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Peter Stokes, operations manager at Micro Plus Computers, talks to PCR about how services have benefitted his company and the margins in the education market.
What spurred you to create your own business?
The company owner, Chris Innes, started Micro Plus back in 1991 after working for another IT company during a summer break from university. Rather than going back to university after the summer, he enjoyed it so much he decided to start his own business. Back then he was mainly selling home computers, software, accessories and just a few business systems, Amstrad word processors and early Sage software, that sort of thing.
I joined the company in 2006 from PC World with the specific brief to improve the company profile around business customers, especially around services.
Have you always had a services offering or did that come later?
Offering services started pretty early on for us – probably around the time that we started building our own PCs – offering workshop repairs for PCs and printers was a natural progression and, even back then, the margins were so much better on services than hardware.
“Offering workshop repairs for PCs and printers was a natural progression and, even back then, the margins were so much better on services than hardware.”
Peter Stokes, Micro Plus Computers
Are services essential for survival?
Absolutely! And especially managed services rather than traditional break- fix. Our workshops are very busy with traditional carry-in repairs and we have technicians out on the road responding to customers issues, but we are increasingly moving schools and businesses to monthly support contracts which work great for both sides – the regular recurring revenue for us and the budgeting and cost savings for the customers. We use some great tools that allow our support desk technicians to look after hundreds of users on a daily basis.
Over the past few years we have also extended the managed services idea to our domestic customers and we offer a number of monthly subscriptions which cover the customer’s home PCs/laptops for all repair work – either labour only or hardware and labour depending on their subscription – the cover also includes virus removal, malware removal, Windows re- installations and more, so the customer gets very comprehensive cover.
How did your business develop and grow to encompass two premises?
Our first premises were town centre shops so space was always an issue. We took on our first out-of-town unit as soon as we had more technicians than we had room for and I guess each move since has been for the same reason. For example, as soon as we started installing networks for businesses customers we just needed more physical space to set everything up before delivery – we’re now on our third out of town unit and it is already feeling too small – our next move is to get a mezzanine floor installed so we can expand upwards.
We have a close partnership with Samsung and we supply and maintain their whole range of printers under managed print contracts right up to the large A3 models and some of those take up a lot of space!
How does working with education differ from other areas of IT?
It’s very different; the end users often have a better idea of what they are looking for as I think schools share ideas better than businesses that compete with each other. Margins are obviously tighter in education but at least we have confidence that we will be paid on time.
We recently ran our own Technology Showcase where we invited over a hundred schools to come and see the latest educational solutions from the likes of Epson, Lenovo, Samsung and Microsoft. We found that schools were actually recommending products on the day to other schools and this has proved to be great success for us.
“Our growth into managed services will be the platform for future stability for the business.”
Peter Stokes, Micro Plus Computers
What do you consider the best part of your role at Micro Plus?
The company has changed dramatically over my time here and we have a much better mix of customer type now so that we are not reliant on one sector or another. It is the constant change that is exciting and this year the many changes in the industry around new Microsoft software, touchscreen and tablets generally means that this could be the most exciting year in a long time.
Our recent Expo has given us a much bigger profile over a larger geography and we now need to make this count. Our growth into managed services will be the platform for future stability for the business; this is such a massive area for us in 2013.


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SHOPKEEPERS and tobacco companies throughout the US face new restrictions on the sale and marketing of cigarettes to young people.
The rules, announced on 19 March, are the first to be introduced by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) since Congress gave the agency authority to regulate tobacco last year.
From 22 June, it will be a federal crime to sell cigarettes or smokeless tobacco to people under 18. Shopkeepers will have to ask for photo ID when selling the products. Most states already restrict the sale and marketing of tobacco, but the federal rules will bring uniformity, as well as tougher punishments.
Promotion of cigarettes to teenagers through advertising and package design will also be banned, as will the distribution of free cigarettes. Cigarettes will have to be sold in packs of at least 20, ...
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On October 3, 2017, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) announced a settlement of civil fraud claims brought under the False Claims Act against a garment wholesaler in Pennsylvania for ignorning repeated warning signs that its importer business partner was engaged in a scheme to underpay customs duties on imported garments from China sold to the wholesaler.
From the press release (full text here: https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/acting-manhattan-us-attorney-announces-settlement-civil-fraud-claims-against-garment)
U.S. Attorney Joon H. Kim said: “As this settlement makes evident, companies purchasing imported goods cannot turn a blind eye to fraud committed by their business partners. We will be vigilant in holding accountable all parties who engage in or contribute to fraudulent conduct.”
According to the press release, the wholesaler should have known that discounts of 75% or more for imported garments by the importer were highly suggestive of fraud. In addition to paying $1 million in damages, the wholesaler was also required to implement a written compliance policy to educate employees and identify red flags in fraud in import transactions.
This case is just the latest example of a US company being fined by Customs in this kind of transaction. Any US buyer in this situation should consult with experienced Customs attorneys to vet their transactions and evaluate their own compliance programs.


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For the past two weeks, China’s capital had been awash in rumors that it would use stern methods to stamp out rampant car growth. Most popular rumor: A one car policy. Only one per resident. There are 4.7 million cars in Beijing and 22 million people. That disparity did not allay the worries of motorized Beijingers. They want their two cars just like they want their two kids. A run on the showrooms ensued, dealers ran out of cars.
In numbers: The city of Beijing usually registers 1000 cars a day. Lately, that number had risen to 2000 a day. The rumors caused panic buying. During the week from Nov. 29 to Dec. 5, “Beijing had 21,000 new cars on the roads, translating to 3,000 more cars per day,” reports People’s Daily. To curb car growth caused by car growth curbing rumors, the city had to do something fast. And they did.
Today, readers of People’s Daily’s sister paper Global Times were greeted by the headline “Beijing declares war on cars.” On closer inspection, it is a war of words. Or not even a war. More like a finger wagging.
On Monday, the city posted a plan on its website to solicit public opinion on what to do with all those cars. This may sound odd to those who think of China as an authoritarian police state, but it is actually quite common here. Plans are open for discussion, and depending on where the discussion leads, plans are changed or shelved totally. There is no voting. But the government keeps a constant finger on the pulse of public opinion, unlike others that only read polls before voting time.
The new plan is a mix of everything. From expanding public transportation to higher parking fees, from new underground tunnels to a call to work from home. Conspicuously amiss: The much expected curb on car purchases.
Even the Wall Street Journal had expected (hoped for?) harsher measures. The WSJ complains that “Monday’s document left vague many details,” and that no-one at the Beijing Municipal Commission of Transport would return their calls.
Actually, the most radical part of the plan is a proposed limitation on the purchase of new government cars for the next five years. The capital has around 700,000 government vehicles, nearly 15 percent of the city’s car ownership. Auto analyst Jia Xinguang tells China Daily that “Government cars are far more frequently used than private cars, often for personal use.” Really? Controlling the number of government cars is welcome but it is more effective to limit their use, Jia suggests.
What is the authoritarian state coming to? The people get higher parking fees, but the officials get no new cars? Expect that one not to survive the discussion stage.
Beijingers hate traffic jams. Beijingers love their cars. And the city knows that.
With all the discussion on curbing car growth in China, there is one item that many forget. Cars are considered a strategic industry in China. Nearly all major car companies are state owned. There is rarely a province that does not have (or want) its very own car producer. Beijing owns BAIC, Shanghai owns SAIC, FAW and Dongfeng are owned by the central government. Despite all the green talk, the Chinese government is just as concerned with higher car sales as other car company owning governments.


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With the sudden seizure of power given in the hands of the Taliban, Afghanistan has been facing intense turmoil from the country’s economic and financial standing with many citizens looking for a way out via cryptocurrencies.
Many NGOs have materialized that accept donations in Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies such as “Code to Inspire”, an organization operating in Afghanistan that accepts donations in digital currencies via the donation platform ‘Giving Block’.
The NGO runs a coding school to support the women of Afghanistan where they are taught the basics of cryptocurrencies and blockchain programming such as game design, web design, full-stack programming, smart contract construction, and Ethereum (ETH) programming language Solidity for free.
‘Code to Inspire’ accept donations in various cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, Bitcoin Cash, DAI, Dogecoin, and several others
Donation platform ‘Giving Block’ donates to several other Afghanistan organizations in healthcare, child, and refugee relief.
In another initiative, Jack Butcher, founder of consulting firm Visualize Value, launched an NFT fund to offer care packages to Afghan families. The NFTs were designed in a way that each NFT would support one Afghan family for a month.
According to reports by media giant CNBC, interest in cryptocurrencies has reached a record high in Afghanistan after many banks reportedly shut down due to the lack of fiat currencies, with daily inflation and the plummeting value of fiat currencies adding fuel to the fire.
Researcher firm DataReportal.com reported that Afghanistan saw an increase of 22% in social media users this year and about 69% of the population have access to mobile phones. Therefore, the potential of cryptocurrencies’ usage might increase in the future.


