text:
Mitsubishi and Volkswagen have recently announced two recalls which will affect a total of 600.000 units world wide.
The fourth largest automaker in Japan, Mitsubishi Motors Company, has recently announced a recall which will affect a total of 300.000 vehicles locally. According to the car manufacturer, the recall is covering nine small models, including the Minica and the family-sized eK Wagon, because of engine oil leaks. The 299.320 vehicles which will be affected by this recall have been made between July 2001 and April 2006 and no model has been sold outside Japan. If ignored, the oil leak will first light the oil pressure gauge on the dashboard and in a worst case scenario the inside of the engine could be scorched, leading to an engine failure. 112 malfunctions have been reported since December 2004 and three cars have completely broken down.
Besides Mitsubishi, Volkswagen has also announced a recall which will affect 300.000 units of its models because of some potentially leaking fuel lines to the fuel injector system According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the injector line can develop small cracks which might lead to fuel leakage under certain conditions. Neither Volkswagen nor the NHTSA are currently aware of any fires, crashes or injuries because of this problem.


text:
Eldorado changes MontBleu buyer, sells resorts at discount to push Caesars merger forward
Eldorado Resorts announced a change in buyer for its Lake Tahoe resort as the company tries to navigate its $17.3 billion merger with Caesars Entertainment through rough economic waters.
Eldorado initially announced the sale of the Montbleu Resort Casino and Spa in early March to Maverick Gaming, which also agreed to purchase the Eldorado Shreveport Resort and Casino in Louisiana back in January. At the time, Eldorado stated the sales were part of an effort to divest some regional holdings to help with the Caesars merger.
Eldorado announced a change in buyers for the two properties on Friday morning, however — and at a much lower price. According to the company, both properties will now be sold to Twin River Worldwide Holdings for $155 million in cash, subject to a working capital adjustment. The amount is far less than the sale price that was announced for the initial deal with Maverick Gaming. The Eldorado Shreveport property alone, for example, had an original sale price of $230 million.
“The agreement to divest Shreveport and MontBleu to Twin River Worldwide Holdings is consistent with our continued focus on closing the Caesars transaction in the first half of 2020,” said Eldorado CEO Tom Reeg in a prepared statement.
Eldorado’s Friday announcement coincided with a property sale by Caesars to the same company. Caesars entered an agreement to sell the Bally’s Atlantic City Hotel & Casino to Twin River Worldwide Holdings for $25 million. About $19 million of the sale amount will go to VICI Properties, a real estate investment trust that was formed in 2017 during Caesars’ $18 billion bankruptcy.
“The sale of Bally’s Atlantic City demonstrates our ongoing commitment to work collaboratively with our tenants to optimize our individual businesses, even during these unprecedented times,” said John Payne, VICI Properties president and chief operating officer. “This transaction allows us to maintain the existing financial terms of our master lease with Caesars and helps balance our geographic diversification as we work to complete the acquisition of Harrah’s Resort Atlantic City.”
Ken Adams, a senior gaming analyst with CDC Gaming Reports, believes the deals were likely done for financial reasons and to also help the merger between both companies clear potential regulatory hurdles. Original buyer Maverick Gaming likely got cold feet given the current economic climate, Adams added.
The lower sale price reflects the sense of urgency for both companies to get the merger done, especially as COVID-19 roils the U.S. economy and the tourism and gaming industry in particular.
“Everybody agrees that the merger was tight,” Adams said. “Under these financial conditions, it was a difficult deal to do.”
The irony of Caesars being involved in another deal during a tough economic climate was not lost on Adams. The last time the gaming giant tried to pull off a mega-deal, it ended up with an ill-fated leveraged buyout that was compounded by the Great Recession.
Despite the challenging economic times from the novel coronavirus, which included a mandatory closure of all casinos in Nevada since mid-March, the companies have no choice but to see the merger through. Eldorado, for example, is looking at hundreds of millions of dollars worth of penalties should it back out from the deal, according to Adams.
“Even though everybody’s shut down at home, they’re still dancing through this big merger and trying to make it work because there are penalties that don’t allow anybody to back out very easily,” Adams said. “They have to try to make it work and they are using this time to be creative so they can reduce the size of the deal and eliminate the concerns of regulators.”

domain: news


text:
Sony has announced a new PSP Bundle for the holidays which will include a 1GB Memory Stick Pro DUO. Not only will it include the larger capacity Memory stick but a Mini-Stand, USB Cable, and Remote are also part of the package. The package will most likely be priced the same as the current value pack at $250 USD. It will be released starting November in the US.
“A one gig card will run consumers an extra $80 or so dollars, this is a great savings to entice users more, and keep them on the Sony style rather then the popular Nintendo DS or the upcoming Gizmondo.”


text:
Microsoft's long-awaited Longhorn operating system may miss its predicted 2006 shipping date after all.
CIO Today reports the new OS could be delayed until 2007 - and while Apple may gain from this at Microsoft's expense, it's Redmond's software and hardware partners that have the most to lose.
Privately, some Windows developers have told Macworld of their frustration with Microsoft's lack of a road map for future development, which stymies some of their attempts to deliver new products to market.
Yankee Group analyst Laura DiDio told CIO: "At this point, Microsoft has to be very careful about keeping its customers informed and sticking to a roadmap. Whenever there's a delay of any kind, you have to worry about competition."
META Group analyst Steve Kleynhans reports the likely reaction from Microsoft partners should 2006 slip by without the new OS: "If there's another delay, I think the PC industry en masse would descend on Redmond like a lynch mob," he said.
"It needs to hit the streets before the end of 2006 for the holiday season, and companies already have that in their sales projections."


text:
13 of 17Image
Google & Motorola
In 2012, Google purchased the handset/tablet division of Motorola, for $12.5B. Over the next two years, Motorola essentially floundered with its product releases and was one of the worst offenders in lagging Android OS updates of all the Android handset OEMs.
The Google and Motorola Mobility merger failed on so many levels that it's hard to quantify the extent of the incompetence that surrounds it.
Not only did Motorola consistently fail to innovate after being acquired by Google, but during its time under Google's ownership, the company released a number of Android handsets of questionable quality, stability and performance, that have been mired by shovelware and awful user interface overlays.
The company has also reneged on its promises to upgrade an entire generation of dual-core handsets released in late 2011 to Ice Cream Sandwich, effectively leaving many of its existing customers in the lurch.
To add insult to injury Google sold much of Motorola's manufacturing capability to Flextronics, which begged the question of what the Silicon Valley search giant really intended to do with Motorola's engineering and future handset and tablet plans, especially since Google partnered more and more with companies like Samsung, Asus and LG for its "Nexus" line of products.
Google did eventually try to integrate Motorola into the company, and release a flagship handset, the Moto X, which had the distinction of being manufactured in the United States and having many different unique customizable designs that could be ordered to personalize the look of the product.
Unfortunately, the Moto X was not a big hit in the marketplace. Google recently decided to cut its losses with its less than 2-year romance with the company, selling it for $2.91B to Lenovo.
Google is retaining much of the patents from Motorola and also the company's research facility, so it isn't a total loss for them. Still, this is a fling that will almost certainly go down as one of the search giant's biggest failures.
Zynga and OMGPOP
In what is probably the most "WTF" of all mergers and acquisitions that took place in 2012, none made more sense than Zynga's $200 millon cash purchase of OMGPOP, the publisher of DrawSomething!, a popular game for iOS and Android devices.
You'd think that OMGPOP would have other assets worth $200 million besides a single game that had questionable monetization value to Zynga, but no, they did not.
With this splurge purchase, Zynga ended up erasing all of its profits for CY2012 and having to cut about five percent of its workforce. And it's questionable as to whether or not the company was able to retain its DrawSomething! userbase as a result of the acquisition.
HP & Autonomy
In addition to the scuttling of the TouchPad and the WebOS/Palm division at HP, Leo Apotheker's very short term as HP Chairman and CEO will be always known for the company's $11.1 billion acquisition of Autonomy, a European maker of unstructured data analytics software.
At the time the purchase occured many industry observers were keen on figuring out what HP would do with the technology after the acquisition, and well over a year later HP has still not effectively communicated how it fits in to its overall enterprise software strategy.
But the real bombshell came in 2012 when the company announced that after an internal investigation, HP had discovered there were severe accounting improprieties at Autonomy during its acquisition and would have to write down almost a $9 billion loss, sending the company's stock into a tailspin.
This alone probably makes the Autonomy purchase by HP the most infamous and wasteful cash spend for a software assset of all time.


text:
It's a question we get all the time, so let's answer it. The Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 has Gorilla Glass. And given the history Samsung has with using Corning, the latest press release confirming that the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 is making use of Gorilla Glass shouldn't really come as much of a surprise but it's certainly comforting.
Hankil Yoon, vice president of Smartphone Product Planning, Samsung Electronics, said “GALAXY Tab 10.1 is recognized for its high-end technology and amazing design, even among industry experts. For the GALAXY Tab 10.1, Samsung Electronics searched for the most durable, scratch-resistant glass, and again found the perfect solution with Corning Gorilla Glass.”
Now that we know for certain -- that doesn't mean we're suggesting you run off testing it out as soon as possible. Just know, the screen can handle a few bumps here and there and be quite alright.


