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China is set to register the world’s largest online population in 2008, according to a recent survey by the China Internet Network Information Center. With 73 million new net users in 2007, taking the total pool to 210 million, China is only 5 million Internet users behind the US, which leads the world in terms of connectivity. And there’s room for growth, as China’s current Internet penetration ratio of 16 percent is well below the world average of 19.1 percent.
Golden Down – Previously one of China’s "Golden Week" national public holiday periods, the May Day break is no more. New regulations have reduced the holiday from three days to one day, while four traditional Chinese festivals – Tomb Sweeping Day, Dragon Boat Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival and Lunar New Year’s Eve – have become one-day national holidays. In addition, the fairer sex are now also permitted a half-day public holiday on International Women’s Day (March 8), children younger than 14 can take a break on Children’s Day (June 1), and active-duty soldiers get a half-day off on August 1. Tough luck if you’re a male office worker over the age of 14.
A Bicycle Built For Two – The Beijing government is pedaling pretty fast to encourage locals to forget the car and get back on a bike. In recent months, a number of new bike hire ventures have started appearing all over town. Located in the vicinity of subway stations and shopping precincts, the bike stations allow patrons to pay a deposit, pick up a bike, and drop it off at one of dozens of other bike stations when done.
For the first time ever, China’s tourism revenue broke the one trillion mark in 2007, reaching RMB1.09 trillion (US$137.92 billion), according to the China National Tourism Administration. The number of inbound travelers topped 132 million, up 5.5 percent on 2006 figures, and over 54 million people stayed overnight, up 9.6 percent. The influx created an estimated 500,000 job opportunities in the tourism sector.
Beijing’s National Aquatics Centre, a.k.a. the Water Cube, was officially unveiled on January 28 and an Olympic test event in the facility will be staged on February 5. Taking four years to build, the US$130 million building is comprised of a series of blue membranes, creating a distinctive "double bubble" appearance. Come August 2008, over 42 gold medals will be given away inside the Centre, which houses 6,000 permanent and 11,000 temporary seats for spectators.
The Beijing Capital Airport Express Line – the express rail line connecting Beijing with its airport – will begin test runs on April 1 and is due to be fully operational by July 1. Extending from the central transportation hub of Dongzhimen to Beijing Capital Airport, stopping at Sanyuanqiao Station, Airport Terminal T3 Station, and Terminal T2 Station, the 28.1-kilometer (17.4-mile) line will soar above the traffic, whipping passengers to the airport in a speedy 17 minutes. Needless to say, taxi drivers are not happy that their most lucrative route may be compromised.
The Beijing Olympic Village – apartments for 205 athlete delegations – is preparing for a July opening. Located less than three kilometers (1.86 miles) from the Bird’s Nest, the village is also equipped with indoor fitness and training centers, a jogging path, tennis, basketball and volleyball courts, recreational facilities such as Internet cafes, games and DVD rooms, worship and meditation rooms, and a comprehensive outpatient clinic providing emergency and doping detection services.
Protecting Its Young – The Forbidden City and Great Wall are, like, sooo yesterday. The Beijing Municipal Government recently announced that it’s now focusing on the protection of modern architectural monoliths previously overlooked in favor of ancient historical structures. A total of 188 buildings built within the past 160 years are to be given government protection, including the 50-year-old Great Hall of the People, schools built by missionaries in the 19th century; and the city’s first water works.
New Restaurant And Bars In China
A Gourmet Revolution – A chic new warehouse space – 1949 – The Hidden City – will open this Spring in Beijing. The 6,000-square-meter (64,590-square-feet) space features Gallery 49, showcasing modern art, as well as seven restaurants and bars. Located in a glass house, Sugar Bar is dedicated to coffee and chocolate sweet things; Duck de Chine is an innovative duck restaurant with an exclusive Bollinger Champagne Bar; 1/5taverna has digs in a rustic warehouse and features a made-to-share menu and live mariachi music; Noodle Bar dishes up fresh noodles in a contemporary setting; 1/5 is a chill-out lounge, situated in a loft space; for the summer months, outdoor Well Bar serves ice cold beer around an abandoned well; and Club 49 is a private club devoted to good food, good wine, and good art.
Global Sounds – A nightclub partnership between Hong Kong’s Love Da Records and local DJs, Globe Music Bank is the newest mega-club to grace the nightlife scene in Guangzhou. Spread over four different rooms, the club debuted in January with sounds from legendary DJ Meat Katie, alongside wild pyrotechnic displays and bar antics that put Tom Cruise to shame.
In Da House – Throwing open its doors in Shanghai just before Christmas, the sleek, sexy Hamilton House is located in a 1930s art deco building, featuring high ceilings, quirky loveseats and art deco knickknacks above the bar. Within spitting distance of the Bund, the restaurant dishes up modern international cuisine, and some of the best desserts around.
Not A Silly Sausage – The cold weather may be over for now, but the comfort food has just begun. A newcomer in 2008, the German Sausage Corner in Suzhou sells (you guessed it) German sausages, beer and not too much else. The succulent Bratwurst and Currywurst platters are a treat with a freshly brewed beer in the cozy restaurant, tucked down Bar Street.
For Sure Faurs Chou – The newest gallery on Beijing’s Dashanzi 798 Art District block, Faurschou, is the brainchild of notable Danish collectors Luise and Jens Faurschou, who opened their acclaimed Galleri Faurschou in Copenhagen in 1986. Their 1,000-square-meter (10,765-square-feet) space in Beijing is dedicated to showcasing the best in modern international art to the Chinese community, with an opening exhibition from renowned American artist Robert Rauschenberg and planned shows from the likes of Michael Kvium, Andy Warhol and even Pablo Picasso.
Upcoming China Events
It Really Is a Great Wall – To be run on May 17 this year, the Great Wall Marathon is regarded as one of the most extraordinary races in the world. Held on a spectacular section in Tianjin of China’s most famous landmark, the marathon is for the truly hardy. It includes 3,700 steps, many of which are irregularly shaped or spaced; exhausting ascents; slippery stones; and unfinished paths.
Ghostly – Also known as Tomb Sweeping or Ghost Festival, Qingming is a traditional Chinese holiday marked to remember and honor ancestors by visiting their graves with family, offering food, wine, tea, chopsticks and incense. Falling on April 4 in 2008, the festival is also considered a good time to make a fresh start – it’s a popular time for first dates, and sees fallen-out friends and relatives mend bridges.
Midi Me – From humble roots, the Midi Music Festival has grown the biggest outdoor music festival in China, held over four days in Beijing every May (May 1 to 4, 2008). The festival attracts an eclectic mix of local and international bands – from folk, rock, punk and metal to electronica and even a spot of rap – and a crowd just as diverse. This year will see one stage sponsored by Sutasi, which has promised to up the international cred of the festival and bring out a couple of big name bands.
Hong Kong-based Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts currently owns and manages 54 hotels under Shangri-La and Traders brands with a rooms inventory of over 27,000. Shangri-La hotels are five-star deluxe properties featuring extensive luxury facilities and services.
Article Source: China Travel Tips – Olympics Update And New Beijing & Shanghai


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Aaxon Laundry Systems, based in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., had the exciting opportunity to help one of its own open a South Florida laundromat. Former Aaxon Controller, Theo Spyer, who was employed by the company from 1996 to 2006, decided to become a laundry owner after first-hand witnessing the successes of so many others.
“I chose to open a laundry because I saw the great achievements of many laundry owners while at Aaxon,” says Spyer. “I chose to work with Aaxon because of how long they’ve successfully been in business, and the fact I was extremely familiar with their manufacturer, Alliance Laundry Systems who manufactures Huebsch laundry equipment. I chose to equip my laundry with Huebsch equipment from also seeing the success of so many before me with the brand.”

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Savvis expands to meet European demand, and Interxion and Next Generation Data record customer wins.
Savvis opens new London data center. Savvis, a CenturyLink (CTL) company announced the opening of a new data centre for the London metro market. The expansion to Savvis' operations in Slough, England, boosts the site's total square footage to 100,000, spreading 8.88 megawatts of power across the site's two data centers. The new LO5 data center features 35,000 square feet of raised floor space and will have an initial 2.4 megawatts of IT load. "The success of our existing data centre in Slough confirms that businesses view this area as a strategic geographic location," said Jeff Von Deylen, president of Savvis. "Our hosting portfolio in Slough allows businesses in the financial services, consumer brands and other verticals to benefit from Savvis' carrier diversity, interconnectivity and cloud services." LO5 is the fifth data center in the London area and sixth in Europe.
Cancer Research UK expands with Interxion. Interxion (INXN) announced that Cancer Research UK is running all of its primary systems, including CRM systems, finance systems and Citrix virtualised desktops from its London data centre campus. Cancer Research UK said that Interxion was a part of its project to consolidate eight offices into one and move to a new thin client environment. Since the initial move the charity has also implemented VNX storage which replaced all the production storage for its virtualized desktops. “As a charity, our budgets are limited but our needs are increasing all the time," said Mary Hensher, IT Director at Cancer Research UK. "Not only did the Interxion team make the infrastructure work as hard as possible for us, adding a second smaller cool corridor that didn’t initially look possible, but their response time was incredibly fast. We know our data centre strategy is future-proofed. If we outgrow our current space, Interxion has a second data centre, LON2, on the same campus."
NGD selected by UNIT4. Next Generation Data (NGD) announced today that it has been selected by global cloud-focused business software group UNIT4, to host the data the company stores on behalf of UK-based clients. To extend existing services and better meet UK legislative and operational requirements UNIT 4 selected NGD. NGD assures UNIT 4 and its customers with IL-3, ISO 27001 and PCI credentials, as well as operational SSAE16 accredited procedures. “As UNIT4 drives to becoming the foremost cloud software vendor for businesses living in change, it is important that we build on the company’s reputation for secure, reliable and scalable hosting centres,” said Anwen Robinson, Managing Director of UNIT4 Business Software Ltd. “UK-based hosting in particular is crucial to the business as it is a major market for UNIT4. This deal will mean that in both the public and commercial sectors we can more easily meet local legislative and security standards. The selection of NGD as the home for our cloud solutions underlines the quality of its centre, personnel and supporting infrastructure.”


