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Facebook has announced that, in September 2019, new and existing campaigns will start to move to campaign budget optimisation.
In 2017, Facebook made campaign budget optimisation available to all campaign optimisations, making it an optional setting for new campaigns. This allowed advertisers to be able to set a campaign budget and allow Facebook’s algorithm to optimise it across all ad sets. But now, Facebook says that in September 2019 all new and existing campaigns will start to move to campaign budget optimisation, and advertisers won’t be able to turn it off.
Essentially, Facebook is moving budgets to the campaign level, allowing it to automatically distribute them in real-time to top performing ad sets, thus giving advertisers the best results for their budget. Facebook explains that the change will also effectively lower the total cost per result and generate more results overall.
Also, Facebook explains that using the lowest cost bid strategy in combination with campaign budget optimisation can help advertisers achieve the lowest cost per result for an overall campaign, not for any given ad set.
In an example shared on its help page, Facebook explained that “BuzzFeed tested the Facebook campaign budget optimization tool for its branded content ads, achieving greater cost efficiencies and easier budget management, as well as more video ad views and clicks.”
The change won’t be welcomed by everyone, with some already saying that campaign structures will be getting very “messy.” Others – particularly less-experienced Facebook marketers, or those with simpler campaigns will find the change very useful.
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Prime Sarmiento – The Brunei Times
THE establishment of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) will develop the halal food industry in the region as it will help manufacturers meet the growing demand in Southeast Asia, according to a recent report published by Euromonitor International.
“The launch of the ASEAN Economic Community in 2015 is an opportunity for businesses to arm themselves with proper compliance and certification to secure their place in this vibrant food space,” Euromonitor said in its report entitled Doing Business in the Halal Market: Products, Trends and Growth Opportunities.
Euromonitor said Southeast Asia has become “a goldmine” for businesses catering to the region’s huge Muslim population. These businesses include the halal packaged food industry, which Euromonitor said has grown by 10 per cent in 2014 thanks to the Southeast Asian consumers’ higher discretionary income and growing awareness of health and wellness issues.
“The middle class is also expanding, so more Muslims are gaining interest in global food trends, cuisines and innovation. Hence as purchasing power increases and packaged food trends become more advanced globally, the demand for halal packaged food within the ASEAN region tends to develop at a faster pace,” Emil Fazira Kamari, research analyst at Euromonitor International in Singapore, said in an interview with The Brunei Times.
She said the AEC will ease intra-regional trade which will help halal food manufacturers to enter developing markets in the region.
But AEC will also encourage competition among manufacturers wanting to get a share of a growing market. This, Emil Fazira said, will encourage companies to secure halal certification, as products with halal certification “will appeal to Muslim consumers more than other non-certified products”.
“The security of certification depends a lot on the country’s Islamic eco-system and if the certification bodies are strong and clearly guided,” she said.
The need for certification is crucial as the Euromonitor report notes that logistics and reliability of food sources remain a challenge for halal products.
“With imitation products and the black market still going strong, there are many gaps especially higher up the supply chain where the purity of ingredients cannot be closely monitored by certification agencies or end businesses,” Euromonitor said in its report.
Euromonitor cited Mondelez International Inc, which suffered a setback in 2014 when DNA traces of pork were incorrectly found in two lines of its halal Cadbury Dairy Milk chocolate tablets under its subsidiary Mondelez (M) Sales Sdn Bhd.
Euromonitor said the controversy has pushed Muslim consumers to question the reliability of the brand and forced the company to employ fresh marketing strategies to reassure its customers of the products’ quality.
Eurominotor said companies’ compliance to halal standards can be strictly monitored if many parts of the production chain are localised.
“Increasing focus on self-sufficiency to maintain food security strengthens the country’s production capabilities, thus reducing the need to outsource halal packaged food,” Euromonitor said.
Euromonitor said Southeast Asian countries like Singapore and Malaysia have established in-country halal eco-system with the support of their respective governments.
The Brunei Times

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Pippa Middleton takes on a new role… as bike firm’s spokes woman
Pippa Middleton has become an ambassador for Dassi Bikes, the only high quality cycle maker to use all-British components.
This weekend, Dassi launches the first ‘totally made in Britain high performance cycle’ at the Bike Show, which takes place at the ExCel centre in East London.
Middleton, the sister of the Duchess of Cambridge, chose Dassi for a 3,000-mile race across America in July 2014.
Ambassador: Pippa Middleton has become an ambassador for Dassi Bikes, the only high quality cycle maker to use all-British components
Dassi’s founder, Stuart Abbott, 48, said: ‘We are talking to her about standing up for British manufacturing and riding more events.’ The relationship with Middleton comes after a rapid rise for the firm, based near Hook, Hampshire, which custom-builds its bikes costing about £5,000 each.
Abbott, a former Rolls-Royce engineer, launched Dassi in 2011 and he invested £125,000 before last year taking on £400,000 from institutions to fund expansion in return for 30 per cent of the firm. The company’s turnover is about £300,000.
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Taiwan’s Hon Hai Precision Industry Co, also known as Foxconn, has offered 600 billion yen for Sharp. Picture: A Sharp Corp showroom is seen in Tokyo.Reuters
A Japanese state-backed fund and Sharp’s lenders are likely to agree on a new rescue plan worth around 650 billion yen ($5.5 billion) for the struggling display maker by next weekend, sources familiar with the matter said on Friday.
Innovation Network Corporation of Japan (INCJ) is offering to invest 300 billion yen ($2.6 billion) in Sharp, while banks were expected to offer up to 350 billion yen in financing including 150 billion yen in a debt-to-equity swap, the sources with direct knowledge of the talks told Reuters.
Taiwan’s Hon Hai Precision Industry Co, also known as Foxconn, has offered 600 billion yen for Sharp but has not yet proposed any detailed restructuring plan for the company, the sources said, requesting anonymity because they were not authorised to talk to the media.


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It is looking like the dawn of a new beginning in the global e-cig industry as QISITECH, one of the leading manufacturers of e-cig OEM/ODM in Shenzhen has announced plans to expand to more markets in different parts of the world. The move will ensure that e-cig brands and other stakeholders in the industry enjoy the premium vape manufacturing services offered by the company.
The vaping market has witnessed increasing popularity and acceptance in recent times, with more people across the globe beginning to realize the amazing benefits of using a vape. In a bid to meet the diverse needs of customers fueled by the increasing demand for vaping solutions, there has been an influx of more companies into the industry, including manufacturers and retailers. According to misc reports the global e-cigarette and vape market size, which was valued at US$20-30 billion in 2019, is expected to expand at a revenue-based CAGR of 23.8% from 2020 to 2027. “The growth has been attributed to increasing demand from millennials, with the availability of a variety of options further fueling the product adoption. Unfortunately, many of the manufacturers do neither meet the criteria of local government nor the needs of the consumers, which is where QISITECH has been of help over the years” said Lawrence Wong, VP of QISITECH.
QISITECH ranks as of the biggest OEM/ODM manufacturers that focus on the areas of e-cigarette, CBD vaporizer, and wax/dry herb devices. One of the biggest solutions provided by the company is the popular GEEKVAPE, a top 3 APV (Advanced Personal Vaporizer). QISITECH currently offers a wide range of products, including disposable, pod system, pod mod, CBD cartridge, CBD battery, and accessories. The company also provides Research and Development, manufacturing, and a well-rounded service system to ensure that the diverse needs of all stakeholders in the industry, including brands and consumers are met.
With a product failure rate lower than 0.005, their OEM/ODM services has proved to be a trustworthy choice. The comprehensiveness of the solutions offered as well as the quality of products and services offered has made QISITECH a sought-after brand in the e-cig industry.
For more information about QISITECH and their plethora of solutions, please visit – www.qisitech.com.
QISITECH is an OEM/ODM manufacturer that focuses on the areas of e-cigarette, CBD vaporizer, and wax/dry herb devices. Headquartered in Shenzhen, the company uses advanced equipment, first-class management methods, and excellent industry literacy to provide quality solutions to clients with more than 300 full-time R and D experts in four development centers.


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Personalization: How Email Marketers Will Win the Inbox in 2020
December 20, 2019
The year is almost over and we’re feeling reflective. What were the winning strategies for email marketers in 2019? And which email marketing strategies will shape the year to come?
“Personalization” is how Sailthru’s SVP of Marketing Jason Grunberg would answer both of those questions. That’s because personalization works. Last year, Boston Consulting Group predicted that companies fully invested in personalization would outsell their competitors by 30%.
Speaking on Tinuiti’s 2020 Digital Performance Marketing webinar series, Jason said, “I liken it to where mobile was a few years ago. Mobile wasn’t necessarily making up the majority of traffic so many organizations would think about it after the fact. The top-performing organizations now think mobile-first. ‘Is this dark mode ready? Is this going to work for users who are coming to us from devices?'”
In the email category, just one brand outscore; The Vitamin Shoppe. Setting itself apart with dynamic personalization, The Vitamin Shoppe’s messages feature loyalty rewards banners, which update dynamically to ensure the customer sees his or her most up-to-date points balance at the time the email is opened. That’s a small but important detail; these loyalty banners ultimately drive 8.5% of The Vitamin Shoppe’s email clicks. Similarly, the nutritional supplement retailer brings dynamic personalization to customers’ online shopping carts, including whether that order qualifies for free shipping or includes items under a low inventory threshold.
“Since customers are responding in real time, the first name and birthdate doesn’t have the same impression on those customers anymore,” said Ryan Gudovitz, the brand’s Senior Manager of CRM and Retention. “Triggering communications that go out in real time, such as low inventory or even reorder, might catch them in that moment where they’re ready to shop and convert and engage with our brand.”
What else can email marketers learn from The Vitamin Shoppe and other brands excelling at email personalization? Watch the recording of Tinuiti’s webinar here to learn more about:
- How the savviest retailers connect their email personalization to other channels
- Using customer data efficiently, compliantly and in real time
- The importance of triggered messages as email marketers look toward the entire customer lifecycle
- Audience segmentation and what that means for personalization
- Tracking success as artificial intelligence reshapes testing and reporting
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By Nico Schmidt and Ilka Kopplin
It has been a tough year for many in the electric vehicle industry, and the new technology just scored another negative headline. On Tuesday night in the German city of Ludwigsburg, a Porsche prototype with an alternative drive went up in flames due to a technical defect, causing extensive damages, the police said. That’s bad news for the whole industry.
Authorities estimated the damages at nearly €3 million. Porsche itself declined to comment, though a spokesman said the damages were below €1 million. According to the sports car maker, the employee drove the car home after work. He later noticed the fire in the garage and alerted the fire department. The employee as well as his wife were slightly injured and were taken to the hospital for examination. Four fire trucks and 19 fire personnel were required to extinguish the fire, police said.
Porsche declined to say which model was the cause of the blaze. “It’s a vehicle that is not yet on the market,” said a spokesman. Porsche is already selling hybrid versions of its Cayenne SUV and the Panamera sedan. The 918 Spyder with a hybrid drive, which wowed the Geneva Auto Show in 2010, goes on sale at the end of this year in a limited edition, at a price of nearly €800,000.
More on this after the jump…


