text:
The agency wants to implement new digital resources like blockchain to disrupt America’s old way of tracking food to its source.
As it ushers in a new age of “smarter” food safety, the Food and Drug Administration plans to leverage emerging technology to bolster transparency and traceability across America’s food system.
“Some people predict that the food system will change more in the next eight years than it’s changed in the last 100 and that will be a good thing,” Frank Yiannas, the FDA’s deputy commissioner for food policy and response, said at an ACT-IAC event in Washington this week. “But we need to digitize the food system—there’s no question about it.”
The current paradigm to trace food from its source—across packing houses and warehouses for shipment and onto American store shelves—is largely paper-based, Yiannas said. This outdated form of tracking means safety experts can often only trace food items from one location back and one location forward.
“You can see if you are trying to chase this down on paper it takes a long time to tell where these products came from,” he said.
This poses problems in the midst of dangerous outbreaks. Yiannas said the FDA needed several days to find the farms that romaine lettuce contaminated with e.coli originated from during a multistate outbreak last November.
“The damage that that does to consumer trust is hard to really fully measure,” Yiannas said. “And while the food system is pretty safe, unfortunately, these incidents happen.”
The outbreak prompted the FDA to release a statement on “the new era of smarter food safety,” outlining how the agency hopes to leverage digital tools and resources to improve food safety across the nation.
“Let me just tell you, ‘smarter food safety’ is not just a tagline,” he said. “It really is a different way of thinking about how we solve food safety challenges.”
Before joining the FDA, Yiannas launched a pilot at Walmart using blockchain technology to trace and track mangoes from farm source to store shelf.
“So to make a long story short, we started working with small farmers and a technology provider ... to start digitizing that and capturing the tracking information on blockchain,” he said.
Using blockchain technology, the team could track the source of a specific bag of mangoes in 2.2 seconds, compared to the “weeks” it took using the old paper-based system.
“What we are after is more transparency in the food system. By creating this digital footprint, you can shine a light on all the different stakeholders in the food system and really create transparency,” he said. “I persuaded them that technologies like blockchain could do for food traceability what the internet did for communication.”
In his last effort before leaving Walmart to join FDA, Yiannas helped the retailer work to make all fresh leafy green suppliers—like those involved in last year’s e.coli outbreak—use blockchain as a traceability solution.
The deputy commissioner said as a decentralized and distributed system, blockchain has proven to be a suitable technology that can foster a more digital and traceable food system.
Yiannas is applying his learnings at FDA to help incentivize blockchain use within the public sector and also addressing the government’s role in setting standards and interoperability requirements for new technologies. He said before he worked for the agency, he gave a testimony to Congress pushing them to “stay out of the way” when it came to blockchain.
Half a year into his new role inside government, the deputy commissioner wishes he would’ve answered differently. He now sees that public and private partnerships will be most critical in the development of new emerging technology ecosystems.
“I spent 30 years in the private sector and I think there's a lot the private sector can do to scale these solutions. I am now on the other side of the fence and I know there's a lot FDA and public agencies can do,” he said. “But what's become crystal clear to me over these last six months is that there is so much more we can do through working together.”


text:
- Subscribe NowLimited Time Offer
Study: Hyundai plant has $3.8B impact on Alabama
Send this story to a friend
- Staff Birmingham Business Journal
Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama has a huge impact on the state's economy, according to a new study by a professor at Auburn University at Montgomery.
According to the study, the automaker's plant and its suppliers had a $3.8 billion impact on the state economy and accounted for more than 34,000 full-time jobs in 2010.
The plant and its suppliers also accounted for 2 percent of the state's real gross domestic product and yielded $61.3 million in total tax revenue, according to the study.
“Hyundai has dramatically improved the manufacturing sector of central Alabama’s economy,” said Deravi. “While the greater U.S. experienced a contraction of manufacturing jobs, HMMA contributed to a 21 percent growth rate in manufacturing employment in the Montgomery metro area between 2002, when Hyundai began construction of their plant, and 2006 after its first full year of hiring.”
If you are commenting using a Facebook account, your profile information may be displayed with your comment depending on your privacy settings. By leaving the 'Post to Facebook' box selected, your comment will be published to your Facebook profile in addition to the space below.
- Most popular
- Meet the FastTrack 30: Blanks Boutique
- How the SEC Network will change your fall Saturdays
- List: The least and most underemployed college majors
- Two Alabama schools make list of 25 Best High Schools In The South
- Regions chief administrative officer to retire, won't be replaced
- IberiaBank picks Bham for roll out of new branch concept
- BBVA Compass eliminates assistant branch manager positions
- What companies are paying top dollar for your iPhone 5?
- Former Alabama quarterback makes ticket buying easier
- Bham surgeon learns new skills that could change knee replacements
Embroidery Assistant Concepts & Associates | Birmingham, AL
Shipping & Receiving Assistant Concepts & Associates | Birmingham, AL
REGISTERED NURSE / RN SELECT MEDICAL – LONG-TERM ACUTE CARE HOSPITALS | Birmingham, AL
Bilingual or Multilingual Sales Trainee - Export Group Job Motion Industries | Birmingham, AL
Test Automation Engineer Visionaire Partners | Birmingham, AL

domain: news


text:
Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev will soon sign a document lifting restrictions on Turkish food products, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Arkadiy Dvorkovich said Thursday.
Speaking at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), Dvorkovich revealed that the decree was ready and only awaited signing.
"Based on the decree signed by the president, the prime minister will sign a government decision. Maybe, he will sign it today. There are vegetables, except tomatoes, of course," Dvorkovich said.
Russian deputy prime minister also noted that Ministry of Agriculture is discussing a possibility of seasonal supplies of tomatoes from Turkey.
"The Ministry of Agriculture has just started discussing with them, there is still no clarity," Dvorkovich said, responding to a request to comment on Turkey's proposal for seasonal supplies of tomatoes.
Meanwhile, agriculture minister Aleksandr Tkachev said that restrictions on Turkish tomatoes would last for at least three years.
Turkey and Russia signed a joint declaration May 22 to remove trade restrictions between the two countries.
The agreement is viewed as an important step towards the normalization of economic relations and increasing trade volumes.


text:
Consumer goods stocks face challenges: Deutsche
Reuters Market Eye - Deutsche Bank recommends being selective in Indian consumer goods stocks as high inflation and weak job creation may weigh on the sector, even as the broader growth outlook and investment arguments remain compelling.
Deutsche says it prefers companies with "multiple levers to manage growth," favouring those with strong pricing power, ability to expand distribution, and with a track record of innovation to maneuver a potential slowdown.
As a result, the investment bank recommends ITC (ITC.NS) , Marico (MRCO.NS) and Titan Industries (TITN.NS) as its top 'buy' stocks in the consumer goods space.
However, Deutsche downgrades Nestle India (NEST.NS) to 'sell' from 'hold', citing a combination of market slowdown and "missteps" by management.
Deutsche also downgrades Dabur India to 'sell' from 'hold', citing expectations for poor volume and earnings growth.
- Tweet this
- Share this
- Digg this
- Nine reasons why India's WTO veto shocked the world
- India says WTO deal not dead, can sign in Sept if concerns addressed
- Rupee posts biggest weekly loss since record lows in August
- Gaza truce over, Israel soldier captured, 70 dead in Rafah shelling
- Doubts surface about Modi after trade deal scuppered
Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to office with a reputation as a business-friendly leader ready to open up one of the world's biggest markets and sweep away the remnants of the country's socialist past. Full Article


text:
Social media may no longer be the optimal platform for marketing or public relations, with messaging apps having now surpassed social networking with as many as 1.3 billion active users. That's according to a recent tweet from the SEO and marketing experts at SEMrush, citing statements made by MobileMonkey CEO and digital marketing expert Larry Kim at this month's INBOUND 2018 conference. The comment may seem counter-intuitive since recent reports have indicated that Facebook has as many as two billion monthly active users. However, for messaging applications – including Facebook's Messenger and chatbot driven services – the lead is gained by taking daily use into consideration instead of monthly use. The latter of those figures includes users who may only open their Facebook app a few times per month. Kim says that distinction sets the platforms apart from alternative communication methods between businesses and consumers or subscribers.
What's more, the implication carries over to email as well, which could arguably be placed in a position of near-obsolescence by the rise of messaging apps. By comparison, messages delivered on those have a 20-percent 'open rate' while that figure for emails drops to just a single percent. That's the rate at which a delivered communication is actually opened by recipients and, more directly, means that only around 1 out of every 100 recipients open an email communication. What's more, messaging apps offer a completely different way to handle those interactions. Instead of addressing audiences as a group, businesses and service providers can interact on a more individual basis by funneling different 'segments' of an audience into different chats.
The trends noted by SEMrush and MobileMonkey aren't necessarily new but are something that several messaging-based social media providers have already latched onto. For example, WhatsApp Business is a separate service from the main app that allows the creation and management of a business account used for communicating with WhatsApp users. That may not be taking things quite as far as the "audience segmentation" suggested by Kim since it only features a single business account instead of multiple "chat funnels." With that said, it does put the spotlight on an apparent shift away from traditional social media toward a more one-on-one approach and the use of messaging applications to market and conduct public relations.


text:
Recently, dozens of smartphones received the February 2021 security patch update but Huawei released March 2021 patch to its only one device. Now, Huawei rolled out February 2021 security patch update for Huawei MatePad 10.4 inch and Honor Tablet V6 5G on the build number 10.1.0.202 and 22.214.171.124 respectively. You can check the complete changelog which is mention below.
The February 2021 security patch includes 2 Critical, 26 High levels, and 77 Medium levels of CVE’s. The Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) system tracks publicly known security vulnerabilities and exposures in publicly released software packages.
Join Our Huawei & Honor Channel On Telegram
- This update improves system security using Android security patches.
- Security: Integrated Android security patches released in February 2021 for improved system security.
Note: Before upgrading to the latest version make sure your smartphone is connected with a proper internet connection, we recommend you to download it over WIFI so that you will not face any error.
If you like our news and you want to see such news even further, then follow RealMi Central on Telegram, Twitter, Facebook (Page) (Group) & Instagram.


