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As the weather starts to heat up, there’s nothing better to cool yourself off with than a nice cold beer. Fortunately, Sacramento has got one more beer fest before the valley’s dry heat makes it too unbearable to go outside during sunlight hours. West Coast Brew Fest is back on May 17 and will be giving us all a quick hit of some of the best breweries our fine sliver of the United States has to offer. Featuring breweries from California, Oregon and Washington, WCBF is the first brew fest to celebrate the contributions the West Coast has made to the micro brew industry. This year’s lineup includes Firestone Walker, Anchor, Ninkasi, New Belgium, Lagunitas, Ballast Point, 21st Amendment, Lost Cost, New Glory and many more. And fortunately, attendees don’t have to prioritize. This is a tokenless tasting, meaning it’s all you can drink (though please, don’t drink all you can drink).
The event will also have food (expect barbecue, sausages, Mexican food and teriyaki), live bands and craft vendors. Guests are encouraged to bring lawn chairs and blankets if they want to get comfortable while sipping their beers. A portion of the proceeds will go to the Robla Education Foundation, which supports communities in improving their schools. For more information about this event, see here.
What: West Coast Brew Fest
When: Saturday, May 17, 1 p.m.–5 p.m.
Where: 2710 Ramp Way, Miller Park, Sacramento
Cost: $35 in advance, $40 at the door, $5 designated drivers and youth (ages 16-20)


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FAISALABAD: Textile exporters, while welcoming the European parliament’s approval of duty-free access for 75 Pakistani goods, have expressed the hope that the concession will help increase textile exports to the European Union by 30% and generate significant economic activity in the country.
Speaking to the media here on Monday, Pakistan Textile Exporters Association Chairman Rana Arif Touseef said Pakistan had been trying hard for duty-free access to the EU to enhance exports and this facility would be a good sign for the ailing value-added textile industry, especially for the struggling home textile manufacturers.
“Exports to the EU can surge by at least 30% to 40% or $700 million to $1 billion if we fully utilise our existing potential and capacity.”
He pointed out that the EU’s decision would help Pakistan build its capacity to become more effective and competitive in international economic relations, adding this would create opportunities in the domestic industry as well, leading to competitiveness, creation of jobs, exchange of technological knowhow and development of skills.
According to the industry, Pakistan’s exports of the selected 75 products to the EU stand at $1.4 billion, about 27% of the country’s total exports of $5.1 billion to the 27-nation bloc. The $1.4 billion worth of exports, under the current duty structure, indicate that the figure can be increased substantially in the duty-free mechanism.
Touseef, however, cautioned that much would depend on uninterrupted supply of gas and electricity to the manufacturing units.
“We are unlikely to capitalise on the EU’s preferential trade offer due to the severe energy crisis in the country. Textile exporters will not be able to benefit from the concession, unless the government takes serious measures to tackle the energy shortage.”
Sounding upbeat, he expected exports to go up significantly, provided utility services were ensured round the year. He also asked the government to lay the groundwork for winning Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) Plus status from the EU.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 25th, 2012.
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domain: news


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The pawrents should leave more often [Robbie Augspurger via GettyImages]
Tinder just introduced plant-based dating. Nothing sparks a connection like tempeh.
The tech-heavy Nasdaq index hit a fresh record yesterday, its first since February. Investors are looking forward to earnings from the "Big Tech 5" this week. Meanwhile, Tesla posted its seventh-straight quarterly profit.
Shots fired... Exxon reportedly was just dealt a major warning by its activist investor, hedge fund Engine No. 1. Activist investors = Wall Street's aggro helicopter parents. Engine No. 1 said Exxon faces an “existential business risk” from tying its future to fossil fuels. Unlike Shell and BP, Exxon hasn't vowed to transition away from oil and gas, arguing they'll remain key.
Why you always in the news?... Exxon has been making headlines for its carbon capture efforts. Carbon capture = removing carbon dioxide from the air, then storing it underground. Exxon created a new biz unit to commercialize carbon capture, which it says will be a $2T market by 2040. Oil giants like Occidental and BHP have also invested in the carbon-vacuuming tech. But most of Exxon's $$$ comes from oil and gas... and Engine No. 1 doesn't love that:
It's the "Blockbuster Alarm"... The call for an existential pivot to be made... before it's too late. Blockbuster clung to VHS and DVD rentals, even while streaming emerged as the future. Now it’s extinct, and Engine No.1 doesn’t want the same to happen to Exxon. If VHS tapes are oil, then streaming is clean energy. Governments will need clean energy (like wind and solar) to achieve their green goals. Engine No. 1 rang the "Blockbuster Alarm" to spur Exxon to go green.
5 stars for four paws... And throw in a special purpose acquisition corgi. Rover is like Uber, for dogs. "The world's largest" online pet care marketplace connects you to dog walkers, house sitters, groomers, and even play dates for your pooch (similar to Wag). In February, Rover revealed it's going public by merging with a SPAC called Nebula Caravel Acquisition Corp (claaassic SPAC name). And it just dropped some fresh stats.
Meet the pawrents... Pet adoptions soared last year as homebound Americans took in furry friends, boosting pet supply companies like Chewy. For Rover, it wasn't as cute: 2020 sales plunged 49% because a) you didn't need a home sitter, since you were always sitting at home and b) you didn't need a walker, since your dachshund was your only reason to leave the house. Now...
We're in the "gig-ify anything" era... Independent workers' wages and participation soared 33% in 2020, as full-timers got laid off and the gig economy boomed (think: DoorDash, Instacart, Fiverr, Upwork). One in four workers are considering quitting their jobs post-pandemic — and many say it's because they want more flexibility (aka: exactly what gig work provides). From Rover's gig-ified pet care, to professional cuddling services (virtual and IRL) like Cuddlist... people are gig-ifying their interests and time at an unprecedented level.
Authors of this Snacks own shares of: Tesla


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Fifty-three percent of companies have over 1,000 sensitive files open to every employee, up from 41 percent last year, according to the 2019 Data Risk Report.
Fifty-one percent of companies found over 100,000 folders open every employee and 22 percent of folders were open to every employee.
Global access groups, such as Everyone, Domain Users, or Authenticated Users, give insiders and outside attackers that get in easy access to files inside. Globally accessible data puts organizations at risk from insiders, malware and ransomware attacks: it takes just one click on a phishing email to set off a chain reaction that encrypts or destroys all accessible files. The files analyzed included data subject to regulations like GDPR, PCI, HIPAA and the upcoming California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). Exposed data can cost companies: regulations like the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) penalize companies that fail to protect personal information that often resides in unsecured files and folder.
Key findings include:
- 17 percent (117,317) of all sensitive files were accessible to every employee.
- 58 percent of companies found over 1,000 stale user accounts.
- 53 percent of data, on average, was stale.
- 15 percent of companies found more than 1 million folders open to every employee.
- Across the entire dataset, 22 percent of all folders were exposed to every employee, up from 21 percent last year.
- 80 percent of companies with over 1 million folders found over 50,000 folders open to every employee.
- 76 percent of companies found over 1,000 folders with unresolved SIDs.
- 58 percent of companies found over 1,000 folders that had inconsistent permissions.
- 27 percent of a company’s users had removal recommendations, and were likely to have more access to data than they require.
- 15 percent of folders were uniquely permissioned.
- Only 5 percent of folders were protected.


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Five years after the Vapor Room closed its Haight Street shop under federal pressure, the medical cannabis dispensary is finally ready to appear before the Planning Commission this month for permission to open in South of Market.
“It’s taken us this long to find a new compliant location,” said Stephanie Tucker, the Vapor Room’s community outreach director. “It’s been a really long journey for us.”
But talks of a moratorium on medical cannabis dispensaries in San Francisco are making the future hazy for the operators of the Vapor Room and other proposed dispensaries that have worked at length to open up shop in The City.
Supervisor Malia Cohen introduced legislation July 25 for San Francisco to hit the pause button on approving new pot dispensaries until The City can figure out regulations for recreational marijuana sales come January 2018.
Dispensary owners are worried that the Planning Commission could bump their scheduled hearings in the coming months until after the supervisors vote on the temporary ban.
Vapor Room owner Martin Olive said that if dispensary owners have gone through the planning process and have a hearing date, “you should be given your chance to be heard at the Planning Commission.”
The Vapor Room is scheduled to be heard Aug. 24.
Delays mean added costs for dispensary applicants, who are locked into leases without revenue and who also fear that they could be placed at the end of the line when California begins to issue licenses to sell marijuana Jan. 2.
“I’m concerned with the timing of any potential delays on a local level and how that may interfere with timing for state licenses,” Tucker said. “If you want to be first in line for a state permit, you need to have a local permit.”
The state is expected to begin accepting applications for licenses as early as November so that the licenses are issued beginning Jan. 2, according to Alex Traverso, communications chief for the Bureau of Medical Cannabis Regulation.
Traverso said the state is still considering whether priority will be given to dispensaries that are already locally permitted. He said the process “won’t be first-come, first-served necessarily, as we still have to make sure people have all their ducks in a row to be licensed in the first place.”
The slow-down for the cannabis industry comes as many look to marijuana to create living-wage jobs for a diverse population of workers. The industry is also expected to boost tourism in San Francisco next year.
There are currently 11 medicinal dispensaries in the planning pipeline, according to the Planning Department. Five dispensaries have hearings scheduled with the Planning Commission between August and October.
Cohen’s moratorium would temporarily ban the Planning Commission from approving medical cannabis dispensaries for 45 days, once approved by the Board of Supervisors, which could happen as early as September.
“We currently do not have sufficient tools to regulate and approve MCDs,” Cohen said through a representative. “Our existing regulatory framework for MCDs is over a decade old, and while it has been more successful than other jurisdictions in California, it has outlived its usefulness and needs reconsideration.”
City planners were the first to recommend the citywide moratorium last month after Supervisor Ahsha Safai introduced a now-approved proposal on May 2 to ban new medical cannabis dispensaries in the Excelsior.
San Francisco has issued licenses for medical cannabis dispensaries for 12 years, and the Planning Commission approved a dispensary as recently as last month with the expansion of The Apothecarium to the Sunset District.
If the moratorium passes in September, plans to open a second dispensary in the Sunset would be put on hold. Barbary Coast Collective is scheduled to appear before the Planning Commission for their Irving Street location Oct. 12.
There are also two September hearings for the proposed SBA Wellness dispensary at 3015 San Bruno Ave. in Portola and the Connected SF dispensary at 5 Leland Ave. in Visitacion Valley.
“We just feel that there should be some concessions made for people who have scheduled hearing dates,” said Quentin Platt, a partner with Connected SF.
Platt is also a partner in another proposed dispensary at 761 Bryant St. called Access SF, which has a hearing date Aug. 24.
“Delays are very costly and they make it even harder for people of limited means to serve patients, open a business, or get a foothold in this very expensive city,” Platt later said in an email.
Platt explained that the approval process takes about a year, and dispensaries have to be in a lease to start the process.
“You’re paying $60,000 in rent before you even know if you have a permit,” Platt said, noting that there are also added costs for attorneys, architects and consultants.
There are six dispensary applications that are not yet scheduled to appear before the Planning Commission.
The latest application, filed in June, is to open a Defonce Chocolatier inside the Westfield San Francisco Centre. The store is hoping to sell “California’s finest edible-infused chocolates” on the mall’s third floor, according to filings.
When Cohen introduced the moratorium, Supervisor Aaron Peskin said that dispensaries already scheduled to appear at the Planning Commission should be heard.
“Anything that has been calendared that is before the Planning Commission should be either approved on the merits or rejected on the merits,” Peskin said. “But they should not continue those during the month of August.”
The moratorium would need nine votes at the Board of Supervisors for approval.


