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November 23, 2019
More Solutions Than Problems
The problem that I am presenting is on how the YouTube company wants to censor the amount of violence that some games present. Such as fighting games that have blood and gore in them, but the only reason that YouTube trying to censor those games being easily accessible to watch is because the sponsors who support YouTube wants to keep the split between what is considered adult content and what is considered kid content. So to keep the content under control YouTube decides to keep the game from being streamed by gamers accessible to everyone unless they meet the age requirement. Additionally, this may affect society to have a domino effect may occur. Where fewer views for YouTubers means less pay for them and fewer views means that people won’t know about certain games coming out which then means those games will get sold less and eventually that company selling the game will go out of business. So ultimately, the censoring can have a lot of really bad effects on gamers, youtubers, and the economy for gaming companies.
Gamers are facing danger of having certain games being available for them. Especially games that contain blood and gore inside them. For example, YouTuber Upper Echelon Gamers made a video on how the censorship of violent games might affect him and other gaming broadcasters. From his point of view, he sees that this will actually create a problem with how gamers will get information on games coming out or even updates on a game that is already out. (https://youtu.be/JBOVAh3Fb4A). Upper Echelon Gamers goes further on to explain that the effects of how games are priced and what this does to the economy for companies and games together seems detrimental. But he also brings up a point that the widely played game of Fortnite, which is just as violent but without blood, doesn’t make it easier for his argument because he is at a disadvantage to bring in a rebuttal.
Another source would be an article talking about how Youtube is the biggest source of gameplay for a lot of gamers. There was at least 850 million people who watched YouTube for game play in 2018. With big numbers like that Youtube should promote more gameplay rather than take away, even if it is on bloody content. The source that I found was also explaining that MortalKombat11 the hot new fighting game out for the year wasn’t selling as good as it was supposed to due to most gamers not even knowing about it first hand, and with that, the game didn’t make as much profit as it should have. (https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.newsweek.com/mortal-kombat-11-youtube-content-algorithms-rules-1400525%3famp=1).
An additional source of information that I found seems to show that video games being censored by Youtube won’t solve the problem of how violent kids are or even how other kids may buy the game. The article proves that there are other factors of people that can cause young gamers to be violent, which seems to be their environment and their IQ level. Also, people can purchase other violent content other than video games, and according to the article, it can also have the same effect on young kids so censoring games won’t actually help the matter because it will simply transfer over to other content. And that will leave game creators at a disadvantage because they won’t be about to figure out games in their platform that will be good enough to get out there in the media of Youtube to get sold. (https://techcrunch.com/2012/12/20/violent-video-games-do-cause-some-violence-but-censorship-wont-help/).
Dear Youtubes’ chairmen,
I know that you aren’t trying to take away gamers right to watch what they please but with the more regulations you have it can actually have an effect on some YouTube gaming channels. Some channels can’t post anymore of their gaming content and other channels are getting shut down because of this censorship. The censorship can also put those YouTubers out of business since they are getting either lower views or no views at all. If that’s the case then the channels can’t make as much money as they used to. Being that you guys are supported through sponsors there are rules that you have to follow as well, for one the free will to watch what you want should be one of them. If you want to make sure the split between adult content and kids’ content is kept separate then there are other ways to do that rather than regulating everyone’s content. First off, I do have evidence that there are YouTube channels and YouTubers from an article called the verge, and it explains how YouTube has been damaging some people channels and their livelihood. (https://www.theverge.com/2016/9/1/12753108/youtube-is-over-party-advertising-monetization-censorship). That article speaks a lot on the effects YouTube censoring certain content really can have horrible effects on multiple channels, which is unfair to those YouTubers because some have taken a while to make them reach the point they’re at. Now, all that hard work and dedication is down the drain for some of them. Another source that I have found additionally shows that parents are the ones who can tell their child or teenagers what they can and can’t play. If they seem to get out of line that shouldn’t be anyone else’s fault since it’s between the parent and the child. The source also uses the first amendment right to prove their point. (https://www.firstamendment.com/game-censorship/). Lastly, I would like to propose that you provide an option where there are just parental controls to regulate the censorship, so the parent and child can have more control over what content they are allowed to see. Also, there should be an option where you get to choose for yourself if you can watch the video or not.
https://youtu.be/JBOVAh3Fb4A. Upper Echelon Gamers. 2019 YouTube. April 22, 2019.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.newsweek.com/mortal-kombat-11-youtube-content-algorithms-rules-1400525%3famp=1. Steven Asarch. 2019 Newsweek. April 18, 2019.
https://techcrunch.com/2012/12/20/violent-video-games-do-cause-some-violence-but-censorship-wont-help/. Gregory Ferenstein. TechCrunch. December 20, 2012.
https://www.theverge.com/2016/9/1/12753108/youtube-is-over-party-advertising-monetization-censorship. Adi Robertson. The Verge. September 1, 2016.
https://www.firstamendment.com/game-censorship/. Lawrence G. Walters. Walters Law Group. Walters Law Group 2001-2019.


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December 3, 1993
Name sold: A federal bankruptcy judge approved the sale of Pan Am Corp.'s name and trademark logo for $1.3 million to Eclipse Holdings Inc., a Rockville, Md.-based investment group assembled specifically to buy the Pan Am trademark. The investors hope to use the name in a communications company. Pan Am, once the world's largest airline, shut down in 1991.
November 4, 1996
Sara Lee wins trademark fight: Sara Lee Corp.'s L'eggs pantyhose brand won a trademark battle when the Supreme Court refused to overturn a ruling that bars rival Kayser-Roth Corp. from using the term "legs" for its No Nonsense hosiery line. The justices upheld an appeals court ruling that Kayser-Roth could no longer use the "Leg Looks" trademark because the word "leg" made the name too much like Sara Lee's L'eggs. Kayser-Roth claimed the term "leg" was generic.
November 12, 2013
A blog written by Chicago State University faculty members that has been critical of the school's administration was sent a "cease and desist" notice by university lawyers Monday, deepening an ongoing rift between a group of professors and administrators. Online since 2009, the Faculty Voice Blog labeled itself "the faculty's uncensored voice" for the South Side campus. Phillip Beverly - a faculty senate officer and associate professor of political science - said he founded the site to challenge some of the school's leaders and policymaking.
December 10, 2004
NASCAR has sued an individual and three companies involved with a pornographic video called "Racetrack Girls Go Nutz" for trademark and service-mark infringement. The video, originally titled "Daytona Racetrack Girls Go Nutz," has been sold on the Internet for months. The Web site shows bare-chested women purportedly at race events. NASCAR sued after learning that Daystrike Marketing Inc. was distributing flyers and advertisement for the video with NASCAR logos. "Obviously, we don't want to be associated with that kind of video," NASCAR spokesman Ramsey Poston said.
October 5, 1990
Intel Corp., whose microprocessor chips are at the heart of most personal computers, filed a trademark infringement suit against Advanced Micro Devices, seeking to prevent its rival from using Intel's trademark 386 designation for a new product. Intel said it learned of Advanced Micro's plans when Advanced Micro product-announcement documents were mistakenly delivered to an Intel employee. Intel alleged that Advanced Micro designated its "imitation 386" as an AM386 and claimed that designation as an Advanced Micro trademark.
July 18, 1987
General Mills Inc. said it agreed to an out-of-court settlement in a trademark infringement suit brought by Quaker Oats Co. The agreement requires General Mills to alter the back of its new Total instant oatmeal boxes, which currently make a nutritional comparison with Quaker's oatmeal and partially covers Quaker's trademark. According to the settlement, General Mills must show the entire trademark if it continues to make nutritional comparisons and must mention that the Quaker oatmeal is a Quaker Oats Co. product.
March 12, 1985
The Kraft unit of Dart & Kraft Inc., Northbrook, has acquired Frusen Gladje Ltd., a maker of premium ice cream based in Lindenhurst, N.Y., for an undisclosed sum. Kraft already had owned the trademark and ingredient formulas for the Frusen Gladje brand. Kraft had licensed Frusen Gladje Franchise Inc. to use the trademark for franchised shops and to sell bulk ice cream. Frusen Gladje Franchise is owned by Richard E. Smith, who had been chairman and chief executive of Frusen Gladje Ltd.
February 21, 1997
U.S. District Judge James Zagel set a hearing date of March 10 on R.J. Corr Natural Inc.'s motion for a preliminary injunction that would remove Coca-Cola Co.'s new Surge beverage from distribution and its advertising from the air. Corr, based in suburban Posen, sued Atlanta-based Coke last week for trademark infringement, alleging that the Surge ad theme "Feed the Rush," is a violation of its own "Rush" trademark for a line of natural soft drinks....
January 14, 2008
Two towns. Two miserable winters. One nasty legal dispute. In dispute is who owns the trademark "Ice Box of the Nation." Fraser officials say their town has used the phrase since 1956. International Falls, Minn., says its claim dates to 1948. The dispute ended in 1986, it seemed, with Fraser giving up its "official" claim to the trademark in exchange for $2,000 from International Falls. But the Minnesota city last year acknowledged it had inadvertently failed to renew its federal trademark in 1996, even while keeping a state trademark up to date.

domain: news


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The channel will offer viewers the chance to glimpse life behind the scenes at the heritage company, featuring clips from inside its storied ateliers and fashion shows. The first slew of videos sees Hollywood star Emma Stone getting ready for the 2019 Oscars and supermodel Karlie Kloss sharing her tips on ‘the art of packing.’ “Riverdale” star Madelaine Petsch performs ASMR with the label’s accessories and Chloë Grace Moretz gets ready for the 2019 Met Gala, while film director Loïc Prigent takes viewers behind the scenes of the label’s 2020 Cruise show.
The move is in keeping with a wider trend for fashion and beauty brands to double down on YouTube content as a way of engaging audiences. Last month, the British Fashion Council launched a new video series matching London-based fashion designers with musicians for an informal Q&A context, while the skincare brand SK-II recently launched a tongue-in-cheek web series.
More from OPPORTUNITIES
Apple Inc is estimated to have shipped 30.7m of its smartwatches in 2019, compared to 21.1m for all Swiss watch …


