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Carvana is now established in nine Texas markets after adding three more in the Lone Star State on Tuesday.
The company said via a news release that its e-commerce platform for buying and selling used vehicles is now available to consumers in Killeen, College Station and Waco.
“Today’s launches put us in nine markets in the Lone Star State,” Carvana founder and chief executive officer Ernie Garcia said. “Many Texans have welcomed the new way to buy a car, and we’re looking forward to bringing online car buying and home delivery to Killeen, College Station and Waco area residents.”
With the growth in Texas, Carvana now offers as-soon-as-next-day vehicle delivery in 105 cities across the U.S.
Customers who visit Carvana.com can examine more than 15,000 vehicles that are photographed in 360 degrees, so customers get a high-definition virtual tour of every model. Additionally, all Carvana vehicles come with a seven-day return policy, giving customers the peace of mind and time to ensure the vehicle fits their life.
Furthermore, every Carvana vehicle is Carvana Certified, meaning it has undergone a 150-point inspection, has no frame damage and has never been in a reported accident. Features, imperfections and updated information about open safety recalls are listed on the vehicle description page.


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Huntsman reports lower sales, higher profits for 2016
Chemical supplier Huntsman Corporation has reported lower sales, but higher profits, in full-year 2016.
Total company sales for Woodlands, Tex.-based Huntsman dropped six per cent to less than US$9.7 billion in 2016, but the firm’s profit shot up to US$357 million compared to its 2015 level of US$126 million.
“At the beginning of 2016, we announced our intent to generate more than $350 million of free cash flow,” said company president and CEO Peter R. Huntsman. “We delivered a record $686 million of free cash flow in 2016, including $117 million during the fourth quarter. We used this cash, together with proceeds from the sale of our European surfactants business, to repay $560 million in debt, significantly strengthening our balance sheet.”
The firm’s MDI urethanes business continues to show “steady and impressive growth,” Huntsman said, with differentiated MDI sales volumes growing six per cent compared to last year. “Advanced materials and textile effects have become solid performers with steady and modestly improving earnings,” he continued. “Our performance products business is poised for recovery in 2017. As TiO2 prices have rebounded, our pigments and additives division saw earnings double from 2015 and we expect earnings to improve meaningfully in 2017, due largely to price increases in TiO2 and the cumulative benefits of restructuring.”
Huntsman also is in the process of spinning off its titanium dioxide business into a separate firm named Venator. Huntsman will retain a 40 per cent stake in the new company.
“As I look at the past year, I am impressed by the quality of earnings that our businesses have achieved and how we are positioned moving into 2017,” Huntsman said.

domain: news


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The report comes on the heels of a separate privacy proposal issued earlier this month by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) which, among other recommendations, calls for the development of a “do not track” browser mechanism so consumers can choose whether to allow the collection of data regarding online searching and browsing activities.
The Commerce Department's report outlines a new online privacy framework to increase the protection of consumers' data.
“America needs a robust privacy framework that preserves consumer trust in the evolving internet economy while ensuring the web remains a platform for innovation, jobs and economic growth,” Commerce Secretary Gary Locke said in a statement.
In its report, the Commerce Department urged the development of a privacy Bill of Rights – a set of principles concerning how online companies collect and use personal information for commercial purposes that would serve as the foundation of online consumer data privacy in the United States.
The government should also consider developing certain industry-specific codes of conduct that the FTC would enforce, the Commerce Department recommended. In addition, the report advocates the development of a privacy office within the Department of Commerce to work with the FTC and other federal entities to develop the codes of conduct.
The report additionally recommends synchronizing the many state data breach notification rules to provide clarity to consumers and to streamline industry compliance rules. Also, the government should work with its global trading partners to bridge differences in privacy frameworks, the department recommended.
The Commerce Department's report has garnered mixed reactions. Nonprofit advocacy group Consumer Watchdog said the proposal is “inadequate” and relies on the “failed” privacy self-regulation model by calling for voluntary, enforceable codes.
The framework “would perpetuate current failed practices that give companies, not consumers, control of consumer data,” Consumer Watchdog said.
In its report, however, the Commerce Department said it recognized that a solution above and beyond self-regulation is needed.
“Self-regulation without stronger enforcement is not enough,” Locke said in a statement. “Consumers must trust the internet in order for businesses to succeed online.”
But members of the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB), a group that represents online advertising companies, praised the report and said it provides “vital support for industry self-regulation.”
“We are gratified by the report's recognition that advertising is a key driver of the global information economy, and the United States continues to be the worldwide leader in this ecosystem,” the IAB said in a statement.
The Commerce Department currently is seeking additional comment from the public.


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A visit by Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed to a Dubai Mall coffee shop has gone viral.
The Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, was seen having a coffee with Mohamed Alabbar, the chairman of Emaar Properties.
Videos show the pair walking through Fashion Avenue, the mall’s high-end shopping area, to share a coffee near a Louis Vuitton store.
They were joined by Tijjani Muhammad-Bande, the President of the current session of the United Nations General Assembly, who is in the UAE to participate in the 10th General Assembly of the International Renewable Energy Agency, Irena.
Over coffee, they discussed humanitarian and developmental, countering climate change and sustainable development, reported state news agency WAM.
Mohammed Al Mazrouei, the undersecretary of the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince’s Court, and Lana Nusseibeh, the UAE’s permanent representative to the UN, were also present.
Others shared videos of the Crown Prince shaking hands and chatting with visitors as he toured the mall.
Social media users shared montages of the mall visit set to Emirati pop music.


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Dr Andrea Little-Limbago is Senior VP of Research Analysis at Interos, the operational resilience specialist. Here, she gives her top five predictions for supply chain trends that are likely to form the ‘new normal’ for 2023.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co CEO Morris Chang recently declared that “globalisation and free trade are almost dead”. His comments came on the heels of yet another year of supply chain disruption.
Last year began with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and ended with China’s massive reversal of its zero-COVID policy.
These events took an enormous human toll, and also sent shockwaves throughout supply chains. But Little-Limbago says such events are not one-offs, but rather part of a ‘new normal’.
Below are the key themes that she believes will shape this new normal for global supply chains into 2023 and beyond.
Supply chain trends 2023: Tapering globalisation
Chang was correct that the globalisation of the last four decades is receding, however it is not disappearing. Instead, globalisation is undergoing a massive transformation, reshaped by geopolitics and emerging technologies.
Nearshoring, onshoring, and allyshoring are core features of this global transformation.
The US-China trade war and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine are among the geopolitical reasons that nearly two-thirds of CEOs say they are reshoring and another 25% plan on reshoring into 2023, with Vietnam and Mexico often viewed as strategic alternatives.
Global labour conditions and economic volatility are also foundational to this nascent transformation.
Supply chain trends 2023: Changing spheres of Influence
TSMC’s decision to build a semiconductor plant in the US is reflective of the splintering of technological ecosystems along geopolitical fault lines.
The US has issued numerous restrictions targeting China’s tech industry as well as human rights violations, often in conjunction with like-minded countries. These come on the heels of the addition of over 1000 Russian and Chinese companies to the US
Department of Commerce’s restricted lists since 2016. In return, China has taken these moves to the WTO, initiating a dispute over US sanctions. Fault lines between the digital data privacy movement (such as the GDPR) strike a contrast to the digital
authoritarianism that infringes on data access, cross-border data flows, and privacy further deepen the techno-divide and upend supply chains.
Supply chain trends 2023: Supply chain shocks
Localised instability caused by climate volatility and political conflict will have ongoing global supply chain effects. China’s 2022 heatwave was the most severe recorded and followed 2021’s floods.
Europe’s heatwave threatened key shipping lanes and inventories, including chemicals and agriculture. Data disruptions due to data centre outages will be more common as data centres have migrated toward areas of water scarcity. Each of these had broader global supply chain impacts.
Geopolitical hotspots also will remain a growing risk sparked by US-China tensions and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, as well as persistent economic volatility, labour unrest, and government dissatisfaction across the globe. China and Taiwan will dominate attention, but other regions are also at risk of broader supply chain disruptions, as the protests in Canada and at California’s ports highlighted this year.
Supply chain trends 2023: Greater ESG prioritisation
With regulations such as Germany’s new supply chain law, Lieferkettengesetz, and the United States’ Uyghur Forced Labour Prevention Act will grow in importance throughout 2023, with Europe leading the way in ESG implementation.
Over the next year the defence and technology industries will increasingly prioritise ESG and sustainable supply chains as core features of security and innovation.
For instance, a proposed Federal Acquisition Regulation rule would integrate accountability for greenhouse gas emissions and climate-related financial risk.
Aerospace and Defense companies' priorities are increasingly including ESG standards and growing sustainable supply chains as a core component of operational resilience, while CIOs are taking the lead in ESG strategies given the large role of technologies in energy consumption.
Supply chain trends 2023: Collective resilience
The steady beat of supply chain disruptions will spark innovations in collaboration and collective resilience.
From the Cybersecurity Infrastructure Security Agency’s Shields Up campaign to global partnerships such as AUKUS, the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, and the Minerals Security Partnership, there are a series of ongoing initiatives that are reshaping and modernising the post-World War II global order and supply chains.
A similar trend is emerging in the private sector, as companies focus on building trusted supply chain networks, such as Vale and GMs Nickel Supply Chain Agreement and Intel and ASML’s semiconductor lithography technology collaboration.
Collaboration among trusted networks will continue to spark innovation and provide greater resilience in this new normal.


