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October 21, 2021
NextGen in Lodging features hospitality professionals carving their niche in Miami and Fort Lauderdale, markets where tourism thrives despite doing business with COVID-19 restrictions in place. The yearn to gather and socialize is strong in a multicultural market like South Florida. Podcast co-host Omari Head talks to Alexis Brown of SocialXchange in Miami and Javier Marquis of AC Hotel Fort Lauderdale Beach about how they’re creating and selling experiences amid the pandemic.
October 20, 2021
Since she was a teenager volunteering at senior-living facilities in Boston, Serena Lipton knew she wanted a career in senior housing. But she had a difficult time finding the college program she believed would educate and prepare her to serve in the senior-living industry. After graduating from Boston University School of Hospitality Administration and working as an analyst for JLL’s Senior Housing Valuation Advisory, Lipton finally found what she was looking for. This fall she enrolled in BU’s Master of Management in Hospitality with a new concentration in senior living. She and other students are on the cusp of what BUSHA believes is a massive shift in how Americans view aging and where opportunities lie for the hospitality industry.
October 19, 2021
Justin Genzlinger graduated from Cucumber Chef to CEO of his family’s hospitality company by climbing the corporate ladder one milk crate at a time. After stints as a broken glass entrepreneur and a financial services consultant, Justin now promotes his portfolio of mostly historic hotels by staying rooted in a sense of place. Justin and Susan talk about how telling stories can help independent hotels stand apart in a crowded landscape.
October 14, 2021
As the hospitality industry recovers from the devastation of the pandemic, advocates for diversity in leadership say now’s the time to shake off obsolete methods of building executive teams and deploy more inclusive strategies. Lodging Luminaries Episode 12 spotlights Peggy Berg, an industry veteran, entrepreneur and founder of Castell Project, a nonprofit organization dedicated to accelerating the career trajectories of women in hospitality industry leadership. Berg talks about how the pandemic crisis has affected Castell’s mission; how it’s changed the way women view their careers; and how employers need to respond.
October 13, 2021
Rainer Jenss of Nyack, New York, founded the Family Travel Association seven years ago to help parents and caregivers introduce children to the world through travel, whether that’s a yearlong trip around the world that Jenss and his family took or a weekend getaway to a nearby destination. To help the travel industry gauge what parents want when they take their kids on vacation, FTA conducts an annual study. The U.S. Family Travel Survey 2021 reveals the shift in mindset the COVID-19 pandemic has created in families planning a trip over the next 12 months. Hoteliers use can use the information to generate business and boost their strategies to recover and sustain business now and other the coming months.
October 12, 2021
Chris Daly is happy to work barefoot, but he does not recommend baring your hotel’s soul during a time of crisis. With a family history in hospitality and a secret life as a music critic, Chris has handled more disasters, crises, murders, and fires than a season of Law and Order. Chris gives Susan some pointers about how hospitality businesses can handle sticky situations and what to include in a hotel’s crisis communications plan.
October 6, 2021
340 | New Glass Ceiling: Industry leaders work to shatter barriers for women hotel owners and investors
Whether they’re new to the concept or they’ve worked in lodging for years, women are an emerging force in hotel development, investment and ownership. Several industry leaders are making significant strides in building programs that encourage and support women interested in becoming hotel owners and investors. This report examines new projects and updates the status of existing efforts by industry leaders to recruit women as owners and help them hurdle barriers such as critical access to capital.
October 5, 2021
Kendra Plummer did not grow up with pets, but she did grow up dreaming of owning a boutique hotel in Barbados. When she realized that the path to hotel ownership was not lined with front desk shifts, Kendra left operations for acquisitions, doing math and kicking assets. Susan hears about what it takes to become a hotel investor and how Kendra is tackling the wealth gap for women and people of color.
September 30, 2021
11 | Tracy Kundey: Everwood Hospitality operations chief urges industry to solve business challenges ‘in a different way’
Although Tracy Kundey has several decades of experience in the hospitality industry, he’s not one to look back. You can’t change history, he says. And that goes for hotels that lost business during the coronavirus pandemic. The only direction to go is forward. Everwood Hospitality Partners recently enlisted Kundey to help lead it beyond the pandemic recovery. In Episode 11 of Lodging Luminaries, host Jason Freed talks with Kundey about the steps Everwood is taking to not only get to the other side of the economic downturn but to grow Everwood into an industry powerhouse by deploying technology to manage profitability and getting creative with delivering on guest services while seeking out opportunistic deals. Success today is a matter of ‘looking at things differently,’ he said.
September 29, 2021
A hot topic discussed at hotel industry conferences this year is separating amenities and services from the standard room rate and charging guests fees for such things as daily room cleaning, use of the pool or fitness room and a hot breakfast. While some hoteliers have begun to ‘unbundle’ services others are still mulling it over. They mostly agree, however, that something has to give as the lodging industry figures out how to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic with a stronger and more flexible revenue model than before the coronavirus crisis.
September 28, 2021
After two broken legs cut his professional racing career short, Cory Falter turned his love of art into a career helping hotels and restaurants tell their stories. Cory’s evolution from ink aficionado to digital designer led him to explore the revenue possibilities of technology. Susan learns about Cory’s idea for increasing a hotel guests’ lifetime value by establishing relationships built on trust and extreme transparency.
September 27, 2021
As the hotel industry shifts into a new era influenced by the coronavirus pandemic as well as the unleashing of younger travelers eager to get out and experience the world, new hospitality brands are emerging either in full or by creating novel concepts within their traditional frameworks. In Episode 8 of NextGen in Lodging, host Chris Henry leads a discussion among three hospitality innovators who share what’s next for a recovering industry.
September 22, 2021
From the start of the coronavirus pandemic in early 2020, the lodging industry turned to technology to solve immediate challenges. The very nature of hospitality can make a hotel vulnerable to cyberattacks. As the industry adopts new technology to help it recover from the coronavirus crisis and economic downturn, the threats are greater and the number of attacks are growing. The good news is for as many nefarious ways cybercriminals can strike, there are corresponding solutions. Episode 338 of Lodging Leaders podcast focuses on the pervasive cyber threats the hospitality industry faces as it deploys technology to modernize its business processes and improve guest experiences.
September 21, 2021
Tammy Gillis doesn’t want to be pitch-slapped, and she doesn’t think your customers want that either. A self-described lost soul in her youth, Tammy found herself and her calling in hotel sales. Susan learns how Tammy suggests hoteliers approach the recovery and how salespeople should pursue business conversations to make a positive impact.
September 15, 2021
More than 1,700 hotels in the U.S. closed in spring 2020 at the height of the coronavirus pandemic. At the end of August, 1,200 were closed, reported Kalibri Labs. Meantime, 840 new hotels opened last year and 900 are on track to open this year, according to Lodging Econometrics. Episode 337 of Lodging Leaders explores the challenges owners faced in reopening closed hotels as well as what owners and operators did to ramp up business at hotels that were at such low levels of occupancy, they might as well have been closed. We also feature owners who opened new properties during the pandemic. One owner we interviewed opened two new hotels while doing what it took to keep his existing properties in business. This report is part of our ongoing coverage of the coronavirus crisis and its impact on the hospitality industry.
September 14, 2021
Calvin Tilokee’s first meme was printed out and hung on his office door. Since then, he’s created @revparblems, a hospitality comedy account on Instagram with 20,000 followers. Susan learns how Calvin navigates the highs and lows of being the funniest account on Instagram and helps hotels with social media through his company, RevPar Media.


