text:
The bad news is the loss-making Ford will cease making cars in Australia and retire the Falcon name in October 2016. Far more than the announced 1200 jobs are at risk. Families will suffer. Australia risks losing crucial manufacturing expertise. It should never have come to this.
But there is a touch of good news. The announcement allows Australians to plan for more bad news from Ford and its local rivals.
While Toyota and the loss-making Holden are indicating they will keep manufacturing cars here, Ford's former global chief Jac Nasser has warned of a domino effect once one maker ceases local manufacturing. "It would be a very sad day for Australia but unfortunately it looks like it could be inevitable," Nasser said last month.
Add to that Ford's likely problems in producing cars to meet tough environmental standards starting in Europe in 2016.
Australians are buying far fewer of the big cars Ford makes in Australia anyway, and sales may fall even faster now the manufacturer has signalled it will walk away.
In that sense it is a relief Ford's withdrawal announcement came now not later.
The 2016 deadline will allow time for some readjustments that should have been managed far earlier. Car parts makers will have some slim chance of rethinking their business models and targeting new markets. But ironically the best news may be the wake-up call Ford's decision provides about the dangers of subsidising uncompetitive industries without guarantees.
Many argue we need the skills base that car making provides. It does contribute significantly to jobs and back-up industries. Ford Australia chief Bob Graziano claims that for every $1 Australian taxpayers invested in Ford, the car maker has returned $6 to the economy via three to one investment plus paying its taxes.
But the issue is whether those benefits are still accruing and whether they could be gained more sustainably and cheaply by shifting focus away from unsustainable mass production of cars to industries where we have an advantage.
To that end there is a glimmer of hope in the 1000-plus Ford jobs to be retained. The company will keep highly skilled engineers who work in the centre of excellence for product development as part of the so-called "global platform" model of car making. That model recognises some countries have the low costs to do the hard labour and/or the market size to justify production for domestic buyers. Australia has neither.
The global platform recognises all countries subsidise car makers and offer strong protections against imports. Australian taxpayers cannot compete on either. In fact Graziano suggested the company had modelled a doubling in normal subsidies here and still the numbers did not stack up.
The global platform recognises countries with a low currency are good places to base export operations.
Australia has had a stubbornly high dollar. As a result manufacturing needs to be innovative and highly specialised to survive.
Ford's trust in Australian expertise to drive product design reflects our strengths.
The Herald hopes Australian skills remain crucial to Ford's global products, so Australians can claim credit for part of every car Ford makes overseas. That would be some consolation for the many millions of dollars Australians have pumped into Ford directly through subsidies and tax breaks, and indirectly by paying more for protected Ford vehicles when imports were slugged with high tariffs.
The taxpayer support for Ford and the other car makers will continue as long as they each produce 30,000 cars a year. But there is no guarantee production or jobs will remain if car makers decide along the way the subsidy is not enough. Governments cannot keep ratcheting up support without giving taxpayers value for money.
Ford has made it clear that even a sharp drop in the $A would not have changed the reality.
Prime Minister Julia Gillard is being unrealistic when she says: "I don't agree … that making cars isn't a viable industry for Australia."
The Coalition plans to reduce industry assistance by $500 million by 2015 but has vowed to continue "responsible" taxpayer support for car makers. The future of subsidies after 2015 may well depend on whether a proposed Productivity Commission inquiry can find any reason to maintain support. It will struggle.
Australians need certainty now, not after another surprise announcement of job cuts or another withdrawal from car making.
Governments should start planning for the end of all mass production of cars in Australia.
Support should be scaled down with the savings redirected to helping victims, retraining workers and promote an innovative and diverse manufacturing sector.


text:
Week 04–1, June 2021
“The key to life is not in what you attain, but the journey made in its attainment.”〜 Eleesha
By LuxPin Team
◆ It’s a rare stay indeed. Design fans are in for a treat thanks to Airbnb. This fall, the owners of Casa Vicens, the first home designed by the famed Catalonian architect Antoni Gaudí, will open the doors for a one-night stay in Barcelona via Airbnb.
◆ It’s been 25 years since the Macarena debuted, a phenomenon that swept the globe. Now, Airbnb is celebrating the milestone anniversary with a special stay in the Spanish villa of Los del Rio. On June 28 at 10 a.m. EST, 90’s kids everywhere can request to book a two-night stay for Aug. 3 in the Andalusian villa.
◆ This new booking platform is exclusively dedicated to connecting remote workers and digital nomads with local stays equipped with all the amenities needed to be productive, meet other people, and have fun. The platform will officially launch on June 21, 2021, but Floasis already has 50 locations all over Europe and more than 3,000 community members, including 400-plus ambassadors who have tested the various stays to ensure they’re a good fit for remote workers.
◆ It’s worthy of a Fancy stay. Attention country music mega-fans: This VRBO is for you. Located on the lakefront in Lebanon, Tennessee, travelers can rent the absolutely massive Estate at Cherokee Dock that happens to also be the one-time home of country music queen, Reba McEntire.
◆ “The World’s Most Magical Celebration” kicks off on Oct. 1 and will continue for 18 months. Starting on its 50th birthday on Oct. 1, the park will kick off “The World’s Most Magical Celebration” — an 18-month-long event with tons of new programming, including two new nighttime spectaculars.
◆ Adventures by Disney just announced new private trips and a group New England itinerary, opening for reservations this month. Cue Adventures by Disney curated vacations that offer guided, family-friendly trips to destinations all around the world — and they just announced new trips and private adventures to Australia, France, New Zealand, and more.
◆ None of the 20 least stressful cities are in the U.S. According to The Least and Most Stressful Cities Index 2021 released this month, Reykjavik, Iceland, earned the top spot as the least stressful city around the world, followed by Bern, Switzerland, and Helsinki, Finland.
◆ If you’ve hit all the major capitals, consider planning a trip to one of these secondary, less-crowded cities. To round up some compelling places to add to your travel wish list, here are some favorite underrated, non-capital cities for you.
◆ From Napa Valley and Martha’s Vineyard to Alaska and Hawaii, get to know some of the incredible U.S. hotels owned by Asian Americans. Asian Americans make up a large chunk of hotel owners in the U.S., with members of the Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA), which was formed by Indian American hoteliers in 1989.
◆ Graduate Hotels is giving you the perfect reason to plan a summer vacation right now. Back by popular demand, the hotel chain is bringing back its Hall Pass, an unlimited $500 summer travel pass that gives travelers access to all 30 of its properties throughout the month of July.
◆ From Thailand to the U.K., people love to share their bike photos. There are plenty of bike-friendly cities around the world, but which one is truly the best place to travel on two wheels? New research from MoneyBeach analyzed over 350,000 city-specific hashtags on Instagram to find the most beautiful cities for a bike ride.
◆ Experience a more luxurious way of flying at a fraction of the price. Scott’s Cheap Flights, best known for surfacing flight deals through email, is giving passengers the chance to upgrade — literally. The company just announced a new Elite membership level for travelers looking to book discounted airfares in premium economy, business, and first-class.
◆ A travel advisor weighs in on how to plan the perfect African safari for the whole family. The right hosts, the right pace, the right guides, and the right activities based on your kid’s interests and ages are critical. With so many considerations, here are some expert tips for ensuring your family’s African safari adventure to be an actual vacation for everyone.

domain: news


text:
- Subscribe NowLimited Time Offer
Mobile tablet use hits new high
Send this story to a friend
- Staff Dayton Business Journal
As part of a changing consumer landscape, mobile tablets and e-readers are becoming a growing part of daily life. In fact, 29 percent of all adults now own either a tablet or e-reader, according to a new report from the Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project.
This is a jump from 18 percent of people who said they owned a device in a survey done before the holidays.
Retail sales over the holidays — notably the more affordable Amazon.com Kindle Fire and Barnes & Noble Nook tablet — helped drive ownership of these devices. Apple Inc.'s iPad is still the leading tablet, but competition is heating up as Google Inc. is planning its own branded tablet this year and Microsoft Corp. is said to be planning a big push with Windows 8.
If you are commenting using a Facebook account, your profile information may be displayed with your comment depending on your privacy settings. By leaving the 'Post to Facebook' box selected, your comment will be published to your Facebook profile in addition to the space below.
Cook Buckeye Jake's Restaurant & Bar | West Alexandria, OH
COO A Kid Again | Cincinnati, OH
Event Specialist Advantage Sales & Marketing | Dayton, OH
Retail Sales Representative - Dayton Ohio area Verizon Wireless | Beavercreek, OH
West Carrollton Accountant Position Available! Accountemps | West Carrollton, OH
- Most popular
- Best school districts in the Dayton region for 2014
- One of Dayton's top real estate developers to quit the profession
- Take a first look inside Dayton’s new $250M racino (Photos)
- We want to know: What's the best place in the area to raise a family?
- Exclusive: Premier Health to launch insurance plan
- Ohio restaurant on list of Most Anticipated Openings for this fall
- Dayton expert clears up gluten mysteries
- Dayton company makes Fortune’s 100 fastest-growing list
- Downtown Troy wants to build on momentum from Mumford & Sons
- Football event signs Dayton company as sponsor,
A look at the day's business stories from media outlets around Dayton.


