text:
Wal-Mart's Neighborhood Market delivered a 5% comps sales increase year over year (representing 46 consecutive quarters of comps growth), on a 4% traffic comps increase. Neighborhood Market even performed well during severe winter weather, which is a good sign. Wal-Mart doesn't report numbers for its Walmart Express stores yet, but it has stated that pilot tests have been successful.
With all this small-box store success, what do you think Target has planned? Obviously it will soon open its own small-box store, which will go by the name TargetExpress. That's not very original, but fortunately, this isn't a creativity contest. It's about sales and profits. Is it possible that Target will one day be as aggressive with its small-box stores as Wal-Mart? If so, will it pay off?
According to BizJournals, TargetExpress will launch in Dinkytown, MN, on July 23rd, just outside the University of Minnesota. However, according to investor relations when quried about the opening, they didn't know when the store would open, but that it would definitely open eventually.
When TargetExpress does open, it will cater toward urban shoppers. It will only be 20,000 square feet, and beauty, pharmaceutical, and grocery items will be placed in the front and center of the store. Pack sizes will be smaller, which will allow for instant consumption. There will also be a Fan Central section for the University of Minnesota branded clothing and accessories.
If you're thinking that TargetExpress will be similar to CityTarget, you would be mistaken. CityTarget store range between 80,000 and 125,000 square feet. This is smaller than SuperTarget stores at an average of 174,000 square feet, but still much larger than TargetExpress at 20,000 square feet. Smaller stores are a positive in today's retail world (if they can bring in sales) because they require less overhead, which can aid profitability.
With TargetExpress, Target is attempting to eliminate the pain points often seen at larger-format stores such as long lines, navigational challenges, and uninspiring offerings. Of course, Minneapolis is just a test store. However, should the store turn out to be a success don't be surprised if you see TargetExpress in bigger cities like New York and Los Angeles in the future.
Wal-Mart has already proven successful with its small-box stores. Wal-Mart was clearly more of a visionary with the small-box format, which is proof of more innovative management. However, this has allowed Target to learn what has and hasn't worked for Wal-Mart's small-box stores.
The most likely future scenario is that both Wal-Mart and Target are successful with their small-box stores, given the success already seen by Neighborhood Market and Walmart Express thanks to today's urban living preferences and more spontaneous Millennial shoppers. This will then likely lead to market share gains from the dollar stores. This might exclude Dollar Tree since it's actually a dollar store that charges $1 for every item. Wal-Mart and Target will not be able to compete with Dollar Tree on pricing.
If the story plays out this way, then Wal-Mart Supercenters and SuperTargets might act as fulfillment centers for their complementary small-box stores. This would reduce shipping costs and reduce overhead. When you add these developments to brand strength for Wal-Mart and Target and their e-commerce growth (both retailers delivered digital sales growth north of 26% in the first quarter year over year), you're likely going to see these giant retailers demonstrating staying power – despite recent headwinds for each of them.
The bottom line
Yes, Wal-Mart is dealing with a struggling target demographic and Target is dealing with the data breach impacts and Canadian expansion difficulties. In order to be a successful investor, though, you must look years down the road. Unlike other retailers, Wal-Mart and Target are innovating to stay ahead of consumer trends. It's difficult to see the rewards right away, but there will likely be rewards for patient investors.


text:
As if we needed even more indirect evidence that something big is brewing in Samsung’s Note line battery department (and we don’t mean self-combusting), a leak out of the FCC outed one yet-to-be-released wireless charger from Samsung with a raw output to match the eventual 4000mAh battery of the Galaxy Note 9.
This year’s Father’s Day is just around the corner, this very Sunday, June 17, and if you haven’t got your pops a gift just yet, well, you better hurry because there’s not much time left.
It’s currently unclear when Samsung will choose to unveil the Galaxy A9 Star (SM-G8850) officially, but after a video
allegedly showed off the smartphone’s final design, a set of new images give a much closer glimpse at the device, while also revealing a new color option in the process.
LG’s rumored Q7 has just appeared on a popular benchmarking site. Last year the company introduced its first two LG Q-branded devices, the Q6 and Q8, with the former being a budget alternative to the then-flagship LG G6. Now, with the G7 ThinQ set to be released June 1, LG is rumored to be planning a similar strategy for 2018 and the device, expected to be called the Q7, has shown up on Geekbench.
Hot on the heels of the Note 9 appearing in a benchmark database, now Samsung’s upcoming S-Pen holder is all but confirmed, as it has already been released in Samsung’s support pages. Yes, the SM-N960U internal codename has been listed on several country-specific websites, among tips on how to replace an S-Pen nib, indicating, well, a stylus-laden handset, surprise, surprise.
Well, well, well, some are mining bitcoins and interfering with people’s phone calls, others are mining Reddit threads for information about the Galaxy S9, and scoring a whole AMA dedicated to Samsung’s flagship.
The Galaxy S9 and S9+ are just around the corner, and just as one could expect, almost everything regarding these anticipated devices is known at this point. Come to think of, only camera samples remain to be released to the world, but we probably wouldn’t have to wait for those for too long – after all, the Galaxies go official in less than two weeks and we will be at the epicenter of their debut to provide you with all the necessary coverage.
Smartphone manufacturers often make “dummy” units to the exact specs of their upcoming hot devices. These are distributed to accessory-making partners to make their job easier and help them have products ready as soon as the phone launches. For example, popular case makers can score a dummy to test their new case models against and be ready with any corrections well before the handset is actually announced.
Of course, footage of such dummies will sometimes leak and it looks like this has just happened with a Galaxy S9 dummy unit. At least that’s what the person who leaked the video claims.
The Sony Xperia Compact series phones are a favorite of Android users who prefer small devices. In a world where a 5.2-inch display seems to be the absolute minimum for a flagship phone, Sony seems to be the only one who caters to the niche that prefers a small, but still powerful device. The Compact series gets refreshed every couple of years and will usually have top-tier specs, but a 4.6-inch screen and a much smaller body than the mainstream flagships of the year. The only exception to this trend is 2016’s Xperia X Compact, which was a midranger, disappointing fans …

domain: news


text:
Seasoned Google-watchers will know that their ranking results are in constant flux, and that every little change can spark off rumours in the SEO community of a Google update. Most of these whispers turn out to be false alarms, usually caused by the effects of personalisation or simply the real time algorithm at work, but it seems that over the last week or so a major core update has indeed occurred. And, never ones to miss a chance to set the cat among the online marketing pigeons, Google have apparently sneaked in a rather dramatic change at the same time, by finally integrating their Panda quality filter into the core algorithm. This was seemingly confirmed by Google’s Gary Illyes, who in the midst of all the update chat and speculation tweeted “…to be clear, panda IS part of the core algorithm, but we haven’t updated the panda part”. Although this is a little ambiguous, most industry commentators are taking it to mean that although the actual Panda process hasn’t been changed, and will still use the same criteria and methods when assessing sites, it has now been fully integrated into Google’s main ranking algorithm. Previously, Panda was an offline process that was run periodically, with the pre-computed result overlaid onto the serps which were generated on the fly. If this change is correct, the Panda filter is now running in real time, or close to it, hand in hand with the core algorithm.
But what does this mean for SEOs and online marketers?
Under the classic Panda system, when it was run only occasionally, if a site was caught in the filter then any changes made in an attempt to rectify the problem could take months to have any effect. This made diagnosis of problems frustratingly difficult. If Panda is now part of the core algorithm, it’s fair to surmise that changes will produce results much more quickly, which is potentially good news for those struggling with Panda woes. It’s also fair to say that attention to the requirements of Panda has just been pushed up yet another notch in importance. No longer can a site hope to slide under the radar and survive until the next update – if Panda is being run in real time, then potential problems will likely come to the fore very quickly. Worse, if a site is suffering seemingly unjustly from Panda, with no obvious cause, then the fact that the filter is now ‘baked in’ to the algorithm means that Google are apparently perfectly happy with the effects, and from now on no major overhaul is likely beyond the standard tweaks. Whatever the long term effects of this change, whether it’s a game changer or a storm in the Twitter teacup, now is probably a good time to get reacquainted with the 160 pages of quality guidelines that Google released last year. After all, it’s now clearer than ever that Panda is here to stay.


text:
Indo-Asian News Service Jul 11, 2018 17:41:43 IST
China-based Transsion Holdings' itel Mobile is all set to launch its first smartphone with a dual rear camera in India on July 17.
The smartphone will sport a slim profile with full screen and ultra-thin bezels, hinting at an 18:9 aspect ratio, industry sources told IANS on 11 July.
The device is expected to be priced at Rs 7,500 approximately.
The smartphone may come out with a clearer dual camera that supports various features such as "Portrait" mode, "Lowlight" mode, "Pano" mode along with 5-level "Face Beauty" mode on the selfie shooter.
Refreshing its budget line-up, the company launched two smartphones: "S42" at Rs 8,499 and "A44" for Rs 5,799, in March this year.
With nine percent market share, the company also registered a 217 percent growth in India in 2016-2017.
Tech2 is now on WhatsApp. For all the buzz on the latest tech and science, sign up for our WhatsApp services. Just go to Tech2.com/Whatsapp and hit the Subscribe button.


