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May 18, 2012
The V&A has redesigned their fashion gallery, and are launching their refurbished collection of 100 outfits on May 19. Highlights include a mantua (gown) from the 1760’s, an 1850’s wedding dress, flapper dresses from the 20’s, evening dresses by names such as Dior, Givenchy and Lanvin, to name but a few. Punk is represented by a Vivienne Westwood outfit, whilst more recent times are represented by Dries van Noten and Prada. There is also a separate space dedicated to temporary exhibition 'Ballgowns: British Glamour since 1950', which presents more than sixty of the most elaborate evening dresses, ballgowns, and catwalk showstoppers. The exhibition also opens on May 19 and runs to January 6th.
V&A, Cromwell Rd, London, SW7 2RL
May 19 until undisclosed. 10am-5.45pm daily, until 10pm Fri (selected galleries only)
Entrance to the V&A is free, however the 'Ballgowns: British Glamour since 1950' exhibition costs £10, £7 concs, under-12s free.
Celebrated photographer and film maker Jim Lee is showcasing a collection of his most iconic images to coincide with the launch of his biography, ‘Arrested’. With a career spanning fifty years, Lee started out photographing music acts such as The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, and then moved on to fashion photography, collaborating with designers such as Yves Saint Laurent, Gianni Versace and Ossie Clark. All works in the exhibition will be for sale.
Somerset House Trust, South Building, Somerset House, Strand, London. WC2R 1LA
From now until 5 June 2012. Somerset House is open daily from 10.00-18.00.
After a series of exciting events to celebrate their tenth anniversary London’s most famous vintage store Beyond Retro, has even more treats to excite us this weekend. They are hosting a ‘50 % off absolutely everything sale’ at their Brick Lane store. Starting Friday (18th May) at 10am, for the first time ever the store will be discounting everything in store for three days.
Then over at the Soho store this Saturday, there will be live DJs having an in store mix off. The DJs spinning it out this Saturday will be:
‘80s Pop, Indie and New Wave from Finn Kidd of Hatcham Social
Soul and Disco by Matty B from The HiFi Club
Unadulterated rock from Mark Carey, founder of Soho’s RattleSnake Shake Nights
Beyond Retro Brick Lane
110-112 Cheshire Street
London, Greater London
Beyond Retro Soho
58-59 Great Marlborough Street
London, Greater London
Sale begins 10am Friday 18th May and runs until Sunday. Soho’s Dj battle will be held on Saturday 19th May.


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Grand Theft Auto VI has been on top of everyone's expectations ever since Rockstar Games has been doing a great job with all of their games, and things just got better when an ex-employee leaked the possible release date for the up and coming to GTA VI this 2020 or 2021! Rockstar Games has an incredible reputation of keeping its development process secretive from fans from the release date, platforms, to the latest development itself!
Everything we know so far about GTA VI
Only bits and pieces of trusted information about GTA VI have been released, and although it has not come as an official statement, reliable sources have relayed this information; Therefore, fans can lean towards believing them. The setting of GTA VI is set to be in the holy land of Vice City and is greatly inspired by the Narcos TV series on Netflix.
Without official statements from Rockstar, we cannot entirely get our hopes up as we wait for the official statement regarding the upcoming GTA VI. The good news though, is that at least we have something to look forward to! Imagine how amazing GTA VI would be!?
What we can expect based on reputable sayings
An equity research firm Jeffries has spoken to Darion Lowenstein, who is one of the industry's veterans when it comes to video game companies having experience working with big names like Activision, EA, Rockstar, and others. According to Lowenstein, we cannot be expecting GTA VI to come any time soon. Reports from The Daily Star have given his statement.
Darion noted that Rockstar is more concerned about the quality of GTA VI rather than the actual deadline of the game, which is why they cannot be expected as soon as we want them but rather, on a mysterious Holiday on 2021! A sad reality, but gamers will have to wait just a little bit more.
Lowenstein's reliability when it comes to the release of GTA VI
Lowenstein has had a great experience, and a couple of good insights when it comes to the workings of Rockstar, which is why deeming him as bankable would be something fans would have to do. But at the end of the day, everything up to this point is still a guess. The future is still uncertain pertaining to the release date of GTA VI
Trevor from GTA V
GTA V's Trevor, played by Steven Ogg was an amazing performance. In October 2019, Ogg released a statement that a sequel could be on the works and released around 2020 or 2021, which supports what Lowenstein was talking about. Connecting the dots, both statements make sense that 2021 could, in fact, be the year of release for the next GTA game.
Better than nothing, at least we have something to look forward to, and we are sure to be surprised on a mysterious Holiday when Rockstar suddenly announces the final release date for Grand Theft Auto VI!

domain: news


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New Dollar General Store Going Up In Calaveras County
Valley Springs, CA — A crane lifted the Dollar General sign onto a pole Friday at the site where construction is underway in Valley Springs as seen in pictures in the upper left-hand image box.
The 9,100 sq. ft. building sits on a little more than an acre at 116 Riley Street off Highway 26 behind the Sender’s Market Ace Hardware store. A blue print of the plans shows (upper left-hand image box) the design of the store and an additional parcel of more than 33,000 sq. ft. of space for sale or lease on the property. SimonCRE out of Scottsdale, Arizona is overseeing the project. The company does not have a completion date for the building listed on its website.
Of note, other Dollar General stores in the Mother Lode have been met with strong opposition. As reported here in December of last year, a store proposed in the Don Pedro area was rejected by the Tuolumne County Planning Commission but appealed by the developer to the Board of Supervisors, which have schedule a special meeting on February to decide the stores fate. The meeting is on the 7th at the Don Pedro High School beginning at 6 p.m.
Another store proposed in the Columbia area was ultimately denied after a packed hearing led to a unanimous no vote by the supervisors in February, 2016 as reported here.


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Turkey: Consumer sentiment improves in April
April 29, 2013
In April, the consumer confidence index published by the Statistical Institute in cooperation with the Central Bank rose to 75.6 points from 74.9 points in March. As a result, consumer confidence remains well below the 100-point threshold that separates optimistic from pessimistic territory. Moreover, at its current level, the index is now only 0.1 points below the level observed in the same month last year.
According to the Statistical Institute, the improvement seen in consumer confidence was broad-based, as three out of the four sub-components that compose the index gained ground over the previous month. The expected economic situation in the next 12 month recorded the largest increase, followed by a significant rise in job prospects for the next 12 months. In addition, consumers' assessment regarding their financial situation in the next 12 months registered a mild advance. On the other hand, the probability of saving in the next 12 months decreased.
Low levels of consumer confidence do not bode well for private consumption going forward. FocusEconomics Consensus Forecast panellists see private consumption expanding 3.4% this year, which is unchanged from last month's forecast. For 2014, the panel expects private consumption to grow 4.4%.


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BELLINGHAM – Notice anything lately at the grocery check out line? The price of milk has gone up recently. Milk prices have been rising steadily in recent months, and that’s good news for daily farmers in Whatcom County. In February, dairy farmers were being paid around $23.50 for 100 pounds of milk, according to the U.S. Dept of Agriculture, The Bellingham Herald reported. That’s up from about $21 in January, and from around $17.25 in February 2013.
A few reasons for the price increase: U.S. dairy product exports are at historic highs, while the dought in California has impacted the market, along with reduced hay and forage production. A report from the Northwest Farm Credit Services indicates that milk prices should remain strong in 2014. That could change if milk production increases domestically and around the globe, the Herald reported.
“I can’t speak for other farmers, but we are now able to start digging out of a hole,” Whatcom farmer Larry DeHaan told the Herald. “I do see a lot of optimism (among farmers), ” DeHaan said.


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During APEX 2023 in Maastricht, Netherlands, Sinoboom Chairman, Steven Liu, announced details of the company’s plans for beginning production of MEWP equipment in Mexico.
Construction of a new 1,614,600 sq. ft. facility will begin soon in Monterrey, with production expected to start by the second half of 2024.
When fully operational, annual production capacity is forecast to reach 20,000 scissor lift and 10,000 boom lift units. The new factory will be Sinoboom’s second overseas production facility, following the establishment of a factory in Poland in 2022.
Steven Liu stated that this investment is a part of Sinoboom’s vision to establish itself as a “Top 4” global MEWP manufacturing brand by 2025, and that revenues outside of China would represent approximately 50% of the company’s total by that point, with further export sales increase in the years to follow. Meanwhile, growth in China is also expected to increase, as the access market matures.
Steven Liu spoke about the company’s plans for IPO on the Shanghai stock exchange later in 2023, which will unlock growth capital to support the expansion and will stand as a milestone in Sinoboom’s journey.
As a specialist MEWP manufacturing company, Sinoboom remains focused on the access sector, as well as related products such as telehandlers.


