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Red pill or blue pill?
If you could take a pill that, with minimal side effects, could help you concentrate, make better decisions, work more efficiently, and be more creative, would you take it?
An advantage over your colleagues
It seems that many people would, as more and more students and workers are using prescription drugs, not to treat the condition they are prescribed for, but to enhance their performance in work or school.
“Smart drugs” or “study drugs” are prescribed for cognitive and neurological conditions such as ADHD and narcolepsy, but some people without those conditions find them effective for increasing concentration and efficiency while studying or working.
The estimate that 20 percent of Ivy League students have tried “smart drugs” is probably conservative. The Financial Times reports that smart drugs are “becoming popular among city lawyers, bankers, and other professionals keen to gain a competitive advantage over colleagues.”
Enhancing creativity and focus
The most common smart drugs in past decades have been Adderall and Ritalin, both prescribed for ADHD. Recently, a narcolepsy drug called Modafinil has become popular. A study by Harvard Medical School and Oxford found that Modafinil, when administered to test subjects who do not have narcolepsy, enhances creativity and attention, and makes it easier to learn, plan, and make decisions. According to their research, Modafinil also has “vanishingly few side effects,” making it a relatively safe way to enhance cognitive performance.
In fact, the U.S. military is even experimenting with Modafinil to help soldiers stay away when they’ve been pushed to exhaustion.
Despite Modafinil’s relative safety, it’s still illegal to possess it in the United States without a prescription. Other smart drugs, such as Adderall and Ritalin, can cause problems, such as disrupting your sleep cycle. It can also be very dangerous to drink alcohol with some of these drugs, so if you are using them, think about skipping Happy Hour after work.
Is it ethical?
Besides the question of safety, the popularity of smart drugs also raises ethical concerns. We don’t like our athletes artificially enhancing their bodies with steroids and other drugs – is enhancing work place or student performance any different?
Many universities have addressed the issue in their academic integrity policies, and consider these drugs to be a form of cheating.
It’s hard to say what effect these drugs could have on the workplace. They could be a great way for under-performing employees to catch up. They might also reduce workplace stress by helping employees finish tasks more efficiently so that they can truly relax at the end of the day. On the other hand, employees on smart drugs could gain an unfair competitive edge, setting the bar artificially high, for workers without drugs, who must then scramble to catch up, or start popping pills themselves.
Are you, or your employees using smart drugs to enhance workplace performance?
Office Depot still open to buyers – just not you, Staples
(BUSINESS NEWS) This isn’t the first time the office giants have tried to combine, but Office Depot has some particular conditions if Staples wants to acquire them.
In Staples’ third attempt to take over Office Depot, its acquisition offer was rejected by the ODP Corporation, Office Depot’s parent company. On January 11, Staples sent a letter to Office Depot’s board of directors offering to buy “100% of the issued and outstanding common stock” from its office-supply rival. At $40 per share, the deal to acquire Office Depot is over $2 billion.
“Staples believes that its all-cash transaction is a compelling value proposition for ODP’s stockholders that offers a high degree of certainty and is superior to the intrinsic, standalone value of ODP,” wrote Stefan Kaluzny, on behalf of the Board of Directors of USR Parent, Inc (Staples).
In response to Staples’ offer, the ODP corporation issued its own letter. “The Board has unanimously concluded that there is a more compelling path forward to create value for ODP and its shareholders than the potential transaction described in your proposal,” wrote ODP Chairman Joseph Vassalluzzo.
Although Office Depot refused Staples’ proposal, the company said it’s willing to make other alternative deals. “We are open to combining our retail and consumer-facing e-commerce operations with Staples under the right set of circumstances and on mutually acceptable terms,” wrote Vassalluzzo.
In the letter, Office Depot said it is willing to consider a joint venture where both companies “would equally share the risks and benefits.” The company would also consider a partial-sale of its retail and consumer-facing e-commerce operations.
If Staples is willing to come to either of those agreements, they will still require regulatory approval. But, Office Depot says their options offer a less “regulatory risk” by pursuing a retail-only transaction. And, will “help maintain competitiveness against nontraditional retailers and optimize ongoing choices for consumers.”
In 1997 and 2016, the Federal Trade Commission blocked the two companies from merging. Who’s to say it won’t happen again, even with the changes Office Depot is telling Staples to make in its offer.
“What we do not plan to do, however, is engage in a transaction that, as history has shown, would likely result in a prolonged and expensive regulatory review process with no guarantee of success, without a commitment that Staples is willing to bear this risk through a customary “hell or high water” provision,” wrote Vassaluzzo.
Until Staples is willing to come to an agreement with Office Depot that doesn’t include a full takeover, ODP’s answer is a firm “no”.
Big retailers are opting for refunds instead of returns
(BUSINESS NEWS) Due to increased shipping costs, big companies like Amazon and Walmart are opting to give out a refund rather than accepting small items returned.
The holidays are over, and now some people are ready to return an item that didn’t quite work out or wasn’t on their Christmas list. Whatever the reason, some retailers are giving customers a refund and letting them keep the product, too.
When Vancouver, Washington resident, Lorie Anderson, tried returning makeup from Target and batteries from Walmart she had purchased online, the retailers told her she could keep or donate the products. “They were inexpensive, and it wouldn’t make much financial sense to return them by mail,” said Ms. Anderson, 38. “It’s a hassle to pack up the box and drop it at the post office or UPS. This was one less thing I had to worry about.”
Amazon.com Inc., Walmart Inc., and other companies are changing the way they handle returns this year, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal (WSJ). The companies are using artificial intelligence (AI) to weigh the costs of processing physical returns versus just issuing a refund and having customers keep the item.
For instance, if it costs more to ship an inexpensive or larger item than it is to refund the purchase price, companies are giving customers a refund and telling them to keep the products also. Due to an increase in online shopping, it makes sense for companies to change how they manage returns.
Locus Robotics chief executive Rick Faulk told the Journal that the biggest expense when it comes to processing returns is shipping costs. “Returning to a store is significantly cheaper because the retailer can save the freight, which can run 15% to 20% of the cost,” Faulk said.
But, returning products to physical stores isn’t something a lot of people are wanting to do. According to the return processing firm Narvar, online returns increased by 70% in 2020. With people still hunkered down because of the pandemic, changing how to handle returns is a good thing for companies to consider to reduce shipping expenses.
While it might be nice to keep the makeup or batteries for free, don’t expect to return that new PS5 and get to keep it for free, too. According to WSJ, a Walmart spokesperson said the company lets someone keep a refunded item only if the company doesn’t plan on reselling it. And, besides taking the economic costs into consideration, the companies look at the customer’s purchase history as well.
Google workers have formed company’s first labor union
(BUSINESS NEWS) A number of Google employees have agreed to commit 1% of their salary to labor union dues to support employee activism and fight workplace discrimination.
On Monday morning, Google workers announced that they have formed a union with the support of the Communications Workers of America (CWA), the largest communications and media labor union in the U.S.
The new union, Alphabet Workers Union (AWU) was organized in secret for about a year and formed to support employee activism, and fight discrimination and unfairness in the workplace.
“From fighting the ‘real names’ policy, to opposing Project Maven, to protesting the egregious, multi-million dollar payouts that have been given to executives who’ve committed sexual harassment, we’ve seen first-hand that Alphabet responds when we act collectively. Our new union provides a sustainable structure to ensure that our shared values as Alphabet employees are respected even after the headlines fade,” stated Program Manager Nicki Anselmo in a press release.
AWU is the first union in the company’s history, and it is open to all employees and contractors at any Alphabet company in the United States and Canada. The cost of membership is 1% of an employee’s total compensation, and the money collected will be used to fund the union organization.
In a response to the announcement, Google’s Director of People Operations, Kara Silverstein, said, “We’ve always worked hard to create a supportive and rewarding workplace for our workforce. Of course, our employees have protected labor rights that we support. But as we’ve always done, we’ll continue engaging directly with all our employees.”
Unlike other labor unions, the AWU is considered a “Minority Union”. This means it doesn’t need formal recognition from the National Labor Relations Board. However, it also means Alphabet can’t be forced to meet the union’s demands until a majority of employees support it.
So far, the number of members in the union represents a very small portion of Google’s workforce, but it’s growing every day. When the news of the union was first announced on Monday, roughly 230 employees made up the union. Less than 24 hours later, there were 400 employees in the union, and now that number jumped to over 500 employees.
Unions among Silicon Valley’s tech giants are rare, but labor activism is slowly picking up speed, especially with more workers speaking out and organizing.
“The Alphabet Workers Union will be the structure that ensures Google workers can actively push for real changes at the company, from the kinds of contracts Google accepts to employee classification to wage and compensation issues. All issues relevant to Google as a workplace will be the purview of the union and its members,” stated the AWU in a press release.
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U.S. gross domestic product, the broadest measure of goods and services produced across the economy, grew 2.6 percent in the fourth quarter of 2014, down from 5 percent in the previous quarter, according to the Commerce Department’s preliminary estimate released Friday. For the year, GDP increased 2.4 percent, up from 2.2 percent in 2013.
“The deceleration in real GDP growth in the fourth quarter primarily reflected an upturn in imports, a downturn in federal government spending, and decelerations in nonresidential fixed investment,” the Commerce Department said in its release.
A strengthening dollar and a slowdown in Asia is impacting U.S. exports, offsetting gains to the U.S. economy that were made in the last three months of the year from increased consumer spending and lower fuel prices. The annual growth rate still lingers below the average 3.4 percent seen in the 1990s.
Fourth-quarter growth was expected to decelerate on slowing business investment. Economists expected the U.S. economy to expand at a 3.1 percent annual pace in the fourth quarter, according to analysts polled by Reuters. The slower growth came after third-quarter expansion was 5 percent, the fastest pace in 11 years. GDP increased 4.6 percent in the second quarter, after decreasing 2.1 percent in the first due largely to harsh winter weather entering the year.
Following the report, the Dow Jones Industrial Average futures dropped 159 points, or 0.91 percent, to 17,273; the S&P 500 Index Futures fell 17 points, or 0.84 percent, to 2,001.5. The Nasdaq Composite Futures lost 18.25 points, or 0.41 percent, to 4,168.5.

