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Pride Group takes pride in being able to be an environmentally friendly hotel by buying green power from windmills and solar farms
Pride Hotels to Launch Millenial-Focused Brand; Targets 30 Hotels By 2020
“We are planning to open a 300 room property in Goa. We are also planning to add 75 and 50 rooms in Nagpur and Pune respectively. Besides these, we are also planning to expand in Guwahati, Panipat and Nashik. We are also coming up with a new brand exclusively for Millennials. We plan to have 30 hotels by 2020,” said S P Jain, Managing Director, Pride Hotels Ltd.
S.P. JAIN, Managing Director, Pride Hotels Ltd, developed a keen interest in the hospitality sector while practising as Management Consultant in Mumbai. Hailing from a family of farmers, his ambition while growing up was to become a Chartered Accountant while practising his profession, he found himself interested in the hospitality sector and followed his instincts. In an online interaction with BW Hotelier, he said, “The hospitality business is full of challenges. Every day comes up with new opportunity. We deal directly with the guests and every day we strive to bring satisfaction on their face by giving quality services in spite of daily challenges.”
Within a short span of time, Pride group has opened 16 fully owned five-star hotels in various parts of the country. Speaking further about the expansion plan, he said, “We are planning to open a 300 room property in Goa. We are also planning to add 75 and 50 rooms in Nagpur and Pune respectively. Besides these, we are also planning to expand in Guwahati, Panipat and Nashik. We are also coming up with a new brand exclusively for Millennials. We plan to have 30 hotels by 2020.”
The Pride Group takes pride in being able to be an environmentally friendly hotel. The hotel buys green power from windmills and solar farms. Through the STP plant, they recycle sewage water and reuse it for gardening and air conditioning system. Furthermore, they use heat pumps in order to generate hot water and exhausts to circulate the cold air in their hotels.
The market for the hospitality industry has grown more competitive over time. With newer and international brands making an entry, it is imperative for every brand to differentiate its product from its competitors. Adding to these challenges, he stated, “The cost of power is increasing and of course high taxation by the government is making us incompatible in comparison to neighbouring countries. Another challenge is the high cost of real estate. But most important is to obtain multiple licenses from the project starting to operation is really the biggest difficulty in the Hospitality sector.”
Talking about the trends in the industry he mentioned few initiatives taken by the government like infrastructure development, Incredible India, Make in India, Smart Cities, Clean India, Inland waterways which have given hopes for the better development of the hospitality sector in India.
Furthermore, he said, “Due to a rise in the disposable income of people, the domestic tourism sector has grown and is creating good demand from domestic customers. The international segment has also seen growth over the same period last year due to a good number of inbound arrivals into the country. All these factors will encourage prospects for India as a tourist destination.”


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Local company providing signs for keeping correct social distancing
When you're out running those essential errands like grocery shopping keeping a social distance is critical.
Six-foot visual clues like tape along the grocery store aisle remind everyone about safe space and one Santa Cruz printing company has created artwork that may get customers to take notice.
"Creating six feet of distance is deceptively tricky," said Ross Newport, Sales Manager for Community Printers.
Since social distancing is now a part of everyone's life, navigating through grocery stores can be a real challenge.
Especially at the check-out line where tape on the floor is the only clue to maintain shopper's a distance.
"They're not necessarily six feet. They're really not thinking about it. Somebody who's standing on tape six feet apart, you're really about four feet," said Newport.
Ross Newport is the Sales Manager for Community Printers in Santa Cruz, where they've got the six feet distance down.
It's a 'stop sign' design that is easily recognizable for people to stand and keep their distance and arrows to direct customers to the right spot because grocer aisles don't necessarily line up with the checkout stands.
Staff of Life, in Santa Cruz, is 1 of 3 businesses so far to put the markers to use and they plan to order more.
"We've had tape on the floor a little over a week trying to delineate the 6 feet space but have those info graphs and having the arrows in a combination of graphics has really made it clear to customers," said Russel Kreitman, Staff of Life Store Manager.
Community Printers is covering the first $5,000 for this project at no cost to retail businesses.
"We'd rather not turn it into a commercial product that we're seeing because we think time is of the essence," said Newport.
Santa Cruz County plans to contact businesses that might benefit from the markers or you can contact the Santa Cruz County Environmental Health if you're interested.

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Here comes Mr Fix-it
Every so often a game-changing technology comes along to seriously disrupt a product sector. Andrew Wigney’s pioneering BOOST FP rechargeable battery is one of them. Now he’s hanging on for the business ride of his life.
Leading by example
Kendal Vehicle Services is celebrating 21 years of keeping the customer satisfied. For owner Carol Bradley it’s another milestone on a hard worked journey.
Aim for the bulls-eye
The game of darts has been revitalised in recent times through TV exposure. Riding the crest of its popularity is Katikati business Puma Darts.
For the love of timber
Paul Roest could have had a successful career in environmental science, but the urge to create his own unique style of furniture was too strong.
Safeguarding your business from risk
Do not put your business or yourself at risk unnecessarily. With new laws coming into effect in 2016 the consequences could be beyond dire.
Of the people, for the people
Worldwide a number of indigenous economies are outpacing the countries they reside in. Graeme Everton is working tirelessly to foster international indigenous trade.
How posture can be a pain in the neck
Physiotherapists have been counting the cost of poor posture to business, and it’s much higher than you would imagine.
Outweighing the competition
From July 1st exporters must verify all container weights using certified weighing equipment. BISON weighing jacks address this massive commercial opportunity.
Mixing charity and business
Meet three organisations that successfully demonstrate the power of social conscience in business and social enterprise in charities.
The Interview: Bartercard’s John Scott
Bartercard New Zealand CEO John Scott embarked on a remarkable transformation project, and there are lessons for all size businesses.
Searching for that star ranking
Richard Conway delivers some practical tips on how to top the search rankings in 2016.


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Ted Baker appoints Peter Collyer as chief people officer
Fashion retailer Ted Baker has appointed Peter Collyer as its new chief people officer.
Collyer has worked as people experience director at Asos for the last four years and prior to that was senior vice president of global human resources at Claire’s. Earlier in his career, he worked with The Walt Disney Company and Oasis Stores.
Lyndsay Page, Ted Baker chief executive, said: Peter is a respected and skilled HR professional with highly complementary international brand experience. His appointment will further strengthen the Ted Baker management team and support our continued growth and development as a global lifestyle brand.”
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Angry Birds games attracted 263m monthly active players in December 2012, helping their publisher Rovio double its revenues for the calendar year.
The company has published its financial results for 2012, revealing that its revenues grew 101% year-on-year to €152.2m (£129m). Rovio generated a net profit after tax for the year of €55.5m (£47m), up 57% in the same period.
The company launched four new games in 2012: Angry Birds Space, Bad Piggies and Angry Birds Star Wars from its main franchise, plus Amazing Alex, which the company bought in and rebranded.
Rovio made 45% of its revenues in 2012 from its consumer products division, as sales of plush toys and other merchandise continued to grow. That's up from 30% the previous year as consumer product revenues more-than-tripled from €22.6m in 2011 to €68.5m in 2012.
"Rovio has grown from a phenomenon to a very successful global business. In 2010 we set out to build an entertainment company and after last years performance we are on a strong path to achieve our goal," said chief executive Mikael Hed in a statement.
Rovio's profits aren't growing at the same rate as its revenues, which is an indication of the investment the company is making in the next steps for Angry Birds, including the recently-launched Angry Birds Toons cartoons and an Angry Birds movie that's expected to debut in 2016.
Rovio's headcount rose from 224 people at the start of 2012 to 518 by the end of the year. In March 2013, it said the Angry Birds games had been downloaded more than 1.7bn times on all platforms.
"We will continue to strengthen our position in the entertainment business through continuing to innovate on our existing brands, exploring creating new IP as well as exploring opportunities with external parties," said Hed.
Rovio's growth has been watched with interest by many other mobile games firms, some of whom are outgrossing Angry Birds on the app stores, even if they haven't (yet) diversified into consumer products and general entertainment.
Fellow Finnish firm Supercell, for example, is thought to be making $1.3m a day from its Clash of Clans and Hay Day games on iOS, and is reported to be in talks over a funding round that could value the company as high as $800m.
Meanwhile, Japanese mobile developer GungHo posted revenues of 10bn Yen ($106m) in February 2013 alone, with a big chunk of them coming from its Puzzle & Dragons game. Japanese telecoms firm Softbank recently paid $265m for a 58.5% stake in the company.
While annual revenues of €152.2m for Rovio sound impressive, then, some mobile games industry experts are pointing out that Angry Birds is considerably less lucrative than the most popular freemium games.
"The average revenue per user is surprisingly low," notes industry blog Gamesbrief. "On a monthly basis (assuming revenue is spread evenly through the year, which it probably isn't), Rovio is making EUR12.6m. It has 263 million active users, giving it an average revenue per user (on a monthly basis) of 5 Euro cents. If you strip out the merchandising revenue, that figure drops to 2.7 cents."
Rovio's bet is that its moves into TV, films and book publishing will ramp up its income in 2012 while it looks for new IP. Time will tell how successful it is on both scores.
It's worth noting Rovio's recent launch of The Croods, a freemium mobile game based on DreamWorks Animation's animated movie.
Experience gained on that project – as well as the income from Angry Birds games and products – may yet provide Rovio with an opportunity to move into the kind of free-to-play territory that (when successful) generates much higher average revenue per user.


