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MCPS implemented health initiatives for school lunch
The Blair cafeteria revised its lunch menu this school year in response to a Maryland health mandate passed this summer and concluded MCPS's gradual menu changes over the past six years, according to cafeteria manager Maddalena Bianchini.
The Food and Nutrition Services of MCPS eliminated the á la carte line, which allowed students to buy an unlimited number of individual items such as chicken nuggets and French fries. Bianchini said that with á la carte, students ate individual items rather than whole meals. "When we had á la carte, children bought whatever sandwiches were on the á la carte," she said.
With the new changes, the cafeteria now serves roughly 700 whole meals per day as opposed to the 300 meals last year, according to Bianchini. In the lunch lines, staff members encourage students to eat balanced meals by requiring them to pick three sides, which usually include fruit and vegetables.
Junior Josh Griner is frustrated by the elimination of the á la carte line and the requirement that students buy sides. The cafeteria offers healthy food, but "that doesn't mean you're going to eat it," said Griner. Although he said that he started eating the more nutritious options, he observed that many of his friends merely threw them away.
MCPS began revising recipes six years ago by making fat-free hamburgers and cutting back on cheese, according to Bianchini. Over the years, MCPS reduced the fat and salt contents in other items and eliminated unhealthy drinks, including whole milk and Hawaiian Punch, according to Bianchini.
Calories from fat in school lunches must be equal to or less than 30% of the total meal calories, according to Sandra Shrout, supervisor of the Food and Nutrition Services of MCPS. Last year, the MCPS Board of Education adopted guidelines stating that food items on the á la carte line could have no more than 7 grams of fat, 2 grams of saturated fat and 15 grams of sugar per serving, said Shrout. Dietary restrictions for school meals are based on United States Department of Agriculture requirements, according to Shrout.
More nutritious options, such as rice and beans and fajitas, have been added to the menu. The cafeteria also sells French fries only on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. In addition, the cafeteria staff offers a salad bar and baby carrots almost every day, according to Bianchini. "Our salad bar is very successful," said Bianchini. The bar serves salads with turkey and tuna in low-fat mayonnaise.
Workers hope students will choose to eat the healthier options. "Of course we can't force anything," said Bianchini, but "chances are they will eat at least some fruits and vegetables."
Griner, who buys lunch every day, recognized one of the benefits of the health initiatives. "They just want us to live healthier lives when we leave school," he said.
Freshman Brittany Hudgins believes that the cafeteria has responsibility for students' diets but complained that the food remains fatty. "They need to stop putting so much grease in it," she said.
Senior Matt Felperin said that the health measures are "a good idea" but he is not happy with their implementation. He said that students who want to buy fries and chicken nuggets should be able to buy them. "They should just have [the á la carte line]," he said.
Anna Coughlan. Anna is a CAP junior who can't believe she's an upperclassman already. She likes to run Blair cross-country and track, do yoga, play soccer, and chill with fun-loving people. Anna is a big movie fan and loves the Lord of the Rings trilogy and Star … More »


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by Marje Pelayo | Posted on Monday, May 20th, 2019
MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Agriculture (DA) wants the removal of fake vinegar from local markets.
This after the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (PNRI) revealed the result of their tests on over 360 vinegar samples available in the Philippines.
The PNRI’s study showed that 8 out of 10 of the tested vinegar brands are fake or synthetic and not from natural sources.
Raymond Sucgang, Section Head of the PNRI Nuclear Analytical Techniques Applications Section explained that: “Condiments usually undergo the process of fermentation, and the raw materials must come from fruits and other natural products.”
His research team explained that vinegar and other condiments from natural or plant-based sources are safer than those derived from petroleum-based sources.
“One can only imagine all the impurities and residues from the petroleum by-products, which can be the source of various degenerative diseases,” he added.
The PNRI did not mention the brand names of the products used in the test but it assured that the results of the vinegar studies have already been submitted to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Vendors at Kamuning Market in Quezon City expressed concern on the health safety of their customers so they opt to sell branded vinegar, but some attest that there really are synthetic vinegar out in the market.
“Ang gusto po nilang mangyari dapat lahat ng mga tinitinda naming mga suka may mga brand na siya. May mga label, may expiration date, at saka may nakalagay kung ano ang ingredients,” noted stall owner Lizette Tedera.
(They require us to sell branded vinegar, equipped with label, expiration date and specific ingredients.)
“Mayroon talaga nyan. Hindi maiiwasan iyan kasi negosyo nila iyan. Iyong mga tinatakal-takal lang sa bote, iyon ang peke. May halong tubig at saka iyong gamot na hinahalo nila sa suka,” revealed Marrie Cleofe, also a store owner.
(It exists and it’s inevitable because it’s their business. Those sold in retail are synthetic. It contains water and a certain liquid used to make synthetic vinegar.)
But Agriculture Secretary Manny Piñol, in a statement, advised consumers “to exercise caution and discernment in buying vinegar from commercial establishments.”
Piñol stressed that pending the validation by the FDA of the study conducted by the PNRI, “a market advisory should be issued and the brands using Acetic Acid must be pulled out of the market” to ensure public safety as mandated under by the Food Safety Act of 2013.
The Agriculture Secretary recommends that consumers buy natural vinegar made out of coconut sap and water, sugarcane, nipa and fruits which are readily available in the market.
For its part, the Department of Health (DOH) said once the PNRI study has been validated by the FDA, they will order the pull out of vinegar brands proven synthetic from local markets.
The DOH stressed that only vinegar made from natural acetic acid are the ones allowed for sale and consumption, not those made with synthetic acetic acid.
At present, there are a total of 274 vinegar brands duly registered by the FDA.
“Kasi ang suka kapag ni-register sa FDA, ang classification natin kailangan dyan (gawa) sa natural fermentation ang acetic acid,” explained DOH Usec, Eric Domingo.
(For a vinegar (brand) to registered in FDA, its acetic acid content must be made through natural fermentation.)
“Kung totoo na mayroong mga brand dyan na gumagamit ng synthetic na acetic acid then mayroong mali sa kanilang labeling at saka sa kanilang rehistro at kailangan talaga nating imbestigahan,” Domingo concluded.
(If it’s true that some brands are using synthetic acetic acid, then it follows that there are errors in their labeling and registration thus we really need to investigate) – (with details from Rey Pelayo) Marje Pelayo
by Robie de Guzman | Posted on Tuesday, June 25th, 2019
MANILA, Philippines – A minor reshuffle is expected to take place soon in the Cabinet of President Rodrigo Duterte, a highly placed source said on Monday.
The source, who requested anonymity for lack of authority to divulge this information to media, said Duterte is mulling over moving some officials amid ongoing evaluation of all departments’ performances.
The source said the revamp may include Department of Agriculture Secretary Manny Piñol, who may be transferred to the Mindanao Development Authority.
The President may announce the possible Cabinet revamp next month, the source said. (with details from Grace Casin)
by Marje Pelayo | Posted on Wednesday, June 19th, 2019
MANILA, Philippines – The captain of the Filipino fishing boat hit by a Chinese vessel in Recto Bank on June 9 apologized to President Rodrigo Duterte following reports that he snubbed the Chief Executive in their supposed meeting in Malacanang.
F/B GEM-VER 1’s boat captain Jonel Insigne said he didn’t know that it was Agriculture Secretary Manny Piñol who asked to meet him and not the President.
“Humihingi po ako ng paumanhin sa ating mahal na presidente na hindi pala ako ipinatawag niya kundi si Secretary Piñol ang nagpatawag sa akin,” Insigne said.
“Hindi po ako natuloy, umatras ako dahil masama ang pakiramdam ko,” he added.
This was clarified by the Secretary himself during the hand over of assistance to the affected fishermen in San Jose, Oriental Mindoro on Wednesday (June 19).
“There was no any invitation from Malacañang. It was I, the Secretary of Agriculture, who wanted to talked to them and they came,” Piñol said.
The group of fishermen, through Insigne, appealed to President Duterte to help them and bring justice to what they have suffered at sea.
“Gusto ko po sana mapanagot po iyong kapitan nang bumangga sa amin, iyon lang po ang hiling ko sa ating mahal na presidente.” Insigne said. (with details from Sherwin Culubong)
by Marje Pelayo | Posted on Friday, June 14th, 2019
MANILA, Philippines — Department of Agriculture Secretary Manny Piñol confirmed on Friday (June 12) that the canned pork products confiscated last March 25 at the Clark International Airport have tested positive for African Swine Fever (ASF) virus.
Piñol said that the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) reported the detection of the ASF virus from the confiscated canned pork products brought in by a returning overseas Filipino worker (OFW) from Hong Kong.
The Agriculture Chief cited a report by Dr. Rachel Azul of BAI’s Virulogy Section saying “the viral DNA was isolated in pork luncheon meat and was tested using the ASF Taqman PCR Asssay at the ADDRL,” a procedure validated by laboratories in the United Kingdom and is widely used in countries in Asia for detection of ASF virus.
Azul clarified, however, that the detection of the ASF virus in the confiscated canned pork does not change the Philippine’s status as an “African Swine Fever-free” nation.
“So far, no African swine fever infections have been reported in pigs in the country,” she said as posted by Secretary Piñol.
“The seizure is a warning for the industry and an acknowledgment of the catastrophic threat on our doorsteps. If introduced, ASF would have a significant impact on pig health and production and contribute to enormous economic losses,” she added.
In a separate post, Secretary Piñol defended the Bureau of Quarantine for imposing strict screening procedures at airports as preventive measure against the the entry of the deadly pig virus.
“Kung nakalusot po ito at naipakain sa mga alagang baboy ang tira-tira, maaring kumalat ang sakit sa ating mga babuyan at magiging sanhi ng pagkasira ng ating hog industry,” he said.
(If leftovers of these products were fed to our livestock, the virus could have spread and harm our hog industry.)
“Doon po sa mga nagsasabing nag-o-over react lang kami at nagrereklamo sa mga mahigpit na quarantine protocols, ito po ang patunay na meron talaga tayong kinakaharap na panganib,” he added.
(To those who are accusing us of over reacting and were complaining against strict quarantine protocols, this is the proof that there is really danger ahead of us.)
UNTV is a major TV broadcast network with 24-hour programming. An Ultra High Frequency station with strong brand content that appeal to everyone, UNTV is one of the most trusted and successful Philippine networks that guarantees wholesome and quality viewing experience.

