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HOUSTON – It's a never-ending story for thousands of customers waiting for mail and important packages at various locations throughout the greater Houston area.
From the Missouri City sorting facility to the North Houston facility, KPRC 2 continues to push for answers to the ongoing USPS problem.
“It is absolutely catastrophic. Both for consumers and for the company,” Ryker said.
READ MORE: Houston, we have a mail problem. Here's what we know
Small business owner Axel Ryker showed reporter Re'Chelle Turner dozens of packages that were tracked to the facility on Aldine Bender Road.
“We're currently looking at around $20,000 when it comes to chargebacks and reshipping of items worth around $20,000,” said Axel Ryker.
That's how much money Ryker says he lost due to the USPS problems.
“This affects me as an entrepreneur. I'm on the verge of bankruptcy. “It also puts everyone else in Houston waiting for very valuable products, medicines or treatments at risk,” he said.
RELATED: Woman says her father hasn't received his heart medication as USPS mail problems persist at the Missouri City processing center
His company has lost hundreds of packages since November.
“It has increased every month since then, in December I lost more… in January I lost more and the unfortunate thing is that because of the type of items I have I have to rely on USPS because it is low cost acts, e.g. B. Items under $10. “I can't use services like FedEx, DHL or UPS because the shipping methods are much more expensive, which would put me at a disadvantage on every single order,” he said.
On Monday, Axel left Houston and drove nearly three hours to Austin to ship his packages to another USPS facility.
“Exactly, not only am I driving our packages, but there are other businesses in this local community that are impacted, so we will be picking up other packages and bringing them to Austin,” he said.
Turner asked him why he wanted to help other companies.
“Well, I know the suffering I'm experiencing and how upset our customers are, so I'm sure everyone else is dealing with a similar scenario,” he added.
Ryker says he's willing to drive to Austin any day until his business gets back on track and the mail problems in Houston are resolved.
READ MORE: Packages get stuck, delays continue at USPS sorting facility in Missouri City
KPRC 2 has reached out to USPS several times over the past few weeks to ask when the issue will be resolved. They didn't say how long it might take.
Copyright 2024 by KPRC Click2Houston – All Rights Reserved.


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As I was interviewing companies for my story on how they are using social networking sites to reach out to customers, I learned that some of them, such as the online investment firm Scottrade, dedicate an entire person to Web outreach. Amber Talbot, Scottrade's online public relations specialist, manages the companies' two Twitter accounts, two Facebook accounts, and a YouTube account. She responds to customers' questions and sometimes connects them to the customer service department. She also lets other parts of the company know what people are saying about them.
"It's making sure [customers] know we're not just a company -- I'm actually a person, and getting to know them and help with with any questions they have," says Talbot. She estimates that she spends a good four to six hours a day online interacting with customers.
Not all companies like Twitter. Chris Arnold, spokesman for Chipotle, says he finds it pretty limiting and doubts if it's really the next "big thing" for corporate America. He Tweets at http://twitter.com/chipotlemedia, where he lets people know about Chipotle activities such as its sponsoring of free Food, Inc. screenings or when the company's founder testified in Congress against the use of antibiotics in livestock.
But the company also has an imposter, http://twitter.com/chipotleinc, which has no relation to the real Chipotle. That's one of the biggest drawbacks to the social networking sites, says Arnold. "Anyone can register any name they want and say whatever they want," he says. Fortunately for Arnold, his imposter has made only one update -- although somehow he has more than twice as many followers as Arnold himself.

domain: news


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A major change to Formula 1 for the 2022 season will be the introduction of 18-inch tyres after half a century of wide sidewall tyres sitting on 13-inch rims. Pirelli is presenting the new tyres at Silverstone today and comments that “now it’s time to change to a more modern approach” with a dimension actually seen on today’s road cars.
Cooper Tire Europe has announced a continuation of its exclusive tyre supply to the FIA World Rallycross and FIA European Rallycross championships for the 2021, 2022 and 2023 seasons. This year’s World Rallycross season, which commences with the World RX of Norway on 12 June, will be the 8th contested on Cooper tyres.
TM Boano Factory Racing, an Enduro World Championship race team for the Italian motorcycle manufacturer TM, has chosen Maxxis as its exclusive tyre supplier for the 2021 FIM Enduro World Championship (EnduroGP) and the national 2021 Italian Enduro Championship.
Cars competing in the DTM race series will race exclusively on Michelin tyres during the 2021 season. As per the agreement signed that Michelin Motorsport signed with DTM management last week, the tyre maker will supply Michelin Pilot Sport GT S9M tyres as well as a range of associated services. Drivers will use the Michelin tyres for the first time at the DTM test drives on 7-8 April at the Hockenheimring and 4-6 May at the Lausitzring in Germany. The season starts on 18 June in Monza, Italy.
The BMW M2 CS Racing is the new entry-level model in the BMW M Motorsport product portfolio, and the car has its own race series. BMW M Motorsport is collaborating with motorsport agency tolimit to bring the BMW M2 Cup to European circuits this year. Each of the identical cars competing in the series will race on Goodyear tyres.
Pirelli will continue as presenting sponsor of and sole tyre supplier to the Bennetts British Superbike Championship, having signed a renewed deal with series organiser MotorSport Vision Racing (MSVR) to extend the partnership for a further five years through to the 2025 season. Pirelli also remains the title sponsor of the Superstock and Junior Superstock classes.
After debuting in 2020 as exclusive tyre supplier to the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC), having taken over from sister brand Dunlop, Goodyear has now signed up for a further five years. Goodyear Tyres and BTCC series organiser TOCA announced today that their partnership will continue through to the end of 2026 and through the introduction of hybrid power to the championship.
A new all-Porsche racing series commences in the USA and Canada next year, and Yokohama will serve as control tyre. The Porsche Sprint Challenge North America is a three-class series contested by the current and previous generations of Porsche 991 GT3 as well as the 718 Cayman Clubsport. All cars will race on Yokohama Advan racing tyres, with the Advan A005 slick the rubber of choice on dry tracks and the Advan A006 serving as wet weather tyre.
The FIM Moto2 and Moto3 World Championships will continue racing on Dunlop tyres for at least another three years following the extension of Dunlop’s contract with Dorna Sports. This means that Dunlop, who has partnered with Grand Prix motorcycle racing since its inauguration in 1949, will exclusively supply the two classes until at least the end of the 2023 season.
Despite disruption from the coronavirus pandemic, Pirelli maintained its schedule for developing the WRC tyres for the start of its three-year tenure as sole WRC tyre supplier in 2021. The tyre maker showed off the range today at an event on the opening day of Rally Italia Sardegna.
The Mini Challenge returns this weekend for its second set of races since its Covid-delayed start at Donington Park (1-2 August). The JCW field is linked to the British Touring Car Championship, both as a support series for the first time in 2020 and by virtue of its switch from Dunlop rubber to European sister brand Goodyear, which supplies the BTCC. The move to Goodyear, in the final year of its 2017 penned Dunlop supply deal, signifies the continued realignment of the Goodyear brand within motorsport. Having already returned to the international stage with top-flight series like the FIA World Endurance Championship, Goodyear wants to expand its presence in national series too. The Mini Challenge JCWs run on a variation of Goodyear’s new Eagle F1 SuperSport slick tyre range. The company stresses the strength of this move for the development of competitors looking to make the step up to the headline BTCC series.
Goodyear has revealed the bespoke Eagle F1 SuperSport race tyre that will be equipped to all cars in Pure ETCR. The series is the world’s first all-electric multi-brand touring car series. Goodyear is the exclusive tyre supplier and founding partner of the championship.
Pirelli has begun its 2021 World Rally Championship campaign with two days of private tyre testing in Sardinia. The first day is devoted to gravel and the second day on asphalt. At the wheel of Pirelli’s uniquely-liveried Citroen C3 WRC test car will be Norway’s Andreas Mikkelsen, co-driven by his compatriot Anders Jaeger. The former Volkswagen, Citroen and Hyundai factory driver will be spearheading the development of the latest-generation Pirelli Scorpion tyres for gravel and P Zero tyres for asphalt, which will be supplied exclusively to the World Rally Championship from 2021 to 2024. The new tyres will eventually join the studded Sottozero Ice already displayed at the 2020 GP Ice Race in January in the manufacturer’s WRC tyre line-up.
Goodyear will make its debut as a tyre supplier to the European Le Mans Series this weekend. The manufacturer is working alongside top teams in the LMP2 and LMGTE classes at the season-opening 4 Hours of Le Castellet. Goodyear’s latest tyre technology will be fitted to five front-running LMP2 prototypes and every car in the LMGTE field throughout the ELMS season. The brand’s entrance into the series follows last year’s fitments to LMP2 winners in the FIA World Endurance Championship. However the weekend will mark the first time that LMGTE cars have raced on the Goodyear Eagle F1 SuperSport race tyres. Having been delayed by the pandemic, the series will run over five races until November.
Hankook will supply tyres to Formula E as the series’ third generation tyre partner. The FIA (Federation Internationale de l’Automobile) confirmed Hankook after a tender process and FIA World Motor Sport Council approval. The world championship, which stages races in metropolitan areas around the globe, will run on “sustainably produced, particularly long-lasting and energy-saving Hankook tyres,” the manufacturer says. Tyres for Formula E have previously been supplied by Michelin, which was the series’ inaugural tyre partner.


