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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: John Monson, Director of Sales & Marketing
Sugar Bowl Resort / Royal Gorge XC
Sugar Bowl Resort to Open for 75th Season
DONNER SUMMIT, Calif. (Dec. 3, 2014) — Sugar Bowl Resort will open for top-to-bottom skiing and snowboarding this Saturday, Dec. 6.
A powerful winter storm coated the mountain in up to 21 inches of snow on Tuesday, and another foot of snow is expected through Thursday.
The new snow, complementing Sugar Bowl’s new and improved snowmaking system, will allow Sugar Bowl Resort to open three lifts and top-to-bottom skiing on Mt. Lincoln on Saturday and Sunday. The resort plans to temporarily close from Monday, Dec. 8 to Friday, Dec. 12, re-opening for the season on Dec. 13 with full seven-day-a-week operations.
Sugar Bowl Resort will operate Mt. Lincoln Express, Christmas Tree and Nob Hill chairlifts, giving skiers and snowboarders access to beginner, intermediate and advanced terrain on 1,500 vertical feet.
All season passholders can ski opening weekend at Sugar Bowl Resort. No blackout dates are in effect. All access to Sugar Bowl Resort will be through the Village Gondola, which will operate from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Lift tickets for Dec. 6 and 7 will be set at $72 for adults, $42 for children and super seniors and $60 for youth and seniors. Skiers and snowboarders can receive $15 off of these prices, and ticket discounts throughout the entire season, by purchasing a CORE Daily Pass for $21.
Beginning ski and snowboard lessons and private lessons will be available and equipment rentals, retail and food and beverage will be open.
Uphill access to Sugar Bowl Resort is currently closed, but will open for uphill passholders on Saturday. Royal Gorge Cross Country is not currently open for the season. An opening date for the cross-country resort will be announced soon.
To learn more about Sugar Bowl Resort, visit www.sugarbowl.com. Sugar Bowl Resort, California owned & operated since 1939, was voted a Top 25 Ski Resort in North America by Outside magazine. To learn more about Royal Gorge Cross Country, North America’s largest XC resort, visit www.royalgorge.com
PO Box 5
629 Sugar Bowl Rd.
Norden, CA 95734
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CNN Launches Interactive News App for iPhone/iPod touch
CNN on Tuesday launched what it calls an "interactive news app" for the iPhone/iPod touch. The app, which is available in the Apple App Store for $1.99 (note: it will also be monetized through advertising; it currently features logos and banner ads from "launch advertisers" Chevron and Lexus), offers among other things live breaking news video, push notification, localization and personalization tools, and user-generated content capture and upload functionality, the broadcaster says. "The CNN App has what we think is one of the best user experiences around, and will quickly become an essential daily news source for many iPhone and iPod touch users," Louis Gump, VP of CNN Mobile, said in a prepared statement. "We tailored the best of CNN specifically for them, whether they check in from the beach, the airport or the ballpark."
Features of the new app, according to CNN, include:
- The ability to access live streaming video directly from CNN's live, multi-stream video news service, CNN.com Live.
- Access to an extensive collection of on-demand video clips in such categories as Latest News, Most Popular, On TV, US, World, Entertainment, Tech, Offbeat, Politics and Health.
- A direct gateway to CNN's user-generated news service, iReport.com, that allows users to browse UGC, register, and sign into their account or sign on as a guest in order to capture and instantly upload photos and videos (with the iPhone 3GS). The app also allows users to browse iReport.com's latest "assignments," CNN says, asking the community to weigh in on local and national news stories.
- Various personalization features, including 1) local news, weather and traffic info based on the user's actual location or a location specified by the user; 2) the ability to "follow" a story or topic (as news alerts or new stories related to a chosen topic are published, they are automatically pushed to the app); and 3) "saved" content functionality, which CNN says enables users to access text stories that interest them even when they're offline.
- Various text news features including bulleted highlights above each article so that users can scan them, and the ability to share stories via email, SMS, Twitter and Facebook Connect.

domain: news


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Daily Dose of iQ: Electronic Stores in the U.S. are Fighting to Survive
With the increasing popularity and convenience of online shopping, it’s no surprise that electronics stores in the U.S. are fighting to survive. Ann Zimmerman of Wall Street Journal wrote, “Not long ago, retailers such as Best Buy, GameStop and RadioShack Corp. were out muscling competitors across America by offering one-stop shopping for the latest televisions, computers, videogames and gadgets. Now all three are fighting to survive. The rise of online competitors like Amazon.com Inc. that offer low prices and downloadable products have siphoned customers and sales from these once-powerful retailers.”
According to the Wall Street Journal, Best Buy recently reported profit fell 91% last quarter on the eighth sales decline in nine quarters at stores open at least 14 months. Its founder is trying to take it private. RadioShack suspended its dividend last month after posting its largest quarterly loss since 1996. GameStop's profit fell 33% last quarter due to declining sales of game discs and consoles.
“The retail chains are responding with turnaround strategies that highlight their abilities to obtain hot new smartphones and tablets, and are trying to capture those purchases that consumers still prefer to make in person," Zimmerman wrote.
“GameStop, which has 6,600 U.S. stores, is adding used iPhones and tablets to its portfolio of new and used videogames. It is also beefing up its digital download services to compete against game websites like Valve Corp.'s popular site, Steam. RadioShack, whose stock is down 75% this year, is playing down cables and connectors and refashioning itself as a convenience store for smartphone buyers. And Best Buy is shrinking its fleet of big-box stores, pushing high-end appliances and retraining workers to focus on tech support. It also is opening hundreds of small stores devoted to mobile phones and tablets.”
In the new landscape of omnichannel retail, with online and mobile shopping apps and technology growing at a rapid pace, brick-and-mortar retailers large and small will have to continuously evaluate and refine their business models to accommodate consumer’s changing demands and expectations of what an in-store experience should provide. Most consumers still prefer to purchase items like smartphones in-store so retailers need to take advantage of this and focus on the in-store experience offered while also considering how to provide an optimal experience across their online and mobile channels.


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In collaboration with sustainability consultancy group Lifecycles Australia, Pilot Pen Australia has launched an online calculator that allows businesses to measure the economic and ecological benefits of refilling plastic pens.
The online calculator proves that refilling one plastic pen can slash its carbon emissions by 40 percent and its plastic use by 31 percent, which is the equivalent of 30 plastic bottles.
Pilot Pen head of marketing Jarrad Murray encourages businesses to consider the positive ripple effect of refilling – when multiplying the figure of saving 30 plastic bottles by 100 employees, this carbon emission decrease equals 3000 plastic bottles.
“Imagine the impact of this on the estimated 2.6 million tonnes of plastic waste that is thrown into landfill each year,” says Murray.
In addition to providing an online calculator for businesses, Pilot Pen has also conducted a national survey and trial into workplace sustainability practices and offered businesses an ‘Eco Pack’ trial of recycled pens and three refills. Almost 100 responses have been submitted.
Murray underscores the timeliness of this initiative for businesses in light of the mandatory sustainability reporting that comes into effect this year – if an organisation has more than 500 employees and over $500 million in consolidated revenue, they must begin reporting on 1 July.
Business and commercial sector guilty culprit
According to the federal government’s National Waste Report from last year, business and commercial waste amounted to approximately 50 percent of plastic waste in Australia, and alarmingly, only 13 percent of this waste was reused or recycled – the lowest recovery waste rate measured.
Lifecycles Australia director Timothy says refilling is kinder to the environment as it lengthens a product’s life span.
“Refilling a product maximises its utility and keeps it out of landfill,” he says.
“The Pilot Pen business impact calculator was developed to assist consumers in understanding how to avoid environmental burdens through small yet impactful day-to-day decisions.”
Gap in intention and delivery regarding recycling initiatives
While 70 percent of the businesses surveyed in Pilot Pen’s ‘Eco Pack’ trial believe in the importance of sustainable workplace waste management, 60 percent of businesses admitted to not refilling and recycling office supplies.
“Clearly, despite good intentions, there is a gap between ‘knowing’ and ‘doing’ when it comes to refilling,” says Murray.
A Queensland government department is setting the precedent for achievable recycling practices by routinely refilling office supplies such as coffee cups, printer cartridges and ink supplies.
“With the average office worker using 15 pens and markers every year, in a company of 100 employees, that works out to be approximately 1500 pens and markers that are going straight into landfill,” says Murray.
“We are on the right track in helping businesses change their refilling habits one pen at a time!”
Businesses interested in participating in the ‘Eco Pack’ trial can register here.


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OnSSI’s Ocularis Links To Talk-A-Phone’s Emergency Phones
OnSSI announces integration of the Ocularis open-architecture, intelligent IP video surveillance platform with Talk‑A‑Phone's VOIP-500 Series emergency phones to provide users immediate camera views of telephone distress calls using the Ocularis platform.
In the event of a distress call, the Talk‑A‑Phone VOIP-500 Series emergency phone sends a generic event via standard ASCII output over the network to OnSSI's Ocularis system. Based on the event, Ocularis can link to a nearby camera or lock a pan-tilt-zoom camera to a preset to view real-time video of the event. An event list also logs the event and allows it to be viewed later, including related archived video.
“Integration of Ocularis with Talk‑A‑Phone enables customers to put video 'eyes' on emergency calls using the Ocularis platform,” said Gadi Piran, President and CTO, OnSSI. “The open architecture of Ocularis expands IP functionality based on intelligent management of standardized inputs, and our integration with Talk‑A‑Phone and similar communication systems demonstrates real benefits to customers.”
“We are very pleased to add OnSSI to our growing list of technology partners”, said Samuel Shanes, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer for Talk-A-Phone Co. “Talk-A-Phone and OnSSI offer complementary products in the same market verticals. This partnership is a natural fit for both companies and will offer tangible benefits to our shared client base.”