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Aiman Akram Kaif went by the handle @Dior on Telegram. Damion Wayne Scarlett was known as @Dash. Dhruv Gargi’s alias was @Panda.
On the surface, they appeared to be regular users of the popular encrypted messaging app. However, according to a federal indictment, this trio and six others were key members of a fraud ring that used Telegram to coordinate an elaborate scheme to defraud online retailers out of millions of dollars.
They are the latest in a long line of “Professional Refunders” who have been caught up in an FBI-sweeping crackdown called “Operation Chargeback.”
A Group That Loved Luxury Items and “Making Bread”
Operating under “Noir’s Organization,” the group allegedly recruited members and customers through various Telegram channels, notably one called “Noir’s Luxury Refunds.”
The group operated virtually out of their homes in New York, New Jersey, Arizona, Minnesota, Texas, California, Virginia, and Canada.
The group offered “professional refunding services” to obtain refunds and replacement products from retailers, allowing customers and themselves to obtain expensive items like electronics, designer clothing, and appliances for free while the retailers took the losses.
Customers would pay Noir’s Organization a percentage of the product price in exchange for the organization fraudulently refunding the item on the customer’s behalf. Noir’s Organization marketed itself as having the expertise to defraud retailers worldwide in various industries.
They even had Google Sheets indicating how much they could get at each retailer.
Their Telegram group sprouted up at the height of the pandemic in 2020 and, at one point, had over 5,900 followers.
The Noirs Luxury Refunds Playbook Included Double Dipping
Noir’s Organization deployed various tactics to trick retailers, often evolving their methods in response to companies’ anti-fraud measures.
The group used five different schemes to steal from merchants.
#1 The Did Not Receive Package Scheme
Customers of Noirs would contact “Dash” or “Panda” once an item was delivered, and the group would contact the retailers on their behalf, claiming the items were never delivered or boxes arrived empty to obtain refunds.
#2 The Fake Warranty Claim Scam
The group also operated to get replacement products through fake warranty claims. Noir Luxury Refunds would fraudulently claim that a product they ordered had purchased was defective, prompting the retailer to ship out a replacement item.
#3 The FTID Fraud Scheme
According to the complaint, the group manipulated shipping labels on return packages sent back to retailers. They altered the labels to remove identifying information about the customer and even changed the return shipping address.
This clever ruse made it appear as though the retailer had received a returned item when, in fact, no return had taken place. By obscuring the true origin and identity behind the return, Noir’s Organization could claim they had returned a product for a refund while keeping the item.
#4 They Recruited Insiders To Facilitate Return Fraud
The group knew that recruiting insiders at retailers was a surefire way to ensure the success of their schemes. So, they recruited insiders at major retailers to help them perpetrate the scheme.
#5 They Engaged In Double Dipping To Get Two For The Price Of One
“Double dipping” was another fraudulent tactic allegedly used by Noir’s Organization to maximize their illicit gains from retailers. The scheme worked like this:
- Noirs would purchase an item from a retailer.
- They would then claim that the item was defective and request a replacement.
- The retailer would ship out a replacement product.
- However, Noir’s would allegedly claim that the replacement was also unsatisfactory and request yet another replacement.
- If successful, Noir’s would end up with two items which they could sell for pure profit.
They Installed Malware At Retailers To Circumvent Fraud Controls
The group was advanced, even allegedly creating malware targeting retailers’ websites. That malware was designed to circumvent the retailers’ fraud controls so that the orders would go through unabated.
They Ran A Large Resale Operation And Sold Items On eBay
According to the indictment, at one point, Noir’s Organization used Google Forms and Sheets to take refund orders from customers and track their progress, allegedly processing millions of dollars worth of refund claims.
Products obtained through fraud were allegedly sold on eBay and to wholesale resellers for profit.
$100,000 Profit In One Week With Video Proof
Brett Johnson, the godfather of the internet, provided a glimpse into Noir Refunds’ activities in 2020 when they were starting.
According to Johnson, the people at Noir and their customers were reaping huge profits while the pandemic took hold of the world.
“Customers of Noir regularly post the amounts they are profiting. ” he said, “Profits in the $2000 range seem normal. One individual claimed to have profited $100,000 in one week and posted a video of the storage locker of merchandise stolen during that week as proof.
Amazon – The Canary In The Coal Mine
Even though the FBI is cracking down on Professional Refunding fraud, the first alerts for the problem date back to 2016. At the time, Brett Johnson posted this alert on LinkedIn.
At the time, he exposed an exploit emerging on the dark web targeting Amazon. He called the article “Amazon Refunding: Meat and Potatoes for The CyberCime World”
But Johnson knew then that this would extend well beyond just Amazon. Amazon was just the canary in the coal mine in an issue that would probably hit every online retailer eventually.
“This isn’t confined to Amazon. The Microsoft Store can easily be hit for anything under $3500. Apple can be hit for $2000 with no problems. And it isn’t just electronics. A ready list of stores includes Nike, Footlocker, Zappos, Armani, Gucci, Rolex (to $4000), any car parts store, and many, many more. In fact, for any specific item you can order online and have it shipped to you, there is a way to refund it.“
It wasn’t until the pandemic hit in 2020 that all hell broke loose with professional refunding. At that time, it started to gain more attention within the senior ranks of retailers.
The FBI’s Operation Chargeback Crackdown Is In Full Effect
This case was brought as part of Operation Chargeback, an FBI investigation into organized refund fraud groups across the United States and internationally. So far, four major Telegram groups, including Simple Refunds, Rekk Refunds, Artemis Refunds, and Noir Luxury refunds, have been taken down.
Assistance was provided by Target, Amazon, Wal-Mart, Wayfair, Dell, Dick’s Sporting Goods, American Airlines, Hewlett Packard, Adidas, eBay and Google’s CyberCrime Investigation Group.
So, which professional refunding fraud group is next? Expect more announcements in the coming months as these criminals get in hot water.
Read The Whole Indictment Here
Check out the details of the indictment here.


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The product was originally developed with their son, Alakai, in mind as an answer to the lack of options available for kids in the plant-based milk set, which either contained additives, gums, and stabilizers they wished to avoid, or were lacking in nutrition (or both), said the husband-and-wife team.
Working with pediatricians, nutritionists, and naturopaths, Lauren and Alex came up with a clean label formulation made from a variety of plant-based ingredients that could match the nutrition of a glass of cow’s milk, claimed Lauren Abelin, who originally started Kiki Milk's parent company, Plant Baby, to develop a plant-based infant formula which is still under development.
"Our North star product is still creating a plant based infant formula with the highest quality [plant-based ingredients] that we can," Lauren Abelin told FoodNavigator-USA.
“We had a number of first, second, and third priorities around the nutrition facts that we wanted to meet with only whole foods,” she said, adding that they were focused on delivering a substantial amount of calcium (from marine-derived Aquamin), fats (from coconut), protein (5g per serving - which is a little less than cow's milk, which has around 8g), and sugar (4g of total sugar from coconut sugar and monk fruit) as their top nutrition priorities.
Acknowledging that Kiki Milk has a slightly lower protein level than cow’s milk, Lauren said that a culture of protein obsession has led consumers into thinking they need astronomical of protein per day, which isn’t the case, especially for kids.
“I think people are protein obsessed in this country. I had so many conversations with doctors, pediatricians, and nutritionists around protein. And especially for little kids, it's obvious that they would need a lesser amount than a 50-year-old grown man going to the gym every day,” she said, noting that including enough healthy fats was more of a priority for the brand.
Some other notable ingredients in Kiki Milk include amla (also known as Indian gooseberry), which provides the beverage with vitamin C and has been linked to improved immune health and digestion.
“It's ‘teacher ingredient’, meaning that it is uncommon in the US but it's so common in Ayurveda and in countries like India, it's called Indian gooseberry and it's so high in vitamin C, and it's known to be one of the most nutritious foods that is often given to children,” she noted.
The brand is also calling out its ‘glyphosate-free’ credentials as an added benefit due to consumers’ increasing concerns in the area.
Taste testing with kids
With such a custom formulation and zero additives to mask flavor or modify mouthfeel, Lauren said that early reactions to taste and sensory experience of the product have been “overwhelmingly positive,” crediting the success to including kids as taste testers during its development process which took a full year to perfect and “hundreds and hundreds” of iterations.
“We had a group of kids (5- to 15-year-olds) tasting it, including our son, and giving us feedback on what they wanted, what they liked, and really included them in the process on the journey,” she said.
Gaining traction on direct-to-consumer
Kiki Milk launched online through its own website in December 2021 where consumers could purchase a pack of Kiki Milk as a one time purchase for $35.00 or save 20% on a subscription.
“The response immediate, we ended up selling out three weeks. So we kind of tightened the belt and really pushed our supply side of the equation,” said Alex Abelin, adding that Kiki Milk now has nine full-time employees to help sell the product.
In March 2022, the brand started selling on Amazon and was also picked up by online specialty retailer Thrive Market, who took the product very early on without a ton of market validation, said Alex.
“They took us on before we even had commercially-packaged products back in the Summer of 2021, which is pretty unique,” he said, noting how its placement on Thrive Market gives it access to its core community of vigilant label readers and consumers looking for products that fit their specific lifestyle needs.
“The performance on Thrive has been exceptional every month,” he said.
The brand has also dipped its toes into some brick-and-mortar retailers such as Woodlands in the San Francisco Bay Area and Food For Less, but doesn’t want to expand too quickly before getting a handle on its supply and simply producing enough product to meet current demand.
“Because of the success of the digital marketplaces, we haven't really had to stretch much further beyond due to inventory constraints, so we're trying to find a way to pace with demand,” he said.
‘First movers’ in plant-based milk for kids
“I would say we're first movers when it comes to certified organic, whole food plant-based milk. There isn’t a product on the market that’s like ours,” claimed Alex.
Taking a look at the competitive set and what Kiki Milk is up against, Alex said that he sees Horizon Organic and its Growing Years dairy milk product (also packaged in single serve carton format) and pea protein milk brand Ripple Kids (which uses gums and stabilizers) as its immediate competition.
“It just shows the need for more products like these need to be out there, and I think we’re doing it in a bit more modern and thoughtful way,” he said, who wants to eventually launch Kiki Milk in a 32-ounce multiserve carton to capture more consumer interest and bring the price per fluid-ounce down and eventually expand further into physical retail stores.
“I think we're just starting to scratch the surface of the demand,” he added.


