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Two Starbucks customers believe they’re not getting enough coffee – and they’re taking their battle to the top.
Siera Strumlauf and Benjamin Robles, both from California, say they are unimpressed with the size of the chain’s lattes, and have filed a lawsuit claiming they are 25 per cent underfilled.
They reckon ‘fill to’ lines used by baristas are too low, and cups are too small.
Starbucks says the claim is ‘without merit’.
The duo, who say their lawsuit was filed on behalf of purchasers of Starbucks Caffè Lattes, Flavored Lattes, Pumpkin Spice Lattes, Egg Nog Lattes, Skinny Lattes, Skinny Flavored Lattes, Vanilla Lattes, and Skinny Vanilla Lattes.
And the lawsuit states: ‘Starbucks Lattees are approximately 25 per cent underfilled.
‘By underfilling its lattes, thereby shortchanging its customers, Starbucks has saved countless millions of dollars in the cost of goods sold and was unjustly enriched by taking payment for more product than it delivers.’
But Starbucks has hit back, with a spokesman telling BuzzFeed: ‘We are proud to serve our customers high-quality, handcrafted and customized beverages, and we inform customers of the likelihood of variations.’
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It seems that Nokia is gearing up to launch a new budget smartphone called the Nokia G22 as the device has now appeared on the popular benchmarking website Geekbench which is revealing the important specifications of the device.
According to the benchmarking website, the upcoming Nokia G22 will be powered by an octa-core 1.8GHz Unisoc T606 mobile processor at its heart along with a Mali-G57 GPU.
The benchmarking website is also confirming that the device will be coming with 4GB of RAM on the board and the device will run on Android 12 out of the box. The software is really disappointing as now the companies are offering devices with Android 13 out of the box.
We don’t have any other information about the upcoming Nokia smartphone at this moment but we are looking forward to learn more about the same in the coming days. We recommend you to stay tuned with us for more updates from the world of technology.
Read interesting news, reviews as well as tips & tricks on TechnoBugg website, and stay updated with the latest happenings of the tech world on the go with Technobugg App. Also follow on Google News and join our Telegram channel for the latest updates.

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Aiming to make shopping on the Web easier, a consortium of credit card companies, Internet merchants and developers of on-line payment technologies plans to announce today that its members have agreed to develop a standard for executing electronic commerce transactions.
The standard, known as electronic commerce modeling language, will eventually enable consumers to buy from multiple Web sites without re-entering data like a name, shipping address or credit card number. The coding of so-called electronic wallet software will store such customer information on a secure server and is intended to pass the data to different merchants' Web sites with fewer problems.
''This is an important first step,'' Ken Cassar, digital commerce analyst for the Internet research firm Jupiter Communications, said. ''A lot more needs to be done, but the parties who've joined in are pretty much the ones you'd want.''
Until now, electronic wallet technologies have faltered because the coding used by merchants to format checkout pages has varied widely. For instance, the code used to indicate a consumer's credit card number could begin with ''CC#'' in some cases, and ''CN'' in others. The wallets were sometimes unable to recognize the variations, and thus could not work with many sites. As a result, consumers have generally ignored the wallet companies.
That situation will change, according to the electronic commerce consortium, which includes America Online, Microsoft, Dell Computer, Compaq Computer, Visa USA, I.B.M., Sun Microsystems, Mastercard International and American Express, as well as a host of Internet merchants and electronic wallet providers. Once merchants can essentially speak the same language, wallet companies will be able to offer consumers the prospect of one-click checkout across many sites.Continue reading the main story
Such a feature could increase Internet sales substantially, since customers often bail out of transactions rather than go through several time-consuming steps to complete a purchase. In February, a report by Jupiter found that 27 percent of on-line buyers abandoned their orders before check-out for that reason.
''This will be particularly important for attracting new customers,'' said John Pettitt, chief technology officer for Beyond.com, a software retailer. ''Every time you ask a customer to do something, you risk losing them.''
Mr. Pettitt said Beyond.com offered one-click checkout to America Online customers who had signed up for its Quick Checkout electronic wallet, and he said the feature had ''been very successful for us.'' Aside from that, however, he said Beyond.com had declined to do business with other companies that offer electronic wallets, like Cybercash and Transactor Networks, ''because they don't have a critical mass of users.''
One reason for that lack of critical mass is that consumers see little reason to sign up with an electronic wallet company that does not have a large number of merchant partners. According to Mr. Cassar of Jupiter, electronic wallet companies have made little headway until now in part because they have had to persuade retailers to format their sites to conform to their particular wallet technology. The hope has been to sign up enough retailers to become the de facto standard and thereby consolidate the market. ''But instead they've Balkanized the market,'' Mr. Cassar said.
At stake for wallet companies is not only the potential to charge a fee for each transaction processed, but also the opportunity to gather valuable consumer data. ''If I've got a wallet company and I build a list of 100,000 names and addresses of people who've bought from Barnesandnoble.com, that's pretty valuable,'' Mr. Cassar said.
While the electronic commerce consortium's agreement on how to define data overcomes one hurdle in the effort to spread the use of electronic wallets, the use of consumer data represents a far more thorny issue. The wallet companies say they will protect consumers' privacy. But there are others who might object to such gathering of information.
''If I'm a merchant who competes with Barnesandnoble.com, I'm not going to be happy about a wallet company selling that information to a competitor,'' Mr. Cassar said.
Since credit card companies already sell lists along those lines, he added, they will probably resist any efforts on the part of wallet companies to compete on that front, as could portals like America Online, which can use such information to deliver more advertisements to highly specific audiences.Continue reading the main story


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A new venture for an old paper
ON SATURDAY September 17th, Dow Jones, publisher of the Wall Street Journal, launches a new “Weekend” edition of the newspaper in America. It is a risky move, coming in the middle of an advertising slump and a fierce debate over the company's strategy and the quality of its management. If the new Saturday edition fails to attract a healthy amount of additional advertising, its chief executive, Peter Kann, a distinguished former journalist, may be pushed out before he is due to retire in three years' time. It is even possible that the Bancroft family, which controls Dow Jones, may decide to sell the firm. Last month the company's shares rose 15% following unconfirmed reports that some family members want to sell.
Business-to-business advertising, a key driver of profits at the Wall Street Journal and Dow Jones, has fallen precipitously since 2000, mainly because advertisers are moving to the internet. Because of particularly sharp declines in technology and financial advertising, the Wall Street Journal's division of the company is barely profitable this year, despite being the leading business newspaper in the world, with some of the wealthiest readers.
Mr Kann's strategy with the Saturday edition is to broaden the Wall Street Journal's coverage further beyond business and finance and win a bigger share of consumer advertising, which is more buoyant than the business-to-business sort. The new paper will include articles on health and fitness, cars, travel, fashion, food, gadgets, entertainment and shopping. It will be posted free of charge to subscribers, and so will gain a circulation of at least 1.75m. The immediate question is whether advertisers will spend much more money on the paper. The Wall Street Journal already attracts consumer ads with its lifestyle coverage during the week, and some analysts worry that the new edition will cannibalise the weekday editions. (So far, claims Dow Jones, more than half of the advertisements it has booked for the Saturday paper represent additional revenue.) Another unknown is whether readers want a paper they associate with the working week at the weekend.
Even if the new edition brings in new money, that will not change the fact that the Wall Street Journal, which contributed about half of Dow Jones's revenues last year, relies on a type of advertising that may never fully return to newspapers. As a result, some people reckon a new print edition may be an expensive mistake.
“Print is in long-term secular decline,” says Lauren Fine of Merrill Lynch, “so I am ambivalent about launching a print product, especially since WSJ.com has been so successful.”WSJ.com now has nearly 750,000 paying subscribers, and Ms Fine also applauds the company's purchase of MarketWatch, an internet-based provider of business information and analytical tools. The Saturday edition is an “absurd” project, says James Lowell, the Boston-based investment adviser to Hemenway & Barnes, a law firm which acts as the trustee to the Bancroft family, because there is little real demand for it from either readers or advertisers. Journalists at the paper are worried that if Dow Jones invests heavily in lifestyle coverage, business and finance may suffer. “As long as I am managing editor,” responds Paul Steiger, “there will be ample resources for our core coverage.”
Dow Jones's management has been under pressure for years. The company's shares have underperformed the Dow Jones Industrial Average by 49% in the past ten years, and the Standard & Poor's printing and publishing index by 56%. It is true that most newspapers are struggling with the internet's impact on advertising. What Mr Kann should be blamed for, his critics say, is the company's strategic failure since he took over in 1991 to broaden its mix of assets. Many shareholders and analysts, including Ms Fine, would welcome a change of management.
That depends on the more than 30 members of the Bancroft family, who own 30% of Dow Jones's shares and 62% of its voting rights. Some are unhappy, while others remain loyal to Mr Kann. If they were to put the paper up for sale, it would fetch an enormous price from one of a long list of buyers, including Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation, the New York Times Company and the Washington Post Company, who all doubtless believe they could run it better. Potential bidders have only a few months to wait and see whether the Saturday edition will protect Mr Kann, or hasten his departure.
This article appeared in the Business section of the print edition under the headline "Paper chase"
From the September 17th 2005 edition
Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contentsExplore the edition
A strangely pervasive custom of odd poses and forced smiles
The pioneering e-commerce giant battles soaring costs and a stagnating legacy business
Languishing Silicon Valley stocks attract Wall Street’s mischief-makers


