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During their meeting with senior officials of the Dubai government, they stressed the importance of achieving all goals
Hamdan bin Mohammed and Maktoum bin Mohammed review the mechanisms for implementing the Dubai Agenda "D33"
Hamdan bin Mohammed while chairing, in the presence of Maktoum bin Mohammed, a meeting with senior officials of the Dubai government at the Museum of the Future.
From the source
His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Executive Council, in the presence of His Highness Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, chaired a meeting yesterday at the Museum of the Future with senior government officials. Dubai, to review the mechanisms for implementing the Dubai Economic Agenda (D33), launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, with the aim of doubling the size of Dubai's economy over the next decade, and consolidating its position among the three best economic cities around the world. .
Their Highnesses also reviewed with senior Dubai government officials the most important transformative projects of the agenda, which aim to make Dubai the fastest, safest and strongest link in the world, the most enabling headquarters for national and international investments and companies, the world's leading city in the digital economy, the center of the sustainable and most diversified and productive economy, and the environment. Incubator and enabler of national skills.
During the meeting, their Highnesses stressed the importance of achieving all the ambitious targets of the Dubai Economic Agenda D33, which amount to 32 trillion dirhams within 10 years.
His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum said: "The announcement of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum of the Dubai Economic Agenda D33 consolidates Dubai's development process ... and we have all the capabilities to put His Highness's vision into immediate implementation."
His Highness added, "In the year 2033, modern Dubai will complete its 200-year journey. Our goal is to create a global model for a city that can achieve people's aspirations and dreams, and provide them with the best standard of living in the world."
For his part, His Highness Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum stressed that the paths of developing foreign trade, attracting foreign direct investment, strengthening Dubai's global financial position, and involving youth in new sectors are the most important priorities of the Dubai Economic Agenda D33.
His Highness said: "All logistical, digital, legal, financial and infrastructure sectors need to think differently over the next ten years, because the ceiling of ambitions today is much higher than before."
The meeting was attended by His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and Supreme President of the Emirates Airlines Group, His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Dubai Media Council, and Her Highness Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, President of the Culture and Arts Authority. In Dubai, a number of ministers and senior officials.
The Dubai Economic Agenda D33 carries ambitious targets that it is working to achieve during the next decade, as it seeks to raise the total volume of foreign trade from 14.2 trillion dirhams in the past decade to 25.6 trillion dirhams for goods and services for the next decade, and raise the contribution of foreign direct investment to the Dubai economy from an average of 32. One billion dirhams annually in the past decade to an average of 60 billion dirhams annually for the next decade, with a total of 650 billion dirhams over the next 10 years and an increase in government spending, from 512 billion dirhams in the past decade to 700 billion dirhams for the next decade, and raising the competitiveness of the business sector and the arrival of the volume of private sector investments In development projects from 790 billion dirhams to one trillion dirhams until 2033.
The Dubai Economic Agenda 2033 focuses on a set of major priorities for the next decade, including: raising the added value of the industrial sector and promoting export growth by focusing on advanced industries, for Dubai to be one of the five most important logistics centers around the world, and for Dubai to be one of the five most important logistics centers around the world. For Dubai to be among the four most important global financial centers, to raise the productivity of the economy by 50% through innovation and the adoption of digital solutions, to integrate 65,000 Emiratis in the private sector and to make Dubai a center for people with skills and specialists, for Dubai to be the fastest growing and most attractive global business center For the operations of small, medium, international and national companies, and for Dubai to be one of the three most important global destinations for visitors in the fields of specialized tourism and business.
Hamdan bin Mohammed:
Hamdan bin Mohammed:
• "In the year 2033, modern Dubai will complete its 200-year journey... Our goal is to create a global model for a city that can achieve people's aspirations and dreams."
Maktoum bin Mohammed:
Maktoum bin Mohammed:
• "All logistical, digital, legal, financial and infrastructure sectors need to think differently over the next ten years."
The launch of the Dubai Economic Agenda includes the start of implementing transformational projects as a first package for the next decade, including the launch of a program to support the growth of 30 companies in new sectors to become global unicorn companies, and the launch of the Dubai Green and Sustainable Industry Plan, including the application of the latest industry standards, support for the export of green products, and the adoption of a framework for trading carbon credits. In the Dubai Financial Market and the launch of the Dubai Traders project, to highlight and empower the new generation of Dubai merchants in the various main sectors: (industry, sustainability, digital economy and innovation) and support the expansion of their business globally.
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China to Become World's Largest Phone MarketChina will become the No.1 telephone market in the world in five years, Jiang Shaobing, an official with the Ministry of Information Industry, said Sunday at the Fourth China Fair for Investment and Trade, which is being held in the port city of Xiamen, in southeast China's Fujian Province.
Jiang said that the number of fixed-line and mobile phone users is estimated to exceed 600 million in 2005.
China now has 120 million fixed-line phone users, with more than 18 million registered in the first six months this year, and 60 million mobile phone subscribers including 16 million registered in first half of the year. The numbers of fixed-line phone users and mobile phone subscribers rank second and third respectively, in the world.
However, there are only 14.7 phones per 100 Chinese people, or 32.1 phones per 100 persons in urban areas. There are 4.7 mobile phones for every 100 people.
He added that, by June this year, the number of Internet users in China exceeded 16 million.
In another development, sources from the Ministry of Information Industry said that the sales volume of China's electronic information products will amount to 1 trillion yuan (about 120 billion U.S. dollars) this year, or 9 percent of the world's total. By 2005, the sales volume is expected to double the 2000 figure.
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Zone 6 – Off with the rockers
Here are the crime reports for Zone 6 neighborhoods in our area, which includes Kirkwood. This week’s edition of the Zone 6 crime report also includes a connection to a burglary reported in Decatur.
These reports are provided by Atlanta Police and are presumed to be accurate.
On Feb. 22, a resident of Murray Hill Avenue reported that someone had stolen two rocking chairs from the front porch.
On Feb. 16, a resident of Oakview Road reported a burglary. The burglar made off with 50 feet of copper pipe, a push lawn mower and a garden hose. The suspect entered the residence through a crawl space. “Neighbor advised they saw a newer model green van parked in front of the location,” police said.
On Feb. 18, police responded to a report of a stolen vehicle on Caroline Street. “Victim claimed that he lost his keys at some point while at the location,” the police report said. “He also admitted to being behind on his car payments.”
On Feb. 20, someone living in an apartment on Arizona Avenue reported a burglary. Among the items stolen: two bars of gold and $11,800 in cash, a computer monitor, a 65 inch TV, a couch, a love seat and a table. The resident accused his girlfriend and another man of taking the items.
On Feb. 17, police responded to a report of an assault on Hardee Street NE. The victim said he was there to meet a friend. He was looking for his friend when he passed two men. They started talking to him about his car and one of them said “let me check it out.” The victim said he continued walking away and turned around to find the two men standing 5 feet away from him. One man pulled a pistol from his waistband and said, “Give me your car.” The victim turned to run and the suspect shot him in the foot. The shooter is described as a black man with a light to medium complexion, in his early to 20’s, who possibly has tattoos on his face and neck area and possibly has a goatee. The suspect has a slim build, low cut hair, and is approximately 5 feet, 9 inches tall and was wearing a blue-white sweater and blue jeans. The other man is described as a black man in his early to mid 20s, with a slim build, light to medium complexion, with dreads and he wore a black hoodie and black pants.
On Feb. 17, a man told police that there’s a group of individuals who are shoplifting from Kroger stores in Georgia. He told police that the crew shoplifts small items, like eye drops, and return them for cash. The man told police he believes at a Kroger cashier is in on the scheme because the receipts are printed on “official Kroger printing paper.” He said the group travels in a white Ford Crown Victoria.
On Feb. 19, police arrested a man for shoplifting one tray of pre-packaged sushi, one brick of Velveeta cheese, one pint of Kroger brand sorbet and one pint of Kroger brand ice cream. He tried to conceal the items in his backpack.
On Feb. 19, police arrested a man for stealing children’s books and two beanbags from the Barnes & Noble book store.
On Feb. 22 police received a report that someone had stolen three dumpsters from a construction site on Moreland Avenue. Police have video footage showing a white pickup truck carrying the dumpsters away.
On Feb. 20, police responded to a report of a burglary on Pharr Road. The burglars stole a 49 inch Samsung LCD TV, a diamond wedding ring and an iPad. The back door had been kicked in. “A neighbor advised that she had noticed a navy blue older model Lincoln Towncar that was backed into the victim’s driveway, but thought it was a friend or family of the victims,” the police report said. “She advised that the car had gold lettering on it, but was unable to give a license plate number or any other descriptive information.”
On Feb. 21, police responded to a report of a burglary on East Lake Drive. The burglars stole a 50 inch flat screen TV, a safe containing documents, and a safe containing a 9 mm handgun. A witness said he saw three men in a Chevrolet Monte Carlo back up to the location. Their faces were covered. Decatur Police reported that there had been a burglary a few blocks away, and a few of the documents that were in the safe in the East Lake Drive home were recovered in the street nearby.
On Feb. 17, police responded to a report of a burglary on Glenwood Avenue. The items reported stolen: an iPhone 5, keys to the house and car. There had been a prior incident at the location, and the suspects had stolen a bike and power drill. The suspects are described as one male, about 6 feet tall, weighing 200 pounds with long dreadlocks and wearing a ski mask. The other suspect described as a male wearing a ski-cap and driving a four-door black sedan.
On Feb. 22, police responded to a report of a burglary on Gresham Avenue. There was nothing stolen and police arrested a suspect on charges of criminal trespassing. According to the report, the suspect, “told the police that she broke the window to get her friend out who had been drugged with Heroin by putting it in her food.”
On Feb. 20, police responded to a report of a larceny at a beauty supply store on Fayetteville Road. The store manager said the suspect purchased $290 worth of items with a credit card. In the middle of the transaction, the cashier went to the back of the store to get an item that the suspect requested. The cashier returned and completed the transaction. Security camera footage shows the suspect walk around the counter after the cashier went to retrieve the item and reach inside of an unlocked cabinet. The suspect took a pack of “brown female hair” and placed it inside her purse.
On Feb. 21, police responded to a report of a larceny at a bar on Glenwood Avenue Southeast. The victim told police that her purse was stolen from the back of her bar stool. The security camera footage shows the suspect conceal the purse under his jacket. The suspect is described as an 18 year old black man, about 5 feet, 7 inches tall, with medium brown skin, a clean-shaven face, wearing a red skull cap, dark jeans and shell top Timberlands. His name is Theo, but his street name is “Hot.”
On Feb. 22, police received a report that a tenant being evicted out of a home on Clifton Street took all furniture, carpet, rugs, and appliances from the location when she left.
Police on Feb. 18 arrested a woman for shoplifting. On Feb. 19, the woman was accused of shoplifting boots from a store on Moreland Avenue, accompanied by a juvenile suspect. The next day, the same woman was accused of shoplifting sweatpants, a tee shirt and a jacket from another store on Moreland Avenue, accompanied by two other female suspects, including one juvenile.


