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According to a recent survey of more than 1,000 U.S. and U.K.-based CISOs by the Ponemon Institute, 59 per cent of companies said they have experienced a data breach caused by one of their vendors or third parties. With large organisations today having upwards of 100,000 third-party vendors to manage, and small organisations having a significant subset of that, managing third-party vendor risk is an important part of an organisation’s overall cyber-health. KnowBe4, the provider of the world’s largest security awareness training and simulated phishing platform, today announced new functionality for its GRC management platform, KCM GRC, which helps organisations of all sizes address the growing problem of third-party vendor risk management.
Organisations that do not know the cyber-health of vendors they do business with put themselves at risk of breaches and other cyber-attacks.
According to the Ponemon survey, 75 per cent of organisations believe that third-party cybersecurity incidents are increasing and 22 per cent of respondents admitted they didn’t know if they’d had a third-party data breach in the past 12 months. Additionally, PwC’s recent report “The Global State of Information Security Survey 2018” states that there are very few companies that are correctly building cyber and privacy risk management into their digital transformation initiatives.
KnowBe4’s KCM GRC is an intuitive platform which Organisations can customise to measure third-party vendor risk. Once an initial assessment is completed, organisations can continually monitor against risk levels they’ve set. KCM GRC enables an organisation to keep track of everything within the platform, moving away from using cumbersome point products and office management tools, to adhere to policy and compliance management standards. As with all KnowBe4 offerings, KCM GRC comes with free and unlimited support.
“Third-party vendors introduce risk to any organisation. The vendor lifecycle and those risks must be managed. With the introduction of vendor risk in the KCM GRC platform, we designed it as a simple, intuitive and scalable platform to easily manage these risks.” said Blake Huebner, KnowBe4’s SVP of KCM Strategy.
For more information on KCM GRC, visit this page on the website


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Google-owned YouTube announced to pay creators up to $10,000 a month for making popular videos on Shorts app, its TikTok competitor.
The company has launched YouTube Shorts Fund, a $100 million fund distributed over 2021-2022.
“Each month, we’ll reach out to eligible creators to claim a payment from the Fund — creators can make anywhere from $100 to $10,000 based on viewership and engagement on their Shorts,” YouTube said in a statement.
The $100 million fund will help build a monetisation model for Shorts on YouTube and is not limited to just creators in YouTube Partner Programme (YPP) and any creator that meets its eligibility criteria can participate.
With the launch of the Shorts Fund, creators and artists now have 10 ways to make money and build a business on YouTube.
“Ads have been at the core of creators’ revenue streams, and continue to be the main way that creators can earn money on YouTube. Creators receive the majority of the revenue generated from ads on YouTube,” said Robert Kyncl, Chief Business Officer, YouTube.
YouTube Premium is a paid subscription option which enables members to enjoy ad-free content, background playback, downloads, and premium access to the YouTube Music app. “The majority of subscription revenue goes to YouTube partners.”

domain: news


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Quantzig, a leading analytics advisory firm that offers customized analytics solutions, has announced the completion of their new article on the benefits of logistics analytics. The rapid increase in competition to deliver the ever-growing volume of products bought online is leading to the growth of the logistics industry. The rise in the volume of supply chain and logistics data sets have paved the way for new opportunities to boost efficiency and customer experiences. Therefore, it is high time for logistics companies to consider investing in logistics analytics to integrate and streamline their business operations and expand their market share. Logistics analytics can help organizations to derive insights from the plethora of data available to them including inventory and route plan.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190725005525/en/
Benefits of logistics analytics (Graphic: Business Wire)
Our analytics solutions help companies to improve fleet productivity, and avoid costly downtime with its advanced analytics solutions. Request a FREE proposal to gain in-depth insights.
Benefits of Logistics Analytics
Improves fleet management
Transportation companies generate a plethora of data from several sensors and operational systems, but until recently, these data sources were not connected. The challenge for logistics companies today is to figure out how this data can be used effectively to devise route maps, manage transportation networks, improve operations, and reduce costs.
Our analytics solutions can help you visualize, and act on data to make critical decisions. Request a free demo to know more.
Route planning and optimization
Companies in the logistics industry can integrate data from vehicles, scanners, sensors, personnel, and live weather and traffic reports using logistics analytics. Also, companies can discover and act on insights to optimize delivery routes in real-time. Furthermore, such insights can help in improving route planning, rerouting, and supply chain optimization and enhancing the customer experience.
Quantzig’s analytics experts help companies to gain contextual insights into their supply chain networks and improve customer service. Contact our experts to know more.
Want to learn more about the benefits of logistics analytics? Read the complete article.
Quantzig is a global analytics and advisory firm with offices in the US, UK, Canada, China, and India. For more than 15 years, we have assisted our clients across the globe with end-to-end data modeling capabilities to leverage analytics for prudent decision making. Today, our firm consists of 120+ clients, including 45 Fortune 500 companies. For more information on our engagement policies and pricing plans, visit: https://www.quantzig.com/request-for-proposal


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Logistics firm to hire 1,800 to 2,000 workers in Memphis area
Another Memphis area warehouse and distribution specialist is adding thousands of workers in the runup to peak shopping and shipping season.
Versant Supply Chain said Wednesday it would hire 1,800 to 2,000 workers over the next 60 days for warehouses around the area.
The company announced a job fair 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sept. 17 at 8680 Swinnea Road in Southaven.
A company official wasn't available to say whether the jobs are full-time, part-time, seasonal or permanent.
It's the second big hiring push announced by a distribution center operator this summer.
Radial Inc. said in July it would hire up to 3,000 workers at 5461 Davidson Road in southeast Memphis to meet holiday season demand. A Radial official said the company was expecting a 10-fold increase in demand related to Internet shopping.
Transportation giants including Memphis-based FedEx and its chief rival, UPS, typically add tens of thousands of workers for peak season, but their hiring forecasts aren't expected for another couple weeks.
Last year FedEx hired 55,000 seasonals companywide, including more than 500 for the FedEx Express Memphis world hub. UPS, which has a substantial Memphis presence, added 90,000-plus nationally.
Versant traces its origin to Katt Worldwide Logistics, formed in Memphis in 1999. A private equity firm associated with Penske Corp. bought controlling intererest in Katt in 2006 and the company was rebranded as Versant in 2011.
An email from Versant recruiting manager LeAnn Willard said the company is hiring for locations in Memphis, Southaven, Olive Branch and West Memphis.
The job fair will feature tours and on-the-spot interviews and processing.
The company has a job line at 901-601-3560 and online application form at www.myMEMjob.com .


