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1. Impacted Products VMware ESXi; VMware Workstation Pro / Player (Workstation) VMware Fusion Pro / Fusion (Fusion) VMware Remote Console for Mac (VMRC for Mac) VMware Horizon Client for Mac 2. Introduction Multiple security vulnerabilities in VMware E…Continue Reading
technology Israeli hacking company NSO Group is on sale for more than $1 billion.
Written by Jun 12, 2017 | CYBERSCOOP. Patrick Howell O’Neill The Israeli hacking company NSO Group has been put up for sale for a price of more than $1 billion, accordin…Continue Reading
14.Python Hacker Bootcamp: Zero to Hero * Phase 1: Getting up to speed Introduction and Environment Setup Variables and data types Decisions and loops Functions, error handling, and imports Phase 2: Data parsing and I/O Parsing text files, CSV and XML …Continue Reading
Two high severity security vulnerabilities found in the PageLayer plugin can let attackers to potentially wipe the contents or take over WordPress sites using vulnerable plugin versions. is a WordPress plugin with over 200,000+ active installations acc…Continue Reading
Apple has released 11 security advisories in May 2020 to different software components of their major operating systems (MacOS, iOS and WatchOS). Users of their products are urged to apply the security updates as soon as they are available. The. by
Germany’s Bundesamt für Sicherheit in der Informationstechnik, or BSI, is urging iPhone owners to install the latest security updates released by Apple as soon as possible, as they resolve a critical vulnerability in the Mail app. Discovered by cyberse…Continue Reading
Apple last week released iOS 13.5 to everyone, bringing new features such as the Exposure Notification API and Face ID upgrades. Now, Apple has stopped signing iOS 13.4.1, which means users can no longer downgrade from iOS 13.5 to iOS 13.4.1.
For as long as the iPhone has existed, there have been people trying to “jailbreak” it to bypass Apple’s draconian restrictions. The cat-and-mouse game between Apple and hackers has continued over the last decade, but Apple has usually come out on top….Continue Reading
MS-ISAC ADVISORY NUMBER: 2020-071 DATE(S) ISSUED: 05/27/2020 OVERVIEW: Multiple vulnerabilities have been discovered in Apple iOS, iPadOS, and watchOS, which could allow for arbitrary code execution. Apple iOS is a mobile operating system for mobile de…Continue Reading
Apple has released security updates to address vulnerabilities in multiple products. A remote attacker could exploit some of these vulnerabilities to take control of an affected system. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) encour…Continue Reading

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The fact of the matter is, in-ear wireless headphones aren’t the most aesthetically inclined electronics. Looking to bring a much needed design boost to the space, SOL Republic presents their latest in-ear line, the Shadow wireless earphones, announced today. While we have to admit that these earphones look pretty stellar, the brand managed to do more than just raise the bar for in-ear aesthetics. First, in drawing inspiration from NASA research regarding the human body, they’ve created a biomorphic design that feels nearly weightless when the buds are in your ear and the strap is resting on the back of your neck. This “natural-fit” collar distributes weight evenly, and the flexible material composing it allows for seamless and intuitive adjustment. It’s also quick to stow without worry of a tangle.
Second, despite being wireless, no sound quality is lost. Shadow wireless delivers CD-quality audio by way of an aptX codec. The headphones offer a full eight hours of battery life and can be separated up to 30 feet from the device they’re paired with (and can pair with two devices total). Still, these are headphones for built for audio nerds and the sound quality and experience is immersive. Individual components of the fuller orchestration within tracks can be isolated and honed in on audibly, thanks to the clarity of sound—but when stepping back to take in the bigger picture of a song, the delivery is powerful and uniform.
SOL Republic cofounder Seth Combs explains to CH that aside from noise cancellation technology, there hasn’t been much innovation in the headphone market. He believes wireless is the next big transition, and he’s already witnessed progress twofold in the in-ear market. “The most immediate route has been sport headphones,” he begins. “It makes the most sense as there are the most issues with cords. The problem with a lot of those footprints and designs, is that it is one cable and all the technology is in the ears: the Bluetooth and battery. You get ear fatigue. Then, there’s the route for the everyday music fan and when looking at the options out there, we knew we needed to build in-ear headphones from the bottom up that offered sound quality people require.” And that’s what they did: deliver their optimized sound in a device designed to fit comfortably.
The Sol Republic Shadow Wireless Earphones are available online in Steel Black or Rich Grey for $100.
Images courtesy of SOL Republic


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“Jubilee” car off the line of the main plant of the Czech brand in Mlada Boleslav.
The first car, known as the Skoda Octavia was released in 1959. The name of the new car, which will eventually become a real bestseller of the brand, goes back to the Latin word “Octo” (eight). “Octavia” was the eighth model of Skoda, which was released after a protracted and devastating World war II. Until 1964, fans of the brand could acquire sedans Octavia, and in 1971 to purchase are available and generalists. All in all, for 12 years, Skoda introduced to the market about 400 thousand units of the model.
Here’s a more relevant story “Octavia” written from 1996 to Sept. In autumn, the brand has brought to the Paris motor show, the Octavia liftback first generation (aka Octavia Tour afterwards). This car became the first ever Skoda, built on the “cart” and the aggregates of the Volkswagen Group.
The following year, the brand made 61 thousand such cars, and a year later increased its production of new Octavia is almost two times – up to 117 500 units.
By 2010 the number of cars produced was 1.44 million. Now the main plant of “Skoda” reported about 7 million cars. All in all, last year dealers of Skoda managed to build 363 700 cars Octavia. In November 2019, the brand introduced the Octavia fans of the 4th generation.


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TripAdvisor’s first-quarter revenue fell 3% compared to 2015, and net income dropped 57%, largely due to increased marketing expenses of 10%. The financial struggle caused by the Instant Booking expansion has led to a sharp drop in stock value. At the end of 2015, TripAdvisor stock was valued at $86.15 per share. As of writing this article, the share price is $47.91. That’s a 44% drop.
Priceline could find TripAdvisor's 351 million monthly active user base to be attractive. In addition, Priceline could combine TripAdvisor's user-generated reviews, its own core hotel and airline bookings and OpenTable's restaurants booking to create a "one-stop travel destination on the web.
However, a combination of Priceline and TripAdvisor may not go over well with regulators who are "likely to push back" given the "already largely consolidated" online travel space.
This makes it even more important to make sure you are focused on a ‘Book Direct’ strategy for 2017, focus your energy, time and resources on building your business while keeping an open awareness of the bigger picture and the big players moves.
TripAdvisor’s tumbling share price has led to much speculation on whether they will be acquired in the near future. It’s rumored that both Priceline and Google are interested in TripAdvisor. Google might be a longshot, but their own expansion into the travel market in 2016 signals interest. While most people view Priceline as the most likely option, if they were to acquire TripAdvisor it could be hampered by anti-trust issues.
AT CLOSING, DEC 19TH
PRICELINE GROUP INC/THE+4.55
AT CLOSING, DEC 19TH
Priceline Group is a huge internet company that continues to grow, is immensely profitable and usually over-delivers on its forecasts. Yet cutthroat competition in the online travel industry has left its stock looking dull lately.
The $64 billion behemoth and its fiercest rival, $16 billion Expedia, have been going head to head for the best assets, as newer vacation-rental entrants like HomeAway and Airbnb -- valued at almost $26 billion in its latest funding round -- take some market share.
Most of the big takeover candidates have already been bought up: Kayak and Booking.com are owned by Priceline, which has also been investing in businesses abroad such as China's Ctrip.com, while Travelocity, Orbitz and HomeAway have all sold to Expedia. In fact, the September completion of the Orbitz deal allowed Expedia to reclaim the No. 1 position in online bookings.
Want to chat?
We’re here to help support you grow your business and create an exceptional online experience for your hotel. Phone +61 7 5446 4368 or book a phone call appointment.


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Meet Charlie. He and his buddy, Bob, ran a countertop company that went out of business recently. A lot of businesses are going under in this economic downtown, but it doesn't look like Bob and Charlie are experiencing any downtown in their lifestyles. News 4 Investigates found them soaking up the sun in an exclusive neighborhood in Naples, Florida. While they live in a community, famous for its many millionaires, scores of people throughout the midwest are accusing Bob and Charlie of ripping them off.
Robert "Bob" Gasiorowski and Charlie Thiede owned Rock Tops Granite. It expanded to 15 stores in 8 states with a store in O'Fallon, Missouri and another in Maryland Heights. All of the stores closed suddenly on December 19, leaving customers who'd prepaid, out thousands and employees who had worked long hard hours, without a paycheck for their last 3 weeks of work and without a job during a time that jobs are hard to find. A few employees contacted some customers, whose custom cut countertops were sitting in the stores, and installed them without getting paid for their work.
Up until 48 hours before the stores closed, they were still taking orders and payments from customers. The owners have certainly created an appearance that they took the money and ran. The company was headquartered in Michigan and that's where Bob and Charlie lived. Click here to see an article about the store closings in The Macomb Daily newspaper, which shows a picture of Bob's $1.5 million home. As soon as the stores closed, Bob and Charlie packed up and moved to Naples, Florida where Bob owns a home, valued at $625,000, near a golf course and the ocean.
We sent a producer to Naples to try to talk to Bob and Charlie about the business. We only got to talk to Charlie, before he kicked us off the property, but his reaction makes you wonder what he has to hide. First of all, when we asked for Bob, Charlie acted like he didn't know anyone by that name. We asked if the house was owned by Bob Gasiorowski and Charlie told us, "No." But the answer is yes. Records show that the house at 8875 Ventura Way in Naples, is owned by Robert Gasiorowski. Charlie refused to tell us his name and when we asked about the business, he told us we were on private party, said, "thank you," then turned around and walked back into the house. Again, what do Bob and Charlie have to hide?
A criminal investigation is underway to determine if Bob and Charlie committed fraud by taking customers' money, while knowing they planned to close down the business. Former customers and employees are watching closely to see what comes from that, but in the meantime they're venting their frustration online.
Click here to read the previous blog on Rock Tops Granite.


