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Even though Pakistan’s football team will not be a part of the 2022 FIFA World Cup Finals in Doha this winter, Pakistan will be represented – thanks to our expert craftsmen and their talent for making premium footballs. After the recent treat for football fans in the shape of the FIFA trophy tour in Pakistan, Pakistanis can now look forward to seeing the special ‘made in Pakistan’ balls on the fields. The mega event that has been planned for the winter to avoid the harsh Qatar heat, will have footballs supplied from Pakistan and China. The environment-friendly ball that is being made especially for the 2022 FIFA World Cup is called “Al-Rihla” which is translated to “the journey”.
Forward Sports, a contracting manufacturer of global sports brand Adidas, has been chosen to manufacture the official match ball for the FIFA World Cup for the third time. Previously, the company manufactured footballs for the German Bundesliga, the French league, the Champions League, and the 2014 and 2018 World Cups in Brazil and Russia respectively.
“We have once again been chosen to supply footballs for the World Cup, which is an honour for us and a testimony of the quality we have maintained,” said Khawaja Masood Akhtar, the chairman of Forward Sports. He went on to discuss how the manufacturing of footballs has been revamped since 2013 – and that the footballs being manufactured now are ‘thermo-bonded’. This essentially means that the panels are attached through heat and there are no stitches.
“We have made some changes in (the design of) footballs this time, keeping Qatar’s culture, environment, architecture, and flag in mind – and it will be environment-friendly,” said Akhtar. He also discussed how for the very first time, only water-based inks and glues have been used in the making of the footballs.
Hassan Masood, Managing Director Forward Sports stated, “This is the third time that our product will be used in the World Cup. Before this we had made footballs for the 2014 and 2018 World Cups also. This brand, which will be used in Qatar World Cup, is too much responsive and is faster. The 25 percent elements, which have been used in this brand, are sustainable and this brand is made of re-cycled material”.
Sialkot, which is famous for a plethora of quality goods such as footballs, cricket bats, sports kits, shoes, gloves, and medical equipment, is a heavy source of exports for Pakistan. The country earns around one million dollars from sports goods exports – which includes a whopping 350-500 million dollars just from footballs.
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Wal-Mart plans Mankato distribution center — someday
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Executives from Wal-Mart Stores Inc. visited Mankato this fall and "kicked the dirt" at a highway interchange, which local officials took as a good sign that a long-rumored distribution center might finally be in the offing.
Mankato has been waiting for a Wal-Mart distribution center — a giant warehouse that would employ hundreds and supply stores around the region — since 2010, when the Bentonville, Ark.-based retailer said such a facility was in its five-year plan.
But that was the last official statement about the project, and previous reports that Wal-Mart was on the verge of announcing it have proven to be — well, wrong.
But Wal-Mart does own the land and presumably wants to do something with it. And the company is pushing its Minnesota expansion — its stores will soon outnumber Targets in Minnesota.
Mark Reilly manages daily and weekly coverage at the Business Journal newsroom.
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A hotbed of high-tech businesses and with a flourishing entrepreneurial community, the city of Nazareth is ideally suited for a new Regus workspace
Thanks to its ever-expanding high-tech sector, business is booming in Nazareth. The city is fast becoming an economic and commercial hub, attracting a wave of entrepreneurs, startups and small companies, as well as being an important outpost for huge multinationals.
Hand in hand with this industrious digital workforce comes an increasing demand for flexible co-working space. Regus – the global workspace provider – has recently opened the city’s first-ever shared office location, a 1,000-square-metre centre on Paulus ha–Shishi 102 Street.
Regus Nazareth is set in the commercial centre in downtown, an area that buzzes with government offices, software businesses and blue-chip tech companies such as technology giant Microsoft, one of the centre’s neighbours.
Spread across the third floor of a renovated business centre, its members have access to 50 fully-furnished private offices of varying sizes, 158 standalone desks, and meeting rooms available to rent by the hour. There’s also a business lounge offering free tea and coffee to facilitate networking opportunities.
The rooms are air-conditioned, well-lit and equipped with video-conferencing facilities, and secure, high-speed Wi-Fi. As with all Regus locations, they’re serviced by professional staff.
Set in the city centre, Regus Nazareth is close to a number of significant landmarks. If it’s culture you’re after during a lunch break, the Museum of Ancient Nazareth is directly opposite the office and the Old City is a five-minute stroll. There’s also an array of cafés and restaurants suitable for both Regus customers and entertaining clients.
Numerous transport links are within reach, with the Paulus Hashishi/6177 bus station across the road and the city of Haifa a 45-minute drive away via Highway 75.
Regus Nazareth is already attracting significant interest within the city’s thriving business community, with a third of spaces leased prior to opening and more enquiries every day.
“Nazareth has become the focus of high-tech activity in the Arab sector, and we are proud to open our first centre in the city and allow young entrepreneurs to enjoy our services,” says Ofer Witkon, CEO of Regus Israel.
“Regus continues to realise its vision of expanding to make local work possible – and bringing its unique solutions nationwide.”
Find out more about Regus’s global expansion here


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Fiat Chrysler has had a very expensive last week after it voluntarily recalled over 3 million vehicles, was ordered to buy back half a million defective pickup trucks and was assessed the largest-ever fine against an automaker in U. S. history.
On July 24, 2015, Fiat Chrysler voluntarily recalled 1.4 million vehicles for security software updates after two researchers successfully hacked into a newer model Jeep Cherokee through the vehicle’s information and entertainment dashboard, and took over the braking and steering components of the vehicle. Many have voiced concern about when hackers would be able to take over vehicles because of the extensive computer systems and apparently, that time is now.
Vehicles subject to recall over defective software include:
Fiat Chrysler also recalled 1.7 million 2012 to 2014 Ram pickup trucks to repair air bags that deploy without warning.
Over the weekend, the NHTSA announced a $105 million fine, the largest ever against an automaker, for Fiat Chrysler’s sloppy handling of an earlier recall involving its Jeep Grand Cherokee and Jeep Liberty models, and for its consistently poor handling of 22 other recalls involving over 11 million vehicles. Investigators found a pattern of laxity by Fiat Chrysler in ordering recalls, in communicating to affected vehicles owners, dealers and to safety investigators, and in timely repairing recalled vehicles. “Fiat Chrysler’s pattern of poor performance put millions of its customers, and the driving public, at risk,” said NHTSA Administrator Mark Rosekind.
In its Consent Order with the NHTSA, Fiat Chrysler admitted it committed safety violations by failing to order timely recalls and complete, to notify affected owners and dealers of safety problems, and to keep federal safety regulators informed of safety problems with its vehicles. Fiat Chrysler agreed to pay $70 million for failing to effectively follow through with the above-mentioned 23 recalls; agreed to pay another $20 million toward vehicle buy-backs and restructuring to improve performance standards; and consented to a possible additional $15 million in fines if independent monitors find no improvement in recall and repair procedures.
It also agreed to independent monitoring and regular oversight over the next three years regarding its handling of vehicle recalls.
Through the Consent Order, the NHTSA also ordered Fiat Chrysler to buy back several hundred thousand pick-up trucks with defective suspensions. Fiat Chrysler must offer to buy back Ram pick-up trucks made between 2008 and 2012, which may have defective steering parts that could cause a driver to lose control of the vehicle. The cost of this buyback could run into the billions.
After being repeatedly criticized for its own lax enforcement of automaker rules and regulations, the NHTSA continues to demonstrate with its recent imposition of fines and penalties on automakers and parts manufacturers that it plans to be more aggressive when it comes to vehicle safety enforcement. U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said Monday, “We are sending an unambiguous message to the industry. If you skirt the laws or violate the laws, we are going to penalize you.” NHTSA Administrator Mark Rosekind explained the record fine was meant to get the attention of the auto industry and convey the message that federal regulators are going to be more aggressive in enforcing safety rules and regulations and that automakers better get on board, or be subject to millions in fines. As Rosekind explained, “our goal is simple—more safety for the driving public.”
Let’s hope automakers finally get the message.


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RUSSIA: Constellation Brands enters Russia
Constellation Brands has said it is eyeing expansion on Russia's wine market, with the opening a susbidiary group in the country.
Constellation Europe confirmed to just-drinks today (16 September) that it is setting up a subsidiary in the country.
Further details of the move are set to be released shortly, said a spokesperson for the group, which owns brands such as Robert Mondavi and Hardys.
Russia's wine market remains at the early stages of development, but grew at an average 20.6% per year between 2001 and 2006, according to figures from market research group Datamonitor.
Constellation's branded wine sales in Europe fell 6% on an organic basis in its first quarter ended 31 May.
It is now more than a year and a half since Troy Christensen took the helm at Constellation Europe, the European division of the world's biggest wine company. Given the current state of the European m...
UK wine merchant Paragon Vintners is to cease trading after struggling to cope with the effects of the economic downturn....
Constellation Europe has launched a trade loyalty scheme for its Jack Rabbit wine brand in the UK....
Gaymer Cider Co, the division of Constellation Europe, has relaunched its Blackthorn cider brand in the UK with a GBP1.5m marketing drive....
The top ten stories published on just-drinks this week:...
Spanish wine producer Torres has become the latest large wine firm to pull out of this year's Vinexpo wine show, due to the effects of the economic downturn on its suppliers....
Constellation Europe has appointed Foster's EMEA marketing director James Lousada as its senior vice president of marketing and business development....
US wine exports rose by 6% in value last year to pass the $1bn mark for the first time, new figures show....
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On tkerala lottery result 13.10.2016he same day, a spokesperson for the government of Uttar Pradesh State of India confirmed that the state’s Minister of Technology and Education, Kamal Rani, died in a hospital in the capital Lucknow after contracting the new crown virus. According to reports, the 62-year-old Rani has served as a member of the lower house of the Indian Parliament for two terms. On July 18, Rani tested positive for the new coronavirus and was admitted to the hospital.
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36 million dollars, hesitated: "Ihavenoidea, it's out of control." Hansen said, this means that it means the pressure that should be endured.
At a time when Australia is in dispute over the issue of payment for news on digital platforms and technology companies such as Facebook, the Indian government is also implementing its strict taxation plan for foreign technology companies. In early February, India passed a budget bill that would impose an additional 2% tax on foreign e-commerce companies. The scope of services of "e-commerce companies" affected by the Act includes selling goods or providing services, providing price-listing platforms, placing purchase orders, processing orders, and partial or full payment for goods and services. Foreign technology companies affected by the bill include Microsoft, Amazon, and Indian e-commerce Flipkart (registered in Singapore).
Reuters reported that during Trump's visit to India, the Modi administration was trying its best to strengthen bilateral relations. Trump has long been dissatisfied with the US-India trade imbalance. He once accused India of being the “king of global tariffs,” but India has been working hard to alleviate US concerns and is committed to reaching a trade agreement with the US as soon as possible.
According to data from the two largest United Arab Emirates sweepstakes, namely Abu Dhabi's big lottery sweepstakes and Dubai's duty-free millionaire sweepstakes, Indian nationals proved tokerala lottery result 13.10.2016 be the luckiest.
Family affection is certainly the white moonlight of many people, but love can also be a cinnabar mole in the heart.