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Taylor & Shroff Ltd, a UK-based company, launched its range of wines in the Indian market at the IFE India 2008.
Nainaz Shroff, Managing Director, Taylor & Shroff Ltd said, “Our wines are especially suited for the Indian palate, as these wines are specially manufactured in a way which will go well with hot and spicy food”. Shroff further added that this is a soft launch for the company’s brands in India. As a long term goal, the company aims to achieve a sales target of 34 million pounds in India in next five years, added Shroff.
In the first phase, T&S will launch five wines — White, Apricot, Red, Cherry and Ginger — in Delhi (priced at Rs1,622 per bottle), Mumbai (Rs2,427 per bottle) and Bangalore (Rs2,012 per bottle) and in second phase from December 2009, the company would increase its portfolio to over 120 brands
The Indian wine market is growing at about 30-35 per cent and it is a good time for a foreign brand to make its mark in the Indian market, said Subhash Arora, president, Indian Wine Academy. The Indian wine market is estimated to be 1.2 million cases per year.
According to Arora, a lot of wine makers from around the world are showing their interest in entering the Indian market. These include a lot of brands from France, Italy, Spain and South Africa. Many of the foreign wine brands are in the process of scouting distributors for their product in the Indian market.


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Wrinkles! Everyone eventually gets at least a few. However, do consider the following to reduce or stave off those fine lines.
Although prescription vitamin A derivatives (retinoids) have long been the gold standard for anti-aging
My paddle-boarding sister-in-law, Jamie, shocked me when she confirmed she’s vitamin D-deficient. Jamie, 42, got a quick blood test at her doctor’s office due to spiraling hormonal issues and PMS-like mood swings.
“I was so
During my lunch break at the Amish Market in midtown Manhattan, I noticed the bamboo toothbrushes by WooBamboo last week. For years now, I have been writing about the eco-friendly benefits of this rapidly-renewable
Welcome to Beauty Is Wellness, a column about the link between nutrition, lifestyle and beauty based on my health coaching practice of the same name. I’m thrilled to share information about my favorite beauty
“Serums are the ultimate anti-aging step to your regimen,” says Erin Sehnal, Spa Director at Out of the Woods Spa at Twin Farms, a Relais & Chateaux property. “One of the amazing characteristics about serums
New York is poised to become the first state to ban plastic microbeads, which are tiny plastic spheres commonly found in facial scrubs, soaps, toothpaste and other personal-care products. In a single tube of
Chocolates and Valentine’s Day are inextricably—and deliciously—linked, but it’s time to think outside the (heart-shaped) box. This year, consider treating yourself and your sweetheart to a deluxe, immersive chocolate spa treatment for two.
Shopping the Farmers’ Market
During the cold-weather months, it can be more challenging to find fresh fruits and vegetables at the farmers’ market, when options are limited. We asked Chef Elliott Prag, Chef-Instructor at Natural Gourmet


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New Orleans has always been a place of travel by many means: boats, horse carriages, trains, streetcars, automobiles, and yes, the bicycle. According to the American Community Survey, New Orleans has the 10th highest percentage of people who cycle to work each day and in 2016 was named No. 19 out of 50 of the best bicycling cities in America by Bicycling.com. So it’s no surprise that this city, steeped in tradition, has developed a culture of its own around biking.
Marin Tockman, shop owner of Dashing Bicycles & Accessories, is enthusiastic about the development around bicycling over the years. Her mission, and that of Dashing Bicycles, is to foster and empower women and families to be part of an active and mainstream bicycle network.
“I think cycling has increased amongst millennials and commuters. We have a growing social riding scene, so although many people might not commute to work by bike, they are taking to biking because of more social riding opportunities, or ways to get to social events like our festivals or parades,” she said.


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ST. JOHNSVILLE — The Wolf Den store, operated by students in Laura Bellinger’s marketing class at Oppenheim-Ephratah-St. Johnsville High School, will officially open for business on Thursday, Dec. 5, offering clothing, food items, school supplies and more.
The new store will be in the concession room immediately outside the school auditorium.
The marketing students will open the doors during lunch at fifth and sixth periods.
Plans call for the store to be open two days a week.
Students involved in the project include Jeremy Wegener, general manager, Alyssa Swartz, accountant, Nathaniel Trumble, inventory manager, Tyler Mayton, payroll manager, Steve Cairo and Kyle Raux, promotion and advertising, and Rylie Smith, Teresa Krutz, John Vicciarelli and Jessi Hagadorn, sales representatives.


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Apple has just released a new iOS 14 update, but not for everyone: the iOS version 14.2.1 It is only available to owners of an iPhone 12, 12 Pro, 12 Pro Max, or 12 Pro mini. With it, the company smoothed out some tough spots that had been found in the new generation of its phones.
Specifically, iOS 14.2.1 fixes bugs that prevented reception of MMS messages (not to be confused with iMessages), which hearing aids were correctly connected and which caused the iPhone 12 mini’s lock screen to remain fixed without the possibility of unlocking the terminal.
An exclusive version for the new generation iPhone
Those of you who have another iPhone model other than 12, don’t worry: th is version it won’t even show up as an available update
Being an update for a single device model, no update is available for the iPad, Mac, or Apple TV. iOS 14, remember, is this year’s version of the iPhone operating system that includes the new widgets and app library on the Home screen among many other new features.


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Motorola unveiled Edge 20, Edge 20 Lite and Edge 20 Pro smartphones in late July. The first two models got more advanced data privacy features and came in Business Edition modifications.
The manufacturer has added ThinkShield technology, which combines a set of hardware and software tools to protect smartphones from phishing, network attacks and malware. The company is partnering with Zimperium to enhance the effectiveness of this solution.
Motorola Edge 20 and Edge 20 Lite support PC connectivity via Ready For. This software allows access to smartphone files on a personal computer. The remote user can transfer data from PC to phone and vice versa.
New Business Edition runs the Android 11 operating system. Motorola promises two major updates, while OS security patches will be released within three years. The Android Enterprise certification is also worth noting.
Business Edition lineup is focused on corporate sales. Recall, the original Motorola Edge 20 and Edge 20 Lite are on sale from €500 and from €350 respectively.


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The IAG share price continues its flying start to the week on the back of some positive news from its cargo division. IAG Cargo, the airline’s cargo unit, says it has partnered with Cargo.one to take the cargo services of IAG Cargo to the digital space.
With this massive partnership, IAG Cargo is now listed on Cargo.one’s digital air cargo booking platform gives the company access to a hefty user base of potential clients, including small and medium-scale businesses and freight forwarding agents. IAG Cargo’s Managing Director David Shepherd says the company is delighted to be partnering with Cargo.one in a move that will transform the way the company does business.
In other news, IAG Cargo has reopened its lucrative Heathrow-Sydney route after this pathway was closed due to COVID-19 restrictions. Australia only recently opened its borders minimally after shutting itself out from all global aviation for two years.
With the reopening of this route, IAG Cargo can once again participate in Australia’s trade relationship with the UK and Europe via air cargo. This route reopened on 27 March and will allow IAG Cargo’s customers to export and import vital goods daily using a Boeing 787-9 aircraft with a carriage capacity of 13 tonnes.
The double dose of positive news has pleased investors, who continue to snap up the IAG stock for the third day running. This Tuesday, the 4.29% uptick in the IAG share price has sent it to the 4th position on the gainers’ chart on the FTSE 100 index. The march towards a third straight day of gains appears to be on course.
IAG Share Price Outlook
The intraday violation of the 143.94 resistance (24 February low and 22 March high) needs to end with a 3% penetration close above that resistance to confirm the breakout. This scenario makes the 149.72 resistance a valid immediate target. Above this level, additional price advances could target 156.40 (20 August/26 October 2021 and 23 February low), leaving 167.54 (6 January and 21 February highs) and 177.46 as potential northbound targets.
On the flip side, rejection at 149.72 truncates the upside move and could favour a retest of the 143.94 support level. A breakdown of this support leads the way towards 136.64 (16 September/9 December 2021 low) before 124.48 and 110.26 become viable downside targets on further price deterioration.


