text:
Disney's ESPN Likely to Cut Jobs; Subscriber Woes Remain
There seems to be no end to the plight for The Walt Disney Company’s DIS ESPN, as the media behemoth is struggling to bring ESPN back on track. As per media, the company is preparing to lay off workers at ESPN, in an attempt to reduce cost.
Per sources, the layoffs are likely to be completed by June and will be limited to only on-air commentators and content creators. Notably, the previous retrenchment by the company was announced in 2015.
For some time now, declining subscriber count and higher programming costs have been a cause of concern for investors. Disney’s primary cash cow, ESPN, has been under immense pressure as the Pay-TV landscape continues to change owing to migration of subscribers to online TV. Falling subscriptions will have a telling effect on the network’s ad revenues.
ESPN has been losing subscribers on a regular basis. It lost nearly 3 million subscribers in the past one year as the number of cord cutters continues to increase. At the end of the fourth quarter of fiscal 2016, ESPN had a subscriber base of nearly 89 million in comparison with 92 million at the end of the prior-year quarter and more than 100 million in 2010.
In the recent past, dismal performance of ESPN has also dragged down Disney’s overall financial results. In the first quarter of fiscal 2017, ESPN witnessed decline in average viewership and advertising rates mostly due to lesser College Football Playoff games in the quarter. Further, fresh NBA agreement and increase in contractual rate for NFL programming drove the overall programming cost higher for ESPN. Ad revenues of ESPN declined 7% during the quarter. Most of the media companies are failing to cope with "cord cutting" as consumers are unwilling to pay for large bundles of channels.
However, Disney is striving to bring back ESPN’s golden days. In an effort to attract online viewers, the company has inked a deal with video streaming, data analytics as well as commerce management company BAMTech. Further, the company has the option to acquire majority of the stake in BAMTech, in future. Disney stated that it will use BAMTech to create an ESPN-branded, over-the-top (OTT) video streaming service that will cover a variety of sports. Further, it is putting a lot of effort to make content accessible to more customers. The company also stated that AT&T’s DirecTV will feature channels like ESPN, ESPN2, ABC, Freeform, Disney Channel, Disney XD as well as Disney Junior in their subscription packages in the upcoming DirecTV Now OTT service.
In the past one year, the Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) company’s shares have gained 13.2% driven by blockbuster performance of its movies along with growth in Parks & Resorts division. However, it failed to outperform the Zacks categorized Media Conglomerates industry which has witnessed an increase of 18.9% in the same time frame. Moreover, in the past one year shares of Comcast Corporation CMCSA and Time Warner Inc. TWX have rose 28.5% and 44.1%, respectively.
Stock to Consider
A better-ranked stock worth considering is Grupo Televisa, S.A.B. TV, which currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 (Strong Buy) Rank stocks here.
Zacks' Top 10 Stocks for 2017
In addition to the stocks discussed above, would you like to know about our 10 finest tickers for the entirety of 2017?
Who wouldn't? These 10 are painstakingly hand-picked from 4,400 companies covered by the Zacks Rank. They are our primary picks to buy and hold. Be among the very first to see them >>
Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report
Time Warner Inc. (TWX): Free Stock Analysis Report
Walt Disney Company (The) (DIS): Free Stock Analysis Report
Grupo Televisa S.A. (TV): Free Stock Analysis Report
Comcast Corporation (CMCSA): Free Stock Analysis Report
To read this article on Zacks.com click here.


text:
Bloomberg reports that Google is getting serious about OEMs updating their Android devices to the latest version of Android. The company is not only pressuring OEMs and carriers to roll out updates faster, it is also ranking them based on how up-to-date their phones are and the security patches they are running.
The company shared a list with OEMs earlier this year, and to shame and force some OEMs to perform better, the company even discussed making the list public.
Over the years, Google has taken a number of steps to fix the fragmentation issues plaguing Android. While security was a major concern with Android earlier, the company started rolling out monthly security patches after a ‘Stagefright’ vulnerability was discovered that affected 1.4 billion devices. Many top-tier OEMs like Samsung and LG also joined Google in rolling out monthly security updates for their devices, though they have been struggling in meeting their goals.
To push security updates out faster, Google is even asking carriers to exclude them from their testing. This will not only makes rolling out the updates faster, but also reduce the testing cost by several thousand dollars.
OEMs are not the only one to be blamed for the slow updates. In United States and some other markets, carriers are also to be blamed. Once the carriers receive the final update from Google, they do their own testing that cane take a few months. Verizon is notoriously bad in this regard, but the report nots that on Google’s behest, the carrier has reduced a few weeks from its testing cycle. However, the process still runs into months. Sprint has also cut down on its testing period for updates from as much as 12 weeks to “a few weeks” as per the VP of Product Developer, Ryan Sullivan.
Google has even started sharing the source code of upcoming versions of Android with OEMs early so that they can better prepare for the update. With Android N, companies will be getting access to the source code more than six months before the final version of the OS is released. This should allow OEMs to greatly speed up the roll out process for their devices, as they will have plenty of time to prepare for the update.
Despite Google’s continuous efforts, very few Android OEMs have stepped up their games in quickly updating their devices to the latest version of Android. So, it makes sense for the company to start getting more stern regarding the whole process. What do you think?

domain: news


text:
December 14, 2022. – Jumia Food, the leading online food delivery platform in Nigeria, has
today announced a partnership with Domino’s Pizza, a world-leading pizza brand, to offer
consumers access to meals from the comfort of their homes.
The announcement was made during a press conference held on 14 th December 2022 at
Domino’s Ikoyi store. The partnership will provide a steady supply of Domino’s portfolio to
consumers through the JumianFood platform and ensure they receive their orders in the
shortest time possible.
Speaking during the event, Chief Executive Officer, Jumia Nigeria, Massimiliano Spalazzi, “We
are delighted to provide our online platform where consumers in Nigeria can order their favourite
pizza delight from Domino’s Pizza outlets available at the click of a button on Jumia Food. We
have spent a decade in Nigeria and since our inception, we have continuously impacted the
lives of millions of consumers through innovation and technology. Our partnership with
Domino’s pizza is another step to making meals more accessible to consumers all across the
Jumia Food data 2021, placed Pizza first as the most promising cuisine ordered in the country
followed by Chinese and shawarma respectively. Foreign cuisines are growing fast as Nigerians
explore various meals available to them.
Also speaking at the press conference, the Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of
Eat’N’Go Africa, Mr Patrick McMichael said “we at Domino’s Pizza Nigeria are delighted to
expand our offerings to our esteemed customers in Nigeria through listing on Jumia. As we
grow and expand, it is important to employ digital technology in ensuring that we continue to
maintain exceptional service delivery which is what this partnership avails Domino’s Pizza.
Mr Patrick further said that “Domino’s is hundred per cent focused on the customer and that is
why we continue to thrive and explore new opportunities for the convenience of our customers
while also maintaining our 20 minutes delivery time.”
On the impact of the partnership, the CEO of Eat’N’Go Africa further said that “this partnership
would have a ripple effect on human capital and economic development. It will improve on the
direct employment and growth of staff down to our supply chain which is majorly local.”
Since its inception in Nigeria, Jumia Nigeria has continuously reiterated its commitment to
driving innovation and making everyday life easier for its customers by investing in technologies
and processes to continue driving ease of service, faster delivery times and ensuring consistent
We believe that technology has the potential to transform everyday life in Africa, for the better.
We built Jumia to help consumers access millions of goods and services conveniently and at
the best prices while opening up a new way for sellers to reach consumers and grow their
Jumia is a leading e-commerce platform in Africa. Our marketplace is supported by our
proprietary logistics business, Jumia Logistics, and our digital payment and fintech platform,
JumiaPay. Jumia Logistics enables the seamless delivery of millions of packages while
JumiaPay facilitates online payments and the distribution of a broad range of digital and
Eat’N’Go is Africa’s master franchisee for Domino’s Pizza, Cold Stone Creamery and
Pinkberry Gourmet Frozen Yoghurt brands. Renowned for being a master deliverer of high-
quality food & services, Eat’N’Go has established over 180 stores across Africa. The company
continues to expand its presence in key markets by fusing company goals with new strategic
development goals and has a target to open 230 stores by the end of 2022 across the markets
that the group operates.
Eat’N’Go is dedicated to bringing the best global food brands and concepts to Nigeria and Africa


text:
It should come as no surprise to any of us that there's another Professor Layton game on the way to mobile. This time it's Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box, and it's headed to Japan in December for 1,200 yen (about £8).
This second instalment in the Layton series came out on the DS in Japan back in 2007, and was otherwise known as Professor Layton and Pandora's Box to international players.
In it, you're off on the Prof's biggest adventure yet as you investigate the death of his mentor, Dr. Schrader. Once you've boarded the Molentary Express you're thrust into another world of strange characters, curious puzzles, and engaging story.
Though there's no nitty gritty details surrounding the release just yet, we know it'll be receiving the same HD remaster as Curious Village. For both Curious Village and Layton's Mystery Journey, it was initially released in Japan before trickling out in the west, so I've got no doubt we'll see it on iOS and Android sometime next year.