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Corning Beats Fourth-Quarter Estimates; Shares Fall Anyway
Shares of Corning are nearly 6% lower this afternoon, following this morning's release of the company's fourth-quarter results.
The maker of specialty glass and ceramic products saw non-generally accepted accounting principles earnings rise 4% year over year to $0.29 per share, just above Wall Street's $0.28 estimate. Corning's $2 billion in sales also topped analyst targets.
High volumes of low-margin fiber-optic cable sales drove revenue 12% higher year over year in the optical communications segment, but operating income dropped 18% in the same department.
The specialty materials division recorded 29% lower sales and a 42% thinner segment profit compared to the year-ago period. Lower volumes of Gorilla Glass to smartphone and tablet builders drove these declines.
The company said it expects Gorilla Glass volume to increase on a yearly basis in the first quarter and said there was a "very positive reaction to our new Antimicrobial Corning Gorilla Glass at the Consumer Electronics Show earlier this month. And, we expect to expand Gorilla Glass into the automotive and architectural markets this year."
On the upside for the most recent quarter, recent acquisitions lifted the life sciences segment to 14% higher sales and 31% stronger earnings. Environmental technologies more than doubled its profit on 9% higher sales, powered by strong orders from commercial-duty vehicle builders.
Looking ahead, Corning CFO James Flaws said he expects moderate growth in LCD panel products and a strong surge in fiber-optic communications orders. Heavy-duty diesel vehicles in Europe and China should drive single-digit sales growth in the environmental department next quarter, while specialty materials and life sciences are coming in relatively flat.
"We are optimistic that we will have another year of improved growth, profitability, and strong cash flow for Corning," Flaws said in a press release.
Corning shares have fallen 10% over the last three trading days. After this correction, the stock has returned a market-beating 40.5% to investors over the last 52 weeks.
The article Corning Beats Fourth-Quarter Estimates; Shares Fall Anyway originally appeared on Fool.com.Anders Bylund has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Corning. The Motley Fool owns shares of Corning. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Copyright © 1995 - 2014 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.


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The users of the now defunct MobileMe service from Apple were surprised 10 months ago when the company decided to give them an extra year of free iCloud storage. Unfortunately, it would appear that Apple won't be giving out any more iCloud space freebies to the former subscribers of MobileMe, which shut down in June 2012.
CultofMac is reporting that those MobileMe members are now getting friendly emails from Apple, stating that the free iCloud storage amounts will definitely end on September 30th. The storage space varied from 10, 20 to 50 GB, depending on how much those former MobileMe customers were paying for the service before Apple shut it down.
Apple had previously extended the free storage deadline from June 30th, 2012 to September 30th, 2012 and then again to September 30th, 2013. It's safe to say that the company has been quite generous in giving its paid MobileMe subscribers lots of free time and space on iCloud.
After September 30th, those MobileMe users will find their iCloud storage will be reduced down to the regular 5 GB of free space, unless they choose to pay for extra storage amounts. Apple's email states, "If you exceed your storage plan on September 30, 2013, iCloud Backup, Documents in the Cloud, and iCloud Mail will temporarily stop working."
Source: CultofMac | Image via Apple


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Phoenix Public Market Celebrates Grand Opening of Urban Grocery
It's been a long time coming.
Tuesday marks the first official day for the new Phoenix Public Market Urban Grocery & Wine Bar, after non-profit Community Food Connections' extensive fundraising efforts, planning, and renovation of the vintage red brick building that's now its permanent home. Business hours are 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., while the in-house coffee shop, Royal Coffee Bar, opened earlier this month with earlier hours, from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Stocked with locally grown produce from the same vendors who will continue to populate the outdoor farmers market (held in the parking lot on Wednesdays, from 4 to 8 p.m., and Saturdays, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.), the grocery will be a welcome amenity for people living and working in the neighborhood.
Special activities are planned throughout this week, including a Grand Opening fundraiser on Thursday evening, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. (advance tickets are $45). Mayor Phil Gordon and chef Christopher Gross will be hosting the soiree, which will feature live music, local wine and beer, and food samples from farmers market vendors and local eateries, including Nine 05 and PastaBar.
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- 100 Favorite Dishes 2015: Pork Chop at Mrs. White's Golden Rule Cafe


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SAD! Trader Shot Dead For Refusing To Sell Cigarettes
The life of a trader identified as MM is apparently only worth a pack of cigarettes.
That is at least what some suspected cult members who shot him dead have proven.
The gunmen said to be numbering five, killed MM, for allegedly refusing to sell a pack of cigarettes to them.
A source on Tuesday said that the trader was shot in the head at his shop at the Gaa Akanbi area of Ilorin, Kwara State, by one of the suspected cult members.
It was learnt that the assailants went to the victim’s shop to buy cigarettes.
MM allegedly said he had run out of stock, even when one of the gunmen pointed to a pack of cigarettes in the shop.
The trader was said to have told the suspected cult members that the pack had been bought by another customer.
“The cult members were enraged when he told them that the man that bought the cigarettes was on his way to collect them.
“One of them pulled out his gun and shot MM in the head,” a source said.
While MM was in the throes of death, the cult members reportedly went into the shop, took the pack of cigarettes and fled.
The Kwara State Police Public Relations Officer, Ajayi Okasanmi, confirmed the killing.


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The Shakopee City Council on Tuesday will consider a slimmer tax increment financing package for a new Amazon distribution center in Shakopee after council members balked at the upside of the initial $6.4 million proposal.
Revised plans cut the TIF package to nearly $5.8 million, shaving 10 percent off the original value of the nine-year subsidy, according to city documents. The new framework restricts tax breaks to 90 percent of the tax base generated by the project, meaning Amazon would pay taxes on the remaining 10 percent slice.
The changes came after discussions between city staffers and council members, some of whom have questioned the merits of a subsidy for the proposed 820,000-square-foot facility, slated to go up on a 67-acre swath at the southeast corner of Highway 101 and Shenandoah Drive.
At least one council member told Finance & Commerce on Monday he won’t support the TIF request. For others, going nine years without tax gains on the $225 million project didn’t sit well, said Kris Wilson, acting city administrator.
“It was the staff assessment that [council members] really wanted to see some new tax revenue flow to the city, the county and the school district instead of waiting the full nine years for this to appear,” she said. “It would be money to put toward police, fire services and snowplowing of streets.”
The lightning-rod TIF request over the past month has drawn blowback from critics questioning why a multitrillion-dollar company with sunny growth prospects would need city aid and whether wages for the 1,000 jobs at the facility – mostly hovering below $14.50 per hour – justify the subsidy.
“We’re doing too much too fast and we’ve really lowered our standards,” Council Member Matt Lehman said. “The intent of tax abatement, of TIF, is supposed to be for corporate headquarters, office park-type developments that have extremely high-paying jobs.”
Some on the council wanted to roll back the TIF package to 80 percent of the initial request, but such a move would drag Shakopee’s cut of the total pool, Council Member Jay Whiting said. The city needs a chunk to help pay for project-related road and infrastructure improvements.
Under the current plan, the city would take $473,280 from the total TIF pot. That’s substantially less than the $3.4 million Scott County is expected to peel off the top to cover upgrades to Highway 83 and Highway 101, according to city documents.
Scott County also sought a 30 percent contingency on its project-related road improvements, Whiting said, but that was a non-starter for the city.
After Shakopee and the county claim their shares of the TIF pool, around $1.2 million would be left for Amazon – substantially less than the $3.4 million share pegged in previous estimates. An Amazon spokeswoman did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the adjusted plans.
The City Council could further tweak the TIF package at its Tuesday meeting. Scott County will firm up its financing targets Tuesday morning.
Whiting and Council Member Mike Luce went to New Jersey last week to tour a similar Amazon facility and meet with city officials there. Whiting said he came away generally supportive of the project, but concerns loom over the long-term payoff for Shakopee.
Wages for the 1,000 workers Amazon expects to bring to Shakopee won’t stoke the kind of stimulus higher salaries would bring. Still, city officials, including Shakopee Mayor Brad Tabke and Economic Development Coordinator Samantha DiMaggio have said workforce expansion alone would boost the city.
Amazon told Shakopee’s Economic Development Advisory Committee earlier this month it expected to hire workers from Shakopee and the surrounding area, fanning preliminary discussion over transit expansion for the area.
Beyond that, a big name like Amazon setting up shop will put a brighter spotlight on Shakopee as a commercial destination – an attractive prospect, considering Amazon’s high profile and stability, Whiting said.
“Selling another TIF plan to our citizens is going to be tricky,” he said. “In this economy and with where we’re going, I don’t see any other way to entice something like Amazon to [come to] us.”


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Outrageous Xbox 360 on-rails shooter Gal Gun has had its release delayed following intervention from Microsoft.
According to Andriasang, the platform holder has taken offence at certain aspects of the ludicrous shoot 'em up, which sees you blasting questionably proportioned schoolgirls with your 'Ecstasy Shot' while on a quest to find true love.
First announced earlier this year at the Tokyo Game Show, the game's mooted January 2011 release date is apparently now on hold.
Developer Alchemist has vowed not to bow to any pressure to make changes though, posting on its website, "Negotiations have started for the great moral cause (pantsu)."
We've been through the game's launch trailer with a fine tooth comb and can't for the life of us figure out exactly what Microsoft might find objectionable. Take a look below and see if you can spot anything.


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This summer’s Sunset at Southridge food truck and music series kicks off June 9.
Hours are 5:30 to 8 p.m. at the Southridge Sports and Events Complex in Kennewick.
The series runs on various Fridays throughout the summer, with food vendors offering $7 dinner specials that include a free carousel ride.
Live music also is planned, along with a free kids activity. On June 9, the activity is indoor laser tag.
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Some of the food vendors this summer include Dovetail Joint Mobile Kitchen, Don Taco, Kindra’s Wok 'N Roll, 13 Bones Urban BBQ, Fresh Out The Box, Backyard Grub, Jiggy’s Bacon Burgers, Doggie Style Gourmet, Hot Tamales, Grubbin’s, We Ice and the Gesa Carousel of Dreams concessions.
People are encouraged to bring their own chairs and blankets.
Kennewick Parks and Recreation Department and Gesa Carousel of Dreams put on the event, which is sponsored by Toyota of Tri-Cities and Retter and Company Sotheby’s International Realty.
For the schedule, go to facebook.com/sunsetatsouthridge.