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IFS//International Furniture Summit Kyiv, due 22, July 2020 online
SUMMIT IFS is a landmark international event for the third time, now online. This summit is for everyone who cares about the development of their business wants, to be informed about the global changes and trends of the furniture and interior industry, who wants to optimize production and commercial processes in response to the new challenges. For owners and top executives who want to turn the virus-induced changes into benefits.
- Global change. The reaction of local furniture markets. Consumer behavior.
- A New experience of consumer interaction with the product.
- How now "your product" communicates with the buyer.
- Is Ecommerce Another Choice? Export. How now and where?
- World furniture distribution, trends.
- International exhibitions.
- New VS Reality Vertical Reality.
ASSISTANCE IN BUSINESS SOLUTIONS:
- TO IDENTIFY YOUR UNIQUE STRENGTHS
- TO UNDERSTAND WHAT SLOWS DOWN THE GROWTH OF YOUR BUSINESS
- TO FIND "LOSSES" IN THE CHAIN OF PRODUCING AND DISTRIBUTION OF THE PRODUCT. INCREASE THE PROFIT
- TO GET VALUABLE CONSULTATIONS FROM INTERNATIONAL EXPERTS
- TO FIND BUYERS, TO ORGANIZE THE SALES AT THE OTHER QUALITY LEVEL
- TO SHARE EXPERIENCE WITH COLLEAGUES FROM DIFFERENT COUNTRIES
Last year, the summit was attended by 500+ owners and top managers from 11 countries: Ukraine, Belarus, Italy, Germany, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Poland, Israel, Spain, Lithuania, Mongolia. More than 200 B2B meetings were held between suppliers, buyers, representatives of retail, and contract sectors. Top 15 speakers spoke about modern management tools, sales methods, shared practical cases of effective interior business.
What made Ukraine so attractive to Israeli heart and investments? (Delo.ua)
What Ukrainian industries benefit from Israeli investors? Olha Stoliarchuk's column for 'Delo.ua' media outlet
Israeli-Ukrainian Alliance took part in the Third Ukrainian International Education Forum
Alliance’s CEO Anna Zharova joined the Forum as a speaker for the panel “International education as a key vector of Ukraine's expansion in the world” by the Global Ukraine Foundation
5 Reasons Why You Need Data Analytics Outsourcing
You’ve gathered terabytes of data, and now all you have to do is hire experts to make use of it, right? Well, it’s not all that simple.


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NEW YORK (CNNfn) - Brushing aside a constant barrage of criticism Tuesday, Microsoft Corp. Chairman Bill Gates denied his company was a monopoly and said he was merely trying to stay competitive in a constantly-changing software sector.
Gates, appearing as part of a panel of software industry chiefs in Washington Tuesday, staunchly defended his company, noting people had the same complaints about International Business Machines Corp. 30 years ago, only to be proved wrong when IBM lost its lead to smaller rivals.
"People who feared IBM were wrong," Gates told a packed Senate Judiciary hearing on competition in the computer industry. "Technology is ever-changing."
"All operating systems, including IBM's, Sun's, Apple's and many others are including Internet browsing capabilities," said Gates. "The beauty of the Internet is its openness. It cannot be controlled or dominated or cut off because it is simply a constantly changing series of linkages."
The Redmond, Wash.-based software giant is currently being investigated by the Justice Department for alleged antitrust activities. A group of 27 states is also gathering information about the company's business practices.
Gates, speaking in measured tones during the four-and-a-half hour hearing, said the Information Superhighway was littered with companies who once had a strong product but were quickly made obsolete and he doesn't intend for that to happen to Microsoft.
"There is competition," Gates contended. "Can any Microsoft endure future competition without innovation? The answer is no. We've got to keep changing."
Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) grilled Gates during the proceedings, asking if he put any limits on content providers from advertising or promoting Netscape.(181K WAV) or (AIFF)
Scott McNealy, president of Sun Microsystems Inc. (SUNW) disagreed with Gates' assertion. McNealy has been a vocal critic of Microsoft and has been battling with Gates over what he feels are unfair practices being used against Sun's Java programming language by Microsoft.
"Microsoft has a monopoly in computer operating systems," stated McNealy, referring to the company's approximate 90 percent share of the personal computer market with its Windows operating system. That share, he said, makes "Microsoft the gateway to the Internet."
Microsoft enemies and allies
McNealy and others, including the U.S. Justice Department, are concerned Microsoft, which bundles its Internet Explorer Web browser with Windows 95, is using that market strength to push its own products and shove aside rival products.
The Justice Department last year filed suit against Microsoft, accusing the company of having a monopoly in the personal computer operating systems market. The government also claims the company violated a 1995 consent decree aimed at increasing competition in the software industry.
Microsoft's strength elicited comments from Jim Barksdale, CEO of Netscape Communications Corp. (NSCP), who, while declaring himself an "admirer" of Gates, has engaged in a David versus Goliath effort in the browser wars with his company's Navigator browser application.
While saying that "nobody wants Microsoft to be inhibited from their marvelous innovation," Barksdale said he was merely looking for enforcement of existing antitrust laws.
At one point, Barksdale called for a show of hands to make his case against Gate's company.
"How many of you use Intel-based PCs in this audience?" Barksdale asked the audience. Most hands were raised.
"How many of you use a PC without Microsoft's operating systems?"
When all hands went down, Barksdale turned to the panel and said, "Gentlemen, that is a monopoly."
Sun's McNealy said his company was exploring the possibility of a civil antitrust claim against Microsoft ""We've been looking for the right kind of case to build if that so presents itself but we do not have a case to bring right now," McNealy said.
Netscape's Barksdale said his company would probably not pursue such action. "I don't think my company could afford it."
The one who came closest to being an impartial observer on the panel was Stewart Alsop, a partner at New Enterprises Associates, a venture capital firm.
Alsop backed up the anti-Microsoft contingent, saying "Microsoft has a monopoly over the desktop operating systems."
Gates was not without his allies on the panel, however. Dell Computer Corp. (DELL) Chairman Michael Dell said Microsoft's size and efforts at standardization have brought down software prices.
"We believe standardization has helped both Dell and our customers," said Dell.
Gates denied that Microsoft was arrogantly ignoring the consent decree and other related laws. "Microsoft follows the rules. Microsoft is subject to the rules," he said.
Gates said that rather than pushing its own platforms to the exclusion of others, its standardization process has given various software firms a standard base from which to make integrated applications, spurring growth and lowering prices.
Things got tense during the discussion when McNealy accused Microsoft of aggressively raising prices of its upcoming Windows 98 OS upgrade and its server software while "dumping" Internet Explorer on the market.
"We see some predatory pricing practices that only monopolists could engage in," said McNealy.
Gates did not let the remarks stand, however, saying if McNealy really believed he had no chance, Sun would not be attempting to push its own operating system.
"Outside of this room, Mr. McNealy has a plan to replace PCs. This is a very competitive business and I don't think it's fair to just come into this room and say 'No, Mr. McNealy's Java OS has no chance of displacing Windows.'"
Hatch did his homework
The hearing was widely anticipated by not only software professionals but by many outside of it as well as some of the industry's sworn enemies squared off. The Judiciary hearing was forced to move from its usual meeting room to a larger conference room due to the widespread interest in the panel.
Sen. Hatch, chairman of the Judiciary Committee and the one responsible for calling forward the panel in the first place, was unwilling to let up on Microsoft, a company he has criticized often in the past.
Hatch apparently did his homework for the hearing, including having Senate staffers make calls to Dell's sales operations while posing as ordinary customers.
Hatch said that Dell sales staff failed to mention Netscape Navigator as an application option in the purchasing of Dell PCs and, when asked about Navigator, the sales people said Microsoft licensing agreements prevented Dell from offering Netscape products.
Dell defended his company's standard offering of Microsoft's Internet Explorer browser by saying that the demand for Navigator among its business customers did not warrant offering the Netscape product.
For Gates, the hearing marked the first time the software titan appeared before a congressional hearing but not the first time Gates was on Capitol Hill. As a teenager, Gates served as a congressional page but, after discovering that political life was not for him, he went on to form the world's largest computer software company instead.


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MV Agusta is set to release two additional color options for their neo-retro sports bike, the Superveloce 800. It seems that the Italian brand is poised to ramp up its efforts to push the success of the new motorcycle after announcing earlier this month that they were resuming production of its limited Serie Oro edition following the temporary suspension of manufacturing. Now, they heeded the requests of the fans after consulting them for quite some time, and now they decided to treat them with new eye-catching stylish liveries.
The first color variant looks back into MV Agusta’s classic corporate colors, Ago Red and Ago Silver looking back at a time when Italian motorcycles dominated the Grand Prix racing scene for years with MV Agusta at the forefront of the races during the 1970s. The color option is complemented by its gold wheels and frame details to creating a distinctive, personalized aesthetic that goes ‘far beyond the average production of motorcycle’ according to them.
The second color variant is Metallic Carbon Black and Dark Metallic Grey with the same gold detailing placed on the wheels and frame. The combination provides a more sophisticated and elegant feel and yet, still true to its roots in Grand Prix racing giving us still a different yet appealing alternative to its traditional corporate colors.
Following the presentation of the Superveloce 800 in Milano, we took on board feedback from both the public and importers and decided to create two color schemes, both with a gold-finish frame, that accentuates the neo-retro theme, highlight the curvaceous styling and align the models to our brand values.
Neither color variant commands a premium for a higher price than the other. While the new colors variants may not have arrived in the country just yet, the MV Agusta Superveloce can be purchased in the Philippines through their exclusive distributor, Motostrada which is priced at P1,550,000.


