounds.
The Consumer Financial Protection Agency said this afternoon JPM must give back the money to 2.1 million customers. The CFPB and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency found that these customers were billed for credit monitoring services that they never received.
“At the core of our mission is a duty to identify and root out unfair, deceptive, and abusive practices in financial markets that harm consumers,” said CFPB Director Richard Cordray. “This order takes action against such practices and requires Chase to fully refund more than $300 million to consumers who were charged illegal fees.”
The $309 million fine comes just hours after regulators including the SEC, Federal Reserve, OCC and the UK's FSA fined the bank $920 million over the infamous London Whale trading mess.
The London Whale derivatives trade cost the bank over $6 billion in losses. The bank, including CEO Jamie Dimon, faced much scrutiny from lawmakers and regulators for its failure to catch such a massive bad trade.
The combined incidents today are costing the nation's largest bank $1.2 billion in fines, penalties and refunds.
The credit card refund comes as the result of an investigation where the CFPB found that JPM enrolled consumers in credit card add-on products that alerted customers to fraudulent activity on their accounts. The agency found that JPM charged customers for the service without first getting their authorization.
According to the CFPB, the monthly fees ranged from $7.99 to $11.99 even though the promised services were not performed. In some cases, consumers paid for these services for several years without receiving all of the promised benefits.
In a statement, JPM said, "We stopped new enrollments in these products in mid-2012 and will fully exit them by the end of this year,” said Bill Wallace, head of Operations for Consumer & Community Banking. “We have already credited or refunded the customers affected. Any mistakes like these are regrettable and we are committed to ensuring our partners and vendors hold themselves to the same high standards that our customers expect of us."
For those who are owed a refund from Chase the CFPB says you don't have to do anything to get it. The refund should be automatically credited on your November or December 2012 statement as “ID/FRAUD PROTECT CREDT[Phone Number].”
Says the CFPB, "If you are eligible but no longer had an account with Chase as of October 2012, a check should have been mailed to you by the end of November 2012. If you have questions about whether you are entitled to a refund, please contact Chase."


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COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) Police say suspects in a rental truck drove through the front entrance of a Louis Vuitton (lew-EE’ vit-AHN’) store in Columbus and carried off about $150,000 worth of designer merchandise.
The Columbus Dispatch reports the smash-and-grab occurred just after 5:30 a.m. Thursday at a shopping complex called Easton Town Center.
Police say between eight and 10 people went inside the store to ransack it.
No arrests have been made. The theft is under investigation.
Information from: The Columbus Dispatch, http://www.dispatch.com


