text:
Last year, a colleague suggested I check out a startup with the intriguing, and so-very-California, name of Tao It.
Founded by Berkeley professor Dara O’Rourke, Tao It aimed to tap a multiplicity of databases to rank consumer products according to their health and environmental attributes. The idea: If people could instantly learn online whether there are bad chemicals in their food and other goods, they would start buying green, putting pressure on companies to make more environmentally friendly and healthier products.
When Tao It emerged from stealth mode, it was rebranded with the blander but apparently more marketable moniker GoodGuide. An iPhone app followed that let you type in the name of a product to check its rating as you shopped.
I gave it whirl a few times but tapping away on a tiny keyboard at a crowded grocery story with a child in tow grew tedious and GoodGuide soon got pushed to the iPhone graveyard, that last screen where little-used apps languish.
No longer. Thanks to the app’s new built in barcode scanner, GoodGuide has jumped to the home screen. Click on “scan,” point the iPhone at, say, a bottle of organic chocolate sauce, and the app uses the iPhone’s camera to read the barcode and deliver instant feedback on the product’s “health performance,” “environmental performance” as well its its maker’s “social performance.
“Barcode scanning is critical for us,” O’Rourke, associate professor at Cal’s Department of Environmental Science, Management and Policy, told me in an email. “This moves us closer to our goal of providing full environmental, social, and health information to consumers right at the moment they make purchasing decisions.”
GoodGuide to date has rated 63,000 products — from food and household chemicals to personal care items to toys — according to various criteria, including how transparent a company is about disclosing information. GoodGuide’s scientists, based in San Francisco, employ a extensive methodology to devise the ratings, which is detailed here.
After spending a few days scanning and shopping, I have to agree that it’s a game changer, even for someone like me, who lives in a locavore-loving, farmer-marketing, in-Alice-Waters’ name-we-pray town.
To test my hypothesis as the annual American holiday glutton-fest approaches, I put the GoodGuide scanner app to the “koodie” test at Berkeley Bowl, one of the local temples of conspicuous culinary consumption.
A koodie, as I learned from a tweet from Grist executive editor Russ Walker, is a pint-sized foodie, a child with an unusual awareness and interest in high-quality food and ingredients.
I just call him Gabe, my 11-year-old son, who along with his friends at Malcolm X Elementary are the children of the Food Revolution, schooled in organic gardens, taught to shop at thrice-weekly farmers markets — organic only, thank you — and parented by the food police.
Which is all wonderful of course, but does have its downsides — like when a koodie plants himself in an aisle of Berkeley Bowl and refuses to move until he has compared the ingredients of two brands of cereal bars needed for class snack, rooting out culinary incorrectness.
Now instead of arguing about whether the $14 bottle of organic maple is really that superior to the $8 version, we could just scan ‘em all and let GuideGuide settle the score for us.
Lured by the chance to play with dad’s iPhone, Gabe soon was scanning everything in the store, including those items that escape his usual scrutiny.
First up, Ben & Jerry’s Phish food, a favorite. “Uh, dad, this doesn’t look good,” he said, showing me the screen. GoodGuide gave the fatty ice cream only 2.2 points out of 10 for the health rating. (Ben & Jerry’s did score high, not surprisingly, on environment and “society,” earning Phish food an overall ranking of 5.3.)
Next Gabe pointed the iPhone at a pint of Haagen-Dazs “all natural” vanilla — which we buy frequently but which scored a bottom-of-the-barrel rating of 0.6 from GoodGuide for high saturated fats, high cholesterol, and high sugars. (We also learned learn that, “the company that makes this product has an above average score in toxic or hazardous spills” but a below average score for energy use.)
Next time we’ll check out the soy ice cream.
Gabe quickly learned how to work the GoodGuide system. “Dad, let’s check out the chocolate syrup,” he said, grabbing a couple bottles of a product we almost never buy.
No surprise that Santa Cruz Organics smacked down Smuckers. Brandishing the iPhone, he now had the statistical proof to argue why we should buy chocolate syrup. (Press a button in the app and you can email your findings to friends.)
Alas, GoodGuide could not resolve the great organic maple syrup debate of ’09. Neither product showed up in the company’s database.
Scanning can be a hit-or-miss proposition. Many products did not register when scanned or only did after scanning a few times. To get a detailed explanation of the ratings you still need to go to GoodGuide’s website.
Still, it’s a powerful tool. And once the koodies get iPhones of their own, watch for them to be scanning the groceries you bring home, calling you to account for crimes against nutrition.
“The mobile space is where I think we have the most potential to really change the marketplace,” says O’Rourke. “As more and more people use our mobile apps, I believe more retailers and manufacturers will realize that a new world of transparency is here, and that they might as well be more transparent about the full impacts of their products and supply chains.”
And just in time for the holidays, on Dec. 4, GoodGuide will be adding 1,000 new toys to its database, analyzing the must-haves of the season.
Scan the Zhu Zhu hamster at your own risk.


text:
Vietnam: Sabeco's first-half post-tax profit falls 31% yoy
Vietnams largest brewer Sabeco saw its H1 post-tax profit fall 31 percent year-on-year to VND1.93 trillion ($83 million) over Covid-19 pandemic impacts, VnExpress reported on July 30.
Revenues fell 35 percent to VND12 trillion ($518 million), 89 percent of it from beer and the rest from wine and other beverages.
The company, owned by Thai beverage giant ThaiBev, said that the profit plunge came as Vietnam imposed social distancing measures and closed "non-essential" businesses to contain the novel coronavirus. Authorities ordered most businesses, including restaurants and bars, to close in March and April.
Vietnams new regulations on drunk driving have also impacted on its business, Sabeco said. The countrys new regime of fines - up to VND8 million ($345) for DUI motorbike drivers and VND40 million ($1,730) for car drivers have kept drinkers away from restaurants and bars.
Sabeco forecasts a post-tax profit fall of 37 percent this year to VND3.25 trillion ($140 million).
E-malt.com, the global information source for the brewing and malting industry professionals. The bi-weekly E-malt.com Newsletters feature latest industry news, statistics in graphs and tables, world barley and malt prices, and other relevant information. Click here to get full access to E-malt.com. If you are a Castle Malting client, you can get free access to E-malt.com website and publications. Contact us for more information at email@example.com .

domain: news


text:
Seedsheet Launches a New Website to Revolutionize Gardening
Seedsheet's new website and improved customizable garden builder demystifies agriculture, and makes gardening ridiculously easy. The company has helped hundreds of thousands of customers convert their backyard into their own farmers' market, and is now offering new products and free shipping over $99.
MIDDLEBURY, VT / ACCESSWIRE / May 3, 2021 / Seedsheet, the AgTech company featured in ABC's 'Shark Tank' that empowers anyone to successfully grow food at home, has launched a new brand identity and improved website to better serve their growing customer base. In 2020, interest in gardening soared to new heights, and 20 million new gardening customers entered the market. Seed companies ran out of inventory and barred sales to home gardeners to ensure commercial farmers could sow our nation's food supply. The trend appears to be continuing in 2021, and Scotts Miracle Gro took out its first Superbowl Ad to market their garden products.
Seedsheet sells customizable roll-out gardens that feature a weed-blocking fabric that is strategically embedded with dissolvable pods, which contain a buffer of soil and organic and Non-GMO seeds. Users can design their ideal custom garden online, and then receive a plantable Seedsheet of their design with seeds already pre-arranged for optimal growth. Customers simply unroll the Seedsheet atop a prepared soil bed, add water, and watch their perfect garden grow.
'Shark Tank opened a lot of doors for us,' says CEO and Founder, Cam MacKugler, 'and as much fun as it was to sell out on QVC and be featured on Good Morning America, we wanted to cultivate a better relationship with our customers.' The company pivoted it's business in January of 2020 to drop retail, and shift exclusively to ecommerce operations focusing on customizable gardens.
'Our new website features significantly improved garden-design software, several new products, and continues to further our mission of empowering anyone to successfully grow food at home,' states MacKugler. Customers can order gardens for windowsills, porches, or backyards, and choose from over 80 varieties of organic and Non-GMO seeds.
The company stands behind their products with a Greenthumb Guarantee and will replace any pods that fail to sprout free of charge.
Readers can find out more about Seedsheet by visiting the company's new website at: https://seedsheets.com/
About the Company:
Seedsheet is on a mission to revolutionize the gardening industry and empower Americans to 'take control of your food, wear your sustainability on your rolled-up sleeves, plant your beliefs, nurture your values, and feed your family delicious, healthy food.'
The company's factory is located in Middlebury, Vermont, and each product is built by hand with materials predominantly sourced from US suppliers.
For Media Inquiries:
View source version on accesswire.com:


text:
The much talked about web series that Kabir Khan’s been working on finally has a digital home – Amazon Prime. The web series is based on the Indian National Army of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose and the working title of the series is ‘The Forgotten Army’. The stories will also talk about the contribution of women towards the Indian freedom struggle and to the Indian army.
The series will start production by the end of 2017. In a statement, Kabir said that the web series will be made at a greater scale than any Bollywood film. He also said that he was excited about his debut in the digital web space.
This is a coup for Amazon Prime as it trains its guns on Netflix in the Streaming Wars. Kabir Khan is an extremely popular name in Bollywood and his content will definitely be consumed in India as well as worldwide.