text:
The best new retail ideas worldwide February 2020
This month’s round-up is packed with exciting new openings and initiatives from all over the globe. There is a notable growing trend towards sustainability efforts, as well as great examples of how technology is shaping the way consumers shop. Experience-led initiatives are still proving to be popular too – as you’ll see in this comprehensive round-up.
Alepa Chatbot (Finland)
Corner store chain Alepa has created a chatbot that allows customers to request items to be stocked in their local Alepa store. The purpose of the chatbot is to provide customers with a greater selection of products that better reflect the needs of the neighbourhood. Built into the Facebook messenger app, the campaign has been described as a ‘hyper-local integrated digital initiative’.
Customers can request the items they wish to have stocked in their local store via the app and the retailer will fulfill their requests within 48 hours. The items are then added to the shelves with the label ‘Korttelitoive’ which translates to ‘block wish’. Digital screens outside advertise the new products in store and show who has requested them. The idea has been embraced by 90 different neighbourhoods and 9/10 users say the scheme is beneficial to them.
Huawei unmanned store (China)
Chinese technology company Huawei has opened its first unmanned smartstore in the city of Wuhan. The space uses robots instead of staff meaning the store can be opened round the clock. Customers can choose a product via a touchscreen, and orders are then picked by a giant robotic arm and a small robot will deliver to the customer. Due to the size of the store it is currently offering small and lightweight products such as smartphones and accessories. It’s also a very manageable way of testing out an innovative idea.
H&M Rental Service (Stockholm)
High street giant H&M is now tapping into the billion dollar rental market. The flagship in Stockholm is offering customers the opportunity to rent items from its party and wedding selection. The retailer is aware that fast fashion is not a sustainable business model and is under pressure to boost its environmental credentials. By offering such a service it can reduce its carbon footprint and energy use. Customers who wish to take part in the scheme must be signed up to its loyalty programme. H&M is promoting sustainability in other areas too – the store also features a repair service.
Hello Kitty pop-up (Seattle)
Hello Kitty is celebrating 45 years of the fictional Japanese character with a ‘Friends Around the World’ tour. Most recently popping up in Seattle, the immersive travel-themed event gives fans a passport and boarding pass on arrival. Here they are transported to various different cities including London, Paris and New York. Each area offers something that is distinctive to that city, such as the replica Eiffel Tower.
Throughout the experience customers could purchase Hello Kitty-themed drinks, snacks and souvenirs and the tour ends with a gift shop full of Hello Kitty merchandise. In a bid to localise the event, there was a Pacific Northwest-themed lodge where customers could get refreshments from local Seattle businesses.
Palo Alto (Silicon Valley) is now home to a new Samsung store that is being hailed as a prototype for future store rollouts. The area has been chosen for its large Samsung following and it gives those customers access to the full breadth of the retailer’s product line.
Visitors can test out devices upon request and feel involved with everything Samsung is doing. There is also full customer service and device repair and support. The store has taken lessons from its other retail locations when designing this store to make it as good as it can be. Thought has even been given to the way customers move throughout the store by making bays moveable and adjustable, according to whatever is learnt elsewhere.
SKP Experience Space (Beijing)
Chinese department store SKP has created a futuristic ‘retail experience space’ in its store in Beijing. Partnering with eyewear brand Gentle Monster, it has created theatrical settings based on the concept of a ‘Digital-Analog future’. The current space is called ‘Future Farm’ featuring robotic sheep, Martians and kinetic penguins. The store is also home to Gentle Monster’s 21st global flagship and the retailer has also collaborated with Nudake to create a Mars cafe. For fans of Gentle Monster or of theatrical set design it is not to be missed.
W Hotels X Rent The Runway (USA)
Marriott’s W Hotels and Rent the Runway have partnered to offer guests ‘insider access’ to Rent the Runway’s entire collection when visiting four of its hotels. Aimed at making packing less stressful for its guests, orders are simply delivered to a chosen destination. ‘Mini closets’ are available at each of the hotels in case there is an issue with sizing or a desire to add additional items during a stay. The clothing selection at each hotel takes into account the climate and the activities you may embark on whilst there. At checkout you simply drop the items off at the welcome desk and the hotel will take care of the rest. The hotel is not only able to take the stress out of packing for its guests but it is also promoting sustainability with the initiative.
Vogue without photos (Italy)
Italian Vogue’s January 2020 issue had no photographs in a statement about sustainability. The fashion shoots have instead been replaced with illustrations commissioned from eight different artists. In a statement, Emanuele Farneti, Editor-in-Chief of Vogue Italia explained the resources that went into the September 2019 issue of the magazine – from the man-power to the flights and train journeys, not to mention the deliveries, packaging and catering. The purpose of the illustrations is to reduce the environmental impact of photo shoots but still be able to showcase the clothes. All illustrations feature the phrase ‘No photo shoot production was required in the making of this issue’.
Shiseido Beauty Innovation Hub (Shanghai)
Japanese cosmetics company Shiseido has opened its first beauty innovation hub outside of Japan. The hub is located in a WeWork flagship co-working space and is designed to get as close as possible to the consumer. The community space is for consumers, researchers and industry partners to embrace new ways of working.
Shiseido is well-known for its product innovation so the ability to connect and collaborate with people will enhance this. The retailer created a Business Innovation Team for China in 2019 to move into the hub and collaborate with the community that is being built there. This should help the retailer continue to disrupt the industry going forwards.


text:
When government can’t solve problems, more companies seek to step in
Share Now on:
Following the recent mass shooting at a Florida high school, Dick’s Sporting Goods said it would stop selling assault-style rifles and no longer sell guns people under 21.
The day of the announcement, the retailer saw a more than 32,000 percent increase in mentions, retweets, comments and likes on social media compared to the day before, according to 4C insights. Yes, that’s 32 followed by three zeros. In other words, people really take notice of a company’s stance on issues.
“I try not to buy things at companies that sell guns,” said Katherine Walstrom of Sarasota, Florida.
She said she won’t shop where she doesn’t agree with a company’s stance.
“I try to buy things at locally owned companies. I try to buy things at female-owned companies or minority-owned companies,” Walstrom said. “So I’ve never shopped at Walmart because I don’t think I value anything Walmart values.”
Susan Wendleboe in Chatham, New York, says she actively supports businesses who get behind environmental and gun-control issues.
“If the company puts something like they’re going to support gun control, then I would shop more likely at their stores because I would like to support that movement,” Wendleboe said.
Today, companies aren’t just taking a stance on social or political issues. In fact, a whole industry has sprung around private businesses trying to solve public problems, including issues like traffic congestion, homelessness, malaria and water access.
It’s been dubbed the “solution economy” — business, government, philanthropy, social enterprises and foundations converging to solve public problems.
“In every city in America, you have social startups that are particularly focused on things like the environment or energy, education, homelessness,” said Bill Eggers, executive director of Deloitte’s Center for Government Insights. “Then also you have for-profit companies founded in a way that they wanted to solve societal problems.”
It comes down to a number of drivers. First up, simply, the bottom line. Companies understand that consumers and employees are both passionate about supporting causes. They want to work and support companies that are also doing so. Getting behind causes can go a long way for branding.
“Companies are realizing that they can both make money but also dive into solving these problems,” Eggers said. “It can actually help them.”
So what’s the role of government in this solution economy? Is it still to solve our societal issues? Those in the solution economy see it in a new role.
“Instead of sole problem solver, government’s role is to create an environment where problem solvers can flourish,” Eggers said.
Governments across the world are creating accelerators for social entrepreneurs and startups who are working on solutions while the governments are developing regulations for the products at the same time. The accelerators are also a vehicle for startups to scale up their products to try and make an impact. In other cases, companies, governments and foundations are increasingly working alongside one another to address causes, including malaria eradication.
“You’ve actually had a number of companies putting in total hundreds of millions of dollars,” Eggers said.
But a tension exists. If companies are creating solutions in the forms of products, certain groups or segments of society could find themselves priced out of solutions they may need the most.
Eggers said that notion is at top of mind in the solution economy.
“You have a lot of these business models which are actually aimed at creating radically low-cost solutions,” Eggers said. “So that you can essentially bring more people into the marketplace.”
We’re here to help you navigate this changed world and economy.
Our mission at Marketplace is to raise the economic intelligence of the country. It’s a tough task, but it’s never been more important.
In the past year, we’ve seen record unemployment, stimulus bills, and reddit users influencing the stock market. Marketplace helps you understand it all, will fact-based, approachable, and unbiased reporting.
Generous support from listeners and readers is what powers our nonprofit news—and your donation today will help provide this essential service. For just $5/month, you can sustain independent journalism that keeps you and thousands of others informed.


text:
NAM1 Baits Penniless Menzgold Customers
…To Pay GH₵650 For Lock-Up Funds
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the defunct gold dealership company, Menzgold Ghana Limited, Nana Appiah Mensah, whose business was collapsed for operating with alleged invalid license, is back, after calls by the Coalition of Aggrieved Menzgold Customers to arrest him fell on deaf ears.
This time, Mr. Appiah Mensah, affectionately called NAM1, is asking his already cash-strapped customers, numbering about 46,000, whose investments have been locked up with his firm ,to use their own money to acquire Menzgold Digital Verification Access Card, before they can be paid.
Interestingly, it will cost each customer some GH₵650 to acquire the access card to verify their transaction status for the company to be sure that they owed the customers before their lock-up funds would be paid.
Per a statement issued last week, dated Friday August 18, management directed customers to follow this verification exercise to enable them to find out the status of their lock-up investments.
The process requires the uploading of original-colored soft copies of supporting documents from August 10th, 2023, to September 14th, 2023.
Signed by the CEO himself, the statement noted that this verification step was necessary due to a high number of claims containing discrepancies, with over 60% of received claims having invalidating issues.
“As indicated in our August 8th release, Menzgold has successfully and finally completed the validation of the transaction supporting documents Customers presented for vetting. Unfortunately, it was determined that over sixty percent (60) of the claims were fraught with unacceptable infractions which invalidate the claims in questions.
“To the above end and as part of the final phase of our due diligence processes, we urge all Customers who believe they have genuine indebted transactions claims, to check their transactions status by acquiring the Menzgold Digital Verification Access Card at GHc650 each, from any authorized Payboy Agent to verify their transactions validation status from the 10th August, 2023 to 14th September, 2023 and to unpaid original coloured soft copies of their transactions supporting documents.
“Menzgold cannot offer free verification service like we did for the validation exercise, as we are committed to marshal all available resources into paying off our Company’s debt (liability),” the statement said.
But this has raised serious eyebrows, knowing how many of these investors have suffered all these years without success to retrieve their funds, including going on demonstrations.
Many Ghanaians who have expressed shock at the recent statement say the company and its CEO are emboldened because he has been allowed as a free man, despite sitting on people’s investments. The case between the State and Mr. Appiah Mensah is still in court.
According to customers of the defunct company, many of their colleagues, aside from the untold hardships, some have even died and also suffered serious terminal ailments due to the collapse of the firm.
The latest statement comes barely a month after the Coalition of Aggrieved Customers of Menzgold called on the government to arrest the CEO.
In July, when the Coalition made the call, it also urged its members to desist from engaging Mr. Appiah Mensah on any payment terms, as he can best be compared to internet fraudsters.
The concerns by the group came after the company issued a statement, indicating that it has successfully completed the transaction validation process, assuring to make payments to its customers soon.
Speaking to Citi News, the spokesperson of the group, Fredrick Forson, indicated that the state must take swift action against Nana Appiah Mensah.
“Nobody should engage him and that is what we are saying because of that document he brought out. What we want the government to do is to arrest him. What is contained in that document is simply the language of scammers, and we will want the government to arrest him,” he said.
The defunct gold trading company had earlier issued a statement assuring to make payments to its customers, saying it had completed the transaction validation process of its customers and was ready to effect payments soon.
“Following the gold trading transactions claims supporting documents collection and vetting exercise initiated; we are happy to announce that validation has successfully been completed,” Menzgold said, in its statement.
But barely a month after government refused to heed to the Coalition’s call, he is emboldened this time, asking the customers to pay more or forget their funds, which have been locked for years.
The company, which involved in the purchase and deposit of gold from the public and contracts issued with guaranteed returns with clients as a capital market activity, was shut down in 2018 by the commission.
The now infamous company was shut down in September 2018 by regulator, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
SEC said Menzgold cannot continue to operate without valid license issued.