text:
Western Australia's vibrant circus festival has always been a melting pot of creativity and entertainment, drawing performers and audiences from across the globe. This year, the festival took an unexpected turn, forging a groundbreaking sponsorship with Sol Casino , a move that symbolized the blending of traditional entertainment with the digital age. This partnership sparks a crucial conversation about the future of the entertainment sector, particularly within the evolving landscape of the casino industry. How will responsible marketing practices and ethical considerations be addressed in this evolving environment? As technology continues to advance, regulations shift, and consumer expectations change fast, this collaboration invites enthusiasts to explore how the casino industry might adapt and navigate this ever-changing entertainment ecosystem.
So what lies ahead? The future of Sol Casino is linked to technological innovation. Virtual and augmented reality are at the forefront, offering immersive experiences that could redefine engagement within digital platforms. Users step into an interactive platform from the comfort of home, with VR technology creating a lifelike environment where participants interact with each other in real-time.
As digital platforms continue to expand their reach and influence, regulatory bodies are taking greater notice. It foreshadows a future where regulations will become stricter, driven by a dual purpose. It’s protecting users from potential harm and ensuring fair play within the platforms themselves. This evolution could lead to more standardized practices across jurisdictions, affecting how brands operate services.
The future calls for a greater emphasis on sustainability and ethical gambling practices. That’s why Sol Casino is promoting responsible gambling, recognizing the importance of social responsibility in building trust and loyalty among users. This commitment goes beyond simply offering resources and tools but also involves actively shaping the conversation about responsible gaming within the industry. By integrating sustainable practices into its operations and championing ethical gaming, the company aims to build a trustworthy and responsible platform that always fosters a positive experience for all its players.
Gone are the days of simply placing bets and hoping for luck. The next generation of Sol Casino players demands more than just traditional betting opportunities. They seek comprehensive entertainment experiences. Live music performances now electrify the virtual space, while eSports tournaments provide a new avenue for competition. This approach caters to the evolving interests of players, transforming the casino into an entertainment hub.
The casino industry stands at the cusp of a new era, where innovation, regulation, and consumer preferences converge to create a future that is both exciting and unpredictable. It hints at a future with blurred entertainment boundaries, creating a unified landscape of digital amusement. Sol Casino promises an unprecedented level of engagement, where players can lose themselves in a tapestry of immersive experiences.


text:
Winners of the 2012 Qantas Australian Tourism Awards have been presented with their gongs at a star-studded event in Hobart.
Leading the way in the accommodation categories was Brisbane’s Emporium Hotel, winning Best Luxury Accommodation in Australia.
“Emporium Hotel Brisbane has won applause and admiration from visitors all over the globe, as well as a manetlepiece full of awards, however being recognised for our hospitality approach and named as the best luxury accommodation provider in Australia is what we strive to achieve,” said Emporium Hotel General Manager, Peter Savoff.
“The award is testament to the faith, commitment and inspiration provided more than five years ago from owner and developer Anthony John and his wife Francine.
“They created the concept of the Emporium Hotel, the design and they built the hotel from the ground up, in so creating an experience that has no equal.
“We are incredibly proud to hold this title; every staff member has won this accolade and we hold it proudly for Brisbane,” he said.
Other major awards won by accommodation properties included: Hamilton Island Conferences (Business Tourism); Sydney Harbour YHA (Backpacker Accommodation); Narrows Escape Rainforest Retreat, QLD (Hosted Accommodation); Rocky Hills Retreat, TAS (Unique Accommodation); Narnu Farm, SA (Standard Accommodation); and Emaroo Port Hughes, SA (Deluxe Accommodation).
The Australian Tourism Awards are owned and managed by the National Tourism Alliance (NTA) on behalf of the Australian tourism industry and the NTA’s Chairman, John Hart, congratulated all finalists and winners.
“We recognise and applaud the many businesses who continue to demonstrate excellence in servicing the needs and exceeding the expectations of both domestic and international visitors – you are living examples of the finest of quality tourism experiences in Australia,” he said.
Tourism Australia Managing Director Andrew McEvoy also commended the finalists and category winners for their collective effort in delivering “world’s best” tourism experiences in Australia.
“Tourism is Australia’s largest services export industry and when combined with the domestic travel market contributes AUD$96 billion annually to the national economy,”McEvoy said.
“Currently we are seeing continued growth in both international and domestic tourism and maintaining our world class tourism offering, through consistent quality and the highest standards of service, is critical to the ensuring Australia’s ongoing desirability as a world class tourism destination.
“The products and services offered by the operators recognised in this year’s Tourism Awards are the frontline of the Australian tourism experience and are critical to delivering on our marketing promise of why there truly is nothing like Australia – I personally commend them for their outstanding efforts,” McEvoy said.
The Accommodation Association of Australia (AAoA) has offered its congratulations to the winners of the Australian Tourism Awards.
“Australian tourism businesses are constantly striving for excellence and that takes a great deal of time, money and hard work,” said AAoA CEO, Richard Munro.
“The Australian Tourism Awards recognise these efforts and the Accommodation Association congratulates those who were successful.”
Tasmania was the stand-out performer, winning five awards, while one of the State’s foremost entrepreneurs, Simon Currant was recognised with the award for outstanding contribution by an individual to the tourism industry.
With more than 30 years’ experience as a tourism visionary, developer, operator and consultant, Currant has played an integral role in shaping Tasmania’s tourism industry. Simon has been instrumental in the development of some of the island state’s most celebrated tourism experiences including Peppermint Bay and Hobart Cruises, Cradle Mountain Lodge, Franklin Manor, Strahan Village and Gordon River Cruises.
“It’s no secret that the business environment for tourism in Tasmania has been challenging, so the swag of honours the State received in the awards will be a tremendous boost,” Munro said.
“It is also fantastic to see Simon Currant receive a prestigious honour – he has been a leading light for Australian tourism for a number of years.”
Tasmania’s haul included eleven accolades, the most ever awarded to the state, with five gold, one silver and five bronze.
Tourism Tasmania chief executive John Fitzgerald said that last year Tasmania’s tourism sector had received a number of high profile national and international accolades and awards for the quality of its tourism offerings.
“Tasmania’s continued success at the Qantas Australian Tourism Awards show that last year’s accolades were well-deserved and that the quality of our tourism continued to go from strength to strength,” Fitzgerald said.
“Right now, Tasmania is capturing the imagination of Australians and international visitors and enhancing its reputation as a diverse, must-see quality destination. Whether it’s to reconnect with nature or awaken the senses with a cultural twist or a luxury escape, I’m confident our visitors will return home after their Tasmanian holiday feeling revitalised and inspired.”


text:
Steel workers from the nearby ArcelorMittal plant take part in a demonstration in Marseille, France, on Thursday. Strikes across France delayed flights, closed schools, and frustrated commuters as workers protested government plans to raise the retirement age past 60, one of the lowest even in Europe. President Nicolas Sarkozy says retiring so young is now untenable given growing life spans, but unions see his planned reforms to France's over-stretched pension system as yet another blow to Europe's social model.
Do our hunter-gatherer forebears have something to tell us about the recipe for parenting? What is old is new again. 'Paleo diets' are all the rage. How about applying some 'paleo parenting' principles to raising kids?
The world's 10 best hotels according to Expedia range from a boutique in Slovakia to a chain in Nebraska. Only 4 of the world's 10 best hotels are in the US, in cities you might not expect.
Retail stores are increasingly barraging their customers with questions. It's marketing for them. Is it good for you?