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The number of internet users in Thailand could reach 52 million this year thanks to the proliferation of smartphones and increasing availability of broadband.
Gp Capt Anudith Nakornthap, the information and communication technology (ICT) minister, credited lower priced smartphones and tablets for the rise, and said it would represent a doubling in users since the end of last year, when Thailand had 26 million internet users, or about 37% of population.
Surangkana Wayuparb, director of the ICT Ministry's Electronic Transaction Development Agency (ETDA), said viral marketing is a powerful tool for companies involved in e-commerce.
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ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. –- Ralphs Grocery Co. is dropping Tree of Life, Inc. here as its natural and specialty food distributor. Tree of Life officials said the parting of the ways with the grocer will have little impact on its overall financial health.
"For the past several months Tree of Life and Ralphs have held discussions about the possible terms of a future business relationship," said Brian Evers, president of Tree of Life's West Region, in a statement. "Ultimately we were unable to reach terms that would have been accretive to our strategic goals. Until the end of the year, Tree of Life will continue to provide Ralphs with the support necessary to facilitate an orderly transition to another supplier."
While near-term modifications will be required, Tree of Life said the change is expected to have little financial or strategic impact.
"The scale of our Southern California operations without the Ralphs business is still on par with many of our other distribution centers throughout North America," said Evers. "We anticipate minimal impact from this announcement on our 2005 performance and no impact on achieving our long-term strategic goals. While we regret the outcome of our negotiations with Ralphs, Tree of Life remains fully committed to the long-term growth of its business in the California market."


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Vizio’s 2016 P series is not based on Google’s Android TV. In fact, it has no user interface or TV tuner. Instead it relies on a 6” tablet and deeply integrated Google Cast. The P series also boasts Dolby Vision and local dimming. It starts at $999.
Vizio’s 2016 P series
Vizio has started over. With the new P series the company has abandoned everything it knows about “smart” TVs and asked Google to help create a new type of simple, connected TV.
Everything on the TV is controlled via the included 6-inch Android based tablet. A new app named Vizio SmartCast allows you to search for content and cast it wirelessly to the TV. You can also open your favorite apps such as Netflix and YouTube and press the cast button. There is no user interface on the TV. Everything is based on Google Cast.
Normally, partnering with Google means adopting Android TV like Sony and Philips have done. Vizio has went in opposite direction and in the process also abandoned its previous Opera-based TV platform. This is also notable because it is the first time Google has allowed a TV manufacturer to integrate Google Cast without adopting Android TV. A new trend?
To be clear; there is no built-in tuner in Vizio’s new P series. There is a standard remote but it is meant to control only volume, video input switching and a few other things. Everything revolves around the tablet. You can use Google Cast to the TV from your Apple devices, too.
Vizio has also adopted Google Cast for a range of new wireless speakers.
Dolby Vision and local dimming
As for the hardware, Vizio will offer the 2016 P series in four sizes ranging from 50 to 75 inches.
All four models come with full-array local dimming with either 126 or 128 dimming zones. This effectively means that the TVs can control light in zones, enabling the TVs to do HDR. For this purpose Vizio has partnered with Dolby to integrate Dolby Vision. Yes that’s right, Dolby Vision has trickled down from Vizio’s pricey Reference series to the mid-range P series.
So what is missing compared to the much more expensive Reference TV? It is hard to tell. Vizio says its new P series also supports wide color gamut. The TVs cover 96 percent of the DCI-P3 color gamut, which should make those Dolby Vision movies pop. However, the TVs are not “UHD Premium” certified.
Vizio says that the TVs will have access to more than 30 Dolby Vision titles from Warner, including Mad Max: Fury Road, via the Vudu streaming service. Netflix and Amazon will launch Dolby Vision streaming very soon. However, Amazon does not yet support Google Cast.
The TVs naturally also offer Ultra HD resolution. There are 5 HDMI ports, four of which are HDMI 2.0. Vizio will release a firmware update later this year to enable HDMI 2.0a, which is required to receive HDR10 material from UHD Blu-ray players. One of the HDMI ports is optimized for gaming (low input lag). All models, except the 55” with an IPS panel, use VA panels.
Prices start at $999 and the TVs go on sale on March 27.


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Startup to start Australian food Nutritious ingredients It recently completed its first US $ 11 million funding round. Nourish Ingredients specializes in developing and producing fermented vegetable fats. The tour was led by Horizon Ventures and Main Sequence Ventures.
Nourish Ingredients have developed a proprietary yeast fermentation process, by which the molecular structure of animal fats can be completely reproduced on a plant-based basis. According to the company, this fermentation process is not only more environmentally friendly than traditional production, but it also ensures a better appearance of taste and mouth feel to the fat, unlike other vegetarian alternative products in the field.
“With the help of science, we have developed a variety of animal-free fat formulas to suit any type of protein taste. Now vegan meat and dairy products can not only be more sustainable than before, but they can also match the real thing in terms of taste and texture.” As stated in the company statement.
More information at www.nourishing.io.


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North Country businesses and officials are disappointed with news the Canadian border will remain closed for at least another 30 days, saying it’s damaging ties with our neighbors to the north hurting businesses.
Jreck Subs is less than two miles from the Canadian border. Owner Carol Garceau says the shop relies heavily on business from travelers to keep them afloat.
“We’re kind of devastated by it,” she said. “We were hoping that with us going into phase 3 the border would be back open.”
Canada and the United States agreed to extend the border closure Tuesday, meaning it will stay closed to non-essential business for an additional 30 days. At the border crossing Wednesday, a trickle of tractor trailers was the only sign of traffic.
“We’ve lost about a quarter of our business with the border shutdown,” she said. “Right now, we should have travelers from New York, New Jersey, plus our Montreal and Toronto people, so it’s affected us quite a bit.”
Garry Douglas, president of the North Country Chamber of Commerce, says our Canadian friends spend $375 million in Clinton County alone each year. “We’ve reached the point where we can’t keep accepting 30 day extensions without there being some kind of framework that says there is an intention by the 2 countries to work our way out of this.”
While he doesn’t deny the need to keep things closed a bit longer, Douglas says there needs to be some interim steps taken, like expanding business travel and lifting restrictions on family interaction.
“We can not wait until July 21st to have another conversation,” he said. “The social and economic fabric that connects Canadians and Americans, it’s being frayed, it’s being torn and we don’t see either government acknowledging that that is important.”


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New comments from a high-ranking Sony executive offer the latest proof that gamers will likely know the PlayStation 4 release date by the middle of 2013 at the latest. Though, it looks like May might be the earliest we can hope for.
During a recent interview regarding a variety of upcoming Sony initiatives, Vice President Hiroshi Sakamoto told emol.com that the company would likely announce the PlayStation 4 sometime during the Summer 2013. The Sony Home Entertainment executive teased an E3 announcement before admitting there was a strong possibility of a pre-E3 PlayStation 4 unveiling sometime during the month of May.
"I can only say that we are focused on the E3 gaming event," said Sakamoto [translated by Google]. "Maybe ... earlier in May. "
The Sony VP stopped short of out-right saying that some sort of PlayStation 4 news would arrive during May but did reiterate the possibility during a follow-up question. When asked whether or not the May news would be a small aside or major announcement, Sakamoto reportedly said that a major announcement was much more likely but stressed that Sony "must wait until May at least."
It's unknown if the PlayStation 4 release date will be be discussed during the console's official unveiling; however, as CVG notes, an increasingly large group of people believe the PlayStation 4 release date will arrive sometime during the next year. Unfortunately, the Sony executive also didn't comment on recent speculation that the company could ship the PlayStation 4 with technology that prevents gamers from playing used games.
In fact, many believe Sony is pushing to get the PlayStation 4 on the market before the Xbox 720 in hopes of getting an early jump on Microsoft in the next generation of the console wars. Unfortunately, for those anxiously awaiting any news on the PlayStation 4 release date, the new rumors cast even more doubt on prior speculation that Sony could unveil information about the Playstation 4 release date during a February press event being called Destination PlayStation.
Of course, Sakamoto's comments could just be the Sony executive's way of keeping the media on their toes when it comes to the PlayStation 4's official unveiling. The company certainly stands to benefit from continued media discussion/speculation regarding the PlayStation 4 release date; however, Sakamoto's comments do match up with a number of rumors regarding the PlayStation 4's unveiling and release date.
When do you think that Sony will reveal their new console and finally announce the PlayStation 4 release date?
Let us know in the comments section!