text:
Incomes Data Research, which monitors pay reviews, said employees were typically receiving raises worth 3.0% in 2022, up from 2.0% during 2021 as a whole, and fewer employers were implementing a pay freeze for workers.
The 2022 figure was based on 57 pay awards affecting almost half a million employees overwhelmingly in the private sector, whereas the 2021 figure included a greater proportion of public-sector workers, many of whom had their pay frozen.
The BoE has said it is concerned about the build-up of inflation pressure in the labour market with consumer prices having risen by 5.4% in the 12 months to December, the sharpest increase in 30 years.
The central bank is expected to announce at 1200 GMT that it is raising its benchmark Bank Rate to 0.5% from 0.25%. (Writing by William Schomberg Editing by David Milliken)


text:
The Microsoft Xbox 360 is by far one of the most talked about video gaming systems of all time. With all of its capabilities and advanced technology it has lived up to all the hype. Or has it?
It’s hard to tell how great the Xbox 360 is because only a limited amount of people have been able to get their hands on one due to Microsoft’s limited release. In late November of 2005 Microsoft shipped its first batch of Xbox 360s and then made no comment of when they would release more. The majority of people see no reason why Microsoft would due this. With so many people anxious to buy one, why wouldn’t Microsoft keeping releasing more?
There are a couple of good reasons for the limited release. The main reason is that it creates scarcity, which then creates an enormous buzz. If consumers knew that Microsoft was going to keep releasing more and more Xbox 360s they would have felt no reason to buy one right away. However, since everyone knew that there would be a limited release you had people lining up outside stores days in advance just for a chance to get one. Of course this led to an incredible buzz that surrounded the Xbox 360. Every news station, newspaper and online media outlet was running huge stories about the Xbox 360. Due to all of the news coverage, one would have to be living in a cave to not know what the Xbox 360 is.
The second reason is simple supply and demand. The low supply of the Xbox 360 matched with the incredibly high demand resulted in the ability to charge higher prices. Microsoft priced the Xbox 360 at $399. For most people this is a large investment but since everyone was worried that they may have to wait months to buy one they acted like $399 was a bargain. For weeks after the Xbox 360 was released people were buying systems off of eBay for over $1000! That is the power of low supply and high demand.
No one really knows for sure when the next batch of Microsoft Xbox 360s will be released. However, everyone knows that they better buy one fast when they are released because of what happened in November of 2005. It seems that Microsoft’s release schedule has created just the market they were looking for.
Stay up to date on all the Xbox 360 news at http://www.xbox-360-news.com
Last modified: August 18, 2022


text: The CTU telecoms regulator will announce today that it is putting a 10 MHz limit on the 800 MHz spectrum that may be bought at auction by any one operator and that it will tighten the conditions for transferring spectrum between operators, as a way to limit speculation. (The Incumbents have indirectly accused PPF of merely wanting to speculate with the frequencies.) CTU will continue to set aside 10 MHz of the 800 MHz spectrum for new operators. The new auction should begin in Nov., but it depends on how the EU Commission responds to complaints from the incumbents. / The incumbents haven’t been much successfull within its suggestions to the auction conditions as we have expected and a way for a new operator to entry the market seems to be open if EU Commission is to agree on conditions.


text:
The test lab at our review partner Digital Trends put the high-end Strata Mini Loudspeakers to the test and published a review. The Strata Mini scored an Editor's Choice award - they better, as they cost about $2,000.
Quote from the review: "Today we are taking a look at the company's Strata Mini Loudspeaker which use a combination of planar magnetic drivers, cone drivers as well as an integrated 8-inch subwoofer. Priced at $1995.00 USD per pair, only 50 of these speakers are being made each month.
If you’ve not heard of AV123.com, you may soon be a minority. They have a huge following amongst audiophiles and audio enthusiasts alike."
Read the full Strata Mini Loudspeaker Review.
Don't Miss: Incredible Pokemon Gifts
Don't Miss: Sam's Club Black Friday 2016 Details


text:
Africa's first commercial DNA biobank
We look at the challenges with collecting DNA and medical breakthroughs that might ensue.
We look at the challenges with collecting DNA and medical breakthroughs that might ensue. Dr Abasi Ene-Obong is founder of 54gene, a Nigerian company which is building Africa's first commercial DNA biobank, and tells us how it could help in the search for cures for diseases affecting millions of sub-Saharan Africans, such as sickle cell disease. And professor Adetokunbo Fabanwo, chief medical officer of Lagos State University Teaching Hospital explains why it's hoped more medicines can be produced locally in Africa, in order to cut prices and speed up access to new treatments. Also in the programme, The WTO has said China can put tariffs on $3.6 billion worth of US goods. We hear from Stephen P. Vaughn, the general counsel to the United States Trade Representative and a partner at the law firm King and Spalding. Plus on World Vegan Day we look at the growing popularity of vegan food with Dominika Piasecka of the Vegan Society.
(Picture: An artist's impression of DNA. Picture credit: Science Photo Library.)


text:
Bilateral trade between Thailand and Myanmar through the Hteekhee border over the past four months reflected a decrease of $210 million as against a year-ago period.
Between 1 October and 12 February in the current financial year 2020-2021, the figures sharply fell to US$473 million from $683 million registered in the previous financial year, according to the data from the Commerce Ministry.
The surge in coronavirus cases in Myanmar led Thailand to close the border areas and limit truck drivers’ working hours at the border posts. Consequently, the trade via land border sharply fell in the current FY.
Exports of natural gas from the Taninthayi Region have contributed to the enormous trade increase through the Hteekhee border during the previous years.
Earlier, the Myawady border sees the most extensive trade among the Myanmar-Thailand checkpoints. The rise in exports through the Hteekhee border had boosted the value of the Myanmar-Thailand border trade since the 2018-2019FY.
The border trade between Myanmar and Thailand through all land borders — Tachilek, Myawady, Myeik, Kawthoung, Mawtaung, Hteekhee and Maese declined as of 27 November.
Myanmar primarily exports natural gas, fishery products, coal, tin concentrate (SN 71.58 per cent), coconut (fresh and dry), beans, corns and bamboo shoots to Thailand. It imports capital goods such as machinery, raw industrial goods such as cement and fertilizers, and consumer goods such as cosmetics and food products from neighbouring countries. — KK/GNLM


text:
(Newsroom America) -- New-vehicle sales are expected to increase 3 percent year-over-year to a total of 1.63 million units in March 2017, resulting in an estimated 17.4 million seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR), according to Kelley Blue Book.
At 1.63 million units this month, the first quarter total comes in at 4.1 million units, up 0.3 percent year-over-year. This would be the second highest first quarter on record, surpassed only by Q1 of 2000. This also would be the highest March sales total since 2000, when sales hit 1.66 million total units.
"Kelley Blue Book expects manufacturers to report mostly positive sales numbers this month, capping a steady first quarter with an average SAAR of 17.4 million," said Tim Fleming, analyst for Kelley Blue Book.
"Despite considerably higher discounts and incentives, first quarter sales totals will likely only finish flat versus last year, a signal of weakening consumer demand for new vehicles. As sales cool after years of robust growth, adjusting production accordingly and managing supply, especially in car segments, should be top priorities for automakers."
After a record year of sales in 2016 and seven consecutive year-over-year sales increases, Kelley Blue Book's forecast for 2017 calls for sales in the range of 16.8 million to 17.3 million units, this represents a 1 to 4 percent decrease from last year.
Key Highlights for Estimated March 2017 Sales Forecast:
In March, new light-vehicle sales, including fleet, are expected to hit 1,630,000 units, up 3 percent compared to March 2016 and up 23 percent from February 2017.
The seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR) for March 2017 is estimated to be 17.4 million, up from 16.6 million in March 2016 and down from 17.5 million in February 2017. Retail sales are expected to account for 77.9 percent of volume in March 2017, up from 76.8 percent in March 2016.
General Motors Expected to Gain Most Market Share; Ford to Post Greatest Declines in March 2017
General Motors is expected to gain the most market share in March 2017, up nearly a full percentage point. In particular, the automaker's SUV lineup could grow sales by 25 percent, with increases led by three all-new models introduced last year, including the Chevrolet Equinox, Buick Envision and GMC Acadia. GM trucks, especially the Silverado, could have a strong month as well, growing 10 percent with heavier incentives likely playing a role.
Ford Motor Company could post the greatest sales declines of all major manufacturers; although, a large drop in fleet volume is responsible, while retail sales should be flat or slightly up. As a result, Fusion and Focus could report declines of more than 20 percent in March 2017. Similarly, Transit and other Ford vans, which are popular in commercial fleets, could fall 20 percent.
The significant shift from cars into SUVs shows no sign of slowing, with double-digit growth projected for the popular compact and mid-size SUV/crossover segments. This month, analysts expect an overall light truck mix of 63 percent, up from 58 percent last March.
"Mid-size cars continue to suffer as a result of shifting consumer preference toward utility vehicles, and Kelley Blue Book anticipates the segment will lose nearly 3 percentage points of market share," said Fleming. "This segment, which was the top-selling category in the industry as recently as 2013, is in a rapid decline, which does not bode well for the upcoming redesigns for the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord, due later this year."


text:
The Luxottica-Essilor Merger is Looking Rather Strained
In January 2017, the eyewear company Luxottica announced it would acquire Essilor, a large French company that produces ophthalmic lenses and other equipment, for $53 billion. The two companies were confident that they could merge without much trouble and that antitrust regulators would not be concerned. But their claims of a trouble-free acquisition look increasingly shaky.
Last month the European Commission announced an in-depth review of the merger because it was concerned about the merger's impact on competition. And here in the United States, the Federal Trade Commission has quietly reviewed the merger for some time, yet failed to approve it. This is a likely sign that the FTC has grave concerns about the deal, even if it is not publicly voicing them.
The FTC is right to carefully review this merger. Luxottica and Essilor are dominant players in the eyewear market, which is otherwise quite fragmented. Luxottica has 48% of the global sunglasses market share, while Essilor has 8%. And regarding lenses, Luxottica has 32% of the global market share and Essilor has 19%. Luxottica is by far the largest company in eyewear, and around a billion people wear Essilor's lenses. Additionally, the prices of glasses and lenses have been rapidly increasing, making them unaffordable for many Americans. The evidence from past mergers is quite clear: when huge companies merge, the prices of their products nearly always go up, and savings are rarely passed along to consumers.
If the two companies merge, the combined company would be a behemoth with enormous power over every step of manufacturing and selling eyewear. Additionally, Essilor performs about 75% of the world's research; if Luxottica is allowed to acquire the company, that research will be diminished and possibly even ended. The two companies currently compete against each other and such competition is likely to expand in the future, but the merger would end it.
This proposed deal is a vertical merger - a merger between two companies that operate at separate stages for the production process for a specific finished product. Recently the Department of Justice filed a lawsuit to block the proposed merger of AT&T and Time Warner, another vertical merger. AT&T spent most of 2017 confident that DOJ would approve the deal because it is a vertical merger that does eliminate a competitor from the market. They were wrong, and this lawsuit could be a sign that the Trump administration and other antitrust authorities are rethinking their approach and taking a harder look at vertical mergers.
The Luxottica-Essilor merger has been approved by several countries, but the FTC has continued to examine the merger, and has not issued any statements for quite some time. Since the review has dragged on for some time, it probably indicates that the FTC is thinking about the merger and sees potential problems with it.
We hope the FTC will continue its review of Luxottica's attempt to acquire Essilor, see that the deal will harm competition and consumers and increase prices, and file suit to block the merger on those grounds.