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January 18, 2018
WeChat becomes vital in connecting to consumers across the globe as conversation commerce grows. Image credit: Longchamp
By Brielle Jaekel
NEW YORK — As emotional decision-making continues to uproot the retail industry, conversational commerce will become a major tool in retailers' arsenal this year.
Share your thoughts. Click here


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The new AT&T today unveiled its corporate logo and ushered in its first day of operations as the company newly merged with SBC Communications Inc. AT&T also is revving up new ad and marketing campaigns.
The new logo builds on the AT&T globe by making it three-dimensional, adding transparent strips and making AT&T lowercase.
Ovum Research Director Mike Cansfield says using a modified version of the recognized AT&T globe is a pragmatic decision for the new logo, but adds SBC has been unable to resist the temptation to modify the globe and set the name typeface to lower case. Having made the right calls on the name and logo, to meddle with such an iconic logo seems odd to us.
Customer bills will include the new AT&T logo on envelopes beginning in December and on bill statements starting in February. The company says it will use existing product and service names until all legal and regulatory name-change filings are complete.
Saving the historic AT&T name is welcome [and] and updating the brand is very important, but all that was the easy part, notes Jeff Kagan, telecom industry analyst. Now the company has to update the image through advertising and public relations, and realize the value in the newly hot competitive playing field, which is seeing new competitors and new technologies change the industry.


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By: Cyrillus Harinowo Hadiwerdoyo
Johnny Darmawan is certainly not an ordinary man. Being the CEO of Toyota Astra Motor, he certainly has a full grasp of what is happening in the automotive industry and the way forward.
His company enjoys the largest market share in the industry that makes him the ultimate representative of the Indonesian car manufacturing industry. He frequently speaks on behalf of the Indonesian Car Manufacturing Association.
For 2010, Darmawan initially predicted that the Indonesian domestic car sales may reach 550,000 units, a number deemed optimistic when it was first stated at the end of 2009. At that time, the industry had just been bruised from a steep fall in its sales from 607,000 units in 2008 to 486,000 in 2009, an almost 20 percent drop.
It is no surprise that the industry has been deemed quite optimistic in saying that there would be a partial rebound in domestic sales compared to the 2008 record. But since then the domestic market has been moving very briskly.
In the first five months of the year, the Indonesian car sales already reached a level of around 300,000 units.
In fact, the last three months the sales hovered to more than 60,000 units every month. It is no surprise therefore that Darmawan finally revised upward the Indonesian car sales prediction in 2010 from 550,000 units to 650,000, an almost 20 percent upward revision in one year's time.
Where is the way forward? Recently there was an interesting article in the Financial Times about the rise of the Brazilian car industry. It was stated that the Brazilian car industry was becoming the fourth largest industry in the world in 2010, overtaking Germany.
Having recovered from the crisis at the end of the 90s, the Brazilian car industry quickly covered ground and made a quick rebound. What was the result?
The car sales have increased sharply from almost 1.5 million units in 2000 to more than 3 million in 2009. A twofold increase in 10 years time is certainly a miraculous come back for the industry.
Quite different to the aerospace industry in which Brazil boasted its icon Embraer Aerospace Industry, which has positioned itself as the third largest aircraft producer after Boeing and Airbus (the rank may be reversed), the Brazilian car industry was crowded by various foreign names such as Fiat, Volkswagen, General Motors, Ford, Toyota and many others.
Fiat, being the first ranked car producers in Brazil with its popular Pinto and Fiesta brand, has produced more cars in Brazil than in its headquarters in Italy.
Volkswagen, ranked number two in Brazil, is also churning many products in the country. General Motors and Ford are the two North American car industries that so far have to admit defeats to the European car manufacturers in its backyard.
The Brazilian success story in its car industrial development may provide some lessons to the Indonesian car industry on the way the Indonesian industry will lead. Looking back to the past, the Indonesian car industry also experienced a "roller coaster" like development.
Sometimes the sales increased very sharply while on other occasion it experienced a steep drop. The development is far from being linier. However, looking at a longer perspective, the Indonesian car industry has continued to grow, in fact to grow very rapidly.
As mentioned earlier, in 2008, the Indonesian car industry has made record breaking sales of more than 600,000 units.
In addition, the Indonesian industry also actively sold its products to overseas markets. While the data are quite scanty, inferring from the BPS (Central Statistics Agency), we can predict that the Indonesian car exports (both in the form of Completely Built Up, Completely Knocked Down or in the form of components) may reach around 300,000 units.
Thus both the domestic and export car sales have almost touched the psychological level of 1 million cars annually. If that number is achieved, we may have to celebrate it as one milestone for the Indonesian car industry.
Just like what has been achieved by the Brazilian car industry in 2000, we may have approached that level in the not-too-distant future, 10 years behind Brazil.
Recently, Hino truck manufacturers has just expanded its truck production capacity from 10,000 units annually to 35,000 in Indonesia. This event marked the optimism of the company on the prospect of Indonesia. In different occasion Johnny Darmawan also stated that Toyota Indonesia will have to increase its Fortuner production to cater the Middle East and the Philippines market this year.
"I continue to believe that the Indonesian lead in this rank will sustain.This will make Indonesia the country with the strongest car industry in ASEAN. "
The demand for domestic sales as well as for export markets for Fortuner has been quite strong recently. Volkswagen officials have also stated that they will build a factory in Indonesia in 2012 for a full car manufacturing while this year they will start assembling its MPV, Touran, in cooperation with Indomobil.
One Korean car manufacturer is also in the process of deciding whether to put its factory in Indonesia or in Vietnam. Again, this shows the optimism of the global car manufacturers on the prospect of the Indonesian car industry.
In the mean time, the mathematics of demography has shown its magic in the last few months.
Indonesia has always stood at the third rank of the ASEAN car industry. However, in the last four months, Indonesian car sales have started to exceed its counterparts in Thailand and Malaysia.
As displayed in my previous articles, the number of the Indonesian people that belongs to the middle class is larger than the entire Malaysian population.
Similarly, 30 percent of the Indonesian population, slightly larger than the entire Thailand population, has a greater average income than the entire Thailand population. Therefore, that demographic picture and the distribution of income will eventually be reflected in the cars demand.
I continue to believe that the Indonesian lead in this rank will sustain and in fact the gap will widen in the next few years. This will make Indonesia the country with the strongest car industry in ASEAN.
I have predicted earlier that the Indonesian domestic car sales in 2010 will be in the range of 610,000 to 650,000 units. With the performance of the last five months, that target may be exceeded as long as the economic environment does not change significantly.
While I share the optimism of Johnny Darmawan for a 650,000-unit domestic car sales prediction for 2010, I will not be surprised if the car sales this year may reach higher than 700,000 units.
In the long-term prospect, Indonesia may hit its first million annual car sales in the next two to three years. With the pattern depicted by the Brazilian car industry, we may have 2 million sales in the next 10 years.
This prospect will be the center of attention of the global car manufacturers. For those who have been in the country, they will certainly prepare to expand. For those who are still outside, they will have to think about when to penetrate.
- The Jakarta Post/Asia News Network


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Alcester horse treat firm is galloping ahead in America
AN Alcester-based husband and wife team have found a ready market for their horse treats in the USA – and have now got Europe in their sights.
Kevin and Mary Elizabeth Nairne founded Kelcie’s Horse Treats in 2019 to offer high-quality, natural treats to high-calibre horses that take part in equestrian events.
Kevin gave up a 30-year career in IT to go into the equestrian industry alongside Mary Elizabeth, who manages her sister and Olympic gold-medallist Laura Kraut.
Inspired by both Laura and Nick Skelton, they decided to move into the treats market.
They came up with a product made of 15 natural ingredients but after struggling to find a company to manufacture the product in the UK or the EU, they found a partner in the States and found they had an instant hit with horses and owners alike.
At this stage they hadn’t got a business plan and marketing strategy but got help from business growth adviser Gaynor Matthews via the University of Warwick Science Park’s Business Ready programme by the Coventry and Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership Growth Hub.
This support for expanding businesses is funded by the European Regional Development Fund and Warwickshire County Council .
Gaynor supported the firm directly and introduced the company to experts and, having turned over $40,000 in its first year, it reached $100,000 in its latest round of accounts, with plans to double that again over the next 12 months.
Kevin said: “We found the right formula to create a great treat and horse owners who told us their horses were previously fussy eaters, loved the product.
“We had produced something that could disrupt the market but then it was all about getting the right marketing plan in place to make sure we could achieve the sales growth we wanted.
“The Business Ready programme was a big support in that and we’ve also had really helpful advice from other organisations too.”
He added: “It wasn’t originally the plan to crack the US market first but because we found our manufacturing partner there, it was much easier to sell there than to import back into the UK and Europe.
“However, we are now in the process of establishing ourselves in Europe because we know from our website and social media that there is very strong demand.”
Gaynor said: “This is a classic case of a company creating a great product but then needing support in some of the fundamentals of business – such as planning and marketing.”