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New parking charges are being introduced at a popular shopping centre in Chatham.
The decision has caused outrage with many saying it’s a money making scheme and they won’t shop there anymore.
Also in today’s podcast, we have an update on the murder of a pub landlord from Maidstone.
Matthew Bryant was stabbed to death on Monday night and a woman has now been charged.
Hear the reaction of staff at a shop in Deal who say new double yellow lines outside are keeping customers away.
They say the restrictions have taken away six parking spaces and people are too scared to stop.
A Kent McDonalds has been shut down after a rat was spotted in the drive-thru.
The branch in Medway had to be deep cleaned and professional pest control experts were called in.
And in sport, Danny Dyer’s going to be playing in a charity football match in Kent this weekend
It’s to raise money for a little boy who was born with a rare genetic condition.


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InMobi: Mobiles consuming 6 hours of media each day
Don't look to personal computers or desktops for the bulk of content consumption any longer. According to new data out from InMobi mobile devices are where people are devouring social media, entertainment and gaming content - to the tune of six hours each day.
According to the new InMobi study 97 minutes of the six hours spent with digital content are spent via mobile device, with 81 minutes spent watching television and 70 minutes spent 'online'. Radio, magazines and tablets clocked fewer than 45 minutes each. However, even more time is expected to be spent via mobile, according to consumers' survey responses.
• 21% say they'll increase time spent on social media via mobile devices
• 20% say they'll increase time spent with entertainment
• 16% say they'll increase the time spent with games
• Email, shopping and local search were also noted as areas in which consumers plan to move to mobile
How is a brand to engage these mobile users? First, by knowing that most mobile users (61%) say they are 'as comfortable' with mobile advertising as they are with television; more than three-quarters (87%) say they've noticed mobile ads in the past. About half say they've 'noticed' in-app ads, 40% have noticed search engine results/ads and 27% video websites.
Some of the most interesting findings, though, are in how consumers are responding to mobile ads. Nearly 80% say seeing a mobile ad has increased their awareness and 70% say mobile ads have helped 'create a favorable opinion' about a brand or product. Nearly half have been influenced to buy a product.
Image via Shutterstock
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iOS 14.5 is coming (very soon!)
Over the next 12-months, major policy changes from two of the world’s leading tech-companies – Google and Apple - threaten to have a major impact on advertisers’ ability to both, target valuable audiences and track the impact of their marketing campaigns.
In this article, we look to summarise Apple’s imminent move to give it’s users more transparency and control over how they are tracked on their mobile devices (we’ll look at Google’s big change in a separate post).
We look at the impact on businesses and what advertisers need to do to react.
What is going to happen?
As part of the roll out of it’s new operating system update, iOS 14, Apple is incorporating a new feature they call ‘App Tracking Transparency’, aimed at giving users more clarity and control over which apps have access to their browsing data and how they use it.
Currently, apps such as Facebook have relatively unchecked ability to track user’s behaviour from within their app/s, and onto users ongoing mobile browsing behaviour including app usage and web-browsing, helping them see any actions users may have taken following interaction with their app/s. The new Apple privacy feature will put a stop to this tracking by apps unless they have the users express permission to do so.
The likes of Facebook aren’t happy as, with a more limited view of user’s behaviour outside of their apps, they have less opportunity to claim that advertising on their platforms has been a success, potentially making them less attractive as an advertising platform. They claim that it’s the advertisers - including many small businesses - that will suffer; with less data to optimise with, those much relied on Facebook campaigns are likely to become less effective.
When is it happening?
The timing of the new update is unclear, though the feature is likely to be part of the iOS 14.5 update which is due in ‘early spring’.
We’ve heard that the update could be released as early as Thursday 15th April, so it’s a case of days or weeks rather than months until the new privacy settings come into play.
Why are they doing it?
It’s all about user privacy...
“Our goal is to create technology that keeps people’s information safe and protected” says Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of Software Engineering. “We believe privacy is a fundamental human right, and our teams work every day to embed it in everything we make. Privacy means peace of mind, it means security, and it means you are in the driver’s seat when it comes to your own data,”
Apple has been making moves in this direction for some time and, along with Mozilla, Apple's Safari browser has been significantly limiting user tracking since 2017.
What is the likely impact?
As app’s - including Facebook - lose sight of any conversions that occurred after someone has viewed/interacted with an ad, they will be less able to attribute conversions to it’s campaigns.
With less conversion events being counted, they will have more limited data to optimise with, potentially impacting overall effectiveness of campaigns.
Remarketing and Lookalike audiences will diminish as Facebook loses sight of conversion events.
Whilst opt-out rates won’t be known until after the event, some are predicting that as many as 80% of users will opt-out of app tracking. That feels high to us, but it’s certainly going to be significant.
With Apple controlling the language presented to the user for the prompt, it is likely to include more ‘loaded’ language than the ‘cookie setting’ prompts that we have become so used to when browsing the open web, that language of course being controlled primarily by the website owner.
What can we do to mitigate the impact?
The first thing is we should be doing is learning as much as we can about the upcoming changes and starting to identify any areas of risk for our marketing campaigns.
At The Nest, we have clients where over 70% of their traffic comes from Facebook, some that over 65% of browsing is on an iOS device. We have clients whose Facebook Ads campaigns predominantly use custom or lookalike targeting. All of these things are areas of risk and understanding that is key.
Having understood the risk, we’re now putting in plans to help mitigate that risk and react quickly to the likely impact of the iOS update. These include;
- scoping out other marketing channels less affected by the changes
- continuing to support the building of consensual data-bases for 1st party targeting
- exploring the development of social shops, keeping the shopping experience (and buying data) within a single environment.
If you’re worried about the changes or want to understand more, give us a shout.
07765 260 127


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Autobest has awarded Toyota with the SAFETYBEST 2020 prize for the development and fitment of centre airbags in the new Yaris, a first in the European B-segment.
The Autobest jury, of 31 members from major European automotive publications, has recognised Toyota for including this leading development in one of its smallest cars, the new Yaris.
The new Yaris, based on the new GA-B platform, has been designed and developed with all the latest safety measures, including a strong and stiff body for best protecting the occupants. Designed to be the world’s safest compact car, the new Toyota Yaris is also to be equipped with SRS centre airbags. Fitted as standard, these deploy in the event of a side impact to help prevent the driver and front seat passenger colliding with each other.
The new Yaris is also equipped with the latest Toyota Safety Sense - the first Toyota model to be fitted with its most advanced system. Standard features include pre-collision system with a pedestrian and cyclist recognition function, lane departure alert, radar based adaptive cruise control, including lane race assist; as well as advanced driver assistance systems, like emergency steering assist and intersection assistance, a first for any Toyota model.
It is the second time Toyota has received the SAFETYBEST award. The previous award win was in 2017, for the implementation of Toyota Safety Sense as standard across the line-up. TSS is not only standard on all Yaris models, but so too are advanced driver assistance systems, demonstrating that safety is fundamental to any new Toyota.
Steve Tormey, chief executive of Toyota Ireland, says this award highlights Toyota’s commitment to passenger and vehicle safety and showcases Toyota Ireland’s brand promise of ‘Built for a Better World’.
"We are extremely proud to have been awarded the SAFETYBEST 2020 prize for the Toyota Yaris. At Toyota, we are fully committed to democratising the highest levels of safety across our full range of vehicles, regardless of size or cost point.
"With the latest safety measures featured in the new Yaris, such as an even more advanced pre-collision system, lane departure alerts, and centre airbags, we are providing further peace of mind to drivers and passengers through the integration and standardisation of these advanced, safety systems."
The new Yaris is also on the list of finalists for the `AUTOBEST 2021 –Best Buy Car of Europe` award.
For more information on the new Toyota Yaris contact Tony Burke Motors your local Toyota retailer on 091 480123 or email: [email protected]


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Falken Tires announced that Subaru selected the Falken Ziex ZE001A all-season tire to be OE for the all-new 2024 Subaru Crosstrek.
Falken’s Ziex ZE001A A/S, size 225/55R18 98V, will be a tire of choice for the 2024 Crosstrek. The company said production of the tires will take place at Sumitomo Rubber Industries’ Thailand plant. From there, the tires will be delivered to Subaru of Indiana Automotive (SIA), which will produce sport and limited trim levels of the Crosstrek alongside other Subaru models. Crosstrek production at SIA begins this May, with models reaching Subaru retailers beginning in June.


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(ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE)
The reason: She was going on strike.
Just after noon, the 64-year-old cashier walked into Walmart Supercenter on Memorial Avenue, accompanied by a striking Walmart employee from the Hadley store and a dozen union activists.
At the customer service desk, she presented her boss with a letter outlining the reasons for her strike, including unreasonable scheduling, lack of benefits and other practices.
“Thank you,” the boss responded, taking the paper.
Striking might be frowned on at Walmart and most businesses, but both activists and management seemed cheerful enough Friday.
“Have a nice day,” the boss added.
The protest was the latest skirmish in a long-running battle between union activists and Walmart, the nation's largest private employer with more than 1.4 million workers in 4,600 stores nationwide.
The manager at the Walmart store could not immediately be reached for comment Friday. The company has denied that workers are underpaid or mistreated, and blamed much of the furor on the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, which has tried to unionize the company's workers.
While Walmart supporters attribute its success to sound business practices and efficiency, critics contend it has come at the expense of workers, the environment and the law.
For Edick and Kerry Brown, 31, an unloader at the Hadley Walmart also on strike, the visit to the Chicopee store was the first stop in a 10-day journey that will take them to a protest at a Phoenix, Ariz.-area home of Rob Walton, son of Walmart founder Sam Walton, and then to the chain’s annual shareholder meeting in Fayetteville, Ark.
Both Edick and Brown, a Northampton resident, belong to OUR Walmart, a group of current and former Walmart employees planning similar actions at 20 Walmarts nationwide beginning Friday. For its part, Walmart claims that OUR Walmart is a front for the food and commercial workers union, and does not represent the majority of its workers.
Whatever the case, Edick’s strike will end June 11 when she returns to work following the protest trip and her regularly scheduled days off.
Jon Weissman, a spokesman for Western Mass. Jobs with Justice, said he and other members will hold a "walk-back" for Edick to support her return and discourage retaliation by management.
Jobs with Justice and OUR Walmart are currently pushing for wages to be raised to $25,000, a concession the company can easily afford, Weissman said.
“With more than $144 billion in wealth and billions more rolling in each year, the Waltons can afford to do better,” he said.


