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As consumers increasingly look to the web for entertainment and socializing, gaming companies have been anxiously seeking new ways to incorporate the web into their platforms—and avoid losing young consumers to the social media, online music, video, and games available through the web. Previously, the major fixed console platforms all supported remote game play and downloads of basic games and video content via web connections, but the latest initiatives go much further. For example, Microsoft has announced plans to integrate Facebook and Twitter features into its Xbox Live network offering this fall, along with support for streaming HD video and online radio.
With a new emphasis on video, audio and web content in addit... - More
Through the innovative use of data from the Simmons Market Research Bureau National Consumer Survey, this report challenges numerous stereotypes of videogamers. For example, videogamers are far from being slackers who do nothing but sit for hours on end in front of a gaming console or computer screen. In fact, videogamers are exceptionally active consumers. They work out more, go out more and shop more than adult Americans who don’t play video games. Alt... - More
This mobile games report looks at the current and future market for both one-off downloads and rental/subscription -based mobile games. It analyses the invigorating impact that the iPhone has had on the mobile games market and at the same time investigates the reasons behind the downturn in sales of Java games in Western Europe.
Six year mobile games forecasts include total download volumes, average download and subscription costs, the proportion of downloads that are ad-funded, CPM (cost per mille) rates and the total value of the mobile games market.
Furthermore, this strategic mobile games report discusses the different business models for the retail of mobile games employed by network operators, publishers and... - More
As sequels to popular games continue to succeed, gaming has also taken on a whole new look. The Nintendo Wii has enticed gamers off the couch to play virtual tennis and golf with its motion-sensor controller, and Activision's Guitar Hero has transformed gamers into rock stars. Online gaming revenue has increased thanks to subscriptions to the blockbuster MMOG World of Warcraft, online services for each console platform, and an uptick in casual game downloads. Mobile phone gaming has also taken hold via new generation of game-friendly phones. Only PC game sales have slowed, as console gaming and video piracy tarnished its luster. This report includes insights into:
This IDC study examines the dynamics of the China gaming market and focuses on online gaming. It looks at market drivers, dynamics, and strategies; the competitive landscape; and includes profiles of the top 10 vendors as well as a 2008?2012 forecast.
"The concentration of the China online gaming market improved significantly in 2007. The revenue sum of the top 10 vendors occupied 91.8% of the total market. Except 9you under listing gestation, the other nine operators were all listed companies. China's online gaming market has entered the "age of warring states" with monopolistic competition. For those SMB vendors, the threshold of industrial competition is further raised". says Bryan Yuan, senior market analyst, Vertical In... - More
This IDC study provides the demographics of China's gaming end users and their gaming behaviors from the China Gaming End-User Survey, 2007. This survey was designed to provide a comprehensive overview of China gamer activities and behaviors. Data was collected using a structured online questionnaire. Based on the responses from a sample of 30,843 who frequently play games. The survey focused on respondents' gaming habits and preferences in online, console, PC, and mobile gaming. As such, they were queried on their offline gaming habits. Respondents were survey from October 15 to November 15, 2007.
"The China gaming market seems somewhat crowded with 140 vendors and 281 game titles altogether in 2007. It is really a challeng... - More
This IDC study examines the dynamics of the China gaming console market. It discusses market strategies, drivers, dynamics, and its competitive landscape and vendor profiles, including a 2006-2010 forecast.
"The new business mode of online gaming is in the testing phase. Only a few China online gaming vendors make profits in this business. Even the most successful vendors are exploring new business modes, such as Shanda with its free-charge market promotion. Most Chinese online game companies have lesser capabilities in development, management, marketing, or raising funds, which not only factor against the overall healthy development of Chinese online gaming market, but also give opportunities for the entry of overseas compa... - More
This newest edition of the handbook is completely updated to cover the new issues facing the casino &gaming industry in this new economy, troubled global state of unrest, and the increasing trend by states to consider expanding gaming to generate revenue.
The commercial casino gaming industry is an important sector of our nation’s economy. The more than 355,000 individuals... - More


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TRENDING ON ONEINDIA
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- #MeToo: Stunt Director & Vicky Kaushal's Father Sham Kaushal Accused Of Sexual Misconduct
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- Must-Read Interesting Facts About Allahabad
- Indian Government To Introduce Uniform Driving Licence Across all States In 2019; Comes With NFC
Japanese automaker Mitsubishi is all set to introduce the new Outlander in the Indian market. Now, the company has officially commenced the bookings for the new Outlander. The new Mitsubishi Outlander is expected to be launched in May 2018 in India.
Mitsubishi will offer the Outlander in India with a petrol engine and there will be no diesel option. The SUV will be available in India in only one fully-loaded trim. The new Mitsubishi Outlander will be available in a 7-seater configuration and will be loaded with premium features.
The new Mitsubishi Outlander will draw power from a 2.4-litre MIVEC petrol engine producing 164bhp and 222Nm of torque. The engine is mated to a 6-speed CVT gearbox. The Outlander will be equipped with Mitsubishi's Super-All Wheel Control (S-AWC) AWD system and multiple driving modes.
The interior of the new Mitsubishi Outlander will feature a 6.1-inch touchscreen infotainment system, leather seats, leather gear shift knob, dual-zone climate control and 710W sound system. The interior will be premium and will also feature an electric sunroof and electric parking brake.
Other prominent features of the new Mitsubishi Outlander include LED headlamps with LED daytime running lights, LED fog lights, heated mirrors, LED tail light cluster and 16-inch alloy wheels. All the features will be standard as only one trim will be offered.
The new Mitsubishi Outlander also comes with a host of safety features such as seven airbags, ABS with EBD, brake assist, active stability control and hill-start assist. As mentioned earlier, all the safety features will be standard as the India-spec model is a fully-loaded variant.
The Outlander will be offered with seven colour options: Black Pearl, Cosmic Blue, Orient Red, Cool Silver, White Solid, White Pearl and Titanium Grey. The last-gen Outlander was discontinued in India due to the poor sales which was a result of the lack of a diesel model.
Thoughts On The New Mitsubishi Outlander
Mitsubishi is all set to launch the new Outlander in India in the coming days and the company has commenced the bookings for the SUV. But with the lack of a diesel engine, Mitsubishi might face the same result as with the last-gen model. Expect the Mitsubishi Outlander to be priced around Rs 30 lakh ex-showroom.

domain: news


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RADIANT LOGISTICS TO ACQUIRE CANADA-BASED WHEELS GROUP INC.
BELLEVUE, WA January 20, 2015 – Radiant Logistics, Inc.(“Radiant”) (NYSE MKT: RLGT) today announced that it has agreed to acquire Wheels Group, Inc. (“Wheels”) (TSXV: WGI), one of the largest non-asset based third party logistics providers based in Canada.
RADIANT LOGISTICS ANNOUNCES FURTHER EXPANSION OF ADCOM NETWORK WITH NEW OPERATIONS IN OKLAHOMA
BELLEVUE, WA, September 26, 2014 – Radiant Logistics, Inc. (NYSE MKT: RLGT), a domestic and international logistics services company, today announced the further expansion of its Adcom network with new locations in Tulsa and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The new Oklahoma operations will leverage Radiant’s robust technology platform and global network to provide a comprehensive level of domestic and international freight forwarding and logistics services.


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FORD MOTOR COMPANY OF SOUTHERN AFRICA’S RESPONSE
The global economic crisis is making itself felt on the South African new vehicle market in more ways than one. New vehicle sales during November as recorded by the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of SA (Naamsa), showed an 11% slow-down in sales over October this year, representing a 30% decline over the same period last year.
“Not only are consumers turning off their new vehicle purchase decisions due to the credit crunch, they are now also being affected by the sentiment attached to major capital purchases,” says Jacques Brent, Vice President Sales and Marketing, Ford Motor Company of Southern Africa. “We are entering a depressed market where the empirical limitations of new vehicle ownership are now compounded by the emotional restrictions of sentiment as to what will happen next.”
South African new passenger car sales were 13% down during November compared to the previous month, accounting for 20,128 sales of the 36,638 industry total. That represents a 31, 4% decline over the same month last year. Light Commercial Vehicle sales were less affected, but still recorded a 7, 5% downturn compared to October and 23,9% over November 2007.
Status quo at the top of the sales charts remained unchanged from last month; Toyota, VW, GM and Ford all losing similar share, indicative of the general downturn in new vehicle sales. But while domestic sales continued under fire, South Africa’s export market is growing. November showed an 11% growth over October and 46% on November 2007.
“The financial markets are still under great pressure, but hopefully with the inflation rate turning and some relative stability in the exchange rate we could see some activity returning to the markets,” says Brent. “The expected cut in the fuel price and possible interest rate cuts during December will hopefully give South Africans more positivity for the holiday season, and potentially more buying power in the new year.”
Ford Motor Company of Southern Africa exports reflected the market’s strong performance in that area, increasing 48,1% over the same period last year and 32% over October 2008. Total vehicle exports rose 11% over October 2008 and 46,3% over November 2007. Domestic sales for the company comprised 1,501 new passenger cars and 1,850 light commercial vehicles.
Ford sales were aided by the arrival of the new Fiesta, volumes of which are expected to increase further once supply is at full capacity. Fiesta accounted for a substantial increase in sales to 412 units, the Ranger once again the best performing Ford model with 851 units sold, while the 493 Mazda BT50s registered during November also represented a big increase (21%) in sales.
“The South African new vehicle market moved through the 500,000 unit year to date mark this month, a far cry from the 630,000 new vehicles sold last year. It has been an unprecedentedly challenging year, a situation unlikely to turn around in the short term. But the market isn’t all about bad news: after all Mazda sales are up nearly 26% amidst the gloom, giving hope that in adversity remains opportunity,” concluded Brent.