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photo credit: crocs.com
Luke Combs has teamed up with the most comfortable shoes on the planet, Crocs, to create his own pair! The news hit the internet like a firestorm when Crocs.com showcased the new shoes on their website and announced they will be collaborating with the country music superstar.
According to the announcement, the limited edition crocs will only be available to purchase at the CMA FEST between the dates of June 6th through June 9th, in Nashville, Tennessee. They look very personalized to Luke Combs with a woodgrain-look on the outside, black on the inside, and his pins on top of the shoe.
We’re not too sure how many of these will be made but we’ve seen in the past they sell out very quickly when specialized for a major artist. It wasn’t that long ago that Luke was spotted hanging out in the studio with Post Malone wearing his stylish yellow crocs with barbwire and pins.
Post Malone’s crocs sold out within the first 10 minutes of being available so we can only imagine how quickly Luke’s will sell out. Maybe putting on Post Malone’s crocs and posting the picture on Twitter inspired Crocs to reach out to Luke for collaboration on creating his own pair.
Overall, we’re super excited to see them released, the buzz about them is big. In the meantime, check out Luke Combs newest released music video below!
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Heinz squeezed me out: Inventor sues company for 'stealing his ketchup container idea'
Dip & Squeeze: Scott White, 47, is suing Heinz claiming they stole his idea with their Dip & Squeeze ketchup package
It certainly solves a Ketchup conundrum pleasing customers who enjoy dipping their fries and those who just want to squeeze it on freely...
But now H.J.Heinz Co. are in a pickle over their Dip & Squeeze ketchup bottle.
Scott White is suing Heinz claiming that his invention was the basis for the Dip & Squeeze ketchup packet that the company unveiled last year.
White, 47, a Housing Authority employee, applied for a patent in 2005 for a condiment container that gave people the choice of either squeezing out the contents or peeling off the top instead.
Last month, he was granted the patent for his container, which he trademarked as ‘CondiCup’, reported the Wall Street Journal.
In his patent-infringement complaint, White says he pitched his invention to Heinz - even travelling to the company’s Pittsburgh headquarters to show executives the CondiCup.
But Heinz declined to work with White, who alleges he never heard from the food giant again.
‘The behemoth international company could not be bothered to contract with a start-up American small business,' he charged in the filing.
The two containers are not identical. While Heinz’s container is in the shape of a miniature ketchup bottle, White’s product is round and specially designed to fit inside a car cup holder.
However, White argues that the unique selling point of his CondiCup – a top that opens two ways where users can either squeeze or dip – is where Heinz have ripped him off with their Dip & Squeeze container.
Solving a pickle: White claims he came up with the idea for his CondiCup after one too many ketchup spills at drive-through restaurants
White says he had the idea for the container after numerous ketchup spills at fast-food drive-throughs.
Heinz maintain that their Squeeze & Dip innovation took three years to come into fruition. White highlights that this means the product began its development two years after his pitch to them.
Heinz spokesman Michael Mullen told the MailOnline: 'Heinz won a similar lawsuit earlier this summer. This is another frivolous lawsuit and we will aggressively defend our position and demonstrate that the allegations are groundless and without merit.
‘Heinz worked for years to develop its patented dual-function Dip & Squeeze package.'
In their 2010 annual report, the company billed the container as a ‘revolutionary package’, White’s suit shows.
Patent fights are typically battled out between companies, often technology giants in Silicon valley, and are rarely fought by individual inventors.
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Ford finally turns a profit
Published: January 28,2010
DEARBORN, Mich. — Ford Motor Co. made $2.7 billion in 2009, its first annual profit in four years.
The automaker today also forecast a full-year profit in 2010. Earlier it had only promised to be “solidly profitable” in 2011.
Ford benefited from cost-cutting, a $696 million profit in its credit arm and popular cars and trucks like the Ford Fusion midsize sedan and Ford Escape small sport utility vehicle. It gained market share in North and South America and Europe, despite the worst U.S. sales climate in 30 years.
“While we still face significant business environment challenges ahead, 2009 was a pivotal year for Ford,” Ford CEO Alan Mulally said in a statement.
Ford’s 2009 net income of 86 cents per share showed a significant improvement from the year before, when it lost a record $14.6 billion. Excluding one-time items of $711 million, Ford made 43 cents per share. Those items included severance payments and retiree health-care charges.
The profit surprised Wall Street, where analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters expected an annual loss of 31 cents.
In the fourth quarter, Ford earned $868 million, or 25 cents per share, compared with a loss of $5.9 billion a year earlier. Ford earned money in three of the four quarters last year.
Ford said it will make profit-sharing payments to its U.S. hourly workers in March. They will be the first profit-sharing checks since 2004.
The Dearborn-based automaker’s debt load increased by $7.4 billion to $34.3 billion, largely because it took a charge of $7 billion to account for debt to a union-run retiree health-care fund. That puts Ford at a disadvantage to GM and Chrysler, who were able to shed debt in bankruptcy court.
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Veysey’s Butchers, Cullompton, was voted the Best Butcher of the Year at the Devon Life Food and Drinks Award 2012, despite stiff competition from meat producers at Darts Farm and Kingsbridge.
A number of businesses and farming enterprises ensured the district was well represented at the gala event held to showcase the finest food and drink producers across Devon.
We we’re also awarded a runner up in 2018 for the prestigious independent retailer of the year category which was an unbelievable honor and something we’re very proud of!
The Rural Oscars
Veysyes butchers won the regional finals in 2016 for the best butcher in Devon to which they then proceeded to the national finals which took place at the House of Lords in London. They came away from the awards with runners up, a huge achievement. The Awards are the Countryside Alliance’s annual celebration of rural produce, skills, enterprise and heritage through our small hard-working businesses. They are now in their twelfth year and have become the definitive rural business award to win. nominations which have been whittled down and judged and mean that these Champions are truly the cream of rural business.
We are please to announce that we have also made it to the finals of the 2019 Rural Oscars!
Taste of the West
We have recently won the Taste of the West Gold award which as always is a huge honor!
Taste of the West are the largest independent regional food group in the UK and they promote and support the best local food and drink from Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Somerset and Wiltshire.


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A dmit it. The ‘60s weren’t just about peace, love and music with a message. The years also featured some of the most diverse fashion, with more “uniforms” than any previous era. Baby boomers can stay smug knowing that their kids have kept it all alive--not only through activism and granola--but recycling a style that defined a generation.
The Doc Was In Then
Dr. Martens at Woodstock? It’s true. When Sid Vicious was still in grade school, the requisite footwear of the punk army had its day in the summer sun of 1969 thanks to original raucous rocker Pete Townshend. The Who guitarist gave political activist Abbie Hoffman a swift boot when he rushed the stage in an effort to rile the crowd (check out the Woodstock movie for the hard-hitting visuals). Times have certainly changed. Twenty-five years later, mainstream America has embraced “Docs” and Woodstock as a symbol of unity (counter-culture attitude optional). Notes a spokesman for Dr. Martens in London: “DMs have been an integral part of every major music and fashion movement since the 1960s. (They) have the ability to adapt to any trend.”
A Dead Trend
It’s the wardrobe associated with those long-haired, peace-loving, dirty-footed, groovy kids that called themselves hippies: India gauze shirts and dresses; Army surplus gear; tie-dye tank tops; fringed Daniel Boone jackets; Benjamin Franklin specs; Mexican saddle bags; ankle-length, patterned wrap-around skirts, peace sign patches. And all of it is still available and selling like mad at vintage stores such as Taxi Taxi in downtown Huntington Beach (outfit pictured). “There’s always a ‘Woodstock’ going on, but it’s called the ‘Deadhead show,’ ” says owner Jinx Varona. “The kids who keep discovering the Grateful Dead keep (the look) revived.”
Teed Off Youth
While Mom and Dad wax nostalgic over a concert they never even attended, their kids are tuning in to all the hype. There’s the cable telecast at $50 a pop. And record stores such as Tower are selling compact discs of the original Woodstock artists at a discount, as well as the Official Woodstock T-shirt. For $14 you too can be a part of the retro regurgitation. “It seems to be college-aged kids and younger who are buying the shirts,” says Mike Williams, manager at Tower Costa Mesa. “We haven’t gotten a lot of older people looking at them yet.”


