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Columbus, Ohio-based Huntington Bank recently released its first consumer survey, focused on the Midwest market, that showed more residents are planning vacations and home-improvement projects for next year and are are planning to spend more on their holiday purchases this year.
Just under 50 percent of survey participants said they think the economy will be better next year, Huntington said. The bank conducted 2,100 online interviews in November of adult consumers in Ohio, Michigan, western Pennsylvania, Indianapolis and West Virginia.
Some key numbers from Huntington:
- 52 percent plan 2013 home improvement projects with the majority paid for in cash -- up from 37 percent who completed home improvement projects in 2012. The average projected budget for 2013 home improvements is $5,200.
- 75 percent plan vacations away from home in 2013, up from 63 percent in 2012. The average budget amount for 2013 is $3,200. More than 60 percent said they'll pay up front with cash.
- 70 percent plan to spend as much or more on 2012 holiday purchases as last year, with an average budget for holiday purchases of $959.
Local sourcing of ingredients is among the strongest dining trends for 2013, according to the National Restaurant Association's 2013 Restaurant Industry Forecast --and that trend dovetails nicely with what several Miami Valley restaurants are doing.
More than seven out of 10 consumers say they are more likely to visit a restaurant that offers locally produced menu items, and more than six out of 10 said locally sourced menus are a key attribute for choosing a restaurant, according to an association news release based on a survey conducted on behalf of the restaurant association. Currently, a majority of table-service restaurants offer locally sourced produce, meat or seafood, the association said.
Several relatively new restaurants -- such as Urban Harvest, Olive and Butter Cafe -- have made local sourcing a key part of their marketing and their menus. And established restaurants such as Rue Dumaine, Meadowlark and The Winds have been doing so for years.
Rue Dumaine's co-owner and executive chef Anne Kearney sends out a weekly email that highlights locally sourced foods on the restaurant's upcoming menu. Last week, those items included butternut squash, parsnips, carrots, cauliflower, beets, onions, rutabaga and chicken.
This is a case of the Miami Valley leading a national trend, not following it.
For more information about the restaurant association's 2013 Restaurant Industry Forecast, go to Restaurant.org/Forecast.
Copyright 2012 - Dayton Daily News, Ohio


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Everything we know so far about the US travel ban lifting The new green list countries which are actually open to Britons What to do if you test positive for Covid while on holiday What the new travel rules mean for under-18s Sign up to the Telegraph Travel newsletter Airlines have reported holiday search surges
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(CNN) — Looking out the cabin window and seeing cities and oceans from above is, for many of us, one of the joys of flying. But aviation innovators Rosen Aviation reckon this experience could be taken to the next level, rendering actual airplane windows obsolete. The American aviation company is touting its Maverick Project airplane
(CNN) — When you step into the Scarlet Lady cruise ship, you know immediately you’re on Richard Branson’s ship. There’s a record store on the left selling limited edition Sex Pistols and Lady Gaga on vinyl. The crew has cooler outfits than you. And there is red, red, red everywhere — lest you forget this
These are unusual times, and the state of affairs can change quickly. Please check the latest travel guidance before making your journey. Our writers visited these hotels pre-pandemic. There’s nothing wrong with wanting it all, and that’s exactly what our pick of the best holiday resorts in Tenerife provide. Each offers amenities galore, including a
After a historic 2019 debut at the annual Food & Wine Classic in Aspen, cannabis earned another seat at the culinary festival’s coveted table (Sept. 10-12, 2021). The three-day outdoor event marked a triumphant return following the cancellation of the 2020 summer edition, rescheduled instead against an autumn alpine backdrop. Headliners from Martha Stewart, Guy
People arrive at the John F. Kennedy Airport in New York on March 13, 2020. in New York City. Pablo Monsalve | Corbis News | Getty Images The U.S. is planning to ease travel restrictions for international visitors who are vaccinated against Covid-19, including those from the U.K. and EU, the White House said Monday.
A TSA agent checks travelers through security at John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana, CA on Tuesday, January 26, 2021. Paul Bersebach | MediaNews Group | Getty Images Air travelers who refuse to wear masks could soon face fines of up to $3,000. The Transportation Security Administration is planning to double fines for travelers who
Add this to the WTF list, which seems to be growing longer and longer every day. This past Thursday evening, a restaurant hostess in New York City (NYC) got physically attacked after asking three women from Texas for proof of vaccination. Who knew that working in a restaurant might require mixed martial arts (MMA) training.
Eight countries will be removed from the hotel quarantine list on September 22, joining former green and amber destinations on the new rest of the world list. Fully vaccinated Britons can then return from these destinations without facing 10 days of hotel quarantine (at a cost of up to £2,285 per adult). Here are their
What a difference a year can make. Last September, the travel industry agonized over a dearth of Christmas bookings. This September, some hotels are already fully booked for the holiday season. People are reserving their Christmas vacations earlier this year, despite an unsettling rise in Covid-19 infections caused by the highly contagious delta variant.
Eight countries have been removed from the travel red-list, including holiday favourite Turkey. Other countries to come off the red list include the Maldives, Sri Lanka, Kenya, Egypt, Oman, Pakistan and Bangladesh. The changes will come into effect at 4am on Wednesday September 22. A number of popular destinations remain on the red list, including
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Tokyo (CNN) — In theory, sushi is a simple thing to be enjoyed in almost any way you like. Eat it standing or seated, with fingers or chopsticks, dipped in soy sauce, mixed with wasabi, swallowed in one mouthful or more. However, if you want to eat it like a Tokyo local, remember that sushi

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It’s the month that all Muslims have marked on their calendars every year, awaiting it with anticipation and excitement.
This year an estimated four million British Muslims will be observing the holy month of Ramadan and fasting during the day. Although this might mean a dip in earnings for some restaurants and cafes, many will be heading to their local supermarkets to stock up on food to prepare their daily iftar (breaking of the fast) meals. During this month they will also begin shopping for Eid ul-Fitr, the celebration to mark the end of fasting. Eid celebrations are usually done on a grand scale with epic family feasts, new clothes and an exchanging of gifts and cards.
Just over a decade ago Ramadan was met with confusion and trepidation from retailers and mainstream brands, but recently there has been a surge in targeted Ramadan marketing at large supermarkets and high street stores, especially in areas with a high Muslim population.
Tesco, Asda and the other big supermarket chains have begun introducing ‘Ramadan’ aisles to sell food and ingredients usually eaten during iftar. And this year, for the first time ever, Morrisons unveiled an Islamic advent calendar for children, counting down the days until Ramadan.
But are British brands and retailers doing enough to reach the Muslim market during what is arguably the biggest occasion on their calendar?
|A group of Muslims wait for the sun to set to break their Ramadan fast on the top of Dunstable Downs [Getty]|
Britain’s biggest open secret
Islamic marketing consultancy Ogilvy Noor recently released a report titled The Great British Ramadan, which argues that more needs to be done to engage with the British Muslim community during Ramadan and Eid.
The report, which describes Ramadan and Eid as Britain’s “biggest open secret” argues that retailers and brands must do more to engage with the four million Muslims living in the UK. It goes on to propose the term ‘Ramadan economy’ to accommodate the dramatic changes and upheaval that the month causes to Muslims, leading in a surge of spending and charitable donations.
Shelina Janmohamed, Vice President of Ogilvy Noor adds: “In the UK, Ramadan follows Christmas and Easter as the third-biggest season for businesses. Muslims are spending an estimated £100 million of additional revenue during the Ramadan season. On top of this, they are donating a further £100 million to charitable causes.”
|In the UK, Ramadan follows Christmas and Easter as the third-biggest season for businesses. Muslims are spending an estimated £100 million of additional revenue during the Ramadan season|
A booming economy
With the state of the British high street in crisis, and more stores closing everyday, it’s imperative that brands look deeper into other lucrative markets and begin targeting more diverse groups.
It is reported that Muslims in the UK contribute an estimated £31 billion annually to the UK economy with an annual spend of nearly £21 billion – £3 billion of it being halal food alone. UK supermarkets are also reported to generate an estimated £100 million in additional revenue during the Ramadan season, making it the biggest UK occasion after Christmas and Easter. And with the Oglivy Noor report finding that 78 percent of Muslims want brands to engage with them during Ramadan and Eid, cashing in on these key holidays is a no-brainer.
|Dawn breaks over the London Central Mosque in Regent’s Park as Muslims celebrate Eid ul-Fitr [Getty]|
|It is reported that Muslims in the UK contribute an estimated £31 billion annually to the UK economy with an annual spend of nearly £21 billion – £3 billion of it being halal food alone|
Ramadan on the high street
A quick Google search on what the high street has to offer during Ramadan and Eid comes up disappointing. Many brands resell their usual stock with a Ramadan or Eid Mubarak banner and card stockists are still selling old-fashioned Eid cards that no longer appeal to the younger Muslim market.
For the first time ever the organisers behind London Muslim Lifestyle Show and London Halal Food Festival are bringing the biggest London Eid Festival to Westfield London, Europe’s largest shopping centre, on June 23-24. Fashion, food, shopping, show stopping entertainment, and Halal Street Food Zone, plus exclusive offers, .
H&M have also launched a modest clothing collection, available to buy online and will release another collection towards the end of May, conveniently timed close to Eid.
Retailers and brands have a long way to go before they can fully engage with Muslim consumers. Ramadan aisles and advent calendars are just the tip of the iceberg. The key here is to educate ourselves on the diverse needs and wants of the British Muslim population and create something meaningful to offer them.
Sami Rahman is a freelance writer based in London.