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“The Fashion Show” is back with a new episode this week and their clients will be running the competitors ragged. It’s a Bravo crossover, folks!
“The Real Housewives of New Jersey” and “The Real Housewives of Orange County” are taking over the houses.
We already know the gals have very strong fashion tastes, but so do the designers. So, there’s guaranteed drama here.
From what we can tell from the preview clips, our favorite Jersey housewife Caroline Manzo’s dress looks like she’s trying out for Peter Pan. Poor thing. Also, in the show’s most genius act of drama creation, Teresa Giudice’s designer is Calvin. And she has him spouting off even more indiscernible words than usual. Nice job, caption writers! He has apparently already made Teresa two dresses and she’s asking for a third?
Watch the preview clip below:
“The Fashion Show” airs Tuesdays at 10 p.m. ET on Bravo.


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NEW YORK - U.S. stocks rose on Friday after a stronger-than-expected payrolls report gave traders confidence that the economy could be healthy enough to withstand a scaling back of the Federal Reserve's stimulus.
- Unemployment rate hits five-year low, eyes on the Fed |
- Judge rejects consumers' bid to block American-US Airways merger
- Fed's Evans says open-minded on December taper, but prefers waiting |
- Consumer credit grows more than expected in October
- Exclusive: Comcast taps JPMorgan on potential Time Warner Cable bid - sources
Recent Business News
- Eddie Lampert-controlled Sears Holdings Corp said it would spin off its Lands' End clothing business, adding to the assets the company is shedding as it struggles with mounting operating losses and declining sales. | Video
DETROIT - General Motors Co's decision to pull the plug on Chevrolet in Europe is one of several calculated moves the U.S. automaker appears to be making around the world that analysts and investors say are long overdue if the automaker wants to boost profits in line with its rivals.
ZURICH - French authorities have told the head of Swiss private bank Reyl & Cie not to leave France after widening an investigation into possible tax evasion, the bank said on Friday.
SAN FRANCISCO - At Pinterest, the four-year-old online bulletin board service that is valued near $3.8 billion, some 70 percent of the users are female. But the company's board of directors is 100 percent male. | Video
The US economy grew even faster than initially thought in the third quarter, but possibly not in the most helpful way.


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Kanye West probably doesn’t need to be at the centre of any scandals while he’s trying to convince people to vote for him for president, but unfortunately he’s just been hit with a $20 million lawsuit.
A technology company named MyChannel, Inc. is claiming West took advantage of its technology and services to advance his Yeezy brand and launch his popular Sunday Service, after which he copied the tech and left the company high and dry.
MyChannel is now trying to get Kanye to own up to the breach of partnership by filing a lawsuit against him and reportedly seeking more than $20 million in damages. With a net worth of $1.3 billion, according to , $20 million is probably pocket change to him, but whether he will admit fault to the allegations remains to be seen.
In the lawsuit, cited by and confirmed by , MyChannel says it’s a Black-owned business specialising in video and e-commerce technology which linked up with Kanye in spring 2018 to help him maximize revenues for his Yeezy merchandise.
The company says it worked around the clock for six months on a series of business promises from Kanye, including a future investment of $10 million. It estimates that through the collaboration it put in 10,000 man-hours and invested $7 million of its own into the Yeezy project.
MyChannel alleged to have relocated their headquarters from Pennsylvania to California and again to Illinois following Kanye’s promise that they would have a significant financial partnership.
The lawsuit also states that Kanye rebranded the company as YZY Tech during business meetings with companies like Adidas and presented ‘ideas such as those of [MyChannel] as his own’, reports.
MyChannel claim that after six months it became clear Kanye had no intention of fulfilling his promises, and he walked away from the partnership. After things broke down, MyChannel’s founders noticed that a copied version of their technology was being utilised to sell merchandise in Kanye’s Sunday Service videos.
The company believes Kanye’s promises of a partnership were all part of an effort to fuel his Yeezy brand and steal confidential tech to make millions on Sunday Service.
Through the lawsuit, MyChannel accuses Kanye and Yeezy Apparel of breaching an oral partnership agreement, preventing MyChannel from earning millions, encouraging the company to invest millions, withholding a promised $10 million investment, and violating MyChannel’s non-disclosure agreement by copying their video e-commerce technology.
As well as the $20 million in damages, the company is seeking a jury trial.


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Canadian retail sales up in 2008: Report By Derek Abma, Canwest News ServiceJanuary 9, 2009 10:04 AM A report released Friday by Canada's largest processor of credit- and debit-card transactions indicates people were spending more money this past holiday season than the year before despite the downbeat economic environment. Moneris Solutions said its data for December sales indicates "resilience" in consumer spending last month and "dramatic growth" for certain categories, such as department stores and clothing retailers. Moneris said it processed two per cent more sale


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India’s 1st 3G service operator, MTNL announced the introduction of the country’s first 3G mobile TV with MPEG4 technology. This new 3G mobile TV is being offered to all of MTNL’s subscribers in the two major cities of Mumbai and Delhi. The device is unique in India because it’s the first device to provide IPTV feed for the mobile TV in India. This will help viewers watch TV at an extremely high speed and resolution.
Talking on the subject of the launch of this unique device, Kailash Choudhari, the managing director of MTNL’s partner in this operation, Aksh Optifiber mentioned that in his company the chief motive was to deliver latest and consumer satisfying technology.
He said that he was proud to announce the launch of this wonderful gadget. The 3G mobile TV realized a seemingly distant dream of viewing TV while on the move. He added that he gave all the due credit to their partner Alcatel-Lucent for helping them fulfill the dream of the average Indian subscriber to own a highly innovative gadget.
The managing director of Alcatel-Lucent, India, Vivek Mohan mentioned that their mobile flowing server presents an excellent viewing experience and a good quality from the first video frame itself and a quick flawless switching when moving between various channels. Alcatel-Lucent’s mobile flowing server is an instant solution for MTNL to provide various kinds of video services for its subscribers on the 3G network. The server supports all kinds of standard formats of media and provides flawless switching between high bit rate and low bit rate streaming depending on the coverage and availability of bandwidth.
This dynamic new device helps Aksh Optifiber expand its contemporary service for IPTV, iControl, which is currently being offered to all MTNL subscribers. This new development also confirms Alcatel-Lucent’s position in the innovation of novel mobile phone services for MTNL.


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A loyalty program for electric vehicle rental businesses to appear in Ukraine.
🛠A new ELAMBOUA token has appeared on the DecimalChain network. According to the coiners, this is a token for testing a loyalty program that will unite Ukrainian entrepreneurs whose business is related to the rental and sale of electric vehicles.
♻Over 3 days, 60 clients have participated in the test program, and some of them have already received bonuses from entrepreneurs.
🔀In the future, it is planned to combine other types of businesses with the loyalty program: coffee shops, shops, beauty salons, service stations and others. To do this, a new token will be created and all the shortcomings of the test version will be taken into account.
🙌🏻We will follow the development of the project!


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- Obama’s regulatory agenda will cost U.S. economy $143B next year: report
- Patriot Act author on James Clapper: Fire, prosecute him
- Russia P.M. Medvedev: No amnesty for political prisoners
- Michigan GOP Senate hopeful reminds government is the ‘servant’
- Christmas, by Congress: Members mull a 15-cent tax on trees
- U.S. unemployment falls to five-year low of 7 percent; 203K jobs added
- World mourns Nelson Mandela and celebrates his life; burial set for Dec. 15
- Bill O’Reilly reminds: Nelson Mandela ‘was a communist’
- John Boehner says GOP should support gay candidates: ‘I do’
- Grass-Whopper: Pan-fried cricket burgers go over big in New York City
‘Buckyballs’ no more: Barnes & Noble, big retailers recall magnetic sets
Question of the Day
WASHINGTON — Six retailers have agreed to a voluntary recall of a brand of potentially dangerous high-powered magnet sets after the manufacturer refused to participate.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission said Friday that Barnes & Noble, Bed Bath & Beyond, Brookstone, Marbles the Brain Store, ThinkGeek and Hallmark retailers are recalling “Buckyballs” and “Buckycubes” after the CPSC received 54 reports of children and teens ingesting the product, with all but one of those requiring medical intervention.
The tiny, powerful magnets are sold as a desktop toy that can be molded into different shapes. Although the magnets are meant for adult use, the CPSC said they pose grave danger to youngsters who play with them and to teenagers who use them to mimic tongue, lip or cheek piercings. If accidentally swallowed or inhaled, the magnets can pinch internal tissue, causing infection or even death.
The CPSC filed a rare legal complaint against the company that manufactured the products, New York-based Maxfield & Oberton, in July after negotiations over a recall failed. The company has since gone out of business but many of the products are likely still in consumers’ homes and offices. The CPSC says 3 million sets of the magnets were sold since 2010, some but not all of those sold in the stores that are participating in the recall.
CPSC spokesman Scott Wolfson said the lawsuit against the company is ongoing. The agency has only filed four such lawsuits in the past 11 years, three of those against magnet companies.
- Spike in battlefield deaths linked to restrictive rules of engagement
- Bill OReilly reminds: Nelson Mandela was a communist
- Activists urge Obama to go rogue, sidestep Congress
- Colorado judge: Bakery owner discriminated against gay couple
- U.S. pilot scares off Iranians with 'Top Gun'-worthy stunt: 'You really ought to go home'
- Obama administration issues permits for wind farms to kill more eagles
- Rush Limbaugh: Obama trying to make Mandela death about himself
- 'Hunger Games' delivers Obama's message on income inequality
- U.S. debt jumps a record $328 billion tops $17 trillion for first time
- Kill team: Obama war chiefs widen drone death zones
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TransUnion (formerly Callcredit) has appointed David Finch as chief revenue officer (CRO) to lead its go-to-market strategy and drive revenue for the UK business.
David joins TransUnion from Experian, where he spent three years as chief commercial officer EMEA and president for South Africa, and was instrumental in the expansion of both emerging and adjacent markets in EMEA.
With over 18 years’ leadership experience – driving and managing businesses across the UK, EMEA, USA and Asia – David is well-positioned to help TransUnion bring the full extent of its global offering to the UK market.
David’s role at TransUnion encompasses leading the go-to-market strategy and overseeing sales and relationship management for clients. David will be supporting CEO Satrajit “Satty” Saha in delivering TransUnion’s plan to grow revenue and market share through both its existing core credit solutions and innovative new products, to help UK businesses and consumers make better decisions using robust data and insights.
David commented: “It’s an exciting time for TransUnion in the UK and I’m looking forward to working with the team here to drive our growth plan and introduce more of TransUnion’s successful global solutions to our UK clients.”
Satty Saha, CEO of TransUnion in the UK said: “I’m very pleased to welcome David Finch to TransUnion as our chief revenue officer. With his extensive expertise which spans multiple industries – data, financial services and marketing – he will be a key member of our executive team and will lead our UK sales function.”


