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When cracking open a cold can, it’s easy to overlook beer’s carbon footprint. But if you pause from that first sip and look downstream, from beer can back to barley crop, greenhouse gasses are released at every stage of that beer’s life cycle: in refrigeration, at distribution, during packaging and transportation, and even during farming. (When it’s time to recycle, there’s carbon costs to be accounted for there, too.)
While international brands like Heineken and large craft breweries such as New Belgium have pledged carbon neutrality in the coming years, it’s difficult for breweries on their own to significantly impact beer’s larger carbon footprint.
“We’re just part of a national infrastructure,” says Katie Wallace, New Belgium’s director of social and environmental impact. A single brewery cannot impact how beer, by and large, is transported or packaged.
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But recently, new technologies and packaging innovations offer hope that the larger industry can shed unnecessary greenhouse gas emissions.
Packaging — which contributes to more than a third of beer’s overall carbon footprint — “is the last mile when it comes to sustainability,” says Caren McNamara, founder of Conscious Container, a company attempting to create an environmentally and economically viable refillable glass bottle system in Northern California .
According to the Environmental Protection Agency’s most recent report, about 70 percent of glass bottles and half of aluminum cans end up in landfills. Producing new bottles unnecessarily contributes harmful emissions, and crushing, sterilizing, and rebuilding materials through recycling isn’t a carbon neutral process, either.
The Oregon Beverage Recycling Cooperative (OBRC) is a statewide response to the bottle problem. Through OBRC, Oregonians can bag their refillable containers, attach a personal QR code, drop these bags at one of more than 80 locations — on average, OBRC opens two new drop-offs monthly — and receive refund credit, sometimes 20 percent above value. In 2019, OBRC’s 650,000 account holders (in a state with roughly 2.5 million adults, some of whom share accounts with other adults in their households) returned 5.2 million bags to drop-off locations. In 2020, OBRC received 8.3 million bags.
The system accounts for one of the lowest per-container processing costs and highest redemption rates in the world. While no refundable bottles entering the system end up in landfills, and the 1 million refillable bottles in circulation get separated out, the early system needs certain investments to improve efficiency. For instance, there is no bottle washing machine in Oregon, forcing OBRC to ship its refillable bottles to Montana for cleaning, which still, paradoxically, makes financial and environmental sense.
“In a mature system, those returnable bottles will cost significantly less” for both consumers and brewers, McNamara says, citing Coca-Cola’s $400 million investment in refillable bottles in South America. “You don’t invest $400 million in a system unless there’s an ROI there.”
Conscious Container, piloted with the support of Anheuser-Busch, is also attempting to bring a circular economy of refillable bottles to Northern California. But state laws have made it trickier, forcing McNamara to focus on legislative battles first. Conscious Container recently helped push a bill through the state legislature to prevent recycling machines from crushing refillable bottles, yet there’s other bureaucratic red tape. If it wants to incentivize its customers with an offer above deposit rate, as OBRC does, Conscious Container needs to fight to overturn an archaic California statute prohibiting additional incentives for returning used alcohol containers.
Other packaging systems are in place across the industry to reduce beer’s carbon footprint. MicroStar focuses on logistics through a keg share program, ensuring that brewers’ kegs never have to travel the return journey empty. After a keg gets kicked, the empty container is sent to another nearby MicroStar customer so that it can be refilled and shipped full. There are also two new technologies that remove water from beer, which is essentially 95 percent of the beverage.
In Golden, Colo., Sustainable Beverage Technologies (SBT) created BrewVo, a machine that sends beer through a multi-brewed fermentation process, which founder and chief technology officer Pat Tatera calls “nested fermentation.” The process involves brewing a typical beer, removing the alcohol, and then brewing another batch of wort inside the brewed beer, allowing additional fermentation to take place. The alcohol is continually removed and new batches of wort are continually added. These repeated fermentations eventually yield a thick concentrate, like soda syrup, which can be packaged in bags that ship eight times more efficiently than cans or bottles, according to Tatera, since the beer is both concentrated and the bags have better pallet density than their cylindrical counterparts. And because SBT’s beer concentrates travel at one-sixth the normal weight and volume, the company is providing opportunities for the industry to eliminate many of the greenhouse gas emissions that come from packaging, transportation, and refrigeration.
Using another SBT technology, bars or breweries can add the alcohol (which is bagged separately) back into the beer concentrate when it’s rehydrated and carbonated. Interestingly, alcohol levels can be adjusted in the final product without affecting flavor. Customers can therefore order a full-strength beer or non-alcoholic (NA) beer that virtually tastes the same.
While it might be peculiar to consider drinking a once-concentrated beer, BrewVo-brewed beer has won gold at the Best of Craft Beer Awards in a category with many well-regarded session IPAs and bronze at the Australian International Beer Competition.
In Sweden, Alfa Laval’s Revos Beer and Beverage Concentration machine also removes liquid from beer through reverse osmosis, which takes place at the end of the brewing process. Its inventor, Ronan McGovern, claims that Revos’s beer concentrates are approximately five times more efficient to transport than bottles, cans, and kegs.
While there’s a clear benefit to transporting quality beer concentrates, the challenge is to get brewers to recognize and respect the environmental benefits of these products.
For instance, one craft brewery uses the BrewVo system because it produces high-quality NA beers. However, once the brewery receives its bagged concentrates from Colorado, the beer gets reconstituted and canned in Oregon, and is then shipped to the East Coast — canceling out the greenhouse gas emissions that had been reduced by the technology.
Carbon dioxide released during fermentation is considered net zero — it’s released from sugars but removed from the atmosphere during photosynthesis — yet capturing this carbon certainly helps. Not only does it pull carbon from the atmosphere; capturing carbon dioxide eliminates the need for brewers to purchase and ship CO2 tanks to their facilities.
For years, large breweries have owned and operated warehouse-sized systems that capture carbon. But for small breweries, owning such a system was never realistic. In 2018, however, Earthly Labs launched CiCi, a small machine that uses foam traps to capture carbon dioxide from the brewing process, stores the carbon, and converts the gas into a chilled and purified liquid. This end product can be recycled back into the brewing process, pumped into packaging, or used to move beer through tanks. Earthly Lab’s founder and CEO, Amy George, estimates that CiCi’s cost is recouped by most breweries within a few years, as brewers save on purchasing CO2, which also happened to be in short supply last year during the ongoing pandemic. SBT’s CEO and Revos’s inventor offered similar estimates for the time it takes to recoup the costs of their machines.
Some breweries are even using CiCi to resell their captured carbon. One Earthly Lab customer, Denver Beer Co., transports 60 percent of its captured carbon to nearby marijuana farms, where the liquid is vaporized to enhance indoor photosynthesis and increase the plant’s yield and potency.
“We’ve turned a waste stream into an income stream,” says Charlie Berger, co-founder of Denver Beer Co. “CO2 recapture will be the norm in the beer industry because this technology is now available. It makes business, climate, and market sense.” It might also make product sense. The Denver Beer Co. added CiCi-captured gas to one batch of beer and injected commercial gas — a byproduct of ethanol production — into another. And because the gas captured with the CiCi machine is free of “the nasty, volatile, organic compounds” found in commercial gas, Berger explains, the Denver Beer Co. team had noticed a difference in taste.
Today, a typical 6-pack might only go for $10 to $20. But in the foreseeable future, if the beer industry fails to address greenhouse gas emissions, that pack could cost more than five times the price. On International Beer Day last year, New Belgium raised the price of its Fat Tire 6-pack from about $12 to $100 to show what beer might cost when climate change causes ingredient scarcity.
Outside of drinking locally, climate-conscious beer lovers can enjoy products from breweries that are incorporating environmentally friendly technologies, considering carbon footprint-lowering innovations, and partnering with local systems that will allow everyone to drink quality products at reasonable prices for years to come.
This story is a part of VP Pro, our free content platform and newsletter for the drinks industry, covering wine, beer, and liquor — and beyond. Sign up for VP Pro now!


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Emerging Technology & Innovation

