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Good morning! Mobile Insider is delivered first thing every morning exclusively to BI Intelligence members.
Have feedback? We'd like to hear from you. Write me at: firstname.lastname@example.org.
ANDROID LEADS IN CUSTOM-MADE ENTERPRISE APPS: Although Apple may be adding apps in the business category to the App Store at a much faster rate than Android is adding them to the Google Play store, Android is running head-to-head with Apple in another category: custom-app development for businesses. Forty percent of mobile apps custom-made for businesses support Android on both smartphones and tablets, according to a recent TECHnalysis report (see chart). Comparatively, 39% of custom apps support iOS smartphones, and 34% support iOS tablets. Apple’s IBM partnership may give Apple a chance to pull this statistic in their favor in 2015. Windows devices have a surprisingly strong showing, with 25% of custom tablet apps and over one-sixth of smartphone apps supporting Microsoft’s mobile platform.
Here are the most important takeaways from the report:
- Top-level execs are the most likely to actually use the apps: Developing custom apps is one thing, developing custom apps that employees want or need to use is another entirely. Survey results indicate that top-level execs are much more likely to use custom mobile apps than lower-level employees.
- There’s an even split between in-house and third-party development: There’s almost an even 50/50 split in companies using internal resources or external developers to make custom mobile apps. This reinforces our previous reporting that though businesses want custom enterprise apps, many lack the human resources to build them. Recruiting the technical talent needed to develop iOS and Android apps will be a significant hurdle to in-house custom app creation in the near-term.
- Mid-size businesses are ahead or large enterprises: Mid-size businesses (100-999 employees) were slightly more likely than large businesses, and significantly more likely than small businesses, to create custom mobile apps. About 85% of mid-size companies reported having made their own mobile apps for both smartphones and tablets.
- Support for custom apps on BYOD (bring your own device) devices lags far behind company-provided devices, a tendency that the report chalks up to reticence of company IT to deploy their applications onto devices they don’t directly own and manage. While almost 90% of businesses said they are installing their custom mobile apps on company-purchased smartphones and tablets, only 45% of companies install them on BYOD smartphones, and 38% on BYOD tablets.
Based on a survey of 485 US-based IT professional from businesses ranging in size from small (10-99 employees) to larger (1,000-plus employees) taken in November 2014. The businesses represent numerous industries, but had a particularly strong presence from technology, manufacturing, professional services, and financial industries.
QUOTE OF THE DAY: “While the hype around mobility in the enterprise is reaching fever-pitch levels, it’s clear that many businesses are really just getting started,” said TECHnalysis Research Founder and Chief Analyst Bob O’Donnell.
THE MOBILE WEB IS STILL IMPORTANT: Although the amount of time spent using mobile apps increases every year, a majority of consumers actually perceive that their mobile time spend skews towards the mobile web, according to a new IAB study. Only 18% of smartphone users said they use mobile apps more than mobile browsers on their smartphones.
This appears to contradict comScore's research on mobile usage, which in October of last year found that 88% of smartphone time is spent on apps, but IAB mobile executive Joe Laszlo told us this isn't the case. "We're not refuting comScore data," Laszlo said. Instead, the IAB set out to show that people still perceive the mobile web to be equally as important as apps. Here's what they found:
- Smartphone users said they prefer to use mobile browsers for search, and apps for watching videos and banking.
- There was an equal distribution of preference for reading news and shopping, although late last year we discovered that most mobile commerce transactions come through the mobile web, not apps.
One reason smartphone users perceive using the mobile web more than apps is because a lot of app usage involves mobile web browsing. More than half of smarpthone owners surveyed by the IAB said that they tap links within apps to launch a browser within the app to consume web content.
Marketers should take away two things from this study, according to Laszlo:
- Downloading an app is seen as a commitment by consumers, so apps should be entertaining or serve a specific need. Just building apps "doesn't constitute a good mobile strategy."
- Marketers shouldn't swing the pendulum the other way and dedicate all their resources to mobile browser experiences. "Don't look at single data points," Laszlo said.
XIAOMI EXPANSION CONTINUES WITH PREMIUM PHABLET, MEDIA STREAMING DEVICE: Chinese tech company Xiaomi followed up a series of lifestyle device releases (think air purifier and smart lightbulb) with a high-end, large-screen smartphone and an affordable media-streamer this week. Each release indicates something different, yet equally important about the company.
- Xiaomi isn’t happy with a small piece of the smartphone pie: The company, which catapulted in the third quarter into the number 3 spot for global smartphone device shipments thanks to the popularity of its affordable-yet-well-made devices, thinks it can take a chunk of the high-end market. Its new premium phablet device, the 5.7-inch Mi Note, is costlier than its other devices but still cheaper than competitors like the iPhone 6 Plus and the flagship Samsung devices. It retails at around $370 off-contract. Xiaomi has potential to further change the game in mature markets, a particularly difficult task.
- Xiaomi wants to be the solution for everything that’s connected. The launch of Xiaomi’s media streaming device (like Apple TV, Google Chrome, and Roku), the Mi Box Mini reinforces, yet again, that Xiaomi is looking to be the go-to brand for all home and lifestyle electronics. The Mi Box Mini costs only $30 and is the size of a phone charger.
THE RETURN OF GOOGLE GLASS?: The Google Glass unit will leave Google’s innovation-tank division, Google X, and will now be under Nest co-founder and CEO Tony Fadell, according to a report from Fortune. Fadell sold his smart home electronics company to Google last year, but continues to oversee Nest internally.
While reports state that Google Glass will remain within Google and not get rolled up into Nest, the close proximity of the two products under Fadell may indicate that Google is interested in pivoting Google Glass from consumer mainstay to niche IoT product, which would have particularly strong appeal in the enterprise. This move would make sense considering the difficulty Google Glass has had in gaining traction in the consumer market, and the endless potential it has in industries like healthcare (where it could be used to help surgeons in surgeries) and manufacturing.
GOOGLE’S MODULAR PROJECT TO SEE PILOT TESTING IN 2015: Google’s modular smartphone efforts, dubbed Project Ara, will begin pilot testing in Puerto Rico later this year, according to The Verge. Google expects to have 20 to 30 Ara modules available by launch, spanning 10 different hardware categories such as battery, camera, and processor. Project Ara is going through numerous upgrades in the meantime, including expanding connectivity capabilities to 4G, implementing a “hot-swap” feature that will allow consumers to swap out module components on the fly, and the development of a “day-long” battery.
BI Intelligence Reporter Hope King contributed to this Insider.
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Analysis: $2 trillion virus relief bill is massive, but it won't prevent a recession
Congress and the White House have nearly finalized a $2 trillion relief package for the economy - the biggest in U.S. history.
The good news is the majority of the money is going to laid off workers, small business owners, hospitals and state and local governments. The bad news is it won't be enough to stop a recession. And it's an open question whether the nation can avoid an economic depression, the likes of which haven't been seen since the 1930s.
"By any measure this is a huge stimulus package. One thing that it cannot stop is the recession that is coming," said James McCann, senior global economist at Aberdeen Standard Investments
Looking back at the Great Recession, economists consider Congress' response too slow, too stingy and too focused on big Wall Street firms. Many analysts say Congress deserves some credit for doing better this time. This relief package is more than double the $830 billion that Congress passed in 2009. It came together in a few days, and it's far more targeted at Main Street.
Roughly a quarter of the money will go to large companies, including billions earmarked for Boeing and airlines, but middle class and low-income Americans are slated to get $1,200 checks (more for people with kids). Small business owners look likely to get access to $10,000 grants and millions in loans, and there's additional money set aside for the unemployed.
But economists say two key problems remain: Fixing the health crisis and getting money to people in time.
Constance Hunter, chief economist at KPMG, predicts it will take at least 6 to 10 weeks for the government to get a significant amount of the money dispersed. That's a long time for laid off workers and small business owners with no money coming in to wait. It makes it less likely they will bounce back quickly.
"There isn't some magic restart button for the economy," said Hunter. "Before the money arrives, there will be a lot of collateral damage to the economy. That's going to make restarting it difficult."
The nation is choosing to shut down much of the economy to save lives, maybe as many as hundreds of thousands of lives, according to one estimate. The nation has to get the pandemic under control before daily life and business can go back to anything remotely normal. It's still a big unknown how long that will take. President Trump has floated the idea of getting people back to work by April 12. Yet, public health officials don't think that is realistic and going back too soon could cause a second spike in coronavirus cases and deaths, forcing more shutdowns.
Senate Major Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., declared on the Senate floor Wednesday that "this is not even a stimulus package, it is emergency relief." Economist agree. This $2 trillion isn't about boosting the economy, it's about trying to compensate people for what could be $2.5 trillion in lost business and wages in the coming weeks. And that's a best-case scenario. Losses will be deeper if the pandemic last into the summer.
To prevent a depression, the relief payments have to get to workers and business owners fast enough to prevent a chain reaction of pain where one person goes out of business and that triggers another failure and another.
James Bullard, a noted economist and head of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, put out a dire forecast of what's ahead for the nation in the coming months: He expects 46 million Americans to be unemployed (30 percent of workers), and an unprecedented 50 percent decline in economic output.