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Amazon holds a stake in various markets, but its Amazon Care platform is making its way into the healthcare sector.
What is Amazon Care?
Amazon Care is a solution intended to ease the burden on healthcare providers via its platform for digital consulting. The application matches patients with a unique clinical team to meet their healthcare needs. Using the app enables patients daily access to clinicians through its chat function and video consultations.
The app also simplifies the consultation process with the click of a button, allowing users to provide initial information about their condition, order repeat prescriptions, or book in for regular vaccinations.
Who will benefit from Amazon Care?
While the Amazon Care solution will allow clients to access tailored healthcare much faster, it will also ease the burden on organisations and support the everlasting capacity issues. Likely provoked by the coronavirus pandemic, the solution will allow more opportunities for remote consultation, minimising the spread of viruses like COVID-19.
The app is not only accessible to healthcare organisations but to businesses in other sectors as well. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has signed an agreement with Amazon for the use of the new software as part of its corporate health plan—supporting roughly 141,000 employees. This works as a huge cost saving for the company as it alleviates the need for many in-person consultations that are funded by the business. Kristen Helton, Director of Amazon Care, told Reuters that it is ‘a great step forward for the business to show we can provide care nationwide to their team members’.
‘We will have clinicians in the loop for a period of time until we can actually trust that AI and those technology solutions are taking care of the patient in the way that is best’, Helton says.
The agreement with Hilton marks the second success adoption of Amazon Care, with its first client being Precor, a fitness equipment producer.
For more healthcare insights, check out the latest issue of Healthcare Magazine.


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Apple Inc.'s iPhone will prove to be a security nightmare to corporate IT when it debuts Friday. Or it may fuel a surge in mobile malware. Or it won't change the security landscape one whit. Take your pick, said security researchers and analysts today.
With details still unclear -- Apple has said next to nothing about iPhone security -- it's no wonder that the device's vulnerabilities are in the eye of the beholder, even if those beholders are professionals who make their living researching vulnerabilities and blocking exploits.
"It's a nightmare for security teams," said Andrew Storms, director of security operations at nCircle Network Security Inc. "What I'm afraid of is that enterprises are going to get pressure from, say, sales, to bring this in. And even if it's not approved, people will try to connect it to their corporate networks. It has no place in the enterprise."
Storm's problem with the iPhone stems from the lack of a security management tool that could enforce company policies about which devices connect to the network and when. "There are no central management tools. If there was a product that integrated with [Mac] OS X Server, it would be a totally different story," said Storms. "Apple has been quiet about enterprise security, so we have to expect and plan for the worst."
Neel Mehta, team lead for Internet Security Systems Inc.'s advanced research group, agreed -- up to a point.
"All the press around the iPhone makes it a very enticing target for hackers," said Mehta, who has forecast malware aimed at the new device will be developed in the near future. "The fact that it runs Mac OS X means that there is a good possibility that vulnerabilities found on the OS will also affect the iPhone. [Hackers] may be able to port the hacks they find on one to the other."
But Mehta also said he sees an upside to iPhone security. One likely boon: the omission of an software developer's kit for the phone. The decision to forgo an SDK and instead force application writers to deliver software and services through the embedded Safari browser may have disappointed developers, but it got a thumbs-up from Mehta.
"The lack of an SDK will limit the development of viruses and worms," he argued. "Without one, it's going to be very challenging [for anyone] to run any software on the iPhone."
And even if malware authors manage to overcome the difficulty, Mehta doesn't expect the iPhone's world to come crashing down -- at least not right away. "I think we'll begin to see attempted exploits, if they do appear, very quickly after the iPhone launch," he said. "It will probably be more attractive as a research target than an exploit target, because the market share just won't be comparable to other platforms for a long time to come."
David Goldsmith, one of the principals at security consultancy Matasano Security, and a co-founder of @stake Inc., downplayed potential iPhone security issues even more so than Mehta. There are much more important things to worry about, he said.
"If you are responsible for keeping data inside of your organization, for the love of everything that is holy, please don't spend too much time on the iPhone," Goldsmith said in a posting to the Matasano blog last week. "Allow us to remind you about all of the data breaches that are happening thanks to insecure wireless access points, tape backups disappearing, wrapping your newspapers in customers' personal financial information and stolen laptops."
Exactly, agreed Andrew Jaquith, an analyst with the Yankee Group Research Inc. Calling Storms' nightmare scenario "scare-mongering," Jaquith went on to say that "Andrew misses the broader point that consumer technologies are invading the enterprise. Instead of getting IT groups riled up over issues that frankly haven't been solved by any device, no matter how 'enterprise grade' it might be, he would be better served thinking about how to accommodate the iPhone."
Storms wouldn't go that far, but he did acknowledge that fighting the iPhone could be futile. "Enterprises have to get ahead of it," he said. "Remind users that it's not approved, but let people know that you're going to continue to look at it."
Mehta, more in line with Jaquith's advice, said a ban wouldn't work. "The iPhone poses the same risks as any other device connected to the network. It's going to be very hard to control [who uses it], so the best thing to do is take the defense-in-depth approach."
They're all just whistling in the dark for now, of course, and unless Apple spills more security details between now and Friday, that's the way it will remain for the week -- which is what drove Jaquith to the edge.
"Stating that, sight unseen, the iPhone has 'no place in the enterprise?' Give me a break."


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Tiger Global Management is purring all the way to the bank after Walmart Inc.’s Flipkart deal. The firm has made about $3 billion after investing $1 billion in Flipkart Group, according to a person familiar with the matter, who asked not to be named. Walmart will acquire a majority stake in India’s biggest online retailer, the companies said Wednesday. For Tiger Global, the return on investment, in dollar terms, is one of the largest for the firm’s $11 billion venture capital unit, the person said. The division, led by Lee Fixel, started backing Flipkart in 2009, with an initial $9 million investment. It ramped up its investment over several years to $1 billion, owning about 20 percent of Flipkart. Last year it sold part of its stake to SoftBank Group Corp. As part of the Walmart deal, Tiger Global sold about three-quarters of its position to the retailer. After the transaction is completed, Tiger Global will hold a five percent stake in Flipkart and Fixel will keep his seat on the company’s board, the person said. Walmart’s purchase of 77 percent of Flipkart values the online behemoth at $20.8 billion. A spokeswoman for Tiger Global, which also has a hedge… Read full this story
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Flipkart sale to Walmart: Tiger Global is said to reap $3 billion from deal have 289 words, post on www.financialexpress.com at May 10, 2018. This is cached page on VietMaz. If you want remove this page, please contact us.


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Shareholders in a small Brisbane-based digital health company have approved its $180 million acquisition by pharmaceutical giant Pfizer.
Around 83 per cent of shares were cast in favour of the acquisition during a virtual scheme meeting on Wednesday afternoon. A 75 per cent supermajority was needed.
While there's a few more conditions to satisfy including court approval, those should not be hurdles and the takeover is expected be implemented on September 23.
A spin-out based on research conducted at the University of Queensland, the 20-person company is developing smartphone apps to diagnose respiratory diseases.
Its ResAppDx smartphone app acts as sort of a remote stethoscope, with patients coughing into their phone's microphone for diagnosis by machine learning algorithm.
The app has been approved by regulators in Australia and Europe and is used by clinicians to diagnose respiratory diseases, pneumonia or asthma in telehealth sessions.
ResApp also makes SleepCheckRx, a prescription-only app for diagnosing sleep apnoea. It is working on an app to diagnose COVID-19 based on cough noises, although recent testing shows it needs more work.
Still, chief executive Tony Keating told AAP in July that Pfizer's interest was "huge validation" not just for ResApp's work, but of the Australian biotech and digital health space.
Pfizer will pay 20.8c per share, a 131.1 per cent premium to ResApp's closing price on April 8, when the potential of an acquisition was first announced.


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Ever since the launch of Warzone, the Call of Duty franchise has collaborated with a range of movie franchises to bring a range of exclusive cosmetics to its annual release and the battle royale. Ranging from Die Hard's John McClane to Ghostface from the Scream franchise, players have been running around Caldera and multiplayer as their favourite characters, much to their enjoyment.
Since Vanguard launched, various leaks and rumours surrounding a potential crossover with the Attack on Titan manga have been floating around. As a hugely successful franchise, it's no surprise to hear of a potential collaboration. Find absolutely everything you need to know about the Call of Duty and Attack on Titan crossover in our dedicated hub!
24 January 2022 - Armoured Titan Leak
Alongside the Survey Corps Operator Skin, players will be able to get their hands on another Attack on Titan skin in the not-too-distant future. A leaker known as Hydra has discovered an unreleased Armoured Titan skin within Vanguard's files, suggesting it could be appearing anytime soon.
11 January 2022 - Attack on Titan x Call of Duty Crossover Start Date
After the Call of Duty Twitter account confirmed a crossover will be taking place, the Season 1 Reloaded blog post confirmed that the crossover will take place on January 20th.
8 January 2022 - Call of Duty x Attack on Titan Cross over CONFIRMED!
Ahead of part two of the final season of Attack on Titan, the Call of Duty Twitter account has seemingly confirmed that the crossover is official and could be released in the not-too-distant future.
Call of Duty x Attack on Titan Crossover Release Date
An exact release date for the crossover has yet to be confirmed but it's widely believed that the bundle will take place on January 11th, coinciding with the start of Season 1 Reloaded. Once we hear official confirmation, we will update this article with the latest information.
Call of Duty Attack on Titan Crossover
Attack on Titan is a hugely successful manga and anime, with the manga selling over 100 million copies. Thanks to the success of its first season, the series has quickly become a global phenomenon, eventually leading to a collaboration with one of the biggest franchises in gaming.
While no official details have been revealed, a recent update has accidentally unveiled a bundle that includes a tracer pack and features Levi.
Attack on Titan COD Bundle Price
The price has yet to be revealed but if we look back at previous collaborations, it's likely players will have to spend 2400 COD Points in order to obtain the bundle. This is the standard price for premium bundles so it shouldn't be any higher than the price mentioned above.
Attack on Titan COD Bundle Content
While we know that an AoT bundle is on the way, details on what the bundle includes have yet to be uncovered. At a guess, we can expect the iconic ultrahard steel sword to make an appearance alongside a range of Operator Skins and themed cosmetic items. As soon as we find out exact information on the content included, we will update the article with the latest intel.
That's everything we know about the Attack on Titan bundle coming to Vanguard and Warzone! For more news and guides, check out the best Automaton Warzone loadout to use and the latest patch notes that have arrived for Vanguard.