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LAS VEGAS (AP) – Technology companies are showing off their latest products at CES this weekformerly known as the Consumer Electronics Show.
The show officially opened on Thursday, with scores of investors, media and tech workers flocking to the cavernous Las Vegas venue. to see the latest technology from both large companies and startups.
Here are some highlights:
Have you ever wondered what your dog would say if he could talk to you?
FluentPet promises the next best thing—buttons you can train your pet to push if it’s hungry, needs to go outside, or wants to play, the company says.
The buttons are on a hexagonal shaped plastic mat, called a hexagon. Hexagons can be joined together to create a larger collection of buttons.
“We find that when dogs know they are understood because of the accuracy and specificity of the buttons, they complain less because they no longer care if they are saying what they really want,” said Leo Trottier, CEO of FluentPet.
At CES, the company announced a new app called FluentPet Connect that notifies owners when their dog presses a button and collects data on how the buttons are used.
Fluent Pet’s starter kit comes with a hex, speaker and six buttons for $159.95. The application does not require a subscription.
HIGH-TECH SAFE DRIVER
Canadian startup Gluxkind’s smart stroller is designed to make life easier for on-the-go parents.
The AI-powered stroller has a sensor that lets you know when you’ve picked up a fussy baby, and it will roll in front of you while you walk without touching it.
When the baby is in the stroller, you need to keep your hands on it, but the battery will help push it, making it easier to push uphill. It stops automatically when it is too far away from the person pushing it. It can also rock the baby back and forth.
The battery lasts about eight hours and takes two to four hours to charge.
“I looked at the stroller market and I was really surprised that we didn’t have anything that had some level of automation or motorization,” said Anne Hunger, who founded the company with her husband, Kevin Huang, after their daughter was born. in 2020.
The company is currently taking pre-orders for the stroller and hopes to start shipping them in July. Prices start at $3,300.
Need a break? Japanese company Yukai Engineering says its robotic fufuly pillow can help users relax by mimicking the rhythm of breathing.
The soft, fluffy pillow slowly expands and contracts, vibrating as you hold it against your stomach. The idea is that as your breathing begins to synchronize with the movement of the pillow, you will breathe more slowly and deeply.
It was developed on the basis of research conducted at the University of Tokyo.
Shunsuke Aoki, CEO of Yukai, said the pillow could help remote workers who find it difficult to get off work.
The version on display at CES is a prototype. The company is looking for partners and hopes to start production this year.
Meet Dog-E, the exciting robodog.
Presented by toy maker WowWee, Dog-E has over a million possible light, sound and personality features.
Dog-E starts as a blank canvas and develops a personality as you build it.
Connected to the app, the toy has audio sensors to hear sounds, touch sensors on its sides and body, and a tail that you can program to display icons and messages that light up when you swing it.
WowWee’s Jessica Kalichman says it’s a good option for those who can’t commit to a real puppy or have allergies.
“I think for anyone who isn’t ready to own a dog yet, it’s a great test to take care of it, feed it, nurture it and really test it out for a family,” she said.
WowWee expects Dog-E to be in stores in September. It will sell for $79. To control the movements of the toy, the application does not require a subscription.
LOADING RUNAWAY SUCCESS
If you want a treadmill but don’t have a lot of space, WalkingPad offers a solution – a lightweight treadmill that can be folded in half when not in use and stored on the wall or under the bed.
The WalkingPad reaches a speed of 7.5 mph (12 km/h). It also includes a removable phone or tablet holder and tracks your workouts in a free app. Its creators envision it to help remote workers stay fit at home.
An early version of the WalkingPad went viral on TikTok as influencers added it to videos about their daily routines at home.
Walking Pad creator King Smith Fitness opened its first headquarters in Dallas in December.
For more information on CES, visit: https://apnews.com/hub/technology
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Today’s order of business is to determine exactly how far up our supermini class rankings it may rise, before the all-important European registration numbers begin to reveal whether or not it can reclaim what was once a heavyweight sales profile.
Nissan created a fine reputation for a car visible on UK roads even in its 1980s first generation. It became the first Japanese car to win the coveted European Car of the Year gong in its second.
The third-generation Micra, known as the K12 version, became every inch the sophisticated, desirable, European-built small car that noughties tastes demanded, cleverly turning the Micra’s existing image as a worthy learner-driver’s favourite on its head.
But Nissan’s big gamble, seven years ago, was to move production of the fourth-generation K13 Micra out of Nissan’s Sunderland factory and into new production bases in India, Thailand, Mexico and Indonesia, importing cars back into the spiritual home of the supermini in the hope that Europe’s discerning customers would accept them as if nothing had changed.
But by 2013, European Micra sales had fallen from an all-time high of 171,000 cars (in 2003, the year of the introduction of the third-gen model) to fewer than 50,000 – and the Micra had plummeted out of the continent’s top 10 best-sellers.


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The big news is coming up ahead of Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference 2018, which is scheduled on June 04 at San Jose Convention Center, California. WWDC is Apple’s dedicated software event, last year Apple had unveiled iOS 11 in this event. Updated Siri, redesigned control center and more features for 3D touch were the highlights of iOS 11. This year Apple could showcase the brand new iOS 12 for iPhones and iPads.
As per the reports Lock Screens of iPhones and iPad may get updates for better user experience in iOS 12. The users will be able to select different shortcuts and put it on the lock screen, Apple may offer more customization in iOS 12. Apps like Music, Camera, and Siri could get updates in iOS 12. Apart from this Apple could support the widgets for few important Apps on the lock screen. Few optimizations could arrive for an always-on screen. Apart from the iOS WatchOS, macOS may get their updated version in the event.
Initially, Apple has introduced NFC chipset to allow users to pay using the Apple Pay. But new iOS 12 could make iPhones able to open locked doors and hotel rooms. MacBook 2018 is still yet to be announced, so it could be the one of the possibility that Apple may introduce a new version of the MacBook series. As we know this is software dedicated event so Apple may not be interesting in launching new products, but let’s see.
As per the rumors Apple is working on the iPads to bring iPhone X like edge-to-edge display. Apple could come with updated iPad Pro version in the WWDC 2018 on June 04. More than 5000 developers across the world are expected to join the event.


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Hofmann Megaplan Blog
As we all know, Electric Vehicles (EVs) are the hot topic within the automotive industry at the moment and that isn’t going to change anytime soon – in fact, there are quite a few areas of interest for many professionals following EV development...and the dates of when all new petrol and diesel car sales will be banned is a key area!
The UK government announced some time ago that there are already (ambitious) plans in place to ban the sale of all new petrol and diesel car sales by 2030, which caused immediate concerns for garage owners and mechanics alike, relating to how that will change the face of automotive aftersales service moving forwards. One in four UK households, equating to 6.5million, plan to buy an EV in the next five years but due to the lack of consumer confidence in battery life and charging facilities, there is still a long way to go.
The European Union has announced the proposed date of 2035 for the ban on sale of all new petrol and diesel cars – including hybrids – with 55% vehicular CO2 emissions decrease from current levels by 2030. This comes as part of a package of measures outlined by the EU to help with the development of the EV rollout.
It’s clear that car manufacturers are using these dates to continue the development and progression of their EV ranges, however garages are yet to take the plunge into investing for the future (even though we are seeing more and more EVs on the roads in the UK!).
Taking the plunge into EV servicing...
It’s not unusual for independent garage operators to be hesitant about investing in new equipment. At Hofmann Megaplan we saw the same trend when ADAS diagnostics were first introduced...
However, many garages are now reaping the benefits of ADAS servicing and the select few businesses that become ‘early adopters’ and turn their hand to EV services first, will establish themselves as the local leaders for Electric Vehicle maintenance. It would be hard for any consumer to think of going anywhere else!
Our brand new range of EV servicing equipment will have you covered:
This is a genuine problem the automotive industry currently faces and the battery life of Electric Vehicles (EVs) has been in the spotlight over the last couple of months, as this is one of the main reasons there is a lack of consumer confidence.
Electric cars are still relatively new and everyone is just starting to find out a little bit more of what to expect from them in the future.
However, it isn’t just consumers that have potential issues about the longevity of EVs. Automotive professionals from garage owners to mechanics, and even parliamentary personnel, have all been raising concerns about the lack of charging stations, battery life and a lack of EV knowledge when it comes to maintenance and servicing.
So...have you ever wondered what would happen if you’re stuck in a five-mile traffic jam with an electric car that doesn’t have a full charge?
EV battery life simulation by Which?...
Consumer advocacy group Which? has attempted to address concerns that an EV’s battery would drain rather quickly if the driver used the air conditioning, heated seats, and other options while stuck in traffic.
To help with consumer confidence, Which? used the latest Volkswagen ID.4 electric and through conducting the simulation of being at a standstill for an hour with the lights on, changing the cabin temperature, streaming music, and watching films on rear-seat screens had only a little influence on energy consumption, resulting in a loss of only 2% capacity, or eight miles of range.
The test was conducted with music being streamed through the Android Auto system embedded into the infotainment system to see how battery capacity was affected by the vehicle remaining stationary.
Both front heated seats were also set to the highest temperature, the air conditioning was on full blast, the dipped headlights were turned on and a tablet was plugged into a USB connector in the back seats was playing a movie.
The VW’s battery only lost 2% of its 77kWh capacity after just over an hour and 15 minutes, equating to only eight miles of range.
Which? did note, however, that its controlled test was conducted on a hot day, and that cold temperatures will have a greater impact on the car’s power consumption and said that they would conduct a similar test during the winter.
Covering five different countries, including France, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands and the UK, and speaking to more than 10,000 Electric Vehicle (EV) drivers from across those countries, NewMotion’s EV Driver Survey is said to be the largest and most comprehensive in the industry to date...and you could learn so much from it!
Garage owners and mechanics alike are starting to think about EV equipment and asking the questions:
- What do consumers think of EVs?
- What access do EV drivers currently have to charging stations?
- What are consumers expectations for the future?
This information is readily available for you to download now, just visit NewMotion by clicking here.
So, what are Hofmann Megaplan’s key takeaways from this survey?
3 Key Takeaways...
- Breadth and diversity emerging among EV drivers across all countries.
The survey indicates that there is no ‘average’ EV driver and urges the market to not think there is a single profile for what an EV driver looks like.
Two-thirds were aged 25-54, in the central section of their working lives. Drivers in the UK were particularly young, with 16% of them under 25, while Belgium had the strongest take-up among over-65s, at 17%.
- Drivers want more, faster, interoperable charge points
Two improvements to the charging experience for EV drivers were particularly popular; better and faster availability of public charging points, and charge point interoperability.
Better availability of public charge points came out strongly overall, with 48% choosing it – and 43% in the UK. This was beaten on average by faster EV charging, which was at the top of the list for 52% of drivers overall but only 41% for the UK.
Next in line is charge point interoperability, with 36% wanting a single charge card for every public charge point (28% in the UK).
- Financial benefits beaten by environmental reasons for consumers choosing an EV
The research also found that drivers are increasingly choosing electric vehicles for eco reasons rather than financial; a total of 58% of drivers across all markets said they had opted for an EV for sustainability reasons versus 34% for financial reasons.
Interestingly, the gap between the two was closer in France and the UK; in both markets 31% of respondents said eco reasons ranked highest, with 21% of French EV drivers selecting financial reasons and 18% of UK drivers.