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According to numbers gathered and released by Ico Partners, the weeks following both the Steam Summer Sale and the launch of the self-publishing tool Steam Direct have seen a noticeable bump in the number of new releases on Steam.
Between full and early access launches, the first week of August saw as many as 215 new games come to the platform.
For the most part, the number of releases has been steadily increasing since the beginning of July and the end of the Steam Summer Sale, as the chart below shows.
Even the first week of July, which caught the tail end of the Steam Summer Sale, saw a decent number of game launches.
Here are the number of releases of the previous weeks (from mid-April 2017).— Thom ⚔🎲 🛫gamescom (@icotom) August 7, 2017
Part of this increase could be, either directly or indirectly, thanks to the early effects of Steam Direct.
The self-publishing option went online in the middle of June to replace the late Steam Greenlight program but there were over 3,400 submitted games hanging in limbo following that closure. Valve took it upon itself to green-light as many of those pending titles as it “[had] confidence in”.
It's possible some of the recent influx of games could be due to, at least in part, stragglers from the Greenlight program. But ultimately, only time will tell if the program itself and its recoupable $100 per-game submission fee have a lasting effect on the number of games that release on the digital storefront.


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Columbus Yachts, a brand of the Palumbo Group, is set to launch the Oceanic Series range during this year’s Monaco Yacht Show, 23rd to 26th September, at stand QE14.
Developed in close collaboration with Studio Vafiadis, the first yacht in the series, 70m Columbus Sport Oceanic 70, was first introduced at the Monaco Yacht Show 2014, and is currently in construction ready for this year’s show.
Giuseppe Palumbo, CEO of the Palumbo Group said, “We have brought our shipping knowledge to yacht building and created some stunning collections under the Columbus Yachts brand.
“The new 70m Columbus Oceanic, which is currently under construction in Naples Shipyard, has been created in a tight collaboration with Studio Vafiadis and will represent an additional line, a forward oriented, fresh and dynamic cutting-edge stylistic approach to propose to new clients.
“As in all our Columbus Yachts line, the environmentally friendly studies had an important impact on design as well as in the project. Columbus Oceanic Series is in fact designed to have the hybrid propulsion option among many other environmentally friendly features. The sea is something we need to respect and preserve for future generations.”
The Columbus Oceanic Series has been designed in partnership with George Vafiadis and his son Stefano Inglese Vafiadis. The new line includes a 50-metre model, and 55m, 60m, 65m, 70m and 75m versions.
For more information visit Columbus Yachts.


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[EDITORIALS]Japan surges, Korea stallsNikkei Business, a leading Japanese weekly, recently reported that Japanese businesses that left Japan in search of cheap labor in China and Southeast Asia 20 years ago were coming back. They began to be confident that they could have a competitive edge even if they paid more in wages and for land at home, because productivity has increased with the development of ultra-modern technology and automation. When they started to invest at home again, jobs were created and the chances of technology leaks were reduced.
With the halt of the industrial vacuum, the Japanese economy has started to sail smoothly. It had a 5.8-percent annual growth rate in the first quarter of the year and 3.3 percent in the second quarter. The Japanese government and the Bank of Japan have officially declared that the economic recession is over and structural economic recovery has started. As consumption revives and investment increases, the economy will certainly grow more.
When we look at Korea, we feel gloomy. Many businesses are lined up to relocate overseas, and foreign investment in Korea has decreased drastically. In two years, the profitability of direct investment in manufacturing has turned sour. Investment in facilities in the second quarter has increased only 1.5 percent over the same period last year, and most of that was investment in existing facilities. Investment in new products and research and development has decreased. In other words, Korean businesses are only keeping up what they have; they are not in a position to think of developing future growth engines.
The minister of construction and transportation said, “The government will not permit construction of new factories of big businesses in the Seoul area until 2012, when the relocation of public institutions outside of Seoul is completed and construction of the new administrative city is launched.” Does that mean that he doesn’t care whether the economy goes bad for political reasons? “Business-friendly country” is nothing but a slogan here.
According to the World Bank’s “Doing Business in 2006,” Korea ranks 27th among 155 countries for its business-friendly environment. But Korea ranks 100th, behind Vietnam and Mongolia, for conditions for starting a business and the flexibility of the labor market. Seoul must learn from Japan how to create a truly business-friendly environment.


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CAPIS Global Markets 6/25/2019
Asian Markets Most of the region traded lower in part due to U.S.-Iranian tensions. Adding to selling pressure for the Chinese markets was the additional worries of reports several Chinese banks are being investigated for N. Korean sanction violations by the U.S. Financials join in the worries related to the U.S. that are already weighing…
Most of the region traded lower in part due to U.S.-Iranian tensions. Adding to selling pressure for the Chinese markets was the additional worries of reports several Chinese banks are being investigated for N. Korean sanction violations by the U.S. Financials join in the worries related to the U.S. that are already weighing upon Chinese IT and telco names. More on this in the headlines section. India outpeformed on local buying following two days of losses.
The vast majority of the major sectors traded lower weighed down by Chinese names. Financials, telcos, IT and consumer discretionary gave ground by 0.5% or more. Energy and materials were flattish. Among material names gold miners outperformed due to the rise in the precious metal along with continued M&A stories in the sector.
- The Washington Post reports a judge ruled China Merchants Bank -7.7% and other Chinese lenders are violating N. Korean sanctions. For its part, China Merchants says it complies with all regulations on the matter. Shanghai Pudong Dev. Bank -3.1% is also allegedly involved.
- Nissan Motor’s -0.3% AGM saw Renault -1.0% receive larger representation on the board. The Japanese automaker is seeking to mend the relationship with the French company. Overall, the board changes are an attempt to limit the influence of one individual. This follows the allegations against former Chair Ghosn.
- Troubled Japan Display -9.0% saw two more potential investors step away from its bailout plan.
- Fosun Intl -0.2% following yesterday’s word it is contemplating a stake in Russian gold miner GV Gold.
The region started to the downside and pared the losses. The markets lost steam at the flat line and are currently down small.
Following yesterday’s sanctions imposed upon Iran’s Supreme Leader Khamenei and eight military commanders, Iran has said the door for diplomacy has been shut. Ayatollah Khamenei referred to the measures as “outrageous and idiotic.”
Safe-haven assets continue to catch bids. The commodity markets are seeing gold post further gains above $1,400. The yield on the 10 yr. German Bund has set a record low of -0.33%. Bitcoin also is maintaining its advance.
- Today’s top stocks are Cap Gemini +7.1% and Altran Tech +21.8%. This follows the merger announced after yesterday’s close. Cap Gemini will pay €14 per share. It is forecasting significant increases to EPS in the coming years as a result of the deal.
- Publicis +0.3% is seeing the departure of Chief Creative Officer Nick Law to Apple for an undisclosed role.
- KPN -2.5% also has an executive leaving. CEO Ibarra is leaving the company after spending less than two years at his post.
On Our Side of the Pond
- This morning’s top story is a megadeal in the pharmaceutical sector. Abbvie will pay Allergan shareholders 0.866 Abbvie shares along with $120.30 per share. That values the deal at c. $63b.
- FedEx is filing a law suit against the U.S. Commerce Dept. The company claims the current export laws especially related to sanctions make it impossible to conduct its global business. The company reports after today’s close.
- Lennar’s revenues and EPS are ahead of consensus. EPS are better than the highest estimate.
- A number of Fed members will be speaking today. Top of the list is Fed Chair Powell who will discuss outlook and policy.
Markets & Macro
|AU||ANZ Roy Morgan Weekly Consumer Confidence Index||23-Jun||—||114.3||114.2||—|
|JN||PPI Services YoY||May||1.00%||0.80%||0.90%||1.00%|
|FR||Production Outlook Indicator||Jun||5||3||4||—|
|FR||Own-Company Production Outlook||Jun||13||8||13||12|
|HK||Trade Balance HKD||May||-36.8b||-34.7b||-35.1b||—|
|UK||CBI Retailing Reported Sales||Jun||-5||-42||-27||—|
|UK||CBI Total Dist. Reported Sales||Jun||-10||-22||-20||—|
|CA||Wholesale Trade Sales MoM||Apr||0.20%||—||1.40%||—|
|US||FHFA House Price Index MoM||Apr||0.20%||—||0.10%||—|
|US||S&P CoreLogic CS 20-City MoM SA||Apr||0.10%||—||0.09%||—|
|US||S&P CoreLogic CS 20-City YoY NSA||Apr||2.50%||—||2.68%||—|
|US||S&P CoreLogic CS 20-City NSA Index||Apr||215.61||—||214.09||—|
|US||S&P CoreLogic CS US HPI YoY NSA||Apr||3.50%||—||3.72%||—|
|US||S&P CoreLogic CS US HPI NSA Index||Apr||—||—||206.23||—|
|US||Richmond Fed Manufact. Index||Jun||2||—||5||—|
|US||Revisions: Retail Sales|
|US||New Home Sales||May||684k||—||673k||—|
|US||New Home Sales MoM||May||1.60%||—||-6.90%||—|
|US||Conf. Board Consumer Confidence||Jun||131||—||134.1||—|
|US||Conf. Board Present Situation||Jun||—||—||175.2||—|
|US||Conf. Board Expectations||Jun||—||—||106.6||—|