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AXA is backtracking. The French insurer, which since last year has authorized its Swiss customers to pay their insurance premiums in bitcoin, deemed the experience inconclusive. It will end in June due to the lack of success with policyholders.
“As part of a pilot project, AXA Switzerland introduced the possibility of paying in bitcoin in April 2021, in order to better understand this digital payment method and the needs of customers in this area. However, due to low demand, AXA Switzerland has decided to no longer offer this offer from the end of June 2022”, we learned from a spokesperson for the group.
A budding market
When this service was launched, AXA thought it was meeting the expectations of its customers. The company was then based on a survey conducted in 2019 among its policyholders, showing that nearly a third of them had bitcoins or would like to.
The group had even hinted that it could expand the range of authorized cryptocurrencies if the experience proved convincing. Only the insurer’s non-life insurance products were affected by this offer, in accordance with Swiss law.
In France, cryptocurrencies are slowly entering the insurance sector but it is still embryonic. Online broker East Assur announced on March 24 that it is now accepting cryptocurrency contributions from its clients.
Specializing in automobile, two-wheeler and multi-risk home (MHR) risks, it is aimed primarily at young drivers, who have high penalties.
In an unprecedented geopolitical and economic context, the editorial expertise of Les Echos is invaluable. Every day, our surveys, analyses, columns and editorials accompany our subscribers, help them understand the changes that are transforming our world and prepare them to make the best decisions.
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FILE PHOTO: A Starbucks store is seen in the Tom Bradley terminal at LAX airport in Los Angeles, California, United States, October 27, 2015. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson/File Photo
(Reuters) – Starbucks Corp (SBUX.O) said on Thursday the cooperation with UberEats for the delivery of approximately 3,500 U.S. stores, and would nearly double its outlets in China over the next four years, but predict that same-store sales would remain stable, sending shares down 3 percent.
The company said it expects global same-store sales growth of 3 percent and 4 percent per year in the long term, roughly in line with a forecast that estimates of revenue growth to be at the bottom of 3 percent to 5 percent this year.
Starbucks has been struggling to lure guests in restaurants as it faces fierce competition from smaller coffee chains that offer exotic coffees and fresh food.
In his attempt to the competition, the Seattle-based chain that owns about 14,000 restaurants in the U.S. the renovation of its owned and licensed by companies, to improve the supply, the conclusion of Teavana stores, laying off employees and adding new dishes and drinks on the menu.
The last delivery initiative, which will start from the beginning of 2019, builds on a pilot program launched in Miami, in September, the company said.
The company said last month was the collaboration with UberEats to deliver coffee and food in Tokyo, as part of its plan to boost sales in Japan, one of the largest in the Asia-Pacific region.
Starbucks also said on Thursday it would increase its presence in China, the fastest growing market, 6.000 shops spread over 230 cities in the next four years, from 3,600 stores in 150 cities.
Starbucks has a partnership with Alibaba Group Holding Ltd (BABA).N) earlier this year to deliver food and coffee in China, as it looks to compete with the local coffee chains.
The world’s biggest coffee chain’s shares fell 3 percent to $64.84 in after-hours trading.
Reporting by Aishwarya Venugopal and Nivedita Balu in Bengaluru; Editing by James Emmanuel


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Large crowd braces rain for Stone machinery auction
The day’s leading prices included £2,200 for a mini digger, £1,900 for an International 84 2wd tractor, £1,500 for a Leyland tractor with loader, £700 for a Honda 300cc quad bike and £600 for a golf buggy.
The good trade continued in the farm machinery section as a 12 tonne Gull grain trailer made £1,800, 30 concrete silage panels made £60 apiece, a Lely 240LC mower sold for £1,050, a vegetable barrel washer made £1,000, a Four rota tedder made £820 and a potato bagger sold for £700.
The vehicle and trailer section saw the best price of the day go to a tri axle 14 foot Ifor Williams stock trailer, which sold after the auction for £3,500. A Mini Cooper sold for £1,500 and an Indespension trailer made £1,000.
The usual selection of timber, building materials, garden machinery and sundries generated enthusiastic bidding throughout despite the occasional rain storm.
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The 550 horsepower 2019 Cadillac CT6-V, as I have outlined to you before, is extremely exciting if only because it’s one confirmed beacon of awesome in Cadillac’s increasingly meandering future. And it seems like Cadillac knows it too, because it seems like the company is really milking the opportunity with a “second installment” of cars.
In January, we reported that the CT6-V would be part of a preorder program that would be capped at 275 models in the U.S. The price was $88,790, but, confusingly, Cadillac also told us that these wouldn’t be the only CT6-Vs running around. It said that there “will be more CT6-Vs arriving, along with Blackwing V8 Platinum models,” supposedly after the 275 cap.
There is now apparently a “second installment” of CT6-Vs, according to the automaker via an email. But they will be $4,000 more expensive for something that’s allegedly no different than what was offered in the first wave. Cadillac also hasn’t yet announced final production numbers.
Cadillac has announced continued production of the CT6-V, this time costing $92,790.
Those slow on the draw have hopefully used the extra time to fish another $4,000 from their pockets. The elevated price buys the same car that was $88,790 two months ago - nothing has changed but the bottom line.
This is dumb.
If Cadillac is going to make the CT6-V exclusive, then make it damn exclusive. Offer only 275 examples, sure! But to penalize people who weren’t “quick on the draw” by increasing the price by $4,000 as a “second installment”? For a product that isn’t any different? How, exactly, is this anything other than manufactured exclusivity and money-grabbing?
In the email, a Cadillac spokesperson declined to provide a reason for the price hike. If it’s worth it to you, be ready to pony up.


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Vogue is set to launch an online piece focusing on fashion, beauty and luxury industries giving business owners and companies a space to advertise and sell.
Conde Nast has had this project up and running for the past year, pitching and going back and forth after the company started teasing it a couple times in a few local newsletter.
This has all come to light as many believe that mainstream magazines and the media have struggled to show much of fashion if weren’t for most online style type work many working in the industry wouldn’t have much coverage on these types of works
Mr Blau President of Condé Nast International says “I don’t see in the near or midterm future to move the global portfolio on for a paywall” he says this because the online magazine he is trying to achieve in order to sell and advertise to appeal to the target audience it is known that paywalls aren’t successful and many would cause the project to fail before it even starts.
Amid this, Conde Nast international have given a new face to fashion journalists not only where they’re based but globally by using their platform as a voice for those using it to help promote.
“No one else in the world employs more fashion journalists in more places than we do. Our global network of journalists, digital editors and researchers are immersed in the relevant fashion trends on all inhabited continents, giving the team of Vogue Business access to an unparalleled depth of knowledge, from local design trends to changes in manufacturing, training, technology and distribution.” says Blau
Vogue business Aims to fill the gap which is in the market as of now to bring together advertising the brand along with subscription and find a way to make readers more engaged.
“Our journalism is designed for maximum impact and accessibility, making it easy to understand key ideas at a glance, and to enable fashion leaders to make the decisions that will grow and future-proof their businesses and careers.” says Lauren Indvik, Chief-Editor of Vogue Business.
As we’re in a day and age where technology is changing by day it will be very interesting to follow this up and see whether it will be a success.


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Peloton and Lululemon say they have resolved litigation issues stemming from claims that Peloton infringed on Lululemon’s patented apparel designs
Peloton and Lululemon are ready to move on, having reached a mutually agreeable lawsuit settlement stemming from accusations of patent infringement. Last fall, Lululemon, the popular athleisure company, accused the connected fitness brand of patent infringement by developing a women’s apparel line.
Peloton has agreed to eliminate designs that Lululemon had objected to in its lawsuit as part of the settlement. While Peloton has not admitted any wrongdoing, both fitness-related brands are in agreement and eager to move forward.
“The parties have negotiated a mutually agreeable settlement, and are pleased the matters could be resolved amicably, resulting in dismissal of the pending litigation between them,” the companies stated, according to Reuters.
The terms of the settlement have not been disclosed.
To recap, last fall, the Canadian-based athletic wear company that put leggings on the map, accused Peloton of infringing on its intellectual property rights in six of its patented apparel designs. Lululemon issued a cease-and-desist letter to Peloton, threatening to file a lawsuit. Peloton responded by claiming that Lululemon’s designs were not unique enough to warrant patent protection and launched a legal preemptive attack. Peloton’s strategy included filing its own suit in a Manhattan federal court, requesting that the court declare that it had not infringed on any patents, which the judge recently dismissed.
Lululemon took issue with Peloton for not putting in the effort to create its own original product line and, as promised, filed a lawsuit claiming that the interactive fitness company infringed on its intellectual property rights regarding six of its patented apparel designs. Lululemon claimed that Peloton’s Strappy Bra, High Neck Bra, Cadent Peak Bra, Cadent Laser Dot Bra, Cadent Laser Dot Leggings, and One Lux Tight infringed on its patents. As PeloBuddy points out, many of the Peloton pieces listed in the lawsuit are still available for purchase in the apparel section of Peloton’s site. It is unclear when the athleisure pieces will be officially phased out.
At one time, the two famous fitness brands enjoyed a co-branding relationship. More recently, Peloton announced a partnership with Dick’s Sporting Goods, where the connected fitness hardware will be sold at over 100 Dick’s retail locations and on Dicks.com.
Lululemon recently celebrated a 29% increase in revenue to $1.87 billion, with shares of the activewear company popping after exceeding Wall Street expectations.
Courtney Rehfeldt has worked in the broadcasting media industry since 2007 and has freelanced since 2012. Her work has been featured in Age of Awareness, Times Beacon Record, The New York Times, and she has an upcoming piece in Slate. She studied yoga & meditation under Beryl Bender Birch at The Hard & The Soft Yoga Institute. She enjoys hiking, being outdoors, and is an avid reader. Courtney has a BA in Media & Communications studies.


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Lord Miyazaki is back and almost finished cooking. In a recent interview, he revealed that his next game is in its final stage of development. It could be announced at anytime. Could it be Bloodborne for PC? Or could it be the Armored Core game thats been rumored to be in the works. Only time will tell, but lets hope users enjoy this game more than they did Elden Ring. Im still angry at the super low user scores that Elden Ring received across all platforms. Game is a masterpiece and deserves much more praise.
According to Miyazaki, all praise be he, his next game as director will focus, "on a more abstract fantasy than anything we've done in the past." Whatever the heck that means, who knows what this weirdo will come up with. Lets hope with all the money hes made from Elden Ring he can update to a PS4 engine this time. What game does SW think hes working on? Will it be open world? Will we finally get a flying mount? Will he continue to make his games easier and more accessible to gamers?