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Facebook just announced that it's desktop right-rail ads will soon be relevant once again.
The social network is going to make the ads much bigger, but it will also surface fewer of them. The benefit to advertisers is that the ads will be the same size as those in the News Feed, meaning only one kind of creative will be required. The company reports that the ads garner "three times" more engagement — likes, clicks, or shares — than traditional News Feed ads.
But the other key outcome of this change will be a lot more attention heaped on Facebook Exchange, or FBX, the real-time bidding platform that powers those right-rail ads — as well as some News Feed ads — and allows advertisers to retarget consumers on the social network.
In a recent report from BI Intelligence, we explore how advertisers purchase ads through FBX and why the Exchange offers such a unique opportunity to marketers. The report also puts FBX in context in terms of its size and performance so far. We deconstruct how the Exchange really works, which players are partners, and where they each fit in the ad-buying chain. We also include three case studies outlining how FBX advertising has performed so far.
Here are some of the key details surrounding FBX:
- FBX is becoming a huge player in the real-time bidding space: Millions of ads are sold and purchased on FBX every second with the help of demand-side platforms that plug advertisers into FBX, and billions of impressions are served every day. Facebook already accounts for about half of the retargeted ad clicks on the Web.
- The real-time aspect of FBX is crucial. It's impossible to target a user who is interested in living room furniture with personalized ads when they open their Facebook page unless he or she can be identified and served a relevant ad in milliseconds.
- FBX fills a certain niche, a very specific marketing objective known as "demand fulfillment," nudging shoppers to complete a purchase they've already shown interest in.
- The platform was fast out of the gate: FBX produced stellar early results for advertisers, both in terms of cost and performance. Eventually, the price and performance bar will be set higher. That's already starting to happen for better-performing News Feed placements.
- Despite FBX's huge weight in the retargeting space, it still constitutes a small share of overall Facebook revenues. FBX is not yet available on mobile, though this may be coming soon. Additionally, Sponsored Story social-native ads, which are at the heart of Facebook's ad ecosystem, aren't accessible via FBX. The FBX News Feed ads are still limited in terms of their social features.
In full, the report:
- Details how FBX works, including which DSPs are involved, and how the DSP works with Facebook to serve ads
- Outlines which ad inventory is available on FBX and which is not
- Sizes FBX in terms of the total retargeting market, and its relative weight in Facebook's paid media ecosystem
- Explains which advertisers are best suited to FBX campaigns
- Provides three case studies from DSP partners on FBX performance so far


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California Gov. Jerry Brown signed several bills
on Sunday intended to boost his state's electric car market, including a bill requiring commercial and residential property owners to approve installation of an electric vehicle charging station by renters.
Currently, California accounts for 40 percent of the nation's plug-in electric vehicle sales.
Brown, who will deliver an address today at the United Nations Climate Change summit, has focused on building the California's electric vehicle market and signed an executive order in 2012 establishing a target of 1.5 million zero-emission cars on the road by 2025, according to a press release from the governor's office.
"California has more electric vehicles on its roads than anywhere else, helping us fight pollution in our state and this legislation will further that effort," Jim Evans, a spokesman for Brown, told The Los Angeles Times
Another measure to create the Charge Ahead California Initiative, which would provide incentives to increase the availability of zero emission vehicles in low-income communities.
The initiative would allow low-income residents to obtain clean-vehicle rebates if they agreed to turn in older cars that pollute more.
In 2013, the average selling price of an electric car was $32,086, while the median income for American families was $46,700, according to Autoblog.com
In addition to the bills signed on Sunday, Brown approved a measure that will permit local governments to impose a vehicle registration surcharge as a way to finance bike lanes and trails, according to The Associated Press
Brown recently lost out to Nevada in a bidding war to lure Tesla Motors to build a new battery plant in the state, a development which he said actually was a benefit to California.
"Nevada's tax breaks are California's benefit if we can get to our million electric cars. And the cars come off the factory line right there in Fremont, and they'll keep coming as long as that Nevada plant actually gets built and they can put out batteries significantly cheaper than they do today," Brown said, according to The Fresno Bee
His failure to land the contract is an issue which has been seized upon by Neel Kashkari, Brown's Republican opponent, in a recent gubernatorial debate, reports Capital Public Radio
Kashkari said Tesla was one more business which is leaving the state, but Brown defended his performance insisting that "Tesla wanted a massive cash up-front payment that I don't think would be fair to the taxpayers of California."
Lawmakers of both parties decided against granting Tesla tax incentives to build its factory in California. Tesla is based in Palo Alto, California and has a factory in Fremont.
© 2022 Newsmax. All rights reserved.


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Questions Arise About Brain Supplements
It’s a good idea to ask questions about supplements. After all, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration does not regulate the industry other than to clamp down on outrageous claims of muscle strength, sexual enhancement or heart health.
Brain boosters are the latest type of supplement that promise to keep your brain agile into your later years when Alzheimer’s disease threatens to wipe out memory and cognitive function. But are the benefits believable?
What is believable is that the supplement industry has enjoyed a ten-fold increase in the number of brain-boosting supplements marketed in the U.S. in the last twenty years.
According to Fair Warning, health product retailer GNC lists 354 products on its website with the word “brain.”
Sparked by the claims made by Quincy Bioscience of Madison, Wis. the makers of Prevagen, the Federal Trade Commission and New York State authorities sued the maker alleging the company makes false and unsubstantiated claims.
New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman believes the aggressive marketing is fraud that targets a vulnerable group – older Americans. A bottle of Prevagen can run as high as $69.
Prevagen’s ads say its key ingredient, the protein apoaequorin, was originally discovered in a rare jelly fish. In truth, the company makes the ingredient in a lab to save the cost of harvesting from jellyfish.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says a supplement must be a food or all-natural, not made in a lab. Otherwise it is an unapproved drug.
The Federal Trade Commission, in its complaint, believes there is no scientific truth that Prevagen will improve memory. It points to the company’s own clinical study that “failed to show a statistically significant improvement” in the treatment group when compared to a placebo group.
Quincy says the allegations are unfounded and points to its double-blind placebo-controlled study on brain performance.
The General Accounting Office is exploring whether brain supplement marketing claims are true.
Where does all this leave the consumer?
It may come down to who do you trust? Many consumers see supplements as a low-cost alternatives to drugs with fewer side effects and believe the FDA may be doing the bidding of the pharmaceutical industry which would love to market its own version of Prevagen for profit.
If vulnerable Americans were really being served, our regulators might require further proof of the claims made by the $37 billion a year dietary supplement business, rather than file actions to shut them down.
Consumers should be suspicious of exaggerated or unrealistic claims whether made by the supplement industry or the pharmaceutical giants.
We’ve seen far too many examples of the FDA as a toothless tiger that has not done its due diligence to make sure that products on the shelf, whether a drug or supplement, are safe and effective.


