text:
Apple’s iPhone 15 range is getting a makeover, and the first renders look great. Now, a new leak means we know more about it.
Anonymous and well-known Apple insider LeaksApplePro has provided new context on Apple’s iPhone 15 design plans and its material limitations. And pay attention, but be optimistic.
Last month, influential leaker ShrimpApplePro wagged its tongue when it revealed that “all edges will be rounded” on an iPhone 15 model with a design reminiscent of the 2013 iPhone 5C. Ergonomically, the design was one of Apple’s best, but it was forgotten when the iPhone 5C launched in a cheap plastic back.
However, Apple is going a very different way with the iPhone 15 models. In October, LeaksApplePro revealed that Apple would launch a new iPhone 15 Ultra in titanium, which ShrimpApplePro later said could be on all models. However, LeaksApplePro has now issued a caveat.
Leakers divulge Apple’s internal discussions, saying it’s no guarantee that curved edges will be present in the iPhone 15 lineup at this stage. Instead, they are currently under strong consideration but no final decision has been made by senior management.
This is interesting because iPhone designs are usually locked for a year or more in advance. That said, given the ongoing uncertainty in Apple’s supply chain, this makes sense as the company is likely to adopt both its preferred (ambitious) and backup (conservative) designs.
LeaksApplePro clarified some confusion about Apple’s transition to titanium, saying that glass will continue to be used on the back of all iPhone 15 models, as it is essential for wireless charging. This shouldn’t come as a surprise, but the use of metal and plastic backs in Apple’s previous curved iPhone designs has raised some doubts.
My gut feeling is that ultimately, as far as logically possible, Apple will bring the curve back to the iPhone range, even if it is limited to the iPhone 15 Ultra. Introducing Dynamic Island with the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max, the front of iPhone is a lock for the foreseeable future. That said, the only areas to differentiate are the sides and rear. Rumors of dual front-facing cameras for the Pro model persist, however.
The iPhone 15 models are also expected to ditch Lightning for USB-C (a year ahead of the EU legal deadline), upgrade the main camera, and replace the physical power and volume buttons on previous models with taptic alternatives. Conversely, rising component costs can result in a much higher price than expected.


text:
As expected , the Kindle Fire has received a preliminary Android 4.0 port. A video detailing the current alpha level development has surfaced on Youtube.
The Galaxy Nexus is world’s first phone to run on Android 4.0 which is also known as Ice Cream Sandwich. Google and Samsung unveiled the device in Hong Kong last month and the device went on sale in few markets earlier this month. The handset is priced at around 429 pounds in the UK.The box is unusually long and has the picture of the device on the front and sides.A very simplistic design with subtle marketing material. No mention even of the specs on the outside.The unit we got was a Titanium Silver color. The device boasts of a 4.65 inch SuperAMOLED display with a 720p resolution.It is powered by a 1.2 GHz CPU and packs 16GB of inbuilt storage without an expansion slot. There is a 5MP camera on the back and a 1.3 MP front facing camera. It uses only a normal SIM card slot unlike other recent phones to hit the market like iPhone 4s, Nokia Lumia 800 or Motorola RAZR. Here is the unboxing video without further ado Continue reading “Samsung Galaxy Nexus Unboxing Video”
A device with the model number Samsung GT-I9250 just passed through Wi-Fi certification today, and as reported by droid-life it could have been the Samsung Nexus Prime receiving a certification. There is not much detail about the device other than the model number, but now we are sure that there exists a secret device inside Samsung’s base camp.

domain: news


text:
The networks are working to bring even faster speeds to customers, but that doesn’t mean much if the smartphones on the market can’t take advantage of those changes.
It looks like Samsung is trying to keep up with the times and technology, though, because the company recently sent out a press release touting the download speed capabilities of the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+.
Samsung makes mention of the CAT 18 LTE modem in both smartphones, which makes each capable of download speeds up to 1.2Gbps. Getting down into the download speeds of other smartphones out there, Samsung says that based on results from Speedtest app maker Ookla, the Galaxy S9 is 37% faster than the Apple iPhone X.
They included the Galaxy S7, too, which is 38 percent slower than the Galaxy S9. There isn’t as big a difference between the Galaxy S9 and the Google Pixel 2, though, with the S9 only being 17% faster than the Pixel 2.
Having a ridiculously fast smartphone is definitely a good thing, especially considering how much time owners spend browsing the internet, watching content, and downloading apps or games.
If you have a Galaxy S9 or S9+, have you noticed a difference in download speeds between your old handset and this one?


text:
GE Capital, one of the restaurant industry’s largest landlords and lenders, has agreed to sell most of its restaurant assets in three separate transactions to regional banks.
Who owns a GE Capital customer’s real estate or loan after the deals close later this year will depend on where that restaurant is located.
The assets of restaurant companies based in the Southeast and Southwest will be sold to Tennessee-based First Horizon National Corp.
The assets of restaurants headquartered in the Midwest and some areas of the West will be sold to Wintrust Financial Corp.
Sterling National Bank in New York City has agreed to acquire GE Capital’s restaurant holdings in the East.
Some restaurant operations in the West are not affected by the deals. The assets of those customers will be sold piecemeal going forward, according to GE Capital’s parent, General Electric.
GE did not reveal the exact proceeds of the deal, but noted that the land and loans to be divested represent an investment of about $1.4 billion. All three deals are expected to close during the third quarter, the company said.
The announcement of the sale did not say what services would continue to be provided to customers of the three buyers. GE Capital supplies its restaurant tenants and borrowers with data on sales and marketing insights gleaned from aggregating information from the customers.
With the newly announced sales, GE has entered into deals to sell a total of $180 billion in GE Capital assets. The parent company is recasting itself as a high-tech industrial company without deep holdings in the financial services business.
“The sale of these restaurant financing assets represents our last major U.S. platform transaction,” said GE Capital CEO Keith Sherin.


text:
Story has been updated with additional information.
Content delivery company LinkUp Communications Corp. has acquired the majority of assets of Orbital Media Networks Inc.
“The acquisition includes the service agreements for a wide array of broadcast customers, including those who purchase space segment and other services from OMNi, and others who subscribe to the company’s XDS satellite and streaming platform,” LinkUp stated in the announcement.
“It does not include the Rocky Mountain News Network, nor OMNi’s two-way IP services.”
Terms were not announced.
OMNi has its roots in what was once called Clear Channel Satellite Services. It was created about seven years ago when iHeartMedia got out of the backbone transport capacity business and sold it to entrepreneur Sam Dibrell Jr.
Mark Johnson, president of LinkUp, was quoted: “Our knowledge and skills complement each other. While OMNi offers the best in innovation and technology with their content distribution facility, LinkUp is known for its quality service, tailored solutions and positive working relationships with the industry’s top manufacturers.”
LinkUp Chairman Karen Johnson said OMNi customers will gain more design and installation services while LinkUp customers will have access to a distribution platform that offers both satellite and streaming.
“The two staffs combined are 18 individuals,” Johnson told Radio World. “There are no plans to make any staffing changes at this point. LinkUp staff has been extremely busy with C-band 5G field work this year and the Colorado staff have a very busy 24/7 NOC to maintain. Both teams complement each other in the application of serving the customer with content delivery services and satellite field services.”
Target client markets include secular and faith-based broadcasters, universities and colleges, sports distribution and businesses.
Orbital Media Networks offered broadcast programming delivery via C-Band, Ku-band and terrestrial, satellite-based IP networking and internet services.
LinkUp is based in Panama City, Fla. OMNi is in Englewood, Colo. LinkUp said it plans to integrate its customer support with the Network Operations Center in Englewood in a process that will take three to six months.
“Linkup has always supported customers who own their own uplink facilities, and Orbital’s Colorado NOC has always had a mix of NOC center services with the addition of remote customer uplinks,” Johnson said. “The Colorado staff will become the NOC facility for both customer bases, while the LinkUp field staff will have a larger customer base to serve in the field.”
Johnson said the LinkUp corporate office will remain in Florida while the NOC will remain 24/7/365 in Colorado.