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Sumeet Jain is the Senior Director of 3D Printing Worldwide for Arkema. Previously Sumeet headed up Sartomer, the company’s DLP and SLA resin brand, for seven years. Sumeet discusses with us how they make custom resins for applications and customers. Now, he’s also responsible for their sintering powders, including the bio-based Rilsan polyamide 11, Kepstan PEKK, and Kynar PVDF, among other materials.
We discuss Arkema’s approach to the industry, its go-to-market strategy, and how 3D printing fits into the overall Arkema picture. We also talk about the materials themselves, such as PEKK and PVDF, as well as the company’s PMMA for FDM, which us initially perplexing for us. We really loved having Sumeet on the 3DPOD and enjoyed his clear explanations and open approach to 3D printing. We hope you do to.
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Car buyers caught in online jam
SHUNNING the showroom and buying your a car over the internet can save thousands – but will you have to wait months for your new wheels?
Internet car brokers are offering huge discounts compared with on-the-road prices from dealerships. And they expect to take an increasing share of the 420,000 sales predicted as UK vehicle registration marks make their six-monthly change.
From September 1, new cars will display the number 56 rather than 06.
The online savings available on popular models include almost £5,000 off the list price of a Volkswagon Golf - a 31% discount - and the same amount off the price of a Ford Focus, which represents a 38% saving.
But are poor service and lower security standards the price you will pay for a money-saving deal?
Peter Gerrard, senior researcher at price comparison website moneysupermarket.com, says: 'There is no reason standards should be any lower. If you want to buy cars with certain specifications then there could be a two or three-month wait, but it is the same with the dealerships.'
Online brokers say their prices are cheaper because they do not have to run large showrooms and are prepared to forego some of their commission. They are able to buy cars direct from manufacturers on a bulk basis.
Generally, the most in-demand models will be purchased in numbers big enough to ensure fast availability, but there is no guarantee and you may have to wait much longer than you hoped.
A tell-tale sign of what may be in store for online buyers is contained in the small print on the website of Jamjar, the leading online car broker, which is owned by the Royal Bank of Scotland. It states: 'Time will not be of the essence for delivery and we will not be liable to you for any delay in delivery.' You can expect to find a similar warning on other car broking sites.
One discount broker admitted organisations like his were regarded as 'second-class citizens' by manufacturers who have been known to delay car deliveries for up to a year, leaving buyers hanging. He said manufacturers would put deliveries to dealerships, where sale prices are typically higher, at the top of the list while online buyers must wait their turn.
How to cut the cost of your car
Despite the delays, brokers say their internet traffic is increasing. New-Car-Discount.com sold 3,500 new cars last year and expects to do better through 2006.
Managing director Terry Hogan says: 'People visiting showrooms feel that sales staff are just trying to get as much money as possible from them and the price they pay depends on how good they are at negotiating.'
He adds: 'Obviously, if you go to a showroom, you can test drive a car and see what you are buying, but we find people are test driving with the dealerships and then coming to us to buy.'
While there is no doubt that big savings are available, these offers may be short-lived. Savings are more likely to be in the hundreds rather than the thousands of pounds. Also, watch out for delivery charges of up to £250.
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RENO, Nev. — As the aspirations of Reno's entrepreneurs continue to rise, fueled by Northern Nevada's increasing presence as a technology hub and a strong economy throughout the state, Reno's entrepreneurial support and development community is growing by leaps and bounds as well.
Entrepreneurs no longer need to go it alone — there are a host of organizations dedicated to supporting entrepreneurial growth in the Truckee Meadows.
Groups such as Entrepreneurs Assembly, SCORE, Nevada Small Business Development Center, 1 Million Cups, StartUpNV and others are helping Northern Nevada entrepreneurs transform their ideas into scalable and revenue-producing enterprises. Entrepreneurs are starting more technology and other businesses than perhaps at any time in the city's history.
Matt Westfield, entrepreneur-in-residence and adjunct professor at the University of Nevada, Reno College of Business Ozmen Center for Entrepreneurship, says many of these organizations sprang up following the Great Recession as out-of-work Nevadans scrambled to find their next new thing.
“We had all of these out-of-work professionals believing their lives were over — there were no support mechanisms because everyone was in the same boat,” Westfield says. “There were no jobs and no opportunities for anyone, especially entrepreneurs.”
Westfield was teaching an entrepreneurial course at the time and realized there was disconnect between aspiring entrepreneurs learning how to start a business at the university and a lack of support networks to help foster success in the early stages of the business cycle once they tried to bring their ideas to fruition.
‘This community had to change'
Entrepreneurs Assembly, which now operates out of the Innevation Center at the corners of Sinclair and Liberty Streets, sprang from those early days to provide a central location for entrepreneurs and founders to converge and convey their concerns and issues among peers. Westfield is a co-founder of the organization.
“Up until this point, the economic development entities were focused on homeruns, but I believed that if we nurture the singles, doubles and triples, the homeruns inevitably would come,” Westfield says. “I also did not want a double agenda of mentoring folks while trying to ask them for money to pay the rent of a typical incubator. I found partners with underutilized meeting spaces to give them an opportunity to open their doors to a new clientele and give founders a safe environment to share the challenges they face moving forward.
“We are in an unprecedented time in Nevada history, transforming it into an entrepreneurial powerhouse.”
Working in unison, these organizations are helping regional entrepreneurs understand how to overcome business and related challenges, as well as how to navigate early-stage pressures and advance their businesses its next lifecycle. Prospective entrepreneurs also are gaining insight into how to run their own businesses through entrepreneurship programs at UNR and the regional campus of Willamette University.
It's a concerted effort that needed to happen, says Liz Heiman, Entrepreneurs Assembly's 2019-20 board chair, since the casinos weren't enough of an economic force to carry the day for greater Reno-Sparks.
“This community had to change, and we had to have a different kind of economy,” Heiman says. “The spark has been ignited, and (now) there's this energy that's growing. We are going to continue to attract entrepreneurs from various places that want to be a part of it.”
‘A safe space for entrepreneurs'
Karol Hines, executive director of Entrepreneurs Assembly, says the addition of large tech companies such as Apple, Google, Switch and Tesla over the last half-decade or so has helped seed the pot.
And while the entrepreneurial community in Reno continues to evolve, it still lags behind other tech-centric places such as Austin or Silicon Valley.
However, founders continue to bring their ideas here because of the many benefits over those regions — Reno is much more affordable that the Silicon Valley, it's far less crowded than Austin, Texas, and it's easier to make your ideas stand out here.
“Reno has come a long way,” Hines says. “One of the things EA is really focused on is that we know what is out there to support entrepreneurs. We send them to SCORE when that's what they need, or we send them to StartUpNV when they are scalable. We help entrepreneurs get on track, and we know what it takes to build a business and understand who their customers are.
“We get them ready, and we collaborate with other groups in town so (entrepreneurs) get all the pieces they need to build their businesses,” Hines adds.
Ira Gostin, EA board member and marketing committee chair, says EA is a hub, or clearinghouse, for all entrepreneurial organizations in the Reno-Sparks community. While the university lays a foundation for entrepreneurs through its entrepreneurship minor, organizations such as SCORE, NSBDC and EA provide supplemental support with business advice, coaching and mentorship.
“We present a safe space for entrepreneurs to share experiences, and that has huge value,” Gostin says. “These people have the same problems, and (founders) can brainstorm, share and commiserate and get mentoring in a specific area.”
As these various entities continue to mature, their ability to help and attract new entrepreneurs, businesses and additional mentors is expected to increase as well.
“It is going to continue to help change and redefine the economy of Reno,” Heiman says.
“Entrepreneurship and small business ownership will continue to grow in Reno to the point that it becomes a significant part of our economy,” Gostin adds.


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Designer and activist
Known for being an outspoken activist, this year Katharine Hamnett continued to hammer home her concerns about the sustainability of fashion production in its current form.
Speaking at Drapers Sustainable Fashion 2019 in March, she highlighted how attitudes have changed since the late 1980s, when people “knew nothing about sustainability”.
“It’s a tsunami change. It’s top of the agenda, but it’s taken a hell of a long time,” she said. However, she added that the shift towards sustainability is not moving fast enough: “It’s fantastic where it is now. But there is still a huge amount of work to do.”
News about Katharine Hamnett