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AUSTIN, Texas, May 12, 2015 /PRNewswire/ — The War Against the Machines is coming to beverage aisles across the nation. Big Red, America’s original and best-selling red soda, today announced its partnership with Paramount Pictures to support the upcoming July 1 theatrical release of Paramount Pictures and Skydance Productions’ “Terminator Genisys” starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jason Clarke, Emilia Clarke and Jai Courtney. The collaboration between the nation’s sixth-largest soda company and the reset of the blockbuster action movie franchise will focus on driving awareness for “Terminator Genisys” in retail channels and social media.
Beginning May 18, “Terminator Genisys” fans looking for a “Deliciously Different” taste can take home limited-edition Big Red and Big Red Zero products that feature the movie’s main characters, including Sarah Connor(Emilia Clarke) and the T-800 and T-1000 Terminators. Additionally, select markets will also be introduced to Big Red Vintage Reset, a “Terminator Genisys”-inspired version of Retro Big Red, which is made with pure cane sugar. The limited-time Big Red Vintage Reset will come exclusively in a16-ounce aluminum can, a first-time offering for any Big Red flavor within the brand’s 78-year history.
“Aligning Big Red with ‘Terminator Genisys’ gives the brand a tremendous opportunity to reach consumers who have followed the franchise since the beginning, as well as Millennials who might be experiencing the thrill of a Terminator movie on the big screen for the first time,” said Thomas Oh, senior vice president of marketing for Big Red, Inc.
“This Big Red campaign with the cool, limited-edition cans and packaging featuring characters from ‘Terminator Genisys’ is an excellent way for us to build fan excitement for the movie at retail stores nationwide,” said LeeAnne Stables, executive vice president of worldwide marketing partnerships for Paramount Pictures.
To promote the partnership on social media, Big Red has teamed up with the popular video messaging app Dubsmash to host the Big Red #Dubinator contest beginning June 6 at BigRed.com/Terminator. The contest will award one participant with an exclusive Terminator experience that includes a behind-the-scenes tour of Paramount Pictures Studios and a meet-and-greet with members of the “Terminator Genisys” production team.
Dubsmash, which has been downloaded more than 20 million times since its Nov. 2014 launch, allows users to record “selfie videos” of themselves lipsyncing to popular audio clips – like movie quotes – and then share the resulting video on social media. Additionally, Big Red and “Terminator Genisys” fans can win exclusive, co-branded merchandise via an online sweepstakes at BigRed.com/Terminator.
Paramount Pictures and Skydance Productions present “TERMINATOR GENISYS.” When John Connor (Jason Clarke), leader of the human resistance, sends Sgt. Kyle Reese (Jai Courtney) back to 1984 to protectSarah Connor (Emilia Clarke) and safeguard the future, an unexpected turn of events creates a fractured timeline. Now, Sgt. Reese finds himself in a new and unfamiliar version of the past, where he is faced with unlikely allies, including the Guardian (Arnold Schwarzenegger), dangerous new enemies, and an unexpected new mission: to reset the future. Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jason Clarke, Emilia Clarke, Jai Courtney,J. K. Simmons, Dayo Okeniyi, Matthew Smith, Courtney B. Vance and Byung-Hun Lee.
Produced by David Ellison and Dana Goldberg. Written by Laeta Kalogridis & Patrick Lussier. Directed by Alan Taylor.
About Paramount Pictures Corporation
Paramount Pictures Corporation (PPC), a global producer and distributor of filmed entertainment, is a unit of Viacom (NASDAQ: VIAB, VIA), a leading content company with prominent and respected film, television and digital entertainment brands. Paramount controls a collection of some of the most powerful brands in filmed entertainment, including Paramount Pictures, Paramount Animation, Paramount Television, Paramount Vantage, Paramount Classics, Insurge Pictures, MTV Films, and Nickelodeon Movies. PPC operations also include Paramount Home Media Distribution, Paramount Pictures International, Paramount Licensing Inc., and Paramount Studio Group.
About Big Red
Big Red, Inc. is one of the top 10 beverage companies in North America with a history dating back to 1937. Along with Big Red®, recognized as the number-one selling red soda, Big Red, Inc. also markets beverage brands Big Red Zero®, Big Blue®, Big Peach®, Big Pineapple®, NuGrape®, and Nesbitt’s® products. Distributed widely throughout the Dr Pepper Snapple Group, Independent Bottlers and Pepsi Beverages Company, consumers across the country enjoy Big Red, Inc.’s beverages. For more information, please visit www.bigred.com.
About Skydance Productions
Skydance Productions tells big stories and creates immersive worlds, producing narratives that span film, television, games and more. Skydance is currently in post-production on a reset of the TERMINATOR franchise, TERMINATOR GENISYS, to be released on July 1, 2015.


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MISSING THE MARK Zuckerberg A lot of people think Facebook's $15 billion valuation is kind of insane, given that dick-ish founder Mark Zuckerberg hasn't really figured out a way to make any real money. Not a good sign for a company that is trying to go public sometime in the near future! Which may be why some employees are already trying to furtively offload stock at way below the valued price.
TechCrunch's Michael Arrington got his hands on an e-mail from a high-end money manager named Bill Dagley in California, in which Dagley is testing the waters to see if anyone is interested in "buying shares of Facebook from current holder." A person approached by Dagley tells Arrington that the asking price was $3 to $4 billion. Arrington also floats the rumor that Zuckerberg himself has explored selling some stock at a $6 billion valuation, though he's unable to confirm this.


