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The new publication by Germany-based secondary market research organization yStats.com, “Global Online Shopping Snapshot 2016,” reveals the growth prospects of global online retail, major market trends, the largest B2C E-Commerce companies, and more.
The global online shopping market has shown rapid growth rates over the past years and is predicted to maintain double-digit growth over the next several years, according to a new publication by yStats.com. Despite some advanced online retail markets showing first signs of maturity and declining growth, on the global scale, B2C E-Commerce accounted for less than 10% of total retail sales and has substantial room for further development.
Asia-Pacific has become the largest online retail market, taking over first place from North America, and is predicted to increase its share of global sales through 2019. The yStat.com report also shows that Germany, China, Japan, the UK and the USA are projected to be the world’s top countries by B2C E-Commerce sales in 2016, while emerging markets such as India are expected to show the fastest growth rates. Among the most prominent online shopping trends, pertaining to both advanced and emerging markets around the globe, are the increasing share of global online shoppers making purchases via mobile channels, the expansion of cross-border B2C E-Commerce, and the strong influence of social media on the online shopping behavior.
Some other interesting facts revealed in the yStats.com report are that alternative payment methods are challenging credit cards in usage by online shoppers and that free shipping remains the most important delivery option in online shopping, though many consumers in the BRIC countries are also eager to get faster shipping for additional delivery charges. Furthermore, E-Commerce marketplaces such as Aliexpress, eBay and others were slightly ahead of retailers’ websites in their reach of global online shoppers last year.


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With numerous expectations and curiosity around what is in it for various stakeholders, India’s 2017-18 budget is one of the most sought after events. Just like every other sector, retail stalwarts have also pinned their hopes on Finance Minister Arun Jaitley when he will present the Budget on February 01, 2017, expecting some good announcements in favour of retail sector.
Krish Iyer, President & CEO, Walmart India
This Government has been announcing various policy measures which are important for the economy throughout the year. I don’t think it’s any longer that big bang approach on the Budget day and which is good in a way because it brings in transparency, reduces fluctuation in the prices in the share market. As far as the Retail industry is concerned, from the last Budget and throughout the year, 24/7 Model Shops and Establishment Act, 100 per cent FDI in food retail and a lot of measures have been announced. I do not have any specific expectations for retail industry.
Govind Shrikhande, Customer Care Associate & Managing Director, Shoppers Stop Ltd: First and foremost, we hope that the Union Budget is singularly focused on concrete measures to revive the economy and boost consumer sentiment. Demonetization particularly has left a trail-blaze of depleted consumer confidence in its wake. So we hope that the FM’s briefcase has the antidote our nation needs for an upswing in sentiments.
Secondly, we hope that the Government provides much-needed clarification on the GST front. We look forward to hearing about a precise timeline, fixed and final GST rates and the exact mechanism and structure for the input-tax credit.
Yogeshwar Sharma, Executive Director, Select CITYWALK
Indian economy is passing through a tough phase. The various initiatives taken by the government to streamline the processes will yield long term results however, it has adversely affected in the short term. The changes envisaged has put in a sense of fear and uncertainty in the minds of indian businessmen and consumer. Therefore, this budget is a big opportunity and platform with the government to announce few decisions which will bring in a sense of certainty and morale booster.
The GST is a very good initiative and with years of hard work states and central government have come to some consensus. It will change the way businesses are carried out in the country. Having said that, first couple of years will be very difficult to follow the processes laid out & reconciliations to be done.
Tax incentives are one of the major need of the hour as it will ease the pressure on margins.
Make in india story needs more incentives to be competitive with other manufacturing hubs such as china.
Ease of doing business is yet to translate in reality.
International investors need clarity on regulatory laws to invest long term in India.
Most of the international brands in retail are finding india as a future long term market. Brands like H&M, ZARA, GAP etc. have already entered Indian market in past few years. Similar big brands, though convinced of the size and potential of market, are on wait and watch approach and waiting for more stability and clarity on ease of business.
After agriculture, retail is the second biggest industry. Organised retail is next big thing and is to stay for long.
E-commerce sector in India continues to grow at scorching pace thereby contributing to Government’s ambitious plans around ‘Make in India’ and employment generation. We anticipate that the Government will leverage Budget 2017 to provide further impetus to this sector through tax reforms and enhanced level playing field. GST is the cornerstone to releasing the dream of one-country one-market, as it can potentially resolve impediments in inter-state movement, unburden e-commerce of multitude of taxes e.g. Entry Tax etc.
All Indians aspire to own their home and we hope that the Budget 2017 accelerates development of urban infrastructure and provides incentive to home buyers. It will also support our mission of helping 20 million customers create beautiful homes by 2020.
Kavindra Mishra, CEO Pepe Jeans India
1)We are hoping the budget considers providing incentives in the retail landscape development which will help facilitate construction of malls at lower costs; thereby allowing ease in expansion.
2) With the Make in India initiative, we hope the budget helps support the setting up of manufacturing units for apparel industry. This being done locally will help boost the retail sector.
Harkirat Singh, MD, Woodland Worldwide
“We are quite optimistic and have high expectations from the upcoming union budget. All eyes are now on the FM for clarity on the rolling out of GST and fixing indirect tax inefficiencies. We feel that textile items should be kept under GST with the minimum possible tax slab of 4-5 per cent as it is a key item for the common man. Secondly, there are lots of raw materials like nylon and technical fibers, which we wish to import from other countries and manufacture finished products here. However, high duty acts as a deterrent and we get bound to import finished products. So, the government must lower the import duty to aid companies like Woodland. This will certainly boost PM’s ‘Make in India’ initiative. We believe that government would also lay emphasis on curbing inflation as increased inflation affects consumer’s buying power which further affects the retail market. We hope to see supportive policies for the retail sector in this year’s budget.”
Swati Bhargava, Co-founder, Cashkaro.com
I personally expect the upcoming Union Budget to be very positive and favourable towards the poor, middle class and business community, particularly because these segments were most inconvenienced by Demonetization. In a bid to alleviate this pain, we can expect incentives on direct tax. This could mean lower personal income tax rates and lower corporate tax rates too. With Cashless economy taking center stage, the Government has already taken a number of steps to encourage electronic payments. We could see Finance Minister, Arun Jaitley announcing a list of measures as incentives for digital payments which will benefit the e-commerce industry as a whole. We might also get clarity on the long standing topic of introducing GST. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s flagship project, Startup India might get a push in the upcoming Budget. We could see a new set of tax concessions on employee stock options, unlisted securities and convertible instruments. Lastly, as a woman and an entrepreneur, I would be most excited to see increased allocation towards building infrastructure in India and increased planned public expenditure. This would go a long way in creating a safer & more conducive environment for women and furthermore in creating world class companies. Overall, as a taxpayer and a founder I am eagerly waiting for February 1.
Sharad Venkta, CEO & MD, Toonz Retail India Pvt. Ltd.
This year, unarguably budget is the most anticipated event given the revolutionary move of demonetization by the government. The Budget 2017 will come in the shadow of demonetization and upcoming GST. Post demonetization government is under pressure to improve public sentiments and maintain/increase economic growth. Raising the bar for tax exemption and reducing direct tax will give some relief to the end consumer, with more disposable income in their hand.
It is also expected that government will present more concrete timelines for GST. Implementation of GST ((Goods and Services Tax) is going to be one of the biggest reform for ease of doing business by the government and it is expected to be game changer for Indian economy. Retail industry is set to benefit the most because of implementation of GST as it will help efficient allocation of resources, uninterrupted supply chain, a check on inflation, increased tax collection and improvement in compliance. As per estimates this should lead up to additional 200 basis points in the economic growth.
Also with government’s current focus on moving towards cashless economy, we expect reforms to incentivize cashless transactions and a robust SOP for digitization.
Nitin Khandelwal, Chairman, All India Gems & Jewellery Trade Federation
“GJF has already met the Ministry of Finance for making a representation of their pre-budget recommendations for the benefit of the Gems and Jewellery industry. Following are few key recommendations from GJF:
· GST at 1.25 per cent for the Gems & Jewellery sector, as this will help the industry become compliant and organized.
· Increase the mandatory PAN card limit to 5 lakhs and above
· Reduction in import duty on gold from 10 per cent to atleast 5 per cent
· The urgent need for the formation of domestic council for Gems & Jewellery sector is strongly recommended to address various domestic issues pertaining to the industry including generation of reliable database and regulation of fair trade practices in the industry and help the Government in the formation of industry friendly policies for trading and manufacturing.
· Recommend the Dore import to be kept under tight observation to avoid malpractices and no monopoly to be permitted
· Import of gold has presently been confined to Banks and nominated agencies. This can be continued, but over time more and more agencies should be given opportunity to be enlisted to allow good competition and easy availability of gold across the country.”
Piyush Sharma, CEO (GORB)
Owing to the recent demonetization policy, this is probably the most awaited Union Budget. Lately, the food-tech sector has seen many ups and downs, however, the sector has immense potential to grow. 2017 can see a new wave in the sector if policy regulations like ease of compliance are implemented. While the Start-up India programme launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a welcome move that will make investors take notice of start-ups, the need of the hour is to increase budget allocation for investment in better infrastructure and Internet penetration. The budget should include special allotments for experimentation with innovations and technology.
The Government needs to make technology more affordable and introduce initiatives to increase adoption of technology to encourage digitization. Though, the government has taken some key steps to promote cashless or digital transactions to take India towards a cashless economy, lowering the Transaction Discount Rate (TDR) on card payments will benefit consumers and boost digital transactions. Additionally, the Government’s move to waive service tax on debit and credit card transactions of up to INR 2,000 and other such initiatives will benefit the sector.
Furthermore, support schemes, easy access to funding better options on loans and other banking policies for small home entrepreneurs and digital adoption initiatives by the government will lend a further impetus to the sector. Moreover, tax exemptions for start-ups will allow entrepreneurs to devote their time, energy and resources to build upon their innovative ideas. We are looking forward to the move to extend the tax holiday from 3 years to 5 years. Likewise, we look forward to clarity and closure on GST implementation. This budget can be an engine to propel the growth in the startup ecosystem.
Kapil Hetamsaria, CEO & Co-Founder, Velvetcase.com
Ajay Laddha, Co Founder, YMS Mobitech Pvt Ltd
The India consumption story, especially the sectors dealing in cash, faced a small roadblock when the government announced its demonetization move in November. We think the Finance Minister will try and reverse the negative sentiment with his Budget speech. While demand has been sharply hit, we are expecting a sharp recovery in the next couple of months. The Budget may look to aid consumption by tinkering with personal income tax. We are also expecting incentives for e-payments and digital transactions, improving the share of retail business, hitting the grey market and leading to higher acceptance for e-based offline distribution.
Pankaj Anand & Anil Arora, Co-Founders, Sabhyata
2016 has been a remarkable year for India, which witnessed two major economic developments – demonetization and GST Bill. Along with the entire nation, textiles and apparel industry is eagerly awaiting and expecting significant developments that would generate a unified market for retailers.
GST bill, one of the biggest reforms in India’s indirect tax structure, is soon expected to see the light of the day, in the upcoming Union Budget. Although GST rates are yet to be revealed, textile and apparel industry has high hopes pinned from its execution. It is predicted that prices for branded apparels might increase by about 12 per cent, but on the other hand, disparity in terms of excise duty will shed off, effectively. Hence, a unified taxation system for retailers will finally fall into place, contouring to GST regime. Aligned with this, industry experts are sincerely hoping that, textile industry would be positioned in the lowest tax structure slab.
Achal Bakeri, CMD, Symphony Ltd
With all eyes on GST launch, 2017 will turn out to be a historic year for indirect taxes. Recently Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said that July 1, 2017 would be a “more realistic date” to roll out GST. No doubt, this will change the whole taxation system and will make the task of estimating and filing taxes much easier. Though there are certain issues between centre and state government over processes and implementation, I hope government will redress such issues in the upcoming unionbudget.
The government needs to bring in simplification of tax laws. Moreover, the need of the hour is to widen the scope of taxation. We see big corporate houses as prime targets for paying taxes but at the same time we forget that a large number of taxpayers are either evading tax net or not paying appropriate taxes. Contributing to economy is everyone’s responsibility and I think each and every citizen need to be responsible towards paying their taxes.
This year many corporate houses and public in general are very eager to see change in income tax slabs. Many reports suggest that to ease the pain of demonetization, government may revise minimum taxable income to Rs. 4 lakh from current Rs. 2.5 lakh per annum. If union budget come up with any such announcement, it will be cheered by the salaried and self employed class.
In addition to this, we expect the Government to lower the corporate income tax to 28 per cent in the upcoming budget and reduce it further to 25 per cent in coming years as promised by Finance Minister.
Ease of doing business should be the top priority for the Government.
“Amidst a lot of assumptions, the LED lighting industry is one that demands a lot of attention. It needs to be promoted in a strong manner as it has enough potential to go a long way. This year the growth prospects look better than the last year for all sectors and as a developer we expect a lot in term of attention and revenue for the sector. From the industry point of view, there is a need to provide Income Tax benefits to LED manufacturing companies along with accelerated depreciation benefit to LED plants and push towards faster implementation of GST.
Demonetization has given a fresh start to the economy by encouraging a proper flow of the money cycle, but somehow has reduced the work pace. According to us, the budget should be able to create an environment which can address the issue of skill gap, improve ease of doing business and accelerate digital deployment even for smaller towns and villages for better reach. Bigger metros and town are on every company’s point as they give better returns but small towns are a better way to expand. Government spending for smart cities should be optimized to ensure faster adoption of smarter techniques for early development of new products required for the Smart Cities. Further, an LED substitution fund should be created for state governments and public sector to shift all conventional lights to LED lights.”

