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Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group has paid €90 million (US$103 million) to acquire data Artisans, a Berlin-based start-up that provides distributed systems and large-scale data streaming services for enterprises, European media reported on Monday.
Alibaba, who has been working with data Artisans since 2016, said in its statement that the two companies have joined hands to improve products to "meet the stream-processing demands of enterprises worldwide". The acquisition was "a natural step" for the two companies as they continued working together, Alibaba indicated.
"Our joining forces with data Artisans presents an efficient option to the challenges that many enterprises are facing in the era of digital transformation, when real-time applications and analytics are often talked about in the boardroom but without a lot of vendor support on how to do it effectively – and in a scalable manner," said Alibaba’s vice president Zhou Jingren in an email to China Money Network on Tuesday.
Data Artisans was founded in 2014 by the original creators of Apache Flink, an open source stream processing framework. The company counts Netflix, California-based on-demand transportation company Lyft, Chinese smartphone maker Huawei, Dutch financial services corporation ING, Uber and Alibaba itself among its enterprise customers.
With a focus on providing large-scale data processing solutions for enterprises, data Artisans has developed a production-ready platform named "dA Platform" for stream processing. The platform is powered with Apache Flink, central deployment and management component dA Application Manager and Streaming Ledger, a library enabling users to process event streams across multiple shared states, according to information available on the company’s website.
Intel led a €5.5 million (US$) series A round of financing in data Artisans in late March 2016.


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Articles tagged ‘apple iphone 5s’
Sony touts the Xperia Z1 Compact as "the world's best premium compact smartphone". We take a look at how the Sony Xperia Z1 Compact fares against the two flagship devices from the Apple iOS and Windows Phone camp.
Gold and red are considered auspicious colors for the Lunar New Year. If you are planning to get a smartphone this festive season, why not consider one from this list of red and gold smartphones?
With Xiaomi coming to Singapore soon, we take a look at how its latest Xiaomi Mi 3 flagship smartphone fare against the two other Android flagships, the LG Nexus 5 and Samsung Galaxy S4 with LTE+.
We decided to take an extended look at two of the biggest camera-centric smartphones this season; Apple's iPhone 5S and the Sony Xperia Z1, from a photographer’s point of view. How do the two of them fare when pitted against each other? The results are a little surprising.
Both the contract-free and 2-year contract prices for Apple's iPhone 5S and 5C have been announced. Here's what you need to know before you purchase the new iPhones.
Another year, another iPhone. Wait, it's two iPhones this year - the iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C. Here's a quick look at the devices and how they square off against the current competition.
- HTC announces the 4.7-inch Desire 510, available in Singapore from September 6 (Updated)
- GrabTaxi partners with Sony Mobile, Xperia users to enjoy discounts on taxi rides
- SanDisk introduces new Ultra II SSD using TLC NAND
- Singapore to get the Apple iPhone 6 on Sept 19 and Samsung Galaxy Note 4 on Sept 26?
- Apple's wearable device said to ship only in early 2015, could cost US$400
- Motherboards based on new Intel X99 chipset launched!
- 5.3-inch Sony Xperia T3 available in Singapore from August 30 for S$498
- Apple sends out invites for media event on September 9

domain: news


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British retail sales rebounded last month after a weak December to record their strongest annual growth since April 2011, helped in part by a recovery in the country’s property market, a monthly industry survey showed on Tuesday.
The British Retail Consortium, a trade body, said the total amount spent in stores last month was 5.4 percent higher than a year earlier, a sharp improvement on the meagre 1.8 percent growth recorded for December.
The figures point to more of the strong consumer demand which propelled British economic growth last year, despite the fact that consumer price inflation is rising faster than wages.
“With a record number of people now in work and the continued recovery in the housing market we have seen very strong performances in furniture and other non-food items,” BRC director general Helen Dickinson said.
Weather also played a role, the BRC said. The lack of snow this year – unlike in January 2013 – encouraged more people to go to the shops, benefiting all sectors other than groceries, which had their weakest three months since 2008.
Sales on a like-for-like basis, a measure which strips out changes in floorspace and is favored by equity analysts, rose by 3.9 percent on the year, up from 0.4 percent in December and outstripping economists’ forecasts of 0.8 percent growth.
Sales growth on both a total and a like-for-like basis was the highest since April 2011, when the figures were boosted by the timing of Easter. Ignoring this factor, total sales growth was the highest since March 2010, the BRC said.
However, the strong growth marked a catch-up in sales after a weak December, not a big improvement in the underlying trend, and discounting continued to play a role for many retailers.
Sales in the three months to January were 3.2 percent higher than a year earlier – up sharply from a six-month low of 2.2 percent in December but only slightly above the average 3.0 percent growth rate for the previous 12 months.
Official retail sales data for January is due on February 20. In contrast to the BRC survey, December’s official data showed the strongest growth in sales volumes since October 2004, propelled by higher sales at independent stores, which are less likely to be covered by the BRC.
But both surveys present a broadly similar picture of improving demand once month-to-month volatility is ironed out.
Furniture was the best-performing category with the fastest annual sales growth since April 2006 as people moving home bought new beds and sofas, the BRC said.
The number of mortgage approvals for house purchase – a proxy for property transactions – rose to its highest level since January 2008 in December.
However, food sales performed poorly in the three months to January, with annual growth of just 0.8 percent in total spending, the lowest since records began in the last three months of 2008.
Snowy weather in January 2013 had encouraged people to bulk buy, something not repeated last month, and prices are rising more slowly than in previous years.


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BAL plans to achieve 300-350 crore of the Proxysulfone market in the next three years
Best Agrolife Ltd. (BAL) has inked an agreement with Syngenta for the marketing of Pyroxosulfone 85% WG herbicide under the brand name Movondo.
Pyroxasulfone is a pre-emergence herbicide for wheat, corn, and soybean that ensures increased yields while offering outstanding crop safety by eliminating weeds that pose a threat to these crops.
It is more effective against broadleaf weeds and requires fewer applications than other commercial herbicides. Pyroxasulfone 85% WG controls the primary troublesome weed in wheat, Phalaris minor.
This agreement will help both companies maximize the value of the new herbicide and efficiently establish a market for the product. The Pyroxasulfone market is worth over 450 crore, and BAL plans to achieve 300-350 crore of the Proxysulfone market in the next three years.
BAL has become the first Indian agrochemical business to manufacture Pyroxasulfone 85% WG locally. Seedlings India Pvt. Ltd., one of the wholly owned subsidiaries of BAL, will produce it under the Indian government's ‘Make in India’ initiative.
The deal showcases the unprecedented reversal of the conventional supply chain dynamics. Prior to this, multinational corporations have typically supplied key chemical compounds to Indian agrochemical companies. However, this deal marks a pivotal shift, as it signifies the first instance of Indian agrochemical companies taking the lead by exporting these molecules to their multinational counterparts.
BAL has also been granted a 20-year patent for a revolutionary invention of a Synergistic Pesticidal Composition that includes two insecticides and a fungicide to address some of the most pressing challenges in rice cultivation.
Register Now to Attend ChemConnect 2023 on Friday, 13th October 2023, Mumbai
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COVID-19 Philippines: StoreHub Powers Food Delivery For Restaurants
The Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) in the Philippines was recently extended to 30 April 2020 in order to reduce the number of coronavirus (COVID-19) case.
While this is needed to control the rapid spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) disease, the impact of the lockdown and travel restriction to the 1.5 – 1.6 million MSME (micro, small and medium enterprises) in the country is unprecedented.
What does the lockdown mean for F&B businesses in Philippines?
There are about 30,000 F&B businesses in the Philippines.
And a lot of them, especially in Metro Manila, have decided to close during the lockdown.
With the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) and travel restrictions in place, all these F&B businesses stand to lose billions of peso in revenue – potentially putting many of them out of business.
But, all is not lost.
Food delivery services can still be run by these businesses.
So the team at StoreHub got to work immediately with a single goal – to #SaveOurStores and #SaveOurSMEs.
StoreHub is partnering with some logistics providers in the Philippines to enable F&B businesses to run a food delivery service on their own.
It’s called Beep Delivery.
Beep Delivery is a feature within StoreHub’s ecosystem that will allow Filipinos to order food from their favourite cafes and restaurants during this coronavirus (COVID-19) lockdown.
This helps keep amazing F&B businesses running, and it allows Filipinos to access their favourite cafes or restaurants without having to leave their homes.
Our entire team is working around the clock to make this happen for F&B businesses immediately.
Beep Delivery is a food delivery service that both you and your customers will love!
This feature will basically enable you to run food delivery on your own without depending on food delivery marketplaces.
Here’s how it works…
When businesses sign up for Beep Delivery, they’ll be provided with their own website link that they can send to customers.
Their customers will then be able to use the link to:
- Choose between delivery and self pickup
- Browse the menu and order
- Key in their delivery address and details
- Pay via their preferred payment options
- Receive their food & enjoy!
You can check out a quick demo video to see how it works here:
Not a StoreHub merchant?
Need to start delivering food to your hungry customers?