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The pet industry in Japan is booming, but there’s one area where the country lags behind much of the developed world: adoption rates. Unfortunately, the culture seems to privilege puppies over shelter dogs. Because adoptions are low, euthanisia rates are soaring; more than 50,000 dogs were put down in 2010 along.
The Wow Wow Circus hopes to change all that by bringing talented dogs to schools to both entertain the children and to teach them about responsible animal ownership:
“We need a system (for adopting abandoned dogs),” Kayo Takeda, a dog trainer, told Reuters. “The sales at pet shops are very high, but overseas the choice to adopt a dog is much more prevalent. I’d like to hope that Japan will move forward in that direction.”
Click here for the full story.


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𝐒𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐖𝐀𝐊 𝐈𝐒 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐘 𝐓𝐎 𝐇𝐎𝐒𝐓 𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐌𝐈𝐄𝐑 𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐍𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐋 𝐒𝐈𝐋𝐀𝐓 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐌𝐏𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐏 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟑
800 𝘴𝘪𝘭𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘳 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘚𝘗𝘐𝘚𝘊
The inaugural edition of the Sarawak Premier International Silat Championship 2023 (SPISC) promises an action-packed treat for combat sport and martial art fans at the Kuching Indoor Stadium.
A total of 800 silat exponents from 16 countries will be vying for supremacy from the 27th of February till the 5th of March in the maiden championship which is scheduled to be held at the “Land of Hornbills”, Sarawak.
Premier of Sarawak, Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri (Dr) Abang Abdul Rahman Zohari Tun Datuk Abang Haji Openg expressed that Sarawak is ready to stage the event for the international athletes to showcase their combating skills while providing a perfect sporting platform for silat fans around the world to witness the prestigious tournament.
He said, “Sarawak is ready to unlatch the arena for silat exponents from 16 countries to battle. In fact, preparations in terms of logistics are now at their best ahead of this premier class championship.
“The reception for this inaugural edition is overwhelming as countries such as Indonesia, Singapore, Pakistan, the United Kingdom will partake in heating up the city of Kuching during the week of the event,” he added. @rumpun_silat_sarawak #SPISC2023#SarawakPremier#SilatSarawak#Silat#silatfortheworld#SPISC+4


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With Chinese stocks in the spotlight following recent stellar gains, a data deluge from Beijing could move markets further this week.
Trade, inflation, industrial output, retail sales figures and fixed asset investment for November are on tap. The reports come amid expectations of more broad-based stimulus measures from the People's Bank of China (PBoC) following a surprise interest rate cut late last month.
"November data will likely show China's economy running below potential, adding to speculation about further monetary easing," said economists at Moody's Analytics in a note.
Revised Japanese growth data will also be in focus alongside Australian employment figures and a raft of central bank decisions.
China data breakdown
Trade data on Monday is expected to paint a gloomy picture for exports.
"We estimate that export growth fell from 11.6 percent on year in October to 7.5 percent in November, and import growth from 4.6 percent on year to 3.5 percent," said Citi in a report.
Read MoreWhy OPEC's pain is China's gain
Still, China's trend of record trade surpluses is set to continue, with Citi predicting a $43.1 billion surplus compared with October's $45.5 billion surplus.
Consumer price inflation (CPI) on Wednesday is likely to remain at a five-year low, unchanged from October, while producer price inflation (PPI) is expected to drop 2.4 percent on year, versus a 2.2 percent fall in October, said Shane Oliver, head of investment strategy and chief economist at AMP Capital.


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A memorial service is to be held on Monday (7 November) for Halewood International founder John Halewood, who died three weeks ago.
The industry is mourning the loss of John Halewood, chairman, CEO and co-founder of wine and spirits supplier Halewood International, who passed away last weekend. Halewood, 64, was a popular industry figure and tributes describing him as...
Style guru Gok Wan has launched his first clothing range into Sainsbury s. The Gok for Tu range of 13 items launched into 200 Sainsbury s stores this morning, with prices starting at 20.
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Co-Founder, Just Made
H-E-B Partnering for Success
By Blithe Wiley
Co-founders of the cold-pressed juice company Just Made, Norka Nimocks and her husband, Walter, spent a number of years living and traveling through several countries in South America before returning to the United States. One of their favorite rituals while living in South America was enjoying fresh juice every morning.
“We would see the papaya or the guava transformed into juice right in front of us,” Nimocks explained. “It was so fresh and delicious. When we moved back to the U.S., we thought it would be wonderful to share the juices we love with people here.”
In 2016, the Nimocks started Just Made in their kitchen, experimenting with various South American juice recipes and ingredients, including functional ingredients like turmeric for added health benefits.
Just Made entered H-E-B’s “Quest for Texas Best” competition in 2017 and was one of more than 600 contestants. They were named a finalist that year and, as a result, began selling their 11 different juices in H-E-B stores in 2019. The company’s juices range from Ginger Greens and Pink Guava to Turmeric Defense and Mango Moringa.
“When we first started selling our juices in H-E-B, our products were located in the refrigerated juice section near the dairy section,” Nimocks said. “But our customers weren’t looking for juices like ours there. When we would give out samples of our juices at marathons, people would say to us, ‘I can’t find you in the produce section.’ We gave this feedback to H-E-B, and they agreed to move our juices to the produce section of their stores. That’s when our sales really took off,” she explained.
The Nimocks consider it a great honor to have their products in H-E-B, and this opportunity has impacted how they operate their business.
“H-E-B has such high expectations for its suppliers, and this pushes us to maintain the absolute highest standards at all times with regard to our products.”
Nimocks also notes that Just made shares H-E-B’s commitment to giving back to the communities in which it operates.
“H-E-B does so much for its communities in Texas. Whenever there is a disaster, like a hurricane, they go into the affected communities and provide disaster relief, like food and water. Just Made supports the communities from where we source our products in Latin America and the Caribbean. We donate 5 cents of every bottle sold to support local schools, teachers, and students in those countries. It’s our way of helping to empower our farming communities and their families.”


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SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--InfoScout, America’s richest source of consumer purchase data, is awarding cash donations totaling $1,126,480 to thousands of schools across the country this year, thanks to the popularity of the free Shoparoo mobile app.
This marks the largest reward to date, and the first time since the program’s inception in 2012 that donations have exceeded $1 million. Both participation and fundraising totals increased dramatically from the previous fundraising year, when schools collectively raised $823,500.
The Shoparoo app makes school fundraising easy and fun, allowing users to earn cash donations for the school of their choice each time they upload a photo of a receipt regardless of what they buy or where they shop, in-store or online.
“We love Shoparoo and our parents have really jumped on board with the use of the app,” says Pineapple Cove Classical Academy principal Kelly Gunter. “We select a large scale item to focus on each year as a fundraising effort and this year's money will go towards a shade structure for our playground.”
Shoparoo is part of InfoScout’s portfolio of apps that captures receipt data across a broad range of channels from a massive, representative sample of shoppers. Collectively, these apps have rewarded their users with nearly $6.5 million. The portfolio includes Receipt Hog, Receipt Bin, and the newest addition, Receipt Lottery, in which users take photos of everyday shopping and dining receipts to earn lotto-like tickets in a weekly sweepstakes drawing for a $1 million jackpot.
The receipt data captured from these apps allows InfoScout to observe, measure and analyze shopping behavior in near real-time without influencing how people shop. Retailers and brands then use InfoScout analytics to gain deeper insights into customer behavior and how purchase decisions are influenced.
“InfoScout’s rapid growth has translated into very real benefits for schools around the country,” says InfoScout CEO Jared Schrieber. “I’m thrilled that we were able to funnel a record-setting amount of money that brands and retailers pour into market research back into a worthy cause like education.”
InfoScout looks forward to supporting local communities and rewarding even more schools with cash donations for Shoparoo fundraising in the 2016-2017 school year.
For more information about InfoScout, visit www.infoscout.co.
InfoScout helps brands and retailers grow via next generation consumer insights derived from America’s largest purchase panel. Through its portfolio of proprietary mobile apps that engage a representative sample of American shoppers, InfoScout captures nearly 1 out of every 500 shopping trips made across the country. These shoppers also complete in-the-moment surveys to more fully explain the ‘why behind the buy.’ With more than 100 million brick-and-mortar and ecommerce receipts captured annually, InfoScout has rapidly become a primary source of real-time, omnichannel behavioral insights for industry leaders such as Procter & Gamble, J&J, Chobani, Red Bull, Under Armour and NBC Universal.


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The brand new Muta and Muta Wireless are finally here, the latest game controllers from Trust that represent an important addition to the company’s portfolio
In addition to offering unique features that every gamer will appreciate, the devices have also been designed with the environment in mind. With 2023 set to be a key year for the gaming industry, i Muta controller by Trust they mark the first of several planned launches this year from the Company’s 2023 gaming division.
Let’s find out the latest arrivals in the Trust house, the brand new Muta and Muta Wireless
By replacing the current Yula controllers, this new generation of gamepads offers, not only an elegant and renewed design, but also a more sustainable one.
Made, in fact, with 75% recycled plastici due controller Muta (also in wireless format) are in line with the corporate mission of Trust for one more sustainable production also in the gaming sector.
The Muta Wireless is a real gem in the Trust Gaming portfolio: users will indeed have it at their disposal different ways to use their device, with three connection modes: via receiver USB a 2,4 GHz, Bluetooth o cavo USB and compatibility with PC, laptop, Android, iOS, Nintendo Switch.
The wireless function allows great freedom of movementwhile the built-in rechargeable battery allows you to never interrupt the game, even while charging. Also, thanks to the motion sensor of the Nintendo Switch, players can experience motion control compatible games like never before.
Both the wireless and wired versions come with a number of additional features:
- Pressure sensitive triggers for more precise and accurate control during gameplay.
- Interchangeable D-pad covers to customize your gamepad
- Realistic adaptive vibration feedback for a fully immersive gaming experience
- An extra-long 3m cable for charging (wireless) and plug & play capability (wired)
- 15 responsive buttons, 2 analog joysticks and an 8-way D-pad
Muta e Muta Wireless are already available at a price of €29.99 and €39.99 for the wireless version.
And you? What do you think of this new one Muta of Trust ? Let us know with a comment below and always stay tuned su techgameworld.com for other news and reviews from the world of technology (and not only!).
The Trust article presents the new Muta controller comes from techgameworld.com.