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Local manufacturers and exporters have continued to lament over the land border closure policy of the Federal Government as they disclosed that over N5 billion had been lost in respect of imported materials waiting to enter the country.
The disclosure came from manufacturers under the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria Export Promotion Group (MANEG) as they demanded that goods with fully paid duties be allowed into the country.
New Telegraph reported that the manufacturers noted that releasing the goods would enable them offset credit facilities procured for the business. According to the report, over 1,000 trucks with containerized goods valued at about hundreds of billion of naira belonging to members of MANEG are still trapped at the borders despite payment of duties and tariffs.
Chief Ede Dafinone, President of MANEG, while speaking on the Government’s border policy, made known that it had brought hardship to traders, importers and exporters in the country. He said his members’ goods trapped at the border with full duty paid had surpassed N5 billion.
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He said that the border closure period remains one of the most disastrous periods for his members trading across borders because it had really affected and slowed down their business.
“We (exporters) are keen to support any Federal Government’s initiative that will enhance the growth and development of the Nigerian economy. But the closure of the border to prevent legal trade punishes exporters and importers and we see no reason why genuine exporting companies will be punished this way,” Dafinone said.
What you should know: So far, seizure of goods since the closure has hit N3.5 billion in financial value. Some of the items seized include 38,743 bags of parboiled foreign rice; 514 vehicles; 1,012 drums filled with petrol; 5,400 jerrycans of vegetable oil; 346 motorcycles; 10, 553 jerrycans of petrol and 136 bags of NPK fertiliser used for making explosives.


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You Can Now Send and Receive the Taste of Lemonade Online
When life gives you lemons, make lemonade, dip sensors in it and just make another one for your friend. Sharing is caring!
[Image Source: Pixabay]
If you are a social media addict, you are probably aware of the many foodie pages and accounts on various social networking sites and you also know how overwhelming it is when someone posts a delicious looking set of food or tasty drinks. Sometimes, we even go to the extent of finding out where you can get that food and drink. Well, how about if you can taste the digital image of a food or drink that you saw online? It's not as impossible as you think it is. Scientists from the National University of Singapore (NUS) is taking the sense of taste to a more digital level.
The researchers were able to closely replicate real lemonade by digitally transmitting the basic look and taste to a glass of plain water.
The technology used to make this happen are a set of RGB color sensor and pH sensor dipped in a glass of lemonade (the real deal) messaging the taste and color through Bluetooth communication to a smart tumbler that is with the receiver. The smart tumbler's rim is coated with silver electrodes that cleverly simulate different tastes such as sourness by sending 800 Hertz of pulses to tickle your taste buds. At the bottom of the smart tumbler, a group of LED lights receive the message and react to produce the color of the lemonade which was a cloudy mist of white. Essentially, though, you are only drinking plain water but with the combined light visuals and electrified sensation to the tongue, it feels and tastes like you are drinking a glass of lemonade.
To recap that, the three simple steps to producing virtual lemonades are Sensing, Connecting and Simulating. Easy!
The lemonade test
In order to validate the effectiveness of the virtual lemonade, the researchers have tested out their studies in the Conference of Tangible, Embedded and Embodies Interaction in Yokohama, Japan this March 2017. Unaware participants had to drink a number of lemonade juices varying in color and taste. Just by the sight test alone, the drinkers found marginal differences in the real lemonades that range between the citrus colors of green and yellow. However, the cloudy-looking virtual lemonade made a more realistic strike on them because it gave the perception of sourness, and the brightness of the LED lights probably hypnotized them to believe that it's real (like a moth flying into flames).
[Image Source: Pixabay]
After the taste test, the participants reported that the real lemonades tasted sourer than the digitally produced lemonade. The scientists suggest that "the water might be weakening the electrical signals on the tongue, and cranking up the strength of those pulses could help close the gap".
The experiment found that there are no significant differences between the overall perception of real and virtual lemonades. So, the whole virtual drink technology is possible.
One potential benefit of this technology is that it can virtually re-create sugary drinks and consume them without having to face the damaging physical results.
You can read the full study here via ACM Digital Library.
SEE ALSO: What Are Engineers’ Favorite Foods?
A recent study highlighted the crucial role dams could play in securing long-term food security. IE discovers more in an exclusive interview with one of the researchers.


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Mitsubishi might be bringing back the Lancer Evolution performance sedan, and this time we’re told they’re not going to turn it into a crossover as they did with the Eclipse.
The owner of a brand new McLaren 600LT had his supercar impounded not 10 minutes after driving off the dealer lot.
Ford is taking on Ram’s Power Wagon with the all-new Tremor off-road package for the 2020 F-Series Super Duty pickup.
General Motors has announced yet another investment in their truck-making capacity with another $20 million for their Arlington SUV plant.
Germany has set up speed limits on the Autobahn due to a massive heat wave gripping Europe.
The Lightyear One has arrived to make your Tesla look like a dinosaur juice-sipping antique.
If you want to buy an American car, you actually should buy a Japanese one according to a new study.
Dodge is teasing “something big” and we’re pretty sure we know what it is.
Over $2 million in cars has gone up in smoke on a car dealer’s lot in California.
Watch a Chevy Corvette Z06 try to take down a Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat in quarter-mile action.
Lego has added the 1974 Porsche 911 Turbo 3.0 to its line of Speed Champions miniature models.
A YouTuber has managed to recreate Need for Speed: Underground in real life with incredible accuracy.
The next generation of GMC Canyon and Chevrolet Colorado midsize pickups will ride on a new platform, according to a new report.
Chevrolet’s new Duramax turbodiesel engine might just be the first pickup motor to get over 30 mpg on the highway.
It’s time once again for a drag race between the Tesla Model 3, the BMW M3, the Mercedes-AMG C63 S, and the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio to see which fast sedan is the quickest.
BMW has revealed its Vision M Next hybrid concept today showcasing their idea of an electric future.