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California wants to regulate the national pork industry at the expense of everyone else
by Zachary Faria, Commentary Fellow, Washington Examiner
November 17, 2021
Naturally, California liberals love to regulate things, even (or especially) if that means they are regulating the business of other states. Of course, that would be no different when it comes to the pork industry.
California voters predictably bought into environmentalist tales of animal cruelty in farming, voting overwhelmingly in favor of Proposition 12 in 2018, which bans the sale of chickens, veal calves, and pigs raised in conditions environmentalists don’t approve of. Because they think that animals think like humans, that means fewer fences and more space, which is a particular problem for pig farmers.
This means that, although agriculture-rich California actually has a near nonexistent presence in the pork industry, state bureaucrats will be inspecting farms across the country to ensure that their “animal welfare” standards are up to code with the Golden State’s rules. If not, they can’t be sold in California, which consumes roughly 15% of all pork produced in the United States.
The less disruptive result here would be that Californians cut themselves off from pork, thanks to their own gullibility. The other possibility is that farmers bend over backward to try and keep access to California, substantially raising their costs and, by extension, raising the price of pork across the country.
California environmentalists are no doubt pleased with those possibilities. Pricing more (usually poorer) people out of eating meat to combat climate change is a popular tenet of environmental activism right now. They couldn’t have asked for a better policy from a state that loves to try and force environmental standards on the rest of the country.
Hopefully, the National Pork Producers Council and American Farm Bureau Federation win...
more, including links
Can California Control the U.S. Pork Industry?
By Trevor Burrus, CATO Institute
Nov 15, 2021
In 2018, California voters approved Proposition 12, a far‐reaching law designed “to prevent animal cruelty by phasing out extreme methods of farm animal confinement.” The law requires that all pork, veal, and eggs sold in the state comply with new restrictions on how the animals can be confined. That means that pork producers in other states will have to comply with California law if they want to sell there.
In the wake of the law, many suits were filed by various agricultural entities arguing that California law was unconstitutionally crossing state borders and regulating interstate agricultural markets. This is especially true for the pork industry, which has very little presence in California—only about 0.2 percent of the country’s breeding sows are in the state. The pork industry is a highly integrated interstate market where a pig farmer in North Carolina might sell his stock to a meatpacker in Illinois, who then distributes to California. It’s very difficult to trace a given cut of meat back to its source and verify that the farmer complied with California law.
Because the Constitution gives Congress power over interstate commerce it is possible for state laws to encroach on Congress’s power and to regulate extra‐territorially. This is called the “dormant” Commerce Clause, and it has long been controversial and conceptually difficult. Nevertheless, the National Pork Producers Council is bringing that argument to the Supreme Court, which is being asked to take the case.
Cato has filed a brief in support of the National Pork Producers Council that tries to bring some clarity to the dormant Commerce Clause. Many state laws affect or burden activities in other states—especially for California due to the size of its economy—but every law that burdens interstate commerce is not unconstitutional. But, we argue, due to the interstate nature of the pork industry and the unique burdens of Prop 12, the Court should take a special look at this case.
Prop 12 will have California agricultural agents traveling around the country to ensure that farmers in other states comply with California law. It will raise the price of pork around the country, possibly significantly...
more, including link to Cato brief


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IIT-Delhi incubated startup Sanfe on Friday launched an offering that promises to make women’s lives easier every month: a roll-on to relieve period pain. Launched on International Women’s Day, the Sanfe Period Pain Roll-on will allieviate menstrual cramps and ease mood swings.
The essential oil-based roll-on is naturally formulated and has been medically tested and FDA approved. Sanfe Period Pain Relief Roll-On, available in 10 ml bottles, costs Rs 10 for a single use.
Sanfe was co-founded by Archit Agarwal and Harry Sehrawat, third year BTech students at IIT-Delhi. The roll-on was developed by them with the help of their professor, Dr Srinivasan Venkataraman.
Also read: At just Rs 10, this pee device makes using public toilets safe, stress-free for women
“Women comprise 50 percent of our population and a significant portion of this population experiences pain and cramps during menstrual period. Therefore, this becomes an important problem to solve,” said Srinivasan, a Professor of the Department of Design.
Archit and Harry previously launched Sanfe Stand & Pee on World Toilet Day, last year. The device enables women to stand and urinate, preventing Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) infections from unhygienic public washrooms.
Menstrual cramps often come in the way of women’s daily routine and companies have been developing feminine products to fight this. Brands, including Peesafe and Sensur, have also launched roll-ons to ease menstrual cramps.
Archit and Harry’s eureka moment was when one of their friends complained of not performing well in the semester exam, due to period pain.
“We realised that period pain forces over 40 percent of women to miss their daily routine. Motivated by this, we started working on a solution to relieve women from menstrual cramps,” the duo said.
They spent seven months on Research & Development. “We don’t want women to suffer because of a natural body function. We figured this problem and designed the roll-on,” said Archit, a BTech Textile Technology student.


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The 2020 Golden Globes are in full swing and the red carpet has been serving up plenty of incredible fashion, as well as some rather questionable looks.
One gown in particular has left people scratching their heads. Actress Joey King rocked up in an ‘optical illusion’ dress that some have compared to the female vagina.
“We love a hypnotising vagina dress,” one person wrote on Twitter.
“Was she inspired by a vagina?” another asked.
Plenty of people agreed, saying the gown, which reminded many of optical illusions, was ‘hideous’ and a little ‘confusing’.
— yellow bird (@zzippidydoodaa) January 5, 2020
There were however plenty of fans that loved the daring look calling it ‘iconic’ and ‘beautiful’.
What do you think of Joey King’s gown:
See all the best and worst looks from the 2020 Golden Globes red carpet here:
Got a story tip or just want to get in touch? Email us at firstname.lastname@example.org.
Want more lifestyle and celebrity news? Follow Yahoo Lifestyle on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.


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Seventy per cent of babies are eating too much salt, a new study suggests.
Researchers at the University of Bristol studied 1,200 eight month-old babies, and found that only a quarter of them were eating below the recommended daily maximum - which is 400mg of sodium, or 1g of salt.
Too much salt can damage a baby's developing kidneys, and encourage a long term 'taste' for salty food.
Cow's milk and bread were said to be two of the main reasons for the high intake, with medics reminding parents that cow's milk should not be used as a child's main drink until they are a year old.
Dr Pauline Emmett and Vicky Cribb, the researchers who led the study, said: 'Salt intakes need to be substantially reduced. Infants need foods specifically prepared for them without added salt.
'Parents need advice about suitable foods and this should include not to use cow's milk as a main drink before 12 months.'
Thy also criticised the food industry, saying: 'Three-quarters of salt in the diet comes from processed adult foods, so salt reduction strategies can only be achieved with the co-operation of the food industry. Manufacturers have a responsibility to reduce the salt content of food products.'
Do you agree? Do you 'police' your youngsters' food for salt levels?


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Redstone Shows How Windows 10 Could Change Everything
New reports are shedding light on Redstone, an update reportedly coming after the Windows 10 operating system that’ll mark Windows’ transition to being a service.
In a new report out this morning, enthusiast website Neowin says sources speaking to it with knowledge about future plans have confirmed the existence of Redstone. Allegedly, Redstone is the codename for the next major update to Microsoft’s Windows operating system.
According to the report Windows Redstone will be the first expansive update to Windows after the launch of Windows 10 sometime this summer. To be clear, Windows Redstone wouldn’t replace Windows 10. Instead, it’s believed Microsoft will treat the operating system as an update to the foundation of Windows 10. Redstone is a code-named said to be inspired by the mineral of the same name in Minecraft, the premium sandbox game from Mojang that Microsoft purchased last year for billions.
Neowin has provided accurate information about Microsoft’s plans for Windows in the past, but it seems we don’t have to take the outlet’s report at face value. All About Microsoft is also confirming details about Windows Redstone. According to that site, Redstone is due out in 2016 and will be followed by another release later in the year.
If these reports are accurate we’ll soon see the first examples of what Microsoft sometimes refers to As “Windows as a Service”. Windows as a Service could be the best feature of Windows 10 we’ve seen yet.
Traditionally, Microsoft has offered up new versions of Windows with big changes in features and visuals every three years. Switching to a service model would mean that Microsoft regular deploys smaller incremental updates with new features and advancements. Microsoft will be able to offer more relevant features to users more quickly than it ever has before, theoretically.
All told Microsoft is roughly adopting the same model that Apple uses for its Mac OS operating system for the MacBook, iMac and Mac Pro to great effect.
All About Microsoft says that Windows Redstone will contain features and changes that simply won’t make it in time for the Windows 10 launch coming later this summer. In addition to that, Windows Redstone and the smaller feature updates will have changes to “support the devices building on top of Windows 10 – things like Surface Hub, Windows Phone and HoloLens.” A version of Windows 10 will run on all of Microsoft’s different consumer hardware products going forward including the Xbox One.
The “Windows as a Service” catchphrase doesn’t just refer to the cadence of new releases. Also baked into that new philosophy is a new delivery method. Upgrading Windows 7 and Windows Vista to Windows 8 required that users purchase an upgrade version for upwards of $100. Users had to go to retail stores or online shops like Amazon to get the update. With the Windows 8.1 update Microsoft tried making large scale updates available directly through the Windows Store for free.
Reportedly, Windows 10 will take care of the upgrade process itself. Windows Redstone will come to users through Windows Update instead of a bulky download that takes hours to complete.
Besides this switch to free and frequent updates Windows 10 will introduce a unified Windows Store across all of Microsoft’s platforms. A dedicated tablet mode, a refreshed Desktop interface complete with a Windows Store and technology that helps users with Windows 2-in-1s transition between the two interfaces.
Read: What is Windows 10?
Last month Microsoft confirmed that Windows 10 would come as a free update to anyone running Windows 7 or Windows 8 for one year. How much it’ll cost after that first year remains unclear.


