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Are Deepika Padukone's arms photoshopped in this snap?
Deepika Padukone's celebrity makeup artiste, Hung Vanngo, shared a snapshot of the actress from the ongoing New York Fashion Week on social media
Deepika Padukone’s celebrity makeup artiste, Hung Vanngo, shared a snapshot of the actress from the ongoing New York Fashion Week on social media. The image, captioned, “Fresh as a daisy”, soon went viral for all the wrong reasons. Netizens alleged that Dippy’s left arm had been photoshopped, further accusing Hung of doing a poor job. This isn’t the first time that Hung has come under the scanner for posting airbrushed pictures. Recently, he drew flak for giving singer Selena Gomez’s hair added volume. Touched-up images are touchy affairs, Hung!
Deepika attended designer Ralph Lauren’s show at the fashion week with actresses Jessica Biel, Camilla Belle and Li Bingbing.
Camilla shared a selfie from the venue on Instagram, referring to the actresses as ‘beauties’. Dippy made heads turn in a beige
lace midi, layering the piece with an overcoat and nude shoes to match.


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I love The Onion – it’s the world’s leading source of fake news and I find that it is it incredibly well written. When I want fake news on TV to entertain me, it’s Fox News and John Stewart and when I want fake news online it’s the Onion.
When I was working at Rogers, a colleague was fooled by a Onion story about a big brand and sent it out via email to a list of people including fairly senior Rogers marketing staff. When I told him The Onion was fake news there was an Oh $#!%% reaction and the aforementioned colleague tried to recall the email and then had to send out a hasty note flagging the story as fake … it had me loling for a week 🙂
I’ve been a fan of the Onion for years on the web, but today I learnt that they have a print edition that is distributed for free in 13 US cities and that the print edition is coming to Toronto this fall. I could see myself reading the Onion instead of the Metro if I had to choose between one when looking for free reading material for a subway ride.
People exposed to the Onion for the first time when it comes to Toronto will be exposed to headlines like Justin Bieber Found To Be Cleverly Disguised 51-Year-Old Pedophile and Donald Trump Under Pressure To Prove He’s Not A Pathetic Sack Of Human Scum .
Oddly enough, the Onion has partnered up with the Toronto Star for distribution and ad sales – I wonder if it’s because these days mainstream media is so manufactured that the line between fake and real news is blurry?

domain: news


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Myall takes helm at Neos NetworksNeos Networks has appointed Lee Myall as its new CEO. Colin Sempill will continue in the role until Myall joins and will continue to focus on key strategic growth projects, including the Network Rail telecoms upgrade project.
Elevate Billing now compliant with OTS requirementsStrategic Imperatives’ billing platform Elevate is now fully compliant with Ofcom’s One Touch Switch (OTS) requirements.
Culture of sustainability key in channel partnershipsThe channel is confident in its ability to build sustainability-focused partnerships, finds Agilitas’ ‘EVOLVE for Your Partners’ report, with 82% selecting seven or more out of a possible 10.
BCN office move signals Leeds investmentBCN Group has doubled its existing office space by moving to a new premise in Leeds Valley Park. The firm plans to grow its foothold in the region and pledges to invest into local talent acquisition and retention.
ETS wins retail contract with Holland & BarrettETS has rolled out intelligent headsets to 170 Holland and Barrett stores following a contract win with the retail giant.
CloudCoCo launches multi-cloud solutions divisionCloudCoCo is pleased to announce the launch of a dedicated and agnostic multi-cloud division, headed up by Lee Thatcher in the new role of Head of Cloud and Innovation.
3CX offers cashback following security attack3CX is offering its partners 15% Cashback Credit for 2023 sales after its desktop app was compromised by hackers.
VMO2 selects Mavenir for Open RAN deploymentVirgin Media O2 will work with Mavenir to roll out a scalable Open vRAN solution as part of its network evolution plans.
Nimans notches record month of Teams salesNimans recorded a record month of Teams device sales in March. Director Paul Burn Director notes the impact the collaboration platform is having on the UC market.
Energy is a sweet new offer for Pastel Group


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With broader cryptocurrency markets in the doldrums, at least one area of the digital-asset industry appears to be mostly unaffected and has continued to grow: blockchain-based gaming. Although token prices for leading blockchain games like Axie Infinity have fallen recently, the user metrics are up.
There are now 398 active blockchain games, defined as having at least one active wallet in the past 24 hours within the game, according to the data tracker DappRadar. That's a 92% increase from a year ago. The total number of blockchain games, including those that are inactive, has climbed by 71% over the past year to 1,179.
Modesta Massoit, finance director at DappRadar, said that the growth looked impressive given that “it takes time to build great games, and in traditional industries, it takes two to four years to build a great game.”
User statistics show the rapid pace of adoption of blockchain gaming. According to Massoit, the number of daily unique wallets interacting with game-related smart contracts surged to 1.3 million last year, a 46-fold increase over the 28,000 at the end of 2020.
Meanwhile, venture capital firms have invested $4 billion to support the development and creation of blockchain-based games and their underlying infrastructure, according to Massoit.
And the fast expansion shows few signs of slowing: “2022 is going to be huge for crypto and gaming," says Gerald Votta, director of GameFi research for Quantum Economics. "Look for the number of games in the space to more than double over the next few years.”
The popularity of "play-to-earn" – gaming powered by cryptocurrency rewards – picked up in 2021 with the Pokémon-inspired Axie Infinity leading the way (and its AXS tokens racking up impressive gains). The play-to-earn game is ranked the second-largest game using blockchain technology on DappRadar by user base, becoming a hit among lower-income populations in the Philippines and Venezuela. It reached a record-high of $2.5 billion in trading volume in September and surpassed sales records of NBA Top Shot and CryptoPunks, according to a report by the Blockchain Gaming Alliance.
Ranking first on transaction volume is DeFi Kingdoms, a play-to-earn, metaverse-based blockchain game. DappRadar data shows that the number of users on the game has nearly quadrupled just in the past two months.
GameFi adoption unaffected by recent market trends
Bitcoin and the broader cryptocurrency markets in 2022 have suffered one of their worst-ever starts to a year and remain far off their all-time highs. Bitcoin is down 12% year to date and Ethereum's native cryptocurrency, ether (ETH), is down 15%.
Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and gaming appear less affected by macroeconomic events and tend to trade more independently, according to a study by DappRadar. The firm attributes the sector's rising adoption and popularity over the past year to narratives like play-to-earn or the metaverse. (Remember Facebook's rebrand?)
The trend has firmed as more traditional gaming companies like Ubisoft and EA Originals join the ranks of play-to-earn and NFT gaming, said Votta of Quantum Economics.
Jeff Holmberg, head of investments at Yield Guild Games, a play-to-earn gaming guild, says adoption of blockchain games has been driven in part by the ability of players to have digital ownership over in-game assets.
"This is a huge shift away from the typical centralized Web 2 models that have dominated the industry to date," Holmberg said in an interview with CoinDesk. The most successful games are those with a strong community, robust play-to-earn mechanics and guild features, because they have higher chances of attracting players, he said.
“This is a great indicator of the overall growing interest of the industry,” Borget said.
Traditional game players are still skeptical
One obstacle to further adoption: the reputation of cryptocurrencies among many traditional video game players.
The blockchain gaming industry has faced criticism from traditional gamers, and many think that gameplay for these projects has a long way to go.
Lennard Neo, head of research at Stack Funds, acknowledged that blockchain gaming has been one of the core themes of last year and thinks that will continue into 2022, but he noted that the next phase of growth might come only after existing games deliver and the infrastructure evolves further.
The tokens of several play-to-earn games have suffered large price drops this year as broader cryptocurrency markets have trended downward. (Maybe they don't trade so independently after all.)
AXS, an Ethereum-based token that powers Axie Infinity, is down 40% in the past three months, Yield Guild Games' YGG token is also down by 40%. The Sandbox (SAND) is down 16% over the past seven days, but is still up 400% over the past three months.
CoinDesk is an award-winning media outlet that covers the cryptocurrency industry. Its journalists abide by a strict set of editorial policies. In November 2023, CoinDesk was acquired by the Bullish group, owner of Bullish, a regulated, digital assets exchange. The Bullish group is majority-owned by Block.one; both companies have interests in a variety of blockchain and digital asset businesses and significant holdings of digital assets, including bitcoin. CoinDesk operates as an independent subsidiary with an editorial committee to protect journalistic independence. CoinDesk employees, including journalists, may receive options in the Bullish group as part of their compensation.


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The new sports bike from Super Power will be up for sale in Pakistan beginning 15th September. Under the hood, the sports bike will have a single-cylinder 250cc engine and will have features like daytime running LED lights, project headlamp and LED taillights. These lights enhance visibility at night add to the sporty nature of the bike. The 250cc engine can propel the bike to a maximum speed of 105 km/h. Moreover, the bike has a free-flow exhaust system that makes the exhaust sound more prominent. The sports bike is capable of returning 24-26 km/liter and can store up to 12 liters of fuel.
Considering the bike is to be driven at high speeds, the front and rear both have disc brakes to bring the bike to a halt quickly and smoothly. It is expected to be offered in two colors – white and black with a price tag of approximately Rs. 290,000. The bike will be targeted to the younger consumers and Super Power has previously launched Archi 150cc and Leo 200cc sports bikes in Pakistan, also catering to the younger populace.
The 250cc superbike from Super Power is known by Loncin GP in China and has also been launched in Bangladesh and Russia earlier this year. The design language makes the bike sleeker, sporty and light-weight. Moreover, the bike has a 6-speed transmission and features a steel body frame entirely. The bike will also feature an LCD digital meter which is conducive to enhanced visibility at night. Moving forward, there is a digital fuel gauge and gear shift indicator. Other 250cc bikes listed on OLX Pakistan include Honda Hornet, Suzuki GSXR, RPS Hawk and Kawasaki Balius among others.
If you are looking into selling or buying motorbikes, visit OLX Pakistan’s website to browse through a number of options best suited to your choice and budget.