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Redfish, haddock and pollock fisheries earn MSC stamp of approval
The Sustainable Groundfish Association, based in Gloucester, Massachusetts, has proven that the Acadian redfish, haddock and pollock meets Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) Fisheries Standards, earning sustainability certification for the corresponding fisheries as of August.
New England fishermen have been turning to Acadian redfish, haddock and pollock as economically viable and sustainable alternatives to other species for some time. Typically caught Gulf of Maine and Georges Bank waters, the combined commercial harvest of the fish transpired into a total value of more than USD 21 million (EUR million) in 2013.
With the new MSC certification, both consumers and fishermen can be confident that the catch is sustainable sought and caught.
“MSC certification allows consumers to buy New England redfish, haddock and pollock with the confidence that the fisheries will continue to be operated and managed in a sustainable manner. We are committed to preserving a way of life for commercial fishermen and their families while minimizing ecosystem impact to insure these fisheries are sustainable for generations to come,” said Kristian Kristensen of Cape Ann Seafood Exchange, a member of SGA, in a press statement.
"The MSC’s vision is for oceans to be teeming with life for future generations. We are extremely pleased to see the US Acadian redfish, haddock and pollock fishery succeed in the MSC process and we hope to be their partner in creating and maintaining new markets,” added Brian Perkins, MSC’s regional director for the Americas.
To aid in upping consumer awareness for sustainable seafood in the New England area, MSC has launched a new campaign that will help consumers better identify sustainable seafood options. MSC will attend events at Whole Foods and Big Y grocery stores in greater Boston, Springfield and Great Barrington, showing off its "Good Catch!" campaign materials and promo video; the organization will also attend Green Fest and the Quincy Farmers Market.
Currently, the redfish and pollock fisheries are harvesting less than half of their annual quotas, according to MSC. All three fisheries were independently assessed by SAI Global Assurance Services, an accredited third-party conformity assessment body.


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Over the past several years, we have seen the world wake up to the question of whether vapes and e-cigarettes are a better alternative to tobacco, which is well documented as harmful to our health. Authorities in the UK are preparing to ban the sale and manufacture of single-use vapes by next year, and the latest Netflix docu-series Big Vape: The Rise And Fall Of Juul also discusses the various issues.
We have witnessed a growing debate over the safety of vaping in Thailand, where it is illegal but nonetheless widely available. The question is whether vapes and e-cigarettes are as harmful as traditional tobacco products. People are also concerned about the reasons behind the ban, and whether or not smokers should switch to vaping for better health.
When it comes to comparing the health effects of e-cigarettes and traditional cigarettes, it's essential to understand that both products come with risks. According to the World Health Organization, tobacco smoke contains over 7,000 chemicals, including at least 250 known to be harmful and more than 60 classified as carcinogens. These chemicals are responsible for the devastating health consequences associated with smoking, such as lung cancer, heart disease and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
E-cigarettes, on the other hand, do not produce tobacco smoke. Instead, they work by heating a liquid that usually contains nicotine, flavourings and other chemicals to produce an aerosol that users inhale. While e-cigarettes are not without their own set of risks, studies have suggested that they might be less harmful than traditional cigarettes.
The Royal College of Physicians in the UK, for instance, stated that "the hazard to health arising from long-term vapour inhalation from the e-cigarettes available today is unlikely to exceed 5% of the harm from smoking tobacco".
The relative harm of vapes compared to cigarettes has sparked numerous debates within the scientific community. One thing is clear, vaping is not entirely without risk. The aerosol produced by e-cigarettes may contain harmful substances, and long-term effects are still being studied. However, it is plausible that vaping can be a less harmful alternative for smokers who are unable or unwilling to quit nicotine altogether.
Given the potential harm reduction associated with vaping, one may wonder why countries like Thailand maintain stringent bans on these products. The answer lies not only in the concerns about the health effects of vaping, but also in the broader context of regulating a burgeoning industry. While vaping is illegal, the availability of these products is widespread. The incongruity between the law and its enforcement raises questions about the effectiveness of a ban in curbing the use of vapes. It is evident that many Thais have embraced vaping despite its legal status, suggesting a significant demand for these products.
One could argue that the continued ban on vaping is counterproductive. While the government's intentions may be to protect public health, the reality is that many consumers are turning to an unregulated black market. In this scenario, it becomes difficult to monitor and ensure the quality and safety of vaping products. If the government were to regulate and tax vaping, it could potentially enhance public safety and generate revenue for public health initiatives.
The situation in Thailand is not unique. Many countries are grappling with the same challenges. In the United Kingdom, for example, ministers are preparing to ban single-use vapes by 2024, a decision that has sparked debate among health experts and the public. While the UK has been relatively more permissive in its approach to vaping compared to countries like Thailand, the new ban raises questions about the motivations behind such regulations.
Vaping bans often stem from a combination of concerns about health risks, potential gateway effects to smoking for youth and a desire to maintain control over the tobacco industry. Critics of vaping argue that it may renormalise smoking and that young people who start with e-cigarettes may transition to traditional cigarettes. Furthermore, the rapid proliferation of new and often flashy vaping products with countless flavours and designs to choose from has raised concerns about their appeal to adolescents.
In the grand scheme of things, the question is whether smokers should switch to vaping if they want to quit their cigarette habit for better health. It's essential to emphasise that quitting nicotine altogether remains the best choice for health. However, for those who are struggling to quit and have been unsuccessful with other methods, vaping might offer a less harmful alternative.
The vaping debate remains complex, with the scientific community divided on the relative health risks. Bans on vaping, as seen in Thailand and other countries, often result from a confluence of factors, including concerns about public health, youth initiation and the broader tobacco industry. While it's crucial to regulate vaping to protect consumers, an outright ban may not be the most effective approach. As more research emerges, policymakers should revisit their positions on vaping and consider harm reduction as a viable strategy for those unable to quit nicotine entirely.
Tatat Bunnag is a feature writer for the Bangkok Post's Life section.


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Next week’s Nordic Organic Food Fair event in Malmö (15-16 November, MalmöMässan, Sweden) will provide a showcase for the latest thinking about sustainability and ways to build a new green economy.
Leading organic advocacy groups, brands and retailers – including Organic Sweden, KRAV, Paradiset, Skåne Food Innovation Network, Menigo, Södertälje, Organic Denmark, Ekoweb, Global Organics, Marije Vogelzang, and EkoMatCentrum – will take part in a series of talks and discussions on how to drive the momentum for change.
According to analysts Euromonitor International, “growing threats to sustainability are leading both governments and businesses to explore different elements of the green economy”.
Paul Holmbeck, director of Organic Denmark, has worked in politics, market development and communications for over 30 years. He’ll be bringing his expertise to the Organic Theatre in a discussion about innovative organic politics, sharing how the Danish model has achieved its position as a world leading organic nation through effective lobby work and policy.
“The organic farmers, food companies, consumers and allies are developing new solutions for the environment, animal welfare, climate and biodiversity every day, and building a new green economic sector at the same time, that can create jobs, value and new opportunity for farmers and communities in rural areas. The organic principles and values drive innovation, because we are always trying to reach our goals for sustainability,” says Holmbeck.
“The organic principles and values drive innovation, because we are always trying to reach our goals for sustainability”
This remains central to the two-day talks programme, and echoes the voice of many of the speakers who are dedicated to shaping a better future. Christoffer Carlsmose, corporate sustainability manager, at Menigo Group Sweden and Sara Jervfors, head of diet unit at Sodertalje Municipality, will be discussing ‘The food industry’s role in sustainable development’, and will be unveiling future plans for global sustainable development, with initiatives like ‘Agenda 2030’ and ‘Diet for a Green Planet’.
“Time is short and we need to review how we can contribute to reach the 17 global goals, with its 169 milestones. All of us who work in the food industry are responsible for achieving these global goals,” says Carlsmose.
“Mankind is now quite literally borrowing from its children’s future to sustain today’s lifestyles,” adds social innovation expert and CEO of Skåne Food Innovation Network, Lotta Törner. Spending a large part of her career championing innovation in food, Törner will be discussing what innovations must be taken to transform a fragmented global food industry into a smart, sustainable and integrated system.
Proving that integrated, sustainable systems can work, Dave Alexander, CEO of Global Organics, will be talking about The Native Green Cane Project in Brazil – one of the largest sustainable, biodiverse and certified organic production programmes in the world. Earning numerous accolades, including being named one of 16 ‘Sustainability Champions’ worldwide by the World Economic Forum, Alexander will be talking in depth about the project and the environmental benefits it provides, on 15 November, at 4.00-4.45pm.
Charlotte Bladh André (Organic Sweden), Johannes Cullberg (Paradiset), Nina Nilsson (KRAV), Per Ågren (Pear & Carrot) Cecilia Ryegård (Ekoweb), food designer Marije Vogelzang, Anita Falkenek (KRAV), Mimi Dekker, and Eva Fröman (Lilla Ekomatsligan) will also be hosting lively discussions in the Organic Theatre over the two days.
The Nordic Organic Food Fair – the Nordic region’s biggest trade show for certified organic food and drink – will provide a unique opportunity for visiting buyers and retailers to gain exclusive industry insights, hear advice from opinion formers, and discover opportunities for future growth in its packed two-day seminar programme. Topics up for discussion include global sustainable development, social responsibility, innovative organic policy, animal welfare, food origin and preparation, disrupting the grocery oligopoly, and green harvesting.
For the full seminar line-up and timings, e visit www.nordicorganicexpo.com/education/organic-theatre. For more information and to register for a free trade ticket, please visit www.nordicorganicexpo.com and quote priority code NPUK322
Picture: Organic Denmark director Paul Holmbeck
• The Nordic Organic Food Fair – the only organic food & drink trade show hosted in the Nordic region – takes place on 15-16 November 2017 at MalmöMässan, Sweden. For information about visiting or exhibiting visit nordicorganicexpo.com