text:
Five days ago, we reported that the the International House of Pancakes was changing its acronym from IHOP to IHOb, with a lower-case “b.” The company was very secretive about the name changed, which they revealed would be explained on June 1.
Well, in case you haven’t checked your calendar, today is June 11, and IHOP — er, make that IHOb — has explained what’s going on. According to CNN:
IHOP said on Monday that it’s temporarily changing its branding because the B stands for burgers.
It’s only a marketing campaign. IHOP isn’t changing its name. But the chain of breakfast diners took social media by storm last week with the cryptic announcement that it was flipping the lowercase “p” in its logo and making it a “b.”
IHOP, of course, stands for International House of Pancakes. But IHOP — sorry, IHOb — wants to be known as a place to get lunch and dinner, not just breakfast and brunch. It’s adding several burgers to its menu, including a Big Brunch burger with bacon, a fried egg and browned potato on top.
The company even tweeted at 8:10 this morning:
— IHOP (@IHOP) June 11, 2018
So after all that, the company’s not even changing its name. Or is it?
An IHOP in Hollywood is getting new IHOb signs, and some others might get the treatment. The new IHOb Twitter account even retweeted photos and video of a construction crew putting up the new sign in LA.
— Drew Malino (@DREWMALINO) June 7, 2018
Whatever the name ends up being, give the company credit. Their little ploy has earned them millions of dollars of free publicity.


text: Mounting pressure from “higher for longer” interest rates means there’s likely more bad news ahead for the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite . The index slid 2.4% on Wednesday, posting its worst day since February. The Nasdaq is now down more than 10% from its July 19 high this year, meaning it’s officially entered correction territory. Alphabet , which slid 9.5% Wednesday on the back of disappointing cloud revenue, contributed to the index’s decline. So did Tesla , which just last week posted its worst week of the year after its third-quarter earnings and revenue came in below analyst expectations . The negative performance of these two stocks certainly isn’t unique, with multiple names within the Nasdaq already in a bear market, or down more than 20% from their 52-week highs. CNBC Pro recently screened for a list of these stocks, shown here: The list of names includes Tesla, which is down 29% from its 52-week high in July. In all, 21 of the 46 analysts covering the stock maintain a rating of hold, calling for an average upside of 10%, per LSEG. Analysts across Wall Street reduced their price targets both before and after the electric vehicle maker’s disappointing third-quarter results. Even Morgan Stanley’s Adam Jonas, who has an outlier overweight position on the stock, trimmed his price target to $380 from $400. On the more skeptical side, Bernstein’s Toni Sacconaghi maintained an underperform rating with a $150 price target, which implies a potential 29% downside. “5% auto revenue growth, collapsing margins and trading at 200x FCF — is the story broken?” he wrote. “In many ways, Tesla is increasingly looking like a regular auto company.” Airbnb , down 23.5% from its 52-week high in July, has a hold rating from half of the analysts covering the stock and a corresponding 23% upside estimate, per LSEG. KeyBanc Capital markets downgraded shares of the vacation rental to sector weight from overweight earlier in October. “Our call is that leisure travel has experienced a material recovery from 2021-2023E, resulting in outsized margin expansion,” wrote analyst Justin Patterson. “As these tailwinds fade, we see elevated risk to [room nights and experiences] and [average daily rate] growth.” Another name on the list was Enphase Energy , which is down 72.2% from its 52-week high on Dec. 5. Just over 6 out of 10 analysts covering the stock rate it a buy or a strong buy, and the average consensus price target suggests 75% upside from here, per LSEG. Shares of the solar product manufacturer are down nearly 64% since the start of the year. The stock slid 15% last Friday after competitor SolarEdge warned investors of weakening demand in European markets. Daiwa downgraded the stock to neutral from buy, citing slowing growth drivers and lingering inventory destocking. Enphase is slated to report quarterly earnings after the bell on Thursday. Dollar Tree is off 36% from its 52-week high in November 2022. Analysts polled maintain an average rating of buy and potential upside of 37%. The stock has sold off more than 23% so far this year as broader dollar stores have been slammed by resuming student loan payments and rising gas prices. As a result, both consumer fundamentals and investor sentiment have deteriorated. Goldman Sachs upgraded shares of Dollar Tree to buy from neutral earlier this month. The accompanying price target of $137 corresponds to a potential 26.5% upside from Wednesday’s close. – CNBC’s Michael Bloom contributed reporting.


text:
REDMOND, Wash. — Mar ch 20 , 201 4 — Microsoft Corp
Go here to read the rest:
Microsoft announces Stephen J. Luczo leaving board of directors
Some 10 percent of all government computers still will be running Microsoft 's (MSFT) Windows XP after the April 8 technical support end date , leaving hundreds of thousands of agency systems—many holding sensitive … Even at this point, Windows XP still commands a 29 percent stake worldwide of installed operating systems, with Windows 7 owning the market with a 48 percent share—more than four times the combined portions of Windows 8 and Windows 8.1, ..
According to Microsoft's Security Intelligence Report, almost 1% of Windows XP installations are currently infected with malware, a number that is sure to skyrocket after the April 8th End of Support date . According to Tim Rains, Director of … Upgrade as Soon as Possible: For those still using Windows XP, there have been a number of operating system releases since XP, including Vista, 7 , 8, and the latest Windows 8.1
Read more here:Â
Microsoft Pop-Up: A Telltale Warning | MOMentumNation
So if you're scrambling to upgrade from Windows XP and you're comfortable switching to Windows 8.1 and not Windows 7 , this sounds like a pretty great deal. Tags: Microsoft , Windows XP. Via: Computerworld
See original here:
Windows XP upgrade offer: $50 gift card with Windows 8.1 purchase …
Reuters' sources say that Microsoft has an iPad version of Office ready to go but that it's held off on releasing it because it's worried about hurting sales of its own Windows tablets if it makes Office available on Apple and Android tablets.
Microsoft Office for iPad release date still up in the air | BGR
Huawei is no stranger to Windows Phone, having released a handset in the US last year, but the company is now planning to combine Android and Windows Phone into a single smartphone. Speaking to T… ..
Go here to read the rest:Â
Mutant dual-boot Android and Windows Phone coming to US this …
Listen up, disgruntled Windows desktop users: Microsoft hears your gripes and is working to address them with its soon-to-be-released Update 1 to Windows 8.1. U.K.-based gaming and tech writer James …
Read the original post:Â
Windows 8.1 Update 1 features will appeal to desktop users | BGR
REDMOND, Wash. — Mar ch 1 1 , 201 4 — Microsoft Corp. announced Tuesday that Mason Morfit, president of ValueAct Capital, has been appointed to the company’s board of directors and its audit committee
See original here:
Microsoft board expands to include Mason Morfit
Microsoft is set to release five security updates to users on Patch Tuesday, March 11, less than a month before it closes down support for the OS on April 8. … The OS pre- dates Windows 7 , Windows 8 and Windows 8.1
Go here to see the original:Â
Microsoft Preps Critical Windows XP Security Patches Ahead of …
… get the boot from Google. By Chris Smith on Mar 7 , 2014 at 8:35 AM ..
Read more from the original source:
Dual Booting Android/Windows tablets/laptops canceled report says …


