text:
Ford has announced that a corrective action has been determined to address the latest fire risk for the new Escape SUV and Fusion sedan, coming 10 days after owners were advised not to drive their vehicles.
Toyota is recalling its popular Tacoma pickup truck, sold in certain parts of the country. At issue is the carriers that hold the emergency spare tire underneath the truck may not be adequately protected from the chemical road de-icers used in several states. If the tire carrier rusts, the spare tire may fall off the truck and present a road hazard, increasing the risk of collisions.
General Motors has announced the recall of its 2013 Cadillac XTS sedan today. Nearly 13,000 of the new luxury cars have rear head rests that fail to meet federal safety standards and could increase the risk of neck injuries if rear passengers are involved in a collision.
Toyota Motors announced today that more than 2.8 million vehicles, including the popular Prius hybrid, are being recalled globally due to two different problems with the vehicles' water pumps and crankshaft assemblies.
General Motors has issued a recall for 2012 Buick Verano, Chevrolet Cruze and Sonic cars today. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, a defect may inadvertently prevent the cars' front air bags from deploying during collisions.
Nearly 745,000 Jeep Grand Cherokee and Jeep Liberty sport-utility vehicles are being recalled due to an issue with the cars' supplemental restraint systems. A component within the system could fail and cause a sudden, inadvertent deployment of safety systems such as the front air bags, seat belt pretensioners, and side curtain air bag.
Nissan has recalled 13,919 of its 2012-2013 Altima sedans because they may have been equipped with transverse link bolts and power steering rack bolts that were not torqued to proper specification.
Ford Motor Co. has announced a recall of more than 154,000 Ford Fiesta subcompact cars which fail to deploy the vehicles' side air bags during a collision when there is no front passenger, said the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
More than 7.4 million Toyota vehicles are being recalled worldwide—the largest ever since 1996—because of bad power window switches, said Toyota Motor Corp. The driver's door-mounted switches may have a "notchy" or "sticky" feel to them during operation. And if drivers use oil or other lubricants to correct the problem, the switch assembly could melt, emit smoke or even cause a fire.
Honda Motor has issued a recall alert for the CR-V small sport utility vehicles says the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The 2002-2006 model year versions of the Honda SUV may have a faulty power window switch that may lead to a fire.
Honda Motors has expanded a recall for its popular Accord and Acura TL sedans in the United States and Canada, says the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), due to a problem with the power steering system.
General Motors has announced a recall of several vehicle models in seven warm-weather states over concerns that certain fuel-system plastic parts may break and cause a fire, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
General Motors has recalled 426,240 of its 2007-2010 Saturn Aura and 2008-2010 Chevrolet Malibu and Pontiac G6 vehicles equipped with 4-speed automatic transmissions, because the parked cars can potentially roll away if the tabs on the transmission shift cable end fracture and separate.
Ford Motor Co. has issued a recall for its 2013 Escape sport-utility vehicles in North America. Approximately 6,150 of the redesigned Ford SUVs in the United States and another 1,300 in Canada have an improperly installed plug that may allow engine coolant to leak and possibly catch fire.
Nissan's luxury-badged 2013 Infiniti JX35 sport-utility vehicles are being recalled for a defect in the fuel gauge system, said the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The fuel gauges in more than 7,800 Infiniti SUVs may display higher levels of fuel than what's actually in the tanks, which may cause drivers to unexpectedly run out of gas.
Our testers put 100s of products through their paces at our National Testing and Research Center. Learn more about how we test for:


text:
Laura Musselman The Black Keys, seen here at the Paramount Theatre in October 2010, will play a free show Friday in University Village.
Microsoft is set to open a new retail store in University Village tomorrow morning, and it's booked a major headliner to help celebrate. The Grammy-winning, El Camino-peddling Black Keys will play a free show at the Microsoft Store on Friday at 7 p.m. The catch? Tickets are available on a first-come, first-serve basis starting tomorrow at 9:30 a.m., when the store opens to the public.
Black Keys shows are known to sell out in less than a few hours, so set your alarm and get there early if you want tickets. The first 1,000 visitors will receive two premier-viewing tickets to the show (or, if you so choose, to a performance by OneRepublic on Saturday), and general-admission tickets will be available after that. For more information, check out the Microsoft Store's website.

domain: news


text:
Airbnb cancels all DC-area bookings for inauguration week
Company said it will refund guests and reimburse hosts
Airbnb is taking the unprecedented step of canceling all reservations in the Washington, D.C., area during the week of President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration, the company said Wednesday.
Airbnb said the policy is a response to “various local, state and federal officials asking people not to travel to Washington, D.C.” In addition to canceling reservations, Airbnb said it would block new bookings.
“Guests whose reservations are canceled will be refunded in full,” Airbnb said on its website. “We also will reimburse hosts, at Airbnb’s expense, the money they would have earned from these cancelled reservations.”
Previously, Airbnb said it would ban users from its platform if they were identified as being part of the pro-Trump mob that stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.
Given the number of people involved in the riot, however, it was shaping up to be a daunting task of ensuring the platform was free of everyone involved.
Airbnb said the decision to cancel all reservations was informed by local officials, including Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser. Along with the governors of Maryland and Virginia, she has urged visitors not to travel to the metro area for the inauguration.
“Additionally, we are aware of reports emerging yesterday afternoon regarding armed militias and known hate groups that are attempting to travel and disrupt the Inauguration,” the company said in its statement announcing the move.
Airbnb’s stock was up on news of the announcement. As of midday, it was trading around $171.68 per share, up 6.7 percent from its opening price.
While lawmakers push for President Donald Trump to be removed from office for his role in inciting the insurrection at the Capitol Building, he and his family are facing corporate backlash.
The Trump Organization’s banks, business partners and political allies have been distancing themselves from the president and his family in recent days.
JLL dropped its involvement to sell Trump’s hotel in Washington, D.C., and Cushman & Wakefield said it would no longer work on the firm’s commercial properties. Signature Bank said it would close Trump’s personal accounts, and Deutsche Bank said it won’t do business with the family business going forward. PGA of America has pulled the 2022 PGA Championship from Trump’s National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey.


text:
Malaga has obtained a distinction from the World Travel and Tourism Council, which recognizes the safety of tourists visiting the city. This seal, awarded by the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), places the Costa del Sol capital on the list of destinations with the highest guarantees to travel in the world.
The safety and hygiene tourist stamp aims to generate tranquillity for incoming tourists and helps promote and accelerate the recovery of national and international tourism. The ‘Safe Travels’ seal is the world’s first safety and hygiene seal, which has been specifically designed and created to address COVID-19.
As highlighted by Rosa Sanchez, the Councilor for Tourism and Promotion of the City, “Malaga is a tourist destination that has all the highest travel guarantees and it continues to validate this notion with achievements like this stamp.” To obtain the WTTC seal, destinations have had to comply with a series of protocols and standards in the prevention of the pandemic.
This distinction has been endorsed by more than 200 CEOs from the main business groups in the global tourism sector. Local destinations have committed to rebuilding trust among travellers and within the sector to boost its reactivation. These protocols have been developed following the indications of the World Health Organization (WHO), and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).


text:
Tech and retail behemoth Amazon has finally touched down for real in Australia, offering customers millions of products across more than 20 categories.
The categories include books, video games, consumer electronics, sports and outdoors, tools, toys, home improvement, beauty, clothing and accessories, shoes, and Amazon devices such as its Kindle E-reader and Fire TV.
Customers are able to enjoy free delivery on eligible orders above $49 that are sold by Amazon, and a one-day delivery service is available in select areas across Australia.
The selection at Amazon.com.au includes millions of products offered by well-known Aussie brands such as Bonds and Sol-Sana, as well as small and medium-sized local businesses selling on Amazon Marketplace.
Globally, approximately 50 per cent of Amazon’s total units come from Marketplace sellers.
Amazon will also feature big brands such as Puma, Lego, L’Oreal and Sonos.
Customer orders will be fulfilled from Amazon’s new centre in Dandenong South. Amazon also has corporate offices in Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane and Canberra, which are home to more than 1,000 employees.
Amazon Web Services launched an Australian region in 2012 and the Australian Kindle Store opened in 2013.
Aussie customers can shop anywhere, anytime through the Amazon Shopping app, and desktop and mobile browsers.
Customers can also track orders, contact customer service, read product reviews, or simply browse the growing selection at the time and place that suits them best.
Furthermore, Aussie customers can also access Prime Video and Twitch Prime offerings from today. Both benefits are available for an introductory price of $2.99 USD per month. Amazon expects to launch Prime shipping benefits in Australia in mid-2018 and from today.
Rocco Braeuniger, country manager for Amazon in Australia, said focusing on customers and the long-term are key principles in the company’s approach to retailing.
“By concentrating on providing a great shopping experience and by constantly innovating on behalf of customers, we hope to earn the trust and the custom of Australian shoppers in the years to come,” he said.
“Over time, we will create thousands of new jobs and invest hundreds of millions of dollars in Australia.
“The result will be an ever-improving customer experience driven by the regular introduction of new products and services that we hope customers will love.”
The move comes after media reports suggested Amazon executed a soft launch of its Aussie operation late last month.
Last year, Siddarth Shrikanth published The Case for Nature: Pioneering Solutions for the Other Planetary Crisis. Catherine de Clare caught up with him at the Jaipur Literary Festival in India this year. Shrikanth currently works as a director on the Investment team at Just Climate, a sustainability-focused investment fund chaired by former US vice president Al […]