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Just like Battlefield, Activision’s Call of Duty franchise has also been seeing a steady annual release, which means that later this year, we can look forward to a new Call of Duty title. So the question is, what can we expect from 2016’s Call of Duty? According to UK magazine Games TM, it seems that they might have leaked information about the next title a little earlier than expected.
According to the leak, they have revealed that the next Call of Duty title will be Ghosts 2, which presumably will be the follow-up to the first Ghosts which was released in 2013. Of course there’s no way to confirm if the information they have published is accurate or if they might simply be speculating, so do take it with a grain of salt for now.
In addition to revealing the potential name of the game, the magazine has also pegged Ghosts 2 for a possible release in November 2016. Once again this could simply be speculation. Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 was released last year in November, so if we’re keeping to the tradition of an annual release, a November 2016 release date would make sense.
The folks at Infinity Ward recently confirmed that they would be working on 2016’s Call of Duty, and given that they developed Ghosts, we suppose Ghosts 2 wouldn’t be a stretch of the imagination. Either way we guess we’ll have to wait until a later date for the official answers (hopefully at E3 2016, or earlier), so check back with us in the coming weeks and months for the details.


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On Friday Motorola announced it has reached an agreement with Good Technology the maker of the Balckberry competing product Good Mobile Messaging. Along with Good Technologies data and security offerings RIM may have a more formidable competitor appearing on the horizon in the form of Motorola.
“The addition of Good Technology will advance Motorola’s vision of seamless mobility,” said Ron Garriques, president, Motorola Mobile Devices business. “Good Technology’s solutions, talent and customers complement Motorola’s business and extend our ability to deliver compelling products and services to enterprise customers. Good Technology’s software and managed service deliver a rich user experience, low cost of ownership, industry-leading security and enterprise-class support. These competitive differentiators have led many enterprise customers to choose Good Technology. This acquisition will continue to strengthen Motorola as a leading provider of mobility devices and solutions both for enterprise customers and consumers.”
“This is an exciting milestone for our company, and we look forward to scaling our growth as part of Motorola,” said Danny Shader, chief executive officer and president of Good Technology. “Motorola’s global reach, scale, widely recognized brand and worldwide carrier and customer relationships make it the ideal partner for Good Technology. Our combined teams will create exciting growth opportunities for Good Technology, our customers and our employees. We look forward to working with the Motorola team to ensure a rapid and seamless transition.”


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tech2 News StaffSep 16, 2019 11:45:05 IST
Spotify wants to know if users of its Premium Family subscription program are abusing it by hiding their location data.
The plan costs USD 15 per month for up to six people, however, the condition requires all six to be living at the same address. According to Cnet, Spotify is concerned about people abusing that plan to pay as little as Rs 13 for its services.
(Also read: Spotify vs Apple Music vs JioSaavn vs Gaana vs Google Music)
Last month, Spotify updated its terms asking Premium Family subscribers to provide location data from time to time to ensure all the users of the plan belong to the same family. The company stressed that it does not store the data for any internal use.
Separately, last week, Spotify acquired music production marketplace SoundBetter without disclosing terms of the transaction. SoundBetter will become part of the Spotify for Artists feature, which provides insights, profile management and promotion tools to artists and their teams, the Swedish company said.
SoundBetter’s platform allows hiring of musicians, audio engineers, producers, and songwriters. The company was formed in 2012 and has over 180,000 artists registered on its network, according to the statement.
Spotify’s monthly active users, which included its ad-supported free version, surged 29 percent to 232 million people in the second quarter.
With inputs from ANI.
Find latest and upcoming tech gadgets online on Tech2 Gadgets. Get technology news, gadgets reviews & ratings. Popular gadgets including laptop, tablet and mobile specifications, features, prices, comparison.


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ISLAMABAD (May 22 2004): The Central Board of Revenue (CBR) has conveyed to the chartered accountant firms that amnesty schemes for retailers and registered persons, notified through SRO 246(I)/2004 and SRO 247(I)/2004, would not affect a person's right of appeal.
Recently, the CBR has announced two schemes to waive additional tax and penalties in full provided the taxpayers agree to deposit principal amount of sales tax along with 25 percent of the outstanding additional tax by June 20, 2004 and amnesty to retailers, who apply for registration up to June 30, 2004, of past liabilities.
The amnesty would be available on cases pending in adjudication, appeal or at any other forum and would not effect the person's right of appeal after depositing liabilities under the notification.
The CBR was receiving queries from different CA firms including A F Ferguson & Co, Karachi, regarding effects of amnesty on appellate proceedings.
The CBR on Friday issued clarification to collectors of sales tax and CA firms that, “the CBR confirms that the benefit under SROs 246(I)/2004 and 247(I)/2004, both dated May 5, 2004, is also available to cases which are pending in adjudication or appeals, and will not affect a persons' right of appeal”.
In case a registered person has already paid the whole of the principal amount of tax, relief would be available on payment of 25 percent of the additional tax on such amount.
Furthermore, if any person has already partially paid the principal amount of tax, relief would be available on payment of the remaining principal amount of tax and 25 per cent of the additional tax (on the whole of the principal amount of tax).
The CBR has issued these notifications aimed at granting relief, reducing litigation, freeing up revenue and encouraging registration of retailers, CBR added.


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The people who presented business opportunities under the Winners brand promised to teach consumers a “foolproof system” to make big money. But according to the FTC, The Florida-based defendants defrauded Spanish-speaking consumers of millions of dollars.. The complaint, which alleges violations of the FTC Act, the Business Opportunity Rule, the Cooldown Rule, and the Consumer Review Fairness Act, outlines some particularly troubling sales tactics. For example, while they were advertising and conducting their “seminars” in Spanish, many of the key documents (including the purchase agreement outlining the cancellation policy) were often in English.
According to the complaint, the defendants styled their speech like a classic “sales funnel.” They started with ads on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, luring consumers into a two-hour “free seminar,” often at a local hotel. Once the prospects were in the room, the FTC says the defendants began a high-pressure campaign to sell them three-day workshops for between $197 and $600. According to the complaint, people who attended the workshops were subjected to amplified hard-selling tactics, promoting “mentoring” packages costing nearly $29,000.
What did the defendants promise to the consumers? Winners’ representatives said they would teach attendees everything from “A to Z” about making money in real estate or running an online store. In fact, Winner’s sales funnel focused on funneling money away from attendees and into the pockets of Winner’s companies and the people behind the plan.
Generally addressing their predominantly Spanish-speaking audience in Spanish, Ganadores’ representatives said their shows would offer attendees the opportunity for “financial freedom.” Using testimony from “experts” and alleged “students,” the defendants made specific claims for dollars and cents. For example, attendees at his real estate events were told they could expect an annual income of between $100,000 and $112,500. In their e-commerce seminars, the defendants said that consumers could make $30,000 a month in sales with $10,000 a month in profit by running a store on Amazon, and that Amazon would provide Winner attendees access to customers.
If consumers attended the seminar but didn’t buy anything, the FTC says the defendants sped up their pitch. According to the complaint, in an effort to get them to pay for the three-day workshop, Ganadores had salespeople call them and pose as satisfied customers.
Once people shelled out cash for the three-day event, Ganadores kept up the pressure for expensive “tutoring.” Some consumers were told that when purchasing a mentoring package, Winners would match them with experts who would guide them “by the hand” so there was “no way to lose.” The FTC says the representatives also told attendees that if they purchased the VIP package for between $27,000 and $29,000, Winners would help them find 100% financing for their real estate deals.
According to the complaint, the defendants asked attendees for detailed financial information purportedly to determine if they qualified for a “selective” tutoring package. What were the defendants really doing? The FTC says it was a trick to determine which prospects to target.
When people balked at the thousands more they would have to shell out, the defendants told them that the mentoring packages were available only to specially selected attendees and that Winners’ “coaches” saw in them particular potential for success. According to the complaint, some of the defendants’ representatives urged the attendees to liquidate their retirement accounts to get the cash. In addition, attendees were asked to sign up for multiple credit cards, increase their credit limits “to the max” and “float debt” from one card to the others. The FTC alleges that in some cases, if individuals were not fluent in English, “Representatives of Winners contacted consumers’ credit card companies by phone, posing as consumers, in an effort to increase credit limits.
Not surprisingly, after becoming dissatisfied with Winners’ empty promises, customers asked for refunds, requests that the FTC says the defendants rejected, citing terms of the cancellation policy that the defendants often included in English. According to the complaint, people who managed to recover some money often had to sign a standard agreement that prohibited them from communicating with others about their experience with Winners:
Likewise, the undersigned certifies that it will not initiate any defamation against “Ganadores Inversiones Bienes Raices (Vision Online, Inc.)” by any social, electronic or personal means. If so, this action will constitute a legal action by The Company for breach of the present, in which the payment of the damages caused and the payment of the legal costs incurred will be demanded.
The FTC says Winners threatened several consumers with legal action if they talked about their experience with the company.
You will want to read the complaint by the ways the FTC says the defendants broke the law, but it all comes down to this. They allegedly violated FTC Law by making false or unsubstantiated earnings claims, misrepresenting the nature of their workshops and the benefits of their mentoring programs, deceptively obtaining financial information from consumers, and using misleading reviews and endorsements. In addition, the lawsuit alleges that providing consumers with sales-related documents in a language consumers do not speak is an unfair practice, in violation of the FTC Act. The FTC also alleges that the defendants violated numerous provisions of the business opportunity rule and the cooling rule. Moreover, the lawsuit accuses that the gag clauses of Winners violated the Consumer Review Fairness Act.
Do Winners tactics sound familiar? That shouldn’t be a surprise. The FTC says individual defendants Richard Alvarez, Robert Shemin and Bryce Chamberlain previously worked for zurixxa similar scheme that the FTC sued in 2019. In addition, Richard Alvarez and Sara Alvarez also participated in FBA Storesanother operation sued by the FTC in 2018.
A federal court has entered into a temporary restraining order in the case, but even at this early stage, it is a reminder that the protections of the FTC Act apply regardless of the language defendants use to present their products or services. Help members of your community by sharing consumer education resources from the FTC, Available in English, Spanish and 11 other languages..