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i.TV is a TV guide company that has acquired second-screen check-in service GetGlue (think Foursquare for movies and TV shows). i.TV plans on using GetGlue’s technology to create a bigger social TV platform. The terms of the acquisition was undisclosed. GetGlue will maintain their office in New York City and will continue to operate in their own app.
This is the second time that GetGlue received an acquisition offer. Last year, Viggle announced their intention to buy GetGlue for stock and cash. The deal fell through two months later. GetGlue has over 4.5 million registered users that generate around 1 billion impressions per month.
?GetGlue has built an impressive product with a highly engaged audience,? stated i.TV CEO, Brad Pelo. ?With over 4.5 million registered users, GetGlue delivers over 1 billion social impressions every month to 100 million unique Facebook and Twitter users. With this kind of reach, it?s no wonder more than 75 TV networks partner with GetGlue to engage with their fans, and 30 media companies integrate with the GetGlue API. i.TV?s own platform of second screen services power experiences for brands like Nintendo, AOL, Huffington Post, TELUS and i.TV?s own leading TV guide application. Together, i.TV and GetGlue will reshape the social TV and second screen landscape.?
[Source: GetGlue Blog Post]


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CUPERTINO, California, Apple investors’ advisory firm, Institutional Shareholder Services, ISS, shareholders, $99 million pay package, Tim Cook, equity award, performance criteria, Cook’s pay package CUPERTINO, California: A powerful Apple investors’ advisory firm, Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS), is encouraging shareholders to vote against the $99 million pay package awarded last year to company head Tim Cook.
In a letter to shareholders before they meet next month, the firm wrote there were “significant concerns regarding the design and magnitude of the equity award” made to Cook, 61, in 2021, stressing that half of the award “lacks performance criteria.”
A vote against Cook’s pay package would be advisory only, and Apple’s board would not have to act on it.
According to Forbes, Cook has a personal fortune of $2.3 billion and has been a vocal critic of social and economic inequality, pledging to donate his fortune before his death.
In 2021, Cook’s salary was $3 million and stock awards worth $82.3 million, as well as $12m for reaching company targets, and another $1.4m for air travel, retirement plan contributions, insurance premiums and other benefits.
According to a filing disclosed in January, compared to his pay package of $14.8 million in 2020, Cook’s 2021 package was $98.7 million, 1,447 times the pay of the average Apple employee.
Apple has benefitted considerably from the COVID-19 pandemic, with its share price rising as more people worked online.
Apple became the first company to be valued at $1 trillion in 2018, and in January it briefly became the first company valued at $3 trillion, reporting a record revenue of $123.9 billion, up 11 percent from last year and higher than analysts’ predictions.
But shareholders have become increasingly unhappy with CEO pay deals. Last year a record number of S&P 500 companies failed to attract 50 percent support from shareholders for their CEO pay packages.


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For many businesses, a shift is taking place in how they are using artificial intelligence (AI) to grow. Recent surveys found enterprises are doubling down and increasing their own investments in more advanced AI and data technologies and are seeing increased returns on AI investments. A few catalysts are lighting the way for this perspective shift, according to our eBook “AI in the Enterprise.” One prominent shift is how large companies are harnessing AI to facilitate personalized, empathetic conversations and recommendations with their customers.
While it may seem improbable that a large business with millions of customers is able to connect personally with each customer, AI plays a major role in making the improbable a reality. And when done correctly, the end result is a more loyal customer with a higher lifetime value. But capitalizing on this AI capability is easier said than done. It takes intentional development, proper governance, and the flexibility to grow and adapt to customer needs. Let’s explore how businesses are finding success with customer relationships using AI.
A new paradigm in customer relationship building: hyper-personalization
Over the years, and especially after the pandemic, businesses are finding more success when they foster personalized relationships with customers. And much of that effort is reflected in strategic goals – think company initiatives like “become more customer-centric” or “get closer to our customers.” Across industries, customers have higher expectations of the companies they do business with, compared to 20 years ago. They expect faster service, more recognition for their brand loyalty, and more exceptional customer service for their purchases. This has shifted the paradigm from a service-centric approach to a relationship-centric approach.
For many businesses, early investment in AI has provided a head start over their competitors in creating relationships with customers. AI helps them navigate the mountains of data they’ve collected to form personalized customer experiences. And across enterprises and business users – from marketing directors to chief data officers – AI offers a key element to operational success.
But what does hyper-personalization look like? Depending on the touch point and the customer, hyper-personalization can look like recommending financial assistance to customers that have experienced a natural disaster. Or perhaps when a customer calls their insurance provider, the customers service representative is already prepared for their request and knows whether the company needs to do further evaluation before processing the claim. Whatever the customer’s circumstance, AI can help companies know more about their customers so they can offer the right solution or promotion. The end result is a happier customer and more efficient and effective operational processes.
Imagining a responsible future with AI
Of course, these AI-based decisions don’t exist in a vacuum. To achieve success, companies have to consider how their data is interpreted, how they’re connected with enterprise systems, and how customer needs are interpreted through data.
In an already-tight IT labor market, AI can help companies bridge the gap in staffing issues – like offering chatbots for quick fixes, instead of routing all customer concerns to a representative – and identifying other inefficiencies, like resource roadblocks or workflow bottlenecks. And for some companies, AI works as a co-pilot to customer agents, offering smart responses based on customer context and historic success. AI works as an intermediary to drive more efficient customer and business solutions. As our eBook highlights:
“A significant benefit of AI is that it relieves people of mundane and time-consuming tasks, so they can focus on more important, impactful, or high-value work.”
However, AI doesn’t always have a positive connotation in the public eye, so proper governance and guardrails with how businesses collect and use data also matters. Businesses have to walk a fine line between hyper-personalization, avoiding bias creep, and falling into breaches of privacy. But with more laws being created around data collection and management, enterprises have a more level playing field for AI use. Businesses with specialized processes and that are designed to comply with government regulations will be rewarded for their efforts.
Learning from leaders in AI decisioning
So which companies are leading the way in building customer relationships with AI? Our eBook found organizations in the banking, insurance, and telecommunications industries are already set up for success, as those businesses often revolve around existing customer connections:
“Organizations that have an existing relationship or connection with their customers have an advantage. Organizations in these industries can build value by using AI to get closer to their customers, engage them one-to-one with empathic and personalized recommendations, anticipate and proactively resolve customer service issues, and build better customer experiences.”
Beyond the eBook, we’ve observed similar customer success stories within those industries in recent years. For telecommunications giant Verizon, AI capabilities are powering “Next Best Action” decisioning for consumers by using customer context and situational relevancy to extend offers to customers in different channels. The result: more timely, relevant offers and more engagement.
In the insurance realm, Aflac is using AI-powered email bot technology to automate over 3,000 emails a week. This type of smart automation frees agents from manual processes and improves response times, so Aflac can deliver fast, accurate, personalized customer experiences. Since implementation, Aflac is processing and responding to 30% of incoming customer inquiries without the need of an agent at all and is seeing faster responses to the other 70% of emails. Their AI technology is generating personalized suggestions for agents, specific to each customer request.