text:
Francisco González, the executive chairman of the BBVA Group, is a member of the International Advisory Panel of the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) and is a frequent visitor to the country. This weekend, he took part in the Singapore Summit, an event aimed at “connecting Asia with the rest of the world.” While there, Francisco González granted an interview to the Spanish daily ABC, in which he speaks about the “extraordinary moment” the bank is going through, having chosen to embark on a digital endeavor, the results of which have been striking. These results include an increase in digital sales, which accounted for 42 percent of total sales in July. “The first fruits of digitization have been really superb,” he says.
The BBVA chairman puts the emphasis on the bank’s digital transformation which has offered up “spectacular figures.” These figures encompass both the number of digital customers and the revenue they are generating. The costs of digital customers amount to a third of that of non-digital customers. The churn rate for digital customers is also half.
With these figures in hand, Francisco González is optimistic about the future. The BBVA chairman expects the bank to “play a very significant global role” because “we are the bank that is clearly ahead on a global level in terms of transformation.” He predicted the emergence of “a new league of players” that apart from banks will also include fintechs and some of the internet giants such as Amazon, Google and Alibaba.
BBVA will create its own ecosystem, a huge platform where we can choose the best products and experiences wherever they are
What will BBVA’s role be? Francisco González explains that the bank will create its “own ecosystem, a huge platform where we can choose the best products and experiences wherever they are.” BBVA will be a personal advisor for the customer, ever attentive to their day-to-day needs. “We want to be there at all of the important moments of their lives,” he says.
BBVA executive chairman Francisco González. - BBVA
The data belongs to the customer
A key aspect of the digital financial environment is regulation. “A new economic and social order is being created” and “the legal architecture we currently have is not in in step with this new world,” he says. He warns about the problems of privacy that are brewing. The big debate, in his opinion, revolves around data ownership. “We have it very clear; the data; it’s the customer’s data. And if we want to use this information, authorization must be specifically granted by that person.”
"We have it very clear; the data; it’s the customer’s data. And if we want to use this information, authorization must be specifically granted by that person"
Francisco González believes the regulations will be very much focused on protecting data. Based on his experience “a bank such as BBVA has a big advantage in this area.” Regulation is growing, he acknowledges, but warns: “It has to be regulation that balances on the one hand protection of the consumer (to avoid systemic risk, that is, monopolies) and on the other support for innovation.”
The same applies to the case of blockchain, where, in his opinion, regulation will be also very important. He believes it is essential to understand that blockchain “could bring about the disappearance of intermediation in general.” But it could also mean an opportunity and BBVA is working to take advantage of its potential, he says.
Asia is coming to the forefront
Asked about the role of Asia in the new international order, Francisco González has it clear: “Asia as a whole, and particularly China, is starting to take a leading role.” And in his opinion, the West has to react. Likewise, in the interview the BBVA chairman warns about the negative impact of a ‘trade war’ between China and the United States and the increase in protectionism in general, while coming out on the side of fostering international trade. “We are very happy with the in-principle agreement between the U.S. and Mexico, and we hope now Canada will come on board.”
"We are very happy with the in-principle agreement between the U.S. and Mexico, and we hope now Canada will come on board"
As regards BBVA’s strategy in the Asian region, the chairman indicated it is completely digital-oriented. For example, the bank recently invested $50 million in Sinovation Fund IV, the fund specializing in artificial intelligence led by Kai-Fu Lee.
On the lessons Spain could take from Singapore, Francisco González names several: the good use of the free market economy, the digital focus, regulatory openness and the ability to attract companies and international talent.


text:
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Diamond Chemical has hired Will Shearer as business development manager, according to a press release.
Shearer has ten years of experience in the electrical equipment industry, noted the release. He also has experience servicing laundries.
More articles on: Labor and employee relations
Shearer “worked on the development of an electrochemical water reuse system” for use in laundries, stated the release. He graduated from the University of Notre Dame.
Diamond Chemical manufactures laundry, warewash, floor care, housekeeping, organic intermediates, industrial and consumer products, reported the release.


text:
or the first time Eircode will have a stand at the Ideal Home Show this coming Halloween bank holiday weekend in the RDS.
Allianz Insurance is one of many companies now enjoying the benefits of integrating Eircode data.
Eircode will once again have a stand at the National Ploughing Championships in Tullamore.
You could visit the Eircode, stand number R1 in Hall 3 and pick up your free limited edition
Pictured at the Ordnance Survey Office in Phoenix Park
Christmas stamps are now on sale and the Christmas online shopping season


text:
MIAMI (CBSMiami) – Miami Heat fans get ready to put on your red, white and – pink.
In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the Miami Heat has teamed up with Baptist Health Breast Center to announce the HEAT “Red, White & Pink” Game on October 1.
The open scrimmage game will consist of four full quarters and a halftime ceremony to honor local survivors of breast cancer. The Miami HEAT Dancers, Burnie and the Xtreme Team will also perform.
Throughout the game, Heat players will wear special edition shooting shirts that will also be auctioned off by the Baptist Health Breast Center beginning on Thursday, October 2nd. Proceeds from the auction will go to the center for research.
Fans will only get the opportunity to attend the free game if they register for tickets on Tickemaster.com. Each person is allowed to get four tickets. The first 5,000 fans will receive a HEAT Red, White & Pink Game t-shirt.
The game starts at 7:00 p.m. and will be held at the American Airlines Arena. Doors open at 6:00 p.m.
For more information, fans can log onto HEAT.com.
[display-posts category=”sports” wrapper=”ul” posts_per_page=”5″]


text:
Bottled water has no advantages over tap water in areas with a potable water supply. It is a sound option for areas in which water is either scarce or untreated, making it unsafe to drink, says National Geographic.
In the United States, tap water purity is regulated by federal law. Companies producing bottled water obtain the water from public sources without observing the same purification processes. Bottled water can even contain dangerous, possibly carcinogenic, chemicals that escape from plastic bottles when the bottles are recycled and refilled, depending on what type of plastic the manufacturer uses, according to National Geographic.


text:
If you ever get the feeling that every heretofore ordinary object in your life is now beeping, flashing, counting, or otherwise hinting of intelligence — benign or maybe even malevolent — blame Warren East.
Mr. East is the chief executive of ARM Holdings, a company based in Cambridge, England, that designs the most widely used microprocessors for controlling devices. He was in New York Tuesday to ring the bell at Nasdaq celebrating ARM’s 10 years as a publicly traded company, and he stopped by to chat.
We talked about the coming explosion in microchips: As the prices of the most common chips using ARM designs fall from about $5 today to less than $1, a lot more heretofore “dumb” objects —d own to lowly light switches — are going to start trying to think for themselves and communicating with the rest of the world.
ARM isn’t a company that gets much press, but it turns out to dominate its corner of the business. Last year, 2.9 billion chips were sold based on ARM’s designs. ARM says that represents three-quarters of all the microprocessors in its market of 32-bit embedded CPUs.
I was struck by the company’s great business model, which is more like Microsoft than Intel in many ways. It licenses the core design for chips to dozens of manufacturers — Intel, Samsung, and many others – who then customize those designs for specific applications and actually make the silicon. In return, ARM gets roughly 1 percent of the sale price of the chips using its architecture.
The company had revenue of $514 million last year, with only 1,700 employees — that’s quite a bit of leverage.
In recent years, the big driver for ARM has been the addition of cell phones to food and shelter on the list of basic human needs, at least for 1 billion of the world’s occupants. Modern cellphones typically contain several chips based on ARM’s designs to perform various functions. There’s one controlling the radio. Another is the “applications processor” running the user interface and other features on the display. Phones may also have an ARM chip to communicate by Bluetooth and one to scan the skies to operate the GPS navigation system.
When I asked Mr. East about what products will be most important to the company in five years, he didn’t want to talk about cell phones.
“The conversation today is about smart phones and that sort of thing,” he said. “We will be having more conversation about general purpose microcontrollers and their use in more simple products.”
One example, he said, is electric motors that are used in washing machines and other appliances. “Motors would be a lot more efficient with more sophisticated controls, but for those sophisticated controls you need a 32-bit microprocessors,” Mr. East said.
An example: STMicroelectronics has introduced chips, based on ARM designs, meant to make three-phase motors more efficient by using vector calculations to control their speed. Soon, Mr. East said, the price of 32-bit chips like these will fall from about $5 to less than $2, competitive with the sort of 8-bit chips that are typically used in control applications today.
A future example is a light switch that uses a wireless network connection so that lights can be controlled from a central location. Right now, Mr. East said, the chips needed for control and communication might cost between $5 and $10, and he’s not aware of anyone implementing a system at that price. But the cost will drop to below $1 over the next five years, he said.
Mr. East has reason to talk up new uses for ARM chips. The company’s stock has fallen by 34 percent since October in part because of fears by investors that the sales of cellphones will slow. (There is also worry about a rival chip family called Atom from Intel.)
Whether or not ARM as a company continues to thrive, I think what Mr. East says bears watching. As the price of these chips keeps falling, we will see exponentially more objects around us watching, calculating, bleeping and communicating.