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Promoting economic resilience in the times of pandemic
Every day, micro-retailers play a vital role by providing essential goods and services to their communities. Collectively, they are major economic drivers—even during the COVID-19 pandemic when they were hit hard by quarantine restrictions.
It is in recognition of the valuable contributions of these small retailers to the national economy that Coca-Cola Philippines, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and micro-financial institutions have come together to set up a P157-million bridge loan support fund targeted for sari-sari stores and carinderias.
Through a Rapid Retailers Assessment done by the Philippine Association of Store and Carinderia Owners (PASCO), Coca-Cola saw how these retailers scaled down or ceased operations, and experienced difficulties in sourcing inventory and much-needed capital.
With the help of DTI’s micro-financial arm Small Business Corporation (SBCorp), ASA Philippines Foundation, Inc. (ASA), and Alalay sa Kaunlaran Microfinance Social Development, Inc. (ASKMSDI), the Retailer's Rebuild Bridge Loan will be made available to 15,000 severely-impacted sari-sari stores and carinderias, so they can reopen and drive the availability of goods in their communities.
Securing MSMEs’ survival in the pandemic
The Retailer's Rebuild Bridge Loan is one of the major components of the Rebuilding Sari-Sari Stores Through Access to Resources and Trade (ReSTART) program, a multi-component initiative of public-private partners led by the DTI and Coca-Cola at the national level.
“There are a lot of factors to be considered in order to enable micro-retailers to get back on their feet during this difficult time. Addressing the financial needs of the micro-retailers who are greatly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic requires a concerted effort of key partners, a strategic and targeted approach, and the implementation of a program that has long-term benefits,” said Winn Everhart, Coca-Cola Philippines President and General Manager.
“Seeing how the lack of access to capital is one of the critical issues facing micro-retailers today, we agreed that the provision of a bridge loan is the most beneficial action we can implement. This was designed to be accessible, with easy terms, and has an immediate impact to retailers,” he added.
The Retailer’s Rebuild Bridge Loan strategically augments current initiatives under SBCorp’s Enterprise Rehabilitation Financing program, in which loan assistance can come in 30% to 60% goods or ready-to-sell products and 40% to 70% cash combinations. This scheme will be interest-free for up to four loan cycles and with a very minimal service fee, which according to SBCorp President Luna Cacanando will “immensely help distressed MSMEs bounce back.”
Meanwhile, ASA Philippines is confident that the program beneficiaries will not only get back on their feet, but will also contribute to the local economy in the near future. “We believe this initiative will help the 12,817 micro entrepreneurs to reopen their business surely but safely in the ongoing pandemic crisis. We thank Coca-Cola and DTI for considering us as a partner to this worthwhile venture of rebuilding the nation in a trying time,” said Kamrul Tarafder, ASA Philippines Foundation Inc. President and CEO.
Safe Store Kits
Alongside the loan, “Safe Store" kits will also be provided to help prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus, allowing for safer store operations. The micro-retail beneficiaries will also receive proper guidance and mentoring, so that they can be better equipped with the needed skills and know-how to navigate the crisis.
“Our partnership with DTI and Coca-Cola Philippines is a testament that real partnership is not only in good times but also during bad times,” says ASKMSDI Chairperson Rolando Victoria. “From focusing on disaster resilience in times of natural calamities, we now also turn our attention towards a global health crisis with an economic impact. We are fully committed to the success of the ReSTART project as we march to recover as one.”
Micro-retailers, sari-sari stores and carinderias in particular, are indispensable to the supply value chain of Coca-Cola, and the local economy as a whole. And the Company’s commitment to be instrumental to the sustainability of communities is easily empowered by its partners, who identify with the same cause and mission of Coca-Cola, such as DTI and microfinance institutions, who wholeheartedly work together to create programs such as that of ReSTART for the benefit of the greater good.


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It's time to take your designs to the next level.With the help of a few simple tools, designers can create designs that capture the essence of their brand.The most basic design tools are Photoshop and Illustrator.You can also create a logo in Illustrator, or you can use your favorite photo editing program like Adobe Photoshop.Here's how to use Photoshop and how to make a logo.Here are some tips to...
The Google logo has long been a symbol of a company and a brand, and now it’s being used to mark a brand new project: a digital book.
The new book, which is to be published by Penguin Random House, will be based on the design of the Google logo, which features a series of dots that form a stylized line.
The dots form a triangle, which becomes a circle and so on, and is accompanied by the words: “The Book That Works.”
The book, entitled The Book of Everything, will include stories about the people and things that Google has shaped into the internet we know today, including the search engine, Google Maps, Google’s YouTube, Google Docs, Gmail, Google Photos, Google Search, and the Google Maps Engine.
It will be available in the UK on April 3.
“It’s an amazing opportunity to have the UK become the home of a brand that we can build on, with the Google brand, through a brand-new book,” said Steve Cohen, senior vice president of product at Google.
The project, which will be run by Penguin in partnership with digital publisher WGBH, was approved by the UK government in June and is being overseen by the government’s digital innovation department, the digital strategy group, and Google’s UK headquarters.
The book’s cover features a cartoonish design that has been tweaked for the new book.””
I think it will be very popular.”
The book’s cover features a cartoonish design that has been tweaked for the new book.
“We have an incredible opportunity here to take the Google product to new places and places that people are not aware of,” Cohen said.
“We have this incredible opportunity to take this iconic logo, and transform it into a brand identity.”
“The world is changing, and people are searching for answers,” he added.
“There are lots of different ways to go about that, and this is one of the best examples of a way that Google can be used to help us move forward.”
In the past, Google has used the Google badge and the logo of its search engine to show off its own digital work, and its search logo was used on several of its new products.
The book is scheduled to be released in the US on April 18.
Google has been making the switch to a new logo, the Google Cardboard, which has been used in some of its most recent products.


