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Natural offerings in the pet industry have become ubiquitous, as consumer product choices for domesticated animals continue to mirror their own preferences for quality. Today’s pet parents are demanding to know how brands define the word "natural."
While manufacturers must list all of their ingredients on a label when selling pet food, there are no clearly defined standards for formulas that are referred to as natural. So, many consumers are becoming more educated on how to ensure the food products they choose for pets will meet their personal natural-food guidelines.
At KLN Family Brands in Perham, Minn., national sales manager Dan Schmitz reveals manufacturers that create natural formulas are often referring to food that contains neither genetically modified organism (GMO) ingredients, nor less desirable components such as meat or bone meal.
"One will occasionally see a natural claim just because a food includes some select fruits and vegetables, but [the food] still contains ingredients that have been genetically modified and the ‘natural’ claim is not accurate," says Schmitz.
Due to greater consumer attention to natural food claims, Schmitz sees a shift regarding how manufacturers use the word natural in their branding.
"The way manufacturers make all-natural claims appears to be changing," he explains. "There has been speculation that making these ‘100-percent natural’ or ‘all-natural’ claims could result in lawsuits, so I do feel manufacturers are taking this into consideration when making these claims."
By ensuring manufacturers create products that deliver on their natural claims, consumers will continue to shape trends in this segment. When manufacturers trust retail partners to sell their natural food, they are relying on store associates to tell their wholesome-food branding story through a transparent discussion with customers.
"We address these issues by further educating our retail partners...in turn, we count on our retail partners to help guide new customers to our brand to meet solutions for pets," explains Brian Butler, national accounts manager at Grandma Lucy’s, located in Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.
An Educational Edge
The clear message is that pet parents want to know how pets will benefit from the natural formulas manufacturers are promoting. According to Kathryn Buffington, Austin, Texas-based Nulo Pet Food’s partner marketing and education manager, consumers view an ingredient list as an indicator regarding the quality of natural food products.
"Consumers are willing to spend more on products with recognizable whole-food ingredients and those that come with more robust quality labels, such as natural, non-GMO and human-grade, because this implies the food has been handled and processed as little as possible and will be the greatest nutritional value for their pet," she says.
With many different options available—from raw and grain-free products to organics and limited-ingredient formulas—knowledgeable consumers are able to make the smartest decisions to meet the specific needs of their pets, but certain concerns remain for all pet parents.
"They want it to meet their personal health objective for their dog or cat," says Susan Goldstein, who owns Westport, Conn.-based Earth Animal pet products with her veterinarian husband, Dr. Bob. "From a nutritional point of view, if the food meets the animal’s individual nutritional needs, then quality of life will be assured, and what goes along with that is increased longevity."
Pet parents are not only concerned about the nutrition of their animals, but also how ingredients are sourced. For some consumers, buying natural food to keep pets healthier could mean purchasing goods manufactured through sustainable methods that rely on humane treatment of farm animals from which meat is sourced.
"From a health perspective, if the animal has been treated with respect, lived a decent life and has had quality of life, it results in a healthier protein source," says Goldstein.
This idea that quality of life experienced by farm animals will result in a higher-grade food leads into the conversation regarding meat processing. Once manufacturers receive their animal proteins to make their food, they must ensure shipments are handled—and processed—with care.
"The quality of a pet food relies on the quality of the raw materials going into it," explains Buffington. "When ingredients go through harsh thermal or chemical processing, or spend extended time in warehousing and storage, flavors deteriorate and they begin to lose nutritional value long before reaching a pet’s bowl."
In addition to humanely sourced meat-based natural formulas, the demand for plant-based formulas is growing. Making pet food using plant-based ingredients creates challenges with comprehensive nutrition for dogs and cats, but the Goldsteins recognize the importance of these products to meet consumer demand.
"Plant-based formulas will be beneficial for animals and the planet," reveals Dr. Bob Goldstein. "We can use plant-based instead of polluting the planet with the process of raising farm animals."
The demand for natural pet food has evolved from a fringe trend of the past to one of the most important considerations for many pet parents. Now that consumers demand transparency, which has created a more informed customer, many shoppers are extremely conscientious regarding the impact their purchasing decisions have on their own health and their pets’ well being.
"A responsible pet-food manufacturer should listen to their customers," says Schmitz. "Humanization of pets continues to be strong. As a responsible manufacturer, we need to cater to these folks." PB


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Published on : Jun 29, 2017
Soon customers in India will be able to ask Amazon’s Alexa to play their favorite song or book an Uber, and this without actually switching the language to English. By the end of the current year, Amazon is hoping to introduce the Alexa Voice Service in the country in combination with its Echo speakers. This was revealed by two sources in the know.
Initially, the speakers will be launched in an English interface and a later update will enable the speakers to respond to commands made in various regional languages, such as Tamil, Marathi, and Hindi. This multilingual interface is under development at Amazon’s facility in Chennai. However, Amazon has not yet confirmed or denied the same.
Alexa Looking to Offer Indians Unique Technology Experience
Not very different from Google Assistant on Home, Alexa on Echo is looking to offer the tech-savvy crowd in India a unique technology experience wherein they can execute various commands such as booking a cab and purchasing groceries online while sitting in their offices or at home. For those interested in experiencing this one-of-a-kind feature, Alexa will be linked to Amazon’s online site, which is presently enjoying the second spot in online shopping in India. This feature will also help Amazon cater to the growing population of urban customers in India, an increasing number of which enjoy Prime membership services with speedier delivery and other benefits.
Major Barriers likely to Hamper Amazon’s Efforts
The main hurdles that Amazon is likely to face and inhibit Alexa’s entry in India include large family structures and two-factor payment authentication. However, a senior executive has said that Amazon is hoping to work around these challenges by using India-specific innovations such as passphrases. Attractive initial offers with respect to price are in the pipeline for the Indian market, a strategy adopted by Amazon Prime Video, which ended up being rather successful.

domain: news


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Too busy digging out from Nemo to check the news this weekend? Here's what you missed.
Microsoft's Surface Pro went on sale Friday, and it quickly sold out. By Saturday, the 64GB and 128GB version of the tablet were no longer available on the Microsoft website. However, Redmond didn't release any details about how many tablets it actually had available, so it's not known if being "sold out" means a blockbuster weekend for Microsoft or the depletion of an already limited supply of Surface Pros.
Meanwhile, the debate over how much storage you actually get on your Surface Pro continued. The final verdict? You get roughly half to 75 percent of each tablet's advertised storage, but Microsoft doesn't make it that easy to figure out. Should you get a Surface Pro? Check out PCMag's full review for more.
In other news, Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg had the chance to head up a different social network - LinkedIn. In an excerpt from her new book, Sandberg said LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman approached the Google executive in mid-2006 to inquire whether she'd be interested in a career change. "I thought it was a great opportunity, and after five years in the same position at Google I was ready for a new challenge," she wrote. "But the timing was tricky. I was thirty-seven years old and wanted to have a second child. I told Reid the truth: regrettably, I had to pass."
Meanwhile, an 11-year-old made headlines this weekend for the "Runescape Gold Hack," which allegedly promised to give free gold to players of the popular massively multiplayer online game.
In other tech news this weekend:
- Controversial CISPA Cyber-Security Bill Returns Wednesday: A controversial cyber-security bill will return on Wednesday when Reps. Mike Rogers and C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger reintroduce the measure in the House.
- Google, Dropbox, and Comcast on List of Malware Hosting Domains: F-Secure recently released a list the top malware hosting domains which included Google, Dropbox, Comcast, and other popular websites. Before you freak out, there's a very good reason for them to be on that list.
- Microsoft Compares Malware Infection Rates, Socio-Economic Factors: Countries with the lowest malware infection rates generally had more personal computers per capita, spent more on healthcare per capita, had greater regime stability, and higher broadband penetration.
- Security Experts Weigh in on Bush Email Hack: Security experts believe the hacking of email accounts belong to former U.S. president George W. Bush and family members was more likely sport than espionage.
- Beyond Warfare: 9 Non-Lethal Uses For Drones: Although drones are most often used for military operations, they do have other uses.
For more from Chloe, follow her on Twitter @ChloeAlbanesius(Opens in a new window).
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Launching today, the line is available in sizes 10 to 24.
The couple initially intended to get married in their home country of Australia, but decided on a whim to change course and do an alfresco dinner on the grounds of a grand castle in France instead.
Julie Wainwright, founder and ceo of the luxury consignment marketplace, agreed with Gucci president and ceo Marco Bizzarri, saying "it’s clear that we must do more and do it faster.”
Magazines wrapping to explore alternatives like recycled plastic from PCR waste, biodegradable bio-based content, paper or naked mailing.
Sugarcoated with cheese, the collection includes seven handbags of different sizes and one T-shirt, just in time for the year of the rat.
The Australian musician is a friend of the brand and a regular guest at Gucci fashion shows and events.
The company operating the Byblos and Manuel Facchini labels turned to the Court of Milan to continue to operate.
The author describes how personalized design is digital commerce’s "big opportunity for 2020 and beyond."
To help relaunch the Vogue Shop, the designers have created three limited-edition shirts with a potent message: Waste not, want not.
Vogue’s new line of merchandise is here, just in time for the holidays—with help from Public School, Shinola, Maisonette, Crane, UrbanStems, the Selby, and more.
The Parisian designer and her boyfriend started out seal-spotting on the California coast, then eventually decided to tie the knot in Nevada.
Weak international tourism, unfavorable weather conditions and weak traffic at some malls impacted the business.
The Le Bernarndin wine director has distilled wine down to the essentials in his book "Wine Simple."
Former Jungsik chef Hoyoung Kim has opened his own restaurant in collaboration with Hand Hospitality.
The executive transformed the store into a beauty powerhouse, launching brands ranging from MAC Cosmetics and Shu Uemura to Fenty Beauty in the U.K.
The French luxury house has moved its show forward by one day to Dec. 4.
Collagerie, a new e-commerce platform based in London, is the brainchild of former Vogue editors Lucinda Chambers and Serena Hood.
The brand will display celebrity interpretations of the late designer's iconic style — along with fall 2020 men's collections.


