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NEW PORT RICHEY — When SPCA Suncoast officials pleaded for help from the community during a crisis this spring, residents came through with loads of donations. Now, SPCA Suncoast is planning some events to try to help return the favor.
The inaugural SPCA Neuter-A-thon is coming on Sunday, Aug. 24, at the shelter at 7734 Congress St.
Pet owners with male cats and dogs can set up appointments to have their pet neutered. The cost is $20 for cats and $45 for dogs.
The pet must be between eight weeks and 6 years old. The owner must provide proof of rabies shots.
For appointments, call SPCA Suncoast at (727) 849-1048, ext. 200, between noon and 6 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday before the Sunday event.
Or people can send Facebook messages to www.facebook.com/spcasuncoast.
SPCA also offers low-cost grooming for pets by appointment. The complete package includes shampoo, haircut, blow dry, ear plucking and nail trim.
Small dogs up to 25 pounds cost $35, while a medium-sized dog up to 50 pounds costs $45. Large dogs over 50 pounds cost $55. Information about care for long-haired breeds is available upon request.
A pet owner can choose a bath and nail trim only for a pet for $20. A nail trim alone costs $5.
Call (727) 849-1048, ext. 200, for appointments.
Meanwhile, plans are taking shape for the new Whiskers and Tails Costume Ball in October to benefit SPCA Suncoast. The Halloween-themed event will take place 7:30-11:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 10, at Spartan Manor, 6121 Massachusetts Ave.
The evening includes costume and centerpiece contests, dinner, dancing and games.
Team Farrell is sponsoring the inaugural event. Tickets cost $50 per person or $85 per couple. Guests are required to dress in costumes.
For tickets or information, contact Gail S. Fawcett at (727) 409-0851 or gfawcett@apollo tint.com, as well as Angel Cook at (727) 457-4849 or email@example.com.


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Global marketing spend will increase by 7% annually to $4.7 trillion in 2025, with China, India and South Korea among the markets exceeding the global average, according to a new forecast from Forrester.
As consumers seamlessly hop between physical and online, brands are expected to provide real-time stock information and personalised experiences across all of their touchpoints. But they must demonstrate a value exchange to consumers to collect the data they need.
Campaign China asked Gen Z creatives and senior marketing and branding experts to discuss how they view the present and future of the metaverse in the China market?
TOP OF THE CHARTS: New research finds marketing and technology leaders fail to work in lock step and half of IT leaders expect the CMO title to be replaced.
Marketers must be able to link marketing activity with business impact to stay relevant, suggests Forrester survey.
Media agencies have higher levels of concern and lower levels of confidence in their post-cookie solutions than brands and publishers, according to a comprehensive survey on privacy in APAC. Agency leaders from OMG and Mediabrands give their thoughts.
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Operators says it will move away from controversial inflation-linked price rises during contracts, spelling out price rises in pounds and pence, as proposed by Ofcom
Marc Allera, CEO of BT Group’s Consumer division, has written a blog saying the operator will drop inflation-linked price rises during customers’ contracts. BT has used the model introduced as part of Ofcom’s Fairness for Customers commitments in 2019. It allows operators to increase prices to customers every year, on 31st March, by the rate of inflation (CPI) +3.9%.
BT/EE experienced perhaps a much bigger backlash than expected when it hiked prices for mobile and fixed line by 14.4% last year. It and others were accused of using rocketing inflation to “line their pockets” while people struggled with the cost of living crisis. Other operators were treated to a similar public roasting for increasing their prices.
BT/EE arrived at this figure by taking the December consumer price index inflation rate for December 2022 plus 3.9%, in keeping with the regulation.
Voluntary action ahead of ruling
Regulator Ofcom proposed a new approach at the end of last year, whereby operators must spell out what the price rise will be, in pence and pounds, when the contract is signed. Allera writes, “We’re listening, and we’ve taken this on board”. After consulting further, Ofcom is due to publish its ruling in the next month.
Kester Mann, Director, Consumer and Connectivity, CCS Insight, comments, “This is a smart move from BT, anticipating the likely ban on inflation-linked pricing after Ofcom opened a consultation into the controversial practice late last year. It gives the operator a short window to promote a clearer and more transparent approach compared to its rivals before most other operators inevitably follow suit.”
Timing is all
He also noted that BT’s announcement comes less than 24 hours before many UK operators confirm their annual price increases for 2024. “This is a delicate topic as households continue to grapple with cost-of-living concerns. Operators need to tread carefully: in CCS Insight’s consumer research last month, nearly three-quarters of people said they would consider acting if their mobile or broadband bill went up again this year,” Mann added.
With little time to react, the ball is now in its rivals’ court. Mann thinks some will quickly follow BT’s lead. The timing is especially tricky for wanna-be merger partners, Vodafone and Three. Mann says their pricing will be scrutinised by the competition watchdog as part of the upcoming investigation into their planned merger.


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The use of mobile technology is changing shoppers’ way of life from researching products, receiving promotions and making purchases. Businesses are reacting to this shift in consumer behavior by formulating mobile media strategies, and the restaurant industry is no different. From consumer apps to pre-order, touch screens for food selections and orders taken on a tablet by an employee, it seems as though fast food, quick service and full service restaurants are attempting to carve out a piece of the mobile pie. The good news for dining establishments is that generally speaking, Mobile Users have positive reviews.
For nearly half of Mobile Users, the jury is still out on whether or not the use of mobile technology at restaurants actually makes the experience better, according to a recent survey conducted by Prosper Mobile Insights. However, for those who’ve chosen a side, it seems as though tablet order-takers and order-ahead apps are more likely to improve the dining out experience:
“Consumers are more likely to think mobile will improve their eating experiences when they are in a rush—for instance, in a drive-thru—versus those occasions when they want to unwind—say feasting at a full service restaurant,” said Pam Goodfellow, Consumer Insights Director at BIGinsight.
Just under half (43.2%) have experienced some form of mobile ordering at a restaurant. 24.2% have used their smartphone or tablet to place an order ahead of time. 21.1% had an employee in a drive-thru use mobile to take their order and 17.5% have experienced this at a quick service restaurant or sit-down establishment. This trend is only likely to grow: mobile usage continues to climb, and early adopters seem to approve of the use of smartphones and tablets to better their dining out experiences.
Other Key Findings on Mobile Users:
- Over half (52.3%) say they’ve used their smartphone or tablet as a coupon (by scanning a bar code or showing a text or email to a cashier, etc.).
- 3 in 5 (60.1%) say location-based coupons are convenient and useful; however, 45.3% are concerned about security issues and their location being tracked.
- The majority (56.8%) would prefer to receive coupons on a smartphone or tablet via email. 1 in 4 (24.5%) prefer to receive promotions automatically when they are near a store.


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Home Depot claims Black Friday for its own
While the vast majority of retailers bank on a solid Christmas holiday selling season to help make their years, things are a bit different for home improvement chains. DIY chains also look to the spring to boost sales as Americans go about working on their homes and yards with the improving weather. A case is point is Home Depot, which first launched its "Spring Black Friday" event six years ago and this year is carrying the analogy a step further with its first ever "Cyber Week" promotion.
"We had a great response on our traditional Cyber Week events," Kevin Hofmann, Home Depot’s president of online operations, told Bloomberg. "That triggered us to say Thanksgiving time isn’t the only time customers want a deal, so let’s extend it into our peak selling season."
Similarly to the winter season’s Cyber Monday and weeklong events, Home Depot is offering up special online daily deals like 50 percent off on select flooring, rugs and tools. The sale began on Sunday.
While trying to drum up excitement for its spring versions of Christmas sales, Home Depot has to contend with terms that have become cliché. The growth of "Christmas in July" promotions are often cited by retail industry experts as bandwagon marketing at its worst.
- How Home Depot Plans to Turn Spring Into Christmas – Bloomberg News
- Home Depot Expands Spring Black Friday To Spring Cyber Week – The Consumerist
- A different kind of ‘Christmas in July’ event – RetailWire
Will tagging spring sales events as “Black Friday” and “Cyber Week” result in higher sales for Home Depot than typical spring promotions? What are the pros and cons of echoing Christmas sale jargon throughout the year?


