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Netflix has said it wants to expand its service to as much of the world as possible, and now the time has come for residents Down Under to fire up the streaming service. According to AusDroid, Netflix is now available in Australia,with streaming plans ranging from A$8.99 to A$14.99.
The Galaxy Note Edge is a little weird, a little out there. So it's only appropriate that Samsung has chosen Australia as the first place to roll out the phone's Lollipop update. According to SamMobile, Note Edge owners in Oz started seeing the update late last night local time, at least for the SM-N915G variant of the phone. As far as we've seen, Australia is the first market to get the update for the Note Edge.
A few weeks ago, we brought your attention to the mysterious case of the missing Turbo Charger, an intriguing Australian tale of deception, thievery, and...wait, no. The story was uneventfully boring: Motorola's Turbo Charger, the one built for the global market, had failed to meet the Australian Electric Standards, and the company was shipping out a slower 850mAh charger in the box, along with a redemption offer to claim the faster charger once it gets certified and approved for the market.
It's really hard living in the US, where it seems like we don't get approximately .5% of all the cool new electronics and services that other countries enjoy. It's a real penance having to stare at the goodies that get released elsewhere but not here, and the only thing we can do about it is flee to the comments section and complain to everyone. Case in point: this neat portable TV antenna from D-Link, which connects to an Android phone's Micro-USB port and lets users watch free over-the-air television.
The Nexus 6 is a big phone with a big 3200mAh battery. Fortunately, it comes with a Motorola Turbo Charger that can breathe hours of life back into the phone in minutes. The thing is, Ausdroid has reported that folks in Australia are finding that their handsets aren't coming with the speedy charger in the box. Instead, there's a weaker charger in its place. What gives?
The issue results from electrical standards in Australia, which the version of the Turbo Charger designed for the global market doesn't meet.
Psst. Hey, Aussies. Head over to your local Google Play Store's Devices section. You might see something you've been waiting on for a while.
That's right, the Nexus 6 is now being sold in the Play Store in Australia. And by "being sold," I mean that it's still several weeks away from shipping, but Google will be more than happy to take your money now.
Netflix has announced that its TV and movie streaming service is coming to Australia and New Zealand in 2015. The wait shouldn't be long either—we're talking a period of just a few months, with Netflix set to go live Down Under sometime in March.
At that point, folks living in Australia and New Zealand will also get the ability to stream content to their Android phones and tablets. They can also use other devices, such as laptops and TVs, where they can pump their stream up to 4K in places that support doing so.
It's easy to scoff at Amazon Coins, but with offers of free ones popping up every now and then, it's just as easy to take that virtual money laughing as you walk away with awesome apps and games. Doing what it does rather well, Amazon is now expanding its reach to additional countries. The company's coins are now available in Australia and Japan.
As was the case when Amazon Coins first launched in the US in 2013, Kindle Fire owners in Japan and Australia will find that the company has already deposited 500 Yen or $5 AUD worth of coins into their accounts.
You guys like streaming Netflix, YouTube, Hulu, and lots of others to your TV, right? Of course you do, because bigger is better when it comes to watching movies, videos, or TV. It's a scientific fact.
Today, users in both Australia and Japan are finally able to get that satisfied feeling of hitting the "Connect to Chromecast" button, as Google's nifty little streaming gadget is now available in both countries.
It'll set Australian users back $50, and is available from Google Play, Dick Smith, and JB HiFi, according to Ausdroid.
There's some interesting stuff going on down under, and it doesn't have anything to do with poisonous animals (for once). Google has added a new section to the Play Store there – Made in Australia. It contains all the best in apps and games from the land of oz.


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As it prepares to turn 15 next year, Australian restaurant business Grill’d has launched its first brand campaign in preparation of its next growth phase.
The campaign, created by newly appointed creative agency The Royals, introduces Grill’d’s new brand platform that calls on Australians to ‘Be a Motherlover, not a Motherfaker’.
The brand’s positioning, ‘Burgers from a better place’, will underpin the integrated campaign that highlights Grill’d’s commitment to natural and sustainable business practices that respect Mother Earth.
In addition to the campaign, Grill’d has announced the launch of a new membership program, inviting its most loyal customers to become foundational members ahead of a full launch in January 2019.
The program is part of a new customer experience strategy that includes a focus on best in-class, mobile-first personalised customers experiences, including a new takeaway offering launching in early 2019.
With this Australian-first initiative, dubbed ‘SwingBy’, Grill’d customers will be able to notify the restaurant team as they approach the location so that a team member can be ready and waiting with their takeaway order outside the door.
These experiences will be enabled by new partnerships with Salesforce and Swrve.
Grill’d founder and managing director Simon Crowe said: “The dining landscape has changed dramatically since Grill’d first introduced the concept of a healthy and conscientious burger experience to Australians 14 years ago.
“The purpose of our first-ever brand campaign is to re-define what our restaurants stand for and further differentiate Grill’d from the over-processed Motherfakers we compete against.
“Grill’d has grown from five to more than 130 restaurants because its commitment to burgers that are made with love and from local produce resonates strongly with Australians.
“We know that the opportunity is there for further business growth, despite an increasingly competitive landscape.”
The Royals creative director Andy Jones said: “It’s always a challenge creating an inaugural brand campaign – even more so when the brand’s as loved as Grill’d.
“So, we took things back to the heart of what Grill’d stands for: Grill’d, and the people that eat there, know that more natural, sustainable and locally produced ingredients make for a better tasting burger.”
Grill’d marketing director Col Kennedy said: “From my first day, the vision and expectation of Grill’d has been clear – to deliver world-class customer experiences – and as part of significantly building up our internal capability, we are focused on working with white-hot partners like The Royals, Swrve, Salesforce and Carat to bring this to life.
“We will be unveiling more over the coming months, including exciting new product development.”
Founder: Simon Crowe
CEO: Adam Stapleton
Chief marketing officer: Col Kennedy
Marketing manager: Ingrid Kelly
Creative agency: The Royals
Managing partner: Steve O’Farrell
Creative director: Andy Jones
Associate creative director: Iain MacMillan
Senior creatives: Andrew Grinter and Lee Spencer
Design director: Gavin Wright
Designers: Victoria O’Neill and Zoe Coombs
Senior producer: Brenton Matulick
Senior planner: Heleen Hidskes
Group account director: Matt Parker
Senior account manager: Emma Harrison
Photographer: Danny Eastwood
Producer: Cameron Gray, The Pool Collective
Food stylist: Kirsty Bryson
Australian fashion brand Witchery has partnered with B Corp GlamCorner as part of GlamCorner’s subscription box offering as the demand for everyday essentials soars. This partnership marks another milestone for the Australian fashion industry towards becoming more circular and introducing more paths to reduce textile waste. Customers nationally will be able to rent more of […]
The media, marketing and creative industries are being encouraged to host their own ‘Curry Club for COVID’ before 30th June to help meet the ambitious $100k target set by its organisers. Curry Club for COVID, which was conceived by long-time adtech executive Peter Bray, sales director at Impact, and is powered by industry social purpose organisation […]
The UnLtd Cup is returning for its tenth consecutive year, marking a decade of soccer shenanigans that’s raised nearly $500,000 for children’s mental health charity, KidsXpress. On July 22-23rd, 28 teams from across the industry will battle it out on the soccer field in the two-day tournament at Sydney University Sports and Fitness Centre, Darlington. […]
Australian-bred company Ultra Commerce has acquired New Zealand-based company Vesta eCommerce, a global software business providing leading product data management solutions. The recent acquisition is a significant move for the business, which is Australian born, owned, and headquartered, but has built out a global presence as it pursues rapid growth in the eCommerce market. Connecting […]
Canteen’s latest campaign features the combined talents of Director Luna Laure and creative agency Crater. The campaign strives to raise awareness for young people affected by cancer. The awareness campaign centres around Harry Barentson, who at 12 years of age found out his pregnant mum had cancer. The campaign aims to bring awareness to Canteen’s […]
In partnership with storytelling agency Enthral, AFL legend Kevin Sheedy has voiced a ‘Love Letter to Victoria’ using visuals to showcase the state’s natural beauty and culture. Victoria has been hit with the worst of the coronavirus pandemic compared with any other Aussie state, experiencing four lockdowns. Sheedy partnered with Enthral to share a love […]
Telstra’s lower-cost telco, Belong, has awarded its strategy and creative account to Howatson + White, and has reappointed OMD to its media buying account, after a competitive pitch process. Howatson + White will handle strategy, planning, creative and CRM, while former agency Clemenger will continue to have a relationship with Belong, managing PR and retail activation. […]

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Lippert Components opts out of remaining 2020 trade shows in Europe; will create virtual product showcase
Elkhart, Ind. — Lippert Components, Inc. (“LCI”), which supplies a broad array of highly engineered components for the leading original equipment manufacturers ("OEMs") of leisure vehicles and mobile transportation, and the related aftermarkets of those industries, today announced that it will opt out of attending the 2020 Caravan Salon Trade Fair in Dusseldorf, Germany, as well as all other European trade shows, due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. The decision to forgo trade shows also applies to LCI’s newest acquisition, Polyplastic, the leading acrylic window supplier to the European caravan industry.
Michele Checcucci, CEO of RV Europe and Jan Peter Veeneman, CEO of Polyplastic issued the following statement:
The LCI RV Europe team has instead decided to build a virtual product showcase where they can give online tours to customers, media representatives, and consumers alike through live, virtual presentations. The opening of this showroom has yet to be determined.
Through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Lippert Components, Inc. (Lippert™), is a leading global manufacturer and supplier of highly engineered products and customized solutions dedicated to shaping, growing, and bettering the RV, marine, automotive, commercial vehicle, and building products industries.
With over 90 manufacturing and distribution facilities located throughout North America, Europe, Africa, and Asia, Lippert™ is a leading, global manufacturer and supplier of highly engineered products and customized solutions dedicated to shaping, growing, and bettering the RV, marine, automotive, commercial vehicle, and building products industries, and their adjacent markets. Lippert also serves a broad array of aftermarket segments, supplying best-in-class products designed to enhance recreational pursuits, both on the road and on the water. From powerful towing technology and automated RV leveling systems, to boating furniture and one-of-a-kind shade solutions — Lippert combines strategic manufacturing capabilities with the power of our winning team culture to deliver unrivaled Customer Service, award-winning Innovation, and premium Products to every industry and person we serve.
3501 County Road 6 East
Elkhart, IN 46514