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BENTONVILLE, Ark. – June 23, 2015– Sam’s Club®, the warehouse division of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., has a new way for members to save. Its Shocking Values program just launched, offering daily deals at SamsClub.comwith up to 60 percent off regular retail prices on brands consumers know and love.
The introduction of Shocking Values makes Sam’s Club the first wholesale retailer to offer an online daily deal program. Members can find new, limited-time deals every day starting at 9:00 a.m. CT by visiting www.samsclub.com/shockingvaluesand the Sam’s Club mobile app, or they can receive daily e-mail notifications through an opt-in mailing list.
“Our members consider each visit to their neighborhood club and SamsClub.com a treasure hunt for unexpected savings, and Shocking Values is a new extension of that experience,” said Jamie Iannone, president and CEO of Samsclub.com. “These daily deals increase the value of a Sam’s Club membership and provide savings that members won’t find anywhere else.”
The Shocking Values program features hand-picked, well-known brands at low prices. Shocking Values products are carefully chosen based on members’ interests, top trends and popular items from the company’s most popular shopping categories. Members can expect to see a wide range of products including consumer electronics, accessories and watches, kitchen appliances, apparel, home décor, outdoor/garden and more. These deals are for a limited time with limited quantities.
Shocking Values is the latest addition to member exclusives at Sam’s Club. Sam’s Club recently re-launched Club Pickup, another warehouse first that allows members to save time by shopping online and picking up their order in club, and a suite of services ranging from travel to tax preparation to identity theft protection.
About Sam’s Club
Sam’s Club®, a division of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT), is a leading membership warehouse club offering superior products, savings and services to millions of members in 651 clubs in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. To learn more about Sam’s Club, visit the Sam’s Club Newsroom, shop at SamsClub.com, and interact with Sam’s Club on Twitter and Facebook.


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Gap investing in product to win back customers
Despite booking a 40% drop in fourth quarter profit as it battled higher costs, promotions and lower sales, US specialty retailer Gap Inc says it is moving in the right direction when it comes to improving its revenues and earnings in the year ahead.
The San Francisco based retailer says boosting its business in North America remains a "top priority" and on top of changes already coming through to its stores in terms of new designs, better quality and more colourful ranges, it also plans to invest more to support growth in the region.
"As we enter 2012...we're going to have a focus on putting some money back into our domestic business in three key areas: in product, in marketing, and in e-commerce," chief executive officer Glenn Murphy told analysts on a conference call yesterday (23 February).
The retailer has long lamented the lack of growth in its showing growth in its North American units, with occasional hits overshadowed by misses on the product front, especially women's wear.
Indeed, comparable sales at its Gap North American stores fell 3% in the three months to 28 January and 4% in the year. Sales were also down 6% at Old Navy in the quarter, and were flat at Banana Republic.
So it hopes that investing wisely will help win back customers, not only by improving the products in its stores, but also telling shoppers about the changes it is making.
Part of this is also in preparation for "tailwinds" in the cost of goods in the second half of 2012, with the retailer wanting to be sure its business is shored up in categories where it can dominate. This will be helped by "giving our designers and merchandisers a little bit of license to put some more money back into the product," Murphy notes.
He adds that getting the right garment fit, colour and style "doesn't cost any more money," but "putting some money back into fabric does make strategic sense to us."
He adds: "We need to have consistent product execution every quarter, every year across all our brands," noting that the addition of former Nike and Uniqlo executives Jill Stanton and Tracy Gardner to the Gap and Old Navy teams will bridge the design and merchandising teams.
Raft of changes
Changes the retailer has already put into place over the last year include a shakeup of the North American management team which saw president Marka Hansen replaced with Art Peck, former head of the outlet division, as the Gap unit's boss.
And last May the chain parted company with design director Patrick Robinson. It also established a Global Creative Center in New York City to bring together design, marketing and production in one hub.
In October it revealed plans to close nearly 200 Gap stores in North America by the end of fiscal 2013, bringing the roster down by more than 20% to 700, and focus instead on international expansion. The retailer currently has 3,263 stores around the world.
But among the less publicised moves have been adjustments to the supply chain, which have seen the distribution and logistics team merge with the sourcing team to create one supply chain team, led by Colin Funnell, the executive vice president of supply chain.
The next step here is to move from a geographically based hub structure to category teams who will execute product, sourcing, negotiations and vendor relations on a category basis starting with product for this year's holiday season.
As well as investing at home, Gap Inc is also ramping up its international expansion in 2012.
The company already operates stores in 39 countries, with its International and Direct divisions together accounting for 26% of net sales last year. Among its goals are plans to triple the number of Gap stores in China from about 15 as of the end of last year to around 45 by the end of this year.
Capital expenditures in fiscal 2012 are set to rise by around 10% to $600m, with 125 company-operated stores due to open - 55 of which are international. And a long-term plan to support this growth is the creation of a brand new, global IT platform.
The plans were announced as Gap Inc booked a 40.3% drop in fourth quarter profit to $218m, as net sales slipped 2.3% to $4.3bn and comparable sales (which include online sales) fell 4%. Higher costs contributed to a 540 basis points drop in quarterly gross margin to 32.8%.
For the full year, net income tumbled 17% to $833m, as sales fell 1% to $14.5bn, and comparable sales dropped 4%.
An interactive databank with intelligence on the major apparel sourcing countries
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Lured by warm weather and promotions to clear summer merchandise, US shoppers hit the stores in July giving an overall boost to many apparel retailers - but the results shed little light on back-to-sc...
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The following is a general roundup of US apparel and shoe retailers' July 2012 sales results....
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- Too Many Standards
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Ralph Lauren quietly shuttered its two-year-old 20,000-square-foot store last week. Other brands are expected to close boutiques in a city that has lost its luster for cash-rich mainland Chinese tourists.
The decision could be a landmark ruling for Western brands in China.
December 8, 2016
• Nyima Pratten
BOYCE TO U.S.?: Reports are circulating in the market that Kevin Boyce, president and chief executive officer of Unilever Canada, will be moving to the U.S. to assume the role vacated by Paulanne Mancuso, the former president and chief executive of...
WWD's Ultimate Holiday Gift Guide is brought to you by @styleontherise and is complete with the perfect presents for everyone on your list. Click the link in our bio to start shopping NOW. #WWDHoliday #Sponsored
@rebeccaminkoff is bringing self-checkout to high fashion: The brand has partnered with @queuehop to bring its customers self-checkout options, beginning this holiday season at its SoHo store. (📷: @aurorarosephoto)


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Redemption cards have always been a hot button issue between trading card makers and those who buy their products. When players don’t send their cards back in time for release, the manufacturers still what’s essentially an IOU in the product for that particular autograph. Sometimes it’s fulfilled quickly. Other times, it can drag on for months—or even years. Now, the practice is being challenged in court.
Brashear and his attorney, Scott Bickford of New Orleans, filed the putative class action lawsuit last week, alleging that the process often leaves collectors holding the bag when the promised autograph never materializes. He also claims the expiration dates on redemption cards shouldn’t be allowed and that the stated time of 4-8 months for receiving an autograph after inputting redemption card data is often ignored.
Trading card manufacturers typically say they’d rather not have any redemption cards in products but are at the mercy of players to return those cards on time. The lawsuit states that despite those regrets, redemptions are a “well-established pattern and practice.”
“The delay or failure to redeem causes damage to the putative class because the redeemable cards are more often than not of players whose cards are in high demand at the time of receipt of the redemption card,” Bickford stated in initial court filings. “A delay can cause the value of said actual card to diminish and, of course, failure to ever supply the actual card causes additional damage.”
Beshear claims he has an expired redemption card from two years ago and brought the claim to court “on behalf of thousands of other consumers.”
He’s asking for compensatory and punitive damages for all class members as well as attorney fees.
Panini has not yet filed its response to the suit.
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OpenSea, the digital marketplace for crypto collectibles and nonfungible tokens (NFTs), announced in a series of tweets on Oct. 5 that the platform will officially allow its users to bulk list and bulk purchase up to 30 digital collectible items in a single flow.
We’re officially live with bulk listing and buying!
You can now list and buy up to 30 items in a single flow on OpenSea.
Let’s walk through what this experience looks like in this
— OpenSea (@opensea) October 5, 2022
In the case of bulk buying, the platform will allow its users to add up to 30 items from the same chain to their cart before finalizing their purchases in a single transaction, reducing costs associated with gas fees, and allowing the process to be more convenient and streamlined. The company explained:
“In your collected items tab you can access bulk listings by clicking on the “+” symbol when you hover over an item card or by clicking “list for sale” in the “More Options” drop-down. You’ll then be able to select up to 30 items to list at once.”
In September, Cointelegraph reported that the digital marketplace had launched a new immersive initiative enabling creators to launch their NFT collections on their own customizable and dedicated drop pages, with hopes that this will allow for greater visibility and discoverability on the marketplace’s new homepage.
In the same month, global music and entertainment company Warner Music Group (WMG) announced a partnership with the NFT marketplace to provide a platform for select musical artists to build and extend their music fanbase into the Web3 community.
Innovations to the platform have come during a time when OpenSea’s volume has plummeted drastically, with massive declines in the daily and monthly transactions on the platform. The marketplace went from processing $405.75 million transactions on May 1 to only processing $5 million worth of NFT transactions on Aug. 28.


