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Next week, we will celebrate Small Business Week in North Grenville and across the country. The celebration runs from October 16 to 22. Small Business Week is run annually by the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) with 43 years of history in helping Canadians realize the importance of entrepreneurship in keeping the economy booming.
Just how important are small businesses in Canada? The short answer is “extremely important”. Small and medium sized businesses – collectively defined as businesses having fewer than 500 employees – account for a staggering 99.8% of all businesses in Canada. These businesses employ about 10 million people in Canada, or 88.3% of the total private sector workforce. More than half of these businesses have less than four employees, and about 75% have fewer than 10 employees. In other words, some of the smallest businesses in Canada have a huge responsibility for keeping the wheels of the economy turning by providing paychecks for a majority of the workforce.
The BDC provides some interesting facts about small businesses. Interestingly, small businesses that are owned equally by men and women have a higher chance of survival than those owned by only men or women alone. It may also be a pleasant surprise to readers that despite the difficulties of entrepreneurship, about two-thirds of new businesses in Canada survive for five years or more. Unfortunately, small businesses can be disproportionately affected by events such as the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020, 92.1% of employment loss occurred in small and medium sized businesses.
For the last several months, COVID-19 pandemic rules have been dormant, finally giving small businesses a fair playing field once again compared with large corporations. Many businesses survived the pandemic and must now focus on financial recovery, but many businesses simply did not make it through two years of closures and restrictions. While government benefit programs can provide some support to struggling businesses, the people most equipped to help small businesses are ordinary people who choose to spend their money locally, where it counts the most.
Anyone interested in learning more about the BDC or Small Business Week can visit the BDC website at https://www.bdc.ca/en/small-business-week.
In North Grenville, we are lucky to have a database of local small businesses available online through LoveNG. Despite the old adage that “everybody knows everybody” in a small town, North Grenville is fast-growing, and it is not likely that any one local resident knows all of the great local businesses that the community has to offer. A quick search on https://loveng.ca/ can help in locating a business to suit one’s need for a specific good or service. New businesses are added periodically.
The Times is grateful for nearly a decade of advertising and other support from the countless small businesses that keep our local economy thriving. Our community paper is a local small business as well, and the reality of helping each other demonstrates the heart and soul of what small businesses are really about. Shop Local! #LoveNG


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NEW DELHI: The commerce ministry is likely to release the new five-year foreign trade policy (FTP) on September 29, with a view to promoting the country’s outbound shipments, an official said.
The current foreign trade policy (2015-20) is in force till September 30.
On March 31, 2020, the government extended this policy for one year till March 31, 2021, due to the Covid-19 outbreak. It was again extended till the end of September this year.
In the policy, the government announces support measures for both goods and services exporters.
“The new FTP will be released on September 29,” the official said. Districts as an Export Hubs scheme are expected to be part of that document.
Under the scheme, the aim is to initially focus on a certain number of districts which have products that are scalable and hold huge export potential.
The country’s exports rose by 17.68 per cent to $193.51 billion, while imports grew by 45.74 per cent to $318 billion during the April-August period this fiscal.
The trade deficit has widened to $124.52 billion from $53.78 billion in April-August 2021.

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Costa Rica: Inflation edges down in February
March 7, 2018
Consumer prices rose 0.21% in February over the previous month, following a 0.41% month-on-month increase in January. According to the National Institute of Statistics and Census (INEC), the deceleration in February was primarily driven by lower prices for food and non-alcoholic beverages, and clothing and footwear.
Inflation moderated to 2.2% in February from 2.4% in January. As a result, it remained within the Central Bank’s 2.0%–4.0% target range. Meanwhile, annual average inflation inched up from 1.8% in January to 1.9% in February—the highest reading since October 2015.
Costa Rica Inflation Forecast
FocusEconomics Consensus Forecast panelists expect inflation to end this year at 3.2%, which is unchanged from last month's forecast. In 2019, the panel sees inflation ending the year at 3.4%.
Author: Javier Colato, Economist


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60 New Stage Vendors Book Space at United States Institute for Theatre Technology 2015
USITT 2015, which is run by the United States Institute for Theatre Technology, is on tap in Cincinnati and now boasts a record 280 exhibitors – including 60 new ones.
USITT Stage Expo Manager Ron Procopio says he is excited to welcome so many companies new or returning after years away to the 55th Annual Conference & Stage Expo.
The event will fill some 45,000 square feet of Cincinnati’s Duke Energy Convention Center March 19-21.
“As the industry and economy changes, so does USITT’s Stage Expo floor,” Procopio said. “So, besides our huge showing of big industry names, we’re attracting new exhibitors and new opportunities for attendees to see what our industry has to offer.”
New exhibitors include Carnival, Celebrity and Royal Caribbean Cruise lines, Backdrops Fantastic and Theatreworld Backdrops, DPA Microphones and Kenwood USA, and several theatre companies and university theatre departments.
Procopio said there were new sponsors for several facets of USITT 2015:
- ACT Lighting will sponsor onsite Registration in the Duke Center lobby, welcoming attendees to the Conference.
- H&H Specialties will sponsor a networking lounge where Conference attendees can relax, recharge their devices, and connect with friends.
- UK special effects company Le Maitre Ltd will underwrite onsite Wi-Fi at the Duke Center.
USITT, the United States Institute for Theatre Technology, expects more than 5,000 people from the entertainment design and technology industry to participate in its biggest event of the year.
USITT 2015 features 200-plus educational sessions, inspiration from award winners, including Costume Designer Jane Greenwood, TCG’s Teresa Eyring and Scenic Designer Douglas W. Schmidt, costume and stage backdrop exhibits and awards and competitions.
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Pink high tops sat in front of Haloti Ngata's locker this week. Punter Sam Koch and long snapper Morgan Cox took markers to color their shoes pink.
In summary, pink has seriously taken over the Ravens locker room.
October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, and the Ravens will be decked out for their game Sunday against the Cowboys. They'll have pink shoes, pink laces, pink skull caps, pink gloves, pink wristbands and pink towels. Coaches will wear pink hats.
Of course, everybody supports the cause. But I wondered, what do manly-man football players think of wearing the color pink?
"Oh yeah, I like it," said hard-nosed fullback Vonta Leach. "A real man wears pink. It's a good look and it's for a good cause."
Leach said he wears pink dress shirts and polos outside the job too. I think he's in the minority though.
I went to some other tough guys and got these answers:
Ray Lewis: "We all know pink is a woman's color. It's a good color. I think it blends with our [team] colors pretty well, the purple and pink and black. So, we'll make it work."
Bernard Pollard: "This is football, but we're not thinking any less of a man if [he's] wearing pink. I don't care if I see a guy in pink shoes, pink gloves, pink chin strap."
Marshal Yanda: "Since it's for Breast Cancer Awareness it's not a big deal that it's pink. It doesn't matter to me. I don't give a [crap] what I'm wearing."
Beyond the fashion of it, the players did talk a lot about wanting to support the cause.
Wide receiver Jacoby Jones said he has two aunts that survived breast cancer. He's planning on wearing pink shoes and pink gloves.
"It means something," Jones said. "For my aunts to fight through that and beat it, that's some strong women. So I'll wear it for them."
Lewis, who also knows people dealing with the cancer, said he thinks there should be more done to create awareness about the disease outside of October.
"It's just a way of saying – in this kind of male-dominated football kind of a world – as players and coaches, that, 'Hey, you know what? You [women] mean everything to us,'" Head Coach John Harbaugh said.


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05 Feb 2013, Gareth Morgan, V3
Technology chief executives often quote Chinese military strategist Sun Tzu, famous for his treatise The Art of War - presumably seduced by Tzu's liberal use of buzzwords like "invincibility" and "annihilation".
But it looks as if there's one chief exec, Michael Dell, that's taken an important lesson from military doctrine: the value of a well-ordered retreat.
Dell has struck a deal which will give him the cash - a cool $24.4bn - to take the publicly traded firm that bears his name private.
Given the tech industry's obsession with initial public offerings, it might seem an odd choice to spend money to remove a company from the stock exchange. After all, aren't founders supposed to make billions from floating their companies, not cough up billions to take them private?
But the move makes some sense for Dell, particularly given the ill winds that have been buffeting the firm of late.
The PC market - which Dell is synonymous with - has taken a hammering. Consumers and businesses alike have changed; tablets are where the money is.
And while Dell has been aware of this shift, its transition to an end-to-end supplier of business hardware, software and services will take some time - time that the stock market seems unwilling to give it. Dell's current market cap is $23bn - nearly half what it was in 2008.
Such a slump in value has undoubtedly irked investors - and given the unlikeliness that its stock price is going to rocket any time soon, Michael Dell will be aware his company could risk being broken up by disgruntled shareholders.
Taking the company private will buy Dell some time. And it's a deal that should hold strong appeal to shareholders, providing them with a way to recoup some value for stock that would otherwise be in the doldrums.
As Patrick Moorhead, principal analyst at Moor Insights and Strategy, told V3, in three to five year's time, perhaps when Dell has finalised its restructuring and the tablet frenzy has waned, it could return to the markets.
But if Dell really has gleaned some wisdom from military history, he must also be aware that there's a fine line between a carefully marshalled retreat that allows an army to fight again afresh and one that leads to a permanent withering of power.
Key to determining which road Dell - the company - takes will be its partnership with Microsoft. It has provided a $2bn loan to smooth the path for the deal.
"We will continue to look for opportunities to support partners who are committed to innovating and driving business for their devices and services built on the Microsoft platform," it said in a statement on the loan.
Part of the reason the PC industry is in such a state has been that Microsoft was so slow at responding to the threat from Apple and Google.
The recently-released Windows 8 has yet to convince market watchers that it has done enough to stem the decline of the PC - indeed some PC makers have floated the notion that future growth in PCs will come from Google's Chromebook designs, not Microsoft's Windows ones.
In accepting the $2bn loan, Dell's fate has become inextricably linked with Microsoft's - much in the same way that Nokia has on the phone front.
On the one hand, this triumvirate may have the last laugh. Microsoft, though undoubtedly wounded by the shift to mobile computing, is a big old beast and a fierce competitor.
Dell also looks like it has some time to affect a fightback. Whether it can ever become top dog again, is now, more than ever, dependent on Microsoft getting its own strategy right.
However, as keen military historians will note, the great generals did their best not to rely on allies winning their battles for them. Dell will be hoping otherwise.


