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June 25, 2015 § Leave a comment
One that slipped through the net at the Shanghai Auto Show but which has just come to my attention: the Neo “sets out to explore the inspirations and daily challenges of life in a busy metropolis such as Shanghai,” says Icona, an Italian design studio/consultancy based in the city. Shades of Lexus LF-SA in this tiddler, I think, in some of its geometric lines, though it adds an asymmetric door layout (rear-seat passenger access only from the right side, which also lacks a B-pillar).
Anyway, it’s a four-seater, 1.5m-long EV, designed as such ground-up, featuring a 21kW in-wheel motor. It weighs just 720kg in total, and is said to have a range of 150km during city driving, plus a 120kph top speed. This is none too hypothetical, either: Neo has been developed by Icona’s Italian technical partners, Actua and Italtecnica, and it turns out that other divisions in the firm’s Italian parent company worked on development and build of the Bollore Bluecar (of Paris Autolib’, and soon London, EV-share, fame).
- Six rather nice ideas here from design students, shortlisted entries in a DHL-sponsored competition: I’m liking the ‘water strider’ – a solar panel-driven small cargo boat which could help switch freight off roads, ‘London’s urban vehicle of 2065’, a modular autonomous pod, and the neat ‘Light commercial vehicle’ with four in-wheel motors and large cargo bay. Winner to be announced tomorrow as part of the Formula E festivities.
- Some stats and feedback from the My Electric Avenue project, presented yesterday at the LowCVP conference in London. In less than 18 months, the Nissan Leafs involved (100+ in ten ‘clusters’, trialling their effects on local electricity networks, plus 100 more on other trials) have driven over 2.7million km and have been charged for 94million hours; there’s 20,000 hours-worth of data recorded by the Esprit tech (which controls EV charging if the grid becomes overloaded); Esprit has curtailed charging 17,000 times (5.2% of the total recorded charging time).
- Possible applications for V2X tech include ‘wrong way warnings’ for drivers and other road users, report the conclusions of the CONVERGE project, as well as intelligent and efficient routing of freight transport. CONVERGE has aimed to develop a secure, decentralised and scalable systems architecture which enables communication between different network operators, agencies, service providers and other stakeholders. Handy summary here.
- Road noise: linked to cardiovascular problems, stroke, and ‘all-cause’ mortality, in a study in London; noise in decibels was linked in a separate correlation from air pollution by researchers from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Reported here.
June 24, 2015 § Leave a comment
And a quickfire round-up of the 2015 end-of-year show at the Royal College of Art, and the work of the Vehicle Design graduates – a lot of futuristic visions, with shared vehicles and autonomy strong themes as well as biotechology. Lots of car design types wandering around at the private view (from consultancies and OEMs, probably scouting out the talent); also, many ‘fashion-forward’ outfits and haircuts, but then that’s art colleges for you… Anyway, the vehicle design projects are all showcased here; ones that particularly caught my eye from a more than aesthetic point of view (and for which there are some info on the RCA website) were: Farhana Safa’s Kinesis, an application for a shape-shifting liquid metal with sculptural qualities, suitable for housing electric drivetrains; Simon Haynes’ ‘No Infrastructure Needed’, a ‘4D-printed’ simple vehicle for local assembly, and Yibo Wu’s friendly little ‘Happie’ autonomous commuter car for 2040.
Shout-out too for Service Design student Nawar Almutlaq and her ‘Weave’ proposal for an integrated multimodal transport ticketing system for Doha, with an incentives scheme and “designed to facilitate the transition from car-based to mass transit commuting” – a nice example of location-specific design. Also, Yongkwan Yoon’s Delectricity (pictured) was well-thought-out – a scheme of portable EV chargers, charged up at central hubs but deployed to domestic ‘mobile’ or leisure (‘joyful’) locations, or used in emergency out-of-charge ‘rescue’ scenarios. “Convenience is key to scaling up electric mobility”, he says, pointing out that his mobile chargers can deliver charge to cars on a daily basis like taking delivery of a newspaper – wake up, and it’s arrived. Were I handing out Best In Show prizes, I’d probably pick this one as a really useful service which could be easily and quickly implemented.
And noticeable for a quite different reason was the quite literally stomach-churning and very visceral Digestive Car by Yi-Wen Tseng, a Design Interactions student: this has four cow-like ‘stomachs’ digesting biowaste to create methane on which it runs.
June 24, 2015 § Leave a comment
Never let it be said that Morgan lives entirely in the past: its EV3 – to be revealed shortly at the Goodwood Festival of Speed – is a zero-emissions sport roadster. Based on the 3 Wheeler “reintroduced” in 2011, it has a rear-mounted 45kW motor surely sufficiently powerful to propel a 450kg lightweight, and giving a promised range of around 150 miles. It’s undergoing formal testing and development, presumably including the Euro-homologation procedures, and production (the usual Morgan hand-build process) is expected towards the end of 2016. It builds on the firm’s experience with the Plus E prototypes (four wheels), I guess.
- Another idea from Paris which could come to London: operators of the CityScoot electric scooter hire scheme want to bring it over here next, reports the Standard. And incidentally, in central Montreal, proximity to a Bixi (bike-hire, as per Boris bikes) station is increasing property prices…
- BMW is expanding its DriveNow car-share and app to allow Mini owners to hire out their cars, adding a peer-to-peer element as well as the on-demand service using cars on-street. More here. Oh, and Ford, too – Ford Credit customers in six US cities plus London can now lend out their vehicles. Both companies are citing the chance for owners to offset the purchase/lease costs of their new vehicle. Ford’s also unveiled its MoDe:Flex electrically-assisted fold-up bike, for further multi-modal/last-mile solutions, complete with MoDe:Link app for maps, routing, info including weather, congestion, public transport and various health/fitness functions. Full Fordext on both announcements here.
- Shared mobility and autonomous tech could help EVs “stage a comeback” (in shareholding/business terms), according to an analyst at Morgan Stanley (no relation to the above). Car-share schemes will help OEMs achieve economies of scale, says Adam Jonas, and autonomous tech – in an on-demand shared context – helps overcome short range, charging downtime and low charging station density. He also suggests that if Apple were to make an EV, they would effectively ‘sponsor’ the industry and transform the market.
- Norwegian start-up Meshcrafts AS is launching a trading platform for energy with charging app and secure payment system – and is looking for beta-testers. The Smart Charge system enables charging point owners and EV drivers to interact, with automatic metering, load management and billing; they have hardware for data monitoring at charge points; and ‘Ergo’, an automatic identification system for EVs including their charging preferences.
- Further to all the above, the global market for smart urban mobility infrastructure/services is expected to grow from 2015’s $5.1billion to $25.1billion in 2024, says the latest report from Navigant Research. Growth is expected in ITS, public EV charging, smart parking, car- and bike-sharing, ride-sharing and congestion charging schemes, with connectivity a focus; both public investment and private enterprise will play a role, with different solutions predominating in different regions. Report handily summarised here.
- Research at the US National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has found that end-of-life lithium-ion EV batteries retain 70% of their charge capacity, and is modelling cost-savings of redeploying them in static energy storage; it identifies suitable applications and reckons that batteries could have a 10-year ‘second-life’ application. More detail here.
- Confirmation of the ending of the UK Plug-In Car grant at the end of the year: grants will be honoured for nine months now if orders have been taken and cars allocated to customers. Scheme to be changed but will run – in some form, with graduated bandings in three categories, though grant sums yet to be confirmed – till 2020. More at Fleet News.
- Most households with second cars in the UK could run an EV as their second car, according to research by the AA, which looks at typical mileage and access to off-street parking; more here. And nearly half of “EV stakeholders” – people working for/with the Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership, so not ‘real’ consumers, then – expect their next car to be an EV or PHEV, apparently (14% already have one). Lowdown at EV Fleet World.
June 22, 2015 § Leave a comment
And in another overdue catch-up, my recent day at Bosch… Presentations from executives took three key themes: automation, connected-car technologies and electrification. Forecasts for electrification are relatively conservative: over 90% of new cars sold worldwide five years from now will still have some sort of ICE; by 2025, some 15% worldwide (over a third, in Europe) will have at least a hybrid powertrain, including 3million PHEVs and 2.5million all-electric vehicles. But electrification is seen primarily as an add-on to extend the lifespan of the ICE, at least in the short- to medium-term: says Dr Rolf Bulander, Bosch board member and chairman, “Electrification means that ICEs will experience their best period of service life yet, giving an optimum range. They can be used more effectively and efficiently.” Bulander sees purchase prices and charging infrastructure as the main barriers to adoption of all-electric vehicles (“by 2020 we want to halve battery costs”), with crucial factors for the success of electromobility including driving enjoyment and also the use of sustainable-source electricity.
Showcased at Boxberg and available to test-drive were vehicles including the Mercedes-Benz S500 Plug-In Hybrid (IMG 290/110 motor built in the Bosch-Daimler EM-Motive joint venture); the C350e Plug-In Hybrid (IMG 290/110); the Smart Fortwo electric-drive (EM-motive 180/20); plus the Fiat 500e (complete powertrain including motor, power electronics, battery and regenerative braking supplied to Fiat-Chrysler); the BMWs i3 ReX and i8; and the fascinating, super-economical Volkswagen XL1 (all with Bosch bits). Oh, and there were passenger rides in the Porsche 918 Spyder e-hybrid, too…
Moving on to internet-of-things, “connected electric vehicles are the best electric vehicles, because added functions can be achieved,” Bulander went on to explain, pointing out that by 2020, “cars will be an active part of the internet. They can collect and pass on information.” That’s for safety warnings, convenience functions, and optimisation of range/charge in electrified vehicles, for example, as in Bosch’s Panamera S E-Hybrid demonstrator, whose ‘electronic horizon’ software previews the road ahead to predict zero-emissions zones. Next step is electric vehicle communication with charging infrastructure, smart-grids and home energy systems; work at Bosch includes a smartphone app for charging point reservations and billing across network providers, plus a system of web-enabled sensors in parking spaces to build a real-time parking map, reducing the time and energy consumption of looking for a space.
And “connectivity is the key to electrified and automated driving”, added board member Dr Markus Heyn. Electromobility, connectivity and automation are all ultimately interlinked – as showcased in two automated Tesla Model S demonstrator vehicles. Each car is fitted with 50 new Bosch components, including a stereo video camera (small and powerful enough that no unsightly roof-mounted systems are needed) which recognises traffic signs, lane markings, clear spaces and obstructions (as displayed on the screen, below), and automatic, independently-operating brake booster and ESP systems. A ride in one of these vehicles – the highlight of the day at Boxberg – showed that while there is still a long way to go before full automation is ready for mass-market application, the basic functionalities of the system are present and correct.
Ongoing electromobility research and development programmes further involve inductive charging and fuel cell powertrains, with prototypes up and running from this summer. But the other interesting Bosch projects go beyond the car – it’s worth noting that this mega-supplier is not just making e-powertrains for scooters and battery-boost systems for pedal-bikes, but it’s rebranded its Automotive Technology division as Mobility Solutions. Software has been supplied to a test project, Stuttgart Services, which allows city residents to access trains, buses, car- and bike-sharing services and even swimming pools and libraries via a single RFID card. Another trial, in Monaco, looks at inter-connecting ‘smart’ city functions such as waste collection, bus networks, roadworks and even escalator maintenance. Quote of the day? Dr Rolf Bulander: “We need to rethink personal mobility, at least in big cities, and move toward a multimodal concept encompassing bikes, trains, buses and walking… We want to improve the efficiency not just of engines, but traffic in general.”
*More detailed, properly-written version of this to appear shortly in a subscription-only specialist-interest magazine (no, not that sort) which you won’t find in your local WH Smiths. Links to digital versions to be tweeted, probably…
June 22, 2015 § Leave a comment
Some thoughts, notes and jottings from the Imagine Festival (“Pioneering ideas in Intelligent Mobility”) at the Transport Systems Catapult, 11th/12th June 2015. A lot of talk about data and information delivery, some in a broad philosophical sense and much with reference to public transport, but also in application to autonomous/driverless cars. On display was the Lutz Pathfinder ‘pod’, three of which will hit the roads of Milton Keynes, with the first on-street late this summer (with driver/operator on board). Full automation is still seen as some way off, said Neil Fulton, programme director at the Catapult, with it to be introduced in levels. He also highlighted the impact on new business models and “economics of introducing new technologies; ownership models will change” and the idea that automated vehicles are a potentially huge market that the UK needs to tap into, quickly (much talk of UK plc all day).
Yet while fully-automated vehicles are “a little way away”, connected cars are very close, said Dr Stephen Pattison of ARM; it’s less the tech that is holding things back than business models and delivery of IoT technology, and we “need (an) operational framework to give consumers confidence”. He talked of the crossover from material to service industries, from services to data, and that connected cars would need to empower people, not disenfranchise them, giving them control over their environment; representatives from the rail sector further talked about opening up data for third-party app development, harnessing social media communications and crowdsourcing data. (There’ll be 2.5million connected people on social media by 2020 and 25billion connected devices, said Chris Francis of SAP).
Talk too was of digitally- integrated transport systems in the smarter city – “the community benefits of ITS”, said Richard Harris of Xerox, back-office provider of transport operator systems, developer of mobility analytics platforms, smartcard payment systems and suchlike. Harris sees shared transport including cars as a trend, and points to the need to identify “the organisational elements that delay us”, such as multiple road authorities, as well as the use of social media for information-gathering. Mobility-as-a-service (MaaS) is “like the Wild West at the moment”, he said, with too many apps, so little integration, and lots of good, local but isolated niche start-up solutions. Interestingly, Xerox is working on a trial of 6000 sensor-equipped parking spaces in Los Angeles, using a dynamic pricing algorithm to influence and direct people – circling traffic has so far been cut by 10% yet revenues for the city authority have been increased. Handy stat: it’s thought that 30% of city traffic is cruising for parking spaces.
Much of the discussion centred around cities, with expectation of increasing urbanisation and increased choices – we need to stop thinking about modes, instead focusing on systems, system performance, and integration between modes, which are complementary, not competing, said the Catapult’s Andrew Payne. Several spokespeople from the aviation industry pointed out that most flights were, for their passengers, effectively multi-modal journeys too, and should be viewed end-to-end with getting to/from airports considered as seamless processes, bookings and transactions. A neat example of integrated, shared systems was demonstrated in the form of Brompton Bike Hire – automated docking stations (pictured), some on-street in London, others in locations such as workplaces, ‘dispensing’ the famous folding bikes, which can then be taken (hire from £2.50 a day) on trains, or in car boots, as last-mile (or longer) solutions for onward journeys.
Tim Armitage of Arup and the UK Autodrive consortium raised an interesting suggestion in that while driveless and connected systems will improve road safety, there’s no proven benefit either to congestion or air quality – though it’s assumed that vehicles like the Lutz pod will be electric. “Autonomy will make low-carbon transport more attractive”, he thought, however. He sees increasing use of public transport, a world of interdependent systems that feed off each other, come back together, merge – mobility becoming more seamless, but the tech needs to be inclusive, accessible, affordable to everybody. The world is increasingly dependent on data and communications, he said, but data needs to be relevant, right and timely. There are commercial battles to control the data and provide the ‘hub’, with stakeholders including car makers and smartphone manufacturers, as well as energy providers – there are “so many interdependencies… the boundaries between what is transport and what is energy are getting blurred.” (Pictures show the virtual mapping of Milton Keynes for the driverless pod trial).
Demographic changes such as a global growth in both young and elderly drivers, and the doubling of the world’s urban population by 2025 were discussed by Rod O’Shea of Intel, who sees the integration of different business models, i.e. tracking fleet management and intelligent telematics, and new models emerging. Intel has been working with Siemens on ‘smart parking’ with a trial underway in Berlin and to launch in other cities late next year. And cities are where a lot of the changes happen first, said Catapult CTO Paul Zanelli, often because it’s not all about new infrastructure, because there isn’t enough space or it costs too much, so innovations are made for smarter use of what’s there. The ethical considerations of transport, the carbon and energy benefits, were raised by Susan Grant-Muller of Leeds University, who talked about the relevance of data from other sectors such as lifestyle, health and retail, and the EMPOWER project, developing tools to influence mobility choices and behaviour change.
A final interesting note came from Nathan Day of start-up Rockshore (supplier of data for systems including the info displays on stations -as pictured, the image showing the fun I had getting home) on the differentiation between big data, open data and fast data (here and now, filtered, for instant decision-making). One of the main themes of the event, to my mind, was the tension between collecting/disseminating more data vs better or smarter data, with other questions raised around whether a digital tech fix is really the issue when you have faulty infrastructure (the example given being the rail network, but applies equally to the EV-charging network). Curious to note, too, that the words “peak car” weren’t mentioned once – the assumption being that road traffic is going to continue to grow, as per the DfT’s forecasts – and that there was little talk about active travel modes, or indeed, about reducing demand for mobility itself.
June 17, 2015 § Leave a comment
Latest news from Riversimple: they’ve received a £2million R&D grant from the Welsh government, having relocated over the border, and are now aiming to produce 20 of their hydrogen-fuelled microcars for a 12-month trial. Aim for the two-seater, composite-bodied lightweights is to do over 200mpg(e) with a range of 300 miles between refuelling stops, with a cruising speed of 55mph and nippy 0-30mph acceleration; these are very much neighbourhood/short-distance commuting vehicles. Riversimple’s also talking about its leasing model (cars will not be sold outright) with all-in monthly fees, and localised/distributed manufacturing for future expansion. The final design is underway at a studio in Barcelona, led by Chris Reitz (formerly design chief for the Fiat 500).
- The Bolloré Bluecar (hatchback) is now being made by Renault in Dieppe, but a separate deal has been done with PSA Peugeot-Citroen: Bluesummer convertibles to be made at the PSA plant in Rennes, which can make 15 a day/3,500 a year. Bolloré and PSA are also to co-operate on car-sharing (passenger cars and commercial vehicles) with a view to worldwide operations.
- More from Jaguar Land Rover this morning on in-car biometric and even brainwave monitoring: the Mind Sense project is looking at predictive gesture-controlled touchscreen HMI and haptic pedals to communicate warning information, as well as sensing fatigue, health problems and suchlike.
- Several EV battery second-life projects announced this week, including one using packs from the Chevy Volt: five Volt batteries (as distinct from 5V batteries…) are working with 74kW-worth of solar panels and two 2kW wind turbines at GM’s Milford Proving Ground to power the building. Enough power is generated to provide all the energy for the ground’s office building plus lighting for the car park, equating to the energy used by 12 average (American) households. Excess energy goes back to the grid for the wider Milford campus, and the batteries – with 80% of capacity remaining at end-of-life in the car – can also supply back-up power for four hours in the event of an outage.
- And Nissan is partnering on a second-life Leaf battery scheme with static storage firm Green Charge Networks; a bank of used Leaf lithium-ion cells will be installed at a US Nissan factory for grid-balancing trials. More here.
- Report by CE Delft for Greenpeace, ‘Saving fuel, saving costs’, looks at the role of the fleet sector in reducing GHG emissions and energy consumption alongside costs, and concludes electrification’s a win-win. Some useful stats: 64% of global oil demand is for transport; 23% of global GHG emissions are from transport (20% in Europe, 28% in US and Canada); road transport “dominates” transport emissions. Besides electrification – hybrid, PHEV, EV – the report also mentions, for fuel-saving, low-resistance tyres, eco-driving courses and teleworking, as well as modal shift and optimised logistics.
June 16, 2015 § Leave a comment
We’ve seen this before in Munich, but the Light & Charge low-energy LED streetlight/EV-charger has been installed in the UK for the first time – at Mini Plant Oxford. It proposes an integrated solution for local authorities whereby street lights can be replaced with one of these without adding to urban clutter. Up to four LED modules can be fitted on each post, which has a modular design; these can be self-adjusting and reduce their output at timed intervals or when no-one is around, and light can be targeted and diffused to minimise glare or light pollution. From the EV-charging point of view, it’s been designed to be vehicle-agnostic and to be activated via swipe-card.
- Daimler/Car2Go is working with Bosch on a smartphone-app controlled automated parking system, hich will be tested in a parking garage; this is seen as an important step towards fully-automated driving as well as added functionality in the car-sharing business model. More here. And Jaguar Land Rover has today shown off a remote-controlled Range Rover Sport, driven by smartphone – not just for parking, but for negotiating tricky off-road conditions from a safe distance (within 10m), perhaps. This car is capable of doing a full 18-degree change of direction so even three-point-turns itself. The tech takes control of steering, braking, acceleration and gear selection, and JLR’s referring to the “Solo Car”. Also from JLR recently: the ‘Pothole Alert’ tech – identifying location and severity of potholes and adjusting suspension accordingly – isn’t just a shock absorber-saver. Interesting thing about this is that this is data to be shared with other cars and with road authorities, and is thus a step towards cloud-enabled internet-of-things-sort-of-things, as well as autonomous driving.
- On a related note – insights from McKinsey give 10 ways autonomous vehicles could change the automotive industry. Full read here, but they’re looking at three distinct eras. In the present, they’re already making inroads in industrial applications; new mobility models are emerging; and carmakers are assessing the market. As consumers start to adopt them, changes appear in the aftersales sector; supply chains and logistics are redefined; and the insurance market starts to cover tech failures rather than individuals. Once they predominate, they could free people up for 50min a day; parking space is reduced by billions of sq/m; crashes – and related costs to society – are reduced by 90%; and they accelerate robot tech in general.
- 1.3million Americans had joined a car-share by the end of 2014, according to the latest data out of Berkeley; this report from the Freep looks at that, noting that Airbnb-style peer-to-peer car-sharing is also a growth area – but that actual car sales are also growing again too, including to millennials/Gen Y. Another interesting point is illustrated by data from Zipcar – whose members include a sizable proportion of 50-69 year-olds – which suggests that older Gen X/boomers are moving back to city centres and getting rid of private vehicles. Which turns around a few ideas that have been floating about in recent years. More on vehicle-sharing from the TSRC, UC Berkeley, here.
- The Bollore Bluecar EV (previously built in Italy) is to be built at Renault’s factory in Dieppe, with a co-operation agreement signed between the two industrial groups. The Bluecar is, of course, headed to London for the EV-share (finally) announced last week. Where it will be painted red, incidentally. A 50-car fleet is to be launched early next year, with a (much-needed) overhaul and expansion of the city’s malfunctioning charging infrastructure also promised.
- Next year, Scania is to start testing hybrid diesel-electric heavy-duty trucks charged via an overhead pantograph system; a 2km test stretch of road is being built as part of the Electric Roads initiative. Later in the year, a similarly-equipped bus will also begin trials; this can be fully recharged in 6/7 minutes from equipment at a bus stop. More here.
- More bus news: Route 55 in Gothenburg has electrified with three all-electric and seven hybrid buses from Volvo (obviously) up and running; there’s flash-charging at bus stops, using renewable wind/solar electricity.
- And VDL Bus & Coach (Netherlands) has unveiled its articulated Citea SLFA Electric, due to go on duty shortly in Cologne; again, this has capability for ‘opportunity charging’.
- New BMW 7-Series: plug-in hybrid variant, 740eLe (long-wheelbase only), does up to 40km in all-electric mode (up to 75mph) and its averaged-out figures (meaningless though they are) are 134.5mpg and 49g/km of CO2. xDrive AWD versions also available.
- EU first-quarter figures for alt-fuel vehicles include a rise in all-electric sales, which more than doubled to 24,630 Jan-March 2015.
- Tesla: not as disruptive as you might think, according to Harvard Business School Professor Clayton Christensen, who points to ‘neighbourhood’ EVs – micro-vehicles – as the real innovations with potential for disruption. Mmm. Anyway, comes off the back of Newsweek’s ‘green’ rankings which puts Tesla as only the eighth-placed carmaker, behind BMW, Toyota, Daimler, Nissan, Ford, Volkswagen and GM in an analysis taking into account factors including energy and water use in manufacturing. Not that I imagine Elon Musk is losing any sleep over either of these judgements.
- Commuters want seamless connectivity on their journeys, according to a report from the Ericsson Consumer Lab, and to be able to take charge of their travel decisions with real-time info and personalised services. Some useful stats on use of apps by people taking different transport modes, in the various cities studied (London, Sao Paulo, New York and Shanghai). Also, feedback on rapidly-developing consumer trends in app use and expectations of iOT/connectivity in this video.