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Jan Brons and Teutobod Capture Win in Sho Clothes Sponsored Intermediaire II at Gold Coast May Dressage Show
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Posted by johnny
Jan Brons and his Dutch gelding Teutobod continue to dominate the Intermediaire II division, riding into the winner’s circle at the recent Gold Coast May Dressage show. Sho Clothes, Wellington’s upscale dressage boutique, sponsored the Intermediaire II class and Brons and “Teddy” were awarded a beautiful Sho Clothes scrim. Brons was pleased with his win and said he’s looking forward to moving Teddy into the Grand Prix classes soon. “Teddy is getting more and more comfortable in the Intermediaire II class,” Brons said. “In this class I added a little more power and tightness to his pirouettes. Slowly but surely Teddy is getting more and more comfortable with doing his piaffe and passage tour.”
Brons said he will add his winning scrim to his growing collection of Sho Clothes awards. “We won a Sho Clothes scrim at another show and last year we won the Sho Clothes Whip several times,” Brons said, adding that he appreciates the Wellington dressage store and is always grateful to win a class that they sponsor. “I am a big fan of Sho Clothes.”
In addition to working toward the Grand Prix with Teddy, Brons said he plans on spending August and part of September in Europe. “Jan is a great rider and trainer and I am sure Europe will be a wonderful experience for him,” said Michele Hundt, who co-owns Sho Clothes with Betsy Rebar Sell. “Jan is right that he has won many of our classes, and we are thrilled every time he wins. Teddy is an amazing horse and we have loved watching his progress. I know he will be very competitive in the Grand Prix.”
Hundt, who is also an artist, designed the Sho Clothes scrim which features Rebar Sell’s horse Wonderful Walden. Rebar Sell and Wonderful Walden were Gold Medalists at the Pan Am Games. “We love supporting the dressage community and it is a great feeling to award our beautiful scrims to winning riders,” Hundt said.
Sho Clothes specializes in the latest and most fashionable dressage apparel for show and play, and has been serving the dressage community since 2001. Located at 3220 Fairlane Farms Road in Wellington, Sho Clothes boasts a wide variety of the finest dressage riding clothes, apparel, jewelry and dressage accessories available and has become the “go to” dressage boutique for dressage enthusiasts from all over the world. Sho Clothes also offers a mobile boutique that travels to dressage shows.
For more information on Sho Clothes call 561-319-2121 or visit their website at www.shoclothes.com.
Posted on Sep 24, 2016
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Costa Rica’s exports in 2014 down 2.4 percent from previous year, but surpass expectations
Costa Rica’s exports of goods last year totaled $11.2 billion, representing a 2.4 percent decrease compared to the $11.5 billion registered in 2013, the Foreign Trade Promotion Office (PROCOMER) reported.
Foreign trade officials attributed the drop in sales to the closure of Intel’s manufacturing plant, as the company’s microprocessors represented some 15 percent of the country’s total exports.
The decline was cushioned by a jump in sales in the medical devices sector, which grew from $1.5 billion in 2013 to $1.8 billion last year, according to PROCOMER.
According to the Costa Rican Investment Promotion Agency (CINDE), 63 companies operate in this country’s medical supply sector. Last year, Costa Rica attracted nine new investment projects in that sector, which currently employs 19,000 people, according to CINDE.
Exports from the agricultural sector also helped boost the final figures, totaling $2.5 billion last year. That is a 2.6 percent increase over the $2.4 billion registered in 2013.
Foreign Trade Minister Alexander Mora on Tuesday said that despite Intel’s downsizing of local operations, Costa Rica surpassed its export goal for 2014, set by the government at $10.8 billion.
“Surpassing the exports goal, even with a challenging economic environment and a profound change in the composition of our exports, demonstrates the strength of our production and exports sectors,” Mora said.
The minister also highlighted the “steady growth” of 9.1 percent in exports to the countries of the Pacific Alliance – Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru – a trade bloc Costa Rica hopes to join in coming months.
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Zoho recently launched Zia Voice, a first conversational Artificial Intelligence for sales teams along with a hyper customization platform, Catalyst for enterprises. Initially Zoho’s Zia offers speech and chat benefits, later it will offers larger businesses to build their custom mobile and web applications by their own.
Quotes from Mani Vembu, COO of Zoho Corp
"We are delivering the first conversational AI for CRM, with Zia Voice. Zia's enhanced AI capabilities will now help salespeople sell smarter, with contextual assistance and access customer information through a powerful voice and chat interface."
About Zia Voice
Zoho’s Zia can talk and support their sales team to do more. It includes interactive voice and chat-bot, lead and deal prediction, and email sentiment analysis for its superior work.
Sheryl Kingstone from 451 Research said "The advancements in AI mean that SaaS vendors can now power their applications with Invisible Interfaces and make them easier, more natural to use - and available without having to look at a screen". She added "We see these advancements in AI and voice recognition leading the way into the next transformation of business applications."
Catalyst, a customization platform works on Zoho’s own programming language, Deluge. In Zoho campus there are 40,000 Deluge developers - 10% of which are from India.
Vembu said "The developers eloquent in Deluge are becoming a valuable resource for our rich global partner network. In fact our partners have started hiring developers in India. As Zoho’s ecosystem expands further with Catalyst, there will be an increase in demand for Deluge developers, creating job opportunities. Our goal is to have 1lakh developers in India on Zoho’s platform over the next three years".
Pricing of Zoho CRM
Including Zia Voice most features from Zoho are available in the Enterprise and Ultimate editions of Zoho CRM, while some features are being rolled out to customers in a phased manner. As for Standard, Professional, and Enterprise Edition, it comes from 900 INR to 2,700 INR per user for month, and for Ultimate Edition it is about 6,000 INR per user for month.
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Though Thor Equities developer Joe Sitt already came out the big winner in the Coney Island redevelopment battle?flipping some of his land to the city for $95 million while keeping six acres to build on later?the executioner of Astroland is not done pissing off Coney diehards. Last week, blog Amusing the Zillion speculated that Sitt planned on tearing down a number of old Surf Avenue buildings before any could be considered for landmark protection. Yesterday Sitt revealed his plan to do just that.
Sitt will replace the old buildings?home to many small food retailers and amusement games?with cheapo new one-story buildings that will be home to ... many small food retailers and amusement games. To add to the excitement, Sitt's company released the tantalizing rendering seen above that includes a faux Burger King and Taco Bell. The Observer writes that the new buildings (which aim to be done by summer 2011) will be placeholders for future development, like the hotels Sitt hopes to build once the city's redevelopment project kicks into high gear.
As for Sitt's tattered and empty tents along Stillwell Avenue?home to last summer's debacle of a flea market?don't expect those to be going anywhere anytime soon. The Daily News writes that the Hammer of Thor will just let those eyesores rot for a while. You know, if Sitt was truly a smart businessman, he'd strap on that Shoot the Freak suit and charge people a bundle to shoot paintballs at his crotch.
· The New Coney Island? Sitt Sees Fast Food in Place of Current Buildings [NYO]
· Developer Joe Sitt has no plans for tattered Coney Island lots [NYDN]
· Thor’s Coney Island: Tattered Tents, Deathwatch for Historic Buildings [ATZ]


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Sunday, April 20, 2014
PITTSBURGH – On Thursdays in Market Square, Joseph Zook peddles vegetables, breads and Mason jars full of jam from beneath the awning of a white tent. He has a thick beard, suspenders and square-cut blond hair that is just visible under the brim of his straw hat.
Though not Amish themselves, Bud and Mary Anne Winovich, owners of Amish Accents in Monroeville, Pa., sell authentically made Amish furniture.
AP Photo/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Chris Kasprak
In and around Amish country, it's easy to find countless stores and websites advertising Amish quilts, Amish candy and Amish crafts. But though Zook is Amish, it would be impossible to tell from the name of his Evansburg farm, Maple Run, or his products, whose homemade labels make no mention of their maker's religion.
In fact, it's a good bet that if the word "Amish" appears on a store or a product, the Amish themselves didn't put it there. Experts and Amish alike say that the name, used as a marketing tool, is almost exclusively the domain of the non-Amish.
In the past few years, as the cultural presence of the Amish grows in mainstream America, the use of the word "Amish" in business names and marketing materials has become more common -- and more lucrative. Some non-Amish who use the name are selling Amish-made products, but others have connections that are tenuous at best and some have no ties whatsoever to the Amish community.
That fact, Zook said, "just don't seem right." And it could also be against the law.
David Weaver-Zercher, a professor at Messiah College in Mechanicsburg who studies the Amish, said the trend of using the name to market products reflects a larger cultural movement. "In a difficult economy, people feel like the Amish have answers to things that are troubling us," he said.
The name has become increasingly associated with good quality, simplicity and sustainability, Weaver-Zercher said, all attributes that businesses are eager to communicate to customers. "There's a lot of things going on that make the Amish interesting and attractive, and that feed into the desire of creating an Amish brand."
There is also quite a bit of money to be made. In Lancaster, the nation's oldest Amish community, tourism brings in 11 million people and nearly $1.8 billion. Almost every hotel in the county, from the Olde Amish Inn to the Amish Country Travelodge, has tacked the word onto its name.
In 2010, Unker's, a homeopathic pain relief ointment company based in Worland, Wyo., was looking for a new name after it lost a trademark dispute. Founder Jerry Doerr chose to rechristen his product "Amish Origins," complete with a logo of a horse and buggy. Doerr's company has no direct connection to the Amish, but he claims the ointment was originally developed by an Amish man.
As a result of the name change, said Doerr, "We have almost gone viral. Our Internet orders have tripled since we started using the Amish name."
Heat Surge, a company based in North Canton, Ohio, picked up on the popularity of the Amish to market its space heaters. Ads that ran nationally in 2009 for the Roll-n-Glow "Amish fireplace" depicted craftsmen in suspenders who labored beneath the arched ceiling of a barn, electric heaters sitting on their rustic plank workbenches. Another ad showed a pair of heaters strapped on the back of a buggy driven by a couple in a straw hat and bonnet.
Heat Surge's ads originally claimed the heaters were "an Amish man's new miracle idea." Later, it adjusted the marketing to admit what most people had suspected all along: The heaters were made in China (the product of an "engineering genius from the China coast"). Wooden mantels were the only part of the Roll-n-Glow Amish fireplace that was made by the Amish - in factories equipped with modern tools, not in barns, and delivered by truck, not buggies.
(Continued on page 2)