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Social media is flooded with women-centric posts on the special occasion of Women’s Day, where women around the world are appreciated for their contributions towards the society. Bollywood actress Kriti Sanon though decided to do something different.
Kriti Sanon shared a video on her Instagram and Twitter accounts, conveying a strong message that dedicating only one day to celebrate women’s endless sacrifies is not enough rather everyday we must acknowledge women’s achievements in terms of Political, Social, Cultural and Economic fields.
The 50 seconds video is made promoting a fashion brand “Ms.Taken” and in the video Kriti conveys a powerful message by holding placards that say “It’s Women’s Day. Or in other words… Same s***, different year. We will hear a lot of words today: Girl power, Women’s rights, Gender equality, Blah, Blah, Blah! Meanwhile… Our streets are still unsafe, glass ceilings remain rock solid and others still decide what we should wear. All we do is talk and I’m done talking. Happy Whatever!”.
Kudos to Kriti for coming up with this message!
- Akhila Kakarala
Pic courtesy: http://www.hdwallpapersz.in


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According to the reports Oppo might bring new devices with Snapdragon 870 chipset. The Snapdragon 870 chipset will be launched by Qualcomm in coming December. We are expecting the light version of flagship devices built with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 chipset. As per the previous reports Qualcomm is going to launch its new chipset Snapdragon 870 in the month of December this year.
The Snapdragon 875 chipset is expected to be more affordable chip with decent performance, yet it will miss some of the features. In 2021 this chipset might be used by various mobile manufactures to make affordable devices.
According to the Digital Chat Station leaks, the Oppo is working on a smartphone which will be powered by upcoming Snapdragon 870 chipset. Yet there no official word about the new smartphones from Oppo.
According to the reports, Qualcomm will achieve a speed of 3.2 GHz for the CPU and it might come with one super-powerful core. This CPU might not come with the cluster of CPUs. According to the leakster claim the Snapdragon 865 chipset is not going to the match the raw performance of the SD875.
The new Snapdragon 870 chipset will be affordable chipset and come with the better performance. According to the some people this chipset is an overkill chipset and with this chipset Qualcomm will diversify its offering.
The Snapdragon 870 expected to be a lite version of the previous Snapdragon 875 chipset. The specification of new Snapdragon 870 could be between the chipsets Snapdragon 865 and the Snapdragon 875. And the chipset will have the performance in between these two chipsets.
It is noted that the clock speed of new chipset Snapdragon 870 might go up to 3.2 GHz. And the chipset will have one powerful core instead of multiple processing units.
The new smartphone from Oppo might come with a smartphone design and fast charging. We are also expecting enhance camera setup in the new upcoming devices. It might come with the triple camera setup where main camera will be 13MP resolution. The front camera is expected to come with an 8MP selfie camera. Until now there is official word on the specification or model name from Oppo for their upcoming devices.


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A customer who goes by the Twitter username, @kaatiecasidy, was first to call out the brand after discovering a size 8 pair of trousers listed as ‘L’ in the product description.
According to Boohoo’s sizing, a medium is a size 6 and a small comes in at size 4.
Outraged, the disappointed shopper took a screenshot of the Boohoo model’s cargo trousers and shared the image via Twitter with the caption: “I beg your pardon Boohoo. Since when was a size eight a large… sort it out”.
— katie (@kaatiecassidy) December 29, 2018
Fellow shoppers soon took to Twitter to also criticise the retailer.
One customer explained that she is usually a size 12 on the high street but a Boohoo size large didn’t fit her and according to the online store, she needed to buy a size 16-18.
Ordered a large on boohoo just to be extra safe, bearing in mind I wear a size 12 everywhere else. The Large didn’t go near me, @boohoo trying to tell me I’m size 18-20??? Lmfao
— RebekahClark (@bekahclark14) January 30, 2019
Meanwhile, another frustrated customer shared a photograph of herself wearing a size 8-10 skirt from the website which is listed as a large on the clothing site.
— Hayley James (@Hayley_Baybee) September 1, 2017
“Boohoo, since when did large mean size 8-10?” she tweeted.
Another customer accused the brand of encouraging body confidence issues, as they wrote: “So Boohoo, when your size ‘Large’ bodysuit doesn’t even do up for my size 10 friend, what the f*** size would I have to get? Just wasted £5.99 delivery on a punch to my self-esteem.”
So @boohoo when your size ‘Large’ bodysuit doesn’t even do up for my size 10 friend, what the fuck size would I have to get? Just wasted £5.99 delivery on a punch to my self esteem.
— Mad Twatter (@FakingLaura) January 11, 2019
But it’s not the first high street store to come under fire for its sizing.
Last year, H&M finally pledged to make its UK sizes bigger after years of customer complaints.
The Swedish chain was heavily criticised by shoppers for its inconsistent size guide with the store wrongly labelling a UK size 10 as an 8.
Boohoo has yet to comment on the recent sizing controversy.
Read more from Yahoo Style UK:


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On Monday, The Walt Disney Company released a Press Statement, announcing their “restructuring”, which has a focus on streaming. Understandably, the press was quick to decide what that means and write articles on what this means for the, already in trouble, cinemas. Those articles feature clickbait titles saying it could put the nail in the coffin for cinemas. The rest of this post is about how I actually interpret the statement.
This year has one of the most difficult years ever for the film industry. With a pandemic around the world, it stopped all production companies from filming, at least temporarily, and closing cinemas down, with release dates being pushed further and further back. With a large population around the world being stuck in doors because of a lockdown or choosing to stay in rather than going out, streaming services like Netflix were booming, and with the recent launch of Disney+ and Warner Bros launching HBO Max in the US, they were also thriving.
Disney+ had a staggered launch around the world, but that didn’t stop large numbers of people signing up to the service with gives customers access to a huge selection of Disney shows and classic Disney movies that were hard to find on other services. The huge back catalogue plus the promise of original content made specifically for the service, with the big draw at launch being an original series set in the Star Wars universe, The Mandalorian, and more Star Wars content on the way and multiple announced shows that would take place in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), with Falcon and the Winter Soldier and Wandavision being released on the service in the first year.
Onward, a Pixar film released in March 2020, was a film hugely affected by the diminishing audiences at the box office at the time, and it was decided that the film would go on to Disney+ in the US at the beginning of April to give the larger audience a chance to see the film. It just so happened that at the end of March was the launch date for Disney+ in multiple countries, particularly the UK and France. With production stopping on the Marvel shows, it meant that a big draw for audiences got pushed to later in 2020 and 2021. For US, Canadian, Australian and a couple of other countries’ audiences, who got the service when it launched in November, it was going to be over a year without a big release, leading to some customers complaining about what they are paying for and if it’s actually worth it. Compared to their major rival, Netflix, which have multiple new films and shows on the service each week, Disney+ does have new stuff every week but nothing big enough to grab general audiences’ attention. Netflix might have the easier deal in this scenario. Disney has the family friendly brand reputation so despite having recently bought 20th Century Fox, they decided not to be that content on Disney+. Netflix doesn’t have that sort of reputation and can therefore put anything on their service that they like and leave it up to the customers to decide what is and isn’t suitable, as well as having the feature for a parents to set an age limit for accounts. This means that not only could Netflix have films that are technically owned by Disney that they’ve decided aren’t suitable for Disney+, but films that are owned by other studios and their own original content.
So what does this restructuring mean for Disney+ and cinemas? I believe that this change is just to get more original content on Disney+. Disney crushed the box office last year, owning seven of the nine films that grossed over $1 billion at the worldwide box office, including Avengers: Endgame which became the highest grossing film of all time. I believe the change is to explore the likes of Star Wars with more Disney+ series, we already have The Mandalorian Season 2 in nearly 2 weeks, an Obi Wan Kenobi series, a series featuring Cassian Andor and K2S-O from Rogue One, as well as all the shows announced for the MCU. These series give audiences more time to explore universes that fans love, so doesn’t it make sense that fans want this and it’s for the best for Disney because people will continue their subscriptions as long as they keep putting out Star Wars and Marvel content because fans love them so much.
So will they stop putting films in the cinema? No, I don’t think so. As stated earlier in this post, Disney have crushed at the box office in recent years so why would they want to stop? They will still make money at the box office. The excitement for the next Marvel film is still there. The point of the series is to keep the excitement going, and filling in and expanding the universe, plus Disney have put in too much money into the production to just put it on to their streaming service. There is the benefit that the money goes straight to Disney. A theory that was tested with the release of Mulan straight to Disney+ where you pay £20/$30 to watch the film early, or you could just wait until the film is free if you already have a subscription (what the plan is with Soul for it’s Christmas Day release). To me the statement reads that they aren’t going to be putting out as many films in theatres because why would they want to release too much and compete with themselves. Soul‘s revised release date of late November would have competed with Free Guy in December, so the box office would have clashed, so why risk that. It’s a win for both Disney and fans, if people continue to watch films in theatres and on streaming and I firmly believe that they want that. They also just want to give subscribers enough new and original content to keep people around.
Are cinemas losing out? Cinemas are obviously struggling at the moment with all the releases being pushed (something that I’ve covered in a previous post), as long as Disney and other studios continue to put films in the cinema, they won’t. People will still go for the big films. Yes, the box office has had a huge hit, and it might not ever recover to the same heights of 2019, but financially it is proven with Mulan that people will just wait for it to be part of the subscription instead of paying £20/$30 to watch it from the comfort of your own home, instead of paying less and getting the cinema experience.
Follow on Instagram @Floodersfilms and like on Facebook for more Film and TV articles, news and reviews.


