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(Reuters) – Consulting and outsourcing company Accenture Plc raised its full-year revenue growth forecast for the second time as it won more business from companies looking to cut costs and improve efficiency in a tough economic environment.
Accenture’s shares rose as much as 7 percent to a record high of $94.59 in early trading on Thursday.
The company also reported higher-than-expected quarterly profit and revenue, helped by growth in revenue from North American clients.
Accenture’s net revenue rose 5 percent in the second quarter. Revenue increased 6 percent in U.S. dollar terms in its outsourcing business and 4 percent in its consulting business.
“This is the best constant-currency growth we have seen out of the company in years, since the second quarter of 2012…” Susquehanna Financial Group analyst James Friedman told Reuters.
The consulting business accounts for a little more than half of Accenture’s total revenue, with its outsourcing unit contributing the rest.
Accenture’s rivals include India’s Infosys Ltd and Tata Consultancy Services in the outsourcing business and Hewlett-Packard Co and IBM Corp in the consulting business.
Accenture said it expected revenue to grow 8-10 percent on a local-currency basis in the year ending August. The company had raised its revenue growth forecast to 5-8 percent in December from 4-7 percent.
Accenture’s revenue growth is accelerating at a time the growth of other technology services companies is slowing, Friedman said.
The company, however, cut the top end of its full-year earnings forecast range, saying it now expects the negative impact of a strong dollar to be higher than previously anticipated.
Accenture, which gets a little more than half of its revenue from outside North America, narrowed its profit forecast range to $4.66-$4.76 per share from $4.66-$4.80.
The company’s net income rose about 3 percent to $743.2 million, or $1.08 per share, in the quarter ended Feb. 28.
Net revenue rose to $7.49 billion from $7.13 billion.
Analysts on average had expected a profit of $1.07 per share and revenue of $7.38 billion, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.
Accenture’s shares were up 6.2 percent at $93.67 on the New York Stock Exchange.


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What better television is there than cider pressing and apple picking?!
Global News featured us after hearing about Our Vision for Edmonton’s Apples.
We spent the morning showing them our stash of apples, how our press works, and taking them apple picking.
You can watch the video and read the article on their website – Turning apples into alcohol: Edmonton pair seeks your excess fruit
Just a reminder: Global initially had our address wrong. Make sure you have the correct address which is 10556 115 St. Thanks!!

domain: news


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just-food authors and correspondents
With 11 years reporting on FMCG, Dean began at Wine & Spirit International in 2003 before joining just-drinks.com as news editor in 2005.
In April 2007, Dean crossed from drinks to food and became editor of just-food.com.
He has featured in national and international print titles from the BBC to Time magazine and on international broadcast outlets like the BBC and France 24.
Columns by Dean Best
Dean Best's views on the industry's hot issues.
Articles by Dean Best
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has started proceedings against another local egg supplier - Darling Downs Fresh Eggs - over the marketing of free-range eggs.
Frozen food maker Iglo Group will roll out the Marine Stewardship Council's ecolabel to its certified wild fish products in Europe in response to growing consumer demand for sustainably sourced fish.
The raging debate over GMOs in the US, ongoing industry consolidation in the country, the fact promotions were not driving volumes in Europe and the scrutiny on sugar and obesity piqued our team's interest in 2014 - and yours, too.
US jerky maker Perky Jerky has said it plans to enter China next month, its latest market in Asia.
Dutch food group Wessanen is to acquire Italian dairy-free drinks maker Abafoods for EUR52m.
Our analysis of the key developments and trends in emerging markets - both within the countries and how local companies are eyeing expansion - attracted your attention in 2014.
Mars has added a Snickers production line to its chocolate factory in Dubai.
Croatia-based food group Podravka is to shut a plant in Poland.
US packaged food group and restaurant operator Bob Evans Farms has said CEO Steve Davis has resigned "by mutual agreement".
US group Nutroganics has struck a deal to buy soy yoghurt firm Wholesoy & Co.
- Focus: Danone CEO Faber puts stamp on business
- Cleaning up Tesco will have mixed supplier impact
- The just-food interview: Doux CEO Arnaud Marion
- General Mills US "priority" categories gain share
- 2015 preview: A better deal for M&A sellers
- General Mills outlines "aggressive" NPD drive
- Coles supplier payments broke competition law
- Lay's heads "billionaire food brands" list
- PepsiCo opens snacks plant in Saudi Arabia
- Wessanen to buy dairy-free drinks firm Abafoods


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Market share as a percentage of the Total Industry Volume (TIV) is estimated at 10.2%.
As was the case for the previous month, Proton maintained its attractive pricing strategy in November as well as the zero SST pricing policy where the company absorbs the tax amount for all models.
These promotions have found favour with buyers.
“Proton is continuing its zero SST pricing policy for all current models. Unfortunately, there was a supply constraint in November, limiting the number of cars we could deliver. So while our overall sales improved over the same month in 2017, the Company would like to apologise to all its dealers for not being able to meet our commitments,” said Abdul Rashid Musa, CEO of Proton Edar.
For December 2018, Proton will be celebrating its recent victory in the 2018 S1K with a promotion titled “Champion Rebates”.
By winning the S1K for a fourth time with a fourth different model, Proton became the most successful brand in the history of the event, a fact the company is recognising by offering rebates of up to RM3,000 for four of its cars, namely the Proton Ertiga, Iriz, Persona and Saga.
Also, from 4 December and till end-February 2019, a free 18-point safety inspection for all Proton models is offered at authorised service centres.
"Road safety is one of our main priorities. Our aim is to make every journey safer and hopefully that contributes to a reduction in the national road accident numbers,” added Abdul Rashid Musa.


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iAdvize, a French startup that develops a customer engagement platform has raised 14 million Euros from Iris Capital, Bpifrance and Alven Capital.
The company’s main goal is to provide a great online customer service experience. To be more precise, iAdvize automatically detects visitors who need help and alerts the web-team members of the company that is running the site. Afterwards, customer support representatives can contact their website visitors. iAdvize claims that today 2,000 companies are using it’s product.
The new capital will be used to expand into new European countries, since iAdvize is present already in France where it employees 120 people. The next step for the French startup is to hire 100 people in order to expand its operations in the U.K., Germany and Spain.


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The Federal Government has been urged adopt policy mandating banks to set aside a percentage of their net profits to support industries in the country otherwise more industries will crumble.
The Vice President of Kwara Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture, (KWACCIMA ) Mr. Babalola Muyideen Oyeyemi, stated this while speaking with journalists in Ilorin.
He noted that such policy will not only revive moribund industries but will also assist existing industries to grow and in turn, reduce the high rate of unemployment particularly among our teeming youths as done in the education sector under the TETFUND.
Babalola explained that such funds would be managed by Nigerians with integrity and be accessed by indecent would-be industrialists without much burden as the government can no longer provide white collar jobs for the citizenry.
The Industrialist further disclosed that except Nigeria becomes an effective producing nation, the economy can not grow and lamented that presently, Nigeria relies on trading where countries like China, Dubai and India use her markets as a dumping ground .
The industrialist added that in as much as the government might not completely ban importation, government need to protect the local manufacturers by imposing heavy tariff on imported goods thereby discouraging foreign products into the country, ROYAL NEWS reports.
He claimed that the government has been given lip service on the enforcement of patronizing made in Nigeria goods claiming that at most government functions foreign products were always displayed and made use of against the indigenous items.
The KWACCIMA Vice President however regretted that finished Nigerian products compete with foreign goods in the country whereby Nigerians still have to pay heavily for energy, multiple taxation and to source for funds for their businesses alleging that most of the foreign products imported to the country are substandard products and fake.
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- Enugu West: Onyeama lied in affidavit claiming that I’m dead —Okah
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- Emir of Ilorin rejoices with Durosinlohun Kawu, Idris Haroon over National Honour Awards
- Senate considers bill to regulate informal sector employment


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January 10, 2014
The Omni-Hybrid from American Tactical Imports is a fiberglass-composite polymer over a zinc metal insert. Designed to give extra strength in high-pressure sections, the Omni-Hybrid surpasses military pressure and weight-bearing testing. This unique manufacturing process produces a lighter weight platform at 8 ounces. The Omni-Hybrid stripped lower has an MSRP of $49.95, making it one of the most cost-effective lowers on the market today.
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New York State's Maple Weekends kicked off yesterday.
New York ranks second in the nation for maple production, while it also generates hundreds of millions of dollars each year.
Riverside Maple Farms in Glenville produces several maple products.
Owner Erica Welch tells News Channel 13 visitors get a chance to learn about the sugar-making process and traditions.
"It's about getting people to be aware that this is something that's made right in your backyard."
Maple weekends are part of Governor Cuomo's Grown and Certified Programs.
Maple Weekends continues today and next weekend as well.
Photo: Getty Images


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At its AGM, SAPPO announced that its quality assurance system, Pork 360, is in the process of being internationally certified by ISC South Africa.
With this international certification the QA scheme will be upgraded to meet the world’s leading management system standards, said Simon Streicher, CEO of SAPPO, at the AGM.
The manual and audit system has been updated in accordance with ISO 9001, ISO 14000, ISO 18000, ISO 2200 and Globalgap specifications. The Pork 360 system will be certified by the end of September 2012 and all auditors will be certified internally to conduct audits in accordance with the relevant regulations, Streicher said.
Streicher further referred to imports and said that 20,984 tonnes of pork were imported during January to July 2012. In 2011 32,094 tonnes were imported and 26,255 tonnes during 2010.
Imports in 2011 and 2012 respectively: Ribs – 62.1% 55.1%, ham and shoulders – 6,5% 8,0%
other cuts – 31,4% 36.9%.
Thus far, the main exporters in 2012 were Germany (34,7%), Canada (29,0%), Spain (16.4%) and France (6,0%). It is estimated that a total of 35,000 tonnes of pork will be exported to South Africa in 2012.