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Australian Retail Sales Miss Limits Pound Sterling Australian Dollar (GBP/AUD) Exchange Rate Downside
As Australian retail sales missed forecasts in May this encouraged the Pound Sterling to Australian Dollar (GBP/AUD) exchange rate to pick up from its multi-month lows this morning.
Although sales avoided another monthly contraction the modest uptick of 0.1% failed to offset the previous month’s decline.
All in all, this suggests that Australian consumers are taking a less optimistic view in the face of slowing global growth and US-China trade tensions, to the detriment of the Australian Dollar (AUD).
However, as Matthew Hassan, analyst at Westpac, noted:
‘Overall the May update is bleak but not bleaker than expected. Retail sales are treading water in nominal terms rather than contracting.’
Even so, as the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) appears willing to cut interest rates again in the months ahead if the data warrants it the mood towards the Australian Dollar proved rather bearish.
Ongoing UK Car Sales Contraction Drives Pound Sterling (GBP) Weakness
Pound Sterling (GBP) remained under pressure, meanwhile, thanks to another month of falling UK new car sales.
With Brexit-based uncertainty and political jitters continuing to deter consumers from making large purchases this weaker showing added to concerns that growth could slow in the second quarter.
Following on from this week’s disappointing raft of UK PMIs this latest sign of decline kept GBP exchange rates under pressure.
Further losses could be in store for the Pound tomorrow if June’s Halifax house price index shows a similar deterioration, given existing worries over the economic outlook,
Unless the UK housing market demonstrates greater signs of resilience the GBP/AUD exchange rate could return to a downtrend.
Improved Australian Construction PMI Forecast to Boost AUD Exchange Rates
AUD exchange rates could find a rallying point overnight if June’s Australian construction PMI picks up on the month as forecast.
Evidence of an improvement within the construction sector could bolster confidence in the general economic outlook, even as worries over global growth persist.
However, as the sector looks set to remain in a state of contraction, barring a significant upside surprise, any positive impact on the Australian Dollar may prove limited.
If construction slides further into a state of decline, on the other hand, AUD exchange rates look vulnerable to a fresh sell-off.
GBP/AUD Exchange Rate Remains Vulnerable to Political Anxiety
Speculation over the Conservative leadership contest may continue to weigh on the GBP/AUD exchange rate in the coming week.
As long as both Jeremy Hunt and Boris Johnson refuse to rule out the prospect of the UK crashing out of the EU without a deal in October support for the Pound is likely to remain muted.
The GBP/AUD exchange rate could slip back towards its recent lows if May’s gross domestic product report shows any signs of a slowdown, meanwhile.
A fresh indication that the economy is slowing in response to a prolonged period of uncertainty over Brexit may drag Pound Sterling down across the board next week.


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I'm calling this week a failure for our business. Not that the failure specifically happened this week, but the reality of it came to light.
Coming up on the editorial side of the newspaper/news biz, I was always focused on the ideology of the newspaper's mission: provide the news/facts in an unbiased manner, be a government watchdog, find innovative ways of story telling and be the record keeper of history as it happens.
These are fine, lofty goals. But it's not the big picture of the news business. Over the years, I have come to see the overall goals and missions for newspapers and broadcast that carry the news. Yes, it is to deliver pertinent information in a timely manner. But that is just one of many parts in the news machine.
To be economically viable, the newspaper (or news broadcast station) must also be practicable marketing tool for businesses. Specifically, a community newspaper must be a feasible means for local businesses to advertise.
If circulation and readership decline, the value of the product is less to those advertisers (or potential advertisers).
The past couple years I've worried about our declining circulation. But we all know subscriptions and single-copy sales don't make us much money. The ad revenue drives the newspaper.
For the past few weeks, a local grocer who has placed a full page ad every week in our newspaper for decades gave incredible deals through coupons in its ad. The response was minimal. So minimal, that our newspaper will no longer have that ad.
This is a big financial blow to our weekly newspaper. But that's not the only thing I'm concerned about. The low rate of return on great deals for necessary items (eggs, milk, etc.) concerns me from a readership standpoint.
Coupons are a great indicator of consumer response to advertisements. Take many furniture stores or car dealerships - in broadcast ads they'll say things like "Tell them Bob sent you" or "Ask for John." Chances are, the salesmen have never met Bob (or don't care that Bob sent you) or John won't be there to help you. But it gives that business an indication of who is coming there in response to the ad.
If we are getting such a low rate of return on local grocery coupons, what does that say about how many people are actually picking up the newspaper and reading it?
From an editorial standpoint, it means people in this community are not as informed as they should be about local issues.
From a circulation standpoint, it means we are not reaching the number of people we need to.
From an advertising standpoint, we are not a viable marketing tool for local business.
Unfortunately, despite the ideological goals, the latter is the one that matters most. If local businesses cannot use the newspaper as a means to drive more business for themselves, then that product is useless to them - a waste of their money. Those businesses cannot grow through the newspaper.
That's where it hurts the news biz financially. They stop advertising and subsequently stop picking up the newspaper. The domino affect begins.
Unless we can find a way to rebound in circulation, we are, as the pundits have put it, writing our own obituary.
I do not believe newspapers have to die. I believe the way we deliver them can be modified to fit consumers, creating that viable marketing tool.
But that subject is for another blog post.


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PRODUCT EYE: Audi adds another niche with A1 Sportback
Audi had a record year in 2011 with worldwide sales up 19.2% to 1.3m cars. With sales up 37% in China to 313,000 units last year, targeting growth markets has clearly been successful. But there has also been a long standing strategy to fill out the product range. Dave Leggett takes a look at the latest offering - the A1 Sportback.
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Nokia has been among the top mobile phone makers for a long period of time, but the scenario has not been the same with its series of smartphones better known as Lumia. The company from Finland launched the Lumia series on Windows Phone OS, which received a very stiff competition from Android and iOS. Many people initially expressed their doubts with the collaboration of Nokia and Windows, where Android was growing rapidly.
The expectations went up a bit with the acquisition of Nokia by Microsoft. But sadly, the game has not changed. One will not say that Nokia Lumia has a poor interface or performance, but the Nokia branded Lumia smartphones never stood tall in front of Android and iOS. Some people even commented that Microsoft’s acquisition of Nokia will not be a profitable deal. Interestingly, the words have come true and Microsoft hasn’t had a good time with the acquisition of Nokia.
The rumors were that the branding of Lumia will change from Nokia to Microsoft as soon as the deal is completed. Thus, this is not precisely a huge surprise to the people. Instead the thought to wonder upon is what took so long for the change. Microsoft acquired Nokia’s Mobile division in the month of April for $7.2 billion, which till date has not yielded huge profits.
According to the reports, Microsoft will now completely remove the name Nokia and state its as Microsoft Lumia for the upcoming models. The expectations are rising once again with the hopes that this change in the name may well bring in better business for the Lumia smartphones. The hopes are even brighter as Microsoft under the new CEO, Satya Nadella has shown some serious promise to lead the markets again. Although no official statement has been made, the world will look forward to the plot development.
[ Source ]


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doesn’t care about what’s considered standard body sizes. In an interview with Refinery29, the size 14 star acknowledges that she’s not the average Hollywood waif — and she’s perfectly fine with that.
"I know I am not the ‘norm’… I don’t know any perfect women,” the actress, 45, said. "What people pass off as ‘normal,’ I just have to keep in my head that it’s bullshit. It’s all fictitious, made-up stuff.”
McCarthy, who’s promoting (which her husband, , wrote and directed), also noted that the standard of perfection is all smoke and mirrors. After all, she knows firsthand.
“I know some of those women in those magazines who get called perfect or whose butt is supposedly better, and often they don’t even look like that in person,” she continued.
Despite industry standards, the Melissa McCarthy Seven7 designer is still making her mark in film and in fashion — despite plus sizes being sold in faraway areas of most department stores.
“I think every time I take a baby step, someone says, ‘We’ve done incredible polling with [plus-size] women, and they actually love the convenience of going upstairs to shop in their own department.’ And I’m like, ‘Really?’” McCarthy reflected. “They like being segregated? … Do they want to be by the tires or do they want to shop with their friends? I know I’d like to go shopping with my friends."


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Up until now, this has merely led to a lot of talk and a few recommendations, but every statement various EU bodies makes on the subject suggests it is nudging closer to formal legislation.
In March 2007, the European Commission issued a communication on the use of RFID that suggested the industry could regulate itself. In December last year, the European Data Protection Supervisor Peter Hustinx issued his opinion on the Commission’s communication (clearly some time was needed to mull it over).
He said: "The wide acceptance of RFID technologies should be facilitated by the benefits of consistent data protection safeguards. Self-regulation alone may not be enough to meet the challenge. Legal instruments may therefore be required to guarantee that the technical solutions to minimise the risks for data protection and privacy are in place."
Following on from this, the European Commission last week published draft guidelines, which Reding wants to see adopted by the European Union executive, to be applied in all the bloc's 27 member states. This is described as “soft law”: if those companies using RFID technology don’t regulate themselves based on the rules that the Commission wants to see, more formal legislation will be introduced.
Before this happens, retailers can have their say as part of a public consultation. The draft recommendation is to be put up for consultation for eight weeks, finishing on April 25, 2008. The Commission will then analyse all contributions received before putting forward a draft recommendation for adoption before the summer of 2008.
Even if you are not using RFID at product level, this consultation is important if you think you ever might be. Use of the technology will only get more regulated from here on in.
The Commission’s draft guidelines have called for RFID chips in everything from pets to products to be deactivated at the point of sale to protect purchasers' privacy, unless they explicitly ask for it not to be. It is also encouraging the creation of a common symbol denoting that a product contains an RFID chip so that they cannot be used covertly.
However, the applications of RFID are only just beginning to be explored. The EU itself has funded a three year project – Bridge – to address barriers to implementing RFID technology. The initiative is in its second year and is developing business cases and running pilots, including with retailers.
Those retailers already using RFID at item level for stock control or security purposes are already either removing the tags or deactivating them. In fact, the label on a jumper purchased from Gap in the US also advised me to cut out the label with the RFID tag that was sewn in.
But, in the longer term, killer applications may be developed that require RFID tags to stay enabled after the point of sale. “Smart” products for consumers to use in their “smart” fridges may not prove to be that killer application, but technology has a funny habit of proving useful in ways that it was not at first intended.
Over-regulation now could stifle that innovation.
Complete the consultation questionnaire here.