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Ever since the release of LEGO Stars Wars back in 2005, its popularity spawned a boatload of other LEGO titles based on popular movie franchises. We’ve seen Harry Potter, Indiana Jones, Pirates of the Caribbean and Batman have their own LEGO-based video games. Now to coincide with the release of the new Hobbit film out later this month, LEGO The Lord of the Rings is out and its directly based on the famous movie trilogy that came out a decade ago.
There have been many video games based on The Lord of the Rings movies/books but none of them have truly captured their greatness correctly. Does LEGO The Lord of the Rings break this curse?


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The year 2018 has been a difficult one for Facebook. Between testifying before both domestic and international courts as well as the bad publicity surrounding the Cambridge Analytica scandal, one would think that Facebook would be careful how it handles and distributes personal information. In an ironic turn of events, leaked documents from Facebook indicted them and had Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook testify before the U.S. Congress in April of this year. Now the world is digging into another data fallout from Facebook. This time, it is how Facebook was selling access to your personal data.
This includes private conversations.
These data sharing deals which Facebook engaged in have been revealed to be especially liberal with their access to personal identifying information (PII). This PII can include everything from your name and email address to your photos, birthdate, and even your private Facebook Messenger texts. The intent was to benefit everyone using Facebook. By having all of that information accessible by the various organizations, ads and marketing campaigns were easier to tailor to their target demographic. The unintended consequence is that this information went far beyond the scope of which most people anticipated and has created an issue which Facebook needs to respond.
Certain companies had unfettered access such as Netflix, Spotify, Microsoft, Amazon, and Yahoo. These companies used that access to harvest PII from Facebook users without the knowledge of the individual. Due to this backlash, some people are looking for a solution to protect their data as well as their digital identity. Those same people have looked at the EU and their sweeping regulation that turned the power and authority of protecting PII back to the individual; the GDPR.
Some have speculated that the GDPR (General Data Privacy Regulation) would be making its way into the United States after its adoption within the EU. The recent Facebook discovery has people looking for its adoption faster than anticipated. It seems that people feel they are able to make decisions about their personal data better than any company or organization would.
Assuming a bill like GDPR is passed in the United States, the next question is how corporations will adopt the new regulation. Organizations in the European Union currently use Data Protection Officers (DPOs) for handling compliance, and many U.S. based companies are actively recruiting DPOs in preparation for what is to come. Fortunately, organizations that have mature IT Asset Management programs already have the professionals needed under their roof. The roles and responsibilities required of a Data Protection Officer are a natural addition for an IT Asset Manager. IT Asset Managers produce policies and processes and utilize best practices that care for software, hardware, and mobile assets. As Data Protection Officers, those practices would extend to personal identifiable information since such information is stored on that those assets.
Social media giants have had unprecedented access to individual information and have shown that it is part of their revenue models. As such, these organizations will begin to feel the constraints of legislation as more and more of these practices are revealed. With any regulation or law, it takes time to trickle down from the public to the private sector. The U.S. version of the GDPR is just the next piece in a long line of legislation that will likely impact domestic organizations in 2019.
 Meredith, Sam. “Facebook-Cambridge Analytica: A Timeline of the Data Hijacking Scandal.” CNBC, CNBC, 10 Apr. 2018, www.cnbc.com/2018/04/10/facebook-cambridge-analytica-a-timeline-of-the-data-hijacking-scandal.html.
 Guynn, Jessica. “Facebook Emails Suggest Company Explored Selling People’s Data despite Pledges Not To.” USA Today, Gannett Satellite Information Network, 5 Dec. 2018, www.usatoday.com/story/news/2018/12/05/facebook-emails-suggest-considered-selling-users-personal-data/2214513002/.
 X, Gabriel J. “As Facebook Raised a Privacy Wall, It Carved an Opening for Tech Giants.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 19 Dec. 2018, www.nytimes.com/2018/12/18/technology/facebook-privacy.html.
 Rashid, Fahmida. “Congress May Consider a U.S. Version of GDPR.” Decipher, 9 Nov. 2018, www.duo.com/decipher/congress-may-consider-a-us-version-of-gdpr.
 IAITAM. “IAITAM’s Predictions for 2019.” IAITAM, 19 Dec. 2018, www.iaitam.org/iaitams-predictions-for-2019/.


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grew its share in the market for NAND memory during the first quarter, while an industrywide slump in demand for the memory chips was less severe than expected.
The global market for NAND chips declined 8% sequentially, with total revenue of $3.2 billion, in the first quarter of 2006, according to industry research firm iSuppli. But that drop was less than the 12% falloff that iSuppli had initially forecast for the quarter. The reason, according to iSuppli, was that prices for NAND chips did not slide as much as expected. Average selling prices for NAND flash declined by 22.5% in the quarter, vs. an expected 28%.
"The limited decrease in ASPs and the strong rise in unit shipments show that the NAND flash market was not as bad as many had expected in the first quarter," said iSuppli analyst Nam Hyung Kim.
NAND flash is a type of memory chip that retains data even when the power is switched off. The technology has proven well-suited to new electronic gadgets such as MP3 players, digital cameras and cell phones.
As sales of MP3 players, particularly
iPod, have slowed in the first quarter, and flash memory companies like
have announced significant price cuts, some industry observers have voiced concerns that a glut of flash chips could be in the making.
"A shipment backlog from the fourth quarter and continued strong demand for embedded flash helped promote overall price stability, and helped compensate for weak demand from the MP3 player and removable-card markets," said Kim, who also noted that weak prices in the spot market did not impact overall average selling prices to a great degree.
And while first-quarter revenue was down 8%, sales were still up 60% from the same time a year ago, according to iSuppli.
Toshiba, the world's second largest producer of NAND flash chips, boosted its share of the market by revenue to 24.6% in the first quarter, a gain of more than five percentage points. The gain owed to Toshiba's less-than-average decline in average selling prices during the quarter.
By contrast, South Korea's
, the No.1 flash maker, saw its share erode from 50.8% in the fourth quarter of 2005 to 48.7% in the first three months of 2006. And
, the third largest NAND producer, lost nearly 2 percentage points of market share, to come in at 14.8%.
iSuppli said that it was sticking with its projection for 28% growing in 2006 NAND flash sales, despite the surprisingly strong first quarter.


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Advanstar's MAGIC Marketplace Shows Strong Growth
Fashion is back en vogue, or at least that was the vibe on the crowded showfloor of Advanstar Communications’ MAGIC Marketplace, the world’s largest trade show for the fashion industry, held Aug. 20-23 at the Las Vegas Convention Center and Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino.
Inspiring several collocated events and numerous parties across town, the biannual event draws global buyers and sellers of the latest trends in men’s, women’s and children’s apparel, swimwear, footwear, accessories and sourcing resources.
"This is our largest show since 2008," said Christopher Griffin, WWDMAGIC vice president. "Our square footage is just at a million square feet. The hotel bookings were up 34 percent.”
He added, “We had a sense that we reached a tipping point in terms of recovery and the show has been phenomenal. In no uncertain terms, fashion is coming out of the recession."
Though specific numbers were unavailable at press time, the event is expected to attract some 81,000 attendees and more than 4,000 of exhibiting companies, according to show organizers.
Last February, it spanned approximately 800,000 square feet and saw around 60,000 attendees and 3,800 of exhibitors.
"What MAGIC offers buyers is very on trend in terms of the shift towards well-designed affordable fashion," Griffin said when talking about the success of the show and its strong comeback after a few tough years, in part thanks to aligning to with the market's demand for democratization of fashion.
FN PLATFORM, the shoe part of the show, also continues to pick up speed in the footwear segment with expected double-digit growth in buyer registration, compared with August 2011, and more than 1,600 exhibitors.
“As international brands continue to see robust retail sales here in the USA, they are attending FN PLATFORM in record numbers to gain market exposure and take advantage of our large retailer audience,”said Leslie Gallin, vice president Footwear for Advanstar. “This August will be our strongest show to date.”
MAGIC Marketplace always pulses with new ideas and initiatives, ranging from Project Love, which highlights brands integrating philanthropy into their business model to social lounges, buzz boutiques, photo studios and live mural painting.
In a true spirit of the fashion week, beautiful images offashion icons Valentino, Cacharel and Alexander McQueen, obtained in collaboration with Condé Nast, lighted up the floor and set atmosphere of a high-profile event. Live fashion shows turned up the energy level and draw crowds.
French department store Galeries Lafayette partnered with Transatlantic to bring an Airstream with the latest in French fashion and parked it in the Heart of Prêt at WWDMAGIC.
U.S. brands also were a center of attention. "There's a strong buzz on the floor about trying to make products in the U.S.A. again," Griffin said.
"Made in America" brands got special recognition with a logo on their booth and U.S. accessories manufacturers showcased their products in a designated pavilion.
Veteran exhibitor Kathy Barrett, president of Kathy Barrett Selections, also noted the pickup in business. The company recently refreshed its product line with bright, catchy purses that were quickly a hit at the show.
Barrett said that although it's good that more buyers come because of all the events during the fashion week, it's important to do pre-show marketing to get the attention of the right people. She added, "You have to be a destination."
First-time attendee Caterina Talbot with Buraquino boutique traveled from Ecuador in search of new products from top brands.
"We came to see Desigual and also discovered several small brands. It has definitely been worth it,” she said.
MAGIC will return Feb 19 – 21 to Las Vegas.