text:
Of course, this handset is fully compatible with Land Rover's in-car apps.
Land Rover has launched a phone inspired by its rugged go-anywhere 4x4 vehicles.
The phone will also take quite a bit of abject treatment, such as "blistering heat, thermal shock, intense humidity and vibration exposure".
Jurassic World 3 gets an official release date
Trevorrow originally pitched Jurassic World as a trilogy, making this the last film in his proposed arc. There's no word yet on who's going to direct what will be the sixth film in the Jurassic Park series.
For one it has IP68 water and dust resistance.
The handset will be available for pre-order in South Africa in April this year but there is no word on pricing just yet.
Land Rover says this can power the phone for two straight days, even with the screen turned on throughout.
Other hardware packs available include a 4 370mAh additional battery and a universal bike mount, all created to enhance any adventure by enabling owners to go further and stay out for longer. And so that your hands don't freeze when you caress the screen, it works with gloves, too.
Xiaomi Mi Max 3 to feature wireless charging, iris scanner: Specifications leaked
So far, there have been a few leaks regarding the Mi Max 3 but, some interesting information has been revealed about the device. For the front, there will be a single S5K4H7 from Samsung, which could be accompanied by an iris scanner from Omnivision.
Battery life can also be doubled by adding the included Adventure Pack while on the go. Being out and about, you would hope the camera is up to taking snaps worth sharing and on paper, it does - thanks to a 16MP rear sensor with 4x digital zoom. This includes a number of enhancements such as; 3600mAh additional battery, improved 25 x 25mm ceramic patch Global Positioning System antenna, plus a TPU protective case, Stainless steel carabiner with canvas strap.
It also comes with its own compass and SOS light, designed for use when hiking, biking, skiing or on off-road adventures.
"This is the smartphone we'd all like to own - a flawless combination of design and functionality that embodies the Land Rover DNA and enables customers to be outdoors for longer, with the confidence to go further", said Joe Sinclair, Director of Branded Goods and Licensing, Jaguar Land Rover.
Land Rover will also be offering a "Bike Pack" with a mount for both the bike stem and handle bars.
Trump Drags Sessions Into His Meltdown Over Russian Meddling
President Trump just can't quit trying to link his predecessor Barack Obama to the Russian Federation investigation. Here's a list of instances where the United States under Trump has run hot and cold on Russian Federation .


text:
LONDON – MEMS foundry Silex Microsystems AS has said it has licensed its Sil-Via technology for through silicon vias (TSVs) to Nanoshift LLC for use in the early development of complex MEMS products.
"Through this license, MEMS customers can leverage Silex’s extensive experience in MEMS, and capitalize on Nanoshift's highly-skilled design and development teams to more rapidly bring their MEMS products to market," said Peter Himes, vice president of marketing and strategic alliances for Silex Microsystems (Jarfalla, Sweden), in a statement.
"The Silex Sil-Via platform has become the go-to TSV technology in the MEMS industry because it has been proven in many high-volume applications," said Salah Uddin, co-founder of Nanoshift (Emeryville, Calif.), in the same statement.
Related links and articles:
MEMS on parade at Executive Congress
Top 20 MEMS foundries ranked
Swedish MEMS maker raises $25 million


text:
More Arc of Alchemist Screenshots Released
Compile Heart has released a new set of screenshots for its upcoming action RPG Arc of Alchemist. The screenshots showcase the game’s major cast members: Quinn, Sharon, Sandra, Axel, Micah, Rune, and Jester.
The action RPG follows Quinn Bravesford and her allies as they search the great desert looking for a device that can reverse the planet’s desertification and save humanity. Arc of Alchemist will be released for PlayStation 4 in Japan on February 7, 2019, and will be coming to North America and Europe in summer 2019 courtesy of Idea Factory International. The western release will feature both English and Japanese voice acting.


text:
Ahead of launching NSW’s first app for consumers to monitor fuel prices, the Department of Finance, Services and Innovation has
NSW seeks platform for real-time fuel price monitoring
Want more content like this? Contact our team for subscription options!
- Stay up-to-date on the latest news in government
- Navigate market uncertainty with executive-level reports
- Gain a deeper understanding of public sector procurement trends
- Know exactly where government is spending


text:
AKRON (March 7, 2014) — Tire Business’ annual focus on the commercial tire and retreading sector will be part of the March 31 issue, and the magazine’s editors urge those business owners who haven’t replied to surveys sent out in early February to do so as soon as possible.
This year’s focus on the commercial tire/retreading sectors will be Tire Business’ 25th annual special section devoted to these key sectors.
The survey process helps Tire Business prepare its benchmarking data, dealership and retreader rankings and trend stories.
If dealership principals haven’t received a survey or aren’t sure if their dealership is included, they should contact Bruce Davis, special projects reporter, at 330-865-6145 or firstname.lastname@example.org, to find out and/or request a copy of the survey.
Last year’s commercial dealerships/retreaders issue (shown above) can be viewed digitally by clicking here.
What is the most pressing issue facing your dealership in 2017?
|Finding skilled, qualified workers||
71% (103 votes)
|Competition from online tire sales||
16% (23 votes)
|Managing marketing and social media efforts||
7% (10 votes)
|Upgrading our shop’s technology and equipment||
5% (7 votes)
2% (3 votes)
|Total votes: 146|


text:
- Montaha Hidefi joins ChemQuest as Color Consultant
- Industries of the future to be significantly impacted by digital transformation
- Sun Chemical opens coatings lab in Carlstadt R&D centre
- ALTANA expands its additive business through acquisition of Dutch company Addcomp
- PPG PMC celebrates the 20th anniversary of polysiloxane coatings
Saudi producer of titanium dioxide, Cristal Global is to set up the GCC’s first ilmenite processing plant to make high-grade slag used in the production of titanium dioxide, Arab News reported. The plant is to be set up at Jazan Economic City (JEC) at a cost of US$550M, Cristal said. The slag to be processed to between 85 and 92% purity in JEC will be used for producing titanium dioxide at Cristal’s titanium dioxide plant in Yanbu, which was established in 1991.
In its first stage, the ilmenite smelter will produce 500,000t/yr of high purity ilmenite slag and 250,000t of high purity pig iron (HPPI) as a by-product, which will go to the steel mills of the kingdom. "The Jazan smelter will go on stream next year and it will the first of its kind in Saudi Arabia,” said Chairman and CEO of Cristal, Talal Al-Shair. "The smelter’s production capacity can be doubled to one million tonnes and the supply will go to the local market for the first time.”


text:
rose Thursday after the women's clothing chain posted its biggest quarterly sales increase in two years. The company also predicted future earnings will be in line with analysts' estimates.
The retailer late Wednesday reported second-quarter net income of $21.2 million, or 45 cents a share, compared with $18.2 million, or 39 cents a share, for the same period a year earlier.
Sales rose 14% to $390.2 million from $343.1 million. Comparable-store sales, or sales at stores open at least a year, climbed 5.3%.
Shares were up 83 cents, or 2.5%, at $33.83.
"Despite our slow start in the first quarter, we managed to achieve record second quarter earnings ... propelled by positive comparable store sales," said chairman J. Patrick Spainhour in a prepared statement.
Looking ahead, AnnTaylor expects third-quarter and fourth-quarter profit in the range of 57 cents to 61 cents per share, and 41 cents to 43 cents a share, respectively. That is within Wall Street earnings estimates of 59 cents a share for the third quarter and 42 cents a share for the fourth quarter.
For the full year, the retailer expects to earn a range of $1.82 to $1.88 a share, compared with analysts' projections of $1.84 per share, according to Thomson First Call.


text:
Just thought I’d take a look at the state of electronics recycling around the world to see how we’re doing.
According to the International Environmental Technology Center of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), the volume of e-waste is increasing by 40 percent per year worldwide. They estimate that 80 percent of it is still going in to landfills and incinerators. According to UNEP, e-waste is the fastest-growing type of waste, particularly in some developing countries where the volume is expected to grow by up to 500 percent over the next decade.
Unfortunately, electronics recycling is a comparatively low priority in many countries. Most countries of the world (including the U.S.) don’t have a coherent national collection infrastructure. This is true for most of Asia where the problem is becoming critical. According to Park Young-Woo of the United Nations Environment Program, the Asia-Pacific region now produces more than half of global e-waste. He estimates that only 10 percent of it is recycled worldwide. Read the rest of this article »
Picture it: you need to buy a new remote control. You cruise to the store to pick up a new remote and some extra AA batteries—they run out, after all. Best be prepared. You take the remote home, open the package, and—wait a minute! This isn’t your mom’s remote control. It’s a super slick gadget that appears to be glued together for an über modern look. Great!
But there’s a downside to seamlessness. You can’t replace the battery yourself. There are no instructions provided on how to get into the remote, and it’s nearly impossible to tear apart. That means once those encased AA batteries run out, you’ll probably have to buy a new remote control. And the cycle repeats. Forever.
Sound appealing? It runs counter to commonsense to own a battery-run device that doesn’t allow you to replace the batteries quickly and easily. There’s a reason that people own gadgets like alarm clocks, remotes, and watches for years and years: they can switch out the batteries themselves.
There’s no such thing as a sealed remote control yet, but it’s closer to reality than you might think. Every day, we settle for expensive electronics—cell phones, tablets, computers—with batteries that can’t be removed and replaced. These products might look great, but when it comes to batteries, recycling, and reuse, there are some big problems. Read the rest of this article »
Earl Kaplan stands near a wood table scattered with assorted screwdrivers and a package of oatmeal cookies. He surveys the half-a-dozen other retirees, each one tinkering with a computer in various states of repair.
From across the small workshop, someone heckles Earl about the stress that comes with his job.
“I give ulcers; I don’t get them,” he says with mock sternness. “It’s better to give than to receive.”
There’s a palpable air of cheerfulness in the backrooms of The Exploration Station, a youth science museum and technology center in Grover Beach, California. Computer towers stand with their guts exposed; PC fans hum placidly; the refurbishers cajole each other lightheartedly. One computer lets out a long, impatient beep. Earl glares at it.
“Tell her about our lunch,” one man shouts over his shoulder.
“Oh! Our annual lunch? Our annual no-host lunch,” Earl says. “Once a year, we go out to Round Table Pizza and we vote ourselves a percentage raise.”
Everyone laughs. The joke, of course, is that a percentage raise of zero is still zero. Earl and company are unpaid volunteers—part of the 25 regular volunteers that keep The Exploration Station running. Almost all the volunteers are retired. Some have been donating their time here for more than a decade.
But the work is rewarding. Most of the volunteers at The Exploration Station collect, recycle, and refurbish computers as part of the organization’s Computers 4 Youth program. The goal: get technology into the hands of those who need it—and do it for free.
“People need computers,” says Deborah Love, the Exploration Station’s director. “We underestimated [the degree of need], because as computers started becoming cheaper and more user-friendly, we did anticipate that the need would taper off. It has not.” Read the rest of this article »
Anyone who still doubts that people care about sustainable electronics has not been paying attention this year. We are officially dubbing 2012 as “the year of the fixer”: More and more people are breaking out their screwdrivers, and the headlines have been full of repair stories. The iPhone 5 is the most repairable iPhone ever. There are fewer toxic chemicals in new cell phones than ever before. A draft of a new green cell phone standard, UL 110, requires that manufacturers secure cases with screws rather than glues. And Sprint announced that all of their phones will meet this standard—they will be openable, modular, and repairable.
There was so much going on this year that we missed some exciting repair news. So, here are five more important repair stories that fell through our cracks:
E-waste is a tricky problem in part because it’s so complex: for a computer to end up in the infamous Ghana dump site Agbogbloshie, it has to pass through hundreds of hands—from assembly line workers piecing it together, to retail salespeople, to users, to exporters, to importers, to scavengers. The problem can be overwhelmingly abstract. But documentaries make it more real and immediate—and it’s been a while since we last reviewed an e-waste documentary. Terra Blight, a recent release from independent documentary film production company Jellyfish Smack (the folks behind “World of Trash”), gives the problem a human face and unravels some of its complexities.
Image via LaMenta3 on Flickr
Despite increases in recycling worldwide, the EPA estimates that only about 25 percent of America‘s end-of-life electronics are actually recycled. Whether tossed in a landfill or left in a closet, the rest becomes waste. We tend to think of e-waste as only affecting people half a world away, in places like Accra and Guiyu. But irresponsible electronic disposal hits much closer to home than you might think. We’re not just letting 75 percent of our old electronics go to waste, we’re also wasting an opportunity to rebuild the domestic electronics industry.
Even though the electronics manufacturing jobs are today primarily in Asia, there’s no reason repair and recycling can’t become a true-blooded American industry. There are currently 5 million tons of electronics rusting in garages, junk drawers, and storage units around the nation. Instead of losing value, those items could be turned into profit. Ten years ago, the EPA estimated that the recycling and reuse industry accounted for roughly 1.1 million jobs and $236 billion dollars in revenue. If recycling and refurbishing rates in America increase, those numbers could rise dramatically.
At least one large electronics manufacturer has already found a way to responsibly handle its e-waste and create much-needed jobs in the bargain. Through a partnership with Goodwill called Reconnect, Dell collects 90 million pounds of electronics each year.