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For the first time, the famed BSF Camel Contingent will see its women contingent riding beside the male counterparts at the Republic Day on 26 January.
The BSF Camel Contingent has been a part of the Republic Day celebrations since 1976.
The uniforms for the women contingent, or the Mahila Prahari, have been designed by Raghavendra Rathore. He's incorporated sartorial and cultural elements of India’s history while creating the iconic RR bandhgala. The functionality and practicality of outfits was of utmost priority, says the designer.
In an interview with Lounge, the designer talks about the uniform and the design process behind it. Edited excerpts:
What was the inspiration behind the designs? Could you illustrate how different parts of the creation pay homage to the culture and traditions of the country while celebrating the RR aesthetic?
We have used indigenous fabric suitable for all weathers. The design is inspired from the BSF’s legacy and is based on restrain and subtlety, which resonated with the Raghavendra Rathore Jodhpur’s brand ethos. The key consideration was to ensure that women and men are seen from the same lens. The principal design is inspired by the bandhgala, handcrafted details, surface textures and techniques have been created and used from various parts of the country.
Functionality is at the core of the uniforms. Could you explain how you have brought style and comfort together in these pieces?
While conceiving and visualising what can work for the Mahila Praharis regiment while riding a camel, it became clear to me that functionality and comfort were key.
The base fabric has a texture that has been highlighted with various trims of hand-crafted zardosi work, especially created in Benaras with the age-old danka technique to add a touch of elegance. To complement and complete the look, the headgear is a striking pagh (turban) inspired by the pagh of Rajasthan's Mewar region. It is an essential element highlighting the cultural significance, honour and valour.
Is this the first time you've made a uniform design?
Over the past few years, we have specialised in high-end uniform design for corporates and institutions, like Jio World Centre, and hotels like ITC, Imperial hotel, Umaid Bhawan Palace Jodhpur, and Claridges. The brand now has the propensity to be one of the top uniform design services globally, making it a one-stop shop for complicated uniforms.


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07 Jul Wearable Tech Revolution Coming To The Luxury Industry
Wearable technology is one field that has a tremendous amount of untapped potential, but which hasn’t quite taken off just yet. While we fully expect this to change in the coming years, it’s important to think about why it hasn’t “clicked” with the general public just yet, and what designers can do to change that in the future. With that in mind, this video from the folks at the business intelligence company L2 sheds some light on how consumer perception is affecting this cutting edge industry.
While the intriguing Google Glass devices may have become a trend in some tech circles, it’s still generally regarded with either indifference or derision by most fashion-conscious individuals.
But will that perception continue to stand up if brands like Gucci or Louis Vuitton start designing wearable tech? And what kinds of incredible technologies will watch brands like Rolex and Cartier be adding to their timepieces in the coming years? These are open questions, but we’re expecting big things – and so, it seems, is L2!


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Making and keeping realistic New Year’s goals
With New Year’s resolutions prompting people to ditch bad habits for good ones, it’s important to make sure health-related goals are realistic.
Ambitious goals can take significant time to accomplish, and that wait can cause many people to lose motivation and slip back into their bad habits, says Mary Beth Robinson, a registered dietitian with the Texas A&M Health Science Center Coastal Bend Health Education Center.
People who want to lose weight should aim to lose between 5 and 10 percent of their body weight, Robinson says.
“Losing that amount of weight has proven to decrease blood sugar levels, lipid panels and can increase your heart health,” she says. “It’s enough to show someone that they are achieving success. It’s enough to make a difference in appearance and how they feel. “
Even people who have lofty goals of losing 50 or 100 pounds should start with the 5- or 10-percent benchmark so they aren’t discouraged when their goals aren’t accomplished within a few weeks or months. Likewise, setting the 5-to-10 percent goal also will keep people who need to lose a lot of weight from going back to bad habits after just dropping a few pounds.
It’s the part of the goal that is measurable the helps people from pressing onward, Robinson says.
“People can just say ‘I want to be skinny,’ or ‘I want to exercise more,’ but it’s been proven that we need something to measure so we can know if we’re making progress,” she says. “If you want to increase exercise, commit to exercising three times a week for at least 20 minutes at a time. You will easily know if you are meeting your goal.”
Although some people often are tempted to study various diets and consult with weight-loss doctors before embarking on a fitness program, Robinson says it’s always helpful to begin making healthy lifestyle choices immediately.
“A doctor’s visit is something that can be procrastinated,” she says.
Substituting water for sugary drinks and fresh vegetables for chips and other snacks does not need to be put off until a later day.
It also helps to keep a positive attitude, Robinson says. Instead of focusing on the sugars and snacks left out of a revamped diet, people learning to eat healthy should focus on embracing new, healthier foods.
“People should think about the foods they can increase, like making sure they are getting more fruits and vegetables in their diet,” she says. “Set a goal of trying out a new vegetable or healthy snack every time you visit the grocery store. That positive attitude and easily accomplishable goal can make a weight-loss goal become reality.”


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Orange Glo International Inc.
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"A straightforward consumer staple play like McCormick is just what the doctor ordered," the "Mad Money" host said. "As long as the market remains choppy, I think this stock is the kind of stock you buy on the way down ... and I like it even more after today's pullback."
Cramer said he has long been a fan of McCormick, but pointed to a few factors that make the Maryland-based company a particularly attractive investment right now.
For starters, Cramer said he sees more positives for McCormick than its quarterly earnings numbers showed.
McCormick beat earnings estimates this week but their sales came in a little lower than expected, up 1% year over year. Management also lowered its full-year sales forecast, even as it raised its full-year earnings forecast.
But Cramer said CEO Lawrence Kurzius' conference call offered assurance about McCormick's strong position in the face of economic slowdown, fears of which have contributed to the market's two-day sell-off.
The fact McCormick's portfolio now includes names like Frank's RedHot and French's mustard is a reason why the stock is a good one to own, Cramer said. McCormick acquired those brands in a $4.2 billion deal in 2017.
"Frank's hot sauce saw major distribution gains and record-high household penetration," Cramer said. "...Across the whole [Frank's] portfolio, McCormick saw double-digit consumption growth. I regard it as incredible."
McCormick also has displayed marketing savvy with the French's brand, Cramer said, giving him confidence the company can deftly navigate the new media landscape to drive revenue.
With its geographic reach and wide-ranging portfolio, McCormick is "a classic consumer staple that can keep hitting their forecasts even if the economy falls off a cliff," Cramer argued.
McCormick's stock closed down around 1.3% on Wednesday to $164.74. That decline followed a surge of more than 6% on Tuesday amid broader market losses.
"Some of that's because the company reported an OK quarter and the stock had pulled back going into the report," Cramer said.
But Cramer said there is actually something else at play: the stock rose not despite the broader market declines, but because of them.
"This is exactly the kind of name that money managers love to pile into when they're worried about an economic slowdown," Cramer said. "In other words, McCormick may be the perfect stock for this moment, and thanks to today's market-wide meltdown, you can actually buy this thing a little bit lower than it was yesterday."


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GEO and Tsutaya, both of which are some of the biggest retailers in Japan, have published their top list of bestselling video games for the period of December 31, 2018 to January 6, 2019.
We have some very strange news concerning HORI’s official Luigi GameCube Controller for Nintendo Switch coming from Japan.
GEO, one of the largest retailers in Japan, has made a shocking proclamation on the Nintendo Switch.
Two big video game retailers in Japan, GEO and Tsutaya, have revealed their video game sales rankings for the last week in Japan.
Japanese video game retailer has announced their exclusive pre-order bonus for the Pokemon Let’s GO Pikachu/Eevee Poke Ball Plus bundles.
Whenever a new video game launches in Japan, buyback prices offered by retailers are often between 10 and 20 dollars below the manufacturer’s suggested retail price.


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Have you heard that your cup of coffee may come with a cancer warning in California?
For many people, the idea of starting the morning without their regular latte or double espresso is unthinkable. So what’s going on in California?
The issue in California stems from the state’s Proposition 65 law, which requires restaurants, stores, schools and other public places in the state to warn people, through a sign in the store or label on the product itself, if they are exposed to any substances on the Prop 65 list at levels that may present a cancer risk. This Prop 65 list includes chemical substances that have been classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) or other agencies as possible or potential carcinogens.
In the case of coffee, the chemical acrylamide, which is created during the coffee bean roasting process, is the substance that is drawing attention.
What is acrylamide?
Acrylamide is chemical compound that occurs in many foods when they are cooked and thus exposed to high heat, such as baked breads and baked and fried potatoes, or meat cooked out on the grill. Acrylamide also occurs naturally in a variety of other foods including black olives, asparagus, dried fruit, prune juice, roasted almonds, cereals, crackers, cocoa powder and chocolate.
According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), acrylamide has probably always been present in cooked foods but was first detected in certain foods in 2002.
Does acrylamide cause cancer?
According to the National Cancer Institute, rodent studies have found that acrylamide exposure may increase the risk for some types of cancer. However, according to the American Cancer Society, doses of acrylamide given in animal studies have been as much as 1,000 to 10,000 times higher than the levels people might be exposed to in foods.
While IARC has classified acrylamide as a probable carcinogen based on animal studies, a majority of studies done on humans have found “no statistically significant association between dietary acrylamide intake and various cancers,” according to studies reported in the Journal of Nutrition and Cancer.
Coffee industry advocates and scientists are pushing back on warning labels, citing additional research from IARC stating that many studies showed that “coffee drinking had no carcinogenic effects.” In addition, others are pressing the state of California to strengthen the clarity of its labeling program overall to decrease consumer confusion.
Recent academic studies also suggest that the beverage provides numerous health benefits. In 2017, The BMJ published a review of more than 200 studies that linked coffee drinking with a variety of positive health outcomes, from reduced risk of diabetes to reduced risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
In the meantime, the popularity of coffee still seems to be going strong – a recent tally shows that Americans are consuming 400 million cups a day.
For more information about acrylamide in food, visit FDA’s website.