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With both the private label and own brand sectors of the Turkish tissue market covered, Tül Kagit is set to make its mark
Nine months after the start-up of its 65,000tpy Metso Advantage DCT 200 tissue line at its Pamukova site, Tissue World caught up with its general manager Erkan Tirnavali.
“The next few years ..” is a phrase which is never far from the lips of Erkan Tirnavali, general manager of tissue producer Tül Kagit. Were he not so forthcoming with his assessment of the company’s and the country’s immediate and longer term prospects, it would serve as a handy summary of what lies ahead: a producer poised to grab a bigger chunk of the home and export market, an expanding economy, a greater cultural embrace of tissue, and tempting new regions awaiting urbanisation in the east of Turkey and beyond.
“There is lots of potential here in Turkey,” he says. “The tissue market is still growing steadily. But consumption isn’t currently matching supply, and so we’re experiencing some overcapacity. As a result, all investors here are looking to the future. In the next four to five years we’re expecting to see a 7% yearly increase in tissue demand, that’s an extra 30,000 tonnes per year. That’s what we’re preparing for.”
Tül Kagit is an operating company of parent Ak Gida (Ulker Group), a business that has a significant presence in the Turkish consumer goods market. Nine months ago, the business started up a 65,000tpy Advantage DCT 200 Metso-supplied tissue line, PM1, at its Pamukova mill in the Sakarya province. The tissue plant covers 140,000m2 and the new tissue line will produce 65,000 tonnes a year of highquality napkin, handkerchief, toilet and towel grades at a speed level of 1,600 m/ min to 2,000 m/min. There are now plans for PM2 over the course of the next few years. “Depending on market conditions, we expect PM2 will be up and running within a few years,” Tirnavali says. “All our big competitors already have second machines up and running, but they are struggling due to the tissue capacity already in the Turkish market. We believe that there will be a more level play field in a few years.”
The business produces products in three different categories: its own brand Komili Konfor of premium quality tissue, kitchen towel, hanky and napkin; private label brands Blume and Queen for BIM supermarket chain; and private label brands Yuka and Beyaz Guvercin for the ŞOK supermarket chain. In every segment, it is common to offer three quality products. However, for its own brand it only has the one premium quality. “This is very much a strategic decision,” he says. “One of our main focuses is that our own brand will get bigger in a few years,” he says. “But we will also continue to produce private label brands.” As for Away from Home (AfH), the business currently has no products in this sector, but Tirnavali says that in the next few years more demand is also expected here. “More Turkish tissue producers are certainly looking to go into this area,” he adds. Around 25% of the tissue market is currently AfH, made up mainly of two large players and a few small local players. “We will take part in this market, but only in the next few years. There is potential,” he adds. “But our aim for now is to grow our presence in the consumer and private label sector.”
With Ulker’s significant presence in the retail market, the business will also continue to take advantage of this area. Tirnavali adds: “We are very strong in this area. We are also seeing a big demand for tissue towels, they are used a lot in Turkey. However, consumers here don’t like printed tissue products. They are also particular on white paper products, so they prefer virgin paper rather than recycled paper products which have a low brightness quality to them. The collecting system for recycled paper here is also expensive, and this will take a long time to change.” The business also exports heavily, especially jumbo rolls which it exports more than it sells in local markets. As a result of overcapacity, Tirnavali says: “We are exporting jumbo rolls to some European countries and also to middleeastern countries. The European market has long been open to exports but it is stagnated now. The market in the east is always available, there is lots of potential there.”
Exports to Greece have slowed following the economic crisis there. “It’s a very risky situation. Greece could be a potential market for us,” he says. “The European market keeps going on but it’s a very bad selling price. Transportation cost is very expensive for jumbo rolls. China is also exporting a lot of products into Europe and the Middle East and that’s one of the main reasons why the prices are so competitive.” In the Turkish market, Tirnavali says that tissue producers are facing raw material price increases. “Natural gas is very expensive,” he says. “There is also a high energy cost. As for pulp costs, it’s the same as it is for the Europeans, it’s not a massive problem.”
While tissue consumption in many places is very good, there are also areas where people don’t use much toilet paper or tissue products. “This is changing very quickly,” Tirnavali says. “We expect to see the growth we’ve seen over the past few years continue. This is a big country and it has very good trade options, which we are taking advantage of. We’re looking into some areas of the Black Sea, for example, we have good access to many areas. So in the next few years, we may need to invest in a new machine. And then after that, of course, we want to grow even further.”


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By Andrea Chang, Los Angeles Times –
SAN FRANCISCO—The iPhone 5 is finally here.
After months of rampant rumors and hype, Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook debuted the company’s latest smartphone Wednesday in front of a packed house at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, claiming it is the world’s thinnest.
The iPhone 5 features a larger screen and weighs 112 grams, or about 4 ounces, which is 20 percent lighter than the iPhone 4S. It is also 18 percent thinner, Apple said. It has an improved A6 processor that is twice as fast as its predecessor, high-speed 4G LTE connectivity and a widescreen aspect ratio.
The launch of a new iPhone will mean huge sales for the Cupertino, Calif., tech giant.
Since the original iPhone debuted in 2007, Apple has sold more than 244 million units and has been credited with upending the smartphone industry.
Analysts estimate the iPhone has a gross margin of about 50 percent, making it an extremely profitable device for the world’s most valuable company. Nearly two-thirds of Apple’s profits come from the iPhone.
With sales of Apple’s iPhone 4S and earlier models dropping off in recent months, analysts believe there is huge pent-up demand for the iPhone 5. Many have predicted that Apple could sell up to 10 million iPhones in the first 10 days, and up to 50 million in the holiday quarter.


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St. Louis-based Ralcorp says “no” a fourth time to a proposed takeover by ConAgra. ConAgra’s latest offer was for $5.2 billion.
Ralcorp plans to go ahead with plans to spin off Post Foods as a standalone company. Ralcorp chairman Bill Stirits will become the chairman of the new company.
Post makes up about one-fourth of Ralcorp’s business.