text:
LACKLUSTER SALES:A slump in sales of electric vehicles can be attributed to a lack of battery change stations, which the tax exemption could remedy, a lawmaker said
Date: Dec 27, 2016
By: Crystal Hsu / Staff reporter
The legislature’s Finance Committee yesterday approved plans to extend tax cuts for electric car sales by another five years to help electric car and parts makers grow and stay viable.
The bill, which must still pass second and third readings, exempts electric motorcycles and cars valued at less than NT$1.4 million (US$43,411) from sales tax from next month to December 2021 to boost sales.
The tax exemption was introduced in 2011 and was due to expire on Jan. 26.
Vice Minister of Economic Affairs Shen Jong-chin (沈榮津) said that the extension is necessary to encourage the development and purchase of electric vehicles. [FULL STORY]


text:
LONDON — Food delivery business Deliveroo has transferred responsibility for its consumer PR campaign to a new agency following a “competitive” pitch process. Roman will be given “considerable remit” to run Deliveroo’s key consumer PR campaigns, including developing and executing “big bang creative ideas” that support the brand’s strategic pillars and calendar moments . Previously, Talker Tailor Trouble Maker, which ceased trading in June, was Deliveroo’s consumer PR agency.
LONDON — Not-for-profit organization Fashion Minority Alliance has appointed strategic and creative advisory firm Bullard to carry out an in-depth investigation into the state of DE&I in the fashion industry. As part of the research, Blurred will leverage her ESG and purpose expertise to examine the gap between industry intent and performance regarding minority representation. The final report is expected to be published in late 2023 and will inform the Alliance’s future strategy and priorities.
LONDON — Sustainable energy company Gridserve has hired Third City as its UK public relations agency. The company generates electricity from a hybrid solar farm in the UK and distributes it through a national EV charging network, as well as leasing battery electric vehicles. Third City won the consumer and business briefs following a competitive bidding process. The program aims to reach new audiences, increase EV adoption and change perceptions about EV charging.
LONDON — PR and digital agency PHA Group is raising awareness of England Golf’s important work aimed at increasing participation in the sport from England Golf (pictured), the governing body for amateur golf in England. He was appointed to run a campaign. These include Get Into Golf, a campaign that inspires people to take their first steps into the game, #WhyIGolf, an online and digital campaign that celebrates women’s success on and off the course, and Respect, which aims to improve equality and diversity. Includes in Golf exercise. and inclusion.
LONDON — Chaos, a provider of advanced 3D visualization technology, has competitively selected Milk & Honey as its primary PR partner in the UK and Germany. The point is to coordinate the brand’s global agency and increase its visibility and credibility in the market. After various mergers and acquisitions, Chaos now covers multiple industries in 3D visualization, from his VFX for film and television to applications in architecture, interiors, and product design. Clients include e-commerce giant Wayfair, which contributed to the visual effects for Game of Thrones and Spider-Man: Homecoming.
LONDON — Global embedded finance platform YouLend has appointed B2B technology specialist Made By Giants as its global lead PR agency. This relationship includes strategic communications, partner announcements, and media relations. The agency was founded in 2020 by former FleischmanHillard ECD James Beveridge and fintech communications specialist Grace Keeling and works across enterprise SaaS, fintech, cybersecurity and deep tech.
LONDON — International technology agency Ballou PR has been appointed to handle UK communications for Danish quantum computing startup Kvantify. Specializing in science, pharmaceuticals, financial services and logistics, Kvantify develops software that enables enterprises to take advantage of quantum computing and high performance computing (HPC). Ballou PR increases awareness of her Kvantify’s services among business and scientific audiences and strengthens her Kvantify’s position as a leader of his sort in quantum and high performance computing.
LONDON — Technology marketing specialist Fox Agency has launched a digital platform that aims to change the way arts and cultural institutions engage with patrons by selling authenticated digital replicas of their art collections in the form of NFTs. Appointed by Nimi as their digital marketing partner. Competitive pitch. The agency is tasked with raising awareness among museums and cultural institutions, as well as educating end users on how NFTs can help curate and grow art collections through brand, communications, and digital marketing strategy and execution. is.
DUBAI — Lifestyle-focused hospitality group OY Hospitality has appointed POP Communications to handle media relations for three new venues in Dubai. Sfumato is a gastro atelier focused on new wave dining experiences based at the Mi Hotel and Zaha Hadid’s Opus Tower. There’s also Soiree Wine Bar, located inside the Me Hotel, and retro Japanese izakaya bar SOON Nobby x True Izakiya.
LONDON — Hatch, a specialist in food and beverage PR, social media, activation and content creation, will provide external communications and support growth plans from Mercato Metropolitano London, London’s sustainable food marketplace was appointed to do so. The company operates a number of venues across London, turning disused spaces such as old factories and churches into food markets that bring local communities together. The agency was appointed after completing his three-month PR and social media campaign for the company.
WEST MIDLANDS, UK — Rhys Bradley Hepburn has been appointed by the Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI), the professional body for individuals working in the motor industry, to deliver its latest consumer campaign. RBH will work with IMI to create a consumer campaign that challenges negative perceptions of working in the industry and encourages people to apply for available roles. RBH will be responsible for creative and targeted paid digital and social media scheduling. IMI joins Jaguar Land Rover, Wacoal, Birmingham Airports, Bullring & Grand Central, Cameron Homes and JTL Group.
LONDON — B2B technology PR and content agency Spark Communications has been selected to manage the UK PR program for Cypher Learning, an AI-powered learning platform used by schools and businesses. The agency will help Cypher develop his PR and content strategy, develop creative campaigns and thought leadership targeting human resources, business and education news organizations.
Leeds, UK — Prohibition PR has been selected as the exclusive agent for luxury interiors brand Voyage Maison. Voyage Maison was recently acquired by home furnishings manufacturer Riva Home. The agent was appointed to his PR and press office by Riva Home’s furn.com brand earlier this year and has now been given his second press office brief for the Voyage Maison brand.
LONDON — Lithuania-based telematics software developer Gurtam has reappointed B2B technology agency Babel to continue driving its global PR program. Babel supports Gurtam’s growth strategy across Europe, North America and MENA. The brand, which connects 3.6 million vehicles and fixed assets in over 150 countries on the Wialon platform, appointed expert Babel for the first time in 2021 to lead the brand in the areas of automotive, logistics and transportation, security and fleet management. The mission is to increase the name recognition and reputation of the company. The new appointments also extend to global media buying and event support.


text: for profit companies with non profit Alpesh Paleja, chief economist at CBI, said: "although sales have grown in the past few months, the basic trading conditions for retailers remain difficult. We expect that the pressures on households to actually pay will continue for a while, so retailers still face challenges. " "If there is no allow most of the European Union oriented financial services agreement, the financial sector accounts for about 7% of GDP, but about 10% of tax revenue and 14% of the exports, may be affected by the special Britain will stay there," the report said. The report also supports the government's plan to cut its annual budget deficit this year. Apple has released some incredible huge facts for their third quarter of 2011, with quarterly revenue reaching $28.7 billion, growing 82% year over year along with a net gain of $7.31 billion. Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO said: 'We're thrilled to deliver good quarter ever, with revenue up 82 percent and profits up 125 percent.' and the man added 'Right now, we're very focused and pumped up about bringing iOS 5 and iCloud to the users this fall.' A broad market is a group of vendors and individuals who are associated with other vendors and individuals to buy and sell certain goods. The size of the market, the size of the market, is the number of buyers.


text:
A pioneer in location-based services, Foursquare initially tried to succeed with its own consumer app. But the company realized that providing location data to others was actually a far more promising business model, as founder and CEO Dennis Crowley explains in conversation with DLD Chairman Yossi Vardi.
“We can help other companies make great location experiences, and those have a much wider reach than we would ever have with our own consumer apps”, Crowley says. “There’s a reason that I think a lot of people are chasing enterprise dollars these days, because there’s more of them.”
Among Foursquare’s customers today are global tech giants like Apple, Airbnb, Samsung and Uber. In terms of privacy, Crowley says, his company is trying to be as transparent as possible, making clear how personal information is used – and that it can easily be deleted if people ask for it.
“Unfortunately, in the location technology space, there’s a lot of bad actors that are just trying to collect data without being clear what they’re collecting, or what the use is”, Crowley says. At Foursquare, “if people are not comfortable with it, you can decide, ‘Hey, I don’t want this and I want to delete it.’ We try to set the best practices for other people to follow.”


text:
Think being wealthy, successful and having a clever nickname will keep you safe from identity theft? Think again.
Diddy — formerly known as P. Diddy, formerly formerly known as Puff Daddy and legally known as Sean Combs — recently fell victim to an identity thief who stole Diddy’s American Express Black Card information, TMZ.com reports. If that wasn’t bad enough, the thief posted Diddy’s AmEx card information online this week for the entire web browsing world to see.
You no longer have to reach the store register with merchandise in hand, only to be told your gift card has a zero balance: American Express, MasterCard and Visa now let gift cardholders check how much money is left on their plastic without leaving home


text:
Samsung has filed a patent for a smartphone which is curved on both sides of the display, Patently Mobile has discovered.
The site reveals that 29 documents were filed by Samsung in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
The device would be able to show shortcuts, notifications or controls, expanding the space available on the main screen.
In addition, a curious aspect about this patent is a mysterious “pop-up” function.
The yellow part that can be seen in the images seems to be a part that comes out and falls from the device.
Patently Mobile speculates that it could be a retractable a new camera flash or improved antenna.