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Apple, the American company known worldwide for its iPhone, iPads and Macbooks has now announced it is turning its attention to building an energy storage facility. The project will be located in Northern California.
The battery installation is planned to store 240 megawatt-hours of energy, which is enough to power 7,000 homes for a whole day. It is one of the largest renewable energy projects of its kind in the country. It will support Apple’s existing 130 megawatt portion of a solar farm known as California Flats by storing excess energy generated and distributing it during both daytime and night to the company’s facilities.
Apart from this, Apple is investing in research into energy storage technologies. It is currently developing a lithium phosphate battery for its planned electric car, according to reports. The trillion dollar company has the goal of reducing its carbon emission. So far, it has achieved a reduction of 40 percent, which translates into millions of metric tonnes of emission cut off. Apple has a personal deadline of 2030 for achieving 100% renewable energy sources. It has also been able to influence over 110 of its vendors to set the same goals. $4.7 billion of the company’s cash hoard has been earmarked for environmental projects worldwide. Additionally, the company is ready to share lessons learnt with other companies.
“We are firmly committed to helping our suppliers become carbon neutral by 2030 and are thrilled that companies who’ve joined us span industries and countries around the world, including Germany, China, the U.S., India, and France,” Lisa Jackson, Apple’s vice president for Environment, Policy, and Social Initiatives, says. “In a year like no other, Apple continued to work with a global network of colleagues, companies, and advocates to help make our environmental efforts and everything we do a force for good in people’s lives — and to work alongside the communities most impacted by climate change.”
The battery packs will be supplied by Tesla, using its Tesla Megapack ESS systems, according to documents perused by The Verge. Interestingly, Tesla CEO Elon Musk revealed he tried to sell his company to Apple but it never worked out. The closest the two companies have been linked is for raiding each other’s top talents.
Tesla is known as an electric vehicle company but it has been developing its energy subsidiary, taking on large scale, high profile energy storage projects, even with some if its main auto rivals.


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MARANELLO, Italy – Ferrari's limited-edition supercars are special. They appear about once a decade, cost a small fortune (which has never hurt sales) and usually become the benchmark for next-generations supercars at Ferrari -- and the entire industry.
Ferrari Chairman Luca Cordero di Montezemolo says the new LaFerrari is no exception because of features such as the supercar's gasoline-electric hybrid powertrain, its Formula One-inspired carbon fiber cockpit and its a state-of-the-art "active" aerodynamics.
Despite a pre-tax sticker price of 1 million euros, Ferrari sold out its 499-unit run of the supercar before its world debut in March at the Geneva auto show. Montezemolo said the company had more than 700 requests to purchase LaFerrari, which carries a name that the chairman picked despite internal skepticism. "We chose to call this model LaFerrari [Italian for the Ferrari] because it is the finest expression of our company's unique, unparalleled engineering and design know-how, including that acquired in Formula One," Montezemolo said.
Automotive News Europe spoke with the men responsible for LaFerrari's engineering and design. What follows is an in-depth look at some of the challenges each man faced to deliver the Ferrari's fastest, most technologically advanced road car.
Go (much) further
"Replacing the Enzo was far from easy," Ferrari Technical Director Roberto Fedeli said. Launched in 2002, the carbon fiber Enzo was powered by a 6.0-liter V-12 engine that delivered 660 hp and accelerated from 0 to 100kph in 3.6 seconds.
"Ten years later, there is no way that we would have allowed ourselves to make just a small step forward from the Enzo," Fedeli said, adding that one of the best parts about developing LaFerrari was the chance to take cutting-edge ideas from the drawing board into the car.
Ferrari knew that whatever replaced the Enzo had to be lighter. The first step toward this goal was a research model unveiled in 2007 called the Millechili (Italian for 1000kg). Ferrari developed the car to test ways to shave 265kg from the 1365kg Enzo.
To do this, Ferrari decided it had to:
- Make LaFerrari about 900mm shorter than the Enzo's 4702mm and
- Downsize the engine to a 3.0-liter twin-turbo, gasoline direct injection V-8 with 550hp from the Enzo's massive 6.0-liter V-12 engine.
Although Fedeli and his team supported the engine switch, which would have cut more than 90kg, the company decided that its next-generation supercar had to have a normally aspirated V-12. Period.
Making Fedeli's bid to cut weight even tougher was Ferrari's decision to equip its next supercar with a hybrid powertrain derived from F1's Kinetic Energy Recuperation System (KERS).
"We wanted to use the hybrid technology to boost performances, like in F1, rather than use it just to reduce fuel consumption and emissions," Fedeli said.
When development of Ferrari's HY-KERS system started in 2009, Ferrari predicted the hybrid's parts would add about 200kg because of the electric motors, batteries and wiring. By the time Fedeli were done with LaFerrari, the HY-KERS system was down 50kg to 150kg. The electric motors and control systems weight about 60kg, the batteries 90kg. That was just one of the ways the automaker slashed kilograms to make sure LaFerrari would match the Enzo's 1365kg.


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CNN Correspondent and host of Quest Means Busi-ness, Richard Quest was pre-sented with the Ceylon Tray-ellermobile app, by Xiteb's CEO Dhanesh R. Jayathila-ka, at the recently held Future of Tourism Summit organized by Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts.
Ceylon Traveller Mobile App was developed by Xiteb during a time where the tour-ist industry of Sri Lanka was facing a crisis situation. In aid of the upliftment of the industry, Xiteb developed a mobile app which includes unique destinations in Sri Lanka which has rarely been visited by tourists and Sri Lankans. At the Future of Tourism Summit held at Cin-namon Grand, Richard Quest seemed highly impressed by the concept and the major CSR project handled by Xiteb . He was willing to give his utmost support to promote the app among for-eigners. He even requested Xiteb to use CNN as a plat-form to promote Ceylon Traveller, because if market-ing is not done right, the app will not be used right.
Xiteb was pleased by the feedback received from Quest and other participants at the conference last Sep-CNN Correspondent and host of Quest Means Busi- tember. According to what ness, Richard Quest with the Ceylon Travellermobile Quest stated, the app would app, by Xiteb 's CEO Dhanesh R. Jayathilaka. be really appreciated by foreign tourists.


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Apple joined Leonardo DiCaprio and Laurene Powell Jobs to launch America’s Food Fund, to help those in need during the coronavirus pandemic.
Recent Articles By Charlotte Henry [RSS]
Ne-Yo has teamed up with Apple TV+ children’s characters Helpsters for a new song. The pop star joins the Muppet-like creatures for a song about directions. It’s very sweet and, unfortunately for parents, very, very catchy. New episodes of Helpster arrive every Friday.
Football Manager 2020 Touch isn’t perfect, but it is a really good balance between the full version and the Mobile version.
The latest update to the Spotify app means that it will now work with Siri on an Apple Watch running watchOS 6.
Spending in the Apple App store is forecast to hit $115 billion in 2024, with non-game revenue overtaking that generated by mobile games.
Netflix was installed 59 million times in the first quarter of 2020. However, it was YouTube Kids that had the most usage, according to AppTopia and Blaze data reported on by Reuters.
Netflix Inc led rivals YouTube, Amazon Prime and Disney+ with over 59 million installs in the first quarter of 2020, but more time was spent on YouTube’s Kids service as usage boomed following the shutdown of thousands of schools in March. YouTube, owned by Alphabet Inc’s Google, collected $110 million in in-app spending during the same time period, the highest among major streaming apps globally, according to a report by analytics firms Apptopia and Braze. The report did not give actual hours of usage, but ranked YouTube Kids first, followed by Netflix. YouTube itself was in third place.
When the 2020 iPad Pro launched there was discussion about whether or not had U1 chip in it. The chip, present in the iPhone 11 series, provides Ultra Wideband support. It is not mentioned in the iPad Pro tech specs but is referred to in the iPhones’ specs. While MacRumors noted that the U1 could still be present and that Apple is waiting until it is useful to highlight it, it has compiled evidence that that is not the case.
The biggest clue of all is that FCC filings for all iPhone 11 models list operating frequencies in the 6GHz range and the 7-8GHz range, and the rules for these frequencies points to “Subpart F — Ultra-Wideband Operation.” TechInsights last year reported that the U1 chip in iPhone 11 models transmits on two different frequencies, 6.24GHz and 8.23GHz. By comparison, FCC filings indicate that all 2020 iPad Pro models operate within a max frequency range of 5GHz for Wi-Fi.
It’s census year in the U.S., but this time around it’s going to be different. Each enumerator tasked with getting the data is to be handed an iPhone 8 instead of a pen and paper. CNet looked into how it is all going to work, and the risks involved.
In an effort to make the door-to-door process, which is the most laborious and expensive part of the census, faster and more efficient, the bureau is arming 500,000 enumerators with the Apple iPhone 8. But as the census goes mobile, instantaneously beaming respondents’ answers to data centers and cloud servers, it opens itself up to those who may want to access or manipulate such valuable information. The stakes to pull off a census have always been high, but with this year’s adoption of new technological methods, the pressure to succeed is even higher.
Apple has committed to paying contract workers unable to conduct their jobs due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Apple Music users are going to be able to share music they’re listening to on Instagram and Facebook Stories. That’s according to an iOS 13.4.5 beta, which 9to5Mac had a look into. There’s also a lovely Twitter thread from Emily Ross who, as an intern, helped start the process that made this happen.
Sharing a song on Stories with iOS 13.4.5 is very simple. You just have to open the Music app on your iPhone or iPad, choose a song, and then tap the share option. If you select Instagram, for example, it will automatically generate a vertical image with the album cover, the name of the song, and an animated blurred background. From there, you can also share these Stories directly to Facebook. After sharing a song on Instagram Stories, other people can listen to it on Apple Music with just a tap. Apple continues to improve Apple Music to make it more attractive to users. Recently, the company introduced several new curated playlists, including the “Get Up! Mix”.
Apple has doubled its donation towards China’s COVID-19 recovery donations. The money is being focussed on aiding long-term recovery efforts.
Apple more than doubled its donation to China’s efforts to fight COVID-19 to over 50 million yuan ($7 million), CEO Tim Cook posted on Weibo on Wednesday, weeks after the iPhone maker said it had opened all its 42 stores in one of its largest markets. Apple will contribute the rest of the money to support longer-term public health recovery efforts, he said. “China has shown incredible spirit and resilience during the COVID-19 outbreak and we are grateful to our teams, partners and customers for their support during these challenging times,” Cook said in a message on China’s Twitter equivalent Weibo.
Happy Birthday Apple – founded by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne on April 1, 1976, in a Mountain View apartment.
The UK has upped the limit on contactless payments to £45 to both hep retailers and reduce the need for contact with in-store surfaces.
Dark Sky, the premium, hyper-local focused, weather app has announced that is has been acquired by Apple for an unknown sum.
Identifying and doing things that are good for you or make you happy is relatively easy. Turning that behavior into a habit is harder. That’s the point of Tangerine. It’s a habit and mood tracking app. It’s a bit like Streaks – add something you want to do regularly and see how many days in a row you can do it for. You can create reminders, designate tasks to different days and so forth. Tangerine has won various accolades form Apple, including being named App of the Month in March. The app is free to download and use, and is available for iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch. A Premium subscription gives you additional access to Insights and Stats as well as iCloud syncing. That costs $29.99 annually or $4.99 per month.
From April 21, Office 365 will be knowns as Microsoft 365, and the suite of apps will contain a variety of new features.
Houseparty owner Epic Games is offering $1 million for information on what it describes as a “smear campaign” against the app.
Accessories for the “iPhone 9” have reportedly started appearing in shops with instructions for them not to be made available until April 5.
Russia has postponed the introduction of new legislation that required devices, including iPhones, to have state-approved apps pre-installed. AppleInsider reported that this is likely due to the current coronavirus outbreak. The legislation is now slated to come into force on January 31, 2021.
“When we buy complex electronic devices, they already have individual applications, mostly Western ones, pre-installed on them,” co-author of Russia’s legislation, Oleg Nikolayev said at the time. “Naturally, when a person sees them, they might think that there are no domestic alternatives available. And if, alongside pre-installed applications, we will also offer the Russian ones to users, then they will have a right to choose.”
A key Apple supplier, Japan Display, has raised $200 million from a “customer”, Reuters reported. There is speculation that the unknown source of cash was, in fact, Apple itself.
The $200 [sic] fund will come in the form of the customer purchasing equipment at Japan Display’s main smartphone screen factory in central Japan, the company said in a statement. As Japan Display owed Apple more than $800 million as of last year for the $1.5 billion cost of building the plant, the fund to be raised would be used for repayment, the sources have said.