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|State of New Jersey|
Division of Rate Counsel
31 Clinton Street
P.O. Box 46005
Newark, NJ 07101
Phone: (973) 648-2690 Fax: (973) 648-2193
For Immediate Release:
March 12, 2012
STEFANIE A. BRAND
Director - Rate Counsel
For Further Information
Rate Counsel Succeeds in Credit Reporting Settlement: PSE&G Agrees to Withdraw Proposal to Report Customer Information.
(Newark, NJ) — The Division of Rate Counsel settled litigation today with Public Service Electric and Gas Company (PSE&G) in which PSE&G agreed to withdraw its proposal to report customer information to a credit reporting agency.
Rate Counsel filed a petition with the Board of Public Utilities (BPU) on November 8, 2010, in response to PSE&G’s announcement that they would begin reporting payment histories of all residential, commercial and industrial electric and gas customers, whether they are delinquent or not, to the consumer credit agency Experian. Citing State regulations that prohibit disclosure of such information to third parties, Rate Counsel’s petition asked the BPU to put a halt to PSE&G’s plans. In today’s settlement, PSE&G agreed not to go forward with the program. With this agreement, Rate Counsel will withdraw its petition.
“The laws of this state are very clear,” said Rate Counsel Director Stefanie Brand. “PSE&G has no right to disclose individual customer information to a third party without the customer’s consent. Today’s settlement reaffirms this important consumer protection.”
PSE&G announced in September, 2010 that it would begin to notify Experian of its customers’ payment history as early as January 2011. However, once Rate Counsel filed its petition, the Company agreed not to start the program until resolution of this case. Now, with this agreement, PSE&G customers can rest assured that their confidential information held by PSE&G will remain private.
“Ratepayers have a right to expect that their personal information will not be disseminated by the utilities,” added Brand. “This agreement will ensure that it remains confidential.”
About the Division of Rate Counsel
The Division of Rate Counsel represents and protects the interests of all utility customers — residential, small business, commercial and industrial — whenever utilities in New Jersey seek changes in their rates for delivery of natural gas, electric, water, wastewater, telephone or cable TV services. Rate Counsel also advocates for consumers in certain insurance matters. The mission of the Division is to make sure that all classes of utility consumers receive safe, adequate and essential services at affordable rates that are just and nondiscriminatory. Additional information on this and other utility matters can be found at the Division’s website at http://www.state.nj.us/rpa/.


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Lawmakers should stop the proliferation of virtual schools until significant quality issues have been addressed. That's just one recommendation from a report released this week that evaluated the growth and performance of full-time virtual schools in the United States.
The PC market tanked last year, but not quite as badly as expected. Overall PC shipments fell 9.8 percent in 2103, slightly better than the 10.1 percent decline previously forecast by market research firm IDC.
According to new research, Apple's iPad line no longer holds a majority share of the tablet market.
High-speed mobile broadband is poised to explode within the next five years. According to a new forecast, by 2019, subscriptions to LTE and LTE-Advanced will reach into the billions.
Consumer adoption of 802.11ac access points is set to accelerate drastically this year. In 2013, about 8 percent of consumer APs supported 802.11ac. That figure is expected to swell to 45 percent this year.
According to a new report from International Data Corp, an increase in mobility applications and the continued emergence of 802.11ac have made the enterprise WLAN market one of the fastest growing networking market segments worldwide.
The era of double-digit growth in smart phone adoption is coming to a close as devices approach the saturation point, which in turn will lead to drops in prices, according to new research. In North America alone, some 200 million smart phones are already in active use — one for about every 2.75 people residing on the continent and about one-seventh of the world's total active devices.
Worldwide server shipments grew 2.1 percent last year compared to 2012, while revenue declined 4.5 percent, according to IT research firm Gartner.
In a draft paper, Morgan Polikoff, an assistant professor in the University of Southern California's Rossier School of Education, analyzed several math textbooks currently in use in fourth grade classrooms in Florida and found them misaligned to the Common Core State Standards.
The Early Childhood Data Collaborative has released the "2013 State of the States' Early Childhood Data Systems," which finds that most states cannot answer basic questions about the efficacy of early childhood education because the data are housed in multiple systems that are uncoordinated and managed by different governmental agencies.


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A vinyl wrap company in Waco, Texas named Hornet Signs is making headlines for a very controversial tailgate wrap. The wrap depicts a woman tied up in the back of a pickup truck and was meant to show how realistic vinyl wraps could be, but the realism became a problem on the road. Several calls have been made to the local authorities reporting the "kidnapping" though no action has been taken against the company or the owner, Brad Kolb.
This may be worst than the time Ford India released the painting of the Kardashians tied up in a trunk for their Ford Figo ads. Tailgate wrap sales at Hornet Signs have increased thanks to the distasteful wrap, so either people in Waco are sick or it really is a good marketing strategy.


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Customers who pine after the newest phones will be glad to hear about new plans from carriers, such as AT&T (NYSE:T), that allow them to upgrade devices much more frequently.
AT&T has already instituted a plan that let customers trade in for a new device each year and pay monthly installments for tablets and phones. Previously, customers had to stick with a device for two years before it could be traded in for a discounted device.
AT&T’s announcement came on the heels of one by T-Mobile US (NYSE:TMUS), which stated it was offering customers the option to upgrade their devices as often as twice a year.
Competition is heating up between T-Mobile and AT&T following an unsuccessful merger attempt by the two in 2011. At the same time, AT&T, the second largest provider in the market, is also losing market share to the bigger Verizon Wireless part of Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ), which is also considering a similar plan.


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Checks on certain food imports from Europe have been delayed once more by the government in the United Kingdom.
Jacob Rees-Mogg, Brexit opportunities minister, said the approach will be revised before coming into force by the end of 2023.
Full checks on animal and plant products from the EU were scheduled to have started in July 2022, following previous postponements starting from when the UK left the European Union.
Controls introduced in January 2021 on the highest risk imports of animal and plant products will continue. Full checks would include export health certificates and physical controls at borders. Some initial measures on imports into the UK called pre-notification are in place. The EU introduced full border checks in January 2021.
New date in 2023
The National Farmers Union said the decision poses a risk to biosecurity, animal health and food safety while the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health said the move could have public health consequences. However, it was welcomed by groups such as the Cold Chain Federation.
Rees-Mogg said the decision will allow British businesses to focus on recovery from the pandemic and global supply chain issues as well as ensuring new costs are not passed on to consumers.
“It’s vital that we have the right import controls regime in place, so we’ll now be working with industry to review these remaining controls so that they best suit the UK’s own interests. We want the process for importing goods from the EU to be safe, secure and efficient and we want to harness innovative new technologies to streamline processes and reduce frictions,” he said.
The new model will be based on risk assessment and use data and technology. It will be published in autumn and the new controls regime will apply from the end of 2023.
Beginning in July, Sanitary and Phytosanitary checks currently at destination were set to be moved to a Border Control Post and there would have been restrictions on chilled meats from the EU, but these actions will no longer be introduced.
The British Meat Processors Association said at least the move brought clarity but it was a double edged sword for businesses.
“On the one hand it makes importing the one quarter of food that stocks UK supermarket shelves cheaper and easier to get into the country. In some cases, foods that we import from the EU like sausages, pork pies and other chilled meat preparations, are prohibited from being sent the other way by British exporters. There is also the risk of serious food fraud the longer it’s known that goods will simply be waved through at British ports,” according to the association.
National Farmers Union President Minette Batters said it was “astounding” that the government was taking such an approach to checks for agri-food imports from the EU.
“These checks are absolutely crucial to the nation’s biosecurity, animal health and food safety and without them we really do leave ourselves at risk. For the introduction of these checks to have been delayed three times was bad enough but to now have them essentially scrapped in favor of an unknown system is unacceptable,” Batters said.
Gary McFarlane, Northern Ireland director at Chartered Institute of Environmental Health, said the move to drop checks and inspections on imports represents a clear dereliction of duty from the government.
“Unfortunately, it appears to be yet another erosion of the key health protection mechanisms this country relies on and heightens the danger of food fraud and crime. Food of unknown origin and questionable quality could well end up on our supermarket shelves and in our homes,” he said.
Richard Ballantyne, chief executive of the British Ports Association, said the announcement was a major policy change.
“Many UK port operators have built Border Control Posts in preparation for post Brexit checks and all were due to be ready. Most ports will need to recoup some of their construction and operating costs for their infrastructure and this is traditionally done through levying a charge on importers. Ports have been recruiting staff to operate the facilities but now this needs to stop,” Ballantyne said.
Support for delay
Shane Brennan, chief executive of the Cold Chain Federation, said it would have made a bad situation much worse.
“What is most positive is the decision not to simply delay again, but to follow through on the commitment to rethink the way these controls work. What we have learnt is that no amount of preparation time can solve the fundamental harm that complex, load by load paperwork processes have on ability and willingness to trade. So we can now take the time available to build new, better ways to implement these rules and meet the promise of establishing the most innovative border in the world for our food traders,” he said.
Katie Doherty, CEO of the International Meat Trade Association, said although some will be frustrated with yet another delay, for many it is welcome due to current supply chain pressures.
“There has been slightly more notice than the usual last-minute announcements which will be appreciated by industry. It will be essential that government works both with industry and port health authorities on their target operating model,” she said.
Martin McTague, from the Federation of Small Businesses, said: “Imposition of full import controls this summer would have meant yet another burden for small firms which are already wrestling with new trade rules and spiraling operating costs. This move will give them more time to prepare for future changes and reassess supply chains.”
(To sign up for a free subscription to Food Safety News, click here.)