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Ghosn Weirdness Intensifies
Happy to relegate Carlos Ghosn to the past, Renault has announced its former CEO will soon leave the company’s executive board, along with Cherie Blair, wife of former British prime minister Tony Blair. Annette Winkler, the ex-head of Daimler’s Smart brand, will be proposed as the new director at the company’s annual meeting in June, according to the automaker.
The company also decided that Ghosn is not entitled to an annual retirement salary of about 765,000 euros a year due to an internal probe that identified “questionable and concealed practices and violations of the group’s ethical principles.”
Of course, Ghosn maintains he was the victim of a corporate coup masterminded by Nissan executives. The ousted exec recently claimed he’s “getting ready to tell the truth about what’s happening” over social media.
The defamed industry hero appears to have created the Twitter page earlier this month, which brings up questions about its validity — especially since Ghosn’s $9 million bail is supposed to preclude him from using the internet. Whether or not the page is being run by the man himself, or on his behalf, Twitter saw fit to verify it as authentic and “Ghosn” told the world to expect a press conference on April 11th.
According to Reuters, his lawyer, Junichiro Hironaka, told reporters the tweet did not violate those terms. Hironaka also said there have been no new requests from Tokyo prosecutors after Japan’s Yomiuri newspaper and other media outlets reported authorities were preparing a new case against Ghosn over payments the automaker made to a business partner in Oman — something Renault brought up when discussing his retirement pay.
Prosecutors are in discussions with the Supreme Public Prosecutors Office and others and plan to make a decision soon on whether to prosecute Ghosn on further charges of aggravated breach of trust, the newspaper said, citing sources involved in the case.
A spokesman for the Tokyo prosecutors office said he was not aware of any new investigation when contacted by Reuters.
Ghosn’s spokesman has previously said payments of $32 million made over nine years were rewards for the Oman firm being a top Nissan dealer. Such dealer incentives were not directed by Ghosn and the funds were not used to pay any personal debt, the spokesman said.
Sources told Reuters earlier this week that Renault had alerted French prosecutors after uncovering suspect payments to a Renault-Nissan business partner in Oman while Ghosn was chief executive of the French automaker.
Ghosn stepped down as Renault’s chairman and CEO in January, but has repeatedly denied accusations of financial misconduct at Nissan, encouraging Renault to undertake its own internal investigation. Renault and Nissan both uncovered payments made under Ghosn that allegedly went toward corporate jets, a yacht, and unrelated family businesses, leading the French carmaker to alert local authorities.
Meanwhile, Ghosn is awaiting trial in Japan over charges that he failed to report $82 million in Nissan pay that was arranged to flow following his retirement. He was also indicted for temporarily transferring personal investment losses to Nissan and steering $14.7 million in company funds to the Middle East.
A staunch consumer advocate tracking industry trends and regulation. Before joining TTAC, Matt spent a decade working for marketing and research firms based in NYC. Clients included several of the world’s largest automakers, global tire brands, and aftermarket part suppliers. Dissatisfied with the corporate world and resentful of having to wear suits everyday, he pivoted to writing about cars. Since then, that man has become an ardent supporter of the right-to-repair movement, been interviewed on the auto industry by national radio broadcasts, driven more rental cars than anyone ever should, participated in amateur rallying events, and received the requisite minimum training as sanctioned by the SCCA. Handy with a wrench, Matt grew up surrounded by Detroit auto workers and managed to get a pizza delivery job before he was legally eligible. He later found himself driving box trucks through Manhattan, guaranteeing future sympathy for actual truckers. He continues to conduct research pertaining to the automotive sector as an independent contractor and has since moved back to his native Michigan, closer to where the cars are born. A contrarian, Matt claims to prefer understeer — stating that front and all-wheel drive vehicles cater best to his driving style.
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- Marty The problem isn't range; it's lack of electricity in multi-unit building parking. All you need is level 1 - a standard 120v wall socket - and if you're plugged in 10 hours overnight you get 280 miles per week or more. That's enough for most folks but you can use public charging to supplement when needed. Installing conduit circuits and outlets is simple and cheap; no charge stations needed.
- 2manyvettes Tadge was at the Corvette Corral at the Rolex 24 hour sports car race at the end of January 2023. During the Q&A after his remarks someone stood up and told him "I will never buy an electric Corvette." His response? "I will never sell you an electric Corvette." Take that Fwiw.
- Socrates77 They're pinching pennies for the investors like always, greed has turned GM into a joke of an old corporate American greed.
- Analoggrotto looking at this takes me right back to the year when “CD-ROM” first entered public lexicon
- Alan My comment just went into the cloud.I do believe its up to the workers and I also see some simplistic comments against unionisation. Most of these are driven by fear and insecurity, an atypical conservative trait.The US for a so called modern and wealthy country has poor industrial relation practices with little protection for the worker, so maybe unionisation will advance the US to a genuine modern nation that looks after its workers well being, standard of living, health and education.Determining pay is measured using skill level, training level and risk associated with the job. So, you can have a low skilled job with high risk and receive a good pay, or have a job with lots of training and the pay is so-so.Another issue is viability of a business. If you have a hot dog stall and want $5 a dog and people only want to pay $4 you will go broke. This is why imported vehicles are important so people can buy more affordable appliances to drive to and from work.Setting up a union is easier than setting up work conditions and pay.


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Ahmedabad, India: The summer is all set for MobiCommerce, an eCommerce expertise having a fleet of 500+ clients around the globe, who recently announced its next business hunt from 14th to 17th of May on the grounds of Munich in Germany.
The visit will be led by Dheeraj Jain, Sr. Sales Consultant of MobiCommerce who along with his flamboyant team are looking forward to seeking potential partners, finding new opportunities, exploring the latest trends and technologies in the eCommerce market and much more on a global level.
Speaking about the visit, Rakesh Jain, the CEO and Co-founder of Mobicommerce said, “We are confident that it is going to be an exciting meet-up for MobiCommerce because as always we have our super-enthusiastic team as our driving force who never misses an opportunity to learn and explore what’s new in the eCommerce industry. We enjoy demonstrating what we offer and how our solutions help people achieve their business goals, which we are looking forward to doing the same at Munich as well.”
Adding more to the purpose of the visit, Dheeraj Jain said, “The eCommerce opportunities in Germany is growing incredibly well. The forecast of German eCommerce itself is expected to be worth 58.5 billion euros by the end of 2019 and the average online spend per shopper saw a 30 percent rise than the last year. Hence, it is evident from the figures how much the German population are into eCommerce and its trends which we are very much excited to explore.”
MobiCommerce is leading the eCommerce market, making its presence felt in every industry at every step with its extensive knowledge and market experience to support a variety of businesses in both B2B and B2C brands. Their commendable expertise in eCommerce solutions has helped many businesses set out on their online journey smoothly, without any pause. Visit Mobicommerce for more details.
As eCommerce has grown over the last decade, shopper expectations have grown too. They expect things to be as simple as possible whenever they shop online and may well exit the site if it takes too long to load or abandon carts at the last minute if the checkout process is too complicated. Trust us… Continue reading A Quick Guide To Improving Ecommerce Checkout Conversions
We are incredibly thrilled to announce the launch of our new and improved website (www.mobicommerce.net). It was long in the making, but we took our sweet time to ensure we covered everything for the benefit of our potential customers. As we grew from being known as only an eCommerce app development company to the one-stop-destination… Continue reading Our Rebranded Website Is Here To Enthrall Ecommerce Business Owners!
Introduction Magento 2 can be considered as one of the most reliable and widely used eCommerce platforms currently available in the market as it has helped a lot of businesses in increasing sales and becoming successful. Talking about increasing sales, a BONUS TIP here would be, to also learn Magento mobile app development to boost… Continue reading Best Magento 2 Extensions to increase eCommerce sales
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IKEA, Swedish furniture giant announced last year a collaboration with Asus’s Republic of Games (ROG) to create a new range of affordable gaming furniture and accessories to bring the gaming experience at home to a new level. The first wave of these products has just launched in China and includes specially designed gaming desks with height adjustments, computer tower stands, and gaming chairs.
The collection also includes stylish accessories like a headset cradle, pegboard for accessories, and even a multi-functional cushion/blanket, which seems to combine a cushion, blanket, and onesie into one item, letting gamers keep their all-important hands warm during loading screens and lengthy cutscenes. Around one-fourth of the global population (2.5 billion) are gamers, yet the needs of gaming lovers in terms of home furnishing have been so far overlooked until now.
The new IKEA Asus ROG collection is expected to launch in other IKEA markets starting this October.


