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Last year, Herndon Farms LLC of Lyons, GA, dodged a bullet in the form of downy mildew that took as much as a third of some growers’ crops but did not impact the Herndon deal. This year, Herndon dodged raindrops; 14-17 inches of rain soaked the region in late February, but strong winds came in and tidied up the excess water in quick fashion.
“The Vidalia onion industry had a lot of problems in 2012, but at Herndon we were able to solve those problems early on and started spraying quickly for downy mildew and made a pretty good crop,” said Sales Manager John Williams. “We kept our customers going three or four weeks longer than some of our competitors and we were able to keep our customers going through August. It was a combination of good luck, where our fields were and early spraying. We felt really blessed.”
With Northwest storage supplies winding down, few remaining sweet onions from Mexico and a 40 percent acreage reduction in Texas sweet onions over the past two seasons, Herndon is primed to reap a sweet harvest from this year’s Vidalia crop.
And even though the Vidalia deal is still Herndon’s crown jewel — owner L.G. (Bo) Herndon was inducted into the Vidalia Onion Growers Hall of Fame last year — the company has expanded its offerings and has set its sights on further heights.
Herndon is a growing producer of sweet potatoes, greens, corn and its trademarked “Lil’ Bo’s Petite Sweet Baby Vidalias.” It has also expanded its outreach into other sweet onion producing areas to make sure customers have a year-round supply with the “Herndon’s Finest” label.
“We’re building on a really good foundation with Bo and [nephew] Jason [Herndon] and what they’ve done over the years,” Mr. Williams said. “They do what they say they’re going to do, we pay our bills and we offer quality and service that are second to none — we’re definitely building the programs.”
For example, “We doubled what we did last year as far as the amount of imports we brought in from Peru, actually doubled that number,” Mr. Williams said. “We had a really good Peruvian season with a very good grower, we have a great relationship set up and are hoping to increase that another 25-50 percent this fall.”
Herndon is also working to increase its Georgia corn yields after a state-wide drop in per-acre production last year.
“We had a good corn season, prices were pretty strong,” Mr. Williams said, “so we’re trying to take some measures to get our corn yields back up for this go-round.”
Herndon is also getting a lot of attention for its new bunch onion label, “Lil’ Bo’s Petite Sweet Vidalia Onions,” named after Bryton Bo Kight, grandson of Bo Herndon.
“We have seen this item grow in popularity the last several years; they have a unique size and are versatile in the kitchen. So we wanted to develop an in-house label that would help our customers promote and showcase this item to its fullest potential,” said Mr. Williams. “With ‘Lil’ Bo’s’, Herndon Farms is helping to specify this product on the market, where it has otherwise been a vague and generic item.”


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April 6, 2021
China VA: Cautious mood impedes sales (week ended Apr 5, 2021)
In the local market, the transaction prices of VA500 were lower in the range of RMB305-365/kg. VA1000 prices weakened to RMB565/kg.
In January and February 2021, China's 3649.2 tonnes VA export volume totalled 1,076.13 tonnes, an increase of 85.8% year-on-year, and the average unit price was up 21.2% to US$58.91/kg. January VA export volume was 550.4 tonnes and February export volume was 525.7 tonnes. VA exports value totalled US$63.4 million, a sharp on-year increase of 125%.
In February 2020, due to China's fight against the coronavirus epidemic, post-Chinese New Year resumption of production was delayed and output declined. Nonetheless, overall VA supply was stable during January-February period, and the export volume increased compared with 2020. Exports to Germany were the highest at 391.4 tonnes, followed by the United States at 248.3 tonnes.
Meanwhile, China's VA oil imports totaled 165.8 tonnes, higher by 47.2% year-on-year. Imports from Switzerland topped at 95.8 tonnes while those from Germany were at 51.1 tonnes.
Vitamin A market will remain soft with feed producers staying prudent and limiting purchases.
Full version of the report is available at https://spoutinfo.com/market-forecast-detail/29/32/325/3120
All rights reserved. No part of the report may be reproduced without permission from eFeedLink.

domain: news


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Thanks to growing sales in the North American market, Honda Motor Co. set new record highs both in consolidated sales and profits in fiscal 1998, despite dwindling sales at home, Honda officials said Friday.
Japan’s No. 3 automaker registered a consolidated net profit of 305.05 billion yen in fiscal 1998, which ended in March, up 17 percent over the previous year.
Consolidated pretax profit grew 17.4 percent to 520.51 billion yen on group sales of 6.23 trillion yen, an increase of 3.9 percent.
Honda attributed the favorable performance to strong sales of automobiles in North America, especially the CR-V sports-utility vehicle, as well as to the yen’s depreciation and cost-cutting efforts.
The results reflect Honda’s increasing dependence on the North American market to compensate falling sales in Japan.
Hit by the domestic economic slump, domestic sales dropped 9 percent to 1.56 trillion yen, while overseas sales surged 9 percent to 4.67 trillion yen, Honda said.
North America accounted for 52.3 percent of total operating profits, with 37.6 percent generated in Japan, according to Honda.
Domestic operating profit stands at 206.2 billion yen, even when profit from exports to overseas markets, including North America, is counted.
Speaking at a news conference, Honda Managing Director Satoshi Aoki declined to comment about business conditions at home minus export sales, saying Honda does not disclose that figure in announcing earning results.
Honda is also increasingly shifting production overseas. For fiscal 1999 that ends March 2000, overseas production is projected to hit 1.27 million units and exceed domestic production, which is projected at 1.24 million units, for the first time ever.
Honda announced plans earlier this month to open a third North American auto manufacturing plant in 2002, at Lincoln, Alabama. The plant will help boost annual production capacity in the region from 960,000 to 1.13 million units by around 2003.


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Several reports ahead of the reveal of the iPhone 15 have claimed that Apple is planning to swap the old volume and side buttons for solid-state buttons. After CAD files and schematics showcasing this new look for the iPhone 15 Pro leaked, an Apple supplier “confirmed” a few weeks later that the solid-state buttons were canceled due to “unresolved technical issues before mass production” but suggested they could still be ready in time for the iPhone 16 Pro.
Now, Haiton International Securities analyst Jeff Pu (via MacRumors) says in a new note that there’s a “low” chance the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max will feature solid-state buttons. Pu also reported that the iPhone 15 Pro Max could be more expensive than the iPhone 14 Pro Max.
Basically, adding solid-state buttons would help fulfill Apple’s dream of a buttonless and, eventually, portless iPhone. With no physical buttons, there are fewer chances the iPhone will break, and it also improves water and dust resistance.
It seems solid-state buttons were a good idea that Apple scrapped, similar to the under-display Touch ID. Even though Apple could still attempt to add solid-state buttons in future iterations, these features likely won’t make it to your iPhone any time soon.
That being said, we’ve already seen another rumor about the iPhone 16 series. Analyst Ross Young shared in May that Apple will increase the display size of the iPhone 16 Pro model, giving the regular Pro model a 6.2-inch display and the larger version a 6.9-inch screen. This could help bring a periscope lens to the smaller Pro model. Also, Young says the standard versions would keep the 6.1-inch and 6.7-inch displays for another year.
In addition, we can expect the A18 Bionic chip for the Pro model and the A17 Bionic processor for the base models.


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Majesty: Gold Edition ships
Infogrames' compilation includes Majesty: The Fantasy Kingdom Sim and the Northern Expansion add-on.
Infogrames' latest fantasy strategy game, Majesty: Gold Edition, has shipped and will soon be available in stores. The game is a compilation of Majesty: The Fantasy Kingdom Sim, an unusual real-time strategy game created by Cyberlore Studios and released in early 2000, and Majesty: The Northern Expansion, an add-on to the game that was released last March.
GameSpot may get a commission from retail offers.


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RODALE NEWS, EMMAUS, PA—With winter fully upon us, you may have a few unwanted guests trying to sneak inside where it's warm. This time of year is prime "migration" season for mice and rats who don't like the cold weather any more than you do. But before you try to get rid of them with one of those bait traps from the home and garden store, consider that those traps are so toxic, they'll soon be illegal. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will be instituting new regulations this year, banning the residential use of certain highly toxic pesticides used for rodent control that are threatening children and pets as well as a variety of wildlife, including barn owls.
The new rules couldn't come soon enough, says Jay Feldman, executive director at the nonprofit group Beyond Pesticides. The pesticides that will soon be banned were invented in the 1970s, and as long ago as the early '80s, scientists suspected that they were threatening wildlife. "The new regulations are so logical, it's almost laughable that these things weren't more carefully managed," Feldman says. But the new guidelines leave a lot to be desired, particularly when it comes to farming, and he says that going organic could be an easy way to ditch rodents without harming people or animals.
THE DETAILS: The new EPA guidelines for rat poisons are scheduled to go into effect in June. Provided that industry influence doesn't prevent them from being fully implemented (and the industry is fighting them under the guise that controlling rodents is a public health issue), the new guidelines would focus primarily on what are called "second-generation anticoagulants," which act as blood thinners. These four chemicals, brodifacoum, bromadiolone, difenacoum, and difethialone, are currently used in a variety of home rodent-control products and considered extremely toxic. According to the American Association of Poison Control Centers, they're the second-leading cause of pesticide-related calls to poison control centers in this country. That's primarily due to the fact that they're sold as pellets and used in open-bait traps that children and dogs have easy access to. The new rules would ban all four of those chemicals in consumer products sold at grocery, drug, and hardware stores, and require that all pellet baits that use alternative chemicals be sold in tamper-resistant containers. The rules would also put severe restrictions on how professional exterminators can use rodent baits in homes.
An even bigger problem is the threat these toxic chemicals pose to wildlife, says Feldman. There is more use of baits in agriculture than in homes, he says, and it becomes difficult to prevent wildlife poisonings if the material is used. Unlike the first-generation rodenticides that were invented back in the 1940s, these newer poisons are effective with a single feeding. But they still can take up to five days to kill a rodent; so as the animals stagger around after eating the rodenticide, other predators, such as owls and bald eagles, eat them and ingest these toxic pesticides. A 2009 study in Canada found that 75 percent of barn owls living in British Columbia and the Yukon Territory had rodenticide chemicals building up in their livers. The chemicals don't necessarily kill the owls outright, but they can interfere with blood clotting, turning small cuts into life-threatening ailments, or affect the birds' ability to fly, causing them to get hit by cars.
Other studies have found these dangerous chemicals building up in the bodies of herbivorous animals like squirrels and deer. Scientists aren't sure why they're building up in herbivores, but the evidence suggests that the chemicals are extremely persistent in the environment and do damage far beyond the rats and mice they're intended to kill.
Published on: January 4, 2011
Updated on: January 5, 2011