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Combined U.S. exports of wheat, coarse grains and soybeans are poised to reach the highest level since 2007 in the fourth quarter after ample harvests, said Simpson, Spence & Young Ltd.
Shipments will come to 42.6 million metric tons, the London-based shipbroker said in a report e-mailed today. Bumper crops of corn, wheat and soybeans will lift exports by 12 percent from the prior period to 131.2 million tons for the 2012-13 marketing year through next June, it said, citing figures from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. That would still fall short of the 134.5 million tons shipped in 2010-11, the report showed.
The predicted exports for the calendar year’s final three months would be this century’s second-largest after the 44.1 million tons shipped in 2007’s final quarter, according to SSY.
Global imports of coarse grains and wheat by Japan will rise by 1.3 million tons to 24.9 million for 2012-13, SSY estimated. Coarse grains include barley and sorghum as well as corn.


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PREMIER Inn binned its beefburgers last night amid fears over horsemeat.
Bosses were forced to remove thousands of burgers after a supplier at the
centre of the scandal failed to give quality assurances.
The budget hotel chain’s sister firm Brewers Fayre also took beefburgers off
Both bought products from Ireland’s Silvercrest Foods — part of the ABP
empire. The withdrawal affects 240 restaurants.
A spokesman for Premier Inn — plugged on TV by Lenny Henry — told The Sun: “We
asked our supplier, Silvercrest, to give us assurances the product supplied
to us was not affected.
“They told us they cannot give this guarantee. We therefore immediately
removed their products.”
She insisted a different supplier would meet demand today.
Late last night ABP suspended ALL food production at its Silvercrest factory
It also revealed that the tainted meat appeared to come from one supplier.
Earlier The Sun revealed cash ‘n’ carry giant Makro had pulled 16 burger
They supply pubs and restaurants nationwide.
“Horsegate” erupted on Tuesday night when Irish officials found “equine DNA”
in frozen burgers on supermarket shelves.
One industry source said: “It’s much wider than just supermarkets.”
Burger King and McDonald’s reassured customers they were NOT
implicated — despite links to ABP.
Wrong to bin food
DESTROYING up to ten million beefburgers contaminated with horse meat would be
morally and ethically wrong, charities said last night.
Dan Crossley, UK Food Ethics Council chief, said they could be given free to
the poor, adding: “The amount of food we throw away is scandalous.”
But Scots health chiefs warned the burgers could be made from “diseased or
Farming minister David Heath yesterday said the scandal was “almost certainly”
a criminal act.
Just 47% of a patty is beef
LESS than HALF of an economy beefburger needs to be beef, according to
Rules on the cheapest meat ranges say there needs to be only 47 per cent beef
— the rest can be made of anything “as long as it is safe and clearly
labelled”. That includes mechanically recovered or reconstituted meat.
Economy chicken burgers need only be 41 per cent chicken, for value pork it is
50 per cent.


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A developer and product management perspective needs to be added to the Facebook Phone debate. The concept of the Facebook Phone could be similar to the Google Nexus phone, which, since first being announced in 2010, has been updated by Google and co-branded with Samsung, LG and Asus. The Facebook Phone might even be categorized as the Anti-Nexus.
Facebook does not want a phone; it wants more Facebook mobile user engagement and more contextual information about users to make its mobile advertising model more profitable. The problem with Android and iOS phones is that all of the contextual information, except exactly what is in the Facebook app and Facebook messenger, are outside of Facebook's domain.
Everyone remembers Facebook's replacement of individual's email addresses with @facebook.com addresses. An Android/Facebook Phone could be a similar opportunity for Facebook to exploit. With a Facebook-branded Android phone, apps that conflict with Facebook usage could be de-emphasized or stripped from the phone. Some candidates are Gmail, Google Contacts, and Google Wallet. This could be an Android phone that does not need a Google account to function.
Facebook does not want to be in the phone business. It isn't prepared to field a sales force and technical team to sell a phone to the mobile carriers around the world. If HTC is Facebook's partner, it has much experience working with mobile carriers in developing marketing, subsidization and network certification programs.
And HTC is a good candidate to supply the phone to Facebook. HTC has been frozen out of Google's Nexus program by Samsung, LG and Asus since Google's first Nexus phone, the Google HTC Nexus One. According to IDC estimates, in the fourth quarter of 2012 HTC dropped out of the top five list of smartphone makers based on volume, though it placed number four for the year. What HTC needs is brand awareness in the highly competitive market, in which it is extremely difficult to differentiate smartly designed smartphones and almost impossible to step outside of Samsung's shadow. Given Facebook's consumer brand recognition, delivering a moderately priced, well-designed Facebook Phone is a great opportunity to co-brand a smartphone to draw consumers to HTC.
Two questions remain. Firstly, would the Facebook Phone be an unlocked device sold through Facebook, like Google sells the Nexus via the Play Store, or would HTC sell it through its network of mobile carriers? An unlocked device seems more likely. Second, what would HTC pay for Facebook's brand?
From a developer's perspective, since it made the decision to develop native apps, Facebook has built crack Android and iOS developer teams. Facebook won't distract its team of Android developers with the task of maintaining a separate, forked version of Android. Where is the profit for Facebook to build a team to compete with Google's Android team with a base-level open source OS? But what is likely is that Facebook with HTC's cooperation can build a pervasive Facebook app that raises its prominence in comparison to other apps and acquires even more contextual user data at Google's expense.
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In this latest sponsored video, part of the countdown to the Sales and Marketing Awards, we speak to Exertis UK&I's managing director Paul Bryan, about lockdown, team work, and the vital role of the channel during the crisis. Plus much more.
Purechannels CEO: The worst thing you can do is go off the radar and stop connecting with your customers
In this sponsored Q&A with Glenn Robertson, CEO of Purechannels, we talk about the importance of communication, how the channel has excelled during lockdown, and how sales and marketing roles might look on the other side
In this sponsored Q&A linked to the 2020 Sales and Marketing Awards (SMAs), Exertis' UK and Ireland managing director Paul Bryan (pictured) talks about his pride in his team, why entering awards matters, and how he thinks the channel will evolve as we...


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See full press release distributed via PRWeb on February 8, 2017.
CoreHealth has been awarded the 2016 Global Corporate Excellence Award by Business Worldwide Magazine for their wellness technology - an all-in-one corporate wellness platform used by wellness providers around the world.
This award recognizes and rewards the most respected companies and their C-suite executives across global industries.
CORPORATE WELLNESS PLATFORM OF THE YEAR
CoreHealth's wellness platform gives customers complete control over how they develop and deliver wellness programs. CoreHealth tends to fly under the radar since customers re-brand their portals to suit their needs. As a result, the platform is often the secret sauce for many wellness providers including: corporate wellness companies, employee assistance providers, insurers and their wellness divisions, human resources consulting firms, health coaching companies and group benefits brokers.
CoreHealth is the #1 all-in-one corporate wellness platform for more than 2 million employees worldwide.
"We are thrilled to receive the 2016 Global Corporate Excellence Award. As a wellness technology company, we have spent the last 13 years listening carefully to what wellness providers need in a platform and delivering on these needs. Our platform complies with global privacy laws, can accommodate most any language, easily integrates with third-party systems and offers incredible flexibility. It's fantastic to receive this global exposure as it's apparent to us from the interest we are receiving that workplace wellness is finally getting the attention it deserves from countries around the world." says Anne Marie Kirby, CEO and Health Revolutionary of CoreHealth Technologies.
CoreHealth's wellness technology helps organizations identify and measure wellness program performance - whether it's ROI or VOI.
READ THE FEATURE ARTICLE
READY TO TAKE YOUR WELLNESS PROGRAMS TO THE NEXT LEVEL?
We would love to show you our wellness technology. Seeing is believing.
Request a Demo
ABOUT THE PUBLISHER
Business Worldwide Magazine is a comprehensive source to track the latest trends and developments affecting international markets, corporate transactions, business strategy and changes in legislation. Their awards process includes a comprehensive analysis of the industry and rewards leading individuals and companies in the global environment.
ABOUT COREHEALTH TECHNOLOGIES
CoreHealth Technologies Inc. is the leading corporate wellness platform trusted by more than 1000 organizations, ranging from medium-sized businesses to Fortune 500 enterprises. At CoreHealth, we believe that developing the best employee wellness programs is all about giving wellness companies the right code, design and access to the latest innovations. With the most customization, integrations and reliability of any software in its class, CoreHealth’s powerful platform lets users focus on growing great companies. For more information, explore the CoreHealth website.


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Full profile →'">
The author is a Forbes contributor. The opinions expressed are those of the writer.
Shares of the video game publisher THQ this morning are trading sharply higher after the company said results for its fiscal fourth quarter ended March 31 were well ahead of previous estimates.
THQ said it now expects to report non-GAAP sales of $160 million to $170 million, above its previous forecast of $130 million to $150 million. The company now sees a non-GAAP loss of 10-20 cents a share, smaller than the previously projected loss of 35-50 cents a share.
The company said the results reflect several factors:
- Strong sales of Saints Row: The Third, which has shipped more than 4 million units.
- Higher than expected digital sales, due largely to content related to Saints Row.
- Slightly higher than expected sales of UFC Undisputed 3.
THQ said it expects to report cash of about $76 million at quarter end, 3x higher than its previous forecast, thanks to the stronger results and earlier-than-anticipated cash receipts. The company had no borrowings on its $50 million credit facility in the quarter.
The company said it expects to use a "substantial portion" of its cash and credit facility as it launches its game slate for FY 2013.
THQ will report full results on May 15.
This morning, THQ shares are up 21 cents, or 46.2%, to 66 cents.