text:
Despite calls for more ethnic diversity in advertising, it appears there’s plenty of people out there who simply aren’t ready for more ethnic diversity in advertising.
Following on from last week’s rage after budget retailer Target featured a hijab-wearing mum in its ‘back to school’ catalogue comes an OOH campaign in Melbourne promoting upcoming Australia Day festivities that also features two young Muslim girls wearing hijabs. The two smiling models also feature alongside the Australian flag.
The campaign used a large QMS static billboard alongside the Link Freeway in Melbourne’s south-east.
And, as you’d expect, the far-right nutters are none too happy about multicultural Australia being used to promote Australia Day and have vented their anger on social media sites.
Although the comments were largely negative and suggested the imagery on the billboard was not how they’d want Australia Day represented, not all comments were inflammatory. “I don’t get why people seem to think that one race or any race owns any land more so than the other. Those views are so close minded. We share this earth together, even if you don’t like it. Ha, ha!” penned one. While another added: “One thing is Australia is (sic) multicultural country and everyone who live here must be proud Australia. So stop that nonsense.”
Locked down Victorians who don’t currently have an Optus Sport subscription will have complimentary access to Optus Sport from this weekend to enjoy the UEFA Champions League tournament plus access to premium health and fitness content through the Optus Sport app. UEFA Champions League – the world’s premier continental football tournament – kicks off at […]
Torrens University Australia has launched ‘Career Crush’ via VCCP Sydney and Lash, to help match students with a career they’ll love. Career Crush is an online quiz that determines prospective students’ personal strengths, passions and aspirations to match them with the careers and courses they’re most compatible with. One of the toughest decisions young people […]
Pedestrian Group has partnered with Nine subsidiary Mi9 New Zealand to offer NZ brands the opportunity to partner with the likes of Business Insider Australia, Pedestrian.tv and Gizmodo Australia. Next month, Mi9 New Zealand will be representing Pedestrian Group in the NZ market, offering clients the opportunity to work with leading youth publications including Lifehacker […]
ViacomCBS Networks International (VCNI), a division of ViacomCBS, is launching a premium streaming service internationally, appealing to audiences of all ages. The new SVOD service will start its international roll-out early in 2021, offering exclusive premieres of all new SHOWTIME series, including Halo and American Rust. CBS All Access originals will also premiere exclusively on the new service, such […]
As part of a larger project to refine their brand with partner branding agency Re, Optus have engaged experimental creative studio FutureDeluxe to explore how the iconic ‘Yes’ brand mark behaves in a sophisticated 3D environment. FutureDeluxe have produced a series of 8x idents and a number of static key visuals which will be used […]


text:
Shares of AeroGrow International, Inc. (OTCMKTS:AERO) crossed below its 50-day moving average during trading on Thursday . The stock has a 50-day moving average of $1.08 and traded as low as $0.86. AeroGrow International shares last traded at $0.89, with a volume of 2,005 shares traded.
Separately, ValuEngine upgraded shares of AeroGrow International from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd.
The company has a quick ratio of 1.96, a current ratio of 4.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $1.06 and its two-hundred day moving average is $1.32.
AeroGrow International (OTCMKTS:AERO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 13th. The company reported ($0.03) earnings per share for the quarter. The company had revenue of $4.48 million during the quarter. AeroGrow International had a negative return on equity of 12.51% and a negative net margin of 4.33%.
About AeroGrow International (OTCMKTS:AERO)
AeroGrow International, Inc engages in the development, marketing, direct-selling, and wholesale of indoor garden systems to consumers and retailers in the United States, Canada, and various countries in Europe. The company's principal products include indoor gardens and proprietary seed pod kits that allow consumers to grow vegetables, such as tomatoes, chili peppers, and salad greens; fresh herbs comprising cilantro, chives, basil, dill, oregano, and mint; and flowers, which comprise petunias, snapdragons, geraniums, and vinca.
Featured Article: Death Cross
Receive News & Ratings for AeroGrow International Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for AeroGrow International and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.


text:
The month has been notable not just for some of the cool new products that will be hitting store shelves soon but for a few interesting prototype products.
Several major Apple resellers have dismissed online rumours which claimed the vendor's popular iPhone could reach Australian users by the end of June.
Mobile printing has never been easier. For a busy office, reliable and easy-to-use tools are essential. Samsung's latest smart printers are equipped for wireless printing from mobile devices. Find out more about what is all about.
Opera this week added Google's Android to the list of platforms that can run its mobile browser.
Built for the Chinese market as well as export, the Cool G108 is a 'clamshell'-style watch phone with a 1.5-inch colour LCD display.
Nokia has begun publicly discussing what some are calling the mobile phone maker's biggest product response yet to the Apple iPhone -- a device with the code-name "Tube".
Nokia remains at work on its answer to the Apple iPhone, codenamed "Tube," a company official said on Monday.
The European Commision has opened the door for mobile phones on planes, introducing measures to harmonize the technical and licensing requirements for mobiles services in the sky.
Research In Motion (RIM) shipped 14 million smartphones last year, including a record high 4.4 million in the fourth quarter, the company said Wednesday.
Yahoo will open its mobile search to third-party content providers and let users search just by saying a term or asking a question.
While mobile TV and other emerging technologies attract big headlines, one of the biggest success stories for wireless service providers is text messaging.
A shift away from tight carrier control will help the mobile industry to grow, according to some advertising and content providers.
When the iPhone went on sale in the U.S. last June, many observers predicted that it would ignite sales in the broader smartphone market. After nine months on sale here, and its more recent rollout in parts of Europe, it is now clear that the iPhone ...
Talk of Apple placing large iPhone orders to its Asian suppliers and predictions that the company will dramatically ramp up sales later this year and into next "make perfect sense," according to one analyst.
AT&T will launch live mobile TV over the MediaFLO network in May, the carrier announced as the U.S. mobile industry prepared for a CTIA Wireless trade show in Las Vegas this week that is likely to put a big emphasis on entertainment.
While Motorola is in disarray as a result of its split into separate companies, Nokia and Samsung will be able to grab market share, analysts agree.
Most Popular Reviews
- 1 Motorola Moto G (2nd Gen.) android smartphone
- 2 HTC One Mini 2 android smartphone
- 3 Microsoft Surface Pro 3 Windows 8.1 tablet
- 4 Medion Akoya E4110 (MD 8239) desktop PC
- 5 Samsung Galaxy Tab S (10.5) 4G review
Best Deals on GoodGearGuide
Latest News Articles
- ARM's new processor could usher in feature-rich robots, appliances, wearables
- Dell's PC, tablet innovations draw attention
- EU tells Google to make more concessions or face charges in antitrust dispute
- Samsung Galaxy Note 4, Note Edge and Gear VR on sale early November
- Optus launches carrier aggregated LTE on 2300MHz spectrum
GGG Evaluation Team
First impression on unpacking the Q702 test unit was the solid feel and clean, minimalist styling.


text:
- Suzuki has introduced new color schemes for Gixxer and Gixxer 250.
- The 2021 Suzuki Gixxer 250 and Gixxer SF 250 also gets a new racing graphic variant.
- New color schemes are introduced to celebrate Suzuki’s Global 100th Anniversary.
Suzuki has recently introduced new color schemes for the 2021 Gixxer and Gixxer 250 motorcycles. The company is all set to aim maximum customers for this festive season.
The Suzuki Gixxer SF 250 will now come with a new Triton Blue/Silver color scheme. Meanwhile, the Gixxer 250 gets a Metallic Triton Blue with Suzuki racing graphics. Similarly, Suzuki has also introduced the Pearl Mira Red color for Gixxer as well as Gixxer SF. Gixxer will also get a Metallic Triton Blue color in addition.
Coming to the features, the all-new Suzuki Gixxer and Gixxer 250 will not get any other changes. Meanwhile, the new color schemes are introduced to celebrate Suzuki’s Global 100th Anniversary.
2021 Gixxer New Color Scheme’s Price List
- Metallic Triton Blue – ₹1,14,500/-
- Pearl Mira Red – ₹1,14,500/-
- Pearl Mira Red – ₹1,24,000/-
- Metallic Triton Blue – ₹1,65,000/-
Gixxer 250 SF
- Triton Blue/Silver – ₹1,76,941/-
Meanwhile, the engine that powers the 2021 Suzuki Gixxer is a 155cc, single-cylinder, air-cooled engine. It produces 13.5PS of power @ 8000 rpm and 13.8Nm of torque @ 6000 rpm. However, the Gixxer 250 draws its power from a 249cc, single-cylinder, oil-cooled engine. This particular engine produces 26.5PS of power @ 9300 rpm with a peak torque of 22.2Nm @ 7300 rpm.


text:
The cold frozen dispensed category is undergoing some major changes these days with many c-stores adding milkshakes and even energy slushees to their offerings. The additions continue to make the cold and frozen dispensed category one of the hottest in the convenience store industry.
Digging down into the category even more, the fourth annual CSD/Balvor 2012 Foodservice Outlook Survey found top-quartile retailers routinely outperform other operators in both the cold and frozen dispensed beverage segments.
Salt Lake City-based Maverik convenience stores has been seeing constant sales increases in both of those category subsets and the company expects this growth to continue through 2012.
“Specialty cold beverages in general are trending upward significantly over the previous year,” said Janalee Clements, customer segment manager for the 220-store chain.
Clements explained that sales of its Icee offerings continue to grow year after year. In fact, she has been adding more barrels to many of the company’s existing units to broaden the flavor selections. In some of the stores, she is expanding the number of barrels from four to six.
Dealing with Dairy
Since installing f’real mix-it-yourself milkshake blenders in a number of Maverik stores about four years ago, Clements has seen volumes of the frozen dairy-based beverages grow so rapidly that she had to double the number of machines in each store.
In the Convenience Store Decisions/Balvor poll, a majority of retailers said they believe there is definitely room for growth in the frozen beverage category. Seventy-eight percent of the respondents noted the biggest growth opportunity for this subset lies in the afternoon between 2 p.m. and 6 p.m.
On the fountain front, Coca-Cola Freestyle technology, which allows customers to concoct their own flavor combinations from more than 100 possibilities, has been creating excitement among retailers since it debuted in 2009 at the NACS Show.
Similarly, flavor shots at the fountain have helped create a buzz with consumers. Rich Green, Maverik’s fountain beverage category manager, has found that Maverik’s own flavor shots, a hit since they were introduced about in 2008, are continuing to grow his fountain sales. “We are seeing our fountain sales increase without cannibalizing our bottled or canned beverage sales,” Green said.
Variety over all categories, is increasingly becoming one of the most important drivers for store traffic, said David Portalatin, director of industry analysis for the NPD Group, a New York-based research firm.
But even more important factors are the still-ailing economy and soaring gas prices.“If gas prices continue to skyrocket, that could negatively affect fountain sales because people simply have less money to spend on drinks,” said Jeff Lenard, vice president of communications for NACS.
Lenard, Portalatin and Green all agreed that higher prices on fuel can be offset by creating value-added offerings.