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Last summer, HMI led an exciting influencer marketing campaign with the Canadian Badlands. It involved the Canadian icon Tom Jackson, four influencers from across North America, and the talented local videographer Luke Fandrich. Luke’s first beautiful video of the project has been released, with more to come.
Join the HMI team and a score of prominent Canadian influencers in the next #AllTravelChat Twitter sponsored by Tourism Nova Scotia. The chat will take place on April 26th at 1pm EST/10am PST.
HMI has signed Brendan Van Son for a second 3-month round of ambassadorship with our long-standing client Trover (Expedia), to supplement the monthly influencer marketing campaigns we have been coordinating for over a year. Brendan has contributed significantly to the Trover mandate of app downloads and an engaged community, and we look forward to further developments.
Our CEO and COO, Dalene and Pete Heck, have signed on to speak at the inaugural Travelcon, scheduled to be held in Austin, Texas, on September 20-22, 2018. Focused towards an audience of content creators, they will be presenting on “How to Work With Travel Brands.” The event quickly sold out, but a waiting list is available.
We are pleased to announce that our CEO, Dalene Heck, will be speaking at the HOST Tourism Saskatchewan conference on April 12th, 2018, in Regina, Saskatchewan. Dalene’s speech is titled “What’s Your Story?” and focuses on using the science of storytelling to drive home tourism marketing messages. More on the conference here.
Our popular ebook How to Work With Travel Influencers has gotten a facelift, and included some valuable new updates. Read the glowing reviews and download your free copy here.
We are so pleased to announce our new relationship with Heritage Inn for 7 lunch-and-learn sessions on social media training for small businesses, to be held throughout April in High River, Alberta. Get your tickets here.
Today we welcome Tawny Bertolozzi as a new Project Manager with HMI. Tawny came to us most recently from the Chinook Country Tourism Association, and brings with her a wealth of experiences from running FAM tours to creating quality content. She was recognized with an ALTO Award (from Travel Alberta) for Marketing Excellence in 2016 and is a significant addition to our team.
Find our own HMI Project Manager Megan Stetzel and a score of other fabulous speakers at the Women in Travel Summit in Quebec City from May 4-6, 2018. Megan will be leading a talk entitled “Next Level Pinterest: From Social to Search Engine” to shift your thinking with this platform from being a social to search, and take your strategy to the next level.


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The monthly Global Port Tracker report released Tuesday by the National Retail Federation and consulting firm Hackett Associates showed the volume of import shipments rose 9.1 percent in April, the latest month for which data is available, compared with March. But that was down 4.6 percent from April 2015, and May and June are expected to post declines.
Ports covered by the Global Port Tracker handled 1.44 million Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units in April. One TEU is one 20-foot-long cargo container or its equivalent.
“Our port models are projecting weak imports in volume terms, not to be confused with the dollar value,” said Ben Hackett, founder of Hackett Associates. “Inventories remain very high, pointing to an overstocked situation that will depress the volume of imports in the coming peak season. Unless inventories drop through further increased consumer spending, import growth will remain sparse.”
May is forecast 1.54 million TEU, down 4.2 percent from the same month last year. June is forecast to also be 1.54 million TEU, down 1.9 percent from last year; July at 1.62 million TEU, up 0.2 percent; August at 1.63 million TEU, down 3 percent; September at 1.57 million TEU, down 3.5 percent, and October at 1.61 million TEU, up 3.4 percent.
The first half of 2016 is expected to total 8.9 million TEU, up 0.3 percent from the same period in 2015. Total volume for 2015 was 18.2 million TEU, up 5.4 percent from 2014.
The first-half forecast was slightly down from the March report, which showed a 1.4 percent increase to 9 million TEU compared with the same period in 2015.
“The unusual patterns seen last year in the aftermath of the West Coast ports slowdown are continuing to make valid year-over-year comparisons difficult,” said Jonathan Gold, vice president for supply chain and customs policy. “Retailers are balancing imports with existing inventories but consumers can expect to see plenty of merchandise on the shelves for both back-to-school and the holidays.”
Global Port Tracker covers the U.S. ports of Los Angeles-Long Beach; Oakland, Calif.; Seattle and Tacoma, Wash., on the West Coast; New York-New Jersey; Hampton Roads, Va.; Charleston, S.C.; Savannah, Ga.; Port Everglades and Miami, Fla., on the East Coast, and Houston on the Gulf Coast.


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Rovio aims to elevate its growth this year
Rovio Entertainment Ltd., the Angry Birds maker, is moving forward with an initial and long-awaited public scheme to assist fund new deals and games in a combining industry, it claimed this week.
The Finnish firm claimed that it might lift almost 30 Million Euros (almost $36 Million) by trading new shares, while current sponsors, which comprise the uncle of the company’s co-founder as well as venture capital companies Atomico and Accel Partners, might also trade an unrevealed share in the company.
Rovio, whose apps had been installed 3.7 Billion times by June 2017, refused to put a predictable value on the firm, which some reports from media have claimed might be as elevated as $2 Billion. Rovio witnessed fast growth post the 2009 roll out of the initial “Angry Birds” game, in which users utilize a slingshot to assault pigs that take birds’ eggs, as the firm profited in on its fame by certifying the brand for employment on clothing and toys.
In 2011, it claimed that there was little development since business rapidly dropped in the middle of the rise of rival apps such as “Clash of Clans” of Supercell and “Candy Crush Saga” of King. Rovio was sluggish to reply to a transfer to freely obtainable games that make income from advertising and in-game purchases. In 2015, it cut 1/3rd of its staff since it made an operating loss.
But the 2016 roll out of 3D movie “Angry Birds,” coupled with fresh games, have revitalized the brand and assisted trading to recover. In the H1 of 2017, trades almost increased 2 times as compared to a year earlier to 153 Million Euros, while core income elevated from 11 Million a year prior to 42 Million Euros.
The company claimed that it anticipated profits and sales to augment drastically in 2017 as a whole. Technology experts have claimed that Rovio is too reliant on the “Angry Birds” and must make a fresh intellectual property to assist it develop. Some are also skeptical of discussion of a $2 Billion assessment.
“Valuations have increased in last couple of years. So it is an appealing time for the current players to make a way out,” claimed Atte Riikola, the industry analyst, to the media in an interview. “But weighing against the historic results, this sounds truly high.” Kati Levoranta, the CEO of Rovio, this week claimed that the firm was busy on various fresh game ideas.


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The London Evening Standard’s groundbreaking ‘Ladder for London’, initiative, designed to help London’s soaring number of out-of-work youths, has already created an unprecedented 400 apprentice jobs in the Capital.
After just six weeks, 126 companies have pledged to recruit 431 apprentices from campaign partner City Gateway, including Sainsbury’s, which has today announced 50 new jobs, making the supermarket the second biggest subscriber so far. This follows a recent pledge from MetroBank to take on 150 apprentices, while Goldman Sachs, the first to join the campaign, has already placed 10.
London Evening Standard’s ‘Ladder for London’ campaign encourages companies across the Capital to appoint one or more apprentices over a year, employing them after a year of pre-apprentice training with campaign partner, City Gateway.
Apprentices are trained to work in entry-level positions, including customer service, IT, human resources, marketing or sales. There are also apprenticeships specialising in sports and fitness coaching.
Companies are being offered attractive incentives for hiring apprentices, including a government-funded £1,500 grant and acknowledgement in the paper or on the website.
The launch of ‘Ladder for London’ in September followed a hard-hitting investigation by the London Evening Standard into young adult unemployment in the Capital. The initiative is designed to encourage Londonbusinesses to take on paid apprentices.
The campaign follows the London Evening Standard’s highly successful and award-winning Dispossessed and Get London Reading campaigns and its partner, City Gateway, is a Tower Hamlets social enterprise regarded as the gold standard for apprenticeships.


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I’m not very edgy and rebellious when it comes to style. BCBG, Banana Republic, and Ann Taylor are three of my safe stores. They’re the stores I primarily base my wardrobe on. This is why I wasn’t at all surprised when Ann Taylor recruited Demi Moore to be the new face of their holiday campaign.
Shot by the famous photographer, Norman Jean Roy, the theme of this year’s holiday campaign is Nordic wonderland, dreamy and romantic. With a scheduled debut of December, Ann Taylor plans to promote their campaign in December magazines while all of the items advertised will be available in stores as early as late October.
Ann Taylor’s head designer, Lisa Axelson, has created a style that Hollywood stars such as Katie Holmes, Heidi Klum, Cameron Diaz, and Halle Barry have all been attracted to. Based on the photos I saw, their upcoming fashion is no exception. The new holiday style is a classy blend of old Hollywood and modern chic. Now they can add Demi Moore to their list of celebrity admirers!


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A passenger aboard a Japan Airlines flight said he was ‘quite shocked’ and found it a bit insulting to be served a single banana while others were given far more he was served a banana with chopsticks as part of the vegan inflight menu.
A passenger on a Japan Airlines flight ordered vegan food but was disappointed to be given a banana.
Kris Chari, a vegan passenger, was shocked when he received a single banana and chopsticks as his inflight meal on a Japan Airlines flight from Jakarta to Tokyo. This incident has brought attention to the challenges that vegans face while traveling, especially when it comes to inflight meals.
Non-vegan passengers on the same flight were offered a snack of seared tuna with eggplant salad, cheese, and a baguette. This incident has sparked a debate about the adequacy of vegan meals provided by airlines and the importance of catering to the dietary requirements of passengers.
However, Chari said he was served a single banana for the vegan option. He said in a post on aviation forum FlyerTalk:
"Before takeoff today my flight attendant confirmed that I ordered VGML and that my breakfast was a banana, by which I mistakenly assumed she meant that breakfast included a banana. When she served the banana after takeoff I thought it was just an underwhelming appetizer, but it was in fact the entire meal service! It was a really good banana—one of the best I've had recently—but it still seems more appropriate as a snack. Is catering out of CGK typically this underwhelming?"
Japan Airlines apologized for not meeting Chari's expectations and pledged to respond to menus according to the growing needs of customers requesting special meals. The airline also mentioned that valuable feedback from customers would be taken into account while making decisions.
However, the incident has highlighted the need for airlines to provide substantial and fulfilling vegan meal options to meet the needs of the growing number of vegans and vegetarians.
Chari expressed his disappointment and disbelief when he was told that the banana was the only special meal offering available on the flight.
He had expected to receive a meal equivalent to what non-vegan passengers were served as a snack, such as a sandwich, salad, vegan cheese, or a baguette.
He found the single banana both insulting and belittling, especially given the growth in the number of vegans and vegetarians.
The incident on Japan Airlines is not an isolated case, as other airlines have also faced scrutiny for their inadequate vegan meal options. For instance, an Air Canada passenger reported that flight attendants initially offered her only water during a 10-hour flight from Frankfurt to Toronto.
Therefore, airlines need to do more to provide substantial vegan meals that cater to the dietary requirements of passengers, and this should be a wake-up call for the industry.
In recent years, there has been a surge in the number of people adopting veganism and vegetarianism, which has put airlines under pressure to offer a range of plant-based meals.
However, it is not uncommon for vegan passengers to receive inadequate meals that are not in line with their dietary requirements.
Therefore, airlines need to work on providing a balanced and fulfilling vegan meal that does not belittle or insult the passengers.
The incident on Japan Airlines highlights the need for the industry to provide equal options for vegans and non-vegans, as no passenger should be belittled or insulted for their dietary choices.
It is essential to cater to the needs of all passengers, and airlines should be more proactive in providing vegan meals that are satisfying and meet the dietary requirements of passengers. Therefore, airlines should continue to work on expanding their vegan meal options to cater to the growing demand.
In conclusion, the incident on Japan Airlines shows that airlines need to do more to provide substantial and fulfilling vegan meals to meet the dietary requirements of passengers.
The industry should work on expanding its vegan meal options to cater to the growing demand for plant-based meals.
This incident should serve as a wake-up call for airlines to step up their game and cater to the needs of all passengers equally.