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The United States’ innovation economy, and the businesses and workers it supports, require strong, enforceable trade secret protections
Progress achieved in APEC sets the course for stronger trade secret protections in the Asia-Pacific region
Washington, D.C. – The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) today welcomed the endorsement of a set of Best Practices in Trade Secret Protection and Enforcement Against Misappropriation by Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders and Ministers in Lima, Peru. Establishing these best practices is essential to protecting and promoting the United States’ innovation economy, and the many American businesses and workers those industries support.
“The United States’ innovation economy requires strong, enforceable trade secret protections. The theft of trade secrets, including through cybertheft, is a real and serious concern for many American companies,” said U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman. “The progress achieved today at APEC is an important step in the right direction. We look forward to working with countries in the Asia-Pacific to raise standards for trade secret protection and enforcement, including the adoption of these best practices."
The Best Practices document is the culmination of a multi-year initiative led by the United States with the support of APEC Leaders and Ministers, which also included a four-volume report on Trade Secrets Protection in APEC Economies. Recognizing the important role that trade secrets play in many industries, APEC economies identified eight best practices that will serve as a toolkit for good policy development across the region. Among these best practices are:
- Broad standing to claims for the protection of trade secrets and enforcement against trade secret theft;
- Civil and criminal liability, as well as remedies and penalties, for trade secret theft;
- Robust procedural measures in enforcement proceedings; and
- Adoption of written measures that enhance protection against further disclosure when governments require the submission of trade secrets.
These best practices also recognize the important role of appropriate safeguards, such as measures protecting good faith lawful disclosures to provide evidence of a violation of law.
USTR's work on trade secret protection and enforcement in APEC is part of a broader effort under the Obama Administration's Strategy on Mitigating the Theft of U.S. Trade Secrets. Trade secrets play a crucial role in America's global competitiveness. As the Obama Administration’s Strategy makes clear, the United States will continue to act vigorously to combat the theft of American trade secrets that could be used by foreign companies or foreign governments to gain an unfair commercial advantage over U.S. companies.
The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) is a regional economic forum established in 1989 to leverage the growing interdependence of the Asia-Pacific. APEC's 21 members aim to create greater prosperity for the people of the region by promoting balanced, inclusive, sustainable, innovative and secure growth and by accelerating regional economic integration.


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Fox and NBC's TV-streaming joint-venture, Hulu, now delivers more videos than any Web site besides YouTube -- and it's largely thanks to the vision of CEO Jason Kilar. The 38-year-old Amazon alumnus sold big-media executives on an "Ocean's Eleven approach" to building the site, hiring a handful of veterans to deliver a genuinely radical product. "Consumer behavior is one of the hardest things to change," Kilar says. "The gap between the existing and the new has to be so materially better that it shocks you into a behavior change."
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China's Daigou trade is expected to get a second wind as "Beijing plans to maintain its pandemic border restrictions for at least another year," the Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday, noting that the schedule was "tentative." for the second half, “2022 was set during a meeting of the country's cabinet and other government bodies last month. While Daigou's “surrogate shopping” practice – where professional shoppers buy products in other markets, including duty-free shops in South Korea, Japan and Australia for those on the mainland, avoiding import taxes and / or unharmonised prices – experienced a decline that led to a pandemic, and amid COVID travel and supply chain upheavals, Daigou activity has picked up again as Chinese consumers are constrained on the international travel front.
No small matter, daigou is a multi-billion dollar market, and Re-Hub found that the value of the parallel import trade – which revolves primarily around coveted luxury goods – has grown "exponentially" in recent years, to a market that is valued at $ 57 billion. As evidence of the power of this market, the tech company analyzed nearly 30,000 product listings on Alibaba's TaoBao marketplace in February of this year, with a particular focus on five of the most iconic luxury handbags in the Chinese market: Gucci's Marmont Bag, Celine's Box Bag, Loewes Puzzle and Prada's hobo. It found that Daigou sellers made more than $ 4.3 million from the sale of nearly 4,000 of the aforementioned bags.
Such robust demand has caused Daigou – described by Wang Jian, professor at the University of International Business and Economics, to be "a normal business practice due to the inevitable fact that market prices are different in different places." Over time from small-sized businesses to larger, more sophisticated, and professional companies as Chinese consumers yell to get their hands on luxury items that typically range from expensive skin care products to handbags without the sturdy markups, and the Chinese government continues to struggle to a potentially sizable source of losing tax income.
The ongoing travel and border restrictions in China announced this week will almost certainly help reinvigorate Daigou industry activity as luxury shoppers in China are forced to do much of their shopping at home (as opposed to international excursions). where there is often a significant price difference between luxury goods compared to selling in markets like Italy or France and in duty-free destinations like Hainan, an island in southern China. As we found out last week, despite the reduction in the price difference due to the reduction in import taxes by the Chinese government, which is actively seeking to reduce Chinese luxury spending, the price differences are still not even in many cases due to the partial lack of price harmonization of the brands.
While Bloomberg previously claimed that brands, especially small ones, “who don't have the resources to physically establish a business in China” have seen revenue growth thanks to Daigou sales, Re-Hub says that “it matters to brands is to control your brand ”. Image and quality assurance ”in connection with the Daigou trade“ through proactive steps ”, as the“ huge size (of this) market and the lack of control ”that brands have over pricing and their brand image“ can significantly disrupt sales and branding “Efforts.” This has resulted in brands having to balance soaring revenues (especially given the striking COVID sales slump) with the need to combat off-channel consumer behavior in order to maintain branding, an ongoing problem with luxury goods suppliers and customers the gray market in general.
Image about amber
Louis Vuitton is a brand that appears to be taking direct action, "with such action reflecting" some concern about the increasingly Daigou-driven nature of these businesses ". Meanwhile, other brands like Chanel have moved to harmonize prices in recent years to promote what the French fashion brand initially called "a bold (move)" but was "in favor of our customers" and "pure." out of fairness, (because) it was no longer acceptable for us to allow significant price differences to arise. "
The future (and legality) of Daigou
What to expect from Daigou trade after the COVID boom, Bernstein suggests that the growth of the industry could very well "slow over time," with Chinese duty-free consumption in Korea for Daigou purposes on the course, for example will decline from 2024, a phenomenon that coincides with soaring duty-free sales in China and greater government efforts to keep newly recovered Chinese spending at home.
A hotspot in the evolving Daigou landscape that deserves attention: Hainan, the seductive island province in southern China which, according to Bernstein, "will grow 18-fold between 2019 and 2025" and, to a remarkable extent, a key to reducing consumption in China . One of the most recent references to what Bernstein calls the "Chinese government's drive to increase duty-free Chinese onshore spending" and thereby reduce Chinese Daigou purchases in countries like Korea? Around this time last year, Hainan increased its annual tax-free purchase allowance from 30,000 yuan ($ 4,633) to 100,000 yuan ($ 15,433) per person, expanded the range of duty-free goods from 38 to 45 categories, and increased the previous tax-free offer Limit of 8,000 yuan ($ 1,235) for a single product.
Regarding the legality of the Daigou trade, Ivy Liang, Vivian Desmonts, and Jamie Rowlands of Gowling WLG state that "China's current laws, regulations, and legal interpretations do not specifically provide for parallel import rules," and therefore there is "ambiguity" in In practice, "every parallel import case requires an individual analysis". (For one point of reference, in three cases from May 2020, the Guangzhou Intellectual Property Court allowed the parallel import of non-luxury goods on the basis that the products were real goods and thus the unauthorized import and sale was not possible "Does not violate the principles of good faith and recognized business ethics and therefore does not constitute unfair competition."
At the same time, King & Wood Mallesons partner Feng Xiaopeng told the Chinese news agency CGTN that "The Hainan Duty Free Offshore Shopping Ordinance published in July 2020 by the General Administration of Customs" encourages the purchase of "duty-free." -Shopping "forbids. to release free goods to others or to resell them on the mainland market in order to make a profit. ”However, uncertainty is not off the table as“ the actual conditions are much more complicated ”, especially since“ it is difficult for regulators to determine the limits of profit making 'to be determined ”.
Repeating this uncertainty, Wang Jian notes that it is difficult to say clearly that price arbitrage and parallel imports, which are at the heart of the Daigou trade, are illegal across the board. Instead, he says, Daigou is more accurately described as "actually taking advantage of political loopholes," which allows it to continue to thrive.


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Electronic Arts (EA) has permanently reduced the price of the digital version of FIFA 19 on the Japanese region Nintendo Switch eShop.
Today, EA has responded to backlash of them falsely promoting the FIFA 19 Futmas event for Nintendo Switch which is not even available on the platform!
Today EA and Nintendo are under fire with them possibly falsely advertising the Nintendo Switch version of FIFA 19.
The Weekly Famitsu has revealed their review score for FIFA 19.
S.E.L.L., the video game sales aggregator in France, has published the list of bestselling titles for the 39th week of 2018 (September 24 – September 30, 2018).
In the last few days, the media has been talking about Cristiano Ronaldo, who was accused of raping a woman in Las Vegas in 2009.


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The 88-metre Intensity has spacious decks and boasts a number of standout features including a private owner's deck, floor to ceiling glass and a helipad.
The Contest 84CS is the first sailing yacht over 80 feet to be built by Contest Yachts and marks a new direction for the Dutch shipyard.
Dutch boat builder, Vanquish Yachts has revealed the VQ90 Veloce concept. If built, it would be one of the ten fastest superyachts in the world.
The Wally 110 Sarong D will be put through its paces before the sailing yacht is delivered to its new owner at the end of May.
Shaddai is the ambitious superyacht concept unveiled by Italian designer, Gabriele Teruzzi. He talks to YBW about the project and the interest it is generating.
The Italian luxury boat builder launches the Baglietto 46 m at its La Spezia shipyard. The vessel is the first of the company's new FAST line.
The multi-million dollar submarine style superyacht is being sold by Russian billionaire Andrey Melnichenko who is upgrading with Sailing Yacht A.
The unveiling of the masculine looking Tremenda follows Admiral's launch of the Quinta Essential and Ouranos.
MasterCraft Boats UK has announced an extension of its NXT line with the launch of the NXT20 Global Edition.
The programme, which airs this Friday, sees the BBC film crew follow the build of Sunseeker International’s new 131 Yacht through to its launch.
The Italian luxury yacht shipyard Admiral has announced that its C Force 50 metre superyacht, Ouranos has been launched, a week after the unveiling of their biggest craft, the Quinta Essentia. See the pictures here.
New Zealand paper goods billionaire Graeme Hart watched his second expedition superyacht - a 380ft behemoth - hit the water in Norway.
Renowned naval designer Ed Dubois has died at the age of 64
Two superyacht design studios have created a 100-metre yacht concept that can be adapted to carry any type of vehicle.
A crewman on board a Russian billionaire's superyacht has died after the boat's anchor chain nearly severed both his legs.
A new concept superyacht design unveiled at this week's Dubai International Boat Show has a hull that puts on a light show.
Jonathan Schwinge has signed up a key partner for his ambitious flying pyramid superyacht project.
Superyacht manufacturer Wider has completed the sea trials of its Wider 150 superyacht, which can run entirely on electric power.
Princess Yachts has contracted a German yacht toy manufacturer to create two bespoke water toys to celebrate 50 years of building luxury motor yachts.
Heavyweight boxing champion Tyson Fury has made a claim that a Dubai sheikh offered $120m to host a title bout between Fury and Vladimir Klitschko on a private luxury yacht.