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The Japanese manufacturer Toyota is expected to launch its new sports Supra in 2018.
Based on new information, the Toyota Supra will arrive in 2018, just after the BMW Z5 with which it will share its platform. Recall that the two manufacturers working together since 2012 to create all sports which will have some technical elements in common. While the Z5 will be positioned as a successor to the Z4, the new Toyota Supra will in turn succeed the model of the same name, whose production stopped in 2002. The Japanese brand will draw inspiration from the concept car FT-1, found in 2014 on the Detroit auto show.
Supra will be positioned above the Toyota GT 86 in the range. Technically, the future BMW Z5 Toyota Supra and should use a hybrid block with AWD.


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Pauly D from Jersey Shore shills for Miracle Whip in a new campaign from the sandwich spread that's designed to spread social media debate. The Kraft brand today launched a campaign that features testimonials from people who either love or hate Miracle Whip. The brand then asks consumers to weigh in on Miracle Whip's YouTube page. (So far, lovers outnumber haters by about six to one.) Pauly D is presented as a hater and offers a fairly scathing put-down of the brand.
Archives for February 2011
Try donating to a different charity every day for an entire year. Sounds hard, right? Well, it is, but that's the exact goal that Carlo Garcia set for himself when he started Living Philanthropic, a one-year, one-man project to donate money 365 days in a row. Every day, Garcia chooses a new charity and donates a small sum of money -- usually around $10, but never less than $5.
A study published in tomorrow's issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association confirms what researchers have long suspected: that long conversations on cellphones affect parts of your brain. Trouble is, not even the study's authors, the National Institute of Health, know how the calls affect you -- just that they light up a significant chunk of your gray matter near the phone. "We don't know whether this is detrimental or whether it could have some potential beneficial effects.
The Spark of Genius Series highlights a unique feature of startups and is made possible by Microsoft BizSpark. If you would like to have your startup considered for inclusion, please see the details here. Name: Lanyrd Quick Pitch: Lanyrd helps you get more out of conferences. Genius Idea: Via Twitter, track event sessions and keep up with favorite speakers -- at all stages in the conference lifecycle. Some newlywed couples work to produce an offspring on their honeymoon.
The full software development kit for Android 3.0 a.k.a Honeycomb, the branch of Android tailored for tablets and other large-screen devices, is now available to developers. The APIs are final, and the developers are free to create apps targeting Honeycomb and publish them on the Android Market. The SDK comes just in time as one of the first Android 3.0-sporting tablets, the Motorola Xoom, hits stores tomorrow.
Aiming to raise funds for both the controversial website and leader Julian Assange's legal defense fund, WikiLeaks this month opened an online gift shop.
Calvin Klein will begin unveiling March 1 its largest digital initiative to date -- a global multi-platform campaign that includes online, mobile, print, outdoor and plenty of social media. The campaign is designed to transform ck one, previously the name of a line of unisex fragrances, into a global lifestyle brand that includes jeans, underwear and fragrances. It also aims to introduce a younger demographic to the ck one brand, which debuted in 1994.
Welcome to this morning’s edition of “First To Know,” a series in which we keep you in the know on what’s happening in the digital world. We’re keeping our eyes on three particular stories of interest today. Apple To Unveil iPad on March 2? Apple is holding an event in San Francisco on March 2, and sources say that the company is getting ready to unveil the newest version of its highly successful iPad tablet.
The biographical comic portraying the life of Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg hits shelves today. Canadian comic production company Bluewater Productions released the "giant-sized" 48-page issue, which freelance journalist Jerome Maida wrote Sal Field illustrated. "Mark Zuckerberg is the youngest billionaire on the planet and created something that has already had a profound impact on the world. Yet hardly anyone knows much about him.
Eminem is quickly becoming a digital force to be reckoned with. On Presidents Day, the rapper became only the third artist to reach 1 billion views on YouTube. Last October, when Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber were racing to 1 billion views on YouTube (which Lady Gaga won by a margin of two weeks), third-place competitor Michael Jackson was hovering around 600 million views. Since then, the needle hasn't moved much for the King of Pop, who now tallies more than 630 million views.
Who here with a Tumblr blog tags their posts? Hands? Well, you might want to start sweetening up your SEO, as Tumblr has just added a page that organizes posts by tag. The new Explore page was born due to the rather eclectic nature of many a Tumblr -- unless you're a fashion blogger or something of the like, chances are your content is all over the map, which can make it hard to be seen in the Tumblr Directory.
Apple has cut the entry-level price of an iAd from $1 million to $500,000, according to a report. The price cut is reportedly a done deal. “This new minimum buy is a great step forward and a necessary one, I think,” Mark Read, CEO of WPP Digital, told All Things D. “Lowering the minimum buy to $500,000 from $1 million will certainly make the platform more appealing.” Apple rolled out iAd in April and charged advertisers a minimum of $1 million to use the platform.
New information surrounding the anticipated MacBook Pro update surfaced Wednesday, shedding light on the specifications and new features for at least one model in the series. As reported by Fscklog and Macs4Ever and then confirmed by MacRumors, photographs of marketing materials and the box of the base-level 13-inch MacBook Pro are now hitting the web. From what we can glean from the spec sheets, this is a significant update, complete with a few genuine surprises.
How many Gs are too much when you're a rap star? Well, we're about to find out. In the world of mobiles, fast 4G data transfer is currently what everyone wants, so Snoop Dogggg added two extra Gs to his name and teamed up with MetroPCS to promote its newest 4G LTE Android smartphone: the Samsung Galaxy Indulge. To do that, Snoop Dogggg is starring in a series of YouTube videos called The G-Connection, a spoof of the popular dating show The Love Connection.
Reports circulated Tuesday that Apple would be holding an event on March 2, 2011, to unveil the iPad 2; now it's official. Apple has issued an invitation to members of the press today for its upcoming event. Any doubts about the nature of the event should be assuaged by the graphic accompanying the invitation. The text accompanying the image reads: Please join us for an invitation-only event at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Theater in San Francisco on March 2 at 10:00 a.m.
The Web Development Series is supported by Rackspace, the better way to do hosting. Learn more about Rackspace's hosting solutions here. Gowalla CTO and co-founder Scott Raymond knows a thing or two about Ruby -- and about Cocoa, scaling, handling huge amounts of location data, mobile apps and NoSQL. Gowalla is a Ruby shop, and as the captain of that particular ship, Raymond has had quite a bit of experience building a popular web app from the ground up using Ruby on Rails.
The next generation of digital photography is here: built-in cameras, photo-splicing apps and image-sharing communities such as Instagram and PicPlz. It's inspired many to turn their smartphones into miniature picture-editing and collage-making studios. Now, in partnership with CNN iReport, we're challenging you to get creative. Use your digital photo tools to make a collage showing the role technology plays in your life.
Want to make your music-listening experience more social, without paying a cent? Well, then, Soundtrckr is right up your proverbial alley. Soundtrckr, which launched a few months ago and had its official send-off recently, is a service for the desktop, iPhone [iTunes link], iPod touch, Windows Phone 7, Google Chrome and Nokia that marries music discovery with social and geolocation.
Google announced Wednesday it has awarded $2.7 million to the International Press Institute to foster innovation in journalism. The Institute, based in Vienna, will use the grant for its IPI News Innovation Contest, which will fund both non-profit and for-profit projects related to the development of digital news platforms, new business models for journalism and training in digital reporting throughout Africa, Europe and the Middle East.
Much has been written on the pros and cons of the freemium model by Mark Cuban, Malcom Gladwell and Chris Anderson, among others. Rather than debate, this post is a guide to how you can actually implement the freemium model for your business if and when you get to a point of serious consideration. I can share some of the unique experiences from our own business and how we switched from paid to freemium and whether it makes sense for your company.
Have a ton of musically inclined friends (read: music snobs) who are always trying to wrest away control of the stereo at parties? Well, now you can let everyone pick the jams with a hack called DJTxt. "Good music is crucial to a successful party," says Dan Maynes Aminzade, who created this hack during Music Hack Day this month in New York City. "Every time I hosted a party, I'd spend a long time trying to assemble the perfect party playlist.
The WordPress team pushed out version 3.1, code name "Reinhardt," on Wednesday, bringing a host of new and updated features to users and developers. WordPress 3.0 was released back in June 2010, along with its own set of new functions and features. The 3.1 release cycle was originally expected to be completed before the end of 2010, but bugs and various changes pushed that date back.
Two events today, although worlds apart, seem inextricably tied together. And the bond between them is as human as it is electronic. First, on my way to go sit down and read the newspaper at my coffee shop, I got a message from my 10-year-old son, just saying good morning and letting me know he was going to a birthday party today. I don’t get to see him all the time. He’s growing up in two houses, as I did.
Sprout Social, a startup building social media management tools for small and local businesses, has raised $10 million in a Series B round led by New Enterprise Associates (NEA). Money will be allocated toward growth and product development. Businesses can use Sprout Social to manage, monitor and track their presence on social media sites such as Twitter, Facebook, Foursquare, LinkedIn and Yelp.
If you're seeking a job in social media, we'd like to help out. For starters, Mashable's Job Lists section gathers together all of our resource lists, how-tos and expert guides to help you get hired. In particular, you might want to see our articles on How to Leverage Social Media for Career Success and How to Find a Job on Twitter. But we'd like to help in a more direct way, too. Mashable's job boards are a place for socially savvy companies to find people like you.
The SEC is investigating conflicts of interest in the marketplace for stock in private companies like Twitter and Facebook, the Wall Street Journal reports. Secondary marketplaces like SecondMarket and SharesPost connect people who want to sell stock in private companies (often former employees) with potential buyers.
The future of home networking will see multiple devices connected to the Internet and to each other. At the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show (CES), the emphasis was on Internet-enabled everything. Recent market studies also confirm this trend. The penetration of connected consumer electronic devices such as TVs, Blu-ray players, and smartphones are projected to grow 400% between 2010 and 2015, as shown in the chart below.
Antoine "Bed Intruder" Dodson, Bear "Double Rainbow" Vazquez, Gary "Numa Numa" Brolsma, Ben "Leeroy Jenkins" Schulz and a handful of other viral video stars are making a movie. Never has any group of people so conspired to create Mashable bait. We're practically speechless. This meme orgy is to be called The Chronicles of Rick Roll. Also appearing are Brian Collins, a.k.a. Mr. "Boom Goes The Dynamite," and Stephen and Jack Quire, a.k.a.