text:
A Mercedes-Benz has long been considered one of those top-of -the-market items that only a select few had the wherewithal to purchase. Come Super Bowl XLVII, the automaker hopes to extend its appeal to a wider set of consumers.
Mercedes' Super Bowl Arsenal: New Car, Name on the Stadium and Kate Upton
After joining the Super Bowl's ad ranks in 2011 and sitting out in 2012, Mercedes is poised to redefine its appeal to the game's massive TV audience, which last year included approximately 111.3 million U.S. viewers, according to Nielsen. The car marketer will use the Super Bowl to introduce its CLA, a "highly stylized four-door coupe" with what might be a surprising price, said Steve Cannon, president-CEO of Mercedes-Benz USA, in an interview with Advertising Age.
"We have something big to say and we think this is a great vehicle to reach out to that mass affluent audience," he said. "We hope to use the Super Bowl to kind of open up the Mercedes-Benz brand to a wider audience. There are a lot of people out there who just automatically put Mercedes-Benz in an out-of -reach category. This is a great opportunity to use this new product coming to market in 2013 as that 'Wow, I didn't realize that about Mercedes-Benz.' That's the kind of wake-up call opportunity -- with a mass audience -- that we're going, we hope, to use the Super Bowl to communicate."
"For our C-Class, the median age [of the consumer] is around 50," he said. "We think we're going to get 30-something and 40-somethings in this car."
In its last Super Bowl appearance, Mercedes ran a 60-second ad in the fourth quarter that depicted past and present car models escaping garages, showrooms and driveways to welcome a new lineup of autos. Entrepreneur Sean Combs, also known as Diddy, had a featured role. The automaker intends to run its 2013 ad in the fourth quarter as well, according to a spokeswoman for the company. Already, news reports suggest model Kate Upton and singer Usher will be featured in the new effort.
The ads are being crafted with Mercedes' longtime agency, Merkley + Partners, owned by Omnicom Group.
"There's more to come," said Mr. Cannon, declining to tip his creative hand. "Celebrity plays with the young audience, and we are stepping up our game. If you want to step on that stage, you'd better be prepared to go big. Mercedes-Benz is a brand that has a very high celebrity quotient anyway. It's our natural audience. We're going to have some fun with it in the spot itself, use these high-profile kind of celebrities in connection with this new vehicle."
The company will have to work hard to stand out. For the past two years, the Super Bowl has more or less become a parking lot of ads from sundry automakers. Already, Volkswagen, Hyundai and Kia are among the sponsors lined up for the next event. Volkswagen has proven quite adept at generating buzz with prereleases of Super Bowl content. And many observers are wondering if Chrysler will join the event again -- and if so, how it might top its 2012 post-halftime spot featuring Clint Eastwood.
Of course, Mercedes has a weapon in its marketing arsenal that others do not: its name on the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, where the 2013 Super Bowl will unfold.
The automaker has reached out since 2005 to New Orleans, ravaged by Hurricane Katrina, Mr. Cannon said. Mercedes has planted trees and taken part in several charitable programs. "We are a member of that community -- more than just slapping our logo on a very large stadium -- and we are going to leverage that ," he said. Some of the commercial work for the company's Super Bowl ad spot is taking place in New Orleans, where it can generate economic activity, he said.
As with anything Super Bowl-related, the stakes are high. Mercedes will have to balance the introduction of the CLA while maintaining its status as an aspirational brand. And Mr. Cannon will be watching the results of the campaign as CEO of U.S. operations, not as the division's chief marketing officer -- the title he held until the start of this year, when he was elevated to the top post.
"This is not just any Super Bowl," he said. "Anybody can stand up and spend the money, but to have Mercedes-Benz on the Superdome with a brand-new car and and a brand-new audience and being a member of the community in New Orleans -- those are a lot of dots that we'll try to connect."


text:
Cryptocurrency company Ripple today announced an investment of up to $50 million into money transfer company MoneyGram. Along with the investment, MoneyGram will agree to utilize XRP in its core money transfer business.
Ripple's initial investment will consist of the company paying $4.10 per share for up to a 10% stake of MoneyGram, or $30 million. The valuation of ~$300 million would be a significant comedown from the $1.2 billion deal that China's Ant Financial struck to purchase MoneyGram in 2017, which was blocked by the Trump administration. MoneyGram would also hold an option for an additional investment of up to $20 million by Ripple in the next two years.
Ripple's investment at $4.10 per share is a significant premium to the $1.45 price per share that MoneyGram traded at today. $MGI jumped 114% in after hours to $3.10 as of 5:08pm EST.
Ripple has long sought to drive adoption of the XRP cryptocurrency, of which the company is the creator and largest owner, via tokens held in escrow and released quarterly. To date, the company has succeeded in attracting large financial institutions to trial its xCurrent product which doesn't involve the XRP currency in the money flow.
Today's deal with MoneyGram ensures that Ripple's xRapid, which utilizes XRP in the money flow, will be used in global money transfers at scale for the first time. MoneyGram rival Western Union recently ended a trial of xRapid, stating that the product had not created any material savings for the company.


text:
LG Chem and Chicago-based Archer Daniels Midland have reached an agreement in principle to jointly build a poly lactic acid (PLA) factory in a move to produce biodegradable plastics that are made from fermented corn starch.
LG Chem is collaborating with e-commerce giant Coupang on an eco-friendly project that recycles plastic waste.
LG Chem and Siheung, Gyeonggi-based biodiesel maker Dansuk Industrial have reached an agreement in principle to build a hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) plant in a move to ramp up the production of eco-friendly materials.
The free fall in LG Chem shares on Monday might have been an overly panicked reaction to bad news for the company, analysts said.
LG Chem is investing 2.6 trillion won ($2.2 billion) through 2028 to ramp up production of eco-friendly materials in Korea.
LG Chem, the chemical arm of LG Group, is prioritizing sustainability in its business strategy based on the concept of environmental, social and governance management.
LG Chem’s net profit jumped 289.5 percent on year to 1.63 trillion won ($1.42 billion) in the second quarter, beating the market consensus of 1.05 trillion won as compiled by FnGuide.
Chemical companies are selling eco-friendly products, hoping their ecologically concerned customers will notice.
LG Chem plans to invest 10 trillion won ($8.7 billion) over the next five years to ensure the sustainable growth of its battery parts, ecofriendly material and drug businesses.
LG Chem has started operations at its nitrile butadiene latex (NBL) manufacturing plant in Ningbo, China, the company said Monday.


text:
The dark days of winter can have a destructive impact on a vehicle’s engine. Sub-zero temperatures, hard starts and improper fluid levels or usage can shorten the life of a vehicle by damaging its engine. Not to worry, says the Engine Rebuilders Council, as repowering can give a vehicle new life.
“Harsh winter weather can be tough on a vehicle, but a damaged engine doesn’t have to be the end of the car you love,” said Ken Carter, chairman of the Engine Rebuilders Council. “Many vehicle owners may think their only option is to purchase a new vehicle when they experience severe engine trouble, but repowering is an economically and environmentally sound alternative that extends vehicle life and saves the cost of a new car.”
Engine repowering makes economic sense. For the cost of an average down payment on a new car or truck, a vehicle’s engine can be repowered with a remanufactured/rebuilt engine, gaining years of reliable service without monthly car payments and higher insurance rates.
With repowering, a vehicle’s engine or an identical one from another like-vehicle is completely disassembled, cleaned, machined and remanufactured/rebuilt. Unlike used or junk yard engines with an unknown performance and maintenance history, remanufactured/rebuilt engines are dependable, reliable and backed by excellent warranty programs.
In addition to its financial benefits, remanufactured/rebuilt engines save the tremendous amount of energy used in processing discarded engines and vehicles. Repowering also saves an incredible amount of raw materials that would have been used in building a new engine.


text:
Google scraps Glass sales as public turn against the device
Google has abruptly pulled its hi-tech Glass eyewear from sale next week after deciding against launching the gadget in its current form – whilst committing itself to the product in the long-term.
Consumers had been able to snap up a pair of internet-connected specs for £990 since the summer in the UK through the firm’s Explorer programme but this initiative will now be halted as the firm seeks to improve the device.
Google had been expected to announce a full consumer launch shortly but uptake has prompted it to bring a new team on board to develop improved iterations of the spectacles.
Instead the Google Glass team will depart the research division and form part of the home automation business Nest, which was acquired by Google a year ago.
Nest chief Tony Faddell said Glass had ‘broken ground and allowed us to learn what's important to consumers and enterprises alike" and said the team would now ‘to integrate those learnings into future products.’
Despite showing some promise early adopters of the technology had lately become disillusioned with the lack of progress made by Google in refining the product, together with a wider public backlash from privacy campaigners which saw the device banned by some bars and restaurants.
Earlier this week, Tesco Labs launched a Google Glass app called Tesco Grocery ahead of the sale date.


text:
Although the potash industry was pulverized yesterday after the world's biggest producer said it would no longer abide by limits on its output, it was an outcome that was bound to happen sooner or later and is one that will ultimately benefit the industry.
The decision by Russia's Uralkali to end its distribution agreement with Belarus, which controls roughly 43% of global exports, means the price of potash that had been artificially propped up for years -- and reached as high as $900 a ton before the global economic meltdown in 2008 -- will now trade at more reasonable levels, perhaps as low as $300 a ton by the end of the year, according to Uralkali.
While the immediate effect was to crush the stock prices of producers like PotashCorp (POT) and Mosaic (MOS 1.37%), which tumbled 16% and 17%, respectively, it means there will be an industry shakeout that will have only the best companies producing enough to meet demand.
It also means that potash miners like Vale (VALE -1.00%) were seemingly prescient in walking away from new projects while BHP Billiton was fortunate its expansion plans were delayed. Or maybe they just saw the writing on the wall.
Last September, Uralkali settled a U.S. antitrust claim for around $13 million that charged the producer and a cartel that included PotashCorp, Mosaic, and Agrium (NYSE: AGU) of conspiring to raise prices since 2003. All told, the group controlled about 70% of the world's potash.
The expected collapse in pricing as a result of Uralkali's move means competitors will likely stay away from the business now as margins get sliced. Uralkali looks to be making a push for market share at a time when its rivals are constrained and because it enjoys some of the fattest margins in the industry, it can withstand the compression that will pressure others. It also has the benefit of being the lowest-cost producer and of being readily able to supply China by train.
It's one of the reasons Intrepid Potash (IPI 2.68%) was hit so hard, falling 29% on the news, as it's considered to be one of the higher-cost producers. Uralkali says the average cost of producing potash runs around $200 per ton so the lower pricing environment will make for a trying time for marginal producers. Moreover, because Intrepid is also not affiliated with any marketing group -- Potash, Mosaic, and Agrium control Canpotex -- it doesn't have the same negotiating heft as do its rivals to set prices.
In comparison, Uralkali has costs per ton of around $62 meaning it can withstand longer the effects of a price war. Fortunately for Agrium it is far more diversified than other potash producers so its stock only dropped 5% yesterday. The potash stocks continued to fall today, though, again, Agrium's decline was minimal.
Yet the falling prices engendered by Uralkali maxing out production and willingness to sell its output at spot may very well boost demand again. By limiting the amount of competition coming into the market, spurring demand for potash through lower prices, and allowing the strongest producers to survive, the potash industry will be a much healthier space going forward.
That doesn't mean Uralkali won't patch up its differences with Belarus -- it could be a negotiating ploy after all -- but the upheaval caused by the announcement let investors see which of the players were swimming naked, as Warren Buffett might say, allowing them to identify the weak links that will get pulverized again during the next tumult.