text:
SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches ‘secret’ Zuma payload into orbit
The Implant O-Rama System is a coffee enema system that allows its users to do the controversial procedure in the comfort of their homes. This is one of Goop’s latest recommendations for beauty and wellness.
( Goop )
Goop’s latest recommendation for beauty and wellness is an at-home coffee enema for body detox. The prospect of filling the colon and rectum with coffee has many raising an eyebrow and doctors are warning the public of its dangers.
Coffee Enema, Anyone?
If someone is wondering what a coffee enema is, well it’s exactly what the name suggests. Goop’s new detox guide for beauty and wellness includes an at-home coffee enema that is basically a simple enema but entails flushing the colon and rectum with coffee instead of plain water.
Naturally, the DIY enema has raised a lot of eyebrows, especially with the idea of flushing the rectum and colon with coffee and having to do it without a practitioner present. OB-GYN and pain medicine physician Dr. Jen Gunter raised a few points that question the legitimacy and even safety of the recommended procedure.
The very first thing Dr. Gunter notes is that people do not need to go on colon cleanses to detoxify the body. In fact, she states that the procedure can cause irritation and inflammation to the colon, and that serious complications such as damage to intestinal bacteria, vomiting, abdominal pain, renal failure, and rectal perforation may arise from colonic procedures.
Normally, colon cleansing is done to prepare for medical procedures such as colonoscopies but the procedure has been popularized of late as a detoxifying and cleansing procedure. According to the proponents of colon cleansing for detoxifying purposes, it can eliminate excess toxins and materials from the digestive system.
However, medical practitioners state that this is not a necessary procedure as the body can eliminate such toxins on its own. Further, colon cleansing can reportedly lead to dehydration, increased infection risks, and electrolyte changes especially among individuals with a history of gastrointestinal disease, kidney disease, or heart disease. In fact, coffee enemas for colon cleansing have apparently been previously linked to deaths.
Basically, medical practitioners state that there is no need for colon cleansing. But should anyone wish to do so, they should take extra precautions such as checking with a doctor first and making sure that the equipment to be used has not been previously used for another customer.
In the case of Goop’s latest beauty and wellness recommendation, the Implant O-rama coffee enema system is said to be recommended for “those who know what they’re doing” when it comes to colon cleanses. With a community of doctors stating contrary to the latest claims, perhaps a safe precautionary measure would be to consult one before trying the procedure out.
Goop has recommended quite a few strange procedures and items that are supposedly for beauty and wellness. Apart from the fact that the said procedures and products are pretty expensive, they are also quite questionable in terms of safety. In fact, doctors have warned about its previous recommendation regarding placing jade eggs in the vagina. NASA has also called Goop out for claiming to use the same material in their bio-frequency healing sticker as NASA does in spacesuits.
© 2018 Tech Times, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.


text:
Once upon a time, a tiny company called VoodooPC built some of the most incredible gaming computers around. Now, its owner HP is paying homage with the Omen — the first serious gaming laptop the company has ever made.
A pair of researchers, one from Microsoft and the other from The Hebrew University, have come up with something that will be either a game purists' salvation or worst nightmare, depending on tastes.
It looks like I am now officially in the market for a new gaming desktop and what better way to figure out what to get then to ask the gamers of Kotaku?
That mini-PC gaming rig I was all excited about last year just got priced. The PC with a small footprint and an even smaller environmental footprint will start at $1,800.


text:
Duncan Family Farms' recent acquisition supports its growth as a leader in sustainability and a grower of premium organic products.
Duncan Family Farms, a family-owned multiregional grower of certified-organic and sustainably grown produce, specializing in baby lettuces, greens, kale and herbs, has acquired Pedersen Farms, a family-owned farm and certified-organic grower located in upstate New York.
Pedersen Farms has more than 900 acres of certified-organic land on which organic vegetables and grain are produced.With additional varieties and a prime location, Pedersen Farms will help to increase the range of products that Duncan offers, as well as help to mitigate potential supply chain challenges while still maintaining sustainable farming techniques.
“We are thrilled to be joining forces with Pedersen Farms as their agronomic practices and core values perfectly align with ours at Duncan,” said Patty Emmert, community relations and marketing manager for Duncan Family Farms, which is based in Goodyear, Ariz. “Rick Pedersen has spent the last 30 years building up the quality of the organic soil and making an impact in his community. This union is precisely the type of operational excellence we believe in and want to strengthen within our organization.”
Through this acquisition, Rick Pedersen, who founded Pedersen Farms, will stay on as head of farming operations to provide continuity and on-the-ground expertise. Additionally, the existing staff will maintain their current positions with the support of Duncan Family Farms.
“We are so grateful to the local community, our customers and our team members who have made the last 30 years a reality,” said Pedersen. “We’re excited about the future that is possible with Duncan’s support, and we are proud to be working alongside a team that cares as much as we do about organics and sustainability.”
Founded in 1985 by Arnott and Kathleen Duncan, Duncan Family Farms includes more than 8,000 acres of organic ground. Its multiregional operations are located in central Arizona, California's Imperial and Cuyama valleys, southern Oregon, and upstate New York. Products are shipped across North America, into Canada and to the United Kingdom.


text:
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Just outside the entrance to the Pepsi Gate at the New Meadowlands, as thousands waited to enter, there was a digital billboard that flashed an ad for the Jets. Amid the green and white of the team uniform was the explanation: "Futbol Americano."
When Mexico readied to play Ecuador, football meant soccer. On this night, green jerseys signified Mexico, which was a large part of the reason this game was a sellout with 75,000 tickets sold. Tricolor sombreros and flags filled all three tiers of the new stadium, which will be the home of the NFL's Jets and Giants in just a few months.
The Mexican national soccer team sells out stadiums across the country whenever it undertakes a U.S. tour. This game was an exhibition, as Mexico prepares for the World Cup later this summer in South Africa. When the Cowboys were looking for a way to open their new stadium last summer, Mexico versus Haiti drew 82,252 fans to Cowboys Stadium.
In many ways, the crowd is like any you might see at a Jets or a Giants game. The meats may look a little different, but barbecues are fired up across the parking lots for a tailgate. Instead of throwing footballs, fans kick soccer balls.
And there's more intensity. On Friday, impromptu marching bands made their way around the parking lot, fans like Ivan Gonzalez wore massive Aztec-inspired headgear complete with peacock feathers, and the ubiquitous plastic horns made the stadium sound like a traffic jam in midtown.
Omar Zuniga has been to Giants games with his father, but the 17-year-old from Passaic, N.J., wanted to see what a game was like when you're rooting for a nation. Half Puerto Rican and half Mexican, Zuniga painted his face green, white and red.
"It's something I want to experience before I go into the National Guard," Zuniga said.
The digital advertising strips lining the soccer field fed Spanish-language slogans from American companies like Home Depot and Allstate. The big-scale additions like the JumboTrons worked smoothly.
If this was a test run for the stadium, the New Meadowlands might want to install a few more elevators. There were plenty of helpful people around to direct fans in English and Spanish, but a few times they just weren't sure where something was. Despite the newness, fans made it to the seats for a 9 p.m. start.
Those are the same fans the Jets would like to court back here in the fall. The team has a Spanish-language broadcast it touted on a billboard, "en vivo y en tu idioma," which means "live and in your language."
Sports fans willing to spend $40 a ticket and paint their faces for a favorite team? Whatever the language, that means green.


text:
If the number of sponsors behind an organized ride is anything to go by, the upcoming Sisters’ Centennial Ride will be the group to hang with early next month.
It could be called marketing on the move. BMW Motorrad are offering demo rides during the upcoming Sisters’ Centennial Motorcycle Ride.
An upcoming historic ride to commemorate a notable motorcycle event is enjoying a banner full of well-known sponsorship with Indian Motorcycles being the latest to add their support to the Sisters’ Centennial Motorcycle Ride.
The sheer logistics behind organizing a cross country group ride is seen in the latest efforts of Sena Technologies, Inc helping the upcoming Sisters’ Centennial Motorcycle Ride.
A notable motorcycle event will be celebrated over the summer as more than 100 women riders commemorate a historic two-wheeled journey across the United States.


