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A third wave came last month when Spotify filed to go public on the New York Stock Exchange, confirming the Swedish company’s dominance as the most-used streaming platform, with 159 million active users, including 71 million paid subscriptions at the end of 2017, according to the New York Times. But Spotify has always seen itself as something bigger than the world’s premier music library. In 2014, founder Daniel Ek explained his company’s philosophy in the pages of the New Yorker like so: “We’re not in the music space — we’re in the moment space.”
It’s distressing to be reminded that the world is filled with corporations that will work relentlessly to monetize every moment of our lives — especially because those moments are finite. And I think this is where our underlying angst over streaming originates. Listening to music on streaming platforms ultimately reminds us that there are lifetimes upon lifetimes of recorded sound that we won’t live long enough to hear.
And unlike us, our most beloved songs no longer require a physical form. Music used to be something we owned — discs or cartridges that we could touch, collect, swap and treasure. Now, having ascended into the digital cloud, recorded music has become something we experience. The act of streaming transforms music from a noun into a verb, a thing into an activity.
Through all of this, it’s still important to remember that Spotify isn’t the same thing as streaming, just as consumers are not the same thing as listeners. And as consumers, we have every right to be perturbed about how this new mode of music circulation only perpetuates the worst practices of the music industry — especially when it comes to Spotify.
We already knew that Spotify’s royalty rates were objectionable, and we knew that its algorithm-generated playlists often feel like mix tapes made by bots. Then, in December, thanks to an outstanding article in the Baffler by the music journalist Liz Pelly, we suddenly knew a lot more. We learned that Spotify games its search function so that it’s easier for users to find the work of certain artists on a Spotify-branded playlist than it is to locate the artists’ actual albums. We also learned that major corporations have been adding songs to their branded Spotify playlists without the consent of the artists and without compensating them.
Pelly came up with the perfect phrase for that second tactic: “the automation of selling out.” And she’s right to ring the alarm over it. The fact that multinational corporations such as Nike and Starbucks can use a musician’s work to legitimize their brands in exchange for nothing other than exposure is exploitative and unconscionable.
What I’m less worried about, however, is the mounting concern over Spotify’s favoritism toward anodyne sounds, and how the platform populates its playlists with non-disruptive styles of music to keep listeners from logging off. “Spotify loves ‘chill’ playlists,” Pelly writes. “They’re the purest distillation of its ambition to turn all music into emotional wallpaper. They’re also tied to what its algorithm manipulates best: mood and affect.”
Yes, that’s gross, but isn’t that how the music industry has always done business? In a marketplace shaped by corporate interests, blandness always thrives — from Muzak to corporate radio to MTV to Spotify.
Knowing that, we as listeners always have the option to break away and find alternative platforms that better suit our ethics and our aesthetics. (Many fans have found refuge on Bandcamp, an artist-friendly streaming site where the musicians set their own prices and get a bigger slice of the profits.)
The point is this: If you’re an intrepid listener, the endless array of brain-chilling playlists promoted on Spotify aren’t being aimed at you. Streaming numbs only consumers who have paid to feel that way.
Plus, the harder Spotify tries to get us to zone out, the greater the opportunity we have to sharpen our attention, to cultivate the intimacy of our listening, to better discern whether we’re being switched on or marketed to. That might seem like a lot of extra work for listeners who already feel overwhelmed by the infinite choices that streaming platforms provide, but it’s simply a continuation of how we’ve always lived. We used to turn on the radio and wade through an ambient slush of bad songs in hopes of catching the good one. Once upon a time, we were hunter-gatherers, roaming the landscape, trying to figure out which berries wouldn’t kill us.
I like how people talk about the entirety of recorded music as if it were a valley, or a forest, or a jungle, or an ocean — an unmapped terrain, waiting to be explored. But I think it’s even more apt that our music now lives in a “cloud.” The word evokes an unmappable three-dimensional space, as well as a meteorological event. Tech types brag about our transition into this space as an advance, but for listeners, streaming music from the cloud can feel like a grand return.
Because before we had the machinery to record it, and the factories to mass-produce those recordings, and the infrastructure to distribute them across the land, we had no choice but to encounter music where it truly lives: in the fleeting present.
It’s good to remember that every recorded song you’ve ever known — whether it was broadcast on a radio wave, etched into a disc or streamed on the little computer in your back pocket — has always disappeared into the irretrievable past. When we stream music, we allow music to return to that original state, an unknowable vibration of air that vanishes as quickly as it appeared.
Disclosure: The writer has made music in various bands that are available on the platforms mentioned in this article.


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More jobs coming to Lewisburg
Twelve to 15 jobs are coming to Lewisburg this summer as a business based in Phoenix, Ariz., continues to grow, according to discussion heard at the city's Industrial Development Board meeting on Monday.
Christian Brands, the business that moved its call center, shipping and receiving operation to Lewisburg's Business Park, is constructing a new building for Creed Jewelry, a manufacturer destined to move here from Massachusetts, the city's industrial developer, Greg Lowe, said.
IDB Chairman Eddie Wiles introduced Joseph Cameron to the board during the panel's monthly luncheon meeting in City Hall. Cameron said he's been employed since May of 1996 by the manufacturer of rosaries, rosary centers, crucifixes, charms, rings and similar Christian jewelry.
Christian Brands has acquired Creed Rosary Manufacturing of Wrentham, Mass. where Cameron has worked as a press operator and, as the business adjusted to current economic circumstances, he's effectively been a supervisor at the plant for the century-old business, said Cameron. He's been in town to consider the move.
In February 2010 candle making was restarted here by Will & Baumer, an historic business that moved from Syracuse, N.Y. Christian Brands, previously known as Autom, purchased Will & Baumer in January 2008. With roots in a family business, Will & Baumer is the oldest candle company in America, according to Paul DiGiovanni, one of two sons running the business built by their father.
With clear and reconfirmed information that Christian Brands is growing again, an official at Will & Baumer was called Monday afternoon. He was reluctant to make any announcement on his own, but the on-going construction near the candle factory reveals expansion.
Christian Brands also has a site on the north side of its call center, shipping and receiving operation in the business park, but opening another business there by July seems less likely than moving the Creed Jewelry operation into what's under construction by Will & Baumer.
In fact, Lowe confirmed Cameron's view that Christian Brands wants to grow more.
"That's why they're building ... the 10,000 square feet," Lowe said. "They're hoping to be up and running by July, but that's weather dependent."

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At the meeting (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – The 21st working day of the 14th National Assembly’s ongoing eighth session took place in Hanoi on November 18 under the chair of NA Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan. In the morning, the legislature discussed in groups the draft Law on amendments and supplements to several articles of the Law on Natural Disaster Prevention and Control, the Law on Dykes, the draft Law on amendments and supplements to several articles of the Construction Law. At the plenary session under the direction of NA Permanent Vice Chairwoman Tong Thi Phong in the afternoon, Chairman of the NA Ethnic Council Ha Ngoc Chien presented a report on acquiring feedback on comprehensive plan on socio-economic development for ethnic minority and mountainous regions for the 2021-2030 period. Later, 434 deputies later voted to adopt the Resolution approving the plan with 89.44 percent of approval. They also mulled over the ratification of the Supplementary … [Read more...] about 21st working day of 14th NA’s eighth session
Kim jong un calendar
Nguyen Thi Kim Tien will be relieved of her post as minister of health through a National Assembly secret ballot on November 22. Even though Tien’s term of office has yet to end, she has reached her retirement age. Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Kim Tien - PHOTO: VGP In the fifth working week of the NA’s eighth sitting, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc will submit a proposal to relieve Tien, while the NA Standing Committee will submit a proposal to relieve Nguyen Khac Dinh, head of the NA’s Committee on Laws, as he has been chosen as Secretary of the Party Committee of Khanh Hoa Province, Tuoi Tre Online newspaper reported. Dinh’s successor will be elected in the following week, while the election of Tien’s successor is not included in the sitting. The Politburo has appointed Tien as head of the Board of Healthcare Services for Senior Officials. Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam, a member of the Government’s Party Civil Affairs Committee, … [Read more...] about National Assembly to hold secret ballot to relieve Minister of Health
The proportion of automobile parts made in Vietnam remains modest because of problems in production costs and quality. According to Bui Thanh Nam, general director of Ha Noi Plastics JSC, the company is now a reliable partner of Honda, Toyota, Piaggio, VMEP, Panasonic and LG. In 2010, Ha Noi Plastics could only make two components for Toyota. But in 2018, it could make 30 components and the figure increased by 14 in 2019. The company has found new clients, including VinFast, Toyota Boshoku, Ler, Visteon and Hyundai.The last chance The proportion of automobile parts made in Vietnam remains modest because of problems in production costs and quality. According to Nguyen Trung Hieu from VAMA, it is now an important moment for Vietnam as it has the last opportunity to develop an automobile industry of its own. After 8-10 years, under the FTAs of which Vietnam is a member, the import tariff will be cut to zero percent. Kim Chi To develop Vietnam's supporting industries The … [Read more...] about VN automobile support-industry growth remains modest
Instead of distributing Nissan products, Tan Chong Motor will assemble, import and distribute Chinese cars in the Vietnamese market. The distributor of Nissan cars, the Malaysia-based Tan Chong Motor, will stop distributing Nissan products in Vietnam in September. if the project can be implemented, Tan Chong Motor would have opportunities to cement their positions in Vietnam’s automobile industry. The two sides have signed an MOU to expand cooperation in assembling, importing and distributing Chinese vehicles in Vietnam. Kim Chi Vietnam’s automobile market to be flooded with zero-tariff ASEAN cars The car sales in Vietnam are forecast to reach 500,000 units per year in 2020 and 1 million per year by 2030, with a turnover of US$12 billion each year. Two paths for Vietnam's automobile industry There are two clear investment tendencies in the automobile industry. First, becoming the leading assembling center in Southeast Asia, and second, buying … [Read more...] about Will Nissan’s old distributor bring Chinese cars to Vietnam?
Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc confers an emblem attesting to Nestlé Vietnam being a member of the Anti-Plastic Waste Alliance on the company representive This is one of the series of activities organised throughout the environmental action month that the company has been actively engaged in. Responding to the movement, Nestlé Vietnam has come up with a raft of concrete activities, particularly the signing of undertakings with noble goals, such as recycling and reusing 100 per cent of product packaging by 2025; 100 per cent of waste being collected and classified right at the factory gates; 100 per cent of its factories not burying solid waste in the environment; or proactively responding to and launching the movement on collecting single-use plastics and non-biodegradable bags at the company site. In a message calling on the whole society to join the national plastic waste reduction campaign launched by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MoNRE), Prime … [Read more...] about Nestlé Vietnam forging commitment for a healthier environment