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This amazing feat in design comes to us thanks to HTML5 and CSS (News - Alert) guru Vasiliy Zubach, also known as, TjRus. The reason is still unknown, but Zubach spent time working on rendering an iPhone using no images in his design and created an interactive demo available online.
Drew Olanoff, Editor for The Next Web, said he couldn’t believe all of the work Zubach put into his demo. “The fact that all of the features of the phone and design of the icons were done without use of images is astonishing, and impressive,” said Olanoff.
Olanoff said he wasn’t sure what sparked the interested in the first place. “I’m not sure if Zubach was just bored or someone dared him to do it,” said Olanoff. Olanoff isn’t setting records though as the first entrepreneur to try this stunt.
Back in November, Microsoft showed off its new Windows Phone (News - Alert) 7.5, which had an HTML5-based demo that the company said could be used on both the iPhone and Android phones. At the time Microsoft did something few other people in the technology world would have done and created a mobile experience that doesn’t attempt to duplicate anything else out in the market.
Microsoft’s (News - Alert) demo also allowed users to tap and swipe their way through a virtual Windows experience no matter which mobile device they were using. Users got to experience the way Windows Phones handle phone calls, photos, messaging, emailing, scheduling, and searching. It gave users a realistic feel for how the system works – similarly to that of what Zubach has done for the iPhone and iOS.
Zubach proved that there are many more possibilities for the iPhone’s future showing that the entire system can be rendered to work using a different platform and different coding. Zubach has convinced some users of the power of CSS3 and HTML5 with his interactive demo.
Edited by Carrie Schmelkin