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Monday, February 15, 1999 Published at 10:46 GMT
Government 'covered up food report'
Genetically modified vegetables: Concerns
The scientist whose research sparked new fears over genetically modified (GM) foods has reportedly accused the government of covering up his findings.
It obtained a letter said to be written by Dr Putsztai to a sympathiser, in which the scientist accused Scottish Health Minister Sam Galbraith of "sitting on our conclusions".
"Let us hope that eventually everything will be revealed as in a civilised democratic society it should be."
The Scottish Office said it had received the alternative report as a matter of course, but it was up to Dr Puztai's former employer, the Rowett Research Institute (RRI) to publish it.
He is barred from speaking publicly about the affair.
Research released on Friday gave fresh support to Dr Putsztai's previously discredited findings.
The row deepened on Sunday following newspaper allegations that the Rowett Institute received £140,000 from Monsanto, one of the leading companies in the GM industry.
The government refuses calls for a moratorium on GM food research.
But public concerns remain. A weekend poll on the BBC's teletext service Ceefax received 10,392 calls from viewers saying they would not eat genetically modified potatoes - 280 people rang to say they would.
Government 'underplaying' GM use
The government has also come under attack from the campaigning group GeneWatch for allowing "the GM situation to get out of control".
GeneWatch said that more GM products were being used in food production than the government has admitted to.
According to the government, the only GM food products now on sale are tomato paste, some soya and maize, and cheeses made with a GM rennet.
But GeneWatch said 12 other GM enzymes were licensed for use in a wide range of processed foods.
"No-one knows the true extent of GM in food because so little of it is labelled or monitored," said GeneWatch director Dr Sue Mayer. "It could be used in up to 90% of processed foods in our supermarkets."
Supermarket labels praised
But the Consumer Association praised supermarket labelling, saying a voluntary code of practice exceeded European law on GM food. Current rules introduced last September require certain specified GM soya and maize products to be labelled as such.
The consumer watchdog's spokeswoman said: "We believe that all products that are derived by the process of genetic modification should be labelled.
"The EU regulation that is currently in place doesn't even go as far as some of the supermarkets have. They have taken public opinion and concern about GM products on board."


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(Pocket-lint) – One of the things Apple announced during its Spring Loaded April 2021 event is a new camera feature for the latest iPad Pro. Called Center Stage, it allows you to go hands-free and multitask during a video call because it’ll track you and keep you in the shot the entire time.
What is Center Stage and how does it work?
Apple said Center Stage uses the iPad Pro’s new 12-megapixel ultra-wide TrueDepth camera, along with machine learning technology, to recognise a user and keep them in center view. So, as you move around during a video call on the iPad Pro, it will automatically pan the camera to keep you in the shot.
If others hop into the video call, Apple said Center Stage will recognise them too and zoom out to fit everyone into the view. Center Stage actually reminds us of similar camera features found on Facebook Portal and even the Amazon Echo Show 10, so Apple certainly isn’t the first to offer such technology.
Want to see a demo of Center Stage?
Check out Apple’s Spring Loaded event video below. It should start at the 46:12 mark – when the Center Stage portion begins.
Apple imagines the feature being useful during white-boarding sessions with coworkers or family get-togethers or, as shown in a demo video during its Spring Loaded event, it could be used while you’re cooking and on a video call. The idea is, with Center Stage, your video calls should be more engaging.
Does Center Stage only work with FaceTime?
While Apple didn’t elaborate during its Spring Loaded event whether Center Stage would be exclusive to FaceTime calls, reporter Federico Viticci has claimed third-party apps will be able to take advantage of the feature, and that there will be an API available for developers to toggle the feature on or off.
Which devices support Center Stage?
At launch, Center Stage is exclusive to the 2021 iPad Pro model, as it sports Apple’s new 12-megapixel ultra-wide TrueDepth camera. However, we suspect it’ll eventually come to other Apple devices, perhaps even future iPad and iPhone models. That’s purely speculation at this point, though.
Want to know more?
There are not many details about Center Stage just yet, so check out our Apple news hub if you’re in the mood to digest everything Apple-related.
Writing by Maggie Tillman.


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One got bulky. One got boring. Now, Toyota and Honda are talking about the ways they plan to recapture buyers and market share lost due to challenges from every direction.
At the top, they've gotten squeezed by the surging Detroit automakers. To the side, they're facing a charge from fellow Japanese player Nissan, which had a strong 2011.
From the bottom, Toyota and Honda are battling the Korean siblings, Hyundai and Kia, who would dearly love to displace them as the top-rated Asian pair.
There is no better place to roll out a strategy than the North American International Auto Show, and that's what Toyota and Honda are doing this week in Detroit.
For Honda, the tactic is a big burst of new products, long needed for a reliable brand that suffered body blows in 2011, first from Japan's earthquake and tsunami, which disrupted production there, and then floods in Thailand that interrupted flows of parts.
Asked Monday how he'd describe 2011, Honda's CEO Takanobu Ito first answered, "bad," and then revised that to "jinxed." It was such an awful year, said Ito, that he prayed on New Year's Day at the Toshogu shrine in Nikko, Japan, for the company's recovery.
Aiming for a 20 percent increase in sales, Honda unveiled the beginnings of its hoped-for comeback on Monday. A key tactic is the revival of Acura, which was the first Japanese luxury brand in the United States, but which has since been overshadowed by Toyota's Lexus as well as Germany's BMW, Audi and Mercedes-Benz.
Its most eye-catching new car is also one that raised eyebrows in 1990: the NS-X sports car. Acura drew a monster crowd, and sustained applause, when Ito showed off a concept version he says will be on sale within three years.
Ito was on the engineering team that developed the first NS-X, and the success of the new model may well determine whether Honda can push past its image for building good quality, but mundane cars. It's been seven years since the last NS-X was built, and unlike those, which were made in Japan, the new NS-X will be produced at a new manufacturing plant in Ohio.
Along with NS-X, Honda showed a freshened version of the RDX sport utility, and an all-new car, the ILX, a small luxury car aimed at aging Generation Y buyers, who Honda says are looking for their first luxury cars. (Take a second to feel really old.)


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Oculus have announced that Beat Saber will be one of the launch titles for the on-the-go VR gaming system Oculus Quest, which should provide additional movement flexibility to the players due to not being restricted to a single room.
Oculus Quest is probably the pioneer of the next steps of VR gaming as it is an all-in-one headset with controllers that doesn't require a PC or cables to run. This should offer the user unprecedented freedom of movement and immersion as they don't have to watch out for cables they could step or trip on.
As Beat Saber is one of the most popular VR games right now, it was only a matter of time before it was announced for Oculus Quest, but the company went one step further an announced it as one of the launch titles.
Technically, Beat Saber doesn't require much movement itself as the player only needs to move their arms in order to follow the rhythm and wreck those cubes in a proper direction most of the time. Still, experiencing the high tempo music in the game without the constraints of having a PC or cables around should definitely improve the experience.
Beat Games' head of marketing, Michaela Dvorak, that one of the best qualities of Beat Saber is that the game was polished even while being in Steam's Early Access, which many fans noticed themselves. For that reason, she liked Oculus Quest as it managed to deliver stunning visuals, smooth and polished gameplay and great tracking.
The last bit is probably the most important once you get into a heated part of the song where snappy controls will come in handy to keep the combo up.
While no cables is one of Oculus Quest's main strengths, it may also prove to be a weakness as it's possible a battery could be near depletion during a gaming session, which would likely impair the said tracking. It was already confirmed the system is not as powerful as Oculus Rift but this was expected due to its mobile nature.


