text:
Carrier IQ is killing the interwebs.
Just to be clear, it isn’t a measure of how intelligent our nation’s warships are. No, Carrier IQ has gone from being a fairly benign Android-specific nuisance to being labeled as a consumer privacy menace that has attracted the attention of Congress. And it managed to do that in less than a fortnight.
In proving wrong the adage that “all news is good news,” CIQ has managed to also give us a few lessons in how not to manage a media crisis.
Just what is Carrier IQ?
Way back in February, an XDA forumite, while sharing a ROM he had created, revealed a program he had discovered interwoven in stock ROMs of Samsung (and later, HTC) devices. He pointed out that though it was billed as a a metrics collecting tool, the potential of what it could do was far greater … even the ability to collect keystrokes.
That last piece of news was greeted with a good deal of consternation by affected Android users. At the time, there was a lot of finger pointing, but CIQ was able to deflect a lot of criticism by playing blame pong with the carriers (specifically Sprint). There was plenty of discussions about to how to get it removed in the development community, and the story did get a lot of attention within Android circles.
Fast forward to November. An Android developer named Trevor Eckhart claimed that he discovered that CIQ existed not only deep within the OS of Android devices, but within Nokia and… security experts worldwide may gasp — BlackBerry devices as well. And then came the gravest revelation of all: specific iPhones were included in the list. And this is where it began to get very, very ugly.
When Eckhart revealed some of the more insidious features of CIQ, such as how stealthy it was, a collective consumer scream was unleashed. The carriers and manufacturers acted as expected… they (minus Verizon, which seems to be the only one of the Big 4 US carriers that does not package CIQ software into its devices) did the ostrich to start, and then came the denials and hot potato handling. And then, not to be undone, CIQ decided that shooting itself in the foot was the preferred option.
At this point, the situation was still manageable. CIQ probably could have shielded itself from more scrutiny by deflecting inquiries to the carriers.
CIQ decided to play The Bully. It threatened legal action against Eckhart, and demanded a public apology. Unfortunately for CIQ, the uproar attracted the attention of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, who came to Eckhart’s aid; CIQ had to back down and apologize themselves. The legal threats against Eckhart ended up hurting CIQ even more than anything else. People started wondering what CIQ had to hide.
Senate has asked them to testify. And, to answer the question on everyone’s mind, yes, a class action suit is already underway.
Now, people are divided as to what the CIQ software actually does. Even more polarizing is what entity (carriers, CIQ itself) is more culpable. The one thing that seems clear is that CIQ could (and should) have dealt with it better. A detailed public relations campaign contingency plan should be developed by corporations in an internet age.
The moral of the whole dilemma dealing with issues of an ethical nature, it may be wise to collect oneself before firing from the hip… or else, Al Franken may come calling.


text:
Emojis the modern form of cave paintings, researcher says
Published Wednesday, July 1, 2015 4:29AM EDT
This combination made from images provided by Apple Inc. shows new emojis, the cute graphics that punctuate online writing and texts, that will be available with the next iOS update. (AP / Apple Inc.)
TORONTO - People around the world have pledged their love, expressed their frustrations and declared their pressing need for pizza in billions of tweets in the last two years, all using emojis.
The pictograms have become an integral part of online communication, according to the more than 10.1 billion tweets collected by website EmojiTracker since it launched on July 4, 2013.
"They fill in body language, tone of voice, that sense of emotional nuance that you lose when you have just text in formal communication," said Gretchen McCulloch, a Montreal-based linguist and writer.
The standards for emojis and other computerized text are controlled by the non-profit Unicode Consortium.
On June 17, the group issued its latest update to the Unicode standard and added a bottle with a popping cork, a turkey and the oft-requested taco to its lineup of symbols.
The taco emoji had been the subject of an online petition started by Taco Bell that grew to 32,000 signatures by the time the new symbol was released.
The absence of a taco symbol and the presence of multiple forms of rice cakes and sushi reflect the Japanese origins of emojis.
Originally developed by Japanese cellphone manufacturers, existing emojis became fully integrated into the wider standard for computer text in 2010.
Since then, the Emoji Subcommittee of the Unicode Consortium has taken submissions from consortium members and the public at large on new additions. The number of emojis has grown to 1,281.
The process has led to some idiosyncrasies. There are three distinct emojis for trains, but none for a high-five. Until this year, emojis representing faces and people were only available in a single colour.
And emojis are displayed differently on different operating systems, which can lead to confusion.
The dancer emoji, for instance, was proposed to the consortium as a symbol modelled on John Travolta in "Saturday Night Fever."
Google's Android software stays relatively close to the original intention, while on Apple phones Travolta becomes a salsa-dancing woman in a long skirt.
McCulloch said emojis can't necessarily be used to replace existing language. She points to the opening sentence of "Emoji Dick," a translation of Herman Melville's classic "Moby-Dick" that spins an emoji take on 'Call me Ishmael."
"Something like telephone, man, sailboat, whale, okay symbol - I don't know if that's linguistically specific," she said.
Instead, she said, what people seem to do is use emojis to emphasize or illustrate what they're typing about, as someone would illustrate a tweet about shopping with shopping bags.
Neil Cohn is a post-doctoral fellow studying visual language at the University of California, San Diego. He says teenagers using emojis are not all that different than early humans using cave paintings.
Those drawings weren't just artistic expression, Cohn said, but were probably used to augment storytelling.
"Using images integrated with spoken language, in this case with text, is as old as human communication," he said. "This is just an extension of that, siphoned through a technological tunnel."
While the Canadian flag is represented as an emoji,
McCulloch said she wishes Canadians had an emoji to call their own, beyond the Canadian flag.
"We could have a moose emoji,” she said. “That would be pretty cool."

domain: news


text:
The PlayStation Vita appeals to people with an "eclectic taste in games," Sony UK managing director Fergal Gara has said in a new interview with MCV. Speaking about the market overall for the device, Gara said smartphones and tablets have diminished the reach of the PS Vita, but he contends that Sony's portable offers a richer experience compared to those platforms.
"Vita is proving to be a big niche device. Using the term 'niche' makes it sound tiny, but it's not," Gara said. "The console is occupying an interesting space for interesting games built for more committed gamers. Yes the market place for it isn't as big as it might have been had smartphones not arrived, but it is still a more thorough, more complete experience."
"And it is therefore appealing to people with a more eclectic taste in games. And many of these indie developers are proud to be on the platform," he added. "All of this is before we even talk about its role alongside PS4, which is clearly exciting and we seeing some good results from that."
Of course, a major selling point for the PS Vita is its Remote Play functionality, which allows you to stream PS4 games to the PS Vita provided you own both devices. Despite the strong interplay between the two systems, Sony has no plans to offer a PS4/PS Vita bundle, at least not right now.
Also in the interview, Gara admitted that though the PS Vita might be "lacking" in upcoming AAA games made specifically for the system, this doesn't tell the whole story because of Remote Play.
"Well, there are a lack of those titles announced. Is it a problem? It would be fair to pick up that there wasn't a second Call of Duty made specifically for Vita," he said. "But what's changed is that Call of Duty: Ghosts was available on Vita via Remote Play on PS4. And Vita is sort of evolving as a platform."


text:
The price of Titanium dioxide at home and abroad is ceaselessly pulled big , foreign trade enterprises reap a bumper harvest
Recently, titanium dioxide has become the fine chemical market sweet pastry once again, some leading enterprises adjust the titanium dioxide prices, the voice of rising prices sounds again.
As a result of global titanium dioxide supply remains tight, since this year, KRONOS, Tronox and Dupont the three major suppliers has rised price for several times. With the highest accuracy of the chlorination process titanium dioxide rutile type for an example, the mainstream price of the European region has reached 3850 U.S. dollars / tons (about 24500 yuan / ton ) in November, the Asia-Pacific region also reached 3800 U.S. dollars / tons (about 24100 yuan / ton ). Despite the prices is rising, but the KRONOS CEO Steve Watson still publicly explains, because the supply lasts nervous, especially the raw ore cost increased , so titanium dioxide prices will rise 15% to 20% in 2012.
Although Chengdu industry conference held , Sichuan, Shandong and so on, the several large bibcock enterprise introduced price behavior to titanium dioxide, reached price agreement to rutile type titanium dioxide per ton price increase 500 yuan,which caused of rutile titanium dioxide price from 17000 yuan / ton to 18000 yuan / ton. But at present domestic rutile titanium dioxide mainstream price is still in 16500 yuan - 17500 yuan / ton, anatase product quoted price is 13500 yuan - 14500 yuan / ton, and international price has an overall gap.
Compared with the titanium dioxide international prices continue to rise, the advantages of domestic products continue to appear. It is foreseeable, domestic titanium dioxide business will also get benefit from rising international prices.
By Xiang Xiaoming