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The Korea International Trade Association (KITA) has announced on March 10 that the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is highly likely to be concluded in the first half of this year, and counterstrategies are needed.
The KITA said that there is a high possibility that the TPP will be agreed in the first half of this year, even though the talks have currently been delaying. It explained, “In particular, major participant companies of the TPP have important political agendas next year, including the U.S. presidential election and Japan’s upper house election. Therefore, the first half of this year is practically a deadline for the TPP agreement.”
When the TPP is concluded, Korea, will be heavily affected. Korea is an export-driven country, and 69 percent of said exports are intermediary goods to TPP regions. Also, the country has focused 44.4 percent of overseas investment on the TPP regions, too.
Accordingly, domestic companies should decide whether or not to participate in the TPP as soon as possible in order to establish the production network of the TPP and come up with concrete strategies.
The U.S. and Japan are also finding a middle ground in opening products. Until now, both countries have failed to bridge their differences, as the U.S. demanded the opening of the agricultural market and Japan demanded the opening of the automobile market. Japan is currently raising the level of openness to beef and pork, and the U.S. is showing flexibility in opening the auto parts market, narrowing their differences.
The Obama administration and the Republican party both have positive attitudes about the TPP, while the Democrats, whose major support base includes auto labor unions, have stuck to a cautious tone.
The TPP bill was originally supposed to be reviewed in February. However, the review is expected to begin at the end of March to the middle of April now, due to the differences of opinion between the ruling and opposition parties.
When the review begins in the middle of April, the TPP agreement can be reached. Some say that the TPP would be concluded during the visit of Japanese Prime Minister Abe to the U.S. in April.


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The Bee-lieve Foundation, a community-based charity in Surrey, is the first winner of the Virgin Media O2 Captain Tom Foundation Connector Award.
Apple Watch Series 7 is now available to pre-order at Vodafone UK, and customers can decide how much they want to pay upfront, and choose the length of their watch plan
Nokia and MediaTek have achieved a world’s first by successfully aggregating 5G Standalone (5G SA) spectrum using 3 Components Carrier (3CC) aggregation
Samsung Galaxy users will be able to use their smartphone as a digital car key for the first time with the newly launched luxury EV, Genesis GV60. With Samsung Digital Key, powered by NFC and ultra-wideband (UWB) technology, users will be able to lock and unlock your car securely with your smartphone
Apple has updated its iWork suite of apps - Keynote, Pages, and Number. New tools in Keynote make presentations more engaging, with the ability to show a live camera view of the presenter directly in slides, and more collaborative with multi-presenter control.
Samsung has successfully demonstrated improved Wi-Fi service in a fast-moving subway train using its 5G mmWave solution as a backhaul in Seoul, Korea.
IBM has signed a strategic multi-year agreement with Telefónica to use IBM intelligent automation software and services to implement UNICA Next – Telefónica's first-ever, cloud-native, 5G core network platform.
Samsung today launched the Samsung Galaxy Book Pro 360 5G, the latest addition to the popular Samsung Galaxy Book Series. Now with 5G capabilities, the Samsung Galaxy Book Pro 360 5G is also the first of Samsung’s laptop line-up to ship with Windows 11.
BT is to recruit around 1,000 new people at its flagship Birmingham office, as the building welcomes its first colleagues through the doors.


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Bangkok’s Chinatown and the resort island of Phuket have seen an influx of tourists, predominantly Chinese, coming to celebrate Chinese New Year. The festivities, which began on February 9th, have drawn large crowds, boosting local tourism and hospitality sectors significantly.
In Phuket, hotel occupancy rates have reportedly surged to 81%, with daily arrivals from China reaching between 4,000 and 5,000, making Chinese tourists the largest group by nationality visiting the island during this period. According to Lertchai Wangtrakuldee, director of the Phuket branch office of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, the 9-day celebration is expected to generate approximately 6.8 billion baht in tourism-related revenue for Phuket.
The start of the Chinese New Year on February 9th saw an estimated 70,000 Thai and foreign tourists visiting Phuket, marking a vibrant beginning to the festivities. For many Chinese tourists, this year’s celebration marks their first visit to Thailand during the Chinese New Year. Attractions such as Wat Mangkon Kamalawat in Chinatown have been popular destinations for paying respects and experiencing the local culture.
Street food, especially dishes, such as hot and sour fish soup and stir-fried morning glory, along with the dessert mango and sticky rice, have been highlighted as favorite culinary experiences among the visitors.
As the celebrations continue, both Bangkok’s Chinatown and Phuket remain bustling hubs of activity, showcasing rich cultural connections and the impact of Chinese New Year on tourism in Thailand. (NNT)


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- Silent Starling group has targeted over 700 employee email accounts from around 500 companies since 2018.
- Most of the victims were located in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom, followed by Central America, East Asia, and Europe.
Researchers from Agari have spotted a new Vendor Email Compromise (VEC) scam carried out by a cybercriminal group dubbed ‘Silent Starling’. This scam campaign targets the customers of vendors and contractors.
About the group
Silent Starling group constitutes of three main threat actors. Silent Starling moved to the VEC scam as a major attack type in 2018. Since then, the group has targeted over 700 employee email accounts from around 500 companies. These compromised email accounts have provided over 20,000 sensitive emails.
Most of the victims were located in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom, followed by Central America, East Asia, and Europe.
How does VEC scam work?
- Silent Starling group sends phishing emails to vendors that include a malicious link.
- Once the vendors click on the link, they’re redirected to a phishing login page where vendors are asked to log in using their credentials.
- Once the vendors enter their credentials, the attacker uses those credentials to set a forwarding rule to forward all emails received by the vendors to the attacker’s email.
- The attacker then monitors his inbox for any emails regarding invoices or payments.
- If he receives any such invoice email, the attacker immediately sends the invoice to the vendor’s customer along with new banking details.
- The vendor’s customer makes payment to the attacker’s bank account thinking that the email is from the vendor.
“The entity that is most impacted by a VEC attack is not the original victim of the initial attack where the account was compromised. Rather, is a completely separate organization—the compromised vendor’s customer. In a rather cruel twist, these customers have no control over the security of the system where the attack began and thus have no real way to defend against it,” researchers explained.


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If you're wondering what consumers will eat when they dine out next year,
think alternative proteins,globally inspired breakfasts or veggie-carb substitutes, and you'll be on the right track, according to our new research on food trends for 2019.
National Restaurant Association
's 2019 What's Hot Culinary survey found that guests are looking for great tasting foods that also are healthful and sustainable at the same time. The survey, produced annually in partnership with the
American Culinary Federation
, is a barometer of food and beverage trends around the country. This year, we looked at the responses of approximately 650 professional chefs - all ACF members.
"These foods, already popular in consumers' own homes, are now poised to ignite sales at restaurants and foodservice operations," said Hudson Riehle, the Association's senior vice president of research. "It's no secret restaurant customers seek...


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Trek Bicycle plans Johnsons Creek distribution center
Excerpted from Jefferson Daily Union
By Ryan Whisner
Trek Bicycle Corp. plans to move its global distribution center from Oconomowoc to a new 250,000-square-foot facility in the Village of Johnson Creek.
The $7-million building, to be located on 17.7 acres at 425 Resort Drive behind the Comfort Suites in Johnson Creek, is expected to be open by the end of 2015.
“We’re excited about the expanded capabilities this new facility offers us,” said Trek Vice President of Supply Chain Roger Gierhart. “We have always been committed to Wisconsin and this new center is going to help us become more efficient, streamline our warehousing and delivery processes, and gives us space to continue our growth.”
Waterloo-based Trek has 60 employees at the Oconomowoc facility, and all of them will be offered the opportunity to move over to the Johnson Creek center, which will have about 80 employees.
Trek has been manufacturing bicycles in Waterloo, since 1976, and currently has nearly 1,000 employees in Wisconsin.


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Club Penguin has added a new login and logoff screen advertising the Muppets World Tour. They have also updated their social media profiles to promote the big event too.
Club Penguin is getting ready for this year’s Fair! It begins February 20th. While the team gets ready for February’s epic party they have added a new logoff screen.
Club Penguin has released a new logoff and login screen showing some Prehistoric Party 2014 sneak peeks! It shows some of the items we’ll be able to get as well as some of the Dino Puffles!
Coins For Change begins December 19th! To get us ready for the big event Club Penguin has added a teaser image to their homepage and also as a logoff and login screen. The slogan for Coins For Change 2013 is “Let’s change the world!”
Club Penguin’s 2013 Medieval Party is just under two hours away! To get ready they have released an all new logoff screen that relates to the party.
Club Penguin’s Teen Beach Movie Summer Jam starts late tonight/early tomorrow! While the team gets ready for the big launch they have released a new logoff screen teasing some of the new outfits members will be able to buy.
Club Penguin’s Star Wars Takeover does not start for a few weeks however they’re already preparing!
Club Penguin is updating tonight, and with the Card-Jitsu Snow party starting next week they have added a new logoff screen relating to the upcoming party.
Getting ready for the updates tonight, Club Penguin has already released a new logoff screen!
In the new logoff screen Club Penguin has released, they’ve spoiled all(?) the new costumes members will be able to get!


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The State of Arizona is reaching out to inform the public of the recent Volkswagen (VW) Settlement. In two related settlements, German automaker Volkswagen AG (VW) has agreed to spend up to $14.73 billion to settle allegations of cheating emissions tests and deceiving customers. The automaker will spend up to $10.03 billion to compensate consumers under the program, and will spend $4.7 billion to mitigate the pollution from these cars and invest in clean vehicle technology.
Arizona is committed to supporting communities across the state and the organizations serving Arizonans as we work to protect public health and recover from the COVID-19 outbreak. The State of Arizona is working to expedite the delivery of public assistance and streamline application processes to ensure continued delivery of the services that will help Arizonans stay healthy and return stronger.