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2019 was a big year for CELO Group with the company going through a rebranding process, investing in machinery, introducing new products and employees, as well as developing long-term strategies for its Construction and Industry divisions. Everything was primed for 2020 but then the Covid-19 pandemic hit.
CELO had spent 2019 investing in its products and people around the world as part of its long-term strategy to develop as a business. “Last year was an important year for us as we had made several investments within the company,” points out Ramón Ceravalls, CEO at CELO. “For instance, at the beginning of 2019 we introduced a major change within our Construction division by successfully merging the construction brands Apolo and MEA with our CELO brand, which was a key step for us. Having acquired these companies in 2000 and 2009 respectively, we initially kept Apolo, MEA and CELO in the market – as they all had good reputations. However, as we developed internationally, we could see that having three brands was confusing for customers and created extra administrative work. We therefore decided to combine them all under the CELO brand.”
Within its Industry division, CELO also decided to slightly change its strategy and regroup its products. “Our Industry division was doing well and attracting new projects from key customers. However, with such a wide range of products our customers were unaware of what exactly we could offer. We therefore decided to reorganise our portfolio of products – especially our range of screws for plastics and screws for metals.”
In addition to the reorganisation, CELO also introduced two new products in the form of REMFORM HS – a new high strength screw for plastics, as well as the FASTITE® 2000™ – a cost-effective solution for joining thin sheet metal. “From working with our Industry customers and understanding their requirements we were able to introduce these products, which have proved popular.”
Investing in capabilities
2019 also saw CELO make a major investment in its factory in Spain, where it changed all of is cold forming machines. “This was a very big investment for us as we purchased 14 high-end cold heading machines,” mentions Ramón. “Due to the capabilities and speed of the new machines we were able to replace 30 old cold heading machines in our Spanish factory.”
Ramón continues: “The old machines were already 40 years old and even with us maintaining them there was natural wear. We started to notice we were breaking a lot more punches and our maintenance costs were increasing. By introducing the new machinery, we have seen an improvement in our efficiency, as the set-up is much faster and the tooling life is also a lot better.”
CELO also invested in its factory in the USA, which it acquired five years ago. “We changed all the cold forming machines in the US factory so that we could improve the products, the efficiency and the reliability,” explains Ramón. “We also worked very hard on getting a good team at the US site. We underestimated how challenging this would be, as it is very difficult to find young people who are willing to work in the metallurgical industry. However, we have managed to set-up a very good team.”
Alongside investing in its machinery, CELO also doubled its number of application engineers – to help it provide a better service to its customers around the world. “By doing this we can continue to work closely with customers and provide solutions to their applications,” points out Ramón. “For our Construction division we are always looking for niche markets as they provide a big opportunity for us as a business, we are not looking to compete with the big players. By working with customers it helps us develop these niche markets and provide the right type of products.”
The impact of Covid-19
After such a wide range of investments, CELO had set itself a 10% growth target for 2020. “2019 had been a good year for us and we had ambitious plans for 2020, with further growth planned for 2021 and again in 2022. In the first quarter of 2020 we were on the right track, but then at the end of March everything stopped,” reports Ramón.
As a global group, CELO saw markets being impacted, and recovering, differently as the pandemic spread around the world. “China was obviously the first to be impacted around the Chinese New Year. Our general manager is actually from Hubei Province and was in his home town, which is only two hours from the epicentre Wuhan. Fortunately, he was able to get back to our factory in China before the lockdown was enforced and although we still had some employees who were stuck in the lockdown we were able to continue to produce products. Throughout lockdown we continued receiving orders and by working 22 hours a day in 2 shifts, 7 days a week, for several weeks, we were able to meet customers’ needs. I am happy to say the situation in China has now become pretty stable, so much so that July was better than what we achieved for the same month last year.”
As for Europe, Ramón reports it was different from one area to another. “The market in Spain was pretty bad, but the impact was not so much in Germany. We have some good projects in Germany, so our German operation has actually seen some growth this year, but this has all been domestic. Where we have seen a real impact is in countries such as the Middle East and India. For instance, our sales to India this year are 80% down compared to last year. Our US operation was also hit hard, with us not receiving any orders for almost 8 weeks. However, I must say the US government has done really well in supporting smaller companies and we have received very good financial support that helped us.”
Throughout the pandemic a key word for CELO has been ‘adapt’. “We could not have predicted what would happen and demand has been very volatile, which means we have needed to be more flexible as a business across all of our sites around the world,” explains Ramón. “We will need to continue this adaptability and flexibility going forward as well. Various reports are suggesting consumption will reduce by 20% in automotive and other sectors. Therefore, if we want to get the same volumes, we will need to get more market share. By being able to work with customers and react quickly to situations we will look to provide the products and services customers’ need. That is also why we are still going ahead with our plans for 2020 and beyond.”
Ramón continues: “Being a family-owned business, we prefer to look at the mid and long-term impact when it comes to investment, which is why we are going ahead with the planned capital expenditure for this year. This will include investments related to cost efficiencies, as well as trying to improve our efficiency and administrative processes and logistics. We will also continue our plans regarding hiring within our engineering, product management and sales departments. Through these investments we will be able to get even closer to the engineers and end users in our Industry division, as well as continue to provide our distributor customers in the Construction division with the products and services they need.”
“This is going to be my fourth recession, it might not be the last one, but every time we have had a recession as a business we have come out stronger and we are aiming to do so again. As a business we believe it is crucial you continue pushing and by carrying on our plans it underlines to customers our commitment to continue to grow and deliver the services and products they need now and in the future.”
Will joined Fastener + Fixing Magazine in 2007 and over the last 12 years has experienced every facet of the fastener sector - interviewing key figures within the industry and visiting leading companies and exhibitions around the globe.
Will manages the content strategy across all platforms and is the guardian for the high editorial standards that the Magazine is renowned.


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Obama Pitches Cliff Plan at Toy Factory
HATFIELD, Pa.—President Barack Obama on Friday took his pitch to avoid the fiscal cliff to a toy factory here, pushing for an immediate extension of tax cuts for the middle class.
The speech near Philadelphia had all the trappings of a campaign event, as the president toured a manufacturing plant and then spoke to a supportive crowd, arguing that Republicans in Congress shouldn't hold the middle class hostage in an effort to avoid raising taxes on top earners.
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MUSCAT: As one of the largest and most respected tire manufacturers in the world, Giti Tires continues to champion its brand spirit: A spirit of fun; a spirit of boldness; and a spirit that continues to push new bounds in its passionate pursuit of high performance and enjoyable driving. Enjoy Driving – these two words are more than just an expression, says the Singapore-based company. “They express the passion of Giti Tires and how the company aspires to be a positive part of every driver’s experience.”
Staying true to its heritage and brand, Giti Tires plan to continue their strong momentum in 2020 and beyond, while also looking for opportunities in all situations and never relenting in the face of challenges. In addition, the company remains passionate about focusing on their various Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives – like green manufacturing and environment protection, education, employee health and wellness, and other ongoing projects.


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Fawn Weaver, a Black Woman whose Whiskey Company made history by crossing over $100 million has made yet another interesting move as she crossed the ‘business border’ to buy a bank.
Before she turned nineteen, Fawn Weaver lived in three homeless shelters. Between living in shelters and owning her own home, she has spent time writing biographies of successful entrepreneurs such as Andrew Carnegie, Henry Ford, Charles Schwab, Andrew Mellon, J.D. Rockefeller and J.P. morgan.
Weaver started out with an apartment in 1991, aged just 18, and embarked on a path that would lead her to become a serial entrepreneur.
She worked three jobs while in school to be able to afford her first property. By 2000, she had saved enough to buy two semi-detached houses.
Since then, she and her husband Keith Weaver have gone through several properties that have become their main source of wealth over the past 20 years.
It also launched the Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey brand, which recently announced it will generate more than $100 million in sales by October 2022, making it one of the most successful black-owned distilleries in the world. The whiskey brand expects to more than double that total by the end of 2023.
As of 2021, the brand is the best-selling African American established brand in the United States, having sold nearly 1.5 million bottles of premium whiskey to order.
The company’s seven-choice whiskey portfolio is available at its distillery in Shelbyville, Tenn., and in all 50 states, territories, and counties nationwide, the company said in a statement.
Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey was founded by Weaver to honor the memory of Nearest Green, an enslaved African American who helped Jack Daniel’s open his own distillery.
“To achieve this and every other milestone on our horizon, we are relentlessly pushing ourselves. Every penny this company made went back into the business, just as Greene’s closest college-age grandchildren were guided through college and invested in minority-owned companies and entrepreneurs through the Black Business Booster Program.” (BBB), Closer and Jack Progress Initiative (NJAI) and Uncle Closer Ventures,” Weaver said.
The serial entrepreneur is now a co-owner of a bank. In a recent Instagram post, Weaver announced that he’s bought a bank in Tennessee.


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Breedon European Partners cuts its stake in Connaught
Connaught's biggest shareholder has slashed its stake in the troubled council house maintenance firm, selling more than half its stock at a loss of at least £7m.
The hedge fund Breeden European Partners, set up by former US Securities and Exchange Commission chairman Richard Breeden, cut its stake from 13 per cent to 5.5 per cent, as it sold 10.6m shares at 15.5p.
The activist investor’s interest in Connaught had raised hopes that he would put pressure on the board to break up the company and sell it off.
Troubled council house maintenance group Connaught is facing cuts to its funding
Breeden’s share sale came as industry sources suggested that last week’s profits warning, in which Connaught said it would make a ‘material loss’ this year, was partially prompted by a deterioration in the performance of its compliance division.
The division was regarded by the City as the healthiest part of the firm. It had been forecast to make a profit of about £20m. But, an industry source said the actual figure could now be about £10m. Connaught (up 2.2p at 15.6p) declined to comment.
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Yesterday was a big one for Microsoft and its HoloLens mixed reality (MR) head-mounted display (HMD). During the company’s latest Windows 10 briefing in New York it was revealed that the applications for the long-anticipated Development Edition of the device are now open. Studios hoping to work with the device can expect to pre-order it in January 2016 for some $3,000 USD, with the first shipments then going ahead in Q1 2016. There’s still much to learn about the device but, most recently, the company has confirmed that it will not exclude glasses wearers.
Microsoft confirmed as much on a recently-posted FAQ page for the HoloLens. As the page notes: “Microsoft HoloLens is designed to adjust to fit a wide range of adult head sizes and shapes without putting any undue pressure on your ears or nose, while also fitting comfortably over the majority of eyeglass frames.” The limits of this statement will no doubt be put to the test when the first teams get their hands on the kit but, for now, fans will have to take Microsoft’s word for it.
HoloLens is similar to virtual reality (VR) HMDs in that it consists of a screen that the user puts around their eyes to view virtual images, but differs in that the user is still peering into the real world, not stepping into an entirely virtual one. The untethered device consists of on-board tech that’s clearly bumping its price up far beyond that of a VR kit, with Oculus Rift developer kits currently available for $350. Yesterday’s showcase also played host to the reveal of Project X-Ray, a brand new MR videogame in which players battle robots that invade their room from the walls.
VRFocus will continue to follow HoloLens closely, reporting back with the latest updates on the device.