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Paul Tracy is out again with a similar ad to one he shared a year ago, teasing his top ten stocks for next year — and, like last year, there’s a lot of interest among the Gumshoe readership … so let’s see if we can name those hinted-at picks for you.
The basic idea is a perfectly reasonable one, even though it may seem a bit old-fashioned in these days of hyper trading: holding profitable, dividend-paying stocks that have done very well and are reasonably priced is a good idea, even if you have to hold these investments for longer than a few weeks to reap your returns. I won’t go so far as to say that these “top stocks for 2013” are pitched as just a plain vanilla “buy and hold” portfolio, since they’re not clear on that in the ads, but they have in the past pitched similar ideas as “forever stocks” and most of the talk of great long-term performance revolves around compounding returns and beating the S&P by just a bit without taking massive risks.
Of course, that’s what many of the newsletters “really” recommend to their subscribers, since most newsletters are far more nuanced and conservative than their teaser ads would have you to believe — but the StreetAuthority folks are actually “selling” this idea instead of promising a 100% gain in 2013, so that’s a bit noteworthy.
What, then, are these “top ten stocks for 2013?” I’m not sure we’ll have enough clues to name them all, but we’ll do our best … starting with …
Well, they actually name #1 and #2 for us to whet the appetite … so we can keep the Thinkolator in the garage for the moment:
“I’ve picked Enterprise Products Partners (NYSE: EPD) as my first Top 10 Stock for 2013.
“Enterprise Products Partners’ business is vital to day-to-day life. The partnership owns 50,000 miles of oil and gas pipelines — enough to circle the planet twice — that move these resources around the country. Our lives would be drastically different without the commodities EPD ships through its network.
“That means EPD sees steady demand for its services, just like a utility. And the cash the partnership generates is just as steady….
“Today the stock yields 5%. Meanwhile, the partnership has increased its dividend more than 40 times since going public in 1998… and 33 consecutive times going back to 2004.”
OK, so we don’t have to do any work to find number one, that’s a freebie. And yes, EPD is right at the top of the list if you’re looking for a big, sturdy energy infrastructure MLP — I can’t tell you whether EPD will do better than Kinder Morgan Partners (KMP) or Magellan Midstream Partners (MMP) or any of the other big pipeline and midstream partnerships, they tend to trade as a group most of the time based on energy consumption rates (ie, how much energy will the economy use, which depends on pricing and other factors), tax policy, and interest rates (these are income investments, so if other income investments become more appealing money moves around). You can also go with the ETFs or ETNs or CEFs that follow the MLP space, like the Alerian Index offerings (AMLP or AMJ) and get a similar 5-6% yield, though with those you generally give up much of the tax advantage in exchange for your easy diversification.
There are a lot of folks talking up MLPs for next year, both because the dividend tax hike wouldn’t hit them and because the fear of other tax changes has helped bring many of these shares down (ie, concern about whether MLPs might lose some of their tax advantage as part of any kind of “grand bargain” to avoid the fiscal cliff). And, of course, if you think the economy is going to collapse next year then folks will use less gas and gasoline and volume would drop for these companies — they’re sensitive to the economy, though generally not abruptly so … there is, after all, a baseline energy production and consumption dynamic that doesn’t go away just because the economy grows or shrinks by 1-2% for any given period.
And number two is free, too, and one they’ve recommended for a while now … here’s that one:
“Brookfield Infrastructure (NYSE: BIP) — that lets you own stakes in dozens of infrastructure monopolies across the entire world, and in addition to capital gains, it pays investors a 4.5% dividend each year to own it.
“In total, 78% of the partnership’s revenues are under contracts or are regulated. Meanwhile, those practically guaranteed revenues are coming from one of the most compelling portfolios I’ve ever seen.
“The partnership has a stake in electric grids in Chile. It holds railroads in Australia… toll roads in South America… and timberland in the United States and Canada.
“I can only think of one, maybe two, other places where you can invest in a stable group of monopolistic holdings this broad from all over the planet.”
This is also a publicly traded partnership, with Brookfield (the big asset management company) as the general partner, and will face the same broad concerns and benefits as most of the energy MLPs, but the underlying businesses are quite different. BIP owns utility transmission and distribution assets, ports, toll roads, railroads and the like and collects pretty steady revenue from those long-lived assets, and pays out much of the “funds from operations” of those assets as a dividend — they say that the payout ratio is only 66%, so that’s gives some flexibility, though like most of these partnerships they also carry quite a bit of debt so they’re sensitive to interest rates in two ways (if rates go up, safer investments get more appealing … and borrowers like BIP should see their interest costs rise). Rates don’t seem like they’re going up anytime soon, but that’s one underlying concern. This has been one that I’ve followed for a long time and often get interested in, they do own some great assets, but with infrastructure being a really popular asset class among big investors lately it always feels just a hair too expensive. Which means I’ve missed a nice long-term run since the 2009 bottom … and the shares have flattened out over the last three months, so perhaps there will be a nice “bad news” buying opportunity for these kinds of infrastructure assets.
So those are the freebies to get you going — both relatively high-yielding partnerships that are, broadly speaking, in the “infrastructure owning” business. How about the “secret” stocks for 2013?
“Top 10 Stock #3 is one of the most dominant companies I’ve ever seen. This company sells its product in 180 countries and owns 7 of the world’s top 15 brands in its market.”
This is one he also pitched as a “Forever Stock” back in the Summer of 2011, Philip Morris International (PM) … it’s up about 20-25% since then, similar to the broader S&P performance, and does pay a solid dividend of almost 4%. I don’t like tobacco stocks personally and haven’t owned it, but tobacco has been one of the all-time best long-term investments for the last century and this is the owner of most of the important brands — particularly Marlboro, the global number one brand in cigarettes by a wide margin.
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“Top 10 Stock #4 is a special “toll” company with nearly a billion users around the world… and more than $3.5 trillion in transactions per year.
“Although the company was founded in 1966, investors couldn’t buy a stake until about five years ago.
“Since it’s gone public, the stock is up 810% thanks to its seemingly unstoppable growth. Maybe that’s what attracted the world’s greatest investor — Warren Buffett — and his investment team. His giant investment firm, Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRK-B), bought a 216,000 share stake in this company last year. And then Berkshire ‘doubled down’ — buying 189,000 more shares a few months later.”
That’s another of those “Forever” stocks from last year, Mastercard (MA). And yes, one of my great regrets as an investor is that I didn’t pile into Mastercard and Visa (V) when they went public in recent years, both are incredible high-margin companies with incredible domination of the global market and beneficiaries of the global trend away from cash transactions. There have surely been stumbles at each, and antitrust issues come and go with these two, but they’ve been great investments and it frustrates me that I didn’t buy them when I first looked at them. Which in turn makes it hard for me to buy them now — because I remember looking at MA at $50-100 and not buying, so I struggle to convince myself to buy at almost $500. Still, even at $500 an objective viewer would probably say that they’re fairly priced — they don’t have to spend much, they’ll grow revenue at 5-10% a year at a minimum, probably, and costs do not climb as quick as revenue so their earnings will probably grow by at least 10% (analysts are predicting 18% growth for the next five years), which makes the current PE ratio, which is high, seem reasonable. I’d still buy MA before buying a traditional big bank if I were buying a financial services company, but if I were buying today I do think that V would probably edge out MA in my book (a little bigger, a little cheaper, pays a more meaningful — though still tiny — dividend).
“Top 10 Stock #5 has bought back $19 billion worth of its own stock in the past two years and has increased its dividend 463% since 2004. It’s little wonder why every $100 invested in this company in 1972 would be worth $165,000 today.
“And one more thing… right now the shares trade at a dirt-cheap price, making it perhaps the best time to buy the stock in the past decade.
“I call it my biggest ‘no-brainer’ investment for 2013. When it comes to the three characteristics I look for in the “perfect” stock — enormous competitive advantages, strong dividends, and massive share buybacks, this company is second to none.”
Well, again not a particular surprise — this is another of the picks that he pegged as a “Forever” stock in 2011, Intel (INTC). Which I own. And which is indeed getting more “dirt cheap” by the day after a big drop over the last 3-4 months (from $26 or so down to $19). Intel is a story stock on the downside at the moment, with the story being that they “missed” mobile and are losing out to Qualcomm and ARM Holdings and the others … that has hit the stocks more in recent months as the decline in PCs got more pronounced and their big and profitable business in chips for servers has not taken up all the slack.
I still think Intel will do absolutely fine — they’re borrowing money to buy back stock, which is oddly easy because Intel can borrow money for four years at 1.35% and stockholders earn about 4.5% in dividends for owning the stock, a dividend that will likely continue to rise every year (they pay out less than half their earnings as dividends, so even if earnings stagnate for a year, as analysts expect, the dividend should be fine). Intel is indeed faced with challenges as they try to compete in mobile low power chips, but they are competing and their products are getting at least a little traction … and they have the most advanced small-scale chip architecture out there, as well as the most incredible manufacturing ability and capacity, so they will, I am certain, come out fine even if they do not immediately pose a huge threat to Qualcomm. I’ve held Intel from $19 or so up to $27 and back down again, letting my dividends reinvest and compound (the shares are not far above where I bought them in 2011, but thanks to compounding my share count has gone up by 6% in a year and a half), and although my account would certainly be better off if I were nimble enough to know to sell at $27 and buy back at $19, well, that’s not going to happen very often — I’m neither particularly nimble nor reliably prescient, I just want to let a great company compound earnings … and I see challenges but not failure in Intel’s results so far, so I’m staying steady on this one.
Which I guess puts me in the same camp as Paul Tracy for INTC, since he and the StreetAuthority folks were likewise calling it a “Forever” pick back near the time that I first bought shares. Your opinion might certainly differ, but I don’t like to sell a successful, highly profitable 4.5% yielder without a good reason and I don’t think I’ve seen a good reason yet.
“Top 10 Stock #6 is one of the safest stocks on the planet, thanks to its enormous profitability and its giant cash horde.
“With annual net income of $8 billion, this company is more profitable than such well-known success stories as Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS), McDonald’s (NYSE: MCD), and Disney (NYSE: DIS)… just to name a few. And at last count, this company held more than $48 billion in cash on its books. That amounts to over $9.00 per share… yet the stock trades for less than $20.
“If you’re wondering what might happen next, the company just gave a big hint when it raised its dividend 133% in 2012.”
This one, sez the Thinkolator, is Cisco Systems (CSCO), which is also a stock that Tracy has teased before — though it was one of the “no brainers for 2012“, not one of the “forever stocks.”
And like Intel to some degree, Cisco is a dominant, cash-rich company with a strong market position … but with competition that’s increasing and worrying investors. CSCO does have almost $9 in cash, though they do also have a debt position so the net cash is a little lower, but they are undeniably also cheap. Maybe cheap for a reason, depending on whose arguments you believe, but definitely cheap — trading for less than 10X next year’s earnings estimate, and with a dividend that has increased 133% over the past year (in two increases, it has gone from six cents to 14 cents/quarter) and currently gives them a yield of just under 3%, not as good as other tech dinosaurs like INTC or MSFT but still above the market average.
I sold Cisco about a year and a half ago to buy more Apple, and would still buy Apple over CSCO or INTC today, but I’d bet that CSCO will be a less bumpy ride than Apple given the extraordinary level of attention AAPL gets and their dependence on innovation and product cycles. As you can imagine, I’d also buy INTC over CSCO, since I own the former but not the latter, but the basic reason to buy both is the same: they still dominate their core markets, their business and core markets may not have sexy growth in the near term but they aren’t going away, they’re facing competition but they’re cheap and have the cash and capacity to compete aggressively. I haven’t followed CSCO closely since selling the stock personally, so if you’ve got reasons to own (or not to own) that one feel free to let us know with a comment below.
I wonder if all of these will turn out to be picks he’s made in the past? Hmmm …
“Top 10 Stock #7 is an electric utility based in Chile… a country where dividends are required by law. Chilean public companies are required by law to pay at least 30% of their net income to shareholders.
“Meanwhile, electric demand is growing like wildfire in Chile — up to six times faster in the past decade than in the United States.
“And with this investment, not only do you capture a solid yield and stable growth from one of the world’s best utilities, but you don’t even have to leave the U.S. markets to do so.
“That’s because these shares trade right here on the New York Stock Exchange.”
There are two electric utilities you can easily buy into in Chile, to the best of my knowledge, Endesa (EOC) and Enersis (ENI), and the two are related (Endesa is the parent). Both yield about 3%, both are large (better than $10 billion market cap), and I have no idea which one Paul Tracy might be teasing since he didn’t provide any clues. Feel free to check them out and see if one of them suits your fancy — and let us know if so. If you want broader Chilean exposure, which brings with it a lot of exposure to natural resources as well as exposure to arguably the most advanced Latin American consumer and financial economy, there are also a couple exchange traded funds — the iShares ECH for broad Chile exposure, and the closed end Chile Fund (CH) which trades at a discount and yields about 10% right now (though some of that is return of capital) … both have Enersis in their top ten holdings, though only the indexed ECH has a large Endesa position as of the last report.
Starting to get a bit tired here, but we’ll press on … another, please!
“Top 10 Stock #8 owns energy pipelines in nearly 20 states. You simply don’t find many investments with the mixture of high yield and growth seen by this company.
“It pays a yield of 4.5% and has never cut its dividend — going all the way back to 1994. It’s also expanding rapidly to take advantage of the recent oil and gas boom in the United States. In total, it plans to spend $6 billion for expansion projects in the next three years (about 50% of its current market cap).
“That’s one reason why the company plans to grow its distributions up to 15% per year through 2015.”
You can squeeze this to come close to matching other companies, but the Thinkolator sez our best match here is: ONEOK Partners (OKS) — OKS is indeed targeting 10-15% growth in the distribution and $6 billion for expansion, largely in the hot shale areas like North Dakota, and they do have a market cap right around $12 billion, putting them in the top tier of MLPs even if they’re far smaller than giants like EPD (that was #1 way up at the top, remember?). ONEOK is an admired MLP, they have a strong mid-continent presence, including some important natural gas liquids (NGL) pipelines, and, well, that’s about all I know. The general partner, ONEOK, is also publicly traded at ticker OKE and will probably continue to have a dividend that grows faster thanks to bonus GP incentives, but it’s lower (3% yield).
“Top 10 Stock #9 serves more than 60 million customers each week. It sells its products at premium prices. The company dominates its competition. And it doesn’t worry about government regulation, even though it sells an addictive product.
“The company also sells a product that’s loved in countries around the world, including the United States, China, Japan, Germany, England, and more.
“Because of that, there is tremendous opportunity for growth. Even with more than 17,000 locations, this restaurant still has plenty of room to DOUBLE its store count in the coming years.
“That’s likely to cause profits to surge. Right now the company is on track to grow earnings per share 75% by 2015… and it just raised the dividend 24%.”
This one, interestingly enough, looks to be Starbucks (SBUX) — one of the pricey, fast-growing food retailing stocks I would like to own (the other is Whole Foods, WFM), but haven’t bought for whatever reason … I almost bought Starbucks when their shares dipped a bit following the announcement of the Teavana acquisition, but I do keep holding out hope that they’ll get cheaper again, there have been plenty of opportunities to buy Starbucks when news is “less good” over the last few years and I’ve missed them … but yes, I can certainly see the argument for buying Starbucks in chunks when you can since it’s hard to pick the best price — they are a dominant brand, they’re growing very well in China and elsewhere as well as still growing in the US, and they get a great profit margin even without aggressively franchising.
And finally …
“Top 10 Stock #10 sells its recession-proof products in dozens of countries around the world. Pension funds in the United States and Canada own millions of dollars in this stock. It’s also owned by some of the largest money managers in the world. As we go to press, Fidelity owns nearly 6 million shares worth nearly $470 million, and Morgan Stanley owns about 2 million shares worth $140 million.
“It’s obvious why they like the stock. In just the past three years the shares have returned 137%… more than triple the S&P’s 39% gain.”
And, well, we close on a low note