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As ZDNet put it, “It should come as no surprise that social networking growth has significantly increased over the past three years.” Indeed; it has doubled from 29 percent in 2008 to 65 percent this year. However, the focal point of the story is the young women that have been the driving force behind the increase. But we can’t say we’re surprised – we’ve reported the same trend in previous posts regarding social media – but what is it about Generation Y women that draws such frequent engagement with Facebook, and social media in general? ZDNet takes a harder look at the social differences between modern-day men and women in attempts to solve this ongoing mystery.
According to the Pew Internet & American Life Project, 89 percent of women aged 18 to 29 years old are connected to social networking sites. The report also notes that women have been “significantly more likely” to be on social media sites than men since 2009. The statement is particularly noteworthy due to the fact that the majority of technology-driven trends are male dominated. “What the research does not question is whywomen are spending more time on social media sites than men,” stated the article. Statistically, women receive higher exam grades than men, and also have more photos on their profile page. Men tend to exhibit more narcissistic traits in person, according to the article. Women are also more career-focused and “hyper-aware of their own standing within a social network – online and offline.” Men tend to be more concerned with displaying their alpha-male status in person, instead of through “an indirect means of social networking.”
Although the reasons aren’t quite clear, the fact of the matter is that participation in Facebook and other social networking sites is steadily increasing. There haven’t been enough studies on the differences between men and women in regards to online social engagement to draw a definitive conclusion, and although many hypothesize that we’ll eventually reach a state of relative social androgyny, we have yet to see any hard facts and reasoning behind these trends.
If you own a business and have yet to launch an interactive marketing campaign, now is the time to increase your online brand presence. Blue Interactive Agency offers a range of social media marketing services, including Facebook marketing, Twitter marketing and more. Call (954) 779-2801 for more information.


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Photos of the Day: NSF-Supported Consumer Technology
This image shows the printing of graphene-based conductive inks. Credit: Vorbeck Material.
Read: Ideas in Action at Eureka Park
An adaptive antenna improves wireless coverage for communications. Credit: Fidelity Comtech, Inc.
SmarterShade technology electronically darkens windows. Credit: SmarterShade TM
For more information visit http://www.nsf.gov .


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If he doesn get something secure by August he will apply the brakes to stop the race. The organizers have made cuts to this year race. They have cut the Fixed Gear Fever race at the Blaine Velodrome. They have also cut their television program, which was their biggest single line item. The North Vancouver school district and the RCMP are investigating after a parent sent an anonymous email warning that some Grade 12 students are planning a disturbing grad contest. The contest includes stealing, streaking, having sex with younger high school students and other challenges I won repeat. According to the email, students who participate must provide video evidence of their misdeeds.
the partnership against our current brand strategy and came to the difficult decision not to renew. "Cannon Falls is one of five host cities. It is the trailhead for the Cannon Valley Trail. Patricia Anderson with the Cannon Falls Chamber of Commerce says, the race helps to promote the trail and cyclo tourism in the area. "So in being a host city we get we estimate about $50,000 worth of media coverage that a small town chamber can afford," she said. LaPorte says he not interested in putting on a local or regional race.
between Seycove and Windsor students. My story prompted an email from a Seycove Grade 12 student who said my report on this investigation has given his school a black eye and I .
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Sportswear retailer Frasers Group, which is currently run by British businessman Mike Ashley, is to create a “significant number” of jobs with the opening of two new stores in Ireland.
The stores will be the first for the group in the Republic, and will open at Mahon Point Shopping Centre in Co Cork and Whitewater Shopping Centre in Co Kildare.
Both centres are owned by German fund Deka, and were previously occupied by Debenhams.
The group will take over two floors of the empty lot in Mahon Point.
Frasers said the two stores would host a range of beauty, fashion, premium and contemporary accessories, designer childrenswear, as well as a “world-class” beauty hall.
The group said a Sports Direct will also operate within both new stores. The openings will be phased, with Sports Direct set to open later this year, and Frasers set to open in early 2022. The stores occupy about 150,000sq ft combined.
Last year Frasers agreed to buy the anchor building at Foyleside Shopping Centre in Derry, also previously occupied by Debenhams. A department store is set to open in Derry later this year.
Mike Ashley, one of Britain’s best-known and most outspoken businessmen, will next year step down as chief executive of the group, which he founded nearly 40 years ago, giving up the role to the partner of his daughter.
Ashley’s long-stated desire is to make Frasers the “Selfridges of sport”, emulating the status of the London department store.
The deal was brokered by Peter O’Meara & Kevin Sweeney from Savills, acting for Deka, with Karl Stewart of Cushman and Wakefield acting for the tenant.


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Disney has released a trailer featuring a new character by the name of Princess Sofia, notable because the company considers her its first Latina princess. The thing is you probably wouldn't guess it from looking at her, notes Mashable. It rounds up tweets on the subject that fall into two camps: Those who think she looks white, and those who point out that not all Latinos have dark complexions.
- The point that many Latinos are fair-skinned is true, writes Caity Weaver at Gawker, though "it does seem odd that Disney would decide to make its first Latina princess look like a blue-eyed version of Belle from Beauty and the Beast."
- Alyssa Rosenberg at Talking Points Memo cuts Disney a little more slack on that front, but complains that the upcoming TV show looks to be of the stale "European fairy tale" tradition instead of something more innovative. "The whole project looks less like an original story and much more like an opportunity for marketing."
- Entertainment Weekly has background on how Disney producers have chosen to take a low-key approach to Sofia's ethnicity. "We never actually call it out," says one Disney Junior exec.


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The iPhone 5s, which Apple launched some ten days ago, has proved incredibly popular across many markets, and at this moment in time, the company is struggling to ship in the numbers demanded by the consumer. But while the handset itself is difficult enough to get hold of, the new Gold model is a particularly scarce commodity, and with eBay sellers offering the device at up to and in excess of double the retail price, some Chinese customers have taken less expensive measures to achieve that champagne finish in the form of sticker-based conversion kits.
The iPhone 5S is expected to pack a plethora of interesting features, but in a real change from tradition, it looks as though Apple has decided to introduce a gold, or champagne color configuration. Naturally, not everybody has been impressed by this decision, and the stereotypes thrown up by prospective owners of a gold smartphone are almost perfectly encompassed by a new mock ad, released after the iPhone 5S announcement parody. The short clip involves, for lack of a more apt phrase, a douchebag, who proceeds to strut around town wielding his shiny new gold iPhone. Check it out after the break!
Although we'll have to wait for the official announcement before we can, without any doubt, discover whether Apple does indeed intend to bring forth a gold 'champagne' color configuration for the iPhone 5S, strong reports - backed by physical evidence - have all-but confirmed the existence of a champagne / gold iPhone 5S. Today, high quality images of the rear shell of the device have emerged directly from Apple's supply chain, and as previously suspected, it's based heavily upon the White & Silver variant of the iPhone 5, with most of the silver areas instead finished in gleaming gold.
As we move closer to the speculated next-generation iPhone announcement, we are seeing additional leaked images that claim to prove the existence of the champagne / gold iPhone 5S. Over the last seven days we have been hearing murmurings about whether or not Apple will be releasing the iPhone 5S in a variety of colors, with most of the attention being lavished on the purported gold - or champagne - variant of the new device. Whether or not that will actually happen is still up in the air, but the latest leaked images to come from Japanese sources show the purported gold / champagne colored hardware sitting alongside a black and white version of the current iPhone 5.
Over the course of the iPhone's existence, we've pretty much heard every single type of rumor that it's possible for people to come up with. Large screen sizes, different color variants, budget devices and the possibility of a convex home button to provide a little additional component space for a fingerprint sensor. However, today's emergence of the possibility of a champagne / gold colored iPhone 5S is definitely up there with the unexpected speculative topics. It may seem a little unlikely to some, but newly leaked images that show purported parts of the sparkling device add more fuel to the growing fire.