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ERJ staff report (DS)
Mumbai, India — Ceat Ltd., an RPG Group company, has formally announced that it is acquiring the â€œCEATâ€ Brand from Pirelli & C. SpA for 9 million Euro (Rs 550 million).
Ceat Ltd. is currently the owner of the Ceat brand in 9 South Asian countries: India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Pakistan, Bhutan, Nepal, Afghanistan and Vietnam. Pirelli is the owner of the Ceat Trademark in the rest of the world.
This acquisition will enable the company to export radial and cross-ply…


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Senior Recruitment Consultant
Business Development Manager
Head of Sales and Events
Harrogate International Centre
Under Starter's Orders
EN Race Day debate to tackle free content...
Garry Tyson scooped the gong for Best Organiser Salesperson at this...
“North West must stand united”...
UBM FORECASTS STEADY REVENUE GROWTH, FEWER LAUNCHES
posted on: 2013-10-22 09:56:28
Global exhibition organiser UBM said it expects full-year underlying revenue growth to be around three per cent with fewer launch events in the fourth quarter.
MEDIA 10 REVEALS 7.5% VISITOR RISE AT DESIGN SHOW
posted on: 2013-09-30 09:10:52
Organiser Media 10 has reported this year’s 100% Design attracted more than 27,000 visitors (pending audit) for its 19th edition.
UBM CEO LEVIN TO STEP DOWN
posted on: 2013-09-16 08:36:16
UBM's CEO David Levin has announced he will step down by July 2014.
GLOBAL SOURCES ADDS MOBILE AND WIRELESS SHOW TO CHINA SOURCING FAIR
posted on: 2013-08-13 10:33:58
ASIA - Global Sources is launching a new mobile and wireless show at its China Sourcing Fair in April 2014, due to growing industry demand claims.
PURE LONDON SEWS UP LUCRATIVE TRADE FIGURES
posted on: 2013-08-12 09:38:00
More than £150m of orders were placed at the recent Pure London fashion show, the organiser has revealed.
EMERGING MARKETS TO BOOST UBM REVENUES
posted on: 2013-08-01 14:34:12
UBM chief executive David Levin has told Exhibition News the group’s geographic mix of events will continue to shift towards the emerging markets and is expecting further growth in the second half of the year.
Showing 25 to 30 of 129 News for "China"
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Mao Mao checks all these boxes and adds another for good measure: she’s also a cat. This British Shorthair, who is just two years old and unspeakably cute, is also proof that anyone can make it anywhere, with enough determination, talent and whatever push they need from a third party.
In Mao Mao’s case, that was her owner, Zheng. Speaking a Pear video that was posted recently on Chinese social media and has gone viral, Zheng says he never thought his cat could make a living as a car model (hat tip to WorldOfBuzz). He works in the automotive industry and, one day, he came up with the idea of putting Mao Mao in one of the vehicles on display.
You can probably imagine what happened next: the cat drew a crowd and, while most people only wanted to pet and look at it, their posts on social media brought increased exposure for the vehicles. So Zheng got Mao Mao into modeling officially.
Today, the cat works three to four jobs a month, because Zheng doesn’t want to overtire her. She makes up to $1,550 (10,000 yuan) for an appearance, so simple math will tell you she’s doing just fine, hustlin’ and bustlin’ for a living. In return, she gets treated to the fanciest cat food available and even fancier custom outfits that Zheng makes for her, to ensure maximum cuteness factor and exposure.
Mao Mao and Zheng live Jiangbei, Chongqing, in China, where auto shows are back on. Just in case any human car models were feeling down about their own careers, brought to a halt by the international health crisis of 2020.


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Govt funding starts flowing to agencies in real-time
German watchdog chief calls Wirecard scandal a 'massive criminal act'
Social media giants to face same EU hateful content rules as broadcasters
ANZ sees fivefold increase in digital channel use
Govt mulls stricter cyber security accountability for agencies
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Apple fights $644m patent suit
Fights "triple dip".
Oct 6 2010 6:50AM
South Korea accounts for third of the world's malware
Rapid rise of viruses from Asian nation.
Apr 13 2010 1:23PM
Sun builds world's biggest application store for Java
Sun chief executive has announced that Sun is to build an application store for Java and is aiming for a billion users.
May 22 2009 9:04AM
Brazil carries out world’s largest desktop virtualisation project
More than 350,000 virtualised desktops will be introduced to Brazilian schools in what is claimed to be the world’s largest-ever implementation of the technology.
Feb 18 2009 6:56AM
Virtual worlds becoming money laundries
Virtual worlds have become the newest tool for criminals to launder their ill-gotten gains.
Aug 29 2008 4:21PM
World’s cheapest laptop goes on sale
A Taiwanese manufacturer is selling what is possibly the world’s cheapest laptop.
Jul 29 2008 1:19PM
World’s oldest bible goes online
The British Library has announced that it will put the remains of the world’s oldest bible online for public viewing.
Jul 23 2008 9:05AM
World's oldest blogger signs off
The Australian woman believed to be the world's oldest blogger has died.
Jul 15 2008 9:18AM
IBM and Linden teleport avatars beween virtual worlds
Linden Labs, creators of Second Life, and IBM say they have developed have created a set of compatible avatars that can be used on either companies systems.
Jul 9 2008 4:01PM
World’s first systems analyst dies
David Caminer, a pioneer of commercial computing, has died at the age of 93..
Jul 1 2008 3:40PM
Virtual worlds can cut staff training costs, says Gartner
According to a new report by analyst firm Gartner, IT chiefs should emphasise the reduced staff training costs that virtual world technology can bring when building a business case.
Jun 25 2008 2:03PM
LG claims world's 'greenest' screen
LG has launched a 22in widescreen LCD screen which it claims is the world's most energy efficient monitor..
Jun 16 2008 3:23PM
Boffins build world's smallest transistor
Researchers at the University of Manchester claim to have created the world's smallest transistor from graphene, measuring just one atom thick and 10 atoms wide..
Apr 22 2008 7:36AM
3Dconnexion develops 3D Mice for virtual worlds
Logitech owned company 3Dconnexion has announced that its 3D mouse product line is now supported by Linden Labs' Second Life Grid..
Apr 12 2008 11:09AM
Boffins fire up world's most powerful laser
The Texas Petawatt laser has become the highest powered laser in the world, after delivering more than one petawatt (one quadrillion watts) of laser power..
Apr 10 2008 7:31AM
Boffins build world's smallest nano-photonic switch
Scientists at IBM have built the world's tiniest nano-photonic switch with a footprint about 100 times smaller than the cross section of a human hair. The breakthrough brings Big Blue another step closer to creating chips that use light rather than electrons to transmit data..
Mar 18 2008 7:21AM
China becomes world's biggest internet population
China now has the world's greatest number of internet users, according to Beijing-based research firm BDA..
Mar 17 2008 2:05PM
Russia overtakes China as the world's highest producer of malware and viruses
Russia has overtaken China as the world’s highest producer of spyware and viruses according to researchers at security vendor PC Tools.
Feb 25 2008 4:13PM
Boffins build world's strongest laser
Scientists from the University of Michigan claim to have created the world's most powerful laser..
Feb 19 2008 8:10AM
Sonim shows off world's toughest mobile
A bus has been touring round Barcelona during this year's Mobile World Congress trying to get locals to break a mobile phone..
Feb 14 2008 11:24AM
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Stellantis, formerly known as Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, had its “EV Day” back in July, and while we skimmed the two-hour presentation, we saw something that stopped us in our tracks and had us hitting rewind: a Chrysler SUV that appeared to be all-electric.
So, we made a guess something like this would be coming soon.
Now we know we hit pay dirt. Chrysler just announced it is debuting this concept SUV at the Consumer Electronics Show in January, and it will be called Airflow.
The short answer is: Not much.
Based on information gleaned from EV Day, we know it will be built on the Stellantis STLA large battery electric vehicle (BEV) platform – the same one the new Ram electric truck will be built on. Stellantis said this platform would have a range that goes up to 500 miles.
And, since a lot of the Stellantis plans are set to go in motion by 2024, we anticipate we’ll see a production version of the Chrysler Airflow around that time.
Plus, based on the brief glimpse we got, the interior will be very tech forward.
But basically that’s about it.
With the debut of the Chrysler Airflow, Stellantis will also be announcing Chrysler’s electrification strategy. While one might take this to mean Chrysler is going all electric, we’ll point out electrification also includes plug-in hybrids such as the Chrysler Pacifica.
So, we could see this be a PHEV to BEV plan – especially since Chrysler will now be able to build off Jeep’s 4xe expertise.
Frankly, we’re just excited this means Chrysler is expanding its vehicle lineup beyond the 300 and Pacifica – and that Chrysler actually has a future.
Details are minimal right now, but after January 5, 2022, the debut day, we expect to know a lot more about this electric concept. As we pointed out in our original EV Day article, the Chrysler Airflow concept is too donenot to end up as a production vehicle.
Since we’ll already be at CES to cover the new Chevy Silverado EV, we’ll be sure to pop on by the Chrysler booth to check this out as well. So, stay tuned …
In the meantime, below is a photo gallery of the screen grabs of the Chrysler Airflow we pulled from the EV Day presentation.


