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$500 MillionThank You BonusWe gave our employees a special one-time "Thank You bonus" totaling over $500 million. All front-line employees and partners who were with the company throughout the month of June will receive a bonus.
$25 MillionRelief FundWe established a $25 million relief fund for partners (e.g., delivery drivers) and seasonal employees facing financial hardship or quarantine.
Protecting Our Employees
Our top concern is ensuring the health and safety of our employees, and we expect to invest approximately $4 billion on COVID-related initiatives getting products to customers and keeping employees safe.
We’ve made over 150 process updates—from enhanced cleaning and social distancing measures to new efforts like aerosol disinfectant spraying. We’re spending over $85 million redeploying team members, including some of our most talented software engineers, moving them from their typical roles onto teams where they can work on cutting-edge safety programs. We distribute personal protective equipment to our employees and require them to use face coverings while at work. We introduced and scaled temperature checks across our worldwide facilities.
As of May 2020, we have:
- Provided 100 million+ masks to our fulfillment center and office sites.
- Added 2,298 handwashing stations.
- Added 5,765+ janitorial staffers to our typical teams.
- Provided an additional 34 million gloves.
- Added 48 million ounces of hand sanitizer.
- Purchased 31,000+ thermometers and 1,115+ thermal cameras.
Someone diagnosed with COVID-19 will receive up to two weeks of paid time off. This is in addition to their other paid and unpaid time off options.
As people walk past the camera, a monitor displays live video with visual overlays. Individuals remaining six feet apart are highlighted with green circles, while those who are closer together are highlighted with red circles. The on-screen indicators are designed to remind and encourage employees to maintain appropriate distance from others. We are excited to open source the software and AI behind this innovation so that anyone can create their own Distance Assistant. Individuals and businesses large and small can download the package at no cost and get up and running with just a computer and camera.
$1 MillionWe have dedicated over $1 million in initial investments to support response and recovery efforts in our supply chain. We are continuing to monitor suppliers for compliance with our Supply Chain Standards and are making necessary modifications to supplier assessment procedures based on internal and external stakeholder recommendations. We are working to balance the need to limit the movement of people and allow suppliers time to support workers and prepare production schedules with the need to have our eyes and ears on the ground.
- Amader Kotha HelplineWe support the Amader Kotha Helpline, which provides workers with a grievance mechanism to report and resolve factory concerns in the ready-made garment sector. Our contribution will help support the organization’s increased call volumes and the 24/7 factory grievance lines in regions impacted by COVID-19. The Helpline serves as a resource for 600+ factories, 30 of which are Amazon suppliers, reaching 1.5 million workers in Bangladesh, and supporting them in safely transitioning back into the workplace.
- BSR HERprojectAs part of our longstanding relationship with BSR’s HERproject, we helped to launch HERessentials, a new venture that will digitize HERproject’s and Empower@Work’s learning modules into a six-module Digital Worker and two-module Digital Manager Toolkit curriculum for remote access. The toolkit covers topics like personal hygiene, reproductive health and breastfeeding, and financial planning, and offers local resources on mental health and domestic violence services. The toolkit will be available to 500,000 female workers by 2025 in Bangladesh, China, Ethiopia, India, Kenya, and Vietnam, and will be translated into local languages.
- International Organization for Migration (IOM)In Bangladesh, we’ve partnered with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to distribute medical supplies and COVID-19 related resources for frontline doctors, nurses, and medical workers operating in the largest refugee camp in the world. The contribution supports the procurement of lifesaving PPE for 23 IOM-managed health facilities, serving to benefit both refugee and host community populations in the region.
- NESTAmazon partnered with Nest, a nonprofit building a hand-worker economy of artisans to increase global workforce inclusivity, improve women’s well-being, and preserve important cultural traditions around the world. As part of this partnership, we have been able to distribute over 100 economic relief grants to artisan businesses across the globe. We were also able to support the Nest’s PPE Purchasing initiative—a program that purchased over 200,000 protective masks to be delivered to front-line workers. This program distributed over $500,000 in economic relief value to 57 businesses, which altogether employed 10,510 skilled artisans.
- SCORE TrainingAmazon is supporting the implementation of SCORE Training in 42 factories, which is helping factories plan their production schedule, reorganize production lines, and implement guidelines for more social distance and increased safety. Factories enrolled in the SCORE Training Program receive support implementing health and safety protocols and providing workers with training on health and sanitation, which has improved the working conditions of 20,000 workers, including 9,000 women.
- SwastiIn India, we partnered with Swasti—a global nonprofit committed to ensuring access to quality healthcare for workers and those in marginalized communities—to adapt their worker well-being program (Invest4Wellness) to provide support to workers in factories impacted by COVID-19. With our support, Swasti is setting up a worker helpline, developing health protocols for workers to return to work safely, establishing an emergency response team, and providing critical mental health, healthcare, and social entitlement support to workers, their families, and their communities. These services are available to seven factories in our supply chain, reaching 3,500 workers—including 1,400 women—and their families.
Follow all government safety recommendations before resuming or continuing to manufacture Amazon-branded products and take appropriate steps to ensure safe and clean workplaces.
Avoid ending worker contracts where workers are sick or caring for sick family members.
Ensure monitoring of worker hours and proper overtime notices as factories ramp up production.
€21MDonated in EuropeTo support those most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
$5Min Amazon DevicesDonated globally to those in need.
6MMeals DeliveredWorking with food banks in 25 cities across the country.
8,200Laptops DonatedTo Seattle Public Schools students who do not have access to a device at home.
How we’re supporting our employees, customers, and communities
We’ve adjusted our guidance on our plans for returning to the office and added more clarity. Going forward, we’ve decided to offer Amazonians a mix of working between the office and home.
Accreditation is awarded to laboratories that meet stringent requirements for quality and safety.


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One of my all time favourite models Anja Rubik, is in Australia at the moment, shooting for Vogue!
Frockwriter reports that it is even a COVER, so much excitement at seeing this blonde bombshell on Australian news stands this year...!!!
Lucky gal also got engaged just before Christmas, so it seems 2011 is shaping up to be a great year for this Polish beauty
Pics thanks to here and also Google Images

domain: news


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What is everything bubble? The bullish trend seen over the last 10 years roughly corresponds to the growth that caused the bubble to burst 20 years ago. So there is a chance that we are in what is known as a bubble of everything. But every bubble has to burst at some point. Is there a chance that we are heading for a massive crash? Let’s take a look at that.
Everything is different
For some time now, the world has been plagued by a pandemic. Although the world seems to be returning to normal, people are not spending like they used to. Tourism is nowhere near pre-pandemic levels and it is quite possible that we will see closures and restrictions again in the autumn. Hand in hand with the pandemic is hyperinflation, which we have written about several times. Governments are printing money at an insane rate and this is causing prices to rise. Prices are rising visibly, not only for commodities and materials, but also for food and real estate. Real estate is in short supply, so prices are naturally rising.
Investing as a hazard
Many people have lost their jobs and have plunged into investing in commodities, gold, stocks or cryptocurrencies. The stock market is overvalued according to the Buffet Indicator. Many people also started trading cryptocurrencies because they were worried about their finances. However, it should be added that the crypto market is also driven by the supply and demand for Bitcoin.
Tip: This article could also be interesting for you: Quantum future
So there is a possibility that the situation will continue to deteriorate. If you want to do something about it and start investing, for example, you definitely need to remember the golden rules of investing – only invest what you can afford to loose, don’t invest everything you have in one asset only and don’t make hasty purchases or sales.


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Published on June 22nd, 2016 | by gareth0
How Sony Impressed Yet Again At E3 2016
Let me say at the outset that I am not a big fan of the term “won” which is bandied about after a conference as people are so quick to name a winner. I have always found it silly as how can anyone say a company won anything when the real proof is in the final product and sales figures whcih are months away, and that the hype generated at a show can quickly fade and in some cases be forgotten when a product comes to launch.
A game trailer or demo in a controlled enviornment is hardly a good way to judge the final product as old school gamers will remember the wave of hype Daikatana had and what an epic failure it was upon release.
With this in mind, let us look at Sony at E3 2016 and wht so many fans are quick to say they “won” the event and analyze what this means for the long term.
Sony hit the ground running with a full orchestra and an inpressive reveal for God of War. The series has legions of fans and the first new entry for the PS 4 is going to be a huge plus. Subsequent trailers for Detroit, Days Gone, Farpoint, and Horizon Zero Dawn looked amazing and showed that there are plenty of great games coming for the system which has sold in excess of 40 million units to date.
Sony made sure to feature gameplay from Call of Duty: Infinte Warfare to tout that DLC for the pending game woudl appear first on the PS4 systems. What really turned the numbers to 11 for Sony in my opinion was VR. They announced that Playstation VR would arrive a couple of weeks earlier than expected, then showed off that EA Star Wars Battlefront and Batman Arkham VR were on the way. This was follwed by an exclusive new Spider-man game which may or may not feature VR functions. The revealtion that Resident Evil 7: Biohazard woudl feature support for the Playstation VR was also a huge reveal for fans of the series.
There were plenty of other games as well but the point was made, Sony has an impressive list of exclusives and VR titles which are coming out and look great. The company did not talk about the long rumored Neo that would bring 4K gameplay to gamers, but what really impressed me was that there was a huge and diverse range of exclusives that cannot be played on a PC and are taking advantage of the emerging VR technology which combined with previosuly announced yet unreleased games, PS4 owners have alot to be excited about as Sony once again had a very impressive showcase which generated tons of buzz for several titles.


