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On Thursday, February 14, 2013, the Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade will host a Manufacturing Showcase featuring products manufactured in the subcommittee members’ districts. The Showcase will precede the subcommittee’s hearing, “Our Nation of Builders: Manufacturing in America,” and will display a variety of products – more than 50 individual items – made in the USA including auto parts, medical devices, and cutting-edge new electronics.
Doors will open at 9:00 a.m. and Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade Subcommittee Chairman Lee Terry (R-NE) and Ranking Member Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) will kick off the event with remarks at 9:15 a.m. highlighting the importance of manufacturing to our economy.
“Manufacturing touches each and every congressional district and the industry supports nearly 12 million jobs nationwide, with more than half those jobs located in states represented by the subcommittee,” said Terry. “We are still the world’s largest manufacturing economy and this event will showcase just a few of the products that today are proudly made in the USA right in our own backyards.”
A range of products will be on display from respirators and artificial hips to steel and 3-dimensional printers. Members of the media and the public are encouraged to explore the Manufacturing Showcase from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. The Showcase will also re-open following the conclusion of the subcommittee’s hearing.


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Different Christian views spark Christmas war
The “war on Christmas” has become its own holiday tradition over the past 10 years or so. This conflict is played out in the media, mostly by Fox News and MSNBC.
On the web, countless diaries and commentaries rehash the same arguments about the traditional meaning of Christmas and the commercial circus it has become today.
Blogger Max Blumenthal wrote,“The story typically goes as follows: secular elements have intimidated stores into replacing the phrase ‘Merry Christmas’ with ‘Happy Holidays;’ nativity scenes have been removed from public spaces under threat of ACLU lawsuits; a decadent culture is moving ever closer to eradicating Christian morality; and America slouches towards Gomorrah.”
Despite the media drama, however, the real war over Christmas is between conservative Christians and their more progressive counterparts.
A recent survey of Christian beliefs about Christmas found that less than half of Americans believe the angelic messengers to the shepherds, the onward leading Star of Bethlehem, the three wise men from the East or even the virgin birth are actual events.
By contrast, 80 percent of white evangelicals believe these were historic events and the New Testament is an accurate record of real events.
For almost half (49 percent) of Americans, the war is between conservative Christians who celebrate Christmas as a religious observance, and the growing number of more liberal Christians who regard December 25 as primarily a commercial holiday.
According to a recent survey by the Public Religion Research Institute, or PRRI, 71 percent of Americans will celebrate Christmas as a religious holiday. Of these, 42 percent will observe strong religious devotions, while 31 percent are ranked as observing a “somewhat religious” Christmas.
Twenty-six percent of Americans will celebrate Christmas this year as a secular cultural tradition rather than a religious holiday.
“The trend is in that direction for sure,” said Robert Jones, CEO of the institute. Belief in the historical accuracy of the biblical Christmas story has declined more than 17 percent since 2004.
On the premise that merchants should support the conservative Christian interpretation of Christmas, evangelical Protestants are demanding that stores acknowledge the Christ in Christmas by some prominent display of “Merry Christmas” or its equivalent in their advertising and on their premises.
The loudest complaint against Christmas shopping by evangelical Christians is that more and more American merchants are greeting their customers with some version of “Happy Holidays,” rather than the more obviously Christian, “Merry Christmas.”
Time was when such terms as “Merry Christmas,” “Happy Holidays,” “Season’s Greetings” and similar generic messages were pretty much interchangeable because they were so common. Certainly, most people didn’t see them as politically charged theological axioms.
In a PRRI press release, Jones said, “Americans seem to be turning a corner on the appropriateness of more inclusive holiday greetings during December. Today, more Americans than not say they prefer businesses to greet customers with ‘Happy Holidays’ rather than ‘Merry Christmas’ out of respect for the diversity of holidays being celebrated in December, such as Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, winter solstice and others.”
On the other side, a hefty 43 percent prefer the traditional “Merry Christmas,” with an implied accent on Christ. In December 2010, that figure was 44 percent.
Fortunately, evangelicals don’t seem to mind shopping in the stores that secularize Christmas greetings. Since, on average, they spend more on Christmas gifts than other Americans, they subsidize the commercialization of Christmas that they deplore as rampant materialism.
As a noncombatant in this war, I send a wish for “happy holidays” to my secular friends and a cheery “merry Christmas” to those who believe. And to all, a wish for “peace,” the true promise of Christmas.

domain: news


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It proactively censors the Chinese App Shop, depending on software and you will team to help you flag and take off apps one Fruit professionals worry you are going to focus on afoul away from Chinese authorities, according to interviews and court documents.
A times study found that 1000s of software has vanished out of Apple’s Chinese Software Store over the past ten years, more than previously known, and foreign reports sites, homosexual dating services and you may encoded chatting applications
In addition, it banned products having throwing specialist-democracy protests and you will skirting sites limitations, and applications concerning the Dalai Lama.
Plus in their data facilities, Apple’s compromises have really made it nearly impossible towards providers in order to prevent the Chinese bodies away from accessing this new characters, images, data, associations and towns and cities out of many Chinese customers, according to security advantages and Apple designers.
The business said inside the an announcement this used the brand new rules inside the China and you will did what you it could to store the information out of consumers secure. “I’ve never ever affected the safety in our users or its analysis in the China otherwise anyplace i operate,” the business told you.
A fruit spokesman asserted that the business still controlled the new keys one include the details of its Chinese users and therefore Fruit used the innovative security tech into the China – superior to just what it found in various countries.
Fruit extra it removed apps just to conform to Chinese legislation. “This type of choices aren’t an easy task, and now we will most likely not buy into the rules you to figure him or her,” the company said. “But our consideration remains doing an informed user experience instead breaking the principles our company is compelled to realize.”
Mr. Plan rejected a job interview for this article. In public places looks, he has got mentioned that as he commonly disagrees having China’s laws, the nation is advisable from which have Apple when you look at the Asia.
“Your choice are: Might you participate? Or are you willing to stand-on this new sideline and shout at exactly how some thing shall be?” he told you at a meeting within the China when you look at the 2017. “ personal look at extremely strongly is: You show up and you also participate. You earn worldwide, given that nothing ever before change throughout the sideline.”
Zero Package B
For the 2014, Fruit leased Doug Guthrie, brand new departing dean of the George Arizona University team school, to greatly help the organization navigate Asia, a country he’d invested decades training.
One of his true first research projects was Apple’s Chinese likewise have strings, and this with it countless professionals, 1000s of vegetation and hundreds of providers. The fresh Chinese regulators generated one to operation it is possible to of the spending vast amounts of dollars to pave routes, hire gurus, and build production facilities, strength flowers and you will employee property.
Mr. Guthrie concluded that not any other country can offer the scale, skills, structure and government assistance you to Apple needed. Chinese specialists assemble virtually every iphone, apple ipad and you the adult hub profiles can Mac computer. Apple produces $55 billion annually about part, much more than any almost every other American organization tends to make within the Asia.
“The corporation design simply most fits and you may work within the Asia,” Mr. Guthrie said inside the a job interview. “But you might be hitched in order to China.”
The new Chinese government is beginning to solution laws and regulations that offered new nation better influence more Fruit, and you may Mr. Guthrie told you he felt Mr. Xi carry out in the near future initiate trying concessions. Apple, the guy know, didn’t come with Bundle B.
“To have Chinese authorities, this is not any longer regarding the, ‘How much money will you be pouring for the China?’ This is certainly on the, ‘Just what are your providing back?’” Mr. Guthrie said.
Mr. Guthrie lead their warning so you can Mr. Cook’s top deputies, plus Phil Schiller, a longtime product sales chief; Eddy Cue, head from sites software and you will services; Lisa Jackson, the business’s regulators affairs master; and Jeff Williams, its operations captain, who’s extensively viewed as Mr. Cook’s best-give child.


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According to a brand new report from Taiwan’s Economic Daily News, Apple’s third-generation iPad mini is going to be an “Air”-like model, having a design that shaves 30 % from the thickness from the device. This slimness together with a effective new A8 processor is going to be one of the primary selling points for the following generation iPad small, claims the Asian sources (via GforGames).This will make it the thinnest Apple device available on the market to date, but many skeptics say that such a feat in size reduction remians to be seen.
Sources of the rumor themselves maintain that a 30 percent thinner iPad mini seems to be an overly optimistic one. The original iPad mini in fact measured 7.2 mm thick, and the device saw a slight increase to 7.5 mm as they upgraded to Apple’s flasgship Retina display last year. The larger iPad Air however went in the opposite direction last year, slimming down from 9.4 mm in the fourth-generation iPad to match the Retina iPad mini at 7.5 mm. The momvements indicate that given current technological feats, this may be as slim as iPads can get for the forseesable future.
A 30% size reduction in width puts the forecoming iPad in the range of about 5.25mm, and the means by which Apple would achieve such a feat are still unclear, especially in light of the aforementioned upgrade seen with the move to a Retina display last year. From what we know so far, the coming iPad air, which should be officially announced around the release date of the iPhone 6 would feature a fingerprint sensor much like what’s been seen until this point with the iPhone 5s. This is likely to be a feature soon standard to all Apple Devices in the coming year.
In addition to the coming iPad Air and iPad mini, Apple is also rumored to be expanding its iPad lineup with a larger 12.9-inch display for a brand new line of iPads. Apple fanboys have unofffically dubbed this unnanounced model the “iPad Pro.” The larger model may not be released until 2015, claims DisplaySearch analyst David Hsieh. An earlier report from KGI Securities Ming-Chi Kuo also predicted a 2015 launch date for the oversized tablet device. One thing is certain, Apple is moving closer and closer to ultimately using smartglass and graphene based techonlogies to usher in the future of tablet techonolgy.