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Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye
SIBU: Companies which send employees for training courses at National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (Niosh) are entitled to double tax deduction for the year of ass...
KUALA LUMPUR (June 22): Companies which send their employees to join several training courses at the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) are entitled to double tax deduction f...
KUALA LUMPUR: Companies which send their employees to join several training courses at the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (Niosh) are entitled to double tax deduction for the yea...
Twitter is removing the feature to tag a precise location – in terms of latitude and longitude – in tweets, due to lack of use.
We at AutoBuzz.my are
strong advocates for the use of child seats and are in full support of the Government’s
move of enforcing mandatory use of child seats by 2020.
KUALA LUMPUR: BMW Group Malaysia has teamed up with Childline Foundation to offer a child car seat subsidy programme.
KUALA LUMPUR (June 13): Construction services firm GDB Holdings Bhd said it is tendering for RM2.9 billion worth of projects comprising residential and commercial buildings in Klang Valley.
KUALA LUMPUR: GDB Holdings Bhd has tendered for RM2.9bil worth of residential and commercial building projects in the Klang Valley, its managing director Cheah Ham Cheia said.
KOTA KINABALU: A major tourism body has welcomed news that the Eastern Sabah Security Command (Esscom) could be restructured but warns that the tourism industry still expects better protection.
Lexus Malaysia has announced that the order books have opened for the 2019 Lexus NX, which updates the facelifted first-gen SUV for the current year.
KUALA LUMPUR (June 10): Icon Offshore Bhd has bagged a RM39 million contract to provide anchor handling tugs supply (AHTS) to Sarawak Shell Bhd/Sabah Shell Petroleum Co Ltd (Shell).
BMW Malaysia has partnered with Childline Foundation for the fifth edition of the BMW Safety 360° Programme to promote ‘From Day One’, a safety campaign that is aimed at educating the public on t...
Getting high speed fibre from Maxis will change the way you run your business.
NEW YORK: Equities and oil futures fell sharply on Tuesday, as investors worried U.S.-China negotiations were floundering and that an escalating trade war could damage global growth.
Michelin Malaysia’s annual road safety campaign, Michelin Safe on The Road (MSoR) is back.
KUALA LUMPUR: From May 3 till 29, 2019 at petrol stations and hypermarkets, Michelin Malaysia is providing free tyre checks in a Safe on The Road (MSOR) campaign.
Initially spotted yesterday by OtoDriver, Honda Indonesia has officially introduced the facelifted BR-V. Visually, the facelifted Honda BR-V receives a new blacked-out front grille with a lone chrome ...
Don’t you like it when new things pop up to inject the some vibrancy into the same cycle of motions?
Wing Aviation, a firm owned by Google parent Alphabet, became the first drone operator to be certified as an airline by US authorities, allowing it to begin commercial deliveries in the country.
The wild-and-wacky short videos of TikTok continue to gain popularity among kids, adults, and even celebrities.
AutoBuzz.my’s 2018 Compact Hatchback of the Year now comes with a new face and a refreshed interior and Proton has officially launched it along with the facelifted Persona.
LETTER | We refer to the Malaysiakini letter HR ministry needs to step up enforcement by privatising it.
Edaran Tan Chong Malaysia (ETCM) has finally announced the official pricing for the Nissan X-Trail facelift, and it is indeed the same set of figures we first saw at the 2019 Malaysia Autoshow.
The car that took centre stage at the 2019 Malaysia Auto Show, the all-new Toyota Yaris, has been officially launched by UMW Toyota Motor with three variants available.
KUALA LUMPUR: Balik kampung in style this Raya as Mitsubishi Motors Malaysia (MMM), the official distributor of Mitsubishi Motors vehicles in Malaysia, is offering attractive promotions for the upcom...
What changes will you be seeing after last week's round of social media platform updates? New ways to express yourself on LinkedIn, limited Twitter daily follows, and improved performance on Snapchat's Android app.
Twitter has announced via its Twitter Safety account that it is trying to hinder spam bots by lowering the daily follow limit from 1,000 to 400.
“EXPLOSIVE industrial growth means that China needs to become more efficient in generating and consuming power, all while reducing pollution,” said the opening video at the Honeywell Technology Ex...
The current generation Hyundai Elantra, codenamed AD, was introduced in Malaysia back in 2017.
The T32 Nissan X-Trail facelift range has finally made its public appearance here ahead of the launch next month, with all four variants being displayed at the Nissan showroom in Glenmarie earlier tod...
Malaysia (MMM) is giving you an opportunity to experience first hand the thrill
of high-speed rides with 2-time Dakar Rally Champion, Hiroshi Masuoka and Malaysian
Since the global introduction of the Mercedes-Benz GLC in 2016, the mid-sized premium SUV has propelled the sales charts of the three-pointed star brand.
KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Psychological Association (MPA) today suggested that any proposed amendment to the Occupational Safety and Health Act (Osha) 1994 should include a provision to provide a su...
KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 17 — The Malaysian Psychological Association (MPA) today suggested that any proposed amendment to the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) 1994 should include a provision to p...
With the advent of tech, the race to innovate within the tech spectrum is largely focused on coming up with the “new.” From smarter algorithms, to artificial intelligence (AI), and even to augment...
PETALING JAYA (Jan 21): The safety of construction worksites could soon be enhanced if proposed amendments to the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) 1994 come to fruition.
WASHINGTON, Jan 11 — US President Donald Trump yesterday cancelled a planned visit to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, later this month amid a shutdown of the federal government, sign...


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Thai Union Group has published its ninth annual Sustainability Report, providing an in-depth look at how the Company’s programs and initiatives are helping transform its operations and the global seafood industry.
The Tuna Commitment 2021 Progress Report looks back at what Thai Union achieved against its previous Tuna Commitment and also includes details of the Company's 2025 Tuna Commitment, with new goals to work towards over the next five years.
Thai Union's eighth Sustainability Report details the positive change the Company continues to drive across the global seafood industry despite the significant challenges presented by COVID-19.
Thai Union Group's seventh annual Sustainability Report provides an in-depth look at the Company’s ongoing progress towards creating a more sustainable and ethical global seafood industry.
The Thai Union & WWF Partnership Summary Report summarizes the progress they made during their European partnership from 2014-2018.
Thai Union Group’s sixth sustainability report has been made publicly available. The report, which was published in May 2019, outlines the company’s annual performance from January-December 2018 against key performance indicators and targets outlined in our sustainability strategy, SeaChange.
This report is a key part of Thai Union’s commitment to transparency in its operations and sustainability journey. According to a 2018 Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) survey, 72% of seafood consumers say they choose brands based on sustainability over price. There is therefore an increased need for seafood providers to be transparent in their operations, particularly around their supply chains and the provenance of their products. The Sourcing Transparency report demonstrates Thai Union’s commitment to this.
This is the fifth sustainability report Thai Union has made publicly available. This report, published in June 2018, details our annual performance from January through December 2017 against key performance indicators and targets outlined in our sustainability strategy, SeaChange®. (PDF)
The 2018 WWF and Thai Union Europe Partnership Report summarizes the progress made during the third year of the partnership between the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and Thai Union on their European partnership.
When Thai Union launched its Tuna Commitment, the company committed to providing annual progress updates, of which this is the first.


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Apple's wireless Bluetooth AirPods might not launch until early next year
Now, it appears as though we might not find the AirPods available for sale until early 2017. That is the word from Barclay's Research. Analysts working for the banking firm say that supply chain sources don't expect the AirPods to go through the assembly line for another three to four weeks. Sadly for Apple, this means that the AirPods will miss out on the 2016 holiday shopping season. Priced at $159, the wireless Bluetooth earphones would have helped Apple generate a decent amount of additional revenue during the holiday quarter.
Not all of the anticipated holiday quarter AirPods' sales will migrate to the subsequent quarter. After all, some consumers might decide to ante up a little more for Samsung's Gear IconX wireless Bluetooth earbuds. The latter is priced at $199.99, $40 or 20% more than the cost of the Apple AirPods.
Barclays says that Apple will have a small initial production run of 10 million to 15 million AirPods next month. That sets up the product for a fast sell out, and extended shipping dates weeks in the future. That's nothing you haven't seen before from Apple, especially during iPhone launch season.


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ELON Musk has revealed more about his plan for the upcoming Tesla humanoid robot, which includes using it to care for the elderly.
The billionaire is expected to unveil Tesla’s Optimus bot prototype at his AI Day: Part II event next month.
The Chinese government recently invited Musk to write a column in the official publication of the Cyberspace Administration of China.
Here he revealed more secrets of the Optimus Bot.
Musk titled his column “Believing in technology for a better future.”
Much of it was about his humanoid robot.
A translated version of his letter reads: “Today’s cars are increasingly like intelligent, internet-connected robots on wheels.
“In fact, humanoid robots are becoming a reality alongside cars, with Tesla launching a humanoid all-purpose robot (Tesla Bot) in 2021.
“The Tesla Bot is almost as tall and heavy as an adult, can carry or pick up heavy objects, walk quickly in small steps, and the screen on its face is an interactive interface for communicating with people. You may be wondering why we developed this robot with legs.
“For human society is based on the interaction of a bipedal humanoid with two arms and ten fingers.
“So if we want a robot to adapt to its environment and be able to do what humans do, it needs to be roughly the same size, shape and abilities as a human.”
The Tesla CEO goes on to explain how he aims for his humanoid robots to do boring and dangerous manual jobs at first.
He adds: “But the vision is that they will serve millions of households, such as cooking, mowing the lawn and caring for the elderly.”
He hopes that the humanoid robots are artificially intelligent.
Musk writes: “We plan to release the first prototype of a humanoid robot this year and focus on improving the intelligence of this robot and solving the problem of mass production.
“Thereafter, the usefulness of humanoid robots will increase annually as production increases and costs decrease.
He suspects that in less than a decade, the humanoid robots will be cheap enough that you can buy one for your elderly family members as gifts.
https://www.the-sun.com/tech/6003783/elon-musk-humanoid-robot-tesla-bot-optimus-elderly/ Elon Musk reveals secrets about his creepy Tesla humanoid robot as he plans to take care of your grandparents


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Industry must engage AGs early to reduce litigation risk, experts advise
“Comments that we will defeat such and such AG for bringing a case against industry,” like those cried when the New York AG alleged some supplements were not what they claimed, are not helpful because the chances of an AG losing in court or on the public stage are slim, said former West Virginia AG Charlie Brown.
Rather, he explained at the Organic & Natural Health Association’s inaugural conference in late January, “we need to engage constructively with AGs” to communicate effectively to them – and the watching public – that the dietary supplement industry is regulated, benefits the public health and is just as interested as AGs in rooting out bad actors that damage its reputation and put consumers at risk.
“You need to explain to your AGs,” the same way industry does Congressional representatives, “that if there is something unhealthy happening, they should stop it. But, the general idea of this industry is to help people … and it is a legal business,” he said.
Industry should drum into AGs and their staff that supplements are not an unregulated drug, but rather “the most over-regulated food,” he said.
Companies should show AGs from their states firsthand how they implement good manufacturing practices at their facilities by inviting them to visit, former US Senator and AG from Arkansas Mark Pryon added later in the day at the conference.
They also should demonstrate how they benefit the local economy and how many of the AG’s constituents want, use and benefit from supplements, said Brown, who is the current president of the World Alliance for Mercury Free Dentistry.
As elected officials, many AGs will weigh their actions against reactions from those who vote for them, so demonstrating consumer support as well as industry influence could dissuade unnecessary negative cases, he added.
Get involved during elections
The dietary supplement industry also should consider becoming involved before negative cases are filed – which might mean playing a part during elections, Brown said.
He noted that North Carolina and Pennsylvania have AG elections this year, along with about eight other states. Even more are up in 2018.
When choosing where to focus industry efforts, he recommends firms zero in on elections without an incumbent.
He also suggested reaching out to Republican candidates who likely will be more receptive than Democrats to messages of providing consumers with more choices and the benefits industry offers the local economy.
“We should talk boldly about our industry and not at all shrink away from being in front of federal policy makers and state officials,” he said. “Show them we are a new positive issue … that has political force as part of the culture, part of the economy and part of the polity.”