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The news last week that the owner of a Tesla Model S was killed after the car crashed into a tractor-trailer while its Autopilot feature was engaged raises an obvious question: is the self-driving technology safe?
The accident, however, raises an equally important question. Are people prepared to responsibly use semi-autonomous driving technology?
The accident, which took place May 7 in Williston, Fla., is the first known fatal crash involving a vehicle using autonomous technology based on computer software, sensors, cameras and radar. The Florida Highway Patrol identified the driver who was killed as Joshua Brown, 40, of Canton, Ohio.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has opened an investigation into the accident.
Tesla, which can retrieve driving log data from its cars, stated in a blog that the Model S's autopilot sensors failed to detect the white semi-truck as it turned in front of a sedan with a bright sky behind it.
If the problems that robotics encounter in extreme environments are any indicator, then self-driving cars are a bad idea, according to David Mindell, author of Our Robots, Ourselves: Robotics and the Myths of Autonomy.
Mindell, a professor in MIT's Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, pointed to the Apollo space program, which landed U.S. astronauts on the moon six times. The moon missions were originally planned to be fully autonomous, with astronauts as passive passengers. After much feedback, the astronauts ended up handling many critical functions, including the lunar landings.
Pointing to a concept developed by MIT professor of mechanical engineering Tom Sheridan, Mindell in an interview with MIT's Technology Review, said the level of automation in any given project can be rated on a scale from one to 10, but a higher level of automation doesn't necessarily lead to greater success.
"The digital computer in Apollo allowed them to make a less automated spacecraft that was closer to the perfect 5," Mindell told the Review. "The sophistication of the computer and the software was used not to push people out, but to give them true control over the landing."
As another example, Mindell cited commercial airliners, which have automated systems such as auto pilot and auto landing, but the aircraft still require highly trained pilots to manage those systems and to make critical decisions in real time.
Mindell said "it's reasonable to hope" that vehicles with autonomous features will help to "reduce the workload" of drivers in incremental ways in the future. But total automation, he said, is not the logical endpoint of vehicle development.
The cult of Tesla and technology
Tesla has a cult-like following among its vehicle owners, who rave about the quality and sophistication of the vehicles' telematics, handling, speed and, yes, Autopilot features.
Like many other Tesla Model S owners, Brown was fond of demonstrating Autopilot's capabilities and had posted videos displaying it. At the time of the fatal crash, the truck driver claimed Brown was watching a Harry Potter movie, but police reports have not confirmed that, and Tesla has stated that movies cannot be viewed on the car's central consul infotainment screen.
According to published accounts, Brown loved cutting-edge technology and the personification of it in his Tesla Model S, which he nicknamed "Tessy." He even credited its Autopilot with avoiding at least one potential accident in the past. A video posted by Brown on YouTube shows his Model S swerving itself to avoid a utility truck that cut it off. Tesla founder and CEO Elon Musk reposted the video on his Twitter account as an example of Autopilot's capabilities.
According to a statement from his family, Brown was a master Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) technician in the U.S. Navy, and an entrepreneur. He was a member of the Navy's elite Naval Special Warfare Development Group (NSWDG), also known as SEAL Team Six.
Tesla's Autopilot software is, however, a pilot program. It was never intended to be relied on as a fully autonomous driving technology.
AutoPilot is an opt-in feature and is not on by default. The feature requires the driver to accept an agreement every time it is turned on.
While adaptive cruise control and automated braking are becoming more common features in the latest vehicles today, Tesla has taken advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) to a higher level, including prolonged self-steering and automated lane changing. Autopilot, however, is not fully autonomous; it's a public beta program that's intended to assist and not fully take over the task of driving. Data from the beta program is transmitted back to Tesla, allowing the company to improve on the technology.
Currently, Tesla's Autopilot functionality conforms to level 2 autonomous functionality, according to the NHTSA. The NHTSA has created five levels to describe autonomous functionality, level 0 equating to no self-driving features and level 4 being a fully self-driving vehicle.
Level 2 involves automation of at least two primary control functions designed to work in unison, such as adaptive cruise control in combination with lane centering. Even though Tesla's Autopilot feature only meets the NHTSA's level 2 criteria, some Tesla owners have been using it as if it were level 4.
While advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), such as Tesla's Autosteer feature, can adjust the steering angle, steering rate and speed to determine the appropriate maneuvering operation, Tesla has said drivers must keep their hands on the steering wheel in order to be able to react to unexpected situations.
"When drivers activate Autopilot, the acknowledgment box explains, among other things, that Autopilot 'is an assist feature that requires you to keep your hands on the steering wheel at all times,' and that 'you need to maintain control and responsibility for your vehicle' while using it," Tesla stated in a blog.
Even with warnings from Tesla, just days after Autopilot was released as an over-the-air software upgrade, a plethora of videos surfaced" on sites such as YouTube that showed drivers with their hands off the steering wheel of their Tesla Model S. In an inexplicable act of stupidity, one driver even climbed into the back seat of his car to demonstrate confidence in the self-driving technology.
In light of such videos, and shortly after the Autopilot release last year, Musk said he would be placing more constraints on how it could be used.
Tesla is expected to release Autopilot 2.0 later this year with improvements based on the beta program's data.
Like Tesla's technology, the vast majority of mainstream vehicles adopting autonomous driving features will be controlled by ADAS or "guardian angels" that learn over time, Gil Pratt, CEO Toyota Research Institute, recently told reporters and analysts at MIT.
Speaking at the New England Motor Press Association Technology Conference at MIT, Pratt said that 30,000 motor vehicle fatalities occur in the U.S. each year. That number may seem high, but as a whole, U.S. drivers are excellent at avoiding crashes.
So, instead of taking the wheel from drivers' hands, as a fully autonomous vehicle would do, Pratt said automakers are more focused on ADAS now and will be for many years to come. Tesla, however, has stated that it will have a fully autonomous vehicle ready by 2018.
Tesla is not alone. Nearly every major car maker has announced plans for fully autonomous vehicles in the future. In the meantime, the steering wheel will remain firmly in the driver's control. For example, BMW just announced it plans to produce a fully autonomous car called iNEXT, suited for both city streets and highways, by 2021.
Arguably, however, Tesla has pushed the envelope on ADAS further than any other vehicle currently available, a strategy that Musk defended in the company's blog.
Musk referred to Brown's accident as the first known fatality in just over 130 million miles driven in Tesla vehicles where Autopilot was activated. Musk compared that statistic to the roughly one fatality for every 60 million miles driven globally. By Musk's accounting, Autopilot is at "the very least" 50% safer than vehicles not using it.
While Autopilot may make vehicle's safer, it is also a false security blanket. Humans will be human and will test the limits of technology, even placing themselves and others in harm's way to do it.
Perhaps ADAS needs one more advancement: a touch-sensitive steering wheel that ensures drivers keep their hands where they're supposed to be at all times. Or perhaps an inward facing camera could be used to determine if a driver is involved in an activity that's unsafe, and the car could automatically pull to the shoulder of a road then forcing the driver to reset the vehicle before continuing to drive.
In one fashion or another, safety advancements should be put in place to ensure drivers are unable to abuse ADAS while at the same time allowing humans ultimately to maintain control over their vehicles.


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Over the past couple of years, CISOs have witnessed a mass migration of professionals. Hybrid and work-from-home environments have emerged to offer employees more safety, flexibility and work-life balance. In fact, nearly 63% of high-revenue growth companies have implemented these new practices.
As we wave goodbye to the five-day commute era, hybrid employers realize the significant benefits of more flexible work environments, such as attracting top-tier talent without geographical constraints.
However, the growing blurred lines between working environments and devices have made organizations and individuals more susceptible to cyber-attacks and are leaving companies to grapple with more data risks than ever before.
Why? It is no exaggeration to say that every business has become a digital business. According to the UK Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), nearly 92% of businesses in the country have ‘some form of digital exposure.’
That begs the question, how can CISOs balance the financial and reputational costs of enhanced security while stretching their protective arm around their office and remote workers in this age of cyber peril?
Businesses are Outgrowing their Armor
Zero trust is becoming the gold standard for architecting modern security. Enhanced risk of threats and fraud has required businesses to introduce a myriad of new policies and procedures to adapt and bolster enterprise security.
Many UK businesses now use VPNs to facilitate remote access, nearly 32%, according to the DCMS. However, consumer IoT devices, from WiFi routers to smart speakers and health-focused wearables, have undermined businesses’ security as the ‘enterprise’ becomes the worker’s home.
According to the DCMS, 39% of businesses in the UK have suffered at least one breach in the last 12 months. Not only have organizations become more vulnerable, but malicious actors have also become more determined, making those once impregnable businesses far less so. Against this backdrop, zero trust has been adopted in droves. In the same way we all finally consigned our old Blackberries to the bottom of the drawer, it’s time for CISOs to look for a new solution.
With Disruption the Norm, Flexibility is Key
Remote work and the general pandemic response have forced businesses to accelerate the adoption of supporting technologies and applications. The cycle of opening and closing national economies has tested many organizations’ resiliency, continuity, and adaptability when it comes to modern digital business.
This tug of war between new technologies isn’t new – and it is something many security leaders have become adept at dealing with – but the prospect of further disruption, and seemingly endless cycles of disruption, is. As new COVID variants emerge, or even as workforce preferences continue to evolve, businesses and their security perimeters need to be ready to evolve too.
Flexibility will be key. Organizations will see added benefits, including a greater desire for employees who want to continue remote/hybrid work – at least for the time being. This has the potential to end the battle between usability, cost and security once and for all. Investing in the technologies needed to enable remote work is well worth the investment, especially if you consider the high price paid by organizations that need to repair their reputation and earn back trust after a data breach.
The path to zero trust will not be the same for every organization. CISOs should look at their whole IT stack and focus on the applications and measurements adding value in more ways than one. Like any other transformational project, success will hinge on executive buy-in, an understanding of different zero trust approaches and associated mechanisms, a thorough assessment of organizational readiness, and the capabilities needed to optimize outcomes and benefits (from flexibility and security to business continuity).
We should have confidence in zero trust as costs balloon, cybercrimes rise, data regulations proliferate and business pressures compound. To get ahead of the curve, an extensive assessment of a business’s pandemic-related tech stack with a critical lens focused on a flexible zero trust-based approach to security and resilience, is crucial. Or, to put it another way, if ‘cyber-attacks are the Trojan Horse, don’t be Troy.’