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On demand utility service startup Doormint has raised an undisclosed amount of funding from Powai Lake Ventures, reports YourStory. The funds will go towards expansion of service categories and service areas and hiring more people. Doormint currently claims to have 50-60 bookings everyday with 30% of them returning to Doormint. Mumbai based Doormint was founded by Naman Lahoty, Abhinav Agarwal and Piyush Ranjan this year. It provides services from electricians, laundry, plumbers, carpenters, pest control and appliance repair serving certain areas in Mumbai. Currently a team of 13, Doormint also has 250 professional personnel across their service categories. The YourStory report mentions that Doormint does background, criminal and police verifications before they take professionals on board. **** Local services marketplace UrbanClap has raised seed funding worth Rs 10 crore from SAIF Partners, Accel Partners and Kunal Bahl and Rohit Bansal of Snapdeal. The app-only UrbanClap plans to use the funds to expand its service categories, scaling up the platform/technology, expansion to other cities and hiring. Founded by Abhiraj Bhal, Raghav Chandra and Varun Khaitan in October 2014, UrbanClap offers a marketplace for services like event photography, salons, yoga instructions, dieticians, event planners, DJs, home cleaning and interior design among others. **** Yet to be launched mobile marketplace for beauty and wellness Vyomo has raised an undisclosed amount of seed funding from cricketer Yuvraj Singh’s YouWeCan Ventures, reports ET. The company will use the funds for scaling up and global expansion. Vyomo plans to enlist 5,000 spas and salons in Delhi-NCR,…
- India’s Health Stack: Plans for “Single Source Of Truth” January 30, 2023
- Twitter plans to limit permanent account suspensions on its platform January 30, 2023
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- Supriya Shekher on Rethinking Privacy Mandates In Antitrust Law | Meta India Tech Scholars 2021-22 January 30, 2023
- Private Explosives Manufacturer Hired By Defence Ministry Hit By Suspected Ransomware Attack January 30, 2023
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India's smartphone operating system BharOS has received much buzz in the media lately, but does it really merit this attention?
After using the Mapples app as his default navigation app for a week, Sarvesh draws a comparison between Google Maps and Mapples
The regulatory ambivalence around an instrument so essential to facilitate data exchange – the CM framework – is disconcerting for several reasons.
The provisions around grievance redressal in the Data Protection Bill "stands to be dangerously sparse and nugatory on various counts."
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Could Carmageddon be at hand?
SCi's long-dormant car combat franchise could be making a comeback in 2005.
Though SCi's megapopular Carmageddon series hasn't been seen or heard from since 2000's poorly received Carmageddon 3: TDR 2000, it appears as though the return of Carmageddon could be nigh.
In SCi's recently released 2003 financial report, the company specifically states that a new version of Carmageddon is in the works. "A new and updated Carmageddon is in development with a planned release in 2005," says the document.
Though no specific details about the game itself were revealed in the report, it was noted that the game is being targeted for the PC, PlayStation 2, and Xbox.
GameSpot may get a commission from retail offers.


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Samsung joins Linux Foundation, pledges $500K to support open source
Samsung Electronics has joined the Linux Foundation, the nonprofit organization that oversees the open-source Linux operating system.
Samsung signs on as a platinum member, paying $500,000 per year in exchange for a seat on the Linux Foundation board of directors. Samsung will collaborate with the association to streamline its participation with the kernel community and adopt open source best practices.
Samsung employs Linux software across many of its products, most notably smartphones running Google's (NASDAQ:GOOG) Android mobile operating system. Jim Zemlin, an executive director of the Linux Foundation, told The New York Times that Samsung's commitment to Linux will help the manufacturer more effectively compete with rivals like Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL). "Apple, perceived as the most closed and proprietary software company in the world, is incredibly good at open source. It's in everything they make," Zemlin said. "Samsung is doing the same thing with Linux in order to make better, faster, cheaper software."
Samsung's support for Linux likely will renew speculation around the company's plans for its own bada smartphone operating system. Earlier this year, Samsung Senior Vice President Tae-Jin Kang told Forbes that the firm will merge bada with the Linux-based Tizen software platform, adding the integration process is already underway. But Samsung quickly issued a denial, stating it is considering such a move but has not yet reached an official decision.
Weeks later, Samsung said it plans to "significantly" increase investment in bada, pitching the platform as an alternative to Android. "We believe [bada] is a good platform to build on," Samsung Senior Vice President of Product Strategy Juha Park told Bloomberg during an interview at the Mobile World Congress 2012 conference. "We want to have a full range of portfolio for bada, from high-end to mass-volume segments."
Samsung introduced bada in late 2009, targeting Europe and emerging markets. The manufacturer has not yet introduced a bada device for the U.S. market. Last fall, The Wall Street Journal reported Samsung planned to open bada to other manufacturers and software developers, a move to accelerate growth of the platform while also distancing the company from its reliance on Android.
Samsung soars to record Q1 on the back of smartphone sales
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Samsung considering Bada for U.S. market


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NACDS Retail Advisory Board turns to London for new market trends
ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The National Association of Chain Drug Stores Retail Advisory Board will be heading to London on Feb. 25 to examine key marketplace trends, including multigenerational retailing, how the omnichannel is improving the shopping experience, urban retailing and managing OTC medications.
Why London? According to Bryan Stuke, chairman of the NACDS Retail Advisory Board and Procter & Gamble VP of customer business development, England’s population is aging a few years ahead of the American population, so the opportunity to observe how British retailers are managing the needs of aging consumers is relevant, especially given the baby boomer juggernaut that’s seemingly affecting every aspect of life in the United States. Furthermore, London has a centuries-long reputation as a thriving, diverse, populous European capital. Stuke said a big trend in the United States right now is to become more urbanized rather than suburban or rural, so London fits the bill.
The market immersion trip will mark the fourth such trip for the Retail Advisory Board so far. Past trips have been to Toronto, San Juan, Puerto Rico, and Austin, Texas. The group will travel to Boston in May. Stuke said that the objective is to identify places where new ideas are being generated and new retail formats exist. He said the trips “allow retailers and manufacturers to walk a store together to discover new ideas on how they can merchandise their stores, product categories, adjacencies or product lines better.”
Beyond merchandising, supply chain and store operations, the group will also look at how British retailers are becoming omni-channel — utilizing Internet, mobile and the physical store to help the consumer shop whenever and wherever.
The group will have the opportunity to tour several stores, including Boots, Burberry, Marks and Spencer and Tesco. A speaker will provide an overview of English history, putting into perspective the ways the English government and healthcare systems have evolved. A speaker from Nielson will also present on the English retail market, contrasting the differences between British and U.S. stores. As part of the agenda, representatives from the U.S. embassy will address policy issues in the U.K. and E.U., such as privacy concerns and how the embassy can help U.S. companies in England.
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MinuteClinic to transition to EpicCare EMR system
WOONSOCKET, R.I. — CVS Caremark’s MinuteClinic has announced that it is switching from its own proprietary electronic medical record solution to Epic’s EpicCare system.
"EpicCare’s rich platform will allow us to continue to provide the highest quality of care and advance our services through a robust, world class EMR," said Andrew Sussman, president of MinuteClinic and SVP/associate chief medical officer of CVS Caremark.
Epic will support MinuteClinic’s evidence-based model of care and facilitate connectivity with healthcare providers nationwide that currently use Epic, including many major health systems, hospital networks and physician groups currently affiliated with MinuteClinic. An estimated 274,000 physicians will use Epic and about 51% of the U.S. population will have a record in Epic when its current customer rollouts are complete. MinuteClinic’s full deployment of EpicCare is expected to take 18 months.
"We’ve reached a point in the evolution of our clinical practice where a more advanced EMR that facilitates more immediate information sharing with other health care providers is needed," said Sussman. "MinuteClinic is expanding sites and services, having added [more than] 350 clinics in the past three years. As we continue on our path of rapid growth to reach 1,500 clinics by 2017, EpicCare will take us to the next level by offering enhanced connectivity with other providers, more advanced patient portal capabilities, and key analytics to run our practice more efficiently and improve patient care."
MinuteClinic chief medical officer Nancy Gagliano expects EpicCare to help MinuteClinic further promote continuity of care with patients’ primary care providers, including pediatricians, family practice physicians and internists.
"We’ve always been committed to comprehensive record sharing, whether it’s done electronically when compatibility exists or by faxing a copy of the visit summary immediately following a clinic visit with patient permission," she said. "EpicCare will help us work more closely with physician practices as part of the medical home team, facilitate co-management of patients and advance our mission to make health care more accessible, convenient and affordable for Americans."
Epic has scored highest in KLAS Ambulatory EMR rankings for large health systems (75-plus physicians) for the last 15 years.
"Retail clinics play an important role in community-wide care delivery," said Carl Dvorak, Epic president. "Patients receive the most value in terms of quality, cost and overall wellness when care is well-coordinated across disciplines and locations so we’re glad to have CVS MinuteClinic join the nation’s largest network of care organizations securely sharing patient information."
CVS is once again leading U.S.-based, retail-affiliated clinics in setting its sights and preparing its systems to provide thousands of nationwide ports of entry to a virtually-integrated healthcare delivery system. Ron Hammerle, Chairman Health Resources, Ltd. Tampa, Florida
Study: CPG companies can improve business with better analytics
NEW YORK — The majority of consumer packaged goods companies are failing to place analytics at the heart of their decision-making process, limiting their ability to improve the customer experience and gain business advantage, according to the findings of an Accenture study.
Accenture’s analysis also suggests that, in many cases, the problem is compounded by fragmented investment in narrow programs that are not well-coordinated and fully optimized.
According to the study, "Building an Analytics-Driven Organization," more than half (54%) of CPG executives said that their company has a fully defined analytics operating model. In contrast, 9% said their company has implemented an analytics operating model in its entirety, and 15% said the plan has been only partially executed across the geographies in which they operate. In addition, 40% of the respondents said that their company has only partially defined an analytics operating model, but 14% of those CPG executives said their company has not implemented it.
The study indicates a mismatch between how CPG executives perceive their companies’ maturity in analytics and the actual state of their analytics efforts, according to Accenture. Although 47% of the executives described their companies as either "analytical leaders" or having "ingrained analytics," the analytics teams of many of the companies represented in the survey remain focused on "pulling data" rather than using data to develop insights. Almost one-third (32%) of the respondents admitted that their analytics employees are focused on the management of "big data." However, 9% said they have made a priority of predictive analytics, which generates information that can enhance longer-term decision-making.
"The research indicates that the analytics functions of many CPG companies are producing hindsight descriptions of what has happened, rather than delivering forward-looking insights that can be used to make well-informed operational, managerial and strategic decisions," said Bob Berkey, managing director in Accenture’s Consumer Goods & Services practice. "CPG companies need to focus more on implementing an analytics operating model that puts analytics-driven insights at the heart of their decision-making process. Only then will they be able to realize true value from their analytics investments and achieve increased efficiency, speed, flexibility and profitability."
Julio Hernandez, managing director, Accenture Analytics North America, added, "Today’s CPG industry is focused on four imperatives — a better understanding of consumers, reducing cost and increasing service levels in the supply chain, enhancing relationships with retailers and hiring and deploying the right talent. In each area, big data analytics techniques and underlying technologies can provide a competitive edge by offering actionable insights from multiple sources of data, including business, third-party and contextual information, often in real time. The greatest benefits will be achieved by companies that speed up and automate the analytics process and systematically infuse data-based insights into their operations."
Accenture’s study also found that many CPG executives are more focused on putting technology, rather than talent, in place to enhance their analytics capabilities. Analytics technology was named by 37% of respondents as their top priority in analytics, followed by analytics governance, at 31%. By contrast, 8% of the executives surveyed ranked talent as their top priority in analytics, and 55% ranked talent last on their list of analytics priorities. Despite the talent ranking, the survey shows that almost three-quarters (73%) of respondents are, in fact, actively hiring analytics talent, even though many said they are still defining their analytics talent needs. Two-out-of-5 executives (42%) said their current talent focus is to determine the analytics roles they need to fill, and the skill sets in greatest demand are data modelling (53%) and data mining (44%).
"Although the development of analytical capabilities and capacity is extremely important, a focus on data, methods and technology alone will not magically deliver the insights needed for competitive edge," Berkey stated. "CPG companies are investing in analytical talent, but now leadership needs to focus on instilling the right analytical culture and create, champion and sustain an analytics vision. And front-line practitioners need to combine their technology abilities with problem solving and data analysis skills to deliver bottom-line business benefits."
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The National Football League is one of the first professional sports leagues to announce a blockchain game. Here are the details and timeline for the upcoming game.
What Happened: The NFL and NFL Players Association are partnering with Mythical Games to launch “NFL Rivals.” The blockchain game is set to launch in early 2023 for both web and mobile.
A limited-edition drop of NFTs based on the 32 NFL teams will be released in summer 2022 in drops called “Rarity League.” These licensed NFL NFTs will give access to special events and provide in-game rewards for “NFL Rivals.”
“Fans will also be able to own, collect and trade NFTs of their favorite players through this play-and-own game experience,” the company said.
A player of the game will act as a general manager of a football team and compete against other players/general managers while attempting to assemble the best roster.
“With the rise of blockchain technology, we are thrilled to partner with Mythical Games on a blockchain-enabled game that delivers new play-to-own NFT capabilities, creating a new adventure for fans who love to play football games,” NFL Senior Vice President of Consumer Products Joe Ruggiero said.
Why It’s Important: Sports video games have been among the bestsellers in the sector year after year. The Madden NFL game franchise from Electronic Arts Inc. EA is among the bestselling video game franchises of all time.
The addition of a blockchain game follows the NFL exploring new growth spaces in the video game sector. The company announced earlier this year it was bringing virtual reality games to the Meta Quest and Playstation VR from Meta Platforms Inc FB and Sony Group Corp SONY, respectively.
The NFL also recently partnered with NBA Top Shot parent Dapper Labs to bring NFL moments as NFTs to fans and investors. The Dapper deal and Mythical Games partnership could signal the NFL’s desire to continue to grow in the blockchain and NFT space.
The partnership could also help bring fans of NFTs and video games to the NFL.
“Partnering with the NFL to drive new fan and player engagement through fresh game design and the benefits of Web3 is an exciting moment for us,” Mythical Games Chief Creative Officer Jamie Jackson said.
Jackson said the game could help provide new ways for fans to engage with their favorite players and teams.
Mythical Games is led by industry veterans who have worked on franchises that include “Call of Duty,” “World of Warcraft,” “Guitar Hero,” “DJ Hero” and “Skylanders.”
© 2023 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.