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By Fernando Scoczynski Filho at 7:47 AM Tuesday, October 23rd 2012
Having released their new LP Worship earlier this year, A Place to Bury Strangers recently came out with a video for one of its standout tracks – And I’m Up. Described as an “Action Figure Destruction Derby, an ultra-violent toy commercial, a non-CGI Toy Story 4: Battle Royale,” the video features several toys engaging in battle using fireworks.
Watch the video for And I’m Up below – you can almost smell the burning plastic:
Thanks to COS for the tip.


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A digital prescription
“Digitally enabled healthcare is here, and most pharmaceutical companies aren’t ready. Despite access to unprecedented data and technologies that can be used to drive better health outcomes by influencing customer behavior, few are truly exploring digital-engagement models. The opportunity to learn more about consumers and develop better, more targeted products and services far outweighs the threat digitization presents companies—for now. Unless incumbent pharmaceutical companies move quickly, innovative competitors may grab a greater share of benefits and stronger customer loyalty.” McKinsey & Company.
To read more follow this link


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Samsung has reportedly stopped rolling out Android 4.3 Jelly Bean OS update for its Galaxy S3 handset as users are said to be facing problems in the update.
The users are reportedly coming across problems such as unresponsive handsets specially the lockscreen. The battery life too is said to have diminished.
Other problems include patchy Wi-Fi connection or the handset getting locked completely, after which users have to restart the device by adjusting the battery again. Some have also complained about their alarm app not working fine along with other apps.
The update is understood to reach certain carrier versions of Galaxy S3 in the UK, reports Phones Review.
Some of the other issues include:
-The handset fails to display the caller and the ringtone tends to splutter during an incoming call.
-Notification bar displaying apps which have been already been downloaded. The apps re-appear repeatedly after clearing them from the notifications.
One of the users is said to have spoken to the Samsung UK team who say that they are working on the bug fixes, according to Gotta Be Mobile.
This issue is speculated to have the Korean tech firm put its Android 4.3 Jelly Bean update for Galaxy Note 2 on hold, until the complains have been addressed and the errors are rectified.
Meanwhile, the Korean tech firm has launched a new variant of its Galaxy Core handset in Taiwan tipped as Galaxy Core Plus.
The handset is said to arrive with the newer version of Android, 4.2 Jelly Bean OS but sports a lesser RAM of 768MB from the previous Galaxy Core's 1GB, reports Sam Mobile. The rest of the specifications stay the same.


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Disney’s CEO, Bob Iger, is reportedly considering selling some of the company’s TV and streaming assets, and there are even talks of a possible sale of the entire company. During an interview, Iger hinted at the potential sale of ABC and its local stations, stating that they may not be core to Disney’s business.
Disney’s streaming services, including the highly anticipated Disney+, have been facing challenges with financial losses and a decline in subscribers. The service suffered a significant setback in India, where it struggled to make a mark in a highly competitive market.
Despite these setbacks, Iger plans to hold onto the popular streaming platform Hulu and intends to launch a combined app for Hulu and Disney+. By integrating the two services, Disney hopes to streamline its offerings and potentially attract more subscribers.
If Disney were to sell its TV networks, it could potentially generate around $8 billion. Potential buyers for these assets are expected to be financial entities such as private equity firms, who could see value in acquiring established television networks.
While Iger intends to keep ESPN, he is actively looking for a partner to collaborate with the sports network. This could involve teaming up with sports companies or even tech giant Apple, who has been rumored to be interested in acquiring Disney since Iger’s return in 2021.
TV has traditionally been a significant source of revenue and operating income for Disney. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the industry, causing a decline in advertising revenue and viewer engagement.
It is worth noting that Iger has a deep-rooted history in television. He began his career at ABC and eventually worked his way up to become the CEO of Disney. His experience and expertise in the TV industry may influence the way he navigates the potential sale of Disney’s TV networks.
As news of the potential sale circulates, readers are encouraged to share their thoughts and opinions on Iger and Disney’s decision to potentially part ways with the TV networks. The comment section serves as a platform for discussion and engagement with the Swerd Media community.


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It looks like SRAM could be making a play for the e-bike market by acquiring Amprio, a Netherlands-based company specializing in electronic shifting technology. If this deal goes through, it could signal a major shift in the bicycle industry, with SRAM looking to add electric components to its already successful line of mechanical drivetrains. In this article, we’ll explore what this potential acquisition could mean for SRAM and the bike industry as a whole. We’ll also take a look at Amprio’s technology and how it might fit into SRAM’s existing lineup. Finally, we’ll discuss how bike manufacturers may choose to respond if SRAM does indeed enter the e-bike market.
SRAM’s recent acquisition of Amprio
SRAM’s recent acquisition of Amprio could signal the company’s entry into the e-bike market.
Amprio is a Belgian start-up that has developed a patented motor system that is said to be more efficient and lighter than existing e-bike motors on the market. The technology is based on a hub motor design, which would allow SRAM to enter the e-bike market without having to develop its own motor technology from scratch.
If the rumors are true and SRAM does enter the e-bike market with Amprio’s technology, it would be a major shake-up for the industry. SRAM is one of the biggest names in cycling, and its entry into e-bikes would no doubt bring new attention and investment to the growing category.
What this could mean for the e-bike market
Amprio is a company that specializes in electric motors for bicycles, so SRAM’s acquisition of them could mean that they’re planning to enter the e-bike market. This would be a big move for SRAM, as they’ve been largely absent from the e-bike scene so far.
With Amprio’s technology, SRAM would be able to offer e-bike motors that are smaller and lighter than what’s currently on the market. This could make SRAM a major player in the e-bike market, and could help to drive down the prices of e-bikes overall.
Of course, this is all speculation at this point, and we’ll have to wait and see what SRAM does with Amprio once the acquisition is complete. But if they do enter the e-bike market, it could be big news for the industry.
How SRAM’s entry into the e-bike market could affect competition
SRAM, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of bicycle components, is reportedly in talks to acquire Amprio, a German e-bike motor company. This could be a major shakeup for the e-bike market, which has so far been dominated by companies like Bosch and Shimano.
If the acquisition goes through, SRAM would become a major player in the e-bike market overnight. This could put pressure on other companies to lower prices or offer more innovative products. It could also lead to more competition in the market overall, which is good news for consumers.
E-bikes are becoming increasingly popular, especially in Europe where they are seen as a viable alternative to cars for commuting and running errands. With SRAM’s deep pockets and experience in the bike industry, they could quickly become a force to be reckoned with in this growing market.


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There's been much talk about the Singapore government's potential new contact tracing method -- a wearable device meant as an alternative to the TraceTogether app.
The development of the wearable contact tracing device was sparked by feedback that the TraceTogether app drained battery life, and was not as compatible with Apple devices and iOS.
This was mentioned by Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan in Parliament on June 4.
He said that due to the feedback, download of the app has not been made mandatory.
Vivian stated that if the wearable device works, it will be distributed to all in Singapore.
Devices believed to be "unethical" and an invasion of privacy
The petition, set up by one Wilson Low, stated that unlike apps on phones, the device will potentially be allowed to track a person's whereabouts, whether or not they are within the range of a cellphone tower.
"All that is stopping the Singapore Government from becoming a surveillance state is the advent and mandating the compulsory usage of such a wearable device. What comes next would be laws that state these devices must not be turned off/remain on a person at all times - thus sealing our fate as a police state."
Others lamented in the comments section of the petition that the wearable devices were inconvenient and a waste of money, and considered them to be "unethical".
Devices do not track one's location
Vivian however, clarified in the comments section of his June 5 Facebook post certain misconceptions about the wearable contact tracing devices.
As opposed to what Low and others believe, the devices do not track one's location as they are not connected to GPS or mobile internet.
Instead, the devices rely on Bluetooth proximity data to collate prolonged close contacts, Vivian said.
The data will be encrypted in the device, and automatically erased after 25 days.
Only if the individual wearing the device is infected with Covid-19, will the data be retrieved by authorised contact tracers.
Vivian's comment was in response to one Justin Herson, who felt that the wearable contact tracing devices are "degrading", and would be putting Singaporeans on a "leash".
Vivian also raised the possibility of the wearable devices “inter-operating” with the TraceTogether apps.
In response to another comment who urged for the devices to be incorporated into a smartphone function, Smart Nation Singapore explained that not all Singaporeans, especially elderly, might not have the access or know-how to operate a smartphone.
One Facebook user suggested the use of facial recognition to overcome certain drawbacks, such as the "intrusivity" or individuals forgetting to wear their device out.
However, Vivian stated that facial recognition could be an even greater invasion of privacy, where data would be stored in a central database as opposed to being encrypted on a personal device like the wearable contact tracing devices are.
Top photo composite image via TraceTogether & Unsplash


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David Putman writes, “Please go to this website right now and view the commercial NBC will not air during Sunday’s Super Bowl, yet they are supporting Pedigree’s pet adoption drive. They also has no problem with the PETA ad even though it is very political. There is major cognitive dissonance contained in this decision as well as within folks’ minds who continue to live their lives in “duh-ville”.
NBC refuses to air pro-life ad for Super Bowl broadcast
The NBC television network has rejected a Catholic group’s bid to air the popular pro-life ad, “Life: Imagine the Potential,” during this Sunday’s Super Bowl broadcast. Network executives explained that their standards bar advertisements involving “political advocacy or issues.” But Brian Burch, president of CatholicVote.org, the group that produced the ad, noted that NBC has accepted an ad from People for Ethical Treatment of Animals, another advocacy group.