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Steve Jobs, Apple's co-founder and CEO when he introduced the iPhone in January 2007, agreed to pay Qualcomm a $7.50 per phone licensing royalty fee in order to secure the modem chips he needed for Apple's smartphone. That information was disclosed during testimony heard today as the FTC v. Qualcomm non-jury trial continued. Back then, Apple was a new name in the industry and Jobs needed the chips But what a difference 12 years makes. While on the stand today during the trial, Apple Chief Operating Officer Jeff Williams protested against Qualcomm's demand for this fee.
Even though Apple used Infineon modem chips from 2007-2010, it still had to pay Qualcomm royalties to cover patents used by Infineon (which was purchased by Intel in 2010). From 2011 to 2016, iPhone models contained Qualcomm modem chips only, and for the following year both Qualcomm and Intel supplied the chips to Apple. However, for the 2018 models, enough bad blood had passed between Qualcomm and Apple that the latter decided to source the modem chips from Intel only.
Speaking to Judge Lucy Koh, Williams stated that while $7.50 doesn't sound like much (the average iPhone costs $793), multiplied by the "hundreds of millions" of phones Apple sells each year, that would result in "a billion dollars a year." During its latest fiscal year, Qualcomm reported $5.16 billion in licensing revenue even though Apple was not paying Qualcomm during the 12 month period. The chip maker had its best licensing take in 2015 when it took in $7.9 billion in licensing fees.
The Apple executive was called as a witness by the FTC as the agency presents its case against Qualcomm, arguing that the company was a monopoly. At the core of the trial is Qualcomm's "no license, no chips" policy that requires manufacturers to pay for a license before purchasing chips from the firm. Qualcomm says that it needs to collect the licensing fees in order to fund the research and development needed to keep improving the technology available for the mobile industry.
The trial is expected to last ten days and if the FTC prevails, it could change the way that Qualcomm does business. Consumers could actually benefit from lower smartphone prices should the chip maker be forced to change the way it sells chips to phone manufacturers.


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Leading sports technology company with a staff of over 1,800 people spanned over five continents Genius Sports and the largest professional American football league, the National Football League (NFL), have agreed to a series of licensing agreements with sportsbooks in Canada. Rivalry, Bet99, and bet365 are the three sportsbooks that, according to the terms of the new deals, will be able to distribute all NFL content via live streaming thanks to Genius Sports’ “Watch & Bet” solution.
Delivering the Highest Quality NFL Betting Experience
bet365, Rivalry, and Bet99 will be granted distribution rights for low-latency video streaming related to all types of NFL matches, including regular as well as off-season matches. The sportsbooks’ Canadian customers will get to use the top-quality live video feeds provided by Genius Sports together with NFL’s official data, while getting access to exclusive advertising inventory driven by data. According to Genius Sports, this should help the three sportsbooks deliver “the highest quality NFL betting experience” to their Canadian bettors.
How Does “Watch & Bet” Work?
Genius Sports’ solution uses machine learning and optical tracking for capturing all the action in a game 25 times a second, allowing a deeper dive into performance analytics and creating new visual ways of engaging with fans. The “Watch & Bet” solution also uses advanced livestreaming technology to provide bettors with fresh opportunities to watch games and keep close track of all their bets.
Genius Sports’ chief executive officer Mark Locke expressed delight regarding NFL’s decision to expand its partnership with the company, turning it into its exclusive supplier of live streaming content and official data for sportsbooks located in Canada. In September, the company partnered with Canadian sportsbook NorthStar Gaming for the deployment of its live data, pre-match, and live trading solutions.
Locke further explained that the three sportsbooks Genius Sports has signed the licensing agreements with should grow exponentially in the freshly opened gambling market thanks to their “cutting-edge data technology” and official solutions. At the moment, the company is the trusted partner to more than 400 important sports organizations spread all over the globe. The list includes prestigious sports leagues and federations such as the NFL, the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, the English Premier League, the International Basketball Federation, and the National Collegiate Athletic Association.
Genius Sports became the NFL’s official sports betting data provider for sportsbooks and media companies located in regulated markets, as well as the exclusive distributor of play-by-play statistics in real-time and the supplier of proprietary Next Gen Stats data in April 2021. This turned the NFL into the fourth-largest owner of Genius Sports, with Genius Sports replacing Sportradar as NFL’s former exclusive official data partner. In October, Sportradar and Genius Sports ended a three-year legal dispute.


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.....the great white hope?
Shipping analysts are looking increasingly at a spike in shipbreaking to counteract the alarmingly high figures for new deliveries scheduled this year. These threaten to stymie any chances of even a short-term recovery in freight markets. As shipowners' profits come under greater pressure, many hope that low freight rates will encourage significantly higher demolition across trades; for now, this possibility seems to offer almost the only glimmer of hope.
Says Intermodal's Theodore Ntalakos "The orderbook for bulk carriers (bigger than 20,000dwt) still stands at just below 2400 bulk carriers, therefore we expect 2012 to be another difficult year", adding that the larger bulk carriers will suffer the most because of high scheduled deliveries. Things are better for tankers, although "we are still experiencing the digestion of the previously swollen orderbook," says Intermodal.
The situation seems to be murkier with boxships. Analysts feel that the larger container vessels- where new supply is concentrated- are more at risk than the smaller ones. The apprehension is that this segment, dependent heavily on the demand for finished goods, may find the going tough in the present economic climate anyway.
Local developments in Bangladesh- that recently imposed a five percent tax on ships coming in for scrapping- have caused much disruption in that country's demolition businesses as shipbreakers boycotted all new purchases until the issue was resolved. The return of the Bangladesh market is vital to the industry, brokers at Clarkson Hellas say, adding that reports of the scrapping of two Chinese bulk carriers in Bangladesh "have failed to materialise."
In India, shipbreakers at Alang are just recovering from the recent steep rise in the value of the US dollar against the Indian Rupee; the INR has recovered somewhat since then. Bangladeshi issues and the Rupee recovery have meant that Indian breakers have regained the top spot in demolition activity, even though Pakistani breakers next door are offering more competitive rates for scrap.
"China continues to provide a competitive streak for tonnage completing in the Far East area, however the fast approaching New Year festivities may, next week, ensure a quieter period envelopes the local scene. Currently however, prices levels remain anything from region USD 420-450 depending on the vessels specification" says Clarkson Hellas.
Analysts at Golden Destiny revealed indicative scrap rates last week. "Scrap prices for dry and wet units remain below $500/ldt in Bangladesh with hopes for a firmer rebound," they said. "Pakistan appears to be the most competitive with levels offered $455/ldt for dry and $485/ldt for wet cargo, while China seems to compete with the Indian sub continent region at scrap rates of about $430-$440/ldt".
Twenty-two vessels are reported to be heading for scrapyards in the middle of January- around 800,000 DWT. India has been responsible for more than a third of this business. Recent activity across markets has, despite local issues, picked up considerably on a week-on-week basis, experts say. This is precipitated, no doubt, by the mini-collapse of the Baltic Dry Index in the last few weeks; a theory that is proved by the fact that the tonnage of bulk carriers headed for demolition has doubled on a WOW basis.
The industry will be hoping that an even greater number of vessels are sent to the graveyard soon. With the tonnage overhang and new delivery figures being the biggest swords hanging over their heads, a sharp increase in demolition activity will provide a modicum of much needed relief.


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Cellebrite claims that they have devised “undisclosed techniques” to unlock Apple devices running on any iOS operating system. The U.S. government contractor based in Israel recently notified clients of their ability to circumnavigate iOS protections that’s part of their new service for forensic specialists and law enforcement.
From CryptoLocker to WannaCry, ransomware has grown in sophistication and scope over the past few years. And given its widespread success with hackers, more ransomware attacks will likely be developed further into 2018. In anticipation of these attacks, many experts are saying that virtualized disaster recovery solutions may be the best way to defend against future ransomware.
If you’re disturbed by advertisements and “helpful” suggestions that are based on your internet browsing habits, recent research has found yet another source of online tracking. It’s a sneaky tactic that also comes with serious security concerns.
“Fad” is a dirty word for many small-business owners. Whether it’s what they’re selling or what they’re investing in, business owners need long-term and reliable investments to secure their future. With 2017 in the rearview mirror, we finally know what was a fad and what was a smart investment.
With stories of large-scale data breaches and internet service providers tracking internet habits, online privacy is becoming a rare commodity. Incognito mode and private browsing features may be able to cover up your browsing history, but they don’t completely protect your online activities.
“Script kiddies” are a type of computer hacker that copies malware programs from more experienced creators and put their own name on it. WannaCry was programmed by script kiddies, and the group they stole the malware from is selling a new set of vulnerabilities.
No business owner wants their customers’ data leaked, but no matter how well your prevention plan is, the unexpected can happen. And when it does, what will determine the fate of your business is how well you respond to it. So before you start planning an incident response, read the following story and recite this: Don’t walk in the footsteps of Equifax.
By now, most people know what ransomware is: malicious software that threatens to publish or erase its victims’ data unless they pay a ransom. But with the surge in mobile device computing, it was inevitable that ransomware would adapt to find new victims.
Newspaper headlines and Hollywood movies have influenced our understanding of computer hackers, but in the real world it’s not so simple. Some hackers are making tremendous contributions to the field of cyber security, it just depends on which hat they’re wearing that day.
Although ransomware has stolen the limelight recently, there’s another type of cyberattack targeting your bank account. Thanks to some horrifying ingenuity, being infected by OSX.Dok can result in victims directly handing their bank account information to hackers.