text:
The change of quarantine status can be confusing, so we’ve rounded up the important rules on Travel and Out-of-Home Activities that we all need to follow.
Everything is just uncertain nowadays. We have so many thoughts in our minds that need to be aired with everything that’s been going on. In
In observance of the Holy Week, most malls in the metro will be closed on Maundy Thursday (April 9) and Good Friday (April 10). Here is a list of supermarkets and their operating hours.
Here are a few organizations where you can donate to support not just our front liners but those who are less fortunate as well.
During this COVID-19 quarantine, the metro’s top studios bring their workouts to you.
Should you need to head out for groceries, save this list of supermarket store hours during quarantine period.
Here’s a list of adjusted hours, temporary closures and suspensions, and additional safety measures announced by Entertainment City integrated resorts.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the majority of the homegrown restaurants in Metro Manila are offering home deliveries so you won’t have to leave the house.
Here is a list of shopping malls and their announced adjusted operating hours to prioritize health and safety of everyone.


text:
As global economic conditions and tourism trends shift, Nova Scotia’s 2010 tourism plan is responding by adapting to changes in the marketplace and consumer habits. The province presented its 2010 strategy today, Nov. 30, at the 2009 Tourism Summit – The Evolution of Tourism, in Halifax. “Despite many challenges in a global environment, Nova Scotia performed relatively well in 2009, compared with many other destinations,” said Percy Paris, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Heritage. “As the economic and tourism challenges continue in 2010, we will work with our industry partners to take advantage of immediate opportunities while remaining focused on the core strategy of enhancing our competitiveness as a visitor destination.” Plans for 2010 include devoting significant attention to the Canadian market — the largest source of visitors to Nova Scotia — which has proven to be resilient in difficult economic times. The province will target this market more aggressively with retail-oriented advertising to meet the changing travel and buying habits of visitors. With an eye on long-term growth, activity will continue in key international markets, primarily New England and the mid-Atlantic states, and the United Kingdom. These efforts will be in partnership with organizations such as the Canadian Tourism Commission, Atlantic Canada Tourism Partnership and Nova Scotia Air Gateway committee. The province’s 2010 advertising campaign will build on the success of the “Heroes” theme developed in 2009, with new people and experiences. The campaign uses Nova Scotians to tell the stories of the province’s unique and compelling experiences. The province will once again use, television, print and online mediums to tell its story and promote the Nova Scotia brand. As the online world continues to rapidly evolve, so does Nova Scotia’s online marketing efforts. In the coming year, novascotia.com will relaunch with more focus on core experiences, engaging video, relevant user-generated content, and compelling packages and deals to lure visitors. The province will also continue to build on its online presence through social media. In collaboration with industry, the department plans to devote resources towards developing authentic, sustainable, consumer driven experiences through various initiatives. This includes the creation of Events Nova Scotia with the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency and implemented by Trade Centre Ltd., which was announced on Friday, Nov. 27. The initiative will work to attract major events that will bring visitors and revenues to all regions of the province. The department will work to enhance industry participation with a new website and e-newsletter, and work with key industry partners to solicit more structured input into tourism marketing and a refreshed long-term strategy. The complete 2010 tourism plan is available on the department’s website at www.gov.ns.ca/tch/tourism .
Canadian court rules in Ecuadorian legal battle involving oil giant Chevron Both sides found positives in a Canadian court ruling issued Friday in a David and Goliath legal battle between oil giant Chevron and a group of Ecuadorian villagers.The villagers are using the Canadian courts to try to collect on a US$9.5-billion Ecuadorian court judgement for environmental damage.Chevron issued a news release Friday saying Ontario’s superior court has ruled the oil company’s Canadian arm isn’t a party to the Ecuadorian court decision.Chevron said the Ontario judgement concluded that Chevron Canada is a separate entity and says it’s confident any jurisdiction that examines the facts of the case will find the Ecuadorian judgment unenforceable.A spokeswoman for the villagers issued a counter statement saying the ruling gave the green light for the villagers to continue legal action against Chevron Corp. in a bid to seize billions in assets to enforce the court judgement. The villagers are now seeking roughly US$12-billion, factoring in interest.Karen Hinton’s statement minimized the setback with regards to Chevron’s Canadian subsidiary, predicting it would be “swiftly reversed” by an appeal court.“Ultimately, we are confident that Canada’s courts will hold Chevron fully accountable for its outrageous and criminal conduct in Ecuador,” said Hinton, who is based in the U.S.Some 30,000 villagers first turned to Ecuador’s justice system in 1993 alleging that Texaco, which is now owned by Chevron, dumped billions of litres of toxic oil-drilling waters into hundreds of open-air pits.Activists have contended the affected area sees, among other problems, the highest rates of childhood leukemia in the country — 130 per cent more frequent cancer deaths than elsewhere, and 150 per cent higher rates of miscarriages.Chevron has no assets in the South American country, so the villagers have turned to courts in several other countries in an effort to have the judgment enforced.Alan Lenczner argued in court previously that the notion that Chevron Corp. is separate from its Canadian arm was nonsense, saying Chevron Canada is a “cash cow” that sends billions to its controlling parent.Chevron has also derided the Ecuador court judgement contending it was the product of fraud, witness tampering and obstruction of justice. It said a U.S. court has already prohibited the Ecuadorian judgment from being enforced in the United States.Hinton’s statement countered Chevron’s fraud claims were debunked by Ecuador’s courts. A Chevron logo appears at a gas station in Miami on July 25, 2011. Both sides found positives in a Canadian court ruling issued Friday in a David and Goliath legal battle between oil giant Chevron and a group of Ecuadorian villagers.The villagers are using the Canadian courts to try to collect on a US$9.5-billion Ecuadorian court judgement for environmental damage. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP, Lynne Sladky by The Canadian Press Posted Jan 20, 2017 8:33 pm MDT Last Updated Jan 21, 2017 at 1:40 pm MDT AddThis Sharing ButtonsShare to TwitterTwitterShare to FacebookFacebookShare to RedditRedditShare to 電子郵件Email


text:
Google Search results will soon display AI generated content
Google just held its I/O 2023 event, where a large amount of time was dedicated to how AI will boost the company's many platforms. Gmail, for example, is going to be able to write more detailed emails that may help you get refunds on canceled flights. Google Bard, the company's own generative AI, will integrate itself into multiple first-party apps like those on Workspace.
However, one of the more interesting parts of the presentation has to be SGE, or Search Generative Experience. This is the long-awaited generative AI update that will be coming to Google Search, giving Microsoft's Bing a new challenger. Despite the boost to Bing, Microsoft still hasn't been able to close the gap over its rival, and in the future it looks like that gap will even grow bigger.
Below is a list detailing all of the new ways SGE will change Google Search later this year.
Data from Microsoft's latest Work Trend Index shows that workers are set to embrace the benefits AI can offer to help boost innovation and eliminate productivity disrupters.
AI is set to completely transform the way people work, helping to reduce burnout and increase productivity - and workers are ready to embrace the change, according to Microsoft's latest Work Trend Index.
To compile its latest report, Microsoft surveyed 31,000 people in 31 countries and analyzed trillions of Microsoft 365 productivity signals, along with labor trends from the LinkedIn Economic Graph. This resulted in three key findings: an abundance of digital notifications is hampering innovation, employees want AI to help lessen their workloads, and employees at all levels of a business should be given training to help them best leverage AI.


text:
Blenheim barber to be featured on TV series
A local barbershop will be featured on a television series that showcases the world of men’s grooming.
Black Comb Barbershop in Blenheim will be the latest barbershop to be featured on the series The Global Barber.
Hosted by Cedric Small, the series showcases barbers around the world, their culture, and their community.
“We were just filming in St. Thomas at the other location of Black Comb Barber Shop last week,” said Small. “We decided we could come and do another episode in Blenheim.”
While the lifestyle show is heavily based around men’s grooming, Small said it also showcases the towns or cities where the barbershops are from.
“After shooting in St. Thomas and meeting Gregory, the owner of Black Comb Barber Shop, we felt it was right to showcase Blenheim as well,” said Small.
Small has been in the profession of cutting men’s hair for 25 years. His career has taken him around the world including Western Europe, The United States, Canada and more.
“We go to barbershops but we also showcase their town or city, it’s entertainment and the talent inside the shop,” said Small.
In March 2020, the pandemic put a halt on international travelling, so the crew decided to make their way across Ontario. The filming of season two started in Montreal and it will wrap up in Windsor.
Shop Owner Gregory Dennis was excited to have the show’s crew at his shop Tuesday in Blenheim.
“It’s not every day that someone gets to be showcased, especially in these parts of Ontario,” the master barber said. “It’s been really surreal when you think about it because it’s not just about barbering but it’s also about what’s going on in the community.”
Dennis opened his business in Blenheim nearly three years ago. He said the industry can be cut-throat at times and that he feels lucky to have this opportunity.
“I feel honoured to represent Chatham-Kent,” said Dennis. “This is an achievement for me.”
The Global Barber airs on OLN, Citytv, and it also steams internationally.