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LPG price hiked when it drops globally
The Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC) yesterday hiked the price of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) even though its price dropped in the international market.
From today, a 12 kg cylinder, the most common form for marketing the fuel, will sell for Tk 1,235, up from Tk 1,219 last month. Auto gas, the form used as vehicle fuel, will now cost Tk 57.55 per litre, up from Tk 56.85 last month.
Since April last year, the BERC started pricing LPG in line with the contract prices with Saudi Arabia for propane and butane.
When the CP rate goes up, so does the LPG price at home.
But this month, the average prices of the main ingredients of LPG -- propane and butane -- came down to $637 per metric tonne from $663 in August.
The price was hiked for the high dollar exchange rate, said ABM Faruque, the acting chairman of BERC, while announcing the new LPG price.
"We earlier counted the dollar rate as per the prescribed rate of the Bangladesh Bank rate, which is Tk 95," he said.
But the LPG importers submitted some invoices and letters of credit at different rates.
"After getting about 16 companies' vouchers, we fixed the average exchange rate of Tk 104. Only Petrobangla and some government institutions can follow the Bangladesh Bank exchange rate and the rest are importing products at a higher rate," Faruque said.
The price of the 12.5 kg cylinder sold by the state-owned LP Gas remains unchanged at Tk 591.


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Gurnee, IL (PRWEB) January 20, 2012
Gurnee Dodge- one of the leading Chrysler Dodge Jeep and Ram dealerships in Gurnee, IL would like to announce that the 2012 Ram 1500 and 2012 Jeep Wrangler have been named the, “2012 Best Full-Size Pickup Truck for the Money”, and “Best Off-Road SUV for the Money,” by U.S. News & World Report. In addition to these awards both vehicles earned honors for outstanding value and availability of features that consumers want. Gurnee Dodge is happy to offer both of these vehicles at their dealership and they are proud to see that others are awarding them for their great value.
Employees of Gurnee Dodge, Ram Trucks and the Jeep brand were very pleased to see these vehicles get their due, though they are not surprised. Both of the vehicles offer tremendous value throughout the life of the vehicle and provide optimal performance for buyers.
“The Ram Truck brand is meeting the needs and expectations of our customers with the best trucks in the market," said Fred Diaz, President and CEO of Ram Truck brand.
Jeep brand officials also agreed that the vehicle earned this award and did not take it lightly.
“We are delighted that Wrangler has captured this important award from U.S. News & World Report,” said Mike Manley, President and CEO of Jeep Brand. “Jeep Wrangler has set seven consecutive monthly sales records. The new 2012 Jeep Wrangler offers consumers more value and appeal than ever before, with improved fuel efficiency and everyday driving dynamics, more power and even more legendary Jeep capability.”
To earn an award from the U.S. News & World Report a vehicle must show that their five-year cost of ownership and average price data is the best in their category. With the Jeep Wrangler and the Ram 1500, consumers do not have to choose between great value and an amazing vehicle.
Gurnee Dodge is proud to sell Jeeps in Gurnee, IL and Ram trucks in Gurnee. They have a large selection and would like to invite consumers in to the dealership to take a look. For more information please go to Gurnee Dodge or visit http://www.gurneedodge.com.


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eBay earnings top expectations
Ecommerce giant eBay (NASDAQ: EBAY) had reason to cheer today, posting second-quarter figures that topped Wall Street estimates due in part to a record performance from its PayPal unit.
The company posted a quarterly profit of $4.12 million or $0.31 per share, with non-GAAP income coming in at $530.2 million, or $0.40 per share - an 18 percent increase over the same quarter last year. Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters expected a non-GAAP increase of only $0.38 per share.
The increase in income excludes Internet phone unit Skype, which eBay sold off last year in a $1.9 billion deal while retaining a 35 percent in the firm.
Revenue for the second quarter increased 6 percent to $2.2 billion compared to the same quarter a year ago, or 15 percent excluding Skype. The total was just ahead of analyst estimates, according to Thomson Reuters.
eBay credited a record performance at its payments unit, PayPal, with a good deal of the success. The unit added three million accounts during the quarter, it said, while PayPal's merchant services business grew 40 percent year over year.
The news comes at a time when eBay looks to distance itself from the money-losing Skype acquisition, which was a drain on profits, and grow its core auction and ecommerce business -- all key elements of a turnaround spearheaded by President and CEO John Donahoe.
"We delivered strong second-quarter results, demonstrating the global strength and increasing diversity of our business," Donahoe said in a statement. "PayPal is strong and getting stronger, building a robust and innovative global footprint serving all of ecommerce. And our eBay turnaround remains on track, with strong performance in Europe, significant changes in the U.S. and continued improvements to the buying and selling experience. We continue to focus on delivering strong financial results, managing a healthy balance sheet and making the necessary investments to compete, win and satisfy our customers."
For 2010, eBay said it expects PayPal to continue its performance, contributing about $100 million to full-year net revenues and $0.06 to $0.08 per share. Company officials also said they anticipate eBay's Marketplaces business, despite continued slow growth in the U.S., to continue its rapid pace in Europe.
Despite the quarter's strong showing, though, eBay slightly reduced the full-year guidance it provided in January and later reaffirmed in April, owing at least in part to the effects of a stronger-than-expected U.S. dollar.
As a result, the company said full-year revenues would come in at between $8.8 billion and $9.0 billion - an increase of 9 percent to 11 percent over 2009, excluding Skype. Earnings per share, on a GAAP basis, would also come in between $1.23 and $1.28, while non-GAAP earnings could range from $1.60 to $1.65, up 9 percent to 12 percent, again excluding Skype's earlier impact.


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More of the same: T-Mobile to continue to outpace AT&T, Sprint, and Verizon in subscriber growth
T-Mobile, who for the better part of the past two years has been outperforming the rest of the US market combined, is expected to continue posting subscriber growth numbers that cast a shadow upon the other three national carriers.
For the first quarter of this year however, not only is T-Mobile probably going to report additions of about a million customers, but expectations are that we will see negative “handset adds from the other carriers,” according to analysis by Wells Fargo.
While that makes things look all bright and shiny for Team Magenta, this growth is coming at a cost. T-Mobile has been relentless with its Un-carrier campaign, but with each new promotion, from Data Stash to the recent “Carrier Freedom” initiative which pays off other carrier device payment plans for up to 10 lines, there is substantial pressure on the carrier’s ability to maintain a healthy profit margin. The Wells Fargo analysts have lowered earnings expectations a bit, but no one is sounding any alarms.
Sprint may post very modest additions, but of the 50,000 or so adds, the thinking is that it will be nearly all tablet additions. On the actual customer numbers, Sprint is expected to post a loss again.
AT&T and Verizon are thought to show continued growth with tablets as well, while still adding customers across the board, about 400,000 and 600,000 respectively. For their part, AT&T’s and Verizon’s churn rates will likely get even lower, a smidgen above 1% each.
All-in-all, it will be more of the same, though a lot of people are interested in what Sprint is planning for the year ahead. This year’s first quarter is the fiscal fourth quarter Sprint, so not only will there be details about performance, but plans for capital expenditures on its network and other plans that are very important to Sprint’s future.


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Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO), the world's biggest beverage maker, has long been one of Wall Street’s barometers of the global economy. The U.S. company’s Q3 2013 results are living proof of what the International Monetary Fund advised in its last global growth predictions: developing markets are increasingly more volatile, which reflects multinationals -- including Coca-Cola.
The Atlanta-based soda giant registered a 3 percent year-on-year drop in its Q3, with earnings of $12 billion worldwide. When broken into regions, Asia and Africa fell 4 percent, and the Pacific region 9 percent. Europe grew 10 percent. And Latin America remained the same.
The results come as a surprise -- the Q1 2013 registered an increase of 4 percent in Latin America. Previously, Latin America was considered the main reason for the company’s growth; in 2011, for instance, Coca-Cola’s earnings in the region grew 13 percent.
What has changed? Between social upheaval, inflation and a commodity crisis, Latin America has had a rough year, which might have affected the world’s leading soft drink maker.
Mexico’s Crusade Against Sugary Drinks
Mexico had huge news this last summer: It lead the ranking of obese countries in the world, surpassing even the formerly undefeated champion, the United States. One-third of Mexicans are overweight -- a full percentage point over the number of overweight Americans.
To fight the trend, President Enrique Peña Nieto’s administration, which has had a very intense year of political reforms, included sugary drinks in the list of items that will have a tax increase. If the fiscal reform is approved, a liter of soda will go up a peso in price, from the current 12 pesos (90 U.S. cents).
While it's too early to blame the tax on drops in sales, Coca-Cola was one of the first companies to express concern over the measure. Mexico is the world's largest consumer of soft drinks, with 46 gallons of soda consumed by an average per person -- and an increase in price, however small, could pinch sales.
Venezuela Doesn't Need It (And Bolivia Might Not Need It Either)
It's not news that the late Venezuelan leader Hugo Chávez wasn't a big fan of the U.S. Chávez's incendiary speeches against capitalism and the northern neighbor were a common practice during his 14 years in power.
Indeed, during a 2011 speech, Chávez said that “Venezuela can live without Coca-Cola.”
“Coca-Cola isn’t indispensable,” he said. “Who said it is necessary?”
Chávez's sentiment resonated again in May, when a strike paralyzed the Venezuelan Coca-Cola plant in the central-western city of Valencia, sending sales down 15 percent. The striking workers restarted the plant after 24 days, but their demand for better wages wasn't met and they were required to make up lost work hours.
Coca-Cola faced another challenge when Bolivian President Evo Morales announced plans to expel the company by Dec. 21, 2012, which is considered to mark the end of the Mayan calendar. Foreign Minister David Choquehuanca said the date also marks the end of capitalism and the start of a culture of life in community-based societies. And, Coca-Cola was to be banned in favor of mocochinche, a locally produced peach-flavored soft drink.
The Bolivian government later said that the foreign minister's words had been taken out of context and that it wasn't planning to ban Coca-Cola soft-drink products.
#BoikotCocacola, Or The Power Of Social Media
In this day and age, virtually no one is safe from scrutiny and our words are always with us. When Coca-Cola's CEO in Spain, Marcos de Quinto, made some comments labeled as a direct attack on a religious organization, Latin Americans didn't take it lightly.
In September, de Quinto made some comments construed as insentive about a Christian group called Hazte Oír, after the group asked the company to remove its ads from a controversial Spanish reality show. De Quinto reportedly called the group's followers “fanatics” and “intolerant.”
“May God spare from groups like ‘The Guardians of the Faith,’ who want to tell us what shows to watch, what books and newspapers to read, what party to vote for,” a Twitter post attributed to De Quinto said.
His remarks were taken as a direct attack on Christians, and it spurred an outcry in Latin America, the continent with the world's largest concentration of Catholics. The hashtag #boikotcocacola became a trending topic in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Panama, and thousands of Twitter users vowed to stop buying the products.
As the boycott spread across Latin America, Coca-Cola saw its share price drop 0.8 percent on Sept. 5, and Motley Fool contributor Amanda Alix called the decline “surprising” given the company's strong performance the previous day .