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We’re reading an interesting post from Jeff Rowe at MCADCafe where he speculates on the future of HP’s 3D printing venture. We agree with many of this points.
HP, if you recall, made a huge splash in 2014 by announcing a new 3D printing process they called “Multi Jet Fusion”. It’s a kind of strange hybrid of binder jetting and laser fusion: binder is selectively added and then fused with high-power lasers.
It sounds like an interesting concept, but the big question is whether the parts created with this process are suitably strong for use in production applications. We don’t know this yet, but we do know that the binder jetting approach alone won’t do it, as the particles are not thermally bonded as they are in some other 3D printing processes, such as 3D Systems’ SLS approach.
HP made a big deal out of how their process could be as much as ten times faster to print objects, but at the time of their 2014 announcement we were quite skeptical. Speeds are often misunderstood by those reading announcements, as they may apply only to certain object geometries or materials. HP wasn’t sufficiently clear.
The second problem is one of time. HP’s announcement was in 2014. It’s now 2016 and we still don’t see any HP 3D printers on the market, with no announcement scheduled or even rumored.
As time passes, competing technologies arise and improve the general 3D printing universe. We’ve seen, for example, multiple new resin 3D printing processes all of which are spectacularly faster than conventional 3D printers.
How will HP’s claimed 2014 speed advantage compare to the machines emerging today? Or even worse, compare to the machines available when they eventually launch their products? As time passes, their speed advantage diminishes.
Where they might succeed, however, is in materials, as it is said HP is spending considerable research time developing materials. For industrial uses, this is the critical element, where the decisions will be made whether to use or not use HP’s solution for given engineering problems.
And for now, we have no idea what HP is cooking up.


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Unilever embarking on £3.5bn Indian expansion in biggest consumer goods deal ever struck in country
Unilever is embarking on a £3.5bn Indian expansion in the biggest consumer goods deal ever struck in the country.
The company, which makes a host of household names from Flora spread to Brut aftershave, already owns 52.5 per cent of Hindustan Unilever, a mirror of Unilever whose products span soaps, cosmetics and ice cream.
But it wants to raise its holding to 75 per cent, and has offered to buy 487m shares in Hindustan at a 20 per cent premium.
‘This represents a further step in Unilever’s strategy to invest in emerging markets,’ said chief executive Paul Polman.
‘The long heritage and great brands of Hindustan Unilever, and the significant growth potential of a country with 1.3bn people, makes India a strategic long-term priority for the business.’
The company’s fastest growing divisions are in emerging economies, which make up 57 per cent of its global sales.
In the first three months of 2012 Unilever’s sales grew just 4.9 per cent, while its emerging markets business rose 10.4 per cent.
India is the group’s second biggest market, tied with Brazil and behind the US. Hindustan Unilever has operated in India for more than a century, and in the 1990s tapped into growing aspirations of rural consumers by selling shampoo and other products in tiny sachets, which could be bought for a rupee.
Earlier this week the Indian group announced a 15 per cent rise in profits for the three months between January and March.
Its annual sales for the last year were £2.4bn with profits of £321m.
But despite Unilever’s offer of 600 rupees a share – 20 per cent higher than Monday’s closing price – some investors may not be willing to give up the stock.
‘Many of the foreign funds or institutional investors hold the stock and love it,’ said Aneesh Srivastava from shareholder IDBI Federal Life Insurance.
One major Unilever shareholder said: ‘All the growth is coming from emerging markets, and there is a race to grow in these markets.’
Unilever (19p down at 2786p) is not the only corporate giant in that race. In November drugs group GlaxoSmithKline offered to buy an additional 29 per cent of its own Indian consumer business.
British drinks giant Diageo has also announced big investments in the country, as have other groups including Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Airways and Swedish clothing chain Hennes & Mauritz.
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VW Group Aims To Sell Over 10 Million Vehicles in 2014
Mar 18, 2014 14:33
The Volkswagen group is reportedly aiming to surpass 2013’s 9.73 million recorded deliveries, that came as a direct result of increasing China sales. Company CEO, Martin Winterkorn reportedly saidL
“With rising volume and new models, we will increasingly see positive earnings effects as well. The chances are good that we’ll even exceed the mark of 10 million deliveries this year.”
Further driving the growth in the future will see an onslaught of 100 new
models that will be spread out across the group’s multiple brands.
Putting the grand scheme in motion could mean spending as much as €84.2 billion (approx. $117 billion), with plans to maximize cost-cutting by extending the use of modular platforms in a wider variation of vehicle types.
Autonomous vehicles are essentially already available, they can make fast decisions that will likely help reduce traffic fatalities, and the country’s leaders are sitting up and taking note of this trend. Just recently, there have been several groundbreaking announcements in regards to autonomous cars from companies like Ford and Tesla. Read more
The popularity of a vehicle says a lot about the time and place of its peak. The Mustang spoke to the youthful attitude of optimism and rebellion that everyone felt in the United States in the 960s. In 1974, the year after the oil crisis, America’s best-selling cars were the Plymouth Valiant and the subcompact Ford Pinto, designed to compete with smaller, fuel efficient Japanese imports threatening the dominance of American manufacturers. Read more
There are more than 253 million cars and trucks on the road in the USA alone. Today, many of us drive to work or use an automobile to drop the kids off at school and run errands. Whatever you use your car for and however far you travel, it’s important to drive safely. If you were asked questions about your driving skills and your behavior behind the wheel, what kinds of answers would you give? Are you a good, dependable driver or could you be posing a risk to yourself and others on the roads? Read more


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A U.S. senator said she thinks stablecoins should be backed by cash and might need to be issued by banks, Bloomberg reported.
Wyoming Sen. Cynthia Lummis, who has become one of Capitol Hill’s biggest supporters of cryptocurrency, said stablecoins “should only be issued by depository institutions or through money-market funds or similar vehicles,” according to the report.
“Stablecoins must be 100% backed by cash and cash equivalents, and this should be audited regularly,” she said, per Bloomberg.
Her proposal comes as crypto’s overall visibility has begun to grow more complicated in Washington, the report stated. Lawmakers and regulators both have been looking to oversee on the expanding industry. Stablecoins, which are usually tied to the U.S. dollar and other fiat currencies to cut down on volatility, have been a focus as government officials have debated how to regulate them.
Stablecoins, including Tether, have been used by investors to buy other cryptocurrencies like bitcoin, according to the report. The concern among watchdogs is that the coins have mostly gone unregulated despite being used more often for transactions resembling traditional financial products, like bank savings accounts, without offering the usual level of consumer protections.
Treasury officials are working on a report on stablecoins, with officials looking into a formal review into whether there’s any economic threat, according to the report. If stablecoins end up getting labeled as a traditional financial product, more regulation could be in their future.
The Federal Reserve is currently looking into how cash can stay relevant in the world as consumers move on to more digital forms of payment. A digital U.S. dollar, which could be accessed on peoples’ phones, is being considered.
The Fed might also seek comment on whether it should create its own digital coin, which would likely compete with stablecoins.


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Pop-Tarts brings fan favorite back to store shelves
After requests from fans of the Pop-Tarts products to bring back a discontinued flavor, the brand has decided to give into demand and bring the Frosted Strawberry Milkshake flavor back to store shelves. For a limited time, consumers will be able to purchase the toaster pastries beginning in December.
"It's been five years since Pop-Tarts has offered this limited-edition variety. Ever since, Frosted Strawberry Milkshake has been our most highly-requested flavor among fans on social media, so we're excited to treat them again," Angela Gusse, director of marketing for Pop-Tarts, said.
The Frosted Strawberry Milkshake flavor contains a creamy, strawberry-flavored filling that can be enjoyed toasted, un-toasted or straight from the freezer, the company said. The Battle Creek Mich.-based brand also announced that the product will be available at retailers nationwide.
Pop-Tarts are part of Kellogg's, whose brands include Keebler, Special K, Pringles, Kellogg's Frosted Flakes, Kellogg's Corn Flakes, Rice Krispies, Cheez-It, Eggo, Mini-Wheats and more.


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Bring Your Wallet: Concession Prices Released for US Bank Stadium
Members of the media were given a tour of the new US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis and some of the concession prices have been shown. Bring your wallet.
US Bank Stadium will not be following the Atlanta Falcons new idea of lower concession prices. There won't be any $2 sodas or pretzels, and beer for $5 might be considered a steal.
The prices that have been displayed, however, are not that out of the ordinary for a venue. Jon Krawczynski of the Associated Press captured a photo of concessions at the Twin Cities Foodie stand that includes more of the snack items ranging from candy and nachos.
Rochelle Olson found a more standard concession stand that featured the prices for hot dogs and burgers. A hot dog will run $6 and a single burger is $9. This is fairly consistent with other venues such as the Target Center in Minneapolis.
A draft beer will run $9 for 20oz. As a comparison the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center in Sioux Falls offers 20oz domestic drafts, 16oz craft beers, or 16oz can beer for $7. Target Field in Minneapolis offers domestic beer for $7.50 for a small and $8.50 for a large. Pretty comparable overall.
US Bank Stadium will hold an open house to open the stadium on July 23.