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With the recent success of their exploding controller line, last week many in the DJ field wondered: Why did Pioneer sell their DJ division to investment company KKR for $551 million? Leadership in Japan has been talking about the sale of Pioneer DJ for months according to a source close to the deal and both companies. That source chatted with us on the condition of anonymity, revealing fresh details on the sale and what DJs might expect in the future.
Today Reuters reported, and Pioneer confirmed they are "considering" selling their highly successful DJ division. People familiar with the transaction indicated such a deal could be worth 570 million US dollars. Pioneer is certainly at the top of their game with some of the most popular DJ gear in the market bearing their stamp this year. Perhaps it's a good time to go out on top - but what does that mean for the DJ industry?
No matter what music you mix or what you mix on, headphones are a necessity for any DJ. Pioneer has always been one of the go to DJ brands when one is looking for quality in sound and production. Today, Pioneer has announced the HDJ-C70 headphones as part of their line-up of DJ headphones. Read more about the HDJ-C70’s look, feel, and construction inside.
Pioneer's CDJs are some of the most prevalent pieces of DJ hardware found in current DJ booths, and mixing harmonically has become a critical element of crafting a great set for many DJs. Today, Chris Brackley goes through a few of the best ways to mix in key on Pioneer's CDJ units - including a little-known trick on newer CDJs where they'll use a stoplight system to let you know if an upcoming track is compatible with the playing one. Watch the full thing and read more in today's article.
Amongst the recent Serato DJ software announcements, Pioneer announced the upcoming release of the DDJ-SX2, which comes just in time. With the latest release of Serato DJ 1.7.0, Pioneer has created the first controller that natively supports the Serato Flip controls inside the Serato DJ software. This controller inherits two of the top features from […]
The new PLX-1000 is a direct drive analog turntable that's very similar in design to the Technics 1200s and many of the other super OEM models that have come after it. There's a standard layout, long pitch fader with a range of tempo adjustments from ±8% and ±16% to ±50% and a reset switch, and a lighted speed guide on the platter.
Pioneer quietly suspended new registrations of their rapidly-aging Rekordbox software a few weeks ago, and today they're launching the new version, Rekordbox 3.0. With completely rebuilt interface and functionality that serious working DJs should expect from a preparation software, this release is a big deal for CDJ users around the world. Watch the introduction video and read more about the new features inside.
Pioneer DJ has put out a new video celebrating 20 years of designing DJ technology - specifically focusing on the many iterations of the CDJ. Watch as Carl Cox, James Zabiela, Jazzy Jeff, Laidback Luke, Paul Oakenfold, and more all share their stories of encountering Pioneer's early CDJ gear and how they feel like it changed the state of DJing.


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After releasing the biggest entertainment title of all time in Grand Theft Auto V back in 2013, Rockstar Games got to work on whatever was next for them. Heading into E3 2016 earlier this year whispers abounded that their next release would be a sequel to their hit western Red Dead Redemption, and many eagerly awaited the big reveal during the convention. But sadly it never came. Whether that was because Rockstar saw all of those whispers and wanted to wait for more of a surprise reveal or they were working on something else entirely, nobody knew.
Beginning earlier this week they released a couple of teases that had fans losing their minds hoping it was hints of an incoming sequel confirmation. Many others, however, thought it was more likely something related to the first Redemption or even its predecessor Red Dead Revolver becoming available on PS4. But now, passing up the usual big reveal during one of the video game events, Rockstar has released a simple post confirming that Red Dead Redemption 2 is real, when a first trailer will be released, and when you can expect to play it. You can find all of that below.
...continue reading »


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Sony Computer Entertainment of America President and CEO, Jack Tretton, has been quoted as saying that used games are "great for consumsers" and blocking them on the upcoming PS4, aka Orbis, would be "anti-consumer".
The news comes from the most recent episode of GameTrailers.com's Bonus Round where industry analyst, Michael Pacther, drilled the Sony exec for info.
Tretton, while personally doesn't disapprove of used games sales, did say, however, that the head honchos in Japan will have the final say, though. So ruling it out entirely isn't feasible.
Hopefully, Kaz Hirai, who has a huge task ahead of him in turning Sony's financial woes around, feels similar to Mr. Tretton.


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While there is a sizeable list of companies like Living Fuel that produce high-quality foods without additives, the bad news is the rest of the food industry appears to be going in the opposite direction. A recent study shows a full 60 percent of foods purchased by Americans contain technical food additives, a 10 percent increase in the past 20 years.
The report published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics says these additives include coloring, flavoring, preservatives or sweeteners. The numbers of additives in each product on grocery store shelves is on the rise as well. The mean number of 3.7 additives per product in 2001 grew to 4.5 per item in 2019, the last year for which the data was compared.
Food additives can be used for a variety of reasons such as extending shelf life, increasing flavor or adding color. And while the impact of many additives is not known, other studies have confirmed ultra-processed foods are detrimental to the health of consumers. Despite that, the number of additives is increasing.
"Our research clearly shows that the proportion of ultra-processed foods with additives in Americans' shopping carts increased significantly between 2001 and 2019," said researcher Elizabeth K. Dunford from The George Institute for Global Health. "We observed this trend across all food and additive categories. These findings give us reason for concern, given the growing evidence linking high consumption of processed foods with adverse health outcomes."
Better than half of the packaged food products purchased in the U.S. in 2019 contained three or more food additives. But even more troubling is the fact that a 22 percent higher percentage of baby food purchases were ultra-processed and contained additives. Researchers did, however, see a decrease in the use of added flavors in carbonated soft drinks.
It is estimated more than 400,000 different packaged food and beverage products are purchased through grocery stores each year.
"With manufacturers producing foods and beverages with an increasingly higher number of additives, it is more important than ever to understand what is in the foods that Americans are buying and eating," said investigator, Barry Popkin from the University of North Carolina. "US consumers are demanding a much higher level of transparency from brands and retailers than in previous years."
"The findings from this study could be used to inform policymakers on where American consumers are getting an increasing number of additives and how the packaged food supply is changing," added Dr. Dunford. "The results can also set the foundation for future work in this area and provide direction for future researchers. At a minimum, I hope this work leads to further investigation into the types and amounts of ingredients being used in the manufacturing of baby food products."


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USA Bans WeChat and TikTok from Sunday:- The United States of America made it clear today that the Chinese apps WeChat and TikTok are banned from Sunday saying that they threaten national security. WeChat is a payment platform while TikTok is a video app. The decision has been taken amid rising tensions between USA and China. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross told in a statement that "The Chinese Communist Party has demonstrated the means and motives to use these apps to threaten the national security, foreign policy, and the economy of the US". WeChat is used among Chinese speakers mostly and TikTok is widely used by Americans across USA.
WeChat will be shut down from Sunday in USA. TikTok will continue operating till November 12th and it would face a full ban post 12th of November in USA. The order may be lifted if the security concerns are resolved before November 12th. TikTok is widely popular among youngsters and the quirky videos gained immense popularity. Donald Trump during his several recent speeches announced about the Chinese apps posing a threat for the national security and they would go ahead and ban them. The Indian government banned over 200 Chinese apps in the recent months including PUBG and TikTok. WeChat owned by China's Tencent has the potential to disrupt the social media and financial applications.


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Netflix Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX) inches up in pre session on Monday as the firm continues to extend its gaming portfolio in order to increase audience interaction Lucky Luna was just unveiled by the streaming giant, which also revealed numerous future titles, including IMMORTALITY, Wild Things: Animal Adventures, Rival Pirates, and others.
Netflix’s continued push into video games attempts to increase viewer engagement with the platform in the face of increased streaming competition. Netflix faces stiff competition from companies such as Disney (NYSE:DIS), Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL), and Comcast (NASDAQ:CMCSA).
By the end of this year, the business intends to distribute 30 new game titles on its platform. There are already various series on Netflix based on video games, including The Witcher, Arcane, The Cuphead Show, DOTA: Dragon’s Blood, and Castlevania.
To grow its presence in the gaming business, Netflix has also made acquisitions. Since beginning the gaming project in November 2021, the firm has bought many studios, including Next Games from Finland, Boss Fight Entertainment from Texas, and Night School Studio, best known for its spooky mystery adventure Oxenfree.
In the streaming sector, Netlfix has heavy competition from Apple TV+, Amazon Prime Video, HBO Max, Disney+, Peacock, Paramount+, and TikTok. Furthermore, the negative impact of account sharing, a poor economy, multi-decade-high inflation, and the Russia-Ukraine conflict are projected to erode profitability.
Netflix lost 0.97 million paying customers globally in the second quarter of 2022, falling short of its expectation of 2 million users. In the previous quarter, it attracted 1.54 million paying customers. Netflix anticipates gaining 1 million paying customers in the third quarter of 2022.
Netflix revealed in June that it plans to establish an ad-supported tier in order to cut losses and attract more users to the site. The new tier will be less expensive than the present ad-free subscription and is part of a strategy to make Netflix more appealing to budget-conscious customers.
Blake Steve is an accomplished writer, researcher, and technology expert specializing in product research and reviews. With an extensive background in the field, Blake has developed a keen eye for evaluating and analyzing various products across a wide range of industries.
Blake’s passion for technology and gadgets sparked at an early age, and he has since dedicated his career to staying at the forefront of technological advancements. He possesses an in-depth understanding of the latest trends, developments, and innovations in the tech world, enabling him to provide insightful and comprehensive reviews.
Armed with an analytical mindset and exceptional research skills, Blake delves deep into product specifications, features, and user experiences. His ability to break down complex technical details into easily understandable terms allows readers to make informed decisions when it comes to purchasing products.