text:
ROBERTSDALE — Three Baldwin County cities will receive new electric car charging stations thanks to a state grant program.Sites in Robertsdale, Fairhope and Orange Beach are among 18 across …
ROBERTSDALE — Three Baldwin County cities will receive new electric car charging stations thanks to a state grant program.
Sites in Robertsdale, Fairhope and Orange Beach are among 18 across Alabama selected to share more than $2.45 million. The money comes from the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs and was announced by Gov. Kay Ivey earlier this month.
The Baldwin County Economic Development Alliance received $198,267 to install a two-bay charging station at the Baldwin County Commission Annex II on Alabama 59 in Robertsdale.
Lee Lawson, EDA director, said county officials have been working to increase the number of charging stations across Baldwin. He said the effort began when economic development supporters were working to attract an electric vehicle battery project to the Megasite industrial park in Bay Minette.
"We took a long look at Baldwin County's electric vehicle charging infrastructure and just saw that it wasn't where we would have liked it to have been to confidently recruit electric vehicle manufacturers, for them to confidently place investment in our community with the lack of infrastructure investment we had," Lawson said.
Novelis is now building an aluminum rolling plant and recycling center at the Megasite just south of Interstate 65, but county officials are still working to expand electric vehicle charging stations.
"This is the first of what we hope to be many more in other parts of the county," Lawson said. "While electric vehicle manufacturing didn't locate at the Megasite, we still think that there's a lot of value from an economic development perspective in increasing our electric vehicle charging infrastructure in the county. It's almost like a community development tool, so to speak, as well."
Lawson said several cities in Baldwin County have already installed charging stations.
He said funding for the grants came from a lawsuit against Volkswagen after the company was convicted of falsifying emission reports. Money went to different states impacted to be used to reduce automobile emissions.
"Several cities had been out there like Fairhope and Daphne and some others around their municipal complexes, and so in talking to the county, we offered to partner with them to go after some grant dollars that we knew ADECA had via the VW settlement to put in charging stations or county annex facilities or county commission buildings," Lawson said.
On the Eastern Shore, Fairhope received $148,626 to install a two-bay charging station at Plantation Pointe Shopping Center.
Mayor Sherry Sullivan said the city already has a downtown charging station at city hall.
"We have this downtown right now, but we don't have anything on 98 where we have a lot of traffic passing through," Sullivan said. "This will allow those vehicles to have a station for charging."
She said the grant requires matching funds. The Alabama Municipal Electric Association, of which Fairhope is a member, has offered to pay the city's share of the match, she said.
Heading south, Junior Food Stores of West Florida received $216,335 to install a two-bay charging station at Cumberland Farms convenience store on Canal Road in Orange Beach, according to a statement from the governor's office.
"As many of Alabama's automobile manufacturers gear production toward electric vehicles, Alabama must be ready to provide the charging infrastructure needed for those who choose to drive these vehicles," Ivey said. "It is important for Alabama to have electric vehicle charging stations in many locations so that we can meet the needs of Alabama motorists who choose to drive an electric vehicle as well as out-of-state drivers who are visiting or passing through our state."


text:
Twitter has announced a feature called Tip Jar, through which subscribers can support their favorite author by transferring a small amount of money to him. The new feature is currently only available to English-speaking users on iOS and Android, said the official blog.
To transfer money to the blogger, you need to go to his profile page, click on the icon with a dollar symbol, and then select any of the available payment methods: through Bandcamp, Cash App, Patreon, Paypal, or Venmo. The amount of the reward is left to the user’s discretion.
show your love, leave a tip
now testing Tip Jar, a new way to give and receive money on Twitter 💸
more coming soon… pic.twitter.com/7vyCzlRIFc
— Twitter (@Twitter) May 6, 2021
Only a limited group of “authors, journalists, experts and nonprofit organizations” can accept “tips” for now, Twitter added. In the future, the company promises to expand the number of users who can connect to their account Tip Jar, as well as increase language coverage.
Twitter is looking for new ways to make money at a time when ad revenue growth has slowed and U.S. audiences have peaked. In February, the company announced its first paid feature, Super Follows, which would allow popular bloggers to charge their subscribers in exchange for additional content.
This content could be bonus tweets, access to a closed community, a newsletter subscription, or a badge indicating an author’s support. The “super-subscription” fee is expected to be $4.99 per month. The new feature could launch before the end of this year.


text:
(Reuters) – Hasbro Inc beat analysts’ estimates for quarterly revenue and profit on Monday, boosted by demand for its Monopoly and other board games from stuck-at-home parents looking to keep their children entertained. As schools in many parts of the country continue to hold classes online, coupled with limited options for outdoor activities, parents have turned to toys and board games to keep their children occupied, boosting sales for Hasbro and rival Mattel Inc .
The company said total revenue from all of its gaming brands including Monopoly, Scrabble and Dungeons & Dragons jumped 21% to about $543 million in the third quarter.
The company’s net revenue rose 12.8% to $1.78 billion in the quarter ended Sept. 27, beating analysts’ average estimate of $1.75 billion, according to IBES data from Refinitiv.
Video: Better-than-expected earnings not moving stocks higher: Bob Doll (Fox Business)
Net earnings attributable to the company rose to $220.9 million from $212.9 million a year earlier. On an adjusted basis, Hasbro posted earnings of $1.88 per share, beating estimates of $1.63 per share.
(Reporting by Uday Sampath in Bengaluru; Editing by Anil D’Silva)