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CAPE TOWN –In anticipation of millions of recurring grant recipients over the next three- to six-month period, micropayment platform uKheshe, together with its key strategic partners, Mastercard and Nedbank, has announced that the uKheshe platform will be free to users during Covid-19 for a 90-day period.
uKheshe chief executive and founder Clayton Hayward said this move was aimed at assisting NGOs and government departments looking for an alternative, cost-effective solutions for mass disbursements.
Hayward said the platform was uniquely aimed at facilitating micro-payments with a broader objective to address financial inclusion across Africa.
“This makes us a perfect solution to the current crisis of grant disbursements. Not only do we offer a touchless payment facility, we also address key challenges such as a simple and easy to use the system, but that is also accessible and includes an effective cash-out mechanism. While, importantly, the platform is also extremely safe and secure,” he said.


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ABTA members and their customers will take centre stage in ABTA’s next Travel with Confidence national advertising campaign
Launching across social media channels over the Christmas period and throughout the crucial early booking period at the start of 2022, the video will feature ABTA members sharing their professionalism, service and passion for travel. It’ll also show customers sharing why they felt it was important to book a holiday through a trusted travel company.
Following on from the successful hero video created for the last Travel with Confidence campaign, last year’s social media advertising reached a total 10.4 million total impressions across ABTA’s channels. This year, ABTA will create another hero video for Facebook and a shorter version for Instagram, which will be created from the ‘selfie’ videos submitted by ABTA members and their customers. To incentivise customers to share a testimonial video, ABTA will offer them a £50 Amazon voucher.
ABTA member and customer selfie videos should be no longer than 60 seconds and a fresh, honest chatty style is much more important than a polished professional approach. All videos should be submitted to ABTA by November 26, 2021.
The videos will show real members explaining how important it is for consumers to book their much-needed holidays and other travel arrangements with a travel professional, from taking the very best care of their customers to using their extensive experience to create a perfect holiday.
All members who respond to ABTA’s call out for videos will be featured as part of the Travel with Confidence campaign in 2022, either as part of social media advertising or as organic content on ABTA’s social media channels.
A full briefing on what kind of content will work well can be found here or from our marketing toolkit here. Members looking for further information and where to send their completed videos should contact Lizzie Andrews.
ABTA has responded to the chancellor’s autumn Budget, in which he announced a cut to domestic air passenger duty (APD) from April 2023 – plus a tax hike on long-haul flights over 5,500 miles.
Chancellor Rishi Sunak also confirmed that the government will continue with business rates relief.
“It is good that the government has responded to our calls to continue business rates relief by cutting rates by 50 per cent; this should help high-street travel agents,” said Mark Tanzer, chief executive of ABTA.
“However, this is a sector that has faced tighter government-imposed constraints on trade than almost any other, including severe restrictions throughout the critical summer season. The chancellor could have done more to recognise this fact – by providing tailored recovery grants to travel agents, tour operators and travel management companies. Instead, while other struggling sectors – such as theatres and pubs – will get additional tax reliefs and duty cuts, there is very little in the Budget to support many travel businesses as they attempt to recover from the biggest crisis the sector has ever faced.”
On the subject of the APD cut, Tanzer said: “While we support the decision to remove double-taxation on domestic Air Passenger Duty (APD) from April 2023, it is regrettable that this cut will be partially offset with increased rates for long-haul flights. With the industry only at the beginning of its recovery, now is not the time to be announcing future tax rises on the sector.
“As it stands, APD is not – and has never been – an environmental tax; the revenues are not hypothecated or used for environmental purposes, such as investing in the development of sustainable aviation fuels, and the tax does not encourage use of newer, cleaner aircraft. Looking to the medium and longer term, we are supportive of fundamental reform of APD with the aim of creating fair taxation within the travel industry, which reflects the economic benefits of the sector and recognises the environmental impacts of travel.”


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Dhiraagu has launched a campaign under #21DaysNoPlastic to help minimize and raise awareness against single-use plastic to mark this year’s International Coastal Awareness month.
The use of single-use plastic has become an unfortunate everyday habit in peoples’ lives. This initiative is aimed to work towards breaking such habits by utilizing the popular new habit creation 21-day practice. To join this campaign, participants are encouraged to choose a habit to break and use the hashtag #21DaysNoPlastic on social media to share their choices. The campaign prompts participants to choose specific habits to break such as by opting out plastic disposable takeaway containers, single use plastic bags and bottles from their daily lives. Participants can also choose other ocean-friendly practices that would reduce single use plastic and enter the contest. Every week, 3 winners will be chosen at random. A total of 9 winners will be chosen by the end of 21 days with the opportunity to win a n a ‘Plastic Free Starter Pack’ which contains alternatives to single-use plastic as gifts.
“The main objective of this campaign is for all of us to reflect on our everyday habits that may contribute to destroy our oceans. We hope that the campaign will raise awareness on alternatives to single use plastic and on simple measures and individual responsibility that we could all ensure to make a difference,” stated Bishara Hameed, Manager Corporate Social Responsibility at Dhiraagu.
Care for the Oceans is a key focus area under Dhiraagu’s CSR programme which contributes to support the United Nations SDG Goal, “Life Below Water”. Since 2016, the company further strengthened efforts through discontinuation of single-use plastic bottles at the workplace, introduction of water dispensers, reusable bags and carrying out company-wide and public awareness initiatives. Last year, the company also dedicated its corporate calendar theme to encourage alternatives to single-use plastic and raised awareness on the surge of plastic pollution in light of the COVID 19 pandemic and on important steps that the public could ensure to responsibly discard items like single use- gloves and masks.
More information about the #21DaysNoPlastic and how to enter the contest can be found from Dhiraagu’s official social media pages.


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Only one week to go until the start of Meat Free May 2015. Organised by environmental charity Friends of the Earth, Meat Free May is calling on people to change their diets for a month, with the aim of encouraging them to move on to lower and better meat diets more permanently.
Most people eat meat twice a day without even thinking about it. But the amount of meat and fish we feast on is damaging our planet and our health.
- Livestock production makes up 14.5% of the total global greenhouse gas emissions and drives deforestation. Our taste for fish is also stripping the seas: over 70% of the world’s fish stocks are over or fully exploited.
- Lower-meat diets in the UK could prevent 45,000 early deaths each year, and save the NHS over £1.2 billion annually.
- Cutting down on meat and fish can seem daunting, so Friends of the Earth is providing free packs, crammed with information and tips, along with delicious meat-free recipes.
Commenting on Meat Free May, Fran Graham, Food Campaigner at Friends of the Earth said: “Our appetite for meat and fish is having an enormous impact on our health – and the health of the planet. Meat Free May is a great opportunity for people to try out a wide range of delicious meat-free recipes for a whole month – and to hopefully think about eating less and better quality meat in future.”
Hanya Gordon from Leicester, who took part in Meat Free May last year, said: “Our diets have serious consequences for our health and the health of the planet, so I was delighted to sign up to Meat Free May last year. Going Meat Free was not at all difficult with so many tasty meat-free products available.”
To get involved you can sign here to Meat Free May here. You will receive an information pack full of tips on how to plan meals.


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The Chief Executive Officer of Databank Group, Kojo Addae-Mensah has attributed the increasing unemployment rate in the country to the unfavourable business environment for investments.
According to him, private businesses are unable to expand to employ more due to their inability to access funding from the capital markets.
The Databank group head also believes the situation has been worsened by government’s continuous borrowing in the capital markets, which crowds out private businesses.
Kojo Addae Mensah was speaking to Citi Business News at an investment summit to climax Databank’s three day investment awareness series.
“The effects are huge, a lot of graduates are unemployed because the economy is not expanding; businesses are not growing to absorb them…if there are for instance a chain of supermarkets compared to small table top stalls, the rate of employment will be massive. Government solely providing employment is long overdue. It is private sector that has to employ so we must give them the channels to expand to employ,” he stated.
Meanwhile Kojo Addae-Mensah has reiterated the need to increase awareness among Ghanaians on the benefits associated with the capital market.
According to him, there are untapped opportunities for individuals and businesses to benefit from.
“There is a lack of knowledge and a fear of a loss of control even among those who know how the capital market works… It is difficult but that is what we should be able to do. Small scale businesses can become a multinationals or conglomerates if the right advice is given we have to push and let people know that things are possible.” Kojo Addae-Mensah observed.
By: Pius Amihere Eduku/citibusinessnews.com/Ghana


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Shutterfly acquired Groovebook for $14.5 million making it one of the most successful businesses to ever appear on Shark Tank.
The PTAB denied Unified Patents’ petition to institute IPR further validating Grecia’s ‘860 Patent as protecting innovative digital rights management.
CityLIGHTS showcases the top technology innovators and tech firms in the Chicago area
100% silicone, microwave and dishwasher safe, sturdy to go cup. Stop the excessive waste of plastic and paper disposables. GoSili!
Otrio, the brainchild of serial toy designer Brady Peterson, is a beautifully designed, multi-dimensional, critical thinking connection game for 2-4 players
GNB’s Voter Moe is a real-time polling app that enables users to express their opinions and explore the real-time responses of other users.
Phone charging handbags is just the start—Everpurse is developing technology to completely infiltrate the fabric of the fashion industry.
Like the Gramophone before it, the Floating Record blends a vintage audio aesthetic with elements of modern technology and design.


