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France's data protection commission has said Microsoft is collecting too much information on users and that its PIN system is not secure enough. Microsoft has three months to comply with French law.
The Vimtag P1: A great home monitoring cam with a few kinks
...of Microsoft money, ARM's acquisition, and Windows 10 updates
JESBOD QY13 sports Bluetooth earphones
Samsung Galaxy S7 edge Lens Cover
Time is running out to claim your free Windows 10 upgrade
windows 10 upgrade
Insider build 14393.5 for PC and Mobile released to Fast ring
Expanding mobile photography with Aukey's wide-angle lenses
Vimtag's budget IP camera, the P1 Smart Cloud, exceeds its competitors in most categories. But platform usability is a small trade-off for the features of this home monitoring cam.
Firefox vowed to get rid of Flash from its browser entirely. After the company took a first step last year in banning outdated versions of the plugin, it's now blocking some Flash content by default.
Six critical security flaws were recently discovered in Dell's Sonicwall Global Management System. The software is used to monitor security network systems and infrastructure inside of enterprises.
The flaw in question affects equipment used by cell towers, radios, networks, and of course, our own mobile phones. While there's a patch available, most devices won't ever receive it.
A new piece of malware has been discovered, which secretly operates a victim's web camera, and steals information from them. It then blackmails victims into leaking company secrets.
The UK government has finally admitted that the wide-ranging powers over the digital world given to it by the Snooper's Charter would allow it to force companies into banning strong encryption.
Traditional ransomware encrypts user data and ransoms it for money. But a new strain of malicious software does away with the encryption bit and just deletes users' files even if they pay.
Yesterday's Patch Tuesday rollout upgraded Windows 10 to version 10586.494 but it also brought a big number of security fixes for all versions of Windows and Windows Server. Check them out here.
If you've been running around town chasing Pokémon, you may want to think twice. The app has a major security risk, in that when it asks for permission to a Google account, it gets full access.
A new report says that while malware and ransomware risks remain too high for comfort, the number of infections dropped dramatically - by 47.3% in the first half of 2016.
Avast Software recently announced that it will acquire its rival AVG Technologies for $1.3 billion. The two companies are known for offering internet security products like antivirus software.
Samsung is pushing out a security update for a number of its high-profile devices, including this year and last year's flagships. The update fixes 8 critical and 17 high-severity security flaws.
In an embarrassing security oversight flagged by security researcher, Amitay Dan, TP-Link lost control of the domain name used to manage its consumer routers, leaving computers prone to attack.
A security researcher has found an exploit-chain that can be used on Android devices with Qualcomm chips to break into the device's disk encryption. This exposes all of the user's data.
A new ransomware variant called EduCrypt was recently discovered. Although it encrypts a victim's files, it also provides the decryption key for free, and teaches the victim a lesson.
The Cyberspace Administration of China has issued new rules for app developers in a bid to combat violence, terrorism, money fraud, and porn. User logs will also be recorded and kept for 60 days.
After a recent escalation of automated attacks against Electronic Filing PINs, the IRS has decided to pull the plug ahead of schedule in the interests of taxpayer security.
With the usage of ransomware by cybercriminals rapidly growing over time, it is also becoming increasingly difficult for people to counter it. We look at trends, as well as how you can stay protected.
Apple recently released a preview of iOS 10, in which the company left the OS kernel unencrypted, a move that could aid security researchers to find and report critical security vulnerabilities.
Despite claims that the Democratic National Committee's servers were hacked by a lone individual called Guccifer 2, researchers have confirmed that the attack originated from Russian intelligence.
The Let's Encrypt project reports that it has now issued over 5 million certificates. The Let's Encrypt project wants site owners to be able to deploy HTTPS more easily, for a secure internet.
An undisclosed number of customers may have had their personal information, including credit card details, stolen after Acer suffered a security breach of its online store.
Ransomware is not only available and targeted to computers, but also for Android devices. With this, a mobile ransomware has evolved and is now able to infect smart TVs running the said OS.
We're giving away 3 copies of Linux Server Security: Hack and Defend, a guide for aspiring hackers and sysadmins to bolster their Linux network security skills, and identify common hacking tips.
Following the leak of over 32 million user credentials, Twitter has now responded by locking an indeterminate number of users out of their accounts pending a password reset.
A large number of Twitter passwords, e-mails and usernames are reportedly up for sale on the dark web. However, there's good reason to believe Twitter wasn't hacked in this instance.
uTorrent's forums have been hacked, and it says users should consider their passwords "compromised" - but it doesn't appear that the company is actually contacting users to notify them of the breach.
According to security experts, the utilization of ransomware by cybercriminals is rapidly rising. This is reportedly due to the openness of source codes, as well as the large money criminals get.
After users reported unexpected connections to computers via Teamviewer's remote access software, the company has rolled out two new security features to help thwart unwanted account access.
Russia has arrested a ring of 50 hackers for stealing over 1.7bn rubles ($25 million) by spreading malware which allowed them to access users' PCs and steal their bank information.
A new report details an organized deep web-based Russian ransomware campaign which has targeted thousands of corporations, from hospitals to hotels, and netted ringleaders exorbitant salaries.
A credible zero-day vulnerability is being auctioned off on criminal websites. The exploit can be used on all versions of Windows including 10 and can even supposedly bypass Microsoft's EMET suite.
After it emerged that Myspace was the subject of a data leak, involving over 427 million passwords, the company has now confirmed that they were the subject of a data breach back in 2013.
Microsoft has discovered a new type of ransomware that not only encrypts an innocent user's computer files, but also takes the time to reproduce itself through removable drives and network drives.
Chrome 51 was recently added to the stable channel with numerous bug fixes and the company has now revealed the list of vulnerabilities reported by external researchers along with the amount paid out.
Microblogging site Tumblr was the subject of a data breach back in 2013. The company claimed it affected 'a set' of users. An analysis shows that 'set' was actually over 60 million passwords.
A new universal app for Windows 10, 'Hacked?', let's you see if you have been involved in a data breach. It offers to check your accounts every 12 hours and notify you if any new breaches involve you.
Myspace has become the latest subject of a data leak, with over 427 million passwords up for sale in the online underground. Passwords were not stored securely, using old, compromised standards.
A new report released by the Government Accountability Office says the SACCS - the command system used to operate the US nuclear arsenal - is running on an 8-inch floppy disk system from the 1970s.
Google is once again trying to put pressure on OEMs and carriers to make sure users get the latest Android updates. But its efforts may be in vain thanks to fundamentally opposite business models.
Intelligent Environments has created a platform that links to the Pavlok wristband, delivering a 255 volt electric shock if you overspend on your bank account. Other devices are also being integrated.
Today at the Secure360 conference in Minnesota, Brian Krebs shared his thoughts on enterprise security, both current as well as what he sees for the future of the industry.
A new type of ransomware has recently been discovered, and is bundled along with the Petya ransomware. If a user rejects admin privileges, a backup malware will kick in, encrypting a user's files.
Microsoft says "all new devices and computers", including phones, that ship with "all SKUs" of the Windows 10 Anniversary Update must have Trusted Platform Module 2.0 support "enabled by default".
An online forum dedicated to hardcore fetishes has suffered a data breach. The leaked data includes IP addresses, email addresses and weakly-encrypted passwords. Government addresses are involved.
Let's Encrypt, the project aimed at securing connections to websites, has hit the three million mark with regards to the number of issued certificates. It left its beta phase less than a month ago.
The Lenovo Solution Centre, pre-bundled on almost every Lenovo PC, has been found to have a flaw that could put affected PCs at risk of attack, by allowing elevated privileges on the machine.


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Internet pranksters have seized on a cross promotion between Miami rapper Pitbull and Wal-Mart, and Kodiak could get a concert out of the deal.
The world’s largest retailer is urging people to “Likes” stores on its Facebook page through the middle of this month. Whichever store finishes with the most “Likes” will get a visit from Pitbull, known to his family and friends as Armando Perez.
The prank is the brainchild of Boston Phoenix writer David Thorpe, who thought it would be a hoot to exile Pitbull to the most remote, desolate and out of the way Wal-Mart in America. Figuring that would be the one on the Rock, Thorpe started an online campaign to have the Kodiak Wal-Mart “Liked” by thousands of people.
So far, he’s succeeding — the Kodiak store has over 34,000 “Likes,” or about five times the town’s population. Other Alaska stores have about 600 “Likes.”
Upon hearing Kodiak was in the lead, Pitbull tweeted that he’s glad the store carries bear repellent.
— Pitbull (@Pitbull) June 30, 2012
Pitbull currently has a hit with the song “Back in Time,” from the Men In Black III movie. One of the lines goes “I’ve the globe (yeah) in the palm of my hand; wherever I spin it, that’s where I land.” Well, if the internet has anything to say about it, he may be landing in Kodiak.
- The union representing Haines municipal employees has filed a grievance against the borough on behalf of police officers. The grievance stems from Assembly member Tom Morphet’s decision to publicize accusations against the police department at an Assembly meeting earlier this month.
- House Bill 211 sponsored by Kiana Democrat Dean Westlake met opposition in a House session early Monday afternoon.
- The legislation would close a quarter of the gap between what the state government spends and what it raises.
- Sen. Kevin Meyer said his constituents oppose creating a new bureaucracy to collect an income tax when the Permanent Fund continues to pay dividends.