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E3 Expo Gives Back to the Community
Premier Trade Show for the Entertainment Software Industry Puts Spotlight on Charity
Washington, DC - The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) today announced several charitable programs scheduled to take place on-site at the Los Angeles Convention Center (LACC) during this year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3 Expo) trade show on June 2-4 that give the gaming industry the opportunity to reciprocate goodwill to the Los Angeles area and offer support to the community.
“I’m proud we can give back to the Los Angeles-based community that has welcomed us for so many years. We felt that this would be a perfect way to let our E3 Expo attendees become personally involved in charitable efforts, and allow them to make a difference,” said Michael D. Gallagher, president and CEO of the Entertainment Software Association, the trade association that represents the U.S. computer and video game publishers and owns the E3 Expo.
The ESA has partnered with the nonprofit military support organization “Pro vs. GI Joe.” The organization sets up real-time video game competitions between professional athletes and celebrities and military personnel stationed all over the world, via the Internet and in person, as a means of support in a fun, interactive way. At this year’s E3 Expo, Pro vs. GI Joe will have several stations set up within their military tent, enabling attendees of the Expo to “throw down” a personalized video challenge to the troops via their “GI Joe Throw” program. These videos will be uploaded to the organization’s Web site for troops around the world to accept their challenge. The organization is also planning to hold one Pro vs. GI Joe video game competition per day between a pro and/or celebrity and local military personnel. In addition, Pro vs. GI Joe will also unveil their exclusive Military Online Gaming (MOG) site.
“E3 Expo is the perfect platform for Pro vs. GI Joe to connect with the gaming community in a truly fun and interactive way,” said Greg Zinone, co-founder and president of Pro vs. GI Joe. “We are thrilled to be part of the Expo to showcase that our organization is about more than just playing video games; it’s about the connection we are making through the games, something the troops absolutely love. We are honored to show the gaming community that through Pro vs. GI Joe, they now have a way to support those troops by simply doing what they already do – play video games.”
The ESA is also inviting all computer and video game enthusiasts the opportunity to create and submit an entry in the E3 Expo 2009 T-shirt Contest. The winning design will be unveiled on June 2, the opening day of the E3 Expo. The submission deadline date is May 14. Submissions will be viewable on the E3 Expo Flicker page, http://www.flickr.com/photos/E3_Expo. The official T-shirt will be available for purchase at E3 Expo and www.e3expo.com. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to The Midnight Mission, a Los Angeles-based organization that provides multiple layers of services for the local area homeless with an emphasis on developing self-sufficiency. Entrants should send an email with an attached JPG file of their design no bigger than 5MB to esa@theESA.com with the subject line “E3 T-Shirt Contest.” Please visit www.E3Expo.com for additional details and official rules.
Finally, in coordination with the American Red Cross Blood Services Region, Southern California, the ESA has organized a blood drive scheduled to take place on-site at E3 on June 4 from 10:00am - 4:00pm. Appointments will be required to donate and you can sign up online at www.givelife.org and enter E3 as the sponsor code.
Approximately 40,000 people will attend E3 Expo to witness the latest unveilings and announcements that launch the hottest video games and hardware platforms for the holiday season.
The ESA is also reminding E3 Expo attendees that hotel and travel accommodations are filling up quickly. For more information, visit the E3 Expo Web site at www.E3Expo.com.
Members of the press interested in covering E3 Expo should contact media@E3Expo.com with any additional questions.
A full list of current exhibitors is located on www.E3Expo.com. Produced by IDG World Expo, companies still interested in exhibiting at E3 Expo should contact the team at (877) 216-6264.
About E3 ExpoTM
E3 Expo is the world’s premiere trade show for computer and video games and related products. The show is owned by the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), the U.S. association dedicated to serving the business and public affairs needs of the companies, publishing interactive games for video game consoles, handheld devices, personal computers, and the Internet. For more information, please visit www.E3Expo.com or www.theesa.com.
About the ESA
The Entertainment Software Association is the U.S. association dedicated to serving the business and public affairs needs of companies publishing interactive games for video game consoles, handheld devices, personal computers, and the Internet. The ESA offers services to interactive entertainment software publishers including a global anti-piracy program, owning the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), business and consumer research, federal and state government relations, First Amendment and intellectual property protection efforts. For more information, please visit www.theESA.com.
About IDG World Expo
IDG World Expo (www.idgworldexpo.com) is a leading producer of tradeshows and events for professionals and consumers seeking world-class education, peer-to-peer networking and one-stop comparison shopping. IDG World Expo’s portfolio of conferences and events includes Entertainment For All® (E For All®), E3 Media & Business Summit, LinuxWorld Conference & Expo®, Macworld Conference & Expo®, Next Generation Data CenterTM (NGDCTM) and REVEAL Los Angeles... The Fashion & Design EventTM. IDG World Expo is a business unit of IDG, the world’s leading technology media, research and event company.
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Nvidia has unveiled its new Tegra K1 processor for mobile phones that it claims will bring PC and next-gen console performance and graphics features to smartphones.
The 192-core chip houses the same Kepler tech used inside the company’s Nvidia GeForce GTX 780 Ti GPU.
The firm claims the mobile processor is capable of delivering graphics features on par with PS4 and Xbox One, and boasts a faster performance than the Xbox 360 and PS3.
The Tegra K1 processor will be offered in two compatible versions, one which uses a 32-bit quad-core 4-Plus-1 ARM Cortex A15 CPU, and a second that uses a custom Nvidia-designed 64-bit dual Super Core CPU. Both chips will support tech such as DirectX 11, OpenGL 4.4 and tessellation.
"Over the past two decades, Nvidia invented the GPU and has developed more graphics technologies than any other company," said Nvidia CEO Jen-Hsun Huang.
"With Tegra K1, we’re bringing that heritage to mobile. It bridges the gap for developers, who can now build next-gen games and apps that will run on any device."
Tegra K1 will also be able to run Epic Games’ development platform Unreal Engine 4 on mobile. You can view a demo of the processor and game engine in action below.
"With the introduction of this revolutionary processor, we can take applications that run on PC or console and run it on Tegra," said Epic Games founder Tim Sweeney.
"From here onward, I think we’re going to see the performance and feature gap between mobile and PC high-end gaming continue to narrow to the point where the difference between the platforms really blurs."