text:
Feb. 11, 2010— -- They've carried your food, they've carried your clothes, your medicine, and probably part of your house.
But unless you work with those industrial, stackable platforms, it's unlikely that you've heard about pallets, or the ongoing pallet wars.
An estimated 1.2 billion pallets are in use in the United States alone -- in warehouses, in trucks, on the bottom of forklifts -- and for 60 years since the pallet's formal debut, safety issues for this ubiquitous piece of equipment have been minimal.
But in the last few months, pallet industry leaders have been caught up in brewing war over consumer safety that could easily rival the plastic versus wood cutting board battle of the 1990s.
On one side is the new competitor that distributes plastic pallets. On the other are larger, older companies and associations that deal with wooden pallets, such as the National Wooden Pallet & Container Association.
Both are pointing to studies, or potential hazards caused by either plastic or wood. Given the Tylenol recall this December, which affected 60 million bottles, it's easy to see how a few contaminated pallets could affect many.
Plastic pallet distributer intelligent Global Pooling Systems, or iGPS, threw a recent punch this January when the company released results of a multi-city survey that found E. coli, Listeria and Salmonella growing on wooden pallets.
"In New Orleans Louisiana, 43 percent of the pallets came back positive with E. coli, salmonella and listeria," said Bob Moore, CEO and chairman of iGPS.
The samples from 30 pallets in New Orleans was paid for by iGPS and sent to independent labs. Other cities in the iGPS-sponsored survey included Maine, Washington, D.C., Baltimore and Philadelphia.
Moore is arguing that the same contamination that his company found on wooden pallets in fish markets in New Orleans is less likely to show up on his plastic pallets.
"We have found some [contaminated] pallets, because we test them on our own. But nothing like you find on wood pallets because it's non-organic, non-porous," said Moore, who argued that the upcoming GPS tracking devices on his pallets would let him monitor which pallets are at risk.
Tracking Pallets Could Be a Way to Track Outbreaks
"I know what a pallet had on it yesterday. If I know that it had dry grocery on it, then I know there's no risk for cross contamination," Moore said.
But the president of the National Wooden Pallet & Container Association argues the iGPS testing doesn't say much about the wooden pallets versus plastic pallets debate, since the company didn't include samples from plastic pallets in its investigation.
"The question is, are these random pallets or are they specifically targeted pallets?" said Bruce Scholnick, president of the National Wooden Pallet & Container Association.
"I could go out and find a [any] pallet that's been sitting outside for 6 months or a year that has waste on it, animal waste and I could send it to a lab," he said.
Scholnick said the inquiry into food-borne illnesses on wooden pallets was spurred by industry attention to the possibility that there are environmental hazards in a flame retardant used in the plastic pallets.
"It frankly started with their flame retardants," Scholnick said of iGPS.
Decabromine is a flame retardant that's been used in products for decades and, according to Scholnick and Moore, it is used in plastic pallets to adhere to fire safety burn tests. In recent years, environmental groups have calculated an increased amount of decabromine in the environment.
As a result, by December 2009, the Environmental Protection Agency forced large producers to phase out the chemical by 2013.
"Decabromine is the most widely used fire retardant flame retardant in the world. It's in the carpet you're sitting one, it in the handset on your phone," said Moore, who added that "it's been in use for 40 years, safely.
"It is, however, a persistent chemical meaning once you make it, it doesn't go away," Moore said.
And as Scholnick pointed out, the chemical can become hazardous to firefighters if the pallets do end up burning.
However, Moore contends that wooden pallets are made with unsavory chemicals too, including a formaldehyde compound.
Accusations of Chemical Hazards in Pallets
"The thing about those people making that claim about decabromine, is that their pallets use composite blocks. Those composite blocks are made out of sawdust held together by formaldehyde," he said.
This December, iGPS also publicized a separate issue with chemicals and pallets -- a Tylenol recall.
More than 60 million bottles of Tylenol pills and other over the counter products were recalled after a number of people reported being sickened after swallowing moldy-smelling pills, which originated from Tylenol manufacturer McNeil Healthcare LLC, in Puerto Rico.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's investigations linked the sickness to wooden pallets and trace amounts of a chemical called 2,4,6-tribromoanisole.
"The source of 2,4,6-tribromoanisole is believed to be the breakdown of a chemical used to treat wooden pallets that transport and store packaging materials," the FDA wrote in a statement on its Web site. "The health effects of this compound have not been well studied, and to date all of the observed events reported to McNeil were temporary and non-serious."
Scholnick said 2,4,6-tribromoanisole is not permitted for use in the United States, but suspected the pallets treated with the chemical came from South America.
With the number of goods moved on pallets every moment, there's no doubt that a safety issue with pallets could become a crisis in little time.
However, microbiologists and produce safety experts say the pallet industry makers have a lot more work to do to prove that any type of pallet is a top health concern.
Dr. Charles Gerba, a microbiologist at the University of Arizona in Tucson, said more attention should be paid to how surfaces are maintained and cleaned, not the material they are made of.
"Most of our information comes from the cutting board wars," said Gerba. "It's kind of like, 'take your pick.' Both materials have advantages and disadvantages, and it really comes out to how well they are being cleaned and maintained."
On Germs: Wood Versus Plastic
While wood is more porous and may absorb bacteria, Gerba pointed out that it is also more likely to keep the bacteria in one place, "then they [bacteria] can't come out so easily."
Wood has natural antimicrobial chemicals, while plastic is easier to clean, according to Gerba. New plastic is less likely to trap bacteria, but once it has nicks and scratches, Gerba said plastic can becomes a host.
"I read all the literature, and I think it's a toss-up," said Gerba.
Trevor Suslow, a research specialist in food safety at the University of California, Davis, said he's not surprised by the high-stakes back and forth between the plastic and wooden pallet industry.
"It's a big market. No wonder they fight about it," Suslow said.
However, as the worries for contaminating produce go, Suslow said pallets have worked well enough that they do not cause a great deal of worry.
"In the hierarchy of things to worry about, it's not on the top of the list, because the product is not loaded directly on the pallet," Suslow said.
Indeed, according to Moore and Scholnick, the FDA only regulates three aspects of the pallet industry and two of the regulations have to do with permitting food items on pallets -- pallets coming into the country must be either heat treated, or treated with methyl bromide to remove pests, only stainless steel pallets can be used in a produce cooling technique called hydrocooling and no raw materials, especially meats, can directly touch a pallet.
"In just about all cases, pallet is a secondary packaging," Moore said.


text:
Loose Women: Stacey says 'police did nothing' about stolen car
We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info
Insurers are in some cases refusing to pay out for stolen cars that have been fitted with anti-theft devices that have not been activated, or have lapsed subscriptions.
One driver even lost a staggering £65,000 when their Range Rover was stolen, because their insurer said they were not eligible for a claim having failed to activate their tracker.
Car owners have been warned to turn on the devices or risk missing out on insurance payouts if their vehicle is stolen.
Experts have warned that some dealers are failing motorists by not pointing out important anti-theft features when selling vehicles.
The owner of the Range Rover Velar, which cost £65,000, was not eligible for a payout because the tracker had not been activated.
He said: “I was glad to be told that the activation of the tracker was something I could have done in less than a minute.”
“The dealership is saying it was my responsibility to activate my tracker subscription,” he told The Telegraph’s Katie Morley Investigates column.
Zurich, the insurer in question, said: “Tracking devices play an integral role in the event of a theft, alerting you to the location of a vehicle within seconds.
“However, some customers inadvertently forget to either register the tracker at the point of purchase or maintain a valid subscription.”
Driver fined £293 for driving under 60mph on motorway [INSIGHT]
Caravan owners at risk of hefty fines when driving in Europe this year [WARNING]
Drivers risk huge £5,000 fines for listening to Premier League games [REVEAL]
They added: “You can’t assume that just because you have a tracker on a vehicle that it will work in the event of a theft if you haven’t done both.
“For some of our customers it’s a prerequisite for insurance cover and could mean that theft claims are not paid if both aren’t in place.”
Meanwhile, Admiral, Britain’s biggest car insurer, said it has also dealt with cases involving inactive trackers.
They said: “We have had some claims we’ve dealt with in the last year where a customer has had a tracker fitted, but the subscription wasn’t active. We deal with each one on a case by case basis and in many cases the claim has been settled in full.”
Jack Cousens, Head of roads policy at the AA, said: “Clearly if there is something as fundamental as a security tracker then retailers must make sure they activate it before handing over the keys.
That way it is crystal clear to customers and it wouldn’t take more than five minutes.
“Some sellers will go over and beyond and walk you through all the features and technology.
“The flipside is that others are just there to sell you a vehicle and move on to the next customer as quickly as possible.”
Many newer vehicles are actually factory-fitted with anti-theft trackers, and these can help lower insurance premiums.
Some insurers will in fact insist that more expensive vehicles have the technology installed before offering cover.
There are a range of different devices that drivers can choose from to have fitted to an existing car.
In some cases they can result in a large discount on an insurance policy.
Source: Read Full Article


text:
They're serving up food, drinks and whole lot of holiday cheer at one downtown Chicago saloon this winter.Butch McGuire's has once again decked its halls with a festive holiday display unlike any other in the city, filling the bar with 45,000 lights and hundreds of custom-made decorations hanging from the ceiling.
According to the saloon, the tradition began in the 1960's when founder Butch McGuire purchased old department store decorations to illuminate the establishment. Today, Butch McGuire's exudes the same holiday spirit, but the display has since received a major upgrade.
"It's a tradition for many families that are now second and third generation customers," said Gerry Grant, head of marketing for Butch McGuire's. "You wouldn't believe the volume of calls we get asking if the decorations are up."
In addition to the dashing decor, the Chicago bar encourages the spirit of giving by selling ornaments and ad sponsorships featured on their model trains to raise money for charity. All proceeds benefit Mercy Home for Boys and Girls, a non-profit organization that provides warm clothes and essentials to kids in need.
Check out these photos of Butch McGuire's festive display.


text:
Home > News > BioForce Nanosciences, Inc. Announces New President and CEO
February 19th, 2004
BioForce Nanosciences, Inc. Announces New President and CEO
BioForce Nanosciences, Inc., a leading bionanotechnology company, announced today that Dr. Laurence Russ has been appointed as its new President and Chief Executive Officer. Dr. Russ is looking forward to his mandate. "I was excited the first time I set foot into BioForce," he said. "The combination of technology and people provide an exceptional formula for success. I see exciting times ahead as the company prepares to offer some of the first nanotechnology products to the biomedical community."
Steve Janack to Join Behan Communications and Lead Firmís New Innovation Practice Group December 7th, 2013
Praveen Kumar Gorakavi joins TechScout.com as Innovation Director for India &Southeast Asia December 3rd, 2013
Phasefocus Strengthens Board with New Chairman and Directors November 12th, 2013
Oliver Kraft Is Elected President of the Materials Research Society October 31st, 2013


text:
Polaris' and Harley-Davidson's competitive clout is intact.
UPDATE: How Europe-exiting GM and other auto stocks could bring a 'massive breakout' for sector
Under Trump, the U.S. will suffer from worse trade deals
Harley-Davidson's HOG fourth-quarter results showed product revenue increasing 12% and operating earnings expanding at a slower 9% rate. Since domestic shipments were flat, most of Harley's sales revenue came from a 40% increase in international shipments and a mix shift toward the more expensive ...
Product innovation and overseas expansion led us to raise the firm's economic moat rating to wide, says Morningstar's Jaime Katz.
Morningstar's Dave Sekera describes the market breakdown after Lehman, the state of the bond market now, and investors' heightened attention to systemic risk today.
Some energy names and out-of-favor companies joined the index, but, in a sign of the times, few deeply discounted stocks.


text:
Girls’ Generation’s Yuri Posts Abstract BTS Photo From Bazaar Magazine Photo Shoot
Girls’ Generation’s Yuri has posted a black and white photo of the photographer’s monitor from her photo shoot for Bazaar Magazine on her Instagram page on March 3. The photo has an abstract look as some of the picture is blurred with white patches. Yuri is posing near a spot light with her back turned to the camera in the photo.
Girls’ Generation has finally released the long awaited MV for their comeback single “Mr. Mr.” They will have their comeback performance on Mnet’s “M! Countdown” on March 6. You can buy the new album “Mr. Mr.” in stores now.


text:
25 May 2022 | Abstracted from US News"United States-based EV maker Lucid Motors, which is more than 60% owned by Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund, plans to build its first overseas production factory in Saudi Arabia later this year. The plant is expected eventually to produce up to 150,000 vehicles a year."
Speaking at Davos, Falih did not reveal who the other plants might be built for.
Become a patron and help spread the good news of the world of electric vehicles.
Not yet ready for primetime.