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Monday, February 1, 2016
DISH Debuts New 4K DVR System, Hopper 3
Englewood, Colorado-based satellite television provider DISH Network has rolled out its new DVR system, the Hopper 3, the company said this morning. The new DISH device provides 4K video recording and up to seven TVs simultaneously, plus recording and viewing of up to 16 shows simultaneously. DISH says it charges its customers $15 per month for a home DVR fee, plus $7 per month for each 4K client--which it calls a "Joey"--for 4K, HDMI televisions.


text: JioPhone made a splash at the Reliance AGM on Friday as Mukesh Ambani took the covers off the long-rumoured 4G feature phone. The handset, introduced as "India ka Smartphone" and launched at an "effective price" of Rs. 0 (though buyers will have to shell out a refundable, upfront deposit of Rs. 1,500 for the device). JioPhone will be crucial for the company in tapping the estimated 50 crore feature phone users who have not been able to join the Jio 4G bandwagon because of the high costs associated with smartphones.


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Amazon in collaboration with MRSPTU to enable students to develop cloud computing skills & practical expertise in new technologies: Channi CHANDIGARH Punjab Government established premier Maharaja Ranjit Singh Punjab Technical University (MRSPTU) and Amazon Internet Services Private Limited (AISPL) today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to develop cloud-ready job skills by providing access to
Took pledge against drugs, terrorism and separatism Chandigarh In the remembrance of Former Chief Minister Late Mr. Beant Singh a Sarb Dharam Sabha was organized at his memorial in Sector 42 here. On the occasion of this state-level function people paid floral tributes to their beloved Former Chief Minister. At the moment people taken a
London Coca-Cola on Friday said it had agreed to buy global coffee chain Costa from its owner Whitbread for 3.9 billion pounds ($5.1 billion). “Hot beverages are one of the few remaining segments of the total beverage landscape where Coca-Cola does not have a global brand. Costa gives us access to this market through a
Mumbai Reversing early losses, the benchmark BSE Sensex recovered over 100 points and NSE Nifty reclaimed the 11,700-mark ahead of the release of key GDP data scheduled later in the day. The 30-share Sensex rose 138.06 points, or 0.36 per cent, to 38,828.16 in early trade, after hitting a low of 38,611.46 at the outset.
President Donald Trump said on Thursday that Attorney General Jeff Sessions was safe in his job at least until the November congressional elections, Bloomberg News reported after interviewing the US leader. “I just would love to have him do a great job,” Bloomberg quoted Trump as saying. It said the president declined to comment when


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The IndieSolo is a lightweight stabilization device for almost any smartphone to help it produce smooth and stable video.
Scientists catch an unusual shark that looks like a cross between a blobfish and an electric eel. No wonder the poor species doesn't go out in public much.
No tripod in sight? Never fear, here are some tips to help get stable handheld footage from your dSLR.
In what appears to be a repeat of last year's problems, some customers say the update to Apple's mobile software, iOS 9, has caused apps to shut down.
Lee Kun-hee, 72, undergoes surgery after suffering from breathing difficulties that required him to be resuscitated.
It might look a bit odd, but this Kickstarter project will make the video from your smartphone, GoPro or other small camera look smooth even if you're bouncing around.
The company says the uptake for iOS 9 is the fastest ever for the software that powers its iPhones, iPads and iPod Touch devices.
A preview for an upcoming large crossover SUV, Mazda's Koeru concept looks ready for the road.
It's got legs and it knows how to use them. A new experiment by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency outfits an unmanned helicopter with legs that can land on uneven surfaces.
From CNET Magazine: IndyCar driver Charlie Kimball's pit crew keeps a close eye on the data streaming off his race car -- and his body -- when he's behind the wheel.


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The rumors of a possible $3.2 billion acquisition of Beats Electronics by Apple spread far and wide last week, and rightfully so. It wouldn’t just be the largest acquisition of all time for the 38-year old computer company — dwarfing the $429 million received by Steve Jobs’ NeXT in 1996 — but also the seventh billion- or near-billion-dollar “unicorn” acquisition by the major forces in consumer tech in just the last year (for those who need a reminder, these companies are WhatsApp and Oculus by Facebook, Waze and Nest Labs by Google, Nokia by Microsoft, and Tumblr by Yahoo).
To put that in perspective, there have only been eight billion-dollar acquisitions by these consumer companies in the last decade (all data in this analysis comes from CrunchBase and Wikipedia).
While news stories about these recent unicorn acquisitions have focused on the specifics of each deal, such as its financing, strategic premise, and chance for success, collectively, they usher in a radically different understanding about the future of the consumer technology business, and how startups and investors must adapt to this changing exit environment.
The Wide Gap Between Enterprise And Consumer M&A Is Closing
Even though enterprise acquisitions don’t get nearly as much popular press attention as those of more photogenic consumer startups, budget-buster M&A deals have traditionally been the almost exclusive domain of enterprise corporations over the past decade. Companies like EMC, Oracle, IBM, and Cisco regularly conduct multi-billion-dollar acquisitions across a whole range of product verticals. For instance, in the last decade, Cisco has completed seven unicorn acquisitions worth $25.2 billion, and Oracle has completed 10 unicorn acquisitions worth $42.9 billion.
Enterprise companies use an aggressive acquisitions strategy for myriad reasons, but one key element is their ability to rapidly grow acquired products using their existing sales channels. As companies targeting the enterprise space, these massive acquirers already have deep sales relationships across the Fortune 500 and even into medium-sized businesses. For startups, building these relationships in the enterprise is extraordinarily time consuming given the sales cycle typical of large clients. Thus, acquirers have an opportunity to purchase a market-tested product from a startup through an acquisition, and then immediately start selling it through their sales channels, hopefully increasing the sales growth of both the startup and the acquirer.
Apps like Tumblr, Instagram, and WhatsApp – while not currently integrated well with their parent companies’ core products – have the potential to act as a multiplier effect on their respective platforms.
Consumer companies never had the same ability to quickly grow their acquisitions through sales, and thus were hesitant to acquire new product lines. For this reason, many of Google’s largest transactions (YouTube an exception) were related to the advertising business, which is not only the revenue center of the company, but also the location where the sales leverage was highest in order to quickly begin growing the revenue of the new acquisition.
Now that companies like Apple, Google and Facebook have their own consumer platforms to grow products, this hesitation has disappeared. A possible Beats transaction makes sense, since Apple can sell the headphones in its own stores alongside its existing product lines. Nest made sense for Google, both because of its centrality in the home and also for the data the company could provide to its parent (note: Nest has said that it will not share its data outside of Nest). Apps like Tumblr, Instagram, and WhatsApp – while not currently integrated well with their parent companies’ core products – have the potential to act as a multiplier effect on their respective platforms.
The wide gap in the M&A culture of enterprise and consumer is closing, and I would expect to see more of these large transactions in the future.
Competition Matters Much Less Than Expected
It has been a truism that competition for a startup drives up its price in the marketplace. Whether it’s previous companies like Groupon or Twitter that have entertained multiple exit paths, or just supply and demand, investment bankers and advisers often emphasize the need to get multiple buyers into the process in order to sell at the maximum price.
While finding multiple buyers certainly helps, the current wave of unicorn acquisitions are intriguing because many of them had only a single interested acquirer, yet continued to command a high price in the market. Nest Labs comes to mind here. Google appeared to be the only company interested in the Nest’s device, a highly engineered and beautiful thermostat that is making a play in the Internet of things. Even though Tony Faddell was the former head of the iPod division at Apple, the acquisition never made sense for the computer company. The same argument can be made for Beats (not a likely Facebook or Yahoo purchase) as well as Nokia and Tumblr, which didn’t seem to have any other buyers in their processes.
The only two unicorn acquisitions in the last year that were competitive were Waze and WhatsApp. In the former case, Facebook was believed to be interested in the company, although speculation toward the end suggested that the company was not interested in opening an Israeli engineering office (however, the social network would proceed to do just that a few months later with its acquisition of Onavo). WhatsApp was engaged by Google for a lengthy time (the company has publicly stated it never made a formal offer), although it seemed that the founder Jan Koum was not interested in a deal with the search company.
For entrepreneurs and VCs, it can be frightening to have only a single exit option. However, these cases indicate that the cause for alarm should be a bit more muted than it has in the past.
Location and Tax Advantages Don’t Seem to Be Affecting the Prices
Analysts of tech acquisitions often discuss the tax implications of acquisitions headquartered overseas. The notion that companies are willing to pay a higher price for companies overseas is almost commonplace today among columnists, given the current U.S. policy toward corporate taxes. Revenue generated overseas is not taxed until the money is repatriated to the U.S., which has the effect of incentivizing companies to leave their funds overseas.
However, of the last seven unicorn transactions, only two have been located overseas – Waze in Israel and Nokia in Finland. Indeed, the only company on the list with deep interests overseas appears to be Microsoft, which also bought Luxembourg-headquartered Skype as well in 2011.
Companies care a lot more about the product, team, and growth of a startup than its location and tax implications when making a transaction.
Even more interesting is that the majority of these transactions happened outside of Silicon Valley. Only WhatsApp and Nest were located in Silicon Valley, with the others located in the Los Angeles area (Oculus and potentially Beats) and in New York City (Tumblr). This is not entirely different than the past, given that Google bought DoubleClick out of Boston, for instance, and Yahoo bought Overture from Burbank, California.
This small amount of data doesn’t definitively prove that tax advantages aren’t a factor in acquisitions. Smaller startups may benefit from an overseas effect, and for talent acquisitions, being headquartered near the acquirer is probably an advantage. But we should stop using this theory without qualification, since the available data shows that companies care a lot more about the product, team, and growth of a startup than its location and tax implications when making a transaction.
The Rise of Chinese and Asian Internet Companies Could Usher in Heavier M&A
One interesting dynamic to watch out for in the next few years is what effect the growing number of massive Asian Internet companies will have on the exit profiles of startups. Viber, the Cypress-headquartered calling and messaging app, was bought by Japan’s Rakuten for $900 million last year. The giant has the goal of becoming the world’s largest Internet services company, and thus, it would not be surprising to see it begin to acquire startups more aggressively. Another example is Samsung, which is believed to have at least a billion dollars set aside for technology acquisitions.
Then there are the Chinese Internet juggernauts, with Alibaba and its upcoming IPO being a prime example. With its newfound liquidity, the company could greatly expand its M&A if it were to begin expanding overseas. In addition, Tencent has invested in a number of companies in Silicon Valley such as Snapchat and Kamcord, and such actions could certainly be a dress rehearsal for more extensive M&A activities in the future. There is some haziness in this story, as the politics surrounding trade between the United States and China are complicated. Nonetheless, Chinese companies will eventually expand, and their impact will be felt in the startup exit market regardless of American policy.
Acquisitions Are Exciting, But There Is a Limit
There is no doubt that this is a hot time for technology companies. Even with sagging stock prices, companies like Apple and Google have incredibly large war chests to purchase what they want at almost any price, and they all have incredible access to additional capital on the bond markets, giving them even more financial flexibility.
However, all of this excitement can freeze up quite quickly if investors start to get skittish, and companies pause and wait for more macroeconomic stability. But that is the roller coaster experienced by startups in both good times and bad, and sometimes, the new dynamics of acquisitions can help you Beats the market.