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Dave Wilkening published an article in an online Hotel industry site, hotelinteractive.com today, about bed bugs in hotels, which was not entirely accurate. First, it made the claim that:
Bed bugs have been in the news lately but when it comes to them checking into hotels, it’s as rare as an outbreak of Asian flu. So rare, in fact, that the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) does not even keep statistics on the number of complaints.
While people watching the news might panic and would be wrong to think that every hotel room in North America is infested with bed bugs, it is absolutely false to claim that the incidence of bed bugs in hotels is “as rare as an outbreak of Asian flu.”
“It’s a very miniscule problem. We sell about three and a half million rooms every night in the US and I can probably count on one hand or maybe two hands the complaints we get,” says Joe McInerney, president of the Association.
I am not sure the number of bed bug cases in hotels can be accounted for by the direct complaints made to the American Lodging and Hotel Association. Most people who encounter bed bugs in hotels probably do not tell anyone officially. Some go so far as to write a review on hotelchatter.com or tripadvisor.com. Most of those are just trying to warn off other travelers. Some will complain to a hotel. But how many will contact the ALHA? If they even know it exists? If you can count on two hands the number of complaints you get about bed bugs, per night, Mr. McInerney, you should assume actual incidence is much, much higher.
Hotels are particularly vulnerable to bed bugs because they often travel in luggage and clothing. Also, there’s the obvious reason that hotels have beds where the creatures love to settle.
This is absolutely true. They are a great target for bed bugs, and they do stay, once introduced from any source. Similarly, they find the luggage appealing and will often hang out in it, and hitch a ride to someone’s home.
Bed bug claims are among the top frauds perpetrated against hotels, however, according to Thomas Jones, an associate professor at the University of Nevada Las Vegas’s hotel school.
It is doubtless true that some people who file bed bug lawsuits are doing so frivolously. This is harmful to hotels, but also to genuine sufferers from bedbugs, and I despise frivolous or fallacious lawsuits, in any area of our society.
Nevertheless, there are also a great number of people who do pick up bed bugs in a hotel, and many of these take them home. I would venture that in most cases, people who bring bed bugs home don’t sue, and don’t receive anything from the hotels where they picked the problem up. Hoteliers should realize that bringing an infestation home can cost people thousands of dollars.
The National Pest Management Association (NPMA) says bed bugs are on the rise, increasing by more than 500 percent over the past few years.
Yes– so how have hotel rooms been almost completely unscathed (as per your Asian flu/ Bird flu analogy)?
The reported increase, however, has had a “minimal impact on the vast majority of hotels, which maintain state-of-the-art sanitation and adhere to strict standards of cleanliness,” says the NPMA.
James O. Abrams, president of the California Hotel & Lodging Association, says bed bug complaints are more common in recent years. He says he is not sure why.
“No one seems to really know,” he says. “But some people believe they are imported from people from other countries when they bring insects into the US.”
People in some countries have always had bed bugs. Most parts of North America and Europe, to my understanding, have had almost no bed bugs for decades. We were traveling almost as much in the 1990’s as we are in the 21st Century. So why would we suddenly be bringing bed bugs from other countries?
According to many experts, the real cause is related to the change in pesticides (such as the outlawing of DDT in the early 1970’s) and the change in spraying methods (pesticides used to be sprayed heavily to prevent roaches and other insects; we’ve moved to gel baits now, and so this additional preventative spraying may no longer be helping to keep other insects at bay).
“Bed bugs are brought into hotels by guests; it is not hotel sanitation issue,” says the NPMA. “One reason for the increase in incidents is attributed to the rise in international travelers.”
Bed bugs are indeed brought into hotels by guests. However, they may also be brought in by hotel employees and delivery people. Bed bugs can come from all kinds of places. Even hotel executives can have them at home and bring them in.
As far as international travel, North Americans may be surprised to know that in some countries, where they’re now seeing a rise in bed bugs, they assume the bed bugs are being brought by travelers from San Francisco, Vancouver, NYC or Toronto. And in many cases they are probably right.
By the way, one thing that the article did not mention is that money is brought into hotels by guests, too.
Ultimately, people are going to want to stay with hotels who do not try and downplay the existence of this epidemic, or the fact that bed bugs will occur in their hotel as in all others. Instead, consumers will choose to spend their money at hotels where a proactive approach is taken, and where hotel managers and owners and staff do everything they can to prevent, catch, and treat thoroughly and swiftly any infestations that are found. Like this pro-active hotel is trying to. Rather than treating their customers as a potential vehicle for pests coming in, they’re trying to prevent the bugs from harming their customer’s pleasant experience of their hotels. It’s a different way of looking at things. And it is bound to be a more popular one with your bottom line.
The hotel industry should realize that they have the same thing to lose from bed bugs as do homeowners, landlords, and even renters: time, money, energy, and even sanity. They should work together with other demographics of bed bug victims, the general public, to fight for better pesticides and research into other methods of controlling and eliminating bed bugs. We did not have bed bugs in this country for 30 years.; I believe we can eliminate these pests again, but only if we work together.
The hotel industry has much more power than the average citizen; they should be working with us and lobbying the government for help in eliminating bed bugs from the countries they have hotels in. But as long as you deny there’s a problem, and waste time pointing the finger of blame, it is only going to get worse.


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Business Week: “It’s All About Digital” Event – 17th October
We’re a very proud team today as our very own Phil Kelsey will be speaking at the It’s All About Digital event in Lincoln this October.
The event has been organised by the YMCA, Streets Chartered Accountants, Langleys Solicitors and NatWest and will focus on the digital age.
Phil will be joined by other experts in the field to discuss the impact that digital technology currently has on modern businesses, and the obstacles that it can create, as well as solve.
Attendees will be offered valuable information about staying smart online, cyber security and now digitally-focused business are moving forward in the 21st century.
The event is being held at The Showroom, Tritton Road, Lincoln, LN6 7QY on Monday 17th October 2016
Speakers and topics for the day will include:
Chris Connor and Robin Lee, Streets Chartered Accountants – Tax incentives for investing in digitally led enterprises and the benefits of using the latest in digital accounting software
Dan Westlake, Cursor – Digital Lincoln, an overview of the city’s digital activity
NatWest – Cyber security and safe guarding your interests
Graeme Stenson and Aleks Tusien, Langleys Solicitors – Social media and employment matters
Phil Kelsey, Spiral Media – Successful eCommerce
You can book your free place for the It’s All About Digital Event here.
Or alternatively, contact Laura Butler at [email protected] or call 01522 551200.


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The change will give EU users new options around how their data is handled with targeted ads, but privacy group NOYB plans to take legal action against the update.
Meta has confirmed it plans to change its targeted advertising practices next week in order to comply with a January ruling by Ireland’s data watchdog.
In an updated blog post today (30 March), the company said it will change the legal basis that it uses to process certain first party data in Europe from ‘contractual necessity’ to ‘legitimate interests’. The change is set to occur on 5 April.
This change will mean EU users will be able to choose a version of Meta’s services that gives them ads based on broad categories rather than the content they click on Meta apps, according to sources speaking to The Wall Street Journal.
In January, the Data Protection Commission (DPC) fined Meta Ireland €390m for GDPR breaches related to Facebook and Instagram. Meta was also directed to bring its data processing operations into GDPR compliance within three months.
The decision followed a DPC-led investigation into complaints that Meta was forcing users to consent to the processing of their personal data by making services inaccessible unless they clicked “I accept” to show acceptance of the company’s terms of services.
The complaints alleged that this esssentially “forced” users to consent to the processing of their personal data for behavioural advertising and other personalised services, which would be a breach of GDPR.
Meta said the upcoming will change will still allow personalised advertising on its platforms and will not affect “how advertisers, businesses or users experience our products”.
“Advertisers can continue to use our platforms to reach potential customers and grow their business,” Meta said in a blog post. “Relevant users will also be notified of this change, which will give them additional options around how we process certain information to serve behavioural advertisements.”
The tech giant said the change is being made to comply with the DPC’s decision, but Meta also claims that its previous approach was GDPR-compliant and is appealing “both the substance of the rulings and the fines”.
Meanwhile, the Financial Times (FT) reports that Meta executives are considering banning political ads in the EU, as a potential measure to comply with upcoming EU regulations, according to two sources speaking with FT.
Privacy activist concerns
Meta said the legal basis of legitimate interest is used by similar platforms, but NOYB, the non-profit established by privacy advocate Max Schrems, has raised issue with the upcoming change.
NOYB said other platforms have tried to use legitimate interest as a way to allow personalised ads on their platform, but shared examples where this has been rejected by EU data watchdogs.
Schrems claims the decision is “switching one illegal practice for another illegal practice” and said NOYB will take “immediate legal action” against the change.
“Like any other company, Meta needs to have a clear yes/no option for users, where they must actively say yes if they want to give up their fundamental rights,” Schrems said. “This system of using legitimate interest at least allows for opt-out, which makes it a slight improvement for users.”
In 2021, Schrems accused the DPC of improperly lobbying other EU regulators to allow Meta to bypass GDPR regulation. The DPC said these accusations were “baseless”.
10 things you need to know direct to your inbox every weekday. Sign up for the Daily Brief, Silicon Republic’s digest of essential sci-tech news.


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August 1st, 2008|0 Comments
Apple and pear growers in the United Kingdom are saying enough is enough. Frustrated by the proliferation of farm certifications and regulations, the British
Blue grow tubes protect young grapevines in Naramata. Robert Van Western is a third-generation fruit grower in British Columbia, Canada, who,
Bill Hamlin of Custom Mobile Bottling oversees a recent bottling at the Winemaker’s Loft in Prosser. Here are a few key
Any way you slice it, apples are good for your health. Researchers around the world continue to uncover the apple’s nutritive power and increasingly important
Wine can move through a mobile bottling line at a rate of 65 bottles per minute. When it’s time for a
Inaugural article in "Good Health" series earns praise. ¡Bien Hecho! DearGood Fruit Grower: I work for the Rural Community Development Resources Center for Latino
Ralph Sundquist was able to grow his business during the Great Depression by investing wisely and by using innovative marketing. The Surety box label was
Cherry Exports The U.S. Transportation Security Administration met with shippers last month in Yakima, Washington, to explain how a congressionally mandated bill will affect
Brandon Mulvaney (in the blue shirt) operates the over-the-row platform wirelessly. It began two years ago with a rough sketch on
Organic grower John Hickerson of New Jersey has a big pest problem. It’s called the leopard moth.
has a 137-acre farm at Newton in Sussex County
Orchardists and horticulturists have been eager to learn about new pest management tools and strategies. Representatives of more than 43,000 acres
Mark Mazzola checks a DNA sequence from streptomyces, a soil bacterium that induces plant defense responses. The growth of streptomyces is stimulated by
A first-leaf UFO planting. Ideally, nursery trees would be unheaded at planting so that they quickly fill the space along the wire.
Andy den Hoed Andy den Hoed, a grape grower who transferred water from an orchard in the northern part of Washington
Orchard owners Eliot and Tina Scull are feeling the squeeze of urban development around their nine-acre apple orchard at Fourth Street in East Wenatchee, Washington,
A healthy economy goes hand in hand with a healthy environment. That’s the philosophy of conservationists Eliot and Tina Scull.
Some Pacific Northwest tree fruit packers are complying with as many as 11 food safety programs, a recent survey by the Northwest Horticultural Council shows,
New country-of-origin labeling requirements that come into effect this fall should have little impact on the tree fruit industry, says Chris Schlect, president of the
Commissioner Mary Lou Peterson says without water rights, land is useless for agriculture. In an agricultural county that’s already experiencing water
February 5th, 2016|0 Comments
Any organization with a need for getting horticultural information to growers should think of us.
January 29th, 2016|0 Comments
It’s a new era for viticulture and enology research in Washington.
Washington’s wine industry has started the process of building a world-class research program.
The industry has
1 (Tuesday) - 2 (Wednesday)
UC Davis Postharvest