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Australian upmarket department store David Jones Ltd is cautiously confident about its sales performance over the upcoming Christmas sales period, Chief Executive Mark McInnes said on Monday.
The signs are that things are improving and there is a bias to the upside, but the macro-economic situation is still fragile, McInnes told reporters after the firm's annual meeting.
The Christmas sales period accounts for as much as a third of the company's annual earnings.
Earlier this month, David Jones reported first quarter same-store sales rose 1.9 percent, trailing larger rival Myer Holdings Ltd with sales growth of 2.9 percent.
(Reporting by Victoria Thieberger; editing by Mark Bendeich)


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Gameloft has just pushed out a new update for Asphalt 8: Airborne. The new update takes the game to version 18.104.22.168 and brings some exciting new cars.
The full changelog reads:
- Added Lamborghini Huracan: If you dream of driving the Lamborghini Huracan can now live the dream.
- Added 6 new cars: The Lamborghini Huracan, Kepler Motion and four of the world’s best sports cars.
- Accidents and incidents: more than 100 types of animation have been added for accidents or incidents.
See screen shots of the app below:
You can download the new update from the Microsoft Store Here. Do let us know your thoughts on the new update.


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Olympia this week became the battleground in commercial fishermen's efforts to stop a plan to move gillnetters off the lower Columbia River's mainstem.
Last fall, Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber proposed the plan that also, among other things, gives recreational anglers priority in salmon allocations. The fish and wildlife commissions of Oregon and Washington have adopted the plan, and gillnetters have filed court action in both states to challenge implementation of the plan.
Washington gillnetters originally filed their action in Wahkiakum County earlier this month but found they had to move the case to Thurston County in order to file suit against the state.
Read the full story at Wahkiakum County Eagle News>>
National Fisherman Live for March 10, 2014
PORTSMOUTH, NH - The New Hampshire Fish and Lobster Festival, known locally as Fishtival, invites the community to Portsmouth's Prescott Park each September to honor, celebrate and rediscover the proud tradition of small-scale, local commercial groundfishing in New Hampshire and its valuable contribution to our local food system, local economy and local culture. Now, the mission continues with the announcement of small grants available from the proceeds of the 2013 event.
In this year's Alaska Symphony of Seafood new-product contest, a distinguished panel of judges, composed of industry chefs and experts, bestowed the grand prize on Tilgner's Specialized Smoked Seafood Products for their Ruby Red Ole World Scottish Style Cold Smoked Sockeye Salmon.Read more...


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Upside down Christmas trees are appearing at hotels and department stores. The upside down tree hanging from the ceiling of the five-star London hotel Claridge’s was decorated by Karl Lagerfeld with tinsel, silver ribbon, and glass ornaments with a traditional star on top. Or bottom.
Want in on the trend? It’s going to cost you.
The artificial upside down trees are on sale at stores like Walmart, which has already nearly sold out of the Champagne-colored upside down tree for $250. Kohl’s has a 7.5′ upside down tree that comes pre-lit for $450, and there is one available in the same size without lights for about $1,000 at Target. You can find a 7’3″ tree for $160 at Home Depot.
Supposedly, the tradition of hanging Christmas trees upside down dates back to the 12th century, when Central Europeans did it to represent the Holy Trinity.


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Neon nail polish is illegal to manufacture in the U.S... But only because no one bothered to register it with the FDA
When Jan Arnold, co-founder of CND (Creative Nail Design) said neon nail polish was illegal to produce in the U.S., fashionistas desperate to get their hands on the day-glow shades went into panic mode.
Without knowing the reason why, one couldn't help but assume that there was something harmful in the chemicals.
But in an interview with MailOnline, CND's chief scientific advisor, Doug Schoon, explained that neon colourants are not illegal to wear, they have simply never been officially registered with the FDA.
Colour pop: Neon nails are all the rage this spring after they showed up on the runways of the spring/summer shows but neon is unavailable in the U.S.
Nail polish colourants, explained the nail manufacturing expert, must be approved by the Food and Drug Administration prior to production but no one has ever thought to submit any neon shades.
Consequently, he expanded, the 'ban' of neon has 'nothing to do with safety' but is simply a matter of comfort with the status quo.
'What determines whether a colour is neon is the chemical composition, just as it is with blues and greens,' Mr Schoon told us.
Any company could register a line of neon colours but 'it's expensive and too much work,' he said.
Safe: The FDA has not approved neon, not because of safety issues but because no one has ever registered it (stock image)
Smaller manufacturers have thrown caution to the wind in response to the demand for the brightly coloured palette and have gone ahead with production regardless.
But larger companies like to 'play by the book' and are less likely to risk being made an example of should the FDA feel inclined to punish them.
Manufacturers and brands such as these find their customers are happy with bright, vibrant colours that while not scientifically neon, achieve the same affect.
But Mr Schoon also admitted that technically speaking, neon is not 'illegal' and with 'more important things to deal with' the government agency is likely to 'turn a blind eye' to its small scale production.
Asked whether, the current demand for neon was a potential worry for a company like CND, he replied: '[The trend] is isolated to a limited section of the population - I don't see it getting bigger.'
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As a student at UC Santa Cruz, Jaimi Ellison was hit by a car while riding a bike and had to undergo months of rehab.
“It made me appreciate my health,” she said.
The experience led Ellison, a biochemistry and community studies major who grew up in Felton, to become a personal trainer. At 27, she’s opened her own business.
Santa Cruz Core Fitness & Rehab, located in a former leather sofa store at 317 Potrero St., offers a variety of services from personal training, exercise classes, boot camps and yoga to nutritional counseling, massage and chiropractic treatment.


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We just wrote about PlaySpan’s recent study showing positive growth in the exchange and e-commerce of virtual goods exchange. PlaySpan powers micro-payments across over 1,000 video games and virtual worlds and has virtual goods storefronts on Facebook, MySpace, within games and on its standalone site. Today, PlaySpan is announcing a fairly significant deal with Nickelodeon to power payment services for virtual goods and microtransactions for the Nickelodeon Kids and Family Virtual Worlds Group.
PlaySpan’s technology and services will power Nickelodeon’s virtual worlds’ currency, called NeoCash, across multiple payment providers including credit cards and prepaid cards. Through PlaySpan’s subsidiary PayByCash, Nickelodeon will offer users over 80 global payment methods.
This is a big move for PlaySpan, considering Nickelodeon’s vast reach and popular games, including virtual world NeoPets, which has a user base of 45 million gamers. PlaySpan recently acquired micro-transaction app developer Spare Change, which powered micropayments across 700 social networking apps on Facebook, MySpace, and Bebo. Earlier this year, PlaySpan also made deal to power micropayments on hi5.
Micropayments are huge these days and the number of players are scaling quickly. With continued expansion on social networks, media properties and virtual worlds, startup PlaySpan has become a player in an arena where bigger players like PayPal, Facebook and MySpace are all investing in. In fact, PayPal’s new API powers micropayments. The competition may be stiff but as micropayments for virtual goods continue to gain traction in virtual worlds and integrate with consumers’ social graphs, there is definite potential for both startups like PlaySpan, Live Gamer and Zuora, and the more established players to play in the same pool.


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Move Inc. announced today the promotion of Curt Beardsley to executive vice president of industry development. “For the past seven years, Curt has served as the industry’s voice at Move in a variety of successive roles,” said Move CEO Steve Berkowitz, “from his deep roots with our Top Producer and ListHub industry products to his significant involvement in our data protection and accuracy initiatives. This is a formal acknowledgement of his day-to-day stewardship of the industry relationships that are central to our success.”
“I’m delighted to be giving Curt the recognition he so richly deserves,” Berkowitz said.
The announcement was one of two from the company today; Move also announced the resignation of realtor.com president Errol Samuelson.
Responding to the changes, NAR leaders said the association’s relationship with realtor.com is deeper than any one person and expressed excitement for the opportunity the change creates for Beardsley, who has been with realtor.com for seven years, most recently as their vice president of product marketing, and has a strong track record of being proactive and getting things done.
According to Move, Beardsley will continue in his role leading the company’s longstanding relationship with NAR and the more than 800 Multiple Listing Service (MLS) organizations it serves.


