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Following the rise in fuel costs last week, the prices of many essential goods are surging and will continue to increase as many producers said they will have to raise prices.
|Cooking oil prices rise as fuel prices surge|
Ms. Thu, the owner of a grocery shop on Nguyen Thi Minh Khai Street, said all goods at her shop except sweets have increased by 5-12 percent since early this month.
For instance, a one-kilogram can of Gain IQ milk powder increased by VND12,000 to VND228,000, one-litter bottle of Tuong An cooking oil rose from VND24,500 to VND26,500, and instant noodles went for VND78,000-80,000 per box, up VND10,000-13,000.
The retail price of rice has soared to new heights, about VND1,000-1,500 per kilogram, or 7-12.5 percent.
A rice wholesaler in Binh Thanh District said the lowest quality rice at her shop was sold at VND5,000 per kilogram six months ago, now it sells at VND7,000 per kilogram.
Rice wholesalers said the rice prices will continue to grow and attributed the price hike to the rise in transportation costs since early this year.
Housewives have switched to using lard due to the high price of cooking oil, however lard has also begun to increase, to VND30,000 per kilogram, up VND5,000-10,000 from the same period last year.
Goods in supermarkets have seen less of an increase than goods sold at markets or those in smaller shops. Only cooking oil, cosmetics, and some brands of milk have gone up 5-10 percent.
The director of one supermarket said prices of goods at supermarkets have remained unchanged or increased only slightly as they have been selling off stock bought at lower prices.
However, many goods will increase early next month because supermarkets are already receiving higher priced quotes from distributors for new order stock, he said.
Restaurant owners are considering whether to raise prices in order to maintain the quality of food or to reduce the quality and keep prices unchanged. Some restaurants have already raised prices but food quality seems to have gotten worse.


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CURIOUS FOX SIGNS MULTI PROPERTY PUBLISHING DEAL WITH WARNER BROS. CONSUMER PRODUCTS UK
Curious Fox, an imprint of Capstone, is proud to announce that it has signed a new licensing deal with Warner Bros. Consumer Products UK.
Under the terms of the 3-year deal, the children’s publishing specialist will be launching new books for DC Comics Justice League, Looney Tunes and top dog Scooby-Doo. The first titles will launch in May 2014 with Curious Fox outlining ambitious plans to publish at least 30 books in the first year developing a range of titles that will target boys and girls aged 5 years to 12 years old.
For Curious Fox, a new division of the Capstone family, this deal is an excellent addition to its burgeoning children’s portfolio. Miles Stevens-Hoare explains, “When we launched Curious Fox in spring last year we had a very clear goal – to publish brilliant books that would spark curiosity in young minds. In a short time we’ve immersed our readers in new worlds, introduced them to new characters and engaged them in some amazing stories. The acquisition of the rights to publish books featuring some of the world’s most iconic brands and characters is hugely exciting and is integral to helping us achieve our ambition of inspiring a life long love of books amongst children.”

domain: news


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Government initiates bill to cancel pharmacy reform
The parliamentary Social Affairs Committee has initiated a bill to cancel pharmacy reform. Although supported by the coalition government, the bill did not pass the first reading in the parliament. As a result, at the present moment uncertainty around pharmacy reform continues. The plan to cancel pharmacy reform has been a major news story in Estonia in recent weeks.
The reasoning behind cancelling the reform is that currently around 300 pharmacies do not comply with the requirements of the reform. This leads to a risk that many of these pharmacies would be forced to close after 1 April 2020.
Amendments to the Medicinal Products Act to enact pharmacy reform were passed in 2014 and 2015 and are due to come into force on 1 April 2020. According to the Medicinal Products Act currently in force, as of 1 April 2020, all pharmacies in Estonia would have to have a pharmacist as the majority shareholder. Wholesalers and manufacturers of medicinal products as well as health care providers would also be banned from being shareholders in pharmacies. In addition, a pharmacy would be prohibited from operating a branch pharmacy in a city with over 4000 inhabitants.
- Bill to amend the Medicinal Products Act, available through the link (in Estonian); Press release by the parliament on bill to cancel pharmacy reform, available through the link (in Estonian); Medicinal Products Act, available through the link (in English) and link (in Estonian); news article on cancelling pharmacy reform, available through the link (in Estonian)


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Congratulations to Pangaea Bier Cafe for winning the Judge's Choice award at Thursday night's Sac Burger Battle.
Coming in second for the judge's award was LowBrau, followed by Iron Grill.
Dawson's Restaurant & Steakhouse won the Sac Burger Battle People's Choice Awards, with the Culinerdy Cruzer and Pangaea Bier Cafe receiving a honorable mention.
The annual event, by Rodney Blackwell (also known as @BurgerJunkies on Twitter) to benefit the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America, pits 15 or so local restaurants against each other to determine whose burger reigns supreme. (Read a profile of the King of Burgers in Sac News & Review.)
This was the second burger-related accolade won in the last week by Pangaea Bier Cafe. The Sac News & Review tasted 50 restaurant burgers and deemed these the best burgers:
- The Pangaea Burger ($13) at Pangaea Bier Cafe
- The Magpie Burger ($15) at Magpie Cafe
- The Chef Burger ($13) at South
Read the entire story in Sac News & Review.
Cielito Lindo emerges from fire with good food - Cielito Lindo’s food approaches that of Mayahuel, Zocalo and Centro Cocina Mexicana – other local Mexican restaurants with ambitious menus – in quality, though its decor renders it visual country cousin to those upscale city slickers. Yet Cielito Lindo’s entree prices, running about $14-$25, are on par with, or higher than, those other restaurants' prices. One might consider Alarcon cheeky for charging those prices. But for my money, Cielito Lindo is the most interesting of the four restaurants. Within its mix of sophisticated flavors, busy colors and harsh lighting, one can see talent, trial, error, perseverance and a manifestation of one immigrant’s dream. Carla Meyer in the Sac Bee.
Please Wait to Be Seated: Dozens of new restaurants will be opening their doors in Sacramento in the coming months. But are there enough patrons to fill all those seats? - However — and this is a large however — many people, including Brown, worry that Sacramento could be roaring into a restaurant glut that could put pressure on current restaurants and those arriving soon. There’s no exact number (many owners haven’t announced plans or pulled permits), but the estimate from restaurant and real estate insiders is that 40 new restaurants will open in the city’s core in the next two years. Rick Kushman in Comstocks Mag.
Tiny Mraz Brewing seems bound for greatness - One name I would not be surprised to see pop up at GABF 2015 in two weeks in Denver is Mike Mraz of Mraz Brewing. He’s a skillful and creative brewer appreciated mostly by serious beer geeks, for now. Blair Anthony Robertson in the Sac Bee.
Another food gets its own celebration in Sacramento - Local restauranteurs are planning a multi-day "pizza extravaganza," according to event details posted on Facebook. The celebration, called Sliced, will be held Oct. 17 through Oct. 25. It's scheduled to include nightly specials, chef competitions, instructional sessions and a tour from Sac Brew Bike. So far, the list of participating restaurants includes Federalist Public House & Beer Garden, Hot Italian, Masullo, Chicago Fire, and Pizzeria Urbano. Others are expected to be announced later. Sonya Sorich in Sac Biz Journal.
Feast Q&A: Sacramento’s Vegan Chef Challenge in October - The fifth annual Vegan Chef Challenge is coming up, but if you’re not a vegan, that doesn’t mean you’re left out. Anyone interested in healthy restaurant options, creative cooking ideas and, with any luck, the discovery of a new favorite dish, will find this monthlong concept more than a curiosity. Bethany Davis, a teacher who has been a vegan for going on five years, created the challenge to get chefs thinking about food just a little differently. The dozen or so restaurants participating next month will be announced soon. A vegan dish, by the way, means no meat or other animal products, including cheese, butter and eggs. If you’re looking for more details about the health benefits of plant-based eating, check out the Forks Over Knives website. Blair Anthony Robertson in the Sac Bee.


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ARTICLE BY Boon Mark Souphanh
You Can Cop the Jordan Proto-React Right Now in Japan
Fusing together the essence of the React Element 87 and a futuristic space-travel aesthetic, Jordan Brand’s new Proto-React has hit shelves earlier than expected.
Inspired by astronaut suits, the Proto-React upper combines nylon, exposed stitching, and a durable strap, resulting in a utilitarian vibe that’s more suited to the streets than the court. The React foam sole unit gets a unique traction pattern, further elevating the moon-boot look.
The Proto-React is now available in Japan at atmos’ Sports Lab stores. A global rollout is set to follow in the coming weeks. We’ll holler when we get more info.