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Amazon plans to retrain 100,000 employees in new technologies.
Amazon's plan to invest $700 million retraining its workforce signals very soon all jobs will be STEM jobs – and higher education needs to play a bigger role.
Barbie’s designer, Ruth Handler, at a 40th-anniversary party for the famous doll in New York.
2019 marks the 60th anniversary of the world's most famous doll, Barbie. It's an opportunity to look back at the journey of its creator, Ruth Handler, a visionary leader and model for women.
How sperm bank marketing meets the growing demand for donations.
The Trump Whitehouse's weaponising of words has won them many battles – but whether 'molecules of US freedom' are aimed at foreign buyers or domestic supporters, this marketing ploy misses the mark.
The IKEA effect says ‘that labour alone can be sufficient to induce greater liking for the fruits of one’s labour’.
The IKEA effect is caked in myth, but the phenomenon of consumers valuing their own efforts is proven and potent.
Voice-enabled searches are becoming increasingly popular when it comes to web browsing, and that’s a problem for the food industry.
According to a recent report, 30 per cent of web-browsing sessions will soon be done without a screen. Voice-enabled searches are becoming the norm, and that's a problem for the food industry.
Ryan, the star of YouTube channel Ryan ToysReview, shows off his own brand merchandise.
YouTube channels are increasingly targeting children, but research shows these young viewers may not understand when they are being sold to.
Documents show tobacco companies have marketed their products to young people.
Tobacco companies are enlisting the help of social media influencers to promote traditional cigarettes and their brands to young people.
Caller ID won’t always tell you it’s a robot doing the dialing.
Robocalls are common and becoming increasingly frequent. A scholar explains how they work, and why they're such a pain.
file u n.
With more and more brands claiming to be "luxury", historical players have begun to rethink their use of the term.
The backlash against the Gillette ad shows how painfully little distance we as a society have covered since the #MeToo movement.
Gee, you shouldn’t have.
Happy Stock Photo/Shutterstock.com
The problems from a disappointing gift don't end once you've awkwardly thanked the giver and tossed the wrapping paper.
Brightly coloured, strategically placed. No wonder parents and kids can have a tough time saying “no” to sugary snacks.
The mixed messages around children, food and weight - not to mention sophisticated marketing - can leave parents perplexed. But there are ways to wade through it all and find healthy choices.
Eating right is good for families.
Monkey Business Images/Shutterstock.com
Many of the low-income people who do use VeggieBook after downloading it at food pantries are eating more nutritious meals, often with more focused family time at the table.
What have I done?
Most people consider themselves canny shoppers – but we're all human.
‘Tis the season to spend.
Months of low advertising spending has been blown out of the water by a Christmas splurge.
Record companies released stereo demonstration albums that showcased how sound could move from left to right, creating a sense of movement.
From the collection of Janet Borgerson and Jonathan Schroeder
Sixty years ago, stereo promised to forever change the way people listened to music. But how could record companies convince customers to buy a new record player, speakers and amplifier?
The link that Ronald McDonald House creates between itself and sick children is not just positive, it is sacrosanct.
Forest remains after bushfire, Icy Creek Victoria, 1939.
We should remember past disasters - such as the 1939 Black Friday bushfires in which 71 people died - and learn from them.
The run up to Black Friday is often shrouded in secrecy, which makes buying things on the day a lot more frenetic.


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BUSINESS STANDARD – Sep 16 – Matrimony.com, the company which owns BharatMatrimony.com, EliteMatrimony.com, CommunityMatrimony.com, AssistedMatrimony.com, MatrimonyDirectory.com and Tambulya.com — is set to launch an IPO. While the company aims to raise Rs 350 crore ($64M) through the IPO, the actual offer size is bigger (estimated at Rs 600-800 crore). BharatMatrimony.com is India’s largest online matrimonial portal and provides services in three segments: matchmaking, marriage services and mobile-only relationship app, “Matchify”. Half of the investment will go towards advertising.
View full post on Online Personals Watch: News on the Dating Industry and Business


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Despite the current industry downturn, memory producer Micron Technology stands out with its latest High-bandwidth Memory (HBM) product, promising to revolutionize the Artificial Intelligence (AI) memory market.
Micron's journey in the AI memory market
Micron Technology, one of the leading players in the memory production industry, has made significant strides in catching up with its competitors, Samsung and SK Hynix. The company has achieved breakthroughs in the DRAM and NAND flash sectors, widely used forms of memory. However, Micron had previously fallen behind in the high-bandwidth memory (HBM) market, which is critical for AI applications. This underperformance was a cause of concern for investors, given the potential growth in this market.
Micron's latest HBM product announcement
In a major development, Micron announced its latest HBM product on July 26. This new product has shown potential to outshine the competition. The announcement comes as a significant step forward for Micron, which had previously been lagging in the HBM market. The company's new HBM product now positions it at the forefront of the competition in this rapidly growing market segment.
Breakthrough features of Micron's HBM3 Gen2
Micron's second-generation HBM3 product boasts impressive specifications. Uniquely, the HBM3 Gen2 chip can hold up to 24GB of memory within just eight layers of DRAM. This feature significantly surpasses its competitors, who typically require more layers for the same memory capacity. This advancement in technology not only provides Micron with a competitive edge but also promises greater efficiency in AI applications.
Impact of Micron's new memory on AI applications
Micron's new memory product is predicted to have a positive impact on AI applications. It will enable developers to train AI models 30% faster, increasing productivity. Furthermore, the increased speeds will allow for more queries per model per day, optimizing the use of expensive models. The new memory will also save data center operators a whopping $550 million every five years for every 10 million GPUs, due to its increased energy efficiency. This cost-saving feature offers a significant value proposition for potential customers.
Micron's progress in developing advanced memory technologies has been remarkable. The company has shown a faster transition to the next technology node compared to its peers, which is a significant competitive advantage. This includes the development of Micron's 1-beta DRAM modules, which the company was the first to commercially produce, and other technological features. The company's ability to innovate swiftly and effectively highlights its strong positioning within the industry.
The memory industry is currently facing a significant downturn, with HBM accounting for only a small fraction of it. Despite this, Micron's advanced technological processes and new product announcement provide a beacon of hope. The DRAM industry, which comprises only three main players including Micron, is reducing production and capital expenditures amid the downturn. Given Micron's demonstrated technological process advantage, there are reasons to be optimistic about its future prospects.


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With Hugh Hefner gone, here's the future for the Playboy Mansion
The passing of Hugh Hefner leaves the future of the famed Playboy Mansion to a member of the business family that revived iconic consumer brands from the Hostess Twinkie to Pabst Blue Ribbon beer.
J. Daren Metropoulos closed a $100 million deal in August 2016 for the ultraluxury Los Angeles property and often X-rated adult playground where Hefner and Playboy Bunnies mingled with the rich and famous — and others who wanted to be.
The announcement of the sale, for half the listing price, confirmed that Hefner would be allowed to live the rest of his days in the mansion. Playboy Enterprises agreed to pay $1 million annually to lease the property, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Hefner's death Wednesday, at age 91, means the 34-year-old Metropoulos, who lives next door, may now realize his own dreams for the property.
Metropoulos declined to discuss specifics of the mansion's future on Thursday, saying in a statement issued through spokeswoman Hannah Arnold that his thoughts were with the grieving family of an American icon.
"Hugh Hefner was a visionary in business, a giant in media and an iconic figure of pop culture whose legacy will leave a lasting impact," Metropoulos said. "I was fortunate to know him as a neighbor and friend, and I extend my deepest sympathies to his family."
However, Metropoulos dropped a potential hint at the time of the sale. He said then that he might eventually combine the mansion and its estate with the nine-bedroom, seven-bathroom adjoining home property. Records show he bought that property from Hefner and then-wife Kimberly Conrad Hefner for $18 million in 2009.
"I look forward to eventually rejoining the two estates and enjoying this beautiful property as my private residence for years to come," Metropoulos said at the time.
Representatives of Playboy Enterprises did not immediately respond to emails seeking comment.
An online listing for the Playboy Mansion property by Beverly Hills real estate firm Hilton & Hyland says Metropoulos will be getting "the crown jewel of L.A.'s Platinum Triangle," located on five picturesque acres in the Holmby Hills area.
The nearly 20,000-square foot mansion was designed by Arthur R. Kelly in 1927 for Arthur Letts, Jr., son of the British businessman who founded Broadway Department Stores in the early years of the 20th century. Playboy Enterprises acquired the home from Louis Statham, an engineer, inventor and chess aficionado, in 1971 for $1.1 million, according to the real estate listing.
During Hefner's life, the listing said the mansion featured 12 bedrooms, 21 full or partial bathrooms and amenities that included a home theater, a wine cellar, a separate game house and a "free-form swimming pool with a large, cave-like grotto." The mansion is also one of the few Los Angeles private homes with its own zoo permit.
Hefner famously used the home to host costume parties and other gatherings. Some of the events featured celebrities ranging from comedian Milton Berle to film director Quentin Tarantino, Motown records founder Berry Gordy and many others.
The mansion events tamed down from X to PG ratings in Hefner's later years, when Metropoulos came to know him. It's unknown whether the businessman who closed the most recent deal for the palatial home will revive and carry on Hefner's partying legacy.
Metropoulos and older brother Evan are sons of C. Dean Metropoulos, a Greek immigrant and business turnaround specialist who partnered with Apollo Global Management to buy Hostess out of bankruptcy in 2013 for $410 million.
Metropoulos & Co. also revived Pabst Brewing, selling the beer company in 2014 for an estimated $750 million. Under Dean Metropoulos' leadership, the company also bought, spiffed up and resold other famous brands ranging from Chef Boyardee, Bumble Bee Tuna and Perrier-Jouet champagne.
Business success has brought the family head an estimated fortune of $2.4 billion, as estimated by Forbes magazine in its listings of the wealthiest Americans.
For his part, Daren Metropoulos served as a co-owner of Hostess Brands and helped shape the comeback of the company's iconic snack cakes Twinkies and CupCakes, according to a biography on the family company's website.
Metropoulos and his brother also served as co-CEOs of Pabst Brewing. Separately, he helped restructure the food conglomerate Pinnacle Foods. He got experience with iconic properties earlier in his career by overseeing a spa-and-hotel remaking of the Castle on the Hudson, a Norman-style facility that overlooks the Hudson River in Tarrytown, N.Y., a northern suburb of New York City.
Metropoulos attended Babson College and the University of Connecticut before joining the family business. A family spokeswoman told The New York Times last year that he didn't graduate, but instead dropped out in his sophomore year to work with his father.
The report also included approving comments of Metropoulos from Andrew van der Vord, the co-head of consumer retail investment banking at Royal Bank of Canada. He helped the Petropoulos family on the Pabst Brewing deal.
"If there is anybody who can make Playboy more interesting, more relevant, it's Daren," van der Vord told the Times.
Follow USA TODAY reporter Kevin McCoy on Twitter: @kmccoynyc


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The City of Saskatoon says a public anti-racism campaign has been a success despite the fact some online have indicated they feel at least one billboard within the campaign is divisive.
Titled “I am the Bridge,” the campaign was rolled out June 19 in the shape of four billboards, 16 ads on Saskatoon Transit shelters and busses, alongside a video, social media efforts and an advertising campaign in bars in the downtown and Broadway areas.
tap here to see other videos from our team.
The city asked people to make and submit a video where they talk about racism and share ways to eliminate it.
The public, however, has given the campaign mixed reviews.
City officials say many have expressed support for the campaign, while other have expressed distaste.
Apost on the Saskatoon Reddit community, an online forum where people can post content to have it voted up or down by the website’s user, asking: “Why is the city of Saskatoon purchasing billboards simply to say white men have privilege?” has been commented on more than 290 times.