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The domain name industry is maturing, and consolidating, and one of the biggest consolidations recently is the merger of 2 of the biggest new gTLD registries – Donuts and Rightside, both based in Seattle.
The merger, which is in effect a takeover of Rightside by Donuts, will see them become responsible for 237 new gTLDs with 2.9 million domain names under management and 10.71% of the more than 27 million domain names that have been registered across the 1,225 new gTLDs to have been delegated by ICANN. The combined entity will have more gTLDs than any other operator, with Donuts already currently the largest, and they will be the fourth largest by registrations.
The biggest of their new gTLDs will be .life from Donuts, which currently has almost 117,000 registrations, and .live from Rightside which has almost 103,000 registrations. They are the only 2 of their new gTLDs with more than 100,000 registrations.
The deal is expected to close in the third quarter of 2017 and will see Rightside become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Donuts, a privately-held company.


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Could Norwich’s Chapelfield mall be sold?
- Credit: Archant
The face of the high street may be set to change again after it was revealed the Chapelfield shopping centre may be bought out.
Reports have emerged that Intu, the owner of the, is "exploring a deal" to sell.
The proposal has come from European private equity group Orion Capital Managers.
The group already has experience working with distressed retail assets having bought a number of Spanish shopping centres during the financial crisis and selling them at a profit when the market recovered.
The news saw Intu shares leap by 20% at the start of the week lifting its value to £546m.
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Chapelfield has been approached for comment.
However whether Intu's value will turn around as their European counterparts did remains to be seen.
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- 6 Murdered Norfolk mum's bravery has helped family through their darkest days
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Analysts have said that this is due to chains issuing company voluntary agreements (CVAs) to landlords - which allows the business to shed sites that are no longer profitable.
The most recent example is the Arcadia group - which owns Topshop, Topman, and Dorothy Perkins to name a few - which was successful in pushing through 48 CVAs in June.
However where Intu's handover may be influenced by a need to clear its £1bn debt, independently-owned Castle Mall is leaning into investment.
It was revealed in July that Norwich's other mall would be renamed the Castle Quarter, so to better reflect a more experiential destination.
Robert Bradley, Castle Mall's general manager, said: "This is just the beginning and part of the changes coming include some new signage and a new look which we're looking forward to revealing later on this year. There are lots of reasons to visit Castle Mall - and there will be even more soon."
The mall has so far been successful in expanding its offering having invested £3m into dining at the Timberhill Terrace as well as securing new leisure tenants.
These include a £2m Superbowl which will open soon and a £1.5m investment into a new PureGym site which opened this summer.
Only this week it also announced the opening of a new arcade and video game shop Retro Replay.


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The smartphone launch event: A largely wasted effort
Apple's flashy iPhone launch events have become the envy of competitors in the smartphone segment so it's now common for them to throw their own bashes. Fact is most shoppers aren't aware of these events.
A common scene since the launch of the first iPhone a few years ago is the flashy smartphone launch event. Company shills take the stage to convince the press covering the event that the new smartphone is the Next Big Thing. With the exception of Apple events, these expensive launch shows are largely ineffective.
In the beginning there weren't many smartphone launch events. Companies showed new phones at tech shows and were happy with the modest exposure. Then Apple turned the launch event into big news and gradually its competitors started throwing big bashes of their own to bring new smartphones into the world.
The tech paparazzi and enthusiasts eat this stuff up but most consumers as a rule don't even see these flashy events.
This year we've already seen big launch events by Samsung, BlackBerry, and HTC with no doubt more on the way. Each company threw a long, lavish show to bring its latest creation to the masses. It seems each new event gets more elaborate and expensive, trying to outdo the others thrown before.
The truth is these launch events don't seem to be very effective. Sure the tech paparazzi and enthusiasts eat this stuff up but most consumers as a rule don't even see these flashy events. If the mainstream media picked up these events on the local news consumers might become aware of the launch event but that usually only happens for iPhone launches.
That may be unfair but its the reality, iPhone launch events get picked up by national and local news. This kicks up the excitement level among prospective buyers which is a more significant audience than the tech press. While companies like the tech press to cover the new phone, it's consumers who are the ones buying smartphones in huge numbers.
It doesn't help that most companies don't make the new product available at launch. They usually let what little excitement they build up with the event escape by not actually selling the phone for weeks and in some cases months. What few mainstream consumers hear about the phone as a result of the launch lose enthusiasm for it when it can't be bought during the heat of the moment.
Nokia is about to throw a 5-hour launch event for its new Lumia phones and it will be trying desperately to get consumers psyched up about the new phone(s). The tech press will ooh and ahh over the new model's features and enthusiasts will be discussing the phones excitedly.
Mainstream consumers, the group that Nokia really needs to sell, won't hear anything about the new phones at launch as it won't be big enough news to hit the local air waves. Nokia, like every company but Apple, will have to run a blitz media campaign to get the word out to prospective buyers. And that seems to be a hard thing to do well.
It's not fair but only iPhone launches get covered everywhere. That coverage helps foment excitement in consumers significant enough to get them to not only open their wallets but to stand in line to do so. That stimulates even more coverage in the news which keeps sales flowing. We won't know until we see a few more of them if the absence of Steve Jobs at iPhone events affects the massive coverage, but for now Apple has the launch event advantage.


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New Delhi: About 90 per cent of the Indian car owners would opt for an electric car, provided the right infrastructure is made available, along with optimum support system for maintenance of their electric cars, according to Velocity MR, a market research and analysis company.
The research company has done a pan-India study to understand the adaptability of electric cars in India.
Over 50 per cent of the respondents suggested that the government should take initiatives to increase awareness about electric vehicles and provide financial assistance in the form of subsidy and reduced road tax.
The study observed that while there is some awareness on electric cars, a common misconception is the perceived low mileage per charge.
About 70 per cent of the respondents believed that an electric car could provide a maximum mileage of 70km per charge, while the basic models of electric cars available in the Indian market today, and deliver a mileage of over 100 km per charge.
A 2200 sample size for the study covered car owners across the Indian metros, Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bangalore and Chennai.
Jasal Shah, managing director & CEO of Velocity MR said: “Like AI and crypto currency, electric vehicles have also taken the world by storm in recent years. Though the current adaptability of this segment is at a bare minimum, the future of electric cars is bright.”
“With talks of international brands like Tesla and Toyota planning their launch in the Indian market, this segment in India is expected to reach new heights.”
He further added: “However, this is possible only provided the government takes necessary steps to provide the required infrastructure and support to auto companies. Electric vehicles with higher efficiency and configuration are also likely to fare well in the Indian market.”
“Automobile players should focus on educating the target audience on this new technology and also at addressing the current misconceptions/preconceived notions around the category. During our survey, we observed that most of the current consumer base could not differentiate between hybrid and electric vehicles. They also came with a perceived belief of lower mileage per charge which is a misconception."
The study points to electric cars still being at a very nascent stage in India with the current ownership being only about 1 per cent. Respondents believe that electric cars are currently not viable for them with lack of basic infrastructure like charging stations, high cost of purchase, maintenance and lack of subsidies being major factors.
About 90 per cent of the intended car buyers in the study have said that they would have bought an electric car instead of their current petrol/diesel cars, provided they had more options, regarding pricing, model, brand.
With the current barriers/ concerns addressed, the future potential of electric cars is exciting. About 90 per cent of the respondents claimed that they would consider the electric car for their next purchase and also recommend it to their family and friends.
From among a third of the respondents interested in electric cars, about 31 per cent said that they would use their electric car as the primary car, while, 69 per cent claimed that they would use it as their secondary/additional car only.
Most of the respondents are also willing to pay a premium of about 17 per cent more than the cost of their conventional engine type cars in the same category/body type.
While 91 per cent of the interested respondents claimed that they would prefer using their electric cars more on weekdays, only 2 per cent claimed that they would use these cars for long distance and out of city travel.
When quizzed on the electric car brands in the market, Mahindra and Tesla were found to be the top brands associated with electric cars.
Honda turned out to be the most preferred brand to buy an electric car from, if it were to launch one in India, with about 79 per cent opting for the brand. This was closely followed by Maruti, with 75 per cent respondents preferring this brand over others.
Awareness about the proposed launch of electric cars in India currently was observed to be high. Among the 70 per cent who are aware of an international brand launching an electric car in India, about 20 per cent claimed it to be Tesla, and about 10 per cent claimed it to be Toyota.
When quizzed about the most anticipated brands to launch an electric car in the near future, Tata (39 per cent) was the most widely recalled Indian Brand, followed by Maruti (15 per cent).
As per respondents, government initiatives that are likely to boost consideration of and subsequent purchase of electric cars are promotion of electric vehicle usage, especially cars by providing subsidies and reducing related taxes, such as road tax.
Identifying indigenous ways of reducing the cost of electric car components and configuration, thus reducing the overall cost of purchase and maintenance of the vehicle will play an important role in purchase decisions.
Close to 50 per cent of the respondents own more than 1 car. This is slightly higher in the national capital Delhi, where close to 2/3rds of the households owning multiple cars.
The sedan is the most widely owned category with a share of about 30 per cent, followed by the SUV. 1 in 5 cars owned by the respondents is a Maruti or a Hyundai. Maruti dominates the hatchback (B HB) category, while Hyundai is widely owned in the Sedan segment (B –Sedan & C/D Sedan). Honda is also popular in the B –Sedan category and the SUV category is dominated by Mahindra.
On an average 3 cars were evaluated by the respondents during the decision-making process for their purchase. In line with the ownership, SUV and sedan are the most popular categories for the respondents.
While safety features like airbags, ABS were considered important, engine performance and fuel efficiency were the top factors considered when evaluating the purchase of a car.
Honda came up as the most desired brand among all car owners. Also, satisfaction quotient among the owners of Honda, Maruti, Toyota, and Mahindra, was high, as the majority of them are willing to consider the same brand for their next purchase as well.
This time last year the industry continued to face headwinds owing to the global semiconductor shortage and the lingering threat of a new Covid variant, Omicron. Now these anxieties have fizzled out. However, all is not well. While some segments are cheering heads on, others still have to deal with challenges like price hikes and rising financing costs.
According to ETAuto sources, the raid began at the company’s Corporate office in Gurgaon around 3:00 PM and continued till the story is filed. The latest development comes in light of heightened scrutiny by law-enforcement agencies on companies operating in India which have links with neighboring country, China.