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Modern manufacturing is rapidly adopting model-based definition (MBD). When employing an MBD strategy, the CAD model becomes more than the nominal to which all parts are measured and inspected against. MBD keeps the all-important digital thread intact—from design to manufacturing to inspection and quality reporting.
Displaying 11-20 of 65 results for
When Desktop Metal introduced its “office-friendly” Studio metal prototype printer earlier this year, the company renewed attention on the issue of safer materials for binder jetting, an additive manufacturing method.
Demand for automation and robots is surging in multiple industries, including automotive, writes the CEO of Thomas.com.
To get to smart manufacturing, the industry needs integration, simulation and analysis.
Are you ready for metamorphic manufacturing, what some call the third wave of the industry’s digitization? If not, take in Contributing Editor Karen Haywood Queen’s expertly reported story.
When visiting some machine shops I hear PM, most commonly known as preventive maintenance, referred to as “postmortem,” as in, “We just run the machines until they die.”
Two attorneys explain why a strong sales contract is a necessity in the metals industry.
The industry’s fastest growing firms are leveraging new artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain and Internet of Things (IoT) solutions to transform supply chains, transport and logistics. Reliance on paper forms and clashing systems are giving way to improved transparency across the value chain.
Several years ago, a global commercial vehicle maker asked my firm to develop a remote fleet management, health and performance portal that would open a new revenue stream.
Being a competitive player in the aerospace and defense industry is no small feat. In an industry in which you need to be accountable for every piece of an assembly, meeting customer expectations and requirements can be daunting tasks.


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Gold Silver Rate: Gold and silver became cheaper once again, know today's rates
Newz Fast, New Delhi Due to the correction in the dollar index, there was limited pressure on gold and silver prices in the market today.
According to the rate released in the morning, in an update on MCX, gold prices fell by Rs 110. On which the price of gold has become 51140 rupees per tola.
Silver has also fallen by 297 rupees
Silver on delivery is currently selling at Rs 54032 per kg with a fall of Rs 297. If we talk about December delivery, then silver is selling by 270 to 54970 rupees.
In the international market, spot silver was trading at the level of 18.72 dollars per ounce.
Yesterday, gold-silver became cheaper by more than 1000 rupees. On Monday, gold was 365 rupees in Delhi bullion market, while the price of silver has decreased by 1027 rupees.


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Nerd Block has just announced that they will start including books in future Nerd Block Classic subscription boxes!
We are excited to announce that starting this month we’ll be putting books into the Nerd Block Classic block! Be prepared to get some awesome reads!
Nerd Block March 2015 Classic Block Box Spoiler
In addition, we have another Nerd Block March 2015 Classic Block Box Spoiler. (Check out our first Nerd Block March 2015 box spoilers here.) The March 2015 Nerd Block Classic box will feature author Simon Pegg!
We are working with some great A-list authors and celebrities this year, the first of which is Simon Pegg! That’s right, Simon Pegg is in the March Classic block!
Based on the Simon Says… March Nerd Classic Block theme, it wouldn’t be a stretch to guess that the Nerd Block March 2015 Classic block might contain a Simon Pegg book. (He’s releasing a new book October 1st, 2015.)
Nerd Block Classic Coupon
March Nerd Block Classic Block are open until March 15th, 2015. Save 10% off the 1st month of new monthly Nerd Block subscriptions when you use Nerd Block coupon code DALEK at checkout.
What do you think about the inclusion of books in Nerd Block Classic blocks? Have you ready any of Simon Pegg’s books?


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SEQUIM — This year’s Impact Fashion Show has a familiar look to it, along with some familiar faces and talent.
Sequim’s Sica Schmitz moved her Los Angeles-based event to Dungeness for its fifth year promoting sustainable fashion. Participants can pay to watch the show and/or participate in multiple panels Friday through Sunday at impactfashion.org.
Silas Crews of Story Crane Productions filmed the fashion show with multiple photographers at the New Dungeness Nursery Aug. 6.
Precautions for COVID-19 led Schmitz to move the event online with Crews editing the show prior to its Friday debut.
A mix of local and Seattle-area models, makeup artists, photographers and crew people helped prep the show, with models wearing as many as five different looks from more than two dozen designers of clothing and accessories centered on sustainable fashion.
Schmitz’s nonprofit focuses on multiple efforts such as promoting fair trade and wages, using animal-free materials and choosing innovative materials and sustainable practices.
For more information and tickets, visit impactfashion.org.


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The auction of such a kind is the first one in Australia and the second in the world.
The final auction of confiscated Silk Road bitcoins resulted in four winners, the U.S. Marshals Service spokesperson said on Thursday.
New York-based bitcoin exchange itBit won five blocks of the digital currency which is equal approximately to 10,000 bitcoins.
The United States Marshals Service has sold the last 44,000 bitcoins seized from the Silk Road marketplace.
The US Marshals Service plans to auction off the final chunk of 44,341 bitcoins confiscated from the Silk Road online dark market.
The U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) has recently announced the results of its third auction for another set of Bitcoins confiscated from the Silk Road marketplace.
The U.S. Marshals Service has announced that a syndicate of investors organized by the trading division of SecondMarket and its Bitcoin Investment Trust won 48,000 of the 50,000 bitcoins recently auctioned by the service.
The US Marshal’s Service is reporting that 11 registered bidders submitted 27 bids, while the first Silk Road Bitcoin auction had 35 registered bidders that put in 63 bids.
The U.S. Marshals Service is likely to sell off 50,000 bitcoins, confiscated from Silk Road in 2013, at lower prices.
USMS (the U.S. Marshals Service) announced that it will auction off 50,000 Bitcoin belonging to Ross Ulbricht, the alleged mastermind of the original Silk Road.


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June 1, 2018
Receiving a chocolate designation by the FDA could mean big dollars for Barry Callebaut. Chances are the unique product wouldn’t sell very well if had to be labeled a compound instead of chocolate. Food companies, especially those in the confectionary space eager for the next big product, also could be less inclined to develop a new item if the new ingredient wasn’t considered to be chocolate.
The new pink treat is expected to be especially popular with millennials who seek something novel and colors that perform well on Instagram and other social media platforms. Compound carries an artificial connotation, an impression that could scare off younger people looking to eat healthier or consume a simpler roster of recognizable ingredients.
The company doesn’t reveal its production process but does say the berry-flavored ruby chocolate comes from extracting compounds from ruby cocoa beans harvested in Ecuador, Brazil and Ivory Coast. Barry Callebaut calls it the fourth type of chocolate, along with milk, dark and white.
Early on, white chocolate had some trouble getting past the FDA, which initially defined it as a “confectionery” rather than a type of chocolate. That’s because the agency’s standards of identity dictated that anything labeled as “chocolate” contain chocolate liquor, which white chocolate doesn’t have. Today, white chocolate is specifically defined by FDA and also has had a standard of identity since 2004 because Hershey and the Chocolate Manufacturers Association petitioned the agency to establish one.
Following ruby chocolate’s debut in Shanghai last September, it has since been picked up by other manufacturers for their own products. Nestlé introduced Ruby KitKat in Japan and South Korea in January, has since debuted it in Australia and the U.K. According to Fortune, the company reached a deal with Barry Callebaut for exclusive rights to market the new variety for six months.
The product reportedly did well in China and Japan and was being sold exclusively at Tesco stores in the U.K. in April. However, Sarah Phillips, who runs a food-related Instagram account, told the Guardian newspaper that the true test of ruby chocolate will be whether it performs well in technical settings for melting, tempering, molding and other chocolate work.
For now, American consumers aren’t likely to see any ruby chocolate on shelves here until sometime next year. By the time the FDA decides on the temporary marketing permit, U.S. demand could be high and American consumers might be more than ready to try out items featuring the new product.


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Police are seeking public assistance to identify two men and a woman they believe may be able to assist in relation to incidents involving counterfeit money.
Police say in a media release that in three separate incidents counterfeit $100 notes were used or attempted to be used to pay for goods and local supermarkets in Alice Springs.
Around 10am on Friday, December 11, it is alleged a man used a counterfeit $100 note to purchase cigarettes at a local supermarket in Larapinta.
A woman attempted to use the fake money at the same supermarket later that day, and another man attempted to use the counterfeit cash at a supermarket in East Side on Saturday, December 12.
Police are calling for public assistance to identify two men and a woman captured on CCTV, who they believe may be able to assist with their inquiries.


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CHICAGO (MarketWatch) -- Shares of CarMax were on the rise Wednesday, gaining more than 9% after the company reported that its fiscal first quarter profit tripled and learned that it had been added to the S&P 500.
The average estimate of analysts polled by FactSet Research had been for the company to earn 33 cents a share on revenue of $2.09 billion.
The Richmond, Va., auto retailer said the latest results benefited from unexpected favorability in auto finance provision for loan losses expectations by about 3 cents a share.
"Our 9% increase in comparable store used unit sales reflected the benefit of a continuing gradual rebound in customer traffic, as well as the easy year-over-year comparison," Tom Folliard, the chief executive, said in the earnings report. "Sales execution remained strong, as our stores were able to maintain the recent gains in the sales conversion rate."
William Armstrong of C.L. King wrote that the company's used unit retail same-store sales and overall revenue were ahead of estimates while "retail gross profit per used vehicle rose ... to an all-time high [and] reflected a greater percentage of cars purchased from consumers, higher overall pricing levels and lower reconditioning costs.
Shares closed with a gain of $1.85 at $21.85.