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Dart Agrees to Drop Its Hostile Bid for Safeway : May Get Stake in Firm or Chance to Buy Some of Grocery Chain’s Assets
Dart Group, the company that drove Safeway Stores into the arms of another suitor, said Thursday that it has agreed to abandon its hostile takeover bid for the nation’s largest supermarket chain.
In return, Dart will get a possible future stake in the company or the chance to buy some of Safeway’s assets as well as an estimated $80-million profit on its Safeway holdings.
Dart’s surrender clears the way for Safeway to be taken private by the New York investment banking firm of Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. for an estimated $4.1 billion in cash and securities. The deal also effectively insulates Safeway from any attempt by Dart to use its new potential stake in Safeway to control it.
Thursday’s agreement and the takeover battle also appear to somewhat rehabilitate the reputation of the Haft family of Washington, which controls Dart Group, owner of Trak Auto and Crown Books.
Persevered With Bid
The Hafts originally were thought by many to be more interested in profiting from their stock dealings than in actually running Safeway. But they persevered until bested by another bidder, in the meantime making a hefty profit for themselves and other shareholders.
“We will be working with Safeway management and employees to effect a smooth transition of ownership, and we look forward to Safeway’s future as an independent company that will continue to provide its customers with superior quality, service and value,” a Kohlberg Kravis spokesman said.
For its part, Safeway is “very pleased with this outcome,” a spokeswoman said.
A spokesman for Dart declined to comment on why the company abandoned its bid.
Under the agreement, a product of three days of intensive bargaining, Dart will support the proposed takeover of Safeway by SSI Holdings, a new corporation formed by Kohlberg Kravis. The Kohlberg Kravis deal was announced Sunday.
In exchange, Dart would get the right to buy 20% of SSI if it ever trades publicly, but Dart would remain only a limited partner in such an arrangement. An affiliate of Kohlberg Kravis would be the general partner in the group that would buy the 20% stake, and usually the general partner controls the partnership.
In addition, Kohlberg Kravis and Dart said they are still trying to work out an agreement under which Dart would buy some of Safeway’s assets. The assets weren’t identified, but Dart said the talks involve “several divisions.”
If Dart buys the assets, it would have to give up its interest in the partnership as part of the purchase price.
Several lawsuits between Dart and Safeway are expected to be dismissed, the Dart spokesman said.
The Kohlberg Kravis spokesman said the company anticipates “moving rapidly toward a conclusion of the transaction by commencing our offer” to buy up to 45 million Safeway shares, or 73% of the company’s outstanding stock, at $69 per share.
The tender offer must be launched today or the agreement with Safeway would be terminated.
The merger will be completed by exchanging debt valued at $61.60 per share for each remaining share of Safeway’s 61 million shares outstanding. Those shareholders also would get one warrant per share to buy SSI stock if it trades publicly.
Dart had mounted a hostile $58-per-share offer to buy Safeway. Dart then proposed a friendly merger at $64 per share.
Dart Group, which previously made unsuccessful bids for May Department Stores, Jack Eckerd Corp. and Revco D.S., surprised some analysts by its relentless pursuit of Safeway.
Many analysts believed that Dart was less interested in owning Safeway than in getting “greenmail"--selling stock back to the target company at a premium to settle a takeover attempt.
“They didn’t deliberately go after greenmail, and they forced a higher bid,” said Bill Gibson, senior investment analyst with Sutro & Co. of San Francisco. “This series of events would not have happened without them,” he said.
Although the Hafts avoided taking greenmail, they still stand to make a profit, estimated at $80 million after they pay lawyer fees and other takeover expenses. Dart owns about 5.9% of Safeway’s stock, which they will tender to Kohlberg Kravis along with the other shareholders.
“They’ve made a lot of money for themselves and a lot for other people, so that certainly enhances their reputation,” said Albert M. Klein, director of research for the Edward A. Viner securities firm in New York.
“Now they can decide if they really want to go after someone else, as they say they want to do,” he said. “They say they want to get a big retail operation.”
Analysts also pointed out that the deal will leave Safeway heavily burdened with debt that would force it to sell operations or curtail expansion.
Gibson speculated that Dart might be interested in buying Safeway’s discount Liquor Barn business, which would complement its other discount operations. Safeway also has a strong grocery business in Washington, which would be convenient to Dart’s Landover, Md., headquarters.


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The Redmi Note 6 Pro is one of the most anticipated phones of the year. The launch date has not yet been officially announced, but the phone is expected to be released in November 2018. Rumors suggest that the phone will include a 6.3-inch Full HD+ display, Snapdragon 636 SoC, dual rear-camera setup and a 4000mAh battery. Other features such as the RAM and storage options are yet to be confirmed. For those who are eagerly waiting for the launch of the Redmi Note 6 Pro, the wait is almost over as the phone is expected to be available soon.
This article focuses on the barber who gives Prime Minister Narendra Modi his haircuts. He is Ram Raj, a barber from a small village in Uttar Pradesh, India. Raj has been cutting Modi's hair for over 30 years, since Modi was just a local leader. Raj travels to Delhi at least 8 times a year to cut Modi's hair. He is proud of the recognition he has received for being the Prime Minister's barber. Raj also says he has been able to provide a better life for his family due to his work with Modi.


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BigRep’s 3rd full year in business has been one of big strides forward across the board. From doubling sales, to exciting new products and collaborations, to increasing confidence about the position we have carved out for ourselves in a fast-growing 3D printing industry, it has been a great 2017.
The backbone of our business is our resource base and in this respect, we have seen significant changes. We were pleased to announce key new investments this year from Klöckner & Co and Körber. We also made some important appointments, including those of Moshe Aknin and Frank Marangell who each have CVs bulging with world-class 3D printing industry experience.
As President of BigRep America, Frank Marangell’s arrival signalled the opening of our US office. We have wasted no time in developing a strong US team and our engagement with this crucial market kicked off with a presence at signature additive manufacturing shows AMUG in Chicago and Rapid + TCT in Pittsburgh. In a similar vein, this year we continued to grow our network of resellers, so that we can now say BigRep is a company with a global reach to match our technological ambition.
3D PRINTERS, FILAMENTS & NOWLAB: AN INCREASINGLY CUSTOMIZED 3D PRINTING PACKAGE
The development of that underpinning technology continues apace. This year we have been busily shipping our new BigRep STUDIO machines, as well as introducing new specialist 3D printer filaments and 3D printer software solutions. But we do not just sell machines and materials. The value we can add through hands-on work with clients to tackle big additive manufacturing challenges in their specific use cases became very clear this year. Our research and innovation hub NOWlab drives this work forward. NOWlab is playing a central role in our ground-breaking end-use parts manufacturing project with Deutsche Bahn, as well as numerous projects in other industries.
BigRep’s experts are waiting to sink their teeth into your unique and challenging use case.
The above activities are all part of BigRep’s maturation into a company with a clear and valuable role in the 3D printing industry. That transition requires that we work to our strengths and find industry-leading strategic partners with whom to work. For this reason, our production agreement with long-established German industrial firm Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG was an important piece of groundwork in establishing BigRep.
GROWING INTEREST IN INNOVATIVE ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING PROJECTS
So, it has been a year of great progress for BigRep, in three key areas: the basic infrastructure to build industrial machines; our 3D printing product and service package and developing industry track record; and our growing strategic connections for the future. These developments have delivered us greater exposure and interest from a range of stakeholders and at different cross-industry events. The August visit to BigRep’s offices by Ramona Pop of the German Green Party was just one of many from potential clients and a wider audience enthused by industry 4.0. I was pleased to share a platform at bitkom’s September 3D Printing Summit with colleagues from Braunschweig University of Art and Audi to talk about our fantastic car seat project. Our work with Deutsche Bahn has created a buzz and led to my appearance with Managing Director of ‘Mobility goes Additive’ Stefanie Brickwede at CREATING URBAN TECH in October.
November’s formnext show, the high point in the year for the additive manufacturing industry, was our opportunity to assess how far we’ve come in 2017 and to further shape our vision for the future. The message I took from a supremely busy four days engaging with colleagues across industry is that we are moving in the right direction with our technology, with our research-oriented and tailored approach to clients, and with our strategic plan to build machines for industrial users. Looking forward to 2018, our mission will be to push ahead on these core aspects of our work. Our headline task within this is to apply BigRep’s 3D printing technology and NOWlab’s ingenuity to a new round of even more impressive end-use applications. For that we need professional clients willing to think big and trust in the research processes necessary to realize further breakthroughs in additive manufacturing technology.
René is the founder and CEO of BigRep GmbH, driving it to be one of the world-leading 3D printing companies, with his many years of experience in business development and innovative technologies.
Connect with René on Linkedin HERE.