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News – MotoGP 15 announced
Two-wheeled racer, MotoGP 15 has been announced and will be released in June on PS4, Xbox One, PS3, Xbox 360, and PC.
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Dark Souls II is coming to PS4 and Xbox One on the 7th of April, Bandai Namco has announced. Dark Souls 2: Scholar of the First Sin will also launch on... [Read full story]
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N64 game, The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask is getting a 3DS remake in the Spring, Nintendo has announced.
There will be a Special Edition of the... [Read full story]
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Far Cry 4 will feature Battles of Kyrat a team based deathmatch mode, Ubisoft has announced.
This is a 5 versus 5 mode, which sees two contrasting factions... [Read full story]
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The Two Tribes developed Rive was announced in July, although the developer hadn’t revealed what platforms the game is coming to, until now.
The... [Read full story]
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Far Cry 4 will be released bundled with PS3 and PS4, Sony has announced.
The price of the bundles is TBA.
Ubisoft have also released a new trailer for... [Read full story]


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The new bars contain 1-2g of sugar, 9g of plant-protein and 4g net carbs
September 24, 2020
Buddha Brands®, maker of better-for-you, plant-based food and beverages, launched Hungry Buddha® Keto Bars in an effort to clean up the keto aisle. The new bars are KETO DONE CLEAN®, and available in four flavors: Chocolate Chip, Coconut Cocoa, Espresso Brownie, and Triple Chocolate.
New butter product brings plant-based culinary inspiration to home chefs
August 11, 2020
Flora Plant Butter is a vegan, dairy free, gluten free, and non-GMO plant butter with a rich and creamy taste and which consumers can use 1:1 in baking and cooking but is made with plant-based oils, and no artificial flavors or preservatives.
New gummies are vegan, dairy-, gluten-, and soy-free
August 5, 2020
Gaia Herbs, a natural herbal products brand, announced the extension of its Black Elderberry line with three new efficacious USDA Certified Organic immune health products: Black Elderberry Extra Strength Gummies, Everyday Elderberry Gummies, and GaiaKids® Everyday Elderberry Gummies.
Hydrosol is ready to help processors catch the next wave in plant-based foods: fish and seafood
July 21, 2020
The “plant-based revolution” is the term Innova Market Insights uses for the continuing worldwide boom in plant-based food and beverages. In the US and in Europe, for example, the demand for meat alternatives is rising rapidly. In addition to health and enjoyment, food shoppers say they also are considering safety, environment and animal welfare when buying foods. Experts even suggest that consumers are even rethinking their eating habits in light of the world’s COVID-19 pandemic.
New chef-inspired product is shelf-stable and dairy-free
July 16, 2020
Eat Howl Inc., a chef-driven, plant-based foods company, launched Mac & Chef, available nationwide at Whole Foods and online via VeganEssentials. Under the Howl™ brand, the company released its flagship product Mac & Chef™, a cashew-based mac and cheese.
AAK USA highlights virtual, on-trend tastes for IFT20
July 14, 2020
AAK USA Inc., one of the world’s leading manufacturers of value-adding specialty vegetable fats and oils, featured a wide range of specialty fats and oils solutions for the 2020 Institute of Food Technologists Annual Meeting and Food Expo (IFT20) virtual event.
Raw and sprouted overnight breakfast meal are gluten-free and vegan
July 6, 2020
Foodnerd, a company dedicated to creating easily accessible, digestible, and understandable superfoods, launched OverNights, a raw and sprouted overnight breakfast meal available to consumers. The grab-and-go style pop-up bowl is available in multiple flavors and two bases, resulting in a high-impact food solution that caters to all palates.


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Episode 31: Capital Markets Weekly - Market sentiment taking a turn for the worse
02 March 2020 15:01 Brian LawsonAs COVID-19 concerns grow, conditions in markets have moved in a less-positive direction. This week, our capital markets expert, Brian Lawson, looks at how credit spreads have shifted sharply as corporate activity has changed in light of the spread of the virus. He discusses the direct influence that lost production and supply chain disruptions are having. But it's not all bad. In the second half of this episode, he turns to look at green investments including Tokyo electric power, Hong Kong's green sector expansion, and Egypt's plans to promote the sale of green bonds.
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Nigeria’s Afrobeat-dancehall singer, Patrick Okorie, popularly known as Patoranking, has been unveiled as the brand ambassador for the Choice International Group (CIG), makers of Lontor products.
Patoranking was unveiled as the brand ambassador of Lontor during the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Nigerian singer and the CIG, on Monday in Lagos.
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Speaking at the ceremony, the singer urged Nigerian youths to protect their future by avoiding any form of drug abuse.
He advised youths and upcoming artistes to shun drug abuse, corruption and other social vices capable of jeopardizing their contributions to national development.
Patoranking encouraged youths to follow the right direction in life, to be focused, persevere, workhard and be prayerfu, for them to excel in their careers.
He said most of his lyrical contents were always tailored towards addressing societal menace such as corruption, injustice and uplifting the youth.
Patoranking promised to continue in that strides in the coming years, so as to better the society.
He said the collaboration with the Lontor product would bring about fresh initiatives that would involve teeming youths and better the lots of many of them, who were desirous of making impact in the society.
”We are going to begin a lot together and we are definitely targeting youths because we do not want our tomorrow to be endangered,” Patoranking said.
He said his emergence as Lontor brand ambassador would entail doing a lot of things targeted at youths.
Patoranking said he was ready to work with the brand, which stood for quality, durability and greatness.
The renowned singer and dancer assured the CIG that the new generation of youths in Nigeria would be captured in the marketing net, to ensure increased visibility of the Lontor rechargeable products.
He said the MoU with the Lontor brand was to make life easier for Nigerians, through the different products of the brand.
Speaking earlier, the Chairman of CIG, Chief Diana Chen, said the MoU between Patoranking and the company was to drive e-commerce through entertainment.
Chen said the choice of Patoranking as Lontor’s brand ambassador was due to his huge fan base on social media platforms.
She expressed optimistic that the partnership would birth a new dawn for the Lontor brand, assuring consumers of affordable and durable rechargeable products to meet the realities of the nation’s economy.
Chen said the company would continue to support and invest in Nigeria’s creative industry.
Some of the rechargeable products under the Lontor brand include touchlight, standing and hand fans and bulbs, among others.


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Volkswagen E20X SUV launched to introduce SOL all-electric brand at Auto China 2018
Volkswagen has launched the E20X electric SUV at the 2018 Beijing International Automotive Exhibition (Auto China 2018). The E20X EV has been launched by Volkswagen in conjunction with its Chinese joint venture partner JAC. Along with the E20X SUV, JAC Volkswagen has launched the SOL all-electric brand. The JAC Volkswagen E20X as it will be called in the Chinese market is essentially a rebranded JAC iEV7S electric SUV. JAC Volkswagen has given it some styling changes to closer resemble the VW brand's house styling. For Europe and international markets, VW has set up another brand, ID, for electric vehicles.
The company describes the E20X as a pure electric SUV aimed at the volume market in China, with a range of more than 300km. The vehicle is expected to cost around 1,25,000 yuan Rs 13.13 lakh approximately).
Volkswagen group among all its brands in China aims to launch 40 new NEVs (new energy vehicles) in the market over the next 8 years. It also expects to have local production of battery-powered electric vehicles in six different factories across China.
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It’s pretty much a standard operation at this point: Apple releases one Beta version of iOS — then about two weeks later, they release another. Two weeks after that? Another beta. Right around this point — around the third or fourth Beta — the whispers surrounding a potential release date begin.
Apple just shipped Beta 3 of iOS 4.3 a few days ago, and sure enough: the release date whispers have begun.
According to MacStories and their “reliable source”, iOS 4.3 should be hittin’ iPhones around the world on the flower industry’s favorite day of the year: Valentine’s Day. Take this one with a grain of salt for now, though; a handful of rumors have been floating around pinning the launch on dates both a few days earlier and a few days later. With that said, just about all of the rumors pin the launch sometime around the middle of February.
Gentleman, be sure to pay 100% attention to your phone on Valentine’s Day, especially during any dinner dates you may have set up. Yeah, yeah, it’s a special day — but you’ve gotta find all the new tricks Apple has packed in. Plus, as they say: “Being ignored makes the heart grow fonder.” That’s the saying, right?


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UK study definitively shows that meth labs proliferate in state’s counties where pseudoephedrine sales are high
A University of Kentucky research study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association this week shows a direct correlation between pseudoephedrine sales and methamphetamine production in Kentucky counties. Pdeudoephedrine, the main ingredient in Sudafed and similar decongestants, is the key feedstock for meth labs. The General Assembly further limited its sale this year.
“We find that counties where more pseudoephedrine is sold, more methamphetamine lab seizures are reported. Even though Kentucky requires pseudoephedrine sales to be tracked electronically, in real-time, the per-capita sales in some counties appear to be aberrant. Our results indicate a 565-fold variation in pseudoephedrine sales between counties. It is highly improbable that demand for pseudoephedrine in these counties is solely due to cough/cold/allergy,”
explained Jeffrey Talbert, director of the College of Pharmacy‘s Institute for Pharmaceutical Outcomes and Policy.
The other authors of the study are College of Pharmacy faculty members
Karen Blumenschein and Trish Freeman, staff
member Amy Burke, and Arnold Stromberg of UK’s Department of
Statistics. For a copy of their report, click here.
2 Replies to “UK study definitively shows that meth labs proliferate in state’s counties where pseudoephedrine sales are high”
What about internet sales of pseudoephedrine?
With all respect, instead of this question:
– "What percentage of pseudoephedrine goes to honest patients, knowing that the rest goes to me cooks?"
I'd prefer an answer to this one:
– "How to deprive meth cooks of their key ingredient without putting an unfair burden on honest patients?"
Well, there might be an answer: a new formulation process has been found by a small US company where pseudoephedrine cannot be converted into meth: http://ephedrinewheretobuy.com/ephedrine-for-sale-over-the-counter-again
Good new for honest patients, bad news for meth cooks.