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A restaurant owner in North Yorkshire has been fined for selling a curry that could have caused a life-threatening reaction if eaten by someone with a nut allergy.
Raj Uddin Qureshi from the Taj Mahal Restaurant in Trinity Church Square, Richmond, was fined a total of £2,550.
It followed a visit from Trading Standards when an inspector ordered a test purchase of a "no nut, no peanut" chicken tikka masala curry on 6 January 2022.
The food was analysed and a peanut protein was detected. It was found that the dish would have caused a person with an allergy to experience a reaction to the food.
Qureshi pleaded guilty to offences of selling food not of the substance demanded by the purchaser, and of placing on the market food which was unsafe and injurious to the health of a person with an allergy to peanuts.
He also pleaded guilty to the unfair practice of using a menu which falsely claimed the restaurant was rated 'very good' for food hygiene.
Following the visit from Trading Standards, the restaurant received a food hygiene inspection from Richmondshire District Council and was rated as 'Major Improvement Required'.
Qureshi was fined £500 for each of two food safety offences relating to the sale of the curry, £500 for each of two offences relating to the false food hygiene rating, and was ordered to pay a £50 victim surcharge and prosecution costs of £500.
A subsequent investigation found Qureshi failed to provide training to his staff regarding allergens and had no system of recording allergen information for foods sold by the business.
North Yorkshire County Council's executive member for Trading Standards, Cllr Derek Bastiman, said: "The potential harm that could have come about had this food been ordered and consumed by a person with an allergy to peanuts is very real.
"There have been deaths as a result of undeclared food allergens. It is vital that food businesses take responsibility for complying with their legal responsibilities to ensure consumers are protected and can rely on the descriptions and claims given to them.
"I call on all businesses to review their practices regarding food allergens. It is not acceptable to put lives at risk."
Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To know...


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Micromax Canvas 2 2017 with 5-inch display, Android 7.0, 4G VoLTE launched for Rs. 11999
Micromax has launched its new phone Micromax Canvas 2 2017 in Canvas series of smartphones. The original Micromax Canvas 2 was launched back in 2012. Original Micromax Canvas 2 was a very successful phone in terms of sale. This phone gave Micromax a recognition and helped it to boost its market value.The company used same name but improved specifications
Micromax Canvas 2 2017 has 5-inch display with 2.5D Glass display and Gorilla Glass 5 protection. It has Quad-core MediaTek MT6737 processor with Mali T720 MP1 GPU and 3GB RAM. It runs on Android 7.0 Nougat. The phone has 16GB internal storage with an option to expand storage up to 64GB.
It has 13 megapixels rear camera with LED flash. At the front, it has 5 megapixels camera. The phone also has fingerprint sensor on the front. It has polycarbonate back cover that is removable.
The connectivity features of the phone are 4G VoLTE, WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS. It is packed with 3050mAh battery.
Check out best mobiles under Rs. 12000 in India.
The phone is available from offline stores. It also offers 1GB 4G data per day and unlimited calling (400 minutes cap) to any network in India for one year with Airtel.
The phone is priced at Rs. 11999. It comes in Black color only.


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More than 19,000 Amazon employees have caught the coronavirus since March, the company said as it revealed the first comprehensive count of infections among its workers.
The e-commerce titan identified 19,816 Amazon and Whole Foods staffers who tested positive for COVID-19 or were presumed to have the bug from March 1 to Sept. 19, Amazon said in a blog post Thursday.
That number accounts for about 1.44 percent of Amazon’s frontline workforce of more than 1.3 million people. The company contends it would have been 42 percent higher at 33,952 if the infection rate among its employees matched that of the general population.
The revelation followed months of pressure from labor groups and public officials for Amazon to release a complete count of how many employees had contracted and died from the coronavirus. Amazon did not include a tally of deaths in its blog post, but there have reportedly been at least eight fatalities among its workers.
While Amazon initially resisted those calls, it now says other companies should follow its lead and release similar data on infection and quarantine rates, which “would allow us to benchmark our progress and share best practices across businesses and industries.”
“This is not an arena where companies should compete — this is an arena where companies should help one another,” Amazon said.
Amazon has stood by its efforts to protect workers from COVID-19 amid criticism from staffers who said the company was failing to keep them safe as they grappled with a surge in online shopping sparked by the pandemic. Before Amazon released an official infection count, workers had reported hundreds of cases through an online tracking system launched by the nonprofit United for Respect.
The Seattle-based giant said it expects to conduct 50,000 coronavirus tests a day at 650 sites by November on top of its efforts to distribute more than 100 million face masks and implement social-distancing measures.
But the United Food and Commercial Workers International labor union — a frequent Amazon critic — said the massive number of infected workers demands action from federal regulators and a congressional investigation.
“Amazon’s confession that nearly 20,000 of its workers have been infected by COVID-19 is the most damning evidence we have seen that corporate America has completely failed to protect our country’s frontline workers in this pandemic,” union president Marc Perrone said in a statement.
Amazon did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Perrone’s statement. The company’s stock price dropped about 2.3 percent in premarket trading Friday morning to $3,148.02 as of 7:50 a.m.


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Opening a new phase in a bitter worldwide controversy, the three American manufacturers of infant formula pubicly launched a joint campaign yesterday to defeat a proposed international marketing code for breast-milk substitutes.
Executives of Bristol-Myers Co., Abbott Laboratories and American Home Products Corp. began a two-week series of visits to officials of all affected federal agencies and to key legislators to urge that the United States oppose adoption of the draft code, which makes detailed recommendations intended to promote child health and nutrition.
The draft, approved unanimously by the 30-member executive board of the World Health Organization (WHO) last Jan. 28, comes to a vote in May at the 34th World Health Assembly in Geneva. The assembly's more than 150 other member governments are being pressed by foreign formula-makers to reject the draft, but a multi-nation network of consumer, religious, nonprofit and health groups is urging them to support it.
In a three-page position paper, the companies denounced the draft as "a set of highly specific and restrictive rules that would virtually eliminate legitimate competition and promotion of infant formula products even to the medical community."
Up to now, the controversy has centered on promotional practices alleged to deter breast-feeding in Third World nations, where water for mixing substitutes is often polluted and the bottles dirty. Bristol-Myers says, however, that the proposed code also would affect "legitimate" and "proper" promotion of formula to nurses and physicians in the United States.
The three U.S. firms said they had "worked diligently" to help WHO and UNICEF, the United Nations children's fund, develop ethical formula marketing. But they attacked the draft code as "a serious distortion of the original intent" of the two U.N. bodies.
Disagreeing, Douglas A. Johnson, speaking for a coalition of groups favoring the WHO/UNICEF code, said the code would be "only a recommendation." He accused the companies of a "reprehensible" turning away, in a changed political climate, from a code they themselves had encouraged.
Mead Johnson and Abbott's Ross Laboratories sell most of their output in the United States, which accounts for about one-quarter of an estimated $2 billion in annual formula sales. American Home's Wyeth Laboratories sells mainly overseas, where the dominant seller is Nestle, the giant Swiss foods conglomerate, and where a dozen Swiss, Dutch, Japanese and British firms also compete. Nestle does not sell formula here.
The draft grew out of a 1979 meeting sponsored by WHO and the United Nations children's fund.
One of their chief recommendations was that the marketing of infant formula should not discourage breastfeeding. No one disputes that breastfeeding, when a mother can offer it, provides near-perfect initial nutrition.


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Here are all the details of the latest class action brought against the company.
The post A2 Milk (ASX:A2M) share price dips on news of a second class action appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia. –
The A2 Milk Company Ltd (ASX: A2M) share price is in the red today after the company announced it’s been hit with a second class action.
Shine Lawyers is taking the company to the Supreme Court of Victoria on claims similar to those filed by Slater and Gordon Lawyers last month.
At the time of writing, the A2 Milk share price is $6.30, 0.16% lower than its previous close.
Let’s take a look at the new court case facing the embattled company.
A2 Milk share price lower on class action news
The A2 Milk share price is struggling as the company is hit with its second class action in as many months.
The latest case claims the company should have updated the market on the extent of pandemic-induced and, allegedly, company-exacerbated disruptions sooner.
Shine Lawyers alleges A2 Milk breached its continuous disclosure obligations and failed to properly disclose trade plans. It is claiming such conduct was misleading and deceptive.
It states A2 Milk should have known the extent of the impact COVID-19 and other disruptions had to its trade before 19 August 2020 – the day the company released its financial year 2020 (FY20) results and FY21 guidance.
According to Shine Lawyers, “A2M was, or ought to have been, aware that their FY21 guidance, and subsequent representations, did not adequately take into account a number of factors known to A2M which ultimately impacted the company’s financial performance, resulting in a 62% drop in market value in FY21”.
These factors are said to include a drop in diagou, or reseller, sales. The plaintiff states the drop was also partly due to A2 Milk marketing its infant products directly to the Chinese market.
The move allegedly undercut its daigou sales. Therefore, it potentially decreased demand for direct orders and, as a result, cross border e-commerce channel business.
The A2 Milk share price started FY21 trading at $18.72. Over the following 12 months, it fell to just $6.
The class action is open to investors who bought A2 Milk shares between 19 August 2020 and 7 May 2021.
A2 Milk downgraded its guidance for FY21 4 times between the release of its FY20 results and 10 May 2021.
The post A2 Milk (ASX:A2M) share price dips on news of a second class action appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.
Should you invest $1,000 in A2 Milk right now?
Before you consider A2 Milk, you’ll want to hear this.
Motley Fool Investing expert Scott Phillips just revealed what he believes are the 5 best stocks for investors to buy right now… and A2 Milk wasn’t one of them.
The online investing service he’s run for nearly a decade, Motley Fool Share Advisor, has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.* And right now, Scott thinks there are 5 stocks that are better buys.
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Motley Fool contributor Brooke Cooper has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended A2 Milk. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Bruce Jackson.