text:
A new survey found that supply chain leaders are very optimistic about the future. In fact, the survey, released earlier this month by GlobalTranz Enterprises, LLC, reveals that leaders are ready to meet surging consumer demand.
The data comes a year after the initial pandemic disruption of supply chains, and follows GlobalTranz’s survey of supply chain leaders in the fall of 2020, which indicated that decision-makers did not feel prepared for shifting logistics needs.
“Over the past year, companies serving both individual consumers and businesses have had to deal with changing buyer behaviors and inventory management techniques that have created significant supply chain volatility,” said Bob Farrell, CEO of GlobalTranz. “This survey shows that while there is consistent optimism in an economic recovery, supply chain leaders understand that many new challenges lie ahead and that partnering with technology-centric logistics providers is critical to enabling visibility across supply chains, boosting e-commerce capabilities and meeting customer demands.”
COVID-19 Vaccine Impact and Future Outlook
Six months ago, companies were faced with record-breaking shipping volumes due to increased e-commerce demand on top of peak shipping demands during the period that preceded the holiday season from October through December. Supply chains continue to operate at these peak levels and consumer and business buying activity isn’t showing signs of slowing down in 2021.
Despite global supply chains being overburdened, decision makers still believe their own supply chains are prepared to meet consumer demand. Confidence in their logistics partnerships is high, with 91% of respondents agreeing that their 3PL partners will effectively meet their needs in 2021. This confidence in current partnerships to navigate the market and in the decisions made over the last few months is driving optimism in these decision makers ability to meet their business challenges.
With a confluence of economic and societal factors at play, only 1 in 10 decision makers reported a pessimistic outlook of their company’s revenue 3-6 months and even a year from now.
- 7 in 10 respondents believe the COVID-19 vaccine rollout will enable them to attract new customers; 94% of respondents reported confidence that there will be robust economic recovery due to vaccine distribution.
- 6 in 10 believe that the latest stimulus packages will benefit both their operations and business revenue.
- More than half anticipate that regulatory policy coming out of the new U.S. administration will have a positive impact on their business operations and revenue. This sentiment comes as major bills around infrastructure are introduced in Washington D.C.
At the same time, decision makers took note of challenges that remain across their supply chains:
- 37% noted rising transportation costs as something they will need to continue to manage throughout 2021.
- 31% reported concerns over having enough workforce to meet the demand for consumers.
- 24% cited poor handling or service related to home deliveries as an ongoing challenge; 76% cited concerns over the ability of their small parcel provider to deliver on time.
- 1 in 3 list having enough resources (parts, materials, product, etc.) as a top concern to meet the demand of customers
Adapting to New Market Demands
Survey data shows that supply chain decision-makers feel that they have made appropriate adjustments to meet the heavy shift in e-commerce activity in the market, with 76% of respondents noting that their company has adopted a successful omnichannel strategy, a 20% increase from GlobalTranz’s October survey. At the same time, 84% of respondents reported that they’re seeing greater demand for final mile delivery services, with 69% struggling to find reliable transportation partners to meet this demand.
Continued market volatility into 2021 has forced decision-makers to reevaluate supply chains:
- Nearly 80% indicated increasing warehouse space and expanding warehouse locations are priorities in 2021
- 82% of respondents said that investments in supply chain visibility are a priority
- Over three-quarters of respondents indicated reshoring or nearshoring of supply chain operations as a priority
Outside of immediate supply chain operations, at least 25% of respondents indicated investments in new products and services, customer retention and recruitment top the list of priorities for the year.
“With much of 2020 marked by the growing pains from the dramatic shift to an e-commerce dominated shipping landscape, we have seen companies effectively accelerate plans that were years down the road,” said Ross Spanier, executive vice president of Direct Channel Business at GlobalTranz.


text:
Aung San Suu Kyi’s landmark visit to India
A pictorial journey through the Nobel Peace Laureate and Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s landmark visit to India. Suu Kyi, who in the 1960s was a student in Delhi where her mother served as an ambassador, is paying her first visit to neighbouring India in 25 years - most of which were spent under military house arrest.
Picture editor's choice
Abu Dhabi’s latest retail destination, opens its doors to visitors with multiple new retail brands
2.5 billion people lack basic sanitation services
Times Square is illuminated by the world’s highest resolution video display screen of its size, nearly as big as a football field


text:
Date: December 10, 2010
App type: News & Weather
Publisher: The Associated Press
Release date: October 22, 2010
Requirements: Access to your data connection, location services, media library, push notifications, and owner identity
I'm a news hound, which I know comes as no surprise. But what may surprise you is where I choose to get my news from: I don't read gadget or tech blogs--which are largely written by unsophisticated kids--and I don't hover over a Twitter client all day long like a submarine sonar man looking for meaning in the noise. Instead, I choose to get my news from the tap, if you will: From the few credible sources of original news reporting that still exist. Among these are tier-one newspapers like The New York Times and the Wall Street Journal, but also independent news-gathering agencies like Reuters, Bloomberg, and the Associated Press, or AP.
As an iPhone user over three years, I'm familiar with the fact of these organizations--AP, Bloomberg, and Reuters--provides a high-quality app for that platform, and one of my goals in moving to Windows Phone this past year involved insuring that I could get the most valuable iPhone apps on this new platform as well. The AP Mobile app is the first such app to appear on Windows Phone, and while it provides the same basic functionality as its iPhone equivalent, it also does so using the unique and superior Metro look and feel.
On Windows Phone, the AP Mobile app provides a standard, pivot-based view, with a customizable Front Page--I've set mine up to display technology news first, followed by top news, travel, sports, and showbiz--a nice media gallery, and then a full list of all available sections, including local, weather, search, settings, and the various categories: Top news, sports, showbiz, U.S. news, small business, world, wacky, technology, business, politics, lifestyle, travel, health, science, religion and press releases.
(Private pet peeve: I don't like when news sources bundle science and technology together as a single topic--as Google News does--but AP Mobile, as you can see, does not do this.)
Via the settings interface, you can customize what appears on the Front Page, and in what order, where local news and weather get pulled from (and you can specify multiple sources for each), and more.
All in all, the AP Mobile app is a great example of a great service combined with the preferred Windows Phone look and feel. Highly recommended for news hounds everywhere.


text:
It has become something of a joke to many conservatives to wish the worst for California due to the state’s left-leaning political structure. But what many “red” state inhabitants fail to recognize is that without Californian agriculture, the country would starve.
Fresh leafy greens, citrus fruits, almonds, avocados, rice, and so much more is grown in California, while the rest of the country – and especially America’s heartland – grows primarily genetically modified (GMO) corn, soybeans, and (hybridized) wheat.
Unless you want to be eating only high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and soybean oil next year, you had better hope that California figures out a way to get enough water to its farms, otherwise there will almost certainly be shortages of many of your favorite foods.
“I am so shocked and saddened by the comments from Midwesterners regarding California’s water shortage that I felt compelled to respond,” reads a submission from someone who reads the Desert Sun about this issue.
✔ Boost your immune system with Nutraceutical by Dr. Zev Zelenko
✔ Beat supply chain issues and future pharmaceutical tyranny with 5 Antibiotics Delivered to Your Home
✔ Be ready to help yourself and your family with the World’s Best Med Kit
“Evidently, many in the Midwest are unaware that the bulk of California’s water is used for agriculture, not lawns, golf courses, or ‘thirsty people.’ The food grown and raised in California is sent all over the country, it doesn’t just stay here in California.”
Are Americans ready for nationwide food shortages?
While California’s water supply is certainly mismanaged, to say the least, the state is also facing a serious drought situation. There is only so much that can be done, in other words, to get what little water there is to everywhere it needs to be.
As we reported back in the spring, Sierra snowpack levels fell to the lowest levels in 72 years – snowpack that melts and provides water to farms.
Sure, California could stop dumping its freshwater into the ocean in order to save “endangered” fish species, or perhaps build more desalination plants. But would it be enough?
“Desalination of the ocean is one piece of the puzzle to provide water for the West Coast; however, it is also very expensive and would make any food grown with it unaffordable for the average American,” reads the rest of the reader submission to the Desert Sun.
“California could cease to grow food for the country and then we would have enough water for our own residents. Are Midwesterners ready for the nationwide food shortages that will ensue?”
To blame one side of the political aisle over the other for this mess is short-sighted. If anything, the entire country is being judged with California as the vehicle of that judgment.
In the coming months when grocery store shelves start running out of organic romaine lettuce and fresh nuts, Americans will wish they had prayed for the situation in California rather than mock it.
Perhaps the overwhelming pride of this country will face a serious wake-up call in humility once California, America’s food basket, is no longer able to deliver the things we have all learned to take for granted.
If California suffers, we all suffer. This is no laughing matter and it is not something at which to point and laugh as if it will have no impact on you.
Even if you live internationally, recognize the fact that California is a major global exporter of fresh food. Again, without the state’s agricultural system intact, most of what would remain at the grocery store would be corn and soy products as that is primarily what is grown throughout the Midwest.
“The coming dust bowl will once again be caused by ignorant farmers not learning regenerative farming; all they know is till and spray which creates serious soil problems,” wrote a commenter at Natural News about another serious problem with the way food is typically grown in the United States.
The latest news about the California drought situation can be found at FoodSupply.news.
Sources for this article include:
Will America-First News Outlets Make it to 2023?
Things are looking grim for conservative and populist news sites.
There’s something happening behind the scenes at several popular conservative news outlets. 2021 was bad, but 2022 is proving to be disastrous for news sites that aren’t “playing ball” with the corporate media narrative. It’s being said that advertisers are cracking down, forcing some of the biggest ad networks like Google and Yahoo to pull their inventory from conservative outlets. This has had two major effects. First, it has cooled most conservative outlets from discussing “taboo” topics like Pandemic Panic Theater, voter fraud, or The Great Reset. Second, it has isolated those ad networks that aren’t playing ball.
Certain topics are anathema for most ad networks. Speaking out against vaccines or vaccine mandates is a certain path to being demonetized. Highlighting voter fraud in the 2020 and future elections is another instant advertising death penalty. Throw in truthful stories about climate change hysteria, Critical Race Theory, and the border crisis and it’s easy to understand how difficult it is for America-First news outlets to spread the facts, share conservative opinions, and still pay the bills.
Without naming names, I have been told of several news outlets who have been forced to either consolidate with larger organizations or who have backed down on covering certain topics out of fear of being “canceled” by the ad networks. I get it. This is a business for many of us and it’s not very profitable. Those of us who do this for a living are often barely squeaking by, so loss of additional revenue can often mean being forced to make cuts. That means not being able to cover the topics properly. Its a Catch-22: Tell the truth and lose the money necessary to keep telling the truth, or avoid the truth and make enough money to survive. Those who have chosen survival simply aren’t able to spread the truth properly.
We will never avoid the truth. The Lord will provide if it is His will. Our job is simply to share the facts, spread the Gospel, and educate as many Americans as possible while exposing the forces of evil.
To those who have the means, we ask that you please donate. We have options available now, but there is no telling when those options will cancel us. We have our GivingFuel page. There have been many who have been canceled by PayPal, but for now it’s still an option. Your generosity is what keeps these sites running and allows us to get the truth to the masses. We’ve had great success in growing but we know we can do more with your assistance.
Thank you, and God Bless!
All ORIGINAL content on this site is © 2021 NOQ Report. All REPUBLISHED content has received direct or implied permission for reproduction.
With that said, our content may be reproduced and distributed as long as it has a link to the original source and the author is credited prominently. We don’t mind you using our content as long as you help out by giving us credit with a prominent link. If you feel like giving us a tip for the content, we will not object!
JD Rucker – EIC