text:
Shoppers can grab a bargain - and raise money to help train guide dogs at the same time.
The Wakefield branch of the charity, Guide Dogs, is opening a one-off pop up shop at the city’s market.
Along with official Guide Dogs merchandise, the charity will also be selling good quality donated items including clothes, homeware, books and DVDs.
Branch organiser, Joanne Beverley, said: “Because we have the pop up shop for four days we wanted to expand on the normal range of Guide Dog items that we usually sell.
“If we can get people to donate quality new or used items we should raise even more money, and every £5 raised goes towards helping a visually impaired person to lead an independent life by supporting a working guide dog partnership for one day.”
The stall will be inside the market, next to the Union Street entrance from Wednesday, March 20 until Saturday, March 23.
As well as raising money to train assistance dogs, Guide Dogs also carries out important research and campaigns for the rights of people with visual impairments.
The charity is always in need of donations and volunteers.
For more information e-mail email@example.com or call 07896 565858.


text:
US airline customers tend to get confused about region-by-region and state-by-state Covid-19 entry requirements when searching for flights to leisure destinations, often leading them to take the path of least resistance and book flights to Florida beaches, American Airlines’ chief revenue officer Vasu Raja has observed.
“What we’ve come to conclude is… it’s hard for [customers] to understand what the entry requirements are,” Raja said on 10 November during the virtual Aviation Festival Americas. “If people have to spend a lot of time searching through what [entry requirements are] they’ll tend to default to places where it’s easier to understand.
“[For] the Florida beaches it’s easier – people tend to go there. Then add to that [that] it’s closer [than Hawaii], there’s an availability of airline capacity and a plenitude of lodging and transportation.”
On 15 October, Hawaii began allowing travellers to submit negative coronavirus test results 72 hours in advance of their flights to bypass the state’s ongoing 14-day quarantine period for new arrivals.
Florida has no travel restrictions whatsoever.
“We are seeing some positive bookings come out of Hawaii [since the new negative test option began],” says Raja, but he adds: “Compared to other markets that are starting to reopen, it’s still a fraction that.”
American, which has been paying close attention to its site’s customer search data, has seen positive trends in searches for travel to New York and San Francisco, in addition to Hawaii. Customers’ booking decisions are ultimately being steered by the degree of openness in a state or region, as well as by simple declarations of openness.
The Florida Department of Health’s Covid-19 response site leads internet search results for the phrase “Florida restrictions for travellers”. At the top of the site’s travel advisory page is a boldfaced headline: “Currently, the state of Florida has no travel restrictions in place”.
In addition, the Florida Covid-19 response site states that “restaurants and food service establishments may operate at full capacity with limited social distancing protocols”.
Raja notes: “As [the pandemic] has rolled along we’ve seen some strong signals of what brings [back travel demand]. The first of which is [spending at full-service restaurants]. When spending at full-service restaurants in a community starts to increase, within seven to 10 days after that, spending on air travel tends to increase.”


text:
Commuters in four-wheelers aren’t the only people excited about the recent reprieve in fuel costs.
As reported by the Detroit News, the recreational vehicle industry and devotees of the RV lifestyle also are licking their chops over those lower numbers at the pump. When your rig gets single-digit mpg, as do many truck-trailer combos and motor homes, saving a buck or more for every 10 miles the odometer clocks can add up pretty quickly over the course of even a short jaunt.
The big dip in fueling costs is the icing on the cake of an industry rebound that has dealers and manufacturers revving up for what they hope will be a pretty good 2015.
Signs of the upbeat industry mood abound. According to a forecast published by the Recreational Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA), 2014 sales were up nearly 9% and that new units shipped are expected to total 349,000 once the final tally is in.
That’s double the dismal figures from the post-recession low in 2009, the RVIA said in a press release — and total sales in 2015 are forecast to reach pre-recession levels.
Airstream Inc., the Ohio-based maker of the shiny retro trailers, has announced a factory expansion that will increase its manufacturing capacity 50%. And at the retail level, the Michigan-based dealer General RV has just moved into its new 83,000-square-foot showroom and service facility on the grounds of the former Ford Motor Co. plant in Wixom.
“We just finished our first group of shows in Grand Rapids, Tampa and Cleveland — the crowds were tremendous,” said Dennis Anderson, vice president of marketing at General RV. “Motorhomes in particular are posting a very strong uptick.”
If you’re getting the fever, touring these warmer-weather getaway vehicles is a good antidote to the snowy, slushy vistas on the other side of your windshield. You can daydream through more than 275 models ranging from about $7,000 to more than $400,000 week after next at the 49th Annual Detroit Camper and RV show, which runs Feb. 4-8 at the Suburban Collection Showplace in Novi.
Bill Sheffer, director of the Michigan Association of Recreational Vehicles and Campgrounds , the trade group and RV expo promoter, said all indications point to a robust year for Michigan dealers.
For the full story click here.


text:
Beverage alcohol drinkers across the globe consumed a total of 27.6 billion nine-litre cases of alcohol in 2018, but while that number represents a decrease of -1.6% from the year prior, new data from the IWSR forecasts that total alcohol consumption will steadily increase over the next five years, to 28.5 billion cases in 2023.
In terms of retail value, the global market for beverage alcohol in 2018 was just over $1 trillion, a number which the IWSR expects to grow 7% by 2023 as consumers continue to trade up to higher-quality products.
These figures – and more than 1.5m other points of data – are included in the just-released IWSR Drinks Market Analysis Global Database, which also shows:
Wine Volume Declines, but Value Increases
Wine, which had posted strong global growth in 2017, lost -1.6% in volume in 2018 as wine consumption declined in major markets such as China, Italy, France, Germany and Spain (the US market was flat). However, though consumers are drinking less wine, they’re increasingly drinking better – pushing wine value to increase. Globally, the retail value of wine is projected at $224.5bn by 2023, up from $215.8bn in 2018. The one bright spot in wine volume is the sparkling wine category, which is expected to show a five-year CAGR of 1.17% 2018-2023, driven in large part by prosecco.
Low- and No-Alcohol Products on the Rise
Low- and no-alcohol brands are showing significant growth in key markets as consumers increasingly seek better-for-you products, and explore ways to reduce their alcohol intake. Growth of no-alcohol beer is expected at 8.8%, and low-alcohol beer at 2.8%. No-alcohol still wine is forecasted at 13.5%, and low-alcohol still wine at 5.6%. Growth of no-alcohol mixed drinks is predicted at 8.6%. (Above figures are all CAGR 2018-2023.)
Top Ten Performing Global Markets, 2018-2023
A look at the world’s fastest-growing beverage alcohol markets shows an emergence across a variety of developing countries. A combination of growing legal-drinking-age populations and healthy economies is driving some of this growth, which is expected to continue over the next five years.
“Every year our analysts spend months traveling the world to speak with suppliers, wholesalers, retailers, and other beverage alcohol professionals to assess what is happening market by market in this fast-changing business,” says Mark Meek, the IWSR’s CEO. “The raw data we collect is enormously valuable, but equally important is what that data tells us in terms of trends, challenges, and opportunities facing the industry.”
Gin was the Leading Global Growth Category in 2018, and Forecasted to Reach 88m Cases by 2023
The largest gain in global beverage alcohol consumption in 2018 was in the gin category, which posted total growth of 8.3% versus 2017. Pink gin was a key growth driver, helping the category sell more than 72m nine-litre cases globally last year. In the UK alone, gin was up 32.5% in 2018, and the Philippines (the world’s largest gin market) posted growth of 8%, fuelled by a booming cocktail scene and premiumisation of the market. By 2023, the gin category is expected to reach 88.4m cases globally, with particular strong growth in key markets such as the UK, Philippines, South Africa, Brazil, Uganda, Germany, Australia, Italy, Canada and France. Notably, Brazil has emerged as a new hotspot for the category, with volumes there more than doubling last year and forecasted to grow at 27.5% CAGR 2018-2023, as the gin-and-tonic trend has increased in upmarket bars of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.


text:
Samsung has been preparing for the launch of its next flagship smartphones, the Samsung Galaxy S8 and the Samsung Galaxy S8+. Samsung has already sent out a teaser for its next phones at the MWC in Barcelona. Samsung has also announced that its next flagship phones will be launched at an “unpacked” event in San Francisco on March 29. We have already seen most of the features related to hardware and software of the phone.
Now, we have some exclusive reports which suggest how the phone is likely to perform in real-world conditions. We have some results from the user-submitted reports at Geekbench, the popular benchmarking site which shows the Exynos 8895 which most likely will be on the Samsung Galaxy S8 with a model number: Samsung SM-G955F. This benchmark results were then compared to the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 which runs on a Samsung phone with Android 7.1.1 Nougat most likely the Samsung Galaxy S7. The test results also include a comparison result between Samsung’s Exynos 8895 and the Kirin 960 processor. The phone with the Kirin 960 processor is the Huawei MHA AL00 which on further inspection is known to be the Huawei Mate 9 Pro.
The test results show some surprising facts about the SD835, Kirin 960 and the Exynos 8895. While in the single-core performance results, the Exynos 8895 showed some good performance with a score of 1978 while the multi-core performance on Exynos 8895 was 6375. On comparison with the Snadragon 835, for the single-core test, the Exynos 8895 lost to Qualcomm Snapdragon 835, the result of which is equal to 2004 points against the 1978, and in the multi-core test it surpassed 6374 points against Exynos’s 6233 points.
But in comparison with Kirin 960 it turned out to be different – in the test of one core Exynos 8895 was more powerful, and in the multi-core mode, lost. The result of the smartphone based on the Kirin 960 with 6 GB of RAM was 1929 points in a single-core test and 6416 points for multi-core test.
GizmoChina has noted that the performance of Exynos 8895 grew by 27% compared to its predecessor, and the power consumption decreased by 40%. The new single-chip platform includes an eight-core processor and a Mali-G71 MP20 graphics accelerator.


