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Youth fashion retailer Jay Jays forced to stop stocking 'degrading' t-shirt range after parents labelled them 'porn shirts'
- Australian clothing label Jay Jays were forced to stop stocking t-shirts
- A grassroots campaign took issue with a number of provocative shirts
- Concerned parents quickly flooded the company's Facebook page
- The shirts in question were labelled 'pornographic' and 'destructive'
- Jay Jays agreed to stop buying them, but will still sell them out of stock
Jay Jays have been forced to stop stocking a provocative range of t-shirts after a huge social backlash saw them labelled as 'pornographic,' 'destructive' and 'degrading to women.'
The clothing chain, which has over 200 stores across Australia, came under fire after grassroots campaign organisation Collective Shout petitioned for the instant removal of the suggestive shirts.
Concerned parents quickly jumped on board with the movement, taking issue with a 'Carwash Tee' that showed a half-naked woman covered in suds with the text 'DIRTY' splashed across the centre.
Australian clothing label Jay Jays came under fire for a number of their suggestive t-shirts
A grassroots campaign by organisation Collective Shout called for their instant removal from shelves
Concerned parents labelled the tees 'destructive,' 'pornographic,' 'sexualised' and 'degrading'
'Take a step up Jay Jays and become a business that refuses to sell clothing that demeans, degrades, sexualises, and objectifies women and girls,' wrote one mother.
'I'm really disappointed to hear that Jay Jays are selling what basically amounts to porn on shirts aimed at teenage boys,' added another.
'This is incredibly destructive for our society and for both our boys and girls.'
Another t-shirt flagged as inappropriate has a woman covering her bare breasts with her hands, wearing nothing but lacy underwear and a black snapback cap.
One mother said she refused to take her children back inside the store until the shirts had been removed.
'I shop with my 15 yr old daughter at Jay jays often. It is her favourite store. She even wants a job there when she is 16. However we will not be going in until you remove those degrading t shirts.'
Many parents said they loved the brand but would be forced to shop elsewhere if Jay Jays didn't take action
The hugely popular apparel chain has over 200 stores across Australia and New Zealand
The youth fashion retailer was quick to respond to the growing outrage, announcing they had cancelled all future orders for the prints in question
The youth fashion retailer, owned by the Just Group, were quick to respond to the outrage spreading across social media.
Just Group general manager Linda Whitehead jumped on the Jay Jays Facebook account to inform Collective Shout that she had personally cancelled any future orders of the provocative shirts.
'I myself am a mother of three children. I note your concern and I have just instructed the buying team to cancel orders for these prints,' she wrote.
In a follow-up email, she added that there had been a restructuring of the review process for the buying team to minimise the chance of similar designs reaching stores in the future.
But for some, the cancellation of future orders was not enough.
'I was pleased to hear you stopped selling them online, but I think you need to also pull them from your shelves,' wrote one woman.
Others disagreed, saying that the t-shirts were empowering for women.
'Someone explain to me how this is exploitation?' wrote one woman. 'The women get paid, they are showing off natural bodies ... They aren't stick figures for a change.'
'Everyone is too bloody sensitive, if you don't like it don't bloody buy it, if you are offended you can do so in the comfort of your own home by yourself,' added another.
Some customers weren't happy with the action taken by Jay Jays
Just Group general manager Linda Whitehead said she would be reviewing the process for the buying team
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Food Shortage in the USA — StandingWatch #166
Norbert Link | April 26, 2008
This week has begun to experience a once unthinkable phenomenon–food rationing in the USA. Many stores and retailers are limiting purchases of flour, rice, wheat, cooking oil, and other commodities. How did we get into this mess? And it’s not limited to the USA–we are also hearing of GLOBAL HUNGER and RIOTS because of lack of food and high food prices, including in countries such as Japan, Haiti, Indonesia, and several African nations. Has the biblical third horse of the Apocalypse–picturing worldwide famine–begun to ride?

domain: news


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Knowledge@Wharton has an interview with Adobe’s Shantanu Narayen:
Our core strategy in the mobile space is, first, to make sure we have the Flash user environment available on as broad a set of handsets as possible. Flash is being used for a couple of different purposes on those devices today — to browse the web and to create a compelling new user experience. Increasingly, it will be used to deliver services with a TV-like metaphor or a channel metaphor on these particular devices.
The good news is that we have relationships with most of the major handset manufacturers. As you see new handsets being introduced into the U.S., I think you will see the volume of Flash-enabled handsets increase year-in and year-out. We just announced at [the] 3GSM [conference] that we have over 200 million alternate devices that are now shipping with Flash. A lot of that was driven initially by Japan, but now over 70% of that volume is being driven outside Japan. You are seeing the new generation of phones shipping with Flash.