domain: news


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Nowadays, “mindfulness” is the name of the weight loss game. You’ve heard the tips: Turn off your TV at dinner. Chew a million times before swallowing. Eat in silence. But sometimes life just gets in the way! And you know what’s easier than trying to live mindfully 24/7? Picking a few mind-less healthy habits you can work into your life without giving them a second thought.
That’s why researchers from the Cornell University Food and Brand Lab recently started the Global Healthy Weight Registry to track the mindless habits that men and women (who’ve never been overweight…lucky dogs) use every day.
“Most of these people just follow three or four rules of thumb — often that they don’t even think about — and those are what keep them…in control,” says study co-author Brian Wansink, PhD, director of the Food and Brand Lab and author of Slim by Design.
Apart from being way easier than counting calories and macros, or measuring serving sizes, their mindless methods may actually be more effective, too. After all, calorie obsession can backfire on you, Wansink says. Research suggests that you’ve only got so much willpower working for you — and if you’re using yours to count calories all day, sooner or later you might just give up. That’s when weight gain happens.
Ready to make maintaining a healthy weight so much easier? Just follow these five mindless healthy habits of the effortlessly slim.
5 Insanely Easy Ways to Build Healthy Habits
1. Eat Breakfast
OK, here’s what you need to do: Wake up, eat breakfast. (And then hopefully take a shower.) It’s as simple as that and once you make it your routine, it takes absolutely zero thought. It’s as easy as brushing your teeth (which you also hopefully do every morning), and can make a huge impact in your ability to stay healthy. So much so that 96 percent of people in Cornell’s online Global Healthy Weight Registry eat breakfast. Every. Single. Day.
“Eating a healthy breakfast sets you up for a healthy day of eating,” says nutrition and food scientist Danielle Starin, M.S., R.D., director of nutrition for the Nutritionix nutrition database. “By having a filling breakfast, you won’t be starving at lunch and won’t be as easily swayed by the cake in the break room.” Plus, eating breakfast helps get your body out of starvation mode in the morning so your body can start burning, rather than hoarding, calories, says Wesley Delbridge, R.D., a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. For an added boost, Wansink recommends trading yogurt or cereal for an omelet or quinoa bake. Why? We tend to register warm meals as more filling, he says.
2. Chow Down on Quality Foods
Forget counting calories. People who stay slim simply choose high-quality foods over junky ones, according to the Cornell research. “Think about 100 calories of potato chips versus 100 calories of almonds. Although it looks like you’re getting more food from the chips, you are more likely to feel hungry sooner after eating 100 calories of chips than 100 calories of almonds,” Starin says. “This is because the almonds are more nutrient-dense.” The almonds contain more fiber, protein and other health-boosting compounds. Meanwhile, the chips will just make you feel crappy, bloated and, in 30 minutes, hungry again.
Granted, it might take some thought to choose whole or minimally processed foods over less savory options — especially at first. But as you realize how much better you feel by eating this way, it will become automatic. You’ll eat those foods because just the idea of plowing through a sleeve of cookies makes you feel sick — not because you’re trying to “watch what you eat.”
RELATED: 7 Days of Clean Eating Made Simple
3. Eat at Home
“Two-thirds of slim men and women ate veggies at dinner every day, half included fruits and veggies in their morning meals.”
People who never struggle with weight gain tend to cook from home, says Wansink, who has studied the various ways restaurants and menus are designed to make you overeat. “Studies have shown that home-cooked meals are significantly healthier than similar foods from restaurants,” Starin says. And even if you do manage to eat healthy when you’re dining out, let’s be honest, it can become a bit of a chore. Can you not bring a basket of bread to our table? How’s the chicken prepared? Hold the oil.
To make cooking at home even easier than eating out, Delbridge recommends prepping your meals. Once a week, head to the supermarket with a list of all of the meals you want to make for the next seven days, focusing on ones that use similar ingredients. That way, you can use your bell peppers to make egg bakes, pastas and fajitas. Then, immediately wash, chop and cook up all of your meals at once, and divvy ‘em out to eat throughout the week, he says. Bonus: This tip will also save you serious time and cash.
4. Exercise Regularly
One foot in front of the other — it can be as simple as a long, brisk walk. Bonus points if you can mix in some strength work, too. A whopping 90 percent of the men and women in Cornell’s Global Healthy Weight Registry exercised at least once per week and 42 percent exercised five or more times a week.
That might come as a surprise to anyone who thinks they can keep their weight down through healthy eating alone (weight loss is 80 percent diet, right?). But exercise is critical not just to burning calories in the gym, but for building muscle and boosting your metabolism all day every day, Delbridge explains. Case in point: In one year-long Obesity study of 439 women, those who ate healthy and exercised lost nearly 30 percent more weight than those who dieted alone.
5. Build Meals Around Produce
It’s time to learn to love your broccoli. In fact, in the Cornell study, two-thirds of slim men and women ate veggies at dinner every day, half included fruits and veggies in their morning meals, 44 percent said fruit was their favorite snack food, and another 21 percent said nuts were their go-to snacks. Produce is clutch when it comes to weight loss, Delbridge says. Besides taking up a lot of space on your plate (leaving less room for macaroni and cheese), fruits and veggies are packed with filling, blood sugar-regulating fiber and require a ton of chewing. It may sound silly, but all of that chewing actually triggers the release of powerful satiety hormones in your brain to keep you feeling full long after your meal.
To get more produce the mindless way, simply make sure to fill half of your plate at every meal with fruits and veggies, Delbridge says. And, no, it doesn’t have to be fresh. Frozen varieties can be a great, cost-effective way to enjoy produce that is out-of-season. Plus, since frozen fruits and veggies are picked when they are at their peak, you can be sure that you’ll get the most nutrients per bite, he says.


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It's always a bad idea to take part in a survey, especially one that is sent to you by email. At best, you'll get on some annoying telemarketer list. At worst, your identity could be stolen.
In one of the latest survey scams making the rounds on the Internet, a spammer is using the Wal-Mart name and logo to trick consumers into revealing sensitive information. Mike, a ConsumerAffairs.com reader from Edinburg, Virginia, first alerted us to this new incarnation.
"I received the following email today: CONGRATULATIONS!!! You have been chosen by Wal-Mart online department to take part in our quick and easy 5 question surveys," he said.
The email promises to pay the consumer $175, just for taking part in the survey. Of course, to receive the money, the consumer must provide their credit or debit card number. And lest the consumer be concerned that their information might fall into the wrong hands, the email assures them that it will not.
Like similar spam-scams, the email bears the official Wal-Mart logo and looks official. It's anything but, and recipients should delete it immediately.


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With all the changes Google is making, relying on SEO as your prime lead generation tactic can become a scary proposition. To ensure you build brand awareness and inquiries across multiple channels, it pays to have a diverse marketing mix, one that includes print ads.
Recent Posts+ More
This is the 51th edition of an independent annual survey that collects statistics from machine-tool-producing countries and compares them in U.S. dollars.
Gardner’s Capital Spending Survey is the largest, most comprehensive survey detailing future spending in the durable goods manufacturing industries.
Now in its fifth year, the results of our annual media survey reveal the demographic characteristics and media usage trends of today’s manufacturing technology buyer.


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We haven't had that spirit here since...ever: History made with first Wellesley booze sale
The moment itself was anticlimactic; three items worth a total of $46 and change, and all it took for the owners of Fells Market to sell them were two years and several appearances at Town Hall, a vote by Town Meeting and a successful ballot question.
A six-pack of Mayflower beer, a 12 pack of Harpoon Summer Ale and a bottle of Sean Minor Cabernet Sauvignon, sold to a Wellesley resident and friend of the store’s owners ended Wellesley century-plus run as a dry town just after 5:30 p.m. on Friday.
The ultimate end of Wellesley’s prohibition on retail sale of booze started long before that, and culminated in a day-long scramble to stock the shelves with a variety of wines and the beginnings of what will eventually become a fully stocked beer fridge.
“They’re very eager to learn,” beer and wine wholesaler Sam Gersten said, “And they want to give back to the community.”
Gersten was the first wholesaler to arrive, working to give Paul Katsikaris a crash course in beer pricing while securing the best real estate possible for his drinks. Ryan Sansosti and his crew from Ruby Wines joined him, eventually, and they worked as a team in the sometimes-tenuous environment that is alcohol display setup.
“It’s great because we’re all working as a team and trying to help them make money, which is what it’s all about,” Gersten said, as he stood watching the other wholesalers do their work—and making sure they didn’t touch his already-completed racks.
Katsikaris said he’s done his research, driving to nearly two dozen liquor stores over the last three months to compare prices and—with Gersten’s advice—set prices that are fair and reasonable. Friday’s setup, and the eventual sale of the first beverages was the end of a long road for he and his brother, Peter.
“It’s a changing of the times,” Paul Katsikaris said. “We’re trying to get Wellesley into the 21st century.” He and his brother spearheaded the eventual passage of a new bylaw that allows for up to six stores—three grocery stores and three specialty food stores—to sell beer and wine
“Between all the wholesalers helping us out and me doing a lot of research over the last three months, I think we have a pretty good handle on it,” Katsikaris said.
While the wholesalers like Carrie Anne Kelly worked frantically to set up the new area in the rear of Fells Market, they agreed that the time was right for Wellesley’s residents to have a drink in town, and for Wellesley businesses to have a chance to explore that opportunity.
“People in Wellesley should be able to create the same sort of market for themselves,” Kelly said, comparing Wellesley to neighboring towns like Natick, Needham and Newton that all allow retail alcohol sales.
Cashier Peter Wier earned the distinction of being the first person to physically sell beer and wine in Wellesley when he rung up Ted Daniel Friday afternoon.
“I actually didn’t expect it to happen today,” Wier said. “This is going to be outstanding. It’s long overdue.”
Fells Market’s license came in early Friday morning, and after the wholesalers verified its authenticity, trucks began rolling in. “I’m glad Peter and Paul spearheaded that,” Wier said. “They put a lot of time and effort into it.”