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UK Gambling Commission Introduces New Regulations
In a bid to enhance player protection, the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) unveiled a set of stringent regulations for online casinos. These measures, effective from October 1st, aim to ensure safer gambling practices and include tighter verification processes and enhanced monitoring of player behaviour to identify and support potential problem gamblers.
PlayTech Launches Innovative Slot Game with AR Features
Leading software developer PlayTech surprised fans with the release of ‘Mystic Realms’, an augmented reality (AR) slot game. This immersive experience, first of its kind in the UK, allows players to engage with slot gaming in a 3D augmented environment, blending the virtual and real worlds.
Major Jackpot Win at LuckyLands Casino
A player from Birmingham made headlines after winning a whopping £5.2 million progressive jackpot at LuckyLands Casino. This win marks one of the largest payouts in the UK online casino scene for 2023.
NetEnt and Evolution Gaming Announce Collaboration
Two giants of the online casino software world, NetEnt and Evolution Gaming, announced a groundbreaking collaboration. Expected to debut in early 2024, this partnership promises to deliver a series of live dealer games combined with unique slot features.
Rise in Mobile Casino Players
A study released in September highlighted the surge in mobile casino gamers in the UK. The report showed a 15% increase in mobile casino registrations compared to the same period last year, reinforcing the growing trend of on-the-go gaming.
UKGC Addresses Concerns Over Cryptocurrency in Gambling
In a public statement, the UKGC addressed the increasing use of cryptocurrencies in online casinos. While recognising the potential benefits, the commission expressed concerns over transparency and the potential for misuse. Further investigations and possible regulatory adjustments are anticipated in the coming months.
‘Casino Fest 2023’ Attracts Record Attendance
Held in London, ‘Casino Fest 2023’, the UK’s premier online casino expo, witnessed record-breaking attendance. Industry professionals, players, and enthusiasts flocked to the event, which showcased the latest in gaming technology, software innovations, and upcoming game releases.
September 2023 proved to be an eventful month for the UK’s online casino industry. From regulatory changes to technological advancements and major jackpot wins, the landscape continues to evolve, promising exciting times ahead for both players and industry stakeholders.


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Tesla stock continues to hit record highs. Warren Buffett, in the meantime, donated almost $3 billion of Berkshire Hathaway stock, making his riches shrink further.
Elon Musk\’s wealth has officially surpassed that of Warren Buffett as on Friday, as per the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, powered by Tesla\’s skyrocketing stock price and a hefty donation from the Oracle of Omaha.
Musk, the CEO of Tesla saw his riches surge more than $6 billion on Friday alone to $70.5 billion as the establishment\’s market value capped off a week of fresh highs. The stock is now up 259% in 2020 compared to the benchmark S&P 500 index\’s 1% gain.
Up from No. 12, Musk is now No. 7 on the list, while slips down to 10th place. Board member Larry Ellison, a major shareholder himself at Tesla, also gained ground and came in at No. 11.
Perhaps the world\’s most famous investor, Buffett saw his riches decline this week after donating $2.9 billion worth of Berkshire Hathaway shares to charity. Since 2006, according to Bloomberg, he\’s donated more than $37 billion worth of shares.
Billionaire wealth is not that straightforward
Although Musk takes zero salary from Tesla, Buffett has famously taken $100,000 annually for decades. For both however, their riches are mainly tacked to the daily ups and downs of equities markets.
Musk, specifically, has made headlines for his enormously complicated pay structure that allows him to buy $1.8 billion tranches of highly discounted Tesla stock when the company hits specific performance targets, for example profitability goals and market-capitalization benchmarks. He hit the first of those very goals earlier in 2020.
He\’s also stated that Tesla stock is likely overvalued, but that hasn\’t discouraged investors from further pushing the price to make it the most valuable car company, despite producing only a minor fraction of what traditional automakers annually churn out.
\”It doesn\’t make a lot of sense in most cases if you\’ve basically organized a company,\” Musk expressed on Joe Rogan’s podcast in May. \”How does this wealth arise? If you organize people in a better way to produce products and services that are better than existed before, and you have some ownership in that company, then that essentially gives you the right to allocate more capital.\”
Here’s where Buffett comes into Musk’s theory.
\”There\’s a conflation of consumption and capital allocation,\” Musk stated. \”So when you take Buffett, for example and to be totally frank, I\’m not his biggest fan, he does a lot of capital allocation. He reads a lot of annual reports of companies, all the account, and it\’s pretty boring honestly. What he\’s trying to figure out is, \’Does Coke or Pepsi deserve more capital?\’\”
Consequently, these two billionaires could not be more diverse in communication, either.
\”He\’s a remarkable guy,\” Buffett, who has but only tweeted nine times, said about the Tesla CEO back in 2019 as Musk sparred with US securities regulators. \”I just don\’t see the necessity to communicate.”


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Intel has been collaborating with Google’s Waymo project for autonomous vehicles for years. Waymo’s Chrysler Pacifica cars feature Intel processors, fpgas and modems. The chip giant has independently invested $1 billion in artificial intelligence.
The self-driving Chrysler Pacifica minivans include Xeon processors, Arria FPGAs for image analysis, Gigabit Ethernet adapters and XMM modems for LTE connectivity. “By working closely with Waymo, Intel can give its fleet of vehicles the processing power for Level 4 and 5 autonomy,” said Intel CEO Brian Krzanich. Level 4 stands for driving with a high degree of autonomy, level 5 means that the car can function completely autonomously.
According to the CEO, the Waymo cars have collectively driven nearly three million miles on American roads. It was recently announced that Fiat Chrysler was joining Intel’s partnership to develop autonomous driving technology. BMW is also part of this association.
Intel sees growth opportunities in the automotive market, but also wants to play a central role in the development of artificial intelligence. The company claims to have invested one billion dollars, converted 833 million euros, in companies involved in artificial intelligence. The company cites as examples the company Mighty AI, for training datasets, DataRobot, for automating machine learning, and Lumiata, which focuses on the use of AI for the health market.


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I have to say, I'm impressed by the latest moves at Starbucks. Founder and CEO Howard Schultz announced that they're going to switch to new machines which will grind espresso beans right before making each shot. Just one catch: these new machines will be rolled out in three-quarters of Starbucks stores by 2010. Yikes. It's like trying to turn the Titanic after it's already struck an iceberg. Starbucks also acquired Clover, which makes a coffee machine that costs $11,000. The Clover is the machine of choice at Cafe Grumpy, which I've blogged about before, and which makes a phenomenal cup of coffee (that can cost up to $6).
The bottom line: if Schultz wants these changes to have any affect on Starbucks' share price, he better roll the new machines out sooner rather than later. And it wouldn't hurt to install one of those Clovers in the locations near Wall Street first. That'll appease the financial types. The fact that my office is also near Wall Street is only a happy coincidence.
What do you think? Is this step one in a turnaround?


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NYTimes.com: Bits: Turning Game Boys Into Synthesizers
New York Times article about the recent Blip Festival, organized by 2 ITP students – Michael Rosenthal of The Tank and Jeremiah Johnson!
TECHNOLOGY | December 05, 2008
Bits: Turning Game Boys Into Synthesizers
By Jenna Wortham
The Blip Festival, a four-day showcase of musicians who convert retro video game and computer consoles into instruments, runs this weekend in New York City.