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News from The Business Journals
Feb 15, 2012, 11:29 am EST
Arnold Worldwide has been tapped as Carbonite Inc. (Nasdaq: CARB)’s first agency of record, the ad shop said on Wednesday.
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Mar 16, 2011, 2:50 pm EDT
The D.C. Ad Club announced the winners of the 2011 ADDY Awards Tuesday at the Almas Temple.
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Mar 4, 2011, 6:00 am EST
Longtime Arnold Worldwide executive Karen Riordan, who left the agency Jan. 28, has joined Falls Church-based agency SmithGifford.
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Feb 28, 2011, 9:30 am EST
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The Boston Business Journal Tuesday announced its 40 Under 40 honorees for 2010. This year marks 13th one for the program, which recognizes emerging business…
Jul 21, 2010, 2:12 pm EDT
Bethesda-based advertising shop RP3 Agency LLC has been hired as the new agency of record for Norfolk, Va.-based Norfolk Southern Corp., best known for…
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The good news for workers: More employers are beginning to offer pay raises again.
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Jun 23, 2010, 1:15 pm EDT
Volvo’s latest advertising campaign by Arnold Worldwide prominently features the car marketer’s role in the latest movie in the Twilight saga, “Eclipse,”…
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Arnold Worldwide has been tapped to handle advertising for athletic shoe marketer New Balance, the companies confirmed.
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Huntington National Bank has severed long-standing ties to a Columbus advertising agency in favor of a larger firm from Boston.
The Columbus bank has hired…


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Over the weekend, REI opened the doors on a brand-spanking new, LEED-CI Silver certified, green retail store in Boulder, Colorado. Designed by Gensler, this store is an extension of REI’s commitment to green building. REI’s director of store development, Dean Iwata, said, "REI’s Boulder store builds on our more than 10 years of green building experience, and helps us test concepts that will pave the way for how our stores are built in the future, including design, material selections and use of technology." I couldn’t be happier for the company — I think I’ve found a justification to splurge $165 on a new North Face Denali jacket. Vote with your money, right?!
The store has tons of green technology, such as specially-designed Solatubes (which save major deniro and energy). Also, using efficient, low-flow fixtures, the store uses 30% less water than federal code mandates. 70 percent of the store’s hot water is heated through solar energy. REI Boulder is the first retail integration of Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) and uses recycled, renewable, and low-VOC materials throughout. Plus, as many responsible builders do, REI diverted 75% of construction waste from the local landfills by using it in other areas of the store or recycling it.
Incidentally, REI’s Portland store was the first retail store in the country to receive LEED Gold certification (under the LEED-CI system), and their Pittsburgh store followed that with LEED-CI Silver certification. This Boulder store is participating in the LEED for Retail pilot program, so nothing new here, just advancing more of the green goodness.


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Valve stands as something of an anomaly in the video game world- a company that is entirely privately held and funded, it is one that does not have to answer to corporate concerns, and is free to do whatever it wants to. As such, everyone in Valve are actually free to peruse their passions, their ambitions- for them, their careers are passions projects.
And now, a new study has found out that that seems to manifest itself tangibly. You see, Valve seems to be the most desirable employer to work with in the video games industry.
Amusingly enough, Valve is ranked higher than even working for ‘my own company.’ Yep, more people would work for Valve than be the boss themselves. That’s some employee satisfaction right there.
Valve is currently at work supporting the hell out of DOTA 2, working on SteamOS, modernizing the Steam client, and trying to ensure something comes out of the Steam machines initiative. We’ll keep you posted.


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Money 20/20 USA is back with this year’s show – taking place from 22 to 25 October in Las Vegas – promising a jam-packed four days to explore what’s next in the world of money.
Taking over the famous Venetian resort in Las Vegas, the US edition of ‘where money does business’ welcomes 300 industry leading speakers to join the fray from companies all over the world to deliver an agenda of more than 60 hours of thought-provoking content.
Zach Anderson Pettet, content director, USA at Money20/20, described this years event as “our most exciting show yet, as the backdrop for a true tech renaissance.”
He continued: “Money20/20 has always aimed to highlight the most innovative and inspiring stories from tech giants and small start ups alike, but with rapid advancements in infrastructure and AI, new markets and opportunities are being created at great speeds. But with new markets come new responsibilities, and Money20/20 is balancing the conversation with responsible leadership and regulatory clarity across the ecosystem. Speakers this year include Hester Pierce, Commissioner on the Securities and Exchange Commission; Ben Horowitz, cofounder and general partner at Andreessen Horowitz and Stephanie Ferris, President and CEO of FIS, just to name a few.”
On Sunday, Karen Redwood, global head of industry relations and operations, Square, Luke Baily, co-founder and CEO, Neon Money Club, Michael Spelfogel, co founder and CEO, Cardless, Kayla Kelkar, vice president, strategic planning, Amex Global Network Services sat down to discuss “Four Tips to avoid a fintech break up.”
With more and more fintech start ups and large institutions partnering up. The panel gave tips on how fintech’s and more established institutions can navigate their partnerships, including: spotting the red flags about starting the partnership, determining if the potential partnership will be long term, and ensuring that your values and goals align. Also, they will share how to have the conversations about what the future of the partnership will look like.
During the session, Luke Baily said: “Transparency is a really big thing, and it goes both ways. We want to be able to tell our partner everything, and if there’s an issue know that we can work through it together and we innovate on things together. If there’s bad communication, that’s it’s a red flag going forward.”
An underbanked segment?
This year as part of their agenda, one summit is focused all around cannabis and banking, giving an introduction to the Cannabis banking space that’s getting more complex.
One panel on this was “How Does Fintech Fill the Gap for a Truly Underbanked Industry?”, where they looked at the realities of what it means to be “banked” as a cannabis industry, what the HHS recommendations to make cannabis a schedule III drug will mean for growth, and what organisations that have been working to thread the needle on cannabis businesses’ growth and compliance think will come next.
Tyler Beuerlain, chief strategy business development office, Safe Harbour Financial, was joined by Dustin Eide, CEO, Can Pay, Sundie Seefried, CEO, Safe Harbour Financial and Ryan James, president and CEO, Surety Bank.
Dustin Eide said: “For us it was how can we do this transparently? How can we do the low cost as possible? How can we how can we serve these businesses? … I’ve always thought that it’s an interesting industry. Finding out how people are circumventing forces to run your credit card in a dispensary and you’ll find that most creative, most innovative ways that that that payments professionals and lawyers and bankers would never have thought of. They’re using clever science and figured out how to how to how to navigate the rules in a way that keeps them can be found for a while.
Finally, Brittany Allen, trust & safety architect, Sift was joined by Daniel Gorfine, CEO, Gattaca Horizons and Alicja Cade, director, financial services, office of the CISO, Google Cloud to discuss how companies are transforming their cloud ecosystems to bolster their frontline intelligence and AI-powered innovation to protect customers and meet the growing expectations of regulators.
“Cybercrime is seen as a black box, companies don’t understand it and neither do customers. Companies need to address the risks of cyber and reassure their customers that they are in control and being proactive in what they are doing to fight cyber. Less said about it can cause concerns for customers, customers need to know that you are on top of the potential risks,” said Alicja Cade.
She continued: “There is a greater need for the regulators and financial services to come together to solve the industry issues around cyber, fraud and security. From the customer’s perspective, all they need is for their risk to be managed effectively. Tech companies also need to work closely together to create change.”


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Consumers compare iPhone for Verizon, AT&T
No sooner had Verizon announced that it would be carrying the iPhone than people began to compare their service to AT&T, which held an exclusive deal with Apple for the popular smartphone for the last three years. While many people may think that Verizon will offer better coverage and fewer dropped calls, there are a number of other factors to take into consideration before choosing a provider, Bloomberg Businessweek reports.
One of the most important factors to consumers is price, and because Verizon has yet to release any information on monthly service charges, there is no discernable difference between the two companies' costs. However, Verizon offers an unlimited data plan for $30 for other smartphones, which is $5 more than the largest data plan on AT&T, which also has a 2 gigabyte ceiling.
AT&T has received a lot of flack over the last several years due to the amount of dropped calls, and many experts believe that Verizon has the upper-hand in terms of its network.
"Verizon planned its network with greater foresight than anyone else," analyst Roger Entner told the news source. "They have a very well-built network, and they don't cut corners."
While Verizon may have an advantage in terms of its network, AT&T stakes a claim to offering the iPhone with better features. The devices are nearly identical, except for one glaring difference- AT&T users will be able to access the internet and use other applications while making a phone call – Verizon users can't.
Though each version of the device offers its advantages, analysts say that there is no clear answer as to which one is better. Verizon may offer a more reliable network, but users will have to sacrifice the speed and flexibility of AT&T.


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12:56 25th Nov, 2014
Google Plans Strategy Shift To Boost Android One Sales
The company has tied up with several new OEMs and component vendors, apart from focusing on offline retail
Google's take on disrupting the low-end smartphone market – Android One, may have created shockwaves among the press, but in the real world consumer response has been at best, lukewarm. Now, the company is planning to revamp its efforts with a new marketing campaign, tie-ups with new OEMs and component vendors and is even planning a program to create awareness among retailers.
Android One devices haven't been able to severely dent the overall entry-level smartphone market, despite the massive push from Google. The first three devices from Micromax, Karbonn and Spice went on sale in September, with market analysts suggesting over 5 lakh devices were sold by October-end.
“We continue to get strong consumer demand. We track things like average number of people walking into stores and asking for Android One devices. From that perspective we are extremely happy,” said Sandeep Menon, Director of Marketing at Google India, according to a BusinessLine report.
Industry experts claim one of the major shortcomings of Android One was the lack of availability of the devices in offline stores right from the word go. Making matters worse, several offline stores have decided against stocking Android One devices citing double standards in pricing and margins when compared to online retailers.
“Pricing and margins for retailers are in the hands of the OEM partners but we are constantly engaged with them. Our engineers are working with new suppliers in China to benefit OEM partners in terms of choice and availability,” added Menon.
Google is assuring offline traders that it has no bias against them, and has already announced a number of partner OEMs for the Android One program. The company has also tied up with chipmaker Qualcomm to integrate its components into upcoming devices, and hopefully also bring low-cost LTE devices to the market.
Analysts say that Google did not provide enough emphasis on one of the greatest strengths of Android One – timely software updates, thereby hurting sales. The company should work harder to make consumers aware of the benefits of running the latest versions of its software, adding value to their purchases.
Android One has never been about flashy hardware, but in a market where consumers are heavily swayed by hardware specifications, it's of great importance that the devices at least match the competition. With big brands like HTC and Lenovo planning to enter the Android One fold, that could soon change.
- boAt audio launches new range of earphones & speakers at the recently concluded Lakmé Fashion Week
- Sennheiser PXC 550-II Wireless, The Smarter Travel Companion, Launched in India
- Titan Company strengthens its technology and wearables play
- Xiaomi India launches Desh Ka Dumdaar Smartphone, Redmi 8A Dual
- HYPERX LAUNCHES FURY ULTRA RGB GAMING MOUSE PAD IN INDIA
- An initiative to create a Breathe Free space for the torch bearers of tomorrow
- Philips rapidly expands its smart audio product portfolio by launching Headphones with one touch Google Assistant and Active Noise Cancellation
- Goldmedal Electricals launches smart i-Sense Senso Switch
- Newly launched Vu Cinema TV sold out on Amazon within 24 hours!
- Havit launches high bass neckband with 12 hrs battery in India at 1299/-