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Scandinavian homewares and furniture chain JYSK has confirmed an opening date for its new store in Athlone.
The new store, at the Arcadia Retail Park, will open its doors on Thursday, August 25, at 9am.
The company had earmarked a date in late July for the opening, but that has now been revised to August 25.
Previously, JYSK said the new store would create 12 jobs.
It’s the company’s 17th store in Ireland and will span some 1,200 square metres or over 12,000 square feet of space, and will feature the brand’s latest concept in terms of look and feel.
JYSK is promising some special offers with savings up to 70% to mark its opening in Athlone.
Founded in Denmark in 1979, JYSK has 3,000 stores around the world offering a wide range of sleeping products from mattresses, duvets and pillows to bedframes and bases, as well as stylish Scandinavian furniture, home textiles and décor.
When the business started over 40 years ago, it was primarily concentrated on bedding, specialising in Scandinavian sleeping culture with high-quality products – from mattresses, duvets and pillows to bedframes and bases – but since then it has massively evolved then to include furniture, garden furniture, homewares and home textiles.
The brand’s only other current store in the Midlands is in Portlaoise in Co Laois
Last year, it opened six new outlets in Ireland. At the end of 2021, the Danish company said that it may open up to ten new stores in Ireland over the following year, and eventually open 50.
JYSK, is pronounced YOOSK, which in Denmark, is slang for someone from an area called Jutland
CREDIT: WESTMEATH INDEPENDENT


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WeWork’s Meat Ban Tells Us Who They Are
“New research indicates that avoiding meat is one of the biggest things an individual can do to reduce their personal environmental impact,” co-founder Miguel McKelvey said in a memo, “even more than switching to a hybrid car.” (As someone who remembers “.)propagandizing for vegetarianism in the 1970s, I wonder about the newness of that claim, which has also been
Intentionally or not, there’s more going on. The meat ban is an exercise in brand building.
“Any food taboo, acknowledged by a particular group of people as part of its ways, aids in the cohesion of this group, helps that particular group maintain its identity in the face of others, and therefore creates a feeling of ‘belonging,’” ethnobiologist Victor Benno Meyer-Rochow in a much-cited paper. Think of the ban as team building.
Of course, group cohesion also fosters exclusion. For all the lip service to diversity, corporate tribalism enforces legally acceptable homogeneity. You can’t racially discriminate, but you can use as a guide to approving expense reports. A meat ban keeps out the kind of Neanderthals who make a and probably have .
Slate’s Felix Salmon that WeWork’s anti-meat stance will “cause a ridiculous amount of agita for its front-line staffers and, especially, the benighted HR folks tasked with enforcing the policy.” It’s a practical nightmare for people filing or monitoring expense reports: Can you go to restaurants that serve meat if you stick to vegetarian dishes? If so, do you have to list what each person at the meal ate? What if an important client or landlord insists on ordering the lamb salad or the Brussels sprouts cooked in bacon?
Given WeWork’s business challenges, however, taking an anti-meat stand may make sense. The company is, after all, a real estate business trying to look like a tech startup. Its business model requires while renting out the space to short-term tenants. It can’t survive on function alone. It needs a mystique.
With its logistical nightmares, the meat ban represents a costly signal that the company is special. Its very peculiarity is its strength. One way to make what is in effect just another real estate company look culturally distinctive — cool, even — is to adopt a tribal food policy.
Virginia Postrel is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist. She was the editor of Reason magazine and a columnist for the Wall Street Journal, the Atlantic, the New York Times and Forbes. Her books include “The Power of Glamour.”
©2018 Bloomberg L.P.


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The 2013 New York International Auto Show (NYIAS) held its press days last week, which are always interesting. This year’s introductions were mobbed by members of the media, manufacturers’ representatives and public relations staffers.
Anyone with any memory of previous NYIAS press day introductions all agreed that there were many more attendees this year than last year. Attendance was noticeably sparse three years ago, as the industry was suffering from sluggish sales and manufacturers were in disarray. This year, it was standing room only for about two-thirds of the attendees, just one more sign of a recovering economy.
Press days are devoted to new model unveilings and presentations, with speeches from industry executives that are often read from teleprompters and delivered with a surprising level of rigidity. Some companies resort to theatrics to break things up. Kia, showing off the new Soul, the soon-to-arrive upscale Cadenza and the updated Optima, used a group of impressively athletic break dancers with a cameo appearance by the company’s human-powered hamsters to keep our attention at its press conference. Efforts such as these often seem contrived and forced, though Kia’s entertainment managed to avoid this fate.
There were various other approaches designed to grab the attention of auto writers and industry analysts. General Motors resorted to high volume. Really high volume. Almost all the introductions are accompanied by throbbing music with bass powerful enough to be felt as well as heard. Chevrolet highlighted its racing success over the last year with video accompanied by the sounds of the race cars that was painfully loud. To prepare us, Chevrolet handed out ear plugs before the presentation started. They were necessary.
On display was an updated Camaro and the announcement that the Z28, with 500 horsepower, was back.
Jeep did a very nice presentation introducing the new Cherokee. The name "Cherokee" has returned, this time applied to a vehicle that is taking the place of the discontinued Liberty. The new Cherokee arrives later this year and features a nine-speed automatic transmission, a new 3.2-liter version of Chrysler’s impressive V-6 engine and a choice of four trim levels. Of greater importance in today’s market, the Cherokee should deliver fuel economy numbers up to 45 percent better than the vehicle it is replacing.
Making the introduction more memorable were a series of awkwardly angled blocks, all raised to different heights on the stage. As the time came for the Jeep to be driven out from behind the side curtain, the blocks, which already appeared to be a nearly impassible obstacle, rose. The Cherokee, in Trailhawk trim, proceeded to climb to the peak and then partially descend, while stopping at just the right spot for photographers.
In contrast to the many presentations featuring stiffly- read announcements, Hyundai’s president and CEO, John Krafcik, who grew up in Connecticut and delivered The Hartford Courant as youth, smoothly adlibbed his talk. He discussed Hyundai’s redo of the interior of its Equus premium luxury sedan and the new Hyundai Assurance Program. Called Blue Link Connected Care, this emergency and vehicle support service package will be free to Hyundai buyers for three years. The presentation included a brief interview with a Blue Link dispatcher who was able to calm a youthful passenger who was screaming after a non-injury producing fender bender on Halloween. She did this by assuring the boy that help would arrive in time to preserve his opportunity to go trick-or- treating.
While auto show press conferences receive top billing, more valuable information often comes from personal contact with industry representatives who are willing to speak candidly, often off the record. They describe an industry pulled in two directions. On one side is the increasing influence of female customers, interested in fuel economy, safety and reliability, as well as government regulations pushing for these same objectives. On the other side is the traditional performance market. Small and predominantly male, it, too, vies for limited resources when it comes to designing new models. Based on this year’s auto show, it would seem that the first group is coming out ahead, but the second group has not given up.