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13 April 2007: Google sets the cat among the pigeons in the online display market when it buys DoubleClick - the world's pre-eminent digital ad serving company - for $3.1 billion. Google's chief, Eric Schmidt, assures rivals there will not be anti-trust implications.
30 April 2007: Yahoo! responds almost immediately by paying $680 million to complete the purchase of the internet advertising exchange company Right Media. Yahoo! had already acquired 20 per cent of the company in 2006. Terry Semel, the chairman and chief executive of Yahoo! hails the deal as further evidence of his company's determination to build the industry's leading "advertiser and publisher ecosystem".
16 May 2007: Now AOL clambers aboard the bandwagon, snapping up the mobile ad serving company Third Screen Media, then a day later announcing it has succeeded in a bid for Adtech, a leading international online ad serving company based in Frankfurt. Randy Falco, the chairman and chief executive of AOL, boasts of the company's "incredible momentum" in the ad serving business.
18 May 2007: And Sir Martin's Sorrell's WPP crashes the party too, paying $649 million to buy the internet advertising broker 24/7 Real Media. As the deal closes, it is revealed WPP had been negotiating to acquire DoubleClick before its sale in April to Google.
7 November 2007: AOL maintains its own momentum when it pays $350 million to snap up Quigo, a specialist in selling targeted contextual ads and sponsored links, matching advertisers to specific online article subjects. Quigo already had a relationship with AOL's parent Time Warner - many of the group's sites already used its services.
Fast forward ...
January 2008: But advertisers decide enough is enough when Google announces that it is now in negotiations to acquire Yahoo! in what will be the deal of the decade. Ad industry groups on both sides of the Atlantic call for ad serving to be handled by totally independent organisations and for market remedies to counter Yahoogle's growing stranglehold of the online display advertising market.


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Traveling with medical marijuana and marijuana-derived products has been a tricky subject in recent years, but it looks like there’s just been a major move forward.
According to Fox News, the TSA just updated its policy on travelers carrying medicinal CBD (cannabidiol) oil in both checked and carry on luggage. Until now, the organization has emphatically told travelers to leave their CBD at home, but now that the FDA has approved the first CBD oil drug (Epidiolex) for seizures, the TSA seems to be following suit in order to allow travelers access to their medications — even though marijuana itself is illegal under federal law.
Contrary to myths and rumors: No, CBD is not the chemical in marijuana that causes euphoria or “gets you high,” so to speak. The drug’s other active ingredient, THC, is the only chemical that causes this reaction. CBD, on the other hand, can have a variety of other benefits without psychoactive side effects — like treating pain, inflammation, and anxiety, according to Harvard Medical School.
Along a similar line, cosmetic grade CBD oils can be found in makeup and skincare products, hailed for their inflammatory and moisturizing properties. Mascaras, face masks, lotions, and lip balms, in particular, have become holy grail beauty items and sought-after products for busy travelers who want to maintain their fresh look while spending their days and nights in crowded, dry plane cabins.
But CBD beauty products are usually less dicey to take on a plane than pure CBD oil, though there are some exceptions. This new policy change is certainly good news for people who need the drug for medical reasons, and not just for their face moisturizer.
But since CBD and medical marijuana laws can vary from state-to-state, there are still strident rules you must follow if you have a prescription for CBD. All CBD being taken through security must be compliant with the Agriculture Improvement Act 2018, according to the TSA website. It’s also important to keep your oil in its proper packaging and a note from your doctor nearby.
If a TSA agent is suspicious of anything found in your bag or on your person, they’re within their right to take the matter further.
“TSA’s screening procedures are focused on security and are designed to detect potential threats to aviation and passengers. Accordingly, TSA security officers do not search for marijuana or other illegal drugs, but if any illegal substance is discovered during security screening, TSA will refer the matter to a law enforcement officer,” it says on the TSA website.


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SAN FRANCISCO (March 23, 2015) — Lanxang Kingdom, a new Lao restaurant, will be popping-up in San Francisco’s Tenderloin district on March 26, 2015.
The first restaurant in San Francisco to focus exclusively on Lao cuisine, Lanxang Kingdom will pop-up every Thursday at Turtle Tower’s 645 Larkin Street location from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. The menu was created by the executive chef Dr.Vinya Sysamouth, and features popular dishes from various Lao regions such as Neam Khao (a crispy rice salad with fermented pork), Laab (often seen on Thai menus, but a true Lao dish), Lao spicy papaya salad (made with Lao fermented fish sauce), and even off-the-beaten path items, such as fried crickets and silk worm larvae.
To celebrate the grand opening, Lanxang Kingdom will be holding a reception from 7-9pm on March 26. During the reception, guests will be able to sample items from the menu and enjoy a cultural performance. Tickets are $20 and available through Eventbrite. Full restaurant services will be available prior to the reception from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Lanxang Kingdom is being presented by the Center for Lao Studies (CLS), a local non-profit organization. “Food is a great way for people who are not familiar with the country of Laos or Lao culture to start to learn more about it,” said Mary Keovisai, CLS Program Coordinator. “With 2015 commemorating the 40th anniversary of the Lao diaspora as well, nothing connects Lao people back to their homeland quite like food. I know that for many people, being able to visit Laos is a luxury that they cannot afford, so the restaurant is an opportunity for them to revisit Laos within San Francisco.”
“If the pop-up restaurant is successful, we hope that other Lao restaurateurs will start to market their restaurant as ‘Lao,’ and truly recognize a people and culture for their culinary art,” said Dr. Vinya Sysamouth, CLS Executive Director and Chef.
CLS was able to raise close to $13,000 through crowd funding and a Kiva loan to support the pop-up. All restaurant staff are volunteers and all proceeds benefit the Center for Lao Studies.
For more information about Lanxang Kingdom, visit www.facebook.com/ LanxangKingdom1354.
The Center for Lao Studies was formed in 2006 in response to a void in Lao Studies at the time. Today, CLS is an invaluable academic and resource center for scholars around the world interested in Laos and the Lao diaspora. For further information contact Dr. Vinya Sysamouth at 415-874-5578 or [email protected]


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The original Mustang may have raised eyebrows for its styling, but it raised a few more when it was perched on the Empire State Building’s 86th floor observatory at its official launch in 1964.
The all-new 2015 Mustang is about to replicate that feat, with one of the ‘pony cars’ painstakingly cut into pieces so it can be transported to the 86th floor by elevator.
Upon arrival, the engineers will have just six hours to reassemble the pieces until the complete Mustang is once again parked in the same place as its predecessor from 50 years ago.
The elevator is the only viable option to transport a car to the Building’s 86th floor; no portable crane can reach that high, and helicopter delivery is impossible due to the narrow deck.
The original Mustang was cut into three pieces, with the windscreen transported separately. As the new model is around 18cm longer and 10cm wider than the ’64 model, the task will be even more difficult second time around.
The Ford Mustang was revealed to the world with a television advertising campaign on the evening of April 16, 1964, before being shown to the public at the New York World’s Fair on April 17.
Visitors to the Empire State Building around these dates in 2014 will have just 54 hours to see the Mustang before the removal process begins.
“New York is one of the greatest cities in the world, and it’s the place where the Ford Mustang story began 50 years ago,” Ford chief operating officer, Mark Fields, said.
“We’re thrilled to be visiting the architectural landmark that has been the heart of the Manhattan skyline for 83 years with the newest generation of the car that is the soul of Ford Motor Company.”
Ford US dealers recorded 22,000 sales and orders for the Mustang on its first day, with 418,000 sales chalked-up in the first year, and one million North American sales in less than two years.
To date, the Ford Mustang has sold more than nine million units in the last 50 years.
- Interested in buying FORD MUSTANG? Visit our FORD MUSTANG showroom for more information.


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Facebook recently stopped support of Twitter cards on Instagram, meaning your posts on Instagram can no longer be posted
directly on the microblogging site. Not only did Facebook stop support it deleted all posts made to Twitter. Is this the beginning of social networking wars? Details about the Instagram changes after the jump.
Facebook ended all support today for Twitter cards, meaning Twitter users won’t be able to view Instagram photos from within their Twitter feeds.
Users are instead greeted by a white space where the image formerly appeared.
Twitter noted the move in a blog update this afternoon:
“Instagram has disabled photo integration with Twitter. As a result, photos are no longer appearing in Tweets or user photo galleries. While tweeting links to Instagram photos is still possible, you can no longer view the photos on Twitter, as was previously the case.”
A Facebook representative pointed out that Instagram CEO Systrom said last week at Le Web that one of the main reasons his service cut off the Twitter card integration was that Instagram wants its users to view their photos on its own Web site and not on Twitter.
The move comes as Twitter has been restricting access to third-party tweeting software and limiting access that third-party companies such as Instagram get to Twitter users’ lists of followers. Last week, Instagram stopped using Twitter’s cards feature to let Twitter users see photos shared with Instagram.
Rolled out in June, Twitter cards that allows partner Web sites to present their content in a “more engaging way.” Twitter users can expand tweets of participating companies to see content previews, images, videos, and other information. Among the many card offerings is one for photos, which put an image front and center in a tweet.
However, Twitter appears poised to take on Instagram directly by offering sets of photo filters through its mobile apps, according to a report in The New York Times. The Times reported that “in the coming months, Twitter plans to update its mobile applications to introduce filters for photos that will allow people to share altered images on Twitter and bypass Instagram.”
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CMO Weed Reveals Secret of Jumping From No. 8 to No. 1
When Keith Weed stepped into his job as Unilever's chief marketing and communications officer in 2010, the company had just been named Advertiser of the Year at the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival. But within a year, Unilever's award tallies slipped and by 2012 Unilever came in eighth overall in our Award Report rankings for campaigns like Dove "Real Beauty Sketches" and Ragu's "Long Days of Childhood."
Mr. Weed was determined to do something about that fall. And he's clearly delivered; this year Unilever is sitting pretty at the top of our list. More surprisingly, Mr. Weed managed this feat while stepping up copy testing and restraining agency and production fees.
Part of the success, he said, stems from Unilever's goal of doubling sales and increasing positive social impact while halving its environmental impact, which has inspired and motivated its ranks. The company has also boosted internal creativity by training 80% of its 6,500 marketers on his "Crafting Brands for Life" strategy.
Read the full article here.