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Lightning Motorcycle, one of the most proficient electric motorcycle builders in the business, beat all of world fastest gas-powered competitors at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb (PPIHC) in Colorado Springs, Co. on June 30th 2013. Not only did Lightning Motorcycle beat its closest gas-powered competitor by nearly 21 seconds, Lightning Motorcycle came eighth overall.
Solar powered recharging was used to fill up the Lightning Motorcycle on its record run.
“We are incredibly gratified with the performance by Carlin ,” said Richard Hatfield, founder and CEO of Lightning Motorcycle. “The Lightning team worked around the clock to ensure we provide the best possible bike to Carlin. The Lightning team set this as a goal over 4 years ago after the first North American road racing event at Infineon.
We achieve our goal last Sunday. This accomplishment is a big step forward for Lightning, and we believe this is a giant leap forward for public acceptance of clean renewable energy based transportation.”
The Lightning SuperBike, the world’s fastest electric motorcycle, was powered with solar energy via a SMA inverter and Trina panels which charge the EnerDel battery pack that provide the vehicle with enough power to win the race.
“The win at Pikes Peak shows that superior, world-class performance can be achieved today with clean technologies. The Lightning team is proud to be a leader in the racing world, testing and driving technology for the future. We love the idea of utilizing the racing platform to push the limits of technology while building a foundation for future industries.” said Richard Hatfield, founder and CEO of Lightning Motorcycle. “ We hope this milestone will encourage our colleagues, competitors and other companies in the clean tech industry to develop their products so that consumers will choose them because they are the best in class, and not just because they are green. ” – – Lightning Motorcycle Media
Lightning Motorcycle was the first electric motorcycle builder to break the 200 mph barrier in 2011. Other firsts include: • 1995: First Electric Porsche Race Car • 2006: First Electric Sport Bike • 2007: First 40 miles range PHEV Prius • 2008: First Lithium ATV • 2009: First Landspeed Record • 2010: First Zero Emission NA Road Racing Championship • 2011: First Electric Bike to Break 200mph and, in 2012: the First Solar Powered Superbike. – – Lightning Motorcycle Media
We congratulate Carlin Dunne and Lightning Motorcycle on a stunning victory, we look forward to trying out their products soon!
Check out this video of the electric cars battling the 2013 Pikes Peal International Hill Climb!


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McEwan's enjoys a new look for the summer
Popular Scottish ale brand McEwan’s has relaunched with a new look designed to broaden its appeal among customers old and new.
Scotland’s bestselling ale brand will retain the same liquid, but the new look is intended to modernise the brand.
A marketing campaign called McNificent is running in the off-trade, with POS going into 400 different supermarkets and c-stores.
It follows extensive consumer research in Glasgow and Edinburgh.
McEwan’s marketing manager Gaynor Green said: “We acquired this fabulous brand when Marston’s bought the Charles Wells brewing business last year, and we have taken a long hard look at what was right and what needed changing. The liquid is ever popular but there was a feeling that the brand hadn’t moved on. So that's exactly what we’ve done, moved it forward, looked at what our customer’s want from beer today and responded accordingly.
“The brand identity is fresher and we have opened it up for a new audience to experience it, the McNificent campaign has a great spirit and a bit of attitude.”
The refresh has included the brand’s can and bottle variants too. McEwan’s Champion, Scotland’s number one premium bottled ale, is getting a contemporary new look and the McEwan’s Champion Whisky edition is being relaunched under a new name, McEwan’s Headspace.
Gaynor added: “A clear directive of the research feedback was that we needed to reflect the current consumer need to ‘explore’ the beer market. They felt the previous branding and name misled the consumer and didn’t given them the chance to evaluate in the context of a fast changing and growing market.”


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The National Grocers Association (NGA) and FMS today released the results of their joint 2012 Independent Grocers Financial Survey. Despite the challenging economic environment, the independent sector held their own, posting an average net profit before taxes of 1.12 percent in fiscal year 2011. Independent grocers also grew same-store sales by 2.6 percent and improved gross margins across key store categories.
"Economic, market and shopper challenges are demanding that grocery retailers seek new ways to grow sales and profits and find further efficiencies in their businesses," says Peter J. Larkin, NGA president and CEO. "It is extremely encouraging to see independents have done just that. They have pushed through one of the worst economic downturns in our nation's history and continue to do so with much success."
With continued economic woes and their far-reaching impact on the shopper, independents were faced with difficult decisions relative to pricing and margins in an inflationary environment. Same-store sales among independents increased over 2011 by 2.6 percent, but once adjusted for food-at-home inflation, the independent sector lost ground at a rate of -2.2 percent. However, the total store gross margin increased to 26.33 percent, with important gains in key departments. This ultimately translated in increased net profits before taxes of 1.12 percent of sales in 2011 from 1.08 percent in 2010 among independents.
The report's review of the top 25 percentile in terms of net profits revealed a group of independents that managed to outperform the rest by a wide margin. These profit leaders more than quadrupled the national average at 4.67 percent—an increase of 60 points from 2010. "The profit leaders have developed a formula for success by gaining a close understanding of their local market, controlling expenses and growing margins," says Robert Graybill, president and CEO of FMS. "By solid management decisions in good economic years, they managed to grow profits even further despite the difficult business environment."
In addition to sales distribution and gross margin data by department, the report also provides detailed financial information by region, store sales volume and profit leaders. The general section of the report includes a thorough review of the nation's economic and political landscapes and how they impact independent food retailers.


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Study finds vacation rental market is a $24 billion industry
Travelers looking for alternatives to hotels have helped grow the vacation rental market to a $24.3 billion industry, according to a new study.
Sherman, Conn.-based travel research group PhocusWright Inc. conducted the study, which forecasts that online vacation rental bookings will nearly double between 2007 to 2010. According to the study more than 40 percent of leisure travelers considered or booked a vacation rental in the past year.
The study was co-sponsored by 14 industry companies, including Austin-based HomeAway Inc.
Brian Sharples, CEO of HomeAway, says the report helps validate the potential of the vacation rental market. He adds that in the current economy, vacation rentals may prove more attractive because of their relative value.
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is reportedly to mobile devices and it will be this summer. The classic MMORPG has been in early access on iOS and Android for a while, it’ll be available for everyone in the coming months. RuneScape will still be free-to-play, and with extra skills, quests and some more perks for .
Publisher Jagex explained that the game had more than 2.1 million installs on mobile during early access. It also hit a record-high number of subscribers last year, with more than 1.2 million. While RuneScape is over two decades old, the franchise still has a thriving user base that’s seemingly ready to play while on the go.
Existing RuneScape players should also know that there’s cross-play and cross-progression support with the PC version. They will have access to all their quests, characters, equipment and lots more.
Jagex has reformed RuneScape’s UI for mobile version and given it a visual and operational overhaul. The menus is redesigned, icons, text, and textures, and refined the combat mechanics for mobile version.
This, of course, isn’t the first time the RuneScape franchise is coming to iOS and Android. In 2018, Jagex debuted based on a 2007 build, on mobile, that also supports cross-play for the PC users.


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Saratoga, Calif., October 10, 2019 — MATRIXX Software, achieved recognition as the Most Innovative SME 5G Software Company at the 5G Asia Awards in Singapore. The company received top honors for its end-to-end engagement and commerce solution that empowers mobile network operators (MNOs) to reinvent how they market, package, monetize and deliver 5G products and services. It was specifically designed to support the scale, agility and complexity that 5G networks bring to MNO business and operating environments.
MATRIXX enables massive flexibility in how products and services are packaged, making it possible to bring personalized offers to market at web speed. With MATRIXX, MNOs can move off of complex, expensive BSS infrastructures and onto a single platform capable of monetizing all lines of business at a fraction of the cost.
MATRIXX includes a 5G Convergent Charging System (CCS) that leverages a patented technology core for data management, real-time transaction processing and business rules execution. Providing MATRIXX with its breakthrough capabilities, the MATRIXX Technology Core has been proven to deliver massive scalability and ultra-low latency to mobile networks across the world. It provides business agility through a configuration-only solution that does not require costly custom development to support operator-specific offerings and business models. The MATRIXX approach is cloud native and standardized, enabling telcos to fast-track their digital transformation efforts to ensure 5G readiness.
“We are honored 5G Asia recognizes our vision and ability to enable service providers to become leaders in the digital economy as they roll out 5G,” shared Marc Price, global CTO, MATRIXX Software. “MATRIXX is collaborating with service providers worldwide to deliver innovative solutions that most effectively monetize their investments in 5G across consumer, enterprise and IoT market segments.”
The 5G Asia Awards celebrate excellence in the APAC’s tech and telco community. Award winners were chosen by judges from a neutral panel of industry analysts and specialists from Ovum, ABI Research, Counterpoint Technology Market Research and Light Reading.
About MATRIXX Software
MATRIXX Software delivers a modern converged charging and digital monetization solution proven at scale. Global operators like Telefónica and Telstra, IoT providers like Tata Communications and network-as-a-service (NaaS) providers like DISH rely on the platform to overcome the limitations of traditional Business Support Systems (BSS). With MATRIXX, service providers can rapidly configure, deploy and monetize personalized, innovative offerings. Its cloud native platform delivers accurate, real-time information that improves customer engagement. MATRIXX enables commercial innovation and real-time customer experiences that drive revenue and growth opportunities across multiple markets.