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Retailer says EU referendum is not to blame for decline as beauty sales rise 4%
The John Lewis Partnership has shared financial results for the six months ending 30 July 2016, showing a significant decrease in profits.
Sir Charlie Mayfield, Chairman at the John Lewis Partnership, said that the change “reflects market conditions” and was not a consequence of the EU referendum.
Mayfield said: “There are far reaching changes taking place in society, in retail and in the workplace, that have much greater implications.”
However, in July Managing Director, Andy Street, said that the falling value of the pound following the vote to leave was “a big issue” for John Lewis. The department store imports two-thirds of the goods it sells and purchases one third of its products in dollars.
Mayfield also admitted that the uncertainty caused by June’s vote remained and said that the “full impact of this change is yet to become clear”.
Gross sales grew 3.1% to £5.27bn as sales grew 2.2% at Waitrose and 4.5% at John Lewis.
Rising sales in some markets did not offset losses elsewhere, as the group said that its commitment to “competitive pricing, excellent service” and long-term investments held back profits.
Profit before tax was down £167.1m from 2015, a reduction of 74.6% on last year. Sales of beauty products at John Lewis, however, were up 4% as the retailer invests in revamping its beauty halls.
Mayfield said that profits in the first half of the year are always lower than the second, which makes up at least two thirds of overall revenue. However, he did admit that the group expects the group to feel pressure on its profits into 2017.
The John Lewis Group is now focusing on strengthening its two brands as it anticipates “significant changes” in how its customers shop.
Online purchases now make up 34.5% of total sales at John Lewis, up from 30.6% last year.


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Curt Blake, the CEO and President of Spaceflight Industries, has posted news that the company has signed a definitive agreement to sell their rideshare launch business to Mitsui & Co., Ltd., of Japan (via a partnership with Yamasa Co., Ltd.).
Blake wrote that the firm can now shift their focus to ensure they are setting up the infrastructure to support their growing commercial and government business.
The transaction is now subject to the U.S. Committee on Foreign Investment (CFIUS) review, as this transaction is not yet official. While that review process can take several months to complete, the company is researching and putting plans in place to ensure the firm hits the ground running when all is approved—hopefully in 2Q 2020. Once approved, Spaceflight, Inc. will operate as an independently run U.S. company.
Blake wrote that the company is committed to building the necessary business infrastructure to ensure their customers, both commercial and government, are fully supported and poised for growth. While the transaction is under review, Spaceflight will explore the specific infrastructure recommendations. (We anticipate Spaceflight will be governed by a Board of Directors with a majority of U.S. persons. In addition, we will also be establishing a separate subsidiary with a Board of Directors composed of U.S. persons, to minimize any impact to our U.S. government customers’ launch experience.) The firm’s name, team, and the contracts will all remain the same. There will be the hiring of a handful of new positions this year to support the business operations and the ever-growing launch schedule.
The company engaged in this acquisition for the following reasons, according to Blake. The biggest, most obvious benefit is growth. The commercial space industry is evolving rapidly, and Spaceflight is 100 percent committed to providing the most innovative and cost-effective launch options for their customers. Now the firm is able to reinvest directly in the core launch business and have the financial and operational support from a large corporation to further expand Spaceflight services, technology capabilities and the partnerships.
With Mitsui’s backing, Blake write that the company will be able to expand even further, pushing the industry to new levels and making launch even simpler and more affordable for customers. He added that the firm truly believes there is no limit to the potential of space.


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VCCP nets £10m account for Macmillan Cancer Support
By Ian Darby, campaignlive.co.uk, Thursday, 22 March 2012 10:30AM
Macmillan Cancer Support has appointed VCCP to handle its £10 million advertising account.
The agency won the business after a final head-to-head pitch against Creature London that took place last week.
M&C Saatchi was also involved in the process, which was run through the intermediary Oystercatchers.
VCCP will seek to develop the brand and raise awareness of Macmillan, which works to provide practical and emotional support to those with cancer. Its services include Macmillan nurses, a support line and grants.
In recent years, Arthur, the agency launched by the former Joshua managing director Nick Spindler, has handled much of the charity's advertising activity, which spans TV, press and direct response work.
Carly Wilson, the brand manager at Macmillan, said: "We have recently reviewed our corporate strategy and have an enormous ambition to achieve. Having gone through a tough pitch process, we're really pleased to have appointed VCCP, which saw off some strong competition, and we are looking forward to working together."
Oliver Lewis-Barclay, the business director at VCCP, said: "Macmillan already has a very strong reputation, built around its incredible work. We will be helping it raise the brand's profile so that it can support even more people living with cancer."
This article was first published on campaignlive.co.uk
- Senior Marketing Manager Cutis Developments £50,000 - £60,000 per annum , Victoria, London (Greater)
- CRM Executive Ball & Hoolahan £30,000 per annum, London (Central), London (Greater)
- Interim Senior Marketing Manager - Campaigns Tarsh Lazare Marketing Recruitment To £60,000 plus benefits, London (Central), London (Greater)
- International Brand Manager Tarsh Lazare Marketing Recruitment To £55,000 plus benefits, London (Central), London (Greater)
- Brand Marketing Manager Tarsh Lazare Marketing Recruitment £40,000 - £43,000 plus benefits, London (Central), London (Greater)
- Age UK launches 'no friends' ads in response to Facebook campaign
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- Lurpak rolls out jazz teaser by Juan Cabral
- Kate Robertson steps down from Havas
- Ronseal claims to ditch 'does exactly what it says on the tin' strapline


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McDonald's came under attack on multiple fronts, including its choice of snack for shareholders who turned up at its annual meeting on Thursday: Chocolate chip cookies.
Shareholder Terrence Brady told McDonald's ( CEO Don Thompson to get attendees "something better than sugary chocolate chip cookies for breakfast." )
Thompson said he'd look into it.
These days, Thompson is on the defensive about a lot of things. Not only are labor activists protesting outside his office asking for a minimum wage of $15, but health advocates are giving him a hard time for selling junk food to children using popular athletes like LeBron James and Ronald McDonald the clown.
"Ronald McDonald is the Joe Camel of fast food," said Casey Hinds, a mother from Lexington, Kentucky, who spoke at the meeting. Hinds, a member of food advocacy group Corporate Accountability International, was referring to the smiling camel used to market cigarettes to children during the 1990's.
Thompson defended the McDonald's mascot, saying the company is careful in how it conducts its marketing.
"You don't see Ronald eating food," Thompson said.
As the meeting went on inside, about 400 protesters gathered outside to push the company to increase their wages.
The protest followed a much larger demonstration on Wednesday, when 138 strikers were arrested.


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Haryana Excise and Taxation Department today said it is fully geared up for implementing the proposed GST from July 1.
Haryana Excise and Taxation Department today said it is fully geared up for implementing the proposed Goods and Services Tax (GST) from July 1. It has asked all the departments to provide list of such items which they think should fit in the list of exempted services of proposed GST by June 8 so that necessary action could be taken accordingly. This decision was taken in a meeting held here today, an official release said here. “In the meeting, it was decided that a help desk would also be set up at state headquarter to facilitate the registration of government departments with GST portal,” it said. The enrolment window would open for taxpayers for GST registration on June 19. The government departments are required to deduct tax at the rate of one per cent each for Central GST and State GST from the payment made by the government department to suppliers of taxable goods or services or both where total value of such supply under the contract exceeds 2.5 lakh.
“The department concerned would have to deposit the deducted amount to the government within 10 days after the end of the month of deduction. Interest at the rate of 18 per cent would be chargeable on the failure to deduct and pay the amount to the government. “The Department is still finalising the exemption list and would keep it to minimum based on the requirements of the department concerned,” it further said.
It was apprised in the meeting that out of the total 2,48,291 ID and passwords provided for migration from VAT to GST so far, as many as 1,27,906 have already registered themselves with the department and 1,76,910 have logged in successfully. The GST, subsuming various indirect taxes including Central Excise, VAT and CST, is scheduled to be rolled out from July 1, 2017.


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A new report from Barnardo's has revealed what it has called the 'scandal' of credit providers who charge low income families up to two and a half times (150%) more to rent-to-own basic household items such as cookers or fridges than it would cost to buy them at full price from a high street provider.
For example, at hree-year rent-to-own arrangement with a well known weekly payment store could mean a family paying in excess of £1074 for a standard fridge freezer, whilst being unaware that it would cost the much lower price of £430 to buy the same product outright on the high street.
The charity has called on the Office of Fair Trading to enforce stricter rules on credit providers that would compel them to display the high street equivalent of the products they sell.
There is a concern that the poorest families are being forced into rent-to-buy deals as they may be excluded from vital financial services such as current accounts.
Around one in ten households with an income of between £100 and £200 per week do not have bank accounts, compared to one in 50 with incomes between £500 and £600 per week.
"In these tough economic times, the most vulnerable families in society are being lured into an unaffordable debt trap by a morally bankrupt lending industry," said Anne Marie Carrie, chief executive of Barnardo's.
"Preventing families from resorting to exploitative rent-to-own agreements involves providing both good financial advice and fit-for-purpose bank accounts for those living on the tightest budgets."
To help tackle the problem the charity is calling on the Government to adopt three key strategy pillars:
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With so many looking for work, many have turned to online companies for telecommuting jobs that allow them to work at home. Unfortunately, several unscrupulous entities have responded by creating schemes to bilk desperate individuals out of what little money they have left. One program named Speak Asia Online purports to offer workers the chance to earn wealth and purchase products at discount rates; however, there are numerous warnings regarding a SpeakAsiaOnline scam.
What is it?
Speak Asian Online describes itself as a growing consumer network, marketing system and online marketplace all rolled into one; however, many describe it as a Ponzi scheme aimed at profiting from consumer ignorance. Most notably, the company purports to offer cash in return for successfully completed surveys that are then used by businesses for market research. Members are supposedly able to earn rewards points by completing tasks, selling products and - perhaps most importantly - by recruiting new members.
Who they target
Based in Singapore, the SpeakAsiaOnline scam mainly targets citizens of poorer countries who are desperate for some way to feed their families using work at home platforms. The Indian government has opened an investigation into the company and lobbied Singapore officials to put a stop to what it calls "bogus multi-marketing and Ponzi schemes."
Why should I care?
Although Speak Asia Online mainly targets people outside the United States, other similar offshore and American-based companies employ similar tactics to entice American, European and Canadian citizens. The SpeakAsiaOnline scam works by requiring members to pay a yearly membership fee in return for weak opportunities and training aimed at teaching new members how to dupe new recruits into following the same flawed path.
If you're looking for an online employmer who will allow you to work at home, beware of any so-called opportunity that requires an upfront payment for any reason, in any amount. Most western governments have implemented tight regulations to control web-based Ponzi schemes; however, many countries have not, and it can be difficult for consumers to identify the origin of these companies, many of which work hard to appear legitimate and conceal their region of operation.
If you're looking for legitimate online employment opportunities, you'd be better off searching an employment website, such as SnagaJob, or utilizing Amazon's Mechanical Turk, which allows you to select from a substantial pool of relatively simple tasks that pay between one to 20 cents each.