text:
It’s that time of year again. The E3 hype train is leaving the station, as gamers everywhere prepare for a flurry of announcements from the industry’s biggest annual event. As we’re unlikely to get much in the way of major hardware announcements at E3 2018, this year’s event is gearing up to be very software focused and as always, there are many games that we already know are going to be there and even more that have yet to be announced.
Rather than put together a traditional E3 predictions list, I thought I’d round up all the heartbreakers. By that I mean, what are the games that many of us would love to see announced but know with near certainly probably won’t be? Of course, anything is possible and there’s a very real possibility that at least a few of the games on this list will get surprise announcements between June 12-14, but I wouldn’t hold my breath on any news when it comes to the following titles.
Honestly, of all the series on this list, Burnout is the one I could see actually being at E3 this year. The release of Burnout Paradise Remastered earlier this year could be attributed to it being the game’s 10 year anniversary, but it was also likely an experiment on EA’s part to gauge how much interest there still is out there for the frenetic arcade racing series.
And really, 10 years is too long a wait for a new Burnout. The franchise had a brilliant run starting in 2004 with the release of Burnout 3: Takedown, which is still arguably one of the greatest racing games ever made, but after publishing Paradise in 2008, EA has largely ignored Burnout in favor of its other major car racing franchise, Need For Speed.
With Need For Speed’s reputation slipping over the past few years following a string of solid, if unremarkable releases, now would seem a perfect time to bring Burnout back. But then, this is EA we’re talking about: a company that has willfully ignored the demand for a new Burnout game for a decade, so I’d argue there’s a much better chance of us getting yet another Need For Speed announcement instead.
11. Conker’s Bad Fur Day 2
I really thought that Sea of Thieves would be a return to form for beleaguered development studio Rare, but the cooperative pirate shooter failed to make much of a splash when it was released earlier this year. Truth be told, both Rare and Microsoft could really use a win right now, what with the Xbox One’s absolute dearth of exclusives and bringing back a beloved series would be a good way to get both companies back into gamers’ good graces.
Conker’s Bad Fur Day was first released on the Nintendo 64 and later received a remastered version on the original Xbox but we’ve never gotten a proper sequel. Although mascot platformers are all but dead these days, a Bad Fur Day sequel could still have a lot of fun satirizing other genres and delivering a colorful and crass adventure for a whole new generation. I do believe we’ll see Conker revived at some point but with Rare just having shipped Sea of Thieves a few months ago, E3 2018 seems like an unlikely place in which to do so.
10. Dead Space 4
EA’s mistreatment of the Dead Space franchise is one of the most unfortunate stories to come out of the previous console generation. The first two games in the series earned critical praise and put up impressive sales numbers, but EA botched things with Dead Space 3 by downplaying the franchise’s horror elements and implementing all sorts of intrusive microtransactions. After that game failed to meet EA’s ridiculous sales targets, Dead Space was put on ice and with the closure of series developer Visceral Games last year, there seems little hope of ever getting Dead Space 4.
But while I don’t think we’ll be seeing an announcement at E3 this year, EA has to realize at some point that there is still a place in the market for survival horror games to succeed (Resident Evil 7 demonstrated this in 2017); the publisher just has to not expect Dead Space games to sell millions upon millions of copies.
9. Elite Beat Agents 2
A rhythm game in which a trio of government agents solve peoples’ problems with the power of music and dance, Elite Beat Agents is one of the best games ever made for the Nintendo DS and has attracted quite the cult following since its release in 2006. Unfortunately, the game didn’t sell as well as had been hoped in North America, which is probably why we’ve never had a sequel. That being said, the success of the Nintendo Switch and increased viability of niche games makes the idea of an Elite Beat Agents 2 not beyond the realm of possibility.
The game’s unique touch-based controls would also translate well to the Switch and there would be opportunity to implement Joy-Con controls as well. Still, the prospect of Elite Beat Agents 2 being announced at E3 seems like a long shot, especially with how many other, more popular franchises Nintendo has yet to bring to the Switch.
8. Freedom Fighters 2
Squad-based action games were all the rage in the early 2000s and IO Interactive’s Freedom Fighters was one of the best. Featuring an interesting alternate history plot that sees the Soviet Union invade the United States, Freedom Fighters is full of Cold War-era cliches, but it revels in them to the point where it actually feels unique when compared to similar games of the era. The gameplay remains innovative to this day, employing easy-to-use squad commands and a mission structure that demanded careful planning when infiltrating various Soviet-held strongholds.
As an added bonus, the game’s soundtrack is absolutely stellar, employing a Russian choir/orchestral score that went a long way in evoking the game’s sombre, “fight for freedom” tone. While there’s little reason to believe that 2018 will be the year where we suddenly see a sequel for a 15-year-old game announced, the fact that IO Interactive is now an independent studio that owns both the Hitman and Freedom Fighters franchise makes it at least a little more likely that we’ll see Freedom Fighters 2 someday.
7. Grand Theft Auto VI
It’s inevitable that Rockstar will make Grand Theft Auto VI but we’re not going to get an announcement at this year’s E3. Even if the publisher wasn’t busy gearing up for the launch of Red Dead Redemption 2 later this year, there’s the fact that Rockstar doesn’t typically use E3 as a platform for game announcements. There’s also the ridiculous ongoing success of Grand Theft Auto V to consider.
Although the game is nearly five years old at this point, GTA V is still consistently in the top 10 best-selling games month in and month out thanks to the popularity of its online multiplayer, so there’s little reason for Rockstar to go all-in on a sequel right now. This doesn’t mean that we couldn’t see the next Grand Theft Auto announced even within the next year, but don’t expect it to happen at E3.
6. Half-Life 3
You knew it had to be here somewhere. It’s been the better part of 15 years since the release of Half-Life 2 — not to mention a decade since that game’s final expansion — and as such, it’s looking increasingly doubtful with each passing year that Half-Life 3 will ever see the light of day. Half-Life 3 is now regarded as the greatest mystery in PC gaming, as no one outside of Valve Corporation can seem to make sense of why the company refuses to release the game, let alone talk about it.
Of course, Valve doesn’t actually need to ever make a new Half -Life game, as it generates more than enough revenue through its digital distribution platform Steam. However, the company has dropped enough hints about the game over the years to keep fans’ hope alive, even if many have resigned themselves to the knowledge that they very well may never get to play Half-Life 3 … which is why I’m confident in predicting that it will be a no-show yet again at E3 this year.
5. Jak and Daxter
Some may argue that a series such as Jak and Daxter — a mascot platformer with cartoonish characters — is played out at this point, but anyone who experienced Naughty Dog’s trilogy (the spin-off racing game was okay too) of PS2 action-platformers would likely disagree. The Jak games were some Sony’s strongest exclusives during the PS2 generation, but when Naughty Dog decided to move onto more sophisticated fare with Uncharted and The Last of Us on the PlayStation 3, the series went dormant
A PSP title called Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier was released in 2009, but it wasn’t developed by Naughty Dog and paled in comparison to what the studio accomplished with the original games. Naughty Dog currently has no plans to make another game (although they haven’t ruled it out completely), though Sony could always get another studio to create it if Naughty Dog doesn’t want to. Either way, it’s unlikely that we’ve seen the last of Jak and Daxter, but I wouldn’t count on any surprise announcements at E3.
4. Left 4 Dead 3
Evidently, Valve is incapable of counting to three, as the developer has yet to announce third games in any of its major series, including Portal, Team Fortress, and the aforementioned Half-Life. Left 4 Dead can also be added to that list, as after releasing the first two games back-to-back in 2008 and 2009, the cooperative zombie shooter franchise has remained dormant ever since.
Part of the reason for this surely has something to do with the zombie genre as a whole fading in popularity in recent years, but Left 4 Dead and its sequel are still regarded as some of the best zombie shooters ever made and it’s reasonable to assume that a Left 4 Dead 3 announcement would be met with considerable fan fare were it to happen at E3.
That being said, the fact that Left 4 Dead 3 wasn’t announced years ago when it would have made the most sense gives me pause to think that this year’s E3 will be the moment where it happens but when it comes to Valve, who can possibly predict what they’ll do at this point?
3. Metal Gear Solid 6
The very notion of a sixth mainline Metal Gear Solid game is something I’m conflicted about. For one thing, Konami already proved to us earlier this year with the dreadful Metal Gear Survive that it is seemingly incapable of producing a proper Metal Gear game without series creator Hideo Kojima, who parted ways with the publisher following the release of Metal Gear Solid V in 2015.
Still, just because Konami hasn’t made a good Metal Gear without Kojima yet doesn’t mean that can’t change. All it would take is for the publisher to hand the reins to a hungry studio eager to deliver a new vision for the franchise. Plus, as spin-offs like Metal Gear Rising and Metal Gear Solid for the Game Boy Color have proven, Kojima doesn’t necessarily have to be involved in order to be good.
And yet, Metal Gear Solid 6 is almost certainly not getting announced at E3 because Konami actively hates its fanbase. Oh well.
2. Prince of Persia
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time stands as one of the best action-adventure games ever made and still holds up nearly 15 years after its original release. Ever since that seminal game though, Ubisoft has had a hard time replicating the magic of The Sands of Time, releasing four mainline Prince of Persia titles of varying quality in the intervening years. The last entry in the series, Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands, is an underrated entry that actually got closer to the Sands of Time formula than its predecessors, but failed to make much of a splash. The game was released alongside the 2010 movie adaptation starring Jake Gyllenhaal and many thought it was just a derivative cash-grab.
Things have been relatively quiet on the Prince of Persia front ever since, but judging by comments made by Ubisoft CEO Yannis Mallat in 2013, the company is still interested in making more titles and stated that, “As soon as we have something to show, we will.” It’s now five years later and we still haven’t heard anything new. With Ubisoft rumored to be showing off a new Splinter Cell at this year’s E3, Prince of Persia will likely be a no-show but the company can’t ignore the series forever … can they?
1. Super Mario RPG 2
There have been dozens of Mario spinoffs released over the years, but few measure up to Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars. Developed by Squaresoft back when the company was the undisputed king of turn-based RPGs, Legend of the Seven Stars is still regarded as one of the best games ever made for the Super Nintendo. And yet, more than 22 years after its original release, we’ve still never gotten a proper sequel.
Sure, there have been other Mario RPGs released over the years with the Paper Mario and Mario & Luigi titles, but they’ve all been spiritual successors at best set in separate worlds from the one imagined by the team at Squaresoft. With the recent collaboration between Nintendo and Ubisoft having produced the stellar Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle for the Switch, there is reason to hope that Super Mario RPG 2 could come to fruition, but I just don’t see it happening, at least not this year.