text:
Study Shows In-Car Technology Is a Pain-Point For Consumers
J.D. Power and Associates has put out its 2012 U.S. Initial Quality Study (IQS), and besides Lexus, Jaguar, Porsche, Cadillac and Honda taking the top spots in the annual list, the real story is the level of consumer dissatisfaction with the latest technology fitted to their vehicles.
While the study has seen an improvement of 5 percent in initial quality from 2011, year over year, audio, entertainment and navigation problems have increased by 8 percent.
David Sargent, vice president of global automotive at J.D. Power says that while high-end technology offerings have traditionally


text:
Dream11's parent firm gets $225 million in fresh funds – valuation could hit $2.5 billion for the gaming unicorn
- Dream11’s parent company
Dream Sportshas raised $225 million from Tiger Global, TPG TechAdjacencies (TTAD), ChrysCapital and Footpath Ventures.
- Dream11’s valuation was projected to hit $2.5 billion with the latest round of funding, according to reports.
- The gaming unicorn had recently become the title sponsor for the Indian Premier League.
Dream11’s parent company Dream Sports has raised $225 million from Tiger Global, TPG Tech Adjacencies (TTAD), ChrysCapital and Footpath Ventures. According to reports,
View all Offers
View all Offers
Amazon Brand - Solimo Rollaway Wrought Iron Metal Folding Single Bed with 4-Inch Contemporary Foam Mattress, Lockable Wheels (Black)₹ 9999₹ 15000Buy On
Amazon Brand - Solimo Musca Fabric Single Seater Recliner (Brown, Chocolate)₹ 16699₹ 27000Buy On
MBTC Alaska Mesh Office Revolving Desk Chair₹ 3189₹ 4999Buy On
SleepX Dual Comfort Mattress 6 inch King Bed Size, High Density (HD) Foam- Medium Soft & Hard (Orange, 78x72x6)₹ 9509₹ 18415Buy On
SleepX Dual Comfort Mattress - Medium Soft & Hard - King Bed Size (Orange, 78x72x5, Foam)₹ 8339₹ 15346Buy On
Dream11’s long time investor Chinese tech giant Tencent’s stake (10.9/%) was set to come down with this investment. However, the company shared no details about its shareholding.
“We are excited to welcome our new partners, who share our passion for sports and have extensive experience in building highly valuable tech companies in India. As a homegrown Indian company, we are proud to continue adding value to our 10 crore Indian sports fans, investors, employees and the overall sports ecosystem in India. In the last two years, we have grown beyond fantasy sports to sports content, merchandise, streaming, experiences, and there is much more to come,” said
AdvertisementThe 12-year old startup had also recently become the title sponsor for the Indian Premier League.
The gaming startup had become a unicorn in April 2019 after a secondary investment from Steadview Capital, an Asia-focused alternative asset manager. Until 2019, Dream11’s user base grew at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 230% over three years.
Recently, Dream Sports had announced that it was starting its own merchandising platform.
“We have grown from one to many brands and from 200 Sportans (employees of Dream Sports) to 450 in the last two years,” said Bhavit Sheth, COO and Co-Founder, Dream Sports.
Amitabh Bachchan to be the first Indian celebrity voice for Amazon’s Alexa
Aye Finance founder reveals how he convinced Google to invest in his six-year old micro loans startup
Popular on BI
- HUL spent Rs 1,193 crore on advertising between October and December 2021
- Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant and Ravichandran Ashwin included in ICC Men's Test team of the Year 2021
- One in five Urban Company professionals took home at least ₹38,000 a month, claims the company
- Rythu Bandhu scheme - Telangana government deposits ₹7,400 crore into the bank accounts of 62 lakh farmers
- As tepid two wheeler sales hurt Bajaj Auto’s profitability, stock slides 4%


text:
A supplier of flavourings used in homebrew alcohol has fallen foul of the consumer watchdog for telling suppliers they may not sell the products below a set price.
This limited the ability of sellers to offer discounts and prevented them from engaging in price competition, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) said in a statement.
The ACCC said Queensland-based Edwards Essences Pty Ltd, which manufactures and wholesales essences for alcoholic products sold nationally by homebrew companies, has acknowledged it engaged in resale price maintenance.
"Businesses must be free to sell their products at prices below suppliers' recommended retail prices if they wish," ACCC Chairman Rod Sims said in a statement on Monday.
"Consumers like to shop around in order to get the best deal.
"This encourages businesses to compete on price and enables consumers to buy at lower prices.
"The ACCC takes seriously any attempts by suppliers to prevent discounting of their products, which affects the fundamental right of traders to compete for business."
The ACCC said Edwards had been co-operative during the investigation and had agreed to stop any resale price maintenance and write to all distributors telling them they could set their own prices.
A company representative would also attend trade practices compliance training.
Edwards Essences could not be immediately contacted for further comment.
© AAP 2012 2018


text:
Beginning on Monday, vehicle owners planning to buy fuel from petrol pumps using their ATM cards will have a tough time. The difficulty arises after the petrol sellers declined to accept credit, debit cards in protest of the banks’ 1% levy for each sale.
With such a decision of not accepting plastic money, many consumers may be inconvenienced at a time when the country is facing cash shortage. This is a decision that has caught many, including the oil ministry by surprise.
The ministry officials in Delhi quickly reacted to the announcement saying they were still in the dark regarding the bank’s move. They requested the bank owners to suspend this levy until a new system is devised to assist the petrol pump dealers to compensate for such charges. The decision by the banks will not affect the citizens directly since the customers using the cards are not deducted.
The decision to decline card payments and accept only cash is being taken at a time when the Government wants to increase the number of non-cash transactions. It had even offered a 0.75 percent cashback for each petrol purchase using the plastic money.
Axis Bank, HDFC Bank and ICICI bank had notified dealers on Saturday night regarding the surcharge. 60 percent of all the card swipes are attributed to ICICI Bank and HDFC Bank accounts and they individually have 52,000 swipe machines at the 53,842 public sector fuel retail outlets across the country. India has 56, 190 private-owned petrol pumps.
Via Indian Express
Hurriedly-organized meeting arrives at a hurried decision
Immediately after the notice was issued, the pump owners jointly called for a meeting in Bengaluru on Sunday where they came up with the resolution. They said that their margin is tied on to per KL basis and thus will find it hard to bare the additional bank charges.
Ajay Bansal, President of All India Petroleum Dealers Association, said in a statement that due to “MDR of 1%,” it is their collective decision not to accept payment via “Credit/Debit Cards from 9th January 2017.”
He went on to explain that they have well-laid-out techniques for calculating the margin and they don’t “have any scope for credit card MDR.” He regretted that the dealers would experience intense financial losses.
Bansal expressed frustration that banks take forever to settle their dues, breaking their agreement. He said that they have to contend with scenarios where a purchase is either returned or not delivered. “In a Retail Outlet there is no scope for returns or not being delivered a product once you have paid for the same,” he was quoted by the Indian Express.
On the other hand, B R Ravindranath, president, Akhila Karnataka Federation of Petroleum Traders and Bangalore Petroleum Dealers Association, told Times Of India in Bengaluru that the banks should issue an apology to the public.
The dealers have raised concerns that with such transaction fees, the banks will enjoy all their profits. As Ravindranath states, letting the banks have their way will see the dealers get only a 0.3% to 0.5% net profit.


