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RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Local teachers in the Chesterfield district held a giveaway today, benefiting the William Fox Elementary School teachers who lost everything in the tragic fire that occurred just a few weeks ago. The giveaway was organized by two former public-school teachers, just days after the fire happened.
“I always say to my students, it shouldn’t have to happen to you, for it to matter to you. And we see so many people who clearly believe that” said Ann Marie Halstead.
Goodie bags containing gift cards and other mementos were given away to Fox teachers at the site of the charred remains of the school. Each bag contained a $150 gift card for Amazon, a $25 gift card to Target, a fox figurine, a new set of pens, a pen pouch, homemade cookies, and a letter from a local community member offering each teacher “something special” in collaboration with local artists that they will make for the teachers when they have the classroom space for the gift.
Amy Foster said that an Amazon wishlist was created for the teachers that people were able to purchase much-needed items off of. The items were delivered straight to her home, where she was able to get everything together for the teachers.
“A lot of that comes right directly out of the teacher’s pockets, and that’s why it was so important to us to give directly back to the teachers,” Foster said.
Halstead and Foster said due to the Amazon wishlist, they were able to collect all of the supplies to be given away without adding another to-do to the Fox teachers themselves.
“They still have their fox spirit alive and well, but it takes a lot to come back from something like this,” Halstead said.


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- Battery-swapping tech-enabled e-autos will be deployed in Hyderabad and will be subsequently scaled to other Indian cities
- The partners termed it a revolutionary step in making last-mile mobility fully clean and electric
Leading Indian shared ride aggregator, Rapido and battery-swapping deep-tech player, RACEnergy recently announced their partnership to deploy electric autos (E-autos) across the country by the end of 2023. It is learnt that the partners will begin the deployment of e-autos in Hyderabad and will subsequently scale to other Indian cities. The official release noted that these vehicles will be integrated with RACE’s advanced swapping technology, giving them access to the network of swap points.
Terming the partnership as a great step towards a green sustainable transport solution, co-founder of Rapido, Aravind Sanka remarked: “There’s always a constant effort at Rapido to serve our customers with the best experience possible.” Sanka further said, “RACEnergy’s battery-swapping technology and energy-dense batteries will help us make electric transport available for the masses. We see this partnership benefitting both parties, this is a welcome addition to our fleet, with e-vehicles steadily making their grounds in the Indian market, we are always game to embrace the future.”
Notably, despite payment issues in Assam and the clash with regulators in Maharashtra, Rapido is making swift progress in the urban e-mobility market.
RACEnergy’s co-founder & CEO, Arun Sreyas commented, “We join hands with Rapido in our collaborative mission to revolutionise last-mile transportation through our cutting-edge battery-swapping technology.” By partnering with Rapido, he said, “We aim to expand the reach of our solutions and provide more commuters with access to our technology. This will enable us to expand our network to multiple cities and onboard a greater number of e-Auto drivers. As a result, we anticipate higher battery utilisation and circulation.”
Certified by the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI), RACEnergy identifies itself as one of the first companies in India to receive the AIS 156 safety certification for its swappable battery packs.
Swiggy-backed Rapido is a Bengaluru-based e-hailing auto and bike taxi aggregator that offers a sustainable alternative for commuting in over 97 cities in India.

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Comcast, the largest cable operator in the United States, said the personal data of about 35.9 million customers of its Xfinity services may have been illegally accessed by hackers in a security breach in october.
On Monday, Comcast began notifying its customers about the hack. The cable giant revealed in a filing with the Maine Attorney General that the breach affected up to 35,879,455 customers.
In a statement to Variety, a Comcast spokesperson said: “We are not aware of any customer data leaks or attacks against our customers. Additionally, we have asked our customers to reset their passwords and strongly recommend that they enable two-factor or multi-factor authentication, as many Xfinity customers already do. We take the responsibility to protect our customers very seriously and require our cybersecurity team to monitor them 24/7.
According to Comcast’s notice to customers, on October 10, 2023, one of Xfinity’s software vendors, cloud computing provider Citrix, announced a vulnerability in one of its products used by Xfinity (among other companies) . Comcast said it “quickly patched and mitigated our systems” but then discovered that between October 16 and 19, 2023, “there was unauthorized access to certain of our internal systems that we concluded was was the result of this vulnerability.
On December 6, Comcast said it had “concluded that the information included hashed usernames and passwords.” For some Xfinity customers, other information was compromised, including names, contact information, last four digits of Social Security numbers, dates of birth, and/or secret questions and answers. Comcast said “our analysis of the data continues and we will provide additional advice as appropriate.”
The cable operator proactively asks customers to reset their passwords and said it “strongly encourages you to sign up for two- or multi-factor authentication.”
“The next time you sign in to your Xfinity account, you will be prompted to change your password, if you have not already been asked,” the company said in the customer advisory. “While we advise customers not to reuse passwords across multiple accounts, if you use the same information elsewhere, we recommend changing the information on those other accounts as well.”
For the third quarter of 2023, Comcast reported 32.287 million residential and business broadband customers (a decline of 18,000 for the period) and 14.495 million video customers (a sequential loss of 490,000).


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The level of campylobacter contamination in British chicken is significantly lower than last year, the country’s Food Standards Agency reports.
In the first quarter of the second year of survey, from July to September 2015, 15% of chickens tested positive for the highest level of contamination, down from 22% in July to September 2014. Campylobacter was present on 76% of the chicken samples, down from 83% in the same months of last year.
The Food Standards Agency is leading a campaign to bring down the presence of the campylobacter bacteria in Britain, working closely together with chicken producers and processors and the large supermarket chains in the UK. The FSA has been testing chickens for campylobacter since February 2014 regularly and publishes the results as part of its campaign to bring together the whole food chain to tackle the problem as well as to raise awareness of the health risks of campylobacter.
As with the previous survey, the data shows variations between the retailers. Steve Wearne, director of policy at the FSA said: “It is good to see that some retailers are getting to grips with campylobacter. However, we want to see all of them pulling together to achieve real and lasting reductions. I am also pleased that we are starting to see retailers and processors being open with consumers about what they are doing to tackle the problem and about the impact their interventions are having on the chickens they are selling.”
You may also be interested in: UK campylobacter data ‘out of date’, processors suggest
The British Poultry Council also is pleased with the first signs of improvement. Chairman John Reed, said: “We are pleased to be seeing progress made after years of effort and the investment of tens of millions of pounds. There is still a lot of work to do but these results show that we are moving in the right direction.”
The BPC has been working closely with regulators and retailers since 2009 to better understand and combat the presence of campylobacter in chickens. This co-operative work is overseen by the Acting on Campylobacter Together (ACT) Board, with representatives from regulators, retailers, and processors. ACT board chairman, Richard MacDonald, said: “Campylobacter remains a very complex bacterium that exists naturally in the environment. We have made great strides in our understanding and the interventions now available extend from farm to fork. We are confident that the creativity and innovation being brought to bear will drive further progress.”
Read the expert opinion from Paul Lopez who says “Reducing Campylobacter in poultry is a big challenge”


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When Motorola finally rolled out those Ice Cream Sandwich updates for the Droid Razr, Droid Razr Maxx, and Droid 4 – owners of the phone didn’t expect that the Moto and Verizon would ever be so generous to include a bonus: a root checker that tracks whether or not the phone has been given the rooting treatment.
Motorola Droid Razr M 4G LTE pic and spec sheet leaked
It's hard to believe that its been three years since the original Motorola Droid hit the market. Whether you love Motorola or not, it's hard to deny that the Droid was a significant part of the growth of Android during its heyday. Fast-forwarding today and the Droid still manages to carry on, despite being near-archaic in age for a smartphone. While most Droid users have moved on to newer handsets, one developer at XDA has decided to show just how capable the Droid still is, pushing out a complete build of Android 4.1 Jelly Bean.
Another win for Apple as ITC remands Motorola complaint for further judicial investigation
While this might initially seem a win for Motorola and Google, the problem here is timing. An initial determination by the judge will still be subject to a review by the ITC. The entire process could take at least one year. With that, whatever damages ensuing from the alleged patent infringement would have already been moot, especially since iPhones and iPads will continue to be sold in the U.S.
Motorola says no bootloader unlocking for older devices
It’s been close to a week since Motorola launched its user-friendly bootoloader unlocking tool, but we haven’t seen any changes in the list of supported devices yet. If you own an older Motorola device, there’s a likelihood that your device may not be supported at all.
Samsung nabs title as China’s top Android smartphone, HTC and Motorola follow closely behind
Continuing the theme of world domination, China is the next leg of the tour for Samsung. The latest data from research firm Umeng reveals that despite the presence of many local players, South Korea’s finest phone maker was able to retain its lead in China – a feat that it first achieved in Q3 2011.
Motorola, with the threat of bad press staring it down, has said it will do everything in its power to help those cut. Compensation and re-employment services are being made available, and workers have demanded for 'open layoff talks' and appealed for peaceful protests.
Rogers starts selling Motorola Defy Pro for $275 off-contract
When we first reported that Motorola was readying a QWERTY variant of its popular ruggedized smartphone line, the Motorola Defy Pro, the device was still practicing its Samba moves en route to Brazil. Now it seems the Defy Pro has muscled its way to Canadian shores.
‘Patent wars are not helpful to consumers’ -Google
"Patent wars are not helpful to consumers," says Pablo Chavez, director of Public Policy at Google, at a recently-held Technology Policy Institute conference. But given the timing of the recent Motorola Mobility offensive against Apple at the ITC, is Google sending the right signals?