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Microsoft ‘to comply’ with EU in browser choice antitrust probe
EU settlement led to the “browser ballot” screen issued to European customers.
Microsoft has said it will comply with European antitrust authorities, after the software giant was accused of not adhering to the promises it said it would keep as part of an earlier settlement.
As quoted by Reuters, EU Competition Commissioner Joaquin Almunia told reporters at an economics conference:
In my personal talks with Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer he has given me assurances that they will comply immediately regardless of the conclusion of the antitrust probe.
Almunia also described…


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Inside Wall Street: The bargain that's Wal-Mart
The world's largest retailer stays on top with unheralded canny strategic moves.
For those who haven't noticed, Wal-Mart (WMT) has been one of the market's large-cap super performers, steadily climbing to new high ground since the financial meltdown and deep recession.
From a low of $47 a share in 2009, the stock has catapulted to a high of $79.96 a share in May 2013, and some analysts and investors expect the stock to rocket to the mid-$90s in a year or so. It closed at $77.89 on Tuesday July 30.
What's powering the stock? Apart from the market's robust advance this year, investors have responded positively to the company's quiet efforts to re-energize its global leadership as the world's largest retailer, and maintain its price leadership while improving operations and products to steadily sustain earnings and sales growth.
"Wal-Mart's massive scale gives it an edge in obtaining at a low price virtually everything it wishes to offer its customers," says Stephen Leeb, president of Leeb Asset Management, which owns WMT shares in its core long-term portfolio.
And Wal-Mart has a lot more stores, he adds, than any other retail or supermarket chain -- more than 4,000 Wal-Mart stores around the country compared roughly to 2,400 locations for the next biggest grocer, Kroger.
It's the grocery business, says Leeb, where Wal-Mart is making great inroads with its bargain prices it offers. Groceries currently account for 55% of the giant chain's sales and becoming an increasingly important segment.
Wal-Mart operates a chain of more than 10,000 discount department stores, wholesale clubs, supermarkets, and supercenters worldwide, including stores in China, Japan, Africa, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Central America, India, the U.K. And in the U.S., Wal-Mart is expanding efforts to become a complete American enterprise by increasingly buying U.S.-produced goods. It plans to invest an additional $50 billion over a period of 10 years starting in 2013 for Wal-Mart's U.S. stores and Sam's Club to buy domestically manufactured goods.
"We remain impressed with Wal-Mart's commitment to improving the productivity loop and price leadership," says Robert S. Drbul, analyst at Barclays Capital. He rates the stock as "overweight" with a price target of $90 a share. The $50 billion additional investment, he notes, will mark additional growth on top of the two-thirds of total Wal-Mart U.S. receipts currently spent on goods made, sourced, or grown in the U.S.
These products will be identified with "Made Here" tags featuring an American flag. Drbul estimates that any incremental costs incurred by the Buy-U.S. program will be offset by lower lead times "and the ability to buy smaller amounts of inventory vs. the typical buckets for domestically produced materials." Moreover, he believes this new initiative will improve product quality that should produce longer-term positives.
Further upside to the mid-$90s, says Drbul, will be supported by the potential to build on current momentum in traffic trends and leverage expenses to offset any pressure on gross margins. A higher target of $95 a share is based on 16 times his upside earnings target for 2014 of $5.95 a share on projected revenues of $513.1 billion. For 2013, he figures Wal-Mart will earn $5.30 per share on sales of $487.6 billion, up from 2012's $469.1 billion.
Although Wal-Mart is considered one of the top "defensive" stocks that do well even during difficult economic times, the stock is also regarded these days as a growth stock that chalks up sustained yearly earnings power in bad or good times.
"By many measures, Wal-Mart is one of the top defensive stocks in the stock universe," notes Leeb. "But unlike other defensive stocks, whose price-to-earnings multiples are in the 20s while earnings growth is below double digits, Wal-Mart shares trade at about 13.5 times next year's earnings, with prospects of 10% earnings growth for at least the next five years," says Leeb.
That has attracted renewed interest in the stock, once known as just a "defensive" stock. Now, the stock is embraced by institutional investors as a true-blue growth stock, thanks to its highly competitive focus.
So investors who don't own shares of Wal-Mart should. And when they do, the stock should be among their core holdings, to be nurtured as a buy-and-hold investment for the long haul.
Wal-Mart has been quietly making shrewd and savvy strategic moves with little fanfare, elevating the quality of its products, maintaining its leadership as a discount retailer, and penetrating new markets and then assume dominance in them.
With the stock providing a decent dividend yield of 2.4%, "Wal-Mart continues to be a stock for all investors," argues Leeb.
Gene Marcial wrote the column "Inside Wall Street" for Business Week for 28 years and now writes for MSN Money's Top Stocks. He also wrote the book "Seven Commandments of Stock Investing," published by FT Press.
More from Top Stocks
- 3 rules for buying stocks in a hot market
- Facebook nearly regains $38 IPO price -- finally
- Stock pick: Potash of Saskatchewan
MSN Money on Twitter and Facebook@msn_money and @topstocksmsn
All the people that say that Walmarts patronage is fading, simply kill me. Every time i drive by their store the parking lot is jam packed. As long as the majority of new jobs continue along the low wage scale, Walmart will flourish.
Most Americans no longer have the luxury of discerning the word cheap from value.
If the contents of this article are accurate, then i applaud the efforts of Walmart trying to once again stock the shelves with American made items!
I would be very glad to see American Made Product in Walmart.
I do use Walmart to misc item, but I use a butcher for my meats & fish, and Aldi's for my regular shelve items.
I don't like support other countries, this angers me. Bring the jobs back to the USA.
Two days ago here locally, a guy goes to buy some donuts at the Wal-Mart deli. Every pastry was covered in flies and gnats. The lady at the deli counter said so what and indicated that's just the way it was. Guy called the health dept. Wally World tried to tell them the same thing. Their deli is shut down until they get the place cleaned up.
Not sure if this writer has ever set foot in a Wally World, but they are no longer the price leader in groceries, their clothing is sub par but the prices aren't, and household items are about the same price as everywhere else. And even the newer stores have the look and feel of a bus station, dirty and unkempt.
I would suspect that in the U.S. Wal-Mart's recent success has more to do with the fact that they attract lower income and welfare recipients whose numbers have swelled with the recession. That will change as disposal incomes rise. I would avoid their stock for 2 reasons: 1. The law of diminishing returns (too big to grow at the pace analysts think they can) and 2. Poor management decisions based on arrogance and greed.
Just my opinion.
Boycott this company!!!!Taxpayers have to subsidize their worker's healthcare!!!
For the sake of profit, a lot of stock owners are willing to suspend the part of their concience that would or should question the immoral, unethical or questionable behaviour the Co they own a part of indulges in to make as large a profit margin as they can and score points on Wall St. Even if that means exploiting workers in "3rd world" countries or exploiting labor laws at home to treat emplyees abismally.All they need to hear is the term "good buy" from their broker and bingo," more money for me" and companies like Walmart continue conducting biz as usual. A succesfull biz model? yes, but at what real cost?
They don't do that now because they can't. It's a lot of cheap goods sold by throngs of underpaid people who don't care at prices substantially higher than cheap stuff should sell for.
When they fix the above, maybe they'll be a "good buy".
Will the last person leaving the store to go shop at Target and other competitors please turn off the light?
Ah heck, leave it on. Nobody cares.
Copyright © 2014 Microsoft. All rights reserved.
The loan is a sweet deal for Eddie Lampert. The company needs the money to get through the holidays.
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From today Australians will have access to the world’s most comprehensive suite of information, resources and reporting tools to help them have safer experiences online, through the new online safety hub at esafety.gov.au.
“Our practical advice is based on robust evidence and consultation with experts, ensuring parents and educators have the most effective risk-minimisation strategies and protections at their fingertips,” says Julie Inman Grant, eSafety Commissioner.
“The new layout also makes it easier for parents and carers to navigate to the main issues they’re concerned about.”
Research conducted by the eSafety Commissioner found 95% of parents wanted more information about online safety.
Minister for Communications, Cyber Safety and the Arts, the Hon Paul Fletcher congratulated the Office of the eSafety Commissioner for producing this world-leading, comprehensive online safety hub.
“Keeping Australians safe online is a key priority for the Morrison Government. We’ve committed to provide $100 million over the next four years to support online safety programs and initiatives that will help all Australians navigate the online world safely. This national online hub provides comprehensive online education resources and tools to report harmful content. This will promote safer, more positive online experiences and help Australians learn more about safeguarding themselves and their children from online harms.”
“We know the experience of cyberbullying or image-based abuse is stressful enough, so we’ve made sure victims can report to us quickly and easily,” says Inman Grant.
Illegal content, including child sexual abuse material and content designed to promote terrorism and other violent crimes, can also be reported through the online safety hub.
To date, eSafety has dealt with over 1600 complaints concerning the serious cyberbullying of under-18s; 1500 adult cyber abuse reports, more than 1600 reports of image-based abuse; and finalised investigations into over 46,000 items of content, of which more than 35,000 were identified as prohibited or potentially prohibited online.
The hub provides targeted information and resources for parents and carers, educators, women, older Australians and young people, including online safety resources in up to 22 languages other than English.
“I encourage Australians to visit the new esafety.gov.au to learn about how we can help you stay safer online,” says Inman Grant.
“The new hub cements Australia’s position as a global leader in online safety.”
For more information about online safety issues, advice and reporting visit www.esafety.gov.au.