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Lucky Degens, a new non-fungible token (NFT) collection from Lucky Crypto, is now available in the market. The Jungle Animal Collection and the OG Collection of Lucky Degen NFTs are available in two distinct forms, with each offering a unique set of benefits and discounts to its users.
It is used to play NFT slot machines that can be found in the Lucky Degen embassy Decentraland. To play the game, players must ensure that their wallets are connected and not just signed in as a guest. What’s great is that it can be played for free up to ten times each day and win one or more NFTs.
There are 50 additional chances per day to win another NFT for Bitcoin casino games players who own a Lucky Degen NFT. VIP access to exclusive games and tournaments, 25% cashback, free spins, and a slew of other perks are all part of the OG and Jungle Animal Collections.
The $LUCKY token airdrop, which can be spent on the Lucky Crypto website and in numerous metaverse casinos, is also available to NFT members. A free Jungle Animal Collection NFTs airdrop is another perk of the OG Collection.
An airdrop in the crypto economy is a marketing strategy that promotes new crypto through the distribution of coins or tokens to wallet addresses. New virtual currency tokens can be given to the wallets of blockchain enthusiasts for free or for a minimal fee.
Included in the platform’s long-term strategy is for the Lucky Crypto embassy to bring a series of casinos in Decentraland. Lucky Crypto is a game firm situated in the metaverse that provides an immersive gaming experience.
Moreover, the Jungle Animals collection is said to be released in July 2022. The new Jungle Animal NFTs will be released monthly until January 2023. Due to gambling laws in the United States, Lucky Crypto, or Lucky Degens are not made available to US residents.
Despite ‘bounce’ debate, Bitcoin funds experience weekly inflows
As Bitcoin’s (BTC) losing streak reached a ninth week, investors returned to Bitcoin and crypto-backed investment funds. Some analysts are also forecasting a ‘bounce’ in the price of Bitcoin in June, which would be a positive development for the cryptocurrency.
Investment firms that track crypto assets, such as CoinShares, reported that $87 million was reinvested last week, following a $141 million withdrawal the week before.
A net inflow of $69 million was invested in funds backed by Bitcoin throughout the week. Ethereum (ETH) based funds, on the other hand, were the least popular among investors last week, with $11.6 million exiting the system.
‘Encouraging’ is how CoinShares describes the fact that year-to-date inflows remain positive, even though Bitcoin has had a negative return for the year.
Before BTC’s surge, Singapore-based crypto trading firm QCP Capital warned that the market was showing symptoms of stress based on its own performance. Moreover, a concerning gap in price between crypto and stocks has been observed since May 2022. Stock exchanges like Standard and Poor’s 500 and Nasdaq are both up nearly 10%, while BTC and ETH have lost ground.
‘One senses it’s only a matter of time given Bitcoin’s inability to mimic the Nasdaq’s increases in the last week’, Antoni Trenchev said, the co-founder and managing partner of crypto lender Nexo. On the other hand, some other analysts were more upbeat about the market’s near-term prospects.
A well-known analyst and trader, Benjamin Cowen, was one of several who predicted a rise in Bitcoin prices in June of this year. For the first time, Cowen noted in a new video update that the Bitcoin chart has now printed nine consecutive weekly red candles.
The 90-day moving average of the so-called Crypto Fear & Greed Index is at the lowest it has ever been as Cowen stated in his analysis. He also asserted that a reversal could be on the way due to the market’s excessive level of concern.
A low value on the Crypto Fear & Greed Index indicates a strong level of fear, while a high value indicates a high level of greed among market participants.
With the ever-changing volatility that comes with crypto, investors of Bitcoin casino games and online crypto casino players alike are left on the edge of their seats. However, there are still many factors you can look forward to as the world of crypto is ever-evolving.


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On Tuesday, Semiconductor firm Xilinx Inc and telecommunications software firm Mavenir Inc joined hands for boosting cellphone tower capacity for open 5G networks.
Previously, telcos used to purchase hardware and software as an integrated package from suppliers such as Nokia, Ericsson, China's Huawei Technologies Co Ltd, and more global vendors.
But now, the market of US telecom has been disrupted by the restrictions imposed by the government on Huawei, one of the major telecom vendors of the nation. This has forced telcos to buy from different vendors such as Xilinx and Mavenir for saving costs and purchasing more parts.
But there is a shortcoming in the features of new vendors as compared to the features provided by traditional equipment makers. Feature such as the ability to fit multiple antennas into the radio unit at the top of a tower to enhance its capacity cannot be provided on the new open networks. It is called the MIMO technology, which means multiple-input, multiple-output.
Mavenir and Xilinx Plan to Build New Chipsets For Overcoming the Issue
Both the companies have assured the telcos that they will provide the required chips and software for the open 5G network to implement the MIMO technology.
The vice president of Mavenir, Job Benson, said that the companies are also ready to provide the completed technology at the same time as traditional equipment makers.
Benson also said that this move would allow carriers to diversify their network and offer more advanced solutions while saving costs at the same time.
Mavenir’s AI-on-5G Solution
Mavenir is also moving fast on the 5G front. The telecom software company recently announced its AI-on-5G solution, which is aimed to help several sectors of the industry in creating a smarter work environment. The convergence of 5G stacks and AI will help the companies implement newer generation applications and hardware to support industry 4.0 applications for the manufacturing and production of goods and services.
5G will be able to bring out the true potential of AI, which traditional local-area networks (LAN) or 4G networks can't do. Thus the AI-on-5G solution from Mavenir stands to benefit the manufacturing industry in a great deal.


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OGDEN -- The Utah Transit Authority will soon unveil a new electronic payment card and with it take another step toward doing away with cash fares on all buses and trains.
On Oct. 14, the transit agency will introduce a new prepaid, reloadable electronic FAREPAY card, which will require riders to tap on an electronic reader before boarding a train or bus and tap off when transferring or exiting the system.
The approach is similar to what UTA pass holders do now.
UTA spokesman Remi Barron said the FAREPAY cards must be activated before they can be used and after paying an initial one-time $3 activation fee, riders can load any amount from $5 to $500 on the card.
UTA officials say that by 2020 they want to do away with all cash payments on the agency's three main modes of transit -- buses, TRAX and the FrontRunner commuter train.
Aside from being more cost-effective, UTA officials say a cashless system makes riding public transit more convenient because riders wouldn't need exact change or have to wait in line at ticket vending machines.
A cashless system would also allow the agency to track each rider, which they say helps gather ridership data and makes enforcement of fare violations easier.
"We'd just rather people not use cash," Barron said. "It slows things down and with something like FAREPAY, we can see where people are going, how far people are going and we can use that data to determine how to tailor our service to individual needs in the future."
The new FAREPAY cards can be purchased online at farepay.rideuta.com or at UTA customer service centers. Retail merchants like Walgreens, Walmart, 7-Eleven and Associated Food Stores will begin rolling out FAREPAY cards during the coming weeks.
Once a card is registered online, riders can check their balance, schedule automatic reloads, and ensure loss and theft protection, Barron said.
Until March 14, UTA will be offering a promotional fare when people ride with FAREPAY, which will allow passengers to save up to 20 percent off the cash fare price for regular and express buses and TRAX and FrontRunner trains.
Barron said the promotion is designed to push cash-paying riders to switch to FAREPAY and quickly become familiar with how it works.
FAREPAY cards cannot be used on paratransit or ski bus services, which aren't equipped with electronic card readers.
Contact reporter Mitch Shaw at 801-625-4233 or email@example.com. Follow him on Twitter at @mitchshaw23.


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ENVIRONMENTAL groups have welcomed new legislation to get rid of single-use plastics including straws and cutlery, with ban potentially introduced by this time next year.
As well as banning the supply and sale of single-use plastic straws, stirrers, cutlery and plates, the Bill will also provide a means for more single-use plastic like coffee cups, polystyrene cups, take-away food containers and heavy weight plastic bags to be banned in the future.
Environment Minister Leeanne Enoch the Bill allowed for flexibility while businesses recovered from the impacts of coronavirus, with the start date for the ban to be no earlier than July 2021.
Items such as single-use plastic straws that are part of juice box packaging will not be part of the ban at this time, enabling the government to work with packaging and product manufacturers to develop more sustainable options.
Litter Legends founder Layne Utz said the items included in the ban were not his most common roadside rubbish finds but the legislation was a positive first step.
"These items that are being banned aren't the biggest problems compared to some other items like single-use plastic cups, 'reusable' plastic bags, single-use polystyrene packaging and single-use plastic lids, but (it is) excellent to hear (that the government) will be considering other items like these to be banned in the future," he said.
"I do think it's a fantastic first step and any less plastic being produced is a massive win for the environment."
But he expected the amount of litter along the roadsides would not significantly decrease after the ban's start date.
"Litterers are litterers. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if the alternatives for these single-use plastic items end up increasing littering incidents along roadsides, as people might think 'it's only a bit of wood or bamboo or paper, it won't hurt if I throw this on the ground," he said.
"It's still littering and makes the area look disgusting.
"But at least if these items make their way to the nearest waterway it won't be as harmful as plastic."
The Australian Marine Conservation Society also welcomed the new laws, which made Queensland the second state to table laws to ban these wildlife killing products.
Shane Cucow, AMCS's plastics spokesperson, said it was important the laws were quickly expanded to ban other lethal single use plastics including plastic cups, fruit and veggie bags, balloons, plastic takeaway containers and heavyweight plastic bags.
Plastic straws and cutlery were major offenders in the oceans.
"They get stuck in airways and cause painful internal injuries and poisoning when eaten," he said.
A study of the effects of plastic on reef-building corals found the likelihood of disease increased from 4 per cent to 89 per cent when corals are in contact with plastic.
The Bill provides exemptions for single use plastics required in the disability, aged care and health communities.