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Microsoft is expected to make its Surface Duo smartphone official sometime this year. If we are to go by a new report, the company wants to get the Surface Duo to the market as soon as possible. To stay on schedule, Microsoft is reportedly launching the Duo with Android 10 out of box, and would later roll out Android 11 via OTA to the device. In addition, Microsoft is said to be working hard to make its Edge and Outlook apps natively compatible with the Duoâ€™s two-screen setup.
The Surface Duo wasÂ first announced back in October and it is expected to be official sometime before this upcoming holiday season. More recent reports says that the Duo may be launched as soon as July, which would be much earlier than its original goal of this holiday season (Q4). This could also beat Samsung to the market, who is scheduled to announce the Note20Â lineupÂ sometime in August.
During the last year announcement, Microsoft announced that the Surface duo would have two 5.6-inch AMOLED screens with 1800×1350 px resolution â€“ these screens are hinged together and can rotate 360 degrees. The dual-screened phone will have Microsoft Pen support and offer multi-tasking options for users of Microsoft Apps and Microsoft 365 subscribers. The Surface Duo will be powered by the Snapdragon 855 and will not support 5G.
According toÂ earlier leaks, 6GB of RAM is expected along with 256GB of onboard storage. Then, there is an 11MP camera on the inside of the phone, and the phone is said to be powered by a 3,460 mAh battery. The device shown at the announcement didnâ€™t feature any external cameras, so donâ€™t expect this guy to pump out nightscapes or high-resolution images.


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Imperial Brands (LON:IMB) Given New GBX 2,400 Price Target at Deutsche Bank
Imperial Brands (LON:IMB) had its target price cut by Deutsche Bank from GBX 3,250 ($42.75) to GBX 2,400 ($31.57) in a research note published on Monday, Stock Target Advisor reports. They currently have a buy rating on the stock.
Several other analysts also recently issued reports on IMB. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Imperial Brands from GBX 1,900 ($24.99) to GBX 2,100 ($27.62) and gave the company a neutral rating in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Citigroup reaffirmed a buy rating on shares of Imperial Brands in a report on Friday, February 7th. UBS Group reaffirmed a neutral rating and issued a GBX 1,700 ($22.36) price target (down previously from GBX 1,790 ($23.55)) on shares of Imperial Brands in a report on Friday, February 7th. Liberum Capital reaffirmed a buy rating on shares of Imperial Brands in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Barclays reaffirmed an overweight rating on shares of Imperial Brands in a report on Wednesday, November 27th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. The company presently has an average rating of Buy and a consensus price target of GBX 2,375 ($31.24).
IMB stock opened at GBX 1,714.40 ($22.55) on Monday. The company has a market cap of $15.49 billion and a P/E ratio of 16.20. Imperial Brands has a 52 week low of GBX 1,439.09 ($18.93) and a 52 week high of GBX 2,713.50 ($35.69). The company’s 50-day moving average price is GBX 1,922.27 and its 200 day moving average price is GBX 1,906.58. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 244.63.
Imperial Brands Company Profile
Imperial Brands PLC, together with its subsidiaries, manufactures, imports, markets, and sells tobacco and tobacco-related products. It offers a range of cigarettes, fine cut and smokeless tobacco, papers, and cigars; and e-vapour products. The company sells its products under the growth brands, such as Davidoff, Gauloises Blondes, JPS, West, Lambert & Butler, Bastos, Fine, Winston, News, and Parker & Simpson; and specialist brands consisting of blu, Kool, Gitanes, Jade, Cohiba, Montecristo, Romeo Y Julieta, Backwoods, Skruf, Golden Virginia, and Drum in approximately 160 countries worldwide.
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Call to the Pen
San Francisco Giants charging nearly $20 for craft beer at ballpark
by Call to the Pen.
As much as higher prices may be expected at the ballpark, there is such a thing as taking it too far. That is the case with the San Francisco Giants, whose craft beer offerings are approaching $20 per 22 oz cup. Yes, that is larger than the average ….
Source: Call to the Pen – via Google News
Read the full article here.


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Latest updates on the nyse bb stock shares
Whenever anyone hears of Blackberry, they think of the once-famous smartphone company but sadly (or luckily) that is not true anymore. Though the blackberry models were renowned for their high-class quality and standards, the truth cannot be denied that it wasn’t capable enough the survive the present cut-throat competition between smartphone companies. The smartphone business of Blackberry came to an end in 2106. Currently, the major part of the company’s business lies in software. Providing security and infotainment solutions, Blackberry is now recovering from its near-to-death situation on the stock market. With recent major changes and acquisitions announced by the CEO, the company surely shows a promising future for more profits and higher share values. Following are some recent insights on the nyse bb at https://www.webull.com/quote/nyse-bb:
Current health of the shares
Blackberry released its quarter reports on March 31. According to which, it has made earnings of 4 cents per share on the sales of $296.30 million this year while in the same quarter last year the earning were 11 cents on revenue of $257 million. According to the analysts, there is seen to be a pattern in the current trends of BB and some relief in the ongoing decline can be expected in the coming quarters. Although it cannot be assured that there would be definite profits or increases in the ESP as of now.
Promising growth on the company’s front
Despite the negative bbstock news, the company’s businesses such as Cylance or BB work are showing a 25% growth in their earnings as compared to that of in the last quarter. With robust changes this year, Chen expects the company to bounce back and reach over $300 million of sales this year. Though the continued loss in the stock’s ESP has not seated well with the long-term investors, the new promises by the company’s leadership shows hope for gaining the lead again.
Weak performance with the software
Although comparisons were made between early Netflix and Blackberry last week by major stock analysts owing to the recent changes and slight growth in the shares’ growth. The same is not believed to be true amongst the general investors. The major reason behind this could be the lack of leadership by the software on the app charts.
With the mixed news about NYSE BB, it is hard to conclude if its shares are surely a good buy. If you are willing to bet on the promises and legacy of the brand then investing in blackberry at the point can be worthwhile. You can also gain Nasdaq lulu news at https://www.webull.com/quote/nasdaq-lulu .


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|Window Cleaner, Jim Hamilton says, "As soon as the drought came, the phones stopped ringing. I do believe the public is taking the restrictions very seriously and it's taking a toll on us guys who make a living using water," he said.|
Business drying up as drought persists (MINT HILL, N.C.) — As drought conditions persist across nearly half of North Carolina, some business owners told Channel 9 they're noticing their customers are spending less and cutting water usage. The combination of heat and a lack of rainfall is bringing back memories of the 2007 drought when business dropped nearly 40 percent. It may get worse this year. And when traffic slows it can trickle down to his employees that could lose hours if times get too tough.
Business has been slow for Jim Hamilton as well. Monday was the first time in two weeks Hamilton suited up in his window-washing gear and he did it to give Eyewitness News a demonstration to show how much water he uses. "As soon as the drought came, the phones stopped ringing. I do believe the public is taking the restrictions very seriously and it's taking a toll on us guys who make a living using water," he said.
He believes they're doing the right thing. There are 47 counties in North Carolina in some form of a drought and Channel 9 meteorologists predict conditions will worsen over the next few days. "We'll all to do our part hopefully and in time, the good lord willing, we'll get through this too," said Hamilton.
Researchers from the National Drought Monitor told Channel 9 they collect reports from across the country showing where drought conditions force businesses to cut employees or expand their services to save jobs.
|Nelson city hall recently had its windows cleaned, in violation of the city's own water restrictions.|
Nelson city hall washes windows despite water restrictions: or anyone wondering why city hall was washing its windows recently despite water restrictions, it turns out it was done by an outside contractor who does windows for provincial government buildings. “Due to 310 Ward formerly being a provincial building, the [contractor] still does building maintenance,” public works director Colin Innes told the Star.
“In discussing this issue with them they have indicated that the window washing was organized for all of the buildings they maintain, so our restrictions were not recognized in the setup of the window washing.” Innes said the company is now aware, and will comply with any restrictions in place in Nelson.