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This trend has been driven by two factors. First, lenders are eager to explore areas where there is more margin due to the competitive nature of the mainstream sector.
Second, there is an expectation that the specialist sector will grow in terms of volume – a notion clearly backed up by the continued success of buy-to-let.
Also, specialist sectors are now being seen as a better bet in terms of risk profile. Many buy-to-let books are performing better than mainstream businesses and while there are no guarantees this will continue, it’s an attractive proposition that has seen buy-to-let rates tumble.
The sub-prime sector has seen a flood of interest and lenders that would have screwed up their noses at the mention of adverse lending a few years ago are now courting that business.
No longer is it the domain of a select band of sub-prime specialist lenders. Even some smaller mutuals have entered the market. Lenders such as the Derbyshire and Scarborough have set up subsidiaries in the shape of Salt and Scarborough Specialist Mortgages respectively to handle this kind of business.
Coventry is the latest lender to launch a brand which will sit alongside the mutual brand – Godiva. But Godiva is not bringing a new suite of products to market and will be the channel for the distribution of MOREgage, Coventry’s successful high LTV, buy-to-let, self-cert and impaired credit products.
This is a strategic move to allow Coventry more flexibility to extend its scope in specialist areas. Any assertion that this is yet another entrant into an already crowded market is therefore untrue as these products are already established. And in any case, I can see no problem with more lenders looking to attract more business in specialist markets.
From brokers’ point of view, more competition brings more choice for clients and thus better products. It is a broker’s job to monitor the market to assess which lenders offer the best propositions. While there are bound to be losers among lenders, brokers and their clients should win.


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Style Lend mobile shopping app launches in LA and NY
By Sara Ehlers
May 22, 2015
Style Lend, San Francisco-based shopping application, is expanding to Los Angeles and New York this year.
The app is intended for iPhone users to be able to share their items with other women who have a similar size and style. The application uses information regarding your personal shopping preferences, location, and size in order to fit customer needs. Style Lend allows its users to share their high-end items with neighboring shoppers by letting them “borrow” or rent the pieces for an agreed amount of time. “The idea is to have women look amazing at a fraction of the price,” said Lona Duncan, founder and chief executive officer of Style Lend. “There’s 50 billion dollars worth of inventory sitting in [someone’s] closet and we want women to be able to share their unused items,” said Duncan. In exchange for the designer items, the owners receive payment in cash.
Style Lend plans to launch app due to increase in mobile traffic
The app allows women to search through hundreds of designer items such as Burberry and Alice & Olivia pieces. Once the user has found a piece that piques her interest, she can then set up a time and location with the owner to receive the piece. The borrower pays the owner and after use returns the piece in a bag. Dry cleaning expenses are the owner’s responsibilities for when she receives the pieces back.
So far, the largest user base for the business is in San Francisco. The company established itself in the Bay Area and currently has a large following there, as well as from other places across the U.S. Style Lend plans to make a move to New York this summer and launch in Los Angeles this fall. In the meantime, the customer base has not been established as well as with San Francisco locals. “People can still use it in Los Angeles currently and get the dress shipped there from San Francisco neighborhoods,” said Duncan. However, the launches hope to change that. With marketing events and social media use, Duncan hopes Style Lend will attract a market in Los Angeles.
With the upcoming launches, Style Lend has upcoming projects and events to promote it’s app. Duncan states the brand has participating in marketing events almost every day from Lana Del Rey’s concert, Bay to Breakers, fashion walks, and more. The company has also been expanding actively through social media by incorporating their brand in Pinterest, Instagram, Polyvore, Twitter and more.
Mobile shopping is a growing trend for 2015
The company currently has tens of thousands of users for the application. The app is currently available only for Apple products such as iPhones and iPads. Eventually the company has plans to expand to Android to reach more customers. The original concept to move to mobile apps was due to the fact that 60 percent of their customer traffic was coming in from mobiles. “[We] decided to get the mobile app to make it quicker and easier,” said Duncan. In shopping, Duncan states that mobile shopping is growing a lot. Because of the nature of the location-based app, creating the project seemed like a perfect solution for a lot of their users. “We’re just giving our customers the best experience possible,” said Duncan.
Mobile shopping has been growing in recent years and has proved to be a progressing economy. According to Fashionista, mobile traffic now accounts for 15 percent of all web traffic. Style Lend is not the first of its kind to use apps and mobile traffic to facilitate exposure and sales. Net-a-porter, Amazon, eBay, ShopStyle, Nasty Gal, and others have also been familiar with using smartphone applications to reach their customers. According to Comscore, Americans spent about three hours per month shopping on their phones and tablets. Style Lend is one of the companies that is capitalizing on this trend.
Style Lend has been established for about a year and a half. Their user base reaches over tens of thousands of residents and currently has followers from San Francisco, Los Angeles, and New York.


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CHICAGO — Consumers are paying more attention to their sodium intake, according to Mintel International. Recent data from the research firm showed consumers are starting to pay more attention to their intake, with 52% saying they are monitoring the amount of sodium in their diets.
In addition, food product introductions containing a low, no or reduced sodium claim have increased by nearly 115% from 2005 to 2008, according to Mintel’s Global New Products Database. Consumer awareness and the continued push from public health organizations and consumer advocacy groups suggest that the low-sodium change is gaining momentum.
The survey by Mintel showed how consumers are responding to the news about sodium’s impact on health as well as the new product introductions:
• 22% said they restrict the amount of salt that they add to food, but don’t watch the much greater amount of sodium that is in foods and beverages.
• 18% said "food and beverages low in sodium are one of the three most important components of a healthy diet."
• 26% read labels for sodium, and may make some decisions based on the information, but they are not following a regimen to control sodium in their diet.
• 34% do not pay attention to sodium.


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Recently a report regarding Huawei’s upcoming groundbreaking technology had revolved around the internet. This technology will most profoundly use in the company’s forthcoming Honor Play phone. Presently, it affirmed that the Honor Play with Huawei’s advanced innovation would get released on June 6th.
Huawei will launch their new Honor play smartphone at the Beijing University Gymnasium. The smartphone additionally anticipated that it would accompany a revolutionary 4D gaming feature along with AI-based camera function which will base upon most trending artificial intelligence.
HONOR PLAY SMARTPHONE – A LIFE CHANGING TECHNOLOGY
While very few insights about the upcoming Honor Play smartphone have given till date, the China-based smartphone company is promising upon setting their feet in the market as leading Smartphone Company. This expected to be a life changer for Huawei as this breakthrough technology would leave all phones behind.
The company is going to uncover some features, details, and showcase this outstanding technology today at a formal event. It’s still uncertain to say if the technology they are launching is in the software or hardware department.
HUAWEI’S LANDMARK FOR the YEAR 2018
This technology has marked as company’s landmark for the year 2018 by Yu Chengdong, Chairman of Huawei Device. Furthermore, he also stated, that this innovation will altogether enhance the performance of its items.
Yu Chengdong said that distinction in the speed of smartphones is equal to the contrast between “running on the ground” and “flying in the sky,” while portraying the impact of this future innovation. For efficient and faster machine learning an independent NPU module could be something related to hardware department. Regarding software department, it is anticipated to be an operating system.
3RD LARGEST SMARTPHONE COMPANY ALL OVER THE WORLD
Huawei has ranked as 3rd leading smartphone company right behind Samsung and Apple, according to the survey of Huawei’s Research and Development (R&D). The R&D department has figured out how to deliver some astounding technologies for its items.
People are more than eager and looking forward to this technology. Undoubtedly, this leading technology is anticipated to be a stepping stone for not only Huawei but for smartphone’s world. Though the launching of Huawei Honor Play smartphone is on June 6th, 2018, people are anxious to what extent Huawei is going to bring advancement in this era. We are hoping to see a new technology rather than upgrading of previous technologies.
Interested to hear more news about Huawei? Click Here


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BMi Research Annual Quantification Report, Yoghurt in South Africa, July 2013
Oct 14th, 10:13
The drinking yoghurt market continues to increase in both volume and value. The market is dominated by larger players, but there is also a plethora of smaller dairies that produce drinking yoghurt.
It is hypothesised that drinking yoghurt marketing campaigns have played an effective role in the year on year growth of this category. Players in the market feel that the rise in the popularity of drinking yoghurt is sourced primarily within brand activities and the health positioning of the category.
Top-end retail demand for drinking yoghurt continues to be the dominant consumption channel. Bottom-end retail outlets have also shown growth by ensuring that the product is within reach in within this sector.
Rigid plastic is the dominating pack type in this category. Players have projected growth in this pack type with new additional pack sizes. Sachets are expected to grow in this market as there are players planning to enter this pack type category.
This product is not as coagulated as yoghurt, but rather has a smoother and more liquid-like consistency, making it suitable for drinking. The market size displayed for the category excludes exports throughout
Download a short media feedback report on Yoghurt in South Africa, from BMi ResearchClick here for more information on BMI Research
In an effort to deliver improved return on investment to its clients on the research it undertakes for them, pricing specialist, BMi Research, has added the renowned business intelligence platform, Qlikview, to its repertoire of reporting tools.
Rice volumes in South Africa increased by a large growth in 2012. This abnormally large growth is attributed to the price increases for maize meal experienced during 2012. The demand for rice increased substantially as consumers switched their staple food from maize meal to rice.
The pasta market within South Africa declined in 2012. Dry pasta which comprises the majority of the pasta market lost share in 2012. However, the pasta meal kit market saw volumes increase.
The coffee market saw domination this year by a few top players, who pushed the volumes in the industry up. These players have products in all four of the market’s sub-sectors so their influence was felt all-round.
France's Danone acquires 8.3% stake in Chinese dairy company
29/05/2013 - 09:28
The world's leading yogurt maker Danone announced that it has agreed to acquire a 8.3% stake in the Chinese dairy company Mengniu, and it will establish a joint venture with Mengniu in China.
SADC food security ‘is most at risk’
24/07/2012 - 08:11
Some global agricultural players have identified the Southern African Development Community (SADC) as the most food insecure region, due to the brisk escalation of global staple food prices, which could lead to major food shortages.
‘African agriculture improving slowly’
24/02/2012 - 08:22
Improvements in agriculture remained slow in Sub Saharan Africa, said Microsoft founder Bill Gates in a speech at the International Fund for Agricultural Development’s 35th governing council in Rome, Italy on Thursday.
London-based Study: Retailers must specialise in multi-channels to reach consumers
21/11/2011 - 08:48
Boots, the health and beauty retailer headquartered in the UK, offers the best user experience across its online, mobile and in-store platforms, according to 'The 2011 Multichannel Retail Report', published by Webcredible, a user experience consultant company.
African mobile industry a growth catalyst
11/11/2011 - 08:42
Africa now the second-largest mobile market by connections after Asia, and the fastest-growing mobile market in the world according to new research