text:
India’s first Apple Store is coming soon, confirms CEO Tim Cook
India has been a major marketplace for Apple. Within the final four-five years, there was loads of emphasis from the corporate on the Indian market. Nevertheless, one key facet of Apple’s general technique was lacking and that was an precise Apple Retailer. Whereas it wasn’t a secret as such that Apple had plans to open a retailer in India, nothing was truly confirmed. Until now that’s. Apple CEO Tim Cook dinner has confirmed that Apple is engaged on opening its first retailer in India.
In the course of the traders’ name after the announcement of its quarterly outcomes, Cook dinner was requested about how Apple is doing in India. Replying to the query, Cook dinner mentioned that in Apple will “quickly carry Apple Retail”, which confirms that India’s first Apple Retailer will come up.
Apple Shops in Mumbai, New Delhi?
It has been rumoured for some time that Apple will open two shops in India — in New Delhi and Mumbai. Hypothesis means that the Apple Retailer in Mumbai might be a “flagship” retailer whereas New Delhi might get a smaller retailer. As talked about above, previous to Cook dinner’s feedback, Apple has by no means formally commented on the opening up of Apple Retailer in India.
The Apple CEO additionally mentioned that the corporate had performed pretty nicely through the Covid-19 pandemic in India. “We truly did pretty nicely by way of COVID in India and I’m much more bullish now, hopefully on the opposite aspect of it. That’s the rationale why we’re investing there by bringing retail there, bringing the web retailer there and placing out vital quantity of power there,” he mentioned.
Apple has been hiring for its Retail arm in India for the final a number of months. There have been job listings for Apple Retail for “a number of places”, which signifies that there might be multiple Apple Retailer coming to India. Actually, it was anticipated that the primary Apple Retailer would have come earlier however the Covid-19 pandemic put a spanner within the works.
Cook dinner additionally mentioned that Apple has seen a huge impact of the Apple On-line Retailer in India. Apple’s On-line Retailer in India got here in 2020 and does provide sure advantages when prospects purchase immediately from the platform.
It’s anticipated that the primary Apple Retailer will additional give Apple extra alternatives and scope to broaden and develop its market share in India.


text:
Inditex recently reported a 10 per cent rise in its first-quarter profit, as foreign currency effects moved back in its favor after two years. The company is currently under pressure to deliver strong like-for-like sales without the margin dilution that has affected others in the apparel sector, plagued by out-of-season sales as shoppers wait for discounts or hunt for bargains online.
The world's biggest clothing retailer reported net profit of 734 million euros ($832 million) for the three months from February 1 to April 30, 2019. Its sales increased by 5 per cent to 5.93 billion euros. Sales at constant exchange rates for the first six weeks of the second quarter increased by 9.5 per cent as shoppers snapped up items like jewel-toned blazers and long printed dresses from Zara's spring collections. Its sales growth however, was lower than that expected by analysts due to adverse weather conditions in the latter part of the period when it was wet and cold across much of southern Europe.
Inditex maintained its full-year guidance of 4-6 per cent growth for like-for-like sales. RBC Capital Markets estimated it had booked like-for-like currencies of around 6.5 per cent during the first weeks of the second quarter, against around 2 per cent in the first quarter.
Inditex generates over half of its sales in other currencies that have to be converted back into euros for the financial report. Those currencies have strengthened slightly against the euro compared to a year ago, on average, helping reported sales.


text:
Yesterday, January 11, 2021 the combined efforts of the Department of Intellectual Property, the Department of Business Development, and Department of International Trade Promotion saw months of hard work come together with the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding on the Protection of Intellectual Property Rights on the Internet.
This jointly sponsored MOU brought the major online platforms operating in Thailand, Lazada, Shopee and JD Central, to the table with every prominent intellectual property law firm in the Kingdom, and the genuine rights holders they represent, to reach a consensus on commitment to further crackdown on online infringement on the platforms.
The MOU calls for greater cooperation and self-policing by the signing online platforms to hold themselves more acountable for illegal activity on their websites.
It is the hope of all parties concerned that this will pave the way to reducing the amount of infringing goods found on the platforms, and facilitate prosecution of those found to be using the sites to sell illegal goods.
Our Managing Partner, Satyapon Sachdecha, as a leading member of the IP community in Thailand, was on hand for the signing.


text:
Being a central location to purchase natural and organic food for decades has helped establish Whole Foods Market as a formidable competitor in the area of all-encompassing supermarkets. With that brand has come the inevitable criticisms of higher prices or catering to a select market.
However, the fact is that each time a new Whole Foods opens up, the surge of excitement at its opening is able to be sustained. That leads to profits, with margins that are much higher than those whose revenues may dwarf the company.
That level of success has led Whole Foods to offer a new spinoff supermarket concept known simply as 365 by Whole Foods Market. The idea behind it seeks to grab hold of the elusive millennial market, emphasizing technology-based ways to purchase items and offering new takes on the dreaded prospect of waiting in line.
Of course, that market was likely already attracted to Whole Food’s nature-friendly approach to making sales. The standard openings still resonate with all audiences, further increasing the more than 1,200 stores that make up the company.
Despite the clamor, Whole Foods has been struggling when it comes to the stock market. For whatever reason, the company’s brand hasn’t been good enough to offset a stock price drop of over 50 percent from its previous high.
However, much like music and entertainment that isn’t always universally loved, Whole Foods Market still has the cache to look ahead with excitement toward the future, with profts that continue to roll in.
Luxury carmaker Mercedes Benz, has been recording impressive sales since the turn of the year. This is despite the fact that the automobile industry has experienced a minor slump this year. The iconic German car manufacturer has set the pace as in the luxury car segment.
Since the year started, Mercedes has sold a whopping 28,528 cars, which is a company record. The number exceeds last year’s figure by more than 3.6 percent. Owing to this, Mercedes has emerged as the top brand in the luxury car division. By achieving this feat, Mercedes has managed to beat other established carmakers such as BMW, Lexus and Audi.
According to the Business Insider, Mercedes has slowly been coming up with different car models, which suit the specifications of motorists. Its recently-introduced S-Class Cabriolet, SLC Roadsters and SL models, have been well received in the market due to their class and comfort. They have also been marketed as the go-to luxury car models. This has endeared them to many potential buyers.
The other strategy that Mercedes has successfully used, is coming up with models that fulfill the desires of car buyers. After conducting market research, the carmaker discovered that most luxury car buyers prefer SUVs and crossovers. Basing on this, it develops models that have a ready market. This sufficiently explains why it has recorded high sales. Its lineup is by far, more superior than that of other car makers. If these record sales are anything to go buy, Mercedes is poised to take over the automobile industry in coming years.
Picking up pizza just like you pick up money at an ATM sounds like a bizarre marketing concept for a company. Yet a firm based in France is working with Xavier University in Cincinnati to do just that and satisfy the impulsive hunger cravings of students on campus.
That company, Paline, will begin offering pizzas on August 10 that have been prepared by Xavier’s dining hall staff before then being placed in a refrigerated vending machine just outside the hall. In order to make sure that the complaints about “cardboard pizza” aren’t heard on a daily basis, that dining staff was under the supervision of a French chef who helped train them for approximately 40 hours.
That preparation includes each pizza first being made with vegan dough and then partially baked by the staff. The dining hall’s own tomato sauce is then made, with eight different toppings added. At that point, the pizza is placed inside the machine.
Each order of a pizza is expected to take three minutes. A customer will have a large touch screen in front of them to select the pizza they want, with payment options being either a credit card or the student’s debit card.
Once that’s complete, the ready-made pizza heads into a convection oven inside the machine, cooking the pizza at 475 degrees. When those three minutes are up, the pizza slides into a box and comes out through a slot. Each pizza will cost $10, with each machine stocked with 70 pizzas.
Things are not going very well lately for AMC Networks or the people who own stock in the company. This is because the stock has dropped a hefty 20 percent so far in 2016. This is not a surprise to many people familiar with the TV industry. A huge chunk of AMC’s profits the past six years has come from the massive ad revenue that their hit show “The Walking Dead” has been able to generate. The zombie series is still averaging an excellent 13.2 million viewers for every episode. The problem is that this number is down significantly from when the show was at its peak. In fact, ratings are down eight percent from 2015. That is a tremendous amount of advertising dollars that AMC is no longer taking in.
This has caused AMC Networks to look for ways to save money. A total of 200 people who work for the company were offered buyouts that were voluntary. A spokesman for the company said that they believe 20 to 30 of those people will accept the buyouts that were offered to them. The company wants to avoid the drastic measure of laying off employees because of the bad public perception of their financial stability that it will create. Low viewership of the freshman series “Preacher” is another reason for the poor revenue so far this year. AMC was banking on the show being a hit and a cornerstone of their lineup. However, the viewers have not shown up as they had hoped.
As reported in a recent article for The New York Times, Google has spent around $450 million on projects in Europe as a part of its soft lobbying efforts to improve its image. Google has been struggling with the public perception of it in Europe as an American company that has barged in and refuses to play by the same set of rules as everyone else.
Google has been accused of breaking antitrust regulations, failing to pay taxes and not protecting online privacy rights. While Google has publicly rejected all of these claims, it has been working hard to improve the overall company image. Google has been lobbying especially hard in Brussels and has also spent large sums on direct lobbying. This is because Brussels is the site of many of its regulatory problems in recent years. In 2014 alone, Google spent about $4.2 million on political lobbying efforts in Brussels. During the same time, Google spent about $17 million on direct lobbying in D.C. It remains to be seen whether these expenditures will have any effect on whether Google will face charges.
Some of the initiatives that Google has recently funded in Europe include music concerts sponsored by YouTube, digital training courses for high school teachers in Ireland and a virtual reality exhibit at a museum in Belgium. European governments have been more than happy to receive the fruits of Google’s soft lobbying efforts because there have been plenty of funding gaps thanks to the sluggish economy of late.