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: Mobile is the fastest-growing advertising medium around the world, says ZenithOptimedia, which predicts global ad spending growth of 5.3% this year and next and 5.9% in 2016. Despite accounting for just 2.9% share of global ad spending last year, mobile is expected to capture more advertising dollars than magazines by 2016, with 8.6% share of total spend. Separately, while desktop internet spend isn't growing nearly quite as quickly, it's projected to exceed print (magazines and newspapers combined) in ad spending share by the end of the forecast period.
: TV shows that live-tweet have a better follower growth rate than those that don't, declares Twitter, with that generally true across genres and handle (show, host, and contestant, in the case of reality shows). The study also finds that shows that live-tweeted tends to see a higher overall volume of tweets than those that did not. The results follow other studies which have demonstrated that Twitter-supported TV campaigns drive higher ROI
and that tweets have influenced ratings
for some TV episodes.
Some 67.5 million American adults lived in a household with annual income of at least $100,000 ("affluents"), a 5 million (or 8%) increase from last year, details Ipsos
in its latest annual study of the affluent population. As such, 28% of the adult population can be classified as affluent, as can 23% of all US households. So who are these affluents?
Some 17% of permissioned emails from legitimate senders around the world failed to reach the inbox during the year-long period from May 2013 to April 2014, with 11% classified as missing and 6% ending up in spam folders, details Return Path in its "Inbox Placement Benchmark Report 2014
" [download page]. The overall 87% inbox placement rate hides some wide discrepancies in performance, though, as industries reliant on customer relationships were most likely to be successful.
: Local digital media (online and mobile) ad spending will grow by 13.1% to $35 billion next year, forecasts BIA/Kelsey. Overall local media ad spend growth is expected to be a more muted 1.6%, as traditional media ad budgets decline by 1.7%. By next year, then, digital will comprise slightly more than one-quarter of local media ad revenues, up from 22.6% this year. Local search ($7.2B) will continue to be the largest component of local digital media ad revenues, but will experience the slowest growth. Local mobile ad spend, however, is expected to shoot up by 54.2% year-over-year to $6.6 billion, outpacing display ($4.9B), social ($3.6B) and video ($3B).
: Mobile now accounts for more than one-quarter of online video views, according to Ooyala's latest report, although it likely comprises a smaller share of time spent with video given smartphone viewers' appetite for snackable content
. Nevertheless, the global data indicates that mobile's share of video views has doubled year-over-year and continues to rise quickly, with Ooyala predicting it will pass the majority threshold by the beginning of 2016.


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The boss in charge of developer Rockstar Games has commented on the massive leak that came about earlier this year involving Grand Theft Auto VI. For those that may have somehow forgotten, a little more than a month ago, Rockstar fell prey to a cyberattack that resulted in dozens of videos featuring early gameplay footage from the next Grand Theft Auto installment being unveiled. And while Rockstar itself has largely remained pretty quiet about the leaked footage since it first became public, the head honcho in charge of the company has now opened up about the matter.
In a recent call with investors, Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick spoke a bit about Rockstar and the recent situation involving GTA VI. Although Zelnick didn't say much about the leak itself, he did state that those at Take-Two (Rockstar's parent company) have taken it quite seriously. And while this matter is one that Zelnick clearly wished didn't come to fruition, he went on to say that the leak shouldn't impact the development of the next Grand Theft Auto game.
"With regards to the leak, it was terribly unfortunate, and we take those sorts of incidents very seriously indeed," Zelnick said to investors. "There's no evidence that any material assets were taken, which is a good thing, and certainly the leak won't have any influence on development or anything of the sort, but it is terribly disappointing and causes us to be ever more vigilant on matters relating to cybersecurity."
In a general sense, Zelnick largely restated what Rockstar Games itself said in the wake of this hack. Still, it's good to hear nearly two months after the attack that development timelines haven't shifted whatsoever. While this whole ordeal has surely provided a number of headaches for those at Take-Two and Rockstar, at least the situation won't lead to fans having to wait even longer to play a new GTA installment.
For now, Grand Theft Auto VI doesn't have a release window of any sort, which means that we have no clue when more information on the title might arrive. Whenever we do receive more details on the long-awaited game, though, we'll be sure to keep you in the loop here on ComicBook.com.


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This is a pivotal time for the alternative meat industry. I remember when we interviewed Josh Tetrick back in 2013 when JUST (then Hampton Creek) was one of four new Silicon Valley-style foodtech startups looking at replacing animals in food and other products.
The other three were Beyond Meat, Impossible Foods, and Modern Meadows.
You will have to have been living under a rock not to have seen Beyond Meat’s blockbuster IPO and stock market listing last week that’s pushed the company’s valuation beyond $3 billion. Impossible Foods will no doubt follow suit soon. To say the industry is having a moment is an understatement.
Consumer demand is there, and where there’s consumer demand you know there will be investor demand (as GFI’s report this week detailing $16bn of investment in 10 years shows). But I think we’re still in the early innings of this growing market.
I don’t think consumers have any intrinsic loyalty to animal-based meat and food products. If we can make alternatives from plants that cost less, are healthier, and can replicate the taste and texture of animal-based products, why wouldn’t most consumers switch?
Beyond Meat, Impossible Foods, and JUST were unique in that they were really the first to obsessively focus on making plant-based products that could replicate the taste and texture. These were no hippie bean burgers, but genuinely great tasting products.
However there’s been a lot of people questioning whether this is just vegan junk food — heavy processing and bulking agents can still make for an unhealthy dish. Not too many people think that margarine is healthier than butter just because it comes from plants, so we need to make sure we’re not creating a generation of food that’s margarine 2.0.
After nailing the taste and texture — and there’s still opportunity for improvement within category and with new products — we’re going to see a greater and greater focus on health.
Chuck Templeton at S2G Ventures really nailed it when he said to me that he believes in the next decade consumers will be looking at the back of the product to understand how this product provides benefits and not just focus on the hedonistic experience.
In this way, the American consumer may be drifting more toward an Asian appreciation for the health benefits of food. My wife’s mom is Chinese and she loves to make bitter mellon. Personally, I couldn’t stand it until I asked her if she liked the taste. She said “No, but it’s good for you!” From that point on, I’ve had a greater appreciation for Chinese food.
We’ve only scratched the surface of what’s possible when it comes to food science and plant science: we only utilize a small fraction of edible plant species in our everyday foods — leaving many potential plant properties unexplored — not to mention the opportunity to leverage gene editing, fermentation, and enzymes to create new proteins and compounds.
I’m excited to participate in the Virtual AgTech Summit next week alongside some of category leaders, including Beyond Meat’s Ethan Brown. I’ll be on a panel with Impossible Foods and IndieBio discussing cultured meats – the other method of creating meat alternatives. While we certainly need many tools in the toolbox for improving the sustainability and health profile of our food system, I’m a bit more skeptical of this incredibly hard space. Even Mark Post, the world’s first cultured hamburger flipper, admits there’s a long way to go. And looking at the growth of that industry next to plant-based, the timeline is clear.
We now have the potential to not just replace inefficient meat production with alternatives, but to produce improved protein products with much better health and nutritional values. I think the plant-based space will be the one to get us there.
At AgFunder, we invest in transformational food tech and agtech startups and we’re still looking for our first plant-based meat alternative. If you think you’re solving some of the challenges I mention above, please get in touch and apply for funding here.


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Videos shot with 360-degree capabilities are becoming more popular, giving viewers the ability to twist around and see the action unfolding in a clip from myriad angles. Both YouTube and Facebook have released launched 360-degree video capabilities, and various brands have already tapped into the immersive opportunity this offers.
As is to be expected, Go Pro has been one of the early adopters, releasing an incredible clip that shows a surfer in Tahiti catching a wave and tucking into a barrel. Once the video starts playing, the viewer can twist around and see the action unfold from a range of perspectives. Look down and the you see the reef precariously flicking by. Look up and you see the lip of the wave curling over the surfer. Look back and you see the surfer smiling broadly as the ocean provides the best form of natural shade available.
Check out this 360 video of surfing in Tahiti shot by our friends at GoPro. I love these new 360 videos on Facebook — they feel so much more immersive.
Posted by Mark Zuckerberg on Friday, 13 November 2015
And in the age of influencers, Go Pro got the thumbs up from the most important personality on Facebook, none other than the social media godfather, Mark Zuckerberg.


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Bankrupt Sports Authority Inc. has sued 161 of its vendors.
The lawsuits were filed Tuesday by the retailer through affiliated debtors that are connected to its bankruptcy. Sports Authority filed its Chapter 11 petition for bankruptcy court protection on March 2 in Delaware. The lawsuits filed on Tuesday are considered adversarial proceedings connected to the bankruptcy, and were filed as part of its bankruptcy case, according to the bankruptcy court docket.
Consignment is at the heart of the lawsuits, and ultimately who gets the proceeds from the sale of goods at the retailer’s stores.
The lawsuits said the sales agreements between retailer and vendor have described the arrangement as a consignment, with the vendor retaining title until the date of sale. But Sports Authority is now saying that the consignment provision in its agreement under federal law — the Uniform Commercial Code, a set of rules governing commercial dealings on the transfer of property that has been adopted in whole or in part by all the states — is ineffective because the goods have been shipped to the retailer. The UCC does allow the conversion of the merchandise to a security interest. But Sports Authority said that under the terms of its sales agreement, vendors are required to “perfect” that interest through the filing of a financing statement. It’s that filing of the financing statement that Sports Authority is now contesting, saying that the vendors it filed suit against “did not take the most basic step” to perfect a security interest in the goods even though the “opportunity to do so was highlighted in the agreement.”
How the matter will get decided is still to be determined, and Delaware Bankruptcy Court Judge Mary Walrath might provide some preliminary guidance Wednesday afternoon at a court hearing in the case. Currently the vendors, who have claims on the consigned goods, are secured creditors. Should Sports Authority win, it would turn the vendors into unsecured creditors, and the proceeds from the sales would go to the debtor’s estate and benefit its lenders.
A call to Sports Authority’s lead bankruptcy counsel on the lawsuits was not returned by press time.
At the time of the filing, Sports Authority said it had more than $1 billion in debt. It has until April 28 to find a buyer or put together a plan of reorganization. Dick’s Sporting Goods and Modell’s Sporting Goods are seen as possible buyers for all or part of the chain. The bankruptcy filing was expected given that the retailer missed an interest payment in January.


