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Fanatics to Operate At-Track Merchandise BusinessShare
NASCAR, NASCAR Team Properties (NTP) and Fanatics jointly announced today a 10-year agreement for the sport’s at-track merchandise business that will deliver fans an enhanced, experiential shopping environment. As part of the agreement, Fanatics has acquired certain exclusive rights from NASCAR and NTP that will make the company the primary retailer of NASCAR, team and driver merchandise at all 38 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race weekends.
The new merchandise shopping environment will be available to all fans to Michigan International Speedway for the Pure Michigan 400 weekend on August 14-16. Fans can shop at the new display in the New Holland Fan Plaza.
The track’s opening NASCAR Sprint Cup Series weekend in 2015 will be on Sunday, June 14 with the Quicken Loans 400. The XFINITY Series race will be at MIS on Saturday, June 13. The ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards Corrigan Oil 200 will race on Friday, June 12.
The Sprint Cup Series will wind up its summertime stint only eight weeks later at MIS on Sunday, August 16 with the Pure Michigan 400. The Camping World Truck Series Careers for Veterans 200 presented by The Cooper Standard Foundation & Brad Keselowski’s Checkered Flag Foundation is on Saturday, August 15.
Fanatics, the market leader for officially licensed sports merchandise, powers the e-stores for hundreds of the top sports leagues, teams and schools, including a long history running NASCAR’s e-commerce business (NASCAR.com). The NASCAR at-track deal expands Fanatics’ growing in-venue partnerships.
The new trackside retail model will be phased in at NASCAR events over the course of 2015. It will evolve from using solely haulers for each specific team or driver to displaying all merchandise in a climate-controlled superstore retail environment supported by, in instances, smaller satellite retail touch points around the track. The new model will have the following enhanced benefits and added options for fans:
- Ability to offer the largest at-track selection of NASCAR merchandise ever
- Selection to include a major expansion of women’s and kids’ items
- A more functional way to browse, shop and interact with merchandise
- Separate stores within the footprint for teams, drivers, memorabilia and collectibles
- Dedicated area for driver appearances
- An interactive customization center where fans can create their own personal NASCAR gear
Fanatics Apparel, the company’s manufacturing and customization division, will also produce merchandise to complement the already extensive product line that will be offered by authorized licensees.
“A merchandise center will provide a more personal, organized, comfortable and convenient shopping environment for our fans,” said Steve Phelps, NASCAR executive vice president and chief marketing officer. “Partnering with an industry leader in Fanatics allows us to offer a comprehensive and seamless shopping experience for our fans – whether it is in-venue, online or on mobile devices.”
The new trackside retail model will utilize the latest innovations and initiatives in retail promotional design. According to a study conducted by Experian Marketing Services (Simmons National Consumer Survey, Fall Full Year 2013), NASCAR fans are at least 20 percent more likely than non-fans to notice various types of promotions while shopping, including: video monitor displays, signs on merchandise racks or shelves, and advertising on the floor – among others.
“Fanatics is extremely excited to partner with NASCAR and NASCAR Team Properties to greatly expand their at-track retail presence,” said Ross Tannenbaum, president of Fanatics Authentic. “We have taken the time to listen to what the fans, teams, drivers and NASCAR were asking for and look forward to using our market-leading scale, technology and production capabilities to deliver an improved and entertaining shopping experience for years to come.”
8.8.2020KEVIN HARVICK CONTINUES DOMINATION AT MICHIGAN INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY, TAKES CHECKERED FLAG IN FIREKEEPERS CASINO 400For Kevin Harvick, winning at Michigan International Speedway is starting to become a habit.
8.7.2020Smith takes checkered flag in overtime finish in Henry Ford Health System 200.
8.7.2020WWE’S “BIG SHOW” TO SERVE AS VIRTUAL GRAND MARSHAL FOR FIREKEEPERS CASINO 400 AT MICHIGAN INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAYPrior to the race – the first of two NASCAR Cup Series events being staged at MIS in as many days – WWE superstar “The Big Show” will serve as the virtual Grand Marshal.
8.6.2020HENRY FORD ALLEGIANCE HEALTH HONORED IN “NASCAR HAULER SALUTE TO HEALTHCARE HEROES POWERED BY VERIZON”In the midst of a pandemic, healthcare workers have been front and center as part of our everyday lives, and on Thursday, NASCAR and Verizon Business paid tribute to healthcare workers from Henry Ford Allegiance Health in Jackson in the “NASCAR Hauler Salute to Healthcare Heroes Powered by Verizon.”


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5/28 UPDATE: Soy Sros has been released from jail; however, according to her lawyer, she is still facing prosecution on charges with a potential penalty of up to 3 years as a direct result of the criminal complaint brought against her by the Michael Kors and Kate Spade supplier, HK-based Superl Holdings. The court document releasing her makes clear that the basis of the charge is her Facebook post criticizing the company.
As multi-billion dollar fashion brands refuse to pay their suppliers during the Covid-19 pandemic, social unrest has begun to erupt in countries like Bangladesh, Cambodia, and Myanmar. The has led to retaliation at the factory level against garment worker activists whose only hope rests in speaking up for unpaid wages. In the streets of Bangladesh, garment makers are protesting shoulder to shoulder; while a Cambodian garment maker has been jailed for merely writing a Facebook post.
Soy Sros is a garment maker currently being held in one of Cambodia’s most notorious prisons. Her crime? On March 31, Sros shared a Facebook post standing up for her six month pregnant coworker, Sin Lakea, whom their shared place of employment was trying fire. In the Facebook post, Sros observes how the garment factory’s plan to terminate workers contradicted government labor authorities guidance.
With the arrival of Covid-19 in Southeast Asia, Cambodian factories were instructed to temporarily suspend workers with reduced pay rather than dismiss them in full. Superl Ltd., the factory for which both Sros and Lakea work, had planned to terminate 100 employees (including six month pregnant Sin Lakea) — after Sros’ Facebook post, the factory abruptly rescinded the planned terminations and pressed Sros to remove her post, which she quickly did.
However, on April 2, Sros was charged with the offense of “incitement” and jailed by the factory management who labeled the Facebook posting as “fake news.” It’s possible that Sros could end up spending up to three years in prison because of the “incitement” charge — the severity of which is unreal and would be devastating for the single mother’s two sons, ages five and eight. Since April 2, Sros has remained in Kampong Speu prison where her health is quickly deteriorating.
Despite appeals from worker rights advocates and inquiries from journalists (including the New York Times), owners of the Michael Kors, Jimmy Choo, Versace, Kate Spade and Coach luxury brands have remained quiet while Superl Holdings, the owner of Cambodian factories making their handbags, will have had the Cambodian garment maker jailed for two months by June 2.
For Sros, the situation is dire. Luxury brands like Kate Spade and Michael Kors have the power and political sway to help free her, making their decision to remain mum all the more abhorrent.
Write to Michael Kors, Jimmy Choo, Versace, Kate Space, and Coach to demand the criminal complaint against Sros be withdrawn.
Michael Kors: @michaelkors
Jimmy Choo: @jimmychoo
Kate Spade: @katespadeny

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Apple has told app developers to work around the Christmas closure of iTunes Connect.
The Cupertino-based company sent out an email yesterday, warning developers that iTunes Connect -the developer portal used for the management of apps to sell in the App Store - will not be functioning between 21 and 28 December.
This means that developers will not be able to push forward brand new apps, or even updates to existing apps, during the specified period.
The original email, as MacStories reports, states that "releases scheduled to appear on the App Store for the first time," and "pricing changes scheduled through the interval pricing system in iTunes Connect," will be subject to delays.
In other words, app releases and price modifications scheduled for that particular period will not be displayed on the App Store until the reopening of iTunes Connect, presumably on 29 December.
However, any app or update submitted before 21 December will be available experience the usual update treatment.
Last year, Apple shut iTunes Connect to developers during a similar time period around Christmas - between 22 and 29 December in the case of the 2011 holiday season.