text:
Yellen’s insistence that China address overcapacity is a step in the right direction, according to the Alliance for American Manufacturing.
Washington, D.C. — China’s glut of solar panels, electric vehicles (EVs), and lithium-ion batteries threatens to strangle the clean energy manufacturing sector in the United States and destabilize supply chains worldwide, according to the Alliance for American Manufacturing. The organization urged U.S. government action to prevent a deluge of Chinese imports in its recent report on Chinese autos, including EVs.
During a speech at Suniva’s solar cell factory in Norcross, Ga., on Wednesday afternoon, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen asserted that she will push her Chinese counterparts to address their nation’s overcapacity when she travels to China in April.
“China’s overcapacity has already wrecked too many industries in America over the past two decades,” Alliance for American Manufacturing President Scott Paul said. “Beijing’s policies and past administrations’ hesitancy to appropriately prevent or respond to the threat left us in a weakened state.”
The U.S. solar manufacturing industry collapsed in the 2010s during China’s solar panel dumping barrage, leading to shuttering of Suniva’s Norcross factory in 2017. That same year, Suniva fought back and filed a successful trade case that led to tariffs on solar cells and modules. Those tariffs, coupled with funding in the Inflation Reduction Act, have cleared the way for Suniva to restart its factory this spring.
“It’s critical that the Biden administration and Congress proactively deploy existing trade tools and develop new ones to prevent job losses before it’s too late,” Alliance for American Manufacturing President Scott Paul said. “We must also ensure that Chinese companies don’t simply use our trade partners as a back door to the American market, or to distort it by locating minor operations here dependent on the Chinese supply chain in a way that displaces our emerging industries.” Trade data shows that China is increasingly exploiting Mexico’s trade relationship with the U.S. to dodge American duties and tariffs. The Alliance for American Manufacturing recently issued a report that uncovers how Chinese autos could seriously compromise U.S. national security and economic stability if allowed to enter the U.S. market.


text:
It really is not easy to go a whole day without mentioning Instagram at this point. The photo sharing social networking app, which recently launched for Android, is approaching (may even have passed now) the 50 million registered user mark. Based on this, the king of social networking, Facebook, is purchasing Instagram for a cool 1 Billion dollars. That’s right, 1,000,000,000 dollars.
Instantly users hit the Internet to complain about the upcoming acquisition, worried that Facebook would ruin the experience users are accustom to. Quickly thereafter Facebook made a point of clearing the air, commenting that they would not change any core functions of Instagram, including the ability to share pictures with social networks other than Facebook.
For better or for worse, it seems the app is still growing, with downloads on Google Play over 5 million already, and being the number 1 free app on iTunes.


text:
A New Microchip Knows Just Where You Are, Indoors and Out
Broadcom has just rolled out a chip for smart phones that promises to indicate location ultra-precisely, possibly within a few centimeters, vertically and horizontally, indoors and out.
The unprecedented accuracy of the Broadcom 4752 chip results from the sheer breadth of sensors from which it can process information. It can receive signals from global navigation satellites, cell-phone towers, and Wi-Fi hot spots, and also input from gyroscopes, accelerometers, step counters, and altimeters.
The variety of location data available to mobile-device makers means that in our increasingly radio-frequency-dense world, location services will continue to become more refined.
In theory, the new chip can even determine what floor of a building you’re on, thanks to its ability to integrate information from the atmospheric pressure sensor on many models of Android phones. The company calls abilities like this “ubiquitous navigation,” and the idea is that it will enable a new kind of e-commerce predicated on the fact that shopkeepers will know the moment you walk by their front door, or when you are looking at a particular product, and can offer you coupons at that instant.
The integration of new kinds of location data opens up the possibility of navigating indoors, where GPS signals are weak or nonexistent.
Broadcom is already the largest provider of GPS chips to smart-phone makers. Its new integrated circuit relies on sensors that aren’t present in every new smart phone, so it won’t perform the same in all devices. The new chip, like a number of existing ones, has the ability to triangulate using Wi-Fi hot spots. Broadcom maintains a database of these hot spots for client use, but it says most of its clients maintain their own.
A company that pioneered the construction and maintenance of these kinds of Wi-Fi hot spot databases is SkyHook Wireless. Skyhook CEO Ted Morgan is skeptical that Broadcom can catch up to his company’s software-based system allowing for precise indoor location. “Broadcom is just now talking about something we have been doing for seven to eight years, uncovering all the challenges,” says Morgan. These include battery management and cataloging a new wave of mobile Wi-Fi hot spots. “Broadcom has never done major deployment,” adds Morgan.
Scott Pomerantz, vice president of the GPS division at Broadcom, counters that “the big [mobile] operating systems all have a strategy in place” to create their own Wi-Fi databases. Pomerantz isn’t allowed to name names, but one of Broadcom’s biggest customers is Apple, which previously used Skyhook for location services in its iPhone but now employs its own, Apple-built location system.
At least one feature of Broadcom’s new GPS chip is entirely forward-looking, and integrates data from a source that is not yet commercially deployed: Bluetooth beacons. (Bluetooth is the wireless standard used for short-range communications in devices like wireless keyboards and phone headsets.)
“The use case [for Bluetooth beacons] might be malls,” says Pomerantz. “It would be a good investment for a mall to put up a deployment—perhaps put them up every 100 yards, and then unlock the ability for people walking around mall to get very precise couponing information.”
“The density of these sensors will give you even finer location,” says Charlie Abraham, vice president of engineering at Broadcom. “It could show you where the bananas are within a store—even on which shelf there’s a specific brand.”
Geoffrey Hinton tells us why he’s now scared of the tech he helped build
“I have suddenly switched my views on whether these things are going to be more intelligent than us.”
ChatGPT is going to change education, not destroy it
The narrative around cheating students doesn’t tell the whole story. Meet the teachers who think generative AI could actually make learning better.
Meet the people who use Notion to plan their whole lives
The workplace tool’s appeal extends far beyond organizing work projects. Many users find it’s just as useful for managing their free time.
Learning to code isn’t enough
Historically, learn-to-code efforts have provided opportunities for the few, but new efforts are aiming to be inclusive.
Get the latest updates from
MIT Technology Review
Discover special offers, top stories, upcoming events, and more.


text:
Ridesharing drivers out selling services, if not taking fares
Uber, Lyft services hoping to create market for drivers
February 21, 2014
| Updated: February 21, 2014 11:23pm
Mayra Beltran, Staff
Uber driver Brian Walts participates in the ridesharing services that just launched this week on Friday, Feb. 21, 2014, in Houston. ( Mayra Beltran / Houston Chronicle )
Brian Walts was out until about 3 a.m. Friday hitting the clubs, but he didn't have a single drink or set foot on a dance floor.
To continue reading this story, you will need to be a digital subscriber to HoustonChronicle.com.


text:
Facebook Cracks Down on Gun Sales Through the Site
Facebook is implementing new polices to prevent person-to-person gun sales via both the Facebook and Instagram sites. Traditionally, individuals making private gun sales have been able to arrange them using the social networks, but under Facebook’s new policies, that will no longer be allowed.
Firearms are joining the long list of things that people cannot use Facebook (or Instagram) to sell, including illegal drugs and pharmaceuticals. While Facebook’s old policies didn’t allow individuals to sell guns via Facebook ads, individuals could create posts for the private sale of firearms. However, Facebook did take actions in 2014 to restrict those kinds of sales to minors. According to NPR’s Laura Sydell: “Facebook has never been directly involved in gun selling, but it has been a place where buyers and sellers have negotiated sales.” However, these new policies won’t affect already-licensed sellers or stores from creating ads on the site.
Facebook’s head of Global Policy Management, Monika Bickert, stated:
Over the last two years, more and more people have been using Facebook to discover products and to buy and sell things to one another. We are continuing to develop, test, and launch new products to make this experience even better for people and are updating our regulated goods policies to reflect this evolution.
Under these new polices, Facebook will rely on users to report violations, and if certain individuals become repeat offenders, they may be banned from the social media sites. Facebook officials stated:
We will remove reported posts that explicitly indicate a specific attempt to evade or help others evade the law. For example, we will remove reported posts where the potential buyer or seller indicates they will not conduct a background check or are willing to sell across state lines without a licensed firearms dealer.
The move isn’t really much of a surprise–these changes to Facebook’s policies come roughly a month after President Barack Obama’s executive actions on guns were announced, which create stricter provisions for private, even individual, gun sales. The fact that Facebook is making an attempt to comply with its new provisions makes sense–hopefully it’ll help to cut down on unlicensed gun sales via two of the top social media sites in the U.S.


text:
With the memory of the recent Distributed Denial of Service (DDOS) attack on a part of the internet that redirected traffic fresh in my mind, I was taken aback when I read an article stating that over eighty different Sony products that connect to the internet can easily be hacked.
And then I read another article about a new botnet attacking the West Coast using the Internet of Things (IoT). This Internet of Things has many useful, geeky and otherwise, nifty-neato things. We have thermostats, security cameras, appliances and home entertainment gadgetry that can be remotely accessed by our smartphones and other carry along devices. Therein lies the double edged sword. The Mirai botnet used to attack these connected devices has caused some of the largest DDOS attacks this year. It did not need to infect a PC as we think of computers but instead used the small computers in internet connected thermostats, home security cameras and so on. Why? Because it could. How? Mainly because the passwords of these devices were never changed from the default ones they came with.
According to the security experts at CloudFlare, this new and currently unnamed botnet has the potential to be more damaging than the Mirai attack. They also think it will utilize these IoT gadgets in much the same way Mirai did.
I don’t mean to pollute anyone’s punchbowl here but I want to advise everyone who is putting a new toy onto this great network of things to exercise some caution. CHANGE THE DEFAULT PASSWORD! Especially the one in your home Wi-Fi router. Your neighbor could have great fun if you get a NEST or other thermostat and don’t set it up with any kind of security. As a word of caution, there are internet sites out there that look for, locate and list internet accessible cameras. Did I mention to change the password when you set this stuff up? Guys, I know it goes against our nature, but read the manual if you have to. Don’t make it easy on these weasels to use your IoT devices to launch another denial of service attack.
“It’s not paranoia if they really are out to get you.”
Most importantly, on behalf of myself and everyone at Covington have a safe and happy holiday.


