text:
Despite staffing issues and commodity inflation, Chuy’s is continuing to focus on three main pillars “that are the backbone of our operations,” CEO Steve Hislop said, including safety, convenience, and value.
Following in line with the first tenet, Chuy’s is working on minimizing touch points between team members and guests, such as the continued roll out of a contactless, QR code payment method. Hislop said the plan is to roll out Chuy’s pay-by-tech solutions systemwide by the end of the year.
In terms of the convenience, off-premises mixed 26 percent in Q3. That’s down from 33 percent in the year-ago period, but a noticeable increase from the 12–14 percent Chuy’s saw pre-pandemic.
“Given how well our food travels, we believe we can continue to maintain a low-to-mid-20s off-premise mix going forward,” Hislop said during the brand’s Q3 earnings call.
As for value, customers can expect the return of some of their favorite menu items in the new year. The Baja Shrimp Taco will be making a comeback, along with several of the restaurant’s more popular combo plates.
“Our guests continue to appreciate the value we are offering in our menu and we are excited to bring back some menu items in the first quarter of 2022,” Hislop said.
Comp restaurant sales increased 20.5 percent during the quarter compared to last year. This included a 22.2 percent increase in average weekly customers, partially offset by a 1.7 decrease in average check.
Compared to 2019, comps were down 2.4 percent.
“This decline was mainly due to the emergence of the Delta variant, which impacted our stores heavily in the month of August,” Howie said.
In light of inflation, Chuy’s will not raise menu prices for the rest of the year.
Hislop said the company won’t implement a change until the beginning of February. At that time, Chuy’s will consider a price increase of around 2 percent.
“We’ll continue to look at the environment and what’s happening out there,” Hislop said. “ … We look at our value spread in every single one of our markets compared to our competitive set.”
Right now, the environment Hislop referred to includes plenty of labor obstacles. Although all of Chuy’s restaurants operated at 100 percent capacity during the third quarter, staffing levels never reached more than 85 percent systemwide, hovering between 80-85 percent for all units. In some instances, Chuy’s has had to limit the number of tables available to guests in order to maintain a standard of quality.
“To combat this near-term challenge, we are focusing our efforts in recruiting and training our employees to ensure that our restaurants are properly staffed and stay ahead of the curve,” he said. “This included our $1.6 million manager retention bonus program paid out in the second and third quarters of 2021.”
Even with that pressure, restaurant level operating margin grew to 23.3 percent in Q3, representing an increase of 180 basis points compared to 2020 and 880 basis points versus 2019.
Revenue for Q3 was $101.9 million compared to $82 million last year, an increase of 24.3 percent. CFO Jon Howie credited the increase to growth in customer traffic as indoor dining restrictions continue roll back.
Labor costs increased approximately 10 basis points to 29.2 percent, due in large part to hourly labor rate inflation of 8.3 percent. Howie said increased overtime was a partial cause of the hourly inflation, which is expected to increase 10 to 11 percent in Q4.
Cost of sales was also affected by inflation, increasing 30 basis points to 34.5 percent. Howie said this was primarily due to overall commodity inflation of roughly 3.6 percent. Based on recent trends, he expects commodity inflation of somewhere between 7 and 9 percent for Q4.
General and administrative expenses increased to $7 million in Q3, up from $5.7 million in the same period last year. The CFO attributed this mostly to higher performance-based bonuses in fiscal 2021 as the company rolled over some reduced salaries. As a percentage of revenue, general and administrative was just under 7 percent.
Operating costs improved 70 basis points to 14.7 percent. Marketing expenses increased 50 basis points to 1.1 percent as Chuy’s resumed digital and local advertising campaigns systemwide.
The end of the third quarter saw Chuy’s complete its final development, opening one new restaurant in Brentwood, Tennessee. In total, Chuy’s has opened four new restaurants in 2021, bringing the total number of units to 96. Chuy’s is planning on opening between six to eight new units in 2022.
“We are excited with the upcoming development pipeline as we plan to utilize a smaller prototype that will further improve operating efficiency and better serve our off-premise guests,” Hislop said.


text:
Microsoft Azure is growing much faster than AWS. In recent years, Microsoft’s cloud service has been catching up with market leader AWS.
The rapid growth rate of Microsoft Azure struck market analysts, writes CNBC. They estimated that five years ago, Azure’s cloud size was only half that of AWS. That difference in size is said to have narrowed by a quarter, making AWS’s size only a quarter larger. Exact figures are lacking because Microsoft does not discuss Microsoft Azure separately in its quarterly figures.
Quick to bet on AI
During Microsoft’s latest revenue announcement, Satya Nadella, the company’s CEO, reportedly did provide insight into the size of the AI aspect of the cloud service. Azure AI services are said to have 53,000 users.
The company had been quick to bet on AI services, and those investments are now paying off. As recently as June 2023, for example, it announced the Azure OpenAI Service that allowed companies to work on tailoring ChatGPT to their own business. Copilot, Microsoft’s AI assistant, was later introduced to Azure to help optimize cloud infrastructure.
AWS also bet on AI in 2023 but did so primarily by giving developers the tools to get started with generative AI models themselves. To this end, Amazon Bedrock was launched. Among others, models from AI21 Labs, Anthropic, Stability AI and the Amazon models are available. OpenAI’s GPT models are not in AWS’s services due to the strong partnership between Microsoft and OpenAI.
AWS thinks growth will come
Commenting to CNBC, an AWS spokesperson revealed that it expects growth from AI for the cloud service still needs to come. “Generative AI will ultimately generate tens of billions of dollars in revenue for Amazon over the next few years,” the spokesperson said.
That said, generative AI could still generate more revenue for Azure than for AWS in the coming years. For now, we only know that the growth for Azure has already started. In its latest quarterly figures, Microsoft announced that six percent of Azure’s revenue growth over the past period was due to AI, while this was three percent in the previous quarter. Overall, revenue from Azure and other Microsoft cloud products grew 30 percent last quarter, exceeding expectations of 28 percent revenue growth.

domain: news


text:
Valve has released a mobile version of their popular digital delivery service Steam, today, on iOS and Android powered devices. Steam for mobile devices will let users connect with their friends to see what they're playing, browse the Steam store and make purchases to be played later on your computer and even take chat on the road with your friends.
"The Steam app comes from many direct requests from our customers," says Gabe Newell, co-founder and president of Valve. "Seeing which of your friends are online and playing a game, sending quick messages, looking at screenshots for an upcoming game, or catching a sale - these are all features customers have requested. Mobile is changing way people interact, play games and consume media, and the Steam app is part of our commitment to meet customer demands and expand the service functionality of Steam to make it richer and more accessible for everyone."
Steam for mobile devices is currently in beta, just download the free application from your mobile device's market and log in to your Steam account. Beta testers will be continually added as the beta progresses. For more information, you can check out http://store.steampowered.com/mobile.


text:
(Australian Associated Press)
A $2.06 billion drop in goods and services imports has lifted Australia’s trade surplus to its highest in two years, though economists warn this could signal a further decline in business and consumer spending.
Import debits dropped by six per cent to $34.2 billion in December, according to Australian Bureau of Statistics data released on Tuesday, more than offsetting a two per cent decline in exports to $37.9 billion.
The total surplus was $3.68 billion, up 63 per cent on November’s result.
St George economics analyst Janu Chan said the figures looked great on the surface, but the weakness in imports foretold a less positive story of domestic demand.
“Moreover, the growing downside risks in the global economy also raise the question of whether the pace of export growth will be sustained,” he said.
The Australian dollar dipped at the time of the release, in tandem with disappointing retail trade figures.
The currency recovered ground after the Reserve Bank announced it was holding the cash rate steady at a record low of 1.5 per cent.
The value of capital goods imported into Australia fell by $1.07 billion, or 15 per cent, intermediate and other merchandise goods fell by $717 million, or six per cent, and consumption goods imports fell by $653 million, or seven per cent.
The nation’s non-monetary gold exports more than halved, dropping by $1.03 billion for the month, while the export of rural goods rose $353 million, or 10 per cent.


text:
Lenovo: 'Us, buy Nokia? Surely you jest'
Flushes flap about Finnish phone firm feast as fiction
Lenovo's EMEA chief Gianfranco Lanci has laughed off suggestions that the Chinese computer giant would buy out flailing phone-maker Nokia, dismissing the idea as a "joke".
When asked about rumours that Lenovo was considering swooping on the troubled phone-makers, whose value has plunged in the past two years, Lanci told Reuters: "This must be a joke. There's nothing ongoing."
Anyway, recent rumours that the Finnish phone maker might be about to get a Chinese sugar daddy sent Nokia shares on an unusual high, setting a seven-day record not seen since 1991, according to Businessweek.
However, it still doesn't look like Lenovo has enough billions spare to pump into the foundering company.
Shares in Nokia have dropped more than 70 per cent in the past year and a half, but the company is currently valued at about €7.2bn. ®


text:
The Government is awaiting the outcome of an impact assessment commissioned last year to inform its approach on the Mercosur trade deal, Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue has said.
The impact assessment was announced in the wake of an agreement between the EU and the South American trading bloc struck in the summer of 2019.
The minister told a meeting of the joint Oireacthas agriculture committee that its results would be available “in the near future”. He stressed that there could be no situation where products not of a similar standard could enter the EU.
He was responding to questions from several TDs, including Sinn Féin’s agriculture spokesperson Matt Carthy.
The Cavan-Monaghan TD said there should be no need for an assessment of whether 100,00t of third-country beef will have an impact on the Irish beef sector as the answer was obvious. He said while the product itself might be equivalent, the production standards were not.
He said there needed to be greater promotion of Irish beef, particularly that originating from the suckler herd. Equating suckler beef with that from feedlots was “damaging for the image of Irish beef”, he said.
The minister felt that a needs assessment was required. He said it would help Ireland to argue its case at an EU level.
Irish beef was a “tremendous product” he said. He agreed that considerations on the equivalence of standards should not just be about the product itself but also the production standards, including its impact on the environment.
This would be a key consideration in the Mercosur agreement, he said.