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German business confidence drops amid growing concerns
German business confidence has fallen amid growing concerns about international risks like the possibility of a trade war with the United States.
The Munich-based Ifo institute said Thursday its business climate indicator fell to 114.7 points in March from 115.4 points in February. Businesses assessed the current situation worse, with the sub-index falling to 125.9 from 126.4 the previous month. Their expectations also dropped to 104.4 from 105.4 in March.
Germany's economy is doing well and the government is predicting 2.4 percent growth this year. But on Wednesday, a council of economic advisers to the government warned that possible U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum could spark a trade war, which would hurt growth.
Ifo's survey is based on about 7,000 responses from firms in manufacturing, construction, wholesale and retail.


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STMicroelectronics NV (STM.PA)
PARIS, Oct 27 STMicroelectronics expects improved profitability in 2016 after the Franco-Italian chipmaker reported higher third-quarter sales and profits helped by strong demand for smartphones and other connected items that use sensors.
* Q3 net revenues of $1.80 billion, up 5.5 pct sequentially and 1.9 pct year-over-year
The following factors could affect Italian markets on Monday.
* Stmicroelectronics acquires ams' nfc and rfid reader assets
* Q2 net revenues of $1.70 billion and gross margin of 33.9 pct
FRANKFURT BMW is set to announce an alliance to develop self-driving cars with collision detection specialist Mobileye and computer chip maker Intel, a source familiar with the matter said, as the race to put driverless cars on the road heats up.
PARIS, May 25 French Economy Minister Emmanuel Macron criticised the management of Franco-Italian chipmaker STMicroelectronics for a dividend policy he said was not in the company's long-term interest and for an erratic communication policy.
* Signs memorandum of understanding for acquisition of French subtitling company ST'501 Source text for Eikon: Further company coverage: (Gdynia Newsroom)


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Be a part of a unique online community that connects post production professionals and film academics worldwide.
You'll have access to personalize your news feed, access to Live Post Talks and much more. Contribute to the community by posting interesting post production content.
October 23, 2018, 7:53 am
Full Sail University has expanded its world-class performance venue, Full Sail Live, with Calrec Audio’s Artemis and Brio36 consoles. Already utilizing a Summa console for its Show Production degree program and Brio console for its Film degree program, Full Sail knows Calrec’s advanced audio solutions.
October 16, 2018, 8:47 am
TVB, the largest broadcaster in Hong Kong, recently purchased two Artemis Beam and one Artemis Light audio consoles as part of its continuing audio technology upgrade. The latest installations bring the total of Artemis consoles at TVB to eight.
October 15, 2018, 6:57 am
NUGEN Audio debuts its latest Loudness Toolkit updates for the first time in the U.S. at AES NY 2018 (Booth 5041). Loudness Toolkit 2.8 provides a new loudness parameter, Dialogue LRA as well as new flexibility to simultaneously monitor multiple integrated measures. These updates help facilitate an efficient workflow when working with the recent loudness guidelines, such as the new Netflix best practice document.
Lawrence Jordan joins Gordon to discuss editing, 2-pop, and his new venture Master the workflow.
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A hybrid Ford F-150 and a hybrid Mustang are coming by 2020, according to an announcement today by Ford Motor Company. The announcement detailed seven new electrified cars, trucks and vans that the company is producing in the next five years. In addition to the F-150 and Mustang, a fully electric SUV with an expected 500 km range is coming. There will also be a plug-in hybrid Transit Custom, a new vehicle designed for autonomous ride-share use, and a pair of pursuit-rated hybrids for police use. In the same announcement, Ford also stated that they would be canceling plans for a new plant in Mexico and building some of the new vehicles in the US.
While purists will not be happy and forums will outrage with the news of the electrified F-150 and Mustang, the addition of electric power makes sense and can compliment both vehicles. In the F-150, the massive and instant torque of a hybrid motor is ideal for getting a heavy trailer moving. Regenerative braking from the electric motor operates much like a diesel's exhaust brake to help slow loads on hills as well. Ford says that the F-150 will have the ability to be used as a mobile generator, powering your worksite or outdoor needs.
Ford loftily claims the Mustang will "deliver V8 power and even more low-end torque", with improved fuel economy. The engine note might not be as sonorous as a big V8, but the tires will spin even more readily. The F-150 is scheduled to arrive by 2020, and the Mustang will debut that year.
The fully electric SUV will be an all-new model and Ford says only that it will be small, they expect it to be sold around the world, and that it will have a range of "at least 300 miles (482 km)." The autonomous vehicle, designed for ride-sharing services like Uber, has been brought up previously by Ford. Today's announcement says that it will be a hybrid, and will debut in 2021.
The Transit Custom hybrid will be for Europe only, at least at first. The Custom is a model not available here that fits in between the full-size Transit and the smaller Transit Connect vans we get here. Ford is already testing a hybrid version of the Connect as a taxi in New York City. The two pursuit-rated hybrid models were not named, but Ford did say that one of the two will be built at their Chicago plant. That assembly plant currently builds the Taurus and Explorer, both of which are sold as pursuit-rated to police forces.


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The hammer is dropping at Microsoft. The software giant is laying off a record number of employees, including up to half of the recently-acquired Nokia staff. But is that the best thing for Redmond?
Assimilated into Microsoft, Nokia will be making Windows phones and that's it. Microsoft has decided to end Nokia's development of Android-based phones, feature phones and the Asha operating system.
How will the IBM-Apple deal announced Wednesday affect business users? There are indications that the deal between the tech titans could have a significant impact in a variety of areas.
The boom has been lowered in Redmond. Following persistent rumors that Microsoft could lay off more people than the previous record of 5,800, the company said it would eliminate some 18,000 jobs.
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Local dealer celebrates Chevy’s 100th birthday
November 5, 2011
By BRIAN FERRY firstname.lastname@example.org There wasn’t a lot of baseball at the Jones Chevrolet celebration on Thursday, but there were hot dogs, apple pie, and plenty of classic cars. On No....
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Bengaluru, Karnataka, India, 11th December 2023 – Pooran Prasad Rajanna, the CEO of OAYAW India, is all set to present its flagship product – 1Page, an AI Sales Platform for meeting preparations, at the Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (GPAI) Summit 2023 organized by the Government of India.
The Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (GPAI) is a multi-stakeholder initiative which aims to bridge the gap between theory and practice on AI by supporting cutting-edge research and applied activities on AI-related priorities. Launched in June 2020 with 15 members, today GPAI’s membership has expanded to 28 member countries and the European Union. As one of the founding members of GPAI in 2020, the current incoming Support Chair of GPAI, and the Lead Chair for GPAI in 2024, India is hosting the Annual GPAI Summit from December 12 – 14, 2023 at Bharat Mantapam, New Delhi. The event is being inaugurated by the Hon'ble Prime Minister on December 12, 2023.
Pooran, a visionary leader in the tech industry, expressed enthusiasm about participating and exhibiting in the GPAI event, stating, "I am honored to be part of this important gathering that focuses on shaping the future of artificial intelligence. The discussions and collaborations at GPAI are crucial for ensuring the responsible and ethical advancement of AI technologies."
As the CEO of OAYAW India, Pooran has been at the forefront of driving innovation in the meeting preparation SaaS sector. OAYAW's revolutionary product – 1Page, has garnered acclaim for streamlining and enhancing the efficiency of meetings, offering users a seamless experience in preparing and conducting meetings
The GPAI event in Delhi will provide an excellent platform for Pooran to engage with thought leaders, policymakers, and industry experts. The agenda includes keynote speeches, panel discussions, and workshops covering a wide range of topics related to AI, from ethics and governance to technological advancements and societal impact. The Summit details can be found at GPAI (indiaai.gov.in).
At OAYAW India, we are driven by a shared vision to empower midsize to large-scale enterprises and revolutionize how they approach sales enablement, productivity, and performance enhancement. With our talented team, innovative mindset, and inclusive culture, we are poised to make a lasting impact in the market and become a trusted partner for businesses seeking to unlock their full potential. We have our offices in Berkeley, California, and Bengaluru, India. For more information, please visit www.get1page.com.
For more information, press only:
Pooran Prasad Rajanna
+91 98867 01028


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Travis Scott Will Donate Proceeds From Latest Nike Collaboration To Project HEAL
Rapper Travis Scott is set to donate proceeds from his latest Nike collaboration to HEAL.
It is good to see Travis Scott back after such a long while. The “Sicko Mode” star recently returned to performing a few weeks back, featuring as a performer at the 2022 Billboard Music Awards.
He also surprised fans with a new release. The surprise release was announced via his official website. It is a collaboration between Nike Air Trainer 1 and Air Max 1. His website also reported that proceeds from the collab would be donated to Scott’s Project HEAL initiative, which was launched in March this year.
According to reports, the donation could run into millions. However, no exact figure has been revealed. The collaboration is said to be spearheaded by Scott, who aims to donate the proceeds. The surprise Travis Scott x Nike Air Trainer 1 and Air Max 1 collaborations will be available on Nike SNKRS this Friday, May 27.


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For the first time in more than two years, SUV sales account for more than half of the U.S. auto market. This will come as no surprise to readers of this blog, as we have charted the growing rebound of light truck sales as the U.S. economy has (albeit slowly) rebounded and gas prices remain under $3 a gallon.
The trend comes even as Washington issued a new edict that vehicles average an absurd 62 mpg by 2025. The current absurd standard — 35 mpg by 2015 — has forced manufacturers to invest billions in new small-car development.
Today, manufacturers are in defiance of their own customers — their marketing departments churning out small-car ads touting their new green products. This puts automakers in a tough spot: Continue to make cars for the government, or listen to their customers.
For now, manufacturers are sticking with the government, telling the Detroit News that “with a slew of new cars coming out, such as the Chevrolet Cruze, the Ford Fiesta and a new Ford Focus early next year, car sales are likely to outpace truck sales in the coming months.”
Maybe. But it would contradict this year’s clear market trend in precisely the opposite direction.