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The lives of 50 motorcycle riders a year could be saved by a new helmet safety rating system, the government says.
Officials at the Department for Transport said new figures showed the performance of helmets in crashes could vary by as much as 70 per cent.
Statistics from the Safety Helmet Assessment and Rating Programme (SHARP) also reveal the overall safety performance of 56 of the most popular full face helmets on the market.
Road safety minister Jim Fitzpatrick said motorcyclists account for just one per cent of all road traffic, but for 19 per cent of all those killed, adding “if all riders wore the safest helmets available 50 lives could be saved each year”.
SHARP was set up by the government last year and awards rating between one and five stars.
New riders using the scheme to choose a first helmet could also use the web to get a good deal on a motorcycle insurance policy.
The SHARP testing programme was introduced following research which showed there were “real differences” in the safety performance of motorcycle helmets on sale in the UK.


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The BBC has acquired the fourth season of the popular pre-school show, Octonauts.
The new series – produced by Silvergate Media – will consist of 24 11-minute episodes and two 22-minute specials.
The BBC was the first ever broadcaster to air Octonauts when it launched the first series on CBeebies in 2010.
Since then, the show has aired on the channel and frequently tops the CBeebies TV ratings and iPlayer chart.
Geraint Marsh, SVP global TV distribution and consumer products of Silvergate Media, said: "CBeebies’ continuous broadcast and support has provided a solid foundation for the Octonauts brand to grow from strength to strength.
"Our creative team, along with Brown Bag Films, is working on some fantastic new adventures which stay true to the core Octonauts values of fast-paced adventure mixed with solid science curriculum and we’re really looking forward to sharing them with CBeebies viewers."
Controller of CBeebies, Kay Benbow, added: "The Octonauts has truly captured the imagination of our audience and they are enduringly popular characters.
"When a new series was discussed our reaction was immediate – as Captain Barnacles would say, ‘Let’s do this thing.’"
Octonauts was also one of the four brands chosen by CBeebies to feature on the channel’s first ever mobile app, CBeebies Playtime.
The app launched in August last year and was downloaded over a million times during the first six weeks of release.


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WASHINGTON – Members of Congress tried to find out Thursday why there have been so many credit card data security violations in the last few months.
After the recent data security breach at Cardsystems Solutions,where more than 40 million credit card accounts may have been exposed,the big question at the House Committee on Financial Services hearing was what could prevent this from happening again.
“We do need to address and correct this problem,” Rep. Dennis Moore,D-Kan.,said. “What we don't need is to go forth and hurt the industry. This shouldn't be about Republicans and Democrats.”
Cardsytems had processed credit card payment transactions for more than 110,000 small and midsized businesses,including restaurants and stores.
Visa USA Inc. announced July 18 that it will no longer use Cardsystems,and American Express followed suit Tuesday.
“We truly regret this occurrence of data theft,” said John Perry,the company's president. “We have repeatedly acknowledged our error and are committed to making sure it does not happen again.
“We hope that we may reach a favorable arrangement with Visa and American Express so that we can continue to stay in business,” Perry said.
“For Visa,it's about trust,” said Steve Ruwe,Visa's executive vice president of operations and risk management. “Our goal is to protect consumers,merchants and our members from fraud by preventing fraud from occurring in the first place.”
Representatives of the credit card companies also discussed the new Payment Card Industry Security Standards.
In the past,every credit card company set its own security requirements. But in December,Visa,MasterCard,Discover Card,American Express and Diners Club all adopted a program based on Visa's standards,Perry said.
The PCI Standard comprises 12 requirements that all retailers,online merchants and data processors must meet,Perry said. Those standards include protecting cardholder data,maintaining a secure network,implementing strong control measures and maintaining an information security policy.
“PCI standards did not work here. Have the standards been changed?” asked Rep. Sue Kelly,R-N.Y.
Zyg Gorgol,senior vice president for fraud risk management at American Express,said,“I believe the standards are sound.”
Carlos Minetti,executive vice president for cardmember services at Discover Card,backed him up: “The standards are sound.
Kelly also asked if the PCI standards would be a problem for small businesses and whether banks were in touch with small businesses.
“We have been in this industry a long time,” Perry replied. “We have a lot of businesses that do not have six locations. … We are very concerned at how we take care of our small businesses.”


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Google uses machine learning to design the next generation of machine learning chips. The algorithm’s designs are “comparable or superior” to those created by humans, say Google engineers, but can be generated much, much faster. According to the technology giant, work that takes months for humans can be achieved by AI in less than six hours.
Google has been working on how to use machine learning to make chips for years, but this latest effort – described this week in an article in the journal Nature – appears to be the first time research has been applied to a commercial product: an upcoming version of Google̵
“Our method has been used in production to design the next generation of Google TPU,” writes the newspaper’s authors, led by Google’s head of ML for systems, Azalia Mirhoseini.
In other words, AI helps to accelerate the future of AI development.
In the newspaper, Google engineers note that this work has “major implications” for the chip industry. It will enable companies to more quickly explore the possible architectural area for future designs and more easily adapt chips for specific workloads.
An editorial in Nature calls the research an “important achievement”, noting that such work could help offset the expected end of Moore’s law – an axiom of chip design from the 1970s that says the number of transistors on a chip doubles every two years. AI will not necessarily solve the physical challenges of pushing more and more transistors on chips, but it may help to find other ways to increase performance at the same rate.
The specific task that Google’s algorithms tackled is known as “planning.” This usually requires human designers working with computer tools to find the optimal design of a silicon mold for a chip’s subsystems. These components include things like CPUs, GPUs and memory cores, which are connected using tens of kilometers of negative wires. Deciding where to place each component on a nozzle affects the final speed and efficiency of the chip. And given both the scope of chip production and computational cycles, nanometer changes in location can have major effects.
Google engineers note that designing floor plans takes “months of intense effort” for humans, but from a machine learning perspective, there is a known way to deal with this problem: as a game.
AI has proven time and time again that it can surpass humans in board games like chess and Go, and Google engineers note that planning plans is analogous to such challenges. Instead of a game board, you have a silicon die. Instead of chips like knights and towers, you have components like CPUs and GPUs. The task is thus to just find each board’s “winning conditions”. In chess, which can be chess food, there is computational efficiency in chip design.
Google engineers trained a learning algorithm for amplification in a dataset of 10,000 chip plans of varying quality, some of which had been randomly generated. Each design was labeled with a specific “reward” feature based on success across different calculations, such as the length of cord required and power consumption. The algorithm then used this data to distinguish between good and bad floor plans and generate their own designs in turn.
As we have seen when AI systems take people to board games, machines do not necessarily think like humans and often come up with unexpected solutions to known problems. When DeepMind’s AlphaGo played human champion Lee Sedol on Go, this dynamic led to the infamous “move 37” – a seemingly illogical chip placement of AI that still led to victory.
Nothing happened so dramatically with Google’s chip design algorithm, but the floor plans still look quite different from those created by man. Instead of neat rows of components laid out on the matrix, subsystems look as if they have almost been scattered over the silicon at random. An illustration from Nature shows the difference, with the human design on the left and machine learning design on the right. You can also see the general difference in the image below from Google’s paper (organized people on the left; cluttered AI on the right), although the layout is blurry as it is confidential:
This article is remarkable, especially since the research is now being used commercially by Google. But that is far from the only aspect of AI-assisted chip design. Google itself has explored the use of AI in other parts of the process as “architectural exploration”, and rivals such as Nvidia are looking at other methods to speed up workflow. The virtuous cycle of AI designing chips for AI seems to have just begun.


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Netflix, the streaming behemoth fires 150 employees to cut business costs due to a downfall in the viewership
The majority of the layoffs are in the United States, with some in the leadership ranks and the animation section. They account for around 1.3 percent of the 11,300 workers reported at the end of 2021. The cuts were predicted after Netflix said last month that global subscribers fell by 200,000 in the first three months of the year, the first dip in over a decade, and officials said they would aim to slash expenses.
“As we explained on earnings, our slowing revenue growth means we are also having to slow our cost growth as a company. So sadly, we are letting around 150 employees go today, mostly U.S.-based,” a spokesperson told CNBC. “These changes are primarily driven by business needs rather than individual performance, which makes them especially tough as none of us want to say goodbye to such great colleagues. We’re working hard to support them through this very difficult transition.”
The layoffs come less than a month after Netflix announced its first subscriber drop in a decade and predicted further losses in the next quarter. Since January, the company’s stock has dropped roughly 70%.
Netflix’s chief financial officer, Spencer Neumann, stated on the firm’s earnings call last quarter that the business will be cutting expenditure for the next two years or so.
Netflix’s co-CEO, Reed Hastings, stated during the firm’s earnings call last month that the business is looking into lower-priced, ad-supported tiers in an effort to attract new users following years of resistance to commercials on the site.
It was also reported that besides the 220 million subscribers of the streaming service, there are additional 100 million users through password sharing, and they may even bring about some changes in their policies. For better or worse, the layoffs are sure to attract a lot of criticism from the mass and media.