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In the past few years, we have witnessed a rash of massive personnel layoffs and the loss of thousands of small business structures in the U.S. and around the world. But at this point, I must admit that I still don’t see an end to our financial crisis. We’re not likely to as long as the price of a barrel of gas continues to rise and inflation threatens our way of life.
For the first time since September 2008, oil prices rose to reach levels of over $ 110 a barrel, due to the continuing tensions in the Arab world and after a good indicator in the United States. On the New York Mercantile Exchange (Nymex), a barrel of light sweet crude for May delivery finished 110.30 dollars, which was up $ 1.47 from the previous day. Libya is the 16th largest global producer of oil in the world. This one nation that has been in unrest for weeks now, was responsible for about 2 percent of world oil production, which is about 1,600,000 barrels per day.
Other major oil producers are also in turmoil. Both Yemen and Bahrain are big oil producers -- but far smaller; Bahrain pumps approximately 45,000 barrels per day; and in Yemen just 260,000.
And according to one gas price expert, Trilby Lundberg, gas prices at the pump could hit five dollars a gallon by Memorial Day. The Lundberg Survey, an independent research marketing group that focuses on the petroleum industry, reported that prices jumped 20 cents during a two week reporting period to a nationwide average of $3.76 a gallon.
Lundberg’s survey, showing gas prices on the increase and the harsh impact prices are having on American households from coast-to-coast, is concerning. Many are worried about how gas prices will influence the economic health of the country. If people pay more at the pump there will be less disposable income for them to share with the national retail community and that has them nervous about sustaining sales that will, in turn, push their earnings and the U.S. economy in a positive direction.
Then there’s the question of future inflation. A weak dollar will affect everything from our exports to how much we, as a population, will be able to spend. A recent report showed grocery prices increasing 6.5 percent in March from early January. In the report, Consumer Growth Partners said the increase in food prices was the “sharpest in a generation.” A 25 percent increase in gas prices this year has joined higher food prices, which pulled $18 billion out of the monthly household spending on discretionary items. If the consumer doesn’t spend, the economy goes nowhere.
On top of all this, claims for unemployment benefits unexpectedly increased above the key 400,000 mark recently. Like I said at the beginning, times are still tough and because of a number of issues that are not being resolved, the current situation is likely to remain so for quite a long time. Even though the government announced a few years back that the recession officially ended, it’s evident that millions of people remain out of work and that’s a reality for them and their families. In order to fix the problem, people must directly reconnect themselves to the economy but as long as they continue to lose their homes and are unable to find suitable employment, the possibility of that happening is nearly impossible. Not because they don’t want to, but because they just don’t have the disposable income to do so.


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The FDA has issued a warning that some cell phones and smartwatches containing high field strength magnets may cause some implanted medical devices, especially heart devices, to suspend normal operations near the magnet.
According to an FDA press release, many implanted medical devices such as pacemakers and implantable automatic defibrillators are designed with a “magnet mode” to allow safe operation during certain medical procedures such as MRI. Placing certain cell phones and smartwatches too close to the implanted device can cause the device to switch to magnet mode when it is not supposed to, suspending normal operations, the agency said in the statement.
The FDA has proposed the following precautions for patients with implanted medical devices:
- keep consumer electronics such as cell phones and smartwatches 6 inches from implanted medical devices;
- do not carry electronic devices in a pocket above the medical device;
- check implanted medical devices using a home monitoring system, if there is one; and
- consult a health care provider if there are any symptoms or questions regarding this problem.
âThe FDA considers the risk to patients to be low, and the agency is not aware of any adverse events associated with this issue at this time,â the agency wrote in the statement.


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Virgin Galactic’s passenger rocket airplane VSS Unity, carrying billionaire entrepreneur Richard Branson and his crew, lands after reaching the sting of area above Spaceport America close to Fact or Penalties, New Mexico, U.S., July 11, 2021.
Joe Skipper | Reuters
Shares of area tourism firm Virgin Galactic fell beneath $11.75 in buying and selling on Thursday, bringing it beneath the extent the inventory debuted at greater than two years in the past.
Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic went public via a merger with a special purpose acquisition company, or SPAC, from Chamath Palihapitiya in October 2019. The inventory has skilled risky, speculative buying and selling since then – falling close to $7 a share within the months after its debut and climbing as excessive as $62.80 a share in February 2021.
Whereas the area tourism firm mentioned throughout its debut that it deliberate to start flying clients in 2020, delays to its spacecraft testing and growth have steadily pushed that schedule again. After launching Branson and three different firm staff on a test spaceflight in July 2021, additional delays have pushed Virgin Galactic’s starting of economic service to late this 12 months.
The corporate is pre-revenue and loses about $55 million to $65 million per quarter on an adjusted Ebitda foundation.
Virgin Galactic inventory tumbled to a 52-week low of $11.30 on Thursday morning earlier than paring losses.
Notably, Branson has steadily offered items of his stake in Virgin Galactic for the reason that firm went public. Throughout 4 main stake gross sales, Branson recouped greater than $1.25 billion, though he stays Virgin Galactic’s largest single shareholder.
His world enterprise conglomerate Virgin Group has mentioned in statements to CNBC that proceeds of these inventory gross sales are meant to assist Branson’s different leisure and journey companies which have been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.


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May 11, 2021
Dish Network has big plans in the wireless and telecom business. To help fund its way and pay off existing debt, the corporate parent of satellite pay-TV distribution and online TV platform Sling TV announced that on May 10, its subsidiary, Dish DBS Corp., priced a long-term debt offering of $1.5 billion.
Net proceeds of the bond sale are intended to be used for general corporate purposes, including refinancing of indebtedness. The offering is expected to close on May 24 subject to customary conditions.
Last December, Dish issued $2 billion in long-term bonds, using the proceeds to for its nascent wireless spectrum business.
Sling TV in the first quarter of this year lost 100,000 subs, an improvement from a loss of 281,000 subs in the previous-year period. The platform ended the three-month period, which ended March 31, with 2.37 million subs, compared with 2.47 million subs at the end of 2020.


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FedEx Express employees share the gift of time this Ramadan
DUBAI, May 27, 2019 — Team members of FedEx Express, a subsidiary of FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX) and the world’s largest express transportation company, celebrated Ramadan by dedicating their time towards giving back to the community where they live and work.
Volunteers packed and distributed 500 food boxes to workers in Al Quoz. The boxes included essential household items such as rice, cooking oil, sugar, salt, flour, lentils, and dates.
Team members also shared a traditional iftar with senior citizens from the Thuker Social Club at the Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding, participating in fun-filled activities including board games, and a tour of the Emirati history and lifestyle.


text: Pharmacy retail chain Guardian Lifecare plans to nearly double its retail outlets in the next three years with an investment of Rs 150 crore. The company plans to open nearly 30-40 franchisees annually over the next three years. "We will be adding 50-75 pharmacies at an investment of Rs 50 crore per year. So in the next three years, with an investment of Rs 150 crore we will almost double our retail outlets," Guardian Lifecare CMD Ashutosh Garg, said. At present the Gurgaon-based firm has 230 company-owned retail outlets and 15 franchises. As part of its expansion plan, the company would also be opening nearly 30-40 franchises annually for the next three years. Garg added that the investment would be funded through internal accruals and debt. Speaking about the expansion plans, Garg said that the company would focus on Northern India for the initial part of the expansion process. "Our focus in the next 12-18 months would predominantly be on North India. After that we would focus on other regions, including Mumbai and Pune," he added.


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Advertising messaging in driving consumers to a deeper purchase commitment wasn’t completely working for Ancestry.com.
“We probably were limiting ourselves in terms of how we speak to people,” said Riddhi Goradia, director, display/content marketing for Ancestry.com, in speaking at MediaPost’s Programmatic Insider Summit.
So the company shifted away in part from its advertising messaging about consumers discovering their family history to something a little easier and quicker: Like finding out the meaning of their last name.
“We are not driving them to 14-day free trial page, we are driving them to a page where they are entering their last name and then get some payoff,” said Goradia. “It about about having a real experience on our site.”
All this was a tease to get consumers more interested in finding out about their family history.
As a result Ancestry got big subscriber growth, as well as reducing consumer acquisition costs by 23%. “It had such an impact on our core metrics,” she said.
She also notes Ancestry found better results transitioning from just general digital programmatic media buying to more native-content programmatic media.


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Joined: 10 Jan 2024
Location: Brampton, On, Canada
|Posted: Thu Feb 02, 2023 6:04 am Post subject: Its BELLS turn to be Nasty. ExpressVu to double monthly acc
|In a move to raise money without increasing “programming” charges, Bell ExpressVu said today that it will be doubling the monthly system access fee that it charges to its 1.71 million customers.
The news came in a presentation today by George Cope, the President and Chief Operating Officer of Bell Canada, where he announced the fee would be raised from $2.99 per month to $5.99 per month.
System access fees are an added fee first introduced by the wireless phone companies in an effort to disguise the true cost of wireless phone service. The system access fee allowed wireless companies to: post lower monthly package pricing; tell consumers their monthly package pricing would not increase over the course of their contract; and finally allowed wireless companies to fool consumers into believing that the system access fee was simply an unavoidable government fee.
The government was so angry over the practice that in 2004, Industry Canada told cell phone carriers to quit blaming the government for the system access fee and now as a condition of their license, wireless providers are not supposed to say the fee goes to the government at all.
The system access fee charged by wireless providers has been so successful in deflecting consumer criticism that the practice is now being used by High Speed Internet, Long distance telephone and television providers like ExpressVu.
Oh and in case you're wondering, Bell also announced and increase in their long distance network charge from $2.95 to $4.50 per month.
As my Constitutional Right under United States and Canadian Laws, the dissemination of the above information is considered a form of free speech. All references and examples of personal experiences are hypothetical in nature, and it is your responsibility to know whether the use of the information contained within this post is legal according to applicable laws in the country of usage.