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Tacos tu Madre does $1 breakfast burritos
For tomorrow only — and exclusively at the Los Feliz location — Tacos tu Madre is going to be doling out $1 breakfast burritos. They're only available one per person, but you can choose between chorizo, bacon, veggie, pastrami, or bean and cheese. You might want to line up now.
A Jitlada offshoot in Long Beach
LA Weekly shares news that you can now find some Jitlada family recipes at Spicy Sugar in Long Beach. The East Broadway shop is run by Sugar Sungkamee, whose father Tui is one half of the operation up at Jitlada. And, with his blessing, you'll find some of Tui's family recipes on display down in Long Beach now. The menu isn't quite as extensive, but still — it's a lot shorter of a drive for plenty of folks.
Burger Parlor expands to Orange
One of Orange County's best casual restaurants, Burger Parlor, has officially completed its expansion into the nearby city of Orange. The Fullerton original has been repeatedly considered one of the best dining options in the area, though chef/owner Joseph Mahon has been reluctant to expand so far. The new location officially opened on Monday.
Cinco de Mayo at El Chavo
Still haven't made plans for tomorrow's Cinco de Mayo festivities? There's always El Chavo, the long-running Los Feliz Mexican haunt rendered reliable once again thanks to a handful of industry vets. Plus, there's going to be tacos and margaritas.
Yogurtland is changing their service model
Yogurtland, the place where you, y'know, go and get yourself some yogurt, is apparently experimenting with a new model throughout Southern California. Per the OC Register, the company quixotically is moving into the new territory as an 'express' (think much smaller footprint, for places like ballparks), wherein customers have a limited range of flavors and toppings to choose from — and someone else does all the preparation. The idea is to move lines in and out even faster, and likely to ensure less waste overall.
Papa Cristo's does cooking classes
Greek dining legend Papa Cristo's has been around a very long time, and their Pico Boulevard shop shows no signs of slowing down. Neither does patriarch Chris S. Chris, who continues to shake hands and kiss babies at every opportunity. Want some of that charm to rub off in your own home kitchen? You can get a dose yourself with a new series of on-site cooking classes at Papa Cristo's proper, reports the LA Times.
Oto-Oto Express lands at Union Station
There's something fun happening inside Union Station right now, with the recent arrival of Oto-Oto Express. An offshoot of the Japan-based Ramla (the country's third-largest restaurant group), Oto-Oto Express seeks to bring takeaway bento boxes, onigiri, and more to the transit corridor. The kiosk only opened officially yesterday, but is already fully operational with a strong lineup of grab and go meals.
Maneet Chauhan on chef training
Chef Maneet Chauhan, whose dishes will soon be available on American Airlines in-flight dining, sits down with Eater to discuss Indian food at her Nashville restaurant at the set of Man vs. Child. The chef also talks culinary training for the young cooks, who take on adult chefs on the FYI show, which airs Thursdays at 9 p.m.


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CHICAGO, June 14, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Zacks.com announces the list of stocks featured in the Analyst Blog. Every day the Zacks Equity Research analysts discuss the latest news and events impacting stocks and the financial markets. Stocks recently featured in the blog include Garmin Ltd (Nasdaq:GRMN), Apple Inc. (Nasdaq:AAPL), Google Inc. (Nasdaq:GOOG), Harman International Industries Inc. (NYSE:HAR) and Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ).
Get the most recent insight from Zacks Equity Research with the free Profit from the Pros newsletter: http://at.zacks.com/?id=5513
Here are highlights from Wednesday's Analyst Blog:
Garmin Faces Heat from Apple Maps
Garmin Ltd (Nasdaq:GRMN), a leading developer of personal navigational devices (PND) is expected to face heightened competition from consumer electronics giant Apple Inc. (Nasdaq:AAPL) following the recent launch of its new mapping software for iOS based devices.
The new mapping software is based on 3D technology. The application features turn-by-turn navigation system, real-time traffic data and is capable of offering alternative routes depending on traffic conditions. The software is also supported by Apple's voice application Siri, which was launched with iPhone 4S (on October 14, 2011).
Garmin enjoys a dominant position in the PND market space based on its popular products such as nuvi, zumo and street pilot application, all of which have been more or less represented in the new iOS software.
Garmin has been seeing tough competition from mapping and personal navigation software provided by Google Inc. (Nasdaq:GOOG) for quite some time. This was primarily due to the strong adoption of Google's Android-based smartphones. However, the competition is expected to get more intense once Apple enters the market with its new application.
We believe that the entrance of Apple poses a significant threat for Garmin going forward. This is particularly due to the massive popularity of Apple's iPhone and iPad devices. With the upcoming release of its updated mobile operating system iOS 6, Apple is completely removing the Google map service from its devices.
Being the market leader, Garmin is likely to be the most negatively affected by the growing number of players in the navigation segment. Of course, other players, such as such as Harman International Industries Inc. (NYSE:HAR) will also not go unscathed.
We think that Garmin is in danger of seeing a secular decline in demand for its GPS technology, which is rapidly becoming an inbuilt portion of electronic devices like smartphones and tablets.
Garmin has been diversifying its business over the past few years, although it continues to generate a significant percentage of its revenue from personal navigation devices sold through its auto/mobile segment.
Its efforts have resulted in greater stability and growth in the outdoor, fitness and marine segments in particular. Garmin is also well positioned in the aviation market, although recessionary pressures have impacted this business.
Currently, both Apple Inc. and Google Inc. have Zacks Rank of #2, implying a short-term Buy recommendation. On the other hand, Garmin and Harman International have a Zacks Rank of #3, implying a short-term Hold recommendation.
Synthes Deal to Be Accretive for J&J
Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) is all set to complete its acquisition of Synthes, Inc. on June 14, 2012. The company, which received Federal Trade Commission (FTC) approval recently, will be acquiring Synthes for a total purchase price of approximately $19.7 billion in cash and stock.
For each share of Synthes, the shareholder will be entitled to receive CHF 55.65 in cash and 1.7170 shares of Johnson & Johnson common stock.
Antitrust approval from the European Commission was granted on April 19, 2012. Meanwhile, the FTC asked Johnson & Johnson to sell its system for treating distal radius wrist fractures. Johnson & Johnson said that it will be selling its entire trauma portfolio, including DVR, to Biomet. The sale is scheduled to go through later this month.
Johnson & Johnson announced that its wholly owned Irish subsidiary, Janssen Pharmaceutical, has signed a $12.9 billion accelerated share repurchase (ASR) programs with two investment bankers. The shares purchased under the ASR agreements, along with cash on hand from Janssen Pharmaceutical, will be used towards the purchase consideration for the Synthes deal.
With the company announcing the share buyback program and the financial structure for the deal, Johnson & Johnson now expects the Synthes acquisition to be accretive to earnings instead of dilutive as expected earlier. Earlier, the company had said that it expects the deal to be dilutive by 22 cents per share in 2012.
However, with the financial structure in place, the company now expects the acquisition to boost 2012 adjusted earnings by 3-5 cents per share. Meanwhile, 2013 earnings are expected to be boosted by 10-15 cents per share due to the acquisition.
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Continuous coverage is provided for a universe of 1,150 publicly traded stocks. Our analysts are organized by industry which gives them keen insights to developments that affect company profits and stock performance. Recommendations and target prices are six-month time horizons.
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SOURCE Zacks Investment Research, Inc.