text:
Kim Oderkirk, executive vice president for Floor Covering Installation Contractors Association (FCICA), talks about the association’s annual convention recently held in Tucson, Ariz., at the El Conquistador. Oderkirk talks about the trend that has seen steady growth in the group’s membership as well as convention attendance. She also talks about the group’s Certified Installation Manager (CIM) program, growth in the program and how it is impacting activity in the field and other events at the convention.
Scott Levy, president, Arley Wholesale after launching four regional expos this year talks about some of the ideas the company is contemplating for the future. Levy also talks about the Arley app that has been expanded and some of the new tools that have been added.
Doug Chadderdon, president and CEO, Great Floors, talks about some of the unusual features on the company’s website and the unique buildings the company has built for their 22 locations. He talks about the advantages of being a stocking retailer in markets, such as the homebuilder market, the company’s efforts in non-flooring products, and the need to change with changes in the marketplace.
Don Roberts, president & CEO Central Alabama Floor, talks about the importance of closing rates within a retail operation. Roberts discusses the difference between a closing rate and a conversion rate, what a good closing rate is, how technology on the sales floor can increase closing rates and the importance of consistency in measuring closing rates.
John Simonson, president of Webstream Dynamics and Five Star Store Reviews, talks about the retailing concept of "buy online and pick up in store" and its future in the floor covering arena. Simonson notes that it’s a perfect option for large multi-store flooring retailers that stock product. He notes that the big box players do it as do many of the large floor covering specialty retailers. He adds that most retailers have a product catalog on their website and they invite consumers to call for pricing, but few offer a "buy online, pickup in store" option. He notes that the concept is a point of differentiation for retailers. The option affords consumers a means to check stock and can prompt an in-store visit.
Scott Levy, president, Arley Wholesale, talks about the first of four regional expos the company is holding this year instead of its Annual Arley Golf Classic and Tile & Stone Expo held in Scranton. Levy talks about the first regional, which was held in Wilmington, Del., and the remaining three expos noting they will return to the Arley Golf Classic in 2020 and the possibilities for events thereafter.
Doug Chadderdon, president and CEO, Great Floors, talks about the history of this this chain of 22 retail and commercial showrooms across the Pacific Northwest and its growth into a $200 million company. Chadderdon talks about the economy and the impact it has had on the company in the commercial, builder, and retail sectors and his expectations for growth in the future.


text:
say their primary grocery store is working to help them stay healthyLearn More
As food retailers and suppliers compete in an omnichannel world, it’s important to know who the omnishopper, someone who shops both online and in-store, of today is—their tastes, preferences and habits. These research reports, and previous research on the digitally engaged shopper, together provide a picture of today’s omnishopper.
FMI and Nielsen previously conducted research on the digitally engaged shopper, those consumers who grocery shop online.
© 2023 FMI All rights reserved.
Website design by Matrix Group International, Inc. ®


text:
The USDA is on the brink of issuing dietary guidelines for children under age 2 for the first time ever. In a welcome move that has predictably caused plant-based special interest groups to lose their collective mind, the Federal committee advising on the matter is recommending red meat including liver, eggs, seafood, and dairy as primary foods.
At first glance, the suggestions may seem to be coming out of left field. However, the weaning foods list has much in common with the guidelines for baby first foods issued by Health Canada in 2012.
According to the Wall Street Journal, the advisory committee composed of 20 academics and doctors released its recommendations over the summer. The U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Department of Health and Human Services will review them and issue final guidelines by the end of 2020. (1)
The committee included a number of nutritional heavyweights such as Kathryn Dewey of the Department of Nutrition at the University of California, Davis. She was the chair of the birth to 24 months subcommittee.
Not surprisingly, the recommended food through age six months is exclusively breastmilk. The experts from all food philosophies agreed on that point at least.
Beyond that, primary weaning foods for 6 months through age 2 include meat, seafood, eggs, and dairy. The inclusion of these foods early get babies’ taste buds and habits in a healthier pattern right away, according to Sharon Donovan, committee member and professor of nutrition and health and the Univerity of Urbana-Champaign. (2)
Focus on Animal Foods for Baby
The most contentious aspect of the dietary recommendations for babies under 2 was the focus on animal foods.
For example, the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, a nonprofit organization that advocates plant-based diets, vehemently disagreed with this emphasis at the expense of plant foods.
Susan Levin, a registered dietitian and the group’s director of nutrition education said that the scientific evidence isn’t there that infants would be better off consuming meat, seafood, eggs, and dairy. Instead, she said that young toddlers and babies can get iron from fortified cereals, spinach, and lentils.
Unfortunately, Ms. Levin’s perspective seems clouded by the plant-based globalist agenda. She ignores the fact that young children do not easily digest carbohydrate-rich plant foods especially if raw. Even cooked, these foods are problematic. A baby’s digestive system prior to age one produces little to no amylase, the enzyme necessary for absorption.
Anthropological evidence is overwhelmingly strong to support the inclusion of animal foods as primary weaning foods. Numerous ancestral cultures known for robust children free of chronic disease only used animal foods for weaning. (3)
For example, the traditional first food in some African cultures is raw liver. The infant’s mother would pre-chew small amounts and then feed it to her baby.
Soft boiled egg yolks are also an ideal choice as a baby’s first food as they supply ample iron as well as choline and arachidonic acid which are critical for optimal development of baby’s brain which grows at its most rapid rate the first year of life. Choline is critical for vision development. No plant foods provide these critical, brain-building nutrients in the small amounts a baby would eat.
Vegan Diet a No-No
Even the vegetarian option offered by the committee includes eggs. Dr. Dewey, chairperson of the committee explained the reason with these words:
A totally vegan diet at this age is really not going to meet nutrient needs unless you use a lot of fortified products.
Fortified foods are best avoided because they are typically ultra-processed. This means that they contain additives such as added sugar, preservatives, artificial flavors, and/or colors. Getting babies and young toddlers used to these foods early may risk a processed food addiction later at the expense of fresh, homeprepared foods.
Red Meat and Organs for Babies? YES
One of the most confusing aspects of the committee’s recommendation for baby weaning foods is the inclusion of red meat and liver. This is because the USDA misguidedly advises against these foods for adults.
The reason the committee included these foods is due to worrying numbers of iron and zinc deficient toddlers and babies.
According to data analyzed by the committee, more than three-quarters of breast-fed infants ages six to 12 months don’t consume enough iron. Moreover, 54% of this same group don’t get enough zinc.
Three important sound bites from committee and other experts on the need for red meat and even liver in a baby’s diet include: (4)
- Dr. Steven Abrams, professor of pediatrics at the Dell Medical School, notes that red meat is a good source of iron, and a baby’s brain needs iron to develop normally.
- Chairperson Dr. Dewey says chicken livers are a particularly rich iron source.
- Dr. Ronald Kleinman, chief of the department of pediatrics at Massachusetts General Hospital, adds that zinc is important for proper immune function.
Will Special Interests Intervene?
As a Mom who ignored the misguided recommendation of fortified rice cereal and other grains as weaning foods and opted instead for red meat, liver (as chicken liver pate), soft boiled egg yolks, grassfed dairy, and homemade soups for my three children (with excellent results), I am happy to see that, at least at the committee level, members are resisting the lure of politically correct nutrition by emphasizing the importance of animal foods for growing children.
Let’s hope that agenda-driven special interests don’t torpedo these recommendations before they become official in the coming months.
Even if the bureaucrats cave and remove these animal foods from the final USDA dietary guidelines, this article can serve as a record for parents that the committee of experts advised otherwise!
(1, 2, 4) Do Babies Need to Eat Meat? Wall Street Journal
(3) Nutrition and Physical Degeneration


text:
Today, batteries in implanted medical devices have a limited lifespan, some needing replacement within seven to 10 years depending on use. Increasing clinical applications, for example wireless monitoring of cardiac pacemakers, and the continuous drive to design less obtrusive implanted devices, is placing further strains on battery operating lifetimes.
While some implanted device batteries can be externally recharged, more commonly the patient must undergo a time-consuming and costly surgical replacement of the entire device. It is estimated that surgical replacement of a cardiac pacemaker can cost up to GBP10,000.
The two-year SIMM (self-energizing implantable medical micro system) project will prototype a device capable of harvesting energy from movement in or on the body, including joint movement and heartbeats. Body energy will be harvested by means of a microgenerator manufactured as a micro-electrical-mechanical system, or MEMS. This prototype design is expected to achieve 10 to 100 times more power than previous attempts to harvest human energy.
According to industry research, there is great demand for improved power supply technology in many emerging medical applications, including neurostimulation, activity monitoring, bladder control valves, drug delivery systems, medical telemetry and cochlear and retinal implants.
The project has received GBP500,000 in funding from the UK Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), which will be match-funded by the consortium.
Other companies involved in the SIMM project consortium are Finsbury Orthopaedics, Innos, InVivo Technology, Odstock Medical, and Perpetuum Ltd.
A proof of concept prototype as a result of the project is expected to be released in 2007.


text:
With restaurants closing their dining rooms and only offering takeout and delivery, its safe to say that revenue is down and many businesses are struggling. However, that’s not keeping Crush Pizza from helping out Bostonians. In a recent Facebook post, the company announced that it will be giving out free pizza slices to whomever “is hungry and has fallen on hard times.”
The restaurant asked that only people who truly need it take them up on the offer, as they don’t have unlimited resources. Crush Pizza also thanked donors who have helped by donating funds for the cause.
So if you need help with food, stop by. And if you want to place an order, they’re still open for takeout and delivery. You can order at crushpizza.com.