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E3 2018 is wrapping up. All the press conferences are over, and all the big announcements have been made.
Overall, it was quite an impressive showing this year. The industry's top game makers, including Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft, as well as top publishers like Bethesda, Ubisoft, and EA introduced plenty of new games that people can get really excited about.
If you missed any of the big reveals or just want to see the highlights again, these were the 13 biggest announcements made at E3 2018:
1. "Super Smash Bros. Ultimate" is coming to the Nintendo Switch on December 7.
2. The Microsoft-owned 343 Industries has a new "Halo" game coming soon for the Xbox One, called "Halo Infinite." It has no release date yet.
3. Fans went wild for "The Last Of Us II," one of the most anticipated games coming exclusively to the PlayStation 4. It has no release date yet, but we'd guess sometime in 2019.
4. Bethesda announced a true sequel to "The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim," called "The Elder Scrolls VI." It has no release date yet, but we'd guess it will arrive after 2019.
5. "Kingdom Hearts 3" mashes up the worlds of Disney and Square Enix once more — and after nearly a decade in development, it finally has a release date: January 29, 2019.
6. PlayStation 4 owners will get the open-world samurai game they've always wanted with the excellent-looking "Ghosts of Tsushima." It has no release date yet.
7. After years without a new "Mario Party" game, the franchise will make its triumphant return in "Super Mario Party," coming to the Nintendo Switch on October 5.
8. "Cyberpunk 2077" looks like an incredible new game from the makers of "The Witcher 3." It has no release date yet.
9. "Assassin's Creed Odyssey" takes place in ancient Greece, and it looks stunning. It's coming to PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on October 5.
10. "Fallout 76" is a new kind of game in the postapocalyptic series: It takes place entirely online, and every human you encounter is another player. It arrives November 14.
11. We got our first look at actual gameplay from the mysterious game "Death Stranding," coming soon from the famed developer Hideo Kojima. There's no release date for this one yet.
12. "Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice" is a new game from the makers of "Dark Souls" and "Bloodborne." It arrives sometime in 2019.
13. "Gears Of War 5" features top-of-the-line visuals and the same great action from previous games. It arrives sometime in 2019.


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Reliance is a company which will create a market for itself if there is no market. The company did the same with Jio when the launch became a dark day for other telecom companies. That was the day when everything in the telecom industry came to a standstill. Jio might not be the highest grossing product of Reliance industry. However, it might just be after winning in the market with the services they are going to offer.
Jio, as we have covered, is going to launch a super application with over 100 services. That is going to change the entire scenario of the Indian app market. Those hundred services are going to include numerous services which currently, the Indian people are using via the different application. Jio, along with its e-commerce market, is going to launch services like chat, cab-hailing, recharge and everything other apps have failed to do. Like Paytm, Hike, Freecharge, and Snapdeal also tried to do the same.
However, the execution is where Jio is going to win and win big. Reliance has never failed to hit this kind of markets and when they are launching something, it has to be world class. Amazon, Flipkart and other e-commerce markets also need to hold their breath because Jio is coming with e-commerce as well. Mukesh Ambani might just flush all these companies out of India although this might not happen overnight there will be a time when Jio and Reliance will have a monopoly in India.
Prabhu Ram, head of Industry Intelligence Group (IIG) said that Jio puts Reliance in a powerful position, this is because the company is going to hit the innermost parts of India via Jio’s outstanding reach. This is where Amazon and Flipkart won’t be able to compete and this is where they lose the battle. The 300 million users of Jio is where the e-commerce market of India is won by Reliance.
Prabhu said, “The ubiquitousness of Jio devices puts Reliance in a powerful position. It can connect its vast ecosystem of its users with a multi-layered fabric, offering a rich array of services, connecting online-to-offline, through a one-stop, super app. India is a mobile-first nation and such a self-contained network that offers convenience will find favor with demanding consumers. All of these layers, on top of the Jio devices network, would put Reliance in a pole position to create India’s WeChat.”
After these services go live, India will have the world’s largest online to the offline platform. Mukesh Ambani talked about the same in Odisha during the Make in Odisha Conclave. This super app might just put Jio into a position which will win them the biggest game since its inception. However, only time will tell if Ambani wins or the rest of the world.


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Decatur, IL (PRWEB) May 19, 2014
Continental Carbonic Products, Inc., a dry ice manufacturer and distributor, will feature dry ice blasting products at the Institute of Food Technology (IFT) Show in New Orleans this June 22-24, 2014. Continental Carbonic will be included among the world’s most prominent food science and technology professionals represented at this Annual Meeting.
Continental Carbonic has implemented dry ice blasting in several top food processing facilities as an alternative cleaning method that prevents moisture from being used in production areas. Cleaning with dry ice blasting reduces current bacteria counts, including Salmonella, E.Coli and Listeria while streamlining the cleaning process and reducing labor costs. In food processing facilities, dry ice blasting can be used to clean production equipment such as Ishida weighers and baggers, mixers, conveyors, packaging machines, slicers and more. Continental Carbonic will highlight the dry ice cleaning process in which dry ice pellets are accelerated through a pressured air stream via a dry ice blasting machine to clean a variety of surfaces. Dry ice blasting is a “green” process since the carbon dioxide sublimates (or turns from solid directly to gas) during the cleaning process.
To make an appointment to see Continental Carbonic representatives at IFT 2014, send an email to marketing(at)continentalcarbonic(dot)com or visit us at http://www.continentalcarbonic.com/baking-food-processing.html to add us to your Expo Plan. At the IFT show, visit the company at booth #3456, June 22-24, 2014 in New Orleans, LA.
About Continental Carbonic:
Continental Carbonic specializes in the manufacture and distribution of dry ice (solid carbon dioxide) and liquid carbon dioxide along with sales and rental of dry ice blasting equipment. We service customers throughout the eastern two-thirds of the United States, and Ontario, Canada through our strategic network of 39 dry ice manufacturing and distribution facilities. For more information, visit http://www.continentalcarbonic.com or call 1-800-DRY-ICE2.


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Toronto Wolfpack and ISC Release Canada Day Jersey
10/06/2019 by admin
Toronto Wolfpack, in conduction with ISC, will have their Canada Day jersey available from June 10th both in store and online through the Canada and US and UK and Worldwide platforms.
The striking jersey has a distinctly Canadian feel with a predominantly red colour scheme and maple leaf trim. It will be worn by Wolfpack players on field in 2019 and so is a must-have for fans of the transatlantic side.
With a soft handle and sleek appearance, the ISC AXIS fabric makes this the closest thing to actually taking the field as a player.
Global sporting apparel company ISC partnered with the Wolfpack in the lead-up to the 2019 Season and currently have an extensive range of on-field and off-field Wolfpack options available.
Supporters in the UK and around the world can access products thanks to ISC’s impressive global distribution model and e-commerce platform. The ‘’ satisfies all worldwide orders and shipping from the UK.


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Android Wear 2.0 was supposed to come out sometime in fall last year but was delayed to early 2017 because of negative feedback for the developer preview. Google hasn’t specified to the public when exactly the OS will be rolled out.
However, that’s not the case with developers who are actually dealing with Android Wear. Google’s sent out a missive telling them that the platform will be coming out in early February. The smartwatch OS includes a new Play Store which users can scroll through in search of apps. It also incorporates standalone applications so that people won’t be completely dependent on their handset.
Google is sending the notice to specific developers who have an app that still uses the legacy embedded APK mechanism that is not optimized for the latest version of Android Wear. It’s warning them that failing to take action will result in individuals not being able to search for their application in the on-watch Play Store.
Google then proceeds to list out the steps needed to bring the developer’s app up-to-date, including specifying whether it’s an independent app which can pair with iPhones. The tech behemoth had previously confirmed its plans to unveil two new flagship wearables alongside the announcement of Android Wear 2.0, though neither of them will be Google-branded like the Pixel smartphones are.
Instead, the devices are apparently going to carry the brand name of the manufacturer that produced them. Google hasn’t revealed which firm is behind the duo.


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The US-based business magazine Forbes has named Samsung Group among the top five influential firms in Asia. The South Korean consumer electronics giant has been named among firms like China's Alibaba, India-based HDFC Bank, Sony, and Toyota, thanks to its achievements in the technology segment.
Forbes mentioned that the companies it listed as the top five influential Asian firms “have shaped Asia and the world.” The US-based magazine mentioned that Samsung's business strategy, which was announced back in 1993, helped the company become a major player in many technology segments. Samsung Group chairman Lee Kun-hee made his famous remark “change everything but your wife and children,” which influenced its employees.
“Thanks to the changes that were made in the wake of the Frankfurt meeting, Samsung went from being a mediocre electronics manufacturer to surpassing Nokia as the world's largest phone manufacturer by units sold in 2012. Today, it is world's second-largest technology company,” Forbes mentioned in its magazine. Samsung recently became the most profitable tech company in the world, leapfrogging Apple in terms of revenue and operational profit.
Since the Galaxy Note 7 fiasco, Samsung has been heavily investing in semiconductor designing and manufacturing, including NAND flash chips, RAM, and processing chipsets. The Galaxy S8 and the Galaxy S8+, which were released earlier this year, have met with astounding success. The company has also been investing in upcoming technologies like connected cars and IoT products.