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May 13, 2022
Exclusive: Rep. Stefanik Blasts Biden Administration for Formula Shortage, Says FDA has Known About Threat Since February
This news has been received from: breitbart.com
All trademarks, copyrights, videos, photos and logos are owned by respective news sources. News stories, videos and live streams are from trusted sources.
Contact Newsletter-online.com: [NewsMag]
The Biden Administration has been aware of the threat of a national baby formula shortage for “months,” House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik (R-NY) told Breitbart News – on the same day President Biden claimed only “mind readers” could have anticipated the crisis.
“We moved as quickly as the problem became apparent to us,” he continued, adding, “we have to move with caution as well as speed because we got to make sure what we’re getting is, in fact, first-rate product – that’s why the [Food and Drug Administration] has to go through the process.”
The White House also announced Friday that invoking the Defense Production Act to produce baby formula amid the shortage is “on the table.”
But Rep. Stefanik told Breitbart News in a wide-ranging interview on Friday that Biden has been “asleep at the switch,” and that the FDA has known about a pending baby formula shortage for over three months – at least since she reached out to warn them of it in February.
“They’ve known this has been an issue for months. I sounded the alarm and reached out to the FDA in February of this year, after the recall of the Sturgis, Michigan, [Abott Nutrition] manufacturing facility, and we got no substantive response from the FDA. There was absolutely no plan from this administration about how to address that supply chain issue, which has now created even more of a crisis,” Stefanik said.
She compared this administration’s response to the baby formula crisis to the Trump Administration’s Operation Warp Speed – where the FDA, in collaboration with private companies, produced a COVID vaccine on a fast-tracked timeline by cutting regulations and curtailing the approval process.
“If you compare the failure of Joe Biden to the success of President Trump, in cutting through the red tape of the FDA when it came to Operation warp speed – Joe Biden’s been asleep at the switch.”
House Republicans – including Rep. Stefanik – sent a letter this week to the President demanding specific answers as to how the administration will work to increase the supply of formula. Stefanik told Breitbart News that she is also working on legislation to require the FDA to have a faster timeline in addressing supply chain issues.
“House Republicans have introduced the Formula Act, and I’m also working on legislation that requires the FDA, when there is a recall or issue at a manufacturing facility, to have a much shorter timeline in terms of figuring out an alternative supply chain or getting it back up and running,” Stefanik said.
Stefanik went on to blast the Biden Administration amid reports that baby formula is being sent to illegal immigrants who have entered the country at the southern border, while American citizens find empty shelves at their local grocery stores.
“The sending of baby formula paid for by taxpayers to the southern border for illegal immigrants, while American families, American babies, go without, that is unacceptable as well,” Stefanik said.
Stefanik called the situation “harrowing,” as she herself has found empty shelves when looking to buy formula for her young son, in her district in upstate New York.
“I can tell you as a new mom, there’s nothing more harrowing than being concerned about whether you’re going to be able to feed your baby,” Stefanik told Breitbart News.
News Source: breitbart.com
Tags: on the hill b inspired on the hill b inspired scotus leak ministry of truth bidenflation ukraine war open border masters of the universe baby formula fda joe biden on the hill operation warp speed baby formula shortage the biden administration the biden administration manufacturing facility the southern border this administration supply chain issue illegal immigrants house republicans baby formula while american reached out about whether empty shelves through timeline in february friday
'Give it up. I win, you lose': Plus-size Sports Illustrated Swimsuit cover star Yumi Nu hits back at anti-woke psychologist Dr. Jordan Peterson who was forced to quit Twitter after saying she 'wasn't beautiful'
President Biden Invokes Defense Production Act For Baby Formula Shortage
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — President Joe Biden on Wednesday invoked the Defense Production Act to speed production of infant formula and authorized flights to import supply from overseas, as he faces mounting political pressure over a domestic shortage caused by the safety-related closure of the country’s largest formula manufacturing plant.
The Defense Production Act order requires suppliers of formula manufacturers to fulfill orders from those companies before other customers, in an effort to eliminate production bottlenecks. Biden is also authorizing the Defense Department to use commercial aircraft to fly formula supplies that meet federal standards from overseas to the U.S., in what the White House is calling “Operation Fly Formula.”
I’m taking two new steps to increase baby formula supply:
– Invoking the Defense Production Act to increase domestic production
– Launching Operation Fly Formula to use federal planes to fly formula in from abroad
We're making sure safe formula gets to all who need it. pic.twitter.com/lnkxsaCY6T
— President Biden (@POTUS) May 18, 2022READ MORE: New Jersey Veterinarians Discovering Unintended Consequence From Legalized Recreational Marijuana
Supplies of baby formula across the country have been severely curtailed in recent weeks after a February recall by Abbott Nutrition exacerbated ongoing supply chain disruptions among formula makers, leaving fewer options on store shelves and increasingly anxious parents struggling to find nutrition for their children.
The announcement comes two days after the Food and Drug Administration said it was streamlining its review process to make it easier for foreign manufacturers to begin shipping more formula into the U.S.
In a letter Wednesday to the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Agriculture, Biden directed the agencies to work with the Pentagon to identify overseas supply of formula that meets U.S. standards over the next week, so that chartered Defense Department flights can swiftly fly it to the U.S.
“Imports of baby formula will serve as a bridge to this ramped-up production,” Biden wrote.
Baby Formula Shortage Resources Guide
Regulators said Monday that they’d reached a deal to allow Abbott Nutrition to restart its Sturgis, Michigan, plant, the nation’s largest formula plant, which has been closed since February due to contamination issues. The company must overhaul its safety protocols and procedures before resuming production.
After getting the FDA’s OK, Abbott said it will take eight to ten weeks before new products begin arriving in stores. The company didn’t set a timeline to restart manufacturing.
The White House actions come as the Democratic-led House is expected to approve two bills Wednesday addressing the baby formula shortage as lawmakers look to show progress on what has become a frightening development for many families.
One bill expected to have wide bipartisan support would give the secretary of the Department of Agriculture the ability to issue a narrow set of waivers in the event of a supply disruption. The goal is to give participants in an assistance program commonly known as WIC the ability to use vouchers to purchase formula from any producer rather than be limited to one brand that may be unavailable. The WIC program accounts for about half of infant formula sales in the U.S.READ MORE: Republican Nomination For Pennsylvania U.S. Senate Race Uncertain As Thousands Of Mail-In Votes Still Being Counted
The other measure, a $28 million emergency spending bill to boost resources at the Food and Drug Administration, is expected to have less bipartisan support and it’s unclear whether the Senate will take it up.
“This is throwing more FDA staff at a problem that needs more production, not more FDA staff,” said Rep. Bill Huizenga, R-Mich.
Rep. Rosa DeLauro, the Democratic chair of the House Appropriations Committee, said the money would increase FDA staffing to boost inspections of domestic and international suppliers, prevent fraudulent products from getting onto store shelves and acquire better data on the marketplace.
Abbott’s voluntary recall was triggered by four illnesses reported in babies who had consumed powdered formula from its plant. All four infants were hospitalized with a rare type of bacterial infection and two died.
After a six-week inspection, FDA investigators published a list of problems in March, including lax safety and sanitary standards and a history of bacterial contamination in several parts of the plant. Under Monday’s agreement, Abbott must regularly consult with an outside safety expert to restart and maintain production.
Chicago-based Abbott has emphasized that its products have not been directly linked to the bacterial infections in children. Samples of the bacteria found at its plant did not match the strains collected from two babies by federal investigators.
But FDA officials pushed back on that reasoning Monday on a call with reporters — their first time publicly addressing the company’s argument. FDA staffers noted they were unable to collect bacterial strains from two of the four patients, limiting their chances of finding a match.
“Right from the get-go we were limited in our ability to determine with a causal link whether the product was linked to these four cases because we only had sequences on two,” FDA’s food director Susan Mayne said.
Fixing the violations uncovered at Abbott’s plant will take time, according to former FDA officials. Companies need to exhaustively clean the facility and equipment, retrain staff, repeatedly test and document there is no contamination.
As part of the FDA’s new import policy, regulators said companies would need to provide documentation of their factory’s inspections.MORE NEWS: Where's Wilder? York County Woman's Stolen Car Found In Philadelphia But Dog Nowhere To Be Found
(©Copyright 2022 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)


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Say goodbye to June with amazing deals on the 10.2-inch iPad and more
Deals. It’s the last day of June but you can bet it’s not our last day of deals. Let’s start off with the 10.2-inch iPad which is $50 off, leaving the entry level variant for $279 shipped. If you want extra storage, the 128GB variant is also $50 off, leaving it at $379. The Razer Blade 15 is also $300 off, leaving the Intel Core i7, 16GB of RAM and 512GB of SSD variant for $1700 shipped. The Galaxy Note 10 Lite is also $100 off, leaving it at $450 at B&H. We have more deals on Chromebooks, Galaxy Watches, Beats headphones and more in the links in the description.
Qualcomm announces Snapdragon Wear 4100 Platforms for wearables
Qualcomm just announced their new Snapdragon War 4100 and 4100+ platforms for the future of smartwatches. It’s built on a hybrid 12nm architecture, down from the 28nm from last year. This new architecture includes a higher performance SoC with improved CPU, GPU, Memory, Cellular Modem and camera sub systems. Basically the difference between the two is that the 4100+ is a big processor with the same small co-processor we saw on the 3100, while the 4100 is just a big processor. Some of the new features promised include Super-Fast Performance and Connectivity, a dedicated LTE mode, a Smarter Always On Display with far more colors. We have all of the specifics in the links in the description.
Microsoft might unveil the cheaper Xbox Series S console in August
It’s no secret that the PS5 made a bunch of headlines this month after they revealed the design but, we didn’t get a price tag and we’re assuming it’s going to be kinda hefty. Now, we’ve known that Microsoft will most likely have the upper hand when it comes to actual performance of the Series X but we’re also assuming that price tag will be heft as well. Apparently Microsoft is working on a more affordable console which is codenamed “Lockhart” and will reportedly debut as the Xbox Series “S”. The codename came from some leaked devkit documents but now a new report claims that this more affordable console will be announced in August. According to the leaks, this console will aim at 1080p and 1440p gaming instead of the 4K we’ll be getting from the Series X. It will bring the same CPU as the Series X but it will pack less usable RAM and a less powerful GPU. We’ll keep you posted.
Google acquires North, the maker of Focals smart glasses
Do you remember Google Glass? Well that didn’t turn out the way Google intended it to and now we’ve been getting a lot of rumors of Apple’s AR Glasses so Google decided to make a move. Mountain View just acquired North, the company behind the Focals 1.0 Smart Glasses. Neither of the two companies have disclosed the financial transaction but Rick Osterloh said in a blog post that North will be merged with Google’s team in Canada. The problem with this is that we won’t be getting the Focals 2.0 and this project is aimed at the long run so we’re not exactly sure about when we’ll get to see some hardware. Let’s just hope it’s Focals handling what’s coming up next and not Google. I mean.. Focals has succeeded, Google hasn’t.
OnePlus’ upcoming budget phone will officially debut as OnePlus Nord
It’s finally June 30 so OnePlus just launched the first episode of their documentary series and it actually reveals a lot of information. First off, the phone will be dubbed as the OnePlus Nord, the company even changed the Instagram account name to “OnePlus.Nord”. On this first episode, Pete Lau announced that this will be the company’s first product under the $500 mark in recent years. He also mentioned that it will be sold in India and Europe and only selected US consumers will be able to get it through a highly limited beta program after the release. We’re not sure if this is an early design but in one of the scenes we see a phone with a flat punch hole display and with dual selfie cameras, pretty much like the leaks. Pre-orders will also be available tomorrow, even if we haven’t really seen the phone. And no, stop looking at me funny, I don’t have the phone yet..
Story of the day:
iPhone 12 will allegedly record 4K videos at 240fps
Don’t expect to find BOE OLED panels in 5G iPhones soon
And finally for the hottest news today, let’s talk iPhone 12. We’ve got two separate leaks, one that’s expected, the other that still has me speechless, and I’m not talking about the lack of a charger, we discussed that yesterday. Let’s start with a follow-up with Apple and BOE displays, or should I say, the lack of a partnership. According to a new DigiTimes report, BOE failed to secure Apple’s validation for these displays. This doesn’t mean that they won’t supply displays at all, it just means that we might get BOE displays on some iPhones until Q4, after the phone is launched. Meanwhile, Samsung and LG will be handling all of the displays until Apple and BOE can iron out their issues. But alright, let me ask you this: Name one consumer grade camera that can film 4K at 240fps. Heck, name one that can film 4K at 120fps. Thing is, we can barely name a handful that can do 4K at 60fps even today. Well on an interesting note, earlier this weekend, EverythingApplePro posted a new video with leaks and predictions for the iPhone 12 line, one of them being an option to record 4K video at 240FPS, and today, according to a tipster on Twitter, there is evidence on the iOS 14 Beta filesystem that mentions this feature, allowing for 4K video at 240FPS native video. Like this is nuts. I still consider any iPhone after the XS to be a great B camera, or good enough for anyone to start a YouTube channel.