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Passariello’s Pizzeria & Italian Eatery, a Moorestown mainstay for more than 16 years, will be undergoing major renovations over the next several months.
According to Pasquale Passariello, who founded the restaurant he now owns with his three brothers and sister, the need to renovate the 112-year-old building is not just due to the facility’s age, but also out of a necessity to expand the restaurant’s year-round seating capacity and increase, as well as modernize, its cooking and pizza production capabilities.
Jean Altenberg, a spokesperson for the eatery, said at least part of the outdoor deck in back of the restaurant will become permanent indoor seating. She said the owners are “still debating” whether to keep some outdoor seating.
To improve delivery times, additional ovens will be installed for takeout and delivery. A new catering kitchen will also be added, as well as a special glassed-in display area where patrons can watch the restaurant’s homemade being made, Altenberg said.
The restaurant facade will also be redone, though Altenberg said it will still blend in with the rest of Main Street.
“It’s going to look more authentic Italian,” she explained.
Prior to Passariello’s, the 13 W. Main St. location was the home of Marcello’s Pizza, the Manor House and Newlan’s Restaurant.
The construction contract for the project was awarded to Moorestown-based Grace Construction out of a field of eight bidders.
“It was very important to us that we give this project to a locally-owned contractor,” Passariello stated. “Moorestown has been very good to the Passariello family over the years and it was nice to award this to a ‘neighbor’ in whose management we have the utmost confidence.”
The design team is led by Thomas B. Wagner Architects, PMH Engineering, JTS Civil and Theodore Barber & Company, Food Service Designs.
The renovations won’t cause any interruption in restaurant operations during the two construction periods; the first will soon be underway and will last through the end of the year, and the second will pick up in mid-February through early spring.
During the first phase, the rear of the restaurant will be under construction—reducing the amount of available parking in the back lot—but patrons can still find limited parking there, as well as ample parking in the municipal lot just a few doors down (behind PNC Bank).
Passariello stated the renovation is the next step in what he called “big plans” for the family-owned establishment, which currently boasts a second location in Voorhees.
“The Moorestown renovation is a stepping stone for the further expansion of the company,” he said. “We know our father would be proud of our vision to grow the brand.”
Altenberg said the owners are looking at possibly opening a new location in the near future, but couldn’t provide any more information.
Information provided by A.L.T. Advertising & Promotion


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The Frankfurt regional court of appeal strengthened consumer rights by saying that games pre-ordered on the eShop must retain a 14-day right of withdrawal.
The regional court of appeal (Oberlandesgericht) from Frankfurt ruled in favor of the consumer federation Verbraucherzentrale Bundesverband. The VZBZ accused Nintendo of illegal practice on its eShop. In its judgment, the court strengthened the rights of clients who pre-order on the Big N.
According to the judges, the 14-day right of withdrawal must be able to apply for a pre-order game, and this revocation cannot be excluded. Nintendo prevented any retraction seven days before the official release of a title, which is therefore contrary to consumer rights.
Moreover, the 7-day deadline is only a recent modification by Nintendo which until now did not provide for any refund upon purchase of the pre-order, claiming a legal exception. The law allows you to change this time limit for games that have already been released … but this is not the case with pre-orders. The VZBZ comments on its site:
Until the release date, the game is worthless to buyers and Nintendo’s contract has not been fulfilled in any way.
The regional court’s decision at first instance was therefore overturned and consumers won their case. Nintendo has not yet commented on the news.


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Elsa Hosk Poses Topless While Wearing $35,000 Worth of Jewelry
The former Maxim cover model’s latest shot is definitely turning heads.
Elsa Hosk just dropped what could be one of the most expensive selfies ever—and she wasn’t even wearing a top.
The former Maxim cover model and current Victoria’s Secret Angel wore thousands of dollars worth of Logan Hollowell jewelry while striking a “hand bra” pose in the first of five photographs lensed by Zooey Grossman for the brand’s latest campaign.
Scroll through them all in the Instagram gallery above.
The New York Post diligently researched Hosk’s luxe accessories and found the price of each:
Hosk wears the brand’s diamond infinity choker ($13,000), an Ankh cross necklace ($675) and an alchemy link charm necklace ($2,050) with a Midas star coin ($2,275).
The necklaces were paired with an alchemy link bracelet ($750) and a smattering of rings, including a Midas star ring ($1,875), third eye ring ($1,375), “Wilderness” diamond snake ring ($1,320), multiple diamond patch ring ($1,350), “Queen” diamond and oval onyx ring ($2,135), “Trillion Diamond Queen” band ($1,600), yellow gold pavé infinity band ($3,200), micro pavé diamond band ($2,500) and gold stacking rings ($375).
The combined worth of all is a whopping $34,480. The Swedish supermodel also donned the high-price collection in a second photo set:
That said, she’s stunning in virtually anything. Check out some of her sexiest recent Instagram posts below:


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Truck manufacturer Mack has decided to back out of a tender it won to supply trucks to the IDF, Globes reported. Israeli officials suspect that the reason was pressure on the company from its parent corporation, Swedish auto manufacturer Volvo. Mack truck themselves are manufactured in the United States.
The trucks to be supplied would have been used for transportation of tanks and other heavy equipment. Mack won the tender several months ago, competing against several other vehicle manufacturers, but has yet to sign the contract on the deal. According to Globes, the deal is worth about $50 million, with each unit costing $140,000. The IDF has suffered a shortage of transport vehicles for several years, and decided to buy a large amount in a single purchase in order to lower costs.
The last major purchase of transport vehicles was several years ago, when the IDF bought 100 of the vehicles from Navistar in the U.S. The Defense Ministry decided to hold the tender for the new purchase in the U.S., in order to pay for the vehicles out of U.S. military aid. Although owned by Volvo, Mack is a U.S. company, and IDF officials are surprised that the company is participating in what appears to be a boycott of Israel, in violation of U.S. law, the report said.
The report quoted sources at Volvo as saying that Mack had decided to withdraw from the tender, even though it won the right to sell the IDF the vehicles, for its own reasons. “It’s not uncommon for one of the parties in deals like these to withdraw from it,” the source said.


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Chinese New Year holiday period, cut by India and the United States recently announced 900 billion U.S. dollars economic stimulus plan boost good news, including the Dow Jones industrial average, including a series of economic data was stronger than expected, ICE speculative forces and was not inside National Day holiday last year to re-launch during the 15% rate as downstream market slump.
1 27 ICE11 March break main raw sugar No. 13 cents / lb, nearly three months of the new high-profile opening. The end of March due to a contract about 1 month remaining time delisting, liquidation of long positions speculators began, in March / May contract for months between transactions increase, which makes most of the time the contract within the two months between the premium tends to expand. However, to the January 30 deadline date, the 3-month price is still firmly abide by the 12.50 cents / lb above. Taking full account of the global economic environment, the author believes that the recent first two sugar-producing countries in the world supply is supporting this round Sugar The biggest reason.
] India October 1, 2008? In January 2009 and 25 sugar production declined between 11% of the country's top sugar-producing areas?? Maharashtra intends to import 100,000 tons of raw sugar news of view, the industry in India to publish its official output of the new crop season may be from the last crop season of 26.3 million tons to 18.8 million tons a large number of forecasts reduced the basic consensus has been reached. As to whether the import of raw sugar at zero duty import of raw sugar and after the cancellation of the corresponding amount of refined sugar to be exported while the system of choice to be the Government of India. Brazil, since the wave of economic crisis and the domestic credit crunch, the main producing areas sugar, Wine Significantly reduced sperm mobility plants, resulting in crop season shortage of funds. At present, four bankruptcies, there is proliferation of signs of deterioration later.
1. Positive relationship between internal and external disk sugar
Then the international price of sugar is stronger if the two cities will help the domestic price of sugar on the rebound from the lows before the holiday then? By analyzing the price movements of external disk, our conclusion is: since 2006, both in memory in a positive relationship between trading session. Fluctuations in both the overall trend is consistent.
Recent months from the closing price of white sugar CZCE ICE11 number and closing prices, raw sugar more recent months the figure, in most of the time with the rise of prices with the fall, except that a mixed day and time of departure from the individual. In which two relatively large deviation occurred at the June 2006? In August and July 2008? September.
Our government from January 5, 2006 October 13 to play only during the year were auctioned 12 transactions totaled 1.1433 million tons of state sugar reserve. Huge amount of sugar within a short time to market, making sugar from 6,000 yuan / tons of high speed back to August of 4000 yuan / ton. International market opened in Brazil in April, after pressing demand to ease tensions, synchronization of price correction, the dollar 6? August there have been sustained during the devaluation, so that external disk on the price of raw sugar within the disk is relatively strong in the price of sugar.
Another obvious departure in July 2008? September. By the Shijiazhuang Sanlu Group Co., infant formula milk powder produced a significant Food Security incidents affecting the country, many brands of milk powder and liquid milk were detected in three different levels of ammonia cypermethrin, making people seriously questioned Dairy products The security industry, dairy consumption and then hit hard. Sugar in food production as the largest and most sugar industry, the domestic sugar sales can be said to share a common lot. Hence there are clear differences between inside and outside the sugar price movements.
Analysis of historical price, we think the recent trend of foreign Strong Tendency help drive the domestic price to the good. Variables can not be ignored factors are present in the policy and individual emergencies. As the unpredictable nature of emergencies, we are more concerned about late or on policy-related factors, such as purchasing and storage and so on.
2. Policy factor analysis on the impact of the market outlook
Policy, our macro to micro, central to local, short-term to long-term analysis may affect the price of a few policy points.