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Likewise, "AWAKE" remains a best-selling CD on Billboard's Top 200 and a top 30 best-seller on iTunes Rock album chart.
As their "Awake & Alive" Tour rolls across the U.S., the band has rocked sold out and capacity crowds in Chicago, Tulsa, Columbus, Boston, Phoenix, Portland, Seattle, Boise, Denver, Minneapolis, Des Moines and more. Skillet recently announced they will be touring with Shinedown and Puddle Of Mudd in January and February 2010. - more on this story
Click here to read today's full report


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Take a look at Netflix if you want some relief from the sea of red in share performances. Over the past week in particular it has performed strongly - up 16 per cent. Take a look at the stock prices of US cable companies and the trajectory has moved in the opposite direction.
The reason is simple. Cable/satellite companies are reliant on sports programming to attract and retain subscribers. In the space of a week that has dried up.
In Australia there is only one cable company of note - News Corporation’s Foxtel. It also owns the streaming service Kayo. Foxtel’s main broadcast platform is highly dependent on sport and Kayo is a sport only service. Far from a picture of corporate health before COVID-19 hit, Foxtel now faces a bigger crisis.
Marquee sports have disappeared as various governments around the world have banned (initially) spectators from attending venues and more recently the actual playing of sports. In Australia the major winter football codes, AFL and the NRL, have cancelled the season games until further notice. It is difficult to imagine that play will resume before the end of winter.
It is almost certain that subscriptions for Foxtel will be hit badly and Kayo, in particular, will experience a massive decline over the period in which the coronavirus affects the playing of professional sport.
Making matters worse, Foxtel’s advertising revenue will likely also fall into a hole. This would be consistent with local media players such as Nine Entertainment (the publisher of this masthead) and Seven West Media, both of which have withdrawn 2020 earnings guidance in recent days, warning of no visibility on forward ad bookings.
Many companies are expected to cut back on advertising as they slash costs to stay afloat as demand for their goods and services falls and the broader economy faces recession. However, Foxtel was in a difficult position before the pandemic surfaced.
It has been operating with the support of its major shareholder, Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation, for a year. Initially, News lent Foxtel $300 million to repay its creditors. The support has since ballooned to $900 million while Foxtel’s other shareholder Telstra has recently come to the party.
In February, Telstra extended Foxtel a $170 million loan in order for Foxtel to pay Telstra the fees it pays for using its cables to deliver pay TV to consumers.
Foxtel’s traditional broadcast business experienced churn of near 16 per cent in the December quarter. And over the past few years it had already been forced to lower its subscription rates to compete with the growing new breed of video streaming companies such as Stan, Netflix, Disney and Prime.
At News Corp’s February second-quarter results briefing the company revealed a surprise slump in subscribers from Kayo. This was supposed to be Foxtel’s growth engine but rather than gaining new customers it lost 32,000 between November 5 and February 5 - an outcome that News Corp boss Robert Thomson blamed on a poor showing from Australian cricket.
Foxtel's broadcast and commercial subscriber base was at 2.268 million as of December 31, down from 2.326 million in the September quarter.
Foxtel Now – a streaming version of Foxtel's traditional broadcast business – had 334,000 paying subscribers as of December 31, down from 375,000 in the previous quarter. Foxtel Now also received a one-off hit from the last season of Game of Thrones in the middle of the year.
For the six months to December News Corp’s earnings from the subscription video segment was down 23 per cent on the same period a year earlier. The unanswerable question is what will happen to subscription numbers when the pandemic is over.
The structural forces that are challenging Foxtel won’t go away. And will those that cancel their subscriptions come back in six months?


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There’s some good and bad news for Tesla out on Tuesday. At the Detroit Auto Show, Tesla execs told reporters that it had delivered 6,900 Model S cars to customers, which is hundreds of more cars than its guidance for the fourth quarter of 2013 of “slightly under 6,000.” The good news pushed up Tesla’s stock to almost $150 per share at one point in morning trading.
Then there’s the less good news. While we reported on Tesla’s decision to issue customers new charging adapters and an over-the-air software update for chargers, the New York Times reports that the move was actually an official voluntary recall, and publishes Tesla’s letter to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The recall affected 29,222 Model S cars, which means that’s probably how many cars Tesla has shipped in total (not including the Roadster).
But even though its a recall, Tesla says customers don’t have to bring in their cars to the dealership, and the software update takes care of any problem. Wireless networks and software are delivering a new era for the connected car, and Tesla is at the forefront of that.


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After four years of “struggling,” Hyundai Canada is reviving sales and dealers’ confidence in the company’s efforts to transform its image from a manufacturer of inexpensive cars to a formidable player in the utility and luxury-vehicle segments, said CEO Don Romano.
“We finally turned the corner [in 2018] starting in January, but with greater acceleration in the summer and [into] the fall,” said Romano, who took over the helm in 2014.
Hyundai sold 127,839 vehicles in 2018, a 1.4-per-cent decline over the same period last year. According to the Automotive News Data Center in Detroit, December sales fell 5.5 per cent compared to December 2017.
The year-to-date decline was not unexpected, Romano said.
“This was our plan as we reduced incentives, reduced fleet, focused on residual and brand improvement.
“We achieved all targets as planned. In June, the sales began exceeding the prior year and outpacing the industry, which has been declining year over year. We also did not rely on fleet sales to bolster our sales figures like many other manufacturers.”
Dealer satisfaction also is on the rise, he said.
“Our customer service jumped from 12th to fifth [in the Canadian Automobile Dealers Association Dealer Satisfaction Index rating]. Our residuals have skyrocketed and our brand metrics are at record levels.”
Dennis DesRosiers, president of DesRosiers Automotive Consultants, said the automaker’s shift toward the small-utility segment with products such as the Kona subcompact and redesigned Santa Fe compact is offsetting steep declines in passenger-car sales.
“They struggled for a number of years because they were too car focused and not enough SUV and CUV focused,” DesRosiers said. “They’ve been able to better address that in the last few years. They’re playing closer to what the consumer wants to buy.”
Gaining dealer trust in the company’s strategy was crucial, said Romano.
Shortly after his appointment, he visited individual dealerships to promote corporate changes. Hyundai Auto Canada Corp., would be launching its “Signature Certification,” designed to improve customer-service handling processes in sales and service, and bringing in a captive-finance company, Hyundai Capital Canada, to provide leasing options. There were also plans to overhaul online sales and service infrastructure.
“The initial impact [on dealers] was like giving them a drink of water through a fire hose,” Romano said.
A few months later at a dealer conference in Las Vegas, Nev., Hyundai executives presented the company’s global plans to modernize showrooms and upgrade facilities to a skeptical audience.
“A number of dealers in the audience were clearly concerned. It was a big turnoff to a lot of [them] and I totally understand why, but I explained to them that I do have a plan and it is going to grow; not only grow in size but grow in image and people are no longer going to look at Hyundai as a company that makes these inexpensive cars, but a company that builds worldclass cars.
“Now the (dealers) are like, ‘yeah, it’s coming together. I get it. I know why you had us do it.’ I’m finally getting them to fully embrace the direction.”
John Kot, Hyundai National Dealer Council chairman, said Romano has won over dealers.
“I think at the start, dealers weren’t quite sure about the return on investment,” said Kot, who is alsp president of Kot Auto Group in Kelowna, B.C. “Since then, Don has done a good job of getting a buy-in on what the mission is and what the new facilities are going to do for the brand and take it to a buyer who is looking more for a modern look.
He came in when things were going pretty good, but Hyundai knew it wasn’t sustainable and that they had to do a real wholesale change to go to the next level.”
Shahin Alizadeh, president and CEO of Downtown Automotive Group in Toronto, which sells Hyundai and Genesis vehicles, credited Romano with giving dealers a clearer view of how they’re performing by introducing benchmarks that go beyond sales.
“What he has done in terms of creating such things as key performance indicators for us as a clear point of reference of how we’re gauged and assessed as a partner in the process has been very effective,” Alizadeh said. “I told him I think other [automakers] should probably follow suit in creating those KPIs because the dealer/manufacturer relationship is very foggy.
“Will he accomplish everything he sets out to do? Probably not. At the end of the day, there’s other powers at Hyundai that have an impact on how he operates. Within the context of the Canadian market I’m sure he has a lot of power and clout, but beyond his scope there are decisions that he may not share. That’s just the way corporate global manufacturers work.”