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Last summer’s record spike in oil prices, which shot gas prices up to $4 a gallon or more, may have subsided for now, but the memory of painful prices at the pump still resonates with consumers and automakers.
Add to that the rising tide of legislators, policymakers and environmentalists calling for cleaner cars on the road, and the result is the one of the largest pushes for increased fuel efficiency in U.S. history.
The gas-guzzling SUVs and trucks that once ruled the road during the era of cheap gas are now looked at with derision. In their place are smaller, more efficient compacts and mid-size vehicles like the Chevy Cobalt, Ford Focus, Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla.
Emerging technologies like hybrid engines, combining electric power with combustion engines, advance fuel efficiency technologies even further, as seen in Toyota’s Prius (the “icon of green automobiles,” according to U.S. News and World Report), or Ford’s upcoming Fusion Hybrid model.
At the federal government level, vastly improved fuel efficiency is a priority, as seen in legislation passed by Congress in 2007 mandating that fuel efficiency for cars and trucks meet or exceed 35 mpg by 2020.
“These standards are important steps in the nation’s quest to achieve energy independence and bring more fuel efficient vehicles to American families,” transportation secretary Ray LaHood said in a statement.
The 2011 fuel economy standards, an early step toward that 2020 goal, mandate that cars get an average of 30.2 mpg and light trucks—including SUVs, pick-up trucks and vans—get, on average, 24.1 mpg.
But can automakers keep up with federal fuel economy mandates? Will the technologies needed to achieve a 35 mpg industry standard be in place for 2011 models?
So far, international car companies seem to have lead the way in recent decades in improved in fuel economy.
Smaller cars like the Toyota Corolla and Honda Civic consistently lead all of the auto industry in getting the most miles for each gallon, earning 30 mpg and 29 mpg, respectively. (The 2009 Honda Civic Hybrid gets an impressive 42 mpg, but costs around $27,000.) These cars are priced at reasonable levels as well: A 2009 Honda Civic base model costs $15,505, and a 2009 Toyota Corolla base model starts at $15,350.
And, of course, there’s the Toyota Prius, the established leader in hybrid cars whose 2009 model gets 46 mpg, which has lead the way in alternative automotive technologies since landing on showroom floors in 2004, despite its slightly higher price. A 2009 Prius base model costs $23,375.
On the domestic front, despite the existential questions surrounding Chrysler and General Motors, both companies and the slightly more well-off Ford Motor Company have shifted away from larger, more expensive pick-ups and SUVs toward smaller, more fuel efficient cars like the Chevy Cobalt (30 mpg, around $15,000) and the more compact Ford Fiesta compact.
U.S. automakers haven’t enjoyed the same success as the foreign companies when it comes to more fuel efficient vehicles, but hope ambitious investments in battery-powered cars could help them elbow in on the emerging alternative technologies market—and, in the case of General Motors, prevent the company from complete collapse.
Much has been made of the Chevy Volt, a battery-powered, plug-in vehicle that would get 40 miles on a single battery charge and have an estimated range of 640 miles using the battery and gasoline-powered engine. The New York Times called the Volt “G.M.’s Latest Great Green Hope.”
Indeed, much of GM’s future success is pinned on the success of the Volt, the much anticipated new breeds of cars powered by a cutting-edge lithium ion battery that is slated to hit showrooms in late next year.
The major downside with the Volt is its estimated cost—upwards of $40,000 at first, which could turn off buyers despite the longer-term savings of less gas consumption.
“If you’re the affluent individual who wants to make a statement, it’s one thing,” Ron Pinelli, president of MotorIntelligence.com, an industry analysis firm, told The Times. “If you’re Joe the Commuter, you’re not going to spend $40,000 on an electric car. It’s insane.”
Martin Zimmerman, a University of Michigan professor and auto industry, did not respond to multiple requests for comment on the viability and potential success of the Volt, and on the future of fuel economy in the U.S.
In the next four years, Ford also plans to unveil a battery-powered electric small car and commercial van by 2011 and 2010, respectively, and a plug-in hybrid vehicle as well by 2012.
But no matter how impressive vehicles with alternative energy technologies are, the chances that they’ll catch on among Americans is slim until they come down in price. While it’s true the savings in gas expenditures over the life of car will make up for the initial price, consumers will almost always balk at a sticker price in the range of $25,000 to $40,000.
In short, like all green technologies and products, affordability is crucial to success.
Fortunately, until the Chevy Volts and Honda Civic Hybrics come down in cost, there are affordable options with high fuel economy using existing technologies. And with the federal government nudging automakers toward better fuel efficiency, the country appears to be on the right track toward a more efficient, environmentally friendly auto industry.
But with the urgency surrounding the need to curb greenhouse gas emissions growing by the day, the question remains: Will fuel economy efforts by automakers and the government be too little too late?


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Would You Drink Purified Sewage?
"MIT Technology Review columnist Joe Chung assesses Ovation Products, a company that seeks to bring cheap, affordable, clean water to the world. The company claims that its distiller can take water contaminated with virtually anything, from pathogens to toxic chemicals, and produce 45 liters of pure distilled water each hour for the astonishing price of less than one fifth of a cent per liter. But can Ovation overcome the 'yuck factor' that may stand in the way of its water-recycling vision?"
Thanks to MIT's Technology Review Newsletter


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Pandemic fever grips the world, but producers still plan to spend as much as $15 billion to plant close to 60 million acres of crops
Unemployment is up, retail sales are down, restaurants are closing, hotels are empty, tourism has ground to a halt, and the oil and gas industry has taken a bruising.
Without a doubt, there are few segments of the western Canadian economy that haven’t been hammered since precautions were put in place to limit the spread of COVID-19.
But if there’s one industry that’s capable of weathering the storm in relatively good shape, it’s agriculture, says Saskatchewan farmer Daryl Fransoo.
“These are definitely strange times, there’s no doubt about that,” said Fransoo, who’s been watching the economic meltdown from his farm near Glaslyn, Sask.
“But as a farmer and an agriculture industry representative, I think we’re in a good spot compared to a lot of other businesses or industries out there.
“As an industry, I think we can help to lead the economy back to where it was, as long as we can get on our fields in a timely manner… and as long as trains, trucks and boats continue to move.”
In the next few weeks, Fransoo will begin the annual ritual of sinking hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of fertilizer, seed and crop protection products into the ground.
On his farm, Fransoo will seed about 5,500 acres of cropland this spring.
Across the West, other grain and oilseed producers will plant close to 60 million acres of wheat, barley, canola and pulse crops. In doing so, they’ll spend as much as $15 billion on variable-cost crop inputs including labour, fuel, fertilizer, seed and crop protection products.
That is a huge economic stimulus at a time when the battered western Canadian economy needs it most.
At Fransoo’s farm, the fertilizer required to plant this year’s crop has been in place since early winter. Seed supplies are also on-farm and crop protection products have been mostly delivered.
The only thing needed now is warm weather and sunshine.
“COVID has affected a lot of peoples’ lives but it hasn’t affected how we’re going to seed our crops this spring,” said Fransoo.
“It’s changed some of our habits and practices on the farm as far as social distancing is concerned and following some of the rules and regulations that government has put in place, but as far as production or spring seeding is concerned, nothing has changed.”
Fransoo’s assessment is consistent with comments made by other ag industry insiders, who have suggested that agriculture is one of few industries that could come through the COVID-19 pandemic in reasonably good shape.
Already there’s a renewed global emphasis on the importance of food production, said Fransoo.
“I think it’s time that farmers … and the science behind what we do, gets recognized, at least that’s my hope,” he said.
“We’re not only supporting the economy and providing employment. We’re also producing food as safely as we can, as efficiently as we can and as sustainably as we can, and I hope that finally gets recognized.”
Nearly 1,000 kilometres away in southern Manitoba, farmer Landon Friesen is also gearing up for another busy spring season.
This year, Friesen plans to plant about 7,000 acres on his farm near Crystal City, Man., just a few kilometres from the U.S. border.
Over the past few weeks, Friesen has been working to ensure that as many crop inputs as possible are in place on his farm.
Like Fransoo, Friesen sees disruptions in transportation and logistics as one of the farm’s biggest risks entering the 2020 production season.
As far as spending on crop production is concerned, it will be business as usual.
“We’re getting our seed delivered here in the next week so it sounds like everything is on schedule there,” said Friesen.
“I think we have about 90 percent of our fertilizer in place now and we’re also trying to get as much chemical in place as possible, instead of just going to the dealer for it as it’s needed.
“We just want to make sure it’s on the shop floor instead of sitting at the dealer and relying on retailers to have it….”
Friesen agreed that in the midst of a global health crisis, people are starting to place a greater value on primary agriculture.
“There’s a reason why farming is deemed an essential service. Everybody has to eat,” he said.
“We’ve seen some good, strong upticks in commodity markets lately and I believe that’s going to continue to happen as this (pandemic) drags out.”
Friesen said some farms may postpone spending on discretionary items, such as new farm equipment purchases, for the time being.
In a few months’ time, there might be bargains to be found at farm equipment dealerships that “need to move some iron.”
But as far as this year’s crop is concerned, cutting costs on inputs is not an option worth considering.
“It’s business as usual. Full steam ahead,” said Friesen.
“That’s one area where we refuse to skimp out is on growing a crop.”
Kent Erickson, a grain and livestock producer from Irma, Alta., said agriculture has always been a “steady, stable” engine.
In northern Alberta, many grain and oilseed farmers left a significant portion of last year’s crop in the field, so short–term cash flow needs and debt-servicing capacity are top-of-mind, Erickson said.
Other prevalent risks include potential disruptions in logistics, transportation services and global food supply chains.
It remains to be seen how the pandemic will affect Canada’s agricultural exports to countries like the United States, China and India, for example.
“I guess the one bright spot in all of this is that whenever you have any kind of a crisis… food tends to become the most important commodity,” Erickson said.
“Agriculture is a real base engine for a lot of other industries in Western Canada,” he added.
“We use diesel fuel and gas and lubricants from the oil and gas industry. We fuel the rural engines, whether its groceries or restaurants or equipment dealerships or service companies, and we create jobs in our own communities.
“As long as we can stay healthy and get the crop in the ground this spring, I think everything will be OK,” he added.
“That’s the main thing that this pandemic has done on our farm, is convinced us to put a bit more emphasis on making sure everyone is healthy and safe.”