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Amsterdam, November 17, 2006—On Thursday, November 16, the CRM Award was presented for the fifth time. During a festive dinner in Kloostersalons MariÃ«nhof in Amersfoort, the Netherlands, Robeco Direct received the CRM Award 2006, the prize for customer-oriented enterprising, from jury chairman, prof. dr Ed Peelen, and chairman of the CRM Association, drs Wil Wurtz.
It is not the first time Robeco Direct has won the award, this was also the case in 2003. In 2006, the jury voted this organization winner because Robeco Direct again took important steps forward. Customer-oriented enterprising has developed into ˜customer-oriented advising.” This year, four companies competed for the CRM Award. De Friesland Zorgverzekeraar, ING Mid Corporates and Wehkamp went home with the title ‘Challenger’.
All eleven participating companies received an elaborate jury report. This report is not only a detailed evaluation of the entry but the jury also suggests how and where improvements can be made.
The jury consisted of prof. dr Ed Peelen (Nyenrode Business Universiteit, chairman), prof. dr Ton Kuylen (Tilburg University), prof. dr Janny Hoekstra (University of Groningen), drs Annemiek van Moorst (Tote-m business architects), Erna ter Weele (Acxiom), Conny Zijlstra (Capgemini), drs Arnoud Klerkx (Gartner).
Prior to the presentation of the CRM Award, the CRM Association organized a conference with the theme ‘Trends in CRM’. Guest speaker Bob Thompson, known from CRMGuru.com, specially flew in from the United States to discuss international CRM trends. Prof. dr Peter Verhoef, professor Customer Based Marketing at the University of Groningen, discussed the subject from an academic perspective. Drs Wil Wurtz, chairman of the CRM Association, concluded the conference with a presentation of the results of the study that was conducted about the use of CRM in Dutch business.
New this year were the nominees presenting their cases during the conference. “It is impossible to give a complete picture of how CRM is embedded in an organization in half an hour. Nevertheless, you got a good idea of the level the nominees were at. The explanation of the jury chairman made it very clear why Robeco was pronounced winner and the other nominees challenger”, one guest said.
The CRM Award 2007 was presented on Thursday, November 15, 2007.
The presentations of the conference can be found on http://www.crmaward.nl.
Sponsors of the CRM Award 2006 are Acxiom, CapGemini, Salesforce.com, SAP, Tote-m business architects and Unica. Media partners who supported this event are Adforesult, ITCommercie, MEC and Telecommerce Magazine. The CRM Assocation is responsible for the organization of the CRM Award. The project and marketing management was contracted out to Maricken Cirkel-Hengeveld and drs. Karin Rigterink.
For more information (contact details of the winners and photo material):
Maricken Cirkel or Karin Rigterink, email: [email protected] or telephone Maricken at +31 (0)6 248 12 256)


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01/07/2008, 12:01 pm
Exhibiting at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) this week, Intel Corp formally unveiled 16 new microprocessors based on the company's 45-nanometer (nm) manufacturing process, several of which are expected to turn up in products from Apple Inc. over the next several months.
01/02/2008, 09:01 am
Sources familiar with Apple's plans for 2008 report that the company is eyeing a new mobile processor from Intel code-named Silverthorne for use in a new generation of handheld devices. That has broad implications for Apple's expanding role in consumer electronics, and holds out the prospect for the company to play the savior for a chip originally designed to power the second-generation of Microsoft's beleaguered UMPCs.
12/21/2007, 10:12 am
Apple Inc. will form a closer bond with once-rival Intel Corp. early next year when it begins building a new breed of ultra-mobile processors from the chipmaker into a fresh generation of handheld devices, AppleInsider has learned.


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Pritzker Group Private Capital has announced it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire ProAmpac from Wellspring Capital Management. Pritzker and other co-investors are investing alongside the ProAmpac management team, which will remain a significant shareholder, continue to lead the company and serve on its board of directors. The transaction is expected to close later in November.
ProAmpac operates under the Prolamina, Ampac and Tulsack brands. Headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, ProAmpac has more than 2,400 employees across 18 manufacturing locations in North America, Europe and Asia. The company offers a broad range of products and capabilities, including wide web extrusion coating and laminating of film, foil, paperboard and nonwovens; metallizing; pouching; bag converting, and rotogravure and flexographic printing. ProAmpac’s technology-driven, innovative, flexible packaging solutions make it a leader in the food, medical, pet food, security, industrial and specialty retail markets.
“ProAmpac maintains an excellent reputation for innovation and world-class customer service. Its diverse product lines and strong market position make it a strong platform for growth in flexible packaging,” says Michael Nelson, Pritzker Group Private Capital investment partner. “Pritzker Group continues to expand our investments in the packaging sector with this clear market leader.”
Adds Greg Tucker, ProAmpac CEO: “We live our core values of integrity, intensity, innovation and involvement every day – and we are pleased to work with a group that understands this commitment to our customers, suppliers and employees. Pritzker Group’s knowledge of the packaging market and permanent capital base will allow us to continue our strong track record of growth, innovation and successful acquisitions.”


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A vending technology company from Wisconsin will try to revolutionize the way its employees interact with their products and the office space by offering a free microchip implant.
Three Square Market, a company that provides self-service ‘micro market’ vending solutions to businesses in different parts of the world, is offering its employees a free Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) chip implant.
The RFID chip will enable the employees to open doors, buy snacks, log in to their computers, and use some office equipment like copy machines.Tech company Three Square Market is set to implant its volunteer employees with RFID chip starting August 1st.Click To Tweet
The company reported that right now 50 of its employees have already signed up to try the new technology and be implanted with the tiny chip. Patrick McMullan, COO of Three Square Market, believes that soon, everyone will want their own microchip.
“The international market place is wide open and we believe that the future trajectory of total market share is going to be driven by whoever captures this arena first,” McMullan said.
How RFID Microchip Will Work
The $300 grain-size chip will be inserted using a needle between the thumb and forefinger of a person. According to Three Square Market, the implant procedure will be quick and painless. The RFID chip is said to be made by Biohax International, a Swedish company that specializes in biotechnology.
The chip will operate using Near Field Communication (NFC) technology that is commonly utilized in mobile payments, public transit systems, passports, and animal identification. The electromagnetic field will enable the chip to identify tags in objects, making it possible to operate kiosks, doors, and computers.
In a statement posted on the company blog, CEO Todd Westby said:
“We foresee the use of RFID technology to drive everything from making purchases in our office break room market, opening doors, use of copy machines, logging into our office computers, unlocking phones, sharing business cards, storing medical/health information, and used as payment at other RFID terminals. Eventually, this technology will become standardized allowing you to use this as your passport, public transit, all purchasing opportunities, etc.”
Additionally, McMullan further added that they see the RFID chip as another payment and identification option that can be used not just in markets but for the other self-checkout/ self-service applications of the company.
In a statement to CNBC, Westby clarified that the microchip has no GPS and there is no way for employees to be tracked.
“Unlike your cell phone that is trackable and traceable pretty much no matter where you are, this device is only readable if you’re within six inches of a proximity reader,” he was quoted as saying.
The company also said that chances of hacking the tiny device are ‘nil to none.’
“It is a very secure and safe device.”
Three Square Market will be the first company in the U.S. to use the tiny device that was approved by the FDA in 2004. It will start implanting the RFIDs in early August.
Epicenter, a Swedish start-up hub which is home to more than 100 companies and around 2,000 workers, was reported to have been implanting its workers with the same grain-size chip since January 2015. By April this year, 150 of its employees have already volunteered to be implanted with the RFID chip.