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Rite Aid Corp. has selected payment processing solutions provider Payment Alliance International to provide turnkey ATM services at approximately 1,500 Rite Aid locations in the western and southern United States. The program will provide convenient access to cash for Rite Aid customers, said a news release from PAI.
The Rite Aid program includes:
- EMV-ready ATM equipment;
- domestic and international transaction processing; and
- branding opportunities for FIs.
"We are thrilled to have such a large and innovative retailer like Rite Aid as a PAI client," said John J. Leehy III, president and CEO of PAI. "Some of our largest financial institution clients are already abuzz about the potential ATM branding opportunities that will provide their collective customers with surcharge-free access to cash at conveniently located Rite Aid stores."
"This should be a big win not only for Rite Aid and their customers, but also for financial institutions looking to expand their presence in these markets," said Greg Mercer, senior vice president at PAI.
One of the largest ATM networks in the U.S., PAI provides ATM services for more than 60,000 retail locations nationwide.
Read more about distributors, ISOs and IADs.


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By Martín Cálix
The best, export-quality Honduran coffee is grown at 1,600 meters above sea level, say the local coffee growers in the mountains of Corquín, one of Copán department’s most important coffee-growing areas. Much of it is harvested by small hands; children forced by poverty into a lifetime of hard labor. Almost as a rite of passage, generation after generation of children fan out into the coffee plantations during harvest season without wondering why. It just happens – that’s the way it is.
All of the adults working in the coffee plantations say they started there as children, between 10 and 12 years old, when children should be in school or on a playground. But in these communities, this type of work is far better than succumbing to the many “vices’” that entice city kids, far better than the perilous migration journeys that many undertake. Besides, that’s all there is to do around here, say the coffee workers.
Life is certainly different during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, especially since most schools have been closed since March 2020. Indigenous children in the Honduran mountains only have one option: go harvest coffee with their families and help put food on the table.
Honduran coffee exports are currently trending downward, with sales falling in the 2019-2020 season to US$879.2 million compared to US$923.9 million last year, according to an EFE news report in September 2020. Coffee pickers in the Corquín mountains earn about 2.40 lempiras (US$0.10) per pound of beans, which is double what indigenous pickers earn in other parts of the country like La Paz. There, they earn as little as one lempira per pound.
According to the World Bank, one in every five rural Hondurans lives in extreme poverty on less than US$1.90 per day.
One of the pandemic relief measures announced in June 2020 was a government allocation of 300 million lempiras to a “Coffee Bond”. According to the government, this bond would be used to help the 91,000 (87%) of the country’s coffee producers. Those not eligible for Coffee Bond funding would have access to loans with an 8.7% annual interest rate.
To be certified by the Honduran Coffee Institute (Instituto Hondureño del Café – IHCAFE), a coffee plantation cannot employ children. Yet the children are there, working quietly among the coffee bushes that hide them from view. To find them, one has to listen carefully for the sounds of their voices.
Children earn the same wages as adults in Corquín – the same per pound rate. The IHCAFE website addresses child labor as follows: “Major coffee markets around the world, including the United States of America, require the abolition of forced child labor in coffee-producing countrues.” According to Forbes magazine, Honduras is the largest coffee producer in Central America, producing 7.02 million quintals of coffee per year.
Honduras’ National Institute of Statistics (Instituto Nacional de Estadística) reports that in 2019, the mean years of schooling is eight and the illiteracy rate is only 11%. When the pandemic closed schools and classes moved online, children in the Honduran mountains were effectively excluded from education since they had no money to pay for Internet service and no cell phone signals in these remote areas. Harvesting coffee was all they had left.


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The US government is to take a fresh look at how the four tech giants Google, Facebook, Apple and Amazon wield their power.
It comes in the wake of criticism about privacy breaches, disinformation and anti-competitive practices.
It could lead to more formal investigations from the Federal Trade Commission, among others.
Shares in all four fell on the news but none has yet commented.
At a news conference, Democratic congressman David Cicilline, who is chairman of the House Judiciary`s sub-committee, said it plans a number of hearings and will take testimony from executives of leading technology firms.
There could also be requests for politicians to view internal documents.
He said the investigation would not target one specific company but rather focus on the belief that "the internet is broken".
US President Donald Trump has called for closer scrutiny of Google and social media firms, accusing them of suppressing conservative voices. He has also criticised Amazon for taking advantage of the US Postal Service.
The FTC is already investigating Facebook over the Cambridge Analytica scandal with the social network bracing itself for fines of up to $5bn (£3.9bn).
Google has also been scrutinised by the FTC and was fined 1.5bn euros (£1.3bn) in March for abusing its dominant position in online search advertising.
Apple is also the subject of an EU investigation following a complaint from streaming music provider Spotify that it abuses its power over app downloads.
- iPhone 12 rumors and leaks: 4 things we expect from Apple in 2020
- Impossible Burger`s biggest eaters aren`t the people you think
- Google boss Sundar Pichai calls for AI regulation
- Vietnamese firm Viettel`s 5G claim raises eyebrows outside
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- Why Navy SEALs Hate the FN SCAR 17 - Vigilance Elite


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Transfluent is one of several similar translation services, but its human freelancers are a key selling point to a business that would rather rely on a native speaker than an automated translation.
Fully-automated online translation is one of the oldest cloud-based services out there (I’m thinking Babelfish in the late Nineties), but nonetheless it remains one of the most obviously incomplete.
One particularly interesting company in this space is Transfluent, which is applying a similar model to social media, websites and smartphone apps… The company, which has 15,000 freelancers working in 60 languages, is itself Finnish, but the founders are about to relocate to New York. What’s more, they’ve just picked up $1m in angel funding to set up that office, and have also opened an office in Singapore.
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India's Principal Economic Advisor Sanjeev Sanyal said that the shape of the economic recovery can be best described as a ‘tilted W’, adding that he, along with the best minds in the country, could best come up with this alphabet.
The Indian industry sector saw a graph of downfall and revival during the pandemic phase. Sectors went through contractions and revivals, he said. “In fact, if we go through the quarterly data, (we will see) downturn, sharp downturn, revival, shallow downturn, and flatter, more sustained revival. I scratched my head thinking about what would be a good letter of the alphabet to describe this. After a lot of discussions with the best minds, we thought that the best we could do was a ‘tilted W’. I know it is very awkward and didn’t bother to use it,” he said at a presser following the release of the Economic Survey 2021-22.
Sanyal said the economy has grown past the pre-pandemic level. He added that while sectors like financial, real estate and professional services have gone back to the pre-pandemic level, services sectors focusing on tourism, hotels and travel are still impacted.
He added that the economy is estimated to grow by 9.2 per cent in 2021-22. The Economic Survey also stated that the GDP is likely to grow at 8-8.5 per cent in FY23.
“With the vaccination programme having covered the bulk of the population, economic momentum building back and the likely long-term benefits of supply-side reforms in the pipeline, the Indian economy is in a good position to witness GDP growth of 8.0-8.5 per cent in 2022-23,” stated the report.
Sanyal mentioned that inflation during 2020-21 was because of the lockdowns imposed due to the pandemic. Inflation is now under control, he said.
“The post-Covid world will be influenced by geopolitics, climate change, and supply chain. All these factors will impact our economy,” he said, further adding that Atmanirbhar Bharat is a response to global supply chain disruption.
Also read: Economic Survey 2022 Live Updates: Eco survey explains why onions and tomatoes go through massive price spikes
Also read: Economic Survey 2021-22: Govt projects 8-8.5% growth in FY23
Copyright©2023 Living Media India Limited. For reprint rights: Syndications Today


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Alphabet’s Wing Aviation has partnered with FedEx and Walgreens to deliver packages by drone. The deliveries by drone are expected to start this fall in Christiansburg, Virginia.
Alphabet’s Wing Aviation, FedEx, and Walgreens partner
The partnership between Alphabet’s Wing Aviation, FedEx, and Walgreens is part of the UAS Integration Pilot Program and aims to show that drones can be safely used to make last-mile deliveries of health care products.
Wing aviation received its Air Carrier Certification from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in April. The drones from Wing will be delivering over-the-counter medicines and other health care and wellness products. The items will be transported in specially designed FedEx boxes that are mounted underneath the drones.
Wing has been active in the Christiansburg and the New River Valley area for years. It started in 2016, when it delivered burritos by drone to the Virginia Tech campus in Blacksburg.
Outside of the US, WIng has been actively testing drone deliveries in Australia, with more than 70,000 drone test flights and thousands of deliveries by drone. Recently, Wing also expanded to Helsinki, Finland, where it uses drones to deliver products such as meatballs, pastries, and other gourmet goods.
FedEx is collaborating with @Wing to test delivery of small packages via drone to residents of Christiansburg, VA, beginning this fall. To learn more, visit https://t.co/cu3T1f8KNz pic.twitter.com/9MmsLbFxIF
— FedEx Public Affairs (@FedExPolicy) September 19, 2019
If the tests in Christiansburg go well, we may soon see Wing delivering products by drone in other parts of the country as well.
What do you think about having products delivered by drone? Let us know in the comments below.
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As of January 2022, support for the BlackBerry OS, and thus the classic BlackBerry phone, has been discontinued.
News has come that after 40+ years, the VCR has hit the end of the road. Electronics maker Funai has until now been the final… Read More »RIP VCRs: The final VCR maker is ending production
(An updated version of this post is available here.) Lately there’s been a lot of talk about the death of Saturday morning cartoons on American… Read More »RIP Saturday morning cartoons, and the reasons why they’re dead
Cartoon Brew reported last tonight that Hal Sutherland, co-founder of the Filmation animation studio, has passed away at the age of 85. I’m not sure… Read More »RIP Hal Sutherland, co-founder of Filmation