text:
For helping to make the world a kinder place for animals, we’re proud to announce that compassionate crooner Morrissey is PETA’s 2011 Person of the Year.
A long-time champion of animal rights and vegetarianism, this year the Lancashire born singer – described by NME as “one of the most influential artists ever” – has once again been using the limelight to shine a light on the terrible suffering that animals endure on factory farms and inside abattoirs.
During his European tour, Morrissey had information tables with animal rights literature manned … Read more.
Christmas shoppers outside Fortnum & Mason’s Piccadilly store got a festive surprise today when Big Brother winner Chantelle Houghton, dressed in a seasonal red velvet robe, led a protest against the department store’s sale of foie gras. Our favourite socialite handed out free tins of deliciously decadent, cruelty-free faux gras to shoppers who signed PETA’s enormous Christmas card urging the department store to end its sale of a product so cruel that its production is illegal under UK law.
“I’m dreaming of a kind Christmas – one where foie gras is … Read more.
A new video from international environmentalists Robert Goodland and Jeff Anhang, created as part of the Chomping Climate Change campaign, has been featured on Sir Paul McCartney’s Meat Free Monday campaign website.
The video comes shortly after the most recent rounds of COP17 talks in Durban, South Africa, and is designed to outline what people can do to help limit greenhouse-gas emissions and reduce the dangerous levels of carbon already in the atmosphere.
With a recent UN report on climate change, and Worldwatch Institute’s Livestock and Climate Change report both … Read more.
It’s the season of celebration, and in that spirit, we’ve got another reason for you to feel jovial this Christmas: Oxford City Council has rejected plans to reintroduce horse-drawn carriages! We are SO grateful to you, our brilliant supporters, who accounted for 95 per cent of the objections received by the council!
Horses are extremely sensitive to loud noises and unexpected sounds, and busy city streets have plenty of both. There have been countless incidents in which horses and people have suffered serious injuries or even … Read more.
© iStockPhoto / kerriekerr
In response to a complaint we filed, Fortnum & Mason has been warned by Westminster Trading Standards that if it does not amend its corporate social responsibility policy or make it clear that the policy does not cover foie gras, it could be in breach of the Consumer Protection From Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 and face legal action!
The company disingenuously states that “animal welfare is very important to us” and claims that all its meat is of the highest welfare standard, complying with the “Five Freedoms” framework. … Read more.
Who eats turkey at Christmas?! Not these compassionate celebrities, who have made the choice not to gobble down something that used to … gobble. This holiday, take a tip from the stars – extend the season of goodwill and compassion to animals by leaving them off your plate:
Sir Paul McCartney
Joan … Read more.
How would children feel if Spot and Fluffy were stuffed and roasted for Christmas? That’s what we’re asking this holiday season with a new billboard that shows an animal who’s a cross between a dog and a turkey. We decided to run the billboard near Manchester schools in the hope that it will spark a dialogue between kids and their parents.
“Kids love animals, and if they thought about how turkeys feel pain and fear just as dogs and cats do, they’d trade in their drumsticks for a veggie roast in a … Read more.
We love Ricky Gervais, a high-profile friend for animals – he’s starred in a PETA video as a skinless rabbit, scorned Fortnum & Mason Managing Director Beverly Aspinall for the store’s continued sale of foie gras and slammed animal donation schemes, and he always has something positive to say about animals on Twitter.
With that in mind, I just wanted to draw your attention to a few recent gems from Ricky. Enjoy!
From Ricky Gervais’ own blog:
So I went shopping with Karl. It’s even more fun than the
… Read more.
Most cats may prefer spending the holidays scaling the Christmas tree and playing with the box rather than the present, but not these kitties! They are helping PETA wish you a meowy Catmas and a hoppy New Year!
… Read more.
Like it or not, your winter coat is going to be your constant companion for the next few months – so it’s important to choose wisely. Compassionate fashion is all the rage this season, and with so many warm, stylish options to choose from, there is just no need to wear wool (or any other animal product for that matter!). Wrap up in warmth and strut your stuff with a faux-wool number like the ones featured here. Following the trend of bold colours, big collars and ladylike silhouettes, these coats prove that … Read more.


text:
Concerning the proposed Wal-Mart store in the Legends shopping center they may not be planning on closing one of the 7 stores in the region ["Sparks commission OKs Legends Marina Wal-Mart," News, Nov. 22]. But the fact is they will cause other stores in the Legends shopping center to close.
If that store is built you can say goodbye to Target. Wal-Mart forces other stores out of business. Besides what do we need another Wal-Mart for? There are already seven too many Wal-Mart stores in this valley. You can already drive in any direction in this valley to shop at a Wal-Mart store.
This valley needs local businesses that provide well-paying jobs. Local businesses keep the money here in our community and benefit the community by paying local taxes and collecting sales tax, they don't undersell other businesses in the community and force them out of business which is a well-known practice of Wal-Mart.
Target is already the same type of store, so it is not necessary to build a Wal-Mart in the Legends Shopping Center.
James Brunson, Sun Valley


text:
Europe and beyond
* News from Detroit motor show * New metal from outside US * Read our show review...
Volkswagen's New Compact Coupe (pictured) is a stylish two-door hybrid based on the next Jetta saloon, which arrives in the UK in a year's time. The group's sales and marketing chief, Dr Christian Klingler, admits he would like another coupe to slot between the Scirocco and the Passat CC, and this one looks ready to be it, with or without hybrid power.
Audi revealed a second vision for an electric sports car to back up its efforts at Frankfurt last autumn. It has again used the e-tron name, but this one is mid-engined and is based on the same architecture as the VW Concept Bluesport roadster that was at Detroit a year ago.
Both the VW and Audi could go into production, with a Porsche based on the same underpinnings to follow. VW head of research and development Dr Ulrich Hackenberg hopes to announce a decision within a couple of months.
Mercedes chose freezing Detroit to showcase the all-weather capabilities of its new E-Class cabriolet, which has a screen-top wind deflector (Aircap) and seat-mounted neck-warmers (Airscarf).
It also revealed a sculpture giving strong clues to the look of the next CLS.
There was nothing all new from either of Korea's big two, Hyundai and Kia, but plenty the Americans haven't seen before.
On a nearby stand, though, Chinese manufacturer BYD (Build Your Dreams) had brought along its all-electric e6 mid-sized hatch, which goes on sale in the US later this year and could eventually be made in America. BYD, which began making cars only five years ago but has ambitions to be No 1 in the world by 2025, will announce its plans for western Europe at the Geneva motor show in March.


text:
STAR India and Aamir Khan are pulling out all stops to make Satyamev Jayate, which hit the small screens on May 6, an instant hit.
The actor, who makes his TV debut with the show, has requested the companies whose brands he endorses to not advertise on this show.
He has also asked that his commercials should not be used during the 13 weeks the show will be on.
The Bollywood actor promotes brands such as Parle, Mahindra two-wheelers, Tata Sky and Samsung.
In addition, STAR India is giving sponsors category exclusivity. "We are offering category exclusivity to all advertisers.
"There will be no competing brands on the show. We will offer an uncluttered and universal platform to connect brands and consumers," said Gayatri Yadav, executive vice-president (marketing & communications), STAR India.
Sponsors are already seeing big money in the show. Bharti Airtel has been signed up as the presenting sponsor for Rs 18 crore (Rs 180 million), while the show has been powered by Aquaguard for Rs 16 crore (Rs 160 million).
STAR has six associate sponsors on board -- Axis Bank, Coca-Cola India, Skoda Auto India, Berger Paints, Dixcy Textiles and Johnson and Johnson -- paying Rs 6-8 crore (Rs 60-80 million) each.
In terms of scale, at nearly Rs 4 crore (Rs 40 million) per episode, this could be among the costliest television productions in the Hindi entertainment genre.
Typically, a 30-minute episode of a prime-time Hindi soap costs Rs 800,000-900,000, while reality shows, with high celebrity quotients, cost Rs 80 lakh (Rs 8 million) to Rs 3.5 crore (Rs 35 million) an episode, depending on the stars hosting a show.
For instance, Khatron Ke Khiladi, hosted by Akshay Kumar, cost Rs 2-2.5 crore (Rs 20-25 million), while Hrithik Roshan's Just Dance cost around Rs 3.5 crore (Rs 35 million) an episode.
Even the promotions of the show, with the budget of around Rs 6 crore (Rs 60 million), are touted to be the most expensive yet on the Indian television.
For the first time ever, a TV show had a road block across channels; and, it will be supported by a multimedia campaign as it moves closer to launch.
STAR India is taking a gamble with such an expensive show. But, it has hedged its bets in several ways.
The 13-episode show about ordinary people will be telecast on ten channels, including state-owned Doordarshan, simultaneously.
The other channels are STAR Utsav, STAR World and the broadcaster's Bangla, Marathi and southern-language entertainment channels.
In addition, the show is being dubbed in four southern languages Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam and Kannada.
For English, and other regional-language channels, the programme will have subtitles.
Khan had also baffled everyone by insisting that the show needed to be different in several ways -- with its closely-guarded theme and the telecast time of 11am, unlike most marquee programmes that are usually aired during the prime time of 8-11pm.
"If the show clicks, STAR will have an advantage, as most channels do not have exclusive programming for Sunday mornings.
"It might actually just revive that slot timing and change the current rules of TV viewing," said the chief executive of a competing network on the condition of anonymity.
Image: Aamir Khan | Photograph: Mukesh Gupta/Reuters


text:
The Vodacom Durban July fashion preview and concert was held at Gateway Theatre of Shopping on Friday 4 July. For..
Tag Archives: Vodacom
— competition closed — It will be lights, camera and action when Gateway hosts the sixth instalment of their Vodacom..
The G&G Live Marquee is back at this year’s Vodacom Durban July and as one might expect with a Samsung..


text:
Lagers all taste the same, research finds13th August, 2014 by Neal Baker
Research into beer drinkers’ taste preferences for some of the world’s biggest selling lagers has resulted in an interesting conclusion — people can’t tell the difference between them.
Using European big-brand lagers, researchers gave volunteers blind samples of Budvar (also known as Czechvar), Heineken and Stella Artois, but found they could not taste the difference.
“Our results suggest that brand loyalty in this market is likely to be driven largely by marketing and packaging, and not by the underlying sensory properties of the competing products.”
“They cannot distinguish between three major competing beer brands,” the report concludes.
The study centred around a simple blind test using 138 volunteers, aged 21 to 70. Each was given three samples of beer, with two of the samples being the same product and one being a different brand.
Each volunteer was invited to taste the three and select the odd one out, but this proved much more difficult than the researchers predicted.
The research was carried out by Johan Almenberg and Anna Dreber, of the Stockholm School of Economics, and the report’s author was Robin Goldstein.
In their report Hide The Label, Hide The Difference, the researchers found that the beer drinkers couldn’t distinguish between the big beer brands and came to the conclusion that brand loyalty and consumer preference was more linked to marketing – like advertisements, labelling and promotion – than flavour.
“I think basically what we’re looking at is a commodity industry – the products are interchangeable,” said Goldstein said in an interview.
“It also means that the beer industry has perfected pale lager beer, which is my favourite style of beer,” he added.
“They have a good product, a good manufacturing method and it can be sold at a good price,” Goldstein explained.
“So if you’re in a bar and they don’t have the lager you usually drink, have a different one. They will pretty taste much the same.”