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Microsoft has officially unveiled the Windows Phone 8 at an event in San Francisco as they announced earlier this month. They announced the Windows Phone 8 back in June, but at the yesterday’s launch event they demoed several features including new features such as Kid’s Corner, Rooms in People’s Hub and automatic image uploads from the phone’s camera. It would also have seamless integration with SkyDrive and Skype.
The Kid’s Corner would let the kids use their parent’s phone to play games and access select apps from the Kid’s corner section, even if the phone is locked. The Rooms feature lets the users group lists, calendars, and photos, all at one place and invite your friends to join the Room to access it.
Here is a video of Joe Belfiore, Vice President of Windows Phone explaining the features of Windows Phone 8.
Windows Phone 8 devices, Nokia Lumia 920 and the Lumia 820 would launch in India in November. Still no details about the availability of HTC 8X and 8S in India yet. Would you get a Windows Phone 8 device ?


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Wyndham Hotel Group (WHG), part of Wyndham Worldwide Corporation (WWC), has opened a new Wyndham Istanbul Petek hotel under the Wyndham Hotels and Resorts brand in Turkey.
The new property, which is the group’s 20th property in the country, is owned and developed by Kilicbey Turizm Isletmeleri Insaat Sanayi ve Ticaret Anonim Sirketi, with design input from architects Metex Design.
Located close to Istanbul’s Atatürk International Airport, the 21-storey hotel features 307 rooms, including 241 guest rooms, 27 suites and 39 apartments.
The five-star hotel also offers amenities such as 586,618m² ballroom, 1,970m² space for 14 meeting rooms, fitness suite, 130m² swimming pool, tranquil spa area with four treatment rooms, retail outlets and more than 500 parking spaces.
Dining options at the hotel include a lobby bar and all-day dining and speciality restaurants with the convenience of 24hr room service.
WHG Europe’s Middle East and Africa senior vice president and managing director Rui Barros said that the company is pleased to welcome yet another Wyndham Hotels and Resorts property in Turkey.
"The popularity of the recently opened Wyndham Istanbul Kalamis Marina has proven there is strong demand for the Wyndham brand in the country," Barros added.
"We look forward to working with our partners on opportunities to add more quality hotels here in the years ahead."
In Turkey, WHG operates hotels under three brands: Wyndham Hotels and Resorts, TRYP by Wyndham and Ramada.
WHG plans to launch its Super 8 brand in Turkey through a development agreement signed with Ilbak Turizm Isletmeleri Ve Yatirim.
The company is expecting to open a total of 20 Super 8 brand hotels in the country during the next ten years.
Image: A guest room at the newly opened Wyndham Istanbul Petek hotel in Turkey. Photo: courtesy of Wyndham Worldwide Corporation.


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The Chinese automotive market plays a special role at the Volkswagen Group. In 2018, the Group’s brands sold more than 4.2 million vehicles there. But China is more than Volkswagen’s second domestic market. And the massive electric offensive under way there, the even more intense localization effort and the new Volkswagen Group Future Center in Beijing – one of three locations worldwide – serve to demonstrate that fact.
Volkswagen in China
Powerhouse for the mobility of tomorrow
Growth and change: The Chinese car market remains the largest in the world, and China is also assuming a leading role in e-mobility and digitalization – with the Volkswagen Group as a strong partner.
Volkswagen electrifies China
Volkswagen is the world’s biggest carmaker, China the largest market for electric vehicles. Not surprisingly, the interest at the Group Media Night before the Shanghai Auto Show is very high. Volkswagen has a lot in store on its “second home market”.
China: All Under One Roof
Volkswagen Group China has moved into its new headquarters in Beijing, known as the V-Space. The building brings together approximately 2,300 employees who previously worked at four separate company offices in the Chinese capital.
JETTA to become the new Volkswagen brand in China
Jürgen Stackmann, Member of the Board of Management with responsibility for “Sales, Marketing and After Sales”, smiles. “I think it is really exciting to help bring a new brand into the world. This is definitely not an everyday occurrence,” he tells a group of international business journalists.
Volkswagen is systematically and vigorously advancing its e-mobility offensive
As part of the 5th German-Chinese government consultations, the Volkswagen Group China signed letters of intent with the FAW Group, and with the China Intelligent and Connected Vehicles (Beijing) Research Institute Co. Ltd. (ICV). The agreements cover the areas of e-mobility, connectivity, mobility services and autonomous driving.
All signs point to E
China is the largest market for electric vehicles in the world. The Chinese government is making huge investments in electric car infrastructure and creating more than just financial incentives for customers. Particularly in metropolises such as Shanghai, Guangzhou, or Beijing, owners of e-vehicles receive special treatment – from license plates to free parking spaces or permission to drive every day.
Pay with your smile
China is set to become a leader in artificial intelligence by 2030. For that, the state spends billions. Chinese consumers are already experiencing the effects in everyday life today.
Mühe, Hope & Co.: Volkswagen promotes culture in China
With a photo exhibition by Andreas Mühe, an “Art x Tech” symposium and a Yellow Lounge with Daniel Hope, Volkswagen strengthens its commitment to cultural and social issues.
Made on MEB – the first e-factory in China
The electrification strategy of the Volkswagen Group China is rapidly gaining pace on the world’s biggest market for e-mobility. In Zwickau, Germany, the group-wide largest production line is currently being built, scheduled to start production of the electric ID car in summer 2019.This Friday, SAIC Volkswagen China celebrated the first spade cut for a new factory in Anting near Shanghai – it will be the first mass production site for e-cars groupe-wide, based on Volkswagen’s Modular Electric Drive Kit (MEB). Start of production in Anting is planned for 2020.
The visionary in China
Carl Hahn, former CEO of the Volkswagen Group, brought the Volkswagen brand to China in the 1980s. By creating the automotive industry China, he worked with Volkswagen to fuel the country’s economic and social development. For his dedication to the country, China Newsweek has named Carl Hahn “Person of the Year.”
In the footsteps of a visionary
In the 1980s, Carl Hahn paved the way for the Group’s success in China as CEO of Volkswagen. His successors have continued his legacy and today Volkswagen is the market leader in the Middle Kingdom.
“Weixin”: the Chinese version of WhatsApp
Digitalization is having a much different impact on everyday life in China than in the West. The big names here are Alibaba and Tencent – for everything from communication and meals to payments and transportation.
Volkswagen in China – a long lasting friendship
China is the most important sales market worldwide: The Volkswagen Group delivered more than 4.2 million vehicles there in the 2017 financial year - the result of decades of cooperation.
At home in China
In 2018, the 40th year since China’s economic liberalization, the country remains one of the most significant markets for Volkswagen – and Volkswagen the most important partner of the Chinese automotive industry.
Merkel and China's Premier drive SEDRIC
Angela Merkel and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang attended a demonstration on autonomous driving in Berlin. The Chancellor and her state guest also undertook a test drive in the Volkswagen concept car SEDRIC.
“China is our second home”
Looking out to the Auto China 2018 that will open its doors this week, Herbert Diess pictured the status quo of the Group. “Our mission is to make the Volkswagen Group one of the leading companies in our industry in terms of profitability, innovative power and sustainability.”
Electric, connected and roomy for China
E-mobility, digital connectivity and the SUV trend are the focal points of Auto China 2018 in Beijing. The brands of the Volkswagen Group are showcasing their many new products in these areas at the trade fair.


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An anonymous bidder has offered more than $4.5 million to have a private lunch with billionaire investor Warren Buffett, shattering the previous record of nearly $3.5 million set in 2012 and 2016.
An online auction that raises money for the Glide Foundation's work to help the homeless in San Francisco ended Friday night on eBay with a winning bid of $4,567,888.
It's the 20th year the Berkshire Hathaway CEO from Omaha has participated in the pricey lunch auction , giving the winner the chance to talk with the renowned investor and philanthropist. Bidding starts at $25,000, and the auction has only finished below $2 million once since 2010. Buffett has raised nearly $30 million for the charity over the years.
The winning bidder and up to seven friends get to dine with Buffett at Smith & Wollensky in New York City.