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KUALA LUMPUR: CIMB Group Holdings Bhd plans to increase the product take-up rate per customer to more than one through the launch of the CIMB FIRST online platform.
CIMB Group Consumer Banking’s regional head (Preferred Banking and Segments) Desmond Teoh said the bank gained an average of about 60,000 new customers monthly, most of whom took up one product from the group.
“Following the soft launch of CIMB FIRST three months ago, the group saw an increase of 15% of new customers taking up more than one product from the range of about 30 products offered by the group.
“This is very encouraging, and we hope more and more customers will be aware of the products that we offer which suit their needs,” he told reporters after the launch of the CIMB FIRST platform by Group CEO Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Aziz today.
Group Consumer Banking CEO Samir Gupta said the platform offered holistic financial solutions unique to each customer’s needs based on the recommendations of a virtual financial adviser.
CIMB FIRST, which stands for Finance, Insure, Returns, Save and Transact, was very customer centric and enabled each customer to choose the online profile that best described them, he noted.
The platform will suggest to the customers a proposition covering savings, financing, insurance, investment and credit cards for systematic financial planning.
“Through CIMB FIRST, we aim to be our customers’ financial solutions partner in their life journey, so they can have the peace of mind to lead a more fulfilling life,” said Gupta.
Customers are free to choose any combination now or later, based on their requirements.
He said they could apply online for many solutions such as saving accounts and credit cards while other solutions like insurance and investments would require face-to-face consultations with CIMB officials. – Bernama
Source: The Sun Daily


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Things Engraved CEO blames online retailers such as Amazon for company's demise
A Things Engraved location is seen here. The company's CEO sent employees a letter on Thursday, Jan. 10, 2020 informing them that they were fired immediately, citing financial difficulties. (Source: Facebook, Things Engraved)
TORONTO -- The CEO of a Canadian retailer that suddenly terminated its entire workforce last week admits the company had been unprofitable for several years and simply couldn’t compete with online retailers such as Amazon.
“Unfortunately when a business costs more money than it makes every day, time is of the essence to close so the business doesn’t eat itself, if you will,” Things Engraved CEO Shawn Brock told CTVNews.ca in a phone interview Tuesday.
Nearly 300 workers lost their jobs last week when Things Engraved, a company that sold personalized gifts and engraving services in malls across Canada, announced that it would be closing all of its 73 stores.
Employees received letters last Thursday informing them that they would be let go immediately “as a result of financial difficulties over the last few years.” Several employees who spoke with CTVNews.ca voiced frustration and anger, saying that being terminated so soon after the holidays made it feel as if the company didn’t care about them.
“We absolutely care and I think certainly value the service they’ve put in and their commitment to the business,” Brock said.
He said the company’s ownership, Serruya Private Equity, ultimately made the decision last week to cease operations. The timing, while sudden, was done so the company would have enough money to pay out employees, Brock said.
“The reality is we know it’s very abrupt and regrettably tough to deal with at a time like this,” he said. “We wanted to assure them they would be paid in lieu of the required notice period.”
Store managers were only given one day to contact customers with engraved items they hadn’t picked up yet, including pieces like an engagement ring and a memorial plate for a funeral.
Many of those items have yet to be returned, and all Things Engraved locations are now closed. The company is now working with malls to help customers retrieve those items.
“We’ll do everything we can with the landlords,” Brock said.
WHY IT’S CLOSING
A series of factors came together in the last few years that made it challenging for the business, which first opened its doors in 1982, to turn a profit.
For many years, Things Engraved had a concession partnership with Sears that allowed the company to operate kiosks within Sears’s mall footprint. This arrangement ended when Sears declared bankruptcy in 2017, leaving 15,000 people out of work.
Sears’s demise meant that Things Engraved lost nearly 24 of its stores – some of them the most profitable in its portfolio -- within a span of three months, Brock said.
Of its remaining 73 stores operating by the time of closure, only about one-in-three were profitable, Brock said. From his perspective, online retail was a big part of the problem.
“What the business has seen over the last five years, but very acutely over the last three years, is the quick rise in Canada of the Amazon Marketplace where there is quite a lot of sellers doing custom gift products. Etsy, even eBay has allowed lots of mom-and-pop businesses, garage-based businesses, independents, to get in and really step into the personalized custom gift space. And that’s created a lot of competition for businesses like us,” he said.
“Our own online business has grown a bit over the years, but not in a way that offsets what I think every business is losing to Amazon, month after month, year after year.”
Last year, more than 9,300 retail stores closed in the United States, according to Coresight Research. According to Retail Insider, more than 100 foreign retailers have entered the Canadian market in the last three years alone, adding to the competitive pressure.
Brock denied rumours that Things Engraved was moving to an online-only business model.
“At this stage, there’s no plan for that,” he said. “At this stage, we are winding down all operations. We are continuing to sell some inventory online and filling orders to customers, essentially closing that business out now. But we’re mainly focused on getting product returned to our suppliers.”
As for his next move, Brock said that’s yet to be determined.
“Essentially winding this business down on behalf of the ownership and re-entering the job market. Looking for my next career venture,” he said.
Anyone with items left at a Things Engraved store that they haven’t picked up is asked to email email@example.com with a description of the item and the location that it was left at.
With files from Solarina Ho


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Apple introduced a new version of its iMac desktop and a powerful upgrade of its iPad Pro tablet at an online event Tuesday. Both..
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Apple Event media coverage
Apple launched a series of new products at an event broadcast from California on 20 April, including AirTags.


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POTUS signed an executive order giving workers a half day off, but thousands of federal employees wanted a full day instead.
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Friday, 29 July 2016
TIWA SAVAGE OFFICIALLY JOINS RIHANA, DJ KHALED AT JAY Z's ROC NATION
After weeks of speculations, Nigerian singer Tiwa Savage has officially confirmed signing a deal with Jay Z’s Roc Nation.
Though she’s yet to give details of the deal, insiders tell Thenetng that ‘she signed a management deal not a record deal. Mavin Records still remains her parent record company, Roc Nation will only give her the international representation and branding’.
The talented mother of one now joins international acts like DJ Khaled, Big Sean, Meek Mill, Rihanna and others who all have signed management deals with Roc Nation.
With the new deal, Tiwa Savage’s new music video ‘Bad’ featuring Wizkid has been released exclusively on Tidal.
Tiwa Savage signs with Roc Nation.
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I would say that President of Crotia, Kolinda Grabar is the sexiest President amongst all the female president in the world, she is be...
Pop singer Lady Gaga who is planning to venture into movies went for a shopping actor Bradley Cooper in her Vi...
planet business associates Men, women, youth standard T-shirt. Sweatshirt Unisex, pullover hoodies unisex Order at Amazon store and ...


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PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum is suing the Center for COVID Control, and its testing partner Doctors Clinical Laboratory, an Illinois-based COVID-19 testing company, for deceptive marketing and violating the state’s Unlawful Trade Practices Act.
KOIN 6 News previously reported the Center for COVID Control had three pop-up clinics and wooden huts in the Portland metro area, where concerned citizens said they were getting bad results, delayed results or no results at all.
The lawsuit alleges the companies falsely claimed they could give accurate PCR COVID-19 tests results within 24-72 hours of testing.
The attorney general says they produced “shoddy” test results and didn’t have the ability to store and process the thousands of tests they received each day.
“These companies were ill-equipped to scale up as fast as they did,” Rosenblum said in a press release. She added “in less than a year, CCC grew from one testing site in Illinois to become one of the largest testing center operators in the country.”
The lawsuit asks the court to permanently ban the Center for COVID Control and Doctors Clinical Laboratory from offering COVID tests in Oregon and restitution for victims in Oregon.
Rosenblum said “we must make sure they never do business in our state again. The same holds for any other company trying to make a quick buck here from a public health crisis.”
The suit alleges the married couple who owns CCC, Aleya Siyaj and Akbar Syed, funneled millions of dollars from the federal government and insurance companies intended for testing, to themselves.
Rosenblum claims Syed posted pictures of their purchases on social media, including a $1,360,000 mansion and luxury cars.
The suit further alleges the company also failed to teach employees how to collect test specimen, which may have given inaccurate results.
Rosenblum said the Oregon Department of Justice has received 30 complaints about the company since October 2021 and opened a civil investigation.
KOIN 6 News reached out to the Center for COVID Control and has not heard back.


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Samsung Seek M350, Entry-Level Touchscreen Phone from Sprint
Press images for the new Samsung Seek are out and it seems that Sprint is all set to launch yet another Samsung mobile phone. The Samsung Seek is an affordable entry level touchscreen handset, targeted for an younger audience.
The Samsung Seek M350 has a full QWERTY keyboard and it is available in three different colors. The phone will also feature a 2.6-inch QVGA display, a 1.3 megapixel camera, 3.5mm headphone jack, voice command feature, easy social networking integration for Facebook, Twitter, etc. The phone will have 128MB of RAM and 256MB of storage space expandable up to 32GB using a microSDHC card.
The phone is supposed to arrive on 9th of May or 6th of June through Sprint. It will be available for $29.99 after new agreement and at a $50 rebate. The Samsung Seek M350 will be available in Black, scarlet and pink colors.
Source: Unwired View.


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Frasers to close Psyche Middlesbrough store and rebrand it as Flannels
Teesside designer clothes store Psyche is to close its doors, with the 40,000 sq ft location on Linthorpe Road expected to cease trading on 9 August.
The location will then undergo a rebrand and minor renovation to become a Flannels store, continuing to sell designer clothes for adults. The current Flannels store in Middlesbrough town centre (on the site of the former BHS) will remain open and will sell kidswear.
Billionaire Mike Ashley bought Psyche founder Steve Cochrane last December in a buyout deal, adding another name to his Frasers Group empire, which also owns Sports Direct, House of Fraser and Flannels.
Cochrane reportedly declined a previous takeover offer from Ashley’s business in 2017, but reconsidered with the high street “under the cosh” due to the Coronavirus pandemic, the superfast growth of online shopping and Brexit uncertainty.
Steve Cochrane, who continues to work for the Frasers Group as Head of Childrenswear, told Teeside Live: "It is going to be emotional when it happens. But I sold it to them in good faith and I have to support them and the decision. It is more profitable to them for the store to become a Flannels."
No jobs are expected to be lost during the closure and subsequent rebrand, with Psyche's online store continuing to trade as normal after the closure.