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Tesco recalls ’unsafe’ grated cheese as it could contain pieces of plastic
and live on Freeview channel 276
A warning has been issued to Tesco shoppers as an item that could contain small pieces of plastic has been recalled. Tesco issued the warning on January 27 as a batch of Creamfields grated cheese could contain clear plastic ‘making it unsafe to eat.’
The product recall was posted on the Tesco website. The website states: “We’re recalling one date code of Tesco Creamfields grated cheddar 500g. This is because it may contain small pieces of clear, soft plastic which could make the product unsafe to eat.”
One batch of the Creamfields cheese which has a best-before date of March 23 has been affected. Customers who have bought products from the affected batch are advised not to eat them and return them to a Tesco store where a full refund will be given. No receipt is required.
The product recall does not state how plastic may have entered the product. The alert is one of a number issued by the supermarketover the past few months.
A pair of beeline stud earrings were also recalled at the start of December for containing an illegal amount of nickel, and a batch of AERO hot chocolate was recalled in November as they could contain a small amount of food-grade silica beads. A batch of Wicked vegan ravioli was also recalled as it could contain small pieces of metal.


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(PRESS RELEASE) -- Rafi Ashkenazi has been named chief executive officer of the Rational Group, Amaya Inc.’s online gaming division which includes the PokerStars and Full Tilt brands, the company announced today.
Ashkenazi is an experienced gaming industry executive and joined the Rational Group in January 2013 as Chief Operating Officer, responsible for all customer-facing product and back-office functions for PokerStars and Full Tilt including marketing, customer support, poker room management, IT management, payment processing & security, and game integrity.
Earlier this year Ashkenazi became Senior Vice President of Strategy for Amaya Inc., reporting to Amaya CEO David Baazov.
Prior to joining the Rational Group, Ashkenazi was Chief Operating Officer of Playtech, a global gaming software company.
“Rafi has been working very closely this year with our executive management team and returns to Rational Group with an even greater knowledge of our corporate strategy, vision and goals,” said Baazov. “Combining this knowledge with his operational expertise makes him an ideal leader for the Rational Group.”
“I look forward to re-joining the excellent team at Rational Group and working with them to continue to extend our leadership in online gaming,” Ashkenazi said. “We have great opportunities in the near future with our upcoming launch in New Jersey, the expansion of our casino and sports-betting businesses and our mission to grow the poker category.”
Ashkenazi assumes his role on November 9 and interim CEO Michael Hazel will assist during a brief transition period before departing the company. Rational Group Chief Operating Officer Israel Rosenthal and Director of Business Development and Strategy Guy Templer will continue in their roles and report to Ashkenazi. All three executives are based in the Isle of Man.


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Even while parent company News Corp. continues to try to disrupt the Microsoft/Yahoo merger, Fox Interactive Media (FIM) is rumored to be in negotiations with Microsoft take Google’s place as the MySpace advertising partner.
To recap, then: Microsoft wants to buy up Yahoo. It’s a hostile takeover bid.
Yahoo is resistant to becoming part of the Evil Empire.
Yahoo begins round the clock negotiations with FOX Interactive to find a way to make a deal work with them to keep Microsoft away.
But before all this happened, FOX Interactive (owners of MySpace) made a deal with Google for advertising on the heavily-trafficked social network web site with some of the worst design in post-millenium history.
Now, FOX is considering pulling out of their deal with Google to make a better deal with Microsoft for ad revenue, while at the same time trying to work a deal with Yahoo to prevent Yahoo from having to sell themselves to Microsoft.
I can’t tell you how much I’m enjoying this soap opera. It’s almost as much fun as watching the fall of HD-DVD — a technology Microsoft championed.


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Interessant artikel in Stuart Elliott’s column in de New York Times van 10 oktober:
As the Wachovia Corporation considers its ad spending for 2006, James J. Garrity, chief marketing officer, said in an interview, discussions include “spending more on public relations, significantly more on online and more in ‘viral’ or ‘buzz’ marketing” – as well as “less on traditional broadcast TV.”
The interest in buzz marketing was piqued by a recent test in several small markets of a promotion carrying the theme “What is it?,” Mr. Garrity said. The promotion included bank employees wearing “What is it?” T-shirts washing windows of cars as they drove up to drive-in tellers.
When consumers asked what “it” was, employees replied, “Customer service,” he added, giving them a chance to discuss Wachovia products and services.


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The ‘social’ aspect of social media was taken to the next level in 2020, ever since the COVID-19 pandemic started. This pandemic gave us no choice but to stay away from indoor venues and restrict ourselves to small groups. On top of that, these restrictions increased the amount of social media activity online and resulted in some unexpected behavioral shifts. For individuals who manage social media accounts, the current situation might be what you need to reach your target audience effectively.
Social Commerce Now More Relevant Than Ever
Since the dawn of social media, people have been questioning social media ROI. Numerous marketers want to determine whether it is better to advertise to a large audience on Twitter or TikTok. This 2021, this particular social media race would probably become even more intense, considering that marketers would use a broader social media set to connect services and products to customers. The new purchase options embedded within posts, live streams, and stories allow customers to buy things easier than ever before. Moreover, more individuals are developing stay-at-home behavior, which reinforces this environment further.
The Public Would Likely Ask for Platform Accountability Soon
Even though technological consolidation continues to occur over the years, industry and academic experts wonder whether social media platforms control the public discourse too much or not. One great example is the situation Facebook is currently facing. The federal anti-trust investigation undergoing could result in Instagram and WhatsApp becoming separate companies. Getting a resolution regarding this matter is unlikely this year, but the ongoing media coverage will discuss several social media platform topics, including their operational transparency, societal influences, and how their users feel about their experiences. Businesses should not overlook the social media platforms they use, since these platforms give an insight into their impact on real-world events. The responses can influence how customers perceive your organization’s association with the platform as well.
Social Media Will Compete for Marketer Budget and Attention
This social media competition is comparable to delaying a highly anticipated prizefight. All media platforms, such as podcasts and streaming, offer an ad service. These include Spotify’s services that intend to appeal to podcasters. Simply put, a wide range of choices are fighting for the attention of struggling marketers and customers. Expect that social media platforms will do everything they can to prove that they can help you achieve the best ROI for sales and ad spend.
Protecting Brand Image Will Remain Challenging
The participation rate exhibited by brands in the political arena increased throughout 2020. However, some of them found themselves in risky newsjacking, which involves joining conversations online. Brand accountability will remain relevant in 2021 as issues concerning misinformation and public outcries ensue. Fortunately, there is a way to work around these challenges related to brand image. Marketers must remember these two responsibilities to keep brand accountability effective:
- Understand the social concerns of their target customers.
- Have a backup plan on how and when to share their thoughts to prevent damage to brand image.


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Despite heavy rains on Saturday, shoppers from around Owensboro-Daviess County "shopped small" in recognition of the 10th annual Small Business Saturday.
Small Business Saturday was created by American Express in 2010 in the face of the recession to encourage people to Shop Small and ultimately bring more holiday shopping revenue to small businesses.
Cape Air, Old Hickory Bar-B-Q, Shoe Stop, Nick T. Arnold Jewelers, Willow Tree, J's Liquors and Gene's Health Food were among 45 businesses that participated in what has become a national movement that is an opportunity for locals to support their area's respective small businesses and allow business owners to show their gratitude to the community, said Karissa Costello, co-owner of Gene's Health Food.
"We love the opportunity to showcase all that we have to offer for the community," she said. "It is also a great opportunity for us to be able to show our appreciation to the community for continuing to support us and allowing us to grow. Despite the weather, we had a great turnout. We have had coupons out there, and we had many items for sale throughout the store as well. Lots of people brought their bags in and came to check us out after seeing us and our coupons in the paper. Our deli was extremely popular, but it always does well on Saturdays and every day. We have a full deli in the back that offers a wide variety of delicious food items."
Among the shoppers at Gene's Health Food were Owensboro natives Lucy Kurtz and Annabel Moore. Kurtz, who is attending the University of Louisville, and Moore, who is attending Bellarmine University, meet at Gene's deli when they are home for break in what has become a tradition for the two childhood friends. Aside from supporting Gene's, Moore had been with her sister and mother through much of the morning and early afternoon to cash in on many of the bargains and sales happening around town.
"We went to Bella Ragazza Boutique and Embellish," she said. "They had a large percentage off of everything, there were pretty good sales all around town."
Set on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, the Shop Small movement has reached roughly $103 billion in spending since its inception in 2010, according to American Express and continues to grow as Small Business Saturday has become more of a household name.
Shoe Stop, which is running sales all weekend, has been in business for 21 years and has been a part of the "shop small" movement since its inception, said Julie Shively Mcdonald, Shoe Stop manager.
"It was a bit soft this morning, but a lot of that had to do with the weather," she said. "We have been running a sale all weekend, but this particular day does tend to get busier later in the day."
She, like many small-business leaders involved in Shop Small, believe that it is an important day for not only the small business owner, but for the people of the community, she said.
"Small Business Saturday is extremely important," she said. "I think small business is the backbone of the community, and I believe that people do talk about it and come out to show their support, not on just Small Business Saturday, but most days of the year. I believe community members go out of their way to support their local businesses and local business owners."
Jacob Mulliken, 270-228-2837, email@example.com


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The Apple Watch can accurately detect hypertension and sleep apnea, a new study suggests
A new study out from health startup Cardiogram and the University of California San…
Apple – TechCrunch
by Gadget Rumors ·
Gadget Rumours is Addicted to Technology News, Coolest Gadgets, Latest Rumors, Smart phones News, Android and iOS Latest Apps and News, Computer and Software News, .
by Gadget Rumors · Published June 6, 2017
by Gadget Rumors · Published January 15, 2018
by Gadget Rumors · Published February 7, 2018