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Virtual concert to feature mesmerizing performances by Ghazal maestros, Pankaj Udhas, Talat Aziz, Anup Jalota and SudeepBanerji, among others
Available across Hungama’s platforms and partner networks on 19th and 20th December 2020 from 8 pm onwards
India, XX December 2020: Hungama, India’s leading digital entertainment company, today announced the streaming of the country’s biggest ghazal concert, ‘Khazana – A Festival of Ghazals’ on 19th and 20th December from 8 pm onwards.Organized by The Cancer Patients Aid Association (CPAA) andthe Parents Association Thalassemic Unit Trust (PATUT) to raise funds for thalassemic children and cancer patients, the concert will be held virtually this year in light of the current physical distancing norms. Hungama will leverage its vast distribution network to offer viewers around the world a chance to be a part of the concert. Users can watch the concert free onHungama Music, Hungama Play, Facebook pages of Hungama Music, Hungama Artist Aloud, and Hungama’sextended network.
Besides performances from Pankaj Udhas, Talat Aziz, AnupJalota and Sudeep Banerji, the concert will also include performances from Mahalakshmi Iyer, Pandit Ajay Pohankar, Abhijit Pohankar, Pooja Gaitonde, PratibhaSingh Baghel Featuring Deepak Pandit, Samarpan Band Featuring Prithvi Gandharv & Gayathri Asokan, and SnehaShankar. Additionally, winners of Khazana Artist Aloud Talent Hunt, India’s only talent hunt for Ghazal singers – RitwikaMukherjee from Chakradharpur (Jharkhand) and Atul Raofrom Jaipur (Rajasthan) will also perform during the concert.
The concert will also give the viewers a chance to donate to The Cancer Patients Aid Association (CPAA) and the Parents Association Thalassemic Unit Trust (PATUT) through ketto.org. All donations can be made by visiting https://www.ketto.org/fundraiser/khazana?payment=form or using the UPI ID that will be visible on the screen during the concert. All proceeds from the concert will go to the charity to help with the treatment of thalassemic children and cancer patients.
Talking about the continued association with Khazana, Neeraj Roy, Founder and CEO, Hungama Digital Media said, “Over the years, Pankaj ji and Khazana have not only brought the most distinguished names from the world of Ghazals on one stage, but through Khazana Artist Aloud Talent Hunt, also given a platform to upcoming artists. Besides giving viewers a chance to experience the magic of Ghazals, the concert also represents an extremely noble cause. We are elated to work with Khazana and Pankaj ji once again, and feel honoured to support the two charities.”
Talking about the concert, Padmashree Pankaj Udhas said, “I feel extremely delighted to have the opportunity to offer our patrons a chance to be a part of the virtual Khazana concert. I am certain that viewers worldwide will appreciate the show that we have created for them and help us in making the concert a success. I would also appeal to all the viewers to support CPAA and PATUT and donate wholeheartedly to the cause.”
Besides Hungama Music, Hungama Play and Facebook pages of Hungama Music and Hungama Artist Aloud, users can watch the concert through Hungama Play on MX Player and CloudWalker Smart TVs. Additionally, Hungama’s association with Xiaomi will enable consumers to watch the concert via Hungama Play on Mi TV. Viewers can also stream the concert on Pankaj Udhas’ Facebook page and CPAA’s Facebook page.
About Hungama Digital Media Entertainment Pvt. Ltd.:
Hungama is a leading digital entertainment company in South Asia. Founded in 1999, Hungama has remained at the forefront of the Internet revolution in India and created exceptional digital experiences by combining entertainment and technology. With the aim to include more consumers under the umbrella of digital entertainment, Hungama has worked towards introducing destinations that make digital content consumption simpler and at the same time, enriching.
Hungama’s portfolio covers a wide spectrum of services that have touched over a billion lives in more than 190 countries. These include Hungama Music – one of the most popular music streaming platforms, Hungama Play – the go-to destination for video streaming, Hungama Artist Aloud – a platform for independent artists and Hungama Games – a developer, publisher, distributor and marketer of mobile games. Leveraging its distribution and aggregation strengths, Hungama is also able to work with telecom, DTH, ISP and OEM partners to create unique and engaging entertainment destinations for consumers.
Over the years, Hungama Digital Media has garnered the trust of the investor community and has received investments from Intel Capital, Bessemer Venture Partners, Xiaomi, Rare Enterprises and others.
Headquartered in Mumbai, Hungama also has offices in Delhi NCR, Dubai, Singapore and Dhaka. For more information, please visit www.hungama.org


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GGPoker and WSOP to Launch WSOP.CA Poker Room in Ontario
Online poker players in Ontario will soon be able to benefit from a new poker room, following the joint announcement of the World Series of Poker (WSOP) and GGPoker today that they would be launching WSOP.CA this spring.
Launch Subject to Agreement with iGaming Ontario
The launch of the fully-regulated online poker room WSOP.CA is still subject to “the successful execution of an operating agreement with iGaming Ontario,” a subsidiary of the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) which conducts and manages internet gaming in the Canadian province when provided through private gaming companies.
Scheduled to open for online poker players in Ontario in early April, the WSOP.CA poker room will combine the best of the WSOP brand and its parent Caesars Entertainment and will operate on GGPoker software.
The poker room will entice players with access to exclusive WSOP tournaments and satellites, as well as an automatic enrollment in the Caesars Rewards loyalty program, in which they can exchange their loyalty points for amenities at Caesars properties across North America.
The new WSOP.CA online poker room will utilize the services of prominent poker pro Daniel Negreanu as a brand ambassador. The native Ontario player, winner of one WSOP ring and six WSOP bracelets, has been serving as a GGPoker brand ambassador since 2019.
“As a proud Ontario native, I’m thrilled that poker’s two greatest brands have come together to launch WSOP.CA and offer the Ontario poker community the perfect place to play online. You’ll be seeing exclusive WSOP rewards and tournaments, running on GGPoker’s amazing app – what’s not to love about that?”
Daniel Negreanu, Ambassador, WSOP.CA
The Best of Brand and Software
Commenting on the announcement, WSOP executive director Ty Stewart outlined the partnership between WSOP and GGPoker as a combination of the best of both worlds – “the best poker brand with the top poker software,” thrilled to make this new opportunity available to online poker players in Ontario.
“We look forward to seeing Ontarians qualify for the live WSOP in Las Vegas this summer and challenge native son Daniel Negreanu for a gold bracelet.”
Ty Stewart, Executive Director, WSOP
WSOP and GGPoker initially partnered in April 2020 for the launch of the WSOP Super Circuit Online Series set to run for three weeks starting in early May. Last December, GGPoker announced the second edition of the WSOP Super Circuit Online, the WSOP Winter Online Circuit from December 12 through January 9 to extend the partnership with the WSOP.
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The European activists “europe-v-facebook.org”, led by a group of Austrian students, say that they have reached the 7,000-comment threshold on a Facebook privacy proposal, first raised last week, which would force the company to take the revisions to a worldwide vote. Perhaps not the best timing for Facebook, but great timing for those looking for more profile on the whole issue of privacy and how it is approached by Facebook.
Specifically, if you go to Facebook’s English-language Data Use Policy page where it has detailed the new proposals, there are now over 9,000 comments on the post. The proposal, you can see, has some XXX’s at the top: that’s because it is due to close this evening, at 5pm Pacific Time (yes, more business as usual at Facebook, despite the fact that it also happens to be going through the biggest IPO ever in tech history).
Europe-v-facebook.org has been trying to drum up support for its campaign and says that after an appearance on a German TV show “Stern TV,” it resulted in a wave of responses — 30,000 on the German version of the privacy proposal page, and over 7,000 on the English page (although if you look at that page you can see that there are a lot of German comments there, too).
What happens next? It’s an unprecedented situation but Facebook says in its own “Statement of Rights and Responsibilities” that it will take any proposed changes to its wider user base, currently at 901 million active users, for a vote, and if 30 percent of them vote in favor or against, their decision will be binding:
If more than 7,000 users comment on the proposed change, we will also give you the opportunity to participate in a vote in which you will be provided alternatives. The vote shall be binding on us if more than 30% of all active registered users as of the date of the notice vote.
It’s been a hot topic, but it’s anyone’s guess whether 300 million people will actually make the effort to weigh in on privacy. And according to europe-v-facebook.org, Facebook is still looking at the comments to decide whether they are applicable to this rule. Indeed, there’s scope for duplicates and fake comments, so that is one vetting that will likely be done first.
We have also reached out to Facebook ourselves for a comment and will update this as we learn more.


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The company stated in an internal letter that employee use of outside AI chatbots will be limited while it develops its own AI technology.
An internal memo obtained by The Wall Street Journal indicated that Apple has put limitations on how its employees can use the AI chatbot ChatGPT and related products. Apple’s reservations about the potential loss of sensitive data while the business is working on creating its own AI technology are said to be the reason for the prohibition on utilizing ChatGPT, which is supported by Microsoft.
The internal letter expressly forbids employees from using ChatGPT and emphasizes Apple’s concern that staff members would use such tools and unintentionally reveal sensitive corporate information. Copilot, a Microsoft-owned AI tool that automates writing software code, is likewise subject to the prohibition.
Apple seeks to safeguard its confidential information and maintain tighter control over its intellectual property, therefore it has restricted the use of ChatGPT and other AI tools. The action demonstrates Apple’s intention to place a high priority on data security and secrecy, particularly as it develops its own AI technologies.
Apple’s move to restrict the use of outside AI technologies demonstrates its dedication to upholding a high standard of data security within the organization. Apple wants to make sure that sensitive information is protected and isn’t exposed to any hazards connected with third-party technologies, so it is concentrating on creating its own AI capabilities.
Apple, one of the top big tech companies, has a cautious approach to the use of AI tools that is consistent with its dedication to customer privacy and data protection. The company’s choice to limit the use of ChatGPT and Copilot demonstrates its commitment to protecting sensitive data and keeping a tight grip on the AI development process.


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Revenue at Thailand-based clothing marketplace Pomelo fell by 18.5% year on year (y-o-y) to $28.4 million U.S. in 2021, according to regulatory filings seen by DealStreetAsia.
Its loss widened by 27% y-o-y to $33.7 million during the year — a period when fashion retailers struggled amid the pandemic — with rising costs also a factor in this.
The company — which is currently valued at more than $400 million, according to DealStreetAsia — has subsidiaries in Thailand, China, Malaysia and Indonesia and is reportedly planning to expand to other Asian countries.
Pomelo raised $28.2 million in equity and debt financing in 2021, and in January 2023, it raised an additional $3.9 million U.S. from existing investor Jungle Ventures in a Series D funding round.
A month later, DealStreetAsia reported that the company had issued $13.9 million U.S. of Series D preference shares to investors, citing a filing with Singapore’s Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority.
Pomelo’s second-hand offering fits with its drive to support sustainability, recycling and upcycling and reduce its carbon footprint, co-founder and chief executive David Jou told The Story Thailand in 2021.
Jou has said in the past that the company was considering such options as a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) merger or a listing on the Singapore stock exchange to raise funds. The company could also go public in Thailand, according to reports.
In September 2022, Pomelo axed 55 employees — 8% of its workforce.
Launched in 2013 by Jou and Casey Liang, Pomelo describes itself as Southeast Asia’s first digital fashion brand and the region’s leading omnichannel platform, integrating online and offline shopping. Buyers can choose merchandise on the website and try it on or collect it in store. It delivers to more than 40 countries, with free delivery on orders of $49 or more.