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Don’t call him 'Crypto Joe.' Yet.
Good morning! The administration’s executive order on crypto was celebrated by some as validation that the currency is legit. Others aren’t so sure it’s the “welcome mat” people want it to be. I’m Ben Pimentel, and I think “The People’s Front of Judea” is one of the funniest Monty Python sketches ever.
Also, we want to know if you own any NFTs. Read to the end for more info, but if you’re a longtime NFT collector or new to the hobby, tell us all about it. What was your first NFT? Which one cost the most? Let us know by replying to this email!
More like ‘Regulatory Process Joe’
President Biden’s executive order on crypto got rave reviews from key players in the digital assets industry. But calling him Crypto Joe may be premature.
Crypto execs and leaders called the order a milestone for a set of companies that have long complained that the federal government doesn’t take them seriously — or worse, is just plain out to get them. Meanwhile, administration officials, including key regulators, said they’re prepared to follow Biden’s lead in defending against the dark side of crypto: risks to financial stability, investor safety, national security and law and order.
There’s something for everyone in Biden’s crypto order, and what you see in it largely depends on where you stand.
Crypto thinks this means the White House finally gets it. Biden gave the industry the head-pat it has long been waiting for.
- “First and foremost, this is an affirmation that crypto is here to stay,” Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse tweeted.
- Coinbase Chief Policy Officer Faryar Shirzad said “digital assets are now widely embraced by millions and there's growing interest in it from officials across government. Today, the White House has confirmed they know this too.”
- Garlinghouse echoed that point, saying the White House “finally” said “what we and the industry have been saying for years — if the U.S. wants to maintain its status as a responsible tech leader, it needs to provide a clear regulatory framework for an industry that’s exploding in growth.”
Will crypto and regulators finally get along? Peace breaking out between Silicon Valley and D.C. wasn’t immediately evident from key regulators’ reactions.
- The regulators made it clear they’re prepared to work … with other regulators. Gary Gensler said he looked forward to “collaborating with colleagues across the government” to focus on “protecting investors and consumers, guarding against illicit activity and helping ensure financial stability.”
- Rohit Chopra said the CFPB will work “with partners across the government” to take on a technology that has “created profound implications for financial stability, consumer protection, national security and energy demand.”
- Gensler is not exactly a popular figure in the crypto world. Garlinghouse, whose company is locked in a legal battle with the SEC, also hit back at “years of damage done by the SEC’s siloed regulation by enforcement approach.”
So what’s the order really about? There’s a strong status quo element of working with the existing architecture of government and policy to bring crypto into the fold.
- The Biden order didn’t address a key request from the crypto industry: rationalizing the multiple agencies weighing in on crypto regulations. Rep. Don Beyer, who introduced a crypto regulation bill last year, called this out in a statement: “The order does not clearly delineate regulatory responsibility between the SEC and the CFTC.” He also noted that the order didn’t specifically address stablecoins.
- “It would have been good to acknowledge the big elephant in the room … which is the presence of competing definitions and competing jurisdictions for regulatory oversight,” Gartner Vice President Avivah Litan told me.
- The order is best thought of as “directing agencies to study the crypto industry in a more methodical and coordinated approach” instead of relying on “a patchwork of rules,” Kristin Smith, executive director of the Blockchain Association, said. In other words, it will take time, and a lot of process.
- One concern: The Biden order might give regulators too much leeway. The mandate to protect U.S. and global financial stability could be a “catch-all for regulators” and “a very broad tool” to slow down crypto’s growth while avoiding “political pushback,” said Bradley Tusk, co-founder and managing partner at Tusk Ventures.
Hoping for an era of good feelings in crypto may be wishful thinking. Still, Biden’s crypto order could help reset the raging debates over crypto by reminding everyone of what’s at stake. But the heated debates over how to regulate crypto will likely continue. “I am confident this announcement is not the welcome mat that crypto thinks it is,” Santa Clara University law professor Stephen Diamond told me.
This story is also in today’s Protocol Fintech newsletter. Sign up here to get it in your inbox every morning.
A MESSAGE FROM 4-H
Gen Z is poised to help everyone - from a rural small business to a tech giant - rethink how their business operations can help alleviate the digital divide. It’s time to give Gen Z a seat at the table for the generation that sees how tech can be a benefit but often is the barrier for advancement.
People are talking
Brian Fishman thinks decisions like Facebook blocking Russia will get more intentional over time:
- “Sometimes, intentionally, you want to go all in. Other times, maybe you want to see what you can do before you elicit a response. My instinct is that this was not intentional by any of the companies in this case.”
- "Overly broad restrictions on the access of the Russian people to the internet would further isolate the embattled pro-democracy and anti-war activists, and impede the ability ... to provide critical information to citizens about the current state of affairs and their rights."
Hootsuite’s Tara Ataya said company-wide weeks off can work if you plan for them:
- “It’s a really important piece to consider if companies are thinking about doing this: just making sure you give everybody enough time in advance.”
Juan Perez is joining Salesforce as CIO. Perez spent over 30 years working in tech leadership roles at UPS.
Pavni Diwanji is leaving Meta. She had been running the company's initiatives aimed at protecting and attracting young users.
Yannis Simaiakis is the new chief strategy and insights officer at Waze. He most recently worked on paratransit at Via.
Jim Brinksma is Megaport’s new CTO. Brinksma most recently served in the same role at InnovoEdge, which Megaport bought last year.
Jennifer Lawrence joined NEXT Insurance as its first general counsel. Lawrence last worked at Noblr as chief legal officer and general counsel.
In other news
Two Meta stories you should read: A Financial Times deep dive into how Libra fell apart and why it could never survive being a Facebook product, and a Wired profile of Joel Kaplan, the most prominent Republican — and one of the most powerful voices, period — at the company.
Facebook is trying to address misinformation in Groups. Admins can now block posts marked as false by third-party fact-checkers before they’re even shared to a group and take other actions against group members.
Amazon announced a stock split, which could make shares of the company accessible to more people. The company is also buying back up to $10 billion worth of shares.
Bumble stopped operations in Russia and Belarus and removed its apps from the app stores.
Tesla will support its Ukrainian workers who are asked to fight. The company will continue paying for up to three months, according to an internal email that was sent to employees in Europe, Africa and the Middle East.
SXSW doesn’t want Activision Blizzard to speak anymore. The festival disinvited Activision’s CMO from talking at a panel this weekend.
Tesla swears its self-driving and autopilot features are safe. But senators aren’t convinced.
Lyft employees can continue working from wherever they want. The company had been planning on making everyone work from the office at least part of the time in 2023.
TikTok wants to help musicians make money. The platform introduced SoundOn, a music marketing and distribution service that lets musicians upload songs and earn royalties.
Do you own any NFTs?
People spent nearly $27 billion on NFTs last year, with a majority of sales ranging between $10,000 and $100,000. But aside from all the people updating their social media profiles with pictures of their treasured digital art, who are all these people buying NFTs?
We want to know if you own an NFT. Did you recently get into it, or are you a longtime NFT supporter? If you own one (or many), what was your first? If you don’t own one, why not? Respond to this email and let us know, and we’ll round up our favorites in the Sunday edition of Source Code.
A MESSAGE FROM 4-H
People often think of the digital divide as being just about broadband access, but it is also about understanding the needs and tech literacy levels across roughly six generations. Gen Z could help companies develop products and apps that better serve the needs of our communities, our country and our world.
Thoughts, questions, tips? Send them to email@example.com, or our tips line, firstname.lastname@example.org. Enjoy your day, see you tomorrow.