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After the hit from the Galaxy Note 7 disaster, Samsung is finally looking to get back with a hit, and for now, the chosen vehicle is the Galaxy 8. As confirmed Samsung’s mobile communication vice-president, the S8 will come with a slick design and an improved camera. Samsung’s S series has always been the most popular smartphone line ups along with now (in)famous Note series.
Lee further confirmed that the new S8 will come with an Artificial Intelligence service integrated to the device. Doing a quick catch up with Apple’s Siri and Google Assistant. Interestingly, Samsung recently revealed its plans to acquire Viv labs, a startup launched by Siri creators. So this AI integration might well be something related to this acquisition.
Previously, reports from Weibo suggested that the new Galaxy S8 will come with an optical fingerprint scanner which would be embedded in the display. Integrating an optical fingerprint scanner would allow Samsung to include a digital Home button instead of a physical home button. Which supports other rumours suggesting that Samsung might go for an four sided edged display. However, later reports on Android Authority have denied it and revealed that the S8 will come with an ultrasonic fingerprint recognition manufactured by Qualcomm.
There were also stories going around that Samsung might dump the Note series altogether and bring the edged screen to regular S series as well which means the S Edge series might replace the Note lineup entirely. For now, it does seem that the stories might be an exaggeration, and the Note series retains enough brand strength to survive and fight another day.
Thus, to cut to the chase, based on the specifications heard on the grapevine, the S8 will come with a 4K resolution screen, 6GB of RAM, a dual lens improved rear facing camera, Exynos 8895 or Qualcomm Snapdragon 830 chipsets and USB-C audio instead of a 3.5mm headphone jack.
Note: Image is of Samsung Galaxy S7


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NEW YORK: IBM’s first-quarter net income and revenue declined due to delays in closing several of the technology company’s large software and mainframe computer deals. The results fell short of Wall Street’s expectations, sending IBM’s stock lower in after-hours trading.
IBM is seen as a good gauge of technology demand because it sells to major companies and governments around the world. That said, it’s not immune to economic uncertainty and currency fluctuations, which were evident in the quarterly results.
IBM said that it earned $3.03 billion, or $2.70 per share, in the January-March period. That’s down 1 percent from $3.07 billion, or $2.61 per share, in the same period a year earlier. Last year’s quarter had more outstanding shares, which lowers per-share results.
Earnings excluding one-time items were $3 per share in the latest quarter, below Wall Street’s expectations of $3.05 per share.
Revenue fell 5 percent, to $23.41 billion from $24.67 billion. Analysts polled by FactSet expected revenue to be nearly unchanged at $24.65 billion
“Despite a solid start and good client demand, we did not close a number of software and mainframe transactions that have moved into the second quarter,” said IBM CEO Ginni Rometty in a statement. “The services business performed as expected with strong profit growth and significant new business in the quarter.”
Chief financial officer Mark Loughridge said on a conference call that weakness in the Japanese yen hurt earnings. A weak yen translates to fewer dollars for IBM on sales in Japan. Adjusted for currency fluctuations, IBM said its revenue would have only declined by 3 percent for the quarter, rather than 5 percent.
IBM kept its full-year guidance intact. It still expects adjusted, per-share earnings of at least $16.70 for 2013. Analysts predict $16.77. Rometty said the company expects to close the delayed transactions and expects to benefit from investments in growth initiatives. She said IBM is also trying to improve the weaker parts of its business.
The company has been focusing on growing its software business, which is more profitable, over hardware.
Revenue from technology services declined 4 percent during the quarter, to $9.6 billion, and business services revenue fell 3 percent, to $4.5 billion. Software revenue was flat at $5.6 billion, while hardware revenue dropped 17 percent to $3.1 billion.
IBM has had a good track record of beating or at least meeting Wall Street’s expectations -the shortfall in profit and revenue is a rare miss.
The company has now been able to grow its earnings per share for 41 consecutive quarters – more than a decade – even though it hasn’t always increased net income. In the third quarter of 2012 IBM’s net income was flat, while per-share earnings grew because the company had fewer outstanding shares. That’s what happened in the first quarter. Net income fell but per-share earnings increased.
Shares of the company fell $9.90, or 4.8 percent, to $197.25 in after-hours trading. Before the earnings announcement, the stock closed down $2.52 at $207.15.
Source-Times of india


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MTS Goes it Alone in Wireless Auction?
So many questions, so few answers. Does this open up the option for Google to partner with MTS? We know that they are looking south of the border at different spectrum opportunities, now that the US auction has completed. Does Google have the same designs for Canada?
MTS wireless alliance dissolves
A consortium headed by Manitoba Telecom Services Inc. that planned to bid on wireless spectrum in Canada has fallen apart, just five days before the federal government starts to auction off the new airwaves.


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NEW YORK: US satellite TV broadcaster DirecTV has begun testing an on-demand movie and television service ahead of a scheduled launch in the second quarter of this year.
The system will use a combination of DVR and broadband technology to offer users around 3,000 popular movies and TV programs, automatically stored on subscribers' DVRs.
Users will also be able to program downloads to DVRs via their cellphones.
The combination of internet and DVR technology is said to provide DirecTV with the opportunity of tracking viewer behaviour in real time, and thus to offer more effectively targeted ads to consumers.
However, only half of DirecTV's users currently have high-speed internet connections, and critics of the scheme argue that streaming content over the internet could mean they face a significant delay while information downloads, and that the transmission of content may not be smooth.
Data sourced from Wall Street Journal Online; additional content by WARC staff


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Retail & Ecommerce
eMarketer expected a strong 2015 holiday season for ecommerce and total retail sales. In this webinar, we take a look at the final results and review what retailers need to know about changing consumer behaviors to keep up in 2016. Topics include: How the overall retail sector performed during the 2015 holiday season; Why experiential gifts were one significant holiday trend of 2015; How consumers used their phones and other mobile devices to shop last holiday season; How deal-seeking behaviors are changing the holiday shopping calendar.
Most web users in France are well informed about the new business models that companies such as Uber, Airbnb and BlaBlaCar represent, and their potential effects on traditional industries.
One in five digital buyers in Denmark said their most recent digital purchase was clothes, shoes or jewelry, according to a 2015 survey, while 14% each had last bought entertainment items (movies, music or books) or spent money on travel and cultural experiences.
Mobile devices have become a key part of the auto shopping process for US internet users, according to research. And search data suggests consumers are warming up to car shopping—and turning to digital for research at all stages of the purchase funnel.
Keri La Ra, director of global social media and digital compliance at Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide, spoke to eMarketer about how social listening drives engagement with loyalty group clients and informs the marketing budget.
Next year will mark a milestone for US ecommerce, as more than half of digital buyers in the country will use a smartphone to complete a purchase during 2017. According to eMarketer’s latest forecast, 95.1 million Americans ages 14 and older, or 51.2% of digital buyers, will make at least one purchase via a smartphone.
Consumers use their smartphones a great deal when shopping, and according to November 2015 research, receiving real-time promotions is one of top smartphone retail services they desire.
Memberships in loyalty programs are expanding rapidly while active participation in programs is falling. The reason is simple: Although the barriers to joining programs are lower than ever, most programs are undifferentiated and rely largely on discounts.
Most internet users in Japan plan to celebrate Valentine’s Day in some way, according to January 2016 research. Whether they spend it with partners, friends or family, internet users in the country tend to see the day as a time for gratitude.
Social commerce is nothing new, and social media sites continue to influence many ecommerce purchases, according to 2015 research. Purchases influenced by LinkedIn had the biggest average order value.
Most young adults in Indonesia who use Instagram follow digital retailers on the image-oriented social network. The most popular merchants to follow are in the fashion business.
Millennials account for an estimated one quarter of consumer spending, according to August 2015 research. Yet, advertisers spend more than a third of their total media budget pursuing them.
Consumers prefer traditional channels, like a phone or website, when communicating with a company, according to June 2015 research.
Internet users worldwide are most often influenced to purchase products in-store in order to save money, a Gfk survey reveals. Fifty-six percent of respondents are influenced to make in-store purchases by the allure of saving money, while only 26% are influenced to do so digitally.
Most retailers know the checkout features they want to offer, like pre-populated customer information. Aside from a few adding PayPal to their website, many are not making changes to other areas, like adding one-click checkout.
Nearly half of internet users in Sweden are planning to celebrate Valentine’s Day, according to a February 2016 survey by Svensk Handel. Of those who intend to do so, 44% will buy a gift for their partner, while 37% plan to stay in and cook a nice dinner.
Consumers spend a lot on Valentine’s Day, and this year is no exception. According to 2016 research, the largest shares of gift spending will be on evenings out and jewelry.
Digital buyers in France are making more digital purchases than ever, with an average of 22.9 each in 2015, compared to 11.4 in 2009. That’s twice the number of purchases made seven years ago, a substantial, if not surprising, figure.
Like adults, children are increasingly connected to the digital world. And while parents are granting them usage of these devices, they also want features on there that they can control.
Cross-border ecommerce varies country-by-country. In Europe, digital shoppers in stronger economies tend to shop domestically, while those on the other end of the spectrum look abroad for bargains. And while Canada and the US may be neighbors, they are hardly twins when it comes to digital buying.