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New Zealanders will soon be able to sink their teeth into the juicy red kiwifruit after Zespri announced today the red-coloured fruit would be commercialised.
The Zespri Red is slightly smaller and softer-handling than Green and Sungold kiwifruit and had a sweet, berry-tinged flavour with a red flesh.
It was trialled in New Zealand markets and the positive feedback from consumers has lead to the Zespri Board decision to commercialise the fruit for New Zealand Growers.
• Kiwifruit crop a taste record-beater: Zespri
• Zespri to take legal action in China over kiwifruit plant variety rights
• Company of the year: Zespri - Bearing fruit
Zespri CEO Dan Mathieson said the decision was a significant milestone and represented the next step in Zespri's mission of providing the global portfolio of premium branded kiwifruit.
Mathieson said the addition of Zespri Red would help reach the company goal of $4.5 billion in global sales by 2025.
The fruit will be available to the public and production will increase over the next two years to reach commercial volumes, he said.
Mathieson said adding a red kiwifruit variety to the kiwifruit range gave Zespri an opportunity to further compete for market share in areas where kiwifruit is currently under-represented.
This would "ultimately grow our industry's share of the global fruit bowl."
Zespri Red is the latest kiwifruit to come through Zespri's world-leading new varieties breeding programme, run in partnership with Plant & Food Research.
It had been through an extensive trial process to involving how it tasted and the ability to perform from the orchard through the supply chain and into fruit bowls around the world.
Growers had been involved in the trials and the new varieties breeding programme was run in partnership with Plant & Food Research.
The red flesh stemmed from Anthocyanin which is a naturally occurring pigment in fruit and is linked to cardiovascular and cognitive health.
New Zealanders can expect to see limited releases of the fruit in selected supermarkets and fruit retailers in 2020 and 2021 as production increases towards commercial volumes in the coming years.
The red variety is initially planned to be launched in Asia while trials will continue in other Zespri production regions in the Northern Hemisphere.
It would take vines in New Zealand at least 2 years to produce enough fruit to meet initial demand.
As part of the commercialisation decision, Zespri's Board of Directors has approved the release of at least 150 hectares of Red licence in 2020.
Growers and investors would need to consider the potential risks of this variety when participating in the commercialisation of Zespri Red.
Further details on the licensing process and performance characteristics for Zespri Red would be made available to growers in March 2020.
This would be in the form od a New Varieties Information Guide and other licensing documentation will be published by Zespri.
"Zespri is committed to providing the world's leading portfolio of premium kiwifruit and we're looking forward to even more consumers being able to try Zespri Red in the years ahead as we increase production to commercial levels."


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MTN South Africa said on Monday that users of its MoMo mobile money platform can now “cash out”, or withdraw funds, at Nedbank-owned ATMs.
Browsing: MTN MoMo
Shares of MTN Nigeria hit an all-time high on Monday after receiving approval to operate mobile money services in Africa’s most populous country.
MTN Group has reported a strong set of results for the 2020 financial year, adding 29 million customers, growing adjusted headline earnings per share by 52% and more than doubling operating cash flow.
Mastercard and MTN Group on Tuesday announced that they have formed a partnership that will allow millions of MTN Mobile Money customers to pay for goods and services on global e-commerce platforms.
Africa’s mobile phone operators are ramping up plans to bring banking to millions of Africans, in some cases for the first time, after the coronavirus crisis caused a surge in use of digital financial services.
MTN South Africa has introduced new social bundles, including a plan that offers 10GB of data, with YouTube access, for R120.
MTN South Africa will have a second go at a mobile money offering in South Africa when a redesigned platform goes live to the public next month after more than a year of development.


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On Thursday 8th March, the European Commission released an Action Plan that provides opportunities to FinTech financial services.
FinTech – is short of Financial Technologies.
During the release of the Action Plan, Mariya Gabriel, Commissioner for the Digital Economy and Society stated that: “Technologies like blockchain can be game changers for financial services and beyond. We need to build an enabling framework to let innovation flourish while managing risks and protecting consumers.”
Nowadays, technology gained popularity and are of beneficial use to Financial Institutions. The European Commission is seeking to regulate and provide FinTech around EU states. Since the introduction of the blockchain technology, the European Commission is helping financial institutions to regulate and use this digital technology.
Through the introduction and regulation of such technologies FinTech, companies can use crowdfunding platforms more freely.
Vice-President responsible for Financial Stability, Financial Services and Capital Markets Union, Valdis Dombrovskis, said that “To compete globally, Europe’s innovative companies need access to capital, space to experiment and scale to grow. An EU crowdfunding licence would help crowdfunding platforms scale up in Europe. It will help them match investors and companies from all over the EU, giving more opportunities for firms and entrepreneurs to pitch their ideas to a wider base of funders.”
The European Commission has sought the need to regulate these new technologies such as blockchain, artificial intelligence and cloud service. These regulations in digital technologies will provide safer markets and easier access for new players in the industry.
Who will benefit from this FinTech Action Plan?
Since Blockchain technology is increasing in popularity, many businesses are merging in this new sector. Moreover, the European Union is envisaging that consumers, investors, banks and new market players will benefit from these digital technologies.
In the wake of the blockchain technology phenomenon, the European Commission is now seeking to implement a Digital Single Market (DSM) around member states. By the introduction of DSM, the Commission will licence the use of digital technology across Europe. This licence will allow European companies to operate across EU states with the same concept as the single market.
By building a FinTech laboratory, European national authorities will be provided with a neutral commercial space through technology. The Commission is seeking to set-up a Capital Markets Union (CMU), hence becoming a digital hub for the single market for financial services.
Through this Action Plan, the European Commission is aiming to regulate the blockchain technology. Hence, blockchain innovation will provide a beneficial use to financial institutions.


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ALMOST half of small businesses say any simplified government business support scheme must be targeted more at them and less at big businesses.
Half of respondents to the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) survey would prefer to have an independently tailored service geared towards the small business sector.
The government is rationalising business support services from 3,000 to around 100.
The FSB believes that this is good news for small businesses that have struggled with the complexity of the current system.
John Bates, FSB Warwickshire and Coventry chairman, said the move would be helpful "but only if there is an emphasis on marketing these in a much clearer manner".
He said: "The government needs to offer greater acknowledgement to small businesses and the specific challenges they face.
"This applies equally to those at a start-up level, supporting those who wish to remain steady, and those looking for growth."


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Ninety percent of the 107 million population in the Philippines are Catholic. Yet, the country’s trade secretary Ramon Lopez is feeling quite upbeat on the growth prospects of the halal market, and he is looking to Malaysia for expertise.
“Malaysia is the leader in terms of developing halal products. They can teach us a lot on how to grow this market,” says Lopez, during a visit to Kuala Lumpur last week.
“We are looking forward to more partnerships, not necessarily joint ventures - we are open to one - if not, technology assistance and partnerships,” he adds.
The Philippines, under a new halal export development and promotion act, is looking to capture a bigger slice of the halal segment - which stands at USD3.5 trillion dollar globally. The Philippines currently contributes five percent of the global halal trade.
I believe in the potential of halal as it projects a good image, not necessarily just limited to religion but also a lifestyle
Food and beverage is a key export sector for the Philippines. The country is also a major supplier of raw ingredients in the world market, including fresh and processed marine products. So, it is beneficial for Filipino companies seeking to have wider access to Muslim markets to have halal certification.
Meanwhile, when asked if about the demand appetite among Filipinos for halal products, Lopez says a rising middle income with higher purchasing power, coupled with increasing demand for products that emphasises on purity and cleanliness, will drive the segment’s growth.
“I believe in the potential of halal as it projects a good image, not necessarily just limited to religion but also a lifestyle.”
“Halal projects a very good, healthy, clean and pure image that can be marketed worldwide, not only in the Philippines,” says Lopez. “Even for services, halal restaurant and tourist resorts are limited right now.”
There are 11 million Muslims in the Philippines, making up about 10 percent of its population.
"We are welcoming suppliers of halal products into supermarkets. We have also met with retailers and encouraged major supermarkets in the country to build more shelves, or have a bigger corner for halal products."
“Just like Singapore, the Muslim community is around 10 percent. Yet they are promoting halal supermarkets, dedicated just for halal products. That’s the type of programme we want to initiate in our country,” say Lopez.
During the group interview with Lopez, he also commented on Sabah’s decision to lift a barter trade ban with Indonesia and southern Philippines starting January 1, 2019. (The ban was instituted in 2016 following a spate of cross-border kidnappings.)
Lopez says the move is timely as President Rodrigo Duterte is looking to boost development, economic activity and connectivity in Mindanao. Here, Lopez talks about improving the livelihood of the Sulu and Tawi-Tawi communities through rebuilding trade with Sabah.
Rebuilding Trade With Sabah
Lopez adds that the country’s move to liberalise the economy by lifting foreign ownership restrictions in certain industries will stimulate FDI, and hopefully, attract more Malaysian companies to set up businesses in the Philippines.
Duterte’s administration wants to reduce the minimum capital required for foreign retailers to set up shop in the country from USD2.5 million to USD200,000. This move is expected to enable entry of more foreign firms, particularly in sectors that are still dominated by local players, including food and beverages.
Malaysia is the Philippines’ 10th largest trading partner. Last year, the countries’ two-way trade increased 26.2 percent to USD 5.94 billion. Malaysia is the second largest investor in the Philippines among the ASEAN countries, with foreign direct investment (FDI) of RM196 million in 2017.
Relaxation of Foreign Ownership


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Google is being investigated by EU antitrust regulators again over how it collects data, a report by Reuters has revealed.
An executive of the European Commission told Reuters that the initial stages of an investigation have started into how Google uses data related to local search services, online advertising, online ad targeting services, login services, web browsers and others.
The regulator told Reuters: "The Commission has sent out questionnaires as part of a preliminary investigation into Google's practices relating to Google's collection and use of data.
"The preliminary investigation is ongoing."
Google has been on the receiving end of some hefty fines from the European regulators over recent years.
Going back further, the internet giant was hit with a €2.4bn fine for promoting its own shopping comparison over competitors in 2017.
Its total fines over the last two years top €8bn, according to Reuters.
Some say performance, others say money but it may be systems and processes that carry the day
Activist investor's self interests are not aligned with shareholders, HP claims
Having surpassed half a billion euros in its last financial year, the security VAD is pouring its resources into its MSP arm
HP shareholders will be 'better served' by a new director line up, claims Xerox CEO