text:
Royal Caribbean's Majesty of the Seas had been waiting out the coronavirus shutdown in the Port of Gulfport, Mississippi, but the ship has been instructed to depart on Friday.
Fox10 reports the Port of Gulfport has ordered all cruise ships docked there to leave after Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves’ ordered a shelter-in-place order that will go in effect at 5 p.m. on Friday and last until 8 a.m. on April 20.
Majesty of the Seas is one of four cruise ships docked in Gulfport, along with Carnival Glory, Carnival Valor, and Carnival Freedom.
Until the threat of Coronavirus is gone, the Port of Gulfport will continue to support the efforts in limiting the spread of the virus while also maintaining essential operations, the news release states.
Summer cruises to Alaska are one of the highlights of Royal Caribbean's offerings, but the 2020 Alaska cruise season seems in doubt with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
If you have a cruise booked for Alaska this year, here is a look at all the information we know that impacts sailings to The Last Frontier.
No cruises until at least July
Royal Caribbean has already taken a step to cancel all Alaska cruises until July 1, 2020.
On March 24, Royal Caribbean extended its suspension of cruises until May 12, however, they also decided to cancel all Alaska cruises through June 30, 2020.
The decision was based on two primary factors: the ongoing spread of Coronavirus, as well as American and Canadian port closures.
Canadian port closures
A major factor prohibiting any Alaska cruise is the decision of the Canadian government to close its ports to cruise traffic, which means Royal Caribbean's ships cannot enter these ports.
On March 13, Transport Canada announced it would defer the start of the cruise ship season in Canada from April 2, 2020 to July 1, 2020, at the earliest. This deferral will apply to cruise ships capable of carrying more than 500 passengers and crew members.
There are two primary ports Royal Caribbean relies on for its Canadian cruises: Vancouver and Victoria.
Vancouver is where Radiance of the Seas and Serenade of the Seas homeport during the season, while Victoria is a port of call for cruises out of Seattle.
Without access to Canadian ports, it is impossible for Royal Caribbean to operate any cruises, since even sailings beginning in the United States require a foreign port stop at some point in order to be in compliance with U.S. laws.
Port of Seattle delays
In addition to Canadian port closures, the Port of Seattle has delayed its start to the 2020 cruise season.
The Port now expects the launch of the cruise season will be delayed until the resolution of the public health emergency.
As a result of COVID-19, the start of Seattle’s cruise season will depend on the status of the public health emergency and the advice of local, state and federal public health officials.
The CDC has issued a nonessential travel warning and a temporary no sail order for cruise ships, and the State and King County have imposed a number of strict limitations to limit the spread of COVID-19.
Cruisers should know applying or renewing a passport is basically impossible due to coronavirus pandemicIn:
One of the best pieces of advice I offer to cruisers is to invest in a passport for a cruise, but applying for one or renewing now is basically impossible due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The U.S. State Department has halted its passport services except for limited exceptions.
Unless it is a life-or-death situation, passport service is not available.
Effective March 20, 2020, we are only able to offer service for customers with a qualified life-or-death emergency and who need a passport for immediate international travel within 72 hours.
If you are wondering what constitutes an emergency, it is serious illnesses, injuries, or deaths in your immediate family (e.g. parent, child, spouse, sibling, aunt, uncle, etc) that require you to travel outside the United States within 72 hours (3 days).
In order to have your passport application processed, you must provide:
- A passport application with supporting documents
- Proof of the life-or-death emergency such as a death certificate, a statement from a mortuary, or a signed letter from a hospital or medical professional. Documents
- Proof of international travel (e.g. reservation, ticket, itinerary)
If you are trying to apply or renew a U.S. passport on or after March 20, 2020, the State Department says they will not offer expedited service and routine service may be delayed.
If you applied and requested expedited service on or before March 19, 2020, the State Department will honor its commitment of a 2-3 week turnaround time, door-to-door, for expedited service.
As of March 25, 2020, post offices which are still accepting applications are requiring customers to make an online appointment to apply in person for a U.S. passport. If you need to apply in person for your U.S. passport, please contact the facility directly to confirm the status of its operations
I am certain that if you close your eyes and start thinking of memories from past Royal Caribbean cruises, you may think of the Perfect Storm water slides, laughing with family during dinner in the dining room, or perhaps sipping on a frosty cocktail.
Ever since I had my first Lava Flow on a Royal Caribbean ship, I have been hooked!
The lava flow is essentially a pina colada with fruit syrup and mixed with a dark rum. If you ask me, it tastes significantly better when you opt for Kraken Rum (which is included with the Deluxe Beverage Package).
While at home, you can make this drink fairly easily and give yourself a bit of an escape back to the Lime & Coconut!
Lava flow Ingredients
- 1.5 oz. light rum
- 1 oz. Kraken rum
- 2 oz. coconut cream
- 2 oz. pineapple juice
- 2 oz. fresh or frozen strawberries
- 1 banana
Suggested music while preparing
- Boat Drinks by Jimmy Buffett
Lava flow Instructions
- Mix strawberries and rum in blender and blend until well mixed.
- Place contents at bottom of a tall glass.
- Mix rest of the unused ingredients with crushed ice in a blender until smooth.
- Pour mixture into glass. The strawberry and rum mixture will creep up the sides of the glass, giving the drink its name.
- Serve with straw.
Royal Caribbean's recent filing with the SEC indicates it has taken advantage of $3.48 billion in backup financing between two revolving lines of credit.
The loans come as the cruise line contends with the impact of the coronavirus pandemic that has wreaked havoc on the cruise industry. This new backup financing means the cruise line has emptied its revolving credit coffers.
The move comes just over a week after Royal Caribbean took out a $2.2 billion loan on March 23. At the time, the company said it had $3.6 billion of liquidity, including undrawn revolving credit lines.
The worldwide coronavirus pandemic has forced Royal Caribbean to cancel 30 days of sailings two times, with cruises beginning no earlier than mid-May.
Royal Caribbean is offering this weekend up to $200 instant savings, 60% off the second guest and Kids Sail Free.
The Sail Away Sale runs between April 2 – 6, 2020 and applies to select sailings departing on or after May 12, 2020.
- 60% savings off the price of cruise fare of the second guest booked in the same stateroom as first, full-fare paying guest.
- 30% cruise fare savings for third guests and higher booked in the same stateroom as the first two qualifying guests.
- Instant savings of up to $200 USD per stateroom
- Sailings 5 nights or less, $25 savings for Interior and Ocean View, $75 for Balconies and $75 for Suites
- Sailings 6 nights or longer, $50 savings for Interior and Ocean View, $100 for Balconies and $200 for Suites
- Kids Sail Free provides free cruise fare for 3rd guests and higher who are 12 years old or younger as of cruise departure date, booked in the same stateroom as the first two qualifying guests in a triple or quad-occupancy stateroom.
- Kids Sail Free applies to select 4-night or longer Alaska, Bahamas, Bermuda, Canada, Caribbean, CaribNE, Coastal, Europe, Hawaii, Repositioning and all 2020 Serenade of the Seas sailings departing between September 1, 2020 – December 17, 2020 and January 8, 2021 – May 17, 2021.
- Offer excludes 2020 Thanksgiving sailings (Sailings between November 21 - 28, 2020), 2021 President’s Day Sailings (Sailings between February 12 – 15, 2021), and 2021 Spring Break and Easter sailings (Sailings between March 13 – April 4, 2021).
- Taxes, fees, and port expenses are additional and apply to all guests.
BOGO60 and Kids Sail Free are combinable with each other as well as promotional OBCs, NextCruise offers, instant savings, restricted discounts (for example, Seniors, Residents, Military), Promo Code driven offers, Free Upgrades, Crown and Anchor discounts and Shareholder Benefits. Sail Away Sale is combinable with BOGO60 and Kids Sail Free as well as with promotional OBCs, NextCruise offers, Instant Savings, restricted discounts (for example, Seniors, Residents, Military), Promo Code driven offers, Free Upgrades, and Shareholder Benefits, but not combinable with Crown and Anchor discounts. Offer are not combinable with any other offer or promotion, including, but not limited to, Standard Group, Interline, Travel Agent, Travel Agent Friends and Family, Weekly Sales Events, and Net Rates. Promo Code driven offers are based on select ships and sail dates and must be applied at time of booking; limit one promo code per booking.
Offer available to residents of United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, and select countries in the Caribbean.
According to paperwork filed with the SEC, Royal Caribbean's top executives are taking a pay cut while the cruise industry deals with the COVID-19 pandemic.
Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. Chairman and CEO Richard Fain has volunteered to not take a salary through the end of September, while Royal Caribeban International CEO Michael Bayley took a 25% pay cut.
Other executives taking a 25% pay cut include CFO Jason Liberty, and Lisa Lutoff-Perlo, CEO of Celebrity Cruises.
Effective as of April 1, 2020, Richard Fain, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Company, agreed to forego payment of his base salary and Jason Liberty, Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, Michael Bayley, President and CEO, Royal Caribbean International and Lisa Lutoff-Perlo, President and CEO, Celebrity Cruises, each elected to reduce their respective base salaries by 25%, in each case, through September 30, 2020. These reductions were made in light of the COVID-19 pandemic and the negative financial and operational impacts resulting therefrom.
In light of the COVID-19 pandemic and the negative financial and operational impacts resulting therefrom, the Board of Directors approved to forego all cash retainers and fees payable for Board and committee service, effective from April 1, 2020 through September 30, 2020.
COVID-19 has completely disrupted the cruise industry, with Royal Caribbean in the midst of cancelling all sailings through at least mid-May.
Royal Caribbean will live stream sunrise over Perfect Day at CocoCay on its Facebook page.
In an effort to "brighten" everyone's day, Royal Caribbean sent an email that they will live stream sunrise on the Royal Caribbean Facebook page tomorrow.
The video will take place at the cruise line's private island in The Bahamas, Perfect Day at CocoCay.
Live streaming will begin at 7:15am EST on April 2, 2020.
To check out the broadcast on Thursday, simply visit Royal Caribbean on Facebook and you’ll find the live stream at the top of the page. I'm looking forward to starting my day by being virtually transported to paradise!
Will you start your day with the sun rise at Perfect Day at CocoCay? Let us know in the comments below!
Royal Caribbean Cruises Chairman offers outlook on the cruise industry during the current Coronavirus crisisIn:
Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. Chairman and CEO Richard Fain shared a brand new video on how he sees the current COVID-19 climate, and what his outlook on the situation.
Mr. Fain begins his video paralleling the current crisis with the timeline of a typical hurricane, and how things look bad before they get better.
"There's a reason for the old sailor's expression that it's always darkest before the dawn; It is darkest before the dawn, but we're not yet in the darkest part of the night. But, we're beginning to approach that period and we will have to prepare ourselves for two things."
"Firstly, we need to prepare ourselves for getting ready for that dark period, and secondly, we need to prepare ourselves for emerging into the dawn that follows."
Mr. Fain also talked about Royal Caribbean's dedication to the travel agent community, and the launch of RCL Cares. The support program helps small businesses navigate the government's CARES Act in a time when businesses are hurting all over.
"We hope these benefits can help your business not only recover, but prepared to charge ahead when we return to service."
"In these times, you can never have too much support and together we will get through this and back on the track to success."
Mr. Fain has been producing videos on a near-weekly basis, and you can check out each of his powerful and insightful takes on the situation:
"As Americans, we have a history of grit and resilience, and both will be needed as we deal with the rising devastation this diseases is bringing."
An article going around the internet today has spread a lot of misinformation about Royal Caribbean's current plans due to a misunderstanding about a recent policy change.
An article on Yahoo! Finance says Royal Caribbean has extended its halt of global cruise operations until September 1, 2020.
Unfortunately, this is inaccurate information.
Royal Caribbean has only cancelled nearly all of its sailings through May 11, 2020. Alaska, Canada and New England sailings are delayed until at least July 1, 2020.
The author likely is confusing Royal Caribbean's recent announcement to extend its Cruise with Confidence program through September 1. This program allows guests to cancel their cruise up to 48 hours before there sailing and receive a 100% future cruise credit.
Royal Caribbean further clarified the article is indeed false as well.
(1/2) Hi there! Only our Cruise with Confidence program was extended until September 1st, 2020, which allows our guests o cancel up to 48 hours prior to their sailing.
— Royal Caribbean (@RoyalCaribbean) April 1, 2020
(2/2) We remain hopeful we'll be able to resume our operations come May 12th and apologize for any confusion due to this article. For the latest travel updates please refer to our website: https://t.co/8mVZTiRkGp. -Yami
— Royal Caribbean (@RoyalCaribbean) April 1, 2020