text:
FedEx truck drivers fight human trafficking through new program
MEMPHIS, TN (WMC) - Shipping giant FedEx is now doing more than just getting your packages to you on time.
Now, the company is doing what it can to help combat crime.
FedEx drivers are joining an army of eyes and ears on roads all over the country in the fight against human trafficking.
"It's fantastic to have FedEx as a new partner because one, they're an industry leader, they have incredible visibility and two they just have a lot of drivers," said Kendis Paris, Executive Director of Truckers Against Trafficking.
FedEx is partnering with the group to make an impact nationwide.
Paris said truckers are being used because they're in so many locations at all times.
"Unfortunately, the list is very long," Paris said. "Human trafficking happens in so many locations. Whether it's at hotels or motels or truck stops or rest areas or major businesses, casinos, convention centers, drivers unload and load at just about everywhere."
All FedEx drivers in their freight department will soon be trained to spot signs of human trafficking and learn the proper, effective way to report when someone may be in trouble.
Their ultimate goal is catching sex traffickers.
"That really is the goal to disrupt trafficking networks," Paris said. "That it's no longer business as usual and with FedEx on board, we are going to exponentially increase this mobilized army."
FedEx declined to interview Monday but released a statement about this partnership that reads in part:
"By educating our team members on what to watch for and empowering them to take a stand, we are committed to making a difference on this issue and look forward to working with Truckers Against Trafficking."
Copyright 2018 WMC Action News 5. All rights reserved.


text:
Jun 10, 2013 7:37 AM by Cecilia Stevenson
The Louisiana CattleWomen Beef Ambassadors stopped by GMA to endorse June as Louisiana's Beef Month. The recognition of June as Louisiana's Beef month is to promote the beef cattle industry in the state.
For more info on Beef visit:: http://www.beef.org/
1 day ago


text:
DESPITE the many complexities of lockdowns all over the Asia Pacific Region, and a Chapter 11 plea of the parent company in the US, rent-a-car company Hertz is looking at a business as usual scenario.
In a press statement issued in response to queries from the automotive press, Eion MacNeil, Hertz Vice President for APAC said that the pandemic may have caused a drop in rent-a-car services, but operations are continuing.
A ‘Chapter 11’ case is specific to the U.S. legal environment and describes the move by a company to file for protection while management works on a financial restructure and does not equate to bankruptcy.
“The short term self-drive vehicle rental industry, of which Hertz is a key player, has been deeply impacted around the world by the COVID-19 pandemic and the consequent downturn in domestic and international travel,” MacNeil said but adds that the decision by Hertz Global Holdings and certain of its U.S. and Canadian subsidiaries to voluntarily file for reorganization under Chapter 11 in the United States Courts has no material impact on Hertz operations in Asia.
This is because the Asian business units operate under franchise arrangements.
Thus in various ways, Hertz continues to operate as normal in Asia.
This includes the following regions; Singapore, Guam, Saipan, Thailand, Malaysia, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Brunei, Pakistan, Cambodia, Vietnam, Macao, Japan, the Philippines, Korea, India and Mainland China.
In Singapore for example, the “circuit breaker” does not disallow travel and citizens seems to prefer using disinfected rentals rather than take public transportation. In the Philippines where there is a dearth of public transportation, including transport network vehicle services of Grab, passengers coming in from the airports have chosen available rent-a-car services.
“The decision by Hertz Global Holdings and certain of its U.S. and Canadian subsidiaries to voluntarily file for reorganization under Chapter 11 in the United States Courts has no material impact on Hertz operations in Asia which each operate under franchise arrangements.
In fact, Hertz Philippines’ even offered free self-drive rentals to all medical personnel across the country for them to be able to get to their assigned medical facility. Under this arrangement each rent-free period is for a maximum of 30 days.
According to a report that appeared in Top Gear (www.topgear.com.ph) “the company is encouraging everyone to only rent out vehicles as needed so as to allow more frontliners to be able to avail of the free services.”
“It’s business as usual for Hertz in Asia. Hertz locations are open across the APAC region and ready to help customers with their rental needs – whether for business or leisure purposes. All Hertz reservation, loyalty and customer programs continue to operate, including Hertz Gold Plus Rewards as well as our rewards, coupon, and voucher programs,” MacNeil explained.
“Customers can expect the same high level of service and reliability with enhanced cleaning protocols for extra peace of mind and Hertz loyalty program points and rewards are not affected. Since the pandemic began, we have undertaken a range of measures to reduce costs and ensure we keep the business as robust as possible,” MacNeil concluded.
The decision by the Hertz in the US was met with mixed sentiments. US officials said in a separate statement that entering a Chapter 11 is seen as a positive move and will provide more benefits in the medium-longer term as it will allow the Hertz business to continue operating while it deals with the continuing effects of coronavirus and positions itself for growth.
“We are confident we’re taking the right steps to protect Hertz across the APAC region for the economic rebound and we’d like to thank our franchisees, staff, and valued customers for their continuing support,” the statement said.


text:
The quantified self movement – the idea that tracking metrics about yourself can lead to self-improvement – appears to be gathering steam. With products such as the FitBit One, Jawbone Up and Nike+ FuelBand boasting impressive sales numbers (the FuelBand reportedly sold out within four hours of its launch), it seems that self-tracking is finding traction and on the way to becoming an ubiquitous feature of daily life.
But how exactly can it break into the mainstream, and where does the future of the movement lie? Here are the five key areas where I see the quantified self going next.
If you self-track multiple different metrics about yourself, chances are you're using a different device or app to track each one. I currently use the ElectricSleep app (Android-only) to track my sleep, a Withings scale to track my weight, a Nike+ FuelBand to track my steps and football sessions, Runkeeper to track the runs I go for, and MyFitnessPal to track my food consumption, as well as a few others.
This isn't ideal for a number of reasons. Firstly, it's difficult to view and evaluate all of the different tracked stats, as each service has a separate dashboard. It's difficult for me to find correlations between the different metrics – if I wanted to see the effect that my food consumption had on my weight over a period of time, I'd have to bring two different dashboards up and compare them manually.
There are a couple of trends that will help with these problems. The first of these is multipurpose devices. Two of the leading step-tracking manufacturers, FitBit and Jawbone, both recently announced new products that allow you to track food consumption and sleep besides their traditional step-tracking functionality. Tracking additional metrics does not necessarily require the devices to require additional sensors (in fact, a huge variety of metrics can be tracked from the sensors in your smartphone – you just need the software to hook into them and do the tracking), so this is likely something we will see much more of in the future.
Another trend that is starting to emerge is centralised QS [quantified self] dashboards. Over recent months there have been a number of entrants into this market, including TicTrac, whose value lies in solving the exact kinds of problems I mentioned above. By pulling in the data from a variety of external sources, TicTrac lets you view, compare and visualise your data in one place. It's early days for these products, but they'll undoubtedly provide huge benefits for the self-tracker.
Real-time health tracking
There are a number of recently established services offer consumers comprehensive health diagnoses, allowing for extremely personalised recommendations. In the US, a service called WellnessFX can provide more than 20 actionable metrics about your current state of health, including cholesterol and inflammation levels, from a single blood sample.
Another, 23andme, offers a "Personal Genome Service", which provides a detailed overview of your genetic profile, including what your global origins and ancestral lineages are, and specific disease risks and drug sensitivities. [Editor's note: the amount and precision of the detail that can be inferred from a genetic profile such as 23andme's is still the subject of a lot of debate. As scientists say, genes aren't destiny.]
This is a fast-growing trend, as this previously advanced and expensive technology can now be offered in a convenient manner at consumer prices.
However, the issue with this kind of service is that it only provides a snapshot in time. To track improvements over time, you would have to take multiple tests, typically months apart. Imagine making a change to your website and having to wait six months for the analytics data to show you what effect it had – the situation is inherently inefficient.
This particular sector of the quantified self will see solutions to this problem: people will be able to track health metrics in something closer to real time.
Evolution of game mechanics
Perhaps the most effective aspect of the quantified self movement thus far has been the way that game mechanics have been integrated into fitness tracking. We are all inherently competitive and this has been played upon superbly well by most of the leading fitness apps, where competing with friends encourages us to stick to a diet, or keep going to the gym beyond January. FitBit claims that its users average 43% more steps each day.
Given this, apps and devices will expand upon that success by harnessing our competitive nature in new and interesting ways. Recently there have been a number of interesting innovations, including "Zombies, Run!", a smartphone app that turns your morning run into a zombie chase scenario. This type of gamification brings out two additional motivators – fun and addiction – and when coupled with the end result (users become fitter and healthier) is very attractive.
The success of Zombies, Run!, originally a Kickstarter project which is now nearing the release of its second version, won't have gone unnoticed. Expect game mechanics within fitness tracking apps to become increasingly sophisticated.
Fix the food problem
Arguably the most important metric to self-track of them all is food consumption, but this is currently fraught with problems. You can't passively track your food consumption, accuracy is inherently difficult, and there are large gaps in the nutritional information available – for example, few independent restaurants provide calorific information alongside their menu.
You get your food at a variety of sources – including groceries, restaurants and event catering – which makes it difficult to imagine a single solution to the problem. The QS movement is unlikely to reach its full potential until it is able to reduce these barriers to accurate food tracking.
However, improvements are being made in this area, and we should see this trend continue and even gather pace. In the US, Obamacare now requires all restaurants with 20 or more locations to publish detailed nutritional information, and the EU is beginning to catch up after recently agreeing to new nutritional labelling legislation.
These, coupled with a growing general demand from people for more nutritional information, should enable a more passive food tracking solution in the not-too-distant future; something the QS movement desperately needs.
It's early days for Google Glass, the wearable computer that is scheduled to launch later this year, but the signs are there that it will have a major impact on the future of technology – some are already arguing that it may even usher in the start of a new post-smartphone era. What is certainly true is that it has the potential to be a game changer for the quantified self.
Two things are particularly interesting about its potential impact. It hugely increases the possibilities around what can be tracked. Imagine if it were able to track your social interactions, who you spend time with and how that affects your productivity and mood.
There are obvious and important privacy concerns in terms of the data that could be collected, but app developers will have a platform that does not restrict them to the limitations of the smartphone; they will be building on top of real-time, real-world information, and the possibilities there seem endless.
It also has the potential to make tracking significantly easier and more accurate. For those tracking their food consumption, instead of having to manually enter the ingredients for a homemade recipe, imagine being able to log the ingredients by voice whilst you were actually cooking. And imagine being able to take a photo of your dish at a restaurant, say the name of the dish, and have that look up relevant nutritional information (adjusted for the portion size) found in the photo.
We don't know exactly what the future will look like with Google Glass, and it is unclear whether it will ever become mainstream itself, but it certainly has the potential to make a huge positive impact in terms of the quantified self.
Chris Hollindale is the co-founder & CTO of Hasty, a seed-funded startup with a mission to improve the health of humanity.