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Taylor Swift’s visit to Denver will be brief, with two concerts this weekend. But her time here could fill some blank spaces in the Colorado economy.
“With her powerful performances that captivate millions of fans, Swift’s concerts have become the catalyst for an extraordinary economic surge, proving her indisputable impact on local businesses and communities,” Kelly Caufield, executive director of the Common Sense Institute, said in a news release the business-focused think tank put out on the economic impacts from Swift’s The Eras Tour.
Common Sense Institute researchers Cole Anderson and Andy Archuleta estimate spending associated with the two shows could contribute a net $140 million to Colorado’s GDP. That surpasses the economic benefits the Denver Nuggets’ championship series run generated, according to earlier estimates from the Metro Denver Economic Development Corporation.
The two concerts will provide $38 million in ticket sales, or about 63% of the $60 million in ticket sales at Red Rocks last summer, according to the institute, which estimates another $11.4 million will be spent within Empower Field at Mile High during the concerts and another $121 million outside the venue.
A survey of concertgoers found they plan to spend an average of $1,327 all in, according to the institute’s report.
The concerts will be held on the home turf of the Denver Broncos — Empower Field, which has a stated capacity of 76,125. Applying that average spend from the survey to 152,250 concertgoers works out to $201.7 million in direct consumer spending.
The contribution to state GDP is lower than spending because of what is known in economics as displacement. A certain share of the hotel rooms and restaurant tables that Swifties are filling would have been taken by someone else this weekend.
Colorado’s $140 million figure represents spending above what would have happened if Swift had decided there was too much bad blood with Denver. Beyond the concerts, there will be a lot of parties and other spending opportunities for fans who weren’t able to secure tickets. The value of that activity is tougher to gauge.
A host of venues and even some corporations are trying to piggyback.
Denver-based Frontier Airlines has launched a sweepstakes for a pair of tickets to Swift’s Aug. 7 concert at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, along with airline tickets and two nights of lodging. The airline is also discounting some base fares by 89% through Saturday with the promo code SAVE89. Why 89? 1989 is the year when Swift was born.
Forbes estimates Swift’s The Eras Tour could go beyond the wildest dreams of cities lucky enough to land a concert, generating a grand total of $4.6 billion in consumer spending. That is more money than the entire GDP reported by 35 countries, according to the Common Sense Institute.
OnMyWay Is The #1 Distracted Driving Mobile App In The Nation!
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Electric vehicle maker Tesla Inc, on Friday, has promised to work hand-in-hand with global regulators to ensure compliance with data security.
Brand News Day gathers that the Chief Executive of Tesla Motors Elon Musk made this known during the World New Energy Vehicle Congress in China on Friday.
Tesla To Work With Global Regulators To Ensure Data Security— Elon Musk
“With the rapid growth of autonomous driving technologies, data security of vehicles is drawing more public concerns than ever before,” Musk said, adding data security is not only the responsibility of a single company.
READ: E-Commerce: Call To Rescue SMEs’ Data Genocide


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Santander often knows which customers are in financial difficulty before they know themselves, according to the bank’s customer engagement lead, Clive Head, who is using this information to help increase relevance, all the more important during a cost of living crisis.
He describes Santander as a “very, very data rich” business, with unique insight that allows it to understand customers’ habits in detail.
“We can see customers approaching financial difficulty before they know that themselves,” he said, speaking on a panel at the Data and Marketing Association’s (DMA) Customer Engagement event today (13 September).
However, he said most consumers do not want to admit when they are in financial strife, and so the bank needs to be very careful about how it uses this data.
During lockdown, for example, Santander called many of its customers to discuss financial health and overall wellbeing, and Head said the business found many customers would insist they were doing OK financially even if that wasn’t the case.
But during the pandemic, and now as recession looms, Santander believes consumers will value suggestions on how to manage their finances, even if they are reticent to speak about it.
As a result, the bank has introduced ‘My Money Manager’, which uses data to understand what customers do within their Santander accounts before making suggestions as to how they might spend better. As an example, Head said the tool might recommend consumers cut multiple streaming subscriptions to save discretionary income.
Not many people love their bank.
Clive Head, Santander
The cost of living crisis is also disrupting Santander’s own business and product offer, with changes to the housing market just one example of how it is being impacted.
“The product mix that we’ve got is going to change dramatically,” he stated. “We’re going to have to be a lot smarter in what we do and how we do it.”
However, he said there are opportunities for the bank, by making sure it is there at the right time with the right product for consumers.
He said it’s more important than ever to understand customers, which comes from “having those conversations and using behavioural insights to frame those conversations”.
He added that the brand employs behavioural psychologists, something that works “very, very well”, to aid Santander’s understanding of its customers.
The challenge of building love for a bank
Head was candid about the fact “not many people love their bank” but added that despite this, love is exactly what Santander aims for. Setting that goal allows the bank to “shoot for the stars”, he said.
In terms of how the business measures loyalty, he said that while it does look at functional KPIs, the “North Star” for the business are “emotional KPIs”. He added that Santander looks to its Net Promoter Scores to understand how it is building an “emotional connection” with its customers.
In response to a question about how much the bank sees customers who join just to take advantage of signing up perks before fleeing to a new bank, Head said people think very carefully about joining a new bank.
He said there were few “players” that change bank regularly but added that these tend to be younger consumers shopping for rewards.
Head was also asked about new legislation brought in by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) on consumer duty. The FCA says the new rules will mean customers “should receive communications they can understand, products and services that meet their needs and offer fair value, and they get the customer support they need, when they need it”.
Head said that what that means for the like of Santander is that, for example, it should be flagging to a consumer that’s on a very low-interest account, that they could move to another account that will accumulate more interest.
“We do a lot of this already,” he insisted, adding that this relates back to the bank’s focus on customers.


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EnergyBet Partners Aston Villa F.C. In Front of Official Establish
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Commenting on Aston Villa’s partnership with EnergyBet, Peter Wright, Head of Partnerships at the soccer club, stated in the exciting online gambling industry that they are delighted to have the sportsbook as their Official Betting Partner for the UK and Europe and that they are looking forward to working with its team, thus supporting the sports betting 4 reel slots machines brand in its endeavor to establish itself.
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EnergyCasino free 3 reel slots games is placed to launch its EnergyBet on line sportsbook later on in August. Continue reading EnergyBet Partners Aston Villa F.C. In Front of Official Establish 3 Reel Vs 5 Reel Slots


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BREA, California — May 20, 2015 — Twenty years ago, the first e-mails were exchanged among a small group of automotive technicians through iATN. Today, more than 83,000 automotive service professionals from 170 countries routinely use iATN’s various forums and rich content databases to expand their knowledge and skill set spanning all topics related to the industry.
Since 1995, iATN has evolved from an e-mail based communication service into the world’s largest online community of automotive technicians, repair shop owners and other allied service professionals. Members now have access to many iATN features including TechHelp — where technicians help each other with real-world automotive repair problems 24 hours a day — plus many technical and managerial web forums. An extensive, searchable iATN Knowledge Base houses the Fix Database with hundreds of thousands of real-world vehicle fixes, as well as the web forum archives with over two million discussions, and the Waveform Library with nearly 70,000 waveforms, scandata images, component photos, documents and video demonstrations, all uploaded by iATN members.
“It’s hard to believe that 20 years ago, when iATN started, we didn’t even have a website, and all communication was done via e-mail,” said Brent Black, iATN founder. “Now nearly all communication on iATN is done via the web, and we expect in the near future that most of it will be done via mobile apps.”
“Today, we’ve witnessed the incredibly positive results of the communication that takes place on iATN, including the fellowship of like-minded professionals who are focused on knowledge expansion and positive professional development within an industry that is constantly evolving,” said Scott Brown, iATN president.
Brown sees an ever-increasing role for iATN in the near future as vehicles continue to grow in complexity and vehicle technology exponentially increases. “iATN will become even more important for those seeking to gain a deeper understanding of today’s challenges and remain competent in the automotive service industry,” said Brown.
The International Automotive Technicians Network was founded in 1995 and is the largest online community of automotive technicians, repair shop owners and other allied service professionals in the world with more than 83,000 active members from over 170 countries. iATN members exchange technical knowledge with their peers around the globe, collectively sharing almost two million years of experience.
The iATN Mission of Excellence: To promote the continued growth, success and image of the automotive service professional by providing a forum for the exchange of knowledge and the promotion of education, professionalism and integrity. For additional information, automotive industry professionals are welcome to join iATN at iatn.net.
640 W. Lambert Rd.
Brea, California 92821
View this press release in Microsoft Word® format.
iATN and the iATN logo are registered trademarks of the International Automotive Technicians Network.


