text:
One million new customers opt for EE’s 4G service in just four months
EE says it now has two million 4G customers, more than double its target of one million subscribers by the end of 2013, and claims the UK has the highest LTE sign-up rate outside of South Korea.
The operator says it took ten months to secure its first one million customers, but just four months to sign up the next million, claiming adoption was accelerated by increased coverage and demand from businesses for superfast speeds.
The EE network covers 70 percent of the UK population in 160 towns and cities and three quarters of new and upgrading SMEs opt for the 4G service. In addition, the company says it has more than 4,000 corporate customers, including Expedia, Ikea, Microsoft and The Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead.
EE 4G customers
“We’re incredibly proud of being the first UK operator to bring 4G to the UK and, in just over a year, exceeding our target by reaching two million 4G customers across the country,” says CEO Olaf Swantee. “We continue to have particular success converting our existing base to 4G, with approximately two out of three new 4G customers moving over from Orange and T-Mobile plans.
“This year, our network priority is to deliver the benefits of superfast mobile internet to more of the UK and invent even more innovative ways for our customers to make the most of their 4G experience.”
Data usage on the EE network rose by 70 percent during 2013, with the operator revealing that the use of social media spiked on New Years Eve, with Facebook, Skype, Instagram and Twitter all popular at the stroke of midnight. It says Facebook traffic doubled and messages sent through WhatsApp increased seven-fold.
EE was the first UK operator to launch a 4G service back in November 2012, but Three, O2 and Vodafone have all launched competing services since. The company still enjoys a considerable lead in terms of subscribers and coverage and has refreshed its tariff offerings in an attempt to maintain its advantage.
It also plans to invest £275 million on its voice service in 2014, upgrading network equipment at a number of 2G and 3G sites to increase capacity and holding trials of future services such as Voice over LTE (VoLTE).
Are you up to speed on 4G? Try our quiz!


text:
Past Times Calls in KPMG Administrators
Howard Smith, Mark Firmin and Joff Pope of KPMG’s Restructuring practice were appointed joint administrators to gift retailer Past Times on 16 January 2012.
The loss making high street business is a casualty of difficult trading conditions for the retail sector, which has seen discretionary spend fall as consumer confidence declined during the last year, according to KPMG.
Past Times recently closed 46 stores before appointing the administrators, resulting in 507 redundancies, as well as completing the planned closures of 72 “pop up” temporary stores.
The remaining business, comprising 51 stores and 500 employees is continuing to trade under the control of the administrators in the short term. There will be an orderly wind down in the event a going concern sale cannot be concluded.
While the business continues to trade as a going concern employee numbers are being reduced with 67 redundancies made on appointment, comprising 30 fr om the Past Times head office in Witney, Oxfordshire and 37 from its warehouse, leaving a central workforce of 31.
The remaining stores will enter closing down mode on a nationwide basis wh ere consumers will find significantly discounted stock.

domain: news


text:
Shoppers search for Black Friday deals amid pandemic shortages
Retail ers are expected to usher in the unofficial start to the holiday shopping season Friday with bigger crowds than last year in a closer step toward...
Buoyed by solid hiring, healthy pay gains and substantial savings, customers are returning to stores and splurging on all types of items. But the spike has also resulted in limited selection across the board as suppliers and retailers have been caught flat-footed.
Shortages of shipping containers and truckers have delayed deliveries while inflation continues to creep. The combination of not finding the right item at the right price — in addition to a labor shortage that makes it more difficult for businesses to respond to customers — could make for a less festive mood.
At Macy’s M, -5.16% Herald Square store in Manhattan, shelves were stocked and shoppers were steadily streaming in at 6:30 am, a half-hour after the doors opened.Aniva Pawlowski got to Macy’s just ahead of the 6 a.m. opening with plans to buy shoes and coats. Shopping on Thanksgiving Day had been a family tradition, but she stayed home last year and just shopped online. Worries about shortages drove the New Yorker to shop in person and she plans to spend about $1,000 on holiday shopping, similar to years past, even though she’s concerned about rising costs for gas and food. headtopics.com
“Everything is expensive,” she said.Shoppers are expected to pay on average between 5% to 17% more for toys, clothing, appliances, TVs and others purchases on Black Friday this year compared with last year, according to Aurelien Duthoit, senior sector advisor at Allianz Research, with the biggest price increases on TVs. That’s because whatever discounts available will be applied to goods that already cost more.
“I think it is going to be a messy holiday season,” said Neil Saunders, managing director at GlobalData Retail. ”It will be a bit frustrating for retailers, consumers and the workers. We are going to see long lines. We are going to see messier stores. We are going to see delays as you collect online orders.”
Big retailers have been preparing for the holiday season, trying to find workarounds to supply chain hold-ups. Some of the biggest U.S. retailers are rerouting goods to less congested ports, even chartering their own vessels.“We are deep and we are ready,” Macy’s CEO Jeff Gennette told The Associated Press, noting inventory levels are up 20% compared to last year. “We are in good shape.”
While Black Friday has a stronghold on Americans’ imaginations as a day of crazed shopping, it has lost stature over the last decade as stores opened on Thanksgiving and shopping shifted to Amazon and other online retailers. Stores diluted the day’s importance further by advertising Black Friday sales on more and more days. headtopics.com
The pandemic led many retailers to close stores on Thanksgiving Day and push discounts on their websites, starting as early as October. That’s continuing this year, although there are deals in stores as well.Still, some experts believe Black Friday will again be the busiest shopping day this year.
Crowds at Macy’s were higher in the first few hours of their 6 a.m. opening compared with last year, while online sales were strong, CEO Gennette said.Carol Claridge of Bourne, England, has been coming to New York for Thanksgiving-week shopping for 15 years, but skipped it last year because of the pandemic. The U.S. reopened to travelers from the U.K. earlier in November when it lifted pandemic travel bans.
“We had to wait a long time to do this,” said Claridge, who was looking at beauty gift sets on the first floor of Macy’s with a friend. “We are picking up anything we see that we like. We call it our annual shopping outing.”U.S. retail sales, excluding auto and gas, from this past Monday through Sunday are expected to increase 10% from last year and 12% from the 2019 holiday season, according to Mastercard SpendingPulse, which measures overall retail sales across all payment types. Sales on Black Friday are expected to surge 20% from a year ago as store traffic comes back.
Online shopping remains huge, and sales online are expected to rise 7% for the week after the massive 46% gain a year ago, when many shoppers stayed home, according to Mastercard. For the overall holiday season, online sales should increase 10% from a year ago, compared with a 33% increase last year, according to Adobe Digital Economy Index. headtopics.comRead more: MarketWatch »
GDP up to 7% 70% of economy based on consumer spending. This article: BS. OragonXBsc UPDATE DECEMBER SOON: 😳🤯 🔥 CoinMarketCap, CoinGecko, TrustWallet 🔥 Exchange! 🔥 Game Launch! 🔥 ONE BIG SURPRISES! BRING ONE OF YOUR FRIEND TO JOIN YOU TO THE MOON WITH ORAGON! Buy PancakeSwap SC : 0x88c676fc777c225b69869aeef5d10535de1e4f5d OragonX
Nobody is shopping out there, consumer spendings grinds to a halt I found everything I needed to buy on Black Friday (which would be nothing).
‘Not As Crowded’: Black Friday Shoppers Return In Smaller Numbers As Sales Shift Online (Photos)I am a Texas native covering breaking news out of New York City. Previously, I was an editorial assistant at the Forbes London bureau. 'We Ready, We Ready, We Readyyy, For Y'all (Drums) , We Ready ( Lets Go! ) We Ready ( Buffalo ), We Ready For Y'all' ... wereadychant BillsMafia 🐃😤🐃 Meanwhile please shop for truth and justice. JusticeBer - you will be fulfilled without spending a dime- and save big into the future!!! Thank you kindly! God Bless Good Guys NOT killing people… If you don’t think institutions and large corporations are loading their wallets with Bitcoin, you’re mistaken. Follow up with Danielalbino121 and load your wallet and make more profit with his platform With his company platform I have added massively to my holdings
All the Best Black Friday Deals at Best BuyDeals abound on Macbooks, smart TVs, kitchen appliances, and much more
Black Friday 2021: These are the only deals worth shopping forLive updates on all of the best Black Friday deals to shop now, from Amazon, Apple, Currys, John Lewis, Selfridges & more. Expect discounts across fashion, beauty, tech & homeware.
Black Friday spending set to soar despite fewer dealsAnalysts say this year's sale will be the biggest ever, but retailers won't offer as many discounts.
Best Black Friday Deals For VPNs 2021Virtual private networks (VPNs) provide you with added online security by hiding and encrypting your activity from hackers, internet service providers and even government agencies. The best VPNs go beyond just masking your IP address; they also offer other security and convenience features, like all Advisor Can anyone PLEASE HELP me I need food really bad I just started a new job and I don't get paid for another two weeks. I haven't eaten anything in a couple days... PLEASE ANYTHING HELPS. $RMKghost I am going through a rough time but I hope everyone had a great holiday Advisor If you don’t think institutions and large corporations are loading their wallets with Bitcoin, you’re mistaken. Follow up with Danielalbino121 and load your wallet and make more profit with his platform With his company platform I have added massively to my holdings
All the Best Black Friday Deals at TargetOur everyday one-stop shop for almost everything has deals on, well, everything


text:
'Goldfinger' record beaten as 'Skyfall' sells more tickets in France
There has been a lot of debate among the Bond fan community about box-office receipts and how you can compare films of different eras, and which method is used to calculate inflation of ticket prices.
But one method is very difficult to dispute: the number of tickets sold.
"Skyfall" has become the most successful James Bond film ever in France, using that method.
The French box-office reports this week confirmed that 6,682,000 tickets for "Skyfall" have been sold in the country. The previous record was 6,675,000 held by "Goldfinger" back in 1965 (it was released a few months after its UK debut of September 1964).
Unsurprisingly, "Skyfall" is also the most successful film at the French box-office in 2012.
It is still on release in the country and will add further tickets over the holiday season.
Thanks to `maxcraig` for the alert. Discuss this news here...