text:
A former employee of Google and Baidu will be working with China’s Foxconn Technology to bring Artificial Intelligence to factories.
Computer scientist Andrew Ng, who has since left the two tech giants and built startup Landing.ai, said in December last year that he and Foxconn—the world’s largest contract electronics manufacturer company, assembling Dell computers and some Apple products–will be the company’s first strategic partner.
Ng, currently a professor at Stanford University, worked at Google’s Brain Deep Learning Project (which he founded and led) and Baidu as Chief Scientist. He also co-founded online education company Coursera, a company that offers free online courses. He is now focused on Landing.ai, which aims to help manufacturers make use of AI technology.
He told the South China Morning Post (SCMP): “Landing.ai will help transform companies for the AI era. We are starting with the manufacturing industry. For the whole world to experience the benefits of AI, it must pervade many industries, not just the IT industry.”
Ng has not yet elaborated on the partnership but revealed that Landing.ai has been working with Foxconn since July 2017.
Ng added: “Manufacturing touches nearly every part of our society by shaping our physical environment. It is through manufacturing that human creativity goes beyond pixels on a display to becoming physical objects…By bringing AI to manufacturing, we will deliver a digital transformation to the physical world.”
One of the issues being raised in projects like this is unemployment. He said he understands that his firm’s technology is likely to displace factory workers but that Landing.ai is already working on how to train workers for higher-skilled, higher paying factory work involving computers.
Ng told reported that he understands this, saying that AI technology might, indeed displace factory workers. However, he said that while the company is working on AI, it is also working to train the workers for higher-skilled computer tasks.
“I would love to help displaced workers gain the skills they need to succeed,” Ng said.
A report by the SCMP also quoted Foxconn chair Terry Gou as saying that workers in the assembly line will “definitely disappear in the coming 20 years”
“But I am not concerned about unemployment, and our workers will become smarter and further upgrade their skills to have good interactions with machines,” he explained. “I think it is trend to combine internet and manufacturing. And the two will be more and more inseparable.”
A report by Wired reported Ng as saying that Landing.ai’s first clients will be in China and Japan. He, however, did not say what exactly they’re planning to work on. He also said that Landing.ai has already been approached by investors, but haven’t accepted outside capital yet.
“AI can make a society where everything is much better and humans are freed from mental drudgery,” he said.


text:
Apple Martin just made her official debut on the fashion scene, attending her very first show in Paris today. She looked like the spitting image of her mother, Gwyneth Paltrow, at the Chanel Haute Couture S/S 23 show in a plaid minidress, matching cardigan, and flat loafers. With all the talk of nepo babies lately, it was inevitable that Apple Martin (whose dad is Chris Martin) would enter the conversation sooner or later.
“Karl Lagerfeld met Apple Martin when she was 4 years old and declared that one day she’d be a Chanel girl,” Derek Blasberg wrote on Instagram. “It happened today!” How cute is that? Martin joined Sadie Sink and Lucy Boynton in the front row—a very stylish trio indeed. Scroll down to see what Apple Martin wore to her first fashion show in Paris.


text:
Move over, Gwyneth, there's a new Effect in town. A candid photo of a celebrity using a branded baby product causes a sudden spike in sales.
Shoppers emptied the shelves at drugstores around the country when Trixie was photographed wearing a Pampers Bibster Disposable Bib. Fortunately, they're still available at Drugstore.com, with no wait list.
Trixie's people are still developing a product placement rate structure for TPOD, but sources say the program will be similar to the 80's sitcom, Too Close For Comfort, where Ted Knight wore a different college sweatshirt in each episode. The show precipitated a scandalous NCAA bribery investigation,which led to its cancellation, but it was too late; the product placement genie was out of the bottle.


text:
Associated Press Michigan Daybook for Thursday, Nov. 28.
The daybook is for planning purposes only and is not intended for publication or broadcast. You should verify any event you plan to cover.
Please keep the AP in mind when news develops. The Detroit bureau is reachable at 313-259-0650. Send daybook items to email@example.com.
To see your Daybooks and events for Michigan and other States up to 12 months ahead, speak to your bureau or sales rep about access to AP Planner, or visit http://applanner.com.
Thursday, Nov. 28 8:30 AM Michigan state Rep. Sherry Gay-Dagnogo hosts annual Thanksgiving Meals on Wheels event
Location: Restoration Tower, 16651 Lahser Rd, Detroit, MI
Contacts: Office of Rep. Sherry Gay-Dagnogo , 1 517 373 3815
Thursday, Nov. 28 10:00 AM Mel Trotter Ministries Thanksgiving Community Meal
Location: DeVos Place, 303 Monroe Ave NW, Grand Rapids, MI
Weblinks: http://www.meltrotter.org/home, https://twitter.com/meltrotter
Contacts: Abbey Sladick, Mel Trotter Ministries, firstname.lastname@example.org, 1 616 588 8754
Thursday, Nov. 28 6:00 PM Thanksgiving Meals at Midland’s Open Door, serving their traditional ‘Italian feast’
Location: 412 W Buttles St, Midland, MI
Weblinks: https://www.midlandopendoor.org/, https://twitter.com/midlandopendoor
Contacts: Renee Pettinger, Midland’s Open Door, email@example.com, 1 989 835 2291
Thursday, Nov. 28 Thanksgiving Day
Thursday, Nov. 28 Parade Company America’s Thanksgiving Parade in Detroit – The Parade Company America’s Thanksgiving Parade presented by Art Van. This year’s theme is ‘Detroit Shining Bright’, celebrating the city’s place in the national spotlight. Celebs taking part include Nate Lashley, Lance Parrish, Dave Rozema, Issac Ryan Brown and Grand Marshals the Detroit Youth Choir, led by director Anthony White and former Detroit Mayor Dennis W. Archer
Location: Detroit, MI
Weblinks: http://www.theparade.org, https://twitter.com/ParadeCo, #DetroitParade
Contacts: Bridget Burns, lovio george, firstname.lastname@example.org, 1 313 832 2210, 1 313 218 2505
Friday, Nov. 29 Black Friday – traditional beginning of the Christmas shopping season – Black Friday – traditional beginning of the Christmas shopping season on the Friday after Thanksgiving, when retailers offer big savings to entice shoppers and supposedly haul themselves back ‘in the black’. Many retailers open at midnight to take full advantage of the day
Friday, Nov. 29 Kellogg Co: Q4 2019 Ex-dividend date
Weblinks: http://investor.kelloggs.com/, https://twitter.com/KelloggCompany
Contacts: John Renwick, Kellogg investor relations, email@example.com, 1 269 961 2800
Friday, Nov. 29 BorgWarner Inc: Q3 2019 Ex-dividend date
Contacts: Ken Lamb , BorgWarner Inc Investor Relations, firstname.lastname@example.org, 1 248 754 0872
Saturday, Nov. 30 Small Business Saturday – Small Business Saturday, for people to show their support for small businesses and the communities they help to keep thriving
Weblinks: http://ShopSmall.com, https://twitter.com/ShopSmall, #SmallBizSat
Contacts: Megan Hunsicker, American Express, email@example.com, 1 800 235 8916


text:
Through thick and thin, your mother has truly got your back on all occasions. But do you have hers on Mother’s Day? A recent study by The Pearl Source polled 1,000 mothers and kids across the country. The results suggest perhaps not so much!
Fact: when it comes to Mother’s Day, many moms only “love” their gifts because of who gave it – their kids! About 23% of mothers surveyed said they didn’t like their Mother’s Day gift at all but they chose not to tell their children about it. Furthermore, 30% actually made an attempt at returning their Mother’s Day gifts after the fact, but the majority of them ended up feeling guilty about it.
Poor mom. And it gets worse, unfortunately. The lack of effort put into Mother’s Day seems to be the main culprit of unhappy moms across the country.
Despite kids overwhelmingly opting for flowers on Mother’s Day, moms, for their part, would much prefer those beautiful bouquets stay put. More than 30% of moms polled said they wanted tech gifts instead, like tablets, laptops, smart speakers, and Bluetooth headphones. Another 30% said they wouldn’t mind a little sparkle – jewelry is always a tried and true Mother’s Day gift. Rounding out mom’s top picks were luxury self-care treatments, like spa treatments, manicures, facials, and the likes.
The conclusion? Put a little more thought into Mother’s Day this year. Given the circumstances, everyone could use a little more cheer right now, and mom is no different. Mom wants something unique and special to her, so put the time in. She certainly deserves it!