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This weekend, Buffalo’s population is expected to more than double as thousands of diehard “Longmire” fans flock to town for Longmire Days. It is the busiest weekend of the summer for many businesses, and that’s saying something in a town with a busy summer travel season.
In 2018, tourism and travel-related spending in Johnson County totaled more than $55.3 million, according to a study commissioned by the Wyoming Office of Tourism.
In 2018, there were 640 travel-related jobs reached in Johnson County, and earnings generated by travel spending in Johnson County topped $14 million.
For the past eight years, Longmire Days has contributed significantly to that spending.
Thousands of faithful fans from across the globe descend on Buffalo each year to meet the actors and the author and to experience all that Sheriff Longmire’s stomping grounds has to offer.
They shop in our shops. They sleep in our hotels and at our campgrounds. They eat at our restaurants. They open their wallets and spend money that helps our businesses thrive and boosts sales tax dollars that are fundamental to our city operations.
The event also means more money for the state. Many attendees turn their trip to Buffalo into an extended vacation, traveling from Buffalo to explore the Bighorns and continuing on to Yellowstone.
And “Longmire” fans are happy to be here. They love the town, the people and the experience. And we’re sure they go home and tell their friends about it.
The event is certainly a boon for Buffalo and beyond, but planning Longmire Days isn’t easy. It takes countless hours of work by both the Buffalo Chamber of Commerce staff and board members, as well as 200-plus volunteers.
Chamber employees work 16-plus hour days over the four-day event. Volunteers put in myriad hours of their time to make sure the event runs smoothly. These individuals deserve kudos for their hard work – without them, the event simply wouldn’t happen.
The event’s success also takes the support of the entire community. If locals weren’t behind it, it would be a different event entirely. The locals help ensure the fans coming back.
Thursday marks the start of the annual event in Buffalo. With increased traffic, it might take a little longer to get across town, but rest assured – the event goes a long way in keeping our small Western town flourishing.


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Apple unveils the latest and greatest iPhone model each fall, usually to much fanfare. But while the event happens every year at the same time, the anticipation for it is still always sky-high. Of course, there’s good reason for that — while the new iPhone model alone is reason enough to be excited, Apple also usually unveils other hardware, like a new Apple Watch model, and maybe a few surprises too. This year could be a little different. Rumors have been surfacing for months about the possibility of Apple’s supply chain being slowed. Some rumors indicate that while Apple will announce the iPhones at the normal time, they won’t be available until a little later in the year. Also, along with the iPhone, we’re expecting some other announcements. Here’s everything we expect to see at Apple’s fall hardware event, which usually happens around mid-September. iPhone 12 The main event, of course, will be the release of the iPhone 12, which is expected to represent the first major design change to the iPhone since the company launched the iPhone X. But it may not be as different as people some want. While the device will likely swap out the rounded edges… Read full this story
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Apple’s iOS 7 has finally rolled out to consumers, and already vulnerabilities are being discovered. According to Jose Rodriguez, who first discovered the long, cumbersome process, it’s possible for someone to bypass your password-protected lockscreen and gain access to your photos—all of them. Hopefully you have nothing to hide.
The method is a little longwinded, and requires multiple steps in order to be successful. But the main issue is that it works—hopefully Apple patches it up quick, but growing pains are always expected when a completely new operating system hits. The method is easily achieved on current iPhones, but there’s no word on whether it’ll work on an iPhone 5s protected by Touch ID.
Here are the steps:
- Swipe up on the locked phone to get to the control panel
- Open the stopwatch app
- Go over to alarm clock
- Hold the power button until you get the “Power down” prompt
- Hit cancel, and then immediately hit the home button twice (hold the second click a little longer)
Once you do that, multitasking should pull up, where you can then jump into the camera app and then into that device’s photos. If the camera wasn’t already up, folks are saying to just pull the camera up from the lockscreen, and then perform the above steps. Voila! Once you do have access to someone’s photo album (or your own?), you can then share through email, Twitter, iMessage, etc. Not good.
Of course, the exploit can easily be avoided by off turning Control Center access of from the lockscreen, which you can access in Settings. It’s highly unlikely a thief will be clever enough to bypass your passcoded phone with such a method, but the exploit’s existence is still troubling. It’s only been a day since iOS 7 was rolled out to consumers, but hopefully Apple can come up with a swift fix.
Update: Well, not surprisingly, Apple has already released a statement on the lockscreen issue. “Apple takes user security very seriously,” Apple spokeswoman Trudy Muller told AllThingsD. “We are aware of this issue, and will deliver a fix in a future software update.”


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With garlic prices reaching an all-time high of 400 to 500 rupees per kilogram, farmers in Badnoor are facing both joy and distress. In response to the soaring prices of garlic in Chhindwara, Madhya Pradesh, farmers are taking innovative steps to safeguard their crops.
To protect their lucrative garlic crops, farmers in Badnoor have installed CCTV cameras in their fields. Instances of theft prompted this unconventional measure to ensure the security of their valuable produce.
Rahul Deshmukh, a garlic cultivator from Badnoor village, emphasized the importance of CCTV cameras in safeguarding their fields. He shared an incident where a thief stole garlic from his field, leading to police intervention. To prevent such incidents, Deshmukh invested in CCTV cameras to monitor his 13-acre garlic crop, which has yielded substantial returns.
"I had planted garlic on 13 acres of land, spent Rs 25 lakh, and sold crops worth Rs 1 crore. I have used solar power and installed moving CCTV cameras for crop safety," said Deshmukh.
Pawan Chaudhary, another garlic cultivator in Badnoor spent 4 lakh rupees on his 4-acre garlic crop and installed three CCTV cameras to prevent theft. The farmers attribute the surge in garlic prices to the unprecedented level of over Rs 300 per kilogram, resulting in substantial profits.
While the annual price of garlic typically reaches Rs 80 per kilogram this season has witnessed an extraordinary escalation marking the first instance of such a significant increase in garlic prices. The farmers' adoption of CCTV cameras showcases their resilience in safeguarding their valuable crops amid the market dynamics.
Copyright©2024 Living Media India Limited. For reprint rights: Syndications Today


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Proposed Amendment to Canada’s Competition Act to Prohibit “Unjustified” Cross-Border Price Discrimination* On February 11, 2014, the Canadian government included in its federal budget a proposed amendment to the Competition Act to prohibit unjustified price discrimination to reduce the gap between consumer prices in Canada and the United States. The Minister of Finance made clear that the Commissioner of Competition, the head of Canada’s Competition Bureau, would have the power to enforce the new rules. More details are to be provided in the coming months. If enacted, this
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As you know, a few months ago we talked about the cars of the future: autonomous, zero emissions, and full Internet access. But lately we seem to be reading lots of news about a different type of car, one that will no longer be on the road but on the sky. Do you think we will eventually fly cars instead of driving them? Let us show you the latest flying car developments by important technology and transport companies.
The first flying car will be marketed at the end of 2017. Larry Page -the founder of Google- is behind the project as the main investor of the start-up, Kitty Hawk. Kitty Hawk Flyer is an all-electric aircraft that resembles a hydroplane, weighs 100 kg and can reach speeds of 40 km/h with a 75 km range. The first flight demonstration was conducted recently. Watch the video and tell us what you think.
But Kitty Hawk is not the only company behind this great idea; the US corporation Terrafugia has been working for years on its TF-X, which is expected to hit the road in 2018. It is equipped with propellers similar to those of a helicopter. After taking off and once in the sky, it can reach 322 km/h with a total range of 800 km.
Toyota has also joined the flying fever, investing in Cartivator, a start-up consisting of 30 youngsters from Tokushima University headed by drone expert Masafumi Miwa. They have developed the Skydrive. Similar to a drone, it has room for just one person and can fly 10 metres high from the ground and reach 100 km/h. Toyota plans on having a prototype next year and presenting a commercial product at the Olympic Games in Tokyo.
Half way between a car and a drone is project Pop.up, developed by another big company, Airbus, in a partnership with Italdesign. They presented their transport concept last year at the Geneva International Motor Show. Their vehicle can be used both on the road and on the air, with vertical take-off and landing.
Another important development is that by Aeromobil. They have been working on models since 1989 and it seems that their fourth prototype will soon be in the market. The vehicle can turn from car into plane within seconds; it uses petrol and has been said to fly at 200 Km/h with an approximate range of 700 Km.
Flying cars also have a huge potential as taxis. Uber has promised they will start testing an air taxi service in Dubai and Dallas in 2020. But before that, drones EHang -from China- says they will supply autonomous flying taxis to Dubai. As of July this year! Their drones will be able to carry a passenger with a suitcase with a maximum weight of 117 kilos and will fly at 100 km/h with half an hour range. And Lilium Aviation has already completed their first test flight in Germany with Lilium Jet. With investment by the European Space Agency and technology from the Technical University of Munich, this aircraft with an electric battery and 300 km range at 300 km/h is another flying taxi candidate.
ISTOBAL is committed to the new technologies and innovation. We cannot wait for the future to come true and start washing all these flying vehicles. What about you? Are you ready to fly?