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As of Jan. 2, 2016, $HBI owned and leased properties in 37 countries, including 47 manufacturing facilities and 37 distribution centers, as well as office facilities. Company also operated 252 direct outlet stores in the US and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and 144 retail and outlet stores internationally.
$WBA is yet to receive US anti-trust clearance for its Rite Aid acquisition. The deadline for the deal expires on January 27.
$BMY plunge 7.2%. No credits to the non-acceleration of approval for lung cancer combination treatment.
Well this is big! I don’t know if it’s someone’s monopoly or genuine excitement, but either way, $CSX is up 23% after market closed. I heard some activist investor is going to blow big money into CSX Corp. Anyone mind explaining?


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A giant cryptocurrency farm in Ukraine that contained thousands of PlayStation 4 consoles was actually a FIFA bot farm.
Last week the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) announced it had shut down what was reported as a cryptocurrency mining farm that contained an incredible 3800 game consoles. Images showed racks of PS4 Slims (some claimed the photos showed PS4 Pros) - either way not the ideal hardware for a cryptocurrency farm.
It turns out the PS4s were being used to grind FIFA Ultimate Team.
According to an investigation by Ukraine business newspaper Delo, sparked by scepticism of the official claim about the farm being primarily about mining cryptocurrency, as well as the fact game discs can be seen protruding from PS4s in one of the pictures, what we're looking at in the photos is a bot farm that got stuck into the Ultimate Team grind, with the goal of selling accounts loaded up with in-game currency on the black market.
Delo said the Security Service of Ukraine has so far refused to comment on the revelation, citing the secrecy of the investigation. But the suggestion is these PS4 Slims, all controlled by PCs running bots, farmed Ultimate Team for profit.
Ultimate Team is the perfect game for this kind of operation, given how it's structured. You can spend real-world money on loot boxes in the hope of obtaining high-value cards, but the odds of getting one of the best players is soul-destroyingly slim. Or, you can play the game for months on end in a bid to save up enough of the in-game currency to splash out on the auction house. Or, you can buy FUT coins on the black market (expect 40,000 FUT coins to cost you a couple of quid). To put that into context, Lionel Messi's 99-rated Summer Stars card currently costs around 1.5m FUT coins on the PlayStation auction house.
EA Sports' battle against third-party FUT coin sellers is long-running and well-documented. As I reported in 2017, there are a huge number of websites that let you buy FUT packs and coins, and sell your coins and even accounts. The FIFA Ultimate Team black market is huge, despite EA's attempt to combat it over the years.
EA warns players against buying or selling FUT coins, saying it could result in a ban.
The SBU said it also found more than 500 video cards, 50 processors, draft documentation on electricity consumption accounting as well as notebooks, phones and flash drives in the warehouse. With all that, cryptocurrency mining may well have been going on. But it's clear now the primary purpose of the warehouse was to grind Ultimate Team.


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By Robert D. Atkinson, President, Information Technology and Innovation Foundation
Nowadays it’s almost impossible to write about trade policy without commenting on the rapidly evolving China-U.S. trade conflict. How and if China and the United States manage this conflict will have a significant impact on Latin American trade.
First, some background. Since the Clinton administration shepherded China’s accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO), China has consistently flouted its obligations to uphold even the most basic tenets of fair play in the global trading system. In violation of its WTO obligations, China bestows massive subsidies to fortify domestic tech companies; it demands that international competitors enter into joint ventures with Chinese firms at the price of doing business in China; it picks the pockets of foreign firms to acquire valuable trade secrets; and it favors Chinese companies in its domestic marketplace.
But it was only with the election of President Trump that the United States started to do more than voice complaint at bilateral dialogues. To get China’s attention and show that he was serious, in 2018 Trump imposed 10 percent tariffs on 200 billion of Chinese exports to the United States. In response, China imposed tariffs on U.S. imports. Recently, after the Chinese government reportedly walked back some of its prior commitments including to reduce state-sponsored intellectual property theft, the Trump administration escalated its response, increasing the tariff rate to 25 percent and announcing 25 percent tariffs on the rest of Chinese imports. On top of that, they announced a ban on certain technology imports from China and a ban on exports to the Chinese telecom firm Huawei.
A key question now is how will this play out for Latin America? The answer depends on whether the Chinese come to the table and make enough concessions for the Trump administration to walk back the tariffs, as well as the import and export limits. To be clear: what Trump is asking China is not a heavy lift. He’s asking China to stop stealing foreign technology, stop forcing foreign companies to give their technology to Chinese firms in exchange for selling in China, and stop massively subsidizing exporters. However, under the spur of the Chinese propaganda machine, China appears to be working itself up into a nationalist lather, portraying these fair requests as imperialist attempts to keep China down and unfairly intervening in domestic matters that are China’s to decide. Someone should remind China that when they chose to join the WTO–in order to keep nations from taking unilateral actions against their unfair trade practices while at the same time getting unfettered market access around the world–they also agreed to change their laws and regulations to comply with WTO rules. If China wants an unfettered hand in governing its own economy, it should withdraw from the WTO.
Assuming Chinese leaders act rationally, they will make a reasonable offer and the Trump administration will almost certainly remove the tariffs and trade limits. But even if the tariffs are lifted, it is likely that some level of decoupling will be permanent. Already it appears that many U.S. companies have either moved some production out of China to other low-cost locations or are planning to do so. This is a key reason why Vietnam’s trade surplus with the United States has increased 45 percent in the last year. So even if Trump removes the tariffs, many companies now believe that the risk of reimposition of tariffs or other restrictions is high and so, as a hedge, are expanding production in other nations. And if the Chinese refuse to make an adequate compromise, Trump will likely retain the tariffs.
Either way, this can be an opportunity for Latin America. Tariffs on Chinese imports to the United States and tariffs on U.S. imports to China make Latin American exports to both China and the United States more competitive. More importantly, shifts in global supply chains open opportunities for Latin American nations. But to take advantage of these opportunities, nations will need to make policy changes. To start, Latin American nations should join the Information Technology Agreement, a WTO agreement eliminating tariffs on a wide array of ICT goods. This is critical, because global ICT supply chains depend on both imports and exports. Further, as the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF) has shown, nations with tariffs on ICT imports participate much less in these supply chains. Doing so would also have important productivity gains for nations by lowering the cost of ICT goods. For example, ITIF estimates that if Brazil were to join the ITA, it would add nearly a full percentage point to Brazil’s GDP by the 10th year after its ITA accession, with that expanded growth producing new tax revenues that would fully offset tariff losses. However, only nine nations (Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, and Peru) have joined the first ITA agreement and just three (Columbia, Costa Rica, and Guatemala) have joined the more expansive ITA2 agreement.
All this raises a key point: how should Latin American companies and policy makers view the trade war? In the short run, the old proverb that when two elephants fight, the grass gets hurt may not apply. As noted, Latin America will have better access to U.S. and Chinese markets. However, Latin American companies and policymakers need to focus on longer-term strategic issues. The U.S. government is confronting China not just to protect the U.S. economy but the entire global economy. Chinese mercantilism has had severe, negative consequences for Latin American economies. China’s severe currency manipulation has stifled the development of manufacturing jobs, and its “Made in China 2025” plan risks turning the region into a “hewer of wood and drawer of water” to supply insatiable Chinese input need, making Latin American efforts to develop their own technology economies stillborn. In short, Latin America has a key stake in America prevailing in this trade war. As such they should, at minimum, support the U.S. rhetorically, if not in action.


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By: Nirupam Manik, The Mobile Indian, San Francisco
Last updated : November 08, 2016 4:35 pm
In the latest numbers, Android Nougat has finally made its way with 0.3 percent of share. Android Marshmallow surprisingly saw an increase of over 5% from 18.7 percent in September to 24 percent currently.
Google skipped the Android Distribution update for October and released it today showing the data collected during a 7-day period ending November 7th, 2016.
In the latest numbers, Android Nougat has finally made its way with 0.3 percent of share. Android Marshmallow surprisingly saw an increase of over 5% from 18.7 percent in September to 24 percent currently. Lollipop takes up the total of 34.1 percent divided as 11.3 percent of Android 5.0.1 and 22.8 percent of Android 5.1
Android Kitkat (4.4) though retains the maximum share but has lost about 2.5% with a current market share of 25.2 per cent compared to 27.7 in last released data by Google. Going further back, Jelly bean holds a total of 13.7 percent share followed by Ice Cream Sandwich and Gingerbread at 1.3 per cent each. And Yes, Android Froyo still runs on about 0.1 percent of Android smartphones.
Interestingly, Android Nougat takes up the same percentage as Marshmallow in November 2015. However, Marshmallow was released with Nexus 6P in October 2015 whereas, this year Google released Android 7.0 Nougat well before it unveiled its Pixel devices. On August 22, 2016 to be precise which indicates not so impressive adoption figures for Android Nougat so far.
Regarding the screen sizes and densities charts, Normal size takes up the majority of share at 87.9 percent with hdpi having the maximum share (39.4%) in terms of density.
Jumping to the Open GL Version, v2.0 stands top with 43.1% of the total distribution followed by v3.0 at 42.2% and v3.1 at 14.7%.
Contrary to this, last month, Apple boasted that about 60 percent of Apple devices are already running on iOS 10 indicating an increase of 6 per cent compared to last year.
Google to start selling audiobooks on Play Store
Google Duo now allows you to call people without the app installed
Google brings all its payment services under Google Pay
CES 2018: Google launches smart displays with JBL, Lenovo, LG and Sony
Google Pixel XL 128GB receives a massive price cut of Rs 36,000 in India
Google said to open retail stores in India to boost Pixel smartphones sales