text:
Key executives outline the company’s product and dealer development strategies for growing market share in the U.S.
Safety First should be the rule, not just an empty cliche.
Working outside in challenging conditions is par for the course in the construction industry. But it doesn’t have to be life threatening.
As more contractors recognize their versatility, these rough-terrain lifts are achieving ever greater capacities and heights.
App uses live translators familiar with local dialects and technical construction terms.
Doing your homework can help make the leap into new equipment or technology easier to handle.
Falls account for more than a third of all deaths in the construction industry. Now OSHA offers an opportunity to "stand down" against them.
Parts & Service segment targets second and third owners of Case, New Holland and other equipment brands as a means to grow business by 10%.
Growth to be achieved via investments in strategic market territories and product lines, including a new full-size crawler excavator family.
Good vibes at CONEXPO-CON/AGG are just one indicator that a construction recovery is in sight.
Earthmovers are cost-effective material handlers, but there a number of nuances in the equipment and setup that operators must understand
Generator and compressor suppliers are looking at alternatives that offer customers lower-cost options.
International Equipment Solutions -- marketer of Bradco, CP, FFC, Harley, JRB, McMillen and Sweepster brands -- looks outside the US for both acquisitions and growth
Company emphasizes its commitment to growing its presence in the North American market through new models and components.
Oberhelman says the global construction market remains a mixed bag but North America, with substantial housing recoery underway and US politics more settled, shows real promise for 2014
With the introduction of compact engines for the OEM market, the company expects to nearly triple its engine sales by 2018.
Web store portal offers opportunity to buy direct at prices up to 40% below leading brands
Dedication to lifting and material-handling machines offers significant growth potential for the supplier


text:
Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg has joined Bill Gates and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos as one of the world’s three richest men.
According to calculations by Bloomberg, the 34-year-old has overtaken Warren Buffett to become the world’s third-richest person as Facebook’s shares rose by 2.4 per cent.
Zuckerberg is now worth $81.6 billion, nearly $400 million more than Buffett, according to the rankings.
Bezos is classified as the world’s richest man with a personal fortune estimated to be worth $141 billion, followed by Bill Gates with an estimated $94.2 billion.
Zuckerberg’s climb means that, for the first time ever, the world’s three richest people are all technology leaders.


text:
Jun 11, 2019 (Euclid Infotech Ltd via COMTEX) -- Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. will appoint its group finance chief and the overseer of the world's largest iPhone production base to a newly created operations committee, anointing potential successors to billionaire founder Terry Gou. Hon Hai, the largest listed arm of Foxconn Technology Group, is establishing a body of nine executives who will represent its top decision-making unit after the board, the company said in exchange filings, confirming a previous report from Bloomberg News. They include Foxconn Chief Financial Officer Huang Chiu-lian and Lin Zheng-hui -- known also as Lin Cheng-hui -- who heads the company's enormous iPhone-making facility in central China's Zhengzhou. The group will rule on major business matters, a person familiar with the matter said, asking not to be identified because the appointments aren't public.
Lin and Huang are among a cadre of executives tipped to take the reins of the world's largest contract manufacturer from Gou, who is trying to win a party nomination to compete in the 2020 Taiwanese presidential elections. Gou, who built the company from a maker of TV knobs into a global powerhouse in consumer electronics, is expected to step back from Foxconn's day-to-day operations to focus on his political endeavors. Other committee members include Chiang Chih-siung, who oversees some of Foxconn's non-iPhone Apple businesses, and semiconductor division chief Young Liu. The 68-year-old billionaire, who has said he plans to quit as Hon Hai chairman after shareholders elect a new board in June, is shifting his focus just as his company grapples with the unprecedented uncertainty of US-Chinese tensions.
That escalating trade spat is hurting consumer sentiment and raising fears about the impact on Foxconn's plants, most of which are located in the world's No. 2 economy. Washington is threatening to hit Beijing with new tariffs on about US$300 billion worth of Chinese goods including phones and laptops, directly affecting the company's business with a swathe of the world's major electronics brands. Beijing has in turn shown a growing willingness to retaliate against American names.
Foxconn straddles the world's two largest economies because it manufactures most of its devices in China, many of which then find their way to American consumers. In its exchange filings, the company said it will localize some of its manufacturing across production bases covering 16 countries from Japan and Mexico to the US. and India. It didn't elaborate on specific plans.
Gou's company wields unusual influence for an Asian company in the U.S. When President Donald Trump called for more investment in local manufacturing, Gou was among the first to heed the call, agreeing to build a 13,000-worker facility in Wisconsin in exchange for more than US$4.5 billion in government incentives. Hailed by Trump as "one of the great deals ever," the project has since come under criticism for low-paying jobs, sudden dismissals and ever-changing goals. Foxconn says the plant is on track to begin producing LCDs next year.


text:
A transphobic game developer launched Steam
Domina, a game created by “Dolphin Barn Inc.”, has been removed from Steam after the developer included transphobic hate comments in the game’s most recent patch notes. The game is no longer available on Steam. ‘purchase.
The Domina developer, who goes by the name “Nicholas”, has been completely banned from the Steam platform, a digital marketplace for video games. Steam removed Nicholas’ company Dolphin Barn Inc. from the platform over harassment of Steam users and transphobic comments.
First spotted by ResetEra user Zoop in the latest round of patch notes, Nicholas announced a name change from “Domina” to “Dominus”, demanding that users “respect our pronouns” and demanding that players avoid “naming” the game. A “dead name” is the name given to a transgender person at birth, but not the name they choose to have after transitioning. Dead names are often used to harass transgender people.
Nicholas has continued to use the patch notes as a way to spit vile transphobic comments that aren’t suitable for print. The comments included targeted shootings at Keffals, a streamer who was recently forced into hiding after her hotel was doxxed by a hate site.
Nicholas has also been banned from Twitter, following a series of transphobic comments towards video game personality and professional wrestler Stephanie Sterling. Nicholas (and the company Dolphin Barn) recently became known for posting patch notes for Domina that included anti-mask and anti-vaccine rhetoric.
“TAKE OFF THE MASKS **** – Next time you’re at the grocery store, try showing your face to a woman. Be confident, don’t be afraid of LIES – you might have a girlfriend. Women love confidence. Women don’t like guys who cover their face in fear. What are you scared of? Getting laid? Grow up,” the patch notes read. Domina received widespread negative attention, with the game’s Steam status going “extremely negative” before it was delisted (Thanks, Kotaku.)
Transphobia has been at the forefront of the game for a few years. Keffals, a Twitch streamer and activist, recently organized a campaign to fight a hate site called Kiwifarms. The website is directly blamed for killing transgender and non-binary individuals through targeted harassment.
Written by Junior Miyai on behalf of GLHF.


text:
Windsor police are looking for two suspects after a jewelry store at Tecumseh Mall was robbed overnight.
According to police, a vehicle was used as a "battering ram" to enter the mall and access a jewelry store.
Officers responded around 4 a.m. Tuesday morning and say they discovered damage to the front of the building and a "substantial" amount of jewelry missing, though no one was injured.
Windsor police said that just after 4 a.m., they received a call for a vehicle fire in the 2600 block of Lauzon Road and "learned that this was the vehicle used in the break and enter."
Windsor police are investigating after a theft at Tecumseh Mall overnight on Tuesday. (Robert Poisson/Facebook)
The mall was open on Tuesday, though one entrance was taped off.
Police are now looking for two suspects, one described only as a male wearing dark clothing, while another is a male with dark clothing and wearing a traffic vest.
Police ask anyone living in the area to check their dash camera or surveillance footage for any evidence related to the case. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Windsor Police Service target base unit or CrimeStoppers to remain anonymous.


text:
Flip Smartphone Android, Samsung W2019 Android Flip Phone specs –
Samsung is servicing a follower to its W2018 Android flip phone (imagined over) that’s most likely to be promoted as the W2019, with the phone currently being trial run firmware variation W2019ZCU0ARI1, as very first found by SamMobile. The South Korean company has a well-known record with utilizing its specific niche flip phones as testbeds for brand-new modern technologies that it’s thinking about applying right into its mainstream items. In 2014, the W2018 debuted with the globe’s initial modern mobile video camera providing a variable aperture, keeping that performance later on being developed into among the major marketing factors of both the Galaxy S9 as well as Galaxy Note 9 schedules.
Flip Smartphone Android
As Samsung is reported to be dealing with a gadget including a quadruple-camera configuration on the back that’s claimed to be releasing by the end of the year, it’s feasible the W2018 winds up delivery with such an unusual system. The flip phone line generally debuts in December however has actually been special to China until now, with Samsung offering no sign of that item technique being transformed for this year. While the flip phone kind aspect is currently mostly out-of-date in the majority of components of the globe, there’s still a little market for such offerings in the Far Eastern nation as well as with Samsung having a hard time to re-establish itself in China, it can not manage to overlook any type of item group where it still has a considerable following.
Win A Samsung Galaxy Note 9 Android Smartphone With AndroidHeadlines– USA Giveaway
The W2019 needs to be presented as a gadget that’s different from Samsung’s major Galaxy brand name as well as sporting activity premium requirements. Based upon its precursors, the mobile phone is most likely to use Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 845 and also a minimum of 6GB of RAM, in addition to a minimum of 64GB of storage area. A microSD card port and also dual-SIM capacities must become part of the plan too, along with a typical T9 key-board as well as software application based upon Android 8.1 Oreo.
Tags: #flip phones android #flip phones android 2017 #flip smartphone android #flip smartphone android 2017 #flip smartphone android 2018 #flip smartphone android for sale #flip smartphone android india #flip smartphone android malaysia #flip smartphone android philippines #flip smartphone android verizon


text:
The Toyota Mirai is really setting records, at least according to the car maker. Toyota just proudly announced that the 2016 Mirai has achieved the equivalent of 67 miles per gallon on city/highway/combined roads and a range of 312 miles, both based on EPA estimates.
That might not sound so noteworthy at first, until you take into account the fact that the Mirai is a hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle. Thus, Toyota is claiming that it is the first of any zero emission vehicle to hit, and even exceed, that 300 mile mark.
Read full post here:


