text:
The latest joke around the adult entertainment industry is that sales have slid enough to justify asking the federal government for a bailout.
Companies say people were already spending less on naughty DVDs before the economy went sour, increasingly turning to pirated copies and YouTube-like Web sites that stream clips for free and undercut companies working to sell adult content.
And now, with consumers tightening spending as much as they can, those who work in the industry say paid pornography is the first thing to go.
“Porn and Starbucks – we’re going down,” porn star Stormy Daniels said Sunday as she took a break from signing autographs and mingling with fans at the AVN Adult Entertainment Expo in Las Vegas.
Daniels, 29, said people have less money but don’t want to compromise their viewing habits, and even people who previously held out to avoid supporting Internet piracy are finding it harder to justify spending for content.
“They just don’t have any money, they have no choice but to download it,” she said.
The industry has been poking fun at its economic predicament the past week. Hustler magazine publisher Larry Flynt and Girls Gone Wild chief executive Joe Francis called for a $5 billion federal bailout, saying Americans are turning to entertainment for a little relief. At the AVN Adult Movie Awards on Saturday, a video mashup speculated how porn stars would fare in front of Congress if it considered helping the industry.
In asking for money, Flynt and Francis said adult DVD sales and rentals have decreased 22 percent during the past year.
But Lynn Comella, a professor in the women’s studies department at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, who studies the industry, said certain segments of the industry are doing well, including retail novelty sellers that cater to women.
Comella said these businesses are having to work harder than ever before to maintain sales, but are still finding customers willing to spend $150 to $200 on high end sex toys.
The sense within the industry is that companies will have to focus on quality – not quantity – to survive in a bad economy, Comella said.
“The recession might force the cream of the crop to rise to the top. There’s some people who believe that a cleaning out of the market might be a good thing for the industry,” Comella said. “2009 might not be all that bad, but it’s going to bring the issue of quality to the foreground.”
Karen Stagliano, a publicist for production company Evil Angel and the wife of its owner, said it has tried to avoid oversaturating its customers with videos by limiting its 14 directors to one video each per month.
“We are being as smart as we can,” she said.
Kim Kysar, brand and product manager for Pink Visual Productions, said she’s getting an increasing volume of calls from producers and actresses looking for more work.
“It’s just hurting all elements,” Kysar said.
Daniels, who began her career as a stripper, said that many women who act in pornographic films are spending more time making personal appearances at strip clubs to make extra cash.
She said that Internet piracy means more people know who she is than ever before and come to her personal appearances, but a bad economy means she’s not making more money as a result.
“They’re spending less money per person but there’s more people,” she said. “I’m fortunate in that I end up kind of breaking even.”


text:
EasyCloud has combined Infrastructure, Platform and Software as a service as a combined product, with the ability to easily launch popular open source applications without any Linux programming expertise. Also featuring a new, very promising auto-database creation tool and other powerful API features.
It’s the “First of its kind solution available on the market designed to help customers reduce the amount of time and effort spent on configuring popular web applications in cloud environments” according to EasyCloud in their beta launch news release on Yahoo News, on Tuesday. When using other cloud environments, designers and developers are faced with learning new Linux commands, searching for patches and scouring through help files just to build out servers before they ever get started doing actual web development. Not only is this one of the biggest pains in the development business; it’s also the most costly to any web developer who is trying to run a business.
“We ran a few EasyCloud deployments to see for ourselves and before we could even set a baseline for testing, our WordPress server was ready to use. Needless to say we were impressed, so much so we had to ask ourselves why no one had thought of this, until now.” says Brandon Starr, Founder of Starr Creative, a web firm in Houston, TX. EasyCloud is promised to save developers hours of time, freeing them to develop better websites.
“I figured if we could get web developers back to developing the web, rather than learning how to launch servers, the great minds of the web could get back to what they do best, creating. Instead of focusing on solving silly server issues. EasyCloud allows the developer to get his server online in the cloud, instead of getting frustrated trying to make sense of whats out there and how to make it work.” says Michael Miller, CFO of EasyCloud.
EasyCloud was founded by the creators of new web hosting startup Clout Host, who plan on continuing the advancement of what they call IPSaaS technology (Infrastructure, Platform and Software as a Service). From the beginning they made it clear that they wanted to bring something new to the hosting business. The solution was discovered after several admins on the network team complained of wasted time on building and patching servers.
“The team went a bit stir crazy putting together something to finally resolve the issue. And after using our in-house solution for a few months, we knew this product was a must-have for any web designer or developer. Really this is a solution that finally brings the cloud to the masses.” says EasyCloud™ CEO Jared Rice. EasyCloud.
More web applications and updates are promised in the coming weeks along with daily updates to current applications. All servers are promised as a “1,2,3? build process and come with 24/7 customer support.
EasyCloud servers come in many shapes and sizes, including WordPress, Joomla, Drupal, Magento and scale up to 32GB of Ram. EasyCloud servers start at $19.99/month and can be launched instantly at http://www.goeasycloud.com/

domain: news


text:
NCC tackles vandalism
TELECOMS| Sept. 9, 2012, 8:43 a.m.
Nigeria’s Communications Commission has announced that it has received an official report of the vandalisation of base stations in north eastern Nigeria.
The NCC says details of the affected base stations will be forwarded to the Commission at a later date following a comprehensive audit.
Tony Ojobo, NCC Director of Public Affairs, said since this is a security matter, an official report has been made to the relevant security agencies, who are on top of the situation.
MORE TELECOMS NEWS
Mayor opens new ICT shopHer Worship the Mayor of Francistown has opened the doors of a new ICT initiative in Francistown, in the form of a shop from the country’s leading mobile communications provider, Mascom. Read More
Africell, Airtel on collision course over cableUganda’s Africell is set for a legal battle with Airtel as the two trade accusations over the theft of fibre optic cables. Read More
Vodacom coasts home with two industry awardsVodacom Business Nigeria has won two prestigious awards at the Beacon of ICT (BoICT) Awards ceremony. Read More
Vodafone Ghana to reward whistleblowers on cable theftVodafone Ghana is enlisting the help of the general public to help curb cable theft across the country. Read More
MTN Cameroon renews subscriber identificationMTN Cameroon has launched a nationwide campaign that will run until June 2016 to confirm the identity of each subscriber. Read More
Dairo, Ogiemwanye, Uwaoma now Directors at Etisalat NigeriaEtisalat Nigeria has announced the appointment of Adeolu Dairo as Director, Consumer Segment, Elvis Ogiemwanye as Director, Brand & Experience and Eric Uwaoma as Director, Enterprise Segment. Read More
Kenya Power, Safaricom in broadband projectKenya Power International and Safaricom have signed a MoU that will see more Kenyans connected to broadband Internet. Read More
MTN Ghana undertakes 4G LTE site testingMTN Ghana says it has started testing over 60 cell sites located in four different regions of Ghana to pave the way for a successful 4G LTE launch in the third quarter of this year. Read More
Ghana’s President unveils MTN House in AccraGhana’s President, John Dramani Mahama, has officially opened the multimillion dollar new headquarters of Ghana’s telecom giant MTN at a colourful ceremony held in Accra. Read More
FEATURED STORYNigeria satellite resources to boost economic growth
The Management of NigComSat says Nigeria’s satellite resources are primed to help the nation in accelerating robust ICT infrastructure to boost economic development for the country.
BEST READ NEWS
IN DEPTHIBM Opens First Cloud Data Centre in South Africa
IBM is opening a new IBM Cloud Data Centre in Johannesburg, South Africa. The new cloud center is the result of a close collaboration with Gijima and Vodacom and is designed to support cloud adoption and customer demand across the continent.
COMPANY NEWSRSA research reveals blind spots in threat detection
RSA, The Security Division of EMC, has released the results of a new Threat Detection Effectiveness Survey.Networks Unlimited event highlights SimpliVity's new Omnistack Software
Leading data protection focused distributor invites hyperconverged vendor to discuss disaster recovery and data protection.MTN and Ericsson lead the way with first LTE-U network
To future proof its business, MTN SA, together with Ericsson, has successfully trialled LTE-Unlicensed (LTE-U) at MTN’s flagship channel store in Morningside, Johannesburg.


text:
The driver of GM and Cadillac have spent the trip from 10 million miles with their hands on their lap because General Motors introduced the Super Cruise Assist Driver system back in 2017. On Wednesday, the company launched the next generation handheld system – one that claimed GM. Will “finally activate hands-free free driving at 95 percent of all driving scenarios” – dubbed, ultra cruise.
What distinguishes Ultra Cruise from a similar system, such as Blucruise Ford, is that ultra designed to work virtually everywhere in the US and Canada. When launched, this system is expected to work at 2 million miles of North American streets – which includes highways, cities and subdivisions, and paved countryside roads – and will eventually develop to cover around 3.4 million miles of asphalt.
If you have just bought a super cruise-enable vehicle (or plans to buy one of the 22 GM models to be available in 2023), don’t worry, it’s not everywhere. GM plans to continue to offer super cruises for more mainstream vehicles such as Escalade, CT4 / CT5, Silverado and Sierra while Ultra Cruise will be provided for company premium offers. GM has not determined which vehicle will be the first to get it, even though the company notes that select 2023 Cadillac will be on the head of the line.
Built in ATOP GM recently announced Ultifi (again, poems with “Multiply” computing systems) and utilizing optical myriad sensors, radar and lidar sensors, ultra cruise will support automatic and on-demand path changes, left and right turns, Avoid traffic signals, avoid obstacles and even park themselves on the entrance of the housing. Increasing and further refinement of the system will be sent to the vehicle through OTA renewal. To avoid Tesla’s style accident, GM will port camera system attention to the driver of the Super Cruise to the new system.


text:
This summer’s iteration of NY NOW will host 500-plus exhibitors in August, including new additions Baobab Collection, Arcade Group and Brooklyn Brew Shop. Returning exhibitors include home furnishings companies like Lisa Neimeth Ceramics, Saddlemans and Leibal.
“We’re thrilled that so many brands continue to view NY NOW as a key opportunity to showcase their products to the industry, including buyers, influencers, tastemakers and media alike,” said Randi Mohr, Emerald Expositions vice president and co-director of NY NOW. “We look forward to welcoming all of our exhibitors this August for what promises to be an outstanding edition of the NY NOW summer market in New York City.”
NY NOW will return to the Jacob K. Javits Center from August 20 to August 24.