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By Celisa Calacal
Shocking. Abnormal. Unprecedented. And, in the end, horror. These are just some of the words used to describe the Trump presidency since he took office. And with each passing day in the Trump administration, each new statement, tweet or piece of legislation, many people feel that these Trump-ian antics are unlike anything seen before.
But author and award-winning journalist Naomi Klein disagrees: We have seen this before.
Speaking to a crowded hall on June 12 at the Cooper Union in New York City, Klein discussed the events contributing to Trump’s rise, the future of the progressive movement and the “shocks” that are lying in the wake of Trump’s policies. The event was also held to promote Klein’s new book, No Is Not Enough: Resisting Trump’s Shock Politics and Winning the World We Need.
Much of Klein’s talk centered around the theory she presents in her 2008 book The Shock Doctrine, but she also differentiated Trump’s policies as a different form of shock. And while most media coverage of the White House portrays his administration as a chaotic mess, Klein argued that the media ends up missing the more diabolical policy movements behind the curtain that are “shock-creation machines”—such as the removal of Dodd-Frank and the pulling out from the Paris climate agreement.
“This narrative has emerged that he’s this bumbling idiot, that it’s all chaos,” she said. “And meanwhile, behind the scenes, getting very little media attention is a methodical, very organized redistribution of wealth from lower and middle incomes to the one percent of the one percent.”
The Rebranding of Trump—How We Got Here
In an analysis that has largely been missing in mainstream media to describe the rise of Trump, Klein connected much of Trump’s success to the way he brands himself. Drawing from common marketing practices, she discussed how Trump’s new business model involves the selling and leasing of his name to almost every product imaginable—a corporate model she calls the “hollow brand.” Klein’s analysis of hollow brand marketing builds upon her writing in her 1999 book, No Logo: Taking Aim at the Brand Bullies.
Beginning in the late 1980s, Klein pointed out, companies began to shift away from their traditional model of creating products and establishing a brand around those products. The new trend in the marketing industry was instead to sell an idea.
“The product is the marketing tool. Branding is a very colonial process,” she said. “And essentially what they’re selling is group identity.”
Trump, Klein argued, capitalizes on this marketing technique, as he built a brand centered on his name while quietly outsourcing the production of his products to Third World countries. Klein also took a moment to call out similar practices by Canadian president Justin Trudeau, who has branded himself as a “progressive climate leader” despite his anti-environmental policies in supporting tar sands pipelines.
“I’m a dual Canadian and American citizen, so I feel it’s my responsibility to tell you that Justin Trudeau is a hollow brand,” she said, to loud cheers from the audience.
The danger in this practice, however, lies in the facade that companies are actually fulfilling consumers’ needs.
“They’re not selling anything that meets the need,” Klein said. “They’re selling the promise of meeting the need, which is fantastic for capitalism.”
And while hollow branding inevitably upholds the capitalist system, Klein said marketing practice does reveal a human desire to be part of a larger movement. She cited Jeremy Corbyn and the Labour Party’s success following the recent UK election as evidence of a political movement employing marketing to build a base and generate excitement.
“People really like the idea of revolution,” she said. “Let’s give them the real thing.”
Bringing Together Social Movements—Where Do We Go From Here
While Klein’s prescient analysis of Trump may create the picture of a bleak future, she rounded out her talk with a call to action for more people to recognize the intersectionality between social movements as well as a revival of the anti-war movement.
“We live in a time where we cannot separate climate activism from anti-war activism,” Klein said. “We live in a time which really encourages us to sort of see these as separate issues, and I think our task is to explode all that and try to tell coherent stories about how all of our movements are interconnected.”
She said this intersectionality can be accomplished in a way that still recognizes the autonomy of these social issues in a spirit of solidarity.
“We’re stronger when we do this,” Klein said, referencing the droves of people who attended the People’s Climate March this spring and the Black Lives Matter movement.
The primary obstacle in the way of achieving this connectedness, however, is neoliberalism. She said there is need for institutions, such as left-wing universities, to provide an infrastructure for social movements.
“We don’t have a lot of spaces in which to come together,” Klein said.
Klein also emphasized the importance of not relying on “liberal billionaires” to save the people and provide all the solutions, and that people should not “wait to be led.” Instead, the rise of people’s platforms, such as the platform created by the Movement for Black Lives, places power in the hands of the people. Klein herself has participated in the formation of a people’s platform in Canada, where she helped create a people’s platform through theleap.org in the midst of a federal election.
Reposted with permission from our media associate AlterNet.