text:
Canopy Growth appoints Martha Stewart strategic advisor
By Adnews Staff
Canopy Growth, a cannabis company based in Smiths Falls, ON, has signed an agreement with media personality Martha Stewart to become an “official strategic advisor” to the company. According to the firm, Stewart will use her knowledge of product development and branding to advise on products, format development and corporate partnerships. The company already produces a line of products co-branded with the Martha Stewart name.
“Canopy Growth is committed to providing consumers with trusted CBD products with quality ingredients, and Martha Stewart has been a champion of our commitment since the inception of our partnership,” said David Klein, CEO of Canopy Growth. “We are thrilled to deepen our relationship with Martha through this new advisory role. With her expansive business acumen and years of experience with the Canopy team, together we'll unleash the power of CBD to improve lives and create an unparalleled portfolio of brands.”


text:
The boss of Nintendo answered some questions from the press about the Nintendo Switch and the arrival of new consoles.
Since its launch in 2017, the Nintendo Switch has been a huge hit. After the failure of the Wii U, the Nintendo Switch is even well on its way to becoming the best-selling home console of all time, if it keeps above the sales curves of the PS2, Wii and PS4. .
Nintendo’s next strategic choices will therefore be crucial to maintain this good health. Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa answered questions from the Nikkei business newspaper on the matter.
Nintendo Switch only reached half of its life
As the president of Nintendo reminds us, the Switch will enter its 5th year on the game console market. For the company, the most important thing is first of all to offer games that will be of interest to those who have bought the Switch. in 2017 than the most recent buyers with Animal Crossing in 2020. The company has already announced many upcoming games to which it will have to come back later. One thinks in particular of Metroid Prime 4, or following The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
All this should allow according to Shuntaro Furukawa to extend the life cycle of the Nintendo Switch as much as possible. According to the president of Nintendo, the Switch has only reached half of its life cycle. This means that we should not wait for a new generation of Nintendo console for at least 3 years.
Quid de la Switch « 4K » ?
It should be understood that here that the president of Nintendo speaks of generation of consoles. He indicates that the “Nintendo Switch” generation is only halfway through its life, and that the firm is constantly considering ways to extend this lifespan. For this, it seems very likely that the firm is preparing new variants of its hybrid console, living room and portable. Nintendo has already launched a revision of the Switch increasing its autonomy, and a fully portable variant called Nintendo Switch Lite.
According to many rumors, the brand is now preparing a more powerful version of its console to display games in 4K. She has even asked developers to prepare their games accordingly for several months. The launch of a mid-generation console had precisely enabled Sony and Microsoft to extend the life of the PS4, with the Pro model, and of the Xbox One, with the X, by offering more performance for the same catalog of games.
The challenge for Nintendo is to launch a console of this type at the right time, so as not to slow down the sales of its other models, while making sure not to appear as old-fashioned against the new PS5 and Xbox Series consoles from competitors. . The firm must also ensure a certain production capacity, if it does not want to suffer the same stock problems as other brands.


text:
We’re in the midst of a blizzard of 2022 Honda Civic news, and it looks like the flurries will keep on coming until the verdict is rendered on the new Civic Type R—which we’ve really only been able to speculate about so far. But that’s for another time. For today’s slice of the Civic pie we finally have a bit more news on the sporty Si: The sedan body style is making a comeback for the new 11th gen Civic’s Si variant.
Specific details around the Si—like what the powertrain will be, how much power it will make, and if there will be any new trick tech—are still pretty spartan. The last Civic Si relied on a buttery-smooth 1.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder which we had only one major complaint about: rev hang during shifts. Hopefully Honda will resolve that with the new car. One thing we don’t mind carrying over, of course, is the six-speed manual that will once again serve as the Si’s only transmission choice.
Like the 10th-gen Civic’s Si model, the new Si will definitely come as a sedan, Honda confirms. As for the recently-unveiled hatch, we still don’t know if it will sprout an Si variant. (Previously, the Civic Si sedan was joined by the Si coupe, but the two-door Civic is no more—meaning so is any Si iteration.) Honda Canada recently announced on Twitter that “there will only be a Sedan (sic) version of the Si.” However, when asked if those plans are potentially for the U.S. market, too, the company said “we cannot comment on the U.S. division’s plans for future product releases.”
Hi Malleweg, there will only be a Sedan version of the Si.
— Honda Canada Inc. (@HondaCanada) June 24, 2021
So, after all that, we still don’t know. Honda likely wants to keep the rest of the Civic Si and Type R goods under wraps until the full unveil should happen sometime in the coming months. An educated guess says you can expect the Si to finally break cover around mid to late August, if the recent leak that the Si will show up in dealerships by October is to be believed. One thing is for sure, though—if the new Civic Si improves on its predecessor the way the standard Civic has without moving up too much in price, it’s going to once again be one heck of a performance bargain
The post The 2022 Civic Si Will Definitely Be Available as a Sedan appeared first on MotorTrend.
Powered by WPeMatico


text:
Our agonising wait for news on a new Splinter Cell game goes on. As we approach Gamescom 2021, is there any chance that we could be in for a surprise?
Here's the altest on what we know about a new Splinter Cell game.
Latest - Could Splinter Cell surprise us at Gamescom?
Gamescom 2021 is the last big gaming event of the year and could be a good chance to reveal a brand new Splinter Cell game. The main show is actually over but reveals, trailers and announcements are still going on for the next few days.
While Ubisoft appear to have no major presence at the event, the game could still show in some capacity. It is, however, looking unlikely as the best opportunity would have been the Opening Night Live presentation.
Will A New Splinter Cell Game Be At E3 2021?
We can't confirm that a new game will be revealed at the Ubisoft Forward during E3 2021. However, there are positive signs around the Splinter Cell franchise that suggest a new game could be in development.
Sam Fisher has appeared in multiple Ubisoft franchises over the last few years. Whether it's Ghost Recon or Rainbow Six, the hype is always there for his presence. It's always swiftly followed up with questions about a new Splinter Cell title, and Ubisoft are always tight-lipped
So far, Ubisoft have refused to explicitly say if a new game is in development or even a priority for its immediate future. It's the lack of information that frustrates fans the most.
Splinter Cell Animated Series Revealed
Just to build up hope even further, right before E3 2021 kicks-off, a brand new Splinter Cell animated series has been announced.
The series is being developed by Netflix is association with John Wick creator, Derek Kolstad. The series will be eight episodes long and has no expected release date.
Will The Next Splinter Cell Game Be Free-To-Play?
It's highly doubtful that the next Splinter Cell game with be made available for free. Ubisoft have, however, committed to creating more free-to-play titles alongside their AAA experiences. This is where The Division: Heartlands has been introduced.
There is the possibility that it could be a live service game in the same vein as the recent Ghost Recon titles.
There are also leaks surrounding a new free-to-play title which combines Splinter Cell, Ghost Recon and The Division. The game is set to be team based or team building game and it is unclear whether it is being made for mobile or console platforms.
We do know that the project is codenamed BattleCat as per Twitter user @Zer0Bytes0 who leaked the now unavailable images.


text:
Throughout history, epidemics have swept through populations. Waves of pandemic — bubonic plague, cholera, smallpox and influenza — have killed hundreds of millions of people. Now we face the COVID-19 pandemic.
The effects of this epidemic, both medical and economic, could be historically devastating. For at least the next few months, our lives will be changed radically by “social distancing,” closing of schools and businesses, decrease of business especially in travel, retail and hospitality industries, shortages of food and supplies, and unpredictable ripple effects.
As any trucker will tell you, if a truck doesn’t deliver it, you don’t get it. To keep hospitals supplied, grocery stores stocked, fuel tanks filled, mail and online purchases delivered, trucks must keep running. We should appreciate the work good truckers do.
The post How will the COVID-19 pandemic affect truck crash cases? appeared first on Georgia Truck Accident Attorney Blog.