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THE current model of tourism is unsustainable, according to a new report commissioned by Intrepid Travel, which puts forward an alarming proposition: “travel as we know hovers on the brink of extinction”. Produced by foresight agency The Future Laboratory after interviewing a range of sustainable travel experts, the paper titled A Sustainable Future for Travel: From Crisis to Transformation presents a bleak picture of what travel could like by 2040 is action is not taken now.
A future, Intrepid posits, where some of the most beloved holiday destinations, including the Maldives, Venice and Amsterdam, disappear off the map by 2050 due to fast-rising sea levels. Where extreme weather events, like severe storms, flooding and wildfires, wreak havoc on travel plans. Where overtourism reach breaking point in locations like Bali, Barcelona, and Machi Picchu. Where the metaverse will be the only means for people to experience their favourite destinations – otherwise referred to as, ‘virtual vacations’, or ‘armchair travel’.
The company’s co-founder and Chairman, Darrell Wade, explained, “one of the problems with tourism at the moment is that it is the opposite of regenerative. It’s extractive – and this cannot continue for much longer”.
“The direct, catastrophic impact of climate change has for too long been viewed as something distant in the future. But this is no longer an impending event; it’s happening now. We must recognise that the future needs to be different from business as usual, and that the climate crisis is not a competitive advantage.”
The report also predicts five key future trends that will help foster a more regenerative approach to travel, including government regulations on travel businesses to ensure that most money spent by tourists in a destination stays in the local economy, creating a path for a more equitable and mutually beneficial relationship between travellers and the communities they visit.
Intrepid also foreshadows the emergence of individual real-time carbon footprint tracking, thanks to AI, which will allow travellers to log daily emissions and track travel metrics in real-time, enabling them to shrink their footprint. The industry will also see the arrival of “pop-up accommodation” – off-grid minimalist escapes, or transient travel experiences, that leave no environmental trace.
The paper suggests that train travel will be a crucial element in making tourism more sustainable, with air travel swapped out for hyper-fast train journeys where possible. In fact, Intrepid is already working on eliminating unnecessary flights from its itineraries, with the goal of sits customers taking around 4,000 fewer flights on trips in 2024 compared to this year.
Additionally, The Future Laboratory report forecasts a “people-led” approach to travel as opposed to “product-led” – in other words, people will book holidays based on the social experience, rather than the hotel or destination.
“The clock is ticking for our planet and the future of the travel and tourism industry. There is limited time left and immediate collective action and innovation is needed to decarbonise travel together and truly achieve the immense potential for sustainable development within our industry,” Wade concluded.


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Peugeot has confirmed that its 3008 SUV will be given a performance flagship thanks to the company's investment in plug-in hybrid technology.
The French brand's head of product planning, Laurent Blanchet, confirmed to the UK's AutoExpress that when combined with the company's 1.6-litre turbocharged petrol engine the plug-in hybrid system is capable of up to 220kW.
"Combining the petrol engine with an electric motor, the combined horsepower of the car will be more or less 300 [equal to 220kW]" Blanchet explained, though in its highest state of tune as used in the 308 GTi hatch the 1.6-litre engine is capable of up to 200kW on its own.
Peugeot's use of the EMP2 platform beneath the 3008 ensures weight is kept low, and, with the kind of outputs being touted, a performance oriented 3008 would surpass the outputs of most of its mainstream rivals, with the most powerful Volkswagen Tiguan capped at 162kW, the Ford Escape having 178kW, and a maximum of 177kW from the Subaru Forester - all of which currently rely solely on petrol power to produce those figures.
The 3008 PHEV will be able to complete the 0-100 km/h dash in an expected six seconds thanks to all wheel drive with petrol power driving the front wheels and an electrically powered rear axle.
Expected to launch in 2019 the range-topping 3008 isn't likely to use the hallowed GTi badge as featured on Peugeot's 208 and 308 hatches. Instead the new model will expand the 3008 GT range, which currently comes with a 132kW 2.0-litre turbo diesel engine in Europe.
"The hybrid is a sporty car, but the GTi badge is more for the small hatchback segment; a 3008 with a GTi badge is a bit too much right now," According to Blanchet. "We could use the GT label instead."
With diesel engines coming under increased emissions compliance pressure in Europe, the two model 3008 GT strategy could last for a few years with petrol-electric plug in hybrids expected to eventually take the place of diesel engines in Peugeot's range.
Australian buyers will be introduced to the new 3008 later this year, to be followed by a larger, seven seat 5008 which could also utilise the powertrain path set down by the 3008 by adding a plug-in hybrid version later in its model life.


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For years, Kenyan authors and publishers have decried the lack of exposure and market for their literary works but the global markets have raised a red flag on high taxation as a major hindrance to promoting local literary works.
Custom charges imposed on books and taxation on local publishers and foreigners putting up book fairs for authors and publishers to market their works in African countries, Kenya included, remains prohibitive.
Sharjah Book Authority chairman Ahmed bin Rakkad Al Ameri blamed the high taxation as the biggest challenge faced by authors and publishers in marketing their work.
"We have been targeting the publisher markets in African countries like Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Nigeria, South Africa and other countries. However, taxation rates and customs are high and putting up such events is really expensive," Al Ameri said.
While there have been efforts to expand and spread the literary events across Africa in a move to spread and promote reading cultures, organisers said hosting such events physically is an expansive affair.
Hosting international book fairs like the annual book fair at Sharjah offers publishers and authors a platform for buying and selling rights, signing book deals, exploring translation opportunities and serving other commercial interests of the sector. Participation in international Book fairs and conferences also give authors opportunities for networking with international publishing houses.
Although weaving through the African markets to host international book fairs is still a challenge, in accelerating the development of the publishing industry, Al Ameri said the authority has been partnering with African publishers and authors to support publisher conferences in Africa as well as sponsoring them to attend international book fairs to showcase and promote their works.
"It is through these Book fairs that we want to spread cultures, knowledge, peace and break barriers through literature. Over the years, the annual book fairs have grown and opened doors for the world to interact and promote cultural exchange," said Al Meri.
To ease the promotion of cultural and knowledge exchange, the authority has been supporting translations of books from African native languages to English and Arabic and vice versa.
"Networking is important and governments have a big role in supporting publishing industries. If these industries collapse, they go down with our histories and we lose identity. Spreading cultures through literature breaks all barriers that politics and religion cannot," Al Ameri said.
African authors and publishers, however, blame the local governments for failing to support local publishers to market their own literary works.
"Promoting local publishers means the country appreciates its culture but this rarely happens in most African countries. It is worrying that authors no longer explore writing in their own indigenous languages because of the lack of market to sell their works. If governments give incentives to writers and publishers, we will preserve our cultures and languages through books the way Arabic literature does," Mohammed Hassan, a publisher from Somalia said.
Hassan added that with Kenya having many reputable authors and publishing houses in East Africa, it stands a chance to pioneer in building a strong literary industry if it invests.
"The challenge however in Kenya, the taxes are high yet the industry receives little support from the government. Kenya, however, stands a chance to tap in, to support the industry and lead the region - given its strong industry," said Mohammed.
Adam Shafi, a Tanzanian author, blames the lack of funding and over-dependence on foreign aid to run programs by publishers and authors from the East African region as a challenge to the promotion of literary events as a region.
"We need to promote our languages, we need to showcase our cultures but the big challenge is that African authors and publishers are struggling. There are no markets, but how can we tap international markets if we can barely consume our work and if we can barely move out to market our work?" said Shafi.


text: Oakley Puts Own Spin On Hands-Free Phone Calls MARCH 07, 2005 -- FOOTHILL RANCH, CA --Oakley and Motorola have developed Bluetooth-enabled sunglasses, which allow the wearer to talk on the phone through their sunglasses. The shades, called "RAZRwire," wirelessly connect to the wearer's cell phone after a call is initiated."Motorola's leadership in Bluetooth wireless technology has opened doors with industry leaders like Oakley, who have the credibility and engineering expertise to collaborate on breakthrough products," said Bruce Hawver, vice president and general manager at Motorola Companion Products group.The Bluetooth-enabled sunglasses are available in three different colors and have impact-resistant and UV protection. The glasses are expected to be available by mid-year."Technology is shaping the future of fashion," said Cos Lykos, vice president business development at Oakley. "RAZRWire is a uniquely positioned product that innovates fashion with science to blend form with function, optimizing both."Motorola also collaborated with snowboard maker Burton to produce a Bluetooth-enabled jacket and helmet, which will be available for winter 2006.