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In testimony before a U.S. Senate subcommittee yesterday, Postmaster General John "Jack" Potter indicated the U.S. Postal Service may have to cut back to five day a week delivery. Potter cited rising costs and the increased decline of mail made worse by the ongoing recession. Obviously the increased use of electronic mail has played a major role in the decreasing volume of mail.
Potter's suggestion, if enacted, would likely would mean the elimination of mail on Saturday or Tuesday, the slowest days of the week for the Post Office.
That's a change I think most people could live with. I receive some of my bills electronically and pay all my bills over the internet. The one area where the daily mail delivery continues to play an important role is in the practice of law. The state rules still require that attorneys who file documents, serve opposing counsel the old fashioned way - "snail mail."
Hopefully, the Senate will also revisit the idea of ending the postal monopoly on the delivery of first class mail.
Great, this means one less day a week I have to suffer having litter (junk mail) deposited through my mail slot directly into my foyer.
This is the end result when government is in charge of any enterprise. It fails. Expect more failure with the Democrats in charge of the country. Prepare yourselves for the New Raw Deal.
I actually have always wanted mail service expanded to Sunday. I hate having a day when, despite our modern electronic activity, important communication cannot get delivered.
*IF* the USPS is going to cut out another day, I want open competition for regular mail delivery and to put people in charge of the use of their mailbox instead of the existing government restrictions (that prevent newspapers or flyers being deposited there).
End the USPS monopoly.
Post a Comment


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- Quick Look at the 2020 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport | MotorTrend - March 13, 2024
- BMW Design – 2009 BMW Z4 – 2009 Detroit Auto Show - March 11, 2024
- Top 10 Car Features Women Love - October 7, 2023
The adoption of an open freight data exchange standard could reduce global carbon emissions approximately 22 percent by 2050 and eliminate 2.5 billion barrels of oil per year, according to a report issued Tuesday by the Coalition for Reimagined Mobility.
Clean fuel use and electrification are not enough to completely decarbonize the freight sector in the time required by the Paris Agreement, according to the report. Finding ways to improve operational efficiencies and reduce port congestion can provide further gains.
One hindrance is a lack of data standardization.
“Currently, we are using a patchwork of tools from fax machines to emails to phone calls to websites to facilitate our supply chains, which includes dozens and dozens of stakeholders for any one good,” Marla Westervelt, vice president of policy for the coalition, said Monday during a press conference previewing the report’s findings. “We found that through the process of digitalization, which is the transition from manual processes to software-driven processes, we would be able to not only reduce emissions within the supply chain, but also enhance the resiliency of our system.”
The report used modeling from the International Transport Forum. It said freight data exchange standards are “open or freely available technical specifications that define how to share critical information to seamlessly facilitate global freight logistics.”
Standardizing freight data exchange would improve stakeholder coordination and “support software-enabled communication” throughout the global supply chain, said the report, which noted the efforts had the potential to reduce sea freight emissions by 280 million tons of carbon per year and road freight emissions by 360 million tons.
The Coalition for Reimagined Mobility is a global collaboration between industry, government and academic leaders attempting to improve the movement of people and goods. It’s an independent project of Securing America’s Future Energy, a Washington, D.C., think tank looking to establish American energy independence.
The report gave five recommendations for policymakers to implement the use of standardized freight data. The recommendations include passing legislation that requires the implementation of freight data as a requirement to access ports; funding third-party groups that could communicate operational data in real time; prioritizing funding for port projects to realize emission reduction benefits; allocating funding to industry stakeholders to deploy data exchange standard pilots and projects; and giving authority to national governments and ports to mandate freight data exchange standards.
“We need a comprehensive plan of action to decarbonize our global freight sector,” Mary Nichols, co-chair of the coalition, said in a statement. “Business as usual is not an option. As we transition to increasingly lower carbon fuels, vessels and vehicles, we must also rapidly deploy technology solutions that will drive operational efficiencies — and critically needed climate benefits — across the global supply chain.”


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Suzuki India Limited launched the S-CNG variant of the small hatch Alto. The
CNG powered Alto BS6 will offer a mileage of 31.59 km/kg. The factory-fitted
Alto BS6 S-CNG will be available for:
(in Rs. Ex Showroom, Delhi)
Alto BS6 LXi S-CNG
Alto BS6 LXi (O) S-CNG
Suzuki Alto S-CNG is the company’s first BS6 compliant CNG vehicle. Maruti
Suzuki offers the widest range of green cars with S-CNG technology.
Maruti Suzuki S-CNG vehicles are equipped with
dual interdependent ECUs (Electronic Control Units) and intelligent injection
system. Vehicles are specially tuned and calibrated to deliver optimum
performance and enhanced drivability across all kinds of terrains.
Suzuki Alto was the first vehicle to become BS6 compliant, and the Company has
already sold over 100,000 BS6 compliant Alto in the country. With timely upgrades, the brand Alto has
stayed relevant and continues to be the best-selling car in the country for 15
consecutive years. Additionally, 38-lakh strong Alto family is a testament to
people appreciating the timely upgrades and newness in the brand. Maruti Suzuki
recently introduced the new Alto VXi+ with Smart play Studio.
ExxonMobil Lubricants Pvt Ltd announced the launch of its next-generation passenger vehicle lubricants - ‘Mobil Super,’ in new, improved packaging with refreshed labels. The improved packaging offers ...
Michelin, the world’s leading sustainable mobility company, has become the first tyre brand in the passenger vehicle segment in India to be accredited with the newly introduced star labelling programm...
With an aim to reduce manual intervention and enhance vehicle inspections, MyRaasta, a car and bike service aggregator, has introduced Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based vehicle inspection technology ...


text: December PMI from the China National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) and China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing (CFLP). Manufacturing 7.0 before 8.0 Services 1.6 before 6.7 Composite 2.6 before 7.1 Renewed with COVID-19 epidemic in fast moving China. While widespread lockdowns are a thing of the past, self-imposed isolation and disease have affected China’s economy as workers stay at home and others (extremists) avoid going out. Look at the services PMI, 1.6 is deeply contractionary. Dining out, shopping, personal services and more – all suffering. Although this set of results is not positive for Chinese business, Chinese brokerage (such as the AUD), oil and other commodities, it is not a surprise for traders or markets. We have all seen how the virus is spreading in China despite being downplayed by the official Chinese media, and how it is affecting economic activity. The Chinese deserve better, hopefully it will be good for them soon. – Please note that the main currency centers in Asia are closed on Mondays. markets from Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia and New Zealand are all closed. China will also be released on Monday. – Happy New Year everyone – catch you Tuesday morning Asian time!


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Posted Jul 06, 2012By bgraverson
A selection of pictures from the Instagram feed of Daily Breeze Staff Photographer Brad Graverson (bgraverson)
[insertSlideshowjava xml="http://director-lang-ieng.medianewsgroup.com/images.php?album=920" api="metro"]
Kris Park is CEO of Siwy Denim Inc. They make fashion forward designer clothes from a facility in Los Angeles.
“Tattoos for the Cure” a breast cancer charity event at Ink’d Chronicles in Pomona, Calif., Satur
The saga of Nigel the missing parrot took another turn as original bird owner Darren Chick chose to return Nigel, w
Luminasia at the L.A. County Fair at Fairplex in Pomona, CA, Thursday, September 25, 2014. (Photo by Jennifer Cappu
Ninety-three shows, nine days, one fashion-crazed city.
Reflecting on a Milan Fashion Week that marked the re-emergence of denim and the pre-eminence of the flat Birkensto


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Ferrari in no rush to go the electric way, blames existing battery technology
Italian sports car maker Ferrari is likely to launch its first fully electric model only after 2025, its boss said on Thursday, blaming insufficient battery technology for the wait.
"We certainly are studying fully electric," Louis Camilleri told reporters, but added that "for the current foreseeable future" hybrids were the preferred option.
"My sense is the electric (car) will come out after 2025. The battery technology is not where it should be yet," he said.
"There are still significant issues in terms of autonomy, in terms of speed of recharging," he said.
Last month, Camilleri had already told analysts that Ferrari customers were showing "great interest" in hybrid models, but the company was "taking its time" with a fully electric car to ensure that such a model would fully reflect Ferarri's "DNA".


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Today in TechNovember 18, 2010: 6:00 AM ET
Every day, the Fortune staff spends hours poring over tech stories, posts, and reviews from all over the Web to keep tabs on the companies that matter. We've assembled the day's most newsworthy bits below.
"I've only seen one major company built on the Facebook Platform. ... Justin Shaffer of Hot Potato and Sam Lessin of Drop.io -- both of those companies essentially failed."
-- Fred Wilson, VC and principal of Union Square Ventures (All Facebook)
- FCC head Julius Genachowski recently admitted Verizon and Google's backroom net neutrality proposal, which excluded wireless broadband, did more harm than good. "It slowed down some processes that were leading to a resolution," he said. (DSLReports)
- Dell mobile president Ron Garriques said he's leaving the company as part of the company's mobile division restructuring. The company is merging the communication solutions section into its individual home, business, enterprise and government sections, eliminating the need for a separate mobile group. (Electronista)
- Meet CityVille, the latest social gaming effort from Zynga. The Sim City-like, Flash-based Facebook app will hew to the "build your own metropolis" concept but also allow players to share goods and build relationships with neighboring friends' cities. (CNNMoney) >
- A report delivered to Congress states that a Chinese state-owned telecomm company redirected Internet traffic through its own servers in April, raising concern over whether the redirected data -- some of which included U.S. government and military info. -- was somehow illegally examined. (betanews)
During his appearance at the Web 2.0 summit, Twitter co-founder Evan Williams revealed promoted trends increase Twitter conversation about that particular topic by three to six times. And on making money off the popular social network: "There's a million ways to make money on Twitter ... I'm sure we'll try more." (CNNMoney)
- One of the ways it looks Twitter intends to make money is by selling 50% of all Tweets for $360,000 a year through social data streaming service Gnip, or 5% of all Tweets for $60,000 a year. Buyers can only analyst the messages, not display them, and resale of the content would be illegal. (Read Write Web)
- Given the impending rollout of its faster LTE networks, Verizon is considering pricing future data plans based on data connection speeds on top of the usual data consumption. (Phone Scoop)
- Hulu Plus emerged from beta and dropped its monthly price point from $9.99 to $7.99. All subscribers who initially subscribed with the $9.99 price point will be credited towards the difference. (Hulu Blog)
- LinkedIn now claims 85 million members -- the professional social network pulled in the last million of those during the last nine days alone. (Erictric)


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Speculations about Amazon's expansion into the realm of physical stores began last February. But so far, the online company has only put up one brick-and-mortar bookstore at an outdoor mall in Seattle and is currently building another one near San Diego.
On Tuesday, Chief Executive Jeff Bezos finally confirmed the company's plans to indeed build a lot more stores and also extend the benefits currently enjoyed by Amazon Prime members.
At the annual Amazon shareholders meeting, Bezos addressed the crowd of 100, which included employees and members of the media. Although he did not give out any specifics on the number or locations, he confidently announced that Amazon will indeed be opening a lot more stores.
In addition to more physical locations, Amazon will also be expanding the benefits for Amazon Prime members. Just like the plans for the stores, however, Bezos was guarded on the specifics of the plans.
For the price of $99, Amazon Prime members are able to enjoy unlimited free shipping from orders on the Amazon website and also have access to exclusive deals and offers online. Bezos shared that they will add so many benefits for Prime members that other customers will feel “irresponsible” not signing up as well.
Although Bezos himself admitted that they are still unsure how many physical stores will be opened, he said that the upcoming will be all about learning.
“In these early days it’s all about learning, rather than trying to earn a lot of revenue,” he said.
What is known is that the initiative (rumored to be codenamed Amazon Books) to expand to more physical stores will be headed by Amazon executive Steve Keseel, who also oversaw the successful launch of the first Kindle.
Amazon is in a good place to be experimenting. Shares in Amazon stocks have been steadily rising (AMZN, -2.17%), reaching particular highs in recent days according to Market Watch.