text:
Electronics Production | April 15, 2011
Japanese earthquake hits supply of cell phone image sensors
Last month’s earthquake in Japan is impacting the production of complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) image sensors at two facilities in the country, affecting the supply of these parts to the cell phone market, IHS iSuppli research has determined.
Toshiba Corp.’s Iwate Image Sensor fab, which produces logic chips and CMOS image sensors for mobile phone cameras, was shut down. Likewise, delivery was delayed from Sony Corp.’s CMOS image sensors to cell phone original equipment manufacturers. Toshiba in 2010 was the world’s fifth-largest supplier of handset image sensors with 11.8 percent share of global revenue, according to a preliminary IHS iSuppli estimate. Sony ranked sixth with 7.3 percent share. Together, the companies accounted last year for 19.2 percent of the global handset digital camera image sensor revenue. The attached table presents the revenue market share ranking of the world’s Top-10 suppliers of CMOS and CCD image sensors for cell phones. © IHS iSuppli “With their low cost and easy integration with other electronics, CMOS has long been the technology of choice for cell phone cameras,” said Pamela Tufegdzic, analyst for consumer electronics at IHS. “The Japan earthquake and subsequent logistical challenges have disrupted a portion of the supply of this key component.” While CMOS sensor production and distribution has been impacted, supplies of the major alternative image sensor technology—CCDs—appear to be unaffected, at least for the near term. The global CCD market is dominated by Japanese suppliers including Sony, Panasonic Corp., Fujifilm, Sharp Corp. and Toshiba. Because of their higher image quality, CCDs are commonly employed in digital still cameras. In contrast, CMOS sensors predominately are used in cell phones and often in other devices where the camera is secondary to other functions. Taiwan-based digital camera makers Altek Corp. and Ability Enterprise, which contract-manufacture products for major Japanese brand names, said they were not experiencing any shortages in near-term CCD supply from Japan. Ability now sources about 90 percent of its CCD components from Sony, while Altek buys between 70 and 80 percent of those parts from Sharp. Sharp’s CCD plants in Japan are far from the worst-hit zones, while Sony’s CCD plants are located in Thailand. Because of this, CCD supply in the future should not face any immediate supply issues. The situation may change over the long term, however, as CCD makers could experience challenges with their own upstream material suppliers and encounter problems with transportation and power. Given the impact of the quake, Japanese-based digital camera brands Panasonic, Canon and Nikon have had to close down some of their high-end production lines for digital still cameras in Japan. But because the lower-end consumer models of those companies are primarily manufactured at plants in China and Thailand or outsourced to Taiwan-based makers, the earthquake is not expected to have a significant impact on those segments, the two companies noted.
Eguana inks deal for residential energy storage systems Eguana Technologies Inc. has entered into a development contract with an unnamed renewable energy company to develop and certify proprietary residential storage systems for distribution through its sales channels across global markets.
BlueRing Stencils picks up Stone Mountain Tool BlueRing Stencils has acquired Georgia-based tooling supplier Stone Mountain Tool.
Bosch increases its stake in fuel-cell expert Ceres Power Bosch has increased its stake in Ceres Power from 3.9% to circa 18%. Bosch’s total investment in the company will be approximately 90 million euros.
Haldex Heidelberg staff urges management to reconsider the closure It was back in October of 2019 that Haldex announced that it was streamlining its production in Europe, a decision that would see the move of production from Heidelberg in Germany to Szentlörincskáta in Hungary.
Sponsored content by CMLCML manufactures Metal Substrate solutions Printed circuit boards (PCBs) plays an important role in our day to day life. Whether it’s the car you’re driving, the phone that you’re scrolling through or computers that you’re sending emails from. What happens when you use heat generating components on a PCB? That’s right, cooling is needed!
Foxconn’s Gou: WI plant operational this year Foxconn Technology Group founder Terry Gou is indicating that the company’s new manufacturing facility in Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin, still currently under construction after multiple slowdowns, will generate products beginning this year.
Zentech acquires Trilogy Circuits LLC Zentech Manufacturing has acquired Texas-based Trilogy Circuits LLC, a provider of EMS services to military primes and other high-reliability industries in Texas and across the United States.
Markus Jeck to take lead of Enics Switzerland EMS provider Enics has appointed Markus Jeck as the new General Manager of Enics Switzerland.
Hanwha Precision Machinery launches tech centre in Germany Hanwha Techwin Automation Americas' – formerly Samsung C&T Automation – unit, Hanwha Precision Machinery, has launched an integrated tech centre for Europe in Germany to accelerate its global expansion.
TTM Technologies to sell four China manufacturing plants TTM Technologies is executing a definitive agreement under which the company has agreed to divest its four China manufacturing plants – which make up substantially all of the assets of its Mobility business unit.
Incap acquires AWS Electronics EMS provider Incap has signed an agreement to acquire 100% ownership of AWS Electronics Group.
Ampleon, Rochester Electronics ink deal RF power products supplier Ampleon and semiconductor manufacturer Rochester Electronics have forged a strategic partnership to extend the global supply of Ampleon’s VDMOS portfolio of high-performance RF transistors.
Trust Automation appoints new COO California-based Trust Automation Inc., a supplier of automation technology for industrial and defense applications, has welcomed Teddy Ross to the company as chief operations officer, effective immediately.
TDK Ventures invests in SLD Laser TDK Ventures Inc., a subsidiary of TDK Corporation, has invested in SLD Laser, a specialist in the use of gallium nitride (GaN) in the commercialization of visible laser light sources for multiple applications including automotive, mobility, medical, and specialty lighting.
Sono Motors hits its target - community funding works The Munich-based mobility provider Sono Motors has successfully completed the extension of its campaign to finance the company and has exceeded its target of EUR 50 million.
New group structure at Mycronic aimed securing future growth Swedish creator of production equipment, Mycronic, has grown quite a bit during the last years; both organically but also through acquisitions. And with that growth some structure is in order.
Zenuity and HP Enterprise team up to develop next-gen autonomous driving cars Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) has been selected by Zenuity, a Swedish developer of software for self-driving and assisted driving cars, to provide the crucial artificial intelligence (AI) and high-performance computing (HPC) infrastructure it needs in order to develop next generation autonomous driving (AD) systems.
Honeywell, Lockheed Martin win NASA contracts Honeywell and Lockheed Martin have both announced recent contracts for the supply of key components to NASA’s Orion spacecraft fleet for the upcoming Artemis lunar missions.
Libra Industries welcomes new VP EMS provider Libra Industries has welcomed David Chavez to its leadership team as the new VP of Integrated Business Development.
Danfoss shuts down site – hundreds of jobs lost Danish industrial group, Danfoss, is taking steps to optimise and strengthen its competitiveness. This will result in a closure of the groups manufacturing site in Kolding, Denmark. Production from the site will be moved to the groups manufacturing location in Poland.
USI builds its third antenna chamber measurement system USI is currently building its third antenna chamber measurement system with a targeted completion date in the first quarter of 2020.
AT&S receives NADCAP accreditation With the NADCAP accreditation, new doors in the aerospace sector has been opened for the Austrian company.
Toshiba Carrier to establish new manufacturing subsidiary in Europe Toshiba Carrier Corporation announced the establishment of a new manufacturing subsidiary in Gniezno, a mid-western city of Poland.
Ericsson opens new R&D site in France Ericsson says it will establish a new R&D site in France with up to 300 employees, accelerating 5G momentum in Europe.Load more news


text:
Oh, what a feeling.
The popular Toyota Prius gas-electric hybrid is much easier to come by at auto dealerships these days, due to an increase in production, industry officials say.
At some U.S. dealerships, you can buy one off the lot, rather than having to put your name on a waiting list.
At the Labadie auto dealership in Bay City, there's still a waiting list, but it's much shorter than in years past, said Vice President Marc Labadie.
''We don't have the backlog that we once did,'' Labadie said.
On Monday, two Priuses were delivered, and both were pre-sold.
''It used to be, we had 20 cars on the list and it would take you two, three months to get a chance at one,'' he said.
''Now, we have a list of probably 10 people, but we're selling five, six, seven (Priuses) a month.''
USA Today recently reported that Toyota is able to meet demand for the Prius for the first time since the car hit the market in October 2003. The car has a 60 miles-per-gallon rating for city driving.
Priuses sit on dealer lots for an average of 17 days, compared to the national average of 64 days for a new car, the newspaper said.
CONTINUED 1 | 2 Next
The Bay City Times


text:
Archive of: plant based meals
Global Nonprofit Aims To Take Pandemics Off The Menu By Delivering 1 Million Free Vegan Meals In 2021
05 January 2021
The global vegan nonprofit organisation is on the mission to deliver one million free meals by 2022.
09 June 2020
Frozen food brand Birds Eye has released a new range of easy to prepare plant-based meals mixes.


text:
In the first half of the year, specialized forces conducted 12,967 inspections, handled 11,199 wrongdoings and prosecuted 89 cases with 111 offenders. The total fine amounted to nearly VND3 trillion.
Over the first six months, the Municipal Steering Committee 389 has strengthened the communication and dissemination of legal documents to raise people awareness on combating smuggling, trade fraud, and counterfeit goods while tightening the cooperation with functional forces to reinforce the fight against smuggling, trade fraud and commodities falsifications in the area.
Regarding key missions in the remaining months of the year, the Municipal Steering Committee requests departments, sectors, districts and functional forces to thoroughly analyze the situation and arising issues, identify their objective and subjective causes and offer drastic measures for settlement; improve the forces’ capacity to identify the offenders’ tricks; increasing the fight against smuggling, trade fraud and commodities falsifications.
Additionally, departments, sectors, districts and functional forces need to focus on inspections of commodities, such as firecrackers, foreign wine, cigarettes, cigars, electronics, refrigeration; petroleum, liquefied petroleum gas, and vital goods ; identify new commodities as well as tricks to timely combat illegal cases.
Among the tasks stated in the report include strengthening the communication and dissemination of legal documents; honoring outstanding individuals having great contributions to the effort; strictly handling violations causing economic losses to consumers and legal businesses.


text:
Port Elizabeth has become the first city in the Eastern Cape to sign up for the global trend of group buying, going live with Groupon's MyCityDeal PE.
The concept of group buying on the Web is less than a year old in South Africa. It gives vendors of goods and services, ranging from restaurants to hotels, spas, kitesurfing schools and retailers, a way to reach new customers to try a new offering at a massive discount – usually betwee 50% to 90% of the normal price.
Groupon subscribers, in turn, get to find deals and try out new products in their home city. Deals are advertised through social media channels like Facebook and Twitter as well as through a daily newsletter.
The first deal being offered in PE is a to get two tickets to watch the pantomime troupe Mummenschanz perform live at the PE Opera House for R149.00.
“Port Elizabeth has a lot of great places to go and things to do – but often locals and tourists just don’t know about them," says Daniel Guasco, CEO of Groupon SA. "With Groupon’s MyCityDeal PE operation, our salespeople are there on the ground in Greenacres, or St Georges Park, or the Mandela Art Museum or on the beach at Summerstrand. digging up the best of the best.
"MyCityDeal PE will open up people’s eyes to the fact that they live in one of the most relaxed, most beautiful places in SA with a sophisticated lifestyle."


text:
Follow us on social media:
GBTIMES looks back at some of the funniest, weirdest and most interesting viral videos in China in September.
Beijing opera is one of China's national treasures. In this multi-part article, we will explore the different facets of this jewel of Chinese culture.
GBTIMES ltd hosted two Chinese delegations in Tampere, Finland on Friday, with the visiting groups representing different organisations in China's radio and television industries....
China will start gradually reducing subsidies it offers to Europe-bound freight trains, in a bid to improve the efficiency and commercial viability of such services.
Chinese Vice Premier Liu He said on Friday that many factors have caused obvious stock fluctuations and declines in China recently.
Chinese tech giant Huawei said on Friday that it will start making smartphones in India from next year, and plans to open 1,000 stores across the country in the coming 2-3 years.
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and French President Emmanuel Macron discussed the development of Chinese-French trade and investment cooperation on the sidelines of ASEM in Brussels.