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Ford chief executive Alan Mulally's compensation rose 11 per cent to $US23.2 million ($A25.12 million) in 2013, as the company reported record profits in North America and Asia.
Mulally earned $US2 million in salary, the same as 2012.
But he earned more in bonuses, at $US5.9 million, and in stock and option awards, which totalled $US14.6 million.
The company's board noted that Mulally helped keep the company's European restructuring on track.
It said Ford exceeded internal profit and cashflow targets, and noted that the Michigan-based company doubled its dividend in 2013. But the board said Ford missed internal targets for market share increases and quality improvement.
Ford earned a record pre-tax profit of $US8.8 billion in North America and a record profit of $415 million in Asia last year.
Ford saw strong demand worldwide for small SUVs such as the Escape, EcoSport and Kuga last year. In the US, sales of the F-Series pick-up truck jumped 18 per cent as the economy continued to improve.
Mulally's compensation included $232,153 for personal use of private planes.
Mulally, 68, announced in January that he would stay at Ford at least through the end of this year, putting to rest rumours that he might leave to become chief executive of Microsoft.
Mulally has made $197.65 million since joining Ford in 2006, according to the AP's calculations. He led a major restructuring at the automaker, cutting costs by closing factories and globalising its product offerings worldwide. Ford has earned $42.4 billion since returning to profitability in 2009.


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NEW YORK, NY, December 15, 2015 – Ogilvy & Mather announced today the election of two new members to its Worldwide Board. They are Sophie Hoffstetter, Worldwide Managing Director for the agency’s Unilever account and Mike Welsford, Worldwide Managing Director for the agency’s Nestlé business. Both leaders are based in London.
Commenting on the two new members, Miles Young, Worldwide Chairman and CEO of Ogilvy & Mather, said: “Sophie and Mike have done outstanding work on Unilever and Nestlé, two of our biggest accounts. Both Nestlé and Unilever currently rate Ogilvy their top-performing agency, a fact that can be directly attributed to Sophie and Mike and the wonderful teams they’ve built.”
Hoffstetter and Welsford both recently led the agency to win additional assignments for Unilever and Nestlé, respectively.
December 15, 2015
About Ogilvy & Mather
Ogilvy is one of the largest marketing communications companies in the world. It was named the Cannes Lions Network of the Year for five consecutive years, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016; the EFFIEs World's Most Effective Agency Network in 2012, 2013 and 2016; and Adweek's Global Agency of the Year in 2016. The company is comprised of industry leading units in the following disciplines: advertising; public relations and public affairs; branding and identity; shopper and retail marketing; health care communications; direct, digital, promotion and relationship marketing; consulting, research and analytics; branded content and entertainment; and specialist communications. O&M services Fortune Global 500 companies as well as local businesses through its network of more than 500 offices in 126 countries. It is a WPP company (NASDAQ: WPPGY). For more information, visit http://www.ogilvy.com/, or follow Ogilvy on Twitter at @Ogilvy and on Facebook.com/Ogilvy.


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Bitcoin news 20162017
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An early rally Thursday came unglued when talks between Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) and Yahoo (NASDAQ: YHOO) fell apart and Lehman Brothers (NYSE: LEH) demoted its COO and CFO over continuing credit market troubles.
After rallying 1.5% in the morning on stronger than expected retail sales, the major averages gave it all back in the afternoon before recovering to close with gains of less than 0.5%.
Yahoo fell 10% on news that Microsoft is no longer interested in buying the whole company, while Microsoft rallied 4% on relief that it won’t overpay for its internet rival. Google (NASDAQ: GOOG), meanwhile, edged higher on speculation that it will likely partner with Yahoo in a search advertising deal.
Friday could turn out to be another eventful day, as traders digest consumer inflation data before the market opens amid Federal Reserve threats to raise interest rates.
Qualcomm (NASDAQ: QCOM) was up 5.8% after raising its guidance on strength in 3G wireless sales.
Nortel (NYSE: NT) had another strong day, up 9% on a JP Morgan upgrade.
Palm (NASDAQ: PALM) jumped 10% on a deal with Verizon (NYSE: VZ), while Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) and Research in Motion (NASDAQ: RIMM) ended the day lower.
The Nasdaq rose 10 to 2404, the S&P added 4 to 1339, and the Dow rose 57 to 12,141. Volume rose to 4.75 billion shares on the NYSE, and 2.12 billion on the Nasdaq. Advancers led by a 16-15 margin on the NYSE, and 15-13 on the Nasdaq. Upside volume was 58% on the NYSE, and 59% on the Nasdaq. New highs-new lows were 29-187 on the NYSE, and 43-183 on the Nasdaq.


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Philippine Postal Corporation (PHLPost) has supported the moved of Parañaque Rep. Eric Olivarez author of House Bill (HB) 5362, requiring the Philippine Postal Service (PhlPost) to print postage stamps depicting Philippine tourist spots. The Philippines is slowly getting a lot of tourist arrivals for the past few years and featuring the country’s tourist destination spot could further boost the promotion of these places.
The proposed bill requires that these stamps be affixed on all outgoing mail matter for a certain period of time to attract foreign tourist and for other purposes.
According to PHLPost, a postage stamp acts as an ambassador for the country because they always tell stories about the beautiful places as it travels around the world through the postal service.
In the hearing presided by Representative Lucy Torres-Gomez, Chairperson of the Committee on Tourism, the bill seeks to accelerate tourism promotion efforts by spreading and make known the existence of the famous tourism destinations in the country.
The postage stamps will surely arouse the interest of tourists about these areas and of the extraordinary beauty of these Philippine Tourist destination spots like Boracay, Palawan, Bohol among others.
The Philippine Postal Corporation will print the stamps depicting tourist areas in the country.
The purpose is to trigger awareness and information about the tourist’s areas which the Department of Tourism and the Tourism Promotions Board can provide that could attract foreigners to visit the Philippines.
According to the website, The department aims the country to be the destination hub and their destination strategy is to achieve the projected growth in tourist numbers and expenditures over the next decade. the Central Philippines will have to move to an investment-driven strategy.
PHLPOST Facebook Page : https://www.facebook.com/PHLPost/


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Paul Mlajenovic, author of Precious Metals Investing For Dummies, goes on a rant about a recent article written by a financial pundit who claims the “defects” of the gold standard are what lead to the Great Depression. As Visitors to PreciousMetalsInvesting.com (and our long time fans at preciousmetalsinvesting.org) know we are are long term advocates of precious metals investing to protect you from the coming current financial problems caused by the current financial shenanigans.
The gold standard was a constraint on the government’s ability to print an unlimited amount of paper money. The unbridled printing of money results in inflation, the silent pickpocket that takes money out of your pocket day after day as the paper currency, now backed only by “the full faith of the government” is worth less and less. Precious Metals investing is investing in a real store of value whose value has been appreciating year after year.


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Apple is finishing up work on the Apple Watch’s software, and sources familiar with the product’s development say that the device is currently on track to ship in the United States by the end of March. Apple previously said that the wearable product will ship in “early 2015,” while Senior Vice President of Retail Angela Ahrendts got a bit more specific by telling employees that the launch will occur in the “spring,” after the Chinese New Year…
testing Stories January 6, 2015
testing Stories December 11, 2014
testing Stories September 25, 2014
Not sure what to believe about recent claims that the iPhone 6 Plus has a malleability issue? Consumer Reports says it is in the process of undergoing authoritative testing to find its own answer to the question of whether or not the larger iPhone has a bending problem.
According to their post, Consumer Report will critically test the new iPhones against other popular smartphones using their “sophisticated machinery” which can apply up to 1,000 pounds of force previously used to test the LG G Flex and determine whether or not the iPhone 6 models are more likely to bend than other phones. expand full story
testing Stories September 15, 2013
While the first version of iOS 7 will arrive for end-users next week, Apple is already well into testing for iterative updates to the revamped operating system. According to web analytics for 9to5Mac, Apple employees seem to already be testing iOS 7.0.1, iOS 7.0.2, and iOS 7.1. While we cannot absolutely confirm that these tests are occurring inside Apple, it seems likely based on the cities in which these operating systems are being tested. Apple’s headquarters is in Cupertino, California, and we are seeing these views from these unreleased operating systems from both Cupertino and surrounding areas.
Based on Apple’s past release history, iOS 7.0.1 and iOS 7.0.2 are designed as successive bug fix updates, while iOS 7.1 could bring either new functionality or support for new hardware. Apple typically releases bug fixes updates within a few weeks following a major iOS launch, so it is somewhat unsurprising to see Apple employees already testing the new versions. Based on Apple preparing new models of iPad hardware for the later this fall, perhaps the iOS 7.1 update is designed to launch on that new hardware. We previously reported that the new iPads will run a successive update to iOS 7.0. Perhaps backing this up is that all signs of iOS 7.1 testing in our analytics have been conducted on iPads.
testing Stories September 12, 2013
testing Stories August 15, 2011
It appears that Apple is now putting an LTE 4G-capable iPhone or iPad through the usual carrier testing. The proof comes from a .plist hinting at “LTE” (discovered by BGR) in an internal iOS test build that is allegedly from “one of Apple’s major carrier partners”. Of course at this point we don’t know whether this is the iPhone 5 (iPhone 4S variant?) or even a new iPad, but its a good sign that the company has plans to take advantage of 4G LTE networks in the future… even if it isn’t the iPhone 5 “worldphone” you might be hoping for.
This wouldn’t be the first time Apple prototyped a device to take advantage of the latest carrier networks.
Plist file reproduced below: expand full story