text:
Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up here. (Smart Brevity count: 1,094 words / <5 minutes.)
- Huawei's CEO says the company will miss sales forecasts by about $30 billion over the next couple years. (CNN)
- Robotics company Nuro will begin delivering Domino's pizzas to customers in autonomous robots in one location this autumn. (Washington Post)
- China's holdings of U.S. government debt fell to the lowest level since May 2017. (Reuters)
- Boeing announced 0 new orders for its airplanes, while Airbus recorded orders of $13 billion, at day 1 of the Paris Air Show. (Bloomberg)
- Facebook unveiled details on its Libra currency, the governing foundation and its digital wallet, called Calibra. (Axios)
1 big thing: Apple needs a next act
With the iPhone's global dominance waning, there's a growing chorus of skeptics betting that Apple is headed the way of Blackberry and Nokia.
Why it matters: While Apple still generates ridiculous cash flow, the nearly $900 billion megacompany's growth is built on its ability to reinvent and dominate entire product categories, which it hasn't done lately. Doubters don't see evidence that Apple still has the innovative juice it needs to dominate not just tech but the global consumer marketplace.
The iPhone is Apple's most important product and generates the bulk of its revenue. The App Store and various other offerings feed off the iPhone's ubiquity and popularity.
- But the iPhone is fast losing market share, and Apple services like streaming music, streaming video and home speakers show no signs of generating similar cash flow.
- Apple Watch, AirPods and other "wearables" are buzzy, but account for a fraction of the company's earnings.
- "There are just too many negatives," Richard Mathes, president of asset manager Mathes Company, who dumped all his Apple holdings earlier this year, tells Axios. "They're going to be a slower growth company going forward."
Apple's biggest problem is China, where it is no longer seen as a trend-setting company and the new iPhone has stopped being a must-have, luxury product, says Linda Zhang, CEO of Purview Investments.
Investors have taken notice. Following the company's first quarter earnings report — which beat expectations, but revealed the steepest decline ever in iPhone sales — Apple became by far the most shorted company in the world, according to data provided to Axios from S3 Partners.
- In April, short interest levels were almost double that of the No. 2 most shorted company, Tesla.
- Its stock has posted solid gains in recent years, but critics point to Apple's growing reliance on stock buybacks. The company announced more than $100 billion in repurchases last year.
Yes, but: This could all turn around — because we really don't know what Apple is cooking. The iPhone itself was a second act for Apple, which nearly died in the late 90s.
- Apple has suggested it's got things in the works on the health/wellness front, leveraging the Apple Watch and its privacy reputation.
- According to The Information, Apple is in talks to buy Intel's modem business to boost its 5G capabilities, though it's still expected to sit out of the first wave of 5G adoption.
Apple representatives declined to comment.
Many who follow the tech space are starting to doubt the Apple story. Aija Leiponen, professor of applied economics at Cornell's SC Johnson College of Business, told Axios in March she's been wary of Apple's new offerings.
- "Maybe there will be another breakthrough, but I don't see it right now."
Bonus: The move to No. 3
By the numbers: Globally, smartphone sales are slowing down, but data shows Apple is doing especially poorly. Consumers are slower to upgrade their iPhones, and they're switching brands.
- Apple saw a 30% decline in shipments in Q1 2019 from last year, as "the iPhone struggled to win over consumers in most major markets," data from market research firm IDC shows.
- It now holds just 11.7% of global smartphone market share, down more than 25% from a year ago.
- The U.S., where Apple holds its largest market share, saw the biggest decline in shipments.
- Shipments for Apple's iOS platform are expected to fall by more than 12% this year.
2. For Estée Lauder airports are the new malls
As dollars have grown scarce at many traditional retail outlets, cosmetics powerhouse Estée Lauder has found an interesting way to make its money. For the first time last year, it generated more revenue at airports globally than at U.S. department stores, data shows.
What's happening: The airport is becoming a booming shopping destination and Estée Lauder, home to brands like Clinique, MAC and Tom Ford Beauty, has been taking full advantage.
- Duty-free and other airport spending binges, especially by Chinese and other travelers from emerging markets like Russia, India and Brazil, have helped jolt the stock up more than 35% year-to-date.
The big picture: Globally, sales from duty-free shops and other travel-retail channels rose almost 10% to a record $76 billion in 2018, according to research firm the Data Circle.
- "Travel retail consists of airport shops, in-flight purchases, duty-free stores neighboring airports, cruises and online orders picked up at the airport. All stores located beyond airport customs are duty-free," WSJ's Jaewon Kang and Sharon Terlep report.
3. June's truly ugly Empire state manufacturing survey
The June reading of the Empire State Manufacturing Index, a regional survey of manufacturing industry business owners by the New York Fed, was quite bad. The headline reading was -8.6, down from 17.8 the month before, the largest monthly decline ever recorded.
- The survey was also the lowest reading since October 2016.
- It was expected to be 11.0, and the nearly 19-point miss is the biggest since November 2010.
- The details were also bad, with new orders falling 20 points, prices received down 6 points, shipments down 7 points and number of employees falling 8 points.
Yes, but: "This looks terrible, but it won't last," says Ian Shepherdson, chief economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics, in a note to clients. "The survey is conducted during the first 10 days of the month so it likely reflects the peak of Mexico tariff fear. ... During that period, businesses appear to have panicked."
4. Q1 earnings were a pleasant surprise
With 496 S&P 500 companies having reported first quarter earnings, more than three quarters (75.6%) beat expectations, with Q1 earnings now expected to increase 1.6%, data from Lipper shows.
What it means: That's a far cry from the first stage of an earnings recession analysts feared early in the year.
But, but, but: Investors are hardly out of the woods, as fears are growing about substantiated damage from the U.S.-China trade war, most recently thanks to a report from semiconductor giant Broadcom.
- CEO Hock E. Tan warned that the second quarter bump the company had projected is now unlikely.
"As a result [of the trade war], demand volatility has increased and our customers are actively reducing inventory levels to manage risks. This leads us to believe the second half of 2019 will be more in line with the first half as opposed to the previously expected recovery. We now anticipate fiscal 2019 semiconductor solutions segment revenue of $17.5 billion, which translates into a year-over-year decline in the high single digits.”


text:
//** * * */
As ironic as it is embarrassing, the Economist has unwittingly infected their readers with malware, due to using a third-party analytics to detect readers using ad-blockers. People tend to use ad blockers to protect not only their privacy, but their computers as banner ad distributed malware has been rampant for a decade now. (see previously: March 2007, Dec 2007, Sept 2008, google itself caught up in it April 2015 etc). More recently the war between ads and ad blockers has heated up as publishers feel the squeeze when banners are no longer seen. Some publishers, like Techdirt, opted for simply asking their readers to turn off ads, while others like the Economist relied on Pagefair for analytics, but you can also use it as an adblock-friendly revenue stream.
The Third party Pagefair, is an analytics system & adblock detector that can be used to direct your readers to a subscription model, or show adblock friendly ads. Pagefair was hacked on Halloween by a trojan that masqueraded as an Adobe Flash update. For 83 minutes, 501 publishers using Pagefair were unwittingly spreading the malware.
The Economist has posted this apology and alert to readers to clean their PC's. "Oct. 31, 23:52 GMT and Nov. 1, 01:15 GMT, using Windows OS and you do not have trusted anti-virus software installed, it is possible that malware, disguised as an Adobe update, was downloaded onto your PC." Key words, "trusted anti-virus software" - these are the only players who are winning in this ever escalating tech war between advertisers and publishers, trolls and hackers.
Update, the Economist has reached out to us and wanted to publish this statement, which is a much saner one than the linked one that recommended you "change all passwords" as step one, then run an anti-virus. If you're infected by a keylogger, as explained in this statement below, your new passwords would fall into the hands of the hackers if you did it in that order.
On Oct. 31, 2015, one of economist.com’s vendors, PageFair, was hacked, affecting 501 of its publishing clients, including us. We know that the issue lasted 83 minutes before it was resolved by PageFair. We were informed on Monday morning that this had happened. We obtained a copy of the malware from PageFair in order to analyze it independently.
The specialist company we engaged, Tempest, informed us the software is a keylogger – a type of surveillance software that has the capability to record every keystroke made by someone who has downloaded the malware – and this may compromise a user’s personal data such as passwords and bank and credit card details. We have now taken action to inform visitors to economist.com via this page. Please note that economist.com’s own systems have not been compromised; therefore any data we hold on our customers remains secure.
The Economist takes cybersecurity extremely seriously and strives to maintain the highest level of protection for our customers.


text:
Three of the six samples collected from places including Pune, Kolhapur and Aurangabad were found to contain lead above the permissible limit, the minister said.
Rajasthan government today imposed a ban on the sale of Maggi noodles in the state following directions from central food safety regulator FSSAI.
The brand from Swiss foods major Nestle, which is synonymous with noodles in India, has witnessed a severe dent in its popularity and image.
Maharashtra announced a ban on the sale of Maggi after lab tests proved presence of lead above the permissible level in the samples tested.
Meghalaya government said it was likely to ban sale of 'Maggi' noodles in the state if the samples tested positive for overdose of monosodium glutamate and lead in the popular snack.
With Maggi under the scanner, here are a few healthy substitutes to instant noodles. Also, find the details about nutritional value of the food options!
The order, in a fresh setback to brand owner Nestle, covers over 1000 army canteens and the complete 13-lakh strong army.
Besides drawing samples for tests, the state health department would also wait and watch how the Nestle company recalled its products from the state.
The company, while moving to withdraw the product from the market for now in light of ‘the environment of confusion’ claims that its own tests consistently show that the product is safe.
Banning a brand that has been sold for more than 3 decades and made in factories certified by the State smacks of double standards followed by regulators.


text:
Sugar Talk Sugar Talk
Sugar regulations in the UK: the HFSS rules
If you’re a food and beverage manufacturer in the UK, you know the regulations governing how you formulate and market your products. You’ll also be aware that they’re constantly changing. Read this article to know more about the impact of the new HFSS (high fat, salt and sugar) legislation.
What is the HFSS legislation?
The government regulates our food and beverages for two main reasons: food safety and public health. There are many established laws covering food labelling and safety: they exist to reduce the risk of food poisoning and accidents. Most food safety and hygiene laws are enforced by the Food Standards Agency. The HFSS legislation will be policed by local authority environmental health departments and Trading Standards teams.
The HFSS legislation, or The Food (Promotion and Placement) (England) Regulations 2021, was brought in to manage public health: the government is trying to reduce obesity, and obesity related conditions such as diabetes and heart disease, in a number of ways. The Soft Drinks Industry Levy is another example of this.
When the Government announced new restrictions on promotions of HFSS products by location and price in December 2020, retailers learned that from 1 October 2022, they would no longer be able to place HFSS products at store entrances, aisle ends and checkouts. The rules also cover online equivalents like landing pages and shopping baskets.
‘Volume price restrictions’, prohibiting retailers from offering price promotions such as ‘buy-one-get-one-free’ or ‘3 for 2’ offers on HFSS products, are also due to come into force on 1 October 2023.
A ban on television adverts for HFSS foods before 9pm and a sweeping ban on HFSS advertising online was due for 1 January 2023, but Government announced in June 2022 that the plans were being delayed to January 2024, however the policy was delayed further, and is now set for October 2025. The Government has provided guidance for manufacturers and retailers (which applies to England).
What do the HFSS regulations mean to food and beverage manufacturers?
At Ragus, most of our customers have been aware new rules are coming well before the commencement dates were finally confirmed, so they were already prepared for challenges and changes.
For example, many soft drinks manufacturers have been replacing at least some of the sugar in their most popular drinks with aspartame, stevia or another non-nutritive sweetener. This was initially in response to the introduction of the sugar levy in 2018, and reformulation has been steadily growing since.
However, despite the best efforts of the Government and major retailers to reduce the sales of HFSS products, the location restrictions aren’t deterring shoppers like they were supposed to, with some stores reporting an increase in sales across confectionery, snacks and other HFSS goods.
One Spar retailer told The Grocer that because his store now places HFSS products all in one place on the confectionery aisle, it makes it easier for customers to access them. As a result, confectionery sales had gone up by 11.5% in the past year.
While food campaigners and the Government see taxes on sugar and HFSS policies as breakthroughs, time will tell if they are to have any real effect on obesity levels in the UK.
The evidence and immediate impact of measures such as HFSS suggests the obesity crisis may be a much wider and deeper problem than the availability of high-calorie food and drinks, with strong links to poverty and a lack of education on healthy eating.
Making HFSS foods harder to find in supermarkets and banning BOGOFs might be a good start to tackling the problem of obesity and its wider impact on the population’s health, but policymakers need to widen their focus beyond the food and beverage industry.
Ragus supplies high-quality pure sugar syrups and crystalline sugars to industrial food and beverage producers. Our customers rely on our customer service, deep knowledge of the sugar industry and expertise on the applications of sugar.