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June 13 is the date at the Hotel Enterprise in Milan for the 2019 Confindustria Marmomacchine General Assembly. As always, it will be especially important for the association and the entire sector, not only for its examination of the main work the association has done in recent months – starting from protecting and defending producers and processors of marble, granite and authentically natural stones in general – but also for elections of the 2019/2021 Confindustria Marmomacchine board of directors. In fact, the assembly will be called upon to choose the 20 board members who, together with the president and vice-presidents, will be governing the association for the next two years, assuming the honor of voicing the issues and expectations of the more than 320 companies belonging to Confindustria Marmomacchine.
In addition to being an occasion for summarizing the current sector situation, the association’s general assembly is also an important networking event for the entire sector, where members can meet with business people, stakeholders and government representatives. In fact, already confirmed is the participation of: Michele Geraci, Undersecretary of State of the Economic Development Ministry; Carlo Maria Ferro, President of ICE-Italian Trade Agency; Simonetta Acri, Mid and SME Manager of SACE SIMEST. These front-ranking official presences will also be participating in the discussion panel to be held during the meeting titled ‘FRAGILE EXPORTS: WHAT BALANCES IN THE POST-GLOBALIZATION ERA”, an in-depth examination aimed at analyzing the complex situation of international markets compressed between neo-protectionist thrusts and political uncertainties, and what support the country as a whole is able to guarantee Italian companies that export to foreign countries. Companies that in the forefront include Italian stone and techno-stone enterprises, whose vocation for exporting is among the highest in the country’s manufacturing sector, with a number of them earning more than 90% of revenue from sales abroad.
Source: Confindustria Marmomacchine


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Stuart Wilson has replaced Jaspal Chada as marketing boss at Burton's Foods. Wilson will take up the role of chief marketing officer in September and joins from Premier Foods where he was director of grocery, responsible for the sweet...
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By Herbert Soden, Local Democracy Reporter
Panic buying toilet roll is causing the sewerage system to become blocked up with disgusting results, warns a water company.
Northumbrian Water is tackling the increasing number of sewers clogged up by flushed toilet roll alternatives.
The North East firm says that people affected by toilet paper vanishing flying off the shelves as a result of pandemic panic buying are “only improvising” by using a range of alternatives such as wipes, kitchen roll and newspapers.
However, it warns of the devastating consequences that wrongful flushing can have on the environment and to customer homes.
According to the company wrongly flushed items, such as wet wipes, are one of the biggest causes of blockages as they usually clog up inside householders’ plumbing and sewer pipes.
Simon Cyhanko, Head of Wastewater said: “Wet wipes and toilet roll alternatives, including kitchen roll and newspapers, are the main causes of blockages in our network.
“We understand some people affected by the limited toilet roll availability may have no choice but to use alternative products, but we really need our customers’ help by making one small change – and that’s to put wipes and any alternatives in the bin.
“Blockages can have devastating consequences, from causing people’s homes to be flooded with toilet waste to the environment being polluted, but by binning the wipe and toilet roll alternatives you can help make a massive difference.
“No one wants to see harm to the environment and to innocent wildlife, or homes flooded with sewage, which isn’t a pleasant experience at any time and especially now, if vulnerable people need to self-isolate because of Covid-19.
“Wipes and alternatives, may leave your toilet bowl when flushed, but can clog up your plumbing and cause avoidable plumber call out charges. Even biodegradable products often don’t break down as quickly as toilet paper and can linger in sewer pipes, contributing to blockages.
“If customers are going to use any sort of wipe or toilet roll alternative, then please bin them. Toilets are not a bin.”


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Mozilla has hinted that the Nokia N900 could soon be playing host to the first release of Firefox's mobile internet browser.
After more than a year in development the software will be exclusive to the Maemo-based N900 tablet smartphone for a short time after its release, but versions for Android and Symbian mobiles are expected to follow in the first half of 2010.
In addition to giving mobile users the chance to enjoy tabbed internet browsing, just like the desktop version, users will be able to synchronise their personal data including bookmarks and browsing history thanks to cloud computing.
A Mozilla spokesperson said that the mobile version of Firefox would be able to take advantage of the opportunities offered by cloud data management, including providing geographically-generated content.
Owners of the Apple iPhone will be disappointed that Mozilla is not planning to release a version of Firefox for their mobiles, with the firm citing the restrictive nature of the iPhone's platform as the main reason behind the decision.
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Unraveling header bidding’s problems with user data
Ad tech is all about tradeoffs.
Although header bidding has been heralded for its ability to increase revenue for publishers, an overlooked downside is that it can expose user data by allowing all bidders to access audience data. Header bidding also makes it easier for fraudsters to hide in the noise created by the vast amount of data points that come from multiple parties bidding on all available impressions.
“There are some real security concerns about header bidding that aren’t being talked about,” said an ad-fraud researcher requesting anonymity.
Because waterfalling — a technique where publishers move inventory from one market to the next — is inefficient at driving revenue, many publishers adopted header bidding, which simultaneously offers inventory to multiple exchanges before making calls to their ad servers. While waterfalling is clunky, one benefit of this technique is that it limits how much user data the bidders could harvest, said Todd Garland, CEO of digital ad network BuySellAds.
For example, if the highest-bidding network in the waterfall wins 50 percent of the impressions in the auction, then subsequently, half of the impressions for sale won’t get passed along to other networks. With this approach, each network only obtains user data from whoever they sell impressions to, which is only a fraction of the total audience that the total impressions in the auction are sold to, Garland said.
But with header bidding having all calls go out simultaneously, each bidder can get access to data from all the users who were served impressions from the auction. A Rubicon Project spokesperson said, on average, the top 100 publishers in terms of comScore traffic have four header bidding partners. But it also isn’t unheard of for publishers to near double digits with their bidders.
“Many exchanges allow demand-side platforms to take bid requests and basically just ‘listen’ for data without spending money,” said independent ad tech consultant Brad Holcenberg. “So the more [bidding partners] you work with, the more likely the data gets to their customers and can leak out further from there.”
While sources did not share any first-hand experiences, data leaking can be problematic for both publishers and users. When data leaks, it can devalue publisher inventory because retargeters use audience data from premium publishers to target their users while they’re visiting websites that have lower CPMs. Hyper-targeting can also irritate users and turn them onto ad blocking. And in the most extreme cases, leaks of personal data can allow bad actors to hack people’s personal accounts and devices.
Jeremy Hlavacek, vp of programmatic at The Weather Company, said that while header bidding does make it easier for programmatic platforms to obtain user data, this effect is mitigated by the fact that data aggregators are connected to most supply-side platforms, so they can find indirect ways to obtain and sell user data even if waterfalling limits direct access to user data. But Hlavacek pointed out that with multiple partners bidding on all impressions available in the auction, header bidding significantly increases the amount of data points in the exchanges. Other sources said it’s this data deluge that is most problematic when it comes to security.
“Header bidding generates as much as 10 times the amount of calls to get the same result,” said Tom Kershaw, chief technology officer of Rubicon Project. “Whenever you generate that much noise, it is much harder to track [fraudulent activity] because it becomes easier for people to hide.”
Speaking on the condition of anonymity, an exec from an ad tracking firm said that data leakage is not affected by whether a header bidding product is browser-based or server-side. However, moving the auction to direct server connections could theoretically give publishers more control over who is bidding on their inventory.
“Regardless of the setup, it’s about your governance and having control over which vendors are involved with bidding,” the exec said. “It can get out of control if it is not managed properly.”
‘We see a world where publisher data replaces third-party data’: News U.K. puts its data at the nucleus of post-cookie push for media budgets
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In the absence of third-party cookies, marketers will need to work more closely with trusted publishers to reach their audiences. Who will lose out? It is posed for a collapse in the middle.
Member ExclusiveMedia Briefing: What to expect from the Digiday Publishing Summit
This week's Media Briefing previews the upcoming Digiday Publishing Summit, which kicks off on Sept. 27 and will feature speakers from media companies including The Washington Post, BDG, Group Nine Media and Essence.
SponsoredHow retailers can be ready for holiday shoppers this year
Suchi Sastri, managing director and partner, Boston Consulting Group As the holiday season approaches and the pandemic continues to evolve, retailers want to know what to expect. Will e-commerce continue to grow at the rate it did last year? How big of a role will in-store shopping play in holiday shopping? While it’s still early, […]
How the pandemic has been a real a buzz kill for office happy hour bonding, culture
As COVID-19 crawls on, more companies are rethinking the wisdom of mixing booze and the stresses of the workplace.
‘Football has lost its soul’: How Copa90 is repositioning itself around the creator economy
Copa90’s overseers believe there’s another shift happening in tandem with the corporatization of the sport that has the potential to be just as transformative


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JJ Foodservice has seen sales of frozen fish jump by more than a third after introducing catch dates to labelling in a bid to help customers select the freshest product.
The Enfield-based wholesaler launched the Catch Dates campaign on 1 April across social media, digital and print marketing, promoting ‘freshest frozen’ to its customers.
Since then sales of ‘frozen at sea’ goods have surged 34%.
JJ is breaking ranks as traditionally fish suppliers have not promoted catch dates on websites or marketing.
“We are keen to set the industry standard and we’ve had great feedback from customers,” said JJ chief sales officer Baris Kacar. “Being able to see catch dates before buying gives shops peace of mind that they can choose the freshest frozen fish when they shop with us.
“Shops are clearly keen to give their customers the best quality fish.”
Frozen fish can legally be sold in the UK up to 24 months after being caught, processed and frozen.