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Microsoft and NBC redefine the word "competitive."
After a pricing spat with Apple led NBC to pull its video content from iTunes, the broadcaster has struck a deal with Microsoft's Zune online store.
eMusic, the indie-focused online music download service, has gone to Canada.
63 days after the deadline, the Store finally delivers 1,000 movie rentals.
The BBC is off to an incredibly strong start as it begins selling selected TV shows through iTunes in the U.S.
BBC America has begun selling TV programs through the U.S. iTunes Store, including Torchwood, Little Britain and Robin Hood.
Here's how I spent the last five years (and nearly 2,500 smackers) at the iTunes Store.
In which I ask for iPod gaming advice from Macworld's Game Master.
Sony is paying $260 million for the company whose software identifies digital music files and whose customers include iTunes.
Apple has been quietly tweaking the iTunes Store. Here are some changes you might not have noticed.


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BMI View: China continues to outperform in terms of IT spending growth and IT sector development due to a mix of economic strength and a forward-looking policy environment . Even after rapid growth in the past decade , the market remains attractive with strong growth prospects resulting from (inter alia) the size of population, rising incomes, relatively low penetration of devices and solutions and a supportive policy environment . IT spending growth in China is expected to outperform on a regional and global basis, with a CAGR of 8.8 % forecast 2015-2019 as IT spending increases as a share of GDP . However, China's IT market is not without its challenges as the pool of first-time buyers diminishes and vendors continue to struggle in the face of ongoing high levels of piracy, cyber security issues , intense competition for price-sensitive consumers and uncertainty generated by regulatory decisions, particularly in the rapidly developing cloud computing market . We believe t he outlook is positive overall , with the caveats mentioned above.
Headline Expenditure Projections
Computer Hardware Sales: CNY561.7bn in 2014 to CNY593.4bn in 2015, +5.7% in local currency terms. A stabilisation of the tablet market after declining volumes in 2014 will see growth accelerate slightly in 2015, but remain below the rate to 2013 when tablet sales boomed.
Software Sales: CNY100.1bn in 2014 to CNY109.6bn in 2015, +9.5% in local currency terms. Growth expected to dip in 2015 after OS upgrade demand was brought forward to 2014 by the withdrawal of Microsoft support for XP.
IT Services Sales: CNY209.0bn in 2014 to CNY241.9bn in 2015, +15.7% in local currency terms. Cloud computing adoption expected to accelerate in 2015 due to improvements in network infrastructure and the development of the local ecosystem under the stewardship of government initiatives.
Key Trends And Developments
BMI expects government support and policy initiatives for the development of the cloud computing market in China will see strong growth continue for the duration of our five-year forecast period. The MIIT set the goal of increasing cloud revenues by at least 50% annually over the next few years, while building China's presence in the global cloud computing market. More recently, and in part a response to cyber security concerns, an eight-point initiative was launched which also includes the creation of a national industry data recovery centre and a national safety control service centre for China's data security. The push for data sovereignty is creating significant opportunities for Chinese IT vendors. For instance, in February 2015 it was announced Inspur would build the world's most advanced data centre as part of a USD480mn investment in the Yunhai Science and Technology Park in the Henan Province of central China. Meanwhile, Lenovo Group announced in December 2014 it would invest CNY300mn (USD48.7mn) building 50 cloud computing centres in China. Although foreign players offer rich product offerings, BMI believes Chinese enterprises will be encouraged to choose local players by government initiatives and the greater level of confidence in local providers.
Another emerging technology in which China is shaping up to be a regional leader is the smart services market, or Internet of Things (IoT). IDC estimates the number of devices in the APAC Internet of Things will increase from around 3.1bn in 2015 to 8.6bn by 2020 - while over the same period the market size will increase from USD250bn to USD580bn. The leading markets in APAC are China and then the cluster of more developed markets such as South Korea, Australia and New Zealand. It is therefore no surprise that Chinese IT vendors are positioning to capitalise on the development of the Internet of Things. For instance, in March 2015 Huawei and SAP teamed up for several co-ventures surrounding the Internet of Things (IoT) and Industrie 4.0. Meanwhile, in April 2015 China-based e-commerce company Alibaba secured a contract from the municipal government of the capital city of Beijing to jointly develop smart city initiatives to move public services online. BMI expects local vendors are best placed to leverage local relationships, including with the government, but there are still large scale opportunities for global vendors to partner with local vendors.


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Holy big news. Jerry Yang, the oft-criticized Yahoo co-founder and board member, has resigned from the company’s board, Yahoo announced this afternoon.
Remember that Yahoo shareholder Dan Loeb wanted Yang off the board, and some Yahoo investors believed Yang was improperly talking on his own to potential suitors for Yahoo. Our Journal colleagues recently reported Yahoo was searching for a few good director candidates.
Yahoo’s statement (see full statement below) says Yang is leaving the board to pursue other interests. Yahoo’s stock price is rallying about 3.7% in after-hours trading, no doubt because investors have seen Yang as a roadblock to a sale or other big shakeup at the company. It’s worth keeping in mind, however, that Yahoo Chairman Roy Bostock all but ruled out an outright sale of the company, though it’s not clear whether he will be on the board for the long term, either.
The timing of Yang’s resignation is more than interesting. Yahoo recently appointed a new CEO, ex-PayPal boss Scott Thompson, to take over from fired CEO Carol Bartz. And coming up this spring is Yahoo’s annual shareholder meeting, where Yahoo directors are likely to face criticism or pressure over how they handled an ongoing strategic review of the company, and how they handled a sale offer from Microsoft in 2008.
Here is the statement from Yahoo:
Yahoo! Inc., the premier digital media company, today announced that Jerry Yang has resigned from its Board of Directors and all other positions with the company, effective today. In addition, Yang resigned from the Boards of Yahoo Japan Corporation and Alibaba Group Holding Limited, effective today.
In a letter to the Yahoo! Board Chairman Roy Bostock, Yang wrote:
“My time at Yahoo!, from its founding to the present, has encompassed some of the most exciting and rewarding experiences of my life. However, the time has come for me to pursue other interests outside of Yahoo! As I leave the company I co-founded nearly 17 years ago, I am enthusiastic about the appointment of Scott Thompson as Chief Executive Officer and his ability, along with the entire Yahoo! leadership team, to guide Yahoo! into an exciting and successful future.”
Yang co-founded Yahoo! Inc. in 1995 with David Filo and served as a member of the Board of Directors since March 1995 and as Chief Executive Officer from June 2007 to January 2009. The Company went public in 1996.
“Jerry Yang is a visionary and a pioneer, who has contributed enormously to Yahoo! during his many years of service,” said Roy Bostock, Chairman of the Yahoo! Board. “It has been a pleasure to work with Jerry. His unique strategic insights have been invaluable. He has always remained focused on the best interests of Yahoo!’s stakeholders, including shareholders, employees and more than 700 million users. And while I and the entire Board respect his decision, we will miss his remarkable perspective, vision and wise counsel. On behalf of the Board, we thank Jerry and wish him all the very best in his future endeavors.”
Bostock concluded, “We appreciate Jerry’s comments and share his enthusiasm for the company’s prospects. With Scott Thompson leading an outstanding team of Yahoos to deliver innovative products and an engaging customer experience, Yahoo!’s future is bright.”
“I am grateful for the warm welcome and support Jerry provided me during my early days here,” said Scott Thompson, Yahoo!’s Chief Executive Officer. “Jerry leaves behind a legacy of innovation and customer focus for this iconic brand, having shaped our culture by fostering a spirit of innovation that began 17 years ago and continues to grow even stronger today. Jerry has great confidence in the future of Yahoo!, and I share his confidence in the enormous potential of Yahoo! in the days ahead.”


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Tucked away in Dun & Bradstreet’s third-quarter earnings call earlier this week was the announcement that the business and financial information provider had snapped up Purisma for $48m.
Purisma, which is based in Redwood City, California, develops customer data integration software that consolidates customer information from multiple databases and applications. Purisma’s Data Hub technology will help to simplify the integration of D&B’s business data with customers’ internal systems.
In a statement D&B said that Purisma’s Data Hub technology will provide a strong technical fit for its DUNSRight data quality process offering, which aggregates and verifies data from multiple sources. D&B pointed out that the software is purpose-built to leverage its business information databases, as well as opportunities to provide a CDI solution for its mid-market customer accounts.
Data Hub will also enhance D&B’s product solutions portfolio by adding software that works within customers’ firewalls. That’s a capability that D&B hasn’t been able to offer up to now.
It was only last month that Purisma updated its Data Hub software to allow the software to be more easily integrated into corporate data management infrastructures. While labeled by many as a CDI software provider, Purisma likes to position its software as a master data management (MDM) application for defining and maintaining consistent definitions of business entities and then sharing them via integration techniques across enterprise applications. The company claims its technology is certified to load up to 30 million records across a grid of up to 15 servers.
Neither company made any comment about plans to continue to sell Purisma as a standalone CDI platform. Purisma’s partners include Business Objects, Teradata and Oracle/Hyperion Solutions.
D&B’s business information database contains statistics on more than 100 million companies across 200 countries worldwide. The company’s databases also include business credit information which it sells and integrated into third-party software products.
D&B, which is based in Short Hills, New Jersey reported third-quarter profits up 23% on lowered costs to $56.1m. Revenue for the quarter rose a more modest 7% to $389.9m, helped by contributions from other recent acquisitions.
During the same earnings call D&B also announced the formation of a joint venture in Japan to expand its risk management offerings to large multinational firms. D&B’s partner is Tokyo Shoko Research and joint operations will begin in 2008.
D&B said it holds a majority stake in the venture.
The acquisition and joint venture is will have a negligible impact of 2007 earnings but are expected to shave off 10 cents to earnings in 2008 and add to profits thereafter.