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Protect-A-Bed Debuts Bed Bug Plague Game
July 8, 2011,
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CHICAGO-Protect-A-Bed has added the Bed Bug Plague game to its Bed Bugs 101 iPhone application, the latest in its series of promotional efforts highlighting its protective bedding products.
In Bed Bug Plague, the enemy is a continuous rush of bed bugs that are trying to make it across the screen to infest a bed. The objective is to stop the bugs from reaching the bed by building towers along their path to the bed. The towers inflict damage and, if powerful enough, will eradicate the bugs before they reach the bed.
Protect-A-Bed has held a number of promotions spotlighting its products over the past few years. This year alone, the company has operated the Potty Training Contest, the Healthy Sleep Zone Solutions giveaway series, a wedding sweepstakes and a Father's Day contest.
Other Articles By Author
HFN Launches Interactive Idea Book
HFN's DIGITAL EDITION
COVER STORY: HFN Turns 90
We commemorate HFN's 90th anniversary by paying tribute to the iconic retailer and supplier brands--and the people--that have helped the industry flourish, then and now.
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE:
- Up & Coming Leaders - The home industry is in capable and visionary hands as this year’s 40 Under 40 list attests. Today’s young leaders span all disciplines and varied levels of operation.
- Omnichannel Retailing - In the Mobile App World, Time is Money