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Key Arhaus Metrics
With more frequent questions being asked about the direction of the U.S. housing market, we thought we’d revisit Arhaus and compare its performance to the broader home furnishing retail category. Not surprisingly, we’ve started to see the same bifurcation in consumer behavior that other retail executive teams have referenced in recent weeks begin to impact the home furnishing category as well. YoY visit per location trends (a proxy for industry comparable traffic) turned negative during 1Q22, while Arhaus continues to see double-digit growth (though at a slower pace than it did in 4Q21). Arhaus’ management team has previously noted that its higher-income consumers are less sensitive to economic headwinds, though some of the recent visitation deceleration could be because of recent stock market declines, as this demographic tends to take its spending cues from "wealth effect" factors.
- We expect Arhaus visitation trends to remain ahead of category averages over the near future, but not just because of the company’s more-affluent customer base. In fact, many of the reasons we highlighted Arhaus as one of our Top Brands to Watch in 2022 remain intact, including impressive post-pandemic visitor acquisition trends, a re-designed theater-like retail showroom format, and opportunities to extend its brand reach through smaller-footprint Design Studio formats (which average 4,000 square feet compared to the chain’s 17,000 square foot legacy showrooms). Arhaus smaller-format stores continue to post impressive visitation figures, including the Design Studio in Burlingame, CA (which has seen 2X the visitors of the chain average year-to-date according to Placer.ai data).


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Executives from APCO Worldwide studied the campaign against Nike and Colin Kaepernick on Twitter and found it wasn’t as widespread or authentic as it seemed at first glance. They conclude that brands should avoid rushing to respond to what appears to be negative social sentiment. Instead, they urge brands to study the elements behind anti-brand content before responding.
Podcasts have been a runaway success for businesses looking to further engage their audience. From their mobility to their relative brevity to their status as (mostly) free to users, podcasts are pulling in new listeners on a daily basis. Here are four key considerations when getting yours started.
Google, Samsung and Apple grabbed most of the headlines at CES 2019, which closes later today in Las Vegas. For communicators, though, the annual tech fest centers on spotting trends and learning about cutting-edge messaging platforms. Bell’s social media manager David Wolpert reports on three trends he saw at CES that are relevant to communicators.


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As lighting brand Philips gears up to introduce a new range of vintage-style LED light bulbs to the market, it seems that brands across the board are going crazy for this new style of home lighting.
Philips are leaders in the lighting industry and are planning to release two lines under the new branding “Philips Deco”. Both lines will feature gigantic-sized, vintage-style LED bulbs.
All of the bulbs have a single fake-filament of LED light which is surrounded by smoky glass and comes with its own cord. Those with a knack for trendy lighting will then be able to suspend them from kitchen ceilings or transform them into makeshift reading lamps.
It seems that other household names in lighting aren’t immune to this new trend either, with the likes of Feit and GE also offering up their own versions of vintage lighting that is sure to remind customers of years gone by.
Steven Ellwood, managing director at BLT direct said: “The lighting industry has taken a fashionable turn as of late, with many brands taking inspiration from old fashioned trends and injecting a spot of nostalgia into their latest offerings.
“It’s also promising to see that most brands have now made the switch to LED lighting, which allows homeowners to benefit from an energy-efficient, cost-saving light source.
“These vintage-style, large lightbulbs look great in any room of the house and are also well-suited to a number of commercial environments, including trendy bars and restaurants.”
The Philips Deco range will be launching first in the US later this year and will feature eye-catching filaments at a warm, orange-toned color temperature of around 2,000 K.
BLT stock their own range of Pendant Lighting that come a variety of styles and colours, perfect for those keen to recreate this trend in their own homes.
Created by Gary Baker on 31st May, 2018


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The List of All Samsung Smartphones to get Android Pie Update in 2019April 6, 2019
Although Google has recently announced Android Q recently but we still have Android 9 Pie hot and fresh and yet to be used by a lot of Android users.
Many manufacturers are releasing new phones running Pie and updating older models to the ‘new’ software. Samsung is one of them and they have been busy trying to serve Android Pie to a lot of their devices.
Samsung’s Android Pie comes with a number of updates. First, it comes with the incremental updates we get on Android Pie like various visual tweaks and Samsung’s new One UI on top of Pie. The consensus is that people liked the new Samsung One UI on top of Pie.
Samsung started with seeding Android Pie to the Galaxy Note9, Galaxy S9 and the S9+ first then the Galaxy Note 8 got it in February. The Galaxy 10 family shipped with Android Pie out of the box joining the former flagships in this regard.
However, there are other Samsung devices that are in the pipeline to get Android 9 Pie in the coming months. This includes both smartphones and tablets and the update schedule goes all the way to October, which is strange.
Here is the list of the Samsung devices that are stated to get Android Pie and the month the software will be seeded.
Date and Samsung Devices For Android Pie
- Galaxy Tab S4 10.5
- Galaxy A6+
- Galaxy A7 (2018)
- Galaxy A8+ (2018)
- Galaxy A9
- Galaxy J4
- Galaxy J4 Core
- Galaxy J5 (2017)
- Galaxy J7 Duo
- Galaxy J7 Neo
That’s it. If your smartphone falls within the list of Samsung devices listed above then know that you’ll be getting Android Pie OS update soon.


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With tears in his eyes, Jim Rowton describes getting the news. “After 22 years in business, I get a phone call,” he says, looking like a Disney Imagineer who's about to lose his theme park. “It's like they're throwing us out with the trash.” On March 15, L.A.'s last traditional mall arcade will close its doors as Texas-based company Cypress Equities (the agent for CAPREF Manager LLC, the new majority owners of the mall) makes way for a newer, but not necessarily better, Burbank Town Center.
“A New Burbank Town Center … Coming Soon! More Fashion. More Food. More Fun.” That's the advertising copy hanging from signs posted inside the mall. Jim's arcade, and several other mom-and-pop retailers inside the mall, won't be a part of that future, as rents rise and entire sections of the mall are redeveloped.
Since 1995, Jim and his wife, Susan, have operated the All Amusement Fun Center, the arcade inside the Burbank mall, as if it were their own mini theme park. For most of the past year, I've been a part-time employee and full-time fanboy at the arcade. For Burbank residents, the All Amusement Fun Center has been the setting of innumerable childhood memories, lost weekend afternoons and first dates (including my own). The arcade has been an unofficial playground for everybody from the city's special-needs community to teenagers at Burbank High School. People have come of age inside the walls of this colorful playpen of blinking lights and plastic joysticks.
When I was hired in February, I was coached by Jim on how he wanted me to treat customers. “Greet everyone with a smile,” he told me, with the gap showing between his two front teeth. Jim always smiles. He's the happiest person I've ever met. At the time, I thought he took his smile doctrine too seriously. Today, with so many customers begging Jim to remain in the mall, I realize he isn't running a business — he's selling fun.
In the eyes of his employees, he's a working-class visionary. At 13, Jim was selling flowers on street corners in Woodland Hills for $1 an hour. By the mid-’70s, he began to work at a small arcade on Van Nuys Boulevard called Arcade USA. It's where Jim learned the basics of the old-school amusement business. Today, Jim's an endangered species in L.A.'s evolving landscape of hipster entertainment, including “bar arcades” like EightyTwo in downtown L.A. or Button Mash in Echo Park. Jim scoffs at the idea of serving alcohol to upgrade his arcade. “That's not the business I want to run,” he says.
There's also nothing pretentious about a family arcade located inside an enclosed shopping mall, which is somehow more authentic than an outdoor shopping center such as the Americana at Brand. It's the feeling you get watching a charming John Hughes teen comedy versus the feeling you get watching vapid reality TV.
“As far as I know, we're the last genuine family arcade in the city. And the last one in a shopping mall,” Jim tells me. I checked: The All Amusement Fun Center is the last family arcade located inside a shopping mall anywhere in town. The family arcade business, in general, is a nearly obsolete enterprise in a sector now dominated by corporate entertainment giants like Dave & Buster's. It's remarkable that Jim's arcade has lasted this long. One customer tells me that there's a rumor that Dave & Buster's will actually replace Jim's arcade (there's already one inside both Hollywood & Highland and the Promenade at Howard Hughes Center).
The heavy-handed redevelopment of Burbank Town Center began in April, when it was quietly announced that Cypress Equities had purchased a majority stake in the mall for $250 million. The redevelopment capital that has flooded L.A.'s underdeveloped neighborhoods had finally reached the forgotten Town Center, a mall that never really developed in the first place. After opening in 1990, the Media City Center (as it was originally known) became a consistent disappointment for the city. And so the mall's progress stalled around the mid-’90s. After two decades of surviving on pure enthusiasm inside a mall in constant decline, Jim's arcade is set to be bulldozed to create connectivity with the new IKEA, as the former site of the furniture superstore is being replaced with a 765-unit apartment complex atop 40,000 square feet of retail. The plans for the IKEA space, spearheaded by a partnership between Crown Realty & Development and CAPREF, are still awaiting approval from the Planning Board and the City Council. The aim is to revitalize the Burbank Town Center. But the proposed $60 million renovation of the mall is already underway. Some locals have expressed their concerns about a potentially flashier but less cozy shopping experience in Burbank:
“I like the shopping at the Town Center because it's not overly pretentious,” said Alyssa Pffaf in a comment on I Heart Burbank's Facebook page (the PR campaign advocating for a “New Burbank Town Center.”) “Please don't try to turn it into another Galleria or Americana. I stopped shopping at the Galleria because the stores got too pricy and overly trendy.”
Concerned for the future of his business, Jim sought to rent the recently vacated Backside Records space on San Fernando Boulevard, a few blocks from the mall. He was quickly told to look elsewhere. His arcade, according to the city, is not a retail business. The landlord of the vacated record store wanted retail or restaurants only. “The city wants restaurants along Magnolia and San Fernando, that's clear,” says a Burbank real estate broker who asked to remain anonymous. “If you look at the city's zoning laws and title reports, there's simply an outdated view of arcades as seedy enterprises, like casinos,” he says, referring to dated laws that connected pinball machines with organized crime. Until 1974, when the Supreme Court of California ruled to reverse the ban, pinball machines were outlawed in the state of California. As a result of the same logic, in Burbank an arcade cannot be located within specific zones. It doesn't end there. In the ’80s and ’90s, when movie theaters were in the business of gaming, arcades were seen as competition. “When the AMC opened in Burbank, they negotiated exclusivity clauses with local businesses and the city to keep amusement enterprises out of downtown Burbank,” the broker tells me. Scott Plambaeck, a Burbank senior planner, says he's not aware that those clauses exist. Still, the Rowtons are planning to request a public hearing to investigate this possibility.
They are also alone in their protest. A sign hangs over every token machine inside their arcade: “ARCADE CLOSING … SIGN OUR PETITION.” (For the record, I started the online petition, not the in-store version.) It's their last stand to save the business that was going to put their three kids through college.
“We were being asked to triple our current rent if we wanted to be moved to a location on the third floor,” Jim says, as small businesses are slowly being forced to vacate the mall's first floor, which looks increasingly like a consumer ghost town. “Overnight, everything was gone,” says an unnamed shop owner who saw the site of Sheik Shoes, the mall's trendy sneaker shop, become an empty glass box in the span of 24 hours. It happened shortly after the Sports Chalet, along with the rest of the La Cañada Flintridge–based retailer's stores, went out of business in April. On the third floor, the Candy Station, a local favorite for bagging sugar, shuttered in August. Shop owners throughout the mall won't talk about what's happening. Many of them tell me the new landlord is keeping them in the dark. Amid the uncertainty, there's a pall hanging over the Burbank mall. The All Amusement Fun Center is fighting the depression.
“We survived the recession, borrowed money … Susan and I won't take it lying down,” Jim declares. Besides the petition, he's asking customers to email Chris Maguire, CEO of Cypress Equities, and make sure he's aware of the arcade's value to the community. Maguire's email address is posted inside the arcade. As they fight the system, the Rowtons are struggling to find a new space in Burbank. “We've built a brand here, and in all honesty, we don't want to leave Burbank. But we may have to,” says Jim. “At this point, I'm selling off some of our machines in case we have to wash our hands of it all.”
The printed petition to save the arcade now has more than 2,000 signatures. Jirard Dragon Rider Khalil, a popular YouTuber known as “The One Video Gamer,” who recently purchased a few machines from Jim, is planning a mini documentary on the arcade for his YouTube channel.
But even with the growing support, the arcade's future grows dimmer by the day. It seems the Burbank mall — the unpretentious little shopping village that refused to adapt — is going to lose its arcade. With construction set to begin inside the mall this month, Jim's working-class arcade continues to fight for survival from within a crumbling castle of dusty consumerism. The All Amusement Fun Center is now a hardwired symbol of the mall's soon-to-be extinct localism.