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Ukraine supplied blueberry to the UAE for the first time
Last week, a consignment of blueberries was shipped from Boryspil International Airport to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), CTS reports.
The shipment volume totalled 140 kg. Air delivery was carried out by FlyDubai Airlines.
"According to our information, this year the geography of Ukrainian berry supplies is expanding, although not the volume of these supplies. As forecasted, next season the volumes should significantly increase," reported the Formag Forwarding Company, which provided cargo transportation support.
The company also added that that was not the first shipment of berries from Ukraine, but the first shipment under the Ukrainian trademark. Before that, berries were shipped under the Private Label brand.
Previously reported that in the first half of 2019 Ukraine exported $116 mln worth of fruit and berry products, 16% higher from last year's value for the corresponding period.


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American's no-frill fares ban overhead bin use
American Airlines today said it will start selling no-frills tickets in February.
The long-awaited Basic Economy fares, which follow similar moves by Delta and United and are designed to better compete with bargain fares at Spirit and Frontier, will be the airline's cheapest fares but will come with significant restrictions.
The biggest: no carry-on bags in the overhead bin. Any carry-on must fit underneath the seat.
American is following United's lead on that front but going a step further: the airline says travelers cannot bring any overhead bin luggage, such as roller bags, aboard.
Larger carry-on bags brought to the gate by Basic Economy passengers will be charged the airline's regular bag fees plus a $25 gate service charge. (Spirit Airlines charges more for checked bags at the gate, too.) To avoid the service charge travelers will have to check larger carry on luggage at the ticket counter.
United didn't say specify how the overhead bin use would be policed and did not say no larger carry-ons could be brought on board by basic economy passengers. Delta doesn't forbid use of the overhead bins with its basic economy fares.
American's other restrictions: Basic Economy customers will board last, wait until 24 hours before the flight for a seat assignment and tickets will be non refundable and cannot be changed.
The airline, which is the busiest carrier at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, said the fares will debut February in 10 markets. It did not disclose them. The airline has a major hub at Sky Harbor.
American Airlines now has something to offer every customer, from those who want simple, low-price travel to those who want an ultra-premium experience via First Class,” said American Airlines President Robert Isom. “Importantly, this new fare product also gives American the ability to compete more effectively with the growing number of ultra low-cost carriers.”


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Only cigarettes beat banana exports of US$300.0M+ per year
O. Benitez. File
Santo Domingo.- Dominican Republic exports around 400,000 boxes of bananas a week, with an estimated value of over US$300.0 million per year, said Dominican Agribusiness Board (JAD) president Osmar Benítez on Wed.
He said only cigarette exports, at US$800.0 million per year surpass those of banana, whose main markets are Europe and England with a total 75%.
Benítez called the local banana sector is agro’s most dynamic since he affirms, accounts for over 30,000 jobs.
The business leader spoke at the Cold Chain Investment Forum hosted by the JAD to draw attention to the importance of the topic for the opening and permanence of organic bananas in international markets.
The Forum was held as part of the Banana Accompaniment Measures Program (BAM), financed by the European Union, where the study in the program was released.
The research details improvements in the cold chain to export bananas.


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We like our internet, and we like it FREE. Newspaper websites have trouble even getting people to register, never mind pay, for content. Even the mighty New York Times has recently abandoned their attempt to get people to pay for their columnists. But somebody's got to pay for the internet. Unfortunately for many internet sites, that "somebody" has been advertising by so-called "subprime" mortgage lenders. And that party's over.
Many online companies rely for a disproportionate amount of their
income on financial services advertising, with subprime in some cases
accounting for a large part of it, the FT said.
Sixteen percent of all online advertising comes from financial
services companies, making it the second biggest source of advertising
behind the retailing sector, the report said, citing Sandeep Aggarwal,
an internet analyst at Oppenheimer.
So, my fellow internauts, I ask you:which 16% of the internet can you do without? Because the dancing silhouette dork in the mortgage ad isn't going to cover our tab any more.


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Consumer complaints about used car dealers tops the list. Consumer Direct answered more than 1.5 million calls and emails from consumers in 2007 and logged 819,815 complaints on its database, up 18 per cent from the previous year. In total, Consumer Direct received 41,880 complaints about second hand cars bought from independent traders, up 18 per cent on the previous year. Complaints about mobile phone service agreements came second, up 49 per cent and complaints about TVs came third, up 14 per cent. David Sayer, Head of Governance for Consumer Direct North East said: 'The rise in complaints in 2007 reflects, in part, a growing awareness of the service among the general public as well as an increasing willingness among consumers to complain when they buy unsatisfactory goods or receive poor service. Consumers are finding that by arming themselves with information about their rights, they stand a better chance of resolving problems with shops and traders.'
The pressure is on, there will be fewer people looking to change their cars this year and fewer still looking to change into a brand new car. Buyers are looking for bargains and the thousands of scrappage customers who papered over the cracks and gave the business a big shot in the arm last year […]


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New Research Shows Almost 60% of Consumers Opt For the Exclusive .ORGANIC Domain Instead of .COM
If you have a background in internet technology, the “organic” space couldn’t be further from your comfort zone.
Global registry operator Afilias today announced that six leading organic brands are participating in the .ORGANIC domain pioneer program and plan to launch .ORGANIC sites soon.
How To Buy Domains, Switch Domains, Add New Domains, and the Other Technical Things You Have to Do to Live on the Web.
Part of choosing a domain is deciding which gTLD, or ‘generic top-level domain’, to use.
Roland LaPlante, Chief Marketing Officer of Afilias, spoke to me in the past about .INFO being the forth most popular domain gTLD in the world. Today, he shares the current outlook on .ORGANIC...
The fresh new, socially responsible top-level domain .ORGANIC is now open for registration by all bona fide organic producers and others who serve the organic community.
Beginning September 15, 2014, all bona fide organic producers and others who serve the organic community can register for your own .ORGANIC domain name.
Global registry services provider Afilias today announced that the one-month sunrise period is now open for its socially responsible top-level domain (TLD): .ORGANIC.
Global registry services provider Afilias today announced that August 6, 2014, is the sunrise start date for its newest generic top-level domain (gTLD): .ORGANIC.


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Customers swarm Drive-Thru Farmers’ Market
The overwhelming turnout to Jamaica’s first ever Drive-Thru Farmers’ Market at the Agricultural Marketing Corporation (AMC) complex on Spanish Town Road yesterday tested the endurance of staff who were kept on their feet filling orders at a blistering pace.
Vehicles lined the roadway going all the way back to Marcus Garvey Drive as the operators tried to maintain social distancing for the initiative which got under way at 10 o’clock.
Frayed nerves snapped as demand for prepackaged fresh vegetables and fruits selling for $1,000 and $1,500 seemed to be outstripping demand. With one cashier station collecting money and issuing tickets, things were going slowly, even as staff scurried to serve customers.
The venture, coordinated by the Agro-Investment Corporation, was organised to help farmers stuck with surpluses since the outbreak of COVID-19 caused economic fallout globally and domestically.
A woman who gave her name as Blondie was in a no-nonsense mood after waiting in line for more than an hour before being told she would not be allowed to buy all she wanted.
“We appreciate the effort, but the fact is, we have been in the line from 10:05 down at Three Miles. When we were at the gate, we were told that is only three bags per car ... . Now we get in, it’s two bags per car. I’m upset, man,” she said.
Another woman who had taken money from two persons shared her dilemma with The Gleaner, and explained that she was now in a quandary as to which of her friends to disappoint. “I did call and they told me that I could buy many,” she lamented.
Meanwhile, Marva Keane, who had been voicing discontent about the two bags of produce she had tried to secure – one for herself and another for her son – had calmed down by the time she spoke with The Gleaner.
“I believe in helping the farmers to offset their difficulties, and also I see where I am getting some benefits from what is happening,” said Keane.
“I have been buying from other people who were in New Kingston and up at the Ministry of Agriculture (Hope Gardens) and I got a whole host of things – fruit and vegetables – and I was very happy.”
Agro-Investment Corporation CEO Al Powell, who was on location monitoring proceedings, had already decided on a few refinements to improve the service delivery flow for tomorrow’s market. Adding at least one other cashier station would be critical.
“There are hundreds of cars all over the place. We have to aim for a five-to-seven-minute time frame where the customers come, pay their money, collect their packages and leave,” Powell told The Gleaner.
Powell is also hopeful that the AMC could become a distribution hub for farmers who have run into hard times with traditional markets, such as the hotel sector, shuttered because of the coronavirus pandemic.
“We hear that the farmers are dumping eggs, so we could help to accommodate them by allowing them to bring their produce here and provide an outlet for sale,” he said.
“We can also offer to accommodate the farmers in St Elizabeth who are having difficulty selling their melon, so the scope for improving on what we offer, while helping our farmers, is wide open.”


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Samsung's mid-range Galaxy A series handsets and budget M range smartphones have been affected that freezes the phones and restart automatically, reports SamMobile.
The affected phone are Galaxy M30s, Galaxy M31, Galaxy M31s, Galaxy A50, Galaxy A50s, and Galaxy A51. The worst part is it can put the devices in a boot loop. This has been going on for a couple of months and the Indian only models have been affected.
Samsung hasn't issued any repair programme. Samsung service centers asking affected users to replace their motherboard, which can costs around $100( 7000-8000rs ). Fun fact all these phones are powered by Samsung's own Exynos chips.
It can be just a software bug which can be resolved by a simple update. But at this moment users have no other options other than waiting for a offcial reply from Samsung cause even Factory Reset isnt working.