text:
Google revealed an update to its IoT OS-Android Things
GGoogle has revealed an update to its IoT developer platform: Android Things . The new features should accelerate and facilitate the development of IoT applications. Android developers can also use tools with which they are already familiar, such as the Android software development kit (SDK) Android Studio, Google Play Services, and Google Cloud Platform.
Android Things is still currently available only as a Developer Preview, with plans to significantly further develop it in the coming months. As stated in Google’s notification, a series of hardware solutions are already available for developers to use to create functional products with Android Things, such as the IoT chip system Intel Edison, the NXP Pico module which is compatible with this, and the Raspberry Pi 3 board.
Learn more here
Photo/video source: Cebit


text:
Presenting its latest quarterly economic bulletin, bank officials also said that there was no need for further stimulus for the economy but they had no major concerns about the direction of fiscal policy ahead of the budget next week.
The bank pared its GDP growth forecasts this year to 4.5% from the 4.9% expansion it previously projected in the immediate aftermath of the Brexit vote, in July, and left unchanged its growth forecast of 3.6% for 2017.
Stripping out the enormous distortions caused by multinationals to Irish GDP numbers, it estimates that domestic demand will grow by an underlying 3.9% this year — down from the 4.9% in 2015 — and expand by 2.7% next year.
The outlook is broadly similar to the conditions it assessed in its July report, though the economy faces the same risks from Brexit.
UK economic indicators have turned out to be stronger than the “bleak” forecasts some had made in the weeks following the June 23 vote, but longer-term damage for its economy cannot be ruled out, said its chief economist Gabriel Fagan.
For Ireland, “a wide range of domestic spending and activity indicators suggest that Irish economic activity continues to expand at a healthy pace, though growth momentum may have slowed slightly over the first half of the year,” Mr Fagan said.
Nonetheless, the worst fears about the UK economy have not come to pass because the Bank of England cut interest rates and pumped money into the UK financial system through its quantitative easing programme.
And with British demand holding up, the effects on the Irish economy through decreased demand for Irish exports may have been less than feared.
The slump in sterling to 88p has made it more difficult for Irish firms to sell goods and services into Britain.
Central Bank officials said that though exchange rate volatility is more important for indigenous Irish firms, that the Irish economy is much more flexible than it was in the past.
It would nonetheless look again at its forecasts if sterling were to resume its slide.
Survey evidence, including the Investec Ireland purchasing managers’ survey published earlier this week, has suggested that expansion of Irish manufacturing had slowed sharply in September.
The Central Bank wants to construct measures that set appropriate long-term debt targets for the economy which are free of distortions caused from the activity of the multinationals.
Separately, the CSO yesterday published new details surrounding revisions earlier this year to GDP numbers that had purportedly showed the Irish economy surged by over 26% last year.
The huge distortions were caused by Eurostat rules that ensure national accounts measure the effects of multinationals shifting intellectual property assets into Ireland.
“Ridiculous as it may sound, the manufacture of Apple iPhones and iPods in China could be now counted in Irish goods exports — according to the new statistical rules,” Davy Stockbrokers chief economist Conall Mac Coille said.


text:
Blockchain-based streaming platforms and rights management tools are starting to pop up everywhere. Here’s how blockchain is transforming the music industry.
The Internet of Things is a reality today, as many have dubbed it the third wave of the Internet. Here is what we predict for IoT in 2020.
While Blockchains are important for storing permanent data that cannot be changed, it also brings a new privacy issue – how can confidential data be removed from blockchains?
Banks have been looking into IoT to enhance their businesses. A Korean bank is going one step further with its ambitions, using blockchain to expand its business.
Cryptocurrency is only a subset of Blockchain and doesn’t show how Blockchain works. Here we will explain what Blockchain is and how it works.
The blockchain has a big role in the world of IoT. Here are some ways blockchain IoT applications can improve reliability, security and productivity.
Some smart cities see blockchains as a potential avenue toward empowering and connecting citizens and communities in some surprising ways.
You may have a use case for a blockchain of your own but have no idea how to create it. This tutorial will show you how to create your own blockchain for personal use.
The emergence of blockchain makes it a perfect match for IoT products and solutions. Here are some of the ways that blockchains are changing IoT for the better.
With the blockchain technology getting popular over the past few years, how can businesses get the most out of the blockchain?
While Blockchain is still in its early stages, combined with IoT, it’s gearing up to be one of the most disruptive technologies in recent history.
Blockchains aren’t just for Bitcoins; they are useful for IoT, too. Find out how IoT benefits Blockchain’s less centralized system.


text:
CoinShares, a European-based digital asset investment firm, today announced that the company’s XBT Provider line of cryptocurrency exchange-traded products (ETPs) reached record trading volumes on Monday, January 4, 2021.
With more than €162M ($202M) in XBT certificates changing hands traded on the market’s first day of trading in 2021, CoinShares had the highest volume traded in any European listed crypto ETP. XBT Provider is a Swedish-based issuer of exchange-traded products listed on Nasdaq Stockholm AB.
Since listing in 2015, XBT Provider has achieved a number of milestones:
- December 2017: XBT Provider crossed $1B in AUM for the first time.
- January 2018: XBT Provider reached $182M in daily turnover, with an average daily volume of $85.5M.
- March 2019: CoinShares’ XBT Provider was named Europe’s most Innovative ETP Provider.
- November 2020: XBT Provider surpassed $2B in AUM.
- January 4, 2021: XBT Provider reached $202M in daily turnover and $2.9B in AUM.
“Our XBT Provider products continue to offer exposure to Bitcoin via traditional brokerage accounts across Europe, making it easy for investors of all types to gain exposure to Bitcoin without the premium associated with other products in the market or the risk of trading and securing your own assets.”
– Chief Executive Officer at CoinShares, Jean-Marie Mognetti


text:
At the recently-concluded “Launch Night In” online event, Google unveiled the all-new Google Chromecast with Google TV. The new Chromecast comes with a dedicated remote that has YouTube and Netflix hotkeys and a dedicated Google Voice Assistant. What’s confusing everyone is the “Google TV” part.
This confusion stems from the fact that Google TV has been around before being (officially) launched in 2010 as Google’s entry into Smart TVs and later on discontinued in 2014. At the time, Google TV was built on top of Android with a Chrome browser bolted-in to power smart TVs from Samsung, Hisense, Vizio, TCL, Asus, and others.
However, Google TV was soon replaced by Android TV, a much slicker-looking platform based on the Android operating system that powers billions of smartphones. Android TV would power both Smart TVs and set-top boxes or media streaming devices. Google partnered with Smart TV vendors like Hisense, Philips, TCL, Vizio to release Android TV-powered TVs in the market. Media players such as Xiaomi’s Mi Box S, Mi TV Stick, Nvidia Shield, Razer Forge TV, TiVo Stream 4K, Airtel Xstream Box, Now TV are some of the popular Android TV streaming devices in the market today.
Android TV supports Google’s AI-Powered voice assistant for issuing commands to the TV using as a dedicated button on the TV remote. This lets users control their smart TVs using their voice in place of typing and using navigation buttons. On top of that, Android TV devices also usually have Chromecast built-in, allowing you to cast music and videos from your smartphone, laptop, or tablet to the big screen TV from supported apps such as YouTube, Netflix, Prime Video, Hulu, etc.
Google TV in Chromecast 2020
Google hasn’t really resurrected the discontinued platform of 2014. Instead, Google TV is a launcher interface built into the newly-released Chromecast of 2020. Google TV launcher still runs on top of the Android TV operating system as simply a User Interface (UI). It follows a tile design of streaming services such as YouTube, Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+, Spotify, etc. and a main menu at the top. Google says it’s built to help you find what you want to watch as fast as possible rather than browsing through tens of streaming services.
Google TV can be used to control your smart home devices such as lights right from the TV screen. It has Watchlist, a feature that makes it way easier to bookmark shows that you want to watch later. It even works with smartphones or laptops. So you can bookmark a show/movie on your phone and then watch it later on your TV. Google TV also comes as a stand-alone app available on any Android smartphone right from the Play Store. According to Google, the software will also be coming soon to future Smart TVs.
Here’s a walk through of the new Google TV interface;
Google Play Movies and TV is now Google TV
Out of the context of the newly-announced Chromecast streaming device, Google TV takes another meaning. It’s an app on Android smartphones that now replaces what was formerly called Google Play Movies and TV which has been a way of buying or renting movies and TV on Android. Google TV has 700,000+ movies and TV episodes from across streaming apps all organized into one place under different topics and genres. The app, available on Android smartphones and tablets in the U.S, now has a new overall look, including a new app icon, logo. You can download it from the Play Store.


text:
New retention plan to give insight on current and future business in the Verde
Economic development groups partner with APS, NACOG, Yavapai College and local chambers
A new program is being launched to help retain and grow existing businesses in the Verde Valley.
The Arizona Public Service sponsored program, Building Bridges to Business, assesses the needs of local businesses. It identifies the strengths and weaknesses of a company, analyzes individual companies' impact on the community and gives insight into how to further grow emerging businesses and save those in trouble.
"Often, we don't know if a business is struggling until it is too late," Cottonwood Economic Development Planner Casey Rooney said. "This program will help the city's economic development office form closer relationships with existing businesses to help them expand during good times and survive during tougher economic cycles."
For example, if the program identifies that 85 percent of the businesses are growing, Rooney could go to those growing companies with the data collected and determine what could be done to help further expand the business.
In turn, the program could identify, for example, the 15 percent of businesses that are failing. It would determine if the Verde Valley can afford to lose that business and what resources are needed to be brought to the table to help save it.
"We might be able to identify their biggest challenge," Rooney said.
A similar 2003 Prescott-area, APS-sponsored program gave insights to economic professionals on future business growth, the types of companies most likely to come to the area and so on.
"It is a planning tool that assesses the current business status in the community and the future of local business," Rooney said.
Roughly 30 to 40 businesses are to be surveyed. Letters will be sent out to prospective businesses, followed by a phone call, informing them of the program. Phase one of the project will focus on manufacturing businesses. Phase two will deal with the retail sector.
Over the next three months, representatives from participating manufacturing businesses will sit down with a team of two individuals to conduct an hour-long, confidential survey. Results of the survey will be tabulated into a final report.
Some of the questions will ask:
The value of the business to the community?
Is the business poised for growth?
How many new jobs are expected to be created by the company?
What does the company see as strengths and weaknesses in the community?
These questions could be helpful for a business as well as the city. For example, a company could identify high real-estate costs and/or lack of qualified labor as reasons as to why they are struggling.
"I can take the report to my board of directors and say, 'This is why 90 percent of businesses say they cannot relocate here,'" Rooney said.
By asking the number of employees and payroll questions, the program can help show businesses how many teachers or police officers -- or road repairs -- are being employed or completed through taxes being paid by those on the company's payroll. This shows the local impact a business has on a community.
"I think a company would like to know that," Rooney said.
According to a release from Cottonwood's economic development department, "Through surveys, interviews and innovative technology, the program is designed to specifically to help economic development professionals retain and grow existing businesses through proactively managing the portfolio of the community's high impact and wealth-generating businesses."
Names of businesses and personal information will not be listed in the final report. Partners involved in the program include APS, NACOG, Yavapai College, local chambers of commerce and regional economic professionals.