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Hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles go from science-fiction potential to reality next spring as Hyundai offers a $499-a-month lease on a hydrogen-powered Tucson. Fuel cell-powered Honda and Toyota entries will follow.
Suddenly, consumers will have another alternative-propulsion choice. And that is the rub for any alternative to gasoline. Automakers can design vehicles to run on virtually any type of energy. The hard part is getting them refueled.
Must future refueling stations provide gasoline, diesel, compressed natural gas, propane, liquefied petroleum gas, hydrogen and E85 fuels and also EV rechargers? The danger is that all the alternative-energy technologies will crowd one another out. Some may not attract enough early buyers to lure investors into creating a nationwide refueling infrastructure.
Without convenient refueling, who buys that technology? It's the industry's chicken-or-egg problem. Ultimately, alt-fuel winners and losers will be determined largely by refueling infrastructure. Either the government or private investors will pay for that.
Automakers frequently ask that lawmakers not pick technology winners and losers but specify what the government wants to achieve. Here's a test of that resolve. If the industry doesn't want the government to select technology winners, it must fund multiple alt-fuel development programs until consumers choose.


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Cannabis dispensaries in Massachusetts are teaming up to donate up to 5,000 gallons of hand sanitizer per week to local hospitals dealing with the coronavirus pandemic. The Commonwealth Dispensary Association, a cannabis trade group in Massachusetts, mobilized more than half of its 36 members to mass-produce the much-needed hygiene product during a time when health care providers face a shortage of hand sanitizer and other protective equipment.
“We’re just doing our part during this crisis,” association president David Torrisi told Wikileaf. “We’re donating the hand sanitizer, so we’re not trying to make a buck off of it. I’ve seen other industries do this as well, and they’re doing it to make money. Nothing wrong with making money, but our members of the CDA felt that this is something they could do pretty quickly, use their expertise, use their production facilities to help out hospitals and health care providers in the area.”
Torrisi’s comment may have been aimed at alcohol distilleries, many of which have also been producing hand sanitizer in Massachusetts and nationwide, but often selling it for profit.
The donation part is key for both the cannabis industry and the hospitals, as reports spread about price gouging on critical medical supplies and other household staples. The production effort has been authorized by the state governor’s administration, and dispensaries are coordinating with the Massachusetts Health and Hospital Organization to distribute five gallon jugs of hand sanitizer.
Although the substance is relatively simple to make (it just requires the proportional mixing of alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, and glycerin, according to the World Health Organization), producing it at scale and with the precision necessary to guarantee effectiveness requires more specialized equipment.
“They have the facilities, they have some of the raw materials, such as the ethanol, that they use for their extraction purposes,” said Torrisi of the granite state’s cannabis producers. “One of our members was reading about hand sanitizer and the shortages, and realized pretty quickly that they could help do this. It was equipment they had readily available.”
Having ethanol already on hand for THC extraction, and the facilities to safely store and handle it, the dispensaries still needed to get their hands on the other two key ingredients. Hydrogen-peroxide was relatively easy to obtain, according to one member dispensary, but glycerin was so hard to find that they ended up having to borrow some from a local e-cigarette company.
John Hillier, a dispensary owner in Ayer, Massachusetts who spearheaded the emergency hand sanitizer plan, said in a press release that he hoped local cannabis producers could help relieve some of the burden on pharmacists and hospitals. “I also had the opportunity to visit Lowell General Hospital and observed the production of hand sanitizer in one of their facilities,” he said. “It was clear to me that hospitals are spending valuable resources producing hand sanitizer when they should be preparing for what’s coming down the road.”
The move comes as cannabis companies in the newly legal Massachusetts industry try to make their presence felt in local communities. Recreational dispensaries have not been deemed essential by Governor Charlie Baker, despite liquor stores achieving essential status, and dispensary owners are chafing at what they see as a double standard.


text: It's that time of year again! Third, fourth and fifth graders who read five Texas Bluebonnet books will get a chance to vote for their favorite Texas Bluebonnet book on January 25th. These Carson students were asked to read any five Texas Bluebonnet books from the master list found on the official website: http://www.txla.org/TBA-nominees. The books range from poetry to novels! The lucky winner will be announced after January 31st! Encourage your children to participate by getting their books read so that they can vote.


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Earlier, several incidents had made the headline of Ola Electric scooter catch fire and sparks that raised concern about the safety. Now, a bizarre incident took place with Sreenadh Menon whose Ola scooter literally ruptured into half! Mr. Menon has taken to his Twitter handle to share the images of his Ola electric scooter scattered in pieces.
Mr. Menon’s tweet reads, “Mr. Menon wrote, “The front fork is breaking even in small speed driving and it is a serious and dangerous thing we are facing now, we would like to request that we need a replacement or design change on that part and save our life from a road accident due to poor material used.” He has also tagged Ola Electric, and the CEO of Ola, Bhavish Aggarwal in his post.
The moment his tweet went viral, many other clients and users of the Ola electric scooter started commenting on their problems while using the scooter. Many have expressed furry and asked the firm to respond to the grievances of the customers. However, there is no response from the company so far.
Here take a look at what the furious users of the Ola Scooters have to say about the incident!


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Kodak Sues Apple, RIM Over Patent Violations
Perhaps emboldened by a recent court victory, Eastman Kodak announced on Thursday it has filed suit against Apple and Research In Motion Limited (RIM), alleging the two smartphone makers are infringing on Kodak digital imaging technology.
Kodak (NYSE:EK) filed its complaint with the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) as well as in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York, alleging that Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) and RIM (NASDAQ: RIMM) are in violation of a patent Kodak holds to digitally preview an image taken with a digital phone.
"Our primary interest is not to disrupt the availability of any product but to obtain fair compensation for the use of our technology," said Laura Quatela, vice president and chief intellectual property officer for Eastman Kodak, in a statement. "There's a basic issue of fairness that needs to be addressed. Those devices use Kodak technology, and we are merely seeking compensation for the use of our technology in their products.
"In the case of Apple and RIM, we've had discussions for years with both companies in an attempt to resolve this issue amicably, and we have not been able to reach a satisfactory agreement. In light of that, we are taking this action to ensure that we protect the interests of our shareholders and the existing licensees of our technology," she added.
The case follows a Dec. 17 ruling in the case of Kodak vs. Samsung, where an ITC Administrative Law Judge issued a ruling declaring that the Kodak patent covering color image preview was valid and enforceable and that Samsung's camera-enabled smartphone infringed upon that Kodak patent. The two firms have since settled.
Kodak is now seeking from the ITC a limited exclusion order preventing the importation of infringing devices marketed by Apple and RIM. Both companies are impacted by the ITC, since both firms make their phones in China and import them to the U.S. in the case of Apple, or to Canada, in the case of RIM.
Calls to Kodak, Apple and RIM for comment were not returned.
William Stofega, program manager for mobile device technology and trends at IDC figures this will all end rather quickly with cross license agreements and settlements.
"No one wants to engage in a decade-long patent fight. No one makes money but the lawyers. So [Kodak] will say let's see what they come back with and let's be reasonable," he told InternetNews.com. "Kodak also doesn't want to kill the goose that lays the golden egg."
Things certainly are getting litigious in the smartphone world. In December, Nokia sued Apple, claiming a number of patent violations in not just the iPhone but iPod as well.


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It was no surprise to Apple observers that the company introduced a fingerprint sensor at its big iPhone party on Tuesday. After all, Apple paid several hundred million dollars for one of the leaders in fingerprint biometrics last year.
But just what can the Touch ID sensor do? And how does it affect your personal security?
What is Touch ID? Touch ID is a biometric fingerprint sensor that Apple has built into the iPhone 5S. The sensor resides under the home button. It's a logical place to put it, although people who've had their home buttons break might … Read more


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Taking caffeine before exercise could improve performance during a broad range of exercise tasks, according to a new review of past research.
Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration took an important step to better protect consumers from the dangers of highly concentrated and pure caffeine products. These products present a significant public health threat because of the high risk that they will be erroneously used at excessive, potentially dangerous doses. Highly concentrated and pure caffeine, often sold in bulk packages, have been linked to at least two deaths in otherwise healthy individuals.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday issued warning letters to five distributors of pure powdered caffeine, as the federal agency stepped up efforts to curtail ingestion of the […]


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IDBI Bank has planned to ramp up growth, regain lost corporate customers and sell stakes in its insurance, capital markets and technology arms following its exit from the banking regulator’s Prompt Corrective Action (PCA) framework for weak lenders.
Rakesh Sharma, IDBI Bank MD & CEO stated that the bank had used the four-year interregnum to restructure its business, cut exposure to large loans and bulk deposits and create verticals for various lending businesses to speed up turnaround time. As a result, the institution has transformed from a project financier to a retail lender.
“While our retail portfolio grew during the moratorium period, we were not able to cater to the corporates. We are now looking at the mid-corporate segment, particularly the good companies which were our partners earlier and we could not extend loans because of restrictions under the PCA,” Sharma added.
He also remarked that the bank was looking at Rs. 4,000 crore of recoveries in the next fiscal year. In addition, it was willing to sell a 25% stake in Ageas Federal Life (formerly IDBI Federal Life) to the foreign partner if they wanted to acquire the stake once the increase in FDI is allowed.