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Rumours that high-end audio is dying appear to have been greatly exaggerated, at least if the @theaudioshowuk that just took place was anything to go by... ##highendaudio #ukaudioshow #vinyl #loudspeakers #amplifiers #headphones #jukeboxes #audio #sound #music Click for images
Global consumer electronics giant Skyworth Digital has appointed RAI Public Relations to handle UK consumer and trade PR activity to help launch and establish its STRONG brand in the UK.
Skyworth Group - the parent company of Skyworth Digital - is one of the world’s top ten TV manufacturers and currently the No.2 TV brand in China (*by sales revenue, in 2020), outselling TCL and snapping at the heels of Hisense.
Skyworth Digital’s entry-level STRONG brand, already well established in mainland Europe, will offer a comprehensive line-up of entry-level smart HD, Full HD and 4K Ultra HD TVs in the UK, as well as satellite/terrestrial/cable set-top boxes, advanced home networking systems and IoT products.
To help raise brand awareness RAI PR will deliver the full spectrum of press office services, as well as managing STRONG’s upcoming product review programme.
Kulwinder Singh Rai, MD of RAI Public Relations, is relishing the opportunity ahead:
“While Skyworth Digital is a multi-billion dollar global operation, it takes a distinctly local approach when it comes to developing product and doing business. I think that will play out particularly well for the STRONG brand in the UK market.
“The fact that Skyworth invests 8.5% of its annual revenue into research and development says much about its priorities, as does the fact that more than 30% of its employees are in R&D, with a number of significant personnel being based in the UK.
“With its products now widely available in Europe, via more than 10,000 outlets, STRONG’s arrival in the UK signals the next major phase of sales expansion for the brand.”
STRONG TV UK will officially commence sales in the UK as of Q4 2021.
Based in the UK, RAI Public Relations has been delivering successful communications programmes for global consumer electronics brands since 2002.
(*Source: AVC Omni-channel Integrated Data)
Huge news for a brand and former client that occupied my every waking thought for some 17 years. Fingers crossed that its acquisition by VOXX International Corporation - owners of Klipsch Group and Jamo (coincidentally, also previous clients of mine) - and Sharp goes smoothly. The last few years have tumultous, to say the least. Hopefully there are clearer skies ahead... #consumerelectronics #hifi #hometheatre #homecinema
Gutted to hear this morning that Dixons Carphone is having to close its airport shops, thanks to a double-whammy of HMG’s removal of VAT-free shopping for overseas visitors (yay for that nebulous Brexit dividend), together with the predicted COVID-linked collapse in future passenger numbers.
Turning up early for a flight so that I could wander through the Dixons shop was one of THE pre-fly highlights of an overseas jaunt. Like many others steeped in consumer electronics, being able to peruse the latest in tech - in a Richer Sounds-sized store - before boarding a jet was a rare joy that will be sorely missed. And let’s not forget, from a sales perspective the shops did a truly jaw-dropping amount of business. For me, they always felt like a tamer reincarnation of the forever missed emporia that once peppered Tottenham Court Road.
On the upside, at least the retailer is talking about redeploying the 400 hard-working staff, rather than making them redundant. However, many will know only too well that initial declarations of good intent often melt away once public attention has focussed elsewhere. Here’s hoping the group follows through and does right by its people.
#consumerelectronics #airportlife #hifi #vatrefund #accessories


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WatchShop.com, the UK’s leading online watch retailer, has announced a partnership with Casio to help raise funds for the people whose lives have been impacted by the recent earthquake and tsunami in Japan.
WatchShop.com is offering to donate 50% of the proceeds from the sale of two specially-packaged Casio sports models (one for men, one for women) to humanitarian efforts in the region and, in particular, to charities working actively to save and rebuild lives in the grief-stricken country.
“After seeing the devastation across Japan and the continued trauma of this very brave nation, we at WatchShop wanted to help support this cause by selling one of the world’s most iconic Japanese brands, Casio,” said director of WatchShop.com Kishore Naib.
The men’s watch is a sports watch with world time, chronograph, alarm and countdown timer. Water resistant to 200m, said to have been built to withstand being used roughly every day.
The ladies’ watch is a sports watch, with stop watch, alarm and countdown timer; claimed to be perfect for running or using in the gym, or as an everyday watch.
Both models will feature redesigned packaging, with a specially commissioned Japanese theme.
Casio, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of watches, has its headquarters in Tokyo Japan.


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As summit gets underway, UN chief Antonio Guterres issues climate warning to nations as top US Democrat Pelosi offers 'iron-clad' optimism
It is the global climate summit that might never have been. Little more than four weeks ago COP25 found itself without a home after a wave of civil unrest in Chile forced the country to cancel the two-week...
Plus Danish diets, China climate policy signals, and all the top green business news from around the world this week
Major report makes the case for new carbon tax on imported goods and goods, as the Environment Secretary reveals the UK's climate targets could eventually cover carbon embodied in imported goods
As the sustainable finance sector booms, asset managers and owners are under increasing pressure to use their financial clout to steer a greener future
More than 100 billion garments are produced annually, and many end up in the landfill


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Adweek's annual #Brandweek summit will explore the ideas behind breakthrough successes, discuss solutions to pressing challenges and explore new opportunities in the Metaverse. Join leaders from Alo Yoga, Hyundai Motor America, Frito-Lay and more, Sept. 12–16 in Miami. Sign up early to save.
Google AMP officially launched today, and the search giant's new feature promises to help some mobile pages load more quickly and combat ad fraud. AMP stands for Accelerated Mobile Pages, an open-source project that's supported by major publishers like Daily Mail, social platforms such as Twitter and LinkedIn, and advertising networks including OpenX.


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Apple (AAPL) stock opened down almost 4% this morning, and after briefly dipping below, it is barely keeping the share price above $500. The drop comes on the heels of news that Apple has cut orders for certain components of its popular iPhone 5.
Reuters, citing The Nikkei, claims Apple has asked suppliers of the phone’s LCD screen to cut their order of 65 million roughly in half for the coming quarter.
Sources familiar with the move told the Wall Street Journal that the Cupertino computer giant spoke with suppliers sometime in the last month and scaled back orders after demand for their latest smartphone failed to live up to the company’s expectations.
Related: Has Apple Lost Its Genius?
Apple is set to report Q4 earnings on January 23rd and iPhone 5 sales are sure to be a big part of those numbers. The phone’s sales started strong, with consumers grabbing a reported 5 million of the gadgets in the first weekend it was available in September. Still, several analysts said it would take a few months to see the true impact of iPhone 5 sales on the company. It would seem a clearer picture of the phone's success, or lack thereof, has now emerged.
While the latest news sent shares lower, the stock has been troubled for some time now, down 25% from its all-time high of $705 reached last September.
Kyle Harrington of Harrington Capital Management admits the company has lost some of its competitive edge. “They’ve gone more commercial and as a result the stock price has suffered,” he says, adding, “it will be very interesting [to watch] in the coming months, just how much passion and innovation they come out with to see if the luster is still there.”
Apple's grip on the smartphone market has been slipping of late. On Monday chief competitor Samsung reported sales of its Galaxy S phone line have topped 100 million worldwide. With Samsung and Google (GOOG) nipping at Apple’s heels, it has become even more important for Apple not to disappoint. While rumors of new gadgets from Samsung abound, Apple is said to be readying the next iteration of the iPhone, iPad and iPad mini. In addition, speculation abounds regarding possible new products such as the “iWatch” and “iTV.” But are these new items enough for Apple to get its groove back? Let us know on our Facebook page.


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Huge changes planned for supermarket self-service tills to prevent thefts
Supermarkets will introduce advanced self-service technology in an attempt to reduce shoplifting.
A third of shoppers are estimated to fail to pay for all their items when using the unmanned tills, although not always intentionally - but thieves specifically use them to steal more expensive items.
Retail experts say the industry is forced to consider advanced tech to prevent 'swipers' who are stealing over £500million worth of items a year.
What will the new technology do?
The new self-service technology can detect when an item in the bagging area is different to one scanned and can spot other suspicious patterns.
University of Leicester's Professor Adrian Beck works with stores to help them uncover the tricks some shoppers use. He has surveyed three thousand people on the changes.
He said the current tech works largely around weight, and the scanners "can't recognise" what each item looks like.
Meaning, that people select cheap but heavy items such as onions but actually buy more expensive foods like bananas or avocados.
Or they pay for a bag of potatoes but take a bottle of champagne.
What has been said?
Professor Beck told the Daily Mail: "People make excuses for why they haven’t followed the rules such as 'there were problems with a barcode', or 'they made me use this machine and I tried my best but it didn’t work'."
The new system, already in use in some supermarkets, can even recognise the colour of an item.
Professor Beck further said: "Other supermarkets have installed gates as you leave the checkout. If you scan the items but do not pay then the machine knows and will not let you through. A number of companies are trialling this."
Israeli tech firm SuperSmart has, meanwhile, developed a system that can weigh an entire trolley.
Professor Emmeline Taylor, who specialises in retail crime at City, University of London, coined the ‘swipers’ acronym, standing for "seemingly well-intentioned patrons engaging in routine shoplifting".
Speaking to the Sunday Times she said: "Self-service has created a new breed of shoplifter. Rather than seeing it as problematic, they get a buzz from it or see it as funny or socially acceptable in a way that you wouldn’t if you stole a piece of cheese from Tesco."
A survey of 2,000 Brits, by Myfavouritevouchercodes.co.uk, revealed one in three admitted to stealing items using the self-service checkouts in 2022 alone.
According to the survey, the items most commonly stolen are toiletries and hygiene products, fresh produce and baby formula.


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June 11, 2020
FleishmanHillard Ireland works with a wide variety of companies in the healthcare sector across Ireland, EMEA and globally, including pharmaceutical, devices and diagnostics, advocacy and consumer health. Working with our clients, we devise communications strategies that cover reputation management, product launch and life cycle management, public affairs and policy, and digital and social outreach. Traditionally an industry that is cautious when it comes to embracing online activity, pharma companies have been reviewing how they engage...
May 27, 2020
False information about COVID-19 is rampant, a fact acknowledged by the WHO director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus who in February stated, “We’re not just fighting an epidemic. We’re fighting an infodemic.” According to Italian research, every day in March 2020 an average of 46,000 new posts on Twitter linked to inaccurate or misleading information about the crisis. The tragic nature of the virus and rapidly changing situation means that people are eager for updates about the...