text:
About VectoIQ Acquisition II
VectoIQ Acquisition II (NASDAQ: VTIQU) is a blank check company, also commonly referred to as a Special Purpose Acquisition Company, or SPAC, formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization, or similar business combination with one or more businesses or entities.
Missing: VectoIQ Acquisition II's Product Demo & Case Studies
Promote your product offering to tech buyers.
Reach 1000s of buyers who use CB Insights to identify vendors, demo products, and make purchasing decisions.
Missing: VectoIQ Acquisition II's Product & Differentiators
Don’t let your products get skipped. Buyers use our vendor rankings to shortlist companies and drive requests for proposals (RFPs).
Latest VectoIQ Acquisition II News
Aug 12, 2021
Reuters Chinese self-driving technology startup Pony.ai is putting off plans to list in the US stock market, according to a Reuters report . Pony.ai wasn't able to secure Beijing's assurance that it wouldn't be a target of the government's regulatory crackdown. The company will work to raise money in a private fundraising round at a valuation of $12 billion, the report said. Pony.ai, a Chinese self-driving technology startup, is holding off on plans to go public in the US after it was unable to secure Beijing's assurance that it wouldn't be a target of the government's regulatory crackdown on tech companies, according to a Reuters report . Pony.ai was in exclusive talks to go public through a merger with blank-check firm VectoIQ Acquisition II and the company was looking to list by October, sources told Reuters in a report published late Wednesday. The decision makes Pony.ai one of the largest companies to suspend plans to list in the US after China launched a data-security review of Didi Global just days after the ride-sharing services company's $4.4 billion listing on New York Stock Exchange went live on June 30. Pony.ai, which is backed by car giant Toyota Motor , will aim to raise money in a private fundraising round at a valuation of $12 billion, with sources also telling Reuters the company still hopes to list in the US if it were to receive clearance from the Chinese government. A Pony.ai spokesperson told Reuters it has no current plan or timeline to go public and declined to comment on the talks. The Chinese government has targeted big technology companies and others with cybersecurity reviews and industry rule changes in an effort to clamp down on issues including anti-competitive behavior and what it sees as security risks in Chinese firms listing in the US. Didi Global shares have been shoved down to nearly $9 apiece from its $14 IPO price after the security review was launched in early July. The review led Chinese regulators to order the removal of Didi's app from mobile app stores in China, citing Didi's handling of customer data. Pony.ai, which develops and tests its autonomous driving vehicles in the US and China, was founded by former Google and Baidu engineers Peng and Lou Tiancheng in 2016.
VectoIQ Acquisition II Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
When was VectoIQ Acquisition II founded?
VectoIQ Acquisition II was founded in 2021.
Where is VectoIQ Acquisition II's headquarters?
VectoIQ Acquisition II's headquarters is located at 1354 Flagler Drive, Mamaroneck.
What is VectoIQ Acquisition II's latest funding round?
VectoIQ Acquisition II's latest funding round is IPO.
Discover the right solution for your team
The CB Insights tech market intelligence platform analyzes millions of data points on vendors, products, partnerships, and patents to help your team find their next technology solution.


text:
GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn. -- With the rise of social media networks like Facebook and Twitter, and the explosion of personal blogs on the internet, this new media growth has created fortunes for both their innovators and to a select group of inside investors.
However, this rapid growth in technology has also created a unique opportunity for the savviest users to take advantage of these networks to monetize their involvement in the online world of social media.
Today, Ryan Schram from IZEA.com dropped by the show to tell us about the rising use of social media and how everyday people can monetize from their social media accounts.
Here are a few of Ryan's tips:
1. Be Social: Leading advertisers evaluate top blogs by the quality of the conversation, industry relevance and level of reader engagement and comments. Raw traffic and number of followers were number four on the list. Effective users of social media engage with their blog readers and twitter followers. A blog or twitter feed with few updates or limited audience engagement has reduced monetary value.
2. Be Transparent: The FTC mandates that all social media publishers mention to their readers that they're being paid to test a product or share feedback about a service. When selecting a social media sponsorship network, consider those that insert the disclosure automatically.
3. Avoid the 24/7 Infomercial: A blog or twitter feed with too much sponsored content will alienate followers and provide little value to advertisers. Instead, the twitter ratio should be a minimum of 20:1 personal tweets to one sponsored tweet. For bloggers, this ratio may be slightly lower.
4. Be Realistic: The average social media user thinks his or her post is worth TWICE what advertisers believe.
For more tips on how to monetize your posts, visit izea.com.
(Copyright 2012 KARE. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)


text:
Watch this grindhouse-style parody trailer of "History Cops," featuring Lego Abraham Lincoln and Michelangelo as partners looking to stop a civil war.
A petition is launched to have Fisher-Price's bouncy seat with built-in iPad attachment recalled. But why shouldn't we prepare our young for the future as early as possible?
Due out Tuesday, "Becoming Steve Jobs" paints a portrait of the late Apple co-founder that his colleagues say captures him more accurately than other accounts.
Kerstin Wolgers Googles, Skypes, Instagrams, tweets and fields more than 2,400 questions from Reddit users curious about her first Internet experience.
Letting you roll over the data you don't use by the end of the month, the carrier's Data Stash program will be available to Simple Choice prepaid customers.
commentary The ephemeral messaging service's new "Stories" feature is a game-changer for social networking behavior. Here's how it will make our digital personas more genuine.
Study up on new adventures featuring Princess Leia, Han Solo and friends with 20 new books, hitting shelves before the December release of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens."
In techland, too many people fighting over too few houses makes home buying harder than finding the killer app.
Technically Incorrect: Nanoplug took to Indiegogo to plug its tech for a tiny hearing aid, but now it's touting a device that appears identical to a product already on the market. Contributors are furious.
I strapped on a VR headset to find out how sound helps fool the brain, and I really wish I hadn't.


text:
Fonterra and Apollo Foods have signed a production agreement which will see new beverage filling technology installed at Apollo’s production facility in Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand.
The new equipment includes a production line which will allow the production of several million litres of beverages annually and can fill a range of different products,
This partnership will also fund the installation of new beverage filling technology at the facility, which allows various types of containers to be produced on site.
Both Fonterra and Apollo beverage products will be produced at the facility as part of the production partnership, including various dairy and fruit drinks.
Fonterra claims it approved the partnership as it seeks to capitalise on the increasing global demand for lifestyle beverages, and in particular the rising demand for dairy drinks.
Leon Clement, managing director of Fonterra Brands New Zealand, said: “As high-quality drinks play an increasingly large role in consumers’ diets around the world, New Zealand companies have a real opportunity to create value-adding initiatives across our primary industry sectors.
“By taking an innovative partnership approach to production with Apollo Foods, we have been able to open up new opportunities for future brands – and create even more value for our farmers.”
Ross Beaton, managing director at Apollo Foods added: “I am absolutely thrilled and privileged to work with Fonterra Brands New Zealand to bring added value beverages to the global consumer – and better still that we are producing it all right here in Hawke’s Bay”.
© FoodBev Media Ltd 2019
World Dairy Innovation Awards – now open for entries
Enter before 10 May to ensure you are part of the industry’s leading awards scheme. Don’t miss out on having your dairy innovations recognised.


text:
Cannabis cups are events organised by and for the cannabis community where judges test samples and choose the best flower of the season, semester, or year and then award top growers. There are several categories and hundreds of samples are submitted. Contestants receive discreet calls by organisers and the event address is shared across the self-cultivation community. In Latin America, cannabis cups offer an opportunity to exchange information about a practice that remains illegal. Growers arrange a safe space to share their best strains, discuss cultivation and smoke the best weed of their harvest. Unlike Expocannabis, cannabis cups are events where we can find food, cannabis byproducts and extracts, workshops, demonstrations, music, and cannabis culture, apart from paraphernalia.
Cannabis Cups in Uruguay, Colombia and Argentina
The history of this competition traces back to the original users of this plant in the American continent. It has arisen out of the need to share and showcase the products of the harvest to improve production methods in places where cultivation is still illegal. Uruguay is the sole exception: in this country, cannabis cups hold a privileged position, featuring congresses, workshops and other kinds of meetings concerning this plant.
“No growers, no weed,” claim attendants during the Farallones Cup 2021 in Cali, Colombia, where experienced growers and judges have been sharing their knowledge for many years now as they emphasise growing as the backbone of this industry. Apart from the awards themselves, the main purpose is to share, compete and honour each other with no interventions from outsiders who know little to nothing about cannabis cultivation.
In Argentina, the first and major cannabis cup was held in 2003 and was named the Del Plata Cannabis Cup. What started as a simple meeting of growers to share the best of their harvest has evolved into a contest connecting the greatest representatives of South America. This year, a change in legislation towards legalisation for medical use brought cannabis out into the open. In November, the country will hold the first edition of ExpoIndustria Cannabis & Cáñamo, a cannabis event that was declared of provincial interest by the House of Representatives of the province of Chaco.
The First Mexican Cannabis Cup
After a legislative win this year, Mexican growers found the courage to come out from the shadows of prohibitionism and gathered for the first time in Guadalajara, in the state of Jalisco, Mexico, to hold their first cannabis cup, featuring a panel of international experts who judged strains and extracts.
Max Montrose, attendant and jury at the Cannabis Cup in Mexico, explained the standard procedure for objectively scoring and identifying the best weed. Mr. Montrose, who is the founder of the Trichome Institute, showed that any flower strain can be identified and assessed in terms of quality through detailed observation, a set of criteria and comparative charts. The expert claims that the cannabis industry is packed with con artists from the black market. According to Max, success on the part of big companies from the USA will largely depend on their association with cannabis-growing experts who understand the context surrounding this plant.
Sharing, Knowing, and Spreading the Cannabis Culture
We need to be clear about something: both organisers and attendants stress that cannabis cups are not a weekend street fair where they sell weed. Of course, weed will be there because samples of contestants are usually handed out. However, strict safety standards are imposed so that the event may become legal some day in the future.
Cannabis cups are an opportunity to learn how to identify different products, how they are used and how they are made—information that is typically found on product labels when we shop at the supermarket, but unfortunately restricted in the cannabis realm. As prohibition restrains users from knowing what they are getting and where it comes from, cannabis cups offer the chance to learn about this plant from growers themselves.