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THE DRIVE brings you all the latest automotive news, product reviews, celebrity guests and more. Hosted by award-winning automotive expert, Alan Taylor. For many years, Alan's expertise and quick wit has entertained millions on ABC, CBS, CNN, NBC, FOX, and the Speed Channel.
CAS Review, Demon vs Redeye, Viper Sale, and Collins Bros Jeep | #362
It seems like there's big news coming out every week around this time of year due to the plethora of international car shows that are taking place, like the Chicago Auto Show (CAS). First up to bat to fill us in on CAS happenings is Autotrader Executive Editor, Brian Moody. The 2020 Toyota RAV4 TRD Off-Road, 2020 Kia Telluride, and 2019 Volkswagen Jetta GLI gave Brian a lot to be excited about. While a few SUVs and sedans did standout, the Chicago Auto Show had a clear focus on trucks. Automotive journalist, BJ Killeen, shares how manufacturers are pushing their trucks further and further, which vehicles caught her eye, and which rides fell flat. Next up, Executive Publisher for Kelley Blue Book, Autotrader, and Dealer.com, Karl Brauer, talks about his Rubella scare after the Detroit Auto Show, and the reintroduction of the sublime green to MOPAR cars at CAS. Speaking of MOPAR cars, Alan and Karl have both had their Dodge Demons for a year and it's time for their one-year review on this beast of a machine. Another monster machine that Alan owns is his 1-of-1 2016 Dodge Viper ACR, but he's trying to not own it anymore; search for it on ClassicCars.com to take ownership of this future classic. Closing the show, Owner of Collins Bros Jeep, Dennis Collins, gushes about the Dodge Redeye; this car loses to the Demon ever so slightly on horsepower, but makes up for it everywhere else. Also, we find out how Black Mountain Jeep's licensee program works, how the trade wars are affecting business, why Dennis isn't banking on the restomod market, and what kind of plans Dennis has for Jeep's rebirthed Gladiator. Tune in for another exciting week of auto show coverage and monster car reviews.
[00:00:00] 2020 Toyota RAV4 TRD Off-Road
[[00:05:24] Kia Telluride, Subaru Legacy, Shelby GT500
[[00:12:31] 2019 Volkswagen Jetta GLI at CAS
[[00:19:51] 30 Year Anniversaries and Awesome Trucks
[[00:28:20] BJ's Top Picks from Chicago Auto Show
[[00:35:52] New Chevrolet Blazer a Disappointment?
[[00:42:12] Sublime Green is Back and Rubella Scare
[[00:48:03] Tesla Loses Tax Credit and Autonomy
[[00:54:43] Dodge Demon One Year Report Card
[[01:02:04] It's Time to Let the 2016 Viper ACR Go
[[01:09:00] Dodge Redeye and Restomod Market
[[01:18:04] Black Mountain Jeep, Tariffs, Gladiator…read more


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One word: franchises. “While many industries have been hit by the recession, sectors within the franchise industry are demonstrating significant growth – from second-hand stores and car repairs to security companies and fast food,” says David Tuck of The British Franchise Exhibition. “Banks have confirmed their ongoing – and in some cases increased – commitment to lending to these prospective franchisees, as they offer an approved business model.” According to the annual NatWest/BFA franchise survey, a stonking 91 per cent of franchisees claim their business traded profitably last year. “The failure rate among franchisees is much lower than for stand-alone start-ups,” comments Cathryn Hayes, who has been head of franchising at HSBC since 1994. “This is predominantly due to the support that the franchisee receives from its franchisor and other franchisees in the network, who can help newcomers avoid the pitfalls associated with starting a business. The risk of lending to a franchisee is lower than to a conventional SME. Applications for finance will therefore be looked at more favourably.” Want to know more about franchising? Then get yourself down to the British & International Franchise Exhibition at Olympia London on 20 and 21 March. Related articles:Franchise firm booms during downturn Picture source
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China says Western democracy has reached its limits and has started to deteriorate (alluding to Donald Trump’s victory without saying so). Global Communism will take its place, with China supplying new universal values.
When I have referred to “still-Communist China,” some readers have said, in effect, are you kidding? China has become capitalist, what with all of their entrepreneurs and wealth-building. But orthodox Marxism teaches that societies must go through a capitalist phase in order for socialism to emerge. The problem with the Soviet Union and Mao’s China is that they attempted to go from a feudal economy straight to socialism, which can’t really work. Capitalism and with it Western democracy will eventually fall from their internal contradictions.
China has come up with a style of Communism that is working, pragmatically. It is centered on economic growth, but state ownership and, what is just as effective, state control of the means of production continues.
What’s new here is China’s plan to export not just its goods but its ideology around the world. The Communists still think they will bury us. [Read more…]


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Fortnite’s popularity just keeps growing, as it had its biggest month ever in August with 78.3 million players, according to Epic Games.
Announced through the official Epic Games website, while giving some new Fall Skirmish details, Epic said it has hardened and scaled Fortnite’s systems and infrastructure to account for rising player numbers that occurred during the Summer Skirmish.
Epic said, "August was Fortnite’s biggest month yet, with 78.3 million of you showing up to play. This exposed weak points and allowed us to make targeted improvements to critical systems, such as stats and servers. The Summer Skirmish also, as you all probably noticed, highlighted problems with performance and spectating, which we’ve been working on ever since."
Epic had previously announced the $10 million Fortnite Fall Skirmish, which will have a shorter competition period than the Summer Skirmish. New details Epic gave for the Fall Skirmish include it beginning Week 1 this Friday a 12pm EST with Group 1 play, with Group 2 play starting at 4pm EST.
There has been a lot happening in Fortnite lately, including a Fortnite Cube falling into Loot Lake and creating a giant bounce field, and a Fortnite Switch bundle being announced that includes the free-to-play game, 1,000 V-bucks and the Double Helix Set launching October 5 for $299.99 US.
Season 6 of Fortnite kicks off September 25, and the Fall Skirmish starts tomorrow, September 21.
Colin Stevens is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.


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iPhone group restricts function for demonstrators
Berlin, Dusseldorf, San Francisco The web is not a safe place for dissidents in China. Beijing censors the content. Almost every step is monitored. Anyone who expresses criticism of the Communist Party runs the risk of being imprisoned for years. To avoid surveillance, demonstrators in Hong Kong used a technical trick: they shared political messages on their iPhones with the help of Airdrop, for example to Chinese tourists.
The function of Apple-Smartphones make it possible to transfer files to other devices in the immediate vicinity via Bluetooth or WLAN. The service had also been used in recent months to share information critical of the government in heavily censored China. For example, students at universities used the function to share fonts with other iPhone users in their immediate vicinity – similar to leaflets in the past. The sending of the messages is difficult to track.
But at the recent protests in China against the Covid-19 measures Airdrop no longer plays a major role. The reason: Apple already severely restricted the function in the People’s Republic almost three weeks ago when it installed the new version of the iOS operating system.
Since then, users can only receive files from non-contacts for a maximum of ten minutes. The limited use serves to protect users, argues Apple. The group wants to “prevent unwanted file sharing”, as stated in a statement.
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In fact, since the launch of Airdrop in 2013, there have been repeated complaints about the function outside of China. For example, obscene images or threats were sent to passengers with iPhones on planes or the subway.
Apple: Strong dependency in China
But why is Apple restricting the service only in China? “In other countries and also under macOS, the restriction does not yet exist,” says Jens Kleinholz, blogger and Apple expert.
>> Read about this: iPhone winning machine – these five graphics explain the high value of the smartphone for Apple
According to business ethicist Alicia Hennig from the International University Institute Zittau at the Technical University of Dresden, the company in China is highly dependent. While other US tech companies have distanced themselves from Beijing, Apple has relied even more on the People’s Republic, both as a production country and as a sales market. “Facebook has withdrawn Google has retired. Apple has adapted.”
As a result, Apple cannot evade the demands of the state leadership. “Beijing knows that Apple has no alternative to China. Apple is subject to party arbitrariness,” said Hennig. “Anyone who romps around the Chinese market today must realize that they have to dance to the whistle of the party.”
In the People’s Republic of China, Apple had recently made controversial decisions several times. Most recently, the group had entered into a partnership with a Chinese state-owned company that stores sensitive user data.
Beijing knows that Apple has no alternative to China. Apple is at the mercy of the party. Alicia Hennig, Technical University of Dresden
Apple CEO Tim Cook had announced that the company would ensure that data remained encrypted so that there were no risks for users. the “However, the New York Times” reported that Apple had abandoned the international standard for data encryption, because Beijing didn’t want to allow them. The Chinese government also has physical control over the servers.
iPhone production in China: protests at Apple supplier Foxconn
Apple manufactures almost all iPhones in the People’s Republic of China. Only a small part is produced in India. An important factory in the Chinese metropolis of Zhengzhou shows how much of an impact this has. Workers have been protesting there for weeks. Three weeks ago, the company announced via Zhengzhou: “The system is currently working at a significantly reduced capacity utilization.” Apple had therefore announced significantly longer waiting times for the new top smartphones.
The factory, operated by Apple supplier Foxconn, had instructed employees not to leave the factory premises in order not to risk infections with the corona virus, while at the same time boosting iPhone production ahead of the Christmas season.
However, employees report mass infections with the corona virus, a lack of food supplies and mistreatment by supervisors. According to reports from the NGO China Labor Bulletin, thousands of workers left the plant as early as October.
Foxconn tried to calm the situation with bonus payments and the promise of better working conditions. A few days ago, however, protests broke out again, China Labor Bulletin reported. Bloomberg news agency expects Apple due to the situation in Zhengzhou by the end of the year will miss its iPhone production target by six million units.
An Apple spokesman said, “We are reviewing the situation and working closely with Foxconn.” Employees’ concerns will be addressed.
More: Corona restrictions are causing unrest at Apple supplier Foxconn