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Sony‘s PlayStation Meeting is scheduled for September 7 and we talk about everything expected there. Sony is expected to unveil PS4 Neo and PS4 Slim. Gagan and Rishi join Pranay to discuss whether we’re angry that new consoles are being launched so soon or we’re excited to see new hardware in the gaming segment.
Gagan and Rishi debate whether they should switch to PC gaming or continue investing in the PS4. Can the PS4 Neo offer any real benefits to those who don’t have a 4K TV? This is one of the points discussed in the show. Before the episode is wrapped up, we talk about the PS4 Slim and one ancient piece of technology that’s “making a comeback”.
You can either subscribe to it via iTunes or Feedburner or just hit the play button below.
For details of the latest launches and news from Samsung, Xiaomi, Realme, OnePlus, Oppo and other companies at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, visit our MWC 2023 hub.


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Waste Not, Want Not: Willing Hands Gets Donated Food to Those Who Need It
Liz Guest, owner of Killdeer Farm in Norwich, Vt., offers a bunch of sunflowers for Jim McCracken to take along with the 384 pounds of vegetables the farm had donated to Willing Hands on July 25, 2013. (Valley News — Jennifer Hauck) Purchase photo reprints »
Willing Hands driver Jim McCracken sorts fruits and vegetables in the truck before his next stop on July 25, 2013. McCracken has been driving for the organization for over two years. (Valley News — Jennifer Hauck) Purchase photo reprints »
At the Journey Food Shelf in South Royalton, Vt., volunteers sort food that Willings Hands had dropped off for them on July 25, 2013. From left are Adel Stride, of Tunbridge, Vt., Michael Connarn, of South Royalton, Vt., and Luella Farnham, of Gaysville, Vt. (Valley News — Jennifer Hauck) Purchase photo reprints »
Charlotte Harvey, of White River Junction, Vt., returns home with flowers, fruits and vegetables that Willing Hands dropped off for Harvey and other Greystone Village residents on July 25, 2013. (Valley News — Jennifer Hauck) Purchase photo reprints »
At the United Church of South Royalton, Jim McCracken places sunflowers in water in the church's kitchen on July 25, 2013. Also known at the Red Door Church, volunteers use food from Willing Hands for their community dinner. (Valley News — Jennifer Hauck) Purchase photo reprints »
Willing Hands driver Jim McCracken walks back to the truck after picking up a load at the Lebanon Co-op Food Store on July 25, 2013. (Valley News — Jennifer Hauck) Purchase photo reprints »
Greystone Village residents sort through the fruits and vegetables dopped off by Willing Hands in White River Junction, Vt., on July 25, 2013. (Valley News — Jennifer Hauck) Purchase photo reprints »
Pick up, drop off, drop off. Repeat. It’s the rhythm of the day for Jim McCracken, one of four part-time truck drivers with Willing Hands.
Seven days a week, the nonprofit delivers food that otherwise might have gone to waste to people who need it.
Thursday afternoon, McCracken made several stops in White River Junction. When the 12-foot truck arrived at Northwoods, a subsidized housing complex, a group of people was waiting in a common room. They chatted as they looked through the cardboard boxes McCracken carried in.
“Anybody want to share grapes?” someone asked.
“I’ll have some,” Eileen Willis said.
“Ooh, lettuce!” Willis, a vegetarian, said a while later. And then, “Vegan cheese! Can you believe it?”
Willis, her husband and two of their children had recently moved to Northwoods and were still in the process of updating their food stamp paperwork. “We were so low on food,” she said. “This helps.”
Grocery stores, bakeries and farms donate the food, which is then delivered to 58 locations between Orford and Windsor, including day care and rehabilitation programs, food shelves, community meals and subsidized housing. McCracken, who had 11 stops to make, organized the items so each site would receive a variety.
“You get to know what they like and sort of cater to what they need,” he said.
Nonetheless, they need to move the food.
“Everybody gets eggplant,” he said with a chuckle.
The majority of the donations come from the Co-op Food Stores in Hanover, Lebanon and White River Junction. “We try to sell high-quality food at a fair price,” said Allan Reetz, communications director for the stores. That which does not quite meet the Co-op’s standards, but is perfectly good to eat, goes to Willing Hands. And the refrigerated truck allows for the delivery of more perishable, high-protein items, such as yogurt approaching its sell by date and fresh ground beef.
Co-op employees, used to the routine, set aside items for the program as they work. A bruised apple here, a head of lettuce minus a few damaged leaves there — pounds turn quickly to tons.
On average, Willing Hands delivers about four tons of food a week. Because everything is donated, what they receive varies. “We have no idea what we are going to get on a given day,” said Heather Bagley, the nonprofit’s executive director.
Last year, thanks to about 25 food donors, the nonprofit delivered around 188 tons of food, about 95 percent of which was fruit and vegetables. Eggs, milk, meat and locally baked bread accounted for the rest.
“McNamara Dairy calls us periodically with very generous quantities of milk,” and the Share the Harvest program at West Lebanon Feed and Supply has provided “lots of eggs,” Bagley said.
Kristine Strong, who lives in Graystone Village, subsidized housing in White River Junction for seniors and people with disabilities, said the free food helps out with her grocery bill.
“We’re able to get some things that I can’t afford,” she said, tucking a package of ground beef into a sturdy shopping bag.
Originally from Mobile, Ala., Strong recently found a taste of home in the boxes from Willing Hands — collard greens, which she cooked up with a little water and bacon grease. And with the help of her new friends at Graystone, she’s tried some new things, too. Bright yellow patty pan squash, for one.
“The ladies (here) showed me how to cook it,” she said, her Southern lilt still evident.
Willing Hands recently began working with the Vermont Food Bank, which is trying to include more fresh produce in its offerings, Bagley said. To help the food bank meet the challenge of dispersing fresh food quickly, Willing Hands has delivered about 10,000 pounds to Vermont sites since April. “It’s a nice supplement to our load,” she said.
Canned and dry foods, long the staples of food shelves, are generally convenient and easy to store. “Open a can and there’s your stew,” Bagley said.
But for those on a tight budget, produce is a welcome addition.
“It’s an important nutritional supplement to their diet, providing vitamins and minerals they might not otherwise have available,” she said. And because fresh vegetables and fruit can require some preparation, having access to them may also encourage people to take up cooking.
“In cooking, they may find that it can be a money-saver … rather than relying on purchasing already-prepared foods,” she said.
The nonprofit provides recipes and cooking workshops, which focus on nutrition and easy ways to use produce. Recently, Willing Hands provided food for a cooking program at Romano Circle in West Lebanon. The program, taught by Schweitzer Fellows from the Geisel School of Medicine, was primarily for children. “It ended up being very popular,” Bagley said.
With a full-time equivalent staff of fewer than two, Willing Hands depends largely on volunteers, about 150 in all, to carry out its work, including tending its organic garden. The one-acre garden, on land provided by Cedar Circle Farm in Thetford, yields more than 5,000 pounds of produce a year. Last year, volunteers gleaned 9.3 tons of food from local commercial farms and orchards.
“We keep our overhead as low as possible,” said Bagley, who was speaking on the phone from her home office. Willing Hands has has no central office, and when not in use, its truck is stored in a barn owned by board member Jay Van Arman.
“There’s a very generous spirit in this community,” Bagley said. “That’s what makes it all possible.”
At Village Apartments, subsidized housing for seniors, Mary Fanelli knew what she was after.
“I want a tomato and a cucumber, and I’m out of here,” Fanelli said, picking through a box of vegetables.
“No meat?” McCracken asked, opening the cooler he’d wheeled in on a metal dolly.
“Yeah, if you got it,” she said. McCracken handed her a package of ground beef wrapped in white paper.
“Thank you. You’re very, very nice,” she said. As he left, she added, “Stay out of trouble!”
The United Church of South Royalton, which hosts weekly community dinners, is another one of McCracken’s regular stops. Raelene Lemery, who organizes the meals, said they draw anywhere from 50 to 100 people.
Before the church connected with Willing Hands, putting food on the community table was a stretch, Lemery said. “I was going to the store and buying whatever meal I was going to cook, and we didn’t have anything extra.”
Now, what isn’t used for dinner is set out for people to take home. Depending on the week, that might include bread, bananas or potatoes. “The whole thing is such a blessing,” she said.
And the Friday night meals also include more meat and fresh produce. Recently, Lemery said, she served steamed green beans and summer squash. “People loved it because it was fresh.”
Aimee Caruso can be reached at 603-727-3210 or email@example.com.