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CORAL GABLES — The Hurricanes have a preseason top-10 ranking, sky-high expectations and now, environmentally-conscious uniforms that, they hope, will not only raise awareness about pollution in the oceans, but raise funds for Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science.
On Monday, Miami and its apparel outfitter adidas unveiled a set of alternate uniforms the Hurricanes will wear for their Sept. 2 season opener against LSU that are described as “the first-ever football uniforms featuring repurposed and upcycled materials.” The uniforms were designed in conjunction with Parley for the Oceans, a nonprofit organization that “addresses major threats towards our oceans.”
After wearing the new uniforms in their nationally-televised opener, the Hurricanes will auction them off with the proceeds going toward the Rosenstiel School, Miami said in a statement.
“Our players and staff are excited to wear the new adidas Parley jerseys and gear for our season opener. We’re also excited that adidas and Parley are teaming up with UM to help promote sustainability around the world,” Miami coach Mark Richt said in a statement. “Community service has always been an integral part of our football program, and this partnership with adidas and Parley helps us continue those efforts.”
This marks the second time this month that Miami and adidas have unveiled new uniforms for the Hurricanes. A couple weeks ago, the school and its apparel outfitter debuted a modified jersey for the Hurricanes that will include the Miami “U” logo on the collar and new block-style lettering on the nameplates.
According to a joint statement released by adidas and Miami, these special edition adidas x Parley A1 uniforms are “composed of over 70% regenerated ECONYL® yarn; a raw material transformed from fishing nets and other nylon waste intercepted in marine environments.”
That material is then reworked into fibers that “create the material framework of a durable, yet breathable fabric that is optimal for adidas performance apparel.”
Along with the uniforms, the Hurricanes will wear gloves and cleats made of recycled materials, with adidas noting it will mark the first time eco-conscious footwear will be worn in an NCAA football game.
"The Miami Hurricanes are thrilled to partner with adidas and Parley to wear the first ever college football uniforms made from repurposed Parley materials,” UM athletic director Blake James said in the statement announcing the uniforms. “The City of Miami – and the University of Miami – are forever linked to the ocean. Our Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science on Virginia Key is one of the world’s foremost centers for oceanographic and atmospheric research.
"This partnership gives our student-athletes an opportunity to make a difference in our community by promoting sustainability efforts on campus, around South Florida – and across the globe.”


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Associated British Foods plc’s (ABF) Overweight Rating Reiterated at JPMorgan Chase & Co.
JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated their overweight rating on shares of Associated British Foods plc (LON:ABF) in a research report report published on Monday, StockTargetPrices.com reports. The firm currently has a GBX 3,300 ($43.08) price target on the stock.
Other equities analysts also recently issued reports about the company. Barclays PLC reissued an equal weight rating and set a GBX 2,800 ($36.55) price objective on shares of Associated British Foods plc in a research report on Friday, July 8th. HSBC reissued a buy rating and set a GBX 3,300 ($43.08) price objective on shares of Associated British Foods plc in a research report on Wednesday, August 10th. Berenberg Bank downgraded Associated British Foods plc to a hold rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from GBX 2,760 ($36.03) to GBX 3,000 ($39.16) in a research report on Wednesday, August 31st. Societe Generale reissued a hold rating on shares of Associated British Foods plc in a research report on Tuesday, June 28th. Finally, Liberum Capital reissued a buy rating and set a GBX 3,600 ($46.99) price objective on shares of Associated British Foods plc in a research report on Monday, July 11th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have issued a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. The company has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of GBX 3,056.29 ($39.89).
Associated British Foods plc (LON:ABF) opened at 2706.00 on Monday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is GBX 2,940.73 and its 200 day moving average is GBX 3,004.91. The company’s market capitalization is GBX 21.37 billion. Associated British Foods plc has a one year low of GBX 1,910.00 and a one year high of GBX 3,606.00.
In related news, insider Reid ,Richard acquired 3,347 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 13th. The shares were acquired at an average price of GBX 2,820 ($36.81) per share, with a total value of £94,385.40 ($123,202.45). Also, insider Hauser,Wolfhart acquired 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 7th. The shares were bought at an average cost of GBX 2,659 ($34.71) per share, for a total transaction of £53,180 ($69,416.53).
About Associated British Foods plc
Associated British Foods plc is a diversified international food, ingredients and retail group with sales. The Company operates in 47 countries across Europe, southern Africa, the Americas, Asia and Australia. The Company operates in five segments, including Sugar, Agriculture, Retail, Grocery and Ingredients.
Receive News & Ratings for Associated British Foods plc Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Associated British Foods plc and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.


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Special interest groups are turning the tax reform debate up to 11, but it's time to accept that we're not really going to pay less in taxes next year.
Instead, we worry about where our politicians will hide the new taxes they plan to impose on us.
The Republican majority loves to claim it is going to slash government spending, but it knows now better than anyone that cutting Medicare and Social Security, which make up most of the federal budget, is politically impossible. After all, we've been paying into those programs our entire working lives and expect to get the benefits we paid for.
The dilemma, then, is where to raise the $1 trillion needed to slash tax rates for the next decade.
Houston-area Rep. Kevin Brady, the Republican chair of the House Ways and Means Committee, is pushing his tax overhaul plan nicknamed the House Blueprint. The key revenue generator is a border adjustment tax that allows U.S. companies to export goods tax-free while levying a 20 percent tax on imported goods.
Supporters say the border tax will encourage U.S. manufacturing, allow U.S. companies to repatriate foreign profits and discourage corporate relocations overseas. Consumers need not worry about companies raising the price for imported goods by 20 percent because some economists think the tax will raise the value of the dollar by 20 percent, offsetting the tax.
A special interest group calling itself the American Made Coalition - a name that should immediately arouse suspicion - has launched an advertising campaign to promote the House Blueprint.
"We believe that Rep. Kevin Brady understands the importance of reforming our tax code in a way that incentivizes investment in the United States and the production of American goods, in American towns, by American workers," John Gentzel, a coalition spokesman, said in a statement dripping with patriotism. "Meanwhile, opponents of the blueprint are trying to stop tax reform and keep the current broken tax system that puts American workers at a disadvantage."
Well, not really. Retailers, multinational manufacturers, oil refiners and agricultural companies all have blasted the House Blueprint, but not because they like the current tax system, which is atrociously complicated and chock full of perverse incentives.
They are calling out the magical thinking that suggests the world's reserve currency will jump 20 percent in value to perfectly offset the border tax. While value-added taxes imposed in other nations did lead to shifts in the exchange rate, economists at the nonpartisan Peterson Institute for International Economics warn that taxation is not the primary factor determining the dollar's value, the border tax is significantly different from a VAT, and no country has imposed such a large import tax before.
"The problem is, there's great uncertainty about how in reality markets would really respond," Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen warned Congress in February.
Yet even if the dollar did spike in value and offset the value of the tax, a more valuable dollar would make U.S. exports 20 percent more expensive and hurt companies that rely on foreign trade.
President Donald Trump recognized the importance of U.S. exports when he told the Wall Street Journal last week that the dollar is already too strong. And don't forget that 18.5 percent of Texas' GDP comes from exports, and that Houston businesses export more goods than any other U.S. city.
That's why conservative groups like Freedom Partners and Americans for Prosperity have launched a campaign denouncing the House Blueprint.
So, what's the alternative? Well, if Trump really wants bipartisan tax reform, a carbon tax is a perfect solution.
The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates that a $20-a-ton tax on carbon dioxide emissions would raise $1.2 trillion over a decade and result in an 8 percent reduction in emissions. James A. Baker III, George Shultz, Henry Paulson and other establishment Republicans, who acknowledge the reality of climate change, have proposed a $40-a-ton tax that would be coupled with cuts in environmental regulations, potentially generating $2.4 trillion.
A $40-a-ton tax would add about 10 cents to a gallon of gas and add a penny to each kilowatt of fossil fuel-produced electricity. But Americans could offset the higher prices by reducing their consumption or improving energy efficiency.
The best part is that Exxon Mobil, Royal Dutch Shell, Exelon and many other major energy companies support a carbon tax. Most Democrats, who are adamantly opposed to a border tax, would also sign on.
Brady and House Speaker Paul Ryan, though, oppose a carbon tax because they fear angering consumers and energy-intensive businesses. They prefer hiding the border tax in the price for retail goods so that voters will get angry with Target and Wal-Mart, not with them.
Make no mistake, you and I will pay for the tax overhaul one way or another. The only question is, how transparently do you want to pay for it?


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Thursday, March 17, 2016
Four SoCal Startups That Thrived Despite--or Because Of--Economic Downturns
There has been a lot of worry recently in the high tech industry and from venture investors about "headwinds" in the technology market, particularly with valuations of "unicorn" companies dropping, investors shying away from investing in rounds, and even employees looking for safer jobs. However, if history is any lesson, downturns actually have created some of Southern California's most successful technology companies, whether through forcing those companies to swizzle their business models, by removing competition from the market, or even spurring customers to more readily adopt their products to save money. Here are three Southern California startups who thrived despite--or maybe even because of--downturns.
Perry Wallack, the CFO of Cornerstone OnDemand, recently talked at the Recurring Revenue Conference, describing how the company was looking for funding in the worst possible market--after the downturn in 2008--and struggled trying to find an investor, finally raising a round in March of 2009. Just two years later, in 2010, the company had a successful IPO.
Lynda.com (www.lynda.com): Right after 9/11, the startup's founders, Lynda Weinman and Bruce Heavin, had a huge problem: the economy was tanking, and their former business---running a school teaching computer skills--went into the tank, so they were forced to reinvented themselves, and started selling their content online at Lynda.com; that decision was momentous, and allowed the company to bootstrap itself to double digit revenues. The company was eventually acquired by LinkedIn for $1.5 billion.
GoToMyPC.com: As John Greathouse, a local investor and advisor--who helped start GoToMyPC describes, during the high-tech recession of 2001 - 2003, GoToMyPC sold a substantial number of licenses of its software, specifically due to customers looking for ways to save money during the recession. GoToMyPC was then acquired by Citrix for $225M in 2003.
LowerMyBills.com: LowerMyBills.com, Matt Coffin, the founder of LowerMyBills, has described how the company almost was unable to meet payroll, and at one point, not one investor here or in Silicon Valley would even talk to the company, and it was nearly shut down by its venture bank and fored into bankruptcy; the company eventually sold for $330M to Experian Interactive.
Are there other companies that thrived because specifically because of a down turn in the economy we've missed? Let us know!
Photo courtesy of Got Credit.