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Wi-Fi Reality: Ever Increasing Demand, Far From Ideal Conditions
I can’t think of any other household service that’s seeing the increasing demand that Wi-Fi is.
Every year, most homes have additional devices connecting to their Wi-Fi network, while the bandwidth demand for services is also increasing. In addition to the usual suspects like smartphones, tablets, PCs and game consoles, smart devices like thermostats, locks and lights are proliferating. Streaming has gone mainstream (pardon the pun), and also ramped up its bandwidth demands with 4K content becoming more common, while music services like Spotify are increasingly popular.
If household electrical demand increased at the same rate demand for Wi-Fi has, we’d all be upgrading from 100 amp or 200 amp service to 500 amps in order to keep up. Think of the Linksys EA9500 like that 500 amp service, but for Wi-Fi...
With Netflix suggesting 25Mbps Wi-Fi speeds for its 4K Ultra HD video streaming, there should be no problem when using a Gigabit Wi-Fi router, right?
In many homes, that’s not the case. The sheer number of devices connected simultaneously can overwhelm many routers --even newer 802.11ac routers-- and besides the demand, those maximum speeds are subject to many variables. Walls, glass, appliances, distance and neighboring Wi-Fi networks can all degrade the Wi-Fi signal.


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The proposed household energy supply merger between “big six” players SSE and npower has been provisionally cleared by regulators.
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) had been carrying out an in-depth review into the proposed tie-up amid fears it would weaken competition in the market.
The watchdog had earlier raised concerns about the potential effect a merger would have on controversial standard variable tariffs (SVTs) – set to face a government-inspired cap ahead of the winter over widespread claims by politicians and consumer groups they are a rip-off.
However, the CMA’s inquiry group found the pair “do not compete closely on SVT prices”.
It also took comfort from improved levels of switching – at their highest level for a decade – and evidence many households are switching to providers away from the current big six players which also include Scottish Power, British Gas, E.ON and EDF.
It pointed to the existence of more than 70 energy providers in the UK market.
Inquiry chair Anne Lambert said: “It is vital householders have a range of energy suppliers to choose from so they can find the best deal for them.
“With more than 70 energy companies out there, we have found that there is plenty of choice when people shop around.
“But many people don’t shop around for their energy. So, we carefully scrutinised this deal, in particular how it would impact people who pay the more expensive standard variable prices.
“Our analysis shows that the merger will not impact how SSE and npower set their SVT prices because they are not close rivals for these customers.
“Looking ahead, Ofgem’s price cap is also expected to protect SVT customers.”
The CMA is now set to consult on its provisional decision and deliver a final report by 22 October.
The deal was first announced last November.
Subject to regulatory clearance, it would see SSE and Innogy – npower’s German owner – demerge their UK supply operations to create a new London-listed company with – currently – the big six becoming five.
The two companies said on Thursday the provisional decision meant the merger was on track to complete by early next year at the latest.
Alistair Phillips-Davies, SSE chief executive, said: “Following a thorough and in-depth investigation, we are pleased the CMA has provisionally concluded the proposed merger of SSE Energy Services and npower does not raise competition concerns.
“The scale and pace of change in the GB energy market continues to be significant and requires us to evolve to stay relevant, competitive and sustainable.
“The planned transaction presents a great opportunity to create a more agile, innovative and efficient company that really delivers for customers and the energy market as a whole.”
From – SkyNews


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Meta has officially put into effect its new disclosure requirements for digitally altered political advertisements. This policy change, which was initially announced in November, mandates that advertisers clearly indicate when their ads concerning social issues, elections, or politics include photorealistic images, videos, or realistic-sounding audio that were digitally created or altered using AI or other methods.
The new policy is designed to enhance transparency and help users understand when AI or digital methods have been employed in creating or modifying political or social issue ads. From Tuesday, January 9 at 10 am PST, advertisers are required to start updating their active ads to comply with this disclosure requirement.
This policy applies globally and is an integral part of Meta’s ongoing effort to ensure honesty and transparency in political advertising on its platforms, such as Facebook and Instagram. The requirement for disclosure is triggered when an ad depicts a real person saying or doing something they did not, creates a realistic-looking person or event that does not exist, or alters footage of real events in a consequential way.
However, Meta specifies that not all digital alterations necessitate disclosure. Minor edits like image resizing, cropping, color correction, or sharpening do not require disclosure unless they are materially significant to the ad’s content or claims.
When advertisers declare in the advertising process that their content is digitally created or altered, Meta will add this information to the ad, which will also be visible in the Ad Library. Advertisers failing to disclose as required face the rejection of their ads, and repeated violations could lead to further penalties.
In line with these new rules, Meta’s independent fact-checkers will continue to review and rate misinformation, including content flagged as “Altered”. Ads rated as False, Altered, Partly False, or Missing Context will not be allowed to run on the platform.
Meta’s implementation of these new disclosure requirements is a significant step towards greater accountability and transparency in digital advertising, particularly in the politically sensitive realms of social issues and elections. For marketers and advertisers, this move emphasizes the importance of ethical practices in digital advertising, ensuring that audiences are accurately informed about the nature of the content they are viewing.


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Initially posted here.
By: Adewumi Victor
Because the Chinese language authorities continues to have a good time the decline of the cryptocurrency market, a high Chinese language blockchain skilled has known as crypto a Ponzi scheme. The CEO of Purple Date Expertise, one of many main tech companies in growing China’s main blockchain undertaking, Yifan He, lately wrote an article the place he defined the Ponzi-like nature of varied sorts of cryptocurrencies. The native newspaper, The Individuals’s Day by day, revealed the article on Sunday. Within the piece, Yifan tagged non-public cryptocurrencies because the “greatest Ponzi scheme in human historical past.”
Yifan additionally talked about the collapse of the Terra community and the …
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Prices soar on consumer goods and increased wages can’t catch up thanks to inflation caused by the Biden Administration’s horrible economic policies Americans now have to live paycheck to paycheck.
CNBC reports that Paychecks may have risen 5.1%, but skyrocketing inflation has outpaced average salary increases.
The annual inflation rate for the United States is 9.1% for the past 12-month period ending in June. This is according to data published on July 13 by the U.S. Department of Labor. This was the largest annual increase since November 1981. The consumer price index previously surged in May by 8.6%.
PYMNTS and LendingClub recently released new data that indicates nearly two-thirds of Americans, around 157 million people, are living paycheck to paycheck. In April alone, there was a nearly 9% increase, up to 61% for 52%, in those adopting this financial lifestyle.
Anuj Nayar, LendingClub’s Financial Health Officer, said in a press release:
“What a difference a year makes. Last summer we were all worried about how quickly the economy would recover. Now, as inflation continues its upwards swing, consumers are finding it more difficult to manage spending and are eating into their savings as financial pressures mount.”
According to Nayar Americans would soon have difficulties handling unexpected costs.
“That said, consumers are not yet slowing down their spending habits, despite the rise in the cost of living,” she added. “Not only is it going to be difficult for them to handle future emergency expenses, but even foreseen payments like education, student loans, or housing expenses may be harder to balance for the everyday American consumer.”
LendingClub’s press release also noted, “An estimated 33.5 million — or 13% — of U.S. consumers spent more than they earned in the past six months.”
The Daily Caller reports:
To help address the problem, Senate Democrats recently unveiled the “Inflation Reduction Act of 2022.” However, a Penn Wharton study released Friday shows that the bill could lead to a slight increase in inflation over the next two years, doing the exact opposite of what its name suggests.
Penn Wharton analyzed the massive spending package that gained the support of moderate Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) last week, surprising many political observers.
“The Act would very slightly increase inflation until 2024 and decrease inflation thereafter. These point estimates are statistically indistinguishable from zero, thereby indicating low confidence that the legislation will have any impact on inflation,” the Penn Wharton Budget Model found.
According to the study, inflation could rise by 0.05% over the next two years before a marginal drop of 0.25% “by the late 2020s,” rendering the spending package ineffective at accomplishing its purpose.
The Penn Wharton findings were released the same day that new data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) showed that the personal consumption expenditures (PCE) index, a key measure of inflation, increased 6.8% in June. That’s the highest yearly increase since January 1982, marking troubling news for Americans as the economy entered a recession on Thursday.
To make matters worse for most Americans, Republicans on the Senate Finance Committee released data Saturday from the nonpartisan Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT) that indicated the Inflation Reduction Act would increase taxes in the calendar year 2023 for everyone except those making between $10,000 and $30,000 per year.


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Dr Pepper is parting ways with its oldest Dublin based bottler, who became renowned for enhancing the drink with real cane sugar.
Texas- Based Dr Pepper Snapple Group Inc. and the Dr Pepper Bottling Company of Dublin, are ending their 120-year relationship in a move to settle a Dr Pepper trademark-infringment case , according to the Mineral Wells Index.
Dr Pepper Snapple Group, has purchased all of the Dublin Bottler's Sales and distribution operations, leading the Dublin-based company to change its name and operate as Dublin Bottling Works Inc. the Dallas Business Journal reported.
The settlement has been a step forward for the two companies since the start of a lawsuit in August, when Dr Pepper Snapple asked federal court to ban its licensing agreement with Dublin Dr Pepper, claiming they had breached an agreement of sales within a six-county territory through a toll-free number and Website, according to the Dallas Business Journal. The company also asked that the Dublin based company would be banned from using the Dr Pepper brand name.
So, what will this mean for the everyday consumer? Well, Dr Pepper won't actually taste any different, according to Snapple. Dr Pepper Snapple announced that it would still be using cane sugar in its products, but the brand would now be bottled in Texas as opposed to Dublin.
Dublin Bottling Works Inc. will continue to produce its other brands including, Nu Grape, XXX Root Beer and Big Red, all with cane sugar instead of corn-based sweeteners, according to the Mineral Well Index.
We want to thank our many customers for their support of our family-owned business during the past 120 years, and we want them to know that Dr Pepper is still a big part of Dublin, Dublin Bottling Works vice president Jeff Kloster said in a statement.
Dr Pepper Snapple Group also commented on the settlement: Our main focus has always been on protecting the strength and integrity of the Dr Pepper trademark. We're pleased to reach an agreement that accomplishes that while also preserving the history and the special relationship Dr Pepper has with the Dublin community, said Rodger L. Collins, president of Packaged Beverages for Dr Pepper Snapple Group.