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Change is afoot in London as General Projects and the Waterfront Studios Limited Partnership reveal their plans to transform a former industrial district in Haringey, North London.
Acquired for £33.8 million, the two developers aim to transform a 3.5-acre mixed-use campus in the heart of the Haringey Warehouse District that includes 90,000 sq ft of former warehousing and factory spaces, alongside 41 loft apartments and a 1.5-acre vacant development site.
The existing campus – known as Florentia Clothing Village, was established over 35 years ago as a hub for small businesses in the garment industry. It has continually evolved into a local hub for entrepreneurs and is now home to over 40 local businesses crafting products that span textiles, furniture, clothing, food, bicycles, and consumer products.
In a statement shared with Commercial People, General Projects stated that they have plans to “enhance and grow the existing community, delivering one of London’s largest hubs for creative SME businesses.”
Over the next 12 months, General Projects will bring forward a planning application for a 100,000 sq ft extension on the vacant land to double the size of the campus, aiming to create a cluster of over 150 like-minded independent creative design and manufacturing businesses.
Commenting on the project, Jacob Loftus, General Projects CEO, said: “Affordable, fit for purpose, creative industrial spaces in London have been increasingly disappearing over the past 15 years, putting immense pressure on independent businesses in the design and manufacturing industries.
“Over the past 30 years Florentia has been home to a thriving cluster of fashion-based businesses, we are honoured to take over the custodianship of this wonderful hidden gem, and are excited to expand the complex to become London’s biggest hub for SME maker businesses – establishing a new benchmark for modern, design led, creator-spaces.”
General Projects states that the existing heritage buildings – which date from 1930, will be retained and modernised. The developer is also keen to point out that the current community based have been consulted on the acquisition and will be retained and supported through the transition.
Sitting north of the recently regenerated Woodberry Down project and a short walk from Manor House tube station, The Haringey Warehouse District, also known locally as Manor House Warehouses, is part of the Tottenham Creative Enterprise Zone.
General Project’s plans involve no change of use and aim to enhance and grow the existing community and makers and creative industries.


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Myanmar government textile factories which were mostly stopped in the previous year as cotton production declined due to heavy rains in July, August and November. This year with the re-opening of the government textile factories, the demand for cotton is expected to rise and production likely to double, according to traders.
Since the start of the cotton production season, which runs from July to September, the government-owned factories and private factories ordered up to 3 million viss. Traders sold out all their stock. The production was 12 million viss for the year. If the weather is good, this yearâ€™s production will reach 30 million viss.
The textile factories administered by the Ministry of Industry placed their orders, which also increased the cotton price to K3600 a viss (about 1.6 kg a viss).
The Myanmar Cotton and Cotton Products Merchants and Manufacturers Associationâ€™s secretary U Aung Myint expects the demand to increase till the end of the season. Myanmarâ€™s cotton production, one of Myanmarâ€™s national strategic export crops, which usually takes place from July to March, faced difficulties accessing seeds.
The cultivation season is already over, so negotiations with the agriculture department will begin. However, they need to wait to see the weather in October.
The issue comes from Lunn Kyaw from Kyaukse township and Shwe Taung from Wandwin townshipâ€™s difficulties to provide seeds for cotton plantation and long-term crops.
In Myanmar, there were 752,145 acres of cotton plantation for the 2014-2015 fiscal years; 720,662 acres for the 2015-2016 fiscal years; and 768,286 acres for the 2016-2017 fiscal years.
As cotton is part of the national export strategy, and the textile and garment industry is also a top priority, local raw material is expected to be on high demand.
Beside domestic use, cotton is also exported to China through border trade. It totalled 1.6 tonnes (US$3.5 million) in 2013-2014, and increased to 487.5 tonnes ($1.073 million) so far in the 2017-2018 fiscal year.
U Aung So director general of the Myanmar Trade Promotion under Ministry of Commerce said that half of the production goes to China, the rest answers local demand from textile factories.
The cotton association faces several challenges, such as the difficulty to access quality seeds and the lack of labour force. The association currently plans to relocate to Nay Pyi Taw.
Daw Tin Tin Shwe, general manager of the Panda Textile factory in Paleik city said that her factory purchased about 800 to 1000 tonnes of A-grade cotton during fiscal year 2016-2017. And this year, the factory is expected to buy more than that amount if there is no disruption of their production due to labour protest.
Many textile factories in Myanmar are now turning to locally produced cotton instead of procuring from abroad.
A weekly report covering market and price information on the entire chain of polyester along with online access to daily polyester chain prices.
One-time reports that are issued annually cover the demand and supply trends in individual products including polyester, nylon, acrylic, viscose, and cotton.
One-time reports that are issued annually cover the demand and supply trends in the individual country's natural and manmade fiber/filament industries.
Countries Served Worldwide


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An upscale winery and restaurant is looking to open at Route 30 and Route 34 in Montgomery.
Cooper’s Hawk, which began in 1959 and has grown to some 54 locations, is planning an over 9,000-square-foot restaurant at the Montgomery site, including a 719-square-foot outdoor dining area.
Lauren Williams, senior design manager with Cooper’s Hawk, said a lot of study was done before the preliminary plans were developed for the proposed Montgomery location.
She said the facility would have a “Napa Valley” look to it and give people a convenient option for a meal with some wine.
“It’s in the neighborhood,” she said.
The company’s request for a special use and variances for the project was discussed by the Montgomery Planning and Zoning Commission Thursday.
“It’s a great idea and good for the community,” said Pat Kelsey, co-chair of the Planning and Zoning Commission. “It is a high-quality brand. They selected a great location, and the tax dollars will only benefit the village.”
The special use being sought is to allow for outdoor dining, while the variances basically concern signage and building materials to be used.
Company officials said they want to start building the restaurant as soon as possible.
The Planning and Zoning Commission recommended approval of the special use and variances for the restaurant. The proposal will be voted on by the Montgomery Village Board on Monday night.
Montgomery Village President Matt Brolley said the proposed restaurant would be a great fit for the village.
“As the village president and a lifelong resident, I could not be more excited to have a high-end sit-down dining establishment such as Cooper’s Hawk in the village of Montgomery,” he said.
Judy Pochel is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.


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Samsung has started rolling out the stable Android 10 update for the Galaxy Note9 running Android 9.0 Pie. Right now, the update is being rolled out for Note9 units in Germany, but a wider rollout should happen within the next few days.
The update comes less than a week after the South Korean company rolled out the update for all users who were a part of its Android 10 beta program. The company had started the One UI 2.0 beta program for the Galaxy S9 and Note9 in November last year.
Going by its past record, Samsung has been quick to push the Android 10 update for its devices this year. The company rolled out the stable Android 10 update for the Galaxy S10 in early December and followed it up with the Note10 in mid-December.
The Galaxy Note9 was Samsung's flagship Note for 2018, so it is impressive to see the company provide the major Android update for its more than year-old flagship within 3-4 months of Google releasing it. The update for the Galaxy S9 shouldn't be too far behind.
One UI 2.0/Android 10 comes with an enhanced permission manager, UI tweaks, new system animations, redesigned camera app, and more. You can read about all the top features of One UI 2.0 here.


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Heinz might be famous for its ’57 varieties’, but that was a portfolio for a long-lost age, when stores sold your brands, rather than competed via offerings of their own.
Therefore, and in efforts to innovate and freshen up, Heinz has launched its biggest umbrella brand marketing campaign to date, in a £5m push to build on its “emotional connection” with consumers.
The “It has to be Heinz” campaign has been designed to celebrate the way people perceive the food brand.
Giles Jepson, Heinz sauces and soup marketing director, says: “As we have seen through the recent downturn – Heinz varieties are resilient to downward shifts in consumer spending, and we anticipate that this major new campaign will not only drive growth of the Heinz products, but will also lift each of the categories involved.”
Moreover, while Heinz is reinforcing its brand equity by playing on heritage and familiarity, it is also underpinning its brands with innovation through creating a bottle that stands on its head in efforts of reducing the annoying delay before the sauce hits your plate. EZ Squirt Bottles, Spicy Flavors, a ‘trap cap’ that eliminates watery ooze and Mystery Colors for kids all aim to appeal to consumers, while providing vital differentiation from private-label competitors.
“Heinz Ketchup will have a new Dip & Squeeze packet design after 40 years of the ubiquitous foil package. Holding 3 times more of the condiment, you can either dip into the cup-like packet, or squeeze the Ketchup onto your food. Here’s to 40 more years of very occasional ketchup innovation”! Richard Chemel
Outstanding Buzz & Remarkable Results!
The campaign has contributed towards Heinz’s strong sales performance and in the last twelve weeks alone, it has seen a growth of +16.2% across its ambient category.
480 Buzz ups on the Yahoo News article.
And on Twitter, people are going nuts over Hienz and their ads!
My Take & Your Lessons :)
“To do a common thing uncommonly well brings success”.
Frankly, I am IN LOVE with this campaign: It is so humble and real. It also makes brand users feel closer to Heinz products in general and attracts more consumers to switch to this brand in hopes of “belonging” and “feeling appreciated”.
As for the lessons I think we can learn from this campaign, they are as follows:
- Sometimes a large financial budget is necessary to produce desired results, especially in terms of sales.
- Even large companies that have been around for many, many years need to invest their resources to keep up with market, at least every now and then.
- TV ads and radio shows could play a very important role in adding value to your social media campaign.
- Using emotional appeals with food products could be highly effective and beneficial due to the ability of relating food with good times and unforgettable memories.
Finally, I wonder: Have you heard about this campaign or participated in it on some level or another? Do you like it? Do you think it is worth all this money?
Looking forward to hearing your feedback down below…


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The Chicago Auto Show—the largest car show in North America—is headed back to McCormick Place for 10 days this February to showcase the latest and greatest developments in the world of cars, trucks, electric cars and concept cars. Manufacturers trot out their newest models in elaborate exhibitions, often accompanied by interactive installations that allow you to get behind the wheel (whether physically via indoor/outdoor test track or virtually).
When is the Chicago Auto Show?
The event runs from February 10-19.
How much are tickets?
Tickets are $17 for adults, $12 for seniors and children ages 4-12, and free for children under 4.
What are the opening hours for the Chicago Auto Show?
The show starts at 10am each day and closes at 9pm, with the exception of February 11, when it closes at 6pm, and February 19, when it closes at 8pm.