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Los Angeles (Web Desk) – Google’s self-driving car technology is attracting top U.S. automakers, as Ford, Fiat Chrysler and General Motors talk with the company while laying the groundwork for a future with autonomous cars. Bloomberg reported that Ford and
Los Angeles (Web Desk) – Google’s self-driving car technology is attracting top U.S. automakers, as Ford, Fiat Chrysler and General Motors talk with the company while laying the groundwork for a future with autonomous cars.
Bloomberg reported that Ford and Google are discussing working together, including in a joint venture to build cars using Google’s technology, said a person familiar with the talks who asked not to be identified because the discussions are private.
That follows comments in October from Mark Reuss, product development chief for General Motors, that the automaker was “very interested” in exploring ways its manufacturing skills could complement Google’s system. Sergio Marchionne, chief executive officer of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV, has said repeatedly the past few months that his company wants to work on autonomous driving with technology companies such as Apple and Google.
“We are entering the era of the technology and software- defined vehicle,” said Thilo Koslowski, a vice president in the automotive practice at Gartner Inc. “You’re just seeing the auto industry recognize the importance of that.”
Automakers are getting close to Google as they consider using the search giant’s technology to add brains to their vehicles, instead of building their own rival systems. It’s a mutually beneficial relationship, Koslowski said.
“Some Silicon Valley companies would like to do everything themselves, but it’s really the car companies that understand the automobile,” he said. “On the same side, a lot of technology companies have expertise on their side, which is interesting to the automotive companies.”
Yahoo Autos reported Monday that Ford would announce a joint venture with Google on self-driving technology in January at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. “We have been and will continue working with many companies and discussing a variety of subjects related to our Ford Smart Mobility plan,” Alan Hall, a spokesman for the automaker said Tuesday in a statement. “We keep these discussions private for obvious competitive reasons, and we do not comment on speculation.” An agreement with Ford wouldn’t preclude Google from similar deals with other automakers.
“In order to reach our long-term goal of transforming mobility for millions of people we’re talking to many different companies about how to bring self-driving vehicles into the world safely, but we’re not going to comment on rumor or speculation about specific conversations,” Johnny Luu, a Google spokesman, said in an e-mail.
GM CEO Mary Barra and Volkswagen brand chief Herbert Diess are scheduled to give keynote speeches at CES. The annual event in Las Vegas has become more important for automakers and manufacturers including Toyota Motor Corp. and Kia Motors Co. are holding press conferences to discuss their latest innovations.
In recent years, carmakers have added more electronics to vehicles and have started talking as much about their computer- aided systems as about engine technology. Self-driving cars add other layers of complication that will require major investment by the auto companies. Toyota said in November it plans to start a five-year, $1 billion research and development effort in California to add self-driving capabilities to its vehicles.
Google spent almost $10 billion on research and development in its 2014 fiscal year. The company doesn’t disclose what proportion goes to cars, but it has tested self-driving cars for more than 2 million miles. Company co-founder Sergey Brin said at an event in September that Google was likely to partner with “top tier” manufacturers to bring its products to market. The company also is considering making its self-driving cars available as a service, so they can be periodically returned to Google to be upgraded, he said.
Google plans to makes its self-driving car unit a stand- alone business under the Alphabet Inc. corporate umbrella next year.
The main question is how technology companies and the automakers will work together, Koslowski said.
“We can’t ignore the power and the clout and the might that these tech companies have,” he said. “The big question is, if the vehicle manufacturers would ultimately just focus on the manufacturing aspect?”
Instead, the manufacturers may need to partner with companies like Google in the short term so they can develop the technical expertise needed to eventually offer their own products.
“We can’t replace Google and other tech companies, we should work with them,” Fiat Chrysler’s Marchionne told reporters in early December. “They are bigger and stronger than us and they financially can spend more than us.”


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2012 Hawaii Tourism Conference
This year’s Hawaii Tourism Conference will be a two-day event held on August 23 and 24 for Hawaii's visitor industry and community. Sponsored by the HTA, the conference will showcase many of the HTA’s programs and focus on ways to collaborate and network on efforts to sustain the state’s top industry.
Hawaii’s tourism economy is recovering with strong arrivals and expenditures; however the future of the global market remains unclear. It is important to be able to adjust to the conditions at any moment in the short and long term to reach the goal of ensuring tourism continues in an upward swing. The conference sessions will explore current and future market trends and conditions, look at opportunities, bring together new partners, and unveil global marketing activities for 2013. More information will be available at www.hawaiitourismauthority.org.


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Peebles transfers Pacifica quarry to its lender
The Rockaway Quarry, the centerpiece of a development battle in 2008, has been transferred from Peebles Corp to an affiliate of its lender, reports Julia Scott in the County Times.
The 87-acre Rockaway Quarry has been sold to an unidentified affiliate of Ambit Funding LLC, a Pennsylvania-based company that originally loaned former quarry owner The Peebles Corp. $16 million to purchase and develop the property, according to an announcement by Peebles. Peebles bought the quarry for $7.5 million in 2005 from another company that had tried and failed to build a mixed-use housing and retail development in that location.
Florida-based Peebles likewise failed to convince a majority of Pacifica voters in 2008 of the value of its proposed 355-unit mixed housing plan, which would also have included a luxury hotel and ample retail space — a new downtown along Highway 1, steps away from the ocean and several favorite beaches. [...]
Unfortunately, Rockaway Quarry was not a hot ticket among commercial developers in the sliding economy. [Peebles Corp. Senior Vice President Daniel] Grimm said it had three or four offers, all of which were far below the $25 million his company was seeking. The quarry was most recently appraised at $85 million. "We were unable to sell it for a price to satisfy both parties, so we had to have another discussion," Grimm said. "We reverted back to our positions, which was a dispute, and agreed to sell it to an affiliate of the lender. ... I know they gave us a good deal, so we took it."
The terms of the transfer, and Ambit’s plans for the property, are unknown.


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TWENTY cities and towns have clubbed together to put a full page advert in a national newspaper to tackle the sticky problem of chewing gum.
The coalition is demanding that the Government and the chewing gum industry - worth £300m a year - stump up the cash to help councils rid themselves of the problem.
The group claims it costs 3p to produce a piece of gum and 10p to clean it from the streets.
The advert, which appears in The Guardian today, makes a direct appeal for financial help. It is running on the same day as the Government-backed Chewing Gum Action Group holds a conference on the issue.
Alan Bradley, cabinet member for street environment at Westminster Council, said £100,000 a year was spent on cleaning up gum: "If Wrigley were to set aside a penny on every pack of gum sold in the UK, this would provide £9m a year to help with this problem."
In July last year, Kirklees Council put up chewing gum "dartboards" around Huddersfield town centre to tackle the problem.
Among the cities taking part in the advertising campaign are Bradford, Leeds and Liverpool.


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OnePlus 5T has been launched in November 2017 and has managed to impress its loyal customer base once again. Now, the phone is bringing the new update in its stock Android and upgrading the version to Oxygen OS 4.7.2. The update has brought some important improvements,
The OnePlus 5T has been updated to Oxygen OS 4.7.2 and includes the following:
The size of the Update is 107 MB. Users are supposed to receive the update automatically. But in case they don’t get it automatically, it means the update has not arrived to the devicde. Keep patience. However, you can mnually search for Phone Update and give it a try. OnePlus also announced that they would be bringing some camera improvements to the handset in the coming weeks.
Let’s have a sneak peek at the specs of OnePlus 5T:
OnePlus 5T has a starting price of $499 for the 64GB model and $559 for the 128GB variant.


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Goodbye, Amazon Drive.
Amazon sent out emails on early on Friday early morning for Amazon Drive users to notify customers that it will be closing their cloud storage services December. 31st, 2023.
We take this opportunity to concentrate the efforts of Amazon Photos to provide customers an exclusive solution for photo as well as video storage, Amazon says in an FAQ.
Read more What has the new normal affected the business culture of MSMEs
Amazon claims that videos and photos stored in Amazon Drive accounts have been automatically transferred in Amazon Photos.
If you depend on Amazon Drive to manage your file storage, you’ll have to visit Amazon Drive’s website Amazon Drive website to download your files before December 31, 2023. Amazon noted.
Amazon Drive launched 11 years ago. It is a competitor to similar services by Dropbox, Microsoft, Box and other software giants.
Amazon will continue to operate Amazon Photos, which gives Prime members unlimited photo storage , and up to 5GB storage space for non-members.
Read more Masai School is helping launch careers and increase the growth of Tech Companies


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Back in 2009 Japanese designer Shigeichiro Takeuchi (previously) came up with an ingenious prototype for a trash can. The simple cylinder-shaped trash bin had a dramatic diagonal opening and a sculptural quality that disguised it’s true purpose. An equally simple lid that swings and tilts without the use of gears, wires or any sort of mechanism earned it the name Swing Bin.
Takeuchi showed a prototype at Milano Salone in 2010 where it became a huge hit, picking up accolades from blogs and design awards from magazines. However, the minimalistic design proved too good to be true. Takeuchi struggled to produce his unique lid and, eventually, the project was shelved. But one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. People all over the world continued write in expressing their desire to purchase Takeuchi’s design.
Acknowledging the fact that times – and funding options – have changed, Takeuchi decided to launch a kickstarter campaign to fund the production of his prototype. He’s trying to raise $65K by Sept 14, 2014. You can contribute to his campaign and score your own Swing Bin for $65 (plus $20 to ship outside Japan).