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Singapore’s Sentosa Island has virtually cut the ribbon on its latest marketing efforts, Sentosa Crossing, a digital replica of the Little Red Dot’s southern recreational destination on Nintendo Switch’s Animal Crossing: New Horizons.
As the coronavirus continues to have a particularly weighted affect on the global hotel industry, Sentosa Crossing is a case study on how hotel and tourist development groups can not only continue its publicity and branding during this travel drought, but also continually stay relevant with the younger generations.
According to Partner Net, visitor arrivals globally in March were down 98.6 percent year-over-year, with hotel room occupancy at an average of -60 percent, while USA Today wrote at the beginning of April that “80 percent of hotel rooms in the U.S. are empty.” For scale of impact, Statista reports that the “hotel industry in the United States accounted for $218 billion USD in revenue in 2018.”
“The tourism industry is in a unique situation because transport serves as a vector for spreading the virus… [tourism becoming] both a catalyst for the spread of viruses and a victim of the spread,” Ishmael Mensah, associate professor at the Department of Hospitality and Tourism Management, University of Cape Coast, opines on Hospitality Net.
Mensah continues, “Governments are in a dilemma as to how to flatten the curve without flattening their economies. Though hotels are experiencing substantial revenue losses, utilities, wages and salaries as well as other recurrent expenditure and statutory payments have to be made. From all intents and purposes, the hotel industry is headed for an unprecedented slump… [and] must adopt survival strategies [which] calls for repackaging the hotel service to make it more attractive in this COVID-19 era.”
Working with creative agency BBH Singapore, Sentosa Crossing is “your island getaway, without getting away from home,” as mentioned in a virtual opening ceremony and press conference. On visiting the island in Animal Crossing, your avatar will be able to experience rides and attractions that are physically found at the real-world Sentosa Singapore, such as the Skyline Luge, nature trails, yoga by the beach, and even its FOC beach bar and Shangri-La and Capella hotels.
As of writing, Sentosa Crossing only opens 36 slots for registration each day, at two-hour intervals from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. SGT (10 p.m. to 12 a.m. EDT), and also 2–4 p.m. and 6–8 p.m. SGT (2–4 a.m. and 6–8 a.m. EDT).
“Necessity is the mother of invention,” comments Rebecca Ash, head of strategy at BBH Singapore. “The pandemic has seen people find creative ways to carry on with parts of their pre-COVID lives, and the whimsical world of Animal Crossing has provided a timely escape from the depths of confinement. Amazingly, how people were spending their time in the game mirrored how they chose to spend their time on the island—from exploring to eating, dancing to dating.”
Check out more videos on Sentosa Crossing below. And in other related news, Animal Crossing: New Horizons is now the fastest-selling Nintendo Switch game.


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It’s buzzing all over the technology arena that Nokia is ready to present its popular budget-friendly league of Asha handsets with a new punch. Reportedly, on 9th May, Nokia will host a global press event in New Delhi, where the company may announce Asha 501 handset along with few other devices. However, the press invites don't specify the subject of launch but as the invites were sent by Asha’s team members, so it can be assumed safely that these apparent devices would belong to Asha series. Stephen Elop, CEO commented on reframing the Asha series with a new design language and user interface by saying, “We have to make sure the product portfolio is as competitive as possible. We are due for a significant refresh.”
Nokia Asha 501 is continuously making the headlines for its up-scaled design that looks much similar to Nokia’s Lumia members, which shows-off well-toned shape and trendy colors. Nokia is going to enhance the looks of these upcoming devices with all-new user interface that is likely to be much friendlier than the previous generation Asha phones. Conventionally, Asha series follows a notion of basic feature phone contrasting a full-fledged smartphone and with the acceptability of affordable Android smartphones in India; the Asha line-up is being mistreated since quite a while.
These new devices would surely overcome these shortcomings by providing a more intuitive and shrewd “homescreen” in addition to sumptuous design aesthetics. Furthermore, the leaked screenshots suggests that are no hardcore physical menu buttons, just a soft-touch UI key is placed sensibly on the lower front, which might be a capacitive for the mid-priced devices and a basic one for the low-cost Asha handsets.
On technical front, this new entrant is likely to feature a 5MP camera with LED flash along with a front camera for video chats. Its capacitive touchscreen is expected to be larger than what we have seen in Asha 311 (3-inch TFT capacitive touchscreen). Also, we can expect that atleast 1GHz processor would power-up the device, which now becomes a standard for any mid-price smartphone.


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Eindhoven, the Netherlands – Philips Lighting (Euronext Amsterdam ticker: LIGHT), a global leader in lighting, today announced the first application of an autonomous, indoor drone that usesVisible Light Communication (VLC technology) from Philips Lighting to navigate. The drone, developed by Blue Jay, was demonstrated at Maxima Medisch Centrum on 15 June 2017.
Blue Jay’s first autonomous, domestic drone goes beyond serving you a coffee and can play a game of tic-tac-toe with children who communicate with the drone through hand gestures. Additionally, the drone can pick up and deliver objects to a location to assist the less mobile.
The drone uses VLC technologyfrom Philips Lighting, enabling it to pinpoint its location and navigate and act autonomously. This technology enables ceiling lights to act like an indoor GPS and transmit their location through a modulation of the light which is imperceptible to the human eye, but detectable by smart devices such as drones. The wireless operation between the drone and its ground station is made possible by communication technology from NXP.
Notes to editors:
• Philips Lighting has visualized drones and droids serving customers in its 2030 Smart City Life virtual reality video
• The first autonomous drone has been developed by Blue Jay, which established the world’s first Drone Café. The temporary café had drones picking up and delivering items to tables, navigating by VLC. Partners of Blue Jay are TU/E, NXP, Philips Lighting and Fourtress.
• The camera on the drone does not record so no personal data is collected.
• Philips VLC is privacy protected and will not ask nor store any personal data. Each light fixture is using one-way transmission of a luminaire ID or code to the drone using VLC.
For further information, please contact:
Philips Lighting Media Relations
Tel: +31 6 52 59 63 81
About Philips Lighting
Philips Lighting (Euronext Amsterdam ticker: LIGHT), a global leader in lighting products, systems and services, delivers innovations that unlock business value, providing rich user experiences that help improve lives. Serving professional and consumer markets, we lead the industry in leveraging the Internet of Things to transform homes, buildings and urban spaces. With 2016 sales of EUR 7.1 billion, we have approximately 34,000 employees in over 70 countries. News from Philips Lighting is located at http://www.newsroom.lighting.philips.com and on Twitter via @Lighting_Press.
This press release was distributed by ResponseSource Press Release Wire on behalf of Ketchum in the following categories: Health, Consumer Technology, Manufacturing, Engineering & Energy, for more information visit https://pressreleasewire.responsesource.com/about.


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RIO DE JANEIRO, Oct 10 (Reuters) - Brazil's state energy company Petrobras PETR4.SAPBR.N said on Wednesday it will ship 9 million liters of ethanol to European clients next month in its first shipment via the northeastern port of Suape.
Petrobras, which does not produce the sugar cane-based fuel, but seeks to become a major exporter and reseller in the next few years, said it would buy the biofuel from a pool of sugar cane processing plants in the state of Pernambuco, where the port is also located.
The company did not name the European clients nor said what specific countries they were from.
Petrobras had been hoping to export up to 1 billion liters of ethanol this year, but infrastructure problems in Nigeria and Venezuela’s decision to use MTBE fuel additive in its gasoline blend instead of ethanol previously imported from Brazil, frustrated its plans.
Petrobras has focused its efforts to boost exports on Japan, where it hopes to sell 3.5 billion liters a year by 2010, but the European Union has also long been in its sights despite restrictions on ethanol imports there.
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.


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THE race is on at J Sainsbury to choose a successor to replace Sir Philip Hampton as chairman before the retailer’s July annual meeting.
The £5.6bn supermarket giant is understood to have shortlisted Burberry chairman John Peace and Thomson Reuters deputy chairman Niall FitzGerald.
The search for the £396,000 a year post has been carried out by non-executive director John McAdam, since Hampton voiced his intentions to step down.
Part state-owned bank Royal Bank of Scotland named Hampton to succeed Sir Tom McKillop as chairman in January. Shortly afterwards Hampton, who trained as an auditor with Coopers & Lybrand after university at Oxford, said it would be difficult to fulfil the two duties at both the bank and supermarket.
Peace, 60, is chairman of luxury British fashion brand Burberry, and Experian, the FTSE 100 business information group. He is also acting chairman of Standard Chartered. Peace is believed to be stepping down from the bank once a successor is found.
FitzGerald, 63, is deputy chairman of Thomson Reuters and is believed to be keen to take a chairmanship. The Irish businessman has, on several occasions, been wooed by BP for the top role, but has turned down the offers. FitzGerald spent three decades at Unilever, the consumer goods giant, with the past four years as its chief executive.
So far City names that have been ruled out as candidates to replace Hampton include former Asda boss Archie Norman, who is looking for new challenges, while former Reed boss Sir Crispin Davies was thought to be sought after but apparently would like a more hands-on role.