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Davos 2016: Start-ups, supply chains and gender inequality
The global gender inequality crisis, entrepreneurship and multinational supply chains are among the topics up for discussion at the World Economic Forum in Davos this week. Ellie Ward reports.
It’s that time of year again, when 2,500 global leaders in business, politics and civil society flock to the Swiss Alps to discuss social and economic development.
Kicking off proceedings with an important reality check on day one of the World Economic Forum in Davos was the chief operating officer of Facebook Sheryl Sandberg.
She told a panel discussion: “At the risk of shocking everyone so early in the morning – men still run the world. And I’m not sure it’s going that well.
“There are 17 countries in this world run by women, 17 out of hundreds of countries. Almost every country in the world has less than 5% of its top companies run by women, including the United States and every country in Europe. That means we’re not using the full talents of our population. That means when it comes to making the decisions that impact our world, women are not at the tables where those decisions are made.”
Just one glimpse at the makeup of participants at the 2016 forum illustrates Sandberg’s point. Women represent just 18% of this year’s delegates.
Gender inequality is just one of the social challenges being discussed within Switzerland’s snowy mountain range. Two other key issues include entrepreneurship and the behaviour of big business.
Solving global issues – one start-up at a time
A panel discussion hosted by BBC World News presenter Nik Gowing analysed the reality around the United Nation’s (UN) goal of creating 75 million entrepreneurs worldwide. This is what the UN estimates is needed to tackle the global youth employment crisis because globally approximately “75 million young people are unemployed and relying on small enterprises to join the workforce”.
Taking part in the panel discussion were representatives from start-up accelerator programmes, including Edward Thai, a venture partner at prominent Silicon Valley venture capital fund 500 Startups. Thai explained that he believed the UN’s seemingly ambitious goal was possible and that entrepreneurship requires a set of skills that while some people may naturally possess more than others, “can be fostered at any age”.
Key to early development of entrepreneurial skills is receiving encouragement to take risks at a young age, Thai told Gowing. You must learn how to be “willing to fail” but also how to be “very mindful of learning from that experience”.
He continued: “Cultural barriers can prevent this – striving for perfection in school for example”.
When asked the same question around the plausibility of creating 75 million entrepreneurs fellow panellist John Harthorne responded that is was “absolutely possible” – as long as the ecosystem that surrounds the entrepreneur is supportive.
What does this ecosystem entail? Harthorne, who is the founder and CEO of start-up accelerator MassChallenge, goes on to list a number of factors including; funding, government support, legal infrastructure and "some source of ideas and inspiration that could be universities or other environments". He also explained that “the press and the media have to care enough about start-ups that they cover it and make heroes out of the success stories and the corporations have to play a part as customers or sources of funding, mentorship, advice or talent”.
“All of those pieces have to come together,” he concluded. But presenting a barrier to building a stronger entrepreneurial culture globally are educational systems. Harthorne said: “One of the core problems is that most educational models are designed for an expert to tell somebody what the right answer is… and actually what the entrepreneurial mindset is one where you’re not quite abandoned but you’re given structure and format and opportunities to solve problems but you should be putting more of the the burden on the child to learn and express on their own how to think critically, break things down and solve it without a lot of guidance. The hardest part of being an entrepreneur is that you’re breaking new ground.”
Making big business behave better
Alongside debate around fostering entrepreneurship, the forum is also be addressing the social and environmental responsibility of multinationals. Philip Jennings is the general secretary of the UNI Global Union, which is a global trade union that represents 20 million people in 13 sectors of work around the world. Jennings is a Davos veteran and a champion of promoting human rights through business.
He told Pioneers Post: “Profit margins – to have that as your only business motive is just not sufficient anymore. The rules of the game have changed.” He cited the Ruggie Principles (the UN guiding principles on business and human rights) and the Sustainable Development Goals as key to influencing “the values structure of companies”.
He also described how following the 2013 Rana Plaza factory collapse ground has been made in putting multinational supply chains a critical global issue. “The supply chain issue has been taken up by the G7 and the G8, which was a way of impressing upon businesses that they couldn’t escape their responsibilities,” Jennings said.
“There’s a shift out there that is taking place towards increased social responsibility but we still have to face the Wall Street, private equity and venture capital side of things. We have a financial industry that has become brilliant at playing the financial game to their benefit, and at the same time not really doing enough to help the real economy or encourage businesses to do the right thing,” he concluded.
The World Economic Forum continues until 23rd January.
Photo credit: Ben Thompson


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Blog: Why drinks firms should cheer Spain and Germany
Chris Mercer | 2 July 2010
Football can save consumers from misery
Europe's economy is in danger of sinking into the bog so, for the sake of drinks sales, let's all support Germany and Spain in this weekend's World Cup Quarter Finals.
Reports of Germans partying like maniacs after thumping England at the World Cup last weekend made me feel ill. But, my national pride aside, I bet drinks producers were rubbing their hands.
Beyond the street parties, the dark shadow of bank debt is threatening to block out the sun in Europe. Banks in the eurozone owe hundreds of billions of euros to each other in a horrible dominoe system that stretches from the rot in Athens to Berlin, via Madrid and Paris.
If Europe's economy were a football team, it would be England - sluggish, rotten and reliant on past glory.
FIFA's World Cup is not going to deliver us from this fiscal nightmare-in-waiting, we'll probably have to rely on so-called economic experts for that.
But, there has been growing acceptance down the years that World Cup success really can lift the mood of a nation.
Legend has it that an England victory in the 1990 World Cup (they lost, of course, to Germany) would have prompted an ailing Margaret Thatcher to call a snap election.
While, only this week there have been reports that New Zealand's Government could time its own General Election next year to the fortunes of the All Blacks at the Rugby World Cup.
If a World Cup win means that people are happy enough to vote for you, then they will be happy enough to buy things too. Just for a brief moment, they may forget their own impending doom and order a beer/whisky/Magnum of Champagne. Ok, well, maybe not the Magnum.
So come on (hesitates) Germany, and Spain, let's build some consumer confidence. Vuvuzelas at the ready.
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The stock price was already on the rise Tuesday lunchtime, but shortly after the tweet it jumped up from $355 to $370 -- $50 bucks short of the $420 benchmark -- but it quickly dropped back to around $362.
If Musk is being serious, it means he'd buy back the company when the market cap is $85 billion, including debt. If he does want to buy back the company at that point, he'll probably have to spend a lot more than that -- not many shareholders will sell their stock back to the company at market value.
There's always a chance this is a joke, and Engadget has asked Tesla for confirmation on that. But who knows what Musk is really thinking at any time? It's not Musk's first 420 reference on Twitter, but it's one that could lead to questions from the Securities and Exchange Commission, given the agency's guidelines on social media disclosures. Shares have since been halted.


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Six months ago, Andre Vener, partner with the Dog Haus fast-casual chain, was at a dads outing for his kid’s school in Pasadena, Calif. Turns out, the dad on the next barstool over was Michael Montagano, CFO for the fast-growing, delivery-only kitchen startup Kitchen United.
After a quick chat, Vener realized the virtual kitchen model would be a good fit for the 35-unit hot dog concept as it looks to expand to new markets and build its off-premise business at existing locations.
“It just really made sense,” Vener told Restaurant Business. “Our kitchens were built to accommodate the seating capacity of that restaurant and not think about delivery.”
Plus, Vener said, the partnership will allow Dog Haus to minimize the risk of testing its concept in new markets.
Since that conversation at the school mixer, Dog Haus has partnered with Kitchen United, committing to operate its gourmet hot dog concept out of the next 25 virtual kitchen locations slated to open by the end of 2020. The first such unit is scheduled to launch next month in Chicago, with operations in Atlanta; Austin, Texas; Columbus, Ohio; Houston; Los Angeles; New York City; Phoenix; San Francisco; and Washington, D.C., also on tap.
Kitchen United’s rapid growth is fueled in large part by a $10 million investment last fall from a venture capital group that includes Google’s parent company and CaliBurger CEO John Miller.
Kitchen United, which currently has centers open in Pasadena, Calif., and Chicago, builds delivery-only operations with 10 to 20 kitchens available for operators to lease. The company recently added The Halal Guys and Wetzel’s Pretzels at its Pasadena location, as well as a Kitchen United-created Italian concept, Fresgo.
The concepts, which pay rent each month to Kitchen United, staff their own kitchens. But the virtual operator handles everything else, including kitchen build-outs, tech infrastructure, front-of-house staff, marketing and operations. Third-party delivery services ferry the orders. Kitchen United takes a small commission from walk-up orders, Vener said.
Dog Haus, which is largely franchisee-run, will have franchise owners run the Kitchen United operations in their territories, he said.
The company has said it intends have a total of 12 to 15 Kitchen United operations open by the end of the year.
“We’re building a business for our restaurant members that allows them to solely focus on what they do, which is make the food,” Anthony Green, Kitchen United’s vice president of sales, told RB.
When selecting concepts, Kitchen United looks for those that are growing, serve high-quality food, have a sophisticated digital presence and are already at least exploring delivery, Green said.
“If they’re all of those things, they’re scratching their heads to figure out, ‘How are we going to scale delivery?’” he said.
Dog Haus plans to test new menu items at its Kitchen United units, about half of which will be in new markets for the chain.
Chicago’s first Kitchen United location, which is slated to be fully booked and operational by the end of June, will include a mix of major national brands, regional players and local concepts, Green said. A few of the restaurants will be delivery-only. Names of all of the concepts have not yet been released.
“Who knows who’s going to end up being more successful,” Green said of the delivery-only versus traditional concepts. “We’re learning some of this as we go.”
The partnership with Kitchen United will nearly double Dog Haus’ unit count, but with less risk than going the traditional route, Vener said.
“It’s a lot different than signing a 10-year lease and spending $2 million to open a brick-and-mortar,” he said. “If in nine months, it doesn’t work out, you move on.”
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The US economy gained 222,000 jobs in June, many more than expected, according to a report from the Bureau of Labour Statistics on Friday.
Economists had forecast that nonfarm payrolls increased by 178,000, according to Bloomberg.
The excess number of people employed in July over those that were laid off or fired was revised upwards for both April and May. That left the June job gains roughly in line with the average increases this year, and did not vastly change the overall picture of employment.
“The bottom line is that jobs are out there, and job hunters with marketable skills are in a good position to move on or move up,” said Jim Baird, the chief investment officer at Plante Moran Financial Advisors.
The unemployment rate ticked up from a 16-year low of 4.3% to 4.4%. It was for good reason, as more people found work or decided to job-hunt. The labour-force participation rate increased to 62.8% from 62.7%.
Wage growth was softer than expected and unchanged from May. Average hourly earnings rose by 0.2% month-on-month, and 2.5% year-on-year.
Economists expect wages to be rising at an even faster pace because the unemployment rate is near a post-crisis low, and so there should be more competition for skilled workers. However, some Federal Reserve officials have noted that the lower unemployment rate is not lifting workers’ pay the way it used to partly because productivity is lower.
Retail hiring rose for the first time since January, pausing an exodus of jobs from large department stores that are losing ground to ecommerce. Retail trade gained 8,100 jobs overall, although hiring fell on net in car dealerships, electronics stores, and clothing stores.
The healthcare sector contributed the most jobs, at 37,000. The coal industry added no jobs.