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Huawei licenses InvenSense Positioning Library +4
InvenSense has announced that Huawei is licensing the InvenSense Positioning Library for its
Kirin 950 mobile application processor platforms. The Mate 8, which is just becoming available for purchase today, will be the first phone to use the enhanced navigation features.
Huawei has been on a tear this year, growing faster than any other brand. It has claimed the top spot in Chinese market share, and is now number 3 in sales world-wide, so this is a significant win.


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Gay matchmaking app Grindr made improvement to how it functions in order to become considerably trans inclusive, after a survey thought it was couldn’t manage sufficient for transgender visitors. With quite a few countries these days identifying you can find specific sector choice for non-binary group, companies are starting to consider notice.
Germany’s highest court provides led there should be a Third choice about registering somebody who is recognized as intersex. This marks a move out from the powerful assignment of a gender at delivery and opens up the entranceway for other american countries to adhere to fit.
Sex norms happen to be modifying, and youth really feel freer for more information on and express their sex recognition than in the past particularly with form.Read More»
Gay hook-up software Scruff has banned jockstraps as well as other underwear from profile photos, citing store that is app given that explanation.
The modifications to your terms of good use had been established by CEO Eric Silverberg in the Scruff website, where he proposed that too little policy profile pictures could around result in Scruff being taken out of application stores.
He additionally stated the application have been removed briefly вЂњearlier this present year,вЂќ and stated that when the ban have been permanent, it can have already been вЂњdevastating to the business and our community.вЂќRead More»


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During recent years, the body positivity movement has made tremendous strides in raising awareness and acceptance of the range of bodies that would otherwise fall outside accepted beauty standards.
At an individual level, the movement has had a positive impact, inspiring women to accept themselves even if they do not fit the mainstream.
But the corporatization of body positivity and the marketing of so-called inclusive brands and products for profit has rendered the movement lifeless and even consumerist. Brands including stigmatized bodies in their marketing doesn’t justify the exploitation and objectification of bodies., typically women’s bodies, and the skewed societal interpretation of perfection.
Forbes estimated in May 2017 that beauty, including makeup, fake eyelashes and other cosmetics, is a $445 billion dollar industry. The primary consumers are women, so most beauty product marketing is targeted at female-identifying people. For the industry to continue to make money, the social pressures on women to alter their appearance, to seek out smoother skin or longer eyelashes must remain in place.
It is also contingent on their responsiveness to cultural attitudes surrounding beauty and appearance. The rise of body positivity and body acceptance has forced these companies to diversify their advertising so that it includes women who are overweight, non-white and disabled.
Many mainstream feminist publications have praised these companies as progressive for using models who are not skinny or white. Bust, a women’s lifestyle magazine, commended Dove, Aerie and other brands for “embracing what real bodies look like” in their advertising.
When the same for-profit industry that perpetuates beauty standards acts as a beacon of forward-thinking ideology, the message is largely superficial. Amanda Czerniawski, a sociology professor at Temple University, said even plus-sized “realistic” models are often still exploited.
“They’re always naked,” Czerniawski said. “[This] reaffirms the concentration on the surface. It reduces the woman to just their body.”
Regardless of the models they hire, regardless of the “inspirational” advertising, the beauty industry is still wholly reliant on negative self image and physical insecurity that pressure people — usually women — to buy their products in hopes of becoming more desirable.
Actress Jameela Jamil’s “I Weigh” campaign is a good example of the positive steps taken within the movement, Czerniawski said. It makes a point of ignoring physical attributes all together. It instead focuses on encouraging women to “look beyond the flesh on our bones,” according to its Instagram.
The expression of sexuality can be positive in certain contexts. But keeping the focus on physical attributes does little to fix the larger problem; even if models are more diverse, they are still subjected to the physical standards that the beauty industry depends on for profit.
“Even if we have more diversity within the system, that diversity is still going to function as a form of domination,” said, Jason Del Gandio, a communication and social influence professor. “Although we have a wider range of body types, it’s still about obsessing over and policing our bodies.”
And despite the small improvements resulting from the body positivity movement, it is clear that this social enforcement is still in place. In 2017, Forbes reported that Estee Lauder CEO Fabrizio Freda said in 2010 women were spending 13 percent more money on foundation, 18 percent more on concealer. About 35 percent of women use more than five makeup products each day.
While makeup is a form of self-expression, products like foundation and concealer are not designed to promote individuality. They are designed to hide blemishes, marks and other features deemed unacceptable by societal standards.
Del Gandio said body positive companies are over-praised for their role in the movement.
“[They’re] still compelling us as a society to assess our bodies, which contributes to body image issues,” Del Gandio said.
Jamil’s approach — and others like it — show that the body positivity movement still has the potential to make progress, and hopefully there will be similar sentiments from the movement in the future.


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Nike re-issues another fan favorite LeBron sneaker this week
While we are knee deep into the LeBron 16 line, Nike finds a way to surprise his fans with re-issues of his past silhouettes. Last year, we were blessed with the Air Zoom Generation in several colorways. This past year, Nike dropped the LEBRON 3 in the Christ the King colorway. The LeBron III’s been a fan favorite for its construction and overall look. This December, Nike brings back another OG colorway for the III.
The Black and Gold LeBron 3 first dropped in 2006, with its full black nubuck/leather upper and with gold accents on the tongue, Swoosh, eyelets and the Zoom Air encasing found on the midsole. Among the IIIs that released, this was one of the best ones, thus the cause for the re-issue. The shoe had a surprise drop overseas last November and we’re getting word that the shoe is dropping this week, potentially on the 20th. Titan dropped a teaser yesterday and they should drop release details soon.
The Nike Zoom LeBron III ‘Black/Metallic Gold’ is set to drop this Saturday, December 22 at Titan and will retail for Php 8,545. Make sure to follow them via their IG account for more details on the upcoming release.
UPDATE: The shoe is now available via Titan’s early access. Make sure to cop before Saturday’s release date.


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OnePlus Watch will skip Google's WearOS, design likely based on Oppo's forthcoming circular Watch RX
It is widely known that OnePlus has a smartwatch in the works. Originally expected to be unveiled last month, the device has been indefinitely delayed with a slow trickle of information pointing towards a more bespoke solution being developed instead. It had been originally thought that the OnePlus Watch would be based closely on sister company Oppo’s Watch (an Apple Watch clone) which runs Google’s WearOS, but it looks like OnePlus has significantly changed its plans.
According to the latest rumors, OnePlus has decided to produce its Watch with a circular display along the lines of the forthcoming Oppo Watch RX instead. OnePlus also seems intent on ditching Google’s WearOS for its Watch too, according to leaker @MaxJmb. OnePlus would join the likes of Samsung, among other Android OEMs, to take this approach. WearOS isn't especially competitive with Apple's watchOS, so a custom operating system would give it complete control of the Watch's feature set.
When it does eventually arrive, OnePlus is expected to release a custom Cyberpunk 2077 variant of its Watch as well. Its China-only Cyberpunk 2077 Special Edition OnePlus 8T smartphone has sparked a lot of interest with a unique, eye-catching design, that really went the extra mile. However, if OnePlus is indeed planning on developing an in-house OS for its Watch, it might be a little longer before we finally see it hit the market. The wait could be worth it, especially for those who find Google's WearOS too limited.


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Ninja Nation, the US-based operator of obstacle course gyms, is looking to take the concept global through franchising.
Targeting the family market, Ninja Nation facilities are equipped with a variety of obstacles catering for “ninjas of all ages and skill levels”, with the aim of providing a space to “play, train, and compete”. Each site also organises group fitness classes for adults, such as the HIIT-based H.E.R.O. Fit.
Ninja Nation currently has seven sites across the US with more in its development pipeline.
The company was launched partly on the back of the success of American Ninja Warrior – a hugely popular TV sports entertainment competition – which had increased interest in obstacle courses as an activity.
According to founder Wayne Cavanaugh, the company has ambitious growth plans.
“When I started the company, I sensed there was a huge unmet need in the marketplace for a safe, fun and entertaining youth fitness alternative to traditional sports,” Cavanaugh said.
“We’ve been blown away by the market demand at our current locations for the highly differentiated sport experience that we have created at Ninja Nation.
“We’re looking forward to taking this the incredible Ninja Nation experience across the world with a talented group of franchisees who share our passion for youth fitness and positive community impact.
“We have the experience, the team and the plans in place to change over a million lives and we can’t wait to continue our growth with the launch of our franchising programme.”
Ninja Nation’s leadership team is led by Cavanaugh, an entrepreneur who has experience in investing in and growing companies in several industries, including health and wellness.
Cavanaugh is joined by Geoff Britten – a champion and familiar face of the American Ninja Warrior programme, having featured in each of the 11 season of the show – and Lucas Clarke, the vice president of marketing.
“Our goal is to create over one million heroes,” Cavanaugh added. “That’s one million kids and adults pushing their minds and bodies to limits they never thought possible and doing so in our arenas. Play, Train and Compete.”
By Tom Walker


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Apple is not only allowing its customers to skip a payment, but it is also deferring interest charges. These two changes are meant to help customers deal with the financial burden and economic disruption from the coronavirus outbreak.
Apple Emails Its Cardholders
In an email sent to cardholders, Apple expressed concern for its customers who were struggling financially. “We understand that the COVID-19 situation poses unique challenges for everyone, and some customers may have difficulty making their monthly payments,” said Apple.
Goldman, the bank behind Apple’s credit card, first allowed deferments last month when the coronavirus affected not only the country’s health but its economy.
Apple made it easy for customers to participate in the deferment program. Customers could use the Apple Wallet app to text message a customer service representative who would then help them enroll.
Apple did confirm that those who signed up for a deferment in March will have to re-enroll for April.
Apple Card Success Story
Apple introduced its credit card last year with lots of perks for those who qualify. It has minimal fees with no extra charges for late payments, cash advances or more.
The card is tightly integrated into Apple Wallet. Users can apply for the card within Apple Wallet and then use Apple Pay to purchase goods and services.
The Apple Card also offers interest-free monthly installment plans for those who buy an iPhone.
Customers leaped at the chance to get an Apple card with Goldman Sachs calling the consumer credit card, its most successful launch ever.