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While the end of the year brings a clutch of awards in the automotive world, those from Euro NCAP will mean more than most to the average motorist.
The safety body has announced its three best-in-class accolades from the 18 new models it subjected to crash tests in 2016.
Also effectively ‘best in class’ was the Mercedes-Benz E-Class, but it was the only executive car tested. However Euro NCAP states that it performed well and was especially noted for its exceptional performance in child occupant protection.
“With an automatic passenger airbag disabling system and excellent dynamic test results, it is clear that Daimler has invested greatly in an area of assessment recently made more demanding by Euro NCAP,” the testers say.
The best-in-class accolades are even more relevant as the year saw some significant changes to Euro NCAP’s ratings scheme, with the automotive industry reacting accordingly.
For example, the inclusion of tests for pedestrian-detecting autonomous braking systems drove a huge increase in the fitting of technology described by the testers as ‘life-saving.’
While some manufacturers offers such systems as an option, it was good to see many fitting it as standard equipment. The Prius was the first car to undergo tests of its AEB Pedestrian technology – its standard-fitted safety pack, ‘Toyota Safety Sense’, performed well and managed to recognise and avoid or reduce the severity of potential crashes with pedestrians.
Euro NCAP testers also highlighted the excellent performance of the new SEAT Ateca in these tests.
The best in class accolade was based solely on cars tested with safety measures supplied as standard equipment. However EuroNCAP points out that several manufacturers are now taking advantage of its newly introduced dual rating system, which awards a second star total to cars when they are fitted with safety equipment available as options.
Many makers specify safety packs as options, these usually including the auto-braking technology often with pedestrian protection included. EuroNCAP performed such tests on superminis, small family cars and one pickup – the Suzuki Ignis, for example scored three stars in standard form and a top five stars with its Dual Camera brake support system, standard on top models, optional on others.
According to Euro NCAP secretary general, Michiel van Ratingen, the safety body recognizes that some technologies are expensive and it may not be possible for manufacturers to include them as standard equipment across the range and, at the same time, keep entry-level cars affordable for the target market.
“The dual rating scheme lets them phase in sales more gradually, keeping cars affordable but, at the same time, giving consumers the chance to take advantage of these important safety technologies – we’re pleased to see such a broad uptake of pedestrian-detecting AEB systems in 2016, as standard or as an option,” van Ratingen says.


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Panasonic's 248 sq.-metre indoor farm is located in Tuas, an industrial zone in western Singapore, and is the first facility of its kind to be licensed by the government. Panasonic says the innovative soil-based system employs LED lighting to grow vegetables without pesticides in half the time a traditional farm requires. The system also optimizes other growing conditions, including temperature, humidity and CO2 levels.
The Tuas facility has an initial production capacity of 3.6 tons of vegetables per year, but Panasonic hopes to boost output to 1,000 tons by March 2017 - equivalent to about 5% of Singapore's current vegetable production. [THAT would be quite something!!]
Panasonic can cultivate 10 kinds of vegetable at present, including lettuces, radishes, baby spinach, cherry tomatoes and basil. It is also producing popular Japanese varieties such as ooba (mint), mizuna (potherb mustard) and mitsuba (wild parsley) that are imported from Japan at present. According to Panasonic, its indoor-farmed produce could be half the price of imports. [ THAT is very relevant]
Panasonic is starting off its futuristic grocery business by supplying 3 kinds of vegetables for Ootoya salads, and will add two more next month. Ultimately, it hopes to produce 30 vegetables.
At a press conference on Thursday, Hideki Baba, managing director of Panasonic Factory Solution Asia Pacific, noted that Singapore at present produces only 8% of the vegetables it consumes due to the scarcity of farm land. "Panasonic hopes our indoor vegetable farm can contribute effectively to the nation's food self-sufficiency levels," said Baba.
Panasonic's future business model for indoor farming will involve franchisees supplying restaurants and commercial grocers. A system for households that wish to self-grow is also being considered, and there are plans to export systems to Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam. "With the increase of salary levels and a large number of Japanese restaurants in these countries, we expect the demand for fresh and safe vegetables to grow," said Baba.
Mostly sourced from a press release on July 31, 2014 9:44 pm JST by Tomomi Kikuchi Nikkei Staff writer
This is an auspicious move - especially with a soil based system, rather than using hydroponics. While other parts of the world are also developing similar approaches [ think Detroit in the USA for example] this venture in Singapore aims to offer fresh salad greens in a land poor region.
Could this system be replicated elsewhere? Like Darwin for example? And think outside the target of Japanese customers - it seems eminently replicable for many, many vegetables.
UPDATE - It seems many are interested in this concept with both Sharp and Fujitsu also involved in similar ventures - some in Japan, and some in the middle east [ Dubai].
Read more here - https://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/business/technology/a/24621789/electronics-giant-panasonic-wants-singaporeans-to-eat-its-veg/
Should we see more of these particularly in both hotter and colder regions of the world where vegetables are needed, but sometimes more difficult to grow, especially year round!


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While the triple-digit temperatures in the Valley prevent it from feeling like fall, Great Wolf Lodge Scottsdale is putting us in the Halloween state of mind. On Oct. 1, the resort kicks off its month-long Howl-O-Ween celebration, with ghostly crafts, dance parties and, of course, trick-or-treating.
Great Wolf Lodge’s annual Howl-O-Ween celebration takes place from Oct. 1 to Halloween on Oct. 31. Families will get a look at Howl-O-Ween the moment they enter the lobby, thanks to being decked in pumpkins and fall leaves galore.
After spending the day splishing and splashing at the water park, they can count on a full schedule thanks to The Thrill of Howl-O-Ween Yoga Tails, Monster Bash Dance Party before bedtime and Boo Bingo. During Critter Cartoons art class, guests can craft the likes of bat hats, spider headbands, ghoulish key chains and Halloween masks to take home.
Perhaps the most anticipated Howl-O-Ween activity is Trick-Or-Treat Trail, during which kiddos collect candy at stops throughout the resort and meet Great Wolf Lodge characters dressed in their Halloween garb. Teal pumpkin trick-or-treat stops even feature non-food treats for those with allergies. Guests will sign up and enjoy the Trick-Or-Treat Trail during an allotted time to ensure physical distancing.


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The near 3.7% dividend yield will only keep investors at bay for so long. Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) has underperformed the market over the last three years. This comes despite a relatively killer start to 2012 that had Intel trading at near decade highs.
The stock still is compelling, trading at 13x earnings and under 6x enterprise value-to-earnings before interest taxes depreciation and amortization. A 13x price-to-earnings multiple is a far cry from the 20x plus multiples we saw prior to the financial crisis, but to get us back to that level, we'll need more. There are a few things that can get us there, some of which are outside the core data server market.
First, there's the mobile device market
Now, granted Intel is still the unquestioned leader in the microprocessor market, remaining number one in terms of market share and product performance. The company has focused on selling not just separate components but platforms optimized for specific markets, whether mobile, enterprise or the digital home.
There's no denying that PC growth will continue to slow, with tablets and smartphone growth outpacing that of PCs. And although the PC market will not disappear anytime soon, in order to achieve meaningful and sustainable growth, Intel will have to make a move into the smartphone and tablet markets.
There is some fierce resistance though, including the likes of Qualcomm (NASDAQ:QCOM), which has a market share of the smartphone apps processor market of 54% and is the leading manufacturer of chips used in non-iPad tablets. However Intel has the resources and the size to make a serious effort in this direction.
Intel initially concentrated on Windows tablets, which touched 11 million in 2013 and account for a market share of around 4.8%, a 400% growth from the previous year. The sales number is expected to grow by about 10% in 2014. There's still plenty of room for growth for Intel. Strategy Analytics reports that the smartphone apps processor market was worth an enormous $18 billion in 2013, and Intel's market share was a negligible 0.2%. They also report that the tablet apps processor market was worth $3.6 billion during the same year. It is true that these will not be as profitable as PC chips but there is no reason why they can't make money in the industry.
Where do wearables fit into Intel's strategy?
Some sources have noted that Intel won the acquisition for Basis, the maker of a health-tracker watch with advanced sensors, at the rumored price of between $100 million and $150 million. Prior to that, there was some speculation that Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) and Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) were interested in Basis given its quality and accuracy of its health watches.
The bid is regarded as an effort by Intel to remain competitive in a technology market where wearable devices have become a craze over the last year. It's been argued that Intel has missed many of the recent trends in the technology business, thus, it presumably does not want to play an expansive game of catch-up in the case of wearables.
Meanwhile, Apple has a team of experts working on the so-called iWatch. There is also some speculation that the launch of a Google watch is imminent. Thus, and presumably, Intel's interest in Basis lies in the sensors which include an accelerometer and sensors for heart rate, skin temperature and perspiration which can together provide an accurate estimate of the calories burned. Some of Intel's rivals, Texas Instruments (NYSE:TXN), Qualcomm and STMicroelectronics (NYSE:STM), are believed to be ahead in the race to develop sensors for the wearables market. So, in some respects, Intel is already playing a game of catch up.
Data centers are still at the core
Intel's computational ability of its chips are quite impressive. The server business remains a key market, but it has some opportunities to expand into the faster growth smartphone and wearables markets. However, investors shouldn't be too quick to rule out data centers, which still has a number of big spenders.
Its ability to boost the average selling price of its server processors should help continue driving revenue higher. Its new processors just launched represent a new price point at the top of the price range and this follows the launch. The data center business should easily grow at a rate of 15% annually over the next few years and the launch of new server processors should help. This should also come as the industry sees a drive to lower-cost computing. This move will increase server demand.
In the off chance that Intel can get back to 20x earnings by fiscal 2015 (and hit $2 in EPS) the upside is compelling. However, if the company can't manage to make a meaningful move into a faster growing area outside of PCs it could easily remain stuck trading at 10x earnings and could miss earnings and come in on the low-end at $1.75. The risk-reward there is still 2-to-1.
Intel has an opportunity in the wearables and smartphone market, and there's still a lot to get excited about in the cloud computing and virtualization space. The small- and medium-business market is flocking to the area. And assuming that enterprise continues to move to the cloud, this is a huge opportunity for a company such as Intel.
Disclosure: I have no positions in any stocks mentioned, and no plans to initiate any positions within the next 72 hours. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.