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Just a few days ago, on 1 April 2022, legislation came into force requiring all companies in the UK to pay a tax on the production or import of plastics for packaging where less that 30 percent is made from recycled materials.
Businesses which manufacture or import ten or more tonnes of plastic packaging every year will need to register for this new plastic packaging tax (PPT). These companies now have to pay £200 per tonne for plastic packaging that does not meet the 30% threshold, a not insignificant cost considering the current, added strain of inflation and rising energy costs on UK companies.
So, is this a positive step forward in the drive for sustainability? How much impact will it have on reducing plastic waste and pollution? Although there are a few exemptions to the tax, farmers using plastic film for silage bales for example, few sectors will remain untouched by this new charge. Of course, when it comes to plastic, anything which pushes production away from virgin materials should be welcomed, but we need to go further. It’s as much about educating consumers as it is about reducing or replacing plastics with renewable alternatives.
PPT in practice
Concerning figures from various bodies and organisations show that many businesses are either unprepared or unaware of the Government’s new plastic packaging tax. A poll by the Foodservice Packaging Association (FPA) found that 80% of FPA member companies who sell plastic packaging aren’t ready for the tax. Similarly, research by YouGov on behalf of Veolia, found that 77% of retail and manufacturing businesses in Britain were actually unaware of the tax – a worrying reflection of how well this change has been communicated to the businesses it will have the most impact on.
The latter research also uncovered that of those retail and manufacturing businesses which had taken steps to make changes to their plastic packaging, 66% has reduced the amount of unnecessary or avoidable plastic in their packaging, and 58% now use recycled packaging.
Myth vs. reality
It’s unclear how much the average consumer knows or understands about plastic packaging. And how much of the narrative around sustainable packaging is based on fact. Consumers may believe paper bags are better for the environment than plastic, but paper packaging is more damaging to the environment than most people expect. For instance, most paper packaging is single-use, not waterproof and weaker than its plastic alternative. Plastic bags can, and should, be reused for as long as possible, plus the average carrier bag you get from a supermarket or shop uses very little plastic in relation to other items in the home.
Similarly, the rhetoric around plastic in the ocean almost never opens the debate on why so much plastic packaging ends up there and is not disposed of in the correct way. The question consumers should be asking isn’t always ‘how can I replace plastic with other packaging materials’ but ‘how do I find packaging that is either compostable or reusable so I’m not throwing so much away.’ Government, plus packaging manufacturers and suppliers have a lead role to play in this re-education.
So, while businesses are taking steps to address excess plastic, and meet their own targets for sustainability, we also need to increase understanding more generally in the population about the impact of materials used in packaging manufacture. It is, of course, important to set standards and encourage businesses, in this case through the new PPT, to reduce plastic in their processes. But without collective responsibility, we will never reach the ultimate goal of smarter, more sustainable packaging across all sectors.


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According to the official announcement, the Honor 70 series flagship smartphones will be officially released on May 30, and the company is expected to provide three models in one go – including the Honor 70, 70 Pro, and 70 Pro+.
It is expected that the new opportunity will introduce fresh design inspiration based on the previous model, supplemented by some top-notch hardware configurations. Now, the Geekbench benchmark database has listed some key specs of the Honor 70 Pro models.
In terms of positioning, the new Honor 70 Pro 5G is between the standard model and the 70 Pro+. The specifications of the new phone, code-named SDY-AN00 disclosed on the Geekbench website, also revealed that it uses the MediaTek Dimensity 8000 chipset – the SoC is clocked at 2.75 GHz and integrates the Mali-G610 GPU.
In addition, the Honor 70 Pro is equipped with 12GB of running memory and pre-installed with Magic UI 6.0 software customized based on Android 12, and finally got a single-core 819 / multi-core 3303 points.
The renderings leaked earlier show that the Honor 70 Pro smartphone uses a centered punch-hole front camera + a larger 8-shaped rear three-camera module. It is said that the main camera is a 1/1.49-inch @ 54MP pixel Sony IMX800 sensor.
The front of the fuselage is the familiar arc-edge waterfall screen, and it is said to support a 120Hz high brush and 100W fast charging. As for the truth, please wait patiently for the official announcement next Monday.


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Home Tags Fantasyland
Starting on the 27th January, refurbishment work will take place in a portion of the queue at “it’s a small world...
To celebrate the 70th anniversary of the release of the animated film, Cinderella, Disney Early Morning Magic will receive a royal makeover...
Captured by Mike of Blog Mickey, watch the holiday overlay of Mad Tea Party at this year’s Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party (MVMCP).
According to Carly Caramanna of AllEars.net, they stopped by the Village Gifts to discovery a completely “revamped” Gaston.
Disney Early Morning Magic (Early Morning Magic) is returning to the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World Resort with new dates for the rest of 2019 and a part of 2020.


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WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) - U.S. consumer prices rose a seasonally adjusted 0.1% in February because of higher food and housing costs, the Labor Department said Tuesday. Food prices jumped 0.4% in February - the biggest increase since September 2011 - but they are only up 1.4% over the past year. Energy prices fell 0.5% as lower gasoline costs offset increases in fuel oil and natural gas. The core CPI, which excludes volatile food and energy costs, also rose 0.1%, driven by another increase in housing expenses. Economists surveyed by MarketWatch had expected the overall CPI and core rate to both increase by 0.1%. Consumer prices have risen an unadjusted 1.1% over the past 12 months or by 1.6% on a core basis. Real or inflation-adjusted hourly wages, meanwhile, climbed 0.3% in February to $10.34 . Real wages have risen 1.1% over the past 12 months.
Consumer prices in the U.S. rose slightly in February because of higher food and housing costs, but overall inflation remained quiet, according to the latest government figures. The consumer price index increased by a seasonally adjusted 0.1% last month
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Nearly 4 lakh ration cards may get cancelled in Delhi
Nearly 4 lakh ration cards in Delhi might get cancelled if the beneficiaries fail to collect their ration for one more month, said the Delhi government sternly, adding that they ought to respond to the notices sent to them in ten days.
The Food and Civil Supplies Department data showed that in January and February, nearly 4-lakh card holders did not collect their ration.
This trend started after digitalizing of the ration system
The department said that after the initiation of the e-POS system, 4.26 lakh card holders out of a total 19.41 lakh did not collect their ration in January. In February, the figure hovered around the same bracket.
"We will monitor this month too and initiate the process of card cancellation from April," said a senior officer of the Food and civil supplies department.
Possible two reasons: Migratory workers or improper allocation of cards
The officer further said after the cancellation, they will be able to accommodate 'around 1.5 lakh applicants in the queue'.
When asked about the possible reasons behind this situation, the departmental officers listed out two factors.
"Many of these card holders might be migratory workers. Also, some might be those who were not eligible for ration cards but somehow got it," an officer said.
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BJP leader had said about 4-lakh bogus ration cards too
Interestingly, just a week ago, Leader of the Opposition in Delhi Assembly Vijender Gupta had said about the exact number of ration cards that are bogus and an investigation should be initiated.
He had also alleged that "through the door step delivery system, government wants to benefit the ration mafia."
The doorstep delivery scheme by the AAP-led government now awaits L-G Anil Baijal's nod.
Civil Supplies Department
Delhi Assembly Vijender Gupta
Food and Civil Supplies Department


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Last year it was animal-themed balaclavas. This winter, it may be the Cthulhu.
With conditions across the country becoming increasingly winter-like, Canadians will have to bundle up when heading outdoors. One piece of apparel that may be in a runner’s lineup is a balaclava, which exposes just a portion of one’s face, especially useful in windy conditions.
One warm and tentacle-abundant version of the balaclava popped up recently and has been gaining traction on social media. Given that snow has hit many spots across the country, including in the typically warmer climate of Vancouver, December is just about the right time of year to start adding on the layers when running.
The Cthulhu is a fictional character that resembles an octopus and a dragon that lives in water. The website Nerdist described the balaclava as “Cthulhu ski masks will keep you warm and horrifying.”
After the piece of equipment was shared on Facebook, one person commented saying “it’s great for skiing, pretty uncomfortable for running” after wearing it during a 12K race. Another person chimed in saying “for when you want to look like you have an epic trail beard without actually having an epic trail beard.”
The knitted and dangling pieces could make running long distances somewhat uncomfortable.
RELATED: The 2016 Holiday Gift Guide: Apparel.
The featured balaclava is named a “Barbarian Knit Octopus Beanie Balaclava.” Some say it resembles the character Ood from Doctor Who while others suggest it resembles Zoidberg from Futurama. The balaclava has received a 4.5-star rating based on more than 140 customer reviews on Amazon. It retails for less than $10.