text:
OnePlus 3T launch date:- Earlier, we reported that OnePlus 3T is coming to India and the launch date will be revealed soon. It has been revealed. The day when it will launch in India is December 2. It is popular because of the top notch specifications like Snapdragon 821. However, it seems like the key feature of the SD821 has been given a miss by OnePlus as the phone lacks Daydream VR.
OnePlus 3T launch date in India
The results are in and our fans have spoken.
Watch @Vikas_AGL bungee jump to reveal the launch date. #OnePlus3T pic.twitter.com/EJKEBWPJu7
— OnePlus India (@OnePlus_IN) November 24, 2016
This shocking information was revealed at a OnePlus’s Reddit AMA (Ask Me Anything) event. It is rather very shocking because many people were actually looking forward to purchasing this phone.There were not many reasons for the existing OnePlus 3 users to upgrade to OnePlus 3T. SD821 was expected to support Google Daydream VR but it looks like that is not the case.
There were not many reasons for the existing OnePlus 3 users to upgrade to OnePlus 3T. SD821 was expected to support Google Daydream VR but it looks like that is not the case.
This means that currently only Google Pixel, Pixel XL and Moto Z are the only smartphones which support the Google VR headset.
To recall, OnePlus 3T outperforms all these phones without breaking a sweat. Why OnePlus skipped the support is beyond my comprehension.


text:
About 36,000 Yamaha motorcycles and 500,000 Zenith color television sets are among the latest products to be recalled.
Yamaha Motor Corp. said yesterday it is recalling four models of its XS750 cycle because of a defect that could cause the rear wheel to lock.
The company notified owners this week that a defective stopper bolt may permit the gear-shift drum to move laterally and lock the wheel, which would result in a crash.
The company will install a new lock tab free of charge on vehicles affected, a spokesman said.
Three accidents and one injury have been reported to the company as a result of this defect he said.
Zenith Radio Corp. has agreed to replace, free of charge, a potentially faulty electronic part in more than 500,000 color television sets manufactured in 1974 and 1975, the New York State Attorney General's office said yesterday.
The part involved is a "fouc-lead capacitor," the company said. Its failure can lead to damage of the picture tube and other parts.
Under the agreement announced yesterday, Zenith is offering preventive maintenance of sets involved which have yet to need service, cash refunds to consumers who have had their sets repaired already and payment of $5,000 to New York state for costs involved in working out the settlement, according to the attorney general's office.
The TVs affected have diagonal screen sizes of 17-, 19 , 23- and 25 inches. About 50 model numbers are involved.


text:
Having confessed his concern about the health of the Wii in the latter stages of 2009, Nintendo president Saturo Iwata has now told Reuters that has machine has recovered from its downturn.
The statement comes after it was revealed that the Wii sold a massive 3m units in North America in December alone. That news follows yesterday’s strong European sales figures.
The Wii also pipped PS3 in the annual Japanese sales charts thanks to a strong close of year – at one stage it had looked as if the PS3 may have emerged as the 2009 home console champ in the region.
I think it’s now safe to say the Wii has recovered from slowdown,” Iwata told Reuters.
It’s a combination of factors. Towards December, our software line-up got stronger. Also, the price cut certainly helped, although it is not the sole factor.
But I’m not sure if it’s prudent to use words like revival and recovery lightly before making absolutely certain we can maintain this momentum. So, I steer clear of such words today.”


text:
RAMALLAH, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- The Palestinian government declared that its decision to ban Israeli products into its market will come into effect at noon on Wednesday.
Palestinian officials said that the ban came in response to Israel's ban on Palestinian vegetable produce from its markets last week, and that they hope it will boost the local agricultural sector.
The ban includes the import of fruits and vegetables as well as bottled water and soft drinks.
However, Israeli authorities on Wednesday prevented shipments of dates and herbs from passing through checkpoints to get to Israeli ports for export, in an apparently retaliatory move.
Spokesperson of the Palestinian Economy Ministry Azmi Abdelrahman said this decision could lead to significant losses on the Israeli side, and that is probably why Israeli authorities are obstructing export of Palestinian dates and herbs.
"The Israeli move against Palestinian exporters violates the Paris Protocol that states Palestinian exporters have the right to use Israeli ports freely," said Abdelrahman.
The Paris Protocol is an economic treaty reached in 1995 between Palestine and Israel to govern the economic relations between the two sides.
Head of Palestinian Palms and Dates Council Ibrahim Ide'iq confirmed to Xinhua that the Israeli authorities on checkpoints have sent back at least eight trucks of date shipments that were on their way to be exported to different countries, including the United States and Turkey.
"We were not officially informed of the ban on our exports," Ide'iq said. "Our staff were only told that we are banned from our right to export verbally, and this could have serious repercussions on our companies."
The eight truck loads shipment carries about 160 tons of dates, with hundreds of tons more waiting to be exported before the high season of Ramadan starts in spring.
According to the Palestinian Ministry of Economy, Palestinian import of fresh produce of vegetables and fruits from Israel reaches 55 million U.S. dollars annually, but the Palestinian side pays around 300 million dollars for vegetables from the Israeli market, in addition to some 100 million dollars for the bottled water and soft drinks.
"The government has decided to respond with reciprocal measures after the Israelis banned the import of Palestinian fruits and vegetables, assuming the pressures will be on us, but in fact our agricultural sector can provide over 85 percent of the market demand at this point," said Abdelrahman.
"Once the decision comes into effect, the losses will mostly be on the Israeli side, because the Palestinian imports are larger in value," he said.
Abdelrahman added that the government is looking into ways to assist the local farmers who have already signed contracts with Israeli factories to cut down their loses, after their products are no longer allowed in Israel.
Meanwhile, Chair of the Palestinian Society for Consumer Protection Salah Haniye said that all major stakeholders and merchants have been officially informed of the decision, he will work on prevention of price inflation or smuggling of Israeli products illegally.
"The decision was initiated by the government and it will be an opportunity to sustain the Palestinian farmers and the merchants," Haniye said, "but it needs to be supported by other policies that would encourage the agricultural sector through policies like tax refunds or providing seedlings, on order to help farmers make use of more lands and vary their produce."
However, he warned that Israeli authorities may take further restrictive measures against Palestinian exporters who have no option but to use the Israeli ports and crossings, as Israel controls all borders.
He noted that this is especially critical for exports of fresh produce.
According to the latest figures by the Palestinian Economy Ministry, Palestinian agricultural exports to the Israeli market during 2018 reached 88 million dollars, which represents 68 percent of the total of Palestine's agricultural exports to the world, amounting to 130 million dollars.
However, the imports of Israeli agricultural products, of all types, has reached 600 million U.S., out of which, fresh produce of fruits and vegetables was 300 million U.S. dollars.
Bilateral trade between Palestine and Israel alone stood at around 4.5 billion dollars in 2018, while the trade amounted to 7.6 billion dollars between Palestine with the world.


text:
Friday, October 31, 2014
BLUE OCEAN SUPPLY CHAIN IS GLOBAL WITH MULTICHANNEL RETAILING
Blue ocean strategy with supply chain management is global with multichannel and ecommerce for retailers. How many will compete in the blue ocean, and how many will try to compete in the red ocean where everyone else is?
Will stores merely become showrooms?
According to Capgemini’s most recent research (based on more than 18,000 digital shoppers from 18 countries), 48 per
cent of respondents agreed that stores will likely become showrooms instead of places of transactions in the future.
While technology is heavily converging and influencing consumers’ shopping behaviour, physical store retailers should
be relieved that 72 per cent of shoppers surveyed do not assume that stores will disappear any time soon.
In the high-growth markets, namely Brazil, China, India, Mexico and Russia, the report has identified the digitally
indifferent shoppers (23 per cent), who prefer physical stores; the interactive digital shoppers, a vast majority of 50 per
cent, who are ready to embrace new technologies when making purchases; and the technophile shoppers (27 per cent),
who are tech-savvy, but like flexibility and control.


text:
How’s Monolith Soft doing? Are they expanding like they wanted to?
Monolith Soft has been one of the biggest in-house developers for the Nintendo Switch, they’re the minds behind the Xenoblade Chronicles saga and have been praised for their RPG prowess and expansive worlds. Previously, they noted that they would love to expand their studio in order to make more video games. Well, now it seems they’ve gotten their wish.
For the team has gotten a new studio for themselves in Iidabashi, Tokyo. Currently, the developer has two studios. The main one is in Tokyo as well, and there’s one in Kyoto that is primarily assigned to Nintendo for help.
The head of the company noted that not only do they want to make another Xenoblade Chronicles title, but also a sequel to the X title and a new IP that is apparently in the works right now.


text:
A shelving display shows Cadbury Dairy Milk hazelnut and Cadbury Dairy Milk roast almond products are temporarily out of stock at a supermarket in Kuala Lumpur on May 28, 2014. AFP FILE PHOTO
Malaysia says Cadbury chocolates free from pork
Associated Press / 03:10 PM June 02, 2014
KUALA LUMPUR — Malaysia’s Islamic body says that Cadbury chocolates have been cleared of containing pig DNA, easing outrage among Muslim groups who had called for a boycott of all Cadbury products.
The health ministry earlier this month said porcine DNA was found in two varieties of Cadbury chocolates, prompting the company to recall the products.
The Malaysian Islamic Development Department said Monday that new tests on 11 samples taken from the factory showed no trace of pork in the two products, Cadbury’s Dairy Milk Hazelnut and Dairy Milk Roast Almond bars.
Islamic officials said the earlier samples could have been contaminated as they didn’t come direct from the factory.
The controversy sparked a furor among Muslim groups, who accused the British confectionary company of trying to “weaken” Muslims in Malaysia.