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MUMBAI: India’s monsoon rains are likely to be 97 percent of their long-term average in 2018, its meteorological department said yesterday, reassuring farmers ahead of summer planting in a country where only half of the farmland is irrigated.
What are the categories?
A normal, or average, monsoon means rainfall between 96 percent and 104 percent of a 50-year average of 89 cm in total during the four-month monsoon season from June, according to the India Meteorological Department’s (IMD) classification. Rainfall below 90 percent of the average would be classified as a drought. During Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s first two years in office, in 2014 and 2015, there were consecutive droughts that led to some criticism due to the government’s handling of the issue. Rainfall above 110 percent of the average would mean an excessive monsoon, which would not be as damaging as a drought but could be potentially harmful for the yields of certain crops. The monsoon season starts with rains on the southern Kerala coast around June 1, covering the whole country by the middle of July.
Why is monsoon important?
The monsoon delivers about 70 percent of India’s annual rainfall and determines the yield of key crops such as rice, wheat, sugarcane and oilseeds such as soybeans. The farm sector accounts for about 15 percent of India’s $2 trillion economy, but employs more than half of the country’s 1.3 billion people. If monsoon rains lift farm output, it can boost demand for consumer goods as it raises incomes of rural people. A stronger economic outlook would lift equities, mainly for companies selling products in rural areas, including consumer goods, automobiles, fertilizers and pesticides. India is self-sufficient in crops such as rice and wheat, but a drought would require the country to import foodstuffs. In 2009, India imported sugar after poor rains, sending global prices to record highs and pushing up local inflation.
Monsoon rains replenish reservoirs and groundwater, allowing better irrigation and more hydropower output. Higher rainfall can trim demand for subsidized diesel, which is used to pump water from wells for irrigation.
Inflation, central bank policy
Food accounts for 50 percent of India’s consumer price index, which the central bank closely monitors while deciding on monetary policy. A bumper farm output would keep food prices under control. During past droughts, the government supported farmers by giving out incentives, straining the fiscal deficit. A good monsoon will limit government spending on such measures.
How reliable is forecast?
The IMD issues its first forecast typically more than a month ahead of the monsoon’s onset. On average, its forecast has been accurate only once every five years over the past two decades, even after taking into account an error band of plus or minus 5 percentage points. The IMD’s forecast for the 2017 monsoon was its most accurate since 2008. Last year, there was a difference of only 1 percentage point between the forecast and the actual rainfall. Even during normal monsoon years, some parts of India face drought, while some others suffer from floods.
The IMD will come out with a second forecast for the 2018 monsoon rains in June. Why is the monsoon important for Prime Minister Modi ahead of the 2019 elections? Modi, who has promised to double farmers’ income over five years, remains popular nearly four years into his term. Farmer unrest, however, has flared in some states ruled by his party, catching regional leaders flat-footed. A normal monsoon could lead to higher output of summer-sown crops, helping state leaders placate farmers.- Reuters


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Experts At Amazon, Google, Dell: Cybersecurity Begins At Home
National Cybersecurity Alliance panel focuses on how average American consumers need more informaton to recognize and combat cyberthreats
Cybersecurity in America won’t dramatically improve until a more comprehensive approach is taken to educate and train the average consumer about the daily cyberthreats they face at home, not just at work, a group of security experts said on Tuesday.
In preparation for Cybersecurity Awareness Month 2022 in October, the nonprofit National Cybersecurity Alliance hosted a virtual panel discussion on Tuesday with top security officials from Amazon, Google, Dell, KnowBe4 and NortonLifeLock.
The goal: to explore what organizations are doing to address cyberthreats and how to better educate consumers about what they can do to prevent cyberattacks, especially at home.
[RELATED STORY: The Top Three Cybersecurity Threats In 2022: WatchGuard]
Panelists generally agree that both cybersecurity technologies and public awareness have indeed improved in recent years. Yet, cyberattacks continue to increase in both their volume and severity, requiring stepped up efforts to better educate and train people on how to recognize and avoid cyberthreats, panelists said.
“We got a lot of work to do,” said Jenny Brinkley, director, Amazon Security, during the Tuesday morning session.
Perry Carpenter, chief evangelist and strategy officer at KnowBe4, said there’s reason for optimism on the cybersecurity front due to improved technologies and communication about threats.
But he agreed a new “culture of resiliency” will require more people adopting “best practices” of cybersecurity at home, where people are increasingly connected to the internet today due to the rise in remote work.
“We need to adopt (sound) behaviors at home because we know when you understand your home environment better you will naturally start to appreciate the things that you should do in the work environment better,” Carpenter said.
In response to a question from NCA executive director Lisa Plaggemier about whether a “generational gap” requires different education approaches for different groups of people, Carpenter expressed concern that emphasizing generational approaches to security might lead to a form of “profiling.”
He said he hopes incremental progress through various initiatives, including awareness campaigns, will ultimately lead to long-term positive outcomes. “Ten years from now, we shouldn’t be asking about generational gaps. We should be starting to see where people are really receiving the same information,” he said.
But NortonLifeLock CTO Darren Shou said there are indeed generational differences when it comes to cyberthreats. He noted that surveys show people over 76 tend to like digitally communicating via email, thus making them more prone to email phishing strikes.
Kate Charlet, director for data governance at Google, said that much of raising awareness comes down to education and “being very dynamic for the audience‘s that we’re trying to reach.”
She said one Google programs involves “teaching kids how to use the internet responsibly.”
No matter where cybersecurity is taught, Amazon’s Brinkley said it’s important that down-to-earth language is used.
“Let‘s not make it scary,” she said of any future education or awareness campaigns. “Let’s figure out ways that we can kind of unpack how a lot of us have been trained over the years on how security should be leveraged.”
Google’s Charlet said “nerd speak” clearly needs to be eliminated from cybersecurity awareness and education campaigns. She noted that Google has reached out to popular social-media “influencers” to get public messages across about various initiatives.
Josh Jaffe, vice president of cybersecurity at Dell Technologies, said that no matter what course society takes to make people more aware of cyberthreats, it’s important to make consumers feel in control.
“It‘s about empowering individuals to make good decisions that bring risk down and start to bring trust up,” he said.


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Continue Reading Below
"Tesla will make fabulous short shorts in radiant red satin with gold trim," the billionaire said. "Will send some to the Shortseller Enrichment Commission to comfort them through these difficult times"
In another tweet, Musk wrote, "SEC, three letter acronym, middle word is Elon's."
The tweets immediately received pushback, with one user warning Musk that his latest comments toward the SEC are "dangerous," to which Musk responded, "But sooo satisfying."
The SEC sued Musk in September 2018 for securities fraud over tweets claiming he had funding to take Tesla private at $420 a share. As part of the settlement, Musk stepped down from his role as chairman of the company for three years and paid a $20 million fine.
The SEC declined to comment on Musk's latest tweets.
The jabs at the agency come as part of a victory lap by Musk after Tesla's second-quarter production and deliveries shattered Wall Street expectations despite a shutdown of its Fremont, California, plant due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The Palo Alto, California-based electric-vehicle manufacturer produced more than 82,000 vehicles and delivered more than 90,000 vehicles for the three-month period ending in June.
Tesla stock climbed to a record intraday high of $1,228 earlier Thursday before closing at $1,208.66 per share by the end of the trading session, up more than 7 percent.