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Austin Ventures closes $38.7M purchase of logistics business
- David Twiddy
- Kansas City Business Journal
YRC Worldwide Inc. has completed the sale of its logistics business to Austin Ventures for $38.7 million.
The division, which will remain in Overland Park, Kan. has been renamed MIQ Logistics. The companies announced the deal in June.
YRC (Nasdaq: YRCW) said Monday it has received the initial proceeds of $33.6 million, with an additional $5.1 million placed in escrow to cover transferring ownership of foreign subsidiaries and for indemnification purposes.
YRC said the sale was designed to streamline its operations and raise much-needed cash. However, it also expects to pay as much as $11 million in charges to close down some services tied to the division. The company said it will retain its two China-based joint ventures and will continue to offer logistics services to its customers through a partnership with Austin Ventures.
Austin Ventures plans to use the unit as the core of a new company specializing in international freight forwarding, customs brokerage, transportation management, truckload services, and warehouse and fulfillment services in North America, Latin America, Europe and Asia.
During the past couple of years, YRC has sold assets, laid off employees, done a debt-for-equity swap and taken various other actions to combat the effects of the recession. The debt-laden company had a brush with bankruptcy last year.
The deal is latest in a series of growth equity investments made by Austin Ventures, which established itself by investing in local early stage technology companies during the 1980s and 1990s. It’s now dedicating two-thirds of its latest fund, which reached nearly $900 million, to larger growth-equity deals that employ a roll-up strategy in non tech companies — often outside of Central Texas.
For example, last year, the firm committed to invest up to $75 million in Avron Partners Inc., which acquires companies within the supply chain services, transportation and distribution sectors. Other Austin Ventures portfolio companies in the supply chain and logistics sector include Austin-based Newgistics Inc., Tennessee-based ReTrans Inc. and the Houston-based Port Logistics Group Inc.
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ARCHIVE ▸ DOMINIC MILLS
09 Mar 2020
Genuine efforts to deliver brand purpose are being sullied by charlatans, writes Dominic Mills.
02 Mar 2020
From dealing with dysfunctional supply chains and outdated measurement, to ditching the cynicism about purpose or quantifying creativity, Dominic Mills shares his take-outs from ISBA's annual conference.
What has always been Coke’s brand positioning has now morphed into today’s must-have 'brand purpose' - and the business has fallen victim to the fad.
17 Feb 2020
From the sceptical to the positive, Dominic Mills offers different interpretations of ITV's recent invite to buy airtime. Plus: Why the turnover rate of Culture Secretaries is no laughing matter.
10 Feb 2020
The real test of GDPR will be less about the level or number of fines enacted as the number of breaches reported, writes Dominic Mills.
03 Feb 2020
Why draw the line at just banning fossil fuel companies, writes Dominic Mills in his critique of The Guardian's decision.
27 Jan 2020
With its sales slowing and share price dropping, the creative pitch for Fever-Tree will be a fascinating test for advertising, writes Dominic Mills.
It's often an unfashionable idea, but Dominic Mills shows that combining the best of new and old media strategy really does deliver. Plus: The joy of the portmanteau.
The idea that adland can collectively change the world is growing. But any impact it can make is right at the margins, argues Dominic Mills.
06 Jan 2020
Sifting through the available evidence, Dominic Mills forecasts the biggest changes to impact media and advertising this year.
Data from Mediatel Connected
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- PAMCo: The Times leads strong newsbrand growth
- TV market round-up: November 2019
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- Rajar Q1 2020: Analysis
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- Rajar Q1 2020: National stations and networks
- Rajar Q4 2019: National stations and networks


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National average spot truckload rates were in line with seasonal expectations and load-to-truck ratios inched higher during the final week of February, said DAT Solutions, which operates the industry’s largest load board network. Stable rates and ratios at this time of year are signs that shippers are emerging from a typical mid-winter lull.
There were no specific indications that supply chain disruptions due to the COVID-19 outbreak affected spot truckload freight in a significant way during the week ending March 1. This may change in the coming weeks depending on import levels, how quickly Chinese ports can reduce their backlogs, and when those delayed sailings start to arrive here.
National average spot rates, February
- Van: $1.79 per mile
- Reefer: $2.09 per mile
- Flatbed: $2.14 per mile
National average rates were higher at the end of the month and entered March at $1.88 for vans, $2.15 for reefers, and $2.35 for flatbeds.
The national average van load-to-truck ratio increased from 1.9 to 2.1 last week, part of a five-week upward trend. Load-to-truck ratios were up in the Los Angeles market during February and ended the month at a high of 2.6 loads per truck for van equipment, although van capacity is plentiful and rates continue to be inconsistent.
The impact at West Coast ports and outbound lanes will be felt this month. The Port of Los Angeles said container volumes in February would drop 25% due to the economic impact of the coronavirus as well as lower imports in general, and container ship operators have canceled 40 sailings from Asia to Los Angeles in February and March.
Rates for open-deck equipment have ranged from $2.15 to $2.17 per mile as a national average since October.
One flatbed-market indicator to watch is the price of oil. High crude prices are a boon to trucking companies in markets like Texas because they spur demand for truckload capacity, which in turn leads to higher rates. Oil prices have fallen about 20 percent since late January to their lowest point since December 2018, near $50 a barrel, and forecasts are being lowered as the coronavirus outbreak cuts into travel and other activity in Asia.
Should the price of oil drop below the marginal cost of production here in the United States, estimated at $35 to $40 per barrel, producers may curtail drilling. This would reduce demand for domestic ground transportation, especially for flatbeds and rail intermodal equipment, in key markets like Houston, Dallas, and west Texas, leading to looser capacity and declining rates.


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Although we don't believe in timing the market or panicking over market movements, we do like to keep an eye on big changes -- just in case they're material to our investing thesis.
What: Shares of recliner specialist La-Z-Boy (NYS: LZB) jumped 20% today after its quarterly results impressed Wall Street.
So what: La-Z-Boy's solid second-quarter results -- profit more than doubled to $7.9 million on strong upholstery sales -- suggest that demand is indeed roaring back from a prolonged slump. The company's gross margin even widened from 29% to 31.1%, giving Mr. Market plenty of reason to be optimistic about its long-term profitability.
Now what: I'd be cautious about riding this recent wave of momentum. "We expect the operating environment for the industry to remain challenging based on low consumer confidence levels, a depressed housing market and volatility in the financial markets," Chairman and CEO Kurt Darrow said. While La-Z-Boy fully expects to navigate through those choppy waters successfully, the stock's recent surge -- nearly 70% over the past two months alone -- leaves little room for error.
Interested in more info onLa-Z-Boy?Add it to your watchlist.
At the time thisarticle was published Fool contributor Brian Pacampara owns no position in any of the companies mentioned. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days.We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Fool's disclosure policy always gets a perfect score.


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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, Ill. (WCIA) — 217 Black Restaurant Weekend kicked off on Friday, and the celebration continues today. Participating restaurant owners say it’s about the importance of unity between black-owned establishments.
The event was organized by Buy Black Chambana.
Meals bring people together and this month, both food and diversity are being celebrated.
217 Black Restaurant Weekend spotlighted businesses in Champaign County, specifically in light of Juneteenth.
“Just in reality we’re not in competition with each other,” said Michael McDonald, the owner of Wood N’ Hog Barbecue in Urbana. “This community is so diverse. This just gives all of us an opportunity to highlight our specialties and highlight our gifts.”
The event highlighted a spirit of solidarity between different establishments.
At Wood N’ Hog in Urbana, owners there say it’s important to focus on the variety of foods the black community brings to the table.
“It’s just another opportunity for us to kind of highlight what we do and give this community a different choice as far as cuisines,” said McDonald.
The owner at Come Get This Food Truck says he wants to make sure his team delivers the highest quality along with good vibes.
“Come Get This is all about energy,” said Jeffery Gilchrist, the owner of the truck. “It’s all about creating energy. Making sure the food is fun, excellent, great, I want people to come, come with energy, have a great Philly cheesesteak.”
He says that it’s important for black-owned businesses to get help and support from each other in order to succeed.
“One thing that I always try to emphasize is that a dream without a plan is a nightmare in hand,” said Gilchrist. “You have to create it, you have to set your goals, you have to meet your goals, and you actually need some help. There’s nothing wrong with asking for help.”
Other restaurants and food trucks also participated in the event, including C&C Kitchen, Brien’s Bistro, and Stango Cuisine.


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18 April 2018
China Sourcing Update: Prices of Natural Textile Materials (Mar 2018)
Prices of Natural Textile Materials
1. Cotton price indices rise and then fall in March
After edging up in the first half of March, the price indices  of cotton declined during mid- to late March. The CC Index 3128B, for example, went up from 15,685 on 28 February to 15,723 on 12 March, and then fell to 15,546 on 30 March, the lowest level since November 2016.
High prices of cotton futures in the international markets supported domestic cotton prices during early to mid-March. Afterwards, an abundant domestic supply of cotton, coupled with the softening of the prices of cotton futures in the international markets, caused domestic cotton prices to drop in the second half of the month.
Going forward, the domestic supply of cotton is expected to remain abundant, as the Chinese government will continue to sell its cotton reserves till the end of August. Therefore, we believe that domestic cotton prices will decline further in the near future.
Please click to read the full report.
 The indices, compiled by the China Cotton Association, track cotton prices quoted from over two hundred textile enterprises. www.china-cotton.org


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Android 4.1 Jelly Bean Update for Motorola RAZR M is Being Rolled Out
Not a while ago Motorola posted that the Droid RAZR M would receive the Android 4.1 Jelly Bean update officially as soon before the end of this year, when Motorola announced the news, after some days the Motorola RAZR M got a leaked Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean update. Now Motorola is true on words, the Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean update for Motorola RAZR M is now being rolled out through OTA (over the air). It was September when Motorola announced the RAZR M and just after two months, the smartphone has received the Jelly Bean update.
This Jelly Bean update brought the Google Now app to your RAZR M that can be used to get information about environment, even Jelly Bean brings voice search feature too. It also improved the notification bar, now it already tells you what to do new even it lets you directly send text or call to your missed calls directly from the notification bar. Jelly Bean has improved the gallery and it comes with voice-typing support too.
The update is being rolled out in phases, however we can expect that all users will receive Android 4.1 OTA update notification within two weeks, Motorola also has posted a guide to upgrade Motorola RAZR M to Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean officially.