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Waymo's Autonomous Fleet Surpasses the 20 Million Mile Mark
【Summary】Google’s autonomous car company took 10 years to hit the first 10 million miles, but just an additional year to hit the other 10 million, revealing just how quickly the company is racking up miles.
Waymo is arguably seen as the leader in the race to introduce real autonomous cars on public roads. Google's autonomous car company has fewer disengagements than other companies, has more real-world self-driving cars on the road, and has traveled some of the most miles with its vehicles, too. Further largening its lead, Waymo just announced that it has hit 20 million miles of public testing with its autonomous cars.
20 Million Miles And Climbing
Waymo's CEO John Krafcik confirmed the news at this year's Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas – a fitting place for the announcement. The large amount of miles comes from the high number of cities the company tests in. Currently, Waymo's vehicles are being tested in 25 cities throughout the U.S., including San Francisco, Washington, Kirkland, Novi, and Phoenix. The company recently pulled its program out of Austin, Texas to focus on other cities.
As VentureBeat points out, Waymo's new mile marker puts it well ahead of other companies testing autonomous vehicles like Yandex and Baidu, which hit the 1-million mile mark last year. If you're wondering how far behind traditional automakers car, General Motors' Cruise company stated that it was close to hitting 1 million miles back in 2017.
"To put this in perspective, 20 million miles of driving experience is the equivalent of driving 800 times around the globe, making 40 trips to the moon and back, and accumulating 1,400 years of driving experience for an average American driver," said the company in a press release. "As we drive the next 10 million miles and beyond, we'll continue to scale our fully driverless miles, grow our community of riders, and tackle new geographies and related complexities, empowered by our fifth-generation hardware suite."
Waymo's Way Ahead Of The Pack
Seeing any company pass 20 million miles is an incredible feat. But the amount of time it took Waymo to do so is even more impressive. Waymo's autonomous vehicles first hit the road in 2009 and it wasn't until 10 years later when the company hit 10 million miles. The company managed to double that amount in roughly one year.
"It took us a decade to drive the first 10 million miles but just over one year to complete these last 10 million" said Waymo in a statement.
Other companies would see 20 million miles and wonder how on earth they'll ever be able to get in the same ballpark as Waymo, but the company has probably covered billions of more miles in simulators. Still, nothing can replace real-world testing. "You need to have a lot of real world experience," Krafcik said at a dinner hosted by Fortune Magainze. "There's no way to avoid it."
Vineeth Joel Patel
Joel Patel has been covering all aspects of the automotive industry for four years as an editor and freelance writer for various websites. When it comes to cars, he enjoys covering the merger between technology and cars. In his spare time, Joel likes to watch baseball, work on his car, and try new foods
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Catering to a “new kind of player”, guitar giant Fender has launched its new Player Plus series of Strats, Teles, P-basses and J-basses.
With the humble goal of uniting “the next generation of players shaping the future of guitar”, Fender has dropped the much anticipated Player Plus series. Aimed at giving an emerging array of artists access to the classic models from the Fender lineage, there are myriad configurations and finishes to choose from.
Despite its seven-decade legacy of electric guitars, Fender is also pushing toward the future. As such, the company enlisted star TikTok players like Blu DeTiger, Hannah Dasher, Gabriel Garzón-Montano, The Destroy Boys and the Nova Twins to help celebrate the launch.
Fender CMO Evan Jones explains the embrace of the new social platform and the place of Fender within that ecosystem, “…the Player Plus series is built for artists who want to transmit a bold aesthetic and are unapologetic in their approach to their craft.”
So with modern touches like noiseless pickups (and new pickup configurations), comprehensive EQ, and active circuitry across the basses in the series, it is a bold step outside Fender’s traditional M.O. But as Jones mentions, aesthetic is key: the Player Plus series showcases a range of unique finishes that are sure to stand out from the crowd.
For more details, visit the Fender website. And speaking TikTok, Fender now has its own account: @fender. Be sure to follow it for exclusive videos, product demos, and educational content.


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Flying Monk Brewery flying high with new MD
Posted: 19 October 2015 | Victoria White | No comments yet
Flying Monk Brewery has announced that it has secured Kevin Newbould FBII as its new MD and is busy expanding its exciting range of beers and ciders…
Popular Wiltshire-based Flying Monk Brewery has announced that it has secured Kevin Newbould FBII as its new MD.
The company is also busy expanding its exciting range of beers and ciders – with new products including Skorpion, the first ever black cider!
Flying Monk Brewery, based in Malmesbury in Wiltshire, brew a selection of award-winning beers and ciders. The company supplies beers and ciders to the public and trade across the South West and the UK.
Talking about his plans for Flying Monk Brewery in the UK and Export markets, Kevin commented, “Having been in senior management and a key player in the strong growth of leading regional breweries including Wickwar & Box Steam, I’m incredibly excited to bring this knowledge and resources to strengthen the existing capabilities of the passionate team at this successful, growing brewery.”
Flying Monk Brewery recently invested £200,000 in new brewing capacity
Kevin continued, “Thanks to the support of our customers we have recently invested an additional £200K in new brewing capacity (equipment) and have employed 5 additional staff.”
Kevin’s appointment together with plans to introduce more new beers and ciders in draught and bottles, means the market outlook for the Flying Monk brand is flying high!


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Jones Coffee Roasters, which has operated the coffee house in front of Vroman’s Bookstore since 2015, will be closing its doors this Sunday, January 23.
“We haven’t been able to recover enough after COVID, and our lease was up, and we decided to focus on our other stores,” said Jones Coffee Roaster CEO Chuck Jones Friday.
The popular company operates two other locations—at 1006 Mission Street in South Pasadena, and 693 South Raymond Avenue in Pasadena—and Jones said each of those stores will increase its staffing.
Asked about possible new tenants at the Vroman’s space, Jones said ‘I don’t know. It’s not our space. We were leasing the space from Vroman’s.”
Jones added, “We appreciate everything the Playhouse District has done for us, and we hope to return to that area in the future.”


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The Quibi app for iPhone received a new capability where AirPlay can be used to stream content onto larger screens. The announcement was made by Tom Conard, the Chief Product Officer, who released the information via Twitter. Tom Conard also indicated that the organization will release a similar feature for Android users, where they can Chrome cast content to larger screens. Chromecast capabilities are expected to be available to users around June.
The Quibi app was initially designed a platform to showcase mobile content, however, the new feature can be seen as an added capability. The platform was imagined as a way for users to consumer quick content, however giving consumers more options may help the company attract subscribers.
Image Credit: Quibi


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“Mastercard is committed to offering a wide range of payment solutions that deliver more choice, value, and impact every day,” Mastercard EVP of Digital Payments Sherri Haymond. “Together with Bakkt and grounded by our principled approach to innovation, we’ll not only empower our partners to offer a dynamic mix of digital assets options, but also deliver differentiated and relevant consumer experiences.”
The collaboration will enable Mastercard partners to leverage the company’s network and Bakkt’s trusted digital asset platform to enable consumers to buy, sell, and hold digital assets using custodial wallets powered by Bakkt’s platform. Additionally, consumers will benefit from streamlined issuance of branded crypto debit and credit cards.
Mastercard will also make cryptocurrencies a bigger part of its loyalty programs. Mastercard partners will be able to offer cryptocurrency as rewards and enable consumers to transfer value between loyalty points and digital assets. This will allow users to effectively use cryptocurrencies for everyday transactions and, perhaps even more significantly, marry cryptocurrencies to their preferred purchases.
“We’re incredibly excited to partner with Mastercard to bring crypto loyalty services to millions of consumers,” Bakkt EVP for Loyalty, Rewards, & Payments Nancy Gordon said. “As brands and merchants look to appeal to younger consumers and their transaction preferences, these new offerings represent a unique opportunity to satisfy increasing demand for crypto, payment, and rewards flexibility.”
In addition to its partnership with Mastercard, Bakkt also announced that it had entered a strategic relationship with Fiserv that will also help support mainstream adoption and use of cryptocurrencies. A major feature of the collaboration will be the integration of Bakkt into Fiserv’s Carat omnichannel ecosystem. This will enable businesses to offer both B2B and B2C cryptocurrency payouts, loyalty programs, and transactions. Fiserv and Bakkt also announced plans to introduce Bakkt technology that enables customers to store and transact with digital assets to Fiserv’s financial institution clients.
Founded in 2018 and based in Alpharetta, Georgia, Bakkt became a publicly traded company only a few days ago, launching on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol BKKT. The listing came courtesy of a SPAC sponsored by Chicago investment firm Victory Park Capital. In the weeks leading up to the company’s debut as a public company, Bakkt had announced partnerships with other Finovate alums including Finastra, Google, and, earlier this year, Blackhawk Network.


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Officials in Suffolk County said Wednesday that they are looking to crack down on thieves stealing valuables and selling them to pawn shops.
As WCBS 880’s Sophia Hall reported, authorities said drug addicts are stealing items and pawning them for cash.
Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone said changes must be made, and he is pushing for a new law to help get stolen property back to its rightful owners.
Deputy County Executive Timothy Sini said a proposed law “requires pawn shops, as well as precious metal and gem dealers, to take a digital photograph of the seller, the seller’s identification, and the item being sold, and upload that data into an existing computerized tracking system.”
The proposal would also track the sale of electronic devices such as iPhones and iPads, and prohibit second-hand dealers from deleting any data from the devices for 21 days after the sale, Sini said.
The measure for electronic devices will make it easier for police to identify stolen property, Sini said.