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The new year spells major changes for the banking sector. Although the big four will not immediately feel the heat from new entrants, their arrival is good news for customers at every level of the market, say analysts.
The digital newcomers — Tyme Digital, which is up and running, and Bank Zero and Discovery Bank, which are both expected to be launched later in the year — are promising lower fees, better interest rates for savers and simpler, more transparent products.
This is also the basis on which Capitec has grown in recent years, steadily loosening the chokehold that Standard Bank, Absa, Nedbank and FirstRand’s FNB have had on the South African market. It has also built its operations by targeting lower-income customers and offering them credit, an area ignored by the big four in the past.
Capitec’s arrival is one of the reasons banking fees have steadily declined in real terms, according to Connie Mulder, the head of trade union Solidarity’s research institute.
“We’re excited about more competition in the banking sector because competition drives down prices and in the end the consumer wins,” he says. “What’s wonderful is that we have got guys entering the market on different levels to give consumers on different levels more options.”
Each year, the union compares bank charges for transactional accounts, based on consumer transaction needs, in its banks charges report. Its 2017 research revealed that fees had increased on transactional accounts in nominal terms but, when inflation is taken into account, prices had decreased, particularly on products for customers with a low income and basic banking needs (making 12 and 17 transactions a month), and those marketed to customers with, what Solidarity terms a middle-class income and sophisticated banking needs (or 25 transactions a month).
But an immediate and dramatic drop in banking fees is unlikely and the advantages of the incumbents, including their ability to hold on to their existing customers, should not be underestimated, says Jan Meintjes, a portfolio manager at Denker Capital.
He says the established banks, apart from Capitec, make most of their money by selling an integrated banking solution to customers, which provides them with a range of services, for which clients are prepared to pay. This applies to the middle- and upper-end retail market, as well as commercial and corporate, he says.
In banking, 20% of the customers typically provide 80% of the profit. “The ability of the established banks to hold on to these customers should not be underestimated,” Meintjes says. The new entrants will trade in a niche but “will struggle initially to provide a range of services to customers”.
But established banks are likely to feel the effects of the new entrants in the form of new client growth. “The pricing battle for services in this environment impacts more the client acquisition performance of the established players.”
The success of the new banks will have an effect on some bank fees for specific services, Meintjes says, but he does not see a major short-term impact. Over time, however, the established players will struggle to increase their client base. This will in turn stunt fee growth, keeping it below inflation.
The established banks will continue to lose market share where they are not competitive, he says. “But it is not about the price of a single service; it is the perceived value the client gets from a range of services,” he says.
The large banks offer such a range, such as the ability to buy airtime, as well as rewards programmes, which accompany many banking bundles aimed at various tiers of customers.
Banks such as FNB have gone so far as to allow customers to sell their homes through its banking app to other FNB customers who qualify for a home loan. Customers can also renew their vehicle registration through FNB.
Convenience is something that should not be overlooked, says Mulder, and the major banks are working hard to keep customers on their platforms. Although Solidarity does not compare the various rewards offerings such as FNB’s eBucks, Standard Bank’s Ucount, or the Absa Rewards programme, given their complexity, these kinds of programmes make it possible for banks to compete on a “much broader scope”, he says.
Meintjes says Discovery Bank is the most likely to present a risk to the incumbents given the customer base of its existing financial services business and its Vitality programme. A “fair chunk” of these customers could well make up the more profitable clients that other banks have on their books, he says.
Discovery has not provided any pricing information, but will do so when it is launched in March. The bank will offer clients “dynamic interest rates” through its Vitality Money programme, which will allow clients to improve their interest rates on savings and lending, according to Discovery Bank chief executive Barry Hore.
Clients will receive base savings and lending rates, which they can then improve based on their Vitality Money engagement, he says. Bank clients can also get increased Vitality rewards such as 100% cash back on gym membership and up to 75% off flights.
Although it will be app-based and branchless, Discovery Bank will offer a broader suite of other services, such as allowing customers to settle medical co-payments at Dis-Chem and Clicks by linking them to the Discovery Health Medical Scheme.
It will offer unsecured loans in the first phase of its roll-out, says Hore, but it will not initially offer products such as vehicle or home loans.
According to Meintjes, the other entrants will follow a client acquisition strategy with a limited number of services, which is “far more difficult”.
“Look for them to team up with partners with access to large client numbers,” he adds.
Tyme Digital has, in fact, partnered with retailer Pick n Pay and its Boxer stores to roll out Tyme banking kiosks where customers can open accounts and transact.
It is also integrated with Pick n Pay’s Smart Shopper programme and allows customers to earn Smart Shopper points for bank card spending outside of Pick n Pay, says chief executive of Tyme Digital, Sandile Shabalala.
The bank charges no monthly fees, offers free day-to-day transactions and up to 10% interest on its GoalSave plan depending on how long the money is kept at the bank. During the year, it will introduce other products.
The bank, which is owned by businessman Patrice Motsepe, is not targeting any specific market segment, says Shabalala, but it “will appeal to and create value for the majority of South Africans”.
As a digital bank with a cost base that is “a fraction of traditional banks” and without bulky branch infrastructure, Tyme is “not dependant on high transactional fees” and cost savings can be passed on to customers, he says.
But Tyme’s main competitive advantage is that it is small, nimble and able to introduce new offerings and make changes to existing ones, based on customer demand, “quicker than anyone has been able to before”, he says.
For its part, Capitec is taking new competitors “quite seriously”, as it does the traditional banks, its head of marketing and communications, Francois Viviers, says.
“We actually think they will add momentum towards the revolution of simple, affordable and digitally driven banking that Capitec has pioneered for the mass market.
“This kind of competition is good for the consumer and good for the industry.”
How the banks rank
According to South African Reserve Bank data, the big four banks still dominate the market when measured by total assets, followed by Investec and Capitec.
According to the bank’s most recent banking supervision report, which draws on data from 2017, Standard Bank and FirstRand are the largest, with R1.3-trillion and R1.1-trillion in assets respectively.
They are followed by Absa with R983-billion, Nedbank with R892-billion, Investec with R415-billion and Capitec with R87-billion. Newcomers Tyme and Discovery Bank by comparison held assets of R1.4-billion and R622-million at the time.
But the major banks’ growth in assets year on year is less than stellar. For instance, Standard Bank’s assets grew by less than 2%, compared with Capitec, which recorded growth in assets of more than 21%. Of the big four, only FirstRand’s growth was in the double digits at more than 10%.
Retail banking is a maze
Despite the changes in retail banking in recent years, it is still a difficult terrain for consumers to navigate.
This was revealed in a diagnostic report on the sector, prepared by the World Bank for the treasury and the Financial Sector Conduct Authority, which was released last year.
For instance, with transactional accounts for low-income customers, pricing bundles appeared to be driving customers away from branches and ATMs to digital channels, ignoring customers’ preference for transacting in cash. Significant charges made branch and ATM services, favoured by low-income individuals, much more expensive, the review found.
For middle-income customers, the structural complexity of and differences between the major banks’ bundles, and in each bank’s individual transaction pricing, still made it difficult for customers to compare products. The same was also true for the design of fixed deposit products.
It also found potentially unfair terms and conditions, as well as potentially unfair fees, such as bank charges for disputed debit orders