text:
Discount Tire Company News Release
Carlsbad, CA – Discount Tire Company, America’s largest tire and wheel retailer, is proud to announce their partnership with Travis Pastrana and Pastrana 199 Racing.
Discount Tire joins as Presenting Sponsor of the Pastrana Racing/Red Bull/Discount Tire backed Dodge for the 2012 Global Rally Cross racing season.
“Travis has proven to be one of the most consistent competition racers of the last decade. With an international following he is a true ambassador of the sport and will help debut Discount Tire’s brand to thousands of new fans.”
“We are creating more ways for racing fans to engage with Discount Tire. Our company, championship drivers, and teams are well known in NASCAR and Formula D racing and Supercross. Adding Global Rally Cross along with Travis Pastrana will help us continue to expand the reach of our brand,” said Discount Tire.
Pastrana 199 Racing Team Owner and driver Travis Pastrana looks forward to an exciting year of racing.
“I’m thrilled that Discount Tire has come on board to support my new Rally Cross Program,” said Pastrana. “To be able to field my own program this year with the help from Discount Tire is a dream come true. They are a company who gets the importance of both marketing and being successful on the track and I plan on delivering for them on both accounts. I am looking forward to a great year with them.”
Watch the video to see Travis push the Dodge Dart to the limits on the Dodge Proving Grounds:
Keep up to date with everything Travis Pastrana and Discount Tire are doing by following online:
About Discount Tire:
Discount Tire/America’s Tire, based in Scottsdale, Arizona, is America’s largest tire and wheel retailer. The company does business under the trade name Discount Tire in most of the U.S. and America’s Tire in Oregon, and parts California. The company currently operates more than 800 stores across the country. In 2010, the company marked its 50th year serving customers as their trusted tire retailer in local markets across the U.S.
Discount Tire/America’s Tire also sponsors NASCAR Nationwide Series, Monster Energy AMA Supercross and Formula D racing. News, driver appearances, show car schedules and racing schedules can be found at www.discounttiremotorsports.com. For more information about Discount Tire/America’s Tire visit www.discounttire.com or www.americastire.com.
For all media requests, please contact Joseph Valdez at the Lavidge Company. 480-998-2600 ext 540. email@example.com
About Travis Pastrana:
Travis Pastrana’s accomplishments are legendary: youngest rider to ever represent the United States at the Motocross of Nations in France, 125cc National Outdoor Motocross Champion, 125cc East Supercross Series Champion, and the most successful competitor in the history of X Games Freestyle Motocross. Equally impressive on four wheels, Travis has attained four championships in the Rally America Series, competes in the Global Rally Cross Championship series, and in 2012 will make his NASCAR Nationwide Series debut.
Beyond his athletic prowess, Pastrana is the creator and superstar of the Nitro Circus franchise which includes a sold out World Tour, successful TV series, and soon to be released 3D feature film. Pastrana’s success and considerable adoration that accompanies it has maintained a reputation for being just like the guy next door – maybe nicer.


text:
The company was looking for $2 million, but garnered so much interest from investors it ended up landing $3 million, according to DigitalGenius chief strategy officer Mikhail Naumov.
The round was led by Metamorphic Ventures. Lerer-Hippeau Ventures, Lowercase Capital, RRE Ventures, Lumia Capital and a strategic angel it did not name also participated.
Prior to landing this money, the company had bootstrapped to 20 employees without any funding except a $250,000 convertible note.
DigitalGenius is building an automated customer service platform driven by artificial intelligence (AI) and natural language processing (NLP). As we described in the company’s Battlefield post in May, “The tool carries on a human-like conversation with people via SMS. As you ask questions, the system walks you through the sales funnel to the point, in the case of a car, it could direct you to a dealer in your area.”
That kind of technology has captured the imagination of early customers like BMW and Unilever, and in turn working with customers with that kind of brand clout earned the attention of investors.
“We invested in DigitalGenius because they’re the first company we’ve met that has been able to leverage AI and NLP in order to solve what is a major B2B pain point, customer service. They’ve already worked with and continue to work with major companies,” David Hirsch, managing director at lead funder Metamorphic Ventures said.
What’s more, he believes this kind of technology could disrupt customer service call centers by reducing costs and increasing customer satisfaction.
Naumov sees the market for his company’s services heating up, but he and 22-year-old company founder Dmitry Aksenov were looking for more than just money to grow faster. They were also seeking some guidance on how to deal with that growth. The two young executives have the beginnings of a great idea, but they lack pure business experience.
“We are certainly counting on investors to provide infrastructure support, [advice] on hiring the right talent, getting access to more clients and help designing the overall business strategy,” he said.
The company, which has offices in London and New York City hopes to add 10 more employees in the next year.
“A significant portion of the funding will be devoted toward bringing talent on board. We are hiring aggressively right now, and also plan to use this round of funding to [further] productize our offering,” Naumov said.
The vast majority of the hiring, perhaps 80 percent will be engineering talent with the rest devoted to assorted business roles.
Naumov had trouble describing the round because it’s not quite seed stage (even though some of the investors specialize in seed investing) and not quite Series A. This confusion of labels is partly due to the fact the company has customers and revenue (along with 20 employees), so it’s not exactly a seed company. He wasn’t sure what to call it.
Regardless of the label, the money gives the company an opportunity to take the next growth steps.
“We have a focused approach toward building this company and we understand what it’s going to take. We have the right investors to [help] solve a big problem and try to move the industry.”
Now they have to take that money and run with it to reach that vision.


text:
REMEMBER Angus MacGyver, the secret agent on TV who used household items like a paper clip and lapel pin to best bazooka-wielding bad guys? Well, he's met his match in the real world in the form of music fans toting felt-tip markers, some fellows in a lab with a flashbulb and a cryptographer innovating uses for melted gelatin.
Music enthusiasts in Europe last week cracked a copy protection system on Sony Music's compact discs. The system was supposed to prevent people from playing (and copying) music on personal computers, but users figured out they could evade the protection, and play the disc, by coloring around its edges with a felt-tip pen.
That's not the only recent example of how high-tech security systems have been undermined using basic household items -- or gummy bears.
A Japanese cryptographer recently figured out how to use gelatin -- the stuff of gummy bears -- to create plastic molds of fingers that would fool fingerprint readers. And in other news: researchers said recently that they could get vital information from smart cards -- high-tech credit and identity cards that store data on computer chips -- by exposing them to a $30 camera flashgun and a microscope.
Holy rock, paper, scissors! Are the Luddites running the asylum? Is there some general vulnerability that has left security systems -- devised by the finest mathematical and corporate minds -- susceptible to tinkering by tweezers and a refrigerator magnet?
Bruce Schneier, a cryptology expert and co-founder of Counterpane Internet Security Inc., a security consultancy, said the recent events represent a coincidence, but also something more alarming. Mr. Schneier said security systems, which have many moving parts, are only as strong as their weakest link.
Moreover, he said creators of security systems have a certain perspective about what kind of attack to expect and can't take into account every possible form of intrusion.
''Designers of security systems never think, 'Let's take a Magic Marker to the edges,' '' Mr. Schneier said. ''Systems designed by individuals, or even small groups, fail when sent out into the big bad world.''
Even the Ewoks knew that. They were the stone-aged furballs from the ''Star Wars'' sequel ''Return of the Jedi'' who managed to defeat giant, high-tech walking machines by tripping them with vines and trees. Actual warfare analogies abound too, like guerrilla fighters immobilizing tanks by throwing heavy chains into their treads.
In the Sony Music case, the company introduced its copy-protected discs in Europe to help stanch rampant copying of music over the Internet. The encryption technology, called Key2Audio, allows a disc to be played only on traditional CD players, not on computers where the songs can be copied onto homemade discs or sent over the Internet.
The protection works by including an initial track of bogus data. Because computers are designed to read data first, they continuously try to read the bogus track, and are effectively stymied from going further -- to the actual music.
Music fans figured out that marking the edge of the disc with a felt-tip pen caused the computer to ignore the bogus track and play the music. Look ma, no more protection!
The individuals who came up with the felt-tip-pen-theory-of-encryption-evasion published their findings on the Internet, enabling anyone with access to the Web and a dime store to follow suit.
Sony took some ribbing on the Internet, too; taunters mocked the multibillion dollar company with ribs like, ''Maybe they'll ban markers.''
For Sony, the solution to the low-tech attack may be more high-tech. The company issued a statement last week noting that it is ''aware of the issue and is constantly upgrading its copy control technology.''
No doubt the company is prepared for a continuing technology arms race, in which black-hat hackers and ne'er-do-wells devise high-tech ways to overcome Sony's ever-higher walls and moat. But can companies like Sony ever prepare for every eventuality? Will encrypted DVD's one day be undone by teenagers toting lip balm? Perhaps video game players will figure out how to turn their toasters into Playstation II's.
Sounds improbable, but then, look at what the Ewoks did, and they never even had access to gummy bears.Continue reading the main story


text:
NEW YORK, Aug. 17 (GenomeWeb News) - Canadian microarray company Med BioGene will acquire Dragon-Tex, a publicly traded textile company, through an amalgamation agreement, and the company will become a part of MBG over the next four months, a spokesperson for Dragon-Tex told GenomeWeb News today.
The deal will enable MBG to become publicly traded and calls for Dragon-Tex to "disappear and be part of Med BioGene," the spokesperson said.
The agreement calls for the companies to take part on a reverse takeover, which is subject to shareholder approval from both firms and for Dragon-Tex to cancel half its number of issued shares.
Med BioGene's chief scientific officer, Nathan Yoganathan, said that the acquisition of Dragon-Tex, a Vancouver, BC-based textile company, was "simply a business transaction." He declined to comment on how much MBG will actually pay for the shares of Dragon-Tex to acquire the firm or about how the acquisition would benefit his company.
According to a statement issued today, MBG also recently completed a private placement resulting in proceeds of $200,000. The company has also pledged that it will initiate similar placements both prior to and after the reverse takeover that should result in proceeds of up to $880,000.