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To combat the massive threat of smartphone games, Sony is planning to offer several different price points for PlayStation Vita titles in relation to the gameplay experience they provide.
Speaking to GamesIndustry.biz, Jim Ryan (SCEE president and CEO) stated it would be “foolish and naive” to ignore what’s happening in the world of smartphone gaming. Ryan added to that rather honest statement with the following:
“I think it would be safe to assume we will take a more tailored approach than perhaps we’ve done in the past. It’s our challenge to ensure that the gaming experience that we provide is closer to that TV console experience than it is to your 69p thing that you’ve downloaded on your iPhone. If we do that and we provide great value to the consumer on games like Uncharted, I think the possibility to sustain historic console type price points is there.”
It’s good to see Sony will not just be sticking with the standard £39.99 boxed pricing model, and have taken a look at the smartphone gaming sector before deciding how they will go about pricing PlayStation Vita titles. Like it or not, the handheld/mobile market has changed thanks the iPhone, and although the PlayStation Vita is going after a slightly different crowd, pricing will still play a big part in its overall success.
What are your thoughts on the prices of handheld/mobile games? Do you think this is a good move on Sony’s part? Be sure to let us know via the comment section below.


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Porirua – Chocolate brand Cadbury is launching its first-ever vegan chocolate bar but New Zealand company Whittaker’s is well ahead of them in terms of moving into non-dairy chocolate.
Whittaker’s has a number of products with no added dairy, which are a popular choice for Whittaker’s chocolate lovers who are lactose intolerant and also looking for a locally made, high quality chocolate.
Milk is not an ingredient in any Whittaker’s dark chocolate over 50 percent cocoa (except their caramel flavours), including their Cocoa Lovers Collection released last year.
Whittaker’s is always working on innovative new flavours for Whittaker’s chocolate lovers of all dietary requirements.
In April, Whittaker’s won Reader’s Digest’s most trusted of all Australasian brands award for the 10th consecutive year, which is an unprecedented achievement.
Whittaker’s recently launched a compostable peanut slab wrapper trial, continued support of iconic Kiwi charities, investment in machinery and facility advancements, and grow a direct relationship with its cocoa farmers.
Meanwhile, the Cadbury plant bar comes in two flavours: smooth chocolate and smooth chocolate with salted caramel pieces. It is being launched in the UK.
Both options are made with a blend of cocoa, almond paste, and rice extract.
The 197-year-old confectionary company has acknowledged it had fallen behind competitors by not launching vegan chocolate sooner.
A poll by Veganuary found that those adhering to a plant-based diet were hungry for a vegan version of chocolate.
In other chocolate news, Nestlé has started selling a vegan dairy-free KitKat in the UK. It was developed by their confectionery research and development centre in York, England.


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If you've been itching to get your twitchy thumbs on the Xperia Play, Sony Ericsson's much-anticipated PlayStation phone, you don't have to wait much longer.
The PlayStation phone will be available through Verizon Wireless starting May 26th, but you can pre-order it starting Thursday. It'll be available for $200 with a two-year contract.
PlayStation phone rumors first began way back in 2008, but didn't start gaining traction until last fall, when detailed specs and leaked images cropped up. Gadget Lab got a chance to get our hands on the Xperia Play when it was officially announced at Mobile World Congress in February.
The Xperia Play will come stocked with seven free game titles:* Asphalt 6: Adrenaline*, The Sims 3, Madden NFL 11, Crash Bandicoot, Bruce Lee Dragon Warrior, Star Battalion, and Tetris. Verizon's mobile app store will have 50 other games available for download when the phone launches.
Sony Ericsson's PlayStation phone will run Android 2.3 on a 1GHz Qualcomm processor and will feature a front facing camera and a 5-megapixel rear-facing camera. Underneath the 4-inch capacitive touchscreen is a slide-out gaming pad with PlayStation keys, a touch joystick, and a D-pad.
Sony Ericsson's PlayStation Phone Ready to Hit Verizon [All Things D]


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The sudden epidemic caught all walks of life by surprise. In some industries, more than 5,000 companies have been cancelled or revoked since the beginning of the year, while the number of companies in some industries has grown as high as 2013.45%.
This amazing growth industry is the mask industry. The global demand for masks has also caused the value of "mask chip" meltblown cloth to soar, and the price has not increased by 40 times in half a year. The crazy meltblown cloth is like a "money printing machine."
The past and present of mask chip and meltblown cloth
Since the outbreak of the epidemic, meltblown cloth, called the "chip" of medical surgical masks and N95 masks, has become the most scarce raw material on the market.
The biggest difference between medical surgical masks, N95 and ordinary masks is that the key factor for them to become the core of "anti-epidemic" is the middle filter layer-melt blown cloth. Since the fiber density of meltblown cloth is 0.5-1 micron, and the virus is mainly transmitted through droplets and aerosols, the size of the virus at this time is more than 3 microns. Therefore, masks containing meltblown cloth have a certain effect on blocking viruses.
According to the introduction, as the "heart" of the mask, meltblown cloth is a kind of polypropylene with high melt index as a material, and a film made of many criss-cross fibers stacked in random directions. The production method is the same as that of marshmallows.
Before the epidemic, meltblown cloth had been in a relatively stable supply and demand market, with a price of around 20,000 yuan per ton. However, after the outbreak, the price of melt blown cloth seemed to have been on a roller coaster. In mid-February this year, the price of melt blown cloth had reached 80,000 yuan per ton, an increase of more than three times.
According to the statistics of the Spunbond Nonwovens Branch of the China Industrial Textile Industry Association, the production capacity of China's meltblown nonwovens in 2018 was 83,240 tons, and the actual output was 53,523 tons. And this corresponds to the demand during the normal period. Under the epidemic situation, the output is far from insufficient, the supply is less than the demand, and the price soars. In March of this year, the price of meltblown cloth once exceeded 500,000 yuan per ton. A melt blown cloth manufacturer stated that the production cost of melt blown cloth is high, the output value is low, and the technology content is high. Melt blown cloth accounts for 70% of the cost of masks. According to the current market price of masks, except for some speculative products, It is normal to increase to two to three million yuan/ton.
With the relief of the domestic epidemic, the price of meltblown cloth fell sharply in late March this year. From the previous 500,000 or so a ton, it dropped to about 350,000 yuan/ton, and the price plummeted by 150,000.
But soon, the international epidemic outbreak gave meltblown cloth another opportunity to soar in value. According to reports, the price of domestic melt blown cloth has recently experienced a second round of surge after adjustment some time ago. According to statistics from institutions a few days ago, from 21 manufacturers of melt blown cloth in 11 provinces such as Shandong, Tianjin, Hebei and Henan, the highest price of melt blown cloth is 500,000 per ton, and the lowest price is 430,000 per ton. Ton, the average price is 470,000/ton.
How was the "Hometown of Meltblown Cloth" born?
Tian Eye Check data shows that my country currently has more than 85,000 companies related to masks and respiratory protection, and there are more than 31,000 new ones from February 1 to April 13, 2020. Compared with the same period last year, the growth rate is as high as 2013.54%. Among them, there are more than 33,000 enterprises whose business scope includes "import and export", accounting for 38.51% of the total number of enterprises.
This does not include a large number of temporary small workshops. Driven by profits, from masks to melt blown cloth production have become new outlets, and these have also caused the price of raw materials to go up.
In this context, Yangzhong City, Jiangsu Province, has seen a rapid increase in melt blown cloth industry enterprises, which is known as the "hometown of melt blown cloth."
According to the Jiangsu Channel of People’s Daily Online, Yangzhong did not have an industrial cluster specializing in the production of melt blown cloth before. Only during the SARS period in 2003, there were a few local companies that produced short-term production, and since the profit of melt blown cloth was not high, they continued Conversion.
But under the epidemic, the temptation of "getting rich myth" brought by melt blown cloth is really too great. The huge profits have attracted a large number of speculators into the production of melt blown cloth. "Have you gotten melt blown cloth? How much is the machine now, and can't it be turned? Did you ship it yesterday?" Local residents must talk about melt blown cloth when they meet now.
According to the statistics provided by the Yangzhong Market Supervision Bureau, as of April 10, Yangzhong has registered 867 enterprises involved in the production and sales of melt blown cloth. "Almost all of these enterprises currently registered are newly registered or changed their business scope after the outbreak of the epidemic. Due to the lack of production equipment, at least half of them are currently not in actual production."
This fanatical "melt blown cloth nuggets" finally stepped on the brake button recently.
melt blown cloth forcibly calm
The chaos of meltblown cloth has been called a magical realism drama, with bad guys, scalpers, and inferior manufacturers appearing on stage.
The government finally took action to regulate and control, and the "Hometown of Meltblown Cloth" turned off overnight.
On April 16, according to Yangzhong’s announcement, Yangzhong City held a meeting to promote the regulation of melt blown cloth industry: Since March 20, it has been assigned and conducted centralized inspections on relevant issues that reflect melt blown cloth enterprises; as of the evening of April 15 , All melt blown cloth production and operation enterprises in the city have completely stopped production for rectification. In the next stage, Yangzhong City will strengthen its determination to rectify, strengthen its due diligence, ensure the effectiveness of rectification, and "cool down" irrational market behavior. The whole city will continue to make the standardization and renovation of the melt blown cloth industry the top priority of current work.
At the same time, the Ministry of Public Security is also launching special combat operations nationwide. According to the China Youth Daily, the Ministry of Public Security has so far cracked 20 cases and arrested 42 suspects, involving a total of 34.45 million yuan. This effectively deterred the criminal activity of raising the price of meltblown cloth and curbed the momentum of unintended price increases of meltblown cloth. .
The relevant person in charge of the Ministry of Public Security said that protective materials are an important guarantee for defeating the epidemic. The public security organs will always maintain "zero tolerance" for crimes related to epidemic protection materials. The lawbreakers of "financial" should rein in the precipice, otherwise they will be severely punished by the law.
As the Guangming Net commentary said: In fact, although the development of industry stems from the impulse of capital, if the wave of industry subsides, the interests of ordinary people will eventually be damaged, and government departments have to spend a lot of public resources to come forward to clean up the mess. At present, the global epidemic is still in the developing stage, but the domestic epidemic has been effectively controlled, and the epidemic trend in developed countries in Europe and the United States has also shown signs of slowing down. Sooner or later, a new balance in mask production will appear. If a producer mistakenly evaluates the market situation and enters the market rashly, it is likely to "catch a late episode" and eventually come back.