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Retail sales rise for ninth consecutive month
Retail sales rose 7.7 per cent in March, the ninth consecutive month that the volume of sales has grown on a year-on-year basis.
The value of sales for the month was $105.7 million, which was a 9.8 per cent improvement.
The same month in 2020 saw Bermuda enter its first period of restrictions in response to the emerging Covid-19 pandemic.
Wayne Furbert, Minister for the Cabinet Office, said: “Six of the seven retail sales sectors experienced positive growth in March. This was led by the motor vehicle stores, which experienced the largest sales volume increase of 117.7 per cent as a larger inventory of vehicles were available for sale.”
Apparel stores sales increased 72.2 per cent in sales volume. The growth in sales has been associated to increased demand due to retailers being open for more days during March compared to store closures that began in the second half of March last year.
Building material stores had a 26.3 per cent jump in sales volume with increased contract sales and large customer projects.
The all other store types sector, which comprises a variety of stores selling household items, furniture, appliances, electronics, pharmaceuticals, marine supplies and tourist-related goods, had a 22.4 per cent increase in sales.
Liquor stores’ sales volume increased 13.1 per cent as households purchased larger amounts for consumption at home since restaurant and bars were limited primarily to outdoor service during March.
Sales volume for food stores decreased by 13.1 per cent, and this is said to be the result of households purchasing larger amounts in March last year due to initial uncertainty with the pandemic and the anticipation of government restrictions and stay-at-home orders.
Service stations had a 6.2 per cent sale volume increase, compared to a 12.1 per cent in the same month a year ago. The details were contained in the March 2021 Retail Sales Index publication from the Department of Statistics.
Mr Furbert said: “Total selected overseas declarations increased 40.6 per cent in March, compared to March 2020. The rise in overseas declarations was influenced by more imports of clothing by courier as well as higher imports of furniture, machinery, appliances and electrical equipment by sea.”
Click on Related Media for March 2021 Retail Sales Index publication PDF


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Tuesday's threat from the U.S. of a round of 10 percent tariffs on an additional $200 billion worth of Chinese imports could deliver a major blow to China's export sector if it takes effect.
The new list shows that Washington is targeting key Chinese manufacturing export industries, said Rajiv Biswas, Asia Pacific chief economist at IHS Markit. By listing potential tariffs on goods including refrigerators, cotton, and steel and aluminum products, the Trump administration is going after China's electronics, textiles, metal products and auto parts industries.
“For China, the US is its largest export market, accounting for 19% of total Chinese exports. Therefore, if the US escalates its tariff measures to an additional USD 200 billion of products, this would mean that around half of Chinese exports of goods to the US would face significant US punitive tariff measures," Biswas said in a note.
“China’s export sector will therefore suffer a significant deterioration in export competitiveness to the US compared to other emerging markets’ manufacturing exporters, such as Vietnam, South Korea, Thailand, Bangladesh, Mexico and Brazil,” he added.
Moreover, the list seems to have been carefully curated, according to Vishnu Varathan, head of economics and strategy at Mizuho Bank.
“The Chinese imports picked are done with a view to minimize self-harm, and so the impact on U.S. consumers have been carefully considered,” Varathan told CNBC, adding that may explain why mobile phones have been omitted.


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ADITYA RAJ DAS /NEW DELHI
The government is implementing a central sector scheme for Integrated Cold Chain and Value Addition Infrastructure in the country in order to create infrastructure to link farm produce to retail markets.
The objective of the scheme is to provide integrated cold chain, preservation and value addition infrastructure facilities without any break, from the farm gate to the consumer in order to reduce post-harvest losses of horticulture and non-horticulture agri-produce, the Minister of State for Food Processing Industries Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti told the Lok Sabha today in a written reply.
This will enable linking groups of producers to processors and market through a well equipped supply chain and cold chain, thereby ensuring remunerative prices to farmers and year-round availability of food products to consumers, he said.
Under the scheme, financial assistance is provided in the form of grant-in-aid of maximum Rs 10 Crore per project. The scheme is primarily private sector driven and proposals under this scheme are invited through Expression of Interest (EOI).
The scheme of Integrated Cold Chain and Value Addition infrastructure is not crop specific and financial assistance is available for inter alia, creation of infrastructure for backward and forward integration of both horticulture and non-horticulture produce, the Minister said.