text:
- Subscribe NowLimited Time Offer
Nike prevails; judge orders Reebok to recall Tebow gear
U.S. District Judge Kevin P. Castel in New York issued a temporary restraining order Wednesday against Canton, Mass.-based Reebok — a unit of Germany’s Adidas AG — prohibiting the company from making any more Jets products bearing Tebow’s name.
The company must also recall the apparel shipped to third-party retailers, advise those retailers to stop selling it, and offer to repurchase any unauthorized gear from resellers.
Beaverton, Ore.-based Nike (NYSE: NKE), which replaces Reebok as the NFL’s primary apparel outfitter starting Sunday, filed a lawsuit against Reebok on Tuesday, claiming the company was selling unauthorized New York Jets’ gear to capitalize on Tebow’s popularity before Nike takes over the NFL apparel contract next week.
"While Reebok opposed the application for the temporary restraining order, the court did grant us appropriate time to gather and present our facts and argue our position necessary to refute Nike's contentions," Reebok spokesman Daniel Sarro said in a statement. "We intend to present that evidence at a hearing next week, which should enable the Court to change its view once all the evidence is presented."
Castel said Reebok must file its papers in opposition to Nike's complaint by 2 p.m. Tuesday, the same day Nike debuts the new uniforms for all 32 NFL teams in a highly anticipated event marking the start of its five-year apparel deal with the league.
Erik Siemers is managing editor of the Portland Business Journal.
If you are commenting using a Facebook account, your profile information may be displayed with your comment depending on your privacy settings. By leaving the 'Post to Facebook' box selected, your comment will be published to your Facebook profile in addition to the space below.
- Most popular
- Linn Energy is shutting its Denver office, cutting 52 jobs
- Husted: Is 9News' Kyle Clark the anti-anchorman? (Slideshow)
- Denver Metro Chamber sues Colorado Cannbis Chamber over logo
- Del Frisco's closing Sullivan's Steakhouse in LoDo
- $255 million apartment sale in Superior is Colorado's largest ever
- DIA hotel & train station pricetag is $721 million, auditor says
- Wizard's Chest store leaving Cherry Creek
- 1,500-acre mixed-use development proposed in Parker
- Which medium-size companies are DBJ's Best Places to Work finalists?
- Inside the crafty Denver doughnut shop called one of the 33 best


text:
Cisco, of San Jose, Calif., said it will stop making the 15900 Wavelength Router, a product that came out of its acquisition of Monterey Networks, in August 1999.
``Suffice it to say we thought the market would mature much faster than it has,'' Carl Russo, group vice president of optical networking, told Reuters. ``Given the current market conditions, we're going to focus our resources on things that are driving revenue for us.''
Specifically, Cisco now plans to redeploy the engineering talent working on the 15900 Wavelength Router into the so-called metropolitan optical market, which has been growing faster than the core of optical networks. Cisco's acquisition of Cerent Corp. in August 1999 gave the company products sold into the metropolitan market.
``This tells me the acquisition didn't go very well and they didn't acquire the type of technology they wanted,'' said Epoch Partners analyst Richard Shannon. ``They've had trouble commercializing the technology and getting the product out into the market.''
Cisco, known for its blistering sales growth and ravenous appetite for buying companies, has also been hit by the slowdown in the U.S. economy. It has announced layoffs and warned that its third-quarter sales will fall about 5 percent from the second, a first for Cisco since it went public in 1991.
Cisco announced the acquisition of Texas-based Monterey Networks for about $500 million in August 1999, the same day it announced its intent to purchase Cerent, for $6.86 billion in stock. The Cerent product, according to Cisco and corroborated by market researches, is a runaway success.
Not so for the product that came with the Monterey acquisition. Using so-called cross connect technology, the 15900 boosted network capacity at the core of an optical network.
``A cynic would say this announcement is about Cisco saving face,'' said Robertson Stephens analyst Paul Johnson, adding that there were technical problems with the 15900, which came from Monterey. ``They're admitting that the Monterey acquisition didn't work.''
Cerent's product -- the only one it had when Cisco bought it -- is about the size of a microwave oven that sits between the fiber-optic cable and routers or cable systems or other devices. Using sophisticated software, it organizes and compresses the data -- whether voice, data or video -- and vastly increases the size of the pipe through which that information is sent.
``The Cerent product has been wildly successful for them,'' Shannon said. ``I wouldn't say that Cisco is completely abandoning the core of the (optical) market, though; that's a fabulously large opportunity that will grow over the long term.''
Some analysts suggested that the discontinuation of the product wasn't as significant as the subtext: that Cisco is focusing more strongly than ever on products it knows it can sell and that are in high demand. This will help boost profitability.
Russo himself nearly said as much.
``When you're in tough times, you always try to bring your products closer to revenue'' and customers who want them, Russo said in the interview. ``We're going to do some things and do them well and we're not going to do others.''
In trading after the close, Cisco shares slipped slightly to $13-9/16 from a regular close of $13-11/16 on the Nasdaq. In regular trading, Cisco fell 1/16.


text:
Blog: UK food industry gives cautious welcome to Theresa May's Brexit speech
Dean Best | 18 January 2017
May gives speech on Brexit "objectives" at Mansion House, London, 17 January 2017. Credit: Jay Allen Copyright: Crown Copyright
UK Prime Minister Theresa May has shed some light on what she wants from the country's negotiations to leave the EU and its post-Brexit future - and the food sector has given her speech a cautious welcome.
May has come in for some criticism for not providing more detail about what the UK government wants the country's future relationship with the EU to be. Opposing politicians have claimed May and the Government have had no strategy; fervent Brexit supporters within the Conservative Party itself have criticised May - a muted supporter of the UK to stay in the EU - for not, as they have seen it, getting on with the task of extracting the country from the bloc.
The Prime Minister's oft-repeated phrase of "Brexit means Brexit" has been widely parodied.
Yesterday, May stood up at Mansion House in central London to give a speech attended by UK politicans and European dignitaries to try to give some indication of what the UK would push for in its talks with the EU - set to start at the end of March - and how she say the relationship between the two developing once the country leaves.
Strikingly, May said her plans mean the UK cannot remain part of the EU single market. She said the UK would instead look for a new "comprehensive free trade agreement", giving it "the greatest possible access" to the single market.
May said the UK would also leave the EU customs union but would look to have "a customs union agreement" with the bloc.
The UK food industry, which relies heavily on foreign workers, would have taken some positives from May's position on the status of EU nationals already residing in the country, although the issue is set to be a central part of the negotiations.
"We want to guarantee the rights of EU citizens who are already living in Britain, and the rights of British nationals in other member states, as early as we can," May said.
"I have told other EU leaders that we could give people the certainty they want straight away, and reach such a deal now. Many of them favour such an agreement - one or two others do not - but I want everyone to know that it remains an important priority for Britain – and for many other member states – to resolve this challenge as soon as possible. Because it is the right and fair thing to do."
The UK food manufacturing sector employs 117,000 non-UK EU workers, benefiting from the free movement of labour between EU member states.
Her priorities also included "control" of migration between the UK and the EU, as well as maintaining the common travel area between the UK and Ireland.
The Prime Minister also indicated her hope for a "phased-in" Brexit, with a "phased implementation process" for its agreement with the EU after talks conclude.
Any deal will be put to a vote of both Houses of Parliament in the UK, while the European Parliament will also vote on the agreement.
Ian Wright, director general of UK industry association the Food and Drink Federation, said he "welcomed the fact that the Prime Minister has provided some much needed additional clarity".
Wright said: "The food and drink industry is worth GBP108bn to the UK economy. Two-thirds of food and drink exports go the EU. So we welcome the Prime Minister's commitment to securing the freest and simplest possible trade arrangements with the EU. We are also encouraged that the PM hopes to adopt a phased approach to Brexit which offers businesses time to prepare and plan as opposed to a potentially fatal jump from the cliff edge."
On May's remarks on migration, Wright said: "We understand the Prime Minister's wish to control immigration and attract the brightest and best global talent. Our industry also needs access to workers with a range of skills - some not widely available in the UK - so we welcome the assurances for current EU workers and look forward to understanding better how her proposals will impact on future access to skilled and semi-skilled workers from the EU."
Dr Judith Bryans, the chief executive of dairy industry association Dairy UK, said May had "lifted some of the uncertainty created by the Brexit referendum" but said her members had some "significant concerns" about the UK's trading relationship with the EU when it leaves the bloc.
"With 80% of UK dairy exports currently going to EU countries, any disruption to current agreements would have an extensive and costly impact on our industry. We support the Government’s commitment to put in place a strong, swift and effective transitional process and urge them to avoid any kind of interruption to current trade agreements with EU countries or the creation of counterproductive tariff or non-tariff barriers. What we absolutely cannot see is a fall back to WTO default terms as the tariffs within WTO arrangements would have disastrous consequences for dairy trade," Dr Bryans said.
“In addition to uninterrupted access to the EU market, our priority for the UK dairy industry is to avoid the creation of non-tariff barriers and to retain access to productive labour.”
Wright and Dr Bryans sought to emphasise the links between the food industries in the UK and Ireland.
“There is a complete co-dependency in food and drink production between the UK and Republic of Ireland," Wright said. "We urge the Government to find a practical solution which avoids the introduction of any kind of ‘hard’ land border which would damage both economies."
Dr Bryans added: "We welcome the Prime Minister’s decision to protect the Common Travel Area with the Republic of Ireland. The Northern Ireland dairy industry works hand in hand with the Irish dairy industry with common practices developed to improve efficiency and add value throughout the dairy supply chain.”
Sectors: Baby food, Bakery, Canned food, Cereal, Chilled foods, Condiments, dressings & sauces, Confectionery, Dairy, Dried foods, Free-from, Fresh produce, Frozen, Ice cream, Meat & poultry, Multichannel, Natural & organic, Private label, Seafood, Snacks, World foods
Companies: Food and Drink Federation
Danone completed its US$12.5bn acquisition of WhiteWave Foods this week. The move will roughly double Danone's presence in North America, where WhiteWave is a top four dairy player. ...
Premier Foods plc revealed today (28 March) it has secured a deal with its pension scheme trustees that will see the UK food maker reduce its pension burden....
Hain Celestial, under the scrutiny of the investment community in recent months and facing some challenges in its domestic market, has announced another shuffling of its management pack....
- Interview: Sir Kensington's on sale to Unilever
- Analysis: Post discusses rationale for Weetabix
- Who will buy Danone's Stonyfield business?
- Interview: "Disruptive" snack brand Hippeas
- Column: Why snacking is the new meal
- Unilever buys US condiments maker Sir Kensington's
- Ice cream helps Unilever sales, food flat
- Nestle organic growth slows but beats expectations
- Dairy dampens Danone in Q1
- Icelandic to sell Saucy Fish Co. owner Seachill