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US STOCKS-Apple, other tech stocks weigh on Wall St
* Apple slumps after revenue forecast misses expectations
* Microsoft, Yahoo lower after results disappoint
* Housing stocks climb after home sales data
* Indexes down: Dow 0.36 pct, S&P 0.16 pct, Nasdaq 0.55 pct (Updates to late afternoon)
By Chuck Mikolajczak
July 22 (Reuters) - Wall Street declined on Wednesday as the technology sector fell on disappointing results from giants including Apple, but major indexes were off earlier lows.
Apple shares slumped 4.6 percent to $124.80, a day after the iPhone maker's revenue forecast for the fourth quarter fell below expectations, putting the stock on track for its biggest percentage drop since January 2014.
The world's largest publicly-traded company was the biggest drag on all three major indexes and contributed nearly 40 points to the Dow's overall decline. The S&P technology sector fell 1.6 percent as the worst performing of the 10 major S&P sectors.
Microsoft dropped 4.2 percent to $45.29 after reporting its biggest-ever quarterly loss, as the company wrote down its Nokia phone business and demand fell for its Windows operating system. Continuación...


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The 2015-2016 cruise ship season at Costa Rica’s Caribbean port of Limón officially ended Friday with a total of 107 cruise ship arrivals from October to March. That’s a nearly 60 percent increase over the previous season, the Atlantic Port Authority (JAPDEVA) reported.
The vast majority of those ships came from the U.S. but the port authority also recorded arrivals from European cruise ships.
Officials also reported a preliminary figure of 182,065 tourists arriving on cruise ships during that period, and they estimate the final comparison with the 2014-2015 season will show an important spike in tourists, JAPDEVA’s cruise ship department director, Rita Ramírez, said.
JAPDEVA officials believe the positive numbers are a direct result of two main factors, principally the government’s efforts to attract more cruise ship companies. The second factor is the inclusion of Costa Rica as an official boarding port for tourists after 20 years as a stopover on cruise routes in the Caribbean.
The inclusion of Costa Rica as a boarding port added a total of 20,015 tourists — most of them Ticos — who boarded cruise ships at Limón’s docks. Previously, local tourists had to fly to ports in Panama, Mexico or Florida to board cruise ships.
Benefits for Limón
The recently ended cruise season also represented a boost to Limon’s economy. JAPDEVA’s preliminary review states that the increase in cruise ship activity generated nearly 150 new direct jobs and some 1,000 indirect ones.
The agency also said that in recent months it has received many reports of improved sales for restaurants, bars, tour operators, transport companies and even local artisans who offer their souvenirs at the docks and surrounding areas.
Tourism Minister Mauricio Ventura said the government is making an effort to boost the cruise ship industry, which had seen a decrease in recent years.
Ventura also said that a mission from the Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association will arrive in Costa Rica on June 8 to discuss ways to further promote the cruise industry here. The group will hold meetings with government and city officials, and also with tourism leaders and business owners.
The 2016-2017 cruise ship season begins on October 8.


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The worst thing about the catalog business is the cost of printing and mailing all those catalogs.
So you’d think that catalog companies would drive all their sales online, and cut back on or eliminate print catalogs altogether.
According to the Associated Press (11/26/06), L.L. Bean expects to mail a staggering quarter of a billion catalogs this year — up 50 million from the 200 million they mailed 2 years ago.
Reason: “It is the best way for us to get lasting impressions in front of our customers,” says Bean spokesman Rich Donaldson.
“Most customers hang onto catalogs for weeks, using them for reference, making them far more valuable than Web-based marketing,” concludes the AP report.
So are print catalogs here to stay?
Or is this only a temporary reprieve, until the generation being born today — who are growing up with computers and the Internet, not print, as their primary information source — comes of age?


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The American, Canadian and Ontario governments are understandably obsessed with the problems of the North American automotive industry.
In both countries, bailout packages for the Detroit Three have been the major proposals for dealing with the threat of corporate bankruptcies, and the massive job and income losses that would follow in their wake.
It is true that the Detroit Three have not been as light-footed and as nimble as their Asian and European competitors, but that story has been oversold.
The main problem facing the North American industry is the recession and the credit crisis, not poor management, high labour costs or high oil prices. The cars and light trucks produced by the Detroit Three are not selling because times are bad, not because their products are so much inferior to those manufactured by competitors.
Last month, U.S. President George W. Bush reluctantly set out a $17.4 billion bailout package for the U.S. industry. The next day, Canada and Ontario followed with their own $4 billion package.
The overall rescue package, however, might end up costing the U.S. as much as $50 billion, with Canada ultimately contributing as much as $10 billion to $15 billion.
While these funds may or may not keep the firms alive, they will not sell any additional vehicles. Alongside incentives for these firms to restructure and avoid bankruptcy, governments must also develop a consumer stimulus program to encourage the purchase of North American-produced cars and trucks.
Instead of just handing the Detroit Three from $21 billion to $60 billion to restructure as the sole solution to their dilemma, we propose diverting some of these funds into a U.S.-Canada scheme to sell more cars and trucks.
Our consumer incentive would give any Canadian or American who owns a car or light truck that is more than 10 years old the option of trading in that vehicle for a new Canadian- or American-built vehicle.
In turn, the consumer would receive a bonus of up to $10,000 for the purchase of the new vehicle. The old car or truck would have to be junked so as not to increase the environmental damage of having both old and newer, more energy-efficient cars on the road.
This plan would be a fit with the Conservatives' ideas on the environment as set out in their 2007 budget. That budget included a rebate for the purchase of energy-efficient cars (since repealed), and a small amount to get polluting vehicles off the road.
Our consumer incentive plan is also consistent with the Clean Air Foundation proposal but with a much greater incentive, both to get rid of old polluting cars and to sell new vehicles. The foundation's plan, which has been in effect for several years, concentrates on the environment; our proposal acts to stimulate economic recovery through the sale of new vehicles but with an even more positive effect on the environment.
Our proposal requires an incentive bonus that is not just larger than the trade-in value of the old car but something substantially more in order to encourage the purchase of new vehicles. The junked vehicle would have to have been owned by the individual for at least two or three years and licensed and insured by that individual for the same period.
The list of eligible new cars would be limited to those with the highest Canadian-American content and highest environmental efficiency standards. That could include vehicles made in Canada and the U.S. by other automobile companies but only those with very high Canada/U.S. content in terms of design, parts, assembly, etc.
Setting the scheme as an environmental initiative would likely avoid any objections from the World Trade Organization.
Our plan would not only sell more cars and light trucks but would also keep Canadian and American employees working. As well, it would have the positive environmental effect of getting older, gas-guzzling, polluting cars off the road.
This plan would also help lower-income families most, as the majority of cars 10 years or older are owned by low-income individuals and families. Our scheme would also be of great benefit to car dealers and parts makers.
The consumer incentive program could be phased-in, with cars more than 15 years old being the first ones eligible in the first two months of the program, then 14-year-old cars eligible in the next two months and, finally, 10-year-old cars eligible in months 11 and 12. The object of such a program should be to sell an additional 5 million cars and trucks.
Could such a program be undertaken by Canada alone?
It might be possible, but its economic impact would be far more effective if it were simultaneously introduced by both countries. A North American program would not just sell cars and trucks but would also bring the Detroit Three back to profitability and allow them to reorganize and restructure their production.
And it would have the further effect of improving the environment, keeping North American workers working and helping consumers.
Merely throwing money, even calling it loans, at the automobile companies would result in none of these positive effects. And the prospect of repayment of those loans seems remote unless there is a burst of sales of new Detroit-made vehicles.
Finally, we are not opposed to bailing out the Detroit Three – it's in our self-interest to do so.
But we also recognize that leveraging consumers with some of the bailout money to buy new vehicles has to be part of the solution.
Doug Peters is a former chief economist of the Toronto Dominion Bank. Arthur Donner is a Toronto-based economic consultant.


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Tria Beauty Inc. said it is postponing its planned initial public offering of stock, which had been expected to price this week, citing market conditions.
"The current volatility of the stock market and ongoing global economic instability do not provide an attractive environment for us to price this transaction at this time," Chief Executive Kevin Appelbaum said.
Tria creates at-home, light-based skincare products, such as a hair removal laser and a skin clarifying system that uses blue-light therapy for mild to moderate inflammatory acne.
The company said it expects to continue evaluating the timing of the planned IPO.
Earlier this month, Tria Beauty had released estimated terms for an IPO of 4.6 million common shares and said it expected the stock to price in an estimated range between $13 a share and $15 a share.
The company had filed plans in January with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for an estimated IPO of up to $86.3 million to fund sales and marketing initiatives, research and development activities, debt repayment and other general corporate purposes.