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Ian Payne 4am - 7am
Supermarket price rises hit all time high in May, although food inflation drops slightly
30 May 2023, 07:09 | Updated: 30 May 2023, 07:12
The rate of supermarket price rises reached a new high in the year to May, although food price increases slowed slightly, new figures suggest.
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Overall inflation in shops rose from 8.8% to 9% between April and May, according to a survey by the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and Nielsen.
This was largely driven by price increases in commodities like chocolate and coffee.
But inflation across all food items fell to 15.4% in the year to May, down from 15.7% in April.
That means that on average a person who spent around £20 in a food shop a year ago would now be paying a little over £23 for the same items.
Although May's figure is a little lower than the food inflation seen in April, it is still the second fastest annual increase the BRC has ever measured, it said.
The group added that the price of fresh food increased by 17.2% in the year to May, down from 17.8% in April.
However, ambient food inflation - that is to say shelf-stable items that can be stored at room temperature - rose from 12.9% in April to 13.1% in May.
It comes amid reports Rishi Sunak will ask supermarket bosses to limit prices on certain key items amid "worryingly high" food inflation.
But retail chiefs claimed that this would not work and could even lead to food shortages.
"While overall shop price inflation rose slightly in May, households will welcome food inflation beginning to fall," said BRC chief executive Helen Dickinson.
"The slow in inflation was largely driven by lower energy and commodity costs starting to filter through to lower prices of some staples including butter, milk, fruit and fish.
"Conversely, the price of chocolate and coffee rose off the back of the ongoing high global costs for these commodities. While non-food inflation rose, consumers are benefiting from heavy discounts in footwear as well as books and home entertainment.
"Fierce competition between supermarkets has helped keep British food among the cheapest of the large European economies.
"While there is reason to believe that food inflation might be peaking, it is vital that Government does not hamper this early progress by piling more costs onto retailers and forcing up the cost of goods even further.
"The biggest risk comes from policies such as the incoming border checks and reforms to packaging recycling fees."
Mike Watkins, head of retailer and business insight at NielsenIQ, said: "To help mitigate the impact of inflation, shoppers are saving money by looking for seasonal promotions on the high street and taking advantage of the price reductions offered by supermarket loyalty schemes.
"Food retailing in particular is competitive, so hopefully the recent price cuts in fresh foods is a sign that inflation has now peaked, albeit ambient inflation may take a little while longer to slow."


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UnitedHealth, the largest U.S. health insurer, on Tuesday reported better-than-expected third-quarter earnings and revenue, driven by higher membership growth for its health insurance plans.
UnitedHealth earnings rose 28 percent to $3.41 per share. Total revenue rose 12.4 percent to $56.56 billion. Analysts on average had expected earnings of $3.29 per share on revenue of $56.34 billion, according to data from Refinitiv.
The company said its insurance business added 2.8 million more consumers year-over-year in the quarter.
UnitedHealth expects full-year adjusted earnings per share to approach $12.80, compared with its prior forecast of between $12.50 and $12.75.
The Hopkins, Minnesota-based company's medical loss ratio, or the percentage of premiums paid out for medical services, was 81 percent in the quarter. The ratio was 8.14 percent a year ago.
Ana Gupte, senior research analyst at Leerink Partners, said in a note to clients Tuesday that UnitedHealth's Optum unit is "growing solidly" in all segments, with growth of nearly 11 percent.
In an interview with CNBC's "Squawk Box, " Gupte said UnitedHealth is the "bellwether" among the health-care groups, adding potential composition changes to Congress after the midterm elections are unlikely to impact its business. Government plans have been a a major growth driver for the insurer.
"The blue wave, to some degree, you might see more Medicaid expansion," she said.
Shares of UnitedHealth rose 4 percent in premarket trading following the report. It was up more than 3 percent in midmorning trade. UnitedHealth, with a market cap of more than $250 billion, has seen its shares rise more than 18 percent so far this year.
While other health players including CVS Health, Aetna and Cigna are embarking on major merger deals, UnitedHealth has doubled down on a strategy of reining in costs and expanding its medical services group.
"These results reflect our businesses delivering increased value at an accelerating pace to society and the millions of people we serve," UnitedHealth Group CEO David S. Wichmann said in a press release.
—Reuters contributed to this report.


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We’ve been spoiled with two vacations in as many months, but after spending time in Chicago during the election and the immediate aftermath, I am happy (and grateful) to be back in Canada. On to this week’s food notes:
- The next Swine & Dine dinner is taking place on November 23, 2016 at the Red Ox Inn. Tickets for the 4-course meal cost $65.
- Satisfy your sweet tooth for a good cause: the Ronald McDonald House is hosting a chocolate tasting with Jacek on November 30, 2016. Tickets are $40.
- Northern Chicken is now open at 10704 124 Street!
- More bubble tea for everyone: two Chatime locations are now open in Edmonton: Downtown at 10405 Jasper Avenue and in Old Strathcona at 10538 82 Avenue.
- Lux has rebranded their lounge into Bar 94, honouring Ryan Smyth, one of the original partners behind the restaurant.
- Casa Doce is the next food truck transitioning to a brick and mortar shop – congratulations!
- Vue Weekly checks out Dorinku, the newest izakaya in the city.
- Chef Serge Belair has been named Executive Chef of the Shaw Conference Centre after Chef Simon Smotkowicz announced he will be leaving the Shaw after 28 years.
- The latest Community Table Project from Phil features Dutch tacos.
- Chef Cory Rakowski has started an organization called Food for Thoughts, to help create awareness about the mental health challenges faced by those in the hospitality industry.
- Two food-related folks made it onto Avenue Edmonton’s Top 40 Under 40 list this year: cocoanista Jacqueline Jacek and Localize’s Meghan Dear.
- Congratulations to Jennifer Cockrall-King on being included in Best Food Writing 2016, alongside names such as Pete Wells and Francis Lam.
- Out just in time for the holidays, Earls has released a cookbook featuring restaurant favourites from the 1980s until present.
- It’s disappointing to see absolutely no Prairie content on Enroute’s best new restaurants list for 2016, let alone any Alberta representation.
- Back in town, our first stop was the Italian Centre. We killed two birds with one stone: great thin-crust pizza for lunch and picked up groceries for the week.
Massimo pizza from the Italian Centre west
- I met up with Annie for brunch at Workshop Eatery yesterday. The pastrami hash was great – I loved the crispy potatoes and perfectly soft poached eggs. I’m also happy to report that they also now serve brewed coffee (as opposed to espresso-based drinks).
Pastrami hash from Workshop Eatery


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BY GARY MAY
Fractional ownership has become popular among those who want to share in the good life on offer along Ontario’s waterfront, with resort communities popping up all over the province. Just slap down your payment and you can use that beautiful luxury cottage for a portion of the year, without the hassle of maintaining it.
The fractional ownership concept has spread to all sorts of products — from motorhomes, to race horses, golf club memberships to vineyards, greyhound dogs to jets — and even art. Now, you can own a fraction of that yacht you’ve been itching to sail.
Tom Kaufman, who used to own the Orillia airport, was struck by the number of people who wanted to sell shares in their private planes. It only makes sense, says Kaufman, when you consider the amount of time most people actually use their plane. The rest of the time it sits there gathering dust.
Kaufman started managing joint ownership agreements for planes and began to wonder how he could apply it to 36-foot yachts. He learned that fractional ownership boats were popular in the United States and were catching on along British Columbia’s Lower Mainland.
Two years ago, he began to establish a company that would cater to boating enthusiasts who wanted all of the fun and none of the hassle of owning a luxury yacht. After ironing out a minefield of issues, including insurance, this summer Kaufman’s Kitchener-based Hutton Yacht Group Inc. is offering its first fractional yacht.
As far as he knows, it’s the first time in Ontario the concept has been introduced in this province.
Buy a share, split the usage
A fractional-ownership agreement can work in three ways. Initially, Kaufman is offering four shares in a boat under a limited liability partnership. Buyers may purchase one, two or three shares — Kaufman believes two will be the most popular option. One share entitles the owner to one week’s use out of four, from May 24 to Thanksgiving. Owners may swap weeks, or negotiate with other partners to combine weeks for a longer trip.
As an alternative, a prospective boat owner could approach Kaufman about buying a specific boat they have their eye on. If Kaufman considers it a good investment, he’ll purchase two of the four shares for resale, leaving the proponent with two shares.
A third approach could see someone who already owns a boat they’re not using ask Kaufman to buy it for his fleet. “Maybe they’d want to keep a quarter and I’d find the other buyers,” Kaufman says.
What’s the cost of a fractional ownership yacht? Kaufman offers the example of a 35-foot Four Winns, a power boat valued at “$200,000 and change,” he says. A one-quarter share would sell for $61,449, giving Hutton Yacht a 15-per-cent commission. The monthly fee, levied 12 months of the year, is $500 and covers insurance, storage, maintenance and cleaning. “All the owners pay for is the fuel,” he says.
“There’s been phenomenal interest so far,” Kaufman says. “The average person uses their boat 20 to 30 days a year. Why not share it and cover some of your costs?”
Other clients might include someone who already owns a smaller boat and wants to buy a portion of a more expensive one, he says. Then there are those who don’t need to concern themselves with the expense, but simply don’t want the “aggravation” that comes with boat ownership, Kaufman says.
“They don’t want to arrive after not having used it for three weeks and have to sweep all the spiders out, or clean up the dirt.”
Each yacht will be sold after four years and, after a 12-per-cent commission to Hutton Yacht, the four owners will share the net capital proceeds.
Club membership another option to get you out on the water
There’s another alternative for those looking for all the fun and none of the drudgery of yacht ownership — the ownership club. That’s where Keith Metz steps in. Metz is sales and marketing manager for the Toronto office of SailTime, which has offices around the world.
Like Kaufman’s fractional approach, SailTime members don’t have to put out the cost of a yacht. One person owns the boat outright, and SailTime finds seven others to share it through memberships. The owner maintains title, collects membership fees and pays SailTime a management fee for marketing and maintaining the boat.
Metz says for many of their owners and members, cost isn’t a factor. For them, it’s the convenience of not having to worry about maintenance and upkeep. All they need to do is concentrate on having fun.
Toronto architect Wayne Olson has been “sailing since I was a kid” and now, in his early 50s, is a member of SailTime. He’d owned a 16-foot day sailer and a 25-foot keel boat, “but I was finding I wanted to spend more time sailing and less time fixing my boat,” he says. SailTime membership fit into his plan for a bigger boat without the investment.
For $6,000 a year (there’s a one-time $1,500 startup fee), Olson’s membership allows him one-eighth of the use of Champers
, a 33-foot Hunter sailboat valued at about $160,000. From May to October, the month is divided into 56 time slots and each of the eight members — owners are treated the same as everyone else — is apportioned seven slots. Members are free to swap time slots.
Time slots are 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., or overnight from 6 until 10:30, says Olson. Sometimes he’ll partner with another member and take a longer sail to Kingston and back.
“It’s a cottage away from home,” he says of the yacht that’s moored at Toronto’s Outer Harbour Marina. “I’m finding I’m actually spending more time sailing than I did when I owned my own boat. All I have to do is sail.”