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The prices of $200 billion in Chinese goods imported to the United States will increase due to tariffs promised by President Trump’s objective to fight China’s supposed unfair business practices; the president made clear that this is his way of negotiating until China ends unfair business practices.
Earlier in the year, President Trump threatened tariffs to increase the price of several products produced in China. American companies produce and American consumers purchase many of these products. With pressures from tech giants like Apple and Intel, many products made in China with American labels were removed from the list of goods with tariffs attached.
While price increase on Chinese produced goods is a concern, noteworthy are the greater consequences on the American agricultural industry due to these tariffs.
China prepares to increase prices of American agricultural exports with its own set of tariffs. The United States relies on China for its large purchase of soy, pork, and beef. The president, aware of his tariff’s consequences on American agriculture, threatened more tariffs if China were to create counter tariffs of its own against American agricultural products.
Tariffs, of any type, are not the solution to any declared reasons of the trade issues President Trump believes China created. A full-out trade war of slapping tariffs on and off traded goods will only hurt American farmers more so by furthering the strain with their number one customer, China.
The top ten soy-producing states, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Indiana, Nebraska, Ohio, South Dakota, Missouri, North Dakota and Kansas supported President Trump in his past election. A majority of these states are largely Republican on a rural, grassroots level.
Last week, President Trump rallied behind Republican candidates in South Dakota and North Dakota, the region where the very tariffs will affect.
Many farmers in these rural states are some of the most loyal supporters to the president; they, like many others belonging largely to the demographic of working-class whites, rallied around President Trump’s promise to ‘Make America Great Again’.
They too, chase the dream of rebooting America’s rust belt for products with shiny Made in America labels. Many of these individuals still passionately hold on to conservative notions of what the United States role among global powers and basic principles of free trade with little government interference.
Noting the need for the middle American’s farmer’s loyalty while still trying to wage his trade war, President Trump’s most recent promise to farmers and ranchers is $12 billion total in relief for any damage during the duking of tariffs between the United States and China. Cleverly marketed alongside this promise is a John Deere green ‘Make Farmers Great Again’ Cap.
This is an underestimate of an agribusinessman’s knowledge of economics; I know this first hand from growing up and having employment on my parents’ hog, soy, and corn farm in eastern South Dakota. At noontime, all chatter ends and the TV is turned on for intense analysis of the grain markets.
Neighbors making small talk share intel on the future of prices of their harvests. A farmer with a mere high school education (or perhaps less than that especially in older generations) experiences firsthand the effects of a turbulent agricultural market. The farmer is aware of economic consequences long term.
Promised subsidies do not balance the loss of a long-term consumer of agricultural goods. Long term, the agricultural industry lost a major customer it relied on for decades.
American agriculture changed over this time to fit a global market by focusing on more effective and efficient methods to produce the most product. Mass produced products such as soy and pork were specifically tailored to accommodate China’s demand for them. These individual agricultural products have their own industry centered around them with American workers employed in their raw production to their processing for a global consumer.
Consideration for American agricultural products and their producers are necessary when seeing the full impact of the tariffs against China.


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Daiya Foods, a Canadian plant-based food specialist, has been acquired by a subsidiary of Japan’s Otsuka Holdings for 405 million Canadian dollars.
The deal will create a global plant-based platform, boosting Daiya’s presence in North America and beyond.
For Otsuka, the acquisition broadens its product portfolio with the addition of plant-based products in North America.
Daiya is one of the founding members of The Plant Based Foods Association, a leading trade association that represents 75 of the US’s leading plant-based foods businesses.
CEO Terry Tierney said: “With aligned values and vision, Daiya and Otsuka have a tremendous opportunity to bring the incredible benefits of a plant-forward lifestyle to people around the world.”
He added: “Our partnership with Otsuka enables us to leverage their expertise and vast resources to continue growing our line of great-tasting, allergy-friendly food products that have delighted consumers for over 10 years.”
Mr Tierney will continue to held the company’s operations and management from its Vancouver HQ.


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What’s worse than being told that your vehicle needs crucial repairs? It’s being told you cannot get them immediately or possibly even in time to renew its registration. The complaint for this class action alleges that that’s the position in which Fiat Chrysler (FCA US, LLC and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV, its parent company) has left many consumers, because of emissions problems with certain of its vehicles.
The Nationwide Class for this action is all persons or entities in the US, its territories, and the District of Columbia who bought or leased one of the vehicles in question. There are also Michigan and New Jersey Classes.
The vehicles in question are the following front-wheel drive (FWD) and continuously-variable transmission (CVT) vehicles:
How did this come about? On March 13, 2019, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that these vehicles needed changes to their emissions systems and that “recall will be implemented in phases during the 2019 calendar year beginning with the oldest vehicles first.”
The EPA noted that owners may need to have the repair performed before their yearly inspection. The California Air Resources Board (CARB) did not mince words: Consumers “who fail to get the necessary repairs will not be able to register their vehicles.” This will also present problems for owners who want to sell the vehicles before they have the repairs.
Why are the repairs taking so long? The complaint says they require “a replacement of Class Vehicles’ catalytic converter and changes to the power train module.” Catalytic converters are made in part of precious metals, including palladium. There is currently a shortage of palladium, meaning that the parts needed are in limited supply.
According to the complaint, “FCA has still said nothing to the vast majority of its own consumers…”
The recall involves over 800,000 gasoline-powered vehicles. According to CARB, the vehicles “emit NOx above the regulatory limits” and that “NOx emission in California are the most important contributor to ambient ozone and a key contributor to fine particulate matter pollution (PM 2.5) which is associated with premature death, asthma emergency room visits, increased hospitalizations due to exacerbation of chronic heart and lung diseases, and other serious health impacts.”
This problem comes after an incident two years ago when certain of FC’s “EcoDiesel” Ram and Jeep vehicles were recalled for excess emissions of NOx. The company only settled that class action suit in January 2019, two months before the EPA’s announcement of these further emissions problems. The company was also fined $77 million in civil penalties because its 2016 US-assembled passenger cars did not meet fuel economy standards.
The complaint alleges breaches of warranties and violations of state consumer protection laws.


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While the European market for functional foods remains smaller than many people think, it continues to outperform the food and drinks market as a whole, and bioactive plant extracts are key to its growth.
One company keen to capitalise on this trend is Lallemand Health Ingredients, which will woo punters with its new PACran whole cranberry powder. The powder, which is designed for use in dietary supplements, was the subject of a recent 90-day clinical trial of women suffering from recurrent urinary tract infections. Urine samples from the women taking a daily dose of PACran demonstrated a significant reduction in E. coli bacteria, says the company.
"This is the first and only clinically supported and proanthocyanidin (PAC) standardised cranberry powder. It not only guarantees the amount of active compound responsible for the prevention of urinary tract infections but is clinically effective in a low dose."
Cranberry giant Ocean Spray will also be showcasing its extensive range of cranberry ingredients.
Another firm hoping to make a splash at this year's show is Berkem, which will be launching Powergrape: a grape extract standardised in polyphenols and flavanols and designed for use in dietary supplements, functional foods and drinks.
Results of a recent clinical trial on sportsmen revealed that those taking Powergrape supplements showed a significant increase of the lipophile antioxidant capacity, vitamin C and ubiquinone, claims the company. A second clinical study is now underway to assess Powergrape's powers to boost performance and speed up recovery.
S Black is also hoping to cash in on the superfoods craze with the European launch of a brand new range of clean-label fruit and vegetable blends from US firm VDF FutureCeuticals boasting consistently high ORAC (oxygen radical absorption capacity) levels and fully intact whole fruit and vegetable phytochemicals from concentrated freeze dried whole powders.
Using a unique proprietary system, FutureCeuticals has standardised its products to control the amounts of bioavailable anthocyanins, polyphenols and phytochemicals to create extracts of "unmatched purity and antioxidant potency", claims the company,
The range, which contains extracts of blueberries, cranberries, pomegranates, strawberries and grapes, is suitable for beverages, dairy, cereals, cereal bars and fortified meal replacement bars promoting women's health, cognitive function, eye health and healthy immune systems.
Other big guns in plant bioactives will also be out in force at Vitafoods, including Biocon, which is showcasing a range of botanical extracts; AlgaeCal International, which is highlighting its pure plant sourced calcium from marine algae; and DSM Nutritional Products, which will be promoting a range of products including purified green tea and olive juice extracts.
Indena will be showcasing its bilberry, olive, ginseng, grape, green tea and soy extracts, and Sabinsa will be highlighting its selenium-enriched garlic product GarliSelect - manufactured using a patent-pending soil-less culture process.
Heart health is also top of the priority list for many exhibitors, including Cognis, which is showcasing its Vegapure brand of plant sterols and plant sterol esters; and ADM, which is promoting its CardioAid plant sterols and sterol esters, natural source d-alpha vitamin E and soya isoflavones.
Natraceutical Group, meanwhile, is hoping to cause a stir with its CocoanOX range of polyphenol-rich cocoa powders and extracts - the result of a patented process that prevents polymerisation and degradation.
Clinical studies have demonstrated that CocoanOX is much more effective than tea polyphenols and slightly better than vitamin C at preventing damage caused by oxidative stress, claims the company.