text:
(Reuters) – Canada’s Aurora Cannabis Inc named billionaire investor … The appointment comes weeks after rival Canopy Growth Corp appointed …
(Reuters) – Canada’s Aurora Cannabis Inc named billionaire investor Nelson Peltz as a strategic adviser on Wednesday, sending the company’s U.S.-listed shares up 11 percent in trading before the bell.
FILE PHOTO: The Logo for Aurora Cannabis Inc., a Canadian licensed cannabis producer, is displayed on a screen on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York, U.S., January 8, 2019. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid
The company has offered Peltz an option to buy about 20 million of its shares at C$10.34 a share, a small discount on the stock’s close of C$10.64 on Tuesday.
The stock option will vest ratably over a four-year period on a quarterly basis, Aurora said.
Aurora will tap into Peltz’s extensive experience in the consumer industry and work with him to explore potential partnerships that will expand the company globally.
“We look forward to working with Nelson to further extend our global cannabis industry leadership by aligning Aurora with each of the major market segments cannabis is set to impact,” said Aurora CEO Terry Booth in a statement.
The appointment comes weeks after rival Canopy Growth Corp appointed lifestyle guru Martha Stewart to help develop and launch a line of pot-based products.
Cannabis firms are also looking beyond recreational marijuana to drive sales, and the passing of the U.S. farm bill last year has opened the door for hemp, a cannabis plant with no or extremely low concentrations of “high” inducing THC.
Hemp can be used in foods, organic body care and clothing, among others.
Cannabis companies in Canada have been pouring cash into their businesses to fend off competition as well as develop new products, after the country approved the use of recreational marijuana in October.
“Canadian licensed producers, and Aurora in particular, are well positioned to lead in the development of the international cannabis industry,” said Peltz in a statement.
Peltz, who heads investment management firm Trian Fund Management, has waged battles against several consumer conglomerates, including a push for the separation of Kraft into Mondelez International and Kraft Foods Group in 2012. He won a board seat in Procter & Gamble Co in 2017 after waging what was the largest proxy fight ever.
Reporting by John Benny in Bengaluru; Editing by Shinjini Ganguli
Let’s take a deeper look at Aurora Cannabis (TSX:ACB)(NYSE:ACB) and CanopyGrowth Corp. (TSX:WEED) (NYSE:CGC) — the two biggest …
For investors, it’s really tough to know when a stock has reached its peak and when it’s bottomed out. For that same reason, it’s not easy to pick a marijuana stock when some players are doing so well and others are lagging behind.
But if you have a long-term perspective, this decision becomes much easier. Let’s take a deeper look at Aurora Cannabis(TSX:ACB)(NYSE:ACB) and Canopy Growth Corp.(TSX:WEED) (NYSE:CGC) — the two biggest marijuana stocks — to analyze their business potential and long-term value.
Canopy Growth is one of the few weed stocks with a solid foundation to grow its business and reward investors in the long run.
Canopy’s market size, capacity to ramp up production and diversity of product offerings make it a much stronger player. The company currently operates weed-growing facilities with over 2.4 million square feet of space.
But the producer has been expanding its operations quickly, which will deliver the potential to manage more than five million square feet of production space by next year. In the latest development, Canopy Growth acquired a hemp licence in New York State, as it plans to build an extraction and manufacturing facility.
One of the largest alcoholic beverage giants, Constellation Brands, last year raised its stake in the company to USD$4 billion, acquiring a nearly 40% stake in Canopy. Helped by these positive developments, Canopy Growth has surged more than 60% this year, outperforming its peers massively.
Aurora Cannabis has been in the headlines during the past one year due to its massive deal activity. The company bought MedReleaf Corp. and CanniMed Therapeutics last year, consolidating Aurora’s market position in the medical segment.
Aurora operates in 21 countries with a strong presence in the European Union. It expects its global medical cannabis business to accelerate significantly in the coming years. Aurora shares jumped more than 7% today after the company announced that billionaire investor Nelson Peltz is joining the company as a strategic adviser.
Peltz, whose New York-based Trian Fund Management LP has more than $10 billion under management, will advise Aurora on “potential partnerships with leading corporations,” the company said in a statement today.
“Nelson is a globally recognized business visionary with a strong track record of constructive engagement to generate accelerated, profitable growth and shareholder value across many verticals of great interest to us,” Aurora Chief Executive Officer Terry Booth said in the statement.
Both Canopy and Aurora are two top pot stocks that you can consider to keep in your portfolio. No doubt Canopy has had a very powerful rally in 2019 after posting 60% gains, but I still believe there is a further upside if the company continues on its growth path.
Aurora, on the other hand, has a much bigger short-term upside potential as the company looks for a strategic partnership with a top consumer brand. You can divide your investment equally between these two names to hedge your bets.
Few people have… yet some of the greatest minds in the world believe this innovative technology could change the world.
Amazon doesn’t want anyone to know about this top-secret project, but there’s something even Amazon doesn’t know…
One grassroots Canadian company has already begun introducing this technology to the market – which is why legendary Canadian investor Iain Butler thinks they have a leg up on Amazon in this once-in-a-generation tech race.
But you’ll need to hurry if you want to pick up this TSX stock before its name is on everyone’s lips.
To learn more about this exciting technology and dark horse TSX stock before it’s too late, click here now.
Quebec cannabis giant HEXO Corp. is acquiring Newstrike Brands Ltd. … the top two players — Aurora Cannabis Inc. and Canopy Growth Corp.
Quebec cannabis giant HEXO Corp. is acquiring Newstrike Brands Ltd. — the Oakville-based mid-sized cannabis company backed by The Tragically Hip — in an all-stock deal worth $260 million, both companies announced early Wednesday morning.
The deal is the biggest yet to take place between two sizeable Canadian cannabis companies post-legalization in a crowded industry where the top two players — Aurora Cannabis Inc. and Canopy Growth Corp. — control just under 50 per cent of domestic recreational cannabis sales.
HEXO currently has a market value of almost $1.6 billion — the acquisition of Newstrike will increase the company’s distribution footprint from three to eight provinces, and potentially propel it to become one of the top four biggest cannabis companies in Canada, after Canopy Growth, Aurora, Aphria Inc. and Tilray Inc.
“We’re adding $55 million in cash to HEXO with this acquisition, and this is in line with our vision to be in the top 3 cannabis companies worldwide,” said Sebastien St. Louis, HEXO’s Chief Executive Officer.
“We started conversations last October, and it was a relatively quick process because our visions were aligned. We’re excited about Newstrike’s agreement with the Neal Brothers to create specialty products for the edibles market and so that joint venture will be integrated into this acquisition,” St. Louis explained.
Canada embarks on its second phase of legalization in a matter of months — cannabis edibles, beverages and concentrates are set to hit the recreational market this October.
HEXO’s revenues come largely from the Quebec recreational cannabis market — for its latest quarter ending Oct. 31, 2018, the company brought in a net revenue of $3.7 million, and shipped 952 kilograms of dried flower equivalents to the adult-use market, most of which went to fulfill its supply agreement with Quebec’s provincial distributor. The company sits on a 1 million square-foot greenhouse in Gatineau, Que. which yields over 14 tonnes of cannabis annually, according to corporate disclosures.
Newstrike currently has two cannabis facilities in Ontario — an indoor grow room in Brantford, and a greenhouse in Niagara. Both facilities are licensed to cultivate and sell cannabis for the recreational market under the UP Cannabis brand. Newstrike’s most recent quarterly report ending Sept. 30, 2018 showed that the company realized a revenue of just over $3.4 million to the adult-use market.
“We’ve always recognized that to become a dominant player in the Canadian cannabis sector we needed a strong partner,” said Newstrike CEO Jay Wilgar. “You look at our partnership with the Hip, with the Neal Brothers and then you look at HEXO’s partnership with Molson Coors… putting these two companies together makes an enormous amount of sense.”
HEXO is one of very few pot firms that have struck coveted deals with alcohol, tobacco and pharmaceutical companies over the last six months — Cronos Group announced a $2.4 billion investment from tobacco giant Altria Group last December, while Tilray Inc. partnered up with Swiss drug giant Novartis AG around the same time to develop and distribute medical cannabis.
Both Wilgar and St. Louis are confident that the merger of both companies will generate a combined revenue of $400 million by mid-2020.
“Everytime we have committed something to the market, we have delivered. We announced that by December 2018 we would have 1 million square foot up and running, and we met that promise and we got all our licenses in under a year,” St. Louis said.
Wilgar declined to elaborate on what his specific role would be post-acquisition, but maintained that he would continue to be actively involved in Newstrike.
HEXO’s stock price closed at $7.40 Tuesday evening, while Newstrike’s hovered at the $0.45 mark. The Quebec company’s acquisition of Newstrike is the second big transaction to take place between cannabis companies post-legalization — in December, Aleafia Health Inc. acquired medical cannabis producer Emblem Corp. for $173 million.
US Marijuana Market Warms Up to Merger Deals: ETFs in Focus … billion, per a January report by Arcview Market Research and BDS Analytics (read: …
Canada became the first major world economy and the second country after Uruguay to legalize recreational marijuana last October. The legalization seems to be largely priced-in at the current level. Investors’ interest has been turning toward the United States where the industry is still booming, way far to mature (read: Tilray’s Deal to Buy Hemp Food Maker Bolsters Marijuana ETF).
Cannabis is getting official approval from many U.S. states for recreational uses, in addition to medical usage. Though pot remains entirely illegal at the federal level, Michigan approved a ballot measure during the midterm elections for recreational use of marijuana to become the 10th state, while Missouri and Utah approved the legalization of medical marijuana. The total number of U.S. states greenlighting medical pot is now 33.
As an evidence of strong demand in the United States, pot companies have engaged in deals of late. Harvest Health & Recreation Inc. is acquiring closely held Chicago-based Verano Verano Holdings LLC for about $850 million in the largest U.S. pot deal, as reported by Bloomberg.
Inside Harvest-Verano Deal
Per the company, the joint entity will have licenses to operate up to 200 facilities in 16 states and territories, including 123 retail dispensaries. The will make it one of the largest multi-state operators in the United States. The deal would allow Harvest to have more than 70 operating dispensaries, 13 cultivation facilities and 13 manufacturing facilities by the end of 2019.
Verano’s strong retail brand offers 150 products that are sold in 150 retail locations, according to analysts at Cannacord Genuity. “Arizona-based Harvest will give Verano shareholders a combination of subordinate and multiple voting shares for a total estimated purchase price of $850 million based on a share price of C$8.79,” per Bloomberg. The deal is expected to be clinched in the first half of this year.
If completed, the acquisition will mark the largest deal between two U.S.-focused pot companies, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Notably, Harvest is the third-largest U.S. cannabis firm.
“Land Grab” to Drive Marijuana Merger and Acquisitions in U.S.
These are not the first U.S. companies that are engaging in an M&A deal. In November, California-based cannabis retailer and producer MedMen had agreed to buy Chicago-based PharmaCann, a medical marijuana company, for $682 million (read: Why Marijuana ETFs & Stocks Have More Room to Run).
The idea is to grab land fast and have licenses to cultivate cannabis. Aurora Cannabis did the same thing in Canada by making several acquisitions in a short span.
Chicago: A Key U.S. State for Marijuana Business?
Chicago’s marijuana industry is booming. Since 2013, medical marijuana has been legal in the state Illinois. There are currently 17 companies that own licenses to grow and process the plant in Illinois, perChicago Tribune.
In November, J.B. Pritzker, who is in favor of legalizing recreational marijuana, was elected governor of Illinois. Canaccord analysts in November commented that Illinois “has the potential to be a meaningful rec market in the not-so-distant future.”
A study carried out by Colorado cannabis consulting firm Freedman & Koski, indicates that Illinois’ annual marijuana market could be between $1.69 billion and $2.58 billion. Overall, U.S. consumer spending on legal cannabis is expected to reach $22.2 billion by 2022, while Canadian spending is estimated to hit $5.9 billion, per a January report by Arcview Market Research and BDS Analytics (read: 4 Reasons Why Marijuana Stocks & ETFs Could Be on a High in 2019).
ETFs in Focus
ETFMG Alternative Harvest ETF MJ is the pureplay fund in the space. The fund is enjoying high momentum now. The underlying Prime Alternative Harvest Index enables investors to take advantage of both event-driven news and long-term trends in the cannabis industry as well as the industries likely to be influenced by the medicinal and recreational cannabis legalization initiatives taking place in many locations globally. The fund is up 45.6% in the year-to-date frame (as of Mar 11, 2019).
Apart from pure-play MJ, investors can tap this growth via AdvisorShares Vice ETF ACT. Cannabis-related products occupy 25% of ACT, while alcohol with cannabis exposure has 5% and tobacco with cannabis exposure has received 12% focus. The fund is up 18.1% this year.
Want key ETF info delivered straight to your inbox?
Zacks’ free Fund Newsletter will brief you on top news and analysis, as well as top-performing ETFs, each week. Get it free >>
Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report
Aurora Cannabis (TSE:ACB)’s stock had its “outperform” rating restated by equities research analysts at Cowen in a research note issued to investors …
Aurora Cannabis (TSE:ACB)‘s stock had its “outperform” rating restated by equities research analysts at Cowen in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday, March 5th. They currently have a C$14.00 price objective on the stock. Cowen’s price target suggests a potential upside of 29.03% from the company’s previous close.
Other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a C$12.00 price target on shares of Aurora Cannabis in a report on Monday, February 25th. Seaport Global Securities restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Aurora Cannabis in a research report on Thursday, February 21st. Finally, Eight Capital cut their price objective on Aurora Cannabis from C$17.00 to C$15.00 in a research report on Wednesday, January 9th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. The stock has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of C$13.50.
Aurora Cannabis stock traded up C$0.23 during trading on Tuesday, reaching C$10.85. The company had a trading volume of 13,409,065 shares, compared to its average volume of 17,906,889. Aurora Cannabis has a 52 week low of C$5.29 and a 52 week high of C$16.24. The stock has a market cap of $10.99 billion and a P/E ratio of -109.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 8.08, a quick ratio of 1.89 and a current ratio of 3.31.
Aurora Cannabis (TSE:ACB) last announced its earnings results on Monday, February 11th. The company reported C($0.05) EPS for the quarter, topping the Zacks’ consensus estimate of C($0.06) by C$0.01. The company had revenue of C$54.18 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of C$52.13 million. Analysts predict that Aurora Cannabis will post 0.0300000005785921 EPS for the current year.
A hedge fund recently bought a new stake in Aurora Cannabis stock. Gulf International Bank UK Ltd purchased a new position in Aurora Cannabis Inc (TSE:ACB) in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 11,669 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $112,000.
About Aurora Cannabis
Aurora Cannabis Inc is a Canada-based company engaged in the production and distribution of medical cannabis. The Company is vertically integrated and horizontally diversified across every key segment of the value chain, from facility engineering and design to cannabis breeding and genetics research, cannabis, and hemp production, derivatives, home cultivation, wholesale and retail distribution.
Receive News & Ratings for Aurora Cannabis Daily – Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts’ ratings for Aurora Cannabis and related companies with MarketBeat.com’s FREE daily email newsletter.