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It’s no secret that NASCAR officials have watched the No. 1 sport in the country, the NFL, over the years for many reasons. It’s prudent to follow the thought that if it works for the NFL it might work for us.
In the past the successful methods of NFL media and even playoff schematics have influenced NASCAR’s policy.
NASCAR followed the NFL practice of arranging one hotel for media during an event with hospitality work areas. The successful NFL playoff system prompted NASCAR to try to create the drama at season’s end with the Chase for the Sprint Cup.
When the economy started to take a toll on NASCAR ticket sales last year it lowered prices and set up payment plans. NASCAR also worked package deals with hotels and this year it is permitting soft-sided coolers and backpacks in the stands so fans can carry in more affordable food and beverage items.
NASCAR listened to its fans.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are keen on the economic challenges that face the region too, and due to fan feedback they are adopting some similar fan-friendly features.
"Our organization has spent a lot of time listening to our fans at this time when our team is thriving and our economy is not. As a result, we are now offering several pricing changes in response to our community's needs," said Buccaneers Co-Chairman Joel Glazer.
Price packages courtesy of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers:
>Tens of thousands of season ticket prices have been reduced by up to 20 percent, with adult tickets starting at $35 per game. In addition, youth tickets (16 and under) are now available for purchase in any upper level section at 50 percent off adult prices, starting as low as $17.50.
>Selected season parking has been discounted by up to 40 percent, now starting at only $13.50 per game.
>Season pass holders will also receive 10 percent off of all stadium food, beverage and merchandise purchases.
>The Buccaneers recently introduced a 10 month payment plan, which has debuted to rave reviews.
It may be a while before the NFL will allow soft-sided coolers in the stands also, but the price cuts will be welcomed by local Buccaneers fans, some of whom are NASCAR fans as well.
Photo credit: Dwight Drum @ Racetake.com


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BET À DAY
American radio host Alex Jones has made millions of dollars by spreading conspiratorial lies to better sell his products, like an online ecosystem that, according to experts, makes misinformation a lucrative business.
This conspirator was ordered this year to pay some $1.5 billion in fines and damages for questioning the reality of a 2012 Sandy Hooks Elementary School shooting, in which 20 schoolchildren and six adults lost their lives.
His two trials, in Texas and Connecticut, showed how difficult it is to limit misinformation on the internet, where misleading and inflammatory content often spread faster, get more reaction and generate more revenue than the truth.
“The current economic model on the internet is to obtain an audience and then derive revenue from it, whether through advertising, sales of goods or donations,” Danny Rogers, of the NGO Global Disinformation Index, told AFP.
“Alex Jones has perfected this model by peddling the most divisive discourse in the form of virulent conspiracy theories (…) and then extracting profits from his audience. »
Mr Jones, who made headlines again this week when rapper Kanye West spoke on his air of his admiration for Adolf Hitler, has amassed a small fortune according to experts by mixing conspiracy theories and selling merchandise on his site InfoWars.
In particular, he boosted his sales of food supplements supposed to reinforce virility by ensuring that the government, via pollutants, made men more effeminate or homosexual.
And he accused authorities of dumping sodium fluoride in tap water while offering water filters and special fluoride-free toothpaste on his site.
The extent of his fortune is not known, but an expert estimated during the trial in Texas that Alex Jones and Free Speech Systems, the parent company of InfoWars, probably weighed between 135 and $270 million.
This did not prevent the polemicist from begging for donations to help him pay the damages, and in particular to receive an anonymous offering equivalent to 8 million in cryptocurrencies, according to the association Southern Poverty Law Center.
This week, Alex Jones nevertheless declared himself bankrupt, assuring that his debts greatly exceeded his assets, which he places between 1 and 10 million. InfoWars filed for bankruptcy in April, and Free Speech Systems in July.
The Washington Post reported last month, citing financial documents, that Mr. Jones transferred millions of dollars from Free Speech Systems to companies that he or his family members control.
According to families of victims of the 2012 shooting, the conspirator is trying to hide his fortune to avoid paying.
Neither he nor Free Speech Systems responded to AFP's requests.
'Clicks and money'
Families of victims, who were vindicated, say they were harassed and threatened for years — on the internet, but also in real life — by Alex Jones fans.
Data presented at trial showed that InfoWars' revenue increased almost fivefold overnight when Alex Jones falsely claimed that an FBI report showed 'no one died in 2012 at Sandy Hook
“Their children were massacred, I saw it with my own eyes,” testified FBI agent Bill Aldenberg, during the trial in Connecticut in September.
“And these people (including Alex Jones, editor’s note) made millions.
This demonstrates, experts say, the interest online content creators have in promoting conspiracy theories that can go viral.
“The fundamental problem goes beyond Jones and is really about the business model itself and its toxic effects,” says expert Danny Rogers.
“It creates a whole world of Alex Jones that polarizes the discourse and infuses fear and anger for clicks and money. Until that changes, we'll just move on from one Alex Jones to the next. »


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Saint is a new London restaurant and bar designed by Paul Daly Design Studio, which created concepts for fashion outlet Ozwald Boateng and bars Elbow Room and R Bar. Daly deliberately took an anti theme-bar stance. ‘The last 18 months have seen an influx of overtly themed bars using bold colours,’ he says. This trend influenced his decision to use soft blue and lilac. The consultancy has designed corduroy and brown leather seating and used a combination of mahogany, stainless steel and laminate to get ‘interesting contrasts’ in the Covent Garden venue.
Integrated packaging design specialist Equator, offers tips on how to keep new business coming through the door.
The company is claiming that it dismissed Conze in October for revealing confidential information, and has now filed a lawsuit against him.
A round-up of moves, changes and appointments in the design world.
Stories of sexism in the industry, a £200,000 interiors redesign for the V&A Museum of Childhood and a nostalgic look at magazine The Face – the news from the last


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Toronto Real Estate Board President Paul Etherington announced 11,706 sales reported by Greater Toronto REALTORS® in May 2015. This result was up by 6.3 per cent in comparison to 11,013 sales reported in May 2014. For the TREB market area as a whole, sales were up for all major housing types. However, in the City of Toronto, where the supply of low-rise listings has been constrained, sales were down for detached homes.
“During my tenure as TREB President over the past year, it is clear to me that ownership housing remains top of mind as a quality long-term investment for GTA households. This is why, despite a shortage of listings in some market segments, we experienced a record number of sales reported through TREB’s MLS® System for the month of May,” said Mr. Etherington.
Record May transactions, coupled with a dip in the number of homes available for sale, resulted in strong price growth. The MLS® Home Price Index (HPI) Composite Benchmark was up by 8.9 per cent year over year in May. The MLS® HPI uses benchmark homes to estimate price growth. This allows for an “apples to apples” comparison of price growth that is not affected by changes in the mix of sales activity.
The average selling price for all home types combined in May 2015 was up by 11 per cent annually to $649,599. The higher annual rate of average price growth compared to the MLS® HPI Composite Benchmark points to the fact that the proportion of high-end home sales continued to be greater compared to 2014.
“Tight market conditions, especially for singles, semis and town homes in the GTA, have resulted in strong price growth regardless of the price metric being considered. With no relief so far on the listings front, expect similar rates of price growth as we move through the remainder of 2015. At this point, a number of months where listings growth outstrips sales growth would be required to satisfy pent-up demand,” said Jason Mercer, TREB’s Director of Market Analysis.
For a complete list of report, please click here


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Your Guide to the Solar Eclipse: Here's What You Need to Make It Amazing
Unless you've been living under a rock as big as the moon, you probably know about the upcoming total solar eclipse on August 21. In case you don't recall what that is from high school science class, this rare astronomical event occurs when the moon slides between sun and Earth. Pretty cool, huh? And an excellent teaching moment for kids.
According to NASA, most of the 50 U.S. states will be afforded at least a partial view of this celestial wonder. Along the path of the moon, certain areas of the country will even see a moment of totality, when the moon fully obscures the view of the sun. Check out this map to see exactly what the moon's trajectory will be. Basically, the moon will travel from the West Coast, cutting across the upper portion of the country, on a diagonal path through Nebraska, Missouri, and Tennessee, ultimately ending around Charleston, South Carolina, before heading out to sea.
You can also watch the eclipse on live streaming video on August 21, on NASA's website.
It's important to know that you should never look directly at the sun's rays without special eclipse glasses, or else you could permanently damage your eyes. Here's a list of American Astronomical Society approved vendors that sell safe eclipse glasses for you and your fam. Just be careful! According to CNN Money, some companies have been stamping their glasses with a phony International Organization for Standardization (ISO) seal.
RELATED: Outer Space Party
"It now appears that some companies are printing the ISO logo and certification label on fake eclipse glasses and handheld solar viewers made with materials that do not block enough [light]," the AAS said. Yikes!
Once you get your hands on safe viewing glasses, it's time to plan your eclipse party, of course. Check out this out-of-this-world cocktail recipe for the adults. And for the junior astronomers in the house, try this chocolate moon cake recipe that will skyrocket the fun to another level. Or, bake up some black velvet cupcakes with galaxy frosting that are sure to be gobbled up faster than you can say, "solar eclipse!"
Want the latest parenting news? Sign up for our Parents Daily newsletter!
Melissa Willets is a writer/blogger/mom. Find her on Facebookwhere she chronicles her life momming under the influence. Of coffee.


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Retail Roundup: Last call for Neiman Marcus’ off-price store on LI
August 20, 2020
It’s the last call for Last Call.
Neiman Marcus Last Call, an off-price clothing and home décor store, will close at Tanger Outlets Deer Park on Aug. 31, according to a state Labor Department filing.
The Deer Park store and one in Brooklyn will be among 17 Last Calls that high-end retailer Neiman Marcus will close by fall, leaving five open, but none in New York state, according to Neiman Marcus Group LTD LLC, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in May.
“This company had a huge amount of debt, highly leveraged, before the bankruptcy began. And that huge amount of debt left it in a very weak position to deal with COVID,” said Patrick T. Collins, an attorney at Farrell Fritz, P.C. in Uniondale who focuses on bankruptcies and restructuring.
To read the full article, please click here.