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German predator tempts gas giant BOC
BOC, one of the UK's last remaining industrial giants, could soon fall into foreign hands. Shares in the 120-year old gases firm soared yesterday after it confirmed that German rival Linde has made a tentative bid approach.
Linde's boss Wolfgang Reitzle wrote to BOC counterpart Tony Isaac last week. He dangled a cash offer worth more than 1,500p per share, valuing the group in excess of £7.6bn. But the deal was rebuffed by BOC after a board meeting at the end of last week.
They were forced to publicly confirm the approach yesterday after the share price soared and the Takeover Panel ruled that all shareholders should be kept in the loop.
Linde is tipped to return with a higher price, and another rival could enter the fray. However, industry sources suggest BOC may try to turn the tables on its German counterpart and become the predator itself.
Many long-standing UK shareholders would mourn the takeover of BOC. It was initially known as Brin's Oxygen Company after founders Arthur and Leo Brin, before changing its name to British Oxygen Partners in 1906.
There is little doubt that the two firms would fit well together. BOC is strong in the UK and is the biggest supplier of industrial gases in Asia. Linde has a major presence in Eastern Europe.
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VeriFone Systems Inc. swung to a third-quarter profit as higher revenue in North America offset declines in its other segments, driving the electronic-payments-equipment company into its first half-billion-dollar revenue quarter.
The San Jose, Calif., company adjusted its projections for the year that ends in October. It now expects profit of $1.82 to $1.83 a share and revenue between $1.997 billion and $2 billion, compared with its earlier view of $1.81 to $1.84 a share in profit with $1.995 billion to $2 billion in revenue.
Analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters had projected profit of $1.85 a share with $2 billion in sales.
Shares, down nearly 17% this year, fell nearly 6% to $29.31 in late trading.
In the most recent period, net revenue in its North America business, its largest segment, rose nearly 61%. Revenue in its Europe, Middle East, Africa segment declined 9%, while Latin America reported a 17% decline and Asia-Pacific was down roughly 18%. The declines were largely tied to currency fluctuations, the company said.
Last year, VeriFone made 72% of its revenue abroad.
Over all, VeriFone reported a profit of $9.5 million, or eight cents a share, compared with a year-earlier loss of $29 million, or 26 cents a share. Excluding stock-based compensation and other items, profit rose to 47 cents from 40 cents a year earlier.
Net revenue rose 7% to $509.9 million. Adjusting for currency fluctuation, revenue rose 18%.
VeriFone had projected 44 cents to 46 cents and revenue of $495 million to $500 million.
Gross margin improved to 40.5% from 38.4% a year earlier.
Write to Maria Armental at email@example.com
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Demand Remains Strong for Organic Grapes
Original Article from The Packer
The desert climate of California's Coachella Valley, which discourages pests and disease, lends itself well to producing good-quality organic table grapes, grower-shippers say. A number of the region's growers already have organic programs, and some others are considering one.
Drake Larson, partner in Drake Larson Sales, Thermal, Calif., has grown organic grapes in the valley since 1979. Besides the traditional varieties, like flames, perlettes, sugraones and beauty seedless, Larson offers a proprietary variety called the Mariah, which he describes as a black, sweet grape that customers in Japan are especially fond of.
Next year, he will add sweet scarlets to his organic product line. More than half of the grapes the company sells are organic, said Larson, who also markets organic grapes for neighboring growers. Bakersfield, Calif.-based Anthony Vineyards also is heavily into organic grapes, said co-owner Bob Bianco. About one-third of the company's grapes are organically grown. Anthony Vineyards, which has had an organic program for eight years, offers organic grapes starting in May in Coachella and continuing to November in the San Joaquin Valley. Bianco said he added organic grapes because he saw a demand for them. That demand may have slipped a bit recently with the shaky economy, but the company still has organic customers, he said.
"We're in it for the long pull," Bianco said. "We don't think it's a fad. We think it's here to stay."
Bakersfield-based Sun World International LLC grows organic Superior Seedless green grapes in Coachella, said Rick Paul, table grapes category director. The company also grows organic flames and Superior Seedless grapes in the San Joaquin Valley and, for the second year, will import organic grapes from Mexico, he said. Thermal, Calif.-based Gold Coast Growers LLC recently acquired some virgin ground that's a natural for an organic program, said Mike Rocker, partner/field manager.
"We plan to go in that direction," he said.
Some customers always are looking for new sources of organic product, and the land that Gold Coast Growers has acquired may enable the company to develop a niche for early-season organic grapes, he said. Steve Root, president and chief executive officer for East West Unlimited LLC in Coachella, Calif., said he, too, might implement an organic program at some point. Many consumers will buy organic grapes if they have a choice, he said. But some want aesthetically pleasing grapes that closely resemble conventional product, and those can be difficult to produce. Richard Bagdasarian Inc., Mecca, Calif., has some sugraone and flame varieties in the second year of transitioning to organic, said Franz De Klotz, vice president of marketing. They should be ready for marketing next season.
The organic grapes should work well with the company's organic green and red bell peppers and eggplant sold through the firm's vegetable marketing arm, Pasha Marketing LLC, he said. Even with the recession and the premium prices organic grapes command, demand has remained high, according to grower-shippers. Larson said volume at his company remained unchanged last year from 2008, even though the overall economy was as bad as or worse than the previous year. He thinks an uptick is in store for this season.
"We are very focused on flavor," he said. "There are a certain number of retailers who are dialed into flavor."
At Anthony Vineyards, Bianco said there must be an economic incentive for a grower to produce organic grapes, since they cost more to grow.
"Hopefully, there will always be a distinction, and some people will pay more for organic," he said. "There seems to be more call for it all the time." Even many mainstream supermarkets now stock organic grapes, he said. "Even if it's only 10% or 15% of their sales," Bianco said, "they're all starting to carry organic."


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Budweiser says it has stopped chopping the tails of the iconic Clydesdale horses used in its commercials and promotions
The American Veterinary Medical Association defines docking as amputating the bony part of a horse's tail, though sometimes it is used for the act of clipping only the hair.
The brand is the latest to face the wrath of conservatives, who previously also slammed Target and Bud Light over Pride campaigns and LGBTQ content.
Bud Light faced calls for a boycott after partnering with transgender TikTok star Dylan Mulvaney. Sales took a hit, while Coors' and Miller's are up.
Right-wingers are so pissed about Bud Light's LGBTQ marketing that they keep buying the beer just to film themselves destroying it
Conservatives are going overboard with performative antics to "own the libs" by destroying their own cans of Bud Light.
Conservatives called for a boycott of Bud Light after it partnered with trans influencer Dylan Mulvaney. The company stood by its choice.
Bud Light featured in one of Dylan Mulvaney's recent TikToks, leading some people with anti-trans views to throw out their supplies in protest.
From Pepsi's Cindy Crawford ad from the '90s to Budweiser's puppy commercial, here are the most iconic Super Bowl Commercials.
Budweiser plans to ship unsold beer to the country that wins the World Cup, after Qatar's sudden U-turn on selling alcohol in the stadiums
"New Day, New Tweet. Winning Country gets the Buds. Who will get them?" Budweiser tweeted Monday.
I'm a ranch manager for the Budweiser Clydesdales. I have to be on call 24/7, but it's totally worth it.
Amy Trout has taken care of the Budweiser Clydesdales since 2002. She lives on the Warm Springs Ranch in Missouri with her beloved horses.
Budweiser's NFTs that sold out in hours with the help of Gary Vaynerchuk. Here's how he says other companies can make money in the NFT space
Building a Discord community and a decentralized domain name are among the tips the digital entrepreneur's tips for a successful NFT project.
Budweiser is getting in on the NFT craze with its 'Key to the Budverse' line of ethereum-based collectibles
The collection consists of 1,936 Budverse Cans as a hat tip to the first-ever launch of the Budweiser can in 1936.
Budweiser purchased a Bud-themed space rocket that is part of Tom Sachs' Rocket Factory project, along with the domain name "beer.eth."
Food prices are on the rise. From ice cream, to beer, and coffee here are some of the latest products to receive a price bump
From Ben & Jerry's to Budweiser, here are some of the key groceries that will make your next shopping trip more expensive.
Anheuser-Busch InBev, which owns Bud Light and Budweiser, has a $250 million annual partnership with the NFL, per ESPN.
Major advertisers like Hyundai and Budweiser are skipping the Super Bowl this year. Here's why that's a smart idea according to experts.
Uncertainty surrounding the pandemic, politics, and how people will watch the game has some major advertisers hedging their bets.
In today's Insider Advertising newsletter: Super Bowl ad takeaways, Cision confusion, and a MoviePass exec comeback.
Business Insider's top advertising and media stories for January 26.
Budweiser won't run a commercial during the Super Bowl for the first time in 37 years. Instead, it will channel money into boosting vaccine awareness.
For the first time since 1983, Budweiser won't air an ad during the Super Bowl, but it's donating to raise awareness of the COVID-19 vaccines.
A Florida home has been dubbed the 'House of Budweiser' for its floor-to-ceiling beer cans that cover the interior
The previous homeowner of Florida's "House of Budweiser" spent 16 years decorating almost every room in the house with empty beer cans that he drank.
Budweiser and Coca-Cola's sponsorship of the giant Sturgis motorcycle rally undercuts their COVID-19 advertising strategies, which emphasize social distancing
That contrasts with many of their own ads about staying home and staying safe to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
I compared Budweiser's new nonalcoholic beer with its original beer, and I'm baffled by why someone would drink nonalcoholic Budweiser
Bud Zero, a new nonalcoholic beer and Dwyane Wade collab, is now a thing. But is it a good thing? I day-drink to find out.