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Legislation to End Cosmetics Testing on Animals
Support Legislation to End Cosmetics Testing on Animals
Animals in the U.S. are still enduring painful and often deadly experiments to test cosmetics like lipstick, deodorant and cologne. The Humane Cosmetics Act (H.R. 2858), sponsored by U.S. Reps. Martha McSally (R-AZ), Don Beyer (D-VA), Joe Heck (R-NV) and Tony Cárdenas (D-CA), will make this a thing of the past by prohibiting animal testing for all cosmetic products manufactured or sold in the U.S.
Alternatives to animal testing already exist: Humane and safe cosmetics can be made using thousands of existing ingredients, and several non-animal safety tests are already available for new ingredients. These non-animal alternatives are often cheaper, faster, and more relevant to humans, and therefore more reliable predictors of safety.
Help end testing cosmetics on animals in the U.S. — just like in more than 30 countries where this outdated practice has been phased out, including Norway, Israel, India and every country in the European Union.


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Twinkies maker Hostess seeks Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection
NEW YORK (KFSN) -- Hostess Brands Inc., maker of Twinkies and Wonder Bread, on Wednesday filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy to deal with high labor costs.
Hostess also is more than $860 million in debt, and dealing with rising ingredient prices. The company just emerged from bankruptcy protection in 2009 after filing in 2004.
The privately held Irving, Texas bakery company says it will be able to maintain routine operations thanks to a $75 million financing commitment from a group of lenders.
Hostess said that it will look to restructure into a "strong, competitive" company. It will continue to run bakeries, outlet stores and distribution centers and deliver its goods during the process.
Hostess employs about 19,000 people and operates in 49 states.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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NORTH FORK — The North Fork Scout Fund Christmas tree lot has sold out for 2022. Due to weather conditions, the Scouts were only able to obtain 70% of the trees that were sold last year. Despite the rain on opening weekend, this reduced number of trees sold out quickly.
The Scout troop regrets that they were unable to meet the demand this year. This year’s supply was the second lowest in the past 50 years. They did not post the sale in Sierra News Online or on Facebook this year due to the shortage of trees.
They would like to thank all of their customers and hope everyone understands their inability to obtain more trees. They hope to see everyone again next year.
For more information, please contact Dave Smith, Scoutmaster, at 559-877-2186.


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The UK’s food retail sector has seen a significant shake-up in recent years. Challenges caused by e-commerce, changing consumer habits and the rise of challengers such as Lidl and Aldi has seen many operators reassess their property portfolios and requirements.
Richard Curry, partner in Rapleys’ Retail & Leisure Group, recently spoke to Property Investor News about the food retail property investment market.
He states that there is now “an environment where food retailers are being far more selective in terms of their store requirements as they streamline product offering. Investors must therefore be similarly selective over their acquisition strategy.
Fundamentally investors should, like food and retail occupiers, prepare to take affirmative action to ensure efficient and profitable portfolio performance in what is an increasingly dynamic and changing market.”
Click the link to the right to read the full article published in Property Investor News and find out more about the factors influencing the market, the changes in optimum store size and the challenges and opportunities for the sector.
For more information, please contact Richard.


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Here are the top business, market, and economic stories you should be watching today in the UK, Europe, and around the world:
London Stock Exchange to sell Borsa Italiana to Euronext for €4.3bn
The London Stock Exchange Group (LSE) has agreed to sell Borsa Italia to French rival Euronext for at least €4.33bn (£3.95bn, $5.09bn).
The stock exchange operator announced the sale on Friday, and said it would also receive “an additional amount reflecting cash generation to completion.”
It had begun exclusive discussions with Euronext over a sale on 18 September.
LSE expects the sale of the Italian stock exchange in Milan will overcome a regulatory obstacle at EU level to its purchase of data firm Refinitiv.
“We continue to make good progress on the highly attractive Refinitiv transaction and we are pleased to have reached this important milestone.


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So finally some of the rumors and specs have been confirmed by SamMobile that we heard about Samsung. There were two which included confirmed specifications about the new tablet that Samsung is going to release and a new affordable smartphone as well.
Samsung is going to come up with a new tablet called the Samsung Galaxy Note Pro 12.2 and as always 12.2 is the screen size on this tablet which will support a resolution of 2560 x 1600 also known as 2K displays. It’s got some pretty neat hardware specs as well being equipped by the latest QUALCOMM Snapdragon 800 processor clocked at 2.26 GHz, 3 GB of RAM and a front and a back camera, the back camera is 8MP while the front camera is 1.2MP. The tablet will have a different kind of UI according to SamMobile. We are not sure what they mean by that or Samsung might be trying to come up with a new UI for their next gen smartphones and tablets, even though there was no news about what android version the tablet will be running but judging from the pictures it looks like its android Kitkat 4.4.
Some screenshots of benchmarks were also seen on the internet showing the new Galaxy Tab Pro 12.2 scoring the highest score and we might see two separate versions of the new tab a Wi-Fi and a LTE version.
Other than that specifications of a smartphone called Samsung Grand Neo has also being confirmed by SamMobile which matches the specs on the Galaxy Grand lite so we are assuming that it’s Galaxy Grand Lite just with a different name. The specs on the smartphone were a quad-core processor clocked at 1.2 GHz and a 5-inch screen supporting a resolution of 480×800. Samsung Grand Neo will be running android 4.3 out of the box.
For now that is all we know until Samsung unveils their new smartphones and tablets this year 2014 at MWC in February. It looks like a very busy year for Samsung as its going to come up with many things hopefully the new Samsung Galaxy smartphone the Galaxy S5 that everyone is waiting for.
Disclosure: We might earn commission from qualifying purchases. The commission help keep the rest of my content free, so thank you!


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Image: Tradingview.com: Data: Poloniex Bitcoin exchange data
Over the past few days Bitcoin, the enfant terrible of the cryptocurrency world and the first use case for the Blockchain, has punched its way through a major psychological price point – $500 USD. The cryptocurrency rose 18% from $457USD to its 20 month high price of $540USD. This sudden shift in market dynamics makes interesting reading in its own right, but perhaps more importantly, marks the potential of the cryptocurrency to become the digital gold standard globally, and here’s why.
Right from the get-go, the elusive creator of bitcoin, Satoshi Nakamoto, designed the technology underlying Bitcoin to ensure the supply of the cryptocurrency coins was always going to be limited. The total bitcoins currently in circulation stand at 15.6m (bitcoinblockhalf.com ), out of a maximum 21m that will be produced through the mining process. To ensure the total number of coins issued is to be limited, every four years the bitcoin protocol automatically halves the number of new bitcoins that can be mined by miners who look after the network (check out my introductory videos on bitcoin and on the Blockchain if you are not too sure how this works). This halving is expected to happen on or around July 10th 2016, meaning the ongoing supply will half from the current daily production of 3,600 bitcoin. The schoolgirl economics of demand and supply would suggest the Bitcoin Price would rise as a result.
Within the trading forums, most traders that specialize in trading crytpocurrencies felt this price increase would be gradual, as we this “halving date” loomed in front of us. This recent marked rise in the price of Bitcoin, however, caught many off guard, with most expecting the major price rises 2-4 weeks ahead of the halving date. So there are other factors at play, which have brought together the beginnings of a perfect storm; a perfect storm that could push Bitcoin increasingly towards becoming the next digital gold standard. Those factors relate to China and their pivotal roles within the bitcoin community.
China is a funny beast. On the one hand, the Chinese Government hates bitcoin – as it represents a form of currency that by virtue of its decentralized nature cannot be easily be controlled. Yet, they allow bitcoin mining and trading. Indeed, at a scaling bitcoin conference earlier this year, the main representatives of the bitcoin mining industry were all on stage – representing 95% of the mining power ; the majority were Chinese. Equally, over 80% of the global trading of bitcoins are accounted for by two exchanges, both in China – Huobi and Okcoin. In addition, the gloomy economic clouds hovering over China at the moment are causing uncertainty and concern, resulting in the Chinese Government alluding to some potentially unpalatable economic activity to many.
China has been rumoured to be considering the devaluation of the local currency to help get the economy back on its high growth trajectory. When this is combined with the currency restrictions regards the export of capital, something has to give – and cyrptocurrencies are a way of those with wealth to consider exporting currency under the noses of central authorities.
Whilst the on-ramping and off-ramping into and out of cyrptocurencies remains a user experience nightmare, once funds are in the cryptocurency space, transferring them across the globe is easy, very cheap to transfer and pseudononymous (i.e. partially anonymous), making them very difficult, although not impossible, to audit by centralised authorities. Unlike it gold counterpart , capital outflows can easily be achieved, does not involve the physical transportation across boundaries ; it is merely the insertion of a bitcoin address and hitting send. Whilst it may be illegal, it is very simple to do and is indeed considered by many to be the primary reasons behind the very recent price hike – and this is where the Australian Police have the opportunity to make a killing.
It was announced yesterday that the Australian Police will be selling 24,500 confiscated bitcoins that were seized as part of alleged drug bust of an online dealer back in 2013. Given the official confiscation order was first reported by the Sydney Morning Herald in March 2015, the timing for the police right now could not be better.
In March 2015 the price of bitcoin averaged around $250 USD, as can be seen from the diagram below.
Image: Tradingview.com: Data: Poloniex Bitcoin exchange data
As a result, with the Australian Police selling the coins (via Ernst and Young) means at the peak price this week these bitcoins would have been worth $13.2m USD as compared to just $6.1mUSD in March 2015 -generating over 100% return over the 14 month period- and a nice little $7.1mUSD windfall bonus ! Now given there are 3,600 bitcoins mined daily, the Australian Police are holding the equivalent of around 6.5 days of bitcoin production – so the exact timing of any sales would need to be carefully planned so as not to destabilize the bitcoin market.
So overall we can see that bitcoin has the power to be a safe haven, acting as a quick and convenient methodology for capital flight. When combined with the upcoming halving, these forces have led to the rise in the bitcoin price. This price rise shows that crytptocurrencies do have a value, can represent a store of value and, in the case of the Australian police, a pretty good investment.
Disclaimer : Cryptocurrency trading is fraught with risks. The above article should not be considered as investment advice and professional advice sought be sought before considering trading in cryptocurrencies
Disclosure : the author holds bitcoins in his investment portfolio
If you are interested in understanding more about the Blockchain, its power and its challenges, why not check out my new book Down The Rabbit Hole, a book for business & non-technical people, like you, to truly understand the Blockchain & to capitalize on its power. Its available on :