text:
U.S. cancer drug company Medivation is discussing opening its books to Sanofi, people familiar with the matter said on Tuesday. » Read More
ALBANY, N.Y.-- New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman has sued a Queens beauty school, claiming it convinced hundreds of students to pay course fees but failed to train them as nail specialists.
AUSTIN, Texas-- The Texas Supreme Court on Friday upheld the state's much-maligned business tax that provides the second-biggest source of general revenue, preserving current rules for now before lawmakers potentially overhaul the law next year.
WASHINGTON-- The maker of Banana Boat sunscreen is recalling a half-million bottles of spray-on lotion after reports that a handful of people have caught on fire after applying the product and coming in contact with open flames.
INDIANAPOLIS-- The state Department of Workforce Development says Indiana's unemployment rate was 8.2 percent in September, the first drop in in five months even though the state lost 6,000 private-sector jobs. The 8.2 percent rate matches the unemployment rate for Indiana in July and is a full percentage point lower than it was in September 2011.
THE NEWS: HMX Acquisition Corp., the owner of tailored clothing brands including Hickey Freeman and Hart Schaffner Marx, is filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. THE CONTEXT: The labels Hickey Freeman and Hart Schaffner Marx got their start in 1887 in Chicago and have been worn by presidents including Barack Obama.
WASHINGTON-- Medicare is coming under scrutiny in the meningitis outbreak that has rekindled doubts about the safety of the nation's drug supply. In 2007, Medicare revoked coverage of compounded inhaler drugs for lung disease.
September was the second month in a row the unemployment rate dropped in Louisiana, after no improvement since January, when joblessness hit a post-recession low of 6.9 percent. Louisiana had a 7.2 percent unemployment rate in September 2011. In September 2011, the state had 148,000 unemployed people.
HELENA, Mont.-- Montana's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate decreased slightly to 6.1 percent in September, compared to the national rate of 7.8 percent. Labor Commissioner Keith Kelly says that the downward trend was fueled by an increase of 1,100 jobs in the state.
OPERATION SIMPLIFICATION: General Electric reported strong third quarter profits Friday in the midst of its transformation to a simpler company focused on traditional industrial operations. THE BOTTOM LINE: GE's net income rose 49 percent in the third quarter to $3.49 billion, or 33 cents per share.
But times are tough for unions in the Rust Belt, even in a longtime bastion like Michigan.
The euro fell to $1.3023 in late trading Friday from $1.3061 late Thursday. The British pound fell to $1.6014 from $1.6062. The dollar rose to 79.28 Japanese yen from 79.23 yen, to 0.9285 Swiss franc from 0.9253 Swiss franc and to 99.34 Canadian cents from 98.53 Canadian cents.
NEW YORK-- HMX Acquisition Corp., the owner of tailored clothing brands including Hickey Freeman and Hart Schaffner Marx, is filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
AMSTERDAM-- The European Union's executive, the Commission, has objected to United Parcel Service's proposed $6.75 billion takeover of TNT Express NV, the companies say. They say the watchdog argues that the deal as it stands would have a negative effect on the market for express delivery of small packages in Europe.
ST. LOUIS-- Peabody Energy Corp., the world's biggest private-sector coal company, is expected to post lower earnings compared to a year ago, when it reports second-quarter results before the stock market opens Monday.
Disappointing results from three giants of the Dow _ Microsoft, General Electric and McDonald's _ were to blame. The Dow sank 221 points, or 1.6 percent, to 13,327. The S&P was down 26, or 1.8 percent, at 1,431. The Nasdaq composite index, hammered by a second ugly day for Google, lost 70 points to 3,002, a 2.3 percent decline.
JOLIET, Ill.-- For the first time on a key Midwestern route between Chicago and St. Louis, an Amtrak passenger train topped 110 mph Friday, ripping through fog-shrouded farm fields and blowing past cars on a parallel highway. Illinois and the country was a wasteland when it came to high speed rail, "said U.S.
PEORIA, Ill.-- Caterpillar Inc. shares fell Friday after the company reported a slowdown in sales of its heavy equipment and engines last month. Caterpillar said worldwide sales of its heavy equipment rose 6 percent in September, down from gains of 13 percent and 14 percent in August and July, respectively.
NEW YORK-- Shares of Advanced Micro Devices dropped to their lowest point in more than three years on Friday as a pair of analysts downgraded the chipmaker after it announced it will cut nearly 1,800 jobs by the end of the year to reduce spending in the face of dwindling sales.
When the University of Phoenix, the country's largest university, announced this week it's closing 115 campuses and satellite locations, it signaled more than a sudden availability of commercial real estate near highway interchanges, where for-profit colleges like to set up shop as a student convenience.


text:
What brands should learn from General Mills’ Facebook fiasco
Last week, consumers sounded the alarm when General Mills decided to update the legal terms on its website by adding an arbitration clause. First reported by The New York Times in a piece called “When ‘Liking’ a Brand Online Voids the Right to Sue,” the new terms appeared to cost consumers their right to sue in court if they merely “liked” General Mills’ social media pages, downloaded coupons from its website or entered any company-sponsored contests.
General Mills disputed that this was the case, but the people of the Internet were clearly not amused. One tweet summed up the sentiment nicely: “Apparently now if you even look in the direction of a General Mills product, you lose all legal rights.”
In an effort to unpack and understand the legal changes and what these kinds of arbitration clauses really mean for consumers and brands, Digiday has put together an explainer.
Read on to get a walkthrough of what all of this legal stuff actually means and whether or not liking General Mills would have actually meant you couldn’t sue it:
What was the legal policy change that General Mills had initially introduced?
What does this “binding arbitration” clause mean?
As David Seligman, an attorney at the National Consumer Law Center, explained, “In broad terms, the clause at issue would prevent consumers from bringing claims against General Mills in court, and it also prevents consumers from bringing class action and collective suits — it requires consumers to arbitrate cases against General Mills individually.”
The part that everyone took and ran with was the notion that this meant that liking General Mills on Facebook meant losing the right to sue the company. Is that really part of what the clause covered?
Because General Mills has already reversed the policy and no claims have been settled under this policy, it isn’t entirely clear how the clause was meant to operate in practice and when the clause would actually apply. General Mills did post an explanation of the update saying that the clause had been mischaracterized and did not mean that liking the brand on Facebook meant that you could no longer sue the company. However, as Seligman noted, “The language of the clause was very broadly worded, so it seems like General Mills intended to be able to invoke the arbitration clause against people who interacted with it in a variety ways online.’
What is “binding arbitration”?
Arbitration is a private way of resolving disputes. It is established through contract, and judgement is made by a third-party arbitrator. There are a lot of arbitration administration firms set up to decide these cases. These kinds of cases are privately funded, and they are not government sanctioned or sponsored or anything like that.
Is that even legal to make it so that people can’t take legal action against a corporation?
Why is this bad for consumers?
Class-action suits are one of the few ways consumers can band together and fight back against corporations. Class-action suits allow people the share the costs of taking legal action against companies and offer the option of confidentiality. By banning class-action through these kinds of arbitration clauses, this makes it very difficult for consumers to fight for their rights against corporations. Arbitration rulings are also kept private, unlike court cases, which become public record, which enables companies to keep these kinds of legal issues quiet. Seligman also pointed out that arbitration is generally biased towards corporations and against consumers and employees. It is generally the company that pays the arbitrator for each case, so arbitrators have financial incentives to do well by corporations.
Can you appeal an arbitration ruling in the way you could appeal a court ruling?
According to Seligman, it is not impossible, but it is incredibly difficult for consumers to effectively appeal an arbitration ruling to court.
Was it smart for General Mills to reverse the policy?
In the social media age, more and more brands are realizing the importance of actively listening and responding to consumers. This is a strong example of the power consumers hold to keep brand accountable, even when brands try to insert legal clauses that enable them to sidestep that accountability. General Mills has been transparent about the reversal and apologized in a blog post entitled “We’ve listened — and we’re changing our legal terms back.” People are expressing their support of the reversal on Twitter, so yes, it seems like a smart move for General Mills and shows its honesty and responsiveness as a brand.
Does this mean other brands need to rethink their arbitration clauses — is this a cautionary tale for brands?
If anything, it is just another lesson about the power of social media in getting corporations to address serious problems. But as mentioned, arbitration clauses are legal and prevalent, so it’s unlikely that brands will be taking them down just because of this — unless of course people start raising hell on Twitter against specific companies. “General Mills was public about it, so it caught people’s attention,” said Seligman. “The vast majority of companies already have arbitration clauses — I don’t think this will put pressure on companies to remove them, and there are all kinds of sneaky ways to put these things up.”
Digiday+ Research deep dive: YouTube holds strong as a reliable marketing channel for agencies and brands
YouTube might not be considered the most exciting marketing channel out there, but brands and agencies see the platform as a reliable marketing channel that delivers consistent success.
Pringles goes all in on social to put college athletes front-and-center for ‘March Mustache’ campaign
Pringles is turning to social media — particularly Instagram — to leverage some of the college athletes playing in the March Madness basketball tournament, with the goal of reaching college basketball fans on second screens.
Short-form video needs better monetization, creator funds aren’t the way to do it
Creator funds have almost been like a stepping stone before a more permanent solution is either considered or put into place.
SponsoredHow advertisers are leveraging omnichannel attribution and measurement to power CTV
Sponsored by MNTN Connected TV advertising has joined and expanded the larger ecosystem of campaigns that advertisers deploy. As such, omnichannel marketing strategies now encompass television and mobile devices, tablets and other screens such as out-of-home. And as customers engage across these different touchpoints, brands are seeking and moving their measurement and analytics efforts to […]
L’Oreal uses social listening, in-house teams to tap into beauty trends ‘at the speed of culture’
The beauty behemoth is turning to in-house teams to accelerate content production that taps into trends within days, rather than the weeks or months of traditional marketing and advertising timelines.
With Canva and Adobe’s new updates, the generative AI race enters the brand design space
Canva and Adobe are just two of several major design and visual platforms that are rapidly introducing new generative AI capabilities in the service of brands.


text:
McCain Foods has joined the Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation (H.W.C.F.) in its pledge to reduce obesity, especially among children aged 6 to 11, by 2015.
In joining the foundation, McCain said it will provide support for programs and activities designed to help people achieve a healthy weight by balancing energy (calories) consumed with energy expended through physical activity.
"At McCain, we've made a commitment to innovation that has resulted in great-tasting french fries and other potato products that are in tune with today's taste and health needs," said Frank Finn, chief operating officer, McCain Foods, USA. "In addition to making the best french fry and potato choices, we're helping educate people about the nutritional benefits of our products. Potatoes - and the french fries that are cut from them - are packed with meaningful nutrients, from fiber to potassium (more than a banana) to vitamins B6 and K."
McCain said it has reduced saturated fats in its products by 48 per cent, and since 2005 has cut sodium by up to 40 per cent in many school fries and other potatoes items. The company also was one of the first manufacturers to eliminate trans fats from its products.
.@MonsantoCo and NRGene announced that they have reached an agreement on NRGene’s genome-analysis technology… https://t.co/Ws1t47vHfx