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Ferrari’s much anticipated upcoming supercar will have a pre-tax starting price of about 1 million, according to a report from Automotive News Europe.
The report quoted people familiar with the matter who said the base version of the Ferrari Enzo replacement will cost an estimated 1.21 million euros in Italy after taxes. Ferrari’s supercar is expected to be made in a limited production of 499 units, 100 more than the Enzo. The increase is being made in order to meet growing demand for the brand in Asia, particularly China.
Ferrari declined to confirm the price or volume figures for the Enzo replacement, which is known by its code-name, F150 project. The car’s name is also a mystery, with only two teaser images of the gasoline-electric hybrid having been released so far. Both photos appeared in the December issue of Ferrari’s in-house magazine.
According to the same sources, the Enzo replacement will deliver more than 900 horsepower, combining a new V-12 naturally aspirated direct-injection gasoline engine with an electric motor, part of a high-performance hybrid system called HY-KERS, which helps cut fuel consumption by about 40 percent.
The new Ferrari will have a carbon fiber chassis, which will help keep the car’s weight as close as possible to the Enzo’s 1,365 kg, considering that the hybrid system will add about 150 kg to the car’s weight.
According to Fiat-Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne, the new Ferrari is already sold out.


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News stories from Calls9 in 2018
Calls9 | 08 May 2018
A poll of 500 office workers by Calls9 has placed online training as the most important digital tool available - ahead of cloud storage, messaging apps and 4G.
Browse by category
Calls9 builds digital experiences for the web and mobile that drive business growth and increase team productivity. Calls9 helps businesses launch websites, apps, intranets and digital experiences in record time.


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, branded as a center for studies in urban planning and sustainable practices, now adds its name and logo to a beer produced by Rogue Ales.
Portland State IPA is on sale at Portland area stores and the
Distillery and Public House in the Pearl District.
"We're being associated with a local brand, but also with a quality brand," said PSU President Wim Wiewel, who said he knows of no other university with a beer named after it. The university gets no revenue from sales of the beer.
"Mostly, it is a really fun thing to do," said Wiewel, who described the beer as less bitter than most India pale ales with hints of chocolate and coffee...."We can't be serious all the time."
Rogue Ales founder Jack Joyce, who calls himself chief wisdom officer, said the university agreed to let him brew the Portland State brand to honor the university's commitment to sustainable practices that are part of his company's culture. The Newport-based microbrewery uses grains from the Tygh Valley in Wasco County and hops from Independence and bottles made by Owens glass in Portland.
Joyce and Wiewel made the agreement in a meeting about a year ago -- over beer of course.


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True confessions from Redmond
But can it tell me what I had for breakfast?
That's my Christmas list sorted out
Introducing ??Mac OS X 10.6.2
330 million users and 7,000 add-ons
Fair exchange is no robbery
Big Brother won't be able to watch any more
Microsoft finally gets it right
OS X on a netbook Hackintosh
Presumably trying to reassure us, Google has launched a new feature
allowing users to see which personal data it's storing,
and to control or delete some of it.
Parallels has introduced its Desktop 5 virtualization platform for the Mac.
A smug Apple has announced that over 100,000 applications are now available for download from the company's App Store.
Microsoft is giving its MSN home page a revamp, with a new, more open look and integrated Facebook and Twitter feeds.
Google Earth seems to think that England does not have enough towns and has decided to put one of its own in.


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Quiznos customers will soon be able to purchase their roasted orders through Bitcoin payments.
Quiznos Fast Food Restaurant has announced that it will accept Bitcoin payments at several of its restaurants in Denver, Colorado, beginning in mid-August.
Quiznos Sub Sandwich restaurants are home to toasted sandwich lunch food, including soups, salads, orders, lunch lunches, sandwiches and other catering services. The American franchise fast food restaurant brand is partnering with Bakkt digital property company to make such payments in some locations. Therefore, the purpose of this measure is to make Quiznos one of the largest restaurant companies in the United States to accept cryptocurrency.
Guests can purchase Bitcoins with the Bakkt app and use it to pay for food at seven Quiznos in the Denver area as of this month, including the chain’s busy locations at Denver International Airport. Quiznos said that if the first test goes well, it will expand the partnership with Bakkt to most of its 255 locations in the United States.
Mark Lohmann, CEO of Rego Restaurant Group, owner of Quiznos, said:
“Working with an innovative platform like Bakkt attracts us for a number of reasons, mainly because it allows us to accept bitcoins directly at the point of sale as part of a fast and seamless trade.”
The encryption test is the second step Quiznos is working to improve its business. In May, Quiznos announced it was experimenting with ghost kitchens in partnership with Ghost Kitchen brands to bring it to 100 locations in the U.S. and Canada this year. Now the restaurant is trying a new encryption payment method.
Krypto is gaining traction in the food industry
The slow economic recovery means investors are looking for alternatives. The increase in cryptographic resources has been significant, especially in the post-COVID1-19 environment, where consumers are looking for more contactless alternatives.
About 36% of small and medium-sized businesses in the United States accept Bitcoin. A growing number of investors have also supported cryptocurrency as an alternative to other assets.
More such companies Surplus, Microsoft, Whole Foods, Home Depot and others have begun to adopt Bitcoin. In October 2020, PayPal in use encryption exchanges on its platform of about 350 million users, indicating Bitcoin’s ongoing transition to the mainstream.
Diners ’demand for a contactless experience is significant. Currently, about 51% of U.S. citizens favor contactless technology in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the trend is on the rise, with 80% of orders, checkout, and payment services projected to be contactless by 2024.
Quiznos has joined a growing number of restaurants that accept encryption fees in global markets such as Burger King, Subway, Starbucks, KFC and Pizza Hut.
August 2, major technology supplier NCR announced plans to buy LibertyX, which will allow restaurants to accept cryptocurrency payments and sell and buy coins.
In April, Landry’s restaurant brands announced they would accept Bitcoin payments in the coming months, describing the move as an “inevitable” step in mainstreaming cryptographic resources.
Image source: Shutterstock


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Consumer debt is a major drag on disposable income. It is difficult to imagine a robust recovery in real disposable income growth without a healthy draw-down in consumer and household debt.
Credit card debt and delinquencies are surging. Disposable income is stagnating…
America needs a powerful new economic strategy…
Credit Card Delinquencies Surging
Credit card delinquencies rose to 2.53% across all commercial banks.
Credit card delinquencies soared to 5.34% across small banks, the highest since the financial crisis.
The major four U.S. banks saw credit card losses surge 20% in 2017 compared to 2016.
The trend in credit card delinquency rates has inflected positively across all major banks, although still low on a nominal level. The trend in credit card delinquencies is soaring, however, at smaller banks to levels not seen since the financial crisis.
The data shows that over the past 5 years, real personal disposable income growth per capita has grown at a sluggish pace of only 0.76%.
There is one economic acceleration plan in America with the raw power to re-instill positive work incentives and boost productivity across labor markets, improve credit quality within the banking system, and restore financial health and economic liberty to U.S. citizens and their families.
The Leviticus 25 Plan – An Economic Acceleration Plan for America


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December sales at Limited Brands disappoint Wall Street
It was a blah Christmas for Limited Brands as the Columbus-based retailer posted a comparable-store sales of 3 percent for December, missing Wall Street expectations of a 4.5 percent increase.
Analysts had been predicting sluggish sales for all retailers over the holidays, blaming a combination of a sluggish economy, Hurricane Sandy and worrying news reports of a fiscal cliff.
Limited Brands’ usually reliable performer, Victoria’s Secret, had comparable-store sales that were flat compared to the same month the year before, while Canadian lingerie brand La Senza reported a drop of 9 percent.
Only Bath & Body Works showed an increase, of 7 percent, in comparable-store sales, a key indicator of a retailer’s health. The brand’s best performers were in its three key categories: signature collection; home fragrance; and soap and sanitizers, said Amie Preston, chief investor relations officer.
Limited Brands reported sales of sales of $1.947 billion for the month compared to sales of $1.868 billion at the same time last year.
Looking ahead, Limited Brands expects comparable-store sales in January to be up in the low single digits.
The company's stock was trading 5 percent lower this morning.