text:
(NBC News) – Police in New York are trying to track down three suspects that made off with about $4 million in jewelry.
Police say the suspects pretended to customers in a diamond district jewelry store and later pulled out guns and tied up employees.
They grabbed jewelry into a duffle bag before running off on foot, the NYPD said. None of the employees were injured.
Click here for more.


text:
Food News: McDonald's Partners with Travis Scott on a New Meal
Maybe McDonald's should change its motto from "I'm lovin' it" to "It's lit!" (But seriously, it probably shouldn't.) The fast-food giant has unveiled a special meal in collaboration with Houston rapper Travis Scott and his record label, Cactus Jack.
The meal includes a Quarter Pounder with cheese, bacon, and lettuce; a side of fries; a Sprite; and BBQ sauce. According to McDonald's, that meal was Scott's favorite meal growing up in H-Town. It goes for $6.
The Burger Joint's Matthew Pak and Shawn Bermudez have been busy lately. The co-owners and operators of the popular burger concept with locations in Montrose and the Heights recently announced the upcoming opening of The Taco Stand on Shepherd Drive in the Heights, and last week they revealed plans to launch a third Burger Joint at 1350 W Bay Area Blvd in Webster. The new spot, scheduled to open in winter 2021, will have 4,000 square feet of interior space and 5,800 square feet of outdoor patio space.
The fourth Houston-area location of Whiskey Cake is now open at 27800 N Freeway Service Rd in The Woodlands. The restaurant focusing on locally sourced food and cocktails is open 3–10 p.m. Monday–Thursday, 3–11 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday. Brunch is served 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Other nearby locations are Baybrook, Katy, and Stafford.
Molina's Cantina also has a new location, which opened last week at 6300 FM 1463 in Fulshear. It's the third Molina's, joining sites in Southside Place and Mid-West. The 5,800-square-foot space seats 249 inside and 107 outside, and has a full-service bar. It's open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday and Monday, 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Tuesday–Thursday, and 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Friday–Saturday.


text:
It is another "Merger Monday" today, with a potential inversion on the table for an iconic American brand and a biotech deal that could create a market leader in the lung business. The optimism in the market right now, coupled with the M&A activity has the S&P 500 at record levels and testing the 2,000-point level on the chart. We doubt that this move will be easy, but it is significant and could bring more retail money into the market as people begin to chase returns and reallocate retirement funds to seek capital gains rather than just yield.
Chart of the Day:
It certainly seems that Shanghai is breaking out, and many charts indicate this. Looking at the one-year chart, the market is at yearly highs and looking to break through resistance, which is present around the 2,250 level. If China can catch fire again, look for further bullishness in the market.
We have economic news today, and it is as follows:
- New Home Sales (10:00 a.m. EST): Est: 427k
The Asian markets are mostly higher today:
- All Ordinaries - down 0.19%
- Shanghai Composite - down 0.51%
- Nikkei 225 - up 0.48%
- NZSE 50 - up 0.30%
- Seoul Composite - up 0.20%
In Europe, the markets are higher this morning:
- CAC 40 - up 1.22%
- DAX - up 1.12%
- FTSE 100 - down 0.04%
- OSE - up 0.44%
Restaurant Deal In Works?
The rumor over the weekend that began circulating had Burger King (BKW) in talks to acquire Tim Hortons (THI), the Canadian doughnut and coffee shop. By Sunday, both companies had confirmed that talks were being held and shed details on how a deal would be structured. The bottom line is that Burger King is looking to structure a deal for the smaller Tim Hortons that would see the combined company's headquarters moved to Canada to allow for a tax inversion.
The deal comes not long after Tim Hortons went through a battle with activist investors to raise its debt levels to fund a share buyback and address other issues such as the company's capital structure, management compensation and expansion plans in the United States. This deal would allow the two companies to create a new company, controlled by Burger King shareholders, that would have well over the 20% foreign ownership threshold required for an inversion.
Shares in Burger King are breaking out of their recent lull with the announcement that the company is in talks to buy Tim Hortons and do a tax inversion to free up cash in foreign markets.
Source: Yahoo Finance
There are not a lot of synergies that the two companies can realize outside of cuts to top management ranks and certain supply chain integrations, but one thing investors could look for is a combination of the two companies' key breakfast items. The combined company could work to create premium coffee and food offerings available at both locations that could help drive traffic; assisting Burger King in the very crowded fast food breakfast business and give Tim Hortons a leg up in bolstering its after breakfast menu items.
With the potential tax benefits of a deal, along with certain synergies and the optimization of menus, the combined company could create problems for the growth plans of companies such as Dunkin' Brands (NASDAQ:DNKN) and Krispy Kreme Doughnuts (KKD).
Roche Holdings AG (OTCQX:RHHBY) and InterMune (NASDAQ:ITMN) announced that they had reached a deal where Roche would buy InterMune for $8.3 billion, or a 38% premium to Friday's close. Roche is looking to build upon its current portfolio of drugs, which already includes two drugs focused on lung diseases. Buying InterMune gives Roche pirfenidone, a drug that treats pulmonary fibrosis.
Roche said that the deal is not about synergies and cutting staff, but about growth opportunities and plugging pirfenidone into Roche's sales pipeline upon approval. Roche wants to keep the InterMune team intact to continue developing drugs, but there is speculation that InterMune's CEO will not be around long.
Disclosure: The author has no positions in any stocks mentioned, and no plans to initiate any positions within the next 72 hours.
The author wrote this article themselves, and it expresses their own opinions. The author is not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). The author has no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.
Editor's Note: This article discusses one or more securities that do not trade on a major U.S. exchange. Please be aware of the risks associated with these stocks.


text:
Tapestry, Inc., a leading New York-based house of modern luxury accessories and lifestyle brands, has appointed Pam Lifford to its Tapestry’s Board of Directors.
Joanne Crevoiserat, Chief Executive Officer of Tapestry, Inc., said, “We are extremely pleased that Pam has agreed to join our Board. Pam is a results-driven leader with a passion for our industry and a strong track record of growing iconic global consumer brands. We are confident that Pam’s respective experience and counsel will prove valuable to us as we execute our Acceleration Program and fuel long-term growth and profitability across our portfolio of brands.”
“We are delighted to have identified an exceptional individual who will further strengthen and diversify our Board’s breadth of expertise and perspectives,” said Susan Kropf, Chair of the Board of Tapestry, Inc. “I am confident that Pam is going to make important and positive impacts on our company and I am very pleased to welcome her to our Board.”
Ms. Lifford serves as President, Warner Bros./WarnerMedia Studios and Networks Group’s Global Brands and Experiences overseeing the development of innovative fan-engagement opportunities across WarnerMedia’s content and networks businesses, which include Warner Bros., HBO and Cartoon Network properties, consumer products and themed entertainment. In addition, she heads storytelling giant DC, home to iconic characters such as Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman. With more than 25 years of experience, Ms. Lifford spent 12 years at the Disney Company where in her role as Executive Vice President she oversaw the global home, fashion and infant businesses. She is largely credited with evolving Mickey and Minnie Mouse from a children’s business to global fashion and lifestyle brands driven by notable collaborations with renowned designers. Earlier in her career, Ms. Lifford held positions at leading brands, including Nike, Quiksilver, Inc., and Road Runner Sports.
Upon her appointment, Ms. Lifford said, “I’m excited to be joining the Board of Directors of Tapestry, a company with three powerful global brands with deep connections to consumers. I look forward to supporting the organization as it sharpens its focus on its customers and creates the foundation to drive long-term, sustainable growth.”


text:
THE latest five-year action plan formulated by the Kuwait tourism office will see the emirate launch a number of festivals aimed at attracting increased numbers of leisure visitors.
Building on the successful Hala February event, which celebrates the beauty of spring with an annual parade, concerts and various cultural events, the tourism office also plans to launch a heritage festival, which is expected to take place later in the year and will feature art and crafts shows, performances and displays.
Organisation for a festival of tourism is also currently out to tender and will see events at the country’s hotels and leisure destinations.
Majda Behbehani, director of marketing and foreign relations at the tourism sector of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, said: “Festivals have been put on before but now we want to support them in any way we can such as through marketing and awareness help.
“Previously Kuwait has mostly been about business travellers but we want to open up to more family and leisure tourism which will help this sector grow.
“We are looking at family visitors from the GCC market and particularly focusing on domestic travel with the current political situation.”
Kuwait is aiming to reach one million visitors per year within the five year period and Behbehani added that part of the government’s vision is to develop Kuwait as a commercial and financial centre with tourism running alongside as business visitors are encouraged to stay and spend a little time getting to know the country.
She also said the tourism sector is receiving help from the UN World Tourism Organisation to put together a tender for a programme to restructure the sector and implement training and market awareness.
TTN is the most established trade publication in the Middle East distributed on a controlled circulation basis to members of the travel and tourism industry.
Published monthly by Al Hilal Publishing and Marketing Group, the region’s foremost trade publisher, TTN is aimed at professionals in the industry, from travel agents to airline and hotel personnel.
TTN provides in-depth and extensive coverage of relevant issues in the Middle East and North Africa as well as in other parts of the world. Travel related news, analysis, and new appointments together with information on up-coming exhibitions, marketing and promotional campaigns are presented in an innovative and striking colour tabloid.
Every issue also contains a collation of international and regional news and topical features of interest to readers.