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PRLog - Dec. 14, 2012 - BROMPTON, U.K. -- Google recently announcement that put its Nexus line of handheld devices directly in the crosshairs of Apple. Google also hit a milestone that puts it squarely on par with Apple : the Google Play Store now offers 700,000 mobile apps for the Android OS. Nearly the same amount as Apple's App Store.
Easy App Business
Google (and Microsoft) has been notably behind Apple in the mobile app race, with Apple sprinting ahead. Google announced that it had reached 25 billion downloads and that the Play store was home to 675,000 apps. When Apple unveiled the new iPad Mini, it boasted that its App Store had 700,000 apps.
That gap, it seems, has now closed. At least in the number of available downloads. Apple still reigns supreme with over 35 billion downloads of those apps. But with a new Nexus smartphone and an all-new 10-inch Nexus tablet, as well as all the mind-blowing Samsung Galaxy Nexus S III sales from the past two quarters, those numbers could reach and even best Apple in the near future.
In the past year we have seen major companies moving in to apps with companies like Amazon and Ebay getting more sales through mobile apps and even Microsoft getting in to the hardware business to take advantage of the app world.
We are seeing more smart devices with smart TV now getting better and cheaper meaning that more people will be downloading apps to use. So over the next few years you will need to ensure that your company is ready for the next big technology revolution.
How apps have grown over the last few years.
Sept. 2012 - 700,000 (250,00 native to iPad)
June 2012 - 650,000 (225,000 native to iPad)
April 2012 - 600,000 (200,000 native to iPad
Oct. 2011 - 500,000 (140,000 native to iPad)
July 2011 - 100,000 native to iPad
June 2011 - 425,000 (90,000 native to iPad)
March 2011 - 350,000 (65,000 native to iPad)
Nov. 2010 - 400,000 (40,000 native to iPad)
Sept. 2010 - 250,000 (25,000 native to iPad)
June 2010 - 225,000 (8,500 native to iPad)
May 2010 - 200,000 (5,000 native to iPad)
April 2010 - 185,000
Jan. 2010 - 140,000
Nov. 2009 - 100,000
Sept. 2009 - 85,000
July 2009 - 65,000
June 2009 - 50,000
April 2009 - 35,000
March 2009 - 25,000
Sept. 2008 - 3,000
July 2008 – 800


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The owner of an East Naples tire and rim store collected sales taxes for a year but never turned them over to the Florida Department of Revenue, state investigators said Wednesday.
Roberto Galvan, owner of Galvan Rim Shop and Accessories, faces charges of failure to submit sales tax returns and failure to pay taxes due after his arrest Tuesday. The store, which also does business under the name of Union Motors, is located at U.S. 41 East and Davis Boulevard.
An affidavit doesn't list the amount of sales tax due, but at one point Galvan had tax liens totaling about $16,500, an affidavit said. State investigators said Galvan failed to submit returns and pay taxes between June 2011 and June 2012.
Galvan had a history of failing to pay sales taxes, making arrangements in 2010 and 2011 to provide unpaid taxes, the affidavit said.
Investigators said Galvan also has an open, unnamed business at 5555 Golden Gate Parkway, even though he was denied a sales and use tax registration. No sales tax has been paid from the business, though it's unknown whether Galvan is collecting taxes there, the affidavit said.
Galvan remained in jail on $10,000 as of Wednesday afternoon. The failure to submit sales tax returns charge carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison.
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Susan Smith has worked as an editor and writer in the technology industry for over 16 years. As an editor she has been responsible for the launch of a number of technology trade publications, both in print and online. Currently, Susan is the Editor of GISCafe and AECCafe, as well as those sites’ … More »
Microsoft moves to acquire Nokia
September 4th, 2013 by Susan Smith
It looks as though Microsoft Corp. is moving into a paradigm shift with its move toward a $7 billion acquisition from Nokia to thrust it into the mobile market. Nokia will still remain a company after Microsoft buys the company’s handset business. While Microsoft is acquiring what Nokia is best known for, the Finnish company is holding on to two if its major businesses: networking and mapping. Microsoft has been hoping to take a slice of the mobile market from smartphone moguls Apple and Google, and meanwhile has been partnering with Nokia for three years.
Microsoft’s position in the smartphone industry worldwide is a distant No. 3, and mobile software accounts for approximately 4% of the market. Comparatively Apple and Google software garner 90% of that market.
Steve Ballmer is planning to retire from Microsoft within 12 months, and it is looking like Stephen Elop, the former Microsoft executive who was running Nokia until the deal was signed, will rejoin Microsoft after the Nokia deal goes through. He may also be in line for the CEO position after Ballmer retires as he is very familiar with the Microsoft line of products and the move toward mobile.
Ballmer said he thinks Microsoft needs to become a hardware vendor instead of making other vendors responsible for creating the hardware that Microsoft software runs on. Some industry experts believe this is a no-win acquisition for Microsoft and Nokia, as Microsoft has never been a hardware manufacturer and has not garnered much traction in the smartphone market. Nokia’s smartphones were around before the iPhone, and at one time they were the largest cell phone maker, yet they could never make a good enough smartphone to compete with Apple and Samsung. In 2013, Samsung took over the role as the largest smartphone maker.
The plan to purchase Nokia may create waves with other companies the employ Microsoft Windows phone OS on their devices (such as Samsung), but that is not a substantial amount of business.
Ballmer thinks that Google and Apple do not have a permanent monopoly on the smartphone mobile business. Microsoft’s first attempt at their own computer, the Surface tablet, which was designed to take the iPad market – from those who were disgruntled with the low computing power of that product, has not been successful after its launch last year. Last quarter, Microsoft took a $900 million charge for unsold Surface inventory.
With Nokia being a Finnish company, Microsoft can use a portion of its foreign-held cash to pay for the acquisition, avoiding high taxes that would be levied if the cash was brought back to the U.S. The largest deal in Microsoft’s history, the acquisition of Skype, was handled in much the same way.


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Google has maintained a steady lead in browser and search. Microsoft is leveraging its huge desktop footprint and ChatGPT to catch up.
Get Ahead of the Curve With Google's New AI Shopping Experience
The AI update to Google Search is designed to provide users with more information & context, specifically focusing on improving shopping search results.
Google has just announced an early-access program to a revolutionary new search experience powered by generative AI. This much-anticipated update to Google Search is designed to provide users with more information and context to their searches, specifically focusing on improving shopping search results. With this advanced technology, users can “understand a topic faster, uncover new viewpoints and insights, and get things done more easily” than ever before. As the world's leading search engine continues its mission of reinvention in response to Microsoft's chatGPT-enabled Bing, generative AI technology is set to revolutionize online shopping - making it easier and smarter than ever before. If there was any doubt as to the importance of this announcement, it was announced by Google CEO Sundar Pichai himself at Google A/I. The early preview program has been labeled Search Labs.
Leveraging the Google Shopping Graph
Searching for products can be a rigorous process, but Google's generative AI technology aims to address this problem. The AI-powered search results will provide Google shoppers with a rich overview of product information and buying options, delivering all the necessary information to enable informed shopping decisions. The new generative AI search results leverage the Google Shopping Graph, which boasts the world's largest collection of constantly-refreshed product listings, enabling shoppers to access important details such as product descriptions, reviews, ratings, prices, and images all in one place. Google is touting the new search results to help shoppers find products that meet their specific needs and preferences, even for the most intricate purchases. With over 1.8 billion listings refreshed every hour, Shoppers can be confident that Google shopping search results are up-to-date and dependable.
For example, a Google shopper might search for "best electric push mower for 1 acre". Google will combine traditional results with the aforementioned color block to house the generative AI results. After some commuting at Google's data centers, the results are presented to the shopper with several new attributes. These might include a list of factors corded or battery, battery life, or turning radius. There will also be links to related websites and some links to specific mowers. There also appear to be suggested follow-up questions "Why push mowers instead of self-propelled mowers."
What a shopping result looks like in Google's new AI-powered search
Free product listings and local inventory ads
Of course, there will be quick access to paid and organic shopping listings. Much of this appears to be very similar to the current free local listings and local inventory ads. These free and paid listings have been highly effective for Google and for shoppers, so apparently, Google felt little need for a change there.
None of what has been announced is particularly surprising. The new functionality is not unlike what Bing is offering with its ChatGPT search. That said, the early AI experiences offered by both search giants demonstrate that more and more questions will be answered on the search engine page itself instead of sending users so quickly to external websites. Optimizing presence on Google is even more crucial now for local businesses, particularly retailers. In some ways, these "zero-click" searches could level the playing field a bit for smaller retailers. If shoppers get all of the information they need for local purchases on Google itself, then the advantages provided to larger competitors by their more sophisticated are lessened. For retailers, at least, this could be the most significant impact of Google's generative AI search.