text:
Citing the October sales figures, the Reddy government recently said its steps towards reducing alcohol consumption in the state had already started showing results. In October 2019, there was a 27 per cent drop in IMFL sales to 2.36 million cases from 3.23 million cases a year ago, and a 56.4 per cent fall in beer sales to 1.04 million cases from 2.39 million cases during the same period, according to the government data.
As part of the phased prohibition, the government had taken over the retail business by opening state-run liquor shops, and raised the price of alcohol being supplied to bars by 40 per cent, besides increasing the bar license and registration fee effective January 2020.
Though wholesale liquor business was a government monopoly under successive governments in the undivided AP, this was the first time that the government of a Telugu state took over even the retail business, just like in neighbouring Tamil Nadu.
It was expected to take a while for the intended and the unintended consequences of the government's prohibition
policy to be visible on the ground, even though one of the early effects of the move were already highlighted by the government -- the decline in sales volumes in the first month of its implementation.
Chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy argued that with the gradual implementation of the dry law, his government will be able to achieve the intended goal without any adverse impact, unlike the previous blanket ban of the 1990s that had been lifted within three years when N Chandrababu Naidu was chief minister.
After the removal of the dry law, liquor consumption in undivided AP grew by leaps and bounds to become the biggest revenue earner for the state exchequer after commercial taxes. This made the government the biggest beneficiary of the liquor business in terms of revenue.
Following the the bifurcation, the AP state exchequer gets Rs 17,000-18,000 crore a year from various taxes and margins on the sale of liquor and beer, while manufacturers or suppliers make Rs 7,000 crore.
Beginning the day with liquor has become a routine among most urban and rural working-class males, while women, who face the brunt of men's addiction to drinking, often raise their voice against sale of liquor. The last major anti-liquor movement was started by a group of women in Nellore district in 1993. Realising the potential of their protests, Telugu Desam Party founder N T Rama Rao promised a liquor ban
during the 1994 elections and came to power a second time. Now it is Jagan's turn, but he has a different formula.
"I don't think the reduction of shops or the change in sale timings would make a great difference, as those who want to drink will some how find their own channels. Since the government wants it to be a phased affair, the effects wouldn't be very disruptive either for companies or for the government. If there is any dip in sales in AP, the companies would make up for it with sales growth in neighboring states like Telangana, where the liquor market is already growing at 30 per cent," said a distillery owner on condition of anonymity.
If the government's revenue growth is impacted due to lower sales volume -- as it apparently was this October -- it would put further pressure on the government, which is already facing a severe financial crisis, say observers. The fund crunch was so acute that the state withheld payments of Rs 2,000 crore to liquor suppliers for over three months, according to sources.
Government shops are currently selling the available products in the light of non-payment of bills to the suppliers. When the issues in supply chain stabilise, the role of supervisors in government outlets would become crucial in the promotion of brands.
McDowell and other brands owned by Diageo, Seagrams, and Officer's Choice of Allied Blenders and Distillers (ABD) are popular among liquor consumers in AP, according to an industry representative. Observers say that it will take some time to see how these brands fare in comparison to each other under this phased prohibition.
"As it happened in a neighbouring state, the government outlets will play a big role in determining which brands of liquor people would consume. A company might offer an extra incentive for promoting its products even to a private retailer like me. But I will also keep consumer preference and demand for various products in mind even while accepting such inducements. But in case of government outlets it is going to be only one way," he told Business Standard while refusing to be quoted for the story.
The Telangana government is unlikely to follow AP's example as alcohol consumption was never an election issue, partly because liquor consumption was a more socially accepted practice in this region, even though the consequences of liquor addiction among the poor are same as in the sibling Telugu state.


text:
Rick Calero, senior managing director, institutional client manager for TIAA, talks about the authentic banking movement and its efforts to address a host of issues from financial literacy to the impact of banking fees.
Julie Esser, chief engagement officer for CU Ledger, talks about how distributed ledger technology will impact credit unions going forward.
The roadmap to thriving branches will be a hot topic at BAI Beacon. Here’s a preview of what four speakers will share.
Ahead of his presentation at BAI Beacon, Armin Ajami of Wells Fargo sizes up the branch landscape and the exciting innovations on tap.
Kat Cole, chief operating officer and president North America of Focus Brands, shares how financial service leaders can bolster their customer connections and keep employees engaged.
David Vergara, director of security and product marketing at OneSpan, talks about the smart strategies banks can deploy to guarantee customer safety while pursuing customer satisfaction.
USAA’s award-winning Aerial Imagery Tool was inspired by members in need—and brought to life in a culture that lives innovation daily.
The BAI Global Innovation Awards winners showcase leadership. Now it’s time to learn from them at BAI Beacon.


text:
Skoda Rapid goes on sale in Czech Republic
Skoda’s latest model –a mid-sized sedan Rapid –went on sale in the Czech Republic on Saturday. The roomy, elegant sedan billed as “an affordable car for the whole family” attracted crowds of people to Skoda’s sales outlets for a closer look and a trial run. A Skoda spokesman said several hundred sales orders had been placed. Skoda Auto is expecting to produce 50,000 Rapid models next year.


text:
Cleanroom Consumables News & Insights
Get the latest cleanroom consumables news and tips below. Cleanroom Connect brings you the latest cleanroom consumables news from around the world, featuring current topics and news covering cleanroom consumables, products and supplies.
Cleanroom Consumables News
Cleanroom Consumables News and Insights
Cleanroom consumables news by industry leading cleanroom consumables companies. The cleanroom design build industry includes companies that offer cleanroom consumables for a variety of different cleanroom production environments and controlled environments.
Cleanroom Connect provides the latest Cleanroom Consumables News from various sources of production and manufacturing. Subscribe today to receive cleanroom consumables news and updates directly to your mailbox.
Thank you for visiting the cleanroom consumables news page. We hope that you find the news and insights useful.


text:
It’s time to get your green on at the 3rd Annual Texas State Veggie Fair which returns to Dallas on Sunday, October 21, 2012. We visited last year and loved the simpleness of it all. It was a gathering of families, vegetarian or not (we’re not) with lots of food, live music, carnival games and art at grassroots level. No big fanfare but good wholesome fun and definitely not as crowded as those at Big Tex. Last year 2500 attendees packed Winfrey Point, a reason why this year’s location is at the 46 acre, Reverchon Park near Turtle Creek.
Founder James Scott conceived the Texas State Veggie Fair in 2010 as a tongue-in-cheek nod to the annual State Fair of Texas, notorious for its Big Tex awards, in which vendors prepare oddities such as fried butter and fried bubblegum.
“The State Fair of Texas’ annual fried-food awards were what inspired me to begin the Texas State Veggie Fair in the first place,” says Scott, who is also founder of DallasVegan, the premiere online destination for vegan information and activities in Dallas-Fort Worth. “I knew from eating at vegan restaurants that chefs from around Texas could easily top that.” The Texas State Veggie Fair has seen many delicious entries, including vegan renditions of Chocolate-Pecan Fried Pie, Fried Pina Colada, and even a Fried Cinnamon Roll and last year’s winner, Fried Banana Pie.
This year, the Fair is excited to welcome more vegan vendors, including beloved local food trucks such as Zombie’s Food Truck and Good Karma Kitchen. Panels will cover topics such as starting a vegan business, vegan fashions, and getting involved in animal rights. Speakers include Gene Baur, nationally renowned vegan activist, author, and co-founder of Farm Sanctuary in Watkins Glen, N.Y.
A small note to organisers : We love the Texas State Veggie Fair but have to say that the PETA ‘kids’ stickers that were given to my children last year were a little gruesome where one had a picture of Ronald McDonald with a bloody knife in his hand. I think there’s many ways to get the message out to kids. Just sayin…
Till 0ur next Happy Meal!


text:
Aluminum products producer Aleris Inc. of Beachwood has a new CEO as Steve Demetriou, its chairman and chief executive since the company’s launch in 2004, has decided to leave the company for a new job.Aleris said in a news release on Monday morning, July 13, that its board of directors has appointed Sean Stack as CEO to replace Demetriou. Stack most recently served as executive vice president and CEO, Aleris North America. With his appointment as CEO, Stack also was elected to Aleris’ board of directors. Scott Graves, an Aleris director, its managing director and head of credit strategies for Oaktree Capital Management L.P., was elected nonexecutive chairman of the Aleris board. (An Oaktree-managed fund managed is a majority shareholder of Aleris.) Both appointments will take effect immediately, the company said. Meanwhile, Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. (NYSE:JEC) of Pasadena, Calif., announced that it has named Demetriou as its new president and CEO. Demetriou also will be elected to the board of Jacobs, a provider of technical professional and construction services. Demetriou will start in his new role with Jacobs on Aug. 17. His appointment “completes a rigorous selection process” that began in December 2014, following the retirement of former president and CEO Craig Martin, according to the Jacobs Engineering release.
Aleris Inc. names new CEO
Aleris said in its release that Demetriou will work closely with Stack over the next few weeks to ensure a smooth transition.“Over the past several years, Sean Stack has played an integral role in the development and implementation of the Aleris growth strategy, which has involved expanding the company's rolled products capacity in North America, Europe, and Asia Pacific to meet the growth in demand from key industries including automotive, aerospace, and building and construction," Graves said in the release. He said Stack “is a talented and well-rounded executive who also has a deep understanding of Aleris and the industry, which will enable the company to sustain its current momentum.” Graves added, "On behalf of the board of directors, we'd like to thank Steve Demetriou for his 11 years serving as chairman and CEO of Aleris. We appreciate his many accomplishments and wish him well in his future endeavors." Stack has been with Aleris since 2004. He has held a number of executive leadership roles with the company, including chief financial officer, executive vice president, corporate development and strategy and executive vice president and president, Aleris Europe. Prior to joining Aleris, Stack held financial leadership positions at Noveon Specialty Foods, and worked as an investment banker at ABN AMRO. He holds a master’s degree in management from the Kellogg School of Management and a bachelor’s in business administration from the University of Notre Dame. Aleris has narrowed its focus to its global rolled products in the past year, selling its recycling and specification alloys businesses in North America and Europe and its aluminum extrusions business. Aleris has about 5,000 employees globally and about 200 in Northeast Ohio.
Recommended for You