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Former Skype head and Microsoft executive Tony Bates has taken a new post as president and board member of video camera maker GoPro.
“GoPro represents everything that excites me in a company — incredible products, compelling content, a world-renowned brand and above all, amazing people who make it happen,” Bates said in a statement. He will report to GoPro founder and CEO Nicholas Woodman.
Bates was among the first Microsoft executives to depart following the appointment of Satya Nadella as Microsoft CEO earlier this year. Bates had been an executive VP at Microsoft, leading business development efforts.
GoPro last month filed papers with the Securities and Exchange Commission to hold an initial public offering.
This article originally appeared on Recode.net.


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There’s no stopping for Amazon. It seems like the company is spreading its legs across all the markets, big or small. According to the news by Insider, Amazon is set to release Amazon-branded TVs in the market as soon as October in the US.
The TVs will have Alexa, screen sizes “in the range of 55 to 75 inches,” and will be designed and manufactured by third parties such as TCL, Insider reports. The report also suggests that Amazon is also developing a TV designed in-house, but its release is still unclear.
However, this new market domain of TV is nothing new to Amazon. The company already partners with BestBuy to sell Toshiba and Insignia TVs that runs Amazon’s Fire TV software. The company also offers an AmazonBasics branded Tv in India.
The launch, involving teams from Amazon Devices and Lab126, has been in the works for almost two years. The TVs, which will be powered by the voice assistant Alexa, is currently being designed and manufactured by third parties, including TLC, the report cited.
In other Amazon-related news, CEO Andy Jassy said on September 1 that the company is planning to hire 55,000 people for corporate and technology roles globally in the coming months. That’s equal to more than a third of Google’s headcount as of June 30 and close to all of Facebook’s.


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This post was originally posted on Forbes.com on JAN 22, 2018. You can access the original post here.
Last week the retail industry flocked to New York City for the NRF Big Show. The conference brought together over 35,000 retail industry professionals from all over the globe to learn about the latest retail trends and network with peers.
While there was plenty of buzz about the anticipated bottom line boosts from tax reform, I was more interested in the technology and marketing trends poised to dominate 2018. I recently asked leading venture capitalists their perspectives on the future of retail, so I used the NRF Big Show to get the retailer point of view.
Between the NRF Foundation Gala and the Big Show, I interviewed seven retail executives and found out what’s making them excited in 2018. Here are a few things they are working on.
1) Retailers continue to strive for more personalized digital experiences.
Terry Lundgren, Executive Chairman at Macy’s; Karen Katz, President & CEO of Neiman Marcus Group and Jane Elfers, CEO at The Children’s Place made it clear personalization remains a big focal point in 2018.
Macy’s is continuing to focus on personalization according to Lundgren, “The whole concept of personalization is simply on steroids right now. It’s all about the consumer in that one moment in time. We’re doing anything we can do to connect directly with consumers and make shopping convenient for them.”
Retailers have worked on improving personalization for years, but as Katz believes, it all comes down to customer experience: “ Great customer experience in 2018 will come from blending technology with a more personalized touch. I think the people that can combine technology-powered personalization with a human will be the winners.”
2) Connecting online and physical store experiences remains a big focus.
Retailers like Macy’s and The Children’s Place are still hot on ‘omnichannel retail,’ the term used to describe how retailers connect online and offline shopping behaviors. According to Lundgren, Macy’s is continuing to see serious growth in the area of “buy online, pick up in store” (BOPUS). He believes “physical stores are not going away. Customers will always want the option of coming into the store to try on jeans instead of buying three different sizes online.”
The Children’s Place is also making a “big move towards digital and employing a lot of the omnichannel use cases like BOPUS and ‘Save the Sale,’” added Elfers. ‘Save the Sale’ requires store associates to have the ability to access real-time inventory across the network of stores. This inventory access enables store associates to keep customers from walking away from a purchase by finding their desired item online or at another store location with ease.
3) More retailers will leverage Amazon Alexa, Google Home and other voice assistants.
Charlie Cole, Global Chief eCommerce Officer at Samsonite believes voice assistants will start taking off in certain categories, “For example, categories like consumables will start to take off in voice, but categories like fashion may have a harder time.” As Cole eloquently illustrates, “No one is going to say ‘Hey Google/Alexa, order me a $1,200 cashmere sweater.’”
1-800-Flowers.com has been bullish on voice for a while, having been one of the first retailers to launch an Alexa skill. Chris McCann, CEO & President believes bots and AI capabilities (all built on big data, deep learning and deeper analytics) will enable 1-800-Flowers.com to supercharge its personalized experience. He envisions the possibilities, “With voice as the main interface emerging, I think it will bring us back to the retail experience of our first flower shop where we delivered a true 1-to-1 relationship. Voice enables us to have a 1-to-1 relationship with customers on a massive scale .”
4) As artificial intelligence (AI) is maturing, more AI-powered retail applications are gaining adoption.
According to Cole, 2018 is the year that “artificial Intelligence will have its breakthrough moment. More and more retailers will start using it to power various parts of the retail and ecommerce experience.”
Katz described how Neiman Marcus utilizes AI to deliver a highly personalized experience, but only in conjunction with a human touch. While 1-800-Flowers.com uses AI to power conversational interfaces like Alexa, Google Assistant and Facebook Messenger, many of which need no human touch at all. For McCann, “Our job is to make ordering flowers easier, so we’re committed to being wherever the customers are. If they use voice, we’re there. If they want to use the [Facebook] messenger platform, we’re there.”
5) Personalization, social media and Amazon Marketing Services receive top billing for preferred 2018 acquisition marketing strategies.
Both BJs and The Children’s Place highlight the importance of personalized marketing strategies. Chris Baldwin, CEO of BJs explained, “Because we are a membership club, we have a ton of information about what our customers buy that we can use for targeting,” Elfers new personalization strategy began in 2017 when she hired a data scientist to clean up the customer database. Now that The Children’s Place can connect customer purchases online and in-store “it will help make acquisition, engagement and retention strategies more personal,” Elfers asserted.
Social media ranks as the top marketing priority for Brad Weston, CEO of Petco—because people genuinely love sharing and liking posts about pets. On the flip side, Cole (Samsonite) believes, “Amazon Marketing is going to become as critical to a brand’s marketing strategy as Google and Facebook. Today, Amazon has the return on investment potential of Google Paid Search in 2005 and display ads 2002.”
While there is still a lot of work for retailers trying to keep up with Amazon, the executives I spoke with seemed confident and eager for their 2018 technology, data and AI implementations. As for me, I’m looking forward to a year of new retail innovations and the fantastic customer experiences they promise to deliver.


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Inspiring Hertfordshire Awards 2022
We are delighted to announce that our company Design Abled Ltd (creators of award-winning brand Helloface), has been shortlisted for two awards at this year’s Inspiring Hertfordshire Awards, organised by the Hertfordshire Chamber of Commerce. We have been shortlisted as finalists in the Green Award and Most Promising New Business Award categories.
Nicknamed the ‘Oscars of Hertfordshire’, the Inspiring Hertfordshire Awards were launched in 2012 to celebrate the outstanding contribution that businesses make in the county.
Our nomination for the Green Award category comes as a response to our net zero commitment, and also as a result of our sustainable Transparent Medical Mask alternative to opaque Type IIR face masks.
We have been shortlisted in the Green Award category together with JPA Workspaces, Sonovision and the University of Hertfordshire. The Green Award category is sponsored by Ambition Broxbourne, the Borough of Broxbourne’s economic growth initiative.
In the Most Promising New Business Award category, we are shortlisted alongside EziDrops, Uplifted Magazine and ACellsZ. This category is sponsored by Cleveland Scott York.
Speaking about the two nominations, Dean Ezekiel of Design Abled said: “I am thrilled that our team has been shortlisted for the Green Award and Most Promising New Business Award. To be a finalist in these categories demonstrates how far we have come as a team, and how bright the future is for sustainable and innovative medical devices from Design Abled.”