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St. Clair County Health Department
The St. Clair County Board of Health presented Lt. Col Mel Weith, St. Clair County Sheriff’s Department, with a Special Recognition Award for his 21 years of service to the St. Clair County Health Department. (read more…)
We are currently working on our new office building (which has taken longer than expected). We’ve finally settled on a contracting company, General Contractor’s of St. Clair. Our main equipment supplier for the project has been Rental Force (we’ve saved a ton by renting equipment instead of buying it). For more information about the project, you can check out the project outline page.
St. Clair County Health Department Division of Emergency Preparedness & Response is Hosting Incident Command 300 & 400 and Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program (HSEEP) training in June, click here for more details
Household Hazardous Waste Collection Day June 7th
News AmishMacRecall May 28, 2008 – Orval Kent Foods is voluntarily recalling approximately 23,000 pounds of Amish Macaroni Salad that may pose a health risk. Lyme Disease Awareness Month Dr. Damon T. Arnold, state public health director, is warning residents to take precautions against tick bites to prevent contracting the diseases ticks can carry. May is Lyme Disease Awareness Month. Now through June is the peak period for tick activity, since ticks become active when the temperature is 40 degrees Fahrenheit or more at ground level. Mouthwash recall Hydrox Labs Issued a Voluntary Recall of Alcohol-Free Mouthwash Nationwide Distributed by Cardinal Health Leeza Blue Water Ice recall May 2, 2008 — Cedar Crest Specialties, Inc. today announced a recall on one lot code of Lezza Blue Raspberry Water Ice in round plastic pint containers with a lot code of 2116 because it may contain undeclared milk protein. The product was distributed to retail outlets in Illinois, Wisconsin, and Minnesota Gormet Boutique Recall New York-based Gourmet Boutique voluntarily recalled more than 286,000 pounds of fresh and frozen meat and poultry products on Saturday because the items may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes Little Bay Little Bay Baking Company of Newmarket, New Hampshire is recalling all bags of CORN BREAD AND MUFFIN MIX sold before May 2, 2008 because it contains undeclared soy. People who have an allergy or severe sensitivity to soy run the risk of serious or life-threatening allergic reaction if they consume these products.CORN BREAD AND MUFFIN MIX was distributed throughout the United States through retail stores and internet orders KFC Cakes Recall April 18, 2008 — KFC Corporation is voluntarily recalling its Double Chocolate Chip Cakes because they contain eggs, milk, wheat, soy ingredients and possibly traces of tree nuts, and are not individually labeled with ingredient information. The cakes are being recalled because people who have an allergy to eggs, milk, wheat, soy ingredients or tree nuts run the risk of a serious or life-threatening reaction if they consume this product. There is no health risk for consumers who are not allergic to any ingredients in the product. Smoke Free Illinois Act For more information, please call the St. Clair County Health Department, Environmental Health Division at 233-7769 Drug Resistant Staph Infections Staphylococcus aureus, often referred to as “staph,” are bacteria commonly found on the skin or in thenose of healthy people. Approximately 25 percent to 30 percent of the populations carry the bacteriawithout becoming ill.
19 Public Square, Suite 150
Belleville, IL 62220
Fax: (618) 233-7713
Operating Hours: Monday – Friday 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
After Hours Emergency Contact Number: (618) 338-6283


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Seoul: Hyundai Motor Co., South Korea’s biggest auto maker, is under threat from surging materials costs, a slowing global economy and rising competition, chief executive officer Chung Mong Koo said.
“High oil prices, a slowing global economy from subprime concerns, competition with advanced rivals in Japan and Europe as well as with emerging competitors in China and India—these all are threats for us that we should deal with wisely,” Chung wrote in a letter to shareholders published at the car maker’s annual meeting on Friday in Seoul.
Hyundai on Thursday agreed with a supplier’s group to pay as much as 20% more for auto parts because of higher steel prices. The Seoul-based car maker aims to boost sales in emerging markets to help offset its rising costs.
“We’ll beef up our efforts to take a lead in emerging markets, including the Middle East and Africa, which are benefiting from higher prices for their oil and raw materials,” vice-chairman Kim Dong Jin told shareholders at the meeting.
The car maker aims to sell 737,000 vehicles in emerging markets this year, including West Asia, Africa and Eastern Europe, 12% more than in 2007, it had said on 24 January. Total sales will rise 20% to 3.11 million autos from last year.
Hyundai shares rose 4.05% to close at 69,300 won (Rs2,886) in Seoul compared with the benchmark Kospi index’s 0.95% loss.
Chung also won approval for a fourth term as a board member, overcoming opposition from some shareholders who sought to oust him because of his embezzlement and breach of duty conviction last year.
The National Pension Service, South Korea’s biggest institutional investor, had said on 12 March that it wouldn’t approve Chung’s re-appointment. The tycoon’s criminal record disqualifies him as a board member, it said.
Chung, the eldest surviving son of Chung Ju-young who founded the Hyundai Group in 1947 and Hyundai Motor in 1967, was last year handed a suspended three-year jail term for fraud.
Reuters contributed to this story.


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Subscribe and receive the latest insights on the health and nutrition industry.
Join 37,000+ members. Yes, it's completely free.
In this podcast interview, Sean Murphy--founder and publisher of Hemp Business Journal--reports on sales of hemp-based CBD products and discusses related trends, including characteristics associated with successful companies in the burgeoning CBD market.
In this podcast interview with Josh Long, INSIDER's legal editor, Sean Murphy—founder and publisher of Hemp Business Journal—weighs in on:
-- Sales of hemp-based and marijuana-based CBD products;
-- Projections for CBD pharmaceutical sales;
-- The sophistication of top hemp-based CBD brands;
-- Challenges in raising capital and the types of investors in the CBD market;
-- The types of retailers selling CBD; and
-- Traits associated with successful CBD companies.
Murphy will be speaking on Thursday, Sept. 28, during a panel at SupplySide West in Las Vegas. The panel “The State of CBD in Dietary Supplements,” will explore business opportunities and market trends in the burgeoning CBD industry, regulatory hurdles facing the industry, and how companies can bring new, efficacious products to market.
Associate editorial director, Natural Products Insider, Informa Markets Health and Nutrition
Josh Long directs the online news, feature and op-ed coverage at Natural Products Insider, which targets the health and wellness industry. He has been reporting on developments in the dietary supplement industry for over a decade, with a special focus on regulatory issues, including at the Food and Drug Administration.
Josh majored in journalism and graduated from Arizona State University the same year "Jake the Snake" Plummer led the Sun Devils to the Rose Bowl against the Ohio State Buckeyes. He also holds a J.D. from the University of Wyoming College of Law, was admitted in 2008 to practice law in the state of Colorado and spent a year clerking for a state district court judge.
Over more than a quarter century, he’s written on various topics for newspapers and business-to-business publications – from the Yavapai in Arizona and a controversial plan for a nuclear-waste incinerator in Idaho to nuanced issues, including FDA enforcement of the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 (DSHEA).
Since the late 1990s, his articles have been published in a variety of media, including but not limited to, the Cape Cod Times (in Massachusetts), Sedona Red Rock News (in Arizona), Denver Post (in Colorado), Casper Star-Tribune (in Wyoming), now-defunct Jackson Hole Guide, Colorado Lawyer (published by the Colorado Bar Association) and Nutrition Business Journal.
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BBC Worldwide have announced that "The Web of Fear" has become the biggest selling Classic "Doctor Who" dvd in the 15 year history of the range.
The dvd sold 15,000 units in the first week of sales in the UK alone - beating the previous record-holder, "The Enemy of the World" which was recovered from Nigeria together with "The Web of Fear" by Philip Morris.
Fiona Eastwood, Director of Consumer Products at BBC Worldwide said, “We knew that "The Web of Fear" would be a popular release; Yetis on the London Underground – need I say more? There’s a real appetite for exploring the extensive back-catalogue of classic stories, particularly following the 50th anniversary last year, and we’re committed to continuing that exploration for Doctor Who fans in the future.”
These figures continue a successful year for Doctor Who DVDs, with strong sales across the classic range and contemporary releases alike. The 50th anniversary special, The Day of the Doctor achieved the biggest ever week one sales for a Doctor Who title when it was released in December 2013.
Both "The Web of Fear" and "The Enemy of the World" can be purchased from the BBC Shop priced £13.99.


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The Lilly Pulitzer line was launched at Target on Sunday April 19th and customers went crazy for the clothes in store and online quickly selling out everywhere.
Photo: The nearly decimated #lillyfortarget section after 7 minutes.
— Steph Himel-Nelson (@LawyerMama) April 19, 2015
Many anticipated this signature product line and some of the clothes are already appearing on Ebay for resale from those who made it to the store.
The CEO of Belus Capital Advisor said the event was “typical Target” that Target had already planned the event to occur in such a way and purposely had a small supply to “stoke demand and Internet chatter”
Yet many of the chatter being seen on social media sites are negative and EJ Haust a social media consultant speculates on “how many complaints there are, and how Target will try to spin the event as a ‘success.’”
Before the event Target posted updated on their website by tweeting, “For those still waiting for #LillyforTarget, we are continuing to work through our website experience. We will share updates as they come.”
Once the stores opened the next morning they followed with another tweet saying, “We appreciate your patience. You can now shop the #LillyforTarget collection.”
With as much traffic the website received there was no crash like they had experienced in the past with the release of Missoni luxury knitwear. Target spokesman said “there was extreme traffic,” and the company had only made the website inaccessible at 3 a.m. ET for 15 minutes.
Thomas reports that by noon ET everything was sold out online.
Target told WallStreet it plans on spending $1 billion to improve their digital commerce.
In stores lines began early in the morning to snatch the clothing off the rack and many shoppers were left empty handed.
The store does not plan to re-stock on any Lilly Pulitzer clothing sold out but they can be found on Ebay resellers with more than 9,400 listing of the products already.
Target is not happy about this fact as Thomas expresses to US Today, “That’s really disappointing to us.”
Target are not the first to be affected by collections being bought and re-sold on Ebay.
Rare collections tend to “become like collectors’ items,” he says.
41 year old Rachel Rickert was lucky to come out with some Pulitzer clothing at a St. Louis Park, Minnesota location. She did state that the items she was interested in purchasing were already sold out by 7 a.m. ET and it took three Target trips to find one in supply. She finally found some sundresses at a SuperTarget.
“I will definitely get some good use out of it walking around the lakes this summer,” She tells US Today.
A manager at the store Rickert went to had told her “by the time they opened the line was deeper than on Black Friday.”
“Preppy Black Friday” soon became the name of this event.
The hashtag # LillyforTarget blew up all social media sites. Even Pop Style Opinionfest hosts Tom Fitzgerald and Lorenzo Marquez stated “@TargetStyle needs to stop humiliating its consumers and plan these collaborations a little better.”
Another tweet from Jen Lancaster read “Everything gone in three minutes. Women waited in line w/hundreds of dollars, left with nothing. How is this good business?”
Another shopper agreed with all the angry comments by saying “This was a perfect storm of high demand, stupidly low pricing and low merchandise quantities and greed by some people,” said 51 year old Elaine Taylor.
She even saw those shoppers planning to re-sell the items saying, “You couldn’t buy that much for personal use. It definitely dampens enthusiasm for future launches.”
“We are learning from these experiences and sharing with our online and store teams,” the company replied to all the angry customers.