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Samsung Galaxy S4 has launched a new and apparently the biggest campaign to promote its latest innovation.
The videos present the improved smartphone, which enables you to understand foreigners. In this video camera follows a student, who has come to her host family in Asia. With the help of her phone, they are able to catch up really fast. Samsung is very proud of the updated version of their phone, therefore, has launched the biggest campaign in the brand’s history. Stay tuned for more ads from the campaign.
Watch the spot and share your opinion about the gadget.


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The HTC One M9 hasn’t exactly gotten off to a flourishing start as it has received lukewarm response so far. The smartphone has now made its way to the news cycle, but not exactly for good reasons. A demo unit of the One M9 smartphone was shown to be displaying a overheating message while running the AnTuTu
Judgment day is here at last. The clash of the H1 2015 Android titans went down live on the Barcelona stage at the Mobile World Congress, and now it’s time to give the winner its well-deserved crown. Wait a minute, we don’t have a winner yet. Yes, Samsung snatched the spotlight and far more headlines
SanDisk has just unveiled a new 200GB microSD XC card just before the MWC event kicks off in Barcelona. There aren’t a lot of phones in the market today that can support 200GB microSD XC cards, so compatibility should be limited to devices like cameras. SanDisk mentions that this tiny 200GB microSD card will go up
HTC is counting down to the launch of the One M9 flagship which is scheduled to take place this Sunday. And now, the Taiwanese manufacturer has just posted a new teaser video showing the words “let them stare“. This has been part of HTC’s promotional materials which were released over the past few weeks. The video starts
Earlier today, we came across a screenshot taken from the Xperia Lounge app which revealed the Sony Xperia Z4 Tablet. A new report from Xperia Blog suggests that the Japanese manufacturer will also unveil the Xperia M4 Aqua during the course of the event next week. These could be the only devices on offer at Sony’s event next
It was rumored that Samsung will cut down on the number of apps that are bundled with the Galaxy S6. A new revelation from today confirms this with the Korean manufacturer only expected to showcase applications like Galaxy Apps, S Voice as well as S Health. The S Health app is necessary given the health
The Sony Xperia Z4 Tablet was virtually unknown up until now, but thanks to a revelation made by Sony’s Xperia Lounge app, we now know that the device will break cover at the MWC 2015 event next week. This will be Sony’s second tablet within a span of six months after the Japanese manufacturer unveiled
The Galaxy S6 and the Galaxy S6 Edge are expected to be revealed at the MWC event this Sunday. And case maker Spigen has already started listing cases for the latter. Interestingly, these Galaxy S6 Edge cases are on pre-order and customers can register a unit for themselves right away. The press images here suggest that
Earlier today, we saw T-Mobile putting up a pre-registration page for the Samsung Galaxy S6. And now, it’s AT&T’s turn to follow with a very similar looking teaser, but with the display being blue here (instead of the magenta on T-Mobile’s teaser). The carrier mentions that the smartphone will be available for purchase in Spring 2015.
Although LG might not have any flagship offerings to show off at next week’s MWC 2015 event, the company has revealed a flurry of midrange devices which will be showcased in Barcelona. Known as the Magna, Spirit, Leon and Joy, these smartphones will be launched in markets of Asia and Europe initially. The company is
Only a couple of days ago, we saw Lenovo unveiling the Vibe Shot handset with a 16-megapixel camera and OIS technology built in. It seems like that’s not all that Lenovo had to show off at the MWC in Barcelona. The company’s Vibe Max smartphone has started making its way to the news cycle, hinting
Despite Sony and LG’s best efforts, the 2014 Mobile World Congress was the classic one-man show scenario. Samsung came to Barcelona, saw what the competition had to exhibit, scoffed and conquered the event. The Galaxy S5 quickly fulfilled its destiny, and sold in tens of millions of units, although ultimately, it came short of breaking
The Samsung Galaxy S6 made its way to AnTuTu benchmarks some days ago sporting record benchmark scores, telling us that the device is going to be a beast in terms of performance. Its “Edge” variant (SM-G925F) has now made an appearance on Geekbench, again with record breaking scores and confirmation of the chipset on board.
A new report suggests that Chinese manufacturer Huawei could be looking to launch a new smartwatch at the MWC event early next month with an LTE chip on board. The company’s teaser above is a clear jibe at Samsung’s “What is Next” teaser which was issued for the Galaxy S6. We can see a silhouette