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The password manager service LastPass is now forcing some of its users to pick longer master passwords. LastPass says the changes are needed to ensure all customers are protected by their latest security improvements. But critics say the move is little more than a public relations stunt that will do nothing to help countless early adopters whose password vaults were exposed in a 2022 breach at LastPass.
In November 2022, the password manager service LastPass disclosed a breach in which hackers stole password vaults containing both encrypted and plaintext data for more than 25 million users. Since then, a steady trickle of six-figure cryptocurrency heists targeting security-conscious people throughout the tech industry has led some security experts to conclude that crooks likely have succeeded at cracking open some of the stolen LastPass vaults.


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The ‘Stop Hate for Profit’ boycott of Facebook this summer picked up a lot of attention in the mainstream media, as well as the trade press, but some remain sceptical about how effective these sorts of boycotts are. Despite many big brands pausing Facebook campaigns during July, Facebook said in its Q2 earnings call that revenues over the first three weeks of the month were up ten percent year-on-year.
But Harriet Kingaby, co-chair of the Conscious Advertising Network and Amy Williams, founder and CEO of Good-Loop, agree that these boycotts are effective even if they’re not enough the halt the likes of Facebook’s rampant revenue growth. In the panel, Kingaby and Williams discuss the practical steps brands and agencies can take to take control of their media spend, and push for real change around issues like hate speech and misleading content from social platforms. Filmed at New Video Frontiers 2020.


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He can either side with his sales and marketing experts in plumping for a compact SUV in the mould of the Range Rover Evoque, or follow the instincts of senior designers and engineers in opting for a more sporting fastback to go up the against the likes of the Mercedes-Benz CLA.
It is a predicament of riches for the 51-year-old German, who recently announced an ambitious 22 billion euro growth plan that aims to enable Audi to become the world’s leading producer of premium-badged cars by the end of the decade.
“At the beginning of the year, we opened up the discussion to see if the TT line-up could be elaborated. Now we are coming to the stage where we have to make a decision,” Stadler recently told Autocar.
There has been a series of lengthy meetings between high-level Audi officials since the spectacular TT Sportback was revealed at the Paris motor show in October to signal proper board room intent to expand the TT line-up. However, the dilemma as to which model to choose apparently remains without resolution.
The TT Sportback was the third in a line of critically acclaimed TT-themed concept cars to be unveiled in 2014, following on from the TT Shooting Brake that was shown as a precursor to the production coupé at the Detroit motor show back in January, and the high-riding TT Offroad that appeared in an arresting yellow paint scheme at the Beijing motor show in April.
All three are individually described as possessing a realistic chance of entering production, but it is no secret that the TT Offroad and TT Sportback are Stadler’s preferred options for production.
That’s because their five-door layouts offer greater everyday practicality than that of the three-door TT Shooting Brake, even though the Shooting Brake’s commonality with the coupé and roadster would make it considerably cheaper to build, according to those in the know.
As the two Audi concept cars in question sit nose to nose on a windswept promenade in Cannes, waiting for me to sample them on the move for the very first time, the complexity of Stadler’s decision is brought into clear focus.
Concept cars are often nothing more than a flight of fancy with little in the way of production relevance. However, there is real substance to the appearance and mechanical package of each of the potential TT models.
They are both sufficiently convincing in the looks department and possess the sort of sound engineering required to become one of the 10 new models that Audi plans to add to its line-up by 2020.


text: The hemp plant is full of surprises. That is one of the reasons why researchers find new components when they do laboratory studies. Usually, cannabis is associated with multiple benefits like increasing appetite. However, the conducted studies suggest that THC V has the opposite effect. As scientists state, THC can bind with the body's CB1 receptor that stimulates the appetite. However, unlike THC, THC-V can block the CB1 receptor, which leads to decreased appetite. That is why many cannabis enthusiasts call this component a "diet weed." Back in time, strains rich in THC-V were challenging to grow and process as it wasn't in demand, plus the isolation process was costly. However, with the help of modern equipment, these products are now available in online cannabis shops.


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Recently, Padhi approached Godbole again for an ad shoot. This time, it was for work on a pure outdoor campaign for the Indian Outdoor Advertising Association (IOAA), a non-profit organisation, that represents outdoor media agencies across the country.
The idea of the campaign is to put up interesting images on billboards that are empty. Usually, vacant billboards have a logo or the phone number of the media company. “We are creating a space to make it look like a crowdsourcing arrangement. Anyone, who has an empty billboard can put up the campaign,” said Padhi.
The billboards are currently up in Bangalore and will soon be seen in Mumbai and Delhi, too. Additionally, IOAA is in talks with regional players as well. “It would be wrong to wish this, but the more empty hoardings the better it will be for the visibility of the campaign,” said Padhi on a lighter note.
Godbole said he loves working with Paddy and his team because of the freedom he is given as a photographer. The kind of freedom that is a photographer's dream. For him, the challenging bit about the campaign was to create a sense of largeness and space, to imply the sheer scale of the outdoor medium. “Since the budget was a bit tight, we converted the recce itself into the shoot and prayed that the shots will be alright,” he added.
Here are the outdoor ads:


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Black Salt Games’ Dredge, a fishing game with a healthy dose of cosmic horror, has seen a delay to its paid DLC. Titled The Iron Rig, it was set to release in Q4 2023 but has been delayed to 2024. In a new Steam Community post, the developer revealed that it would “need more lead time” to coordinate its marketing to ensure the launch is “as exciting” as possible.
“We were genuinely disheartened because we had committed to all our dedicated players, but we firmly believed there was only one path forward and that was to delay ‘The Iron Rig’ until next year.”
The good news is that fans can still expect additional content, with details coming soon. It also seems to be paid content, with availability and pricing to be revealed. “We understand this isn’t what we had originally promised, but we hope you understand. Your support means the world to us.”
Dredge released earlier this year for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, PC and Nintendo Switch to critical praise (check out our review here). It’s received three free updates so far, which added map markers, a Passive Mode, Photo Mode, boat customization, and new Aberrations. As for what the upcoming DLC could entail, stay tuned for more information in the coming months.


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Everyone loves an upgrade, and soon, Apple Maps will offer electric vehicle drivers an easy way to locate available charging stations on the go.
In addition to a slate of new features for the iPhone, Apple Maps will begin providing real-time EV charging information with the iOS 17 updates this fall.
Once installed, drivers will have access to "real-time charging station availability filtered by charging network, plug type, and more," according to the Apple Newsroom. The app will prompt drivers to select their preferred networks and show compatible charging options for their vehicle, including nearby charging stations and the number of available stalls, as 9to5 Mac elaborated.
This improvement follows the iOS 14 EV routing feature introduced in 2020, which aimed to minimize the fear of running out of charge while on the road. The feature tracks the vehicle's current charge while factoring in driving conditions such as weather and elevation to determine when to add charging stops to the route.
As of yet, EV routing has only been available to Ford Mustang Mach-E and Porsche Taycan drivers, as reported by The Verge, but now, anyone with the iOS 17 upgrade will have access to its new charging station availability features via Apple Maps.
Convenient upgrades like these can help reduce one of the main barriers to EV adoption. Research from McKinsey & Company found charging issues to be a leading barrier to making the switch to EVs in the US, including charger inaccessibility.
As the EV charging infrastructure grows along with increasing demand, having readily available information at their fingertips allows EV drivers to efficiently utilize nearby charging stations. These Apple Maps improvements could save time and energy by eliminating the need to drive around in search of an available charging station.
In-demand services like real-time EV charger information could encourage Apple Maps' competitors like Google to roll out similar features in the future, prompting apps across platforms to develop more helpful services for EV drivers.
Join our free newsletter for weekly updates on the coolest innovations improving our lives and saving our planet.