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The corporate assistance has come from the leading local shipping company, Hobson Enterprises, (HE), which on Tuesday night, (24thJuly, 2012), cemented its partnership with the program, by funding part of the wardrobe of polo shirts and jackets, to be used on set by the hosts, Mr. Theo Clarke and Osdell “Scotty” Hanley.
Clarke said that he and his team are extremely grateful to Hobson Enterprises because they have been the lone corporate entity that has seen it fit to step forward to help the sports broadcast, which is the only one of its kind in the federation.
Mr. Clarke explained that though the program has been on air for over 7 years, they were still finding it difficult to attract any form of assistance to help the broadcast; that is why the decision by Hobson Enterprises to offer their assistance, is significant. He is also of the view that this move may also encourage other companies to get on board.
Mr. Hobson assured Mr. Clarke that his company is here to help because they feel that Action Sports is a very good program to enlighten the federation on what is happening in sports, locally, regionally and internationally…and anything they can do to help they will certainly step forward.
Co-host Osdell Hanley also thanked Mr. Hobson and his company, saying it is always good when business people give back to the community, and they (Action Sports) would like to wish the management and staff of Hobson Enterprises the greatest success in the future.
Hobson Enterprises group of companies has been involved in sports in St. Kitts and Nevis for a number of years. The Managing Director, Damion Hobson said the support for various sporting disciplines started with his father and founder of the company, Mr. Alphonso Hobson, who himself was an avid sportsman who played football, cricket and basketball.
He said they have continued in that tradition by helping a number of sporting activities, events and organizations in the Federation. “So when we got this opportunity to come on board to help Action Sports in meeting some of its basic needs, we thought it was a great way to again give back to the community, “stated Hobson.
“So this evening we have decked you out in some new polos and new blazers which are to be worn for Action Sports during its live television broadcasts and also at events being covered in the field,” said the managing Director, during the handing over ceremony, held on Tuesday night during the live edition of the show.
When asked by the hosts to provide some background on the company, Mr. Hobson explained that Hobson Enterprises is a company that is primarily involved in shipping. He said they pride themselves in being the number one company when it comes to shipping logistics in St. Kitts and Nevis.
They represent a number of principal companies, including UPS worldwide shipping, Crowley and Crowley Logistics which is fully loaded containers and LCL shipments, trucking, customs clearance and anything to do with shipping, from the stores to the doors of customers.
The company has sponsored just about every area of sport and Mr. Hobson reminded that it was earlier this year that West Side Ballers, a team they sponsor, won the Village League.
They have also given their sponsorship support in track and field, cricket, football, basketball, volleyball and other disciplines; while also reaching out with financial support to many small community groups. Mr. Hobson said his company has been doing a lot recently when it comes to sports.
Hobson Enterprises is also sponsoring a team in the Business Football League. The team is currently in the top five of that contest.


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PC gaming with auto-HDR and direct storage will be great in Windows 11
Microsoft revealed some information on how Windows 11 would enhance gaming experiences which includes features like Auto-HDR that automatically utilize High Dynamic Range to increase color depth.
The addition of Direct Storage into Windows 11 also means that load times will be reduced and game developers have the potential to preset more expansive worlds thanks to lightning fast rendering speeds. And thanks to NVMe SSD, we can expect the next generation of gaming to look far different, even on PC.
Additionally, Xbox Game Pass is built into Windows 11 through the Xbox App. PC games from both Xbox Game Studios and Bethesda will be available for Xbox Game Pass subscribers as soon as they launch. This also provides access to EA Play, while Microsoft is comitted to cross-play and the ability to seamlessly jump between devices to continue gaming. Microsoft claims "This is the 'best Windows ever for gaming.'"
What are your thoughts on this? Do let us know. Stay tuned to loganthetechguy.com for the latest tech news and promo deals. Subscribe to Logan The Tech Guy YouTube channel for the latest tech videos. All love and peace out!


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Healthy Eating Can Cost Less According to USDA StudyMay 22, 2012
Are healthy foods really more expensive? That is a key question as well as the title of a recent U.S. Department of Agriculture report. High cost is often mentioned as a barrier to eating healthy foods like fruit and vegetables. There is a common perception that healthy foods cost less than less healthy foods. Previous research, for example from Drewnowski and colleagues (2010), which looks primarily at price per calorie, has supported this idea. However, the USDA researchers found that healthy food is actually cheaper when they used two other metrics to examine food costs in addition to price per calorie.
The researchers looked at 4,439 foods and estimated the cost by price per calorie, price per edible weight (ex. excluding inedible parts like chicken bones and watermelon rinds), and price per average portion size. They then used these metrics to compare costs for fruits, vegetables and other healthy foods compared to less healthy ‘moderation foods’ which are higher in sugar, fat and salt. When using the price per calorie metric the less healthy foods were cheaper. On the other hand, when using price per edible weight or average portion size, fruit and vegetables were cheaper than most dairy, protein and moderation foods. The photo above shows the different portion sizes for 100 calories of broccoli, strawberries, M&Ms, potato chips and bread.
One example is to compare a glazed doughnut, with about 240 calories, to a banana, with about 105 calories. If both foods cost the same amount, using the price per calorie metric, the doughnut would be cheaper. However, if you pick the banana you’ll probably only eat one and feel a lot fuller afterward, according to Andrea Carlson, lead author of the USDA study. One banana has three grams of fiber, as well as potassium, vitamin C, and B vitamins.
“Many have raised concerns that those of modest means… can’t afford a healthy diet,” said Kevin Concannon, USDA under secretary for food, nutrition and consumer services. “The good news I take away from the study is that is not necessarily the case.”
Although this study found that healthy foods can be less expensive there are other barriers such as access to healthy foods which can be challenging in some areas that lack supermarkets. Access to affordable healthy food has also been part of the discussion surrounding the obesity epidemic with two-thirds of adults and one-third of children overweight or obese in the United States. The Weight of the Nation conference, report and HBO series have brought more attention to this issue recently.
Comments are closed.


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Astros stars to sign autographs at Academy stores
Astros stars Jose Altuve, Carlos Correa, Alex Bregman and Lance McCullers will be appearing at Academy Sports + Outdoors stores this month. signing autographs for fans.
The autographs are free, but passes will be distributed two hours before each appearance on a first-come, first-served basis. Each player will only sign a copy of the Houston Chronicle poster series, provided by Academy. The palyers will not be able to sign any outside items or merchandise.
Here is the schedule for the autograph appearances:
5:30-6:30 Nov. 15 (9734 Katy Freeway)
7-8 p.m. Nov. 15 (Pearland)
7-8:30 p.m. Nov. 16 (Webster)
5:30-6:30 p.m. Nov. 20 (Katy)


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- Like Apple, Amazon’s Wind Energy Power Claim is 100-Percent Myth - November 9, 2015
- Consumer Reports Rescinds Recommendation for Tesla’s Model S - October 31, 2015
- Electric Truck Company Looks Like Next Stimulus-Funded Bankruptcy - October 8, 2015
In September television station WJLA (the ABC affiliate in Washington) fired reporter Doug McKelway over his report about a demonstration by environmental groups, who protested during the BP/Gulf disaster over oil industry campaign contributions to members of Congress. Among other things his bosses were apparently displeased that McKelway called attention to President Obama’s $77,051 in campaign contributions from BP.
Here’s the report that got McKelway in trouble:


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But mortgage originations may buck the trend
The US consumer credit market is expected to see positive growth in 2019 but mortgage originations are set to fall.
A new report from TransUnion forecasts that low unemployment rates and predicted growth in GDP should propel the market with increased credit balances for most products and falling delinquency rates.
But TransUnion is forecasting mortgage originations to drop partly due to increases expected for both the Prime and Mortgage Interest Rates, a rise in inflation and a low inventory of homes.
“While overall originations will be down in 2019, increases in home prices are resulting in record levels of home equity, which provide homeowners more opportunities to tap into low APR home equity products,” said Joe Mellman, senior vice president and TransUnion’s mortgage line of business leader. “This will particularly benefit consumers deciding pay off other higher interest rate products – as well as consumers finding it difficult to afford a new ‘move up’ house, who instead opt to invest in improving their existing home.”
Delinquency rates to fall
With the notable exception of credit cards (forecast to rise from 1.94% in Q4 2018 to 2.04%), serious delinquency rates are forecast to fall in 2019.
For mortgages, the serious delinquency rate is forecast to fall from 1.62% in Q4 2018 to 1.48% in Q4 2019. 10 years’ ago it was 6.65%.
Subprime borrowers will increase share from 3.6% of all mortgage loans originated in 2018 to 3.9% in 2019.
There will also rise for auto loans, unsecured personal loans, and credit cards, but said Matt Komos, vice president of research and consulting for TransUnion says this shouldn’t be worrisome right now.
“Balancing risk and returns is an instrumental part of consumer lending, and small increases to delinquency rates are often part of the planning process—a normal derivative of granting wider access to credit,” he said. “Even though it has now been a decade since the last recession, lenders continue to be cautious. In our estimation, the rise in non-prime borrowing we have observed and expect to see next year are a net-net positive.”