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Pinehills Christmas On The Green 2020
Sharon Markham, daughter of ‘Mr Christmas’ Dave Edwards, switched on his famous Christmas lights in Croxley Green, Hertfordshire, after he died the previous day. . It’s just about time for the holidays, and while they might be a few weeks away, New Haven’s Christmas tree has been put up on the green. . The Old Globe today announced the cast and creative team of its 23rd annual production of Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, which this year will be presented by KPBS Radio in San Diego as a .
The Pinehills Wednesday Unwind “Earth” Without “Art” is Just “Eh”
- Holidays on the Green at The Pinehills.
- Dec 7 | Holidays on the Green at The Pinehills for the 15th Year .
- Holidays on the Green at The Pinehills in Plymouth, MA Your AAA .
Gulf Coast History: Pine Hills Hotel & Golfing Lodge The Gazebo
After a thoroughly unsettling 2020, many of us will be looking forward to Christmas this year, even though it’s hard to predict exactly what that will look like. But, while Christmas can be the . Hold the Christmas Songs “Seeking to cheer up the population,” observes “Candid Camera” host Peter Funt in The Wall Street Journal, music- and video-service firms are “betting” .
A Pine Hills Christmas at Barnett Park December 5, 2019 WMMO
Very few music boxed sets aspire to going beyond being gussied up digital repositories to becoming actual physical pieces of pop art. But opening up the new vinyl set from Elvis Costello, “The Kylie Jenner and Travis Scott are gearing up for the holidays with Stormi and are ‘completely on the same page’ when it comes to planning out family time even though they’re no .
Dec 2 | Holidays on the Green at The Pinehills | Plymouth, MA Patch
- Taxes to Go – Pinehills Tax Services.
- Announcing Ninth Annual Holiday’s on the Green at The Pinehills .
- A Pine Hills Christmas at Barnett Park December 5, 2019 WMMO.


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American Airlines Will Be Industry Leader: Horton
Feb. 14 (Bloomberg) -- AMR CEO Tom Horton speaks at a press conference announcing the $11 billion merger of AMR Corp.'s American Airlines and US Airways.
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Full Show: Bloomberg Best (09/30)
37:38 - A review of the week's top business stories from the U.S., Europe and Asia. (Source: Bloomberg)


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Japanese outlet Best Car Web previously reported the potential relaunch of a Skyline e-SUV.
Interestingly, a new report from the same outlet suggests that Nissan will also develop a 4-door fastback Skyline EV.
Nissan will reportedly launch an electric Skyline fastback with four doors. It can apparently generate a combined output of 443 horsepower from two electric motors.
The Skyline fastback EV also supports a four-wheel drive configuration. According to Bendigo Advertiser, this variant will have a capacity of 330kW. It may launch in the “northern autumn of 2025.”
Electrek reported that Nissan will base the Skyline e-SUV on the electric Ariya model. It is set to introduce the Skyline e-SUV as early as 2025.
It is also expected to offer an output of more than 450 horsepower. Interestingly, it may hit the US market under the company’s Infiniti brand.
Notably, the existing Skyline car sells in the North American market as the Infiniti Q50.
About the Nissan Skyline
In hindsight, Nissan initially launched the Skyline car in 1969 after it merged with the original Skyline maker, Prince Motor Company.
The Skyline’s GT-R variant debuted in the same year with enhanced handling and power. In 1989, it officially introduced the legendary R32 Skyline GT-R.
It significantly appealed to the Japanese automotive market in the 1990s with the nickname “Godzilla.”
Now, the model is set to potentially mirror the same success with an all-electric powertrain. Apart from electrifying the Skyline, Nissan also plans to launch electric counterparts of the popular Juke and Qashqai models.


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If going green started as a noble endeavor, it's now just a best practice. Yesterday at a USGBC meeting at 300 N. LaSalle, we snapped FTI Consulting's Chuck Gorum, right, who says his company felt that not having a green building for its office would leave it behind in employee recruitment and new business development. John Buck Co.'s Matt Cohen has proof that it works—the UBS Tower at 1 N. Wacker, one of the first LEED Core and Shell buildings, sold for $540M to Hines in 2008.
Matting by Design's Max Andrews, Lance Construction Supplies'Peter Lozano, and North American Corp.'s Alex Cooper all market green products. Max's company recently landed a contract with Best Buy to provide it with recycled floor mats. Alex is working to get more companies to buy post-consumer paper and janitorial products (yes, that's the PC way to say âtoilet paper.â)


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The global Covid-19 pandemic is the global economy’s biggest speed bump this century. The International Monetary Fund has said it could shrink the world’s gross domestic product by 3%, and possibly more. Among those that have to adjust the most is China’s mammoth trading economy, the linchpin of global trade.
The long-term disruption still isn’t clear, but already, China is importing more commodities like oil and soybeans, losing exports of consumer items like phones and home appliances, and industrial goods like steel, aluminum and cars, and beefing up outgoing shipments of medical supplies to help fight the pandemic, according to an analysis of May exports and imports by Trade Data Monitor, the world’s premier source of trade statistics.
With so much in flux right now, including a dispute over Hong Kong, the U.S.-China trade war, and coping with the pandemic lockdown, businesses, governments and organizations are tracking data as closely as they can, especially trade statistics.
One trend that’s already clear: With uncertainty abounding, a scramble for key resources is afoot.
China has been ramping up imports of agricultural products. That’s partly because of an agreement with the U.S. to lower tariffs. But it’s also part of a broader trend as nations seek to ensure plentiful food supplies. Chinese meat imports rose 46.7% in May to $2.4 billion from $1.6 billion in May 2019, while soybean shipments increased 25.6% to $3.6 billion. Cereal imports rose 29.5% to $4.4 billion.
It’s also been importing more oil. Chinese crude petroleum imports increased to 48 million tons in May from 40.1 million tons in May 2019. However, a fall in oil prices caused imports by dollar amount to fall to $9.5 billion from $21.1 billion.
World Bank President David Malpass in a recent BBC interview called Covid-19 a “devasting blow” that would disrupt the livelihoods of “billions” and last at least a decade. Those billions include consumers and businesses from all seven continents who buy the iPhones, shoes, furniture, and thousands of other products made in China.
Chinese exports of mobile phones shrank 12% to 66.9 million units in May, from 76.1 million units in the same month the year before. With hundreds of millions of people losing or getting furlough from their jobs, spending on discretionary items is going to take years to recover.
There are some exceptions to the gloom. Exports of medical devices to help fight Covid-19 and related diseases, almost doubled, rising to $2.1 billion from $1.1 billion. And textile exports soared to $20.7 billion from $11.5 billion.
For all the damage Covid has done to consumer markets, it’s been even harsher on industrial goods. Around the world, the pandemic has forced the closure of iron ore mines, steel mills, and car factories from Detroit to Japan. In May, Chinese auto exports fell 14.5% to $1.2 billion, and steel shipments declined 25.7% to $3.7 billion.
To be sure, because of its internal market, sheer size, and other advantages, China is likely to hold on to its status as the world’s dominant manufacturing power. In addition, the Chinese currency, the Yuan, is getting weaker as investors seek safety in the dollar, which will further fuel Chinese exports.
In May, China exports declined 3.3%, while imports fell 16.7%, triggering a one-month trade surplus of $62.93 billion.
That was the highest monthly trade surplus in Chinese economic history.


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Marks & Spencer 'fire loyalty card chief over claim she used racist language at work'
- Suzanna Broer, 33, said to be fired after 'gross misconduct' in November
- The revelation comes after a tough festive period for Marks and Spencer
- Forecasters predict store will report a 5.5 per cent decline in third quarter
- Retailer 'does not tolerate discrimination in workplace,' spokesman said
The high flying female boss who headed up Marks and Spencer's new loyalty scheme was sacked for using racist language at work, it has been reported.
Suzanna Broer, 33, was said to have been fired for 'gross misconduct' in November, less than a month after she oversaw the launch of the new reward card.
It comes after a tough festive period for M&S, with some forecasters predicting the retail giant will report up to a 5.5 per cent drop in like-for-like sales.
Suzanna Broer, 33, was said to have been fired for 'gross misconduct' in November, less than a month after she oversaw the launch of the new reward card
An M&S spokesperson said it 'would never comment on individual cases', but added: 'Marks & Spencer does not tolerate any form of discrimination in the workplace.'
They told MailOnline: 'We pride ourselves on being an equal opportunities employer and aim to create an inclusive and supportive environment across all of our workplaces at every level of our organisation.
'We will always take all the necessary steps to protect our employees from discrimination of any kind.'
The allegation was acted on as soon as it was made and Broer was sacked after a 'thorough investigation', a source told the Sunday Times' Oliver Shah.
M&S poached her from Dutch retailer Albert Heijn in 2014 to help develop its 'Sparks' loyalty scheme.
On her LinkedIn profile, Broer described herself as a 'passionate and result oriented executive with over a decade of experience in customer marketing, loyalty, strategy and managing teams'.
She added: 'I love challenges, people and developing teams to deliver jointly the best possible.'
Her friends would not confirm the nature of Miss Broer’s alleged racist comments. She has been hastily replaced by Nathan Ansell, who was head of marketing for M&S food.
The Sparks card, launched in October, rewarded members to food and drink classes and other special offers.
Just two months after its launch, experts in the City feared M&S would report a decline of as much as 5.5 per cent over the third quarter in 'general merchandise' sales – the category that includes womenswear and men's fashions.
An M&S spokesperson said it 'would never comment on individual cases', but added: 'Marks & Spencer (file photo) does not tolerate any form of discrimination in the workplace'
The poor performance will be a bitter blow to chief executive Marc Bolland, who is under pressure to kick start growth in fashion sales.
Failure to restore the company to its former position as the favourite of middle class customers has dogged his five-year tenure.
The latest disappointing figures will come on the back of an equally bad performance last year.
Miss Broer started her career at management consultancy McKinsey. She then moved to Danone, where she rose to become a global strategy director at the age of 28.
She then joined retailer Ahold to run its customer business insights department, and in 2012 was head-hunted by the Netherlands’ largest retailer Albert Heijn to create its loyalty department.
The businesswoman is believed to have married her businessman boyfriend Wessel Koning last year. Neither responded to requests for comment last night.
According to their LinkedIn pages, the couple both attended Erasmus University in Rotterdam and now appear to have a home together in London. Mr Koning is himself a successful businessman and has founded a business development company called Global BND and a touring club night called Amsterdance.
He also works as an advisor for other entrepreneurs as part of an organisation called the Rockstar Mentoring Group.
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On Wednesday, the Federal Reserve voted to raise the benchmark interest rate by thee-quarters of a percentage point to a targeted range of 1.5%-1.75%, a 50% greater increase than the central bank had initially signaled it was going to make for June.
The move comes after inflation hit a new, 40-year high last week, with consumer prices reaching an 8.6% increase over where they were a year ago.
Today, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell reiterated the central bank’s commitment to bringing down inflation, saying it’s essential for the global financial system.
“The Federal Reserve’s strong commitment to our price stability mandate contributes to the widespread confidence in the dollar as a store of value. To that end, my colleagues and I are acutely focused on returning inflation to our 2% objective,” Powell said in introductory remarks for a Fed-sponsored conference on the global role of the U.S. economy.
As evidenced in his statement, Fed officials target 2% inflation as healthy for a growing economy and will continue raising rates until prices return to that range. Some Fed watchers now believe the rate hikes could happen at a quicker pace than originally expected.
Banks use the rate to set borrowing costs for short-term loans they provide to each other, but the interest rate increase also feeds though to a multitude of consumer products like credit cards, home equity loans and auto financing.
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The streaming platform has films that have received Oscar nominations
Netflix has been one of the most important streaming platforms in the entertainment industry and since it began producing its own movies and series, its popularity has been increasing among audiences around the world. A week ago, the nominees distributed in 23 categories were revealed, including Best Film, Best Actor, Best Screenplay, etc.
For this reason we will recommend some movies that have been nominated in some category and that you can find on Netflix. The Oscar Awards will be held on March 27, 2022 at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles.