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Narcan: FDA Allows Opioid Overdose Drug to Be Sold Over The Counter
Share on Pinterest Naloxone is often known by its name brand Narcan. Scott Olson/Getty ImagesNaloxone, more commonly known by its brand name Narcan, is a drug used to reverse some of the effects of opioid overdose. The FDA says the drug can now be sold over the counter. The American Medical Association (AMA) and the American Pharmacists Association support making naloxone more widely available to help save lives.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the opioid-antidote naloxone known by its brand name Narcan to be sold over the counter (OTC).
The news comes as drug-overdose deaths have hit record highs in the U.S.
Todays approval of OTC naloxone nasal spray will help improve access to naloxone, increase the number of locations where its available and help reduce opioid overdose deaths throughout the country, FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert M. Califf said in a statement. We encourage the manufacturer to make accessibility to the product a priority by making it available as soon as possible and at an affordable price.
A panel of advisors to the FDA unanimously voted in February to recommend that naloxone or Narcan nasal spray be sold over the counter (OTC).
The panel consisted of the Nonprescription Drugs Advisory Committee and the Anesthetic and Analgesic Drug Products Advisory Committee.
Naloxone, more commonly known by its brand name Narcan, is a drug used to reverse some of the effects of opioid overdose. How Narcan works
Naloxone or Narcan can be given through a nasal spray or through injection into muscle, under the skin, or directly into a vein.
Narcan then binds with the opioid receptors which then blocks the ability of fentanyl and other opioids to bind with these receptors. As a result, if a persons breathing is slowing or has stopped due to an opioid overdose, Narcan can help reverse that dangerous sympom.
Since naloxone only works for a short period of time, anyone who has overdosed needs medical attention even after the administration of naloxone. It has no effects on those who have not taken an opioid.
The American Medical Association (AMA) and the American Pharmacists Association support making naloxone more widely available in order to save lives.
Dr. Bobby Mukkamala, Chair of the AMA Substance Use and Pain Care Task Force, said the AMA supported the FDA in their approval of Narcan.
While government decisions are often incremental, FDAs decision will transform how we compassionately and logically respond to the overdose epidemic, Mukkamala said in a statement. More lives will be saved when naloxone is easily available at grocery stores and pharmacies. If it werent for naloxone, there would be tens of thousands more Americans dying from opioid overdose, including those related to illicitly manufactured fentanyl. What it means to buy Narcan OTC?
By making naloxone available for OTC use, it can be purchased without the need for a pharmacist or medical professional to dispense it.
Dr. Tucker Woods, the chair of the emergency department and associate medical director of Lenox Health Greenwich Village, board certified in addiction medicine, said in a previous interview making naloxone available OTC could be a huge help in fighting the rise of deadly overdoses.
We are currently experiencing the highest number of opioid overdose deaths that the country has ever seen, Woods said. Naloxone is an extremely effective medication that reverses an opioid overdose; in other words, naloxone is an antidote to opioid overdose. Previously naloxone was only available with a prescription. By making it available as an over-the-counter medication, we will be able to expand access and get naloxone into more hands. This is an effective public health approach that will ultimately save more lives given the scope of the opioid epidemic.
If people learn how to spot the signs of overdose and what to do next, having easily available naloxone could mean that anyone can take steps to save the life of a person experiencing a potentially deadly overdose. A 2020 study took 710 adults and trained them to recognize the signs of opioid overdose as well as when and how to administer naloxone (through nasal spray or injection). The researchers found that almost 80% were able to understand and implement the training when needed. Record high number of deaths
Fatalities related to opioids have reached record highs in recent years.
An estimated 80,250 people died from opioid overdose in 2021.
To combat these rising rates the FDA has taken steps to help improve access to life-saving medication like naloxone.
These include increasing the shelf life of naloxone from 24 months to 36 months and requiring manufacturers of any medication containing opioids to include information about naloxone in medication prescription information.
They have also recommended that anyone currently taking an opioid pain reliever have a prescription for naloxone as well.
Several different things need to be done to ready naloxone for OTC use. A drug facts label that explains the dose per nasal spray or autoinjector and what is the active ingredient must be prepared. Pictograms describing how to use naloxone and when also may be added.


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It was only last week that the BlackBerry Motion was revealed to the world in a leaked render. Now, BlackBerry has officially announced the handset, revealing the specifications of the device, its price, and where it will be made available.
As you might notice from the image, the new Motion is quite different from the BlackBerry KEYone, devoid of a physical keyboard, flaunting its 5.5-inch touchscreen display. The handset is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 processor, offers 4GB RAM, and has an IP67 rating against moisture and dust.
The rear of the device houses the 12MP camera and you'll find an 8MP camera on the front. Since this is a BlackBerry, you'll want a device that can work all day. The 4,000mAh battery packed into the Motion should be able to achieve that. But, if you need to top up while on the go, you'll be happy to know that it offers support for QuickCharge 3.0.
As far as availability goes, the device will be in the United Arab Emirates, where it will retail for 1,699 AED or around $462 USD. The handset will also be available in Saudi Arabia and will make its way to other regions later in the year.


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Secretary of State Mike Pompeo wants to see crypto transactions regulated just like other digital financial transactions.
In light of a lack of national cryptocurrency regulations, individual states in the US are working to provide oversight for the Bitcoin ecosystem.
Despite an order from President Putin to develop a framework, Russia is most likely not going to legalize digital currencies anytime in the near future.
Reports of a new crypto bill, “Banning of Cryptocurrency and Regulation of Official Digital Currencies,” surfaced that would completely ban digital currencies.
U.S. House of Representatives apparently drafted a new law designed to keep a definite separation between the cryptocurrency and technology spaces.
Christine Lagarde is now the president of the European Central Bank (ECB) and this could prove to be extremely beneficial for crypto.
LocalBitcoins has come under fire recently for several reasons, including not enforcing mandatory financial reporting requirements.
India’s Finance Secretary, Subhash Chandra Garg, has said that a report related to crypto regulations is ready and will soon be delivered to the country’s Finance Minister.
A group of lawmakers is taking a different approach and is hoping to get someone close to President Trump's ear to light a fire where it needs to be lit.
There have been those who believe cryptocurrency is nothing more than a toy and have developed crypto projects that will be forced into oblivion for their lack of cohesion with international policies and standards.
The draft proposal from China’s economic planning commission, which labels bitcoin mining as an industry that needs to be “eliminated," sparks undesirable attention to the global mining industry.


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With travel on hold in most places around the world due to the coronavirus pandemic, Airbnb is shifting its focus to travel-related experiences, starting with an interactive week of programming around K-pop.
Airbnb’s “Inside K-Pop” Online Experiences runs from January 25-30, and gives fans a chance to get up close and personal — at least virtually — with their favorite artists, producers, and creators from the K-pop ecosystem. Among the experiences on offer: a chance to to watch a dance rehearsal with K-pop dance crews BB Trippin and Freemind, or “mukbang” with Monsta X (you basically watch the guys chow down on their favorite Korean food). You can also get tickets to take a one-time cooking class with the up-and-coming group Cravity, or join pop star Jamie for a makeup tutorial. Other participating artists include AleXa, and K-pop groups Dreamcatcher and The Boyz.
These are all live interactive experiences, and a rep from Airbnb says viewers will be able to connect directly with the artists on screen, including the ability to participate in Q&A sessions.
Airbnb is organizing the “Inside K-Pop” experiences in partnership with Warner Music Korea, who are using the online meetups as a chance to promote their artists to a wider audience. There are 14 experiences in total, offered in either English, Korean, Chinese or Japanese. Tickets to each event are priced at $20 each and will be available for booking starting January 20 at 3pm PT on Airbnb.com. Airbnb says tickets are available on a first come-first served basis, though it’s unclear what the cap is on attendance.
“We are thrilled to partner with Airbnb on Inside K-Pop, a campaign which will elevate the world of Korean pop music to a global audience,” says Clayton Jin, CEO of Warner Music Korea. “Our deep relationship with homegrown Korean talent enabled us to recruit some of the brightest stars to be part of this wonderful initiative.”
The online festival is part of what a rep for Airbnb says is “a pivot that Airbnb made in April 2020 to bring in-person Experiences online due to “safer at home” protocol that rolled out worldwide.” Post-pandemic, Airbnb will once again roll out in-person Airbnb Experiences in Korea, where you can sign-up for things like learning a song with a vocal coach, or shooting a music video in a similar location where some of the biggest K-pop acts have filmed in the past.