text:
Venture debt has its merits. It can be a better and cheaper alternative to raising equity, especially if you are building a company in a capital intensive industry. However, lately, some people don’t seem to be fans.
That’s why it’s interesting that startup finance company Arc Technologies is choosing now to take on the $30 billion venture debt industry with a venture debt marketplace for Silicon Valley. Arc was founded in 2021 and has raised around $180 million in equity and debt funding, most recently a $20 million Series A round in 2022.
Don Muir, co-founder and CEO of the San Francisco-based company, was candid when he told TechCrunch that “venture debt isn’t for everyone.”
“In 2021, you could snap your fingers and raise a $50 million equity round with no customers and no revenue,” Muir said. “That doesn’t exist anymore. Today, equity and debt investors care about fundamentals. There’s a larger pool of debt capital that’s now available to these companies because they’re stronger and more resilient. And the value prop of debt, which is much less expensive than equity, is relatively more attractive.”
When Silicon Valley Bank was having its moment, a number of companies, like Brex, family offices, credit funds and new banks, quickly stepped up to provide opportunity for alternative capital. Muir notes that all that activity made it difficult for startups to know the best place to go.
That’s what Arc is solving with its Arc Capital Markets debt marketplace. In 10 minutes, companies can onboard into Arc Capital Markets and receive indicative debt terms for up to $250 million within five days from a network of lenders.
The company’s underwriting model takes in historical financial data points and then pre-qualifies startups and makes a lender match based on what the startup is qualified for, financial health and profile. Arc touts it can save companies months and thousands in fees with its marketplace as there is no cost for startups to receive funding terms.
“Based on the credit metrics that we calculate through our underwriting algorithm, we know that business is well suited, for example, for a term loan from one of our middle-market lenders,” Muir said. “We can also identify the five top lenders who are, most likely in the shortest period of time, to put forward indicative terms for that business.”
Though it’s still early, Arc’s platform seems to be doing well. More than 350 transactions have closed thus far with nearly $100 billion in available assets under management.
Coming up, the company intends to build additional banking products and lender experiences, including a new product, that Muir declined to speak to right now, in the first half of 2024.
“A much larger swath of venture-backed tech companies are looking at venture debt today than just a few years ago and we’re here to make that market,” Muir said. “We want to help founders and CFOs weather the ongoing storm in the venture capital funding route and ensure that they’re continuing to grow efficiently with minimal dilution.”


text:
Marijuana’s legal status across the states has benefitted medical consumers and cannabis entrepreneurs. Many musicians and actors that use medical marijuana have taken the plunge into starting their own cannabis company to great success. From celebrity strains to celebrity-run cannabis brands, many entertainers are putting their name on cannabis products.
Fans of “Jay and Silent Bob” will love Kevin Smith’s (Silent Bob) cannabis brand, Jay and Silent Bob’s Private Stash. The line consists of premium cannabis flower strains like the Berserker Sativa, Snootchie Bootchies Hybrid, and Snoogans Indica as well as joints and pre-roll packs. They also plan to produce oils, extracts, and edibles in the future.
Seth Rogen is a well-known fan of cannabis, so it’s no surprise when he launched his own cannabis company called Houseplant. Rogen teamed up with Canadian mega-producer Canopy Growth to launch Houseplant Sativa, Hybrid, and Indica strains, soft gels, and pre-rolls later this year.
South African alternative hip hop group, Die Antwoord, released their Zef Zol line in collaboration with The Natural Cannabis Company. The collection includes 300mg rainbow belt gummies, strawberry lollipop, eighth pack of Cocoa Puffs, and a Zef Zol vape pen. Lip balm, chocolate, mouth spray, and other developing products are set to feature vibrant and colorful packaging.
Former talk show host Montel Williams successfully treated his multiple sclerosis with cannabis. His recovery with marijuana fueled his desire to start his own CBD brand, Lenitiv Scientific. Williams’ cannabis company makes a flagship line, Montel By Select. Montel By Select include 100% hemp-derived CBD gel capsules in Relax or Alert varieties as well as THC:CBD cartridges available in 1:9, 1:1, and 19:1 ratios.
West Coast rapper, The Game, is part owner of a marijuana dispensary in Santa Ana, California The Reserve, now called Blüm. Late last year a press release announced that Los Angeles-based Vertical would expand his line, Trees by Game, to retail locations throughout California. Keep an eye out for flower strains approved by The Game coming to your town.
David Crosby, co-founder of Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young and The Byrds, teamed up with a longtime friend to promote responsible cannabis use among seniors. His line of Mighty Croz cannabis products is currently accepting proposals from cannabis companies that want to partner with a music legend. Expect to be able to buy Crosby-approved buds, vapes, carts, joints, CBD, extracts, apparel, accessories, and more in the near future.
Mike Tyson’s Tyson Ranch brand is teaming up with Las Vegas’ interactive dispensary, Planet 13, to sell his indoor flower, extracts, edibles, and more. Tyson has even more ambitious plans. The former professional boxer broke ground at the beginning of the year on a 40-acre ranch and cannabis resort in the Mojave Desert. His ranch is set to include growing facilities, an edibles factory, an amphitheater, and glamping areas.
Ricky Williams is a former football running back and fan of pot. His company, Real Wellness, makes cannabis-infused products like vape cartridges, tinctures, and salves. Williams is an avid student of alternative healing methods. His products include CBD, THC, or a mix of both. His focus is on daily use and microdosing, which is why you’ll find lower THC content and additional ingredients like lavender, arnica, and turmeric in Real Wellness products.
Now that cannabis has become more accepted, more entrepreneurs are stepping up to create cannabis brands with longevity. Celebrity cannabis brands are growing with more athletes, musicians, and entertainers investing in dispensaries, cultivation facilities, and more. It’ll be exciting to see what new products will come out to critical acclaim.


text:
The Chief Rabbinate said it was the first time a Palestinian business applied for such a certificate, and that despite the complexity of the matter, they are likely to approve the request.
The unusual request was made after Israeli businesses and marketing chains refused to buy the factory's tahini and because one of the chains had turned kosher and was forced to remove the Nablus product from it shelves.
Alul tahini. Coming to a supermarket near you? (Photo: Shichruri)
Alul Company manager Ragheb Alul told Ynet: "During the 1980s we did have a kashrut certificate, but it was taken away once Nablus was transferred to the Palestinian Authority. Before that we had provided tahini to many factories in Israel. Since, our workload has dropped considerably.
"We've now applied for a new kashrut certificate, but the rabbis have strict terms such as not working on Saturdays and insisting that the ovens be turned on by a kashrut supervisor. We've also been asked to pay some NIS 20,000 ($5,651) a year."
The factory in Nablus (Photo: Shichruri)
The Peres Center for Peace said many solutions have been suggested in order to solve the supervising issue, one of which was to install security cameras at the factory. The Center promised to monitor the process, including helping the rabbis get an IDF approval to enter Palestinian territories.
The Chief Rabbinate said that the factory manager stressed he was aware of all of the problems having to do with the fact that his business is located in an area which is off limits to Israelis.
What about surprise inspections?
According to the law forbidding kashrut fraud, supervising certificates are issued by the local rabbinate in each community. In areas where such a rabbinate does not exist, such as Arab communities, the national kashrut rabbinate is responsible. Therefore, the factory's request will be discussed by the Chief Rabbinate.
Rabbi Jilber Cohen, Director-General of the Netanya Rabbinate, told Ynet there is basically no impediment to approving the request, but that there is a problem in ensuring that the supervisors do their work thoroughly, while maintaining their safety.
According to Cohen, the Palestinians have agreed to coordinate the rabbis' every entrance and exit with security forces and to provide them with protection. However, the rabbinate is concerned that this move will only hinder the kashrut standard, because it will not allow for surprise inspections.
The Chief Rabbinate said a product such as tahini is very simple to inspect, but that it fears setting a precedence which will require them to give kashrut certificates to other Palestinian factories where the task may not be so straightforward .
A decision is expected to be made within a few days, followed by another discussion at the Chief Rabbinate's kashrut department.
Hassan Shaalan contributed to this report.
- Follow Ynetnews on Facebook


text:
Even Anna Wintour can have trouble navigating the epic scrum of Fashion Week. Spies say that the Vogue editrix headed backstage before designer Scott Sternberg’s Band of Outsiders show when she was stopped by a clueless security guard Saturday at Sir Stage 37 on West 37th Street. He yelled, “Ma’am, you cannot come back here without a wristband!” But spies said Wintour returned to her seat to watch the show with guests including Simon Doonan and Lynn Yaeger. The night before, Wintour had arrived at Milk Studios for designer Billy Reid’s show, spies said, only to be told at check-in that the event wasn’t there at all. Wintour kept her cool. “Anna didn’t even respond,” said a spy. But Wintour made it to Eyebeam (the proper venue) in time for the show and was photographed chatting with Reid backstage. A Vogue rep had no comment.
By PageSix.com Staff
February 13, 2012 | 5:00am


text:
If you’re reading this site, I’m just going to assume that you’re interested in cool new PC games. To that end, here’s some exciting gossip: according to 17173, Tencent is planning to reveal two brand-new PC games at a new product announcement next month.
Not much is known about the games, but the action game will apparently be 3D and is currently codenamed Kgame (it even has this parked domain set up for an official site, pictured above with its current message: “please wait”). An anonymous Tencent source told the Chinese site that it will be a “dazzling action experience” and that it will combine team cooperation and mechanical skills. Even more interestingly, the game will apparently feature characters, or possibly real-life celebrities, from other universes.
If I had to guess based on that description and the current trends in Chinese gaming, I’d say the company might be planning to launch a 3D action/MOBA hybrid that will feature characters from various Chinese classics like Journey to the West and Water Margin. But that’s pure speculation at this point.
The shooter is more mysterious, though, with virtually no information about it having leaked from Tencent yet. I guess we’ll just have to wait until April.