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Luxury marketers that have so successfully tapped U.S. aspirational consumers to grow sales over the past 20 years may have to re-think what the future holds with this segment. They may also want to re-think where they are focusing their marketing efforts.
An analysis by The Washington Post shows the mass affluent segment struggles to make ends meet on a $250,000 Household Income, yet the Top 0.1 Percent spent $214 billion on luxury goods and services in 2013. This Ultra High Net Worth segment holds the promise of even more sales.
Research presented to a New York audience of The Luxury Marketing Council from a recent Boston Consulting Group/Altagamma study interviewing luxury consumers found luxury and status are low down on the list of what’s important in consumers’ lives today. Saving is new black so to speak topping out the list of what’s important to aspirational consumers.
What do you see as being Less/More important to you than two years ago?
|Less Important||More Important|
|Saving||3 %||63 %|
|Value for Money||3||59|
|Locally grown products||7||38|
* Respondents who ranked the term equally important were excluded


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Industrial goods maker Siemens' new chief is a software veteran
OVER the past 170 years, Siemens AG has forged a reputation as a manufacturer of trains, turbines and other huge things that weigh more than a house. So why is it asking a software guy to oversee the place?
Siemens on Wednesday introduced Jim Hagemann Snabe, a 51-year-old
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Do you want to be paid in United States dollars or in bitcoins? If you belong to the Information Technology industry then it’s likely you’ll want to be paid in digital currency, at least according to a new survey.
Event organizer Tech in Motion published the results of a new survey that found a majority of IT professionals would like to be paid in bitcoin. According to the study, 51 percent answered “yes, absolutely” in response to the question: “Would you be interested in being paid for your work in cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin?”
Another 18 percent said, “Maybe, let’s see where bitcoin is in a year or two.” Less than one-third responded by saying they would prefer to be paid in traditional currency. Just less than 10 percent flat out rejected the option and believed bitcoin would not last. Only a fraction didn’t know what the cryptocurrency was.
Over the past year, bitcoin has become a popular electronic payment system. Before the end of the year, the virtual currency nearly hit $1,200 before dropping back. At the time of this writing, it’s trading more than $800.


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Credit score: Lance Ulanoff
In a shock twist, Apple is holding a particular awards ceremony in New York Metropolis on December 2, the place it’ll honor a lot of its favourite apps and video games for 2019.
It’s lengthy been a practice for early December to play host to the foremost app shops’ celebrations of their favourite apps of the yr, with each Google and Apple tending to launch their lists at across the similar time. Nevertheless, it’s the primary time we’ve seen both of the “huge two” go this far for its end-of-year awards. With apps and video games enjoying an important position in each Android’s and iOS’ ecosystems, such occasions make sense to assist preserve builders within the fold. We definitely wouldn’t complain if such award ceremonies grew to become annual occasions for each working methods.
There’s no phrase but on which apps can be honored, a lot of the video games that made their solution to the brand new Apple Arcade are more likely to be highlighted. This yr additionally noticed Apple launch its Apple TV+ service, full with its personal roster of unique reveals. Whereas we wager a superb few extra unbiased builders can be celebrated on the occasion, be sure that to additionally pack your cynical sun shades, as Apple received’t miss an opportunity to blow its personal trumpet the place its new companies are involved. With Disney+’s triumphant arrival having proven up the considerably tepid reception Apple TV+ acquired, it in all probability wants all the assistance it might probably get.
The information comes courtesy of Lifewire’s editor-in-chief, Lance Ulanoff, who posted a picture of the invite on his Twitter account. Apple hasn’t made a lot of the occasion but, and the occasion hasn’t but appeared on Apple’s occasions web site. In truth, in line with a selected tweet, the invite could have contained a warning to maintain the information off social media for the second. Whoops.
With the cat out of the bag, don’t count on Apple to trouble retaining a lid on this for for much longer. We don’t have lengthy to attend in any case, as December 2 is simply across the nook. There’s nearly sufficient time to begin guessing which of the perfect iOS apps and iOS video games will make their method into this yr’s best-of lists.


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- US appeals court upheld order for Apple to change payment practices in its App Store.
- Apple may appeal the decision and has 14 days to file an appeal.
- Epic Games conceded loss on antitrust claims but trial court order frees developers to use third-party payment options.
A US appeals court has upheld a federal court order that could force Apple to change its payment practices in the App Store, following an antitrust case brought by Epic Games. The ruling means that Apple could be required to allow developers to provide links and buttons for third-party in-app payment options, avoiding the need to pay sales commissions to the tech giant. Although the appeals court agreed with the trial court that Apple's App Store rules did not violate antitrust laws, it also found that Apple had violated California's unfair competition laws by preventing developers from telling users about other ways to pay.
Apple Considering Appeal of Decision
Apple has said it may appeal the decision. In a statement, the company said, “We respectfully disagree with the court's ruling on the one remaining claim under state law and are considering further review.” The ruling means that Apple could be forced to make changes to its App Store payment practices, although the trial court's orders will remain paused while any appeals unfold.
Epic Games Concedes Loss but Says Order Frees Developers
Although Epic Games lost most of its allegations that Apple violated antitrust laws, the trial judge did find that Apple violated California's unfair competition laws. Epic conceded that it had lost on its antitrust claims, but said the trial court order “frees iOS developers to send consumers to the web to do business with them directly there. We're working on next steps.”
Apple May Be Forced to Open Payment Systems
Apple has been forced to open up its in-app payment systems by competition authorities in several countries, including South Korea, the Netherlands and Japan. The appeals court's decision means that Apple could be required to allow third-party payment options in the US, potentially avoiding the need to pay sales commissions to the company. However, the trial court judge gave no instructions on the manner in which Apple must allow those links or buttons, leaving open the possibility of future legal battles over how the changes must be made.
The district court did not clearly err in finding that Epic suffered an injury for which monetary damages would be inadequate,the 9th Circuit wrote on Monday


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The great Roman senator and historian, Cato the Elder, also known as Cato the Wise, took up a practice of ending every Senate speech, on whatever topic, with the same declaration: “Carthage must be destroyed.” He saw the great Roman rival across the Mediterranean as an existential threat to his country and wanted everyone to understand just how pressing it was.
Cato the Elder and his famous dictum came to mind the other day with news of a big development in grocery pricing. And a corollary declaration presented itself for the realm of American commerce: “Amazon must be curtailed.”
The Wall Street Journal headline that got me pondering old Cato said: “Amazon Doesn’t Need to Make Money on Groceries, Putting Pressure on Wal-Mart, Kroger.”
Amazon, of course, is the prideful new owner of Whole Foods Market Inc., and that puts the online retailer in position to compete with other big grocery chains, including Kroger, Wal-Mart and Target. And the Journal article explained precisely how they will do it: by selling wares at prices below what it costs to produce them. Even if it loses money, says the Journal, the company will benefit in the long run by putting competitors, which don’t have the market power to sell at below production costs, out of business. Just the announcement of the sale sent food retail stocks down 20 percent.
The Journal quoted one former Amazon executive as saying, “Amazon’s using the same playbook they always have when competing with booksellers and other retailers. They take out their revenue stream by killing them slowly on price.”
Which is fine if it’s a level playing field. But Amazon avoids, whenever possible, level playing fields. Consider what the company did after it introduced the Kindle e-book in 2007. By setting most e-book prices at below its own costs, Amazon devastated traditional publishers, whose legacy printing costs made it impossible for them to compete against Amazon prices. That helped destroy the brick-and-mortar bookstores and sliced up the traditional book-publishing business.
A Vanity Fair article in June 2014 explained, “Nothing the publishers did — delaying the release of e-books, complaining to Amazon, upping their wholesale prices to the company, or, in the case of Hachette, actually going to the Justice Department to gripe — seemed to work.”
That led Apple to come up with a possible solution — opening up a new digital bookstore for its new iPad and inviting traditional book publishers to sell through it rather than through Amazon. The innovation was in pricing. The publishers wouldn’t sell their books to Apple wholesale but rather through Apple as a sales agent. That meant the publishers themselves could set prices — and get out from under the artificially low prices set by Amazon that were “killing them slowly.” Apple would merely take a cut of 30 percent. Five of the top publishing houses quickly signed up.
Bad plan. The U.S. Justice Department swooped in and accused the publishers and Apple of conspiring to violate federal antitrust laws. The deal fell apart, most of the publishers quickly settled with the government, and Apple was nailed in court after years of filings and appeals. The fine: $450 million.
That was probably an inevitable outcome, but does that mean Amazon should remain blameless in the eyes of the law when it used its market power to slam its publishing partners and competitors on price? Isn’t that akin to John D. Rockefeller’s predatory pricing, in collusion with the railroads, to eliminate competition and dominate his business partners? After the Apple imbroglio Amazon agreed to ink “full agency” sales agreements with the big publishers, allowing them to set prices but giving incentives for keeping prices down. That was a much more civilized business approach, but by that time the big Borders bookseller chain was dead, and Barnes & Noble was struggling.
But what about consumers? Don’t they deserve lower prices? In a 2014 New Republic piece, Franklin Foer points out that early antitrust thinking, during the Progressive era, focused on consumers to an extent but also on the plight of “the small producers and sellers quashed by the monopolists,” as Mr. Foer puts it. A leading antitrust activist of the time, the prominent lawyer and later Supreme Court justice Louis Brandeis, initiated a crusade for what he called “fair trade,” based on a concept called Resale Price Maintenance.” Mr. Foer explains: “The idea was that manufacturers should legally control the retail value of their wares, rather than hand the power of pricing over to large chains and department stores, whose size gave them the unstoppable advantage of offering deep discounts.”
As for the consumer, Brandeis wrote, “Thoughtless or weak, he yields to the temptation of trifling immediate gain, and, selling his birthright for a mess of pottage, becomes himself an instrument of monopoly.” In those days, the small businessman was the main focus of antitrust concern.
But that changed in the 1960s when liberal activists such as Ralph Nader and Mark Green identified consumers as the monopoly victims most deserving of compassion and relief. Mr. Green suggested the “primary focus of antitrust enforcement” should be “efficient production and distribution — not the local farmer, local druggist, or local grocer.”
That’s where we are today, and that gives Amazon a wide berth to raise havoc in multiple markets, soon to include the grocery business. Which poses a thought: Amazon must be curtailed.
Robert W. Merry