text:
Last year was a trying period for the banking sector. As the pandemic spread rapidly, banks had to restrict their operations to essential services. All other non-essential functions continued online.
For a long time, banks were cautious and slow in adopting digital transformation. It resulted in the emergence of fintech, which promised to be faster and efficient than banks. It almost disrupted the banking industry. However, the pandemic coerced banks to follow the footsteps of fintech and use digitization as the core function instead of an enabler. This massive transformation has also brought a change in the CIO’s priorities for 2021.
Let’s look at the three core priorities that the banking CIOs must focus on this year.
Three Core Priorities of Banking CIOs in 2021
- Strengthen: Develop a strong frame: While creating a rock-solid customer experience, automating processes, and simplifying the onboarding and KYC process is top priority areas, banks will have to think beyond and prepare their infrastructure for data overload caused by the rapid transformation. The immediate focus area for a CIO this year should be to embrace cloud computing fully. Traditionally, banks have been reluctant to adopt cloud computing due to security concerns and strict regulations. According to a 2019 report by the Bank of England, only a quarter of global banking activities were cloud-based. But the banks’ need to cut costs and improve operations has compelled them to shed their inhibitions and move to the cloud. Last year, HSBC bank entered a deal with Amazon Web Services (AWS). In India, banks like RBL and IndusInd have accelerated their adoption journey. At their end, service providers like AWS have been strengthening their security measures and promising the utmost security of customer data. The promise of increased data security has warmed up banks to shared infrastructure rather than restricting themselves to the private cloud. However, that should not be the defining criteria for the bank. CIOs must weigh the pros and cons of shared vs owned infrastructure before transitioning to cloud.
- Surge: Focus on futuristic opportunities: According to McKinsey’s global banking annual review report, the banks worldwide are staring a potential revenue loss of $1.5 to $4.7 trillion due to COVID-19. The only way to sustain and grow business is by offering innovative services to increase customer spending. Look at IDFC First bank’s example. Recently, they launched a credit card plan that would charge the customer interests as low as 9% APR on outstanding credit. Experts believe that other banks could follow the IDFC First bank’s footsteps considering that customers are going to increase their use of credit cards and other products post the pandemic. This move of attractive rate will set the race going for setting competitive APR amongst banks, resulting in customer benefits. To identify similar opportunities, banks must first analyze customer data to understand their spending behavior. For example, the 9% APR is as of now applicable to existing customers only. IDFC’s proprietary scoring mechanism evaluates the customer profiles and offers interest rates based on the scores. Banks possess a gold mine of customer data, which they can use to offer personalized products to customers. For example, if a customer plans to get married, banks can recommend new products such as customized financial planning, loans, or special discounts on trousseau, holidays, etc. Banks can also up-sell or cross-sell new products based on the data. Personalized financial planning, dedicated marketing campaigns based on the customer’s current sending habits are all value-adds that could help banks improve customer retention. Data is the future of banks’ growth. However, in a bid to improve customer relationships using data, banks should not ignore the privacy laws such as GDPR and CCPA. The CIOs must ensure that the bank abides by these laws and respect customers’ data while using it to increase their spending.
- Thrive: Create a competitive advantage: We live in an API economy, and it’s clear that if banks have to thrive in this intense competition, they need to create a strong differentiator for themselves. We already discussed how data analytics could help in improving customer relationships and increasing their spending. Apart from that, banks will have to experiment with innovative instruments to maintain customer relationships. New instruments such as Prepaid Payment Instrument (PPI) and Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) offer stiff competition to banks. In 2019, RBI allowed banks and non-banks to issue PPIs to up to Rs 10,000 to eligible PPI holders. BNPL also has been growing at a phenomenal pace with over 33% of survey respondents using the option over other credit facilities. So, where do banks stand in this growing competition to increase customer spending? These new payment instruments might seem like a threat but given the shift in the way customers are buying, it’s time that banks embrace these innovative instruments to thrive and acquire new customers. HDFC Bank, for example, offers customers an option to open a PPI Escrow Account to cater to their online wallet needs better. Similarly, Lunar A/S, a Danish bank launched a pay-later solution to allow customers to split or postpone their transactions. Even large banks like JP Morgan Chase and Citigroup have entered this game to offer customers the freedom to purchase things without worrying about finances. Considering that more instruments like these will continue to enter the market, the CIOs must be prepared to offer such options to their customers. They must track changing customer needs and align their products and offerings with them.
Cloud, Artificial Intelligence, Big Data, and other innovations such as BNPL and PPI will change the way banks function. It’s time for bank CIOs to embrace agile and start prioritizing these changes to provide a good experience to customers and thrive in an increasingly tough competition.
At Verinite, we can help banks transform with the help of digital power. It will be a gradual process. But if done right, banks will be able to meet changing customer needs more efficiently and align themselves with them without any hassle.


text:
After the introduction of Galaxy A8 (2018) and Galaxy A8 Plus (2018), the new model from Samsung bearing a model number ‘SM-A530x’ has come on the famous benchmarking site, GFXBench. The model is much likely to be Galaxy A5 (2018) and the listing of the phone has also popped up.
The previous model, Galaxy A5 (2017) was announced in January last year, so it is anticipated that the new handset might make its debit in the January or near future. The listings arrived on GFXBench has just poured fuel to this fire. The phone is expected to fall in mid-range smartphones category.
Expected Specifications of Galaxy A5 (2018):
The source listings provide many specifications of the device and here we are with few of them. The Galaxy A5 (2018) might feature a 5.6-inch fullHD+ (2220 x 1080) display with an 18.5:9 aspect ratio. The smartphone will be powered by Exynos 7885 64-bit octa-core processor with the ARM Mali-G71 GPU clocking at 2.1GHz, as per the listing provided by the GFXBnech. For storage, the phone will be seen coming with 4GB of RAM and 32GB of native storage.
If we talk about the photography part of the device, there will be a 16-megapixel shooter which will be present on the front as well as on the rear panel of the device. The device will run Android 7.1.1 Nougat out-of-the-box for now.
The price and features of the phone will be less than the Galaxy A8 (2018), but as a mid-range device, the phone packs some pretty good specs. Further details regarding the device will be shared soon.


text:
Jaguar Land Rover is recalling some 6,400 I-Tempo electrical SUVs within the US due to issues that the high-voltage electrical car battery may overheat.
No less than eight car fires have been reported because of the defect, in line with Reuters, however no accidents or accidents. Homeowners are being instructed to park away from buildings and, when attainable, cost open air.
The software program for the automotive’s battery power controls might be up to date by a seller, in line with a discover from the Nationwide Freeway Site visitors Security Administration, which additionally indicated “battery modules might be changed as essential.”
The I-Tempo debuted in fall 2018. The recall impacts automobiles from mannequin years 2019 to 2024.
Notification letters might be mailed to I-PACE homeowners on July 31, although they will additionally contact the NHTSA or Jaguar for extra data.
Learn on: GM Remembers 111,000 Chevy Bolt EVs Over Fireplace Dangers
The batteries had been manufactured by LG Vitality Resolution, a South Korean firm already being investigated by the NHTSA after remembers from 5 different automakers — Common Motors, Mercedes-Benz, Hyundai, Stellantis and Volkswagen — linked to fireplace danger related to their lithium-ion batteries.
Jaguar, which is owned by India’s Tata Motors, vowed in 2021 that its complete fleet could be electrical by 2025.
Final month, the corporate stated it’d make investments $19 billion in EVs over the following 5 years, however would not verify plans to cease producing gas-powered automobiles, in line with Reuters.
Learn on: Why Do EV Batteries Overheat?


text:
LG Chem is the world’s largest supplier of batteries for electric cars, according to a research firm. The South Korean manufacturer has more than doubled its market share compared to the same period last year.
The website Koreabizwire, among others, mentions the data from research agency SNE Research, which specializes in sustainability market sectors. Based on the January to July period, LG Chem is responsible for a market used battery capacity of 13.4GWh, an increase of 97.4 percent from the same period a year ago. That gives the company a market share of 25.1 percent, compared to 10.6 percent a year earlier.
The Chinese CATL is not far from LG Chem with a total market capacity of 12.7GWh, although that is a decrease of 25.5 percent; previously CATL was at 17GWh. With the 12.7GWh, CATL now has a market share of 23.8 percent. After that, Panasonic follows with 10.1GWh, which comes down to a share of 18.9 percent.
The other South Korean manufacturers are a lot smaller, but are also growing. Samsung SDI is now at 3.4GWh, a share of 6.4 percent. That is an increase of 52.6 percent. The even smaller, also South Korean SK Innovation saw its share increase by 86.5 percent, from 1.2 to 2.2GWh. Samsung SDI will benefit from volumes of Audi e-tron, Ford Kuga PHEV and BMW plug-in hybrids, while SK Innovation will supply cells to Hyundai and Kia.
The significant growth at LG Chem is mainly attributed by SNE Research to the good sales of the Tesla Model 3, the Renault Zoe and other electric cars, all of which use battery cells from this manufacturer. Growth at LG Chem could increase even further, thanks in part to the collaboration with Tesla in China. The South Korean chemical company in Poland is also setting up a large factory for lithium-ion cells, for which the European Investment Bank released a loan of 480 million euros in March.
The total of all manufacturers added together is 53.3GWh. That is a significant decrease compared to last year, when 64.1GWh was achieved. This sharp decline can be attributed to the consequences of the corona crisis, which has hit car manufacturers significantly.


text:
The FDA sent Raritan Pharmaceuticals a warning letter on June 20, 2017 for manufacturing violations involving homeopathic teething tablets for babies that contain belladonna (deadly nightshade).
Raritan Pharmaceuticals makes homeopathic products that are sold under the Homeolab USA and CVS brand-names. The company recalled the following belladonna teething tablets in September 2016:
- CVS Homeopathic Infants’ Teething Tablet
- Kids Relief Earache Oral Liquid (Homeolab USA)
- CVS Homeopathic Kids’ Ear Relief Liquid
Raritan Pharmaceuticals is accused of failing to test the quality of its ingredients and failing to implement manufacturing processes that would ensure a consistent level of belladonna in their teething tablets.
The letter was issued in relation to a massive recall of homeopathic infant teething tablets that were laced with the toxic herb belladonna.
The FDA found that some finished products contained higher levels of belladonna than others in testing during a September 2016 inspection:
This variability exposes infants and children who are given your drugs to potentially significant safety hazards from belladonna levels far beyond the labeled content.”
Raritan has agreed to stop manufacturing the teething tablets, which were associated with several reports of babies who experienced seizures and other symptoms consistent with belladonna poisoning.
The FDA says the company did not adequately investigate complaints from parents of babies who suffered seizures or other side effects.
Belladonna is one of the most toxic plants on Earth, but it has been used in limited forms as a medicine and cosmetic for centuries. Since the FDA first warned about the risks of belladonna teething tablets in 2010, over 400 injuries and 10 baby deaths have been reported.