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French Winemakers Are So Pissed at the Tour de France They May Try to Stop the Race
Worldwide, the Tour de France is probably the most recognized French sporting event of the year. But though the race brings together cyclers from all over the globe, French winemakers want foreign wine advertisements to be strictly forbidden.
The controversy arose recently when French producers in the southwestern Languedoc-Roussillon region discovered that a Chilean wine company, Cono Sur, was a sponsor of the famed bicycle competition. Oddly, the sponsorship has actually been around since 2014 without eliciting concerns, in part because France as a country bans all alcohol brands from advertising at sporting events, meaning Cono Sur’s sponsorship is only included during the few stages of the race that slip outside of France’s borders.
However, simply knowing a wine brand from another country is attached to the race that bearing the French name has elicited outrage. “It is unacceptable to allow the Tour de France organizers to promote a wine from Chile,” the Young Farmers group said on its website according to the Telegraph. “They should be supporting only French produce.” Frederic Rouanet, president of the Aude department winemakers’ union, agreed in even more dramatic terms. “We feel humiliated,” he was quoted as saying. Members of the French parliament have even penned angry letters to the country’s agricultural minister.
The upset winemakers say that if the Chilean wine partnership isn’t terminated, they will block the stage of the race that runs from Carcassonne to Montpellier. Sounds like everyone needs to just drink a glass of California wine and chill out.


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Late-arriving Thanksgivings shorten the traditional retail shopping season, including for Christmas tree farms, though for many Rhode Islanders the latter are a holiday-season necessity.
“It definitely makes our season shorter and quicker,” said Sue Champagne, artistic director at The Farmer’s Daughter, a Christmas tree farm in South Kingstown. But “it has been going well, this early season. It’s all weather-dependent. … What we need is winter-feeling weather, but not storms, not rain. If you get some great 30 to 40 degree winter weather, that’s wonderful for us. … November [was] really great.”
The crop of trees made it through a less-than-ideal growing season in the last 12 months, Champagne said.
“The growing year was a little bit of a challenge later in the season with the lack of rain, and the heat that came on,” she said.
Eric Watne, president of the Rhode Island Christmas Tree Growers Association and owner of Clark’s Christmas Tree Farm in Tiverton, said the shorter calendar had one benefit: It presented one fewer weekend to work fingers to the bone for owners, who with few exceptions have day jobs off the farm.
“The weekends are exhausting,” Watne said. “We like doing it, and we like it when it’s over. … It’s a lot of heavy lifting.”
Currently there are approximately 40 members of the association, about half what he’s been told there were as recently as 15 years ago, Watne said.
“In the eight years I’ve been here, I’ve seen half a dozen farmers stop, who have gone out of business,” he said. “They got too old to take care of the crops themselves and no one else in the family wanted to. So, their land ended up getting sold or used for other purposes.”
On Aquidneck Island, Sweet Berry Farm’s co-owner, Jan Eckhart, was hopeful that the calendar wouldn’t be the ultimate determinant of his business.


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Will we soon see the day when marketers get more excited about placing their product videos on Pinterest than on Facebook? Facebook has long been the 900-lb. gorilla of social networks, with 1 billion active users, while Pinterest has a mere 70 million. Facebook just added autoplay videos to news feeds, which makes it a likely place for brands.
But Pinterest deserves plenty of love from marketers for many reasons, yet it seems that many brands have yet to embrace it. However, Pinterest is on a dramatic growth curve. In October 2013, it was the recipient of a $225 million funding round, and it’s quickly expanding outside of the United States. The recent launch of its mobile site has also accelerated its growth.
Aside from the fact that Pinterest is definitely accumulating an audience at a rapid rate, it offers brands a very different environment for their product videos. For one thing, the lifespan of content on Pinterest is much longer than on Facebook. Content on Facebook quickly ages – as it gets pushed down the news feed, it doesn’t command attention from members.
But on Pinterest, content is constantly circulating and staying fresh, since people can share their pins and rearrange them. According to a study from Piquora, brands’ pins on Pinterest receive 70% of their clicks in the first two days after they appear, but the last 30% of clicks can happen over the course of the next month. This means that video content on Pinterest, unlike the newsfeed-driven social networks such as Facebook and Twitter, has the power to hold members’ attention for longer.
Also, the way people use Pinterest is far friendlier to brand content such as videos. People who browse Pinterest don’t see videos and images as getting in the way of news and updates from their friends. They want this content: They’re there to get ideas for weddings, decorate rooms, find party-hosting ideas, or find new crafting ideas, to name a few scenarios. The Pinterest experience is more akin to the shopping experience – or browsing a magazine.
Pinterest also has a strong viral nature, which is another reason why brands with video content need to grow their presence on the network. More than 80% of Pinterest pins are repins, which means its users are highly inclined to re-pin content they find watchable and useful to their community.
Pinterest is making it easier for its users to find and pin videos, and it’s also adding more merchant-friendly tools for making content stand out. The community now offers its members the choice to see only videos on their Pinterest home page, and this choice has been given some prominence – it’s one of the bolded options in the top-left corner menu, which indicates that Pinterest believes its members are enjoying video content.
Features like “rich pins,” which Pinterest launched last fall, are also making it easier for marketers to draw attention to their video content. You can add pricing, availability, and “where to buy” info to product pins to help drive traffic to your website or to those of your retail partners. The real-time pricing feature for rich pins can be a boon to marketers – for example, if a Pinterest user pins a product video, and the price later drops on that product, the user can receive an email from Pinterest alerting them to the price change.
Another useful tool for retailers with product videos is the trending products widget, also launched last fall. The widget allows retailers to create lists of the most frequently pinned items in their online stores, and display this widget on their online storefronts. This is a good tool for highlighting a brand’s presence on Pinterest and reminding shoppers that it’s an active participant in the community.
The bottom line is that if you’re not bringing video content to Pinterest you may be missing a prime marketing opportunity. Now that Pinterest is bringing merchant-friendly tools to the community, get ahead of your competitors by becoming a Pinterest trailblazer.
Dr. Melody King is vice president of marketing at Treepodia.


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Doubt has been cast on the possibility of Apple launching an iPhone 5 in 2011 after a Chinese supplier claimed there was going to be “no iPhone 5 this year”.
The same supplier has provided images of components for an iPhone 4S, which it says will launch soon, and were sourced from Shenzhen in China.
Apple Insider was made aware of the parts by iRepair India, a repair service for iPods, iPhones, iPads and MacBooks.
iRepair India’s co-founder told Apple Insider that he knows the Chinese supplier in question and regards him as a credible source.
The claimed iPhone 4S components – battery, camera, home button, dock connector assembly, and display glass, according to the report – are all available for purchase now, the source said.
There has been much speculation about whether the next-generation iPhone would be a slight upgrade of the iPhone 4 or an all-new design with superior components, or even whether Apple would launch two new models in the iPhone range.
Last week, the New York Times reported that an Apple employee, who spoke on condition of anonymity, had promised that the next-generation iPhone would be “fairly different” from the iPhone 4, but only mentioned one new iPhone rather than two.
However, contradictory evidence was later reported by 9to5Mac, which claimed that a source had confirmed the existence of two new iPhones – one of which was suffering production delays.


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Rockstar Pro Arena is located in an old parts warehouse at 1106 E. Third St. in Dayton. The venue is a training facility for aspiring pro wrestlers, a concert hall and the Rockstar Pro Wrestling TV production studio, according to owner Chadwick Parker.
>> PHOTOS: You have to see this 'spooky' abandoned church for sale in Dayton
“Rockstar is a professional product that can get wrestlers ready for TV,” Parker said.
“We’re running just under 100 shows a year, so we’re really able to go in depth with our story line and take our time with a character,” he said. “Dave Crist is our trainer. His brother Jake Crist books and writes the shows.”
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Pro Wrestlers from Rockstar Pro in Dayton tell us what they're all about
In addition to their own online network, rockstarpronetwork.com, Parker also revealed that Rockstar Pro will soon be offered on Amazon Prime.
“I feel the future is apps, other than a cable provider. Going onto Netflix, Amazon and Hulu, those big boys, that’s where they’re going to allow small companies like us. I never wanted Rockstar to be Coke or Pepsi. I want Rockstar to be the Jones Soda of wrestling. When you look for independents, we are the independent.”
“I feel Rockstar is a living entity. It is its own thing. Nobody can really contain it,” Parker said.
>> RELATED: Moneyball: Dayton Dragons an economic juggernaut
Wednesday nights are the weekly shows, and on the first Friday of each month Rockstar hosts a live pay-per-view show. The Friday night April show has been moved to April 13.
For most shows, doors open at 7 p.m. and the action starts at 7:30 p.m. For ticket prices and more information, visit www.rockstarprowrestling.com.