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A Florida-based developer will present a $22 million hotel and sports village proposal this afternoon to the Greenwood Redevelopment Commission. GoodSports Enterprises Global wants to build the development at a site originally planned to house a Cabela's Inc. (NYSE: CAB) store and water park. Our partners at WTHR-TV in Indianapolis report the complex could open next year and is expected to create more than 100 permanent jobs. A spokeswoman with the City of Greenwood confirms the sports facility would have room for bleacher seating for 600, 12 volleyball courts and six basketball courts. The hotel would be designed for sports travelers and include access to professional trainers and exercise facilities.
The center would be called The GoodSports Village. The Florida company is looking to build several complexes throughout the country. GoodSports lists current locations in Ohio, Missouri and Kansas.
WTHR reports the company expects the work to create 300 construction jobs.
Sources: City of Greenwood, WTHR-TV


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“We are going to replace animals in the food system by 2035,” said Pat Brown, founder and CEO of Impossible Foods, in late August 2019. According to a Harvard Business School case study on plant-based meat alternatives: “In 2016, after $80 million in research and development, Impossible Foods launched its first product: a plant-based imitation of [...]
In the 1950’s my grandparents began growing green chili peppers in the high desert of southeast Arizona with its warm summer days, cool evenings, and dirt ditch irrigation. The limiting factor for pepper market growth was the inconsistency of the heat - a consumer would get a really hot chili one meal and a mild [...]
“We don’t see many options." "It’s not relevant, it doesn’t move the right needle." These are 2 common themes about technology solutions that I hear when talking with big players in animal ag production that would be customers, the strategics that would be acquirers, and the angel & venture investors that would provide early capital [...]
Listen to this interview with David Newman on the Future of Agriculture podcast (link) Building a moat is the only way to escape the tyranny of commodity markets, and in this podcast interview David Newman explains why Newman Farm began building a moat, and what they learned along the way. This isn’t mom & pop stuff, [...]
Tyson recently announced their next CEO and there’s only one way that decision makes sense: Tyson intends to be a tech company. The natural next questions are, why & how would Tyson do this? To answer the Why, follow the margin. Here’s a snapshot of Tyson’s FY Q3 margins across business lines for 2020 [...]
This week Tyson Foods named Dean Banks as its next Chief Executive Officer. Dean Banks was named president of Tyson Foods last December, but the media references his experience as a “ tech executive” and his time at Alphabet. Curious about this experience, I went to his LinkedIn profile. Was he a C-level executive at Alphabet? Division [...]
With tech merging into the heartland and producers increasingly using technology, this sets up a perfect storm. These resulting trends should lead to good outcomes & new solutions in animal agriculture.
The world is moving fast. Universities seem to move…less fast. With universities making plans for education delivery in the upcoming academic year, it raises some interesting questions about enrollment, revenue, and sustainability of the current model. The question for universities is not how they will serve students this fall. It's how they will serve their [...]


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Platform turns Instagram snaps into shops
We’re constantly looking for innovative ways to improve the Springwise experience, and so we’re now introducing BeeLine Reader, a new technology that helps you read more quickly and efficiently. To learn more about BeeLine Reader, an award-winning startup funded by Intel Capital, see BeeLineReader.com.
Fashion businesses know that it’s consumers that set the trends, not designers, and we’ve previously seen a number of initiatives such as Vancl Star‘s crowdsourced modelling app that let shoppers take the limelight. Now Keep has launched a new feature called As Seen On Instagram, which makes photos shared on the social platform shoppable.
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The spirit of unity and compassion resonates throughout the Vaal community this Mandela Day with the ‘Share More Meals Made With Love’ campaign. Driven by the desire to alleviate food insecurity, the initiative has successfully collected enough food items to make 18 711 meals, which will be distributed to eleven local organisations in the Vaal area in the coming weeks.
The Share More Meals Made With Love campaign aims to lighten the burden of the tough economic times for consumers in two ways: by providing staple combo deals at discounted prices and through a drive to collect food for those in the community who are struggling to afford it.
“We believe in the power of collective action and the ability of our community to create meaningful change,” says Sibongile Mooko, Marketing Executive at Premier. “At Premier, we are dedicated to earning the right to operate in our communities. The ‘Share More Meals Made With Love’ campaign has allowed us to foster a sense of unity and empower individuals and organisations to make a positive impact in the lives of others. Through this initiative, we are addressing food insecurity head-on,” she adds.
The ‘Share More Meals Food Drive’, a collaborative effort between Premier, Goldkeys International, FoodForward SA, and renowned shopping destination Vaal Mall, was at the heart of this initiative. Leading up to Mandela Day, the campaign successfully collected non-perishable food items, which were then packed at the centre court on 18 July to be distributed to communities surrounding the mall, reaching those who need it the most.
“The overwhelming response and support from Premier, the community, and Vaal Mall partners have been heart-warming,” says Andy Du Plessis, managing director of FoodForward SA. “We are proud to have been part of this initiative, supporting the community and creating opportunities for those in need to enjoy nourishing meals,” he adds.
Premier and Goldkeys donated 4 475 kg of essential food items to benefit residents facing difficult times. This donation is part of a national campaign for brands Iwisa No.1, Snowflake and Golden Delight.
“The power of partnerships shines through as we witness the incredible generosity and support from all our partners and the Vaal community,” says Carla de Villiers-Malan, Marketing Manager at Vaal Mall. “Through collaborative initiatives like these, we have the ability to join forces and create a positive impact in the lives of our fellow Vaal residents,” she adds.
“The true impact of the Share More Meals Food Drive can be measured by the number of items collected and the difference they are going to make to those in need. By providing quality food items, the initiative ensured that individuals and their families have access to nourishing meals during these challenging times,” concludes Mooko.


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227,000-Plus Toyota Camrys Recalled for Faulty Brake Assist
By Patrick MastersonNovember 18, 2021
Life With the Toyota Camry: What Do Owners Really Think?
By Jane UlitskayaSeptember 17, 2021
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By Jennifer NewmanSeptember 21, 2020
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Lenovo has no shortage of new products to show off at Mobile World Congress this year, and it's clear their focus for this generation is split between maintaining their current product lines and exploring new categories. While their Android lineup still includes traditional smartphone and tablet experiences that show a clear evolution of their current hardware lineup, there's a new "pro-level" camera and a Micracast friendly projector that are all about extending the Android experience, which is a cool direction for Lenovo to be heading in.
This yea'rs lineup includes a pair of Android tablets and a smartphone running Lenovo's custom blend of Android. The A7000 is a 5.5" HD smartphone with a 64-bit MediaTek MT6752 processor and a 7.9mm thin casing. This phone claims a world first in delivering Dolby ATMOS, which is an audio suite aimed at delivering a superior experience when wearing headphones. Lenovo plans to launch the A7000 with Android 5.0 in March for $169.
The TAB 2 A8 and TAB 2 A10 fit the small/large tablet choices that are so common today, offering 8" or 10.1" HD IPS displays. These 8.9mm this tablets are MediaTek powered as well, with rear and front facing cameras on each model. The A8 is going to be launching with Android 5.0, while the A10 launches with Android 4.4 and hopes to be updated to 5.0 by June. These Wifi-only devices will be sold for $129 and $199 respectively, and will be available in Pearl White and Midnight Blue.
With its 16MP sensor, 6-piece lens, and 7.3mm design, the Lenovo Vibe Shot neither looks nor feels like the other Lenovo Android devices. The sleek design and 5" 1080p IPS display make it so there's almost nothing to this device but screen and lens, and with Android 5.0 onboard the camera will be able to take advantage of the new RAW APIs. If you aren't already relying on your phone as your primary camera, Lenovo certainly seems interested in getting your attention. The Vibe Shot will be available for $349 in June.
While it's not an Android device, the Lenovo Pocket Projector gets points for new and interesting. At four inches wide, this pocket projector can deliver an 854x480 image up to 110 inches tall, with a battery promising 150 minutes of playback. The device claims support for microSD cards as well as Miracast or DLNA, which would mean users could wirelessly project an Android phone or tablet just about anywhere. Lenovo is planning to make this available in March for $199.
It's going to be an interesting year for Lenovo, especially as people watch to see what happens with Motorola becoming part of the company. This is a strong start to 2015 for Lenovo, and hopefully we see some of these new design decisions grow into the rest of their product line before long.


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SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) — Apple Inc. posted its highest close in almost a year on a day that mostly saw gains across the tech sector. H-P closed Tuesday with a slight loss, but then rallied in after-hours trading after reporting a profit in the latest quarter.
shares rose $9.66, or almost 2%, to close at $533.40, the highest finish for the iPhone and iPad maker since Dec. 2012.
In addition to Apple, many social media stocks closed with gains Tuesday following the prior-day’s losses. Yelp Inc.
rose 6.4%, to $61.92; Pandora Media Inc.
climbed by almost 3%, to $28.79; Facebook Inc.
rose 2.4%, to close at $45.89 and Twitter Inc.
gained nearly 3% to end the day at $40.18.
Palo Alto Networks Inc.
shares rose more than 7%, to close at $49.49 a day after the network-security technology company reported upbeat quarterly results.
The tech-sector gains helped push the Nasdaq Composite Index
up by more than 23 points to 4,017, while the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index
rose almost 1%.
was last up nearly 7% in after-hours trade. After the market closed, H-P reported a fiscal fourth-quarter profit of $1.01 a share on $29.1 billion in revenue. Analysts surveyed by FactSet had forecast H-P to earn $1 a share on revenue of $27.86 billion.
H-P’s results also come following mixed results from IBM Corp.
and Cisco Systems Inc.
and amid growing concerns about the turnaround efforts launched by Chief Executive Meg Whitman.
Videogame publisher Take-Two Interactive Software Inc.
fell by 92 cents a share, or more than 5%, to $16.01 after the company said it would buy back more than 12 million shares of its stock owned by activist investor Carl Ichan for $203.5 million. Three Take-Two directors that were nominated by Icahn also resigned from Take-Two’s board.
Follow Rex Crum on Twitter @mktwcrum
More in Technology:
Take-Two Interactive shares slide on Icahn buyback
Apple’s latest deal is a gesture to the future
Online shopping sales seen jumping 15%