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Dharma 2.0, the young creative unit from Dharma Production stable has recently bagged the mandate for D’Decor’s new ad campaign - ‘Touch of Love’. While showcasing the wide array of D’Decor’s designs and qualities, the campaign focuses on the new line of product highlighting softness and comfort. The campaign has been conceptualized and produced by Dharma 2.0. The TVC features celebrity power couple Shah Rukh Khan and Gauri Khan, has been shot by versatile Director, Punit Malhotra bringing the essence of love onscreen, albeit with a twist.
Watch the spot:
The new campaign stands out for its high-production value, creativity and appeal. The advert takes a jibe at the gender stereotypes prevalent in the society today and breaks the norms by showcasing the power couple of Bollywood in reversed roles. The TVC features Shah Rukh Khan in the role of a home-maker, arranging the bedding with the D’Decor bedsheets, while Gauri Khan is busy at work. On this premise, the TVC brings to life the soft essence of love that the brand brings to its luxurious fabrics.
Commenting on the new association, Punit Malhotra, head Dharma 2.0 said, “As this was the first product led campaign from D’décor, we had to introduce the new range in a way which is compelling and also stays true to the brand’s core value. With ‘Touch of Love’, we wanted to set up a fresh and relevant context for today’s generation. We did it by turning the clichés around and subtly breaking the societal stereotypes. I am happy by the way the campaign has turned out and hope to continue this association with D’décor in future as well.”
Ajay Arora, D’Decor managing director shared, “As a brand that deals in luxury fabrics, we wanted our TVC to capture that essence of D’Decor. Dharma 2.0 has created a lot of buzz in the market, for its excellent work. They understand our objective behind the campaign and have put their best foot forward in delivering excellent results.”


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Tina Fey and Tom Hanks are set for in-depth conversations at the 2016 Tribeca Film Festival.
The chats are part of Tribeca Talks: Storytellers, a new series for the New York City-set fest, which will also include its annual interactive storytelling showcase Storyscapes and gaming forum TFI Interactive.
The 15th edition of the 10-day event also introduces Imagination Day, an April 19 summit that gathers Virgin Group founder Sir Richard Branson and Google ATAP product innovator Regina Dugan with VR creatives and tech entrepreneurs such as Second Life and High Fidelity founder Philip Rosedale, VR directors Felix Lajeunesse and Paul Raphael of Felix & Paul Studios and STRIVR founder and CEO Derek Belch.
Additionally, the fest will present the world premiere of Invasion!, the first VR, interactive animated film from Baobab Studios, co-founded by Maureen Fan (former vp games for Zynga) and Eric Darnell (director of Antz and the Madagascar series). The project follows menacing aliens with superior technology who come to claim Earth and destroy anyone in their way — and a pair of fluffy white bunnies who dare to defy them.
The 2016 Tribeca Film Festival, again presented by AT&T, is set to run April 13-24.
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Red Sea Film Festival


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American companies operating in the People's Republic have Communist Party committees, too.
After two of China's telecom behemoths endured a very public smack down at the hands of the U.S. House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, Chinese web users are standing up -- or at least tweeting -- in defense.
An October 8 House report held that Huawei and ZTE "failed to provide evidence that would satisfy any fair and full investigation" into their ties to Chinese intelligence-gathering operations, and recommended that both U.S. government entities and private enterprises avoid doing business with the two given "long-term security risks."
On Sina Weibo, China's Twitter, Internet users appeared to reach rapid consensus that the setback for Huawei and ZTE manifested a "double standard" that demanded a proportional response. Commenters argued that the House report was nothing more than an exercise in realpolitik, what @ DominateL called "trade protectionism in disguise." @友为99 sighed, "The U.S. is just being the U.S.; they only think of protectionism. Everything is a threat to their national security." @ 隆中赋 complained, "For a country that opposes the United States, every business from that country has the possibility of being a spy."
Indeed, the House report found that the "Communist Party committees" within Huawei and ZTE cast " a shadow source of power and influence" over both. In fact, such committees are present in most large foreign companies' China branches. As @leo_力 tweeted, "IBM has Communist Party committees in China too." A photo dated June 2011, courtesy of FESCO ( Foreign Enterprise Human Resources Service Co.), the state-mandated labor management agency for foreign enterprises in China, appears to bolster this assertion.
Chinese media have named other companies, including brands as diverse as Carrefour, Standard Chartered Bank, Nokia Siemens, Hyundai, and Canon among those that have formed Communist Party committees in their China operations, some dating back to the 1990′s. In theory, every company with more than three Communist Party members is required to have a Party committee. This article from Southern Weekly, a Chinese newspaper, quotes an American executive who wondered, "We have three Republicans. Can we apply to form a 'Republican Party Committee'?" And this fascinating article from Global Times points out that as of August 2012, 486 Party branches have been set up in foreign enterprises based in Shanghai alone, consisting of about 10,000 Party members.
Foreign corporations seem to have come around to the notion that having a "party committee" is necessary to navigate China's highly political business environment. According to the same report in Southern Weekly, Nokia Siemens' Shanghai branch secured a government subsidy of more than RMB10 million (approximately US$1.7 million) through the efforts of its executive vice president and Communist Party secretary, Huang Junjian.
If foreign companies in China are increasingly hip to the need to cozy with Communists, Chinese citizens are increasingly aware of their power as consumers. With few near-term policy options available to China's government to respond to Huawei and ZTE's setback, Web users quickly circulated calls for Chinese consumers to "boycott Apple," and even American-made goods in general. Many others exhorted the Chinese government to investigate whether Apple, Microsoft, Cisco, IBM, and other American corporations with footprints in China posed risks to Chinese national security. Editor Hu Xijin (@ 胡锡进) of the hard-line Global Times published an editorial reflecting online opinion, one that "calls for China to take protection of its corporations seriously and not be afraid to take revenge against such actions. China has to make America and Europe understand that if Chinese companies encounter injustice on their turf, some of their companies will become scapegoats in China."
Web users seemed aware of the difficulty of putting such rhetoric into practice. @痒痒挠73 observed, "Many of the key systems and servers in Chinese banks are from IBM. Without IBM, domestic banks won't have a way to open accounts." Consumers may not have a choice, either. As @艾泽拉斯的银叶草 wrote, "Right now the only [mobile] operating systems are Apple and Android, and they're both American."
In addition to lamenting the practical difficulty of extricating American products from Chinese daily life, Internet users questioned their government's resolve. In response to the Global Times' strident editorial, @河南凯锋 wrote, "The question is: Does China dare? When the U.S. demanded we cease inspections of genetically modified foods, the relevant organs didn't inspect; [when] others in the U.S. admitted that they were conducting experiments with genetically-modified golden rice on Chinese children , the relevant organs over here didn't say a thing about it." @至紧要静心 complained, "The government's attitude is soft as always; why can't [they] announce in a loud voice that they're investigating whether Microsoft, IBM, Apple, [and] Cisco are threats to Chinese national security? Why can't they announce in a loud voice that China is going to bring up enterprises to replace [them]?"
In reality, American products forged in the crucible of a market economy may simply be harder to replace than Chinese products, many of them generated by businesses married in some way to the state. As @奔忙的达尔达尼昂 wrote, "All Chinese-made goods can be replaced, they don't have an essential competitiveness, how can they compare to the American imperialists?" Others blamed the U.S., and not China, for this schism. @ 不沉默的大多数 asked rhetorically, "Is America secure only when Chinese companies make hats and socks and not high-tech products?" Some argued that China would have to change first. @龙行天天下 wrote, "The U.S. will stop being this way only when the Communist Party gets out of private enterprise."
The Chinese can wish all they like, but deep reforms to the "special characteristics" of China's socialist economy remain a long way off. Meanwhile, the hoped-for boycott of American made goods is unlikely to gather steam. In addition to loving -- or needing -- American products and services, many Chinese are likely weary of blanket boycotts after recent anti-Japanese protests engulfed the country. @Joneking seemed incredulous: "We were just boycotting Japanese goods, now we're boycotting American goods?"
Perhaps it's time for China to consider more creative solutions. @勤奋蝶恋花_2008 suggested that "China should let Google, Facebook, and Twitter enter the Chinese market," hopefully inviting American reciprocity. @BrokenWindows 's suggestion was less ambitious, but more characteristic of the cynicism that pervades China's blogosphere: "It's time to bribe some U.S. senators."