text:
In 1990, the United States manufactured 37% of the world’s semiconductor computer chips. In the last three decades, U.S. market share of the integrated circuits it invented has dropped to about 11% of global capacity.
We’re falling behind in a market essential in the making of vehicles, computers, smartphones, appliances, medical equipment, military weapons, satellites and virtually every other type of modern electronic device.
Meanwhile, federal legislation to boost U.S. chip production remains needlessly stalled, holding us back as a nation and hindering economic development in New Mexico.
The U.S. CHIPS Act would provide more than $52 billion in subsidies for companies that build semiconductor plants in the United States. The bill would establish investments and incentives to support U.S. semiconductor manufacturing, research and development, and supply chain security and resiliency. It would also match state and local government incentives to private entities to build fabrication facilities to manufacture advanced computer chips.
“What Congress is trying to do is fill in the R&D gaps and making sure that innovation is brought to the market from lab to fab, so to speak,” Intel Corp. executive Greg Slater told the Journal Editorial Board recently.
Action from Congress is critical to generating more Intel investment in the United States, including at Intel’s Rio Rancho chip-manufacturing plant, where the company is investing $3.5 billion to produce new types of semiconductor technology. The multibillion dollar upgrade will produce 700 new high-paying jobs and create the first U.S. advanced packaging facility. It’s the largest single Intel investment in Rio Rancho since the semiconductor giant began operating here in 1980.
“And that can open up all kinds of future possibilities,” Slater said. “Anytime you bring in a new operation at a site, you often get spin-off benefits.”
Intel’s New Mexico expansion is part of an aggressive strategy by the world’s largest chip maker to “re-shore” domestic chip production and decrease dependence on East Asian counties, where most chips are now made. Intel’s ambitious goal is to build up its U.S. manufacturing volume to 30% of global market share by the end of the decade, and as a state and country we need to support that.
The CHIPS Act has strong bipartisan support. Democrats and Republicans agree on the need for federal research money to compete with China, but politics has resulted in endless delays since the Senate approved the CHIPS Act by a wide margin in June 2021.
The House then delayed action for eight months as members larded up the bill with pet projects, similar to what happens with must-pass defense authorization bills.
The House finally passed its own version in February, but it was very different from the Senate version. A 107-member bicameral conference committee was appointed in April to reconcile the two bills but didn’t start meeting until May.
“Pass the damn bill and send it to me,” President Biden said during a May visit to Ohio, where Intel had said it would expand a planned $20 billion fabricating plant to $100 billion if it could get congressional support. The bottom line is U.S. manufacturers are struggling to compete and maintain an edge against China in the next generation of microelectronics. “The U.S. Chips Act makes it possible to do things that were not cost-effective before,” Slater explained.
Yet here we are at an unnecessary impasse, with Congress running out of time before the August recess. Meanwhile, other countries like China, India and the European Union are stepping up investments in chipmaking.
We know our state’s congressional delegation understands the importance of high tech to New Mexico and the United States. It’s time for them to unite and speak up about the urgent need for Congress to cut all the extraneous “gimmee” legislation and funding and pass a clean CHIPS Act bill ASAP — before we lose our competitiveness in a high-tech industry sure to be a growing part of the world’s and state’s 21st Century economy.
This editorial first appeared in the Albuquerque Journal. It was written by members of the editorial board and is unsigned as it represents the opinion of the newspaper rather than the writers.


text:
After recruiting him for their “multicultural campaign” to target minorities, Pepsi has decided to pull their ad campaign’s featuring Def Jam South rapper Ludacris. The company says it has been flooded with consumer complaints over the lyrics Ludacris has used such as “b**ch” and “hoes”. Although Pepsi states the many consumers complaints brought on their decision to pull the ads, Bill O’Reilly commented on his show last week how Pepsi shouldn’t be using the rapper in their ads as well as telling consumers to complain. Pepsi issued a statement on August 28th saying, “We have a responsibility to listen to our consumers and customers, and we’ve heard from a number of people that were uncomfortable with our association with this artist. We’ve decided to discontinue our ad campaign with this artist and we’re sorry that we’ve offended anyone. We’re still 100 percent committed to multicultural marketing, but we clearly need to be more careful about how we select artists to represent our brands”.
Only problem I have with Pepsi’s decision is that they have a new ad set to air nationally for the new Pepsi Blue featuring Papa Roach. Recently, the lead singer in Papa Roach urinated in a Gatorade bottle onstage during a concert in Boston and handed it to a fan to actually drink! Pepsi knew about Ludacris’s lyrics before they signed him but yet they continued to pursue him. Obviously, Pepsi cannot stand by the decision’s they make. Luda, keep holding it down!


text:
Three New Ladies Revealed For Injustice 2
Warner Bros and DC Entertainment released a new trailer for NetherRealm’s upcoming fighter; Injustice 2. The latest trailer showcases three new ladies joining the game’s roster: Cheetah, Catwoman, Poison Ivy along with the recently revealed Black Canary.
The three ladies joins the handful of characters already confirmed.
Injustice 2 is set to release on May 19th for PS4 and Xbox One.


text:
Director of Innovation Angela Kujava discusses mobile commerce at Human Element
October 9, 2015 – ANN ARBOR, MI – Logic Solutions’ Director of Innovation Angela Kujava will present on the emergence of mobile commerce as an explosive innovation in the eCommerce industry on Tuesday, October 27 at 6pm. The event is open to the public at Human Element, 117 North 1st Street #90 in Ann Arbor. Additional event details and RSVP information can be found at http://www.meetup.com/eCommerce-Ann-Arbor/events/225614054/.
Many companies utilize eCommerce to help grow their businesses and conduct transactions online. Mobile commerce (mCommerce) directs those eCommerce capabilities to mobile devices and is currently a rapidly growing component of online commerce. According to Digi-Capital, mCommerce is expected to generate $600 billion in annual revenue by 2018.
The Growth of Mobile Commerce interactive event is designed to discuss how businesses can make sure they’re not missing the opportunity to go mobile with their sales. Attendees will learn about global trends and growth projections, understand the incredible investments VCs are making in related projects, explore real-world applications, and also collaborate with others and share mobile opportunities.
Angela leads Logic Solutions’ eCommerce, WordPress, creative, and marketing teams, and serves as a consultant on several customer projects. She has presented at The Search Marketing Workshop at Eastern Michigan University, LA2M (Lunch Ann Arbor Marketing), Kettering University, TechTown Detroit, Ann Arbor SPARK, and the Positive Tech Conference at the University of Michigan. She also developed the “Failure Happens” workshop (sponsored by the Women’s Exchange of Washtenaw), and is an Ignite talks alum with “The Uprising Behind the Robot Store”.
For more information about the event, please visit http://www.meetup.com/eCommerce-Ann-Arbor/events/225614054/.
About Logic Solutions
Logic Solutions is an international, privately held development firm headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan. With a team of 200 experts in six offices worldwide, Logic provides eCommerce solutions, custom software, websites, and mobile application development. Visit www.logicsolutions.com for more information.