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Unocoin, a cryptocurrency business based in Bengaluru has been tumbling downhill since last October when its co-founders, Harish BV and Sathvik Viswanath, were arrested in the case of Bitcoin kiosk (ATM) that the company had installed without gaining any permission from the authorities.
The company was involved in asking for PAN ID and bank details from customers at the kiosk when banks had been strictly banned from allowing any transaction related to virtual currencies. This had made the Bitcoin ATM even more problematic.
When the arrest took place, founders were facing multiple charges including computer-related charges, conning, and forgery.
Before all of this had happened, the company had a workforce of more than 100 people. However, in the latest set of events it turns out that the company has laid off more than half of its people and the number of people remaining in the offices is down to a low of 14 employees, reports ET.
This is because of one reason – the uncertainty in India around the use of cryptocurrency. When the court had banned the involvement of banks in crypto transactions, several people running businesses tendering this virtual money had protested against the decision, but the Supreme Court hearing for the same is still pending after being deferred to July.
For Unocoin, this means no follow on investment as ROI for investors becomes a sketchy possibility in the segment. Initially, it had raised $1.5 million from Blume Ventures and Bitcoin Capital. But due to a lack of follow on investment, sustaining around 100 employees while aiming to run the business till July hearing becomes a difficult task.
Hence, the layoffs. Most business that had started shop in India to sell cryptocurrency had given up on the idea after the RBI ban and the uncertainty around hearing assessing the non-feasibility of the venture. Unocoin has no such plans. It aims to sustain its business until July to live the possibility of a favourable outcome.


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NEW YORK ( TheStreet) -- MSC Industrial Direct (NYSE: MSM) hit a new 52-week high Thursday as it is currently trading at $81.80, above its previous 52-week high of $81.51 with 42,676 shares traded as of 11:24 a.m. ET. Average volume has been 329,500 shares over the past 30 days. MSC Industrial Direct has a market cap of $3.59 billion and is part of the services sector and wholesale industry. Shares are up 11.3% year to date as of the close of trading on Wednesday. MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc., together with its subsidiaries, operates as a direct marketer and distributor of metalworking and maintenance, repair, and operations (MRO) products to industrial customers in the United States. The company has a P/E ratio of 21.9, above the average wholesale industry P/E ratio of 21.2 and above the S&P 500 P/E ratio of 17.7.
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Eliminating cash transactions at self-service ticketing machines at MRT stations and bus interchanges is not the way to go (Fully cashless public transport by 2020; Aug 12).
A large proportion of commuters (34 per cent) continue to opt for cash top-ups at the ticketing machines (Some need help to adapt to cashless system, say observers; Aug 12).
While many of these people may be comfortable switching to cashless alternatives in the future, we must be sensitive to the needs of those for whom such a move may be more challenging, for instance, foreign workers and senior citizens.
Many school-going children also may not own credit or debit cards, and prefer to use cash for their top-ups.
It was reported that limited cash top-ups would still be available in places like convenience stores. However, such stores may not be located within the MRT station or bus interchange.
Retaining cash ticketing machines at these locations will better facilitate passenger commutes, as opposed to having passengers go to a convenience store.
Cash transactions performed at self-service ticketing machines are no less beneficial than cashless alternatives, and I am sure that retaining such modes of payment will be welcomed by commuters young and old.
I urge the Land Transport Authority and TransitLink to reassess the matter with care. After all, what is a Smart Nation if not one that works to serve the needs of its people?
Rachel Lau Hui En (Ms)


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On 4 November 2015, Multisource completed its acquisition of WBS – the parent company of iBurst and Broadlink – following approval from the Competition Commission and Icasa.
Duncan Simpson-Craib has been appointed as Group CEO, while Phumlani Moholi will head up the company’s network.
Multisource said it is planning to “develop the existing businesses and network to leverage the valuable spectrum licence that WBS holds”.
Simpson-Craib told MyBroadband they plan to spend the coming months testing a small LTE network, and defining a strategy going forward.
The network will make use of the company’s 1,800MHz spectrum, which is suitable for LTE networks.
Simpson-Craib said it would be ideal to move the current iBurst subscribers to an LTE network. However, it is not a certainty at this stage.
He said a full pricing review will happen before any decisions are made regarding the existing iBurst customers. “We will obviously try and look after the existing customer base,” said Simpson-Craib.
Broadlink, which is a profitable part of the WBS stable, will continue to be run by Mike Brown.
“Current Broadlink services will remain, but we will be doing full business reviews for all group companies which will hopefully lead to new and exciting offerings,” said Simpson-Craib.
iBurst also has 2,600MHz spectrum, but there are currently no plans to make use of this asset.
Simpson-Craib said they are not talking to any mobile operators regarding a spectrum sharing deal. “Regulations do not allow for spectrum sharing.”


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The ideal match between the Italian legacy and luxury lifestyle TONINO LAMBORGHINI brand and the highly innovative Chinese mobile company MEITU will bring to China a new and fashionable limited-edition smartphone.
SHANGHAI- Today the innovative Chinese mobile Internet company MEITU, Inc. announces the signing of a new license agreement with TL International, Inc., a South Korean joint venture corporation of TONINO LAMBORGHINI brand, for the production of a new one-of-a-kind, co-branded smartphone.
Tonino Lamborghini: the name itself is enough to excite the senses in most. Borne of the determination and will of Ferruccio Lamborghini to show the uncompromising beauty of his vision to the world, the name Tonino Lamborghini today is synonymous with unparalleled luxury, sophistication, and beauty. The legacy of the Lamborghini’s name lives on through Ferruccio’s son and grandson, who lead the luxury lifestyle brand TONINO LAMBORGHINI today.
No stranger to a vision of uncompromising beauty and innovation, China’s groundbreaking mobile company MEITU, along with TONINO LAMBORGHINI have announced plans to produce a unique co-branded smartphone that will exquisitely merge Italian design heritage with cutting edge 21st century Chinese technology.
The agreement was officially signed on May 15th in Seoul, Korea by Meitu Inc. and TL International, Inc.
Mr. Zeyuan Wu (also known as Mr. Wu Xinhong), 35 years old, founder and CEO of Meitu, shared: “We are thrilled to announce this new partnership with the Italian luxury Tonino Lamborghini brand. Meitu is proudly placed as China’s leading mobile Internet company with the aim to inspire beauty. The Lamborghini Family owns an incredible legacy that truly represent Italy’s flourishing culture and traditions. Combined, the Tonino Lamborghini brand will inspire Meitu to create an eye-catching and cutting-edge limited-edition smartphone that will no doubt be a hit in the Chinese market.”
Mr. Ferruccio Lamborghini, 27 years old, son of Tonino Lamborghini and CEO of the Italian company, added: “In line with our new ambitious project in the sector of premium smart devices, we have decided to match our strongly innovative DNA with one of the finest, advanced and inventive tech partners in the Chinese market. A team of very young geek entrepreneurs with a special imagination and creativity to create luxurious smartphone with ultimate photography experience.
For over thirty-five years, our company has covered different markets and sectors thanks to the vitality, passion and eclecticism of my father. He has created a brand always in action, innovative, experimental, original and audacious. Since my grandfather Ferruccio founded the first Lamborghini company, the Lamborghini family has been following the mission to create unique highly innovative products inspired by the Italian flair and mechanical design heritage.
I am personally managing this new project because I admire Meitu totally inspiring products and challenging philosophy; Besides, I find their pursuit of excellence and their dream of inspiring more people in expressing their beauty perfectly in line with the Tonino Lamborghini brand. This is the reason why we have decided to create with Meitu a new limited edition co-branded stylish and trendy smartphone for the most artistic and trendy Chinese consumers, passionate for fashion, beauty and Italian flair.”
A mystery banner was posted this morning on Meitu smartphone’s official Weibo page, showing the sentence “Meitu smartphone x Tonino Lamborghini” next to the motto “Pure Italian Talent”, which not only represents Tonino Lamborghini’s own brand philosophy but is also in line with the idea of Meitu’s pursuit of beauty. Meitu’s vision is to be the technology company that understands beauty best. Through mobile apps products including Meitu, BeautyCam, Meipai and its hardware product Meitu smartphones. Meitu has shaped the way beauty is expressed and shared, playing a crucial role in driving the selfie phenomenon globally.
More technical details and product specs will be revealed by Meitu at the launch of the new Tonino Lamborghini smartphone in the near future.


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Spiegel Online: Trump’s Dangerous Game With the US Dollar
Economists around the globe suggest the United States is engaging in a currency war. “Even though the U.S. economy has already been growing robustly for years and, with an unemployment rate of just 4.1 percent, is approaching full employment, Trump is continuing to stimulate growth – a focus that could result in an overheated economy, which would present a danger to the entire global economy,” explain Tim Bartz and Martin Hesse for Spiegel Online. “The combination of a weak dollar and protectionist measures are aimed at creating a competitive advantage for American companies versus their competitors from around the world.” A weak dollar reduces the value of the US debt, which now totals $20 trillion. The US dollar has lost 10 percent of its value since June of 2017 and 25 percent of its value since 2014. When the US dollar is strong, US exporters do well but overseas companies that export goods see their profits fall, and such trends threaten Europe’s fragile recovery. Some economists suggest that currency manipulation could lead to the dollar losing its status as the world’s preferred reserve currency. The US Federal Reserve will assess interest rates in March, and a gradual rise may calm worries about inflation and an overheated economy. – YaleGlobal
Spiegel Online: Trump's Dangerous Game With the US Dollar
The US president calls for a weaker dollar, and that could jeopardize Europe's fragile economic upswing – the European Central Bank has little recourse
Tim Bartz and Martin Hesse
Friday, February 16, 2018
Read the article about the US dollar from Spiegel Online.
© SPIEGEL ONLINE 2018 All Rights Reserved Reproduction only allowed with the permission of SPIEGELnet GmbH


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Mecom Group, a London-listed media company with operations in the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway and Poland, has awarded a €90 million, five-year IT outsourcing deal to Indian company HCL.
HCL will provide IT infrastructure management services, as well as some application management services, starting in the first half of next year.
The company expects to incur €19 million in up front cash costs and €12 million in "outsourcing-related capital costs" as a result of the deal, but predicts it will provide an annual profit improvement of €12 million.
Mecom’s chief operating officer Keith Allen commented that the deal will support the company’s transition from a publisher focused on paper-based products to a "multi-platform consumer content business".
"This agreement will not just be financially attractive but it will also provide us with consistent IT development across our different divisions," he said.
In its latest financial year, Mecom reported a 2% decline in overall revenues to €1.4 billion, as advertising sales dropped 4%.
HCL claims to have four of the world’s five biggest publishing companies among its customers. News International counts among its media customers, a connection that lead to the HCL’s name being mentioned during a recent emergency debate on the phone hacking scandal in the House of Commons.
"I believe that the police should ask [News International chariman] Mr James Murdoch and [former News of the World editor] Rebekah Brooks whether they know of the attempted destruction of data at the HCL storage facility in Chennai, India," remarked MP Tom Watson.
However, HCL denied any involvement in the incident, saying that it does not store any of its customers’ data, anywhere in the world.