text:
Fruits Plus Vegetables Equals Happiness?
Eating 7 Servings a Day Linked With Best Well-Being, Researchers Find
WebMD News Archive
Fruits, Vegetables, Happiness: Explaining the Link
The researchers found a link, not cause and effect, Stewart-Brown says.
And it's possible that the link goes in the opposite direction -- happy people may just eat more fruits and vegetables, she says.
How the fruits and vegetables may help well-being is not known, the researchers say.
"Initially, we thought it might give people more energy and they exercise more," Oswald says. But the link held even when they took exercise habits into account.
Fruits, Vegetables, Happiness: Perspectives
The study validates changes that some dietitians see when clients begin eating more fruits and vegetables, says Andrea Giancoli, RD, a spokeswoman for the American Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. She reviewed the findings for WebMD.
"I can tell you that anecdotally, when they improve their diet, clients tell me, 'I feel good,'" she says.
Even those who say they hate fruits and vegetables can find ones they like, she says. "Usually it's just certain ones they don't like. Once we go through [the list] we find ones they do like."
"When they start to cook them in ways tasty to them, or add them to a meal, they start to like them more."
When eating plenty of fruits and vegetables becomes a habit, people don't feel as well when they skip them, Giancoli finds.
Oswald hopes researchers from the biochemistry field will take up the question of how fruits and vegetables may boost well-being.
Meanwhile, he says he is trying to eat more fruits and vegetables.
"I am keen to stay cheery," he says.


text:
This article is about the Chinese rip-off industry – very interesting.
The article is basically discussing how far counterfeit goods have come in China. From poor quality t-shirts, now cars and serious electronics are also being copied. For instance when LG recently launched a new phone in China it didn’t sell because everyone already had a fake which worked just as well.
Maybe the real companies should push up volumes and make a little more money?
From the article:
- Nearly every type of product can be—and is—cloned in China, sometimes so well that the ripped-off manufacturers inadvertently service the fakes when warranty claims come in.
- In the south, one cloning operation didn’t just copy a technology company’s product line—it duplicated the entire company, creating a shadow enterprise with corporate headquarters, factories, and sales and support staff.
- In the mid-’90s, developers began to build shadow factories—identical plants, often constructed from the same blueprints legitimate manufacturers used to launch their ventures. Sometimes the plans were sold by managers at the genuine facilities. Other times, local officials and organized crime conspired to create a second set of blueprints.
- The cloners hire a team of between 20 and 40 engineers to begin decoding the circuit boards. At the same time, coders start to develop an operating system for the phone with a similar feature set. (The typical cloner either uses off-the-shelf code, writes something entirely new, or modifies a publicly available Linux-based system.) Both processes take about a month. By then, ancillary items—plastic casings, accessories, manuals and packaging—are ready as well.
- When Samsung busted some of these cloners they were “impressed by the efficiency of the cloners, so much so that the company offered them jobs. The cloners said no. Earning about $1.25 per phone, the cloners said, they found it easier and more profitable to make fakes.”


text:
JPO details plan to review SEP essentiality, but implementers may not find it that helpful
The Japan Patent Office (JPO) last week unveiled a new service that will see it weigh in on the standing of Japanese patents declared standards essential. When it was first announced last November, this system was perceived as offering a defensive…
To read more
Register for limited access
Register to receive our newsletter and gain limited access to subscriber content.
Subscribe to unlock unlimited access
Get news, unique commentary, expert analysis and essential resources from the IAM experts.


text:
Online grocery service provider BigBasket lost 80 per cent of their workforce in the first two days of India’s nationwide lockdown owing to the fear and uncertainty of COVID-19 pandemic, said the company’s co-founder and CEO.
During the virtually held ‘Isha Insight: The DNA of Success’ session, Hari Menon said that BigBasket had to recruit over 12,000 people in 16 days.
He spoke about how his company went on to face lockdown-induced challenges and meet the growing demand for home-delivered groceries at the three-day leadership intensive programme for CEOs/CXOs.
In a conversation with BS Nagesh, founder of Trust for Retailers and Retail Associates of India (TRRAIN), Menon said that his leadership style was about giving employees the rope and the freedom to climb or tie a noose with it while enabling them to climb it.
He believed that if the managers understood and implemented this method, it would trickle down to every employee, he said.
Despite the challenges faced amid the pandemic, their business had done extremely well, while following the ‘do more with less’ mantra, he added.
Regarding Big Basket’s procurement experience from over 16,000 farmers, he observed that youngsters were taking up farming and that the farmer would be able to gain more control over his activity and business from the middlemen in about five years from now.
Menon also made predictions about brick and mortar stores in India.
“The neighbourhood shops would move from WhatsApp to websites, thus making the element of service more important,” he observed.
Inaugurating the virtual event, Jaggi Vasudev, the founder of Isha Foundation, said, “With sheer consciousness and responsible action, businesses can not only ride the pandemic storm but rise above it.”
While addressing the business CEOs and CXOs, he said, “As a leader, you need insight. You can get all the people who know the subject and do the business. Insight will happen when you see something not necessarily in the logical perspective of the data in your mind. For this, you have to bring clarity of perception.”
He urged the participants to be challenge-seeking entrepreneurs and not employment seekers and said that they must continue to rise above the challenges presented by the pandemic and the economic fallout.
“You must be behind the wheel, putting your shoulder to the wheel, so that it goes faster and creates possibilities. If you’re on the other side of the wheel, you’ll get crushed,” he added.


text:
Tough Enough To Wear Pink Day
A burst of color fills the Benton Franklin Fair and Rodeo today for their annual "Tough Enough to Wear Pink Day."
Volunteer Mary Weis is supporting her pink t shirt today as she wrangles in her two prize goats-
But the color pink hits close to home..
"It's important to me because my sister had a radical mastectomy a few years ago," says Weis.
Vendors, volunteers and kids are all decked out in their pink attire to raise money and awareness for the cause
And guys are getting into it too-
"I'm tough enough to wear pink!" says Joseph Niza.
In honor of pink day the rabbit barn is donating 500 dollars to cancer research.
"We came up with these pink shirts and we've sold them for 12 dollars a piece with 4 dollars of the proceeds going to the cancer center and that has made us 400 dollars and than the barn is going to provide another 100 dollars for the cause," says Mike Noland.
Chris Senor bought one of the t shirts today and is wearing in proudly.
"It helps a lot of people and its a great thing to just know that your helping those cancer patients it just makes you feel really great," says Senor.
Mary Weis is honored to know a true survivor- and says this t shirt is a symbol to never give up-
" Well she's a hero to me and so many women - I mean you know a lot of women who go through breast cancer and its good to let them know we support them and research- we need more research."


text:
Are Banana Peels Edible? Benefits And Downsides Of Eating Them
Are Banana Peels Edible? Benefits And Downsides Of Eating ThemWith that in mind, however, few have ventured to try eating its peel.
Eating a flour made from passionfruit peel may stop mice from becoming fat and counteract the effects of a bad diet, a study has suggested.
Mice gorged on fatty foods for 10 weeks in a laboratory. However, some were also fed the grounded down skin of the exotic fruit.
Results showed rodents given the flour weighed 14 per cent less at the end of the experiment. They also had 22 per cent less body fat.
The researchers in Brazil said the peel is an untapped source of fibre, which helps with weight loss in humans.
The nutrient is proven to limit how much fat and sugar is absorbed from food and suppresses appetite. But the mice fed the flour did not eat less.
What is type 1 diabetes and what causes it?
How to spot the signs of type 1 diabetes, plus what to do following a diagnosis. Dr Diana Gall from Doctor4U looks at the cause of type 1 diabetes and how to spot the signs of the illness, plus treatment advice and self-management tips:What is type 1 diabetes?Type 1 diabetes occurs when the body can’t produce enough of the hormone insulin, which controls blood glucose. Insulin is produced by the pancreas and is an important hormone in the body. It helps put glucose to good use, by fuelling our bodies and storing it for later when glucose levels drop.
And the fruit is rich in antioxidants, which slash inflammation that plays a role in the path to obesity-linked conditions such as type 2 diabetes.
Researchers at the University of Campinas, São Paulo, said: 'Passionfruit peel flour is a waste from passion fruit juice industry.
'And [it] has shown underutilized antioxidant capacity and high dietary fibre content that can improve health parameters.'
The team split 24 rats into three groups - one of them was fed a control diet for the entire duration of the study.
The two other groups were fed a high-fat diet to make them obese. More than a third of their food was lard, while the control group had no lard.
Ketogenic diet 'helps tame flu virus'
A high-fat low-carbohydrate diet can help tame the flu virus, according to a new study. Researchers from Yale University have conducted a study with mice and discovered that the rodents which were fed a ketogenic diet - a high-fat low-carbohydrate diet which involves meat, fish, poultry, and non-starchy vegetables - were better able to combat influenza, or the flu, a viral infection that attacks the respiratory system.
At the six-week mark, some rats on the high-fat diet were also given passionfruit peel flour.
HOW IS OBESITY LINKED TO INFLAMMATION?
Obesity, when a person has excess adipose tissue, causes low-grade chronic inflammation.
Adipose tissue, as well as storing energy from food, produces and releases a variety of proteins adipokines and cytokines, some of which are inflammatory.
The production of these molecules induces the inflammation to become chronic, and influences other systems by altering their functions, which leads to different diseases.
Adipose tissue is implicated in the development of chronic metabolic diseases such as type 2 diabetes or cardiovascular disease.
Obesity is therefore an underlying condition for inflammatory and metabolic diseases.
Many major diseases - including cancer, heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, depression, and Alzheimer's - have been linked to chronic inflammation.
Healthy diet linked to lower risk of hearing loss
Eating a healthy diet may reduce the risk of acquired hearing loss, according to a new study. It's commonly believed that hearing loss is an inevitable part of the ageing process, but researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts have found that a healthy diet may reduce the risk of suffering from it.
Diet and exercise can help improve inflammation and prevent disease.
These rats had less fat by the end of the study, according to the findings published in the journal Nutrition Research.
The rats were euthanized and tissues from their fat and liver were taken, as well as samples of their blood, to be analysed.
Results showed the the flour-fed rats had lower levels of proteins called cytokines - which promote inflammation.
The rats also had lower oxidative stress - damage in DNA promoted by fat that can lead to diseases.
The authors, led by Professor Milena Morandi Vuolo, said: 'Obesity can be described as a state of chronic low-grade inflammation and fat accumulation, mainly visceral fat, that increases the oxidative stress.
'Both, low-grade inflammation and oxidative stress are early dysfunctions developed in obesity and are liked to late metabolic dysfunctions such as diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.'
Extracts from the flour showed it contained 60 per cent fibre. Dietary fibre can directly minimise fat storage, the scientists said.
Revealed: Health benefits of eating banana skin
Banana eaters traditionally peel off the skin, chuck it in the bin and then devour the soft yellow fruit inside. But one dietitian has claimed eating banana peel can improve people's sleep, give them healthier skin and also help with weight loss.Susie Burrell wrote in her blog Shape Me that eating the peel can increase a person's "overall fibre content by at least 10% as a lot of dietary fibre can be found in the skin of a banana".The Australian dietitian adds: "You will get almost 20% more Vitamin B6 and almost 20% more Vitamin C and you will boost both your potassium and magnesium intake.
It reduces how much sugar and fat the gut absorbs from food and reduces appetite.
The mice fed the flour did not eat less than their counterparts. But the scientists said they have seen this in their previous research.
Fibre is also an important part of the diet for managing blood sugar, cholesterol and blood pressure.
The flour contained 'significant amounts' of phenolic compounds, which are anti-inflammatory compounds found in fruits and vegetables.
The authors of the paper wrote: 'The healthy effect of the consumption of a diet rich in vegetables and fruits have been extensively studied, especially due to its effectiveness in preventing and treating some chronic diseases, like obesity.
'Dietary fibers might be one of the most important plant -active compounds involved in these beneficial effects.
'Passionfruit peel flour showed beneficial health - promoting effects due to flavonoids and fiber contents.
'The results confirm our hypothesis that passionfruit peel flour intake could improve inflammatory status and oxidative stress leading to decrease of fatness.'
The study was conducted on mice and therefore cannot be applied to humans. Despite this, the researchers said the positive effects of dietary fibre in humans are evident.
Passionfruit powder can be bought for roughly £5 ($6.60) for 50g, but it is not clear if this contains the peel.
The DASH diet can lower blood pressure — and dietitians say it's one of the healthiest ways to eat .
The DASH diet can lower blood pressure, prevent heart disease, and help you lose weight. Dietitians recommend it for everyone — here's why.Here's what you need to know about the DASH diet.