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Status: 28.09.2023, 07:17 a.m.
By: Vivian Werg
Microplastics will be banned in the future. The measures of the EU regulation will come into force in October. This also affects a number of cosmetic products, such as sunscreens.
Munich – Small particles, big danger: Once in the environment, microplastics can be transported over long distances. It has already been found in lakes, rivers and seas. As a study by the Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI) showed, the smallest particles can be transported far through the air – even much faster than water.
We also take it daily in low doses. Dutch researchers found microplastic particles in human blood for the first time in 2022. In a British study, on the other hand, microplastics were detected in eleven out of thirteen lungs of living people. The plastic particles are so small that we hardly see them. We come into contact with them much more often than we think. The sale of microplastics in a wide variety of areas is now gradually being banned. As the EU Commission announced in a press release on Monday (25 September), measures have now been adopted that "prohibit both the sale of microplastics and products to which microplastics have been deliberately added".
The sale of microplastics will be banned in the EU in the future – cosmetic products in particular will be affected (symbolic image) © Imago
New EU regulation to protect the environment: microplastics in scrubs, creams and detergents
"A ban on deliberately added microplastics addresses a serious problem for the environment and people's health. Microplastics are found in the oceans, rivers and on land, as well as in food and drinking water. Today's restriction affects very small particles, but it is a big step towards reducing man-made pollution," said EU Environment Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevičius in the communication.
The ban covers all synthetic polymer particles in a size range of less than five millimeters that are organic, insoluble and difficult to degrade. The EU Commission cites the following examples as common products:
- Granular material used on artificial sports surfaces – the largest source of consciously used microplastics in the environment.
- Cosmetics, such as scrubs or glitter, where microplastics are used for a variety of purposes, such as exfoliation of the skin (microbeads) or achieving a specific texture, fragrance or color. Plastic beads, which can be found in cosmetics and care products, are usually made of polyethylene (PE).
- Conventional sunscreens and creams often contain plastic compounds (acrylates, crosspolymer ACS). In sunscreen, it serves as a thickener and film former. If the substance enters oceans and lakes during bathing, it can accumulate in the food chain. In creams, ACS provides a supple feeling.
- In shampoo, polyquaternium (PQ) prevents pulling by placing a plastic film around the hair.
- The smallest plastic particles can also be found in many fabric softeners and detergents. Here, polyethylene (PE) is used to produce the gel-like consistency of liquid detergents.
- Microplastics are also contained in fertilizers, pesticides, toys, pharmaceuticals and medical devices.
- Source: EU-Commission, Utopia,de, BR.de, NDR.de
Products that are used at industrial sites or do not release microplastics during use are exempt from the sales ban. However, according to the EU Commission, manufacturers must provide instructions on how to use and dispose of the product.
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First EU bans in October: How to recognize microplastics in cosmetic products
The measures will be implemented gradually. For example, the first products such as microbeads or loose glitter may no longer be sold as early as 15 October. In other cases, such as granules on sports fields, on the other hand, may remain for up to eight years to give owners and operators time to develop and switch to alternatives.
As the organization writes Bund.net, plastics in cosmetology serve as exfoliating particles, binders and fillers in shower gels, shampoos, creams and decorative cosmetics. It is often difficult to tell whether a product contains microplastics or not. The health insurance company AOK has summarized the most common plastics in cosmetics:
It is best to dispose of the contents of the products that have already been purchased that contain microplastics in the residual waste so that they can no longer be released into the environment. The packaging, in turn, is placed in the recycling bin for further material recycling.
EU wants to significantly reduce microplastic pollution by 2030
A total of 42,000 tonnes of microplastics are released annually in the EU. According to an EEA report on health and the environment, air pollution causes more than 400,000 premature deaths (including from cancer) in the EU every year.
In the Zero Pollution Action Plan, the Commission has set a target of reducing microplastic pollution by 2030 percent by 30. (Vivian Werg)


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Car makers report their monthly sales today and they should get a nice bump from the long holiday weekend, and all those Labor Day sales you saw advertised.
August was expected to be pretty big anyway; the better the economy gets the more cars people buy (and, apparently, a lot of people need new cars).
“The average age of vehicles on the road today in the United States is over eleven years,” says Michael Robinet, managing director at IHS Automotive “So, definitely the environment is right, interest rates are low, and buyers are out looking for vehicles.”
And a lot has changed, especially fuel economy standards.
“Now you’ve got compact cars that are very commonly hitting 40 miles per gallon, give or take, but you still have much more flexibility and, let’s be honest, a cooler image from an SUV,” explains Karl Brauer, a senior analyst with Kelley Blue Book.
He adds that new home construction is helping sales of pick-up trucks, and more electric cars are moving, too.
“There’s been almost a mini-price war that’s broken out among the manufacturers of electric vehicles,” says Brauer.
Analysts say, across the board, new models are helping Honda, Ford and General Motors, in particular, to post some of the strongest sales since before the recession.
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In the four metros of the Gujarat state, Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Surat and Rajkot
Total shops will not be allowed to operate till May 5. Rupani gave such an order but shops were opened in many places in these metros. The malls were also open. After consulting the state government, the municipal commissioners and collectors jointly decided that, in the prevailing situation, next date. Shops in these four metros will remain closed till May 8. During the lockdown, it was decided to allow only milk, groceries, vegetables and other essentials, drug stores to continue in these metros. Other areas-districts in the state on Sunday The mall-marketing complex also includes concessions given by the state government to start businesses from April 26. hair cutting salon, beauty parlor, p-block-BD-cigarette selling shops, tea stall that will not be going to the hotel restaurant. But these places were also open in many places. Taxi services, rickshaw services Uber or other bus services will not start in the state.


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SÃO PAULO—Animal welfare is a theme that has already gained traction within Latin America agribusiness, with an increasing number of companies taking stronger and more consistent actions to ensure more humane treatment of animals used in food production. To increase the dialogue on this market change, an international symposium, Animal Welfare: A Sustainable Business Strategy, was held on November 18 and 19 at Hotel Belas Artes in São Paulo. The symposium featured speakers from five countries and more than 150 professionals from throughout Latin America’s animal agriculture supply chain.
Hosted by Humane Society International and World Animal Protection, the event facilitated discussion and the exchange of ideas and expertise among representatives of the food, production, retail, financial and government sectors around actions and commitments aimed at promoting the welfare of pigs and egg laying hens.
“HSI welcomed the opportunity to host and participate in this critical dialogue between companies and producers as they work to transition to cage- and crate-free production systems. In just two years’ participation in forums like this has more than doubled in Latin America, and clearly represents the growing interest, consumer support, and changing marketplace for more humane farming. As pointed out by many of the speakers, how animals are raised and the conditions they endure go hand in hand with a more sustainable future,” stated Carolina Maciel, director of Humane Society International in Brazil.
Producers are adapting their systems to meet new consumer demand, which is largely focused on animal welfare and sustainability. According to Mateus Paranhos da Costa, professor at São Paulo State University, who spoke about “demystifying” animal welfare, “The organization of this event is extremely timely, as it reinforces the need to integrate the animal welfare issue as one [of economic] sustainability criteria. There are many benefits to this integration, with ethical and practical implications for all livestock production chains, given the evidence that promoting the welfare of farm animals has the potential to contribute to the maintenance of balanced natural environments, healthy communities and the economic vitality of livestock activities.”
To complement, Leonardo Lima, corporate director of Social Commitment and Sustainable Development at Arcos Dorados, McDonald’s brand operator in Latin America and the Caribbean, said: “Arcos Dorados is a company with a long history of investing in sustainable initiatives in Brazil and Latin America and we are challenged to find new opportunities and use our scale to make a positive impact on the planet. Within this premise, we are pioneers in taking on challenging goals of sustainable livestock. We have also begun purchasing eggs from cage-free hens and have limited the use of gestation crates for pork producers. Animal welfare is one of our priorities and this Symposium is an opportunity to discuss the issue, learn about the actions being taken by the industry, and influence the whole chain.”
To give the discussion a global perspective, the symposium presented lectures from academic experts Dr. Linda Keeling of the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, who spoke about the connections between animal welfare and sustainable development, and Dr. Natalie Waran of New Zealand, who spoke about the relationship between human health and animal welfare.
One example of successful transition to cage-free egg production is Planalto Ovos (Brazil), a cage-free egg producer that was represented by Daniel Mohallen, director of the company: “This International Symposium is of paramount importance for the consolidation and recognition of production methods focused on animal welfare, mainly because it contains scientifically based discussions between scholars, researchers and participants in the production chain. Caring for animals is much more than a trend: it is a worldwide concern. We at Planalto Ovos feel privileged to be part of this great event.”
Humane Society International and World Animal Protection are working around the world to end the unnecessary suffering of farm animals. “The topic has been widely discussed since the 1970s, when consumers in Europe began to mobilize about how animals were reared. In Brazil, the public is raising their awareness regarding animal welfare. This is a topic that directly interferes in the purchase decision in a lot of countries, and in Brazil this trend will only grow. This is why companies have been putting the animal welfare team in their business strategies”, points out José Rodolfo Ciocca, manager of Humane and Sustainable Agriculture Campaigns for World Animal Protection. According to research commission by our organisation, 68% of Brazilians eat meat four times a day throughout the week. Of these, 82% are concerned with protein origin — proof that animal welfare and sustainability are important to the market.
Media contact: Maria Fernanda Martin, email@example.com, +55 (11) 9 79909922


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The Karnataka High Court said that they have no evidence of Amazon, Flipkart getting into exclusive deals with smartphone firms. The probe into both companies following a plea by a Delhi-based traders’ body, had alleged that the ecommerce firms were working with preferred sellers, violating competition laws.
Imports account for almost 85 per cent of the total toys' demand in the country and only the remaining 15 per cent of the sale is met by the domestic manufacturers, according to the industry.
"Our nation never had dearth of skill and resources, but what is needed most is a broad vision," the PM said while inaugurating the One District One Product (ODOP) exhibition organised by UP Institute of Design at Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Trade Facilitation Centre in Bada Lalpur area.
Hawala channels are dependent on the movement of people carrying currency. With flights cancelled and other modes of transport to China and Hong Kong curbed, hawala payments have got stuck. Bilateral trade between China and India is pegged at around $90 billion with a trade deficit of about $60 billion in China’s favour. Actual trade, said experts, could be even more skewed in China’s favour.
"We have been pursuing with the government constantly with few concerns which require immediate attention, like reduction in import duty on precious metals -- gold, silver, platinum to 4 per cent from 12.5 per cent. Reduce import duty on cut and polished diamonds and gemstones from 7.5 per cent to 2.5 per cent," GJEPC Chairman Pramod Kumar Agrawal said.
The traders said that due to the outbreak of coronavirus, manufacturing units in China have suspended production. It has become difficult for businessmen to visit the country for checking the quality of consignments due to travel restrictions.
The exercise, which will begin from March 1 and get over by September 30, is aimed at better addressing the basic problems of traders across the country, CAIT said.
"If traders start using swadeshi (indigenous) goods, sell swadeshi products and promote those items, the economic growth will boom...no one can stop us from growing at 7, 8, and 9 % and double digits," Goyal said while addressing members of the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT).
Govt asks traders to suggest tariff codes for goods without classification, warns of licensing regime for ‘others’
The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) also asked traders to suggest appropriate HS codes for products imported by them which do not have any classification and fall under the ‘others’ category. Every traded product is categorised under an HSN code (harmonised system of nomenclature)—the global systematic classification of goods.
Most of them were carrying all papers of their shops, which they claimed were ‘purely commercial’. They sought de-sealing of their shops immediately.
The union minister has asked them to submit the report regarding business loses to J&K administration and send a copy of the report to central government as well.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Bangkok said India will not join China-backed RCEP deal as negotiations failed to satisfactorily address New Delhi's "outstanding issues and concerns".
Assn, NGO and customers’ rights body tie up with 350 shops and socs; eco-friendly bags can be used on deposit or in exchange for plastic
The council also extended the tenure of National Anti-Profiteering Authority by 2 years. The body also agreed to set up GST tribunal in 26 states.
Traders said besides increased buying from local jewellers, a depreciating rupee which slumped to Rs 70 against the dollar aided the uptrend.
Viren Shah, president, FRTWA said due to slack in retail business many malls have closed down, many shop owners have rented their shops as they are out of business. Overall retail business has come to a standstill, he said.
The attempt of Gandhi for seeking political mileage making traders a scapegoat is deeply regretted, CAIT said.
The doubling of threshold exemption limit will help those small businesses who do not have any aspiration to do business with the registered big business.
"Who can be the biggest enemy of traders in the country! BJP wanted to bring traders with a turnover of Rs 5 lakh under the GST but it was fixed at Rs 20 lakh after the opposition of AAP," Sisodia tweeted.