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When Volkswagen introduced the ID.3 in 2019 it announced it as the Beetle of the 21st century, marking a new era in branding. The Volkswagen Trinity will take over to continue with the brand’s technological revolution in 2026. At the New Auto event the German group has shown a new image of the front of this futuristic electric car, has offered some new information about its SSP platform and the momentous changes that it will involve in its way of producing automobiles.
It was in June of this same year, at the Move Experience Center in Amsterdam, when Volkswagen showed the progress of this important project for the last time. The company showed the ID.4 GTX in a metallic finish and the Volkswagen Trinity silhouette next to the future ID.2, the electric utility entry to the range.
The Volkswagen Trinity is actually a project of an electric car straddling a saloon and a crossover that, according to the images that are known so far, shows a rather sporty look. A project that includes all the company’s hardware and software expertise. As stated Ralf Brandstatter CEO of the company, it will offer great autonomy accompanied by extremely short loading times. In its interim report for the first quarter of 2021, the manufacturer stated that it “will set new standards in terms of range, upload speed and digitization.”
The SSP platform
The Volkswagen Group is working on the development of a new platform called SSP (Scalable Systems Platform) whose roadmap is based on digitization and modularity. The Volkswagen Group will reduce complexity, take advantage of economies of scale and synergies between brands by accelerating the transformation to electric mobility.
The company defines it as “a set of high-performance all-electric propulsion tools for flat vehicles.” As in the case of the MEB, this new platform is also scalable and completely flat, following the skateboard structure that allows the battery to be placed in the lower part of the vehicle and lengthens the wheelbase (distance between the axles) which allows offering ample space in the passenger compartment for the occupants and the cargo area.
Audi’s Artemis project will be the first to use this platform in 2025. A year later, it will be the basis for the production of an affordable electric saloon that is now known as the Volkswagen Trinity project. This has been assured Herbert diess, Group CEO: “A fully electric car ready for Level 4 autonomous driving that will bring Artemis technology to the Volkswagen brand. Affordable for everyone ”.
Onboard connectivity and software will be based on the operating system VW.OS. CARIAD, responsible for the Volkswagen group car software, will be in charge of implementing it. W.OS v1.2 will debut on models based on the PPE platform such as the Audi Q6 e-tron and the electric Porsche Macan. The SSP models will be released with a new version, the VW.OS v2.0.
Software as a key piece for efficient production
If ID.3 marked the start of the use of tailor-made platforms for electric vehicles and their mass market production for the Volkswagen Group, the Trinity project will mark the beginning of software-based electric vehicles.
Volkswagen plans to offer significantly fewer variants in their models, so that the Trinity and the other electric vehicles that will be launched in this decade will be vehicles highly standardized. This approach will greatly reduce the complexity of production. Your customers will benefit from having all the features available on board simply by enabling them when they need them, even years after receiving the car.
The technical configurations the Trinity will be very limited which will allow high efficiency in production. The on-board hardware will allow access to most of the functions and it will be the customers who will activate them whenever they want. Thus, in addition to reducing production costs, the company would open a new source of income.
As explained Arno antlitz, CFO, Volkswagen Group most of the software-related R&D investments have been transferred to CARIAD, which will be established as an independent entity in the future. CARIAD’s business model foresees a significant initial investment of around 2,000-2,500 million euros each year. Later, in the revenue phase, CARIAD will receive license fees paid by brands or paid by third parties for using the software.
Just like other service providers offer premium plans for a month and even just one day, automakers can offer activation of its high-end functions on demand as an initial trial or as a permanent alternative to direct purchase. Additionally, software unlocks available on EVs may include improvements related to the performance of your engines, which can unleash more power by modifying their electronics software. They may also be modifications in battery capacity, allowing more autonomy to be released when necessary. At this point Volkswagen expects to be able to reach up to 700 kilometers in the WLTP homologation cycle.
Another practical example is the possibility of increase load capacity to reach rates of 250 kW or more. In addition, Volkswagen assures that the Trinity will have a level 2+ autonomous driving capability as standard, but that it will technically be ready for it. level 4 from the start of production. That will be another later update that customers will be able to obtain afterwards.
The road book in dates
The company initially confirmed that it will build the Trinity at the Wolfsburg plant in Germany starting in 2026. That plan could change, however. On November 10, 2021, Brandstatter announced that the Trinity could be built in an entirely new production facility. This would ensure that production of the current Golf and Tiguan, whose sales are very important to Volkswagen, will continue without interruption.
Brandstatter added that the Wolfsburg plant’s four internal combustion engine vehicle production lines will be reduced to two in the future, allowing the Wolfsburg factory to be modernized later. Volkswagen Group plans to implement the SSP platform in all its brands until production 40 million vehicles on it at the end of this decade.
As stated Markus Duesmann, Director of R&D of the Volkswagen Group and CEO of Audi, from 2026 until the end of this decade, the Volkswagen Trinity project will allow scale the SSP platform to sales volume segments: “We will have implemented the platform in all our main segments and all groups of brands.”


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Bloomberg, the popular software and media company, has announced that it has expanded its cryptocurrency data coverage to include Shiba Inu (SHIB) and the top 49 digital currencies by market capitalization.
Investors in the top 50 cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), Solana (SOL), Shiba Inu, Dogecoin (DOGE), Polkadot (DOT), Ripple (XRP), and Cardano (ADA), can now monitor intraday trading prices directly from the Bloomberg website, according to a press release issued today.
Bloomberg provides market data for the top cryptocurrencies
It should be noted that Bloomberg has been providing useful crypto data through a designated terminal since 2013. Although, at the time of its launch, Bloomberg tracked the data of the world’s largest cryptocurrency– Bitcoin.
In 2018, the company expanded its data tracking service to include the top ten cryptocurrencies, and the media company now wants to track the intraday pricing of the top 50 crypto assets.
According to Bloomberg, the decision to increase the number of cryptocurrencies that will be tracked stems from the recent surge in interest in the asset class; as a result, Bloomberg has added 40 top cryptocurrencies today, bringing the total to 50.
Commenting on the development, Alex Wenham, product manager for cryptocurrencies at Bloomberg, stated:
“Our mission is to help the global institutional investor community to seamlessly incorporate digital assets into their workflows in a trusted and familiar way, on the Bloomberg Terminal.”
Related article: BTCEX Exchange Lists Shiba Inu Ecosystem Token ‘ShibaSwap (BONE)’
Wenham added that as the market evolves, Bloomberg will continue to add support for other crypto assets.
Meanwhile, using the service to track intraday cryptocurrency prices is straightforward. To begin tracking the prices of any cryptocurrency in the top 50 rankings, users must go to the Bloomberg website and click on CRYP.


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Swakopmund Night Market a resounding success
02 November 2021 | Tourism
Elizabeth Jegede; Exhibitor; “…at least now we could interact with our customers again.”
The much anticipated Swakopmund Night Market took place at the Tiger Reef Restaurant on Saturday, where 50 stalls served a variety of goodies along with entertainment on offer from 10:00 to 20:00.
Musicians like Janelle Botha performed as well as the Dance Factory, that kept the crowd entertained by showcasing hip hop and more.
The event was initially established as an initiative to support business people by providing them a platform to come together and network. It took place once a month before the arrival of Covid-19. Due to the pandemic and its associated safety concerns, the market was not hosted in 2020. The October market was the third for 2021, with the fourth set for 22 December 2021.
The market also provided some friendly fun for children with activities like face painting and jumping castles.
One of the exhibitors, Johann Viljoen who sold various sauces, said he created this particular product due to the unforeseen circumstances Covid-19 brought about. “My wife and I both lost our jobs due to Covid-19. We were employed in the tourism industry. We had to make a plan to make our part-time hobby a full-time job, so that we could generate an income.”
Another exhibitor, Elizabeth Jegede, said that she was excited to be a part of Swakopmund Night Market. “The turnout exceeded my expectations. Swakopmund Night Market is a great event for the unemployed who rely on selling products to generate an income. It brings us together and helps us by providing us with a platform to exhibit our products.” Jegede sold items such as Tupperware and handbags. “During the past months of the lockdown we could not have an event like this. Now at least we get to interact with our customers again.”
Event organizer Danien van Niekerk expressed her gratitude to participants for making the event a success. “Thank you to everyone who came to support all the exhibitors who made the effort to be here today.”


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Top FDA official calls on infant formula makers to correct their behavior.
In a letter this week, FDA Commissioner Robert M. Califf and FDA Commissioner Susan T. Mayne Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition and Manufacturers, Packers, Distributors , exporters, importers and retailers spoke to address concerns about infant formula in the food chain.
“FDA is sharing this information with you in the expectation that you will take action to mitigate potential food safety risks of infant formula in accordance with FDA regulations, while furthering efforts to improve operations, especially given the critical nature of these products ,” said a letter from FDA leaders.
”. . . FDA reviewed conditions during its recent inspections of infant formula manufacturers, including routine surveillance inspections, for-cause inspections to follow up on consumer complaints, and other interactions with manufacturers. interaction.”
This letter is FDA’s response to a series of Cronobacter spp. Infants who were fed Similac and other brands of infant formula made at Abbott Nutrition’s plant in Michigan became sick.
Inspection of the facility revealed Cronobacter spp. In production environments, among other unsanitary conditions, led to a nationwide recall. The recall and months-long shutdown at the plant are the main reasons behind the nationwide shortage of infant formula through 2022.
“In response, FDA developed a strategy to prevent future Cronobacter. illnesses associated with infant formula and issued this letter to share current information to assist industry Improving the microbiological safety of infant formula,” the letter reads.
In releasing the letter, Califf and Mayne said FDA reviews food safety and operating conditions during its ongoing inspections of infant formula manufacturers. Additionally, food safety personnel have met regularly with infant formula manufacturers over the past two months to further develop prevention strategies to help prevent Cronobacter disease associated with consumption of infant formula.
As part of FDA’s proposed steps, the agency expects companies to “voluntarily notify the agency when product samples are found to be positive for Cronobacter spp. or Salmonella, even if the affected batches have not yet distribution.”
FDA is unhappy with the way companies monitor bacteria and Cronobacter indicators in their facilities, according to letters from Califf and Mayne.
“Manufacturers of infant formula must have in-process control systems covering all stages of processing designed to ensure that the product is said in the letter.
“. . . The presence or absence of EB (Enterobacteriaceae) on environmental surfaces is not a reliable indicator of the presence of Cronobacter spp. in other cases when responding to the detection of Cronobacter spp. In product In the sample, some facilities immediately sanitized suspect environmental or equipment surfaces and then took samples from Whether to lead to the ability of pollution incidents. FDA encourages companies conducting RCI (Root Cause Investigation) to thoroughly investigate potential sources of contamination by collecting environmental samples prior to performing sanitation activities, in addition to other RCI activities such as evaluating incoming ingredients and reviewing manufacturing records,” the letter said.
FDA leaders call on manufacturers to ensure that raw materials used to make infant formula are free of pathogens, or employ methods that kill pathogens, before using them.
(Sign up for a free subscription to Food Safety News, Click here)