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Check out the blog below for some ideal places to view the partial eclipse in Louisville and a way to see the full eclipse in Southern Kentucky.
Next Monday, August 21, 2017 – all of North America will experience an eclipse of the Sun and Louisville will be in the partial eclipse zone. The moon will be covering approximately 96% of the sun!
The eclipse will begin in Louisville around 12:59PM EST and be at its maximum at 2:27PM…. Ending at 3:51PM.
If you’d like to view the TOTAL solar eclipse, you’ll need to travel south to Hopkinsville, KY.
There are many places to go in the city to view the eclipse but please remember that safety is first and it’s only safe to view with certified eclipse glasses that have been for sale at various stores in the Louisville area while supplies last. Below are just a handful of many places to witness this rare occurance:
1. Eclipse Viewing Party at Fourth Street Live!
2. Solar Eclipse & Bourbon Sips by Mint Julep Tours
3. Solar Eclipse Viewing at The Parklands
4. Kentucky Derby Museum Solar Eclipse Viewing Tour
5. Eclipse Viewing from the top of Iroquois Park
For more information about the solar eclipse, click here.


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With the growing number of co-working spaces popping up across the country, Geeks in Cambodia went on a tour to check out one of the newest co-working spaces here in Phnom Penh, Saha’ka. Want to find out more about the space? Read on.
Cambodia’s startup ecosystem has been growing a tremendous pace, with recent initiatives like Cambodia ICT Awards (CICTA), TOP100 APAC Cambodia Qualifiers and SmartStart Cycle 2, showcasing both the great talent being developed in Cambodia, and the regional interest.
(English) Find out what you missed during Barcamp ASEAN 2017, the highly sought-after annual regional tech conference and startup expo!
BarCamp ASEAN may have just ended recently, but there is still more BarCamp fun in store with its upcoming edition– BarCamp Battambang 2017! Set to happen on 25 to 26 November 2017 from 7.30am to 5pm at the University of Battambang, this technology and startup seminar aims to empower young Cambodian minds and impart invaluable … More
(English) Mark your calendars because BarCamp Asean 2017 is back and it’s bigger and better than ever!


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The International Cannabis Business Conferences (ICBC) stands in a league of its own. Beginning in California and Oregon five years ago, the ICBC has since branched out across the globe, offering premier networking and learning opportunities in each respective area we travel. With its high-end production, world-class speakers, and legendary performers and networking parties, the ICBC is responsible for tens of millions of dollars in business being brokered during and subsequent to our events. From the U.S. to Europe to Canada to Australia, the ICBC has an event that caters to you and your company's needs. Deciding on which industry conference to attend? Decide no further. The one and only International Cannabis Business Conference. Must be 21 or older to attend any ICBC event.
SAN FRANCISCO | February 1,2 2018
The International Cannabis Business Conference is the longest continually running cannabis conference in California, and we're excited to return to San Francisco!
Among the speakers featured are CEOs of global corporations, medical doctors, local dispensary owners, and United States Congressmen, our speakers represent the full spectrum of the cannabis industry. Here's a look at some of our previous speakers.
STORZ & BICKEL
Manufacturer of Volcano Vaporizers
U.S. REPUBLICAN CONGRESSMAN
CALIFORNIA STATE CANNABIS CZAR
Chief of the Bureau of Medical Cannabis Regulation
Just a few days after welcoming attendees to the International Cannabis Business Conference in Kauai, Hawai’i Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard continued her effort in the fight for sensible cannabis laws, by urging the Department of Health and Human Services to allow research of medical marijuana as a pain management alternative to opioids. Representative Gabbard, who understands that...
Cannabis entrepreneurs and other invested everywhere in California are scrambling to meet the emergency regulations recently released by the state’s Bureau of Cannabis Control in anticipation of the January 1st rollout of adult-use cannabis sales. The effectiveness and ease of implementation of their current guidelines remains to be seen. We always knew there would be...
Yesterday’s Kauai Cannabis Classic golf tournament, sponsored by Leafly and Cannafornia, capped off a truly amazing International Cannabis Business Conference, that saw around 500 marijuana industry entrepreneurs converge together to learn, share ideas and network. As the ICBC has traveled around the world, it is safe to say that there has never been a cannabis...
The lower house of the Canadian Parliament passed a bill earlier this week which constitutes a major step forward in the advancement of adult-use Canadian cannabis legalization. Bill C-45 – the Cannabis Act – was introduced in April 2017 by Canadian Minister of Justice and Attorney General Jody Wilson-Raybould under the direction of Prime Minister...
A veteran of the Iraq War, Hawaii’s Tulsi Gabbard was a rising star in Democratic politics before she resigned as vice-chair of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) to wholeheartedly back the presidential candidacy of Bernie Sanders, a darling of progressives (and many cannabis legalization supporters). Gabbard could have kept her head down, stuck to the...


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In a match made in caffeine heaven, Starbucks and mobile payment system Square announced a partnership that will let customers use Square Wallet to pay for their beverages, pastries and more at the coffee chain's retail locations.
The news, which included a $25 million investment into Square by Starbucks, came in August, and Friday the companies revealed when the partnership will take off.
According to a Starbucks press release, Square payments will get underway in early November.
The service will get support at company-run retail locations in the U.S.
Tips are next
The Square/Starbucks partnership also gives coffee-fiends access to the Square directory, which will help anyone in need of a Sbux fix track down one of the company's more than 7,000 U.S. locations.
Starbucks also said in the release that, starting next summer, it will enable digital tipping on its existing mobile payment app as well as through Square Wallet.
As if it wasn't stepping far enough into the digital payment game, Starbucks has also integrated with Apple's Passbook service, the release said.
OK, coffee addicts, you can rejoice now.
From Starbucks via Engadget


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- Courtesy of Cornerstore Burger
Longtime friends and business partners Rich McSheffrey and Keith Paxman always wanted to own a local hangout — a cozy neighborhood joint where locals could convene for simple eats, fresh beer and great cocktails.
The two opened casual gastrobar Cornerstone Pub & Kitchen in 2012 and Two Loco Guys in early 2014, but neither of those Barre restaurants quite fit the bill. "Cornerstone is our baby," Paxman tells Seven Days. "We love it. But it's not the hangout we're looking to create." The duo hopes that Cornerstone Burger — which they'll open later this winter in the Northfield space where the Knotty Shamrock once stood — will be that place.
Paxman says the new concept revolves around gourmet burgers and builds on the success of their burger menu in Barre. Cornerstone Pub offers at least eight different patties made with everything from venison to black beans. In addition to those, the new restaurant will serve other sandwiches, wings and pubby snacks, along with 15 or so beers on draft and a selection of handcrafted cocktails.
Though Cornerstone Pub executive chef Paul Fucello will oversee the menu, Paxman stresses that the Northfield restaurant will not be simply a downsized Cornerstone 2.0. "We like the idea that people come to Cornerstone [Pub] for specific things," Paxman says, and Cornerstone Burger will offer different attractions.
As for the space, Paxman was mum on the details, pending an auction this week that will help clear out the place. "We don't want to give away all the surprises yet," he says, but notes that he hopes to showcase native features such as brick, reclaimed wood and cast iron. "There are nice bones in the building," he notes.
If all goes well, Cornerstone Burger will open in February. And if the new business prospers, Paxman says, the restaurateur duo hopes to expand again — perhaps even beyond state lines.