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The global industrial Ethernet market is expected to exhibit 12.2% CAGR over the forecast span from 2017 to 2023, rising to a valuation of USD 40.6 billion, according to the latest research report from Market Research Future (MRFR). Factors behind the reported growth include the growing adoption of automation solutions in the industrial sector and a growing reliance on data centers.
The eight-position eight-contact connector has become the truly global power interface, thanks to the worldwide adoption of standards-based Power over Ethernet technology. While PoE serves hundreds of millions of outlets and has been a proven technology for well over a decade, deploying PoE is not as simple as plugging in and forgetting about it. Issues such as interoperability, backward compatibility, and cabling-plant capability require consideration and action. This webinar explores several aspects of Power over Ethernet, describing the steps users and technicians can take to ensure a standard-compliant and technically capable system is in place.
For many businesses, water quality monitoring is about more than safeguarding drinking water. Water monitoring programs are implemented for a wide variety of reasons—even for reasons unrelated to the quality of the water itself. And today, it’s easier than ever to find out whatever you need or want to know about your specific water-related application thanks to the Internet of Things (IoT). So how are “smart” water quality monitoring systems using the IoT being applied? Below are some of the use cases we’re seeing most commonly.
IoT technologies will provide the insurance industry with new tools such continuous monitoring with sensors for sensitive food and drug shipments, wearables for machinery users and many other devices that monitor operations, prevent fraud prevention, and improve claims management and customer engagement. This can include “pay-as-you-go” or “pay-as-you-live” insurance products that are enabled by IoT.
Most of the recent hype about 5G has been about pure speed. The less obvious answer is that these higher speeds will enable completely new applications. 4G finally enabled the smartphone and true Internet access. The device was no longer a “phone” it morphed into a personal platform for connected applications. 5G makes the final step (at least so far …) – the devices are no longer phones – smart or otherwise. They may be tightly coupled to people, such as VR/AR glasses, connected pacemakers, or wearable sports trackers, but more often they are not, such as thermostats, refrigerators, coffee pots, drones, electric meters, autonomous cars, traffic lights, and robots. And being the Internet of Things all of these devices are incessantly chatting with each other.
Thanks to bigger roll-outs of 5G and the first edge compute use cases over the coming years, there will be an even bigger role for fiber going forward. According to Clearfield CEO Kevin Morgan. He says that the need for a quality fiber-optic connection can get overlooked in 5G discussions but looking at forecasts on the small cells that will enable 5G, an enormous amount of fiber will be required.
Record shipments of 100 Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) router ports in the first quarter of this year drove service provider core router market growth of 7% year-over-year in the first quarter of 2019, says Dell’Oro Group. Network operators are benefiting from lower prices of 100GbE products to add capacity to their backbone and metro networks—the volume of 100GbE port shipments almost doubled year-over-year.
We know testing conditions are not always ideal, with many environments experiencing moisture, vibrations, or noise. All of these conditions can become a factor in your test results. The M12 connector is designed for rugged environments, and the new M12X version can support speeds up to 10 Gigabits per second (10GBASE-T). See how you can certify the performance of these connections and avoid downtime.
The building of the future is interconnected, communicates with the people inside of it and creates positive emotions. It’s safe and efficient and makes a contribution to environmental protection, for example by improving air quality. This environmental aspect harbors tremendous potential, especially in megacities. The building of the future is smart and capable of communicating with outside systems, including the power grid. And it accommodates the needs of its users. This happens automatically, to a certain extent, but users also have the option to adjust the settings to suit their own preferences.
Is 5G a requirement for a smart city? No. But will 5G serve as a major enabler for smart cities? Yes, particularly in terms of supporting up to a million connected devices per square kilometer, a major enhancement as compared to LTE. But this is somewhat paradoxical given the realities of what we’re seeing on the ground in terms of smart city investments. Limited pilot projects have proven very difficult to scale. So if there were hundreds of thousands of sensors blanketing an urban core in service of a smart city project, 5G would be the way to go, but, for the most part, that’s not the case anywhere.


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2016 Honda Pilot Preview
- Completely redesigned
- New, more powerful and fuel-efficient drivetrain
- Improved interior comfort and utility
- Expanded list of available features
- Updated infotainment systems
- HondaSensing suite of safety technologies
- On sale in summer of 2015
IntroductionThe 2016 Honda Pilot is completely redesigned, and debuted at the 2015 Chicago Auto Show. The new 8-passenger crossover SUV "sets a new benchmark in the midsize SUV class with an unmatched combination of sophistication and utility," said Jeff Conrad, Honda senior vice president and general manager.
Exterior FeaturesDesigned in California, engineered in Ohio, and built in Alabama, the new 2016 Pilot is 3.5 in. longer than the 2015 model, adding enough extra cargo space that this SUV can now carry an 82-qt. cooler behind the third-row seat, according to Honda. Multiple trim levels will be offered, all equipped with LED headlights.
Interior FeaturesThe new Pilot continues to offer 8-passenger seating capacity, and a new one-touch walk-in feature makes it easier to access the third-row seat. Honda also lowered the Pilot's step-in height, and increased third-row entry space by 2.5 in.
Honda says the new Pilot is quieter than the model it replaces and employs soft-touch materials and LED map lighting within the cabin. A new center console is designed to hold and conceal a tablet computer or a purse, and has a recessed top that can be used as a tray between the front seats.
Optional FeaturesHonda will offer numerous new optional features for the 2016 Pilot, ranging from safety equipment to new infotainment technologies. Additional highlights include second-row captain's chairs, heated and ventilated front seats, heated second-row seats, heated steering wheel, and a panoramic sunroof. Exterior upgrades include LED running lights and 20-in. aluminum wheels.
Under the HoodWeighing 300 fewer pounds, the new Pilot is more powerful and more fuel-efficient than the outgoing model. A new 3.5-liter V-6 engine debuts with direct fuel injection, Variable Cylinder Management technology, and an available Idle-Stop system. Final horsepower figures have not been released, but this same engine makes 290 horsepower in the Acura MDX.
A 6-speed automatic transmission is standard, while upper trim versions of the new Pilot will have a 9-speed automatic with the same control design as the Acura. Front-wheel drive is standard, and the Pilot gets a new, optional all-wheel-drive system for 2016.
SafetyIn additional to underlying structural enhancements for improved crash protection, the 2016 Pilot is equipped with a new tire-pressure monitoring system with individual tire display.
Depending on the trim level selected, elements of the company's HondaSensing suite of safety systems are available for the new Pilot. Highlights include a multi-angle reversing camera, LaneWatch right-lane monitoring, traditional blind-spot information system, forward-collision warning with autonomous braking, lane-departure warning with autonomous correction, lane-keeping-assist technology, rear cross-traffic alert system, adaptive cruise control, and automatic high-beam headlights.
In addition to a more robust structure, the 2016 Pilot employs a new ultra-high-strength door ring to better protect occupants in a crash.
In the event that a collision occurs, the HondaLink smartphone services technology that is included with the optional navigation system features automatic 911 emergency services calling following a collision in which the Pilot's air bags have deployed.
TechnologyFor 2016, Honda claims it is easier to pair a smartphone to the Pilot's Bluetooth system. Up to five USB ports are also included for the new Pilot, most with quicker 2.5-amp charging capacity.
An 8-in. capacitive touch-screen infotainment system with a new Android-based operating system is available for the Pilot, along with a new navigation system featuring improved graphics and 3-D map display.
A Blu-ray rear-seat entertainment system with a 9-in. screen is also available, along with HDMI video game inputs and a 115-volt power outlet.
Popular on NADAguidesMost Dependable Trucks: 2018 Vehicle Dependability Study
Most Dependable Family SUVs: 2018 Vehicle Dependability Study
10 Most Popular Midsize SUVs and Crossovers
Most Reliable Crossovers and SUVs in 2017
Most Reliable Luxury Crossovers and SUVs Under $60,000 in 2017


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The Google News Initiative is Google’s effort to work with the news industry to help journalism thrive in the digital age. Our efforts focus on three pillars: working with the news industry to evolve their business models and drive sustainable growth, elevating quality journalism and empowering news organizations with new technology.
Within the Google News Initiative, the GNI Digital Growth Programme has been designed with industry experts and news publishers to support small and medium publishers grow their digital publishing business. From free interactive workshops, to in-depth labs in multiple European languages, news publishers can learn more ways to develop their digital presence, grow their audience online and strengthen their revenue strategy.
Nordot is a leading provider of content syndication, sourcing, and delivery solutions for news publishers. The company’s delivery technology and distribution network help publishers earn more revenue and push their content globally.
Open Media Futures Eidosmedia technology is used by many of the world’s leading news-media organizations to deliver quality news content via every digital channel from web and mobile to voice interactive, as well as traditional newspapers and magazines. Using the seamless connectivity of their mobile applications, news teams work securely from any location at home or in the field with a full set of story authoring and coordinating tools and workspaces. Eidosmedia platforms are cloud-hosted, making their operations even more independent of physical infrastructure, in addition to opening up integration with innovative news technologies from AI-assisted journalism to data analytics and visualization.
Piano enables the world’s largest media companies and brands to accelerate their subscription, advertising, analytics and personalization initiatives in order to engage, monetize and measure content experiences. Piano works with leading global organizations such as CNBC, The Wall Street Journal, NBC Sports, Business Insider, The Economist, Gannett, Le Parisien, TechCrunch, Prometheus, MIT, The Telegraph and more than 300 other clients. In 2020, Piano was recognized as one of the fastest-growing, innovative technology companies in the world by Red Herring, World Economic Forum and Deloitte and received Product of the Year from the Business
Speak to a member of our Connect team and let them assist you on the best way to showcase your brand at our event.