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You’d think that when retailers enhance their online shopping options, the goal would be increased online sales. Not so with Target, Gap and Rite Aid — which are adding new online tools with the hopes of boosting in-store sales.
Wanna support American workers? Buy imports. So says a new report, which claims that a cheap, robust imports marketplace not only helps American workers and families, but local farmers, manufacturers, and small businesses as well.
Among other controversial ideas, BlackRock CEO Laurence Fink said long-term bonds had become so risky that young people should be 100% in stocks.
Online giant eBay is leading the charge against legislation that would require sales tax to be collected on Internet sales. The mandate would be an unfair burden on small businesses, eBay says. And yet who are among the bill’s strongest supporters? Yep, small businesses.
As the retirement savings crisis deepens, the call for forced savings grows louder. We are headed for something like Australia’s “superannuation” model–with the possibility of one big change: employee contributions.
Two key facts are being glossed over with this week’s big announcement from Pfizer: 1) It’s been possible to buy guaranteed authentic Viagra online for years; and 2) Pfizer isn’t really selling drugs directly to customers.
If there’s one thing Americans would seem to hate more than regulations, it’s regulations that directly result in them spending more money out of pocket. So why are so many consumers fans of new government-mandated automobile …
Celebrities and political figures are among the thousands of people living on daily food budgets of $1.50 during the Live Below the Line challenge, a campaign to raise money and awareness for global poverty
In early 2012, JC Penney promised the end of “fake prices”—ones that were inflated just so that shoppers could be tricked into thinking the inevitable discounts represented amazing deals. Well, it’s already time to welcome back …
Got a dollar? That’ll buy four sliders at White Castle in May. Even though the special deal is available throughout the month, you’ll have to time it carefully to take advantage.
Watch any Major League Baseball game on TV. More often than not, when a view of the “crowd” pops onto the screen, you’ll see more empty seats than people. And the fans who did actually show up may be spending little or nothing to …
Even central banks are buying stocks, chasing better returns in this low-rate environment. Should you join them?


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The day – which is April 21 – celebrates the culture surrounding independent record stores nationwide. Mile Long Records, 350 W. Front St. in downtown Wheaton, will open at 10 a.m. – two hours earlier than usual – with exclusive releases. The store primarily deals in vinyl, both new and used.
This is the store's fourth year of participating in Record Store Day. Mile Long Records opened in 2014.
For those who arrive early, the store will be handing out numbered wristbands to ensure their place in line.
"We pass out wristbands so people don't have to hang in line all night long," Mile Long Records owner Michael Paeth said. "Right now, the plan is to come out around 3 a.m., and if there's people out, hand out wristbands. Last year, people came out at 11 p.m. the night before to get a low number on a wristband. I think if we didn't hand out wristbands at 3 a.m., those people were just going to wait in line all night. They're just going to camp out."
He believes this year's Record Store Day will also generate interest.
"There's a lot of good titles, so I think that the turnout is going to be good," the Wheaton resident said.
Vinyl records have been making a comeback in the last few years. Paeth attributed the resurgence in a large part to Record Store Day, which was first held in 2007.
"Record Store Day has been the driving force of the resurgence of vinyl, without a doubt," he said.
His store will be selling such collectible items as colored vinyl records along with LPs that have extra tracks on them.
"A great example of that is the band The National," Paeth said. "They have an album called 'Boxer,' and for Record Store Day, that same album is being sold, but [done] live. That's just a really good example of the type of release that comes out on Record Store Day. And once they are gone, they're gone."
For Paeth, a vinyl record offers the best listening experience.
"I bought into CDs just like everybody else did, and I converted most of my vinyl to CDs when I went to college," he said. "And I noticed right away that I was becoming slightly disconnected to music. It wasn't the quality of the music, it was just I didn't like the way it sounded. But I was still believing what I was told, that CDs sounded better. I know that totally to be untrue now."
If you go
WHAT: Record Store Day
WHERE: Mile Long Records, 350 W. Front St., Wheaton
WHEN: 10 a.m. April 21


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Mark Walsh is building a business around the “wisdom of the crowds” concept.
The founding CEO of Air America and Internet adviser for Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., during his presidential campaign is two and a half years into his latest adventure, GeniusRocket Inc.
The Bethesda-based company’s Web site says GeniusRocket is “the destination for all your creative marketing needs” because it uses “crowd sourcing” — tapping the wisdom of the masses for ideas and solutions, rather than paying high-priced agencies to do that work. It’s like “American Idol.” If the talent is out there, a wide casting call gives it the chance to rise to the top.
The process works like this: Creative artists, currently numbering 12,933, register for free on GeniusRocket’s site as “creative collaborators.” Businesses that need creative talent issue project proposals, or “requests for brilliance,” attach prize money and open the competitions.
The awards vary. Logos start at $300, Web designs at $1,500, videos at $1,300 and “ideations” (that’s ideas plus creation in GeniusRocket speak) at $800. Those figures are lower than the traditional costs of retaining ad agency services.
About 200 projects have been completed or are in-progress.
Phone company Aptela Inc., based in Herndon, offered $900 for a new product name. Vienna-based electronic business card company DubMeNow Inc. was shopping for a new Web-site design and offered $1,200. Recovery.gov was offering $3,000 for Web design. JackBe Corp., a Chevy Chase company, offered north of $500 for graphic design for business cards. H.J. Heinz Co., Kraft Foods Inc. and PepsiCo Inc also have used the service.
In a show of confidence, GeniusRocket itself was a client, on the lookout for a radio spot and new Web design.
Walsh has advertising in his blood. His father was a Baltimore ad executive, and his mother worked on the talent side. Remember that “More Park Sausages, Mom!” commercial? That was Walsh’s mom.
GeniusRocket is far from Walsh’s first ride in the technology sector rodeo. He worked at AOL, General Electric Co. and VerticalNet, before becoming the first CEO of Air America and entering the political arena.
In 2007, Walsh’s friend Joe Trippi, who had run Howard Dean’s 2004 presidential campaign, introduced him to Mike Ford, another Dean adviser, and showed him an idea Ford had dreamed up called “MadAve2.0.” The mocked-up Web site was enough to cause Walsh’s antennae to shoot up.
“When the Internet invades the industry, it’s viral. There’s no stopping it,” Walsh says.
He saw that happening to advertising and its old, clunky way of skimming 15 percent of the media budget to foot the bill for everything else.
Good instincts, yes. But Walsh miscalculated how quickly that model would crumble. “For the first year we didn’t do a helluva lot,” he admits. “We kind of just talked.”
Walsh also made some common mistakes in starting the business. He tried to self-finance, and the company overhired. At its peak, GeniusRocket had 12 people, including Walsh. Through attrition, it is down to five plus a roster of contractors.
“We did a bunch of things wrong and a few things right,” Walsh says.
So how will the company make money?
Currently, it takes 20 percent of the total award.
The long-term plan leans on something FedEx Corp. once had to overcome. In its early days, FedEx used smaller planes that would max out on space before they grossed out, meaning that they would be stuffed with packages but had not yet reached their full weight. GeniusRocket is in that zone, Walsh says. It is getting plenty of clients who want to try the service with small projects, but the company hasn’t yet hit the big bang, or “inflexion point,” that puts it over the top.
That’s coming, Walsh says.
GeniusRocket hopes to boost revenue by offering a premium version of the service.
Walsh knows where he wants to take his company. “I want to be Triple A baseball ... where the next stars are discovered,” he says.
The days of “Mad Men” are over. Future consumers will expect advertising to do more than just sell. Advertising must be entertainment, information and collaboration.
- What it does: Creative advertising and marketing design through crowd sourcing
- CEO: Mark Walsh
- Headquarters: Bethesda
- Revenue: $600,000 since the company was founded in 2007
- Employees: Five, plus seven consultants
E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.org Phone: 703/258-0837