text:
New phone scam claims your grandson has been in car wreck
Port Neches police are warning residents about Canadian phone scammers who call people and tell them their grandson has been involved in a car wreck in Canada.
According to a press release from Port Neches police, a citizen called police to report that a person claiming to be in Canada - calling from the number 514-365-3558 - called and said the citizen's grandson had been in a car wreck in Canada and was in jail. The caller requested the citizen wire $5,600 to an account that would pay damages on the rental car and release the grandson from jail.
Those wishing to learn more about this scam need only perform an internet search of the phone number, according to the release, because the scammers have targeted people worldwide.
Anyone who receives a call like this is asked not to give any personal information to the caller. They are also urged to report the call to the Texas Attorney General's Office.


text:
Mobile and fixed-line operator Telkom recorded a 3.5% jump in revenue, lifted by a leap in broadband and fibre customers needing internet for home-based work and schooling due to Covid-19.
Telkom has continued to make strides in its push for a bigger share of mobile business. Mobile service revenue climbed 13% to R4.4-billion. The growth was down to 36.3% year on year increase in active customers, to 16.1 million, solidifying its third-place spot.
Also on Wednesday, Telkom named outgoing chief executive Sipho Maseko's successor. The firm said Serame Taukobong, the current head of Telkom's consumer business, would take over in July 2022 when Maseko steps down after what will be nine years in the top seat.
Maseko surprised markets last week when he announced his retirement, with investors fearing a protracted recruitment period that risked detracting from the firm's turnaround.
Maseko took over in 2013 at a time when it looked to be falling behind in the mobile race as its fixed line business became increasingly redundant.
Taukobong joined Telkom in 2018 from MTN, where he was CEO and later chief of the mobile operator's Ghana business.
Telkom, which plans to plough billions of rands into capital expenditure to wrangle...


text:
Jordan: Jordan is one of the fastest growing markets in the Middle East in terms of smartphone usage, according to a Nokia executive.
"We consider Jordan one of the major markets for Nokia. The number of Jordanians using smartphones is on the rise and we expect this trend to sharply increase during the near future," Vesa Jutila, head of in-market product marketing smart devices at Nokia, said in a recent interview with The Jordan Times.
He attributed expectations of a boom in smartphone usage in Jordan during the next few years to the fact that these devices were exempted from taxes coupled with an increase in the number of Jordanians using the Internet. Internet users exceeded 50.5 per cent by the end of 2011, according to official figures.
Last year, the government decided to lift taxes on smartphones to increase the number of Jordanians using these devices.
According to a report by the Arab Advisers Group, smartphone penetration in Jordan was estimated at 45 per cent by the end of 2011.
Nokia's Symbian phones are the leading smartphone operating system in Jordan, with a 62 per cent market share, followed by iOS and BlackBerry in second place, and Android in third, according to the report.
"Nokia was among the first to launch mobile devices in Jordan. In addition, the devices' user interface is user friendly," Jutila said.
"These are among the main reasons that help us have a good market share in Jordan," he said.
Several users agreed.
"I have been using Nokia mobiles for 10 years. I used different models of Nokia devices and they are easy to use," Ameer Elhajj Abed, an accountant, told The Jordan Times Monday.
Omar Abu Saada agreed.
"I have been using a Nokia E7 for one year now. I find it easy to operate, especially since I have the option to either use the touch format or the keypad," he said.
"However, the worst thing about it that the battery dies quickly and the camera's resolution is not very good," Abu Saada added.
Mohammad Al Nasser, however, is not a Nokia fan.
"I tried using several types of Nokia smartphones, but I did not like them. I had several problems with the devices," the air conditioning company salesman said.
"Currently, I have an iPhone 4 and I am satisfied with it. I think it is better than Nokia in terms of speed, storage and pictures," he said. Source: zawya.com


text:
French search engine company 1PlusV is suing Google for 295 million euros in lost profits. It accuses Google of using its market dominance to block the development of alternative services.
The French company is one of several, including Microsoft, that say Google abused its dominant position by demoting rival sites in search results and giving preference to its own services.
The allegation has triggered an investigation by the European Commission.
The US Federal Trade Commission last week also opened a formal probe into Google’s market practices, raising the spectre of a protracted regulatory battle on both sides of the Atlantic for Google — similar to Microsoft’s earlier fights with the authorities.
1PlusV, which runs the Ejustice.fr legal website and search engine, says that Google prevented it from developing specialised “vertical” search engines and crippled its ability to generate business and advertising and the claim is for lost and future profits.
“Between 2007 and 2010, no less than 30 vertical search engines created by 1PlusV were black-listed, some of which showed significant business potential,” it said.
1PlusV accused Google of suffocating rivals through its policy of tying its advertising service Adsense to its own search engine.
Google’s Adsense allows advertisers to buy keywords which when typed in as a search query produce a commercial link alongside the search results. Thus rival search engines wanting to access vital clients and revenue were forced to adopt Google technology.
Google said it had been notified of the claim. “We have only just received the complaint, so we can’t comment in detail yet,” Google spokesman Al Verney said. “We always try to do what’s best for our users. It’s the key principle that drives our company and we look forward to explaining this.”
The complainants against Google include British price comparison site Foundem and Microsoft, through its ownership of German price comparison site Ciao.