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Convenience Store News Reveals Winners of 25th Annual Best New Products Awards
Health and wellness are still strong selling points for new c-store items.
NATIONAL REPORT — The health and wellness trend in product innovation hasn't slowed down. If anything, consumers' desire for healthier products enhanced with functional benefits has increased during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Many of the winners in the 2021 Convenience Store News Best New Products Awards represent examples of how Americans continue to look for proof of functional benefits in the foods and beverages they consume. Some of the more common product attributes shared among this year's honorees include low or no sugar or carbs, organic, clean label, and sustainable.
On the other hand, this year's group of winners also includes products that illustrate the fact that while consumers may want to follow healthy diets, that doesn't mean they don't like to treat themselves to indulgent sugary and salty snacks on occasion. This creates a tale of two c-stores: healthy products on one side and comforting, fun products on the other.
Another trend seen this year is "premium." Premium brand identification is on the upswing, with many products claiming unique ingredients, presentation and benefits over standard c-store fare.
More than any year prior, this year's Best New Products Awards winners backed up their claims with data showing the success of their new introductions.
From more than 100 entries, judges chose 44products new to convenience store shelves for recognition in the 25th annual competition. The Best New Products Awards program recognizes the marketers that introduced the most innovative, high-quality products that meet consumers' evolving needs and fit a convenience store's value proposition.
Entries were rated and awarded points based on the criteria of taste, value, convenience, healthfulness, ingredients, preparation requirements, appearance and packaging. Judging was supervised and tallied by Past Times Marketing, a New York-based consumer research and product-testing firm. Detailed criteria is available here.
Products honored this year range from enhanced still waters, hard seltzers and indulgent sweet snacks to low-sugar, keto friendly and convenient grab-and-go foodservice items.
The 2021 Best New Products Awards winners are:
ALTERNATIVE SNACKS: ENERGY BARS
CLIF Bar Duos, CLIF Bar & Co.
ALTERNATIVE SNACKS: MEAT SNACKS
Country Archer Footlongs, Country Archer Provisions
ALTERNATIVE SNACKS: PROTEIN BARS
Cinnamon Toast Crunch Protein Bar, General Mills Convenience
Coors Pure, Molson Coors Beverage Co.
Reese's Big Cup with Pretzels, The Hershey Co.
ORBIT Mega Pack — Peppermint, Mars Wrigley
HARIBO Funtastic Mix, HARIBO of America
Skittles Shriekers!, Mars Wrigley
Hemp Bombs CBD Gummies, Hemp Bombs
CBD: JUICE DRINKS
Forth CBD-Infused Juice Drinks, E-Alternative Solutions


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Celebrate Christmas @Ipsaa
This Saturday, IPSAA Day Care is back with its annual Christmas carnival. The festivities will commence at 11 am, and will be a wonderful opportunity for everyone to indulge in some festive fun.
In its endeavour to create a platform for progressive education in Gurgaon, IPSAA will conduct a wide range of activities to engage children of all age groups. Events such as pottery and interactive story telling seek to kindle their imagination and encourage an attitude of creative thinking. Recognising the importance of physical fitness and health awareness for children, visitors will also have the chance to engage in a unique Health & Fitness Assessment Protocol for individuals in the age group 3 – 60 years of age called FOCUS (Fitness of Communities Using Science). FOCUS will be run by Ipsaa in partnership with KOOH Sports.
Students from Habbas, IPSAA’s unique heart to hands initiative, will showcase performances. Christmas carols will be set to live music by children from the Drums and Guitar Habba. Children will also have opportunities to dabble in card making and quilling at the Art and Craft corner. There will also be a wide selection of sumptuous food to tickle your taste buds and some enthralling games for children, parents and grandparents alike.
“Festivals are an occasion for families and friends to share love and laughter with each other. We value this spirit of togetherness, and seek to foster the warmth and happiness that it brings,” says Ms. Arti Mohan, Head of Academics at IPSAA Day Care.


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Samsung has been promoting BBM for Android pretty heavily due to a partnership between the companies where BBM would see itself preinstalled on some of Samsung’s Galaxy devices. Unfortunately it seems that Samsung might have gotten ahead of themselves and have recently claimed that the app would see a launch this Friday and that Samsung would be getting a 3 month exclusive on the app, meaning that other Android users on non-Samsung phones will have to wait.
Unfortunately that does not appear to be true as BlackBerry has since come forward to refute Samsung’s claims. Speaking to the folks at CrackBerry, BlackBerry’s BBM Communications Director, Victoria Berry, revealed that “no one will have an exclusive on offering BBM.” We’re not sure why Samsung jumped the gun there or claimed their exclusivity, but for those who were looking forward to it, it does not look like that will be happening.
Next Story: Alleged Nexus 5 Benchmarks Spotted
- 2014-04-04 BBM Stickers Selling Pretty Well On iOS Devices
- 2014-04-01 New BBM Update With Stickers And More Released
- 2014-03-30 BBM For Windows Phone Coming In Q2
- 2014-03-28 BlackBerry Boasts 85 Million Monthly Active BBM Users
- 2014-03-28 BlackBerry Could Consider Bringing BBM To Desktops
- 2014-03-18 Talk2Watch Pro Brings BBM Notifications Onto Pebble
- 2014-03-09 Customizable BBM PINs Could Be A Paid Feature
- 2014-03-06 BBM PINs Could Be Customizable In The Future


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November 28, 2006 10:27
Manchester United forward Park Ji-sung’s popularity shows no signs of weakening. He has been resting for months since an ankle injury in September but was tops in the list of sports-related searches at Yahoo Korea this year, the company announced last week. He has even managed to cut a swathe in the financial sector: the Shinhan Manchester United Master Card that makes use of the star signed up 600,000 customers since it was first offered in February, a Shinhan Bank official said Monday.
Man U's commercial director Andy Anson also confirms the Park Ji-sung effect. Asked by Singapore's Electric New Paper whether Park, the first Asian to play for Man U, has helped increase the club’s appeal in Asia, Anson responded, "That is difficult to say, since the club never singles out individual players to promote itself. But the credit card that we launched in Korea in February this year already has 410,000 cardholders." The gap in numbers, a whopping 200,000, between bank and team is apparently due to a different corresponding period, but either way the figures are impressive.
Every six months, Shinhan runs a draw where three lucky cardholders are given tickets to see Man U in action. It also gives away T-shirts and pendants signed by the athletes. In Asia, the card is available in Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia and Thailand -- and the 600,000 cards allegedly sold in Korea are more than in the rest combined. In the whole world, there are 60 million of the Man U credit cards in circulation.
The industry admits the credit card was this year’s big hit. As for Park, he is working hard towards rehabilitation six days a week and three hours a day at Man U’s Carrington training field. He is already able to play mini games with the other players. If the rehabilitation goes well, Park is expected play in the away game against Aston Villa on Dec.23.
- Copyright © Chosunilbo & Chosun.com


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Lastminute.com will return to television on Friday March 19 with an advertising campaign highlighting the brand’s preparations for the summer season.
The 60-second spot sees people relishing the arrival of summer across the world and showcases a range of travel and lifestyle experiences such as hot thermal baths in Iceland and bungee jumping in New Zealand.
Ralph Ineson, best known for playing Chris ‘Finchy’ Finch in The Office, provides the voice over to the ad which is designed to continue the brands ‘good stuff’ strategy positioning the site as the best place for consumers to make the most of their free time.
Marketing director Mark Fells said: “The idea behind the ad was to shout about the change of the season and truly declare that winter hibernation is over – we want people to go out there and do more good stuff.
“We are here to turn free time into a great time whether that’s a festival, a weekend in Reykjavik, a cheap flight, a luxurious and relaxing break in Asia or catching a new show in the West End.”
Lastminute.com first returned to television advertising after a four year break in February 2009 with its multi-channel ‘thumbs-up’ Mexican wave spot.
The TV push will be supported by social media, print and outdoor activities.
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All post are the individual views of the respective commenter and are not the expressed views of Travel Weekly.
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The mobility era is taking its new shape and it has been proven. As per the analysis by Google Inc, its Google now gets more search queries in the U.S. from people using mobile devices like smartphones than it does from people browsing the internet on PC.
This situation is not only in U.S. but also in 9 other markets including Japan etc. As I mentioned earlier, this shift is a great milestone for mobility and for Google too. There is no doubt for the fact that it will play a very critical role for the Google’s future business processes.
There is a reason behind this critical role in terms of financial revenue. As many of you might be aware of that Google revenue’s hefty component is based on displaying ads to the user. The prices of the traditional ads displayed on Google website browsed using PC is very much larger than the prices for mobile ads. Due to increase in popularity of mobility and its usage, Google’s average ad prices have been in the decline for the recent years.
This is mainly due to the size of the ads. There are certain other reasons also which affect the ad pricing and command. The other reason could be because of the YouTube ads. Though, price per click continues to be core search business for Google and it should continue to over the years to come.
Also, Google is taking steps to improve its mobile ads. During the recent advertisement conference, Google announced smartphone friendly ads which will be more beneficial for the smartphone users and will work with gestures and would make use of images, respond to gestures such as finger swipes.
Let’s think about the other way round from the consumer perspective. There are certain ways using which a consumer would search for the information. He can directly skip searching in Google and can go to any vendor mobile application and search in app itself.
There are certain discussions going on for the new ads for mobile by Google and it would count for another post. I will write about it soon. Stay in touch.