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NEW YORK - Investors will begin the second week of the yearhoping for more clarity about the direction of the economy, and inturn, the markets, after Wall Street’s lackluster start to2007.
A steady feed of economic data and a trickle of big earnings inthe coming week might help the market find balance and pick adirection. Last week, Wall Street saw big shifts in momentum,rising first on news of strength in manufacturing, but stumblingamid concerns that the Federal Reserve might actually raiseinterest rates and not lower them, as some analysts had started toforecast.
Investors often like to talk about the early days of Januarysetting a tone for the year, so it’s understandable if some arefeeling discouraged after last week’s mixed performance. The DowJones industrial average fell 0.52 percent and the Standard &Poor’s 500 index fell 0.61 percent, while the Nasdaq compositeindex added 0.78 percent.
Investors have been trying to square their desire for theeconomy to slow with their hope that it not cool too quickly andrisk spinning into recession. Wall Street wants growth to slow toforce inflation lower and therefore draw the Fed into loweringshort-term rates.
On Monday, investors expect the Fed to release its consumercredit report for November. It is a sometimes volatile reading ofconsumer debt. On Tuesday, the International Council of ShoppingCenters, a trade group, is expected to release a report on weeklychain-store sales.
Wednesday is expected to bring weekly crude inventory data. Oilprices have fallen sharply since the start of the year asunseasonably high temperatures in much of the country have hurtdemand for home heating oil. The Commerce Department’s report onthe November trade deficit is also due.
Thursday brings weekly reports on jobless claims. Last week,investors frowned on a jobs report that showed strong hiring inDecember and that unemployment remained near a five-year low. WallStreet was concerned that a scarcity of workers would make itharder for businesses to hire and retain workers. Persistent wageinflation could make the Federal Reserve less likely to lowerinterest rates. The central bank, which remains vigilant aboutinflation, has left rates unchanged at its last four meetings afterraising them 17 straight times before that.
Then, on Friday, investors expect figures from the CommerceDepartment on import and export prices for December. The data helpillustrate what consumers pay for foreign-made goods.
Retail sales figures for December from the department willlikely confirm what Wall Street already knows: The holiday seasonwas a disappointment for most retailers.
Also due that day are Commerce Department reports on businesssales and inventories.
Alcoa kicks off the quarterly earnings season when it reportsfourth-quarter results on Tuesday. The aluminum company is expectedto be a litmus test for both analysts and economists to determinethe pace of U.S. manufacturing.
The company, one of the 30 whose stocks make up the Dow, isexpected to report an 88 percent rise in earnings per share - to 66cents from 35 cents - according to analysts polled by ThomsonFinancial. Revenue is expected to hit $7.6 billion for thequarter.
Shares of the company closed at $28.76 on Friday and have tradedbetween $26.39 and $36.96 in the past 52 weeks.
On Wednesday, biotechnology company Genentech Inc. is expectedto report results of 55 cents per share compared with 34 cents ayear earlier. Analysts expect the company to post $2.53 billion ofrevenue during the quarter. Shares closed at $83.68 Friday and havetraded within a 52-week range of $75.58 and $94.46.