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2018 has been a huge year for medical marijuana in Florida. Despite facing a host of legal obstructions from Rick Scott and his administration, the budding industry has soared to over 150,000 patients with active ID cards and over 200,000 patients total. Many Medical Marijuana Treatment Centers (MMTCs), another word for Florida cannabis companies, have significantly expanded their storefront presence this year. With incoming Governor Ron DeSantis seeming to indicate a softer approach on the herb than his predecessor, and the number of patients rapidly growing week in and week out, we expect this growth to only increase (possibly explode) in 2019. If the correct combination of factors come to play out in the next few months, we could see a program that has much more affordable medication and much greater patient accessibility than what we are currently working with in December 2018. Regardless, the program is going to grow, and that raises the question of which companies are going to lead the cannabis revolution in Florida as the medical program expands and we begin to further discuss the possibility of a recreational marijuana law passing in the next decade. We’ve been watching the current MMTC’s grow and do business in the program, and we have picked the five companies that we will be watching to lead the Florida medical marijuana industry in 2019; we based our picks on factors such as current sales, growth in 2018, business policies, to name a few. The following companies are listed in no particular order.
There should be no surprises here. With 2017 sales around the $20 million mark and 2018 sales projected to possibly quintuple that, Trulieve has established itself as an early leader in the Florida medical marijuana industry. There’s many reasons for those high numbers, one of which goes back to the fundamentals of cannabis: Trulieve hasn’t tried to reinvent the wheel with exotic product names or ratios; instead, they stuck to what most all of us are familiar with – strains. This played a large part in why I was initially attracted to Trulieve when I first became a medical marijuana patient: they were the only dispensary in my area that offered products that I was familiar with and allowed me to research them online to get an idea of what might work for various ailments before I ever set foot in the store. Trulieve expanded their product variety particularly in the second half of 2018 – rolling out products like shatter, a larger variety of flower strains, experimental cannabinoid ratios such as their Delta-8 THC 1:1:1 product, and their God’s Gift 1:1 THC/CBD distillate. They also greatly expanded their storefront presence in the state, surpassing over 20 locations well before the end of the year. But perhaps my favorite thing about Trulieve and their direction under the lead of Kim Rivers is that they have found a way to do business that balances profit with true patient advocacy. They’ve expressed their support of smokeable marijuana, of full flower sales; they’ve rejected and even filed lawsuits on unconstitutional restrictions such as limits of the amount of dispensaries an MMTC can open and the vertical integration requirement for medical marijuana sales. Though many Redditors often express their frustration at Trulieve’s lack of consistent product stock, we believe that the bulk majority of this is to be attributed to the current restrictions on the program. Trulieve has expressed that they welcome competition; they aren’t trying to become a monopoly, they are trying to be a successful business that works towards a truly great goal of benefiting (one day) millions of patients in the state of Florida. I expect Trulieve to continue to lead the industry in 2019 with further expansion of product selection, storefront locations, and potentially lower prices if the vertical integration requirements are repealed and more competition is allowed to enter the market.
MUV had a couple of bumps in the road this year with early questions about the legitimacy of the listed THC on some of its products, and the recent data breach on its website. However, MUV had more successes than it had setbacks in 2018, and we expect they will only continue and accelerate this pattern into the new year. MUV made several varieties of THC concentrates available in the late summer and afterward, releasing its shatter product soon after Trulieve; it followed not too long after with MUV Blue (crumble) and MUV Gold (terp sauce), two other types of concentrates that have received rave reviews on Reddit. If MUV develops and releases a flower product in 2019, and is also able to expand its physical locations into northern Florida and the Panhandle, Trulieve may have to seriously prepare for worthy competition from another potential big player in the Florida MMJ industry. The consensus we’ve seen on Reddit is that MUV’s concentrates, particularly their MUV Gold term sauce products, are top shelf quality and are unlike anything else currently available in the program. Patients also routinely comment on their appreciate of the packaging and labeling/style of the various MUV products, which only adds to their potential presence in the 2019 market. We’ll definitely be keeping an eye on MUV and hope to see a dispensary location open near Tallahassee and/or Pensacola soon.
3.) Curaleaf Florida
Curaleaf is another MMTC that has rapidly increased their number of dispensaries in 2018, with several locations opening from the Panhandle all the way to the Miami metro area. Curaleaf is also the only other Florida cannabis company other than Trulieve that currently offers a flower product, which greatly boosts their appeal with those of us here at the Florida Medical Cannabis Collective. Curaleaf faced some harsh criticism of their flower pods early on, with Reddit users uploading images that showed grassy shake with stems and almost no buds. Though the effects of the flower were reportedly good at times, the smell/taste and appearance were often compared to “brick weed” that can be found in certain black markets. Fortunately for Curaleaf, reports from November 2018 and after are much better; patients have found the pods to contain much higher quality flower that consists more of buds than of leaves. With an early lead in the flower sales market that we expect to rapidly grow in 2019, and a large storefront presence already established throughout the state, we expect to see Curaleaf remain as one of the industry leaders. We hope to see them expand their selection of flower strains and keep more in stock – we want to review Curaleaf Flower soon!
A company that not too many patients had heard of at the beginning of the year, Liberty Health Sciences soon made its presence known in Florida by offering free statewide and delivery and their line of Aphria products, which have received generally positive reviews on Reddit for their good taste and desirable effects. Liberty increased their strain availability in their Aphria vape cart and distillate products and increased their overall product availability by introducing more products from the Mary’s Medicinals line (though the initial agreement was made in 2017). Aside from acquiring more products, Liberty began to quickly open dispensaries in central and south Florida as the year went by, with 8 locations open as of the time of writing this article. Their sales haven’t been too shabby either – recently reported year-to-date financials show revenue has totaled near $6.5 million USD. We expect to see further physical expansion of this company in 2019, and seriously hope that they will open a panhandle location (we prefer doing business at a physical location) so that we can enjoy all the products they will have to offer us this coming year. Another significant event for Liberty in 2018 was the signing of their agreement with PAX,a popular line of proprietary products often used for the vaporization of various forms of cannabis. With all these things considered, and rumors that Liberty is looking to introduce flower products soon, we expect to see them have much more presence in the 2019 Florida cannabis market.
With cannabis-derived terpenes in most of its products, GrowHealthy has established itself as a reputable company with quality products in the Florida market during 2018. Reddit users have critically acclaimed the GrowHealthy distillate products, with Bubba Kush (Indica) being a favorite among a sizable group of patients. Having recently opened its West Palm Beach location, GrowHealthy has finally began to establish itself with a physical brick-and-mortar storefront location. As with Liberty Health Sciences, there have been talks of GrowHealthy releasing a flower product in the near future. We hope that all Florida dispensaries will be able to offer flower before the end of the year; in any event, we expect that GrowHealthy will have top-shelf flower to offer if it is able to get a product approved if the talk about the quality of its distillate is any indication of what to expect. GrowHealthy also offers statewide delivery, though delivery to locations such as cities in the Panhandle is limited to as few as two times per month. We expect to see their delivery area and frequency increase this year along with their storefront locations and product availability.
Another one worth watching:
Our final MMTC to make the list currently has the smallest presence of the five on this list, but are very open to the possibility that could be due to change in the next year. Vidacann has increased its number of dispensaries to 5 (mainly in central Florida) as of the time of this writing, and offers deliver to much of the state excluding the Panhandle and extreme northern Florida. Their website indicates they plan on expanding to 22 locations, though not all of those listed have an ETA for completion. We are excited that they list plenty of locations planned for the panhandle; it sounds like they are going to have a solid presence throughout the state in the next few years. The Vidacann website currently shows a respectable variety of products ranging from vape carts to concentrate syringes, tinctures, etc. – on par with the selection of most of the other dispensaries. Of our particular interest is their “concentrate jar” product line that is coming soon; we are curious as to what consistency (crumble, shatter, sauce, etc.) it will be, and what strains it and other products will be available in. Though we haven’t heard much out of Vidacann this year compared to the other MMTCs on this list, we have a gut feeling that says this will change sometime in 2019. We’ll definitely be watching them for growth.
Depending on how a number of factors play out, 2019 has the potential to be anything ranging from significant growth to outright explosion for the Florida medical marijuana market. Regardless of which path we take, we expect these five companies to be major players in shaping the program this year. Hopefully we trend towards the “explosive” side of growth – our patients deserve it and our state needs the revenue. We will remain cautiously optimistic, but one thing is for certain: we will be here to inform you of the latest developments along the way, and we will use our voice to stand up for your right to access affordable and safe medicine.


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Roku shares slammed by Amazon, Best Buy's smart-TV deal
Facebook ad feature claims to predict user's future behaviour
New OnePlus 6 Renders Show All Angles Of The Phone
Wasteful Blues punished by Hernandez hammer blow
Trump Says World Trade Organization 'Unfair' to United States
Google unveil test for chats with robots
14 February 2018, 07:14 | Gina Pena
Google working on bringing Smart Reply feature to other messaging apps By Ida Torres
As of now, smart replies aren't shown in notifications, but with Reply, users will be able to send smart replies directly from the notifications list. Here, it offers suggested responses to questions like "Are you at the restaurant?" or "When can you be home?" Smart Reply functionality could save on-the-go workers time while improving collaboration. Last month, Googleannounced the addition of Smart Reply within Messages for those users on its mobile phone service, Project Fi.
The said project is going to be called "Reply" and will be available to Android users initially, as per the project's sign-up form.
Reply will use location and traffic information to help craft more specific smart replies, the announcement said. The app analyzes the text of conversation then generate a contextual response with three suggested replies for the user selection.
Reply will include a variety of other automated features, too.
Clemson projected as No. 3 seed in NCAA tournament
The Tigers, now 20-4 overall and 9-3 in second-place in the ACC, play at Florida State Wednesday night for a 7:05 tipoff. The committee placed the Spartans in the South Region, where Virginia and Cincinnati are the top two teams.
People who want to try Reply can register their interest after answering whether they primarily use Hangouts, Facebook Messenger, Android Messages, WhatsApp, Skype, Slack, Line or WeChat for daily or weekly messaging.
The project, like all Area 120 projects, is unrelated to any broader developments at Google - in this case, that means it's not directly tied to Google's messaging efforts. For example, when one's phone is on silent mode, Reply can bypass this and play the usual alert tone when it determines that a message is too urgent. The app is now only being offered to Android users as part of a test, which select people have been invited to.
The request for testing of the new project came from Area 120, a division of Google that works on experimental products.
A new app created by Google's Area 120 incubator called 'Reply, ' is now in beta and gives you smart reply options for most messaging services... "Like all other projects within Area 120, it's a very early experiment so there aren't many details to share right now".
Celebrate National Pizza Day with these freebies and deals
Before we go any further, we have to warn you that the deals we've listed below will only be available at participating locations. This West Coast pizza chain is giving away one free personal pizza per person when you buy a Pepsi fountain drink.
Trump 'saddened' by Porter allegations: White House
Porter was denied a final security clearance, who at the White House was aware of this information, and how Mr. Another spoke of emotional abuse and of Porter grabbing her and pulling her from the shower.
Apple investigating AirPods explosion at a gym
Apple's iPhones have been in the news for exploding every now and then around the world - majority have faulty batteries. Apple's AirPods are a one of a kind device, featuring advanced technology that no other company is now offering.
The iOS 11.3 Beta 2 arrives with Battery Heath Feature
Barclays' analysis is based on a study of 30 Apple retail stores, and the wait times they're now quoting for battery replacements. Barclays analysts believe that the battery replacement program could affect iPhone sales and the average price of iPhones .