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Catwalk inspiration: Over 100 attend a fashion show featuring visually impaired models
More than 100 people attended a fashion show featuring all visually impaired models on Saturday, an event hosted by a Hempstead model who is blind and hopes to smash the stigma around disability.
Annalee Smith, 41, hosted her first fashion show at Valley Stream with 16 visually impaired models. She also organized the event.
“The fact that I can help [by] having this platform, and I can help others and inspire others, is good for me. … I feel like at times I have to pinch myself,” she told Newsday.
Smith, who started modeling five years ago and won The Face of Kurvacious modeling competition last year, was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa aged 12. The rare genetic condition impaired his peripheral vision.
She explained that growing up, there were few visually impaired role models in the public sphere. And while New York’s first fashion show featuring blind models took the stage in 2016, visually impaired models still haven’t featured prominently in fashion.
So Smith started planning her own show over a year ago. She originally planned only a handful of models, but after announcing the event, she expanded the number of attendees after reaching more visually impaired women than she had planned.
“I’m inspired even by myself,” she said.
The sold-out event at VFW Post 1790 benefited the Foundation Fighting Blindness, a national non-profit organization working to raise awareness and stimulate research into retinal diseases. Smith plans to hold a second show in October during Blindness Awareness Month.
The women, on a makeshift runway, modeled outfits from several designers, such as casual clothing boutique Legendary LLC, Kurvacious Boutique and plus-size clothing company Ashley Stewart.
The event was Rafia Lawal’s first show. Lawal, 37, from Brooklyn, was diagnosed with cataracts as a young girl while living in Ghana. Her family moved to the United States when she was 10 to have better access to medical care to slow the progression of glaucoma.
Lawal auditioned for a spot on “America’s Next Top Model” during the show’s early seasons but was not selected. She attributes this to her previous lack of confidence and insecurity due to her disability.
“Instead of looking at the camera, I was kind of closing my eyes,” she said. “I was trying to keep them from seeing that I actually had a disability.”
Now filled with confidence, she said she saw the event as a chance to break the belief that women who are blind or visually impaired don’t care about fashion.
The show was also the first modeling event for several of the women, including Colette Stroude, 33, of Brooklyn.
Stroude, born blind due to an inherited eye condition, has modeled alongside her 15-year-old daughter, Heaven Stroude, who is also blind.
“It’s so personal to me and my family,” Stroude said.
She said she was drawn to modeling on the show because blindness and visual impairment are often overlooked when people think of disabilities.
“I was really looking forward to being part of this platform. … Being around other people who have the same problem as you, it has a bigger impact,” Stroude said.


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Falling satisfaction levels and a wave of billing complaints must not be allowed to dampen business customers’ enthusiasm to shop around for a better water deal, a new report has warned.
Research by the Consumer Council for Water (CCWater) has revealed that satisfaction with water services and trust in water companies has fallen among non-household customers in England, since they were given the chance to switch supplier two years ago.
But in Wales, where most customers still cannot switch, business customers remain more satisfied than their English counterparts – a gap which has widened since 2016.
More encouragingly in England, almost nine out of ten switchers expressed satisfaction with the process, according to the Testing the Waters report (pdf). But too many small businesses are in danger of missing out, with only two in five aware they can change retailer.
Competition has also been undermined by a sharp rise in complaints from businesses that have encountered problems, particularly with billing and charges. Non-household complaints handled by CCWater more than tripled during the first year of the market and have shown little sign of receding in the past 12 months. The increase has been driven by some poor performing larger retailers.
Mike Keil, Head of Policy and Research for the Consumer Council for Water, said:
“Satisfaction levels are a crucial test of how well a market is delivering for customers and our research doesn’t paint a very positive picture.”
“For the market to be a long-term success, retailers and wholesalers need to work together to get to grips with the difficulties that have hampered the first two years of competition.”
The opening of the retail water market in April 2017 aimed to improve services and deliver savings for about 1.2 million non-household customers in England, through offering them a choice of retailers. These provide the retail services including billing, meter reading and customer support. Regional water companies have continued to provide the ‘wholesale’ services, including supplying tap water and treating wastewater.
But satisfaction with water services in England has since dropped to 87 per cent (Wales 93 per cent), while only 7 in 10 businesses are content with their retail services. Fewer businesses in England also trust their water company (27%) or believe that it cares (51%), compared to when the same study was carried out in 2016.
As well as improving their service and reducing complaints, CCWater says retailers should provide customers with more information on switching and the benefits they can offer them. At the moment only one in five businesses who are aware of the market have engaged with it. Retailers need to entice more customers to switch or renegotiate if the market is going to fulfil its potential.
CCWater will be publishing a report in the summer highlighting the best and worst performing retailers for complaints to help businesses make a more informed choice.
You can read the full Testing the Waters report here (pdf)
For more information, call the media team on 0121 345 1006.
The research involved 2,300 telephone interviews with business customers across England and Wales. Interviewing took place between April 2018 and August 2018.


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In March 2018, new diesel cars sales in UK dropped by over one-third
According to recent data released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), the month of March 2018 recorded a fall in the demand for new diesel cars in the UK by more than one-third.
The data released by the industry body is important because March is generally the best-selling month of the year for cars.
Going by the SMMT data, the over one-third drop in the UK sales of new diesel cars this March resulted in a 15.7 percent fall in the number of total diesel car registrations in the country in the reporting month. In specific figures, total diesel car registrations in the UK in March 2018 stood at 474,069 vehicles, owing to a plunge in the demand among individual as well as business customers.
The drop in sales of diesel cars in the UK, and several other European countries, is a result of the crackdown by regulators on the diesel-car segment, in the form of bans, levies and additional taxes.
Highlighting the fact that the crackdown is aimed at prompting consumers to opt for auto technologies which can improve air quality for meeting climate change targets, SMMT CEO Mike Hawes said that “government must do more to encourage consumers to buy new vehicles rather than hang onto their older, more polluting vehicles.”
In a recent announcement, German premium automobile company Audi AG has revealed that the company’s Board of Management has approved a new €14 billion investment plan, which will focus on electric vehicles (EVs).
During the course of an interview at the 2018 Beijing Auto Show, Detlev von Platen -- Porsche’s Chief of Sales Division -- informed that Porsche is projecting electric cars will account for as much as 50% of the automaker’s vehicle deliveries by t
While we obviously know the general shape of the upcoming Karma Revero - it's based on the old Fisker Karma, after all – the exact details of the Revero are still a bit under wraps.
In a move which underscores Tesla’s latest effort to expand its Supercharger network for electric vehicles (EVs), the company has started working on the much-awaited Trans-Canada Supercharger route, for enabling coast-to-coast travel by EV owners.
US-based ride-hailing service Uber has announced the launch of its first electric scooter share program in Santa Monica.
With major automakers like Audi, Mercedes and Hyundai planning to electrify their vehicles for the Indian market in 2019, Bengaluru-based start-up Log 9 Materials is focusing on innovative Graphene Nanotechnology to solve the ‘range anxiety’ of el


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It was only last December when Chinese smartphone sensation Xiaomi was getting bad press for reported intellectual property trouble in India. Five months later, that story has faded, replaced by a well-received product launch in the country in April along with even more striking news: Esteemed Indian tycoon business leader Tata has bought a stake in the company. Terms weren’t disclosed.
That quick reversal in perceptions and new partnership in India underscores how Xiaomi, a “startup” flush with experienced leadership at the top of the company, has been finding ways to defy odds and advance in business. Though only five years old, its chief Lei Jun combines two decades of experience in the industry. Co-founders hail from Google, Microsoft and Motorola, bringing ideas about how small businesses can get ahead of entrenched ones. Xiaomi shook up smartphone sales in China, the world’s largest market for the devices, in part by eliminating middlemen in its sales channels and passing savings from an online business model along to grateful, mostly young, consumers.
Lei, Forbes Asia’s Businessman of the Year in 2014 and a billionaire whose investments in U.S.-listed businesses include YY, Cheetah Mobile, Xunlei and 21ViaNet, was correct when he said last month Tata, himself a former Forbes Asia Businessman of the Year, is one of the world’s well-respected leaders and his investment is an affirmation of Xiaomi’s strategy in India, a key growth market. He joins other Xiaomi investors including Morningside, Qiming, Yuri Milner’s DST, Yunfeng Capital and GIC of Singapore.
It’s true that Xiaomi is a David versus Goliaths Apple and Samsung when it comes to technology and resources. Yet small firms find ways to shake up markets around the world every day. It’s hard to say how far Lei Jun’s and Xiaomi’s remarkable run will go, but the path ahead will be interesting to watch.
--Follow me on Twitter @rflannerychina


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Acne Studios launched the N3W Transparent edition, a modern sneaker with completely see-through uppers that clearly display the brand’s signature pink insoles. The new iteration is accompanied by special white socks with black graphics that mimic the bold lined accents and eyelet panel of the original N3W shoe.
For the release of the N3W Transparent sneaker, Acne Studios invited sneaker reviewer, Brad Hall, to give his serious thoughts on the newest silhouette. Hall explores the idea of transparency for a shoe, gives a few sock styling tips, and showcases his fashion modeling along the way.
“I always think about what’s interesting to me about a shoe. And it’s obvious that this shoe is fully transparent. It’s not a new thing to have a translucent or semi-translucent shoe, but the N3W Transparent sneaker takes this even further. And that was the most interesting thing to me. So [with the video] that’s really what I kind of fixated on, and I wanted to do something to honor and explore that,” says Hall.
The N3W Transparent sneaker will be released on July 9 in selected Acne Studios stores.