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Twinkies saved by $410 million buyout
If your Twinkies stockpile has been dwindling since Hostess declared bankruptcy and ceased production of its sugar-filled snack in 2012, here’s some news that will surely bring a cavity-filled smile to your face.
Two companies, Apollo Global Management, LLC, and Metropoulos & Co., announced today (March 12) that they intend to buy out Hostess and Dolly Madison, producers of such iconic snacks as Twinkies, Ding Dogs, and HoHos.
“We are very pleased to have the opportunity to bring back ‘America’s favorite snack’. Apollo and I are proud to be associated with such an outstanding set of brands,” Dean Metropoulos, founder and CEO of Metropoulos & Co., said in a statement published by ABC News. “This transaction will ensure the beloved Hostess snack cakes can continue to be enjoyed for years to come.”
According to ABC, the two firms have agreed to pay $410 million for the brands, its production facilities, and production equipment. Apollo and Metropoulos also hinted at restoring as many jobs as possible, which were lost when Hostess shut down its “bakeries”.
Twinkie consumers, however, will still need to wait with baited icing-tinged breath until March 19 when the proposed transaction will be heard in U.S. Bankruptcy Court.


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The many caveats to avail the LTC cash voucher scheme announced by the government earlier this week have elicited a mixed response with some experts saying that this makes the scheme complicated and may “dampen the spirit”, while others believing that despite the conditions, there could be some takers for the scheme, thus boosting demand.
The government had on Monday announced an LTC cash voucher scheme, which allows full payment of leave encashment along with tax free fare payment by government employees. However, to avail the scheme, employees need to buy goods or services which would be three times the fare and one time leave encashment. Moreover, such purchase needs to be made via digital mode only on or before March 31, 2021only from a registered vendor. Also the goods and services which are to be purchased should be subjected to a GST of 12 per cent or more
According to Divakar Vijayasarathy, Founder and Managing Partner, DVS Advisors, since the announcements came with a "conditions apply" tag, it may dampen the spirit.
“The condition of the three times spending of the LTC would only push the middle class salaried population to postpone availing LTC to subsequent years in this block,” he said.
However, he added that the festival advance with only a single condition of digital spending, which is implemented through a RuPay prepaid card without any other frills, is “definitely a welcome one and is expected to be well received by the salaried class”.
“However, the estimate of increase in demand of around Rs 36000 crore as against estimated spending of Rs 11500 crore by the central government seems to be overstated. In the current scenario, expecting the private sector and the state governments to spend a similar amount cannot be justified. Except the LTC cash voucher which has too many frills attached to it, the other initiatives would definitely give impetus to the demand side,” he added.
Suresh Surana, Founder, RSM India, said the conditions may pose a hurdle. However, he added, it offers an alternate opportunity to taxpayers to claim LTC benefits in times of pandemic.
“The scheme provides tax exemption provided the taxpayer satisfies the consumer spending criteria. Thus, the LTC component which was initially tax exempt subject to incurring travel expenditure would now be subject to tax exemption on incurring specific consumer spending expenditure. Thus, the government has provided an alternative opportunity to the taxpayers to claim benefit of LTC which otherwise they would have to let go due to the ongoing crisis,” he said.
“Moreover, such consumer spending should be incurred on goods or services which attract a GST rate of 12 per cent or more. There are several products including consumer durables such as refrigerators, washing machine, certain category of vehicles, etc. which fall under the category. Thus, the alternative option rather enhances the scope of spending for the taxpayers and with the upcoming festive season, the taxpayer may indulge in products which are usually offered at a discounted price,” he said.
Jyoti Roy, Equity Strategist, Angel Broking, added that by imposing the clauses, the government is trying to make the scheme revenue natural so that the revenues foregone on the direct taxation front can be made up from additional GST collection.
“Given the pandemic, people may not want to travel any time in the near future and therefore government employees who have claimed only one LTC in the current block so far may also want to take advantage of the scheme and spend it on any planned purchases. Actual boost to spending would depend upon the number of government employees availing the scheme,” he said.
According to Akshay Hegde, Co-founder and Managing Director, ShakeDeal, since the economy is reeling with its worst recession in a long time and the pandemic hasn’t shown signs of easing, the conditional spend will help kickstart the economy in this festive season.
“Also, by limiting the benefits to non-food spend conditions such as white goods category, coupled with conditions for spend at GST registered vendors only, it would be interesting to see and monitor the efficacy of this scheme. According to me, LTC for the private sector is around one months basic salary. If they’re to spend three times that amount to save up on tax, it may not really be easy unless people have savings or spare money. Most people would not find this exciting enough to spend given due to the uncertainty in the job market and pay rises,” he concluded.


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By John Shortall on March 29, 2018 at 3:30 AM
Hotels in 20+ countries can now use the industry-leading property management system to accept payments for their online bookings.
SAN FRANCISCO, March 29, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Frontdesk Anywhere (FDA), the award-winning, cloud-based hotel Property Management System (PMS) has announced an integration with Stripe, a payments technology company that builds economic infrastructure for the internet. Hotels in over 20 countries can now process end-to-end bookings online via FDA’s platform.
"We are extremely pleased to be partnering with Stripe, the most powerful and flexible solution for online commerce," said Joe Kiernan, CEO of Frontdesk Anywhere. "Stripe is at the forefront of payment technology and our collaboration ensures that Frontdesk Anywhere customers benefit from robust, real-time reporting, enhanced fraud detection, streamlined dispute resolution and the ability to process payments in multiple currencies - all the while saving money on their credit card processing fees."
Frontdesk Anywhere is focused on converging processes traditionally performed by separate systems into a single, all-in-one productivity application. All modules are seamlessly integrated within the application and accessible from any computer or mobile device, saving hoteliers countless hours of human time while enabling them to make better business decisions.
"Through its easy-to-use property management platform, Frontdesk Anywhere is leveling the playing field for hotels of all sizes," said Christina Cordova, Head of Business Development at Stripe. "Many hotels are processing digital payments for the first time, and we’re thrilled to work with FDA to help these properties and resorts join the thriving online travel economy."
"Our partnership with Stripe further demonstrates our commitment to providing hoteliers access to the best technology and cost savings in a very meaningful capacity," Kiernan added.
Stripe, named the #1 Cloud Company by Forbes earlier this year, works with over 100,000 businesses worldwide, including such names as Facebook, Amazon, Lyft and OpenTable, managing billions of dollars across the globe.
ABOUT FRONTDESK ANYWHERE
Frontdesk Anywhere is an award winning cloud-based property management system for independent hotels and management groups. It provides hoteliers with a platform that streamlines operations, increases revenue and enhances the guest experience. Based in San Francisco with offices worldwide, Frontdesk Anywhere serves customers in more than 45 countries.


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The cover picture of a magazine featuring Sara Ali Khan and brother Ibrahim has gone viral. This is the first time that the brother-sister duo has posed together for a cover photo
Mumbai: Sara Ali Khan and her brother Ibrahim have been featured on the cover of the October issue of HELLO magazine. The image was shared by Sara on her Instagram account and has taken the internet by storm.
Saif Ali Khan and Amrita Singh's daughter Sara and son Ibrahim look stunning in the Abu Jani-Sandeep Khosla outfit.
Yo Bro 👭🌈🍭 @hellomagindia Editor-in-chief: @ruchikamehta05 Interviews: @sanghitasingh Photos: @ramshergill Creative Director: @avantikkak Fashion Editor: @sonampoladia Make-up and Hair for Sara: @anilc68 & @the.mad.hair.scientist Make-up and Hair for Ibrahim: @jeanclaudebiguineindia Location Courtesy: @tajsantacruzmumbai
Sara and Ibrahim are trending on social media thanks to their first ever cover picture together.
Sara is seen wearing a net saree with a quirky multi-coloured one-sleeve blouse, and Ibrahim dons a designer black outfit.
Sara and Imran's pictures for the cover were share with the caption, 'Yo Bro'.
This post has received numerous likes and comments from celebrities.
Priyanka Chopra commented, Damn them genes!
Read Exclusive COVID-19 Coronavirus News updates, at MyNation.
Last Updated Oct 2, 2019, 3:22 PM IST