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Mon, 30 Mar 2015 14:39:16 GMT
Domino’s Pizza has launched a new digital platform to offer pizza lovers a unique way to personalise their pizza.
Pizza Legends is a whole new take on the ‘Create Your Own’ feature, elevating the Domino’s Greatness brand story by transforming the personalisation process from functional to fun.
Acting as an extension of the main Domino’s site, the new platform has been created by the creative innovation network iris, and will be supported by a nationwide TV ad and digital campaign, also handled by iris.
Users can decide on their ideal pizza base, sauce and quality toppings combination – with a few magical extras thrown in for good measure – and create their own Legend. They can even create their own personal story to go with their creation, share with friends online and of course – buy it again and again if they discover a winning combo.
Simon Wallis, Sales & Marketing Director at Domino’s: “Our customers love personalising their pizzas and adding an extra ingredient or two – and we wanted to make the experience of doing this online feel more personal to each and every individual customer. Along with iris we’ve worked hard to put participation at the heart of our brand – to give people little moments of Greatness as they order. And Legends goes one step beyond that – we’re inviting our customers to create their own Greatness story, and share it with their family and friends. Greatness from them – as well as Greatness from Domino’s.”
Ian Bradbury, Managing Partner, iris: “Domino’s as a brand is always on the hunt for ways to make the ordering process more entertaining. We’ve translated tummy rumbles, melted delivery drivers (not real ones) – as a brand, Domino’s is one of the most participative and innovative out there. Pizza isn’t just pizza – the occasion that goes with it is important too, whether it’s a family meal, Sunday rescue remedy or a cosy night in. We’re hoping that Legends will bring some of those stories to life, and give people a bit of a laugh at the same time.”
Categories: Fast food, Retail and RestaurantsIris, Mon, 30 Mar 2015 14:39:16 GMT


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Post Malone has relaunched his lifestyle brand, Shaboink, and announced a partnership with humanitarian aid organisation Direct Relief.
Shaboink will donate 40,000 N95 facial masks to Direct Relief, which will then distribute the masks to frontline workers combating COVID-19 across the US.
In addition, Shaboink – originally conceived as a cannabis brand – is now accepting pre-orders for its new “clean kits”. The kits contain an assortment of cleaning accessories, including Shaboink-branded gloves, masks, hand sanitiser and even Vitamin C. Orders are currently scheduled for shipping between June 1 to 15. Rolling Stone reports that a portion of sales from the kits will be donated to Direct Relief.
In an interview with Rolling Stone, Malone said he “wanted to make something that’s fun”.
“We’re all in a pretty shitty time right now but we’ll get through it; let’s keep clean and kick this thing’s ass.”
The announcement follows Post Malone’s charity livestream tribute to Nirvana, which took place on April 24. Together with Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker, guitarist Nick Mack and bassist Brian Lee, the quartet performed a 75-minute set of pure Nirvana covers to raise money for the UN Foundation’s COVID-19 Solidarity Relief Fund.
- READ MORE: Post Malone’s Nirvana tribute livestream sounded like a wild and heavy garage band in rehearsal


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We’re about to see two entertainment behemoths come together, as The Walt Disney Company and 21st Century Fox have officially announced a deal. As a result, Disney will acquire Fox’s film division and much of its TV operations for a price of over $52 billion in stock.
Disney will take over the Nat Geo network, Star TV, Fox’s movie and TV studios and its stakes in both Sky and Hulu, as well as the parts of the business that focus on regional sports broadcasting. It’ll gain a majority stake in Hulu through the deal, too. Fox News, Fox’s basic broadcast network and its national sports channels will be spun off into a new company.
One of the reasons Disney already dominates the entertainment landscape is because of big acquisitions under CEO Bob Iger — Pixar, Marvel and most recently Lucasfilm. The move will bulk up Disney’s content library in advance of the planned launch of the studio’s streaming service in 2019. It could also end up posing a significant business threat to Netflix, since Disney has shown it wants to put more of its own original content on its own streaming service which is set for launch in 2019, vs. on its soon-to-be rival.
Among other properties, Fox owns the Avatar franchise and the original Star Wars film.
And while Disney already does pretty well on the superhero side thanks to its ownership of Marvel, the deal brings the film rights to the X-Men and Fantastic Four back in-house — so maybe that Avengers/X-Men cinematic crossover you’ve been dreaming about will finally happen. In fact, Disney pointed out as much in it is official announcement, which includes the following note:
The agreement also provides Disney with the opportunity to reunite the X-Men, Fantastic Four and Deadpool with the Marvel family under one roof and create richer, more complex worlds of inter-related characters and stories that audiences have shown they love. The addition of Avatar to its family of films also promises expanded opportunities for consumers to watch and experience storytelling within these extraordinary fantasy worlds. Already, guests at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Park at Walt Disney World Resort can experience the magic of Pandora—The World of Avatar, a new land inspired by the Fox film franchise that opened earlier this year. And through the incredible storytelling of National Geographic—whose mission is to explore and protect our planet and inspire new generations through education initiatives and resources—Disney will be able to offer more ways than ever before to bring kids and families the world and all that is in it.
Another way to look at the deal: Disney and Fox rank number two and four, respectively, in the domestic box office for the year thus far, and collectively pulled in more than 30 percent of total domestic grosses.
In recent weeks, there’s been plenty of reporting and speculation around the deal, with CNBC saying that the announcement would come today. As expected, Disney CEO Iger has also announced his intent to remain Chairman and CEO of Disney as part of the deal through 2021, instead of retiring in 2019 as previously planned.
Disney says it expects the acquisition to close in 12 to 18 months. The deal still needs regulatory approval, which is hardly guaranteed, especially given the Department of Justice’s resistance to the AT&T-Time Warner deal.


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3G iPhone Arriving in 2nd Quarter 2008?
Analyst predictions of a 3G iPhone are nothing new, but a new report points to specific sources knowledgeable about this anticipated update. After meeting with Taiwanese electronics companies Citigroups Richard Gardner claims that his sources have confirmed that the 3G iPhone will be released in 2nd Quarter calendar year. If correct, this would pinpoint the release between April-June 2008.
3G is the next generation wireless data that promises much faster speeds over the EDGE technology in existing iPhones. Apple's Steve Jobs has said that existing 3G chipsets drew too much power for them to be used in the original iPhone. Recent advances in wireless chipset technology have reportedly addressed these power consumption issues. Coincidentally, AT&T recently announced that they are expanding their 3G network to nearly 350 U.S. markets by the end of 2008.
Plans for a 3G iPhone have been well publicized, with comments by Steve Jobs and AT&T's CEO suggesting the 3G iPhone is coming in 2008.


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Bold, innovative ideas key to Uchumi’s recovery plan
By Kamau Wairuri
| February 5th 2017
An article in last week’s edition of The Standard on Sunday titled ‘Uchumi stumbles through a maze in its quest to regain glory’ left me with mixed feelings. The gist of the story was that failure by the government to give a Sh1.2b bailout on time and difficulties in disposing off some assets have slowed down the recovery of the struggling firm.
There are many things to be said about the content of the article. I will highlight some issues that stood out for me. First, the government, whose intervention Uchumi is seeking to pull out of its current challenges, is reduced to a ‘bureaucratic red-tape of approvals’ hence a major impediment to the success of the recovery programme.
People generally agree with this slow nature of government processes but when a privately run business is running back to the state for a bailout for the second time, I suppose they would have lost the moral authority to castigate the government.
Secondly, the idea that Uchumi has an advantage of family-owned retailers because it is structured and professionally run creates a false dichotomy. It suggests that family-owned businesses are not professionally managed. This unexamined assertion is completely misleading, as evidence from Kenya’s retail market suggests.
Third, I was struck by the lack of imagination and innovativeness in naming their private label, similar to Nakumatt’s Blue Label, which they are looking to launch targeting the ‘Kadogo’ economy. It is spectacularly uncreative to name the private label ‘Red Label’ after their brand colour just because Nakumatt did the same.
One would hope that they could reach out to some of the many creative minds we have in this country to help them develop a unique brand. Strategy requires bold creative ideas. The essence of strategy is differentiation. Organisations develop strategy to distinguish themselves in the market and to create opportunities for capturing surplus value. Therefore, it appears logical that when going through a rough patch, one should attempt to not keep doing the things that have failed before.
For Uchumi however, the attitude appears to be quite similar to what Spike Milligan said of army training: If a man dies when you hang him, keep hanging him until he gets used to it. Much of what was communicated last week betrays a very traditional approach.
The only pleasant exception is taking the franchising approach, which in my view might actually prove to be Uchumi’s most meaningful strategy decision. I am actually excited and hopeful that this will work out. Bearing in mind that the Kenyan taxpayer is set to bail out the business again, perhaps the government should include conditions in the bailout plan that would require that they actually implement this plan and to demonstrate clear value to the public by creating employment opportunities for the youth.
In this respect, I think Uchumi should partner with the government enterprise development funds such as the Youth Enterprise Development Fund (YEDF).
Uchumi still has a fairly good brand despite the challenges it has faced in recent years and of course, they know something about running retail stores, even though perhaps not too well. Nonetheless, they can provide the youth with the business fundamentals while the YEDF funds them to establish their franchise businesses.
This way Uchumi can inject much needed professionalism and enhance employment prospects in the retail sector which already employs many young Kenyans.
Nonetheless, the company needs to change the focus from brick and mortar establishment and ride the wave of online retail business. One of the key aspects of successful strategy is finding the right wave to ride. Recent years have seen tremendous growth of online trading meaning that Kenyans are embracing this new approach which offers them flexibility and saves time.
What’s more, the necessary infrastructure for this is in place. You can shop online using your mobile phone, pay via M-Pesa and the seller dispatches the goods through a boda boda rider. Why is Uchumi not taking advantage of this already?
Kenya must face Trump to avert bullying of its citizensDonald Trump, the current tenant at the White House, is a foreign policy ignoramus. I don’t think he could point out Kenya on a map, even though he spent years de-legitimising former President Barack Obama, his predecessor, as an American.
Restoring Nairobi’s iconic librariesBook Bunk is turning public libraries into what they call ‘Palaces for The People' while introducing technology in every aspect.
Honest matatu driver who returned Sh20,000 feted
- DP William Ruto donates Sh2m in Awendo, Migori, buys one umbrella at Sh20,000
By Brian Okoth
- Attorney General rejects varsity courses accreditation agreement
- Court throws out laws limiting top jobs to doctors
HEALTH & SCIENCE
- Couple deported from China, charged with falsifying documents
- Wait for big announcement next week at Bomas, promises Gideon Moi
By Patrick Beja