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On the heels of news that Microsoft, Nokia, and the other hardware partners are ready to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on advertising, promotion, and payola, Windows Phone is getting ready to roll out another update, this one a bug fix for some keyboard issues and a location privacy bug, but apparently doesn’t address the “sms bug” that Microsoft is reportedly working on a fix for. If you are having keyboard issues with your Windows Phone, they should be fixed soon (if you can’t wait, there are workarounds to get the update manually, proceed at your own risk, of course).
What may be bigger news is that Microsoft has seemingly learned how to roll out updates to Windows Phones when necessary, something that has apparently escaped the Android ecosystem, as Paris Lemon points out in a short but poignant post, quoting numbers from developer.android.com:
Is it that just 0.6% of Android users have Ice Cream Sandwich (4.0) two months after it launched?
Is it that of the remaining 99.4%, only 55% are upgraded to Gingerbread (2.3), which came out over a year ago?
Is it that over 30% are stuck on Froyo (2.2) which is 20 months old?
Is it that 8.5% (something like 10 million devices) are stuck on Eclair (2.1), which came out two years ago?
Is it that only 3.3% are using Honeycomb (3.0), which means that all those highly-touted tablets last year are clearly huge flops?
I can’t decide. You choose.
We’ll have to wait and see if those reported huge ad spends will attack the Android fragmentation issue (which of course they should!), but on to the “payola” (or that’s our word for it, anyway). Back last September, we wrote, in Microsoft and mindshare: can Mango be cool in the mall? that the problem in retail for the geeks that sell phones runs deeper than just incentives, of which Microsoft, Nokia, and others are now willing to shell out, according to Paul Thurrott and Mary Jo Foley. Thurrott reports:
Included in the plan are sales incentives for retail workers, aimed at getting them to finally start recommending Windows Phone as an alternative to Android and iPhone. The amount of payments are $10 to $15 per handset sold, depending on the number sold, for some handset models.
Mary Jo then chimes in with some info she’s been hearing about incentives, too, responding to the Thurrott quote, above:
I have heard from my contacts similar numbers, along with promises of free Xboxes, car steroes, free pizza Fridays and other sales “incentives” thrown in for good measure.
I am stymied as to why it took Microsoft this long to figure out that these kinds of promos and paybacks are what’s required in the phone business.
Can some well oiled incentives in the form of cash, Xboxes, and pizza make a difference for Windows Phone? And will bribing retail sellers to push Windows Phones even make much of a difference, if Microsoft remains uncool in the mall? We’ve seen big ad spends from Microsoft for Windows Phone before, it hasn’t budged the numbers, but maybe with a push from Nokia (and will the Nokia brand be perceived as “cool” to new phone consumers, aiding the effort?), those pizzas and car stereos can get this party started.


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Bangalore: New Delhi based electronics buy back service provider Karma Recycling raises an undisclosed amount of Series A funding from Infuse Ventures, a clean technology-focused fund and Low Carbon Enterprise Fund. The company will utilize the funds towards the expansion of its consumer and retailer operation in India and also to enhance its technological offerings.
In 2013, Karma Recycling raised an undisclosed amount in seed funding from Rubal Jain, director-corporate strategy, at logistics services firm Safexpress and Rishabh Sethi, executive director of infrastructure development company SPML Infra. This round of funding brings the funds raised to $500,000 since inception, claims Aamir Jariwala, firm’s co-founder.
Founded in 2013 by Aamir Jariwala and Akshat Ghiya, Karma Recycling buys old electronics goods such as mobile phones and laptops from household and corporate companies for recycling. Karma offers pickup-and-cash services for over 3,000 models of smart phones, tablets, and laptops in any condition, the customers can fill up the details of the products they are willing to sell such as years of use and possible defects in a step-by-step manner and get a value for their product. The devices are then repaired and refurbished by the firm after deleting data and are then re-distributed, with warranty, through Karma’s network of dealers across the cities where people demand for branded goods at a cheaper price. The company also claims to have recycled 16,000 electronic gadgets so far. Karma also has tie ups with large retail chains such as Bharti Retail, Apple-authorized stores, Future Group and Sangeetha Mobiles for in-store exchanges and buy-backs.


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Xbox Game Studios would be slowly extending its domains over development studies, and this is being echoed Brad Sams, a known insider who seems to be aware of the internal maneuvers of the Redmond company, where they would already be making offers to have a few more under their control. What’s more, he predicts that in the coming months we will witness more than one purchase in this regard.
We leave you here the tweet:
There’s a lot of money flowing around gaming companies right now, several getting multiple bids – not sure when or if any of these will close but gaming IP valuations are soaring
— Brad Sams (@bdsams) January 12, 2021
Translation: There is a lot of money that moves between video game companies, with various offers. We don’t know when or if they’ll even get it, but the value of IPs is going up.
This is not strange for Microsoft, who we learned recently that in the past they even tried to take over EA, Square, Midway and even Nintendo itself, with a result that was more than expected.


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By Josh Kosman
July 22, 2015 | 9:28pm
Billion-dollar plus Wall Street deals have been scuttled for many reasons — no interested buyers, a stock market tumble or the seller is asking too much for the asset.
But because of a salmonella threat?
Well, you can add that reason to the list as the potential $2 billion sale of AdvancePierre has been postponed following the July 12 Department of Agriculture recall of 1.7 million pounds of raw stuffed-chicken products from its Barber division.
Several people fell ill from Barber products because of salmonella contamination.
Private-equity owner Oaktree Capital Group was ready to take final bids for the business 24 hours later.
Bidders were caught by surprise, according to sources. The recall came just weeks after the government said AdvancePierre would recall 58,000 pounds of chicken after four people were sickened.
AdvancePierre buys chickens from suppliers like Tyson and turns them into stuffed breasts, chicken fingers and other products for food services, schools and convenience stores.
Oaktree, which hired Morgan Stanley and Rothschild to handle the auction, has delayed the auction.
“No sale is going to happen this month,” a source said, “perhaps not this summer.”
Post Foods, Thailand’s CP Foods, and Goldman Sachs- and THL Partners-owned CTI Foods were among the suitors.
Oaktree declined comment.


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Tiffany & Company said second-quarter earnings surged on strong growth in international sales, especially in Japan. Tiffany, the New York jeweler and retailer, said net income in the quarter, which ended on July 31, was $3.45 million, or 22 cents a share, compared with a loss of $32.55 million, or $2.06 a share, in the quarter a year earlier. In the 1993 quarter, Tiffany took a charge of $32.7 million, or $2.07 a share, for a realignment of its business in Japan. Excluding the charge, the company earned $162,000, or 1 cent a share.
August 16, 1994


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Last month, the Pixel series smartphone users received the latest May 2022 security update. But today, The company released the latest May 2022 security patch to the Pixel 3a and 3a XL smartphone users. According to the Verizon networks, the current software update provides performance improvements and the most up-to-date Android security patches on your device, the company has issued this single line.
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The latest firmware update for the smartphones comes with an upgrade build version number SP2A.220505.006 (Pixel 3a), SP2A.220505.006 (Pixel 3a XL). This patch solved dozes security and privacy-related issues including critical, high and moderate levels of CVEs. This update brings a general bug fix and improved system performance or stability. It is currently available on the Verizon networks in the US.


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NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Shares of Tesla Motors Inc (TSLA) are sliding, down 2.68% to $249.15 in early market trading Wednesday, following the announcement that company CFO Deepak Ahuja will retire this year, according to CEO Elon Musk.
Musk made the unexpected announcement at Tesla's annual shareholder meeting.
Ahuja, who joined Tesla in 2008 as the company's first financial chief, will help find a successor.
In addition, Tesla announced that it will start delivering its Model X sport utility vehicle in three to four months, close to the timeline the electric-car maker revealed earlier in the year, according to Bloomberg.
"The Model X will be a better SUV than the Model S is a sedan," Musk added.
Palo Alto, Calif.-based Tesla Motors designs, develops, manufactures and sells electric vehicles and advanced electric vehicle powertrain components. It owns its sales and service network.
Separately, TheStreet Ratings team rates TESLA MOTORS INC as a Hold with a ratings score of C. TheStreet Ratings Team has this to say about their recommendation:
"We rate TESLA MOTORS INC (TSLA) a HOLD. The primary factors that have impacted our rating are mixed, some indicating strength, some showing weaknesses, with little evidence to justify the expectation of either a positive or negative performance for this stock relative to most other stocks. The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its robust revenue growth, expanding profit margins and solid stock price performance. However, as a counter to these strengths, we also find weaknesses including deteriorating net income, generally higher debt management risk and disappointing return on equity."
Highlights from the analysis by TheStreet Ratings Team goes as follows:
- TSLA's very impressive revenue growth greatly exceeded the industry average of 7.3%. Since the same quarter one year prior, revenues leaped by 51.5%. This growth in revenue does not appear to have trickled down to the company's bottom line, displayed by a decline in earnings per share.
- 35.88% is the gross profit margin for TESLA MOTORS INC which we consider to be strong. It has increased from the same quarter the previous year. Regardless of the strong results of the gross profit margin, the net profit margin of -16.40% is in-line with the industry average.
- Looking at where the stock is today compared to one year ago, we find that it is not only higher, but it has also clearly outperformed the rise in the S&P 500 over the same period, despite the company's weak earnings results. Despite the fact that it has already risen in the past year, there is currently no conclusive evidence that warrants the purchase or sale of this stock.
- Return on equity has greatly decreased when compared to its ROE from the same quarter one year prior. This is a signal of major weakness within the corporation. Compared to other companies in the Automobiles industry and the overall market, TESLA MOTORS INC's return on equity significantly trails that of both the industry average and the S&P 500.
- Net operating cash flow has significantly decreased to -$131.79 million or 317.33% when compared to the same quarter last year. In addition, when comparing to the industry average, the firm's growth rate is much lower.
- You can view the full analysis from the report here: TSLA Ratings Report


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Marseille Fos to be 1st Electric Port in Med
The the main trade seaport of France, the Port of Marseille Fos has unveiled a new eco-friendly initiative that supports the port's goal of becoming the Mediterranean's first fully electric port by 2025.
Marseille Fos CEO Hervé Martel said: “We are convinced that ecological transition is the springboard to economic growth. That’s why we are investing heavily to become the Mediterranean’s first 100% electric port by 2025."
Among a string of new eco-friendly initiatives, the Marseille Fos port authority is to spend EUR 20 million over the next six years to extend shore-side electrical connections for berthed vessels to every ferry, cruiseship and repair quay within the Marseille eastern harbour.
Already available on the Corsica ferry quays, the network will be expanded in two phases to cover North Africa ferry quays and the ship-repair hub by 2022 and the cruise terminal between 2022 and 2025.
The zero-emissions investment - backed by national and regional government – recognizes the need to maintain the port’s value to the economy while improving the city’s waterside air quality.