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Pinterest, Inc. (NYSE: PINS)‘s stock price dropped 3.9% throughout mid-day trading on Wednesday complying with insider marketing activity. The business traded as reduced as $60.85 and also last traded at $61.27. Approximately 107,847 shares changed hands throughout mid-day trading, a decline of 99% from the ordinary daily quantity of 13,457,883 shares.
The stock had previously shut at $63.76. Especially, CAO Tseli Lily Yang marketed 2,856 shares of the stock in a purchase that happened on Friday, May 21st. The stock was cost an typical price of $61.25, for a complete worth of $174,930.00. The sale was divulged in a record submitted with the Securities & Exchange Payment, which is offered via this hyperlink. Also, SVP Naveen Gavini sold 26,259 shares of the company‘s stock in a deal on Monday, March 22nd. The stock was cost an typical price of $70.83, for a total value of $1,859,924.97. The disclosure for this sale can be located below. Insiders sold a overall of 781,525 shares of business stock valued at $54,713,509 in the last ninety days.
Pinterest Stock is a Sticky Drama-Free Reopening Benefactor
Several equities analysts have actually provided records on PINS shares. Wedbush dropped their price purpose on Pinterest from $100.00 to $91.00 and also established an “outperform“ ranking on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 28th. Susquehanna increased their price purpose on Pinterest from $67.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a “neutral“ ranking in a record on Friday, February 5th. TheStreet decreased Pinterest from a “c–“ ranking to a “d+“ ranking in a record on Wednesday, April 28th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on Pinterest from $89.00 to $83.00 and established an “overweight“ ranking on the stock in a record on Tuesday, May 4th. Lastly, KeyCorp decreased their price target on Pinterest from $92.00 to $89.00 and established an “overweight“ ranking on the stock in a report on Tuesday, May fourth. Eleven experts have ranked the stock with a hold ranking as well as eighteen have appointed a buy rating to the company‘s stock. The stock currently has a agreement score of “Buy“ and a agreement price target of $80.58.
The firm‘s 50 day moving average price is $69.39 and its 200-day moving average price is $71.25. The company has a market capitalization of $39.57 billion, a PE proportion of -1,062.67 and also a beta of 1.24.
Pinterest (NYSE: PINS) Will Be Post-Pandemic Victor As Well
Pinterest (NYSE: PINS) last uploaded its earnings outcomes on Tuesday, April 27th. The business reported $0.11 revenues per share for the quarter, beating the Thomson Reuters‘ consensus quote of ($ 0.08) by $0.19. Business had income of $485.23 million for the quarter, contrasted to expert quotes of $471.49 million. Pinterest had a negative web margin of 0.46% and also a favorable return on equity of 4.86%. Business‘s quarterly revenue was up 78.4% on a year-over-year basis. Throughout the same quarter in the previous year, the business published ($ 0.10) EPS. Generally, sell-side experts forecast that Pinterest, Inc. will publish 0.09 EPS for the current year.
Big capitalists have lately dealt shares of business. Nwam LLC acquired a new setting in Pinterest in the 1st quarter valued at regarding $6,151,000. Identical Advisors LLC enhanced its placement in Pinterest by 163.7% in the 4th quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC currently possesses 3,829 shares of the firm‘s stock valued at $252,000 after getting an extra 2,377 shares throughout the last quarter. Cypress Funding Administration LLC WY bought a new placement in Pinterest in the first quarter valued at about $1,407,000. Falcon Point Funding LLC purchased a new position in Pinterest in the 4th quarter valued at about $224,000. Ultimately, Nkcfo LLC purchased a new position in Pinterest in the first quarter valued at about $74,000. 59.01% of the stock is possessed by institutional investors.
Pinterest (NYSE: PINS) Stock is a Real Influencer Play
Pinterest Firm Profile (NYSE: PINS).
Pinterest, Inc gives aesthetic exploration engine in the United States and globally. The business‘s engine enables individuals to locate motivation for their lives, including recipes, style and also residence ideas, DIY, and others. It shows them aesthetic referrals based upon individuals personal preference as well as passions.
With many exceptional companies trading on the public markets, it absolutely isn’t simple to select simply one. However if I had to select just one stock right now, it would be Pinterest (NYSE: PINS). The social media sites company has a item that people like, has a lot of room to expand, and also is valued reasonably fairly.
It also checks a couple of boxes for my spending choice: It has a sustainable organization design, and it remains in an sector that‘s expanding. In addition, because I just spend cash that I won’t require for at least 5 years, stock price volatility does not issue me as much.
The price is right.
Pinterest is trading at a forward price-to-sales ratio of 14, in the middle of the pack of its competitors in the social media area (see graph). The price-to-sales proportion can be one of the most helpful ratios to consider when contrasting companies that may not pay. The stock is down by over 30% in the last thirty days. The sell-off remained in feedback to monitoring leading level user development in the U.S. next quarter.
Capitalists are worried that social networks usage will fail as more people obtain immunized, indicating COVID-19 infection prices will maintain trending down resulting in alleviating company limitations. To put it simply, as individuals go back to pre-pandemic practices, Pinterest may not be able to command a growing user base as it did throughout the lockdown.
Indeed management acknowledged this headwind and is anticipating engagement on its website to moderate as folks are less limited in their outdoor activities. Still, this is even more of a short-term concern, as those adhering to the stock really did not expect raised levels of involvement to last when people had extra alternatives with their time.
The future is brilliant.
Over the future, Pinterest can add 10s of millions or perhaps hundreds of numerous new individuals to its platform. Pinterest claimed it had 478 million monthly active users in its newest quarterly record, up by 30% from in 2015. Still, there is space to expand— Facebook (NASDAQ: FB) has a overall of 2.85 billion month-to-month active users. Individuals like social media apps. They are free to download and install and subscribe and also featured cool functions. Pinterest permits individuals to browse through motivating images as well as pin them to individual boards for seeing later on.
The driving force, however, is existing individuals encouraging brand-new individuals in a virtuous cycle. On Pinterest, users can share pins with others. For example, my other half often shares an image of a dish she is taking into consideration producing supper and also asks me what I think of it. Picture having accessibility to a continuously updated cookbook at your fingertips, one that‘s entirely free. And that‘s simply one use case. It‘s no surprise why Pinterest is gaining users by the millions.
Moreover, Pinterest is not as much along in monetizing its individual base like Facebook. In its Q1 statement, Pinterest created an ordinary revenue per individual (ARPU) of $1.04 while Facebook‘s ARPU was $9.27. Pinterest just just recently began monetizing customers in its initial Latin American nation (Brazil) and started generating income from Mexico‘s customer activities in May. As it constructs out its products for marketing professionals in more areas with even more abilities, its ARPU can get closer to Facebook‘s.
Already, Pinterest is shutting the void. For example, while Facebook expanded profits by 48% in the most recent quarter, Pinterest raised it by 78%. In a similar way, while Facebook expects to expand revenue near 50% in the 2nd quarter, Pinterest expects over 100%.
Facebook is an exceptional business that has made investors wealthier. In Pinterest, I see a more youthful Facebook, built on a far better structure (positive web content), that has the potential to raise my riches over the long term. For those reasons, if I had to select only one stock to acquire, it would certainly be Pinterest.
Should you invest $1,000 in Pinterest today?
Prior to you take into consideration Pinterest, you‘ll want to hear this.
Our prize-winning analyst group just exposed what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to purchase today … and Pinterest wasn’t among them.
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If you enjoy spring dogwood viewing, you may have the historic Howell Nurseries to thank for some of the most impressive bright red or pink blooms you see in the Southeast. When I recently toured the Knoxville Botanical Garden with Senior Gardener Mathew McMillian, he pointed out some of the most famous plant varieties from this bygone nursery business, including the dogwood.
McMillian says a naturally occurring mutation of the dogwood found in east Knoxville, called Prosser’s Red, was given to one of the Howell brothers. It was used to create a red or bright pink hybrid called Cherokee Chief. This was part of the nursery efforts to create dogwoods more resistant to disease such as anthracnose. McMillian says a long-term goal would be to someday be able to offer a botanical garden line of plants like these. For now, he pointed out a budding pink dogwood that stands in front of the current property office. Local dogwood blooming season is still a few weeks away in April.
Howell Nurseries was famous for propagating a famed Alexandrian or poet’s laurel, called danae (pronounced locally as DAY-nee-uh). McMillian explained that many nurseries won’t take the five to seven years needed to grow this gorgeous plant to useful maturity for consumers. Local gardeners have taken an interest in helping support the Botanical Garden’s danae collection.
A third plant that the Howell family is known for developing is the Burford holly. McMillian says the full-sized Burford has somewhat grown out of fashion. He notes that other holly plants can grow more compactly than the Burford, which gets large enough for hedges and fits in larger-scale yards. The visitor center beds now feature a dwarf version of the Burford holly.


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With the world turning towards EVs at a rapid pace, automobile makers have also started executing their EV plans. Tesla has been at the forefront of this change with its futuristic cars. It is always in the news for some or other reason. It has a lot of new EVs planned, such as the Cybertruck. … Continue reading Will this be the desi Cybertruck?
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21 posts tagged "Cecilia Dean"
Visionaire’s latest book, Issue 63: FOREVER, comes out on May 11. And this year, the project has been underwritten by G-Shock—the watchmaker known for its durable timepieces. What’s the tie-in, you might ask? Visionaire’s avant-garde edition is rendered entirely in metal, and features images by artists and fashion designers that have been either hammered or laser-etched into 9 x 12 inch plates. Thus, both the timepieces and the tome are, in essence, everlasting.
“The word indestructible is the catalyst—if G-Shock does the indestructible watch, we want to do the indestructible publication. It was a nice, tight concept,” said Cecilia Dean, Visionaire’s cofounder and editor in chief. G-Shock, who’s celebrating its thirtieth anniversary and a recent store opening in Soho, liked the pitch and came on board to sponsor the inevitably “expensive” production
The idea for an all-metal issue was spawned during Dean’s time spent with Givenchy’s Riccardo Tisci, while working on Visionaire’s Issue 60: RELIGION. “In religious iconography, there’s all this incredible metalwork, the metal on the altars, gold painting—it’s just so beautiful and rich,” said Dean, adding, “I have to say, it’s so funny, everything goes back to Riccardo—a big inspiration was also the Jay-Z and Kanye West album cover he designed,” referring to 2011′s Watch the Throne.
FOREVER features everyone from a nymph-like Kate Moss, shot by Mario Testino, to a Karl Lagerfeld-lensed in-the-buff Baptiste Giabiconi, to a suggestive Lady Gaga snapped by Inez & Vinoodh, to Linda Evangelista ringed in light by Maurizio Cattelan and Pierpaolo Ferrari. “It’s Linda as a saint, basically,” said Dean.
To commemorate the coupling, G-Shock will open a mini-retrospective of Visionaire’s past (above) in its downtown outpost tomorrow. The exhibition runs through the end of May.
For its last issue, Visionaire set a world record for the largest magazine ever produced (it was fittingly dubbed the Larger Than Life issue #61). The newest edition might not win any awards for its physical size, but #62, which is all about Rio de Janeiro, has a cool factor all its own. Boldfaced names like Gisele Bëndchen, Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott, Lea T, Adriana Lima, Richard Phillips, Karl Lagerfeld, and Marilyn Minter collaborated on a series of 3-D images celebrating Brazilian culture that appear on double-image slides. To look at them, there’s a stereoscope (which creates the illusion of depth), designed by NYC-based design studio aruliden, that comes along in the 3-D lenticular case. Visionaire 62 Rio ($375, available this week at www.visionaireworld.com) made its debut at the Iguatemi-hosted private launch party last night in São Paulo, but here, Style.com has an exclusive first look at some of the issue’s best images by Lagerfeld, Minter, and Jason Schmidt.
Two days before the opening of his New York store—his first on U.S. soil—Nicholas Kirkwood is talking by phone from the space, which, from the sound of it, is still very much a construction site. The 1,500-square-foot store, with its white, gray, and beige palette and minimal decor, will have, he says, “a charming feeling. It’s all very easy on the eye. It’s hopefully a relaxing kind of shopping experience.” Behind him, a very loud horn blares. “A boat?” he wonders with a laugh. (The Hudson River is a block away.)
If he isn’t able to relax just yet, it’s easy to believe relief is coming soon. Kirkwood is arguably the most exciting new footwear designer of the last few years, and his New York location is poised to be a major new outpost for his brand. The store is designed to emphasize space: “I like the idea of doing something else that you can kind of walk around and explore it,” he says. “It kind of has a gallery-esque feeling, without being quite as cold as a gallery.” (The reference is apt; the new, downtown site of the Whitney Museum will be just across the street when it opens. “That’s going to be absolutely fantastic,” he says.)
The store will sell the full Kirkwood collection, as well as a selection of collaborations with other designers, including Peter Pilotto, Erdem, and Paco Rabanne, at the opening; other collaborations, like the shoes he makes for Prabal Gurung, will eventually arrive. Just outside, and visible through the back windows, is a garden. “The luxury of having a garden in New York is quite special,” he says. For the opening, Cecilia Dean and Anne Christensen will host a private tea party; customer events will likely follow.
The store debuts with an opening party on Friday night, once every tile and display is in place. Is Kirkwood swinging a hammer himself, a reporter wonders? “I might do,” Kirkwood deadpans, “if they don’t hurry up.”
Nicholas Kirkwood opens Friday, May 4, at 807 Washington St., NYC, www.nicholaskirkwood.com.