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Mitsubishi Motors North America confirms new U.S. headquarters in Franklin, Tennessee [ USA ]
On November 19, Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc. (MMNA), currently located in Cypress, California, confirmed the location for the company's permanent headquarters in the Cool Springs district of Franklin, Tennessee, a suburb of Nashville. The company has signed a long-term lease, and will occupy 40,000 square feet in the top two floors of the building at 4015 Aspen Grove Drive when it is c...
<Nov 22, 2019>
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Maruti Suzuki will soon roll out two new models including the second-generation Brezza and the Baleno CNG. Both models will be followed by the company’s new mid-size SUV that will be co-developed with Toyota. It’s reported to hit roads near around 2022 festive season.
2022 Maruti Brezza
The Indo-Japanese automaker will launch the much-awaited new-gen Maruti Brezza in the month of June. Though, its official launch date is yet to be announced. Its pre-bookings have already been commenced at dealership level. In terms of design, features and performance, the 2022 Maruti Brezza will be significantly different from its current model.
The SUV will come with the updated 1.5L K15C petrol engine that will be more fuel efficient than the existing motor, thanks to its two injectors per cylinder setup. It will get a new 6-speed automatic gearbox. The new Brezza could also be made available with the CNG kit option. Feature-wise, it will be more loaded than before. The SUV will offer a larger 9.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system with new SmartPlay Pro+ interface, a 360 degree camera, wireless phone charging, a new flat bottom steering, a new instrument cluster, 6 airbags and more.
Maruti Baleno CNG
Maruti Suzuki is preparing the CNG version of the new Baleno hatchback that will arrive in coming months. The model will use the 1.2L Dualjet petrol engine with the factory-fitted CNG kit. The gasoline unit is currently available with manual and AMT gearbox options. It delivers a claimed power of 89PS and 113Nm of torque.
The regular model promises a mileage over 22kmpl. The new Maruti Baleno CNG will be offered with manual transmission only. Its mileage figure will be around 25kmpl. Prices of the hatchback’s CNG version are estimated to be higher than their petrol counterparts (possibly around Rs 60,000 – Rs 70,000). At present, the Baleno model lineup is available within the price range of Rs 6.35 lakh – Rs 9.49 lakh.


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Desperate parents are forking out TRIPLE the retail price for a sell-out school playset that’s topping children’s Christmas wishlists this year
- The Our Generation Awesome Academy School is sold out in toy stores
- The playset is priced £145 at retailers, but one was bought on eBay for £411
- Parents have taken to Twitter to express frustration at not being able to get toy
Desperate parents are forking out up to three times the retail price of a sell-out school playset for their children for Christmas.
The Our Generation Awesome Academy School is sold out in toy stores and any restocks only last a couple of minutes due to high demand.
The toy is priced £145 in stores such as Argos and Smyths but one set sold on eBay for a whopping £411 this week.
The playset, made by an American company, comes with 92 pieces including a chalkboard, alarm bell and a functioning clock – but the dolls and school outfits are sold separately.
Desperate parents are forking out up to three times the retail price for the Our Generation Awesome Academy School playset, which is sold out in stores (above)
Parents have been taking to social media to share their frustration in being unable to get their hands on a playset.
One parent commented: ‘Twitter do your thing! My daughter wants one of these from Santa. Only available on eBay. Unless some superstar finds one.’
From your teenage son to your hard-to-please husband, we…
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Another added: ‘I’m having a ‘mare trying to get my hands on one, out of stock on Smyths and the Our Generation website and stupid money on eBay and Amazon.’
Meanwhile, one posted: ‘Looking for ‘Our Generation’ Awesome Academy…anyone know of stocklists? Sold out everywhere!’
The toy is priced £145 in stores such as Argos and Smyths but one set sold on eBay for a whopping £411 (top) this week. Another sold for £361 (bottom)
Jonathan Thorpe, of UK based Jonathan’s Toys Limited, which distributes the toy, said: ‘ As a UK and Ireland distributor, this sort of situation is of course unfortunate.
‘We would obviously have liked to have supplied retailers with enough stock to meet the demand but that’s almost impossible to do on all items. We are never 100% sure what the “hot items”will be.
He added: ‘We are sorry for any consumer that doesn’t get the item they really want but I do suggest they shop around via independent retailers, Amazon, Smyths and Debenhams as they are still in the process of receiving the last orders and may have some.’
Commenting on the re-sale of the toy sets on eBay, Mr Thorpe continued: ‘In regards to the public selling on eBay at exaggerated retail prices, which in my opinion is exploitation, I personally recommend that although I understand that children “want and desire” a certain product, there are other Our Generation items available.
The playset, made by an American company, comes with 92 pieces including a chalkboard, alarm bell and a functioning clock – but the dolls are sold separately
Parents have been taking to social media to share their frustration in being unable to get their hands on a playset
‘Sometimes surely a point of principle comes into play and you just have to say “no.”
‘This contradicts the total principal of the Christmas message which we think is even more disappointing.’
It is not just the Our Generation playset that is being sold on eBay for significantly higher prices.
Monopoly has teamed up with Fortnite to create their own world on a gameboard for £18, which is being auctioned off at three times the original price.
eBay has been contacted for comment.
Source: Read Full Article