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A few days ago, Facebook quietly introduced a “Lite” version of its Facebook app for iOS devices, but only in a single market, Turkey. The app had been previously available only on Android
Africa has been one of the least-developed regions globally when it comes to technology and being on the less advanced side of the so-called digital divide. But with a huge population and a set of nat
Twitter announced today its Twitter Lite app is expanding to 21 more countries, which makes the data-saving app available to more than 45 countries in total. The app was introduced last year with the
In November, Google introduced Datally, a data-saving app largely aimed at emerging markets where users often rely on prepaid SIM cards, and don’t have access to all-you-can-eat unlimited data p
YouTube Go, a mobile version of YouTube built for emerging markets with features like offline viewing and nearby sharing, is today expanding to over 130 countries worldwide. This wider rollout will ma
On the heels of Lemonade raising $120 million from Softbank for its new “peer-to-peer” spin on insurance services, another company aimed at disrupting the insurance market is announcing a
Trocafone, the online marketplace for used electronics, has raised $15 million in new financing to expand its reach beyond Brazil and Argentina into other emerging markets. The company, which raised $
International remittances continues to be one of the biggest financial services in developing countries, with $450 billion getting sent from countries like the U.S. to emerging markets in 2017 alone,
Twitter today has nearly four times as many monthly active users outside the U.S. as it does in its home market — 260 million versus 68 million — and this week it quietly launched a new ap
Google is increasing its focus on India with plans to introduce a localized digital payment service as soon as next week, according to a report from India-based news site The Ken. The publication clai
LinkedIn, the social network for the working world with more than 500 million members, is taking its next step in its bid to court more users in emerging markets. The company has released an Android a
Google recently began testing a new tool for helping people better manage the mobile data used by their smartphones. The new Android app, called Triangle, is currently being tested in the Philippines,
Kreditech, the German startup backed by Peter Thiel, Rakuten and the IFC that creates credit ratings and provides finance to people who may not otherwise have credit histories, has raised another ro
Fresh from raising $90 million from investors in March, Iflix, a Netflix-like service for emerging markets, has announced its first slate of original content. The Malaysia-headquartered business cla
Google today announced a collection of updates aimed at helping get 'the next billion' internet users in India and emerging markets online. One of the more subtle yet interesting components to that pu
Google has introduced a new version of YouTube that is dedicated to users in emerging markets.
Jake Bright Contributor Jake Bright is a writer and author in New York City. He is co-author of The Next Africa. More posts by this contributor Nigerian logistics startup Kobo360 raises $6M, expands i
What growth there is left in the smartphone market continues to center on emerging markets where consumers are upgrading from feature phones.
Silicon Valley leads the global technology innovation markets with the credentials and an ecosystem that is second to none. We have had contact with many of the leading technology accelerators operati
Singapore-based Golden Gate Ventures has closed a new $60 million fund for Southeast Asia's rapidly-growing startup ecosystem.


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Kumho has made impressive progress since returning to the UK truck tyre market earlier this year, and has now further improved its offering with KXS10 – a versatile new steer tyre suitable for both regional and long distance operations.
For many years a supplier of tyres for the Jeep Grand Cherokee, and more recently the Fiat Freemont, Kumho has now had its products selected for fitment to another member of the Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) range – the new Jeep Renegade.
The eagerly awaited completion of Kumho’s first North American tyre plant is set to occur in the early part of 2016, and underlines the company’s aim of strengthening its position in this key automotive market as well as its overall plans for global expansion.
In the passenger car tyre replacement market in Europe all season tyres have become increasingly important in recent years. Potential reasons for this could be population growth in the urban areas or mild winter months.


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Jobs was reportedly "furious" when Microsoft announced the acquisition, according to former Redmond executive Ed Fries. "He was mad at Ballmer and phoned him up and was angry because we'd just bought the premier Mac game developer and made them an Xbox developer." Ballmer tasked Fries with defusing the situation, and he cooled Jobs off by promising that certain PC games would be ported to Mac -- no specific titles were mentioned in the interview. "It was a pretty strange time," Fries added.
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Remezcla announced that MyCode acquired a “sizable” stake in Remezcla. The transaction reflects the trend towards further consolidation in the Hispanic digital media space as relatively small companies partner up to scale their operations. In August last year, Mitu acquired NGL Collective, and in May, also of 2022, MyCode acquired ImpreMedia, a major publisher of Spanish-language content via digital and print media.
Latinx digital culture magazine and creative agency Remezcla announced a sizable investment from U.S. multicultural media company My Code. Led by chief executive officer and co-founder, Andrew Herrera, Remezcla has established itself as a minority-owned Latinx digital publication for Latinx culture.
Remezcla reaches an audience of 15 million US Latinos, primarily composed of ambicultural and bilingual Gen Z readers. My Code is a multicultural media company connecting brands and advertisers with minority-led and owned publishers, creators and producers to deepen engagement with diverse audiences. My Code’s investment in Remezcla follows a series of strategic partnerships with premier multicultural media publications over the past year.
This partnership will allow Remezcla to expand its operational capacity with shared services including ad products, technology, research, and more to help evolve its media and marketing services business and further its mission of elevating Latinx storytelling at a wide scale.
Spanning over 20 different countries, representing 20% of the population, and a multitude of subcultures, Latinx culture is incredibly diverse. There is a growing need and desire from brands and consumers alike to better understand, advance and celebrate the richness of the Latinidad cultural spectrum.
“Remezcla has identified this demand and filled a void for readers and marketers, showcasing the vibrancy of Latinx youth culture across music, film, art, fashion and beyond through our editorial and social platforms. We have a unique ability to apply our passion for our culture with our award winning creativity to develop purposeful and progressive storytelling. For the past 15 years we have had the opportunity to collaborate with our brand partners on creating meaningful and memorable marketing strategies that not only create effective consumer engagement but lift our culture. We are excited to have My Code be part of this journey as we continue to create best-in-class storytelling through branded content, experiential events and so much more,” said Andrew Herrera, founder and chief executive officer, Remezcla.
Remezcla grew its revenue in 2022 by over 180%. Remezcla has built its media and creative agency business with intimate knowledge of where Latinx audiences are and how to help brands show up in the channels and formats that are relevant to them, explains Herrera. Andrew Herrera and his executive team will continue to operate the Remezcla through this next phase of growth.
“We’re amazed at how Remezcla has been able to fill a niche for young Latino audiences looking for stories that matter to them, a mission that we’re eager to help scale and reinforce,” said Parker Morse, founder of My Code. “We are excited to invest and bring resources to help Remezcla continue to enable brands to make measurable connections with Latino communities through informed strategies and help continue our understanding of what’s most important to multicultural audiences.”
My Code’s recently established partnerships with premier multicultural media publications include Impremedia, the Hispanic news and information company that encompasses La Opinión, the nation’s #1 Spanish-language daily newspaper. Most recently, My Code acquired Veranda Entertainment, a technology and entertainment company that distributes multicultural and Spanish-language content across multiple Connected TV (CTV) platforms that include Butaca TV, its top AVOD platform.


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As the winner of the Keep Victoria Beautiful Sustainable City Awards, Wyndham City Council is calling on the community and trolley owners to take responsibility for their trolleys to keep Wyndham clean.
Environment and Sustainability portfolio holder Cr Heather Marcus said trolleys outside of shopping centre complexes were considered litter, unsightly, a hazard to road users, and had a negative impact on the look and feel of the City.
“During the past 12 months, 115 residents reported abandoned trolleys to Council, with 200 trolleys collected by Council,” Cr Marcus said.
Cr Marcus termed the abandoned trolleys an eyesore and said they can be dangerous to the community when placed on footpaths or roads. “Those dumped in creeks and rivers may cause a build up of debris and contamination. We need everyone to step up and do their part for the environment, so I ask shoppers to do the right thing and bring their trolleys back to their local supermarkets after they offload their groceries.”
Cr Marcus said that many supermarkets had outsourced the management of their shopping trolleys and these contractors need to actively patrol Wyndham streets to ensure the trolleys are returned within the owner’s site. “Shopping trolley owners remain responsible for their trolleys, even if they have hired someone to manage their trolleys. Council is asking trolley owners to renew their trolley management plans with Council to encourage compliance with the local laws and avoid enforcement action. We encourage the retailers to be proactive and roll out new trolley technology, including a greater use of wheel locks and coin operated trolleys, together with a trolley tagging systems.”
Community members can report stray trolleys by calling Wyndham City Council on 9742 0777 or go here for more information: https://www.wyndham.vic.gov.au/services/local-laws-permits/other-laws-and-regulations


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Decentraland Welcomes Skechers, But Selling Continues
Updated: Jun 22, 2022
Skechers will build a virtual store on Decentraland's Fashion Street Estate. Despite the positive development, MANA is struggling to find momentum in the market.
Skechers is the latest major company to enter the Metaverse after revealing it will build a store in Decentraland. Despite the announcement’s significance, MANA has failed to react as it hangs on top of weak support.Skechers, the world’s third-largest sneaker brand, has announced that it will build a virtual store in the Metaverse.
In a press release, the American footwear company said it had leased the equivalent of 5,000 square feet of virtual land on Decentraland’s Fashion Street Estate. Skechers President Michael Greenberg said that the goal is to explore creative ways to engage with new customers and audiences.
While such developments show the growing interest in Decentraland and other Metaverse-related projects, its native token MANA did not react to the news.
MANA is currently locked in a downward trend, sitting 61% short of its all-time high. The 30th-largest cryptocurrency by market cap appears to be trading above a weak support, showing little to no sign of recovery.
Bulls must step in to prevent MANA from incurring further losses.
Until next time.....
Written By- Shriyansh Jain


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They still don't get it. Every four years, presidential candidates pledge allegiance to American manufacturing and profess a love for "Made in America." But when the going gets tough, no presidential candidate can match this rhetoric with action. In a state where manufacturing still provides good jobs, that's just unacceptable, especially since we now know that more than 9,000 jobs in the Maryland auto parts sector are at risk due toChina'scheating.
Maryland is an important part of the motor vehicle industry supply chain. And because auto parts are such a key segment of the state's economy, Maryland voters need to know some facts before they head to the polls. The truth is, the auto sector is just getting back on its feet after a near-death experience. We now see auto assembly factories humming again, including GM's transmission plant in White Marsh.
But the real auto employment — where 75 percent of the jobs exist — is in the auto parts sector. These are the factories large and small that produce aluminum wheels, brake pads and the thousands of other parts that go into making an automobile. This sector is under attack from
China is not penetrating our market the old-fashioned way, by out-competing us. Instead, Beijing has pumped $27 billion of subsidies into its auto parts sector, with an additional $10 billion planned. And, through policies that have been documented in great detail by our own government and outside investigators, China blocks our exports of autos and auto parts while favoring its own industry, in direct violation of the commitments it made to free markets when it joined the World Trade Organization (WTO).
Auto parts jobs traditionally grow at a faster pace than assembly jobs, but since 2009, the opposite has been true. And that's because Chinese imports have begun surging into our market.
The threat to auto parts jobs has become so alarming that a bipartisan group of 188 senators and House members, including both of Maryland's senators and five of its representatives (
These members of Congress are right to press the president for action. Our trade laws exist for a reason: to ensure a level playing field for American workers and businesses. But who can we count on to act?
Yet this issue can transcend politics. Last fall, a strongly bipartisan majority, including Sens.
I hope each of the candidates will stand up and say they will defend America's auto parts workers and businesses. A president has the power to initiate a trade action against China to stop its auto parts subsidies, open its market, and grow jobs in Maryland. Workers across the country, including more than 9,000 in Maryland, are counting on it.