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EA is encouraging its users to switch on two-factor authentication, which it calls "Login Verification," by offering them a free perk in return. Anybody who switches on the security feature within October will get a free month of Origin Access Basic, its $6.45-a-month subscription service that gives members access to hundreds of games and 10-hour-long early access to upcoming titles. The gaming giant launched its campaign for the National Cybersecurity Awareness Month, though participants will only start getting their free month on November 1st.
EA says all its users can avail of the freebie, so long as their Login Verification is activated by October 31st -- yes, including security-conscious users who've been using 2FA for their accounts for a while now. While it's a great way for new users to give the service a try, the company will also give existing Origin Access Basic subscribers one month of free access. It simply won't charge them in November. Those paying more for Origin Access Premier, which comes with more titles and early access to full upcoming games for $19.90 a month, don't have to worry about getting downgraded either. The company says it will give them a free month of Premier instead.


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Cornell Professor Says 2019 Was Perfect for Pumpkins
People with plans for fall decorating or carving the perfect Jack ‘O Lantern are getting some good news from Cornell University: the 2019 season has some of the best quality pumpkins and unique gourds in recent years.
Professor of horticulture, Steven Reiners says the warmer, dryer summer produced about an average yield but the quality of the pumpkins and variety of gourds are about the best he’s ever seen.
Reiners, who is also a New York State vegetable industry expert, says there are many more odd and unique gourd varieties being grown this year. Some farms have been trying out as many as 50 different varieties.
Reiners advises when picking your pumpkin, look for a sturdy, hard stem and no soft spots on the fruit. A little green is fine and may actually be better since the gourds will continue to ripen while sitting out.
He says New York grows more jack-o-lantern type pumpkins than any other state.
Reiners say a carved pumpkin will only last about seven days but pumpkins and gourds purchased today could last through Halloween or even Thanksgiving if uncut.


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The online release comes a day after the studio reversed its previous decision not to show the movie after hackers stole internal documents and emails from Sony. The U.S. said North Korea was behind the hack. In "The Interview," Seth Rogen and James Franco play journalists tasked by the CIA with killing North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
Viewers can rent the movie for $5.99 (roughly Rs. 377) or buy it for $14.99 (roughly Rs. 940). Rentals are good for 48 hours. The movie's running time is 1 hour, 52 minutes.
Here's where you can watch "The Interview" online
Buy or rent the film from Google Inc.'s platform. The movie can be viewed on the Google Play app for Android and Apple devices, as well as through some streaming devices including Roku and Google's Nexus Player.
The video site, also owned by Google, has "The Interview" available to rent or buy on its movie page. It can be viewed on a website, YouTube's app and selected streaming devices including Apple TV, PlayStation and Xbox.
The studio, owned by Sony Corp., set up a separate website where viewers can rent and stream the film online.


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Food City has hired more than 1,200 retail workers and another 76 warehouse employees in the past week across its 4-state footprint as the grocery chain seeks to add more workers to handle increased business at its 123 supermarkets.
"We've halfway toward our goal of getting another 2,500 folks that we really need to augment our team and to get our supply chain kinks worked out and to provide the kinds of customer service we want," Food City CEO Steve Smith said today.
For the existing workers at Food City supermarkets, including more than two dozen Food City stores in the Chattanooga area, the company announced today it will be giving bonuses to the company's 16,000 employees totaling $3 million.
"We want to thank our superstars in our stores who have been working tirelessly to serve the needs of our customers during this unparalleled time," Smith said, noting that the company also recently enhanced its health benefit package for its workers.
Food City, like most grocery store chains, has seen a surge in business as consumers shift their eating and buying habits as restaurants, schools and work sites are closed to help limit the spread of the coronavirus. Walmart, the world's biggest retailer, is hiring another 150,000 associates, including over 4,000 more workers in Tennessee and Publix said it is adding thousands of workers at its supermarkets across the Southeast.
Dollar General announced this week it is adding 50,000 more workers to handle increased business at its convenience stores, which sell some grocery items.
Smith said that Food City sales, in some areas, have nearly doubled from the levels before the coronavirus fears lead many buyers to stockpile certain goods and shut down many places where consumers previously ate.
Smith said the company has had to allocate high-demand items to its stores and suspend some of its advertising promotions because the retailer can't always guarantee every item will be available in the store.
"We're continuing to experience out-of-stock items at the store level due to some manufacturers' shortages and cuts to our distribution center," Smith said.
While the Food City CEO said shortage of some items may continue in the weeks ahead, "the United States and the grocery industry will not run out of food."
"I can personally guarantee you that our stores will remain open seven days a week," Smith said.
Food City and other grocers have trimmed their hours of operation to give workers more time to restock for the higher sales volume and to take extra steps to sanitize stores and equipment.
Smith appealed to shoppers not to hoard items, especially while some supply chains are constrained. But he said he is confident product supplies will continue to flow into Food City stores.
"There are the same number of mouths to feed and the same number of bottoms to,well "care for" as there were a month ago," Smith said. "There are the same number of produce farmers, dairies, ranchers, canners and consumer product companies today as there were a month ago. There is plenty of food in our country."
The grocery store hiring by major chains comes as restaurants are being forced to shut down their sit-down operations. Nationwide, the restaurant industry employs more than 13 million persons and industry analysts fear many of those workers could lose their jobs or income in the next few weeks with most eateries either shutdown or doing only curbside, drive-through or delivery orders.