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One of the late-night, end-of-session bills passed by the General Assembly in June would have required insurance companies to reach an agreement with auto body shops over the cost of a repair.
Proponents, including the shops, characterized it as consumer-friendly legislation, contending that the shops are advocates for their customers.
Opponents, including insurance companies, began a campaign to get Governor Chafee to veto the measure, which he ultimately did.
Critics argued that the legislation would make insurance-related auto repairs even more expensive and drive up rates.
Robert DiMuccio, chairman and president of Amica Insurance, made that pitch in a letter to policy holders, saying the legislation would allow "shops to set inflated prices for labor and repairs and use the threat of lawsuits to charge these exorbitant repair costs."
He offered links to web pages showing which legislators voted in favor of the bill in the House and the Senate, and said it was another example of how, "over the past few years, the Auto Body Association of Rhode Island (ABARI) has pushed a legislative agenda that drives up the costs of auto body repair without consideration for the consumer."
"As a result," he wrote, "Rhode Islanders pay among the highest auto repair bills in the nation."
We know Rhode Island ranks high on many scales of dubious distinction. So we wondered if DiMuccio was painting an accurate picture. It took us awhile to get to the bottom of it, but here’s what we found.
When we called DiMuccio's office, an official at Amica said the data came from the Property Casualty Insurers (PCI) Association of America, a trade association of more than 1,000 insurance companies, which was running radio ads urging Chafee to veto the legislation.
PCI spokesman Jeffrey Brewer told us its data came from Audatex, which provides software and other services to collision repair companies and automobile insurance claims processors. Those numbers are not publicly available but, after consulting with Audatex, he released them to us.
When we analyzed the data, broken down by category in the report, here's what we saw.
LABOR: This was, by far, typically the costliest part of a repair job, responsible for 41 percent of the average body shop repair bill.
And Rhode Island, according to the study, was the second most expensive state for labor. Montana was the first.
While the U.S. average labor cost was $953 per repair in 2010, the typical Rhode Island cost was 29 percent higher, or $1,233. Going to Connecticut would have saved you $66. Traveling to Massachusetts would have saved a hefty $361, which was $81 less than the U.S. average.
ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT MANUFACTURER'S PARTS: In this category -- usually the second-most expensive part of the repair, accounting for 25 percent -- Rhode Island topped the list in costs.
While the typical cost for this portion of the bill was $580, Rhode Islanders paid a whopping 49 percent more, or $866.
Why the extra cost? It's not clear. But it's not location. In Alaska, the second most expensive state (shipping costs may be a factor), the average price for replacement parts was $61 less.
Replacement parts cost $78 less in Connecticut and $281 less in Massachusetts. In South Carolina, they were less than half the price than in Rhode Island.
OTHER PARTS: In this category, which includes parts not made by the car manufacturer, Rhode Island's ranking plummets to 27th, although the cost of these parts makes up only 13 percent of the average bill.
OTHER COSTS (including towing and storage): Again, Rhode Island ranks in the middle of the pack at 26th, with costs 4 percent below the national average. These costs make up 22 percent of the average bill.
OVERALL: The higher cost of labor and original parts makes Rhode Island auto body repair bills 23 percent more expensive than the national average. That made us the 5th most expensive in the nation, according to the 2010 Audatex data.
New York ranks fourth and Connecticut ranks sixth. Massachusetts is a more-than-reasonable 43rd.
But that's just one data source. Some auto body shops use a similar service run by Mitchell International, another automated tool for coordinating repair costs between auto body shops and insurance companies.
Greg Horn, vice president for industry relations, sent us his company's numbers going back to 2006. Mitchell organizes its data in a different way so the results were slightly different.
In their listing, Rhode Island ranked sixth in overall costs in 2010, not fifth.
What was more interesting was the year-to-year trend. Rhode Island's ranking on the list of most-expensive states for accident-related car repairs has been going up steadily. We were 17th in 2006, 11th in 2007, 10th in 2008, 9th in 2009 and 6th in 2010.
In 2011, based on data from their customers, Rhode Island was the second most costly state to have your car repaired after an accident.
Breaking it down, we ranked 11th nationally on labor costs, ninth on the cost of parts and first in the cost of paint, which makes up nearly 12 percent of the average repair bill.
PCI says the higher repair costs explain why Rhode Islanders pay the sixth highest collision insurance premium in the nation, although the numbers it's citing -- $356 versus $294 in the United States -- are from a 2008-09 database.
When we asked the Auto Body Association of Rhode Island about that, spokeswoman Jina Petrarca-Karampetsos, a lawyer, sent us an association publication showing that the average collision premium was about $356 around 2009, and a chart showing a decline since 2005.
Petrarca-Karampetsos expressed concern that the data we had received from Audatex and Mitchell were not publicly available and "absolutely unverifiable."
But rankings she provided from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners show Rhode Island 5th in 2006, 6th in 2007 and 5th in 2008, the most recent year available. The fact that the state was 5th in 2010 according to Audatex "indicates that Rhode Island has maintained the same rank for years!" she said in an e-mail.
On a side issue, we also wonder whether car repairs in general -- non-accident-related repairs -- cost more in Rhode Island, even though insurance companies don't pay for them.
One study suggests that those repairs have a very different cost profile here.
CarMD, which collected data on the cost of 163,583 repairs done nationwide in 2011, found that the average cost of parts and labor in Rhode Island was $331, $3 below the national average. The range was $389 in Wyoming to $284 in Indiana.
Amica Insurance President Robert DiMuccio said, "Rhode Islanders pay among the highest auto repair bills in the nation." From the context, it was clear he was talking about accident-related repairs, which is what insurance companies cover.
Data from two national services that collect data show that Rhode Islanders typically pay far more than consumers in other states.
According to the Audatex data, Rhode Island ranked fifth in 2010.
According to Mitchell International, we've been steadily climbing in the rankings, at least since 2006, and have been in the top 10 since 2008. In 2011, we had peaked at second place. (As of July 15, 2012, we ranked fourth.)
The auto body association says fifth- or sixth-place rankings are not new for Rhode Island, disputing Mitchell data suggesting a sharp increase in recent years.
We'll steer clear of the debate over whether the General Assembly was wise to pass the law or whether Chafee was helping consumers when he vetoed it.
But DiMuccio said our bills are currently among the highest now, and we're driven to rate it True.
(Get updates from PolitiFactRI on Twitter. To comment or offer your ruling, visit us on our PolitiFact Rhode Island Facebook page.)
E-mail, Robert DiMuccio, chairman and president of Amica Insurance, "Veto RI House Bill H-7782A," June 14, 2012
Interviews and e-mails, Jeff Brewer, spokesman, Property Casualty Insurers Association of America, June 26-July 16, 2012
Interview, Robert Passmore, senior director, Property Casualty Insurers Association of America, July 12, 2012
Interview and e-mail, Greg Horn, vice president, industry relations, Mitchell International, July 16-17, 2012
Scribd, "PCI RI Auto Body Report," May 8, 2012, accessed July 16, 2012
Scribd, "ABARI Special Update, June 2012," accessed July 20, 2012
E-mails, Jina Petrarca-Karampetsos, spokeswoman, Auto Body Association of Rhode Island, June 26, 28 and July 20, 2012
CarMD.com, "CarMD Reveals State-by-State Ranking of Car Repair Costs," June 21, 2012, accessed July 11, 2012
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Profits warning shakes Inchcape
Friday 27 January 1995
The warning follows a 3 per cent fall at the half-year stage. Importing and distributing motor vehicles, especially the Toyota and Mazda brands, forms the core of Inchcape's business.
Perhaps a fifth of the profits fall is due to the weakness of the US and dollar-related currencies, in which about half of Inchape's sales are invoiced.
The marketing division made a strong recovery, while services maintained its annual growth pattern, a spokesman said yesterday.
But the motor division, which accounted for almost 60 per cent of profits in 1993, has been hammered by the combined impact of a strong yen on demand for Japanese cars in Inchcape's franchise areas throughout Europe. This has been exacerbated by the weakening of the important private car market in the UK and a dramatic fall in demand in Hong Kong.
In the UK the market for private cars has failed to live up to its early promise and demand has been strongest for fleet vehicles and diesels and basic models rather than the high-specification models targeted at the private motorist, where Toyota and Mazda have been seeking to drive their sales.
In spite of heavy promotion spending and cash-back offers by Inchcape both marques have lost market share, while year-on-year sales went from 15 per cent up in the first quarter to 11 per cent down by the fourth quarter.
In Hong Kong car sales were hit by tax changes introduced last August but the demand for new cars has tailed away dramatically as a result of the slump in Hong Kong stock market values and a fall in property values, producing a "feel-bad" factor.
The warning sent the shares into free fall yesterday and brokers revised their 1995 forecasts down in line with 1994. With a four-month pipeline for supplies to reach the UK market it may already be too late to change the mix in time for the August 1995 registration year.
The Hong Kong market cannot hope to recover until stocks and property prices revive, and there is no realistic prospect of a significant easing of the strong yen until at the least the second half of 1995, according to Nomura's Nigel Utley, who nevertheless thinks that the 20 per cent slump in the share price means the shares are oversold.
BZW's Nyren Scott-Malden is not sure they are really cheap, although both analysts still like the company.
Mr Scott-Malden has revised the current year down but both agree there seems little the company itself can do in the short run to escape from the strait-jacket imposed on it by the nature of its business.
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At the beginning of 2024, Intel intends to launch Sierra Forest, its first processor designed specifically for energy-efficient data centers. Although the company has been through a difficult period that product delays have characterized, they still hold over 70% of the market share in the PC and server processing chips sector. This is a decrease from their market share of 90% in 2017. Visit Samsunghubs to learn more about the latest news!
Intel Is Getting Ready to Release Their New Energy-Efficient Sierra Forest Chip in the Year 2024
The head of Intel’s Data Center and AI Group, Sandra Rivera, acknowledged that the company has been having recent difficulties but confirmed that the company is back on track and is successfully meeting key engineering milestones. The Xeon processor of the fourth generation, known as Sapphire Rapids, experienced delays, allowing AMD to close the distance. Also Read – Xiaomi India and Vi Partner to Offer 5G Connectivity: Check Out Supported Devices
Rivera has confirmed that the Xeon processor known as Emerald Rapids, which belongs to the fifth generation, will be delivered by the end of 2023. The Granite Rapids processor of the next generation is scheduled to be released in 2024, followed by the Sierra Forest processor. The launch of another microprocessor designed to conserve energy, Clearwater Forest, is slated for 2025.
In addition, Intel is working on the Intel Developer Cloud, which will provide artificial intelligence applications with 256 Xeon processors and 512 Gaudi chips. Artificial intelligence companies such as Hugging Face and Stable Diffusion are already using Intel chips. Intel aims to strengthen its position in the data center market by focusing on power efficiency and innovation while utilizing a robust lineup of products that will be released soon. Also Read – The US version of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 shows up on Geekbench
The company’s dedication to improving its product portfolio and reaching crucial engineering milestones highlights a renewed emphasis on addressing the requirements of data center customers and maintaining a competitive edge in the rapidly evolving technology landscape.
The forthcoming releases from Intel, which include the power-efficient Sierra Forest and Clearwater Forest processors, are evidence of the company’s commitment to developing cutting-edge, environmentally responsible solutions for data centers. Intel can meet the increasing demand for sustainable technology and attract customers who are environmentally conscious because the company provides options that are energy efficient. Also Read – Samsung T7 Shield Portable SSD 4TB Variation Released in India
Intel’s dedication to the development of artificial intelligence is exemplified by the company’s creation of the Intel Developer Cloud, which gives AI programmers access to powerful Xeon and Gaudi processors. Intel is contributing to expanding the artificial intelligence industry and ensuring that its products continue to be helpful in this rapidly evolving sector by forming partnerships with AI companies such as Hugging Face and Stable Diffusion.


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British automaker Bentley Motors is inviting fans to check out its redesigned Web site that places an emphasis on simplicity and spaciousness.
- No categories
Four Seasons Resort Nevis in the West Indies is attracting guests looking for a tropical getaway this holiday season through a partnership with Magellan Jets.
The revered and cherished fashion designer Oscar de la Renta died on Oct. 20, after a long battle with cancer.
British department store Harrods and French jeweler Cartier are celebrating the men of Cartier with a pop-up exhibition on the ground floor of the retailer this fall.
Madison Avenue Business Improvement District is hosting Madison Avenue Fashion Heritage Week throughout 16 stores on the famed fashion street in New York to benefit and honor The Museum at Fashion Institute of Technology.
The perception of a brand tends to be splintered, with customers, employees, investors and influencers all holding differing views that can end up muddling a brand’s image, according to a report from Boston Consulting Group.
The Peninsula Hotels is expanding its holiday “SnowPage” efforts this year to facilitate its annual philanthropy campaign.
The inaugural program at the Fondation Louis Vuitton opens Oct. 27 and will feature three stages of events over the course of the organization’s first year.
Italian automaker Maserati is bringing its centennial celebration to the United States to build more brand unity.
Luxury Daily’s live news from Oct. 20 – Tod’s ignites ecommerce sales with online only handbag promotion; Dior paints portrait of founder in biography; Holland & Holland, The Dalmore partner for bespoke chess set; Saks shutters New Jersey location amid New York retail expansion.


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McLaren Automotive has dropped the biggest hint that it is interested in using hybrid technology in its future supercars. The company has advertised an electrical engineer job to work on the “concept, design and development of the electrical package and wiring system for a hybrid electric vehicle”.
While a spokesman for McLaren wouldn’t confirm what exactly the company means by the ad, he said: “Hybrid technology is something that we are looking at and assessing. It is something we are interested in.”
McLaren has plans to introduce one new model per year for the next five years and hopes to hit a target of 4,500 sales in the next half-decade.
Refresher: Power for the 2011 McLaren MP4-12C comes from a 3.8L V8 twin-turbo engine producing around 600-hp mated to a 7-speed Seamless Shift dual-clutch gearbox (SSG). 0 to 60 mph comes in the low 3 second range with a top speed of more than 200 mph. Sales begin in early 2011.
– By: Omar Rana


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It's still more than two months until Christmas, but the City of Knoxville has already started decking the halls.
City workers are wrapping holiday lights around trees and hanging them from buildings in downtown Knoxville.
Though they won't be lit up for some time now, an early start is essential to get it all done. Getting Summitt Hill and Krutch Park in the holiday spirit alone takes more than 16-thousand lights.
"Yes, it does seem early but our crews always have to get ahead of the game with this. Our lights throughout the city entail quite a lot of labor," said Judith Foltz, with the City of Knoxville.
In total, crews will hang about a hundred-thousands lights across the city.
Knoxville's Christmas in the City runs from November 1 through January 1 and features dozens of fun, family-friendly events across town.
The city's downtown Christmas tree will be lit during the Regal Celebration of Lights on November 25 in Market Square and Krutch Park, with events planned from 6:00pm-9:00pm.
The popular ice skating rink in Market Square will open on November 25, and the WIVK Christmas Parade is scheduled for December 2.
You can get a complete listing of holiday events here.