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Things have not been going well for Kylie and Kendall Jenner later.
There's been loads of controversy over their t-shirt designs and now they have now been handed a lawsuit.
Famous photographer Michael Miller has filed the suit after the sisters used his pictures of Tupac on two of the t-shirts.
He says he never gave the sisters permission to use his pics, much less to sell them on their website. The shirts have since been taken down, but that's clearly not good enough for him.
According to TMZ, Miller said he didn't want to work with the Jenners, especially Kendall after her recent Pepsi ad PR mishap.
Michael is sueing them for any profits they made off the t-shirts.
Family representative Todd Wilson also told TMZ that the lawsuit is absurd as the sisters had nothing to do with the creation of the shirts. Kendall and Kylie gave their approval for the design but rely on their brand to handle the rest.
Head over to hayu for over 150 of your favourite reality TV shows.


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Segafredo, the bar and restaurant, but mostly bar, that opened mere months ago at Mills Park has closed.
It was a project of Italian coffee company Segafredo Zanetti, and I can attest to the fact that the coffee was good. But everything else about the place, as I listed in my review of Segafredo in April, was poorly done. It seemed as though it wanted to be a place for drinking. The second floor balcony bar was a highlight, but that wasn’t enough, apparently, to carry it. On Wednesday evening, the phone at Segafredo was answered by a factory-installed answering message, and a worker at the Brass Tap next door said that no one had been seen at the coffee shop (bar) all day.
Segafredo becomes the first of the businesses at Mills Park, which is at the corner of Mills Avenue and Virginia Drive, to close.
Anyone looking for a duplex restaurant with a nice patio on the second level?


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The power of EE’s new 5G network will be showcased on the red carpet at this year’s EE BAFTAs, as digital supermodel Shudu is transformed into the world’s first AI stylist using state of the art holographic technology.
EE red carpet host Laura Whitmore will be introducing Shudu to the A-listers at the EE British Academy Film Awards ceremony, which takes place at the Royal Albert Hall this Sunday (10 February). The digital supermodel will be snapping all the most memorable red carpet outfits using the Google Pixel 3 and sharing the shots with fans at home via an innovative new online chatbot. She’ll also be discussing this year’s red carpet styles, and giving tips about where to “shop the look” from your living room, using artificial intelligence to learn about viewer’s shopping preferences.
"It’s been such an incredible year of film and the EE BAFTAs is always such a wonderful night having everyone together and celebrating so much talent," said Whitmore. "As film progresses so does the red carpet and this year, we have the world’s first digital supermodel Shudu brought to life by EE’s 5G technology. I know everyone is going to be blown away by her. I’m looking forward to seeing all the glamour and chatting to all the nominees and celebrating an incredible year of film."
"I love the fact that EE’s AI stylist will give everyone the opportunity to learn more about and even shop the looks of the stars on this year’s BAFTA red carpet right from the comfort of their sofas."
To learn more about all of the stars’ styles on the night, and shop the red carpet fashion at the EE British Academy Film Awards without paying Hollywood prices, follow @ee and @Shudu on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook on Sunday 10 February 10.


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If you’re like many folks, you own a device with an interactive assistant or you’ve considered buying one. After all, Amazon says it sold millions of Alexa devices last year alone.
The technology behind such devices is commonly referred to as a “personal assistant” or “virtual assistant,” and often described as “intelligent.”
Stone Temple Consulting Corp., a marketing agency, recently set out to determine which assistant is the most intelligent. Before we get into the findings, though, let’s take a look at the four assistants that were tested.
Intelligent personal assistants
Alexa is the assistant within various devices sold by Amazon, including the voice-activated Echo and Echo Dot. Last year, Google introduced its Alexa competitor, the Google Assistant, which comes with Google Home, a voice-activated speaker.
Perhaps the best-known intelligent personal assistant is Apple’s Siri, available on certain Apple devices. Microsoft’s Cortana, available on certain Microsoft devices, is Siri’s equivalent for Windows.
Stone Temple Consulting notes that all four of these assistants can help take actions, like ordering flowers or booking a flight, on your behalf. That capability was not tested, though.
Stone Temple Consulting tested the four assistants’ smarts from a knowledge perspective. The agency collected 5,000 questions “about everyday factual knowledge,” posed them to each assistant, and examined their responses.
For example, the agency looked at how often the assistants responded verbally to a question, how often they answered correctly and completely, how often they didn’t understand the question, and how often they gave a wrong answer.
Stone Temple Consulting concluded that Google “has the clear lead in terms of overall smarts” but noted that Microsoft’s Cortana is “pressing quite hard to close the gap, and has made great strides in the last three years.”
Amazon’s Alexa and Apple’s Siri are limited in terms of smarts because they aren’t as good at systematically scouring the internet for responses to supplement their knowledge bases.
Note that Google and Microsoft are tech companies that offer internet search engines — Google Search and Bing, respectively — while Amazon and Apple are not.
Do you own a device with an intelligent personal assistant, or are you considering one? Let us know which one and why — comment below or on our Facebook page.


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IGA Golden will be under new ownership starting this June, as Hiren and Nirali Shah will assume ownership after two years of Hiren managing the location.
The Shahs took over from Cam Dawes in May 2020 after he retired, and are now ready to take that next step within the franchise to become owners.
“We’re really excited for this next step,” said Hiren.
“This has been my goal sine I joined this company, something I’ve been working towards, with my experience from 12 different stores under the same company banner, it’s been working towards this.”
The pair decided to take that next step after falling in love with Golden and the community here.
“We love this community, we wanted to stay here longer than we expected,” said Nirali.
Hiren says the community has been understanding throughout all the pandemic struggles, with upgrades and being short-staffed at times.
The pair said that they’ve felt welcomed by Golden residents since day one, and that staying involved with the community will be a top priority moving forward.
Hiren says the couple have already partnered with different organizations throughout Golden, which is work they are looking to continue and expand upon now that they’ve become owners.
“We want to support our community every possible, not just by being a reliable grocer, but through every avenue possible,” he said.


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Apple has never before had a product as instantly successful as the iPad. Sales roared out of the gate, creating yet another multi-billion dollar product line in the tablet's first three months on store shelves.
The iPad 2 gave Apple an even greater boost -- while competitors' rivals tablets faced a sales wipeout.
Here's how Steve Jobs made Apple the most valuable technology company in the world.
|Poor kids, rich schools|
|Revenge porn hacker: 'Scary how quickly I would drop my morals for so little'|
|Audi makes diesel out of water and air|
|Jane Goodall: SeaWorld 'should be closed down'|
|Bumble Bee, 2 employees face criminal charges in pressure-cooker death|