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According to the website of the US federal agency Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “It may be possible that a person can get COVID-19 by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching their own mouth, nose, or possibly their eyes, but this is not thought to be the main way the virus spreads.”
In response to our recent article “Coronavirus: The Good News Amid the Bad”, Mark Caponigro of Bankrate, Inc. provides information that will help with this issue. Bankrate experts have put together a guide that explains what kinds of precautions to take when handling traditional currency and how to best utilize digital methods of payment. They also provide advice on what preventive measures consumers can take financially during these uncertain times. Click here.


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O’Neills has been unveiled as the winner of the 2018 North West Business of the Year.
The announcement was made at a gala NW Business Awards ceremony in the City Hotel, Derry.
O’Neills, which is the largest sportswear manufacturer in Ireland, with plants in Strabane, Tyrone and Dublin, picked up the business honour in what is its 100th year.
The Strabane-based company recently announced plans to open its first Derry store in Waterloo Place in July. Founded in 1918 as a manufacturer of Gaelic footballs, the O’Neills brand soon became synonymous with GAA. Over the decades, the company has expanded its product, offering to become a major supplier of all types of sportswear and equipment.
Kieran Kennedy, Managing Director of O’Neills, said he was delighted and honoured at receiving the award.
He said: “We are delighted and honoured to receive this award. As many of you know, O’Neills is celebrating 100 years in business this year and we are in the process of opening our first Derry store in Waterloo Place.
“To be recognised for achievements in growth and export over the past year is very rewarding and encouraging to us all behind the O’Neills name. Our staff and customers are central to all that we do and achieve.
“Our mantra at O’Neills has always been to never refuse an order and never let a customer down. If we have to work all night to deliver a customer’s order, we will. I am very privileged to have an excellent team of staff which is committed to our customers - that’s what makes O’Neills successful.
“We are hugely excited about opening our first Derry store early this summer and investing in the local economy and the employment of local people. Thank you to those who nominated O’Neills and to the North West Business Awards for this award, we are delighted.”
Sinead McLaughlin, Chief Executive of Derry Chamber of Commerce, which organises the awards in partnership with City Centre Initiative, said: “Our congratulations to everyone at O’Neills on winning the NW Business of the Year award. We have been overwhelmed with the standard of entries this year for all our awards and it was refreshing to see a good variety of nominations.
“These awards celebrate the achievements of local companies throughout the North West. We’re very proud to have O’Neills so well established within the region and look forward to the new city centre store opening shortly.
“Our judges were all in agreement that O’Neills has demonstrated a strong commitment and desire to succeed, grow and export over the past year. These are key ingredients for any business to flourish on a global scale.
“Due to uncertainties over the past year with the impact of Brexit, it has been refreshing to see O’Neills strive forward, particularly as a company based on the border. Businesses like O’Neills are inspiring to us all within the local business community and I once again extend our congratulations to all the teams on their achievement.”