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Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) disclosed its sales data for May 2023. The carmaker reported its highest-ever monthly sales in the past month. It sold 20,410 units in May 2023, which is up from 10,216 sold during the same time last year, registering a YoY growth of 110%. Domestically, the firm announced dispatching 19,379 units the previous month. Also, in the same period, it disclosed selling 1,013 vehicles in the overseas market. According to the carmaker, the Urban Cruiser Hyryder, Innova Hycross, and more models contributed to the whopping sales figure. Aside from this, Toyota Kirloskar India sold a total of 82,763 vehicles from January to May of the 2023 calendar year, according to their year-to-date sales figures. The company experienced a year-over-year rise of 42%, compared to the 58,505 units sold during the same time in 2022. Let's have a closer look at what the company has to say about this achievement.
Toyota Sales May 2023: What the company has to Say?
Mr. Atul Sood, Vice President of Sales and Strategic Marketing at TKM, said ''To be optimistic for the rest of the year by prioritizing the customers’ needs''. He further added ''As a customer-centric company, we always strive to understand and exceed the expectations of our valued customers by continuing to implement diverse measures to take care of their needs and offer products that excel in quality, reliability, and durability. In-line with this approach, we recently enhanced our production by implementing the third-shift of operations at our Bidadi plant from May 2023 which has greatly contributed to addressing the market’s needs. Apart from the reduction of the waiting period for delivery, this measure will also further allow us to contribute to the nation's 'Make in India' mission and generate additional employment opportunities in the region.''
Toyota Hilux, Fortuner Mild Hybrid Variants to Come in 2024?
According to Toyota South Africa, Mild hybrid versions of the Toyota Hilux and Fortuner will be available next year. These models, offering mild hybrid power, are anticipated to make their international debut. There aren't many specifics available right now about these revamped pick-up and SUV models, but various speculations are making the rounds online that the Fortuner and the Hilux will most likely get a new platform in 2024.
For the uninitiated, the IMV platform serves as the foundation for the current models. The new TNGA-F platform, which also supports the Land Cruiser 300 and the Lexus LX500d, is expected to take the place of this architecture. According to reports, international markets will be the first to sell these mild hybrid variations. These models are anticipated to come later in India.


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The rise of astrology in the digital age has seen a surge in the number of Gen Z users turning to astrology apps for guidance on relationships, career, and more. According to a recent Astroyogi report, over 60% of astrology app users belong to the Gen Z demographic, indicating a growing interest in astrology among the younger generation.
The report, conducted with 5 lakh respondents last year, highlights the shift in Gen Z’s preferences when it comes to seeking astrological advice. Unlike previous generations, Gen Z prefers chatting over telephonic consultations with astrologers through apps, and they also show a strong inclination for free consultations. This generation is over four times more likely to speak to an expert without paying, compared to millennials and boomers.
Interestingly, 80% of queries by Gen-Z users on astrology apps are related to relationships, indicating that this generation is seeking guidance and answers about their love lives. Meena Kapoor, Founder and CEO of Astroyogi, attributes the surge in interest from the younger generation to the accessibility and convenience of astrology apps, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Kapoor also mentioned that the company is seeing a significant increase in engagement from mid-sized cities like Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, and Pune, indicating that astrology is not just popular in metropolitan areas but also in smaller cities.
The rise in interest in astrology among Gen Z has sparked discussions about the role of astrology in modern society. Some believe that astrology provides a sense of guidance and comfort, especially during uncertain times like the pandemic. Others argue that it’s important to approach astrology with a critical mindset and not rely solely on it for making life decisions.
Regardless of the opinions on the topic, it’s clear that astrology apps are becoming increasingly popular, especially among the younger generation. As technology continues to advance, it will be interesting to see how the landscape of astrology evolves and how it continues to impact the lives of its users.


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ANKENY, Iowa -- Casey's General Stores Inc. has reported 85 cents in diluted earnings per share for the second quarter of fiscal 2013 ended Oct. 31, 2012, compared to 98 cents for the same period a year ago. Year to date, diluted earnings per share were $1.86 versus $2.01 for the same period last year. Lower gasoline margins affected both quarterly and year-to-date earnings when compared to the all-time high gasoline margins from the same periods a year ago.
"Our prepared food program is doing exceptionally well, but the cigarette environment remains very challenging for retailers," said chairman and CEO Robert J. Myers. "We are diligently evaluating the competitive landscape and will maintain a disciplined approach when making cigarette price adjustments."
- Gasoline: The company's annual goal is to increase same-store gallons sold 1% with an average margin of 14 cents per gallon. For the second quarter, same-store gallons sold were down 0.4% with an average margin of 14.9 cents per gallon. "We believe higher retail prices had an adverse impact to sales, however the gas margin environment has been favorable when compared to our annual goal." said Myers. Total gallons sold for the year were up 3.2% with an average margin of 14.9 cents per gallon. Year-to-date same store gallons sold were down 0.3%.
- Grocery & Other Merchandise: Casey's annual goal is to increase same-store sales 6.2% with an average margin of 32.7%. For the second quarter, same-store sales were down 0.7% with an average margin of 33.4%. "Cigarettes have been adversely impacted by competitive pricing as well as an Illinois state excise tax increase," Myers said. "However, the grocery and other merchandise margin is above goal primarily due to a more favorable product mix within the category." For the six months ended Oct. 31, 2012, same-store sales were up 0.7% with an average margin of 33.4%. Total sales for the year were up 3.6% and gross profit increased 6.4% to $250 million.
- Prepared Food & Fountain: The goal for fiscal 2013 is to increase same-store sales 11% with an average margin of 61.1%. For the quarter, same-store sales were up 10.1% with an average margin of 62.5%. "This category continues to benefit from three primary operating initiatives: expanded hours, pizza delivery, and major store remodels," said Myers. "The margin continues to exceed our annual goal primarily due to an increase in pizza sales." Year to date, total sales were up 14.5% and gross profit rose 19.4% to $182.1 million.
- Operating Expenses: Year to date, operating expenses increased 10.5% to $379.4 million. For the second quarter, operating expenses were up 10.6%. Expenses were impacted by the operating initiatives mentioned above, operating 27 more stores than a year ago, and the completion of 20 replacement stores in the last 12 months. "So far this fiscal year we have converted 150 stores to 24-hour operation, added pizza delivery to 103 stores, and completed 51 major remodels," said Myers. "We will continue to implement these initiatives where we believe we can drive cash flow." Store-level operating expenses for locations not impacted by the initiatives were up approximately 3.5% for the quarter.
- Expansion: The annual goal is to increase the total number of stores 4% to 6%. At the midyear point, the company opened eight new-store constructions and completed the acquisition of three stores. The company has also replaced 13 stores. "In November we completed the acquisition of 22 Kum and Go locations and opened our first stores in Tennessee and North Dakota," Myers said. "We are on pace to build 30 new stores this fiscal year and continue to be optimistic with the acquisition environment." Casey's currently has 13 stores under construction and has eight stores under written agreement to acquire.
Casey's, based in Ankeny, Iowa, operates more than 1,700 corporate owned stores in 12 Midwestern states.
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Cataloger/retailer J. Crew flatly denies charges of misleading accounting practices levied against it by a former employee. In a letter to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), former J. Crew order consultant Charles Sayler accused the marketer of inappropriately shifting expenses among its catalog, retail, and Internet divisions.
Although J. Crew is controlled by the privately held Texas Pacific Group, it has issued bonds to finance its debt and therefore must file documents with the SEC. In his letter, Sayler claimed that J. Crew’s accounting practices would mislead investors about the relative performance of the company’s divisions.
In denying the charges, a J. Crew spokesperson doesn’t mince words: “The charges made against J. Crew by a former employee are irrelevant and baseless. Anyone who understands our business knows that we do not report profitability by division. Equally important, no cost shifting has occurred, and there would be no advantage to the company in doing so for the reason stated above. Perhaps not surprisingly, the company has not received any notice from the SEC about any potential claim or investigation.”
The apparel cataloger/retailer reported a $12.1 million net loss for its fiscal first quarter ended May 4, compared with a $9.3 million loss for the first quarter of fiscal 2001. Excluding severance charges, however, this year’s first-quarter net loss would have been $9.1 million.
Revenue for the quarter dipped to $167.1 million from $167.8 million a year ago. Catalog and Internet sales increased 1%. But comparable store sales decreased 13%.