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Playout provider Chello DMC has won a five-year contract with Fox International Channels Europe to provide playout services for a bouquet of its European TV channels.
Under the multi-year contract, Chello DMC will deliver playout services for 12 FIC linear TV channels in Europe, all of them grouped under the National Geographic brand, managing multiple language and subtitle tracks.
Chello DMC will handle traffic, ingest, scheduling, advanced playout including cue tone insertion, watermarking and dynamic graphics and signal delivery over cable and satellite.
ICYMI: Apple TV+ launches overhauled website digitaltveurope.com/2021/01/15/app… https://t.co/r2g95BCAAk
16 January 2021 @ 19:00:00 UTC
Don't miss the chance to share your videos on the future of digital video in the Digital TV Europe Industry Survey… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
16 January 2021 @ 16:00:01 UTC


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Since the launch of the Android 6.0 Marshmallow, countless reports were released that indicate which phones can be upgraded and how. However, a new report is saying that there are still more Apple iOS users than Marshmallow ones.
Earlier “Suicide Squad” rumors have said that Will Smith’s Deadshot could die in the film. That possibility could no longer be possible if new rumors are to be believed that Deadshot could appear in Ben Affleck’s “Batman” movie.
In a strategic attempt to "build on its reputation as a leading coffee brand," McDonald’s has launched its first standalone coffee shops in Canada.
Rumors of Sam Hunt and Miranda Lambert dating have been ongoing for quite some time. While none of the country stars have actually admitted to the speculations, it appears that rumors could come true in the near future.
Toho’s “Godzilla: Resurgence” teaser trailer and poster has been released, providing audiences a quick sneak peek at the infamous monster.
The LG G5 is expected to go for a February launch as opposed to the traditional Q2 launches that the South Korean company has had in the past for its flagship devices.
‘Fifty Shades Darker’ Jamie Dornan Going Fully Nude For Extra $1.5 M? [Release Date, Cast, Plot & Rumors]
“Fifty Shades Darker” may be far off from being released in the big screen, but tons of rumors have already popped up of the highly-anticipated film because of its fan following. One in particular is the possibility of Jamie Dornan going full frontal for the 2017 “Fifty Shades of Grey” sequel.
McDonald’s All-Day Breakfast launched back in early October, and according to a new study, via The Wall Street Journal, the fast food company’s decision to bring in new customers is working.
‘Captain America: Civil War’ Release Date, Cast, Plot, Spoilers & Rumors: Spider-Man To Have Costume Changes? Is The Hulk Dead?
New “Captain America: Civil War” rumors are out, and fans will be excited to know that they involve three characters set to appear in the superhero action film.
Celebrate The Holidays ‘Hearthstone’ Winter Veil Style With New Decorated Game Boards! Special Promo Offers 10 FREE Extra Packs? [Gameplay, Features & More Details]
“Hearthstone” has introduced “Winter Veil” into its game boards for the holidays.
Xiaomi Mi 5 Render with Physical Home Button Leaked? Release Date in January? Specs, Features, Rumors & Everything We Know Here!
The Xiaomi Mi 5 release date is nearing, and with that comes a new alleged Xiaomi Mi 5 leaked render which shows the device having a physical home button, which according to Phone Arena, is a first for the company.
Apple’s $99 Smart Battery Case was released Tuesday by the company, and while it’s a “smart” solution for iPhone power users, the new product is getting flak for its design.
Exciting New ‘Captain America: Civil War’ Footage Out! Film to Permanently Change Entire Marvel Cinematic Universe? [Release Date, Cast, Plot, Rumors & Spoilers!]
New footage of “Captain America: Civil War” has been released, and according to new reports, the film will play a vital role in the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).
"Fallout 4" remains a hot topic in recent days, but with that also comes several reports on "The Elder Scrolls VI" or "Skyrim 2." Now a latest report is claiming that “The Elder Scrolls VI” or “Skyrim 2” could be the same as “Fallout 4” in regard to elements and system.
A new report suggests that the iPhone 6C and Apple Watch will be released in March 2016 to go along with an Apple event set on the same month.


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UnitedLex, which helps Fortune 1000 legal departments adopt and use tech, has hired five executives from the Big Four accounting firms as it seeks to accelerate growth and meet demand.
The new hires have been tapped to help grow UnitedLex's customer base, which also includes corporate legal departments, by acting as bridges between their client companies' general counsel and c-suites, convincing them of the importance of legal departments as linchpins of their business.
"The problem corporations are facing is that legal departments are among the last areas of a business to see a tech transformation," in part because company executives don't fully realize how important these legal functions are, said David Clarke, UnitedLex's new executive vice president and chief experience and marketing officer. Clarke formerly led the strategy, experience, and marketing functions at PwC.
This story was published on Law360.com. To read more, visit Legal tech company UnitedLex hires Big 4 execs


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Accept UnionPay, Capture a new Market and Increase Your Revenue!
Economists estimate that by 2015, China will surpass the U.S. Gross National Product (GNP) to become the world’s largest economy. This enormous growth is coming from a booming consumer economy and a meteoric rise in China’s middle class. UnionPay is the predominant card brand used by Chinese consumers and the world. Surpassing VISA, more than 3 billion UnionPay cards have been issued to 750 million cardholders around the globe. Of all the cards issued in the world today, about half are UnionPay cards. They are accepted in more than 138 countries, and the number is growing. UnionPay is now eager and ready to expand into the United States and we have made that possible through Travel Payments Direct. Travel Payments Direct has now unleashed the flexibility of its systems to support UnionPay card acceptance for U.S. merchants. Creating added value for our merchant base through new customers and revenue is Travel Payments Direct’s mission. Travel Payments Direct is now positioning U.S. merchants to accept the UnionPay card type; a familiar, trusted and preferred payment method for the Chinese consumer. Travel Payments Direct allows UnionPay cardholders to buy directly from authorized merchants. Begin accepting UnionPay now to capitalize on this opportunity.
The number of Chinese visitors coming to the United States will more than triple by 2020, according to a new report from brokerage CLSA. The new wave will include a confident, more travel-savvy Chinese tourist that is willing to bridge out from traditional vacation spots like Hong Kong and Macau.
“It’s all about bragging rights for Chinese tourists these days,” said Aaron Fischer, an analyst at CLSA.
Contact Travel Payments Direct at email@example.com or (800) 261-7346


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Widespread demand for Boost Juic’d in Northern Ireland has led soft drink giant Boost Drinks to expand the range here with the introduction of its
Boost has introduced three Juic’d flavours in a new 500ml can format that could be the summer saviour everyone needs in the heatwave. Francine Matthews,
The remarkable success of Boost Energy in Northern Ireland has led soft drink giant Boost Drinks to expand its Energy portfolio with the introduction of
Boost Drinks has announced three appointments following brand growth. Chelsea Bate has been appointed E-Commerce Manager at Boost Drinks. Within this role Chelsea will be
Boost Drinks, the owner of Northern Ireland’s second best-selling iced coffee brand within convenience, has expanded its popular range of ready-to-drink coffee products with a
Specialist Field Marketing company Green Field Marketing Ltd has expanded its team with the recruitment of two new employees after signing an exclusive partnership deal
Beechmount Harriers in west Belfast, Craigavon Lakers Wheelchair Basketball Club, City of Derry Tennis Club and Lurgan Ladies Hockey Club have each scored £500 for
Staff from EUROSPAR Dundonald have backed a local hospital chaplain’s initiative to support local health trust workers, giving them a ‘boost’ in these challenging times.


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The financial industry has satisfied investors so far with fourth-quarter results. Three big players will try to keep the momentum going when they report on Thursday: Citigroup Inc. (NYSE: C), Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (NYSE: GS) and American Express Co.(NYSE: AXP).
Analysts see Citigroup reporting $0.96 a share for the quarter, up 39.1% from a year ago, even as revenue slips 2.6% to $18.2 billion. The banking giant has worked to trim operating costs, with a goal of reducing expenses by $1.1 billion by the end of this year, laying off 11,000 workers in the process.
A concern is whether the company’s consumer lending business, worth half of its revenue, will show a rebound. Business was off 12% through the first three quarters of 2012. Citigroup reports before the open. Shares are up more 5% to open 2014, after a 31.7% gain in 2013.
On the other hand, Citigroup’s recovery from its near-failure during the 2008 financial crisis has been strong enough that many analysts are predicting a boost in its dividend, now a penny a share. In April, the banking giant authorized a $1.2 billion share-buyback.
Goldman Sachs, which also reports before the open, is expected to be a laggard. The consensus estimate is for $4.21 a share in earnings, down nearly 25% from $5.60 a year ago. Revenue is expected to fall 16.5% to $7.7 billion.
Goldman has suffered from lower trading revenues in its fixed-income and commodity businesses. There is concern about whether that business will rebound in 2014 as the Volcker Rule, which limits proprietary trading, and other regulations kick in.
Shares are up slightly in 2014, after rising nearly 39% in 2014.
When American Express reports after the close, analysts expect $1.25 a share in earnings, up 14.7% from a year ago. Analysts see revenue of $8.5 billion, up 4.3% from a year ago.
American Express’ credit card business, targeted at affluent consumers, has been a consistent performer. The cards represent almost 60% of revenue. In the third quarter, the average transaction with its cards was $150, up 8% from a year ago, and the company is believed to have enjoyed a strong holiday shopping season.
Nonetheless, the shares are down almost 4% this month. In 2013, they jumped 58%.