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The latest creation from Porsche could break Nurburgring lap record!
Posted on July 4, 2017
Will the new Porsche 911 GT2 RS beat the 918 Spyder’s lap time?
After denying its existence despite debuting at the E3 gaming convention last month, Porsche finally lifted the wraps off the new 911 GT2 RS at the Goodwood Festival of Speed last week, and it was worth the wait. Powered by a 3.8-liter twin-turbo flat-six engine from the current 911 Turbo S that produces 700-hp, the GT2 RS is the most powerful road-going 911 Porsche has ever made, with a 0-60 mph time of 2.7 seconds. Clearly, this incredible car was built to set blistering lap times. Question is, how fast will it rip round the Nurburgring?
Australian publication Motoring posed that question to Porsche’s motorsport boss Frank-Steffen Walliser. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Walliser is confident that the 911 GT2 RS will achieve a lap time around the Green Hell that breaks the seven-minute barrier. “This is the seventh generation of the 911. It’s all about sevens… It’s 700hp but it’s no seven at the Nurburgring,” he hinted. It’s worth remembering that the 918 Spyder held the Nurburgring lap record for several years with a time of six minutes and 57 seconds. If the GT2 RS beats that time, it would be an impressive achievement considering it costs considerably less and isn’t as exclusive.
Earlier this year, the Lamborghini Huracan Performante beat the 918 Spyder by a considerable margin, setting a time of six minutes and 52 seconds. When asked if the GT2 RS could potentially beat that time, Walliser couldn’t resist a sly dig at Lamborghini following accusations that the Italian automaker faked the lap time. “I will say one more thing about [the Nurburgring lap-time]… We [will] use the tires we sell to the customers. We [will] use the engine that the customer will have in his car. This is the Porsche approach. I’m not going fo rlap times that the customer cannot achieve. Full stop… No comparison to competitors, but that is how we do it.”
Porsche hasn’t said when the GT2 RS will be unleashed onto the Green Hell, but we expect it will be equipped with the $31,000 weight-saving Weissach package to set the best possible time. The Porsche 911 GT2 RS will set you back $293,200, with deliveries of the track-focused sports car set to start in early 2018. When discussing the new GT3, Porsche's GT boss Andreas claimed the automaker no longer cares about competing for the fastest Nurburgring lap time. We thought that attitude might change when the GT2 RS rolls out.
Revealed: The new Aston Martin Vantage!
Posted on November 28, 2017
Aston Martin is finally ready to be competitive again. Aston Martin cars have always been creations of beauty, but when you stacked the numbers against the competition, they never really came out ahead. The naturally aspirated V8 and V12 engines that the company used sounded glorious, but they were sluggish compared to the competition. Likewise, Aston Martin interiors always had a luxurious vibe, but were years behind in terms of technology. Luckily, Aston Martin finally recognized its shortcomings with the new DB11, and has just brought out its second new model in the AMG era, the Vantage. [...more]
Bottas wraps up the 2017 season with a win in Abu Dhabi!
Posted on November 26, 2017
Valtteri Bottas wrapped up the 2017 season with a race win in Abu Dhabi as he beat Lewis Hamilton, however, it wasn’t enough to secure him second place in the championship as Sebastian Vettel was P3 on the day. Valtteri Bottas, needing the win to stand any chance of claiming second in the championship ahead of the Ferrari driver, did all he could to achieve that on Sunday. As the sun began to set over the Yas Marina circuit, the Mercedes driver made a solid start from pole position while Lewis Hamilton came across to cover Sebastian Vettel – the top three on the grid, the top three in the running. [...more]
Hamilton quickest in FP2 Abu Dhabi!
Posted on November 24, 2017
Lewis Hamilton responded to Sebastian Vettel's early pace in FP1 by setting a new track record in Abu Dhabi to finish top of the pile in FP2. Hamilton set a 1:37.877 on the ultrasoft tyres, one tenth quicker than Vettel and three tenths faster than Daniel Ricciardo who rounded off the top three. [...more]
Aston Martin to take on Ferraris 812 Superfast next year!
Posted on November 5, 2017
Aston Martin's boss says the new Vanquish will be "bloody good." It better be if it's competing against the 812 Superfast. Just this week, Aston Martin made a final farewell to the current-generation Vanquish. The stunning S Ultimate Coupe and Volante, limited to just 175 examples, is likely to be the last model to be powered by a 595-horsepower naturally aspirated 6.0-liter V12. It is of course paving the way for the all-new flagship model, which company boss Andy Palmer has confirmed to Autocar will be revealed and go on sale next year to compete with the Ferrari 812 Superfast. [...more]
Hamilton takes fourth world title to become Britains most successful F1 driver!
Posted on October 29, 2017
Lewis Hamilton was left with a surreal feeling after winning a fourth World Championship with a P9 finish in a chaotic race in Mexico. Hamilton, who started P3 on the grid, knew that a fifth-place finish higher would have been good enough to clinch the title regardless of what pole-sitter Vettel did. [...more]


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In an apologetic statement, Solana Labs confirmed the decision to cancel pending orders for its Saga smartphone, indicating overselling. The decision comes after Solana acknowledged surging demand for the Saga smartphone driven by the realization of underlying incentives that outvalued the gadget itself.
Faulty Inventory Management Issue Led to Overselling Saga Smartphone
The decision portrays a wild week for the Solana ecosystem, whose native token, Sol, has taken the digital assets market by an unprecedented rally. In contrast, the Solana Saga smartphone plunged the ecosystem into a mixed-week performance, particularly with the device securing the worst phone of the 2023 award from a famous YouTuber.
Buyers dismissed the disparaging award, moving in droves to buy the Saga smartphone upon discovering that it comes with invaluable crypto perks that surpass the device’s sticker price.
The surging demand from customers seeking to tap into the crypto perks led to oversubscriptions that ultimately strangled the existing units. Solana Labs admits that several branches of the Saga Smartphone were nonexistent.
Solana Labs revealed in its late Thursday, December 21 statement that the overselling was accidental and arose from an inventory management issue. The firm indicated that the Saga phone was out of stock and had several undisclosed orders pending fulfillment.
Solana Labs blamed the overselling on a third-party distributor fault, though it declined to name the entity. The company indicated that affected customers were notified of the issue and will receive their refunds soon.
At press time, none of the customers affected by the overstocking has publicly disclosed suffering from the error.
Saga Smartphone Leverage Crypto Perk to Drive Demand
The Saga smartphone places the Solana Labs in an unimaginable twist. The device had witnessed middling sales until the previous week when the device began flying off the shelves.
The sudden surge in the demand traces to intrepid consumers realizing that the Saga phone facilitated access to the Solana-based meme coin BONK in its looming 30 million airdrops.
The BONK amount the Saga phone buyers earned translated to $11 months ago. However, the amount was worth $865 by last week owing to the wild BONK’s rise. The value of the crypto perk now surpasses the phone’s $599 price tag.
The Saga owners who claimed the airdrop and free perk affiliated with the device have benefitted from tokens valued over $3000. Solana Labs achieved a pyrrhic victory, considering over 20,000 units were sold out within days. Smartphone reviewers termed the Saga a hit, though it was driven by the incentives affiliated with its acquisition.
Solana Labs Saga Phone Wins Bust of the Year Award
The sudden reception of the Saga in the market led YouTuber Marques MKBHD Brownlee to name Saga the 2023 “Bust of the Year. ” The technology reviewer wrote to his millions of followers on X (formerly Twitter) that BONK amounts and Claynosaurz can save the device.
Solana Labs seized the moments through attempts to pivot potential embarrassment through a tongue-in-cheek viral initiative. In particular, it designated the device for subsequent marketing activities as an award-winning smartphone.
Solana Labs would request Brownlee to consider shipping the Bust of the Year trophy to the firm’s office. Solana project 3.land embraced the tag Brownlee gave to create the NFT collection titled Saga: Bust of the Year. The award-inspired collection has an estimated worth of 11.777 million, whose trading is supported by free mint.
The customers who missed out on the Saga phones expressed dissatisfaction, prompting others to meme the situation.
Solana Market Activity
The Solana hot streak is not slowing, with its native token SOL outpacing Bitcoin and Ethereum in 50.20% weekly and 95.2% monthly gain. The SOL is exchanging hands at $113.94, representing a 1.34% rally in the past 24 hours per CoinGecko data. The daily trading volume increased by 26.40% to an estimated $6.121 billion, indicating rising market activity.
The price jump, estimated at 909.7% year-to-date, leaves Solana ranking fourth with a market capitalization of $48.539 billion, per CoinGecko data. Nonetheless, Sol is still 56.50% below its all-time high of $259.96, realized in November 2021.
Solana shows no signs of slowing down, with its fortunes rising as investors embrace a fresh perspective on the blockchain ecosystem.
Editorial credit: FellowNeko / Shutterstock.com