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QUINCY, Ill. (May 29, 2014) — Titan International Inc.’s Titan Tire Corp. subsidiary has launched a website to provide information about the company’s Low Sidewall (LSW) technology tires and wheels for agriculture, construction and mining equipment.
The site includes an overview of LSW technology and its claimed benefits, the history behind the technology’s development, product information, details on how to buy from a dealer as well as videos of real-world equipment owners who switched from standard tires to LSW tires, according to Titan.
Richard Rose, Quincy-based Titan International’s vice president of sales and marketing, said the website’s launch “is the culmination of nearly two decades of research and product development.
“We’ve taken a concept that has proven successful in the automotive market and perfected it for agriculture, construction and mining applications. Now it’s just a matter of educating the public before LSW becomes the new standard for off-the-road markets.”
Titan claims benefits of the LSW technology include:
• LSW tires feature a larger rim diameter and shorter sidewall than comparable standard tires, while maintaining the same inflation pressures, weight load capacities and outside tire diameters.
• LSW offers a smoother ride, greater stability, faster speeds and improved safety.
• Titan and Goodyear farm tires are the only brands that offer LSW technology for off-the road markets.
To view a video on LSW tires and wheels, click here.
Titan International is a holding company that owns subsidiaries supplying wheels, tires and assemblies for off-highway equipment used in agricultural and earthmoving/construction as well as consumer applications. The company operates production facilities in Freeport, Ill., Bryan, Ohio, and Des Moines, Iowa, which is the tire group’s headquarters. The company manufactures Titan- and Goodyear-brand farm tires.
With one-third of 2018 in the books, how would you characterize business thus far?
|Sales are behind where we were last year at this point.||
29% (36 votes)
|Our sales are about the same as last year.||
20% (25 votes)
|The first four months have been extremely strong; let's hope we can maintain it.||
33% (41 votes)
|One month up, one month down ...||
18% (22 votes)
|Total votes: 124|


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5th Annual Day of the Pig showcases local food in Eastern Ontario
Posted: May 24, 2016
Categories: Food in the News
A stretch of Highway 38 just South of Sharbot Lake was abuzz on Sunday May 22nd, where Seed to Sausage hosted its 5th annual Day of the Pig. The event highlighted Ontario artisan food where event-goers discovered new flavours while supporting local businesses.
The event showcased 15 food and drink vendors and 20 market vendors. There was live music, cooking demonstrations and multiple pig roasts for all to enjoy.
There was no shortage of variety among the vendors. Participants had the opportunity to sip on brews from MacKinnon Brothers Brewing Co., beautiful cocktails from Cellar 82, munch on delicious kettle corn from Black Kettle Popcorn Co., sample a cheese plate from Back Forty Artisan Cheese, and finish with dessert chocolate from fine chocolate by ludwig all while enjoying the sounds of Tom Savage Music.
The event is becoming a staple in the area, drawing a big, local-food loving crowd to Central Frontenac. The consensus among the vendors and participants is that Day of the Pig is a ton of fun, a great way to meet the community and to promote local food in Eastern Ontario.
There is talk next year of moving to a larger venue which is sure to attract more vendors and bigger crowds.


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Katrina Florio’s late husband was a tile man. And he gave her unlimited choices for every bathroom style she could have wanted.
But no matter what—be it ceramic, stone or the trend of the moment—Ms. Florio wasn’t happy with it for long. Not until she got her hand-cut, hand-crafted tile back.
In plain, basic white.
She is not alone.
Despite countless materials, colors and scales, East Enders tend to stick to the basics for kitchen and bathroom design: ceramic and marble in gray and white, according to Ms. Florio—sales associate at Bridgehampton Stone & Mosaic—in varying sizes depending on the house’s aesthetic.
“That’s what they like, gray and white,” she said last week during a tour of the showroom. “They put more neutral colors so you can put your own color scheme with it. And it’s better for resale, too, than having a blue bathroom. That hasn’t been since the ’90s. But, sometimes, trendy things do come back.”
Year to year, that simple formula does fluctuate, shifting with advancements in architecture, technology and, most notably, fashion, according to Laura Vivonetto, creative director at LaModa Tile & Design Studio in Westhampton Beach.
“The trends you see on the runway, three to four years later, hit home furnishings,” she explained last week during an interview in the showroom. “Fashion really dictates all other trends.”
“And it takes Long Islanders, sometimes, just a little longer,” laughed sales manager Lynn Bonanno. “Now, the trend really is going back to contemporary and modern. It’s cleaner lines.”
“However, in the Hamptons, there is always that classic ideology,” Ms. Vivonetto added. “It is very modern, but we have to balance the modern architecture with classic materials.”
Natural stone—such as marble and soapstone—and “subway tiles” are two core looks that will never go out of style, especially in sleek modern homes, Ms. Bonanno said. And the larger the scale, the better, no matter the size of the room, she added.
Big tiles means less seams, Ms. Bonanno. said. That is the closest a homeowner can get to a luxury finish—which is a single slab installation—without the luxury price, Ms. Vivonetto added. The company’s basic line runs between $5 and $15 per square foot, she said.
Here in the Hamptons, classic looks are perennial favorites, according to Ms. Vivonetto.
“I think something that never dies out here is people looking for a beachy, casual elegance,” she said. “For more modern homes, there’s vein-cut stones, and they have more linear veining to them, instead of a classic Calcutta Carrera, which has very busy movement and veining.”
One stone that never quite landed on the East End is granite, Ms. Florio explained, particularly east of the Shinnecock Canal.
“Up where I live in Ridge, everybody does granite,” she said. “It’s a different way of living up there than it is out here. The ‘New Jersey Housewives,’ they all have granite. And they live in these multi-million dollar houses. And we all say, ‘If those houses were here, they would all be marble.’”
Or, these days, porcelain. The tried-and-true ceramic is making a comeback, according to Ms. Florio.
“It’s what we’re standing on,” she said, tapping her feet. “This is made to look like a cross-cut travertine, and it does, but it’s porcelain. It’s man-made and it’s less expensive. And there’s really no maintenance to it. It’s gotta be half the price to buy. And it wears better. I love it. I have it in my house. At this point in my life, I just want to mop and walk away.”
Trends come and go, Ms. Bonanno explained. But right now, water-jet technology—used to cut and layer traditional ceramics and stones, as well as contemporary materials, such as glass, into custom patterns that range from $150 to $300 per square foot—is on the forefront of chic living.
“It’s total luxury. You could take a piece like this that’s not, typically, a modern design,” Ms. Bonanno said, gesturing to a sample hanging on the wall. “And if you use that in a way with other modern materials, it’s a very modern application. One full wall of this and then white glass everywhere. That is very impactful and very modern.”
Water-jet technology is ready to become a full-fledged craze. And it will not just be in kitchens and bathrooms, Ms. Vivonetto predicted.
“I think over the next few years, tile is really gonna start to come and play into all of the rooms,” Ms. Vivonetto said. “Even with the porcelains, they make wood porcelains, and that’s great for our market because people are coming in and out to the beach and they’re more cost-effective over time. They look just like wood for an entire floor. I think just tile is becoming a finish that can be specced for every room in a house.”


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Donald Trump ’s upset victory may be the biggest shock to the world economic system since the financial crisis. It represents, along with Britain’s vote in June to leave the European Union, a profound rejection of the postwar global economic order that could leave a cloud of uncertainty over the U.S. and world economies for months, if not longer.
Mr. Trump’s victory, like Brexit, is another sign that the dominant divide in the world is no longer left versus right but national versus global, working class versus elite, populist versus establishment. So writes Greg Ip on wsj.com.
So, is globalization on the wane? Yes, the tide of globalization is turning. Globalization has reached a plateau and, in some areas, is in reverse. So writes Martin Wolf at ft.com:
An analysis from the Peterson Institute for International Economics argues that ratios of world trade to output have been flat since 2008, making this the longest period of such stagnation since the second world war. According to Global Trade Alert, even the volume of world trade stagnated between January 2015 and March 2016, though the world economy continued to grow. The stock of cross-border financial assets peaked at 57% of global output in 2007, falling to 36% by 2015. Finally, inflows of foreign direct investment have remained well below the 3.3% of world output attained in 2007, though the stock continues to rise, albeit slowly, relative to output. “Thus, the impetus towards further economic integration has stalled and in some respects gone into reverse.
Not so fast, writes Stephen DeAngelis. If globalization is in retreat, he says, it can’t retreat very far. He quotes The Economist, writing about Professor Pankaj Ghemawat of IESE Business School in Spain:
Mr Ghemawat points out that many indicators of global integration are surprisingly low. Only 2% of students are at universities outside their home countries; and only 3% of people live outside their country of birth. Only 7% of rice is traded across borders. Only 7% of directors of S&P 500 companies are foreigners—and, according to a study a few years ago, less than 1% of all American companies have any foreign operations. Exports are equivalent to only 20% of global GDP.
Some of the most vital arteries of globalization are badly clogged: air travel is restricted by bilateral treaties and ocean shipping is dominated by cartels. Far from “ripping through people’s lives,” as Arundhati Roy, an Indian writer, claims, globalization is shaped by familiar things, such as distance and cultural ties. Mr Ghemawat argues that two otherwise identical countries will engage in 42% more trade if they share a common language than if they do not, 47% more if both belong to a trading block, 114% more if they have a common currency and 188% more if they have a common colonial past.
Mr Ghemawat also explodes the myth that the world is being taken over by a handful of giant companies. The level of concentration in many vital industries has fallen dramatically since 1950 and remained roughly constant since 1980: 60 years ago two car companies accounted for half of the world’s car production, compared with six companies today. He also refutes the idea that globalization means homogenization. The increasing uniformity of cities’ skylines worldwide masks growing choice within them, to which even the most global of companies must adjust. McDonald’s serves vegetarian burgers in India and spicy ones in Mexico, where Coca-Cola uses cane sugar rather than the corn syrup it uses in America.
What’s my view? As I laid out in a series of recent presentations on international trade, globalization may, in the short-run, slow somewhat, but DEMOGRAPHICS AND TECHNOLOGY will drive international development and trade for decades to come.
And as I laid out in my presentation to the Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce, “Our Coming American Landscape: economic, social and technological trends shaping the future of business, work and community,” the regions and people that have been displaced by globalization and technology can be revitalized. How? By more localized efforts to improve business-friendliness and that incentivize new, small, entrepreneurial business formation.