text:
Gladstone Ports Corporation has announced it will more than double the number of wood pellets exported through the Port of Bundaberg.
Conditions were sunny and perfect for the Farm Flavours picnic among the macadamia trees near Bundaberg today as southerners shiver.
What started as a hobby in Bundaberg school teacher Lisa Sly’s backyard has now flourished into a successful small home-based business Succulent Plant Babies where Lisa grows and sells a variety of baby plants.
Kalki Moon is aiming to export its award winning Bundaberg gin to the United Kingdom by the end of the year.
Canetec’s Bundaberg designed and manufactured cane harvesters are well known internationally but the company has recently made its most significant local sale after years of consultation with local farmers.
Bargara mum Emily Gradon has won a prestigious Good Design Award for the outstanding design and innovation of sun safe swimwear.
If you have always wanted to explore the lush vineyards of the region, now is your chance thanks to wine and food tours as part of this month's Childers Festival.
Participation in the FibreCo Queensland trial could help the Bundaberg Region establish faster, more reliable and more affordable internet connectivity through a 10 gigabit network.
International sugar producer Almoiz Group has put forward a proposal to acquire up to 54.03% interest in Isis Central Sugar Mill for a total investment of up to $35 million.
Nutritious miniature plants are the basis for new North Bundaberg business Millie’s Microgreens after Mandy Cameron discovered them while studying hydroponics about eight months ago.


text:
CADENAS Opens Japanese Subsidiary16 Oct, 2007
Developer of online catalogs for 3D parts suppliers in Japan plans to launch 50 editions by early 2008.
CADENAS Technologies announced the formation of CADENAS Web2cad, a Tokyo, Japan-based subsidiary that is expected to expand the company's reach throughout Asia.
CADENAS Web2cad will market products and services from PARTsolutions -- the American operation of CADENAS -- and eCATALOGsolutions to Japanese customers. Current customers of PARTsolutions will have access to 3D-enabled Japanese supplier catalogs as well. The company states that it expects to launch 50 online catalogs by Q1 2008.
"With constant innovations, we will provide the best 3D catalog publishing and standard part-management solutions available," said Yoshio Ueda, president of CADENAS Web2cad.
Added Juergen Heimbach, CEO of CADENAS Technologies, "This is a big step forward in achieving our goals of globalization, which is an extensive added value for our worldwide customers. Because of the domain knowledge and the professionalism of our Japanese colleagues, the CADENAS software solutions will be established within the shortest time to market possible."
PARTsolutions' cross-media publishing services allow suppliers to publish 3D digital catalogs online, in print, on CD-ROM, and through desktop enterprise solutions. The company provides suppliers with 24-hour access to information about prospects and customers downloading their products. Suppliers also have the option to include catalogs in the Google 3D Warehouse, as well as on their own Web site and on other public and private Internet portals.


text:
Week of Nov. 12, 2019
Facial recognition tech in Singaporean hotels boosts employee productivity, Software AG and Adobe join forces, and more customer experience news.
Cisco announces new partner opportunities to boost CX. During its recent Cisco Partner Summit, Cisco CX announced a new approach to selling that is meant to boost customer success while supporting growth for its partners. The new approach focuses on expanding the lifecycle sales services Cisco has been developing that aim to drive digital transformation among its partners. To grow partners’ profitability, Cisco is rolling out new offerings that include Business Critical Services (BCS 3.0), Solution Support, and Operate Offers.
Facial recognition tech in Singaporean hotels improves employee productivity and customer experience. The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) and the Singapore Hotel Association (SHA) announced that hotels in the country would shift from manual methods to using e-visitor authentication (EVA) technology during check-ins. Participating hotels will use facial recognition technology to identify guests and verify their stays with the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA). The aim is to save time spent on the manual check-in process so that hotel staff can “connect meaningfully with guests and in turn, improve guest satisfaction levels,” the STB said in a press release.
Infobip and AmBank partner to enable Omnichannel CX. Infobip, a global cloud communication and omnichannel customer engagement platform provider, has announced a partnership with AmBank Group, a Malaysian financial solutions company. As a part of AmBank’s newly launched BizM.A.T.E program, Infobip’s primary focus will be on the importance of digitizing small and midsize businesses and keeping them connected to customers and suppliers over channels such as email, push notifications, and SMS.
Software AG and Adobe partner to deliver CX platform. Enterprise software provider Software AG has launched a connector that integrates SAP Service Cloud and SAP Sales Cloud with Adobe’s Marketo Engage platform, helping businesses align sales and marketing data within their organization to improve CX. Matt Thompson, EVP, Worldwide Field Operations at Adobe says of the integration, “with Software AG’s help, customers can now be confident that their B2B campaigns and initiatives are connected to the highest-quality data sources within their organization.”
Week of Oct. 29, 2019
Gartner identifies five key technologies for a unified customer experience, Merlin Entertainment rethinks payments, and more CX news
Teradata’s Vantage CX reaches market. On Oct. 22, cloud-based business analytics solutions provider Teradata rolled out its new tool, Vantage Customer Experience (CX), on a limited availability basis. Vantage CX is meant to give companies a unified view of customer engagement across platforms. It also provides the opportunity to leverage advanced analytics and create a consistent messaging strategy. Teradata also launched Vantage Analyst, a machine learning and advanced analytics tool.
Merlin Entertainments rethinks payments to improve CX. Merlin Entertainments, a leading location-based family entertainment provider, is partnering with global payment platform Adyen to consolidate several payments platforms into a single platform in a move that is meant to improve the customer experience. Goals of the new system include: shorter wait times for customers, faster entry to attractions, and more convenient payment transactions.
Gartner identifies 5 key technologies for unified customer service experience. Research and advisory firm Gartner has identified five key technologies that combine customer engagement center (CEC) and contact center (CC) to create a unified customer experience. The five technologies are: customer journey analytics, virtual customer assistants (VCAs), chatbots, conversational user interfaces (CUIs), and knowledge management. These technologies are listed in Gartner’s 2019 Hype Cycle for Customer Service and Support Technologies, which analyzes the evolution of new CX technology over time.
Week of Oct. 15, 2019
Nike uses analytics to personalize CX, M&S to provide omnichannel payment service, and more customer experience news.
Batelco to use Ericsson Expert Analytics to boost customer experience. Telecommunications provider Batelco has selected networking provider Ericsson as part of a strategy to boost customer experience, network performance, and operational efficiency across Bahrain, where Batelco is based. Maha Abdulrahman, general manager of Batelco’s consumer division at Batelco, explains, “‘The implementation of EEA [Ericsson Expert Analytics] solution gives us the optimal tools to monitor the customer experience and to proactively make adjustments as issues arise. This will enable Batelco to resolve customer-care issues in a faster and more efficient way than was previously possible.'”
The Fresh Market teams up with Service Management Group to boost CX. The Fresh Market, a specialty grocer, is teaming with Service Management Group (SMG) to develop a new customer experience management (CEM) program with the aim of capturing real-time customer feedback at the point of sale. The Fresh Market plans to leverage the role-based reporting, advanced text analytics, and case management capabilities of the SMG’s reporting dashboard and mobile app smg360 platform to better understand customer feedback better and respond more quickly.
Nike leverages key analytics acquisition to personalize CX. Since Nike’s acquisition of Zodiac, a leading data analytics company, the sports apparel giant is forging ahead by leveraging customer data on all fronts to identify customer habits and predict purchasing decisions to personalize the customer experience. Nike’s direct-to-consumer initiative, Nike Direct—which includes strategies such as a 30-day wear test and the Nike Fit and Nike Plus apps—generated $10 billion in sales in 2018. That number is expected to grow to $16 billion by 2020.
M&S to provide omnichannel payment service. Mark & Spencer, a U.K. High Street retailer brand is partnering with secure payment provider, Ingenico Group, to enable retail customers to pay through whatever channel they prefer. Paul Airey, head of retail technology at M&S, explains, “As part of our transformation efforts it’s vital that we’re working with the right partners who can help us improve both the online and in-store experience for our customers … Introducing this technology will ultimately enable us to introduce further innovation as part of our digital-first strategy.”
Week of Sept. 24, 2019
Lenovo takes a giant leap with 5G and voice capability, WhatsApp Business API boosts CX, and more customer experience news
What happens when you combine augmented reality, virtual reality, and mixed reality? In its global survey of 1,000 CMOs and senior-level marketers, Isobar (a New York-based global digital agency) found that CMOs are investing heavily in creativity to deliver better CX that drives business growth. Following the survey, Isobar published an XR playbook that highlights XR technology problems, best practices, and five takeaway strategies for marketers. The playbook (included at the link) is a crucial reference point for marketers to help them support a creative experience for customers.
Businesses experiment with WhatsApp to improve CX. Brands are now tapping into the popularity of WhatsApp by using the WhatsApp Business API to reach out to customers about their orders. Customers get order-related updates and real-time support for products over WhatsApp. As a result, businesses have seen more customer visits to order-tracking pages and more new orders.
CIAM revolutionizes CX with secure centralization. CIAM (Consumer Identity and Access Management) platforms offer on-premise, cloud, and mobile components to help organizations merge security and convenience in customer interactions. The technology is helping businesses securely capture and manage customer data that in turn aids better customer service, sales forecasting, personalized marketing, and product development. This is promising as customers can enjoy an omni-channel, personalized experience with brands.
Lenovo takes a new approach to CX with 5G in PCs. Lenovo aims to bring 5G and voice capability to its PCs, in conjunction with Alexa, to improve CX. Dilip Bhatia, VP of Global Marketing at Lenovo, said, “We feel just like people have Alexa devices and Google devices at home, why can’t they have the same experience with the PC. So that’s why we’ve tried to integrate Alexa with the PC, so even if it’s on sleep mode, and I say ‘Hey Alexa, what’s the weather?’, it will report back to me.”
Week of Sept. 10, 2019
Retailers to apply a content-driven approach to build customer loyalty, Cisco ventures into predictive support for CX, and more customer experience news
Government agencies: The CX game is on, whether you’re ready or not! A report by Forbes recommends that government agencies start focusing on customer experience. CX has become a brand differentiator in the last decade, but government agencies are lagging behind because of resource challenges. The report recommends that organizations of all kinds must evaluate their current customer experience and commit to improving it to stay relevant.
Retailers improve sales and CX with content-driven approach. A report by Chainstorage.com recommends a content-driven approach for retail companies to boost their sales and CX. The report discusses three case studies that show a shift in CX strategy among retailers toward building customer loyalty and ensuring a steady revenue stream based on personalized customer experiences.
Ecommerce furniture retailers should drop shipping costs and shrink delivery window for better CX. High shipping costs and long waiting times for furniture delivery are impacting ecommerce customer experience negatively. A new study from the logistics technology platform, uShip, and YouGov reveals 56% of consumers who purchased an oversized item in the last year said they would avoid a boutique furniture retailer if they encountered high shipping costs. Another 36% would avoid a boutique retailer if it had a slow or long delivery window.
Cisco ventures into predictive support for CX with CloudCherry acquisition. Cisco announced the acquisition of CX management company, CloudCherry. The acquisition will close in the first quarter of Cisco’s fiscal year 2020. According to The Economic Times, Cisco believes that CloudCherry’s predictive analytics will enable its contact center agents with cross-selling and up-selling products, discounts, service modifications, and loyalty improvement. This, in turn, aims to help Cisco transform companies’ contact centers by delivering reactive and predictive support.
Week of Aug. 27, 2019
Democratization shakes up the CX market, how insurers can leverage AI to improve patient experience, and more customer experience news
Banks shift their focus to digital customer experience, innovation, and cost reduction. A research report by Virtusa Corporation and Finextra shows a key shift in the banking industry toward digital transformation over the past 18 months. Their research finds that banks will be focusing spending on three top areas: digital customer experience, innovation, and cost reduction. According to the report, respondents have already launched API-based services, mobile services, and blockchain to boost the customer experience.
Get data together to revolutionize healthcare customer experience with AI. AI in healthcare can’t provide better a better patient experience and lower healthcare costs until insurers dive deep into data analysis. They must capture customer interactions from all touch points, including call centers, member portals , and mobile apps to identify common questions and concerns. When member inquiries are linked to data points—such as demographic information, care histories, and healthcare plan information—AI tools can anticipate the next question. This predictive analysis model is sure to revolutionize health insurance customer service, ensuring more impactful and informed customer interactions.
Growing businesses’ disjointed tech stacks damage the customer experience. A recent study found the biggest challenge companies face with their marketing technology is not knowing what to invest in. It’s tough for businesses to decide whether to invest in best-of-breed software or a software suite. This report recommends that growing businesses should invest in “all-on-one platforms”—central hubs meant to connect all of their disparate tools. This will give them more flexibility to choose and integrate the software tools that will improve their customer experience the most.
Democratization of data is shaking up the customer experience market. EnjoyHQ, a web-based platform founded by a Venezuelan refugee, recently announced it has secured $2 million in seed funding to aid its efforts to launch into the CX market. The platform aims to democratize access to customer data collated from different touch points—such as social media and customer relationship management platforms—across an entire organization. The concept is critical for customer experience because it will not only capture data, it will also build a process to share the outcome of the analysis in a comprehensive way for product development and improvement.