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Happy Friday! It’s finally fall, and it’s the perfect time to snuggle up with some tea to your laptop. And what better to fuel that than some of the latest news in the plant-based community?
In light of everything that has happened recently, I wanted to post a news round-up. With so much negativity in the world right now and everyone choosing sides, I wanted to share something lighthearted and positive.
So here you go.
However, I also wanted to share information on how to help those affected by the recent hurricanes and the shooting in Las Vegas, so for more information, scroll down to the bottom of this post.
But in any case, here’s what’s happening over in the vegan news world (click on links to visit articles!):
- A writer at Hello Giggles shared what she’s learned by being vegan while dating a self-proclaimed carnivore.
- Popular website PopSugar shared its recipe for the best vegan pumpkin macaroni and cheese— starting from scratch with a sugar pumpkin!
- Reader’s Digest outlined what a vegan diet means, and shared 12 tasty recipes to satisfy even the biggest meat-lover.
- Blink-182’s road chef is opening her very own vegan deli in Orlando, serving up savory, plant-based versions of hearty classics.
- Pebble Magazine has posed the question, “Could you go vegan for a week?” with over ten thousand people signed up for the challenge already.
- Burger bar Bareburger has announced that it will launch an all-vegan concept restaurant by next year. The most likely burger to take the starring role? The plant-based Impossible Burger.
- Missing cream cheese, but don’t want to substitute a preservative-filled vegan version? Try making your own, with One Green Planet’s almond cream cheese recipe here!
- Despite having fried its french fries in beef fat until 1990, McDonald’s is testing out a new vegan burger… in Finland.
- Fall Out Boy’s drummer, Andrew Hurley, has opened a vegan cafe in Portland with plant-based milks and vegan doughnuts!
- Is the plant-based lifestyle unpopular? 1200 New York public schools adding a vegan option to their lunches say otherwise!
- Protein-packed ice cream company Halo Top has debuted 7 all-vegan ice cream options, all under 360 calories a pint!
- Impossible Foods, creator of the Impossible Burger, is now working on a plant-based ‘fish.’ With how popular the burger has been as of yet, will the fish substitute weigh in as well?
Looking to contribute to those affected by the recent hurricanes and tragedy in Las Vegas? Check out these resources below!
- The Clark County Commission Chair from Las Vegas has set up a Las Vegas Victims’ Fund on GoFundMe– visit their website here.
- NPR published an article here on how to help those affected by Hurricane Harvey; there are a multitude of organizations working to help those in need, so there’s no shortage of options, for lack of a better term.
- Mashable also published a list of organizations to contribute to or volunteer with to help those affected by Hurricane Irma, which you can find here.


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Worldwide Security Printing Market to reach $35.3 billion by 2018
A new study performed by Smithers Pira, forecasts that there will be a growth in security printing worldwide. Global security printing will grow at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 6.3% between 2013 and 2018.
Currently, counterfeiting is affecting society at a stunning rate. Various criminals and forgers are constantly attempting to produce fake IDs, banknotes, and altered packaging. Security printing can help detect these forgeries, and also deter counterfeiters from participating in such crimes to begin with.
In 2013, Asia represented almost half of the worldwide security printing market, which makes sense as the area contains over 55% of the world’s population. Western Europe, Eastern Europe, and each of the Americas held 10% or under of global security printing.
Western Europe, North America, and Australia are considered to be some of the most industrialized regions in the world, but were also the most affected by the 2008-2013 global financial crisis. Currently though, they are on track to rebound, and grow at least twice as well in 2013-2018 than they had during the previous four years.Security printing will decrease in the financial use sector to a CAGR of 5.5% since the use of cash is decreasing globally as consumers begin using other forms of payment. The Personal ID market will have an even sharper decrease in growth, trickling down to a 3% CAGR since there will be more ePassports. Brand Protection is expected to increase greatly due to ISO standards for security features.
Source: "Worldwide Security Printing Market to reach $35.3 billion by 2015." The Future of Security Printing to 2018. Web. 02 March 2015.


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Good morning. Volkswagen’s problems deepened over the weekend, as the German newspaper Bild am Sonntag reported that several engineers admitted manipulating carbon dioxide emissions data. Why did they do it? According to Bild, VW CEO Martin Winterkorn had declared at the Geneva auto show in March 2012 that VW wanted to reduce its CO2 emissions by 30 percent by 2015, and the engineers “did not dare to tell him that this would be difficult to achieve.”
Separately, Nils Smedegaard Andersen, CEO of A.P. Moeller-Maersk, tells Bloomberg that the global economy is going to grow more slowly next year than the IMF forecast of 3.6 to 3.8 percent. The shipping company handles about 15 percent of all consumer goods transported by sea, so has a useful window on global trade. “We see less growth – particularly in developing nations, but perhaps also in Europe…We’re a little bit more pessimistic than most forecasters.”
And if you went to bed early Saturday and missed Donald Trump’s much-touted appearance on Saturday Night Live, no worries. He bombed.
More news below. Wondering who Fortune’s Business Person of the Year is? Send your guesses my way. We reveal on Thursday.
• Apache receives takeover bid
The oil and natural gas company, worth more than $18 billion, has reportedly received an unsolicited takeover approach that it has rejected. A deal for Apache would be the largest for an independent oil and gas producer in the U.S. this year – but it could take some convincing. Bloomberg reports that the company has hired Goldman Sachs to work on a defense. The potential buyer could not be immediately identified. Bloomberg
• Weyerhaeuser to buy Plum Creek
Weyerhaeuser's planned $8.4 billion acquisition of Plum Creek will make the company the nation's largest private owner of timberland, a deal that will create a $23 billion firm based on current prices. Weyerhaeuser CEO Doyle Simons will lead the company as president and CEO, while Plum Creek chief Rick Holley will serve as non-executive chairman. The combined company is expected to focus on the U.S. market. There are also plans to sell or spin off Weyerhaeuser's cellulose fibers business segment. Seattle Times
• Wall Street bonuses likely to fall
Bonuses in the financial industry are expected to drop 5% to 10% this year, according to an annual report by the compensation consulting firm Johnson Associates. It would be the first year since 2011 that compensation for the industry as a whole is projected to drop. A deeper dive shows there are some bright spots, including mergers-and-acquisition work and private equity, though most of the largest segments are facing challenges. Another problem? Finance is losing its allure for young talent to tech, where some offers are better.
• Electric car startup fuels speculation
A mysterious electric-car startup called Faraday Future, which has promised a $1 billion investment that suggests it wants to take on Telsa Motors, is raising eyebrows because of the lack of information about who exactly is backing the project. Some suggest Faraday could be fronting for Apple, while others report that the company's incorporation papers suggest it is linked to a Chinese tech billionaire. It is also being reported that Faraday has 400 employees and operates from a highrise outside of Los Angeles. USA Today
Around the Water Cooler
• Climate change's impact on poverty
More than 100 million people could be dragged into poverty by 2030 due to climate change, a new World Bank report warns, mostly due to difficulties producing crops. Poor nations in particular face the most risk as global warming worsens, with regions in Sub-Saharan African and South Asia projected to be the worst hit by high temperatures. Poor households are also most vulnerable to higher food prices – and poor communities are often built in areas that are at risk to flooding.
• Indian startups are boosting salaries
Venture capitalists have already poured $4.54 billion into India's startups so far this year – above the $4 billion invested last year. But a shortage of skilled workers is also driving up wages, and resulting in a big hurdle to firms' expansion plans. While the nation is home to millions of information-technology workers, the Wall Street Journal reports that few of them have the abilities that startups crave. Some of the bigger Indian firms are angling to lure talent from the U.S. and elsewhere to serve in top jobs.
5 things to know today
Stocks, Retail Sales, and Singles Day — 5 Things to Know This Week. This week's story can be found here.


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LevelUp has added a direct carrier billing option from Danal to its NFC and QR code-based in-store mobile payments system. “With a single tap, tens of millions of US mobile subscribers can link their carrier bill to LevelUp, head to any of the 14,000 merchants in the LevelUp ecosystem and pay for their purchase,” the company says.
- Microsoft rebrands wallet as Microsoft Pay
- ICICI Bank partners with Paytm to offer instant loans during checkout
- Apple GymKit with NFC goes live in Australia
- Video shows that children could use Face ID to unlock their parents’ iPhone X
- UK supermarkets to test face recognition for proof-of-age at self-checkout tills