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It is a known fact that organic meat is better for your health for many reasons. It provides various important nutrients required to live a long and healthy life, among many other benefits. We knew our beef was good for you, but apparently its even better than we thought! Check out this article from Global Meat News, on research that proves there is even more support for why you should include organic meat in your diet.Written by: Oscar Rousseau, Global Meat News, February 16, 2016
Eating organic meat instead of non-organic meat could provide you with double the amount of essential nutrients and may lower the risk of heart disease, a study by Newcastle University has found.
The new report, published on 16 January in the British Journal of Nutrition, has revealed that organic meat has around 50% more essential Omega-3 fatty acids than conventional meat products. Organic meat also has lower levels of two saturated fats that have been linked to heart disease, the report claimed.
“We farm organic red meat on a grass-based, home-grown forage diet which delivers a superb quality,” said Richard Smith, senior farms manager from UK organic meat producer Daylesford Organic.
“In addition to other benefits of producing food in an organic system, this landmark paper now also confirms what we’ve always known: there is also a significant nutritional difference between organic and non-organic.” Read more>>


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AvidXchange, the US-based invoicing and accounts payable solutions company, has raised $260m in a new equity funding round.
The company said it plans to use the funds to further its sales, marketing, product development and engineering teams. It will invest in solutions for buyers and suppliers as it continues to go after customers in the middle market.
This latest funding round, with contributions from TPG Sixth Street Partners and other leading investors, brings AvidXchange’s total funding to more than $800 million over 20 years. TPG Sixth Street Partners has a long-tenured relationship with AvidXchange and has been an investor since 2015.
Michael Praeger, CEO and Co-Founder of AvidXchange, said: “More than 60 percent of US businesses still pay bills with paper checks, accounting for more than $2.7 trillion in administrative costs annually.
“We’re shaping the future of the B2B payments industry by fundamentally changing the way businesses pay their bills, providing a single platform for AP and payments with the largest payments network for the middle market.”
The equity boost follows a transformational 2019 for AvidXchange. In the fall, the company launched two new products, AvidPay and AvidInvoice for long-term healthcare and social services, and in July it acquired BankTEL Systems and gained nearly 2,000 bank customers to its financial services arm.
The company is looking to expand its headquarters in Charlotte, North Carolina, and has plans to hire 1200 new members of staff to add to its existing 1400-strong workforce across the seven sites where it operates.
The deal comes hot on the heels of that of another company that’s looking to automate payments for large conglomerates. On January 7, HighRadius, which offers automated payments processes for Danone and Johnson & Johnson, among many others, achieved unicorn status when it announced it had secured $125m in a Series B investment round.
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It was all change at Crich Toy Library as they welcomed a new member of staff.
Outgoing Stay and Play co-ordinator Cindi Blunt handed over the role to new staff member Vicki Wilding last week.
Toy Library manager Ann-Marie McMillan said: “We said farewell to Cindi Blunt and hello to our new co-ordinator Vicki.
“We had a cake and games to celebrate the switchover. Everyone had a fabulous time.
She added: “We’ve actually taken over the running and management of Belper Toy Library as well.
“And we’re also celebrating the arrival of the online database. People will shortly be able to book the use of toys online.”
The library’s database of toys can be viewed and booked online by visiting www.crichtoylibrary.org.uk.


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Insurers see innovation as a significant opportunity for success but most seem to struggle to innovate, according to a KPMG report.
Based on a survey of 280 insurance executives across 20 countries, the report said 83% thought their organisation's future success was "closely tied" to its ability to innovate.
However, 74% said they "lacked the internal core skills needed to drive innovation".
Regulations and new customer demands and expectations were also creating challenges around innovation. More than three quarters (79%) of respondents said their organisations were running "at full tilt" just to keep up with their day-to-day requirements.
Nearly half (48%) said their firms experienced disruption from new, "more nimble" competitors such as financial technology and start-up firms, while 40 per cent said competition from existing players was their biggest challenge in the next two years.
Gary Reader, head of global insurance at KPMG International, said: "Insurers and intermediaries are increasingly finding that there is no silver bullet to create a more innovative organisation; no off-the-shelf package that drives new ideas.
"Instead, organisations will need to navigate their own path through this new world of opportunity, developing new business and operating models and new partnerships in order to out-compete and out-innovate their peers and bold new entrants."
Two thirds of respondents were already looking to other industries for inspiration and innovation models.
Mary Trussell, global insurance high growth markets and innovation lead at KPMG, said: "Striking your own path for innovation does not mean starting from scratch.
"Instead, it is about leveraging experiences and successes including the ideas of others to create new propositions and approaches to delight customers and create value. It's about learning from both traditional competitors and new disruptors. And it's about shamelessly borrowing best practices and new ideas from outside the insurance sector and its traditional allies."


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An aviation industry coalition is suing to block new restrictions on helicopter flights on Long Island’s East End that many residents say will spare them from noise, but business owners say will ruin their livelihoods.
Helicopter flights and the din they bring have been in dispute for decades on the East End, often pitting summer visitors against year-round homeowners. Among those caught in the middle are businesspeople who service the aircraft.
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Inver House Distillers
Inver House Distillers is to double capacity at its Speyburn Scotch distillery after organising a new GBP10m (US$15.4m) loan.
Inver House Distillers is set to release a limited edition, cask strength expression of is AnCnoc Scotch whisky, dating back 30 years.
International Beverage Holdings has launched four aged expressions of its Balblair Scotch whisky into the US market.
Inver House Distillers has released a limited edition, 18-year-old expression of its anCnoc single malt Scotch whisky.
Inver House Distillers has reported a double-digit drop in full-year profits and sales, but has described the performance as “satisfactory”.
Global Spirits Market: News and Events February 2015
The report provides a review of the latest news and key events in the global spirits market during February....
- Is Diageo on the Brink of a Brain Drain?
- SABMiller edges Diageo as beer trumps spirits
- Comment - Heineken's move for Pivovarna Lasko
- Will Keurig Kold come to Coca-Cola Co's Rescue?
- Focus - SABMiller's FY Sales Performance by Region
- Rémy Cointreau eyes recovery after Q4 bounceback
- Carlsberg exec joins Diageo as Africa chief steps
- Belvedere unveils executive team
- Diageo YTD sales come in flat
- Diageo targets Millennials with DeLeon ads


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More than half of those surveyed said they'd be less likely to do business with a company after a security data breach.
The use of so-called 'contactless payments' is rising significantly, including in the U.S., and they don't have to come from a card.
A knowledge gap between the generations could really bite younger Americans where it hurts most: in the bank account.
Having bad credit doesn't mean you can't a buy a new car, SUV or truck. It just means you have to be diligent and creative.
If Europe is on your travel agenda, here's a look at what you need in your wallet.
The Stop Errors in Credit Use and Reporting Act is designed to reduce the problems consumers experience through errors in their scores.
Last week it was Bank of America, but the consumer agency has been busy with several companies these past two years.
How responsible are your kids? The cards they carry for emergencies are ultimately your responsibility.
Prepaid debit cards have become a $64.5 billion alternative to checking accounts, especially among those of us under the age of 50.
Consider all your options before paying your taxes with a credit card. A smarter solution may be out there for you.
Don't miss the secrets behind...
... and much more!