text:
2 posts • joined Thursday 25th March 2010 14:26 GMT
The lack of time sync on wakeup from standby is an issue on a few hardware and OS combinations - the Win32Time service was tardy at getting time back in sync, so the next release of NightWatchman will address this by forcing a time sync as soon as the machine wakes up.
The proof of the pudding....
It is entirely possible to not only measure the energy consumption of hundreds of thousands of desktop and laptop computers through a single server, but also to control the power management of them to minimise energy wastage without affecting the end user or impacting IT’s ability to patch them out of hours.
1E’s NightWatchman product is doing exactly this for over 1,100 organizations both large and small, and is now in use on over 4 million PCs worldwide.
For example Ford recently implemented NightWatchman and are expecting to make savings of $1.2 million per year as a result.
- Apple's spamtastic iBeacon retail alerts launch with Frisco FAIL
- Submerged Navy submarine successfully launches drone from missile tubes
- Pix Astroboffins spot HOT, YOUNG GIANT where she doesn't belong
- Cache in the Attic El Reg's contraptions confessional no.2: Tablet PC, CRT screen and more
- Developer unleashes bowel-shaking KILLER APP for Google Glass


text:
PS4’s media player has been updated to version 3.0 and adds 4K video playback support for PS4 Pro owners.
You may have heard in our last podcast episode that Billings Farm and Museum challenged Nintendo to a milkoff to which Nintendo accepted. If you ask me, the whole ordeal is weird and also brilliant at the same time. I’ve embedded the video at the bottom of this post.
Psyonix said they’re evaluating bring Rocket League to the Switch if the community demand is high enough. I know I’d play it!
Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove and Specter of Torment both received updates to version 3.0A for Switch adding a bunch of fixes and new features, most notably 1080p support in docked mode.
If you still own a DSi and access the DSi Shop you have until March 31 (uhhh, that’s today) to purchase anything new. Nintendo is closing the shop for good, however, DSi owners will still be able to download all purchased content without issue.
Battlefry and Nintendo of America have teamed up to create the US Inkling Tournament, allowing residents in the United States 18 and older to compete to win a trip for four to this year’s E3. Signups are here. The tournament will be online via Splatoon on Wii U across the game’s different modes.
Breath of the Wild received an update pushing it to version 1.1.1 which, according to Nintendo, will “make for a more pleasant gameplay experience”. Early reports as well as a video comparison embedded at the bottom of this post show drastic improvements to frame rate in congested areas such as Korok Forest and The Great Plateau.
Microsoft has rolled out the latest Xbox One update which adds a bunch of new features such as streaming gameplay from the Xbox via Beam. There is also a snappier Home Screen and Guide along with new multitasking and other features.
EA and DICE announced Star Wars Battlefront II this week. The company said the first trailer will debut during a panel at the Star Wars Celebration 2017 starting at 2:30 pm Saturday, April 15.
Disney announced Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck-It-Ralph 2, the sequel to the hit video game based animated movie from 2012. It’s slated to hit theaters March 9, 2018.
If you’re playing Watch Dogs 2 then you’re in for a bunch of free DLC, most of which was originally destined for season pass holders. Players are set to receive three new PvP modes, a paintball rifle, armored loot trucks to hunt down, more outfits, and support for activities like motocross, eKart, and drone races.
Blizzard has announced they’ll be creating high-end collectibles of their characters from their stable of IP rather than solely licensing to third parties like years past under their new Blizzard Collectibles line. The initial offering includes badass renditions of Widowmaker, Reaper, and Tracer for $150 as well as Illidan and Grommash statues for $350. Fans of Hearthstone can buy a keepsake box for $225.
Bungie released the first teaser trailer for Destiny 2 which you can watch see embedded below. Personally, I really like the overall tone and hope Bungie’s sequel makes me care about the characters, and this seems like a good first step.
Official set photos have been released of actress Alicia Vikander (Ex Machina) as Lara Croft in the upcoming Tomb Raider movie, and I think she looks great!
If you’ve been wanting to dip your toes into FF XIV because maybe you don’t want to take a long road trip, I have good news. Square Enix has lifted the 14 day trial in favor of all content being free up until level 35. So download and have at it!
Warner Bros. announced a VR exclusive partnership with HTC Vive for all VR related content starting with Steven Speilberg’s adaptation of Ready Player One.
Bethesda is taking signups for the Quake Championships beta which is set to kick off April 6.
Bungie dropped the first cinematic trailer for Destiny 2 this week. Those who preorder before the game launches on September 8 will gain access to the beta when it’s announced.
Palmer Luckey is parting ways with both Facebook and Facebook owned Oculus this week. Palmer was once the face of VR until a recent political firestorm turned him into a recluse.
Twitch has updated their service to add support for 1080p at 60fps.


text:
Meizu 16s confirmed to launch on April 23
Chinese smartphone maker Meizu is about to release its 2019 flagship as the multitude of teasers and leaks for Meizu 16s showed. And now we have a date to circle on our calendars as the company officially confirmed the launch date - April 23.
The Meizu 16s packs a 6.2-inch FHD+ Super AMOLED display with narrow bezels and in-display fingerprint scanner. The front camera bears a 20MP sensor while on the back features a 48MP main Sony sensor combined with another 20MP secondary module. The Snapdragon 855 is paired with 8GB RAM and comes with 128GB storage.
Benchmark scores reveal performance as great as you'd expect from a flagship Android phone these days. Software wise we’re looking at Flyme OS 7.3 built on top of Android Pie. The battery is 3,540 mAh and can be topped up via the included 24W fast charger.
The phone will come in White, Black, and Gradient Blue colors. Retail pricing is rumored to be about CNY3,400 which translates to $505/€450.


text:
Konnected had the pleasure of attending the 2018 Cummins Channel Partner Conference in Lagos, Nigeria. The two-day conference covered a variety of topics from new products, updated online tools and previews of new technologies to come.
The event culminated with an awards ceremony in which Konnected was awarded the top prize for “Power Generation Best Channel Partner for 2017 for sales and service”.
Konnected is extremely proud to have received this award and is a testement to our hard work during 2017 and we look forward to doing even better for 2018. Thank you to everyone at Cummins CWAL and CWARO.
Cummins Power Generation Channel
Partner of the Year 2017
We recognise and thank you for your valued business and top performance in sales, as well as excellence in operations and customers support


text:
Data Privacy Week is from Jan 21st 2024 to Jan 24th 2024. Data privacy is very important in today's increasing digitisation in everyday work. IT businesses have to face severe challenges daily for protecting their sensitive data. Service providers have to manage the data of their clients which are large, complex and varied.
On this occasion, some IT professionals have given their comments.
Shuja Mirza, Director, Solutions Engineering, NetApp India says, "In today's data-driven business environment, the extensive dependence on data, along with its versatile and valuable applications, makes it an attractive target for cybercriminals.
In an era where adoption of advanced technologies like AI is on the rise, enterprises are grappling with concerns surrounding massive data collection, privacy, and security. Businesses, now more than ever, need to deploy data privacy tools to navigate these challenges effectively. And hence, data privacy is a crucial aspect for us when it comes to processes and product offerings – that is, both internally and externally.
The need of the hour is a comprehensive and preventive approach to data privacy and data protection, including solutions that have built-in features that protect and secure primary data. All through data storage and management strategies, data privacy must be non-negotiable."
Ibrahim Khatri, CEO and Co Founder, Privezi AI says, "In an era dominated by digital advancements, safeguarding data privacy stands as a critical imperative. As World Data Privacy Day draws attention to this paramount issue, it's essential to focus on international data protection laws.
The global landscape has been shaped significantly by regulations like the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the United States’ California Consumer Privacy Act (CPRA). India's DPDPA which was passed on August 11th also aims of granting individuals greater control over their personal data.
The proposed DPDPA affords individuals the right to access and rectify their data, while mandating explicit consent for data processing. Responsibility for safeguarding personal data falls upon data fiduciaries, echoing the principles established in the GDPR and CPRA.
However, India's distinct challenges, including its vast population and digital disparities, demand tailored solutions. The DPDPA represents a significant stride towards bolstering data protection in India, striking a balance between individual rights and technological progress.
On World Data Privacy Day, it's crucial to recognize the evolving landscape of international data protection laws, underscoring the imperative of safeguarding personal data in our increasingly interconnected world. As India navigates its path towards enhanced data protection, aligning the DPDPA with global benchmarks for ensuring seamless cross-border data processing as businesses expand their horizons."
Rajesh Thadhani, VP, Digital Transformation & Services at Crayon Software Experts India says, “In two more years, we will reach two decades since the ‘Data Protection Week’ campaign was launched. We have come a long way since 2006 when awareness about data among the public and the government was still foundational. While the regulations brought in European nations under GDPR have set precedence among other nations to set up a strong constitutional bill, India is close to passing the Digital Personal Data Protection Act (DPDPA) which will help in data privacy and protection. This year’s theme of data privacy week – Take Control of Your Data- supports India’s initiative and the increasing awareness among people on controlling their data protection narrative. This theme is a spotlight on the efforts made by organizations, government and the public to ensure that data is not misused. The government, BFSI and the healthcare sector must communicate and educate the public/customers about the necessity of protecting the data and showcasing how they are working towards protecting the data they have collected. While we acknowledge that data will be the driving force for global growth irrespective of sector, it is only ethical to work towards avoiding long-lasting damages to the community by data theft and misuse. It is time we invest as much in data protection as we are investing in data utilisation.”
Gaurav Ranade, CTO at RAH Infotech says, "In this era of interconnectivity, our data stands as a valuable asset and asserting control over it becomes an empowering act. Data Privacy Week encourages us to reassess our digital habits, fortify privacy settings, and champion a culture of transparency. By taking charge of our data, we not only reclaim authority over our online narrative but also contribute to shaping a digital world where privacy is a fundamental right rather than a luxury. The impending Digital Personal Data Protection Act, set to be introduced by the Indian government, serves as evidence that data privacy and protection are no longer mere topics of discussion but essential verticals demanding focused attention and robust technological solutions.”
The above comments show that data professionals and IT business leaders are concerned about the data privacy and expect the government to take decisive steps to ensure data protection. The data privacy acts play an important role in it.