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The recent spate of high-profile e-bike and e-scooter fires risk slowing the momentum of the micromobility sector, according to the head of a UK bike brand.
Responding to a recent video of an explosion caused by a faulty e-bike battery, the video shared by the London Fire Brigade, managing director of children’s bike brand Islabikes, Tim Goodall, has shared his concerns about the wider impact of these types of incident.
In a statement responding to the most recent incident, Goodall said consumers need to do their own research before buying imported micromobility products to ensure they meet UK safety regulations.
Goodall said: “In a matter of moments, a faulty lithium battery in an e-bike or e-scooter can cause serious damage and potentially serious injury. The London Fire Brigade has just released footage of an explosion caught on camera which was caused by an e-bike’s lithium battery erupting after entering an uncontrollable, self-heating state – the second incident of its kind in recent weeks. In 2023, the London Fire Brigade has been called to a fire caused by e-bike or e-scooter every two days.
“As far as we’re aware, the fires are being started by botched conversions, and maybe use batteries that don’t comply with UK regulations. It’s important that consumers do their own research before buying an illegal import. As with any online product, buying the cheapest product available from an unknown brand can come with unexpected risks.”
In the most recent incident, which happened on Saturday, May 20, firefighters were called to a block of flats in Roehampton, West London after an e-bike battery burst into flames.
London Fire Brigade has released CCTV footage of the incident, to raise awareness around micromobility battery safety.
The fire service has been called to 52 e-bike fires and 12 e-scooter fires in London so far this year.
Deputy Commissioner Dom Ellis said: “Although we can’t be sure why this particular battery failed, we do know that Avi’s e-bike was purchased second-hand and that an additional battery pack, bought from an online marketplace, had been fitted.
“Cheaper batteries purchased from online sources which don’t necessarily adhere to UK safety regulations are more likely to fail and present an increased fire risk. Our advice is also to buy from a reputable seller. As the video clearly shows, once the bike goes into thermal runaway, it can lead to a rapid and ferocious fire.”
Goodall said: “This presents a serious ethical issue and also risks slowing the momentum of the micromobility sector. We are finally seeing major cities re-evaluate its use of public space and the inefficiency of allocating it to private vehicles, spurring infrastructure developments like bike lines and multi-use paths – an incredibly encouraging and positive development for the emerging sector, which risks being slowed by the unethical practices of a few micromobility players who, evidently, aren’t to be trusted.
“There are a few ways to help reduce the risk of fire when you charge an e-bike or e-scooter with a lithium battery, such as purchasing the correct charger from a reputable seller, letting your battery cool before plugging it in and fitting smoke alarms in the area of your home where you charge your e-bike or e-scooter. You should also avoid leaving your e-bike or e-scooter to charge when you aren’t present and aware, such as going out for the day or overnight.
“You might be able to spot the signs of a faulty battery beforehand as well. If your device feels extremely hot to touch – more so than the usual heat generated by a battery in use – then it might be defective. The added heat might also cause it to bulge, leak or swell. Alternatively, you may hear a cracking or hissing noise when using your e-bike or e-scooter or notice a strong or unusual smell.”


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Racing bike specialists aim to speed up growth of business
3 November 2015
A Barnsley specialist racing bike shop which sells to cycling enthusiasts all over the country aims to move its business up a gear in 2016.
Race Scene sells bespoke bikes which are built, customised and serviced on-site in its own workshop. And it is the exclusive UK supplier of several high-end Italian cycle manufacturers.
The store is now refurbishing its retail space and launching a new website as part of a strategy to attract new sales in the growing market for premium cycles. Its developments are being backed by Barnsley Business and Innovation Centre (BBIC), through Enterprising Barnsley, the business development arm of Barnsley Council.
Race Scene owner Richard Maxwell said: “We have seen a ten per cent growth in sales year-on-year since we set up the business 18 years ago and would like to up that to 20 per cent next year and going forward.
“We already enjoy a wide-spread customer base for both entry level and elite racing bike machines, with about a quarter of our customers based in South Yorkshire, but the rest travelling here from all over the UK, even as far afield as Scotland and Dorset. We’ve also sold bikes to the USA and Australia.”
The profile of this established Barnsley business was raised further when the media spotlight fell on this region for the Grand Depart in 2014 and the Tour de Yorkshire this year. Barnsley town centre also hosted the British Cycling National Circuit Race Championships this July.
Richard said: “Yorkshire and Barnsley are certainly well known in the world of elite cycling. And in purely practical terms we are happy to be based here as we are pretty central in the UK and just a few miles from the M1 – buyers from all over the country do find it easy to reach us.”
Race Scene seeks to increase sales on the back of the increased participation in serious cycling as leisure activity in the UK. Research published by market analysts Mintel last year indicated a growth of interest in cycling at all levels and forecast a 22 per cent increase in sales of high-end bikes over five years, with the total value of this UK market reaching a £909 million by 2018.
Richard estimates that 80 per cent of Race Scene customers are cycling enthusiasts who ride for pleasure and fitness with the occasional ‘sportive’ event, whilst about 20 per cent race competitively.
He said: “It is good to see more people are getting involved in the sport at whatever level they are at. Cycling is a great way to lose weight, feel better, keep fit and get outdoors. If people are keen to invest, our bikes aim to give them the very best ride for maximum comfort and performance.”
Race Scene has built a strong reputation for its expertise in supplying high quality frames – from Italian manufacturers such as Somec, De Rosa, Casati, Pinarello and Ciocc - and designing and delivering made-to-measure bikes in their industry-accredited workshop.
Each of these sales involves one-to-one appointments with the customer to take measurements, make ergonomic assessments and discuss their requirements. An understanding of the individual’s fitness, ability and where they will ride also guides the correct gearing choice. The Race Scene team then build the bike to precision specifications; and then maintains and modifies it as it is used and the cyclist’s fitness develops.
The specialist shop, based on Sheffield Road, employs a team of four and sells more than 200 bespoke bikes a year.
Richard said: “The great majority of our customers don’t tend to pop in and pick up a bike – though we do sell a few like that. The vast majority of sales are for bespoke high-end bikes.”
Enterprising Barnsley has supported Race Scene with online marketing and business development. Its shop modifications will improve product display space.
Kevin Steel, Enterprising Barnsley’s business development manager at BBIC, said: “Richard and his team are absolute cycling enthusiasts and it is great to see their expertise attracting customers from all over the country to spend money here in the Barnsley economy.
“Given Yorkshire’s high profile in the world of cycling now, it is good to see an elite Barnsley cycling business pursue ambitions for growth.”
Notes to editor
For information about Race Scene, please contact them on 01226 291888 or firstname.lastname@example.org
For more information about Enterprising Barnsley business support, funded by Barnsley Metropolitan Council and delivered by Barnsley Business and Innovation Centre (BBIC), contact Kevin Steel on tel: 01226 249590 or email@example.com
For details of Mintel’s research: http://www.mintel.com/press-centre/social-and-lifestyle/going-up-a-gear-britains-cycling-enthusiasts-trade-up-to-better-quality-models
BBIC is committed to assisting economic regeneration in the Barnsley borough. It aims to stimulate, promote and encourage the development of innovative technology and knowledge-based businesses in order to create jobs and economic growth.
Additional media contact: Steph Pollard on 01226 766900 or firstname.lastname@example.org
This press release was prepared by Capital B Media, a public relations and media training agency based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire. For more details about our PR services, please visit www.capitalbmedia.co.uk


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Topshop Keeps Presence in Australia
UK-based Topshop parent, Arcadia Group, has purchased parts of the Topshop brand back from its Australian franchisee. Topshop is keeping four stores operating in the country.
Topshop had operated 17 Topshop and Topman stores in Australia until May this year, when it entered into voluntary administration following mounting debt and heavy discounting.
It’s UK owner, Arcadia Group was able to save four of its local stores from potential closure, including Melbourne’s Emporium, Sydney CBD, Bondi Junction and Brisbane City – these stores will now be operated by the UK based retailer.
Myer has also closed its 17 Topshop concessions this year, exiting the brand as it approached the end of financial year, confirming a $6.8 million write down as a result of relinquishing its 20 percent stake in Topshop / Topman’s Australian business.
It is unclear when and if Topshop’s online store will reopen. It’s local e-commerce platform, which only launched in March this year, closed only two months later. The late launch of its e-commerce operations in Australia has been sited as a major reason the retailer’s near collapse. Aussie online shoppers can now buy via Topshop’s UK online store topshop.com, and have items delivered to Australia.
Following Topshop Australia’s latest restructure, the new owners confirmed more than 290 Australian jobs will be offered.
“We are excited to operate directly in the Australian market and look forward to delivering unparalleled fashion to our customers. We are delighted to be offering more than 290 jobs within the Australian market at Topshop and Topman,” said a Topshop / Topman spokesperson.
“The Administrators are delighted with the outcome of our discussions with Topshop / Topman as it finalises a successful restructure and right sizing of the business in Australia. Throughout this process we have considered the optimal operational structure of the business, ensuring the brand will continue in the local market and to preserve a significant number of jobs within the business,” said Ferrier Hodgson in a company statement.


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There is, meanwhile, another player in the game: the California-based firm Space Exploration Technologies, or SpaceX , founded in 2002 by Internet entrepreneur Elon Musk with the ultimate goal of providing lower-cost access to space via the development of fully reusable launch vehicles.
Revenue in the fourth quarter, ending December 31, rose 47% to $12.97 billion, from $8.81 billion in the same period a year earlier, topping analysts expectations of $12.55 billion. "But I also expect the time you do spend on Facebook will be more valuable", he wrote. The move raised concerns among investors about the impact on Facebook's core advertising business.
In December, Apple apologized for the slowdown after a blogger's tests revealed the secretive practice. The Cupertino, California-based Apple has been struggling with some other software-related problems, including vulnerabilities of processor that have affected other technology companies and a faulty login that expose files on Mac accessible to intruders even without a passcode.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration ( NASA ) estimate that the Moon will be nearly 14 percent brighter than usual. The next super blue blood moon anywhere won't be until New Year's Eve on December 2028, according to NASA .
The game has received critical acclaim at launch and the sales seem to follow the same success with a reported shipment of 5 million copies worldwide across the PS4 and Xbox One . The PC version is in development and could release sometime in Autumn 2018. 2017 was a very good year for the Nintendo Switch. With a wide variety of creatures included in the ope-world game, there are many to get your hands on.
On Wednesday, January 24, SpaceX announced that it has successfully test-fired the 27 Merlin engines of the Falcon Heavy rocket . SpaceX said on Twitter . The Falcon Heavy is essentially three smaller Falcon 9 rockets fastened together. Everybody is ready for the Falcon Heavy launch. "It was actually shockingly hard to go from a single-core to a triple-core vehicle".