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SunPower Announces Executive Team Change
SunPower Corporation (NASDAQ:SPWR), announced that Howard Wenger, president of Business Units, will be leaving the company during the next six months.
Wenger, a known leader in solar for more than 30 years, has been an executive officer at the company for almost 10 years. He was on the executive team and board of directors of PowerLight Corporation, which was acquired by SunPower in 2007. Wenger helped SunPower establish a residential business, pioneer a large scale solar business, and expand the company’s global reach, entering new markets for solar.
“The work that Howard has done, not only at SunPower, but for the industry, has dramatically impacted how solar is utilized, sold and viewed,” said Tom Werner, SunPower president and chief executive officer. “Howard helped us blaze a trail in many ways, including building different solar business segments globally, as well as leading the transition of the company to deliver complete solutions for our customers. I appreciate his dedication and commitment to helping us change the way our world is powered.”
The SunPower story
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All publications for 03.04.2024
Freeman’s Mind creator Ross Scott launches Stop Killing Games initiative to challenge legality of game destruction
Ross Scott, best known for his YouTube channel Accursed Farms and the Freeman’s Mind series, has launched a worldwide initiative called Stop Killing Games. Its main goal is to raise awareness and make publishers stop destroying video games after discontinuing their support.
Minecraft creator Notch teases new studio Bitshift Entertainment and first-person roguelike Levers and Chests
It appears that Markus Persson aka Notch has started a new studio. There are not much details about it, but the Minecraft creator says he is now working on a game with voxel graphics and roguelike elements.


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Built to Last- Are #familyowned businesses an endangered species?
According to National Geographic, a species is considered to be endangered if it suffers from a 50-70% population decline. In Australia, the rates of #business ownership continue to increase….but are the businesses being created today going to be owned and operated by future generations?
The statistics on survival rates for family owned businesses are sobering. It’s reported that:
- more than 30% of all family-owned businesses survive into the second generation;
- 12% percent will still be viable into the third generation; and
- only 3% of all family businesses are still operating at the fourth-generation level and beyond.
Unfortunately, there are many factors that can put family owned businesses at risk. Often, it is the family dynamics themselves that are a problem.
The Bankwest Future of Business Report found that less than 20% of family owned businesses have a documented charter that governs the business. An #advisory #board is a game-changer for how your business makes decisions and sets strategy to move from family-run to next level.
Does your venture or social enterprise have an advisory board? Contact the team at One10 to see how we can assist you.
Read the full story here or share your story in the comments.


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One of the most outstanding achievements of 2014 came from the social networking giant that saw only meager results from the motion picture genre. It would appear that investors were less concerned with how Facebook came to be and more interested in where it could potentially lead.
Share prices have consistently risen since the initial public offering in 2013. Experienced and novice investors rallied to purchase their portion of the action, which resulted in the price per share doubling within one year. Despite record gains and the apparent ability for the company to hold its value, some investors are becoming somewhat wary of the potential outlook for Facebook stock.
The record high trading season may be coming to an end for this social media pioneer. Although the company stock makes an interesting addition to diverse portfolios and appeals to a number of different genres, some holders are deciding to unload the stock rather than holding on to options and warrants for future trading. Other shareholders are choosing to ride out the storm and see what happens next.
Generally speaking the best time to sell most investments is when the price is high. Some savvy investors have decided that Facebook has reached its peak. Good business sense and sound financial planning promise to uphold the company values despite declining interest among end users. With competition on the rise and new sites constantly being created, Facebook is facing a crossroads. Next moves by corporate executives within Facebook will undoubtedly turn the tide and help consumers and investors make decisions about their holdings within the company.


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Learn retreading benefits from TRIB at TMC Transportation Technology Exhibition
The Tire Repair & Information Bureau (TRIB) will be participating in the Technology & Maintenance Council's (TMC) Transportation Technology Exhibition at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel and Convention Center in Nashville, Tenn., March 11-14.
“TRIB believes that exhibiting at tradeshows provides important opportunities to speak directly to end-users about the benefits of retreaded tires. We'll be showing a large-screen version of our retread plant tour video, distributing copies of our 16-page color brochure ‘Understanding Retreading,’ and distributing materials from TRIB members that cater to the transportation industry,” says David Stevens, managing director of TRIB.
TMC's four-day event features a slate of educational sessions, plus trucking's technology tradeshow with more than 300 technical experts from manufacturers and suppliers.
See TRIB at booth #881.


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Bernd Marienfeldt and Jim Herbeck have discovered that a fully up-to-date, non-jailbroken iPhone 3GS can be plugged into a computer running Ubuntu Lucid Lynx that will allow nearly full read access to the iPhone's storage, even when it's locked by pin authentication.
Bernd states in his write up that:
“This data protection flaw exposes music, photos, videos, podcasts, voice recordings, Google safe browsing database, game contents… by in my opinion the quickest compromising read/write access discovered so far, without leaving any track record by the attacker. It’s about to imagine how many enterprises (e.g. Fortune 100) actually do rely on the expectation that their iPhone 3GS’s whole content is protected by encryption with a PIN code based authentication in place to unlock it.
The contents sample have been collected off a non jail broken iPhone 3GS (with latest iPhone OS installed, all apps fully up to date and immediately PIN lock enabled) by simply connecting it powered off via USB to a Linux Lucid Lynx PC (10.04) and then switched back on – being automatically mounted with given insecurity and never been attached to the PC before.
Other exposed contents and OS behavior has to be further investigated. The write access could also lead into triggering a buffer overflow.”
This will be a big issue for enterprises who think that the data held in the device is encrypted and secure. Check out Bernd’s full write up at his blog - HERE


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LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Madonna intends to sign a $120 million recording and touring deal with live entertainment promoter Live Nation Inc. and leave her longtime record label at Warner Music Group Corp., a person familiar with the contract negotiations said Wednesday.
Madonna is expected to sign a recording deal with entertainment producer Live Nation.
The pop superstar's management informed Warner last week that she would accept Live Nation's offer after the record company refused to match the deal, said the person, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the confidential nature of the matter.
Under terms of the proposed deal, Madonna, 49, would receive a signing bonus of about $18 million and a roughly $17 million advance for each of three albums, the person said. A portion of the compensation would involve stock, the person said.
Madonna could also benefit significantly from the touring component of the deal, which gives Live Nation the exclusive right to promote her tours, the person said.
In a bid to compete with the Live Nation offer, Warner pursued a possible partnership with ticket retailer Ticketmaster, a unit of IAC/InterActiveCorp, that would have enabled the record company to offer a spectrum of touring services to Madonna, the person said.
Warner Music and Live Nation declined to comment. A call to Madonna's publicist was not immediately returned.
The proposed 10-year agreement would give Live Nation the rights to sell Madonna merchandise and license her name, and any revenue from such products would be split between the singer and the company, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing unnamed people familiar with the deal.
Live Nation also would have to pay $50 million in cash and stock to promote Madonna's tours, according to the Journal, which broke news of the deal on its Web site Wednesday afternoon.
The agreement would be in line with similar deals other artists have struck with labels in recent years that give record companies a stake in their artists beyond the sale of recordings.
Live Nation, which promotes and produces music shows, theatrical performances and other live events worldwide, has been looking to expand beyond its core businesses to offer artists services such as direct merchandising and exclusive ticket sales. Its Artist Nation division sells tickets and artist merchandise online.
Warner has also set out to strike deals with artists and other music industry players in a bid to garner a share of revenue from other segments of the music industry, such as merchandising and touring. Those segments are faring better than recorded music sales.
Madonna first signed with Warner Music Group subsidiary Warner Bros. Records in 1984. Her last contract with the New York-based company calls for her to deliver one more studio album, expected next year, and a greatest hits record.
The singer has been among Warner Music's best-selling artists for years and arguably remains pop music royalty. Losing the rights to release her new recordings could prove to be a significant blow to the company's bottom line.
Warner, however, retains the rights to sell and license her catalog of hits such as "Like a Virgin" and "Music."
Warner shares rose 11 cents to $11.29 Wednesday. Shares of Live Nation fell 32 cents, or 1.4 percent, to $23.36, then gained 64 cents in after-hours trading