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London, United Kingdom – 3 January 2019 – Goode Intelligence’s (www.goodeintelligence.com) third report in its Biometrics for Financial Services series, Mobile Biometrics for Financial Services; Market and Technology Analysis, Adoption Strategies and Forecasts 2018-2023 – Second Edition, reveals that mobile biometrics has transformed how financial service providers identify and authenticate their customers enabling them to dispense with inconvenient technologies that have been shoehorned to work on smart mobile devices. Goode Intelligence forecasts that over $1.67 trillion of mobile biometric payments will be made annually by 2023 and over $8.7 billion revenue will be generated for suppliers of mobile biometric technology by 2023.
Initial growth in this market is predominantly from remote (digital) payments through a combination of mCommerce and eCommerce payment transactions with the latter supported by FIDO 2.0 (WebAuthn) standards. The report further reveals that:
- 2018 saw 68 percent remote mobile biometric payment users versus 32 percent local (physical – in-store)
- By 2023 the percentage of local mobile biometric payment users will increase to 46 percent with remote payments accounting for 54 percent of total mobile biometric payment users
- Slower rates of adoption are expected for local mobile biometric payments in North America, Europe, Africa, ME and LATAM with the highest rates of adoption expected in China, India and rest of APAC
Alan Goode, founder and CEO of Goode Intelligence and author of the report, said “Identity verification, authentication and fraud management are the three inter-connected areas where mobile biometrics is really establishing itself as an important tool for banks and payment services providers to deploy.
“The delivery of financial services is being transformed by a series of digital mega-events that include the Open Banking revolution where these banks and payment services providers are being forced, either by regulation such as the EU’s PSD2 or by pressures from FinTech providers, to open up their digital infrastructure to third parties using APIs. This, coupled with the need for speed and friction removal from a range of financial services, has created the demand for alternative identity solutions that can operate in a range of channels from traditional, for example ATMs, to the latest digital financial services including mobile, web and IoT.
“Tied to Open Banking is the need for seamless methods that financial services providers can use to engage with their customers and to prove who they are (identity) so that these customers have a convenient method to gain access to their authorised banking services (authenticate) to enable them to make payments any time, any place, anywhere (the Martini principle). Additionally, fraud levels need to be kept at acceptable levels (fraud management).
“In our opinion, fingerprint will continue to be a dominant modality due to the wide scale availability of sensors in mobile devices. Face – both 3D sensors embedded by mobile OEMs, e.g. Apple Face ID and software based solutions leveraging cloud-based AI – will also grow rapidly as it supports mobile-based eIDV applications to support identity and document verification for digital onboarding.”
The 206 page report is the third in a three-part series – Biometrics for Financial Services – that also includes Biometrics for Banking and Biometrics for Payments. It includes a comprehensive review of current global adoption, market analysis including key drivers and barriers for adoption, interviews with leading stakeholders, technology analysis with review of key biometric technologies and profiles of companies supplying mobile biometric components and systems for financial services plus forecasts (regional and global) for users, devices, transactions and revenue within the six-year period 2018 to 2023.
Further information about the Mobile Biometrics for Financial Services report can be found at https://www.goodeintelligence.com/report/mobile-biometrics-for-financial-services-market-technology-analysis-adoption-strategies-and-forecasts-2018-2023/
About Goode Intelligence
Goode Intelligence is a leading identity and biometrics research and consulting organisation founded in 2007 and is based in London. For more information about Goode Intelligence please visit www.goodeintelligence.com
For further information contact:
Michelle Goode, Goode Intelligence
Tel: +44(0) 203 633 1269 Email: email@example.com
Email: firstname.lastname@example.org; Web: www.goodeintelligence.com


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We’ll get to the monster trucks in a moment. But first, OC Fair announced three more shows coming to The Hangar this season, July 15-Aug. 14, in Costa Mesa.
Don’t Look Back: The Boston Experience will headline the venue on July 15; The Cured: The Cure Experience is coming July 27; and Twisted Gypsy: Fleetwood Mac with a Twist on July 30.
Tickets for all of those shows are $20-$25 and go on sale at 10 a.m. Feb. 26 at Ticketmaster.com. All tickets include same-day admission to the OC Fair.
The Monster Truck Nitro Tour is also coming to the venue’s Action Sports Arena for five performances July 20-24. Tickets also go on sale at 10 a.m. Feb. 26 and are $17.50-$32.50 at Ticketmaster.com. Those tickets include OC Fair admission and there are meet and greet ticket options available.


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Yearly Archives: 2019
The 2019 NEC Classic Motor Show is less than four days away, but there’s still time to use your MG Car Club members code to claim your discount on tickets to this year’s show. The theme for this year’s show is ‘Top Trumps’ and the Club will be in Hall 3, with an exciting stand […]
Kimber House will be closed this Thursday (7th November) and Friday (8th November) as the team prepare for the NEC Classic Motor Show in Birmingham. A skeleton staff will be available on Wednesday 6th November and on Monday 11th November to allow for pre and post-show build-up and break down. The Club house is open […]
MG Motor UK has welcomed the highly respected Donalds Group to its expanding franchised dealer network with the opening of two new MG dealerships in eastern England. With one site in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire and a second in Stamford, Lincolnshire, Donalds Group now has two MG dealerships displaying the expanding MG model range. Boasting bright and […]
MG Motor UK has welcomed Geraint Isaac to the newly created National Fleet Sales Manager position. The appointment reinforces the manufacturer’s mid-term growth plan by furthering its presence in the important fleet and local business sales market. The role will see Geraint work with the expanding MG dealer network, as well as major fleet operators, […]
MG Motor UK is delighted to announce the launch of its new flagship model, All New MG HS, a quality C-segment SUV designed for quality family moments. All New MG HS offers buyers an exciting and high-quality alternative to the conventional choices with a sporty exterior and a family friendly interior with soft-touch materials used […]
Here’s your chance to go behind the scenes at the MG Car Club headquarters, Kimber House in Abingdon.
MG Motor UK has welcomed WLMG Eastcote to its expanding dealer portfolio. Situated in Eastcote, near Ruislip in North West London, the retailer becomes the latest dealership to serve the capital city. Boasting a bright and spacious six-car showroom, the retailer features full maintenance and aftersales support at their dedicated maintenance centre at its South […]
The first-ever customer delivery of a fully electric MG has taken place at Bushey Heath Garage, Bushey, Hertfordshire, where MGCC member Richard Jackson received the keys to his new ZS EV Exclusive in stylish Dynamic Red. The milestone handover also marks the start of customer deliveries for ZS EV across MG’s 100-strong dealer network. Since […]
TIME is running out for MG Car Club members to book their discounted ticket to the Classic Motor Show at the NEC, Birmingham!
The MG Car Club European Event of the Year 2020 will be taking place in Germany. 50 years after its founding, MG Car Club Deutschland e.V. will organise the event which will take place from the 5th to the 9th of August in Würzburg. Bookings for the event open at 8pm CEST (7pm UK time). The event […]


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Elizabeth Town-based dairy producer Ashgrove will launch the world’s first climate-friendly milk today.
Ashgrove Eco-Milk comes from cows with 25 per cent less methane emissions, making a significant step towards sustainable dairy production.
Ashgrove has partnered with East Coast company Sea Forest, feeding cows a dietary supplement called See Feed, made from native red seaweed.
The feed has the potential to halve the amount of methane emitted by cows.
Ashgrove says its eco-milk retains all the nutritional benefits of full cream milk while significantly reducing environmental impact.