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TL;DR: Welcome to In Case You Missed It (ICYMI), a daily crypto news update. Sweden tests e-krona. Canadian e-commerce company Shopify joins Libra Association. Blockchain insurance firm issues payouts in bZx attacks. Reginald Fowler gets 5 count superseding indictment after plea change. IOTA to reactivate mainnet March 2, and Ripple moved $54 million dollars in remittances from the US to Mexico in a week.
Sweden Testing E-Krona
Riksbank, the central Bank of Sweden, started testing the e-krona, an electronic version of its fiat currency, the krona. The e-krona will be tested by a third-party firm called Accenture, and will focus on the possible use of the currency in an isolated environment. Despite this, the bank has not issued any specific statement about the issuance of the e-krona to the public, which will reportedly be able for services “like sending a text message.” The e-krona tests will continue through February 2021 using blockchain technology in one of the most cashless societies in the world.
Shopify Joins Libra Association
Shopify, a Canadian e-commerce company, announced it will be joining the Libra Association, the organization supporting the Libra cryptocurrency project from Facebook. In the PR announcement, they explained their reason to join Libra lies in their objective of making “commerce better in parts of the world where money and banking could be far better.” Their mission at Libra will be to “work collectively to build a payment network that makes money easier to access and supports merchants and consumers everywhere.” This is the only company to announce joining the initiative after several, like Visa and Paypal, have abandoned it.
Blockchain Insurance Firm Nexus Mutual Firm Issues Payout for bZx Attacks
Nexus Mutual, a blockchain-based smart contract insurance firm, paid for the attacks the bZx DeFi protocol suffered twice during this month. Nexus Mutual needed two votes to pay out $31,000 to the affected. The first vote denied to pay because the “attack” seemed like a manipulation of an oracle. Then bZx published a report stating a failsafe in the smart contract really failed, and the second vote decided to reimburse the funds. “It’s never good that people are losing money because there’s a hack, but we are able to prove that the system works,” said Hugh Karp, Nexus Mutual founder.
Reginald Fowler Gets 5 Count Superseding Indictment
CRYPTO IN THE COURTROOM: In #SDNY Crypo-Currency Case, Reginald Fowler Paused His Scheduled Guilty Plea on Jan 15 – Now A 5-Count Superseding Indictment, Wire Fraud, Bank Fraud and "Unlicensed Money Transmitting Business" @SDNYLIVE https://t.co/U921fqo2h3 pic.twitter.com/U1ANdakJFk
— Inner City Press (@innercitypress) February 21, 2020
Reginald Fowler, one of the men behind Crypto Capital, an alleged “shadow bank” that managed money on behalf of several cryptocurrency customers, has been hit with a 5 count superseding indictment: Conspiracy to Commit Bank Fraud, substantive Bank Fraud and Conspiracy to Operate an Unlicensed Money Transmitting Business and substantive Operation of an Unlicensed Money Transmitting Business, and Wire Fraud. Fowler previously changed his plea from guilty to innocent on a single count, “operation of an unlicensed money transmittal business,” in a deal that fell through on financial issues.
IOTA to Reactivate Mainnet on March 2
IOTA, an internet of things enabled blockchain, announced they expect to reactivate their mainnet on March 2, after suffering an attack that leveraged a vulnerability in their Trinity main wallet. The attack left at least 50 victims and losses up to $2 million that will be reimbursed, according to IOTA Foundation co-founder Dominik Schiener. The team decided to stop the Coordinator, an essential part of the network managing transactions, on February 12, as “an extraordinary measure in response to an extraordinary event,” as IOTA Foundation co-chair David Sønstebø declared.
Ripple Moved $54 Million Dollars in Remittances to Mexico in One Week
Ripple is now moving $54 million dollars in remittances from the US to Mexico in just one week, according to its CEO Brad Garlinghouse. Garlinghouse said in an interview on CNN, “Last week, we did $54 million of XRP flows into Mexico. That’s 7.5% of all flows from the US dollar to Mexican peso. That’s up from 3% in December. So this is growing very quickly.” Ripple partnered with other companies like MoneyGram and Bitso to provide liquidity for Mexican markets. “With 7.5% of liquidity into Mexico are being driven through XRP, you start to really see that it is not a science experiment,” he concluded.
CONTINUE THE SPICE and check out our piping hot VIDEOS. Our podcast, The CoinSpice Podcast, has amazing guests. Follow CoinSpice on Twitter. Join our Telegram feed to make sure you never miss a post. Drop some BCH at the merch shop — we’ve got some spicy shirts for men and women. Don’t forget to help spread the word about CoinSpice on social media.


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Analysts averages pegged Microsoft's expected earnings at around $36.5 billion.
[h=2]What you need to know[/h]
- Microsoft brought in $38 billion in revenue during Q4 2020.
- That's up 13 percent over the same period last year.
- Microsoft's commercial cloud business surpassed $50 billion in annual revenue for the first time.
Full story from the WindowsCentral blog...


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General Motors calls accusations the Chevy Cruze Diesel cheats emissions baseless and says the Cruze’s engine is complaint to every letter of the law.
The automaker’s response comes after a class-action lawsuit was filed this week by a Seattle law firm on behalf of six Cruze diesel owners. It alleges GM and Chevy falsely marketed the Cruze Diesel as a clean vehicle when it’s not. Instead, the suit claims the Cruze uses defeat software like Volkswagen did in its TDIs.
GM responded with this statement:
“These claims are baseless and we will vigorously defend ourselves. GM believes the Chevrolet Cruze turbo diesel complies with all US EPA and CARB emissions regulations.” – GM
The lawsuit is really rooted in Europe. It tries to connect the Cruze diesel to GM’s Opel brand. It sites a report from a German environmental group that claims the Opel brand uses a device that disables pollution controls in some circumstances. Opel and GM say that’s not the case. They’ve repeatedly denied the cars do not use any type of defeat device whatsoever. According the Detroit News, GM and Opel say the group’s report was based on “misleading oversimplifications and misinterpretations of the complicated interrelationships of a modern emissions control system of a diesel engine.”
The lawsuit, filed by Hagens Berman Sobal Shapiro, is seeking buybacks and asking GM to compensate owners the $2,000 premium they paid for their cars. It also asks for punitive damages.
This isn’t the first emissions lawsuit involving the Seattle firm. It’s also a member of a court-appointed committee in a case against Volkswagen emissions cheating. Plus, it’s also lead counsel in a similar case filed against Mercedes-Benz.
GM brought the 2.0-liter diesel engine over from Europe a few years ago. It is bringing the Cruze Hatchback to the U.S. this fall.


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If Tesco had known just how badly the discounters would ultimately handle their post-recession come-down I don’t think they’d have worried so much about them during the downturn and even bothered launching their Discounter Brands range.
The latest evidence to emerge of their continued weak performance comes from grocery experts IGD that found the main three Aldi, Netto and Lidl have all massively under-delivered on planned new store openings. The biggest failure was at Aldi that had bragged during its peak trading in 2008 that it would open a store each week. Actual result is 15 opened in 2009.
Netto sensibly promised nothing so its opening of six new stores in 2009 could be described as a positive result. But it is still disappointing compared with the 13 it opened in 2008. And Lidl stated its intention to open up to 50 outlets but it could manage only 30 last year.
The discounters have failed to pick up new units because of the inflexibility of their property departments that have very fixed ideas of what to acquire. In contrast, the large UK grocers have proven very adept at picking up a variety of different sized units in diverse locations, thereby running rings around their cheap-priced rivals.
The deterioration in store openings at the discounters is modest compared with the drop-off in sales that has seen all three disappoint since their high points in 2008 when Terry Leahy, CEO of Tesco, rather presciently suggested they were simply enjoying their “moment in the sun” (reported in The Times, 11 June 2008)
That moment in the sun swiftly passed and all three discounters went on to boot out their managing directors in varying circumstances. This suggested that even when the sun was shining on their backs they had mis-managed the opportunity. Now that there are much fewer opportunities for them in the UK and shoppers have returned to buying premium products again their prospects look as bleak as the interior of my local lidl store.
Disclosure: I still buy my daughter ice cream from my local Lidl store despite its interior.


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Eastman Kodak Co. and Kingsbury Corp. have entered into an agreement to produce next-generation touch-screen sensors.
As part of the agreement, Kingsbury will open a manufacturing facility in Building 318 at Eastman Business Park this year. The company will use the facility to produce touch screen sensors that use Kodak’s silver halide technology.
Kingsbury officials said the company also will work with customers who wish integrate the technology at their own facilities. Kodak will provide Kingsbury with chemicals, substrates and technical support, while assisting in the marketing and sale of the sensors.
“The new manufacturing and marketing partnership between Kingsbury and Kodak represents a major milestone in the scale up, commercialization, and roll-out of touch sensor films to meet the growing global demand for these products,” said William Pollock, president and CEO of Kingsbury, in a statement.
Last December, Pollock gave up his majority interest in Optimation Technology Inc. to fund Kingsbury, a storied New Hampshire machinery company he purchased out of bankruptcy for $3.1 million in February 2012.
Kingsbury set up shop in a facility next to Optimation’s industrial center on Lexington Avenue. Pollock remains CEO of Optimation, as well.
Pollock said Kingsbury, which builds high-speed assembly machines, will work with Optimation, which designs Web-based manufacturing systems, to design and execute the new touch-screen manufacturing plant at Eastman Business Park.
Kingsbury currently has some 60 employees. Pollock said the company will add 50 employees within the next six to 12 months and as many as 150 employees within the next three to four years.
Terry Taber, Kodak chief technology officer, said the company has aligned itself with a manufacturing partner who will uses Kodak’s silver deposition technologies.
“This agreement … is another major step forward for Kodak’s functional printing initiative, which represents a key growth area for Kodak,” he said.
(c) 2013 Rochester Business Journal. To obtain permission to reprint this article, call 585-546-8303 or email email@example.com.