text:
With speculations spreading around the fact that demand for transferring properties from leasehold to freehold has been getting stronger, the Noida Authority chairman named Alok Tandon has decided to present a proposal for the same concern. He will be presenting the proposal in the next board meeting, which is set to take place at the end of the year. This decision arrived after a productive meeting with 22 organizations of the city. As the proposal gets approved by the board, it will be sent to the state government for further sanction.
Taking a stand in this aspect, a senior official of the board has stated that proposal of the residents has been decided to give due consideration in the board meeting. And if the government gives it a green signal; the stated proposal will be implemented on an immediate basis. In order to pressurize authorities and push their demand, Federation of Noida Residents Welfare Associations, Noida Entrepreneur Association, and other trade organizations have joined hands for a demonstration outside authority’s office at sector 6 of Noida.
Besides this, the group of entrepreneurs demonstrating outside the authority office also demanded that the space outside their factories should not be used for parking on a commercial basis. Putting the further light on the matter, they stated that the parking space available outside their office should be at the discretion of factory owners or its employees or its visitors. Beyond them, no one should be allowed to park their vehicles outside the factories.
As per the existing scenario, the owners or employees of a particular factory have to pay for the parking outside their factory, which is not justified in any case. Parking for the employees, owners, and guests of a company is a facility offered to them. And no other person shall take advantage of this. Apart from this, paying for parking every time in the day is not feasible. Indeed, the president of Noida Entrepreneurs Association (NEA) named Vipin Kumar Malhan has stated that the issue of paid parking will be the main agenda of their protest for sure.
Certainly known, the parking outside the factories are misused in every sense with people visiting other factories leaving their cards anywhere. This is creating an issue with the employees of that particular company because they do not find a place to park their own vehicles at all. The association aims at getting their demand fulfilled by the authorities.


text:
In the early 1980s, David Cherry saw a huge potential for thermoplastic olefins developed by Ciba-Geigy Corp. Ciba-Geigy did not think the compounded product line fit in its corporation's strategic plans, and gladly sold the line to its former executives.
With a division that had sales of $5 million a year, Cherry, with the help of John Alleckner, started Research Polymers Inc. to make and market the products, putting them in the ranks of a growing number of compounders who are buying product lines from major resin suppliers.
Today, TPOs are some of the most widely used polymers in the automotive industry and, because of the company's success, Dexter Co. bought RPI in 1986, when it had sales of $40 million.
Today, Dexter has put RPI into a joint venture with Solvay Group, and it is known as D&S Plastics International. D&S has sales of $100 million a year.
Cherry and Alleckner, as fire-in-the-belly entrepreneurs, pushed their company from its beginnings as a small compounder with a niche product to become a multimillion-dollar supplier to the auto industry.
Small compounders have seen such purchases as avenues toward quick growth, while large compounders use such purchases to complete or to widen their product offerings.
Meanwhile, major resin suppliers have looked at the products they have sold as having production volumes too low to be profitable, or as being soniche-oriented that they detract from other business.
Compounders typically are taking over the production of those product lines, and doing what they do best: turning a profit catering to their customers exacting needs.
The shift of such product lines to compounders is a natural outgrowth of the move resin makers made away from shipping less-than-truckload quantities of resins. This began several years ago as a quest to supply large, profitable quantities of resins to their customers while letting resin distributors sell smaller quantities.
``The consolidation of product lines at the large resin supply companies is a continuing trend,'' said Bob Schulz, president and chief executive officer of LNP Engineering Plastics Inc. of Exton, Pa.
``In the 1980s, the resins companies wanted to supply everything for everybody. In 1989 and 1990, the economic crunch came, and people started to focus on what they did best,'' Schulz said.
That trend began with the resin suppliers' exit from less-than-truckload shipments of products, and snowballed with the move toward selling distinct product lines, he said.
``As major resin producers continue to eliminate product lines, they are leaving gaps in what customers are demanding. That's where we come in, that's what we do all the time - we fill those gaps,'' said Paul Cusolito, vice president for sales and marketing for Washington Penn Plastics Co. Inc. of Washington, Pa.
In the first quarter of this year, LNP Engineering Plastics Inc. of Exton, Pa., recently bought a line of 24 specialty grades of thermoplastics polyesters from GE Plastics. LNP also has purchased specialty resin lines from Dupont Co. and Amoco Chemical Co.
Albis Corp. of Rosenberg, Texas, has purchased a line of polybutylene terephthalate, PET and polyphenylene sulfone resins from Bayer Corp.
Teknor Apex Co. of Pawtucket, R.I., purchased a number of tradenamed product lines developed by major resin suppliers, and has incorporated them into its own product offerings under its own tradenames.
When Eastman Chemical Co. exited the polypropylene business, A. Schulman Inc. of Akron, Ohio, bought several of its compounded lines of precolored, reinforced-specialty and foamable grades of PP that it continues to sell under the Tenite tradename.
M.A. Hanna Co. of Cleveland has shuffled and reshuffled a number of products it purchased from other companies, yet uses several of the tradenames that help to distinguish those products in the market.
In each case, and in others, those compounders and others said they are finding profit in the products they bought.
Rick Shafer, strategic marketing manager for the Engineered Materials Group of M.A. Hanna noted his company's previous purchases, and said Hanna is considering purchasing other such lines.
``The major resin suppliers are streamlining their product lines to keep their profit up. They are focusing more and more on their key strengths, and less on specialty products,'' Shafer said in an interview from his office in Dyersburg, Tenn.
``We fit the products into our operations where they are best suited, as we rationalize our distinct businesses to make better rhyme and reason of our compounding operations,'' Shafer said.
Ralph Andy, president of Polycom Huntsman Inc. of Washington, Pa., and Tony deVrught, vice president for sales and marketing for DSM Polymers of Evansville, Ind., said they have seen increased activity from major resin suppliers who are trying to sell product lines.
Andy noted that many major resin producers seem to be moving faster to sell small-volume product lines because they saw such high profits in the past 18 months as demand soared for their high-volume product lines.


text:
- Samsung is launching Galaxy M11 and Galaxy M01 in India on June 2
- Flipkart released a teaser banner that reveals the launch date and time
- The Galaxy M01 is rumored to cost Rs. 8,999, and the starting price of Galaxy M11 will be Rs. 10,999
Samsung is set to launch Galaxy M11 and Galaxy M01 in India on June 2 at noon. Flipkart has released a teaser banner that reveals the launch date and time. It also suggests that smartphones will be made available via the e-commerce platform after the launch.
Samsung Galaxy M11 specifications
Samsung Galaxy M11 features a 6.4-inch HD+ (720 x 1560 pixels) PLS TFT display. The phone is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 (14 nm) chipset paired with up to 4GB RAM and up to 64GB storage. It also supports microSD cards. The phone runs Android 10 out of the box with OneUI 2.0 customization on top.
Samsung Galaxy M11 boasts a triple-rear camera setup of 13 MP f/1.8 primary sensor, 5 MP f/2.2 ultrawide, and 2 MP f/2.4 depth sensor. On the front, it has an 8 MP f/2.0 camera on the punch-hole display. The phone comes with a non-removable 5000 mAh battery that supports 15W fast charging.
Connectivity features included are Bluetooth 4.2, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, GPS, 3.5mm audio port, and USB Type-C port. Sensors included are proximity, accelerometer, and rear-mounted fingerprint sensor.
Samsung Galaxy M01 specifications
Samsung is yet to provide the specification details of Galaxy M01. However, according to the leaked specs, the Samsung Galaxy M01 will feature a 5.71-inch HD+ (720 x 1560 pixels) PLS TFT display. The device will run on a Snapdragon 439 (12 nm) SoC paired with 3GB RAM and 32GB storage. The phone is tipped to have a dual-rear camera with 13 MP f/2.2 main camera and 2 MP f/2.4 depth sensor. For selfies, it will have a 5 MP f/2.2 camera on the waterdrop notch.
Connectivity features will be included are Bluetooth 4.2, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, GPS, 3.5mm audio port, and micro USB port. The phone is expected to come with a non-removable 4000 mAh battery that will support 15W fast charging technology.
Reportedly, the Galaxy M11 will be priced at Rs. 10,999 for the 3GB RAM and 32GB storage, while the 4GB RAM and 64GB storage variant will cost Rs. 12,999. The Galaxy M01 is rumored to cost Rs. 8,999 for the 3GB RAM and 32GB storage model.


text:
NEW YORK (CNN/Money) -
Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan reiterated his cautiously optimistic outlook for the U.S. economy in a speech Wednesday, saying again that the latest recession is apparently over but the size and shape of the recovery still are uncertain.
Greenspan, in prepared remarks delivered to the Independent Community Bankers of America, basically repeated the testimony he gave to the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs on March 7.
"In the past several months, we have seen increasing signs that some of the forces restraining the economy over the past year are starting to diminish and that activity is beginning to firm," he said Wednesday.
As he did in his earlier speech, Greenspan pointed to the efforts of U.S. businesses to reduce inventories as a main driver of economic recovery. A glut of unsold goods, the hangover of a spending boom in the late 1990s, led to a dramatic slowdown in production, a 19-month recession in manufacturing and more than a million job cuts. Once inventories are reduced, businesses will be free to increase production again.
"With production running well below sales, the lift to income and spending from the inevitable cessation of inventory liquidation could be significant," Greenspan said.
But he also repeated his warning that final demand would need to continue to rise in order to fuel a prolonged rally in production. Though saying there have been "encouraging signs" of such demand increasing lately, "the dimensions of the pickup remain uncertain."
Greenspan also pointed out that the economy will not likely get a boost from a surge in consumer spending, since consumers managed to spend throughout the downturn, helping the economy avoid two straight quarters of shrinking gross domestic product (GDP).
"The broad contours of the present cycle have been, and will continue to be, driven by the evolution of corporate profits and capital investment," he said. "On balance, the recovery in spending on business fixed investment is likely to be only gradual."
In order to keep consumers spending despite a recession that some economists think began in March 2001, the Fed cut its target for short-term interest rates 11 times in 2001. It decided at its first meeting in 2002 to leave rates alone, and Greenspan's comments and recent positive economic data have convinced many economists that it could soon adopt a neutral bias, meaning it no longer thinks the economy is in danger of shrinking. Fed policy makers could take that stance as soon as their next meeting, scheduled for March 19.
U.S. stock prices, already dragged lower by relatively disappointing February retail sales data released Wednesday morning, extended their losses after Greenspan spoke. Treasury bond prices rose.