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WASHINGTON (CBS.MW) -- Boise Cascade said Tuesday third-quarter profit jumped amid rising housing starts and sharp increases in lumber prices, enabling the building materials and paper products distributor to exceed Wall Street's consensus forecast.
The Boise, Idaho-based company
The latest profit beat analysts' consensus estimate of 42 cents a share, according to Thomson First Call. Including a favorable tax benefit from a court ruling, Boise Cascade earned $32.9 million, or 48 cents per share.
Investors yawned, however. Shares of Boise Cascade fell six cents to close at $27.94.
Sales in the latest quarter increased 9 percent to $2.11 billion, compared with $1.94 billion in the year-ago period.
Boise Cascade's building materials unit saw big gains as distribution sales rose 28 percent and engineered wood products sales grew 25 percent over the year-ago period. Operating income was $56.4 million, compared with $14.5 million in the same quarter a year ago. Plywood prices increased 28 percent.
By contrast, the company's office supply division chalked up marginal improvement. Sales increased 4 percent to $934 million, with operating income reaching $31 million from $29.8 million in the year-ago period.
Elsewhere, Boise Cascade said paper prices were flat with year-ago prices as energy and chemical costs rose by 5 percent and fiber costs, by 7 percent. The company said it expects market conditions to remain lackluster.
Looking ahead, Chairman and Chief Executive George Harad said the building products market will experience seasonal weakening in the fourth quarter and warned that this division will post lower income than what it achieved in the third quarter.


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California-headquartered POM Wonderful has acquired leading pomegranate processor and distributor Ruby Fresh.
The addition of the Ruby Fresh brand allows POM Wonderful to expand its offering of fresh pomegranates and increase its aril offering beyond the October to January North American season, and broaden its range of packaging sizes.
“The addition of Ruby Fresh to the POM Wonderful family significantly enhances our ability to provide customers with pomegranates and arils both during the North American season and outside of it,” said Elizabeth Stephenson, president of POM Wonderful, in a company statement released 12 September. “This season’s crop is shaping-up beautifully, and we’re thrilled to be able to offer both delicious and healthy brands to even more consumers through this acquisition.”
POM Wonderful will continue the Ruby Fresh brand, which has a strong reputation domestically and internationally, with Ruby Fresh’s employees and operations to be integrated into POM Wonderful.
David Anthony, head of sales at Ruby Fresh said the team was excited to be going POM Wonderful and was looking forward to growing the market for fresh pomegranates and arils.
POM wonderful is part of the Wonderful Company, which comprises Wonderful Pistachios, Wonderful Halos mandarins and Fiji water.


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Refreshed Maserati Quattroporte to get GranTurismo style
A taped-upMaserati Quattroportewas recently spottedundergoing testing on the streets of Italy, leading to speculation that a freshened version of Maserati's flagshipsedan will feature a new Ferrari engine anda completely reworked front end reminiscent of its GranTurismostablemate.
Theupdated Quattroporte is likely to be powered by a version of Ferrari's 4.3-liter V-8 powerplant employed by the newly revealed California convertible.Judging by the bigger air intakes up front, the engine is expected to produce more power than the current car's 395-horsepower and 339 lb-ft of torque.
Rear end shots of the car shed some light on Pininfarina's design philosophy that will reportedly include new LED taillights and a trunk-integrated auxiliary brake light.
TheQuattroporte will have strong competition within its luxury GT segment when the Porsche Panamera and Aston Martin Rapide arrive by 2010. The freshened version should arrive about the same time and should help Maseratikeep it at the top of buyer's minds until the next-generation car debuts, likely by 2012. Check out all of the latest spy shots over at Autocar.


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There’s more to social investment than SIBs, peers told
Social impact bonds should not continue to be promoted and supported at the expense of other forms of cheaper and simpler social finance, such as ISAs, crowdfunding and pensions, a committee of peers heard this week.
The Lords Select Committee on Charities took evidence on Tuesday 25 October from social enterprise and social investment experts.
Peter Holbrook, the chief executive of Social Enterprise UK, said social impact bonds had “a disproportionate amount of government attention, government resources and investment focus”.
Social investment bonds are incomprehensible to mainstream investors and broadly irrelevant to many frontline smaller organisations
He added: “There are many, many other forms of innovative and creative finance which can be as effective, in many respects cheaper and simpler to create…I wish the same level of investment and government time was spent on developing retail products because I recognise a significant consumer demand.”
People were interested in investing in their own communities, such as in their pubs, village halls or scout huts, Holbrook continued. He highlighted pensions and ISAs as products that deserved more attention.
Geoff Burnand, chief executive of Investing for Good, also attacked social impact bonds. He said they were “incomprehensible to mainstream investors and broadly irrelevant to many frontline smaller organisations”.
Social ISAs, crowdfunding and more
Caroline Mason, chief executive of the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, said she saw an opportunity in more “simple retail products”.
She said: “Social ISAs, crowdfunding platforms, charity bonds – these are very simple, well-known, effective and efficient financial constructs that people understand, and people connect directly with these types of products and what they are trying to achieve.”
There had been a rise in interest in social investment among retail investors over the last 18 months to two years, pointed out Jonathan Jenkins, chief executive of the Social Investment Business, through products such as community share offers and retail bonds.
Other issues raised during the 90-minute session included:
• The need for investor readiness as well as investee readiness. “The social investment market doesn’t really understand the fabric of the social sector,” said Mason. “Social investors need to know the underlying context that charities operate in.”
• Holbrook called for the Social Value Act to be underwritten with statutory guidance to emphasise the community benefit for every public service contract.
• The social investment marketplace needed to become more accessible to potential investees. “We need to make ourselves more relevant and understandable to those organisations we are here to serve,” said Jenkins.
• Big Society Capital was too expensive for many. “The end cost of capital is 7, 8, 9 or 10% to the frontline,” said Burnand. “The cost of finance is unrealistic for this market. That’s why the market isn’t growing.”
• Jenkins added that Big Society Capital now had a perfect opportunity, with its new CEO and a forthcoming strategic review, to question its internal rates of return, its risk appetite and its role as a wholesaler. “That is the big £600m powerhouse that a lot of us will take our lead from. In reviewing that they could change the entire marketplace,” he said.
The House of Lords Select Committee on Charities was appointed in May 2016 and has a reporting deadline of 31 March 2017. You can follow evidence sessions via #HLCharities on Twitter. Tuesday's evidence session is available to watch on Parliament TV here.