text:
Existing BlackBerry smartphones will not get an upgrade to the new BlackBerry 10 OS, RIM has confirmed today, meaning owners must replace their handsets if they want a taste of the refreshed platform. The news arguably comes as little surprise, given the advances of the new OS, but is still likely to be a disappointment to existing loyal BlackBerry owners.
RIM confirmed the lack of upgrade path on day two of its BlackBerry World 2012 developer event, having officially launched BlackBerry 10 yesterday. The company also revealed the first developer device for coders getting to grips with the freshly-released BlackBerry 10 SDK, the BlackBerry 10 Dev Alpha, though has since insisted that there will be more traditional physical keyboard options on shelves when the new platform gets its commercial release.
How well RIM will weather a complete break in upgrades from BlackBerry 7 to BlackBerry 10 remains to be seen. Microsoft attempted something similar in the changeover from Windows Mobile to Windows Phone, leaving behind what had been a more enterprise-focused OS and picking up with a consumer-centric alternative. Exactly how well that has worked for the company is questionable, though, with Windows Phone languishing with minimal market share behind iOS and Android.
RIM is likely hoping that its enterprise customers will stomach a huge upgrade cycle to BlackBerry 10 phones so as to preserve their existing investment in BlackBerry Exchange Server and other infrastructure elements. Individual users may not feel the same loyalty.


text:
NZ Champions of Cheese Awards Enter New Era
New Zealand Champions of Cheese Awards Enter New Era
For Immediate Release Monday 7 August 2017
The New Zealand Specialist Cheesemakers Association is delighted to announce a new era for its annual Champions of Cheese Awards with the appointment of a new event manger and public relations agency, Marvellous Marketing.
The Specialist Cheesemakers Association has been running the awards since 2003, and will host their 15th annual awards event in Auckland on Wednesday 14 March 2018.
New Zealand Speciality Cheesemakers Association chair, Miel Meyer says the awards celebrate excellence within cheese, butter and yoghurt making in New Zealand and educate Kiwis about locally made dairy products, encouraging them to taste and purchase.
Miel says since the awards began in 2000 the industry has changed significantly. “Over almost two decades we have witnessed changes in legislation, an increase in the number of small cheesemakers and growing consumer interest in food provenance. This has been overlaid with changes in media and the rise of social media. All these factors meant it was time for the Board to review the Awards.”
“Marvellous Marketing’s proposal stood out. They know the food industry and their track record establishing and running the Outstanding NZ Food Producer Awards proved their ability to successfully run food awards and the associated communication campaign.”
Marvellous Marketing Director, Nicola McConnell said she and business partner Kathie Bartley were delighted to be part of the Champions of Cheese Award team. “The Awards are a great opportunity to celebrate New Zealand’s hard working cheesemakers and share their stories with Kiwi cheese lovers. To do this we will roll out a 12-month communication plan which includes free marketing workshops for cheesemakers, social media and consumer dinners in addition to the glittering Awards event.”
Miel Meyer thanked Goode PR for their energy and enthusiasm running the awards over the past 15 years. “The strength and recognition of the awards is due to the efforts of Goode PR. The Board and I appreciate the drive and resources they brought and acknowledge their part in making the Awards the success they are.”


text:
Adtech has always been a dynamic, evolving industry that is constantly changing. As we move into 2018, here are 5 top trends that we think will be seen in the adtech market this year.
1. Consolidation and a challenger
As an ever-increasing percentage share of digital advertising dollars go to Google and Facebook, conditions remain challenging for smaller players looking to differentiate themselves. Tech talent remains difficult to lure away from the big players. This year we expect consolidation to continue within the sector. We predict that you will see larger adtech providers acquiring smaller, niche players to enhance tech stacks, source engineering talent and to create a more compelling, fully featured offering. We’ll also see activity from outside the sector – we expect telcos and ISPs to continue to spend on purchasing adtech companies and for more traditional, blue chip organisations to join the party, particularly as data becomes increasingly important.
One key rival to Google and Facebook that could actually start to shake up the market is Amazon. Having quietly taken the wraps off its DSP platform last year, it is already being very favourably discussed in CMO circles. Self-serve, transparent and low-cost; three features brands are particularly talking up. With Amazon’s unparalleled riches of extremely valuable shopping data, and with an ever improving technical platform, Google and Facebook may need to keep an eye over their shoulder in 2018.
2. Data remains king
Data will continue to be a vital asset to all within the adtech stack. Even with GDPR and the associated changes in Europe, data will remain a key asset both demand side and supply side. There will be some challenges as regulations tighten – particularly given the increasing disparity between the European regulatory environment and the far less controlled US market. We expect to see a shift towards European clients wanting to use European-based adtech providers and for European clients to materially increase their due dilignce on new suppliers. Adtech providers should expect to have answers to a much broader and more detailed set of data-related questions.
Of potentially greater impact to adtech in Europe, the new PEC regulations are currently still draft legislation. Their final form and the extent of the challenge for the adtech industry as a whole remains to be seen – however, with the delay in implementation meaning these will not come into force until 2019, there should be little impact this year.
In addition to adtech providers looking to increase the size and scope of their data pools, clients are increasingly looking to create their own centralised ‘insight’ platforms, tightly integrating advertising data into their broader ecosystems. The key focus this year will be not just on collecting ever more data but instead on connecting data silos – using the vast troves of data already held by adtech providers and clients more efficiently by connecting the dots between different data sets to identify new opportunities and insight.
3. Here comes the blockchain
Every advertising event currently seems to feature at least one talk on blockchain. Although much of this to date has been speculative rather than concrete products, in 2018 we expect to start seeing full scale deployment of blockchain technologies in the adtech ecosystem, particularly for ad verification. How widely adopted these will be remains to be seen but given the ever-increasing pressures from clients when it comes to verification, viewability and ad fraud, there is certainly enough momentum in the market to support the deployment of these new solutions.
It’s unlikely that widespread adoption will happen this year but certainly many brands will be likely to dabble with the new technology to explore its potential.
4. One agency or many?
Clients use of agencies tends to be cyclical – first clients wanted everything under one roof and mega-agencies offering a one-stop-shop were created to service this demand. Then clients wanted to adopt “best-of-breed” and split out different services between market-leading agencies – benefitting niche players who could win specialist commissions from bigger clients that they would otherwise not be considered for.
2017 saw the pendulum start to swing back to the consolidated approach. Although some clients started to move much of the agency management function back in-house and to directly contract with ad tech platforms, many others looked for a one-stop shop which can offer a full-service model. This approach seems to be driven from a desire to reduce overheads and prevent duplication of roles across different agencies. Some clients also feel that they can gain increased transparency if everything is serviced from a single agency. Certainly, the overriding view is that consolidating spend allows for greater efficiencies being available.
Of course, it is not all roses – clients are well aware of the risks of putting all their eggs into one basket. The same drivers as previously caused brands to move away from this approach are still valid – brands need to monitor their agencies carefully to ensure that complacency is not introduced into the account due to a lack of competition. Effective pricing mechanisms can help to maintain motivation.
5. Rise of China
In 2017, the Chinese adtech market continued to grow. Still in its relative infancy given the size of the potential market, adtech companies are looking to China as a huge growth opportunity. With a different set of dominant companies in the space, such as Baidu, Tencent and Alibaba, and lacking any meaningful presence from the US powerhouses of Google and Facebook, there is still much opportunity for smaller providers to thrive.
This opportunity is mutual, however. With a huge domestic market, Chinese tech players have funds readily available for acquisitions. We’ve already seen multiple US adtech and media companies being purchased by Chinese entities and this is a trend that will likely continue. Sale to Chinese investors is now becoming a real exit option for adtech companies, particularly as more traditional routes (such as IPOs) remain tricky.
As the world’s number one market for smartphone use, China is a true mobile-first market. This means that the technologies that are being developed as a necessity for success in the Chinese market are often more developed than the equivalent solutions elsewhere. As a result, there is huge opportunity for Chinese ad tech providers to offer and deploy these solutions outside of China and become real market leaders in the mobile arena. To date, movement from China outwards has definitely been more limited than to China, inwards, but we expect this momentum to start to shift this year. This also means that brands need to redesign campaigns to effectively make use of mobile platforms – recycling the same campaigns from desktop to mobile just won’t work, no matter how much budget is thrown at it.


text:
The Pixel 2 XL is now reaching the hands of those who pre-ordered the device back in October, but some people are getting devices that have no operating system installed at all. That’s added to a myriad of other issues that have surfaced with the Pixel 2 XL, including reports of screen burn-in and earbud inserts that show Google intended to include earbuds at one point in time.
Now a few reports have surfaced on reddit that appear to show it’s not an isolated incident, as at least two people have received a Pixel 2 XL with no operating system. The first report was posted to the r/GooglePixel subreddit just six days ago and resulted in the poster needing a replacement phone.
I came home excited to unbox my new Pixel 2 XL. Upon turning on the device I was greeted with a black screen stating, “Can’t find valid operating system. The device will not start.” Spent an hour on the chat with two different customer service reps and they are wanting to send me a replacement phone. Really frustrating.
Then yesterday, someone submitted a photo of the same error described by the original person.
While these are likely isolated incidents that won’t be a widespread issue like the screen burn-in and blue tint that has been widely reported on, it still goes to show that Google isn’t great at launching phones and the customer experience is still lacking even though the price has gone up.
Have you experienced any launch issues with your device that has made you regret your purchase?