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WASHINGTON -- Washing machine prices are going to rise. Yet more Americans will be put to work as the country makes more of its own washing machines.
And Whirlpool, with a major factory in the northwest Ohio town of Clyde, should sell a lot more washers.
How steep will the prices reach? How will this all wash out?
There were lots of outstanding questions the day after news of Whirlpool's victory in a significant foreign trade case against Korea-based competitors LG and Samsung. President Donald Trump agreed to a seldom-used remedy -- steep tariffs, or fees on nearly all imports of large residential washers -- because, his administration said, those imports substantially harm the American washing machine industry.
Signing the order Tuesday, Trump imposed import fees as high as 50 percent on the cost of washing machines imported from anywhere other than Canada.
Most trade punishments are limited to select countries accused of playing unfairly. But Trump and his trade ambassador agreed with Whirlpool, which brought the case and said the problem needs a broader solution. Samsung and LG kept shifting production from country to country, a way of ducking narrower, country-specific penalties, Whirlpool said, while continuing to use cheap labor and parts and even selling washers in the United States for less than they cost to build -- a way for them to gain market share. Samsung and LG deny these claims but lost in the end.
"My administration is committed to defending American companies, and they've been very badly hurt from harmful import surges that threaten the livelihood of their workers, of jobs, actually, all over this country -- many different industries," Trump said when signing the trade action on washing machines and another on imports of foreign solar components.
What will it mean? Here is what is known.
Q: How much will washing machine prices rise?
No one who knows is saying, and everyone else is making educated guesses. They have to guess because this isn't simply a matter of taking the tariffs -- ranging from 20 percent to 50 percent per imported washer in the first year, then going down in the next two before ending altogether -- and tacking on that amount to the retail tag.
Companies and divisions within companies have different levels of a financial cushion to absorb or pass on costs, and they'll make numerous other considerations, from transportation to shifting factories to getting parts from elsewhere. A tariff can trigger changes to any of these.
Christine McDaniel, a former White House trade economist and a senior research fellow at the Mercatus Center, a free-market think tank headquartered at George Mason University, says the tariffs create "a market distortion that makes it hard to predict" the precise price hike.
But with all that said, Gary Hufbauer, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, estimated price hikes of about 15 percent.
Q: Why 15 percent?
Hufbauer said that was based on reviews of price hikes following the imposition of tariffs on a number of products over the years and, more recently, on Chinese tires. Economic modeling shows domestic wholesale prices of competing goods rises by a fraction of the new tariff -- roughly 30 percent to 70 percent of the new tariff, he said.
"I'm assuming that washing machines will behave in a similar fashion," he said in an email.
Q: Didn't the Trump administration calculate the price hikes when it made its decision to add the tariffs on imported washers?
The U.S. International Trade Commission, a quasi-judicial panel within the Commerce Department, did when it reviewed evidence and heard testimony from all sides and made its recommendation. The recommendation then got passed up the chain of command to the president for his final decision.
The expected price hike mentioned in the commission's report came down to a single word: a "modest" increase in overall consumer prices.
What is "modest?"
With apologies, no one is giving a precise definition because no one who knows wants to release pricing information publicly, and a lot of proprietary information was redacted before the trade commission released its files.
But Samsung predicted consumers will have to pay more. Samsung said it amounts to "a tax on every consumer who wants to buy a washing machine."
Still, before you get excited, remember that these are temporary tariffs kicking in on new imports in 15 days and ending after three years, and they will go down every year during that time. That won't help if you're in the market for a washer right now, but within a year the majorty of all large residential washing machines -- whether made by Whirlpool, Samsung or LG -- should be U.S.-made. That means they won't have tariffs.
We'll come back to that in a minute.
If the tariffs are on imports, will Whirlpool have price hikes, and why?
Filings in the trade case suggest Whirlpool had been pressured by the foreigners' practices to make its own prices artificially low, although many details are proprietary and Whirlpool won't discuss pricing. What is known is what the trade commission said in its recommendation that led to Trump's decision:
In the short term, "our recommended action will result in a modest increase in the domestic industry's prices and a substantial increase in the industry's sales volume, revenues, and operating income over 2016 levels as import volumes are cut in half."
Asked about price hikes, Patrick O'Connor, a Whirlpool spokesman, said, "This case is all about fair competition among appliance companies and real benefits to consumers. Overseas competitors were 'dumping' products, meaning they were selling products at prices below their own cost hoping to force American companies out of the market. Those companies didn't have consumers' best interest at heart. An effective remedy will bring a variety of appliance choices at affordable prices."
If washing machines will cost more, even just for now, how could this be good?
Whirlpool should be able to add a third shift to its large residential washer factory in Clyde, Ohio, generating 1,300 additional jobs, the trade commission said, and invest in incremental improvements there as well. Immediately after news broke Monday of Trump's decision, the company said it will add 200 jobs in Clyde, and that is "just the beginning of increased investments in innovation, manufacturing and additional manufacturing jobs for Whirlpool and its vendors."
This could benefit companies such as ArcelorMittal, whose Cleveland steel plant supplies Whirlpool. The more washers Whirlpool makes, the more steel and other materials it will need.
And although Samsung and LG are rather dour about the decision, Trump said it will be good for Americans for another reason. Samsung just opened a washing machine factory in Newberry, South Carolina and LG is completing one later this year in Clarksville, Tennessee.
"Our action today helps to create jobs in America for Americans," Trump said, signing the order Tuesday in the Oval Office. "It will provide a strong incentive for LG and Samsung to follow through on their recent promises to build major manufacturing plants for washing machines right here in the United States."
So will even the "foreign" washers will ultimately be American-made?
That's the expectation. Once LG opens its Tennessee factory in the fourth quarter of this year, it will import very few washing machines, the company says. And it says it will source the parts domestically, too.
"By this time next year, virtually every washer LG makes" for the American market "will come out of that factory in Clarksville, Tennesee," said company spokesman John Taylor.
Whirlpool suggests that by filing its case against LG and Samsung, it helped speed along the Tennessee and South Carolina factories.
"Whirlpool Corporation, and the people in our nine U.S. manufacturing locations, have made it clear throughout this process that we welcome fair competition and believe a strong remedy will encourage both Samsung and LG to spend more money, faster, to build the two proposed facilities here in the United States," O'Connor said. "We believe a strong remedy in our case will help Tennessee and South Carolina, not hurt them."
Why, then, were LG and Samsung glum about Trump's decision?
Trump's decision could hurt both companies for much of this year. Samsung just opened its South Carolina factory Jan. 12, converting an old Caterpillar plant, and is still ramping up, so its imports of foreign inventory continue. It plans to employ 1,000 workers by 2020, but right now it has 540, according to the Post and Courier newspaper.
And LG will still import most of its washers this year, before it starts producing in Tennessee late in the year. As new LG imports arrive in the interim, they'll face the new tariffs.
Taylor said it is too soon to know how this will affect pricing during that period, but if a $1,000, high-end washing machine has a tariff as high as $500, it could hypothetically push the price up to $1,500 unless something else gives.
That's enough to make customers reconsider and buy a different brand. And while the price premium could be relatively short-lived, the loss of sales could make retail chains feature other brands and push LG to the back of the store.
"So you'd lose floor space" as stores change their displays to match customer desires, and it can take years of negotiations with major chains to get floor space back, Taylor said.
But by next year wouldn't things be hunky dory, tariff-wise and all around?
Tariff-wise, yes. But better floor space leads to more sales, and if the tariffs for now push up prices enough that LG loses floor space, it will lose sales.
In turn, sales equate to demand to ramp up and build new washers -- or maybe to build fewer if sales are sluggish because of the tariffs. LG's Tennessee plant is being built for 600 workers.
"So instead of having 600 employees, maybe you'd only have 300," Taylor said.
That's why officials in Tennessee and South Carolina decried Trump's decision. The chain reaction, Taylor said, could slow the ramp-up to full production.
Last question: Trade cases are hardly unusual. Why is this one a big deal?
Most cases come from a company's complaint that a foreign competitor violated trade rules through its practices in a specific country, or that a country artificially held down an industry's costs, giving the foreign industry an unfair advantage. Whirlpool made those kinds of accusations before and won penalties against Samsung and LG for their practices in Mexico and China.
But U.S. trade law allows for special, temporary sanctions in extraordinary cases that don't necessarily involve a specific violation. Instead, a domestic company or group of companies can say they have been so substantially harmed by rising imports that they are at risk of serious damage. Unless they get U.S. government safeguards against these imports, the argument goes, an entire American industry will be harmed.
That's what Whirlpool said when it filed this case under Section 201 of the 1974 Trade Act. A broader, global solution was needed, the company said, because Samsung and LG kept moving their factories from country to country to evade the narrower sanctions. Samsung and LG denied it.
The other thing extraordinary about Section 201 cases is that even though wind up before quasi-judicial panels and require evidence and testimony, just as in other trade cases, the burden of proof is especially high -- and the final decision is left to the president.
Until this week, the last time a president issued sanctions in such a case was 2002, in a complaint over foreign steel. The World Trade Organization, a global appeals body, then struck that decision down.
Most presidents are reluctant to take on such cases, which come loaded with protectionist and political overtones and fear of foreign retaliation. Trump showed this week he is not.


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Poco India is all set to launch its second smartphone, Poco X2, tomorrow in India. Ahead of the official launch, the company has officially released a new teaser video of the phone, giving a clear glimpse to the fans. The recently released footage reveals Poco X2's silhouette, sharing some resemblance with the Redmi K30 model. Previously, some rumours surfaced on the internet claiming that the Poco X2 will be rebranded version of Redmi K30 4G variant, that will be built for the Indian customers. Galaxy Z Flip First Hands-On Video Gives Glimpse of Samsung’s Next Foldable Phone; Watch Video.
The company will be launching the smartphone in the Indian market on February 4. The launch event is slated to commence at 12 pm IST onwards. When launched, the phone will be retailed exclusively via Flipkart. Also, the company has been teasing a higher refresh rate of the phone which will be 120Hz. The smartphone will also pack a 27W charging capacity; however, there is no official confirmation for a fast charger as of now. Poco X2 Launching in India on February 4 With High Refresh Rate Display: Report.
— POCO India (@IndiaPOCO) January 31, 2020
On the specification front, the phone will get an edge-to-edge display with a 120Hz refresh rate. The smartphone could pack a 6.67-inch FHD+ display with 20:9 aspect ratio protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 5. Under the hood, the smartphone is likely to be powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 730G chipset that might be mated with up to 8GB of RAM and up to 256GB of internal space. Poco X2 India Prices Likely To Start From Rs 18,999; To Be Launched On February 4.
Poco X2's recent Geekbench listing revealed that the phone would come equipped with an octa-core chipset, Android 10 OS, 6GB of RAM, a 3.5mm headphone jack, USB Type-C port and much more. As far as the prices are concerned, there were reports in the market claiming that the phone will be launched with a starting price of Rs 18,999 for the 6GB + 64GB variant.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 03, 2020 10:00 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).


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Cristiano Ronaldo’s love for watches isn’t any secret, and taking his ardour a step additional, he’s shopping for a stake in Chrono24 GmbH — the biggest devoted on-line market for luxurious watches.
The soccer star’s funding will doubtless profit him in one other manner, giving him publicity to the second-hand marketplace for luxurious watches.
“As a long-term watch collector and common person of Chrono24, it’s a pleasure for me to turn out to be a shareholder within the firm now.
Chrono24 unites thousands and thousands of watch lovers from all around the globe to share of their ardour, collectively — that international unification is one thing I do know properly and am thrilled to be part of,” Ronaldo commented in an announcement to the web site.
Whereas the corporate hasn’t disclosed how a lot the Portuguese nationwide has invested within the Germany-based firm, it shared that different shareholders embrace personal fairness companies and the Louis Vuitton chairman Bernard Arnault.
The platform, which has over 500,000 watches listed by sellers and personal sellers, held a financing spherical in 2021, valued at greater than $1 billion.
Chrono24 Co-Chief Government Officer Tim Stracke stated Ronaldo’s funding was “vital”.
“The marketplace for second-hand watches is anticipated to broaden 75% by the tip of the last decade, reaching 35 billion Swiss francs ($39.6 billion),” Bloomberg stated, citing consulting agency Deloitte.
The publication additional added that, in response to LuxeConsult, a Swiss-based evaluation and consulting agency, the pattern was so prevalent that revenues of pre-loved timepieces could find yourself overtaking gross sales of recent watches by 2033.
Ronaldo’s love for luxurious watches is hardly a secret; his numerous assortment is valued within the thousands and thousands and contains manufacturers starting from Rolex to Jacob & Co, Girard-Perregaux and Franck Muller.
Furthermore, Stracke additional stated the deal was not an endorsement or advertising and marketing settlement.
“He gave cash to us, not us giving cash to him,” he stated.
Stracke stated that whereas costs for some Rolex fashions have been stabilising, others have been nonetheless falling.


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After sponsoring the Swiss football team and then being the first luxury brand to burst onto the
pitch by partnering EURO 08, Hublot now continues its commitment to the world of footie with a
Big Bang model created especially for the Mexican Football Federation! The Swiss watchmaker
will be in Mexico on 3rd December to officialise the partnership, thus bringing it closer to all the
football clubs in the country. A Big Bang will be presented to the President of the Federation,
Justino Compean, and to trainer, Hugo Sanchez, at a ceremony attended by a large number of
celebrities from the world of Mexican football, media and politics.
Mexico being a football-loving country and full of Hublot fans to boot, the 250 individually
numbered Big Bang pieces are already objects of desire. The black chronograph displays the
Federation's logo on its dial and the green indices reflect the colours of the country, whose
complete flag can be seen emblazoned across the lateral insert.
From the outset, Hublot has embodied design and innovation that differ markedly from the established watchmaking order. With the impetus provided by Jean-Claude Biver, by 2004 these values had already become the basis of a new DNA, leading the brand, which is currently headed by Ricardo Guadalupe - its CEO since 2012, to develop particularly audacious timepieces – most of them with a highly-developed sporting aspect.Find out more >
All the news >
Contact brand >
All the watches >