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New Zealands exports and imports seemed to stabilize after its huge drops in 2015. Exports in 2016 were slightly lower at US$ 33.9 billion than the previous years US$ 34.4 billion. This was also true to imports, where it was US$ 36.2 billion in 2016, lower than the previous years US$ 36.5 billion. The exports and imports drops were already in its two-year period after their all-time peaks in 2014.
The country exported a total of 3,863 products in 2016. Most of these were animal products (40.7 percent), food products (11.5 percent), wood (11.1 percent), vegetable (7.6 percent), machine and electronics (5.4 percent), chemicals (4.7 percent), metals (3.6 percent), textiles and clothing (2.6 percent), and miscellaneous (5.6 percent). On the other hand, New Zealands imported 4,289 products, of which mostly were machine and electronics (21.6 percent), transportation (18.7 percent), chemicals (8.9 percent), fuels (8.5 percent), food products (7.7 percent), plastic or rubber (5.1 percent), textiles and clothing (4.9 percent), metals (4.9 percent), and miscellaneous (7.9 percent). In contrast, New Zealand imported more products than what it exported, totaling to 4,289. Most of these were on machineries and electronics (21.6 percent) and transportation (18.7 percent). Other import goods include chemicals (8.9 percent), fuels (8.5 percent), food products (7.7 percent), plastic or rubber (5.1 percent), textiles and clothing (4.9 percent), metals (4.9 percent), and miscellaneous (7.9 percent).
In terms of stages of processing, most of the exports were raw materials (33.1 percent), intermediate goods (29.4 percent), and consumer goods (25.9 percent). Capital goods were only 8.3 percent. On the other hand, consumer goods (45.5 percent) and capital goods (29.7 percent) were the major imports. Intermediate goods and raw materials were only at 8.6 percent and 15.5 percent, respectively.
New Zealands largest exports markets include China (19.5 percent), Australia (17.1 percent), USA (10.9 percent), Japan (6.1 percent), and Korea (3.1 percent). China (20.0 percent), Australia (12.6 percent), USA (11.3 percent), and Japan (7.1 percent) were also among the main sources of imports, in addition to Germany (4.9 percent).
In terms of balance of payments, service imports amounted to US$ 11.9 billion, while exports amounted to US$ 15.0 billion in 2016.
As of 2017, the countrys FDI inflows continued to recover from its deficit in 2015 (US$ 245 million). It initially recovered in 2016 at US$ 2.9 billion to US$ 3.6 billion in 2017. The FDI stocks, however, continuously showed optimistic movements despite the decline of inflows in 2015. It increased from US$ 66.6 billion in 2015 to US$ 70.4 billion in 2016, and further significantly increased to US$ 76.4 billion in 2017.
Most of the countries FDI came from Canada, Australia, Hong Kong, Japan, and Cayman Islands.
https://wits.worldbank.org/CountryProfile/en/Country/NZL/Year/2016/Summary (29 October 2018)
https://en.portal.santandertrade.com/establish-overseas/new-zealand/investing (29 October 2018)


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Story updated on March 13
Less than a week after this story posted, Undra Foster said his car was finally paid off.READ MORE: Dallas Cowboys Defensive Coordinator Dan Quinn Says He's Staying With The Team For 2022
Foster said he was contacted by Fortunes O’Neal, who met him at his bank in Arlington.
According to Foster, O’Neal walked into the bank and paid off roughly $8,000 on the remainder of his car loan.
Foster said O’Neal apologized for the ordeal, but O’Neal did not respond to calls or requests for comment.
Tanner Lontine said someone from 360 Smart Car contacted him about his trade-in following our story, but the issue has still not been resolved.
ARLINGTON, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) – A used car dealership in Arlington is under investigation by the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles after numerous customers filed complaints alleging the company never paid off their trade-in vehicles.
Customers said they thought they were trading in their old cars for newer ones at 360 Smart Car in Arlington. But they got stuck paying for both vehicles.
Undra Foster visited 360 Smart Car last December to buy a new SUV that could fit his family of seven.
“I wanted to give my wife something a little bit bigger, more space,” said Foster, who swapped his Buick Enclave for a Ford Expedition.
“[An employee] said, ‘OK, I can give you $6,000 for the trade-in’ when I owe $8,200,” Foster recalled.
He paid extra the difference, signed the paperwork and drove away in his Ford Expedition.
Foster thought it was a done deal, until a month later.
“I get a phone call from my bank saying I hadn’t made a payment on that car yet,” Foster said.
He said 360 Smart Car never paid off his original loan.
“To see it and know I’m still liable for paying the note?” Foster said. “Oh, it drives me crazy.”
Tanner Lontine traded in his Toyota Tacoma last October.
“At first I thought there was a mistake,” Lontine said.
He, too, gave 360 Smart Car thousands of dollars to pay off what he owed on his old vehicle. But the truck never got paid off.
“It’s horrible,” Lontine said. “I can’t make both payments.”
Lontine’s credit score dropped more than 80 points after missing his car payments, which dashed his hopes of refinancing his home.
“Even though I did nothing wrong, I have to suffer the consequences for it,” Lontine said.
When Foster and Lontine called the company to complain, they learned 360 Smart Car no longer existed.
READ MORE: Dallas Homicide Detectives Investigating Fatal Shooting Of Juan Jairo Toran, 19
Employees told the customers that the person who was in charge was gone.
“It’s really heartbreaking to be in this situation knowing there’s nothing you can do,” Foster said.
But The Ones for Justice discovered these customers never actually dealt with 360 Smart Car.
The company went out of business last June, selling its assets and renting the property to Prosper Plano Automotive or PPA, according to documents provided by 360’s attorney.
The attorney claims Prosper Plano Automotive used 360 Smart Car’s name and dealer’s license without their knowledge until December, when PPA fell behind on rent.
In December, the landlords asked PPA to vacate the premises.
A DMV spokesperson said state records do not indicate PPA had its own license to sell used vehicles.
“It’s not right they think they can take advantage of people and get away with it,” Lontine said.
Fortunes O’Neal is listed as PPA’s managing member, according to the Texas Secretary of State’s Office.
State records show the business went “inactive” January 25, 2019, forfeiting its existence.
O’Neal is now the general manager at Kia Central Plano.
When O’Neal did not return calls or messages, we caught up with him one day before work.
But O’Neal did not want to catch up with us.
“What happened to the money from the trade-ins,” CBS 11 asked.
O’ Neal hopped into a pickup truck, taking unanswered questions with him.
A spokesman for Kia Motors America initially said he was not aware of the situation.
“We ask our dealers to uphold our own high standards of hiring and performance, but as franchises, we are legally limited on ability to influence,” wrote James Bell, the director of corporate communications at Kia Motors America.
O’Neal called 15 minutes later, saying he was trying to liquidate the assets of his “failed business” and pay off all the debts.
The manager said he could explain everything in an interview. But after numerous attempts to follow-up and schedule a meeting, O’Neal never responded.
The DMV confirmed it is investigating 10 open cases involving 360 Smart Car.
Another business, Kamkad Direct, started leasing the Arlington property in late December, according to leasing agreements provided to The Ones for Justice.
The sign at the dealership simply reads, “under new ownership.”
KamKad’s CEO said he has allowed several customers to retrieve their old vehicles from the lot if the title remained in their name. Call 972-846-4172 for more information.
Lontine and Foster said they were eventually able to recover their old vehicles, but they still need to make the payments.
To file a complaint with the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles, click here.MORE NEWS: Don't Put Away Your Wallet, $3 Gasoline Is Back And Expected To Hang Around For A While


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New sneakers and a watch are coming soon. Here’s how to get them.
New styles for men and women are on the way, but they won’t last long.
Brand execs believe the next evolution of Air Max will satisfy a broad base of consumers.
Air Max fans will soon be able to buy the franchise’s most advanced shoe.


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If you're always in a rush for meals, then Google's latest feature that reveals restaurant wait times will definitely help you better organize your meals . The feature will come to Google Search and Maps "soon."
It will reveal the estimated waiting time prior to getting a table at a restaurant . Google states that it'll have estimated wait times for almost one million sit-down F&B restaurants worldwide.
In order to access this feature, you just need to search for your desired eatery on Google, open the business listing info, and a Popular Times section will be shown with an approximated wait in real time.
You could even tap on any hour on the graph to check the wait time for that time frame, just in case you wish to plan ahead for meals.
There's even a rundown of the average time a customer spends dining, and the max time customers are willing to wait during peak hours.
According to Google, the estimations are gathered from "anonymized historical data," which is how it measures wait times for other establishments such as groceries and museums.
Google states this new feature will be rolled out today.
Talks aimed at a tie-up between planemakers Boeing Co and Embraer SA that also involve Brazil's government are at an advanced stage, O Estado de S. Paulo newspaper reported on Friday, citing unnamed sources.
Pivotal has kind of a strange role for a company. On one hand its part of the EMC federation companies that Dell acquired in 2016 for a cool $67 billion, but it’s also an independently operated entity within that broader Dell family of companies — and that has to be a fine line to walk. […]


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In the UK, video data mining specialist LivingLens has launched a solution called CaptureMe, which offers a mobile app to capture video and images from individuals taking part in MR projects, combined with a cloud-based app to manage tasks and participants.
The firm offers access to a platform through which consumers can capture, edit and share videos, and has bases in London, Liverpool, Toronto and New York. Content is analysed using software that intelligently searches every spoken word captured 'in any video, in any language'. Last year, LivingLens added two new video analytics modules to its platform, to enable users to search and navigate to exact moments of relevant multimedia content, and analyse content at an aggregated level to understand trends such as key themes and sentiment.
Building on the company's previously launched mobile solution, the new CaptureMe offering has been developed to enable client users to 'easily set up mobile research projects in a matter of minutes'. CEO Carl Wong (pictured) says the tool is ideal for qual projects using a broad range of methodologies, where video can add value and generate insight, such as auto-ethnography, video diaries, innovation feedback, and 'in the moment' customer journeys. Resulting content feeds directly into LivingLens' platform, with respondent and project information appended to provide additional context.
Wong adds: 'We want to support our clients and their consumers by making it is as easy as possible for people to capture and submit their content. The launch of CaptureMe is just one of the ways we are doing this. The tool is the first in a really exciting line-up of launches we have planned for 2018, and we're delighted with the response we've already received from early users'.
Web site: www.livinglens.tv .
All articles 2006-18 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas.