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MacBook Pro 2016 Will Be The Most Colorful And Thinnest Apple Laptop Ever Made
MacBook Pro 2016 will be empowered by Intel's SkyLake Processor according to Tech Radar. One of the most awaited features for the anticipated MacBook is the replacement of its function buttons that will be added called the OLED panel.
Apple cited that MacBook Pro 2016 will be much slimmer and sleeker than its predecessors for the convenience of its users. Their upcoming units will also include the Touch ID feature. This feature will allow users to access Apple Pay. According to reports, the MacBook Pro 2016 will have the MacOS Sierra update.
MacBook Pro 2016 Features
It is noted that the MacBook Pro 2016 will have four variations of USB-C ports. This feature is said to be inspired by the current Microsoft Surface Book sports. There are rumors that MacBook Pro 2016 will integrate a Lightning port for audio.
The MacBook Pro will also have an interesting updated processor. the SkyLake Intel processor will enable WiDi short-range backup and WiGig on the computer. Some additional features will be a non-wire recharging unit and a faster data transfer. The MacBook Pro 2016 will be a 15-inch unit.
MacBook Pro 2016 Release
There will be a variation of color to be released and the price of the MacBook is expected to be in the range of $1,099 and above. This will surely make it the most colorful MacBook to date, as Apple is not that liberated in putting color variations in its MacBoooks before.
If this speculation is true, then the MacBook is surely going to experience massive success. According to speculations, the upcoming unit will be released on October 27, but the date is not yet fixed. Surely, its release will be one heck of an event as people will literally flock to get their hands on one.
iOS 11 Plagued with Untested Bugs and Early Adoption Pitfalls
Reports of nagging iOS 11 issues have started pouring in just a day after the software was released by Apple on supported devices.
iPhone 8 Outperforms iPhone X in Early Geekbench Tests [Photos]
Quite surprisingly, the iPhone 8 beats the iPhone X in both Single Core and Multi-Core Geekbench tests.
iOS 11 Release Time for Various Time Zones Across the Globe
Check out the complete list of time zones for iOS 11 release time across the globe.
iPhone X Demand May Outlast Supply Until Mid-2018, says KGI Securities Analyst
KGI Securities Analyst, Ming-Chi Kuo, predicts serious demand vs. supply constraints for the iPhone X until Mid-2018.
Five iPhone X Secret Features You May Not Know About
Check out the five iPhone X features that Apple has discreetly hidden from you at launch.
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The global e-commerce market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 14.7% over the next five years – although it doesn’t quite match the explosive growth we saw at the start of the pandemic, that’s still a healthy level.
But with all this growth, e-commerce brands are struggling to keep up. As many brands have discovered, building websites to take orders online is only half the battle. In fact, delivering these orders to customers is an entirely separate business.
Fulfillment has become one of the most important – if not the the most important — hurdles facing e-commerce businesses, which are coping with a mountain of new online orders.
And not delivering can have serious consequences for brands looking to attract new customers and retain old ones: according to a survey by e-commerce platform FarEye, 85% of respondents said they would change retailers after have had one bad delivery experience.
“To retain and grow customers, brands must deliver on their promises. All. Only. Time. Excellent customer service is not enough. It’s table stakes. To really stand out and grow, you need to earn your customers’ trust and ultimately their loyalty,” explained Mike Simpson, Vice President of E-Commerce at 3PL NFI Industries.
“The ability for you to get products into the hands of the end consumer accurately and quickly ultimately determines the perception of your brand. Incorrect orders and/or slow deliveries will negatively impact your customer satisfaction and ultimately your customer loyalty,” he said.
Read: Did Kroger and Albertsons just start a grocery delivery powerhouse?
Read: What’s next for TikTok after US execution bid announcement?
Simpson and the e-commerce division of NFI want to understand why brands are struggling to satisfy themselves. The company recently released a study outlining the biggest challenges companies face when trying to outsource their fulfillment to a third-party provider.
The survey found that scaling execution to meet demand is the biggest issue, but it’s far from the only barrier cited by respondents. Here’s a full breakdown of the research.
The vast majority of brands struggle to scale
Unsurprisingly, more than 9 in 10 respondents (90.91%) said scaling was among their three biggest execution challenges. In particular, brands mentioned the difficulty in finding a partner capable of scaling.
“When we evaluate fulfillment providers, we check if they have the ability to help us expand into new markets,” one brand explained.
Many respondents said they had to switch fulfillment providers because they didn’t have the market reach they were hoping for. And that goes for the global market, too: more than 75% of brands cited reaching international customers as a top challenge.
“We look forward to expanding into international markets. We need a fulfillment provider that can back us up,” said one respondent.
Brands looking for automation and work
While the report didn’t provide a specific percentage of respondents citing automation as an issue, it did note that many brands are turning to fulfillment providers who have optimized their networks using technology.
“We outsourced our execution to another vendor because we wanted to scale and needed someone who had already invested in execution technology,” one company explained.
“We want to partner with a brand that invests in growing their technology and automation,” another remarked.
Automation in the warehouse is becoming a hot market, with fulfillment vendors bringing technologies such as machine learning, AI, and autonomous mobile robots (AMR) to speed up the process.
While adoption of newer technologies like AMRs remains low (about 20% by most estimates), more than half (56%) of material handling companies use warehouse management software (WMS) and 36 % use supply chain management and planning software, according to a survey by Peerless Research Group.
Know what you pay
More than 8 in 10 brands feel they have been taken over by their outsourced fulfillment provider. According to the survey, 85% of respondents rated lack of pricing transparency and unfair pricing as among the top three frustrations they have with fulfillment providers.
The research clarified that a lack of transparency typically refers to unexpected charges or hidden costs being charged at the time of billing without the brand’s knowledge. Because there is no conventional pricing structure for 3PLs, some partners may charge a flat fee for services such as pick and pack, while others may break this category down into smaller fees .
Companies cited “fair pricing, transparency and competitive pricing” as key to their decision-making processes. Their preference is for providers that have a “simple pricing structure that takes into account the nature of our business.”
Customer service leaves more to be desired
In the age of supply chain disruptions we live in, agility and flexibility are essential to avoid delays. However, 7 in 10 e-commerce brands said that lack of good customer service from 3PLs was their fourth biggest challenge when outsourcing fulfillment.
Poor customer service isn’t just about putting a company’s supply chain manager on hold for an hour – this can ultimately create bad experiences for the end consumer, as the brand is unable to act quickly.
“Losing a lifetime customer due to poor service from a service provider is one of our biggest fears,” one respondent said.
Watch: How to create a solid micro-completion model
“We chose our current fulfillment service provider because they were able to help us better serve our clients,” added another.
As they say in the sports world, availability is the best ability. A 3PL could have all the capabilities in the world, but if there is no one to answer the phone in case of trouble, does it matter?
Daily communication is a necessity for e-commerce brands, as one company explained: “We changed fulfillment provider because our current provider is diligent and offers ways to access open order reports on a daily basis. . They listen to requests and needs and are ready to communicate at any time by phone or e-mail. »
A need for more education and knowledge sharing
While not as pressing an issue as others on the list, lack of nurturing education was a pain point for more than half (55%) of respondents. Especially for growing businesses, navigating the e-commerce space can be tricky without understanding the nuances of execution.
For many growing and established players, a little advice can go a long way. For example, brands said an article or guide on how to properly label their products before sending them to a 3PL would be helpful.
“Fulfillment service providers should offer customer coaching on what brands can do differently or better to help them succeed, save on input and production costs, streamline the receiving or put-away process, etc. .”, suggested one respondent.
The sharing of data and analyzes also falls within this framework. E-commerce brands and 3PLs need to be able to communicate which parts of the network are underperforming and why, and having reliable access to this information can make the difference.
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The ugly online abuse escalated into accusations that she was responsible for the outbreak of covid-19 in Malaysia, death threats, and was eventually arrested and charged with “insulting Islam.” Earlier this year, she fled to Australia to escape a court hearing.
Although Nur Sajat’s story is the most famous, it is just one of many that illustrate how online platforms have become a double-edged sword for LGBTQ communities in Malaysia.
Although it creates invaluable opportunities for LGBTQ people to connect, communicate and advocate for their rights, online participation also leaves them vulnerable to censorship, surveillance and attack. Read the whole story.
I dug up the internet to find today’s most fun / important / scary / fascinating technology stories.
1 AI trained on 4Chan spews toxic hate speech
Given the material on which he was trained, this result was depressingly inevitable. (motherboard)
+ AI still sucks to moderate hate speech. (MIT Technology Review)
2 Apple will have to change the way it charges the iPhone
A new deal requires all phones sold in the European Union to use USB-C ports by 2024 (On the edge)
+ iPhones sold in the UK will not have to meet demand. (BBC)
+ This is good news for e-waste reduction. (protocol)
3 A battle for crypto mining is brewing in New York 🗽
And crypto enthusiasts are worried that other countries may follow suit. (NYT $)
+ How bitcoin mining devastated this city in New York. (MIT Technology Review)
+ The crypto industry is happy with its newly proposed regulator. (WP $)
4 How the rivers of the Amazon turned it into a refuge for biodiversity
Creating a lush microenvironment in which wildlife thrives. (Quanta)
+ We are not terrified enough of the loss of the Amazon. (MIT Technology Review)
5 These YouTubers reveal the shortcomings of the video game industry
And they face many reactions along the way. (WP $)
6 Disinformation spreads in Kenya before the election
Including attempts to inflame ethnic tensions. (The rest of the world)
7 Neptune is a mystery
And it is possible that this will remain the case until the 2050s. (The Atlantic Ocean $)
+ On the other hand, we will take a closer look at Venus in 2030. (Back)
+ Space debris is a growing problem. (FT $)
8 How a fake juror in the Depp v. Hurd trial went viral
And contributed to the many brutal anti-Heard content circulating online. (CNN)
9 What the experiences of people with schizophrenia can teach us
First-person accounts of delusions help experts understand how they actually work. (With cable $)
10 How TikTok turned Gen Z into bookworms 📖
And it gave the publishing industry a vital chance. (The guardian)
Quote of the day
“We can do this without technology, but why?” We use technology in a way that is not against our morals. ”
– Ben, an Amish office manager, discusses how his company makes millions of dollars selling products online. With cable.
The big story
A non-profit organization has promised to preserve wildlife. He then made millions, claiming he could cut down trees