text:
Marriott relaunched its Moments marketplace recently; loyal guests can both earn and redeem points by shopping for these experiences—110,000 of them in all, across 1,000 global destinations.
Alibaba is working with Thailand to upgrade and tailor high-quality global travel services, said China's e-commerce giant founder Jack Ma on Thursday.
The partnership will focus on highlighting AccorHotels accredited hotels more prominently, building a flagship store for AccorHotels, joint development of loyalty programs and cooperation on IT.
While the aviation regulator further liberalizes fees, a price supervision mechanism will also be established to record and punish illegal practices.
The internationally popular British animated television show for young children has been a huge hit in China since launching there in 2015, and the plan is to open theme parks in Beijing and Shanghai.
The platform can be a realizable asset once it has accumulated a sufficient amount of content.
China Southern has demanded third-party platforms to discontinue seat selection and check-in services, but leaves room for potential future cooperation.
New Education & Job Day at ITB China on May18 includes interactive HSMAI training workshop and preview of HSMAI education platform.
ChinaTravelNews is a wholly owned subsidiary of
©2017 TravelDaily Inc.


text:
PERFECT TIMING: Farm reopens for Christmas in July boom
THE doors to Granite Belt’s Christmas Farm have opened back up just in time for tourists to get as close as they can to a white Christmas.
Owner Katrina Fraser said business has been booming in the three weeks since reopening.
“Brisbane visitors are our main target market and with travel in Queensland allowed now last weekend was definitely our busiest since reopening,” Mrs Fraser said.
“It’s fantastic to see people coming out and supporting our tourism industry.”
With Christmas being their busiest time of year, Mrs Fraser said the famous Christmas in July comes in a close second.
“We thought we wouldn’t be able to open until September, so it is awesome that we are going to get a Christmas in July,” she said.
“It is as close as people can get to a white Christmas and really get a feel of what it would be like in the European world.”
Turning to online during their seven-week shutdown, she said sales exceeded expectations.
“Our online store was a lot busier than usual which was great,” she said.
“It also gave us the chance to sell all of our Easter stock.
“People have continued to support us during this time, which has been really nice.”
She said the time off has also allowed the farm’s Christmas trees to be in the very best of conditions ahead of harvest season.
“There is plenty of positives to take from it all,” she said.
As for the farm’s annual Christmas in July picnic, Mrs Fraser said unfortunately it won’t be going ahead.
“We are still offering the farm experience and Santa will be visiting over the July school holidays too,” she said.
“Everyone is in the same boat – we are just taking it one step at a time until restrictions ease further.
“We are just so happy that we are allowed to be open and operating again.”


text:
Intel's been throwing so many mobile processor codenames around in the past 12 months or so that we've resorted to hiring droids to constantly update pivot tables as chips are named and nixed from its ever-evolving roadmap. But being the weekend and all, it looks like we're stuck telling you about yet another presumably vital processor that's likely destined to hit cellphones, UMPCs, and other handheld computing platforms sometime in the not too distant future. According to an interview by Germany's FAZ, Intel's CEO compared the chip "to the original Pentium" in terms of importance to the company, and while Mr. Otellini didn't go into too much detail beyond that (can't blame him for keeping us curious), he did note that the firm hopes the 45nm CPU can infiltrate "10 to 20-percent of the mobile phone market."
Intel CEO compares Silverthorne criticality with original Pentium
Darren Murph|June 9, 2007 5:15 PM
All products recommended by Engadget are selected by our editorial team, independent of our parent company. Some of our stories include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. All prices are correct at the time of publishing.


text:
Outernauts, the first Facebook game from Insomniac’s social label, will be shuttered in January as the team moves on to a new mobile version of the Pokémon-like casual battler.
Making the conceptual shift from console action games to the social casual scene isn’t as easy as many think. Insomniac talks about their growing pains as they further refine their online title Outernauts.
EA has announced the launch of Outernauts, Insomniac’s first game created for Facebook. The adventure role-playing social game allows players to capture and train “exotic alien beasts for battle” as they transform their “cosmic homeworld into a thriving galactic hub,” as members of United Earth’s elite Outernaut force. Players must also uncover the riddle behind […]
Insomniac has said its Facebook title, Outernauts, won’t be just a one-off entry but the start of a new franchise. Speaking with Gamasutra, lead designer Rowan Belden-Clifford said the studio is in the business of building franchises, “so don’t expect Outernauts to be going away anytime soon.” He also said with the firm is interested […]
EA Partners and Insomniac have both announced today Outernauts, a brand new IP from the latter that’ll launch on Facebook this summer.
Internet sleuthing has uncovered what seems to be two unannounced games due in the next 12 months, plus a third, much-anticipated project.


text:
Sometimes, the world just has to prove to El Jobsco that not everything has to go his way. In what must be the clearest sign that Google will not stand for the proprietary and patent-encumbered H.264 video codec championed by Apple and currently used for HTML5 video, the search giant is announcing the termination of
Now that didn’t take long, didn’t it? It has been only about a couple of weeks since Google made headlines with their Cr-48 notebook, which ran off a beta version of its web-based Chrome OS. And today, it appears that those who were lucky enough to get their hands on a Cr-48 have a found
Now that Google has come clean on its future plans to make the Chrome OS user experience the default computing method in the near future, it should come as no surprise that the search giant is starting to look beyond notebooks. A quick look at the development page of Chromium OS reveals that plans for
Many developers do not attempt to compete against Microsoft in the desktop OS space, preferring instead to give consumers alternative choices. However, ‘giving a choice’ is not what Google has in mind: the search giant has revealed in an interview that it plans to go all out in making Chrome OS the ‘default way of
Google has announced that their Chrome OS laptops will be retailing in the first half of 2011, and carried by PC manufacturers including Acer and Samsung. The search engine giant has also unveiled their new Chrome Web store for web developers to create apps and for users to download and use the web apps on their
Google has announced the launch of Chrome 8.0.552.215. This update brings more than 800 bug fixes and stability improvements, as well as a built-in PDF viewer, and full support for the upcoming Chrome Web Store.
The last time we spoke about Google’s upcoming Chrome OS, the search giant was in the midst of adapting the operating system to work on ARM processors and devices featuring System-on-a-chip designs. Since then, news about the development of the browser-based OS has mostly gone cold. However, the project is far from dead, and the
While Microsoft’s Windows may have a good portion of the world’s desktop and notebook PC users under its belt, the same cannot be said for its web browser business. In what must be the first time in almost a decade, the software giant’s global browser share has managed to dip below the 50% mark, while
Are you game on testing out a new, experimental and highly unstable browser? If so, Google has got just the thing for you: a special Canary Build of its popular Chrome web browser. Be warned though; the developers have stated that Canary is expected to break very often. Read on to find out more.
In line with its ‘Don’t be evil’ policy, Google has announced the freeing of the VP8 codec which it had obtained from its purchase of On2 Technologies for use in HTML5 video, along with the new WebM container support for Youtube. But all does not look well for the codec which Google claims to be both patent
A peek at Chrome OS’s git repository reveals a few juicy details about the kind of hardware Google is poised to support with its upcoming operating system. Read on to find out more.
Google believes that it can provide a proper printing experience with its Google Cloud Print. And it will start by eliminating the need for driver printers. Read on to find out more.
Microsoft’s new MSN Video Player has only been out of beta for a month, and it seems like the developers have forgot to word their alerts a little more carefully. Read on for more information.
In spite of the progress HTML5 has made in trying to wean the internet off proprietary standards, it seems that Flash is not going to disappear anytime soon. At least, not when Google has started integrating the Adobe Flash plugin with its Chrome browser. Read on for more information.
So says an analyst from International Data Corp (IDC) regarding Google’s plans to bundle Chrome OS into mini-notebooks. But which hardware will be considered ‘high-priced’ in these machines, and how will it affect Google’s own operating system? Read on to find out more.
That was pretty much what two-time Pwn2Own winner Charlie Miller had to say in an interview with OneITSecurity. What does this mean for computer security, and is there anything that the average user can do to keep himself or herself safe when online? Read on to find out more…
Netbooks and all-in-one desktops powered by Chinese Loongson CPU is expected to be powered by Google Chrome OS and will be made available as early as next month. Google, however, announced in July that the Chrome OS only available to consumers in 2010.


text:
There are hundreds of items on sale at the Kmart Cyber Monday Sale 2013, and featured on the Kmart Facebook page on Dec. 2 is the Kenmore 4 Slice Digital Toaster Oven for $29.99, which is a 40 percent savings. Quantities are limited and no rainchecks will issued for the toaster at the online Kmart Cyber Monday 2013 sales event.
The Kmart Cyber Monday 2013 online sale also features the Seiki 32” Class 720p 50Hz LCD HDTV for $149.99 and you can choose free shipping or free in store pick up on this item. Also featured at the Kmart Cyber Monday 2013 online sales event are the Linsay 7” New Dual Core CUP 1024x600 HD Dual Camera Android 4.2 Jelly for $59.99 and the Motovox MBX Electronic Mini Bike in red for $189.99.
Sales in other departments during the Kmart Cyber Monday 2013 sales extravaganza include deals on the LeapFrog LeapPad2 Explorer Disney Princess Bundle, the Monster High School House, Sofia by Sofia Vergara clothing, sleepwear and intimates and the Craftsman BoltOn 20 volt MAX Lithum Ion Drill/Driver kit.
- Best Buy Cyber Monday 2013 deals
- Disney Cyber Monday 2013 $10 deals, up to 25 percent off and free shipping
- Kohl’s Cyber Monday Week 2013 ad
- Kohl’s Cyber Monday Week 2013 free shipping and 20 percent off
- Kohl’s Cyber Monday Week 2013: 65 percent savings on MarioKart Mario & Luigi
- Target Cyber Monday 2013 Daily Doorbuster deals
- Target Cyber Monday 2013 best deals on groceries and household items
- Target Cyber Monday 2013 toy sale with free shipping on some items
- Walgreens Cyber Monday 2013 best deals on groceries and household items
- Walmart Cyber Monday 2013 best deals on groceries
Additional Cyber Monday 2013 deals will be added to this list as they are announced.
- Never miss another frugal living tip, any frugal food news, recipes or cooking tips again! Subscribe to Rachael Monaco Frugal Living Examiner and receive FREE notification Every time something new is published. You can also subscribe to Rachael Monaco Cooking Examiner for the latest food news and recipes.
- Follow Rachael Monaco on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and Google+
©Rachael Monaco All Rights Reserved. No part of this article may be reproduced without prior permissions from the author. The first two sentences may be reposted with a link back to the original article.