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Newsletter No. 08 / 12 March 2021
Click this link to access your Sourcing Directory https://newsbriefs.co.za/index/
Click on any ad to go to the advertisers website..
Helping Cape Town’s clothing manufacturing sector rebuild
Local clothing manufacturing businesses across Cape Town are launching an online development programme that is being supported with funding from the City of Cape Town. The programme is focused on helping companies create first-line managers who will drive productivity, create stability and harness innovation.
Mayoral Committee Member for Economic Opportunities and Asset Management, Alderman James Vos, was invited to visit some of these businesses along with officials from the City’s Enterprise and Investment Department.
Vos visited Pep Clothing in Parow, the largest clothing manufacturer in South Africa; ACA Threads in Brackenfell, Southern Africa’s leading thread manufacturer; Performance Brands in Lansdowne, manufacturers of high-quality outdoor and technical sportswear; as well as Rogz in Montague Gardens, which exports pet products made in Cape Town to over 90 countries worldwide.
“Collectively, these four manufacturers employ over 2,500 Capetonians and I was impressed to hear how some of these companies even managed to employ additional residents during the course of last year,” said Vos.
The City supports 22 clothing and textile manufacturers via one of its Strategic Business Partners (SBP), the Cape Clothing and Textile Cluster (CCTC). This partnership is aimed at boosting the competitiveness of the local clothing, textile, footwear and leather (CTFL) manufacturing industry.
The City said it provides funding to SBPs in order to actively seek out opportunities to grow the local economy by attracting investment and create jobs.
Team Leader Development Programme
Vos commented, “I am pleased to confirm that in the next month, the CCTC is launching the online Team Leader Development Programme to help companies create first-line managers who will drive productivity, create stability and harness innovation. The City has provided support for 20 learners to complete the four-month course and the cluster aims to train at least 50 learners over the next six months.
“I am immensely proud of our partnership with the CCTC, especially how we were able to provide support to the industry through the various levels of lockdown. Over the last couple of weeks, I have seen first-hand how this support has resulted in the retention of jobs and embracing innovation to take advantage of new opportunities.”
In 2020, throughout the pandemic, CCTC members were supported through an online risk mitigation and recovery support programme, which enabled them to quickly understand and adopt best practices, work safer and recover faster. With the support of the CoCT, the CCTC is guiding members beyond recovery to sustainable growth. Key to this is the cluster’s market-led industry support strategy, in which major retailers are part of the conversation and provide a clear commercial link to manufacturing upgrading initiatives.
“Through our strategic partnerships, I aim to help this important sector to boost production, attract the investment it needs to create more jobs and thrive,” he concluded. Bizcommunity
The human cost of Chinese cotton: how does it impact SA?
The Center for Global Policy released a report in December detailing how ethnic minority labourers in the Xinjiang region in China – which produces 85% of the country’s and 20% of the world’s cotton – are forced to pick cotton by hand through state-mandated schemes and which potentially could have devastating consequences for global supply chains that use the region’s cotton as a raw material.
In January, the British government indicated that they were going to tighten up controls regarding imports from the Xinjiang region and that companies will have to publish supply chain transparency reports or face the risk of being fined. This was followed by the US and Canada both banning imports from the Xinjiang region.
Brian Brink, executive director of the Textile Federation (Texfed), says considering South Africa’s close and tight diplomatic relationship with China, the chances are slim that there will even be a mild rebuke from South Africa regarding China’s alleged human rights record or practices.
Furthermore, Brink believes that as a consequence of countries like the US’s embargo on cotton goods from Xinjiang, there will be increased volumes of forced-labour-produced product seeking alternate markets throughout the world.
This does not bode well for countries like South Africa where illegal, undervalued clothing imports is already a big problem.
Paul Theron, acting executive director of the Apparel Manufacturers of South Africa (AMSA), says it is a complex issue with apparent allegations, but no proof, although the industry is highly suspicious of China’s practices.
Local clothing retailers
South Africa’s prominent clothing retailers – including Woolworths, Mr Price Group, Pepkor, TFG and Truworths International – were approached for comment on the policies they have in place regarding the raw cotton used in their merchandise.
According to Woolworths spokesperson, Silindile Gumede, the group has no supplier relationships in China’s Xinjiang province and does not source finished garments made using slave labour from the region or from North Korea.
“We audit our suppliers via independent third parties to ensure that the group’s own Code of Business Practices is upheld and are committed to partnering with suppliers and industry stakeholders to protect and improve conditions and promote worker empowerment. Woolworths does not under any circumstances tolerate forced labour, and we will act quickly to address unjust labour practices should concerns arise within our supplier base,” says Gumede.
Pepkor – the holding company of retailers like Pep and Ackermans – says its sourcing office in China follows a process that includes inspecting and rating compliance levels of suppliers on a bi-annual basis to ensure that the group complies with the necessary labour laws and regulations across its value chain. The group says none of its retailers source from the Xinjiang province.
The Mr Price Group, through its group head of investor relations and corporate communications, Matthew Marriner, declined to participate for the purpose of the article. The Foschini Group and Truworths International did not respond to the request for comment.
Cotton value chain is highly complex
Theron says he sees challenges in identifying cotton originating from the Xinjiang region as cotton is a generic fibre. “And as China is also a major importer of cotton, it becomes even more problematic in identifying the source of fibre once blended and processed further.”
The cotton value chain is highly complex, with blending of the product happening as it makes its way through the value chain. This makes it difficult to identify the original source of the raw cotton picked on the farm, in the final, manufactured product. This means that, for instance, a cotton t-shirt that says it is manufactured in China, Bangladesh, Eswatini or South Africa, can include raw cotton that has its origin in different cotton-growing regions and countries.
The blending of cotton happens at the spinning process, where lint is converted into yarn, at the knitter/weaver where the yarn is converted into greige fabric and even at the manufacturing stage, for instance in the case of a pair of cotton trousers, where the inner lining of the pockets can be made from different cotton than the outer shell.
Despite the difficulty in tracing the origins of cotton used in manufacturing the final product, Thomas Robbertse, founder and executive director at iQ Logistica – the agtech company which developed the cloud-based SCC Operations Visibility Platform that integrates the local cotton supply chains – says retailers can do more regarding the visibility of their supply chains.
“Technology like ours allows for greater visibility of supply chains right through, from the farm to the customer. However, in order to function optimally, it is essential that every role player in the supply chain commits to the process. It is good and well to claim that there are no abusive labour practices, or for that matter also any sustainability shortcomings, in one’s supply chain, but the only way to instil confidence, is to prove it, which traceability platforms like ours facilitates.”
Offer full traceability – Better Cotton Initiative
The Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) – the largest cotton sustainability programme in the world which locally includes Woolworths and Pick n Pay Clothing as their retail members – says legislation requiring businesses to demonstrate knowledge of their supply chains is becoming more common around the world. It says companies are not only being asked to know more about the origins of their materials but also about the conditions under which they are produced.
“Increasing media and academic attention on geopolitical issues, including the treatment of Uyghur Muslims in the Xinjiang area of China, has further demonstrated that production location and sustainability are crucially interlinked,” says Amy Jackson, BCI director of membership and supply chain.
Up to now, the BCI has made use of its Chain of Custody (CoC) framework that incorporates the concept of “mass balance” – a widely-used volume-tracking system that allows Better Cotton to be substituted or mixed with conventional cotton provided equivalent volumes are sourced as Better Cotton.
“But as our world progresses, we recognise that it is time to explore going beyond this mass balance CoC model to offer full traceability and even more value to Better Cotton farmers and companies. For Better Cotton, this means that, at minimum, we seek to determine the region in which the seed cotton was produced and identify the businesses involved in its transformation to a finished good,” says Jackson. Bizcommunity
Pepkor – results of annual general meeting
Shareholders and noteholders are hereby advised that at the annual general meeting of the Company held entirely by electronic communication at 09:00 am today, Wednesday, 10 March 2021 (“AGM”), all of the resolutions placed before the meeting were passed by the requisite majorities of the Company’s shareholders
HomeChoice – update on release of results
Shareholders are advised that COVID-19 related work from home challenges have impacted the finalisation of the Group’s annual financial results and audit process for the year ended 31 December 2020.
The Company´s annual financial results, originally scheduled for release on the Stock Exchange News Service (“SENS”) on Monday, 15 March 2021 will now be published on SENS on Wednesday, 24 March 2021.
The annual financial results will also be presented virtually via webcast at 11h00 on Wednesday 24 March 2021.
The guidance contained in the Company’s trading statement published on SENS on 12 February 2021 remains unchanged.
Massmart final results December 2020
Sales for the year decreased 7.7% to R86.486 billion (2019: R93.660 billion), trading profit before interest and taxation increased 5.5% to R1.173 billion (2019: R1.111 billion), loss for the period fell 35.3% to R1.753 billion (2019: loss of R1.296 billion), while headline loss per share lowered byoutlook 19.3% to 426.8 cents per share (2019: headline loss of 529 cents per share).
Our current dividend policy is to declare and pay an interim and final cash dividend representing a 2.0 times dividend cover, unless circumstances dictate otherwise. Due to the headline loss reported and the need to preserve cash, as a result of the uncertain economic outlook, no final dividend has been declared. No final dividend was declared in December 2019.
Outlook and trading update
Total sales for the nine weeks to 28 February 2021 of R13.9 billion represents a sales decline of 6.6%, with a 6.5% decline on a comparable sales basis. This decline is attributed mainly to the liquor ban in January and delayed reopening of schools.
We expect the uncertain operating environment, constrained consumer financial health position and negatively impacted economy related to the Covid-19 pandemic to persist. While trade in all our categories is currently permitted, the imposition of new restrictions remain uncertain. We however remain, confident that we will continue to effectively navigate through this difficult period and with the support of our exceptional employees we have a renewed focus on our number one priority, our customers.
Mr Price – change to board
The Group is pleased to announce the appointment of Jane Canny as an independent non-executive director to the board of directors (Board) and member of the Risk and IT Committee, with effect from 8 March 2021. Her appointment ensures that the Board maintains the information and technology skills necessary to support the Group’s growth.
Pick n Pay – retirement of executive director
Shareholders are advised that, on reaching the Group’s normal retirement age, Richard van Rensburg will be retiring from his position as executive director of Pick n Pay Stores Ltd. with effect from 31 March 2021.
The Group has well-planned internal succession arrangements in place that will ensure successful delivery of these important functions in the future.
Did you know……..
“The effort that fast fashion brands put into sustainable production measures is decreasing” (Global Fashion Agenda, 2019)
The general trend of fast fashion brands trying to “do sustainable” is unsatisfying, to say the least. In reality, little to no retailers focus on making production transparent and eco-friendly. Don’t be fooled by baby steps like recycling and conscious collections, which may be no more than greenwashing.
To Advertise….. Click here to see fact sheet with advertising rates.
Please remember to send me your news so that we can share it with all our readers in the weekly newsletter. Although editorial is neither guaranteed nor implied, suitable editorial for consideration may be submitted to:-


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Amway eyeing Tamil Nadu to set up Rs 400 crore plant – Economic Times
Hindu Business Line
Amway eyeing Tamil Nadu to set up Rs 400 crore plant
Direct selling FMCG company Amway has shortlisted Tamil Nadu and Gujarat for setting up its Rs 400-crore manufacturing facility.
Amway mulls setting up own manufacturing unit in Tamil NaduHindu Business Line


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Fortress Technology has supplied Trigon Snacks with a bespoke linear Stealth metal detector for its latest coated honey roast nut production line.
Here is your roundup for the latest product news.
GNT is set to highlight how its Exberry range of Coloring Foods can be used to tap into today’s biggest trends when the company returns to Fi Europe at Messe Frankfurt.
Germany-headquartered Planteneers presents the Plantbaser, a digital configurator that greatly simplifies product development.
Here is your roundup for the latest processing news.
Manufacturing has started at innocent’s new carbon-neutral factory, with the first bottled drinks rolling off the production line in the Port of Rotterdam.
Veolia Water Technologies UK supplies organic based water treatment chemicals to help food manufacturer, AB World Foods, optimise its effluent treatment.
Data from 18 European countries show that plant-based ingredients such as pea, rice, or potato proteins are appealing to consumers interested in sports nutrition products.
On the eve of Halloween, the plant-based food company Oumph! is giving Stockholmers the chance to try the world’s first plant-based burger resembling human meat.
Hortifrut will invest $280 million to purchase 100% of Atlantic Blue, one of the leaders in variety development, growing and marketing of berries in Europe and Northern Africa.
The clean-label developer is focussing on healthy reformulation ahead of HFSS legislation.
Here is your roundup for the latest packaging news.
Here is your roundup for the latest ingredients news.