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Hoosick Falls cops: Cumberland Farms clerk stole money, fled
Published 6:45 am, Tuesday, September 29, 2015
HOOSICK FALLS - A village woman was arrested on felony charges Monday after, police said, she stole money from a convenience store where she worked.
Armstrong was located nearby and charged with fourth-degree grand larceny, Ashe said.
The amount of money taken was not divulged.
Arraigned in village court, Armstrong was sent to the Rensselaer County Jail on $2,500 bail.


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The White House has revealed its holiday decorations for this year, and first lady Jill Biden is spreading cheer to make every visitor feel like a kid again.
This year's theme is "Magic, Wonder, and Joy," drawing inspiration from the delightful 200th anniversary of the classic book and poem, 'Twas the Night Before Christmas.
“For this year’s holidays at the White House, our theme is inspired by how children experience this festive season: completely present in the beauty and bounty around them, their senses alight, with hearts open to the 'Magic, Wonder, and Joy' of the season,” said Biden.
The enchanting displays feature oversized candies, an abundance of festive trees, and a whimsical scene with Santa's sleigh and his eight reindeer playfully suspended over the Grand Foyer.
According to the White House, about 14,975 feet of ribbon, over 350 candles, over 33,892 ornaments and over 22,100 bells were used to make the magic happen.
With the help of over 300 volunteers from across the U.S., Mrs. Biden was able to decorate the White House with 98 Christmas trees, 72 wreaths and 142,425 holiday lights.
And to top it all off, this year’s Gingerbread White House, a favorite of many, was made out of 40 sheets of sugar cookie dough, 40 sheets of gingerbread dough, 90 pounds of pastillage, 30 pounds of chocolate and 50 pounds of royal icing.
Anyone is welcome to see the wonderful decorations by booking a White House tour in advance. To schedule a tour, you can email your local House representative.
Trending stories at Scrippsnews.com


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TESS VIGELAND: Last week we told you about all the scams proliferating online, on TV and everywhere else, promising to lower your property tax bill or help you avoid foreclosure. This week, the companies that claim they can clean up your credit. Sally Herships finds out why people are believing what they hear in those ubiquitous ads and what they end up getting.
Sally Herships: Beverly White is 58. She’s divorced. Lives in Charlotte. She’s a behavioral specialist with teen girls. She was renting a townhouse, but wanted to buy a house.
Beverly White: My goal was to own a home — something I could show I had accomplished in my years of living.
But her credit rating was way too low to qualify for a mortgage. She had unpaid medical bills and other debt. Her FICO score was somewhere in the 400 to 500 range, or about 200 points less then what she needed. Then her real estate agent said he knew someone who could help. This guy could clean up Beverly’s credit history. That was around August.
White: He guaranteed that by December my credit would be cleared and things would be OK and I would be able to then apply for my home.
You know where this is going right? December rolls around and Beverly’s credit report: untouched. And the guy she paid 1,400 bucks to up front, isn’t returning her calls. She’s been scammed. The Federal Trade Commission says complaints about credit repair scams went up 50 percent last year. Tom Bartholomy is president of the Better Business Bureau in Charlotte. He says asking for money in advance of service is one way to recognize a scam — it’s illegal.
Tom Bartholomy: They make these promises, they make these guarantees and that’s what entices people to come across with the up front fee.
But Bartholomy says scammers make claims people cannot resist.
Bartholomy: If you have a foreclosure on your credit history, they’ll get that erased. If you have a bankruptcy on your history, if you have repossessions on your credit history, they’ll have that erased. Those can’t happen. It just cannot happen.
No matter how bad, how late, how scary items on your credit history may seem, if they’re correct, Bartholomy says there’s no way to erase them. Bad debts have to cycle off. And that takes time — up to seven years. And scammers know people don’t want to wait.
MY CREDIT NEEDS REPAIR.COM: Denied, denied, denied. Are you trying to buy a home? Is your credit causing your loan to be a problem? Stop being discriminated against because of your credit score. Credit repair services offer the removal of tax liens, bankruptcies, student loans and other collections.
That’s a commercial for one of the many services that says they can remove negative items from credit reports. I wanted to find out how they’d explain this. Remember, unless there’s a mistake, negative items can’t be removed from credit reports. So I called one of the companies — Today’s Credit Solutions. I asked John Pautsch, a manager there, about a claim on their website — a guarantee to improve scores.
Herships: That’s something that you can guarantee for every customer?
John Pautsch: Oh yeah. For us the more negative items that are on there, the more we’re going to remove.
Pautsch says they’re able to raise their customer’s credit scores by an average of 100 points.
Herships: Let’s say that I really didn’t pay a bill, how can you get that taken off my credit history?
Pautch: Just leveraging the laws to do it.
Pautsch says his credit repair firm is a member of the Better Business Bureau. But the BBB says they’ve revoked the company’s accreditation. But, while almost everything these services claim isn’t doable, they are right about one thing — it is possible to clean up a credit score. Beverly White again:
White: The sad news is I could have done it myself from the beginning. Hindsight is always 20-20.
Tom Bartholomy at the Better Business Bureau says if there really is a mistake — an error on your credit history — you can contact the reporting agency to get it corrected. You’re also entitled, by law, to one free copy of your credit report every year. And he says if you’ve had bad credit, you have to do what the lenders are looking for, show you can make regular payments.
White: I was really looking for a quick fix. That’s what the bottom line actually is. A Quick fix.
Beverly White wasn’t able to get a penny back from the scammer. But she says did get her credit cleaned up herself. She slowly rebuilt her score with new cards and quick payoffs. Now she says her rating is over 700 — high enough to get a mortgage. She was finally able to buy a home in Charlotte — her first.
I’m Sally Herships for Marketplace Money.
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TRADE Minister Manuel González says he hopes the conflict over European Union import taxes on bananas produced in Latin America will be resolved before the World Trade Organization (WTO) begins the latest negotiations of the Doha Round in December.González said Monday at a press conference that Brazil, Ecuador, Colombia, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Panama, Venezuela and Costa Rica continue to be united in wrangling an agreement out of the Union, despite some differences.“We have two arbitrations in our favor, which has to give us a much better position than just simply letting the European Union walk over us. We hope that this will be resolved before Hong Kong,” he said.According to the Trade Minister, if a consensus is not reached in the coming days, the issue will be brought to the WTO ministerial meeting.Trade ministers and other representatives from Latin American banana-producing nations met yesterday in Brussels, Belgium with agriculture and trade members of the European Commission to discuss a new tariff proposed last week, the latest proposal in an effort to increase tariffs and move away from a quota-based system.Now, Latin American producers pay a 75-euro ($88) tariff per metric ton of bananas and are restricted by a quota. In January, the Union proposed a new tariff of 230 euros ($270) per metric ton, but Latin American countries heavily objected to the large increase. WTO arbitrators found in favor of Latin America, saying the proposed tariff violates trade rules. A 187-euro ($220) tariff was later proposed, and was also rejected by Latin America and in WTO arbitration.The European Commission has now recommended a tariff of 179 euros ($210) per metric ton, but it has yet to be approved by the Union.
Today in Costa Rica