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Ford has announced the long-awaited F-150 Lightning, the fully-electric version of company’s classic pick-up trick and, unlike Tesla’s Cybertruck, it actually looks like one.
The new F-150 Lightning, already taken for a spin by US President Joe Biden earlier this week, has a range of up to 300 miles from a single charge. However, if you’re happy to settle for 230 miles then you can get one for under $40,000 – $39,974 (about £28,250) to be precise.
That’s a highly attractive price point for a truck that starts at $35,050 (£25,100) for the base-level, gas-powered model this should be an attractive option for that rarest of beasts; an eco-conscious red-white-and-blue-blooded American truck driver.
There aren’t too many sacrifices overall with 563bhp and a four-wheel drive powertrain for the electric version of the truck that shipped almost three-quarters of a million last year. It’ll go from 0-60 in just over 4-seconds, can hold almost a tonne (907kg) in the back and can tow 4536kg.
That 150kW DC fast-charging battery can be replenished by up to 80% in under 45 minutes. Better still, the battery can be used to power your home in the event of a power cut. Ford says the average home can get 10 days of usage from a single charge.
As with seemingly every other car, there’s a big centre-console touchscreen measuring 15.5 inches and its the first to arrive with the 4A Sync infotainment system from the American automotive giant.
If ‘mericans grab it quickly they’ll be able to benefit from a $7,500 tax credit, bringing the price down below the fossil fuel-powered model. The company is enabling people to reserve one from just $100 ahead of the on-sale date in Spring 2022.
“We’re not here to make an electric truck for the few – Ford is committed to building one that solves real problems for real people,” said Kumar Galhotra, Ford president, Americas and International Markets Group, Ford Motor Company. “F-150 Lightning delivers everything we’ve said electric vehicles can offer, plus the capability expected from a Built Ford Tough truck – not just near instant torque but powerful towing and hauling customers can depend on.”


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Sourcing City have received information that B Sanders have ceased trading, and are pending the appointment of a Liquidator.
The Business Partnership are pleased to be marketing for sale this established corporate and promotional gift reseller. The business has been trading from before 1998 and acquired by the present owner in 2005 and incorporated in 2009.
The Ignite group made their annual pilgrimage to Warwick Racecourse on October 3rd for the eleventh time.
The floorplan for Merchandise World at The Ricoh Coventry is nearly sold out meaning that there will be a fantastic…
The British Promotional Merchandise Association have announced an exclusive event to prepare the industry for a ‘No Deal’ Brexit, with help, advice and support on the actions businesses need to take.
Over 550 of the promotional merchandise industry’s top distributors attended Merchandise World at the MK Arena on the 11th September 2019. This was a growth of 39% on the previous September event.


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While on-demand video platforms -- such as Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon -- thrive, consumers still like their more traditional pay TV services, ones that include live, linear TV networks.
A new poll -- from The Hollywood Report/Morning Consult -- asks directly: “How aordable do you think the following is in the United States -- cable television?” Some 56% said cable was either “not affordable at all” or “not too affordable.”
Around the same results -- 47% -- were revealed for satellite TV companies.
No surprise here. (Who doesn’t want cheaper home entertainment?)
A key takeover comes from AT&T in considering even “skinnier” virtual pay TV packages -- perhaps in response to some noticeable slowing of subscribers for its digital live, linear pay TV service, DirecTV Now. The same slow-down activity is hitting other new digital services of live, linear networks, such as Sling TV.
How small can these services get?
Around $20 a month for the lowest-priced plans, which already seem bare bones. Maybe that isn’t enough. Philo, a low-cost package of cable networks sans sports channels, should be getting some attention. Philo is priced at $16 per month with additional channels at $4 each.
Seems like a good deal. But then we go back to the survey in which the top three-most-desired channels for consumers include movie networks (81%); local broadcast TV stations (78%); and entertainment/comedy channels (75%). None come cheap for pay TV distributors. So profit margins are slim.
What about those big expensive sports TV networks? They ran in the middle of the pack: 55%. So there might be some savings there. The backers of Philo could point to this.
One would have to imagine then, something new could be coming.
How about a service called A La Carte Live TV? That has a good ring to it, when marketing against Prix Fix Live TV. In keeping with gastronomic-thinking, a marketing line could be: “Save the weight of high-caloric networks. Try Diet TV.”


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Is Microsoft's new Edge browser faster than the competition?
"ClearMotion," "TruMotion," "Motion Rate 240" and "Effective" refresh rates are not true refresh rates. Here's why.
Road Trip 2015: BKAV, which made its money selling security software, is the first to design and build a smartphone in Vietnam. The question is, will anyone buy it?
There are around 80 titles being added to Netflix next month, while 40 are going offline. Find out what to watch right here.
The automaker has unveiled its "Slide" hoverboard at a custom-crafted skate park in Spain. Enjoy the video demonstration, but don't get any ideas about buying one.
From the Cheapskate: Think inexpensive earbuds can't last? This noise-isolating pair features reinforced housings and the comfort of a lifetime guarantee.
We took some of our favorite Windows 8 PCs and upgraded to Windows 10 in order to test application performance.
The business reviews site has suffered a string of blows this week, including the departure of its high-profile board chairman. Can it regain its footing?
Windows 10 officially launches on July 29. But that doesn't mean that major PC makers such as Dell, Lenovo and HP will have Windows 10 machines on store shelves that day. Here's what to expect.
Sprint Prepaid and Virgin Mobile are now offering an entry-level LG smartphone that runs the latest version of Android.


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The Indian economy is passing through an unprecedented phase, and so is the fiscal health of the country. It is pretty clear that the government will not be able to achieve its FY21 fiscal deficit target of 3.5 per cent of GDP.
The exchequer is facing a revenue crunch due to falling tax revenue, and difficulty in realising the disinvestment target in an uncertain market.
Adding to it, RBI has projected a negative GDP growth rate for the Indian economy in FY21. The Government of India has even raised its gross market borrowing for FY21 from Rs 7.8 lakh crore to Rs 12 lakh crore, an increase of 54 per cent. In this background, it won’t come as a surprise if the fiscal deficit as a percentage GDP crosses the double-digit mark.
The government stimulus package of Rs 20 lakh crore seems to be inadequate to revive the economy, as a large part of it accounts for liquidity-boosting measures by RBI. It is clear that the weak fiscal position forced the government to restrict the stimulus. It is in this scenario, that the need for monetisation of deficit has been widely debated.
In layman’s language, monetisation of deficit means printing more money. In other words, monetisation of deficit happens when RBI buys government securities directly from the primary market to fund government’s expenses.
Monetisation of deficit was in practice in India till 1997, whereby the central bank automatically monetised government deficit through the issuance of ad-hoc treasury bills. Two agreements were signed between the government and RBI in 1994 and 1997 to completely phase out funding through ad-hoc treasury bills. And later on, with the enactment of FRBM Act, 2003, RBI was completely barred from subscribing to the primary issuances of the government from April 1,2006.
Deficit monetisation also comes at a cost. An important consequence of this is that it triggers a spike in inflation rate. In the Indian scenario, it won’t immediately translate into a higher inflation rate due to the demand slowdown the economy is experiencing. However, when the economy enters the recovery path, increased money supply could proportionately lead to a higher inflation rate.
For March, the inflation rate as measured by CPI stood at 5.84 per cent, with the core inflation rate at 4.1 per cent. Currently, fluctuating food prices have been a major contributor to the inflation rate, and when the core inflation climbs up, the overall inflation rate would settle at a higher range. And, it might become a challenge for RBI to follow an inflation targeting regime with a target of 4 per cent, +/- 2 per cent.
Similarly, unlike the US dollar, Indian rupee is not considered a safe haven. Even when the US Federal Reserve prints more currency, there is still global demand for the US dollar. However, the same will not be the case for the rupee. Thus, when there is excess supply of the currency, it could lead to a fall in rupee value, leading to an outflow of foreign investment.
In the current scenario, a rupee depreciation would not be beneficial for the exports sector either. The global economy is facing a demand slump, and the IMF has projected a negative GDP growth rate for the global economy in CY20. Thus, a fall in rupee value would be costlier for the economy.
Under such circumstances, the central bank would be forced to intervene in the forex market to stabilise the falling rupee by selling dollars. India has a comfortable foreign exchange reserves of $487 billion currently. However, it doesn’t mean the Central Bank can indefinitely intervene in the forex market to stabilise the rupee.
Though RBI participates in indirect monetisation of deficit through its open market operations (OMOs), the consequences of direct monetisation is much larger. It could weaken the macro fundamentals of the country, risking a downgrade by the credit rating agencies, which can in turn bring about more cost to the economy. Which is why deficit monetisation could be a risky affair for the economy to handle in the current scenario.
(Deepthi Mary Mathew is an Economist with Geojit Financial Services. Views are her own)
Engineer-entrepreneurs Ravi Pandit, chairman of Sentient Labs, incubated by KPIT Technologies, and Bala Pachyappa, CEO, Sodium Energy, are betting on Sodium-ion chemistry to bring down the cost of battery, the single most expensive component in an electric vehicle.