text:
Infiniti is certainly in a weird space. The recently released QX55 didn’t knock our socks off. But we knew there was a better model on the horizon and it’s finally arrived. This is the new 2022 Infiniti QX60, and it’s the model that the automaker needs right now. I got a chance to check it out for Autotrader, which you can see below.
With the QX60, Infiniti knows this is still a car for families. It’s a three-row crossover with a second-row that is easy to slide around as needed. There’s a removable center console between the second-row seats if opt for captain’s chairs. It’s easy to get to that third row as needed. More importantly though, from our perspective, is the fact that Infiniti isn’t stuffing a CVT under the nicely updated skin here.
In the nose, you’ll find a 3.5-liter V6 making 295 horsepower and it’s backed up by a nine-speed automatic gearbox. If you opt for the all-wheel-drive version, you can also spec a towing package that lets this thing haul up to 6,000 pounds.
Infiniti needs the QX60 to be good. And based on our first impression of it, we think they pulled it off. Now we just need some time behind the wheel to see if it’s truly the case. But based on looks, inside and out, we’re off to an excellent start.


text:
Here’s Why Ford Keeps Complaining About Japan
Ford’s president of North American operations Joe Hinrichs complained in an interview about production constraints U.S. automakers are facing that aren’t affecting Japanese auto makers due to the falling yen. Automakers like Toyota can over-produce vehicles as the weak yen supports Japanese imports in the U.S. According to Bloomberg, IHS Automotive has estimated that Japan currently has an excess capacity of two million vehicles.
Ford Chief Executive Officer Alan Mulally has been complaining about this issue for months as Ford struggles to keep gaining market share. Ford has shown the biggest gains of any automaker this year and the company plans to add 3,500 employees this year to keep up with production, especially of the popular Fusion sedan and F-series pickups.
In an interview with Bloomberg TV last month, Mulally insisted that Japan is “absolutely” manipulating the yen. “With the currency manipulation, we just have to get back to the place where the currencies are set by the markets and the free trade agreements really are free trade agreements,” he said.
Mulally also criticized the fact that the Japanese auto market is basically closed with 90 percent of the cars on the road in Japan made in the country. Thus, Japanese automakers can sell to Americans, but American automakers essentially can’t sell to the Japanese. “It’s just the most closed market in the world,” Mulally said.
The yen has fallen 12 percent versus the dollar in the last year, raising the value of Japanese exports around the world and leading to outcry from U.S. automakers including Ford and General Motors (NYSE:GM). American automakers have made huge strides in competing against their foreign rivals in the wake of the financial crisis, even creeping up on companies like Toyota in the compact car market, which has historically been dominated by Japanese companies.
Due to all that growth, Hinrichs is concerned that Ford’s factories in the U.S. can’t handle the capacity Ford needs. That could lead to Ford expanding production in other countries, which will cost America jobs. “The industry is growing and capacities are a little tight in North America,” Hinrichs said.
“Where is the extra available capacity going to come from? If Japan’s one of those places, in lieu of more manufacturing in the U.S., the American worker does lose in that proposition.”
Follow Jacqueline on Twitter @Jacqui_WSCS


text:
TAAT® dispatches U.K. shipment for expanded distribution
by CM Staff
This shipment will be used to further expand distribution of TAAT® outside of the Greater London area.
LAS VEGAS and VANCOUVER — TAAT® GLOBAL ALTERNATIVES INC. has dispatched a “full-container” shipment of TAAT® to the United Kingdom, marking the company’s largest U.K. shipment to date at approximately three times the amount of product previously sent.
This shipment will be used to further expand distribution of TAAT® outside of the Greater London area into additional markets in the southeastern region of the United Kingdom, which the company is presently coordinating with Green Global Earth, its U.K. wholesale partner.
“So far, 2022 has been an adventure as we expanded internationally into the United Kingdom. Certain challenges we have faced in the supply chain are customary, especially for a new product like TAAT®. We believe we are at the end of those early-stage hurdles and we can begin to ship more regularly to the U.K., as our first international market. I was in London earlier this week working directly with our partners at GGE to plan how exactly we will carry out our upcoming expansion within the United Kingdom, and I will be returning later this year to discuss our plans for 2023,” said TAAT® chief executive officer Michael Saxon in a statement.


text:
Seiko released two new Seiko Monsters at Basel 2019 and it looks like the Seiko Monsters will be making a return to the world market (I hope) and not a Thailand or Japan only edition. The monsters are the Seiko SRPD25K1 and SRPD27K1.
These are the two new Seiko Monsters. However it is unclear if these will be Gen4 monsters or a completely new line. Gen3 monsters is powered by the 6R movement.
Both the watches will be powered by the Seiko 4R36 movement featuring the day date complication. The crystal is Hardlex with the magnifier over the day date window. The watch features a new design hour hand and Ecru lume. The bracelet is new as well and it now have the end links. The rubber strap is also new.
The watches is expected in July and cost around the USD550 mark.


text:
One of the state-controlled firms the Brazilian government is planning to sell has voiced concerns around areas including citizen data protection as the privatization agenda advances.
Employees at the Social Security Technology and Information Company (Dataprev) released a manifesto following the announcement that the company is one of the assets that Jair Bolsonaro’s government is looking to sell in order to raise 1.3 trillion reais ($313 billion).
Dataprev provides technology information services to the Brazilian social welfare system. It treats and stores data related to millions of citizens on benefits. The federal data processing service, Serpro, is also on the privatization list.


text:
Shares of RadioShack Corp. RSH, -4.16% plunged 30% in premarket trade Thursday after the Wall Street Journal reported that the ailing consumer electronics retailer is preparing to file for bankruptcy as soon as next month. RadioShack's shares most recently traded around 29 cents. As of Wednesday's closing price of 41 cents, they were off 81% on the year. The company continues to struggle to turn around its business and has posted a loss in each of the last 11 quarters. Its shares have also been battered by rumors of its imminent bankruptcy. The filing could come as soon as the first week of February, according to the report.
RadioShack shares fall 30% on bankruptcy report


text:
When it comes to microphones used for recording video and audio, Rode is one of the more popular brands around. You might have seen their microphones used on various vlogging setups, but now it seems that Rode wants to take on the streaming and podcasting space with its latest produce: the Rode NT-USB.
The thing with universal remote controllers is that they help cut down the clutter of gadgets around your home. If you’re looking to cut the clutter in your home, then you might be interested to learn that Sony has recently taken the wraps off a new remote control that also has the ability to double up as a portable speaker.
galaxy home miniAccording to the rumors and reports, Samsung was expected to officially announce the availability of the Galaxy Home Mini smart speaker at its Unpacked event. That did not happen, but it seems that the speaker is actually now available, although not exactly in the way that many of us imagined.
Last year Apple launched the AirPods Pro. These are a pair of upgraded AirPods where it features active noise cancellation and also better sound quality. Now according to a new report from DigiTimes, it seems that Apple could be working on a new pair of earbuds in the form of the AirPods Pro Lite.
How do record labels know who will sell and become the next big hit? This is mostly due to A&R scouts who go out and look for up and coming musicians that they believe have what it takes to become the next biggest music artist. However, it seems that maybe the job of an A&R scout could be coming to an end.
Smart speakers have been around for a few years now, and we have to give Amazon credit for kind of kicking it off. While digital assistants aren’t new, Amazon made a very smart move early on by opening up Alexa to third-party developers, thus allowing them to flood the market with smart speakers.
As far as smart speakers are concerned, Apple’s HomePod is definitely not one of the cheaper options out there. At an initial launch price of $349, it was definitely more expensive than many of the options out there, plus reviews of the speakers aren’t exactly glowing, meaning that it is an expensive pill to swallow for would-be customers.
While YouTube Music pretty much does what it advertises, where it can stream songs on demand, one of the features that seems to be lacking compared to some other streaming services is the inability for users to upload their own music libraries. This is important because due to licensing and regional issues, some songs that you want might not be available for streaming.
Recently we had heard that if you wanted to get your hands on Apple’s AirPods Pro, the headphones have been backordered until March. Given the popularity of the headphones, it wasn’t surprising, but a new report from the Nikkei Asian Review is suggesting that maybe popularity isn’t solely to blame for the low stock.
Most of us love to sing along to songs, but sometimes we don’t always know the lyrics. So what do we do? We pull up a website that has the lyrics for us, but if you’d rather not interrupt the process by pulling up another app on your phone, not to worry if you’re a YouTube Music subscriber.
Word on the street is that Apple plans on launching a pair of high-end headphones. We’re not sure what kind of features the headphones will have, but according to AppleInsider, they’ve come across a patent which suggests that one of the possible features of the headphones are touch gesture controls.
Last year, Samsung kind of confirmed the existence of the Samsung Galaxy Home Mini when they launched a beta program for the smart speaker over in Korea. For those who are wondering when they might be actually able to get their hands on the speaker, you might be interested to learn that it will be soon.
Make fun of Apple’s AirPods all you want in terms of its design and price, but if there’s one thing that’s hard to deny, it would be its popularity. According to reports and also Apple’s online store, it seems that if you wanted to get your hands on the AirPods Pro, you might have to wait until March.
Ever wanted to turn your favorite song into a karaoke or sing-along track? Here’s a pretty quick, easy, and (not to mention) free way to go about doing it.