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Codemasters launches F1 2016, releases new trailer
885 days ago
Codemasters has released the racing game F1 2016 today. In honor of the release the developer has released a new launch trailer for the game. F1 2016 features a new 22 player online multiplayer game mode. The multiplayer mode will allow players to f..
Codemasters shows F1 2016 career mode in new trailer
899 days ago
Codemasters has released a new trailer for F1 2016. The new video focuses on the new career mode in the game. When starting a new career in F1 2016 players will be able to select a character, helmet and race number. The properties that players selec..
Codemasters releases new F1 2016 trailer
910 days ago
Codemasters has released a new trailer for F1 2016. The trailer shows the game's detailed vehicles and several race tracks. Earlier this month the developer announced that the game will feature 22 player online multiplayer. The multiplayer mode will..
Codemasters announces 22 player online multiplayer for F1 2016, releases new trailer
928 days ago
Codemasters has announced that F1 2016 will feature a 22 player online multiplayer game mode. The multiplayer mode will allow players to form a full grid of human players across the 21 circuits featured in the 2016 world championship, including the t..
Codemasters reveals F1 2016, includes new career mode
968 days ago


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GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) and the Organic Trade Board (OTB) have announced a new partnership aimed at increasing awareness of the GOTS mark – and the amount of organic textile products certified to GOTS in the UK.
GOTS is the leading global textile processing standard for organic fibres, including ecological and social criteria – backed up by independent certification of the entire textile supply chain. The aim of the standard is to define world-wide recognized requirements that ensure organic status of textiles, from harvesting of the raw materials, through environmentally and socially responsible manufacturing up to labelling in order to provide a credible assurance to the end consumer.
Due to a move away from EU funding, the OTB is now able to include brands, as well as non-food sectors such as textiles and health and beauty, in its campaigns which has opened up the possibility of the partnership.
The partnership will involve teaming up on communication, marketing, support, events and campaigns raising awareness of the benefits of organic textiles.
Christopher Stopes, GOTS UK representative, said: “This partnership will open up a wealth of support and content to our operators and will allow two organisations with the same vision to pool resource, share best practice and strengthen our mutual offering.”
Cristina Dimetto, general manager of the OTB, said: “For the first time in OTB history, we have been able to talk about brands and include non-food products with the 2020 marketing campaign. Our ambition is to make organic a lifestyle, not just a purchase. The partnership with GOTS reinforces the OTB commitment to bring the whole organic industry together, and to grow awareness and sales for organic in all its sectors. We are really looking forward to working with GOTS and to welcoming new members from the organic textile industry. Working together as a unified industry towards the same goal will make our future campaigns even stronger.”
“The partnership with GOTS reinforces the OTB commitment to bring the whole organic industry together, and to grow awareness and sales for organic in all its sectors”
Commenting on the new partnership, Susie Hewson, founder & CEO of GOTS certified personal care brand Natracare, said: “We’re so thrilled to hear the latest partnership with the Global Organic Textile Standard and the UK Organic Trade Board – it’s a brilliant step in the right direction for the non-food personal care industry. Organic textiles with a GOT standard not only has a positive impact on the environment, but also the health of those harvesting it and the end user. It’s imperative we work to ensure organic becomes the standard for all textiles because it reduces exposure to nasty chemicals, dyes and pesticides used in conventional textiles. As a company that prides itself on being certified to GOTS and a member of the OTB, this partnership will help our unified goal of raising awareness of the benefits of organic textiles to customers.”
Main image: Workers in a GOTS certified facility in India/© Global Organic Textile Standard


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In June 2014, it became illegal in Iowa for anyone under age 18 to purchase alternative nicotine and vapor — e-cigarette — products. Vaping is banned statewide on school property, and local restrictions prohibit use in other locations.
Even so, this December the U.S. Surgeon General declared the use of e-cigarettes by youth an epidemic.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, the number of high school students self-reporting using e-cigarettes during the previous 30 days skyrocketed to 75 percent in 2018.
Part of the surge in vaping among youth is the successful ad campaign targeting minors. E-cigarettes are made to look like USB flash drives or other objects that adults may not recognize as nicotine-delivery products, making it possible for teens to use nicotine without adults’ detection.
Many vaping products are also flavored like bubble gum, fruit punch and other candy-like flavors in a marketing effort to attract children.
The Surgeon General’s advisory urged adults to protect youth from nicotine addiction and health risks linked to smoking by reducing access to vaping products. There are at least three concerns associated with vaping.
First, e-cigarettes put nicotine and other harmful chemicals into the lungs and bloodstream.
Second, an adolescent who becomes addicted to nicotine is likely to switch to smoking cigarettes, which have many known health risks.
Third, vaping devices are not childproof. According to the American Association of Poison Control Centers, young children and toddlers have been poisoned by ingesting the sweet-smelling, flavored liquid in e-cigarettes.
Ann Cochran is the health navigation coordinator in the Dallas County Health Department.


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Holiday Home Lighting Contest Adds Tree Trimming
As the Bahamas gears up for the holiday season, Bahamas Realty Limited announces the launch of it’s Third Annual Holiday Home Showcase lighting competition. A number of new elements give entrants more ways to win, organizers explain.
“The Ho Ho Holiday Spirit is spreading. I’ve already seen Christmas lights brightening the night. Home owners are calling us to sign up early so we are confident that our Third Annual Bahamas Realty Holiday Home Showcase lighting competition will be even more popular than before!” says Robin Brownrigg, President of the 64-year old company on East Bay St., Nassau.
“We’ve even had inquiries from realtors in the U.S. and have given them access to our bright idea,” says Bahamas Realty CEO Larry Roberts, who spread the word during a Leading Real Estate Companies of the World conference last year.
A new feature this year widens participation in the Showcase–Tree Trimming–the idea of Sales Agent Marissa Knowles.
All entrants are eligible for weekly random draws for a $25 gift certificate, with the most unusual or most beautifully decorated tree in the whole Facebook Tree Trimming event winning a $100 grand prize–chosen by Facebook voters. It’s sponsored by Rocky Farms Nursery, where live or cut Christmas trees and poinsettias already await shoppers.
“The Bahamas Realty Holiday Home Showcase has been very popular, so this year we really wanted to expand the categories and offer more ways for everyone to get involved and win. The Bahamas Realty Tree Trimming competition brings the festive competition into the home for an exciting new twist,” according to Mrs. Iona Henderson, Bahamas Realty Marketing Manager, who spearheads the Holiday Home Showcase events this year.
“Our grand prize for the outdoor lighting competition is again a $1,000 gift certificate from the stores of Builder’s Mall, as well as a $500 charitable donation from Bahamas Realty to the winner’s favourite charity. Other prizes include a Eureka vacuum cleaner and five gallons of Devoe Paint from Jolly Roger and Paint Suppliers, Shirley St; and third prize, dinner for two at Luciano’s of Chicago, East Bay.” says Sales Associate, Broker, and host of “Bahamas Realty Now”, Sara Parker, whose idea launched the competition.
“It’s sort of an outgrowth from our ‘Bahamas Realty Now’ television show with the sponsors donating all the prizes in the first two years. Now other companies are joining in, making the season even brighter.”
She continues, “We also have weekly random draws for a bucket of chicken from KFC Nassau and certificates for a dozen donuts from Dunkin Donuts. The People’s Choice Award, strictly from Facebook votes, has been very popular: $500 of BEC Bucks to help with the holiday electricity bill.” Random draw winners for both competitions will be announced on The Bahamas Realty Facebook page each Friday afternoon.
Mr. Roberts recalls the event’s origin in a sales meeting year before last: “We were reminiscing about how exciting it used to be for children to go see the wonderful Christmas lights covering that little house on Shirley St. We decided to try to inspire more homeowners to make the season brighter.”
“A sales meeting and a childhood memory fueled a spark that led to a flame of enthusiasm. It spread like wildfire through the office of Bahamas Realty to the streets of Nassau. In just three weeks, a team of committed agents took an idea of brightening the Bahamas at Christmas, implemented it and held an island wide Holiday Home Showcase competition,” with the assistance of passionate judges and a police escort for the judging, wrote Andrea Brownrigg in her blog. She is a Bahamas Realty director and a founding member of the steering committee for the Showcase.
The deadline for entries this year is Dec.14, with five finalists judged live on Tuesday, Dec. 17. Electronic entry forms are available on line at Bahamas Realty’s Facebook page and website, and at the Bahamas Realty office on East Bay St. For logistical reasons, Family Island entrants are only eligible for the People’s Choice Award, and the Tree Trimming Awards which will be determined by the number of likes for the entry’s photo on The Bahamas Realty Facebook page. Facebook voting starts Nov. 25. Winners will be announced Dec. 19th.
“We can’t wait to see the creative Christmas lights go on all over New Providence and Paradise Island. We are all encouraging our neighbors and clients to enter whether their properties are huge or tiny. What counts is the brightness of the idea!” says Bahamas Realty Partner Gordon Wilde.
“Remember, all you need to do to enter is fill out the short simple entry form on Facebook or on paper and turn it in along with ONE photo of this year’s display, or enter by email at: holiday (at) bahamasrealty.bs.”
Look for details, tips and last years’ winners in the December “Bahamas Realty Now” TV show airing each Monday at 7 p.m.on JCN Cable Channel 14; and each Wednesday at 8 p.m. and Thursday at 11 a.m. on ZNS TV-13 on Cable Channel 11.
Mrs. Henderson adds, “Remember, Holiday Home Showcase entries don’t have to be elaborate. We just want every household to participate — however they can–to share the joy of the Season.”
By P. S. News/Features
Caption: Steering Committee members are: (From left) Sales Associate Marissa Knowles (Tree Trimming), Marketing Manager Iona Henderson (Chairperson), Director and Broker Andrea Brownrigg, Broker Sara Parker (Executive Producer and Host of “Bahamas Realty Now” TV), Sales Associate Brian Austin (Peoples Choice, BEC Bucks). Photo by P. S. News Featureschristmas, competition, holiday, real estate