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Uber has used tool to evade police during foreign raids
- Author: Wendy Palmer Jan 13, 2018,
Jan 13, 2018, 0:26
An Uber auto drives through LaGuardia Airport in NY on March 15, 2017.
Like managers at Uber's hundreds of offices overseas, they'd been trained to page a number that alerted specially trained staff at company headquarters in San Francisco.
Between spring 2015 and late 2016, Bloomberg says Uber repeatedly used Ripley to avoid police raids in foreign cities such as Amsterdam, Brussels, Hong Kong and Paris. But the company maintains with regards to Ripley, it was in the right. The tool was named in honor of Sigourney Weaver's character in the "Alien" movies. "That's the only unusual thing here to me", he said, pointing out that most companies will use very common end-point management software.
In one case Ripley was deployed to prevent Canadian tax investigators, who believed Uber had violated tax laws, from collecting evidence even though they had a warrant. Uber quickly discontinued the practice after its existence was by The New York Times.
Separately, Uber is under investigation for its "greyball" software, which was reportedly used to thwart government regulators. And Waymo, Google's self-driving auto company, has sued Uber claiming that its self-driving vehicle technology is based on trade secrets effectively stolen during Uber's purchase of Otto, a self-driving truck company started by former Google employee Anthony Levandowski.
Albert Gidari, director of privacy at Stanford Law School's Center for Internet & Society added that companies often protect networks and computers against dawn raids where the scope of authority is in question and the data to be seized is in another jurisdiction.
The company's hard-charging co-founder and CEO, Travis Kalanick, resigned in June after former engineer Susan Fowler's early-2017 blog post revealed a corporate culture that was toxic to women. Dara Khosrowshahi has, at times, seemed less like management than mopping exercise.
Uber says this tool - no longer in use - could lock computers and smartphones and change passwords remotely from the company's headquarters in San Francisco.
Uber is serious about "security" in it offices.when it comes to evidence.and hiding that from the police.that show up with search warrants.
Think of it as a panic button and Uber is calling it "Ripley".
Less than a week after Greyball was exposed, Uber said it stopped using the software.
Uber is reported to have used remote shutdowns of computers to thwart police raids.


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Facebook is investing a lot in 360, constantly updating 360 videos and 360 photos. Now, a year after launching 360 video and a few months after launching 360 photos, Facebook is bringing both into Instant Articles.
Facebook has made several updates to its 360 offerings since they were launched. 360 video has got several publishing tool updates, stabilisation, and more recently spatial audio. 360 photos were launched very recently, but we feel that there are updates on the way.
[quote]Instant Articles is a complementary canvas for 360 media. Journalists and storytellers can share richer stories and paint more vivid scenes by joining 360 content with other Instant Articles elements that publishers are using to deliver their written, filmed, and spoken narratives.[/quote]
He went on to explain that multiple 360 photos and videos can be added to each Instant Article, which “readers can explore, share, and comment on in the context of a story”. They will see the 360 content in-line within the Instant Article and can interact with it “by turning their device or by tapping and dragging.”
The addition will be welcomed by publishers mostly, and not so much advertisers. However, the success of Instant Articles should impact on monetisation efforts. Facebook is giving publishers the means to offer their readers a great experience. More traffic means more money for those who are monetising their Instant Articles.
Companies that have already tried this new feature, include USA TODAY NETWORK and BILD.
This addition follows other moves by Facebook, that testify to the importance of the format. Our guess would be that the next big addition to Instant Articles will be Live. This would open up all sorts of creative possibilities for publishers. Wouldn’t you agree? As Roberts explained,
[quote]In the coming months we plan to introduce more interactive features in Instant Articles and we’re excited to see how publishers experiment and innovate with these new storytelling tools.[/quote]
Users with the latest versions of Android and iOS will be able to get the new experience on Instant Articles from publishers who add 360 videos and photos.
For more information, check out Facebook’s developer documentation.
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It seemed like the perfect solution for overworked, time-deprived 21st century consumers — online grocers to the rescue.
Even a year ago, the revolutionary prospect of selling perishables and food online held promise.
But a year online is like a day in conventional time, and what a difference a day has made in the e-grocery business. It seems that digital chicken sales, name-your-own-price veggies and grocery aisle surfing now typify the uphill struggle of e-tailers.
Can online grocery shopping find its legs?
The key to success, or at least survival, for online grocers may be smart partnering and consolidation. Weaker links may face extinction, but whatever market share is left could be divided among those with established allies.
All Lanes, No Waiting
Just last week, one of the old-timers in the business, Webvan, let loose with the news that its founder, Louis Borders is leaving for “personal reasons.”
Could it be that Mr. Borders found it “personally” the best time to depart because Webvan is short of economic breath? After all, fourth quarter results were dismal, with losses of US$109 million, or 23 cents per share — close to twice the figure of the previous year’s Q4 losses.
Look for Webvan to find a tougher big brother with whom to affiliate, perhaps something similar to last summer’s GroceryWorks.com deal with the almighty brick-and-mortar giant Safeway.
A sweet win/win deal that one was, offering Safeway a path to Internet sales without having to start from square one, while GroceryWorks got a hefty cash infusion and the Safeway name to bolster its credibility.
Nevertheless, the jury is still out on whether online grocers have a viable place in electronic commerce. Jupiter Research reports that although the business will net $2 billion this year, online grocery sales make up less than 1 percent of grocery sales in the US.
With odds like that, who would even consider entering the online grocery business? Three words: bricks and clicks.
While most major supermarket chains are struggling financially, the two that are holding their own are Safeway and Kroger — the only two majors that have taken aggressive online chances.
For its part, Kroger hopes to find a good online grocery sales model, but does not see that as its only online prospect. While it patiently works on the retail end, it is moving full steam ahead using the Internet to strengthen its supply chain.
Last year, Kroger took an equity stake in GlobalNetXchange, the online retail industry exchange that boasts other big names like Sears. It’s clever strategy: cut purchasing costs, improve supply chain operations and all the while step cautiously into e-sales.
If and when online grocery shopping finds a mass audience, Kroger will be fully positioned to take maximum advantage of a new market segment.
Still, even the toughest competitors in the online grocery business have one apparently insurmountable roadblock: nobody in America is home.
That’s not a huge problem for an online bookseller that might leave a delivery with a neighbor or follow alternative instructions. But how do you deliver bags or boxes of food when nobody’s there to answer the door?
It’s not that all perishables can’t find an online market. Consider the online floral business, a booming enterprise which also depends on successful delivery. The difference is, flowers and chocolates can be delivered to a recipient’s place of business.
Some online grocers have tried to have consumers place the order online and then pick it up at a brick-and-mortar location. That defeats the purpose, since once the shopper is in the store, the sights, sounds and smells may make him wish he had simply shopped the old fashioned way. Think marketing strategy.
Additionally, even if this method works for brick-and-mortar establishments, it still does not bolster the possibilities of pure-play online grocers.
Some of those ventures have asked consumers to simply give them a key to their home and they’ll conveniently bring the delivery in and put it in the fridge.
Uh-huh. Right. That’ll happen.
Why Re-Invent The Wheel?
Peapods and Webvans notwithstanding, chances are the pure-play online grocer market share may remain in the single digits and therefore disappear.
That’s not to say there isn’t something of a market for ordering dog food, steaks and pastries online, but it’s likely to be gobbled up by brick-and-mortars who wish to diversify into online sales. They’ve got the inventory, the money and the warehouses already, and most of all, they’ve got names America trusts.
What do you think? Let’s talk about it.
Note: The opinions expressed by our columnists are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the E-Commerce Times or its management.


text: The value of the US market fell by 4.5 percent last year to $5.9bn, while fragrances performed well on a global level with sales growing 6 percent to $30.6bn, according to a recent Euromonitor report on the industry. Celebrity endorsed perfumes have been invading US stores in greater and greater numbers over the past few years, but the signs are that the concept is beginning to bore the American consumer. The celebrity perfume was conceived in the US, but has been embraced in several Western European countries where it continues to be a key driver for growth in the overall fragrance market. "Western Europe was far more dynamic than America in 2006. What's behind the declines in the US are steady or even declining unit prices, over saturation of new products and low brand loyalty," said Diana Dodson from Euromonitor. Dodson said the negative effects of over saturation and low brand loyalty were being exacerbated by the celebrity fragrance trend because celebrity perfumes tend to have short shelf lives and consumers rarely remain loyal to the same signature fragrance. The reasons put forward by Dodson for the US downturn are similar to the ones she used to explain the strength of the world market. Talking about the fickle fragrance consumer, Dodson said: "Fragrance has become the accessory that completes an outfit and these consumers update their scent wardrobe almost as often as they update their look." While her US equivalent is tiring of the endless product launches, the fickle fragrance consumer continues to queue up for the latest celebrity perfume or limited edition scent in Europe. However, there are variations within the European market. The UK consumer is splashing on the celebrity scents while the French, who are less celebrity obsessed and know more about perfumery have not latched on to the trend. The UK market for celebrity perfumes has grown 2000 percent since 2004 and there have been over 30 such product launches so far this year, according to the UK retailer The Perfume Shop. These figures indicate that the UK market for celebrity scents continues to march onwards. The Euromonitor report also mentioned the emergence onto the market of perfumes that tap into the latest consumer trends in other markets like the scents produced by the US-based firm Arlyessence, which tap into the latest color and food fads. Such products feed off a similar consumer to the celebrity perfume buyer because they are short-term launches whose commercial value lies in their ability to tap into the latest fashions. As for the future, the Euromonitor report is optimistic for the global market predicting growth of 3 percent a year until 2011, while the value of the US fragrance market is expected to fall slightly by 1 percent annually.