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Zipcar adds plug-in hybrid cars to Boston/Cambridge fleet
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Zipcar Inc. said it has introduced plug-in vehicles as part of its car-sharing fleet in three U.S. locations, including Boston/Cambridge.
The Cambridge-based company said three Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrids have been added in Boston/Cambridge, with another three in San Francisco and two in Portland, Ore.
The cars are being added “in an effort to further test and evaluate plug-in hybrid technology and gain increased intelligence on how electric vehicles can fit into a large-scale car-sharing model,” Zipcar officials said in its announcement.
Zipcar said the Boston area plug-ins are located at the Albany Street garage at MIT; at 33 Arch St. in downtown Boston; and at the Prudential Center.
The Toyota Prius plug-ins will not become commercially available until 2012. Toyota is currently distributing a total of 160 nationwide as part of a pilot program to evaluate the performance of the vehicles.
The vehicle is powered by lithium-ion batteries and can be fully charged from a standard outlet in about three hours, Zipcar said. The plug-in can travel on electric-only power at speeds of up to 62 mph for approximately 13 miles, after which it shifts to operate as a conventional Prius hybrid, averaging an estimated 50 miles per gallon, according to Zipcar.
“This makes the PHV model ideal for car sharing,” Zipcar officials said. “Because many trips taken by Zipcar members are fewer than 13 miles, many PHV trips will be emission-free.”
Zipcar, which has filed intentions to go public, said in December that it had completed a Series G financing of $21 million, led by Meritech Capital Partners.
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Commercial services—including those used by Fortune 500 companies—outsourced to India typically consist of information technology outsourcing or business process outsourcing. For example, IBM likely employs the majority of its employees in India, where they process bank records, perform financial analyses, and write software. Chinese workers can no doubt handle these tasks, but given the reports of industrial espionage in the country, foreign businesses may be wary of trusting their internal workings of their computer systems, accounting, or customer relations platforms. As a corollary, companies might also be unwilling to reveal to their customers that they outsource customer personal data to China. In a time-sensitive services environment, uncertainty about whether information flow can be interrupted for political reasons is difficult to tolerate. Most people do not have the same fear of transferring information to India, which, as the world’s largest democracy, maintains a boisterous and free press.
–China may be the world’s factory but it won’t become our information hub
Of course, if you replace "China" with "NSA," things get intellectually annoying as well.
Researchers have found that IT departments typically spend 75% of their time, money and resources simply keeping things running on a daily basis, leaving only 25% of efforts dedicated to new strategic initiatives.
–Getting Control of the Application Portfolio
This kind of thing is always suspect, and with the source it’s likely scopes to banks. Still: that’s IT for ya!
"The mobile revolution has given end-users the power to find new software, new ideas and new content all by themselves," he says.
"If our users find a new mobile app that gives a better way to do their expense claim easily and efficiently, they will put pressure on their employer and say, ‘Why are we using Concur when we have this app which is so cool and easy to use?’," Tetaz explains.
–Concur turns start-up investor to develop its ecosystem
"More than 50 percent of Walmart customers have smartphones, and mobile is driving more than 40 percent of Walmart.com seasonal traffic."
—@Walmart Labs’ Tim Kimmet talks what’s in store for mobile shoppers
Chromebooks have in just the past eight months snagged 20 percent to 25 percent of the U.S. market for laptops that cost less than $300, according to NPD Group Inc. The devices, which have a full keyboard and get regular software updates from Google, are the fastest-growing part of the PC industry based on price, NPD said.
Chromebooks still remain a small portion of the total U.S. market for laptops and netbooks. The devices had about 4 percent to 5 percent share in the first quarter, though that was up from 1 percent to 2 percent in 2012, according to Mikako Kitagawa, an analyst at Gartner Inc.
–Google Chromebook Under $300 Defies PC Market With Growth
The duration of your working life is now almost certainly greater than the lifespan of a company.
–Fail Cheaper, Fail Better
Using RedMonk logic: companies tend to keep what they consider their competative advantage closed source; Google keeps their dev toolchain closed source; Google’s ability to more productive in development (the primary point of a dev toolchain) is a core differentiator for Google. QED.
More: This Is the Woman at the Heart of Everything Google Builds
Then Facebook began to grow and grow. I remember the first time someone was showing me Facebook—it was Tantek of all people—I remember asking “But what is it for?” After all, Flickr was for photos, Delicious was for links, Dopplr was for travel. Facebook was for …everything …and nothing.
I just didn’t get it. It seemed crazy that a social network could grow so big just by offering …well, a big social network.
But it did grow. And grow. And grow. And suddenly the AOL business model didn’t seem so crazy anymore. It seemed ahead of its time.
–Battle for the planet of the APIs
On this week’s Critical Path, Horace gives a great overview of why a functional organization is a better way to achieve goals that are dashed by self-cannibalism FUD; that is: why your company should have just one P&L.
So what is the impact of IBM’s acquisition of SoftLayer? This analyst believes this acquisition may be a fundamental signal to competitors that the old world of outsourcing is fading and that the only way to the future is delivery of services via an “IT” utility called the cloud. Just consider that 80% of U.S. buyers indicate that they will have transformed 50% of their IT environment to a cloud by 2017 and that they will not have all the resources to manage their own cloud.
—David Tapper, IDC
Tapper also covers a good history of IBM getting into “utility computing,” all the way back to 2000-ish, if not 1957.
I met and talked with Tapper at the recent Dell analyst event. I liked him a lot: he was pretty much as abrasive/honest as the UK analysts! As in this piece, what I like is people who bring the full, shaggy-dog context to what seems like a point in time in the IT industry continuum.
If we look at it from Yammer’s perspective, it’s been a good year. Being part of the Microsoft family has helped it grow its total user base by 60% in the last 12 months to almost 8 million users, and its number of paid networks has grown by 200%. Plus, Yammer’s 2012 full year sales almost tripled year over year, helped by a stellar Q4 performance.
–Microsoft & Yammer: still a long way to go
Increasingly, PC makers are experimenting with Android, given that Microsoft’s Windows 8 devices have struggled to attract consumers, according to analysts. Google promotes Android as a free and open operating system, and many tech companies are already relying on the OS to build their smartphone and tablet products.
PC makers will come out with more Android devices, "But the question is what is it going to look like?" said Bryan Ma, an analyst with IDC. "Most of the good Android apps aren’t really for the larger screens."
–HP shows off 21-inch all-in-one desktop installed with Android
Despite where I work, I don’t pay super attention to this space. However, the above does provoke the point: between Chrome, iOS, Android, OS X, and Windows, if you lump them all together, you’ve got mass fragmentation on the "desktop" area. Throw in all the public cloud archipelagos, along with "traditional IT," and It’s heterogenous systems management all the way down!
Adrian Cockcroft, who runs all things cloud for Netflix, called it “technical indigestion.” His group is releasing an open source project a week – including new monitoring tools that came out this week. “We’re driving a lot of innovation but we’re giving people indigestion. There’s only so many blog posts you can read in a day,” he said.
–‘Analysis paralysis’ slowing down cloud adoption


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Microsoft has officially launched a new suite of apps based on its Bing search engine. These apps are being called as Bing Apps, which happen to be a collection of four different apps. These apps include Sports, News, Weather and Finance, and they even come with Live Tile support on Windows Phone 8 devices.
These new Bing based apps bring a lot of new things to the table. Most importantly, you can now have all these apps sitting right on your home screen as most consumers would prefer. You will now be able to access all the latest news right on your home screen, allowing you to get information and updates in the fastest way possible. Windows Phone consumers are very much used to the “glance and go” way of checking out apps, and you will be able to do the same with these apps.
With the launch of Bing Apps on the Windows Phone platform, consumers already using the suite on the Windows 8 will be able to use it on multiple devices seamlessly. Microsoft has done an excellent job, allowing consumers to get the same experience on multiple platforms.
Want to keep tabs on what’s happening in the world? The Bing News app for Windows Phone has you covered. With the new app, you have one comprehensive experience to keep tabs on the latest headlines and videos of breaking news. And the app is customizable so you can track specific story categories, topics, or news sources that matter to you. You can even rearrange the headline clusters so that the news that matters most to you is at the top.
Keep tabs on your portfolio and gauge performance of your stocks at a glance with the Bing Finance app which include financial news, market info, watchlists, timely US stock updates and customizable interactive charts.
Each of these apps allows you to customize a lot of stuff so that you can get the news and updates as and when you want them. The apps also include a feature wherein you can restrict background data usage to Wi-Fi only. The apps do lack some wanted features like lockscreen support and article sharing, but Microsoft should take care of it in the updates to come. If you are interested, you should check out Bing apps on the store and let us know about the features you like and the ones you want to be added.


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Ubisoft has released its official lineup for the E3 2010, including a new Driver-saga chapter, Future Soldier and Assassin's Creed Brotherhood.
"DRM DRM DRM, enjoy everyone!!!....oh and our record losses for the last quarter had ABSOLUTELY nothing to do with our DRM...no no, it was the pirates fault..."
So duplicate... http://n4g.com/news/531672/...
N4G is a community of gamers posting and discussing the latest game news. It’s part of NewsBoiler, a network of social news sites covering today’s pop culture.