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Zara, the world's biggest clothing retailer, will open its first New Zealand store early next month.
Chris Gudgeon, chief executive of NZX listed landlord Kiwi Property, has just announced the date for the opening at new Sylvia Park premises in Mt Wellington.
"Kiwi Property is excited to announce that Zara will officially open its doors to Sylvia Park shoppers on Thursday 6 October at 9.30am. This opening closely follows H&M, who is set to launch its first New Zealand store in Sylvia Park the week before," said a Kiwi statement.
"We are excited that Zara - one of the world's most successful retail brands - has chosen to open its first New Zealand store at Sylvia Park. It takes a significant investment in time and money to launch in new markets, so we are thrilled to be chosen as the pick of the New Zealand retail centres for this outstanding brand," Gudgeon said.
"Zara will be joining a strong line up of existing domestic and international retailers, including new-comers like H&M, Kiehl's, Converse, Nike and Adairs.
Kiwi Property spent $11.5 million extending the mall out to one side for new Zara premises.


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Conclusion: Contrary to what others are recommending today, we think that firing Ron Johnson is just about the stupidest thing that the JCP Board could do right now. If they did fire him, we think that it would be the quickest path to bankruptcy for JCP. Sentiment seems to us that the stock would go up on that news. But if we saw him ousted we’d likely short this name with impunity -- even with the sell-side capitulating at a price of $14/15. We think losing Johnson would pose significant vendor/brand risk, and would back JCP into a corner to liquidate its real estate at a discount.
A new CEO would be faced with a binary decision tree. Either A) Return to being the lowest-quality department store in America, or B) carry out Johnson’s shop-in-shop plan better than RJ could on his own. Johnson clearly blew himself up in 2012, but we don’t put blind faith in the ability for anyone to come in and implement this plan any better. Keep in mind that 75% of the problems JCP has had have little to do with changing up the shop format and upgrading the merchandise assortment – it was largely due to RJ getting the pricing/marketing/value proposition wrong on the existing merchandise. Letting RJ run with the current plan might carry more risk as 2013 unfolds – but doing it without him is riskier, with potentially more significant financial pain.
1) First off, once a cucumber becomes a pickle, you can’t reverse the process. It already has architected its square footage to new shops, chosen new partner brands, and gotten rid of hundreds of vendors to make room for what is coming down the pike. That cannot be undone, which leads us to the conclusion that a new leader would need to move forward with the current plan – or something pretty darn close to it. Unfortunately, JCP does not have the liquidity for a new CEO to shake the Etch-a-Sketch clean, start over, and create a new plan. The lack of capital deprives JCP of the oxygen needed to go down a new path.
2) Ron Johnson has spent easily a third of his time ensuring that the right brands/vendors are chosen, and then collectively working with the brands and his merchants to make sure that the right product is in the right place inside the store. Whether you like RJ or not, the reality is that the vendors still like him – a lot. They buy into the long term vision (even if no one on Wall Street does). We’re relatively certain that at least a few large vendors would balk at rolling out product inside JCP if leadership and strategy changed dramatically.
3) If that were the case, JCP would be left half-pregnant. It wouldn’t be able to fill the shelves quickly with legacy product (i.e. become the old, poor quality JC Penney), and the product that should ultimately drive traffic under the new plan is at risk of never becoming a reality. Then we can build to an algorithm where comps are down another 20-30%, and not only is JCP forced to use its full revolver, but to liquidate its real estate, which we estimate to be worth about $1.8bn-$2.1bn (see our note from last night “JCP: Duration Matters More Than Ever’) to fund operating losses.
4) Allen Questrom, the Godfather of retail (we mean that in a complimentary way), was on CNBC today talking about why RJ should be fired immediately. He said that the Board needs to admit its mistake and move on. At face value this carries a lot of weight given that Questrom is the only person to successfully turn around JC Penney. But let’s be real. When Johnson went down the path of ‘reinventing’ JCP, Questrom did not make the cut of people he leaned on to consult about a solution. Questrom likely viewed that as a snub, and also probably has little patience for anyone that is seemingly destroying something that he worked so hard to fix. Not really a shocker that Questrom is on the short list of people recommending that he’s ousted due to 2012’s failures. Also keep in mind that he’s on the short list of people that would be considered for the top job (though we have no reason to think that he’d want it).