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In this season ender for Walk the Talk, Hoong Ling caught up with Jason Ng. One of the co-curator who brought the infamous brand TED through TEDxKL and spreading worthy ideas in Malaysia.
Graduated with Bachelor of Science in Computing (Internet Technology) Hons, Jason has been in the Information Technology arena for eight years — in regions of software development and integration, networking, online security and training. Jason has also been managing an IT solutions outfit that has successfully acquired the pioneer MSC status from the Multimedia Development Corporation (MDEC) of Malaysia. Having spent more than 4 years in marketing, business development and networking for the corporate sector, he co-founded Monad International which brings about brand names such as TEDxKL and Open Web Asia (OWA) conferences. Under the care is also an online entrepreneurial resource, Entrepreneurs.my which features amongst the latest regional business and tech related news. Catch him on twitter or simply email at email@example.com.


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“While such statements from prominent figures might help raise an issue’s profile or increase awareness among their fans, it doesn’t equate to policy change,” says one industry insider.
Can a prominent person create change with a statement alone? To an extent, it appears so, though experts say more is required to move the needle when creating change.
Tesla Inc. TSLA 1.71% CEO Elon Musk became one of the latest notable names to use their platform to stoke conversation.
In the early hours of June 6, Musk tweeted about the disparity that finds thousands of people in jail for selling marijuana while the market becomes increasingly legal.
“Doesn’t make sense, isn’t right,” was the extent of his analysis. While lacking any further depth, Musk’s platform added to the gathering calls for reform across cannabis, policing and civil rights.
Selling weed literally went from major felony to essential business (open during pandemic) in much of America & yet many are still in prison. Doesn’t make sense, isn’t right.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 6, 2020
Do Statements Alone Create Change?
Experts in cannabis and criminal justice believe more is needed to create the change being sought.
Morgan Fox, media relations director for the National Cannabis Industry Association (NCIA), said that while Musk’s statement isn’t groundbreaking, influential voices do add volume to the chorus of those seeking reform. “While such statements from prominent figures might help raise an issue’s profile or increase awareness among their fans, it doesn’t equate to policy change,” Fox said.
Torie Marshall is a co-founding organizer of National Expungement Week (NEW), a week-long nationwide event aimed at providing services to individuals seeking to have their rights restored.
Marshall told Benzinga that Musk’s statement, and others like it, raise awareness while failing to address systemic issues and those most impacted.
“If he’s not being direct with who it’s affecting, then he continues to allow the privileged to appropriate our narrative,” said Marshall.
Roz McCarthy, CEO and founder of Minorities for Medical Marijuana (M4MM), said that “To black and brown people, the negative stereotypical history of marijuana in our country is a very sensitive subject.”
McCarthy wishes that such statements would consider and acknowledge those most affected, especially during recent developments.
Black people, in particular, face a disparity concerning marijuana arrests. 2020 findings from the American Civil Liberties Union found that Black people were arrested for cannabis possession 3.64 times more than a white person.
This disparity occurred across every state despite usage rates between the two races being similar.
“Now that [cannabis] is deemed as an ‘essential service,’ it makes the pill even harder to swallow,” McCarthy said. “Imagine having an arrest record or still being in jail for the very same plant that our government now says is an ‘essential service.'”
She would also state that while she would like to see more from prominent people in power, like Musk, there is power in their platform alone.
“Like it or not, if Mr. Musk had not made his comment, we would not be here discussing this subject,” McCarthy added. “That shows you the very power of words and how something as simple as a tweet can affect change.”
Action Needed To Back Words
Businesses and prominent individuals alike need to back their words with action, said, several respondents.
James Watt, a co-founding organizer of NEW, believes words alone help but do nothing on their own. “Exploited communities need a constant, consistent amplification of our voices,” Watt told Benzinga, adding, “action is always the path to results.”
Some, like NCIA’s Fox, echoed a similar response many had for Musk on Twitter, telling him to donate his money to worthy causes, like the Last Prisoner Project.
A person, regardless of their bank account, can take action. Both NEW’s Watt and M4MM’s McCarthy say customers can use their buying power to show what they support.
Watt discussed how a consumer could show their support: “Consumers can make their voices heard by supporting companies that engage authentically, provide opportunities, and support ownership in historically marginalized communities.”
McCarthy noted that customers could vet brands by asking questions ranging from what causes it support to how they use their platform to amplify Black and other marginalized voices.
On June 10, a group of cannabis companies, headed up by Cannaclusive, released the Accountability List, which aims to serve as a regularly updated catalog of industry brands and their responses to addressing inclusion in the space.
In a press release announcing the release, Cannaclusive co-founder Mary Pryor stated, “The Accountability List was created to serve as a guide for consumers who are living their values or for those who want to support brands that share those ideals.”
This article originally appeared on Benzinga.


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So, will E3 be the time when 343 Industries announces what the post Halo: Reach project will be? Frankie has been pretty quiet lately…rumours abound.
I nicked this from HBO:
You can take this rumor however you would like, but a source that has spoken extensively with a member of the Xbox Live policy enforcement team has told us that one of Microsoft’s big guns at E3 will be the announcement and possible display of future Halo titles.
The thing to think about though is that Bungie will be doing some showing off of their own at E3 – so presumably 343 wouldn’t want to steal that thunder…
Update: No 343 announcements but there was a sweet heap of Reach News from Bungie – trailer, firefight confirmed, Reach campaign demo run through


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Paulo Travisani – The Wall Street Journal, 7/26/2015
Brazil’s version of the Federal Reserve will almost certainly raise its benchmark Selic interest rate next week for the 16th time in just over two years in a bid to fight escalating inflation.
Trouble is, prices aren’t cooperating. Brazil’s annual inflation rate recently hit 9.25%. That is more than double the official 4.5% target and up substantially from 6.5% in April 2013, when the bank started raising rates.
That double-whammy of high rates and inflation are weighing on Latin America’s largest economy, which is contracting this year.


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First teased in late December 2021, the adidas Yeezy 450 “Yellow Sulfur” has recently emerged via on-foot images ahead of an expected April release date.
As the pair’s moniker suggests, the Primeknit upper and divisive EVA foam sole unit indulge in a yellow shade of “Sulfur,” differentiating the upcoming release from the “Dark Sulfur” offering that launched on December 17th, 2021, ultimately as a “Resin” colorway. The latest Yeezy 450, however, indulges in all of the same design elements as its handful of predecessors, leading countless consumers to write-off the model for its jarring look. Ye himself hasn’t been spotted wearing the sock-like Yeezy since Paris Fashion Week 2020, but that surely isn’t stopping him from not only modifying the 450, but also bringing its claw-reminiscent tooling to other silhouettes like the Yeezy Slides.
Enjoy detailed shots of the pair ahead, courtesy of Instagram user @yankeekicks, and expect an official release date before 2022 ends.
For more futuristic propositions from the Three Stripes, check out the adidas NMD S1.
Where to Buy
Make sure to follow @kicksfinder for live tweets during the release date.
Yeezy 450 "Sulfur"
Release Date: May 7th, 2022 (Saturday)
Mens: $200 Style Code: HP5426
North AmericaMay 7th, 2022 (Saturday)


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Sofia Hosts Prominent Banking Officials from Europe
Bulgarian Development Bank is hosting the General Assembly of the European Association of Public Banks (EAPB) in Sofia to discuss various important issues relating to banking sector. Banking officials from major banks in Europe will discuss issues and opportunities presented by the ‘Junker Plan’. Banking sector services and credit growth are important for development of economy and many European regions need better credit services for future growth.
The Bulgarian Development Bank joined EAPB in 2005 and year 2017 marks the first time when the Bulgarian Development Bank will host the General Assembly. The meeting is held twice a year and provides important suggestions for policy decisions in European countries.
The Junker Plan, also named as The European Commission’s Investment Plan for Europe (EC IPE), is an ambitious infrastructure investment programme first announced by European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker. The plan was announced in November 2014 and has provided investment for many important projects.
Technology major Microsoft Corporation has rebuffed Consumer Reports findings on its popular Surface range of tablets and laptops.
Tesla Motors has received tremendous response for its electric vehicles despite their high price tag.
As automobile giants and customers are turning their attention from conventional cars to electric cars, the lack of charging stations continues to discourage many.
While Tesla is yet to officially unveil its next-generation electric semi truck, a report in Reuters added a new turn to the already swirling rumors by claiming that the next-generation truck will have self-driving capabilities.
Famous toy company LEGO has announced the appointment of former Danish industrial manufacturer Danfoss’ chief Niels Christiansen as its new CEO.
Software giant Microsoft Corporation has announced that it fixed a couple of security holes/vulnerabilities affecting all supported versions of Windows operating system.


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Inflation to hit European retail property in 2011 – report
Rising inflation caused by surging commodity prices could negatively impact European retail property markets next year, causing occupier demand to weaken and prompt further tenant defaults, a report said on Tuesday.
“One of the key destabilising risks on the horizon is rising inflation … as raw material prices are increasing globally, retailers will invariably pass on the cost to consumers,” the report by property consultancy King Sturge said.
The report on the outlook for European retail property in 2011 said retailers, already facing margin pressures due to rising costs, will also face the twin risks of lower consumer demand and inflation index-linked retail rents.
Inflation-led rent increases, although ostensibly positive for top European retail property landlords — among them Hammerson , Unibail-Rodamco and Eurocommercial Properties — could prove to be a double-edged sword.
“The reality is retailers are likely to be very squeezed by substantial rent increases, which are not counterbalanced by higher sales volumes … landlords are therefore likely to be facing declining levels of lease renewals and even some degree of tenant default,” King Sturge said.
In the UK, data on Tuesday showed inflation rose unexpectedly to a four-month high in October, forcing the Bank of England governor to write another public letter explaining why inflation remains so far above target.
Surging inflation could mean further volatility for commercial property investors next year, as retail property markets run the risk of a double dip in values, the report said.
“The UK, so often a pre-cursor to the rest of Europe, is already seeing a marked deceleration in growth and as the end of 2010 approaches, some property sectors are at risk of returning to negative growth,” it said.
British commercial property values barely stayed clear of a double dip last month, rising by just 0.1 percent in a subdued market as growth was held down by persistently weak rental values, benchmark IPD data showed last week.