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The typical ancillary
lab (if there is such a thing) offers a limited test menu.
Factors driving the growth of auto ancillary
market in India are also explained in detail, which includes growing automotive industry, healthy economic outlook, auto aftermarket demand, growing investments and opportunity from new US IT compliance law.
The PPS Revenue Model takes the two components of the Medicare PPS rate--the facility-specific component and the federal component--and calculates the average blended Medicare per diem, then allocates the per diem to the facility's routine and ancillary
While payers themselves have become more sophisticated in ancillary
network service approaches, the service providers are becoming more sophisticated as well.
For asset managers, the inflexion point when market rents plateau often is accompanied by a pivot into ancillary
Both airlines use Electronic Miscellaneous Documents, the IATA standard solution for fulfilling bookings for ancillary
The report which was announced by IdeaWorksCompany, a consultancy in the area of airline ancillary
revenues, and Amadeus, a travel technology partner and transaction processor for the travel and tourism industry, is based on the financial filings made by 108 airlines worldwide, 50 of which disclose ancillary
The study found that ancillary
revenue, once largely limited to low-fare airlines, is now the lifeblood of many large carriers worldwide -- and big companies, according to the researchers, generate big results.
AMADEUS, a leading travel technology partner and transaction processor for the global travel and tourism industry, has announced the launch of the world's first interline electronic miscellaneous document (EMD) link to facilitate payment for and the delivery of ancillary
services across airline partnerships and alliances.
Consulting organisation IdeaWorks and transaction processor Amadeus on Wednesday announced that the airline industry's ancillary
revenues have increased in 2011.
Travel Business Review-12 July 2010-TRX Offers Report on Ancillary
Fees Incurred(C)2010 ENPublishing - http://www.
AT Kearney said it sees an untapped revenue opportunity of $30 billion in ancillary
revenues for developers in the MENA region, of which around $5-10 billion are in UAE and an additional $8-12 billion are in Saudi Arabia.
Kearney, one of the world's leading management consulting firms, sees an untapped revenue opportunity of $30bn in ancillary
revenues for developers in the MENA region, of which around $5-10bn are in UAE and an additional $8-12bn are in Saudi Arabia.
This put the budget airline into fourth place in the list for world airline ancillary
revenue for 2008, compiled by American research group IdeaWorks.
Printing Industries of America/ Graphic Arts Technical Foundation (PIA/GATF) has released the latest economics and market research reports--Looking Forward: What's Next for the Economy and Print Markets in 2008-2009 and Expanding the Print Market Space: Printers' Diversification into Ancillary
Services--to help printers as they face an uncertain economic future.


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Constellation Brands’ US$ 850 million investment plan for Mexico keeps ahead
Constellation Brands, the NY-based producer and marketer of beer, wine and spirits, announced that neither the results of the last presidential election, nor the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), have been grounds to modify its plans to invest US$ 850 million in the current fiscal year for the expansion its Mexican plants.
“It’s around US$ 850 million for this fiscal year according to the plan, important investments focused on three locations: Mexicali, Ciudad Obregon and Piedras Negras,” said the firm’s CEO for Mexico, Daniel Baima, in an interview with the state-owned news agency Notimex. “Such figure is additional to the more than US$ 4.5 billion the company has already invested in recent years.”
Last year the company made headlines after a series of protests over the construction of a new brewery in Mexicali, Baja California. However, the director revealed that they have approached members of the next federal government from whom it has already received the vote of confidence.
Baima explained that the plant is currently 44% completed and is expected to enter operations in three years. Once this brewery is in full operation, Constellation Brands will have a production capacity of 43.5 million hectoliters in the country.
In 2017 alone, the production of Constellation Brands was responsible for 22% of the beer produced in Mexico and 84% of the Mexican beer exports to the United States.
As part of an agreement for the acquisition of Grupo Modelo by Anheuser-Busch InBev, Constellation Brands was granted the rights to produce and market exclusively for the U.S. market the brands of the Mexican consortium, including the popular beer Corona.
According to Baima, the consumption of these brands in the United States grew 9% in the first six months of the year, a figure that far exceeds the growth of the beer market overall.
Regarding the renegotiation of NAFTA, the official was optimistic and expected it to conclude at the end of the year. However, he assured that aluminum tariffs have affected them a lot, even though only 20% of the product is offered in cans, while the rest is sold in bottle.
– Mexico celebrates International Beer Day as leading brew exporter worldwide
– Constellation Brands to double capacity in Sonora brewery with US$ 900 million investment
– Plans for Constellation Brands brewery in Mexicali remain on track


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Aberdeen Standard Investments has appointed Jacqueline Lowe to the role of head of UK distribution for the newly-combined group, reporting to global head of distribution Campbell Fleming.
In the first announcement regarding people moves since the completed merger, the group said Lowe, who was previously head of UK wholesale & retail business for Standard Life Investments, will have overall...
'Purpose is not a mere tagline or marketing campaign'
Latest news and analysis
Owen to pay £3m
US rates heading below 0%
Joins from Handelsbanken


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On Tuesday, Amazon initiated layoffs within its advertising division as part of CEO Andy Jassy’s efforts to control costs.
It is unclear exactly how many employees in the ads division will be affected.
What’s happening. Amazon is currently experiencing the largest layoffs in its 29-year history, following a hiring surge during the Covid pandemic. Amazon’s global workforce grew to over 1.6 million by the end of 2021, up from 798,000 in the fourth quarter of 2019.
The aftermath. As a result of the recent layoffs, Amazon will reallocate resources, which include shifting team members, slowing down or stopping certain programs, and recognizing the need for different skill sets to address priorities. Consequently, role eliminations occurred for a small percentage of the organization. Affected employees were notified via email on Tuesday morning, with the layoffs scheduled to commence on June 20, or July 17 for workers in New York and New Jersey, following a 60- to 90-day transition period.
Transitioning to other roles. During this transition period, affected employees will have the opportunity to search for another role within the company. The exact number of layoffs within the advertising unit remains unclear. Last month, Jassy announced that Amazon would lay off 9,000 employees in addition to the 18,000 cuts previously announced in November and January. Those earlier layoffs primarily targeted retail, devices, recruiting, and human resources groups.
Jassy is also examining the company’s expenses on a larger scale as it faces an economic downturn and slowing growth in its core retail business. Amazon has frozen hiring within its corporate workforce, discontinued some experimental projects, and slowed warehouse expansion. By announcing layoffs in the advertising and Amazon Web Services divisions, Jassy has indicated that even Amazon’s largest and most profitable businesses are not exempt from cost-cutting measures.
What Amazon said. In a memo sent to staff, Paul Kotas, Amazon’s Senior Vice President of Advertising, IMDb, and Grand Challenge, informed employees of the job cuts. The memo emphasized that throughout the 2023 planning process, Amazon has been rigorously prioritizing resources to maximize customer benefits and ensure the long-term health of the business.
I wanted to share that this morning we took the difficult step of informing Amazon Ads team members who were impacted by role reductions in the U.S. and Canada. In other regions, we are following local policies which require additional time and process steps, including consultation with employee representative bodies. We will communicate with affected employees in other regions in accordance with those policies and timelines. We recognize that this news is significant for all our team members and, therefore, want to provide you with additional context on both the decision to eliminate roles and how we are supporting our impacted colleagues.
As Andy shared a few weeks ago, throughout the 2023 planning process, we’ve been scrupulously prioritizing resources with an eye toward maximizing benefits to customers and the long-term health of our business. For Ads, this process has involved reallocating resources by shifting team members, slowing down or stopping certain programs, or concluding we didn’t have the right skills in place to address our priorities. As a result, we have made deeply-considered decisions about how best to move forward, resulting in role eliminations for a small percentage of our organization.
Importantly, I want to acknowledge and thank our impacted colleagues for the work they have done on behalf of Amazon Ads customers. Our immediate focus is supporting our team members through this difficult transition and, to this end, employees whose roles were eliminated will have a personal follow-up meeting with a leader from their team explaining next steps. Those affected will receive full pay and benefits for the next 60 days (90 days if in New York and New Jersey), plus an additional severance package and outplacement support to help with finding their next role outside of Amazon.
Looking ahead, I remain very optimistic about the opportunities in front of us, even in an uncertain economic environment. We’ve built a strong foundation and I’m personally very excited by the invention and building happening across our organization. I also want to thank each of you for showing one another empathy and support during this time. Please reach out to your team leaders or MyHR with any questions.”
Paul Kotas, Amazon senior vice president of advertising, IMDb and Grand Challenge
Layoffs hitting the tech industry hard. Meta also announced its own plans to lay off employees across Facebook, Instagram, Reality Labs, and WhatsApp starting today. Meta employees in North America were notified by email between 4 am to 5 am PT Wednesday morning. Outside of North America, the timelines will vary country to country, and some countries will not be impacted.
Why we care. Aside from Layoffs signal a shift in the Amazon’s priorities and resource allocation. These changes could impact the advertising landscape on the platform, affecting the tools, services, and opportunities available to advertisers.
Additionally, getting laid off from a job is never easy. The affected individuals from Amazon, Meta, Google, and all of the other tech companies going through tough times, have valuable experience and expertise within the ad industry. Hopefully, their insights and skills will be an asset to other companies looking to strengthen their advertising teams.
from Search Engine Land https://searchengineland.com/amazon-layoffs-hit-its-advertising-unit-395791
via free Seo Tools


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Just weeks after receiving a patent for a new type of business reply mail, Bob Fredman is trying to sell the concept on eBay for $10 million.
Called Urgent Reply Mail, it lets companies give prepaid postage for business reply mail provided it is mailed by a preset expiration date. After the expiration date, the customer would have to pay the postage. Ideal mailings for the service, Fredman said, include solicitations, bills, fundraising and proxy votes.
The auction began March 13 and will last 10 days.
“10 million is an asking number,” the Maryland man said. “Am I flexible? Yes.”
Fredman said he thought of the idea for the envelope in 1999 when he was paying bills one night and looking for stamps. He has pitched it to First-Class mailers, direct marketers, envelope makers and the U.S. Postal Service.
“It's a great convenience for customers when paying bills, and companies benefit with faster responses,” he said.
Urgent Reply Mail also may save the USPS money, he said, through savings in processing and automation costs as well as increased use of First-Class mail.
But the postal service, which must approve the concept before it could be used, questioned the market demand.
Fredman also mentioned a concern. What if customers mailed the envelope without a stamp after the cutoff date for prepaid postage? Does the business still pay the postage or does the USPS return the mail, which would end up costing money.
Fredman had planned to license the concept to an envelope manufacturer, and he said two major credit card companies have expressed interest. He once considered creating an entity to license the concept but now wants to sell it.
But he said that the USPS would be the best organization to buy it.
Part of the reason for even going on eBay, Fredman said, “is to get excitement and interest going about the product, with hopes that the postal service will take a real serious look at it.”