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DriveClub update 1.04 is being rolled out, as well as server upgrades that will “help to improve server performance, clubs and multiplayer functionality.” [More…]
This weekend sees the final alpha session for Bloodborne. European alpha participants can get back to the fight on Sunday from 7pm to 10pm CET, while the North American alpha will re-open on the same day from 5pm to 8pm PT. [More…]
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt‘s opening cinematic will be debted at the Golden Joystick Awards on Friday, 24 October.
A new unannounced Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel DLC Character called Aurelia has been found in the game’s files.
The Crew will feature a fixed 30fps for PS4 and Xbox One, but PC users will be able to adjust the frame-rate based on their hardware’s capabilities. [More…]
Consoles & Hardware
Sony plans to bring a number of major improvements with the 2.0 firmware update for the PS4, codenamed Masamune. A home UI and Library redesign, and themes, music playback, improved broadcasting, voice commands, and friends list features are the updates promised. Details can be found here.
Sales & Discounts
Darksiders 2 is now available for Xbox 360 Gold Subscribers as the rest of October’s Games with Gold.
Destiny helped hardware sales soar in September and saw the PS4 enjoy it’s “biggest sales month” on the US PS Store for 2014 so far. [More…]
Turbine – the developer of Infinite Crisis and Lord of the Rings Online – has instituted another round of layoffs. The layoffs are part of their “normal business process, we’re routinely looking at the strategic alignment of our company.” [More…]
Footage from Halo 4 and the campaign leaderboard in Halo: The Master Chief Collection has been released.
The voices from Assassin’s Creed Unity.
Sunset Overdrive has a TV ad.
This is a Savage Goliath. And it’s in Evolve.
The collector’s edition for Far Cry 4.
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor has received a ‘Photo Mode’.
The first Halo Spartan Strike trailer. The game is a twin-stick shooter heading to Windows 8/8.1, Windows Phone 8/8.1 and Steam.
Yager has released a gameplay video for Dreadnought.
Destructive Creations has announced Hatred – a new game that “takes no prisoners and makes no excuses” – which will be available in Q2 2015. It is already attracting a lot of controversy. [More…]
Hyrule Warriors gets a trailer for the ‘Master Quest’ DLC, which is available now for priced £6.29.


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Johnson & Johnson plans to break up into two companies, splitting off the $15-billion-a-year division that sells Band-Aid bandages, Tylenol medicines and Johnson’s Baby Powder in a shift indicating just how much healthcare has changed since the company helped pioneer the industry.
The world’s largest health-products company by sales will separate its high-margin but less predictable prescription-drug and medical-device businesses from its storied but slower-growing consumer group, creating two publicly traded companies.
Source: Wall Street Journal
Number of COVID-19 Omicron variant cases in Europe as of November 29, 2021, by country
In late-November 2021, the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 (the virus which causes COVID-19) was designated as a variant of concern by the World Health Organization due to fears about a higher transmissibility from the variant and a possible decrease in the effectiveness of vaccines against it.


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Since the enactment of the Prioritizing Resources and Organization for Intellectual Property Act of 2008 (“Pro-IP Act”), and the appointment of the U.S. Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator Victoria Espinel in September 2009, the department has been hard at work. On June 22, 2010, the department released the long awaited plan that will implement the directive of the Pro-IP Act, which is contained in the 2010 Joint Strategic Plan on Intellectual Property Enforcement. This plan lays out 33 “enforcement action items” aimed at combating internet piracy and the sale of counterfeit goods through improved intellectual property enforcement efforts. These action items fall within six categories of focus:
1. The U.S. Government will lead by example and will work to ensure that it does not purchase or use infringing goods;
2. Increasing transparency in the development of enforcement policy, information sharing among federal agencies, and reporting of law enforcement activities in the U.S. and abroad;
3. Improving coordination of law enforcement efforts at the federal, state, local, and international levels to increase efficiency and effectiveness and to minimize duplication and waste;
4. Improving enforcement of U.S. intellectual property rights abroad, including development of a coordinated and comprehensive plan to address websites that infringe U.S. intellectual property rights and enhancement of foreign law enforcement cooperation;
5. Securing supply chains to stem the flow of infringing products by requiring active participation by manufacturers, importers, wholesalers and distributors and by establishing increased enforcement cooperation, coordination and information sharing at U.S. borders; and
6. Improving data and information in the area of intellectual property enforcement.
The full text of the 2010 Joint Strategic Plan on Intellectual Property Enforcement is available here.
We will continue to monitor the activities and successes of the department, and will keep you informed. In the meantime, trademark owners should consider registering marks with US and foreign customs offices. With the increased attention directed at combating piracy and counterfeit goods, worldwide, it is likely that this method of policing will become an even more effective tool for trademark owners.


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KAM Summit 2022 hosted multiple interesting sessions at Sahara Star, Mumbai. One of them was a detailed report titled Global Streaming Platforms: A New Window for Animation by OMDIA senior principal analyst (digital content and channels) Tim Westcott. He focussed on streaming in the TV and online video landscape, the importance of animation to online video, how much animation is being originated by streamers, followed by a close-up on the key players and a quick review of the streaming services in India in the end.
The report highlighted how online video subscriptions have already overtaken pay-TV. Over the last decade, subscription video on demand (SVOD) has become a mass market phenomenon worldwide. Online video subscriptions overtook pay-TV globally in 2020, but there are still more pay-TV households than SVOD households. India forecasts that 43 per cent households will have both a pay-TV subscription and SVOD in 2027, up from just 15 per cent in 2015. Most online subscription video homes have more than one service; the global average was 2.2 in 2021. While India expects subscriptions to continue to grow, annual growth rates are starting to slow – and will continue to do so.
Westcott then drew attention to the fact that soon online ad revenue will outgrow subscription and TV advertising. In this maturing market, online video advertising revenues will grow more quickly than subscription, and will be the largest revenue source in 2027. Ad-supported online video revenues will grow from $148B in 2021 to $361B in 2027, a CAGR of 16 per cent. Traditional TV advertising revenue totaled $159B in 2021 and is forecast to be $160.2B in 2027, a decline in real terms. He mentioned that ad-supported online video will overtake TV advertising revenue this year.
Did you know that Disney now has more subscribers than Netflix? Well, growth for Disney+ has been quicker than expected, and in Q2 2022, Disney (with Hotstar, Hulu, and ESPN+ included) reported more online subscribers than Netflix. However, Disney’s online subscribers revenues were $5B in Q2 2022, compared to $7.9B for Netflix.
Discussing how important is animation to online video, Westcott’s report said that most of the leading US on-demand services offer animation, either targeting children or adults. However, Disney+ is far more animation-focused than others; some 35 per cent of the titles in the Disney+ catalog in Q2 2022 were animation. This, compared to 12 per cent Netflix and HBO Max, 10 per cent for Peacock, six per cent for Paramount+ and five per cent for Amazon.
When it comes to dissecting the amount of animated content in on-demand services, here is what the study showed: AVOD service Tubi was a leader in terms of volume, with 1,523 animation titles in Q2 2022. Crunchyroll (now owned by Sony) offered just under 1,400 anime titles. Netflix was just ahead of Disney+ with 539 animation titles. Tubi was also the leader in terms of theatrical animation titles, with 262, but Disney+ is isn’t far behind too. Netflix has 77 animation movies, similar to the 69 available on Amazon.
Westcott mentioned how most animation in on-demand services is not original. Apple TV has the smallest catalog of the SVOD services, but the highest proportion of original animation. Tubi has the largest animation offer but none of its titles is original to the AVOD service. Netflix, without a library to draw on, also has a high level of origination, and for Amazon the share is less than five per cent. This does not, of course, take away from the fact that Netflix is by the far the largest originator of animation. Since 2013, Netflix has originated far more animation than other SVOD platforms: a total of 489 titles. Amazon has started with original series, but is far behind its main streaming rival.
OMDIA’s report would have been incomplete without a close-up on key players. It declared Netflix as the powerhouse of streaming animation. Since 2013, Netflix has originated 489 animation titles, including 95 in 2021 alone. Children are the main target audience for animation with 384 kids-based titles produced to date. Disney+ mostly produces animation in-house and is an aggressive opponent to Netflix in particular. Disney’s combined services now have more subscribers than Netflix, but so far Disney+ has done very limited production outside the US. Westcott stated that Amazon has a selective approach when it comes to original investment and often targets markets which are key for retailers, such as India. He added that at Annecy 2022, Amazon Prime Video head of animation and family programming Melissa Wolfe said they are looking for anything “appealing to a 16-and-up at the moment.” And, of course, HBO Max has its animation plans scaled back after the Discovery merger and it would be interesting to see what kind of content they dive into from here on.
Westcott’s last segment showed a few observations and predictions about streaming services in india. OMDIA’s report stated that Disney+ Hotstar is well ahead in the Indian SVOD market, with just under 40 million subscribers at the end of 2021. Amazon Prime Video has 7.3 million and is ahead of Netflix with 6.2 million. OMDIA has reduced its forecast for Disney+ Hotstar following its loss of IPL streaming rights from 2023 to Viacom18. However, they expect the platform to remain the largest player, thanks to its offerings of original content and plans to increase production in languages other than Hindi.
The report further said that children’s content is not a key driver of subscribers in India. Westcott also pointed out that there is room for growth in Indian production for the international platforms. International platforms have ramped up local production in India, but so far there have been few animation projects. So, let us hope to see more Indian production houses collaborate with platforms to bring out superlative animated content in the future.