text:
Cardano stablecoins: USDA and Djed
In recent years, stablecoins have come under increased scrutiny of regulators. The main concerns are the principles of operation of algorithmic stablecoins, the transparency of reserves, and the adequacy of the centralized stablecoins provision.
Incredibly often, the problems were discussed after the collapse of one of the most significant algorithmic stablecoins – TerraUSD (UST) that caused the fall of the entire cryptocurrency market. As a result, many stablecoins faced a temporary rate unpeg.
But the issue of reserves remains the main subject of discussion of their reliability. And the key concern here is that most of the reserves of centralized stablecoins are a complex mixture of stocks, secured loans, corporate bonds, precious metals, and other assets. And most typically, companies are criticized for the lack of proper audits to confirm reserves. In addition, these issuers need to be appropriately regulated, which increases the risks for investors.
Cardano is currently working on releasing two new stablecoins, which are tasked with solving critical issues inherent in most stablecoins.
The Cardano development team plans to release the first fully regulated stablecoin, USDA, backed by fiat and pegged to the US dollar in 2023. As well as an over-collateralized algorithmic stablecoin issued by the COTI platform called Djed.
The principle of operation of centralized and algorithmic stablecoins is different, and in this article, we will briefly describe the features of each of them.
On November 18, 2022, in Singapore, Emurgo announced the launch of a new stablecoin on the Cardano blockchain – USDA. This stablecoin will be fully regulated, backed by the US dollar, and pegged 1 to 1.
Emurgo is one of the co-founders of the Cardano project. Its mission is to develop and support businesses and help integrate businesses into the Cardano ecosystem.
One of the Cardano’s global goals is to provide access to banking products to every person in the world. The company has been successfully developing its products for a long time in the markets of Africa and Asia. People there have no access to banking services, and the country's national currency is depreciating too quickly to act as a store of value.
To achieve this goal, the Cardano developers are introducing a set of products called “Anzens”, designed to connect traditional financial services to cryptocurrency. USDA will be the first product to help bridge the gap between TradFi (traditional finance) and DeFi (decentralized finance).
“The Cardano ecosystem was built on the ethos of bringing real world applications to crypto and creating the foundation to build the economy of the future. The introduction of a fully fiat-backed, regulatory compliant stablecoin is the next step in realizing the future for our community. This stablecoin not only offers stability to investors conducting financial transactions on the blockchain but advances a path forward for the Cardano ecosystem to address a problem we are uniquely positioned to solve — banking the underbanked,” says EMURGO Fintech Managing Director Vineeth Bhuvanagiri.
Users can tokenize their USD to USDA via credit cards, wire transfers, direct deposits or payments, and native ADA token conversion. USDA is scheduled to launch in the first quarter of 2023 on the Anzens platform. It will be followed by implementing plans to provide a secure and convenient conversion of other stablecoins to USDA (for example, USDC and USDT), as well as cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, and others.
To fully comply with regulatory requirements and ensure compliance with oversight rules, Emurgo has partnered up with an as-yet-unnamed regulated US financial services company to act as the banking partner responsible for issuing USDA tokens and holding deposits.
By relying on regulation and the provision of tangible assets, the USDA can guarantee reliable long-term price stability, ultimately opening more global financial services to the Cardano ecosystem.
Unlike fiat-backed stablecoins, algorithmic stablecoins are regulated by specific algorithms that manage the balance between supply and demand, thus ensuring exchange rate stability.
Djed is an algorithmic, overcollateralized stablecoin backed by the Cardano (ADA) token and SHEN.
Algorithmic stablecoins, backed by a single currency, have some vulnerabilities. To solve this problem, Djed has a reserve asset – the SHEN token.
The concept of “over-collateralization” means that the stablecoin is backed by excess collateral in the form of a cryptocurrency held in reserve. And, if ADA falls too quickly, the underlying smart contracts include a reserve SHEN token that will be used to balance price fluctuations, helping to ensure a 400% to 800% over collateral level.
This stablecoin has been developed for more than two years in partnership with the COTI platform and IOG (please see the document describing all the technological features and operation of the stablecoin here)
COTI is a first-level blockchain payment network that provides a throughput of up to 100,000 transactions per second through the Proof-of-Trust consensus mechanism. COTI provides the infrastructure needed to create and issue stablecoins that are highly secure, scalable, and have low transaction fees.
Input Output Global is an engineering and technology company engaged in cryptocurrency development and research activities.
On January 31, 2023, after completing a series of audits and stress tests, the developers of the COTI blockchain platform, in collaboration with Input Output, announced that Djed had successfully launched on the Cardano mainnet.
Following completing a series of audits and stress tests, Djed is scheduled to launch on the mainnet in January 2023.
During the Cardano Summit in November, COTI CEO Shahaf Bar-Geffen stated, “Recent market events have proven again that we need a safe haven from volatility, and Djed will serve as this safe haven in the Cardano network. Not only do we need a stablecoin, but we need one that is decentralized, and has on chain proof of reserves.”
The primary mission of Cardano is to bring blockchain technologies into real life and provide access to them to anyone in the world. It is much work from a technological point of view, but the Cardano team is making good progress in this direction.
Providing economic identification is a crucial component in countries where people do not have an identity card or access to the banking sector. For example, in developing countries in Africa and Asia, digital services and decentralized identity will give people access to education, banking services, and the employment market. And Cardano is already addressing some of these issues by developing projects like Atala Scan, Atala Trace, and Atala Prism.
Cardano-powered stablecoins that share these values will help bring stability to the broader ecosystem and restore trust by acting as a trusted channel between TradFi and DeFi. It can bring cryptocurrencies closer to their original goals: provide access to digital financial for every person and ensure independence from centralized issuers.
Комментарий удален модератором
ты человек с мышлением муравья? лишь бы любую фигню нести не думая?
С чего ты взял, что я накопипастил? Это моя статья с уникальностью 100%, в которой описываются два новых стейбла, и которые выпускаются на блокчейне Кардано. Без рекоммендаций, советов и прочего, чисто фатическая инфа о новых продуктах.
Но таким как ты, лишбы дизы поставить, не разобравшись в сути.
просто свали отсюда поц
ну ты вообще отбитый! в чем мошенничество? хахах, лол)
ты тупой олень, если ты английский не знешь - то иди в школу учсь. Это НОВОСТНАЯ статья, в которой на основании НОВОСТЕЙ говорится о выпуске нового стейбла.
Ты баран даже этого понять не можешь, кто таким вообще интернет подключает, как у тебя вообще деньги есть его оплачивать, с такой логикой по жизни.
угомонись уже и иди нафиг отсюда
Оскорблять человека, которого вы не знаете, крайне антисоциально!
а еще, крайне асоциально, утверждать то, чего не знаешь и обвинять в мошенничестве (это вообще нонсенс)
и кстати оскорбил я его после того, как он проявил свою тупость. так что все по делу) имхо)
Комментарий удален модератором


text:
Most people may be aware that adapting a plant-based diet can help you maintain a healthy weight, but did you know that it’s good for you gut as well? As per the University of Texas, a plant-based diet can boost your immune system, reduce inflammation and reduce your risks for various diseases.Â
Given how hard and expensive healthy food is in the country, you may be hesitant to join the movement, but guest what, foodies? There’s a new plant-based brand on the block.
Nestle Philippines recently announced that it’s finally joining the plant-based meat alternatives market through its newly launched HARVEST GOURMETÂ® brand.
Launched on World Vegan Day, Nestle Philippines is embracing how much the market has been growing an appetite for healthier and tastier plant-based foods. Through Harvest Gourmet, the company invites the country’s leading restaurants and hotels to join the plant-based movement.
For now, the offerings of Harvest Gourmet will be initially available in three gourmet formats: Sensational Burger, Schnitzel, and Chargrilled Pieces, in 2-kilogram institutional packs. Given how more people have become health-conscious, Harvest Gourmet arrived at the perfect time.
What exactly will you be consuming through Harvest Gourmet, you may be wondering? Each product under the Harvest Gourmet range is made with non-GMO soy and wheat that promises taste, texture, and a cooking experience as close as possible to that of meat products. NestlÃ© also uses High Moisture Extrusion Technology to optimize the product performance in commercial kitchen equipment, ensuring that they deliver a gourmet-quality experience in terms of texture, appearance, aroma, and taste.
Wanna get your hands on some Harvest Gourmet products? Well, it’s now available at NestlÃ© Professional Philippines and on e-commerce partners Rare Food Shop and Prime Pacific Foods Corporation. You don’t have to be a vegan or vegetarian to sample it. Think of it as trying a new gastronomical adventure. Bon appetit!


text:
Artificially sweetened fizzy drinks like Diet Coke may be more helpful to dieters than water in helping them lose weight, a study has found.
The report, led by scientists at the University of Bristol, reviewed 240 previous studies about sweeteners and the human diet. The findings showed that dieters who swapped sugary fizzy drinks for diet drinks not only ‘saved’ 75-514 calories per day but also lost their desire to consume other sweet things.
The researchers wrote in the International Journal of Obesity that there was ‘considerable weight of evidence’ that consuming artificially sweetened drinks could consistently reduce weight over time, perhaps because the drinks satisfied sweet cravings.
They wrote: "The results indicate that the exposure to sweetness itself, without energy, is at least neutral in terms of impact on energy intake and energy balance, and possibly even helpful."
The report goes against previous research warning that the artificial sweeteners in diet drinks actually make us put on weight, disrupting the way our body processes sugar and making us hungrier soon after drinking them.


text:
Interested in learning what's next for the gaming industry? Join gaming executives to discuss emerging parts of the industry this October at GamesBeat Summit Next. Register today.
The mobile apps are only available to premium subscribers, who pay about 10 British pounds a month for access to a library of more than six million songs. The app lets you stream any of Spotify’s songs on a Wi-Fi or 3G connection on your phone, and it saves playlists for when you can’t reach a connection.
Founded in Sweden by 26-year-old Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon, Spotify’s user interface is like Apple’s iTunes except all the songs are available to stream. The company has three models: free with ads for PC users, a day pass for 99 pence to avoid ads, and 9.99 pounds a month for streaming with no ads, plus the mobile apps.
If Spotify is successful, the company would represent a new paradigm in the music business. Instead of pushing music ownership as the ultimate goal, Spotify would push streaming. The idea would be to encourage as many users as possible to paying $10 to 15 a month for an all-you-can-stream deal, or at least develop a large enough user base that advertising could sustain the royalty rates the company has to pay to record labels. As the company has said to us in the past, it wants to be “better than piracy.”
Other start-ups have tried variations on the streaming model in the past, but royalties were so high that they jeopardized projects such as Pandora and Imeem. (Pandora also doesn’t let you select which track you want to listen to like Spotify.) Another older competitor, Rhapsody, also has an all-you-can-stream model for roughly the same price and is planning to launch on the iPhone soon, but it doesn’t support offline playing.
Spotify has secured deals with record labels like Universal Music Group, Sony BMG, EMI Music and Warner Music Group and uses a peer-to-peer streaming technology that makes its speed a lot faster compared to other rivals. Spotify is available in Sweden, Norway, Finland, the U.K., France and Spain. The company has racked up more than six million users across the continent and plans to expand to the U.S. by the end of the year. Hong Kong billionaire Li Ka-Shing’s charitable foundation recently took a stake in the company, valuing it at a reported $250 million as it seeks to expand internationally.
VentureBeat's mission is to be a digital town square for technical decision-makers to gain knowledge about transformative enterprise technology and transact. Discover our Briefings.


text:
Are you a dashboarddiner?

By that I mean: Do you frequently eat in your car?

I'll confess. I eat in my car. So do my kids. We spend so much time going from here to there that it's hard not to munch on the road.

However, my husband and I recently bought new vehicles for the first time in more than a decade and we have pledged to drastically cut down on our meals on wheels.

Good thing, too, since eating less in your car is a smart financial move.

Vehicles in excellent condition and appearance — both inside and outside — can be valued thousands of dollars higher than those in good or fair condition, according to the results of a national survey conducted by Kelley Blue Book Marketing Research and Taco Bell Corp.

The random survey of more than 1,200 drivers who own or lease a car was conducted on kbb.com from Jan. 30 to Feb. 1, 2006.

Nearly 60 percent of all vehicle owners eat or allow someone to eat in their vehicles, according to the survey.

But does a food-stained seat or carpet matter as much as a car's exterior or engine when it comes time to resell a car?

Many of the survey respondents didn't think so.

More than 90 percent of vehicle owners believe exterior attributes have more impact than interior condition on a car's long-term value. Only 3 percent thought that the seats matter and only 1 percent ranked carpet condition as important. When given a choice of 13 attributes to rank in importance with regard to eventual resale value, stained seats and carpets ranked as numbers 10 and 11.

Yet while it's true that keeping your car looking good on the outside can help increase its resale value, a nasty interior has as much impact on its long-term value as the exterior.

"I was surprised people put relatively little emphasis on the value of the interior of their car," said Jack R. Nerad, executive editorial director and market analyst for Kelley Blue Book. "What we find is a lot of people are losing a lot of money by not paying attention to resale value."