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Since Apple officially released the first self -developed computer chip M1 for Mac last year, it has become a disruptive product in Apple history with its powerful performance and excellent energy efficiency performance.
Of course, in the face of sudden opponents, various chip manufacturers will naturally not be indifferent.
Today, according to the media WCCFTECH, Samsung is expected to release the Exynos PC processor in the fourth quarter of this year, which will be designed based on Samsung’s latest Exynos 2100, or a 5nm process process.
In addition, the report said that the processor will use AMD GPU and defeat the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 in the benchmark test.
It is understood that the Samsung Exynos 2100 uses Samsung’s latest 5nm EUV process, equipped with a large core of Cortex-X1 with a main frequency of 2.9GHz, supplemented by 3 2.8GHz A78 nucleus and 4 2.2 2.2 GHZ A55 small core.
I believe that under the PC’s excellent heat dissipation ability, the performance release of this chip will be more powerful than the mobile terminal.
Of course, there are more than Samsung families that compete for Apple M1.
Not long ago, the old chip manufacturer Qualcomm was exposed to a processor codenamed SC8280.
It is reported that this processor will be an upgraded product of the Snapdragon 8CX and 8CX Gen 2. Through the test system data, it is found that the Snapdragon SC8280 PC processor will be equipped with more than 8 kernel with a size of 20X17 mm Essence
What’s more interesting is that Intel’s new CEO also stated before that Intel must provide better products for the PC ecosystem than Apple.
It is worth noting that as early as 2019, Samsung and AMD officially achieved a multi -year strategic cooperation. The two parties will find more development in the fields of ultra -low power consumption, image processing.
With AMD’s technology blessing, whether Samsung, the Exynos PC processor can fight with Apple M1, is worth looking forward to.


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Hi Everyone! Just in case you don't know, today (June 7) is Global Running Day! And as most of us here loves running, there is something special we can today.
Congratulations to all the finishers of the recently concluded Energen Healthy Run Davao 2014! How was your Run? Time to share your comments and feedback guys!
Congratulations to all finishers of the recently concluded PaceUP 2013 in UP Diliman!! Time to share your feedback and experiences about this event here!
Recently I came across an article that mentioned Subway is slowly taking over McDonald's in the total number of outlets in the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand... and the trend is expected to continue throughout the European continent... and eventually Asia and the Philippines?
Here's a Video Promo for the upcoming Bottle School Run 2010 happening on June 13, 2010
Congratulations to everyone that participated and conquered the Immuvit Fearless Challenge Trail Run (Leg 1) 2012 at La Mesa Nature Reserve! Time to share your feedback and experiences about this event here!
Outbreak Missions gave 1,200 participants an experience they will never forget. For that evening, Filinvest City was transformed into a zombie-infested maze of challenges, special characters, and clues that looked like scenes out of a horror movie.
Curves Brings Thirty-Minute Fitness to the Communities in Quezon City and Pasig City, Located within Eastwood, Opening Doors to Good Health
In line with going GREEN on races, ENERVON ACTIV is presenting the the RUN UNITED 2 HYDRATION BELT PROMO!
In case you have been living under a rock, or has always been running on the road training for upcoming races, we now live in a world where online shopping is a basic commodity. For the past couple of years, we Filipinos can buy clothes, bags, make up, perfumes, etc. via different e-commerce platforms.
Congratulations to everyone who conquered the trail of Tagaytay Highlands at the Salomon X-Trail Run 2012! Time to share your personal feedback, results and comments about this race here!
Congratulations to all finishers of the Nathan Ridge Run 2011! I heard a lot of people cursing while running that in the end made everyone extra proud that they where able to conquer this almost impossible route! Share your personal experiences and race results here!
Starting this year, there has been a lot of discussion in the blog about the rising registration fee of races and alot of questions on where the fees are going.
Due to the number of runners participating this event, registration is only available at the following: Planet Sports Rockwell Planet Sports Trinoma New Balance Festival Mall New Balance...


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Ford recalls sold 2020 Mustang coupes over brake issuesSeptember 26, 2020
According to a white paper, 38,000 units of the 2020 Ford Mustang sports coupe sold may have braking problems.
Ford is recalling thousands of copies of the 2020 Mustang sports coupe due to a faulty brake pedal bracket assembly. A defect can lead to breakage of the brake pedal bracket. According to a document from the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the Blue Oval has authorized the revocable company effective September 23, 2020. 38 005 copies of Ford Mustang 2020 fell under the recall, and all of them have the above malfunction.
Notably, a brake pedal bracket malfunction can only be found in 2020 Mustangs that are equipped with an automatic transmission – regardless of body type – coupe or convertible.
According to a published NHTSA document, the root cause of the problem “is an insufficient design margin for noise factors in the technical specifications of the brake pedal and in the procedure for checking their design.”
Ford changed the brake pedal bracket material from nylon to polypropylene on Mustang AT (automatic transmission) vehicles, which “resulted in lower shock resistance for this design.”
Ford began installing a faulty brake pedal on March 4, 2019, and stopped doing so on August 13, 2020. Affected Mustangs are not identified by VIN, but they are 2020 model year cars. Fortunately, Ford said it was not aware of any accidents or injuries associated with this defect.
Not so long ago, AutoTimesNews wrote about the 1967 Ford Mustang, which was made entirely of wood. A video has been posted on YouTube showing the creation of a wooden replica of the iconic 1967 Ford Mustang sports coupe. All the work to create a miniature copy of the car took three weeks.
- New BMW M4 convertible spotted at the Nurburgring
- Honda NSX has zero sales this year
- Atelier G-Power has modernized the BMW M5
- Spotted a prototype of the updated crossover Jaguar E-Pace 2021
- Tuners from Manhart unveil Mini JCW GP in iconic green


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Today, the Supreme Court is hearing arguments in a free-speech and trademark case that will decide whether apparel brands can trademark “profane” names.
The case is being brought before the court by Erik Brunetti, founder of the Los Angeles based streetwear label FUCT. According to Reuters, Brunetti been trying to trademark his brand since 2011, but was denied by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office based on a “provision of U.S. trademark law that lets the trademark office deny requests… on ‘immoral’ and ‘scandalous’ words and symbols.”
He appealed the decision and, in 2017, “a Washington-based federal appeals court ruled in his favor.” But then the Trump administration, aka the ‘Grab Her By The Pussy Gang,’ “appealed that ruling to the conservative-majority Supreme Court.”
“The main concern,” the administration said, “is all the expletives and sexually graphic imagery that would flow into the marketplace if the law were to be struck down.” No comment was made on if or how the eventual ruling will effect those ‘Trump That Bitch’ bumper stickers and t-shirts.
Brunetti, thinks the administration’s concerns are overblown and “hypothetical.” “There are always going to be people who are offended, but you can’t control how everybody thinks,” he told Reuters.
While the court has ruled (on a completely separate case) that “speech may not be banned even if it expresses ideas that offend,” the Solicitor General said that this particular appeal addresses a completely different set of concerns and instead “advances the government’s interest in encouraging the use of marks that are appropriate for all audiences, including children.”
“The federal government,” the SG added, “should not be forced through the trademark system to actively promote words and images the public would find shocking or profane.”
Decorum is FUCT.
You can read more about it at Reuters.


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It’s been a year, but the Antitrust Division says it still hasn’t decided whether to bring a case.
From Mark Gurman and David McLaughlin’s “Apple’s App Store Rules Scrutinized in U.S. Antitrust Probe” posted Friday on Bloomberg.com:
Justice Department lawyers are scrutinizing rules that require many app makers to use the company’s payment system, according to people familiar with the matter.
Government lawyers have met with developers as recently as last week and are asking questions about Apple’s rules that require apps to use its App Store payment system for subscriptions, said the people, who declined to be identified discussing a confidential matter. Apple pockets up to a 30% cut when apps use the payment technology.
The Justice Department has been interviewing developers about Apple since mid-2019, the people said. The inquiry is continuing and no final decisions have been made about whether to bring a case.
My take: The European Commission may have decided for us.
See also: EU probe of App Store could bruise Apple


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Delivery company Whistl has launched a new parcel carrier management system (CMS), which it says will be the platform for “new and exciting” services. The new CMS, which was developed inhouse, allows Whistl’s parcel customers to access fully-tracked and part-tracked domestic and international delivery services. The system acts as an interface between Whistl, its customers and the carriers, providing the ability to print labels, despatch goods and track and report on parcel deliveries. Read more Whistl seeks 50 drivers for […]
August 19, 2016 Emma Shone
Whistl has added more than 100 new vans to its fleet in a deal worth £3m.
July 15, 2015 Peter Steele
Whistl has said it has strengthened its letter collection and sorting division with a series of contract wins that have boosted its downstream access (DSA) volumes.