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Hundreds of Amazon workers have gone on strike, but the company's not losing any sleep over it
Amazon workers in Germany have gone on strike to protest their wages and working conditions ahead of the holidays. The union behind the strike expects up to 450 workers to join the protest, according to Reuters, which reports that Amazon has 20,000 warehouse workers in Germany. (Half of them are on staff; the other half are seasonal employees helping prepare for Christmas.)
This isn't the first time workers have protested their treatment by a large tech company, nor is it the first time this month Amazon has been singled out for its working conditions. The difference here is that the strikes are meant to affect Amazon's core business, while the other protest involved the workers behind Mechanical Turk, the company's service for cheap laborers.
It isn't unusual for tech companies to treat their non-technical workers differently from the people who make their products. Technical workers are offered high salaries, full-time jobs, and enough perks to make them forget that they've devoted every waking hour to their employer. The people who do all the other stuff companies have to do, like provide security or transportation for those other workers, are often contractors with low wages and abysmal working conditions.
Those conditions have been chronicled by everyone from the Guardian to Alternet, and they reach across industries to affect bus drivers, security guards, and other workers whose job descriptions don't include the words "content," "hacker," or other cringe-worthy tech jargon.
Now some of those workers are starting to fight back. The bus drivers who shuttle Facebook employees from their homes in San Francisco to the company's headquarters in the Valley are trying to unionize, and Apple's security guards are looking to do the same, with the ultimate hope of creating a better working environment for guards at many other technology companies.
But even though Amazon is one of the companies most criticized for its labor practices, from its decision to use temp employees to its refusal to pay its workers for the time they spend waiting to be frisked as part of the company's loss-prevention program, it's unlikely to change any time soon. The hundreds of workers expected to strike today are hardly worth Amazon's attention. And as the company told Reuters, it has 28 distribution centers in Europe and many of the workers it hired for the holiday season continue to work despite the strike. Amazon views its workers as cogs in a machine, and apparently the union behind this strike hasn't stopped enough of those cogs for the company to panic.
[illustration by Hallie Bateman]


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Hacking forum cuts section allegedly linked to DDoS attacks
An online hackers’ forum has deleted a section that allegedly offered paid distributed denial-of-service attacks, following last Friday’s massive internet disruption.
HackForums.net will be shutting down the “Server Stress Testing” section, the site’s admin Jesse “Omniscient” LaBrocca said in a Friday posting.
“I do need to make sure that we continue to exist and given the recent events I think it’s more important that the section be permanently shut down,” he wrote.
The section was designed to let members offer so-called stress testing services for websites as a way to check their resiliency. However, security firms claim Hack Forums was actually promoting DDoS-for-hire services that anyone can use to launch cyber attacks.


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Honda announced late Friday that it would be recalling more than 143,000 of its compact Fit hatchback cars to correct an issue with the window switch that could lead to a fire.
The automaker said it was voluntarily recalling 143,083 Honda Fits from the 2007 and 2008 model years. At issue is the master power window switch that may be exposed to water or other liquids. Over time, Honda said this could cause the switch to overheat, melt and possibly start a fire.
Honda said no accidents or injuries have occurred as a result of this problem.
The recall is the second of its type for these particular Honda Fit models since January 2010 to correct the same issue.
That initial recall "has since been determined by Honda not to be sufficiently robust" enough, according to a statement released by Honda on Friday. Therefore, Honda is asking all owners of 2007 and 2008 Fit models to bring their cars to a dealer for inspection, regardless of whether the vehicle was involved in the 2010 recall.


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Rava is an online news portal providing recent news, editorials, opinions and advice on day to day happenings in Pakistan.
When it comes to creating the logo of a company, it is usually necessary to invest a good amount of research time … and money.
But projects can be counterproductive in the most unexpected way, as evidenced by the controversy surrounding the latest Nike product.
The sportswear company faces harsh criticism from people of Muslim faith who claim that the design on the soles of their new Air Max 270 shoe model resembles the word ” Allah ” in Arabic.
In two weeks and until January 31, an online petition for the product to be withdrawn from the market gathered more than 17,000 signatures.
“We urge Nike to immediately remove this blasphemous and offensive footwear and all products with this logo similar to the word Allah of its international sales,” indicates the petition presented on the Change.org platform.
Nike, for its part, issued a statement assuring that the logo was nothing more than a stylized representation of the trademark Air Max.
“Any other meaning or representation that is interpreted is not intentional,” the company said.
“Nike respects all religions and we take concerns of this kind seriously .”
The Nike is not the only case of logos that ended up generating controversy.
The designers of brands with experience in the sector know very well that, once the product comes on the market, it can be interpreted in many ways and this can achieve the opposite effect to that desired by the company.
As an example of this, we present these other five examples:
The confusion of the London Olympics
The design chosen to celebrate the Olympic Games in London in 2012 became a case study about a brand that went wrong.
Unveiled in 2007, the logo was criticized for its distant design, with a radical typeface and the unusual choice of a striking rose as the main color.
The reaction of many people was to laugh, and some even thought that the images were pornographic.
The Iranian Olympic authorities interpreted the numbers of “2012” as the disordered letters of the word “Sion”, as a veiled conspiracy in favor of Israel.
But there was even more controversy when the British media reported that the logo, designed by the consultancy Wolff Olins, had cost more than US $ 600,000.
However, according to the International Olympic Committee, the 2012 London Games generated around US $ 120 million in product franchises with the controversial logo: the second best result in history.
“Satanic curls” in your soap
Procter and Gamble, the American health and personal care products company, had to deal with accusations of Satanism in the 1980s.
His then logo with a bearded elder and 13 stars had been used since 1851.
More than 100 years later, the company became the target of rumors that the design made references to the devil and that the firm made secret donations to satanic cults.
All because some people with a great imagination interpreted the beard and hair of man as the representation of a demon with horns, and it was assumed that the stars hid secret combinations of the number 666, which is traditionally associated with the devil.
The company ended up modifying the logo in 1991, but it had its revenge when in 2007 it won a US $ 19 million lawsuit against the rival company Amway, since it turned out that it was involved in spreading the rumors.
The toilet university
The attempt of the University of California to modernize its institutional image ended up going down the drain in 2012.
A new brand designed especially to be used in diplomas and letterheads was intended to give a modern touch to the prestigious school.
Copyright of the UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA imageImage caption
There is another famous and more recent case that peppered an Olympics.
In 2015, the organizing committee of the Tokyo 2020 Games discarded its first logo after receiving accusations of plagiarism .
Copyright of the TOKYO 2020 / THEATER DE LIEGE IMAGEImage caption
Belgian designer Olivier Debie took legal action against the committee after claiming that his Japanese colleague Kenjiro Sano had copied the emblem he had created for a theater in Belgium two years earlier.
Kenjiro and the Olympic authorities denied the accusations.
But, a year later, the Tokyo 2020 logo was replaced by the “Harmonized Checkered Emblem” by Asao Tokolo.
A bitter taste of juice
The world famous juice brand Tropicana was left with a bitter aftertaste when it decided to change the logo of its line of orange juice in 2009.
The company replaced its traditional image of an orange with a glass full of juice.
Copyright of the TROPICANA imageImage caption
Tropicana then spent millions of dollars to redesign its best-selling product in the North American market.
However, once the new containers went on the market, consumers made it clear that they did not like it.
A resounding 20% drop in sales made Tropicana go back to the original design.
A Tropicana executive admitted that “they had underestimated the emotional bond that customers had with the original packaging.”


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Ford and Toyota on Two Ends of Social Media Marketing
The auto industry still seems to be in turmoil, with American manufacturers still struggling with their re-branding efforts and foreign car companies beginning to face their own marketing woes. Social media may seem like the likely answer for overcoming many of these advertising obstacles, but can it prove to be the kind of savior such a large industry seeks?
It just may be. Ford has taken to social media marketing for all of these reasons, hoping to get ahead of the curve on leveraging online outlets to push their message through. A more recent effort for Ford’s social media marketing was the Fiesta campaign, which relied on a handful of bloggers and social media users to drive the car for a period of time and publish their thoughts to the world.
So far the campaign has been relatively successful, especially when you consider that Fiesta’s objective included bringing a European concept of a smaller vehicle to the states. This kind of re-branding effort requires a little more than television commercials and magazine ads. Given the dire state of the auto industry, several companies seem to be taking on as many marketing campaigns as possible, hoping one sticks for a while.
And this isn’t the first time Ford has turned to social media marketing. The auto manufacturer has been edging its way into social media for years now, with the ability to make an impacting difference just now coming into alignment with a campaigns’ intentions. The added inclusion of certain technology in several Ford cars also appeals to the typical social media user, as mobile networking and car-computer integration becomes more of a priority.
On the flip side is Toyota, which is dealing with a recall, several lawsuits and a dying public image. While Toyota hasn’t necessarily turned to social media marketing in order to regain the public’s trust, it is an avenue for dealing with its current debacle. As the entire company’s practices regarding safety, profits and the prioritizing of its consumers comes into question, Toyota maintains that its focus is indeed on the customer.
Dealing with the recalls has meant poor earnings for Toyota, with a severe domino effect having been set in motion. Toyota has said that it will be more upfront and proactive regarding its communication with consumers in order to overcome the bad rep it has gained, knowing the long road ahead. Such upfront communication could be done through the use of social media, in conjunction with its other re-branding efforts. While this is something Toyota may or may not do, it is an option available to the company.
Social media marketing has become mainstream enough to become an effective means of advertising and spreading a brand’s message. Car companies are realizing this at a time where social media may actually be able to help the auto industry as a whole re-brand itself for the future. The future of cars has a heavy focus on things like green tech, safety, and affordability for our current economy.