text:
The Winston-Salem, N.C.-based innerwear and activewear company — parent to brands such as Hanes, Bali, Playtex, Maidenform, L’eggs and Wonderbra, among others — reported quarterly earnings Tuesday before the market opened, beating analyst expectations and pleasing Wall Street in the process, despite quarterly and full-year losses. Company shares surged Tuesday as a result, closing up 24.91 percent to $19.96 a piece.
“I’m extremely proud of the HanesBrands team for all it accomplished in 2020 under very challenging conditions and I thank our global associates for their hard work and dedication,” said Steve Bratspies, HanesBrands chief executive officer. “We delivered solid sales growth in the fourth quarter, with continued revenue momentum in our largest businesses and strong market share performance in our innerwear and activewear segments.”
For the three-month period ending Jan. 2, total revenues were $1.8 billion, compared with $1.75 billion the same time last year. For the full year, the company registered $6.6 billion in sales, compared with $6.9 billion for 2019’s fiscal year.
Still, the company lost $332 million in the quarter, compared with profits of nearly $185 million the same time last year. For the year, the company lost $75.5 million, compared with profits of more than $600 million a year earlier.
The group showed strength in the Champion brand, which was up 11 percent in constant currency for the quarter, as well as U.S. innerwear sales, which increased 13 percent for the quarter, year-over-year, with double-digit gains in bras, which helped offset losses in shapewear. HanesBrands also logged $28 million in revenue for personal protective equipment during the fourth quarter.
However, the company said it would not pursue the PPE business in the future.
“It’s encouraging to see that COVID-19 vaccines are rolling out around the world,” Bratspies told analysts on Tuesday morning’s conference call. “As a result, this rollout, along with slowing retail orders and a flood of competitive offerings, have dramatically reduced our future sales opportunities.”
Growth instead lies in the firm’s ability to grow its innerwear, e-commerce and international businesses, while optimizing the product assortment.
HanesBrands said it plans to reduce its overall stock keeping unit count by approximately 20 percent.
“This will heighten our product design and consumer focus, as well as streamline our product offerings, which in turn should lower-cost, improve in-stocks and drive sales of higher volume, higher-margin SKUs,” Bratspies said on the call. “It’s to reduce, but it’s also to create room for other things, for newer areas so that we can drive growth. So while we take 20 percent of our SKUs out, we’re still adding SKUs where it makes sense to our business for us to grow.
“The other really key growth area is the U.S. innerwear business,” Bratspies continued. “Our brands are tending to skew a little older and a lot of the growth in the category is coming from younger [shoppers]. Younger consumers are shopping differently, looking for different products. So, we’re looking at our brand portfolio. One of the challenges that we have is, I think, many times our brands overlap a little bit too much and are too close to each other and we need to push them apart, segment them and position them to capture the younger consumer.”
In addition, the company said it will continue to develop its e-commerce capabilities. Revenues from online shopping represented 21 percent of total sales for the quarter, compared with 16 percent the same time last year.
“I think we can get a lot better,” Bratspies said. “We’re good, not great, and we need to improve upon that. But consumers continue to find us and we keep seeing momentum there.”
Other headwinds included the firm’s international business, which grew in Canada, Australia and Latin America during the quarter, but remained challenged in Europe and Asia. The company said it would pursue strategic alternatives for the European innerwear business, which generated between $500 million and $600 million in sales for all of 2020.
“The corporate, the average operating margin, is a bit below the corporate average,” Bratspies said. “The [European innerwear business] has some really strong brands and we’ve got some really strong teams over there. But for us, we have finite resources and we are focusing on where we think we can generate the best long-term return, so it’s a good business, but we’re just questioning if it’s the right business for us right now.”
The company ended the quarter with $909 million in cash and cash equivalents and $3.7 billion in long-term debt. The company is not providing detailed forward-looking guidance, but now anticipates first-quarter 2021 net sales to be between $1.4 billion and $1.5 billion.
“While the [fourth-quarter results] and [first-quarter fiscal year 2021] outlook was better than expected, we remain concerned about the set-up for the balance of the year,” Ike Boruchow, senior retail analyst at Wells Fargo, wrote in a note. “Further, we believe encroachment of private label on market share on the U.S. innerwear business may crimp revenue growth and margin expansion over the long-term.” His firm rated the stock “underweight.”
HanesBrands’ stock is up 43.7 percent year-over-year.
“We are implementing our Full Potential plan with the goal of creating a consumer-centric company that delivers long-term growth and higher profitability,” Bratspies said. “I’m encouraged by our rapid progress as we work to simplify our business and transform our organization to move faster, lower costs and focus on our highest-return growth opportunities.”


text:
Seton Center in Brookline is hosting a holiday fair that benefits more than those who will open presents on Christmas morning.
"Giftique" will be at Seton Center through Friday. Available gifts include children's toys, home goods, and decorations, many of which are holiday or Pittsburgh sports-themed. All merchandise is new.
This is the fifth year Seton Center has hosted Giftique. Sister Barb Boss said typically, half of the proceeds from gift sales go back to the Seton Center, and the other half is used to purchase the merchandise.
This year, if parishoners from Brookline churches visit the sale and tell the cashier which church they attend, Seton Center will donate 10 percent of the purchase to that church.
Giftique is open through Friday of this week only, from 3 to 6 p.m.


text:
BeyonCa (short for ‘beyond the car’) has revealed its first EV concept – the Beyonca Gran Turismo Opus 1 – and has claimed itself to be the world’s first super premium EV brand. The company was founded just last year with DongFeng Group as one of its strategic investment partners and is made up of automotive industry veterans, including a group of former Volkswagen executives, as well as experts from consumer electric and Internet companies.
Its Singaporean founder and chairman, Soh Weiming, had spent 16 years at Volkswagen in China and is currently the CEO of Renault China. Currently, the Beijing-based company has three R&D offices in China, an R&D hub in Singapore and a design centre in Munich, Germany.
The company also revealed that it would be unveiling its first mass-produced model by Q1 of 2023, with deliveries taking place from 2024 onwards. The Gran Turismo Opus 1 is expected to be priced from one million Yuan (RM650k), according to CarNewsChina.
The Gran Turismo Opus 1 will be supported by an Artificial Intelligence-based smart cockpit that can monitor the driver’s health status in real-time and will automatically stop the vehicle if symptoms of cardiovascular disease, stroke or driver fatigue are detected.
It is also equipped with the world’s first in-cabin cloud doctor service where a doctor will appear virtually on the vehicle’s infotainment screen. The team of ‘cloud doctors’ will be supervised by chief health officer, Dr. Tim Guo, a cardiovascular specialist with over 27 years of experience.
In the same report by CarNewsChina, it was revealed that the Opus 1 measures 5.2 metres long with a wheelbase of three metres and is built on an 800-volt architecture capable of 300 kW fast charging. The report also revealed that the Opus 1 will be fitted with a 130 kWh battery, with a performance version called the GT Opus 1 R in the pipeline.
According to BeyonCa, its quality standards are based on those of top European premium manufacturers. As such, all exterior body parts have a tolerance of +/-0.3mm while the entire body has joint and protrusion tolerances of just +/- 0.5mm. The cabin on the other hand is the work of experienced craftsmen with the highest standards when working with wood, leather and metal. That appears to be a direct jab at Tesla, where its vehicles have been known to have large variations of panel gaps and quality issues.
The Gran Turismo Opus 1 is the work of a design team with decades of experience in creating premium vehicles, led by Dirk van Braeckel, who has spent two decades as a chief designer. van Braeckel was responsible for the creation of the Bentley Continental GT.
According to South China Morning Post, BeyonCa founder and chairman said that the company will focus on building large sedans and SUVs and will release three to five new models over the next five years which are aimed at challenging the likes of BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi. The brand also has plans to capture a share of the ASEAN EV market and Malaysia should be no exception.


text:
Acquisition in hand, Cooper Notification is born
HOUSTONÃ¢â‚¬â€CooperWheelock is now officially Cooper Notification. Jon Safran, director of investor relations for parent company Cooper Industries, confirmed the news on Jan. 22.
The rebranding has been underway for several months. CooperÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s signage at ISC East in September even had the Cooper Notification name. However, the process was topped off, Safran said, with the Dec. 26 acquisition of Roam Secure, a company that does text-based alerting systems.
Roam Secure Ã¢â‚¬Å“completes the package so we can offer an all-in-one solution from one provider,Ã¢â‚¬Â Safran said. The acquisition enables Cooper Notification to Ã¢â‚¬Å“scale up or down the solution, according to the customer direction.Ã¢â‚¬Â
The Roam Secure deal was part of a three-acquisition package announced Dec. 26. (The other two businesses acquired on Dec. 26 pertain to other Cooper IndustriesÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ business units.) Cooper Industries paid a total of $100 million for the three companies, whose total 2007 sales were $62 million. Asked about the terms of the Roam Secure deal, Safran said Cooper Industries was not Ã¢â‚¬Å“selectively disclosingÃ¢â‚¬Â the sales figures and price paid for the individual companies. He did say, Ã¢â‚¬Å“Roam Secure is the smallest [in size and price] of the three.Ã¢â‚¬Â
Cooper Industries began building what would eventually become Cooper Notification in February 2006, when it acquired Wheelock, a New Jersey-based manufacturer of fire and emergency incident communications systems and devices. In May of 2007, CooperWheelock acquired MadahCom, a manufacturer of wireless emergency control and mass notification systems (for background, search Ã¢â‚¬Å“CooperWheelockÃ¢â‚¬Â at www.securitysystemsnews.com).
Safran noted that Wheelock, MadahCom and Roam Secure have different customer bases. Ã¢â‚¬Å“Historically, Wheelock was in the commercial and industrial market, MadahCom did military and growing commercial, and Roam Secure is more in municipal government, state government and educational campuses.Ã¢â‚¬Â Cooper Notification will be able to reach all of these verticals with its Ã¢â‚¬Å“full holistic solution,Ã¢â‚¬Â he said.
Cooper Notification is part of Cooper IndustriesÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ fire and security division, called Cooper Menvier. Based in the U.K., Cooper Menvier does about $450 million in business annually. This division is undergoing its own rebranding, Safran said. Cooper Menvier will be known as Cooper Safety at some point in the future; that rebranding is Ã¢â‚¬Å“happening now,Ã¢â‚¬Â Safran said.


text:
KALAMAZOO, MI - More than 11,000 people voted for Kalamazoo to be the next Beer City USA, but beer-drinkers an hour north in Grand Rapids will continue to carry the title.
Kalamazoo ranked second in nation for the Beer City USA title. Kalamazoo came ahead of Asheville, NC, which tied with Grand Rapids for the title last year, and Ann Arbor came in fourth place in the national poll featuring 22 cities which cherish local craft beer.
The 2013 results were released Monday on Examiner.com:
- . Grand Rapids, MI, 27,005 votes
- . Kalamazoo, MI, 11,150 votes
- . Asheville, NC, 10,075 votes
- . Ann Arbor, MI, 847 votes
- . Tampa, FL, 846 votes
"I've already spoken to Mayor (George) Heartwell, and I will be going up to Grand Rapids to buy him a beer in celebration of the win," Hopewell said. "We are discussing how we can continue the larger story about West Michigan as an amazing craft beer region. I am already encouraged at the national visibility that this campaign has brought to both cities and look forward to seeing more visitors come to partake in West Michigan's beer culture."
Last week, a group led by Discover Kalamazoo, organized a slew of events celebrating Kalamazoo's bid for the title. A final #Beer4Kzoo event at the Kalamazoo Beer Exchange is scheduled from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Monday night.
Four brewers setting up shop in Kalamazoo - Tim Suprise, founder of Arcadia Brewing Co.; Greg “Gonzo” Haner, founder of Gonzo’s BigDogg Brewery; Mark Rupert, founder of Rupert’s Brewhouse and Brian Steele, co-founder of Boatyard Brewing Co. - sat down for a question and answer session at The Bureau on Friday night. Click here to read the live blog of the event.