text:
Google to Cease Offering Nexus One Via the Web
Today in a blog post written by chief Android architect Andy Rubin, Google announced a number of changes for its Nexus One Android handset. Google said that first it is going to increase the retail availability of the Nexus One with its retail partners both here and abroad. Once it is satisfied with the retail availability of the Nexus One, Google will stop selling it via the web store, which it will close. Rubin said, "While the global adoption of the Android platform has exceeded our expectations, the web store has not. It’s remained a niche channel for early adopters, but it’s clear that many customers like a hands-on experience before buying a phone, and they also want a wide range of service plans to chose from." Sprint and Verizon Wireless both recently cancelled their planned roll-outs of the Nexus One, pointing to superior alternatives instead. Google didn't say where the Nexus One will become available, such as through T-Mobile and AT&T stores, or other outlets such as Best Buy or Radioshack.
Jul 21, 2017
Andy Rubin today provided an update concerning the expected arrival of his new company's Essential PH-1 smartphone. "We’ve been hard at work getting everything ready and the good news is that we’re now going through certification and testing with multiple U.S.
Aug 9, 2017
Essential Products says it will reveal the launch date of its PH-1 smartphone within one week, according to the Wall Street Journal. The company first said the phone would launch within 30 days of its initial debut, which took place back in May.
Nov 29, 2017
Andy Rubin is taking some time away from Essential Products, where he is CEO. The company's day-to-day operations will be handled by president Niccolo de Masi during Rubin's absence.
Dec 11, 2017
Andy Rubin has returned to his duties as CEO of Essential Products after a very short leave of absence, reports Recode. Rubin took leave from Essential in late November after a relationship he had with a coworker during his time at Google became public.
Oct 16, 2017
A company called Keyssa has filed an intellectual property lawsuit against Essential, the maker of the PH-1 smartphone, backed by former Google exec Andy Rubin. The lawsuit pertains to magnetic wireless connectors that can pass information and current from one device to another, such as the magnetic module accessory system used on the PH-1.
Thank God!! No more Popup ADS for Nexus one
I hope this works better
It took A...
Competion Hard to Do in US
Another interesting possibility is if Google could offer phone service using cheaper data only and no contract plans, thou not all carriers offer these type of plans.
I'm hoping the universality of the upcoming ...
It's always easier wi...
Wanna buy mine?


text:
The war over podcasting appears to be heating up. Today, SiriusXM announced it will acquire Stitcher from the E.W. Scripps Company in a deal that’s potentially worth a whopping $325 million.
The move is clearly aimed at beefing up SiriusXM’s podcast offerings and making it more competitive against rivals like Spotify, iHeart Radio, and even Apple. Buying Stitcher also gets SiriusXM the comedy network Earwolf and Midroll Media, an extensive podcast ad network. All that sounds like corporate mumbo jumbo, but it actually includes some high-profile podcasts that will now be under the SiriusXM umbrella. They include Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend, Freakonomics Radio, Comedy Bang! Bang!, How Did This Get Made?, and WTF with Marc Maron, among others.
As part of the deal, SiriusXM is agreeing to pay $265 million in cash upfront, with the rest dependent on 2020 and 2021 financial results. It’s a tidy profit for Scripps—it bought Midroll in 2015 for $55 million, and the Stitcher app a year later for $4.5 million. According to a Scripps investor call, the deal is worth 4.5 times what Stitcher earned in revenue for 2019. The acquisition is expected to close in Q3 2020.
To be clear, while the big-name podcasts are great, the ad network is probably what has SiriusXM really salivating. Apparently, over two-thirds of Stitcher’s revenue comes from Midroll, according to an investor call about the Stitcher acquisition. It also recently acquired Simplecast, a podcast management and analytics platform, and AdsWizz, an ad-tech and monetization platform. SiriusXM also owns Pandora, which it bought for $3.5 billion back in 2018. How all this fits exactly into a new podcasting empire is unclear, but the bones are there. In any case, it’s a better foundation than the podcast channel that SiriusXM is currently limited to. That said, we’ll probably have to wait a bit to see what kind of podcast-ad tech Voltron SiriusXM assembles out of its recent acquisitions.
Podcasts have been a burgeoning battleground in the streaming wars for some time now. According to the Wall Street Journal, podcasts generated a whopping $678.7 million in ad revenue last year, and that number is expected to exceed $1 billion by 2021. That’s a huge chunk of money up for grabs (and it’s always about the money).
Spotify pivoted to podcasts last year after it acquired Gimlet Media, mixing them into music playlists, and generally reminding you that it has a ton of podcasts with each new feature it rolls out. In May, it also locked down Joe Rogan’s podcast as a Spotify exclusive, making it clear that its podcast strategy isn’t going away anytime soon. Apple hasn’t done anything flashy with podcasts in a hot minute, but it continues to be a big player just because at this point, it’s muscle memory for lots of folks to head over to Apple’s podcast app. That said, Sonos is also emerging as a new player in streaming audio content, launching its free Sonos Radio feature which includes 60,000 stations on top of original content.
Just as media companies pivoted to video en masse, it looks like the pivot to podcasts is well underway. Unfortunately, this also means you probably won’t be able to convince your dudebro friends that they shouldn’t turn their horrible idea into a podcast.


text:
Citing concerns over a growing trend, Santa Clara County supervisors on Tuesday expanded smoking restrictions to include nicotine-dispensing electronic cigarettes.
The unanimous vote means electronic cigarettes will be forbidden in all places where smoking is prohibited in unincorporated areas — public spaces both indoors and out, including workplaces, bars, restaurants and parks, and within 30 feet of those off-limit areas.
The one aspect that differs concerns private residences; while smoking cigarettes is against the law inside homes at multi-unit buildings, the vaporizers get a pass.
Dr. Sarah Cody of the county’s health department said the exception was made because e-cigarettes smoked in private don’t have the potential to change “social norms” — people, particularly juveniles, don’t witness folks smoking in public as they did in the past.
“There is also a lack of medical research on secondhand vapor wafting into openings of other residences as there is for secondhand smoke,” she added.
Supervisor Ken Yeager, who proposed the vaping restrictions last year, said he hopes the amended tobacco regulations will be used as a model by other local governments to address a growing concern. The new rules also affect retailers that sell e-cigarettes, mandating that they get a tobacco selling permit and abide by the same sales and advertising restrictions.
Yeager cited studies that show a rapid increase in e-cigarette use among high school kids, and said the vaporizers are known to exude toxic chemicals not just to the user but to those around them.
Also on Tuesday, the American Medical Association urged greater restrictions on e-cigarettes at the federal level. In 2010, the country’s largest physician’s group called for the vaporizers to be subject to the same restrictions and regulations as tobacco products — a proposal that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration put forward in April.
The AMA’s latest push, and a concern echoed by supervisors, relates to increasing use of e-cigarettes by teens. The medical association cited Centers for Disease Control statistics that use of vaporizers in middle and high schools around the country has more than doubled from 3.3 percent in 2011 to 6.8 percent in 2012.
County supervisors were also concerned about marketing that’s aimed at youth, such as creating the nicotine fluid in flavors such as “vanilla cupcake, marshmallow and orange creamsicle.” However, county officials said it would take further study to see how such aspects of the product could be regulated on a local level.
Contact Eric Kurhi at 408-920-5852. Follow him at Twitter.com/erickurhi.


text:
Apr 24th, 2012, 03:00 PM #1
Industry Announces New Safety Policies
Cruise Industry News Has Just Posted the Following:
The Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) and the European Cruise Council today announced that the cruise industry has adopted three new safety policies which are to be implemented with immediate effect.
Speaking at a European Commission-organized passenger ship safety event in Brussels, Chairman of the European Cruise Council (ECC) and Member of the CLIA Executive Committee, Manfredi Lefebvre,
Click here to view the article.


text:
Apple brought its Touch ID fingerprint detection technology last year with the launch of iPhone 5S. Last month, we reported that Touch ID may come to new iPads soon. And lately, an analyst has mentioned that Apple will include Touch ID not only to new iPad, but also to all new iPhone.
The Touch ID sensor of Apple is touted as highly accurate and effective. According to Apple, it can read 360 degrees, even beyond the uppermost layers of the finger. The best thing about this sensor is its placement. It is essentially a part of the Home button. So when you try to unlock your handset, you press the Home button and if the handset recognizes your fingerprint, it grants you access. For your kind information, the best feature of Apple’s Touch ID sensor is it doesn’t work with a ‘dead’ finger. Besides, for safety reason, the data of these fingerprints is ‘never stored on Apple servers or backed up to iCloud.’
However, since Touch ID sensor was released with iPhone 5S, people have been expecting that Touch ID fingerprint technology would be brought to next version of iPhone and iPads. And KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has said that Apple will include Touch ID to every new iPhone and iPad including 4.7″ and 5.5″ new iPhone 6, iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 2 with Retina display. He also said that Apple’s Touch ID module should see shipments soar 233% in 2014.
However, Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2014 will start on June 2 at San Francisco’s Moscone West. Lets wait and see whether or not Apple brings Touch ID to all new iPhone or iPad at WWDC 2014 and if analyst Ming-Chi Kuo’s prediction becomes true.
Source: Mac Rumor