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The Biden administration proposed new rules on Friday aimed at shifting more production of electric vehicle batteries and the materials that power them to the United States in a bid to create a strategic industry now dominated by China.
The rules are meant to limit the role that Chinese companies can play in supplying materials for electric vehicles that qualify for federal tax credits. They would also discourage companies that seek federal funding to build battery factories in the United States by sourcing materials from Chinese partners.
These rules may cause some nervousness among automakers, which rely heavily on China for materials and components for electric vehicles. They also face intense cost pressures as they try to modify their factories to make electric cars, and China offers the most advanced and lowest-cost battery technology in the world.
The Biden administration is attempting to change that dynamic and use billions of dollars in new federal funding to build out the U.S. supply chain for electric vehicles through both carrots and sticks.
The climate legislation that President Biden signed in 2022 includes a tax credit of up to $7,500 to consumers who purchase electric vehicles made in the United States using largely domestic materials. This law also included a general ban on Chinese products. Lawmakers ordered that companies from China, Russia, North Korea and Iran be banned from providing certain materials to cars that receive tax exemptions.
But the law left many questions, including the formation of a Chinese or Russian company. Administration officials said those definitions included any entity incorporated or headquartered in China or Russia, as well as any firm in which 25 percent of board seats or equity interests were held by the Chinese or Russian governments.
The law also requires battery makers who sign contracts or licensing agreements with Chinese companies to ensure they retain certain rights over their projects. The purpose of that provision is to ensure that no Chinese firm effectively controls such a project.
Some conservative lawmakers have challenged Ford Motor’s plan to license technology from a Chinese battery giant called CATL for a plant in Marshall, Michigan, arguing that such a partnership should not qualify for federal tax credits.
In a letter to the administration in November, Senator Joe Manchin III, a West Virginia Democrat, urged the Treasury Department to adopt the “strictest possible standards” to bar Chinese companies from incentive programs.
The rules will come into effect in 2024 for battery components and in 2025 for critical minerals such as lithium, cobalt and nickel. They will be open to public comment for several weeks and may be adjusted based on industry views.
Auto industry lobbyists have warned that overly strict regulations could hurt electric vehicle sales. But General Motors Chief Financial Officer Paul Jacobson said the company is prepared to make its electric vehicle operations successful regardless of federal regulations.
“With regard to regulations, we are not promoting business by saying this has to happen,” Mr. Jacobson told reporters on Thursday. If the rules change, he said, “it’s not going to be a back-breaker for us.”
The administration said it would offer some temporary relaxations through 2026 to strict sourcing requirements for less valuable components of batteries that are now difficult for automakers to trace.
Treasury Department Deputy Secretary Wally Adeyemo said in a briefing with reporters that the rules will help advance the administration’s goals of building a U.S. clean energy supply chain while cutting emissions in the transportation sector.
“Automakers have already adjusted their supply chains to ensure buyers are eligible for these credits,” he said. “These changes take time, but companies are investing and Americans are buying these cars.”
Last year, companies invested $213 billion in the creation and deployment of clean energy, clean vehicles, electrification and carbon management technology in the United States, according to tracking by the Rhodium Group and the Center for Energy and Environmental Policy Research. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. This is an increase of 37 percent compared to a year ago.
Companies are also investing in factories and technologies aimed at developing the material needed for electric vehicle batteries and other components, including in North Carolina, where several companies are trying to restart the lithium industry.
Eric Norris, president of energy storage at Albemarle Corporation, the world’s largest lithium producer, said in an interview this week that the Inflation Reduction Act rules make much of the lithium his company is producing in the United States.
“In fact, one could argue that the product even has a premium price compared to product sourced from Asia because it offers financial benefits that would not otherwise exist,” Mr Norris said.
Nevertheless, the global electric vehicle industry remains largely anchored in China, the world’s largest producer and exporter of electric vehicles. China produces about two-thirds of the world’s battery cells, and refines most of the minerals critical to powering an electric vehicle.
John Podesta, a senior White House adviser on clean energy, said Wednesday that China processes most of the lithium and cobalt, as well as about 90 percent of global graphite, and they completely lag the U.S. and our allies in battery production. Let’s leave. Their constituents.” But because of the administration’s investment, he said, “we’re rewriting that story.”
China’s dominance of critical mineral supply chains has raised concerns that Beijing could move to cut off the United States from materials that are vital not only for cars but also jet engines and munitions.
Others have raised concerns about poor working conditions, the use of child labour, and the poor environmental record of critical mineral supply chains running through countries such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Indonesia.
Companies setting up mining, refinery and battery-manufacturing operations in the United States and allied countries will need to comply with much higher labor and environmental standards — and meeting those requirements will cost money, Chief Executive Bryce Crocker said. . Australian mining company Jervois.
Jervois was building the United States’ only mine for cobalt in Idaho. But the company stopped construction in March after the global price of cobalt fell. Mr Crocker blamed the collapse on a flood of cobalt produced by Chinese-owned companies, which were heavily subsidized by the state.
Mr. Crocker said Thursday that the Treasury Department’s rules could have an impact on his business, but he was waiting for guidance from the government.
Battery makers in Japan and South Korea are also hoping for regulations because their supply chains are often closely integrated with China.
The rules appear to prevent automakers from getting the nickel used in their batteries from Russia, one of the world’s largest nickel producers.
One of the challenges for automakers will be developing systems to track all the components of their batteries through long and often opaque supply chains.
Todd Malan, chief external affairs officer of Talon Metals, which is seeking approval for a nickel mine in Minnesota, said stronger rules could help prevent “mineral laundering” schemes in which Chinese or Russian minerals are shipped to facilities in friendly countries. Will be sent through.
Mr Malan said companies would need to be enforced by audits and awards clawbacks if they breach the rules, and firms would also be required to adopt “know your supplier” systems that link mines through recycling programs. Can track the input.
In its announcement, the Treasury Department said that vehicles that were misreported would be subtracted from an automaker’s eligibility for the tax credit, and that automakers that committed fraud or knowingly disregarded the rules would be charged in the future. May be disqualified for credit.


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Only in American retailers’ wildest dreams could they sell more than $1 billion of merchandise an hour, yet that’s exactly what happened in China on Singles Day last year. China, which has long been the world’s most populous nation, surpassed the U.S. as the world’s biggest retail market in 2016. And that’s why even on Amazon’s best day—which to date is Prime Day 2018, when it reportedly needed 12 extra hours to sell a measly $100 million per hour—it doesn’t come close to ecommerce platform Alibaba and Singles Day.
Even though we’ve seen day-after-Thanksgiving sales gain steam in markets that don’t celebrate the holiday—including France, Norway and the U.K.—don’t


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Ford will develop medium-sized pickup by 2022 for both the brands
The new medium-sized pick-up truck could be the next-gen Ford Ranger
Ford Endeavour is based on the Ranger pick-up
Volkswagen will have the option to develop a body-on-frame SUV (Toyota Fortuner rival) on the medium-sized pick-up that Ford develops
Ford and Volkswagen have announced a global alliance under which both the carmakers intend to leverage each other’s strengths. As both the companies together explore potential collaboration on electric and autonomous vehicles and mobility services, the first outcome of the alliance will be medium-sized pick-up trucks that will be developed by 2022.
Globally, Ford classifies its Ranger pick-up truck in the midsize category, and the Endeavour SUV that we get in India is based on the Ranger. The Ford-VW alliance mentions that Ford will engineer and build medium-sized pickups for both companies, which singularly points to one fact: the next-gen Ranger that Ford develops will get a VW version as well.
How is that important in the Indian context? Well, on the one hand, we can expect the next-gen Endeavour to come around 2022. Secondly, we can also expect Volkswagen entering the midsize SUV segment with a ladder-frame based SUV using the same architecture as the upcoming new-gen Endeavour to rival the likes of the Toyota Fortuner and Mahindra Alturas G4.
At present, VW’s India plans hover around localising the MQB A0 platform and rolling out multiple cars based on it starting 2020. The German carmaker does offer an SUV in India around the Rs 30 lakh mark (the Fortuner starts from Rs 27.58 lakh) -- the Tiguan, but it’s a 5-seat SUV. It’s also a monocoque vehicle and isn’t as capable off the road as the Endeavour. With the alliance developing medium-sized pick-up trucks at a global level, we can’t rule out the fact that there can be a VW version of the Endeavour in the making as well.
Other key announcements related to the alliance:
1. After the global reveal of medium-sized pick-up trucks in 2022, the alliance will focus on commercial vans for Europe. Volkswagen intends to develop and build a city van.
2. Both the carmakers will explore potential collaboration on EVs, autonomous vehicles and mobility services
3. Both the companies will share investments in vehicles architectures that deliver distinct capabilities and technologies.