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How many of us know where and how the clothes we are wearing were made? The uncomfortable truth is that by buying clothes in the Global North we might be directly or indirectly contributing to the exploitation of people making them in the Global South.
Our research published today, commissioned by the Modern Slavery PEC with the funding of the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), explored conditions of women workers working in UK retailers’ supply factories based in Bangladesh during the Covid-19 pandemic. Our report, entitled 'The impact of Covid-19 on women workers in the Bangladesh garment industry', provides specific recommendations for the UK Government, Bangladesh government and stakeholders to eliminate exploitation of women from the global clothing supply chains.
Early reports by academics and NGOs highlighted that the immediate impact of Covid-19 and the cancellations of orders by retailers, many of which are based in the UK or have operations in the UK market, have led to factory closures and job losses, leaving around 2.8 million workers facing poverty and hunger in the garment sector in Bangladesh. Given such a devastating impact of Covid-19 and associated global concerns over exploitation of workers, particularly women, it is imperative to research a gender dimension of this impact and explore how the pandemic has affected women working in this industry. Accordingly, this research project has sought to evidence this impact and to make recommendations for positive change to prevent and remediate gender discrimination in the garment industry.
I often have to work for 14 hours a day. They don’t feed us or let us have a rest. I have to stand on my feet all the time and do the work. It impacts my health significantly. I get headaches and neck pain, and I also have problems with my eyesight.Female Ready-Made Garment factory worker
Our research has found that UK retailers’ unfair practices, including cancellations of orders during the pandemic, stimulated exploitation and forced labour of women workers. The retailers’ cancellation of orders exacerbated interrelated vulnerabilities in economic security, job security, food security, housing security and health and wellbeing, resulting in women workers struggling to support themselves and their families. We have also found that there was an increase in sexual and verbal abuse and symbolic violence, mainly from line supervisors pushing women to work faster to meet unrealistic production targets.
Our findings challenge some of the conventional Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) practices by UK retailers such as ethical codes of conduct, social disclosure and social audit practices for improving working conditions in their clothing supply chains, as these have failed to protect female workers’ vulnerability, particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic. Social audits as a conventional tool can only be regarded as a sticking plaster and not a long-term solution to the problem of the poor protection enforced by the Bangladesh state.
The Bangladesh Government should consider reviewing and revising its legal framework for protecting the rights of all workers, particularly women, in its garment sector. This should include bringing forward legislation to promote women’s rights at work in line with best international practice, bringing maternity leave provisions in line with the International Labour Organization’s (ILO) recommendations, and legislating against sexual harassment and violence in the workplace. The Bangladesh Government should also consider the feasibility of an independent watchdog to ensure that owners respect women’s rights at the factory.
Whilst continuing to place orders into Bangladesh, UK retailers and brands must find mechanisms to eliminate the exploitation of workers in their supply chains that supply them with clothes. They also need to engage with the Bangladesh Government, as well as governments of other countries supplying garments where labour rights abuses are pervasive.
Abusive purchasing practices result from high level of power big retailers and brands have relative to their suppliers. To stop them, our research recommended to the UK Government to consider introducing a fair purchasing regulator, a Fashion Watchdog, which could investigate and fine brands and retailers if they were found to breach a statutory fair purchasing code in their dealings with garment manufacturers, particularly located in global South.
This research is novel from an interdisciplinary research perspective, because business researchers, social science researchers and civil society organisations have met to address one of the most critical global issues during Covid-19 pandemic time. Both academic collaborators and our civil society partner Traidcraft Exchange UK came together to produce impactful insights that have the potential to drive UK policy changes.
This research is important as it addresses challenges raised by Covid-19 such as investigating the impact of the pandemic on women workers vulnerable to forced labour in the garment sector in Bangladesh. We hope it propels the Governments, fashion brands and garment manufacturers to do more to fulfil their responsibilities to protect workers’ rights and improve gender equality in the garment production in Bangladesh and across the world.
Muhammad Azizul Islam (Aziz) is Chair in Accountancy and Professor in Sustainability Accounting & Transparency at the University of Aberdeen Business School.


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Electronic Arts and the Jeep brand recently announced that they have signed a deal that will give gamers a chance to experience Jeep vehicles in Medal of Honor Airborne as they were found in World War II. The classic Willys-Overland Jeep will appear for extended, action-packed sequences in several missions of Medal of Honor Airborne.
A new month means another Sword of the Necromancer: Revenant update. This one has info for a new game writer, consoles, and game monsters.
Huzaifah from eXputer: "With Larian Studios washing their hands of the IP, what is the ultimate fate of the legendary Baldur's Gate series?"
Announced in today's Nintendo Indie World, Double Dagger Studio's Little Kitty, Big City has big Stray meets Untitled Goose Game energy.


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Pro-Israel activist group Irish4Israel has successfully countered an attempted boycott of an Israeli product, turning it into a successful “BUYcott.”
Dates produced in the Jordan Valley were a recent target of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement against Israel in Ireland. As featured Wednesday on Irish4Israel’s Facebook page and initially reported on Ynet, an Israeli news website, boxes of dates at a Tesco supermarket chain store in Dublin had been labeled: “Organic dates – produce of West Bank” and “Israeli Settlement Produce.” Yellow stickers, added by BDS promoters calling for a boycott of the product, were reminiscent of the yellow Stars of David that had been pasted on windows of Jewish-owned businesses in Nazi Germany.
Tesco, a giant among British supermarket chains, was established in 1919 by Jack Cohen, the son of Jewish immigrants from Poland; he began by selling surplus groceries from an east London stall. His grandchildren and great-grandchildren live in Israel.
“The BDS campaign from the Irish Friends of Palestine Facebook page stated that Tesco should be boycotted,” pointing out that it was once owned by a Jew, an Irish4Israel spokesperson told United with Israel. “We asked people to report that comment and it seems to have been deleted for now.”
Irish4Israel reacted quickly to the anti-Israel vandalism by making sure that the dates were completely sold out at Tesco; afterwards, they bought many more at SuperValu and Marks and Spencer’s.
“We have been urging our members to buy dates and sharing various date recipes all week on the page,” the spokesperson said. “As donations allow, we will buy more dates and other Israeli produce.
“We wish to be proactive. We refuse to sit idly by, while racist BDS activists target Israel,” he stated, adding that anti-Israel activity is often directed at products from within the Green Line as well.
“Over the weekend, we hope Tesco will have restocked, and we intend to buy more dates and other Israeli fruit, such as plums,” the Irish4Israel FB post said. “We hope to donate some of this food to a homeless charity.”
Irish4Israel aims to “challenge Irish attitudes about Israel and “promote a new understanding of the Middle East’s only democracy.” According to the group, boycott attempts to hurt Israel are becoming increasingly common, and it “reflects badly on Ireland and us Irish Zionists who strive so hard to improve the relationship between Israel and Ireland.”
“When racist boycott Israel activists put yellow stickers on Israeli produce, Irish4Israel is proud to respond with a BUYcott. Keep buying Israeli produce,” Irish4Israel urged.
By: United with Israel Staff
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The industry has been growing steadily since the late 1990s, when the country’s pharmaceutical industry was experiencing rapid growth, said Mike MacLaren, executive vice-president of research at the Canadian Institute for Health Information.
But the industry has recently seen its growth slowed by some of the countrys most pressing health issues, including obesity and cardiovascular disease, MacLareas chief of research said.
“That is what we are seeing now in the pharmaceutical industry, it is not just a matter of being able to produce the right drugs, but also the right ones at the right time,” he said.
The industry has also seen the number of drugs produced in Canada decrease over the past five years.
As of November 2018, Canada had 1,914 drug patents, down from 2,067 in 2015.
But research from the institute shows the country is producing fewer drugs every year.
In the last year, pharmaceuticals manufacturing operations produced 1.5 million fewer drugs than in 2015, the institute said.
The number of patents granted for research has also decreased since the mid-2000s.
In fact, Canada is not even on track to meet its 2020 target of producing a total of 1.1 million drugs a year, the research says.
That means the country does not yet have enough patents to meet the government’s goal.
“We have had a very slow pace of innovation in the country.
We have a lot of pharmaceutical companies that are not doing the best of what they can do and we have not had a lot in terms of manufacturing capacity,” MacLendlin said.
While the industry is in a period of rapid growth and rapid changes in supply chain practices, there are some areas where the sector is catching up to what is expected of it.
The number of patented drugs produced per capita in Canada fell from 1,066 in 2015 to 821 in 2019, according to the institute.
Thats a decrease of almost 80 per cent, but it still is higher than the United States.
The countrys manufacturing capacity also is falling faster than it is in other countries.
In 2016, the number was 1.9 million, and in 2019 it was 1,021.
The Canadian pharmaceutical industry is producing about 3.5 times more drugs per person than the average in other developed countries, Maclaren said.


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Laid off from your tech job? Day One wants to give you $100,000 to start a company
Day One Ventures, a venture firm launched in 2018 with a pitch to combine venture capital acumen with marketing and communications support, has launched a program aimed explicitly at those impacted by
VCs decipher the recent fintech layoffs — and why they’re happening now
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Most of the unicorns aren’t
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Stripe cuts 14% of its workforce, CEO says they ‘overhired for the world we’re in’
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For LatAm payment orchestration startups, market fragmentation is a blessing in disguise
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Nigerian YC-backed startup Anchor comes out of stealth with $1M+ to scale its banking-as-a-service platform
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As a Stripe investor cuts the value of its stake, more evidence of fintech valuation pressure
Stripe is one of the most valuable companies in the fintech game, period, and an obvious bellwether for the fintech startup market.
Stripe has laid off employees behind TaxJar, a tax compliance startup it acquired last year
Stripe has laid off some of the employees who support TaxJar, a tax compliance startup that it acquired last year, TechCrunch has learned from multiple sources and firsthand documentation. The layoffs
Livestream platform Mandolin adds custom artist pages and a fan data analytics hub
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Stripe’s new and lower internal valuation, explained
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Wordle, hurdles and Sally’s early retirement
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Daily Crunch: Stripe, stripped: Fintech leader slashes internal valuation by 28%
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Wearable Tech Looking Worse for Wear
By Dan Gallagher
Dec 12, 2016
Making a computer that fits on the wrist may turn out to be easier than convincing people to actually wear it.
At least, such seems the current state of the market for so-called wearable technology. It is a broad categorization for a business that today is comprised mostly of wrist-based devices. These range from basic fitness bands to smartwatches that can take calls, send emails and surf the web—all while monitoring the user’s heart rate and footsteps.
It is also an adolescent business that is already experiencing growing pains. IDC reported Monday that global shipments of wearable devices rose only 3% year over year during the third quarter. That is the young category’s slowest growth on record, which is especially notable given that two of the biggest players in wearables— Fitbit and Apple—launched new devices during the period.
Fitbit, which makes a range of fitness bands as well as a smartwatch called the Blaze, reported its slowest growth on record for the third quarter last month. Its outlook was even more disappointing, with the company projecting low single-digit sales growth for the fourth quarter as it cited a “softening in demand.”
And Apple, which effectively doubled the smartwatch market with its launch of the Apple Watch last year, also seems to be in a downtick. The company doesn’t disclose watch sales, but its “other products” segment that includes the smartwatch saw revenue fall 22% year over year during the September quarter. Toni Sacconaghi of Bernstein estimates that Apple Watch unit sales fell 29% to less than 2.4 million devices for the period.
That leaves investors with the question of whether the wearables business is simply taking a breather—or already tapped out. The market is indeed young. But the fact that sales are slowing across device categories and price points suggests that wearable tech is struggling to appeal beyond a core segment of tech and fitness enthusiasts. It is worth noting that Xiaomi, which sells fitness bands for as little as $25, saw sales grow just 4% in the third quarter, according to IDC’s estimate.
And smaller players are already getting squeezed out. Lenovo says it isn’t planning to update its Moto 360, having told the Verge last week that it doesn’t see “enough pull in the market” for a new smartwatch. And Pebble, which launched one of the first smartwatches three years ago, is now reportedly selling its assets to Fitbit for an undisclosed sum.
This doesn’t mean wearable tech won’t enjoy a bump in year-end sales. In an email to Reuters Monday, Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook said sales to end-consumers of the Apple Watch hit a record high in the first week of holiday shopping. And fewer competitors in the market will help those who stay in. But from a mass-market perspective, wearable tech still faces the problem of consumers not feeling a strong need to suit up.
Write to Dan Gallagher at firstname.lastname@example.org
Source: Wall Street Journal