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Beirut – CARE International will begin vital lifesaving food assistance, via local organisations, to thousands of people in Beirut after the devastating explosion that decimated much of the city’s port and surrounding areas; killing over 135 people and injuring 6,000 more so far.
“First thing Friday morning we will begin distributing hot meals and food parcels, through frontline local organisations already on the ground, to people in affected areas who have lost everything,” says Bujar Hoxha, CARE Lebanon Country Director.
CARE Lebanon’s versatile teams have already begun mobilising with a range of experts from shelter to social workers ready to respond; with a particular emphasis on women and girls who are most vulnerable in these situations.
“Right now, the main priorities are food and shelter as thousands of people have become homeless overnight. But we are also very worried about hygiene and sanitation conditions in the aftermath. Already in the last few days cases of COVID-19 have increased as health facilities are overwhelmed, and more people are coming in contact with each other than before. In the coming weeks we will also focus on providing hygiene products to households to try and help stem further waves of coronavirus on an already extremely vulnerable population,” Hoxha adds.
Traumatic events often lead to an increase in rates of gender-based violence. CARE will use the innovative approach of having social workers and midwives involved in the food distribution, so that they can use this as an opportunity to offer their services to those facing violence or needing protection.
The Beirut port is critical for the majority of imports and supplies of goods like food and basic goods into Lebanon and neighbouring war-torn Syria.
“80% of international supplies that were coming into Lebanon came through the port of Lebanon and now no longer exist,” says Hoxha “this was also the main port for supplies to Syria, and this tragedy means that nothing will get to Syria now either. Even switching to the port of Tripoli would only allow around 30% of goods to reach the country and neighbouring countries. The knock-on and long-term effects of this explosion are mind blowing, not just for Lebanon but for the region,” he adds.
CARE Lebanon is urgently calling for an additional US $10 million to help around 300,000 of the households worst affected and displaced by the explosion with food, shelter, hygiene and sanitation items as well as psychosocial support.
“Our staff are showing incredible dedication and passion to help, I have been inundated with staff offering to assist with this emergency response, despite suffering the trauma of it first-hand themselves. For them it is not work, it’s personal and it’s their homes,” concluded Hoxha.
Australians can contribute to CARE’s emergency response in Beirut here.
Media contact Hayley Conway on 0484 313 466
Images: still and video available, © CARE — HERE
Attributable to CARE Lebanon Country Director Bujar Hoxha:
“We will begin distributing hot meals and food parcels, through frontline local organisations already on the ground, to people in affected areas who have lost everything”
“Even before the explosion thousands of people were struggling to feed themselves and their families, with 50% of the Lebanese population living below the poverty line. They not only don’t have access to food, but all their food storage facilities have been destroyed and increased scarcity of food will only push already skyrocketing prices even higher.”
“The Beirut port is critical for the majority of imports and supplies of goods like food and basic goods into Lebanon and neighbouring war-torn Syria. 80% of international supplies that were coming into Lebanon came through the port of Lebanon and now no longer exist. This was also the main port for supplies to Syria, and this tragedy means that nothing will get to Syria now either. Even switching to the port of Tripoli would only allow around 30% of goods to reach the country and neighbouring countries. The knock-on and long-term effects of this explosion are mind blowing, not just for Lebanon but for the region.”
Attributable to CARE Lebanon staff member Patricia Khoder:
“There are hundreds of missing people, their relatives are looking for them everywhere in vain. And then there is the blood, the blood on the clothes of people who have been injured and are trying to leave their homes too damaged to be able to spend the night there. With their bags on their backs, they roam the streets waiting for a member of their family to come and pick them up”
“The explosion that took place in Beirut is the largest non-nuclear explosion on record.
From the city center to the East Beirut neighborhoods of Gemmayzé to Mar Mikhaël via
Saïfi and the port, there are only the skeletons of concrete or steel buildings, the rest has been shattered. In some places, the steel structure has melted. A destruction worthy of a fictional film.”
“There is nothing left of my city, Beirut, except its inhabitants, who have learned to survive, to make a living, to be resilient. But faced with the scale of the situation, resilience will not be enough, we need help.”
About CARE Lebanon
CARE re-established a full-fledged presence in Lebanon in 2013 to support Syrian refugees and Lebanese host communities affected by the Syria Crisis. CARE meets refugees’ and host communities’ most basic and pressing needs, mainly providing water, sanitation, hygiene, non-food items and cash assistance in the areas of Mount-Lebanon, North and South Lebanon. This includes emergency water and sanitation rehabilitation at household level distribution of sanitary items, to newly arrived families and the provision of hygiene promotion sessions.


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Sony and Bethesda have reached an agreement on mod support for the PS4. Both the upcoming Skyrim Enhanced Edition and Fallout 4 will support mods in the future, while Skyrim will offer a native 4K resolution option on the PS4 Pro.
Blizzard’s World of Warcraft: Legion expansion has been a huge success for the company, bringing millions of people back to WoW. If any expansion is going to bring gamers back, it’s going to be this one.
The UK’s Advertising Standards Authority announced it’s asked Steam and Hello Games to change the advertising for No Man’s Sky, as the videos and screenshots don’t accurately represent the shipping game.
No Man’s Sky has turned into a graveyard six weeks after launch, with a tiny fraction of its original player base. Hello Games remains devoted to the title, but many fans are frustrated with limited communication.
Nvidia’s GTX 1060 6GB is a potent midrange graphics card and Gigabyte’s G1 Gaming series has a reputation for a well-built, quality product. How much performance can the GTX 1060 deliver compared with older, higher-end Maxwell hardware?
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With the government holding discussions on FDI in e-commerce with various stakeholders, industry today said there should be a parity between online and offline retail policy.
Being hooked to online shopping lured by offers that we don't need can severely hamper our ability to save for our most important financial goals!
Firm's new retail venture will be a combination of a portal that will list brands and brick-and -mortar stores that will set prices and deliver products.
'Try and buy’ as a scheme is costly for niche retailers but helps them convince people to buy even products of high individual preferences online.
The recent sale was targeted at the general merchandise category like sports and health, children’s toys and gifts, Saurabh Vashishtha said.
Luxury retail in India is failing due to low demand, high rentals, import duties, increasing online sales and consumers' preference to buy abroad.
The report further indicates that nearly four out of 10 prepackaged holiday travelers used an online payment method.
As online shopping catches up, you could buy medicines too with a click of the mouse for which the health ministry is evaluating a proposal.


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Hanson Business Network promotes small firms
HANSON —About a dozen small business owners and employees gathered at the Edward Jones office in Shaw’s Plaza Wednesday, Dec. 2 to kick off the Hanson Business Network (HBN) to help each other develop and promote their companies — and perhaps shake up town officials’ attitudes toward business development.
The group is looking to meet on the third Wednesday of each month for now as they work to define the group’s direction and structure. The next meeting is slated for 7 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 20 at Edward Jones.
Among the issues discussed Dec. 2 was the need to revitalize the Main Street area near the MBTA station and High Street near the former Plymouth County Hospital as well as ways the town can help attract new business — while remaining neutral politically —and how members of the group can help each other.
“What I’m looking for out of this group, is a support system for some of us in the area,” said host business manager Josh Singer of Edward Jones. “It’s pretty tough to run a business in such a small town as this.”
Still Singer, like the others in attendance, loves doing business in Hanson.
Laurel MacCurtain, who owns Five Rings Pet Resort with her husband Michael, a Whitman firefighter, said they are very comfortable in Hanson, too.
“If there is anything we can be doing to increase local business, we’re on board with it,” she said.
Like MacCurtain, most of those attending the meeting have business, if not personal, roots in Hanson.
Meadow Brook Restaurant owner Wilbur Danner, for example, is a longtime resident who has served as chairman of the Whitman-Hanson School Committee, has worked on several of the town’s building committees and has served as an assessor. He, too, spoke of rough going to get his establishment going.
“It’s hard to open a small business in the town, you have no support from anyone,” said Danner, who also owns restaurants in Abington, Rockland and Hyannis. “You have to go by your reputation from other places. I’d like to see something develop to shake up the town fathers a little bit.”
Whitman native Kathy Jo Boss, who has operated Boss Academy of Performing Arts in Hanson for 14 years, agreed with Danner.
“I feel very connected to the town, but it is difficult to get a business here,” she said. “We just built a new building and it wasn’t easy.”
Bill McDonough, managing partner of Scribendi Advertising & Public Relations, noted that — despite operating a small Hanson-based firm with a portfolio of national and global clients since 1998 — “I haven’t had a single client in Hanson.”
McDonough has also been a member of a handful of chambers of commerce in the region, and has been dissatisfied with the general attitude toward small businesses in such organizations.
“You need that water cooler moment, but there’s no one to meet at the water cooler when you’re in business for yourself,” said HBN organizer Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett, a legal consultant preparing to launch her own firm. Her husband John Kemmett is also considering an expansion of his electrical business.
She got the idea for the HBN while doing fundraising when she realized the same businesses in town are approached all the time. Building a network can help businesses define projects they want to support.
“I wanted to jump-start it, get everybody introduced to one another, figure out what we wanted the group to be, what’s important to you and what’s this going to look like,” she said.
For one- and two-person businesses, such informal information sharing can also be vital to business development, as well as encouraging socially.
Bob Sullivan, owner of Sullivan Funeral Home in town since 1976, and his daughter, Office Manager Amanda Sullivan, characterized their interest as part of their family business’ commitment to the community.
“The town needs to be strong,” Bob Sullivan said. “I’m always interested in the business people and seeing what we can do to keep the towns strong, because it helps everybody.”
Amanda Sullivan is also a Hanson resident and plans to stay with the business in town for a long time.
Also attending the meeting were Julie Gainey, president of Master Gourmet Packaging who sells specialty packaging to hotels and restaurants across the country, Steve Smith of Max Machine, which machines medical devices, robotics and projects for the Department of Defense, and Timothy Dunn of Wicked Design Group which is involved in custom automotive design work and fiberglas repair, both Smith and Dunn are located at 1000 Main St.
Smith is hoping the networking opportunity can help his business survive amid challenges from international competitors and the advent of 3-D printers.