text:
Delta launches high-tech screen at Detroit Metro with personal flight data
Kathy Seurynck arrived Thursday at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport ready to board her flight to Sedona — but first, she piloted new technology in the Delta concourse that promises to change the way she and other travelers navigate airports of the future.
The technology, dubbed Parallel Reality, was launched at the airport June 29 by Delta Air Lines and Misapplied Sciences, a technology start-up, and allows up to 100 airport travelers to look at the same digital flight screen, which gives each traveler, alone, a summary of their personal travel information.
“It’s really neat to look up and see,” said Seurynck of Plymouth. “I never know the gate. So it’s nice to have the gate and how long it takes to walk there and things.”
- Michigan’s steepest ski run closed in 2000. What’s next for Sugar Loaf?
- Michigan braces for dip in economy and hiring, hopes to avoid a recession
Located near the beginning of the Delta concourse, travelers can opt to try it out by showing a boarding pass or using Delta’s digital identity program at a kiosk. Pixels in the display project millions of light rays that can be directed to a specific person. Motion sensors follow travelers as they move so that, no matter where they stand, they can see their flight data, but nobody else’s.
There is only one board with this technology at the airport, so it’s of limited use to the thousands of people who pass through Detroit Metro every day. It’s just an experiment, a pilot, but the companies envision the technology will eventually be commonplace across airports, guiding travelers from security checkpoint to gate.
Parallel Reality does not store personal data or utilize facial recognition or biometrics while the consumer is viewing the display, according to Albert Ng, CEO of Misapplied Sciences.
Hussein Berry, vice president of Airport Operations at Detroit Metro, said the technology will help customers travel more efficiently and foster a more inclusive travel experience since it displays information in a person’s preferred language.
“I typically call it mind-blowing, you really can't understand it until you experience it,” Berry said. “It's streamlined for the travelers, allows them to really engage with it and (is) personalized for them.”
Berry said Detroit was chosen because it’s one of the largest Delta hubs and has a “centralized kind of corridor, grabbing all our local customers coming through or connecting customers.” Detroit is also where Delta last year launched its digital identity experience, which allows customers to use facial recognition technology and passport information to check in and pass security.
Berry said that while the “parallel reality” technology is in its beta test phase, he expects it to take off.
“It could rapidly expand,” Berry said. “What’s important for us to do is start here…and understand exactly what the technology gives our customers, employees…The opportunities are limitless. But right now, the idea is let's understand what it means for us here.”
Ng told Bridge Michigan the technology may be “applicable to a lot of different venues” including shopping malls, stadiums, hotels, resorts and other crowded public spaces.
“The whole goal of parallel reality is to create a very magical and seamless experience for everybody going through these crowded environments,” Ng said. “Parallel reality is technology that's not 10 to 20 years in the future. It is here, it is applicable right now immediately, to everyone who wants to engage with it.”
Such technology has some researchers concerned, however, about the implications for consumer privacy.
Sophia Brueckner, co-director of the Center for Ethics, Society and Computing at the University of Michigan, said that while she sees the airport board being tested in a “harmless way” with optional participation among curious travelers, she predicted “in the near future, it will likely not be optional and it will be used for both surveillance of people in the airport” as well as for personalized commercial advertising once it expands to other venues.
“Consumers need to be aware of the implications of these technologies,” Brueckner said. “Instead of (information) just being contained to your browser, it's going to be everywhere surrounding you if these displays exist and not only would this be really creepy and intrusive …we will end up becoming isolated from each other in our parallel realities.”
While Delta and Misapplied Sciences say Parallel Reality does not store any travelers’ data, Brueckner said consumers should “always be skeptical of giving up any data” and “opting into anything that is tracking you in any way.”
“We get emails all the time that the terms of services changed and we don’t read those,” Brueckner said. “You should always imagine whatever technology you opt into, how it's going to be used to make money off of you.”
But Terrance Tucker, a frequent traveler who used the Parallel Reality technology for the first time Thursday, said he had no privacy concerns and “whatever makes the process (of flying) easier, I’m for.”
Seurynck, the traveler from Plymouth, said she believes most of her information has already been made readily available via other technologies.
“They have all of our information with phones anyway,” Seurynck said. “I think it’s good.”
Covering the intersection of business and policy, and informing Michigan employers and workers on the long road back from coronavirus.
Thanks to Business Watch sponsors:
Support Bridge's nonprofit civic journalism. Donate today.
We’ve been there for you with daily Michigan COVID-19 news; reporting on the emergence of the virus, daily numbers with our tracker and dashboard, exploding unemployment, and we finally were able to report on mass vaccine distribution. We report because the news impacts all of us. Will you please support our nonprofit newsroom?


text:
Study: Vaping Just As Harmful As SmokingThe University of Connecticut researchers crafted a screening device and discovered that e-cigarettes are filled with a nicotine-based liquid, which is "potentially as harmful as unfiltered cigarettes when it comes to causing DNA damage," according to UConn Today's report.
KYW Flashback: Philadelphia Bans 'Vaping' In PublicA year ago, KYW's Jim Melwert reported that Mayor Nutter had signed the ban.
Vape Shops Popping Up As Popularity Of Electronic Cigarettes RisesFishtown Vapes on Frankford Avenue is one of a number of Vape Shops that have recently popped up in Philly.
Push In NJ To Tax Electronic Cigarettes Not Met With Open ArmsThere’s a good deal of attention in New Jersey centered on a plan to tax electronic cigarettes in the same fashion as other tobacco products.
City Council Considers Adding Electronic Cigarettes To Smoking BanCity Councilman Bill Green says Philly's 2006 smoking ban -- authored by then-Councilman Michael Nutter -- already needs to be updated.
Health: Tobacco Companies Introduce Their First Electronic CigarettesThey've been on the market for years, but as Health Watch reporter Stephanie Stahl show us, this is the first time tobacco companies are getting in the game.


text:
The state cannabis agency approved regulations on Tuesday that will expand the adult-use market from distressed farmers and justice-impacted individuals to the broader public.
Applications will open October 4.
The new rules come at a tense time for New York’s market as farmers across the state are sitting on hundreds of thousands of pounds of unsold cannabis and new, licensed stores remain blocked from opening by a court injunction. Only 23 legal stores are open across the state while illegal stores remain widespread.
Chris Alexander, executive director of the Office of Cannabis Management, acknowledged those concerns at the meeting.
“I acknowledge our licensees who are working diligently to get open and I just want to express on behalf of the office our continued commitment to the success of those licensees,” Alexander said.
He said the agency is “building the fairest, most competitive cannabis industry in the nation.”
The regulations, passed by the state’s Cannabis Control Board at an often-turbulent Albany meeting, will also allow new companies to enter the medical market for a $200,000 registration fee. They would then have to apply again to enter the general adult market.
The entry of the state’s current medical marijuana companies into the broader market, approved as expected at the meeting, generated many of the most heated comments. Many are well-capitalized corporations with operations across a number of states that smaller businesses view as a threat to their ability to gain traction in the legal market.
In advance of the final regulations passing, the state’s Office of Cannabis Management had awarded hundreds of temporary licenses over the past year to cultivators, processors and retailers from social equity groups to help jumpstart the legal market.
But that effort has largely fallen short so far as 440 people who have been awarded conditional retail licenses — or “CAURDs” — remain blocked from opening by a court injunction after a group of veterans sued the state for not opening applications to all social equity groups at once that were enumerated in the marijuana legalization law.
Forty people stood before the state Cannabis Control Board to give public comments on the regulations at the Albany meeting. Nearly all of them criticized the state for allowing medical operators to enter the adult-use market.
In a draft of the adult-use regulations released last November, the state proposed that medical operators would have to wait three years from the first retail sale in order to enter the market. That was cut down to one year when a new version of the regulations was released in May.
“The process is a little disappointing,” Nicole Ricci, the President of NY Small Farma Ltd., an advocacy group, said while addressing the room. “Just passing it immediately and taking testimony after the fact makes it all seem like we’re just barking at the wall.”
Ricci represents one of several groups that sent a letter to the agency on Monday calling for the state to reconsider some of its regulations.
“The entire point of the conditional program was to attempt to assist small players in NYS before out-of-state corporate players moved in and perverted cannabis cultivation to solely focus on profit over quality and community,” said the letter reviewed by THE CITY.
Cannabis farmers — many who are in their second season of growing cannabis and have few places to sell their product — have also been left stranded by the shortage of open shops.
“We don’t have the ability to hold tight while the government figures things out,” Jillian Dragutsky said to the agency board. “We put everything into this — we are hurting and by no fault of our own.”
Dragutsky was awarded one of the conditional retail licenses in July, but cannot move forward.
“I wore a noose around my neck today because I feel like I’m gonna hang myself,” said Jeannette Miller, a grower and co-founder of the Cannabis Farmers Alliance, which advocates on behalf of cannabis cultivators. “We’re tired, we’re struggling, we need help.”
Some held up signs throughout the three-hour meeting calling on the state to convene a special legislative session in order to pass a law that would codify the CAURD program.
Such a step would prevent a judge from dissolving the program, argued Jeffrey Hoffman, a cannabis lawyer.
“The solution is to not wait for this lawsuit to have CAURD found unconstitutional,” said Hoffman, one of the people holding a sign. “We can’t have regulations that are so susceptible to legal challenges.”
Matt Darin, the CEO of Curaleaf, which has a medical license in New York and is the largest cannabis company in the country, told THE CITY in an earlier interview that the fears of smaller businesses are unfounded.
The concern that medical operators “will be able to flood the market with product is just not the case,” Darin said. “There is, without question, enough room and enough business to be done for all participants here.”
The next hearing in the court case that has stopped licensees from moving forward with their plans is scheduled for Friday.


text:
SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — Police are looking for four suspects who allegedly stole from a San Francisco retail store in broad daylight Friday. Officers from the San Francisco Police Department Tenderloin Station responded to a report of a robbery with an edged weapon on the 800 block of Market Street, according to SFPD.
When officers arrived on the scene they met the victim who was not injured, police said. The victim was in the store when the four suspects entered. One of the suspects brandished an edged weapon. The suspects then fled the scene. Officers are currently on the scene investigating.
The robbery took place on the same block as the Westfield San Francisco Center.