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An alternative ‘spec’ engine package for F1 looks likely to become a reality as Bernie Ecclestone and Jean Todt are pushing the concept of low budget engine for 2017 – one that would literally take the power away from the manufacturers.
Both men have become increasingly concerned at the influence wielded by the engine suppliers. Sources suggest that the FIA will could launch a tender process for a 2.2-litre turbo turbo V6, similar to the current Indycar engine, as soon as next week. How an equivalency formula would be worked out remains to be seen.
The news comes after the idea receiving no support at the meeting of the sport’s engine manufacturers in Geneva last week. However the manufacturers also rejected any kind of cost cap on their current engine supply deals, and has prompted prompted the FIA to act. It remains to seen if the concept is ultimately being used as a bargaining chip to bring those costs down.
Ecclestone has long been pushing for a way to find a “Cosworth” who can supply a budget engine to struggling teams, and Todt is also sympathetic to the idea of a low cost package. It could be forced through for 2017 without unanimous support.
In April when I asked Ecclestone about a twin-turbo V6 he told me: “I never wanted to go back to V8s, I wanted to set up a single engine to be in F1, which they could run for let’s say 10% of what these manufacturers spend. It would be a different regulation, which would be cheaper. If the manufacturers then decide this would be a good thing, then that’s OK. Or if they want to supply [current] engines at a realistic price to the teams, then good.”
Asked about how two types of engine could compete in parallel he said: “We used to run turbos with normally aspirated engines before. You can do either.”
A return to V8s or a move to a twin-turbo V6 with a basic KERS package has also been mentioned as a last ditch alternative for Red Bull to use in 2016, although it would require unanimous support for a rule change.
Longer term the turbo idea was always more likely to fly than a return to V8s, as it would represent less of a loss of face for the FIA and those who have been pushing the new technology.
Red Bull boss Christian Horner remains open to the idea of an alternative, and he also favours a turbo route rather than a move to older technology, as he indicated today when asked about the prospect of a return to V8s.
“We might have to because we don’t have an engine!,” he joked. “I think if you look at what the plus points of the V8 were, the sound was the obvious one for the fans. It was quite simple technology compared to what we have now, so the costs were quite significantly lower.
“But the machinery that we have now through the regulations, they’re incredible bits of equipment, and I think what we need to do rather than look backwards look forwards to what should the engine developed be for the future. There’s elements of what we have that are strong at the moment that can be improved, and I would certainly love to see the volume go back up, and certainly the cost of development come down.”
Inevitably these representing manufacturers are happy with the status quo, and don’t want to see any kind of dumbing down of F1 technology.
“Honda joined the sport because of the challenge of the technology,” said Eric Boullier. “And obviously some may regret the engine noise of the V8, some may regret the cost as well, but it’s true that we have to look forward. It’s a piece of technology that’s brilliant, once it works, in our case hopefully soon, it’s a nice challenge to run these engines.”
My April story can be found here: https://adamcooperf1.com/2015/04/23/ecclestone-believes-teams-can-run-cheap-engines-in-2017/


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Here is some untied, generally directional options activity that caught my eye during Thursday’s trading:
1. GLD – as equities found their footing over the last week, Gold (as represented by the etf GLD) has retreated from 5 month highs, settling on its 200 day moving average (yellow line below):
When the etf was 121.13 there was a bullish roll up and out where a trader sold to close 14,600 Sept 135 calls at 2.60 and bought to open 27,000 Jan16 140 calls for 3.10 to open.
2. CMCSA – over the last few days we have highlighted a very large opening put sale in the weeklies at the start of the week, and as the stock has risen the trader took profits, from Tuesday’s Notable Options post:
CMCSA – Monday we highlighted an opening put sale in the weeklies in CMCSA:
massive opening put sale when the stock was $52.60, 45,000 of the Feb 6th weekly 54.50 puts were sold at $2.15, or $9.67 million in premium.
Yesterday when the stock was up 2.5% at $55, it looks like the trader bought back some of those puts to close for .77, netting a quick profit of $2.76 million on the 20,000 options that were covered.
Today when the stock was 56.83 the original put seller bought to close the balance of this position, buying 20,500 Feb 6th weekly 54.50 puts for .08 to close, netting a 2.07 profit on 20,500 contracts or $4.25 million. WOW. That trade was nothing short of Awesome.
3. AMD –when the stock was 3.23, there was an outright bearish bet that caught my eye on day the stock was up 17%. a buyer paid .37 for 43,000 July 3 puts to open, or about $1.6 million in premium. Likely put buying from an investor long the company’s debt. Some would say the company’s equity is near distressed given their lack of earnings, flat sales and the fact that their $2.55 billion market cap is almost equal to their $2.2 billion in debt, or $1.2 billion net of cash
4. RL – the stock is trying to find its footing after yesterday’s 17% decline. Shortly after the open when the stock was $141.70, there wss an opening bullish risk reversal, a trader sold 1400 April 135 puts at 3.
5. TWTR – total options volume neared 3x average daily volume with calls outnumbering puts by a ratio of 1.5 to 1. The stock saw a pre-
6. P –


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NSW Liberal frontrunner, John Brogden has publicly apologised for describing Helena Carr, the spouse of previous brand brand New South Wales Premier Bob Carr being a ‘mail-order bride’ within a consuming session with reporters at a Sydney resort.
TONY EASTLEY: the latest South Wales Opposition frontrunner has admitted making a racist remark during a news function many weeks ago and states he will resign if their celebration desires him to.
Liberal frontrunner, John Brogden, has publicly apologised for explaining Helena Carr, the spouse of previous brand brand New Southern Wales Premier, Bob Carr, as a “mail order bride” during a ingesting session with journalists at a Sydney resort.
Mr Brogden has additionally admitted he acted “inappropriately” towards at least one feminine journalist at the exact same function.
Prime Minister John Howard has described their remarks as quite wrong.
Edmond Roy reports.
EDMOND ROY: John Brogden’s indiscretions were held in the marble club in Sydney’s brand brand new Hilton resort. On the list of numerous feedback he made that evening, one sticks out. He known previous premiere, bob Carr’s spouse Helena, being a mail purchase bride.
Until belated yesterday, John Brogden had been desperately attempting to reject which he’d available such commentary. This early morning he had been contrite. Weiterlesen


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Chocolatier Barry Callebaut- the famous chocolate maker from Switzerland recently announced that they wouldn’t be using any animals for their test runs. This momentous announcement comes after a hearing with PETA Germany, where this multi-billion dollar company decided to change its orthodox ways. The company has also decided to open up a vegan production unit in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany.
Chocolatier Barry Callebaut, One Among Many Big Companies To Take Such Progressive Measures
Chocolatier Barry Callebaut has joined a list of giants in the food industry who have decided to go against the grain and stop using animals. Most of the giants have also banned such inhumane tests on animals after intense meetings with PETA. The major companies include Barilla, General Mills, The Coca-Cola Company, Kikkoman, House Foods, Lipton, PepsiCo, Welch’s, etc.
Further expansion in the UK and the growing demand for vegan and dairy-free products are hot topics for chocolate maker Barry Callebaut #Chocolate #FoodManufacture https://t.co/SaKDowUUzH pic.twitter.com/BVP05ZlcA9
— Food Manufacture (@FoodManufacture) January 29, 2020
What Do These Animals Endure?
Before Chocolatier Barry Callebaut decided to officially close all facilities smeared in animal cruelty, PETA published a series of reports from 2007 to 2019. The reports included several tests the company had conducted on animals. PETA has always been fighting the battle against using animals for testing. In the testing process, animals are prodded, cut open, tortured, and ultimately killed. All in the belief that the products they are manufacturing would hold up to the global standard of excellence.
It is quite important that Barry Callebaut has taken a progressive decision. It is a noble cause, and one worth fighting for as voiceless animals will be spared a cruel fate. They also play a huge role in motivating other companies to follow suit.
Hey, are you on Instagram? Check out the official Truth Theory Instagram page HERE, we upload new content every day.
A lot of also depends on conscientious shoppers, who could very well refuse to buy products that perpetuate the cruel treatment of animals.
How Can You Play Your Part?
Throughout the world, animals suffer heavily in such food industries. Most of it, because companies are too orthodox in their ways, and refuse to change.
Since the 1950s, the Japanese enhancer company Ajinomoto has been asked by PETA to stop their experiments on animals. PETA has cajoled the company to stop, but unlike Chocolatier Barry Callebaut, they have refused to give up their old ways. You can join PETA and start making a difference.
PETA is using everything at its disposal to stop the cruel treatment of animals throughout the land., and they need your support.
Image Credit: Barry Callebaut Group


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Expansion of Batavia Milk Cooperative announced
Empire State Development on Thursday announced a warehouse expansion of the O-AT-KA Milk Products Cooperative Inc. in Batavia, Genesee County.
The dairy cooperative, which is majority-owned by the Buffalo-based Upstate Niagara Cooperative Inc. and Dairy Farmers of America, will expand its warehouse and material handling function at the Batavia site, according to a news release. O-AT-KA helps ensure there's a market for milk produced by more than 400 farms throughout western and central New York.
Empire State Development, which is New York's economic development agency, announced Thursday that the state will provide a $400,000 capital grant for O-AT-KA to build a 195,000-square-foot warehouse and a 35,000-square-foot equipment room attached to its existing facility. The addition will allow O-AT-KA to create 24 new full-time jobs withing three years.
According to Empire State Development, O-AT-KA, is the top manufacturing employer in Batavia with more than 330 employees. The cooperative, which produces dry, condensed and evaporated dairy products, was established in 1959.


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Aug 13, 2019USDA projects 2019 apple production to rise 4%
The 2019 U.S. apple crop is up 4% compared with a year ago, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s first forecast.
The 2019 crop – fresh and processing crops – is forecast at 10.6 billion pounds, or 252.4 million (42-pound) cartons. That is up 4% from a year ago.
“Washington growers reported favorable summer growing weather, contributing to a crop with excellent quality and finish,” the USDA reported in its forecast.
New York growers also reported favorable growing conditions. In Michigan, a wet spring hampered pollination, according to the forecast. Below normal fruit counts in Michigan were partially offset by good fruit sizing, according to the report.
According to the USDA, the forecasts for the major apple producing states are:
- California: 300 million pounds, up 20% from 250 million pounds last year;
- Michigan: 1.05 billion pounds, unchanged from a year ago;
- New York: 1.25 billion pounds, down 10% from 1.4 billion pounds last year;
- Pennsylvania: 500 million pounds, up 2% from 488 million pounds in 2018;
- Virginia: 185 million pounds, down 9% from 204 million pounds a year ago; and
- Washington: 7.2 billion pounds, up 7% from 6.7 billion pounds in 2018.
The U.S. Apple Association will release its annual production forecast during its Apple Crop Outlook & Marketing Conference Aug. 23 in Chicago.