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Verizon Reportedly Demands $1B Yahoo Discount After BreachBut Breached Businesses Typically Face Few Long-Term Repercussions
(Editor's Note: A new blog on the latest developments is now available.)
"How much is privacy actually worth?"
Verizon in July made an offer to acquire Yahoo for $4.83 billion in cash. But a New York Post report, citing unidentified sources, says that Tim Armstrong, CEO of Verizon's AOL unit, "is getting cold feet" over the deal and now demanding a $1 billion discount.
One source tells the newspaper: "He's pretty upset about the lack of disclosure and he's saying 'can we get out of this or can we reduce the price?'" Apparently, the reports of Yahoo's compliance with a secret U.S. government order to spy on some email accounts isn't having the same effect.
Of course, this could just be tough talk designed to cut a better deal, although Verizon is also weighing whether it would need to set aside a $1 billion fund to deal with expected future liability related to the Yahoo breach, the newspaper reports.
Both Verizon and Yahoo declined to comment on that report.
Obviously, Verizon hasn't run away from the deal, so it believes it still has something to gain via the acquisition. By combining Yahoo with AOL, which it acquired 16 months ago for $4.4 billion, Verizon could challenge Google and Facebook for a bigger share of online advertising revenue.
Scant Long-Term Breach Repercussions
"Could Yahoo's $1bn 'discount' be the most costly cyber event ever?" asks Surrey University computer science professor and cybercrime expert Alan Woodward via Twitter. "How much is privacy actually worth?"
Historically, the market hasn't punished breaches. "There can be some very pronounced short-term effects," said developer Troy Hunt, who runs the free Have I Been Pwned? breach-alert service, speaking Oct. 6 at the ScotSoft conference in Edinburgh, Scotland.
For example, London-based telecommunications company TalkTalk's stock price plunged in October 2015 as details about a data breach - its third one that year - began to emerge.
But relatively few businesses face long-term repercussions from a breach. LinkedIn, for example, is currently second on the Have I Been Pwned list of the biggest known breaches of all time - 165 million accounts stolen - and is in the midst of being acquired by Microsoft for $26.2 billion in cash.
What's a little historical mega-breach between business friends?
There are some exceptions. When bitcoin exchanges get breached and bleed cryptocurrency, for example, they tend to go out of business. So do some security firms. For example, Dutch certificate authority DigiNotar issued bad certificates in 2011 and subsequently went bankrupt. But other security firms that suffered breaches, such as Bit9 and RSA, are still soldiering on.
Still Fumbling the Basics
One truism about cybersecurity is that despite an organization's best efforts - having a clear security mandate from the top, maintaining a proactive information security posture and making appropriate investments in people, processes and technology - it could still be breached.
But many breaches have revealed that organizations failed to get the security basics right. This week, for example, the U.K.'s Information Commissioner's Office - the country's privacy watchdog - released the details of its investigation into TalkTalk's October 2015 breach. It found that the company's failure to catalog its IT infrastructure, apply a 3.5-year-old security patch to a MySQL database or block SQL injection attacks had allowed an attacker to steal personal data relating to 100,000 customers "with ease." As a result, TalkTalk was slapped with a record fine of £400,000 ($511,000).
The fine imposed on TalkTalk was "ridiculous," Hunt said. "It was .02 percent of their revenue, which is like the money they'd lose down the back of the couch and not even notice."
The ICO said its fine took into account TalkTalk's cooperation with investigators, subsequent security improvements, as well as it reporting in February that the breach had already cost it £50 million ($76 million) and led to the loss of 100,000 customers. The ICO can only impose a maximum fine of £500,000 ($615,000).
Bigger Fines Coming Soon
Beginning in May 2018, European privacy regulators can impose fines of up to 4 percent of a firm's global annual revenue or €20 million ($22.5 million) - whichever is greater - thanks to the EU's new General Data Protection Regulation.
Any business that has customers in Europe - such as TalkTalk and Yahoo - must comply with the new regulation, which also requires organizations to notify authorities quickly, if they discover they've been breached.
Whether the GDPR will lead more organizations to take security seriously - before they get badly breached - remains to be seen. But if that doesn't convince them, the potential $1 billion drop in Yahoo's sale price just might.


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Biofuels and Food Prices
A recent economics paper suggests strongly that biofuels have raised food prices for the world’s poor.
Berkeley economist Brian Wright has a disquieting article in the Winter 2014 issues of the Journal of Economic Perspectives, which just crossed my desk. JEP is published by the American Economic Association and is a great resource for those of us who are interested in economics but aren’t professional economists. This article is a case in point.
Wright’s methodology is simple, at least in principle. He first creates a model for grain prices based on three factors: (a) annual production and demand, (b) year-to-year storage, and (c) substitution by consumers between grains. The model works really well up through 2004. But after 2004, prices suddenly start to go much higher than the model predicts. What happened in 2005? Corn ethanol. By 2004, fuel accounted for almost two billions bushels of corn, Currently, biofuels account for about one-third of U.S. corn production other than by-products used for animal feed. The result: more corn is grown, but corn prices are also higher, and so are other grains since they are partial substitutes. Wright also considers but rejects other theories of the price increase.
The urban poor are perhaps the main victims. Something in the neighborhood of 300 million people in the world live on less than $1 per day. Wright estimates that this group paid $5 billion or more in extra food costs in 2012 due to biofuels.
This is another reason to be skeptical about corn ethanol, which also has unclear advantages in terms of reducing carbon emissions. (The higher grain costs also lead to clearing of forests in developing countries, releasing a lot of carbon and offsetting the direct benefits of the fuel.) We badly need new technology to allow us to shift to cellulosic biofuels, which are much less prone to these problems.


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Samsung Has Already Sold More Than 1.3 Million Galaxy S8 Units, and That Too in One Country
Ever since its April 21 inception, the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ have been one of the consumers’ favorite Android devices and the hardware plus design can speak volumes of how the phones perform and look. Thanks to near-perfect attributes of these two devices, both the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ have managed to sell around 1.3 million units, and remember, these units have been recorded in just a single country.
Sales in Korea Have Exceeded the 1.3 Million Mark for the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ - Critics Still Say That Smartphones Are Running Out of Sales Steam
According to the latest stats, Galaxy S8 has recently seen its Korean sales exceed the 1.3 million mark, continuing its sales momentum since its April 21 launch, according to news reports on June 26. Both the Galaxy S8 and its bigger-screen variant Galaxy S8+ attract approximately 11,000 to 12,000 new customers per day in this region, and to add another milestone over here, this is the highest figure within the nation’s premium handset market.
So far, the smaller Galaxy S8 alone has sold more than 1 million units in just 37 days, which is two times faster than its predecessors, the Galaxy S6 and S7. Statistics for the Galaxy S8+ were not provided but looking at the natural advantages that come with purchasing a larger smartphone, we are confident that it would have a crucial impact on the number of sales for the tech giant.
Unfortunately, while Samsung continues its golden run with its flagship duo, critics claim that the sales momentum for these two devices might be slowing down as consumers await the arrival of the iPhone 8. While that is a possibility, the Galaxy Note 8 is also a viable reason for that momentum shift.
The Note 8 is expected to come with several exclusive features not present in the Galaxy S8 or the Galaxy S8+, which includes a dual-camera, stylus feature and possibly better camera hardware.
How well do you think Samsung’s Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ have performed till this period? Let us know your thoughts down in the comments.
News Source: The Investor
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Nissan announced prices today for its 2012 Altima midsize sedan and coupe.
Read This Article
Nissan sells 50,000 copies of the Leaf in the U.S.
Much as Nissan has done for most of its lineup, the 2012 Murano will carry over its 2011 prices, starting at $30,100, including $810 for destination and handling.
Host Jessi Lang of the Motor Trend Channel recently put the Nissan GT-R—and herself—to the test at the famed Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca racetrack up at Monterey, California.


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July rice inventory falls by a fifth year on year
THE NATIONAL rice inventory fell 19.8% year on year to 2.10 million metric tons (MT) in July, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
In its latest Rice and Corn stocks inventory report, the PSA said current stocks compare with the year-earlier level of 2.63 million MT.
In July, rice stocks held by households rose 6.4% year on year to 1.07 million MT while inventory in commercial warehouses fell 26.5% to 808.55 thousand MT.
National Food Authority (NFA) inventories also fell 56.9% year on year to 222.57 thousand MT.
On a month-on-month comparison, rice inventory in July fell 12.2% against June.
Rice held by households fell 14.5% compared with June, stocks in commercial warehouses fell 9.3%, and NFA holdings fell 10.4%.
“About 51% of the current rice inventory was held by households, 38.4% by commercial warehouses, and the remaining 10.6% NFA depositories,” the PSA said.
Meanwhile, the corn inventory in July fell 9.9% year on year to 741.66 thousand MT.
Corn stocks held by households rose 25.7% year on year to 76.92 thousand MT while commercial warehouse holdings fell 12.7% to 664.73 thousand MT.
NFA held no corn during the month.
Month-on-month, household corn stocks fell 19.9% while commercial warehouse inventories fell 17.9%.
“Of the current corn stocks, 89.6% were in commercial warehouses and 10.4% were in households,” the PSA said. — Revin Mikhael D. Ochave


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Tag: Dalmia Bharat
- 14 Sep
Dalmia Bharat Cement Hikes Prices in Eastern Region
Dalmia Bharat has hiked cement prices in the Eastern region by Rs. 70 per bag in two tranches. The company is also planning to hike prices by Rs. 20 per bag in a few states in the East in the coming weeks. The demand environment in the Eastern region has improved and is expected to sustain. DBCL is targeting 15-17% year-on-year volume growth for FY2024. The company will add a 4.9 MTPA capacity in South India to reach 46.6 MTPA by FY2024 end.


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Audi, a subsidiary of Volkswagen, has reported an impressive record in revenue for 2022. This comes alongside the unveiling of Volkswagen’s entry-level electric vehicle, the ID.2all, which is priced at under $30,000 USD.
The German automaker has achieved a stunning milestone this year, with their report of record revenue for 2022. This marks a significant increase in the company’s profits since the previous year, and further strengthens Audi’s position as a leader in the automobile industry.
The ID.2all, Volkswagen’s electric vehicle, is a major contributing factor to the company’s success this year. The car is designed to offer a cost-effective form of transportation, with an estimated price tag of under $30,000 USD. The ID.2all also boasts a range of up to 200 miles on a single charge, making it an attractive option for those seeking an eco-friendly form of transportation.
In addition to the ID.2all, Audi has also released a range of other electric vehicles, including the e-tron GT and the A3 Sportback. These EVs offer excellent performance, with the e-tron GT boasting a 0-60 mph time of 3.6 seconds and the A3 Sportback reaching a top speed of 110 mph.
Audi’s impressive performance this year is a testament to their commitment to innovation and sustainability. The company’s release of the ID.2all, along with their other electric vehicles, is indicative of their dedication to providing cost-effective, eco-friendly transportation solutions. It is clear that Audi is set to remain a leader in the automotive industry for the foreseeable future.