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jules - Fotolia
IT management software vendor Kaseya continued its expansion into data protection by acquiring Spanning Cloud Apps for cloud-to-cloud backup.
Kaseya revealed the acquisition this week, although CEO Fred Voccola said the deal actually closed in January. Voccola said Kaseya held off on revealing the deal until it was ready to begin selling Spanning backup as part of a Kaseya cloud backup package. Along with the acquisition news, Kaseya also this week said Kaseya Office 365 Backup powered by Spanning is available and part of the Kaseya Unified Backup suite.
Spanning is a pioneer of cloud-to-cloud backup. It copies data stored in SaaS applications such as Office 365, Salesforce and G Suite into Amazon Web Services. If customers lose data from their SaaS app, they can restore it from AWS.
Kaseya did not disclose the acquisition price. Insight Venture Partners owned Spanning and owns Kaseya. Insight Venture has been consolidating its data protection properties. In May 2018, Kaseya acquired data protection hardware and software vendor Unitrends, which was also controlled by Insight Venture Partners.
Insight Venture Partners also has a stake in other data protection software vendors, including Veeam, Acronis and Quest Software.
Kaseya and Spanning stay busy
Voccola said the deal came in response to demand from Kaseya cloud backup customers for a backup product for SaaS applications. He said the Spanning acquisition was the best way for Kaseya to meet that demand.
He said he waited to disclose the deal until Kaseya fully integrated Spanning technology.
"Instead of being kind of misleading, we announce after the products are integrated and available to be bought," Voccola said. "That's part of our strategy. That's why we announced Unitrends nine months after we bought them."
This is the fourth ownership change for Spanning in the last four years. Storage giant EMC acquired Spanning in 2014. Dell bought EMC two years later and spun Spanning out to Insight Venture in April 2017. Former Spanning CEO Jeff Erramouspe left the company earlier this year.
Chad Savoygeneral manager, Spanning
As with Unitrends, Spanning will continue to operate as a stand-alone independent business unit within Dublin-based Kaseya. Spanning will maintain its Austin, Texas, office. Spanning general manager Chad Savoy will run the unit.
"For Spanning's customers, this deal is fantastic. We have thrown a ton of resources to bolster the [research and development], to accelerate the roadmap," Voccola said.
Savoy said Spanning will retain its independence inside of Kaseya.
"Whenever a company is acquired, it has negative connotations to it, and that couldn't be further from the truth here. It's really a win-win," he said. "We get to operate as a stand-alone independent business unit, maintain the brand, but we're able to now partner with a much larger company and reach a much broader customer segmentation. It's a very symbiotic relationship."
Data protection and management converge
Voccola said the Kaseya cloud backup capability will extend to Salesforce and G Suite within weeks, as integration of the rest of Spanning's products to Kaseya's IT Complete platform nears completion.
Edwin Yuen, senior analyst at Enterprise Strategy Group, said the Kaseya cloud backup acquisition is part of a trend of the convergence of data protection and data management.
"Data protection is moving from a stand-alone role to one that has a greater role in systems management and monitoring," Yuen wrote in an email. "I think one of the unique aspects of this acquisition is that it is a SaaS management and monitoring solution acquiring a data protection vendor focused on protecting SaaS workloads."
Yuen pointed out that vendors often find it less expensive and easier to acquire new technologies than build their own new products.
"It is becoming more of a strategy of late, especially if there is a base user set and name recognition for the brand," he wrote. "It allows the newly acquired groups to operate as usual while still getting marketing and sales integration going."
Voccola said Kaseya's strategy is to take a hands-off approach to its acquisitions.
"They are worldwide experts in knowing how to make SaaS backup the best in the world," he said. "Why would we mess with that?"


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Everyone's moving to mobile, aren't they?
Following news about PlayStation franchises being ported to iOS and Android, we've found out that Konami also has something special for old-school gamers: Contra. Yes, in partnership with Chinese game company Tencent, Konami is reviving the alien-busting 2D shoot-em-up featuring series favorites, Lance Bean and Bill Rizer.
Musclebound, Schwarzenegger-types aren't in vogue in videogames right now, but darn it if we didn't feel excited over seeing these childhood heroes once again on a modern platform. Gameplay is said to be largely the same (hooray!) but will now also include a PvP (player-versus-player) mode.
See it in action here:In 2013, a revival, Contra Evolution, was also released by the same companies. However, it was only made available for Chinese audiences. Here's to hoping that the new title gets a wider release.


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It’s no secret that the Oatmeal’s Matthew Inman is a Nikola Tesla fan. In fact, he’s perhaps the most vocal allegiant of the lot. Over the past three years, he’s spent countless hours and resources trying to ensure that the inventor’s name is remembered. Yesterday, he took another shot.
It was in August 2012 that the Seattle comic first set out to enshrine the Serbian inventor, responsible for such new devices as X-rays, the radio, and alternating currents, with a museum. He created an Indiegogo campaign that ended up raising $1.4 million. The following May, everybody thought that the Tesla museum was a sure thing to happen.
It turns out, however, that the $1.4 million Inman raised was only enough money to purchase the land on which the Tesla museum would eventually stand. Building the Nikola Tesla Science Center would likely cost another $8 million on top of that.
Earlier this week, Inman came forth with another comic, an open letter directed at Elon Musk, the CEO and chief product architect of Tesla Motors, the eye-poppingly advanced automobiles that have recently hit the market, to solicit help raising the necessary $8 million to make the museum a reality.
Inman lists a number of Musk’s credentials, including a few generalizations about his wealth and his fascination with both Tesla and other facets of the future, before getting into the South African’s willingness to spend money, pointing to the cool million he dropped on a James Bond-anointed submarine car.
“That was a million dollars spent on what basically amounts to a very expensive toy,” Inman wrote. “Albeit a pretty damned awesome one.”
He closes by making his pitch for Musk to help support the museum, not just with another $2,500 donation but this time for the full $8 million.
“Tesla Motors, a company now worth billions, is using Nikola Tesla’s name and they’re using his technology, and all we want is a little bit of help.”
Maybe more than a little? Inman continues: “I’m asking you to help finish what we started, and finally, gracefully, and with unfettered awesomeness.”
When the comic published on Wednesday, Inman posted a link to Twitter beside a direct plea to Musk’s handle. A few hours later, he got good news in response.
“I would be happy to help,” Musk wrote.
How much is unclear, but the Tesla Museum train’s rolling. We’re confident Inman will find a way to keep Tesla fans tied into it all as he moves forward.
Photo via Nikola Tesla/Facebook


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The hospitality universe is constantly shifting and, more importantly, growing. In his opening message at RSS 2018, Duetto CEO Patrick Bosworth encouraged the hoteliers, asset managers and technologists gathered there to see opportunities for better Revenue Strategy, where others might only see obstacles.
Properties are fragmented across several different stakeholders. Hotel brands and online travel agencies are racing to consolidate their size and power. Distribution could change significantly if Google, Facebook or Amazon go from having a toe in the water to jumping into the deep end in earnest, as Airbnb has done.
“The disruption that we’ve seen is, if anything, accelerating,” Bosworth said, kicking off RSS in Washington, D.C., at the Knight Conference Center at the Newseum.
Opportunities for Hotels
Previously, the hotel distribution conversation focused exclusively on gains the OTAs made at hotels’ expense, he said. But more recently, the sentiment has started to shift, he said, citing the buzz at the NYU Investment Conference and HITEC about the latest moves by Google, Facebook and Amazon in the travel space.
“What’s clear is that everyone’s competing to create value for the consumer,” Bosworth said. “That trend is unlikely to change. We have new potential gatekeepers in the market, and the costs of distribution will continue to be under pressure.”
And yet, there are real reasons for optimism, he said.
“To this point, hoteliers have been so far behind on being able to create value, particularly in online channels, that they’ve focused on channels that they still control,” he said.
Many hotels have maintained their base business with frequent business travelers through negotiated contracts, meetings and especially loyalty programs.
Conversely, strategies for growing transient revenue and occupancy have eroded, and OTAs took advantage in order to grow their businesses. That’s definitely a problem, Bosworth said, but it’s also low-hanging fruit for hoteliers with the right mind-set.
“I think there’s actually an opportunity today, where a lot of the intermediaries have become large enough to the point where now the game is being played on their turf,” he said. “As new big entrants come in, they’re competing for those same customers. It’s no longer a duopoly, and hotels have an ability to leverage data and new technology, to be able to compete for those customers while also continuing to protect their own core.”
Holding Hotel Industry Disruptors at Bay?
Hotels may own the inventory and the data that makes the difference, but it’s still really hard to change, said Andrew Rubinacci, President of AMR Hospitality Consulting. Brands, owners and asset managers might focus on the current environment and forecast how that might look next year in a static environment.
But hospitality is never static, and if properties allow their strategies to stagnate, they lose. As he kicked off his “Reordering the Hospitality Universe” panel at RSS, Rubinacci pointed out that companies recognize the need to change or evolve, but they’re unwilling to sacrifice their STAR Report goals or revenue targets in the short term.
“Typically, if you do something differently, there’s a gap,” Rubinacci said. “You drop revenues up front, and that’s what ends up killing us all.”
Avoiding that “dip” instead of managing through it is the reason businesses fail, he added. That won’t help the hotel industry confront several challenges likely to intensify in the near term, he said, including:
- New entrants in distribution: Google, Facebook, Amazon and Airbnb are coming, Rubinacci said.
“If we sometimes get scared by Booking.com or Expedia and what they can do, just look at Google,” he said. “Google is the Internet.”
- Chinese companies and consumers: “China is always a good way to see how things could change and be,” Rubinacci said.
There are several nuances to think about, including the fact that credit cards “really don’t exist” among Chinese consumers, who prefer mobile payments like WeChat and AliPay.
China’s online travel market looks familiar, but with local companies surpassing the global players (Ctrip over the OTA duopoly, Baidu over Google, Alibaba over Amazon).
- Voice search: While Rubinacci and panelists didn’t know if voice-enabled digital assistants like Amazon’s Alexa will disrupt hotel distribution right away, he still asked the important questions: “If we think we have a hard time getting on the first page of a website, what happens when there’s one hotel [for a voice search query]? And what do you think the commission rate’s going to be for you to be that one hotel?”
Responding to Hotel Industry Threats
Will disruption always hurt hotels? Or will it drive needed change that benefits the industry as a whole? As always, it depends, agreed three executives on Rubinacci’s panel.
“At the end of the day, a disruptor is really an innovator,” said Alexander Pyhan, Marriott International’s VP of Distribution – OTA, Meta and Wholesale. “When you use the example of Uber, they have addressed a consumer need before the consumer even knew they had it. That’s why Uber is very successful.”
While Marriott keeps watch on giant tech companies’ forays into travel, it also tries to think about its business differently, Pyhan said. He noted that Marriott and Alibaba have a joint-venture partnership to leverage their “ecosystems” of customers and inventory for mutual advantage.
“For all the concerns we have about the transient distribution landscape, it’s enabled independent hotels to reach customers and thrive where otherwise it would be impossible,” said Brian Berry, Senior VP of Sales and Data Analytics for Cvent. “Occupancy levels that we currently run as an industry are unprecedented. Some of it is the better revenue management systems and capabilities we have, but a lot of it is the distribution landscape.”
Ash Kapur, Chief Revenue Officer for Starwood Capital Group, agreed that competition with and among OTAs has been positive for companies outside the major lodging brands.
“I think [this disruption] is a positive, if I were to speak on behalf of hotel ownership companies,” Kapur said. “It creates more options for hotels from a distribution standpoint. … It also gives me optionality if I’m a small hotel in a brilliant location with a lot of demand. Do I really need to incur all these brand costs, and should I be flagging it?”
He added that hotels aren’t the only companies needing to respond to lodging industry threats. Disruption causes the OTAs to compete for more partners and find independents or smaller properties, benefiting asset managers and hotel owners.
Pyhan said big brands like Marriott will still need to refine how they address consumer needs, because scale alone won’t protect hotels from disruption.
“The consumer wants a high-quality product that’s very dependable, but in today’s environment the consumer would also like to see a seamless guest experience aided by technology,” Pyhan said. “They want a local, authentic experience. That’s where the brands have to evolve. Not only from a hotel perspective, but also from a transactional perspective, engaging the consumer from the research phase, through the booking phase, all the way to the stay and after.”
That will require legacy hotel brands and independent properties to pick what they do well and always deliver on those promises, Kapur said.
“Hotels have to move away from this concept of ‘channel, channel, channel,’ and say, irrespective of where that guest is coming from, you have the ability to own the experience,” he said. “You will win that guest, irrespective of how that guest comes to you.”