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The past has shown it time and again. Veritable industry crises are not only catastrophes for the printing industry, but also always spurs for extraordinary innovations. When the internet presumed to substitute digital solutions for everything printed, printers invented online printers. In less than 20 years, this species of company has managed to generate 15 per cent of industry sales through e-commerce platforms. At the time, some printing companies certainly underestimated that online printers were also the starting signal for the industrialisation of the previously craft-based printing industry. A development that to date has forced more than 5,900 companies in the German printing industry to exit the market.
All experts agree that the consolidation of the printing industry is not yet complete. However, far too little attention is paid in the discussion to the fact that the industry is once again facing a paradigm shift.
The digital transformation is increasing competitive pressure.
Let’s be clear right away. Not every company in the printing industry will be able to profitably implement the advantages of a digital transformation for itself. Hundreds of web shops will not change this situation. That is why printing companies with fewer than 50 employees or a turnover of less than 10 million will again feel the competitive pressure. They simply lack the resources and often the IT know-how to successfully shape a fully comprehensive digital transformation process for themselves. Off-the-shelf digital transformation is and remains an illusion. This was underlined by a recent industry survey by Apenberg & Partner on the use of ERP systems in the printing industry. 75 per cent of the participants stated that they were dissatisfied with their software solution.
Only a few companies will be consolidation winners
Concentration affects all sectors of the industry. Commercial, magazine, book and packaging printers are all equally affected by this development. Today we assume that in future fewer than 1,000 companies will account for 80 per cent of the industry’s turnover. Those who think they can relax because their company is already one of the winners in the consolidation process will have to “warm up”. Because the competition among the best has only just begun.
Best Practice: Integrated Print Factory (IPF)
The concept of an “Integrated Print Factory” is based on a new, holistic strategic approach. It is based on the assumption that a lean, efficient and cost-effective factory can only be created if adjustments are made to the corporate and sales strategy in advance. What may sound too theoretical for some technicians is, according to the latest findings, one of the main reasons why ERP software implementations fail time and again. “Shit In – Shit Out”, is the apt analysis of one controller. Even if at first glance it is not obvious to everyone what influence the corporate and sales strategy has on the success of an efficient print factory, an analysis of one’s own company at the latest will prove otherwise.
The “Integrated Print Factory” maps all the processes of a company. Integrated logistics chains (material and information flows) across the entire value creation process, starting from raw material extraction through the finishing stages to the end customer, are mapped in an ERP system. The progress of the digital transformation is monitored via key figure-based production data that provide precise information day by day.
Integrated Print Factory with ERP implementation (project duration 9-12 months)
Apenberg & Partner offers a pragmatic consulting approach to support clients on their way to an “Integrated Print Factory” in all phases of the project. Project durations of less than 12 months help to achieve initial successes as quickly as possible and to keep the costs of the transformation under control.
For an initial exchange of ideas, please contact Mr Michael Apenberg or Dr Johannes Warther.


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Microsoft have announced that gamers will soon be able to pre-order and pre-load games on their Xbox One.
The news was confirmed at Gamescom by Head of Xbox, Mr Phil Spencer. It was then confirmed that Forza Horizon 2 will be the first title that will use the pre-loading feature, with other games such as FIFA 15 set to follow suit.
It has been widely expected that the Xbox One would use this feature, as Sony had previously announced the PlayStation 4 will also be able to do the same, with games such as Destiny being the first available.
Be sure to let us know your thoughts via the comment section below.


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by Anton Shilov
08/12/2009 | 09:11 AM
Microsoft Corp. and Nokia Corp. on Wednesday said they would team up for software aimed at smartphones. Initially, Microsoft will develop productivity Office-like applications for Symbian-based mobile phones for Nokia that directly compete against Microsoft Windows-based cell phones. This is the first time that either company has embarked on an alliance of this scope and nature.
Under the terms of the agreement, the two companies will begin collaborating immediately on the design, development and marketing of productivity solutions for the mobile professional, bringing Microsoft Office Mobile and Microsoft business communications, collaboration and device management software to Nokia’s Symbian devices. These solutions will be available for a broad range of Nokia smartphones starting with the company’s business-optimized E-series range. The two companies will also market these solutions to businesses, carriers and individuals.
“With more than 200 million smartphone customers globally, Nokia is the world’s largest smartphone manufacturer and a natural partner for us. Today’s announcement will enable us to expand Microsoft Office Mobile to Nokia smartphone owners worldwide and allow them to collaborate on Office documents from anywhere,” said Stephen Elop, the president of Microsoft’s business division.
This announcement builds on the existing work Nokia is doing by optimizing access to e-mail and other personal information with Exchange ActiveSync. Next year, Nokia intends to start shipping Microsoft Office Communicator Mobile on its smartphones, followed by other Office applications and related software and services in the future. These will include:
In the light of the rising popularity of smartphones in general as well as those based on alternative platforms, such as Apple Mac OS, Google Android, Linux or RIM Blackberry, in particular, both Microsoft and Nokia need to ensure that their software and devices continue to command huge chunks of the market. As a result, Microsoft is willing to develop software for competing operating system, whereas Nokia, which, in fact, has been withdrawing from software development for a while, is willing to install software created by one of its most important rivals onto its devices (which, among other things, simplifies migration from Symbian to Windows Mobile).
“Together with Microsoft, we will develop new and innovative user experiences for employees of small and large businesses alike, ensuring Nokia’s smartphones are an integral part of the office and home-office environment, and addressing the significant opportunity in mobile enterprise productivity,” said Kai Öistämö, Nokia’s executive vice president for devices.


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The Red Sea. All three U.S. stock indexes closed solidly in the red on Tuesday as investors worried about uncertainties around high-level trade talks with China set to start on Thursday. The U.S. added more Chinese tech companies to its trade blacklist, while the National Basketball Association faces some censorship challenges from China as well. Fed Chairman Jerome Powell said the central bank plans to purchase more Treasuries to boost reserves, but didn’t say if a third rate cut is in the planning. In today’s After the Bell, we…
- look into the complicated details of the U.S.-China trade talks;
- explain why a temporary truce could be key to the market now;
- and check on what the Fed plans to do.
Trade Worries Deepen
Stocks fell for a second day, and all three indexes closed with deep losses. The
Dow Jones Industrial Average
tumbled 313.98 points, or 1.19%, to close at 26,164.04. The
fell 45.73 points, or 1.56%, to finish at 2893.06, and the
lost 132.52 points, or 1.67%, to close at 7823.78.
Investors are getting nervous ahead of talks between the U.S. and China while many uncertainties still loom. The negotiations have become more complicated now that there are new sources of contention between the countries.
The Commerce Department expanded its trade blacklist to include eight Chinese tech firms—citing alleged human rights abuses and high-tech surveillance against the country’s Muslim minority—and barred the purchase of parts and components from these firms without government approval.
Even the National Basketball Association got in the act. A Houston Rockets executive tweeted support to the pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong, creating a firestorm with Beijing. China Central Television suspended the broadcast of two NBA games and said it will further investigate into “all cooperation and exchanges involving the NBA.” Now the co-founder of
Alibaba Group Holding
(ticker: BABA) and the owner of the Brooklyn Nets NBA franchise is stepping in to help resolve the fracas.
While President Donald Trump said he was still looking for a “comprehensive deal,” there have been reports that the Chinese are toning down their expectations and have significantly narrowed the scope of issues they’re willing to discuss at the upcoming trade negotiations to exclude big-ticket items such as industrial reform and state-sponsored subsidies.
A truce in the trade war could be key to the U.S. economy now. The stock market was rattled last week as a few economic data points—including the Institute for Supply Management’s survey of purchasing managers—showed worse-than-expected weakness. According to data released on Tuesday, the producer-price index—a key measure of wholesale costs—also unexpectedly contracted in September, posting the biggest decline in eight months and signaling that inflation is likely to remain low.
Investors worry that a recession might not be that far away, and a failed trade negotiation or escalated tension between the U.S. and China could add more stress to the global economy.
Speaking at a conference in Denver today, Fed Chair Jerome Powell said the central bank will soon increase its purchases of short-term Treasury securities to boost the supply of reserves and avoid the unexpected strains in money markets that happened last month. Powell didn’t drop any hints about the Fed’s October meeting, but investors are largely expecting another 25-basis-points rate cut at the end of the month, after the central bank lowered its target interest rate twice this year already in July and September.
Write to Evie Liu at email@example.com


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The COVID-19 pandemic has provided a unique opportunity to break unsustainable habits and foster lower-carbon patterns of behaviour.
The pandemic has disrupted lifestyles and behaviours in all areas of society. The Centre for Climate Change and Social Transformation (CAST), has undertaken research to examine the impact of the pandemic on the UK public’s lifestyles and routines. The centre is a global hub funded by the Economic and Social Research Council.
Researchers have focused on:
- behaviours that have significant impacts on climate change, such as:
- product consumption
- energy use
- how climate-relevant attitudes, and policy support, have changed.
The research was conducted in May 2020, during lockdown restrictions, and in October 2020, when the restrictions had been lifted and the tier system was in place.
Sustainability related routines
The May survey revealed that the pandemic had created an unprecedented moment of change. While there was a diversity of experience, substantial changes in sustainability related routines occurred with:
- reductions in waste, travel and consumption
- a rise in low-carbon recreation actives
- experimentation with alternative daily schedules.
Additionally, concern about climate change increased, with greater public support for climate change mitigation policies, including measures to decrease meat consumption and flying.
Evolution in public behaviours
The October 2020 survey findings suggested that there was an evolution in public behaviours and attitudes since May. As restrictions relaxed, consumption and food waste increased, but many people still avoided going on holiday, home working continued, and online grocery shopping levels remained high.
The research also indicated that once COVID-19 restrictions are lifted, people still plan to increase what they do online and also reduce their public transport use and flying.
Climate change concerns remained almost as high as concern about COVID-19, and there was even stronger support for measures to tackle climate change than had been recorded in May.
These findings suggest that, while some of the earlier lockdown habits that served to cut people’s carbon footprints have not endured, others have.
While time and further research will reveal the extent to which these changes endure, policy could be implemented to enable and encourage low-carbon habits to be maintained. This is particularly important whilst support for ambitious climate change measures is strong.
Last updated: 13 April 2021


text: Found out that one of the best wine books to be printed over the last few years has just published it latest annual version. Edited by Tom Stevenson, the Wine Report 2007 is without any doubt the most comprehensive report on what has happened in the wine world over the last year and trends that will affect the upcoming year. All this insider information comes from the leading experts in their fields, Clive Coates, Serena Sutcliffe, David Peppercorn, Tom Stevenson, John Radford, John & Erica Platter, Huon Hooke, Tom Cannavan and the list goes on. Best of all , it will only set you back a tenner. Im picking up my copy tomorrow on the way to the airport, for a bit of plane reading.