text:
|Imprisoned based on fake statistic|
Thanks to all for the polite applause and pats on the back as I profile the arrest and imprisonment of an African used goods trader from the safety of my Vermont office.
Many people have told me how "brave" I am to risk offending the Senator Joe McCarthy of E-Waste.
|" Never has BAN ever stated that 80% of US e-waste is exported." From NPR.org / fair use.|
One year ago, "Hurricane" Joseph Benson of BJ Electronics was involved in our efforts to get Puckett to actively withdraw his accusations against African techs. I travelled to Interpol, met Benson in London, and engaged with Puckett (via BloombergView) over Basel Action Network's silence about it's "80%" statistic being discredited in major UN funded studies in Nigeria. Jim Puckett tried to spin the story, claiming credit for what he called the vast improvement in standards of imports to Nigeria.
Outrageous. The study was the same containers seized from Benson's arrest! Puckett was acknowledging the quality of the studies funded by Basel Convention Secretariat, but implying the quality of the loads was a result of the goods seizure. Rarely does an expert get caught so bloody red handed.
Unfortunately for Joe Benson, trade of used goods in Africa has already been tried and convicted in the press, based on BAN and Greenpeace's accidental racial profiling of allegedly "primitive" electronics repairers.
Portions of the Hurricane Joe Benson blog, with quotes from Puckett and from the 2011 report on the findings of Benson and others sea containers are reposted below the lyrics of Bob Dylan's song Hurricane. It includes a link to an academic article reportedly submitted in Benson's trial, from University of Northampton UK, which quotes Puckett estimating only 25% of exports to Nigeria are actually reused...
Recall also, a year ago, that Puckett and BAN refused to come clean about their "statistics" on e-waste. "Never has BAN ever said..." etc. Recall as well that Puckett used articles mentioning Joseph Benson of BJ Electronics by name in his powerpoint presentations, taking credit for the crackdown.
Bottom line: Africa has enough REAL problems, needing real solutions. They don't need us to manufacture scandals for them. (See another old blog chestnut, "The finite world", riffing on Economist Paul Krugman).
"Hurricane" Rubin Carter, memorialized in Bob Dylan's song, passed away two months ago, April 20, by the way.
My point is that I told Jim Puckett, to his face at E-Scrap in the fall, that his stats about Africa were resulting in an Innocent Man's arrest and imprisonment. Jim Puckett said to me that Joe Benson was "collateral damage". That's the best he could do. And now Benson is in prison.
Rubin Carter was falsely tried
The crime was murder 'one' guess who testified
Bello and Bradley and they both baldly lied
And the newspapers they all went along for the ride
How can the life of such a man
Be in the palm of some fool's hand ?
To see him obviously framed
Couldn't help but make me feel ashamed to live in a land
Where justice is a game.
From the blog, June 2013.
Get this straight. Hurricane Joe Benson was accused in the Guardian and Independent of exporting "e-waste" for "primitive" recycling and metal recovery, and arrested. The goods in Benson's containers were seized and gone through by African and Swiss consultants Lagos and Freiburg, and found to be 91% good, a higher portion of useful product than brand new electronics sold in Nigeria from China.
Yes, the goods seized from Bensons arrest are the same bloody televisions which Jim Puckett of BAN say prove Nigeria's situation has improved.
"The majority of refurbished products stem from imports via the ports of Lagos. The interim results from project component 2, the Nigerian e-Waste Country Assessment, show that 70% of all the imported used equipment is functional and is sold to consumers after testing. 70% of the non-functional share can be repaired within the major markets and is also sold to consumers. 9% of the total imports of used equipment is non-repairable and is directly passed on to collectors and recyclers."
Here's another quote from the Nigeria E-Waste Assessment Study:- Final report of the UNEP SBC, E-waste Africa Project, Lagos & Freiburg, June 2011
Sounds a lot like "Fair Trade Recycling". So how does BAN balance the UN Study, showing 91% reuse, recommending AGAINST laws like CAER's Green-Thompson bill, with its applause for the crackdown by Interpol and Europe on exporters like "Hurricane" Joseph Benson of BJ Electronics?"Refurbishing of EEE and the sales of used EEE is an important economic sector (e.g. Alaba market in Lagos). It is a well-organized and a dynamic sector that holds the potential for further industrial development. Indirectly, the sector has another important economic role, as it supplies low and middle income households with affordable ICT equipment and other EEE. In the view of the sector’s positive socio-economic performance, all policy measures aiming to improve e-waste management in Nigeria should refrain from undifferentiated banning of second-hand imports and refurbishing activities and strive for a co-operative approach by including the market and sector associations."
First, embrace the study. Second, take credit.
Quotes from Jim Puckett:
This is Jim Puckett's spin on the UNEP study, which took sea containers in Ghana and Nigeria (104 of which came from Joseph Benson's adapted country, the United Kingdom). The researchers pieced all the TVs out, and found 91% reuse rate. He tries (in the second quote) to take credit for the turnaround.
In fact, BAN was very, very busy in 2009 and 2010, the period when the 91% reuse was documented in the UNEP study.
Here is a report from the University of Northhampton (UK) which uses BAN as a source, stating only 25% of what Nigerian techs imported could be fixed or reused - complete with photos by master photographer Jim Puckett himself. What a terrific turnaround it is, from only 25% reuse to 91%. So fast, that the innocence/improvement happened before the crime!


text:
Coca-Cola launches first native Snapchat game
Staff Writeron 05 April, 2017 at 03:04
Coca-Cola has partnered with pro teen skater Denny Pham and social influencer izzi to create the first ever fully native game experience on ephemeral messaging app Snapchat. Conceived by Ogilvy & Mather Berlin as part of the launch campaign for Coca-Cola Zero Sugar, and geared towards teen users, ‘SnapSkate’ was live on izzi’s Snapchat channel from Friday 31st March until Sunday 2nd April.
Rather than going with a traditional media placement, SnapSkate’s creators embedded the video into a narrative within izzi’s actual Snapchat story. The game itself consists of a series of short video clips featuring a digital Denny Pham skating, whose movements users can control by tapping the screen at the right moment, collecting Coke coins and power-ups. No coding or paid media required, simply a creative use of Snapchat’s existing navigation. The game concluded on a bonus level and finally a finish line, with prizes raffled off to winners.
“With ‘SnapSkate’ native advertising becomes native entertainment,” says Felix Fenz, Executive Creative Director of Ogilvy Berlin. “The brand is an essential part of the story, and therefore an authentic part of the game.” Incorporating the brand into the experience naturally, with the participation of Pham and izzi, is crucial here. For the most part, young consumers don’t especially mind branded content if they feel they are getting something worthwhile out of it. A new game to play on their favourite social platform is exactly the kind of offering that builds engagement and brand love.
SnapSkate also functions as proof-of-concept for any digital marketers who were uncertain of the platform’s potential and utility after ephemeral ‘Stories’ became ubiquitous across Facebook-owned apps Instagram, Messenger and WhatsApp. Add to that the fact that Snapchat currently has over 300 million unique monthly users, 45 per cent of whom are aged 18 to 24. If you want to deliver fun and memorable moments to a millennial audience, it looks like Snapchat is still a pretty great place to start.


text:
Ronnie Killen of Killen's Barbecue at 3613 East Broadway and Killen's Steakhouse at 2804 South Main, each a mecca for carnivores across the state, has been discussing plans for a burger joint pretty publicly. Those ideas have come to fruition not in the form of a gas-station burger joint, as originally anticipated, but a shuffle, according to CultureMap's Eric Sandler: the steakhouse will be moving from its original home to a larger location at 6425 Broadway, also in Pearland, and Killen's Burger will move into its old home. The enlarged steakhouse is set to open in September, and it seems that the burger joint would open even sooner. Killen says that he does burgers even better than he does barbecue, so you may want to go stake out a place in line right now.
There's a new Southern-style spot in town: The Moonshiners Southern Table and Bar, at 1000 Prairie, will offer lunch, dinner and plenty of moonshine cocktails, with more traditional alcoholic options as well. It's from the same folks who brought you Beer Market Co. at 920 Studemont. The soft opening has already begun, but there's no word of a grand opening on their Facebook page.
There's a light at the end of the tunnel for lovers of the Spring Water Cafe at 14520 Memorial, which closed suddenly last week after only five months of operation. The generous folks at B&B Butchers, 1814 Washington, have given Bob Orzo a place at their deli counter to sell those beloved bagels. He's also searching for a storefront around Washington where he can open a large wholesale bagel business as well as a small deli counter. Read more about their announcement from Sandler.
Churrasca Brazilian Steakhouse has moved into the old The Fish & the Knife space at 7801 Westheimer; this is not to be confused with Churrasco's, although the name and concept are similar. It's unclear when the new meat emporium will open, but the restaurant is already hiring a full staff.
Isaiah Carey of Fox 26 posted on his private website that the Houston Krispy Kreme at 5603 Highway 6 is set to open on July 21, but its opening date has been pushed back before. If the photo he posted is current, it looks like the signless, scaffolding-encrusted doughnut factory still has a way to go before it opens its doors.
Dallas-based Neapolitan pizza restaurant Cane Rosso has announced plans to open a location in Montrose at 4306 Yoakum in addition to its previously announced location at 1835 North Shepherd, according to Sandler.. The franchise's newest, eighth location will be in the bottom floor of a new office building, which sports plentiful patio space on both Yoakum and Richmond.
League City will have its very own Raising Cane's at 2320 East League City Parkway quite soon— Mike Smith at the Houston Chronicle says that the chain's 226th location is set to open on August 6. Get ready for some finger-lickin' good combos, and just in time for their football season specials.
Third Ward favorite Frenchy's has announced even more expansions, which will put the total number of Frenchy's locations at 33. Sandler says that the newcomers will be at West Belfort and the Beltway, The Woodlands or Spring, inside a Beaumont H-E-B and Beechnut at Clodine. The fried chicken empire will also branch out to other parts of Texas soon, including Dallas, San Antonio, Austin and College Station.
The Chicken Ranch at 6500 North Main has closed abruptly due to landlord-tenant disputes, according to the restaurant's Facebook page. Sandler says that owner Joshua Martinez is in talks with an industry veteran who might replace his current business partner, and Martinez is busily searching for a new location for the Ranch. Meanwhile, you can follow The Modular Unit, Martinez's food truck, to get your fried chicken on the go.
Cara Smith of the Houston Business Journal says that Athens-based Your Pie is bringing its first Houston location to the ground floor of the SkyHouse at 1625 Main. It's a casual-quick pizza parlor, and franchise owners Cindy Thomsen and Laurie Personette-Null hope to expand to one of the city's more walkable areas soon, like Montrose or the Museum District. The downtown location should open in October or November.
Finally, there's yet another Salata open at 2810 Business Center Drive in Pearland, but this one is different; it's the grand unveiling of a new concept for the restaurant, which means more sustainable building materials and a fresher appearance, plus tea taps— like beer taps, but for iced tea!. It's the 23rd Salata in Houston, but the first in the Pearland area.
That's all for this week's openings and closings! Know of something we missed? Leave us a comment or send us an email to let us know.