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For some patients at Legacy Salmon Creek Medical Center near Vancouver, Wash., three squares a day don’t stop once the discharge orders are signed.
Patients at risk for malnutrition—either because of a poor diet, chronic illness or the condition that brought them to the hospital in the first place—are eligible for a month of home-delivered ready-to-eat meals.
Discharged patients enrolled in the Creekside Meal Delivery Program receive free twice-a-week deliveries that ensure they have three nutritious meals a day for a month. A collaboration between the hospital dietitians and Executive Chef Brian Seto, the idea is to support better nutrition and healing.
The meals, which riff on the hospital’s rotation of inpatient menus, include items like chef salad, baked fish with rice and asparagus, turkey meatloaf with mashed potatoes, pork carnitas with black beans and corn, breakfast souffles and chicken casserole. Meals meant to be eaten shortly after delivery skew toward fresh ingredients; those slotted for a day or two later lean more toward frozen items that only need to be reheated. Milk and juice are included with breakfast, and dessert rounds out lunch and dinner.
Seto says it costs about $4 to produce each meal, and hospital volunteers provide transportation. Dietitians provide nutrition education, and assess the patient at the end of the month.
“We offer balanced meals, but our primary focus is on making sure patients get enough protein and calories,” says Gerry Howick, a food service manager at the medical center. Howick has been the principal champion for the program, which is supported by grants from the Legacy Health Foundation, a supermarket chain foundation and other community organizations.
The meal delivery service arose from the dietary staff’s effort to determine how many of Legacy Salmon Creek’s patients were malnourished. Howick says the average across the U.S. is 20% to 50%. “If you’re malnourished, it can take weeks or months to recover,” Howick says. “Our patients might stay an average of three or four days, so we can’t address that in such a short time.”
The dietitians considered all the potential barriers to eating well after a hospital stay: potential mobility issues, a weakened state, little energy to shop for or prepare food, sometimes poor appetite or lack of transportation to shop. With an initial grant, they collaborated with Seto to create the program, work out the logistics and test the menu to make sure items would freeze and reheat well.
“We hadn’t had experience cooking meals to go, so there was a lot of trial on different types of packaging and the menu,” Howick says. During a three-month pilot phase, the kitchen staff prepared meals, packed them, stored them for a few days, rethermalized them and evaluated the results. “The meals were clinically tailored to support malnutrition, but we also wanted to make sure they were palatable,” she says.
Enrolling patients in the Creekside program is a process. When patients are admitted, a dietitian assesses them for malnutrition, or at risk for malnutrition, such as patients being treated for cancer. Those who fall into that category are automatically prescreened for meal delivery. “We look at the patients who fit the eligibility criteria, then do a deeper dive into their charts,” Howick says.
With four possible menu tracks, not every malnourished patient is a good candidate, Seto notes. Those with food allergies or very restrictive diets aren’t likely to qualify; patients who are open to a variety of foods are a better match. Patients can preview the menus to make sure they are on board. “We have made some adjustments, such as when someone can’t eat beef or pork,” he says.
Otherwise, he says, “it’s totally what they would be eating if they were still in the hospital,” so patients have had a preview of what they’ll be receiving at home.
In the past year, more than 50 Legacy Salmon Creek patients have signed up for the delivery service. Both Howick and Seto would like to see the program expand; Howick says they are supporting sister hospital Legacy Good Samaritan Medical Center in Portland, Ore., as it launches meal delivery.
“I’m really hoping that someday we can help our patients no matter what diet they’re on post-discharge, so if you have a broken jaw and can eat only soft foods, we can provide it,” Seto adds. “It’s huge that they can focus on recuperation without the stress of having to think about meals.”


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MedGuide-Only REMS Will Be The Exception, Not The Norm, As FDA Relaxes Policy
This article was originally published in The Pink Sheet Daily
"In most cases" a MedGuide would be included as part of a REMS only when elements to assure safe use are needed, the agency says in a draft guidance.
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There is concern that common software package could mean more drugs end up with risk management programs.
GPhA says congressional action is only remedy after study estimates $5.4 billion in potential savings is lost annually because of brand manufacturers using REMS to prevent generic competition.
FDA says Novartis’ assessment of the long-acting beta agonist’s REMS, which consisted only of a communication plan, shows the “plan, and therefore the REMS, has met its goal.”


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Indian Motorcycle Company is on the verge of its third model year since its resurrection into the market in late2008 and the company says it’s growing despite the nation’s economic woes.
“We are delighted with our retail sales growth, expanding dealer network and enthusiastic customer base”said Chris Bernauer, General Manager for Indian Motorcycle Company. “Retail sales are growing each and every month and year-over-year retail growth is extremely strong. With the sales growth, an expanding dealer network and the best customers in the world, our future is looking extremely bright.”
With year-over-year sales up over 80% in a still-shaky US economy, Indian’s says it’s future is bright. In a press release, the company said that May was it’s strongest growth month to date, with retail sales up 214% from May 2009. However, Indian did not provide numbers of bikes sold during this period.
Fueling the retail growth is an expansion of it’s dealer network. Indian Motorcycle currently has 29 dealers open worldwide, and expects to have 35 dealerships open worldwide by the end of 2010.
Private equity firm Stellican Ltd., owner of Chris Craft boats and the soccer team Vicenza is attempting to succeed at reviving the 108 year old brand despite several attempts by other companies over the past two decade.
The website Clutch and Chrome has a photo of the new Indian Blackhawk, to be unveiled in Sturgis.


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As most economists expected, the coronavirus pandemic has feed a wave of layoffs across numerous business sectors the past several weeks.
As of April 24, the Indiana Department of Workforce Development’s website listed several dozen Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act notices filed between March and April, showing hundreds of layoffs or furloughs by a range of industries including manufacturers, retailers, casinos, restaurants and hotels, most citing the pandemic and stay-in-place orders as the reason for the workforce adjustments.
Among the companies announcing layoffs was steelmaker ArcelorMittal. In state filings between April 13 and April 19, the company said it would temporarily lay off 301 workers, spread across locations in Burns Harbor and East Chicago.
ArcelorMittal expected the layoffs to last no longer than six months.
“Our customers and their customers have been impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak and the collective national response required to contain it,” the company said in a statement. “Therefore, we also must adapt our production and cost structures to match our customers demand in these challenging market conditions.”
Indiana’s unemployment rate in March was 3.2%, up 0.1% from February. However, experts have said this number could rise, possibly as high as 10.5% by late spring, because of layoffs and furloughs fed by the pandemic.
U.S. jobless rate in March was 4.4%, up from 3.5% in February.


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Medical marijuana license platform identified
The Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH) has announced the Mississippi Medical Cannabis Program has joined with other industry leaders to launch the state’s medical cannabis licensing platform in June 2022.
Mississippi will join four other states – Illinois, Missouri, New Jersey and West Virginia – in using the NIC Licensing Solution (NLS), the only government licensing platform designed specifically for the cannabis industry. The platform will include comprehensive licensing services for patient/caregiver registration, practitioner registration, agent (employee) credentialing, and business licensing across all business types (growers, processor, testing facility, waste management).
This platform provides a single unified portal for all cannabis licensing needs within the state. Initially, NLS will be accessible from the MSDH Mississippi Medical Cannabis Program webpage.
Currently, NLS has more than one million registered users and has processed more than 1.5 million applications.
Additionally, NLS will work with Metrc, a seed-to-sale platform providing regulatory oversight of the growth, harvest, processing, testing, transportation and sale of Mississippi cannabis products. Metrc uses cloud-based tracking software and securely encoded radio frequency identification (RFID) tags that give regulators full supply chain visibility for seed-to-sale tracking of the product.
The Mississippi Department of Revenue will be the agency responsible for issuing dispensary licenses.
MSDH has published the first three proposed regulations under the medical marijuana program. The proposals involved cannabis testing facilities, advertising and marketing, and work permits. The public comment period on these proposals is through April 15. The proposals are on the MSDH website.
The medical marijuana bill signed by Gov. Reeves was authored in large part by state Sen. Kevin Blackwell (R-Southaven). The final version of the bill was a conference report between what passed the Senate and the House version of the bill.
Cities and counties are under a May 2 deadline to determine if they will opt out of the bill, part of the measure that was passed and signed by the governor.
Horn Lake’s Board of Alderman has already said it will opt out from the program as it works through zoning issues that many municipalities are dealing with
Other DeSoto County cities have not said if they will opt out or not before the deadline. Southaven Mayor Darren Musselwhite has stated he supports the medical cannabis concept, but the lack of zoning control means he would urge his aldermen to opt out until those questions are answered. It’s expected a decision will be made at the next Board of Aldermen meeting.
Once the May 2 deadline is passed cities and counties cannot opt out. If they do before the deadline, they can opt back in at any time.