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Unfortunately for Apple's soft-spoken chief executive, he has been incessantly compared to his predecessor after every presentation, successes and failures.
"To simply put Steve Jobs on some sort of pedestal and say Apple could do no wrong under Steve's leadership is wrong," said Gartner analyst Michael Gartenberg. Remember Ping, Apple's failed attempt at a social network centered around music?
Cook has not launched any bold new products in the past 12 months. So far, the company has only released minor updates of popular products, like speedier laptops, the new Mac operating system, the refreshed iPod line and the new, taller iPhone 5. They've all been met with solid reviews (Maps app aside) and sold well.
Apple has gone on to become the most valuable company in history. A year ago on October 4, Apple stock closed at $381.80 a share. On Wednesday, it closed at $671.45.
But by staying the course, Cook has raised some concerns that he may lack the imagination and the bold ability to conjure up mind-blowing new products, which was Jobs' hallmark. Cook's last major responsibility was decidedly left-brained: streamlining Apple's supply chain.
Some question how much credit for Apple's recent financial success should go Cook and how much is residual carryover from Jobs' regime. He prepared the company and its executives to carry on his vision and spent years grooming staff and setting up Apple to continue on seamlessly without him. Is it any surprise that it's continued to do so well?
Gartenberg says that while Jobs gave the appearance of being entirely in control, he did not in fact design each new device single-handedly. Apple has about 12,000 employees in the United States, not counting retail and support staff. It is a large, well-oiled machine that knows how to design and sell beautiful products that consumers want.
"The company is on cruise control," said Tero Kuittinen, an analyst at Alekstra. Kuittinen thinks the recent Maps kerfuffle could have a material impact on Apple and iPhone sales down the line, but we won't know until 2013. Early stats -- like moving 5 million iPhones 5s in the first weekend of sales -- can't foretell what's going to happen at the end of a model's life cycle.
"Apple has a huge amount of good will among consumers. They've started eating away at that," said Kuittinen, referring to the Map app problems.
Kuittinen believes the big decisions that will define Cook are still yet to come. Some are decisions Jobs never made, such as whether to drop the price of the iPhone to be competitive in emerging markets. Cook has already proven that he is aggressive about international sales. The iPhone 5 will be in 100 countries at the end of this year -- a far speedier and more expansive roll out than previous Apple devices.


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by BERNAMA / pic by BERNAMA
THE National Consumer Foundation or Yayasan Pengguna Negara Malaysia (YPNM) today submitted a memorandum to Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, calling for action on the alleged leakage in the oil palm industry.
Its president, Datuk Mohd Firdaus Abdullah said the alleged leakage had affected the income of almost 700,000 oil palm smallholders nationwide, including that of Federal Land Development Authority (Felda) and Federal Land Consolidation and Rehabilitation Authority (Felcra).
He said the foundation also proposed the setting up of a special committee comprising the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), Attorney-General’s Chambers, Royal Malaysia Police, Ministry of Plantation Industries and Commodities and the relevant enforcement authorities to investigate the staff of agencies involved in the oil palm industry.
When met after handing over the memorandum to Prime Minister’s special officer Azril Mohd Amin at the Perdana Putra Building here, Mohd Firdaus said the oil palm smallholders had suffered from the leakage as they were forced to sell their fruits below market price due to the illegal sale of the fruits by the operators of lorries delivering the fruits to the refineries.
He said YPNM’s investigation found that with each delivery, almost 1,000kg of the fruits would be sold to illegal buyers waiting by the roadside.
Mohd Firdaus claimed that the illegal purchase of the fruits was being done in an organised manner and was protected by the palm oil development authority, causing the industry to suffer losses of between RM700 million and RM1 billion annually.
“We hope the illegal activities can be addressed to further develop the oil palm industry, to return the appropriate price for the sale of fresh fruit bunches nationwide, and to prevent tax revenue losses for the government,” he added.