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Hulu is coming to Disney+.
By the end of 2023, Disney will roll out a single app experience that incorporates Hulu content on Disney+, available to customers who subscribe to both streaming services.
Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+ will still be available as standalone options, but during Disney’s second-quarter earnings call on Wednesday, CEO Bob Iger said that he views the new strategy as a “logical progression” of the company’s direct-to-consumer offerings.
“[It] will provide greater opportunities for advertisers, while giving bundle subscribers access to more robust and streamlined content, resulting in greater audience engagement and ultimately leading to a more unified streaming experience,” said Iger, also adding he expects the singular experience to lower churn.
With the news coming just ahead of Disney’s upfront next week, Iger described the advertising platform of the combined experience as “incredibly exciting,” as over 40% of Disney’s domestic advertising portfolio is addressable.
Iger said Disney has added over 1,000 advertisers over the past year, bringing the total to 5,000 advertisers across its streaming platform, with over one-third buying programmatically.
“As we look to this upfront, and after careful and considerable discussion with our sales team led by Rita Ferro, there’s going to be a substantial growth in digital advertising,” said Iger.
The company is also hopeful that the combination of Disney+ and Hulu will increase its digital opportunity to serve digital ads and grow its advertising business.
The last time a major media company combined content from two streaming services, the industry got Paramount+ and Showtime—which are now merging into a single service. While Disney has the option to buy Comcast’s 33% Hulu stake starting in January 2024, it had not been clear what the company planned to do.
“It’s not really been fully determined what will happen in that regard, except that as we’ve looked more and more in the future of our streaming business… it’s clear that a combination of the content that is on Disney+ with general entertainment is a very strong combination,” said Iger.
Price hikes incoming
In December, Disney raised prices for Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+, and expect to see a higher price for Disney+’s ad-free tier once again later this year. Disney+ (with ads) currently costs $7.99 per month, and the ad-free tier comes in at $10.99 per month or $109.99 annually.
“The pricing changes we’ve already implemented have proven successful,” said Iger.
Disney+ lost four million global subscribers during the first three months of 2023—its second consecutive drop—dipping to 157.8 million. The U.S. and Canada lost 300,000 subscribers, with the majority of churn coming from Disney+ Hotstar.
CFO Christine McCarthy attributed the domestic drop to “continued impacts” from the prior price increase.
“We were pleasantly surprised that the loss of subs due to what was a substantial increase in pricing for the non-ad-supported Disney+ product was de minimis,” said Iger. “That leads us to believe that we in fact have pricing elacsticity.”
Hulu added 200,000 subscribers to reach 48.2 million, and ESPN+ gained 400,000 to hit 25.3 million subscribers.
Say goodbye to (some) content
Disney is also set to remove “certain content” from its streaming platforms, according to McCarthy. The company is bracing for an incoming impairment charge of $1.5 to $1.8 billion, coming in the third quarter.
“Going forward, we intend to produce lower volumes of content in alignment with this strategic shift,” McCarthy added.
According to Iger, the company realized that much of the content it created has not been driving subscriber growth, and Disney will be getting “much more surgical” about what it produces.
“As we look to reduce content spend, we’re looking to reduce it in a way that should not have any impact on at all on subs,” said Iger. “We believe that there is an opportunity for us to focus more on real sub-drivers.”
“When you make a lot of content, everything needs to be marketed,” he added. “You’re spending a lot of money marketing things that are not going to have an impact on the bottom line, except negatively, due to the marketing costs.”
Disney’s DTC department lost $659 million in the quarter, an improvement from the $1.05 billion it lost last quarter. And while McCarthy anticipates wider losses in the third quarter, the executive reiterated that 2022’s fourth quarter $1.5 billion DTC drop should be peak losses.


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There are only 499 LaFerraris ever made, and he manages to crash one of them going under 5 MPH.
According to a report by Yahoo news (Taiwan,) a minor internet celebrity who goes by “Huazi” in China was filmed driving off in a borrowed LaFerrari which was going to be used in one of his videos.
Huazi immediately misjudged the first corner he took and crashed the estimated $4 million hypercar’s door skirt into the edge of a hard, sharp corner.
Check out a copy of the now viral video thanks to HongKong CarCam on Facebook below.
“I borrowed a friend’s car to pick up girls and I lost a lot, hundreds (of thousands) of dollars. Ten thousand maintenance cost,” the direct translation of the caption reads.
To be fair, the LaFerrari is a new car to Huazi and, like any driver getting familiar with a new-to-them car, they’re not yet aware of the car’s dimensions and how it performs in everyday driving maneuvers.
Regardless, this is a one of 499 limited edition Ferrari worth millions of dollars, it’s not like you’re borrowing someone’s Corolla. Huazi should’ve kept its rarity and cost in mind and acted accordingly, and that means super-vigilant driving.
A LaFerrari sold on Bring A Trailer earlier this year for $5.3 million, with several on DuPont Registry demanding similar amounts.
As this photo shows, I think he realized he should’ve paid more attention a little too late.
The article goes on to mention they immediately called the car’s owner, informed him of the damages, and reported that the owner was not stressing too much about it.
“(That’s a) small problem,” the owner reportedly said. “Just fix it.”
The repair will supposedly cost “at least a whole Mercedes” or around $40,000.
Depending on how famous this dude is, that might be just a month or entire year’s worth of his income, although the article reads like his very rich friend will take care of it. I’m sure paying several thousand a year to insure this LaFerrari, and it’s time to cash in on all his premiums.
I don’t see myself getting into a situation where I have to drive a multi-million dollar car but, if I did, I’d be sure to be the most careful I possibly can.
I would not take my time with a car like the LaFerrari as carefree as this borrower did.


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International Business M... (NYSE:IBM)
Graphique Historique de l'Action
6 Mois : De Avr 2019 à Oct 2019
By Michael Dabaie
International Business Machines Corp. (IBM) said it launched Watson Ads Builder, a self-service advertising offering that uses artificial intelligence.
IBM said a creative agency can use Watson Ads Builder to create ads that can enable a conversation and answer clients' questions based on near real-time dialogue. Prior to Watson Ads Builder, the typical conversational design might take months to develop and could require specialized skills and manual effort, IBM said.
"Consumer expectations are shifting, and people expect the ability to communicate with brands on demand," said Jeremy Hlavacek, head of revenue for IBM Watson Advertising.
IBM shares were up 0.7% in afternoon trading.
Write to Michael Dabaie at firstname.lastname@example.org
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
June 03, 2019 14:10 ET (18:10 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2019 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.


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The report by Slice Intelligence, which collects data on online retail, said that Apple has pushed Amazon into second place with a 27.5% marketshare for its Fire TV devices.
Post-launch of the revamped Apple TV, Roku comes in third place with 25.3% of the market, while Google’s Chromecast trails with 16.2% of the market.
“More than 90% of the new Apple TV buyers are men, and the majority are between the ages of 35 and 44. While most streaming TV buyers across all brands fit this age and gender profile, on average, buyers of these devices are about 64% male—indicating an early adopter skew,” said Slice.
Prior to the new Apple TV release – Apple’s first major update of its TV streaming device since 2011 – Slice estimates that Apple placed third in the US streaming market with 20.6% share, behind Amazon at 31.7% and Roku at 29.1%.
Slice Intelligence’s digital commerce data is based on a panel of more than 3 million online shoppers.
ICYMI: Pandemic likely to lead to cut price sports rights, predicts BT’s head of sport digitaltveurope.com/2020/08/10/pan…
10 August 2020 @ 19:00:01 UTC
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10 August 2020 @ 17:00:00 UTC


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TIPPECANOE COUNTY (WLFI) — If you haven’t purchased your fresh Indiana sweet corn, now is the time to do so.
Prairie View Farms Produce Owner, Stephen Okos, says August is the ideal time to buy large-size sweet corn for freezing and canning.
“Our target to start selling sweet corn is the Fourth of July and then we usually sell up until Labor Day,” said Okos. “We have a total of 70 acres of sweet corn and as of now we probably have about half of that, so about 35 is left.”
Prairie View Farms is located in Battle Ground where Okos plants, grows and sells his sweet corn.
“Obviously we have the sweet corn and we raise about 70 acres of that,” said Okos. “Then we have a fairly decent size of row crops of corn and soybeans.”
According to the 2017 USDA Agriculture Census, sweet corn is only grown on 447 farms in Indiana.
There were 3,614 acres of sweet corn on those 447 farms, with six of those farms in Tippecanoe County.
"Some people grow it, but I wouldn't really say a lot of people grow it,” said Okos. “It definitely has it's challenges to grow and it can definitely be hard to grow."
One of the challenges Okos is referring to is the weather. He says this year in particular the weather presented some tough obstacles.
"This year the sweet corn has been a little bit of a challenge because of all the cold weather we had early on and about two inches of snow sat on it for awhile and that didn’t work out well for us,” said Okos. “Then all of the rain we had recently at one time was another challenge."
Once the sweet corn is picked at Prairie View Farms, it’s taken to seven different locations where the corn is sold to local customers.
The Prairie View Farms Facebook page is updated with the times and locations where the sweet corn will be sold on a weekly basis.
“We have one locations in Monticello, one in Delphi and then we have four in Lafayette,” said Okos. “I really enjoy everything from going out and planting it to watching it grow and then selling it and how happy our customers are.”
The sweet corn is also sold at the Prairie View Farm location in Battle Ground.
Even dealing with the pandemic last year, he says Prairie View Farms had a very successful year.
"We went into it not sure, because nobody has ever been through that,” said Okos. “But it actually worked out really well and we had a very good year and we sold a lot of corn."
Okos says overall he’s pleased with his sweet corn crop this year and they’ve had a great turn-out of people purchasing corn.
"I would say as we get into the month of August that would be the most ideal time to buy large size sweet corn for freezing and canning."
Once their crop is sold by Labor Day, Okos will begin preparing the fields.
“We prepare our fields and then we get stuff ready and order our seed, fertilizer, etc.,” said Okos. “We’re always looking at how we can do things differently, and better, for the following year."