text:
[Photo inset: This 'air freshener' actually has a camcorder inside.]
By Crystal Chan
PROPERTY agent Lisa Khoo sent her maid packing after closed-circuit video footage showed the latter pressing her palm over her toddler son's mouth.
Madam Khoo, 32, had installed a hidden camera as she didn't feel safe leaving her three young sons alone with her maid.
On 1 Feb, the footage showed the maid's abusive action.
The maid denied wrongdoing, but confessed when Madam Khoo told her everything had been recorded.
Mdm Khoo's 2-year-old son was crying non-stop
as the maid put a diaper on him.
She said: 'The maid cried and begged me not to call the police. But I was so angry as she could have suffocated my son. I made a police report and returned the maid to the agency.'
Madam Khoo is among a group of customers who are increasingly common in shops selling surveillance equipment.
With closed-circuit cameras and other monitoring equipment becoming cheaper with technological advances, employers are finding it easier to spy on their maids.
Shop owners told The New Paper that many maid employers decide on surveillance after bad experiences with previous maids.
Mr Jeffrey Tan, general manager of ABC Asia Pacific, said: 'One customer bought a CCTV after his maid brought men to his home.
Fired: Mdm Khoo fired her maid after the latter
was caught on CCTV pressing her palm over Mdm Khoo's son.
'He found her notebook which had '$5' and '$10' written several times in it.
'He thought the maid stole his money and when he confronted her, she admitted to moonlighting as a prostitute.'
Mr Tan told The New Paper how two customers used cameras to catch their maids contaminating their food.
He claimed: 'One maid was shown spitting into a hot drink and serving it to my customer. Another maid added bleach to her employer's baby son's milk and served it to the infant.'
Mr Tan added that demand for such equipment from maid employers began picking up in the last five years.
He said: 'It's becoming more affordable to have peace of mind. A system used to cost over $4,000 but now, it can be easily done with $1,500.'
Customers are also not shy about their motives.
Mr Tan said: 'Some customers say specifically that they want a CCTV to watch over the maid.
'On a per-year basis, I've seen customers growing by 20 per cent since 2004.'
Mr Shaun Eric, general manager of AA Security, which also does CCTV installations, has also reported good sales, with business going up by 20 per cent in recent years.
As Singapore has no privacy laws, such surveillance is legal.
Lawyer Bryan Tan said: 'The employers own their homes so they're entitled to wire up the premises.'
It is also important to know where to install a CCTV if you do not want your maid to know she is being watched.
Showing us the various equipment in his Kaki Bukit office, Mr Tan explained: 'Common areas like the living room are a must when installing the cameras, as you need to watch the main door. This is to check maids who bring men home.'
There are gadgets that can be concealed in normal household objects.
Such cameras have pinhole lenses to fit into objects which have a small hole for filming the maid's movements.
You need not be home to watch the footage.
The CCTVs can be connected to a digital video recorder, which acts as a web-camera server after being connected to an Internet router. This allows customers to watch footage of their homes from their office.
Some CCTV sellers also help customers to set up a web page which is linked to the server.
Want a cheaper alternative?
For just $199, you can get cameras that are made to resemble pens and these can be left anywhere in the house.
These cameras work like storage devices and the footage can be viewed once the gadgets are plugged into a USB port on a computer.
Not all customers practise covert surveillance.
Mr Chew Chai Seng, managing director of Sin Chew Alarm, said: 'If you tell the maid you have a camera, it will deter her from idling and misbehaving. She knows she'll lose her job if she does something wrong.
'Prevention is better than cure. If you sack the maid, you may have to look for another helper.'
Mr Chew said real cameras are unnecessary if deterrence is the motive. Dummy cameras which look like the real thing are also available.
Maid agent Alice Cheah is in favour of using CCTV cameras to watch over maids, but feels employers should draw the line when privacy is concerned.
Madam Cheah said: 'Surveillance is a good idea as employers are mindful of their children's safety.
'But employers shouldn't install cameras in bathrooms as the maid may be captured changing clothes or bathing. I think that's an invasion of privacy.'
Ms Bridget Lew, founder of the Humanitarian Organisation for Migration Economics, which helps abused foreign workers, feels that such spying only highlights a lack of trust between employer and maid.
She said: 'If the maid knows she's being watched, she'll think her bosses don't trust her and this isn't conducive to a good relationship.'
But Mr Tan also reminds customers not to take offence at the slightest mistake.
He said: 'Mistakes like being sloppy with household chores are forgivable. But if the maids steal, bring men home or beat your children, you have to take action.'
This was so in Madam Khoo's case.
In the one month the maid worked for her, Madam Khoo said the CCTV caught the maid having long phone conversations with friends and lazing on the job.
She said: 'I closed one eye when she was sloppy but her ill-treatment of my son was the last straw.'
» Non-stop crying frustrates maids
» Firing a maid: From trust to paranoia
This article was first published in The New Paper.


text:
KARACHI – The Sindh government has announced resuming indoor dining while markets in the country’s financial capital will be allowed to stay open till 10 pm.
A notification issued by Sindh Home Department cited that the provincial authorities have eased Covid related restrictions and new orders will remain in force by the end of this month.
The communique detailed the easing of the restrictions stated that businesses are allowed to stay open till 10 pm while pharmacies and grocery stores can operate round the clock.
Karachi to observe closed days on Sunday while Friday will be observed as closed days across the province. Indoor dining has been allowed for vaccinated people till midnight while restaurants cans serve with 50 percent occupancy.
The notification also directed citizens to carry their vaccination cards and certificates while visiting any place. Meanwhile, 200 vaccinated people are allowed in indoor weddings and 400 in outdoor weddings.
Shrines are allowed to be open with SOPs while cinemas will stay closed till the next update. There will be a complete ban on all kinds of sports activities however Indoor gyms are opened for vaccinated people.
Public transport will operate at 50 percent capacity and 70 percent capacity is set for Pakistan Railways. Amusement parks, swimming pools are also allowed to operate at 50 percent capacity.
On Tuesday, NCOC officials announced that the government has changed its approach regarding the implementation of Covid SOPs. “Instead of closing industries and businesses, we will increase the restrictions on unvaccinated individuals.”
These are the restrictions that will be imposed on Pakistanis not fully vaccinated by the end of this month:


text:
UPDATE: Square Enix issued a statement this morning to explain the confusion that has come out from Richard Knight's LinkedIn profile that suggest a next-gen Hitman title had been cancelled. Square assures us that this isn't the case, and that Io-Interactive is developing a new AAA Hitman game that will be coming to PC and next-gen consoles at an unknown date.
Here's the full statement: "There's a bit of confusion around the Hitman projects currently in development at Square Enix owned studios and so we wanted to take the time to clarify what each studio is working on to clear up some of this confusion. Io-Interactive is developing a new, AAA Hitman game that will be coming to PC and next-gen consoles and Square Enix Montreal is fully focused on mobile development of games some of which are related to the Hitman franchise. We look forward to sharing more details about these titles later this year."
Original Story: According to a LinkedIn profile for senior game designer Richard Knight at Square Enix Montreal, the studio's next-gen Hitman has been garrotted and stuffed in a closet for nosey guards to discover later.
It was revealed in late 2011 and was to be their first title with it described as a "re-imagining" of the series blending first and third-person. Now they're pursing iOS and Android.
Square Enix retasked their Montreal studio with mobile game development last year leaving the next-gen Hitman at odds with their new mandate.
Network engineer Anthony Pressacco's profile suggested that it would have included microtransactions and leaderboards, which wouldn't have gone down too well - they never do. Concept artwork for the new Hitman hit the net in 2012. It seems that Hitman creator IO Interactive is once again the sole provider of bald, bar-coded assassins.
Square had planned on alternating releases between IO and Montreal for Hitman, like Activision does with Call of Duty. It's not known whether Montreal's next-gen project will be salvaged by IO Interactive or not.
Half of IO Interactives staff wasin June 2013.


text:
Starbucks Corporation (SBUX - Free Report) expanded its footprints in Latin America by opening its first store in Costa Rica and first Farmer Support Center in Colombia. These are strategic initiatives undertaken by the company to expand its reach among consumers in these regions.
Latin America acts as one of the major suppliers of coffee beans to Starbucks. The opening of another Farmer Support Center will strengthen the company’s relation with the farmers and the community. Agronomists and quality experts will help the coffee farmers by providing resources and expertise required to produce good quality coffee.
The company had previously opened Farmer Support Centers in San Jose, Costa Rica in 2004. Other than Latin America, the company has also opened Farmer Support Center in Kigali, Rwanda in 2009 and plans to open a Farmer Support Center in Yunnan, China later this year.
Starbucks presently has 560 operating stores in Latin America. The company is opening its first store in Costa Rica, through a joint-venture with Corporación de Franquicias Americanas (CFA). Starbucks intends to open more than 300 new stores in Argentina and Mexico by 2015. Brazil is also important for the company’s long term growth. From 2010, the company has taken full possession of its business in Brazil and intends to open many more stores within the coming five years.
The company intends to increase its global market share by judiciously opening stores in new and existing markets, generating more revenue from existing stores, controlling costs and brand building. The company expects that 1000 new stores will to be opened in fiscal 2012 with 500 in the Americas (includes operations in US, Canada, and Latin America), 400 in China-Asia-Pacific (CAP) region and 100 in Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region. Of the 400 stores targeted for the CAP region, more than half will be opened in China.
The company expects the earnings to be in the range of $1.81–$1.84 in fiscal 2012, representing annualized growth of 19% to 21%. Earnings are expected to be stronger in the latter half of the year as management expects commodity cost pressures to ease in this period. The Zacks Consensus Estimate is 46 cents for the third quarter of fiscal 2012, and $1.84 for the fiscal 2012.
We are optimistic about the growing demand for Starbucks’ products and the company’s strategy to open new stores along with including new segments of bread and juice into its portfolio. However, increase in commodity costs, especially coffee, might have a negative impact on the company’s performance.
Starbucks carries a Zacks #3 Rank in the near term (Hold rating). One of its strongest competitors, Jamba Inc. currently has a Zacks #1 Rank in the near term (Strong Buy rating).
Based in Seattle, Starbucks Corporation is the leading retailer of specialty coffee worldwide. The company buys and roasts high-quality whole bean coffees, which are sold along with handcrafted coffee and tea beverages and a variety of fresh food items.