The interior of a vehicle contributes to roughly 30 percent to 35 percent of a vehicle's overall resale value, according to Kelley. The three major areas that affect a vehicle's value are interior, exterior and engine/transmission. Each contribute about a third to a car's overall resale value.

I thought this was an interesting survey even if I wasn't sure initially why this information would matter to Taco Bell. I understand why Kelley would want car owners to know that messy can cost them money. The company is in the business of providing new and used vehicle pricing information.

So what's Taco Bell's motivation? Well, the company is pushing a product you eat on the go with less mess. Taco Bell calls it the "Crunchwrap Supreme," a grilled tortilla you can eat with one hand because the taco fixings are sealed into the shell.

Although I'm trying to keep my new car tidy and ding-free, as the years go by I won't really care how messy it gets. It won't matter because I keep my automobiles for years. When I need another vehicle, I usually give the old one to a relative.

I keep my cars so long that folks start to feel sorry for me. I have no shame in driving around in a hoopty (for those not up on your urban lingo, "hoopty" is a messed-up, banged-up car).

I have to tell you that one Sunday I came out of church to find one of my fellow congregants had placed his business card under my van's windshield wiper. He was a salesman for a dealership.

Someone else might have been embarrassed. Not me. I laughed knowing that it was paid for. However, many people trade their cars like children swap trading cards. On average, owners trade in their cars every three to five years, according to Kelley.

I just don't understand why someone would trade in a perfectly good car, especially since technological changes have resulted in vehicles becoming much more durable than in the past.

Bankruptcy follow-up

In what will undoubtedly be the first of many "I told you so" reports, the National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys has found that, overwhelmingly, people who file for bankruptcy protection aren't deadbeats who went on shopping sprees with the intention of shirking their debts.

That's quite contrary to what was being claimed by supporters of a new federal bankruptcy law that went into effect last October.

For years, those proponents argued that billions of dollars were being lost because people were simply being allowed to walk away from their debts.

The new law now requires people to get credit counseling before they can file for bankruptcy protection. The premise behind this provision is that by forcing people to get counseling, it will show that many bankruptcy filers in fact have enough money left over after taking care of their essential expenses to repay creditors.

Now, in the first analysis of the tens of thousands of people who have undergone credit counseling since the law passed, the bankruptcy attorneys association found that nearly all (97 percent) of the debtors really truly couldn't pay their debts.

E-mail Michelle Singletary at email@example.com.
Need Help? Call us at 1-877-304-7764.
Monday-Friday: 5am-6pm / Saturday: 5am-8pm / Sunday: 4am-11am


text:
Fortnite Season 11's Chapter 2 And New Map Leak, The End Event Start Time
Here's what to know about the new season of Epic's popular battle royale game.
GameSpot may get a commission from retail offers.
Update: The official Fortnite Twitter account has repeatedly posted a teaser for when The End event in Fortnite begins, which lines up with what countdown timers across the island have also been teasing: Sunday, October 13 at 11 AM PT / 2 PM ET.
The image depicts the Battle Bus departing the island, which could further tie into rumors that Season 11 will introduce a brand new map. Meanwhile, a leak regarding Fortnite: Chapter 2 has appeared online, suggesting that the new season could be a larger-than-average revamp of the game that will add boats, a new map, and more.
Season 10 of Fortnite is almost over, which means Season 11 is just around the corner. The current season of Epic's popular battle royale shooter is scheduled to end this Sunday, October 13, after the developer extended it by an extra week, and it appears the new end date will coincide with some kind of big, world-changing in-game event.
Just what that event will entail remains to be seen, but these events have traditionally had major ramifications for the following season. That's sure to again be the case with Season 11. While Epic has not yet announced an exact start date or time for the new season, it is expected to begin shortly after Season 10 ends.
The developer has also been fairly tight-lipped about what we can expect to change in the upcoming season, but there are some things we know about it or can infer based on what has been happening in Fortnite the past couple of weeks. To help get you up to speed, we've rounded up everything we know about Fortnite Season 11 below.
When Does "The End" Event Start?
Just as it does before every seasonal changeover, Epic is holding a major in-game event in Fortnite ahead of Season 11. This season's event is ominously known as "The End," and it's all scheduled to unfold in only a couple of days. According to the countdown timers that have begun appearing all across the Fortnite island, the event will occur at 11 AM PT / 2 PM ET on October 13.
What Will Happen During The Event?
At this moment, it's unclear just what will occur during the event, but it will almost undoubtedly lead to some big changes in Season 11. It will also presumably involve The Visitor, the time-traveling antagonist whose rocket in Season 4 created the giant rift in the sky, precipitating the events that would eventually lead up to this moment.
The end is near.— Fortnite (@FortniteGame) September 14, 2019
The Scientist has arrived, his mission is unclear. Complete the Meteoric Rise Mission to unlock the Secret Battle Pass Outfit! pic.twitter.com/MPY6lIEwap
Like many other elements from Fortnite's past, The Visitor returned to the game during Season 10. Now known as "The Scientist," the antagonist is once again building a rocket at Dusty Depot, which will presumably launch once the countdown timers expire. That's not all; the character seems to have infected Fortnite's controversial BRUTE mechs with some kind of virus, causing them to explode immediately upon appearing.
When Does Fortnite Season 11 Start?
We know Season 10 of Fortnite is scheduled to end on October 13, but Epic has not yet confirmed when Season 11 will officially begin. A new season of the game typically kicks off immediately after the previous one; however, there have been instances in the past when the new season would follow a couple of days later, so it's currently unclear exactly when Season 11 will start. It's safe to say Season 11 will kick off sometime next week, but we're still waiting on the official timing from Epic.
What Is Changing In Season 11?
One change Epic has already confirmed for Season 11 is the addition of bots. As part of its recent spate of matchmaking changes, the developer is introducing AI-controlled opponents to the game next season. According to Epic, these are intended to help players hone their skills and develop their strategies; the better players get, the fewer bots will appear in their matches, the developer says.
It also appears there are some big changes in store for the island. Dataminers have recently discovered a list of new location names within the game's code, leading many to speculate that Season 11 may introduce an entirely new map--or at least make some significant changes to the current one. That, however, has not yet been confirmed.
Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email email@example.com


text:
Posted by Sheila Shayon on November 12, 2012 05:05 PM
You know things are bad when the BBC is covering itself under the banner, "Crisis at the BBC." The British Broadcasting Corp. has fallen from its venerable pedestal, with its latest embarrassment triggering the resignation of senior executives, who are taking the fall for the corporation's newsgathering operation failing to maintain the ethical and journalistic standards at the heart of its brand promise.
BBC director-general George Entwistle resigned on Saturday, after only 55 days in the role, holding himself responsible for "unacceptable journalistic standards" on the BBC's flagship current-affairs program, Newsnight, after it failed to verify an accusation it aired against Lord McAlpine, a former Conservative Party treasurer, of child sex abuse in Wales. The BBC's director of news, Helen Boaden, and her deputy, Stephen Mitchell, have also stepped down.
No wonder Chris Patten, chairman of the BBC Trust, is calling the network a "ghastly mess."Continue reading...
Posted by Sheila Shayon on November 7, 2012 09:21 AM
It’s a great day for President Obama, and a pretty good one for Nate Silver as well, the political prognosticator and statistician for the New York Times whose model proved accurate – where Gallup’s, among others, did not. As Buzzfeed quipped, "Nate Silver Wins the Election."
Here’s how right he was: correctly predicted the winner of all 50 states yesterday, predicted Obama winning Virginia and Florida by very small margins and projected Obama would win the popular vote by 2%. The only race he missed: Montana's senate race.
“The real loser last night, outside of Mitt Romney and Republicans of course, was the political pundit class,” notes the Examiner. “The pundits have lost credibility as they swear up and down on the eve of the election that the polls must be wrong. Anything can happen, but in 2016 readers would best put their confidence in hard poll numbers as opposed to the “gut feeling” of someone on a cable news network.”
Formerly a standalone website, Silver's data-crunching FiveThirtyEight blog drew huge traffic for the NYTimes.com, which licensed it for three years in 2010. Turns out the controversy his predictions engendered brought supporters and critics to his site – like moths to the light – a best-of-breed example on the power of personal branding.Continue reading...
social media watch
Posted by Sheila Shayon on November 6, 2012 04:26 PM
Facebook is encouraging its U.S. users to share that they've voted for an interactive map, while Twitter has set up its election page to track the #Election2012 winds of change. But it's Facebook's more visual sub-brand, theonce niche mobile photo-sharing app Instagram, that's the darling of the digital world for the 2012 U.S. presidential election cycle.
Since being snapped up by Facebook for $1 billion in April, and following its launch of an Android version of its app, the brand has grown its user base from 15 million to 80 million since January 1st, with an astonishing 4 billion photos posted this year to date. Further proof, if any is needed, that photo-sharing is hot: Coca-Cola is getting in on the game with its Happy Places app, while Twitter and Facebook are racing to improve their photo filters.
The 2012 U.S. presidential election day represents Instagram’s coming out party. Its usual feed today is replaced by a stream of voter’s ballots and related political imagery, which could exceed half a million uploads by election day's end. While encouraging its users to share their election day photos with the tag #ivoted, they are being reminded to not snap a pic of their election ballot, which could render it void in certain states. In another first, the New York Times is also featuring voters' Instagram photos on their homepage election coverage.Continue reading...
Posted by Dale Buss on October 31, 2012 01:32 PM
Disney acquires Lucasfilm for $4.05 billion, plans to restart Star Wars franchise.
Apple sees executive refuse to apologize for mapping flaw, so he and retail chief are to depart as design head Jony Ive takes on bigger role and Apple shares slip post-shakeup.BP returns to profitability and raises dividend.
BP returns to profitability and raises dividend.
Activision goes big for CoD: Black Ops 2.
Aldi revamps as German consumers reject austerity.
Bayer acquires Schiff for $1.2 billion.
Burger King boosts marketing and makes demographic inroads.
Ford profits reflect North American gains and European woes.Continue reading...
Posted by Dale Buss on October 26, 2012 09:02 AM
Amazon swings to loss on aggressive spending on future growth, worries about Apple's iPad mini, while Apple disses Microsoft Surface tablet.
BBC sees dimensions of Jimmy Savile sex abuse scandal grow.
Bank of America still dealing with fallout from collapse of Countrywide.
Chanel benefits from buzz created by Brad Pitt campaign.
Cheesecake Factory bucks casual-dining traffic decline.
Chipotle considers once-forbidden veer toward fast-food platform.
Citigroup CEO exit reportedly was planned for months.Continue reading...
Posted by Shirley Brady on October 24, 2012 06:15 PM
Bank of America slapped with U.S. lawsuit over billion-dollar "hustle" of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae.
Elizabeth Taylor is Forbes' new Top-Earning Dead Celeb thanks to Christie's auction.
Apple's iPad mini already has a Chinese knock-off, while US judge says Samsung infringed four Apple patents.
Facebook wins back Wall Street, affirms social dominance and shares soar as looks to rebuild confidence.
AT&T beats estimates in latest quarterly earnings report.
BlackBerry loses grip as go-to phone for US federal government.
Buzzfeed taps Rdio for "social music advertising."
Cisco will fund 12,000 meals for World Food Program via Facebook app.
Tom Cruise sues gossip magazines for defamation of character.Continue reading...
Posted by Dale Buss on October 24, 2012 09:00 AM
Dow Chemical to slash 2,400 jobs and close 20 plants.
Zynga cuts staff and kills some games.
BBC investigating staff members in Jimmy Savile sex scandal as New York Times public editor calls for scrutiny of incoming CEO, ex-BBC exec Mark Thompson.
AT&T reports slower growth in new customers.
American Airlines expands route network.
Apple finally unveils its new smaller iPad as advertisers and publishers contemplate utility of new model.
BAE faces pressure after collapse of EADS deal.Continue reading...
Posted by Dale Buss on October 9, 2012 09:03 AM
Yum! Brands third quarter earnings report is being closely watched.
Barclays to buy ING online assets.
Yahoo's Marissa Mayer urged to repurchase stock, profiled in New York magazine.
AT&T shares network with IBM to lure more customers to the cloud.
Amazon veers more into advertising.
American Airlines loses traffic over operational issues.
Apple asked by Taiwan to blur satellite image as Samsung spat dings brand perception.Continue reading...