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April 10, 2011 1 Comment
Content on the web, led by business news and analysis suffered another depletion in its ranks with the NY Times hitting the paywall method to generate subscription revenue. While notable by its unpopularness and its capacity to remove creme de la creme brand loyalists and serious consumers off the sites like WSJ, FT and NYTimes, the method is the only source of revenue anyone in content has come up with. Most like the Kindle and iPad still rely on the free content from across the World Wide Web, as also yours truly to create and survive our own brand and content. End of the road for serious browsing? Well, most of the magazine content in all 3 cases is available thru Facebook, Twitter and Google so I don’t even now if they should have tried it. We are not trying the paywall as it still looks like a readymade failure to us.
But that does not mean we have found a way to fill the revenue gap, right! And a payment of just $180 million for Adriana Huffington’s effort..I know where this one is headed..
And by the way all known business and daily newspapers in the UK and the US behind a paywall… nary a subscriber run, just the same owner, mostly!! And print editions have already lost steam no end.
- Nook subscribers to the NY Times get past paywall (geek.com)
- Huffington Post Fights Back Against NY Times Paywall (news.slashdot.org)
- Telegraph’s “Project Plane” paywall could launch with three-tier payment option (thenextweb.com)
- The New York Times Paywall – Have You Found It Yet? (lockergnome.com)
- April Fools 2011: The Huffington Post Erects Paywall for NY Times Employees (blippitt.com)
- What Impact Has The New York Times Paywall Had on Traffic? [STATS] (huguesrey.wordpress.com)
- Mashable: What impact has the NY Times paywall had on traffic? (blogs.journalism.co.uk)
Thestreet.com’s take on the Paywall characterisation of readers and visitors seems most apt


text: CHINESE transport authorities have agreed to talks between Chinese shipping companies and their Taiwan counterparts next month in Hong Kong on direct shipping links as proposed by Taiwan's offshore transshipment centre, the Economic Daily News reported. The mainland was not opposed to Taiwan's plan to open up an offshore shipping centre in the southern port city of Kaosiung, according to a top official who works with the China State Council's Taiwan Affairs Office, the newspaper said. The report quoted domestic sources in the shipping business as saying they expected China to announce newly drafted regulations that would govern the cross-Strait shipping business. The sources also added that the mainland was ready to accept applications from Taiwan companies to sail the cross-Strait route in December. Last month, Taiwan premier Lien Chan accused China of being unco-operative over the transshipment project.


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This article is part of our special report Products for a greener planet.
SPECIAL REPORT / The earth is running out of natural resources like land, water and minerals so quickly that if nothing is done, some predictions say that by 2030 humankind will need the equivalent of two planets to sustain our current lifestyle.
Those chilling figures come from a famous World Wildlife Fund ‘Living Planet’ report in 2008, but what exactly can we do to reduce our environmental impact – which has got worse since then – and how should we go about doing it?
People “desperately” need a means of putting the environmental impact of their products into context, according to Martin Barrow, a senior consultant at the UK’s Carbon Trust, which provides companies with certification for their labelling schemes.
“By giving them more and more information they [can] know what the impact of their decisions are,” he said after a workshop on sustainable consumption organised by EURACTIV on 13 June. “Then we’re into the area of behaviour change,” he added.
Studies undertaken by the Carbon Trust showed that consumers would change their behaviour if they were given simple information about a product’s environmental impact on a packet.
With numbers and colours, the Trust found that people could build a “mental map” in a short period of time and establish rules for their consumption.
Such an increased and improved information flow is “the basic way” of addressing sustainable consumption issues, said Ulrike Sapiro, the environmental sustainability director for Coca-Cola Europe, after the same meeting.
“The philosophy goes ‘Let’s just have more labels’,” she told EURACTIV. “Well do labels actually stick? Does this help? Do consumers get the information they need to make informed choices.”
“We as a company, Coca-Cola, stand on the position that we doubt [and] are sceptical [that the idea of] ‘labels and more labels’ would work,” she said.
Through its personal carbon allowance project, Coca-Cola had come to a view that consumers trusted institutions, government, and businesses to give them a harmonised message about the environmental impact of the products they consumed, she said.
“The trick that we have to find as society – businesses and stakeholders together – is [to] transpose those messages,” she added. “Quick wins” that gave consumers “the feeling that they have made a difference in their choices,” were the way forward.
Environmentalists and leftists also sometimes feel uneasy that the carbon dioxide labelling debate, but for different reasons.
Some see it as a way of shifting the burden of climate mitigation from richer producers in the developed world who profit most from their goods production, to poorer and less powerful consumers, who may have little choice in the products that they buy.
Preventing environmental damage in the first place is seen as a preferable strategy to asking consumers to mitigate it after the fact.
However, Dutch MEP Bas Eickhout (Greens) told EURACTIV that addressing sustainable consumption was “as crucial as [addressing] the production side.”
“They need to go hand-in-hand but it’s far more difficult,” he said. “How do you tell people what to consume? You cannot really forbid things.”
He called for better environmental information to be made available to the public, to encourage a change away from unsustainable consumption patterns such as meat-eating.
For Franz Fiala, a spokesman for the European consumer rights group ANEC, the fundamental problem was the lack of a “roadmap” or “master plan” for addressing the issue.
“We have pieces of that but no overall strategy,” he told EURACTIV. “Any overall strategy would have to accomplish fundamental changes to the way we live, how we produce, how we consume. It’s quite clear that we have to consume less.”
But reducing consumption had to be done according to principles of global social equity – and quickly, he said.
“We have learned that we are moving towards [economic] collapse,” he explained. “It will happen in the second half of the 21st century. So we need drastic change and that means that we cannot leave this to the market.”
The debate will continue.


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Lewis Capaldi has surprised fans by announcing further intimate gigs, including one which will take place in a city centre HMV store.
The singer announced he would be releasing his new album, Broken By Desire To Be Heavenly Sent, along with a performance in-store at Glasgow’s Argyle Street HMV.
The 26-year-old released tickets to the intimate sitting on Thursday through his Instagram account – and revealed they sold out within “one second”.
Taking to Instagram, he revealed the selling of the tickets in his usual humorous style. He wrote: “All done in under a second. Much like my love making.”
He also teased that a similar event held in Edinburgh would soon be announced.
It comes after the ‘Pointless’ singer announced a Q&A session with fans and perform acoustically at SWG3 in Glasgow and Fat Sam’s in Dundee for a special ‘Behind the Music’ event.
The singer’s second album, Broken By Desire To Be Heavenly Sent, will be released next Friday, May 19.
The Dundee event will take place on May 20, with the Glasgow date taking place the day after on May 21.


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The 2020 Nebraska Furniture Mart Black Friday ad scan is now available. Black Friday shoppers can grab doorbuster deals beginning now through December 1st. Stores will be closed on Thanksgiving Day (11/26). Black Friday shoppers can begin saving in-store starting at 8AM on Friday (11/27).
We’ve published four separate Black Friday ad scans from Nebraska Furniture Mart with information about each of the sales being offered through Tuesday (12/1).
For those looking to score huge savings on televisions and furniture this Holiday season, the Nebraska Furniture Mart Black Friday sale might be worth checking out.


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Proceed studying beneath, or hear:
2022, nevertheless, has been the very best 12 months but for drone supply applications within the U.S. Walmart has gotten their program off the bottom and is increasing to a different six states, Wing has expanded their retail program, Flytrex now has approval to double their supply vary, and Amazon – lastly – is able to begin delivering packages from the air. Zipline, pioneers in medical drone supply all over the world, are now working within the US. And that is just the start – over the subsequent few years, supply firms and retailers hope to maneuver past small trial initiatives and implement drone supply applications nationwide.
Drones are delivering espresso, meals, groceries, library books, and extra – however residential supply is up to now restricted to mild weights. (Cargo drones and bigger plane are already providing an enormous profit to industrial prospects all over the world.) Over time, plane and laws might evolve to help heavier payloads and increase the objects that may be delivered by drone.
A brand new examine by open supply drone platform Auterion signifies that almost all residents within the US count on packages to be delivered by drones – and whereas they do have considerations, the bulk have a constructive view:
…58%, actively favor drone deliveries, with
29% saying they’re curious to expertise it,
11% saying they might strive it to find out if it really works for his or her life-style, and
18% already embracing it as the way forward for deliveries.
Unsurprisingly, nevertheless, most individuals say that they’re extra constructive if the service is free.
That’s not essentially the one reply, nevertheless. Residents of the US are already utilizing – and paying for – supply providers like Uber Eats and DoorDash at report numbers. Many customers mentioned that they’d be keen to pay a charge for supply inside an hour – and pace is without doubt one of the many advantages that drone supply affords. In keeping with the examine:
With respect to shopper prices, free supply service made drone supply extra interesting to a majority of these surveyed (59%). If there have been an extra delivery value for drone supply, the very best add-on charge some Individuals could be keen to pay ranged from $1 to $10 (41%) to greater than $10 (18%). The opposite 41% wouldn’t be keen to pay an additional charge. Notably, if merchandise arrived to the home inside an hour, 4 out of 10 Individuals (42%) mentioned that they might pay extra money.
“Individuals are prepared for drones to ship their packages, and retailers that undertake and scale drone supply applications will discover themselves forward of the curve,” mentioned Lorenz Meier, co-founder and CEO of Auterion. “Cargo is the primary occasion the place most individuals will straight expertise the ability of air mobility and autonomous techniques—the place drones will turn out to be a tangible, on a regular basis actuality.”
Miriam McNabb is the Editor-in-Chief of DRONELIFE and CEO of JobForDrones, knowledgeable drone providers market, and a fascinated observer of the rising drone business and the regulatory setting for drones. Miriam has penned over 3,000 articles centered on the business drone area and is a world speaker and acknowledged determine within the business. Miriam has a level from the College of Chicago and over 20 years of expertise in excessive tech gross sales and advertising and marketing for brand spanking new applied sciences.
For drone business consulting or writing, E-mail Miriam.
Subscribe to DroneLife right here.