text:
Google believes open hardware innovation could help it find industries and markets for its software and services.
Stories Tagged "motorola"
Developers and designers are now building apps for Google’s smart watch platform.
It may have finally found the missing piece it needs to move beyond relying solely on advertising.
Swapping software can give one GSM phone the power to prevent incoming calls and text messages from reaching other phones nearby.
Moto X strengthens the hand of apps and technologies that emphasize listening to everything, all the time.
Several days with the Moto X reveal some ingenious new features and a few shortcomings.
The Moto X lowers the emphasis on manual control in favor of always-on sensors built to respond to speech, gestures, and context.
Improved battery life and durability could be big selling points for new phones from Motorola.
Companies are scrambling to develop products and operating systems for the developing world, but any old phone will do.
My Android phone just went splat. Google's CEO says its Motorola division is working on that.


text:
We all know Amazon has an army of coders working away in offices behind that reflective glass around its Seattle headquarters, but now it turns out there’s a new job description in town: a full-time horticulturalist.
Amazon’s vice president in charge of the company’s massive consumer business, Jeff Wilke, revealed the position while speaking at the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce annual meeting on Monday.
He was talking about the company’s highly anticipated biodomes, which are set to open in 2017. The structures will be a centerpiece of the company’s massive headquarters expansion at the northern edge of downtown Seattle.
Not only will the spheres look impressive from the outside, Wilke said they will house more than 300 plants from 30 different countries inside.
“I never could have imagined when I joined the company in 1999 that we would employ a full time horticulturalist to oversee the diverse plant life that we will have in the spheres,” Wilke said. “It will be a place where new possibilities are explored and ideas are formed.”
The structures are part of a broader vision by the company to build a top-tier urban campus that is more welcoming to the public and blends into the city. The biodomes will be a focal point of the expansion, surrounded by the company’s many office towers.
We’ve reached out to Amazon for more information about its new horticulturalist, but haven’t heard back yet. We will update this post if the company offers more details.


text:
Wokingham chartered accountant Titcheners is warning small businesses to ensure that their processes for invoicing and collecting payment from debtors are not exposing them to undue risk.
According to the firm’s new credit control division, based in Denmark Street, the blame for customers’ late payments can often be traced back to a gap in the invoicing process.
A recent survey by the Asset Based Finance Service revealed that 50 per cent of SMEs find it difficult to get paid within their agreed terms, which has a major impact on their cash flow.
“Small and medium-sized businesses are in a difficult position,” said Roy Ashton, director at Titcheners. “At a time when talk of the credit crunch and speculation over the possibility of a global recession is rife, SMEs need to examine the processes that they follow to ensure that they are not partly responsible for delay in payments.”
Mr Ashton believes that, far from limiting credit control to the chasing of payments, the process needs to begin before a business has even committed to delivering its products or services to a customer.
“The first step towards streamlining credit control is vetting potential customers before you start working for them,” he said. “The information is available for businesses to make an informed decision about whether working with certain customers is going to be economically viable, and this needs to be the first step towards improving credit control.”
Titcheners’ new credit division offers SMEs access to a team of highly experienced credit controllers who can offer guidance and consultancy services.
For more information on the credit service, visit www.titcheners.co.uk.


text:
Copyright: huaxin equipment manufacturing group co. LTD
Warmly celebrate the success of the first China changchun manufacturing expo
On April 17, 2008, the first China changchun manufacturing expo opened at changchun international exhibition center. More than 360 enterprises from home and abroad have gathered in changchun to show their main products. The national patent products exhibited in the exhibition of our company have been brought to the attention of the industry.
National steel industry development policy


text:
SHANGHAI — Dolce & Gabbana is the latest designer brand eager to ride the business boom in this city on the banks of the Yangtze.
The Italian fashion house has opened its third store in mainland China, on the Bund here. The store was opened officially last month with a gala party, including a creative hip-hop reinterpretation of the traditional Chinese lion dance.
This story first appeared in the October 6, 2006 issue of WWD. Subscribe Today.
“The Bund is an extremely interesting area, in terms of shopping: so many nice bars, shops and restaurants are already there, and the architectural beauty of the street will for sure attract more and more tourists,” enthused Dolce & Gabbana chief operating officer Cristiana Ruella.
Shanghai’s waterfront is growing in popularity as the city’s most prestigious address for luxury brands, but many question its viability as a high-end commercial destination given that its foot traffic is dominated by low-income Chinese tourists.
In Ruella admitted success on the Bund might take time, adding “it may depend also on the project which the City of Shanghai is studying for the Bund — turn it into a pedestrian zone, move the bus stop, etc.”
However, she added, “In our opinion, in Shanghai nothing is already so ‘mature’ in terms of fashion and luxury items, so everything is still very fluid and with a great potential. And the Bund has for sure the best potential to become the shopping area for luxury items in Shanghai.”
The new shop occupies the ground floor of a three-story, Gothic-style edifice. Along with 8,000 square feet of retail space and 2,150 square feet of storage and office space, it includes a 915-square-foot Dolce & Gabbana Martini Bar. The traditional “Shanghai plaster” exterior was painted bright yellow during renovation, but then local preservation laws required the company to repaint it back to a more subdued gray.
The interior, designed by Ferruccio Laviani, is bisected into symmetrical sections for men’s and women’s wear, outfitted with Dolce & Gabbana’s signature black glass and purple chandeliers. The martini bar is situated at the back of the space, behind a winding staircase leading up to independently owned Japanese and Italian restaurants just opened on the second and third floors.
The store here is Dolce & Gabbana’s second mainland opening this year, following a Beijing reopening in June, giving the company a total of three shops. The brand will open a second Hong Kong location this month in Kowloon, along with a regional office and showroom, said international public relations director Carla Buzzi, adding business has been strong in the Special Administrative Region.
“Hong Kong has a different approach to fashion. The merchandise is the basics, the same as everywhere, but the age is younger than in the U.S. and Europe, like aged 20 to 40,” she explained. In China, “we are babies compared to the other designers, but the growth has been immediate.”
Added Ruella, “China is a great opportunity, a big market….It is the right time to come directly to China, in my opinion. With the number of people here, business of course will be big. We are a lucky company because we did not come many years ago. These years the companies here lost a lot of money, because only now is the market here more ready for luxury.”
The firm expects to see a return on its China investment within three years. There are still no plans to launch its secondary line, D&G, in China, however.
“Especially for a new market, customers need to first understand what is Dolce & Gabbana, and later, once that is established, we can introduce D&G,” Ruella explained. “It takes three or four seasons, then there’s the opportunity for D&G. Approaching a new market, we start at a higher level.”
Ruella added the brand plans to open stores in Guangzhou and Shenzhen by 2008. “The group’s expansion strategy for China is based on steady and balanced growth. For the Dolce & Gabbana brand, the group focuses on remaining super prestigious and high quality while expanding into the market, with special attention paid to the timing, location, service and management of stores,” she detailed. “Maintaining exclusivity and a complete focus on directly controlled retail operations are integral parts of the group’s expansion strategy.”
“It’s still a little premature to give figures about the performance of the Beijing and Shanghai stores,” Ruella said, but the company has begun to see some distinctions between its northern and two eastern Chinese locations. “What we know for sure is that the first weeks have been extremely rewarding in terms of sales: both the Beijing and the Shanghai shops have been reaching the foreseen budgets….We’re now working on the relation-building with the clients, who are extremely fond of the brand.
“In Hangzhou,” the prosperous Zhejiang Province capital where Dolce & Gabbana first opened in April 2004, “we have already arrived [at] a more ‘ordinary’ situation: The local clients are increasing, the sales are going well and we already have a very good database of clients who don’t come from Shanghai, but from other cities nearby Hangzhou,” said Ruella. “The men’s ready-to-wear, in particular, sells extremely well. With regards to Beijing and Shanghai, the clients are somehow different. In Beijing, they are maybe a little more conservative; in Shanghai, they prize the most stylish and eye-catching pieces of the collections.”