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World Bulletin / News Desk
Microsoft Corp admitted its largest acquisition in the Internet sector was effectively worthless and wiped out any profit for the last quarter, as it announced a $6.2 billion charge to write down the value of an online advertising agency it bought five years ago.
The announcement came as a surprise, but did not shock investors, who had largely forgotten Microsoft's purchase of aQuantive in 2007, which was initially expected to boost Microsoft's online advertising revenue and counter rival Google Inc's purchase of digital ad firm DoubleClick.
Microsoft's shares dipped slightly to $30.28 in after-hours trading, after closing at $30.56 in regular Nasdaq trading.
The world's largest software company said in a statement that "the acquisition did not accelerate growth to the degree anticipated, contributing to the write-down."
Microsoft bought aQuantive for $6.3 billion in cash in an attempt to catch rival Google Inc in the race for revenues from search-related display advertising. It was Microsoft's biggest acquisition at the time, exceeded only by its purchase of Skype for $8.5 billion last year. But it never proved a success and aQuantive's top executives soon left Microsoft.
As a result of its annual assessment of goodwill - the amount paid for a company above its net assets - Microsoft said on Monday it would take a non-cash charge of $6.2 billion, indicating the aQuantive acquisition is now worthless.
The charge will likely wipe out any profit for the company's fiscal fourth quarter. Wall Street was expecting Microsoft to report fiscal fourth-quarter net profit of about $5.25 billion, or 62 cents a share, on July 19.
In addition to the write-down, Microsoft said its expectations for future growth and profitability at its online services unit - which includes the Bing search engine and MSN Internet portal - are "lower than previous estimates".
The company did not say what those previous estimates were, as it does not publish financial forecasts.
Microsoft's online services division is the biggest drag on its earnings, currently losing about $500 million a quarter as the company invests heavily in Bing in an attempt to catch market leader Google. The unit has lost more than $5 billion in the last three years alone. Even though its market share has been rising, Bing has not reached critical mass required to make the product profitable.
Before rolling out Bing in June 2009, Microsoft's Windows search engine had 8 percent of the U.S. Internet search market, compared with Yahoo's 20 percent and Google's 65 percent.
In the three years since then, Bing has almost doubled its market share to 15 percent, but that has been mostly at the expense of Yahoo, which has had its share whittled down to 13 percent. Google now has almost 67 percent, according to research firm Comscore.
Yahoo's internet searches are powered by Microsoft's Bing under a 10-year agreement initially struck in 2009. Microsoft hands back to Yahoo 88 percent of revenue generated from search ads on Yahoo sites. That deal has not met the ambitious targets set by either company.
Global economic trend does not augur well for developing countries: UN Conference on Trade and Development report
"We will look carefully at tax rulings issued by Luxembourg to GDF Suez," Vestager said in the Commission statement.
The Bank for International Settlements (BIS) -- dubbed the central bank of central banks -- said a gauge of Chinese debt had hit a record high in the first quarter of the year.
Civil claims involve bank's mortgage activities
Adeosun said that the bonds are expected to go on sale in December, with the proceeds channelled into capital projects.
May also ruled out a new general election anytime soon, saying Britain needed stability following June's referendum vote to pull out of the European Union.
A 2nd airport would put Rwanda on par with its regional peers, as more tourists flock to East Africa
Country GDP shrank by 2.06 percent in second quarter of 2016
Afghan traders worried fruit exports are rotting after two-week border closure
Foreign trade minister says Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership negotiations should stop
Overnight lending rate gets cut by 25 points to 8.50 percent; overnight borrowing rate remains unchanged at 7.25 percent
"It appears that a programme of public spending in Germany would not be the most appropriate tool to help give a strong stimulus to the international economy," the central bank said following a study into the issue.
The 0.3 percent quarterly gain was in line with average forecasts compiled by data company Factset.
Qatari Ambassador to Ankara says bi-lateral trade could double through committment to undertake further investments in Turkey
Radical cleansing will start a new era in Turkey, says the head of the Turkish Cooperation and Development Agency (TIKA)


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304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
Xiaomi has launched a brand new Redmi good TV program in India. The brand new Redmi Good TV is available in three sizes together with a big 65-inch display adopted by a 55-inch display and the smallest providing is a 50-inch display.
The Redmi Good TV X65 is priced at â‚¹ 57,999
The Redmi Good TV X55 is priced at â‚¹ 38,999
The Redmi Good TV X50 bought for â‚¹ 32,999
The brand new Redmi Good TVs will go on sale for the primary time on March 26 at 12 PM. The TV will probably be on sale at min.com, Amazon.in, Min House and Mi Studio. ICICI credit score cardholders may also obtain an â‚¹ 2,000 immediate low cost on March twenty sixth.
The TVs have 4K HDR, Clear Picture Engine, HDR 10+, Dolby Imaginative and prescient, and 30W Dolby Audio speaker. When it comes to software program, the brand new TVs are powered by Xiaomi’s Patchwall constructed on prime of Android TV 10.
To accommodate the brand new era of recreation consoles, TVs even have HDMI 2.1 ports. Different connection choices embrace Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM), Bluetooth 5.0 and Twin-Band WiFi. The ports embrace a USB 2.0 port, optical output, AV set up, community port and auxiliary port.
The brand new X collection is powered by a quad-core A55 chipset powered by a Mali G52 MP2. The TVs get 16GB of inner storage and 2GB of RAM.
Xiaomi TV comes with help for the Mi House app that may function the hub for Xiaomi’s ecosystem.


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Follow our example and return Nazi-looted art, German bakery firm urges companies
Bakery firm leading the way on coming to terms with Nazi past
A German baking firm with ties to the Nazis has urged other companies with a similar history to follow their example in returning looted art from their private collections.
Dr Oetker made headlines in 2013 after its connections to leading Nazis in the 1930s and 1940s were revealed.
At the time, kosher shoppers and businesses expressed reservations about continuing to buy from the business.
However, the information about the firm only came to light due to efforts by the company itself to face up to its past, having paid for the research which was published.
Along with many other German companies, Dr Oetker has an extensive private art collection, part of which was obtained via forced Nazi confiscations.
In 2015, the company voluntarily commissioned an audit of its collection, which has over 4,500 works of art.
In an interview with the BBC published on Tuesday, Joerg Schillinger, a manager at Dr Oetker, said that companies should “give back art looted by the Nazis”.
Only four such pieces have been returned so far, but research is ongoing.
In 2015, the German government set up the German Lost Art Foundation, providing funding for the country’s museums and libraries to check whether any of their items are stolen. In March this year the country announced that it would make this service available to private collections as well.
Mr Schillinger told the BBC that "it's a pity that there are still some companies that haven't stepped into their history.
“We were quite late, 70 years after the war, but we are very happy that we did it."
He strongly recommended that other firms in similar situations follow suit, saying “just do it, for the sake of your company and for the sake of the stakeholders”.