text:
This post originally appeared in CNBC by Kif Leswing. It includes commentary sourced by Leswing from AR Insider’s research arm, ARtillery Intelligence and permission to re-post. You can read the original piece here.
Apple took us on a surreal walk through San Francisco, looking at digital art on an iPhone
by Kif Leswing, CNBC, 8/12/19
— Apple is investing in augmented reality, a technology its CEO has called “big and profound.”
— AR uses cameras and machine learning technology to place digital graphics in the real world.
— Apple now offers augmented reality walks in six cities that allow attendees to see digital art pieces through an iPhone.
San Francisco looks different through an iPhone XS Max — it’s still a city, but now there are floating balls of fabric, speech bubbles, and words popping out from the trees and buildings.
For more than two hours on Sunday, I ambled through the streets of San Francisco, taking in several art pieces scattered around the city by Apple. But the art wasn’t actually physically on the ground — instead, it was digital art, mere 1s and 0s, attached to several significant locations around the city, and viewed through the camera and display of an Apple iPhone
The walk, which launched on Saturday, is a new program at Apple stores called “AR[T],” which is a play on words on augmented reality, a technology that uses cameras and machine learning to place digital objects in the real world. Apple has developed software for iPhones called ARKit. Apple CEO Tim Cook has called the technology “big and profound.”
The hope among technologists is that augmented reality can be the next big computing platform, and companies like Facebook, Google, and Microsoft are also investing heavily in augmented reality technologies.
“I think in AR’s early days when it’s still trying to find its footing, user traction and killer apps, these types of organized initiatives by tech giants can slowly push the ball forward,” Mike Boland, chief analyst of ARtillery Intelligence said. “Apple is particular has invested a lot in AR and is banking certain parts of its future hardware lineup on AR, so these ARt walks are both a move to accelerate AR traction and to continue feeling out the demand signals and what will resonate with consumers.”
“I have been working in augmented reality for the past 3 years and I am convinced it will be the medium in which we will experience most of the arts in the future,” said graffiti artist Sebastian Errazuriz, who was not involved in the project with Apple, but who has made similar public art in augmented reality.
“Augmented reality will prove to be as huge an invention as electricity. We will all live augmented reality lives,” he continued.
The AR[T] walk I attended started from Apple’s flagship store in Union Square in San Francisco. It’s available at six Apple stores in major cities, including New York, Hong Kong, and Paris. Over about two hours, we walked from the store to an alley, across Market Street to Yerba Buena Gardens, and to a historic church and back.
I was lucky to be able to make a reservation on Apple’s website — most sessions through the end of the month are already full. Of the six sessions scheduled at the store for next weekend, all are booked as of Monday.
However, when I arrived, there was plenty of space. There were only five of us when we departed the store, including a store employee who came along for the walk on his free time. We were led by two Apple employees with a separate store manager checking in during the walk to troubleshoot our path.
If there are open slots in a walk, Apple stores will accommodate people who are there, an Apple representative said, so even if you can’t get a reservation, it still may be worth seeing if there are open spaces.
The walk is guided by an Apple store employee and everyone gets to borrow an iPhone XS Max and pair of Beats Solo headphones for the trip. You can’t use your personal iPhone. Each one of the the Apple-loaned iPhones has a non-public AR[T] app installed that enables you to access the experiences.
There’s a bit of a ritual to see the art. The tour guide turned each experience on and off from an iPad Pro, and also led discussions about what we saw.
We’d walk to a location, like Maiden Lane, a cute little alley in downtown San Francisco. Then, we were told to find and point our phones at a “marker” like a sign, which allows the phone to place digital objects and creatures in the real world by giving the phone a point to orient the graphics around. Once you scan the marker — feeling a little haptic pulse when it’s locked in — then you get a few minutes to walk around and experience the art.
At the end of each art piece, the guide asked us to all put our loaner phones together, then the guide would press buttons on his iPad, and all the phones would shut off, turn to black, and we’d be asked to put it in our pockets so we could walk to the next location.
The draw for the ART walks is six pieces of art selected by the New Museum, a modern art museum based in New York. The art is often interactive and sometimes challenging, although at times you’re reminded that augmented reality is a nascent medium that artists and other creators are still learning how to use.
Seven artists, including Nick Cave, John Giorno and Pipilotti Rist, made six pieces for the walk. The first piece we saw was by Cave, and it included creating and customizing a floating ball of digital cloth that walks with you down the alley. At the end, you point your phone towards the sky, and through its screen you can see a giant man with a bowl for his head standing on top of a building. Bowl Man sucks up all the cloth balls, and he changes color.
Another piece, by Cao Fei, places a little factory on the ground with a series of conveyor belts moving boxes into the distance. That piece was designed to be interactive — we could pinch or stretch individual boxes, or press a switch that reversed the flow of the boxes.
Other pieces were less successful. One of them, called “Now at the Dawn of My Life” by Giorno, involved the words from a poem floating on a rainbow pathway through a park, which was difficult to navigate on a crowded Sunday while looking through a smartphone. Our guide mentioned we didn’t want to be the people engrossed in our phones running into other people, but that’s exactly who we were as we tried to experience the art.
Apple’s ART walk isn’t the first time that a tech company has sponsored a piece of digital art placed into the real world through augmented reality technology. In 2017, Snap placed a giant Jeff Koons balloon animal in Central Park that could be viewed through Snapchat. That artwork was “vandalized” by Errazuriz, the graffiti artist, who placed a similar balloon animal in the same spot covered with graffiti tags, arguing at the time that corporations “should pay rent” in augmented reality and that citizens “should choose to approve what can be geo-tagged to our digital public and private space.”
“As the technology becomes ubiquitous during the next couple of years, It will be important to stay alert to the permissions and responsibilities we allow for geo-located AR content in the future. So far Apple has proven trustworthy and responsible, I believe in them and their mission,” Errazuriz said to CNBC on Monday.
The walks aren’t the only augmented reality-related programming Apple is scheduling at its stores. There’s a Cave piece that’s available in all stores, and a separate class to learn how to make augmented reality experiences. The walks will run at least through the end of 2019.
Disclosure: AR Insider has no financial stake in the companies mentioned in this post, nor received payment for its production. Disclosure and ethics policy can be seen here.
Header image credit: Apple


text:
Amazon Scammers Stole Over $27M From Consumers In A YearScammers are taking over Amazon and taking millions from Americans.
New Amazon Delivery Station In Canton Township Expected To Bring 100 JobsAmazon finally confirmed it’s coming to Canton Township!
Amazon Announces New Fulfillment Center Coming To Mid-MichiganAmazon announced it is building its first fulfillment center in Central Michigan.
Amazon Says It Won't Test Workers For MarijuanaAmazon has put its name in the ring as one of the largest companies in support of legal marijuana.
Amazon To Add Over 2,000 Jobs In Metro DetroitAmazon plans to open more facilities in Metro Detroit and is looking to hire more than 2,000 new workers.
Users Can Now Get Their Prescriptions Filled By AmazonThe company says it won't ship medications that can be abused.
Wayne County Judge Halts Sale Of Former State Fairgrounds To Amazon For 14 DaysA Wayne County judge is ordering Detroit to halt the sale of the former State Fairgrounds to Amazon.
Amazon In Detroit: City Council Approves Sale Of 138 Acres At Fairgrounds For $16MDetroit City Council has approved Amazon's plan to create a fulfillment center at the former state fairgrounds.
Amazon Looks To Hire 30,000 More WorkersAmazon is going on another hiring spree with plans to hire another 30,000 workers.
Amazon Erases Nearly 4,000 Seller Accounts, Thousands Of Sanitary Items Price Gouged During COVID-19 OutbreakAmazon is trying to stop scammers from price gouging essential sanitary items.
Amazon Delivery Delays: Company Prioritizing Medical, Essential Supplies During Coronavirus OutbreakThe online shopping giant says its prioritizing medical supplies, baby formula and other essential supplies.
Amazon Expanding Workforce, Hiring More Due To High Demand, Says Prepare For Delivery DelaysAmazon also wants to hire 100,000 more workers just to keep up with high demand.
Coronavirus Outbreak Causing Dress Shortage: Michiganders Reporting Delayed/Canceled Amazon DeliveriesMichigan dress shop owners say the coronavirus outbreak might be affecting the wedding industry and it's definitely hurting customers.
Amazon Looking At Lyon Township For Distribution FacilityIf approved, it could bring up to 55 jobs to the facility.
What Detroit Has To Offer Amazon That No Other City CanI know what you’re thinking, “Why would Amazon choose Detroit?” Well, the answer might only be an Ambassador Bridge ride away. Detroit has something unique to offer Amazon other cities cannot.


text:
Linux and Open Source news headlines
Updated: 12 sec ago
Sierra Wireless and Element14 unveiled an open-spec Arduino compatible “mangOH Green IoT Platform” based on Sierra’s 3G, GNSS, and WiFi modules running Linux. Sierra Wireless announced a beta release of its AirPrime WP module and open-source “mangOH” carrier board last June. Now, the company has formally released the products with the help of Element14, which […]
How many times do you wish everything around you was a tiny bit smarter? A door opens automatically when you come in with bags of groceries. A light switches on when you step in. Entering a password twice in a... Continue Reading →
A new development release of the Wine open-source software, which is being used by GNU/Linux and Mac OS X users to run Windows applications and games has been announced today, version 1.9.10.


text:
Amber Rose and her makeup artist just launched a trio of long-wearing lip shades that are unlike any other – get the details!
Cher proved why she is queen at the Billboard Music Awards, here’s everything you need to recreate the iconic moment yourself.
The ‘Baywatch’ on-set makeup artist let Stylish in on the secret of Priyanka Chopra’s, Kelly Rohrbach’s and Zac Efron’s waterproof golden glows!
Janelle Monae recently opened up about what beauty means to her, and how makeup reminds her of her ancestors 'putting on their war paint' — get the details
Supermodels David Gandy and Bianca Balti reunited after 11 years for a new Dolce & Gabbana fragrance campaign – learn how they prepared to bare.
Stylish applauds Rose Byrne's top hair and makeup looks — see the photos!
Kristen Stewart is the face of Chanel’s upcoming new fragrance — all the details on the campaign
Celebrity manicurist Jin Soon Choi, who has worked with Beyoncé, creates three exclusive nail-art looks for Us — read on for more!
Stylish applauds Emma Roberts' top hair and makeup looks — see the photos!
Stylish salutes Katy Perry's top hair and makeup looks — see the photos!
Olivia Culpo walks Stylish through the drugstore aisles and chats about her favorite spring steals under $19 — shop the gallery below!
Celebrity manicurist Elle tells Stylish how she used 24k gold dust on Blake Lively’s nails at the Met Gala 2017 in NYC on May 1 — find out the details below!
Kylie Jenner, Kerry Washington and Karlie Kloss were the cream of the crop at the Met Gala 2017 in NYC on May 1 — scroll through the gallery below!
Ahead of the 2017 Met Gala, Us Weekly takes a look back at Lupita Nyong’o’s hair-raising ‘do and Taylor Swift’s goth makeup — see all the pics!
Stylish celebrates Joan Smalls' top hair and makeup looks — see the photos!