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It’s strange — it still feels like we’re in this space where smart watches haven’t quite become a thing — perhaps because they by and large haven’t turned out to be standalone devices. Well, some of the ambiguity is gone, now — if there are kids versions coming out, then it’s safe to say the smart watch has arrived.
Kidizoom, from VTech, is a 1.4″ touchscreen smart watch made just for kids. The watch, which will debut at the 2014 American International Toy Fair, is more or less in the right place. It’s a toy, which is good, because kids probably don’t need wristwatch Internet communicators anyway. There are no online capabilities here, but kids will be able to use Kidizoom to take photos, videos, and voice recordings. So, no Internet, but your kid’s spy career can definitely get off to a solid start.
There are some fun editing options and frames for photos and videos that kids can play with, along with a few preloaded games. This is all in a kid-friendly, tough rubberized skin, and the watch is rechargeable using a USB connection.
Kidizoom will be available sometime this year for $50.


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said January same-store sales rose 8.3%. Total drugstore sales for the four-week period rose 6.8% to $1.16 billion from $1.08 billion for the same period last year.
Earnings Reports & Outlooks
reported a second-quarter loss of 10 cents a share, beating estimates by 3 cents. Total revenue rose to $13.5 million from $12 million a year ago.
Oxford Health Plans
reported fourth-quarter earnings of $1 a share, including gains totaling 15 cents. Analysts were expecting a profit of 78 cents. Revenue rose to $1.12 billion from $1.04 billion in the year-ago quarter.
United Auto Group
reported fourth-quarter earnings of 32 cents a share, topping the consensus estimate by a penny. Revenue increased 30.4% from the same quarter a year earlier to $1.6 billion. The company expects to earn 29 cents in the first quarter and at least $1.73 a share in 2002. Analysts are looking for earnings of 26 cents in the first quarter and $1.67 for the year.
Mergers, Acquisitions & Joint Ventures
signed a contract with a division of the National Institutes of Health in which the company will use its adenovector technology to develop and manufacture AIDS vaccine candidates. The contract has a life of up to three years and a potential value of $10.2 million.
received orders totaling around $8.2 million for explosives detection systems from the Transportation Ministry of Canada, Service Technique des Bases Aeriennes of France and El Al Israel Airlines.
A unit of
received an order from the Federal Aviation Administration for carry-on baggage X-ray screening systems. The order is valued at about $5 million. The company will begin shipping the systems this quarter.
Teva Pharmaceutical Industries
made a firm offer to acquire
French generic business, including marketing and manufacturing activities. Terms of the offer weren't disclosed.
CIBC World Markets upgraded
to buy from hold and put a price target of $17 on the stock.
priced a 2.2 million share spot offering by the company's senior chairman at $25.10 each, according to


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Apple's China charm offensive pays off
China is the undisputed king of the Brics for Apple, highlighting the country’s huge – but all too often derided – consumption story
Apple CEO Tim Cook has plenty to be drooling over right now. Shares in the US tech company rose 8% last night after it announced record revenue and profit growth during the final three months of 2011 (its fiscal 1Q 12).
But on the conference call, there was one market in particular that Steve Jobs successor wanted to eulogise about: China.
While Apple has built much of its success on products manufactured in China, it is rapidly becoming one of its key retail markets as well.
Chinas burgeoning middle-class, it appears, is infatuated with all things Apple for evidence, one only need look at thechaotic scenes that forced Apple to abandon its iPhone 4S launch at its flagship store in Beijing earlier this month, as thousands of people who had camped out in sub-zero temperatures overnight to get their hands on the new smartphone tussled with security guards and pelted the store with eggs when it failed to open on time.
Cook told analysts that he had been blown away by demand for the new iPhone and other Apple products in China:
|I would say the demand there has been staggering. We are selling through our reseller stores and our online store. We're not currently selling through a retail store. And the demand is off the charts. |
... We could not be happier. We felt we were betting bold, as I think many of you would have thought if you would have known what we were doing. But as it turns out, we didn't bet high enough. Our customers are loving iPhone and we're very happy with that.
Because the iPhone 4S only went on sale in China this month, this staggering demand would not have been reflected in the companys impressive Q4 sales or revenue numbers. Nevertheless, there was plenty of evidence of the growing importance of China to Apples bottom line.
Apple did not provide a country-specific revenue breakdown in its most recent earnings release, but it nevertheless reported continued strong growth in the Asia-Pacific region (ex-Japan), which grew 18% q-o-q and 54% y-o-y all without the boost from iPhone 4S sales in China, which is far and away Apples largest market in the Asia-Pacific region. In Q4 11 (fiscal), the company revealed that China-specific revenues for Apple totaled $4.52 billion, or 16% of total global revenues, making it the companys single largest market behind the US. With iPhone 4S sales in China sure to boost numbers in Q2 12 (fiscal), expect China revenues to account for an even larger share in the coming quarter.
Given Apples success in China to date, Cook unsurprisingly stressed that it would continue to be a key investment priority in the coming quarters.
But while Apples success in China may see it become a sideways China play much like other multinationals with large presences and revenue shares in China, such as Yum! Brands, Cook had a word of warning for those expecting similar expansion rates in other BRIC economies:
|We are today selling in Brazil through online store and reseller partners, including some very key carrier partners. We're selling in Russia through carrier partners and reseller partners. And we're selling in India through some carrier partners and reseller partners. And so we're in all of those countries today. But I've tried to be very clear in the past, and I'll do so again, that we have a ton more energy in the China market today. That doesn't mean that there is a lack of effort or focus on the others. It just means that it's less than what we're investing in China today. |
... We're beginning to see traction in most of these, but we recognize we have to focus to deeply understand the point that we can really get to a large revenue figure like Greater China currently is.
Although Apple has come in for criticism in the West for its continued reliance on sub-contractors and OEMs with chequered labour and safety records, the company, by and large, has a very strong reputation among Chinese consumers and internet users, with Sinas Twitter-like microblogging service, Weibo, awash with tweets expressing admiration for Apples achievements.
Apples revenue and profits way surpassed my expectations too cool! wrote Weibo user Xintewang, in a post earlier today. This year itll definitely be the most profitable Fortune 500 company. Apple is awesome, Steve Jobs is awesome, innovation is awesome, the post-Jobs era is also awesome, he added.
In three months Apples revenue was $46.33 billion. I reckon that even the Peoples Bank of Chinas printing presses couldnt keep pace, joked another user.
But amid the general praise, there were a few dissenting voices, pointing out that Chinese mobile operator China Unicom continues to suffer losses by heavily subsidizing iPhone handsets in a bid to attract new subscribers, and references to the fact that Apples profits had been built off the hard graft of low-paid Chinese workers. These were definitely in the minority, however.
One final thought on the possible implications of Apples China success:
As debate continues to rage about whether or not China can become a genuine domestic consumption driven economy, Apples strong sales growth is clear evidence that, for all the talk of high savings rates and repressed consumption due to artificially low exchange rates and import taxes, Chinas consumption clout is already hefty, and Chinese consumers are willing to spend. Rebalancing may not occur at the pace many in the West are hoping for, but it is also wrong to assume that China lacks consumption power.
As Andy Rothman, chief China macro strategist at independent brokerage CLSA told Emerging Markets last May, it is a misnomer to suggest that Chinese consumers are reluctant to spend:
|China is already the best consumption story on the planet by many metrics; retail sales, car sales, TV sales, the list is long, he says. Consumption is only small in the sense that it represents a small share of GDP growth, due to the fact that investment has grown so fast off such a large base.|
Furthermore, the multinational consumer brands and firms likely to benefit are neither concentrated at the high-end (Burberry, Louis Vuitton etc), nor at the low-end (Wal-Mart, KFC, McDonalds), but are found across the price and demographic spectrum. The success of Apple, Zara, Uniqlo, Volkswagen and other middle-market brands in China (albeit Apples higher price-points in China position it at the upper end of the middle market), are evidence that retailers and brands can find success among the countrys middle-class consumers, as well as the super-rich.


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Crofton-based InRoad Toys, which makes paper tape that sticks to flat surfaces to create roads for toy cars, announced a partnership Monday with one of the nation's largest consumer tape makers, North Carolina-based Shurtape Technologies LLC.
InRoad Toys, which began selling its PlayTape products in Wal-Mart stores in January, also said it has expanded its distribution channels to include international toy retailer Imaginarium, select Target stores and O'Reilly Auto Parts, a 4,900-store automotive chain.
The investment by Shurtape, maker of Duck Tape, FrogTape and T-Rex tape, will enable additional growth for InRoad. InRoad said it finalized a round of funding led by Shurtape for an undisclosed amount.
Since the product was introduced three years ago at the International Toy Fair in New York, distribution has mushroomed from a few small toy stores to 12,000 outlets in 35 countries. The company this year was named the Maryland Home-Based Business of the Year by the U.S. Small Business Administration.
PlayTape, which resembles roads and rail lines, is billed as easy to tear and reposition, allowing children to create instant pathways for toy vehicles. The company also sells Hot Wheels PlayTape through a licensing agreement reached just over a year ago with Mattel Inc.