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Bernard Arnault’s long pursuit of Tiffany & Co. has had it all: the yearning from afar, the whirlwind engagement, the $16.2 billion deal and now the nasty breakup — tinged with a lawsuit and some geopolitical intrigue for good measure.
The biggest deal of the billionaire’s long and storied career — which built LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton into a 53.7 billion euro luxury goliath — could also be the strangest.
And whether it goes through at all could ultimately depend now on a judge in Delaware’s Court of Chancery, politicians navigating trade tensions between the U.S. and France or a bit of last-minute negotiating.
But however it plays out, the early phase of the dispute already has been filled with vitriol — with Tiffany’s chairman saying LMVH has “unclean hands,” and LVMH’s finance director sneering — as only the French can — at Tiffany paying a dividend when it was losing money.
And all of that isn’t even in the lawsuit.
Chalk it all up to a world changed, by the coronavirus and, perhaps, the Trump-era trade wars that have seen companies conscripted into the back-and-forth between nations.
While LVMH was the pursuer and approached Tiffany last year — negotiating the deal with its chairman, Roger Farah — the luxury group has soured on the luxury jeweler since COVID-19 hit the world — and the global economy — this year.
WWD broke the news on June 1 that the blockbuster deal was looking a lot less certain, citing details of an LVMH board meeting specifically to discuss the matter amid a deteriorating situation in the U.S. market, Tiffany’s largest. Board members of the luxury giant expressed concern at the time about the impact of not only the coronavirus pandemic, which has claimed more than 190,000 lives in America, but also the growing social unrest over racial injustice.
But it was ultimately a French digital services tax that impacts companies such as Amazon and Google that gave Arnault what could be an out.
In July, the administration of President Trump, which has bristled at the tax, said it would retaliate by imposing 25 percent duties on $1.3 billion worth of French fashion goods starting Jan. 6.
LVMH on Wednesday said France’s Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs asked LVMH to defer the transaction beyond Jan. 6, beyond the deal’s deadline, set at Nov. 24.
“Because the implementation of these tariffs may affect France’s external relations, for which my department is responsible, proposed investments by French companies in sectors that could be subject to such sanctions must be reevaluated in light of this new context,” read the French minister’s letter, according to a translation given to Tiffany by LVMH. “My attention was drawn to the most important current investment, which is your group’s pending acquisition of Tiffany. In order to support the steps taken vis-à-vis the American government, you should defer the closing of the pending Tiffany transaction until Jan. 6.”
During a conference call, LVMH’s group chief financial officer, Jean-Jacques Guiony, was unequivocal that it had no choice but to back away from the deal.
“We are prohibited from closing the transaction. It’s a legal restraint, which is a term that is defined by the merger agreement in article 8.1.C,” he told journalists. “The legal restraint is binding upon us. And we have no choice but to apply it so we cannot close the deal by the 24th of November. It’s as simple as that.”
That said, he did not mince words when asked why it didn’t seek to renegotiate the deadline date.
“To be frank, we were not entirely happy with the way the company has been managed and performed over the last few months,” he said, expressing incredulity that the jeweler is loss-making yet still pays dividends.
He noted that LVMH was, by contrast, profitable in the first half of the year, despite facing the same headwinds brought by the pandemic.
(Alessandro Bogliolo, Tiffany’s chief executive officer, maintained in the company’s statement that: “The fundamental strength of Tiffany’s business is clear. The company has already returned to profitability after just one quarter of losses, and we expect our earnings in the fourth quarter of 2020 will actually exceed the same period in 2019.” Separately, one source argued that the company was compelled to continue paying dividends under the deal).
On the call, Guiony bristled at the suggestion — and subsequent widespread press reports — that it was LVMH that lobbied the French government to help it find a loophole to escape the transaction.
“You must be joking. Are you seriously suggesting that we procured the letter? I don’t even want to answer that question,” he said bluntly. “It was fully unsolicited.”
In fact, he said LVMH sought the advice of many legal experts after receiving the letter, visited the ministry, and concluded it had no choice but to “apply the terms of the letter.”
During the call, Guiony was pressed to explain if LVMH had, as Tiffany contends, dragged its feet in trying to get merger clearance in several jurisdictions, including the European Union.
“Probably Tiffany must have heard — but I’m not sure — about COVID-19. I mean, this has been slowing down all the processes with any administration and any business in the world,” he said dryly. “Do I have to remind them that they were deeply affected in particular in the financial results by the COVID-19?”
He went on to explain that while EU authorities must respond to filings within 25 days, the actual filing can only take place after discussions with both parties and that it is a time-consuming process.
“I mean, you have to apply their rules and logic and not yours. So that’s the way it works,” he said, disputing Tiffany’s charge that LVMH has not been diligent, and calling that “a pure misconception of the way things work and obviously it knows that extremely well.”
Guiony also refuted suggestions LVMH was seeking to negotiate a better price.
“There is no article [in the contract] whatsoever that would allow us to renegotiate the price, there is no such thing and it never crossed our mind,” he said. “I don’t know where they got that from. I mean, we never came to them with any idea that we would renegotiate the price — never.”
Tiffany investors were already skittish and grew more so, sending shares of the jeweler down 6.4 percent to $113.96 Wednesday, well below the $135 deal price. Shares of LVMH largely held their ground, slipping just 0.09 percent for the day to 404.05 euros.
Giuseppe Bivona, partner and chief investment officer of Bluebell Capital Partners, recently sold its stake in Tiffany as “red flags” emerged last month that LVMH didn’t file to get the EU to approve the deal. (Bluebell’s chairman is Francesco Trapani, former Bulgari ceo both before and after it was acquired by LVMH and former Tiffany board member).
But Bivona wasn’t expecting the acquisition to get pulled into an international trade dispute.
“This move caught everybody by surprise,” Bivona said. “The contract that Tiffany and LVMH signed is pretty much bulletproof, we would say. There were clearly red flags that LVMH was trying to get off the hook but I would say we’re very surprised how they managed to do it.
“It’s pretty much in the hands of the politicians,” he said. “I don’t know what the U.S. response will be. It’s all very bizarre.”
As for Tiffany’s response to LVMH’s move — it immediately went to court in Delaware. But Guiony questioned whether the judge could “consider that a valid French letter from a minister could be something that we as a French company should ignore.”
With the suit, the jeweler said it was trying to compel LVMH to “abide by its contractual obligation under the merger agreement.”
The deal has taken longer than initially expected and concerns have been growing in some quarters that LVMH was slow-walking the process of obtaining regulatory approval.
Tiffany noted: “Under the terms of the merger agreement, LVMH assumed all antitrust-clearance risk and all financial risk related to adverse industry trends or economic conditions. In addition, LVMH is required to do everything necessary to secure all required regulatory clearances as promptly as practicable.”
LVMH has not filed official requests for antitrust approval in the EU or Taiwan, the jeweler said.
On Tiffany’s behalf, Farah said: “We regret having to take this action, but LVMH has left us no choice but to commence litigation to protect our company and our shareholders. Tiffany is confident it has complied with all of its obligations under the merger agreement and is committed to completing the transaction on the terms agreed to last year. Tiffany expects the same of LVMH.”
Tiffany noted that the COVID-19 pandemic has not prevented other dealmakers from making antitrust filings and that, of the 10 biggest transactions announced since the beginning of the fourth quarter, this is the only deal that hasn’t been formally filed for antitrust approval in the European Union.
Farah also addressed the letter from French authorities, which Tiffany first learned of on Tuesday.
“We believe that LVMH will seek to use any available means in an attempt to avoid closing the transaction on the agreed terms,” Farah said. “But the simple facts are that there is no basis under French law for the foreign affairs minister to order a company to breach a valid and binding agreement, and LVMH’s unilateral discussions with the French government without notifying or consulting with Tiffany and its counsel were a further breach of LVMH’s obligations under the merger agreement.
“Moreover, this supposed official French effort to retaliate against the U.S. for proposed new tariffs has never been announced or discussed publicly; how could it possibly then be an effort to pressure the U.S. into revoking the tariffs?” Farah said. “Furthermore, as we are not aware of any other French company receiving such a request, it is all the more clear that LVMH has unclean hands.”
Tiffany’s 114-page complaint alleges that although LVMH had once indicated its hopes of closing the deal before the middle of 2020, as they had contemplated, the luxury giant’s approach began to change after the COVID-19 pandemic spread in the U.S.
LVMH said at first, in February, it had raised $10 billion to help finance the purchase. Then it gestured at potentially purchasing Tiffany stock in the open market at a lower price, Tiffany claimed, but then disclosed in March that it would not take that approach.
The complaint alleges that LVMH’s apparent wavering continued in the following months, with the luxury giant first stating in April that it would just follow the merger agreement, and then in June, icing discussions with Tiffany’s ceo
LVMH has also allegedly slow-walked or stalled its process of obtaining the necessary regulatory approvals in a number of jurisdictions including Japan, Mexico and Taiwan, which Tiffany claimed was a tactic to renegotiate the deal or “run out the clock” before having to fulfill the contract in time. The deal already received antitrust approval in the U.S. in February, Tiffany noted in the complaint.
LVMH has pointed to the economic effects of the pandemic and the ongoing nationwide protests in the U.S. against police brutality as factors that may warrant some modification of their deal terms, but Tiffany insists their contract is iron-clad.
“At the direction of billionaire Bernard Arnault, one of the richest persons in the world, LVMH is trying to take advantage of the pandemic and recent social-justice protests in the United States to strong-arm Tiffany into agreeing to a reduced merger price,” Tiffany said in the complaint.
“Before LVMH’s approach, Tiffany was not seen by the market as ‘for sale,’” the company said.
“Tiffany agreed to enter into the merger agreement with LVMH based on LVMH’s representations and assurances about the certainty of the deal,” the suit said. “A failure of the merger has the potential to affect Tiffany’s stock price, and undervalue significantly the Tiffany brand going forward for investment or potential transactions with other companies.”
Analysts didn’t rule out the potential for a Tiffany deal to still go through.
Luca Solca at Bernstein noted: “This turn of events is not totally unexpected. COVID-19 has caused second thoughts on a number of proposed deals and the prices they were agreed at. It seems that this is no exception.…Tiffany remains attractive to LVMH and others. We believe this should likely support its price above $100, even if the LVMH deal fell through completely.”
Sola also noted that, “Other suitors may emerge, [such as] Kering and Richemont. While it is unclear if and at what level these companies could be interested, the notion that Tiffany is open to M&A should be a support….[And] LVMH and Tiffany may find a new agreement next year once the international trade dispute is solved (and the U.S. presidential elections are decided).”
Oliver Chen, a Cowen analyst, pinpointed the key questions going forward as:
• Is the letter from France’s Foreign Affairs Minister binding?
• Does Tiffany’s management want to go through litigation, or would Tiffany accept a price cut?
• And how interested is LVMH in completing the deal?
“We do believe that recent developments increase LVMH’s leverage in the ongoing acquisition process — key catalysts include the Delaware proceedings, updates from France’s Foreign Affairs Minister, and potential press releases,” Chen said, estimating that there is now only a 15 to 20 percent chance a deal would get done at the $135 price now.
When the deal was cut, combining the financial firepower of the world’s largest luxury group with the iconic American house — known globally for its robin’s egg-colored packaging and classic engagement ring settings — was seen as creating a more robust competitor to the leading jewelry label Cartier, which belongs to Compagnie Financière Richemont.
Now, the competitive landscape is shifting again — and strangely, in keeping with the times.