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NEW YORK ( TheStreet) -- In 2014, technology continued to evolve at a blistering pace -- and continued to rock the markets.
Innovative tech companies including Apple (AAPL) - Get Report , Tesla (TSLA) - Get Report , Google (GOOGL) - Get Report and Alibaba (BABA) - Get Report were among the most popular this year for investors and traders.
What new inventions and trends will these companies and others come up with in 2015 that will have markets moving?
Juniper Research, a U.K.-based technology research firm, has isolated 10 tech trends to watch in 2015.
1. Securing your data
Following a spate of high-level cyber security breaches, including most recently at SONY, leading to a leak of thousands of gigabytes of sensitive documents, consumers will be keen on securing their own personal data. Apple Pay with Touch ID, which links your fingerprint to your ability to access payments, is just one way that this is already happening, according to Juniper Research.
2. Smartwatches get smarter
The smartwatch market is now flooded with competition with companies like Apple, HP (HPQ) - Get Report , Samsung (SSNLF) and others joining a host of smaller competition. As the market matures, it will get smarter and pay more attention to aesthetics, according to Juniper Research.
For several years it has been promised the NFC, or near field communications, would be the wave of the future. Well, this is the year. In 2015, more people will move their connected devices in close proximity to one another to share information, according to Juniper Research.
4. Data takes over from voice
There has been a multi-year trend of wireless carriers charging less for voice calls and more for data. This trend will continue, according to Juniper Research.
5. Cryptocurrency rises
Bitcoin suffered a setback in 2014 with the shutdown of Mt Gox, an exchange for the currency made of code. But that won't stop the rise of strange, new, similar currencies, according to Juniper Research. PayPal has said that it is experimenting with letting merchants accept Bitcoin in exchange for digital goods.
Civilian drone usage will increase -- for both businesses and consumers -- even as authorities struggle to regulate the new devices, according to Juniper Research.
7. Digital health
With more data about our lives available now than ever, and wearable devices and smartphones recording yet more every day, consumers will start to take more control of their own health through the use of data, according to Juniper Research.
8. Budget 'phablets' go global
The rise of mobile gaming will mean that large smartphones, or phablets, will become more popular worldwide -- and that means prices for the devices will come down, according to Juniper Research.
9. Location-based services get more precise
One failing of location-based services has been with elevation. Wi-Fi, which has traditionally been used for indoors location-based services, can't discern between different floors of a mall, for instance. A technology called Bluetooth Low Energy will solve this problem in 2015, according to Juniper Research.
10. Indexing apps
Apps for your phone or tablet are great but, aside from the most popular ones, they're hard to find. In 2015, Google and Apple will work hard to make sure that apps are easier to find through the Web, according to Juniper Research.
- Written by Laurie Kulikowski in New York.


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For Sale By:Dealer
Sub Model: L-48 Coupe
Exterior Color: Burgundy
Drivetrain: Rear Wheel Drive
Interior Color: Burgundy
Knoxville, Tennessee, United States
As part of a longstanding tradition, the MVP of Super Bowl XLVII, Joe Flacco, quarterback for the Baltimore Ravens, was given a new car directly after the game and trophy celebrations. For 2013, that car is a 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray, and it was presented to Flacco by Rick Flick of Banner Chevrolet, a dealership in New Orleans that was wiped out by Hurricane Katrina in 2005 before returning to prominence as the only Chevy dealer in Orleans Parish.
Last year, Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning took home a 2012 Corvette GS Centennial Edition. Manning also won in 2008, when he selected a Cadillac Escalade Hybrid as his reward. In 2011, quarterback Aaron Rodgers accepted the keys to a Camaro convertible.
Though we're most definitely an auto-obsessed group, we did watch the Big Game along with nearly everyone else in America. And we've gotta say, as if winning the Super Bowl and receiving the Tiffany-designed Pete Rozelle Trophy wasn't enough for the multi-millionaire MVP athletes, a brand-new C7 seems like an awfully generous prize. Scroll down below for an official announcement from General Motors.
Fri, 01 Mar 2013 08:46:00 EST
Chevrolet Camaro in Korea - Click above for high-resolution image
There once was a time when Daewoo was one of the biggest companies in South Korea. It was larger than both LG and Samsung, and second only to Hyundai. But these days the name is all but gone.
Our apologies to those who've seen this before, but for the rest of the class, how awesome are these pictures of the Vert-A-Pac shipping system General Motors came up with to ship the Chevrolet Vega back in the 1970s? Developed along with Southern Pacific Railroad, GM was able to double the amount of Vega models it could ship by packing them into the unique storage cars vertically.
At the time, rail cars could fit 15 vehicles each, but Chevrolet was able to lower shipping costs by making it possible to ship 30 Vegas per rail car, in turn allowing the price of the Vega to remain as low as possible. Each rail car had 30 doors that would fold down so that a Vega could be strapped on, and then a forklift would come along and lift the door into place. All the cars were positioned nose down, and since they were shipped with all of their required fluids, certain aspects had to be designed specifically for this type of shipping, including an oil baffle in the engine, a special battery and even a repositioned windshield washer reservoir. See for yourself in our image gallery above.


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Monday 1st December 2008
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Net income rose to $1.4 million from $1.2 million a year earlier, the company said in a statement. Sales rose 5.1% to $8.2 million.
"For the remainder of the year, indications are for steady revenue performance for publications and online revenue, chairman Geoff Burns said. Still, "the current economic climate is generally expected to have a negative impact on the travel, accommodation and activities businesses, which make up Jasons customer base."
The company made three acquisitions in the past 12 months - internet booking websites of Strait Solutions, the Today-Tonight visitor guide print publications in Christchurch and Queenstown, and a brochure distribution and visitor guides business.
The shares last traded on October 2 at 75 cents and are down 22% this year. The company will pay an unchanged first-half dividend of 1.5 cents a share.
Jasons in September appointed Matthew Mayne as chief executive after former CEO Steven Joyce stood down to successfully contest the nation's elections.
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Jasons Travel in talks with banks as annual loss looms, breaches loan covenant
Jasons Travel predicts smaller FY profit, plans to expand across the Tasman
Updated: Jasons profit drops on What's On Guides; recession lifts holiday directories


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The retail industry is the second most targeted industry by ransomware
Is your retail workforce ready for the future of shopping?
Can an AI personality finder revolutionize the retail experience?
iStore iSend predicts tech savvy consumers to dictate e-Commerce industry
Will Shein really be worth US$ 100 billion?
Emerging technologies in retail boost e-Commerce sales
Is hybrid shopping giving retailers an e-Commerce dilemma?
How can smaller retailers leverage data analytics to fuel business growth?
Pickupp: Asia’s on-demand delivery service for the holiday season
AI can solve your online retail woes
While the US gathers allies, China silently achieved semiconductor breakthrough
1 August, 2022
TikTok dethrones Google as the new search engine?
2 August, 2022
Chip shortage: The lack of “chips to make chips” is exacerbating the shortage by another 2 years
27 June, 2022


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Play-to-earn has taken the world by storm — and now, financial incentives are being extended to fitness apps.
A motivational fitness social application has been created that boasts GameFi elements — encouraging users to put on their NFT sneakers and enjoy the fresh air.
AMAZY says its ambition is to get people to step away from their screens — and given how crypto enthusiasts tend to be heavy tech users, this can be no bad thing.
The project's campaign is already getting momentum — and support from influencers, celebrities and bloggers alike. Collectively, these stars have a total audience of more than one billion subscribers.
According to AMAZY, many move-to-earn applications suffer from a high degree of centralization, which isn't healthy in the long run. It wants to ensure all NFT interactions are moved to the blockchain, and a DAO has been established so users can vote on proposals to improve the game further.
A degree of exclusivity
For years now, sneakers have been regarded as a status symbol — with limited-edition drops selling for thousands of dollars. We're already starting to see this translate into virtual worlds, with major sportswear brands embracing blockchain technology in an attempt to reach younger users.
AMAZY plans to produce exclusive NFT sneakers, some of which will come in collaboration with celebrities, offering eye-catching collectibles that users won't find anywhere else. Those NFTs will be a digitized copy of physical ones worn by someone famous — creating a whole new level of connection with fans.
AMAZY was announced in May 2022. The closed beta version is now being tested by influencers who backed the project at an early stage. The open beta will appear in stores in June 2022, as well as the launchpads and exchange listings.
Efforts to attract more influencers are already underway — and founders firmly believe that NFT drops from big names have the potential to draw millions of new users into this space.
Looking ahead to next year, AMAZY plans to boast a vibrant ecosystem of move-to-earn, SocialFi and GameFi — not to mention an NFT marketplace and metaverse.
How move-to-earn works
The premise of move-to-earn is very simple: the more exercise a user does in the real world, the more AMT (AMAZY Movement Token) they will receive in compensation.
Co-founder Sergey Kosenko said his project aims to break new ground and offer a hub where influencers can inspire their followers to lead healthy lifestyles. He added: "We are making a Realverse — a whole ecosystem where offline and online intertwine."
Kosenko is a well-known influencer with a following of 5.5 million on Instagram, more than 150,000 in the crypto community, and extensive experience working with Tier 1 celebrities and bloggers. Joining him is Artem Nikolaev, who is well-known for being the co-founder of Azur Games — a company that has seen its apps amass 2.5 billion installs around the globe to date.
Azur Games is also playing a crucial role in the creation of AMAZY, thanks to its mobile game development experience.
Within the app, you can walk or jog in exchange for rewards — and users have the freedom to buy, sell or rent NFT sneakers within a marketplace. You can start earning if you own a pair of these sneakers and you're moving around with your GPS mode on according to the specific algorithm. Each pair of shoes comes in vibrant colors and is ranked based on four attributes: performance, fortune, joy and durability. The initial price of the sneakers pair is expected to be around $100.
So… who's among the star-studded list of celebrities and artists who have embraced AMAZY? They include the model and entrepreneur Brody Jenner, Hall of Fame baseball player Ken Griffey, Grammy-winning songwriter Dallas Austin, and supermodel Valery Kaufman.
AMAZY is available to everyone with zero barriers to entry. And as it gears up for launch, it wants crypto enthusiasts to start feeling bullish about their health and help crypto newbies get up to speed.
Disclaimer. Cointelegraph does not endorse any content or product on this page. While we aim at providing you with all important information that we could obtain, readers should do their own research before taking any actions related to the company and carry full responsibility for their decisions, nor can this article be considered as investment advice.