text:
As schools are hard at work adding more whole grains and boosting fruits and veggies to revamp school lunch menus in line with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) new school lunch guidelines, chocolate milk has already undergone a makeover that schools, parents and kids can all feel good about.
Starting this summer, all chocolate milk served for school lunch will be lower in calories and sugar, with no fat, yet with all the same essential nutrients.
Over the past five years, the nation's milk processors have been hard at work to lower the calories and sugar in school flavored milk, while continuing to deliver a nutritious and delicious drink kids love. School flavored milk now has 38 percent less added sugar than just five years ago and on average, just 31 calories more than white milk. The majority have fewer than 150 calories per serving.(1) The numbers are expected to be even lower when kids return to school next fall, complying with the new guidelines that include fat free and lowfat white milk and fat free chocolate milk on the school lunch line.


text:
BAT gets surprise boost from Italy
BRITISH American Tobacco rode the punch of weaker exchange rates across almost all its markets, and came back sharply with the news that last year's e2.3bn (£1.5bn) purchase of Italian state tobacco group ETI looks even better than it thought.
Outgoing chairman Martin Broughton said: 'Now that we own Ente Tabacchi Italiani, everything we have seen has given us yet more confidence in the strong future of the business.
'We knew that we were acquiring a revitalising company with rising profits, and that there were significant synergies to be achieved by combining our existing small business in Italy with ETI's 25% market share.
'It is safe to say that the results so far, with a profit of around £43m from the combined business in Italy, are exceeding our expectations.'
Of that £43m the ETI businesses contributed £38m, and the deal has been earnings enhancing in its first full quarter of ownership. That countered what Broughton described as swingeing excise increases that knocked sales in Germany and France.
In Canada, the group's subsidiary Imperial has been hit by huge growth in cheap brands selling for some C$2 less per packet than its premium brands such as Pall Mall. BAT has 70% of the premium brand market there but only 20% of the value brands.
First-quarter sales across the group soared from £5.5bn to £7.5bn, although the number of cigarettes sold was only 5% up, from 184bn to 192bn.
The higher increase in revenues over volume sales is explained by the fact that ETI handles every cigarette sold in Italy through the throwback to the State monopoly on tobacco retailing, but its actual share of the market is only 25%.
Operating profits before goodwill amortisation and exceptional items rose by 3% to £ 640m, but if exchange rates had not moved against the group they would have been 9% higher. Pre-tax profits dropped by 3% to £454m. Broughton said: 'We expect our real momentum to continue.'
BAT is running its rule over a small number of state tobacco companies which could be up for sale, including those in Turkey, Croatia and Bulgaria.
Most watched Money videos
- Skoda advert for the latest version of its bestselling Octavia
- How to invest around the world and try to dodge crashes
- 'Become an Avios Master and save money?' British Airways explains
- Aston Martin showcase the epic DBS Superleggera
- Investing Show: How to find the best companies to invest in
- Hyundai advert for the latest generation of its i10 city car
- The new Aston Martin DBS Superleggera makes its debut
- Supermarket Aldi advert reveals 30% savings on household brands
- Has England's World Cup run really boosted the economy?
- Should investors be worried by a trade war?
- Why do women invest less then men?
- Aston Martin's Cygnet city car with a 430bhp V8 engine


text:
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s office told Fox News Digital on Thursday that an alarming update to a Richmond Times-Dispatch report is why “people don’t trust the media” after the Ford Motor Company shot down an anonymous claim that the automaker “selected” the state for an electric battery plant only to be turned away.
The original Richmond Times-Dispatch story appeared on the front page of the paper with the headlined, “Sources: Ford Had chosen Va. For Plant,” and cited anonymous sources claiming Ford selected Southern Virginia as the site prior to “Youngkin scuttling the plan.”
Ford and the governor’s office have both since denied that Virginia was selected for the job-creating project.
The governor told the Richmond Times-Dispatch it was “fundamentally wrong,” but the newspaper still published the report based on anonymous sources and noted that Youngkin refuted it.
The plant would have created roughly 2,500 jobs in one of the poorest areas of the state, the Richmond Times-Dispatch reported. However, the plant would have been a partnership between Ford and a Chinese company. Youngkin previously pulled Virginia from consideration for the plant because of concerns about the Chinese government’s influence.
Hours later, the Richmond Times-Dispatch added an update to its original story indicating that Ford didn’t make a final decision after all.
“A spokeswoman for Ford Motor Company said Thursday that the company had not made a site selection decision on its plans for an electric vehicle battery plant in partnership with a Chinese company,” the paper noted. “The statement from the company came in response to a Richmond Times-Dispatch report Thursday citing two sources saying the company had notified Virginia officials that it had selected the Southern Virginia Mega Site at Berry Hill in Pittsylvania County for the plant. They sources spoke on condition of anonymity.”
The Richmond Times-Dispatch then published a second story that contradicted its original report. The follow-up story, “Ford says it had not made site selection decision on battery plant,” quoted Ford spokesperson Melissa Miller declaring the paper’s first report was inaccurate.
“Ford had not made a site selection decision,” Miller said.
The paper also indicated that Miller said “no one from the company told a Virginia official Ford had decided” on the site.
Youngkin spokesperson Macaulay Porter blasted the Richmond Times-Dispatch for relying on anonymous sources.
“The governor gave on-the-record comments refuting the outlet’s blind sourcing, yet knowingly published false information. This is why people don’t trust the media,” Porter told Fox News Digital.
The Richmond Times-Dispatch did not immediately respond to a request for comment.


text:
PS Plus September 2021: When is the PlayStation Plus PS4, PS5 free games reveal?
We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info
PS Plus fans will soon see a brand new selection of free PS4 and PS5 games become available to download. While Sony don’t announce ahead of time when the next PS Plus line-up reveal will be, it usually is on the final Wednesday of each month. Which means PlayStation Plus subscribers may be expecting the PS Plus September 2021 reveal to be this week.
However, that isn’t the case – with PS Plus fans facing a longer wait to find out the next free PS4 and PS5 games.
So, when is the PS Plus September 2021 reveal? When will the new free PS4 and PS5 games be released, and what is the rumoured line-up?
If you’ve got these pressing questions then don’t worry, Express.co.uk has you covered.
We’ve rounded up everything you need to know about the PS Plus September 2021 line-up reveal…
PlayStation look back at every game from the PS4 generation
PS PLUS SEPTEMBER 2021 – WHEN IS THE NEXT PLAYSTATION PLUS PS4, PS5 FREE GAMES REVEAL?
The new PS Plus line-up is typically announced on the final Wednesday of each month.
However, due to the way this month falls the PS Plus September 2021 reveal will be happening next week instead.
While it hasn’t been officially announced, it looks like the next PS Plus reveal will take place on Wednesday September 1.
A reveal time of around 4.30pm UK time is expected.
We’re expecting a PS Plus September 2021 reveal that day as the official PlayStation Store says the current PS Plus line-up is available till Tuesday September 7 at 10am UK time.
That’s also the time the PS Plus September 2021 free games will be going live.
New PS Plus games become available to download a week after being revealed, so a Wednesday September 1 announcement seems almost certain.
PS PLUS SEPTEMBER 2021 – WHAT ARE THE RUMOURED NEW FREE GAMES?
In the run-up to the next PS Plus reveal rumours have been swirling around about what the next free PS4 and PS5 games could be.
It had been claimed that Bloober Team’s The Medium – a former Xbox Series X and S console exclusive – would be coming to PS Plus as a freebie in September.
However, Bloober Team has addressed these rumours – taking to Twitter to brush them aside.
The @BlooberTeam account posted: “Yes, we confirm that: The Medium on PS5 will not be available in PS+ !”
However, one game that could be heading to PS Plus in September is JETT: The Far Shore.
That’s according to @Shpeshal_Nick, who previously correctly leaked that Final Fantasy 7 Remake would be a PS Plus game in 2021.
The XboxEra co-founder and co-host tweeted: “I’m still awaiting confirmation, but I think Jett might be one of the PS Plus games for September”.
Source: Read Full Article


text:
NEVS-DiDi deal for EV production in China cancelled
According to recent reports coming out of Sweden, the electric-vehicle agreement between National Electric Vehicle Sweden (NEVS) and China’s DiDi Chuxing has fallen through, with DiDi withdrawing a massive order for NEVS electric cars.
The electric-vehicle deal was inked by SAAB successor NEVS and DiDi Chuxing -- commonly referred to as China’s Uber -- in 2017. Under the terms of the deal, the two companies were supposed to collaborate on the production of electric cars to be used by DiDi in its ride-sharing vehicle fleet.
The order of electric cars from DiDi was one of the biggest orders which NEVS has received till date for its electric vehicles (EVs). With DiDi already having 260,000 EVs in its fleet, to be deemed the ‘world’s largest EV fleet operator,’ the company’s deal with NEVS was a part of its plan to have 1 million EVs in its fleet by the decade-end.
To commence the production of its EVs in China, NEVS required an investment of $500 million. The mentioned investment was supposed to be secured by DiDi, in accordance with the agreement between the two companies.
Revealing that DiDi has backed out of the deal with NEVS which has stopped the production of EVs for the ride-sharing company, reports from Sweden have asserted that a better EV offer from Chinese automaker BAIC has prompted DiDi to pull out of its deal with NEVS.
In a recent announcement, US electric-scooter company Razor has said that it has launched its new electric scooter share service in Long Beach, after having received a permit from the city to operate the service.
US electric car and energy storage systems manufacturer Tesla has unveiled a massive new Powerpack energy storage project for grid balancing in Terhills, Belgium.
According to a recent announcement, Ryder is placing an order of a big fleet of 500 all-electric vans with a new electric vehicle startup Chanje.
Automotive News magazine has revealed in a recent report that a fully electrified Ferrari is not likely to hit the markets before 2023.
During electric vehicle manufacturer Tesla’s first-quarter 2018 earnings call this week, CEO Elon Musk will take a crowdsourced question from Tesla retail investors.
Electric car maker Tesla Motors has released a new update for its Model 3 software user interface, introducing some new features for the vehicle.