text:
LOS ANGELES (MarketWatch) - Salesforce.com Inc.'s stock lost 4.1% on Friday after an analyst downgraded the stock following stellar gains for the year, though he remained upbeat on the business-software provider's business for the long term.
Analyst Brent Thill at Prudential Equity Group downgraded Salesforce's stock
"While the stock could still move higher, a somewhat aggressive, yet not unreasonable, what-if scenario generates a potential target of $35 for a mere 6% of upside," he told clients in a note. "In case of a misstep in fundamentals, the downside could be more significant."
"Therefore, we recommend that investors pause on putting new money to work," Thill said.
Shares of the company, which makes software to help clients manage their customer relationships, fell $1.36 to close at $31.58 after the downgrade. In earlier dealings, the stock declined as low as $31.25. It has ranged in price over the last 52 weeks from $12.96 to $32.97.
Despite his lowered investment rating on the San Francisco-based company's stock, Thill said he's still bullish on Salesforce's long-term fundamentals.
"We continue to believe that Salesforce.com's on-demand delivery model has the potential to revolutionize the entire software industry," the analyst asserted.
Salesforce has carved out a niche for itself by offering business software via the Internet, allowing customers to avoid the up-front costs and hassle associated with installing and maintaining traditional software on their own computer servers.


text:
China remains one of the top trade partners with the United States. U.S. goods and services trade with China totaled an estimated $660 billion in 2015. Exports were over $160 billion and imports exceeded $490 billion. With such strong trade relations, China will remain a key partner despite the increased protectionist policies indicated by the Trump administration. China will be positioning itself for a greater leadership role such as in the 16 nation Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), accounting for almost 30% of global GDP.
OPPORTUNITIES ABOUND BUT THE PLAYBOOK IS CHANGING
- The UBS banking group reports that retail sales of consumer goods is still growing at about 10 percent per year. And the Boston Consulting Group estimates that the consumer economy would expand by nearly half – to about $6.5 trillion in total – by 2020 even assuming that China’s overall economic growth rate cools down significantly. Just the incremental consumption growth of $2.3 trillion BCG projects over the next five years is much larger than the current size of the consumer marketplace in Germany or the United Kingdom.
- Two basic factors are driving this consumer-spending trajectory. The first is a new generation of freer-spending, sophisticated customers. The Demand Institute, for example, estimates that this generation will swell in numbers from 370 million in 2014 to 590 million in 2025. It also reckons that this group will account for 60 percent of total consumption by then and will spend some $25 trillion over the next decade.
- Yet even as the consumer marketplace expands in size, it is also evolving qualitatively as customers become savvier and increasingly demand more premium products. Proctor & Gamble’s CEO recently summed up his company’s stumbles in China this way: “We looked at China too much like a developing market as opposed to the most discerning market in the world.”
- The second factor is the increasingly powerful role of e-commerce. China surpassed the US as the world’s largest e-commerce market in 2013, a development fueled in turn by the phenomenal speed of smartphone penetration in the country. UBS reports that online retail sales grew 33 percent in 2015, accounting for more than a tenth of total retail sales. Retail spending on mobile devices also increased by over 100 percent last year, continuing a trend seen since late 2013.
- BCG expects that e-commerce – and especially mobile commerce – will drive over 40 percent of total consumption growth through 2020. In fact, more than 460 million Chinese consumers are now shopping online – a ten-fold increase from just eight years ago. A recent survey, for instance, found that nearly half of Chinese shoppers are already buying groceries online, twice the level of global consumers as a whole.…Interesting fact for the renewable sector: China plans to add 1,000 gigawatts of green energy capacity by 2030, a figure equal to 90 percent of the current size of the entire US power grid.
Vietnam has a rapidly growing economy, driven by a young, energetic and educated population. The U.S. is Vietnam’s second largest trading partner and there are many shared interests between the two countries including increased awareness of global warming and its impacts. Vietnam is one of the nations most vulnerable to rising sea levels and other environmental changes which positions them to become a strong voice for advocacy and innovation in this regard.
THE NEXT FRONTIER FOR U.S. BUSINESS IN ASIA
- Vietnam is playing an important role in Asia’s shifting manufacturing landscape as itincreasingly takes over the production of textiles and electronics from China.
- In a new survey of U.S. companies operating in Southeast Asia, many cited Vietnam as apriority market for future business expansion.
- Vietnam has the highest internet penetration rate in Southeast Asia, which is driving a boom in e-commerce. According to the Nielsen media research company, Vietnamese are among the world’s most voracious consumers of video on their smartphones.
- Vietnam’s tech startup scene, epitomized by the “Flappy Bird” smartphone app that became a recent global sensation, is attracting increasing attention. The Gartner market research firm ranks the country as among the top five providers of IT outsourcing services in Asia – up from 30 th place in 2010. Silicon Valley’s 500 Startups recently launched a new fund to channel investment to the country’s tech entrepreneurs.
- According to a new World Bank study, no country will benefit more than Vietnam from the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade agreement.
- The country offers significant business opportunities for agricultural products, power generation machinery, telecommunications, health care, pharmaceutical products and e- commerce.
Japan and the U.S. have long retained strong trade relations. Total two-way trade is over $280 billion with $115 billion in goods and services exported to Japan. Japan ranks 2nd in Internet use worldwide, providing incredible opportunities for global companies to reach this online market. Combined with being the fourth largest buyer of California produced goods and services, including aerospace and technology, Japan remains a strong U.S. trade partner.
ANCIENT MEETS MODERN WITH A YEN FOR GROWTH
- Japan is at the forefront of the significant demographic developments facing a number of the world’s most advanced economies, offering a valuable consumer proving ground for countries with populations that are shrinking and growing older.
- With a quickly-aging population, Japan leads the world in health spending per capita and is spawning new business opportunities for companies in the health care, pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical devices & equipment, elder-care and elder-tech fields. An important “silver market” has developed for companies focused on products and services geared toward retirement-age customers.
- As the labor market tightens, new opportunities are developing for companies in the robotics and automation sectors.
- With a scarce natural resources base of its own, Japan is increasingly open to agricultural and food imports.
- Following the Fukushima nuclear disaster, it has launched a major focus on developing renewable power generation and energy-harvesting technology. As part of this program, the retail electricity market is being deregulated and local economies are being revitalized through the expansion of renewable energy projects.
In terms of population size, Korea (with 50 million people) is the 28th-largest country in the world. But viewed according to the overall size of its economy, it is the world’s 14th-largest country and the fourth largest in Asia. In short, Korea punches well above its weight in the global economy, a high-income country with a GDP-per-capita level three times that of China and almost equal to Japan’s.
EXPLORE SOUTH KOREA
SMALL COUNTRY, BIG OPPORTUNITIES
From consumer electronics to autos, it is home to some of the most competitive and famous companies in the world. A shaper of global pop culture, it is also heavily engaged in the international trade system. Korea, for example, is the fifth-largest U.S. trade partner and the third-largest partner for the Los Angeles area.
- The L.A. area by itself accounts for a fifth of total U.S.-Korea trade activity – the highest level of any U.S. region. Exports of food products and aircraft engines and parts lead the way, along with motor vehicle parts.
- The U.S.-Korea free trade agreement, which went into effect in March 2012, has markedly increased U.S.-Korea trade levels.
- The Korean economy is moving toward more technology and capital-intensive industries, creating opportunities for U.S. companies in the fields of life sciences (medical instruments, pharmaceuticals and biotechnology), aerospace and defense, environmental technology and nanotechnology.
The economic relationship between the United States and the European Union is easily the largest and most complex in the world, generating goods and services trade flows of about $2.7 billion a day. In all, the relationship accounts for nearly half of all global economic output and a third of total goods and services trade. Taken together, the EU’s 28 countries would rank as the second-largest market for U.S. exporters and the fifth-largest market for agricultural exports. Of these, the top three largest country export markets are Germany, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands.
- Germany is the Los Angeles area’s sixth-largest trade partner and the largest non-Asian one. Total trade between Los Angeles and Germany was $11.68 billion in 2015. Leading exports in 2015 included civilian aircraft, engines and parts; motor vehicles; and medical instruments.
- Germany is the world’s fifth-largest economy and accounts for more than a fifth of the EU’s overall GDP. It also features the largest consumer market in Europe, and its location in the center of the continent makes it a cornerstone around which many U.S. companies build their European expansion strategies.
- Germany is the largest U.S. trade partner in Europe and the sixth-largest market overall for U.S. exports.