text:
Nintendo of Japan: 3DS not out by March 2011?
While Nintendo of America's Reggie Fils-Aime is spending time on the Jimmy Fallon Show announcing that the 3DS will be out next year Nintendo of Japan say he is 'mistaken'.
Kotaku are reporting that, according to their sources, Nintendo of Japan are saying that Fils-Aime has his timetables confused.
Apparently Fils-Aime is confusing the calendar year with the fiscal year. Nintendo of Japan are saying that by 'next year' they mean 'next fiscal year' which ends in March 2011 not December 2010.
This potentially means that the 3DS will arrive in April 2011 at the very earliest rather than the optimistic February 2011 being touted at the moment.
- Report finds that the 100 USD tier of Assassin's Creed: Unity's microtransactions is completely unnecessary
- Final Fantasy Type-0 HD gets a new trailer
- Bungie deconstructs their latest Destiny patch, hints at what is coming next
- DayZ creator Dean Hall could join UK studio Improbable
- Shadow Of Mordor arrives on last-gen consoles
- David Braben apologises for ditching Elite: Dangerous's offline mode, outlines refund criteria
- Microsoft celebrates the 1st birthday of the Xbox One with free access to Sunset Overdrive
- Hacker group leaks account details for thousands of PSN, Origin, Windows Live and 2K Game Studios accounts
- RedLynx promises online multiplayer is coming to Trials Fusion early next year


text:
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS.MW) -- We've seen this bubble story before: When the market is red hot, the IPO pipeline gets filled.
On the heels of startling gains for the big three Chinese portals -- Sina
The next wave of Chinese Internet companies include online marketplace Alibaba, online gaming company Shanda, search engine companies 3721 and Huicong.com, and online travel company Ctrip, which are reported to be in discussions with investment banks, according to Pacific Epoch, a boutique research outfit focused on China. A number of companies including Elong, Etang, 8848 and Zhaodale are expected to file for offshore listings.
Shanda is expected to generate more than $75 million in sales, according to sources close to the company. Ctrip said that 30 percent of its revenue is generated through its Web site. Another private Chinese Internet company that's popular in that country is Tencent.com, or QQ, which is a provider of SMS messaging.
It's not surprising to see the companies line up to go public.
U.S. investors are tripping over themselves to get a piece of the booming Chinese market through Internet shares.
As of mid-week, prior to Friday's sell-off, Sina was up 2830 percent since hitting a low point of $1.42 in April of last year. Sohu was up 3500 percent since hitting a low of $1.06 in May of last year and NetEase was up 6000 percent.
At the mid-week prices, Sina traded at 19 times this year's estimated sales; Sohu traded at 17 times this year's projected sales and NetEase traded at 33 times this year's projected sales. On a price-to-earnings basis, Sina traded at 67 times this year's estimate of 62 cents, and 41 times next year's estimate of $1.01. Sohu traded at 52 times this year's estimates. NetEase traded at 43 times this year's estimate.
Partly due to valuation concerns, investors stampeded out of Chinese Internet shares.
Sina plunged 14 percent to $33, essentially erasing as much as $7 in gains made since the start of September. Sina traded at $32 on Sept. 3.
Shares of Sohu fell 10 percent to $31.60 along with the rest of the Chinese Net stocks. It appears that August was an active month for insiders to sell shares or file to sell shares. Sohu CEO Charles Zhang filed to sell 1.2 million shares on August 12 for estimated proceeds of $37.4 million.
NetEase fell 13 percent to $53.93. Shining Global International filed in early September to sell 200,000 shares. This follows a filing for the same amount in August.
According to George Muzea, president of Muzea Insider Consulting Services, and author of The Vital Few vs. The Trivial Many, insider selling in Sohu shares may be something to watch out for. But he doesn't believe that the selling in Sohu, Sina or NetEase is a red flag because much of the selling has been done into strength and are, to some extent, are option-related. Historically, insider selling into weakness is a bad sign, but selling into strength is not, according to Muzea.
Sound off: MarketWatch will be running a special report on Chinese investments. Do you think Chinese Internet stocks are overvalued? E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.org.
Other Asian Internet stocks lost ground as well. Pacificnet
Research In Motion RIMM, the Waterloo, Ontario-based maker of the popular Blackberry wireless device, surged on Friday. The stock gained ground after the company topped its earnings for the quarter, even after raising the bar earlier this month.
RIM gained 4 percent to $37.28. Late Thursday, Research In Motion reported earnings of $2.1 million, or 3 cents a share. Excluding a litigation charge, RIM earned 10 cents a share. Quarterly sales rose 70 percent to nearly $126 million. Prior to September, RIM had been estimating sales at $105 million to $115 million.
Accordingly, shares have since risen from sub-$30, the time it had shared the good news about the quarter.
At SportsLine.com SPLN, news is not good lately. Shares dove 31 percent to $1.22.
The publisher of the CBS SportsLine site said that revenue in the third quarter will be 5 percent off projections. Additionally, it's revising its historical results to correct its accounting for employee stock options. The revision, the company said, will widen 2002's net loss by about $2.3 million, to $50.5 million, and about $5 million to $66.1 million for 2001.
It will also add $700,000 to the loss rung up in the first half of 2003, SportsLine said, bringing its loss in the first six months of the year to about $22.9 million. (SportsLine is partially owned by CBS parent Viacom, which also owns a major stake in MarketWatch.com.)
Meanwhile, investors locked in gains made from their Internet investments.
dropped 4 percent to $35.08; EBay
The smaller-cap names took a larger beating, however. Switchboard SWBD lost 8 percent to $9.18. But it could have been worse, it was down 13 percent to $8.77 earlier.
Ask Jeeves ASKJ dropped 13 percent to $17.15 while FindWhat.com FWHT lost 7 percent to $17.74.
Receive this column via e-mail. Sign up for Bambi Francisco's Net Stocks at CBS.MarketWatch.com. You can also subscribe to Bambi Francisco's Net Sense, a weekly commentary. See the latest column: The dawn of the new investment bank and The new age of spaghetti throwing.


text:
Adobe is no longer just a photo editing solution as it begins to offer AI-based digital marketing software
As far as being able to edit photos or any type of graphic, Adobe’s Photoshop became the go-to solution. It reached such a high level of popularity that it even became an accepted verb, with everyone “photoshopping” their pictures. Capitalizing on its strength as a software developer, Adobe has expanded into other forms of software, and just announced that it is introducing a new set of digital marketing tools based on artificial intelligence (AI). These new solutions, which were only released this week, could prove to be especially beneficial to the casino industry.
Adobe’s new AI marketing tools are capable of scanning and labeling thousands of product images by shape or color through the integrated natural-language technology that categorizes the images based on the subject of an article. As a result, casino marketers, in particular, can now provide even more personalized solutions to individual users, offering content based on their web browsing habits. Although similar technology has already been available, this is one of the first examples of an all-inclusive AI digital marketing solution being released.
Previously, creating this type of personalized content was a multi-step process that required marketers to download large amounts of data and then coordinate with other departments to find a suitable solution. Explains Adobe Director of Strategy and Product Marketing Ali Bohra, “When you’re thinking about the need to be agile and work in real time, this is not a process that works very well.” However, the AI is now included directly into the marketing systems, creating a more efficient marketing alternative.


text:
Grupo Vips, which has partnered with Starbucks since 2001, has regained total control of the companies’ joint venture in Spain after buying out the Seattle company’s 49 percent stake.
Starbucks’ Spanish partner has regained total control of the companies’ joint venture in Spain after buying out the Seattle company’s 49 percent stake.
Grupo Vips, which has partnered with Starbucks since 2001, had sold off a 49 percent stake to Starbucks in 2013 as it dealt with financial difficulties and sought a cash infusion that would help it undertake an overhaul of several business ventures.
Now the Spanish company’s “financial health has made it possible to once again control 100 percent of Starbucks Spain equity, a brand for which we have major future development plans,” Enrique Francia, the CEO of Grupo Vips, said in a statement.
The amount of the deal was undisclosed, although Spanish newspaper El Pais reports that Grupo Vips obtained a $75 million loan that it will devote in part to the Starbucks buyout.
- Thinking of voting for Jill Stein or Gary Johnson? Here are their policy positions
- Hugs, tears and messages scrawled in chalk: Hundreds mourn Mukilteo victims WATCH
- Doctor who killed partner, child in Seattle penthouse gets 49 years
- 6 Seattle spots for truly great pizza VIEW
- AP FACT CHECK: Misfires in Hillary Clinton's speech
Most Read Stories
Both companies have also extended their licensing agreement, due to expire in 2021, to 2030.
Grupo Vips operates 90 stores in Spain. The move comes as the European country emerges from several years of economic crisis, although unemployment remains high and uncertainty due to political polarization and Catalan separatism has flared in recent months.


text:
Coffee continues to be a strong performer for Keurig Dr Pepper with sales of single-serve pods and commercial coffee systems helping the JAB Holdings-controlled beverage company achieve $3.55bn in its second quarter of 2022
Retail consumption of single-serve pods manufactured by KDP in IRi tracked channels increased 3.8% | Photo credit: via Shutterstock
Keurig Dr Pepper (KDP) has seen sales of its single-serve coffee pods and commercial coffee systems rise in the second three months of 2022, despite supply chain disruption.
Reporting its results for the period ending 30 June 2022, the JAB Holdings-controlled coffee and soft beverages company reported overall net sales increased 13.2% to $3.55bn, compared to $3.14bn during the same period in 2021.
In coffee, retail consumption of single-serve pods manufactured by KDP in IRi tracked channels increased 3.8%, while its dollar market share reached 82%. KDP said that it registered stronger growth in untracked channels.
Net sales of KDP’s commercial coffee systems in the quarter increased 9% to $1.2bn, driven by a product price rise of 5.8%.
Current CEO Bob Gamgort, who is transitioning to Executive Chairman at the end of July as part of an executive leadership team reshuffle, said that the company had successfully recovered from supply chain disruptions in coffee and non-carbonated beverages and will continue trading strongly in an ‘ongoing volatile macro environment’.
"I am pleased with the continued strength of our business and remain confident in our ability to deliver our plans for the second half of this year. I look forward to assuming the role of CEO and partnering with our talented team to drive value creation through the successful execution of our strategic plan," said Ozan Dokmecioglu, who will become CEO at the end of July.
KDP was formed in 2018 after JAB Holding Company acquired US soft drinks manufacturer and distributor, Dr Pepper Snapple, and merged it with its Keurig Green Mountain coffee business in a deal worth $18.7bn.
The company manages a portfolio of over 125 owned, licensed, partner and allied brands, including retail coffee products from prominent US branded chains, Krispy Kreme, Panera Bread, Cinnabon, Caribou Coffee, Tully’s Coffee and Gloria Jeans Coffee.