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Reinforcement of 'Universe' introduced next year
Expect to popularize 'STARIA' following Starex
Coordinating the release of ‘Solati’, 16 passengers van
Beating first to commercial vehicles… Key
Hyundai Motor introduces the world's first hydrogen-powered vans and express buses.
In addition, Hyundai Motor will double the fuel cell electric vehicle(FCEV) lineup within two years, accelerating FCEV popularization as a global hydrogen vehicle market leader.
According to the industry on the 20th, Hyundai Motor will expand its hydrogen car lineup from three to six by 2023. Following the passenger car market with its Nexo, which has taken the top spot in the global hydrogen car market for two consecutive years, Hyundai will take the lead in the commercial vehicle market
There are three models of hydrogen cars currently on the market by Hyundai: Nexo (SUV), Elec CityFuel CellBus (city bus), and Xcient hydrogen truck (large truck). Hyundai are preparing for three additional models: STARIA (7-11 seater van), Solati (15-16 seater van), and Universe (express intercity bus). Oncenew models are released, Hyundai will have the largest lineup of six hydrogen car models in the global automobile industry.
Hydrogen buses will be introduced first next year, aiming at the express bus market. The firstly introduced model will be Hyundai Universe, an omnibus. Hyundai Universe will be sold as an omnibus equipped with two diesel engines that meet Euro 6 emission standards and three types of compressed natural gas (CNG) engines. Hyundai Universe will enter the express bus market anew after reinforcing its commerciality with data obtained through a demonstration project.
On the 16th of past month, Hyundai and Kia invested 15 billion won through a capital increase in Kumho Express, which operates Kumho Buslines, and secured an 11.5% stake. It is interpreted that they are trying to cooperate with with the No.1 express bus company in hydrogen. Prior to this, Hyundai Motor Company completed the development of Hyundai Universe two years ago, and has been promoting demonstration projects for government branches, such as police department. By 2028, about 800 police buses will be replaced with hydrogen buses.
Elec City Fuel Cell Bus, developed by Hyundai Motors prior to Hyundai Universe, is equipped with a 180kW fuel cell system, an 845L hydrogen tank, and a 78.4kWh battery, and can run about 474km with a single charge. Hyundai Universe is expected to increase the mileage by equipping a larger battery. The average annual mileage of express buses is to exceed 200,000km; thus, it is expected to have an excellent impact on air purification. If one hydrogen bus travels 86,000km per year, it can purify 418,218kg of air.
STARIA is the model that is expected to open the door to the popularization of hydrogen cars.
STARIA, a multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) that continues the legacy of Starex, is gaining popularity as it has sold 7,700 units in Korea within two months since its launch in April of this year. However, the necessity of introducing an electric model by composing the power train only with diesel and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) has been raised. The STARIA hydrogen model, which is targeted for release in 2023, is expected to improve driving performance such as output and torque compared to Nexo. The current Nexo has an output of 113kW (about 154 horsepower) and a torque of 40.3·m, and can run 609km on a single charge.
There is also a Solati hydrogen model. The Solati, a light commercial vehicle (LCV) capable of carrying up to 16 people, is sold only with a diesel engine. Having already completed advanced development, Hyundai plan to adjust the release date according to market demand. The second-generation Nexo model is also scheduled to be released in 2023.
The insufficient charging infrastructure is the key to the dissemination of next-generation hydrogen vehicles. Although Hyundai Motor has the necessary technology to develop a hydrogen car, the actual launch date is set around 2023 to secure the physical time required to build hydrogen charging infrastructure. In particular, it is necessary to build a dedicated charging facility equipped with a high-pressure hydrogen tank for the hydrogen commercial vehicles with large charging capacity. Hyundai Motor established Kohygen, a joint venture for the construction and operation of hydrogen commercial vehicle charging stations in March this year with eight companies including Korea District Heating Corporation and SK Energy. Kohygen aims to build 35 hydrogen charging stations for commercial vehicles nationwide by 2025.
By Staff Reporter Chiyeon Chung


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Do you have a new, innovative sports product or service? Enter it into the Racquet Sports Innovation Challenge, which showcases new products and services designed to grow the sport and business of racquet sports with players, consumers and fans.
Daxko announced recently that it acquired TennisSource, a provider of tennis facility management software solutions. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The Tennis Industry Association's annual Tennis Owners & Managers (TOM) Conference headlines a comprehensive program of educational opportunities at the Racquet & Paddle Sports Show, Jan. 22-24, at the Orange County Convention Center (OCCC) in Orlando, Fla.
Tennis Channel has opened a fully equipped broadcast control room on the site of the USTA National Campus in Orlando, Fla. The facility, which establishes an East Coast production base for the West Coast-based network, provides Tennis Channel with greater access to National Campus competitions and players, in addition to Florida's extensive tennis community.
This year’s TIA Tennis Forum, held in New York on the opening day of the US Open, included a unique Tennis Industry “Discovery Challenge,” a collaborative effort designed to foster creative ideas and innovative thinking to grow the game and business of tennis.
Nearly 250 tennis leaders, industry executives and tennis providers came together on the first day of play at the US Open for the 12th annual Tennis Industry Association (TIA) Tennis Forum, held at the Grand Hyatt New York.
The USTA announced details of the evolution of its digital properties and related extensions that allow fans to follow the tournament and experience the US Open in new and innovative ways.
Racquet sports professionals and others in the racquet/paddle sports industry can now register, free of charge, for the 2020 Racquet & Paddle Sports Show, Jan. 21-24, in Orlando, Fla., at RacquetPaddleSportsShow.com.
This year’s TIA TENNIS FORUM will include a unique Tennis Industry “DISCOVERY CHALLENGE,” a collaborative effort designed to foster creative ideas and innovative thinking to grow the game and business of tennis.
The Tennis Industry Association wants you to take part in a collaborative effort to brainstorm novel ideas on how to increase creative and innovative thinking to grow the game and business of tennis. The TIA worked with IdeaConnection, one of the world’s leading Open Innovation service companies, to develop the DISCOVERY CHALLENGE, an online competition designed to showcase innovation and solutions on how to increase tennis engagement and participation.


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Competition law expert and former Australian Government Solicitor Stephen Ridgeway has been appointed to the ACCC as a Commissioner.
The competition regulator, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, has instituted proceedings in the Federal Court against Optus Internet and Optus Mobile, alleging the company misled consumers about the need to move to the NBN or risk being disconnected.
New Zealand’s largest telco Spark has been hit with a fine of NZ$675,000 for making false or misleading representations in its customer invoicing, and when making a NZ$100 credit offer to new customers.
It was obviously BAI BAI (bye bye) to the old name then...
Sounds like self-serving bullshit to me.
A restaurant that is any good and will get repeat business should be smart enough to tell these home delivery[…]
self evident fallacious arguments indeed
A new report from Restaurant & Catering Australia (R&CA), the peak body representing the interests of more than 47,000 eating[…]


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Google has started releasing the Android 13 final public beta. As the firm had earlier promised, the stable rollout could start in the upcoming weeks, at least for Pixel phones.
In terms of features, the current build only contains minor adjustments to bugs that have already been identified. According to Google, Android 13 has a lot to discover, including privacy features like the new notification permission and photo picker. Themed app iconography, per-app language support, and contemporary standards like HDR video, Bluetooth LE Audio, and MIDI 2.0 over USB are examples of productivity-focused features.
Additionally, this subsequent full release will be advantageous for Android tablet users. In order to give customers “greater tools to take advantage of tablet and large screen devices,” the company claims to have expanded the modifications made in Android 12L.
On Google’s developer site, there are instructions on how to install the final beta version of Android 13 on Pixel smartphones that are compatible with Beta 4.


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David Williams' Columbia-based marketing company makes heavy use of data to help business clients reach customers and maintain their loyalty.
As a racecar driver, the CEO of Merkle Inc. also sifts through data to improve his performance on the track.
"It's amazing how the use of data has evolved in motor sports," Williams said. "There is a computer in my car that captures more than 100 elements associated with the vehicle — G-forces and speed and brake pressure. We are capturing all this information in real time from that car, and after a race or qualifying or practice session, we download all that data into a computer and we can analyze foot-by-foot around that racetrack how fast we were going."
Williams will be driving a Porsche 911 in the IMSA GT3 Cup Challenge, the first year the Grand Prix of Baltimore festival is featuring this race. Other corporate executives, including the CEO of Patron Spirits Co. and the chief financial officer of Hunt Valley's Alpine Bagel Co., also will be behind a wheel in races during the three-day event.
The 50-year-old Williams sees many similarities between business and racing.
"Motor sports is a lot like building a company," he said, explaining that both require determination, calculated risks and the right people on your team.
"It's not enough to have the best car, because if you don't have the skills, you won't win. It's not enough to have the best skills, because if you don't have the car, you won't win," he said. "And if you have those two things and don't have the right team dynamic, you won't win."
In the past 25 years, Williams has built Merkle up from two dozen employees to an international customer relationship management agency with about 2,000 employees in 14 offices, including one in London and two in China.
Williams, who was born in Baltimore but spent much of his youth in Doylestown, Pa., started drag racing in high school. He inherited his interest in motor sports from his father, a fan of British sports cars.
The son favors German-made Porsches and an early goal of his was to acquire one by the time he turned 30. Williams met that deadline with a month to spare.
After a neighbor told him about racing lessons through the Porsche Club of America, Williams signed up.
"I did one of those events, and I was completely sucked into it," he said.
He ended up ripping out the interior of his Porsche to add a roll cage, a protective frame in racecars.
"My wife thought I was crazy," he said.
He club-raced for a half-dozen years, and then stopped in 1998 to devote more time to his four children and his growing business.
Williams had acquired Merkle Computer Systems a decade earlier at the age of 25. Merkle's business then was mostly helping organizations manage their membership files and mailings.
Merkle started to focus on direct marketing at a time when that industry was taking off, Williams said. Direct marketing went from a $20 billion industry in 1990 to $45 billion in a decade.
"We really rode that wave," he said.
As the new century dawned, Merkle moved more into digital marketing, an area of torrid growth.
"We are using information we know about consumers to try to put the most relevant ad before them," Williams said.