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Michael J. Bacco has joined Playboy.com Inc. as senior vice president of sales and marketing. Bacco had been a consultant to a variety of Internet companies. Spence Bovee has joined Playboy.com as vice president, broadband and convergence. He had been vice president of business development at Wavo Corp.
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In that sense, the Undersecretary of Health, Hugo López-Gatell, gave India Phone Number List his opinion on what happened. When corroborating the news, he said that it is a serious matter that cannot be ignored. Although he assured that the appearance of a new health India Phone Number List emergency cannot be accurately predicted, he also mentioned that the India Phone Number List appearance of a new pandemic should not be ruled out.
In the same way that the H1N1 influenza India Phone Number List caused a severe problem in 2009 both in Mexico and in other countries, now there is a probability of experiencing something similar. While he pointed out that viruses like H10N3 can pass India Phone Number List from animals to humans with relative ease.For his part, he added that in the case of Mexico, all the information that appears on the subject will be followed up promptly. While in India Phone Number List the event that any suspicious case appears, the mechanisms of the Global System for Epidemiological Surveillance of Respiratory Viruses will be applied to effectively contain the massive transmission of these diseases.While talking about the situation generated by Covid-19,
But although in general student mobile list terms it seems that the India Phone Number List most complicated stage has already been overcome, not everything is favorable. At this time, the cases of greatest concern are Quintana Roo, Yucatán, Tabasco, Tamaulipas and Baja India Phone Number List California Sur. They are the five states that show a trend in the reverse because in recent days they have presented a rebound in Covid-19. Therefore, López-Gatell reiterated that it is not the time to lower our guard or abandon basic hygiene measures. The use of face masks and constant India Phone Number List hand washing should continue among the entire population and regardless of whether the vaccine is already available or not.


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Harvests in Bairrada
15 September 11
Harvests in the Bairrada region have already started. The regional press has published information about perspectives for this year which, according to the data published in regional newspapers, will be a good one.
The (newspaper) Região Bairradina refers that "everything indicates the year will be a good one in what concerns wine production and quality as the sanitary state of the grapes is good and they are in a good ripening condition". According to the (newspaper) Jornal da Bairrada the grape harvest will be "high in quantity and quality." The CVB (Comissão Vitivinícola da Bairrada) explains that early grape harvest was due to the fact that some more precocious wine varieties needed to be plucked by mid-August. In what concerns quantity they predict a production very similar to the one from last year, namely a medium/high one.


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Demand for travel has skyrocketed this year, with most restrictions ending and holidaymakers keen to discover and rediscover destinations. OpenTable conducted its Q3 Diner Survey for 2022 to see how people felt about travelling, as well as their dining habits whilst on holiday.
Making up for lost time
After years of COVID restrictions, people were in the holiday mood this summer and beyond. More than half of those asked in the Q3 Diner Survey said they planned to travel three to four times during the upcoming year.
Travellers are hungry for experiences
Sun, sea and sights top the list for most holiday activities, but there’s also a desire to discover new things. Nearly a quarter of people surveyed wanted to travel so they could find new experiences, such as trying the local cuisine in different holiday destinations.
More than half of those asked, said they planned on dining out for most meals or every single night whilst on holiday. And for some, that’s the entire point — two in ten even said their sole reason for travel was to have a special food experience.
Dining with deposits
Guests are happy to put down deposits to reserve their spot, whether enjoying a meal locally or abroad. And they’re even more open to paying a deposit when there is something to celebrate: Of those asked, 84% said they would likely pay a deposit for a special occasion, while 82% indicated they would likely be happy to pay a deposit for a large group reservation.
The style of dining also has an impact on the deposit policy, with 71% of diners reporting they would consider paying up to £50 to secure a fine-dining reservation. This doesn’t mean casual spots can’t embrace the concept too, as 65% of respondents would be happy to consider paying a maximum of £25 for their reservation. Simply knowing that deposits help the restaurant operate more efficiently was enough for a quarter of people surveyed to be more inclined to embrace the concept.
Dig even deeper
Get the full report from OpenTable’s Q3 Diner Survey 2022, so that you can ensure that your spot is ready to welcome local guests and travellers alike.


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NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- VeraSun VSE, +0.00% is rallying 6% to $26.58 as the ethanol maker heats up ahead of Aventine Renewable's IPO on Thursday. VeraSun had cooled off from its opening day close of $30 a share on June 14, closing at $24.81 on Monday. The stock rebounded on Tuesday and Wednesday, however. VeraSun priced at $23 a share, above its $20-$22 range.
VeraSun rallies ahead of Aventine IPO


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Scottish salmon exports to US rise sharply
Exports of Scottish salmon to the US leapt by nearly 40% last year to £215m, according to new industry figures.
The Scottish Salmon Producers' Organisation (SSPO) said the increase was the result of the product's "fantastic reputation".
The figures were released as Scottish firms prepared to attend North America's largest seafood trade event.
Seafood Expo North America in Boston will feature 1,000 exhibitors from more than 40 countries.
The US has been Scottish salmon's largest export market for the past five years.
SSPO chief executive Scott Landsburgh said: "These impressive figures are the result of the fantastic reputation our salmon enjoys in the USA.
"Quality and Scottish provenance are key to the American market.
"Major retail chains and high-end restaurants are delighted with the salmon we supply from Scotland."
Susan Beattie, head of food and drink at Scottish Development International, said: "It's great to hear that salmon has performed so well on exports in 2014 - this reflects the growing international demand for quality Scottish produce."


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UK-based communications giant British Telecom has filed a law suit alleging that almost every Google product infringes at least one of six of their patents. But should we really care?
I know what you're thinking: I don't give a crap about a UK firm suing Google. But there are two reasons why this is actually interesting.
First, BT is actually important. It's one of the largest telecoms companies in the world, with operations in over 170 countries. It has a long — if now declining — history in mobile phone services, and during the boom of the 80s and 90s churned out an insane number patents from its R&D division. In total, their patent portfolio tops 10,000.
Second, the six patents that it suggests are being infringed are broad, generic — and actually seem like legitimate claims. Patent #6,397,040, for example, describes systems that use your location to tailor a list of options or sources to be made available to you, something that Google applications both on phones and online do all the time. In fact, BT is homing in on what it calls "ongoing and pervasive" patent infringement in Google's core web products and services.
Apple MacBook Air Laptop
The M1 chip delivers 3.5x faster performance than the previous generation all while using way less power. Get up to 18 hours of battery life.
Some of the alleged infringements also seem to apply to Apple, too. In particular the "Busuioc Patent", which describes how a device can detect if it is connected to a cellular or Wi-Fi network and then stream data depending on the situation. It's currently unclear if BT is pursuing legal claims against Apple.
What is clear is that BT actually have at least some basis for their dispute, which can't be said for much of the legal crap we see flying around these days. If BT are successful, they could be in line for billions of dollars in royalties. Let's wait and see. [The Guardian and The Verge; Image: psd]


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Govt Asks Ola, Uber If Surge Pricing Depends On Gender, Battery Life, Time? (Data Protection Bill)
Are you wondering if surge pricing for cabs like Uber, Ola is determined by gender or battery remaining on your mobile?
In the same…
A recent photo API bug revealed that the Facebook app gave away more than 68 lakh photos of up to 5.6 million users to app developers. To our surprise, these are the photos which were never uploaded to Facebook.


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Everyone is hung up on autonomous cars and I get that but there is a huge market for the "in-between". That is what many people are missing. I bet there are far more people over the next 5 years who still want/need a steering wheel but want to be able to look at their smart phone and/or watch a video even if it means once in a while they have to take over just not instantly. (William Smith in IRobot comes to mind )I think regulators are being sensible and knowledgeable in the case of driverless car testing. This was a surprise to me, couple of years ago I would have expected them to drag their feet and be obstacle for companies like Tesla to make progress. Now it seems that Tesla has not even started the regulatory approval process that does exist. Instead they spread FUD like "regulatory approval is the big unknown" to point fingers to someone else (while the bottleneck is their own R&D)
On long term, the vision only path Tesla chose seems to be the right one: it looks to be on the path of being able to produce L4 with the lowest manufacturing cost. Thus Tesla's bet seems to be paying off. Eventually. Not sure how hard it will be for others to adapt to this and drop lidars.
Regardless of the above, Tesla is not a leader in autonomous cars. At least Cruise and Waymo are way ahead in actually getting real cars on real roads driving real people around. This far Tesla is all big vision and a very promising looking L2 perpetually coming to market in "two weeks".
And they will pay alot just for that. So it's not just the robo taxi market that is at play here.