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Primetime Australian news broadcaster, Channel 7 News, has highlighted the frustration of millions of consumers in not being able to easily find the cheapest energy plan and has promoted Ingeni, developed by Planet Innovation, as a simple solution.
Martina Tassone, mother of two children who lives in Melbourne’s northern suburbs, explained in the news story that in just a matter of minutes after using Ingeni she had identified an energy plan that will save her family nearly $500 a year. This was despite Martina having already changed energy plans several times during the previous year, and believing that she was on a cheap plan.
Ingeni is a software product that people run on their home computer which uses a USB aerial to connect directly to their smart meter. After analysing the actual energy usage of the household, Ingeni compares all the available energy plans to find the cheapest plan for that household.
In addition to locating the cheapest energy plan, Ingeni also provides a real time display of the household energy usage so families can see exactly how much each appliance is costing them and how much they can save by making smart choices through the day.
Unlike energy switching sites that enter into contracts with energy retailers and only offer a sample of available plans, Ingeni has no hidden costs or relationships with energy retailers. It is an independent solution designed to put the consumer back in control of their energy bills and help them save.
Ingeni was developed by Melbourne based Planet Innovation who was recently ranked as the No.1 Most Innovative Company in Australia by Business Review Weekly (BRW) magazine.
Executive Director and Planet Innovation co-founder Sam Lanyon details the six principles that deliver commercially successful products.Download eGuide


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At a time when some states in Nigeria like Lagos and Ogun have set the ambitious goal to achieve a mega city status, one wonders if a silicon city is in their master plans.
By Silicon City, I mean a place for growing and nuturing start-ups. Simply put, a start-up hub. While I’ve suggested quite a few places in Nigeria that can be developed to encourage start-ups, entrepreneurs and investors to move to, I didn’t consider Ilorin, Kwara State until now.
In a video posted on YouTube, a new proposed commercial project called Asa Dam Muliti-purpose Center is being embarked upon by the Kwara State Government, which if managed well, could make Ilorin a potential start-up hub to watch.
Vop Osili, an Architect and Founding Partner and Principal, A2SO4, who visited the site in 2007, described it thus:
The Asa Dam project is a massive undertaking that will result in a tourist center unlike anything that has ever existed in that part of the world. It includes a large amusement park, three hotels, a conference center, a mall, gardens, and a sprawling golf course.
Also included in the plans is an international school, which will give Nigerian children the chance to experience high-quality education for the first time. The project will cover almost 1,000 acres and seeks to elevate the Asa Dam area’s prominence, both nationally and internationally.
It is also an environmentally-conscious project that will preserve the ecosystem and biodiversity of the area. The goal is to bring new investment to Nigeria and new pride to a nation of people.
What about Electricity?
According to an article in Trade Invest Nigeria,
Due to the recent completion of the Ganmo sub-station, Ilorin currently enjoys very close to 24 hours a day of uninterrupted power supply. In fact, many business owners are delighted by the fact that they have to make very little use of generators.
If this is true, I guess we can start picturing a city such as Ilorin becoming a great start-up hub. Whether this would become a reality or not, I don’t know. But I think it could very well compete with Silicon Cape which is gradually bringing people together to create Africa’s largest start-up hub in Capetown, South Africa.
Perhaps, the Silicon City Nigeria social network created by Kayode Adebayo via the Ning platform could spark up discussions on creating an ideal start-up hub in Nigeria.
Until then, a silicon city in Nigeria might just be a dream.
Photo via: Tourism ROI
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A-COLD-WALL* Blurs Class Boundaries With Dr. Martens 1460 Collaboration
Elevating the boot’s uniform and workwear roots.
Following on from PLEASURES and UNDERCOVER, London-based label A-COLD-WALL* has become the latest brand to take part in the 1460 Remastered project from Dr. Martens. Celebrating 60 years of the 1460 boot silhouette, A-COLD-WALL* has taken the boot in a new direction with elevated details as a contrast to its uniform and workwear origins.
These details include references to tailoring and minimalist design, with no eyelets giving the boot an understated aesthetic. The boot also features a range of angular features on its front, as well as an added side zip, moulded panel detailing, a dual-branded silicone zip pull and A-COLD-WALL*-branded debossing on the heel.
Speaking about the project, A-COLD-WALL* founder Samuel Ross paid tribute to the silhouette, “The 1460 is placed right in the middle of 20th Century cultural crosshairs. It’s incredible.”
The A-COLD-WALL* x Dr. Martens 1460 is set to release via the Dr. Martens web store and select stockists in July 25.
In other footwear news, Dr. Martens recently celebrated Jean-Michel Basquiat’s artwork.


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91 percent of U.S. consumers says pharma put profits over patients
This is according to a Harris Poll study released today. Meanwhile, 36 percent of U.S. adults believe health care providers (such as doctors and nurses) put patients over profits, compared to hospitals (23%).
Additionally, the Harris Poll of more than 1,000 U.S. adults ages 18+ indicates that while most are neutral toward health care industries, more consumers rate health insurance (24%) and pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies (20%) with low reputations, compared to hospitals (6%), health care providers (doctors and nurses) (5%) and technology (2%).
Fifty-eight percent rate the reputation of the technology industry as high, compared to health care providers (43%), hospitals (37%), pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies (20%), and health insurance companies (15%).
According to the Harris Poll Reputation Equity and Risk Across the Health Care Sector report, all health care stakeholders – hospitals, health insurance companies, pharmaceutical companies, providers and store pharmacists – suffer from consumer skepticism, but some experience it to a greater degree.
Nearly half of consumers say they think store pharmacists (49%) and health care providers (48%) offer high quality products and services, compared to hospitals (44%), pharmaceutical companies (31%), and health insurance companies (26%).
Roughly half of consumers believe providers (51%) and hospitals (49%) make a positive difference in the country, compared to store pharmacists (39%), health insurance companies (26%) and pharmaceuticals (26%). ■


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In this digital age, what is said about you or your company on the Internet (be it true or not) can have a big impact on your stock. What has happened in this week for Web.com is a perfect example.
The Jacksonville-based web design company (Nasdaq: WWWW) has seen its stock drop more than 10 percent in the last two day and volume of trade has quadrupled.
The movement started a day after an analysis by a short-selling Seeking Alpha blogger questioned the company’s accounting principles, claiming the company’s “biggest success has been selling the upsell/cross-sell story to the street, while misguiding investors with aggressive non-GAAP reporting.”
The author claims Web.com’s stock is roughly 50 percent overvalued.
Web.com's accounting is complicated by the acquisition of companies that bring with them subscription-based revenue — meaning Web.com is picking up companies with cash on their balance sheets that paid for services that haven't yet been provided.
Here’s a quick look at the company’s revenue and debt, as the Business Journal reported in July, and why the company says it has not turned a profit since 2009.
Revenues jumped from $120 million in 2010 to $199 million in 2011 and $407 million in 2012. During the first quarter of 2013, which ended March 31, revenues were $115.5 million, a 26 percent increase year-over-year.
The big leaps in revenue came mainly through acquisitions. But with those acquisitions has also come over $650 million in debt. Also, because of the way subscriber fees are booked and the acquisitions are accounted for, Web.com has not turned a profit since 2009.
In August, the company saw its stock take a 10 percent drop and then rebound after it announced it was offering $225 million of senior convertible notes as part of a plan to refinance and pay down debt.
As of noon Wednesday, the stock was down 10 percent from Tuesday's open.


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Medis El to reacquire US rights to CellScan:
This article was originally published in Clinica
Israeli diagnostic company Medis El has the option to reacquire the US distribution rights to CellScan under an agreement with US shareholder Cell Diagnostics (CDI). Medis will receive $500,000 from CDI on July 1st, as the first repayment of a $2.5 million note. Medis will cancel the unpaid $2 million if it exercises the option to CellScan. Medis says the US rights will be an asset in its search for an international marketing partner for the cancer screening system.
You may also be interested in...
As the first emergency use authorization is granted, Pfizer and Moderna stand accused of neglecting poorer nations as wealthy countries snap up early access to COVID-19 vaccines.
The FDA has released final guidance on “Formal Meetings Between FDA and ANDA Applicants of Complex Products Under GDUFA” for the industry. The guidance brings clarity and aims at facilitating product development meetings between the FDA and the ANDA applicants for complex products.
By handing out free supplements to the clinically vulnerable, the UK government is effectively endorsing the use of vitamin D to reduce the risk and/or severity of COVID-19, although it says more research is needed.


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Software giant Microsoft has realized that Intel’s dream of Ultrabooks is not proving that successful.
Microsoft has acknowledged that someone managed to beat it at its own game in a mobile promotion that no one was supposed to win.
It seems as if enthusiasm for Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 platform is finally picking up steam amongst mobile app developers. To be sure, Flurry Analytics tracked an impressive 66% increase in WP7 projects during the week leading up to the momentous agreement between Redmond and the Finnish-based Nokia.
ExoPC and the Microsoft Store are currently offering an 11.6-inch Windows 7 tablet at a rather hefty $700 price point.