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Secure-IC, a provider of embedded system security, has acquired Silex Insight. The deal will help device makers and OEMs to build devices that are secure by design, the buyer said. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
This is technology M&A deal number 986 that ChannelE2E has covered so far in 2022. See more than 2,000 technology M&A deals involving MSPs, MSSPs & IT service providers listed here.
Secure-IC, founded in 2010, is based in Rennes, France. The company has 109 employees listed on LinkedIn. Secure-IC’s security technology is embedded in “hundreds of millions of electronic chips for smartphones, laptops, automobiles, smart meters, cloud servers and more,” the company said.
Silex Insight, founded in 1991, is based in Mont-Saint-Guibert, France. The company’s cloud-based platform allows customers to secure and manage their fleet of devices from the cloud and be provided with added-value security services, as well as compliance to standards.”
Internet of Things and Security: Executive Perspectives on M&A
In a prepared statement about the M&A deal, Secure-IC CEO Hassan Triqui said:
“Secure-IC continues to invest heavily in security and by leveraging Silex Insight’s knowledge, solutions, and people, we know we retain best-in-class security for our customers. We expect to help them achieve market success with a complete embedded security offer, including lifecycle management. The combination of Secure-IC and Silex Insight is going to bring a unique high assurance security level to the market. Our mission is to provide our customers with solutions which perfectly fit their requirements, and offer outstanding quality, so that it is easy to implement right through to tape-out and beyond.”
Added Michel Van Maercke, CEO of Silex Insight:
“By handing over our security business to Secure-IC, we are assured that the customers are in the best hands to help them design devices with the highest security standards. At the same time customers will be able to design solutions that are scalable and can be updated in the field”, said Michel Van Maercke, CEO of Silex Insight. This combination of Secure-IC and Silex Insight’s know-how marks the start of an incredibly exciting new era for embedded security solutions, creating a global leader, ready to set the standards for current and future
challenges, such as the post-quantum cryptography revolution.”


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Fashion Scoops: At First Blush … Rai of Light … Crazy in Versace …
AT FIRST BLUSH: Could Jean Paul Gaultier, the French designer who put men in skirts, now be sending them to the makeup counter? Rumor has it that Beauté Prestige International, his beauty licensee, is about to launch color cosmetics for men under...
AT FIRST BLUSH: Could Jean Paul Gaultier, the French designer who put men in skirts, now be sending them to the makeup counter? Rumor has it that Beauté Prestige International, his beauty licensee, is about to launch color cosmetics for men under the Gaultier label, along with a new men’s fragrance. As a teaser, BPI just sent beauty journalists in Europe mysterious little black boxes containing an eraser. “Erase your preconceptions,” an insert advises. The media is also invited to the Paris event on June 27, which happens to be the same day as Gaultier’s men’s fashion show.
BPI executives could not be reached for comment.
RAI OF LIGHT: Arresting Bollywood star Aishwarya Rai has just landed herself a new leading role — as an international ambassadress for L’Oréal Paris. Rai joins a long list of actresses-cum-spokesmodels for L’Oréal including Catherine Deneuve and Andie MacDowell. Rai recently sat on the jury of Cannes International Film Festival and was a former Miss World. Her films credits include “Devdas” and the upcoming Anglo-Indian version of “Pride and Prejudice.”
CRAZY IN VERSACE: Beyoncé Knowles, one third of the pop trio Destiny’s Child, might have missed the Versace show last year but is making up for it in her new video, Crazy in Love. Knowles wears a orange silk minidress with fuchsia chiffon insets from the spring collection along with matching jewels. Meanwhile, the songstress donned a green silk bustier dress from Versace’s fall 2003 collection for the MTV Movie Awards, which air tonight.
CARDONA’S ANGELS: Newly minted Cerruti designer David Cardona doesn’t have any plans to give up his signature line, as fashion fans who flock to see “Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle” will notice when it hits theaters June 27. For stars Drew Barrymore and Lucy’s Liu’s pivotal fight scene with nemesis Demi Moore, costume designer Joseph Aulisi tapped Cardona to customize two black leather jackets from his fall 2003 collection for the actresses. “My collection was very aggressive and bitchy, and I think that’s what the studio wanted for this scene,” said Cardona from his Santa Monica, Calif., studio. “Both jackets [long-sleeved for Barrymore and short-sleeved for Liu] are corseted and tight on the body.” Angel lovers can order their very own jackets, which retail for $2,900 and $1,800, respectively, but at least they won’t have to order eight copies of each, as Columbia Pictures did to accommodate stunt doubles and damage done during the cat fight de la creme.THIERRY CLOTH: There was an extra sense of urgency at a Thierry Mugler press sale in Paris Wednesday, since owner Clarins plans to soon shutter the fashion house to focus on the fragrance business. Journalists got first dibs on a piece of fashion history from a hodgepodge of suits and sportswear from Mugler’s 2002 collections. It was a sad moment for Mugler diehards, who lamented the dearth of hard-core Eighties looks like corseted suits. “I’m looking for collector’s items,” said Odette Bombardier, an accessories designer shopping the sale. “It’s the end of an era. But Mugler isn’t the same any more.” Dominique le Couturier, television producer, had to admit she’s not surprised the house is closing. “It doesn’t correspond to the image of the modern women anymore,” she said. “It became too sophisticated: fashion for women on a pedestal.” Still, a bargain’s a bargain: Prices start at about $30. The sale, now open to the public, runs through Saturday.
EXCLUSIVE: @tomford is opening its first-ever beauty store. The boutique, which opens November 20 in London’s Covent Gardens, was designed with the over-the-top glam Ford is known for. Read the full story on WWD.com, link in bio. #wwdbeauty #wwdnews (📷: Simon Wagner) #TomFordBeauty
New York-based DJ @harleyvnewton threw a party to celebrate the holiday collection of her dress and pajama line @hvn at the Ladurée Beverly Hills. It Girls @katebosworth, @rashidajones and more joined in on the fun, which included cocktails, croque monsieur sandwiches and a photo booth. #wwdfashion (📷: Owen Kolasinski/BFA.com)
For the holidays, @Burberry partnered with 20-year-old artist @blondeymccoy on a series of three outdoor murals in downtown Manhattan. The murals are McCoy’s interpretation of a Christmas eve party, the idea of charity and the spirit of family. His third mural, pictured here, is the most personal. The image depicts McCoy’s grandparents and father in London’s Trafalgar Square in the Seventies. “My work often features lots of sentimental objects.” #wwdeye
For spring 2018, designers applied bold colors and cartoonish motifs on everything from sneakers and belts to key chains. See all the top men’s accessories trends on WWD.com. #wwdtrends (📷: George Chinsee; Prop Styling by @rnasti; Market Editor: @luiscampuzano)
The @dior-sponsored @guggenheim international gala pre-party has a history of drawing cool-girl musical acts to serenade the crowd –– and last night was no exception. @haimtheband performed songs both new and old, and lured a star-studded audience with the likes of Rebecca Hall, Kate Mara, Mamoudou Athie and more. #wwdeye (📷: @lexieblacklock)
In a partnership between the @metopera and the @englishnationalopera, “Marnie” was born. The opera, with costumes sponsored by @mrporterlive, is an adaptation of the 1961 thriller by Winston Graham. Arianne Phillips, who created the costumes, is no rookie: She’s styled Madonna for her tours and created costumes for a myriad of films in the past. Read WWD’s interview with Phillips, where she talks about her inspiration for the opera’s costumes on WWD.com #wwdfashion
@barneysnyc took a different approach to their holiday windows this year. Instead of Christmas decor, Barneys tapped @thehaasbrothers to tell a story of positivity, gratitude and inclusivity via heartwarming silliness and humor. “It’s about kids and it’s about coming together and being family and loving each other,” said Simon Haas. #wwdfashion (📷: @joshuascottphoto)
Beauty influencer @kandeejohnson makes her foray into hair care with a collaboration with @ogx_beauty — making it the first time that OGX has teamed up for a product creation. The collab includes shampoos and conditioners in three scents. At 39 and a mom, Johnson is a different profile than the emerging social media stars, but is considered one of the pioneers of the digital beauty influencer world. Read WWD’s interview with her on wwd.com, including the strangest beauty product she’s ever tried #wwdbeauty


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Should you take that gift card overseas or save room for a spare credit card?
Plastic Jungle, a gift card exchange site, said it’s no longer buying or selling gift cards on its website.
Several gift card exchange websites have popped up that connect people who don’t want their gift cards with people who do.
Here are six ways to make the gift of money from Grandma and Grandpa more memorable.
Starbucks is moving into the luxury coffee market with upscale offerings.
Consumers are getting more value out of their gift cards but continue to lack fraud protection, according to a new report.
Citi and American Express are debuting two new products that will help with your Christmas, Hanukkah or Kwanza shopping.
The CFPB considers whether unclaimed property laws in two states are in conflict with federal law on gift card expiration.
Is it possible that gift cards could become extinct in the Garden State? Perhaps, as a looming state law chases away gift card providers. American Express last week pulled its gift cards from New Jersey drugstores, supermarkets and convenience stores instead of trying to comply with a law that requires retailers to collect the ZIP
U.S. Bank introduced a program with Plastic Jungle that allows certain credit cardholders to exchange gift cards for rewards points.