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- Flower Bulb and Perennial Sales Position - Portland (Oregon) USA
- Plant Production Scientist - Brooklyn (NY) USA
- Greenhouse Assistant Grower - Abbotsford (B.C.) Canada
- Technical Sales Representative - South Western Ontario, Canada
- Farm Manager - West Africa
- Managing Agronomist - Surinam
- Vegetal Material Programme Leader - Cisterna di Latina (Latium), Italy
- Head of Sales North America - Sacramento (CA) USA
- Inkoop Specialist Holland Product - Netherlands
- Vegetable Grower - Australia
Top 5 -yesterday
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Supermarket ambitions, also for France confirmed by Amazon
Target: favorable fourth quarter
Amazon has once again confirmed its food distribution ambitions, this time through French CEO Frédéric Duval. The American online giant is eager to launch its grocery service in France as well. Amazon is raring to go in France, he said, although he did add that it will take its time and that the move will require considerable investments. Nevertheless, it seems to be moving in the right direction: supermarket group Système U announced last week that it is talking to Amazon about a possible collaboration.
US: Target’s higher Q4 comps due to strong in-store, digital traffic
Significant investments in its team and business throughout 2017 resulted in a favorable fourth quarter for Minneapolis-based mass-merchandiser Target Corp., with growth in same-store sales, ecommerce and profits. Target’s Q4 sales rose 10% to $22.8bln from $20.7bln in the year-ago period, thanks to an additional week in 2017’s Q4, the aforementioned 3.6% increase in comps, and sales in non-mature stores.
China: Growth slowing FY2017 for Sun Art
Sun Art Retail has posted its 2017 annual results, with revenue rising 1.9% to RMB102,320mln (US$16,130mln) and profit up 2.9%. However, its revenue growth has slowed down compared to previous years, having grown 6.6% (CAGR) between 2012 - 2016. During the year, the Group opened 18 hypermarkets, of which one was under the Auchan banner and 17 under RT-Mart. As of 31 December 2017, it had a total of 461 hypermarkets in China. The Group has identified and secured 78 sites to open hypermarkets in the coming year. The retailer's smaller and premium supermarket banner, HiAuchan!, continued to show strong progress. Both sales and the number of customers increased by more than 30% compared to 2016.
Russia: Dixy rolls out Alipay to attract Chinese customers
Russian retailer Dixy has announced that it is the first major grocer in the country to introduce the Alipay payment system into its stores. The company trialled the technology in a number of Dixy stores in Moscow and St Petersburg last month, but now has plans to rolls it out to a further 150 stores. Looking ahead, Dixy plans to extend Alipay to all of its stores, as well as the Victoria supermarket chain, where the system is currently being tested.
Co-op becomes first UK supermarket to scrap queues for customers
The Co-op has become the UK's first supermarket to introduce a no-queues policy - and shoppers can simply pick up their groceries and walk out. The new initiative, dubbed shop, scan and go, will allow time-pressed customers to complete payments on their phones, without visiting a till. It's currently being piloted at the Co-op's retailer support centre store in Manchester, with a wider roll-out beginning this summer.
Carrefour Belgium promoting online ordering
Carrefour Belgium has lowered the cost of fulfilling shoppers’ online orders. Carrefour said that orders delivered by PostNL or Parcify cost €9.50, down from €19.15 previously, while for grocery orders over €150, the order’s fulfilment would be free. For non-grocery orders delivery is free on purchases over €50. Separately, the retailer said it wanted to open 70 new Drive collection points in the country by the end of 2018, adding to the 179 in operation at the end of 2017. Underlining its commitment to hitting the target Carrefour Belgium opened 12 pick up points in the first two months of the year. Shoppers can order from a selection of around 15,000 SKUs.
DIA to invest in Portugal
Spain-based DIA’s chief corporate officer Amando Sánchez Falcón has said the retailer plans to invest more in Portugal in 2018 compared to 2017. DIA plans to invest over €25 million in Portugal. The investment will be channelled into remodelling more than 100 stores and new openings. The group plans to expand its convenience store presence in Portugal. To achieve this, the group will open more Minipreço Express stores. A pilot Minipreço Express store is already operating in Lisbon. A focus for the group is strengthening its leadership in proximity. In Portugal this will be key to remaining competitive, especially given Mercadona’s entry in 2019.
Spain: Covirán reports positive results for 2017
Spain-based cooperative Covirán has released its results for 2017 and plans for 2018. Luis Osuna, president of the Covirán Group declared ambitious plans for 2018, with a goal to grow 15% compared to 2017. Covirán reported strong sales, up 6.3% on the previous year to reach €1,340mln. Of this figure €1,220mln came from Spain, and €120mln from Portugal. Covirán maintains a strong position in the Iberian Peninsula, with more than 3,300 supermarkets. A key part of the company’s success is that is faces little competition in the areas it operates. The retailer said that it is the sole operator in 17% of towns with less than 10,000 inhabitants, and in 31% of towns with less than 2,000 inhabitants.
Finnish retailer K-Group implements parcel terminals
K-Group, a major retail company from Finland, has started a pilot with automatic parcel terminals. The new service allows online buyers to have parcels from online stores from everywhere in the world to be shipped to a terminal at a K-Group store. The automatic terminals are available for shared use by all parcel service providers and are in use at a K-Citymarket and a K-Supermarket in Tampere since the first of March.
France: Carrefour launches Europe's first food blockchain
The launch of blockchain technology marks an important milestone in the implementation of the Carrefour 2022 transformation plan. Already used for free-range Carrefour Quality Line Auvergne chickens, it will be rolled out to eight more animal and vegetable product lines, such as eggs, cheese, milk, oranges, tomatoes, salmon and ground beef steak. An innovative system designed to guarantee consumers complete product traceability. A blockchain is a secure digital database that cannot be falsified in which all information sent by its users is stored.
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Other news in this sector:
- 09/21/2018 Carrefour Italy: blockchain technology
- 09/21/2018 Walmart Canada: sustainable grocery delivery launched
- 09/20/2018 Amazon Turkey launched
- 09/20/2018 Sobeys: Strong profit growth, sales show steady improvement
- 09/19/2018 Asda: F1-inspired Aerofoil tech in stores
- 09/19/2018 Kroger: leadership shuffle and consolidation of Roundy's and Mariano's divisions
- 09/18/2018 Meijer: for 2nd year in a row among Top 50 Most Engaged Workplaces
- 09/18/2018 Carrefour pilots supermarket without brands
- 09/17/2018 Kroger: same-store sales estimates missed and shares drop 11%
- 09/17/2018 Walmart's purchase of Latin American food delivery service Cornershop set to spur e-commerce
- 09/14/2018 Eroski: more sustainable product lines
- 09/14/2018 Walmart Canada collaborates with Instacart
- 09/13/2018 Morrisons LFL growth reaches 9 year high
- 09/13/2018 Walmart: new vending machine that retrieves groceries within seconds
- 09/12/2018 Tesco will unveil new discount chain, Jack's, next week
- 09/12/2018 Walmart doubles its spending in battle for truckers
- 09/11/2018 Jack Ma will hand over Alibaba to Daniel Zhang
- 09/11/2018 Hy-Vee plans to open 12 supermarkets in Twin Cities
- 09/10/2018 Amazon India: 1st to offer its service in Hindi
- 09/10/2018 Costco: August sales results


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M17, the Taiwan-based live streaming entertainment startup, announced that it has raised a $26.5 million Series D. The round was led by Vertex Growth Fund, with participation from Stonebridge Korea Unicorn Venture Fund, Innoven Capital Singapore, Kaga Electronics and ASE Global Group.
The new funding will be used for growth in Japan, one of M17’s key markets, and expansion into the United States and other regions including the Middle East, and brings the company’s total raised so far to more than $100 million.
Shang Koo, M17’s CFO, told TechCrunch that the company is the biggest live streaming platform in Japan, with more than 60% market share. He added that its U.S. app, LIVIT, has received positive feedback from early users, and will be gradually rolled out in America and other markets over the next two years.
The company’s funding announcement said that more users are logging onto live streaming apps to stay entertained during the COVID-19 pandemic. It added that M17, whose products include live streaming app 17 Media and a talent agency called Unicorn Entertainment, has seen a record number of artists and users signing up over the past few months.
17 Media enables content creators to monetize through in-app gifts and social commerce. In January, the company said it had processed over $500 million worth of virtual gifts for 30,000 exclusive content creators.
Two years ago, M17 planned to list on the New York Stock Exchange, but cancelled its IPO in June 2018 and decided to continue raising private funding.
In a statement, Vertex Growth managing director Tam Hock Chuan said, “We are impressed by M17’s market leading position and continued strong growth in Japan, Taiwan and Hong Kong. With M17’s unique value proposition and battle-hardened management team, the company is well prepared for its next phase of growth.”


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Accounting+, a VR collaboration between makers of Rick and Morty and The Stanley Parable, is out. I got to play it last weekend at Indiecade in LA, and it’s the funniest VR game I’ve tried. If you want to get a feel for its sense of humor, watch this trailer, and make sure to stick around for the whole thing.
The Stanley Parable is receiving a new update to remove a mysterious black obelisk found in one of its hidden endings. The ending in question requires players to partake in a four-hour-long joke mini-game. According to creator Davey Wreden, the strange obelisk is actually the result of a bug.
Davey Wreden, co-creator of The Stanley Parable, has announced his new game, The Beginner’s Guide. While we don’t know much about The Beginner’s Guide yet, chances are it’s pretty weird. We won’t have to wait long to play it, either, as game’s website says it’s launching on October 1 for PC and Mac.
Video game posters by Yolkia:


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10 years later, have consumers forgiven banks?
You can argue when the financial crisis and recession began in earnest, but the first bank failure of that era hit home almost exactly 10 years ago with the failure of Metropolitan Savings Bank during the first quarter of 2007.
More than 500 banks eventually went under, Occupy Wall Street activists pitched protest encampments in big cities, more than a million people lost their homes in the real estate slump, the government bailed out big financial players and Congress wound up tightening key regulations governing the industry. Since then, however, banks have bounced back, and consumers appear to have forgiven or forgotten.
That latter point was driven home by a J.D. Power survey released in early March. Even in the wake of a bank-industry black eye, the Wells Fargo account-opening scandal, 82% of retail customers say they trust their banks to do the right thing, compared to just 4% of respondents who expressed doubt as to whether their banks act ethically. Customer satisfaction with financial institutions has reached record highs, according to J.D. Power.
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That said, the study noted that most consumers don't like to be surprised by fees or by having new accounts opened in their names — one in seven survey respondents said they have had accounts opened or funds transferred without their knowledge. Overly aggressive sales practices at some banks aren't received well by customers, according to the report, which analyzed 83,000 consumer responses.
"In the wake of the Wells Fargo crisis, financial firms of every type have been taking a hard look at their sales practices and controls," said Jim Miller, senior director of retail banking services at J.D. Power, in a prepared statement. "An intense sales culture at some banks may indeed be driving short-term growth, but it can erode loyalty and lead to a loss of future revenue."
Credit unions largely failed to capitalize on customer mistrust of big banks during the crisis. Granted, credit unions gained about 15 million new members or customers over the past five years, bringing the total national count to 106 million. Yet banks still dominate in most measures. Banks also are bigger and more profitable than they were at the start of the financial crisis, holding nearly double the amount of deposits.
Large banks remain tough competitors. They tend to have more branches and ATMs than credit unions, plus more products and services. Despite the increasing shift to online commerce and mobile banking, many people still like having a local branch to visit in a pinch, even if they do so only once or twice a year.
Where credit unions have an edge is in lower fees. Some 84% of the nation's largest credit unions offer "stand-alone" free checking accounts to all customers, according to a new survey by bankrate.com. That's up from 76% last year and compares to just 38% of large banks that do the same. Including people who sign up for direct deposit or agree to a certain amount of transaction activity, virtually all the credit unions surveyed offer free checking, the report added.
Among other findings, credit union overdraft fees run $27.76 on average, compared to an average $33.04 for banks.
Rising-rate trend ahead
Unlike banks, credit unions are not-for-profit entities owned by their customers or members. For this reason, they often pay slightly higher yields on deposits while offering loans at lower rates. But during eras of low interest rates, like the present, these differences can be muted.
For example, as of the end of 2016, credit unions paid only about 0.1% more than banks on one-year certificates of deposit (an average yield of 0.51% compared to 0.41%), and about 0.29% more on five-year CDs, according to the National Credit Union Administration. At the end of 2008, the yield gap was much wider, 0.67% and 0.69%, respectively. Should interest rates rise noticeably over the next few years, as many economists predict, the credit union advantage could become more apparent.
Like banks, credit unions also extend loans to consumers, and here the rate differential has been more consistent. At the end of 2008, bank customers paid 1.42% more than credit-union members on 60-month new vehicle loans and 0.2% more on a typical home equity line of credit. At the end of last year, the rate differences had widened to 1.93% and 0.34%, respectively.
Reach the reporter at email@example.com or 602-444-8616.