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Let us take a look inside Moldova, its grape-laden soil, wine tunnels and its connection with one of Hitler’s henchmen, Hermann Göring.
Moldova may be Europe’s most poverty-ridden country, but there is one thing this country with a rural economy is rich of — grapes. Beyond the bounds of its capital city, Chisinau, the countryside of Moldova appears to be unaltered for the last century. And much of its land are occupied with rows and rows of grape vines in all their lush beauty.
Amazingly, Moldova is a regular in the list of the world’s top 10 wine exporters. As a matter of fact, 10% of this country’s GDP is contributed by the wine business. Throughout history, Moldova wines were valued highly across the Soviet Empire. Even until now. However, things have turned into a drastic change after the government of Moldova decided to get affable with the European Union.
As a result, Russia’s love affair with Moldova wines ended on a bitter note. Russian president Vladimir Putin commanded a ban on Moldova wine importation. The sanction greatly crippled the wineries in the country as they lost up to 30% of their usual sales.
The Wines of Moldova and History
Operating in Moldova is the world’s second biggest underground wine store — the Cricova Winery. The winery’s network of tunnels stretches for about one hundred kilometers long. These house tons and tons of wine made to age for perfection.
But there are wines inside these tunnels that are guarded not because of their extraordinary tastes, but because of the piece of history they tell.
Take for example the wine collection of one of the Nazi’s leading members who worked closely with German dictator Adolf Hitler, Hermann Göring.
The BBC News team had the opportunity of touring through some of the tunnels of the Cricova Winery courtesy of marketing director Alexander Alexeev. They got to see and document the alcove which holds the bottles that are part of the Nazi leader’s personal assemblage. According to Mr. Alexeev, the assortment of wines personally chosen by Hermann Göring were brought by the Red Army from Berlin in 1945. The lot had stayed within its alcove dusty ever since.
The BBC correspondent inspecting one of the bottles, a Mosel white, tried to rub the dust off, but the marketing director laughingly warned him not to. He added that if auctioned off, the dusts are part and parcel of the payment that is why they are valuable.
If priced, each wine from the collection of Herman Göring – rusty caps, corks, dusts and all – could fetch up to £20,000 to £25,000. With about 129 bottles of wine within the levy, it is quite a fortune.
Even Russian president Vladimir Putin has his own alcove with wines of his personal choice within the tunnels of Cricova. Mr. Alexeev recounted that Mr. Putin had graced the tunnels with his presence a number of times. Because of his love for the place, he even held his 50th birthday celebration in it.
However, Mr. Alexeev acquiesced, a lot has changed since then.


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macOS 13 ventura
Apple has released the second beta of macOS 13.5 to developers ahead of a future public release.
A previous macOS 13.4 beta broke network connectivity thanks to a content filtering bug. But macOS 13.4 RC1 seems to have fixed that glitch.
The upcoming macOS 13.3 release will fix a bug that stopped SMB file sharing from working for some people.
Apple has released a Rapid Security Response update for users running the iOS 16.4 and macOS 13.3 Ventura betas.
Apple has released iOS 16.3, iPadOS 16.3, macOS Ventura 13.2, watchOS 9.3, and tvOS 16.3. Here's what's new.
Apple has released the second developer betas for iOS 16.3, iPadOS 16.3, watchOS 9.3, macOS Ventura 13.2, and tvOS 16.3. Here's what's new.
Apple has released macOS Security Response 13.2 (a), a Rapid Security Response for Macs running macOS 13 Ventura.
The newest version of macOS is finally here. It's an interesting update showing great promise but it's still unfinished, which is a shame.
If your Mac crashes and you lose it all, you can restore it back to its current state thanks to backups. Here's how to do so.
Are you ready to take the next version of macOS out for a spin? Here's how to install the latest public beta of macOS Ventura 13 on your computer.
Developers can now download and install the first developer beta of macOS Ventura 13.1. Here's how to do it.
Apple has released macOS 13 Ventura. It's a terrific update that we can't wait for you to experience.
There are a few additional software features that Apple should bring to its top products before the end of the year.
iMore offers spot-on advice and guidance from our team of experts, with decades of Apple device experience to lean on. Learn more with iMore!
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The long-awaited update to Apple's Mac Pro desktop was announced Tuesday, with the new tower sporting up to 12 processing cores with Intel Xeon processors, making it up to 50 percent faster than its predecessor. The hardware arrives in August.
Reports that Apple's Mac Pro models are listed as unavailable in several retail stores' web based Reserve and Pickup listings may indicate the coming of a long overdue update to the high end desktop models.
While the new iPhone is expected to be the centerpiece of Apple's annual Worldwide Developers Conference, one analyst said Friday that Apple may also announced a cloud-based iTunes service, as well as Mac Pro and MacBook Air upgrades.
Apple is putting the finishing touches on a pair of new products targeted at its professional customers, namely a larger version of its LED Cinema Display and a major update to its Mac Pro workstations, AppleInsider has been told.
Intel this week previewed its forthcoming 32nm Core i7-980X processor, a six-core CPU codenamed "Gulftown," and a new rumor has suggested the chip could find its way into Apple's Mac Pro line as early as next Tuesday.
Intel's new Core i7-980X and Core i7-970 six-core desktop processors are set to debut in March, but could see an early release on Apple's Mac Pro systems in a matter of weeks, according to a new report.
The 2010 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas is in full effect, with Intel formally debuting its new processor lineup, some of which are expected to turn up in future Apple notebooks, and Nvidia touting its tablet-powering Tegra 2 chip.
Nokia has filed a another lawsuit against Apple, with a new federal complaint that alleges the Cupertino, Calif., company has infringed on several "implementation patents," the same cited in an ITC suit filed last week.
Performance numbers of Intel's new six-core Xeon were prematurely revealed by Polish website PCLab, showing strong increases in performance for the chip rumored to be in the next iteration of the Mac Pro.


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The all-electric Audi e-tron is one of seven vehicles to receive a top five-star safety rating in the latest round of crash tests conducted by Euro NCAP.
Britain’s electric car revolution is being hampered by a "bottleneck" in global battery production, as demand far outstrips supply of zero-emission vehicles.
The annual J.D. Power Customer Service Index has been published today, which rates customer satisfaction with their service experience at a franchised dealership.
Only one in every 200 vehicles on UK roads emit ultra low levels of carbon, according to newly released figures from the Department of Transport.


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Every year, the airline industry spends US$20 billion on payment costs according to McKinsey, representing thee per cent of airlines’ total revenue, and approximately 78% of the industry’s net profit.
Korean Air is partnering with Accelya to integrate the vendor’s New Distribution Capability (NDC) and FLX-Merchandizing module, both running on Accelya and Amazon Web Services (AWS) technologies, to deliver personalization and the most relevant offers to customers.
Accelya's NDC offering, a core enabler of airline-retail agency connectivity, links airlines with over 50,000 travel agents including the world’s largest online travel agents (OTA's) and travel management companies (TMC's).
Accelya’s advanced NDC capabilities, leveraging the latest 21.3 standard, deliver on average over 30% NDC adoption for partner airlines, bringing improved customer servicing, more ancillary sales and the ability for customers and airlines to benefit from much richer offers.
The FLX-Merchandizing module fine-tunes customer offerings and experiences. Leveraging the latest technologies, it will enable Korean Air to create, personalize and adjust its offers to better serve travellers across both direct and indirect channels.


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Microsoft gives ground on streaming in bid to remove UK block
To remove the last remaining regulatory obstacle to its huge acquisition of Activision Blizzard, Microsoft has made major concessions to the UK authorities.
According to the companies, Activision (ATVI)’s (ATVI) cloud streaming rights outside the European Union and three other European countries will be sold to Ubisoft Entertainment by the UK antitrust watchdog — the only regulator standing in the way of the $69 billion deal. In a blog post Tuesday, Microsoft president Brad Smith said the new proposal “presents a substantially different transaction” than its previous merger agreement.
“We believe this development will benefit players, the cloud game streaming market, and the growth of our industry,” Smith said.
After deciding to block the acquisition on its original terms, the UK Competition and Markets Authority restructured the deal on Tuesday. EU regulators approved the plan in May, so that move put the company at odds with them. In July, the US federal court also said it would not block the closing of the deal.
Sarah Cardell, chief executive of the CMA, said the regulator would now take the new proposal into consideration.
The goal remains the same – any decision on this new deal will ensure that the growing cloud gaming market continues to benefit from open and effective competition that drives innovation and choice.”
Ubisoft, a French video game developer, will now be able to license Activision’s content to cloud gaming providers outside the European Economic Area, including in the UK. Tuesday, Ubisoft shares rose 7% in Paris.
“This allows gamers to access Activision’s games in a variety of ways, including through cloud-based subscription services,” Cardell said.
In an effort to allow more time to reach an agreement with the CMA, Microsoft and Activision extended their merger deadline by three months to October 18. Microsoft said it expects the agency’s review process to be completed ahead of October 18, the statutory deadline for a CMA decision on the new merger proposal.
The planned acquisition of Activision by Microsoft was announced early last year. At the time, the transaction was valued at $69 billion, making it one of the largest deals in the tech industry.