text:
Northampton shop hit by ramraid sees staff threatened with screwdriver in cash robbery
Staff at a Northampton shop hit by a digger ram raid earlier this year were threatened by two men who smashed a window before the store opened for business.
At around 6.45am on Thursday, September 27, the One Stop Shop in Kent Road, St Crispin’s, was targeted by the two robbers.
They broke the shop window while staff were inside preparing to open up.
They then threatened the staff with a screwdriver and stole cash.
Earlier this year, the store's roof collapsed after an attempted ram-raid - using a large digger.Anyone with information should contact Northamptonshire Police on 101.
Alternatively, they can call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.


text:
Thursday, September 25, 2014
Taiwan's central bank will hold its key interest rates steady throughout 2014 because of the lack of inflationary pressures, a leading Taiwanese think tank said Wednesday.
Taiwanese computer maker Acer Inc. (宏碁) said Wednesday that it has been awarded a substantial education tender by the Ministry of Education and Science of Georgia in Eastern Europe to provide up to 47,000 Acer TravelMate B115 notebook PCs.
China's investment in Taiwan dropped by 25.15 percent in the first eight months of this year, compared to the same period last year, according to statistics from the Investment Commission.
Yahoo Inc. on Wednesday released a Chinese-language version of its Aviate intelligent home screen app for Android smartphones in Taiwan as it works to strengthen its mobile portfolio.
A product teardown by research firm IHS Inc. has found that South Korea's Samsung Electronics Co. is still supplying some processor chips for Apple Inc.'s larger-screen iPhones, although more orders are going to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC, 台積電).
Central bank chief Perng Fai-nan (彭淮南) said yesterday that importers should lower prices in the wake of the latest wave of currency depreciation, and prices for Japanese merchandise should decline between 3 and 4 percent.
The Taiwan Textile Federation (TTF) recently won a gold award in a competition held by the Bureau of Foreign Trade for organizing Taipei IN Style (TIS), according to the federation.
Formosa Plastics Group (FPG,台塑集團) is expected to invest an additional US$500 million into its steel mill in the southeastern Chinese province of Fujian, according to a report of Economic Daily News.
A leading Taiwanese think tank raised its forecast again Wednesday for Taiwan's gross domestic product (GDP) growth for 2014, citing the improving global economy.
Shares in Taiwan staged a mild technical rebound Wednesday from losses seen in the previous two sessions, with old economy stocks in focus, dealers said.


text:
The CIF value of imports in Maldives decreased by 4 percent in April this year compared to the same month last year, according to customs data.
Imports for April this year amounted to MVR 4.5 billion, whereas they reached MVR 4.7 billion in the corresponding period last year. The decline in imports also led to a 16 percent drop in revenue, with MVR 305 million received this April compared to MVR 361 million in April last year.
During April, the majority of goods imported to Maldives were from India, valued at MVR 757 million, representing 17 percent of total imports. Oman followed with goods worth MVR 707 million, while the UAE accounted for MVR 573 million, China for MVR 520 million, and Singapore for MVR 467 million.
Despite the decrease in imports, Maldives experienced an increase in exports during April this year when compared to April 2022. The country exported goods worth MVR 193 million, marking a 4 percent rise from the MVR 186 million recorded last year. Thailand emerged as the primary export destination, constituting 45 percent of total exports, followed by the UK with 18 percent, Germany with 11 percent,


text:
Sainsbury's and Asda, the nation's second and third biggest supermarket chains respectively, unveiled merger plans in April 2018 to create a retail king that would leapfrog United Kingdom number one Tesco.
J Sainsbury PLC (LON:SBRY) and Wal-Mart Inc's (NYSE:WMT) Asda have promised to slash prices by £1bn each year as part of a series of proposed remedies to allay United Kingdom competition watchdog's concerns about their planned merger.
In February, the CMA threw a spanner in the works of the proposed "mega-merger" between two of Britain's biggest supermarkets, after they stated the deal would create a "substantial lessening of competition at both a national and local level", with potentially "a poorer overall shopping experience" for consumers.
The two groups said they would invest 300 million pounds in the first year after combining and a further 700 million over the following two years - reducing prices "by around 10 percent on everyday items". We are happy to be held to account for delivering on this commitment and to have our performance independently reviewed and to publish this annually.
In their detailed response to the Provisional Findings, Sainsbury's and Asda have sought to address these economic and legal errors.
The supermarkets expect £1.6bn in cost savings to arise from increased purchasing power with suppliers, putting Argos stores into Asda, jointly buying shared goods and service and reducing central costs.
Sainsbury's also promised to cap its fuel gross profit margin to no more than 3.5p per litre for five years, while Asda will guarantee its existing fuel pricing strategy.
Sainsbury's boss Mike Coupe, who lashed out at the CMA following its findings last month, and Asda chief executive, Roger Burnley said: "We hope that the CMA will properly take account of the evidence we have presented and correct its errors". Analysts had previously expected the regulator to demand.
They also said they were prepared to divest some supermarkets and petrol forecourts across both brands to get the deal through but did not provide figures.
"For Sainsbury's to forge on - with what many see as an already lost battle - shows how pivotal Sainsbury's feels consolidation at the top end of the grocery market is in order to stop long-term share decline at the Big Four, to use economies of scale and pressure on large suppliers to reduce shelf prices for shoppers", Brereton said.
US abruptly endorses Israel's Golan sovereignty in big shift
They called on Congress to pass legislation that would formally "recognize Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights ". Pompeo visited Kuwait on the first leg of his five-day Middle East trip, before heading to Israel and lastly to Lebanon.
Gov. Mike Parson declares state of emergency amid flooding
Army Corps of Engineers said water was also flowing over several other levees, including one near Missouri's Bean Lake. The flooding has damaged hundreds of homes in Nebraska, Iowa and Missouri, and been blamed for at least three deaths.