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Standard Media Index, a media adspend measurement company that claims to capture 60% of ad agency spending, claims that Facebook's ad revenues fell 25% in Q2 2013.
We are skeptical.
Facebook is scheduled to disclose its Q2 earnings on Wednesday, July 24. An average of analysts' estimates calls for revenue of $1.62 billion, or 16.7% increase. (The vast majority — 83% — of Facebook's revenues come from advertising.)
Facebook has generally had robust revenue growth every quarter, often piling on as much as $200 million in adspend every three months. So a 25% decline would be a sudden, dramatic catastrophic result.
SMI's report says:
Despite Q2 2013 ad revenues falling for Yahoo (-6%) and Facebook (-25%), the remaining top 20 vendors all posted double–digit growth figures, most notably Twitter (112%) Amazon.com (165%) and ad network, Rocket Fuel (116%).
Here's their chart:
We asked SMI to clarify how it came to the conclusion that here would be a large pullback in Facebook ad revenue, the company sent us this statement:
To note, Standard Media Index provides a timely, detailed, complete, and accurate view of media performance across all media types and markets. We capture more than 60 percent of total agency spend across multiple dimensions including upfront and scatter markets, representing the actual transaction data from the ad bookings of major media buying groups, including Vivaki, Aegis Media, Havas and IPG Mediabrands.
So the qualifier here is that the 25% decline comes only from ad agency spend. Facebook has 1 million active advertisers, mosty small and medium-sized businesses who handle their own ad spending directly via Facebook. They do not use agencies, and thus their data is not captured in SMI's numbers.
But agencies probably deliver Facebook's biggest clients, and account for a huge chunk of its spend. SMI says its data comes directly from the automated collection and aggregation of agencies' booking data.
Disclosure: The author owns Facebook stock.


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Metro has released its plan to transform transportation in Los Angeles County.
The plan includes spending $120 billion in tax revenue over 40 years. Voters must approve the tax increase proposal on the November ballot.
The ballot measure would extend an existing half-cent sales tax for two more decades, and raise the county’s sales tax rate by an additional half-cent for four decades or longer. The measure, which needs a two-thirds majority to pass, would boost Los Angeles County’s base sales tax rate to 9.5%.
Click here to read the full story on LATimes.com.


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Amazon has finally released its mega list of Thanksgiving, Black Friday ‘Lightning Deals’, at least we know what games are going on sale and at what time.
Activision has released the first trailer for the new Call of Duty zombies mode coming to Advanced Warfare, showing a different kind of zombie than usual.
Black Friday is two days away, but Amazon’s Black Friday 2014 deals are live now.
One volume of awesome animal photobombs wasn’t enough? Well, here’s a second volume unapologetic critters ruining photographs.
He suggests you eat his wife with some fava beans and a nice chianti.
NBC news reporter Michael Isikoff has discovered an important confidential government document that reveals the Obama administration’s highly controversial policies. […]
Comedian Tim Dillon visits the ‘My Dumb Friends’ podcast and talks about his depressing trips to McDonalds.
Oh she is going to pay for that…
Go inside the FBI’s amazing mission to rescue a 5-year-old boy held captive for a week in an underground bunker.
Looks like Spring will be big for T-Mobile.
Ever wondered what your life looks like? We pretty much summed it up using these 20 GIFs. You’re welcome.
After a sneak peak during the Super Bowl, the extended look is here.
How epic was this game of tug-of-war?
Gold medalist skier Lindsey Vonn — rumored love interest of Tiger Woods — has suffered a terrible crash at the World Championships in Austria.
If only Amazon could turn their virtual coins into real coins.
Get ready to mark your PS4 controller with Cheetos stains.
The Troggs were famously known for its cover of “Wild Thing” and other hit songs such as “A Girl Like You” and “Love is All Around.”


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Emerging stocks rose for a second day as India's shares rallied to a record after economic growth beat estimates. Dubai's gauge surged led by the developer of the world's tallest tower, while the ruble sank to an all-time low.
My money is on Alibaba, the massive Chinese company that will soon conduct a New York IPO.* Here's why. Amazon and Alibaba, the world's largest e-commerce companies, are gearing up for the next big competition: cross-border e-commerce.
Engineering company Trumpf is so proud of its machine tools that it displays them in a high-tech exhibition hall at its headquarters in southern Germany.
Russia's manufacturing sector grew in August despite ongoing Western sanctions on the country over the Ukraine crisis. Bloomberg News.
HELSINKI - Finnish utility TVO says construction of the country's fifth nuclear reactor has been delayed again, with the plant not expected to go online until 2018 - nine years later than initially forecast.


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Alaska Airlines asks guests to help reduce inflight plastic waste through #FillBeforeYouFly
Alaska Airlines today announced its #FillBeforeYouFly initiative to partner with guests and employees to continue reducing the use of single-use plastics inflight. The aim: rally with flyers to bring their own water bottle and fill it before they board. This is one of many in Alaska Airlines' sustainability efforts to reduce inflight waste per passenger going to landfills by 70% by 2020.
“We’re passionate about working with our guests, employees, airports, and partners to reduce waste, protect habitats, and improve water health,” said Diana Birkett Rakow, Alaska Airlines' vice president of external relations.“Land, water, and animals are incredibly special parts of the places we live and fly – and it takes many different company and individual actions together to protect them for the long term. This is just one step. If just 10% of our guests bring their own pre-filled water bottle when they fly and choose reusables, it could save more than 700,000 plastic water bottles and 4 million plastic cups per year. That’s a big lift.”
Plastic bottles are among the top five most common items found in beach cleanups around the world, and according to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, by 2025, the ocean is expected to contain one metric ton of plastic for every three metric tons of fish.
Alaska Airlines is partnering with environmental leadersLonely Whale, MiiR and Bonneville Environmental Foundation (BEF), and with Sea-Tac International Airport, a partner in sustainability from new building construction to daily operations.
The airline will plant a tree for every passenger who brings a pre-filled water bottle onto their flight and posts a photo to social media tagging @AlaskaAir with the hashtag #FillBeforeYouFly. Alaska guests can help BEF achieve their goal of planting 1 million trees on the West Coast to improve the environment and restore habitats for local fish and wildlife.
In 2018, Alaska Airlines became the first airline to replace single-use plastic stir straws and citrus picks with sustainable alternatives as part of its #StrawlessSkies initiative, in partnership with Lonely Whale. Through #FillBeforeYouFly, Alaska Airlines is aligning with the Lonely Whale #HydrateLike campaign, popular on social media channels and inspiring individuals and companies alike to rethink reliance on single-use plastic bottles.
From the millions of gallons of fuel saved to the tiny plastic straws that were removed last year, Alaska Airlines has a long track record of flying greener. Since it started auditing its recycling efforts in 2010, Alaska has reduced per-passenger waste going to landfills by 65%, essentially cutting waste in half. In the last nine years, flight attendants captured over 15,000 tons of recyclable materials, about the same weight as 320 Boeing 737-900ERs. Alaska Airlines also recently replaced bottled beer with aluminum cans, which are lighter and easier to recycle.
“We know this is a resource intensive business with many stakeholders involved in the journey,” said Birkett Rakow. “While we’ve made progress, there’s a long road ahead of us. We’re working with supply chain partners and employees to come up with solutions to reduce waste, adopt sustainable practices and eliminate single-use plastics inflight. Change takes time; we value the collective impact our customers and employees can make today.”
For Alaska Airlines’ 2018 sustainability report, visitwww.flysustainably.com.
Support from our partners:
Bonneville Environmental Foundation (BEF)
"The rivers and streams that fuel the West Coast are polluted, but planting trees in the right places can help reduce pollution and restore a healthy habitat," said Bonneville Environmental Foundation Chief Development Officer Val Fishman. "Alaska Airlines is setting an industry standard with their commitment to supporting water quality programs. They are serving an important role driving awareness about widespread water issues among customers, while also helping to put actual trees in the ground to ensure the cool, clean water needed for habitats to thrive."
“We are proud to partner with Alaska Airlines, a leader that is acknowledging the dangers that plastic poses and taking initiative to change flyer behavior,” said Dune Ives, CEO of Lonely Whale. “Lonely Whale only works with brands that are authentic sustainability leaders. Alaska was the first airline willing to disrupt the way we think about plastic consumption, particularly when we are in the sky, and we’re proud to share that you can #HydrateLike Alaska Airlines and #FillBeforeYouFly.”
“Single use plastics are choking our streams and oceans and endangering our precious salmon and orca,” said Bryan Pape, CEO and Founder of MiiR. “We’re proud to take a stand alongside another great Northwest-born brand to help reduce single-use plastic and reduce harm to our beautiful planet.”
Seattle-Tacoma International Airport
“Programs like this one make it easier for passengers, employees, and businesses to lessen their environmental impact at our airport,” said Peter Steinbrueck, Port of Seattle Commissioner. “Passengers and businesses at the airport help Sea-Tac Airport keep 41% of its terminal waste from landfills by sorting into recycling or compost bins. Our goal is to keep 60% of terminal waste from landfills.”