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Associated Press, Published November 10 2009
NJ reaches settlement with Target for baby formula issuesNEWARK, N.J. — Target has agreed to pay New Jersey $375,000 to settle a lawsuit that it sold expired baby formula and charged different prices at the register than advertised.
Attorney General Anne Milgram says the Minneapolis-based retail giant will also establish a senior management position for a "Group Pricing Compliance Specialist." Target also will provide its New Jersey employees with price accuracy training over the next two years.
New Jersey filed suit against Target in 2008 after investigators found problems at 21 of its stores.
The state previously reached settlements over similar allegations with Rite Aid and Duane Reade. Suits are still pending against Wal-Mart and Drug Fair.
Copyright © 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.


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| Sep 30, 2013
| 6:30 AM
Born in Ethiopia and raised in Sweden by his adoptive family, Chef Marcus Samuelsson currently resides in the United States with his wife, model Gate Maya Haile. Samuelsson, a TV personality and "Top Chef Masters" champion, owns three restaurants, Red...
| Sep 27, 2013
| 9:27 AM
Sunday is National Coffee Day, which means purveyors of joe around the country are offering scads of deals and discounts on what is arguably America’s favorite drink.
But first, some background on the beverage. Nearly 85% of American adults...
| Sep 26, 2013
| 5:02 PM
Several members of Historic Seminole will be participating in the Smithsonian Magazine’s Museum Day Live, scheduled for Saturday, September 28. Many have free admission. Print your ticket. www.smithsonianmag.com/museumday
The Museum of...
| Aug 28, 2013
| 8:39 AM
JERUSALEM -- A plane carrying 450 immigrants from Ethiopia on Wednesday marked the end of Israel's decades-long effort to bring Jews and their descendants from the African nation to the Jewish state.
About 90,000 Ethiopians were brought to Israel in the...
| Aug 8, 2013
| 6:30 PM
Building brand awareness is something with which Diane Nelson, named president of the newly formed DC Entertainment in 2009, is quite familiar, having managed Warner Bros.' highly successful "Harry Potter" franchise. Now, as Nelson figures out how to...
| Jul 24, 2013
| 1:57 PM
There's nothing like the sweet emotion that comes with a good cup of coffee.
Joey Kramer, drummer of the classic rock-and-roll band Aerosmith, is bringing his online-only coffee line, Rockin' and Roastin', into stores throughout the northeast, available...
| Jun 12, 2013
| 6:45 AM
It's about sharing the experience.
That's what Mary Lou Aleski, executive director of New Haven's 18th annual International Festival of Arts & Ideas that begins Saturday, June 15, has found in data of who comes — and why— to the annual two-...
| Mar 1, 2013
| 4:38 PM
Two Orange County students have been honored for making an impact out of proportion with their young years. Tiffany Tang of Cypress Creek High was named a “Distinguished Finalist” and Merrie Grace Harding was awarded a “Certificate of...
| Feb 27, 2013
| 2:30 AM
Coffee lovers be warned. Whether you're a three-double-espressos-a-day addict or just indulge in the occasional cappuccino, enjoy it while you can. A coffee drought may be on its way. Changing climate threatens to reduce the flow of...
| Dec 16, 2012
Your face says it all: You are starting to panic. Don't. If you're shopping for a traveler, you might just find the answer to your gift-giving conundrum in these pages. Our team of travelers has tested items large and small, pricey and affordable, and...
| Apr 2, 2013
| 7:21 AM
The latest show from the British director and South African puppeteers of Broadway’s award-winning “War Horse,” a premiere of a chamber opera based on a Chekhov short story, performance by Aaron Neville and the Kronos Quartet and talks...
| Dec 23, 2011
| 4:34 PM
Frankincense production could plunge in 15 years, a problem for Magi at Christmas....


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Benelli TRK 302 adventure tourer (RE Himalayan rival) in the works?
The new product is likely to employ Benelli's existing 300 cc parallel-twin unit.
With the compact sportbike segment showing promising potential across the world, manufacturers are focusing significant resources on increasing the number of offerings in this space. A recent report says that Chinese-owned Italian sportsbike brand Benelli is working on a 300 cc adventure tourer which will lock horns with the likes of BMW G310GS and the upcoming KTM 390 Adventure.
Nothing much about the new Benelli adventure tourer is known as of now but it is expected to adopt the brand’s existing 300 cc parallel twin liquid-cooled motor which powers the Tornado 302. The engine would be tuned to generate higher low end torque to suit the new application.
The report also says that the new tourer will benefit from a new chassis, sub-frames, suspension system and instrument console. Styling could be derived from the larger TRK 502.
Before the entry of Royal Enfield Himalayan, the Indian two wheeler market had been deprived of compact and affordable adventure tourers. Now, it seems, we are in for an avalanche of such products. Apart from KTM 390 Adventure, BMW G310GS and Benelli TRK 302 (as we would like to call it), there is also a high possibility that Honda’s XRE 300 is on its way to our shores.
Benelli TRK 302 adventure tourer is expected to be ready sometime next year. Like other products in the Italian brand’s portfolio, we can expect the new model to be assembled locally in India by DSK-Benelli.


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It is part of the Cupertino giant’s counteroffensive after the law that requires the implementation of the USB Type-C port on its devices.
The pressure you received Manzana from the European Union forced him to make a drastic decision: the iPhone 15 will be the first smartphone to come with a USB-C connector and will mark the end of lightning portexclusive to the apple.
What represented a triumph for consumers, since from now on they will be able to use a single charger, for Apple it represents a more complex issue and that conspires against one of his most fruitful businesses: the sale of accessories.
The apple company boasted in recent times of carrying out actions in favor of sustainability, in fact that was its argument for eliminating the charger and headphones that it used to include with the iPhone. But deep down it also allowed him reduce costs and give a boost to the sale of these accessories.
iPhone 15: Apple’s plan against the USB-C charger
With the adoption of the unique charger, popular among Android models, the apple company prepares its counteroffensive given the need to exclude from its products the port that it developed in 2012.
Apple MFI is a program that allows manufacturers (OEMs) to design and develop unofficial accessories for Apple products such as iPhone, iPad, iPod, and Apple Watch. For these to work seamlessly, provide all the official technical specifications and other resources to make it work like the original.
However, Apple takes a share of each of these accessories, so an MFi-certified product could be a bit more expensive than the many other ones available on the market.
According to Chinese media, the North American company designed a small plate that could be mounted on a USB Type-C connector, and this would allow identify numerous functionsand proceed to its activation and deactivation.
That board wouldn’t be present on unofficial USB Type-C cables, which means they could end up featuring important limitationseither due to the loss of functions or the lack of fast chargingwhich would force the consumer to buy an original cable.
At the moment, it’s not clear if Apple will limit charging speeds on non-MFi USB Type-C cables or if it will disable charging completely and display an “accessory not detected” message.
While Apple would limit charging support on the iPhone 15 to USB Type-C, that certified by MFi will help the company earn more through commissions. It also ensures that a user can charge their new smartphone with cables that are safe and offers a seamless user experience.
Even charging an iPhone with the original accessory also ensures that the device will be protected against any power fluctuations and prevent electrical damage to the device.
The same goes for the data transfer, an MFi cable will offer maximum data transfer bandwidth, while a non-MFi cable might offer slower transfer speeds due to technical limitations. Anyone who has invested a lot of money in an iPhone would definitely choose an MFi USB Type-C cable over a non-branded one to ensure the longevity of the device.
If everything goes according to plan, the presentation of the iPhone 15 in its Keynotes September, probably between the first and second week of that month, this terminal will confirm if it will indeed have a USB Type-C cable included.