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A British couple who were holidaying on the Greek island of Rhodes tried to walk away from a restaurant without paying the bill, as they thought that ‘all-inclusive’ was applicable to the entire island.
Featured Image VIA
Yes, after booking the holiday and travelling over, the middle-aged couple genuinely thought they could eat and drink for free anywhere on the island. Although it does sound like a shitty way to get a free meal, according to local paper Dimokratiki, they were being deadly serious – it was a genuine mistake.
The owner of the restaurant, situated on Hippocrates Square, said that the couple tried to walk away, but when they were asked to pay, they showed them their wristbands from the resort.
The owner had to actually explain to them that the all-inclusive aspect only applied to the place where they were staying. Shockingly, this isn’t even the first time this has happened and the owner has had to explain the concept of all-inclusive to previous guests.
Well, it’s good to know that us Brits are building a good, solid reputation over there… as complete and utter morons. What an embarrassment.


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By Lucky Isibor
Stakeholders in the Arts Industry have tasked government at all levels to create the enabling environment for arts, culture and tourism to thrive by investing in the sector to create wealth and employment opportunities for the youths.
Director of Black Passionate Art Gallery Ltd, Mr Ugo Emmanuel Chidi, in Benin city, Weekend called on Government to expedite action in its efforts to grow the economy by considering investment in Arts.
He made the call during a three day art exhibition programme in Benin City tagged, “Art and Wine exhibition”, put together to facilitate the improvement of Art exhibition both locally and internationally.
Ugo noted that the event which is to among others promote the works of arts of local artists, is also aimed at bridging the gap between art and the general public.
According to him, Art and Wine is one of the concepts that will enable us to bridge the gap between art and the people by bringing those who naturally will not have interest in Art to see some good works of Art and feel the taste of some high quality wines.
While stating that Art and Wine exhibition are avenue of expanding the frontiers of art product and creativity, Ugo added that art and wine are both products of creativity as it takes a lot of creativity and diligence to produce works of art and good quality wines.
In his words, “Wine mature with age same thing with art, now you can see the both have similarities. We are using this medium to break the barriers and expand the frontiers.
“On the other hand, we are using art and wine exhibition to launch and unveil bigger project called face of art coming up soon. Face of Art is a concept that will be seeing us creating and projecting Art in global platform for the promotion of Africa art particularly, Nigeria Art.”
An exhibition artist Usman Alvin, also at the exhibition ground to showcase his works of art said the programme will give them opportunity to tell the world what they are made of and called on government to collaborate with them and direct interest in the work of Art.
Another participant at the exhibition Eugene Omoruyi, a mixed media Art in painting also gave more insight about the exhibition.


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61 jobs created at Hyde Group after £3.9m government investment
: Based in Warrington, Hyde Group Nuclear are leading a £16.6m government project that aims to ‘develop handling facilities for nuclear materials’.
Business Minister Matthew Hancock announced that a consortium – which includes the Hyde Group as well as NAMRC, RACE and React Engineering Ltd – is to receive funding to ‘rebuild British manufacturing prowess’. The Hyde Group will receive £3.9m of the government injection.
This will safeguard 105 jobs, and create 61 others within the Group.
In other government projects, 20 supply chains will receive £67m of government investment.
Minister Hancock said: “While there is much to celebrate about British manufacturing, it is clear that our supplier base has been eroded over the last thirty years. Reversing this will boost exports and help safeguard UK jobs. Our targeted interventions have helped revive the great British manufacturing sector.
“The benefits of stronger manufacturing supply chains will be felt across the whole economy – new cutting-edge technologies, a more highly skilled work force and improved productivity will boost growth and jobs across the country.
“The Hyde Group Nuclear project will deliver sizeable benefits to the manufacturing supply chain in Cheshire, boosting local jobs, and that is why I’m pleased to award it funding.”
His experience in editing includes work on behalf of the European Commission, the Financial Conduct Authority, and numerous county councils. He has worked extensively for Plain Language Commission.


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An upcoming DLC pack for Batman: Arkham Origins focuses on Mr Freeze, DC Comics has announced.
The DLC, Cold, Cold Heart, is a "big, open-world narrative-based DLC," according to WB Games vice president Ames Kirshen.
"We're super excited to give fans the origin of this great Batman character," Kirshen said.
"It's like a mini chapter in the game...This is in-game mission story content with a brand new story wrapped around Mr Freeze in the Arkham Origins settings."
Cold, Cold Heart is expected to be available from April 23 for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Windows PC.
As reported last month, it will not be available for Wii U.


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Morning all, here’s a glimpse at all the media and marketing news you should know today.
1. YouTube has unveiled Music Insights for artists, a tool which lets musicians track their fan base. VentureBeat says that the new feature will initially provide analytics for a list of the 10,000 most popular musicians on Youtube worldwide – including Katy Perry, Taylor Swift and One Direction – though Google has plans to expand the program.
2. Dish is in talks to merge with T-Mobile, according to the International Business Times. The TV network and the mobile provider are allegedly in agreement that a merged company would see Dish's chief executive Charlie Ergen as chairman and T-Mobile chief executive John Legere retain his current role.
3. Yahoo has inked a deal to globally livesteam an NFL Game, claims NBC. Marissa Mayer's firm has won the rights to broadcast the matchup, between the Buffalo Bills and Jacksonville Jaguars, in what will be first global livestream of an NFL match ever.
4. In other Yahoo news, the tech giant is to allow brands to fact-check its viewability and fraud numbers. AdAge reports that third-party ad-tech firms will now track whether spots bought through Yahoo have been seen by an actual human being. Brands will be able to use these outside vendors to check the viewability and fraud rates for display and video ads too.
5. Google co-founder Larry Page revealed his stance on ad-blocking tech during the firm's shareholder meeting yesterday, writes MediaPost. He said the company has been dealing with the issue for a long time, and that the industry has become a lot better at providing relevant ads that people want to see.
6. AOL has overhauled its site in an attempt to woo millennials, according to Wired. The old news feeds, which were last updated in 2009, have been replaced by a cleaned-up, responsive site with plenty of white space.
7. Snapchat has hired Sean Mills, the former president of satirical website The Onion, to be its new chief of original content, asserts CNET. The startup confirmed that Mills, who has also served as president of video firm NowThis, will be tasked with growing the app's original video content division.
8. Jon Stewart has criticized the coverage of Caitlyn Jenner's Vanity Fair front cover, notes USA Today. The Daily Show host said he was impressed with Jenner's "brave" transition, but was disappointed that news outlets "wasted no time in treating her like a woman,” before launching a montage of news anchors analyzing Jenner’s "hotness".
Stay in the media and marketing news loop at thedrum.com and to receive The Drum's US Daily Newsletter sign up here.


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One year ago, the Ad Council and the Partnership for Healthy Mouths, Healthy Lives announced a campaign to encourage parents to promote good oral hygiene habits in their children. The Kids’ Healthy Mouths campaign received more than $33 million in free ad time and space donations from TV, print, outdoor and digital media outlets. The widespread publicity of the campaign urged parents to encourage their children to brush twice a day for two minutes to avoid tooth decay, gum disease and bad breath.
The motto, “2min2x,” is used to encourage kids to take precautionary efforts to avoid painful procedures in the future. Preventative measures, like brushing every day, using alcohol-free mouthwash and flossing, can even make it easier for kids to go to the dentist, as they won’t have to fear cavity treatments.
According to the Ad Council study conducted one year after the start of the campaign, more than 50 percent of parents said they had heard or seen the PSAs.
The survey noted a significant increase in the number of parents who reported that their child brushes at least twice a day, compared with prior to the start of the campaign. Specifically, the study showed that 55 percent of English speaking parents, up from 48 percent; and 77 percent of Spanish speaking parents, up from 69 percent, reported better routines since 2012.


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American cannabis operator Green Growth Brands Inc. (CSE: GGB) saw its shares drop 32 per cent Tuesday, a day after it announced a plan to sell its CBD business.
Late Monday, Green Growth said The BRN Group Inc. — a privately-held cannabis brand distribution company — has agreed to acquire a majority stake for its various CBD brands and retail network for an undisclosed amount.
BRN Group’s new CEO, Dia Simms, previously ran rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs’ portfolio of businesses.
Ohio-based Green Growth sells various CBD-infused beauty products, oral drops and gummies under its Seventh Sense and Green Lily brands. The products are sold in 195 mall kiosks and at hundreds of American Eagle, DSW shoe stores, and Abercrombie & Fitch locations across the U.S.
The company said it expects to hold up to a 20 per cent interest in the CBD business following completion of the sale transaction. However, it also said the sale will include a ‘stalking horse agreement’ which allows it to shop around for a better offer over the next 30 days.
Rapid expansion amid frigid capital markets
Green Growth’s strategy includes a multi-state cannabis business with pot stores in Nevada, Massachusetts and Florida. The company once planned on becoming a North American pot giant through aggressive store expansion and acquisitions.
But Green Growth said the the decision comes as it faces “serious financial difficulty” with limited alternatives. CEO Peter Horvath said the sale of its CBD business is a result of liquidity challenges and soaring costs that have prevented the company from growing that portion of its business to its full potential.
“With high-potential in the future comes material overhead costs and other obligations in the near term,” Horvath said in a release. “In light of these factors, we have determined it necessary and appropriate to sell the CBD business and focus on executing our MSO business plan.”
The sale announcement comes almost a year after Green Growth’s hostile takeover bid of Aphria Inc. (TSX: APHA), which expired in April, and two months after the company cancelled its US$310 acquisition deal for cannabis extract company MXY Holdings LLC.
Green Growth also reported its second quarter financial results late Monday. The company said it took a US$34.8 million loss for the quarter ended Dec. 28, 2019. Total revenue for the three months was US$21.1 million, with CBD sales coming in at US$11 million.
Shares have dropped 95 per cent since Jan. 11, 2019 on the Canadian Securities Exchange.
The company said it started a “corporate reorganization” on Feb. 21 in an effort to save around US$4 million annually in payroll and operation costs.
More details will come at the company’s investor call that it abruptly rescheduled to Feb. 26 at 5:00 p.m. EST.
Top Photo courtesy of Green Growth Brands