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[Due to the increasing size of the archives, each topic page now contains only the prior 365 days of content. Access to older stories is now solely through the Monthly Archive pages or the site search function.]
2015 Harris Poll finds 48% of US car owners would consider hybrid for new car, same as in 2013; plug-in consideration up 2 points
August 20, 2015
A new Harris Poll of 2,225 US adults (aged 18 and older) has found that 48% of American car owners (or anticipated owners) say they’d consider a traditional hybrid the next time they’re in the market for a new vehicle—a result identical to 2013 findings. Harris recorded lower consideration levels for plug-in vehicles, whether they be plug-in hybrids (29%, up 2 percentage points) or pure electrics (21%, also up 2 points).
An additional two in ten would consider a diesel (19%, up 3 points), while 35% would consider a smaller or gas powered vehicle to save on operating costs (down 3 points).
Ipsos poll finds 64% of Canadians would consider buying or leasing fuel cell vehicle if available
August 11, 2015
Eight in ten (80%) Canadians “agree” (33% strongly/48% somewhat) that “electric cars are the way of the future”, according to a new Ipsos poll conducted on behalf of Hyundai. Just two in ten (20%) “disagree” (3% strongly/17% somewhat). Three quarters (75%) of Canadians “agree” (32% strongly/44% somewhat) that they would “like to have a car that is not powered by traditional gasoline”, while only one in four (25%) “disagree” (7% strongly/18% somewhat) that they would like to drive such a car.
However, the poll also found that a majority (71%) “agrees” (25% strongly/46% somewhat) that “constantly having to charge electric cars is a pain” (29% disagree – 7% strongly/22% somewhat). While most (90%) can “agree” (45% strongly/45% somewhat) that “cars that operate on an alternate source of fuel rather than traditional gasoline are great for the environment” and that they’re “innovative” (89% agree – 38% strongly/51% somewhat), two in three (67%) also “agree” (20% strongly/47% somewhat) that they would “like to own an eco-friendly car but electric-powered cars are too much hassle”. One in three (33%) “disagrees” (8% strongly/25% somewhat) that electric-powered cars are too much hassle. Only one in four (24%) say they’re “familiar” (3% very/22% somewhat) with hydrogen fuel cell technology, while most (76%) are not (43% not very/32% not at all familiar – never heard of it).
SFU researchers find promise for plug-in vehicles in Canada, but need for increased supply and policy support
July 16, 2015
New work by a team at Simon Fraser University (SFU) in Canada has found that more than one-third of Canadian buyers want a plug-in vehicle (PEV), with the majority of those (89—93%) wanting a plug-in hybrid rather than a pure electric vehicle. However, less than 1% of vehicle sales in Canada are electric because of low consumer awareness and limited vehicle choice.
With the current supply of PEVs in Canada (7 models), the future PEV new market share is not likely to exceed 4—5% by 2030, according to the report; increasing supply (to 56 models) could increase market share to over 20% by 2030.
UMTRI survey finds drivers’ cautious attitude toward autonomous vehicles little changed over past year
Researchers at University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI) have found little movement over the past year in motorists’ attitudes toward the prospect of autonomous vehicles. A new survey of 505 licensed drivers in the US found that the most frequent preference (43.8%) for vehicle automation was for no self-driving capability. Partially self-driving vehicles was the second more frequent preference (40.6%), with completely self-driving vehicles being the least-preferred choice (15.6%). Preference for having vehicle automation generally decreased as respondent age increased.
The findings of the 2015 survey by Brandon Schoettle and Dr. Michael Sivak, developed to examine motorists’s preferences among levels of vehicle automation, were similar to those of their survey fielded in June 2014, which asked the same questions.
Expanded UMTRI study finds self-driving vehicles generate enthusiasm, concerns worldwide; interest highest in China and India
November 02, 2014
Despite safety concerns about equipment failure, a majority of drivers on three continents have high expectations for autonomous vehicles. Building on an earlier study on public opinion regarding self-driving vehicles in the US, Great Britain and Australia (earlier post), Brandon Schoettle and Michael Sivak of the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI) expanded their survey to include more than 1,700 respondents in India (527), China (610) and Japan (585). The report includes recently released findings from the same survey in the US, the UK, and Australia.
They found that about 87% of respondents in China and 84% in India have positive views regarding autonomous and self-driving vehicles, compared to 62% in Australia, 56% in the US, 52% in the UK and 43% in Japan. Half of the Japanese respondents were neutral, while the US registered the highest percentage of negative views (16%) among the six countries.
UC Davis ITS study suggests hastening consumer adoption of plug-ins will require innovation on the sales side
October 12, 2014
|Ratings of buyer satisfaction with the new vehicle purchase experience by phase of the purchase process from 2013 SSI buyer index scores. Source: ICCT. Click to enlarge.|
A study by researchers at the Institute of Transportation Studies, UC Davis finds that buyers of plug-in vehicles (PEVs) are substantially less satisfied with the dealer purchase experience than buyers of conventional vehicles—with the notable exception of Tesla buyers. A fundamental problem appears to be divergent expectations regarding the level of support buyers receive from dealerships.
In a new working paper, the team contends that PEVs require innovation in how these products are retailed to customers as well as demanding changes in consumer behavior and relying on new support infrastructure. While the diversity of the dealer community could foster innovation in retail activities, the same diversity could also hinder the quality and pace of diffusion amongst dealers. This, in turn, the team suggests, could—through a sub-par purchase experience—hinder the quality and pace of the adoption of plug-in vehicles by customers. This dynamic may have repercussions for achieving ZEV targets and potentially other regulatory objectives, they note.


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2022 YEAR IN REVIEW & TOP STORIES
The year of quiet quitting
The hashtag #quitquitting on TikTok has 384 million views at the time of this writing. The concept of quiet quitting exploded after content creator Zaiad Khan, an engineer, posted a TikTok video in July about quiet quitting. It means you don't quit your job but you do quit the idea of going above and beyond at work. Quit quitting rejects the hustle culture mentality that your work is your life. According to a recent survey by Gallup, about half of the U.S. workforce is already quiet quitting. A survey by Adobe found that 45% of younger workers in the U.S. want to quit their corporate jobs to become content creators.
Quiet quitting like many things is not equal. The Washington Post reports that women and people of colour can't afford to quit because they are already at a significant disadvantage in the workplace. They are seen as troublemakers if they try to establish boundaries, have higher burnout rates, and are punished more harshly for mistakes. For more on quiet quitting, click here.
UK Parliament investigates online racial pay gap
The influencer marketing industry is estimated to grow from $6bn in 2020 to $24.1bn by 2025. But the distribution of wealth is not equal. The UK government investigated influencer pay standards involving inconsistent pay rates and evidence of a racial pay gap between brands and content creators. Another study called "Time to Face the Influencer Pay Gap" found that in the influencer industry in the U.S., the pay gap between white influencers, and those who are Black, Indigenous, and people of color, was 29%. Between white and Black influencers, the pay gap was as high as 35%. For more, read our past issue.
Don't call me an influencer: The rise of the 'content creator'
With a war in Europe, a global pandemic, and skyrocketing prices, young people know the world isn’t perfect. They don’t want to view it through rose-colored glasses and prefer to see real people who are not perfect. The pandemic resulted in a shift from influencers talking about what they have based on product placement to creators who share relevant information that informs and helps people. Kim Kardashian was lambasted online after she said that women were unsuccessful because they were lazy and didn’t work hard. For more, read our past issue.
LGBTQ+ TikTok creators want brands to reach out early
LGBTQ+ TikTok creators spoke out in June about how brands tend to reach out last minute before a big event. June is Pride Month and National Indigenous History Month. February is Black History Month. Underrepresented and marginalized creators feel that the "last-minute" approach makes them "feel like an afterthought". BIPOC creators could learn from LGBTQ+ TikTok creators. For more, read our past issue.
TikTok became the official TIFF partner for first time
TikTok hit 1 billion users in September 2021 five years after it launched, much sooner than other platforms. Hollywood and Netflix believe TikTok is their biggest competitor. In light of TikTok's popularity with young people, the platform partnered with the Toronto International Film Festival as the official sponsor in 2022. Short-form entertainment as a category is being recognized to identify the next generation of filmmakers. TikTok passed Netflix as the second-most popular video service (behind YouTube) for American customers under the age of 35. For more, click here.
Gen Z expects brands to be fun, transparent and caring
Gen Z expects brands to be fun, authentic, and good. They prioritize authenticity and social issues such as racial justice, gender equality, and climate change. They also expect brands to speak out on behalf of their customers. In a time of increasing racial injustice, gender equality, war, and economic inequity, this period is being called the new era of "corporate political responsibility". Consumers led by Gen Z will continue to hold companies accountable by communicating their values and purpose. For more, read our past issue.
The future of social networks will be smaller, less centralized, and more local
We may have witnessed the end of the tech bro era of social media in 2022. Mark Zuckerberg renamed Facebook to Meta, laid off 13% of its workforce, and re-focussed itself around virtual reality. Instagram had an identity crisis after it changed its algorithm, copied TikTok features, and shifted towards video. Worried about retaining and attracting users, it instead angered them. Elon Musk cut 50% of Twitter's workforce after taking the helm and tweeted that he's determined the destroy "the woke mind virus", a catch-all term for any type of politics associated with vulnerable or marginalized people. Navneet Alang writes in the Toronto Star that the future of social networks will be smaller, less centralized, and more local and independent. For more, click here.
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Estimated Reading Time: 6 minutes
Welcome to the last Spinning Forward newsletter of 2022. Thanks very much for reading, sharing tips, and offering feedback on future stories and creators to profile.
This was a topsy-turvy year. Last year’s economic boom is how 2022 began. Then Russia invaded Ukraine in February. The worldwide inflation surge led to the highest inflation rates in four decades. Canadians felt the high prices of just about everything in their wallets.
The pandemic subsided but stayed. People resumed their lives but continued reflecting on what they really wanted. The Great Resignation saw Canadians resign from their jobs en masse in the summer and fall. At the same time, the quiet quitting movement exploded on TikTok among young people who rejected the hustle culture.
The UK government investigated the influencer pay standards and the online racial pay gap between content creators of colour and brands. Young people on social media platforms shifted toward “real” creators who weren’t perfect, and who shared information that informed and helped them. TikTok became the official TIFF partner for the first time as the popularity of short-form entertainment continued.
After Roe v Wade was overturned, many creators spoke out and became activists on social media, especially TikTok. Gen Z expects brands to be fun, transparent, and caring and wants them to speak out on social issues quickly. They embrace authenticity. Not surprisingly, the app of the year in the Apple App Store was the social media app, BeReal.
2023 will be a challenging year. Most social media platforms have cut their workforce significantly and introduced hiring freezes. Other sectors may follow soon. A recession in Canada, whether smaller or bigger, is all but certain. Creators are looking at other sources of income as advertisers and sponsors tighten their belts. Yet, Adobe, in a survey, found that almost half of young people in the U.S. want to quit their corporate jobs to become content creators.
The great resignation, quiet quitting and the “lying flat” (popular in China) movements are changing the way people view their relationship to work. Yet, one thing is certain. More and more people are embracing the YOLO economy and the notion that ‘You Only Live Once’. We'll see how they act on these forces in 2023.
HAPPY NEW YEAR! 🎉 🎊 🥳
If you enjoyed this issue, please share it.
Publisher and Editor, Spinning Forward


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Nintendo is developing a free-to-play Wii U title, new reports have suggested.
According to analyst David Gibson, Nintendo revealed the plans during an E3 briefing event, confirming that the title would not fall under the Mario or Pokemon banner.
"Nintendo free to play game will be released this fy but will not be Mario or Pokemon game as already have good relationship in those brands," Gibson tweeted (via Polygon).
The announcement was made by Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata during a section dedicated to the Wii U, although the platform was not explicitly specified.
Nintendo's Satoru Iwata hinted at free-to-play gaming at last year's E3 Gaming Expo, saying that the Wii U's online structure will support a variety of payment models at launch.
Tank! Tank! Tank! was released as a free-to-play title in February, having previously launched at retail with the Wii U.
Each of the game's three modes can be played for free three times per day, or unlocked permanently by paying a one-off fee of £7.99.
The new 3D Mario release will be released in December, while Mario Kart 8 will launch in 2014.
Gallery - 'Super Mario 3D World' screenshots:Super Mario 3D World


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YORK COUNTY, Pa.-- Give Local York is set for May 4!
In the months leading up to the event, FOX43 Morning News will have some of the different organizations that will benefit from the proceeds on the program.
Today's organization is the York JCC and Crystal Kimball and Dani Fessler stopped by the set to offer more on what the York JCC does.
You can check it out in the clip above.
For more information, you can visit our Give Local York page here.