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Local whistleblower Jess Brandt is continuing to battle against consumer misinformation in the week following breaking news of mislabeled Ava Anderson Non Toxic products.
Brandt discovered, following lab testing, that the Ava Anderson dish soap had been grossly mislabeled. As reported in the Independent-Scout last week, testing from a leading soap scientist revealed the dish soap contained none of the ingredients stated on the label, aside from water. In fact, the expert stated that the dish soap, contains no soap at all.
After the news broke on Brandt’s blog (ecofriendlymamausa.com) on Friday Jan. 18, the company promptly stopped sales on Monday, Jan. 21. This was coupled with a message from the Anderson family, citing cyber bulling as a reason for their closure and later blaming manufacturing issues.
The company also noted online that they would rebrand their products and have them available under a new name within weeks. Meanwhile, no refunds or exchanges would be offered.
In a later interview with an East Bay Rhode Island newspaper, the family noted that they were simply “walking away, not selling, the business.”
On Wednesday, Jan. 27, two days after the abrupt closure, Ava Anderson Non Toxic released the news that they had their products tested by a “highly reputable independent third party laboratory,” which they said included a test of “74 specific chemicals of concern” and that their products contained none of those tested. The company has not released this list of chemicals nor the name of the lab, which tested for them. However, the company did state that they “passed with flying colors.”
Not surprisingly, the company’s claim is viewed with skepticism by many following the story, including Brandt.
“It seems a little fishy, you always should cite your sources,” Brandt pointed out.
The emails continue to pour into Brandt from people who have read her blog post regarding the mislabeling and have used products from Ava Anderson Non Toxic. Many are making a connection to their negative health reactions after using these products.
“People are saying, this is the only thing that has changed, and they’re having serious reactions (to using the products),” Brandt said. “This is far worse than I could have imagined for people. I just want the truth to get out to people so badly.”
With the anonymous lab testing of the unknown chemicals noted, Ava Anderson Non Toxic has reopened their website for sales. The products, which were acknowledged to be mislabeled, are now relabeled or not being “brought in house for production” and sold at 20 percent off as is. There are no refunds offered, if the consumer changes their mind.
The dish soap which was the product to get the ball rolling on this entire case with Brandt, is still offered in the regular shopping selection, with slight reformulation that includes “Organic soapwort root extract” instead of “Organic sea kelp extract.”
The company has admitted to 19 different products that have been either mislabeled, or contained synthetic fragrances, but they are not clearly labeled on their website nor easily found through a Google search.
Brandt has shared the list of the 19 mislabeled products acknowledged by Ava Anderson on her social media pages.
However, this label changing is unclear to new consumers, who are not up to date on the situation, and to those, who have previously bought the products, but had no idea of the previous contents left off the label.
This news continues to unsettle Brandt, who believes that it is further putting people at risk for exposure to the harmful chemicals.
“I think there should be a general recall, there are people who gave Ava scents as a gift and have no idea of the situation. It is not nationwide news, yet, and many people have absolutely no idea,” Brandt explained.
There’s also been a fair amount of mudslinging directed at Jess Brandt this week after her reports were published.
“Here I am getting accused of being a bully, but bullies are commenting on things telling me to ‘get a life’,” Brandt noted. “I feel like if people have been bullying Ava over the years, what has she been doing to have this happen? For me, this has never been about Ava, the person. It’s about the ingredients. Who are the real victims? Not the company making millions, it’s the people using the products and not knowing that they’re putting harmful chemicals on their bodies. ”
Brandt continues to note that she is brushing off the negative comments, and is finding support throughout her hometown and Internet communities.
“Many people I run into around town are so amazed and proud of what I am doing, and I have a big following of people on my blog and social media who have read my stuff for years and really trust me,” Brandt said. “I know what I’m doing is right and people should be outraged because this is wrong. I am a mom, and a consumer who is just hoping for consumer protection. This isn’t my job. I am not making a dime, this is a passion. I am working on this during my kids’ nap time and staying up after they go to bed just to get it out there because it’s all about consumer protection.”
Brandt’s next step in this process is encouraging those who are concerned about this issue to contact the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) immediately 1-202-326-2222 and file a complaint. You do not have had used the products to call and report these products. The address for Ava Anderson Non Toxic is 99 Main Street Warren, Rhode Island 02885.
“Let them know the company is selling products that were improperly labeled and that (they) have deemed the products safe for sale based on their own tests, but are not sharing the results of the tests they did, what they tested for and what they didn’t nor who did those tests. I feel there should be a total recall of any old formulation product. Please, and thank you! It’s really important. Someone needs to step in to sort out this scandal,” Brandt posted on her blog Monday morning.
Brandt is still awaiting the results of her third party testing through a Canadian lab for non-labeled synthetic fragrances used in Ava Anderson Non Toxic products.
“I just want to get the results out there and see what happens,” Brandt said. “When they come out, I will be fully transparent with what I find.”
At the time of publication, the results have not been returned to Brandt.
“This has just been so complicated, and widespread, it just needs to stop,” Brandt said. “People need to know the truth. But it’s still fresh and unraveling, so I am sure in a few months we’ll be able to look back and have a better idea of the situation.”
Those interested in staying current on the issue can check Brandt’s blog ecofriendlymamausa.com


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In its latest mobile app report, comScore tracks the 25 most popular apps in the US. This is an interesting slice of the App Store, as it highlights active usage, not just one-time downloads or recent popularity.
- Facebook is by far the top app, with 115.4 million unique visitors in June. With 160 million total US app users, that’s 72% penetration—pretty impressive. (For context, Facebook said it had 1.1 billion mobile users worldwide last quarter.)
- Google is the top mobile app publisher. Its apps represent nos. 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, and 16. Facebook’s Instagram and Messenger apps are strong as well, though WhatsApp doesn’t make the list. Microsoft, historically the world’s largest software company, is only represented by Skype at no. 22. Yahoo is doing ok.
- There are no games in the top 25. This is not a mistake: comScore rep Andrew Lipsman says many games have large audiences, but they’re closer to 10 million unique visitors—probably because games tend to spike in popularity and then decline. Facebook and Google, meanwhile, seem here to stay.
- Netflix is the top app that requires a subscription. Its 28 million unique visitors represent more than 75% of its US streaming subscriber base, including trial members.
- Pandora is huge. Spotify is missing.


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Gordon Murray to build mini-supercarby Gordon Cruickshank on 8th November 2017
Legendary Formula 1 designer launches new car brand at private exhibition showcasing 50 years of Murray designs
Fifty working years. Most people would be ready to retire, but not Professor Gordon Murray. After several different careers including fielding the most powerful Formula 1 cars ever, building the greatest supercar yet assembled and redesigning the whole process of building a car, he is soon to launch his own mini-supercar.
At an invitation-only display of over 40 cars he’s designed in half a decade, the South African engineer and visionary launched a new car brand – IGM, for Ian Gordon Murray. That’s the badge he affixed to T1, his first car, which he raced in South Africa in 1967/68 – and the original steering wheel bearing that 50-year-old badge was hanging on the wall to prove it. Now it will grace a new range of super-lightweight models employing his patented iStream assembly system, which will stretch from urban transport to the high-performance sportster.
From the Archive: Lunch with Gordon Murray
Murray was coy about details and timing on the sports car. “We’re under no time pressure,” he said. “It’ll be ready when it’s ready.” Refusing to be drawn on facts, Murray stated that the car would gain its performance from its lightness rather than heavy horsepower. Word is it will pack a three-cylinder turbo motor, while a single teaser image seems to show a low, sleek mid-engined machine with roof air intake a la McLaren F1. “But we don’t want to be Ferrari,” Murray said. Instead, IGM will be a low-volume concern developing innovative processes and prototypes for clients while selling its own vehicles in very limited quantities. Meanwhile, Gordon Murray Design will continue its varied design and engineering projects, including iStream which has been licensed to Yamaha in Japan, and the new TVR Griffith, on display here, which Murray told me they had been testing on Dunsfold’s track the day before. Again, light weight is paramount – the TVR is some 300kg slighter than its rivals.
Ranged around IGM’s brand new Dunsfold Park premises, the extensive ‘One Formula’ exhibition depicted the Brabham era, when Murray’s cars brought two world championships, the supremely successful McLaren MP4/4 and the McLaren F1, 25 years old and still the most complete supercar ever produced. But it also highlighted the breadth of this talented engineer’s vision – from the sleek tandem-seat LCC Rocket to the angular Minibug kit car, outrageous McLaren SLR to Ox flat-pack lorry for Africa, Le Mans-winning F1 GTR to radical T25 three-seat city car. Wearing a lively spotted shirt, Murray strolled round with us, as enthusiastic about his Mini-based flat-panel Bug – “it was our only car for three years!” – as the ingenious BT46B Brabham sucker car, released from Bernie’s collection just for this private show. From behind there was a striking visual overlap between fan car and his turbine-tailed Batmobile – “a bit of light relief for the ‘Batman Live’ show,” he grinned.
Clearly the man’s creativity is well on-cam. And if plotting a revolution in the car industry wasn’t enough, Murray now aims to show the car world that from now on slimming down is going to win over muscle power.
Related: Gordon Murray's F1 brief