text:
- PepsiCo mentioned it should cut back using virgin plastic per serving by 50% throughout its international meals and beverage portfolio by 2030, and incorporate half recycled content material in its plastic packaging as a part of a brand new initiative known as Pep+.
- The beverage and snack large additionally mentioned it could give attention to scaling new enterprise fashions that require little or no single-use packaging, noting efforts to develop its SodaStream sparkling-water enterprise.
- PepsiCo’s normal of measurement would be the quantity of plastic used to serve 12 ounces of drinks and 1 ounce of meals, Reuters reported, permitting the corporate to extra simply measure its use of the packaging materials.
As extra corporations have pledged to curtail their waste, few supplies have been focused as fiercely as plastic. PepsiCo and archrival Coca-Cola have been hit particularly exhausting by critics who’ve mentioned the makers of sodas, bottled waters, teas and sports activities drinks are usually not doing sufficient to scale back their packaging impression.
Coca-Cola estimates it produces 120 billion bottles of single-use plastic annually, whereas a report from the Ellen MacArthur Basis mentioned PepsiCo consumes 2.3 million metric tons of plastic yearly.
Earlier this 12 months, Coca-Cola launched new bottles created from 100% recycled plastic materials. In 2018, the maker of Food regimen Coke and Sprite pledged to gather and recycle the equal of a bottle or can for each one it sells by 2030, make 100% of its packaging recyclable by 2025 and use 50% recycled materials in its bottles and cans by 2030.
Much like different CPG corporations, PepsiCo is not any stranger to creating guarantees to scale back its environmental footprint, however its latest announcement seems to embrace a extra bold agenda. Simply two years in the past, PepsiCo vowed to scale back 35% of its virgin plastic content material throughout its beverage portfolio by 2025. Now it is focusing on a 50% minimize in beverage and meals by 2030.
“Pep+ is the way forward for our firm,” Ramon Laguarta, PepsiCo’s Chairman and CEO, mentioned in a press release. “It displays a brand new enterprise actuality, the place customers have gotten extra thinking about the way forward for the planet and society.”
Through the pandemic, sustainable packaging has emerged as a prime precedence as customers present extra curiosity of their environmental footprint and that of the general meals system. This has doubtless intensified strain on CPGs to transcend their earlier commitments.
Practically two-thirds of customers take into account it essential that the merchandise they purchase are in recyclable packaging, based on Trivium Packaging’s 2021 International Shopping for Inexperienced Report. The report additionally discovered greater than half (54%) take sustainable packaging into consideration when deciding on a product.
Along with its dedication to scale back its use of virgin plastic, PepsiCo is tapping into the sustainability halo provided by its SodaStream platform.
The glowing water maker, bought by PepsiCo for $3.2 billion in 2018, permits customers to make use of a machine to make a beverage they’ll load into their very own containers, curbing the necessity for brand new plastic bottles. If PepsiCo can develop the system into new markets and entice customers with extra flavors, it might keep away from the necessity for greater than 200 billion plastic bottles by 2030, the corporate mentioned.
The New York beverage and snack firm additionally famous it has been investing in meals packaging know-how and is now introducing a completely compostable bag made with plant-based supplies, beginning with its Off The Eaten Path model. PepsiCo mentioned it’s prepared to work with different corporations to license the identical know-how for gratis to construct momentum for a round meals packaging system.
Greenpeace, which has been important of CPGs’ efforts to deal with sustainability, had combined opinions about PepsiCo’s sustainability push. John Hocevar, oceans marketing campaign director at Greenpeace USA, mentioned the sector produces trillions of things annually which are packaged in throwaway plastic, one thing that may’t be overcome by recycling.
“Growing recycling charges and recycled content material brings some incremental positive factors, however so long as that continues to be the main focus of the sector’s consideration the issue will proceed to worsen,” Hocevar mentioned. “It’s encouraging to listen to about Pepsi’s plans to develop the SodaStream a part of their enterprise, however the firm must set bold reuse/refill targets for all merchandise and types.”


text:
Related Post : Another Article :
Plans for the face-lifted version of the Ferrari 599 is supposed to be formed in the next 18 months, but the latest Ferrari model, FF, has proved quite a hit. In fact, it was such a hit that the Italian car has dropped plans face-lift version of 599 in favor of the successor model. Soon-to-be [...]
To purchase a new motorcycle from Ducati, the Ducati Monster 795 is the latest type which will be launched in Indonesia is still relatively high. With a price around 225 million, and there is still a difference in the price range of 46.5 million when compared to prices prevailing in Malaysia.
For those of you who are now curious about the design direction of future Ford cars? Of course the answer is there in the photo Evos Ford Concept, which will be exhibited also in FMS 2011. While speculation on the part of Ford’s automotive experts reject the claim that the reason the Ford presents a [...]
Automotive news information about the latest car from Jaguar in 2012, which will be released on the Jaguar XF is different than before, and we will inform you about New Jaguar Cars in 2012 (Jaguar XF) More like the review below. Jaguar XF completely revised and improved, both in public showpieces displayedat the Premiere Auto [...]
Porsche AG has finally announced the latest appearance of the Porsche 911 Carrera, 2012, which will be announced at the Frankfurt Motor Show 2011 in mid September. With a design that is more beautiful and interesting enough, but still stylish car manufacturer origin Jerman.Dengan typical sports car feel quite strong, with an aura of elegance [...]


text:
From this week, manufacturers will be required to make spare parts for products available for the first time – helping extend the lifespan of products by up to 10 years and preventing them ending up as waste.
In March, government announced ‘tough new rules’ for electrical products to tackle ‘planned obsolescence’ – a short lifespan deliberately built into an appliance by manufacturers which leads to unnecessary and costly replacements for the consumer.
Manufacturers from 1 July will now be legally obliged to make spare parts for products available to consumers for the first time – a new legal right for repairs – so that electrical appliances can be fixed easily.
The move is expected to extend the lifespan of products by up to 10 years – preventing appliances ending up as waste.
Our plans to tighten product standards will ensure more of our electrical goods can be fixed rather than thrown on the scrap heap, putting more money back in the pockets of consumers whilst protecting the environment
The UK generates around 1.5 million tonnes of electrical waste every year and the e-waste is largely regarded as the fastest growing waste stream globally.
Business and Energy Secretary, Kwasi Kwarteng, said: “Our plans to tighten product standards will ensure more of our electrical goods can be fixed rather than thrown on the scrap heap, putting more money back in the pockets of consumers whilst protecting the environment.”
Commenting on the announcement, Environmental Audit Committee Chairman, Rt Hon Philip Dunne MP, said: “Cracking down on planned obsolescence in electrical items is key to tackling the e-waste tsunami, and I applaud the Government for taking this step.
“As our Committee highlighted during our recent e-waste inquiry, 155,000 tonnes of e-waste is chucked away in household bins by Brits every year – with no hope of salvaging the item or the precious metals they may contain. Often these metals are integral for Net Zero Britain: crucial for wind turbines, electric vehicles and solar panels.
“There should be no contest: consumers should have every right to fix items they own. Making spare parts available is the first step in creating a circular economy where we use, reuse and recycle products. We must stop using and disposing quite so much: we must take action if we are to protect the environment for generations to come.”


text:
SHINING AS ENTREPRENEURS
Cut loose from Caterpillar, three men have applied their expertise at reviving JDL Lighting & Electric
PEORIA — The showroom at JDL Lighting & Electric features rows of fans and fixtures hanging at eye-level from adjustable ceiling rails and new slat walls to display vertical lights, a sea change from the clutter of years past.
Beyond the main floor, the vast warehouse of the building at 4800 W. Farmington Road no longer harbors identical hardware in scattershot locations, and the computer system has finally emerged from the Apple IIe era.
It took six months to clean, reorganize and restart the business. And it took the largest rounds of layoffs in living memory from the business most identified with Peoria around the world to even start those renovations.
Jay Haller and Robert Ziemba clocked in for the first time at JDL in November 2015 after being laid off from a combined four decades of employment at Caterpillar Inc. — Haller from maintenance and facilities engineering, Ziemba from project management with previous experience in information technology.
Their positions at Caterpillar were among thousands cut as part of a massive restructuring announced in September 2015 that continues and has expanded to counter diminishing heavy equipment sales.
Earlier this year, Tim Eisfelder, who worked on a Caterpillar production line assembling engines and transmissions, joined JDL after he, too, was laid off.
Together the men have put skills learned in their previous positions to work with knowledge gained on the fly as part of a small team running an entirely different type of business. The result, they say, is a modernized business that retains its family-owned values for customers and contractors.
"We're all like a family, and we all like to help people," Eisfelder said. "It just feels like home."
Moreover, running the day-to-day operations of a small business requires a willingness to engage in a wide variety of activities, compared to the more compartmentalized culture of a large corporation.
"When something needs to get done, we don't have to have meetings for two months," said Ziemba, who wears the hats of a bookkeeper, IT specialist, warehouse organizer, general laborer and, as Haller pointed out, "moral support."
"It's not a bad thing, it's just different."
Haller, operations manager, sees the do-it-yourself nature of the job this way: "When someone sees something broken, they fix it."
Customers who come into the business now notice the change. Ziemba said repeat clients often remark on how clean and well structured the new storefront area appears.
But the staff tries to maintain a demeanor and level of knowledge that has separated JDL from big-box competitors, whether it is through a specialty service such as restoring an antique or salvaged light fixture or a wholesale order for a contractor.
"We want everybody to be satisfied, even if they don't buy anything," Haller said.
Matt Buedel is the Journal Star business reporter. He can be reached at 686-3154 and email@example.com. Follow him on Twitter @JournoBuedel.