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Rwanda Development Board (RDB) in partnership with Google, yesterday, commenced the mapping exercise where all tourism attractions in the country will feature on the web.
The two-day event dubbed, Rwanda Tourism MapUp, started with the team's road trip from Kigali where key touristic features were mapped and continued to Musanze and Rubavu districts whose attractions were also added to the Google map list.
Google Map is a web mapping service application and technology provided by Google; it offers street maps, a route planner for travellers and an urban business locator for numerous countries around the world.
Speaking at the official launch of the exercise, yesterday, Rica Rwigamba, the Head of Tourism and Conservation at RDB, said that the initiative is part of the government's strategy to enable the world know all touristic areas in the country.
"We are proud to be the first African country to work with google, citizen mappers and tourism operators to systematically map all tourism facilities and attractions to increase discoverability through search engines," she said.
"Today, more tourism destinations are chosen through online searches and recommendations by other travellers and this presents a great opportunity for our country to earn revenues from tourists who will be visiting the sites".
Rwigamba stated that the technology will boost the tourism industry as many tourists will be able to easily identify Rwanda touristic features on google search engine and consequently come to visit areas of interest.
During the exercise, all the national parks, lakes, Congo Nile Trail and key locations and attractions, islands and trails, villages and towns, restaurants, bars and hotels among others will be cartographed allowing visitors to Rwanda to get a Google Map location of them.
About 40 participants, including professional mappers, Geographic Information System (GIS) experts, university students as well as tourism operators are involved in mapping all the major tourism features.
According to RDB, the exercise will be held regularly so as to preserve the accuracy of the maps.
Edwin Sabuhoro, the Chairman of Tourism Chamber at the Private Sector Federation (PSF), said the chamber anticipates an increase of businesses .
"This will market our businesses, industries and gives us more hope that we are going to sell more to the tourists who will be visiting our country," he noted.
Sabuhoro pointed out that the kind of initiative was very important as it markets the products offered by Rwanda to the world.
"In this era, information is vital and having Rwanda tourism sites on google map will attract more tourists who end up investing in our country hence promoting economic growth," he said.
Last year, the country hosted 908,000 tourists from all over the globe and the industry earned $252 million.
Tourist attractions in Rwanda include Mountain Gorillas, Nyungwe forest canopy walk, national museums, Lake Kivu, bird watching, national parks, Congo Nile Trail and culture, among others.
It's estimated that around 70 per cent of travel decisions are made using websites to research information and google map is a major source.
Google Mapper, Gilbert Mucyo, said that so far they have mapped over 100 tourism features on google map.
"One of the outcomes of this exercise is to enable people easily access Rwanda touristic destinations on Google search engine," he noted.
"We hope to complete mapping all the features in the next few months".
Dennis Karera, the Chairman of Rwanda Hotels and Restaurants Association (RHRA), welcomed the idea saying that hotels and restaurants will generate more income from tourists since they will be easily located on the map.
"Our mission will be a success. The biggest challenge all the restaurants, hotels and bars I chair have , is that of being not known worldwide to our customers, and these customers can be best reached through Google mapping," he said.
Hermant Bulani, the Branch Manager of Satguru Travel and Tour Services, hailed RDB and Google for easing their work.
"We hope to receive more tourists coming to see the tourism features in Rwanda after searching them on Google," he said.


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Companies Looking At Alternative To Clamshell Package
Companies like Amazon.com, Sony, Microsoft and Best Buy have begun looking into alternatives to plastic âclamshellâ packages, The New York Times reports. A goal of at least some of these efforts is to be more environmentally friendly by using less packaging material
In November, Amazon.com launched âFrustration-Free Packaging,â which ships products in recyclable cardboard boxes. So far the initiative includes 19 bestselling products from manufacturers such as Fisher-Price, Mattel, Microsoft and Transcend and will expand across Amazon’s international sites in 2009.
Microsoft recently unveiled a ziplock-like plastic container for its Explore computer mice it sells at Best Buy. The container looks like typical packaging but has a plastic zipper on each side.
Sony has started an internal project it calls âdeath of the clamshell.â The company is developing three packaging prototypes that it plans to test in the near future at Best Buy and Wal-Mart Stores.
In September, CardPak Inc., and Winterborne Inc. announced they are are joining resources to bring sustainable packaging products and services to the clamshell and blister packaging markets.
Energy Manager News
- New Refrigerant Rules Will Have Long Term Impact
- Building Data Platform from Leviton
- Athens, OH, Nears $4.28M Retrofit Project
- ERC Price Benchmark Trends Week Ending: September 23, 2016
- Feds Asked to Reverse Montana PSC Decision on Solar Charges
- Energy Retailer Crius Acquires Assets of Verengo
- Put Safety First in LED Installations
- Microsoft: Data Centers to Use 50% Renewables by 2018


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Filed under: Sedan , Technology , Toyota , Electric Toyota is requesting an exemption from federal safety regulations that govern electric cars as it prepares to launch a small-scale hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle fleet. The Japanese automaker is targeting Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 305 , which covers the packaging of high-voltage parts in electric cars. According to Uncle Sam, these systems need to be isolated so that passengers and first responders aren’t electrocuted in the event of a crash. That seems pretty smart, but it’s become a problem for Toyota’s upcoming production fuel cell vehicle, as the mechanism that prevents electric shocks in low-speed crashes will apparently simply keep Toyota’s car from even functioning. Instead of the federally approved system, Bloomberg reports that Toyota plans to insulate the high-voltage wires and cables in the car, along with shielding electrical components like the fuel cells, electric motor and batteries with (presumably non-conductive) metal barriers. It’s unclear if the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration will bow to Toyota’s request, but the government safety watchdog might be swayed in light of the fact that the company is targeting a very small number of sales – 2,500 per year – and it still has a plan in place to protect first responders and vehicle occupants. Toyota asking NHTSA for fuel cell car safety exemption regarding electric shocks originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 30 Jun 2014 16:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Filed under: Concept Cars , Hybrid , Sedan , Japan , Tokyo Motor Show , Toyota Toyota is out to prove that the fuel cell vehicle isn’t as dead as we thought. Despite the fact that a hydrogen infrastructure is no closer to reality now than it was five years ago, the company unveiled its FCV-R Concept at the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show . Engineers snugged the fuel cell unit beneath the passenger cell to preserve passenger and cargo capacity. The FCV-R Concept boasts space for four and their gear, and Toyota claims that the vehicle has a range of around 435 miles. That works for us. Currently, the FCV-R is only a concept, though it’s interesting to see Toyota playing with hydrogen fuel cell technology once again. Will the tech eventually make its way to the road? Here’s hoping. Toyota has already made it clear the automaker wants to see the Prius range become its best-selling nameplate in the near future, and a fuel-cell version could be part of those plans. Hit the jump for the full press release.


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AROUND 2,500 jobs are under threat at budget clothing chain MK One after the group was put into administration.
Deloitte & Touche was appointed as administrator of the 172-store chain just weeks after it was sold by its former owner, Icelandic investment firm Baugur.
Retail restructuring specialist Hilco, which specialises in acquiring under-performing business and turning them around, snapped up the troubled group at the beginning of the month for an undisclosed sum.
MK One, which sells budget clothing for women, girls and teenagers, has been loss-making, although Baugur said it decided to offload the firm as it “no longer fitted into the portfolio”.
Lee Manning, partner in Deloitte’s reorganisation services practice, said: “We are continuing to trade the business as a going concern whilst seeking a buyer.
“MK One has a strong customer base, a range of good brands and an excellent store portfolio.”
Based in north London, MK One employs around 2,500 UK staff.
It was previously majority owned by Baugur, which held a 60% stake, with other major shareholders including Icelandic bank Landsbanki, Barclays and the retailer’s management.
The chain was sold following an overhaul of Baugur’s portfolio.
Baugur said it was looking to concentrate solely on retail investments with the biggest growth potential.
News of MK One going into administration comes just a month after fellow discount fashion group Ethel Austin was also put into administration.
Liverpool-headquartered days after Ethel Austin was bought out of administration on Monday by former MK One boss Elaine McPherson. It is thought Ms McPherson was among those bidding to buy MK One from Baugur.


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CONSUMERS will now be told where their unpackaged meat comes from under mandatory country of origin labelling.
Last month the Legislative and Governance Forum on Food Regulation approved the extension of the mandatory country of origin labelling requirements in the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code to unpackaged beef, sheep and chicken meat.
Under the ruling, businesses will display a sign for Australian-produced products while imported products will be specifically labelled.
This builds on the Code's existing requirements for most packaged and certain unpackaged food, such as processed fruit and vegetables.
A Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry spokesperson said based on data provided by ABARES, 4500 tonnes of beef and veal were imported into Australia in 2011-2012, 900 tonnes of sheep meat and 10.08 tonnes of chicken meat, while pork was the largest category of imported meat with 136,710 tonnes.