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Agricultural production globally is expected to increase 15% over the coming decade, due mainly to yield improvement and higher production intensity on current cropland, pushed heavily by new technologies.
At the same time, farmers around the world are expected to see lower prices for most commodities and livestock in a 2019-2018 agricultural outlook released Monday by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) as well as the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
While production will rise, the report states trade markets will face new uncertainties. On the supply side, diseases such as African swine fever will create new problems, as well as growing resistance to antimicrobial treatments. The report also cites challenges such as regulatory responses to gene editing and the increasing likelihood of more extreme climate events.
Affecting demand, the FAO and OECD cite evolving diets and public perception to health and sustainability issues both affecting agricultural demand, as well as "policy responses to alarming trends in obesity." Trade agreements and growing trade tensions will also affect demand and markets.
The FAO and OECD forecast lower average annual commodity price changes of 1% to 2% per year over the next decade for most cereal crops, oilseeds, sugar, meats, dairy products and biodiesel and cotton.
"Lower prices are a boon to millions of consumers worldwide, but also put pressure on the incomes of those producers who are not lowering their costs sufficiently through improved productivity," the report states. "A low-price environment could thus lead to increasing demands for support to farmers, which could in turn affect the projections."
Nutrition will remain a challenge as the report cites, "A combination of excessive calorie consumption, unbalanced diets and declining activity levels imply a growing burden of overweight and obesity in various countries across the world." In some lower-income and middle-income countries, poor diets also coexist with undernourishment and micro-nutrient deficiencies, the report states.
The outlook sees global biofuel growth tapering off with additional growth coming from Indonesia with vegetable oil for biodiesel while China and Brazil increase ethanol production, using primarily cassava and sugarcane. Global ethanol use is expected to grow about 18% over the next decade, or 21 billion liters (about 5.5 billion gallons). China is expected to take up about 1.4 billion gallons of ethanol growth over the next decade because of a 10% ethanol blending goal. Brazil will add about 2 billion gallons of ethanol production with most of that coming from sugar cane.
Despite diseases such as ASF, livestock production will continue to increase as well with "robust demand" expected for livestock feed. Growth in livestock production will be driven by larger herds and greater feed use that also becomes more efficient as well. Aquaculture is also expected to grow significantly.
The FAO and EOCD expect that China will increase its hog production by 4.62 million metric tons over the next decade despite African swine fever. China will account for 42% of pork expansion globally through 2028 largely by increasing production intensity and modernizing its industry.
Dairy also is expected to be the fastest-growing livestock sector over the next decade with greater demand for fresh dairy products in Asia driving much of the demand. Countries such as India will work to increase its milk per-animal over that time.
The report shows other details, such as Turkey had the highest rate of food inflation among countries from 2018-19, rising 31%, compared to a .7% increase in the U.S. Consumers in the U.S. pay the lowest percentage of their expenditures for food at 7.8%.
The full FAO/OECD report can be found at
Chris Clayton can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.org
Follow him on Twitter @ChrisClaytonDTN
© Copyright 2019 DTN/The Progressive Farmer. All rights reserved.


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Former industry editor launches jewelry line
Former MJSA Journal Editor-in-Chief Tina Snyder and Vice President of Kemp Metal Products Scott Raskin have partnered to create Stacked New York, a jewelry brand that will exhibit at the upcoming MJSA Expo New York.
Storied jadeite necklace could sell for $12M
The Hutton-Mdivani Necklace, which Sotheby’s calls “the greatest jadeite bead necklace of historical importance,” could fetch as much as $12.8 million at the auction house’s April 7 sale in Hong Kong.
From JA New York: Gina Pankowski
Seattle-based designer Gina Pankowski’s geometric pieces are “made to move” and that they do, with links that expand and contract and rings built to have gems rotating around each other.
Gemesis, FIT team on diamond design competition
Lab-grown diamond jewelry company Gemesis is sponsoring a jewelry design competition open to students at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City and potentially will produce and sell the winning design.
Color to guide platinum brides in 2014
Color, customization and two-tone metals will be the big looks in 2014 when it comes to bridal jewelry in platinum, a commonly requested and popular metal for bridal.
Platinum design competition opens for entries
The Platinum Guild International USA is now accepting entries for the JCK 2014 Platinum Innovation Awards, which will be presented at the Mandalay Bay Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas on June 1.


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The humble avocado has been found to be a dietary super hero, of sorts, based on a new analysis of American nutrition. According to an analysis of data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, people who eat avocados are thinner, have better diets, eat fewer sugary foods, have higher "good cholesterol" levels, and lower metabolic risks.
The findings, published in the Nutrition Journal, are based on a review of information from the CDC’s long-running National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, including more than 17,500 U.S. adults polled since 2001.
The results showed that adults who consumed avocados in any amount during a 24-hour dietary recording period had several significantly better nutrient levels and more positive health indicators than those who did not consume avocados. Among the avocado consumers, average daily consumption was about one-half of a medium sized avocado.
Among the specific findings, Avocado consumers:
- More closely followed the recommended U.S. dietary guidelines than those who did not.
- Had higher intakes of key nutrients, including 36 percent more dietary fiber, 23 percent more vitamin E, 13 percent more magnesium, 16 percent more potassium and 48 percent more vitamin K than non-consumers.
- Consumed more "good" fats (such as monounsaturated and polyunsaturated oils).
- Had significantly lower BMI (body mass index) measures, smaller waist sizes, and weighed less than non-consumers.
- Had significantly higher HDL ("good") cholesterol levels and a 50 percent lower risk for metabolic syndrome compared to non-consumers. Metabolic syndrome is a group of risk factors which, when they occur together, increase the risk for coronary artery disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes.
"These findings suggest an interesting association between the consumption of avocados and better nutrient intakes and other positive outcomes," said lead researcher Victor Fulgoni. "These observations were derived from population survey data, they provide important clues to better understanding the relationships between diet and health, and give direction to future research endeavors."
© 2023 NewsmaxHealth. All rights reserved.


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John McCann, from TechRadar, said: “The Samsung Galaxy A8 is a plain smartphone. While it doesn’t mangle any new belligerent in terms of technology, it has a plain underline set and a reward demeanour that might good lure those looking for a high-end handset though can’t widen to a cost tab of a Galaxy S8.”
Tom Morgan, during Stuff, said: “The A8 is scarcely all we desired about a Galaxy A8, only incited down a nick or two. It’s moulding adult to be a illusory phone, with 9 tenths of a opening and pattern of that unusual flagship.
“Hopefully Samsung gets a cost right when it goes on sale in a UK in a subsequent integrate of months.”
Max Parker, during Trusted Reviews, said: “The A8 will be a leader for those looking for an affordable phone on a contract. It looks great, has a atmosphere of a flagship phone, and doesn’t unequivocally skimp in any apparent area.”
So, things demeanour flattering good for a A8 and if you’re meditative of upgrading your stream Galaxy device it’s really value watchful for this device to launch in April.
Hopefully Samsung will exhibit pricing shortly and we’ll refurbish this essay as shortly as it’s announced.


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Education tech company Blackbaud agreed to settle with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission over the company’s security practices that resulted in a 2020 data breach.
The FTC alleges that Blackbaud, a U.S.-based company that provides financial and administrative software to colleges, nonprofits, healthcare organizations and far-right organizations, had “lax” security protocols that allowed attackers to breach the company’s network and access the personal data of millions of consumers.
This February 2020 incident saw malicious hackers use a customer’s credentials to gain access to Blackbaud’s network, where the hackers remained undetected for over three months and exfiltrated massive amounts of unencrypted sensitive consumer data, including Social Security and bank account numbers.
The South Carolina-based Blackbaud told affected customers at the time that only names, addresses, email addresses and telephone numbers had been stolen, asserting that “the cybercriminal did not access credit card information, bank account information, or Social Security numbers.”
Blackbaud, which the FTC claims knew as early as July 2020 that Social Security numbers and financial data had been stolen, didn’t disclose the full extent of the breach until later that October, nor did it verify that the stolen data had been deleted after agreeing to pay the attackers’ ransom of about $250,000, the FTC said.
According to the FTC’s complaint, Blackbaud failed to implement appropriate cybersecurity measures to prevent a data breach from happening. The regulator also alleges that the company didn’t monitor attempts by hackers to breach its networks, segment data, adequately implement multi-factor authentication or test, review and assess its corporate security controls. The company also permitted employees to use default, weak or identical passwords, the complaint alleges, and failed to patch outdated software and systems in a timely manner, leaving customer networks at risk of cyberattacks.
Blackbaud also allowed customers to store Social Security numbers and bank account information in unencrypted fields not specifically designated for those purposes, per the complaint. “Blackbaud’s deficient encryption practices magnified the severity of the data breach,” the FTC said.
The regulator has also charged Blackbaud with retaining consumer data for years beyond when it was needed, including for “customers who had switched to products not affected by the breach, and even potential customers.”
“Blackbaud’s shoddy security and data retention practices allowed a hacker to obtain sensitive personal data about millions of consumers,” said Samuel Levine, director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. “Companies have a responsibility to secure data they maintain and to delete data they no longer need.”
In a joint statement, FTC chairperson Lina Khan and fellow Democrat-appointed commissioners Rebecca Kelly Slaughter and Alvaro M. Bedoya accused the company of “reckless data retention practices” by retaining data the company did not need, they said.
Blackbaud, which did not respond to TechCrunch’s questions, has agreed to delete extraneous data and reform its cybersecurity practices.