text:
September 10th, 2019; Podcast-A-Palooza (PCAP) are excited to announce a brand-new partnership with the exclusive members only lifestyle group PlayhouseLV (PLV).
PlayhouseLV opened their doors officially in 2018 after a years of being in the lifestyle and building a fantastic community in Las Vegas, Nevada. With the growing number of people entering the lifestyle, PLV wanted to create intimate events for couples and singles to come together in classy, yet exclusive venues that would appeal to the most discerning lifestyler.
PLV’s goal is to provide sexy, unique, exclusive lifestyle events and pool parties in Las Vegas with style and class. PLV limits their parties to a maximum of 125 hand picked people to ensure a sexy and intimate time whilst keeping abreast of lifestyle trends with distinctive themed events.
Starting in 2020 PlayhouseLV will be expanding and hosting events in multiple cities on the West Coast of the USA.
“It’s been very exciting working with Cate from Libertine Events on their new PCAP event in Miami” PlayhouseLV owner Dave said.
PLV has partnered with PCAP for the May 2020 event to be held in beautiful Miami Beach. PLV intend on being on location and offering useful information to PCAP attendee’s with special giveaways and exclusive offers.
“We couldn’t be happier to be partnered with Playhouse LV. We adore their ethos, passion and commitment to ensuring a safe, sexy and charismatic space for curious couples and singles. We are very excited to working with this forward-thinking organization for many years to come with a lot of laughs and fun!” Libertine Events Director Cate said.
PCAP is a new lifestyle destination by Libertine Events aimed at including all people within ethically non-monogamous lifestyles, as well as curious individuals who are seeking to learn about sexuality and relationships.
For more information on PCAP or PLV please visit www.libertineevents.com


text:
Benjamin Hayton, 43 of Cumberland Avenue, Leyland, Darren Millington, 52 of Hinstock, Shropshire, and Stephen Young, 55 of Goldthorn Ave, Wolverhampton, were convicted conspiracy to falsify drivers’ records on March 11, 2019 after a five week trial.
The men produced, supplied and fitted sophisticated tachograph interrupter devices to heavy goods vehicles, allowing lorry drivers to avoid taking breaks and to drive for longer than was legal, endangering the public.
Millington sourced the devices, Young designed them, and Hayton helped design them and fitted them for up to £1,500 each.
The fraud first came to light when DVSA Traffic Examiners stopped a lorry near the M6 in Lancashire and found that the tachograph safety device had been illegally modified.
As many as one in six crashes resulting in death or injury on major roads are fatigue-related.
All three face proceedings under the Proceeds of Crime Act and will appear before Judge Simon Newell at Preston's Sessions House Court on Monday.
The Lancashire Post is more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription to support our journalism. For unlimited access to Lancashire news and information online, you can subscribe here.


text:
Posted by Adrian Galbreth
The latest Nintendo DS console, which offers 3D entertainment, could create eye problems in some people, an expert has claimed.
Larry Benjamin, vice-president of the Royal College of Ophthalmologists, tested the new Nintendo 3DS on behalf of the Independent and said the 3D technology used in the device is "remarkable".
However, he noticed that the quality of the screen is dependent on how the user is positioned and claimed that being just five degrees off the ideal viewing angle could lead to the eyes becoming tired.
"I think it's fair to warn people they may experience eye strain, double vision or difficulty focusing [when playing the console]. I think it'd be sensible to do longer-term trials on it," Mr Benjamin told the newspaper.
A spokesman for Nintendo said that the firm has not heard of people experiencing problems because of the new device and reminded gamers that they should be taking regular breaks.
According to a disclaimer on Nintendo's website, the use of the system's 3D feature has a risk of "vision damage" for children aged six and under.
by Adrian Galbreth


text:
An Ilkeston barber has handed on his scissors after 13 years cutting townsfolk’s locks.
John Frudd, also an Erewash borough councillor for Kirk Hallam, has retired from his Pelham Street business.
“Building a business from scratch and turning it into a thriving barber’s shop has been a truly rewarding experience,” he said.
“During the past 13 years, most of my clients have made the progression from customers to personal friends.”
John’s Barbers will now be run by Heanor barbers Gary Furness and John Parry, and apprentice Nathan Shatton.
“I know that the business will be in safe hands and will continue to go from strength to strength, added John.


text:
We know where Shake Shack is opening in Manila
It's opening first quarter next year
Dec 6, 2018
When New York-based burger joint Shake Shack confirmed its plans to bring its famous burgers, shakes, and hot dogs to our shores in July, we didn’t know where exactly are they going to establish a Manila HQ.
But now we do.
We saw its graffiti-style hoarding at Central Square, Bonifacio Global City yesterday, Dec. 5, which is apparently a mural by street artist Jappy Agoncillo. Specialty retailer SSI Group Inc., Shake Shack’s partner in the Philippines, has also been dropping hints on its social media pages about the burger joint’s first Manila branch. And just earlier today, Dec. 7, SSI confirmed its location—on the corner of C1 Park and 5th Ave. in particular. It’s slated to open in the first quarter of 2019.
Started out as a “roadside” burger stand in Madison Square, New York in 2001, Shake Shack has now expanded to various states in the US and countries like the UK, Japan, China, and in the Middle East.
The burger joint is also known for championing sustainable agriculture. It uses its own blend of freshly ground 100 percent Angus beef from vegetarian-fed, humanely raised, and source-verified cattle. Its chicken meat is also sourced from a free-range farm. Its famous frozen custards are made using real sugar, not the dangerous high fructose corn syrup.
Featured image courtesy of Shake Shack on Instagram
9 essential tapas and pintxos bars in Manila
Visual artist Chalk Zaldivar offers a different way of looking at our family altar
9 beautiful Manila churches for your wedding
Here’s how to get started on your Art Fair 2020 experience
Learn the many ways to express the language of love


text:
Apple and IBM, once foes in the personal-computer market, announced on Tuesday that they are working together on the next wave of technology for mobile devices that taps into large pools of corporate data. The deal is expected to make Apple an even more serious player in the enterprise market.
The companies will develop more than 100 applications tailored for business use on the iPhone and iPad. Apple will provide its devices and operating-system expertise, while IBM will lend its muscle in cloud computing and security.
The partnership also merges one of the leading consumer technology brands with one known for its sizable enterprise business, a union that could accelerate similars offerings and marketing from competitors like Google, according to analysts.
For more Social Media News visit http://www.buzzmouth.com


text:
Payment providers are under more pressure than ever to adhere to customer demands, facilitate real-time payments and do so with no space for error. And as the benefits of fintech innovation become ever-more accessible, a striking number of providers are turning to the capabilities of the cloud to deliver what their customers really want.
On this note, James Bushby leads a narrative here that examines the highs and lows of mass cloud adoption in payments.
Bushby is currently serving as Mastercard’s senior VP for real-time payments, and here he leverages his position within one of the world’s leading cloud innovators to detail the considerations of cloud adoption within the wider payments landscape.
Furthermore, Bushby examines how cloud technology is supporting markets’ move to real-time payment systems and the impact this has on key areas of the market, such as privacy:
How cloud technology is revolutionising the payments landscape
In the last decade, we’ve seen a huge rise in the number of markets looking to modernise their payment systems. Consumers and businesses alike want access to smooth, real-time and secure payments, and innovations in areas like cloud technology are playing a vital role in achieving this.
Cloud computing isn’t new and certainly not unique to the payments industry. Industries around the world are utilising cloud services to better meet their customers’ needs, as well as their own. But the growth in adoption is staggering, with research by GFT Financial finding that 86 per cent of bankers have now adopted cloud services to some degree to harness its virtually unlimited scalability.
Rapid growth and increasing resilience
So why have we seen this rapid growth? First, cloud technology is breaking down old barriers. Previously systems like those in payments would need to be built, stored and operated in-house. Barriers to change, such as costs and complexity, are being broken down in favour of efficient, open and scalable platforms available to all. Not only does this mean it is easier to achieve consistency and compliance, but also has a greater potential to rapidly develop new products and services and get them to market.
Back in the 1960s, Gordon Moore predicted that computer processing power would double every two years. While there are some caveats, this prediction has proven incredibly accurate and underlines how rapidly technology can advance in a short space of time. Today, there are few areas where this is truer than with cloud computing.
Indeed, technological advances have made it possible to process increasingly complex and critical payment processes all within the cloud. Cloud-based services from the likes of Microsoft, Amazon and Google have proven to be hugely viable and cost-effective solutions for some aspects of payments processing in production environments. Many have previously implemented cloud technology themselves. But now, third parties run many of these services externally.
While security, privacy and control will always be paramount within the payments industry, these are continuously being improved through focused collaboration with financial institutions and fintechs using cloud technology. With central banks and regulators now examining the most appropriate way to manage the potential risks involved, while also realising its potential, the ability of financial institutions and fintechs to demonstrate increased resilience and address their concerns will be critical to enabling the wider adoption of the cloud in critical payment applications.
Many of the world’s biggest companies are now embracing the cloud. In 2020, Capital One announced it was going ‘all in on the cloud’ and moving away from its traditional eight data centres. Companies including Apple, Citi and Goldman Sachs have also said they will be embracing cloud technology. The ability to showcase cloud technology’s advantages in key areas will be vital to wider adoption for critical payment applications.
Payments on the edge
So, what are the potential pitfalls of cloud adoption and how can they be avoided?
One of the biggest challenges on the horizon is the ever-increasing number of new devices connecting to cloud services. From computers to smartphones, to wearable tech, the amount of information being sent back and forth across the cloud’s connections is rapidly increasing. This is putting more and more burden on central nodes which operate this kind of technology.
One emerging solution to this is to enable more data flow and computation to happen outside these nodes, on the edges of the network. More and more we are seeing this happen in our daily transactions, such as tapping our card to make a payment. Additionally, the shift from private to public clouds is enabling financial institutions and other businesses to scale up their services without having to build their own data centres, and the move to 5G networks speeds up the transfer of data to and from devices.
Not only does this allow cloud systems to scale with ease, but it also enables exciting new innovations like ‘smile to pay’ in the payments space, which could increase convenience by removing the need to reach for a wallet or smartphone when hands are full. Mastercard’s own work in this space is already leading to advances in how people pay for goods, with our biometric checkout programme meaning all people will need is themselves to be able to pay for goods when they leave a store.
A focus on privacy
While these advancements in cloud technology will be huge in terms of speed and convenience, one further challenge is the question of data and privacy, which is essential to the required trust and security needed to promote the use of any given payment system. A demonstrable commitment to strong data principles, as well as adherence to a common standard, is what builds this trust.
Some markets are considering data localisation laws, which make provisions to store and process data within a country’s borders. This seeks to overcome some of the geopolitical concerns we see across the world today but brings with it the risk of additional costs and complexity. Additionally, it would be important not to restrict the ability to provide network-level services on a global scale, especially in areas such as fraud and cybercrime, where criminals actively exploit schemes, systems and national borders. It’s therefore crucial that we protect privacy in a way that doesn’t stifle or restrict efforts by financial institutions and payments providers to monitor data on a global scale in the fight against fraud and cybercrime.
We are already seeing solutions to this challenge like the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) cross-border privacy rules (CBPR) system, which is allowing companies that comply with internationally recognised data privacy protection to share data within a region.
Adoption at scale
So, given the benefits, why is adoption not at a greater scale? To answer this, we must consider everything around the data and privacy concerns, which are understandably in the sights of central banks and regulators. Rapid advancements in cloud technology also play a part, as keeping up with the pace of change is a significant undertaking.
Yet despite these challenges, the benefits are clear. Cloud-related technological advancements are increasing the pace of payment modernisation. This speed thus translates into the speed at which new capabilities enter the market.
The challenge now is for everyone working in the payments landscape to come together to address these concerns and ensure more people can reap the benefits of cloud computing.
This guest post forms a continuation of Mastercard’s Payments Modernisation series, with prior segments available here.