text:
Fitbit’s design team also ran into problems making its smartwatch fully waterproof, even though that’s a key design element for the Apple Watch Series 2. Indeed, it’s still unclear as of the publication of this article whether the device will launch with the waterproof feature. If it isn’t waterproof, critics may perceive it to be an inferior product to Apple’s — especially given that the device will launch roughly a year after the Apple Watch Series 2.
Twitter soars as its results comfortably beat expectations and management says changes to its app are raising engagement, Apple should offer its iCloud for enterprise customers, is a suggestion by Barclays's Mark Moskowitz, the NYSE welcomes Chinese wearables manufacturer Huami, but its IPO fizzles, Infinera and NXP rise on their earnings reports, but Yelp and Inphi fall hard.
Alex Lidow, pioneer in power semiconductors, shows how a novel antenna design could create surfaces capable of delivering hundreds of watts of power to multiple devices for wireless charging.
Fitbit has squandered its opportunities, failing to inspire new consumer interest and failing to develop a business with the healthcare companies, writes Stifel analyst Jim Duffy, and things won't get better in 2018, he predicts, as he cuts the stock to Sell from Hold.
Two weeks of not carrying an iPhone and using Apple's Apple Watch shows the promise of the smartwatch as a standalone communications device. But better battery life and improved cellular is needed for it to truly operate on its own reliably.
Shares of wearables pioneer Fitbit declined in late trading, despite better-than-expected quarterly results and outlook, as its sales of devices dropped by almost a third from the prior year.
Fitbit shares surged in late trading after it topped analysts' expectations, and said it would be at least in line with Wall Street's estimates this quarter, and raised the low end of its forecast for the full year, saying its production of a new smartwatch is ahead of schedule.
Fitbit's sales have struggled as the company failed to enhance fitness functions beyond basic step-counting. The expected debut of a general smartwatch from the company later this year will be a critical test of its ability to hold its own against Apple and Garmin, says Morgan Stanley.
Aegis Capital's Victor Anthony took an informal poll of a bunch of millennials and found they don't seem to be especially interested in "Spectacles," the glasses from Snap that can send short videos of what you're looking at. That could have an impact on Snap's revenue, he says.
As Apple sweats out the summer months in advance of the debut of what most presume will be the next iPhone, the products taking center stage are its peripherals, in particular its Apple Watch and AirPods, says Raymond James, and the forthcoming HomePod wireless speaker.
Apple unveiled its long-awaited competitor to Amazon's "Echo," called "HomePod," a speaker with newly engineered audio technologies and Apple's own processor, and the ability to respond to spoken commands and to control home automation technologies. The company also unveiled new iMac computers, MacBook laptops, new iPads, and updates to its MacOS, iOS, and WatchOS.
Analysts Charles Anderson of Dougherty & Co. writes that his observation of search trends on Google for Fitbit suggest a steep decline in interest in the product from a year ago, although the drop was a little less bad in May than it had been in April.
Analysts were heartened by Fitbit's Q1 beat on revenue and profit, and its remarks that it has been working down inventory of its fitness trackers, cleaning the way for new models later this year. The stock surged 14%. But the expectation of both bulls and bears is that what really matters is the unveiling of its first smartwatch, later this year, about which the company gave few details.
FitBit stock surged in late trading as it beat expectations for revenue and profit in the March-ending quarter, and forecast full-year revenue higher than consensus, even though its outlook for Q2 is a little lighter than expectations. CEO James Park was upbeat about the company's progress in reducing a build-up in inventory of FitBit products.
Shares of chip maker Integrated Device Technology, which is known for powering wireless charging of gadgets such as Apple's Apple Watch, initially enjoyed a nice bounce in late trading, after the company slightly beat fiscal Q4, but the outlook and remarks offered on the call later caused the shares to give up their gains.
Here are some things going on today in your world of tech: Shares of Verizon Communications (VZ) are down 87 cents, or 1.8%, at $48.07 after the company this morning reported Q1 revenue of $29.8 billion and EPS of 95 cents, missing consensus for $30.4 billion and 96 cents. Wireless revenue in the quarter dropped 5%, the company said, amidst “continued promotional activity." Shares of Apple (AAPL) are up $1.02, or 0.7%, at $141.70, after a report by DigiTimes’s Cage Chao and Jessie Shen yesterday suggested the company has put in orders for parts for the next iPhone(s) in excess of 50 million units per quarter, citing multiple unnamed industry sources.
Shares of fitness wearables pioneer Fitbit (FIT) are down 19 cents, or 3%, at $5.58, following a report this afternoon by Yahoo Finance's J.P. Mangalindan stating that the company has been having difficulties with the fabrication of its next smart watch product, including issues getting the GPS hardware working properly, citing multiple unnamed sources. Writes Mangalindan,
Here are some things going on today in your world of tech: Soggy start for Nasdaq, down 21.20 at 5,807.54. This morning brings another round of reviews of social network-cum-camera company Snap (SNAP), nine in total, with six of them being the equivalent of a Buy, and two Holds, and one Sell rating. The analysts all seem fairly certain of big user growth and big revenue growth, the big disparity with the bears is on stock valuation. Snap shares are up $1, or 4.4%, at $23.74. Shares of Alphabet (GOOGL) are down $2.27 at $832.87, as analysts continue to ponder the fallout from the scandal over YouTube advertising, as numerous big advertisers yanked their business after their spots were shown in front of video they deemed unacceptable.
Susquehanna Financial Group semiconductor analyst Christopher Rolland, who covers chip makers such as Broadcom (AVGO), Qualcomm (QCOM), which supplies parts to Apple (AAPL), today offers up some tidbits about the latter’s Apple Watch and iPhone, after recently taking a trip through Asia to chat with various parties in the supply chain there. On the matter of Apple Watch, Rolland is hearing the next version may sport its own cellular modem chip, to obviate the need for connections to the phone:
Andrew Murphy, part of the venture capital team assembled by former Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster, today cribbed a brief missive in praise of Apple’s (AAPL) wireless headphones, the $159 “AirPods,” released last fall, saying they are more important than Apple’s Apple Watch, and will sell more units than the Watch next year. The AirPod, writes Murphy, is an example of “hearables,” an emerging category of sound devices that take on extra functions, such as voice-driving commands. Another example of hearables, I would note, is privately held Bragi, which has offices in Germany, Illinois, and Hong Kong. Its wireless headset, the “Dash,” claims some capabilities that eliminate having to handle a smartphone, such as switching between music tracks. But it also has what the company considers “ambient computing.” For example, you can nod your head to accept an incoming call.
Wearable technology — smartwatches, smart clothing, “hearables,” and other gadgets — are soon going to “hyper-segment,” says research firm IDC in a press release today, something that will help the category achieve sales in 2021 more than double what they were last year. IDC predicts sales of 237.5 million units in various categories of wearables by 2021, the biggest bunch of which will still be smartwatches such as Apple’s (AAPL) Apple Watch, at 152 million; followed by “wrist band,” of which one expects Fitbit’s (FIT) fitness trackers to be a prime example, with 57.5 million shipments; and “Earwear,” of which wireless headphones from Bragi one expects will be main contender, at just 4.2 million units.


text:
Apple is cutting the price of its one-gigabyte iPod Shuffle, from $69 to $49, and announced that a two-gigabyte version will be available later this month for $69. “At just $49, the iPod shuffle is the most affordable iPod ever,” said Greg Joswiak, Apple’s vice president of worldwide iPod product marketing. “The new 2GB model lets music lovers bring even more songs everywhere they go in the impossibly small iPod shuffle.”
Even at under $50, Apple is “printing money” with flash-based MP3 players, a commenter on the Ars Technica site said. Indeed, low-end MP3 players are starting to look like USB drives — products “where the price of production is so small because of the drastic drop in technology costs that companies will start delivering these things at breath-taking prices,” said Charles King, principal analyst with Pund-IT, in a telephone interview.
The price cuts may also be a reflection that the iPod is now a mature product no longer able to command premium pricing, at least at the low end. “The music market is starting to fracture and Apple will be seeing increased competition. It’s going to get ugly out there,” King said.


text:
Detroit Man Charged With Armed Robbery Of Radio Shack Stores
A federal grand jury in Detroit indicted a Detroit man on charges of robbing two Radio Shack stores at gun point, announced United States Attorney Barbara L. McQuade.
McQuade was joined in the announcement by Special Agent in Charge Paul M. Abbate, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
Walter Smith, 19, was charged in an indictment with two counts of Robbery Affecting Interstate Commerce and two counts of Using or Carrying a Firearm During and in Relation to a Federal Crime of Violence. The charges stem from armed robberies of a Radio Shack store in Royal Oak on June 4 and in Royal Oak Township on June 30.
According to court documents, on June 4, 2014, Smith, while armed, entered the Radio Shack located at 29160 Woodward Avenue in Royal Oak, with two other men with pantyhose pulled over their faces, wearing hats and black hooded sweatshirts. The men duct taped the hands and eyes of two victim clerks and a store customer then departed the store with cell phones and cash from the register. On June 30, 2014, Smith, along with another male, entered the Radio Shack located at 8896 West 8 Mile Road in Royal Oak Township, lured an employee to the back of the store, placed a gun to the back of the employee and tied the employee’s hands while the other male suspects stole cell phones from the backroom.
If convicted of all charges, Smith faces a statutory mandatory minimum of thirty- two years in federal prison.
An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. It will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
The case is being worked jointly by members of the FBI Oakland County Gang and Violent Crimes Task Force; the ATF, Michigan State Police and the Roseville, Sterling Heights, Madison Heights, and Royal Oak Police Departments. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jeanine Brunson.