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Stephan Bole is Nintendo of Europe’s new president, Koji Miyake its new CEO
Posted on 4 years ago by Matt(@OnePunchMaz) in General Nintendo, News | 0 comments
Major management changes aren’t only happening at NCL, but at NoE today as well. As was previously announced, Satoru Shibata is retiring from his role as president of Nintendo of Europe today to join the company’s HQ back in Japan as part of its Board of Directors. Today, Shibata’s successors were finally announced.
Nintendo of Europe’s new president and COO is Stephan Bole. Between 2001 and 2015, Bole served as the managing director of Nintendo of France. He also was the senior managing director of corporate strategy (2009 – 2015) and senior managing director European subsidiaries and affiliates (2015 – 2018) for Nintendo of Europe.
Meanwhile, Koji Miyake is Nintendo of Europe’s new CEO. He previously served as the general manager of the human resources department at Nintendo in Japan. Both of them will be supported by new CFO Luciano Pereña (previously Nintendo of Spain) and CMO Laurent Fischer.
Stephan Bole had the following to say about Shibata’s departure and the new management structure:
“To say that Mr Shibata’s contributions have been instrumental to Nintendo’s European operations is an understatement. His efforts over the past 18 years have helped to bring Nintendo products to generations of players across Europe – and beyond. While he will be missed by many, I have full confidence that with our new structure we’ll be able to continue our mission of putting smiles on people’s faces through our unique gaming experiences.”
Satoru Shibata is now an Outside Director of The Pokemon Company
Posted on 4 years ago by Matt(@OnePunchMaz) in General Nintendo, News | 0 comments
Nintendo’s 78th Annual General Meeting of Shareholders will take place on June 28th at Nintendo’s headquarters in Kyoto. Several big changes to the company’s structure will be finalized at that meeting, including the appointment of Shuntaro Furukawa as the next president. Some other people are also changing jobs within the company, including the longtime president of Nintendo of Europe, Satoru Shibata. It is expected that, after 18 years, he will step down from that role at the shareholders’ meeting and be appointed one of Nintendo’s Five Directors (alongside Shigeru Miyamota, Shinya Takahashi, Shuntaro Furukawa and Ko Shiota).
However, it seems like Mr Shibata has been quite busy lately. In a recently published notice about the shareholders’ meeting, it says that, ever since May 2018, Shibata is also an Outside Director of The Pokemon Company. This means that he’s still with Nintendo, but will act as the company’s primary liaison with The Pokemon Company and represent Nintendo’s interests when dealing with them. Incidentally, this is a role that has previously been fulfilled by Shuntaro Furukawa. Since it would be strange to quit that job after just one month, it seems like Shibata will fulfill that role concurrently with his upcoming job as one of Nintendo’s Five Directors.
As an aside, it is still not clear who will take over from Shibata as Nintendo of Europe’s president once he vacates that position. Perhaps NoE’s new president will also be announced at the shareholders’ meeting on June 28th.
Satoru Shibata to step down as Nintendo of Europe president, becoming a director
Posted on 4 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 0 comments
The news about Tatsumi Kimishima retiring from Nintendo as president isn’t the only big role change announced for the company today. Satoru Shibata, who has been the president of Nintendo of Europe, is also relocating from his role.
Nintendo confirms that Shibata is becoming a director. In a sense, this is an upgrade, as he’ll have a greater executive officer role as part of the board of directors.
It is not immediately clear who will be taking over for Shibata’s previously role.
Messages from Reggie, Shibata, Zelda: Breath of the Wild’s director from Switch’s media kit
Posted on 5 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Switch | 12 Comments
Included with the Switch media kits are special messages from Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime, Nintendo of Europe president Satoru Shibata, and Zelda: Breath of the Wild director Hidemaro Fujibayashi.
First, here’s a look at Reggie’s message:
Next, here’s the letter from Nintendo of Europe president Satoru Shibata:
Satoru Shibata unboxes the Switch
Posted on 5 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Switch, Videos | 11 Comments
Another Switch unboxing video has come in, this time from Nintendo of Europe president Satoru Shibata. Have a look below.
Satoru Shibata shares a message about Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Over on Nintendo of Spain’s YouTube page, Nintendo of Europe president Satoru Shibata shared a brief message about The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. He spoke about his first impressions after playing the demo. Hear Shibata’s full message below.
Nintendo making Audit/Supervisory Committee, Reggie and Shibata are executive officers
Posted on 6 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 30 Comments
As part of Nintendo’s financial results today, it was announced that the company will be implementing an Audit/Supervisory Committee and Officer System. What does this mean exactly? Well, more power will be given to the Board of Directors for an increased focus on corporate governance. Additionally, Nintendo of America/Nintendo of Europe presidents Reggie Fils-Aime and Satoru Shibata will be executive officers.
A holiday message from Nintendo of Europe president Satoru Shibata
Posted on 7 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 10 Comments
Satoru Shibata, president of Nintendo of Europe, published a lengthy message on the company’s website today with the arrival of the holidays. Read it in full below.
This is Satoru Shibata from Nintendo of Europe.
I would like to thank you all for your tremendous support of Nintendo in 2015.
With Mr Iwata passing away in July, this year has proven to be a real challenge for us, as well as for me personally. It saddened me not only as president of Nintendo of Europe, but as a fellow Nintendo Direct presenter. Looking back at the overwhelming number of tributes you all have paid, it again brought home to me just how much he was loved.
More: Satoru Shibata
NoE president Satoru Shibata on Iwata’s passing
Posted on 7 years ago by Matt(@OnePunchMaz) in General Nintendo, News | 5 Comments
Videogamer.com obtained a statement from Nintendo of Europe president Satoru Shibata regarding Satoru Iwata’s death:
Nintendo of Europe is today mourning the passing of Mr Satoru Iwata, Nintendo’s Global President. It is difficult to put into words the sadness we feel at this time. Mr. Iwata was a strong leader, a unique figure in the gaming industry and an important part of Nintendo’s history. He was a visionary in every sense of the word and we will miss him dearly.
Just as Mr. Iwata challenged us to always push forward, we will ensure his legacy lives on through our ongoing work to always surprise and delight our fans. At this time our thoughts are with his family.
Holiday greetings from Satoru Shibata from Nintendo of Europe
Posted on 8 years ago by Kirara Koneko(@KiraraKoneko) in General Nintendo, New Nintendo 3DS, News | 2 Comments
Nintendo of Europe posted a new message on its website with a holiday greeting from president Satoru Shibata. Check it out below:
Hello everyone! This is Satoru Shibata from Nintendo of Europe.
I would like to thank you all for your continuous support of Nintendo throughout 2014!
Thank you as well for always watching our Nintendo Direct broadcasts. I didn’t present them so often this year, but I still read all your many comments made during and after each Direct.
This year, I tried to attend as many game events and shows as I could, such as the Japan Expo in France, Gamescom in Germany, Milan Games Week, and Paris Games Week. In fact, I may even have spoken with some of you at these events! I like walking around game events and conventions like these, because I can really feel how much you all love Nintendo games.
I was glad to see that many people enjoyed playing Mario Kart 8, Hyrule Warriors, Bayonetta 2, and Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. Even though I couldn’t attend the Manga Fair in Spain, I was thrilled that Pokémon generated a lot of excitement there, and that the TV news programmes picked this up.


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Ha Noi, 30th January 2015 – Leading traditional medicine (TM) practitioners in Viet Nam have signed a pledge committing them to refrain from any engagement in illegal wildlife trade or in consumption of threatened wildlife species, including as ingredients in traditional medicine.
Latest news from TRAFFIC
Bangkok, Thailand, 28th January 2015— Representatives from across the transportation and logistics sector meet later this week in Bangkok for a consultative workshop together with Customs officials, supply chain experts and wildlife professionals in order to find actionable solutions to deter wildlife smuggling activities while strengthening supply chains and corporate policies.
UPDATE: Just days after more than 2,350 Pig-nosed Turtles were seized in Jakarta, another 5,284 have been seized in Bali.Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 22nd January 2015—Authorities in Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta Airport have foiled a bid to smuggle an astonishing 2,350 Pig-nosed Turtles out of Indonesia this week, highlighting the continuing pressure on a species sought after for its rarity and exotic looks.
South Africa, 22nd January 2015—Official figures released today by South Africa confirmed that 2014 was the worst on record for rhino poaching.
A total of 1,215 rhinos were poached in South Africa in 2014, an average of more than three animals per day or 100 per month.