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The Corona year has also hit internationally active companies particularly hard. Despite all adversities, there are still many medium-sized Bavarian companies that are successfully active in international business. The "Bavarian Export Award 2021 - Special Edition: Successful in Difficult Times" honors these encouraging successes of Bavarian SMEs.
In the difficult economic times during the coronavirus pandemic, many companies broke new ground. The "Bavarian Export Award 2021 - Special Edition: Successful in Difficult Times" honors these encouraging successes of Bavarian SMEs.
Three small companies (up to 100 employees) have received the Bavarian Export Award from Roland Weigert, Bavaria's Vice Minister for Economic Affairs, for their successful development of new foreign markets.
International success - "Made in Bavaria
The Bavarian Export Award was presented on the evening of November 17, 2021 and was awarded in three categories.
In the category "Successful order processing in Corona times", the Gräfelfing-based company ibidi GmbH was able to convince.
The other winners were BRACE GmbH from Karlstein in the category "Successful new market development / customer acquisition in Corona times" and Franz Schroll GmbH from Chieming in the category "Remarkable innovation in Corona times".
Since 2007, the Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs, Regional Development and Energy, the Association of Bavarian Chambers of Industry and Commerce, the Association of Bavarian Chambers of Crafts in cooperation with Bayern International have awarded the "Bavarian Export Prize" annually.
Further information: https://www.exportpreis-bayern.de/


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Yesterday, Google announced the release of the Google Assistant SDK which will allow developers to create their own hardware and software and include Google Assistant. You might already be familiar with Google Assistant if you have a Google Home or the Pixel Phone. This is exciting news for those that love Home Automation because we will start seeing more DIY sort of projects with the technology.
Keep in mind, this is a developer preview, so features may be limited now. Google said that they have a number of features in development including support for hotwords, companion app integration and more. They have also launched a new developer community on Google+, a StackOverflow.com tag, and a mailing list to ensure that those of you that are looking to jump in feet first in using this SDK will be able to get the help they need quickly.
Google Assistant is a direct competitor of the technology used in the Amazon Echo and lately it seems like Google is killing it when it comes to the features they are adding. Last week, Google added the ability to have multiple user accounts on a single Google Home device. They also have the ability to sync up the audio on multiple Google Home devices allowing for whole home audio systems on a much cheaper budget then the wide array of Sonos Wireless Speakers that are available. We are hoping that all of this competition will help drive improvements with both companies.
We’re excited to keep seeing improvements with Google Assistant and we can’t wait to see what will come out of this. Are you going to be using the Google Assistant SDK anytime soon? Tell us in the comments below what sort of projects you are working on, maybe you could be featured on Something Automated!


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Lowe’s Delivering Christmas Trees this Holiday Season
We're not quite ready for the winter holidays, but a little preparation goes a long way.
I don't need to be the one to tell you, but this holiday season is going to be a lot different. When it comes to celebrating and travel who knows what will be "discouraged" or not. With that being said, it COVID-19 won't stop us from getting into the holiday spirit at home.
If you're masking up and safely going out to get your Christmas trees and decorations, that's great. Wash your hands, follow social distancing rules and have fun.
However, if you're opting to stay home there are still ways you can get your fresh Christmas tree delivered to your home.
For the first time ever Lowe's stores across the country are offering Christmas tree deliveries. CNN.com explains:
The new service is part of Lowe's broader revamp of its annual holiday sales event that includes selling more home goods and other items people wouldn't normally associate with the home improvement retailer.
Starting on Friday, October 30th, 2020, Lowe's customers can order fresh-cut trees and wreaths online or at Lowe's store location and have it delivered. Delivery is free for purchases over $45.
Lowe's is also changing up their yearly holiday say. This year they're kicking off a little earlier than years past. The Lowe's Season of Savings will start this Thursday, October 22nd with items like small kitchen appliances and workout equipment.
I'm usually a "Day-after-Halloween-Christmas-Decorator" and this year is no exception. We need a little extra cheer, so why not get started a few weeks early.
When will you be getting your Christmas tree or start decorating this year?


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13-year-old sells lemonade
WARREN — Thirteen-year-old Jayden Goss spends her summer days — rain or shine — sitting outside her Youngstown Road SE home selling lemonade and homemade baked goods at 50 cents per item.
Jayden said she does it “just so I can make money sometimes, so we can go do stuff,” but her mother, Stephanie Goss, said Jayden also does good with her lemonade stand, giving free lemonade to police officers and construction workers who cross her path.
On Veterans Day, Jayden offered free lemonade and cookies to all veterans.
“She always does good if anybody needs anything,” Stephanie Goss said.
Jayden also spent some of her hard-earned money buying ice cream and stuffed animals for her little brother, who recently had surgery.
“I went and bought us all ice cream because that’s all he can eat,” Jayden said.
She said one day she got the idea to have a lemonade stand — she’d seen other people doing them and saw videos on YouTube — and went for it. She’s been selling almost every day for the past three summers, and plans on continuing the business next year.
“She’s been doing it for years. She makes her own money, helps out,” Stephanie Goss said. “I’m proud of her.”
On Wednesday, Jayden was anticipating a visit from a group of motorcyclists called the Soulless Nomads, who promised to visit her stand after one member stopped by and saw her enthusiasm.
In the past, two different ambulance services brought whole crews out for lemonade. Once, a local rapper gave Jayden $100 in support of her enterprise, she said.
Jayden said she someday wants to open a bakery.
“She loves to bake,” Stephanie Goss said. Jayden bakes cookies and makes the lemonade herself, occasionally asking her mother for help. She mans her stand all day, Stephanie said, sometimes starting as early as 10 a.m. and working until 8:30 p.m. She does it rain or shine, sometimes sitting with an umbrella.
Jayden said so far this year, she’s made almost $400. She said she is saving up some of her profits to buy herself an electric scooter.


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Taylor Wimpey PLC (TW.LN) said Wednesday that pretax profit increased 19% in 2018, and it guided for stable sales in the year ahead.
The company said profit before tax in 2018 was 810.7 million pounds ($1.07 billion), compared with GBP682.0 million the year before. Revenue rose 3% to GBP4.08 billion, it said.
The company said its operating profit rose 4.3%% on an improvement in both its U.K. and Spanish businesses. Completions, including joint ventures, rose 2.9% to 15,275.
Looking ahead, the FTSE 100-listed house builder said it expects stable volumes in 2019, with underlying build cost increasing at a similar level to 2018, at around 3% to 4%.


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Irish chocolate maker Lily O’Brien’s sales rose nearly 17 percent to €26.4 million last year as it benefited from strong growth in its core markets of Ireland and the UK.
The profit almost tripled to 150,000 euros. The company is owned by the Polish group Colian Holdings.
Newly submitted accounts for the company show improved performance in 2021.
Directors of the Kildare-based company noted that 2021 was a “much improved year” for the company, with sales up €3.8m, driven by Ireland and the UK.
“These markets have stabilized since the pandemic and directors are confident in their ability to further advance the strategic growth plan for the business in these core retail markets,” they note in the financial statements.
“The legacy of the pandemic continues to impact global airlines and hospitality, which are the Group’s key foodservice distribution channels,” they add. “These distribution channels have yet to return to pre-pandemic levels.”
Directors said the company will continue to develop sales in 2022 to deliver sustainable, profitable growth over the long term.
Lily O’Brien’s was started in 1992 by Mary O’Brien from her own kitchen. She eventually secured major deals with supermarkets and airlines, including Aer Lingus and British Airways. In 1997, she and her husband Jonathan Irwin established the Jack & Jill Children’s Foundation.
A joint venture between US private equity group Carlyle and Dublin-based Cardinal Capital, Carlyle Cardinal Ireland, acquired an approximately 80 percent stake in Lily O’Brien’s for €15 million in early 2017.
This also meant the well-known Queally family exited the business, with the meat dynasty becoming investors as early as 1995.
The chocolate company had 10 inquiries after scouting potential buyers.
Less than a year later, Carlyle and management sold the chocolatier to Poland’s Colian Holdings for €40 million.
Colian owns a number of chocolate brands such as Elizabeth Shaw and Solidarność.
Last year Colian consolidated its Lily O’Brien’s and Elizabeth Shaw businesses in the UK to form Colian UK. This unit is now responsible for Lily O’Brien brand sales in the UK.
Colian UK’s accounts show that sales rose 73 per cent to £13.4m (€15.6m) last year, with pre-tax profit nearly doubling to £396,000.
Colian UK Directors note that the enhanced brand portfolio has enabled the company to forge better relationships with its key UK grocery customers, which include Tesco.
https://www.independent.ie/business/profit-boost-for-lily-obriens-as-chocolate-sales-soar-42189525.html Lily O’Brien’s boosts profits as chocolate sales increase