text:
This post contains affiliate links. Affiliate disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, we may earn commissions from qualifying purchases from Amazon.com and other Amazon websites.
Modern smartwatches have been around for more than eight years, and while things have improved, tech companies are still churning out unimaginative designs.
Read the full article: https://www.digitaltrends.com/wearables/tech-companies-still-dont-understand-watch-design//
This article originally appeared on Digital Trends on 2021-05-21T20:00:49.000Z and was written by Andy Boxall.


text:
The newly single singer-songwriter, who is infamous for writing songs about her exes, has reportedly reached the top spot in Billboard Top 200 and has had the highest number of albums sold in just 7 days with her latest album.
In short, no other album has sold as much as far back as a decade, when Eminem released his 2002 album, “The Eminem Show.” Both artists sold more than 1 million copies, with Taylor being short of just .114 million from the rapper’s sales.
After all, “Red’ sold as much as 465,000 electronic copies and reached the #1 spot on iTunes alone within 36 minutes of its release last October 22.
If that’s not enough excuse to grab a copy, we don’t know what is!
Check out Taylor performing her biggest single from “Red,” “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together”:
Photo By PR Photos


text:
Google is getting down to business with its digital enterprise-friendly products. The technology giant just rolled out a Google Apps Referral Program and Google Docs and Sheets add-ons.
Prajesh Parekh of Google Apps marketing is talking up the referral program, comparing it to recommending a new coffee shop or a tool that that drives workplace efficiency. Google Apps would fall into the latter category. But unlike recommending a coffee shop or a new iPhone app to your buddy, recommending Google Apps will fetch you a $15 prize.
"Many of the millions of Google Apps customers learned about tools like Hangouts, Drive and Gmail for business from their customers, friends and networks," Parekh said. "The referral program makes it easy to share Google Apps with your network and show them how they, too, can use these tools at work. To show our appreciation, we're offering a $15 referral bonus for each new Google Apps user you refer."
Meanwhile, Dan Lazin over at the Google Apps team is giving folks one more reason to sign up for the digital products: Google Docs and Sheets add-ons. Lazin described these as new tools created by developers that aim to give end-users more features in their documents and spreadsheets.
"Joining the launch are more than 50 add-ons that partners have built using Apps Script. Now, we're opening up the platform in a developer-preview phase," Lazin said. "If you have a cool idea for Docs and Sheets users, we'd love to publish your code in the add-on store and get it in front of millions of users."
We caught up with Charles King, principal analyst at Pund-IT, to get his take on Google's moves. He told us the referral fee could get interesting.
"It's not a huge amount of money to a company like Google and I don't think it's enough money to be much of a temptation for people to refer a handful of friends and family," King said. "But if you are a business reseller and either not working with Microsoft or have a relationship with Microsoft that is not particularly close, it could represent a nice revenue opportunity for you and a chance for Google to capture more business."
Indeed, if an IT reseller could convince a business with 50 or 100 employees to switch to Google Apps it would be a lucrative venture. It's not certain what motivated Google to do this, though King speculates the company may be seeing a plateau in sign-ups. What better way to get end-users to evangelize your product than offering a few bucks for a kind word?
"Google wants to capture business users, and those are the users that Microsoft is loathe to lose. Those people, if they are buying boxed office software, are paying a couple of hundred bucks for user," King said. "If they are considering Office 365, they are looking at $50 to 100 a year per user. The idea of moving to a free productivity suite like Google apps could be an attractive incentive for businesses."
Posted: 2014-03-12 @ 8:26am PT
Love the idea, any thing that takes a bite out of Microsoft crime and is done legally has to be good.
Posted: 2014-03-11 @ 4:00pm PT
Principal Analyst? Apparently he doesn't price Google Apps because they cost $50 per year for business users. Oh right, he made a gmail account for free so its all free. Anyone telling you cloud is free doesn't know what they are talking about.


text:
News and Articles About Thanksgiving
The social media company tracked tweets from 2013 to find out when we're most likely to tweet about being happy, sad, hungover and late to work.
The maker of the irreverent Cards Against Humanity party game tacked $5 onto retail prices on a day when consumers expected to get ultra-deep discounts.
With the value of Bitcoin at record highs, and the holiday season upon us, there's no better time for the cryptocurrency to prove its mainstream usefulness.
Black Friday is when most people entice customers to buy more, more and more. One clothing retailer is doing the complete opposite.
From being born in the digital age to having time on your side, what young entrepreneurs should be thankful for this holiday season.
One day off for holiday shopping isn't enough. Here's how to show key members of your team and other stakeholders that you care.
If youre looking to lock horns with Big Box Discounters on one of the biggest shopping days of the year, we have some tips.
While brownies are always a good idea, here are three potentially longer lasting ways to say thanks to key people in your business life.
A look at when it's appropriate to send a thank-you note and other ways of showing appreciation to your clients, business partners and employees.
Fewer Americans Thankful for U.S. Economic Situation Than in the '80s. But They All Love Their Leftovers.
The percentage of adults thankful for the economic situation in the U.S. is lower than in 2010 and about a fifth of what it was in the mid-1980s, according to a new poll.
In an ideal world, your staff should feel appreciated 365 days a year. In the real world, gratitude sometimes gets forgotten. Here are 18 suggestions for remedying that.
Small-business retailers may not be able to match the Black Friday extravaganzas offered by the big-box stores, but there are certain things they can do to compete.
These five tips help your staff help harried shoppers on one of the busiest shopping days of the year.
Overall spending from Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday is expected to be relatively flat, but online shopping is expected to buck the trend.
Business owners eager to break out of the Small Business Saturday box are banding together in an attempt to conjure up some Black Friday magic.
The world's largest retailer will be opening its doors two hours earlier than last year and will also offer a limited number of Black Friday deals on Thanksgiving morning.
With Thanksgiving falling so late in November, there are fewer precious shopping days this year. For retailers, this means having to be extra creative to get customers through the door.
The retailer announced it will be open for its first Thanksgiving in history this year and while critics are grumbling, it's a brilliant sales strategy.
Expressing a little appreciation can go a long way. Here's how to take it beyond the greeting card sentiments and have meaningful conversations with customers, employees and vendors.
A new survey finds shoppers either stocked up on Thanksgiving weekend, or are waiting until the last minute to find their holiday gifts.
As giant retailers open for business on Thanksgiving Day, small companies may also feel the pressure to open their doors.
Expressing gratitude can be good for business. Here are ways to make your appreciation more meaningful to your employees, vendors and customers.