text:
ATLANTA — Apollo Tyres Ltd. is launching a streamlined marketing campaign in North America for its Vredestein brand, with the goal of emphasizing the quality of its product lines as well as boosting dealer profitability.
The India-based tire maker said it will showcase the brand on several fronts, including online digital ads, billboard and digital out-of-home ads, in an effort to shed light on the company's story and its Vredestein lineup.
The company said it plans to roll out several products across multiple categories in the coming months.
The marketing assets will be in collaboration with the company's dealer network, using co-branded advertisements through targeted campaigns.
The goal, Apollo said, is to create more than 8 million interactions with consumers looking to purchase tires.
Abhishek Bisht, global head of new markets and channels at Apollo, said the company considers customers as true partners.
"With this collaborative marketing campaign, we will identify and communicate with consumers looking to buy premium quality winter and all-weather tires and lead them to our partner network, resulting in a win-win situation for both," Mr. Bisht said.
The campaign will be active through January. Apollo will emphasize to consumers the benefits of replacing the all-season/winter tire combination with its all-weather portfolio, or to upgrade in winter tires in more extreme conditions.


text:
Amazon defended its decision to remove a book about transgender issues from its platform, claiming it frames “LGBTQ+ identity as a mental illness,” an assertion sharply disputed by the author.
Amazon sent a letter Thursday to Senate Republicans Marco Rubio of Florida, Mike Lee of Utah, Mike Braun of Indiana, and Josh Hawley of Missouri. The lawmakers had written last month to Amazon asking why “When Harry Became Sally: Responding to the Transgender Moment” by Ryan T. Anderson was no longer available for purchase on the platform.
“As to your specific question about ‘When Harry Became Sally,’ we have chosen not to sell books that frame LGBTQ+ identity as a mental illness,” Amazon Vice President for Public Policy Brian Huseman wrote of the book, which borrows its title from that of the 1989 romantic comedy film “When Harry Met Sally.”
“The only problem here is that my book does no such thing. Nowhere have I ever said or framed LGBTQ+ identity as a mental illness,” said Anderson in a written statement to The Daily Signal.
The book also discusses the American Psychiatric Association’s classification of gender dysphoria in the most recent edition of its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Amazon, curiously, still sells that.
Amazon said that it provides “access to a variety of viewpoints, including books that some customers may find objectionable.” The letter goes on to say, “That said, we reserve the right not to sell certain content. All retailers make decisions about what selection they choose to offer, as do we.”
Amazon sold 53% of all books in the U.S. and 80% of all ebooks, according to The Wall Street Journal. As such, removing a book from Amazon’s platform would have a significant impact on sales and profits for the author.
This isn’t the first time a Big Tech company has removed content from its platform. YouTube removed a Daily Signal video from Dr. Michelle Cretella, executive director of the American College of Pediatricians, “for violating YouTube’s policy on hate speech.”
Cretella made a point in the video that there’s no push to allow patients suffering from body integrity identity disorder to amputate limbs, yet there’s an influential movement for people to transition out of their biological gender.
“See, if you want to cut off a leg or an arm, you’re mentally ill, but if you want to cut off healthy breasts or a penis, you’re transgender,” Cretella noted in the removed video.
YouTube also removed last year a Heritage Foundation video of a panel discussion that featured Walt Heyer, an author who transitioned and lived for eight years as a transgender woman before transitioning back.
“This is a childhood development disorder,” he said in reference to gender dysphoria in children.
The following is Anderson’s full statement on Amazon’s censoring of his book:
Amazon justified its decision to delist my book, claiming it has decided “not to sell books that frame LGBTQ+ identity as a mental illness.” The only problem here is that my book does no such thing. Nowhere have I ever said or framed LGBTQ+ identity as a mental illness.
The phrase “mental illness” does occur in the book twice—but not in my own voice: once quoting a “transwoman” writing in The New York Times, and once quoting the current University Distinguished Service Professor of Psychiatry at Johns Hopkins.
The book also discusses the American Psychiatric Association’s classification of gender dysphoria in the most recent edition of its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Amazon, curiously, still sells that. Gender dysphoria is listed in the most widely respected and consulted book on psychiatric disorders because it is a serious condition that causes great suffering.
There is a debate, however, which Amazon is seeking to shut down, about how best to help patients who experience gender dysphoria. “When Harry Became Sally” is an important contribution, praised by medical experts, to that conversation. Amazon’s delisting of it cuts off vital political and cultural discussion about important matters when we need it most.
The timing of Amazon’s move is highly suspicious, coming the weekend before Congress voted on a radical transgender bill—the so-called “Equality Act”—of which I am one of the most outspoken critics. It seems that Amazon is using its massive power to distort the marketplace of ideas and is deceiving its own customers.
Have an opinion about this article? To sound off, please email letters@DailySignal.com and we will consider publishing your remarks in our regular “We Hear You” feature.


text:
Tesco to pay €150,000 over misleading Aldi claims
TESCO has promised not to display misleading in-store price comparisons with its rival Aldi in future.
The supermarket giant agreed to pay €150,000 to Aldi and gave a High Court undertaking not to display inaccurate comparisons in its stores.
This includes comparing products of a similar nature but with significant differences such as dry dog food compared with moist dog food.
It also prevents price comparisons of completely different products such as marmalade and tuna chunks.
The undertaking also prevents comparisons of alcohol of a different vintage, alcohol strength, colour or country of origin.
Where the products being compared are of a different weight, Tesco will also have to display accurate pro-rata weight/price calculations.
Tesco will also not be allowed compare prices on products that have not been sold in Aldi stores in the last fortnight, and will also have to indicate if products being compared have the Bord Bia Quality Assurance mark.
The settlement was agreed before Mr Justice Peter Kelly in the Commercial Division of the High Court, just days ahead of a hearing.
Aldi said that it would donate the €150,000 payout to the St Vincent de Paul charity.
The discount supermarket chain said it had taken High Court proceedings for trademark infringement against Tesco after repeatedly bringing the matter to Tesco's attention without success.
"Aldi is, of course, fully in favour of comparative advertising, but any comparative advertising must be accurate, fair and cannot mislead the consumer," Aldi said.
"The effect of today's undertakings is that consumers can expect and demand clear, transparent and accurate information on comparative advertising to enable them to make properly informed decisions about what they buy and who they buy from," said Aldi Ireland buying director Niall O'Connor.
In a statement, Tesco Ireland said that the settlement endorsed comparative advertising, which was good for the consumer.
"The settlement also sets down clearly for the first time the ground rules for how comparative advertising can happen," it said.
"It is an important part of the competitive environment in retailing and we are pleased that it can continue within the parameters set out.
"Tesco Ireland accepts the principles set down in the settlement and will continue to drive competition and innovation in the Irish market," it added.


text:
Lyft drivers will not be reclassified as employees.
That’s the bottom line of a $12.25 million settlement that the ride-hailing company agreed to late on Tuesday (Jan. 27). The settlement still needs to be approved by a judge, but it’s poised to resolve a pending class-action lawsuit in California that could have done serious damage to Lyft’s business.
At issue were the same worker classifications issues that are still plaguing Uber and the broader “sharing” economy. Drivers in the Lyft case argued that they should be employees, though the company treats them like independent contractors. The distinction is important because contractors don’t get the same employment protections as traditional employees—minimum wage, health insurance, social security, etc. They also have to pay their own on-the-job costs, which for someone driving and maintaining a car can add up fast.
The settlement amount is only about a fifth of what Lyft might have owed had the case proceeded to trial as a class action, according to Shannon Liss-Riordan, the lawyer representing drivers in the suit. But Lyft is making a few other concessions as well. Most significantly, it has agreed to greatly restrict its ability to “deactivate” drivers—Silicon Valley-speak for firing them. The law views at-will firing as a very employer-like privilege. As part of the settlement, Lyft will only be able to deactivate drivers for pre-specified reasons; it will have to notify drivers and give them a chance to improve beforehand. Drivers will also be able to contest the decision before a neutral arbitrator at Lyft’s expense.
“While the settlement does not achieve everything we had hoped for—namely a reclassification of the drivers as employees … it will result in some significant changes that will benefit the drivers,” Liss-Riordan wrote in an email.
“We are pleased to have resolved this matter on terms that preserve the flexibility of drivers to control when, where and for how long they drive on the platform and enable consumers to continue benefitting from safe, affordable transportation,” Kristin Sverchek, general counsel at Lyft, said in a statement.
What might all this mean for Uber, which is headed to trial this June on the same issues? The stakes for Uber are even higher: Its drivers are more numerous, its operations more sprawling, and its potential liability much greater. Where Lyft’s suit also never gained class-action status, Uber’s was certified by a federal judge last November on an arbitration technicality.
It’s possible that the Lyft settlement foreshadows a similar win by Uber in court. Structurally, the companies’ models are very similar, and it’s hard to see why someone who drives for Lyft would be ruled an independent contractor, but not someone who drives for Uber. On the other hand, Liss-Riordan argues that Uber drivers on the whole feel more mistreated than their Lyft counterparts. ”Far more Uber drivers than Lyft drivers are anxious for us to continue pursuing these misclassification claims,” she says.
That’s not really a legal distinction, but it might matter to a jury this summer.


text:
Since last month, PUBG Mobile received some additional content inspired by the Capcom developed survival horror game Resident Evil 2 to celebrate the release of the remake on PC and consoles. Today, this collaboration has been expanded with brand new content.
Starting today, players will be able to customize their avatar with the Ada Wong and Marvin costumes or change their appearances with the Leone and Claire skin sets.
You can check out the video below to learn more about the PUBG Mobile – Resident Evil 2 collaboration.
The biggest addition to PUBG Mobile released last month is the Survive Till Dawn mode, where players have to take down zombies and bosses taken from Resident Evil 2. The update which introduced this mode also introduced the Moonlight weather setting for the Vikendi map and several other tweaks and fixes.
PUBG Mobile is now available on iOS and Android in all regions. We will keep you updated on all the new content coming to PUBG Mobile in the future, so stay tuned for all the latest news.