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Front Exterior View - 2010 Dodge Charger 4-door Sedan SXT RWD
A couple of days ago, we mentioned that Volkswagen would return to the Superbowl advertising arena after a nine-year absence with a new, 30-second spot highlighting the full range of VW vehicles. A handful of other brands will seen during the game -- including Honda, Hyundai, and VW's brash sister, Audi -- but only one will hail from Detroit. According to CNN, Chrysler is the sole member of the Big Three signed up for Superbowl airtime, and it's apparently going big: the company will focus the whole of its resources on a 60-second spot for the Dodge Charger.
Some in the auto media have come out against the ad buy, which is sure to exorbitantly expensive. (Figures haven't been released, but if this year's average price for a 30-second spot is $2.5 million...well, you can do the math.) They argue that the public will see the Superbowl ad as one more waste of bailout dough, not unlike Chrysler's infamously stupid "Thank you, America" ads in USA Today and the Wall Street Journal . In short, critics insist that Chrysler is wagering the farm, when the company ought to be hedging its bets.
We're not entirely sure we side with those critics. True, we might've opted for a couple of 30-second spots instead of one big one, but we don't have a problem with advertising in general. Any marketing professional will tell you that the biggest mistake companies make when money is tight is cutting their ad budgets. Chrysler needs to spend -- and as we've mentioned before, Chrysler dealers are pressuring the company to run more product-oriented ads. The Superbowl spot may not have the same payout as many smaller ads run in prime time would, but it's a product-specific ad in a high-profile slot, and it's centered on one of the company's best-respected cars. In other words: the company could do better, but it could also do far worse. This way, Chrysler keeps dealers happy, and if our instincts are correct (a 50/50 shot), the public may not pay much attention to the pricetag.


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Your morning fashion and beauty report: Black Friday, Karl Lagerfeld and SATC 3?
Yes, it's only Wednesday and on Thursday we dine on roasted fowl. But Friday -- Friday, we shop! Here are a few run-downs on Black Friday: Sometimes we can shop and get a massage. [L.A. Times] Some boutiques are having sales. [Huffington Post] Stylelist shares some beauty tips. [Stylelist] And Channel 11 offers a few tips on surviving the big day. [Fox 11]
-- In case you haven't come around yet to the idea that the world is turning in a different direction: Karl Lagerfeld is going to design a capsule collection for Macy's. [The Cut]
-- Rapper Nicki Minaj is about to show up on a lot of iPods (her new CD will be released Nov 26). But that's not all! She's paired with M.A.C. on a limited edition lipstick called "Pink Friday," which happens to be the name of her debut album. [People]
-- Yes, Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana have been, as expected, indicted on tax evasion charges. [The Cut]
-- And, finally, on the eve of our bountiful holiday, there are more rumors about a third "Sex in the City" movie. [Vogue UK]
Photo: Cynthia Nixon, left, and Sarah Jessica Parker in "Sex and the City 2." Credit: Craig Blankenhorn / New Line Productions


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Back Story: When the multifaceted publisher Qompendium—an “evolving and ever-changing platform for philosophy, art, culture, and science”—reached out to Folch to design posters for a new project, the Barcelona-based studio turned to the news for inspiration. “We decided to digitize the handlettering style used to rewrite the headlines of the Evening Standard on newsstand displays,” says Josep Puy, senior designer and art director at Folch. “We’d then redistribute our versions of the posters throughout London.”
Folch took a particularly cheeky approach to the posters, putting in phrases like No One Told Me It Was Going to Explode where the news Evening Standard headlines would typically be. This year, the studio, which works on everything from brand strategy to creative direction to environmental branding for interiors, made the font used in the posters available for download. All they ask for in return is a self-determined donation.
Why’s it called Trivial? “The name is kind of sarcastic. It came from our interpretation of the Evening Standard, playing with the idea that even front page news lacks value and importance,” Puy says. “So we decided to point out this trivial quality of news with the name of the typeface.”
What are its distinguishing characteristics? Trivial is an all-caps font that looks like it was neatly handwritten with a broad, chisel point Magic Marker. It plays off the UK newsstand custom of writing the Evening Standard’s most important front-page headline onto a placard slipped into the newsstand display—using a broad, chisel-point Magic Marker. It features Latin language support for uppercase letters, accented uppercase, numbers, ligatures, punctuation, and symbols.
What should I use it for? Use it for any display type that demands a sense of urgency and immediacy, especially on stories about the media and the turbulence enveloping it these days. Qompendium has a page on its website where users can typeset their own phrases in Trivial, for use in a future workshop or even a publication. A couple of the best ones so far? Cheese Toasties for My Dead Homies and Not Sure Why She is Naked.


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Consumer spending? Way too much
Pretzels, tattoos, and gambling can save the U.S. economy. In "By the Numbers: How Americans Spend Their Money," Lucas Reilly reports that in 2011, Americans spent trillions shopping for all sorts of sine qua nons: $550 million on pretzels, $96 billion on beer (much of it, presumably, to go along with all those pretzels), $2.3 billion on tattoos, $66 million on tattoo removal (much of it, no doubt, to obliterate the names of former loves), $34.6 billion on gambling, and scads of others.
December 9, 2012


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Despite the rise of recyclable packaging for beauty and personal care products, only half of US consumers responsibly dispose of these products. To boost bathroom recycling, beauty brand Garnier has teamed up with TerraCycle and DoSomething.org to launch the second year of Rinse, Recycle, Repeat, a national recycling campaign and college campus competition that aims to educate young people on how to responsibly recycle their beauty and personal care products. Through the campaign, Garnier hopes to divert 1 million empty personal care products from landfills by the end of 2018.
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SB'18 Vancouver program!Beauty and personal care product packaging bearing a #1 or #2 symbol can be recycled through curbside recycling programs, but many other products cannot, including flexible tubes, caps, pumps, lipstick and eyeliner. These items will be the focus of this year’s Rinse, Recycle, Repeat campaign. The campaign will also showcase best practices to identify recyclable items, such as checking the numbers on packaging before tossing it out, and provide campaign participants with tips on what can and cannot be recycled.
“We’re excited to work with young people around the country to make a positive impact on the environment,” said Aria Finger, CEO at DoSomething.org. “We’re proud to be working with Garnier, a brand that continuously demonstrates its commitment to sustainable beauty, to once again activate young people to give these products new purpose and to help them reach their goal of collecting 1 million empties in 2018.”
To mark the start of the campaign, Garnier has released a public service announcement, starring actress and Garnier brand ambassador Mandy Moore, to educate young consumers about how to responsibly recycle their bathroom empties.
Envisioning the role of consumption in a just, regenerative economy
Join us, along with Forum for the Future and Target, as we use future scenarios to identify potential shifts in consumption that would enable a just, regenerative economy in 2040 at Brand-Led Culture Change — May 22-24 in Minneapolis.
Once the bin is filled with 10 pounds of beauty empties, participants can print a free shipping label to send their empties to TerraCycle. Once collected, TerraCycle will recycle the packaging into pelletized lumber, which will then be used to build Garnier Green Gardens.
On April 1st, a competition will kick off on 50 college campuses nationwide to collect the most beauty empties. The college team that collects the most empties by April 30th will be rewarded a garden for their community furnished by Garnier and TerraCycle.
The Rinse, Recycle, Repeat campaign is part Garnier’s larger Beauty Recycling Program, a free, national beauty and personal care recycling program for the collection of empties that cannot otherwise be recycled. Since its inception in 2011, the Beauty Recycling Program has diverted more than 10 million empties from landfill.
These empties have been turned into pelletized plastic lumber for raised garden beds, benches, trash receptacles and other elements for community parks, playgrounds and gardens in Nebraska, Louisiana, Michigan, Ohio and New York. Garnier and TerraCycle have already installed nine Garnier Green Gardens throughout the United States that engage hundreds of thousands of individuals in the surrounding communities, and will plant an additional two by the end of 2018. One garden will be granted to the winner of the Rinse, Recycle, Repeat challenge and the other to a local NGO in New York City, the location of the brand’s US headquarters. This garden will be planted by L’Oréal USA employees through the company’s annual Volunteer Day initiative.


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The advertising world has been evolving since the first printed advert was released in 1450 and the introduction of magazines in 1741. With testing of driverless cars and technologies like Google Glass now coming into play, what’s next?
We’ve witnessed a lot of change in the last 50 years alone with mass production of colour-TVs, mobile phones and personal computers but technology is constantly changing.
In more recent years, we’ve seen the launch of 3D printing and Google Glass, and testing of autonomous mobility services begins this summer.
Power of the internet In 2012, a study revealed that the average young person (aged between 13 and 24) spends 27.3 hours each week in front of either a television or computer screen, with a huge 75.6% of the World’s population now frequent internet users.
For the younger generation who have never experienced a world without the internet, using the technology to solve a problem is a built-in function. The phrase “if you don’t know, Google it” has become common in conversation, showing that the internet is now our primary source of information. This makes it a key tool for marketers.
Technology giants When people think of search engines, they think of Google. Last year the organisation recorded its’ annual revenue at almost £60billion with paid search consuming most of the digital marketer’s budget, followed closely by SEO. Pay-per-click methods were introduced 14 years ago and are still going strong. Although adoption of PPC advertising should be limited to specific seasonality, SEO just doesn’t offer the same quick-fix results of pay-per-click.
Companies at the forefront of developing technology invest a huge amount into the industry. Last year we were all talking about Google Glass and this year it seems to be driverless vehicles thanks to companies such as Google, Toyota and Nissan. The autonomous vehicles will reduce human error and uses state of the art lasers and radars to monitor surroundings. The vehicle then processes the results to safely manoeuvre itself through city streets. Those with hearing and visual impairments may soon be able to travel confidently and independently again. It could also eliminate safety concerns over driver tiredness and the importance of driver functionality.
Following the official nod from the British Government, the UK highway code will be amended to include new automotive technology so we could be hands-free ‘drivers’ before we know it. What to look out for Nowadays automation makes our lives so much simpler and homes will soon become smarter too. Devices will soon provide better solutions to assist with our everyday routines and automated gadgets like the previously launched robotic cleaner will become standard. Home security systems are also something to look out for with a number of systems already allowing us to remotely access properties.
There has been an argument whether wearable technology will take off due to the high price tag of Google Glass but alternative smart eye-wear like Glassup will be launching later this year in competition. Although the product doesn’t function in the same way, Glassup superimposes alerts, directions and other information from the user’s mobile phone onto their right eye.