text:
Up until March 27, students across campus participated in a T-shirt design contest working toward a goal of cohesion among students and student organizations. The winners were announced last week, with student Paul Kemp taking home the first place prize.
The event, put on by the Collegiate Entrepreneurs Organization (CEO) and MINjas, brought together art, finance, marketing and business students in a contest to create a clothing brand.
CEO is a student organization that encourages entrepreneurial relationships between students and organization on campus. For the contest, students of different studies all worked together to create a brand.
MINjas is a media informatics group at NKU that helped promote the event, collect votes and even had members submit designs.
There were altogether 27 designs submitted. Over 1,300 votes were cast on Canvas, a program developed by a member of MINjas for students to vote on the design of their choice.
Of the 27 designs, 10 were chosen for the event. Each student gave a presentation to a crowd of about 25 people and four judges.
The winner was junior Paul Kemp, whose design was based on poster graffiti.
“My philosophy was that I wanted to have something that was really minimalistic and simple,” Kemp said. “That’s something I had to sell the people on, because my design wasn’t as intricate as some of the others.”
Kemp said he has always wanted to get into graphic design, so this competition was the step to take.
“From this, I do intend to start my T-shirt company called Basic Clothing. I have always had a big passion for art, and more recently business. I was torn between the two and this was something that brought them together for me,” Kemp said.
Gary Darna, NKU alum and co-founder of Complete Set, was a judge for the contest.
“I thought that it was really cool that everything wasn’t strictly NKU based. It was more diverse, with different perspectives and designs,” Darna said.
According to Darna, when he judged the designs, the marketability of it was a very important factor.
“The design needed to be something that would appeal to a wide audience, not just NKU students. It would need to be able to sell to a broader range of people.”
Jason Hulett, president of CEO, hopes that in the future an online marketplace will be available for students to sell their T-shirts. For right now, anyone can pre-order the winning T-shirt for a minimum donation of $15.
Ten percent of all donations will go to the winner. The rest will go to CEO, which in turn goes to all of the different entrepreneurs that were involved. There is no limit on how much someone can donate for a shirt.
“This was a student-run event with student-run organizations,” Hulett said. “We are very student driven.”
Hulett said that it was the collaboration between CEO and MINjas that really made the event happen.
According to Hulett, this contest was a step in the right direction to meet the university’s goal of cohesion between students and student organizations.
This was the first event of its kind on campus, but Hulett says there will be more.


text:
It seems like yesterday that Foursquare was all the rage at South By Southwest. But six years after the social-location app’s hyped debut, it seemed like everyone in Austin last week was too busy Meerkating to even think about tapping a check-in button. That’s okay, because if Foursquare has a future, it’s going to look very different from the vision the company launched with in 2009.
In fact, a big chunk of that future is going to look like the apps that still do have your attention. Like Twitter, for instance. Starting today, Foursquare will provide the data that powers Twitter’s new, more specific location-tagging feature. It’s a nice–and arguably overdue–perk for Twitter users, but for Foursquare, the move represents something much bigger.
Twitter joins the likes of Pinterest, Waze, and Flickr on the list of services pulling rich location data from Foursquare’s API. That list included Instagram until about a year ago, when the photo-sharing app dropped Foursquare in favor of homegrown location data from its parent company, Facebook.
Twitter has long supported the addition of location tags, but only with city or neighborhood-level locations like New York, NY or Financial District, Manhattan. By plugging Foursquare’s API into the back end of its service, Twitter will be able to pull much more granular location names–such as businesses and public venues–which are routinely spot-checked by Foursquare’s superusers and internal team members.
It’s not clear how comprehensive the location data will be at launch, but the Twitter support page detailing the new feature says, “In some areas, you have the option to label your Tweet with a specific business, landmark, or point of interest.” Sounds cool. In some areas.
Foursquare has been going through a little bit of an identity crisis in recent years. After the buzz of its initial launch died down and its competitors proliferated, the company soon found itself rethinking the location “check-in” model and all the cutesy gamification that came with it.
Instead, Foursquare would shift its focus to location discovery and recommendation rather than letting users duke it out to become the “mayor” of their favorite dive bar. Last year, Foursquare split its check-in feature off into a separate app called Swarm, a move that didn’t seem too popular with many users right out of the gate. For its part, the flagship Foursquare app continues to proactively recommend places to go, based on data culled from its million of users.
But Foursquare founder and CEO Dennis Crowley wants you to stop thinking about Foursquare as a company that makes apps, and more like the “location layer of the Internet.”
Explains Crowley in a post on Medium:
I know the history of our company is rooted in the check-in (and all the fun things we did to encourage people to press that “check-in” button), but remember, the big idea was never “build the world’s best check-in button.” The big idea was to create a system that could crawl the world with people in the same way Google crawls web pages with machines. To then put all of what we’ve learned to use in helping people find the best and most interesting experiences in the real world. And to build a company that would bring our vision of context-aware services – software that can learn about the places you’ve been and can proactively recommend places you’d love –to hundreds of millions of people.
At some point, Crowley and his team figured out that depending on users to manually tap a “check-in” button is a pretty inefficient way to build a geo-social map of the world when you can simply just follow their every move.
In addition to building the world’s most accurate place database, we’ve learned how to see buildings the way our phones see them – as shapes and sensor readings on the ground rather than boxes viewed from space. We’ve built software that can understand when people move through, stop within, and then move on from these shapes –whether the shapes are places, neighborhoods, or cities. And we’ve built search and recommendation algorithms that get smarter as they learn about the shapes you choose to spend time in and the shapes you simply pass through.
For Foursquare, its most uniquely valuable asset remains its data. Few companies have built out a database of locations quite this detailed, which is why even companies as established as Twitter are clamoring for it. If it continues down this path, we might not be hearing much about Foursquare at next year’s SXSW, but more people will be using it than ever before.


text:
A new Erie-based company will be releasing a new kind of drink this summer, and the company is making a splash about it first.
The local company is called “Protochol Beverage” and the company is rolling out an alcoholic protein drink.
Three young entrepreneurs from Erie say the plan is for the spiked protein drink to hit stores in the Erie area this summer.
“Our target right now is August of 2021 to get it out there in local gas stations, local independent beer distributors and, eventually, into those larger retail outlets like grocery stores.” said Mitch Clark, CEO of Protochol Beverage.
Clark says the 16 oz drinks have 8% ABV and have 11 grams of protein. Clark says the drink production and canning is in done in Toledo, Ohio. For the past year, the company has been based in Erie.
“We’re all born and raised in Erie. They call it the Miami of the north for a reason, so we wanted to bring something high octane here and that’s how it started.” Clark said.
One of the creators of Protochol Beverage says their launch video is intended to get the Erie community excited about their new drink.
“This commercial we just shot on top of the Bicentennial Tower was definitely our first big stunt of many to come. We are planning some in the local area here in the near future and we’re trying to recreate some things that happened here or just going to local hotspots.


text:
Automotive manufacturer Ford is reducing product complexity and “streamlining operations” as it warns earnings will be affected by higher-than-expected supplier costs and parts shortages.
Ahead of third quarter results to be announced in October, Ford said suppliers have been hit by inflation and the company is paying more for parts and materials. Higher payments added about $1bn in unexpected costs, indicating supply chain issues and pressures still weigh on carmakers.
Parts shortages have also resulted in between 40,000 and 45,000 unfinished vehicles in Ford's inventory at the end of the quarter it couldn’t sell. These vehicles are expected to be completed and sold in the fourth quarter, as they await parts in disproportionately high demand.
A spokesperson for Ford told Supply Management the company was taking action to mitigate costs. “Broadly, we’re reducing complexity in product design, streamlining operations and working to improve quality/reduce warranty costs, among other actions. We have described and taken pricing actions – and will continue to do so, where necessary – to help offset commodity cost increases.
“Most suppliers are dealing with the same inflationary headwinds as Ford and other manufacturers,” they added.
The company stated last year it expected the semiconductor shortage to cause a $2.5bn hit to its 2021 earnings.
Chipmakers who supply the automotive industry are seeing a gradual easing of the shortage. Manufacturer Infineon Technologies told S&P Global risks of further supply chain disruptions remained but the demand-supply situation would stabilise as shortages eased. However, it cautioned the general economic slowdown and potential energy shortages could affect supplies.
S&P Global warned of weaker consumer demand, over-stockpiling by manufacturers and changes to US chip export policies. It projected chip shortages would prevent carmakers from meeting pent-up demand for the rest of 2022 and into 2023. Demand for chips could also be strained further, it suggested, as electric vehicle driver-assistance products are accelerated.
S&P found vehicle makers with China-dependent supply chains could hasten efforts to shift production elsewhere to minimise future disruptions, for example because of Covid lockdowns.
Data from automotive solutions provider AutoForecast Solutions (AFS) found 47,800 vehicles had been cut from global production schedules this week due to microchip shortages. According to AFS, the production of nearly 3.3m vehicles has been impacted so far this year due to a lack of semiconductors, including 1.4m being lost entirely.
Ford now expects its third quarter earnings to be in the range of $1.4bn-$1.7bn. Its full-year earnings projections remain unchanged at $11.5-$12.5bn. The company’s second quarter earnings this year were $3.7bn.
During the company's second-quarter earnings reporting, executives said significant progress had been made on completing and shipping vehicles awaiting parts. The company ended the second quarter with inventory of around 18,000 vehicles waiting for parts, down from 53,000 at the start of the quarter.


text:
All non-essential retailers in Wales will be forced to close their stores after trading finishes on Christmas Eve, with the country going into a full ‘tier four’ lockdown three days later.
Welsh first minister Mark Drakeford also said all “close-contact” services such as hairdressers will have to close before Christmas Day. Pubs and restaurants must close from 6pm on December 25.
Please sign in now if you have a subscription or are already registered with us.
Retail-Week.com provides premium, in-depth intelligence that helps retailers judge risks, spot opportunities and identify what they need to do to win in the digital economy.
Register today for a taste of our high-quality intelligence and enjoy:
Discover Retail Week register now
Please note, if you have recently purchased a subscription, it may take a few minutes before your account is updated.


text:
NASA, which is scheduled to plummet a flying saucer-like test vehicle towards Hawaii in a bid to assist future human expeditions to Mars, has unveiled a "faster than light," Star Trek-like spaceship that could make interstellar travel a reality.
The space agency's "warp ship" was cleverly crafted by NASA engineer and physicist Harold White, and "Star Trek" graphic artist Mark Rademaker. Images of the prototype design were revealed at a SpaceVision 2013 conference, and have been posted on Rademaker's Flickr page and Facebook account. Titled ...
Also read: 'White Men Can't Jump' turns 25