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The money will go to an organization focused on preventing human trafficking and sexual exploitation.
A look inside the charitable giving of the industrial titan whose family announced his death Friday.
On average, people who purchased a move-in ready home spent about $250,496, while fixer-upper buyers within their budget ended up spending about $246,891 in total.
L. Rafael Reif, president of the MIT, pledged to give an equal amount of money to groups that help victims of sexual abuse.
Koch Industries employs close to 120,000 people in 50 countries.
Many Americans are struggling to pay their credit card balances in full, according to a new report.
Epstein may have made things harder for his alleged victims to obtain his assets.
The Toy Insider Editor-in-Chief, Marissa DiBartolo, on the top learning toys and gear for the new school year.
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed a bill Thursday that raises teachers' minimum yearly salary to $40,000.
The U.S. Justice Department makes a major bust on a business email scam ring that targeted citizens.
With a Wall Street Journal report saying the mortgage market is starting to reopen to more risky borrowers, some experts are concerned we could be on the brink of another financial crisis.
Apple is readying camera-focused pro iPhones and new iPads for their Sept. 10 announcement, according to Mobile Nations senior editor Russell Holly.
The insurers’ move mostly reflects the business’ improved finances after previous rate hikes helped revenues catch up to claims costs.
JPMorgan Chase has reportedly decided to shut down its mobile payment app, according to a report.
Credit cards can be confusing. Trying to figure out which one offers the best deal can leave consumers scratching their heads.
President Donald Trump vowed to relieve disabled veterans from the burden of federal student loans during his visit to Kentucky.
McDonald's is distributing coffee cards in a human kindness experiment.
Target's stock is up by 25 percent.
Former Toys 'R' Us CEO Jerry Storch says Americans have money and jobs, and that's why the consumer economy is doing so well.
New guidelines from The Department of Energy's Energy Star sparked a heated debate.


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Keith Conquest doesn't need a public opinion poll to know that Olliemania is fizzling.
Conquest has a lot of evidence at his Fit to a Tee Shirt store in the Georgetown Park shopping mall that support for charismatic Marine Lt. Col. Oliver L. North has waned: stacks of unsold T-shirts carrying the former presidential aide's picture.
In the days immediately after North testified before Congress in July, Conquest's store couldn't keep North T-shirts in stock. Demand was so great that "they were blowing out of the store," Conquest recalled.
But sagging T-shirt sales are only one index to North's fading popularity. A decrease in pro-North letters to members of Congress, disappointing sales of an "instant" paperback and videotapes of his testimony, and an opinion poll released yesterday indicate that North's popularity has declined as sharply as it rose.
Some of North's strongest supporters said they expected as much.
"That's standard . . . a matter of news exposure," said Utah political consultant H. Keith Haines. He helped organize a defense fund that has raised $1.5 million for North, who is expected to be indicted on charges stemming from his role in the Iran-contra affair.
In the poll, a national telephone survey by Louis Harris, 65 percent said they think North was "more wrong than right" by secretly selling arms to Iran and diverting proceeds to the Nicaraguan contras. Seventy-three percent said they think that North likely committed a crime and 68 percent said they support prosecution of anyone suspected of violating the law in the Iran-contra affair.
The pollsters also found that 84 percent believe that North's superior at the National Security Council, Rear Adm. John M. Poindexter, also may have violated the law.
While North's supporters dispute the significance of his declining popularity, there appears to be little disagreement among many merchants and conservative politicians that he was good for business, at least briefly.
"We knew it would peak and that that falloff would be quite rapid," said Ann Maitland, a vice president of Pocket Books, which rushed a 753-page paperback edition of North's testimony to the market three days after his last appearance on Capitol Hill.
The company printed 775,000 books but expects to sell only half of them, according to Irwyn Applebaum, the firm's president and publisher.
Sales of a 90-minute videotape titled "Oliver North: Memo to History" have been "very, very disappointing," said Jaffer Ali, vice president of sales for MPI Home Video of Chicago, which produced 100,000 of the $19.95 tapes, half of which are unsold.
"North made some very stirring patriotic comments, but people are voting with their pocketbooks," Ali said.
Nevertheless, Pocket Books and MPI said they made money on their North releases. The book was a "modest blockbuster" rather than the "huge blockbuster" that the publisher expected, Applebaum said. The first of two North biographies reached bookstores yesterday, and their publishers said good sales are expected.
Turner Broadcasting Co. of Atlanta produced a two-hour, $24.98 videotape of North's testimony and quickly sold 36,000 copies, enough to qualify it as a "golden video" and meet the company's sales projections, according to Steve Chamberlin, vice president of Turner Home Entertainment.
Sales have slowed, and Chamberlin said he expects to sell about 10,000 more tapes, but with more difficulty. "You have quick-cycle effect" with such "video instant celebrities," he said.
Sales of North T-shirts and bumper stickers peaked quickly here after his testimony, according to several merchants and souvenir shop operators.
Dallas Alice Inc. of Rockville produced and sold more than 13,000 shirts bearing a cartoon of North testifying under the legend "Ollie's Follies." "I'm surprised it's still selling," said Barney Harris, the firm's general manager.
One key to the sales was quick production of a shirt that did not take sides on North's testimony, Harris said. The rule of T-shirt sales is "If it's topical and he's in the limelight, it sells," she said.
The Republican National Committee and the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) launched mailings in late July in attempts to cash in on North's support of the contras. Democrats and some Republicans attacked the effort, but spokesmen for both groups said yesterday that they were financial successes.
Neither group would discuss the amount produced by their mailings. The NRCC request by Rep. Guy Vander Jagt (R-Mich.) under the name "GOP/North Victory Fund" will result in a donation of "at least $50,000" to North's defense fund, a committee official said.
Congressional mail, which strongly supported North as his testimony began, decreased later in the hearings, according to the staff members of the investigating committees.
Mail received by Senate panel Chairman Daniel K. Inouye (D-Hawaii) initially was pro-North, then began turning against him during the week he testified and has remained 60 percent to 70 percent against him, according to Gregg Takayama, an Inouye spokesman.
During the testimony, Sen. Orrin G. Hatch (R-Utah), a conservative who defended many of North's statements, received about 500 letters daily, most of them supporting North. The number has dropped to about 10 a day, and most still voice support, said Paul Smith, a spokesman for Hatch.
Several conservative organizations in Washington apparently believe that North's name is still good for fund raising. The American Freedom Coalition, a Washington group raising funds under the name "Emergency Project to Support Colonel North's Freedom Fight in Central America," and the Nicaraguan Development Council Inc. of Washington last week made mailings that invoked North's name.
The Freedom Coalition offered a free videotape of North's testimony to contributors of $25 or more. Adolfo Calero, the member of the contra political directorate who signed the Development Council's "Urgentgram," described North as "a man I am proud to call my friend."


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Vloggers and video marketers are reveling in Instagram’s latest ad tool: The option to showcase multiple videos in a single post.
Brands such as Airbnb, Macy’s and Taco Bell are taking advantage of video ad carousels, which can feature a mix of video and still images. Users have to swipe from one piece of content to the next. Advertisers can feature up to five videos at 60 seconds each—though it’s hard to imagine many users taking the time to swipe through and watch.
The rollout presents a significant challenge for content creators: How can you capture users’ attention, entice them to swipe left and keep them watching?
« Brands are excited about this because it gives marketers better creative flexibility, » James Quarles, global head of business and brand development at Instagram, told Advertising Age. « The hardest thing to do is to capture people’s imaginations, and carousel can help advertisers better achieve that with five pieces of content. As we see people watch more video, we think this helps business bring messages to life more. »
Here’s how the new carousel ads will appear in users’ feeds:
Instagram is increasingly becoming a home for video content—video views on the platform were up 40 percent from August of last year. Instagram advertising is expected to account for 14 percent of Facebook’s total mobile ad revenue in 2017, according to an eMarketer report.
How will you use Instagram’s carousel ads, PR Daily readers?


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Sci-Fi & Gaming News Archive - May 06, 2010
On Thursday, Nintendo posted a decline in full year net profit and forecast a continued slump next year as sales of its Wii console have slumped.
Word of the Day
- A stinking tobacco.
- Offal; waste animal product; organic matter unfit for consumption.
This word comes from the Spanish 'mondongo,' tripe, entrails.


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CVS officials have revealed plans to “roll out a company-wide information and outreach program” at its 7,400 retail stores and 650 MinuteClinics nationwide to help Americans understand the new benefits that will become available when insurance exchanges such as HealthSource RI begin enrollment this fall.
The effort by CVS will include retail events, brochure displays and a new website, CVS.com/insurance. A survey commissioned by CVS that found less than half of those eligible for the health law’s new insurance subsidies are aware that they are.
“We have a tremendous opportunity to help Americans understand the new health care law and how it affects them so consumers receive the coverage that best fits their families,” CVS Executive Vice President Helena Foulkes said in a statement.
“The beauty of the CVS environment is that people are in our stores several times a month,” Foulkes told The Washington Post. “Maybe I come into the store and I notice one of the pamphlets and take one home. The pharmacist might say, ‘I noticed you paid cash. Do you want to think about insurance?’ The next time, I see a navigator and have a more lengthy conversation.”
One thing you probably won’t hear CVS say: “Obamacare.”
With Republicans and conservative groups preparing to push Americans not to participate in the law’s new insurance marketplaces, Foulkes told Politico CVS could experience some blow-back for backing the Obama administration. She said the company will try to avoid that by focusing on the law’s benefits to consumers and by using the state exchanges’ local names, like HealthSource RI and Covered California.
The decision to promote the health law isn’t a big surprise; as a CVS executive declared in 2009, “Anything that increases coverage will be good for our company’s business.” Walgreen’s and The Blue Cross Blue Shield Association have already announced their own plans to publicize the law.
CVS stock closed at $61.96 a share in New York Stock Exchange trading Friday, up from $45.33 a year ago, after the company reported robust first-quarter profits in May.
(graphic: CVS Caremark)