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The Vancouver-based studio behind the Dead Rising franchise has been shut down as Capcom allocates developmental resources for their games back to their Japanese studios.
Earlier today in a press release, Capcom’s headquarters based out of Osaka, Japan, have confirmed that their Vancouver-based studio, Capcom Studio Vancouver, Inc., has been shut down as the resources from the developmental resources from the team have been relocated to their Japanese headquarters.
In their press release that confirmed this information, Capcom states that they are expecting a 4.5 billion yen loss (roughly $40m USD) due to the termination of unreleased projects for their fiscal year that ends on March 31, 2019.
Earlier this year, Capcom Vancouver was hit with significant layoffs after their mobile title Puzzle Fighter closed down in order for the studio to concentrate on a – then – Dead Rising project. Even after the closure, Capcom has not confirmed whether or not the Dead Rising franchise is being shuttered or if the series will be turned over to one of their Japanese studios.
However, Capcom did state that they are looking at “reviewing the allocation of its developmental resources…”
We’ve reached out to Capcom America’s PR teams for a statement regarding the future of the series and members of the studios themselves. If you wish, you can read the official press release regarding Capcom Vancouver’s statement here.
About the Writer(s):
Dustin is our native console gamer, PlayStation and Nintendo reviewer who has an appetite for anything that crosses the borders from across the big pond. His interest in JRPG’s, Anime, Handheld Gaming, and Pizza is insatiable. His elitist attitude gives him direction, want, and a need for the hardest difficulties in games, which is fun to watch, and hilarity at its finest. You can find him over on Twitter or Facebook.


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Huawei Prism which came as one of the budget friendly smart phone and was revealed out March this year is now available with T Mobile in US. As it has been sold by the telecom firm T mobiles, they have named it as the T-Mobile Prism and the signature of Huawei is only visible once you remove the battery. T-Mobile Prism is supposed to be one of the cheapest smart phones which is available via T-Mobiles.
If we talk about the specs of this affordable and cheap breed of smart phone then T-Mobile Prism is powered with 3.5 inches HVGA touch display which allows you the smooth accessibility to the web and also the access to your favourite apps which you can download from Google Play Stores. It runs on Android and hence you have the complete freedom to access thousands of free apps from Google Play.
Photo capturing is quite easy in T-Mobile Prism, as it is powered by 3.2 MP camera having digital zoom and video recording. Apart from this user can also synch their emails and mail exchange in the T-Mobile Prism. T-Mobile Prism also has 3G connectivity and it also has the integrated Google services, youtube, google browser, Google Talk, Maps, Google Navigation and other google services.
T-Mobile Prism is also available online on the online retailer stores like Walmart, T-Mobile and Best Buy. T-Mobile Prism is costing a fair deal of just USD 19.99 after USD 50 mail in rebate. Users can also purchase this new breed of smart phone at USD 149.99 with annual contract. The device has been listed at the price tag of YSD 219.99 on other retail outlets.


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TripConnect Instant Booking Available to TravelClick’s Web 3.0 Booking Engine Customers
NEW YORK – July 20, 2015 – TravelClick, a global provider of innovative cloud-based solutions that enable hotels to grow revenue, today announced that it has expanded its partnership with TripAdvisor to offer TripConnect™ instant booking to their iHotelier Web 3.0 booking engine customers. TripConnect instant booking makes it possible for independent hotels to generate bookings directly on TripAdvisor. TravelClick is now a certified TripConnect Premium Partner.
TripConnect instant booking is a powerful new way for independent properties to leverage the world’s largest travel site to acquire more bookings directly and to manage the relationship with their guest from the moment the reservation is made. Instant booking enables a seamless hotel booking experience without leaving the TripAdvisor site. The reservations are delivered to the hotel, powered by TravelClick’s iHotelier® central reservation system.
Hoteliers Advised to Plan Ahead and Generate Advanced Reservations for Peak Travel Period
NEW YORK – April 21, 2015 – Hotels in major North American markets continued to maintain positive growth in rate according to data from the April 2015 TravelClick North American Hospitality Review (NAHR). TravelClick’s data reports new group reservation pace – up 13 percent year-over-year – is offering an encouraging sign for hoteliers heading into the peak travel season.
“While 75 percent of the top North American travel markets are experiencing growth, hoteliers, need to monitor the pace of transient reservations, particularly business travelers as this segment has dipped slightly in recent months,” said John Hach, Senior Industry Analyst at TravelClick.
Hoteliers Need to be on Their Toes to Keep RevPAR Momentum
NEW YORK – January 28, 2015 – Hotels in major North American markets experienced strong growth in rate across all travel segments according to data from the January 2015 TravelClick North American Hospitality Review (NAHR). With average daily rate (ADR) growth of 4.5 percent for the next 12 months, ADR will drive revenue per available room (RevPAR) performance in 2015, continuing on the momentum from last year.
TVtrip Bolsters TravelClick’s Web and Reservation Offerings to Enable Hotels to Increase Online Traffic and Conversions
NEW YORK and PARIS, January 13, 2015 – TravelClick (“the Company”), a global provider of innovative cloud-based revenue-generating solutions for the hospitality industry, announced today that it has purchased TVtrip, the leading provider of video creation and distribution services for hotels around the globe, headquartered in Paris, France.
TravelClick Channel Management Provides Hotels with Connections to Traditional and Mobile OTAs
NEW YORK, September 16, 2014 – TravelClick, a global provider of innovative cloud-based solutions that enable hotels to grow revenue, has announced a partnership with roomlia, a streamlined, design-driven mobile app offering two-way connections for instant hotel-bookings. The mobile travel agent is the newest addition to TravelClick’s Channel Management solution that connects hotels to more than 800 online travel agents (OTAs) around the globe.


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The protectionist economic policies pursued by the Trump administration are now signaling a global trade war. In the early days of March 2018, new tariffs were taken into action by the U.S. government.
On March 1, 2018, Trump announced that his administration will impose 25% and 10% tariffs on steel and aluminum imports in order to promote struggling American industries. He announced the tariff move during a meeting with steel and aluminum executives at the White House.
The tariffs President Trump signed on March 9 did not apply to Canada and Mexico, which are NAFTA countries.
In his justification Trump said: “…You like the tariffs where they won’t be dumping on our country. What they do is they dump massive amounts of product on our country, and it just kills — it destroys our companies and our jobs. And it’s been happening for so many years, and we are not the beneficiary.”
Many countries reacted to the new tariffs imposed by Trump. Chancellor Angela Merkel called for the European Union to be excluded from such schemes. European Commission President Juncker made it clear that the EU trade bloc would not sit “idly” if Trump goes ahead with these planned tariffs. Trump’s new tariff threat on European cars against the possibility of bloc’s retaliation on US tariffs increased the tension more.
Besides reactions from other states, there is a strong opposition from some Republicans who are traditionally free trade advocates.
On March 22 the U.S. imposed new tariffs on China. These are estimated to be at a worth of 50 billion U.S. dollars. The Trump administration strongly claims that China is committing intellectual property theft crime and is causing the U.S. its largest trade deficit of all times – a 375$ billion trade deficit with China.
“This is the first of many. This is the number one but this is the first of many,” President Trump said just before signing the tariffs on China.
Is China the target?
Earlier in March 2018, the EU’s trade commissioner stated that the bloc would “stand up to the bullies.” Due to reactions and critics, the Trump administration announced exemptions that cover the EU and six other countries including Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Mexico and South Korea. Below we can see that out of the top 5 steel exporters to the U.S., 4 of them – except China – are exempted.
Source: Wood Mackenzie
China is going to impose reciprocal tariffs on the U.S., which are worth 3 billion dollars. The Chinese Commerce Ministry stated that this imposition is a response to the steel and aluminum tariffs imposed on China by the U.S. The Chinese government could hit the U.S. with tariffs on agriculture and vehicles meaning that U.S. soybeans, airplanes, cars and cotton could be targeted.
“China cannot be seen to be weak,” Nobel Prize-winning U.S. economist Stiglitz said in an interview.
Now that Trump has expanded his list of exempted countries from new tariffs, this brings into mind two questions: Is this protectionism only rhetoric? Is China the target?
Both sides leave ways to negotiation open. President Trump emphasized that if any country imposes tariffs, the U.S. will do the same. In the upcoming days, we will see whether the two biggest economies of the world will find a common way.


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14 September 1998
Supermarkets attack OFT profit probe
MAJOR British supermarkets have launched an attack on the the inquiry by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) into their profits and prices.
They say the inquiry has been muddled, slow, and is using an economic model that appears unworkable.
The department launched the inquiry after allegations were made that the supermarkets were profiteering by using their power to squeeze suppliers and not passing on savings to consumers.
A report by the Welsh Affairs committee into the crisis in Welsh farming concluded that prices charged on the supermarkets shelves for beef and lamb bore no relation to the prices paid to farmers.
The supermarkets said they were particularly concerned by the new economic model being used by the OFT to determine excess profitability. One supermarket director, quoted anonymously by The Independent, describes it as “severely econometric” – that is, heavily dependent on mathematical modelling techniques.