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Charlie McGee joins Apple in European sales role
Charlie McGee, the former managing director of Carat Digital, has joined Apple to lead its European ad sales.
Charlie McGee:to lead Apple's European ad sales operation
In his new role as head of agency partnerships, McGee will be responsible for building Apple’s ad sales offer, including the iAd network of opportunities in iOS apps. He will report to Paul Wright, the former chief digital officer of Omnicom Media Group UK.
McGee’s appointment comes nine months after Wright, who was previously chief digital officer at OMD and director of sales at Sky Digital Media, joined Apple to become the European director of iAd.
After four years as the managing director of Carat Digital McGee became a group trading director across Aegis Media in July 2012, leading the digital buying for both Carat and Vizeum clients.
Immediately before joining Carat in 2008 McGee spent three years at Mediaedge:CIA, now MEC, as a managing partner.
He started his career at the digital agency Profero, rising to head of client services, before moving to Inventa Productions, the video production unit Profero co-founded with Pete Tong, in 2003.
A spokeswoman for Apple declined to comment.
This article was first published on campaignlive.co.uk
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US-based car-hailing giant Uber has been having a couple of rough months embroiled in controversies. Whether it was its CEO Travis Kalanick being caught on dashcam arguing with his own Uber driver over the company’s treatment of drivers, prompting a mea culpa from him or the #DeleteUber campaign trending worldwide for its CEO being part of part of the Trump advisory council, all of this has made sure that the giant remains in the news for all the wrong reasons. And now comes the news that a hacker has successfully discovered a way to get free Uber rides for life.
The hacker of the hour, Anand Prakash, who is a product security engineer by profession, discovered that the popular car-hailing service has a bug in its app which can allow one to avail free Uber rides for the rest of their lives anywhere in the world where the giant is operational.
Prakash recently unveiled the security loophole in the Uber app to the world in a blog he runs on web application security.
According to Prakash, he discovered the big Uber blunder when he sat on a mission to test the Uber application for security loopholes. All he did was order an Uber and then avoid paying for the ride by exploiting a bug when specifying his method of payment in the app.
Hailing a cab on Uber is particularly easy. One just needs to have an account on the app and start riding. When a ride is completed, a user is presented with an option of paying for it either by using cash or charge it to their credit/debit card.
Specifying the payment mode is where Prakash caught its big fish Uber. He realised that when one enters an invalid payment method for example: abc, xyz etc, they could ride an Uber for free anytime of the day, anywhere in the world.
Describing the task as an extremely easy one, Prakash highlighted how attackers could have misused this loophole by taking unlimited free rides from their Uber account.
The security loophole was discovered and solved in August last year and Prakash was duly rewarded by Uber for his work through the giant’s bug bounty hunters programme.
According to Prakash, he got permission from the Uber team to demonstrate the bug and took a number of free rides in India and the US.
Prakash makes a living in the world by finding security bugs. So far, he has earned a whopping $13,500 from Uber alone in bounty rewards.
Prakash is the same hacker who was in the news a couple of years ago for discovering how anyone can take over anyone’s Facebook account and change its password without the owner’s knowledge and permission. He is considered as a top hacker in the hacker world and is signed up with Facebook’s prestigious White Hat bug-finding programme.
In an interview last year, Joe Sullivan, Uber’s Chief Security Officer had said, sometimes even with a team of highly-qualified and well trained security experts, you need to be constantly looking on ways to improve your service. He further added, “This bug bounty programme will help ensure that our code is as secure as possible. And our unique loyalty scheme will encourage the security community to become experts when it comes to Uber.”
Uber security programme currently boosts of having a team of 200 researchers who are constantly on a lookout for bugs which could be exploited at the hands of hackers. The company has payed out up to $10,000 for some of the critical bugs identified by private hackers like Prakash at work.


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SAP Caribbean Forum to take place in Puerto Rico
SAP Caribbean Forum, an event focusing on technology and business in the region, will be held Aug. 28 at the La Concha Hotel in San Juan, when local and international entrepreneurs and experts affiliated with the software company will meet and present the latest advances and technologies aiming to usher in “a new era of efficiency and competitiveness.”
The event will feature 19 sessions and live demonstrations by local and international guests, focusing on multiple industries and areas of business. Customer success stories and the latest in technological innovation and business will also be presented, company executives said.
Specifically, discussions will focus on recent advances in cloud solutions, SAP HANA and mobility.
“With the selection of Puerto Rico as of host this great business and technology event, SAP renews as a brand in this market. We want to invest here and in the Caribbean with a new talented team that recognizes the potential of this region and will develop strategies for supporting companies of all kinds to maximize their efficiency,” said Francisco Reyes, director for SAP North Latin America, who will be among the event’s speakers.
The lineup of presenters also includes Galo Sandoval, sales vice president for SAP Caribbean, and local economist José J. Villamil, who will be responsible for a presentation on future market trends and IT.
Subsequently, an international group of guests will offer sessions on topics ranging from the interaction with customers in this market climate to strategies for mobile security.
Nearly 200 attendees are expected to benefit from information on improving internal processes of their companies, how to meet and better serve their customers, increase productivity, streamline financial planning and enable workforce technologies to execute easily and from anywhere in the world through mobile devices.
“We are betting on Puerto Rico and fostering a closer relationship with partners and customers, “said Reyes.


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Indonesia accelerates digital tax reforms amid the COVID-19 outbreak
The Covid-19 pandemic has forced the government of Indonesia to start collecting taxes from digital services sooner than planned, Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati said. Initially, the tax collection was set to be passed into law by the House of Representatives later this year. The government understands services like Netflix and Amazon Prime have been doing more businesses during the pandemic as people observe physical distancing and spend most of their time working from home. The tax includes cloud meeting app Zoom and streaming service Netflix, after a decree enacted by President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo granted the Tax Office the power to boost tax revenues.