text:
Stay looped in on the data that third-party companies might be using to profile you
You know you’re being tracked online — but do you know exactly what’s being tracked? And who’s doing the tracking?
If you’re like most internet users in 2020, the answer to both those questions is, “No.” And that’s by design: Some companies that track, compile, store, and sell your data don’t want you to know what they’re up to. And if you knew exactly what they were up to, you might not buy into their services.
Unfortunately, most of us didn’t have this insight then, but a new browser extension aims to change that for many people. Avast just released a new experimental Chrome browser extension called WebTrails that lets users see the personal data that third-party companies might be using to profile them. The tool creates an easy-to-digest, visual report that includes the websites and social media platforms users visit the most. It also tracks any significant security events that have affected those websites and lets users know if any of their private information might be at risk.
Recognizing that privacy has become as big of an issue as security online, WebTrails is the result of a customer-centric research initiative, as the company works to help people take control of their personal data.
“For most people today, the browser is the gateway to the internet and the epicenter of their online activity,” Ondrej Masek, Lead Software Engineer at Avast, said in a press release about the launch. “But there are few services that visualize the personal information stored in browsers in a way that’s tangible and concrete for the user. We hope WebTrails will make people more aware of the data they may be inadvertently sharing.”
In addition to visualizing data-tracking, WebTrails also shows users the days, times, and months they’ve been most active online and their most frequently viewed videos. Finally, it highlights each person’s top connections on social media, as well as where the data of those connections is coming from.
As an experimental tool and because Avast is 100 percent committed to user privacy, the WebTrails source code is available for inspection under a creative commons license on GitHub. The company welcomes any and all feedback to help improve this new tool.
Virus definition updates will be discontinued for Avast version 9, 10, and 11 by the end of summer 2023.
In today's interconnected world, anti-phishing protection is essential for safeguarding personal information. These test results highlight the importance of choosing the right security software and browser to protect against phishing threats.


text:
Num Pang is Expanding to Midtown!!!
If you’re a fan of Num Pang, the popular Cambodian sandwich shop just south of Union Square, Eater broke some huge news yesterday just for you. The second location that they’ve been planning for the past month is going to be on 41st btw. Lex+3rd. No word on when it will open, but you better believe we’ll be there on opening day!


text:
The Galaxy XCover series is very different from other Galaxy phones, offering a rugged design with MIL-STD-810 certification and a user-replaceable battery. It’s been two years since the release of the Galaxy XCover 5 Pro, and fans are waiting for its continuation. Apparently, they don’t have to wait anymore. What looks like an updated model, has just appeared in the Google Play Console database.
The phone could appear on the market as the Galaxy XCover 6 Pro, which will mean that it will succeed the Galaxy XCover 5, released last year. As for the appearance, it corresponds to the renders, provided in March by OnLeaks. They showed a dual rear camera, a hardware button at the top, a 3.5mm audio jack, and a USB-C port.
As for the hardware, it is rumored that the phone will be equipped with an FHD+ display of unclear technology: LCD or AMOLED. Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G might be the heart of the new phone, combined with 6 GB of RAM. As for the software, the device will run on Android 12 with One UI. Details about the battery and charging speed are unknown. It is also unclear when the Galaxy XCover 6 Pro will hit the market, but it’s likely to happen this year.


text:
America Strong: Priest River clothing shop owner uses store to help her community
PRIEST RIVER, Idaho– The times have been hard everywhere across the nation and a small logging town in Idaho is no exception.
People in Priest River are willing to step up and help out. That includes Angie Madden, who uses her consignment shop to lend a hand to those in need.
She opened Clothing Closet along Highway 2 in 1997. The shop is nestled along the roadway as people drive through town.
Madden says since then they’ve just kept on trucking and now her store has grown. It’s gone from a dream of so many years ago to a place the community depends on when tragedy strikes.
“We have house fires, we have different things that happen with people and they contact us immediately,” Madden said.
While the sales pay the bills, the heart of Madden and her store is seen through the “Grandma Fund.”
It started two years ago and is set to help people in need in the community. That need for help has skyrocketed since.
“The Grandma’s Fund was originated from a gal who approached me and she wanted to do something to honor her grandma. So, Grandma always helps everyone and wanted to give like the grandma that everybody wants. So, she approached me and asked if I would be interested and I was like absolutely,” Madden said.
Families know that if they need clothes Madden and the Clothing Closet are the place to go and get what they need– free of charge.
“Anything like winter coats, gloves, hats, snowsuits –we don’t want any kid to have to stay in a recess because you’re singled out. And, with those kids, it’s such a big deal to not be singled out. Life is hard enough for those kiddos,” Madden said.
Running a small business means long hours and struggles. Madden says she does it because she enjoys it and it’s not a job to her.
“I get to come every day, and whether it’s my employees or its customers, they’re family. I mean they truly are family and I love what I do.”
Madden says helping her community, her family, makes it all worth it.
Do you know somebody or a group of people who embody “America Strong?” Tell us about them in the form below.
COPYRIGHT 2022 BY KXLY. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THIS MATERIAL MAY NOT BE PUBLISHED, BROADCAST, REWRITTEN OR REDISTRIBUTED.


text:
AD Quality Auto 360p 720p 1080p Top articles1/5READ MORE11 theater productions to see in Southern California this week, Dec. 27-Jan. 2La Bella’s line of family-size hair-care, moisturizers and beauty products targets the Latino market, and sales have grown about 23 percent annually for the past eight years. The privately held company has estimated annual sales of $20 million to $30 million, and plans to tap beyond the value segment, Rodriguez said. In an industry dominated by multinationals such as Procter & Gamble and L’Oreal, independents have to stay on their toes. “We still spend about a day a month trying to figure out what’s the thing after the next thing,” he said. “In the cosmetics business, it’s about innovation, especially when you’re a small company.” Rodriguez was 11 when he and his family fled Cuba, arriving in the United States as political refugees. In 1976, he quit a job marketing vitamins and started his own nutritional supplement business, Golden Sun Inc., from the garage of his Northridge home. SANTA CLARITA – Al Rodriguez recalls the day in the mid-1980s when he looked inside a bottle of vitamins he was selling and instead of tablets saw a fortune in shampoo and hair gel. “There was a demand in the market for natural products,” said Rodriguez, 56, a former vitamin salesman and founder of Santa Clarita-based Newhall Labs, which markets beauty products under the La Bella brand. “The same customer that would buy Vitamin E would buy Vitamin E oil and Vitamin E shampoo. And why shouldn’t they buy it from us?” The company, based in Santa Clarita since 1990, has about 30 people employed locally and at a research lab in Gardena. “What’s a 26-year-old kid – who made more than what he had at the time – doing giving all that up for a dream,” said Rodriguez, recalling his father’s take. “I wanted to do my own thing. I wanted to take responsibility for my own future. “I sold everything I owned to get a little capital up – about $3,000.” Through footwork and contacts, the fledgling company reached sales of about 1 million units by the mid-1980s, selling vitamins under its own name and generic grocery store brands. It remains a segment of Rodriguez’s business, but the core has shifted to hair and beauty since roughly 1983, when it sold its first bottle of Vitamin E-enriched shampoo. Still on the lookout for new market niches, the then-Van Nuys-based company found inspiration in the era of A.C. Green, “Showtime” Lakers and Jheri curls – activator gel. African-American hair care was then dominated by a few brands – Worlds of Curls among them. Rodriguez’s strategy was simple: offer more product of similar quality at a lower price. If the competition sells 10-ounce jars of gel for $5-$10, he’ll market a 16-ounce product, and pass the bulk savings along. Still, activator gel, like the Lakers, met their match with the rise of a certain team from the Windy City. “That sort of went downhill when Michael Jordan came out and shaved his head,” Rodriguez said. Rodriguez found a new niche in the mid-1990s in hair products aimed at Latinos, namely styling gel and shampoo enriched by sheep placenta (a common ingredient in Latino shampoos). The spending power of Hispanics in the U.S. hit $736 billion in 2005, according to a survey by the Selig Center for Economic Growth at the University of Georgia. “We saw opportunity with the styling gel, like we saw with the activator gel market,” he said. The company needed a name for the new line – something that could set it apart from the francophonic beauty products on store shelves: something Italian. They settled on La Bella – “the beauty” in both Italian and Spanish. The same strategy applied – offering more product for less. Rodriguez said research showed Latinos tend to share shampoo, gels and other products among family members. “They have large families, and they share whatever they bring home,” he said. “All the men in the family might use the same jar of styling gel.” Targeting an ethnic niche can be lucrative if a marketer can correctly read a group’s cultural values, said Felipe Korzenny, director of the Center for Hispanic Marketing Communication at Florida State University. “It is true that Hispanics do like to share products with their kids and everyone in their households,” he said. “Some of those attributes – the gel for men and the placenta-based products – those kinds of things do have cultural value that people can relate to. “When you add (price) value that is competitive, it’s very hard to resist.” But it’s often easier said then done, Korzenny said. “This combination is not something everybody understands,” he said. “That’s the problem a lot of larger marketers have – they don’t understand the power of cultural beliefs.” The company has about 70 items in the La Bella line, most retailing for less than $5. It’s within the top five selling brands of hair gel by volume in the United States. “We don’t have the billions in the bank to spend on marketing and advertising. The most important purchase is that first purchase.” The company is now working to expand into more premium products, including a collagen cream featuring Latin media star Sissi as spokesmodel. There’s also a cellulite reduction cream, a new concept for the Latin market, Rodriguez said. [email protected] (661)257-5253160Want local news?Sign up for the Localist and stay informed Something went wrong. Please try again.subscribeCongratulations! You’re all set!
Liverpool boss insists Reds will do everything to secure Champions League spot
Canyon High coach not happy