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Round 3 match-ups feature Target, Best Buy, U.S. Bank, Mall of America, Mayo Clinic, Betty Crocker, 3M's Post-it Notes, Polaris, Lunds/Byerly's, Medtronic, Valleyfair, Red Wing Shoes, Malt-O-Meal, Dunn Bros., Land O'Lakes and Dairy Queen.
The Minneapolis-based retailer already sells alcohol in 1,300 stores, but opened its only Minnesota liquor store just last week.
When I discovered several weeks ago that our house was seriously low on light bulbs, I decided to check out Home Depot's broad selection of the newest lighting technology. That was a mistake.
Featured matchups pit Target against Toro, 3M's Post-it Note against the Minnesota State Fair, Buffalo Wild Wings against Medtronic and Caribou Coffee against Lunds/Byerly's.
We’ve taken 64 of Minnesota’s most famous and iconic brands and matched them up NCAA tourney-style to determine the best. Voting runs Oct. 1 through Oct. 30 at MSPBJ.com.
Hackers infiltrated credit card readers at four suburban Cub Foods stores a week after the grocery chain announced a much larger data breach.
Opus Group no longer includes a Hy-Vee grocery store in its mixed-use development plans for The Point at Arbor Lakes, after the proposal got a cool response from city leaders.
The West Des Moines-based grocery chain is eyeing a site that's been vacant since July.
The city of Minneapolis is in negotiations to gain control of the property and the neighboring Kmart site. City leaders have dreamt for years of reopening Nicollet Avenue at Lake Street.
Jerry's Enterprises will close Rainbow Foods stores in West St. Paul and on Minneapolis' Lake Street, just months after buying them from Milwaukee-based Roundy's Inc.
Jerry's Enterprises will close Rainbow Foods stores in West St. Paul and on Minneapolis' Lake Street, just months after buying them.
Hy-Vee has a deal to buy a former Rainbow Foods store in Shakopee, but a church leasing part of the complex doesn't want to move.
The Kroger Co. wants to develop an 82,000-square-foot store across from Lindbergh City Center and the adjacent MARTA station, as the nation’s largest grocery operator looks to put more stores inside the city.
No longer brat-centric nor marketed through at-home cookouts, the transformed Golden Valley meat company is stepping up its grocery aisle push.
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota is planning a flagship store where customers and prospective customers can buy insurance and get help with their health plans.


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With heavyweights such as Deutsche Bank now joining the IIN, the network is scaling up. In just 12 months, it now includes more than 300 banks, many of them from APAC
J.P. Morgan’s Asian head of wholesale payments for Asia Pacific outlines the bank’s vision to offer “locally nuanced” solutions to help treasuries handle local business problems
The corporate treasuries of a range of large Australian businesses can now take advantage of the country’s first cloud-based e-procurement platform.
Two Asia-focused cross-border payment start-ups - Airwallex and InstaRem – are out to disrupt cross-border payments for businesses in the region. How soon will it be before we're all using them?
Swift announces that corporates can now enrol for a multibank payment tracker service first made available two years back to financial institutions. How much will it cost? And does it matter?
On the money-themed day of RISE – Hong Kong’s annual tech conference - fintechs working on enterprise payments were in the spotlight. Will 5G technology make a difference? If so, how much?
China's currency watchdog upgraded its rules on centralised cross-border fund management in March. Three months later, Delphi Technologies and Deutsche Bank had a cross-border pooling solution in place
Stuck payments are the bane of the treasurer’s life, sometimes taking weeks to resolve. Chong Hing Bank spoke to CT about why it’s using J.P. Morgan’s blockchain network
The partnership will allow its clients to reach a greater pool of Vietnamese consumers. Meanwhile, Chinese giants Alipay and WeChat Pay are also expected to make an entrance in the market.
Hong Kong finally plays catch up with India and China by issuing virtual bank licences. For corporate treasuries, the presence of virtual competition is set to be a boon


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Even when a dot-com’s departure is less than momentous in the eyes of the general public, the exit can signal a change in direction for electronic commerce.
Take, for example, the case of Bank One, which announced last week that it is going to integrate its pure-play Internet bank Wingspan into its other Internet initiatives. When the decision was announced, many industry observers said a collective “I told you so.”
Whether the term “pure-play” is destined to disappear from the e-commerce lexicon altogether is up for debate, but when it comes to banking, consumers have made themselves clear.
Given that banking online with their regular bank has not exactly dazzled consumers, the outlook for pure-play banks with no brick-and-mortar component is especially grim.
Casual observers might ask how Bank One, the fifth-largest bank holding company in the United States — with reported assets in excess of US$270 billion — could make such a gargantuan blunder in judgment.
Was it all just a great experiment? Were the bank’s principals waiting to see if Wingspan could indeed fly? Did the company sincerely believe that a pure-play bank would fill a niche for American consumers?
Considering the capital expenditure to create Wingspan and the ambitious efforts to maintain it in the marketplace, chances are it was no experiment. Instead, it appears to be a gross overestimation of the level of commitment consumers have made to their keyboards as a place to do business.
From a glance at the drawing board, it looks like pure-play banks did not overlook any options in creating their online offerings. Wingspan offered generous interest on checking accounts, as well as online bill paying services, certificates of deposit, credit cards, investment research, mortgage loans and a network of automated teller machines (ATMs).
Sounds great. So what went wrong?
According to a study from Meridien Research, released just one week before Wingspan was clipped, banking customers are looking for value-added services from their banks.
“Pure online banks are beginning to look like failed dreams,” Meridien analysts Christine Barry and Jennifer Schmidt wrote at the time, prophetically.
It’s unfortunate that companies of the caliber of Bank One are forced to go through these expensive exercises to find out what works in the market, but if these pioneer days of e-commerce are about anything, they are about trial and error.
Pre-judging a consumer base that is moderately flexible at best, and resistant at its worst, is a difficult proposition.To its credit, Bank One is still moving ahead with Internet initiatives.
Back in 1999 when it launched Wingspan, it also entered into aggressive co-branding online financial services with Excite and America Online. Even though some pure-play online banks had already been absorbed by traditional banking companies, and industry insiders believed its debut of Wingspan was high-risk, Bank One persevered.
All About Options
There’s a recurring lesson that keeps presenting itself to e-commerce companies. Consumers want to decide for themselves what works for them.
Meridien’s research said that successful online banks will likely be extensions of existing offline banks. Consumers have made it fairly clear that they want to maintain their relationships with existing banks and creditors.
Meridien suggests consumers want access to their banking products through branch offices and ATMs, as well as through their personal computers.
Further, the research forecasts the number of active Internet banking users throughout the world will increase from the current 23 million to 32 million by 2003. Considering the size of the wired world these days, that is not a tremendous growth rate.
Consumers will have to be courted, persuaded and have their requests for options honored by banking institutions.
The ongoing demise of pure-play online banks should be a wake-up call to dot-com dreamers who still believe e-commerce can change the world. All the Internet is going to do is add something useful to existing commerce.
E-commerce was never supposed to replace traditional business or displace conventional institutions.
Note: The opinions expressed by our columnists are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the E-Commerce Times or its management.


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Facts About Computer Classes Revealed in Dow IL 62022
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General Electric shunted off Dow after more than a century
Illinois-based pharmacy chain created in a 2014 merger. The change will take effect prior to the open of trading next Tuesday. Down 26%, GE is the worst performer in the Dow in 2018, as it was last year, as well. "It was an issue not of if, but when," said ...
GE Replaced By Walgreens In Dow Jones Industrial Average
Walgreens, GE's replacement on the Dow, is a retail drug store chain. Headquartered in Deerfield, Illinois, it operates as a pharmacy-led health and wellbeing company. Blitzer noted that with the addition of Walgreens, the Dow will be more representative ...
Troubled GE drops out of Dow Jones for first time in 110 years
Dow Jones Indices suggested that the slide in GE’s stock ... In 2012 it bought a stake in Alliance Boots and took full control two years later. The Illinois-based firm also acquired more than 1,900 stores from Rite-Aid last year.
General Electric loses its place in the Dow Jones average after more than 100 years
“Today's change to the [Dow Jones Industrial Average] will make the index a better ... taking full ownership in 2014. The firm, based in Illinois, also acquired more than 1,900 stores from Rite-Aid last year.
GE gets boot from Dow, the last 19th century member removed
Illinois-based drugstore chain created in a 2014 merger. The change will take effect prior to the open of trading next Tuesday. Down 26 percent, GE is the worst performer in the Dow in 2018, as it was last year, as well. The S&P Dow Jones Indices said ...


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After a five-months ban, Nestle India, on Monday, said, it has resumed production of Maggi noodles at all five facilities in India.
Nestle started production of Maggi noodles at its Tahliwal plant in Himachal Pradesh, after its relaunch, on November 9. The company manufactures Maggi noodles at its plants in Nanjangud (Karnataka), Moga (Punjab) Bicholim (Goa) and Tahliwal, and Pantnagar in Himachal Pradesh.
“The company has resumed manufacturing of Maggi noodles at its Tahliwal (Himachal Pradesh) factory. With this, the company has resumed manufacture of Maggi noodles at all five noodle manufacturing facilities,” Nestle said, in a BSE filing, according to PTI.
In just 5 minutes, 60,000 welcome kits of Maggi was sold out on Snapdeal, as consumers thronged the e-commerce platform to lap up their 2-minute instant noodles.
“Snapdeal sold out the first batch of 60,000 Maggi Welcome Kits within 5 minutes of Maggi Flash Sale going live today. There has been much anticipation for the return of one of India’s favourite brands, and we have witnessed a phenomenal response to this sale from customers across the country,” Snapdeal Senior Vice President (Partnerships and Strategic initiatives), Tony Navin, said.
In June, FSSAI had banned Maggi noodles, saying, it was “unsafe and hazardous” for consumption, after finding lead content beyond permissible limits. Nestle however, had stated that, it would continue with the existing formula, and would not change the ingredients.
The Consumer Affairs Ministry, had also filed a class action suit against Nestle India, seeking about Rs. 640 crore in damages, for alleged unfair trade practices, false labeling, and misleading advertisements.