text:
It’s too early for the Halloween season to start, right? I mean, we all know Halloween season starts in LATE August, not mid-August.
But Halloween displays and candy are already hitting stores all over the country — about three weeks earlier than usual.
There are two main reasons. One, since there’s less of a focus on back-to-school this year with, you know, millions of kids NOT going back into their schools, the stores have room.
And two, since trick-or-treating is likely going to be limited or possibly non-existent in places this year, the candy brands and the stores are trying to use these extra weeks up front to sell more candy so Halloween isn’t a giant loss.
In other words: You might as well go to town on an entire bag of pumpkin-shaped Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups on August 12th.
(Source: CNN Business)


text:
As it is said, spring is a time for new beginnings. Local wineries are busy preparing and releasing a slew of new and seasonal vintages for warmer weather crowds.
- Wine and music fill warmer weekends: Out with Sara
- Details for Hershey Harrisburg Wine Country's Spring Sensations
West Hanover Winery just finished a Sangiovese as well as a sweet Pinot Noir.
Best sellers are restocked at High Rock Winery, including Black Lab, Winter Passion, Black Raspberry and Berry Berry.
The Vineyard at Grandview is set to release two wines in late May or early June, including a yet-to-be-named semisweet blush and a dry Grüner Veltliner. Last month, the re-released their sold out Blackberry wine, which is back on shelves.
Newest on the block, Spring Gate Vineyard, celebrates the release of five new dry reds this week with a special event, Go Big Red Release and Tasting, on Thursday. Wines include Cabernet Franc, Meritage, Petite Verdot, "Melange Mystere" (a 50-50 blend of Mourvedre and Merlot), and Rose of Chambourcin, a dry rosé. Guests are asked to don a red baseball cap. Tastings are $8 and 50 percent of the proceeds benefits Timbali Crafts.
May 12 marks the release of Hummingbird Ridge Winery’s semi-sweet red, Ruby Elixier, a best-seller that has been sold-out for some time. Hummingbird Ridge also is re-releasing a limited supply of its Blueberry Bliss, which won a silver medal last month at the Finger Lakes International Wine Competition. Finally, look for the new vintage of Hummingbird’s oaked Valkyrie Goldbaender, a Riesling white port-style wine, blended with local dark honey and speckled with edible 24 carat gold flakes.
Seven Valleys Vineyard & Winery just released its 100 percent Chardonnay last week and will be bottling its Chardonnay blend, which has just a touch of sweetness to it. A limited supply of their German blend, Caribou Cove, is available -- it combines Traminette, Guwurtztraminer and Riesling. In another couple of weeks, look for Kimberly’s Blush, a semisweet, pink wine. A new sweet red, Black Bear, they hope to have ready by June.
The long awaited return of The Vineyard at Hershey’s Unoaked Chardonnay is ready this spring, as well as the winery’s Dry Riesling, Sweet Riesling and Twisted Kiss.
Hauser Estate Winery just released its 2013 Pinot Gris. The winery is working on 2012 reds this week, so look for those in the near future, as well.
Allegro Winery and Vineyards just released two great warmer-weather wines. The 2013 Riesling is done in a semi-dry style, while the 2013 Prelude is a dry rose made mostly from bleedings of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon fermentations.
Stay tuned for a roundup of local spring beer releases and new cocktail menus for spring.
SARA BOZICH: about.me/sarabozich Celebrate responsibly.


text:
Welcome to the PSA BDP Blog. Penned by our team of experts across the globe, this is your source for the latest insights and commentary on industry trends, top news headlines, and PSA BDP happenings. Check back often for updates!
To receive updates in your inbox, subscribe at the bottom of the page!
BDP's Chief Compliance Officer Michael Ford discusses some of the key takeaways and topics from the world of regulatory compliance in 2017.
BDP Italy recently hosted a special educational event, “Flash Forward”, offering a unique, behind the scenes tour of the journey of a temperature controlled air shipment destined from Italy to the United States.
BDP International launched "BDP Fusion," an internal business plan competition, designed to power a new age of entrepreneurial ideas and ‘disruptive’ innovations at BDP.
Jose A. Martinez, Regional Director of South Europe, reflects on the successes, challenges, and achievements of BDP Spain during its 10 year anniversary.
Chief Administration Officer Francis Bolte discusses BDP's commitment to corporate social responsibility through several initiatives within the company.
While in Shanghai, China, for BDP International’s Supply Chain Summit, Chairman and CEO Richard J. Bolte Jr. was a guest on International Channel Shanghai's Money Talks television show. Bolte participated in a candid discussion on the latest developments and emerging trends shaping the economic and technological landscapes of the supply chain industry.
When you're a universally respected, 350-year-old global leader in the manufacturing of building and high-performance materials, transporting your products around the world requires detailed coordination and a significant financial investment. It's an investment that Saint-Gobain has entrusted with BDP International since 2014.
As Chairman & CEO of BDP International, I'm thrilled to unveil the updated look of bdpinternational.com and cordially welcome you to the BDP Blog.
When Hurricane Harvey hit the Houston area in late August, thousands of people were affected by its path of devastation, some of which were BDP employees. Through the BDP Cares initiative, the collective BDP Family showed an outpouring of support for their colleagues and raised over $131,000USD to aid in employee relief efforts.
Since BDP's founding in 1966, we've evolved from a one man operation to a global logistics enterprise. One of the biggest changes has been the technology. Gary Phelps, Senior Vice President of Global Airfreight, recently spoke to Supply Chain Digital about the innovative solutions BDP offers to our customers.


text:
Abbie Bennett, marketing manager, said: "The New C4 Cactus
is set to shake up the SUV market in the first quarter of 2018 and we are so excited for its arrival in the Town Centre Automobiles showroom.
You should prune your cactus
about a month after it blooms.
Climate change and the increasing risks of droughts are strong reasons to upgrade the humble cactus
to the status of an essential crop in many areas," said Hans Dreyer, director of FAO's Plant Production and Protection Division.
The fourth animation shows Papa cactus
giving his child a shower.
For anyone who does not know it, the Cactus
is Citroen's compact family car with the unique Airbump technology on the sides - bubbles that act both as an identifying design cue and, practically, as some extra protection.
Based in Midland, Texas, Cactus
Fuel is a value-added distributor of fuel and lubricants to upstream and midstream customers throughout the Permian Basin.
Within the genus Opuntia, Cactus
Pear (Opuntia ficus-indica) is the most agronomically important species for the production of edible fruits and cladodes, which can be used as a vegetable and valuable forage resource in arid and semi-arid lands .
Vienna, Dhu-AlHijjah 21, 1436, October 05, 2015, SPA -- Illegal trade in cactus
plants for gardening has helped to bring 31 per cent of the world's cactus
species to the brink of extinction, the International Union for Conservation of
Step forward the C4 Cactus
- and its timing couldn't be better.
The Citroen C4 Cactus
looks unlike any other vehicle on the roads thanks to its Airbump side cladding and a whole host of other bold details.
THE stunning Citroen C4 Cactus
crossover is resolutely modern, but is also a throwback to a time when Citroen was renowned as a design leader.
The Citroen IT sounds more at home in the desert than anywhere else, but the natural habitat for Citroen's new C4 Cactus
is more likely to be a supermarket car park.


text:
Alibaba quarterly financial results show that investments in mobile commerce have boosted the company’s revenue
Alibaba has posted the financial results of its first quarter as a publicly traded company. The company is looking to highlight its changing investment strategy, which is showing more favor for mobile commerce and mobile marketing. Alibaba has become a very powerful name in the mobile space, finding significant success in the e-commerce sector and offering mobile-centric services that have become quite popular among Chinese consumers.
Net income drops 39%, but revenue surges by 54%
According to the data provided by Alibaba, the company’s net income fell by 39% from July to September, despite a 54% surge in revenue. The drop in net income is partly due to the company’s investments and acquisitions. Over the past quarter, Alibaba has been acquiring smaller companies somewhat aggressively, many of these companies were focused on the mobile commerce space. Alibaba has also been heavily investing in the mobile commerce space, hoping to take advantage of the growing popularity of mobile shopping among consumers.
Company continues to focus heavily on mobile payments and mobile-centric services
Mobile commerce has helped boost the company’s revenue by a significant margin. The number of people using Alibaba’s mobile services has grown significantly over the past quarter, reaching 217 million monthly active users. The company is expected to continue focusing on mobile commerce in the coming quarter, but has not yet outlined its future plans for this sector.
Alibaba will be competing with other companies that are interested in mobile commerce, including Tencent and Baidu
Alibaba is currently competition with numerous other companies that have interests in the mobile commerce space. Tencent is one such company and often considered Alibaba’s primary rival in China and elsewhere. Baidu, a Chinese search engine, is also beginning to focus more heavily on the mobile space and has plans to launch its own mobile payments service in the relatively near future. Companies like Amazon and eBay are also working to engage the mobile space more aggressively, but have failed to generate the momentum that Alibaba has established.


text:
LG has announced yet another phone in the run up to MWC, this time the Optimus 3D Cube. It mostly hews to the specs we previously saw for the Optimus 3D successor: 4.3-inch IPS display, 1.2GHz processor, 5-megapixel camera, 16GB of storage, and a 1520mAh battery to power it all. The device is indeed as thin as we'd expected, measuring 126.8 x 67.4 x 9.6 mm, and within that frame LG has also included an NFC chip and made the Android 2.3 software compatible with its "LG Tag" system for automatically changing settings based on your own NFC stickers.
Of course, the headline feature is the 3D camera and the glasses-free 3D screen, and LG claims that it is going to add in full 3D video editing software as well as a a 3D mapping application. It's coming to SK Telecom in Korea in March, but you can bet we'll give it a once-over at MWC next week.