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Only a few hours remain for a new edition of Macfrut. The special visit of the President of the Italian Republic, Sergio Mattarella, will take place. He has been invited to the city of Cesena to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the international fruit and vegetable fair organized by Cesena Fiera. In the heart of the Malatesta city (Piazza della Libertà), a preview of the fair will be set up along with companies from the horticultural and poultry sectors, with about 15 stands.
On Wednesday, at the Rimini Expo Center (9:30 am to 6:00 pm), the 40th edition of Macfrut will begin. The inauguration ceremony will take place at 11 am, with the presence of the Minister of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forestry, Francesco Lollobrigida; the Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Maria Tripodi; Renzo Piraccini, President of Macfrut; Ettore Prandini, National President of Coldiretti; Cristiano Fini, National President of CIA Italian Farmers; Massimiliano Giansanti, National President of Confagricoltura; Gian Luca Gallo, Councilor of Agriculture of the Calabria Region; Stefano Bonaccini, President of the Emilia-Romagna Region; and Matteo Zoppas, President of Agenzia Ice. The event will be hosted by Simona Ventura.
Additionally, two important activities will attract a large audience on Wednesday. First, at 2:00 pm, the Italian Pavilion at the Doha Expo will be inaugurated, in a national preview of the Rimini Fair. At 3:30 pm, the candidacy for Expo 2030 Rome will be presented.
The protagonist of the fair is the fruit and vegetable supply chain, a strategic sector of the Made in Italy agri-food industry. For Macfrut, these are record numbers due to the fair’s 60,000 square meters of exhibition space, which is an increase of 35% compared to last year (two more pavilions), and 200% increase compared to eight years ago. Foreign exhibitors have also grown by 50%, representing 38% of the total, in addition to 1,500 top international buyers. The event will host a hundred meetings throughout the three days, including conferences on the main topics of the sector (Biosolutions, International Blueberry Day, Spices and Medicinal Herbs, Tomato, Nurseries), as well as a trial field and technology showcase in the sector.
South America will be an important partner and will be present as a protagonist in a whole pavilion. It will be the first time for Mexico and Saudi Arabia. Egypt will also have a maxi stand with 22 companies. There will be a dedicated pavilion for Africa with 19 countries and the return of China with 32 companies for the first time in an agri-food fair, post-Covid.
At the center is the horticultural sector, the excellence of Made in Italy due the strength of its supply chain, representing a quarter of the national agricultural production (1.2 million cultivated hectares) and involving 300,000 companies. In 2022, Italy produced around 25 million tons of fruits and vegetables, with a production value of approximately 15 billion euros. Exports in 2022 exceeded 10 billion euros (fresh and processed) with a trade balance of +2.762 million euros, a figure that is expected to triple when considering the entire supply chain.
Smartcherry at Macfrut
For the second consecutive year, Smartcherry will be present at Macfrut; in addition to offering complete coverage of the three days of the event, the cherry-specialized platform will be a media partner of Macfrut. It will have a stand at the Rimini exhibition center and participate in commercial meetings.
“We will once again be at one of the most important horticultural fairs in Europe, where there will be a lot of relevant information for the cherry industry; we will accompany the Chilean delegations that will be present and, of course, we will provide complete coverage of everything related to agro technology, biosolutions, and new varieties; our Director of Clients and New Projects, Claudia Barriga, and our Editorial Director, Andrea Garrido, will be at the fair,” detailed Javiera López, General Director of Smartcherry.


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China's top pig producers posted their highest ever profits in the three months to September, as soaring hog prices more than compensated for losses resulting from African swine fever.
The huge profits underline how the fatal pig disease, which has killed millions of hogs across Asia and left many small farmers bankrupt, has proved a major opportunity for the leading producers in the world's largest but highly fragmented hog sector.
Wens Foodstuff Group Co Ltd, Muyuan Foods Co Ltd , and New Hope Liuhe all saw third-quarter profits more than double from the previous year's level.
Muyuan's net profit of 1.54 billion yuan ($218.88 million) was twice as high as its previous best quarter.
African Swine Fever
The sharp turnaround comes a year after African swine fever, an incurable pig disease, broke out in China and spread rapidly across the country.
The herd had shrunk by 41% year-on-year in September, pushing live hog prices to 30 yuan per kilogramme in some provinces.
For large producers, even if they lost some sows to the disease, prices are so high now that they are still earning much more than before.
"Upstream hog breeders suffered losses in the first quarter of 2019. However, prices started to rise due to tightened supply from the second quarter, which helped the breeders turn profitable," said Fitch Ratings in a note on Wednesday.
Hog margins averaged about 1,625 yuan per pig by the end of the third quarter.
"While production costs are basically the same, pig prices keep soaring. The growing spread is all profit," said Mao Yifan, analyst with Industrial Securities.
The companies are also gaining market share after price volatility earlier in the year pushed many smaller farmers out.
Wens, which produced 22 million pigs in 2018 and had a market share of 3.2%, had increased its share to 3.8% by the end of September, said Becky Han, associate director of APAC Corporates at Fitch Ratings.
10% Market Share
It is targeting a 10% share of the market, producing about 70 million pigs, by 2027.
With hog margins now at more than 3,000 yuan per pig in many southern provinces, profits will grow much more in the fourth quarter.
Zhongtai Securities analysts expect Wens to report full-year profits of 20.87 billion yuan, a fivefold increase on last year.
Muyuan profits will jump 10 times to 5.2 billion yuan, say China Merchants Securities analysts, and hit 30 billion yuan in 2020.
Even if the disease hits a small number of the companies' farms, margins are so high that profits at the other farms will more than cover the losses, Darin Friedrichs, senior analyst at INTL FCStone, said last week.


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The Egyptian minister with the Mexican ambassador
Egypt and Mexico have agreed on the need to develop a new vision for the future of economic cooperation between the two countries. This will include the development of new mechanisms and means of cooperation, identifying areas for joint projects during the next phase, as well as holding more official meetings in both countries.
This was decided during a meeting between Mahmoud Eisa, Egypt’s Minister of Industry and Foreign Trade and Ambassador Maria Carmen Oñate, Mexico's Ambassador in Cairo, in which they discussed ways of increasing bilateral trade and joint investments between Egypt and Mexico.
The Egyptian minister pointed out that the coming stage will witness a move by both countries to expand relations in economic cooperation as they are considered as two central countries in the Middle East and the Americas.
Eisa added that all Mexican companies operating in Egypt are operating at full capacity and the government is sparing no effort to solve all the problems and remove obstacles facing Mexican investments in Egypt.
Oñate confirmed her country's commitment to supporting the Egyptian economy during the coming period, pointing out the need to increase bilateral trade and to expand and increase Mexican investments in Egypt. She said many Mexican companies are looking to invest in the Egyptian market during the next phase.
The volume of bilateral trade between Egypt and Mexico reached USD 186.7 million in 2010, with Egyptian exports to Mexico reaching USD 117.5 million and imports from Mexico reaching USD 69.2 million.
The most important Egyptian exports to Mexico are natural gas, construction materials, ready-made garments, cotton, and carpets while the most important imports are medicines, car parts, machinery, and equipment. Total cumulative Mexican investments in Egypt reach USD 49.6 million in the sectors of cement, construction, oil and technology.


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We've updated our quarterly US ad share shift analysis for Q3. The story remains the same:
- Google wins
- Television, radio, outdoor, and print lose
As ever, the details are startling. Here are some highlights looking back over 9 quarters for 16 major US media companies:
- Online share has grown from 22% to 31% of total ad spending over 9 quarters!
- Google's share of US total ad spending has grown from 9% to 17%
- Ad spending has decelerated sharply over the past three quarters across all media, including online. Even outdoor, formerly a stalwart, is falling.
Of the traditional media in Q3, print is doing the worst (down 15%). Radio continues to flag (down 7%). Outdoor was down 1%. TV eked out a tiny gain (2%). And online, thanks to Google, was up 14%.
Importantly, with the exception of Google, the growth of US online ads in Q3 was weak: 5%. This growth is decelerating rapidly and will likely be negative in Q4 or, at the latest, Q1. At the current rate of deceleration, Google's US ad business could also begin to shrink by the end of next year.
For details, please see our Great Ad Share Shift Spreadsheet.


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Right now, there are 2 billion people online. And whether those people are on a laptop, tablet or their phone, most of them are looking for something.
According to the Search Engine Journal, 93 percent of all Internet activity begins at a search engine.
So how can your company be sure it’s getting found before the competition and ensure that the link to your website shows up on page one instead of page three?
Local experts say the answer begins with search engine optimization and ends with Google.
“Search engine optimization is all about bringing the right content to the right people in a continually changing digital environment,” said Neal Fondren, senior vice president of interactive strategy at Intermark Group. “By constantly updating, Google stays ahead of everyone else and provides the best results.”
Google currently owns roughly 65 percent of all web traffic, and the companies that prioritize their SEO strategy to Google’s are more likely to survive the fierce battle for search engine superiority.
“If you’re on page three or four of search results, you might as well not be there at all because you’re never going to be seen,” Fondren said. “Statistically, anything past page 2 begins to start falling down in visibility.”
Generating fresh web content centered on a specific topic is the No. 1 way to be seen, Fondren says. Creating a blog, embedding video or putting together a slideshow and constantly updating the content will get the page noticed by Google.
But it’s not only the substance of the content that’s created. It’s how it’s disseminated.
Pawan Deshpande, founder and CEO of the software company Curata, said content curation is increasingly important to improving SEO performance.
“Content curation helps with search engine optimization through increased opportunity for inbound links because it is Google’s Page-Rank algorithm’s main criteria for ranking,” Desphande said. “You can build up a reputation as an authoritative destination on a particular subject, and over time, people will link to you as a trusted destination.”
Building credibility as a trusted destination on the Internet takes time and a consistently strong digital presence, but Google has recently started rolling out an SEO game changer with the potential to influence web traffic through Google authorship.
Google has created their own market by changing the traditional rules of SEO and moving everything to the cloud through the use of their social media site Google+.
Jerry Brown, digital strategist at Infomedia, said Google is giving an advantage to websites that include the Google Authorship code in their site and then share that content on Google+.
“Companies that share their content on Google+ experience high search results and more web traffic to their site,” Brown said. “Their site is more likely to show up at the top on Google’s search engine, so if you want to rank well you have to play their game.”
Google+ emphasizes this authorship and when web content is shared on the company’s Google+ profile, the picture of the author and their Google+ circles appear next to the search result.
“People are more likely to click on your link if they have visual evidence of the author, such as the picture. These little things really add up to drive web traffic,” Brown said.
Brown advises creating a Google+ page for yourself and your business and connecting your Google+ profile to your website or blog. Start sharing everything that you are currently putting on other social media sites on Google+ as well.
As the powerhouse of search engines, Brown believes that Google will soon dominate social media and in the process change the SEO world entirely. Companies that don’t utilize Google’s innovation could soon be finding themselves on the backburner of search results.


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With an eye on the food allergy community as a unique group of consumers since 2008, we're on a quest to find and share ways to continue enjoying the good things in life.
22 June 2009
Op/Ed Article: My Son, the Superhero
I enjoyed this article, My Son, the Superhero, which was featured in the Boston Globe Ideas Section yesterday, June 21. It's not food allergy related, but since so many Food Allergy Buzz readers are parents, I wanted to share it anyway!