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Grand Theft Auto Online's launch times have been confirmed for multiple regions by Rockstar Games.
UPDATE 2: It's out on PS3 now, coming in at a 39MB title update.
#GTAOnline should be live now, if you sign in to PSN then load up GTA V it will auto prompt for a software update. Demand is high!
— PlayStation Europe (@PlayStationEU) October 1, 2013
UPDATE: GTA Online is now available on Xbox 360, by way of a 59MB title update.
ORIGINAL STORY: In a post on the Rockstar Games news wire, the studio confirmed that GTA Online will go live at 12pm UK, 1pm Europe, 4am Pacific and 7am Eastern today, October 1. It will be activated by a small title update on your format of choice.
Rockstar also posted a big GTA Online FAQ, covering the reputation system, the GTA$ microtransaction currency and more. Check it out here.
Who's getting involved then?


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SAN FRANCISCO, CA, Apr 3, 2018 – Clay Helm has recently been named as the director of public relations at StubHub. She was previously working in Autodesk.
As a director of public relations she is responsible for driving public relations strategies and activities that advance StubHub’s business and reputation in its largest region. She owns day-to-day external communications strategy and execution and leads North America consumer communications, crisis communications, public affairs and corporate social responsibility.
Until recently, Clay served Autodesk as public relations director and chief of staff, Brand & Communications. Helm joined Autodesk’s San Francisco office in Sep 2011, where she provided thoughtful and hands-on direction to a creative and energetic global public relations team to successfully position Autodesk with key external constituencies. She managed, directed, and oversaw all corporate, industry and technology public relations activities to reach professional customers and prospects across all the company’s industry segments as well as promoting corporate reputation among students and faculty, employees, investors, governments, business partners and consumers at large.
Before this, she served Autodesk as senior public relations manager, Manufacturing and Platform. Since she joined Autodesk in 2008, she oversaw all public relations activities for major elements of Autodesk’s business including the Platform Solutions and Emerging Technology and Manufacturing Industry Groups, Channel Partners and Alliances, and Corporate Sustainability.
StubHub is an online ticket exchange company owned by eBay, which provides services for buyers and sellers of tickets for sports, concerts, theater and other live entertainment events.
For more information, visit www.stubhub.com.


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The German log market has been extremely unpredictable during the first half of 2020. The year started with high demand from the export market and the supply of fresh green logs in tight supply. In March, the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic forced sawmills to close and with it the domestic demand for sawlogs also dropped and with it their prices. Resulting in both domestic and export prices dropping and reversing the gains from the start of the year. Towards the end of the first quarter, spot prices fell to levels that barely covered the costs for logging and hauling the timber. Of note China has quickly become the largest market for German logs, accounting for almost 50% of all exported logs so far in 2020. From January to April this year, almost 2.4 million m3 of softwood logs were shipped to China. Log exportation from Europe to Asia is a new trend. As late as 2017, there were practically no shipments of German logs outside of Europe.
FEA compiles the Wood Markets News from various 3rd party sources to provide readers with the latest news impacting forest product markets. Opinions or views expressed in these articles do not necessarily represent those of FEA.


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New Delhi: Intensifying the crackdown on laundering of illicit wealth, tax authorities on Tuesday impounded CCTV footage of a number of jewellery stores to zero in people who invested their money in gold purchases after the government's announcement of demonetisation of Rs 500 notes and Rs 1,000 notes on November 08.
The Excise Intelligence Department personnel have sought the footage from various other jewellery stores.
The Enforcement Directorate and the Directorate General of Central Excise intelligence (DGCEI) have now joined the income tax department in the crackdown.
According to news agency ANI, the Enforcement Directorate and Income Tax department are monitoring people who are investing their money in gold purchases and foreign currency.
Both the agencies are probing into accounts held by farmers in which a huge amount has been deposited suddenly, the agency quoted sources as saying.
The Income Tax department has sent around 600 notices to jewellers across 25 cities asking them to detail daily sales between November 7 and 10.
Teams of DGCEI officials are also visiting major jewellery stores and their manufacturing units to serve notices seeking these details, sources said.
Jewellers in major cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Bhopal, Vijayawada, Nashik and Lucknow are initially under the scrutiny of the DGCEI officials, they said, adding that this exercise can later be extended to other cities too.
After the government banned old Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes, gold and bullion are said to be favoured route for laundering of ill-gotten wealth.
Gold was sold as high as Rs 50,000 per 10 grammes last week against the market price of Rs 31,000, as gold and bullion was said to be used to convert the debunked currency.
A 20-40 percent haircut in the value of the defunct currency was also being resorted to launder black money.
"PAN is mandatory for jewellery sale of over Rs 2 lakh. We are keeping a watch on jewellers to see if they are breaking their sales into parts of less than Rs 2 lakh," CBDT chairman Sushil Chandra had told reporters on Monday.
Necessary action and penalty, he had said, would be initiated wherever violations are found.
The government is reportedly also looking at asking jewellers to deposit old high-value currency notes by a set date to prevent money laundering. Also, there are fears that jewellers could show backdated cash sales.
While jewellers and diamond traders usually show bills every week while depositing cash generated through sales, very high-value deals in cash are often split into smaller amounts or stolen PAN number is cited on bills.
Industry insiders say the modus operandi is to use unaccounted gold stock against receipt of demonetised currencies at a heavily discounted rate.
Jewellers stayed open into the early hours soon after the Tuesday night announcement by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to withdraw old 500 and 1000 rupee notes in the nation's biggest crackdown on black money, corruption and counterfeit currency.
As much as 250-kg gold was reportedly sold in Mumbai within a few hours of the announcement.
The Finance Ministry has ordered all its revenue intelligence agencies to join the crackdown on jewellers and hawala operators besides tracking the movement of demonetised currency notes.
(With PTI inputs)


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Recent Comments From The GeeksNYT did a live blog of the hearing... ...Investors seem to be happy about this. ...Mashable posted a "what to expect" list ...This dude is frikkin awesome! I've seen ...Evidently, IDC disagrees with him. ht...Cali Lewis... oh yeah! ;)...Yeah... crazy huh?...and sells out in 2 minutes...wow....Despite the fact that Apple's margin wer...This analyst belives Facebook Home would...The first Glass videos have hit the Inte...It looks like this is bad news for Micro...Facebook Home privacy concerns... go fig...Well... for anyone who thought there was...D'Aloisio is quite the media celebrity f...Everyone is talking about the T-Mobile s...Wow... it appears a whole lot of people ...It looks like the API details have also ...I just came across this. http://www.p...It looks like they're coming to Verizon ...Preorders start tomorrow... http://ww...It looks like the rover is back on track...More news about this. http://www.thee...A review is posted here... http://www...More evidence that Google Glass is comin...Evidently this was a record setting even...Even USA Today is getting in on this one...I think the Linux community really wants...More iWatch scuttlebutt... http://new...Here are some ideas about how it will lo...InformationWeek is not a fan of this ide...It looks like the initial Surface Pro re...Wow! Those are some hot Velmas!!!...Well... that was a timely GOTW. :) http...Well this announcement certainly seems t...The Z10 looks like a pretty promising ph...Evidently, there are some concerns aroun...Evidently, Facebook is not happy about t...More info on this... http://www.infowor...There's an even better video at the link...CNN posted a really good gallery here if...From tablets to refrigerators, here is a...More scuttlebutt... http://www.informat...NASA posted a really great video of this...More predictions for CES. http://www....Evidently Samsung has something big to u...Wow! We started 2012 with Jony Ive and f...This author has an interesting perspecti...Following yesterday's announcement, RIM'...Ha ha! I found this quite funny. :) h...
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Google is now a PayPal competitor.
This week’s geek is the host of GeekBeat.
Verizon has posted some really good numbers.
Google’s augmented reality glasses are ready to ship.
Yahoo! has purchased the search tool from it’s 17 year old founder.
Twitter is now 7 years old.
The iconic video sharing site is quite popular.
Google’s online RSS reader is going away.
It looks like people who wear glasses will not be left in the cold.
Pandora is enforcing new limits for streaming music.
Google is showing off the interface for Project Glass.
Is the password going the way of the dodo?
There is a major flaw in Java, but a patch is out.
The guy who invented email.
Instagram wants to sell your photos… wait… nevermind.
Microsoft has warned of a pretty serious IE vulnerability.
Five million websites were taken offline during today’s GoDaddy outage.
According to Symantec, Windows 8 is not more secure than Windows 7.
McAfee’s latest statistics indicate malicious software is all over the place.
Recent events should have everyone re-evaluating their digital lives.
Is this really a surprise to anyone?
The other half of Wikipedia.
The state of Washington is now allowing Facbook voter registration.


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May 28, 2020
June 10th kicked off the Grand Opening Week for Trappings – Home of Ruston Florist. The week long event was a huge success. It was a week of spending time with friends and customers and was filled food, fun and shopping. On Tuesday, June 11th, they hosted their Ribbon Cutting to celebrate Trappings and their future. Door prizes were given away daily which included a $250 Trappings Shopping Spree, a Brighton Handbag, Julie Vos bracelet and matching earrings and more.