text:
South Korea’s Woori Bank has begun accepting Samsung Pay. “Nautilus Hyosung, a banking techology firm, said Samsung Pay will be accepted at some 1,000 ATMs operated by Woori Bank,” Yonhap reports. The ATM provider also said it aims to expand the availability of Samsung Pay compatible ATMs around the globe. Samsung Pay launched in Korea last month and is expected to launch in the US on September 28.
- Alipay and UnionPay to support Japanese J-Coin digital currency
- ETSI mandates hardware security for consumer IoT devices
- Swiss railway operator SBB to roll out account-based mobile ticketing
- EU sets out plans for contactless European identity cards
- SK Telecom and Deutsche Telekom to build blockchain-based digital ID platform


text:
The independent publisher behind licensed comics such as "Red Sonja" and "The Bionic Man" will launch a toy company spinoff next year.
Being one of the most successful publishers in the U.S. comic book industry -- with a portfolio that includes such well-known characters as the Shadow, Doc Savage and Vampirella -- is apparently not enough for New Jersey-based Dynamite Entertainment. As the company announced at the Dallas Toy Fair, soon it will move into the merchandise business with a new range of toys and games based on its comic output.
The launch of Dynamite Toys and Games is the end result of a multiyear process, according to Nick Barrucci, the CEO and publisher of Dynamite. "We have been building toward Dynamite Toys and Games for several years, waiting for a special occasion to reenter the 3D market, and our tenth anniversary [in 2014] is that moment," he said in the company's official announcement.
The first properties to appear via Dynamite's toy line will be Army of Darkness, Vampirella, Red Sonja and The Six Million Dollar Man, with the latter celebrating its 40th anniversary with action figures, a statue and "novelties" from the company. Dynamite will also relaunch the "Eternal Toys" brand for a line of merchandise based on the Chaos Comics characters recently acquired by the company.
"Our initial plans and projections for action figures, novelties, gaming cards, board games, calendars, T- shirts, plush products and more has everyone involved very excited," Barrucci continued. "Retailers and fans worldwide can expect to see themed promotions moving forward, including such genre-based themes as Dynamite Women, science fiction, fantasy, sword and sorcery, magic, horror and so much more." Products from Dynamite Toys will start appearing in stores in 2014.


text:
Previously, Wonho announced the launch of his YouTube channel as fans excitedly waited for his first video.
On October 1, a couple of hours after the announcement, Wonho posted his first video. In his first video, he decided to do a cooking episode along with a Mukbang of his dish. Wonho revealed that it seems a lot of people order delivery these days so he wanted to personally cook at home rather than eating delivery food.
Wonho revealed he prepared a dish called "Mille-feuille Nabe." He told his fans this recipe is super easy and pulled out a prepackaged meal. The package included all the fresh ingredients need to cook the napa cabbage and beef dish.
Wonho carefully looked at the ingredients and began cooking the dish. He checked the instruction from time to time and with a few bumps along the way he was able to successfully cook his first dish on YouTube.
He stated, "I think the taste is the most important rather than the process of making the food." After the dish was completed, Wonho was able to finally get a taste of the Mille-feuille Nabe dish. Wonho ended the episode with a short Mukbang of him eating his homemade dish.


text:
According to reports, Samsung is rethinking its A-series camera configuration. The business plans to release more Galaxy A-series smartphones next year. The Samsung Galaxy A24, Galaxy A34, and Galaxy A54 are among them. Prior to the release of these smartphones, we may anticipate Samsung to release the Galaxy A23s, Galaxy A33s, and so on. Meanwhile, a fresh leak has revealed the camera specifications for the Galaxy A24, A34, and A54.
Samsung is supposedly making this step to compete with superior camera specifications, rather than packing as many cameras as possible on the smartphone, which is a good option. Reduced costs are another reason for the relocation.
The Samsung Galaxy A24, Galaxy A34, and Galaxy A54 are all expected to be released early next year featuring a triple-camera configuration on the rear. According to The Elec, Samsung will abandon the tradition of including a 2MP depth sensor in its Galaxy A-series phones, which will be released next year.
According to the same report, the Galaxy A24 will have a 50 MP main sensor, an 8 MP ultrawide, and a 5 MP macro camera, while the A34 will have a 48 MP main sensor while the other two remain the same. Surprisingly, if this story is right, the A54, which should be the top of the line in this group, will only contain a 5 MP ultrawide camera. This will be in addition to the 50 MP primary camera and the, sadly, still essential for Samsung 5 MP macro camera.
Has this sensor inflation (which appears to have predicted real inflation) ever persuaded anyone that a $200 Samsung, Poco, or Redmi has fantastic cameras just because there are so many of them? Nobody knows. However, this tendency must halt soon, and it appears that Samsung will do its part to assist. If this story is true, it will be off to a terrific start.


text:
USA today has an interesting article regarding the risks associated with online banking. The article describes the ordeals of an Ameritrade customer that had $60,000 worth of securities transferred out of his account and a Bank of America business customer that had over $90,000 transferred out from his bank account.
While some legal protections are available to consumers in the US, the same does not hold true for commercial customers. Also, while most online transactions are now commonly performed using secure encryption to protect the messages going back and forth across the Internet, it is still possible for a virus program or trojan horse installed on the customer’s computer to capture login information and transmit it electronically to criminals.
Anti-virus program, anti-spyware programs and personal firewalls are all important to help protect against this type of fraud. Various upgrades to online authentication protocols being considered by Bank of America and other financial institutions are also important. However, in my view real protection will only come from using two-factor authentication techniques such as the devices such as those sold by RSA.


text:
Italian luxury supercar manufacturer Ferrari will become the latest blue-chip car company to start accepting cryptocurrencies as payment. The move comes following requests from its customers and potential clients who are invested in the digital asset. The company’s chief marketing and commercial officer, Enrico Galliera, confirmed the decision in an interview with Reuters last week.
The scheme will first be introduced in the US and later extended to the European market. Galliera noted that the plan to accept cryptocurrencies is part of the supercar and racecar manufacturer’s efforts to reduce its own carbon footprint through the introduction of newer technology and widespread use of renewable resources for operations.
Ferrari targets to reach carbon neutrality across its whole supply chain by 2030.
Customers Can Buy Their Ferraris With Bitcoin And Ether
Ferrari’s decision was motivated by market demand and dealer requests. The automaker believes the crypto-focused initiative will help connect its brand with young and wealthy individuals who are not necessarily its clients but have built their fortunes around cryptocurrencies. Meanwhile, there are a few other customers who are interested in diversifying their portfolio to include crypto assets.
Ferrari customers will be able to buy their luxury prancing horses with Bitcoin (BTC), Ether (ETH), Circle USD (USDC), Tether (USDT), and other stablecoins. The payment processing will be done on BitPay in the US with other processors expected to take charge in different regions. The supercar manufacturer said that it does not plan to add any surcharges or additional fees for payments done with cryptocurrencies and the prices will remain the same regardless.
The company has shipped over 1,800 cars to North America, including the US, in the first of this year. However, sales in the region dropped by 17%, while shipments to Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA), its largest region accounting for 46% of total car sales in 2023, increased by 17%.
However, Ferrari has no plans to introduce crypto payments in Mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, another major market for the supercar manufacturer, as Beijing has completely restricted the use of cryptocurrencies.
Know more :
Bitpay Will Immediately Convert The Buyer’s Crypto Into Fiat To Avoid Any Price Fluctuation
Galliera said that one of the main goals of the company when it comes to crypto payments is to directly handle the transactions and shield customers from the volatile price fluctuations in the crypto market. To achieve this, Bitpay will immediately convert clients’ cryptocurrency payments into subsequent dollars on behalf of the Ferrari dealer.
Bitpay will also ensure that the digital currencies come from legitimate sources and are not proceeds of criminal activities or assets used to launder money or evade tax.
Ferrari said that almost all of its major US dealers have already signed up to the program, or are in the process of agreeing to the scheme. However, the company did not say how many cars it is expected to sell through crypto.
Crypto Scheme Will Be Extended To Europe And Other Regions In 2024
Anyways, Ferrari’s order portfolio is fully booked well into 2025. So any purchases using crypto will be for cars that will be delivered in two years’ time. The crypto purchase program, which has already begun in the US, will be extended to Europe by the first quarter of 2024, followed by other countries where crypto tokens are accepted as a legal form of payment.
Ferrari was founded by racecar driver Enzo Ferrari as a racing team in 1940. The company started producing its current line of road cars in 1947. The legendary Italian automaker is considered to be one of the best and most decorated teams in motorsports history with drivers and constructors titles in Formula One, 24 Hours of Le Mans, 24 Hours of Spa, 24 Hours of Daytona, 12 Hours of Sebring, and the World Sportscar Championship.


text:
Ahead of its January 1 effective date for the California Consumer Privacy Act, HITRUST incorporated the standard into its Common Security Framework to help providers measure compliance.
HITRUST announced it’s incorporated the California Consumer Privacy Act standard into its Common Security Framework (CSF), to support providers measuring CCPA compliance during existing risk assessment and certification processes.
HITRUST is a data protection standards and development certification organization that supports providers, business associates, and vendors better safeguard their sensitive data and manage IT risk, across all industries and throughout the third-party supply chain.
CCPA is considered to be as stringent as the EU General Data Protection Regulation, intended to give consumers more control over their data. It’s seen as a model for other privacy regulations, including the New York Shield Act, which went into effect on October 23.
The law was designed to empower consumers, creating an expectation that they can access their data, ask for it to be corrected or deleted, and even limit its uses.
Want to publish your own articles on DistilINFO Publications?
Send us an email, we will get in touch with you.
All US organizations that collect or use personal or private data from California residents must comply with CCPA, which goes into effect on January 1, 2020. While the law does carve out exceptions for the healthcare sector for HIPAA-covered data, healthcare organizations will still need to ensure whether any personal information they collect is outside of the scope of CCPA.
However, security and compliance leaders have noted that many organizations are finding it challenging to sift through the increasing number of state and federal privacy and security regulations to ensure and maintain compliance.
To HITRUST, by adding the CCPA to its CSF framework, organizations will be able to quickly assess if they meet the new privacy requirements, as well as whether any gaps need to be remediated. The law will have “a significant impact,” given its extensive rules for organizations mandating they implement and maintain reasonable security procedures.
Organizations required to comply with the law can perform a CCPA assessment by adding the CCPA as a regulatory factor through the MyCSF assessment tool. Those organizations already leveraging the HITRUST standard will be able to identify and implement applicable privacy controls, using fewer resources.
The latest HITRUST CSF includes both mappings and information related to CCPA, including both the original version and recent amendments. Officials said they will continue to enhance the CCPA language in the framework and its risk management and compliance tools.
“The HITRUST CSF includes comprehensive privacy controls as well as mappings to both the CCPA and the GDPR,” according to the release. “The CCPA is just different enough from the GDPR to create confusion in terms of compliance. HITRUST has helped businesses manage GDPR compliance and will help organizations doing business in California to minimize the impact of new regulatory requirements.”
“The CCPA requires American organizations to look at data in a new way, as we are not used to data subjects having the type of rights granted them under the CCPA,” Anne Kimbol, HITRUST Chief Privacy Officer, said in a statment. “By including leading privacy standards and principles, including EU’s GDPR and the CCPA mappings into the HITRUST CSF, we help our customers identify and mitigate gaps and risks in their existing programs that help them meet not just the growing compliance requirements but also customer expectations.”
A recent HITRUST study found that nearly all organizations that pursue HITRUST CSF certification to demonstrate security strength and compliance not only maintain, but improve their security posture over time.
Source: Healthit Security