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- 1 January 2016
- Transport / Logistics Services
The annual tracker study by Royal Mail suggests growing confidence among online retailers this year with as many as 8 in 10 online retailing SMEs expecting an increase in business in 2016, up from 7 in 10 last year.
2015 was a good year for many e-tailers, with 74% seeing significant increases in business last year. This is the highest growth in three years, with 58% seeing increased sales in 2014 and 49% in 2013.
The study suggests that delivery companies improving their service to online retailers and their customers have played a significant role in improving e-commerce in the UK over the last year. Delivery companies are increasing capacity as well as maturing in the range of services they are offering their clients. A statement from Royal Mail said, “The most common factor in driving customer satisfaction is on-time delivery, voted by two thirds (66%) of SME e-retailers. This is more than the number of SME e-retailers who consider the quality of products (62%) and the price of goods (57%) as key drivers of customer satisfaction.
A good returns process is core to customer satisfaction, and this is reflected in the study. 49% of companies surveyed felt that this would improve customer’s satisfaction with their service, while 45% felt that this would lead to repeat customers.
Managing Director of Royal Mail Parcels Nick Landon said of the survey, “Technology is influencing how people shop, where they shop and what they define as an excellent shopping experience. Our research shows that SME online retailers are plugged in to the needs of the shopper and they are taking actions to enable them to meet the demands of the discerning online consumer.”
Smartphone shopping is set to be the big growth area this year, with 47% feeling that an app could improve business in 2016. Competition is set to increase in the online marketplace and this could be have an impact on sales in the coming months.


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If you own Nvidia (NVDA), Amazon (AMZN), Tesla (TSLA), Google (GOOG), Microsoft (MSFT), or Meta (META)… You're going to want to watch this interview. In it I sat down with two of the market's leading financial experts – Matt McCall and Brett Eversole. Collectively, these men have found 457 different stock winners. They recommended many of these stocks I just mentioned… while they were trading for pennies. But right now, they're issuing a warning about these companies. One that anyone who is currently holding them in their portfolio should review immediately. Just click here to watch now. P.S. Even if you're not holding any of those tech titans, I would advise you review this presentation before you buy into the ongoing tech rally. Here's why.
Amazon, with its current market capitalization of $1.43 trillion and a stock price of $138, stands as a testament to the transformative power of technology and innovation.
As we look ahead, there's a compelling argument to be made about Amazon's potential to reach a staggering $3 trillion market capitalization.
This report delves into the factors and strategies that could propel Amazon to this monumental valuation. Here’s how…
Leadership in Cloud and AI:
Amazon's dominance in the cloud computing sector through Amazon Web Services (AWS) is undeniable. AWS's robust infrastructure combined with Amazon's continuous investments in artificial intelligence (AI) positions the company at the forefront of the generative AI revolution. This leadership is not just about having the technology but about harnessing it to create tangible value for businesses and consumers alike.
Leveraging Data and First-Mover Advantage:
Amazon's vast reservoir of high-quality data, accumulated from its diverse range of services, provides it with a unique advantage. This data, when processed through AI algorithms, can lead to unparalleled insights, driving innovation and efficiency. Moreover, Amazon's pioneering efforts in areas like generative AI give it a first-mover advantage, allowing it to set industry standards and capture significant market share before competitors can catch up.
The AI-Driven Growth Potential:
The optimism surrounding AI stocks, as seen by the meteoric rise of companies like Nvidia, underscores the broader market's belief in the transformative potential of AI. Amazon is well-poised to tap into this potential in various ways:
- Customer Experience: Through AI, Amazon can offer hyper-personalized shopping experiences. Features like AI-driven voice shopping through Alexa can redefine the e-commerce landscape, making shopping more intuitive and user-friendly.
- Operational Efficiency: AI's predictive capabilities can revolutionize Amazon's supply chain and logistics. From forecasting product demand to optimizing delivery routes, AI can drive cost efficiencies at every step.
- Diversified Revenue Streams: Beyond e-commerce, Amazon has the opportunity to monetize its AI capabilities by offering them as services to other businesses through AWS. Additionally, AI-enhanced advertising can lead to more effective ad campaigns, driving higher revenues.
- Innovation Across Sectors: Amazon's ventures into healthcare, entertainment, and physical retail are all areas ripe for AI-driven innovation. Whether it's creating personalized content on Prime Video, offering predictive health insights through Amazon Pharmacy, or enhancing the in-store experience in Amazon Go stores, AI can be the catalyst for growth in each of these sectors.
In conclusion, for Amazon to achieve a $3 trillion market cap, it's imperative for the company to harness the full potential of AI across its operations. This involves not just the adoption of AI but a continuous commitment to innovation, staying ahead of the competition, and navigating the ever-evolving regulatory landscape. The journey to $3 trillion is challenging but, given Amazon's track record, it's a milestone that's well within reach.
Thanks to a little-known IRS loophole… Regular Americans can collect up to $28,544 (or more) in payouts from what Brad Thomas calls “Amazon's secret royalty program”…
And the best part is, there are:
➢ NO age or income requirements… (It's available to anyone 18+ or older)
➢ NO employment requirements… (You can be working part-time, full-time, or even be retired)
➢ And you NEVER have to shop or sell a single product on Amazon… (It only takes 5 minutes to set up!)
See how to collect the next payout before September 10th.


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The U.S. Postal Service is opening registration for Operation Santa. For the next two weeks, people across the country can help fulfill the holiday wishes of children and families in need. Verified participants ‘adopt’ letters to Santa posted online by the USPS and can send gift packages starting November 29th.
The Postal Service receives thousands of letters to Santa each year in a tradition that goes back over a century.
If you want to get in on the fun, do so early. The wish lists get snapped up pretty fast. Check out the letters and pick one to respond to at USPSOperationSanta.com.


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The spirits industry can raise a glass to yet another strong year.
The volume of spirits sold at retail locations rose 2.4% in 2016. Alcohol suppliers said sales rose an even faster 4.5% last year to $25.2 billion in the United States, spirits advocate Distilled Spirits Council reported on Tuesday. Even more impressive, it was the seventh consecutive year that spirits stole more market share from brewers. The spirits industry now commands 35.9% of the total alcohol market vs. 47% for beer and 17.1% for wine. Beer made up close to 60% of the alcohol market in the 1990s.
Spirit makers have had success launching a ton of new flavorful products—like honey and cinnamon flavored whiskeys and higher-priced tequilas—that have won over consumers. The cocktail scene has enjoyed a much-needed renaissance. Two decades of marketing on television and radio after decades of a self-imposed ban on such practices have also helped. Many of the brands are also able to sell drinkers on the legacy stories for their brands, some of which are hundreds of years old and still family controlled. Those stories are persuasive to millennials.
The strong sales in the U.S. bode well for big industry players like Diageo (DEO), Pernod Ricard (PDRDY), and Brown-Forman (BFB), as well as the emerging, fast-growing craft spirits industry that is mirroring the success craft brewers had in the beer world.
Here are three key findings from the Distilled Spirits Council report.
The American whiskey boom is thriving
U.S. drinkers increasingly are falling in love with a hometown hero. Volume for U.S. whiskey—which includes bourbon, Tennessee, and rye—jumped 6.8%, with revenue up 7.7% to $3.1 billion. It was a trend that even caught the attention of Fortune a few years ago, resulting in a cover story that focused on the booming business for bourbon. Why is it doing so well? After vodka enjoyed years of dominance, interest began to wane and consumers looked to something new. They started falling in love with American whiskeys, which generally gets flavor and color from barrel aging. Whiskey makers would describe vodka as “odorless and tasteless,” and that message began to resonate with some drinkers.
These results bode especially well for Jack Daniel’s and Woodford Reserve producer Brown-Forman and top rival Beam Suntory, the maker of Jim Beam, Maker’s Mark, and Basil Hayden’s.
But American whiskey isn’t alone in enjoying this resurgence in demand. Volumes were up in the double-digits for Irish whiskey and cognac, and increased slightly for Canadian whisky. Scotch was the laggard—only increasing 0.5% for single malt but posting a slight decrease for blended.
Vodka enjoys a comeback
The “clear” spirit had suffered a setback of sorts after the category began to embrace crazy confectionery flavors like cotton candy and birthday cake, after years of successful flavor innovation that had focused on more traditional flavors like orange or vanilla. But flavor experimentation has become more streamlined—manufacturers even pulled low performing flavors off liquor shelves and are more recently touting new flavors that are more natural. Distilled Spirits Council reports that volume for vodka, which represents about one out of every three spirits sold, was up 2.4%. Even flavored vodkas returned to growth.
That’s good news for Diageo, which makes Smirnoff, Ketel One, and Cîroc, as well as Absolut producer Pernod Ricard. But much of the credit must go to an outsider: While the Council doesn’t name names in the report, Tito’s Handmade Vodka has been a star performer. Tito’s isn’t owned by a big alcohol beverage maker.
“Premiumization” is working
This term is the industry buzzword that explains how liquor brands have had success selling consumers on the idea that they should drink less, but “better.” The idea: You’ll get a more pleasurable alcohol consumption experience (and a less intense hangover) if you drink spirits that are produced with higher quality ingredients. Brands have poured millions of advertising dollars into this message and it is clearly resonating.
This trend favors the priciest spirits, like Glenlivet, Macallan, Grey Goose, Patron, and some Remy Martin and Hennessey offerings. Volume for “super premium” spirits jumped 10.8%, while the next-highest priced grouping “high end premium” posted a 5.5% increase. That made up for weakness on the bottom shelf, where volume actually decreased.