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Brazil farm lobby wants government to make more concessions in the WTO
17 October 2007Brazil''s leading farm lobby urged the government on Monday 15 October to make further concessions on industry tariffs and help avoid prolonging the stalemate in the World Trade Organisation''s (WTO''s) Doha round of negotiations.
Brazil, India, South Africa and other developing countries, which rely heavily on agriculture exports, last week called for more opt-outs from proposed cuts in tariffs on industrial goods as part of the trade talks.
Leaders from the three countries will meet later this week in South Africa. Trade officials from the US and the European Union said those demands threaten the Doha Round.
Brazil''s agriculture confederation CAN feels the country''s proposal on industry tariffs doesn''t go far enough. Gilman Viana Rodrigues, CNA''s head of foreign trade told the media on Monday: "If we want to do business we have to offer something in return."
Both the United States and the European Union want to continue working on the basis of texts WTO mediators presented in July, which provide them access to developing country markets for manufactured goods and services, in return for cutting trade-distorting farm subsidies. But many developing countries are unhappy with the proposals. Others, like India, say they need serious revision.
Rodrigues said it was not India or South Africa but Brazil''s industry that was to blame for the country''s modest trade proposals. " Our industry is very conservative, and wants to mount a radical defence of their products with this tariff issue," Rodrigues said. He said his country''s industrialists were the ones holding up the Doha round.
one of the world''s largest agricultural producers, has been a major player in
the Doha talks, which were launched in 2001 but have been delayed by big differences
over how to cut barriers to farm and industrial goods. The government of President
Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has repeatedly said that rich countries need to do more
than developing nations to make a deal possible.


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Hybrid Broadcast Broadband TV (HbbTV), the pan-European initiative aimed at harmonizing broadcast and broadband content delivery via the Internet, is having an impact on consumer acceptance of connected TVs in Germany and France, according to the results of a new survey from ABI Research.
ABI Research, which lays out its findings related to France in "Technology Barometer: Connected Home & Computing," "Technology Barometer: Mobile," and "Technology Barometer: Digital Lifestyle," found that 41 percent of French respondents with a TV connected to their home network browse the Internet. That activity ranked second only to viewing online video with 54 percent.
According to ABI Research, connected TVs enjoy healthy support where HbbTV has gained traction. In France, connected TV penetration was highest among the surveyed countries with 22 percent of respondents who have a home network.
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Time to reconsider on Fort Ridgely
THUMBS DOWN: The public information session on the Fort Ridgely State Park golf course closing in New Ulm this week did little to diffuse the outrage of the state park’s supporters. If anything, it illuminated why the DNR didn’t hold such hearings before it made its decision.
There is still time, though, for the DNR to reconsider. One idea brought up at the meeting was a moratorium on the closing. Let the course stay open this summer while the DNR?and the Friends of Fort Ridgely explore possible solutions for improving the financial situation at the golf course. Better staffing at the course would undoubtedly result in more greens fees being collected. Perhaps volunteers could fill in the gaps in the evenings and weekends.
Give the supporters a chance to help improve the situation. If the situation can’t be improved, then perhaps the course should be closed. It will be sad, but at least it wouldn’t be for lack of trying.
Price vs. USA label
THUMBS DOWN: This week’s Associated Press-GfK poll presented some sad information for supporters of “Made in the USA” goods. The vast majority of people polled said they would like to buy goods made in the U.S., but when it comes time to make the purchase, the lower price of foreign goods is what drives their decision. For many, it’s hard to even find domestic goods in the stores.
This is not a surprising result. It is a vicious circule. In a time when so many people are feeling an economic pinch, they need to make their dollars stretch as far as they can. Retailers looking for sales will supply the merchandise that people want to buy, and most of the time that means lower-cost foreign-made goods. As more manufacturing jobs move overseas, it means fewer jobs at home, and that leads to a bigger economic pinch.
How do you break the cycle??If we knew, we’d run for president.
Still can’t agree
THUMBS DOWN: State legislators can’t agree on a lot of things, but they should be able to agree on some things.
Take transportation funding. Everyone agrees the state needs to put more money into it. But they can’t agree on how much. Same with broadband technology. Again, everyone, DFL and Republican, agrees statewide broadband access is vitally important for businesses to successfully compete in today’s economy. But how much will it take to provide it? Gov. Mark Dayton wants to put $100 million into it this year. The DFL-controlled Senate wants to spend $85 million. The Republicans in the House propose $28 million for rural expansion, with another $7 million for school internet expansion.
If they can’t agree on the basics, how will they every iron out the details?