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The future of pharma marketing: making your message ‘meaningful, memorable and magical’
VMLY&R’s Walter Geer shares his take on the industry’s progress over the past several decades, and the importance of technology, brand authenticity, patient access and much more.
By Maria Fontanazza • [email protected]
Technology is responsible for the personal experience that patients and consumers have come to expect from brands. And when you dive deeper, technology is raising the stakes even higher for pharma brands and marketers, pushing them to more effectively deliver messaging that resonates with each unique individual. What makes patients tick? How is their day going? What part of the patient journey are they in? So much change has happened and so much is possible as a result of technology, and as Med Ad News celebrates 40 years in the business, we’ve been asking industry stakeholders to reflect on the tremendous evolutions that have brought us to where we are today. Our most recent conversation features digital advertising expert Walter Geer, chief experience design officer, VMLY&R.
Med Ad News: What are the most significant changes you’ve seen in healthcare and pharmaceutical marketing?
Walt Geer: I think what we’ve seen over the past several decades is a resurgence of what it means to be a brand. If we look at the world today, the most popular brand in the world is Pfizer. When would anyone have imagined that a pharma brand would be the most recognizable, most well-known brand in the world? What it also showed us is that over the years we’ve seen this focus now on what it means to be authentic for a brand, and what it means to have a brand that means something and stands for something. As we’ve seen over these past decades, it’s grown into this space where now pharma is going head-to-head with the biggest brands in the world, and really showing up in ways that quite frankly not many other brands can. I mean, how many brands can say, “we’ve saved the world”?
Med Ad News: What role is technology playing in the industry’s evolution? What key technologies are driving the change?
Walt Geer: When we talk about the past two decades — wait, let’s talk about the past five years! Technology has advanced at such a rapid pace now that even for the largest of brands, it’s hard to keep up. But what is so interesting and intriguing about the health space is that you see the biggest technology companies in the world tagging along and trying to work on health. You have companies like Amazon, Apple, etc., who are all focused on health. That is telling in and of itself. But as we move forward, I think the biggest change we’re seeing is technology giving people the access to their information — not just access in general, but access in real time. The fact that we now have wearable devices that tell us about our heart and whether our heart is okay through a watch, that’s impressive; or the fact that there are pills with cameras that you can swallow. All of these things now have shown us that the way HCPs deal with consumers or patients is changing at a rapid place. But more importantly, that’s giving power back to the patients, because now an individual can have actual insight and information about how they feel and what’s going on within their bodies before actually going to a doctor. So a patient’s role has changed by way of technology because now patients have that sense of ownership and they’re coming to the table with the data before a doctor gets it.
And then there’s 5G. Then we start to dive deeper into wearable devices and what they mean, and what meeting with a doctor means. It is moving from this place where now a doctor can do surgery from across the country; I can communicate with a doctor through video in real time and they tell me how my heart is doing or how my blood pressure is to the second. So all these technologies have now brought patients and HCPs closer together, but I think what is going to be interesting to see as the years go on is who owns what parts of that data, and what do people feel comfortable with wearing on themselves and giving access to.
Med Ad News: What other technologies are you seeing right now as being useful to the pharma companies — what are they looking for your teams to leverage more?
Walt Geer: That’s a really good question, because while everyone is quick to move forward with innovation, the truth is that everyone is in a race to be second, because no one wants to be the first to try that new thing that quite frankly might mean more money, more time to learn, and more time to build. And we all know that the timeline to get projects done with pharmaceutical companies is longer. So I would say that for pharma companies, it’s probably a little more difficult to keep up with trends in technology. However, they are certainly doing a lot better than they were in the past, and most certainly are not as far behind as people would think they are in comparison to other companies.
Now, what I find very interesting in the conversations that I’m having with some of these companies is augmented reality (AR) and what AR can actually do. AR being the ability to bring a doctor, in real time, directly next to you. Creating, humanizing chatbot experiences so that chatbots don’t feel so static and stale like we’re used to. Really using technology to create more human experiences with people that let people feel closer to the brand — through things like AR and artificial intelligence. How are we actually responding to a patient when in need, not just between 9 am and 5 pm when the doctor is in the office?
Med Ad News: Artificial intelligence and machine learning has been a buzzword — how do you see it working itself out in the world of pharma and medical device advertising and marketing?
Walt Geer: When we talk about health, the role in AI means using it to allow us to understand more about an individual and what they’re currently going through, and allow it to arm doctors and work side-by-side with them to get results that are more specific and current, and more importantly, faster. AI is not going to replace people. There’s this fear of the Terminator and the uprising of the bots. No, not at all. AI can allow us to truly identify things faster. They’re able to use AI to identify cancers a lot faster. AI in the health space is going to be vastly important moving forward; how do we lean on technology as a crutch to help us get to identifying [conditions], diseases faster, because there are a multitude of diseases in this space that in many cases go unseen for a significant amount of time because the doctor might have missed something or misdiagnosed something. AI will allow us to get to a healthier outcome quicker.
Med Ad News: When you’re working with clients, how have their challenges changed? How have their expectations changed?
Walt Geer: Clients are wanting to know more about their patients and more about their HCPs as opposed to the spray-and-bray technique that we’ve done for so many years. They are really getting into understanding the experience of these individuals on a day to day, understanding the entire consumer journey, and now thinking beyond the television as a means other than to show them a commercial at 1 am – smarter ways to target you in the moment that matters. Understanding the things you like and where you go in your day to day, and knowing all of that changes when you’re in a different state of cancer, for example — whether you’ve just been diagnosed, or you’re in chemo, or whether you’re taking tamoxifen or your just getting off taking tamoxifen. So I’m finding brands leaning heavily into understanding a day-to-day level —what an individual is going through to ensure there’s a high amount of relevancy when they reach out to this individual. And then also on the HCP side: actually understanding that HCPs are real people — they’re on social media like the rest of us, and they’re scrolling through Tik Tok at 1 am in the morning when they can’t get to sleep — just like a 17- or 18-year old child is. They engage in using the same platforms.
Med Ad News: Have you seen the talent pool change?
Walt Geer: Roles have changed – I’m seeing a lot more people on the digital side touching the business. But from a culture point of view, you’ve seen a lot more diversity and on both sides of the screens. For a brand now, especially with what we’ve gone through over the past three years of the pandemic and what COVID did to a significant amount of people of color, we’re in a moment where pharma brands cannot get it wrong, because getting it wrong is not like messing up a sneaker drop. You are actually affecting real lives, so ensuring to not be “cancelled” is a lot higher. There’s a greater risk involved. So the pool of talent has changed to some degree, there’s a greater emphasis on technology and digital platforms and the ecosystem beyond just “hey, let’s do a commercial and build a website”. It’s now, how do we create social validation by way of influencers, and how do we create social activation by way of conversation to help speak for our brand and represent our brand. What are different and unique ways that we can engage people at a conference that aren’t the same thing you’ve always seen, which is pushing a paper and pencil, or looking at an ipad.
We’ve seen a multitude of people coming from a broader range. Even myself — I’ve only been [in this industry] for four years, and I came out of adtech and brand/publishing for years. So bringing a completely different point of view has allowed us to do different and unique things with some of our brands. I think they’re looking beyond your typical pharma expert or pharma agency to agencies like us at VLMY&R where we are able to tap into people who were working on Ford, Walgreens and all types of businesses that allow us to have a completely different approach and thought process about how we engage people.
“As we move forward and what it takes to work with some of these pharma brands means going broader. The problem with the agency space as a whole is that we continuously recycle the same talent. Some of the agencies are recycling the same talents that been around five, 10, 15, 20 years, so you’ll get the same ideas. There’s benefit to going beyond and outside of that, or to gathering talent from a multitude of backgrounds. Part of the reason I’m here at VMLY&R is that their emphasis and strength on experience design and UX needs, and the fact that we can work with our pharma brands with people working in auto and fashion, etc.; it allows us to bring a completely different lens to the work.” – Walt Geer, VMLY&R
Med Ad News: What are your thoughts on the industry’s progress related to inclusion? What is critical to move forward with continuing the conversation?
Walt Geer: I definitely think there’s been some change – as I mentioned earlier, you start to see it on the screens as we have meetings. We’re seeing some of our brands creating health equity teams, and that’s a great thing. When we start to talk about progress, I think there’s been some, but I don’t think there’s been a significant amount. When we talk about health outcomes and health equity, it’s really important that there aren’t just people of color in the room but that there are people of color who are in decision making roles — they need to be at the actual table. It doesn’t matter if your whole team is people of color as junior level folks. Do they have the power to make real change that’s going to have an impact on the work that’s being done? Or, do they feel their voice is powerful enough in the room to carry through a project or an idea? Again, I think there’s still room for and work to be done, but I definitely believe it’s happening a little bit faster than what we’re seeing outside of the pharma space.
Med Ad News: When considering the patient access perspective and health equity, how do you think pharma is doing in terms of reach and education?
Walt Geer: I think we still have a far way to go. The technology advancements have been fantastic for a lot of people. But there are a lot of people for whom it has not been fantastic for the mere fact that they are missing out because they don’t have access to even some of those technologies. Not everyone can leave their house and buy an Apple Watch or the latest VR headset or Oculus to engage. So it’s important that the brands look forward to how we engage people; we’re looking through a broader lens and in some cases that means how do we build or create around the lowest common denominator to ensure that everyone has access.
Access is a huge thing and I will say that because technology is moving at such a rapid pace, there will be a significant amount of people left behind. So, what are we as brands and marketers and advertisers actually doing to ensure that those people won’t be left behind because they cannot afford the things that many of the rest of us can? That is one of the most important, critical things to think about as we move forward over the next decade. We’re moving at such a quick pace with wearables, and how do we create opportunities where other people can get that. In healthcare, that will be the biggest hurdle over the next decade to problem solve.
Med Ad News: What factors are critical to the success of this industry when we talk about pharma marketers being able to effectively reach their audience?
Walt Geer: I think that part of it is, how do you actually back into a solution that everyone has? We often talk about the right messenger; what is the right messenger? The right messenger isn’t always the device being used, but it’s the individual delivering the message, because we know the messenger matters so much. It’s the person who you see on a day-to-day basis or weekly; the person who might be in your church; the person you get your bagel from every day; the significant other, or friend or family member. How do we inspire people enough to spark conversations that can influence others? When you start to look at COVID, there was a huge amount of people who didn’t trust the vaccine, and there’s a large amount that did. There’s so much information out there — technology in some cases was an issue, because things like social media were able to get so much information out there that was false, and when you don’t have the means to dig or understand that, it’s easy to be misguided. So while technology is a great advancement for all of us and is an opportunity, it’s also a downfall to some extent. I think in some cases, it’s how do you pull the technology out of the message and deliver something to someone that is meaningful, memorable and magical in ways that actually matter to that individual.
- Industry perspectives: shifts in HCP interaction, evolution in practice of medicine (an interview with Neil Matheson, Chairman, Atlantis Health)
- Industry perspectives: how has the talent pool changed? (an interview with Dennis Urbaniak, Orexo US and Jay Carter, AbelsonTaylor)
|Maria Fontanazza is the director of content, Med Ad News and PharmaLive.com|