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Giumarra Wenatchee will bring a new pear to the market by becoming the exclusive North American supplier for the Angélys pear, grown in New Zealand by Freshmax.
Giumarra will market limited supplies of Angélys this summer, with initial availability in mid-June. The pear has strong consumer appeal, with a sweet, bold flavor profile, according to a company press release. Its smooth, bronze skin has a unique pink blush.
“This is the first time this variety will be available in the U.S. market,” Jason Bushong, division manager for Giumarra Wenatchee, said in the press release. “We think there is great potential growth with Angélys because of its unique characteristics and superb flavor. Consumers are really looking for flavor, and this pear will deliver.”
Bushong also noted that the pear has exceptional shelf life and storability.
Angélys was initially bred in France and is grown in the Nelson region of New Zealand. This year’s program will offer trial volumes from June through August. Additional production is already planned for future seasons following the pear’s success in the New Zealand and French markets.
“Summer will provide a great opportunity to merchandise the pear in unique ways, either by itself or as part of a larger summer fruit display featuring multiple items,” Scott Ross, Eastern region business manager for the Giumarra Cos., said in the release. “Educating consumers on its key attributes generates interest and leads to repeat purchases.”
Giumarra Wenatchee offers a complete program of imported pipfruit, both specialty and traditional varieties. The division also supplies a year-round kiwifruit program from all countries of origin.


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St. Jude Falls on Reduced Forecast, Heart Device Sales
St. Jude Medical Inc. (STJ), a maker of heart rhythm devices, fell the most in five weeks after the company said its 2012 outlook is worsening as a product recall crimps sales and a stronger dollar erodes overseas profit.
St. Jude decreased 3.8 percent to $37.75 at the close in New York, the biggest single-day drop since June 12. The company cut its forecast for full-year profit to $3.40 to $3.45 a share, St. Jude said today in a statement. The device maker in April estimated $3.44 to $3.49 a share.
Last year’s recall of Riata, a wire used to connect life- saving defibrillators to the heart, may have hurt sales of other products. The wires, or leads, had to be replaced after reports they could break through the insulation coating and fail. Sales of St. Jude devices that manage heart rhythms, including implantable cardioverter defibrillators and pacemakers, fell 6 percent in the second quarter from a year earlier.
“There was a risk that they were going to have to lower guidance because of the currency, the bigger concern is they sounded considerably negative about the cardiac rhythm management market,” Michael Matson, an analyst at Mizuho Securities USA Inc., said in a telephone interview. There is concern the recall is “starting to catch up with them,” he said.
St. Jude stopped selling Riata in December 2010 and recalled it a year later. Durata replaced Riata and was associated with one fraying incident in a report to U.S. regulators last month.
Sales of St. Jude’s implantable cardioverter defibrillators fell 4 percent in the second quarter to $459 million, according to the statement. Pacemaker sales decreased 9 percent to $287 million.
“Their sales aren’t falling off a cliff, but they’re clearly in the penalty box,” Joanne Wuensch, an analyst at BMO Capital Markets Corp. in New York, said in a phone interview.
For St. Jude, which gets about 52 percent of its revenue from outside the U.S., the dollar’s strength against other currencies has also reduced the value of some sales. Second- quarter revenue fell 2 percent to $1.4 billion. Without the negative effect of currency translation, the company said sales would have risen 1 percent.
The U.S. dollar index, which reflects the value of the dollar against major world currencies, was on average 8.1 percent higher in the second quarter than a year earlier.
To contact the reporter on this story: Anna Edney in Washington at firstname.lastname@example.org
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Reg Gale at email@example.com


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Rocketing costs for plywood, studs and other basic developing components are delaying some jobs and boosting rates for badly needed new properties in Anchorage.
Shortages of appliances and other products are also complicating venture designs, leading to very long waits for some items to arrive, builders and store house owners claimed.
“It’s no finish in sight,” said Nikki Giordano, main government for the Anchorage Home Builders Affiliation.
Lumber selling prices nationally have jumped by about 200% due to the fact prior to the pandemic, she reported. Alaska builders and hardware keep entrepreneurs have been compelled to pass the increased fees on to prospective buyers.
The will increase have pushed up prices for one-spouse and children households in Anchorage by $25,000 to $50,000 above the past year, builders say.
New Anchorage properties offered for a report $640,000 in 2020, up by $70,000 from the year before. New households statewide offered for an ordinary $435,000 in 2020, up $20,000 from the year just before, state documents exhibit.
The higher prices could complicate Anchorage’s economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, officials say. But the demand for residences in Anchorage — previously contributing to document gross sales rates amid a scarcity of residences on the market — is predicted to remain significant.
Cody Hultquist with Hultquist Houses stated selling prices for supplies have steadily elevated. Suppliers have been sending letters saying price ranges will shortly increase at a preset day. All types of products have been affected, like concrete, plumbing things and the sheetrock used to make partitions.
“Week after 7 days,” Hultquist explained. “It’s just nonstop.”
Hultquist is sticking with options to develop about 70 homes in Anchorage this calendar year, he explained.
He stated sector observers expect the climbing selling prices could continue being a challenge for an additional year or 18 months.
Amy Petrusa co-owns Components Specialties in Anchorage, which sells lumber and other supplies for cabinet-making and interior complete function.
She said suppliers are allocating, or basically rationing, products. Some wooden products, resources and other things that used to arrive in a few of weeks have been on back again order for months.
The shop frequently has been compelled to modify charges.
“It’s difficult to preserve up with it,” she explained. “Every time we get lumber in, it is a different rate. It’s like the spot gold sector.”
A client in the retailer Wednesday walked away with out the high-finish sander he was searching for. It wasn’t in stock.
“See, people today occur in every single day and are upset,” Petrusa claimed. “Most of our clients are faithful and they’ll wait around, but in some cases we cannot inform them when it is coming. It will make us unhappy.”
The cost jumps stem from a number of pandemic-related issues and pure disasters, business observers said.
COVID-19 has upended global transport designs, contributing to transportation delays. People keeping household have boosted desire for property renovations. The closure of mills in the pandemic’s early times hobbled generation of wood-based mostly items. Wildfires hurt the availability of timber and the tiny wood particles made use of in plywood. And the February storm in Texas shuttered chemical crops, hurting the creation of plastics and other development materials.
The ensuing cost increases could include to undertaking delays, likely minimizing design careers this summer time and placing a drag on Anchorage’s financial recovery from COVID-19 this 12 months, mentioned Bill Popp, president of the Anchorage Economic Improvement Corp.
“We just never know how lousy the impacts will be simply because the increased prices are translated into greater income price ranges,” he said. “So the developers will make calculations on no matter if there is plenty of current market desire out there that people will be willing to purchase this home.”
The advancement corporation has hoped that a jump in new household building could assist cut down common property sale charges that have soared to a history $400,000 in Anchorage.
For the most part, desire stays powerful and customers are just paying more, market observers say.
Reduced interest charges, making decrease month-to-month payments for house financial loans, drove the warm housing market in Anchorage very last calendar year.
The reduced charges carry on to guidance demand from customers and retain month to month housing payments very affordable, said Rob Kreiger, an economist with the Alaska Office of Labor and Workforce Growth.
“But when resources get much too high priced, there is ultimately a issue the place people today just cannot pay for to develop houses or get them,” he explained.
The large costs aren’t just impacting the household development sector. They’ve also slowed strategies for an Anchorage lodge. A twin-branded, 4-story Vacation Inn Express and Candlewood Suites in Midtown Anchorage has been delayed for a 12 months, a project formal reported.
And Seth Andersen, who just lately developed a string of reasonably priced cottages in a condominium complex in close proximity to downtown Anchorage, claimed he place a equivalent cottage venture in Spenard on maintain until the market settles down.
“Profit margins getting as restricted as they are, it just didn’t seem to be like a very good strategy to go in advance suitable now,” Andersen claimed.
Habitat for Humanity, which builds a smaller range of economical residences yearly, plans to get and stockpile components for a couple of residences to lock in latest costs, said Peter Taylor, government director.
“This is unparalleled,” he stated. “We’re fearful rates will go up in a shorter place of time.”
Mark Fineman, with Cook dinner Inlet Housing Authority, said the firm has discovered efficiencies in its multi-unit very affordable housing assignments that are already underway. Which is helped the authority adhere to options and budgets.
But ongoing substantial rates could inevitably pressure the authority to scale back the range of models for future very affordable housing jobs.
“It’s presently difficult to create economical housing for a range of factors such as expenditures,” he reported. “This just adds a further layer to the cost component of a challenge.”
Eric Visser, of Visser Development and president of the Anchorage Dwelling Builders Association, explained builders are introducing escalator clauses to contracts to shield them as costs increase.
The better charges not too long ago forced him to absorb a couple of thousand pounds of misplaced gain for a dwelling he’d previously contracted to develop in South Anchorage, with views overlooking Cook dinner Inlet and Mount Susitna.
“That’s dollars I’d relatively be placing into personnel bonuses,” he explained. “But this is the house-creating scenario we are working with now.”