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May 16, 2019
In the early days of cloud, enterprises were comfortable migrating some of their applications, but they kept mission-critical workloads and sensitive data on-premises and behind the firewall, concerned about such issues as security, privacy, control and compliance.
That’s changing, however, with the ongoing maturation of cloud computing and the rising adoption of hybrid cloud and multicloud strategies by enterprises, according to a study conducted by Forrester Research analysts.
The report, Multicloud Strategies Drive Mission-Critical Benefits, commissioned by Virtustream, a cloud company owned by Dell Technologies, found using multiple cloud providers gives organizations the options and flexibility they need to find the right environments for their mission-critical applications, even if that means adding more complexity to the picture. The survey found that almost all (97 percent) of the 719 respondents said that migrating mission-critical applications was part of their multicloud strategies.
“Simply put, enterprises leverage multiple cloud platforms to meet their cloud architectural requirements,” the Forrester analysts wrote in the report. “Not only does this study reinforce this, but it also overwhelmingly shows that enterprise multicloud strategies include organizations’ mission-critical applications worldwide.”
That mirrors what Rory Read is seeing. Read wears a few different hats at Dell, including executive vice president and chief operating executive at Dell and president and CEO of Virtustream, which was founded a decade ago with the idea of hosting enterprises’ most complex and mission-critical workloads in the cloud. The company, which came to Dell when the tech giant bought EMC for more than $60 billion in 2016, now finds that almost 70 percent of its business involves hosting SAP applications for customers.
Dell/Virtustream’s Rory Read
“The issues that customers had in the earlier years, back three or four years ago, they were very concerned about bringing mission-critical apps to the cloud because of the risk,” Read told Channel Futures in an interview during the recent Dell Technologies World show in Las Vegas. “It wasn’t a problem to move development workloads or things like that, but as it worked around mission-critical, they wanted to make sure they had a solution, because if these don’t work, their businesses take fundamental issues.”
Enterprises define “mission critical” a number of ways, according to the Forrester report. The most common are ERP applications that store customer and financial data and those that are critical to completing sale and e-commerce transactions, employee productivity and customer experience. Embracing multicloud strategies fits with what enterprises are looking for when considering migrating these applications.
“Diverse applications require a long list of unique requirements, and leveraging multiple sourcing options can create strategic advantage,” the authors wrote. “Using multiple clouds … allows organizations to optimize across their portfolios. Sometimes, this is for simple use cases, like backup and recovery of data. … But usually, multicloud serves a larger purpose by providing …
… features or functions that serve specific performance characteristics and configurations that translate into massive cost advantages or service-level guarantees offered by different cloud platforms. Sometimes, different departments select different solutions, resulting in a less intentional multicloud strategy.”
Virtustream’s Read said that about 65-70% of his company’s business involves hosting SAP workloads, adding that these business-critical enterprise applications often come with a surrounding ecosystem that can be addressed by a multicloud approach. Among Virtustream’s offerings are Virtustream Enterprise Cloud, a software layer that includes xStream for management, automation and assurance, and cloud managed services.
“Everyone’s planning on having three to five cloud relationships,” the CEO said. “Think about this in a mission-critical application like SAP. SAP is this huge monolithic base application, but what’s around it is 100 or 150 other applications that feed in to create that ecosystem. What we’re finding that we may move that SAP core system to the cloud on Virtustream, for example. Those other applications, some might be on Virtustream, some on [Microsoft] Azure, some on Google [Cloud], some on AWS (Amazon Web Services), some on some private clouds. What they’re looking for with the Virtusream software stack is to begin to be able to manage that ecosystem across clouds.”
What’s driving enterprises to bring more business-critical applications to the cloud is often the same benefits they see with less critical workloads, Read said, adding that “every business is becoming a software business and as they want to take advantage of those technologies, they want to move their historic environments to the cloud, lower that cost, make sure they have the right skills and make the investments in the processes and applications that will allow them to rapidly capture markets, rapidly change technology and capabilities, and take out all the provisioning.”
Several reports have been published this year showing a strong drive by enterprises toward multicloud and hybrid clouds. Respondents to a survey by workload automation vendor Turbonomics found they use an average of two cloud providers to avoid vendor lock-in and have the ability to choose the best services for their applications and data.
As enterprises grow their reliance on the cloud, channel partners also are evolving to adapt to the changes, Read said. Over the past 15 or so years, the focus for many partners has shifted from physical assets to solutions. He pointed to Deloitte and Accenture as examples, and noted that World Wide Technology has created a set of cloud solutions.
“There’s always going to be a need for velocity, moving content and fulfilling and creating reach, but they are adding more and more value-added services and each one has a little different strategy,” Read said. “The successful ones will combine that with the solutions offerings. Those are the partners – whether they’re SIs or VARs or the traditional big partners like a WWT – that have real thought around solutions.”
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REDLANDS – Family Service Association of Redlands is gearing up for the holidays.
First on its list is providing a Thanksgiving Day meal for individuals and families unable to provide for themselves.
Donations of one or two items toward these meals, or complete meals, are being sought.
These are the items for a Thanksgiving meal: one five-pound bag of sugar, one five-pound bag of flour, one box dry milk, one bottle of cooking oil, one box of stuffing, one can of pumpkin, one can of yams, one can of cranberries, one to two cans of broth, one gravy mix or can of gravy, one to two cans of mixed vegetables, one bag of potatoes, margarine, one can milk, two onions, some apples and oranges, celery and one Jell-o cake mix or dessert.
Also included is a roasting pan and a $10 gift card to Stater Bros. to purchase a turkey.
This list provides a basic meal for most families. However, other items are welcome as well, such as soups, tuna, beans, rice, juice, jelly, pasta, cereal, canned fruit, canned vegetables, boxed side dishes and peanut butter.
Donors are encouraged to add any extra special items that would make the holiday more festive, such as candles, dish towels, treats, decorations, etc.
Family Service volunteers will start receiving and packing baskets for Thanksgiving 1 to 6 p.m. Friday, Nov. 20, and 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, Nov. 21. Distribution to clients will begin Tuesday, Nov. 24.
Family Service is at 612 Lawton St. between Texas and Eureka streets. For more information, call (909) 793-2673.


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Philip Morris USA’s domestic cigarette shipment volume during the third quarter to the end of September, at 33.165 billion, was 2.8 percent lower than it was during the third quarter of 2013, 34.117 billion.
Marlboro volume was down by 2.8 percent to 28.581 billion, while the volume of the company’s other premium brands was down by 8.3 percent to 1.848 billion and its discount brand volume was up by 1.3 percent to 2.736 billion.
In presenting third-quarter and nine-month figures yesterday, Altria said that the fall in PM USA’s third-quarter reported domestic cigarettes shipment volume had been caused by an industry-wide decline, partially offset by retail share gains.
‘For the first nine months of 2014, PM USA’s reported domestic cigarettes shipment volume decreased 3.5 percent primarily due to the same factors, Altria reported. ‘When adjusted for trade inventory changes and other factors, PM USA estimates that its third quarter and first-nine months domestic cigarettes shipment volume decreased approximately 3.0 percent and 3.5 percent, respectively, and that total industry cigarette volumes declined approximately 3.5 percent in the third quarter and 4.0 percent for the first nine months of 2014.’
PM USA’s domestic-market retail share during the three months to the end of September, at 50.9 per cent, was increased by 0.2 of a percentage point on that of the third quarter of 2013.
Marlboro’s market share increased by 0.1 of a percentage point to 43.8 percent, while the share of the company’s other premium brands was down by 0.1 of a percentage point to 2.9 percent, and the share of its discount brands was up by 0.2 of a percentage point to 4.2 percent.
USSTC and PM USA’s combined domestic smokeless products shipment volume during the third quarter, at 203.0 million cans and packs, was down by 4.6 percent on that of the three months to the end of September 2013.
Shipments of Copenhagen and Skoal taken together were down by 4.1 percent to 184.1 million packs and cans, while shipments of other brands were down by 9.1 percent to 18.9 million packs and cans.
Altria commented that the decrease in volumes during the third quarter was caused by its having one less shipping week than did the third quarter of 2013.
‘After adjusting for calendar differences and trade inventory changes, USSTC and PM USA estimate that their combined domestic smokeless products shipment volume grew approximately 2.5 percent in the third quarter and 3.0 percent in the first nine months of 2014,’ Altria said. ‘USSTC and PM USA estimate that the smokeless products category volume grew approximately 3.0 percent over the last 12 months, reflecting slower industry volume growth in the past two quarters.’
USSTC and PM USA’s retail share of the domestic smokeless products market during the three months to the end of September, at 55.4 percent, was increased by 0.3 of a percentage point.
The share of Copenhagen and Skoal taken together increased by 0.4 of a percentage point to 51.3 percent, while the share of the companies’ other brands fell by 0.1 of a percentage point to 4.1 percent.
Middleton’s cigar shipment volume during the first three months, at 347 million, was increased by 8.4 percent on that of the three months to the end of September 2013, as Black & Mild volume increased by 9.6 percent to 341 million and other-cigar volume fell by 33.3 percent from nine million to six million.
Middleton’s retail share during the third quarter, at 29.7 per cent, was increased by 0.3 of a percentage point on that of the three months to the end of September 2013, with Black & Mild’s share unchanged at 29.2 percent and the share of other brands increased by 0.3 of a percentage point to 0.5 per cent.
Altria’s 2013 third-quarter reported diluted earnings per share (EPS) were up by 1.4 percent to $0.71 on those of the third quarter of 2013, while its adjusted diluted EPS, which excludes the impact of special items, increased by 6.2 percent to $0.69.
“Our business results are on track,” said Marty Barrington, Altria’s chairman and CEO. “We grew adjusted diluted EPS 6.2 percent in the third quarter behind strong income performance by our smokeable products segment, our companies’ leading premium brands and the strength of our diverse business model.
“Nu Mark continued its national expansion of MarkTen and continues to develop a robust product pipeline.”