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Lamborghini Countach Owners Have a Flying Engine Cover Problem
It did not take long for Lamborghini to recall its new Countach hybrid sports car.
The company recently told federal regulators that it is calling back the revived version of the classic sports car. The vehicles’ glass panels could detach and fly off in traffic, according to the luxury auto manufacturer.
“The rear bonnet glass panels could fully detach from the vehicle, creating a road hazard and increasing the safety risk of a crash for following traffic,” Lamborghini said in a defect notice filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. “The defect was caused by an error in supplier's assembly phase concerning the bonding of the glass panel.”
The company first became aware of the issue in October, when a Countach owner in Qatar reported that “four glass engine cover panels had separated from the supercar while it was on the move,” according to Car and Driver.
The recall covers a small number of the new Countach vehicles, including nine in the U.S. Lamborghini said it plans to notify owners of recalled cars stateside by Jan. 13. It will ask owners to bring the vehicles to a local dealer for inspection and repair, free of charge.
California Lamborghini Owners: Know Your Lemon Law Rights
These kinds of car recalls are all too common in California and across the country.
Major auto manufacturers call back millions of vehicles every year, often citing serious defects that pose real safety threats to everyone on the road. The recalls are often announced long after the cars have left manufacturers’ plants and been sold to unsuspecting buyers.
In November, for example, Lamborghini called back certain Uru sedans. The company told federal regulators at the time that a defect may make the cars’ rearview cameras inoperable.
Lamborghini announced over the summer that it was recalling a limited number of Huracan EVO sportscars. The vehicles, which start at more than $200,000 apiece, are equipped with faulty driver-side door handles, the company said.
Fortunately, Lamborghini and other car owners in California have some important rights and protections under the state’s lemon law.
The California lemon law requires automakers to perform a variety of repairs on vehicles while the cars are under warranty. It also forces those companies to buy back or replace cars that they cannot or simply refuse to properly fix.
There is no specific number of repair requests or attempts that must happen before the buyback or replacement requirement kicks in. That is one reason why it is important to consult an experienced lemon law attorney. The law requires manufacturers to pick up the tab for certain legal fees incurred by owners enforcing their rights.
Speak With a California Lemon Law Attorney at Our Firm
If you have been stuck with a defective or malfunctioning vehicle or are haggling with a car manufacturer over repairs, the California lemon lawyers at Bickel Sannipoli APC can help you fight back.


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Duluth Trading, now back in Duluth
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Duluth Trading Co., the work-clothing catalog business that was founded in Duluth, Minn., but left in the 1990s, will open a retail store in its hometown in the spring. It's considering another store in the Twin Cities, as well.
Duluth News Tribune reports on the deal to bring a Duluth Trading store to the city's downtown Woodrush Building at 300 E. Superior St. There's a good bit of history in there, too, going back to its launch in the 1980s by tradesmen Bob and Dave Fierek, who came up with a tool organizer called the Bucket Boss. Later products included Longtail T-shirts to prevent "plumbers butt."
The company, now based in Belleville, Wis., opened its first Minnesota store in Bloomington last fall. According to the News Tribune, that site's done well enough that Duluth Trading officials are thinking about another store in the metro area.
Mark Reilly manages daily and weekly coverage at the Business Journal newsroom.
Marketing Communication Specialist Marshfield Clinic | Marshfield, WI
Work For: Polaris Industries Polaris Industries | Minneapolis, MN
Deputy Chief Operating Officer MNsure | Saint Paul, MN
MNsure Project Management Office Director MNsure | Saint Paul, MN
Pediatric RN (Registered Nurse) / LPN (Licensed Practical Nurse) BAYADA HOME HEALTH CARE | New Ulm, MN
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A look at the day's business stories from media outlets around Minneapolis / St. Paul


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International_EN Norway02.05.2017 Editor
Deep in the bowels of an icy mountain on an island above the Arctic Circle between Norway and the North Pole lies a resource of vital importance for the future of humankind.
International_EN Norway01.04.2017 Editor
From March 2017, after a delay of 8 years, the EU will permit imports of organic salmon from EEA countries that have been certified in compliance with EU stipulations.
International_EN Norway22.09.2016 Leo Frühschütz
From 1 January 2015 organic salmon from Norway has no longer been organic. That's the opinion of the EU Commission. What the consequences are is not the least bit clear. The only thing that is clear is the fact the production conditions of Norwegian organic salmon farmers have not changed. What's going on here is to do with the legal situation– and diplomacy in agriculture.
It’s been a good year for the organic industry: the turnover of manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers in Germany, on the European and international markets has grown continually. The area of organically farmed land and the number of organic farms have increased slightly in this Year of the Soil. Look back with us over the organic year in our review!
International_EN Norway15.07.2015 Kai Kreuzer
When it comes to the production and consumption of organics, Norway is one of the countries lagging behind in Europe. Further evidence is the fact that we can’t get up-to-date organic data about Norway – this most western of the Scandinavian countries and also one that is not a member of the EU.
The latest global data on organic farming has been presented by IFOAM – Organics International and the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL) at the BioFach fair 2015 in Nuremberg. The global organic market increased to 72 billion US Dollars, organic agricultural land worldwide is 43 million hectares.
International_EN Norway09.02.2011 Redaktion
Nordic food is the new gastronomic trend in Europe
International_EN Norway23.05.2006 Redaktion
After five years of stagnation, Denmark’s organic industry is growing again.
International_EN Norway24.01.2006 Redaktion
Norway’s new centre-left government has high expectations of organic farming.


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Eating healthy food out is the Australian way
Melbourne, July 27 (ANI): A new research has shown that Australians might be eating out more than they did last year but they're opting for healthier tucker.
Fifteen per cent of the 1010 Australians polled in April this year, said they go out for breakfast once a week or more.
Thirty-two per cent enjoy dining out for an evening meal each week while 38 per cent go out for lunch.
The Galaxy Research found that 20 per cent of Australians aged 18 or more ate out more in 2010 than in 2009, with every one in three Australians going out for a meal once a week.
But the American Express Dining Insights Research also found that one in four Australians were ordering healthier meals than they were in 2009.
"Australians have a love affair with eating out but more and more they are balancing up the need to look after their health and their waistline," Geoff Begg, vice president of Merchant Services Australia at American Express said.
One-fifth of the people said that they increased their salad consumption.
"More than ever, Australians are better educated about what they are eating and the area of demand is great tasting food that is good for you," News.com.au quoted John Hart, CEO of Restaurant and Catering Australia as saying.
More men chose to eat healthy meals when they ate out in Victoria and NSW compared to women, while in South Australia and Queensland it's the women who are choosing to eat healthy meals. (ANI)


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- Daily Zen
But can you avoid Google? It’s very hard to avoid Google, if you use the Internet at all, either searching it directly or using it indirectly as the embedded search engine on someone else’s site. You have no choice but to go along with it, if you want to find the information you’re looking for. And that doesn’t even include Google Apps. Now, this sounds like a reason why some people ever log in to Google. Intrusiveness is one thing; intrusiveness to which it’s impossible to say ‘No’ is another, especially when Twitter and the other services you use online are being just as intrusive.
Google believes that the new set-up will enable it to tailor search results more effectively, as well as offer better targeted advertising to users.
Despite this, the web giant’s decision to push through with the changes comes just two days after French data protection regulators, leading the pan-European Article 29, Working Party’s investigation on the proposals declared them unlawful and asked the company to postpone the changes.


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It was the smash seen round the world. Now, Elon Musk is offering new spin on why the "unbreakable" windows on the Cybertruck he unveiled Thursday shattered when metal balls were thrown at it during a live demo. That cringeworthy moment—Musk can be heard saying, "Oh, my f---ing God" right after the first window cracked, per BuzzFeed—led to a tsunami of whispers about the electric vehicle's durability, but the Tesla CEO is insisting it wouldn't have happened but for the order of events onstage. To wit: Musk says chief Tesla designer Franz von Holzhausen should've hit the door of the Cybertruck with a sledgehammer after throwing the metal balls, not before. "Sledgehammer impact on door cracked base of glass, which is why steel ball didn't bounce off," Musk posted on Twitter, insinuating all would've been well had the order been reversed. "Next time..."
The Verge notes that explanation is "plausible," though it points out that the second ball von Holzhausen threw smashed a back window, which ostensibly wouldn't have been affected by a sledgehammer hit to the driver's-side front door. Musk also shared a video showing von Holzhausen hurling a metal ball at a Cybertruck before the launch; the ball simply bounced to the ground, the window intact. "Guess we have some improvements to make before production haha," Musk tweeted. Although Tesla's share price dipped after the debacle, causing Musk to lose nearly $770 million out of his own pocket in just one day, he says orders are pouring in for Cybertrucks: As of Sunday night, 200,000 preorders had been received, Musk noted, per the Verge. (Read more Elon Musk stories.)