text:
Restaurateur Oliver Peyton has plans to roll out his bakery and café concept at up to 10 sites in the next year.
The Great British Menu judge has secured funding for the project, which will expand his bakery concept beyond concessions and into high-street retail space.
Peyton said: "We've got lots of shops planned. They will be A1 but a bit of sit down. Ideally we'd like to open between six and 10 next year. We've a couple of offers going on."
He added that everything at the bakery would be fresh, from the fig rolls and game pies to Victoria sponges and hand-made breads. The majority of sites are likely to be in London, though Peyton said he was in talks about venues outside the capital.
"It's very difficult doing British bakeries because we're looking at fresh produce, unlike the French-style pâtisseries where you can get cakes out of the freezer and bring them up to temperature," he said. "People want the taste of fresh sponge."
As well as bread and cakes the bakeries will serve blended teas and coffees, chocolates and preserves.
Peyton didn't rule out more contracts but said that for now the business would focus on its existing arrangements with the Royal Academy, Wallace Collection and National Gallery.
He added: "We'll definitely do more contracts if they're the right shape for us but we need to keep doing interesting things so it's more about developing the business ourselves."
By James Stagg
E-mail your comments to James Stagg here.
Looking for a new job? Find your next job here with Catererandhotelkeeper.com jobs


text:
Quest Diagnostics and Walmart on Monday announced co-branded sites in about 15 Walmart locations in Florida and Texas by the end of the year to provide lab testing and eventually, a broader range of health care services, according to a press release from the companies.
Quest provides patients with direct access to lab testing with sites in Colorado, Missouri and Arizona. Patients can track their lab results and health data through the company’s patient portal and mobile app.
The partnership is part of Walmart’s ongoing efforts to broaden health care services, a method of increasing traffic and sales also pursued by drugstore retailers, most prominently CVS Health.
Walmart’s new Quest sites will further the retailer’s expansion of healthcare services, George Riedl, senior vice president and president, Walmart health and wellness, said in a statement.
“At Walmart, we’re not only focused on providing accessible, affordable healthcare, but also working to extend our offerings — truly making our stores a one-stop shop for our customers’ everyday health and wellness needs,” he said. “We look forward to working with Quest as we operate in an increasingly dynamic and consumer-centric health care environment.”
CVS may be the poster child for these kinds of efforts, which reflects a new healthcare retail environment in the wake of the Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare. In February 2014, the drugstore retailer shocked many when they announced the end of tobacco sales in stores — a sacrifice of some $2 billion annually. The move was integral to the company’s pivot to being a serious healthcare deliverer, the retailer’s chief medical offer, physician Troy Brennan MD, said at the time.
That’s also when the retailer rebranded itself from CVS Caremark to CVS Health, putting healthcare delivery goals front and center. The retailer has since launched a five-year campaign to end tobacco use among youth. Earlier this year, rival Walgreens fielded challenges from investors who said the company is undermining its own healthcare retail efforts by continuing to sell tobacco products.
Walmart has been expanding healthcare services in recent years. In 2015 the retailer announced a series of initiatives, from moving healthy protein bars into more prominent places on grocery shelves to offering free health screenings like blood pressure readings at all U.S. stores. Select stores also offer vaccines and the retailer offers consultations to help customers choose health exchanges.
“Those are all great opportunities to serve the Walmart customer better, and gets them to be more and more sticky,” Jason Goldberg, VP of commerce at digital marketing firm Razorfish who also blogs at Retail Geek, told Retail Dive then. “Do your taxes here, cash your paycheck, do your grocery shopping. This is how to improve the share of wallet for that core Walmart customer, more so than trying to move upscale and appeal to style shoppers" the way Target and others do.


text:
As a frugal guy living in New York, I have been slightly removed from the Black Friday extravaganza that happens annually in the bigger stores. We don’t have a Walmart or Kmart in Manhattan (that I know of). These great … Continue reading
Articles under "couponing"
It’s no surprise we’re not huge fans of the Golden Arches. However, we are pretty impressed at their regional outreach and marketing efforts. Check out some of the quirky and fun offerings at McDonald’s throughout the world. Click the image … Continue reading
Lea Pische and Edwin Hermawan have started a successful new business that deals with deal fatigue — a sickness that has infected consumers and small businesses that offer daily deals. Three months after its introduction, their new business, UnsubscribeDeals.com, has … Continue reading
Just as Wal-mart has compromised many small US businesses across the country in order to bring consumers lower prices (buying from Chinese suppliers who employ slave labor), so too has Groupon, who in its quest to provide consumers with huge … Continue reading
According to the USDA, the number of Americans using Food Stamps via the Supplemental nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), rose in December of 2011 to a now-historic high of 46,514,238, an increase of more than a quarter million Americans from November’s … Continue reading
The web is a very wide space to get items and information about such products and services. While it provides a big market for consumers to shop and get ideas, it also provides daily specials, discounts, and offers for valued … Continue reading


text:
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS.MW) -- Western Digital WDC, +1.20% on Thursday reported a fourth-quarter profit of $29.6 million, or 14 cents a share, on $749 million in revenue. Analysts surveyed by Thomson First Call had forecasted a profit of 15 cents a share on revenue of $705 million. The company said it had to contend with a difficult pricing environment for its disk-storage products during the quarter. During the same period a year ago, Western Digital earned $31 million, or 15 cents a share, on revenue of $680 million.
Western Digital posts Q4 profit of $29.6 million.


text:
Leading UK Dumper manufacturer Thwaites were delighted this week (Nov 6th), to work with local community charity Helping Hands. Based in Gloucester Street, Leamington Spa, Helping Hands provides support to local groups who need it most.
Thwaites UK Sales Manager Andy Sabin said, “Thwaites has been manufacturing Dumpers in Leamington Spa for 80 years, the majority of our engineering, operational, sales and support team are local people”.
This year Thwaites launched a unique Dumper BBQ, specially commissioned and hand-crafted, this scaled replica 6-ton dumper, provided catering and hospitality for customers and guests at various construction trade shows and events.
Andy Sabin Continued… “Before we put the BBQ away for the winter, we thought it would be a good thing to prepare and provide some hot food for those less fortunate in our community”.
Teaming up with Helping Hands, Thwaites we are able to set up the Dumper BBQ outside the charities Leamington Spa soup kitchen, serving on the night over 100 burgers and cups of tea.
Helping Hands CEO Lianne Kirkman said, “We are so grateful to the Thwaites team for turning our homeless soup kitchen into a winter BBQ. With lots of hungry mouths to feed, and heads to keep warm, the hot food and warm beanie hats provided, ensured the event was a real success. We at Helping Hands always appreciate it when local businesses help local people in need”.
The harsh reality is that 48 is the life expectancy for a homeless man and just 43 for a woman. Find out more about the support Helping Hands provide on their website.


text:
New Zealand lamb prices are at their highest point ever.
Heather Stacy, general manager livestock and shareholder services at Alliance Group - New Zealand's biggest sheepmeat exporter - said the co-op has a minimum price starting in September of $8.20, which is the highest price its ever paid.
Stacy expected prices to pull back after the traditional Christmas "chill" period - when chilled meat is sent off to northern markets and frozen starts to enter the product mix.
"It's fair to say that prices are starting to top out," she said, adding Alliance was seeing buyer resistance at current elevated levels.
Stacy said sheep farmers had enjoyed 18 months of stability, which was setting them up well for next season.
Next season's lambing percentages were also expected to be high, she said.
ASB, in its latest commodities report, said lamb were strong across key markets and reflected generally healthy global economic growth and demand.
US and EU - excluding the UK - prices were particularly strong.
"EU prices for the season to date sit 22 per cent higher than for the same period a year ago, while US prices are up 19 per cent," the bank said.
These increases compared to the overall 16 per cent in New Zealand lamb export prices.
"Looking ahead to the new season, we are optimistic that prices will remain very healthy, but at the same time we are wary of growing risks," the bank said.
In particular, the escalating US-China trade tensions could derail global economic growth and reduce global lamb demand.
"The other risk is that consumer price resistance can kick in at these record levels," the bank said.


text:
The company first announced the price change last month in an update to a Partner Center website, where it regularly posts deal announcements and price adjustments.
The price increases are as follows:
- Microsoft Office 365 E1: from $2.00 to $2.50
- Microsoft Office 365 E3: from $4.50 to $5.75
- Microsoft Office 365 E5: from $14.00 to $15.20
- Microsoft 365 E3: from $8.00 to $9.00
- Microsoft 365 Business Premium: from $5.00 to $5.50
The change affects non-profit customers across all licensing channels. However, offers available as a grant, such as 10 licenses of Microsoft 365 Business Premium, 300 licenses of Microsoft 365 Business Basic, and 2,000 licenses of Microsoft Office 365 E1 through Enterprise Agreement, will not be affected by the change.
Prices are still low compared to commercial products, with nonprofits paying 60 to 75 percent less than corporate customers.
When we compare the percentage increase in price increases for nonprofit customers with those imposed on commercial customers last month, one stands out: the price of Office 365 E3 is up 27.78 percent for nonprofit customers, compared to a price increase of 15 percent for business customers.
Prices for the other four products rose at the same rate for both non-profit and commercial customers.
The company increased the price of its basic business plan for commercial customers last year by 20 percent, from $5 to $6 per user per year, while the high-end Microsoft 365 E3 rose 12.5 percent, from $32 to $36 per year. user.
Microsoft justified its decision to raise prices for nonprofit customers on an FAQ page, noting that it has introduced 24 new apps — including Teams — and more than 1,400 features for Microsoft 365 in the past decade.
Microsoft also says in the FAQ that it will no longer offer on-premises software grants as part of a new cloud-first grant program.
“In anticipation of updates to our on-prem grant program on April 4, we wanted to give nonprofit customers enough time to move to the cloud and lock in existing Microsoft 365 nonprofit pricing,” the company said.
“With this in mind, we have postponed this price increase by six months due to the commercial price changes to give nonprofits enough time to make the switch.”