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The first 200 guests on Saturday will get a free order of Crack Fries every week for a year.
Daniela Abel with the Culinary Institute in Overland Park stopped by the 41 Action News Studio to show us how to make some easy snacks for…
Let’s face it, the Super Bowl isn’t just about football, it’s about food.
Lidia cooks with Lindsay and Patrick while she's in KC!
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41 Action News has confirmed that Houston’s on Country Club Plaza is closing its doors Jan. 31.
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"Best by" and "Sell by" dates stamped on food can be confusing and intimidating. Are you wasting good food?


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Östbye, a 44-year-old Swede, comes to Grundfos from the Telenor Group where he has been VP, Internet of Things. Before Telenor, he was CEO of WaterVision AB. Östbye holds a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from Chalmers University, Sweden.
“I’m extremely happy that a renowned digital entrepreneur and expert like Fredrik joins Grundfos. Not only is he a deep expert in his field, but he’s also passionate about making a difference on the global water and energy sustainability agenda. I’m convinced that Fredrik will help accelerate and orchestrate our digitalization journey for the greater good of Grundfos,” said Mads Nipper, CEO and group president of Grundfos.
Grundfos says that Östbye will work closely with group management and the business’s digital taskforce to further build digitalization as a lever for reaching the company’s strategic goals. This includes digital capability building across functions, identifying and establishing relevant partnerships with other companies, as well as driving and supporting selected digital projects. He will report directly to Nipper.
“Digitalization is changing the game for most industries right now, enabling new opportunities previously not possible, but also disrupting the normal. As digital expert with passion for sustainability I’m excited to take on the role to orchestrate the digital transformation of Grundfos, with a clear mission to capture these opportunities,” said Östbye.
Östbye will join Grundfos on 1 May 2017, and will be based at Grundfos headquarters in Bjerringbro, Denmark.


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Last call for snacks at the Brunswick House in Toronto as all food goes on huge clearance
Food is flying off the shelves at the Rexall inside Toronto's old Brunswick House right now as the drug store prepares to leave the historic building for good.
There are only a few weeks left until the student bar-turned-drug store closes forever, and to get rid of inventory, Rexall has been running massive sales on food items.
Everything edible was initially half off, but is now on clearance for an upgraded 75 per cent off and will remain so until everything is sold out.
The Brunswick House Rexall is closing. 18+ all postal codes go!!! pic.twitter.com/yn9InaU6Ku— Ricky Hart (@EricHartman) May 14, 2021
According to a Rexall staff, if you want the deals, you're going to have to be quick. They're already out of tuna.
Non-food inventory is being transferred to other Rexall locations, said the store.
Rexall confirmed to blogTO last week that its outpost at 481 Bloor St. West has seen a major decline in foot traffic since the beginning of the pandemic.
As a result, the chain has decided to close one of the prettiest pharmacies in Toronto (though the Runnymede Theatre Shoppers Drug Mart is hard to beat).
Rexall at 481 Bloor St. West closes officially on June 11. But the chips will, like those old trays of beer, probably be just be a memory by then.
Join the conversation Load comments


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Cincinnati Macy's Inc. said Thursday it will begin using partly recycled paper shopping bags at its Macy's stores and biodegradable packaging for its online shipments. The changes start this month.
The new store bags will be made from paper with 30% recycled material and will be 100% recyclable. Its previous bag was laminated and not recyclable.
Macy's will also stock reusable cotton tote bags for $3.95, with $1 going to the National Park Foundation.
Direct-to-consumer businesses including macys.com and bloomingdales.com will begin using loosefill packing materials that are 100% biodegradable.


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GivingTuesday raised a record $3.1 billion for charitable causes early last week.
The global event, which began as a trending hashtag, celebrated its 10th anniversary on November 29, GivingTuesday CEO Asha Curran said.
The annual tradition of designated giving began in 2012 following two major U.S. events of consumerism and consumption: Black Friday and Cyber Monday. GivingTuesday began as a way to honor the value of generosity, Curran said.
“In the very beginning, we acknowledged there are two days that are tremendously powerful for the retail sector and for-profit businesses,” said Curran.
Curran added that countries that do not participate in Black Friday and Cyber Monday still participate in GivingTuesday.
Despite the challenging economic year many families have undergone, with nationwide inflation in the prices of basic goods, gas, and housing, people were nevertheless willing to give, said Curran.
“That’s really what we saw yesterday,” she said the day after the event. “That whatever it is that people are experiencing, they were as generous as they had the capacity to be.”
The organization estimated that donations increased by approximately 15% since 2021′s $2.7 billion, far outpacing the 7.7% inflation rate for the 12 months ending in October. Donations were counted through several different data sources, including major community foundations, companies that offer fundraising software, the payment processor PayPal, and large grantmakers like Fidelity Charitable and Vanguard Charitable.
On Tuesday, Fidelity Charitable said that for the first time since 2018, the value of grants from its donor-advised funds exceeds the value of investments going into the funds.
The organization stated that 2023’s totals marked the largest amount donated on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving since the group began tracking it.
GivingTuesday, which is often stylized as #GivingTuesday for the purposes of hashtag activism, began to promote fundraising on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving Day in 2012. The event was a project of the 92nd Street Y in New York City. The organization GivingTuesday became an independent nonprofit in June 2019.
Participants in the event still show outstanding generosity, Curran said. “They give in a multitude of ways. It does not always have to do with money. It often has to do with [the] community. It is very collective. It has a lot to do with people feeling like they are a fractal of a larger whole,” Curran said.


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Girly girl Suri Cruise celebrates her eighth birthday with pink...
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Taking a gander at a sex shop's website and doing some research on it is always a good idea before purchasing toys there.
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The Mill City has long been home to several record stores, and now three continue that proud turntable tradition, touting the great sound of vinyl as their saving grace.


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GOODLETTSVILLE, Tenn. -- Dollar General Corp. here said yesterday that the judge presiding over a collective action lawsuit facing the company has decertified the class, which had comprised approximately 2,500 people.
The judge has ruled that the 12 named plaintiffs in the lawsuit can continue with the case.
Dollar General said that it plans to continue to defend its position in this case, and that at this time, it doesn't believe an adverse resolution will have a material effect on the company's financial statements taken as a whole. The company doesn't know whether the plaintiffs intend to challenge the ruling.
The suit was originally filed in federal court in Alabama on behalf of Edith Brown and other salaried store managers. The plaintiffs allege they weren't paid overtime, although they qualify for it under the Fair Labor Standards Act.


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Every meeting professional knows the importance of keeping attendees safe during a conference, but today’s always-connected environments require more than a physical security team. From registration kiosks to open Wi-Fi signals to mobile apps and more, every conference generates a mountain of private information that represents a potential goldmine for online thieves.
“Hacking and stealing of data at conferences has been professionalized,” Michael Robinson, CCE, Senior Cyber Threat Analyst & Professor, Stevenson University, told an audience at one of the most packed sessions at the 2015 PCMA Education Conference. “Your attendees are targets.”
SEE ALSO: The Serious Cyber Security Threat That Could Hurt Hotels
Combatting Cyber Crime
To make sure the meetings industry is prepared to deal with a wave of hackers, PCMA worked with Robinson to create a new cyber security toolkit that outlines everything from securing on-site computer systems to monitoring potential network hacking and more. There is also a customizable checklist to help meeting professionals make sure they and their security partners are taking the right steps to mitigate against the challenges of cyber crime.
“Data breaches have wreaked havoc on major names like Sony, Target and the IRS,” Kelly Peacy, CAE, CMP, Senior Vice President, Education and Events, says. “This new resource is designed to make the complexities of IT security easier to understand and empower meeting professionals with the knowledge that will keep their attendees and their organizations better protected.”
Stealing data can be a very big business for thieves. Credit card numbers, medical records, passwords and more — private information can be profitable. As organizations continue to amass loads of numbers, names and email addresses, hackers will continue to look for easy opportunities to steal them, and it’s likely that cyber crime will continue to make headlines in 2016.
“As everyone becomes more aware of the dangers of cyber crime, it’s crucial that meeting professionals take steps to protect attendees and their information,” Peacy says. “This is a crucial time to make sure that your attendees trust your organization. Let them know that their safety — in-person and online — is the top priority.”
Ready to ramp up your cyber security efforts? Click here to download the toolkit, and be sure to use your PCMA credentials to receive a $30 discount.