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Dell layoffs are going to be much lower than the rumored 15,000 according to the company. Dell disputed reports of a massive layoff pending in the media. According to CNBC on Feb. 4, the number will be more likely a few thousand.
The loss of 2,000 or 3,000 jobs would amount to about two percent of Dell's worldwide workforce of nearly 109,000.
Dell layoffs will not be the "imminent bloodbath" previously reported. Since the $25 billion buyout which took the technology giant private, they are not required to disclose much publicly anymore.
Some of the Dell layoffs were confirmed to have already taken place according to corporate communications. A voluntary severance program was available up until Feb. 3. Only a few employees took advantage of the offer. Prior to the 15,000 job cut rumor, the company was said to be cutting sales by 20 to 30 percent in the U.S. and EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) regions.
After the yearlong battle to take the company private succeeded last October it was widely expected that some job cuts would follow. The company confirms that they are continuing to hire in strategic areas.
What do you think about the Dell layoffs story? Please drop in your comments below.
Recent articles from this Examiner (click on the link to read):


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After being active in Southern Africa for ten years, offering a range of quality solar products such as Solar Home Systems (SHS) which give off-grid populations access to affordable energy for lighting and charging mobile phones and television and refrigeration services this firm has its eyes on conquering the entire Southern Africa market.
The €2 million investment in the pay-as-you-go (PAYG) company will see it expand into the larger southern Africa market was led by EDP Renováveis (an EDP Group subsidiary) in partnership with venture building firm Persistent Energy Capital LLC. EDP is EDP Renováveis (EDPR)’s main shareholder and is a global energy company and a leader in value creation, innovation, and sustainability.
The investment will boost the international expansion of SolarWorks! in Southern Africa, where the company has been operating a PAYG businesss since 2016. As a PAYG business, SolarWorks! sells solar home systems and related products to off-grid households and small businesses in rural and peri-urban areas. With over 170 employees, SolarWorks! is currently preparing to expand from Mozambique to Malawi.
According to Arnoud de Vroomen, CEO and co-founder of SolarWorks!, “The potential of the off-grid energy market in Africa is enormous. Persistent has been the ideal partner for us to build SolarWorks! to where it is today. EDPR is one of the biggest players in the world in renewable energy and we consider ourselves fortunate to welcome them as a partner with SolarWorks! and Persistent to achieve our next phase of growth.”
SolarWorks and Persistent Energy began their partnership in 2015 and have worked hand in hand ever since. Persistent Partner Rodrigo Weiss said “We are very proud of SolarWorks! and their development into the most dynamic PAYG company in Southern Africa. We are delighted that EDP Renováveis will be investing and providing their expertise to continue SolarWorks! on its successful growth trajectory.”
“Over the last decade, EDP has become the world leader in renewable energy and has been actively engaged in developing solutions in this area for emerging economies, where a significant part of the rural population still lacks access to electricity. Since 2009, the Group has invested about €5 million in A2E projects, directly impacting more than 20,000 people. This commitment is also an opportunity for the Group’s internationalization strategy. SolarWorks! is a very promising company with a differentiated business model, an experienced management team, and a solid shareholder structure”, says António Mexia, CEO of EDP.


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PARIS/DUBLIN (Reuters) – Faltering consumer confidence will slow the recovery of air travel once coronavirus restrictions end, the sector’s main global body warned on Tuesday, citing bleak new survey data.
More airlines are likely to follow Virgin Australia <VAH.AX> into administration without swifter government support, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) predicted, and fuel hedging will prevent many from benefiting from cheap oil.
Domestic and short-haul travel will pick up first, IATA said, but the demand upturn has been tepid in China and absent in Australia even after new COVID-19 cases have dwindled.
“Once market travel restrictions and lockdowns are relaxed, there’s still an issue about whether there will be demand from passengers to come back and fly,” IATA Chief Economist Brian Pearce said during an online media presentation.
Domestic air traffic is down 70% worldwide, IATA said.
The Geneva-based organisation expects the near-total shutdown of global aviation to cut industry revenue this year by more than half, with the $314 billion hit threatening 25 million jobs, and is backing airline demands for government support.
Some 40% of air travellers plan to wait at least six months before resuming their habitual flying, according to the IATA-commissioned survey published on Tuesday, and 69% say they will do so only after their personal finances stabilise.
The online poll of 4,700 consumers was conducted by Rockland Dutton with sample sizes of 300-500 in each of 11 countries.
In Europe, where the cycle of coronavirus spread, containment and travel reopening is lagging behind Asia, major carriers have locked in fuel costs through hedging, Pearce said.
Many airlines are therefore “unable to take advantage of the low prices even if they were actually flying”, Pearce said a day after U.S. crude futures turned negative for the first time in history.
The collapse of Virgin Australia, which entered voluntary administration on Tuesday, shows that many airlines will need quicker public support to survive, IATA’s Director General Alexandre de Juniac also said.
“The example of Virgin Australia is a perfect illustration of the warning we have put forward and the requests we have put in front of governments,” he said.
(Reporting by Laurence Frost and Conor Humphries; Additional reporting by Tim Hepher; Editing by David Goodman)


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What a Neuropsychologist Wants You to Know About Sleep
Sleep is the new darling of the tech world. At a time when Silicon Valley seeks to disrupt every field imaginable, it's not surprising that sleep tech is proliferating at such a rapid rate. But can wearables and trackers really help us achieve a better night's sleep? And more important, in a world filled with so many stimulants and stressors, how can we ever hope to get enough quality rest?
With those questions in mind, we turned for answers to clinical neuropsychologist Amy Serin, PhD, and entrepreneur Vicki Mayo. Founders of The TouchPoint Solution, Serin and Mayo have produced a suite of devices that, they claim, can help reduce stress, insomnia, and other barriers to restorative sleep. In the course of research and development for Touchpoints, they learned a few things about why so many of us aren't sleeping well, and what we can do about it.
Hardly anyone's getting enough sleep
Serin says that what surprised her most when she started to research sleep health is the sheer extent of the problem. The CDC released a study in 2014 that showed that one in three adults in the United States don't get enough sleep. “I learned how terrible our sleep habits are as a nation," Serin says. “The inflammation, cognitive decline and other problems that occur after just one night of poor sleep are worse than you might think." She points to further data from the American Sleep Association showing that more than 50 million Americans have a sleep disorder.
We treat sleep as a luxury
Sleep has always been essential, but it seems to be getting harder and harder to get enough rest. Serin places the blame squarely on “mental overactivity and stress," as well as modern-day factors that exacerbate these problems: artificial light, bright screens, constant distractions, poor sleeping environments and a lack of exercise. In addition, Serin points to our “lack of priority about healthy sleep" as a society. In other words, it's not just technology, but also our dismissive attitudes toward sleep that are harmful. We seem to think that adequate sleep is a luxury rather than a necessity.
Technology hurts, but it can also help
Serin and Mayo founded The TouchPoint Solution when they realized that a common form of treatment for PTSD could have wider applications. Together they developed TouchPoints, a pair of bracelets whose “haptic microvibrations," according to Serin, “can reduce 70% of stress in 30 seconds, allowing people to ease into sleep faster." Serin says TouchPoints work by disrupting the body's “fight-or-flight" response, restoring a more natural state of calm. “Because sleep is dependent on nervous system regulation, reducing stress and restoring someone to a state of calm can promote sleep onset, and can help someone go back to sleep if they wake up prematurely during the night."
Simple changes of habit go a long way
Although TouchPoints devices offer a technological solution, Mayo and Serin have several sleep tips of their own that anyone can follow. Mayo's two favorite pieces of advice? First, take a bath: “There's something very soothing about soaking. I am a huge fan of bath salts." Second, invest in some cozy pajamas: “Making sure you are comfortable when you get in bed can go a long way to going to sleep quicker."
Serin offers the following suggestions:
- Keep bedtime around the same time each night, with a goal of 7-9 hours of sleep before the alarm goes off.
- Don't snooze the alarm in the morning. Set one alarm, and get up when it goes off.
- Create a dark, comfortable, temperature-controlled environment for sleep.
- Don't drink alcohol to try to get a better night's sleep.
- Avoid TV or news that raises stress levels before sleep.
Sleep needs to be a societal priority
Mayo says the biggest challenge the company has faced has been a lack of education: “Like stress, people think that not sleeping well is something you just have to accept and live with." Although broader societal attitudes to sleep are improving ever so slightly, we still have a long way to go. “We must educate people about how sleep works and dispel myths about sleep," Mayo says. “From there we can provide solutions based on science."
Their ultimate goal, says Serin, is “to help people understand the importance of sleep and to create healthy sleep habits that allow them to live their best lives." Part of the larger task of changing people's attitudes is getting them to see the immense benefits of better sleep for all other aspects of life. “With all the noise about what people should be doing to improve their lives," she says, “they need to prioritize sleep because they'll get a better effect on health, well-being, productivity, and mood."


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Allen Media Group Launches Free Sports Streaming Platform SPORTS.TV
Sports fans now have another free-streaming platform to scratch their competitive itch — SPORTS.TV
The Allen Media Group’s new free-streaming app “aggregates sports, news, movies, documentaries, and entertainment networks, as well as local broadcast television stations, connecting sports fans to their favorite sports, teams, games, players, highlights, podcasts, and scores on every device for free.”
The initial SPORTS.TV lineup features your standard free-streaming sports flair, including many channels that are already available on other streaming platforms. These include Pac12 Insider, World Poker Tour, Pursuit Up TV, Swerve Sports, SportsGrid, For the Fans, Fight Network, Impact Wrestling, Black Belt TV, MMA TV, Campus Lore, Allied Esports, Outside TV, Horse & Country, NHRA TV, Racing America, and “more to come.” You’ll also be able to watch HBCUGo.TV, which the Allen Media Group acquired in October 2021.
The same company owns the free streamer Local Now — a platform that also includes many of these same channels — so SPORTS.TV appears to be a new product that simply omits non-sports channels.
Where SPORTS.TV differs from the competition, though, is that it will provide subscribers the ability to add on regional sports networks, pay-per-view, ticket sales, merchandise sales, and sports betting on the platform throughout 2022 — at an additional cost. This concept seems reminiscent of the “free-to-play” game genre, where you’ll be able to access plenty of content for free but premium content will be locked behind a paywall. It remains to be seen how successful this will be in a broadcast setting but has the potential to be groundbreaking if done correctly.
“After many years, we have successfully combined the world’s two favorite words—sports and free. Advertisers spend more than $50 billion per year to reach this highly-coveted sports demographic, and I’m happy to announce that SPORTS.TV has already received enormous ad support,” said Byron Allen, Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Allen Media Group. “SPORTS.TV is an innovative free-streaming service connecting sports fans to their favorite sports content, giving our subscribers complete access to all of their favorite teams and players on every device 24/7 for free.”
SPORTS.TV is free to download across many popular digital platforms including Apple iOS/iPhone/iPad, Android, Fire TV, and Android TV, and is also available on the web, and coming soon to the Roku and Apple TV digital platforms.