text:
The Recreation Vehicle Dealers Association (RVDA) of Canada announced that it has renewed its long-standing platinum endorsement partnership with iA-SAL, a division of Industrial Alliance Insurance and Financial Services.
According to a press release, due to iA-SAL’s unsurpassed commitment to the industry as well as the line of quality products represented, the “RVDA of Canada board of directors has shown ongoing confidence in the mutual partnership.”
An endorsed partner since 1994, iA-SAL continues to offer the most comprehensive suite of F & I products and services to the industry including the following endorsed products.
- Group Creditor Insurance
- SAL Protection Plan Warranty (SPP)
- Diamond-Kote Appearance & Protection Products
- Silent Sentinel Traceable Theft Deterrent Products
iA-SAL not only provides innovative products that the RVDA of Canada can promote to its member body as a benefit but also contributes to the financial viability of the provincial/regional and national RVDAs.
“We are very pleased to be able to continue this partnership” stated Sam Parks, RVDA of Canada chairman. “We look forward to working with iA-SAL on numerous initiatives and truly value their continued support of the Canadian RV industry.”
“iA-SAL is committed to providing dealers with products that will help enhance their customers’ buying experiences at the dealership level” said Luc Samson, vice president of iA-SAL. “We are delighted to receive the RVDA of Canada’s Platinum Endorsement and look forward to our continued relationship with Canadian RV dealerships and their clients.”
For more information, contact the RVDA of Canada at 604-718-6325.


text:
This sponsored post is produced by TrialPay.
In 2015, payments took a giant leap and became easier than ever. Consumers can now swipe, dip, click, tap or “do nothing” (per Uber) to authorize payment.
As the act of paying evolves to the background, innovation will focus on driving commerce for merchants and consumers, rather than just payments. Here are three commerce trends to watch next year:
1. More wallets
At the beginning of 2015, Apple Pay stood as one of the only mobile wallet options available. Now, as we close in on 2016, Android Pay, Samsung Pay, Chase Pay, and CurrentC have all emerged. Not to mention Walmart following in Starbucks’ steps by creating a propriety in-store mobile payment option.
Despite some challenges and mixed consumer adoption (62 percent of consumers are aware that they can use their phones as a payment device, but only 19 percent reported having done so in the last six months), wallets continue to emerge as way to create customer engagement.
Many look to Starbucks as a leader. Launched in 2009, its payment app quickly grew from a prototype to accounting for 21 percent of transactions (Oct 2015) in their stores. The company anticipates continued growth as they combine loyalty, frictionless payments, and rewards into a single experience.
With PayPal’s acquisition of Paydiant, and reports of Target’s mobile wallet surfacing, expect more retailers to launch their own wallets in the coming year.
2. Commerce comes to messaging
WeChat is the global leader in enabling commerce inside its messaging platform. Today, 600 million users can do everything from ordering a coffee, to paying for a movie ticket, to hailing a ride home inside the app. Since advertising isn’t a big push for WeChat, relying instead on payments, it requires merchants to interact with consumers on personalized, conversational terms, completely changing the traditional business to consumer relationship.
While other apps offer payment options, such as Kakao Pay in South Korea, and Line in Japan, it appears that Facebook is taking the biggest strides to become the next facilitator of commerce with Messenger. With 700 million monthly users globally, Messenger allows customers to stay in touch with retailers, enabling them to get tracking information or to update or change their order.
Messenger recently announced that users can now even hail an Uber through the platform. Riders will be able to see where their drivers are and, by leveraging the customer service chat, Uber will be able to communicate updates directly.
In a market where personalization and instant gratification are in high demand, we expect that conversational commerce, facilitated by messaging apps, will continue to grow in the next year, adding more services and features to create holistic commerce platforms.
3. Narrowing the online to offline gap
Online-to-Offline (O2O) commerce allows brick and mortar retailers to reach consumers where they spend most of their time — online. While ecommerce is growing rapidly, it still only accounts for 7 percent of total retail sales in the US. Retailers need to find measurable ways to reach customers as they browse online and encourage them to come into the store.
Founded in 2008, Groupon drove O2O by creating an online marketplace where consumers bought something online, and redeemed it offline. Today, the likes of Uber, Airbnb and OpenTable are all examples of online-to-offline companies, allowing consumers to purchase goods or reserve services through their smartphone or computer, and access it in the real world.
Online-to-Offline drives foot traffic with services like in-store pickup, coupons, and incentivized offers. For example, through TrialPay’s offer platform, a consumer playing a mobile game can receive promotions that offer free credit — coins, power-ups, premium content, etc. — if they spend at a nearby retail store, or eat at a certain restaurant. This creates an incentive to actually go somewhere, which is how O2O drives in-store purchases and tracks the promotion back to a specific user.
As we spend an increasing amount of our time online, or on our smartphones, online-to-offline commerce will continue to grow as an effective way to drive customer acquisition and revenue.
Consumers are becoming more tech savvy, while demanding personalized and engaging experiences from brands. In order to drive commerce more effectively, retailers and payment companies will need to find new and innovative ways to interact with their customers.
Amy Goddard is senior marketing manager at TrialPay.
Sponsored posts are content that has been produced by a company that is either paying for the post or has a business relationship with VentureBeat, and they’re always clearly marked. The content of news stories produced by our editorial team is never influenced by advertisers or sponsors in any way. For more information, contact email@example.com.


text:
From my perspective, CVS Health (NYSE: CVS) is doing everything right.
The company is making smart deals, establishing an increasingly dominant retail health brand and setting itself up for a promising future.
Just this week we saw the second-quarter CVS earnings report, which I thought included solid results. The market reaction to the report was lackluster, with the stock down nearly 5% soon after it opened for trading on Tuesday. It ended the day down 2.4%.
Frankly, I’m not too sure what was so disappointing to the market.
On the one hand, the company did technically lower its full-year earnings guidance. In the commentary that accompanied the earnings announcement the company adjusted its full-year EPS guidance from a range of $5.08 to $5.19 per share to a new EPS guidance range of $5.11 to $5.18.
Sure, the company did technically lower the top-end of its guidance range from $5.19 to $5.18 per share. But, more importantly to me, it also raised its low-end from $5.08 to $5.11 per share.
Even then, we’re still only talking about 2015.
If you own CVS Health stock because you’re expecting the company to wow investors in 2015 I think your investment thesis is a bit misguided.
Look to the Long Term
Owning CVS Health today is about getting in now before the company really starts to reap the rewards of its recent acquisitions. It’s about getting in now and benefiting from the dividend growth that the company’s new-and-improved cash-generating machine will almost surely drive.
Consider that even if CVS Health’s full year earnings per share comes in at the low end of its new range – $5.11 per share – it would be a huge increase over its 2014 EPS of $3.96. In fact, CVS only grew its EPS by 5.3% between 2013 and 2014.
Achieving EPS of $5.11 per share in 2015 would mean an increase of 30% from 2014 to 2015.
Not only do we see double-digit EPS growth in the current environment, we’re also seeing huge demographic trends that should further propel the companies businesses and, in turn, drive the stock higher.
As to the CVS earnings report, the company is well on its way to achieving its 2015 EPS and revenue goals.
CVS Health reported adjusted EPS – including a one-time charge of 3 cents share related to financing of its recent acquisitions – of $1.19 per share compared to analyst expectations that it would report $1.20 per share. Meanwhile, the company reported $37.17 billion in revenue compared to the $37.18 billion it was expected to report.
Opportunity to Buy
CVS Health’s stock has now pulled back more than 5% from its 52-week high despite the fact that the company’s financials remain on track
I also expect a dividend increase from CVS later this year and it seems highly unlikely that the market has fully appreciated the impact of its deal with Target (NYSE: TGT). CVS is buying 1,660 Target pharmacies that will be rebranded as CVS Health pharmacies, 80 in-store clinics that will be rebranded as MinuteClinics, and adding both of their customers to CVS’s lucrative Caremark pharmacy benefits-management division.
For the market to react negatively to the company more-or-less meeting its high expectations seems unfair to me and has created another buying opportunity for investors.
Dividends for Every Month of the Year
If you’re looking for just one dividend stock to round out your income stream, consider a little-known company that pays out dividends 12 months of the year.
Click here to see the full details of this company in my Dividend Calendar…


text:
CHICAGO — Treasure Island, the beloved local grocery chain that first opened in 1963, told its employees it will be closing its locations in two weeks.
The sudden announcement drew an outpouring of reaction on social media from fans of the family-owned chain.
“We are sorry it has had to come to this point and we know how detrimental this is to each and every one of you and your families,” Treaure Island President and CEO Maria Kameberos wrote in a letter to employees.
“It is not a decision we wanted to make or make lightly. We have done everything we could to attempt to get the company on solid ground to try to operate for another 55 years,” she wrote. “Unfortunately, given the current industry conditions, it has been impossible for us to continue to operate without losing money.”
Treasure Island has seven locations — six in Chicago and one in Wilmette. All are reportedly scheduled to close by Oct. 12.
News of the shutdown was first reported by the Chicago Maroon in Hyde Park, home to one of the stores.
There are also locations in Streeterville, Lakeview, Lincoln Park, Gold Coast, Old Town and Wilmette.
Treasure Island officials did not requests calls for comment.
“We understand it may be of little consolation but please know we offer our sincere and heartfelt gratitude to you and your tireless work and dedication to our organization,” Kamberos wrote in her letter to employees. “For many of you, this has been your entire career and you have been devoted employees for decades of your lives. We truly appreciate all of years of service and dedication.”