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LEXUS is accelerating the development of vehicles that meet diversifying needs and lifestyles of customers around the world by confirming the introduction of 20 new vehicles by 2025, including world premieres of two models later this year.
Within this commitment, more than 10 new electrified vehicles will be introduced by 2025 as part of the luxury lifestyle brand’s ‘Lexus Electrified’ vision.
By mid-decade, electric variants will be offered in all Lexus models and the sales ratio of electrified vehicles is forecast to exceed that of petrol or diesel-only models.
The ‘Lexus Electrified’ vision adopts a portfolio approach to electrification, ensuring the specific needs of individual luxury customers are met.
This will include battery electric vehicle (BEV), plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV), hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) and other electrified models in line with the needs of each country and region around the world, true to the Lexus concept of offering the right products, in the right place, at the right time.
‘Lexus Electrified’ models will focus on efficient, sustainable yet exciting powertrain capabilities, technology that is instinctive and that leverages a natural driving experience with unique driving dynamics, all with a human-centred approach to design and finished with perfect Takumi craftsmanship.
In addition to strengthening and expanding the core Lexus sedan and SUV line-up, Lexus will pursue the possibility of rolling out models such as sports vehicles that continue to provide the fun of driving, a vehicle that redefines the concept of having a chauffeur, and new genres that have never before existed.
By 2050, Lexus aims to achieve carbon neutrality throughout the lifecycle of its entire model line-up, from the manufacturing of materials, parts and vehicles, to vehicle logistics, to the final disposal and recycling of older vehicles.
With a clear mission to achieve carbon neutrality, Lexus will reduce the environmental impact of material-manufacturing processes.
Lexus recognises that the automotive industry has entered a period of once-in-a-century transformation.
In addition to the growing social mission of carbon neutrality and compliance with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations, customers’ lifestyles and values are changing and diversifying at a speed not seen before.
Lexus will continue to respond swiftly and with careful consideration to the changing times and needs of our customers, and will strive to transform itself into a brand that exceeds customer expectations.
In March 2024, to accelerate the planning and development of diverse and attractive products that are close to its customers, Lexus is scheduled to open a new business and technical centre designed to push boundaries and renew innovation.
It is this unyielding spirit of innovation and support from buyers around the world that has ensured Lexus continues to evolve as a luxury lifestyle brand, delivering amazing product and brand experiences with new technologies since 1989.
Since the global launch of the RX 400h in 2005, the world’s first luxury electrified model, Lexus customers purchased nearly two-million electrified vehicles by the end of 2020.
Cumulative Lexus hybrid sales in Australia reached 30,000 vehicles sold by the end of 2020.
In a year that 33 per cent of Lexus customers selected a Lexus hybrid, four percentage points higher than 2019 and confirming that luxury customers are continuing to embrace Lexus models that reduce emissions and increase enjoyment.
The first Lexus BEV, the UX 300e, will launch in Australia in November 2021 as the first model in the ‘Lexus Electrified’ vision and the most powerful Lexus luxury compact SUV, all complemented by ‘Lexus solutions’ to BEV ownership as part of the renowned Lexus Encore owner benefits program.


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American Apparel laid off 2,400 employees in its Los Angeles headquarters and manufacturing hub two months after it filed for bankruptcy protection. Here is what it will mean for the company going forward.
StellaService, a customer service company announced the acquisition of ICC/Decision Services (ICC), an in-store customer experience management programs company. See what this will mean for both companies going forward.
Unilever signed an agreement to acquire home and personal care products company, Seventh Generation Inc. While details of the transaction were not disclosed, see what this will mean for both brands going forward.
Walmart Stores Inc., and Jet.com announced they have entered into a definitive agreement for Walmart to acquire Jet for $3.3 billion. See what this will mean for both Walmart and Jet.com moving forward as it relates to ecommerce.
L Catterton, a consumer-focused private equity firm, announced that it has acquired Hanna Andersson, a leading premium children’s apparel and lifestyle brand. See what this will mean for Hanna Andersson.
Oracle has announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire NetSuite for approximately $9.3 billion. The proposed transaction is expected to close in 2016, and until the transaction closes, Oracle and NetSuite will continue to operate independently.


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This week drew regulatory attention as retail investors found themselves shut out of their trading platforms after the buying frenzy for GameStop and other companies such as AMC Entertainment, Koss Corp and BlackBerry.
The public is outraged that we cannot be allowed to manage our own risk, whereas hedge funds are allowed to continue as normal. Not only can they continue actively trading whatever stocks they like, they are taking advantage of retail investors being blocked from participating in markets. Trading platforms are protecting corporate interests while compromising the ordinary people. Retail investors know there are risks involved but rules of the free market should allow each individual to make that choice.
What is happening feels like market manipulation, but is legally justified and legitimate. Many retail investors have been forced to lose a lot of money after trading was blocked for headline companies such as GameStop and AMC Entertainment. By “protecting retail investors from high risk”, many of us have lost out, majorly.
So what is a free market?
Institutional investors support a free market when it suits them and then turn a blind eye when regulations are put in place! In economic theory, a free market describes a system where the price of goods and services is determined by consumers on the open market. In this system supply and demand create an equilibrium that self-regulates and is devoid of any government forces. The idea is to allow the system to maintain itself without the need of a governing body. In this type of market there is no need for tariffs to restrict trade or other economic tools as economic forces can themselves as a control.
Why has trading been restricted?
Most brokerages have halted buying in stocks that have had major rallies this week, including GameStop and AMC Entertainment. Retail investors are left outraged as they have no opportunity to participate in these highly lucrative markets.
Shares in GameStop dropped on average 55% after blocks to buying were put in place. On Thursday, large US broker Robinhood halted buying shares of the video game retailer GameStop, cinema chain AMC and tech pioneer BlackBerry, causing a huge drop in price. GameStop was down 44% and AMC closed at a huge 57% loss.
Large hedge funds had put billions on GameStop to fall. Yet when the power of Reddit encouraged a buying frenzy that pushed share prices to over 700% in just one week, these hedge funds were losing out.
Hedge Funds who attempted shorting GameStop thought they were guaranteed profit by betting the out-of-date gaming company would continue to fail. However, they didn’t account for the power of the people who pushed the price in the opposite direction. A lot of investors were sceptical how long this frenzy could last, but with the story gaining traction across social media the stock has skyrocketed and brought some other dying companies along for the ride.
Amateur investors who follow the Wall Street Bets subreddit have been encouraging buying GameStop shares to push up the price. Here, common retail investors are acting together as market makers. By pushing up prices this steeply, short sellers (ie Hedge Funds) incur huge losses driving them to buy back the shares they have borrowed from other investors to prevent even greater losses. This process is known as covering. Although this saves Hedge Funds, it encourages prices to rise higher as it adds to the demand.
So why would brokers want to manipulate markets?
Essentially they want to cover their own backs. Brokers rely on large hedge funds to supply markets with shares. As hedge funds have so much capital they can tie up a large proportion of a certain stock if they choose, which is how they can influence markets – through controlling supply.
Also, free brokers like Robinhood and Trading212 that advocate accessible trading don’t make money off transaction fees like some brokers. Their main income is by selling data that is gathered from retail traders to big Hedge Funds. Therefore , it is in their best interests to support Hedge Funds.
By banning buying shares of GameStop and others, these free brokerage platforms are then only allowing selling. This reduces buying pressure and then allows the price to fall as retail traders can only supply stock and no longer demand it. Overall by reducing the price, Hedge Funds don’t lose so much on their short position and brokers benefit by supporting the survival of hedge funds that might’ve otherwise gone under.
Threatened Legal Action
There are many people campaigning for legal action to be taken against brokerages for market manipulation – by restricting sales of particular shares.
Founder of Robinhood (the biggest US brokerage) publicly stated they had based their decision to limit shares based on regulatory requirements.
“We made a tough decision today to temporarily limit buying for certain securities. As a brokerage firm, we have many financial requirements, including SEC net capital obligations and clearinghouse deposits.”
It is not just anonymous investors on Reddit who have commented on this debacle. Dave Portnoy, a high-profile amateur trader has attacked Robinhood, a platform that advocates for more accessibility on Wall Street. He tweeted
“‘Democratizing finance for all’ except when we manipulate the market, cause too many ordinary people are getting rich,” .
Analyst Neil Wilson said :
“what is so unusual is the peculiar vigilante morality of the traders pumping the stock. They seem hell-bent on taking on Wall Street, they seem to hate hedge funds and threads are peppered with insults about ‘boomer’ money.It’s a generational fight, redistributive and all about robbing the rich to give to the millennial ‘poor’.”
The public is outraged that we cannot be allowed to manage our own risk as brokers block buying certain stocks. Meanwhile Hedge Funds take this opportunity to their advantage, overpowering the market making moves of retail investors. This situation is rare but brings up some big questions about how the trading system works. If you aren’t ready to bet your money, download BullBear.