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The line between the automotive industry and technology sector is become increasingly fuzzy. The assembly line has been a standard feature for all automotive companies when it comes to produ... Read more
There are no upcoming events at this time.
Juma Al Majid Est. unveils new Genesis G70 with unique specifications
G-POWER G8M HURRICANE
First Lotus showroom with new global retail identity now open for business
GM Reports Strong Second-Quarter 2021 Results
The new BMW CE 04
© 2017 Morjan Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.


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Google is developing a pill containing nanoparticles and a wristband to diagnose diseases in the body
Reviewers praise Google Inbox for its 'clever ideas' but some find the new app simply 'overwhelming'
Links to pirated tracks to be replaced with paid ads for legal music services such as Spotify or iTunes
With its Nexus 6 phone, Nexus 9 tablet and Nexus Player set-top box, Google is taking on Apple TV and Amazon
Fast-growing new site Ello promises 'beauty, simplicity and transparency' – and no advertising
The smartphone-based network says it will defy the court and keep trading despite threat of fines
Google is making drone deliveries, while Amazon is moving into advertising. What's going on?
Man arrested after Google flagged images of alleged child abuse sent from his Gmail account
Parliamentary committee says that asking Google to police the web is unreasonable


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The LG G2 is one of the best and innovative smartphones that we have seen this 2013, where it received nothing but great reviews and a legitimate contender for the top three smartphone of the year. Even LG expects nothing less from their flagship device as they predicted to have sold 3 Million units by the end of this year.
But it looks like the G2 will not live up to LG’s expectation as according to the Korean publication Asia Today, The G2 has only sold 2.3 million units in it’s first four months. Even in Korea, LG’s home market, has only sold 600,000 G2 units, just slightly above the 540,000 LG G Pro units sold last year.
Like we said, the G2 is a great device that many has said to top the likes of Samsung’s Galaxy S4. The G2 sports the best hardware possible at the time of it’s launch and it also boasts of some innovative features like the KnockOn and Rear Key.
So what made the G2’s sales fall short? Well in our opinion it’s a combination of two things. First reason is, LG is not an Apple or a Samsung. It’s as simple as that. People tend to buy products from the more popular brand and that’s looking like the case with the G2.
Second reason is, you guessed it right – the launch of the Nexus 5. The Nexus 5 was launched 2 months after the G2 and like all the previous Nexus devices, never had a problem selling it’s units due to it’s relatively low price. And who won’t love a phone that always gets the latest updates first? Plus the G2 and Nexus 5 sports nearly the same specs, so most buyers will most probably go with the cheaper Nexus 5.
The G2 may have fallen short to live up it’s sales expectation, but it doesn’t take away the fact that it’s one of the best smartphone that we have seen this year.
19,875 total views, 1 views today


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New forest strategy aims to boost economic growth29 November 2018
A new ambitious forest industries strategy published today aims to double the sector’s economic growth to £2bn a year by 2030.
Launched by the Scottish Forest and Timber Technologies Industry Leadership Group (ILG), the “Roots for Further Growth” strategy sets out a long-term vision for economic growth up to 2030.
The strategy has five strategic priorities: maximising the economic outputs of Scotland’s forest and fibre resource; improving the safety and efficiency of the wood fibre supply chain; expanding markets and add value; developing a workforce with skills for the future; and understanding and communicating the forest and wood-based industries’ contributions to Scotland’s economy.
Chair of the ILG and chair of the BSW Timber Group, Martin Gale CBE, presented the strategy to Fergus Ewing, Rural Economy Secretary, during a visit to Edinburgh Napier University’s, Institute of Sustainable Construction, where they witnessed some structural testing of potential new wood products.
“Over the last decade the sector has grown significantly and our ambition is to double our contribution to the Scottish economy by 2030,” said Mr Gale.
“This is an ambitious and forward thinking strategy, said Mr Ewing.
“The outputs of these forest industries are very important to Scotland, contributing significantly to our economic sustainable and inclusive growth in the rural economy and delivery of our climate change plans.
“In response to the healthy forecasts of increased wood fibre availability, the sector has invested heavily over the past 10 years to achieve world class wood processing facilities. This in turn has created many new jobs, often in the more fragile rural communities."
The Roots for Further Growth strategy covers the wide-ranging economic and business activities of the forest industries sector. This includes domestic and imported wood supply chains, engineered wood products and systems, recycled wood and wood energy.
It also offers opportunities for new green industries such as wood-based biotechnologies.
The strategy also includes a detailed Action plan showing how all the priorities will be achieved in partnership with others, including Scottish Enterprise, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, Forestry Commission Scotland and Skills Development Scotland.


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Iconic sub franchise entering a bright new era
Quiznos franchise, the most disruptive and innovative sub franchise in history, is stronger than ever before.
Under the new leadership of Rego Restaurant Group, a franchisor with deep experience in reinvigorating brands with tremendous consumer affinity, Quiznos is returning to its roots by dialing the innovation up to 11.
And the result is a franchise opportunity that is truly something to get excited about.
“This is the most exciting time in the history of Quiznos,” says Mark Lohmann, President of Quiznos. “We’re confident that when we look back on Quiznos in 2022, a few years from now, we’re all going to be looking back on the rebirth of a great brand. The traction that we’re getting from consumers, the level of interest we’re experiencing with entrepreneurs, and the growth potential of this brand are phenomenal. Now is the time to invest in a Quiznos franchise, because there’s so much opportunity right now. The sky’s the limit.”
Quiznos new restaurant design is built for today and tomorrow
When Quiznos pioneered the toasted sub, it changed the way the Americans eat sandwiches forever. In 2022, Quiznos is continuing to shake things up.
“The more innovative we are as a brand, the more that consumers will reward us,” Lohmann says. “Everything we’re doing as a brand is focused on consumer preference, and ensuring that this brand continues to remain relevant with consumers today and in the future. We’re focused on innovation every day because that is what made Quiznos great.”
Beginning with a brand new restaurant design that is unlike anything else in the $20 billion sub franchise category, Quiznos is one step ahead of the rest of the industry. Our new model brings in flat-top grills and deep fryers, so that Quiznos can offer menu items that the rest of the sub franchise category cannot, while providing customers with unique menu items that invoke a sense of adventure, fun, and most importantly, craveability.
Along with meeting the ever-expanding palette that today’s consumers have, the new Quiznos restaurant design also allows customers the flexibility they expect. We’ve added drive-thru service, omnichannel delivery, and we’re focused on operational excellence so that our customers get their food fast.
All of this is an effort to drive profitability to our franchise owners.
“We’re committed to helping our franchisees thrive in business,” Lohmann. “We believe we make sandwiches better than anyone else out there, and with our new design, we can make them faster than anyone else, too. We’ve also embraced third-party delivery. The way that we’ve designed our restaurant of the future is to ensure that our franchisees have long-term growth potential.”
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In 2022, Quiznos is completely reinvigorated. By returning to our roots as the most innovative sub franchise in history, Quiznos is in the midst of a national resurgence that shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon.
Enormous brand recognition is a tremendous advantage for franchise owners
Quiznos is one of the most beloved sub franchises in the nation, with millions of fans across the country and around the world.
This is a tremendous advantage for franchise owners.
“Quiznos has enormous brand awareness that franchise owners can capitalize from day one,” says Tim Casey, CEO of Quiznos. “While other brands have to spend a fortune to generate excitement about their brand, Quiznos franchise owners have a built-in audience of wildly enthusiastic fans. Our loyalty platform is one of the largest in the industry, and we’re able to speak to our individual customers to drive engagement, create excitement, and ultimately drive sales.”
Now is the time to franchise with Quiznos
With so much momentum behind our brand, Quiznos is ready to franchise with entrepreneurs who share our passion for people, community, and the best tasting subs on planet earth.
In 2022, there is an enormous opportunity to bring Quiznos to markets across North America. With the demand for new Quiznos restaurants higher than ever before, now is the ideal time to invest.
“There’s never been a better time to invest in Quiznos,” Casey says. “What do you want as a franchisee? You want to have an opportunity to grow a brand in your community. You want to have the opportunity to work with the corporate team to influence the business model. And you also want a business model that offers the potential for economic growth. By franchising with Quiznos today, you get to be on the cutting edge of where Quiznos is headed.”


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Last year, the popularity of Apple Inc.'s iPad hurt PC sales. This year, that trend is continuing, as new data from two market research firms indicate PC shipments declined in the first three months of 2011.
One sign that Evan Neal isn't your typical 16-year-old: He contributes several hundred dollars toward the monthly electric bill at his father's house to cover the cost of running his energy-hungry computer equipment.
Sony's first tablet computer will hit the Japanese market on September 17 as the company looks to take on Apple's popular iPad, the electronics giant said Thursday.
Novel research on improving the simulation performance of hardware models created in a language called SystemC, often used to shorten manufacturing design cycles to improve the time it takes to bring a product to the marketplace, ...
SanDisk Corp. has added the SanDisk Ultra Backup USB 2.0 portable flash drive to its long line of USB flash drives. This is the first to feature a solution to back up home or office data with the touch of a button.
Oracle chief executive Larry Ellison boasted that the acquisition of business computer equipment firm Sun Microsystems had helped turn up the heat on rivals IBM and Hewlett-Packard.
(AP) -- Sun Microsystems Inc.'s loss ballooned in the latest quarter as restructuring charges and a 20 percent drop in sales compounded the financial woes Oracle Corp. is set to inherit by acquiring Sun for $7.4 billion.
For the world's No. 1 TV seller, it's no longer all about bigger screens and thinner panels. Televisions have to be smart too.
A legal battle between Intel and NVIDIA heated up on Thursday with the graphics computing specialty firm accusing the world's largest chip maker of breaching a contract.
The US Justice Department announced that it has filed a complaint against EMC Corp. over contracts the information management and storage giant secured with the US government.