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An artist who blew up a Lamborghini earlier this month in protest against greed in crypto is now selling videos of the destroyed car parts as NFTs. The auction, which is scheduled to take place later this week, will start the NFTs at around .01 Ether, or around $26.
The artist, who works under the pseudonym Shl0ms, blew up a used Lamborghini Huracan, which can range from $200,000 to $300,000, on Feb. 2. Shl0ms said the car was taken to an undisclosed desert location in the U.S. and blown up by a federally licensed explosives engineer after two weeks of testing explosions, according to The Block, a news outlet that covers crypto.
A team of about 100 people helped with the Lamborghini explosion and creating the NFT collection, according to Shl0ms, including staff focused on logistics, on-site camera work, production assistants, and more.
Shl0ms told Fortune that contrary to what some media outlets have reported, the decision to destroy the Lamborghini was not a protest against crypto culture, calling it a “more general criticism of greed and short-termism in crypto.”
The artist pointed to decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs), blockchain enabled groups centered on a common goal, as a positive technology that could be used to create art or for the public good.
Now, Shl0ms will auction off NFTs that are videos of 888 pieces of the destroyed car. Another 111 of those NFTs will be given to the artist’s team and used for an upcoming project, they said.
Some said that using the Lamborghini destruction as a comment on greed and then selling NFTs, is counterintuitive, according to Shl0ms. But Shl0ms told Fortune that a majority of the proceeds will go to fund public art installations, a claim which cannot be verified until after the auction.
The auction is scheduled for Friday and will last for 24 hours. Shl0ms said the NFT auction winners will get a rotating video of one of the unique Lamborghini parts, but that the NFTs will not be linked to pieces of the destroyed car. The physical pieces of the destroyed car are in storage and will not be distributed, but could possibly be displayed, Shl0ms said.
“I’ve chosen to leave it up to other people to value my art,” Shl0ms told Fortune.
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The tech world was taken by surprise last night when Google announced the sale of Motorola, the smartphone maker it acquired just two years ago for $12.5 billion, to China’s Lenovo in a cut-price $2.91 billion deal. The sale was first reported by the New York Times before being confirmed by Google’s Larry Page in a blog post shortly thereafter. It’s said that the deal is for Motorola’s handset business only, and that Google will keep most of the company’s patents.
At first glance it looks as if Google has taken a massive loss on the deal, but that’s not the full picture. As Forbes reports, when Google first acquired Motorola, it also got its hands on the company’s $3.2 billion cash pile, plus an additional $2.4 billion in deferred tax assets, resulting in a net acquisition cost of just $6.9 billion. Add on the $2.3 billion sale of Motorola’s set top box business to Arris Group, plus the $75 million it received from the sale of Motorola’s factories to Flextronics, and that further reduces Google’s cost to just $3.85 billion.
With the sale of Motorola to Lenovo, that means Google spent under a billion dollars for a bunch of patents it previously valued at $5.5 billion – not such a bad deal when you look at it that way.
A waste of money?
Despite the savings, it’s fair to say that Motorola’s patents benefited Google less than the company had anticipated. At the time of the acquisition, Google said that the patents would “increase competition by strengthening Google’s patent portfolio [and] enable us to better protect Android from anti-competitive threats from Microsoft, Apple and other companies,” but that just hasn’t happened. Rather, Google has faced increased scrutiny from regulators and a number of courtroom defeats, including being found to be in breach of obligations to license its patents according to FRAND (fair, reasonable and nondiscriminatory) terms.
Google did win a handful of court cases, but this brought in very little reward. In one case where Motorola emerged victorious against Microsoft, the judge awarded it a measly $1.7 million in annual royalties rather than the $4 billion it wanted.
As for actually selling phones (Motorola’s main business), the company hasn’t sold too many of them either. Since Google took over the company, it’s come up with a few decent handsets like the Moto X and the Moto G, but that wasn’t enough to regain footing in the Android handset markets. Indeed, in its most recent quarter, the firm suffered a loss of some $248 million, which was far greater than the same quarter in the previous year.
For these reasons, it’s hard to see Google’s acquisition of Motorola as a success – certainly, it never really “supercharged the Android ecosystem” as Google had hoped.
“A true force in mobility”
As far as Lenovo is concerned, the deal is an interesting one. The Chinese company has had mixed success in the mobile arena to date – it has done very well on its home turf, but its phones are largely unheard of in markets like North America and Europe. The company has long been linked with the acquisition of an established smartphone brand – notably BlackBerry – to help bolster its efforts in these markets, so it will be interesting to see what it does with Lenovo.
Speaking to the Wall Street Journal last night, Lenovo Chairman and CEO Yang Yuanquing said that the company plans to keep the Motorola brand alive, alongside its own portfolio of tablets and phones. In addition, Yang confidently predicted sales of 100 million handsets this year after it completes the Motorola deal. Yang added that Lenovo “can further grow the business, not just in the US and Latin America, where [the Motorola brand] is strong today.
Yang’s comments were echoed by Motorola’s CEO Dennis Woodside, who said that the deal will “combine two challenger brands” and will ultimately see them become “a true force in mobility.”
That of course, will only happen if and when the deal is completed. It should be noted that Larry Page said, “The deal has yet to be approved in the US or China, and this usually takes time.” Although Lenovo isn’t nearly as controversial a company as, say, Huawei, there is a risk that the deal could hit a stumbling block. Don’t forget that Motorola is involved in the very sensitive business of telecommunications, and American regulators are easily spooked by the involvement of Chinese companies in this field.
It is said that Lenovo’s bid for BlackBerry was derailed by the Canadian government, mainly because of the fact that it places a lot of trust in that company’s enterprise security, so expect a contentious review period for this deal too.


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Digital banking solution developer Kony has completed a strategic partnership with digital money solution company Payveris.
Through the collaboration, Kony DBX hopes to provide banks and financial institutions the capability to deliver secure digital money services such as P2P and account-to-account transactions, bill payments and fraud mitigation.
Connecticut-based Payveris offers an open-API, cloud-based money movement solution which empowers financial institutions to offer customers digital payments. Its services include bill payment and presentment, P2P and A2A transfers, and integrated fraud monitoring from a single location.
The company’s technology lets banks and credit unions to offer the various payment solutions across any channel, helping to lower operating expenses while enhancing customer experience.
Through the partnership with Kony, banks and credit unions will access the ability to offer differentiated money movement opportunities across all platforms, deploy services via the cloud, identify and stop fraudulent activity, and remove funding risk and inconsistent user experience.
Kony DBX senior vice president Jeffery Kendall said, “The banking industry is undergoing one of the most disruptive tectonic shifts in modern history. In order to effectively compete in this digital era, banks must evolve to meet the rapidly changing expectations of their customers.
“A key area where banks can make an immediate impact for their customers is by providing a differentiated money movement experience. For example, creating experiences that incorporate social media or reinforce the bank’s brand and identity.”
Kony is a digital application developer which designs solutions for mobile app support, mobile backend infrastructure and enterprise mobility. Kony DBX is the company’s digital banking and financial services development division which aims to improve the banking and lending space.
The company builds solutions for digital banking, retail banking, consumer lending, business banking, onboarding and digital wallets.
Copyright © 2018 FinTech Global


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SILVER SPRING, Md. (AP) — Growth in the U.S. service industry, where most Americans work, pulled back in December after expanding at a record pace the previous two months.
The Institute for Supply Management reported Thursday that its monthly survey of service industries declined to a reading of 62 last month, from an all-time high of 69.1 in November. Any reading above 50 indicates growth.
Since recording two months of contraction last year in April and May when the pandemic was raging, the overall index has now grown for 19 consecutive months.
Anthony Nieves, head of the ISM services sector survey committee, said growth in the services industry is still strong and that it didn’t appear that the recent surge of the COVID-19 omicron variant had any impact on the December activity in the sector. It’s more likely to affect next month’s activity, if the virus surge is not contained before then, he added.
Business activity, employment, new orders and supply deliveries all showed slower growth in December, the ISM report said.
The ISM’s inventories index contracted for the seventh straight month, as continued supply chain logjams, along with strong demand, has made it difficult for companies to keep shelves stocked. Prices paid by services organizations for materials and services rose in December for the 55th consecutive month, to its third-highest reading ever of 82.5.
Some strengths in the services sector is the result of those supply chain troubles that are making it harder to meet increased demand. Longer supplier delivery times and rising prices register as strengths for the services sector.
Companies are still reporting some difficulty hiring with a job market healthier than its been since the pandemic began nearly two years ago. The unemployment rate fell to 4.2% last month, a level that most economists consider close to full employment.
The Federal Reserve said last month that in part because of the strong employment situation, its low-interest rate policies are no longer needed. Those low rates were intended to encourage more hiring and the Fed now has its eyes on an overheating economy, signaling that it would quickly raise rates to rein in inflation that has ballooned to four-decade highs.
Out of 18 service sector industries covered by the ISM, 16 reported growth in December.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press.
Read More: US service industry grows more slowly in December