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How recent tyre development is becoming eco-conscious
From suppliers to manufacturers across the entire automotive industry, everyone is asking the same question. How eco-friendly are we?
The change in how eco-friendly tyres are has been prompted by manufacturers suggesting that they should all be looking for alternatives to natural rubber and cleaner ways of disposing old tyres and recycling. This has also been encouraged by consumers, as more and more people are attempting to cut down their carbon footprint and using more eco-friendly alternatives. The aim has been to create a green and sustainable transportation and manufacturing process as well as improving the drivers usage.
Going Green. Is there a greener alternative to natural rubber?
Tyre companies are now using much lighter materials that go into the tyre compound. Although latex is still primarily used, they are now trying other materials that will reduce the use of petrol-chemicals derived from oil.
The tyre company that has been pushing forward largely with the changes is Yokohama. They have been experimenting with many different materials, yet the most successful one so far is proving to be orange-peel oil which could see a huge reduction in using eco system damaging products in the future. Goodyear is another company that is advancing in its search for more eco-friendly materials. They have teamed up with biotechnology companies to develop molecules that match the molecules found in tyre compounds currently, but with less harmful materials.
Eco-friendly tyre development
Continental is known for their superior tyre development innovations and over the years have formed their “green kitchen”. This has enabled them to develop eco-friendly compounds that they can replace with the most dangerous and damaging materials used in current tyre making.
Michelin are seen to be going down the same route, ensuring they are keeping up with all their competitors. They are especially looking at how old tyres can be reused in new tyre development to reduce their carbon footprint and sustain a good recycling system for all used tyres, rather than adding to the building amount of pollution the world has seen over the last few years.
How can you reduce your current carbon footprint?
Purchasing tyres that are known for their low rolling resistance will help reduce your fuel consumption, but will also mean a smaller fuel bill for yourself as well as lower CO2 emissions. Continental tyres are a great example. They are a company that is determined to contribute to the sustainability of tyres as well as providing consumers with the chance to do their bit for the environment without spending any extra money in the process. The ContiEcoContact5 offers exactly that, with its optimised rolling resistance as well as its braking safety on both wet and dry roads.
You can also contribute positively to the environment by ensuring all your old tyres are recycled. Although easy for consumers as etyres in fact offer a recycling service free of charge when you are having new tyres fitted to your vehicle, so this is something consumers don’t need to worry about. However, it can prove difficult for companies. This is because tyres are made from varying amounts of materials such as steel, rubber and textile. These are not impossible to separate but can be quite difficult. The tyres are granulated, then these granules are shredded into ‘rubber crumbs’ that can be used within many other products including carpet underlays and roof tiles.


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The run-up in Groupon's (NAS: GRPN) share price from its Sept. 11 low of $4.25 a share was a welcome sight for shareholders. As discussed in an earlier article, a concern regarding Groupon's appreciation was whether there was a fundamental basis underlying the positive movement. As you know, buying sprees led by contrarians, bottom fishers, and/or day traders aren't sustainable over the long haul. But after some intriguing words from Groupon CFO Jason Child, it looks as if there may be some method to the buying madness.
Europe and beyond
As of Q2, Groupon generates about 54% of its revenues from international operations, down from 60% in Q2 2011. But before the naysayers scream "aha!," the tightening of the disparity of revenue streams is actually a good thing. As the Groupon business model continues to mature, the improved balance in geographic markets, and the diversification it brings, will serve Groupon well.
Though North America remains the primary driver of Groupon's revenue, it's the opportunities in Europe that was the impetus for Child's recent positive comments. The CFO lent credence to Groupon's 14% stock-price appreciation in stock price last week, as well as the notion there's more to it than market fickleness.
At an investor conference earlier in the week, the Groupon CFO addressed the opportunity Europe presents, specifically relating to its SmartDeals Technology. While this shouldn't be a surprise -- Groupon's been talking for months about rolling out the marketing tool in Europe -- it's soon to be a reality.
If you're not familiar with the technology, it works like this: SmartDeals gives Groupon customers a more personalized experience by matching coupon offers to individual tastes and needs. Groupon mentioned the technology as a key driver for the surprisingly huge jump in North American revenues in the recent quarter.
The problem had been that SmartDeals wasn't available overseas -- or in any market outside the U.S. and Canada. As per Child, that's ready to change. SmartDeals is "one of the primary drivers we expect to see in the back half of this year," Child said. "That should be one of the solutions for helping us to drive growth in the future." SmartDeals is ready to affect revenues the second half of 2012, and it couldn't have come at a more opportune time.
Why SmartDeals is such a big deal
Groupon's international revenues were largely to blame for last quarter's "disappointing" results. Though a 31% increase in sales outside North America is hardly negative, it was viewed as such, and Groupon's stock subsequently dropped to a low of $4 on Sept. 4. But with the rollout of SmartDeals in Europe, Child and the Groupon management crew expect overseas markets to more than hold their own. And based on the buying spree these past several days, Groupon investors are of the same mind.
And let's not forget Groupon's foray into what management calls Groupon Goods. The direct-to-consumer retail line unveiled last quarter is already generating an annual run-rate of $200 million in revenue. Of course, margins are nothing like that of Groupon's traditional business lines, but using its existing client base to diversify its product offerings is a sound strategy.
Funny how things change when a shift in sentiment occurs. Now, after several days of stock-price appreciation, analysts are suggesting that Groupon's last quarter may have been nothing more than "Internet seasonality," something all companies go through. Where were these guys last week?
And those competitive pressures from Amazon.com's (NAS: AMZN) LivingSocial and Google (NAS: GOOG) Offers? They were cited, along with Facebook (NAS: FB) and its Special Deals service, as a reason for the precipitous decline in share price. The online-coupon playing field was getting too crowded, analysts said, especially considering the players.
Today? Thankfully, analysts and investors seem focused on Groupon's fundamentals -- i.e., the rollout of its SmartDeals technology and the international growth potential it represents. Finally, something investors can hold onto -- a fundamental basis for Groupon's recent stock performance. Now, that wasn't too much to ask, was it?
Beyond online deals, Facebook has struggled to find additional revenue streams. CEO Mark Zuckerberg and the team certainly have challenges ahead of them. But at these depressed stock prices, are there opportunities for growth? For a detailed look at all the risks and upside potential of Facebook, take a look at our premium research report on all things Facebook.
The article Maybe There's Something to This Groupon Thing originally appeared on Fool.com.
Fool contributorTim Bruggercurrently holds no securities positions, including any mentioned in this article. The Motley Fool owns shares of Amazon.com and Facebook.Motley Fool newsletter serviceshave recommended buying shares of Amazon.com, Google, and Facebook. We Fools don't all hold the same opinions, but we all believe thatconsidering a diverse range of insightsmakes us better investors. Try any of our Foolish newsletter servicesfree for 30 days. The Motley Fool has adisclosure policy.
Copyright © 1995 - 2012 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.


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While hedge funds invested in Take-Two and Activision, all three companies saw declines in their stocks during a particularly rough quarter for the gaming industry.
Sony, Nintendo, EA, and Ubisoft earnings reports reveal publisher strategies
'Project Atlas' to combine development and player creation tools with AI in a cloud-based platform.
Ubisoft veteran Jade Raymond is leaving behind EA's Motive Studios, a Canadian development team working on four unannounced games, including a new Star Wars title.
Thanks to a focus on a continuing revenue model, Activision Blizzard's market value has grown by over $50 billion since 2012.
The $10,000 prize pool will be donated to the families of Eli 'Trueboy' Clayton and Taylor 'SpotMePlzz' Robertson.
Even Steam's two week policy falls short due to game time restrictions.
The company has chosen to ignore the Belgium's ruling against in-game loot boxes, prompting the launch of an investigation by the Belgian government.
EA continues its post-Battlefront II redemption tour with BioWare's upcoming cooperative action game.
The ambitious Tides of War mode needs more time, and the delay might work out for the best