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Wednesday, April 27, 2011
King Saud University, 4/25/2011
This week, heads of the international beekeepers association and the Asian beekeepers association, along with Saudi researchers, were among the guests at a workshop on the medical and therapeutic use of bee products. The workshop was organized by the Eng. Abdullah Baqshan Research Chair for Bee Research.
Dr. Ahmad Khazim Al-Ghamdi, supervisor of the Chair, said the apitherapy workshop is the first of its kind in the Kingdom and drew physicians and experts from Germany, Switzerland, Bulgaria, the United States, France, Thailand and elsewhere who are renowned for using bee products in therapy.
Dr. Al Ghamdi said the workshop was held because the Chair recognizes the importance of apitherapy, especially for its effectiveness in treating more than 500 ailments, including breast cancer, chronic wounds, skin ulcerations, burns, skin diseases, hepatitis, arthritis and eczema.
He added that a goal of the workshop was to spread knowledge about the medical properties of bee products and increase awareness of them among health workers.
He said the workshop also aimed to bring to the Arab world medical technology pertaining to the use of bee products and to consider laws and regulations governing apitherapy in other countries for the purpose of drafting a national plan.
Dr. Al Ghamdi added that the workshop would conclude with a two-day training session by Dr. Stefan Stangaciu, director of the German and Rumanian Apitherapy Association on the practical implementation of bee product therapy. That session was intended for doctors, advanced students, pharmacists, pharmacological industry workers, alternative medicine workers, nurses and apiarists…


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Today, Robinhood restricted trading on GameStop and other stocks caught in the “meme stock” frenzy.
Robinhood customers took to Blind, the largest anonymous professional network, to express their outrage surrounding the decision.
Do Professionals Plan On Leaving Robinhood?
A data employee at Microsoft asked the Blind platform: “After this whole thing is over, do you plan on leaving Robinhood.”
Today’s key learnings from 1,270 survey respondents:
- 76% of respondents say they plan on switching from Robinhood
- 13% of respondents say they already did (and shared where they went)
- Only 11% of respondents say they won’t be leaving the Robinhood platform
Comments From Professionals
What professionals are saying on Blind right now:
A professional at Amazon responded “Could someone suggest an alternate platform with a good app? Is there a link to the transfer process?”
A professional at Google shared “Initiated transfer this morning to Fidelity which is my other trading account.”
An Engineer at Amazon shared “Switched to fidelity. Call them up they will refund the 75$ transfer fees”
A Facebook professional shared they had “Switched to Webull”.
An Apple professional simply said “Etrade”.
A Lyft Professional said, “Robinhood is dead to me.”
An Intel professional questioned, “Newbie here. All this outrage over RH because they stopped letting us trade GME, AAL, AMC … etc stocks? Why the boycott? what exactly are you guys hoping to witness by bloating up these stocks? Just curious. Not taking any side.”
An Amanzon Professional said, “I’ve been on the sidelines on this GME, AMC thing. But now, I’m in. I’m not selling it and I don’t care if I end up losing my money in the process. It’s not abt money anymore, it’s personal this time.”
Up until today, Robinhood has made a name for itself through its mission to democratize investing for everyone. The Silicon-Valley start-up once pioneered free trading, and now has 76% of its user base flocking to competitors.
The post 76% Of Respondents Say They Plan On Leaving Robinhood appeared first on ValueWalk.


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Nexus Ventures has subscribed to 10 equity shares and 5,074 Series A3 CCPS of Roppen Transportation, taking its stake to 11.41 per cent in the company. The post India’s bike taxi startup Rapido raises $11.2m led by Nexus Venture Partners appeared first on DealStreetAsia. Full investment news articleRelevent to this post: University of Nebraska Foundation,


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The Yamaha Motiv concept could be used to lead a new family of small cars.
Yamaha is investigating numerous body styles, including a sleek sports car, for its potential launch into the road car market using Gordon Murray’s iStream system.
Although Yamaha officials made no reference to the image, it was shown on a video loop on the manufacturer’s stand following the launch of the Motiv concept at the Tokyo motor show.
Yamaha’s general manager of innovation, Masato Suzuki, confirmed different body styles were possible, while Murray said all body styles shown in the image could in theory be based on his platform.
“The manufacturing system allows for a longer vehicle, a wider vehicle and many other modifications, without significant additional costs,” said Suzuki. “The first step is to consider if the reaction is positive enough to put the car into production, but it is my hope and goal that it will be. I am pushing hard for that. After that decision is made, we must consider the body styles.”
Suzuki also confirmed that Yamaha would not have pursued a mainstream road car project unless it allowed it to demonstrate engineering innovation. “Gordon Murray is the perfect partner because he thinks in new ways, and that embodies the Yamaha way,” he said. “We would not enter the car market to build a car in the same way as everyone else. Yamaha does not think like that, and nor does Murray.”
It was also confirmed that the car has been engineered to meet all global standards, including those in Europe. “Downsizing is a global trend, and this car encapsulates that.
"The time is right for us to take mobilisation on to four wheels,” said Suzuki. “Everything is under consideration at present. We see an opportunity for us in many different markets around the world.”
The Motiv represents the first concept to be created as part of the new Yamaha-Murray partnership. The car, which can be made in both petrol and electric-only versions, will represent a siginificant challenge to the Smart ForTwo if it gets the go-ahead from the Yamaha board to enter production.


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Five traders from Ulhasnagar township of Thane district were arrested for alleged copyright violation and cheating customers by selling fake products after labelling them under popular brand names, police said.
Based on a complaint filed by an official of Titan Company, an offence was registered against the five businessmen for allegedly selling bags which had the brand name and its logo inscribed on the products, Assistant Police Inspector M M Jadhav said.
They had duped several customers by misusing popular brand names, he said.
Bags worth Rs 18.92 lakh having brand names inscribed illegally were recovered from them, he said.
Subsequently, traders Anil Punjabi, Satish Shah, Mahesh Gokhalani, Amit Shah and Sunil Chawla, having shops at various locations in Ulhasnagar, were arrested late last night, he said.
They have been booked under sections 420 (cheating) read 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of the IPC and also sections 51, 52 and 63 of the Indian Copyright Act.
Further probe is on in the matter, he added.


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A new environmental and also economic havoc of globalization: Hundreds of thousands of tons of mandarins and clementines rot at the foot of the fruit trees in the Valencian, Catalan, Murcian and Andalusian fields due to the insurmountable commercial competition of South African late citrus, favored by an agreement with the European Union that exempts them from customs duties until November 30 of each yeardate that coincides with the beginning of the harvest of the Spanish early production.
Mandarins and other South African citrus already enjoyed free access to the EU between June 1 and October 15, but the agreement that entered into force in 2016 extended the tariff exemption period. In addition, under the treaty, the tax that these imports pay the rest of the year, of 16%, It will gradually decrease until it disappears completely in 2025.. It should be noted that South Africa is already the second world producer of oranges, only behind Spain itself.
The consumer buys pieces harvested months ago from 8,000 km away
The Valencian farmers denounce that this point was hidden in a lengthy document of 2,500 pages and for this reason it went unnoticed by Spanish government officials and MEPs. In the vote of the Eurocámara, eight deputies from the PP and one from UpyD supported the trade agreement as a whole, and nine others from the PSOE abstained. The remaining 36 Spanish representatives voted against.
And, in this context, the large European (and Spanish) distribution chains have opted for mandarins, clementines and oranges from the southern hemispheremuch cheaper, compared to those of national (or at least community) production, which has flooded the supermarkets of the continent of African fruit for another year this autumn and has left the native harvest on the trees, from which it goes directly to the ground, because it would cost more to pick it up than to let it go to waste.
Every summer, huge quantities of citrus enter the EU that can be stored in storage rooms and continue to be sold once the duty-free import period has ended, which sinks the Mediterranean production, which begins to be harvested at the end of the year. Due to its long-distance transportation and this need for refrigerated storage, carbon and environmental footprint of this fruit that, on the other hand, is cheaper due to low wages and lower food safety requirements in origin is enormously greater than that of proximity. For the same reasons, its quality and nutritional values also suffer: the consumer ends up buying some pieces collected months ago to more than 8,000 km. away.
Low wages and fewer health requirements
Given the miserable prices that were offered (from a third lower to half those of the previous campaign, depending on varieties, and up to ten times lower than what the consumer pays), farmers on the Levantine coast and other parts of the country have chosen not to pick the mandarins and clementines, which had passed a difficult test with the waterlogging of the fields last autumn, and which are now slowly decomposing in the soil of the farms. And, as in previous years, the same could happen shortly with oranges. As an act of protest, Asaja-Córdoba will carry out on February 8, at 11:00 a.m. a free delivery of oranges on the Boulevard del Gran Capitán in the provincial capital.
Some farmers have sold off the harvest so as not to lose everything, while others even they started uprooting the trees thinking of replacing the crop or even dedicating the plots to another activity. According to data from the agrarian unions, almost 30,000 hectares of citrus have been abandoned in the Valencian Community during the last decade due to the crisis in the sector, but also due to the lack of generational relief.
In the province of Castellón alone, the Valencian agricultural union Union of Farmers and Ranchers, which represents most of the sector, estimates that between a third and 40% of the mandarin harvest could be lost, which is equivalent to about 220,000 tons of the more than 500,000 planned. Spain produces between 2.2 and 2.5 million tons of mandarinswhich are mostly exported to the rest of the EU, where the South African tardies are also closing their doors.
The chains offer the producer up to 10 times less than what the public pays
Faced with this situation, the Spanish government announced a first measure in December, consisting of Withdraw 50,000 tons of citrus from the market to turn them into juice that will be distributed free of charge to disadvantaged groupsa measure financed with 12.5 million European funds considered positive by farmers, but clearly insufficient to deal with the debacle of the sector, which the Unió de Llauradors estimates that it had caused until last month losses amounting to 130 million euros65% attributable to the entry of South African fruit (and the rest, to torrential rains in autumn).
According to the terms of the document, a possible modification of the free trade agreement with South Africa should wait at least until three years after its entry into force, which would be fulfilled next October. Meanwhile, farmers’ associations are calling for direct aid to farms that avoid “a massive felling of orange trees” this year. The aid system called ‘de minimis’ whose application they request would mean the payment of 15,000 euros per farm to be distributed over three exercises. They also ask for a law like the French one, which establishes that the prices they must charge for fruit must be proportionate to production costs.
For its part, the Generalitat Valenciana has begun to talk with the unions about a Strategic Plan for the sector that plans its future and its viability in 15 years and that could include measures such as an expansion of trade missions to open new markets, incorporate more staff to the office installed in Brussels to act as a permanent ‘lobby’, ‘de minimis’ aid of up to 15,000 euros to each farmer who demonstrate a drop in income for weather or business reasonsaid for the recovery of damaged trees on farms flooded by autumn rains and subsidized loans from the Valencian Institute of Finance.
A similar situation is being suffered by the citrus sector in Turkey, which had become one of the world’s top ten citrus producers and one of the five largest exporters. Thousands of tons rot there every year, and thousands of day laborers are left without work because of the derisory prices paid by the market for the fruit, which is sold to the public at a price 6 to 10 times higher than what producers receive.
In the globalized market economy, the misfortune of some means the benefit of others: South Africa has reached its export record with two million tons of citrus. According to data from South African publications in the sector (such as that of the Citrus Growers Association) collected by the Spanish employers’ association, to reach half a million tons it took 60 yearsreaching a million cost him 31 more years, for a million and a half it only took 12 years and growing the last half million, up to two million tons, has been achieved in only six campaigns.