text:
X-bit Labs reports NVIDIA is happy with the performance of its upcoming GeForce GF100 "Fermi" graphics card:
“We expect [Fermi] to be the fastest GPU in every single segment. The performance numbers that we have [obtained] internally just [confirms] that. So, we are happy about this and are just finalizing everything on the driver side,” said Luciano Alibrandi, the head of Nvidia public relations department in EMEAI region, in an interview with DonanimHaber web-site.
It was untraditional for Nvidia to demonstrate capabilities of its forthcoming graphics card months ahead of actual release. It is generally believed that Nvidia showed off its Fermi product in late September in an attempt to slowdown sales of its arch-rival ATI’s DirectX 11 graphics processors. The company yet has to show performance numbers of its next-gen graphics products. However, according to Mr. Alibrandi, the company is not only working hard on the new chip itself, but is also developing “perfect” drivers in an attempt to provide ultimate experience for the end-user.
“We just want to make sure it is as perfect as we want it to be in both graphics and computing [performance and quality],” said Mr. Alibrandi.


text:
The numbers are daunting. More than 40 million Americans have their identities stolen each year. Credit card companies lose more than $200 billion annually due to fraud. Cybercrime-related losses exceed $3 million per claim for large companies. If you’re like me, those stats are enough to give pause. To fuel the concern, […]
The post Streaming data analytics: A better way to fight fraud and cybercrime appeared first on The Data Roundtable.


text:
Agricultural exporters fume at port tariff hikes
Business Day - Sep 26th 2011, 08:18
Agriculture exporters are up in arms over proposed new port tariffs, saying additional costs will have a detrimental effect on the industryâ€™s competitiveness and the economy as a whole.
Transnet National Ports Authority has proposed new tariffs for exporters and importers using the countryâ€™s ports, saying it needs the revenue to recover its investment in owning, managing, controlling and administering ports and its investment in port services and facilities.
The proposed 2012- 13 tariff application was released in July , in which an 18,06% tariff increase â€” more than three times the inflation rate of 5,3% â€” is proposed by the ports authority based on its projections to raise R9,65m in revenue.
According to the tariff document, the increase allows the authority to recover its costs for maintaining, operating, managing, controlling and administering ports, and costs for providing services and facilities.
Revenue generated by cargo dues will be used to maintain and expand dry infrastructure such as quay walls, roads, rail lines, buildings, fencing, port security, and lighting outside terminals, bulk services and in certain cases terminal infrastructure within South African Ports.
Ms Lindie Stroebel, manager for economic intelligence and finance at the Agriculture Business Chamber, said yesterday that as Transnet was a state-owned enterprise, it was strange the enterprise was profit- driven and its cargo dues were about to increase drastically at a time when "the fragile local economy is highly dependent on state support".
She said there seemed to be a lack of understanding that the cost of doing business in SA needed to decrease so that exporting industries could increase market share.
"The agricultural exporters now have to consider the proposed increased port tariffs into their costing structures, which will directly influence their competitiveness," Ms Stroebel said.
In the 2011- 12 financial year the ports authority proposed a 11,9% tariff increase, but this was not applicable to all commodities within the tariff book as some commodities â€” such as ores, minerals and olivine â€” received a 76,02% decrease in tariffs from R95,90 to R23, while others received extremely high increases. For example, the tariff for logs was increased by 644,81%, to R40,89 from R5,49 .
The ports authority gave port users a chance to submit grievances and comments to the Port Regulator regarding the 2011- 12 tariff application by mid-November last year .
The South African Shippers Council and the South African Association of Freight Forwarders entered submissions on behalf of their members, highlighting the unfairness of the different adjustments for different commodities as well as the negative consequences they would have on the economy. After the submissions, the regulator adjusted the tariff increase from 11,9% to 4,49% across the board.
Ms Stroebel said South African exporters of agricultural goods were already under strain, as the rand had been relatively strong over the past two years and foreign earnings for the products exported had decreased accordingly.
In general, international demand had also been sluggish, considering the slow economic recovery and low business sentiment.
Iran ramps up wheat buying
18/06/2013 - 08:30
London - Iran has ramped up its campaign to import wheat, buying more than 800,000 tonnes in two weeks in what some traders said was a drive to ensure adequate supplies for a possibly tense period after Friday's election.
SA maize falls after USDA report
14/06/2013 - 08:20
Johannesburg - South African corn declined for a second day after a report from the US Department of Agriculture showed more production than anticipated.
Sainsbury maintains growth record as grocer outpaces rivals
12/06/2013 - 14:06
J Sainsbury Plc (SBRY), the U.K.â€™s third-largest supermarket chain, reported a 34th successive quarter of same-store sales growth as the grocer increased its share of the market while its main competitors all lost ground.
Mr Delivery opts for three wheels to service new Pick n Pay contract
11/06/2013 - 08:29
Mr Delivery opts for three wheels, times 60 Mr Delivery has acquired 60 Mahindra three-wheeler vehicles, fitted with specially designed, lockable canopies, to service a new contract for the Pick n Pay Online Shopping delivery service, which operates from a number of hubs in the country.
Tablet shipments to surpass portable PCs in 2013
03/06/2013 - 09:29
According to a new forecast from the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Tablet Tracker, tablet shipments are expected to grow 58.7% year over year in 2013 reaching 229.3 million units, up from 144.5 million units last year.


text:
- Subscribe NowLimited Time Offer
Sign Up for the Portland Business Journal Afternoon Edition Newsletter
Send this story to a friend
Columbia Sportswear Q3 sales fall, still beats Wall Street
(Page 2 of 2)
The impact was felt heavily on the company’s Columbia and Sorel brands and hampered the company’s efforts to revitalize the Columbia brand in Europe.
About 45 percent of region’s sales decline was attributed to differences in the timing of shipments for fall orders to distributors in those territories.
The company’s performance in the region, though, could improve. Fall 2012 shipments to distributors there are up 7 percent from the prior year.
Overall sales of Columbia branded products fell 2 percent in the quarter to $436.8 million. Mountain Hardware sales fell 1 percent to $44.4 million. Sales of Sorel brand products fell by 15 percent to $61.2 million.
Columbia ended the quarter with $96.3 million in cash, up from $90.4 million in September, and the value of its inventories grew 10 percent to $465.7 million thanks mostly to the higher average cost per unit.
The company said it expects full-year sales to reach $1.7 billion, matching last year’s total with an operating margin of 8.3 percent, up from 8.1 percent a year ago.
“Looking ahead to 2013, we anticipate continued slow growth through at least the first half of the year, based in part on advance spring 2013 wholesale orders, the fragile U.S. recovery, continued uncertainty in Europe, and signs of slowing in key Asian markets,” Boyle said in a news release. “However, we believe that our continued focus on innovation, performance and enhanced design is elevating our brand portfolio, which holds substantial long-term growth potential.”
Erik Siemers is managing editor of the Portland Business Journal.
If you are commenting using a Facebook account, your profile information may be displayed with your comment depending on your privacy settings. By leaving the 'Post to Facebook' box selected, your comment will be published to your Facebook profile in addition to the space below.
- Most popular
- Oregon patients: Find out how much Medicare paid your doctor
- Paul Allen hates ocean sounds, sells LA mansion for $28M
- How new Oregon rules let physician assistants act like doctors
- Women of Influence: Meet our 2014 class of business leaders (Photos)
- Goose Hollow residents pledge to fight Mill Creek project
- A countdown of Oregon's 18 best CEO golfers
- Salesforce.com set to move into the West's tallest office building
- Knight Cancer Challenge will save lives, create jobs
- Portland's Crystal Ballroom evacuated after possible structure damage
- Portland's next skyscraper takes shape — in Tigard
Email Newsletter Signup
Afternoon Edition: The latest local business news delivered to you each afternoon.
- Advertising Account Executive Portland Business Journal | Portland, OR
- Sales Representative Portrait Publications | Portland, OR
- CDL A Drivers Cardinal / Greatwide | Portland, OR
- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Bonneville Power Administration | Portland, OR
- Audience Development Director Puget Sound Business Journal | Seattle, WA


text:
Apple iPhone 'threat to national security': Chinese media
Chinese state broadcaster CCTV has accused US technology giant Apple of threatening national security through its iPhone's ability to track and time-stamp a user's location.
Apple granted patent for all-glass iPhone, iPad building process
Apple has been granted a patent for a method to create all-glass shells for electronic devices, such as iPhones and iPads.
Apple's fiscal 3Q earnings top analyst forecasts
Apple's growth prospects are looking brighter as anticipation builds for the upcoming release of the next iPhone, a model that is expected to cater to consumers yearning for a bigger screen.


text:
During the festive season, state-run Punjab National Bank (PNB) has given a big gift to its customers. PNB has launched a Festival Bonanza Offer for the customers. Under the festive offer, banks are offering their retail products such as Home Loans, Vehicle Loans, Property Loans, Personal Loans, Pension Loans and Gold Loans. ) but waived off all service charges/processing fees and documentation charges.
Punjab National Bank (PNB) is offering loans at affordable interest rates. PNB is giving 6.80 percent interest rate on home loans and 7.15 percent on car loans.
The bank is also giving personal loans to the general public at the rate of 8.95 percent, which is the lowest in the industry. The bank has also announced to offer home loan top-up at an attractive rate of interest.
Till when can you avail the offer
Customers can avail the exciting offers available till December 31, 2021 through any of the PNB branches across the country or through digital channels.
Despite the impact of the pandemic, PNB remains committed to its customers by providing them with customized products, incentives and ease of banking services. The bank believes that this will boost the credit portfolio of the customers and increase the customer spending.
Explain that in the festive offer, the bank has removed bank service charges, processing fees, documentation charges from retail products like home loan, vehicle loan, property loan, personal loan, pension loan and gold loan.