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The world of food delivery gets a lot of attention for being a flexible way for people to find work without much effort. It might seem to most people that a potential driver just signs up and starts driving, but there is still a lot of recruitment happening for the delivery networks.
Fountain, a recruiting platform for gig and hourly workers, has been working in this little-known corner of the space since it was founded in 2015. Now, with a fresh $23-million capital injection, the Bay Area-based company is poised to expand its offerings further into both traditional hourly employment and gig economy workers.
CEO Keith Ryu told Food On Demand that part of the new funding would help the company expand to meet all the folks who saw the offering and wanted it for their retail companies, but also expand the leadership team. He said the founding thesis was all about making it easier to reach the fairly unique demographics supporting these sorts of jobs.
“We saw a big shift in how people were finding work,” said Ryu. “Our thesis at the time: recruiting for this demographic was a fundamentally different program than recruiting for white-collar roles that required a different solution.”
And it’s a massive category. In the U.S., this hourly workforce group accounts for 60 percent of the workforce or 80 million people. And it includes just about everyone south of a hefty trust fund and north of a beet farmer at some point in their life.
“Although it’s massive, it’s a demographic that largely doesn’t live online. Ninety percent of the candidates come in without a LinkedIn or a resume, which makes it inefficient for everyone; the hirers have to call everyone. And if the workforce did a great job, that work history doesn’t follow them,” said Ryu. “The second piece, even after the company vets someone and invites them on for an interview, there’s a 40 percent no-show rate.”
Ryu says that shows that these folks tend to “spray and pray” when it comes to applying to jobs, so the most important metric—potentially more important than pay and perks—is speed of contact and hiring.
“That means people have to move quickly, anyone who can get them in first can win,” he added. “We took a lot of inspiration from marketing innovation software, much more about workflow and innovation. So we help companies find candidates help with assessments whether its videos or tests, background checks, collecting documents like their driver’s license, contract documents and onboarding 1099.”
Currently, Fountain follows that process for about 1 million applicants a month, mostly for gig employers. The tools, according to Ryu, will work for just about any high-turnover business.
It’s a pretty interesting blending of gig and traditional retail employment, and one that shows how the gig world continues to reshape the workforce and how to find labor.


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Winners Announced for NACTOY 2016 Awards
Jurors for the NACTOY (North American Car and Truck/Utility of the Year) awards have named the winners for 2016. (Lauren Fix, The Car Coach is a proud juror!)
Winners Announced for NACTOY 2016 Awards in Detroit – Fifty-three automotive journalists from Canada and the United States have voted the Honda Civic as the 2016 North American Car of the Year. The Volvo XC90 was voted as the 2016 North American Truck/Utility of the Year.
Both vehicles were previous winners. The Civic won in 2006 and the XC90 won in 2003.
The NACTOY Awards – now in their twenty-third year – are unique in the United States because the awards are not given by a single media outlet. They are awarded by an independent group of automotive journalists from the United States and Canada who represent television, radio, magazine, newspaper and online publications.
The awards are designed to recognize the most outstanding new vehicles of the year. These vehicles are benchmarks in their segments based on factors including innovation, comfort, design, safety, handling, driver satisfaction and value for the dollar.
The three car finalists were the Chevrolet Malibu, the Honda Civic and the Mazda MX-5 Miata. The Civic had 203 points, the Malibu 181 and the MX-5 Miata 146.
The three truck/utility finalists were the Honda Pilot, Nissan Titan XD and the Volvo XC90. The Volvo had 310 points, the Pilot had 111 and the Titan XD had 109.
The winners were revealed Monday morning at a news conference at the North American International Auto Show. Michelle Collins, a partner at Deloitte & Touche, handed envelopes with the names of the winners to Tony Swan, a member of the award’s organizing committee. The jurors sent their ballots directly to Ms. Collins, who did not divulge the names of the winners until the news conference.
In the last twenty-three years “domestic” automakers have won North American Car of the Year twelve times and foreign automakers have won eleven times. Japanese automakers have four wins. European automakers have five wins. Korean automakers (Hyundai) have two wins.
Domestics have won the truck competition fifteen times. Foreign automakers have won eight times. Of those eight wins, Japanese automakers have won four times and Europeans have won four times.
Last year the North American Car of the Year was the Volkswagen Golf while the North American Truck/Utility of the Year was the Ford F-150.
For more information, visit the official NACTOY website.Follow Us:


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The Bridge Direct is now planning a full range of new dolls and toys based on the new modern day Strawberry Shortcake and her friends from Berry Bitty City. The line will launch globally in fall 2014 and include dolls, play sets and plush.
“Strawberry Shortcake has been loved by kids around the world for over 30 years, and we’re excited to partner with The Bridge Direct to introduce a new line of toys for a new generation of children,” says Carla Silva, vice president of global licensing, AGP. “We expect these products to unlock a child’s imagination and capture all of the fun of Strawberry Shortcake, with the creative inspiration that The Bridge Direct puts behind all of its products.”
Hybrid Apparel/Hybrid Jem has been named as the U.S. master apparel partner for
The Care Bears are also going virtual in a new deal with Cyber Agent in Japan that will bring the brand to the Japanese virtual community Ameba Pigg. The collaboration, which was brokered by Mindworks Entertainment, AGP’s agent in the country, will see a new Care Bears community where users can purchase a virtual “surprise package” of Care Bears-branded clothes and accessories for their avatars.
AGP has also renewed its contract with Terajima Joho Kikaku for a line of Care Bears mobile app including icon packs, live wallpapers and mailer applications.
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Tags: Adkins Truck Equipment Co
Charlotte, N.C.-based Adkins Truck Equipment Co. is now selling Iowa Mold Tooling Co. Inc. (IMT) products to customers in the Charlotte area, IMT, an Oshkosh Corporation company, announced today. Adkins Truck Equipment, which now offers the extensive line of IMT telescopic cranes, ...
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A survey of over 600 drivers by Zenith Leasedrive Group has revealed that over 61 per cent are interested in ordering an electric or hybrid car through a salary sacrifice car scheme. Of these, 12 per cent would choose an electric car, 33 per cent a plug-in hybrid and 55 per cent a non-plug-in hybrid.
Volvo XC90 T8 hybrid runs 0-62 in 5.9 seconds, will get 59 MPGe Volvo has shown us the new XC90. It’s even shown us its new every-trick-in-the-book twin-charged hybrid powertrain. It just hasn’t shown the two together… that is, until now. Although the High Performance Drive-E Powertrain prototype it showcased a couple of months ago
NOT LONG ago mention of the “compact crossover” would have drawn blank faces all round. Now annual sales of these quasi SUVs are set to rise to more than 600,000 in Western Europe by next year, with more than 150,000 of sales in the UK. The Kia Soul joined the party in 2009 to be
Britain is third highest contributor to air pollution that costs Europe up to £149bn a year, says EU agency report Britain has 10 of Europe’s top 50 “super-polluting” power stations and factories, helping to cost it more in health and environmental impacts than any other countries, except for Germany and Poland. New air pollution figures
In November I was invited to attend an Open University Electric Vehicle Research Study. I came across it online, plus friends who know I am an EV driver had also told me about it. The study is being conducted by researchers from the Open University’s Ubiquitous Computing and Sustainability Lab, part of the OU’s Centre
Nissan has been named Ultra Low Emission Vehicle (ULEV) Manufacturer of the Year at the Energy Saving Trust’s Fleet Hero Awards. The brand picked up the honour for its ongoing leadership of the ULEV sector in the face of growing competition from other carmakers. The awards judges were impressed that the pioneering 100 percent electric
Germany utility firm to sell off most power generating units amid ‘dramatically altered global energy markets’ Germany’s biggest utility firm, E.ON, has announced plans to split in two and spin off most of its power generation, energy trading and upstream businesses, responding to a crisis that has crippled the European energy sector. E.ON said it
Volkwagen’s attempt to take on electric car rivals comes in the form of the e-Golf and Golf GTE Electric cars remain a hot topic, so the chance to drive VW’s battery-electric e-Golf and its plug-in petrol/electric hybrid, the Golf GTE hot hatch, was interesting on several fronts. There’s a crushing logic behind both of these