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The way banking and financial services are delivered have changed massively with the rise of digital technology. But the industry is still looking to crack the code, so to speak, on figuring out the optimal way to get people paid.
The biggest payroll innovation in probably the last century was direct deposit. And that was big. But payroll departments still continued to pay workers on the first and the fifteenth of the month, or twice monthly, depending on the employer. That was just the way it was.
Until a couple of years ago, when a handful of innovators came up with alternative ways to handle workers’ pay, especially as more Americans have been living paycheck-to-paycheck and as wages stagnated for many.
One of the first innovations was the “get paid early” feature first offered by digital neobank Chime, and later by other neobanks such as Revolut and Varo.
The idea was to enable customers to have access to direct deposit payroll funds a couple of days earlier than it would normally appear in their account, in case these customers could not make their previous paycheck stretch until they got paid again.
The Main Driver:
A primary reason for early pay, beyond engendering customer stickiness, is to help consumers avoid going to payday lenders to make ends meet between paychecks.
Several traditional banks have also started offering such services, including Cincinnati-based Fifth Third, which allows customers to take out a cash advance on a direct deposit. The advance can range from $50 to up to $1,000, with more money available over time.
PwC’s Industry Cloud for Banking helps deliver personalized products and services that today’s customers expect.
PwC’s Industry Cloud for Banking applies our deep industry knowledge to your specific business needs
The Rise of ‘On-Demand’ Pay
The early-access feature has been hugely popular, with many crediting it for a large percentage of Chime’s rapid customer growth. The feature has now spawned other options including ‘on-demand’ pay.
“Today, people can access anything they desire on-demand, from streaming entertainment to transportation,” says Seth Pelletier, Principal Product Manager for the Dayforce Wallet product offered by tech company Ceridian. “In this context, waiting two weeks for pay feels archaic.”
On-demand pay allows employees to access their earnings as soon as they’ve earned them, Pelletier explains. “Bills and expenses don’t wait until payday. With on-demand pay, employers are giving people the option to access money they have already earned, so they don’t have to rely on other forms of payment, such as credit.”
New paycheck options are also useful as recruiting tools as companies seek to differentiate themselves in a fierce war for talent.
A Note of Caution on Early Pay Plans
Some organizations have expressed a cautious view towards early wage access programs. In a short paper on the subject published March 2020, the National Consumer Law Center notes that, “Early wage access services claim not to be loans and not to be subject to state or federal lending laws, including fee and rate limits and disclosures.
“What laws apply can be complicated,” the paper continues, “but conceptually any service that advances wages and expects to be repaid later should be viewed as a loan. The mere fact that a worker has unpaid wages (as many payday borrowers do) or that repayment is by payroll deduction does not mean that an advance is not a loan. A $100 advance taken out five days before payday with a $5 fee or “tip” is equivalent to an annual percentage rate of 365%.”
Read More: Beyond P2P: The Future of Real-Time Payments
Then there’s the fact that if a customer continually gets paid two days earlier than normal via such a service, than that earlier date becomes the “new normal.” Then consumers may simply alter their spending habits expecting the early paycheck and it no longer becomes “early.”
“Think twice about whether you’re going to be able to handle the next pay period if there’s a hole in your paycheck,” Lauren Saunders, associate director of the National Consumer Law Center, told BankRate. “Wean yourself off of it. Take out less if you need to the next time.”
Pelletier says that on-demand pay should be part of a broader financial wellness strategy that employers offer to their people.
“It is an example of meeting the expectations of the modern workforce,” he says. “By assessing key factors such as cost, compliance, and integration requirements with other financial wellness offerings employers are setting themselves, and their people, up for success.”
PNC’s Three-Way Partnership for Real-Time Wages
Getting paid any time, based on what employees have earned up to any given point is the idea behind the partnership between New York-based payments tech firm DailyPay, PNC Bank and The Clearing House. The arrangement, using TCH’s Real Time Payment network, allows PNC to offer its customers the ability “to receive earned wages instantly, as needed, without disrupting the employer’s normal weekly or biweekly payroll administration and process,” according to a press release.
These real-time payments, the statement notes, allow workers to receive funds instantly so they can better manage cash flow and avoid high fees and interest rates from payday loans and bank fees.
“The versatility of the RTP network enables new business models that provide opportunities for us to help clients differentiate the way they do business,” Chris Ward, executive vice president and head of digital and innovation for PNC Treasury Management, stated.
The PNC offering allows customers’ employees to access income as it is earned up to a certain dollar amount each pay period, rather than waiting until the next payroll cycle. Workers can benefit from “a low-cost way to resolve financial emergencies quickly, they can better maintain financial stability without going further into debt, even in the face of unexpected expenses,” states a blog from Paychex.
Businesses also benefit through increased productivity, as employees will be less stressed with personal finance issues and higher employee retention, Paychex further notes.
Weighing the Pros and Cons
Ceridian’s Pelletier says that adding these new payroll options also does not require changes to existing payroll process including the funding, timing, and close-out of pay. “This means administrators do not have to spend time reconciling at the end of the pay period,” he states.
On-demand pay has benefits to workers, such as allowing them to handle unexpected bills, but also negatives such as onerous tax consequences.
On the flip side, the downsides for workers include potential consequences around fees and taxes. An article from Business News Daily notes that employees must pay fees to access their wages on demand, and that these on-demand wages are typically not taxed, meaning that employers must deduct these taxes from an upcoming paycheck.
Still, it appears that different forms of on-demand pay are taking hold in business. While only a handful of fintechs and banks currently offer such services, that number is likely to grow, given the success seen to date. PNC’s partnership throws the weight of the country’s seventh largest bank behind the trend.


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Kingston, Jamaica : -- As Jamaica celebrates it’s 52nd year of independence, Sean Paul declared his own.
The multi-platinum, Grammy Award winning international superstar is now independent of his Atlantic Records/VP Records label deal after a fourteen year stint where he racked up over 10 million units in sales and charted three #1 pop singles and five top 10 hits.
The timing, some would say, is perfect as the internet, social media, downloads and streaming have transformed the music industry, turning the traditional label model upside down. Artists no longer need major label promotion and distribution to access their millions of fans globally and the majors can no longer rely on album sales to sustain growth which has led to the 360 deals that have become so prevalent.
In this exciting and turbulent new climate, the Jamaican born toaster has decided to release music on his own independent Dutty Rock label having the...


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This article is a crosspost with the Payfort blog.
At Payfort, we always gather our teams in January to discuss and plan for the upcoming year. As part of this exercise we discuss the important trends we expect to see emerge in the next twelve months.
We thought we’d give you a peak behind the curtain and reveal five of our most important predictions for ecommerce in the Arab region in 2015.
#1 App based transactions will grow three times faster than web based transactions
Most transactions will still occur through the web, but 2015 will be the year of the app. Across our merchants, we’ve seen mobile transactions increase by 300%.
Companies will work hard to create user friendly apps and that investment will pay dividends, especially as more and more users turn to their phones and tablets to make payments.
#2 Equal monthly payments will be rapidly adopted by consumers
Equal monthly payments (EMI) will become a common feature of ecommerce as consumers choose to pay for big-ticket items in instalments. This will be especially common for travel, and consumers in the Middle East will start paying for plane fares and hotels in instalments.
We’re excited to see the development of this and have created a new product, payeasy to help businesses capitalize on EMI.
#3 The Arab World’s first substantive law on ecommerce will be drafted
Trust in ecommerce is a major challenge to the industry across the Arab world. At least one government, either the UAE or KSA, will respond by drafting a law that governs competitions and the way that external companies sell products in the GCC.
This law will start to show dividends and increase consumer trust in well-known digital brands and the market in general.
#4 Consumer banking in Egypt will finally grow, bringin more people into the digital economy
Egypt has tiny rates of financial inclusion and, according to the World Bank, in 2011 only 10% of people above 15 had an account at a formal financial institution. This has a massive negative impact upon the ecommerce industry as without a credit or debit card it’s difficult to transact online. Our partners El Wafeyat have encountered this problem first-hand as we revealed in our last Entrepreneur of the Month.
But the winds of changes are coming. GCC banks, such as ADIB, ENB and Mashreq, are setting up in Egypt and recent mergers mean that consumers will get more benefits from their banks.
As the consumer banking sector grows, more people in Egypt will be able to access the world of ecommerce with debit or credit cards.
#5 2015 will be another lean year for companies looking to raise money
2015 will not be the year that the flood gates of investment burst open. We have seen some momentum towards greater capital investment, however, angel investors won’t be coming to the Middle East in droves quite yet.
Instead it will be a year where mid-size ecommerce firms turn the corner and become profitable. This will lay the groundwork for a long-awaited surge of investment in 2016.
2015 promises to be an exciting year, full of change and challenges. What are your predictions for the next twelve months?


text: NEW YORK (CBS.MW) -- Morgan Stanley mwd said it would pay $816 million to buy risk assessment firm Barra, Inc. barz for its Morgan Stanley Capital International Inc. unit. Morgan Stanley plans to pay $41 per share in cash, a premium of 9 percent over its Monday closing price of $37.63. The move will help boost Morgan Stanley's business as a "provider of benchmark indices and risk management analytics." Shares of Barra rose 88 cents to $37.63. Morgan Stanley fell 15 cents to $56.60.


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Restaurant boss gives employee free breast implants while firing another for not showing up to work in bikini (video)By Mason White 5:44 PM December 31, 2014
|Grace after being offered free breast implants|
By: Tanya Malhotra
(Scroll down for video) One employee at a restaurant is extremely happy after being given free breast implants, while her colleague was fired for showing up to work wearing a shirt instead of a bikini.
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Bikinis Sports Bar and Grill, a chain of restaurant that prides itself about waitresses who dress in bikini tops, shorts jean and cowboy boots, went undercover to uncover his best and worst employees.
CEO Doug Guller overseas the company that operates restaurants in Texas, Oklahoma, and North Carolina.
Guller said that the company focuses on four things, alcohol, food, sports and sex, making its business model recession proof.
Guller analyzed the skills of his employees over a period of several days.
At the end, he fired one employee who refused to wear a bikini, while offering free breast implants to another staff member who liked working at his company.
Guller said that he was angry with Jessica, because she has chosen to wear a shirt instead of a bikini because she did not feel comfortable.
Jessica also confessed that she was looking for a new job, and did not plan on staying with the company.
However, Grace, 23, who was fired four times in the last three years for showing up late and using her phone during work, impressed Guller.
Guller gently rebuked Grace for checking her phone at work before offering her free breast implants if she promised not to text at work for the next six months.