text:
Mopar is coming out hard for 2016 with the new Challenger Drag Pak(s). For the first time there will be a supercharged option featuring a 5.8 L 354 ci Hemi V8 along side the famed 7.0 L 426i Hemi. Both cars are projected to be in the 8 second 1/4 mile range.
“Remaining true to its performance roots, the Mopar brand unveiled the next-generation Mopar Dodge Challenger Drag Pak, a factory-prepped package car specifically geared for drag racing. The vehicle, revealed today at the FCA US LLC Chelsea Proving Grounds, is built on the Dodge Challenger platform and will come with the option of either the brand’s first-ever offering of a supercharged 354-cubic-inch Gen III HEMI® engine or a naturally aspirated 426-cubic-inch Gen III HEMI engine.” Read more…


text:
Avalara, Inc., a leading provider of cloud-based tax compliance automation for businesses of all sizes, released new survey findings that show tea merchants and small to medium businesses in the United States continue to struggle to navigate tax complexity and tax rate changes on the 250th anniversary of the Boston Tea Party. In fact, eight in 10 tea merchants (82 percent) feel anxiety related to staying on top of their tax obligations.
In the United States, there are more than 900 sales tax rules on tea products.
"The Boston Tea Party was our nation's first public disagreement over tax complexity – which is far from over," said Scott Peterson, vice president of U.S. tax policy at Avalara. "Fast forward 250 years and U.S. businesses that are selling goods across states today must comply with tax laws set by legislators they cannot elect – which presents an ongoing challenge as these businesses struggle to comply with constantly changing tax rules across the U.S."
The survey also found that three-quarters of modern tea merchants (76 percent) have faced penalties or fines for tax errors — costing an average of US$2,000 annually — as nearly all sellers (94 percent) are unaware of the number of different tax rates on tea products.
The majority of tea merchants (83 percent) believe that tax complexity is now out of control and eight in 10 (80 percent) say it is one of the biggest burdens on their companies.The average tea seller spends more than nine hours a month on tax compliance and 71 percent of merchants say tax complexity has prevented them from expanding into new markets – both domestically and internationally. For example, a U.S. business selling tea products to customers in the European Union (EU) will need to comply with different rates of tax for green and herbal tea (3.2 percent and nine percent, respectively).
As a result, 76 percent of tea merchants would urge the government to consider ways to reduce sales tax complexity with 42 percent considering lobbying decision makers and half (50 percent) even contemplating a legal challenge. As an alternative, 90 percent would look to reduce the burden of complexity with automation or AI.
American tea merchants are not the only ones struggling to keep across their obligations. In fact, four in five (83 percent) of tea merchants in the United Kingdom have faced penalties or fines due to unintentional non-compliance with U.S. sales tax obligations. While the majority, (53 percent) agree that it is more difficult to sell tea in the United States given tax complexities when compared to selling elsewhere.
Sales Tax Complexity Costs Businesses Time and Money, Creates Anxiety
U.S. tea merchants are not alone about feeling anxious about the country's tax complexity, as Avalara's survey also revealed that 69 percent of small to medium businesses found that sales tax complexity looms large with far-reaching impacts for their bottom line. Findings include:
- 40 percent have faced penalties or fines for non-compliance in the past – the average fine costing US$1,600.
- 70 percent say tax complexity is one of the biggest burdens on their companies.
- The average business spends 10 hours a month on compliance.
- 62 percent of businesses say tax complexity has prevented them expanding into new markets.
- 80 percent of businesses would urge the government to consider ways to reduce sales tax complexity.
- 88 percent of businesses would use automation or AI to reduce the burden of complexity.
The following tax changes have been monitored and tracked this year alone by Avalara:
- More than 8,700 sales and use tax rate changes across the U.S. thus far in 2023, that is nearly 30 a day.
- The top five states for sales and use tax complexity based on the number of sales and use tax rate changes in 2023 are: 1) Alabama with 3,734 changes, 2) Kansas with 2,292 changes, 3) Virginia with 743 changes, 4) Missouri with 350 changes and 5) New Mexico with199 changes.
- 16 states have not yet changed any sales and use tax rates in 2023.
- Food is the category with the most number of changes to sales tax rates, with 4,967 changes already made in 2023
Avalara helps makes tax compliance faster, easier, more accurate and more reliable for 30,000+ business and government customers in more than 90 countries. Tax compliance automation software solutions from Avalara leverage 1,200+ signed partner integrations across leading ecommerce, ERP and other billing systems to power tax calculations, document management, tax return filing and tax content access.
Avalara's research was conducted by Censuswide, surveying 100 U.S. tea merchants and 301 decision makers that deal with tax in small to medium size businesses (up to 240 employees) and 2,000 U.S. consumers between Nov. 9 - Nov 21, 2023.
For the U.K. data, Censuswide surveyed 300 U.K. decision-makers in small to medium-size general businesses/retailers (up to 240 employees) who have a basic understanding of tax regulation and sell goods across the U.K. and globally. Censuswide also surveyed 102 U.K. decision-makers who say their company sells tea and sells products internationally. Censuswide abides by and employs members of the Market Research Society, which is based on the ESOMAR principles.
Plan to Attend or Participate in World Tea Expo, March 18-20, 2024
To learn about other key developments, trends, issues, hot topics and products within the global tea community, plan to attend World Tea Expo, March 18-20, 2024 in Las Vegas, co-located with Bar & Restaurant Expo. Visit WorldTeaExpo.com.
To book your sponsorship or exhibit space at the World Tea Conference + Expo, or to enquire about advertising and sponsorship opportunities at World Tea News, contact:
Business Development Manager, Questex
Email: [email protected]


text:
Wednesday, January 17, 2018
The top three U.S. grocery retailers are…
Three diverse retailers came out on top in a new consumer study.
Trader Joe’s, Costco and Amazon took the top three positions in a survey by customer data science company dunnhumby. H-E-B and Walmart rounded out the top five.. . .
Share to Twitter
Share to Facebook
Share to Pinterest
Post a Comment
Post Comments (Atom)


text:
Just when we thought Intel's new naming scheme for Nehalem-derived processors was starting to make sense, the rumor mill goes and complicates things. Chinese site PCOnline has published some leaked Intel slides that suggest the first six-core Gulftown processor will reach stores as the Core i7-980X.
PCOnline says this 32-nm processor will run at 3.33GHz with 12MB of L3 cache, a 130W thermal envelope, and Hyper-Threading capabilities that will allow it to juggle 12 threads in total. Individual cores will reportedly be able to hit up to 3.6GHz thanks to Turbo Boost, as well. That blend of clock speeds and TDP mirrors that of Intel's current fastest offering, the quad-core Core i7-975 Extreme Edition.
PCOnline believes the Core i7-980X will launch in March and replace the Core i7-975 as Intel's flagship desktop product. The site quotes a price of 7999 Chinese yuan, or $1,171, which sounds about right for an Extreme Edition CPU.
The rumor mill previously hinted at a "Core i9" brand name for Gulftown, which would make a lot more sense—after all, the Core i7 label already applies to all Bloomfield and Lynnfield processors with four cores and eight threads. Moving down to four cores and four threads pushes you down into Core i5 territory, and if early listings are any indication, upcoming 32-nm Clarkdale processors with two cores and four threads will also be Core i5 parts. Meanwhile, a new Core i3 brand name will apply to Clarkdale CPUs with only two cores and two threads.
|MSI gets the GTX 1080 Ti ready for USB-C monitors of the future||2|
|Cryorig Cu heatsinks are cool in copper||1|
|Cougar Conquer enclosure makes the PC a centerpiece||10|
|NVMe 1.3 arrives with a host of handy features||1|
|G.Skill's Ripjaws KM570 RGB gaming keyboard reviewed||2|
|Z270 Godlike mobo can hold a home network on its shoulders||24|
|Sapphire shows off four new GPro E-series Radeons||9|
|Towel Day Shortbread||0|
|Acer's Predator Z35P is on the hunt for a high-end gaming rig||44|


text:
Move over Alexa. Step aside Google Assistant. Cortana is on its way home.
Microsoft recently revealed during the WinHEC conference in Shenzen, China that Cortana will be coming to smart devices through Windows 10 for the Internet of Things or IoT.
The company's WinHEC presentation also mentioned that the move to bring Cortana to the Windows IoT Core is part of its Windows 10 Creators Update.
What this means is that Cortana-powered smart devices will make its way into homes in the near future. Microsoft can partner with third parties to manufacture the hardware that will house Cortana but this will take some time and may not make it in time for the Creators Update's launch in 2017.
So far, though, there are no signs that the software company indeed has plans to do manufacture smart speakers and other devices that will carry Cortana. The potential Microsoft's digital assistant in a smart speaker is exciting, nonetheless. Most of the current smart home devices have no direct access to a digital assistant. If things fell through, Cortana will be the first one.
Microsoft is instead banking on the Home Hub feature on the new Windows 10 update. The Home Hub allows a home to become "more communal" with the help of shared computers.
The free Windows 10 update also has some new features that were announced before such as 4K video game streaming and 3D capabilities.
The announcement, however, does not come with a detailed release date. Sometimes, though, the Windows IoT Core comes out after Window 10 PC releases. Back in 2015, the IoT build for the Windows 10 November Update came a month later. That is not always the case, though, as the Anniversary Update for IoT devices were released at the same time as for the PCs.
The Windows 10 Creators Update is scheduled to become available sometime in spring next year.