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Johnson & Johnson Defends Withdrawal of PMA for Rejected Hips
Los Angeles, CA, February 16, 2012 – The Johnson & Johnson Company is facing more criticism after a recent New York Times article revealed that the company continued to market a metal hip resurfacing system overseas, despite the fact that the FDA failed to approve the device. According to the Massachusetts Medical Devices Journal, a company spokesperson called the move a business decision.
Reportedly, the company had submitted an application for a metal hip resurfacing system that was similar to a metal hip replacement already being sold in the U.S. The company opted to withdraw its premarket approval application for the resurfacing system after receiving notice from the FDA that additional clinical data would be required in order to evaluate the device’s safety. According to the Times article, Johnson & Johnson continued to market the device to health professionals overseas but it is unclear whether the company disclosed the FDA’s nonapproval of the metal hips.
The withdrawal of the PMA came around the same time as health officials were questioning the safety of the device that was already on the market, the ASR hip, manufactured by the company’s DePuy Orthopaedics division. The ASR hip was approved under the FDA’s 510(k) system, which allows manufacturers to seek approval for a device without additional safety testing if they can prove that a substantially equivalent product is already on the market.
It is unclear how many patients may have received one of the rejected hips but it is believed that as many as 93,000 patients worldwide were implanted with one of the ASR hips. These devices have since been linked to a number of complications, including pain, swelling, loss of mobility and metallosis. Johnson & Johnson is currently facing numerous lawsuits from patients who claim they were injured by a DePuy hip.
Attorney Jeffrey Nadrich believes that there may be many more patients in the U.S. who are either unaware of the recall or have yet to experience complications caused by one of these devices. Patients who were injured after receiving a DePuy metal hip implant are encouraged to complete a MedWatch form by visiting the Food and Drug Administration’s website.
Nadrich & Cohen, LLP is offering confidential, no-cost consultations to patients across the country who believe they were harmed by a defective hip. Help is available by calling the firm’s injury hotline at 1-800-718-4658 or by completing an online case evaluation form at www.depuyhipreplacementlawyers.net.
Nadrich & Cohen LLP is a national law firm with offices in Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Diego and other cities throughout California specializing in handling mass tort actions and representing individuals in cases involving pharmaceutical companies and medical device manufacturers. The firm is committed to achieving the best outcome possible in every case and has recovered over $200 million in settlements on behalf of its clients.
In addition to handling DePuy and Zimmer hip claims, the firm is also investigating cases involving Yaz, Actos, Avandia, Fosamax, Paxil, Zoloft, Vaginal Mesh, Wright Conserve Hips, Stevens-Johnson Syndrome, Benzene, Reflex Sympathy Dystrophy, Fen Phen and PPH and Depakote. For more information, visit www.personalinjurylawcal.com.
National Client Intake Coordinator
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By Barry Janoff
October 18, 2013: The NBA, which has been big on growth in China for nearly three decades, this week unveiled new moves intended to enhance and expand that growth for upcoming decades.
Earlier this week, NBA China and former player Yao Ming shared details about the first NBA Yao School, located in Beijing, which will beginning in February 2014 offer after-school basketball training and fitness programs for kids up to the age of 16.
On the heels of that, NBA China said it has expanded in alliance with Internet media company SINA Corp. to provide fans in China with "unprecedented access to NBA content on multiple SINA platforms."
According to the league, the enhanced multi-year partnership makes the NBA the first U.S. professional sports league to offer specific destinations for all of its teams online and via mobile, a live game streamed daily on mobile and original programming. It also includes the launch of an NBA online community.
The deal enables SINA to continue as the official Internet and online community partner of the NBA in China, under which it operates NBA.com/China and provides NBA features on SINA.com and SINA.com's mobile Web, SINA Sports (SINA’s multi-sport application) and SINA Weibo (SINA’s micro-blog).
The league said that during the last three NBA seasons combined, a record 16 billion page views and 9 billion videos have been viewed by fans on NBA.com/China. This past season, total page views were up more than 40% and videos nearly 180% on the site versus the 2010-11 NBA season, the first year of the partnership.
The popularity of NBA players in China extends well beyond Ming, who played for the Chinese National Team before joining the Houston Rockets. According to the NBA, the Top Ten selling jerseys in the nation during the 2012-13 season were Derrick Rose (Chicago Bulls), LeBron James (Miami Heat), Kobe Bryant (Los Angeles Lakers), Jeremy Lin (Houston Rockets), Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City Thunder), Dwyane Wade (Heat), Blake Griffin (Los Angeles Clippers), Ricky Rubio (Minnesota Timberwolves), Steve Nash (Lakers) and Chris Paul (Clippers).
"Our expanded partnership with SINA will provide fans more ways to connect directly with our game, whether they are online, on mobile, or interacting with millions of other fans via social media,” NBA commissioner David Stern said during a media conference, which also supported two games in the country (Los Angeles Lakers-Golden State Warriors in Beijing and Shanghai, both won by the Warriors) as part of its 2013-14 Global Games tour. “NBA fans in China are among the most passionate in the world, and with our great partner SINA we will continue to provide them with the definitive NBA experience.”
Among the enhanced content being made available on the SINA Sports mobile application will be one live NBA game streamed daily during the regular season and a series of live games during the NBA playoffs, including the entire NBA Conference Finals and the NBA Championship Finals.
SINA and the NBA said they also would launch "multi-platform original programming" during the season, including a new weekly NBA show.
“NBA fans in China are among the most passionate in the world, and with our great partner SINA we will continue to provide them with the definitive NBA experience.”
“As one of the leading sports media platforms, we are excited to extend our partnership with the NBA, which is the most renowned professional sports league in the world. With this partnership, we will be able to continue to grow our business in China,” Charles Chao SINA president and CEO, said during the media conference. “We will work with the NBA to establish a brand new cross-platform and multi-destination NBA streaming platform by integrating resources through SINA.com, SINA Weibo, the SINA.com Mobile Web and SINA Mobile Application.”
The partnerships with SINA and Yao Ming continue what the NBA called a "long-term commitment to basketball development in China." The NBA first hosted the Chinese national team in 1985 and is currently in the fourth year of a joint coaching program with the Chinese Basketball Assn., which has trained nearly 700 coaches. In September 2011, the CBA Dongguan Basketball School, an NBA Training Center, was launched for elite players ages 12-17. The school has trained more than 1,200 players and coaches.
NBA Seeks To Boost Global Marketing, Presence


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Apple could launch iTunes subscription services with a flick of a switch, a leading analyst said on Friday.
Merrill Lynch analyst Steven Milunovich made the claims, while observing that Apple’s stock value currently represents a buying opportunity for investors. He also said that the new Yahoo music download service is a challenge for Napster and Real, but not so much for Apple.
The analyst thinks Apple may flick the subscription switch if it sees any erosion in its current 70 per cent market share. Subscription services are currently battling over just 15 per cent of the online music market.
"Although we think the iPod franchise is safe for at least the next year, the driver of the stock increasingly will be Mac sales," the analyst said, predicting a 15-20 per cent growth rate for hardware revenues.


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The Kraft Heinz Company has agreed to acquire an 85% stake in Germany-based Just Spices for an undisclosed amount.
The three founders of Just Spices will retain the remaining 15% stake in the company, Kraft Heinz added.
They will also remain with the company and focus on driving the business and its international growth.
The deal, subject to customary closing conditions, including merger control approval, is expected to close in the first quarter of 2022.
'A Great Opportunity'
Commenting on the acquisition, Rafael Oliveira, International Zone President at Kraft Heinz, said, "This is a great opportunity to further accelerate our growth agenda by strengthening our ability to anticipate trends in consumer tastes and preferences, as well as our speed to innovate."
Launched in 2014, Just Spices generates annual sales of approximately €60 million.
Its portfolio comprises more than 170 products, including spice blends, salad dressings, and easy-to-prepare ‘In Minutes’ blends for diverse meal occasions.
The company sells approximately 70% of its ready-made and one-step spice blends directly to consumers, while the remaining is sold via grocery retailers, both in-store and online, in Germany, Spain, Austria, and Switzerland.
Oliveira added, “We will leverage our scale and agility to accelerate Just Spices’ business in the fast-growing taste elevation market beyond its current German base and its recent market entries[…]. We also see tremendous potential to strengthen and enhance our direct-to-consumer operations and go-to-market expansion.”
Data-Driven Product Innovation
Just Spices follows a data-driven product innovation approach that appeals to the needs of Gen Y and Gen Z consumers.
The company boasts approximately 1.6 million followers across its social media platforms.
It uses advanced analytics to create and identify early consumer trends, foster product innovation, understand customer sentiment, and optimise consumer targeting.
Florian Falk, Just Spices CEO and one of the company’s three founders, said, “In the last few years, Just Spices has been further strengthening its successful omnichannel approach, with some of the best-in-class direct-to-consumer analytics in the food space.
“We are extremely excited by the potential for expansion that comes from combining Just Spices’ innovation and brand power with the Kraft Heinz team and the scale they bring to the table.”
Kraft Heinz recently announced that it has completed the sale of certain assets in its global cheese business and the license of certain trademarks to an affiliate of Groupe Lactalis. [Photo Courtesy: Denise Pottkaemper, Just Spices]


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Loss prevention executives may want to review these steps for a retail store safety checklist to see if any actions that other companies have found helpful might prevent their next injury—and perhaps a million-dollar jury award.
When the threat is not immediate, we can take our time to verify the information. For the dozens of news sources that covered the Momo challenge, if only one of them had taken a few minutes to fact check the threat, the hoax would not have become as widespread.
Today in many organizations, the loss prevention function assists human resources in investigating allegations of sexual misconduct, bullying, and hostile workplace situations. These types of cases are very different from investigations of dishonest associates.
A few years ago, Alisha Bromfield, a Home Depot employee, was strangled and killed by her supervisor while the two were traveling to a wedding together.
Many crisis events are, by their nature, impossible to predict. However, the impact they have on retailers can be dramatically curtailed if the organization is prepared.
f our leadership demonstrates their belief in and commitment to a formal company safety policy, that commitment will cascade throughout the organization.
Among television business announcers doing stock market play-by-play, tit-for-tat tariffs and the "slowing Chinese economy" are frequent causes of shrill alerts and fretful dissection.
In the court case that followed a robbery carried out by a sixteen-year-old in 2015, where a female lone worker was threatened with a hammer, police commented, "It was a terrifying experience for the member of staff, who was the only person in the store at the time, and she has not worked since."
According to research, workers whose education includes scenario-based instruction score better on retention exams, have a more positive attitude toward training material, and think arguments used in training are more persuasive.
Common flashpoints for retail conflict and violence include confronting suspected thieves, refusing sales, and dealing with antisocial behavior. Nothing new here, but the prevalence of each appears to be increasing.