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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Katelyn Little
BIRMINGHAM, AL (April 21, 2022) – Hendry County, Florida, Florida has appointed Retail Strategies, the leading national community development firm, to execute a retail recruitment plan on behalf of the county. The new partnership also includes supporting existing small businesses through training and technical assistance, as well as a downtown revitalization plan for the county. After initial discussions at an ICSC Florida conference, the county now has the means to engage in a partnership using American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds allocated to the Economic Development Commission.
“The new Airglades International Airport development is going to transform our economy and bring in an influx of jobs and people,” said Keitha Daniels, executive director of Hendry County Economic Development Commission. “We will be using a proactive approach to enhance our retail, restaurant, and entertainment options. Having that quality of life component that retail brings is critical to us.”
“For years our team has wanted to partner with Hendry County,” said Sarah Beth Thornton, vice president of business development. “The new airport development will spark even more interest in the region. I am excited to work with Keitha and other county leaders with a focus on downtown, supporting local businesses, and recruiting quality retail and restaurant concepts to the market.”
Hendry County knows retail and quality of life are huge drivers of larger projects. In March 2020, Airglades International Airport broke ground on a new U.S. Customs and Border Protection facility that will be in Hendry County. This new facility will designate the Airglades International Airport as an official port of entry to the U.S. thus creating a major international multimodal logistics complex with a huge economic impact on the county, region, and state.
About Hendry County, Florida
Hendry County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2010 census, the population was 42,022. Its county seat is LaBelle. Hendry County was created in 1923. Hendry County is known for its superior fishing and boating recreations. Nestled on the southwestern shores of Lake Okeechobee, visitors can enjoy some of the best bass fishing in the country.
For more information, visit https://www.hendryfla.net/.
About Retail Strategies
Retail Strategies is the national expert in recruiting businesses and strategically developing communities. Our mission is to provide the real estate expertise, tools, and human effort that position deserving towns as alluring locations for national businesses and destinations for tourism and quality of life amenities. With confidence, we pursue this mission by delivering unparalleled customer service as a unified team with unmatched real estate and community development expertise. Our activities pay a return in sales taxes, added jobs, and businesses that enhance and add to the unique qualities of your community.


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Sales lift: Figures are up 33 per cent. Photo: Bloomberg
BRAMBLES, the world's largest pallet supplier, is confident it will meet its full-year profit target for 2012, despite a weakening of its US, European and Australian operations.
It reported yesterday a 33 per cent lift in sales for the nine months to the end of March, compared with the previous corresponding period. On a pro-forma basis, sales revenue was up 7 per cent.
Brambles forecast underlying profit for the full year at between $US1.05 billion and $US1.08 billion.
''Our strategy of expanding our product and service range and geographic footprint is enabling us to continue to deliver sales growth,'' said chief executive Tom Gorman.
The company's outlook was in line with analysts' predictions and sent the shares up 15¢, or 2.1 per cent, to close at $7.40.
''The market has responded quite positively, which is also a reflection that you've had several downgrades of companies this week,'' said Macquarie Equities analyst Russell Shaw.
Brambles, which provides companies with hardware for transporting consumer goods, has dodged the worst of the economic slump by expanding its segment in reusuable plastic crates (RPCs).
''RPCs are less impacted by any slowdown because they are still winning market share,'' Mr Shaw said.
The company told the market on March 28 it expected to complete the sale of its document management arm, Recall, within four to eight weeks - later than the original deadline of the end of March.
It said yesterday it was confident it would meet its new deadline.


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Vaccine supply issues continue to plague California as the state tries to ramp up COVID-19 vaccination efforts. So far 3.2 million doses have been shipped to California and 1.5 million doses administered, the state’s top health official said. (Jan. 19)
Big Hammer Wines has about 20% less inventory than normal these days, forcing the restaurants, retailers and online customers who normally patronize the wine seller to choose alternative brands or find another supplier.
When frustrated restaurants complain, “I keep saying, ‘We don’t have the product, we don’t have the product, we don’t have the product,” says Greg Martelloto, president of the San Diego-based company.
Some of Big Hammer’s customers pick a different brand of wine, but others bolt. “If you don’t have what they’re looking for,” Martelloto says, “they go elsewhere.”
Meanwhile, buyers hunting for a Ford Bronco, Lincoln Corsair or Jeep Compass, among many other vehicles, might need to forgo their preferred color or option package, unless they can tolerate a monthslong wait.
And popular electronics, such as smart speakers, may be delivered to shoppers’ doorsteps more slowly than usual, taking up to a week or more, up from a typical day or so.
COVID-related snags have delayed shipments of products and raw materials across the economy the past couple of months, pushing up wholesale costs and raising the likelihood of higher retail prices by midyear.
Behind the snarls: Some factories in the U.S. and abroad are shuttered while many others are running at partial capacity because of employee COVID cases or social distancing requirements. Ports, warehouses and trucking companies are similarly grappling with worker absences. And containers for overseas shipments are in short supply. Even the rollout of the COVID vaccine is playing a role, taking up shipping capacity and slowing other deliveries.
Such bottlenecks were prevalent when the pandemic began in early spring as factories shut down across the globe. Since then, the crunch had gradually eased. But recent COVID-19 spikes, combined with a resurgence in customer demand, have sparked the direst shortages and delays yet.
“Not only have the last two months seen supply shortages develop at a pace not previously seen… but prices have also risen due to the imbalance of supply and demand,” says Chris Williamson, chief business economist at IHS Markit, a data provider.
To be sure, demand for services has dropped as spikes in coronavirus cases led many states to reinstate curbs on restaurants and other businesses. In December, retail sales fell for the third straight month and restaurants shed nearly 500,000 jobs. But Americans continue to snap up electronics and other home-based goods and their employers are still buying equipment to bolster their…


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October 3, 2013
Fingerprint sensors based security applications have created a lots of buzz in the recent past. It is a well appreciated fact that fingerprint sensors technology has mass market potential. It promises to be capable of enabling a safe and personalized connected mobile usage. With industry adoption of augmented security features, we are already witnessing OEMs and app developers innovating aggressively on this front.
Let us take a look at some of these initiatives:
1. In 2011, Motorola came up with fingerprint based authentication with Atrix phones. Unfortunately, there were not too many takers for it at that time, as has been the case with most of the Motorola handsets launched in last few years. Issues - it did not always work properly and momentum was missing.
2. During the fag end of year 2012, Silicon valley based Validity Sensors launched a Mobile Natural ID Platform, providing OEMs with a flexible solution capable of meeting the unique design and security needs of smartphones and tablets. Currently being designed into products by leading OEMs, Validity’s platform consists of a sensor with customizable ID, a control IC, and all software required for integration into a mobile environment.
3. In January 2013, Fingerprint Cards, a biometric-security company based out of Sweden, announced that a Japanese OEM is planning to introduce mobile phones with fingerprint authentication very soon. The technology was claimed to be working similar to the fingerprint reader which prevents unauthorized access of the handsets. For Japan’s handset manufacturers, the focus on fingerprint based authentication could be an attempt to differentiate their handsets from those of the competitors as the Japanese players are struggling to keep up with the competition in Global handset marketplace. Kyocera, Panasonic, Sharp and Sony are among the nation’s largest phone makers.
4. Recently, Apple made lots of buzz with its new Touch ID fingerprint sensor during the iPhone 5s unveiling. The writing was on the wall, as in August, Apple had signed a $350 million deal with AuthenTec, a company known for having its own fingerprint authentication and encryption technology.
5. South Korean players are not far behind. In October 2013, Danal, a mobile payment provider, came up with the BarTong app, using fingerprint technologies of Crucialtec, which is the world's largest manufacturer of Optical Track Pad (OTP) mobile input devices. As of now, The app is available only in South Korea, but its creator is looking to expand the payment service into the US and China. It should not surprise us to see players like Samsung & LG using such apps on their handsets.
The primary value of Touch based security from a customer prospective is that many users are not aware of the security concerns with the smartphones, and don’t put the effort of keeping a pass-code. Enabling this feature requires compulsory setting up a pass-code in many cases. Some good steps towards security is better than no security at all. Making people use the security features is essential as M-Payments involve some amount of risk and are susceptible to fraud.
Fingerprint based security systems on smartphones are here to stay. Don’t be surprised if you find many new ones coming up on different platforms. This feature might be present on the specs sheet of every high end device launched by this time next year!