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Thanks to popularity among consumers and the money the iPhone 6 has helped Apple make the past few months, the US tech giant has reclaimed the number one spot in the 2015 BrandZ™ Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands report.
The annual report, released today by global market researchers Millward Brown under British public relations firm WPP, and currently in its tenth year, ranks the top 100 brands by measuring the equity of thousands of brands based on interviews with over three million consumers worldwide, as well as those companies’ financial and business performance.
Millward Brown uses that information to arrive at a dollar value that is then used to rank each company.
According to the report Apple overtook Google, which was ranked as last year’s most valuable brand. Apple increased its brand value by 67% year-on-year to $247 billion, while Google only increased its value by 9% year-on-year to $173.7 billion.
In at number three is Microsoft, having increased its value by 28% to $115.5 billion. Apple’s closest rival, Samsung, is ranked 45th with a value of $21.6 billion.
Millward Brown attributed Apple’s growth to the success of the iPhone 6.
“Apple continues to ‘own’ its category by innovating and leading the curve in a way that generates real benefits for consumers,” said global head of BrandZ™, Doreen Wang.
“It meets their rational and emotional needs, and makes life easier in a fun and relevant way. Apple is clear on what it stands for, and never stops refreshing its message to sustain the difference that makes it so desirable.”
Altogether, the top 100 brands make up a value of $3.3 trillion. Tech-related companies dominate the top ten with six companies from the sector represented. All 33 tech companies featured are worth a combined value of almost $1 trillion.
Although ranked twelfth, Facebook is this year’s biggest riser, showing 99% growth after having bought the massively-popular messaging service, WhatsApp last year.
Apple and Intel are the second and third biggest risers respectively. Ranked 58th, Intel grew its value 58% to $18.3 billion.
“Brand value has risen substantially despite a disruptive decade. This is a pivotal moment for brand builders. We’re at the threshold of a new normal, and a changing consumer. The past 10 years of valuing brands proves that investing in creating strong, valuable brands delivers superior returns to shareholders,” said David Roth from WPP.
Download the full 2015 BrandZ™ Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands report from the BrandZ 100 website.
[Source – Millward Brown]


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For many, the opening of the Ventura County Fair on Wednesday for its annual, 11-day run at Seaside Park in Ventura equals open season on corn dogs, funnel cakes and such I'll-try-anything-once taste sensations as chocolate bacon.
Perhaps not so coincidentally, some area restaurants either limit their hours or close outright during the same period, giving their owners a chance to attend one another's weddings (cheers to chef and new bride Rosie Brooks of Feast Bistro in Ojai) or to beat the heat during a traditionally slow period (Cafe Provenal in Thousand Oaks will be closed Mondays in August).
And then there are places whose owners are doing everything they can to open, regardless of which wristband day it is at the fair.
Witness Corrigan's Irish Pub & Restaurant, which debuted June 1 at what used to be Jekyll n' Hyde's in Moorpark and then was closed July 7 by Ventura County Environmental Health for having, in official parlance, "no valid permit to operate, no plans submitted, unsanitary conditions."
The problem, said pub owner Micheal O'Leary, began when owners of the previous, short-lived establishment failed to do their final plan checks with the county. It wasn't until the pub came along that deal-breaking issues with shelving and the kitchen hood were revealed, O'Leary said.
So it was that O'Leary, the Dublin-bred mayor of Culver City — yes, really — spent a recent weekday lunch hour bidding on restaurant equipment at a live auction. "We have inspectors coming by this week, so we could be open soon," he said Thursday. "Then again, that could be wishful thinking." (75-79 E. High St., 532-1500.)
OPEN, SHUT AND IN BETWEEN: If all went as planned, Friday was opening day for Himalaya Cuisine, located in the former Taco Bell space in Ventura's Mission Plaza shopping center and specializing in fare from India, Tibet and owner Anup Rimal's native Nepal. Rimal said he was inspired to open the restaurant, which he describes as a "sit-down place" that will be casual for lunch and a bit more formal for dinner, by patrons of his Asian Pantry store several blocks away (2483 E. Main St., 641-1794). Look for platform seating in the dining room and a dumpling-style delicacy called momo on the menu; opening-week hours will be from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily (35 W. Main St., 509-4293).
Elsewhere in Ventura, the Telegraph Road location of Pizza Mizza is no more. The Santa Barbara-based chain announced via its website that management "will be moving it to a new location closer to the Santa Barbara area."
But the good news, also in Ventura: Franky's is slated to return next month to its original location, with previous owner Kris Pustina-Haldane offering an assist with the menu. The restaurant space at 456 E. Main St. had a brief interim run as the Dume Room.
Meanwhile, in Thousand Oaks, residents have until Thursday to tell city officials how they feel about plans to open a Hooters in the long-shuttered Fuddruckers building at the Janss Marketplace. Those plans include adding a full bar to the pre-existing permit for beer and wine and shrinking the dining room to bring the restaurant into compliance with parking requirements. Send email to firstname.lastname@example.org or call 449-2341.
But I have bad news if you were holding out hope that the construction at the shuttered IHOP on Erringer Road meant that some "remodel special" pancakes were in Simi Valley's future. The building is being turned into a medical center, according to construction workers at the site.
NAME GAME: First it was Cucina Isabella, opened in 2006 and named for the young daughter of owners Luigi "Gino" Milano and Connie Milano. Then, suddenly, it was Cucina 455, named for the Italian restaurant's street address in Camarillo's Carmen Plaza. And now? Cucina 455 disappeared about a week and a half ago, or roughly around the same time that Gino Milano returned from Italy to find that a manager left in charge while he and Connie were establishing a bed-and-breakfast business in Sicily had changed the restaurant's name, phone number, menu and pricing, Milano said. (Cucina 455's phone number is now disconnected, but its website lives on; the alcohol license for the address names only Cucina Isabella, with the Milanos as the owners.)
Now back in the kitchen and making lasagna, meatballs and "spinnachia" pizza, Gino Milano has reinstituted his menu for dinner service from 5-9 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays. Lunch and Sunday brunch menus will follow in early August, when Connie also returns from Italy, Milano said (455 Carmen Drive, 482-0666).
TODAY'S AGENDA: The 18th annual Oxnard Salsa Festival includes a tasting tent as it continues from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. in Plaza Park. ... Dozens of restaurants, wineries and breweries will offer samples during the 24th annual A Taste of Camarillo from 1-4 p.m. at the Adolfo Camarillo Ranch House. ... French sommelier Olivier Magny leads a wine tasting and signs copies of his book, "Stuff Parisians Like," from 2-5 p.m. at Old Creek Ranch Winery in Oak View.


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British Prime Minister Theresa May is expected to make a final attempt at persuading lawmakers to back her "new" Brexit deal on Wednesday but the agreement — and May's...Europe Politicsread more
Consumers in China are taking to social media to express their support for Huawei as the U.S. government looks to ramp up pressure on the Chinese smartphone maker.Technologyread more
Tensions between the two parties have heightened in recent months as the campaign for seats in the Brussels and Strasbourg-based parliament has crescendoed.Europe Politicsread more
Shares of Saudi shopping mall operator Arabian Centres were trading at 24.34 riyals ($6.49) in early deals in Riyadh.IPOsread more
There is at least one thing in common between the U.S. and Russia – their willingness to weaken the European Union, a top EU official said.Politicsread more
U.S. President Donald Trump's latest tariff increase — and Beijing's plans to counter them — are hitting U.S. companies in China, according to a joint survey this month by...China Economyread more
"We are also constantly watching whether the trade war will turn into a tech war," Ma said Tuesday, according to a CNBC translation of his Chinese remarks published by a locak...China Economyread more
TransferWise, the money transfer start-up, was valued at $3.5 billion after investors bought $292 million of shares in a secondary sale.Technologyread more
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's likely return to power for a second term will likely be positive for his country's growth, according to economists and investors.Asia Economyread more
Kohl's, J.C. Penney and Nordstrom release disappointing earnings news, putting a damper on their sector.Retailread more
"Pretty much the entire suite of apps that 'talk' over the internet could be vulnerable," said Tom Uren, a senior analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute's...Cybersecurityread more
Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk put electric heavy commercial trucks on the map in November 2017 when he unveiled the company's futuristic, battery-powered Semi, booked hundreds of orders and said he would start delivering the vehicles by 2019.
Now, it looks like 2020 could be the big year for electric big rigs. Incumbent truck makers are accelerating their electric truck projects toward launches that year, while Musk told investors in June production of the eye-catching Semi freight hauler should begin "basically (in the) first half of 2020" instead of 2019.
Driven by regulatory pressure to cut diesel pollution, commercial truck makers have made a flurry of fresh announcements to deliver battery electric or hydrogen-fueled vehicles. They have landed orders from big fleet operators such as Walmart, United Parcel Service and Anheuser Busch Inbev.
The challenge is gauging how big the market for electric commercial trucks will be, especially outside of China.
The limited range of most first-generation electric or hydrogen commercial trucks and a lack of charging infrastructure threaten to limit sales to short-haul operations.
In China, regulators are considering a long-term plan to replace 1 million diesel big rigs with cleaner trucks, including electric models, and some Chinese ports and cities are banning diesel trucks, which could significantly boost sales.
In the United States, the outlook for electric truck demand is cloudier. Some analysts estimate that by the mid-2020s, U.S. annual electric truck sales may number only in the hundreds. Over the last 12 months, North American diesel and so-called semitruck orders totaled 497,000 units.
Toyota Motor's experience at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach illustrates the potential, and the problems for clean truck technology.
The first of Toyota working hydrogen fuel-cell trucks was designed with a 200-mile (322 km) range for daily operations and has already logged more than 10,000 miles running short routes around the ports.
The newer second iteration has a 300-mile range but that is still well short of the 1,000 miles or more diesel trucks can run between refueling stops.
Toyota has not provided a production timeline, but executive program manager Chris Rovik said so far we feel confident the technology is absolutely applicable to this type of use case.
'Chicken and egg problem'
Fueling infrastructure is a major headache for electric and hydrogen trucks.
Hyundai Motor commercial vehicle director Mark Freymueller describes a chicken-and-egg problem: Trucking companies are reluctant to buy trucks without fueling stations, but fuel station operators will not install them without trucking customers.
Battery electric trucks can take hours to recharge and charging stations are scarce in most U.S. states. Hydrogen trucks can be refueled in about the same time as a diesel truck - but hydrogen refueling stations are even rarer, with most concentrated in California.
"Fueling infrastructure is a very important first step," said Chris Cannon, chief sustainability officer for the Port of Los Angeles. "The trucks may work great, but if they can't get any fuel they can't operate."
Last month, the California Air Resources Board announced $41 million in grants to the port toward building 10 new hydrogen fuel-cell electric trucks to be developed by Toyota and Paccar unit Kenworth. The grant will also partly-fund two new hydrogen fuel stations to be built by Royal Dutch Shell.
Most manufacturers see short-haul routes such as drayage services to or from ports or rail yards as likely first adopters of electric or hydrogen trucks.
"We think the first applications are going to be shorter haul," said Denny Mooney, Navistar International's vice president of engineering. "We're going to start out where the business makes sense."
Tesla customers like Deutsche Post unit DHL, which has ordered 10 Semis, say they could save tens of thousands of dollars on maintenance and fuel annually.
CEO Musk says the Semi's range could hit 600 miles. But a spokesperson said running uphill with air conditioning on or running other appliances would cut that range. Many modern 18-wheelers contain televisions, fridges and other appliances.
Package delivery giant UPS has pre-ordered 125 Tesla Semis and will use them on daily routes hauling packages between hubs and on UPS Freight routes between businesses—mostly shorter routes.
"In many ways we are ideally suited to be an early adopter of this technology because we don't have much long-haul business," said UPS spokesman Glenn Zaccara.
Tesla is working with potential customers including UPS, Pepsico and Anheuser-Busch to build charging stations at their facilities.
Nikola Motor, a startup offering a fuel cell truck, has ambitious multibillion-dollar plans to build 700 U.S. hydrogen fueling stations over the next decade, starting along the major routes of Anheuser-Busch, which has ordered up to 800 trucks, says CEO Trevor Milton. Nikola has secured funding for those stations, he said.