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With a banking strike, prompted in part by retrenchments due to changes in technology, possibly looming, it is opportune to look at the future of jobs in banking and financial services.
A number of the changes in all sectors of work are being driven by new and emerging technologies that can be grouped under the banner of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. It is important to understand what the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) is.
The fourth industrial revolution is the current and developing environment in which disruptive technologies and trends such as the Internet of Things (IoT), robotics, virtual reality (VR) and artificial intelligence (AI) are changing the way we live and work in EVERY industry.
These changes and the emergence of these new technologies can be used to fundamentally transform existing business and education models and can, if correctly harnessed, facilitate reductions in inequalities, to the extent that 4IR is referred to the democratisation of manufacturing by some colleagues. Technologies like 3D printing can be used to redesign value chains and allow consumers to generate products much cheaper with no logistics cost or that would not be easily available.
These changes are happening around us and South Africa cannot “choose” to participate. What we choose is how we participate and how we create the most beneficial scenarios for South Africa.
There is a lot of talk about how the 4th industrial revolution will facilitate large scale job losses but it is vital to remember that previous industrial revolutions did exactly the same, e.g. electrification of the railways meant coal shovellors were out of a job. However, those that could reskill/ reinvent themselves still had jobs.
The Accenture report, Education and technology skills research, looks at job categories and predicts where people will be replaced via automation or supplemented with technology to make their jobs easier. Customer service roles such as retail and banking staff would fit into the Physical Activity cluster. The report evaluates how the role of retail assistants has changed as per the excerpt below.
Our analysis reveals how tasks have shifted between 2008 and 2017. Consider the Physical Services cluster: Retail cashiers used to stock shelves and price items each day, but now do so little more than weekly. Addressing customer queries – which used to be a once a day task – is now an hourly one, at least. [i]
There is no doubt that roles in banking will change and that some jobs will disappear. At the same time there is no doubt that new jobs will appear. The implementation of the M-PESA mobile payments system in Kenya provides indications of how these changes could look.
Although rapid adoption of mobile payments such as M-PESA has led to the loss of roughly 6,000 bank jobs between 2014 and 2017 in Kenya, the number of mobile payment agents increased by almost 70,000, resulting in direct net positive job effects. In the process, more and better jobs have been created indirectly, not only for hospital workers and fish mongers, but also at other informal and formal farms and firms— through access to credit for the previously unbanked, investments, cost reductions, and output increases that the digital financial services enable[ii] [iii]
Frank van den Brink, Chief Employee Experience Officer (aka CHRO) at ABN AMRO is quoted as saying There’s a shift going on. We occasionally call it the big migration because you see that automation, business process optimization, robotics, and robotic process automation (RPA) are growing and improving. This will definitely impact operation work in the financial industry — but new jobs will also emerge. The biggest challenge for all the corporates in financial services is: How do we reskill and upskill roughly 50-60% of our employees? I expect there will also be new jobs which we cannot even think of now.[iv]
In order to take advantage, the new opportunities being generated by new technologies most workers will require reskilling and upskilling. According to a World Economic Forum Report, only 30% of employees at risk of job displacement from technological changes received training in the past year, and those most at risk are often the ones who are least likely to receive any retraining at all.[v]
A reskilling revolution in Banking and Financial Services could be achieved by:
- identification of possible Jobs of the Future in banking
- creation of a skills roadmap to ensure that relevant and applicable curricula are developed and training programmes implemented
between relevant stakeholders facilitating revised rules of engagement for the
digital era of 4IR
- including skills funding
- policy interventions and revisions
- provision of digital and enabling infrastructure
A collaborative approach could assist the sector lesson the digital divide in South aFrica and the sector and facilitate greater equality in South aFrica
Sherrie Donaldson, CEO African Innovators
SA Brics Business Council Skills Development Working Group
[i] Accenture: Education and technology skills research
[iii] The Future of Work in Africa: Harnessing the Potential of Digital Technologies for All.


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Mallinckrodt reaches $1.6 billion opioid settlementChristian Fernsby ▼ | February 25, 2020
Mallinckrodt said that it had an agreement with a key committee of lawyers representing thousands of local governments suing various drug industry players over opioids and that the deal has the support of the attorneys general of 47 states and territories.
Health in the U.S. Mallinckrodt
Topics: Mallinckrodt opioid settlement
The deal is intended to end hundreds of lawsuits faced by the company over opioids.
The company, based in Staines Upon Thames, England, was one of the highest-volume opioid producers in the U.S. at the height of the nation’s prescription drug crisis, shipping millions of doses to Florida, an epicenter of the black-market opioid trade.
In 2010, Mallinckrodt shipped 210 million doses of oxycodone to Florida alone. The company’s potent 30 milligram pills were especially sought after by people with addiction.
Documents gathered as the company prepared for trial showed that a Mallinckrodt sales manager told a distributor in 2009 of the pills: “Just like Doritos; keep eating, we’ll make more.” A company spokesman later called the statement “outrageously callous.”
The company argued in court filings that unlike makers of brand-name drugs, it did not promote opioids to doctors or understate the addiction risks. But plaintiffs in the cases said Mallinckrodt continued to ship suspicious orders without making sure the drugs weren’t going to be diverted to the black market.
Under its agreement, Mallinckrodt is filing for bankruptcy. The plan calls for it to make payments for eight years after the company emerges from the protections. ■


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South Korea is ready to turn into the primary nation to cinch down on how portable application stores work. Others are intending to follow.
Apple and Google are under expanding pressure from worldwide controllers, who say the two tech monsters have mishandled their force in cell phones to apply authority over application designers and cushion their benefits all the while.
On Tuesday, South Korea’s National Assembly passed a bill that will constrain Apple and Google to relax limitations they force by means of the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. The bill, which will become law when endorsed by the nation’s leader, forestalls application store administrators from absurdly deferring the endorsement of applications or erasing currently supported ones. It additionally says application markets can’t need the utilization of their in-application buy frameworks, offering designers the chance to pick options or make their own.
South Korea’s moves are the most recent in a mission by controllers and officials to build up limits for the tech business. Following quite a while of letting tech organizations develop with little oversight, governments have started wrestling with downpours of falsehood and disinformation spread through online media. The tech business has likewise confronted a steady blast of grievances about its maltreatments of protection and graceless strategic policies.
The South Korean bill centers around in-application buys, a point that has drawn in the consideration of different administrators and controllers. Apple and Google apply tight control, requiring extra buys made inside an application be prepared by them. The organizations contend that in-application installment frameworks help to control extortion while supporting application advancement. Consequently, Apple and Google have contended, application designers get a simple method to charge for memberships or computerized things, for example, style embellishments for symbols in games.
“Just as it costs developers money to build an app, it costs us money to build and maintain an operating system and app store,” a Google spokesman said in a statement about the South Korean legislation. “We’ll reflect on how to comply with this law while maintaining a model that supports a high-quality operating system and app store, and we will share more in the coming weeks.”
Apple, in the mean time, cautioned that the bill could exacerbate utilizing. “The Telecommunications Business Act will put users who purchase digital goods from other sources at risk of fraud, undermine their privacy protections, make it difficult to manage their purchases, and features like ‘Ask to Buy’ and Parental Controls will become less effective,” an organization representative said.
Here’s beginning and end we know so far with regards to lawful endeavors to take on Apple and Google’s application stores.
It’s occurring in the European Union
The EU is exploring Apple in light of objections by music application producer Spotify and others, who say the iPhone creator is smothering rivalry by charging as much as 30% for in-application buys. EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager said she for starters concurred with Spotify’s contention, adding that her group’s examination discovered “buyers missing out” because of Apple’s arrangements. An official conclusion hasn’t yet been given.
The US is getting in on the activity
Recently, officials in the House of Representatives uncovered a progression of bills intended to refresh the country’s antitrust laws and address a portion of the tech business’ most dubious practices. One of the bills – there are five altogether – would disallow stages from victimizing rivals, whenever passed. That could apply to application stores like the ones Apple and Google run.
The Senate has likewise disclosed a bipartisan bill that would put new limitations on how application stores are run. Called the Open App Markets Act, the proposed law could change the manner in which individuals download projects to their telephones, tablets and PCs. Among its arrangements: banishing organizations from driving engineers to utilize their installment frameworks. It would likewise guarantee that engineers can educate clients concerning lower evaluating on different stages. It would constrain organizations like Apple to permit elective approaches to introduce applications on their gadgets.
Courts are leaving their imprint as well
While Apple and Google are gazing intently at enactment and administrative authorization, they’re likewise facing high-profile court conflicts. Most quite, the two have clashed with Fortnite producer Epic Games, which sued the two organizations in August 2020 for purportedly abusing antitrust laws.
The cases were documented after Epic unobtrusively changed the code in its mainstream game, permitting players to go around Apple’s and Google’s installments frameworks when buying in-application things, remembering its for game cash utilized for purchasing character embellishments. Accordingly, Apple and Google showed Fortnite out of their application stores, saying Epic disregarded their principles around in-application buys.
Epic’s argument against Apple was heard in a California court this spring. During the preliminary, the iPhone producer shielded diverse how it runs its App Store, including the rules Apple says designers should stick to offer their applications on the store.
Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, who’s regulating the situation, barbecued Apple CEO Tim Cook during his declaration toward the finish of the preliminary, testing what she said was absence of contest against the App Store. Epic had contended that one Apple strategy is monopolistic: requiring application engineers to utilize its installment handling administration on the iPhone, with commissions of up to 30%. It seemed like Rogers may concur. “You don’t have competition for those in-app purchases,” she said.