text:
B2B marketers target brand building | WARC | The Feed
You didn’t return any results. Please clear your filters.
B2B marketers target brand building
Two-thirds (67%) of senior B2B marketers plan to maintain or increase their spend on brand building over the next six months, despite current economic conditions impacting budgets, according to a new study from LinkedIn.
The professional network’s global B2B Marketer Sentiment study* surveyed over 1,700 B2B marketing leaders from across the world and found that around half have seen budgets affected in some way, but three-quarters (76%) remain optimistic about their marketing strategy over the next six months.
Why it matters
Brand building is a long-term activity that can suffer during a downturn as short-term measures are prioritised. A majority of B2B marketers, however, understand the importance of continuing to invest in building their brands.
Alongside the expected reasons – a strong brand supports long-term sales (cited by 52% of respondents) and helps it stay top of mind for buyers (42%) – more than a third (38%) also said that it helps them to attract talent, an important consideration in times of uncertainty.
- B2B marketers in India are most optimistic about their strategies (94%), followed by Saudi Arabia (92%) and the US (91%); only 56% of marketers in the UK and 50% of marketers in Germany felt positive about their plans.
- As B2B marketers look to do more with less, proving marketing effectiveness to influential stakeholders in the organisation is critical. Of the companies that have seen budgets impacted, 30% say the business does not understand B2B marketing ROI.
- Some B2B marketers see this time as an opportunity to invest in building relationships and trust with customers (28%), and a chance to stay relevant and rethink their brand story (22%).
- Marketing leaders say creativity tops the list of skills needed for marketers to navigate uncertainty (56%).
“One of the critical keys is to optimise investment in creating future demand while at the same time harvesting existing demand. It takes a strong brand to do this, and a smart interlock of brand and demand activities and investment” – Tom Stein, Chairman and Chief Growth Officer, Stein IAS.
*An online survey of 1,703 senior B2B marketing decision makers in the US, UK, France, Germany, Netherlands, Italy, Spain, UAE, KSA, Brazil, Australia, India and Singapore was conducted in mid-September 2022.
Sourced from LinkedIn
Email this content


text:
‘I charge a lot because I pay a lot’
“I charge a lot because I pay a lot.” The problems of farming and the high prices of food in Cuba are summarized in those words by a greengrocer who, though he sells directly to the consumer, refuses to lower his prices.
Because we’re talking about a nation’s food supply and, as we all know, “we don’t play with our food,” that brief phrase has serious connotations.
The high cost of food is typical of a market limited by the scant supply (low productivity), by a long and tangled chain of commercialization and production, and by the strict conditions in which farmers labor.
Some of these aspects have been widely analyzed by experts on the subject who, for years, have warned about the importance of correcting what is known to be working poorly.
This is a moment of crisis. But it is not a recent problem because, for many years, farming in Cuba has been slow to take off — and still hasn’t.
Nor are high prices something new. In fact, in the past, several efforts have been made to put a cap on them, without any positive results.
In other words, we know that this top limit on prices has not worked. Even so, in the Jan. 17 issue of the Tribuna de La Habana (and only in that newspaper, as far as we know) we learned of the expansion of the network of state-run farmers markets in Havana, supplied by farmers in Artemisa and Mayabeque provinces and governed by an official list of prices with an obligatory ceiling.
In late December 2015, some of the deputies to the National Assembly during the Sixth Session of the Eighth Legislature put this solution on the table. In view of the concern raised by the high prices of food, President Raúl Castro said that this was “a worrisome issue” that needed to be solved “momentarily, at least” but without delay.
Days later, facing the possibility that the government might impose — at least momentarily — a ceiling on the prices of various farm products, the markets in Havana became practically empty. In fact, some of them shut down.
According to La Tribuna, the producers and middlemen in the food distribution chain had heeded their leaders and taken their own measures, i.e., “concealed the merchandise to put pressure on the prices, and for that reason several operators were taken before the prosecutor’s office.”
Private producers and members of the Credit and Service Cooperatives (CCS) are an economically important group. According to the National Office of Statistics and Data, the two entities together produce 69.7 percent of the nation’s food in only 20.6 percent of arable land.
They are also responsible for 66.2 percent of the nation’s production of milk, whereas the State produces only 13 percent. They also own 66.3 percent of the dairy cows, 65.8 percent of the cattle and 57 percent of the hogs.
For this reason, the consequences of the latest measures can be as serious as the quote that began this article, so long as the largest production of food in the nation is not in the hands of the State sector. Still, it is the responsibility of the State to act and make sure that the agro market adheres as much as possible to fair competition.
Besides, we’d have to analyze the productive capability of the farms in Artemisa and Mayabeque provinces, which furnish Havana, to learn the real possibility that their supplies are “of quality” and delivered “in a permanent manner.” But those data are not available.
In this case, the producers might sell the rest of their goods to other forms of non-state commercialization, after fulfilling their contracts with the State, and the remainders might be sold at high (or higher) prices because the quantities are small.
The article in La Tribuna does not mention the volume of production to be sold to the State through those contracts. Some time ago, a producer of beef, rice, milk or potatoes had to sell an average of 80 percent of his production to the State. That changed, after the decentralization of food production, to about 51 percent.
The final objective was that the State-bought supplies could be concentrated on the social projects that the Cuban State guarantees: schools, hospitals, child-care centers, etc.
But with the recent capping of prices, we may be seeing a return to the major commitments to the State, which means a step backward for Cuban agriculture.
Even with products where the State had always played an almost monopolistic role, such as beef and milk, the prices charged to the population remained high. Why didn’t they drop earlier?
On the other hand, some Internet sites have been reporting this week on a ban on “carretilleros” (push-cart vendors). Though the ban has not been officially imposed and itinerant vendors still can be seen on the city streets, some cases have come to light.
‘Pricing is a system’
As President Castro told Minister of the Economy Marino Murillo at the National Assembly, the Cuban functionaries responsible for the agro sector were to meet on Jan. 4 to analyze those problems.
It wasn’t until last Sunday (Jan. 17) that the printed edition of Tribuna de La Habana — and no other medium — reported on the capping of prices in State-run agro markets.
Through the reports of the fewer than 10 journalists who covered the National Assembly debates, we learned that Agriculture Minister Gustavo Rodríguez Rollero told of the creation of eight organizations devoted to the improvement of entrepreneurial system in the agro sector. The reports also told of the disciplinary measures imposed on agro-sector providers.
We also heard, from the lips of Finance and Prices Minister Lina Pedraza, about some measures “intended to achieve gradual increases and greater output in agro production,” which can be translated into lower taxes and some payment exceptions for food producers.
That’s good news, considering that, in general, a heavy tax burden ends up reflected in the final price of food — astronomical numbers paid by the consumer at large.
But nothing was published (we don’t even know if anything was discussed) about the complex situation of the producers. Everything they buy is expensive: fuel, technical and organic supplies, etc.
Although the process of commercialization was decentralized by the State, in the link representing the producer (perhaps the most important link), the mechanism continues to be very strict. True, there has been some improvement. For example, the new contracts say that the producers can deliver a smaller portion of their production to the State, but the productive sector remains hampered by the nonexistence of a supplies market where farmers can find and buy what they need at the precise moment.
Let’s not forget that the agro sector deals with living organisms and animals, and nature cannot wait for the fertilizers the land needs.
In numerous publications, Prof. Armando Nova, who has researched the topic for years, has studied in detail the principal obstacles to agriculture in Cuba. To the above-mentioned obstacles could be added that, although the price of crude oil on the world market has dropped, that drop has not been totally reflected in the prices on the island.
Producers don’t even have a special price list, as do some non-agro cooperatives in the transportation sector. All this explains — though it doesn’t justify — the fact that some producers under-declare the real amounts of foodstuffs, so as not to sell their entire production for a lower price than they can get in a supply-and-demand market, as Tribuna de La Habana has reported.
That is a bad sign, to say the least. Because the State can calculate the production that reaches its hands, but the farmer has a thousand ways to not declare the total volume of his production.
On the other hand, the land is mostly in the hands of the non-State sector.
The matter of high prices is not restricted to foodstuffs. At the National Assembly, deputy Adalberto Fernández showed the relationship between the prices of agro products (“which will not fall by decree”) and the rest of the prices nationwide.
“In general, what’s happening has to do with the pricing policy that exists in all networks of commerce (240%)” he said, according to the daily Juventud Rebelde.
“If the prices of products at the Hard-currency Stores (TRD) don’t drop, if a pair of working boots continue to be so expensive, we cannot expect the price of pork, or the other products the people demand, to drop.”
That’s what most of the black-market vendors are repeating: “Take advantage of our prices, because we sell cheaper than the shopping mall.” Except that, in reality, the prices are less expensive. There’s a big difference.
Simply put, pricing is a system. In the words of numerous economists, you can’t put a price on a farm product without considering that aspect. If the State-owned stores sell milk at twice the price of the underground market, that will have a bearing on the rest of the components of the price chain.
Not dealing with the situation this way is ignoring a reality that for years has mistreated the Cuban population, because the prices keep rising.
[Photo at top by Carlos Ernesto Escalona Martí (Kako]