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March 31, 2015
Suncorp and Sydney Theatre Company’s major partnership, Suncorp Twenties – providing a selection of tickets for just $20 to every STC performance (excluding opening nights) – is confirmed to continue throughout 2015.
Incorporating some of the most anticipated shows in years, including Endgame with Hugo Weaving, The Present withCate Blanchett and Richard Roxburgh and King Lear withGeoffrey Rush, Suncorp Twenties will, for the first time, be made available online in addition to over the counter and via telephone. From Tuesday 7 April 2015 (coinciding with the opening of Endgame) at 9am, Suncorp Twenties will be available at www.sydneytheatre.com.au/suncorptwenties
Launched almost two years ago, Suncorp Twenties have proved a huge hit with audiences and remains the most comprehensive, year-round initiative of its type in Australia. Every Tuesday morning at 9am, Suncorp Twenties go on sale for every STC show for the following week (Monday to Saturday), excluding opening night performances.
STC Executive Director Patrick McIntyre said: “Suncorp Twenties have become much loved by those snapping up these cheap tickets. In a recent survey of Suncorp Twenties buyers, 100% of respondents said they would definitely recommend Suncorp Twenties to others. Overwhelmingly our customers prefer to purchase tickets online, so we’re pleased to now introduce an online purchase facility, and we are very grateful to Suncorp for their continuing support of the initiative.”
Geoff Summerhayes, CEO of Suncorp Life, said: “Suncorp Twenties allows access to the best theatre at a very affordable price and we are delighted to extend this innovative sponsorship of the highly successful program with Sydney Theatre Company. It’s great that people will find them easier to purchase too, with the introduction of online sales every Tuesday.”
There are no transaction fees for Suncorp Twenties and tickets are sold two per transaction.
Box Office: 02 9250 1929 www.sydneytheatre.com.au


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It's no secret that Apple makes billions of dollars yearly on its iconic App Store. However, it might surprise you that the iPhone maker could be making much more if it weren't for Phil Schiller.
According to The Information, Schiller has taken a cautious approach regarding app promotion since taking over the App Store from Eddy Cue in 2016. The results have been a series of decisions that "balance what's best for developers, users and Apple's reputation, which can sometimes conflict."
Schiller, who joined Apple in 1987, was the company's senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. He currently leads the App Store and Apple Events and is an Apple Fellow.
A hands-on style
The App Store, which paid developers $60 billion on its way to generating record revenue in 2021, has seen a lot of changes in recent years. In 2020, for example, Apple implemented App Tracking Transparency, requiring apps such as Facebook to seek permission before collecting user data. It's the type of decision stakeholders have come to expect from Schiller — for better or worse.
The new feature, which gives App Store users more control over their data, was heavily criticized by some app developers when it was first implemented. There was also criticism within some corners of Apple. Long-time executive Carson Oliver, for example, from Apple's business management team, told Schiller the move would cost the App Store billions of dollars in revenue.
As The Information explains, Oliver felt this would cause advertisers to "(pull back) on spending on iOS apps, which in turn drove traffic to other iOS apps, and shifted to other platforms like Google's Android, where they could measure the impact of their ads more accurately."
Even though Oliver has become an influential force at Apple and regularly updates CEO Tim Cook on App Store's business, Schiller would have none of it. As noted by a person with direct knowledge of the matter, Schiller felt the privacy feature was the right thing to do for users.
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There are also instances where Schiller has sought compromise with the business development team regarding the apps Apple promotes on the Store. For example, first-person shooter and social casino games have been scrutinized over the years. In each case, Schiller's thinking has likely led to less revenue for the company.
An Apple spokesman told The Information revenue has never been a primary goal of App Store editorial decisions.
Apple is often criticized for the enormous revenue it generates each year. But, at least with the App Store, clear decisions have been made that limit that revenue. In doing so, it has better protected its customers and still makes lots of money every year, mainly because of Schiller.
Bryan M. Wolfe has written about technology for over a decade on various websites, including TechRadar, AppAdvice, and many more. Before this, he worked in the technology field across different industries, including healthcare and education. He’s currently iMore’s lead on all things Mac and macOS, although he also loves covering iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch. Bryan enjoys watching his favorite sports teams, traveling, and driving around his teenage daughter to her latest stage show, audition, or school event in his spare time. He also keeps busy walking his black and white cocker spaniel, Izzy, and trying new coffees and liquid grapes.


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This is just freaking nuts. It explains the record trade deficits, bottlenecks, shortages, and inflation pressures, among other distortions.
By Wolf Richter for WOLF STREET.
Personal income from all sources, including the free-money-from-the-sky $1,400 stimmies, spiked by 21% in March from February, and by 31% from March 2019, to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $24.2 trillion, a historic WTF moment that shows the effects of the historic WTF overshoot triggered by the last round of stimulus payments.
A month ago, after personal income in February had plunged, following the January spike triggered by the $600 stimmies that started going out at the end of December, I said: “We’re awaiting with feverish anticipation what this chart will look like for March and April, when the $1,400-stimmies arrive. It’s going to blow our socks off.”
Hahaha, sure did. This is just freaking nuts. So here I present you the latest and greatest WTF chart of the year:
Income from stimmies, unemployment insurance, and welfare benefits exploded, driven by the stimmies that arrived in the personal treasuries of millions of households in March, according to data released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis today. Unemployment compensation ticked up a smidgen in March from February, but was lower than in January, and at an annual rate of $541 billion, was just 10% of the total:
Income from wages and salaries in March rose 1.1% from February, to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $9.8 trillion. More workers in the hospitality industry, including restaurants and hotels, were hired back. And some pay increases including higher minimum wages at state and local levels flowed into the data.
A year ago, higher-wage earners that worked in offices kept their jobs but switched to working from home. And at the high end, especially among executives, there have been lots of increases in pay packages. Job losses were concentrated at the lower end of the income scale, particularly in the hospitality and travel industry. This lower end has been hiring back some of the workers:
Folks spent some of the free-money-from-the-sky stimmies.
Spending on durable goods spiked by 10.8% in March from February, to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $2.0 trillion, up 33% from March 2019.
A month ago, when February durable goods fell after the $600 stimmies got spent in January, I said, “So now everyone is counting on the big-fat new stimmies to turn this fiasco around.” And they did, for another WTF moment:
Spending on nondurable goods – mostly food and gasoline – jumped by 6.5% in March from February, to $3.4 trillion (seasonally adjusted annual rate), up 15% from March 2019:
Spending on services, which had gone nowhere for six months, rose 2.2% in March from February, to $10.0 trillion (seasonally adjusted annual rate), but was still down 2.9% from the peak in February 2020.
Services include rents, mortgage interest payments, health care, education, insurance, travel bookings, subscriptions for cellphone, broadband, and streaming services, electric utility services, haircuts, ballgames, movie theater tickets, gym memberships, etc. For services the Pandemic has been a very mixed bag, with a few services, such as streaming services, killing it; and many other services, such as gyms and travel bookings, getting crushed.
Total consumer spending – nurtured so beautifully by this free money from the sky – jumped 4.2% in March from February, and by 7.2% from March 2019, to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $15.4 trillion:
Inflation galore but not included.
Inflation has been surging in recent months, and this has cropped up everywhere at all levels of the economy, as companies are facing skyrocketing input costs and are having to raise their prices to try to protect their margins, and as their customers – other companies and consumers – are paying those higher prices.
In the first quarter, this has shown up in the GDP data release yesterday, where the inflation index used to adjust GDP to inflation jumped by 3.8% annualized in Q1, more than double the rate in Q4, showing the extent to which inflation has accelerated. So part of the increase in spending displayed here in all its glory comes from big price increases.
The whole stimulus thing explains the record blowout trade deficits since a lot of these goods are imported, the bottlenecks, numerous shortages, the blowout freight spending, and the massive inflation pressures building up along the way, among other distortions.
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Oriental Weavers Co. for Carpets SAE said its third-quarter normalized net income amounted to 21 Egyptian piastres per share, a gain from 8 piastres per share in the prior-year period.
Normalized net income, which excludes unusual gains or losses on a pre- and after-tax basis, was 94.2 million pounds, a gain from 36.6 million pounds in the prior-year period.
The normalized profit margin climbed to 6.1% from 2.4% in the year-earlier period.
Total revenue rose on an annual basis to 1.54 billion pounds from 1.52 billion pounds, and total operating expenses declined 7.2% on an annual basis to 1.38 billion pounds from 1.49 billion pounds.
Reported net income rose year over year to 133.0 million pounds, or 30 piastres per share, from 32.5 million pounds, or 7 piastres per share.
As of Nov. 11, US$1 was equivalent to 16.48 Egyptian pounds.


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Virtual currencies like Bitcoin and its peers are the next phase in the evolution of money and are on the verge of turning into a chief means of payment, a recent research shows.
The authors of the study from Imperial College London and eToro platform looked into the basic functions of regular currency and analyzed whether cryptocurrency had come close to match them.
Three core criteria are distinguished, these are ability to store value, to be a means of exchange and a unit of account. Cryptocoins at the moment match one of the requirements, because numerous people regard them as a store of value.
The BTC/USD pair rose to $6,840 on Tuesday, breaking the $6,700 key level.


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Private sector lender YES Bank has tied up with Taiwan’s Taisys Technologies and the NPCI to develop a platform which will issue a mobile banking SIM aiming to increase financial inclusion in the country.
Through the collaboration, mobile phone users can transfer funds, pay through wallets, make payments to merchants and value added services across all mobile devices including feature phones. Taisys will be integrating its m-banking platform with YES Bank’s domestic remittance service, YES BANK Money. NPCI is also collaborating with Taisys to build a common platform to provide mobile banking to all other banks.
Taisys develops slim SIMs which can provide value added services such as mobile banking, near field communications, secure encrypted SMS services, and smart dialers.
How it works
– Taisys India and YES Bank will work on developing an ultra-thin mobile banking SIM which is essentially a smart sticker which can be pasted on an existing SIM card. The sticker is telecom operator agnostic and installs the bank’s mobile wallet application on the phone in the SIM tool kit, explained Anand K Bajaj, Head of Digital Payments & Mobility at YES BANK.
– YES Bank will use its network of 35,000 banking correspondents (BCs) where they will distribute these stickers and get unbanked people on to the platform. The BCs will also help people load money into their wallet.
– People who are more digitally savvy can go to YES Bank’s website and add money to the wallet through net banking. Customers who are not YES Bank’s customers can load money by making an NEFT transfer to a special IFSC code created by the lender. The account number will be the same as the user’s mobile phone number. “For example a customer of ICICI Bank or Kotak Bank can login to their netbanking and send the money to the IFSC Code we’ve set up for this wallet and the account number will be your mobile number,” Bajaj added.
– The application will have an option to send money via bank account number and IFSC code or sending it to a particular number. When users send money through a mobile phone number, a link is sent to the beneficiary where they will have to enter their account details for the transaction to complete.
– The money transfer is encrypted and uses the mobile phone number and customer PIN for its two factor authentication.
– The monthly limit for the wallet is Rs 10,000 without KYC. “If people want to do KYC with our bank we can enhance their limits,” Bajaj said.
YES Bank’s mobile banking initiatives
– It’s worth noting that YES Bank in 2013 had tied up with Times of Money to launch its own online remittance solution called Yes Remit, allowing non-resident Indians (NRIs) to send money to any Yes Bank account or other bank accounts in India.
– Yes Bank had also launched a mobile point of sale (mPOS) solution which allowed GPRS enabled mobile phones to act as Point of Sale terminals. The company had claimed to have partnered with several insurance players in the country for this service and were running tests with several other retailers in the Internet space and food retail segment.
– In 2010, Nokia had tied up with YES Bank to launch Nokia Money in India powered by Obopay. The service allowed users to check their balance, manage expenses and payments, recharge prepaid (mobile) account, and pay utility bills. Obopay and Yes Bank also launched a mobile payment solution to be called “Pay Anyone”.