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(Reuters) - UK’s Cineworld (CINE.L) said its $3.6 billion (2.54 billion pounds) deal to buy U.S. cinema chain Regal Entertainment RGC.N was on track to close in March after it secured support from a majority of its own shareholders and the largest investor in Regal on Friday.
Cineworld said 87.34 percent of votes cast at a general meeting in London on Friday were in favour of the deal.
Shareholder advisory group Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) had urged investors last week to oppose the deal, citing “significant financial and operation risks.”
Other shareholder advisory firms, including PIRC, had recommended that investors back the takeover.
Late on Friday, Cineworld said in a market announcement that Denver-based The Anschutz Corporation - the largest shareholder in Regal Entertainment - has submitted its written consent to the deal.
Cineworld said all company and Regal shareholder approvals needed to go ahead with the deal have been received, adding that it expects to complete on or before March 2.
London-listed Cineworld agreed in December to buy Regal Entertainment through a reverse takeover funded with debt and a 1.7 billion pound ($2.42 billion) share sale.
The acquisition will give the British company a presence in the U.S. market and transform it into the world’s second-biggest cinema chain by number of screens, with more than 9,500.
A majority of Cineworld shareholders also approved the share sale to fund the deal, the company said on Friday.
“As will be seen from the proxy votes, there was very strong support from shareholders for the acquisition,” Cineworld’s Chairman Anthony Bloom said in a statement.
The takeover would put the combined company in a better position to take on industry leader AMC Entertainment Holdings Inc (AMC.N), and give it more scale to fight growing competition from Netflix Inc (NFLX.O), Apple Inc (AAPL.O) and other digital outlets.
Reporting by Rahul B in Bengaluru; Editing by Adrian Croft


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“StayHomeSD” is moving locations after Firehouse restaurant looks to reopen Friday
SAN DIEGO (KUSI) – “Stay Home San Diego” is moving to a new location after two months of delivering free groceries to senior citizens all over San Diego County.
Until today, the organization was working out of the Firehouse restaurant in Pacific Beach. but the restaurant is planning to reopen Friday under the new guidelines.
KUSI’s Dan Plante is in Pacific Beach with the latest.


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The developer of the popular cryptocurrency Shiba Inu (SHIB) has revealed a possible launch date for the highly-anticipated Shibarium Beta.
In a recent tweet, the developer stated that the beta version of Shibarium, a decentralized marketplace for NFTs, will be launching “in the next few weeks.” This statement has sent excitement through the SHIB community, as many have been eagerly waiting for the launch of Shibarium.
Shibarium is a platform that will allow users to buy, sell, and trade NFTs using SHIB as the native currency. The platform aims to provide a decentralized, community-driven marketplace for NFTs, making it easy for users to discover and purchase unique digital assets.
The beta launch of Shibarium is an important step in the development of the platform, as it will allow users to test the features and provide feedback on the user experience. This will help the development team to make necessary adjustments and improvements before the official launch.
In addition to the launch of Shibarium, the developer also announced that they are working on integrating ShibaSwap, a decentralized exchange for SHIB and other ERC-20 tokens. ShibaSwap will allow users to trade SHIB and other tokens in a decentralized, trustless environment.
The news of the possible launch date for Shibarium Beta and the development of ShibaSwap has caused a surge in the price of SHIB. Many investors see this as a positive sign for the future of the cryptocurrency and the Shiba Inu ecosystem.
Overall, the Shiba Inu community is excited about the launch of Shibarium Beta and the development of ShibaSwap, as they believe it will bring more utility and value to SHIB. It will be interesting to see how these developments will affect the overall adoption and growth of Shiba Inu in the near future.
Know more about Shiba Inu


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Home > News > More News
Posted on Nov 14, 03:56PM | UNI
The India International Trade Fair (IITF) was today inaugurated by President Pranab Mukherjee here.
Belarusian Prime Minister Mikhail Myasnikovich was the special guest on the occasion.
Over 6,000 exhibitors from India and overseas countries like Pakistan, Afghanistan, Thailand, China will showcase their products.
The first five days of the fair have been reserved for the business visitors and the general public would only be able to visit it from November 19 till its conclusion on November 27, India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO) said.
The IITF entry tickets for the business days will be available on price of Rs 400 at 26 Metro stations - Rithala, Dilshad Garden, Jahangirpuri, HUDA City Centre, Noida City Centre, Anand Vihar, Central Secretariat, Inderlok, Kashmere Gate, Rajiv Chowk, Barakhamba, Saket, MG Road, Noida Sec-14, Vaishali, Rajori Garden, Janakpuri West, Dwarka Mor, Dwarka Sec-9, Mundka, Nangloi, Peeragrahi, Punjabi Bagh, Badarpur, Govindpuri and Lajpat Nagar, a Delhi Metro Rail Corporation statement issued recently said.
However, the tickets for general public days, which are priced at Rs 50 and Rs 30 on weekdays and Rs 80 and Rs 50 on weekends/holiday for an adult and a child respectively, will be available at all the Metro stations.
These tickets can be purchased from Customer Care Centres from 0900 to 1600 hrs on weekdays and from 0900 to 1400 hrs on weekends, it said.
In view of massive crowds using the Pragati Maidan Metro station, additional ticket counters have been opened there.
Meanwhile, the city police and the fair organisging authorities have advised people to use metro and other public transport facilities to avoid traffic jam as a huge number of people are expected to visit the trade fair.


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Microsoft and FedEx today spoke about the next phase of their multi-year partnership, which they announced for the first time in 2020. On January 24, the couple revealed that they were working to integrate FedEx and Microsoft Dynamics 365 network capabilities to build a cross-platform. “Logistics as a service” offered to retailers, dealers and products.
In 2020, Microsoft said it would work with a FedEx customer to use statistics to improve supply chain visibility and delivery time. At the same time, they announced FedEx Surround, the first customer-centric FedEx offering built with Azure, which FedEx made available in December 2020. Today, officials said the integration of FedEx data with Dynamics 365 Intelligent Order Management will be available to US-based customers in the second half of 2022.


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I woke up to a lot of technology news today. News was coming in from E3 that the new PS4 and X-Box have been previewed and were all set for a holiday launch. Exciting news in its own, this was also followed by the fact that iOS7 had also been previewed along with a revolutionary Mac Pro by Apple in an entirely different forum. It seemed to be a good day for tech enthusiasts the world over.
Gamers have been waiting a long time for these next generation consoles. The media has been rife with speculation over what these two consoles had in store. Which is nothing new. I remember seeing the last PS3 and Xbox being launched in India years ago. I always wanted to buy either, but have kept putting that off and viola we have two brand new consoles coming our way. I remember back then a friend of mine and I were awed by the graphics on the PS3 at that time. These days I doubt that would be the case with PC gamers having enough power in their GPUs to compete easily. Whats more PC games are become more visual with less hardware requirements. When these consoles do hit the Indian markets I expect there to be an all-out marketing blitz by both parties. The PS4 being the cheaper model is probably going to beat the X-box for a cash strapped Indian gamer. This said, how expensive will these games be? In India especially I expect the PS3 will see a price cut and probably a lot of takers. And who knows, the PS2 may finally be laid to rest here. These consoles are targeted at more mature gamers, I doubt a lot parents will splurge on the hefty price tag for their kids to take one of these new consoles home.
Gameplay in its essence will not change with these two new consoles. Yes with the touch controller that the PS4 is providing, we may see a few innovations. But really do you think that swiping and flicking actions that we have come to associate with casual games on tablets can really be made to good use in a full-blown gaming title? I am sure someone will crack it.
The games that really caught my eye were two IPs that have already left their marks on gaming. The return of Garrett in Thief and Faith from Mirror’s Edge. While I have to confess I never really played either of the original games to their completion, these two new titles do look like a lot of eye candy.
From a hardware standpoint I found both consoles to be quite unappealing. While the last time these consoles went head to head you had the pristine white X-box was visibly well differentiated by the glossy black PS3. Now both of these devices look like black boxes. I’d have loved to see a little bit more styling on both. Currently though I kind of prefer the look of the PS4 to the new X-Box.
The question to be asked by all in the communication field is with games becoming more cinematic, when will we sit up and sign them on for product endorsements?


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Sales are soaring, so why does FCA still need Renault?
Earlier this summer, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles abruptly abandoned its proposal to merge with French automaker Renault. Although many industry analysts praised this potential merger, FCA claimed there were too many obstacles being put into place by – big surprise – the French government. Nissan was also reportedly not entirely onboard with the plan because it already felt like a sidelined player in the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance. Could a deal still happen? Maybe, as there are reports claiming Renault is considering a cut in its Nissan stake, but nothing is for certain. What is certain, however, is FCA's currently strong financial position, thanks mainly to excellent Jeep and Ram sales.
According to Automotive News, FCA CEO Mike Manley made clear the automaker has "a relatively robust business plan that survives with or without that type of merger," which we acknowledged it "clearly added very, very significant synergies."
One of the main reasons why an FCA-Renault merger was quite attractive was because the latter wants to increase its European market presence and improve its electrification status, two areas where Renault is a leader. Renault wants access to North America. Having two all-powerful brands like Jeep and Ram is highly attractive as well, and here's why: even without a merger, FCA claims it achieved record second-quarter earnings in North America, an increase by 12 percent to $1.74 billion. Ram's US sales were up by 28 percent through June and the new Jeep Gladiator is already proving to be a smashing success. Even without a merger, FCA is doing just fine thanks to its off-road brands.
The question is how long can this be sustained given the likelihood of increased demand for EVs in the near future. That's one reason why FCA hasn't completely shut the merger door. Making this happen appears to be in Renault's hands. Not only does it need to get the French government to cooperate, but it also needs to repair relations with Nissan. In the meantime, FCA will continue building Ram and Jeep vehicles at a record pace to keep up with demand.
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