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Iconic Italian mobike brand Ducati today unveiled ‘Monster’ model M795 with a price tag of Rs 6.99 lakh at the Auto Expo 2012 here.
The “most awaited” Monster will be available at the three dealership of the company,Ducati India CEO Ashish Chordia told reporters.
This urban entry level model has been developed specially for Asia,the company said.
On competition from Harley-Davidson and Triumph,Chordia said India is a fast growing market and offers space for everyone. However,he said Ducati has “no competition”.
“The new Monster 795 has been eagerly awaited in India and we have priced it attractively to make it easier for Ducatisti to own their favourite brand,” he said.
He said Ducati’s experience in India has been good and with the launch of M795,the company expects to increase its sales significantly.
Monster has been the highest selling model for Ducati all over the world,Dcuati Asia Pacific CEO Mirko Bordiga said.
Apart from M795,Ducati is offering 13 other models like Hypermotard and Super Bike in India. The company plans to increase its dealership to 13 by the year end.
Founded in 1926,Ducati has been producing sporty motorcycles since 1946 and is sells in over 80 countries.


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High demand for respirators but stocks being replenished
There is currently great demand in the Czech Republic for FFP2 type respirators, which will be compulsory in some places from Tuesday. While respirators are sold out in some locations, stocks are gradually being replenished, representatives of medical supplies companies told the Czech News Agency.
FFP2 or KN95 class respirators will need to be worn in shops and hospitals and on public transport, under a new government decree. If people do not possess them they may wear nano face masks or two surgical masks instead.


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"We heard you": Bell cutting rates on popular consumer US roaming plans by 50%
"During the summer, Canadians told the federal government that they support wireless competition and strongly believe the wireless rules should be the same for all carriers, Canadian or international.
Join the discussion below, or Read more at Canada NewsWire.
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It’s no coincidence that obesity rates rose at the same time there was an increase in how often people started eating out and standard portion sizes got bigger. Unhealthy portion sizes are widely considered the number one culprit in mindless overeating. A standard bagel is actually more than double the size that the USDA recommends while a restaurant serving of pasta usually amounts to over three times the recommended serving size.
But a new study published in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior has uncovered six simple eating out tips that helped participants lose weight while maintaining how often they dined out.
1) Pack up half of your meal to go as soon as it hits the table.
2) Look up calorie information about a restaurant before you go.
3) Budget the day’s calorieseat less (but don’t starve!) if you know you’ll be eating out later.
4) Chew slowly and pay attention to the taste and texture of what you’re eating.
5) Don’t waste calories on food that isn’t particularly appealing to you, but don’t skimp on vegetables.
6) Order dressing, sauce and gravy on the side so you can control how much you use.
For access to exclusive gear videos, celebrity interviews, and more, subscribe on YouTube!


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Indonesia’s fintech sector is booming with 600 percent growth in fintech players over the past decades, according to a report by AC Ventures (ACV) and Boston Consulting Group (BCG).
The growth was primarily driven by the paymens segment which had more than 60 million active users as of 2020 and an expected CAGR of more than 20 percent until 2025.
Titled “Indonesia’s Fintech Industry is Ready to Rise”, the report charts the progress of fintech in the country across multiple sub-verticals, starting from the inception of fintech startups and the local digital economy in 2011 to 2022.
New players in segments such as software as a service (SaaS) and insurance activities are emerging, indicating that fintech in Indonesia is maturing and moving towards more sophisticated products and services.
In the lending space, there were more than 30 million active peer-to-peer borrower accounts in 2021. The wealth segment had over nine million retail investors in 2022.
The adoption of SaaS platforms is also growing, with six million SMEs currently using them, representing a 26-fold expansion over the preceding three years.
While lending and payments remain important, there is increasing investment into wealthtech, insurtech and fintech SaaS.
“The exponential rise in the number of fintech players, burgeoning customer engagement, and escalating equity funding are all indicative of the sector’s vast potential. Our investment strategy aligns with this space’s most impactful and innovative enterprises,” said Adrian Li, Founder and Managing Partner of ACV.
“It’s an exciting time for innovation led by customer needs, collaboration between fintech players and traditional financial institutions, regulatory bodies, and regulatory foresight. We hope our insights will equip industry players with a deeper understanding of the fintech ecosystem, putting them in a stronger position to seize new opportunities and gain competitive advantage,” said Sumit Kumar, Managing Director and Partner og BCG.
Photo: Tom Fisk


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Study: BPA research might have been bias
A U.S. scientific journal says bias might have resulted in inconsistent study results concerning the danger of a chemical found in many products.
Bisphenol A, or BPA, is a weak synthetic estrogen used in a variety of consumer products including baby bottles and food and beverage containers. Some animal studies have linked BPA with such adverse health effects as obesity and cancer and there's concern it might cause similar adverse effects in humans.
Among government and industry experiments on lab animals and tissues, 153 found adverse effects and 14 did not. The majority of those reporting no harm were funded by chemical corporations, the journal Chemical & Engineering News reported.
Now an editorial in the journal's April 16 issue by Senior Editor Bette Hileman highlights a number of potential sources of bias behind the inconsistent study outcomes, including the use of strains of rats that are insensitive to estrogen and choosing batches of animal feed that vary widely in their estrogenic activities.
The American Chemical Society journal said only an unbiased panel with appropriate expertise can resolve the apparently conflicting results of the BPA-related health studies.
Copyright 2007 by United Press International


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Blogger Amanda Terkel exacted revenge on the O'Reilly Factor for stalking and ambushing her on a desolate Virginia street: She got UPS to stop advertising, and a Ford spokesman to trash the show.
Terkel and the lefty activist group she works for, Clintonite John Podesta's Center for American Progress, have been trying to get an advertising boycott of Factor going based on the ambush incident. It involves the usual annoying tactic of having total strangers forward some kind of redundant form letter, by email.
But this campaign is actually working. After promising "further investigation," shipping company UPS released this statement the next day, about as close as you get to "ya, he's an a-hole so we pulled our ads" as you get in the corporate world:
UPS Statement (3/27/09)
Thank you for sending an e-mail expressing concern about UPS advertising during the Bill O’Reilly show on FOX News. We do consider such comments as we review ad placement decisions which involve a variety of news, entertainment and sports programming. At this time, we have no plans to continue advertising during this show.
Actually, a Ford spokesman sent Terkel an even more blunt email about how terrible Factor host Bill O'Reilly is, but the struggling car company quickly and hilariously retracted this accidental disclosure of one flack's true feelings:
...while I agree with you about the rantings of the hopelessly pig-headed Mr. O’Reilly, recognize that I am just an innocent bystander in this email letter silliness... Frankly, as a mainstream company, we advertise everywhere there are good ratings. That is not an endorsement of the show — that is recognition that people are watching the show. Don’t know why they watch that mindless ranting....
I saw the tapes of O’Reilly ambushing Hertzberg of the New Yorker a few month back. It demonstrated how moronic O’Reilly really is. I still read Hertzberg weekly in the New Yorker. And I never, ever watch Bill O’Reilly. Don’t know when he is on. Don’t care...
If I had more time, I’d visit ThinkProgress.org. Too busy trying to get Ford back on its feet though. That is important. What Bill O’Reilly does or says is not important.
– spokesman Mark Schirmer, 3/25/09, speaking for himself and not on behalf of the Ford Motor Company
UPDATE: Mark Truby, Director of Corporate Communications at Ford Motor Company, tells ThinkProgress over the phone on 3/25/09, Shirmer’s “comments don’t represent the view of Ford Motor Company.”
One would think any media buyer worth his salt would be familiar with the O'Reilly Factor's long history of controversy, and expect these sorts of boycott efforts. But apparently actually physically following someone from her apartment into another state, without so much as a phone call first, is too much even for strong-stomached advertisers.