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Alexa Will Take You Home
Most carmakers offer some way to control your car’s infotainment system via voice, but none — not one — has been a slam dunk. So manufacturers have been turning to Apple (CarPlay), Google (Android Auto), and now Amazon to provide more seamless solutions. Toyota is the latest manufacturer to introduce Amazon’s Alexa cloud-based voice control to some of its vehicles (Ford, BMW, and Volkswagen have already announced partnerships). Select 2018 Toyota and Lexus rides will get the tech, with more coming in 2019. By speaking to Alexa, drivers and passengers should be able to control the car’s infotainment systems—including changing navigation destinations and selecting songs—and also control their smart home devices from afar.
Cars Will Read Your Mind
Though you won’t see the technology in showrooms anytime soon, Nissan detailed how the company is developing “B2V”, or “brain to vehicle” communication. The system takes input from a headband-like device that detects brain wave activity, and can then prep the car for an action you intend to take, such as turning the wheel a fraction of a second faster than you’re able to. Nissan says it could also detect your discomfort during autonomous driving mode and adjust the car’s suspension setup or autonomous driving style on the fly. Sounds far-fetched, but it’s an interesting concept—and a kind of hedge on autonomous driving, preparing for the inevitability that even systems far off in the future won’t always pilot to our exact preferences.
Ford Will Fight Traffic with Waze
If you’re a Waze addict (or just hate traffic), some welcome news arrived from Ford: vehicles shipping with its already-impressive SYNC 3 infotainment systems can now use the car’s own display for Waze mapping and navigation, along with its sound system for voice cues. That means you won’t have to look down at your phone’s smaller screen to get the crowdsourced lowdown on an upcoming backup—or how to get around it.
Digital Cockpits Will Get Sleeker
The name Samsung might not be on the badge of the cars that we drive, but its technology increasingly might be inside them. The Korean company arrived up at CES to show off the results of its recent acquisition of Harman by showcasing their shared Digital Cockpit platform, which automakers will buy and adapt. Like many current systems, it pairs a large touchscreen and some tactile controls, but unlike any other system thus far, it can display apps running on its Android OS on four screens. What this points towards: the cockpit of the future will be even more customizable and personalized than you might have thought.
Your Car Will See the Unseen
Ford and telecom chip maker Qualcomm announced a continuation of their partnership in the development of cellular “Vehicle to Everything” (or C2VX) technology. In some ways, C2VX will kind of be like an X-ray vision for your car: it uses a chip in your car that can communicate with other cars on the road and receive data from infrastructure like traffic lights or road signs up ahead, alerting you to problems like an accident or stopped car — even if you can’t see it. Trials of the tech will take place in San Diego and Detroit.


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Breaking down the barriers to innovation is one of the key reasons two leading ceramics businesses have joined the Midlands Industrial Ceramics Group (MICG).
Mantec Technical Ceramics and PCL Ceramics are the newest members of the group, which aims to place the Midlands on a unique footing as a global centre for advanced technical ceramics.
Based in Stoke-on-Trent, Mantec Technical Ceramics provides bespoke and innovative ceramic-based solutions to global industries, while PCL Ceramics is a technology leader in high-pressure casting equipment, quality assurance instruments and porous materials for the sector.
They take the number of organisations in membership of MICG to 15, joining blue chip companies and SMEs including Rolls-Royce, JCB, Morgan Advanced Materials and Lucideon – as well as the universities of Birmingham, Leicester and Loughborough.
According to the MICG, placing the Midlands at the heart of the international advanced ceramics sector will ultimately contribute towards growth of 4,200 jobs in the region by 2030.
A key element of the group’s work will be the delivery of improvements to manufacturing processes, making advanced ceramics more energy-efficient, faster and lower cost – boosting growth and productivity throughout the supply chain and benefitting customers across a wide range of industry sectors.
Mantec Technical Ceramics’ Head of Sales, Mark Berrisford said: “Through partnership with the MICG we see a potential to access state-of-the-art manufacturing equipment at a pilot plant level and innovative solutions’ know-how, which will allow us to speed up the lifecycle from prototype to full production, meaning our products can be ready in a much shorter timeframe.
“Many of the traditional processes used in manufacturing ceramics are ones we need to shed, but having this wealth of knowledge in the Midlands – of what can go wrong, or the parameters that need to be measured to ensure something does indeed work – is a huge advantage that we have here within our labour force, rather than placing this facility elsewhere nationally.”
PCL Ceramics Ltd is headquartered in King’s Lynn, Norfolk, and is currently expanding their new technology branch into the Midlands.
Cyril Journoux, Managing Director of PCL Ceramics, said: “PCL’s ambition is to continue developing new technologies and introducing innovative solutions, which will enable the growth of advanced ceramics.
“Our expertise is in making the manufacturing of ceramics better, faster and cheaper.
“The Midlands is a global hub for engineering and an historical centre for excellence for the ceramics industry. This makes it the perfect location for MICG.”
More details about the MICG can be found here.


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The first new medication delivery option since the 1920s for getting insulin treatment to diabetics could come at a price up two to four times that of traditional insulin.
The Food and Drug Administration last week approved Pfizer Inc.'s inhaled insulin known as Exubera for adults with type 1 and type 2 diabetes, calling the new medication-delivery option a potential alternative for "many of the more than 5 million Americans who take insulin injections," the FDA said." Pfizer will not yet disclose a price for Exubera, which the company expects to be on pharmacy shelves by midyear. Analysts, though, are banking on a much higher price than for insulin injections.
Exubera is expected to carry a price tag of $4 a day in the United States, or three to four times the average daily cost of injected insulin for type 1 diabetics, assuming they are taking three to four injections, SG Cowen & Co. analyst Ian Sanderson said in a research note earlier this week.
Pfizer says patients will take Exubera before each meal, or at least three times a day.
Diabetes is a disease that affects the amount of insulin and sugar in a person's body. The FDA said Exubera is a human form of insulin and works by lowering blood sugar amounts. Through an inhaler, Exubera, a powdered form of insulin, is inhaled into the lungs. For the approximately 21 million Americans with diabetes, more than 5 million of whom take insulin injections, the product could be a more convenient alternative and potentially work more quickly than an injection, studies and the FDA said.
Doctors cautioned, though, that the drug does not have the history of safety and efficacy of injections and that consumers should proceed cautiously.
Exubera's price could be a hurdle for subscribers of some health plans, analysts say. As a rule, health plans provide incentives for their subscribers to choose cheaper remedies over newer, more expensive therapies.
If managed-care plans decide to cover Exubera, analysts predict it will be placed in an expensive tier of a health plan's preferred drug list, known as a formulary. A patient might face a monthly drug co-payment as high as $40 to $50 for Exubera compared with $10 to $25 for injected insulin, insurers and analysts say.
Exubera dosages will vary by patient, Pfizer says, but each prescription will include 30 days of insulin. Analysts say Exubera's price will compete more along the lines of oral diabetes brands.
If Pfizer has to defend the high price of Exubera, analysts expect the drugmaker to compare the inhaled drug to oral diabetes therapies that can cost $150 or more a month.
For example, the diabetes pill Actos costs $4 to $5 a day, according to industry price guides and retail pharmacies. Actos is sold by Lincolnshire-based Takeda Pharmaceuticals North America Inc., the U.S. subsidiary of Japan's largest drugmaker, Takeda Pharmaceutical Co.
Actos is indicated for Type 2 diabetics, who have the most common form of the disease. A patient's body does not produce enough insulin or it does not use insulin effectively. People with type 1 diabetes produce very little to no insulin of their own and also could benefit from the inhaled Exubera .
Drugmakers who sell oral therapies believe they have established presence in the diabetes market and that patients will be loyal to their products.
"Actos has been on the market since 1999, and there have been over 44 million prescriptions written in the U.S.," said Takeda spokeswoman Jocelyn Gerst. "We certainly have a long-standing experience in the U.S."
Hear Bruce Japsen on WBBM-AM 780 at 6:21 p.m. and 10:22 p.m. Mondays and 11:20 a.m. Saturdays.