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Morrisons are asking customers to use the “sniff test” to check their milk is still in date, after the decision to scrap “use by” labels in a bid to tackle food wastage.
Morrisons will be the first supermarket in the UK to switch the ‘use by’ date in favour of ‘best before’ on milk. Milk is one of the most wasted food products in the UK so in an attempt to try to cut wastage the company is encouraging a look, smell, taste and don’t waste test.
Morrisons customers in Gamston, for the most part, support the decision.
Audio: Morrisons customers express their thoughts on the change in milk labelling
Research by food waste charity WRAP shows 330,000 tonnes of milk are thrown away each year in the UK. 90% of this is thrown away in our own homes. In an effort to stop pints of milk ending up down the plughole, Morrisons will be changing its ‘use by’ labels on milk to ‘best before’ by the end of January.
“330,000 tonnes of milk are thrown away each year in the UK”
Wrap, Food Waste Charity
The ‘use by’ date has to be put on all food and drink products that are dangerous to consume after the date labelled. However milk is still safe to consume after this date, and regulator the Food Standards Agency is allowing Morrison’s new approach.
Cathy, who works at White Post Farm, near Mansfield, looks after dairy cows daily and supports the idea of mixing up milk’s labelling.
Cathy explains “When the cows are milked, the milk goes through a process called pasteurisation. All that means is that they heat it to a really, really high temperature and then drop it down to a low temperature really quickly.”
“All that does is kill all the nastiness in the milk. Any bacteria, germs, anything that could cause disease or potential illness. Pasteurisation gets rid of all that. It’s a really thorough process and that’s why the milk in the shops is safe to drink.”
She continues “Some farmers, obviously this is not recommended, but some farmers still drink raw milk without it being pasteurised at all. It really does depend on personal opinion.”
No doubt other supermarkets will be watching Morrisons labelling change carefully and assessing whether it really will save waste, and crucially money, before deciding whether to follow in their footsteps, after years of following ‘use by’ dates.
Click below too see why Morrisons are scrapping the ‘use by’ date on milk:


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ISLAMABAD : A 21-member high-level German economic delegation arrived in Pakistan on Tuesday on a four-day visit. Calus Baron Von Fersen, an expert representing German Oil & Gas Industry and Renewable Energy sector is leading the delegation. The representatives of German business community as well as officials from federal ministry of economic and technology and Near & Middle East Association (NUMOV) have been included in the delegation.
Apprising about the visit, Embassy of Pakistan in Germany said that invitation and organisation of the business delegation to Pakistan is a practical, hands-on initiative to promote bilateral trade, which offers German entrepreneurs the chance to see that Pakistan is very different from the image they receive through the media.
The delegation will meet with Karachi Chambers of Commerce and Industry and Pakistan German Business Forum in Karachi. While in Islamabad, they will have meeting with the representatives of Islamabad Chambers of Commerce and Industry. During their visit to Board of Investment (BoI), the officials of Board, Trade Development Authority and Alternative Energy Development Board will brief them about the investment policies of government and business potential for these companies in various sectors.
The BoI, that has anticipated this visit, would provide the German business community an opportunity to explore possibility of enhancing trade and investment ties with the companies in Pakistan. Later, the delegation will visit ministry of commerce. Since the signing of Bilateral Investment Treaty between Pakistan and Germany, this is the first high-level business delegation visiting country to explore business opportunities.
Some of the big companies included in the visits are namely Asghar e.k, deugro projekt GmbH, federal ministry of technology & economic, Claus Baron Von Fersen, H&C-VGU Engineering GmbH, INROS LACKNER AG, J.V. Niebergall CDH/N+P NIE BERGAZ+PARTNER, KHATRI architect-construction-design, Kiani & Buhr GmbH, Nah-und Mittelost-Verein, Peter Rathmann &Co. GmbH International Spedition, Shinex, Social Science Research Center Berlin (WZB), Voith Turbo GmbH & Co KG, International Business Consulting Weisheit and Zimmer mann Trading. – Brecorder


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Insight Into Target Corporation (TGT) Canada Failures
The Retail industry faced many hiccups during 2014, not just in terms of weaker sales but also massive cyber-attacks that affected millions of customers across Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT), Staples, Inc. (NASDAQ:SPLS), Home Depot Inc (NYSE:HD) and Kmart Corporation.
Amid the industry wide slowdown, Target also failed in its first major foray into international territories as Target Canada division reported significant losses of $211 million in its first quarter earnings. The company reported 16% decline in its quarterly earnings, mainly attributed to losses in Canada operation and costs of data breach. Target also reduced its full-year guidance, as it expects future expenditures related to the data breach.
Analysts blamed Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT)’s failure to maintain adequate in-store inventory levels and incompetent pricing strategies that failed to compete against the likes of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE:WMT) and Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) in Canada.
In a response to its supply chain disaster, Target Canada fired its top executive Tony Fisher and announced to shut-down its 133-store Canadian operation. A mid-level employee at Target’s headquarters in Minnesota mentioned in a letter to Gawker that the company is in desperate need of help, starting from the top down. The employee blamed Target’s “very Minnesota, passive aggressive” work culture, which requires the retailer to hire 2 people for doing a job that 1 person could do at another company.
The letter also identified firing of former CEO Greg Steinhafel and CIO as good moves and also urged the firing of entire executive team except CMO Jeff Jones to bring reforms and pursue competent work culture to ensure competitiveness and sustenance in the current conditions.
An employee noted in a letter that if Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT) fails to make significant change in its leadership and culture, it may end up being a Sears or Kmart.
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Edinburgh St James Quarter: Hamleys toy shop announces sudden closure of store
and live on Freeview channel 276
A flagship toy store in Edinburgh’s St James Quarter shopping centre is closing its doors. Hamleys has placed a shutting down notice in its window informing customers the store is due to close on Monday, February 6.
One of the centre's star brands to announce its arrival in the summer of 2021, the iconic shop has been part of the £1 billion St James Quarter for nearly two years.
St James Quarter said the closure was part of a number of Hamleys closing across the UK and that ‘every effort’ is being made to support workers who will lose their jobs.
Hamleys previously occupied a place in the old Jenners building in the city centre before the former Department store closed. The toy store has been a household name for over 260 years. Its slogan “bringing toys to life” is a reality in the store where kids are encouraged to have fun and play by the expert toy demonstrators.
The reason for the sudden closure has also not yet been confirmed by the company and it's not known if there will be a closing down sale.
A spokesperson for St James Quarter, said: "We can confirm that Hamleys has taken the decision to close a number of their stores in locations across the UK, including St James Quarter
"We’ve introduced a number of fantastic fashion, food and drink, leisure and beauty destinations to The Quarter over the past few months including Neom, Boss, Coach, Gordon Ramsay Street Burger, EL&N and The Real Greek and we are constantly looking at ways to expand our offer to ensure we continue to provide guests with a world class experience
We will be making every effort to support those employees who are being released from their Hamleys contracts via our employment and training partners, Fuse .
Following an extremely successfully Christmas and Sale trading period , where the Quarter enjoyed record breaking footfall , we anticipate that a new retailer will be announced in due course, joining the amazing additions still to come this year."