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It's not quite as monumental as all-day breakfast, but some South Korean fast-food fans will no doubt be glad to learn that at least one McDonald's in their country will now serve beer. According to the Chosun Ilbo, the first Korean location to sling beer will open in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province next week. It will also serve the build-your-own burgers that McDonald's has been pushing hard in the U.S. as well as China.
While this will be the first McDonald's in Asia to sell alcohol, it's not the first in the world. The international fast-food chain began serving beer in Germany back in 1971; French locations also sell beer and wine, and it's even available for purchase via the drive-thru. Beer is also available in locations across the Netherlands and Austria. So why does McDonald's offer alcohol at certain locations and not at others? According to McDonald's UK website, the company's official stance is, "We develop our menu based on what our customers tell us they like and want from a visit to McDonald's." Beer recently edged out soju to become the top-selling alcoholic beverage in Korea.
Elsewhere in Asia, McDonald's is shuttering hundreds of stores in China following food safety scandals and has lost hundreds of millions of dollars in Japan due to slumping sales. While many of the company's most recent publicity stunts — like Snapchat filters, the aforementioned DIY burger menus, and a cargo-pants wearing Ronald McDonald — have only served to prove that the fast food company doesn't quite understand millennials, serving beer may be a step in the right direction. It's certainly a far cry from a Cambridge, England McDonald's that began Breathalyzing customers to keep drunk people out.


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20th November 2023 – (Beijing) The recent announcement by South Korea that it plans to ban the sale and slaughter of dogs for human consumption by the end of 2022 is a welcome development that China should closely study and emulate. While the eating of dog meat in South Korea is neither explicitly legal nor illegal, the government has pledged to phase out the industry following growing public calls for its abolition. China still legally allows dog meat consumption, despite mounting opposition domestically and abroad. However, the tide of public opinion is clearly turning against the dog meat trade in China as well. With South Korea taking decisive action to eliminate this cruelty, the Chinese government now has the opportunity and moral imperative to follow suit with nationwide legislation officially prohibiting the slaughter and sale of dogs and cats for food.
The catalyst for South Korea’s proposed ban came earlier this month when local authorities in Seoul stated they aim to pass a new “Special Act” by the end of the year to make dog meat consumption illegal. The phase-out period would last three years until 2027 to allow dog farms, slaughterhouses, restaurants and other dog meat businesses time to transition. Financial compensation would be provided by the government to registered operators surrendering their licenses and transitioning to more humane industries. This pragmatic compromise acknowledges that you cannot end a centuries-old industry overnight, while affirming that dog meat has no place in modern South Korean society.
Public attitudes in South Korea have been shifting for some time, with dogs now viewed by most citizens as pampered pets rather than simply as livestock for eating. A recent survey showed that 70% of South Korean households have pets, mostly dogs. President Yoon Suk-yeol and First Lady Kim Keon-hee are prominent dog lovers, being the proud owners of several canine companions who live with them at the presidential Blue House. Younger generations in particular regard dog meat consumption as archaic and barbaric, resulting in demand plummeting. Some older Koreans still eat dog meat soup, known as “bosintang,” believing it has health benefits that increase stamina during hot summers, but this market is rapidly disappearing. With less than 20% of South Koreans now regularly eating dogs and over 80% supportive of a ban, the government is simply reflecting prevailing community standards.
In China, similar generational change is also evident, as the vast majority of citizens — especially young people in large cities — increasingly view dogs as pets, not protein. Yet China’s laws have not caught up to public sentiment. Commercial dog slaughter and sale remains legal nationwide except in Shenzhen, which banned it in 2020 after the COVID-19 pandemic heightened fears about risks from the wildlife trade. An estimated 10-20 million dogs are still killed annually for meat in China, even though around 70% of Chinese have never eaten dog meat. The notorious Yulin “Dog Meat Festival” still sees thousands of dogs cruelly slaughtered every June to mark the summer solstice.
While not technically illegal due to the lack of national legislation, the Yulin festival is deeply unpopular across China. Surveys show most Yulin locals don’t regularly eat dogs and don’t object to banning the festival, proving it only continues due to a small group of dog meat traders. Chinese celebrities and millions of citizens have signed petitions condemning the event. Butchers at Yulin routinely steal pets and strays to supply demand. The dogs suffer immensely, being captive-bred, confined in cramped cages, crudely killed using violent methods to supposedly boost adrenaline and flavour, and often skinned and cooked alive. This mass spectacle of animal torture damages China’s international reputation.
Beijing has signalled growing disapproval of the dog meat trade, with the Ministry of Agriculture declaring in April 2020 that dogs are companions not livestock. This followed Shenzhen’s trailblazing ban as concern rose over COVID-19. The agriculture ministry’s position makes eating dog meat seem incongruous with the government’s emphatic promotion of dogs in the public interest, such as police dogs, military dogs, service dogs, search/rescue dogs and contraband detection dogs. How can some dogs be revered for their intelligence and loyalty in aiding humans, while others are sadistically beaten to death and eaten? This contradiction can be resolved through a nationwide dog meat ban bringing policy in line with both social progress and ethical consistency.
China should follow South Korea’s lead, but even bolder legislation is warranted given the immense scale of China’s dog meat industry. Most Western developed countries realised decades ago that dogs have a unique status due to being domesticated over thousands of years as humankind’s closest animal ally. As China continues marching toward the goal of becoming a global powerhouse, the Chinese government should recognise that persisting with legalised dog slaughter leaves a stain on the nation’s conscience and reputation.
China has banned other forms of animal cruelty, such as circuses using wild animals and the trade in tiger bones used in traditional medicine. In legislating to protect dogs and cats from the meat trade, China would align with more progressive Asian societies including Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines where eating dogs is illegal, along with many jurisdictions in Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Indonesia.
It is hoped that one day, China, South Korea and all societies will universally prohibit dog meat because we recognise dogs as family members deserving of love. A nationwide ban in China would prevent immense animal suffering, while also signalling moral leadership as a rising superpower genuinely advancing both economically and ethically into this modern age. Just as China abolished the feudal practice of foot binding, so too should it abolish the feudal practice of dog eating and catalyse a new consciousness of compassion.


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SurfControl's UK resellers will lobby the security vendor to continue with its current strategy and avoid appointing a distributor, at its partner conference in June.
Whereas previous events have focused on building up the company's partner base, Partners in Security, which kicks off on 10 June, is aimed at providing more support to its existing network.
But resellers are set to use the forum to push the security vendor to maintain its current channel strategy.
"I'll be telling them 'please don't go through a distributor'," said Mark Dennis, sales director at Askaris.
Using distributors encouraged price erosion, forcing resellers to compete on price rather than value-add, he said.
Martino Corbelli, marketing manager at SurfControl, said: "We will be sitting down to confront any issues that come up, and having open and frank discussions.
"The main thing for us is to get a view on what we need to do to help our partners succeed."
The two-day conference will also provide partners with the opportunity to catch up on the latest product versions and features, with special tracks for technical and sales staff.
"I'd like to get an understanding of the road map for the next three to five years," added Dennis.
"SurfControl are on a bit of a roll at the moment, but I want to know what new products are in the pipeline, and where we can add value."
Latest Tesla news: Tesla stock price tanks amid reports of 'widening probe' by SEC and claims the base Model 3 loses money
SEC 'probe' takes its toll on Tesla as new research suggests that Tesla loses $6,000 on every $35,000 Model 3
10nm Cannon Lake Core i3-8121U CPUs make a rare outing with Intel's NUC mini PC
'Notorious' Australian child hacker thought he had executed 'flawless' hack
The former employee says that Tesla fired him for bringing the accusations to management internally


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Filed under: Classics , Auctions , Toyota Toyota’s agelessly beautiful 2000GT has been sold by RM Auctions for $1.16 million, making it the new record holder for the most expensive Asian car ever sold. As always, rarity played a big factory in driving up the price; just 351 2000GT models were built, and only 62 left-hand-drive cars (like this one)
Filed under: Concept Cars , Geneva Motor Show , Toyota , Design/Style Just last week, your humble author had a 2013 Toyota RAV4 in his garage, and he couldn’t help noting that even in mid-level XLE trim, its aesthetics lacked oomph, due in large part to its cheap-looking black bumpers and airy-looking wheel wells . Judging by the RAV4 “Adventure” on display at the Geneva Motor Show , someone at Toyota must’ve been thinking the same thing. With Japan’s biggest automaker understandably focused on bigger reveals, information on this butched-up softroader has proven to be hard to come by, with no press materials whatsoever.
LOS ANGELES, CA, FEBRUARY 2 2 , 2013 – Lexus and The Weinstein Company are in the midst of producing five short films as part of a series titled “Life is Amazing.”
Filed under: Japan , Lexus , Scion , Toyota , Earnings/Financials Toyota earned $9.3 billion in net income in the financial year that ends next month. The number beats earlier forecasts and marks a five-year high for the automaker, with both operating income and revenue up by 9.5 percent and 2.5 percent, respectively.
Toyota Motor Corporation Announces Financial Results for the Nine-month Period Ended December 31, 2012
TOYOTA CITY, Japan, Feb. 5, 2013—Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) today announces its financial results for the nine-month period ended Dec. 31, 2012.
Filed under: Car Buying , Toyota TheDetroitBureau.com reports Toyota has retaken the global sales crown. The Japanese automaker turned out 9.75 million vehicles last year, putting it just ahead of General Motors , with 9.29 million vehicles
TOYOTA CITY, Japan (Jan.
Filed under: Hirings/Firings/Layoffs , Japan , Toyota A report in Japan’s Nikkei newspaper cited by Automotive News claims that the father of the Prius , Takeshi Uchiyamada, will take the role of chairman at Toyota .
Filed under: Aftermarket, Coupe, Japan, Crossover, Hatchback, Chevrolet, GM, Tokyo Auto Salon We’re piecing this together as best we can from the original Japanese with the help of Google Translate, but it seems Chevrolet is headed to the Tokyo Auto Salon with three special vehicles.