text:
From Home Furnishing Business
Report: HH Gregg Preparing Bankruptcy Filing
Struggling retailer HH Gregg (NASDAQ: HHG) is preparing to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection – possibly as soon as next month, according to a report from Bloomberg News.
The company, which recently announced it had hired a financial adviser to explore strategic alternatives, has lost money the last two fiscal years as sales have slumped.
The report said the retailer is still seeking an out-of-court solution in hopes of avoiding a Chapter 11 filing.
To read the Bloomberg story, click here.


text:
Qatalum has released its second annual Sustainability Report. Entitled “Harnessing the Sustainable Potential of Aluminium”, it builds on actual field data collected at Qatalum and includes data from last year’s report “Our Sustainable Journey”, in detailing the company’s approach, perspective and progress following international standards of sustainability indicators.
Within the report, which celebrates a nine-year journey towards a prosperous and responsible future, Qatalum has presented its baseline sustainability approach covering the company’s most material issues. With this second report, the focus has broadened in line with Qatalum’s growing sustainability agenda.
The first quarter of the new report presents an overview of the company, plant, management, board, organisational structure, mandate and mission. The second quarter details the company’s principles, values, integrated and international Management Systems, the developmental impact of aluminium and Qatalum, while going into considerable detail on evidence of aluminium’s green credentials, and the support to Qatar’s economic diversification.
The second half of the report, and its key component, outlines the progress made towards production excellence, quality assurance, customer satisfaction, supply chain developments, climate change mitigation, waste management, water management, biodiversity, the company’s Qatarisation policy, training and public engagement, HSE policy, health and wellness, and Qatalum’s many Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives over the past year.
According to Abdul Rahman Ahmad Al-Shaibi, Chairman of the Board of Directors, the report addresses the call from His Excellency Dr Mohammed bin Saleh Al Sada, Qatar’s Minister of Energy and Industry, for the sector to report on its sustainability performance as part of the Sustainable Development Industry Reporting (SDIR) Programme.
Qatalum continues to integrate sustainability into its core strategies, corporate culture, and DNA. As a reflection on the company’s pre-eminent emphasis on sustainability, in 2012 the Board of Directors approved creation of a full-time Sustainability Manager position to help ensure that sustainability is embedded into everything Qatalum does.
Sustainability Report 2012


text:
Cara Delevingne is making her own statement off the runway at Paris Fashion Week, debuting a new platinum hairdo during a night out with pals Kendall Jenner and Sasha Lane.
The 24-year-old model may have joined the lob squad over the summer, chopping her long blonde locks into a chic shoulder-skimming length, but now she’s going shorter than ever with a bob. Delevingne, who also dyed her hair a platinum color that contrasts with her famously full eyebrows, wore a braid down one side of her hair for the Paris outing and let the other side hang loose.
The Suicide Squad star isn’t the only one joining the “short hair, don’t care” movement. Her new style comes less than a month after Jenner, 21, made the cut for a sleek bob style. And this isn’t the first time she’s been inspired by her model friend to make a daring hair decision — Delevingne couldn’t make the cut for her lob until after Jenner began rocking the popular style. But you know what they say about imitation, and Delevingne knows how to put her own twist on the look.
The duo rocked their new tresses during an outing on Saturday night. Delevingne sported a black and white striped suit, reminiscent of gothic movies such as Beetlejuice or The Nightmare Before Christmas, paired with a flirty black crop top.
This article originally appeared on PEOPLE.com


text:
AppleInsider has a curious pair of analyst reports contrasting profits and pitfalls from the iPhone App Store—curious because it's the same analyst. Gene Munster of Piper Jaffray issued a research note suggesting the App Store could generate more than a billion dollars for Apple by the end of 2009. While it's a guessing game on everything from iPhones sold to active users, Munster makes the case that iPhone users are more likely to become App Store shoppers.
"Mobile service adoption rates show that iPhone owners are more sophisticated mobile users, likely a result of both the user profile and the device itself," the analyst told clients. "The bottom line is that we expect similar adoption of the App Store to other advanced services."
As the chart shows, it all comes down to how many iPhone and iPod touch owners buy applications, but even neutral projections show impressive numbers. By the end of 2009, Munster assumes nearly 80 million handheld users will buy one $10 application and download one free application. This would create a market of more than three-quarter of a billion dollars and generate a little less than a quarter of a billion dollars for Apple. It sounds great—unless, of course, a lot of scruffy hippies spoil it by releasing free applications.
Walking around at WWDC, Munster spoke with an admittedly small number of developers, 20, but what they had to say was a little startling. Munster "found the average cost of iPhone apps on the App Store to be $2.29, with 71 percent being free." Obviously, projections and chit-chat from WWDC are hardly indicative of anything. However, this does offer an explanation regarding the alleged pressuring of developers to monetize their software. Apple gets 30 percent of every sale, but even a CEO who dropped out of college can do the math on the percentage back on "free." It wouldn't be at all surprising if Apple moved away from applications that want to be free after the App Store inevitably succeeds.


text:
Tip us off!
Can't find what you want or have a tip? Tell us about it and we will endeavour to cover this topic. Drop us a line
The company's chairman has defended the complex arrangement that sees its UK profits largely funnelled to Bermuda, via Ireland and the Netherlands. 'It's called capitalism,' he said in an interview on Wednesday.
Google on Wednesday officially said that a new Google Maps app was available for the iOS platform. However, the app couldn't be found in the Apple iTunes App Store later in the day. Now, iPhone and iPad users won't have Apple's Maps app to kick around anymore?
When Google Maps was missing in iOS 6 and we heard it would eventually come I thought we would just see a slightly updated version from iOS 5. This is MUCH better with full voice-guided GPS navigation.
Google today released a dedicated Google Maps for iPhone and iPod Touch, three months after Apple opted to go native and remove Google's software from its platform.
Olympus is building a training center for medical professionals in China and hopes this will help boost sales of endoscope devices in Asia to the tune of US$1.5 billion by 2016.
It never ceases to amaze me what companies will try to get away with to attract business -- especially with something as simple as references. If you haven't noticed the practice of false references, here's what it looks like.
India's urban teenagers are growing up as digital natives and are active on social networks as early as 13 years old, but a McAfee survey suggests they are not getting the right parental assistance.
The company accuses LG Display of copying its plane-to-line switching tech in seven of the latter's patents and is seeking US$1.87 million in damages and sales injunctions against its rivals' products.
Telstra has invested AU$4 million in Melbourne-based cloud company Whispir.
Chinese telecoms vendor will use the funds to work with local partners to improve its own products and technologies, and "demonstrate its long-term commitment" to the U.S. market.
IBM has found itself in the sights of the Queensland government again after the state premier officially gave the green light today for a Commission of Inquiry into what happened with the Queensland Health payroll debacle.
When exploits can be sold for money, it was only a matter of time before hackers started attacking each other to undermine their competitors' businesses.
Japanese electronics giant focusing on making country a manufacturing hub by investing in more production facilities.
Australian telecommunications customers are complaining about their telco less according to the latest statistics, but disputes about global roaming bills over AU$5,000 are on the rise.
The online retailer is offering up plans with up to 6GB of data allowance on a service that will be running on Telstra's 3G network.


text:
The official arrivals numbers that the UK Office for National Statistics (ONS) put out just before Christmas and covering the month of September showed that year-to-date (January through September) departures for North America totaled 3,601,000—down 2 percent from the 3,112,000 registered for the same period in 2016, even if the month of September was stronger than it was in 2017. (Note: generally, about 90 percent of visitors to North America are destined for the U.S.)
Meanwhile, as the 2017 calendar year passed into history, two generally reliable industry authorities—ABTA and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA)—issued year-end reports that, while not buoyant, were positive in their prospects for what 2018 holds for travel to the USA from the UK. Some highlights from the two reports:
—CAA said last Thursday (Dec. 28, 2017) that three million people were expected to book their holiday for the coming year within the next seven days, with more people expected to travel to the U.S. in 2018 than they did last year.
—According to CAA, Spain remains the top holiday destination for next year, while the U.S. is second on the list. Italy, which was the number-two destination in 2017, has dropped one place. The rest of the Top Ten are: 4.Greece; 5. France; 6. Portugal; 7. The Caribbean; 8. Australia; 9 Canada; and 10. Cyprus.
—Despite the weakness of the British pound driving up costs, the popularity of the U.S. is stronger than ever with over a million more people looking to travel to America than 2017.
—ABTA research shows a notable increase in people planning to spend more on their holidays in the next 12 months: More than three in ten people (31 percent) plan to spend more, compared to 24 percent who said this in 2016, with only 14 percent of people planning to spend less.
—Early bookings for overseas holidays also appear strong for 2018, with industry figures showing bookings for next summer tracking 5 percent above last year. This may be a reflection of the growing trend for early booking, with people keen to secure their preferred resort or destination in an increasingly competitive market.
—City breaks and beach holidays are expected to remain the top holiday choices for 2018
—Over half of all holidaymakers (51 percent) are planning to take a city break and 47 percent are planning to take a beach holiday, an increase on numbers in the past 12 months.
—Almost a quarter of people (23 percent) are thinking of taking an all-inclusive holiday in 2018, with young families particularly attracted to this type of holiday, 34 percent of whom expect to take one in 2018.
—More than a third (36 percent) of Brits are confused about how Brexit will affect their holiday plans, with only 19 percent feeling well informed about the implications of Brexit. In spite of this, nearly two-thirds of people still intend to travel to Europe in the next 12 months, suggesting that British holidaymakers remain committed to Europe as a holiday destination