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India has climbed the ladder of the Global Innovation Index from 81 to 52 between 2015 and 2019.
Since the 1980s, India has been the port of call for Multi-National companies by providing low-cost outsourced software and support services. Product design companies of India along with top-notch CAD outsourcing services have been the main attraction of MNCs. The developing atmosphere of outsourcing in India has also fueled the process of the formation of a technology hub in India. People have been speculating about the development of India as the emergence of new ‘Silicon Valley’.
Why is India being considered as the next technology hub?
India is emerging as a dynamically growing next technology hub. Apart from services provided by product design companies and excellent services of outsourcing in India, various other factors are playing an important role in the development of technology hubs in India.
- Growing International Conflicts: US president has recently signed an executive order for creating a ‘China-free’ supply chain in strategic industries. According to experts, this can give a humongous boost in the development of a global technology hub in India. Tech companies like Samsung, Apple, Amazon, etc. are trying to shift their production chains to India from China. They are already opting for Indian product design companies, CAD outsourcing, and other services of outsourcing in India.
Diplomatic initiatives like Quad membership [ Quadrilateral Security Dialogue ] with the US, Australia, and Japan have increased the global importance of India which is attracting new FDI investors.
- Increasing Investment In Tech-Sector: The Hinrich report says that the US, Taiwan, and Japan are India’s largest foreign investors. Google has allied with Reliance Industries Ltd. To invest $4.5 billion to develop new tech innovation, specifically affordable mobile phones. Microsoft Corporation has announced to invest Rs. 2000 crore in the next three years. Tata group has also stepped up to invest Rs 5,000 crore to develop the Apple phone component plant in Tamil Nadu. Rolls Royce has tripled its R&D staff in India while planning to invest in native start-ups. This will favor the environment of the formation of a technology hub in India. India has received an FDI of $7.92 billion in the sector of outsourcing in India along with an FDI of $7.75 billion in the IT sector.
- Government Policies: Indian government is making efforts to attract more FDI and create an innovation-supporting atmosphere. India’s Ease of Doing Business Ranking has enhanced from 100th to 63rd position in the past 3 years. The Indian government has sanctioned 6 policies under the ‘Made in India Campaign 2014’. The government has also launched the Skill India Campaign in 2015 to train and upskill 400 million+ people in India in different skills till 2022. As part of India’s Covid plan, the government has initiated the ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ plan also. Under NEST, India has collaborated with foreign partners in the area of 5G and AI Intelligence.
- The skillset of the young population in India: Since the initial days of globalization, India has been a favored choice of many foreign countries for their outsourcing and product designing services. Because India’s young population provides a good workforce in terms of outsourcing services. Outsourcing in India has recently been valued as a $150 billion industry.
Outsourcing in India has developed far beyond usual R&D services and product design companies. India accounts for the largest pool of engineering talent [28%] among all the outsourcing service providers in the world. Outsourcing in India also surpasses the share of China [10%] and Russia [11%] in the field of outsourcing service providers. CAD outsourcing in India has been the most important fascination of MNCs, because of the offered competitive prices and standardized quality of work.
India is emerging as a new technology hub which has boosted Indian economy. Recently in a survey, European and US outsourcing firms have ranked India as their top outsourcing destination. NASSCOM has also stated that approximately half of the Fortune 500 companies choose outsourcing in India for their software development along with CAD outsourcing. If things go well then, we can soon experience the full bloomed technology hub in India which will take India’s economy to new heights.
Increasing R&D requirements in India has inspired many new businesses and supported their growth. Sudarshan CADD Technologies is one such company that believes in delivering the finest services with Innovation, Optimization, & Acceleration. We are known for offering the best Product Development & Engineering support to all our clients.
While striving for delivering quality services, we also ensure that our clients get everything they want and more within their budget. Want to know more about our thrilling journey? Then visit our website- www.sudarshantech.com.
If you have any queries or inquiries, then feel free to send us an email on- email@example.com.


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For fans of flight simulators, there’s a new game that’s been added to the genre. Eponymously dubbed Take Off The Flight Simulator, this game not only encompasses flight simulation, but it also allows players to dabble with managing their own airline.
Lately Sega has been on the receiving end of a sort of love/hate relationship with mobile gamers on both major platforms. Sega has released some pretty fun games so far, as well as some pretty not-so-good titles. So lately mobile gamers have been a bit back and forth about their feeling for Sega. Well the company has a new game coming to mobile devices which is an Action-RPG called Fortisia. What’s even more interesting is that from what we have seen about it so far, it actually looks really good.


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WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - The United Auto Workers union reportedly plans to go on strike against auto giant General Motors Co. (GM) after both the parties failed to reach a tentative deal before a Saturday deadline.
According to CNBC, the strike has been called despite GM saying it presented a 'strong offer' to the union. The offer included the addition or retention of thousands of jobs and more than $7 billion in new investments over the next four years.
The strike could cost GM hundreds of millions of dollars. The last time the union declared a strike at GM was in 2007. The two-day work stoppage was estimated to have cost the Detroit automaker more than $300 million a day.
UAW Vice President Terry Dittes, who oversees the union's GM unit, made the strike announcement during a press conference Sunday morning in Detroit. The strike will take effect at 11:59 p.m. with roughly 48,000 workers heading to the picket lines.
'Today, we stand strong and say with one voice, we are standing up for our members and for the fundamental rights of working class people in this nation,' Dittes said.
Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX
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I don’t know about you, but 2020 turned out a lot different than I expected. COVID-19 changed some predictions in the IoT market, forcing many of us to modify our plans completely — both on a personal and corporate level. For me, it was the rate of change in our industry switching from evolutionary to revolutionary. Many trends accelerated in the digital world, and I believe the new normal is here to stay.
In terms of IoT and broadband, the pandemic has allowed us to take a fresh look at both industries. I believe this will make for an exciting year to come, and here are some of my predictions for 2021.
Select industries will embrace the use of IoT to battle COVID-19
While 2020 didn’t quite bring the IoT revolution some expected, there is no denying COVID-19 dramatically accelerated its adoption in several industries. While constrained budgets may cause a continued delay in IoT implementation in areas such as hospitality and brick-and-mortar stores, healthcare and manufacturing will digitize their physical environments due to necessity. Examples include employing 5G-enabled robots to greet guests in hospitals or to safely check product lines in factories.
I believe AI will play a critical role in this digital shift in 2021, transforming information gathered via IoT sensor signals in physical environments into insights. This will help us inch closer to a connectivity revolution, and the data will give us better predictions of what may happen in the future and optimize experiences depending on proposed outcomes. This is where I expect IoT will begin changing our society.
This physical-to-digital transformation rests on the shoulders of the communication service provider (CSP). Unlike pure digital plays or data centers where servers are deployed physically or remotely in one location, IoT requires the actual physical implementation of sensors across vast and often challenging areas. CSPs can play a critical role in deploying sensors and taking these solutions to market with enterprises that are ready to make the shift.
A required change to the broadband and IoT experiences
In my professional opinion, COVID-19 has propelled our in-home expectations forward by five years. With that, 2021 will advance how broadband and IoT devices in the home are managed in this new environment. We’ll see broadband demands rise even further as heavy usage of high-bandwidth activities all battle for the home network’s attention as our personal and work lives continue to blend.
Amdocs research found that 37% of consumers experienced remote work early on in the pandemic, 18% tried online gaming and 25% used eLearning solutions. I expect these numbers have further skyrocketed with schools offering hybrid schedules, cloud gaming becoming a console staple and many offices worldwide remaining closed.
Beyond this, I believe we’ll also see enterprises investigate new areas, such as connected devices that guarantee the bandwidth, security and functionality employees need to work effectively. As consumers use more connected devices for longer periods, IoT developers and connectivity providers will seize these opportunities.
Broadband connectivity will evolve to manage connected hardware and related mobile software applications more efficiently. This will be accompanied by better intelligent monitoring, leading to an improved understanding of the quality of experience. IoT developers have a role to play here, ensuring service providers can integrate their software within this experience.
COVID-19 may have thrown off a year that could have been IoT’s big breakthrough. While some industries have slowed their implementation of IoT, other sectors and the in-home connectivity explosion will provide clear opportunities over the coming 12 months. It’ll be interesting to see whether CSPs and IoT developers get a jump on the competition by realizing this sooner rather than later.
All IoT Agenda network contributors are responsible for the content and accuracy of their posts. Opinions are of the writers and do not necessarily convey the thoughts of IoT Agenda.