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Online advertising company Collective announced the acquisition of Oggifinogi, a rich media technology company. Read the release. (Also, read the Oggifinogi Q&A on AdExchanger.com from last year.)
Collective CEO Joe Apprendi discussed the acquisition and its implications.
AdExchanger.com: Please discuss the difference between the way Collective has sold online video to-date, and the way it will be sold with Oggifinogi in-house?
JA: Collective has been a strategic investor in, and partner with Oggifinogi since 2009. As a result, we are already highly integrated from a platform, sales and services perspective. We’ve delivered billions of Oggifinogi enabled ads across our display ad network since we made this investment. As Collective continues to prioritize in-stream video as a key component of our overall targeting and distribution ecosystem, Oggifinogi will become an even more important technology partner, allowing us to unify audience targeting across both in-banner and in-stream ad formats.
Oggifinogi brings creative development, production and technology expertise to Collective that takes full advantage of rich media and video’s amazing potential, including unlimited ad and social interaction features from Facebook to Twitter to any user feedback application to better measure the impact of video within online advertising. There is almost no creative challenge that is outside the reach of what we can now do. This capability will be applied across our current display, video and emerging mobile platform. As a brand advertiser driven platform, all of this is critical to our clients looking to maximize the ad effectiveness of online advertising.
What will happen to the Oggifinogi team?
Oggifinogi will operate as a subsidiary of Collective, servicing its existing agencies, advertisers and publishers. We obviously will further our integration efforts from a platform perspective, including ease-of-use within AMP, our leading media and data management platform for publishers and networks. This platform is already serving over 15 billion ad impressions outside the Collective display and video network.
What was the price of the acquisition? And what will happen to the company name “Oggifinogi”?
The acquisition price will remain undisclosed. Oggifinogi will continue to operate under the Oggifinogi brand. For those curious, Oggifinogi is Italian and means ‘Today we get it done’. This team is absolutely focused on execution and results and the corporate name reflects this commitment.
Can online video advertising move beyond getting the marketer’s digital dollars and start attracting the ad spend dedicated to TV? What will it take for Collective to attract TV dollars?
Absolutely, but this is a combination of comparable ad formats and measurement. The dramatic growth in video viewership over the past three years led to television quality video being more widely distributed online and brand advertisers are revaluating their television advertising budgets, looking to online to complement their broadcast and cable ad spend. Marketers are looking for insight into what factors are boosting brand awareness. Collective is uniquely poised to secure increased online video dollars by providing marketers with measurement programs to help them understand how each impact key brand metrics including lift and awareness, as well as Internet Gross Rating Point (iGRP) reporting for all Collective video, rich media and display campaigns.
By John Ebbert


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Nikola Corporation has today announced a strategic partnership with General Motors (GM), through which GM will receive an 11% ownership of the company.
The ground-breaking partnership will also see GM engineer, homologate, validate and build both variants of the Nikola Badger, which was unveiled earlier this year.
Read more: Nikola unveils “game changer” Badger pick-up
In addition to the efforts related to the Nikola Badger, the partnership will carry cost reductions for Nikola’s other programmes such as the Nikola Tre, Nikola One, Nikola Two and NZT.
As part of today’s announcement, Nikola said it will utilise GM’s Ultium battery system and Hydrotec fuel cell technology in its innovations, representing a key commercial milestone for GM.
Trevor Milton, Founder and Executive Chairman of Nikola, said, “Nikola is one of the most innovative companies in the world. General Motors is one of the top engineering and manufacturing companies in the world. You couldn’t dream of a better partnership than this.”
“By joining together, we get access to their validated parts for all of our programmes, GM’s Ultium battery technology and a multi-billion-dollar fuel cell programme ready for production.”
“Most importantly, GM has a vested interest to see Nikola succeed. We made three promises to our stakeholders and have now fulfilled two out of three promises ahead of schedule. What an exciting announcement.”
The agreement with Nikola extends GM’s utilisation of its fuel cell technology to the Class 7/8 semi-truck market and represents a high-volume commercialisation of the system.
GM’s battery development work is currently on going. Its Ultium battery technology roadmap includes silicon anodes and lithium metal anodes, which will improve vehicle range, affordability, and reduced dependence on rare and costly metals.
Mary Barra, GM’s Chairman and CEO, said, “This strategic partnership with Nikola, an industry leading disrupter continues the broader deployment of GM’s all new Ultium battery and Hydrotec fuel cell systems.”
“We are growing our presence in multiple high-volume EV segments while building scale to lower battery and fuel cells costs and increase profitability.”
“In addition, applying GM’s electrified technology solutions to the heavy-duty class of commercial vehicles is another important step in fulfilling our vision of a zero emissions future.”


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Ararat's retail precinct has been transformed into a more vibrant regional centre with new festoon lighting being installed along Barkly Street.
The new lights were installed as part of a streetscape renewal project designed to open-up outdoor dining, activities, and events.
The project also included installing new decorative dividers outside cafes, restaurants and hotels, extra outdoor power points, uplighters at the two palm trees located in front of Ararat Town Hall and banner flags running from the Shell Service Station to Baker's Brew.
Ararat Rural City Council chief executive Dr Tim Harrison said the council has had "positive feedback" from the community about the newly installed lights on Barkly Street.
"We've had positive feedback from hospitality and retail businesses and residents who are saying that Barkly Street is now totally lit," he said.
He said the festoon lighting upgrade created a more attractive environment for residents to enjoy.
"As part of Council's commitment to creating more active, vibrant spaces to increase visitation and night-time trade, we consulted with our retail businesses on ways to activate outdoor dining and events" he said.
"The festoon lighting and the dividers also create a consistent look for the streetscape, bringing out Ararat's unique heritage and character.
"We received a number of bright ideas with an overwhelming response that improved lighting, access to power and alfresco dining dividers would enhance the entire streetscape."
He said the revamped streetscape provided many benefits to businesses on Barkly Street.
"This will open up opportunities for expanded hours of trading which will help increase the stay and spending from visitors," he said.
"Limited indoor seating resulting from COVID restrictions has been a major challenge. Hopefully, by encouraging creative dining solutions and our free parking initiative, we can help them bounce back."
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Ararat Rural City Council have been working closely with AF Gasons to plan a detailed design for the divider screens to complement and enhance the look and feel of the CBD.
"It also means that staff at our cafes, hotels and restaurants no longer have to move dividers in and out each day, saving time, energy and the odd sore back," he said.
"Several models were considered before settling on the final design of the dividers, taking into consideration the Art Deco influence of a number of the iconic buildings along Barkly Street."
The $250,000.00 project was funded by the Victorian Government through the Outdoor Eating and Entertainment Package business grant program.
"I'd like to thank the Victorian Government for their support, plus Council's economic development team and outdoor crews for working with business to minimise disruption during the installation, and all of our local businesses and suppliers who gave their time and effort to get behind this fantastic project," he said.
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Yosemite National Park is facing threats of a boycott after hosting a Pride parade for park staff, as detailed in a viral TikTok video.
The video, posted by drag queen and environmentalist called Pattie Gonia, showcased the parade, featuring park employees hiking with pride flags and attire.
Conservative commentator Charlie Kirk shared the video on Twitter, prompting some of his followers to launch a boycott.
The boycott threats against Yosemite are not the first to be instigated by partnerships involving Pattie Gonia. After appearing in an advertisement for The North Face’s Pride Month campaign, some individuals threatened to boycott the brand.
Similar backlash occurred when Bud Light and Target publicly supported transgender individuals and drag queens in their Pride Month campaigns. Bud Light is no longer America’s most popular beer amid shifts in consumer preference as part of the extended boycott.
Modelo Especial took Bud Light’s place as the top-selling beer in the United States during the month of May. According to the Wall Street Journal, Modelo Especial comprised 8.4% of U.S. retail-store beer sales during the four weeks of May, while Bud Light comprised only 7.3% of retail-store beer sales, based on an analysis of Nielsen data performed by Bump Williams, a consulting firm.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Bud Light’s sales were down roughly 24% in the week ending on June 3 compared to the same time last year. Other Anheuser-Busch brands, such as Budweiser and Michelob Ultra, have also experienced reduced sales throughout the boycott.
The majority of Anheuser-Busch distributors are independently owned and reports have indicated that some Anheuser-Busch distributors are considering layoffs, while other distributors have been able to offset the loss of Bud Light distribution by carrying Constellation brands of beer, such as Modelo.
One Anheuser-Busch distributor that does not distribute Modelo said, “Our year is screwed.”