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SINGAPORE, June 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — OrangeTee & Tie (OrangeTee) has announced a strategic hire to its senior management team. Jon Tan, Senior Vice President, Head of Brand, Digital Marketing and Communication is its newest face as it continues to charge ahead with brand transformation plans while leveraging the latest digital and social marketing trends to enhance the agency’s services.
With over 15 years of experience in branding, digital marketing, and communications, Jon’s domain expertise, multi-disciplinary approach, and ability to be a strategic consultant to both internal and external stakeholders will be an asset to the company.
“We are delighted to have Jon on board! As OrangeTee adapts to new digital disruptions to uplift our brand as a client-centric agency, we remain committed to delivering quality experiences to our stakeholders. Jon’s digital-first mindset and capabilities will definitely elevate our brand positioning among our stakeholders and boost our success when marketing new residential projects. His expertise is a boon that complements our agents’ passion and commitment to our clients,” said Steven Tan, Chief Executive Officer of OrangeTee & Tie.
Jon is a proven industry leader with a strong track record of success, including senior roles at Far East Organization, ERA Realty Network, and other key industry players. In these roles, he was responsible for developing and executing strategic marketing campaigns that resulted in significant business growth.
Jon is also a skilled digital marketer who understands the gravity of proptech in transforming the customer experience. During the pandemic, he transformed the property viewing experience at one of his previous companies with live online property shows, tapping on virtual reality for 360-degree property videos, and offering digitally immersive walkthroughs. These innovative initiatives were well-received by customers and helped to keep the real estate business robust during a challenging time.
“Online property marketing has been deeply entrenched in our lives in recent years, especially in social media, and we need to act proactively and intelligently to its new challenges. With artificial intelligence at the core of OrangeTee digital innovations, we are able to shape how our agents market their clients’ properties more effectively and position themselves ahead of the competition. With the resources and support I have been given by the company, it’s vital that we stay attuned to the latest digital and social marketing trends and how we can leverage them,” said Jon Tan, Senior Vice President, Head of Brand, Digital Marketing and Communication, OrangeTee & Tie.
Adding on to his plans to take OrangeTee forward, Jon shared that the agency will be taking a systematic approach starting with a comprehensive brand review, taking a deep dive to understand internal and external stakeholders’ perceptions of the brand before embarking on the brand transformation plans. There are already ongoing talks for strategic digital partnerships to provide stronger support for agents. New property marketing and content generation ideas are also in the pipeline to help agents better reach clients.
In recent months, Jon’s appointment is the second new addition to OrangeTee’s senior management team. Earlier in April 2023, seasoned real estate practitioner and speaker, Justin Quek, was appointed as the company’s Deputy Chief Executive Officer.
The refreshed and technology-savvy leadership has already seen OrangeTee leverage artificial intelligence and new platforms to take its agent app to the next level. Building on the momentum, more will be done to support customers amidst ever-changing consumer viewing habits against a backdrop of a shifting real estate landscape. Its latest dynamic video content strategy combines public education and entertainment, targeting stakeholders across multiple social media platforms. Such initiatives signal that OrangeTee is clearly poised to reinforce its position as a trusted, digital-first and forward-thinking company in the real estate sector.
For more information on OrangeTee & Tie, please visit: https://www.orangetee.com/Home/
About OrangeTee & Tie
Founded in February 2000, OrangeTee has firmly established itself as one of the most reputable, dynamic and fast-growing real estate companies in Singapore over the past two decades. In 2017, the associate agencies of OrangeTee and Edmund Tie & Company merged to form OrangeTee & Tie. Today, the company remains at the forefront of technology and innovation in the property industry, with its digital solutions such as the exclusive OrangeTee Agent App. OrangeTee champions transparent and ethical advisory practices, while committed to building a sustainable business.


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MARKET traders returned to the streets of a North Wales town yesterday after a break of more than a century.
Anglesey council, which is behind the new venture at Holyhead, called on the services of TV's best known stallholders, Del Boy and Uncle Albert, to officially re-open the market.
The Only Fools and Horses lookalikes arrived in a ramshackle Reliant Robin three-wheeler. They thrilled the hundreds of shoppers who flocked to the town and gave their unique Trotter-style advice to traders.
Officials hope the weekly market will give the town a much needed economic boost.
The market is in the Market Square Cross, which boasted a thriving market up to the mid-19th century.
It was then moved indoors, but was scrapped after the building became dilapidated.
The return of the market is part of a wider project by Anglesey council to regenerate the port town. The scheme includes a £1.8m restructuring of the road network to attract more ferry passengers.
Business owners have given their support to the initiative and hope it will attract more ferry passengers, tourists and local people to the centre.
Glyn Williams, vice-chair of the town's Chamber of Trade, said: "I hope this will make a difference to the town and greatly appreciate the steps being taken.
"When the idea of establishing a market came up originally, I was involved in a survey of local business people and residents and there was overwhelming support.
"Only two of those asked opposed the idea.
"But attracting an additional 1,000 people to the town can only be a good thing for the shops and businesses on the high street.
"I hope the development will attract ferry passengers from Ireland into the town because everybody likes a good market."
Holyhead is considered one of the major gateways to Ireland, with about 2.4m passengers passing through the port each year.
The weekly market will be held throughout the summer until the end of September 2003.
Locals launched a campaign urging Anglesey council to run a market in the ferry port town following the success of twice weekly markets at Llangefni.
As part of a major consultation exercise, council officials canvassed the views of shopkeepers in Llangefni. Many supported the Monday option because it avoided clashes with other markets.
Anglesey's head of environmental services, Terry Jones, said: "The foot and mouth outbreak two years ago resulted in ferry passenger numbers falling very significantly. It hit tourism and economic activity.
"This had a significant impact on many Holyhead businesses and a survey carried out a year ago showed 25pc of town centre businesses experienced a significant drop in trade during 2001."
Holyhead county councillor, Cliff Everett, said he hoped the new market would give the town a boost and attract more people to do their shopping there.
Anglesey council officers have already taken steps to revive the centuries-old Llangefni street market.
Traders' rents have been cut and cheap bus fares, aimed at attracting would-be shoppers from the mainland, have been introduced.
Last month traders in Holyhead launched an initiative to encourage businesses to promote the town as a euro-friendly zone, as the number of visitors from Ireland and mainland Europe continues to grow.
The scheme is being developed by the Holy Island Partnership in conjunction with the town council and the Holyhead to Dun Laoghaire Link.
Around 20 businesses in Holyhead are already accepting the euro.
Among them are the Anglesey Hotel, the King's Arms and the Gateway Restaurant and Tea Shop.
The town's Woolworth store has also joined the initiative to make life easier for its customers, particularly those coming over from Ireland.
A similar "eurozone" venture launched at last year's Llangollen International Eisteddfod proved a hit with visitors to the music festival, and is being repeated again this year.


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Just as the warm weather and vacation season begin to kick off in Europe, the European Commission has beamed a light on one of the most expensive aspects of summer travel: mobile costs. Neelie Kroes, the European Commission vice president for the Digital Agenda (pictured), today laid out a new set of proposals that would put huge caps on the costs of mobile voice, texts and data. The caps are aimed at both the retail level and the point of wholesale, meaning that it would affect prices at both the multinational mobile operators as well as smaller operators that may not be using their own network for services. She also called on new measures to make it easier for consumers to swap one operator for another, without having to resort to changing their SIMs and calling plans to do it.
In a speech delivered in Brussels earlier today, Kroes noted that although there have been some price reductions in roaming in areas like dongle-based mobile broadband, they have not gone far enough. “Roaming prices should be no higher than what people are paying in local markets,” she noted. The aim is to make the difference between local and roaming rates “approach zero” by 2015.
Prices proposed range from capping mobile data at 50 euro cents ($0.72) per megabyte by 2014 at the retail level (currently there are no caps) to making it as low as 10 euro cents/MB ($0.14) for wholesale by 2014 (it’s currently at 50 euro cents). The full list:
Kroes says that she envisons these caps to stay in place until 2016, when market forces should have evened out and the prices will be low through competition.
The other major area that she seeks to change is in the area of SIMs. Currently, as with all GSM-based networks, users have to physically change the SIM cards in their devices in order to change operators. That has meant it is much more difficult for consumers to swap one provider for another when prices prove to be better elsewhere. “Consumers should have choice, [but the] competitive market is lacking,” Kroes noted today.
Her solution sounds a modified version of the so-called “soft SIM” idea put forward by Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) at one point earlier in the year, which was apparently quashed by operators alarmed at the idea of customers hopping of their service at the slightest offer of a lower price elsewhere. Kroes’ SIM idea aims to let “consumers choose an alternative provider for roaming services, irrespective of their national provider”:
“Each time the customer crossed a border, they would automatically switch to their chosen roaming provider, without any further action on their part, while keeping the same number and subscriber identity module (SIM card). This would enhance transparency and allow customers to shop around for the best roaming offers and encourage operators to offer more competitive roaming deals.”
The high price for roaming has been a bee in Kroes’ bonnet for years already. She had previously already enacted some measures to cap these prices — reductions that the operators immediately saw impacting their balance sheets — but this newest proposal, hitting all three areas of voice, text and data, and at both wholesale and retail, are the most drastic proposals for price reductions yet. We can therefore expect to see a lot of teeth-gnashing from the bigger operators.
Meanwhile, the proposed changes are a potential boost to smaller operators that do not own extensive network footprints and therefore need to rely on wholesale deals with other operators for roaming services, even if they will ultimately limit how much those operators might hope to make from those roaming services. As with services in home markets, caps have helped the bigger operators lock out the smaller players from decent roaming deals.
In an emailed statement, Three’s new CEO David Dyson noted that while he welcomed the start of more price cuts, they do not go far enough:
“We support the European Commission’s objective of bringing the cost of roaming data down to domestic levels, but to achieve that the Commission needs to go further than the proposed caps.
Our customers use their smartphones across the UK without fear of cost but must dramatically change the way they use their phones when they go abroad due to high data roaming charges.
High wholesale data rates are the problem, but the proposed caps will still leave these charges equivalent to €100 a gigabyte of data by 2014, a hundred-times greater than the current rate enjoyed today by UK consumers.
If the Commission wants to deliver on its objectives to provide a consistent experience for Europe’s consumers it should focus on driving the wholesale rates down to 3c a megabyte or less.”