text:
Big data drives big changes at a Cincinnati town center
Liberty Township, an affluent suburb of Cincinnati, is a town on the rise.
New housing and commercial developments abound and, as the town swells to a population of 40,000, its leaders predict that average household incomes that were $120,000 in 2017 will be closer to $150,000 in 2022.
One of the more popular new projects in town has been Liberty Center, which aims to live up to its name with more than 60 stores, a Cobb Liberty Luxury 25 Cinebistro, and 27 restaurants ranging from China Wok to Brio’s Tuscan Grille to The Cheesecake Factory. But well before COVID-19 struck, the owners were disappointed with traffic and sales and sought a new third-party manager for the property.
Birmingham, Ala.-based Bayer Properties won the job last year, and they did it using something that has taken quite a long time to develop a role in commercial real estate: Big Data.
“Liberty Center is a kind of cornerstone in the community, but there were some weaknesses in their leasing,” said Bayer’s director of marketing Elizabeth Thomas.
So Bayer hired Placer.ai, which tracks mobile phones to count traffic and review customer information inside stores and retail centers.
“We looked at who the customer was, what was their visit frequency, what was the frequency in some of the other centers? What was the problem for leasing right now? What was the solution?” Thomas said.
What Bayer found was that Liberty Center’s reading of Liberty Township’s growing population was a bit blurred. Merchandising within the store curation was too focused on baby boomers and, therefore, was not getting a lot of return visits from Gen Xers and millennials. Bayer conducted two focus groups—one of boomers and Gen Xers and another of millennials and Gen Xers—and discovered modern suburban customers that were looking for a more urban atmosphere at the centers they frequented.
“Gen Xers are a different type of retiree than the boomers. They don’t shop at Talbot’s. Some of them have adult children and are empty nesting and said they’d love a microbrewery,” Thomas said. “They’re also heavier users of fitness centers and buy athleisure wear and visit juiceries.”
As a result, Bayer recently signed the dance-based cardio fitness brand AKT to open at Liberty Center. A brewpub is on the wish list.
Thomas believes that Bayer’s use of Big Data will help it sign the right tenants, as well as educate current tenants in merchandising, marketing, and scheduling properly for their customer base.
“Tenants and site selectors are no longer willing to come off a hunch to sign a lease. They are more accustomed to seeing this data now,” she said. “And the data can be used on site to increase sales. We can use the data to show them things like they’ll lose 30% of their traffic if they continue to close at 7:00.”
Down the road, Thomas hopes to be able to merge the data with artificial intelligence and do predictive modeling.
“Our dream come true would be to have our hands on all the data the retailers have and learn how sales are being generated online,” she said. “’We think DTC brands are having trouble with the last mile and we can maybe be of help.”


text:
Green Marketing Sputters in ’08, Message Will Shift in ’09
Green marketers are wondering how President Barack Obama’s election and inauguration will affect public perception of green products and services, writes DMNews.
Observing that the first half of 2008 was probably the peak of green marketing, observed Russ Meyer of Landor Associates. But in the last six months, green marketing underwent a sharp decline. The tough economy will push marketers to take a “back to basics” approach in the coming year, experts predict.
Still, President Obama’s commitment to the environment and promises to turn the economy around have created a renewed public interest in sustainability, and that momentum – plus the immense popularity and success of green marketing in the past – assures that it is not something that will disappear anytime soon.
But a different kind of green message – one that focuses on savings and efficiency rather than global warming and saving the environment – is likely to emerge. Some examples of this message can be seen in the green marketing campaigns recently unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show and the North American International Auto Show.
Energy Manager News
- SWL&P Looks to Increase Electric Revenues by Over $2 Million
- Behind the Meter Podcast: A New Metric for Data Center Cooling
- Schneider Electric’s NEO Network: Helping Make Efficiency Projects Real
- Efficiency Project Complete in Meriden, CT
- BuildingIQ Makes 2 Moves
- Constellation Acquiring Retail Electricity, Natural Gas Businesses from ConEdison Solutions
- Peninsula Clean Energy Authority Chooses Direct Energy as Supplier
- Energy Efficiency is Growing on Farms


text:
AWMA Making Major Changes to Annual Convention
FAIRFAX, Va. -- The American Wholesale Marketers Association (AWMA) announced a new redesigned format for its AWMA Show. The annual trade show, scheduled to take place Feb. 25-27 at the Paris Hotel in Las Vegas, will now be known as the AWMA Marketplace & Solutions Expo.
The convention will "feature a broader array of educational and networking opportunities, and more show deals so distributor attendees can save like never before," according to an AWMA news release.
"A lot has changed in the past few years for all business enterprises and the convenience distribution business is certainly no exception," said AWMA President and CEO Scott Ramminger. "At AWMA, we are determined to meet these new challenges and our new, redesigned Marketplace & Solutions Expo is one way we are doing that."
Some key elements of the redesigned event will include:
- New incentives for manufacturers to offer show deals and better ways of communicating those deals to distributors at the AWMA Buyer’s Circle.
- More educational opportunities, including Marketplace show floor seminars in the AWMA Solutions Café & Theatre.
- A Knowledge Bar, where attendees can talk one-on-one with experts on topics ranging from business profitability to warehouse security to food safety planning.
- More peer-to-peer networking opportunities, including comfortable space on the marketplace floor, where attendees can enjoy a beverage while learning from peers one-on-one.
"The bottom line is that there will be more excitement, more new products, more education and more show deals, all in a compact, efficient format that makes sense in today’s business environment," said Ramminger. "Our goal is to make this event an invaluable experience for both distributors and exhibitors alike."
The focal point of the AWMA Marketplace & Solutions Expo will still be the trade show floor, where the suppliers will present their products and services, where much of the education program will take place, and where an industry reception will be held.
Off the show floor, the event will feature top opening and closing speakers, the presentation of the AWMA Hall of Fame Award, and an address by 2014 AWMA Chairman Mark Davenport, president of J.T. Davenport & Sons Inc.
"AWMA has taken a hard look at the show, really listened to distributors and manufacturers, examined the state-of-the-art in meetings and come up with a great new format," said Davenport, who takes over as chairman in January. "This is going to be the best AWMA event ever."
Fairfax, Va.-based AWMA is an international trade organization working on behalf of convenience distributors in the United States.


text:
The marketing war over towing claims for light-duty pickups between the Detroit Three--Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler--and Toyota will continue until 2015.
Read This Article
Since its inception in 1970, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has handled the task of mandating regulations for highway and road safety.
The Toyota RAV4 EV was electric before electric was cool.
A deadly typhoon that swept through Japan today is putting pressure on already-strained production at Toyota and Nissan, forcing them to close some plants.


text:
We are pleased to announce that we have a new store in Barcelona. MANU GARCIA continues with its expansion project with the opening of its new flagship store in Barcelona, located at Avenida Diagonal, number 415.
We have been working hard for a few months after seeing the new collections 2018. The most important cities in Spain and Europe hold wedding fairs to which we are attending. Fairs where we have participated by placing exhibitors showing... Continue reading →
At the end of last April, Madrid Bridal Week – Pasarela Costura España was held in the Madrid capital. An event for designers of wedding and party dresses, where the different parades took place through which the new trends could... Continue reading →
A few days ago, specifically from 25 to 30 April, took place in the Catalan capital the Barcelona Bridal Fashion Week 2017, an event focused on bridal fashion that we attend every year and this year, could not be less..... Continue reading →
Today’s post is about gratefulness, we want to thank all the people who every year believe on us, trust in our work and choose Higar Novias for the most important day of their lives. Continue reading →


text:
Chennai, Dec 8 (PTI) Prominent and unnoticed sources of microplastics in residential buildings are a source of microplastic pollution, a study by the IIT Madras said on Friday.
It identified their transportation, transformation, and toxicity effects on aquatic organisms and human beings.
"This review is the first of its kind to attempt to comprehensively explore the diverse activities and products within residential buildings, collectively identifying them as significant contributors to the generation of microplastics," the institute said in a release here.
Municipal waste stood out as a major source among the factors contributing to the spread of microplastics in the environment. "Everyday household activities like washing dishes, doing laundry, taking showers, and using toilets all contribute to the production of municipal wastewater," the release added.
For instance, dishwashing typically involves the use of plastic-based scouring pads, where the softer part of the sponge is composed of polyurethane (PU) and the attached mesh is made of polyethylene (PE). Over time, as the sponge gets worn out, the shedding of plastic material results in the creation of secondary microplastics, the review published in the journal: Environmental Science and Pollution Research (https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-023-26918-1), said.
The review was carried out by Angel Jessieleena, Kiruthika Eswari Velmaiel, Anju Anna John, and Prof Indumathi M Nambi from the Environmental and Water Resources Engineering Division, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Madras, and Sasikaladevi Rathinavelu from the Department of Biotechnology, IIT Madras.
According to Prof Indumathi Nambi, the escalating issue of plastic pollution demanded urgent attention and action. Current estimates suggest that between 4.88 to 12.7 million metric tons of plastic find their way into the ocean each year.
"Alarmingly, projections indicate that by 2050, the cumulative weight of plastics in our oceans could surpass the total biomass of fish,” Nambi claimed.
Laundry washing releases a significant quantity of microfibers into wastewater, while personal care products like shower gels, face cleansers, and toothpaste contain deliberate microplastic additives known as microbeads.
Additionally, items such as face masks and synthetic indoor fabrics, including carpets, contribute to environmental and indoor pollution, posing potential harm to both aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, as well as human and pet health.
The review suggested that source reduction is a vital consideration to combat microplastic pollution. Personal care products should be replaced with biodegradable materials, and the use of plastic-based products such as scouring pads needs to be reduced. Also, laundry machines should have highly efficient filters.
(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)