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Photo by Joe Boyle
State Rep. Kelly Burke (D-36th) listens to a question about the beverage tax during a “Meet and Greet” session at the Green Hills Library in Palos Hills.
An overflow crowd attended the “Meet and Greet” local legislators meeting on Sept 13 at the Green Hills Library in Palos Hills with one issue on their minds – the Cook County beverage tax.
State Rep. Kelly Burke (D-36th) is usually accompanied at these gatherings by state Sen. Bill Cunningham (D-18th), who was unable to attend. Burke told the packed house in the library conference room that she will talk about a variety of issues and would field any questions they have.
And those questions focused on the beverage tax. Officials and representatives from various beverage industries were in attendance and sounded off about the ambiguity of the tax and how it is hurting local convenience and grocery stores.
“From what I have seen, the store owners are getting more and more information that their businesses and other businesses are being hurt by the beverage tax,” Burke told the audience. “This is true especially if you live in an area like Homewood, which is near the Indiana border. I have heard that a store owner said residents are not shopping at his store and are going to Indiana to not only get soda but groceries, too.”
Burke and state Rep. Frances Hurley (D-35th) are two local legislators who are co-sponsoring a House bill that would repeal the Cook County beverage tax.
“This tax is not only affecting local shoppers who are not buying beverages, but they are also buying food elsewhere,” added Burke, whose district includes Evergreen Park and portions of Oak Lawn, Palos Hills and Worth.
Some of the beverage industry representatives who attended the Green Hills Library meeting that evening were speaking out on the issue earlier that day at a Cook County Board of Commissioners hearing. The beverage industry representatives said they oppose Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle’s call for the penny per ounce tax on sodas and other sugared drinks. Preckwinkle provided the tie-breaking vote to end an 8-8 deadlock by the Cook County Commissioners last November. The tax went into effect last month.
Worth Mayor Mary Werner also spoke out against the tax during the Cook County Board hearing, stating that the tax has resulted in a major financial loss for stores along 111th Street. Other local mayors oppose the tax to varying degrees. Evergreen Park Mayor James Sexton says time will tell what will happen with the tax.
“People are concerned, of course,” Sexton said. “I have heard from people about it and I can tell you, they are not happy. Hopefully, they (Cook County Board) can figure this out. Hopefully, they can take care of their business and I will take care of Evergreen Park.”
The county’s tax raises the average cost of a 2-liter soda by 67 percent. The average cost of a bottle of fruit juice or ice tea has risen by 43 percent. Preckwinkle has said that by raising the price on soda, certain coffees and teas, juices, flavored waters and sports drinks at one cent per ounce will help cut down on childhood obesity, diabetes and other diseases that can effect children. Critics of the tax said it was passed solely because the county needs more revenue.
One representative from Dr. Pepper and 7-Up said that they have “1,050 employees and we have not laid anyone off yet, but we are getting close. It’s a money grab, and it’s on our backs.”
Proponents of the tax point to a similar law in Philadelphia they claim is successful. But the beverage representatives at the Burke meeting said that is not correct. They state the city has gone through a rough period due to the penny and half once tax.
“When they passed this thing, I don’t know what they were thinking,” one resident said during the meeting.
Burke said that ultimately the Cook County Board will have to deal with this issue. Cook County Commissioner Sean Morrison (R-17th) is leading the opposition to the tax. Local Cook County Board Commissioners John Daley (D-11th) and Edward Moody (D-6th) voted for the tax. The next Cook County Board of Commissioners hearing is Wednesday, Oct. 11.
Burke did mention that the Preckwinkle and the Cook County Board have introduced programs and upgraded county property to the benefit of residents.
“The county has done some good things and provided some great services,” Burke said. “Just look at Swallow Cliffs and what they have done there. There are hundreds of people there every day.”
But Burke added that the Cook County Board may have to make some difficult choices in the future regarding the tax.
“They will have to figure this out,” Burke said. “It’s not having the effect they anticipated.”


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Cattle business expands
Hawaii cattle marketings are up including more local slaughter; local pork production is down but growers are getting better prices; production is down a lot in the Hawaii egg and milk businesses.
These industries were updated Thursday, using figures newly available from May, by the National Agricultural Statistics Service Hawaii Field Office.
May cattle marketings were up 10 percent from year-before levels to 7,500 head (average live weight was up 2 percent as well) bringing total marketings since the year began to 99 percent of last year's levels, 24,000 head. Local slaughter was up 5 percent from year-before levels to 582,000 pounds, and for the year-to-date local slaughter is up 7 percent to 2.6 million pounds. Prices are flat from last year at an average 99 cents per pound.
Local slaughter is up because of heightened consumer interest in locally produced beef and because of contracts to supply beef to military commissaries.
Hawaii commercial pork production in May was 316,000 pounds, down 5 percent from year-before levels, and year-to-date production was 1.4 million pounds, down 7 percent. Average weight per head was down 4 percent from year-before levels. Farm prices are down 8 percent from last year to $1.17 per pound.
Hawaii egg production is down significantly so far this year because the industry is smaller. In May, 367,000 hens laid 6.9 million eggs. The numbers of laying hens was down 18 percent and the number of eggs they laid was down 17 percent from the same time last year. For the first five months of the year, production fell from 42 million eggs to a little over 34 million. Average farm price for a dozen eggs is $1.12, up 14 percent from a year ago.
The Hawaii dairy industry is a fraction of its former size as more dairies close forever. May milk production, 3.3 million pounds, was down 35 percent from the same month last year. There are 3,200 dairy cows giving milk in Hawaii now, down 26 percent from last year. Average farm price, $27.40 per hundredweight, was 10 percent higher than a year ago.
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Frankie and Benny’s has something in common with Eleven Madison Park
Frankie and Benny’s is encouraging diners to lock their phones in a box during their meal. The move is usually reserved for high-end palaces of finery — the most notable, perhaps, New York’s three Michelin-starred Eleven Madison Park — but this initiative will run at the high street Italian-American chain until 7 December. And, possibly, for longer. The deal: parents that turn in their phones at the door will get free meals for their kids. Of course, if Instagram posts decline... [Big Hospitality]
London’s favourite Indian café announces Manchester opening date
Dishoom’s Manchester Hall restaurant will open 6 December. This restaurant will be the London queue-masters’ second venture outside the capital, joining the Edinburgh location that opened in December 2016. [Richard Vines/Twitter]
Borough Yards will be the next London restaurant yard
Distrkt will lead the search for restaurants at Borough Yards, London’s next American-named restaurant development; the trend for large-scale dining estates shows no sign of waning. [MCA Insight/Paywall]
London’s leading pizzeria crowdsources fourth location
Santa Maria Pizzeria has asked Instagram where it should open a fourth pizza restaurant to join Ealing, Fulham, and Fitzrovia. Richmond, Walthamstow, and Islington look to be front-runners among the willing consultants.


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Windows Phone 8.1 on the Lumia 925 and 1020 not only introduced awesome new features such as a notifications screen, it also brought with it stability issues, and now Microsoft has acknowledged this.
Win a Microsoft Lumia 640 LTE + MD-12 Wireless Speaker!
Editorial: Microsoft finally brought the thunder
The iClever foldable Bluetooth keyboard review
All the latest on new Windows 10 Insider Preview build 10565
Microsoft Band custom workouts: Good idea, flawed execution
...of Windows 10 wonders (and a tiny taste of Marshmallow)
After its recent October Update, which brought MKV Media Center support and Snap improvements, Microsoft is rolling out an update for those on the Xbox One Preview, bringing a fix for an annoying bug.
After taking a hard line against BitTorrent and file-sharing sites, PayPal has moved onto Usenet service providers, freezing funds and stopping them accepting payments to their accounts.
Recently, reports have been surfacing of Macbook Pro laptops repetitively temporarily freezing for short amounts of time. Today, Apple announced that this problem is widespread and they have promised to provide a bug fix. The...


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Warning Labels are Pivotal for Toy Products
This entry was posted on December 12, 2014.
Warning Labels Help Parents Keep Children Safe 'Tis the season to be jolly, but if toy and game product manufacturers do not properly label their goods, the holiday season can turn sour quickly if injuries occur. While toys and games are designed for children, that does not always mean they are safe - they may feature small parts that can pose as choking hazards or otherwise jeopardize users. This is why it is crucial these items are labeled properly so parents can take the right course of action when supervising children.
Many retailers are even taking a stand and not stocking toys and games that do not feature comprehensive safety warnings. Fox 6 Now recently reported that brands such as Cedarburg Toy Company want shoppers to be able to rest assured knowing the toys and games they buy do not come with any hidden hazards.
"It's a place to come where they could walk in and not have to worry about checking the label," says Natasha Loos, one of the store's owners. "We are putting our kids in a guinea pig situation where we just don't know enough about it, and better to air on the side of safety versus it's a cheap item and we can get it at a good price."
Transparency is King While product manufacturers may not want to make their goods seem like massive hazards, it is better to err on the side of caution in these situations. There is no PR situation worse than a news story about a brand's items injuring a child, so companies should try to be as transparent as possible when it comes to addressing potential safety hazards that could result in sickness or harm.