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U.K. Stocks Rise to Seven-Week High; LSE Rallies on SalesNamitha Jagadeesh
U.K. stocks rose to the highest level in seven weeks, led by London Stock Exchange Group Plc and WPP Plc, as a report showed U.S. jobless-benefit claims fell to a two-month low.
LSE rallied to a five-year high after saying first-quarter revenue rose 39 percent. WPP, the world’s biggest advertising company, climbed 3.6 percent after French peer Publicis Groupe SA reported first-half sales that exceeded estimates. Tate & Lyle Plc fell 0.9 percent after Societe Generale SA lowered its rating on the shares.
The FTSE 100 Index added 62.43 points, or 1 percent, to 6,634.36 at the close in London, the highest level since May 30. The gauge has still lost 3 percent since May 22 after the Federal Reserve signaled it may start to taper stimulus measures if the U.S. economy improves in line with its forecasts. The FTSE All-Share Index rose 0.9 percent today, while Ireland’s ISEQ Index jumped 1.7 percent.
“What counts today is the earnings,” said Pierre Mouton, who helps oversee $6 billion as a portfolio manager at Notz, Stucki & Cie. in Geneva. “I would look in detail at what companies say about their businesses. We will probably see positive earnings in most cases, though I also think companies will deliver a slightly cautious message for the end of the year. The U.K. economy is also starting to recover slowly and that is a positive for stocks.”
The volume of shares in FTSE 100 companies changing hands today was 6.1 percent less than the 30-day average, data compiled by Bloomberg show.
In the U.S., jobless claims dropped by 24,000 to 334,000 in the week ended July 13, the fewest since early May, a Labor Department report showed. Economists on average had forecast a reading of 345,000. A separate release showed manufacturing in the Philadelphia region expanded more than forecast in July.
LSE climbed 7.4 percent to 1,590 pence, the highest price since February 2008. The operator of Europe’s oldest independent bourse said first-quarter revenue rose 39 percent to 249.7 million pounds ($380 million) as all of its business divisions grew and LCH contributed to the performance. The so-called organic revenue increased 8 percent on constant-currency basis.
Peter Lenardos, an analyst at RBC Capital Markets in London, wrote in a note that LSE’s sales matched the upper end of consensus estimates.
WPP rose 3.6 percent to 1,210 pence. Publicis, the third-biggest advertising company, reported first-half revenue of 3.35 billion euros, surpassing the 3.31 billion-euro average analyst estimate.
EasyJet Plc advanced 4.2 percent to 1,406 pence, its highest price since it sold shares to the public in November
2000. Ryanair Holdings Plc gained 2.9 percent to 7.28 euros in Dublin. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its recommendations on Europe’s two biggest discount airlines to overweight, the equivalent of buy, from underweight.
“Our multi-year vision of Europe envisions little restructuring actually standing in the way of voracious growth appetites at higher caliber discounters,” the brokerage wrote in a report.
Marks & Spencer Group Plc, Britain’s largest clothing retailer, advanced 1.9 percent to 482.4 pence as U.K. retail sales rose for a second month in June. Sales including fuel climbed 0.2 percent from May, when they surged 2.1 percent, the Office for National Statistics said.
J Sainsbury Plc, the U.K.’s third-largest supermarket chain, increased 3 percent to 391.1 pence.
Sports Direct International Plc jumped 6.2 percent to 638 pence, the highest price since the company first sold shares in
2007. The sporting-goods retailer posted full-year underlying earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization of 287.9 million pounds, beating the 268 million-pound average estimate of analysts surveyed by Bloomberg.
Tate & Lyle declined 0.9 percent to 851.5 pence after Societe Generale downgraded the maker of low-calorie sweetener Splenda to hold from buy, citing the likelihood of weaker earnings from its bulk-ingredient business.


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An increasing number of people are moving to cities and need ever more packaging. Photo: stock.tookapic.com / pexels.com
Shortage of Raw Materials
Prices on the global paper market have shot up in 2017 due to raw material shortages with knock-on effects for the corrugated paper and card industry and the related packaging sector. Recycling paper has risen in price by some Euro 100 per ton, and in the meantime the price rise for kraftliners has been as much as Euro 150 per ton. Price rises for corrugated containerboard are correspondingly high. This is now subject to a hike of up to 27% – a pretty dramatic rise considering paper costs make up about half the entire production costs.
Germany’s corrugated board association Verband der Wellpappenindustrie e.V.(VDW) has made it clear that to compensate for the increased raw material prices alone a price increase of some 14% would be necessary for corrugated board products. An improvement does not appear to be in view, according industry stakeholders. The announced easing of existing import restrictions for waste paper in China to apply as we go into 2018 is instead fuelling more demand for waste paper in Europe. The consequences could have a further price impact on recycling paper and consequently also on packaging.
Raw material prices for paper production have risen starkly. Photo: File: #178805760 | Copyright: industrieblick / fotolia.com
Impact of Megatrends
But how have such circumstances come about? Like any other industry the paper and packaging sector is affected by the changing global circumstances and has to adapt early to the so-called megatrends. Since the 50s urbanisation has played an ever more important role. While early on only 30% of the world population lived in cities, now many more people have made towns and cities the centre of their lives. It is estimated that by 2030 half the world population will live in urban areas. The United Nations (UN) anticipate this will amount to a total of 4.9 billion people. Experts have registered high growth rates in developing countries, especially in Asia. Consequently, purchasing power there has developed strongly over the past few years. An example: according to the UN in 2014/2015, India became the fifth-largest producer of paper and card. With increasing urbanisation there is not only a growing need for infrastructure and living space but also for food supplies that have to be safely packed.
Consumers increasingly demand packaging that is recyclable. Photo: Coconut water in Tetra Prisma® Aseptic carton packs. Photo: TetraPak
Furthermore, world population needs to take a greater role in climate protection and resource saving. One of the burning issues of the future is how to use water and other natural resources more carefully. According to Smithers Pira, recycling will therefore constitute an even more important factor in the packaging sector. In the United States and Canada alone the recycling rate for paper and card has risen by 81% since 1990 and now stands at 70% in the USA and in Canada as much as 80%.
Another factor triggering the increased spread of paper and card as packaging materials lies in the increase use of online shopping. Young shoppers, i.e. millennials, have enormous purchasing power, details the research institute.
The growth of online shopping is fuelling a rise in the use of paper and cardboard packaging materials. Photo: Stora Enso
Last but not least, a key role is played here by technological development. 3D printing, robot-guided production and processing, the Internet of Things (IoT) and drones have become revolutionary for the industry, especially for the paper and packaging industry. One example is Smart Packaging. Smithers Pira anticipates growth in the smart packaging industry of 8% by 2021 – which corresponds to a market worth US$ 7.8 b. IoT packaging is expected to grow by an impressive 18% to just under US$ 2.2 b. Companies that adapt early to macro-global changes and to the new consumer needs will benefit enormously from these promising markets.