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Carl Icahn is at it again.
The billionaire corporate raider turned activist investor wants eBay to spin off its PayPal unit, the giant online marketplace disclosed on Wednesday. It’s not hard to see why. PayPal is eBay’s fastest-growing business division and accounts for an accelerating amount of the company’s revenue. Icahn thinks an independent PayPal will be able to grow even faster as it rides the wave of the online-payments boom.
PayPal parent company eBay said its board considered Icahn’s proposal to spin off the payments service and rejected it, setting the stage for a potential showdown between the company and the 77-year-old investor.
Some Wall Street analysts weren’t buying what Icahn was selling. Morgan Stanley tech analyst Scott Devitt says that keeping PayPal combined with eBay will ultimately produce the best value for shareholders. “We believe that PayPal is the best performing asset, but it owes much of this to its integration with eBay’s other businesses (marketplace and enterprises),” Devitt wrote in a note to clients Thursday.
For his part, Icahn called a potential PayPal spinoff “a no-brainer,” in an interview with Bloomberg TV, adding that PayPal is a “great growth company” that would benefit from having a separate management team. “There’s no reason they should be together at this point, in our opinion,” Icahn said. “I think the multiple would go up dramatically, and the health of the company would be better.”
In 2013, revenue at eBay’s payments division, which includes PayPal, increased by 19%, while the company’s marketplaces-division revenue increased by 12% and its enterprise-division revenue increased by 3%. In 2013, PayPal, which now has 143 million users worldwide, handled a whopping $180 billion worth of payments.
It’s just the latest aggressive move by Icahn, a bare-knuckled business brawler who has recently targeted Netflix, Dell and Apple. The proposal by Icahn, who owns 0.82% of eBay, helped send the auction giant’s shares as much as 9% higher in after-hours trading on Wednesday. Icahn also wants to place two of his own employees on eBay’s board of directors.
The idea of spinning off PayPal from eBay has been floated several times in recent years. For PayPal, part of the logic for a spinoff is that some of eBay’s rivals may be more willing to use the payments service if it weren’t embedded inside of a competitor. “Sometimes PayPal’s attachment to eBay can be a deterrent for eBay’s indirect competitors,” RJ Hottovy, an equity analyst at Morningstar, told Reuters in 2012. “That’s the main reason why PayPal should be separated.”
In statement, eBay indicated that while it “welcomes the opportunity to listen to the perspective of all of its shareholders, including Mr. Icahn,” it is not planning to follow his advice. “[The] board of directors has concluded that the company and its shareholders are best served by the current strategic direction of the company and does not believe that breaking up the company is the best way to maximize shareholder value,” eBay said.
In a company blog post, PayPal said it believes it makes sense for the company to remain part of eBay. “PayPal is successful precisely because we are part of eBay Inc., not in spite of it,” the company wrote, adding that “eBay Inc. has helped drive our success for more than a decade, and we continue to believe we’re far more valuable together.”


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Amilla Maldives Resort and Residences has become the world’s first IncluCare-verified resort.
The UK-based organisation IncluCare offers inclusive and accessible travel training, assessment and accreditation for the tourism industry. The Maldives luxury resort’s verification was announced at a special event held at London’s Great Scotland Yard Hotel, IncluCare’s first certified hotel.
“In a world awash with certifications, and hundreds in the travel sector alone, IncluCare stands for a really significant seal of approval — verified accessibility and inclusivity,” said Juliet Kinsman, Condé Nast Traveller’s Sustainability Editor, at a panel discussion on ways in which tourism and hospitality experts can push accessibility and inclusion to the top of the industry’s agenda.
“We still have a long way to go when it comes to the hotel industry offering experiences that everyone can book, whatever their abilities, and this sets a really important benchmark in terms of sustainability and responsibility which I hope will inspire more hotels to do the right thing when it comes to considering all the needs of every potential guest,” added Kinsman, who chaired the discussion with IncluCare Founder, Richard Thompson; Ed Warner, founder of the award-winning accessible design specialists Motionspot; Pierre Mazurier, Associate Sales Director of Great Scotland Yard Hotel; and Victoria Kruse, Sustainability Manager at Amilla Maldives Resort and Residences.
According to IncluCare, one in five people have a significant mental or physical disability, and one of the main contributors to disability is the ageing population. According to the panel, the spending power of the disability market is estimated to be US$10 trillion per year. The panel discussed how disabled people stay longer, spend more money and often travel with support but the majority of hotels worldwide are still not disability compliant.
“There are more luxury hotels in London – actually, around the world – who overtly welcome dogs. Just go to the websites to check it out,” said Richard Thompson.
“How many times have you ever seen a mention of inclusion and accessibility? There will be great footage of the butler taking the dog for a walk in the Bentley across to Hyde Park, but what is there for the vast majority of disabled people?”
“It is totally doable; if we can do it on a beautiful island in the middle of the Indian Ocean, and we can do it in a fabulous historic listed building here in London, we can do it anywhere,” he said.
According to Thompson, inclusive travel is the “last major untapped market”, but the luxury sector has the shortest distance to go because of its attention to detail. He also highlighted how the vast majority of brands cannot confirm an accessible room when a booking is made, adding that it is “utterly unacceptable”.
“This has to come from the top; if it’s not coming from the top, it ain’t going to work.”
Inclucare is also developing a distribution system, Inclutel, that features all the accessibility and inclusion information that travellers require before booking.
According to Pierre Mazurier, Great Scotland Yard has 11 accessible rooms with a choice of two categories. Since partnering with Inclucare, the hotel has been named ‘Best Luxury Hotel’ in the Blue Badge Awards.
Mazurier highlighted how the design is important so a stairlift has been made “as sexy as possible” and is showcased in a video so that potential guests know what to expect beforehand.
Ed Warner said that since only 8% of the market is wheelchair users, his firm takes into account the needs of people with other physical, cognitive and neurodiverse needs.
Victoria Kruse said that partnering with Inclucare was a “no-brainer”.
“As the world’s first Inclucare-certified resort, we are committed to retaining this level of excellence and to improving accessibility each year with support, training and auditing from their hotel and resort arm, Inclutel,” the resort said.
Amilla Maldives has the facilities and trained staff to be able to welcome guests with a range of physical and sensory disabilities. The resort also hosted British TV personality and disability advocate, Sophie Morgan as a special guest for its Inclucare inauguration ceremony in July.
Its accreditation by Inclucare has prompted interest from the government as well, including a visit from the Minister of Gender and Family. She is now campaigning for legislative change to improve access and inclusion provision for Maldivians.
Amilla Maldives is exploring ways to create an inclusive workplace that could open up job opportunities for disabled people as well. The country currently has an estimate of at least 2,000 people with disabilities who are likely to struggle with getting a job.
Click here to read more about Amilla Maldives’ inclusive travel initiatives.


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May 30, 2012, 04.31 PM | Source: CNBC-TV18
Tata Motors can slip to Rs 200-180, says Alpesh Furiya of Panorama Technical's.
Furiya told CNBC-Awaaz, "Tata Motors is looking negative on chart, Q4 result also below the market expectation. The whole auto stocks are looking under pressure; we can see level of 200-180 in Tata Motors at downside in coming days."
The company touched its 52-week high Rs 320.60 and 52-week low Rs 137.65 on 20 Apr, 2012 and 13 Sep, 2011, respectively. Currently, it is trading -24.1% below its 52-week high and 76.79% above its 52-week low.
Automakers, including Toyota and Nissan , had been
"For Jaguar Land Rover, today is just business as
Tata Motors sank 15 percent intraday on Friday. Ta
Infosys rose by 0.53 percent while TCS fell by 1.5
CA Rudramurthy BV of Vachana Investments recommend


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Porktober has finally arrived. The tenth month of the year is designated as National Pork Month, acknowledging the time of year when the most hogs were traditionally marketed. Today, October is a month to celebrate America’s pig...
Though our producers harvest the safest and most bountiful food in the world, far too many of U.S. consumers lack access to good, nutritious food.
The pork industry is bracing for record-breaking production. Yet, USDA sees hog prices higher than last year. Is it possible?
2018 Allen D. Leman Swine Conference is already set for Sept. 15-18.
Even when you think your family has their farm safety act together, tragedy can strike. Time to pause and rethink what we are actually doing on the farm every day.
Think safety first, putting farm safety into practice in your hog operation. Not just one week, but 365 days a year.
A bacon extravaganza is coming to Japan for the very first time. Say, it isn't so. The organizers of the Blue Ribbon Bacon Festival just announced it is partnering with Junior Chamber International Kofu to co-host Japan’s first ever...
Livestock producers are getting caught in the battle of words and labels.
California ballot initiative is not about banning gestation stalls. It is a much bigger agenda.