text:
In the holiday season, when budgets are tight, some Minnesotans struggle to put enough food on the table. A growing number of people need help, but many are reluctant to visit a food shelf. A food discount program based in the Twin Cities offers another option.
Marlys Haugen considers herself more of a giver than a taker. At age 73, she is not looking for charity.
"I have never liked to take anything for nothing," Haugen said.
But Haugen lives on a tight budget — she has social security and a small retirement. She suspects she would qualify for a food shelf or food stamps, but worries other people need those things more than she does.
Grow the Future of Public Media
MPR News is supported by Members. Gifts from individuals power everything you find here. Make a gift of any amount today to become a Member!
"I feel I may be taking away from a family who has children who need that desperately," Haugen said.
So on a recent night, Haugen went shopping — but not at the grocery store. She traveled about 30 miles from her home in Glenwood City, Wis. to Stillwater Junior High in Minnesota. There, people lined up in the lobby for boxes of produce and meat — the kind of food that's hard for her to afford.
It's a discount program run by the Emergency Foodshelf Network, called Fare for All. Prices here are at least 30 percent less than at traditional grocery stores. Organizers save money by purchasing in bulk from wholesalers, and by using donated space and volunteers to conduct the sales.
"I couldn't make my social security dollars reach for the kinds of food I get here," Haugen said.
She pays, just like at the store.
That's the key.
"It is not a handout, which is what means a lot to me, and a lot to the people that are there," Haugen said.
It's a small, but growing, program. Fare for All opened several new sites this year, bringing the total to 77. Sales have risen 28 percent since 2008. The recession contributed to the rise, but also, Fare for All organizers decided to take the food right to the people who need it. They started "express" sites in the Twin Cities, selling discounted food in churches, schools, and community centers. People can simply stop in, no need to preorder, unlike the organizations other statewide sites which require people to preorder. They opened a site this year in north Minneapolis, and last year on the east side of St. Paul.
Marna Canterbury, who directs the United Way of Washington County East, saw necessity in Stillwater, and asked Fare for All to come.
"What we are seeing is that there's more and more people who are looking for ways to stretch scarce financial resources," Canterbury said.
A registered dietician, Canterbury likes that Fare for All offers healthy food, which is often the first to go when budgets get tight. Canterbury hopes people will come to Fare for All before they need a food shelf.
"Whatever we can do to come around a family or an individual to help them conserve resources can help prevent them from getting to the crisis point when they're out of food," Canterbury said.
The more people who come to Fare for All, the bigger her buying power, says Sophia Lenarz-Coy, who directs the program.
"You're putting your buying power into our pool, and you're helping other people who really need it," she said.
She admits the program has disadvantages. People need transportation to get to the sites. The sites are only open certain days. Also, the prices are probably not any better than at discount grocery stores, like Aldi. So why not just go there?
"Discount grocery stores are great, they're also not everywhere. And so we're we're trying to be strategic about our locations to increase access to good food at good cost," Lenarz-Coy said.
Haugen goes to Fare for All for a different reason. Back at home she goes through the food she bought. She needed it. Her Social Security check won't come until the 28th.
"Which you all know is after Christmas," Haugen said. "So this I have been saving, from when I went on Tuesday, to have for Christmas dinner with my family."
Haugen likes the food, but more so, she likes the idea that if more people shop at Fare for All, it will keep prices low for those who are struggling more than she.
"I cannot go out and make big donations to anything. But this way, I feel that I am helping someone in a small way, but I am also reaping the rewards from the groceries," Haugen said.
At Christmas time, it's nice to feel she's giving, not just taking.


text:
With minor tweaks that would promote equally nutritious and sustainable foods, national dietary requirements could make an important impact.
The global food system is broken. It’s not healthy for the 815 million chronically undernourished people, it’s not healthy for the 1.9 million overweight and obese adults, and it’s not healthy for the planet. Almost a quarter of our total greenhouse gas emissions comes from agriculture, and that’s not all of it — agriculture is also a major contributor to deforestation and is directly responsible for the decline of numerous species.
Often times, however, foods that aren’t healthy for us are also not healthy for the environment. Red meat is a good example of this: it uses a lot of resources and produces a large amount of greenhouse gases, while not being a truly healthy dietary option.
Most national dietary guidelines advise against heavy consumption of red meat due to health concerns, but they seldom take into consideration sustainability. Nevertheless, healthy eating and sustainability often go hand in hand, the authors of a new study explain.
“The link between the environment and food consumption has been made in several studies. Tilman and Clark found that alternative diets (Mediterranean, pescatarian, and vegetarian), characterized by lower meat consumption and higher consumption of vegetables and fruits, offer both health and environmental benefits. Tukker et al. showed that healthier European diets with less meat reduce environmental impacts without significant rebound effects from changed food expenses. Reynolds et al.reviewed the environmental impacts of dietary recommendations by the World Health Organization (WHO), which promote healthy eating and also imply lower meat consumption along with higher consumption of vegetables and fruits. They confirmed that healthy diets have the potential to reduce environmental impacts.”
The researchers analyzed dietary guidelines in 37 countries. They found that even without sustainability as a factor, if people in these countries would switch to the recommended diets, it would have a beneficial environmental impact.
Most countries (27 out of 37) would reduce their animal product consumption if they were to switch from the current average diet to the nationally recommended diet. This would significantly reduce the environmental dietary impact.
However, there are a few notable exceptions — including Indonesia, India, Russia, and the United States. The current average diet in these countries includes animal product consumption below the average of the analyzed 37 countries. The United States’ high animal product consumption is dominated by milk in average diets.
For the US, and most analyzed countries, the dietary recommendations raise a trade-off between three aspects: nutritional value, environmental impact, and animal welfare. For instance, poultry has a lower environmental impact than beef, but it involves killing more animals — so the animal welfare impact is larger. However, in some instances, there can be win-win-win scenarios.
‘Several countries have demonstrated that it is possible to achieve beneficial synergies across all three dimensions,’ Scherer says. ‘Therefore, I hope that our results stimulate a revision of dietary guidelines that considers all three aspects and tries to exploit the opportunity we have for a win-win-win.’
This study emphasizes what previous research has already shown: reducing the consumption of meat is one of the most environmentally-friendly things you can do. In fact, there is some troubling research showing that if the world doesn’t reduce this consumption, we will have serious problems in curbing climate change. Earlier this year, a team of researchers put together the ‘planetary diet‘: a healthy, nutritious diet that can save the planet by reducing the environmental impact. A follow-up study found that the price for this diet is around $3 / day for Europe and the US.
The study was published in One Earth.
Was this helpful?


text:
T-Mobile's new REVVLRY phones are basically just rebranded Moto G7s
T-Mobile has been pushing its own-brand budget smartphones under the REVVL banner for a couple of years now. In the process, the series has shuffled between ODMs going through the REVVL, REVVL Plus, the REVVL T1 tablet, and REVVL 2. For its third generation of phones, the carrier has seemingly decided to partner with a very mainstream manufacturer to deliver on the all-new REVVLRY and REVVLRY+.
After picking up on a couple of trademarks such as the "Max Vision" displays and the "TurboPower" fast charging, we dug in and found that the REVVLRY is modeled around the Moto G7 Play while the REVVLRY+ is basically a Moto G7 Plus, which is not being sold in North America.Read More
T-Mobile's new REVVLRY phones are basically just rebranded Moto G7s was written by the awesome team at Android Police.


text:
The California Trucking Association and two California-based owner-operators filed a lawsuit challenging the "ABC" employment test mandated by the state's new independent contractor law, which the group says threatens the livelihood of independent truck drivers and is pre-empted by federal law.
November 13, 2019
California Governor Jerry Brown has signed into law a bill that aims to hold retailers partly accountable for working with trucking companies that have a record of labor violations.
September 25, 2018
The Western States Trucking Association plans to protest a California Supreme Court ruling that would make it difficult – some say impossible – for companies to use independent contractor drivers.
August 14, 2018
Millions of dollars in settlements from the VW diesel emissions cheating scandal will be made available for clean vehicle technology in California and Connecticut.
June 5, 2018
The Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach have released a draft of a proposed 2017 Clean Air Action Plan Update, outlining a new set of aggressive near-term and long-term strategies to reduce air pollution from the ports.
July 19, 2017
EPA has fined Estes Express Lines $100,000 for failing to install diesel particulate filters on 15% of its California fleet.
October 9, 2015


text:
G/O Media today named veteran technology journalist Dan Ackerman as editor in chief of Gizmodo, a leading technology, science and culture site. He will lead a team of expert editors, writers and producers, overseeing Gizmodo’s technology and science news reporting, product reviews and coverage of the world of sci-fi entertainment.
Ackerman comes to Gizmodo from consumer technology publication CNET, where he most recently served as editorial director, overseeing coverage of key tech topics including computers, gaming and virtual/augmented reality. There, he led a team producing highly-cited news and reviews and multi-platform video and social media content.
A frequent guest on television, radio and podcasts, Ackerman has long been a consumer technology expert for CBS Mornings and other programs, and is the author of the award-winning, New York Times-reviewed nonfiction book “The Tetris Effect.”
“Dan is hands down one of the best technology editors working today and we are very excited for him to take the helm at Gizmodo,” said Merrill Brown, editorial director of G/O Media. “His over two decades of experience will add to the site’s impressive readership and growth.”
“Gizmodo has a rich history of delivering insightful and engaging content, and has always been at the forefront of tech journalism. This role presents a remarkable opportunity to shape the narrative surrounding technology and its impact on our lives," said Ackerman. "I'm honored and elated to embark on this new journey as the editor-in-chief."
Ackerman starts at Gizmodo on June 12.
About G/O Media:
G/O Media reaches more than a third of all Americans online each month with over 100 million unique visitors, including its extended network. This collection of digital-first brands serves a young, diverse audience with content that reflects their shared values and passions, including category-leading sites focused on tech and science (Gizmodo); pop culture and entertainment (The A.V. Club); sports news (Deadspin); car culture (Jalopnik); modern women’s interests (Jezebel); gaming (Kotaku) food and drink (The Takeout); African American news and culture (The Root); humor and satire news (The Onion); business (Quartz); and e-commerce (The Inventory).
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here