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The United States on Wednesday announced the process to levy 10 per cent tariffs on another USD 200 billion in Chinese export goods as soon as September. This has further escalated the trade war between the two largest economies of the world.
President Donald Trump vowed to hit back on a growing list of products after China retaliated in kind for the first round of 25 per cent tariffs on USD 34 billion worth of imports, that Washington imposed last week.
US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said Washington did a thorough investigation to justify imposing tariffs on USD 50 billion worth of imports to compensate for the harm to the US economy caused by China's unfair trading practices, including theft or forced transfer of American technology.
China, however had rebuffed US complaints and denied any harm was done to US companies, and instead retaliated "without any international legal basis or justification," Lighthizer said.
"As a result of China's retaliation and failure to change its practices, the president has ordered USTR to begin the process of imposing tariffs of 10 per cent on an additional USD 200 billion of Chinese imports," he said in a statement.
USTR will hold hearings in late August on the list of targeted products and an administration official said it would take about two months to finalize, at which point Trump would decide whether to go ahead with the tariffs.
The goal is to bring the total amount of Chinese imports up to 40 per cent of the total imported from the Asian power, since the US products hit by Beijing's retaliation represent that share of exports, an official told reporters.
The trade confrontation between Washington and Beijing has been escalating for months, despite Trump's repeated statements that he has a good relationship with China's President Xi Jinping.
China accused the US of starting the largest trade war in economic history, after the first round of tariffs took effect last week, but Trump has continuously said that China has taken advantage of the US economy and he has vowed to hit nearly all the country's products with tariffs, as much as USD 450 billion.
The new list of goods to face 10 per cent punitive duties includes frozen meats, live and fresh fish and seafood, butter, onions, garlic and other vegetables, fruits, nuts, metals, and a massive list of chemicals, as well as tires, leather, fabrics, wood and papers.
The officials said they tried to target goods that would reduce the harm to US consumers.
They also said they remain open to working with China to try to resolve the dispute, but the response from Beijing so far has been unsatisfactory.


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By Daniel Taylor
Amazon’s “digital assistant” Alexa is being incorporated into augmented reality glasses by Vuzix Corp.
As reported by Bloomberg, “The first augmented-reality glasses with Amazon’s Alexa voice assistant will be shown next week at CES in Las Vegas.”
The product is part of a trend among tech giants to introduce the idea of a heads up display method of interacting with the digital world, with contact lenses and brain chips the inevitable end goal. Augmented reality involves digital information about real physical locations, products, and people displayed on devices, in this case glasses.
Microsoft, Apple, Google and Facebook are all heavily investing in and developing products that will plunge users into a new “augmented” reality that is superimposed over our real world.
Computer scientist and father of virtual reality, Jaron Lanier, told the New York Times recently that “I had always feared we would create this social-manipulation technology out of computers.” Regarding VR, he said “it could turn out to be the evilest invention of all time.” Lanier continued “If you control the person’s reality, you control the person…”
Vuzix Corp’s glasses will be the first device to incorporate Amazon’s Alexa. The glasses will initially be sold for $1000, but the company hopes to bring the cost of the device significantly lower.
Tech giants hope that the “low hanging fruit” will drive a societal trend towards a mass integration with AR and VR devices, eventually leading to the transhumanist vision of human bodies merging with machines. Steven Spielberg’s upcoming movie “Ready Player One” will further push the VR concept into the “acceptable” range. An article from the guardian promotes the film as “…a film that dares to show the positive side of living in virtual reality. Steven Spielberg’s future shocker, about people using VR to escape hell on Earth.”
We are being slowly chained down in a kind of technological cave. Ironically, the “connected” age in which we are living has enabled the potential for human isolation like no other time in history. Our reality is increasingly controlled by people we have never seen or even know exist.


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Family-owned California internet filter maker CyberSitter filed a $2.2bn lawsuit Tuesday accusing China and major computer companies including Sony, Toshiba and Lenovo of stealing trade secrets and infringing on the group’s copyright by allegedly distributing its code with the Green Dam filter.
The claim that Chinese companies had taken thousands of lines of programming from CyberSitter had surfaced six months ago, when researchers found a major overlap. What will interest security professionals more is the company’s suggestion that the code or other proprietary data may have been hijacked by state-sponsored hackers. Read more
In his latest column, John Gapper, the FT’s chief business commentator, considers the growing battle between Apple and Google:
Apple and Google used to co-exist in harmony, with two directors on both boards. But the rivalry between the fourth- and fifth-most valuable US companies – both are nearing $200bn in market capitalisation – is sharpening as they skirmish at the new internet frontier. Read more
Touch is becoming a common feature on netbooks, with HP launching its first touch-enabled netbook a day after Lenovo announced its own entry at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
The HP Mini 5102 has a capacitive touchscreen option , like the iPhone’s, but it may be a little used feature at first , with few applications able to take advantage of the display’s capabilities. Read more
After all the noise ahead of the launch, what should we make of the new Nexus One? (This was our live coverage of the event, with comments from readers). A few thoughts:
It’s not “the first Google Phone“. I know, you’ve read stories elsewhere saying it is, but trust us on this one: it really isn’t.
I quizzed Andy Rubin, head of Google’s Android team, on this: he insisted that Google had no more (or less) input on HTC’s Nexus One than it had on Motorola’s recent Droid. This handset does not break new ground – just because the Google brand name is bigger doesn’t make it a Google Phone. Read more


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The Government has decided to make rapid home testing available for all businesses with over 10 employees who cannot offer on-site testing due to a lack of space or because they operate across multiple sites.
Lloyd’s Register has surveyed 5500 employees from organisations across 11 countries, including the UK, to identify the true impact of remote working and the implications for employee health and safety at work.
With around 25,000 responses expected, Business in the Community (BITC) has launched the UK’s biggest survey on race at work hoping to create one of the most influential datasets on discrimination and bias at work.
The Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in businesses moving services online, supply chains being disrupted and many more employees working from home, and this has pushed cyber security to the top of the agenda for many UK employers.
Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick has told the House of Commons that that Liverpool City Council has failed in numerous respects to comply with its Best Value Duty and has failed to meet its statutory and managerial responsibilities.


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Tesla Inc Chief Executive Elon Musk warned on Tuesday that the electric carmaker is not immune to the impact of the global economy, saying the next 12 months will be tough. At the company’s annual shareholder meeting in Austin, Texas, Musk said the Model Y SUV is on track to become the world’s best-selling vehicle in 2023, and reiterated that Tesla will begin deliveries of its long-delayed Cybertruck this year truck pickup.
In a sign of tough times even for electric vehicle market leader Tesla, Musk said the company would try to advertise its cars, something it has never done before. “We’ll try to do some advertising and see how it works,” he said.
“Tesla is not immune to the global economic environment. I expect difficult macroeconomic conditions for at least the next 12 months,” said the billionaire, wearing a black T-shirt and pants.
At the meeting, shareholders voted to appoint company co-founder and former chief technology officer JB Straubel to the board. Proxy advisory firm Glass Lewis had urged investors to vote against Straubel’s appointment, citing concerns about his independence.
Straubel, chief executive of battery recycling and materials company Redwood Materials, is considered a potential successor to Musk, according to Gene Munster, managing partner at Deepwater Asset Management.
Shareholders also rejected a proposal to release a report aimed at laying out a succession plan for Musk.
Musk has been under pressure to address investor concerns about a lack of a clear successor, weak demand and delays in some new models, as well as social media platform Twitter, which he was involved in acquiring in October.
“There was a short-term distraction because I had to do major open-heart surgery on Twitter to keep the company alive,” Musk said on Tuesday. Last week he announced that former NBCUniversal advertising executive Linda Yacarino will succeed him as Twitter CEO, where he will focus on the company’s products and technology.
In April, Musk had said that Tesla would prioritize sales growth over profit after slashing prices and missing margin targets.
In an email to employees on Monday, Musk said the company should not hire new workers, including contractors, unless he personally approves them, and asked executives to “consider carefully” before submitting hiring requests.
Also read: Tesla executives to visit India this week.that’s why
Musk said at the meeting that Tesla hopes to produce 250,000 Cybertrucks a year based on demand. The electric automaker expects to complete engineering of its next-generation Roadster sports car this year and hopes to start production next year, he said.
He also teased two mass-market models in development, saying he hopes to produce more than 5 million of them, without elaborating.
Musk also said he would conduct a third-party audit to ensure that the cobalt mines that supply the batteries are free of child labor.
“In fact, we’re going to have a webcam on the mine, so if anyone sees any kids, please let us know,” he said, adding that most of Tesla’s battery packs are iron-based, and Tesla Only a “small amount” of cobalt was used as a binder.
On Tuesday, Tesla shareholders quickly voted in favor of the board’s recommendations on nearly all of the proposals. The meeting was attended by the shareholders who won the lottery and was broadcast live.
Tesla shares closed flat at $166.52 on Tuesday, after rising 0.6 percent in after-hours trading. The stock is down about 60% from its November 2021 all-time high.
Shareholders also voted to elect Musk and chairman Robyn Denholm to the board.
Proxy advisory firm ISS recommended a no vote against Denholm, citing concerns over a lack of scrutiny of Musk and his brother Kimbal’s use of Tesla stock as collateral for loans.
Investors voted against release of report on “key man risk”. The proposal seeks to identify key individuals and develop a succession plan.
Asked about rumors that he was stepping down as Tesla CEO, Musk said on Tuesday: “I don’t think so.”
Musk said at last year’s shareholder meeting that he would stay with the automaker as long as he was useful. In November, Tesla director James Murdoch testified in court that Musk had identified someone as a potential successor.
Tesla board members have discussed chief financial officer Zach Kirkhorn as a possible successor as CEO, The Wall Street Journal reported last week, citing a person familiar with the matter.
First published date: May 17, 2023 at 08:41 AM CST


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Diablitos Cantina to Reopen in The Grove This Week
- Colleen Daly
- Apr 24, 2017
There’s good news for fans of the street tacos and sizzling fajitas platters at Diablitos Cantina.
The Mexican restaurant is reopening its doors this week – but in a new location. Diablitos will reopen inside sister restaurant Sanctuaria Wild Tapas in The Grove on Tue., April 25, as announced on Facebook. The restaurant closed its original location near Saint Louis University in February after six years of business, citing upcoming construction for student housing at SLU.
The restaurants will share the space, with Diablitos serving lunch Tuesday through Friday from 11am to 3pm. Sanctuaria will operate its regular hours from 5 to 11pm, featuring limited Diablitos items on its dinner menu. Specials include buffalo chicken tacos on Tuesday, gringo tacos on Wednesday, The Austin (two flour tortillas filled with chicken adobo, peppers, onions and cheese) on Thursday and burrito specials on Friday…
Diablitos Cantina, 4198 Manchester Ave., The Grove, St. Louis, Missouri, 314.644.4430, diablitoscantina.com
Visit Diablitos Cantina