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NEW YORK – Manufacturers of laundry machinery, textiles and chemicals reported renewed interest in their products from the hotel industry at the 96th annual International Hotel, Motel+Restaurant Show (IHMRS) here in November.
Exhibitors at the Jacob Javits Convention Center on Manhattan’s West Side expressed satisfaction with increased foot traffic at the show. Attendance peaked at 23,953, up 2,800 from the previous year, including managers and executives from major hotel chains and independent properties, according to show management.
The show provided manufacturers of textiles and formulators of chemicals with an opportunity to tailor their products to the hotel industry.
Standard Textile Co. targeted the high end with a new line of sheets, dubbed “Luxury That Endures,” developed in collaboration with Todd-Avery Lenahan, a hospitality designer. Pre-laundered and room-ready, the sheets are designed to withstand the harsh environments of central laundries. A high-end visual appearance combines with a tensile strength of 117 pounds to create a more durable luxury product, according to Greg Eubanks, group vice president for hospitality sales and marketing at Standard Textile.
“The traffic and interest at our booth has been fantastic,” says Eubanks.
Several manufacturers, among them Riegel and Cintas Corp., exhibited new earth-friendly, eco-conscious products for the hotel industry.
Riegel, a division of Mount Vernon Mills, drew interest with its RieNu line of recycled polyester table linen, made from recycled plastic bottles, otherwise destined for landfills. The use of one of its table napkins eliminates three plastic bottles from landfills, the company says. Riegel offered the table linen in five colors at the show.
“We believe there’s a great deal of pent-up demand in the hotel industry,” says W.H. Rogers, vice president of Riegel. “We’re hoping that will be reflected in the new budgets for hotels in 2012.”
Cintas was among 10 exhibitors who received Editors’ Choice Awards during the opening ceremonies at the show for best new products within the categories of design, equipment and supplies, and green guest amenities. The company was recognized for its Eco Cobra Jacket, an eco-friendly garment option for bellmen, doormen and other front-door hotel professionals, and the latest product within the company’s EcoGeneration™ collection.
Cintas also drew interest with the industry’s first machine-washable tuxedo, which is partially composed of recycled polyester, made from recycled plastic bottles. The company partners with Boardroom Eco Apparel and its mills to take discarded plastic bottles and transform them into recycled fibers. The process breaks bottles down into flakes; from those flakes, a filament is extruded, which is spun into yarn. The plastic-formulated yarn is then woven into a fabric to create the tuxedos. After use, the tuxedos can be tossed into a standard washer and dryer. The company estimates that the machine-washable tuxedos can save hotels up to $1,000 per employee annually.
The hotel industry is also demanding a broader palette of colors in table linen for its facilities, according to Elizabeth Barrett, associate brand manager for Procter and Gamble, makers of the color-safe Tide Professional Laundry System. “There’s definitely a trend toward the use of more color,” says Barrett.
Ecolab, a maker of laundry chemicals, also attracted an increase in floor traffic at the show. “This show was much better than the show two years ago,” says Jim Moore, assistant vice president for corporate accounts. “We’ve met with hoteliers from all over the world.”
Mercedes Benz USA, a Daimler Company, made its first appearance at the show with an exhibit of three vans, including the Sprinter Cargo Van. The diesel-powered van offers payload capacity of up to 5,358 pounds, 547 cubic feet of cargo space, and a standing height of 6 feet 4 inches.
The IHMRS will return to New York on Nov. 10-13, 2012.


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ASEAN KEY DESTINATIONS
VN-EU trade value increases 9.1%
Trade value between Viet Nam and the European Union (EU) in the first half of this year has gained a year-on-year growth of 9.05 per cent to US$21.2 billion.
According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade’s European Market Department, during the period, export value from Viet Nam to the EU increased by 8.68 per cent to $16.2 billion and import value to Vi?t Nam from the EU surged by 10.28 per cent to $5 billion.
Viet Nam mainly exported traditional products to the EU, including textile, garment, footwear, and coffee, in addition to seafood and computer.
Viet Nam especially started exporting telephone and its components to the EU in 2011, but the export value of those products in 2015 reached $9.7 billion and accounted for 75 per cent of its total national export value to EU, it was reported on the ministry’s website on August 10.
In addition, some other products retained growth of between 5 per cent and 10 per cent per year in export value though they did not have large export value, including plastic products, wood and wooden products, handbag, suitcase, and umbrella, apart from pepper, and cashew.
In the first six months, Viet Nam mainly imported from most of EU member countries products that the nation had not produced, or which they lacked, such as machines, equipment, tools and pharmaceutical products, in addition to milk and milk products.
Over the past years, the trade relationship between Vi?t Nam and the EU has gained rapidly and developed efficiently. The bilateral trade value increased by 10 times from $4.1 billion in 2000 to $41.2 billion in 2015.
Of this, the export value from Viet Nam to the EU surged 11 times from $2.8 billion to $30.8 billion while import value from the EU to Vi?t Nam rose eight times from $1.3 billion to $10.4 billion.
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Indonesia to launch 13th economic package this month
Coordinating Economic Minister Darmin Nasution said on Wednesday that the government would release its 13th economic policy package in August, adding that the draft had been completed.
Darmin said the 13th package was largely an extension of the previous one, but would expand its focus beyond industry. The 12th package focused on small and medium enterprises.
"We are just waiting to schedule a meeting with the president," Darmin told reporters at his office. He refused to give the exact date the new policy package would come into effect.
The ministry team must meet with President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo one more time to finalize the details, Darmin said.


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At Oracle, customer service chatbots use conversational AI to respond to consumers with more speed and complexity.
Suhas Uliyar, vice president of bots, AI and mobile product management at Oracle, stopped by to talk to AI Podcast host Noah Kravitz about how the newest wave of conversational AI can keep up with the nuances of human conversation.
Many chatbots frustrate consumers because of their static nature. Asking a question or using the wrong keyword confuses the bot and prompts it to start over or make the wrong selection.
Uliyar says that Oracle’s digital assistant uses a sequence-to-sequence algorithm to understand the intricacies of human speech, and react to unexpected responses.
Their chatbots can “switch the context, keep the memory, give you the response and then you can carry on with the conversation that you had. That makes it natural, because we as humans fire off on different tangents at any given moment.”
Key Points From This Episode:
- The contextual questions that often occur in normal conversation stump single-intent systems, but the most recent iteration is capable of answering simple questions quickly and remembering customers.
- The next stage in conversational AI, Uliyar believes, will allow bots to learn about users in order to give them recommendations or take action for them.
- Learn more about Oracle’s digital assistant for enterprise applications and visit Uliyar’s Twitter.
“If machine learning is the rocket that’s going to take us to the next level, then data is the rocket fuel.” — Suhas Uliyar [15:59]
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Aakash Indurkha, head of machine learning projects at AI-based analytics platform Virtualitics, explains how the company is bringing creativity to data science using immersive visualization. Their software bridges the gap created by a lack of formal training to help inexperienced users identify anomalies on their own, and gives experts the technology to demonstrate their complex calculations.
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Thank youRandom google results.. not gonna vouch for the rep of these places:New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be castA virtual lounge for all of your cigar needs. As long as you pay your import taxes and they are declared properly on the waybill, I don't see why the govt would care if they are flavored or not. "[The fact that] 92 per cent of people who consume these products are of legal age to do so doesn't seem to matter to government," he said in an interview with CBC News.Federal Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq has said Casa Cubana is going against the intent of the law and that she'll work to close the loophole.In a written statement, Prime Minister Stephen Harper applauded the initiative and promised the law would be enforced.
Please note that Famous Smoke Shop does not sell tobacco products to anyone under the age of 21 (or the minimum age in your local jurisdiction, whichever is higher). "Adherence to the spirit of the legislation will also be monitored, and, if necessary, the legislation will be revisited. I am hoping that one of you cigar aficionados will be able to help me, I am looking for backwoods cigars that were discontinued in the United States around 2008 but are still sold in other countries, specifically Vanilla, Banana and Grape.
9. Backwoods come in every flavor an aficionado could need, from sweet to smoky to spicy, and each one is balanced for the ultimate satisfaction even when you’re on a tight schedule.
It also found that adding flavours such as fruit or chocolate to the tobacco induced youth to smoke. These rough-looking cigars are manufactured by Altadis U.S.A, Inc. Just make sure they are stated for personal use.
Follow Us Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcutsCookies help us deliver our Services. She is able to purchase tobacco products at eight of them with no difficulty and without being asked for identification.The other video, shot on the Kahnawake and Kanesatake reserves in Quebec, shows the sale of tobacco products, including a range of flavoured cigarillos, at a fraction of the price they sell for at convenience stores, and without tax.Both videos were shot last week using a hidden camera, according to the CCSA. Good luck! Flavors are banned in most provinces, I think BC is the last one left. Cigarillos and flavoured cigarettes were being pulled from store shelves across Canada as the federal government's new tobacco legislation kicked in Monday.When Health Canada held consultations on changes to the Tobacco Act in 2008, it found cigarillos were growing in popularity among younger smokers.
Come in, pick out a smoke, and sit down and enjoy the conversation of other enthusiasts as we discuss our favorite smokes and pairings, news and latest releases in the cigar industry, and much, much more.Press J to jump to the feed. "For the first time, we are showing Canadians that the irresponsible large-scale selling of contraband tobacco on native reservations is nothing but a national disgrace caused and tolerated by the federal government," said CCSA senior vice-president Michel Gadbois.The CCSA and an organization it formed called the National Coalition Against Contraband Tobacco are calling on the health minister to put the fight against contraband tobacco at the top of her priority list.It is a priority for CBC to create a website that is accessible to all Canadians including people with visual, hearing, motor and cognitive challenges.Closed Captioning and Described Video is available for many CBC shows offered onCigarillos and flavoured cigarettes were being pulled from store shelves across Canada as the federal government's new tobacco legislation kicked in Monday.
Ban on cigarillos, flavoured smokes begins. Hello all!


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FX round-up: Sterling dips amid reports of virus cases in South Korea and North Korea
Sterling extended the previous day's losses despite a better-than-expected reading for monthly UK retail sales, against a backdrop of US dollar strength as investors sought out safe havens.
As of 1651 GMT, cable was off by 0.35% against the Greenback to 1.28785, while the US dollar spot index was trading at near a new 52-week high hit earlier in the session, rising by 0.15% to 99.8520.
UK retail sales increased at a month-on-month clip of 0.9% in January, according to the Office for National Statistics, exceeding forecasts for an increase of 0.7%.
"January’s official retail sales figures confirm that the decisive general election has released the handbrake of political uncertainty on consumers’ spending," said Samuel Tombs, chief UK economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics.
To take note of, Tombs also said that the outlook for Britons' disposable income was "bright", what with inflation looking set to hover around 1.5%, hiring having picked up after the elections and after a 6.2% hike in the National Living Wage.
Be that as it may, news from South Korea that the number of cases had jumped from 31 to 104, with the epicentre in the city of Daegu, hit market sentiment.
Up until now, the fact that there is no transmission chain outside of China has been a key bulwark against traders' worst fears.
On a related note, Al-Jazeera was reporting that virus cases in North Korea might be going undercounted.
Nonetheless, and on a more hopeful note, the World Health Organisation reported a 1.5% drop in the number of new virus cases in China on Thursday to reach 1,872.
Against that backdrop, the US dollar was also moving rapidly higher against the Japanese yen, jumping by 0.67% to 112.0140, with some market commentary citing early positioning ahead of the fiscal year end on 31 March as the reason for the move.
Further boosting the US dollar was a blowout reading on manufacturing sector conditions in the US mid-Atlantic region.
The Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia's manufacturing sector gauge jumped from a reading of 17.0 points for January to 36.7 in February, far surpassing economists' forecasts for a print of 10.0.
The euro was also on the backfoot versus the US currency, dipping 0.16% to 1.07913.