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January 27, 2015 - Industry News
The Nevada Department of Transportation has announced it will put together a plan for making enhancements to the state’s transportation system when it comes to moving freight.
Tags: Nevada, Highways, Freight
January 22, 2015 - Industry News
Container volumes at the Port of Los Angeles increased 6% in 2014 over the previous year, marking the third busiest year in the port’s history, just behind 2007 and 2006 levels
Tags: Port of Los Angeles, Washington, California, Port of Long Beach, Freight, Ports, Port Trucking, Port of Seattle, Port of Tacoma
January 20, 2015 - Industry News
A new report shows the amount of freight moved in the final month of last year was unchanged from the month before but posted a healthy gain for all of last year.
Tags: Economy, ATA, Freight, Truck Tonnage
January 14, 2015 - Industry News
Two of the nation’s marine port complexes said they handled record container volume in 2014.
Tags: Freight, Ports, Port Trucking, Containers
December 31, 2014 - Industry News
The spot freight market posted its usual seasonal lull the week of Christmas, but one sector saw a slight overall rate improvement, according to the freight matching service provider DAT Solutions.
Tags: Freight, Spot Freight, Freight Rates, DAT Solutions
December 22, 2014 - Industry News
November trailer orders in the U.S. hit 39,356, the second highest month ever behind October of this year, according to a report from FTR.
Tags: Trailers, Flatbeds, Freight, FTR, Trailer Orders
December 19, 2014 - Industry News
The American Trucking Associations’ seasonally adjusted For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index rose 3.5% to 136.8 in November -- the highest level on record.
Tags: Economy, Freight, Truck Tonnage Index, American Trucking Associations
December 17, 2014 - Industry News
The George Washington Bridge in Fort Lee, N.J. topped the list of the most congested locations for truck freight, according to analysis from the American Transportation Research Institute.
Tags: New Jersey, Traffic Congestion, ATRI, Freight, Bridges
December 10, 2014 - Industry News
The U.S. Transportation Department’s Freight Transportation Services Index rose 0.3% in October from September, the fourth consecutive month-over-month gain, hitting an all-time high.
Tags: Economy, Freight, Freight Index
December 9, 2014 - Industry News
Trucks accounted for 73.1% of the total value of commodities shipped in 2012 with a worth of more than $10 trillion, according to a U.S. Census Bureau survey.
Tags: Economy, Survey, Freight, Freight shipments
December 5, 2014 - Industry News
The Association of American Railroads said Thursday for the week ending Nov. 29, U.S. railroad intermodal volume totaled 220,873 units, up 6.2% compared with the same week last year and the highest level on record.
Tags: Economy, Railroads, Intermodal, Freight
November 10, 2014 - Industry News
Some freight is having trouble entering the country and moving quickly to final end users while, the “transportation ecosystem is finding itself in turmoil” as freight shipments, particularly imports, climb in anticipation of a stronger holiday shopping season this year.
Tags: Economy, Port of Los Angeles, Port of Long Beach, Freight, Port Trucking, Cass Freight Index
Total intermodal freight volume rose 5.1% in the third quarter of the year compared to the same time in 2013, while domestic U.S. and international volumes individually reported gains in of 5.5% and 4.7%, respectively.
Tags: Intermodal, Freight, Economy
November 7, 2014 - Industry News
According to the Association of American Railroads, it totaled 1,381,749 containers and trailers, up 4.9%, or 64,071 units, over October 2013.
November 3, 2014 - Industry News
The week ending Oct. 25, rail intermodal traffic was up 6.7% compared with the same week last year -- higher growth than that of rail traffic overall.
Tags: Railroads, Intermodal, Freight, Economy, NAFTA, Global
October 29, 2014 - Industry News
With 56 days left until Christmas UPS is expecting to set another record this holiday season in terms of the number of packages it will deliver.
Tags: UPS, Freight, FedEx, Holiday Driving
October 23, 2014 - Industry News
The season is expected to be bolstered by three volume spikes throughout December, occurring the first three Mondays of the month and each expected to surpass 20 million shipments in volume.
Tags: Freight, FedEx
October 22, 2014 - Industry News
Cargo container traffic rose 7.3% in September at the Port of Long Beach compared to the same month last year, marking the Southern California seaport’s busiest September since 2007, the Port’s peak year.
Tags: Port of Long Beach, Freight, Ports, Port Trucking
October 21, 2014 - Industry News
The amount of truck tonnage hauled in the U.S. during September was unchanged from the month before remaining at a record high level, according to new American Trucking Associations figures.
Tags: Economy, ATA, American Trucking Associations, Freight, Truck Tonnage Index
October 8, 2014 - Industry News
The U.S. Transportation Department’s Freight Transportation Services Index, which is based on the amount of freight carried by the for-hire transportation industry, rose 0.6% in August from July, rising for the second consecutive month.
Tags: Economy, U.S. DOT, Freight, Freight Index
September 30, 2014 - Industry News
Truck and rail traffic are expected to grow, good news for the economy as well as the carriers -- but with growth comes congestion, and transportation planners need more information and better direction from Congress on how to manage the problem. That’s the message from the Government Accountability Office.
Tags: DOT, Congress, Freight, Highway Bill
September 9, 2014 - Industry News
Freight interests are staking ground for the next highway program, asserting the need for sustainable funding, systematic planning and improved efficiency. The Freight Stakeholders Coalition, representing 18 carrier and shipper organizations including American Trucking Associations, published a 9-point platform for the upcoming debate over reauthorization of the program.
Tags: DOT, Congress, Highways, Freight, Legislation, Highway Funding, ATA, IANA, NITL
North American freight volumes bounced back in August from a normal July dip, but it did not lead to a similar increase in freight spending, according to the Cass Freight Index.
Tags: Economy, Freight, Freight Rates, Cass Freight Index
September 4, 2014 - Industry News
The less-than-truckload carrier ABF Freight saw its August billed revenue per day increase by approximately 10% above last year's level, according to a disclosure it filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Tags: Freight, Tonnage, ABF, Saia
September 3, 2014 - Industry News
The North Carolina-based operation also affirmed its previously announced expectations for growth in its LTL revenue per hundredweight.
Tags: Old Dominion Freight Line, Freight, Earnings
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www.thehindu.com | February 8, 2020
Encouraging students to question and not be afraid to take risks is one of the many factors that India needs to establish a healthy startup ecosystem
Startups are one of the strongest engines for wealth creation, employment and economic growth. India is aspiring to be a $5 trillion economy in the next five years. There is also a need to create 300 million jobs by 2040, which is roughly 10 million jobs a year. These aspirations and needs of India cannot just be fulfilled by the existing large enterprises alone. Startups can act as a vehicle to achieve the next level of economic growth and social development.
India has begun its journey to becoming one of the fastest growing startup hubs in the world, and today, it is the third largest in technology-driven product startups, after the U.S. and the U.K. The Global Entrepreneurship Monitor estimates some 20% of Indians (aged between 18 and 64 years) intend to start a business in the next three years, while more than 11% are nascent entrepreneurs.
As entrepreneurs, innovators, academicians, and mentors to startups, in this third wave, Indians have an opportunity to rapidly prosper and put India on the path to becoming a developed nation. For this, we must explore new areas of entrepreneurial opportunities, develop new approaches, acquire relevant skills and mindset, and offer complete ecosystem support to successfully build deep-tech, IP-driven innovative platforms, products and solutions from India, for the world.
The new technology of microprocessors and integrated chips opened opportunities for nations in creating a new industry. The Indian IT industry leveraged these technological developments and made a significant contribution to make India a global economic power. Today, India is the world’s largest sourcing destination for the IT industry, which employs about 10 million professionals.
Now, the Fourth Industrial Revolution (Industry 4.0) is well underway. The manufacturing industry is undergoing a major technological revolution in the way products are designed, manufactured and distributed. This rapid, end-to-end digitisation of all physical assets and their integration into digital ecosystems is a part of Industry 4.0. It promises a new frontier in the manufacturing and other sectors, with enhanced value creation through higher productivity and efficiency throughout the value chain. The technologies that enable Industry 4.0 include smart sensors, automation devices, advanced robots, Internet of Things (IoT), cloud computing, location detection technologies, human-machine interfaces, augmented reality, 3D printing, Artificial Intelligence (AI), big data analytics, and mobile devices, among others. India has achieved strong leadership in IT.
The preparation for the third wave of the entrepreneurial journey should begin at schools and universities in India. Unlike in the U.S., universities in India are not at the epicentre of the entrepreneurship ecosystem. They need to build a strong foundation of innovation and entrepreneurship to empower aspiring entrepreneurs to successfully incubate high-impact ventures. Educational institutions must create entrepreneurial culture where students are...
1- Explicitly encouraged to question, experiment, observe, and network to generate novel ideas where they are not afraid to take chances and fail. They must show tolerance to failure, as failure is a natural part of innovating.
2- Challenged through structured ideation efforts around specific topics, themes, or problems, and rewarded for taking smart risks in their pursuit of innovation.
3- Provided opportunities to discover new solutions, experiment, refine and validate solutions, and empower to present their ideas and utilise the collective wisdom to validate and refine ideas.
4- Given opportunities for hands-on experiential learning to build innovation capabilities and skills, which might include simulated exercises or real projects. Students get access to successful innovators, creative people, and entrepreneurs as mentors.
5- Given access to platforms and facilities through which ideas can be submitted, shared, developed, prototyped and piloted.
The Indian government has funded several organisations to establish incubation centres while major corporates have established startup accelerators. One of the challenges of deep tech entrepreneurs is access to advanced technological laboratories and experts. In the third wave of entrepreneurship, India needs to establish global Centres of Excellence (GCoEs) in exponential and Industry 4.0 technologies, in partnership with academia and industry from around the world. These centres should support entrepreneurs in (a) evaluation and implementation of state-of-the-art technologies; (b) development of products, prototypes and patentable solutions; and (c) developing industry acceptable platforms, products and solutions. GCoEs can also provide practical use cases, make concrete recommendations, and provide a test bed for startups and the industry.
Mentoring is at the core of creating high-impact entrepreneurs, and it is the weakest link in the Indian ecosystem. It is important for aspiring entrepreneurs to have access to CxOs from different startups, companies, technology domains, sectors and geographies for regular mentorship. In addition, they should get an opportunity to shadow successful entrepreneurs/founders of high-impact startups. The guidance from leading business experts from multiple domains offers a synergistic view of developing a business model and the challenges of developing and launching new products.
Aspiring entrepreneurs and innovators need to have access to global and local immersions to gain deeper insights, newer perspectives and global connects for successfully building products and solutions for India and the world. These immersions not only provide experience entrepreneurial ecosystem, but will offer inspiration to connect ideas that lead to disruptive and breakthrough products and solutions. It also provides an opportunity to collaborate and partner with individuals, institutions and create global teams.
India’s opportunity to rapidly progress in this decade is built on the ecosystem that is developed to promote high-impact entrepreneurship. Using this opportunity will require us to develop an education system that is focused on entrepreneurial culture and establish the pillars that allow Indian entrepreneurs access to advanced technology laboratories and experts to accelerate product and venture development. Through this, India can create a new generation of high-impact entrepreneurs and ventures based on IP-driven, deep-tech, and innovative platforms, products and solutions for its progressive future.
The writer is Founder and CEO, QLeap Academy and Chair Mentor, FLAME University