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Empresaria Group plc (LON: EMR) have seen their shares sink after they issued a warning to shareholders on profit expectations in comparison to the year before.
For 2019, Empresaria expects adjusted pretax profit to be roughly £9.0 million, a drop from £11.4 million the year before.
As the uncertainty of Britian’s stance with the EU continues to shroud over British business, Empresaria have said that profits may be lower than expectations due to slow market conditions.
Empresaria are one of many firms including De La Rue (LON: DLAR) and Dunelm (LON: DNLM) who have alluded to Brexit complications causing slowing business revenues.
The company’s European operations have been affected by a slowdown in the German automotive sector.
Additionally, the group said that its Engineering business was hurt by challenging market conditions and an adverse impact from Brexit.
With material declines in revenue, Empresaria expects the Engineering business to report an annual adjusted operating loss of £1.5 million, which may pose worries to investors.
“While we are disappointed by the performance of our Engineering sector and the challenging economic environment, we believe we are taking the right actions for the long-term benefit of the group. We have a strong, profitable and cash generative business that is being positioned for further growth in net fee income and profitability,” said Chief Executive Officer Rhona Briggs.
As a result of poor trading and deteriorating trading figures, Empresaria have conducted a material restructuring of the business and operations, which is expected to be completed by January 2020.
Action taken includes aligning the group into core sectors, identifying synergies with brand and markets, and identifying cost synergies, including rationalising back office support.
The firm has said their say commenting “Significant actions have been taken in the impacted businesses in the UK and Germany to right size their cost base with the full benefit of this expected to come through in 2020,”
Currently, share of Empresaria are trading at 44.5p per share, falling 11.89%. 30/10/19 11:45BST.


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Honda launches ad campaign to replace air bags
Automaker responding to defective inflators that can explode with too much force
DETROIT — Honda is launching an unprecedented U.S. ad campaign urging owners to get vehicles repaired if they have been recalled to fix defective air bags.
The Japanese automaker will spend several million dollars on ads in 120 newspapers and 30-second radio spots in 110 markets. It's also sponsoring customized Facebook posts that will appear in owners' timelines. The ads — in English and Spanish — will begin running this week.
Honda has recalled about 6.2 million cars in the U.S. since 2008 because air bag inflators made by Takata Corp. can explode with too much force, sending shrapnel into the vehicle. Ten automakers, including Honda, have recalled about 22 million cars globally to replace Takata inflators. Six deaths have been blamed on the problem.
Spokesman Chris Martin said it's the first time Honda has reached out to owners through a media campaign. The ad makes clear that recalls are free, and promises loaners if there is a delay in getting the cars repaired.
"Almost everyone knows someone who owns a Honda," says one print ad, which urges friends to tell owners to contact the company. "We care about your safety, so please take action immediately."
The ads will focus on the 11 warm-weather states and U.S. territories that Honda says are at greatest risk.
Honda says it has replaced 1.1 million of about 8 million defective inflators in the U.S., or just 14 percent of the total. Some of the recalled cars have recalled Takata inflators on both the driver and passenger sides. Honda reported to the government that 17,809 owners hadn't been found, despite mailings and phone calls.
The government's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration told lawmakers in a letter that the 10 automakers have replaced inflators on only 2 million, or just under 12 percent, of the 17 million vehicles recalled in the U.S. for Takata air bag problems, Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., said.
"That's just not acceptable," he said. "Progress has been painfully slow."
Automakers have been hampered by a lack of replacement parts, and Takata has promised to speed up production. Honda has hired two other air bag makers to produce inflators as well.
Chrysler, Ford and Toyota, which also have recalled cars with Takata air bags, say they have also done phone calls and mailings, but none plans to match Honda's advertising effort.


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Source: The Oklahoman
On an icy winter day when the sun barely rose higher than the peaks of the Chugach Mountains, one store in a sleepy strip mall near the airport was abuzz with activity. The hand-lettered cardboard sign outside told the story: Alaska's First Halal Grocery.
Inside, owner Lamin Jobarteh was pricing bottles of bright-orange palm oil, a product he was sure would fly off the shelves as soon as he called the Nigerians in town to let them know it had arrived. A group of Somali women in brightly colored headscarves looked through a gleaming white freezer for cubed bone-in goat meat.
Anchorage is now home to nearly 4,000 Muslims, up from a hundred or so when Jobarteh, who hails from the West African nation of Gambia, arrived in Alaska to attend graduate school in the 1990s.
For years, he watched as the growing community ordered bulk shipments of Halal meat and specialty groceries from Seattle and Vancouver, Canada, the nearest cities where they were available.
"I've seen the demand for a long time," he said. "Muslim people cannot live without Halal food, and it's expensive to ship it up.


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After leaving Google in 2014, Android co-founder Andy Rubin started Playground Global, a company that steered clear of any concrete description ever since.
At the 2015 Code Mobile, Rubin said the mysterious new startup will “amplify ideas” – a frustratingly vague information which didn’t clear the air any more. But after prolonged information dripping, we finally get a more straightforward answer about Playground’s ambitious goals.
A startup incubator combined with a venture fund and a software company – that’s pretty much what Playground is. With more than $300 million to invest, Rubin’s company has already signed up a dozen companies on its books. But what exactly is Playground looking for?
According to its CEO, it wants to give tech companies equal opportunity to build the Next Big Thing by providing them with ready-made hardware and software – including some artificial intelligence technology.
Some of the industry’s biggest names – Google, Facebook, and Microsoft – have started invested heavily in their AI team, looking to improve existing services and develop new products. This is how neural networks have started becoming more prevalent, spreading pretty much everywhere in the tech world.
We have been given some sneak peeks into what these companies have done with deep learning, so how can a startup compete with that sort of research? The answer is Playground and its offering of pre-made AI tools.
Remember the chaos that was the smartphone market before Android launched? Users had few functioning options besides the iPhone, but Android enabled smartphone manufacturers to develop new phones without having to worry about the operating system.
That’s exactly what Playground wants to do – to help take some of the pressure off startups when it comes to creating new tools. Tech companies will be able to pick and choose from Rubin’s own hardware and build it into their own products.
Playground’s headquarters are ready to host about 30 startups that need tools and equipment for new projects; Rubin explained they can provide “thermoplastic and multimaterial printers, laser cutters, CNC machines, metal sintering 3D printers, spectrum analyzers, network test equipment, RF test chambers, and optic labs,” to name a few.
But Playground is also ready to build its own products, such as a dashboard camera that will be given away to customers in exchange for the data they collect. This is only the tip of the iceberg – the company plans to connect all the world’s gadgets through one new infrastructure.
Does Rubin’s plan sound fantastical and out of sci-fi movies? Maybe, but he has the Android revolution on his resume, so he has earned the right to feel confident about shaping a new future.
Image Source: CNET


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CONSUMER ALERT: Sweepstakes Scams Stealing Arkansans Cash
May 17, 2017
LITTLE ROCK – Scam artists are making unsolicited phone calls and sending unsolicited emails to convince Arkansans they have won a sweepstakes or lottery. But there is a catch – “winners” must first wire a processing fee or fill out a form to provide banking information to the con artist so the money can be deposited. This is a scam.
“Arkansans work hard for their money, and these criminals who do what they can to steal from us are appalling,” said Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge. “My office has had recent calls from Arkansans reporting they were told they had won $2 million – if only they would send $900. Consumers need to be cautious when receiving unsolicited phone calls or emails. Legitimate organizations will never require a processing fee or private banking information in exchange for a prize.”
Attorney General Rutledge released the following tips to help consumers spot one of these scams:
- Consumers should not try to collect winnings from a sweepstakes they do not remember entering.
- Never give out personal financial information.
- Do not pay any money up front in an attempt to claim a prize.
- Always remember, if it looks or seems too good to be true, it mostly likely is.
Scammers often use the name of legitimate businesses, like Publishers Clearinghouse, or a similar name to trick consumers into turning over their information.
No matter how the consumer is notified, there is a good chance the consumer will lose money instead of winning it. When money is wired to a foreign country, it is very difficult, if not impossible, to get it returned.
Consumers should ignore all unsolicited sweepstakes prices and immediately contact the Attorney General’s office to report the call or email.
For more information and tips to avoid scams and other consumer-related issues, contact the Arkansas Attorney General’s office at (800) 482-8982 or email@example.com or visit ArkansasAG.gov or facebook.com/AGLeslieRutledge.