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in the past 2008 Olympic Games, China’s athletes show their own style, and our country is further out of the country, to the world. The first international winter sports (Beijing) Expo sponsored by the Beijing Olympic City Development Association was held at the Beijing National Convention Center from October 19th to 22. Hold the Winter Fair is the key project of Beijing municipal government to speed up the development of winter sports in 2016-2022, is to promote Chinese 300 million people involved in the ice and snow sports, a winter sports and ice industry as the main content of the international high-end exhibition to promote extensive development of winter sports in the China founded.
under the call of the District Sports Bureau, the District Sports Industry Association organized nearly a hundred sports enterprises within the jurisdiction of the active participation of the winter fair. The participants of the sports enterprises are responsible to participate in the forum, winter sports equipment and Technology Forum, Internet plus sports marketing forum, winter sports tourism industry forum and snow industry winter sports talent financing seminar parallel forum.
Winter Olympics in the Olympic Games is also a matter of extraordinary significance, we can watch more winter programs, especially the vigorous development of ice and snow sports. By participating in the Winter Fair, our district sports enterprises a comprehensive understanding of the relevant policy information of ice and snow sports, feel the unique charm of the winter sports and the latest products, direct experience of intelligent sports equipment and cutting-edge technology to share the snow, ice and snow industry investment trends, investment experience, and provides innovative ideas for sports the future development of enterprises.


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Emart Vietnam is planning to open two more supermarkets in Ho Chi Minh City – one in Sala Thu Thiem and another in Go Vap District – part of a plan to launch 20 hypermarkets by 2026.
Emart Vietnam was acquired by Thiso International Commerce and Services Corporation (Thiso), a subsidiary of Thaco Group, last year after the South Korean-born chain experienced difficulties with its expansion ambitions in Vietnam.
The plans were revealed at an Emart Partners Day earlier this month. Chun Byung Ki, general director of Thiso Retail, reports that by 2026, the chain wants to have 20 locations nationwide and generate US$1 billion in sales, becoming the hypermarket chain with the largest market share in the country.
The Emart Sala Thu Thiem, which will occupy more than 6000 sqm, will be located in Thu Duc city’s Thiso Mall, while Thiso Retail Hypermarket, Trading and Service Center will house the new Emart Go Vap, which the company describes as the largest supermarket in HCM City.
Chun said Thaco’s real estate fund and multi-industry ecosystem will enable Emart to expand into other provinces, including Hanoi. An automated pick-up system will debut in Vietnam for the first time, allowing customers to pick up orders efficiently, and a one-hour delivery promise will be guaranteed to customers within a 5km radius.
Emart is one of the largest retailers in South Korea with locations across the globe. It was founded in 1993 by Shinsegae as the first low-cost retailer in the country. The company opened its first store in 2015 at Phan Van Tri in Go Vap District.


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Apple has now sold more than two million iPad tablets, it said Monday, less than two months after the iPad's April 3 U.S. launch.
NetComm today launched 'MyZone', a mobile 3G Wi-Fi router that will initially be sold exclusively through official Apple retail stores.
Apple has unveiled local iPad pricing ahead of the tablet's May 28 down under launch, while Telstra, Optus and VHA have all announced pricing of their iPad data plans.
Apple has finally launched its iPad tablet in Australia. Unfortunately, if you haven't pre-ordered an iPad and you didn't join the hundreds of keen geeks in the queues this morning at Apple's new Bondi Junction store (or another official Apple Store)...
Apple opened a new retail store in Bondi Junction and launched its new iPad tablet in Australia this morning.
It was a landmark morning for Apple worshippers today, as the technology company opened a new store and launched its much hyped tablet -- the iPad.
Magazines and newspapers seeing their revenue imperiled by the Web's freewheeling ways may be finding hope in the iPad, the iPhone and other new media-friendly mobile devices, to judge by a number of panels at the TechCrunch Disrupt conference, held ...
The Apple iPad officially goes on sale in the UK at 8am tomorrow, 28 May, however some pre-order units of the touchscreen, tablet-style computer have been delivered a day early.
Shipments of laptops rose by 43.4 per cent in the first three months of 2010, compared to the same period last year, according to market research company Gartner. A large part of the growth was due to a 71 percent bump in netbook sales, which Gartner...
VHA (Vodafone Hutchison Australia) has finally announced its dedicated Apple iPad data pricing, just two days ahead of the iPad launch in Australia on Friday May 28.
Country-specific iPad App Stores are showing up one week early than expected for international users who bought an iPad from eBay or Craigslist, before the tablet officially becomes available in their country.
Experts used different data today to conclude that strong iPad sales have created a "halo" effect for Apple, boosting the number of Mac computers the company has sold.
Positive press and word of mouth from very satisfied owners has convinced one-in-five U.S. consumers to buy an Apple iPad, a survey published today said.
While D3 Publishing is currently working on bringing the next chapter of the Puzzle Quest franchise to the Xbox 360 and Nintendo DS, Namco Networks will deliver the game to PCs as well as Apple's portable iPhone and iPad platforms.
Apple's iPad won't put a crimp on sales of netbooks this year, an analyst has predicted.
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Bangladeshi workers pay price for West's cheap clothes
At least 250 people have been killed in the collapse of a building outside the capital, Dhaka where Bangladeshi workers made Western clothing, and scores more are still missing. Police said the owners of factories in the building had ignored warnings about cracks appearing on Tuesday.
Bangladesh has one of the largest garment industries in the world, providing cheap clothing for major Western retailers which benefit from its widespread low-cost labour. But the industry has been widely criticised for its low pay and limited rights given to workers and for the often dangerous working conditions in garment factories.
Andrew North reports for BBC Newsnight on the human cost of cheap clothing, and using concealed cameras reveals that some factories making garments for Western buyers are using child labour.
- BBC News


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Ford got some good news this week as the redesigned 2015 Ford Mustang coupe earned the top five-star overall safety rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
The rating doesn't apply for the 2015 Ford Mustang convertible however as it hasn't been rated yet.
Here's how the Ford Mustang faired during its crash tests: five stars in the rollover, front and side crash tests. Doesn't get much better than that.
"The new Mustang was built from the ground up," said Carl Widmann, Mustang chief engineer, in a company statement. "It is more refined, more powerful and it has everything people have come to love about Mustang for the past 50 years."
It's not surprising Ford's latest Mustang performed so well with all the standard safety equipment it comes with like eight air bags, including a new glove box-mounted knee air bag for the front-seat passenger and a driver's knee air bag.
The NHTSA must have been impressed with the 2015 Mustang's other standard safety features like a rearview camera, traction control, stability control and antilock brakes. It also comes with semi-autonomous technologies like Adaptive Cruise Control, SYNC 911 Assist, which lets a mobile phone connect to SYNC to call 911 directly when needed.
The new Mustang is the first car to offer four-, six- and eight-cylinder engines that produces at least 300 horsepower.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has not rated the 2015 Mustang.
Interested customers around the U.S. can buy the 2015 Ford Mustang coupe at their local dealer now.
The 2015 Ford Mustang competes for sales against similar models like the Nissan 370Z, Dodge Challenger and Chevy Camaro.
In comparison, the 2015 Chevrolet Camaro and 2015 Dodge Challenger also earned the top five-star overall safety rating from NHTSA.
The 2015 Nissan 370Z hasn't been rated yet by NHTSA.


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Legislation promotes e-commerce
- By Colleen O'Hara
- Feb 14, 2001
NIST Manufacturing Extension Partnership
The National Institute of Standards and Technology would be required tohelp small and medium-size manufacturers integrate e-commerce technologyinto their business, under legislation passed by the House Wednesday.
The Electronic Commerce Enhancement Act of 2001, introduced Feb.8, wouldrequire NIST to work with major industries and develop a plan detailinghow manufacturers, suppliers and others in the supply chain can be linkedelectronically.
NIST also would have to establish an advisory panel to study and reporton the problems and potential solutions that smaller manufacturers facewhen it comes to using e-commerce for such things as payment and ordering.
The panel would have to draft a three-year e-commerce plan for NIST'sManufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) program and, if necessary, producesome recommendations for NIST on how to address e-commerce interoperabilityissues. The MEP also would have to establish a pilot program for assistingthese businesses in e-commerce.
The MEP is a national network of centers offering technical expertise,training and guidance to small and medium-size manufacturers.
Rep. Jim Barcia (D-Mich.) introduced the bill (H.R. 524), which is identicalto a bill he introduced last summer. At that time, Barcia called small andmedium-size businesses the "backbone of our economy" and said the legislationwould ensure that they "would not be left behind."
Barcia is the ranking Democrat on the House Science Committee's Environment,Technology and Standards Subcommittee.