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Andrew Michrowski writes: Solidarity for clean energy works.
For Immediate Release:
Wednesday, September 1, 2004
Paul West, Rainforest Action Network, (415) 398-4404 x319, email@example.com
stops crushing Th!nk EVs due to grassroots pressure; Norway awaits delivery.
- More U.S. EV funerals
expected until Ford takes action.
- Activists demand
zero-emission cars and call on Ford to stop misleading the public about EVs.
- Bill Ford opposes
California plan to encourage fuel-efficiency.
San Francisco – Following
a week of intense international grassroots pressure, Ford Motor Company’s U.S.
fleet of Norwegian-produced Th!nk electric vehicles (EV) may soon be
headed home to fill waiting list orders for the popular zero emission cars.
The decision marks an abrupt u-turn by Ford which had been ignoring
letters of interest from automakers Elbil Norge and Th!nk Nordic
and the Norwegian Minister of Transportation. At the same time,
Bill Ford, Jr. wrote a letter to California governor Arnold Schwartzenegger
opposing a proposed law that would encourage purchases of the most
fuel-efficient passenger cars. U.S. and Norwegian citizen groups expect an
action plan from Ford on the Th!nk EVs by September 15.
Rainforest Action Network
In an August 27 letter concerning the Th!nk EV controversy to Norwegian Minister
of Transportation Torhild Skogsholm, Ford conceded that “it is very
clear to us that there is a high demand for these vehicles in Norway, not in the
least because of the high priority and support your government has given to
environmentally friendly transport technology.” Ingvar Sviggum, a
vice president of Ford Europe confirmed, “It is with pleasure that I am able
to inform you that we have, with immediate effect, stopped any further scrapping
of these vehicles.” The letter acknowledged the commitment made by Ford
earlier last week in meetings with Global Exchange, Greenpeace and Rainforest
In an August 27 press statement issued in response to Ford’s letter, Torhild
Skogsholm wrote, “I expect Ford will do what is necessary to bring these cars
to Norway, and I have asked them to keep me informed on what they are doing.
For me this matter is not over today. It is over the day these cars
drive on Norwegian roads.” She emphasizes, “It is pointless to destroy more
than 400 fully functional and environmentally friendly cars. There is a
great demand for these cars here in Norway, and they can contribute to cleaner
air and less pollution in our cities.”
Environmental, EV and human rights activists have now joined forces to demand
that Ford commit to a zero emissions future and stop misleading the public about
the role that current EV technology can play to reduce deadly greenhouse gas
emissions and air pollutants. The grassroots coalition warns Ford and
other automakers to expect more public protests as reluctant drivers are forced
to turn over other EV models such as the Ford Ranger. Auto industry lobbying
gutted California’s progressive Zero Emissions Vehicle Mandate, abruptly
ending U.S. EV programs in 2002. From public protests to editorial
cartoons, the Th!nk EV controversy is making news throughout Europe.
“Electric vehicles offer a glimpse into what a completely zero-emission auto
fleet could look like,” said Jason Mark, Clean Car Campaigner at the
human rights group Global Exchange. “If we are going to be serious
about breaking our oil addiction, we need to begin nurturing existing solutions
such as electric vehicles.”
“Bill Ford, Jr. portrays himself publicly as an environmentalist while he
is working behind the scenes in California to oppose new legislation that would
encourage fuel-efficiency,” said Jennifer Krill, director of the Zero
Emissions Campaign at Rainforest Action Network. “If Ford
wants to green the blue oval, it will have to do more than advertise its Rouge
River F150 plant and make a few thousand hybrid SUVs. The fact remains
that Ford is still at the bottom of the barrel on fuel efficiency and will
remain there until its cars and trucks are as green as its marketing.”
“EVs are a perfect solution in places like Norway and California where access
to solar, hydro and wind power is a public priority,” said Sherry Boschert,
a former Th!nk EV driver in California. “I'm pleased that Ford is coming
to its senses regarding the fate of these EVs, but it shouldn’t take an
international grassroots movement to motivate U.S. auto makers to do everything
possible to promote zero emission cars. If Ford marketed and lobbied for
zero emission EVs the way it has for gas guzzling SUVs, it could revolutionize
urban and suburban transportation.”
"If Ford really wishes to produce environmentally friendly zero emission
vehicles for the mass market, they should stop hiding behind empty talk about
fuel cells that still are at the pilot stage, while still producing large
numbers of heavy and inefficient fossil fuel vehicles,” stated Truls
Gulowsen, a campaigner for Greenpeace Norway. “Ford should
rather do as Henry Ford would have done, continuously improve efficiency and
establish mass production of the most modern zero emissions technology that is
already available today - modern battery electric vehicles - instead of shutting
# # #


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Apple and Microsoft have been fighting it out in the PC industry since the early 80s. Back in 1984, the two companies were on more equal footing when it came to the sales of the individual operating systems on computers. Things changed over the 80s into the early 90s as the ratio between PCs sold versus the number of Macs sold hovered around 15 times as many PCs until around 1997.
In 1997, the number of PCs sold versus Mac computers sold surged to nearly 30 times as many PCs. That number continued to grow through 2004 where Microsoft had nearly 60 times as many PCs sold versus Apple’s Mac computer. 2004 was in when the Mac computer began growing significantly in popularity, and the ratio started to decline for PCs rather quickly.
By 2005, the ratio was under 45 times as many PCs sold versus Macs and continued to decline through 2011 when the ratio was nearly identical to what was seen in 1985 at roughly 17 times as many PCs sold versus Macs. Assuming the trend of increasing Mac sales continues over the next few years we could see the ratio of PCs versus Macs match what it was back in 1984 or even go lower. The chart above comes from the research firm Asymco and illustrates the rise and fall very well. This chart only includes Mac computers, iPads and iPhones are not included according to the source.
[via Business Insider]


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Friday was a big day for tech investors with not one but two major catalysts influencing trade – one coming from Apple the other Google.
In an attempt to stem what appeared to be a blossoming crisis, Apple said it will give free protective cases to buyers of the iPhone 4 to alleviate the so-called "death grip" problem in which holding the phone with a bare hand can muffle the wireless signal.
Apple CEO Steve Jobs announced the giveaway Friday during a news conference at the company's headquarters, even as the company denied that the iPhone 4 has an antenna problem that needs fixing.
The more than 3 million people who have already bought the iPhone 4 and new buyers through Sept. 30 will all be eligible.
People who already purchased the $29 "Bumper" cases will be refunded.
What’s the takeaway?
Given how much Apple’s customers love Apple I think they hit a home run, muses CNBC's Dennis Kneale.
I’m a buyer of Apple right here at these levels, says Pete Najarian on the Halftime Report. I’d probably do it through options – look at a call spread.
After sifting through earnings more carefully investors came to realize Friday that Google is spending more to maintain its commanding lead in Internet search.
To help achieve its goals, the company added nearly 1,200 employees in the second quarter to end June with more than 21,800 workers – that’s nearly 30% more new workers than the Street was expecting..
With its payroll swelling at the fastest rate in four years, some of Google's expenses are climbing faster than its revenue.
Adding to the headwinds, about one-third of the company's revenue comes from Europe, and the weaker euro meant customer payments made with the currency translated into fewer dollars than a year ago.
What’s the trade?
I just think Google is too big, muses Patty Edwards of the Halftime Report. Companies this size have a tough time moving the needle.
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CNBC.com with wires


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Brides, Professional Choir and Minister Flash Mob at Bed Bath & Beyond with Message:
"Stop Selling Illegal Israeli Settlement Products!"
Action in Solidarity with Global Boycott Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) Movement
[LARKSPUR]: On Saturday, December 10, International Human Rights Day, a flash mob took over the wedding registry section of the Bed Bath & Beyond in Larkspur. The flash mob consisted of a mock wedding in which four brides committed to boycott illegal Israeli settlement products, namely Ahava cosmetics and SodaStream home carbonation systems, and local Reverend Dr. Walt Davis pronounced the brides "married to a life of peace and justice." The Justice Voices choir sung a parody of "Ode to Joy" that asked Bed Bath & Beyond to deshelve these products. Store employees asked the flash mobbers to leave the store and called the police. No arrests were made. Caroling continued outside the store where the group received positive feedback from holiday shoppers.
“We hope Bed Bath & Beyond CEO Steven Temares hears our plea and stops selling products that are in clear violation of international law,” said Rae Abileah, flash mob "bride" and co-director of CODEPINK. “Consumers have a right to know the ugly truth behind Ahava beauty products: they’re stealing Palestinian land! SodaStream is marketed as an environmentally responsible product, but the destruction of life, land and peace brought about by this settlement industrial zone is anything but environmentally responsible. Save a few plastic bottles at the expense of trashing Palestinian land and people? We don’t think so.”
Ahava and SodaStream products are fraudulently labeled as “Made in Israel”, but are in fact produced in illegal settlements under the conditions of the military occupation in the West Bank, outside the internationally-recognized borders of Israel. Ahava cosmetics are manufactured in the illegal settlement of Mitzpe Shalem in the occupied Palestinian West Bank. Ahava’s fraudulent labeling is under investigation in the UK and in The Netherlands. The Stolen Beauty Boycott and international boycott pressure have successfully pressured many stores to drop Ahava. Stores that have pulled Ahava from their shelves include Canada’s major department store The Bay, UK retailer John Lewis, the National Cathedral in DC, the U.N. commissary in Vienna, and many more.
A recent report by the Israeli research project Who Profits from the Occupation describes SodaStream’s illegal settlement activities, exposes its fraudulent labeling practices and investigates its exploitative labor practices. SodaStream is another occupation profiteer located the illegal industrial zone called Mishor Adumim, one of the largest land expropriations of Palestinian land in the West Bank, which prevents a future contiguous Palestinian state.
"This month, we mark three years since the Israel's deadly assault on Gaza that killed about 1,400 Palestinian men, women, and children. Let us all recommit ourselves to ending US financial and diplomatic support to Israel, and to supporting the inspiring, growing, global, Palestinian-led movement for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions until Palestinians enjoy the freedom, equality, and justice that they deserve,” said Anna Baltzer, flash mob "bride" and national organizer with the US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation.
“I invited the CODEPINK women to Marin so that we could do a boycott action at our local Bed, Bath, and Beyond,” said Jane Jewell, founder of 14 Friends of Palestine and Justice Voices. “BDS is one of the most important non-violent activities we can do to oppose the cruel Israeli Occupation of Palestine that causes such terrible suffering to the Palestinian people. I consider it the duty of those of us who enjoy a life of freedom and privilege to help those who do not. If I lived under horrendous oppression like the Palestinians do, I would like to think that somewhere in the world there were people looking out for me. "
The action was coordinated by 14 Friends of Palestine, CODEPINK Women for Peace, and Keep Hope Alive.
More information on both campaigns is available at www.stolenbeauty.org and www.codepink.org/boycottsodastream.