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HE began work when a pint of beer cost about 10p and petrol was just 6p a litre.
Now a textile worker has retired after 50 years’ service with the same company – a firm that produces yarn for the world’s biggest fashion names.
Malcolm Greensmith, better known as Malc to his workmates, is all set go to travelling in his retirement.
Malcolm was presented with a cheque from the directors of family-run textile company Z Hinchliffe & Sons.
His retirement came 50 years to the day when he began working for the Denby Dale company at the age of 15.
Malcolm joined the woollen yarn spinning firm as a labourer in the dyehouse and 10 years later was promoted to working foreman in the same department.
Two current directors of the firm, James and Robert Hinchliffe, both worked under him when they joined the family business.
Malcolm said: “Their father, John Hinchliffe, who was managing director, wanted them to work in all parts of the business, so they worked with me for three months in the dyehouse.”
He said: “Everything was done manually when I started. The loads were lifted using ropes rather than chains.
“Over the years, there have been big changes in technology and much more automation.
“The textile industry has had its ups and downs, but the company is still here.”
Malcolm, who was born in Ingbirchworth, was an aspiring footballer in his teens – playing for Barnsley Boys from the age of 10 to 15 and representing England Boys at international level.
Although he was not taken up by a professional club, football remained a passion and he played in midfield for Kexborough Rovers in the Barnsley League.
After moving to Denby Dale in 1964 to live in a company house, he played for Scissett in the Huddersfield League and enjoyed several successful seasons.
Malcolm and partner Sue have three children, Donna, Darren and Leigh, who lives in New Zealand. They also have two grandchildren, Corby and Jake.
Malcolm said he would find plenty to occupy his time during retirement.
He said: “I love tinkering about with cars. I used to customise my own vehicles in the 1980s.”
Malcolm and Sue are also set to go travelling.
Malcolm said: “Donna and Mark have booked us a weekend in Chester in May. It’s one of our favourite cities.
“We will also be going to Portugal for a week later in the year and we hope to go to New Zealand to see the grandchildren in the winter.”
Z Hinchliffe & Sons is one of Huddersfield’s best-known textile names.
Today, the firm is a globally-respected business supplying lambswool, cashmere, camel hair and angora products to the knitwear sector in the UK and overseas.
Customers include major fashion names such as Prada, Gucci, Chanel, Brooks Brothers, Saks Fifth Avenue, Hugo Boss, Burberry, Dunhill and Polo Ralph Lauren.
IT was back in April 1962 that a teenager called Malc Greensmith began work in a textile mill.
But what would his wages have bought him in those days?
The average pay in 1962 was £799 a year, or £66 a month.
To buy a house would cost you an average of £2,670.
Petrol for those who had cars was just 1s 2d, or 6p – compared with the £1.40 a litre it is now.
A night out would set you back only a few shillings, with a beer costing less than 2 shillings (10p) and fish and chips on the way home costing 1s and 2d, or 6p.
The weekly shop wasn’t too bad with a pint of milk about 1s 4d (6.5p) and a loaf of bread 11d or 4.5p.


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Unleashed’s Manufacturers Health Check report used data from its inventory management software to track how SMEs in the UK have fared in 2022 and shows businesses, including clothing, are forced to sit on huge quantities of stock as they navigate delays and shortages, against a background of rising inflation.
The analysis of more than 4,500 SMEs paints a picture of manufacturer health by examining four main data points: the value of stock on hand, Gross Margin Return on Inventory (GMROI – a profitability evaluation ratio), fulfilment days, and the price paid for goods purchased.
Clothing and fashion manufacturers saw the seventh biggest increase in stock-on-hand levels of any sector when comparing Q3 stock levels in 2022 vs the same period in 2019 – up 57% on pre-pandemic levels.
In fact, all industries featured in this research were holding an increased value of stock this year compared to 2019, with the exception of manufacturers in the building and construction sector.
When looking at GMROI (down 81.8%) – the highest out of all industries featured in this research – it’s clear that clothing manufacturers are feeling the impact of holding more stock, with the majority of firms seeing a drop in overall profitability when looking at this metric specifically.
Apart from the food sector, which lifted GMROI 93.69%, all sectors in the UK saw a decline in overall GMROI with clothing firms (down 81.8%), plastic and rubber products (down 81%) and energy and chemicals (down 62%) seeing the biggest declines.
When looking at fulfilment times, clothing firms have been able to make a slight cut compared to pre-pandemic levels (down 27.8%). Energy and chemicals (down 74.1%), automotive (down 65.6%) and food (down 48.6%) saw the biggest declines.
In terms of fulfilment days, the percentage change between the third quarter of 2019 and 2022 fell 27.77%.
When it comes to manufacturers (in general) they are paying 10.24% more for their raw materials now compared to the start of 2022.
“What started as a supply chain crisis appears to have evolved into an inventory crisis at the individual business level,” says Gareth Berry, CEO of Unleashed. “Yes we’ve seen shipping times and prices ease, but that’s at the expense of firms who are forced to hold far more stock just to stay operational.”
“It’s a tough situation for fashion and clothing manufacturers that will present real cash flow pressures. Managing those stock levels down in the coming months will be a delicate task.”


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SAN DIEGO – June 11, 2013 ─ Mitek (NASDAQ: MITK, www.miteksystems.com), a leading mobile imaging software solutions provider, today announced that BBVA Compass, which ranks among the top 20 largest U.S. commercial banks based on deposit market share, has joined the growing list of financial institutions that have deployed Mobile Photo Bill Pay® which includes U.S. Bank, First Financial Bank and City Bank of Texas.
Mitek’s Mobile Photo Bill Pay enables consumers to easily and securely pay a bill with the snap of a smartphone or tablet camera. After a customer captures an image of a bill, Mitek’s technology automatically extracts relevant information from the paper bill and auto-populates the fields required to make a mobile payment. This ground-breaking way to pay bills eliminates the need for manual data entry, a checkbook or even a computer.
Mobile Photo Bill Pay 2.0 announced last week, features ground-breaking, touch-free, automatic image capture technology, known as Mitek MiSnap™ and a host of powerful analytic and performance features. The new version will make paying bills on a mobile device even faster and easier.
Mitek’s Mobile Photo Bill Pay is part of a suite of solutions for financial services that includes Mobile Deposit®, Mobile Photo Balance Transfer™ and Mobile Photo Document Capture™. Mobile Deposit is currently licensed by 889 financial institutions including all of the top 10 retail banks in the US. In addition, Mitek’s growing portfolio of solutions includes Mobile Photo Quoting™, which enables consumers to take photos of a driver license and an insurance card to get a real-time quote for auto insurance. This solution is used by Progressive and other leading P&C insurers.
All Mitek’s solutions utilize its patented enterprise-class Mobile Imaging Platform and are available on-premise or in a secure hosting environment for rapid deployment.
For more information visit, http://www.miteksystems.com/solutions/banking/mobile-photo-bill-pay To understand the ROI of Mobile Photo Bill Pay, read white paper at http://www.miteksystems.com/files/mitek/docs/aite_mitek_research_white_paper.pdf
Headquartered in San Diego, CA., Mitek (NASDAQ: MITK) is a mobile imaging software solutions provider that allows users to remotely deposit checks, pay their bills, get insurance quotes, and transfer credit card balances by snapping a picture with their camera-equipped smartphones and tablets instead of using the device keyboard. Mitek’s technology increases convenience for the consumer by eliminating the need to go to the bank branch or automated teller machine, and dramatically reduces processing and customer acquisition costs while increasing customer retention. With a strong patent portfolio, Mitek is positioned as the leading innovator in mobile imaging software and currently provides its solutions to Fortune 500 financial services companies. For more information about Mitek, please visit http://www.miteksystems.com. MITK-G
Connect with us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/MitekSystems
Follow us on Twitter: @miteksystems
See us on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/miteksystems
Read our latest blog post: http://www.miteksystems.com/blog
Director of Marketing
MIX Public Relations


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Apple says that initial demand for the Apple Watch is expected to blow past available supplies.» Read More
Amazon cutting the price of its Fire smartphone to 99 cents as the it looks to gain market share in the high-end mobile market.
Ahead of Apple's press announcement, images have surfaced online of alleged component drawings and specs for the company's new wearable tech.
Microsoft is paying a lot of money to have NFL coaches and players use its Surface tablet. But the announcers keep calling it something else.
Between Apple's big product unveiling, carrier pricing battles, and potential M&A in the works, the stakes are high for the wireless industry.
Ahead of a highly anticipated launch, video of a fully functional Apple iPhone 6 has leaked, 9to5Mac reports.
Tuesday's Apple event will be Tim Cook's biggest chance to emerge from Steve Jobs shadow, an analyst says.
Here's what to expect at Apple's "secretive" event coming up on Tuesday: iPhone, iWatch, payments feature
With its new Moto G and Moto X, Motorola is renewing its bet on the mid-range smartphone market, Re/code reports.
Apple is planning additional steps to keep hackers out of user accounts in the face of the recent celebrity photo scandal.
Pieter Nota, CEO of consumer lifestyle at Philips, says the "internet of things" and connectivity will create a lot of value for the consumers - but security and privacy should be the main concern.
Geeks around the world have eagerly awaited the Moto 360 smartwatch for months. If the reviews are any indication, they may want to keep waiting.
Apple's plans for mobile payments may signal ambitions that go well beyond merely having your phone replace your wallet, analysts say.
Intel teamed up with fashion house Opening Ceremony to create the wearable device, MICA, and it's showing off the accessory at New York Fashion Week.
The mobile app Isis Wallet announced it would rebrand to avoid association with the Sunni militant group Islamic State, NBC reports.
Smart devices, a Samsung product launch and the latest smartphones are expected to dominate the IFA consumer electronics show in Berlin.
Here’s what Samsung’s and Microsoft's phones may feature that Apple’s iPhone may not.
A website dedicated to following all things Apple has published a video purporting to be of the iPhone 6.
Chinese Android manufacturer Xiaomi launched its newest product Redmi 1S, reporting that it sold 40,000 units in 4.2 seconds.
Why Apple's mobile payment system expected on the coming iPhone 6 could be better than Google Wallet.
A Frankfurt court has issued a temporary injunction against U.S. car service Uber, saying the group was no longer allowed to offer its services.
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Matt Hunter is the senior technology editor at CNBC.com.
Cadie Thompson is a tech reporter for the Enterprise Team for CNBC.com.
Working from Los Angeles, Boorstin is CNBC's media and entertainment reporter and editor of CNBC.com's Media Money section.
Jon Fortt is an on-air editor. He covers the companies, start-ups, and trends that are driving innovation in the industry.
Josh Lipton is CNBC's technology correspondent, working from CNBC's Silicon Valley bureau.
Amazon's cloud will eventually overtake its retail business, Weblogs CEO Jason Calacanis said.
Facebook could make its way into the mobile live-streaming space very soon, Weblogs CEO Jason Calacanis says.
One luxury subscription service is debuting its new collection not in spite of the Apple Watch debut but because of it.