text:
Aqualux is reporting that sales of its bath screens remain strong across all its collections as homeowners opt to improve their home rather than move.
Over its six bath screen collections, the UK’s leading manufacturer of bath screens and shower enclosures is seeing sales reach record levels as homeowners look to refurbish their properties without having to significantly investment in them.
On average an Aqualux bath screen costs around £250.00 and combined with a cost-effective electric shower, homeowners are realising the cost-saving benefits of showering over bathing as well as the financial advantages of adding value to their home.
Marketing manager, Sandra Hyde commented: “It makes sense that people are spending money improving their property instead of moving, especially when a relatively small investment such as installing an over bath shower and bath screen can really add value to a property.
“At a time when everyone is tightening their belts, and the threat of cost increases to water rates the cost saving benefits of using less water are also obvious and it seems like more and more people are catching on to the fact that a quick shower can use up to 40 per cent less water than baths which really adds up.”
As the UK’s number one manufacturer of bath screens, Aqualux produces a range of bath screens to suit any budget and style of bathroom. From the cost-effective Aquarius collection, that offers a range of styles from Sail and Oval designs to a two panel slider, through to the premium minimalistic Pura collection which includes the first frameless four-fold bath screen and added-value features such as slimline bar towel rail and integral glass, all six Aqualux collections provide consumers with affordable luxury.


text:
After almost a year of Jamie Dimon, CEO of JP Morgan, calling Bitcoin a fraud and threatening to fire company staffs who are involved for trading digital currencies, the bank is now building its own set of blockchains. He has finally taken back what he said and is now of the opinion that the blockchain is for real and is a great opportunity for investors to make it big in the digital currency world. The potential of blockchains to reduce the overall transaction time of numerous global payments was highly praised by Jamie Dimon.
In light of what Dimon said, Lori Beer, the CIO of JP Morgan said that blockchain technology is about to replace the existing technology the company currently uses. Her press conference in Buenos Aires comprised mainly of the topic of the bank opting for its own blockchain. She went on to say that there will be wider and greater use of the blockchain technology in the years to come and eventually, it will replace all the existing technologies that prevail. She was noted saying that the blockchain is just one of the three main focal points that the bank is about to bring in along with APIs and artificial intelligence.
Focus on digital currencies
The shift from the prevalent technology to blockchain is a sign that even the biggest companies are ready to take the risk and investigate how the digital currencies work. Beer specifically mentioned that the blockchain technology will simplify the payment process and will be a great way to store customer information. The existing technology is not as fast as blockchain and that is a primary reason why the change is taking place. Moreover, traders will be able to make use of the crypto trading software such as Bitcoin Loophole to directly trade on different digital currencies.
Another reason why JP Morgan has decided to move on to Blockchain instead of the existing technology is that it can strengthen Anit-Money Laundering (AML) and Know Your Customer (KYC) rules that will secure the process of sending money between two banks. According to Beer, the bank is coming up with a new blockchain that will have open codes based on Ethereum. The bank has not opted for the existing blockchain technology because it still has some issues with its scalability and privacy. JP Morgan has joined hands with Enterprise Ethereum Alliance and Hyperledger to make sure that the application of the new technology is secure enough for the users.
JP Morgan is taking huge strides towards the implementation of the blockchain. The beer has been in full praise of the technology and said that it will be a great way to reduce costs and develop new products. When asked about her opinion on investing in digital currencies, she said that the bank will support all the regulations that exist on cryptocurrencies and there will be experts to evaluate the status of the digital currencies as and when they change. She, however, did not show any interest when asked about Initial Coin Offerings.


text:
In a conversation with the agency, Minister of Natural Resources Dmitry Kobylkin said that the department is already conducting
Ministry of Natural Resources of Russia - for reducing pollutionenvironment together with different countries. We support the global trend to reduce the use of plastic. And I’m sure we are moving towards this. Many large retail chains already support us. And we are preparing for the limitation; it takes time to realize and accept.
In April, the first deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee onVasily Vlasov proposed natural resources, property and land relations to introduce a total ban on the use and sale of plastic bags in Russia in 2025.
Previously, the European Parliament approved a bill banning the use of disposable plastic items, including utensils and straws, in EU countries from January 1, 2021.


text:
Securing computers in a company network should definitely be a priority for businesses of all types and sizes. But there’s another element of the enterprise network that can’t be overlooked: mobile devices.
As companies make strides toward greater mobility — with employees increasingly logging in remotely and completing a mounting number of work-related tasks on mobile devices — the need to protect these mobile mechanisms becomes particularly acute.
Expect More Mobile Attacks On Businesses
Mobile malware shot up by 75 percent between 2013 and 2014, as AndroidGuys pointed out. And that incline doesn’t appear set to level out. Instead, all signs point to 2015 being another damaging year in terms of mobile threats. Here are some of the risks that businesses and individuals face in terms of mobile mechanisms:
- Growth of malvertising: As a McAfee 2015 threat projection report stated, “malvertising” — wherein malicious material is spread via advertising — will be a key cause of mobile device infections this year. This prospect poses a particular problem for businesses, since again, often all it takes is a single worker falling prey to a malvertising campaign to put the whole enterprise at risk.
- Increase in ransomware attacks: The McAfee report also suggested that ransomware attacks — in which a device is commandeered by hackers until a fee is paid — will increasingly target mobile devices. This kind of attack can easily derail an entire corporate network, as witnessed in the Sony debacle. For small organizations with a limited IT presence, something like a mobile ransomware attack could threaten the stability of the entire business.
Take Steps To Prevent A Mobile Attack
As a business, it’s up to you to guard mobile devices in your network as closely as you do computers. If your organization is mobilized without mobile security, then you’re basically just sitting around waiting to be attacked.
That’s why it’s imperative to pursue the kind of mobile security that will keep your business’ entire mobile network protected. A strong mobile security offering will change mobile devices from potential vulnerable spots to resources that can be leveraged to actually bolster business security. In order for that to happen, the mobile devices themselves have to be secured, which means implementing a solution that provides device certificates, individual application protection and timely analytics on potential threats.
Once these things are in place, a mobile device can become a means of securing the entire business. For example, a well-protected smartphone in a corporate network can easily turn into a tool that serves as the second authentication step in a two-factor authentication solution. In this way, mobile devices can work along with the rest of a business’ security policy to keep an organization threat-free. Thus, a mobile future can be a safer one too.


text:
It’s hit my radar recently that TV as an advertising medium is becoming of interest to many digital outlets — and news media companies.
For example, The Washington Post has recently launched its own FAST (free, ad supported), 24/7, TV streaming service on Freevee. (FAST channels are similar to conventional TV channels: They run continuously and have scheduled programming but are broadcast via the Web).
Check out the details here.
Free streaming is a boon to ad revenue
Washington Post Television is a premium free streaming service. It’s available 24 hours, seven days a week, and will, in their own words, bring “trusted journalism to new audiences — providing an additional destination for breaking news as it happens, exclusive interviews with newsmakers, and in-depth reporting from the front lines.”
Revenue is guaranteed by the FAST channel’s in-stream ads ask. When asked if advertisers are hesitant to place their brands alongside news content on a FAST channel (as they sometimes are with programmatic ads online), The Post said: “One of the more attractive things about FAST is it’s so like television, and so there is less of that worry about adjacency. You could have CNN on and be watching a serious story and there’s commercial breaks. It’s not quite like the Internet experience where it’s like, ‘I don’t want to put my ad in front of my video.’”
And The Post is not the first news publisher to enter the space. Besides The Washington Post, the other text-first news outlet to have launched a FAST channel is The Guardian, which established its service on Rakuten TV last year.
It’s all early days, but streaming service are becoming more prevalent and taking The Washington Post’s experience, maybe it’s about to a start a revolution inside news media companies? They only launched in May so we will see how well it does in due course.
Also, in this streaming space, there has been a recent development which might be of interest you when in conversation with your ad clients (should that conversation turn to streaming). By showing you know what’s happening in the industry, you will be better placed to gain a trusted/knowledgeable reputation.
So, what’s the news? There have been plenty of leaked reports recently about a new way to monetise ad content. Pluto TV in the USA is strongly rumoured to be about to launch a new service, actually giving away, ad-supported TVs later this year.
Teevee Corporation, as the parent company is called, has been building a new type of TV set (branded as “Telly”) that includes a permanent second screen for advertising (as well as various information widgets). The goal is to give away a free TV and monetise it through advertising on that second screen.
As well as playing ads that can be tailored to be relevant to what’s being shown on the main (first) screen, the second screen will also display a number of widgets to show things like local weather, the latest news headlines, sports scores etc. Some of the news sources Teevee is looking to integrate into its “news ticker” include the likes of Bloomberg, CNN, and ESPN to start with. So, maybe it’s only a matter of time before you get a call?
Technically, most TVs sold today are already ad-supported in some way or another, as companies like Samsung, for example, run their own ad-supported streaming services, whilst monetising ad-supported third-party services on their platform.
One big challenge seems to be convincing advertisers they would benefit from running ads on that second screen … as opposed to just spending their money with other established digital channels.
Plus, it feels that people will either love it or reject it as a fad. It’s hard to predict, but we shall find out soon enough. Examining The Washington Post’s example above, the question is: Will this be an area of interest and a new business model for other publishers?
I shall let you know in due course, as I will be monitoring its progress.
Meanwhile, for any media houses interested in looking further, click here for more information.
If you’d like to subscribe to my bi-weekly newsletter, INMA members can do so here.