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Specifications Vivo Y12s found in the Google Play Console
Vivo continues to saturate the market with their devices, and fans don’t mind.
Vivo Y12s on Google Play Console
Vivo is working on a new mid-range device called the Vivo Y12s. In the recent past, the smartphone has already received several certifications. Now it has appeared in the Google Play Console. Firstly, we learned its technical characteristics, and secondly, the smartphone will be shown very soon.
Indonesian TKDN, Eurasian Economic Commission are among the authorities that issued the certificate for Vivo Y12s Russian and Chinese quality certification. On the device page in the Google Play Console, it is indicated that the smartphone is powered by MediaTek MT6765, that is, the well-known Helio P35 for a long time. The smartphone has 3 GB of RAM.
The smartphone image shows that the display has a teardrop notch. The screen has HD + resolution, its size is unknown. Unfortunately, the device will only support the slow 10W charging standard. The smartphone will run Android 10 out of the box. The rest of the device specifications are currently unknown.
The Vivo Y12 is a new variant of the Vivo Y12 smartphone that debuted a few months ago in India with a price tag of $ 169. The smartphone is equipped with a 6.53-inch IPS screen with HD + resolution, and its heart is the Helio P22 chipset. Based on this, two things can be understood – we are waiting for some kind of upgrade at least for the processor, and the approximate cost could be $ 170-180.
We will learn all the details a little later.


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First Speedo dumped the decorated Olympic swimmer, then Ralph Lauren. The rest cut ties soon after.
The episode was a cautionary tale for brands that spend millions endorsing celebrities and athletes.
"Celebrity brand endorsements are risky business," Jeetendr Sehdev, professor of marketing at the University of Southern California, wrote in an email to Business Insider. "As the costs of celebrity endorsements get bigger, many brands start playing a deadly game of Russian roulette."
There's no question brands bet big on athletes. Michael Phelps has made $12 million in endorsements this year, according to Time. LeBron James' lifetime-endorsement deal with Nike is reportedly worth more than $1 billion.
ESPN's Darren Rovell reported that Lochte lost about $1 million in endorsements.
When celebrity endorsements go right, they're a powerhouse tool. Sehdev points to successful deals like Michael Jordan and Nike, Jennifer Aniston and Smart Water, and Mark Wahlberg and Calvin Klein.
There are several reasons why brands want to work with celebrities in the first place.
The most critical point, Sehdev notes, is that utilizing a celebrity could make a brand appear relevant. Celebrities can make brands cool and make them stand out. They can also help foster trust.
"A brand at its root is about trust," Eric Schiffer, chairman of Reputation Management Consultants, told Business Insider. Using a celebrity, he says, encourages as sense of "familiarity" with a brand, so that when shoppers go to the store, they already feel like they have established, trusting relationships with certain brands.
On the flip side, Schiffer points out, celebrities can destroy that same trust. And that's pretty much what happened with Lochte.
Lochte landed in hot water after he claimed he and other US swimmers were robbed at gunpoint in Rio during the Olympics. He later backtracked, saying he "over-exaggerated" the story. Lochte has since been charged by Brazilian police over the false-robbery claim and is being summoned back to Rio.
Sometimes, Sehdev points out, celebrities can come out of a scandal much better off than brands.
"Starstruck CMOs be warned," Sehdev writes. "More celebrity endorsements are being overlooked by savvy consumers and brands are becoming the laughing stock while celebrities are walking away with reality TV show deals."
Which is why Sehdev says it's a matter of weighing the risk versus the reward, and there are four things a company should consider when deciding whether to drop a celebrity.
The first is how severe the issue is. In a survey that Sehdev executed of 1,500 people between the ages of 18-59 living in the US, 1 out of 5 people said they would be less inclined to buy a product backed by a celebrity convicted of a DUI, but 4 out of 5 said they wouldn't purchase a product backed by a celebrity who was convicted of domestic violence or rape.
Also important is how heavily consumers associate the celebrity with the brand. The third thing to consider is how famous the celebrity is. The fourth most important thing is how big the contract was. Sehdev says that lifetime-endorsement contracts — like David Beckham's relationship with Adidas — tend to not be a good idea because they can lose their effectiveness over time.
Sehdev told Business Insider that typically brands don't have to follow through with a contract if a celebrity or athlete does something salacious. But when brands do back out of endorsement deals, they lose any money that has already been paid out.
One of the worst celebrity endorsements of all time was Subway's relationship Jared Fogle.
Fogle became famous after losing 200 pounds on a diet of Subway sandwiches. After earning millions as a spokesperson for the brand, Fogle was sentenced to nearly 16 years in prison for possession and distribution of child pornography and traveling across state lines for sex with a minor. Subway cut ties with Fogle before he was formally charged with the crimes.
But not all bad behavior is so detrimental.
"The risks are not always devastating for an endorser in the event a celebrity misbehaves," Sehdev writes. "Sometimes, it helps brands shed their stodgy images. Burberry reembraced Kate Moss after her alleged cocaine snorting scandal. Both brands remain perfectly aligned [to] date."
A celebrity's bad behavior can actually create opportunities for a brand.
By choosing to cut Lochte from their endorsements, Schiffer said, brands like Speedo and Ralph Lauren had big opportunities to send a message about their values. Sehdev noted that 4 in 5 people said Lochte's bad behavior raised greater awareness of Airweave and Syneron-Candela, two brands that sponsored and then publicly dropped the athlete, Business Insider's Cork Gaines reported.
Pine Bros. Softish Throat Drops decided to ride the Lochte publicity wave this week by offering to sponsor the athlete and feature him in upcoming ads for the brand.
Of course, celebrities can also bounce back from their mistakes. The best way for Lochte to do this would be to focus on what he does best, Schiffer said, which is winning in the pool.
For any brand or celebrity, Schiffer says the important thing to do is to ask for forgiveness.
"Everyone makes mistakes," he said. "No one's perfect."


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National Small Business United (NSBU), the nation's oldest small business advocacy organization, said OSHA's proposed standard is disproportionately detrimental to small businesses.
NSBU President Todd McCracken, as well as two NSBU members, testified Tuesday at the proposed ergonomics standard hearing in Washington, D.C.
In his testimony, McCracken expressed that the organization and its members feel that the proposed regulation is a disadvantage to the small business community and will negatively impact those businesses that make an effort to protect employees.
"We strongly urge OSHA to reconsider the release of its ergonomics standard, which the agency seems wholeheartedly committed to, regardless of its numerous faults," McCracken testified. "This broad effort to redefine the workplace needs to be supported and mandated by scientific consensus, of which there is none."
In its comments filed to OSHA, organization also said that the agency has significantly underestimated the hardship, both financial and operative, for small businesses.
"If a small business followed the path prescribed by the proposed regulation, it is uncertain whether there would be any decrease in injuries, let alone decrease to warrant the rule," NSBU said in its comments to OSHA.
NSBU represents more than 65,000 small businesses across the country.


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Furnishings retailer Heals may use Virgile & Stone to create store interiors for a planned new store outside London, says a spokeswoman for the retailer.
No final decision on design groups, or the location of the shop, has been made, she says. Virgile & Stone created interiors for the retailer’s outlet in King’s Road, London, and is refurbishing the flagship store on Tottenham Court Road.
Meanwhile, a new 650m2 Conran Shop store featuring ‘core ranges’ designed in-house is due to open in London’s Conduit Street on 4 July. Interiors for the store, called Conran Collection, are by CD Partnership.


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Beef company closing plants in 3 states over pink slime controversy
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Beef Products Inc. will close processing plants in three states this month because of the controversy surrounding its meat product that critics have dubbed “pink slime,” a company official said Monday, May 7th.
About 650 jobs will be lost when the plants are closed in Amarillo, Texas; Garden City, Kansas; and Waterloo Iowa, company spokesman Rich Jochum said. The closures will take effect May 25. A plant in South Sioux City, Neb., will remain open but run at reduced capacity.
The South Dakota-based company blamed the closures on what it said were unfounded attacks over its lean, finely textured beef.
During its processing, bits of beef are heated and treated with a small amount of ammonia to kill bacteria. The filler has been used for years and meets federal food safety standards.
But the company suspended operations in March at the three plants. BPI has declined to discuss financial details, but has said it took a “substantial” hit after social media exploded with worry over the product and an online petition seeking its ouster from schools drew hundreds of thousands of supporters. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has decided that school districts may stop using it, and some retail chains have pulled products containing it from their shelves.
Company officials hoped to recover but have since realized that doing so wasn’t possible in the near future, Jochum said Monday. The company paid its workers during the suspension.
“We will continue communicating the benefits of BPI’s lean beef, but that process is much more difficult than (countering) the campaign to spread misinformation that brought us to this point,” Jochum aid in a statement.
State executives who have supported the company blamed what they considered a smear campaign against the product, which has drawn scrutiny even though they and industry officials insist that it’s safe. “This is a sad day for the state of Iowa,” said Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad. “The fact that a false, misleading smear campaign can destroy a company’s reputation overnight should disturb us all.”
The Republican governor said the workers will “go home to their families and will soon be without a job, all because some media on the coasts decided to unfairly and viciously smear the product they so proudly produced.”
The phrase “pink slime,” coined by a federal microbiologist, has appeared in the media at least since a critical 2009 New York Times report. Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver has railed against it, and it made headlines after McDonald’s and other major chains discontinued their use last year.
But a recent piece by The Daily on the USDA’s purchase of meat that included “pink slime” for school lunches touched a nerve with a Texas blogger who focuses on kids’ food. She started an online petition asking U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to halt its use in school food, and the USDA will give schools the option of choosing ground beef that doesn’t contain it starting in the fall.
Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman called the plant closings “unfortunate and needless,” and said the product BPI produced is safe for consumption. “BPI is a good family-owned business, and we will continue to work with them in an effort to continue to promote their safe and healthy beef,” Heineman said.
Several politicians who toured one of the plants in March, including Branstad, Texas Gov. Rick Perry, Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback, Nebraska Lt. Gov. Rick Sheehy and South Dakota Lt. Gov. Matt Michels, all agreed with the industry view that the beef has been unfairly maligned and mislabeled.