text:
United Kingdom: Consumer confidence inches down in October
October 31, 2013
The GfK NOP consumer confidence index inched down from minus 10 points in September to minus 11 points in October. The reading undershot market expectations of an improvement to minus 8 points.
The slight deterioration came mainly as a result of consumers' less optimistic views regarding both their personal finances and the state of overall economy in the next 12 months. Consumers' assessment of the general economy over the past 12 months was unchanged from last month. Conversely, household sentiment regarding the ability to make major purchases improved over September, reaching the highest level in nearly three years.
FocusEconomics Consensus Forecast panelists expect private consumption to expand 1.7% in 2013, which is up 0.1 percentage points over last month's estimate. For 2014, the panel sees private consumption expanding 1.9%, which is up 0.2 percentage points from last month's estimate.
Author: Dirina Mançellari, Senior Economist


text:
Conversational AI designed for ecommerce
Here at Heyday, we believe that helping is the new selling.
With our AI chat platform, merchants can get customers what they need faster, making more sales, lowering support queues, and reducing their operational costs—but most importantly, making their online shopping experience feel more personal with real-time, engaging one-on-one conversations at scale.
Iconic retail brands like Decathlon, Simons, Garage Clothing, Dynamite, and DAVIDsTEA are already using Heyday’s unique blend of automation and smart conversation routing to streamline their customer experience.
And today, we're excited to bring Heyday Sales and Support Chat to the Shopify App Store. Now, brands of all sizes use our enterprise-level AI chat capabilities—from solopreneurs to fast-growing ecommerce stores and retailers.
"Customers expect to talk to a brand instantly today. Heyday brings automation and AI into the mix for solopreneurs so they can provide immediate, relevant responses to customers 24-7,” says Ellen Dunne, Senior Product Lead at Shopify.
“This next generation of chat helps small merchants level-up their sales game, increase conversions, and improve customer service in a cost-effective way.”
Our AI chatbot helps merchants automate their first line of conversations and route the more complex conversations to their sales or support teams. By automating repetitive tasks like answering FAQs (think order tracking, store hours, or your shipping and returns policy), merchants and their teams can focus on helping the customers who really need it—where an automated response just won’t cut it.
"This next generation of chat helps small merchants level-up their sales game, increase conversions, and improve customer service in a cost-effective way."
The value that our app brings to both merchants and consumers is one of the reasons why Shopify touted Heyday as one of the top apps merchants should use this BFCM by Shopify.
“Working in tandem with a fellow Canadian company to provide greater access to advanced AI chat capabilities for merchants everywhere is ideal for Shopify,” says Marie-Claude Léveillé, Sr. Technology Partner Manager at Shopify. “We have the same ethos when it comes to providing tools and solutions to help retailers thrive and grow, from solopreneurs to enterprise-level brands."
Since its soft launch earlier this year, Heyday has been installed by over 1,000 Shopify merchants and has seen its fair share of success stories.
Canadian Shopify Plus store, Popeye’s Supplements, saw significant results from implementing Heyday’s Shopify App features, including AI Product Search for product discovery, and FAQ Automation for customer support needs. “Thanks to Heyday, we’ve saved at least 50% in customer service costs, and my team can focus on high-value projects and customers,” says Philippe-Antoine Defoy, GM and owner at Popeye’s Supplements Quebec.
Merci Handy, a French-owned cosmetics retailer that also runs on Shopify, turned to Heyday to help support the surge in website traffic following COVID-19. “The pandemic caused an explosion in demand for our products,” says Charles Thélu, Merci Handy’s Head of Digital. “We were working tirelessly just to get through inventory challenges and serve the higher volumes of customers visiting our digital storefront.”
With that spike in demand came a flood of customer service inquiries. To deal with the volume while still offering stellar service, Charles turned to Heyday.
“We set up FAQ Automation in a way that integrates questions about our products, too,” says Thélu. “We knew we had a lot of new customers coming to the site, and wanted our service to leave a lasting impression.”
By automating responses to repetitive questions, Charles assured that his customers could get immediate service without straining his Customer Support team.
“Thanks to Heyday, we’ve saved at least 50% in customer service costs, and my team can focus on high-value projects and customers.”
Exceptional customer experiences sell
At Heyday, our goal is to provide merchants around the world with a powerful AI platform that’s easy to use and helps them give personalized, real-time service to every person that visits their website.
Today, we’re one step closer to making that a reality.
Retailers of all sizes can now use AI-powered chat to improve their digital customer experience and make more sales this holiday season.
Turn browsers into buyers, 24/7
Engage, capture and convert more online traffic into sales with AI-powered sales chat. Sell more in each conversation with personalized product carousels for everyone that visits your website.
Free yourself from answering FAQs
Automate incoming support questions with AI-powered FAQ automation and support chat. Shorten support queues, while giving customers real-time responses to questions like order tracking, your store hours, shipping and return policy, and more.
Manage all conversations from the same place
Track every conversation in real-time - whether it’s via your online store’s chat widget, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp or Google Business Messages, and email - from an intuitive dashboard.
To learn more about our app’s features, download it, and try it for yourself, visit Shopify’s App Store today.
If you’re a retailer with multiple brick-and-mortar locations, we encourage you to reach out to our team of experts to learn more about our enterprise-level features.


text:
Consumer prices remained flat between January and February, according to Friday (March 24) data from Statistics Canada.
Inflation registered at 2.3% last month on the West Coast, above the national rate of 2%. In January, inflation came in at 2.1% nationwide.
The biggest price shock came at the pumps, where consumer prices were up 23.1% in February compared with a year earlier.
Last year, world markets were still reeling from the oil shock that more than halved the price of oil.
“Once again energy was the main source of price pressures,” James Marple, a senior economist at TD Economics, wrote in a note to investors.
“Partially offsetting higher energy prices, food prices continue to decline.”
The price of fresh vegetables fell 14% year over year, while fresh fruit prices fell 13.3%.
Overall, food prices in Canada declined 2.3% in February compared with a year earlier.


text:
So Toyota's expected earnings are being decimated by the Thailand floods that knocked out parts suppliers. A sky-high exchange rate of the yen is causing havoc. And the automaker is still feeling residual effects of March's Japanese earthquake and tsunami.
But Toyota seems to know where to find good news. It's putting all its marbles on the success of the new 2012 Camry, writes Alan Ohnsman of Bloomberg News.
"There's a lot of pressure on that car," Maryann Keller, an auto analyst, tells Bloomberg. "It's been reviewed as being competitive within the midsize sedan segment, but not that much better or worse than competitors. Right now, the perceived design leader is Hyundai's Sonata, and Kia's Optima is also doing well."
Despite all of its other problems, Toyota is dead set on trying to keep the new version of the famous family car as its best-selling auto in the U.S., a spot it has held for 13 of the past 14 years.
But it won't be a cakewalk. Hyundai is going after Camry with the Sonata, Kia has a new Optima and Ford is likely to update the Fusion. All are key Camry competitors. So far, though, Camry has the clear sales edge: U.S. drivers bought 23,440 Camrys in November, 15,668 Sonatas and 9,533 Optimas.
Chris Woodyard is an auto writer for USA TODAY who covers all aspects of motoring. He revels in the exhaust note of a Maserati and the sharp creases of a Cadillac CTS. Chris strives to live a Porsche life on a Scion budget. More about Chris


text:
Brand new Cincinnati chili parlor coming to OTR in old Sartre spot
Considering how popular Cincinnati chili is in its hometown, it's a little surprising to realize that no one's opened a new chili parlor in a long time ... and that the formula has never been re-imagined by an up-to-date chef.
Well, that's about to happen. OTR Chili is planned to open in March in the former Sartre space in the Rhinegeist Brewery building. March 19 is the target date.
Jim Cornwell, who owned Sartre, has devised a new kind of Cincinnati chili restaurant. The restaurant will have the usual ways and coneys, along with a menu of snacks and other meals. There will be sandwiches, wings, salads, a cheese ball and pigs in a blanket made with a locally made cheese mett. "It will be fun and accessible," said Cornwell. "I love Cincinnati chili parlors, and there isn't one in OTR at all."
But Cornwell is taking what you might call an artisanal approach to the chili. They will be using all local beef from Ohio Valley Co-op. They'll grind it themselves in-house. The beef will be seared, not just boiled, blended and thick. Cornwell promises a bold and fresh spicing of the chili. He is looking forward to working with his chefs on specials that might work for variations on chili, like making it with lamb.
They're working on a price point. Cornwell hopes to be able to offer a 5-way for under $10.
Cornwell was also one of the owners of recently closed Dutch's in Oakley. He has worked as a chef at Maisonette and Boca.
In a definite improvement on many chili parlors, they'll offer wine, beer and cocktails. And there will be homemade pie: apple, lemon meringue and peanut butter from pastry chef Claire Koontz, and thick milkshakes and floats.
They are not completely changing the elegant decor of Sartre, said Cornwell, but they're downscaling it a bit, and adding a few pool tables and TVs.
A limited menu will be available upstairs in the Rhinegeist taproom.
OTR Chili, which will seat 65, will be open daily for dinner when it opens and will expand hours in the future.


text:
Sohu’s latest Form 8-K filing with SEC showed the portal site will buy back 24 million Series A preferred share of its wholly-owned subsidiary Sogou from Alibaba. The deal approximately equals to 10.88% of the outstanding share capital of Sogou at a purchase price of $ 25.8M.
A quick review from the beginning: In August, 2010, Sohu announced to spin off its search subsidiary Sogou as an independent operation, CTO Wang Xiaochuan took office. Two months later, Alibaba Investment Limited invested $ 15 million in exchange for 10% of Sogou’s shares.
Sohu’s earning reports of Q1, 2012 showed that Sogou pulled in $ 23 million in revenue, which increased by 184% year over year.
Currently, the search engine company has more than 1300 staff.
Here is an internal mail from the CEO, Wang Xiaochuan.
Dear Sogou fellows,
Sougou started operating as an independent company since October 2010, when we received investment from Alibaba and Yufeng Fund. In the following 20 months, with the help and efforts of every Sogouer, we have together achieved some exciting results:
Firstly, We have increased our search market share by over twice, replacing Google as the second biggest Chinese search engine in October 2011.
The revenue rose by 8 times, and we started to profit in Q3 and Q4 of 2011. Meanwhile, our team is also growing, the staff number has risen by 3 times and surpassed 1000 in Q1 last year, which ensures a greater strategy forehead.
In the second half of the year, we will upgrade the Sogou Pinyin Input Method, Sogou Browser, and the search engine and soon will launch some new PC and wireless products.
Considering our constant upgrading strategy, we are not so sure if Alibaba could keep on supporting us strongly on strategic level. With negotiation, we decided that Sohu would purchase back shares of Sogou while continue the cooperation with Yunfeng fund to further our development.
On behalf of the Sogou team, I would love to express our gratitude to the help Alibaba group has been giving us all along. I am also looking forward to Sogou’s future growth and breakthroughs in this inspiring Chinese Internet industry.
CEO of Sogou
July 2nd 2012