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Small companies take big steps to navigate supply chain challenges.
Over the past 15 months, inland freight transportation costs more than tripled, says Nathan Vazquez, chief executive officer with Pipsticks, a subscription sticker service. His company currently pays almost as much to move its product about 200 miles from Long Beach to San Luis Obispo, California, as it does to ship it from China to Long Beach. On top of that, some established carriers have canceled shipments at the last minute.
Vazquez isn’t the only small business executive facing supply chain challenges. More than half of small business owners responding to an April 2021 National Federation of Independent Businesses survey indicate supply chain disruptions are having either a significant or moderate impact on their operations.
Businesses of all sizes are confronting supply chain disruptions and delays. The largest enterprises, however, can take steps that are often out of reach for smaller companies. The Home Depot, for instance, has leased its own containership.
Supply chain disruptions can be more damaging to small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs) than to larger ones. “For many SMBs, one shipment could contain all of their inventory or enough product to turn a profitable month into an unprofitable one,” says Harris Rainbow, chief operating officer with NTG.
In addition, SMB employees often handle multiple roles, limiting their ability to also troubleshoot logistics issues.
Congestion and a lack of containers has led to more convoluted transit routes. Until recently, some shippers would send international containers directly to their customers’ door. Now, more are routing them to their own facilities and then transloading them to domestic trucks for delivery.
“This creates more freight touches, more delays, and more cost,” says Tim Carey, executive vice president, strategy with Target Freight Management.
Another challenge is a greater number of lost shipments, especially in the less-than-truckload network. One reason: labor shortages mean a greater number of less experienced employees are moving packages. That can lead to more mistakes.
While the challenges are real, smaller companies can address them. A first step is boosting visibility.
Technology is key. For example, to address the post-pandemic buying frenzy that led to “exploding” sales, says founder and CEO Stephanie Carter, Wallaroo Hat Company implemented radio frequency (RF) scanning to assist in packing orders. RF scanning allows for easier, more accurate, and faster tracking of products.
By capturing and transmitting data, technology boosts worker efficiency, says John Wirthlin, industry principal, manufacturing, transportation, and logistics with Zebra Technologies, a provider of barcode printing, mobile computing and data capture solutions. For instance, real-time locationing solutions, as the name indicates, can track the location of workers, items, and equipment such as forklifts in real time.
By linking this data with ordering and transportation systems, the solution can direct workers to pick the items closest to them. Then, other transport mechanisms can move the products to a staging area for shipping.Without such a system, workers may traverse much of the warehouse to fill each order.
The emergence of autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) facilitates the next step in efficiency, Wirthlin says, by eliminating much of the item transportation in the fulfillment process.The worker pulls items off the shelf and places them on the robot; the robot then travels to the next location, perhaps to retrieve another item or straight to a staging area.
“This approach increases worker and order fulfillment efficiency and reduces unproductive foot travel time,” Wirthlin adds.
SOLUTIONS WORK WITHIN SMB BUDGETS
Costs for many Industry 4.0 technologies, such as sensors, 5G implementations, and artificial intelligence, continue to decline, says Jason Alexander, national manufacturing sector leader with consulting firm RSM U.S. All these technologies provide greater visibility to operations, enabling more informed decision-making, he adds.
While technology integrations in the past often consumed shippers’ time and attention, many solution providers today can handle integration and implementation. “That’s mainstream now,” Wirthlin says.
Following a few steps can boost the chances of a successful technology implementation.
First, identify the supply chain problems that are having the greatest impact, suggests Robert Steward, CEO of End2End Solution, a software visibility system. Is it, for instance, one of the handoffs in the supply chain? Once you know this, you can narrow your focus.
Second, identify any gaps in your capabilities, Wirthlin says. One example: Does your business have technicians who can maintain the equipment you plan to install? If filling the gaps internally isn’t feasible, consider working with a logistics provider that can offer the skills you need.
While technology is often part of a visibility solution, simple, no-cost steps can also help. To minimize the risk of lost shipments within the LTL carrier network, Carey recommends using boldly colored labels or shrink wrap to better identify shipments at terminals. He and his colleagues can then check if the terminals have seen the brightly colored pallets.
PARTNER WITH A PROVIDER
To combat increasing labor costs, Pipsticks asked its supplier in China to handle many of its product kitting requirements. The company also shut down its self-run warehouse in California and shifted operations to Bulu Inc., a subscription fulfillment company in Lincoln, Nebraska. “They are able to manage fulfillment and pick and pack far more affordably,” Vazquez says.
Logistics providers can help small businesses in several ways. Many third-party logistics (3PL) providers can justify technology investments that would be out of reach for some companies because they can spread the costs across multiple clients.
With the increase in e-commerce, many businesses are looking for 3PLs that can integrate with Shopify or other e-commerce platforms. “It has become more of a standard to ensure the warehouse can turn orders the same day,” says Stephen Cagnio, warehousing sales and account management with logistics provider Mainfreight Inc.
Logistics providers also can offer expertise, such as in transportation planning, that may not make sense for a smaller business to keep on staff, Harris says.
COMMUNICATE & MANAGE EXPECTATIONS
Even advanced technology, stellar processes, and strong partners won’t magically alter the logistics challenges occurring across the globe. Supply chain professionals need to communicate with their carriers and customers, manage expectations, and often, adjust lead times.
To manage delays of up to six weeks in ocean freight from Asia, Rise Gardens, which offers an indoor hydroponic gardening system, added lead time to its ordering process, says Hank Adams, founder and CEO. This consumed more working capital, but was needed to maintain reasonable delivery time frames, he adds.
When talking with carriers, the goal is to gain a sense of operations, Carey says. For instance, if LTL carriers face congestion in a certain terminal, his company diverts some other carriers from the area, so new freight doesn’t add to the congestion.
Also use a solid mix of national and regional carriers, Carey advises. “Nobody out there can work through this on their own,” he says.
Finally, communicate with clients and try to manage expectations or suggest alternative solutions. When shipping delays mean some popular SKUs at Wallaroo Hat Company are out of stock, Carter and her colleagues point customers to similar products they know are strong sellers.
FOCUS ON THE FUTURE
Many experts expect supply chain disruptions to continue well into 2022, Carey says. Supply chain professionals need to leverage technology and processes to enhance visibility and flexibility, and manage through the upheaval.
They also need to be proactive, says Hitendra Chaturvedi, professor in supply chain management with Arizona State University. While the daily blocking and tackling of operations can feel urgent, supply chain leaders need to make time to consider where they want to be five years out, he says. Then, they need to plan how they’ll get there.
Among other steps, this may mean investing in technology and cultivating additional suppliers to hedge against supply risk. While resource constraints often are a challenge, Chaturvedi says, “start by taking baby steps.”


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It’s a given anymore that e-commerce is a way of life in the 21st century.
The volume of global transactions in cyberspace has exploded, to absolutely no one’s surprise.
Still, the numbers are mind-blowing; eMarket projections indicate total sales in cyberspace will approach $1.6trillion this year and reach $2.5trillion by 2018.
No wonder more and more entrepreneurs are becoming involved. For the most motivated, earning life-changing money and achieving the Dot Com lifestyle is now a realistic goal.
The reason, of course, is scalability. For any business with a presence in cyberspace — no matter whether it’s large or small — the entire world is now a singular market. It’s as approachable to a work-at-home operation as it is to a mega-corporation.
The advantages of e-commerce to customers include speed and ease, which has created a quest to provide ever more convenient payment methods.
Many believe this will ultimately lead to the emergence of a universal cybercurrency.
However, the technology that Bitcoin has highlighted is beyond exciting, and that’s the blockchain.
This is an important concept with significant benefits for e-commerce entrepreneurs:
- It provides an efficient and objective ledger for transactions;
- It identifies and verifies a product’s origins; and thus,
- It promotes trust, which is essential for success in any business.
Blockchain technology will become the ultimate seal of approval in digital business, and e-commerce entrepreneurs — whose very existence relies on trust — will be among the first to reap its rewards.


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(Bloomberg) -- President Donald Trump canceled his planned summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un that had been scheduled for June 12 in Singapore, citing “tremendous anger and open
Latest TweetsTweets by Bloomberg
The CEO, who has been at J.C. Penney since 2014 and assumed the top job a year later, has struggled to turn around the retailer even amid improving consumer trends...
Consumer Reports magazine won't give Tesla Inc.'s compact Model 3 car its recommendation because of the electric car's long stopping distances and difficult-to-use controls.
The employees altered the documents in 2017 and earlier this year as they sought to satisfy regulatory demands related to anti-money-laundering controls.
The new Surfaces, priced about $400, will have rounded edges like an iPad, differing from the squared off corners of current models.
Starting Wednesday at Whole Foods Market stores in Florida, and expanding nationwide this summer, Prime members will get an additional 10 percent off hundreds of products.
The company also scrubbed 837 million pieces of spam and acted on 2.5 million instances of hate speech, it said on Tuesday in its first-ever report on how effectively it's...
Previously, Uber's terms of service barred sexual assault victims” and other potential litigants” from pursuing their claims against Uber in open court, redirecting their cases to private arbitration.
Famed investor Jim Chanos, one of the most vocal Tesla short sellers, maintains a list of executive departures that he calls “stunning.”
Top executives of General Motors Co., Honda Motor Co., Ford Motor Co., Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV and other companies came to discuss trade and environmental standards enacted by the Obama...


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Universities and Educational Institutions with Supply Chain Education Programs
Archived SCM News
Each year, World Trade Magazine selects the top 50 organizations, places and people whose efforts make the global supply chain more sustainable. The MIT Global SCALE Network is on the 2008 list.
In the February 2009 issue of inboundlogistics.com, the program at MIT Zaragoza in Spain was one of several institutions featured in an article about where to go to get a first-class education in global supply chain.
This "Global Logistics & Supply Chain Strategies" article by Jarrod Goentzel describes how tapping into increasingly networked sensor data will give firms a significant competitive advantage
Network of Supply Chain Centers spans North America, Latin America & Europe
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., March 27, 2008 – Today the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Center for Transportation and Logistics (MIT-CTL) announced the creation of the MIT Global SCALE Network, an international alliance of leading research and education centers dedicated to the development of supply chain and logistics excellence through innovation.
Graham Whittemore didn't give a thought to supply chain management when he pursued a bachelor's degree in biological engineering.
But as he learned more about the field during his tenure at two semiconductor companies, he decided to quit his statistics job and devote 60 hours a week to studying all things supply chain.
MIT CTL's Chris Caplice is featured in this SCMR article discussing the Center's executive education courses - what CTL is teaching today and where our courses are headed in the future.
A record number of companies are lining up to work with SCM students at MIT on a variety of supply chain research projects. This year, 18 companies, including industry leaders like CVS, General Mills, Procter & Gamble, Pfizer and more, are partnering with SCM students for research in areas such as supply chain risk, global S&OP, and transportation management, just to name a few.
As General Dwight D.
In late May, students in the SCM Class of 2007 presented their final thesis projects to an audience of more than 70 SCM alumni, CTL corporate partners, and fellow 2007 classmates as part of SCM Research Fest 2007. The day-and-a-half-long event featured 22 presentations from all of this year’s SCM graduates on topics ranging from S&OP processes to Promotion Planning to Fleet Scheduling to Product Segmentation & Portfolio Management.