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ST. LOUIS (3/16/15)--Enterprise Car Sales generated a record $483 million in loan volume to more than 28,000 credit union members during 2014.
Enterprise Car Sales is a service of Enterprise Rent-A-Car and specializes in working with credit unions of all sizes to increase auto loans. Enterprise's record loan volume reflects continued strong auto lending last year and is on trend with ongoing growth in the credit union sector overall.
Enterprise Car Sales has helped generate almost $10 billion in loan volume during the last 30 years with more than a thousand credit union partners nationwide.
"Our partnership with credit unions goes back decades," said Beth Wheeler, Enterprise Car Sales corporate director of business development. "Our credit union partners put their trust in us--and we strive to fulfill their members' transportation needs by providing exceptional service throughout their buying experience."
With roughly 130 locations, Enterprise Car Sales features more than 250 makes and models of used cars, trucks, vans and SUVs.


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Take-Two CEO Talks About GTA 6 Leak | GameSpot News – GS News Update
Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick speaks out about the GTA 6 leak and how it’s affected Rockstar in an interview with IGN following the parent company’s latest earnings call.
Zelnick described the leak as “really upsetting and frustrating for the team,” but didn’t affect the company or the game from a business perspective.
The GTA 6 leak dates back to September 2022, when extended gameplay videos and screenshots from the game surfaced online. In addition to confirming the Vice City game’s rumored setting and Bonnie and Clyde-inspired story, the leak also reveals that the game may feature sex robots and crocodiles.
Within days of the leak coming to light, the alleged perpetrator appeared in court and was detained in a youth detention center.
During the same earnings call, Zelnick talked about implementing AI in video games. While Zelnick believes new AI tools can help with development, he remains skeptical of the possibility of developing games without human developers.
The CEO went on to say that the popular AI tool ChatGPT is similar to a handheld computer. Decades ago, parents worried that portable calculators meant kids wouldn’t need to learn math, but that’s not the case. “The answer is yes, you still have to learn math, as it turns out, you absolutely have to learn math, but you have a tool that makes it easier. And so does ChatGPT,” he said.
Looking at the broader game industry, publisher Battlefield Electronic Arts is working on AI technology and has been doing it for years. In 2018, EA announced Project Atlas, an R&D project with 1,000 people working with the aim of changing the way games are made through AI and neural networks. This technology has been implemented in the Battlefield series and it is smart enough for game play and even target play.
One game that some might believe is a product of AI is The Day Before, a highly anticipated zombie survival game that has once again caused controversy.
Game developer Fntastic has previously been criticized for claiming that the game is being built by more than 100 “volunteers” and tested by dozens of unpaid “backers”. The title was slated to release in March of this year before being pushed to November which the developer initially claimed was due to a copyright claim, before it was revealed that a delay was planned. before the issue of rights was raised.
However, the copyright claim delayed the 10-minute gameplay trailer that the developer said needed to be approved by an attorney before posting.
Wondering if their legal team is a volunteer?


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Professional networking giant LinkedIn Corp (NYSE:LNKD) has managed to silence skeptics when it posted year-end figures. The rapidly growing company has not only managed to demonstrate its ability to grow revenue and members but also laid out the foundation for getting users to frequent the platform. And most importantly the company’s business has been growing profitably, unlike numerous other young tech companies.
A major concern for LinkedIn’s investors previously has been the deceleration in user engagement in terms of the number of pages viewed. However, the company introduced newer products like notifications, influencers and endorsements, which have been very successful in driving users to the site. Cumulative page views on desktop are up 10% quarter-over-quarter and ended at 9.8 billion view at year end.
Other metrics of member engagement including comments, likes and shares are at all-time highs. The success of the LinkedIn Crop influencers and SlideShare paves the way for content marketing by companies on LinkedIn’s platform, which represents a big monetization opportunity for the company. And also, the LinkedIn’s presentation sharing site, SlideShare saw very high levels of user traffic with more than 47 million unique users, which is up 68% year-over-year.
LinkedIn now has more than 202 million members across more than 200 countries, which represents a growth of 39% year-over-year. An improved technological infrastructure aided in driving user engagement and monetization as well. The addressable market share for LinkedIn is roughly 600 million professionals around the globe.
The addressable market share of LinkedIn is much lower than social networking rival Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB), but the mission of both the companies differ substantially in terms of the user segments they want to reach.
The threat of Facebook is still present but Facebook is more focused on global consumer engagement, and less on the professional networking aspect.
LinkedIn’s global reach is very apparent, at the end of 2012 almost 64% of total LinkedIn members are from outside the U.S. With an increased focus and heavy investments in product innovation, user engagement should gain momentum in the future. At the end of 2012, LinkedIn was the 25th most visited web property in the world.
The company recorded its first year with almost $1 billion in revenues. In 2012, LinkedIn’s top line grew a staggering 86% year-over-year and ended at $972.3m. Its bottom line is going in the right direction, and now stands at $22 million for 2012. Its EPS is up substantially as well and stood at $0.19 which is up from $0.11 from last year. As a result the stock has been hitting new all-time highs for the past few days.
Once again revenues from Talent solutions saw rapid growth and came in at $161 million, which is a 90% year-over-year increase. LinkedIn’s hiring segment has been the major driver of total revenues accounted for more than 53% of total revenue in the Q4 2012. LinkedIn’s talent solutions should gain more customers as the firm continues to roll out localized versions of its web portal and also recruiting solutions, along with a price increase in certain developed markets.


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(AMWD) American Woodmark announced a $100M buyback.
(ANN) Ann Taylor $0.50 EPS vs $0.48 est.
(ASIA) AsiaInfo raised EPS guidance but reaffirmed revenue targets; thinly covered stock.
(BKC) Burger King $0.29 EPS vs $0.27 est.
(BKHM) Bookham Tech filed to sell $200M in securities.
(CSUN) China Sunergy CFO has resigned.
(GPS) Gap $0.21 EPS vs $0.19 est.; trading up 3% on new $1.5 Billion share buyback plan.
(HLF) Herbalife announced an expanded buyback plan.
(HNZ) Heinz $0.63 EPS vs $0.61 est.
(KNOT) TheKnot.com in pact with Jellyfish.com for wedding themed savings.
(MRVL) Marvell Tech now trading down almost 8% after earnings and guidance.
(POWR) PowerSecure announced new $25M credit facility.
(TEC) Teton Energy CFO resigned.
(TRB) Tribune revenues down 5.9% in July; Publishing revenues in July were down 8.6% to $319M; Advertising revenues fell 10.3% to $247M.
(TSRA) announced a $100M share buyback plan.
(WFMI) Whole Foods has received final clearances to proceed with Wild Oats buyout.
(XFML) Xinhua Finance Media announced that it has acquired a 70% interest in Small World Television.
Jon C. Ogg
August 24, 2007
Jon Ogg can be reached at email@example.com; he does not own securities in the companies he covers.