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The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has issued a staff advisory opinion informing the Council of Better Business Bureaus, Inc. (CBBB) that staff does not have any “present intention” to recommend that FTC bring an enforcement action against a CBBB plan to hold companies “engaged in online behavioral advertising” (OBA) accountable for compliance with self-regulatory principles issued in July 2009 and administered by the Digital Advertising Alliance (DAA).
CBBB sought FTC staff’s assurance that the accountability program, if implemented, would not be subject to restraint of trade prosecution. According to the August 15, 2011, letter, “the proposed accountability program is intended to increase transparency and consumer control of OBA, which has the potential to increase consumer welfare, and there appears to be little or no potential for competitive harm associated with the proposed accountability program.”
The principles require companies that engage in OBA to notify consumers they are doing so and provide consumers with control “over whether data is collected and used or transferred for OBA purposes . . . through easy-to-use consumer choice mechanisms.” The principles also impose data security and limited retention requirements. Under the program, companies would be required to pay fees for the use of an “advertising option icon/link” and a listing on DAA’s Website. CBBB will evidently police companies engaging in OBA, notify those not in compliance with the principles and recommend steps to bring them into compliance. If uncorrected, non-compliance will be reported to regulatory authorities and “may result in the company’s loss of membership in one or more of the trade associations that cooperated through the DAA to establish and implement the Principles.”
FTC staff concluded that such action and potential sanctions are “unlikely to unreasonably restrain trade.” Still, staff based its determination on information provided by CBBB and further noted that the commission itself is not bound by the opinion and that staff “retains the right to reconsider this opinion, and, with notice to the requesting party, to rescind or revoke it if implementation of the proposed accountability program appears to result in significant anticompetitive effects.”


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6 ‘Emily In Paris’ approved brands that deserve a spot on your radar
Emily in Paris (opens in new tab) returned to our screens this week, and in the news that will surprise precisely no one, people can’t stop talking about the fashion (opens in new tab). For Season 3, we see the return of Emily’s well-documented (opens in new tab)colourful aesthetic, while her group of fun, Paris-based friends seem to have also taken on her bold sense of style.
Unsurprisingly, the show is not lacking in noteworthy fashion moments, with many buzzy, It-brands garnering airtime on the Netflix series. From Jacquemus (opens in new tab) to Magda Butrym and Schiaparelli, this season the cast has sported several of the fashion industry’s favourites, and they all deserve a sport on your radar. (If they’re not already there, of course).
While sadly, many of the exact items seen on the show are already sold out, that doesn’t mean you can’t shop from the rest of the labels’ equally stylish selections. Keep scrolling for 6 noteworthy brands spotted in Emily in Paris.


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With the arrival of the iPhone 14, Apple has only sold smartphones with eSIM support in the US. But that may be about to change. At least one analyst thinks Apple plans to extend eSIM use to Europe and some Asian markets by next year, when SIMs will be removed from its devices.
eSIM for the rest of us?
We’ve expected the move since Apple began with eSIM inside the iPhone in 2018, though consumers have complained at the complexity of setup in the US. In part, these challenges reflect inconsistent approaches to the tech across mobile carriers, but there could be a reason for that — particularly if Apple and Google begin to try to monetize carrier choice on new devices.
- For device makers, Apple in this case, removal of the SIM makes it possible to use the liberated space for other components and services.
- Mobile carriers become able to compete for customers on the device, not just online and the high street.
- Competition between carriers becomes more intense, in part because services can target customers directly.
- User churn could rise because it becomes easier to switch providers.
- Prices could drop.
- Apple (and Google/Android) might act as gatekeepers on mobile contracts, levying fees.
- eSIM’s could give Apple a chance to become an MVNO (Mobile Virtual Network Operator), competing with existing carriers.
- And eSIMs will be mandatory as carriers seek to support emerging markets such as wearables, vehicles, and more. (Apple Watch carries its own eSIM.)
Are there other benefits?
Along with the convenience of using one device for multiple lines, the obvious benefits to eSIM on an international scale for consumers is that they can look forward to competitive sign-up deals as carriers combat churn. That might translate into lower prices, but could also turn into additional inducements such as free access to Apple Music, accessories, or robust quality-of-service levels.
Talmesio speculates wider eSIM adoption might also lead to the evolution of automated switching services, in which consumers are automatically signed to new deals based on factors they see as important — price, coverage, data allowance, etc.
Despite potentially increased competition, there are benefits for carriers, too. As they evolve from business models based on network provision toward becoming complex network-based service and integration providers, additional services such as private, secured 5G communications across companies could become easy to access.
Another benefit for business users: in tandem with tweaks to Apple’s existing MDM ecosystem, it might become possible to remotely equip managed devices with business-only second lines during setup.
After all, if there’s a carrier store supported by eSIMs on iOS, then that presumably means carriers can be provisioned via API. For business users and business services, an on-device network provision store could help them reach the high-value corporate clients most high-end (and expensive) network service providers crave.
How can Apple make money selling contracts?
Apple could combine competing mobile services into its own store within the setup screen. This would make it easy for customers to port their existing number from their old device to a new one and offer the opportunity to shop for the best carrier deal. You already see something like this during the setup process for eSIM-enabled iPads.
The process might include a selection screen in which users could define what they want from their network from a menu of available services. Sign-up could take place on-device and payment/subscription could be taken via Apple Pay (and soon other third-party payment services).
Later, if a user wanted something different from their service, a new carrier would be a couple of clicks away — subject, of course, to carrier lock and slow number transfer provision.
A second option might be to leave customers with their existing carrier, but make a bigger bid to offer up second lines during the iPhone setup process. iPhones can currently support multiple eSIMs, with only two active at any time, but it’s uncertain the extent to which the dual SIM capacity is being used. Encouraging take up would give customers a chance to switch between networks at will, thanks to the eSIM. You might have an all-in-one data bundle with one service and a free image-sharing service on the second and an automation to make the switch process friction free.
In either case, Apple takes a fee.
Now, anyone watching Apple’s business knows the size of the cut it takes is very much under review. I think it will end up becoming 15% — regulators won’t deny Apple’s right to make money, though they will tweak its approach. At some point, an acceptable amount will be agreed.
Can Apple become its own mobile carrier?
With eSIM and a network access store, Apple could set up as an MVNO in some key territories. If it does, the most likely route will be through agreement with existing carriers to provide bandwidth and coverage while supplementing this with its own services.
It could supplement traditional carrier services with its own unique satellite-based services as its arrangement with GlobalStar expands. It’s worth paying particular attention to those arrangements, particularly as Apple makes its inevitable moves toward 6G.
Offering supplemental services alongside agreed partnerships might be the least-risky way Apple may be able to approach becoming an MVNO. The challenge is that Apple would need to ensure competing services aren’t overshadowed by its market size and if it makes its service available as an option during setup, it’ll have to tread lightly around competition law.
Apple is very much under regulatory review these days, and even a company that dances at the edge of legality for profit can’t expect too much leeway if it acts badly in the highly competitive, but strategically vital, carrier business. I actually think there’s too much complexity inherent in such an attempt. It’s most likely to finesse a more complex way to augment existing services in order to take a slice of network provision.
But, what about competition?
The problem is competition. By acting as a gatekeeper, Apple might find itself in position where how it offers the different networks is construed as market manipulation. This would swiftly generate investigation by regulators; carriers will not be silent if they find their business impacted.
In the UK, Ofcom in December took a look at this. It noted that eSIMs might enable Apple and Google to embed carrier selection within their apps and noted many of the positive potential benefits of doing so.
It also warned:
“Given the strong loyalty to iOS and Android it is also possible that Apple and Google would not face sufficient competitive constraints, which could allow them to charge mobile providers elevated commissions for prominence on their choice screen/app. If so, these commission costs would be likely to be passed, at least in part, onto consumers in the form of higher prices.”
This could also reduce choice, or influence it based on positions on setup screens. Providers unwilling to pay to be included might be excluded or placed below the fold.
Either way, eSIMs are the future
Ofcom concedes eSIM is coming. “Within the next five to 10 years, we expect most consumers will be using eSIMs instead of physical Sims,” it wrote.
What’s open to question is whether Apple begins the move to make eSIM support mandatory internationally at the same time it installs its own 5G modems in iPhones later this year.
Given that the move to its own modems may not be entirely problem-free — and the huge internal effort now taking place around Apple Reality — the company may think it makes more sense to delay international rollout of mandatory eSIMs for a little longer.
At the same time, it may be that the 5G modem it is developing is already being built with best-in-class eSIM integration, in which case the success of that project will be most keenly felt in the US first, where eSIM is already mandatory.
Copyright © 2023 IDG Communications, Inc.


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by Diego Gonzaga, Greenpeace
Almost two years ago, we started an incredible adventure onboard the Greenpeace Esperanza ship. Our goal was clear: to show the world the amazingness of the Amazon Reef and why it is important to protect it from the hands of greedy oil giants like French company Total. It has been a long journey, and we knew it wasn’t going to be easy. We needed to be many, we needed to be strong, diverse, and united. And with you, and all the Amazon Reef Defenders around the world, we did it.
Today is a day to celebrate. All of us Amazon Reef Defenders have made history together. The Brazilian environmental agency (Ibama) has finally denied Total the license to drill for oil near the Amazon Reef in Brazil! This decision sends a powerful message to governments and companies all over the world: the movement to end the age of oil will continue to grow.
- Expansion of fossil-fuel vehicle phase-outs moves world one step closer to a climate-safe future - April 22, 2020
- Germany goes greener with $95 billion push for train over plane - January 14, 2020
- EU sets out trillion euro plan to avert ‘climate crash’ - January 13, 2020