text:
The translated report indicates that Apple is likely to launch a 9.7-inch iPad for a price of about $259 in an attempt to increase its market share.
When Apple sent out separate invites for Chinese media for a special event on September, it was highly speculated that the phone maker plans to announce its
After the multi-coloured leaks so far, the black iPhone 5C looks sleek and classy.
Will the iPhone 5C help Apple win crucial market share in the burgeoning markets of developing nations?
The Hon Hai Precision Industry, known mostly by its trading name Foxconn, reportedly needs as many as 90,000 new workers at its plant, to work on the upcoming
This new report details upon the poor working conditions of workers at the Pegatron plant in Shanghai, as Apple prepares to unveil a “scaled-back, less expensive version of the iPhone.”
Rumours of a low-cost iPhone have received yet another boost as a new photo allegedly showing off the retail packaging of the “iPhone 5C” has been
Apple’s Senior Vice President of Technologies Bob Mansfield is no longer said to be in the senior leadership team, after his name disappeared from the
If reports are to be believed, Foxconn has begun the process of recruiting workers to work on this next-gen smartphone from Apple.
There may be some truth in the recent rumours about Apple's next iPhone launching this summer. According to the Wall Street Journal, the company plans on
As BlackBerry launches the first smartphone from its make-or-break BB10 line in India, one of its most loyal markets, the company faces new competition...
Are you ready? Alleged pictures of Apple’s next-generation iPhone, purportedly taken inside a Foxconn factory have been posted on a Chinese forum.
In his interview to a Chinese newspaper, Apple's marketing chief rubbished all rumours about the company ...
The iPhone 5's success is undeniable as five million handsets were sold in the first weekend of its launch.


text:
A J&J spokesperson confirmed that the Chinese health authorities are testing some of its products and said the company would be co-operating with any requests made.
"We welcome the opportunity to demonstrate the safety of our products," the company said.
Although there has been no ban, local media has reported one of the country’s major supermarkets (Nonggongshang) has removed the products from its shelves.
1-4 dioxane and formaldehyde
The move by the Chinese watchdog is in response to a report published by US group the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, which stated that J&J’s products were among many baby personal care items to contain traces of 1,4 dioxane and formaldehyde.
In the report, CSC claimed that these chemicals are linked to cancer and skin allergies.
However, according to the US cosmetics trade body (PCPC) the levels of the chemicals found by CSC do not pose a threat to human health.
Neither is added to cosmetics products as an ingredient: 1,4 dioxane is produced as a by-product in the manufacture of certain detergent and solvent ingredient; and formaldehyde is released in small concentrations by certain formaldehyde-containing preservatives.
Trace levels are safe
In response the CSC report J&J said: “The trace levels of certain compounds found by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics can result from processes that make our products gentle for babies and safe from bacteria growth.
“The FDA and other government agencies around the world consider these trace levels safe, and all our products meet or exceed the regulatory requirements in every country where they are sold.”
The PCPC released a similar statement and accused CSC of attempting to ‘incite and prey upon parental worries and concerns in order to push a political, legislative and legal agenda’.


text:
Much press about the states that could be hurt by Trump’s tariffs has focused on the number of targeted exports in each state. As a bank and capital markets consultant and trainer, a big part of what I do is analyzing what could adversely impact banks in order to determine the level of capital, liquidity and risk management they need so that they do not end up requiring tax payer bailouts. After analyzing a number of data series, I believe that many more states than are usually cited are vulnerable to Trump’s tariffs. This should be of significant concern to bank risk managers who must insure that banks are sufficiently capitalized and liquid even as companies and individuals start to pay late or default if they are hurt by the effect of tariffs.
Actual tariffs and the threat thereof are already affecting individuals and corporations, since uncertainty surrounding the timing of tariffs is starting to cause some companies to spend less and to lay off employees. As tariffs materialize, both corporations and individuals will have to pay more for goods and services. The level of corporate and individual net income is important for bankers, because they want individual and corporate borrowers with outstanding loans and credit facilities to be sufficiently liquid to pay back their loans in a timely manner.
According to a report by Dr. Beth Ann Bovino of Standard and Poor’s, “Global Trade At A Crossroads: Will The U.S.-China Trade Tempest Make Landfall Or Blow Out To Sea? “S&P Global economists estimate that U.S. tariffs of 25% on $50 billion worth of Chinese goods would shave a modest 0.1 percentage point from GDP annually in 2018-2019, with disruptions to suppliers that rely on imports--particularly for aircraft manufacturing, information and communications technology, and general machinery and equipment.” However, the U.S. would “likely lose an additional 0.1 point of growth because of China's reciprocal tariffs targeting $50 billion worth of American exports--with the agricultural, automobile and aircrafts, and chemicals industries more exposed than others.” If U.S. tariffs escalate to “$150 billion total--combined with an equal response from China would roughly triple the drag on growth to 0.6 percentage points.”
There has been much excitement this morning that the Dow Jones Industrial Average hit its first record high since January. One of the reasons for this record is that while speaking at a World Economic Forum conference in Tianjin, China, Premier Li Keqiang stated “we will introduce further measures to lower the import tariffs on some goods into China. The average tariff level will be further lowered and all these undue and unwarranted charges in the import processes will be further sorted out and cleared.” However, he did not state what goods might be subject to lower tariffs, nor did he mention whether this would apply to imports from the U.S.
Because Trump announced tariffs on Monday evening for 1,000 Chinese goods, it is easy to focus just on states that are sensitive to trade with China. The problem, unfortunately, is much larger, since this administration has ongoing trade conflicts not only with China, but also with Canada, Europe, and Mexico. According to data from the US Chamber of Commerce, every state has exports that are targeted for retaliation by Canada, China, Europe, and Mexico. This means that it is not just internationally active banks such as the United States’ eight globally systemically important banks, Bank of America, Bank of New York, Citibank, JPMorgan, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, State Street, and Wells Fargo that could be impacted by their credit and market exposures to Canada, China, Europe and Mexico that will be impacted, but also the over 6,000 community banks and credit unions in the US which lend to companies and individuals affected by tariffs.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce lists thirteen states as being exposed to the most ‘extremely significant damage’ due to retaliatory tariffs against US exports by Canada, China, Europe, and Mexico. They are Alabama, Alaska, Idaho, Iowa, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Ohio, Oregon, South Carolina, South Dakota, and Washington. However, there are seven other states that are close enough in the size of their targeted exports that I included them in the adjacent graph. Washington, Louisiana, and California have the largest targeted export markets.
For bankers, it is also important to look at the whole picture of global trade, that is, imports and exports, as a percent of each state’s economy. Global trade represents 10% or more of GDP in 41 41 states. Michigan is the state with the largest percent of the economy, 38.9%, dependent on global trade. Michigan is the 13th largest state economy in the US and only recently recovered from the devastation of the 2008 financial crisis. It is followed closely by Louisiana (38.7%), Kentucky (38.1%), Tennessee (32.6%), South Carolina (31.9%), Texas (31.2%), Indiana(25.7%), Washington(25.3%), New Jersey(25.0), and Illinois (24.6%).
According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce data, about 26.2 million jobs are supported by global trade. This represents about 20% of the employed workforce. An important metric for bankers to look at is the jobs that depend on global trade as a percent of employed individuals in each state. Here a very different picture of vulnerable states emerges. Hawaii has the highest percent of employed workforce supported by global trade, closely followed by Nebraska, New York, South Dakota, and Connecticut.
If even 1% of Americans in global trade supported employment lost their jobs due to the escalating trade conflict with China or any of the other countries and regions previously mentioned that would be 262,352 unemployed people. If that number were to rise to 5%, the unemployed would then be 1.3 million. Any bank risk manager knows from personal experience that it does not take long for unemployed people to start making late payments and for defaults to start rising quickly. This is the time to start reviewing all credit portfolios carefully and hope for the best, but prepare for the worst.


text:
As a part of the Call of Duty: Black Ops
marketing campaign, Activision has released their first live-action commercial called "There's a Soldier in All of Us."
The commercial, which is set to air this Sunday during NFL games, depicts several celebrities--ranging from Kobe Bryant to Jimmy Kimmel--and everyday citizens fighting each other on a battlefield.
TBWA--an advertising company known for their Pepsi and Gatorade ads--was hired to create the commercial. According to the Chief Creative Officer Rob Schwartz, the commercial is "a dramatization of what it's like to play the game."
Without further ado, here is the first live-action commercial for the
game of 2010:
Notice anything interesting? How about "SSG Tran" on a shotgun?
Don't forget, folks, Black Ops
is set to have the biggest launch in gaming history.
If you want the game early, head out to a midnight launch on November 9th and snag a copy to unleash your inner soldier!


text:
It seems like it was only a couple of weeks ago that we first let you know about Exile Online, a planned sandbox MMORPG set in a dystopian cyberpunk environment. That’s because it was only a couple of weeks ago, but that’s no reason to split hairs. A Kickstarter campaign was promised for later this year, and it’s here now.
The campaign has a current target around $45,000 with no stretch goals currently listed. The page makes it clear that the plan is to make the game free-to-play, but backers can still unlock rewards such as the right to reserve character names, store credit, and having their names in the credits. Check it out if it sounds like something you’d be interested in and you have faith in the team.