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Its been years since every government has the policy to reduce poverty and enhance the living in India but there are hardly any changes that we can consider. India’s malnutrition burden is widely acknowledged to be a major public policy challenge. The lack of toilets and unhygienic atmosphere are contributing in rise of various diseases. The social status of women is still lacking behind in comparison to men which also leads to various nutritional disorders in women as well as in children. Above all, the increasing prices of nutritional food over the past years is the major setback for the poor population of the country.
A new World Bank working paper by Felipe Dizon of the World Bank and Anna Herforth, an independent consultant, highlights another important risk factor: the rising prices of nutritious food items in the country. Dizon and Herforth show that the price of nutritional food items in India and three other South Asian countries has been increasing at a faster rate than the price of a typical food basket, with the gap widening over the years.
Dizon and Herforth use two methods to get the price of nutritional food items in India..
First one is calculating the cost of a recommended diet (CoRD) to estimate the cost of meeting food-based dietary guidelines using food prices and national dietary guidelines.
The second relies on the nutritious food price index (NPI) tracks changes in the price of nutritious foods by reweighting the standard food basket of the consumer price index (CPI) using weights that reflect the nutrition value of food items, as opposed to ones that reflect spending on food items.
The price of nutritious food items (such as vegetables, fruits, seafood, and meat products) have increased the most in India, while less nutritious items (such as cereals, sugars, oils and fats) have risen the least. Price of vegetables are particularly volatile because of seasonal and regional fluctuations in production.
These aspects are giving rise to social and economical barriers. It is becoming a serious issue to be considered as soon as possible since a large no. Of Indian population is still come under the poverty line.
Essential changes are required for the betterment of the society.


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Economic Analysis - Aggressive Rate Hike Cycle Starting In 2018 - OCT 2017
BMI View: The National Bank of Poland (NBP) will keep rates on hold in 201 7 and start tightening in 2018. Poland ' s economy will grow rapidly in the quarters ahead , while the labour market is already extremely tight, a combination which will increasingly put upward pressure on core inflation.
We maintain our view that the National Bank of Poland (NBP) will keep its base rate unchanged at 1.50% in 2017 and start tightening in 2018. We expect inflationary pressures to continue building into 2018, which will force the NBP to hike rates gradually by a total of 100bps to 2.50% by the end of that year, placing us above Bloomberg consensus of 1.90%. Although core inflation which excludes food and energy remains relatively subdued, Poland's economy is firing on all cylinders, with real GDP growth accelerating to 4.1% in 2017 and 3.6% in 2018, according to our forecasts. Consumer and business sentiment indicators are approaching historic highs and Poland's labour market is extremely tight, which will keep upward pressure on wages.
In our view these factors will result in inflation accelerating to 2.2% by the end of 2017 and 2.5% in 2018, while averaging 1.5% and 2.4% in those years respectively. Furthermore, we highlight that headline inflation rebounded to 1.7% y-o-y in July despite on-going low energy prices, marking an end to disinflation of the past few months. Although inflation still remains well below its 2017 peak of 2.2% in February and this uptrend has yet to be confirmed by additional strong readings over the next few months, the recent uptick in price growth nevertheless suggests to us that despite subsiding supply-side pressures, demand-side inflationary pressures are increasingly building. As a result, we expect core inflation to accelerate over the coming month, after remaining below 1.0% in H117.
|Uptick In Core Inflation To Trigger Monetary Tightening|
|Poland - Consumer Price Index|
|Source: NBP, BMI|


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“Supply chain checks suggest that Apple should be able be to produce 10 million iPod nanos before the end of the calendar year, and given the strong initial customer reception to the product, we think these units will sell through,” Citigroup Analyst Richard Gardner wrote in a note to clients today.
Tomi Kilgore reports for MarketWatch, “Citigroup Analyst Richard Gardner reiterated his hold rating on Apple’s stock, but lifted his price target to $55 from $40. He also raised his fourth-quarter earnings estimate to 41 cents a share from 36 cents and his 2006 forecast to 59 cents a share from 46 cents.”
Full article here.
He had it at $40 until today?! Now he’s got it at $55 per share. Don’t go way out on a limb there, Mr. Gardner.
UBS raises target price on Apple Computer, says iPod nano could be ‘key product’ into 2006 – September 26, 2005
Apple Computer shares hit all-time high, top $54 in early trading – September 26, 2005
Bear Stearns: ‘We see Apple making further PC share gains,’ raises price target to $58 – September 23, 2005
CSFB: Apple Computer is top pick in PC hardware sector – September 22, 2005
Banc of America reiterates ‘buy’ rating on Apple, raises target price and EPS estimates – September 22, 2005
Deutsche Bank predicts Apple will sell 43 million iPods in 2006 – September 21, 2005
Apple shares up strongly, hit new all-time high on report of better than expected Mac sales – September 20, 2005
Morgan Stanley sets price target of $60 for Apple, AC Research reiterates ‘accumulate’ rating – September 09, 2005
Apple Computer shares hit all-time high, top $50 in early trading; analysts up target prices – September 08, 2005
Apple continues to grow worldwide Macintosh market share – July 25, 2005
Gartner: Apple grows shipments 31 percent in Q2 2005, moves from 5th to 4th in U.S. market share – July 18, 2005
IDC: Apple gains U.S. market share at double overall market rate, up to 4.5 percent for Q2 2005 – July 18, 2005


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According to a recent survey, radio had emerged as one of the most credible sources of information for millions of people in India, who were unable to venture outside because of a nationwide lockdown. The cities that accounted for high ad volume rates were Indore and Jaipur on top positions amongst 18 cities, according to the recent TAM AdEx India’s Mirroring Y 2020 for Radio Advertising report. The state of Gujarat recorded a 19% share of Ad volumes. Radio has a credibility score of 6.27, second only to the internet, at 6.44, with television at 5.74, the survey found. The radio industry has witnessed a listenership of 51 million people, close to TV’s reach of 56 million and social media’s reach of 57 million. Radio’s at-home listenership has jumped from 64% to 86%. The time people spend listening to radio has soared 23% to 2.36 hours daily during the lockdown, second only to TV.
Gujarat was the most active state when it came to brands advertising on radio with a share of 18 per cent followed closely by neighbour Maharashtra (17 per cent). Top 5 states accounted for 61 per cent of ad volumes on radio, while the 5 southern states together accounted for 28 per cent of radio ad volumes.
The top 10 categories advertising on radio accounted for 40 per cent of all ad volumes on the medium. The top category advertising on radio was real estate, with a share of 9 per cent, followed by life insurance at 5 per cent and four wheelers (cars) with a share of 4 per cent.
Even though Gujarat led the states in terms of share of volume on radio advertising, Ahmedabad ranked number 5 when it came to the top cities by advertising on the medium with a share of 7 per cent. Bengaluru was took the top position with a share of 8 per cent, along with Mumbai.
Why to advertise on radio
FM radio advertising has various advantages. Advertisers choose to advertise on the FM radio for the following reasons:
1.Radio ads can help businesses with selective targeting based on specific market and demographic segmentations.
- Radio ads works with the frequency and being able to expose your ad to the audience repeatedly to build awareness.
- Radio ads are effective, transparent and strongly stored in memory.
- FM radio rates have significantly less costs compared to other types of media.


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After two years of the outbreak of
, ordinary micro-blog users have a lot of information and gossip produced boredom. The view that, including Sina, micro-blog, including the major micro-blog must find a healthy growth model of spontaneous.
at the same time, Sina, Tencent and Sohu, such as micro-blog are not commercial operations, is still in a period of continuous investment.
heat worry: 15 million fans as fans
"Jocie Guo" and "Wang Gongquan eloped", "Jobs’s death" and other news were once again detonated Sina micro-blog. But now the ordinary micro-blog users gradually to the complex information and gossip produced boredom.
friends told reporters that he used to spend a lot of time on micro-blog every day, and now a rare log once a week.
Han Zhiguo at micro-blog said, "Oh a star" will bring million times forwards of the era of the past, "Chen Yao micro-blog gold with 15 million fans as 150 thousand fans of Wu Jiaxiang".
According to Sina
‘s third quarter earnings this year show that as of the end of September, Sina micro-blog more than 227 million registered users, and exceeded 250 million in the near future. U.S. stocks analysis pointed out that sina micro-blog is undoubtedly the most influential factor in the past year, Sina’s share price, given the valuation of sina micro-blog is $1 billion 970 million.
, however, according to Internet traffic monitoring agency Alexa monitoring data show that after entering in August, Sina micro-blog traffic tends to smooth, while the single user page views from the beginning of September continued to decline.
14, Sina fell by $54.13, to close at $5.05%, intraday record low for nearly 52 weeks, which is Sina’s new low for the second consecutive trading day. In this regard, the economist Han Zhiguo said yesterday on micro-blog, Sina micro-blog must be a major strategic adjustment, otherwise the stock will be back to the prototype.
earnings worries: next year is likely to produce substantial income
at present, Sina, Tencent and Sohu, such as micro-blog are not commercial operations, is still in a period of continuous investment.
not long ago, Sina CEO and President Cao Guowei said the first time micro-blog may exist six business models, which are interactive advertising, social games, real-time search, wireless value-added services, e-commerce platform and digital content.
Tencent three quarter earnings report, will further invest in strategic products, including micro-blog, including. Some analysts pointed out that Tencent as a support for the social structure of Tencent, did not bear too much commercial pressure.
Zhang Zhaoyang has admitted the Sohu in micro-blog is "without fire, late night ten".
this Tuesday, news sources, Facebook plans before the end of March next year to enter the advertising market, the company’s IPO before.