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The research comes from GFK’s iPanel, which is made up of tablets and eReaders users, and which revealed that two-thirds (67%) of respondents prefer digital magazines. That said, 65% of the same panel said that they prefer the reading experience on printed magazines, possibly suggesting that the preference for digital magazines is more down to the design and portability of a mobile device, like a tablet or eReader.
There were some concerns on digital magazines however; 48% are frustrated by slow download times, and 46% by gimmicky videos, while 43% find it difficult to find a magazine they wanted to read on their mobile device.
There was better news for advertisers, with 70% of readers saying that they would like to be able to purchase items by clicking on adverts within a publication. Around 67% said that they would like those adverts to be personalized to their own interests, while 72% have demanded uniformity in formatting across all digital magazines.
GFK's video on the findings can be found here.


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|Bid||1,038.35 x 100|
|Ask||1,038.88 x 200|
|Day's Range||1,032.05 - 1,039.63|
|52 Week Range||770.41 - 1,062.38|
|PE Ratio (TTM)||34.73|
|Forward Dividend & Yield||N/A (N/A)|
|1y Target Est||N/A|
Tech favorites Apple and the FANG stocks — Facebook, Amazon.com, Netflix and Google — will face headwinds in the New Year.
Pokemon GO's Gen 3 launch has been fantastic, and Niantic deserves some kudos for a job well done.
A spat recently erupted between Alphabet’s (GOOGL) Google and Amazon (AMZN), leading Google to block access to YouTube on certain Amazon devices.
YouTube is recruiting thousands of human reviewers so that by 2018, there could be more than 10,000 people monitoring the video platform.
Facebook (FB), Alphabet (GOOGL), Amazon (AMZN), Netflix (NFLX), and Apple (AAPL) — may see smaller gains in 2018 than they did this year, write analysts Brian Nowak and Katy Huberty in a note to clients this morning, given that the returns of bull-market stocks tend to fade after about a year. As they put it, "large cap leaders in bull markets do not typically sustain outperformance from one year to the next." Write the authors, "While we believe that fundamental drivers for these stocks remain intact, history indicates returns may moderate their pace and we question whether growth over value can continue to be as meaningful a driver of returns." The stocks have added to their respective market caps in a big way this year, the analysts write. Apple, Amazon, Alphabet, Facebook, and Netflix have each added $261 billion, $204 billion, $175 billion, $157 billion, and $28 billion, respectively.
If San Jose-based Broadcom forges ahead with its proposed $130 billion buyout of Qualcomm , it’ll likely face public opposition from Google and Microsoft, CNBC reports , citing unnamed sources. Both companies have told Qualcomm executives in private the deal would be bad for them for two reasons: Apple would likely win concessions in its ongoing lawsuit with Qualcomm, which could improve the company’s already generous profit margin on iPhones and iPads, and Broadcom might not invest in 5G chip development at the same pace as an independent Qualcomm, CNBC reports.
America needs more books like Bloom's. It's funny and smart, which is a rare combination in a country where much of the publishing industry looks to bang out 'worthy' beard-pulling tomes that may never fully get read. His work is a refreshing change.
Shares of semiconductor maker NXP Semiconductors (NXPI) are up $1.01, or 0.9%, at $116.30, after activist firm Elliott Management, which owns 6% of NXP, released a letter saying the existing offer to buy the company put forward by Qualcomm (QCOM) is too low. The firm said "NXP is worth $135 per share” versus the $110 that had been agreed to from Qualcomm when the deal was announced back in October of last year. According to Elliott, "Qualcomm’s offer of $110 per share is acting as a ceiling” on NXP shares, given other semi stocks have beaten NXP’s share price increase by 25% since the deal was announced.
The heavyweight bout between Alphabet Inc.-owned Google and Amazon.com Inc. shot into public view this week, as Google pulled its YouTube streaming service from some Amazon devices, but that isn’t the ...
Earlier this week, Google removed its YouTube streaming service from some of Amazon's devices, including Amazon Fire TV and the Echo Show.
I've gone all-in on Amazon's line of Alexa-powered speakers, installing them throughout my home and buying them for family members. We use them to play music and news, tell jokes and get the weather. And ...
This week’s milestones in the history of technology reveal the most important—and quite neglected—technology trend contributing to the success of Apple, Google, and Microsoft, ultimately making them today’s three most valuable US companies.
New media is slowly and steadily supplanting traditional media sources. Print media has been on a secular decline, as news and information disseminated online has grown. As this paradigm shift continues, ...
There are now 55 Gen 3 Pokemon in Pokemon GO, but there are certain ones that you should definitely be hunting more than most.
Is googling your symptoms a good idea or a bad idea? One way to find out is to google this question. Type “googling symptoms” into Google’s search bar, and you’ll be confronted by a slew of headlines like “Doctors really, really want you to stop googling your symptoms” and “Here’s why googling your symptoms is…
It had all the makings of a long-overdue coming-out party for augmented reality. In June, Apple (AAPL) unfurled a new technology, called ARKit, for its developers to create AR apps for hundreds of millions of Apple’s mobile devices. “Simply put, we believe augmented reality is going to change the way we use technology forever,” Apple CEO Tim Cook said during the company’s fourth-quarter earnings call last month.
Chua Soon Ghee, partner and managing director for Southeast Asia at A.T. Kearney, says firms such as Facebook, Google and Apple can expect closer scrutiny by Asian regulators.


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According to the website Numbeo, the average cost of a MacDonald’s combo meal (or the equivalent at a different fast food chain) is $6.25, which makes the United States rank sixtieth in terms of the expense of fast food out of one hundred twenty-five countries ranked in that category. The most expensive country in which to purchase a combo meal is Norway, at $15.70. The least expensive country in which to purchase a combo meal is the Philippines, at $2.89.
According to the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report for 2013, the United States ranks twenty-third in gender equality out of one hundred thirty six countries ranked in that category. The United States is sandwiched in between Burundi and Australia. The report measures “the magnitude and scope of gender-based disparities.”
The top ten countries for gender equality are:
- New Zealand


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The UK's biggest UK insurer Aviva has posted a 27% jump in half-year profits boosted by life insurance sales and the purchase of breakdown firm RAC.
Aviva, owner of Norwich Union, has been expanding abroad
Aviva, which also owns Norwich Union, said operating profit rose to £1.7bn from £1.32bn a year earlier.
The company said it had seen good growth across most of its main markets, with UK sales up 43%, European sales 10% higher and the US adding 24%.
Aviva also confirmed it was planning to raise its dividend by 10%.
Last month, Aviva agreed to buy US rival Amerus for £1.6bn as it looks to expand in the world's largest insurance market.
"Looking to the future, Europe and the US will be the two biggest long-term savings markets over the next decade," said Aviva boss Richard Harvey.


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The new Haval H9 is supposed to be a reasonable purchase in the 7-seater SUV segment, but people are reluctant to pay tens of thousands of dollars for something that is relatively new on the market.Read More
Tag: Haval H9
DETROIT used to be the capital of the automotive world, but today it’s better known for its annual international car show and the just-held 2018 Auto Show had many car manufacturers displaying their wares for the year ahead.Read More
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Good looking car reviews! Video reviews of the latest cars to hit the Australian market. Check us out on youtube.com/cartelltv


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Hobarts has installed an ILS series machine at Southampton Solent University, the first of its kind in a University here in the UK. The 80 watt ILS12.75 features a huge 1200x600mm working area and allows the customer to cut through materials up to 20mm thick with ease.
The ILS12 is located in the main workshop serving students from engineering, product design and fashion courses. The University also have two other Hobarts systems in place within the engineering and art departments.
Hobarts, who are the only qualified distributor in the UK to install ILS systems, have previously installed ILS systems into architecture and the industrial sector.
Jon Saunter, Technical Sales Director at Hobarts commented,


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By Lisa Johnston
New products on display at the American International Toy Fair, held in N
Two new cases are being added to the Planet Wireless line of premium mobile phone accessories from Gentec International. These are designed specifically for Motorola RAZR V3 phones, and have been handcrafted from top-quality leather to fit the slim, flip-style design of the phone, said Gentec.
The MB1V3 case includes a window in the front that lets users see the display without removing the phone. It also includes a detachable flap that holds the phone securely in place. The flap can be removed to convert the case to an easy-access pouch.
The MB2V3 incorporates a smaller flap that holds the phone securely in place while allowing ease of access. Elastic side panels ensure a snug and secure fit. Both cases come in black and dark red.
A leather-covered belt clip attaches the cases securely to a belt or purse strap. A ratchet mechanism in the clip holds the case in several positions to allow a user to carry the phone in the most convenient and comfortable manner.
Suggested retail is $19.99 for the MB1V3 and $14.99 for the MB2V3. Availability is April.
This TWICE webinar, hosted by senior editor Alan Wolf, will take a look at what may be the hottest CE products at retail that will be sold during the all-important fourth quarter. Top technologies, market strategies and industry trends will be discussed with industry analysts and executives.