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VOL. 42 | NO. 17 | Friday, April 27, 2018
Tennessee’s economy at risk in this battle of wills
By Hollie Deese
In an escalating back and forth over trade, Tennessee farmers like John Neal Scarlett are caught in the middle, worrying if politicians are keeping their best interests at heart when talking tough on trade issues.
Scarlett works more than 1,000 acres on New Market Farms in Jefferson County, just east of Knoxville. Previously, it was a dairy and diversified row crop operation, but at the end of last year he shut down the dairy portion to focus on corn and soy, top exports for the state.
“We were losing nearly about 18 percent of our gross revenue,” Scarlett says of his decision to eliminate dairy. He even made the decision before Dean Foods, a dairy product manufacturing company, sent out letters eliminating contracts with 11 farms across East Tennessee earlier this year and more than 140 farmers over all in Indiana, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Ohio, New York, North Carolina and South Carolina.
A surplus of milk and growing competition led to the decision by Dean, which industry leaders suggest could be caused by global production, an increase in the popularity of nut and soy milk and a generation that just doesn’t drink as much cow’s milk.
Some Dean Foods subsidiaries include Purity, Mayfield Dairy, Land O’Lakes and TruMoo.
“There was a lot of things that were coming together that we could see didn’t look good. So, we chose to exit on our own terms rather than somebody else’s,” Scarlett explains.
So, when China recently announced retaliatory tariffs on 106 U.S products, designed to target up to $50 billion of U.S. products annually, it included some of the biggest exports in the state, from tobacco and soybeans to cars and planes.
The move came 24 hours after President Donald Trump unveiled tariffs on Chinese products, including steel and aluminum, for what he described as unfair trade practices.
And that makes Scarlett and lots of other farmers a little nervous.
Tennessee exported $1.5 billion in farm commodities in 2016, including $422 million in soybeans, $96 million in cotton, $79 million in tobacco, $87 million in corn, $53 million in beef and $23 million in pork, USDA statistics reveal.
“It wouldn’t be the first time that things have got out of hand,” Scarlett adds. “I just hope the trade folks that are negotiating spend some more time diffusing this situation. It couldn’t come at a worse time for farmers and ranchers in America.”
Trump states targeted
Tennessee has 65,900 farm operators and another 4,980 agriculture-related jobs, USDA statistics show. That’s about 71,000 jobs in agriculture. The state also employs 941,000 in auto-industry jobs.
That’s more than one million jobs that could be impacted by Chinese tariffs.
Aluminum and steel manufacturing, the industries President Trump’s proposed tariffs aim to protect, employees far fewer. There are 5,400 aluminum manufacturing jobs and 10,000 more at supply firms in Tennessee, The Aluminum Association reports. There are 1,040 structural iron and steel workers in Tennessee, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Vanderbilt law professor Tim Meyer, an expert in public international law with an emphasis on international economic and energy law, says there’s a set of tariffs China has already imposed in response to the steel tariffs.
Sorghum, soy and autos tariffs are in response to the much more substantial tariffs the Trump administration has proposed on a huge range of Chinese products, particularly technological products.
“The Chinese are going to retaliate, and they’re going to retaliate by imposing a whole set of tariffs on a whole range of US products,” Meyer explains. “And those products are very deliberately chosen to be products that are important to the economy in the states that voted for President Trump. So, it’s not an accident that they are targeting agriculture and autos, in particular.”
Farmers could see their incomes hit, maybe hard, and the effect could be huge on the American agriculture economy.
“China is the largest consumer of American agricultural products, like sorghum and soybeans,” Meyer says. “You are, potentially, talking about reducing the profits of American farmers substantially, as well as American automakers.”
Meyer adds there is still hope this won’t escalate into a trade war because the substantial set of $50 billion in tariffs that the Trump administration has indicated it’s going to impose on a number of Chinese products have not yet been imposed. Likewise, the Chinese have not actually begun the retaliatory tariffs.
“That gives some room for them to negotiate, some room for them to back down,” Meyer acknowledges. “I don’t think we are, yet, in a full-blown trade war. I think we are in a period in which the two governments are, in a reciprocal fashion, ratcheting up the tension in the hopes of wringing concessions from the other.
“We’re still, very much, in negotiation mode.”
But if it were to go past posturing, the effects could be devastating for Tennessee’s farmers.
“It’s going to have a considerable effect,” Scarlett says. “We would like to see (Trump) work for free trade, because trade is... that’s what we live and die on. We would hope that our leaders, the trade officials and the American leaders, would put more effort in to diffuse a tense situation.
“I don’t know what the end game will be, but I would hate for us to get in a spitting contest and have agriculture as the only soldier in the fight on this thing, because it could really have some far-reaching consequences.”
Scarlett can’t say how much of his own product goes to China, only that the U.S. supplies about 65 percent of China’s soybean purchases. But selling products into foreign markets is becoming an ever-larger slice of his business. And 20 percent of farm income comes from trade.
The USDA reports there were $140 billion in exported farm products in 2017, leaving a surplus close to $21 billion. Numbers for 2018 are expected to be a little less.
“There’s very few industries that are doing that,” Scarlett says. “We’ve spent decades working for free trade, and everything economic-wise points to that being the way to go. So, it makes it tough when we start down this road. It’s hard to say we’re protecting one industry at the expense of the other stuff. Does that make sense?”
Jai Templeton, Tennessee’s commissioner of agriculture, points out that China is one of the state’s largest foreign markets for agricultural products, sourced from across the region and shipped through Tennessee. In 2016, Tennessee exported nearly $1.5 billion in farm commodities worldwide. Of that total, $422 million was soybeans, $96 million was cotton and $78 million was tobacco.
“Those cash crops – along with pork, beef and wheat – are all on the list for retaliatory tariffs for a country that has historically been a primary destination for Tennessee’s agricultural exports,” Templeton says.
“Maintaining this critical trade partnership with China is extremely important. The Tennessee Department of Agriculture is closely following the tariff situation, and we are actively seeking additional trade opportunities with other nations.”
NAFTA still shaky
Tariffs are not the only possible disruption for a market that is already at the whims of everything from tough talk to bad weather.
“The administration is talking, once again, about terminating NAFTA,” Meyer explains. “Many producers, but in particular American farmers like those in Tennessee, rely on NAFTA for access to farm markets, in particular to Mexico.”
The North America Free Trade Agreement was signed by Canada, Mexico and the United States in 1994, creating a trilateral trade bloc. Shortly after President Trump was elected he said he would begin renegotiating the terms of NAFTA, a top priority being reducing the US trade deficit.
US trade representative Ambassador Robert Lighthizer announced last week that the idea has been floated again of the United States withdrawing from NAFTA as a negotiation tactic, both to force Mexico and Canada to conclude the negotiations, as well as to force congress to adopt NAFTA 2.0.
“That is fraught with peril, both for the Tennessee economy, with the producers that rely on access to Canadian and Mexican markets, as well as for the broader nation,” Meyer says. “If Mexico and Canada don’t come to the table and reach a new agreement, if Congress doesn’t adopt a new agreement, you could find yourself without preferential access to our two neighbors.”
For Scarlett, it is business as usual at the farm, playing catchup on nice days to account for the extended cold this winter, while waiting to see what each week’s news brings on trade while he thinks about the 50 percent drop in farm income he has had over the past four years.
“The tariffs probably couldn’t come at a worse time, to be honest,” Scarlett says. “The more trade and the more markets we have, the better off we are. I understand these trade negotiations get messy sometimes, but I don’t want agriculture to be the only whipping boy.’’
With so many moving parts in agriculture, farmers have to be educated, knowledgeable and experienced at many different skills, from mechanical to watching the markets to having to lobby for themselves and educate others on agriculture, says Will Freeman, public information officer with the Tennessee Department of Agriculture.
“I’m sure a lot of people are just waiting and seeing at this point what’s to come and hoping that it doesn’t have too big of an impact for us,” Freeman adds.
The bad news? China could switch from the U.S. – including Tennessee – to Brazil for its massive soy bean needs. The good news is that might force current Brazil buyers to look to U.S. growers. -- Photograph By G. Rowsey, Courtesy Uunversity Of Tennessee Institute Of Agriculture
One possible positive revolves around soybeans.
As China has moved to Brazilian soybeans, other countries that import Brazilian soybeans might be forced to buy American. But that’s the only positive right now, Freeman adds.
“What we would hope is that, obviously, China would continue to purchase our exports without an increased tariff,” Freeman adds. “But if other countries do adjust and come to buy these commodities from us for similar or same prices, that would, I assume, be best-case scenario.”
Investors not happy
Trip Miller, a managing partner at Gullane Capital Partners in Memphis, says these types of tariffs on exports from the United States are bad for U.S. agriculture and the average farmer.
And that makes it bad for investors.
“From a commodity standpoint, it is bad for the agricultural side of Tennessee’s economy,” Miller explains. “But what we don’t know is, is this just a lot of powerful grandstanding by our government and the reaction by China, or not?
“What I would say is that global trade wars are bad for everyone. Nobody wins those. I’m a capitalist. My job is based on whatever the market serves us up. We’ve got to react to it and try and make money for our investors off of it. But I’ll be frank. I don’t get this one.”
Neither do the farmers like Scarlett.
“Agriculture doesn’t need to take the brunt of whatever’s going to happen,” Scarlett says. “If we’re protecting steel and aluminum, what are we protecting it for? Because, when agriculture is affected, it affects steel. It affects aluminum. It affects local tax bases. It affects schools and hospitals.
“If you don’t have agriculture, you don’t have grocery stores, and you don’t have delivery drivers, and you don’t have the bread. You don’t have the cereal. You don’t have the milk. You don’t have cotton for your clothes. You don’t have the soybean products that we use in the paints and the soil and the ethanol in the gas and on and on and on.
“So, it’s a pretty big deal when somebody affects agriculture.”


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The inclusion of Gearbox‘s loot shooter in the Epic Games Store’s weekly free game promotion marks the first of “four weeks of blockbuster free tentpole games” being offered. Next week’s free title will also be a mystery game.
The Epic Games Store has also launched its ‘Mega Sale 2022’. It includes discounts of up to 75% on over 1,600 games and add-ons, plus unlimited 25% off coupons on eligible purchases.
The promotion will run for four weeks until June 16 at 8am PT / 11am ET / 4pm BST.
Epic announced on Monday that Fall Guys will be going free-to-play on June 21. On the same date, the game will be released for Nintendo Switch and Xbox consoles and be made available via the Epic Games Store.