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THREE prominent Helloworld Travel agencies have joined forces for a new “invitation-only” Platinum Club within the company’s Cruiseco wholesale operation. Phil Hoffmann Travel – which was one of the three co-founders of the original Cruiseco way back in 2000 – is part of the triumvirate alongside Queensland-based Clean Cruising and the Hunter Travel Group national network of agencies based in Newcastle, NSW.
The formation of the group is an indication of Helloworld’s strong commitment to the cruise sector, according to Helloworld Travel Limited Chief Operating Officer and Executive Director, Cinzia Burnes. She said the newly formed Club would bring together “experience and expertise” with an intention to “extend the membership opportunity and criteria to like-minded and cruise-focused agents…as the group hits various milestones”.
Karen Deveson, GM Cruise for Helloworld, said “The Platinum Cruise Club is a revisited strategic apporach which has been welcomed by our cruise line partners seeking to see more proactive packaging of their cruise product. We are thrilled by the positive response we have received,” she said.
Phil Hoffmann Travel CEO Peter Willliams said “the opportunity to collaborate with like-minded cruise-focused agencies backed by Cruiseco, presents a chance for everyone to win – client, cruise line, Cruiseco and the travel agent”.
The move comes amid major ructions in the Australian cruise wholesale market. Flight Centre Travel Group has just announced the formation of a new cruise wholesale operation under the CruiseHQ brand, while Creative Cruising, recently acquired by Helloworld as part of the Express Travel Group takeover, is recruiting for at least four senior roles including a new General Manager.
Helloworld’s new Cruiseco Platinum Club plans to curate exclusive cruise and land packages, and jointly sell into group allocations as well as promote ad hoc offers presented by cruise line partners. It’s unclear what


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Those hoping for a repeat of the madness that accompanied the aborted launch of the iPhone 4S in January left disappointed on Friday, as The Wall Street Journal reports that Apple’s flagship Beijing store began selling the iPhone 5 in uneventful fashion:
At 8 am on Friday, when the store opened to hurrahs from employees, only two consumers stood inside a cordon set up by Apple, though they were joined by a desultory snow man someone had made on a bench near the entrance. It’s not clear how much of the low turnout was attributable to the weather, how much to slack initial excitement for the device, and how much to the steps Apple has taken to smooth out the process of releasing products in China.
Apple recently added new stores in Beijing and the southern city of Shenzhen, with another one set to open soon in the southwestern city of Chengdu. The company has also changed how it releases its most popular products in China, requiring customers to apply online a day before to buy new devices and those selected are given a time window in which they can come out to get the phone. Those selected are given a time window in which they can come out to pick up their purchase.
Tian Jisheng, one of the two waiting in the cold when the store opened, said the lottery was competitive. He said he used four identities to apply for phones, but was only given an appointment for one. “I thought I didn’t get it, but then after 8 pm I received a notice I had gotten one,” he said.
Mr. Tian wasn’t visibly excited, but he said he was happy when he emerged from the store with his new, black iPhone 5. He said he was surprised there wasn’t a larger crowd.
One Beijing newspaper reported that an eager shopper broke into an Apple resale store before it opened this morning, according to CNET, but left empty handed after the store’s security system was activated. While the opening may have fallen flat, Reuters’ Melanie Lee writes that the release of the iPhone 5 may help Apple stabilize its shrinking market share in China, at least in the short-term:
Cupertino, California-based Apple has been in talks about a tie-up with China Mobile for four years. A deal with China’s biggest carrier is seen as crucial to improve Apple’s distribution in a market of 290 million users – which is forecast to double this year.
China is Apple’s second-largest and fastest-growing market – it brings in around 15 percent of total revenue – but the company’s failure to strike a deal with China Mobile means it is missing out on a large number of phone users. As the China pie grows, Apple’s sales increase, but without China Mobile, it’s losing ground at a faster rate compared to other brands.
“In absolute terms, this (iPhone 5) launch will certainly result in strong sales for Apple in China. However, in relative terms, I don’t believe it will move the needle enough in market share,” said Shiv Putcha, a Mumbai-based analyst at Ovum, a global technology consultant.
China Mobile and Apple initially said they were separated only by a technical issue – as the Chinese carrier runs a different 3G network from most of the world – but that has evolved into a broader and more complex issue of revenue-sharing.


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Seven million extra contactless payments have been made since the limit was raised at the start of the month, while average transactions rise nearly £5.
Contactless spending limits were raised from £30 to £45 across the UK on April 1 in a bid to enable more people to pay for shopping without having to use cash or touch pin pads, potentially helping limit the spread of coronavirus.
According to payments giant Barclaycard, 7 million customers have paid for items over £30 using their contactless cards since the measures were introduced.
This accounted for around 43 per cent of all payments between £30 and £45, totalling a spend of over £264 million.
The new limits have also seen average transaction value jump from £9.28 to just under £14, while the average spend over £30 is £36.
“We want to play our part in helping to prevent the spread of COVID-19, so we are delighted to have reached 7 million transactions so quickly,” Barclaycard Payments chief executive Rob Cameron said.
“We would like to thank our clients both large and small for working with us to make the required changes, and for promoting the new limits to consumers.
“This rapid adoption would not have been possible without them. We believe that contactless is the safest, fastest and most responsible way to pay in store, and we encourage all consumers to take advantage of the new higher limit where possible.”


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As we all embrace the new ease of use of e-commerce and consume "Everything as a Service," that concept becomes pretty self-evident. However, this change could have profound implications. Individual employees and managers will shop online for applications that solve business needs.
They will apply their consumption habits learned at home from Netflix, Amazon, Tripit and "World of Warcraft" to the process of buying project management software, CRM, ERP, and other classical enterprise software applications. The entrepreneurs and nimble existing players who cater to those new buying expectations and channels will win big in the next decade.
This is akin to the technology market's evolution from mainframes to minicomputers to desktop PCs nearly two decades ago. Employees who trained themselves on their PCs at home brought that expertise -- and in some cases, those machines -- into the work environment and changed the computing landscape.
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Customer relationship management CRM
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- September 21, 2005
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- August 09, 2005
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When venturing into direct-to-consumer online sales, an SAP CRM project threatened to spin out of control, but a focus on goals led to success.
- March 14, 2005
IBM agreed today to purchase data integration vendor Ascential for $1.1 billion.
- March 02, 2005
High profile breaches of customer data at Bank of America and ChoicePoint should have firms thinking about how privacy affects the customer experience.


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HON Launches Green Push At NeoCon
HON has launched a green marketing push that coincides with the 2007 NeoCon World Trade Fair which ends today at Chicago’s Merchandise Mart.
A 15-person “Green Man Group” is roaming the streets around Chicago’s Merchandise Mart showcasing HON products and the company’s green message.
The group is encouraging NeoCon visitors to stop by The HON Company’s event showroom, which is promoting a new environmental product, Initiate panel systems, made with Nature Core fiberboard which the company says is a non-woven composite material made from a blend of primarily natural and synthetic fibers.
The company has also launched www.HONthinksgreen.com, a website intended to update customers on environmental initiatives within the company – which HON has positioned as a way of reducing the amount of paper used in traditional mailings, brochures and shipping.
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