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Now that the ‘Long Night’ is long gone and the entire Seven Kingdoms is eagerly awaiting ‘The Last War,’ its only obvious for all Game Of Throne fanatics to have sleepless nights thinking about who finally sits on the Iron Throne. The fact that only two episodes remain of this epic saga, ‘n’ number of unanswered questions are further adding to the anxiety of fans who are constantly brainstorming over what happens next. In such a scenario, the emotionally drained fans have started finding solitude in the calming attributes of a particular CBD oil which has recently gained popularity by the name of Lord Jones.
Calm Before The Storm
With two dragons down, the stakes are getting higher for Daenerys Stormborn to claim her rightful throne at Kings Landing. Getting to know about the real identity of John Snow and losing her two closest acquaintances in the last two episodes is also making things worse for her. The same can also be said about the GoT fans who can be seen contemplating theories and watching YouTube videos to gain an edge over the hidden clues of the current episode and a trailer breakdown of the upcoming one.
This caused a substantial rise in the level of anxiety which was effectively catered to by Lord Jones which is a luxury CBD product brand. You can see a massive surge in Instagram tags for this brand every Sunday night as the global GoT community starts preparing to bid adieu to their favorite characters in the most gruesome manner.
Robert Rosenheck, the founder of Lord Jones revealed to HuffPost that, “We are all huge GoT fans and were delighted when we saw a bumper crop of social media posts from our fans last Sunday showcasing their favorite Lord Jones products they used to get through the epic Battle for Winterfell.”
Role Of CBD
Cannabidiol or CBD is a non-psychoactive ingredient which can be traced in marijuana plant. According to Rosenheck, CBD has proven to be effective in relieving pain and anxiety on being ingested. It can also calm your senses and stabilize your mood which is why GoT fans can be seen seeking out its assistance in between intense episodes. As each new episode is bringing upon dramatic roller-coaster of emotions, backstabbing and never ending questions, Lord Jones is serving as the ultimate nirvana for the stressed-out crowd.
Potential Of CBD
Although adequate scientific evidence is not present in favour of the effect of CBD on human anatomy, it has found a large audience base on a global scale. The biggest trigger of its popularity has been achieved through word of mouth as well as FOMO. Be it the biggest celebrities or sports athletes, CBD can be seen spreading its wings in everyone’s life pretty rapidly. Maybe this is why an acute rise in its demand can be seen and manufacturers are obliging to the same in the form of CBD-infused gummies, oils, lotions, pills and several other products which can help counteract anxiety and stress. CBD is also known to have certain anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving properties which is why it is increasingly being demanded by people suffering from sore muscles, arthritis, period cramps and chronic pain.
Lord Jones had gained mass popularity previously for being one of “2019′s best CBD products that are the real deal” as well as a brand which churns out “the CBD lotion that celebrities rub on their feet” for standing pretty on their heels throughout the length and breadth of a red-carpet event. The future of CBD in the light of legislative decisions is uncertain just like the ultimate ruler of Seven Kingdoms. Only time can determine what happens in both Westeros and our real world over due course.
Setting A Specific Diet May Boost CBD Oil Benefits Even More
CBD or cannabidiol has elevated its popularity status in the past few years and poised to become a multi-billion enterprise due to the high number of recreational athletes claiming that this substance helps alleviate pain, grant faster recovery, improve sleep and a whole lot more.
While the general public might still be divided about the opinion on CBD, a few studies have popped up to show how CBD effects may vary depending on how an individual responds to the substance, the preparation being taken and dosage, and even genes.
A journal called Epilepsia has recently published an article that states how diet affects the way the body absorbs the compound. It also shows how food can dramatically determine the efficacy of a CBD supplement by measuring the amount of CBD supplement taken.
The small-scale study involves eight adults prescribed with the CBD-infused drug approved by the FDA to treat seizures that are related to epilepsy. Half of the volunteering subjects took the recommended dose of their CBD four hours before breakfast in the first half of the research. The remaining half had an intake of a breakfast burrito containing high-fat level, specifically 52% or 850 calories of fat in around 30 minutes of ingesting CBD oil. The two groups exchanged setup around two weeks later.
After blood works done regularly within the duration of the study, results showed that their food intake is correlated with the amount of CBD effectively absorbed by the body. The volunteers who had a breakfast burrito with their CBD increased their CBD uptake of up to 14 times on average, compared to those who ate nothing before taking CBD. The amount of cannabidiol absorbed by their system quadrupled along with eating the said high-fat breakfast.
The proponents of the study concluded that cannabidiol should be introduced with food to improve the absorbing capacity of the body for CBD. They also indicated that low-fat meals do not have the same absorptive function as that of high-fat preparations, which was shown to boost the amount of CBD in the body.
According to Angela Birnbaum, Ph.D., co-author of the study and University of Minnesota professor in the College of Pharmacy, stated that while a certain food type made a huge impact on CBD absorption, it can also foster variability. This is because not every meal has the same fat content and therefore needs to be planned out to get the optimum level for greater absorption.
Another co-author of the research, Ilo Leppik, said that an increase in the amount of CBD being absorbed by the body may lead to fewer expenses on medication and treatment.
If you think that your CBD intake isn’t as effective as others despite using the same dosage and brand, it might be time to adjust your diet and let in high-fat foods to get the most out of cannabidiol.
Colombian Law Enforcers Seize 300 Kilos of Cannabis Stored in Coffins, Hawaiian Hemp Crops Being Destroyed
Cannabis laws are a hot topic on a global scale following back-to-back legalization passed by lawmakers in some US states and a few European countries. This turn of events, however, has not stopped the black market from becoming alive. A lot of users who don’t have access to legal dispensaries or purchase from their own state turn to smuggled goods. This is why some distributors turn to smuggle for their supplies.
BBC released a report earlier about a police operation recently in Colombia, wherein 330 kilos (660 lbs.) of cannabis, which was hidden inside a coffin, was seized by authorities.
Details about the Operation
Regional Police Commander Fabian Ospina said that two coffins transported by a hearse were caught by police officers for possessing a huge amount of the illegal substance. As of writing, only the driver was detained and questioned, but no additional information has surfaced yet regarding the incident. There is also no word about the ongoing investigation of other people suspected of involvement in the said case.
Marijuana is still very much illegal for recreational use in all of America. Anyone caught possessing such substance is subjected to fines, detainment, and criminal charges. This is because marijuana is included in the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s list of controlled substances as a schedule 1 drug.
Marijuana is known to have a psychotropic effect on a user’s mind, causing a “high” to kick in, especially if the substance has a very potent amount of tetrahydrocannabinol. THC is the cannabis component responsible for marijuana’s psychoactive property.
Hawaii’s hemp crops are being wiped out
The plight of marijuana in the face of law is still largely uncertain, but it’s also unfortunate how hemp crops grown in Hawaii are set to be destroyed. Half of the cultivated crops from 2019 are in danger of being included. This is due to the fact that reports by the Hemp Industry Daily revealed that such crops have been tested and are shown to have elevated levels of THC.
The THC in Hawaiian hemp crops may have been brought about by the shortage of cultivars that can thrive on the island’s climate, which is known to be tropical.
Eighteen hemp crops were destroyed by authorities although for four have been waived from destruction because their THC contents were only a little over 0.3%. Officials from the state’s agricultural officials are convinced that Hawaii faces multiple challenges when it comes to growing local hemp crops.
Authorities expect only four hemp crops to be produced yearly in the state. Most hemp cultivars are imported from the European Union and Canada. These crops are used to long summer days and low-temperature evenings.
Hemp is a variety of Cannabis sativa L., a plant species that is the source for marijuana, too. Hemp has been embroiled in controversy for many years because of this. However, after the 2018 Farm Bill was signed by President Donald Trump, hemp has been excluded in the federal definition of marijuana. This legalized harvesting, processing and using hemp and its derived products anywhere in the US as long as state laws also allow it.
Feds indicate CBD, hemp not qualified as controlled substances
The US Justice Department recently decided to expand its marijuana research program which earned a lot of comments from the media and the general public. Along with their press release is the information that small Nebraskan businesses have been hoping to hear for a long time.
Authorities confirm that the hemp plant and extracted cannabidiol or CBD from such variety that has less than 0.3% delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) content does not belong to the federal list of controlled substances.
The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) and Department of Justice (DOJ) finally cleared the air just as the law enforcement from Nebraska are marred with confusing regulations about the hemp plant, a variety of the Cannabis sativa L. plant species that also produces marijuana, which is understandably included on the prohibited substances list.
Prior to the announcement from DOJ and DEA, Nebraska laws concerning hemp and its oil extract has been confusing especially for cops who are trying to uphold the law when it comes to possession, distribution, and use of the said products.
Doug Peterson, Nebraska’s Attorney General, told a news outlet during an interview at the Capitol building halls that official comments would be released but at a later date. Peterson’s office was asked about his position regarding CBD and hemp confusion.
Raids and prosecution issues
A memo from Peterson’s office authored before the state announcement from Nebraska’s lawmakers to differentiate hemp from marijuana became the basis for raiding a CBD store in Herman.
Felony drug charges were pushed by the local prosecutor thrice, but judges dismissed each attempt. However, the office of the County Attorney appealed each time a decision was made.
The biggest prosecuting office in the state says CBD is not a cause for concern because it does not cause a high unlike the related CBD extracted from marijuana.
Don Kleine, Douglas County Attorney, told the media in an interview that the people conducting the drug tests confirm that hemp CBD does not have the same impact as cannabis CBD, making it a challenge to secure a conviction regarding cases of possession. This statement was made prior to the change in statutes made by Nebraska lawmakers to align with the federal law.
The Agriculture Improvement Act
The 2018 Farm Bill is responsible for the change in state laws regarding hemp and its derived products. Signed into law by President Donald Trump in December of last year, the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 states that hemp is excluded from the legal definition of marijuana.
Hemp and CBD extracted from the said Cannabis sativa L. variety is legal to grow, process and use, provided that it has no more than 0.3% THC content based on the dry weight. The THC content is an important marker for differentiating hemp from marijuana, which is the substance having a psychoactive effect on users.
The federal law is the main cause for most states in the US to legalize hemp and grant growers an official license to harvest hemp and extract CBD from it. There are specific regulations concerning the process, but laws enable growers and distributors to legally sell hemp products that users can lawfully take.
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Lawsuit Accuses Google, YouTube Of Stealing Sharing Idea In Google+ Hangouts
Be In, a company that created the video sharing service CamUp, is accusing Google of stealing trade secrets and violating its copyrights when it added a “Watch with Friends” video sharing feature to Google+. CamUp is a New York-based online service/community that allows users to share multimedia content via connected webcams. GigaOm has posted a […]
Be In, a company that created the video sharing service CamUp, is accusing Google of stealing trade secrets and violating its copyrights when it added a “Watch with Friends” video sharing feature to Google+. CamUp is a New York-based online service/community that allows users to share multimedia content via connected webcams.
GigaOm has posted a copy of the lawsuit, which claims Be In has suffered losses in excess of $75,000 and “continues to suffer irreparable harm.” The suit asks the court to shut down the Hangouts feature on Google+, to make Google remove the Hangouts button on YouTube video pages and for monetary damages.
According to the lawsuit, Marissa Mayer and other Google representatives visited Be In’s booth at the South By Southwest festival in March 2011, where CamUp was launched. After that, Be In met with Richard Robinson (a Google UK executive) in London in May 2011 “to discuss the possibility of a business collaboration between Google and Be In.”
After confidentiality agreements were signed, Be In says it gave Google a demo of CamUp and suggested that Google put a “Watch with your friends” button on all YouTube videos. Such a button would let viewers launch a CamUp session directly from YouTube. Be In says that Robinson asked for copies of Be In’s business and marketing strategy documents related to CamUp, and the company provided those as requested.
The lawsuit also says that, after the meeting, the CamUp website saw “a dramatic spike in user traffic … in particular from Mountain View, California, where Google is headquartered. Many of these visitors stayed on the site longer than the typical user.” The suit says visits from Mountain View averaged about 40 minutes, compared to the typical user that spends between one and four minutes on the site.
Google+ launched in June 2011 and allowed users to watch YouTube videos with friends via the Hangouts feature. Then, in August 2011, Google added a “Watch with your friends” link to all YouTube video pages that starts a Google+ Hangout.
A Google spokesperson tells Marketing Land that the company can’t comment on the lawsuit because it hasn’t seen the complaint, and hasn’t yet been served.
The lawsuit was filed June 28th in US District Court in San Jose. It names Google, Robinson, and possibly up to three more unnamed Google executives as defendants.
Opinions expressed in this article are those of the guest author and not necessarily MarTech. Staff authors are listed here.
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By Eric Smith
Shares of Vail Resorts Inc. fell $11.71, or 4.1 percent, to $274.42 at market close Friday after the company reported revenue of $211.6 million for the fiscal fourth quarter ended July 31 missed Wall Street’s revenue target by $1.7 million.
The Broomfield, CO-based company reported a net loss that widened to $83.7 million, or earnings per share of $2.07, from $57.1 million, or EPS of $1.43, in the same period a year ago. Vail beat analysts’ earnings expectations by 18 cents.
For fiscal 2018, Vail reported net income of $379.9 million, an increase of 80.4 percent compared to fiscal 2017. Resort reported EBITDA was $616.6 million for fiscal 2018, an increase of 3.9 percent compared to fiscal 2017. Fiscal 2018 resort reported EBITDA included $10.2 million of acquisition and integration related expenses and $2.6 million of additional payroll taxes related to the CEO’s exercise of Stock Appreciation Rights.
The fiscal year improvements indicates Vail overcame poor winter conditions in the western U.S., something CEO Rob Katz noted in his quarterly earnings comments.
“We are very pleased to complete fiscal 2018 with resort reported EBITDA growth from the prior year despite the very challenging conditions in the western U.S. this past winter,” Katz said. “This year’s results highlight the positive impact of our expanding geographic diversification, the stability provided by our growing season pass program and the success of our guest-focused marketing efforts. Our western U.S. destination resorts experienced modest visitation declines compared to the prior year due to the historically poor conditions, particularly for the first half of the season. However, revenue at our western U.S. resorts was in line with prior year performance due to season pass sales and yield growth.”
Vail’s expanding geographic diversification—most notably a four-mountain acquisition announced in July—and growing pass program are two of the company’s highlights of late, and each has been making headlines.
The company earlier this week announced it has closed on its acquisition of Triple Peaks LLC, the parent company of Okemo Mountain Resort in Vermont, Mount Sunapee Resort in New Hampshire and Crested Butte Mountain Resort in Colorado.
Vail purchased Triple Peaks from the Mueller family for $74 million. As part of the transaction and with funds provided by Vail Resorts, Triple Peaks paid off $155 million in leases that all three resorts had with Ski Resort Holdings LLC, an affiliate of Oz Real Estate.
And in August, Vail closed on the company’s acquisition of Stevens Pass Resort in Washington from Ski Resort Holdings LLC, an affiliate of Oz Real Estate. The final purchase price, after adjustments for certain agreed-upon terms, was $64 million.
As for season passes, sales through September 23 for the upcoming 2018/2019 North American ski season increased 25 percent in units and 15 percent in dollars as compared to the period in the prior-year through September 24, 2017, including the company’s new military pass products in both periods.
Pass sales exclude Stevens Pass and Triple Peaks pass sales in both periods and are adjusted to eliminate the impact of foreign currency by applying current period exchange rates to the prior period for Whistler Blackcomb pass sales.
“We are very pleased with our season pass sales to date,” Katz said. “Growth in our total season pass sales dollars was lower than our unit growth, given the inclusion of the new Military Epic Pass, which is available at a substantial discount to our Epic Pass. The average price increase on all non-military passes was approximately 4.5 percent. Excluding sales of military passes to new purchasers who were not pass holders last year, season pass sales increased approximately 9 percent in units and 12 percent in sales dollars over the comparable period in 2017.”
In addition to its stock falling Friday, Vail received mixed reviews from the analysts who cover the company.
Steven Wieczynski of Stifel wrote in a note to investors, “We continue to find ourselves with mixed emotions on the Vail story. While the successes achieved by the current management team over the past several years are not up for debate, we continue to feel as though the majority of the strategic and operational enhancements achieved in that time are already appropriately reflected in the current valuation.
“Furthermore, on the heels of the four recently announced acquisitions, coupled with the presence of another well-capitalized destination resort operator looking to grow through M&A, we have a difficult time mapping out a path to meaningful incremental inorganic growth opportunities in the near term. With all of that said, while we acknowledge Vail has built one of the most compelling and defensible growth stories in all of consumer, we would prefer to throw our support behind the shares at levels that allow us to formulate a target price underpinned by a more palatable underlying valuation.”
And Brett Andress of KeyBanc Capital Markets wrote in a note to investors, “Results were largely in line, with today’s muted reaction in shares driven by a somewhat soft +15 percent pass dollar growth headline (noisy due to Military pass inclusion, ASP headwind)–notably, after our follow-up, we are more comfortable with management’s expectations for “core” growth to remain in the low/mid-teens through December (primarily easier comparisons ahead).”
Photo courtesy Vail Resorts Inc.