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The 2017 Eco Pulse study, an annual survey which takes the temperature of consumer spending and behaviour, shows that the percentage of people who said they had stopped buying a product based on the environmental reputation of a company has jumped up dramatically in the last 12 months – from 11% to 33%. “That’s pretty significant, especially when you consider this same question has been asked for nearly a decade and the percentage has always been around 12%, give or take a few percentage points,” says Jim Lyza, a research analyst with Shelton Group, the organisation behind the survey.
Fueled and aided by advances in technology and access to social media, an ever-growing community of consumers has woken up to the issue of global warming and its likely impacts.
It is no wonder that maintaining a licence to operate continues to dominate corporate priorities; increasingly environmentally aware and enlightened consumers, coupled with strong NGO campaigning and activism, has made it even harder for companies to claim ignorance over the greatest threat to civilisation in a generation.
Licence to operate
There are many examples where companies have lost their social license to operate. Communities in the Niger delta hit by oil spills continue to pursue legal action against Shell, despite the £55 million settlement awarded to 15,600 people in Bodo, Nigeria in 2015. Meanwhile, BP is still counting the cost of its restoration efforts in the wake of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon accident.
Volkswagen’s (VW) decision to cheat its way free of carbon regulation will no doubt haunt the business for decades to come. Right now, trust in VW is at an all time low and the $14.7 billion settlement figure designed to appease owners of the 475,000 cars affected in the US is not likely to go far enough in rebuilding VW’s reputation as a great manufacturer of cars.
Increasingly, business leaders recognise the need to be on the right side of history in the climate change narrative. Just as there is zero social acceptance among thrill-seeking SeaWorld customers for killer whale circus acts, interacting with organisations responsible for pumping environmentally destructive gases into the atmosphere is increasingly intolerable.
Data is king
Accurately and transparently reporting ESG data alongside financial metrics encourages organisations to ask tougher questions about where carbon risk exists within their business, what impacts they are really having on society and the planet, and to think proactively about how they use their data to effect positive change.
More companies are realising that voluntarily reporting carbon data to CDP is not about compliance and auditing of impact, rather it is a key mechanism to support investment decision-making, resource allocation and improving overall business performance.
In an era of intense stakeholder scrutiny of business performance, this situation presents a reputational risk through either being caught out for a lack of proactivity, or being overlooked for not being able to reflect proactivity within reporting.
Fortunately, the 2015 introduction of dual scope 2 reporting within the Green House Gas Protocol Corporate Standard has eliminated this risk by allowing businesses to report on scope 2 emissions using both ‘location based’ emissions factors, and ‘market based’ emissions factors that separate renewable energy sources (using supplier specific emission factors) from those derived from fossil-fuel sources (using residual emissions factors).
In short, dual reporting ensures businesses are correctly apportioned reputational credit for their efforts to source renewable energy, and are able to directly influence the transition to a low carbon economy as reported renewable energy must come from a proven and intentionally selected source.


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The Blockchain Reports Network
One of the biggest advancements in the last year certainly is the development and launch on the Blockchain Information Network. As you may know, this kind of service was created by the same company which has developed the other cutting edge technology we all know today. Whenever you may also know, this provider is called consensus. ConsenSys was created in 2020 by a group of individuals who were all former executives in the banking and finance companies. This company started on the assure of possessing a new financial system based upon the distributed ledger system that is utilized by the greatest companies on the globe. Their aim is to cause a completely new way for all businesses and companies to work their economic transactions.
The concept of digital cash is certainly not something new. For hundreds of years it has been utilized throughout the world and especially in the bank industry as a method of exchange and as a list keeping equipment. In recent years nonetheless it has received a lot of interest in the mainstream mass media and many major businesses as a result of new technology that is created at this time company. The biggest technical breakthrough from the past time was the advancement the Blockchain. This new technology allows buyers and businesses to be able to work their monetary transactions in a really secure and fast method.
The biggest difficulty that many individuals have with this revolutionary bit of technology is usually how hard it’s going to be to use the technology to get everyday deals. This is where the Blockchain Reports Network comes https://bitcointradererfahrungen.de/ in play. This really is a Newswire service that is being produced by the enterprise ConsenSys. The Newswire is made to help customers and business owners to stay modern with the newest developments with this technology. You can easily subscribe to this kind of Newswire so that you will are informed when newsworthy events take place in the world of sent out ledgers. You will probably be informed the moment there is something fresh or something that will impact this new technology that is being used. This new technology is being designed to help customers and business owners in every area of the world to view and employ this new fiscal technology.


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CEO Auren Hoffman promises the APIs for the core Rapleaf functions sometime this week, so expect to see Rapleaf mashups very soon. Users can pull their “reputation box” via a code snippet and post it on a website. Mine is below.
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text: A group of smokestack industry players announced yet another e-marketplace consortium. This time it was the plastics industry. BASF, Bayer, Dow, DuPont and Ticona/Celanese announced Wednesday that they have agreed to form a b-to-b online marketplace to deliver resins and services to plastics injection molders. The worldwide market is estimated at $50 billion. Although the e-marketplace includes some of the biggest players, the thermoplastics industry is so fragmented that this venture accounts for less than 20% of the market, industry observers say. A noticeably absent player is industry leader GE Plastics, which so far has preferred to retain control of its own e-commerce efforts. Tim Stojka, president-CEO of Commerx Inc., which operates the PlasticsNet e-marketplace, said he welcomed the announcement. ``It validates online exchanges,'' he said.


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Gen Z say they need the highest salary of all generations to feel ‘financially healthy.’ Here’s what Americans think they need at every age
The cost of living crisis is beginning to bite in the U.S., and a startling 40% of Americans say they feel “financially unhealthy.”
With inflation and the rising cost of food and fuel hitting Americans’ bottom lines, around 58% of people feel that their quality of life is decreasing, according to a survey from Personal Capital, conducted by the Harris poll; 69% of respondents said their salary is not keeping up with the pace of rising goods.
But what salary will put Americans in the financially healthy bracket? That depends heavily on their age.
Gen Z—people born after 1997—said they needed the highest salary of all generations to feel financially secure, with the average respondent between the ages of 18 and 25 seeking a $171,633 annual salary to stay afloat. This is higher than the needs of millennials and Gen X, who said they needed $133,758 and $112,222, respectively, to combat rising prices. Baby boomers needed the least, with the average looking for a modest $78,317 to live in ease.
Savings expectations moved inversely. While boomers said they needed $764,999 in savings to feel financially healthy, Gen Z respondents said they only needed $105,299.
“Whereas Gen Z has the highest salary expectations to be financially healthy, they have the lowest savings amount to be financially healthy,” Paul Deer, vice president of advisory service at Personal Capital, told CNBC.
He noted that this may be due to the housing market: With home ownership so much more expensive than in the past, younger generations want to earn more to feel secure with their expenses, Deer said.
The Personal Capital poll surveyed 2,000 Americans over the age of 18 between April 19 and April 23, 2022—when the war in Ukraine was in full swing, supply chains were disrupted as the world eased out of the pandemic, the price of oil was above $100 a barrel, and the consumer price index was rising 8.3%.
At the time of the study, 85% of respondents said they were concerned about inflation, and 74% said they feared a recession, which translated to major changes in spending behavior.
To hedge against inflation, nearly half of people polled said they were planning to change their investment approach, while more than half said they were contributing more to their retirement savings.
Around 71% said they were cutting back on daily expenses—reining in spending on entertainment, eating out, and traveling—while 56% said they were paying off their debts more aggressively.
But consumer spending also differed by demographic. Women were more likely than men to say they were cutting back across all top spending categories, and millennials were less likely than others to cut back on travel.
In terms of investment, the rush into retail investing during the pandemic may have led people to make financial decisions they were not entirely sure of. Nearly half of Americans confessed they didn’t know how to invest, and another 54% believe they were not in a financially optimized position. Among cryptocurrency owners, respondents were more likely to be concerned about market volatility but at the same time were more confident in their investment portfolio than those who didn’t own crypto.


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Google’s smart watch division is in for a ride as reports coming in show that the once glorious idea by the tech giant is facing a uncertain future.
In February this year, Google’s smart watch boss David Singleton, according to Business Insider wasn’t sure about the direction of its smart watch division.
David had envisioned a future in which ubiquitous smart watches would monitor your health, control your world, help you communicate with friends – even give you “powers” you don’t have today.
But 11 months down the line, the future of Google’s smart watch vision looks uncertain and may not be what the people need right now.
Motorola, a key player in the market of smart watches with their Moto 360 watch brand just put the division on hold and this affects Google as well.
The company does not “see enough pull in the market to put [a new smartwatch] out at this time
The same goes for Huawei and LG, who haven’t released new devices in 2016 and with rumors stating that Samsung is ditching the platform and has its alternative smart-watch operating system, Tizen.
The company does not “see enough pull in the market to put [a new smartwatch] out at this time,: head of product development Shakil Barkat said. “Wearables do not have broad enough appeal for us to continue to build on it year after year.”
Well, there you have it ladies and gentlemen. The smart watch era may be in for a shock as Google waits for an opportunity to pull the plug. Hopefully we may see a change in drive come the next 6 months.
Author: Allan Bangirana
Allan Bangirana is a freelance writer for Newslibre & Spur Magazine. He is passionate about tech, games and occasionally writes about entertainment, lifestyle and so much more.