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Wal-Mart agrees to fix safety problems
WASHINGTON -- Wal-Mart has agreed to improve safety conditions for employees who use trash compactors and cleaning chemicals at more than 2,800 stores as part of a settlement agreement with the Labor Department.
The retail giant has also agreed to pay a $190,000 fine to fix hazards discovered during an Occupational Safety and Health Administration inspection at a store in Rochester, N.Y.
The agreement announced Wednesday covers 2,857 Wal-Mart and Sam's Club stores in 28 states that follow federal OSHA standards. The 22 states that operate their own OSHA inspection programs could negotiate similar agreements.
Chrysler to spend $52M at Michigan plants
DETROIT -- Chrysler is investing $52 million at two Michigan plants to build more four-cylinder engines in anticipation of increased demand.
The money is going into factories in Trenton and Dundee, Mich., south of Detroit. Almost 300 new jobs will be created at the Trenton North factory.
The investment will help Chrysler build more Tigershark engines, currently used in the Dart compact car and likely to power new Chrysler cars in the future.
Benefit of mobile apps for toddlers questioned
WASHINGTON -- Can a mobile app really teach a baby to find her nose? Or learn to recognize letters and numbers? Not according to an advocacy group that filed a complaint Wednesday with the Federal Trade Commission alleging that two popular baby app developers -- Fisher-Price Inc. and Open Solutions -- are trying to dupe parents into thinking their online games make infant and toddlers smarter.
The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood, the Boston-based group whose allegations against "Baby Einstein" videos eventually led to nationwide consumer refunds, is urging federal investigators to examine the marketing practices of Fisher-Price's "Laugh & Learn" mobile apps and Open Solutions' games such as "Baby Hear and Read" and "Baby First Puzzle."
Honda to invest in engine plant, training
DETROIT -- Honda says it will spend $215 million to expand an engine plant and build two training centers in Ohio.
The investment will add about 60 jobs in the state, although 50 of them will come from other Honda operations in North America.
About $180 million will go to Honda's Anna, Ohio, engine plant to expand work on aluminum die casting and engine parts production.
Money also will go to a training center for the plant.
Honda also plans a $35 million training center for auto assembly workers and engineers at its Marysville, Ohio, assembly plant.
Honda says the building also will have office space and a heritage center to document Honda's North American history.
New bank head pushes economic recovery
LONDON -- The Bank of England's new Gov. Mark Carney sought to spur Britain's sluggish recovery Wednesday when he said the central bank will not consider raising its record low interest rate until unemployment falls below 7 percent.
In a marked change of policy for the Bank of England, Carney outlined the bank's "forward guidance" during the most closely watched quarterly inflation report in years by the U.K.'s monetary authority.
With the current UK unemployment rate at 7.8 percent, the economy would need to create about 750,000 new jobs -- something the bank feels won't happen until 2016 -- before the benchmark interest rate is increased from the current 0.5 percent.
-- from wire reports


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In May, Google promised to let users limit cookies.
A few weeks ago, Google said in a blog post that they are not opening up the chance for users to control how cookies are collected as fully as previously expected.
Which one is it? Are they making a reasonable effort to increase consumers’ control over their privacy online or are they doing the bare minimum to preserve their own ad business?
Google relied upon the “lesser of two evils” argument for not blocking cookies any further. According to Google, the alternative to using cookies to personalize ads is an approach called fingerprinting. Fingerprinting aggregates user behaviors to create a unique user profile that the user cannot control. This profile essentially does the same thing as website cookies, but it’s even worse for user privacy.
Consumers face a steep uphill claim as they seek to control how their personal information is used. Google is the largest online advertiser, controlling 31.1% of worldwide ad spend. Of course it is in Google’s interest to preserve their access to cookies– they make most of their revenue from personalized advertising. They know that consumers value these tailored experiences. Plus, as consumers, we still don’t really understand the privacy sacrifices we make for the personalized experience we’ve grown used to.
The privacy debate is tricky– cookies aren’t evil, they really do help personalize the online experience for the user, including ads and other types of content (e.g., YouTube’s recommended videos, Amazon’s “other users bought,” etc). But this personalized environment can only happen when people allow their data to be collected and aggregated. We’ve watched companies like Facebook walk the line between offering this positive user experience and abusing our privacy. This dividing line exists though, and users value their privacy more than many companies thought.
Companies will be successful by staying honest with users about what’s being done with their information. Being more responsible with users’ data will lead to a higher ROI because as privacy laws get more strict (we’re looking at you, California Consumer Privacy Act), eventually all businesses will have to adapt to new consumer privacy standards. The ones that will come out on top will be the ones who adapt earlier rather than later, and focus on building trust and transparency now.


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Support to boost manufacturing campaign
Mark Menzies MP recently joined UPL at a dinner to discuss the future of UK manufacturing. The UPL attendees represented the whole company and came from business and product development, manufacturing, production and finance – and they all came with one strong belief: that British manufacturing is vital to the future growth of the UK economy. Since it was founded 35 years ago UPL has been proud of the contribution it has made to both the local economy in the North West as well as the valuable role that manufacturing plays within the overall UK economy. We are therefore very supportive of the current Government campaign promoting goods that are ‘Made in Great Britain’ and we are delighted that our local MP Mark Menzies has tabled a parliamentary question to ascertain the Government’s plans to label products as ‘Made in Britain’. UPL’s views are echoed in the new \'Make it in Great Britain\' campaign that was recently launched by Vince Cable. The campaign is aimed at transforming outdated opinions of UK manufacturing, and at the campaigns’ launch Vince Cable commented: “Despite popular belief, Britain still does make things and has outstanding manufacturing companies, large and small. Our world-beating companies have an excellent reputation for innovation. I want our young people and those who hold outdated views of British manufacturing to see that reality. That’s why we’re launching the Make it in Great Britain campaign.” “To help us do that I want our most passionate manufacturers, whether that’s ‘captains of industry’ or those just starting out in their careers, to be our industry champions. With their help, we can modernise people’s views of manufacturing and dispel the myth that ’we don’t make anything in the UK anymore.” UPL hopes that the campaign is a success and that it helps to promote the value of the UK Manufacturing Industry and that it also leads to a new approach to labeling British Manufactured goods as ‘Made in Britain’.


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Vodacom has announced that the Samsung Galaxy S4 will be available at Vodacom World and other participating outlets from today.
Phil Patel, Chief Officer of Vodacom’s Consumer Business Unit commented: ‚”Our customers have been looking forward to Samsung’s flagship smartphone and now they can experience this iconic phone which is available on a range of Smart plans that is best suited to meet their needs. These plans offer customers loads of data to browse the Internet and will ensure that they enjoy the ultimate mobile experience. We’re also looking forward to launch the LTE version in the next few months, adding to our range of LTE devices which will provide an improved customer experience with much faster network speeds.‚”
The handset will also be available on the following plans which include double the data on Mobile Internet for the first 2 months of the contract and free Voicemail 2 SMS for 3 months valued at R35 per month.
The recommended prepaid price is R8 999 – pricing may vary at retail stores.
The Galaxy S4 has the world’s first Full HD Super AMOLED display to showcase images at their very best. Its 5-inch large screen has 441ppi for stunning viewing quality and it is equipped with a 13 megapixel rear camera. The handset boasts a number of new and innovative features including: Dual Shot – allowing both rear and front cameras to take simultaneous photos and videos: Group Play – where users can enjoy music, photos, documents and games with those around them without even requiring a Wi-Fi AP or cellular signal: Samsung Smart Pause – enables users to control the screen by where they look. When watching a video, the video pauses when looking away then it starts right up again when looking back: and S-Translator that will make international travel a joy – S Translator provides instant translation from speech to text and text to speech. The Samsung Galaxy S4 will be available in Black and White.
‚”We believe that the Samsung Galaxy S4’s innovation will set a benchmark for smartphone devices in the local market. It is a best-in-class smartphone designed to make life richer, simpler and fuller and developed to redefine the way we live,‚” says Craige Fleischer, Director of Mobile Communications at Samsung South Africa. ‚”The S4 boasts premium hardware technology and sophisticated software and this, coupled with Samsung’s value added services and holistic lifestyle eco-system, is sure to see the brand meet yet another milestone in local smartphone success.‚”


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The biggest competition in mobile right now is Apple and Samsung, and the biggest rivalry, iPhone 5s vs. Galaxy S4. Both are enormously popular, but both are incredibly different. Integrated vs. licensed, small screen vs. big screen, design-centric vs. spec-centric, and the list goes on and on. Which one is best is a matter of endless debate, but the more important question is - which one is best for you?
Less than a week after the iPhone 5s went on sale in gold, Samsung is now proudly showing off its latest creation; a gold Galaxy S4. We're not here to claim Apple was first with a gold phone, because obviously that's not true, but given all the 'copying' talk in recent months and years, it's almost predictable.
S-Voice is Samsung's Bizarro-like clone of Apple's Siri voice assistant service, and like any Bizarro worth its chalky skin, it seems to be hugely conflicted about it's progenitor. Alex Dobie of Android Central reports:
Samsung has just released a new commercial for their new flagship phone, the Galaxy S4... and it's pretty good. The sheer size of the Galaxy S4 is evident in the ad, as are features like Drama Mode, which lets you capture a series of images -- think multi-exposure sports pics -- and Air Gestures that let you navigate without touching the screen with sticky -- in this case tasty rib covered -- fingers. Some of the other features, like Hover, which feels like a terrible violation of Fitts' law, and S Beam, which is like Bump over NFC, are a tad more gimmicky, and more demo-ware than software, but they come off okay in commercials for just that reason. (Samsung even suggests their screens support smell capture, which was probably a bad idea since injecting farce into an otherwise real, if strange, feature set only creates confusion.)
Clayton Morris of Fox News and the Read Quick app joins Rene to talk about the end of Google Reader, Google's new product line, Samsung's new Galaxy S4, the mythical iWatch, and just where Apple might be going in 2013.
Live from the Samsung Unpacked event on Thursday, I snuck a few minutes at the demo tables and Phil Nickinson of Android Central was kind enough to film me doing a super quick iPhone 5 vs. Galaxy S4 hands on.
Last night I had the pleasure of attending Samsung's Unpacked Event, Part 1, and watching them pitch the next generation of their phenomenally successful smartphone line -- the Galaxy S4. It was held at Radio City Music Hall, with a simultaneous party at Times Square. And it was an impressive debut, though not one without some important caveats.