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US: Sara Lee books Q3 loss in run-up to spin-off
- Q3 loss of $2m
- Excluding one-off items, net income fell 33.4%
- "On track" for 30 June spin off
US food and beverage group Sara Lee has reported a quarterly loss on the back of costs linked to the spin off of its coffee and tea business, which is scheduled for next month.
The company yesterday (3 May) booked a US$2m net loss for its third quarter, which ran until 31 March.
Operating income fell 65.9% to $66m thanks to restructuring costs and lower profits from the company's four divisions.
Net sales climbed 2% to $1.9bn as sales in each of the four units increased. However, price increases boosted sales and Sara Lee reported falling volumes from its coffee and tea and speciality meats units. Volumes from the company's North American retail meat business were flat year-on-year.
Excluding one-off items, which were largely due to the planned spin-off, adjusted net income was down 33.4% at $123m. Adjusted operating income fell 4.7% to $195m. Net sales excluding the items increased 3% to $1.86bn.
Executive chairman Jan Bennink said Sara Lee was "on track" to spin off the company's coffee and tea business - to be called D.E. Master Blenders 1753 - on 30 June.
Click here for the full release.
Former Sara Lee executive Marleen Vaesen will become chief executive of Belgium-based produce group PinguinLutosa....
Hillshire Brands has added a Lemon Pound Cake to its Sara Lee brand, as well as making the label's signature Butter Pound Cake more moist....
- Focus: Danone CEO Faber puts stamp on business
- Cleaning up Tesco will have mixed supplier impact
- The just-food interview: Doux CEO Arnaud Marion
- General Mills US "priority" categories gain share
- 2015 preview: A better deal for M&A sellers
- General Mills outlines "aggressive" NPD drive
- Coles supplier payments broke competition law
- Lay's heads "billionaire food brands" list
- PepsiCo opens snacks plant in Saudi Arabia
- General Mills earnings drop one-third


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The tariff fight over the world's biggest plane makers is heating up after the US claimed Boeing's rival Airbus was given 'market-distorting subsidies'
The World Trade Organization rejected the European Union's claim that it had ended subsidies to the French plane maker Airbus.
Experts say that Trump's European tariffs could send the cheese industry into chaos — and some popular cheeses could get more expensive
The US was approved to levy tariffs on $7.5 billion worth of products like cheese and olive oil from the EU following a WTO decision on October 2.
The Trump administration wants to slap tariffs on $11 billion worth of goods from the European Union — here's the full list of products that could get hit
The US said the tariff proposal is in response to illegal government support of aircraft maker Airbus and cover everything from sweaters to tweezers.
Harley first warned of a "tremendous cost increase" from European tariffs in a regulatory filing in June. Those tariffs were enacted by the EU in response to a US tax on imported metals, the first shot in the White House's quickly expanding trade war.
On Monday, Harley-Davidson said it “will be implementing a plan to shift production of motorcycles for EU destinations from the US to international facilities." The move comes just as the EU placed tariffs on certain manufactured goods — including motorcycles — in response to new US taxes.
Shares of Harley-Davidson fell more than 2% in early trading Monday after it said new taxes on imported motorcylces will have "signifcant impact" on its bottom line. The company also plans to shift manufacturing of products bound for Europe away from the US.
Harley-Davidson said in March, when Trump first announced Chinese steel and aluminum tariffs, it would see cost increases if the tariffs happened. They happened, and now the EU is tariffed. Even more painful for the motorcycle maker, the eU has retaliated. See what that'll do to the company's sales.


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Berlin, Germany – At this year’s Internationale Funkausstellung (IFA) in Berlin, Germany, Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA) announces its new innovation designed to give people a complete care system for their oral health. The Philips Sonicare DiamondClean Smart allows users to tackle multiple goals from whitening and gum health, to plaque removal and fresh breath. Improving users understanding of their oral health it empowers them to take an active role when looking after their mouth, teeth and gums in-between check-ups.
This innovative oral care solution includes new functionality and built-in smart technology which allows users to access a virtual oral health platform via the Philips Sonicare app. This gives users a whole new ecosystem of tools, advice and guidance to help change engrained behaviors and encourage good habits; this improves their overall brushing experience.
Collecting data and insights during each brushing session means users can track and monitor their progress through daily goal setting. This data can also be shared with their dentist via the Philips Sonicare app for tips and advice on how to tackle multiple oral health goals.
“We know that technology is shaping the future of healthcare, and that consumers are focused on solutions that are preventative and provide early diagnosis. We understand that it’s often hard for people to know if they’re doing a good job of their oral health in-between visits to the dentist, and is what these new innovations will assist with,” comments Egbert van Acht, Business Leader, Health & Wellness at Philips. “This new platform marks the future of oral healthcare, by giving users information they need to insight change and achieve their multiple oral health goals.”
The complete care system: Philips Sonicare DiamondClean Smart toothbrush, Philips Sonicare Breath care system connecting to the Philips Sonicare app
The Philips Sonicare DiamondClean Smart delivers exceptional oral care results with built-in smart sensors, upgraded brush heads and intuitive brushing technology achieving twice as much precision than the Oral-B Genius Pro 90001. Connecting to the Philips Sonicare app, personalized coaching within the platform helps improve people’s brushing technique; in fact, 90% of consumers said that DiamondClean Smart’s real time brushing feedback helps them brush with better technique.2
The Philips Sonicare Breath care system, featuring our new connected breath analyzer, measures, tracks and helps people address the impact of oral bacteria on breath quality, helping people to improve their breath and oral care habits. And in fact, 96% of dental professionals would now recommend Philips Sonicare breath care system to patients with breath quality issues.3
Both products seamlessly sync with the Philips Sonicare app, giving users data and guidance to empower them to proactively manage and improve their oral health in one platform.
1 Philips data on file, 2017
2 Philips data on file, 2017
3 Philips data on file, 2016
Philips at IFA
The Philips press conference takes place on August 31st at 12.15 pm in Hall 22, Messe Berlin. The live stream of the event can be seen at www.philips.com/ifa. Egbert van Acht, Business Leader Health & Wellness, and per October 1, 2017, Chief Business Leader of the Personal Health businesses at Royal Philips, will be joined on stage by Kostas Vouzas, General Manager Europe at TP Vision and Chris Worp, Head of Business Group Home, Philips Lighting.
For further information on the latest Philips innovations at IFA 2017 please visit www.philips.com/ifa, follow Philips at IFA on twitter @PhilipsLiveFrom, or visit our additional social media channels on YouTube and LinkedIn.


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Digest: Senators proposing bill to counter Chinese currency valuations
Published 5:30 am, Thursday, June 14, 2007
Senators propose currency legislation
Four U.S. senators introduced legislation Wednesday that would allow American companies to petition for steeper anti-dumping duties to counter the benefit of any undervalued currencies in China or other countries.
Democrats Charles Schumer of New York and Max Baucus of Montana and Republicans Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Charles Grassley of Iowa also are seeking to change how the U.S. determines whether countries are manipulating their currency by dropping a requirement that the U.S. find evidence the country is trying deliberately to get a trade advantage.
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Instead, the U.S. Treasury would look for specific signs that a country's currency is "fundamentally misaligned," and then target the country for action, including a World Trade Organization complaint, if it persists in those actions.
Also Wednesday, the Bush administration declined to cite China for manipulating its currency to gain unfair trade advantages and declined lawmakers' request to pursue a trade case on the issue.
Breakfast gets more expensive
U.S. consumers are paying 8 percent to 10 percent more for breakfast foods than a year ago because of rising prices for corn, wheat, milk and other commodities, a Department of Agriculture economist said.
Food prices overall will probably increase 3.5 percent to 4 percent this year, about one percentage point more than usual, he said.
General Mills, the maker of Cheerios, said last week it would raise prices as much as 4 percent this month to counter higher grain and energy costs.
Increased use of corn for ethanol and falling supplies of orange juice and milk are partly responsible for the jump in breakfast-food prices, Leibtag said.
Church unhappy with Sony sceneryTOKYO — Sony has begun talks with the Church of England over complaints that violent action sequences in a shooting game for the new PlayStation 3 console take place in what appears to be Manchester Cathedral .
The company learned of the complaints through media reports and began direct talks with the church "yesterday or today," Sony Computer Entertainment spokeswoman Nanako Kato said in Tokyo.
"We take the church's views seriously," she said.
She declined to give details of the talks.


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30 June 2017
Global lithium spot prices remain stable as market participants start negotiations for 2018 contracts. Consumers and suppliers showed divided price sentiment but both anticipate higher prices for the forthcoming year.
12 June 2017
As H2 negotiations heat up, contract prices for lithium carbonate in China dipped slightly on the low end, widening spreads dramatically.


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South Africa was named fourth among the non-Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) destinations in the 2015 Global Muslim Travel Index.
Among the non-OIC destinations Singapore scored the highest Index score of 65.1 followed by Thailand at 59.2 with South Africa scoring 51.1.
The Index, a MasterCard and CrescentRating initiative, revealed that in 2014 this segment was worth $145 billion, with 108 million Muslim travelers representing 10% of the entire travel economy. This is forecast to grow to 150 million visitors by 2020 and 11% of the market with an expenditure projected to grow to $200 billion.
Muslim travel will continue to be one of the fastest growing travel sectors in the world. The Muslim population is growing rapidly and is expected to become 26.5% of the world’s population by 2030. Faith is increasingly influencing purchasing decisions of travelers. This has been illustrated over the last decade by the accelerated growth of Halal food, Islamic banking and lifestyle sectors.
CrescentRating is the world’s leading authority on Halal-friendly travel. The company uses insights, industry intelligence, lifestyle, behaviour and research on the needs of the Muslim traveler to deliver authoritative guidance on all aspects of Halal-friendly travel to organizations across the globe.