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All investors are consumers, but not all consumers are investors.
The September installment of University of Michigan’s Consumer Sentiment Survey reported Americans are feeling pretty optimistic. Consumer sentiment rose to the second highest level since 2004, and consumer expectations reached the highest level since 2004. Surveys of Consumers chief economist, Richard Curtin, wrote:
“Consumers anticipated continued growth in the economy that would produce more jobs and an even lower unemployment rate during the year ahead…The largest problem cited on the economic horizon involved the anticipated negative impact from tariffs. Concerns about the negative impact of tariffs on the domestic economy were spontaneously mentioned by nearly one-third of all consumers in the past three months, up from one-in-five in the prior four months.”
Investors weren’t as optimistic, according to the American Association of Individual Investors (AAII). Last week, the AAII Investor Sentiment Survey reported bullish sentiment dropped more than 10 percentage points. The results were:
• Bullish 32.1 percent of respondents
(historic average: 38.5 percent)
• Neutral 35.1 percent of respondents
(historic average: 31.0 percent)
• Bearish 32.8 percent of respondents
(historic average: 30.5 percent)
Despite the apparent shift in investor attitudes, stock markets moved higher last week. Vito J. Racanelli of Barron’s wrote:
“The stock market radiated confidence this past week, finishing about 1 percent higher despite choppy action. There was a plethora of good economic news – from lower-than-expected inflation to skyhigh business and consumer confidence numbers – that drove shares up. Not even a ratcheting up of tough tariff talk Friday on the part of the U.S. could dampen investor enthusiasm for long.”
Some believe the AAII Sentiment Survey is a contrarian indicator. Last week, that may have been the case.
Weekly Commentary for September 17, 2018
If you have questions about your investments, contact us. 231-720-0619
photo by: Pretty consumers © Pressmaster | Dreamstime.com


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Electronic Data Systems, the computer services company, said yesterday that it was in talks with a possible buyer to sell its unprofitable A.T. Kearney consulting unit.
The discussions are with a third party and the company is not pursuing a sale to managers, Kevin Lightfoot, a spokesman for Electronic Data, said.
The sale would fit with Electronic Data's aim to revive profit growth after it lost orders to I.B.M., and its top customer, General Motors, cut purchases.
A.T. Kearney has trailed competitors like Accenture and I.B.M., and had a first-quarter operating loss of $11 million after revenue declined 12 percent, to $204 million.
In 2001, A.T. Kearney accounted for $1.2 billion of Electronic Data's sales, or an average of $400 million a quarter. That declined to $1.01 billion in 2002, $846 million in 2003, and $806 million in 2004, according to regulatory filings.
Shares of Electronic Data, which is based in Plano, Tex., rose 10 cents to $19.71 yesterday. They have fallen 14.7 percent this year.Continue reading the main story


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Those who want their MTV online will soon be able to get it a whole lot faster.
The MTVi Group announced Tuesday that it will team with broadband service provider Excite@Home to create Music.Excite.com, a site that will provide music content primarily to high-speed Internet users.
“This deal is a brand, content and creative collaboration and serves as the cornerstone of our music strategy. It’s a first in melding on-air programs with the broadband experience,” said George Bell, president and CEO of Excite@Home. “The convergence of the TV audience and broadband is a natural one, and we plan to give both early and experienced broadband users exposure to all the Web has to offer in music and entertainment through unique broadband applications.”
While financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, execs said it does include a cross-marketing strategic relationship. MTVi will be the exclusive seller of advertising for the music.excite.com portal, expected to launch this summer. Site will be promoted on-air on MTV and VH1.
MTVi is a conglomeration of several online music sites, including MTV.com, VH1.com and SonicNet.com. Liberty Digital has a minority stake in the company.
“With the most recognized global entertainment brands, MTVi is well positioned to develop creative and compelling content for the broadband era, and we are very excited to be partnering with Excite@Home, the leader in broadband,” said Nicholas Butterworth, president and CEO of the MTVi Group. “As the lead programmer on Excite@Home’s music channels, this partnership will also allow us to offer integrated convergence programming to Excite@Home’s customer base.”


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Profit margins under pressure at ASOS after online fashion retailer blames better-than-expected sales in UK for squeezing earnings
Profit margins are under pressure at ASOS after the online fashion retailer blamed better-than-expected sales in the UK for squeezing earnings.
The firm, which counts America’s first lady Michelle Obama as a customer, makes more from items sold abroad because products are not subject to VAT.
High profile: America's first lady Michelle Obama is an ASOS customer
Chief executive Nick Robertson said: ‘The strength of our UK performance continues to put pressure on our margins.’
ASOS shares rose 8 per cent, or 244p, to 3355p, after it bucked the general retail malaise with a 28 per cent rise in sales for the second quarter in the UK.
Total sales rose 37 per cent, ahead of the 35 per cent analysts had forecast, reinforcing its position as one of the pioneers of online shopping having entered the market before it was in vogue.
Dan Coen, director of advisory firm Zolfo Cooper said: ‘The fashion website has gone from strength to strength as it continues to provide users with innovative and convenient ways to shop while driving fashion trends.’
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Books & Literature
Links to bestsellers, reviews, and book lists
|Altered Book Art by Roberta Smith|
Book News and Reviews
- The latest news about books from the New York Times as well as weekly book reviews.
- Read up on what NPR has to say about the latest books and interesting authors.