text:
Nokia sends out stronger signal
Nokia provided a tentative sign yesterday that its smartphone partnership with Microsoft and deep restructuring efforts were paying off, as it reported a positive underlying profit margin in its core mobile business for the first time in a year.
Pre-releasing some of its fourth-quarter results two weeks early, the struggling Finnish mobile phone manufacturer said it had shipped 4.4 million of its flagship Lumia smartphones in the three months to December, up from 2.9 million in the previous quarter.
Underlying margins, under Nokia’s preferred non-IFRS accounting standards, at its mobile phone unit should be between 0 and 2 per cent, while those at its telecoms equipment joint venture, Nokia Siemens Networks, should reach a record 13-15 per cent.
Nokia is still far from out of trouble after largely missing the smartphone trend, allowing Apple’s iPhone and devices running on Google’s Android platform to dominate.
It warned that the first quarter of 2013 would be weaker than the last of 2012 due to fierce competition and the fact that the run-up to Christmas is typically the strongest part of the year. Margins at its mobile unit would be -2 per cent, plus or minus four percentage points. But analysts said they would have to upgrade their profit forecasts for 2013, and Nokia’s shares rose 10.8 per cent to €3.32 on the early results.– Copyright 2013 The Financial Times Limited


text:
Castle names new vice-president
MISSISSAUGA, Ont.–Castle Building Centres Group has completed its search for a new executive within its ranks. Ken Jenkins has been named vice-president, effective Monday, March 27, 2006.
Jenkins was formerly at CGC, most recently in charge of the development, negotiation and management of that supplier's national customer buying programs. He will report to Provan Wylie, president of Castle, in a role that is being considered a succession position to the president's job. Jenkins will work alongside Wylie over the coming months as the incumbent prepares for retirement.
In a prepared release to members last week, Wylie pointed out that Jenkins' appointment "was the unanimous choice and has the full support of the board of directors."
In his new role, Jenkins will be responsible for the leadership and direction of marketing and growth. This will include the responsibility for specific objectives to market products to Castle members to grow their existing businesses, as well as growth through the acquisition of new members.
Dealers pick up Castle's new look
MISSISSAUGA, Ont.–A new store design and image program for Castle dealers is quickly evolving past the prototype stage, as dealers line up to adopt the new look for their own operations.
The program, which extends to everything from retail footprint, colour scheme, displays and signage to building design and yard layout, was first installed in the Castle outlet in Windsor, Ont. But that store is larger than the average Castle outlet (at 24,000 sq.ft.). Now, a second store is close to completion, this one in Sturgeon Falls, Ont. The 8,500-sq.ft. store is more typical of the buying group's membership, and gives them a clear template for their own stores.
The program was developed by Burlington Merchandising Group, a store design and branding team that includes ex-RONA vice-president Rob Wilbrink and Phil Dwyer, former director of operations for RONA Cashway. The program aims to provide a cohesive look to the Castle brand, while enabling individual member stores to retain those features of their operations that suit them to their respective markets. BMF is also doing work outside the home improvement industry, including developing new Nike departments inside 10 SportChek stores across Canada.
The Sturgeon Falls Castle store will have a grand opening in May, and other stores will follow in rapid succession, says Wilbrink. A ground-up store in Morinville, Alta. will open later this week, followed by a number of new and existing stores that will all begin re-merchandising by the fall.
"We have close to 50 stores that have signed on to the program and I'm sure that as the dealers see what we've done in Sturgeon Falls, more will want to sign on," he adds.
TIM-BR MART's consolidation creates $2 billion buying machine
CALGARY–Consolidation over the past year within the ranks of Canada's LBM buying groups has put one group firmly on top. TIM-BR MARTS Ltd. has managed to combine the operations of three other groups–TIM-BR MART Ontario, AWARD in Atlantic Canada, and a relatively new group for gypsum supply dealers called The Signature Group–within the past two years. The result is a behemoth that now represents close to $2 billion in building materials sales annually.
But TIM-BR MART has not stopped there. It has also forged deals with other groups, including a supply agreement with CanWel, Hardware Division. Another alliance, with rival buying group ILDC, finds it negotiating alongside a competing organization. Nevertheless, both sides consider the new group, Independent Hardware Dealers Association, to be nothing less than a play to strengthen the independents as they compete against the likes of Home Depot and RONA.
As a result, TIM-BR MART's director of purchasing for hardware and building materials, Randy Martin, believes the industry needs to understand the weight of TIM-BR MART's presence in the industry and the ins and outs of its partnership under IHDA. That's why Martin will speak at the upcoming Meet the Buyers Seminar being held in Toronto by HARDLINES.
"Given the way TIM-BR MART has evolved over the past several months, we believe it's important that we are present at this Meet the Buyers to explain how we go to market," says Martin. He adds that vendors need to recognize the power of the independent in home improvement retailing. "The combined sales of TIM-BR MART dealers this year should reach $1.7 billion," he says, to underline his point.
The date of the HARDLINES Meet the Buyers Seminar in Toronto is April 3, 2005. For more info, click here
or contact Isabel Bisong at the World Headquarters: email@example.com
CanWel's sales grow despite weak commodity market in '05
VANCOUVER–CanWel Building Materials Income Fund reported its results for the three-month and full year periods ended December 31, 2005. For the fourth quarter, revenues increased by 61% to $205.5 million, from $128 million for the same period in 2004. Gross margin for the quarter was 12.3%, or $25.3 million, versus 9.0% or $11.5 million in 2004. (For year-over-year comparison purposes, fiscal 2005 results include the effect of the acquisition of Sodisco-Howden Group in February 2005.)
For the twelve-month period, revenues increased by 68% to $1.0 billion, compared with $598 million in 2004. During the period, the Fund's percentage of sales of lumber and panel products increased by 8.5%, but decreased as a percentage of total sales from 63% to 41% in 2005. This sales increase was accomplished despite the average price of lumber decreasing approximately 13% and the average price of panel products decreasing approximately 25% in 2005. Specialty and hardware product sales also increased on a year-over-year basis to $593 million, representing a 167% increase.
"Despite the weak commodity environment in 2005, we managed to grow the top line, and fully integrate the Sodisco-Howden acquisition," said Tom Donaldson, president and CEO of CanWel Building Material Income Fund. "We have completed all the necessary realignments and created an efficient, scalable infrastructure which will allow CanWel to better leverage its position as a leading national distributor of building materials."
Gross margin for the year was 10.2% or $102.1 million versus 10.0% or $59.6 million in 2004. The lower than expected gross margins on lumber and panel products, increased one-time expenses associated with the trust reorganization, and costs associated with the Sodisco-Howden integration combined to reduce operating earnings to $18.1 million compared to $19.5 million in fiscal 2004.
True Value asks what's in a name?
CHICAGO–The dealer-owned buying group True Value Hardware is banking on a new slogan and branding program to re-position its members' stores against big-box competition.
In what its CEO, Lyle Heidemann called "a new start," True Value has launched a marketing campaign with the goal of raising its dealers' profiles with DIYers, and getting them to shop in those stores more frequently. The campaign offers a national advertising program with a new tagline, "True Value: Start Right. Start Here," that will support local marketing and promotional efforts.
"We're trying to now not [just] survive but in essence put together a strategy for growth," Heidemann told the Associated Press in an interview at True Value's headquarters. "The biggest difference is that we're focused on retail versus wholesale." He went on to say that the company's marketing will be geared toward winning home-repair and small-project customers away from larger retailers such as Home Depot and Lowe's. To do that, the company will emphasize its members' product assortment, convenience and lower prices.
Time will tell how True Value's latest marketing program will differ from what's already in place, but the co-op apparently will place considerably more emphasis on its private-label and proprietary products. In an address to members at the co-op's recent buying show in Houston, its chief merchant Steve Mahurin (a former Home Depot exec), noted that the company continues to review all category lines with an eye toward reducing wholesale prices to its membership. In several cases, that's meant bringing on imported lines that members can sell under the co-op's brands.
Home Depot to fund eco-wood registry
ATLANTA–The Home Depot Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Home Depot, has awarded the Forest Stewardship Council a two-year grant of $380,000 to develop a "global forestry registry" that would help companies selling wood products to find sources that are harvesting forests in a sustainable manner.
However, the announcement's timing is somewhat vexed: a report has come out almost simultaneously uncovering practices by both Home Depot and Lowe's to sell illegally harvested hardwood.
Nevertheless, since 1999, Home Depot has been striving to purchase wood products that come from suppliers practicing sustainable harvesting practices outlined by FSC. The weight that Home Depot threw behind this effort eventually prompted most of its major competitors to make changes in their own wood-purchasing policies.
"The global forestry industry has made tremendous strides during the past several years, and the development of this global registry clearly is the next step in ensuring socially responsible procurement," said Ron Jarvis, Depot's vp-merchandising, in a prepared statement.
However, the industry's appetite for lumber isn't always sated in environmentally friendly ways: a report published last week by the Environmental Investigation Agency and its partner in Indonesia, Telepak, accused Home Depot and several other dealers, including Lowe's, of selling a wood flooring called merbau, harvested from rainforests in Indonesia's Papua province, that is logged illegally and trafficked by criminal syndicates into the U.S.
Home Depot Canada discontinued selling the Indonesian merbau more than a year ago.
Labor shortages hamper construction industry
SPECIAL REPORT–Shortages of skilled trades in developed countries are putting pressure on building and renovation activity. And it's being felt in nations as far apart as the U.K. and Canada.
Efforts by DIY retailer B&Q to expand its range of installed services has it looking to Poland for manpower. B&Q, which is part of Kingfisher plc, is the U.K.'s largest DIY home improvement retailer. It already offers kitchen and bath installations, and has recently added painting and decorating to its service offerings. However, a shortage of experienced workers is making the program tough to execute. Therefore, it would like to bring in thousands of them from Poland–a move that has domestic trades up in arms.
In Canada, builders have opposed a proposed move by the federal government to crack down on illegal immigrants. According to the Toronto Star, workers, many of them illegal, from Portugal and other countries, are proving vital to the country's burgeoning building industry.