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The weekend saw the fifth season of Harley Rock Riders, Harley-Davidson's annual rock music festival, in Mumbai. At the event, the brand promoted a customised avatar of the Street 750, designed by independent bike building outfit Rajputana Customs. The variant was first launched in India in February this year.
Harley-Davidson India currently has a market share of 70 per cent in the premium motorcycle segment. The brand has been in the news lately for the launch of three new models - CVO Limited, Breakout and Street Glide Special. In all, Harley now has 13 models in India.
Today, there are 6,000+ Harley-Davidson motorcycles on Indian roads. The price of a Harley motorcycle ranges between Rs 4.1 lakh to Rs 49.23 lakh.
Harley launched its Facebook page for this market in 2012. With over 1.7 million fans, this is Harley's second largest engagement page (the largest being its FB USA page), across markets.
We caught up with Pallavi Singh, director, marketing, Harley-Davidson India, who has been with the company since it commenced operations in India, in August 2009. Prior to joining Harley, Singh was with Yamaha, where she was involved with ground-level consumer research across India and Thailand, and also helped launched variants like R1 and MT-01 in the local market.
From a company standpoint, it's our way of building a pipeline for our future customers. It is our customer outreach platform, targeted at people who dream to own a Harley. It is an opportunity for them to come and enjoy some rock music, see motorcycles and meet likeminded people.
Music is a very important part of our events. We do a lot of motorcycle rallies in which music plays an important role. Globally, rock stars have ridden Harleys. Even our research shows that music and motorcycles go well together.
For the launch of Street 750, interview-based research was done across Brazil, USA and India, to understand who the 'Street 750 customer' is. In general - and this I've learnt right from my Yamaha days - when a person buys a motorcycle, he doesn't buy a product; he buys a lifestyle. He makes the purchase when he feels like it's time for him to do what he wants, never mind family and responsibilities.
In India we did almost 400+ face to face interviews across Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru, to understand our market for Street 750. Today, to do anything you need data. Without data, you can't make a brand strategy.
Our research also helps us get certain 'marketing elements' across our dealer network right. It has taught us the importance of being detail-oriented. For example, we ensure there's no water on the outside of the glass when we serve our customers a drink... we ensure the guard standing outside the showroom always greets customers with a smile. These things make a big impact and add to the overall brand experience.
Pune has become a very big market for Harley. Especially after the launch of Street 750, Pune has emerged as a very strong market for us. It has many Harley aspirants - young adults, who have just taken up new jobs... these are people who are very emotional about their motorcycles.
Indore is another big market for us. Even Surat is a great market for us. Surat has a strong 'motorcycling culture'; we'll be opening a new dealership there by the end of this year.
Goa is another big market for us... it is really picking up. Goa is where the India Bike Week is held.
When we started out in this market, our customer base was around 35+ years of age. But after launching Street 750, it has come down to 27+ years.
The age of the Harley-Davidson buyer goes up to 50+.
There are some customers who are in the 19-21 years age group - customers who are just coming into the brand and are embracing our events. India is the only country in which we have such a young customer base.
When we started out in this market, all our bikes were CBUs (completely built units). They were expensive. But then we started selling CKDs (completely knocked-down vehicles). That's when the brand started becoming affordable. We also have tie-ups with ICICI and HDFC Banks, to help make the financing aspect easy for people.
We do a lot of zonal and national HOG (Harley Owners Group) rallies. Recently, we did this Southern HOG rally in Hyderabad (that saw the participation of around 600 people) and now we're doing a Northern HOG rally in Pushkar.
Almost 80 per cent of our marketing budget is for events and experiential marketing.
Most of our owners are male.
Presently, there are over 20 female Harley owners in India.
And most of these women ride big bikes. For example, we have one customer in Pune who rides a V-Rod; it's a big displacement motorcycle.
After the launch of Street 750, we're seeing more women coming on board. Just recently, we've had two buyers in Delhi, one in Hyderabad and one in Chandigarh. They are all very, very young - little over 22 or so.
In the future, we see a lot more women buying Harleys.
Harley-Davidson is not a luxury brand. We are a premium brand.
Luxury is very 'black tie, cocktail and champagne'. We don't compare ourselves to a Ferrari or Lamborghini. We're not in that space.
Here's the distinction: Estee Lauder is luxury. Victor Rolf is premium.


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LOUISVILLE, Ky.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Life has never been more hectic and today’s on-the-go consumers are hungry for a better way to snack. Today, KFC has officially upgraded snacking. Featuring a handy (and patented) container that fits in a vehicle cup holder, KFC’s Go Cup includes a choice of the brand’s signature chicken along with Seasoned Potato Wedges for just $2.49 plus tax.
Customers can choose any of these tasty options to customize their Go Cups: a piece of Original Recipe® Boneless chicken, a Chicken Little® sandwich, two Extra Crispy™ Tenders, three Hot Wings™ or four Original Recipe Bites.
“Today’s on-the-go snackers are going to love the Go Cup because it features awesome taste and great value, and in the ultimate portable package,” said Jason Marker, Chief Marketing Officer for KFC U.S. “With the arrival of the extraordinary Go Cup, there’s no reason to settle for an ‘ordinary’ snack anymore.”
While it’s what’s inside the Go Cup that will appeal to the taste buds, the Go Cup itself will be popular with consumers’ practical side. The design of the package takes convenience to the next level as the chicken and Potato Wedges are kept separate by a divider, and the cup is sized to fit perfectly in most cup holders. The Go Cup is designed to allow most of the food to sit above the rim of the cup, allowing easy access. How innovative is the package? The Go Cup design was awarded a United States Design Patent (US D656,816 S) in April, 2012.
On-the-Go Eaters Surveyed* by KFC
New car designs are an acknowledgment that Americans like to eat while on the go. For example, one popular minivan seats seven, but has 17 cupholders. But while vehicle cupholders have become more prevalent, fast food packaging has lagged behind until the introduction of the Go Cup.
A recent KFC survey revealed that 53 percent of car owners age 18-32 would be more likely to eat in their cars if the food container would fit in a cupholder. And 35 percent of Americans describe themselves as “One Hander” eaters in the car – with one hand on their food while keeping the other hand on the wheel.
Other survey findings of interest:
- Multi-tasking motorists: The top activities Americans have “caught” others doing while behind the wheel include: talking on the phone (84 percent), eating (69 percent), singing (61 percent), and applying makeup (60 percent). Some just can’t resist moving to the music, as 33 percent have caught someone “dancing” in the car. Amazingly, 26 percent report they have busted someone changing clothes. And one in five has spotted someone taking a “selfie” photo while behind the wheel.
- Stranded? How long could you last? On average, American car owners say they could live out of their cars for three full days based on the car’s contents.
- What’s in your cupholder? Surprisingly “a cup” is not the most common answer to this question. The top response was “change” (44 percent), followed by drinks (33 percent) and a phone or tech device (19 percent).
#GoCupGo Instagram Contest
Beginning September 30, KFC will launch the #GoCupGo Instagram photo contest. KFC fans will be encouraged to submit photos of themselves “on the go” with their Go Cups. Every week for five weeks, five winners will receive gift checks and unique KFC items. Five grand prize winners will receive their choice of a Polaroid Z2300 camera or $250 worth of iPhone photography accessories, as well as being named “KFC Social Correspondents.” For one year, KFC will follow the correspondents on Instagram, and their photos may be used in KFC digital advertising.
For complete information on the #GoCupGo contest, including terms and conditions, visit www.kfc.com/gocup.
KFC Corporation, based in Louisville, Ky., is the world's most popular chicken restaurant chain specializing in Original Recipe®, Extra Crispy™, Kentucky Grilled Chicken®, Extra Crispy™ Tenders and Original Recipe® Boneless, with home-style sides, Hot Wings™, and freshly made chicken sandwiches. There are more than 17,000 KFC outlets in more than 115 countries and territories around the world. Each week, more than 13 million people visit a KFC restaurant in the United States. KFC Corporation is a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc., Louisville, Ky. (NYSE:YUM.) For more information, visit www.kfc.com. Follow KFC on Facebook (www.facebook.com/KFC) and Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/kfc).
*The KFC Go Cup Survey was conducted by Wakefield Research among 1,000 U.S. adults, ages 18+, between August 2 and August 12, 2013, using a random-dialing telephone survey. For the interviews conducted in this particular study, the chances are 95 in 100 that a survey result does not vary, plus or minus, by more than 3.1 percentage points from the result that would be obtained if interviews had been conducted with all persons in the universe represented by the sample.


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The prevalence of online shopping and the shipping of gift packages during Christmas means more deliveries to doorsteps. Unfortunately, it also means an increase in thefts of packages left outside homes.
Nationally, this is the busiest week for parcel-delivery services, and area police warn of an uptick on such thefts.
In Haverhill, Police Lt. Robert Pistone said that in the last two weeks his department has received about a half dozen reports of thefts of packages.
“At this time of year, people do more online shopping and as a result are having packages delivered to their homes,” Pistone said. “In many cases a signature is not required and the package is simply left on a porch or other area.”
According to the magazine, Consumer Reports, delivery services usually try to leave packages in inconspicuous spots, or at least ones that aren’t clearly visible from the street. But delivery workers are rushed, and many of them are holiday-season temps, so don’t expect them to spend too much time hiding your package on the front porch.
In addition to online shopping, yesterday marked the highest global pickup day for UPS with some 34 million packages to be picked up across the world -- double the normal volume. Nearly 29 million of those packages will be delivered today. Overall, the company expects to deliver more than 129 million packages the week before Christmas, said Dan McMackin, a UPS spokesman.
Between Thanksgiving and Christmas, FedEx forecasts more than 260 million shipments will move through its worldwide shipping networks.
U.S. postal workers yesterday were expected to process about 600 million pieces of mail and packages - the busiest mailing day projected this year.
In Haverhill, Lt. Pistone said reports of stolen packages were from residents who were at work and had checked online to find their packages had been delivered to their home, but when they arrived home, their packages were not there.


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Apple and Samsung are headed back to court next month, after attempts at negotiating a settlement over ongoing patent infringement disputes in the US failed. The two firms had been pushed into mediation by court order, with Apple CEO Tim Cook and Samsung mobile communications CEO J.K. Shin meeting for a full day of negotiations in February, along with legal teams and other advisors. However, despite numerous follow-ups, “the mediator’s settlement proposal to the parties was unsuccessful” the jointly-filed report confirms.
Details of what, exactly, that proposed settlement might have been are not revealed. However, both firms are keen to make it clear that it was at least thoroughly considered: after that full day’s session, Apple contacted the mediator by phone more than six times, and Samsung more than four times.
Each does “remain willing to work through the mediator jointly selected by the parties” the filing concludes, but it does mean that the next likely meeting for each legal team is the courtroom.
Talk of potential settlement talks in February broke in January, with a Samsung delegation tipped to travel to the US to meet with representatives from Apple to attempt to hash out a compromise. However, the exact demands involved in that compromise were widely expected to be too broad for Samsung’s liking; Apple, for instance, is believed to have demanded far-reaching anti-cloning provisions which could have significantly curtailed Samsung’s design freedoms in future phones and tablets.
Earlier this month, word spread from South Korean sources that the talks had failed, though neither company would go on the record to confirm or deny what happened.