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Ask a harried, shoeless passenger who’s retrieving a laptop from a security conveyor belt if he or she can imagine a time of stress-free, comfortable air travel and you’ll probably get a blank stare.
But for former flight attendant Dr. Helen Davey, it’s just a matter of reflecting on the 20 years she spent working for Pan Am.
As an employee of the international carrier, Davey flew to cities like Tel Aviv and Bangkok, accumulating a lifetime of memorable experiences. She saw the Moscow Ballet during Leonid Brezhnev’s regime; flew to Saigon during the Vietnam War on Pan Am jets in order to take soldiers for R&R trips.
“The world was not homogenized then, so we were often the first Americans that anybody had ever met or talked to,” says Davey. “We felt like ambassadors to the world. If you loved to travel, it was just a dream.”
ABC is hoping to recapture that dream in its new drama “Pan Am,” which debuted 10 p.m. Sept. 25. While persuading the 18-35 demographic that flying was once glamorous might seem like a challenge, ABC Entertainment’s marketing exec VP Marla Provencio says the series’ sophisticated style transcends any pre-conceived notions.
“There are such universal themes running through” the show, Provencio says. “And what era doesn’t love anything about fashion and glamour? So we played into that, showing that the world was their oyster. Any age can grab onto that and run with it.”
In fact, partnering with an established brand has enabled the network to build on a legacy that Pan Am Brands, a merchandising division of a regional railway company that purchased the rights to the airline in 1998, has been quietly cultivating through a line of handbags, luggage and travel accessories.
“We have a very valuable property, and we’re very diligent in making sure that the heritage of Pan Am is kept intact in the way that we would want it to,” says Stacy Beck, director of marketing and corporate development at Pan Am Brands.
For that reason, it’s no surprise that the iconic blue-and-white logo bag that was so much a part of the airline is so much a part of the re-established brand: at this year’s Comin-Con in San Diego, ABC’s “Pan Am” media blitz featured an airplane fuselage parked in the convention center, staffed with jet age-attired stewardesses giving away the coveted bags. The replica of the first-class cabin has been on a mall tour since late August, hitting Chicago, Boston, Philadelphia and Los Angeles, culminating Sept. 23 in New York.
“The stewardesses have been bombarded with attention, people wanting to take pictures with them, wanting the bags,” Provencio says, adding that there will be branded tray tables on U.S. Airways as well as luggage tags polybagged with the New York Times.
ABC is also hitting the digital realm hard in its quest for a younger demo. There’s a music station on Pandora Internet Radio that’s solely devoted to music from the “Pan Am” era, which fans can reach through Facebook. Twitter features the “Twitter-powered flight” in which viewers tweet the show and unlock content; and ABC.com features interviews with former Pan Am flight attendants in “The Real Stewardesses of Pan Am” webisodes.
“The biggest challenge is bringing the younger audience in and making sure that there’s something there for them to hang on to,” Provencio says. “You have to get people invested emotionally.”
Complementing aggressive billboard campaigns in major markets are fashion displays at bus shelters in New York and Los Angeles, which were timed with New York’s Fashion Week and feature actual uniforms and accessories encased in glass.
“Once we get it off the ground, there’s endless possibilities. Every week you’re going to go to a different place; you’re going to be in a different city,” Provencio says.
While it’s hard to turn a corner in a major city without stumbling across the campaign, Pan Am Brands’ Beck says the company wasn’t even looking for a Hollywood partnership when the idea first came to them from Sony Pictures Television through producer and former flight attendant Nancy Ganis.
“They found us,” Beck says. “Nancy, being a former Pan Am stewardess, had this is a life-long dream to tell this story of the adventures that she and her peers had lived flying in the Jet Age.”
However, licensing a brand to use in a creative endeavor like a TV show raises a lot of questions, which dragged out negotiations for nearly four years. Complicating matters was a deal with Marc Jacobs for a line of handbags, which had to expire before Sony, Ganis and Pan Am could move forward.
Among the many likely product integration deals for Pan Am is one that has historical significance for the former airline. Canada Dry ginger ale will be served to fictional characters in the cabin throughout the show’s first season, much like it was during the airline’s heyday.
“A week after we started conversations with (Sony), I got two old images of a Pan Am stewardess, and the only thing on her beverage cart was Canada Dry ginger ale,” says Lauren Radcliffe, director of branded entertainment at Cadbury Schweppes, Canada Dry’s parent company. “The truth is that we identified the partnership before we even knew.”
Radcliffe also says the company rarely engages in integration deals until a show is into its second season, but somehow “Pan Am” seemed different.
“Usually when a show gets picked for the first season, it doesn’t typically feel good enough that we’re willing to take the chance,” Radcliffe says, adding that the only other show the company partnered with in its freshman year was NBC’s “30 Rock” with Snapple. “To me, it feels like ‘Pan Am’ has been around a long time. It was such an organic fit for us in that environment.”
For now, Pan Am Brands has a holiday line launching separately from the merchandising surrounding the series, which ABC is handling, and the brand has no other product integration or licensing plans.
“I think we have our hands full,” Beck says with a hearty laugh. “I don’t know how many projects in Hollywood we want to play with at once.”


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A recent study by the European Plastics Recycling Initiative (PRE) shows that plastic packaging will achieve 65% recovery by 2025.
However, the Brussels-based organization announced in December 2017 that to achieve this goal requires a package of measures and the necessary tools to put it in place.
In addition, steps need to be taken to ensure greater focus, thereby improving the quality and ability of the EU's plastic packaging waste classification. Recyclability should be an integral part of the design of these products.
Research shows that the recycled design will not only improve the recirculation capacity of plastic packaging in the market but will also reduce classification and recovery costs.
PRE said in a statement: "These measures will improve the quality of recycled products and, ultimately, increase consumer confidence in recycled products."
The European organization also called for "strong communication" on the plastic value chain and "pushing for legislation" to make better use of recycled materials.
From an environmental, social and economic point of view, increasing recycling rates and using recycled plastics will reduce CO2 emissions by 80%.
In addition, these measures will create over 115,000 jobs and bring about 1 billion euros in economic benefits


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A CHEESE FESTIVAL is coming to Coventry, ladies and gentleman.
Yes, in news you've been waiting your entire lives for, it has been confirmed CheeseFest is coming to the city.
This summer, CheeseFest will head to the Cathedral on 19 August.
At the eagerly-anticipated event, city residents can experience some of the cheesiest cheeses in the world.
Organisers are promising everything from "melted raclette, cheese wheels and gooey mozzarella sticks" to "a whole host of cheesetastic tastes from the country's best cheese traders."
The event will be held in the Cathedral as organisers "transform the iconic venue for a day of the cheesiest delights going."
From traditional cheeses to mozzarella sticks, halloumi fries and the most amazing mac and cheese, expect to learn about all types of cheese, wines and the best beers that go long with those cheeses at a day that will melt you into a deep love of all things cheese.
The event will run from 10am until 6pm.


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Washington — Former top White House economic adviser Gary Cohn said he does not believe the tariffs imposed on billions of dollars worth of goods imported from China helped the U.S. reach a preliminary trade deal with Beijing.
"I don't think the tariffs helped us get to any different outcome," Cohn, whoin 2018, said Sunday on "Face the Nation."
Mr. Trump and Chinese Vice Premier Liu Heat the White House last week following a trade war that spanned nearly two years and grew to include levies on nearly all imports from China.
The deal addresses intellectual property protection and enforcement, ending forced technology transfer and currency manipulation and expansion of American farm purchases, among other areas. The tariffs imposed by the Trump administration on Chinese goods will remain in place until the two countries reach a "Phase Two" agreement.
Mr. Trump, who has dubbed himself a "tariff man," has touted the levies as a way to pressure the Chinese to negotiate with the U.S., but Cohn said the duties have harmed the country despite a period of low unemployment and strong economic growth.
"I think it's totally hurt the United States," Cohn said. "Look, the U.S. economy is very strong, very solid. Employment growth is great. But we're missing a big component. We're missing the capital expenditures from companies in the United States."
Cohn, a Democrat who served as director of the National Economic Council in the White House, disagreed with Mr. Trump over the tariffs and resigned his post after the president announced double-digit duties on steel and aluminum in March 2018. Cohn said Sunday he didn't believe the tariffs on the metals were "helpful to our economy."
"The minute a company is thinking about spending capital, what do you go out and buy? You go out and buy steel and aluminum. That's how you build factories. That's how you build property, plant equipment," he said. "So all of the sudden, the advantages that we were trying to give companies to help stimulate the economy — to build facilities, to go out and hire people, to drive wages — we took away that advantage by taxing the input that they needed to build."
Regarding his decision to step down, Cohn said "at the end of the day" the president "was going a different direction on some of the trade negotiations than I would have gone. I agreed fundamentally on what the issue was. I just didn't agree on how to solve the issue."
While Cohn left the White House nearly two years ago, a new book by two Washington Post reporters references his experiences working as a top adviser to Mr. Trump. An excerpt published last week details a July 2017 meeting at the Pentagon that Cohn was reportedly present for, in which the president called military leaders "a bunch of dopes and babies."
Cohn said he hasn't read the new book, but said Mr. Trump acts the same in public as he does in private.
"What you see on TV is exactly what you get in private with the president. The president is the same person behind closed doors as he is out in public, which is a unique feature," he said. "You know, it's not like he turns it on or turns it off when he walks outside. So you've seen everything the president has. That's exactly what you see when you're in a private meeting with him."