text:
Major retailers are preparing to shut stores, reduce workforces and reconfigure supply chains to prepare for a fundamental shift towards online shopping brought on by the coronavirus pandemic.
Online sales across bricks and mortar retailers have shot up as much as 100 per cent over February and March as housebound consumers switch their spending to digital channels, a move some retailers expect will be the "new normal".
Following a wave of store closures across the sector, merchants have been furiously re-tooling their operations to deal with a surge in online spending, pivoting supply chains and logistics to effectively operate as a pure-play digital retailer for the next few months.
Linen sellers Adairs has shifted its entire distribution team from re-stocking its 160 stores to fulfilling online orders, in what chief executive Mark Ronan labelled a "partial pivot".
"We're staring at our logistics capabilities and thinking how we morph them for a period of time," he told The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald. "Because at some point, we'll reopen the stores.
"So I'm a pure-play online retailer for now, but at some point, I'm going to have to pivot back, so you can't go so far down a path you can't bring back the other way."
Data from warehouse and supply chain consultancy TM Insight show sales for pure-play online retailers increased 15 per cent in February and March, but shot up by 30 to 50 per cent for traditional bricks and mortar retailers.
TM Insight managing director Travis Erridge said in some cases, online sales had jumped as much as 100 per cent, a dramatic switch which he predicted would prompt many traditional retailers to review their sales strategy.
"Those who have set themselves up for e-commerce will thrive and those who have not will need to rapidly enhance and adapt their system platforms, back-of-house fulfillment operations and transport model," he said.
Chief executive of Accent Group Daniel Agostinelli believes retail will see a "major shift" to digital following the coronavirus recovery.
"That's something we're all going to have to deal with, it'll be the way of the world," he said. The ASX-listed footwear retailer was forced to stand down more than 5000 workers and close 522 stores last week.
But as retailers scramble to scale up their online offerings, a growing number are simultaneously looking to downscale their physical store footprints in response.
Lawyer and consultant Olivia Hitchens is advising some of the country's largest retailers and landlords. A number of retailers will re-open post-coronavirus with reduced store footprints, smaller front line workforces and a much stronger online model, she said.
"I can say with confidence that most of our big clients are looking at downsizing store footprints, and using this as an opportunity to potentially close stores that weren't performing," she said.
Mr Agostinelli said while his company wasn't looking to shut any more stores than usual, he acknowledged it would be a "real discussion point" as the closures continue to roll on.
"What's going to dictate that is what we find when we open, and we certainly don't expect to be at full strength when we open up again," he said.
"If things don't change in the six months after, I think we're all going to be forced to review [shutting stores] very, very carefully."
eBay Australia managing director Tim MacKinnon said the online marketplace saw a material increase in the number of people shopping online after the GFC and expects this economic crisis to be no different.
"We may see a step-change people's behaviour because if you once you develop a habit around, shopping online and getting things delivered to your home, people will keep that habit," he said.


text:
Flickr has updated its Android offering with a series of improvements, most notably a more appropriate two-column view in the activity feed for tablet users. Beyond the widescreen-specific feature addition, there are also enhancements to sharing within the app, cropping previously uploaded photos, and browsing with a fullscreen lightbox view.
That cool little HDMI stick that Google released more than a year ago got more useful and more awesome when the Cast API became available for developers. And while there are now hundreds of apps with Chromecast support on the Play Store, Google keeps a small curated list of some of them, kind of like a featured selection. Every now and then new entrants are let into this special club, and the latest addition is a trio of interesting apps: musiXmatch, Lyve, and Fitnet.
Two years later, devices are getting updated to Lollipop, a 5.5-inch screen is dangerously close to being considered average, the Pebble is looking a little dated next to the new kid on the block, and Instagram has finally introduced five more filters.
Ok Google, Show me images of Chris Hemsworth. Awwww, that's what I'm talking about!*Clears throat*. Oh hi, I didn't see you there. Come in. We're serving some cool images right to your wrist in the form of Google Image searches on Android Wear. Want some? You'll need the latest Wear update (I don't recall this working before and neither does our tipster - correct us if we're wrong) and you should initiate an image search by asking Google to "show images of [subject]" or "show photos of [subject]."
HTC Gallery, the stock photo app for the OEM's devices, received a fairly significant update today. It now supports tagging photos, has a "Face Fusion" photo editing tool, a new timeline layout for browsing photos, and has laid the groundwork for cloud integration. And while you can only download on HTC devices from the Play Store, our APK download should work on most devices that are running KitKat or newer.
There's been much talk about how Android 5.0 will finally do some good for mediocre Android cameras. The new camera APIs allow apps to get RAW images off the sensor and process them into JPEGs, but where are all the apps to take advantage of it? There's L Camera, which is still in testing on GitHub, but Camera FV-5 has become the first app in the Play Store to support the new Lollipop camera features.
Update: All Aviary add-ons were originally free with the use of an Adobe ID until November 30th. Now that date appears to have been pushed back until early 2015. If you didn't jump on this offer before, it looks like you have at least another month to do so.
Twitter killed Twitpic. Now Twitter will save Twitpic. Well, sort of. Not really. Kinda. But it's still dead. Alright, try and follow along here: early in September, the original and independent image hosting site for Twitter, Twitpic, said that it was in danger of shutting down after Twitter (the main one) opposed its trademark application. Then Twitpic said they had found a buyer and would remain open. Then they said they wouldn't, and would shut down October 25th, yesterday.
You're probably wondering if you somehow ended up on a post from a few weeks ago, but no, this is new. TwitPic originally announced its impending closure back in September, but then appeared to get a reprieve when a mysterious buyer emerged from the shadows to acquire it. Now? Nope, the shutdown is back on.
There are no fewer than one zillion ways to share photos. There are social channels like Facebook and Google+, NFC, Email, and more. Xim from Microsoft Research makes it easy to share photos without actually sharing them at all. Just pick the photos you want to share, and invite people to view them on their device. They don't even need to have Xim installed and the files don't go anywhere.


text: Upgraded retail security standard ignores mobile paymentsThe second version of the Payment Card Industry (PCI) Data Security Standard (DSS) is being released this afternoon by the organization PCI Security Standards Council, which sets the network and security requirements for merchants and service providers handling sensitive cardholder data.Twitter co-founder squares up credit-card paymentsThere aren't major changes to the existing PCI DSS 1.2 standard, according to the council's general manager Bob Russo. Further clarification is being made to "scoping," which is the process of determining the boundaries within an organization of where cardholder data is stored or transmitted, Russo says.Yet even as the 2.0 security standard debuts, new disruptive mobile-payment technologies seem to be catching the council by surprise. For instance, there's the Square, a small, plastic card-reader that plugs into the iPhone, iPad or Android phone and allows a customer to sign for a card payment."Accepting credit-card payments by iPhone -- there are no rules for this," Russo acknowledges. "Mobile payments will be an issue going forward."The Square, an invention of Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey with fellow entrepreneurs in the San Francisco area, is just taking shape as a card-payment method. The device is currently being given away in return for a percentage of card transactions -- a move that's potentially disruptive to established point-of-sale equipment vendors and sales people.The new PCI DSS 2.0 doesn't address mobile payments technologies such as the Square at all. "We don't know if it's secure," Russo says about the Square. But he adds there was no prohibition on using it, either. "There is no standard for this. You're on the bleeding edge of payment technology," he says, advising early adopters to "tread very carefully."The PCI DSS 2.0 standard goes into effect on Jan. 1, 2011, and DSS 1.2 will be retired Dec. 31, 2011. Russo says there will be a guide explaining the differences between DSS 1.2 and DSS 2.0, and clarification about the issues around scoping. "It's about finding where your data is," Russo says.All too often, he says, investigations by forensic teams in the aftermath of a breach are showing that merchants or processors didn't really know where the sensitive data was."They find data they didn't know was there," scattered in unexpected places, Russo says. That's why the council is emphasizing in DSS 2.0 that people must be able to prove they know where their data is in their network through automated means or "sending 16 people running out to find it." Scoping is necessary in order to carry out PCI audits.Mandeep Khera, chief marketing officer at Cenzic, a firm authorized to provide the type of security scanning long required under the PCI rules, says one of the main changes he sees in PCI DSS. 2.0 is on the application security side "where they want you to have a risk score for vulnerabilities -- they want you to prioritize based on score."But as to whether a mobile-payment technology such as the Square can fit into PCI DSS 2.0, Khera is optimistic. "It's the intent of PCI," that matters, Khera says, although he adds the payment-card industry with its security rules "is playing catch-up" when it comes to mobile payments.Ulf Mattsson, CTO at Protegrity, says the topic of the security technology known as tokenization will appear for the first time as a referenced technology in the PCI standard. Tokenization is a way to take data and hide its actual meaning through a random replacement value, and the council intends to issue a guidance document for this next year, Mattsson says.He adds that a guidance document related to end-to-end encryption is also planned for next year from the council. But when it comes to mobile payment technologies such as the Square or another he mentioned from Bling Nation, he's skeptical they're sufficiently secure. "They just add to the pile," he says.Read more about wide area network in Network World's Wide Area Network section.


text:
World's Largest Hooters Coming to Las Vegas' Palms Casino Resort
Photo courtesy of Hooters
The world's largest Hooters is coming to Las Vegas in 2015.
The polarizing restaurant chain, which already boasts a trio of locations within the city, announced this month that a new location is set to open at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas this next month.
"There’s a 'go big or go home' mentality when you’re in Vegas, and Hooters is ready to 'go big' with our largest location in the world inside Palms Casino Resort," said Mark Whittle, senior vice president of global development, Hooters of America, in a statement last week. "Just steps away from the illustrious Palms Pool cabanas, this location fits perfectly with the beach oasis atmosphere for which Hooters is well known around the globe."
Just how big will it be?
More than 15,200 square feet. Adding to the excitement and the allure, the venue will be located alongside the Palms Pool and will seat as many as 500 guests at a time. The poolside bar is set to open in early May, with the two-story dining room inside the Palms Casino Resort scheduled to open shortly after.
Palms president and CEO Todd Greenberg called Hooters "a great addition to Palms' award winning restaurants and entertainment venues," adding that "Hooter's casual and fun menu combined with its playful and high-energy vibe will be the perfect place to catch a game or enjoy the action at Palms Pool."
Once open, customers can expect to find their favorite traditional menu items as well as dozens of televisions.
The new location is certain to complement the Palms' already popular "Ditch Fridays" weekly pool parties, which are set to return to the resort on May 1. The weekly event is open to any hotel guests ages 21 and up with a valid room key.
While the new Hooters will be stand out as the world's largest, it remains to be seen whether its arrival will draw more travelers to the Palms Casino Resort.
More by Patrick Clarke
Get Travel Deals and Travel News
Recent Travel Opinions
Airlines & Airports