text:
Students at GV once had to get creative to make some money, such as selling notes or playing the mediator in relationships battles. There was also the cliché selling of drugs or cutting hair or offering “services,” but now new GV students are so uneducated in the ways of Grand Valley culture and etiquette that older students (along with those who do their basic research) are selling tickets that once were (and still are) free.
Facebook, Twitter, your barely used G-Mail account, and even Tinder were blowing up the weekend before GVSU Homecoming due to the seeming lack of homecoming tickets. Students all over GV were frantically bartering money, beer, and Allendale farm chickens, as well and paying top dollar for the little slip of paper that would get them into their Homecoming football game.
Well, unfortunately for all of the people who spent a ton of time and money on Facebook looking for those tickets, one need not look farther than the 20/20 desk where game tickets are given to students for free. But, with this year’s student ignorance towards the perks of being a student here, a new way to make money has come about: a GVSU wide black market for football tickets.
This undercover market was started by a freshmen student named George Lopez after seeing his fellow students panicking through Twitter over getting tickets for the big game. “I saw a need, and I fulfilled it,” Lopez stated. “Whether or not they know they’re getting screwed over isn’t my problem. I’m simply here to make some money off their ignorance.”
Lopez has been hoarding these free tickets since school began, asking fellow students and friends for their free tickets, knowing that an issue like this would arise. Although this simple idea was talked about extensively on all campus tours, it’s more fun to check out the hot college kids than actually listen.
However, more competing students have arose from this black market hosted on Facebook’s Free & For Sale, copying Lopez’s idea. Some are selling their tickets for over $10 a piece –more than a 100% increase since, you know, the tickets are originally free. Or instead of cash, if you may be lacking the means to buy your way into a game, you can get one of these tickets through meal plans and food. Buy that person some Taco Bell or Burger King in exchange for their spot in the student section.
Other forms of payment that have been found have been gift cards to Starbucks, the Marketplace, Joost Vapor, and the tattoo parlors around campus. Any way you go about it, there is a surefire way to get a spot at your next game if you don’t feel like walking to the 20/20 desk for your ticket.
So, the next time you’re freaking out about how you’re going to get into the next school athletic event, look no further than the 20/20 desk for the (free) college experience of a lifetime. Yes, the tickets are free to students, and they always have been (have we mentioned that they’re free?). There will no longer be a need to text Sally about how you need three extra tickets. But why even fight over those pesky tickets or bother walking to 20/20? Just watch from the sidelines of the arena. Everybody knows that students only go to the game to get drunk and leave before halftime anyway.


text:
Gold Coin Sellers Angered by New Tax Law
Gold coin sellers say new tax law is unfair.
July 21, 2010— -- Those already outraged by the president's health care legislation now have a new bone of contention -- a scarcely noticed tack-on provision to the law that puts gold coin buyers and sellers under closer government scrutiny.
The issue is rising to the fore just as gold coin dealers are attracting attention over sales tactics.
Section 9006 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will amend the Internal Revenue Code to expand the scope of Form 1099. Currently, 1099 forms are used to track and report the miscellaneous income associated with services rendered by independent contractors or self-employed individuals.
Starting Jan. 1, 2012, Form 1099s will become a means of reporting to the Internal Revenue Service the purchases of all goods and services by small businesses and self-employed people that exceed $600 during a calendar year. Precious metals such as coins and bullion fall into this category and coin dealers have been among those most rankled by the change.
This provision, intended to mine what the IRS deems a vast reservoir of uncollected income tax, was included in the health care legislation ostensibly as a way to pay for it. The tax code tweak is expected to raise $17 billion over the next 10 years, according to the Joint Committee on Taxation.
Taking an early and vociferous role in opposing the measure is the precious metal and coin industry, according to Diane Piret, industry affairs director for the Industry Council for Tangible Assets. The ICTA, based in Severna Park, Md., is a trade association representing an estimated 5,000 coin and bullion dealers in the United States.
"Coin dealers not only buy for their inventory from other dealers, but also with great frequency from the public," Piret said. "Most other types of businesses will have a limited number of suppliers from which they buy their goods and products for resale."


text:
Assemblyman Marc Levine's bill to allow wine and cider tasting at farmers markets is making fast political headway in Sacramento, but closer to home he's getting opposition. Alcohol Justice, one of the agencies formed and funded by the Buck Trust, is challenging Levine's bill, arguing that wine tasting doesn't belong at family-friendly farmers markets.
Levine is no stranger to the debate over the availability of alcohol.
In 2010, as a member of the San Rafael City Council, he voted to oppose a liquor license to a Canal area store where Alcohol Justice had opposed the permit, arguing that the area already had ample purveyors of alcoholic beverages.
Now that Levine's in Sacramento, he's been asked by farmers markets and the Wine Institute to relax state law to allow them to provide samples to shoppers. Current rules allow wineries to sell wine at farmers markets, but forbid tastings, which vintners say is a must for helping their sales.
The bill has tough limits. It only permits tasting for makers who grow 100 percent of the fruit in their products. In addition, only one winery per day can offer tastings and in an area cordoned off from the rest of the market.
And those tastes can't be more than three ounces.
Levine's bill — AB 2488 — is flying through the capital. It won approval in the Assembly, and last week was unanimously approved by the Senate Local Government Committee despite opposition from Alcohol Justice, a San Rafael-based Buck Trust-funded advocacy group.
At last week's Senate hearing, representatives of small vineyards and farmers markets stepped forward to testify for passage of AB 2488. They emphasized the tough restrictions on numbers and tastings, but said access to farmers markets could be an important retail opportunity for California's smaller wineries.
But senators also heard from Alcohol Justice and the California Council on Alcohol Problems, who opposed the bill as a small but first step toward opening farmers markets as venues for wine tastings.
Alcohol Justice said AB 2488 starts a pattern where the Legislature will likely be asked, year after year, to relax restrictions to open the way for increased wine tasting.
"We just don't think children need to see their parents drinking when they shop for fruit and vegetables," Alcohol Justice's public affairs director Mike Scippa told lawmakers. He warned AB 2488 is the "camel's nose under the tent," setting the stage for craft beer makers to seek similar permission, and for "family-friendly" farmers markets to become "open-air bars."
Alcohol Justice is right to raise concerns about how, potentially, limited permission could open the door for greater access for the tasting of alcoholic beverages at farmers markets.
That's Alcohol Justice's important role and its concerns should be a consideration for lawmakers.
But Levine's bill squarely answers those concerns by severely limiting tastings almost to the point where few markets would consider wine tasting a worthwhile addition.
The bill's tight limits on wineries, location and the small size of the tastes are far from "an open-air bar."
"Consumers want to make sure they like the wine before they make a purchase," Dan Best, a spokesman for California's certified farmers markets, told senators. "There's not a party going on at any farmers market whatsoever."
Levine's bill also leaves tastings up to the markets' managers to determine whether they would be appropriate. That's reasonable.
There are many family wineries across Levine's Marin-Sonoma counties district and his bill is aimed at helping their business. Allowing only one winery pouring small tastes at a market seems to be a modest but helpful change for small vintners.


text:
The coronavirus pandemic is causing the most noticeably awful worldwide financial downturn among all business areas since 1929. Publicizing and promoting spending plans alone could see a $3 billion misfortune in 2020.
Both customary brands and crypto organizations are supplanting their prominent promotions with low spending presents in an exertion on battle the rising pandemic.
Crypto industry is taking on the social obligation
Triffic, a free increased reality game which rewards players with digital money, is doing their part to advance social removing among their client base. On March 26, the startup reported on twitter that beta clients would now be able to gather restricted indoor unique things, for example, can moves, hand sanitizers, and facemasks. By taking an interest, clients could help fund-raise to help battle COVID-19. The organization clarified that:
“Triffic is raising up to $10,000 for COVID-19 Response by donating GPSTokens every time a beta user collects an AugmentedReality, toilet roll, hand sanitizer or #facemask.”
Triffic told Cointelegraph that its business model is based on the ability of their users to move freely and collect beacons. With many people on lockdown, they decided to implement this idea as a way to help raise social awareness. The company’s goal is to donate to an important cause while promoting the beta test of their game at the same time. The team added that:
“Who wouldn’t want to collect virtual toilet papers instead of Pokemons, right?”
Public health officials have recommended social distancing as a way to slow the spread of the coronavirus. So far, these efforts have been successful in countries such as China and South Korea where the virus first occurred.
Other companies are doing their part as well. Rather than postpone the date of their conference, Crypto Asia Summit announced that they would be moving their event online. The summit invited 30 plus speakers to contribute to the gathering. Each speaker will have their own page for people to access online.
Bitcoin plays a major role in helping payment sectors
As Cointelegraph reported previously, crypto adoption in the payment sector is increasing due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Among other things, it has encouraged Italy’s Banco Sella to launch a Bitcoin trading service to help facilitate international money transferring.


text:
Uber, Barney Harford to join Uber as Chief Operating Officer starting from Jan 2018.
Uber technologies inc. is a global transportation technology company. Its headquarter is in San Francisco, California. The year 2017 was not a good year for the Company. Starting from 2017 there were reports of a number of scandals in the Company that led to a void in the top management. Washington Post Reported six vacant position in October. Vacant position included CFO, General counsel, chief diversity officer, Chief marketing officer, general counsel, and senior vice president of engineering.
Starting from Jan 2, 2018, Barney Harford would be joining as Chief Operating Officer. He was working with the Company as an advisor since October 2017. In 1999, Current Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi and Harford used to work together at Expedia. Harford was CEO of a travel fare aggregator called Orbitz.
Khosrowshahi appointed Tony West Chief Legal Officer in October. Tony West is former Pepsi executive. The next priority for the company is to fill CFO role.