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Announcing Extension-less XCUITest Support in Visual Studio App Center Test for iOS 12
In today’s fast-moving mobile world, we know it’s important to deliver a high quality experience on the latest platforms and operating systems. Each year Apple releases a new version of iOS and the App Center team works tirelessly to support it in our device lab. Keeping this tradition App Center is pleased to announce launch day support for iOS 12 in App Center.
You can now test your iOS apps with XCUITest, Xamarin.UITest and Appium test scripts in our lab. In addition to framework support, we now have over 80 iOS 12 devices available across 13 different models.
The following devices are now available for testing with iOS 12:
- iPod Touch (6th Gen)
- iPhone 7
- iPhone 7 Plus
- iPhone SE
- iPhone 6s
- iPhone 6s Plus
- iPhone X
- iPhone 8
- iPhone 8 Plus
- iPad 9.7” (2018)
- iPad Pro 10.5”
- iPad Pro 12.9”
- iPad Mini 4
You can access all of these devices by setting up a new test run. If you’re using CI or a build script to run your tests, be sure to update your device selection to make sure your test suite includes iOS 12.
Test your app on iOS 12 today ensure there are no crashes, performance issues or compatibility errors today!
Running XCUITests no longer requires an extension.
To make it even easier to run your XCUITest scripts in App Center, we’re happy to announce we’ve eliminated the need to modify your scripts. XCUITest tests can now run on App Center Test Cloud without linking app to App Center specific extension. Removing the need for this extension greatly simplifies how end users can go from local testing to easily running on multiple devices in App Center Test Cloud.
Start testing today


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Latest Portable software Stories
A new plugin entitled ProFont was released today from Pixel Film Studios, a new hand drawn text tool for FCPX Aliso Viejo, California (PRWEB) December 16, 2014
The new Thinfinity® VirtualUI™ platform helps developers to effortlessly take to the web Windows applications developed with .Net, Delphi, Visual C++ and the like. WILMINGTON,
ReportsnReports.com adds a new research report titled “2014 Market Research Report on Global High Chrome Steel Grinding Media Balls Industry” to its database. Dallas,
Simple, beautiful conversations on your phone, tablet and desktop ZUG, Switzerland, December 3, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- A team of more than 50 people from 23 countries,
Announced today was the release of new plugin entitled ProPip from Pixel Film Studios. Aliso Viejo, California (PRWEB) November 27, 2014 Developers and
Neighborhood's Local Cycling History is Enhanced with Access to Chrome's Portfolio of Resourceful Urban Products SAN FRANCISCO, Nov.
The Presenter app for IPEVO document cameras now features support for the Google Chrome web browser and for Chromebooks through a slightly streamlined version of the software. Sunnyvale,
Announced today was the release of new fun animated plugin entitled ProAccent Vol.
Women's lifestyle blog announces release of its new Google Chrome extension, designed to make it easier for users to access the wide variety of lifestyle content available on the site.
Google Chrome is a freeware web browser that was released as a beta version for Microsoft Windows on September 2, 2008, and fully released on December 11, 2008 as a standalone. As of November 2012, usage share is 35 percent worldwide. A mobile version for Android was released on November 28, 2012. When Google first thought of developing a web browser, chairman Eric Schmidt opposed, but after hiring several developers from Mozilla who built and demonstrated Chrome, he changed his mind....
- A young chicken: also used as a pet name for children.


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30 March 2022
On 25 February 2022, the Ministry of Trade and Industry (“MTI”) announced that Singapore and Vietnam had concluded a Memorandum of Understanding (“MOU”) on Economic and Trade Cooperation to strengthen economic and trade cooperation between both countries.
The MOU was signed by Second Minister for Trade and Industry Dr Tan See Leng and Vietnam’s Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien. It was witnessed by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam Nguyen Xuan Phuc, who was in Singapore for a State visit.
Minister Tan noted that bilateral trade between Singapore and Vietnam has grown steadily over the past decade, reaching S$26.9 billion in 2021, an 18.7% increase from the year before.
The Minister also noted that more Singapore companies are also choosing to invest in Vietnam, giving the example of the 10 Vietnam-Singapore Industrial Parks situated all over Vietnam, attracting US$15.6 billion in investments and creating over 290,000 jobs. Singapore companies are also expanding in both Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, as well as venturing into other regions such as Vinh Phuc and Bac Ninh provinces in the north, and Binh Duong province in the south.
This trend does not appear to be slowing down, despite the challenges brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic. Last year, Singapore’s foreign direct investment into Vietnam amounted to nearly US$10.7 billion, making Singapore the largest investor in Vietnam for that year, accounting for 34.4% of Vietnam’s total foreign capital investments in 2021.
Singapore and Vietnam have also recently affirmed their commitment to explore cooperation in renewable energy, innovation and start-ups, in addition to ongoing collaboration in the infrastructure, industrial, digital, financial, agriculture, services, tourism, transport and education sectors.
Benefits of the MOU
The MOU will strengthen economic cooperation between Singapore and Vietnam, including facilitating business partnerships, exploring collaborations in the digital economy, and supporting regional and global supply chain connectivity.
The MOU will deepen agri-trade cooperation through exploring partnership opportunities and supporting information sharing and training on best practices, certification and standards in the agriculture industry. It also aims to enhance cooperation in the industrial and energy sectors and facilitate greater collaboration between Singapore and Vietnamese SMEs. Additionally, it will explore capacity building activities in economic areas of mutual interest to deepen trade and investment flows between Singapore and Vietnam.
The following materials are available from the MTI website www.mti.gov.sg:


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ALLENTOWN, Pa., Oct. 25 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Senior management of PPL Corporation (NYSE: PPL) will make a presentation to investors and financial analysts at the Edison Electric Institute's annual financial conference in California at 12:45 p.m. EDT, or 9:45 a.m. PDT, Tuesday, Nov. 2.
James H. Miller, PPL's chairman, president and chief executive officer, will discuss PPL's corporate strategy, growth opportunities and general business outlook.
The presentation will be available online live, in audio format along with slides, on PPL's website at www.pplweb.com. For those who cannot listen to the live webcast of the presentation, a replay will be archived and will be accessible for 30 days on the website.
PPL Corporation, headquartered in Allentown, Pa., controls or owns nearly 12,000 megawatts of generating capacity in the United States, sells energy in key U.S. markets and delivers electricity to more than 4 million customers in Pennsylvania and the United Kingdom. More information is available at www.pplweb.com.
SOURCE PPL Corporation


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Firefox OS is coming soon, bringing a pure web experience to the world of smartphones. The operating system has already been spotted running on Samsung hardware and even the humble Raspberry Pi, but there’s more to a successful mobile platform than the OS itself. There have to be apps at the ready, too, and those will come from the Firefox Marketplace.
While it’s not yet ready for public access, someone, somewhere has been allowed to browse its shelves. The screen captures show an experience that so far displays only a handful of featured apps perched above category icons — rather than a number of pages of recommendations like the App Store or Google Play. It makes sense for Mozilla to set the store up similar to the Firefox Add-ons site, where the community takes care of surfacing install-worthy creations.
There’s a search box at the ready, too, for those times when you don’t feel like browsing around the Marketplace. Suggestions are offered as you type, just as they would be from the Firefox Awesome Bar.
While only free apps are on display at this point, paid apps will definitely be landing in the Marketplace too. Purchase support has been part of the Mozilla Marketplace since the early days of its development, and it would make sense for both Firefox browsers and Firefox OS to utilize the same back-end to power their app shopping experiences.
It shouldn’t be too much longer before you’re able to poke around the Firefox Marketplace on your own — regardless of whether or not you’re able to get your hands on an actual partner device. Mozilla’s developing everything out in the open, after all, and the developer community will be quick to share any progress it can.
More at Engadget


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KeepTruckin and Comdata, who announced a new partnership last week aimed at small fleet operators, will give away a new Harley-Davidson motorcycle at the Great American Trucking Show this week.
The motorcycle will be on display at the KeepTruckin booth (No. 21049) throughout the show. Attendees can register to win the bike by visiting the booth or by visiting keeptrucking.com/gats-motorcycle-2017.
The winner will be announced Saturday around noon at the KeepTruckin booth.
The giveaway is meant to promote the partnership between the two companies, in which KeepTruckin’s ELD functionality has been added to Comdata’s MyFleet platform, allowing owner-operators to become ELD compliant and file quarterly IFTA reports, among other features.