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Orange has struck a deal with Wikipedia to make its digital encyclopaedia available free of data charges to millions of mobile phone users across the Middle East and Africa.
The mobile phone operator, which claims that the partnership is the first of its kind in world, has 70 million customers across Africa and the Middle East.
However, the ability to access the internet, and websites such as Wikipedia, is currently limited to about 10 million Orange customers who have mobile devices with 2G or 3G capability.
Sue Gardner, a senior director at Wikipedia who was a key driver behind the plan to take down the English version of the website for 24 hours in protest at proposed US online piracy laws, said that the digital encyclopaedia operated as a public good.
“Wikipedia is an important service, a public good, and so we want people to be able to access it for free, regardless of what device they’re using,” Gardner said. “This partnership with Orange will enable millions of people to read Wikipedia, who previously couldn’t.”
The free service will be launched in 20 markets across 2012, with a spokesman from Orange saying that the aim is to increase the proportion of 2G and 3G phones to 50% of customers by 2015.
Currently, penetration stands at between 7% and 15% across various African and Middle Eastern markets.
“In countries where access to information is not always readily available, we are making it simple and easy for our customers to use the world’s most comprehensive online encyclopaedia,” said Marc Rennard, group executive vice president for Europe, the Middle East and Africa at Orange.
The deal is non-exclusive and other mobile phone partners are expected to follow suit.
This article originally appeared in MediaGuardian.


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The debut of the Buick Envision SUV in the US market was unlike any other. It was pretty much kept out of the spotlight. Ironically, the said SUV played a part in helping Buick to make it in the recent Consumer Reports' top three of the most reliable cars. One of the theories that surround the low-profile debut is to avoid a possible political tirade. This is much to Ford's inconvenience.
The Buick Envision SUV
The luxury crossover SUV is being built in China. According to the Automotive News, it's a five-seater available in just two models. The all-wheel drive of the Envision is standard.
Apparently, it sits between the subcompact Encore and the full-size Enclave. The Buick Envision is actually the second Chinese-made vehicle to be exported to the US.
A Low-Profile Debut
USA Today further reports that the Envision was not given the proper media press. It went on sale way before journalists and critics could even get a hold of it. To add more to the SUV's seemingly low profile status in the US is the Envision's absence in the North American Car of the Year jury's test.
The said event was held barely an hour drive from Buick's headquarters in Detroit. Though it actually delivered its LaCrosse large sedan to the test other than General Motors' Cadillac, Chevrolet and GMC vehicles. Car brands Hyundai, Nissan, Honda, Mercedes-Benz, Audi, Jaguar, Ford, Fiat Chrysler, Porsche, Volvo, Kia and Genesis had also gotten their vehicles in the event.
Possible Political Tirade
The political season in the US had caused Ford a great deal. The automaker has received tirades for moving its production of Focus to Mexico.
On the other hand, the General Motors seemed to have made a better strategy to avoid such publicity. The fact that the Envision is being made in China, it should have suffered the same fate.


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As we all learned from Alice Cooper in Wayne's World, Milwaukee is derived from an Algonquin phrase meaning "the good land." But apparently it isn't such a good spot for President Donald Trump, however, as the POTUS chose to meet with Harley-Davidson executives today in his new digs in Washington, D.C. instead of in Harley's hometown in Wisconsin.
Trump had originally been scheduled to travel to Milwaukee for today's meeting, CNN reported yesterday, but Harley-Davidson reportedly squashed the plans out of fears that the president's presence would provoke protests. Instead, apparently, the motorcycle manufacturer and the White House decided it would be easier for the execs to journey to D.C.
“We looked at different options, and ultimately the easiest thing to do in accordance with the president’s schedule was to invite them here, to Washington, to talk about some of the stuff we’ve been doing,” White House press secretary Sean Spicer said during a briefing, according to the Milwaukee Business-Journal.
Harley-Davidson confirmed the meeting yesterday with an appropriately Harley-Davidson-y message on its Twitter account.
The topic of the hour, so to speak, is how the Trump administration's plans for trade could impact Harley's lucrative export business, president and CEO Matt Levatich said in a conference call Tuesday. 52.5 percent of all Harleys are sold outside the United States, according to MBJ. And with the motorcycle maker planning 50 new bikes over the next five years, keeping the export pipelines open and flowing is crucial to the company's goals.


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By Crackberry Bla1ze!
It has been a while since I’ve written a ‘From the Editor’s Desk’ post and I should probably write more of them, but to be honest I really need to feel pretty strongly about something in order to write them and the past few days have me a little fired up. With that out of the way, the past three days have been interesting for the BlackBerry world, made even more so when you consider the timing of everything, and some of it has me fired up. We’ve had a few new takeover rumors and BlackBerry has confirmed an unspecified number of layoffs along with a new common share purchase program. If that’s not enough, there were some rumblings about the possibility of BlackBerry using Samsung’s Exynos processors for some of their next-gen smartphones and to add even more to the mix there’s a new and dramatically titled book coming out about the “rise and fall of BlackBerry”, though that story is still ongoing.
The Greater KW Chamber of Commerce hosted BlackBerry CEO John Chen for a special luncheon on May 5th with nearly 400 community builders and supporters in attendance. It was an outstanding and candid discussion between John and Chamber CEO Ian McLean. Thank you to BlackBerry and John Chen for taking the time to come and speak with us.
Chen says BlackBerry phones are the entry point for customers into the company’s security business. BlackBerry can still provide a secure backbone for other devices like iPhones and Android phones, but Chen says you get the most security with a BlackBerry phone. There are a lot of important customers that still need that level of security. “I can only make iPhone so much more secure, but I can’t make it as secure as a BlackBerry device,” Chen said. “If you look at the US Army, they’re still rolling out all BlackBerry. If I tell them there are no more phones, I lose that account. The question is how do you make phones profitable at the volume those people represent?”
BlackBerry was left to fill a void when former VP of corporate communications Heidi Davidson, left BlackBerry. BlackBerry has hired Visa’s Jennifer Doidge as the new VP of Corporate communications. Doidge who spent 9 years with Visa holding multiple roles will be working out of Pleasanton, California and will answer to BalckBerry COO Marty Beard
Apple Rumored To Be Interested In Buying BlackBerry Apple Inc. AAPL 0.14% , the world’s largest corporation, was rumored to be looking at BlackBerry Ltd BBRY 0.05% as a possible acquisition target. Needless to say, the rumor received a wide variety of reactions from Wall Street. “I think the play with BlackBerry is a partnership play, not at all an acquisition,” Global Equities Research analyst Trip Chowdhry told Benzinga. “Apple will welcome BlackBerry as an App Store partner. They can publish their security software on App Store and people can download it — no different from what [other companies] have done.” Cody Willard, chairman of Scutify (a financial social network) and Futr (a futuristic messaging app), thinks Apple could buy BlackBerry to speed up its effort to get into car dashboards. Sean Udall, CIO of Quantum Trading Strategies and author of The TechStrat Report, thinks Apple would only acquire BlackBerry if the world’s largest governments asked Apple to step up and make an offer.


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April 21, 2012
Wichita and Sedgwick County made it through the tornado outbreak with no fatalities. An event today is designed to protect people from storms in the future.
Members of the KAKEland WeatherPlex team will take part in a Severe Weather Safety Day from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.. Purchase a weather radio at one of two locations and representatives from Midland Radio will program it for you.
Members of the KAKEland WeatherPlex Team will be at each location as well.
The locations are the Dillons at 9450 E. Harry. Jay Prater and Hallie Shulman will be at that store.
Jared Cerullo, Blake Smith and Tanner Swift are scheduled to be at the Walgreens at 5555 S. Broadway.
Both of these stores were impacted by Saturday's tornadoes.
A portion of the money from each radio sold will go to the American Red Cross and Salvation Army for tornado relief.


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There’s a common misconception in the motorcycle industry that so-called ‘millennials’, or typically 20-somethings, are not riding or buying bikes.
While most of this noise seems to be coming from the USA, the environment here in Australia inevitably reflects sales and promotion strategies employed for international markets.
When the GFC hit in 2007, the motorcycle market tanked as people’s disposable income evaporated. This hard reset resulted in a major swerve in demographics among the motorcycle riding and owning community. In 2003, only about one-quarter of U.S. motorcycle riders were 50 or older. By 2014, it was close to half. ^
Across the industry and particularly at Harley-Davidson, there was a pressing need to create machines for younger, first-time owners that still preserved the allure of the high-value Harley-Davidson marque. The bosses at H-D embarked on a massive customer feedback campaign that shook up the 115-year-old brand and resulted in the arrival of smaller, radical models like the all-new, liquid-cooled Street 500 and 750 V-Twins.
|Newly arrived Street Rod 750 features a special high output engine for Australia|
While Australia may have weathered the onslaught of the GFC much better than the USA, persistent high real estate prices have burst many property dreams for the under-30s.
“We’re seeing younger customers in our showroom now,” says Craig Smith, dealer principal at Harley-Heaven Western Sydney at Blacktown whose ‘catchment’ includes many districts with ‘greenfield’ housing development zones like Penrith, Windsor and Dural.
“It seems these younger buyers may have turned their back on the punishing real estate market, for now at least, and have decided to enjoy themselves instead,” surmises Smith.
Some of the early reviews for Street 500 were not altogether flattering, but many overlooked the purpose of this Indian-built, liquid-cooled bike, engineered expressly to keep the cost down and be less intimidating for entry-level riders.
“When it arrived here in 2015 for under $10,000, it was hard to keep up with demand, but that's settled and it's become an ongoing sales success for us now and we're doing special events aimed at Street riders, like shop rides and sales incentives.
"Our Street 500 customers see it as instant 'street cred'. Going through the learner process on a Harley is something special compared to their mates."
Smith also points out that while Harley-Davidson Australia may have been a bit cautious initially, overwhelming customer demand was such that they have now released the up-rated and more aggressively-styled 750cc ‘Street Rod’ version along with further variants in paint and accessories for the 500. In fact, Harley-Heaven Western Sydney is even throwing in a helmet, jacket and gloves with every new Street 500.
So rather than waiting for new buyers to reach that critical ‘mid-life’ point or even retirement, riders can embark on their Harley-Davidson journey 20 years sooner for a fraction of the price of a full-size Softail or Sportster.
|Meet the team at Harley-Heaven Western Sydney|
Come in and see and ride the full Harley-Davidson range, including Street 500 and Street Rod 750 at Harley-Heaven Western Sydney, 70 Sunnyholt Rd, Blacktown or call (02) 9621 7776. http://www.harleyheaven.com.au/harley-heaven-western-sydney
^ Bloomberg, July 5, 2017