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TOKYO — Japan is encouraging its companies to work with African startups, hoping to raise its profile on a continent often called the global economy’s “last frontier” and offer a counterweight to Chinese influence there.
The Tokyo International Conference on African Development, a triennial event led by the Japanese government, opens on Wednesday amid two big trends: a shift toward private-sector investment from official development assistance, and advances in digital and financial technology that are bringing consumers without bank accounts and formal addresses within reach of companies.
“By forming relationships with African startups, we want to create more business opportunities for Japan,” Katsumi Hirano, executive vice president of the Japan External Trade Organization, or JETRO, told reporters just ahead of TICAD. That is likely to be a common refrain at this year’s conference.
Japan’s trade promotion body set up a support system this year to provide information for Japanese companies hoping to partner with African ventures. It also compiled a list of 100 promising startups, such as Kenyan remittance service BitPesa and Ethiopian food delivery company Deliver Addis.
In May, Trade Minister Hiroshige Seko said his ministry would support venture capitals in Africa, explaining, “It is important to get involved from the early stages to effectively work with startups.”
According to a foreign ministry official, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has been calling this year’s event a “business TICAD.”
Other key points on the TICAD agenda include promoting third-country cooperation, making it easier to do business and nudging more small and midsize Japanese enterprises to enter the African market, according to JETRO. While China is investing heavily in Africa under its Belt and Road Initiative, Japan is attempting to build its presence there with relatively limited funds.
At the previous TICAD in 2016, Japan set a goal of investing $30 billion over three years, from both the public and private sectors. Actual investment has fallen well short of that, reaching $16 billion as of last September, though the final value has yet to be disclosed.
Meanwhile, China pledged $60 billion worth of financing for Africa over three years at its own Forum on China-Africa Cooperation last year. China is also the biggest exporter to the continent, shipping six times more than Japan by value. In terms of imports, China buys nearly five times more from Africa than Japan does.
Other countries like South Korea and India also hold their own TICAD-equivalent conferences, aiming to benefit from a growth market expected to account for a quarter of the world’s population by 2050.
On its own, Japan’s budget for official development assistance cannot compete with the likes of China. Institutions are also reluctant to lend money to Africa due to the repayment risks, according to Motoki Takahashi, a professor of African area studies at Kyoto University. The government “intended to cover for the insufficient amount of loans [to meet the $30 billion target] with the private sector,” he said, but companies did not participate as much as the government anticipated.
One trade ministry official suggested the investment picture is misleading, as when companies acquire shares of African businesses and generate profits from those businesses, “they are not reflected” in foreign direct investment statistics.
Nevertheless, Japan is shifting its focus from the absolute value of foreign direct investment to partnerships with local and third-country players.
Trade Minister Seko revealed in May that insurers from Japan, Africa and Saudi Arabia will sign an agreement during the conference to establish a system that covers all exports of Japanese products and project financing for Japanese companies. And Seko also spoke about collaborating more with countries like India to train workers and send experts to Africa.
The idea of third-country cooperation is in line with Abe’s vision of a Free and Open Indo-Pacific region. The ambition is for Japan to help foster a prosperous area stretching from Asia to Africa, creating a “place that values freedom, the rule of law and the market economy, free from force or coercion,” as Abe said in a speech at the previous TICAD.
While the Indo-Pacific vision does not directly challenge China’s Belt and Road, it “does offer a platform for coordination with key countries including Japan, India, and the U.S.,” said Shihoko Goto, deputy director for geoeconomics at the Wilson Center, a Washington think tank.
Japan’s strategy for countering China is also apparent in the way it emphasizes its ability to provide “quality infrastructure.” And at a TICAD ministerial meeting in last October, Foreign Minister Taro Kono indirectly criticized China, saying, “I would like to reiterate the importance of sound debt management in order to enable sustainable development for Africa with African ownership.”
China is often accused of making generous loans for infrastructure that bind countries in “debt traps.”
“One should not overlook the foreign policy objectives that might lie behind bringing this issue [of debt sustainability] to the TICAD table,” said Scarlett Cornelissen, a politics professor at South Africa’s Stellenbosch University. She noted that with China’s economic slowdown making Africa’s commodity-driven economies more vulnerable, they “will seek to navigate the geopolitical stormwaters, and this means engaging with many different major powers.”
Heather Munyao, investment promotion officer at the Kenya Investment Authority, said, “We give all countries the same platform … and we get the best there is in terms of FDI.”
From Africa’s perspective, when it comes to attracting investors, it is a case of the more, the merrier. As government officials and corporate executives gather in Yokohama for TICAD, Arun Velusami, a partner at international law firm Hogan Lovells International, said Africa’s “high-level government delegations will appreciate that they have an option besides China, or besides Europe or America.”


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LAS VEGAS-Jim Van Dyke, the founder and president of Javelin Reseach, offered an interesting observation during the recent Directors' Convention here: fraud has become the primary driver of revenue in the financial world.
Because trust by consumers toward their primary financial institution varies greatly, he said credit unions can greatly affect this trust by making sure they educate members as to their role in keeping their accounts safe.
"The majority of people believe they share responsibility with their financial institution for security, but still 11% think security is solely the responsibility of the financial institution," he said. "That number is down from 16% in 2008, so there is some improvement. There is rising consumer demand for involvement in personal security, but it is difficult for financial institutions to combine high innovation with high privacy."


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Mercedes-Benz has revealed the prices for its new SL-Class Roadster.
Anyone looking to buy a Mercedes can get their hands on the new model from £72,495 on-the-road for the SL 350.
The sixth generation of the iconic roadster also includes an SL 500 variant at £83,445. Both models will hit the UK next month with the SL 63 AMG and SL 65 AMG to follow later this year.
Built almost entirely of aluminium, the new Mercedes is lighter, leaner, sportier and more efficient. The range is powered by Mercedes-Benz BlueDIRECT direct-injection engines, which have better fuel efficiency and lower emissions by up to 30% over the previous model, and deliver even more performance.
Keeping the classic sports-roadster look thanks to a long bonnet and set-back cabin, the new Mercedes is also longer, wider and lower than before. Weight has been reduced by up to 140kg thanks to the aluminium construction and the only pieces not of this metal are the magnesium sections of the floor and high-strength steel in the front windscreen pillars. The body is stiffer too, with a chassis that features semi-active adjustable damping or optional Active Body Control, and Direct Steer speed-sensitive power steering for quick responses.
The new SL-Class is also incredibly safe thanks to the standard protection features such as PRE-SAFE, NECK-PRO, ATTENTION ASSIST and ADAPTIVE BRAKE.
The SL 350 has a 3.5-litre V6 engine for sharp performance and can reach 62mph in 5.9 seconds. It can do 37.7mpg and has carbon dioxide emissions of 176g/km. The SL 500 runs on a V8 engine and can get to 62mph in just 4.6 seconds, with 30.7mpg in terms of efficiency and emissions of 214g/km.
Even water is saved in the new Mercedes SL-Class thanks to the MAGIC VISION CONTROL intelligent wash/wipe system which is fitted as standard. It applies the ideal amount of washer fluid just in front of the wiper blades to ensure visibility is not impaired and occupants do not get wet when the top is down.


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Many organizations are leaping headfirst into content production, and PR professionals are leading the way. But, given the proliferation of media voices, companies need to legitimize their content. One way they’re doing it is by connecting to authoritative and trusted media brands.
Lewis DVorkin, chief product officer at Forbes, knows about the shift better than anyone. DVorkin has watched Forbes’ ascendant transformation from a print-only product into an online media hub that garners 55 million unique views per month.
In his keynote presentation at PR News’ Media Relations Next Practices Conference on Thursday, DVorkin discussed the future of traditional, authoritative journalism. Here are some of the major takeaways from DVorkin’s exploration of the new state of content creation and distribution:
- The newsroom as we know it is changing—fast. As new mediums of content distribution proliferate, the production model has changed with it. The days of the linear, reporter-editor-consumer model for news creation are gone, replaced by a web of interaction between contributors, editors, social media producers, sales staff and designers that takes audience data into account at several points along the way during the content creation process.
- Paid media, earned media, shared media and owned media are all converging. PR firms and companies are creating their own newsrooms, as users want great content regardless of association. They're also posting that content in trusted sources' feeds. Forbes’ BrandVoice—which gives marketers space on Forbes.com, telling their own narrative in a platform that’s trusted by readers—has seen a growth of 15,000 pageviews in 2010 to 8 million views in 2013.
- Mobile is going to crush newsrooms. Life was good for newsrooms when print media reigned, as print CPMs average in the $30-$50 range—keeping newsrooms well-staffed. The shift towards advertising on the Internet, where CPMs average anywhere from $2-$15 per impression, already dramatically cut into newsroom budgets. But the biggest changes are yet to come, as users become more interested in mobile platforms, where CPMs can average as low as 25 cents.
Follow Brian Greene: @bwilliamgreene


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FrenchFood Capital just raised €70m
FrenchFood Capital which is a new entrepreneurial investment fund, has just raised €70 million to invest in SMEs and Midcaps in the food industry.
This fund, with a final closing target of €100 million by the end of 2017, will be managed by a team of professionals known for their “Food” expertise. The food value chain is currently undergoing a deep transformation. Consumers are at the center of this transformation. Seeking better and new eating habits, they value trust, health, environmental issues and new ways when experiencing food. These consumers expectations are at the very basis of “Consumer Centric” thesis supported by FrenchFood Capital. The fund pays a deep attention to SMEs and Midcaps brand value; whether in the agri-food, distribution, “Novel Foods”, catering, retail or FoodService sectors. FrenchFood Capital is an independent growth capital fund with a target size of €100 million, an Asset company management approved by the AMF (French financial markets Authority – GP-17000005). The companies targeted by French Food Capital have an enterprise value between €20M and €150M.


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It looks like Steve Jobs jumped the gun in sticking with the iPhone name, which is owned by Cisco. The two companies were in negotiation as Jobs took the stage on Tuesday to introduce his new mobile device, but didn't find a common ground...at least not soon enough. Cisco's final efforts to make a deal were apparently rebuffed or ignored by Jobs. The two companies had an idea to share the brand, to make clear their differentiation (which would be hard to do), to have their products interoperate, and to announce the deal by Macworld.
David Berlind covers much of the iPhone trademark history here. Following is Cisco's release:
Cisco today announced that it has filed a lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California against Apple, Inc., seeking to prevent Apple from infringing upon and deliberately copying and using Cisco’s registered iPhone trademark.
Cisco obtained the iPhone trademark in 2000 after completing the acquisition of Infogear, which previously owned the mark and sold iPhone products for several years. Infogear’s original filing for the trademark dates to March 20, 1996. Linksys, a division of Cisco, has been shipping a new family of iPhone products since early last year. On Dec. 18, Linksys expanded the iPhone® family with additional products.
“Cisco entered into negotiations with Apple in good faith after Apple repeatedly asked permission to use Cisco’s iPhone name,” said Mark Chandler, senior vice president and general counsel, Cisco.
“There is no doubt that Apple’s new phone is very exciting, but they should not be using our trademark without our permission. “Today’s iPhone is not tomorrow’s iPhone. The potential for convergence of the home phone, cell phone, work phone and PC is limitless, which is why it is so important for us to protect our brand,” Chandler concluded.
With its lawsuit, Cisco is seeking injunctive relief to prevent Apple from copying Cisco’s iPhone trademark. For more information on the Cisco iPhone product line, please visit www.linksys.com/iphone.
We also have posted the Cisco v Apple Trademark Infringement, Unfair Competition Complaint document.