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September wasn’t such a good month for US auto sales, as the chart shows. It was the first time since May 2011 that sales were below those of the same month in the previous year. Was this just a blip, explained by the fact that August was strong due to Labor Day being very early in September? Or was this a sign of a changing trend?
A lot hangs on the answer. Auto sales have powered ahead since 2011, with some analysts suggesting they could regain the 15 – 17m levels seen routinely from 1995 – 2007. This has been great news for the economy, and for suppliers to the industry. But the blog is more cautious.
The reason is that a large part of the strength in new car sales is due to high prices for used cars. Sales of these cars dominate the market, with analysts expecting 41.25m to be sold in 2013 versus 15m new cars. And used car prices have been sky-high recently, encouraging buyers to buy new, as the New York Times reports:
“During the recession, consumers stopped buying new vehicles and automakers trimmed production, eventually creating a shortage of the most sought-after used vehicles – later models with low mileage. Used-car prices surged.”
Only 10.4m new cars were sold in 2009, and just 11.6m in 2010. So until recently there has been a great shortage of reasonably priced used cars available for sale. Average prices today are thus $17926, compared to $14976 in 2009. In turn, as the blog noted last month, auto makers have cleverly offered leasing deals for new cars that often make it possible for a used car buyer to afford a new car instead.
But now the dynamics of the used car market are changing, as the higher volumes of cars sold in 2011 onwards start to hit the dealerships. Thus industry analysts Edmonds.com forecast the market is at a tipping point, where supply/demand for used cars is already starting to rebalance:
“Even though there’s a decline, prices are still high for used cars. It’s definitely a better time to buy than last year, but if you can wait, prices are just going to keep going down.”
Equally important, say dealers, is that buyers have a limited budget when they do go out to buy:
“For the foreseeable future, late-model compact and midsize cars and small sport utility vehicles …are in demand. It’s that $12,000 car that’s the perfect sweet spot, the kind with a $250-a-month payment.”
The clear conclusion is that nobody really knows what may happen next in the US auto market. Any company betting its future on just one outcome may find they have chosen right. But companies that instead test their plans against a variety of possible outcomes will dramatically improve their chances of success.


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The Stephenville Fire Department will continue its decade-long tradition of giving back when they host its annual Christmas toy drive from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday at Walmart.
“This is something we have done for many, many years,” said Lt. Gregg Schrumpf. “It’s a way for us to give back to this community.”
Residents are asked to drop off a new, unwrapped toy for any age to the firefighters at the front of the store where a Stephenville fire truck will be parked.
Monetary donations will also be accepted.
The toys and money that are collected will be passed on to the Stephenville Optimist Club to be dispersed.


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By Alex Biles, University of Michigan
Apple’s instantly recognizable logo is known for its trademark bite, but what about its stores?
Some crafty entrepreneurs in China have made biting Apple their trademark with the opening of what appear to be Apple stores, or in some special cases, “stoers.”
As reported in an excellent blog piece earlier today, a growing number of knockoff Apple stores, possibly selling knockoff Apple products, are appearing in China. And we’re not talking Beijing and Shanghai here. Our author of this blog piece’s hangout is none other than the burgeoning Chinese city of Kunming, which I had never heard of until today.
Complete with a classic Apple winding staircase and a clean setup resembling its legitimate counterparts, the store is staffed by employees rocking blue tees with the knockoff Apple logo.
Yet, some things were sketchy. The name tags had no names. They simply featured the Apple logo and a mysterious “staff” designation. It’s reported that the stairs were poorly made, and the walls, painted sloppily. Plus, BirdAbroad noted, Apple never writes “Apple Store” on its signs, preferring to keep things simple with the glowing image of its favorite fruit.
Then there’s a quick check of the Apple website’s store locator, which displays a pair of stores in both Beijing and Shanghai – and that’s it. Close, but no cigar, Kunming.
BirdAbroad also reports the cozy encounter that ensued when he attempted to photograph the spectacle:
Clearly, they had also been told that above all, they must protect the brand. As I took these photos I was quickly accosted by two salespeople inside, and three plain clothes security guys outside, putting their hands in my face and telling me to stop taking photographs – that it wasn’t allowed. And why wasn’t it allowed? Because their boss told them so.
As if that weren’t creepy enough, the employees of the “stoers” actually believe they are working for Apple. Somewhere, this greasy bastard of a “boss” is counting his yuan, while oblivious employees and customers fiddle with gadgets which may or may not have been produced in some outsourced Apple “factroy.”
For even more shits and giggles, BirdAbroad notes that a short walk around the block yielded the discovery of not one, but two more knockoff Apple stores.
The crazy libertarian streak in me thinks this is kind of awesome – an ironic middle finger to trademark and copyright protections for corporations. It’s the true epitome of the laissez-faire model that has granted the Chinese tremendous economic growth, lifting millions out of abject poverty.
However, I have to admit being a little freaked out by the deception going on between the employees and their “boss,” coupled with the possibility of customers unknowingly being sold knockoff products.
But, hey. At least there’s no knockoff Taco Bells in China. Right?


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This is a summary. To read the whole story subscribe to BostonGlobe.com
With a $485 million deal, a little-known Needham company has captured a leading spot in the advertising technology market to distribute and track commercials across all screens, from tiny smartphones to whopping TV sets.
Extreme Reach Inc. has grown rapidly in just the past few years, fueled by big brands such as Ford and Geico that are using its technology to distribute ads to television stations or to have them pop up at the right moment on YouTube and Hulu.
Now, Extreme Reach has agreed to buy a major chunk of Digital Generation Inc. of Irving, Texas, taking out a rival in the crowded ad tech marketplace.
“There are dozens, if not hundreds, of ad tech companies competing,” said John Roland, Extreme Reach chief executive officer.


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US economy bleeding jobs, unemployment at 5-year high
WASHINGTON (AFP) – The struggling US economy lost 159,000 jobs in September as the weight of the housing collapse and credit crunch hit a broad swath of industries, government data showed Friday.
The report, seen as one of the best indicators of economic momentum, showed a sharp rise in the number of cuts after 73,000 job losses in August.
"There is little doubt that the nation is in a recession, which will only deepen in coming months, as the financial crisis casts a pall on economic activity," said Sophia Koropeckyj at Economy.com.
"Moreover, it is highly likely that conditions will deteriorate further in coming months as the various financial service restructurings result in tens of thousands of job losses, the credit crunch freezes business expansions and construction, retail bankruptcies mean more layoffs."
The unemployment rate calculated by a separate survey of households held at 6.1 percent, a five-year high, the Labor Department said.
Payrolls have fallen by 760,000 so far this year as the world's biggest economy has been roiled by a massive collapse in housing that spread to the financial sector and led to global credit crunch.
"The credit crisis has moved into the mainstream economy," said Joel Naroff at Naroff Economic Advisors.
"Firms are hunkering down and running as lean as possible. With all the uncertainty over the potential for a steep recession and the inability to get credit, it is hardly surprising that businesses have decided to wait and see. We are likely to see more months of job losses before conditions turn around."
September was the ninth consecutive month of declining payrolls, according to the report. The average analyst forecast of loss was 105,000 jobs.
The report "is just the latest in a series of indicators showing that the economy was deteriorating rapidly as the third quarter progressed," said Nigel Gault, economist at Global Insight.
"A very weak employment report that further confirms our view that the economy is in recession and that the recession deepened in September," said John Ryding at RDQ Economics.
"The increase in unemployment would have been larger but for a 121,000 drop in the labor force."
The report came hours before US lawmakers gave final approval to 700-billion-dollar rescue plan for the financial system, which has been drowning in losses from the housing meltdown and hurt by a credit crunch.
The latest official data showed the economy expanded at a healthy 2.8 percent pace in the second quarter, but most analysts say the figure was misleading because of a surge in exports and the impact of a one-time government stimulus.
Over the month of September, employment continued to decline in manufacturing, construction, and retail trade, while some gains were seen in health care and mining.
The manufacturing sector lost 51,000 jobs over the month, bringing the decline in factory jobs to 442,000 over the past 12 months, the report said. About 18,000 jobs were lost last month in the auto sector, which has been reeling from weak consumer spending and confidence.
Some 35,000 jobs were lost in construction along with 40,000 in retail trade.
The troubled financial sector shed 17,000 jobs in September, with nearly half of the decline occurring in securities and investment firms. Overall, the report showed the financial sector has lost 172,000 jobs since December 2006.
The report showed average hourly earnings rose 0.2 percent to 18.17 dollars, slightly below the consensus estimate of a 0.3 percent rise.
The average workweek for fell by 0.1 hour to 33.6 hours, seasonally adjusted.
"Together this means incomes are going to be crimped that will feed back to weaken spending," said Robert Brusca at FAO Economics.
"And the will fed back into jobs. It is vicious circle time."
White House hopefuls Barack Obama and John McCain voiced concern at the latest US employment data, and clashed again over the best way to stop the rot.
Obama said the US "can't afford Senator McCain's plan to give America four more years of the same policies that have devastated our middle-class and our economy for the last eight."
McCain argued that "unlike Senator Obama, I do not believe we will create one single American job by increasing taxes, going on a massive spending binge, and closing off markets."


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Virgin Media's V6 - First Reviews - Or, more accurately, the first I’ve found. Here’s what *Pocket-lint* concludes about the new box: *It’s clear that the company has made every effort to ...
Tuesday, 6 November 2012
TV Anywhere and Multi-room streaming: Now available for Virgin Media TiVo
Posted by Jason (Admin) at 19:31
My Blog List
New pilot software being rolled out to TiVos! (with video) - I have the 15.3 TiVo pilot software! Virgin's announcement said about the new firmware: We've just started piloting the next update to the TiVo software to...


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Pioneer Growers Co-op, Belle Glade, Fla., is introducing an environmentally friendly version of its tray-packed sweet corn.
“We will have a new ‘Go Green’ package for our packaged sweet corn program that will take the foam tray out of the package completely,” vice president and sales manager J. D. Poole said.
Poole said packaging will roll out during a four-month period this year.
He said the company also has introduced a new packaged green bean line.
“We have the capability to pack in any retail or foodservice pack imaginable,” he said of the year-round program.


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Yahoo Releases Anti-Spam Technique For Upcoming Standards Battle
from the everyone-come-up-with-their-own-standard! dept
One thing that you can guarantee in the technology world is that there will never be a shortage of standards battles. While AOL is supporting Sender Policy Framework (SPF) as their way of authenticating email senders, Microsoft is pushing their "caller ID" method of combating spoofed spam and Yahoo has been pushing ahead with their own DomainKeys proposal. Today, Yahoo is making some news by announcing that they're releasing the technology as a standard. A standard for whom? So far, it seems like it's just Yahoo. Are we going to reach a point where our mail servers are going to need to separately check DomainKeys, SPF, email Caller ID, some giant useless "do not spam" database, and twenty other anti-spam systems before they'll be able to forward mail? Is it really a "standard" if everyone has their own?