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Mercedes to Test Autonomous Electric Sedan in Israel
The automaker is working to obtain regulatory approval from Israeli authorities and hopes to begin testing on public roads later this year
Mercedes-Benz is preparing to test an autonomous car on public roads in Israel later this year, people familiar with the matter told Calcalist on condition of anonymity. The company is currently working to obtain regulatory approval from Israeli authorities.
To carry out the test, Mercedes will likely outfit an electric sedan with an autonomous driving system, the people familiar with the plans said.The automaker declined to provide comment for this story. Mercedes is already conducting research with self-driving vehicles in the U.S. and in several European countries. The company recently announced tests in Spain that will use the company’s newly introduced EQ electric SUV concept model. Dieter Zetsche, chairman of the board of management of Daimler and head of Mercedes-Benz Cars, visited Israel last year for the opening ceremony of the company’s research and development center. He said the company will seek out technology in Israel to help shape the company for a future of self-driving cars. There are several other companies, including General Motors, with autonomous vehicles in Israel. So far, the only company that has obtained authorization to conduct tests on public roads is Mobileye. The Jerusalem-based automotive technology company was acquired by Intel last year for $15.3 billion, a deal that highlighted Israel’s growing clout as a hub of auto technologies.


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MIAMI, May 27, 2021 — FIGS, founded by Endeavor Entrepreneurs Heather Hasson and Trina Spear, went public today at a price of $22 per share. A $3 increase from the previous analyst prediction of $19 per share, showing that underwriters believe there will be significant demand for the company’s stock.
Founded in 2013, FIGS identified a need for better quality alternatives to currently available products in the medical scrubs industry. FIGS aims to innovate the industry and simultaneously launched a philanthropic 1-for-1 program, Threads for Threads. According to their 2020 Impact Report, FIGS donated 70,398 scrubs and 100,000 isolation gowns to hospitals in underserved communities around the United States during Covid-19. FIGS also follows strict sustainable manufacturing guidelines requiring all of their manufacturers to be certified by the Worldwide Responsible Accredited Production (WRAP) program.
Since joining the Endeavor network in 2015, Heather and Trina have truly grown to embody what it means to be Endeavor Entrepreneurs. By serving as role models that constantly push the envelope, invest their resources into supporting new entrepreneurs, and mentor upcoming companies, they have paid their success forward to future generations of entrepreneurs.
“FIGS’ success creates a growing cycle of philanthropy every time the company expands. It’s Endeavor Entrepreneurs, leading companies like FIGS, who’s impact reaches far beyond the scope of a traditional business, who truly make a positive impact on the world,” stated Claudia Duran, managing director of Endeavor Miami.
Endeavor now supports over 2,175 entrepreneurs leading 1,356 companies in nearly 40 markets around the world. The organization’s entrepreneurs have created more than 3.9 million jobs, generate combined revenues of over $28B, and help build sustainable growth models in their home countries.
Established in 1997, Endeavor is leading the global high-impact entrepreneurship movement to drive economic growth and job creation by selecting, mentoring, and accelerating the best high-impact entrepreneurs around the world. To date, Endeavor has screened more than 100,000 individuals and selected more than 2,100 founders leading over 1,300 scale-up companies. With support from Endeavor’s worldwide mentor network, Endeavor Entrepreneurs have created over 3.9 million jobs, generate more than $28.7 billion in revenue each year, and inspire future generations to innovate and take risks, building strong entrepreneurship ecosystems in growth markets. Headquartered in New York City, Endeavor currently operates in 40 growth markets throughout Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, and North America. The Endeavor Miami affiliate was established in 2013, with the support of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation as the first U.S. affiliate of Endeavor Global. Endeavor Miami’s entrepreneurs generated close to $340M in revenues and over 3,000 jobs in South Florida in 2020. With the addition of its newest companies, the affiliate currently supports 22 companies and 39 entrepreneurs, such as Nearpod, Cameo, NovoPayment and Wyncode.


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The joint venture by Swedish telecommunications company and Japanese consumer electronics company, Sony Ericsson is rumored to announce its three new cellphones including W890i, W380i and K660i in coming Tuesday, November 6th.
As you know from their name, there’re two Walkman phones and one phone in the emotional design category.
SE W890i – A 3G-capable Walkman phone which includes an accelerometer, an 3.2 megapixel camera as well as a new version of Sony’s Walkman media player software.
SE W380i -A mid-range Walkman phone which features a new feature called as “gesture control” which should be able to control some media control by physical gestures.
SE K660i – An internet-centric mobile phone which designed to allow users to browse the web in both portrait and landscape mode. In addition, this 3G phone also has a maps and navigation services, aiming to deliver the great mobile internet experience to the users.


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Let's see that television lineup!
Apple has confirmed that they will host a keynote on March 25th at 1 PM EST. The tagline for the event is "It's show time." which leads us to believe that they will be focusing on the long-discussed streaming service that Apple will be launching featuring their own original programming. On top of that, it's also rumored that they will discuss their updated "news" feature as well as potentially showing off new iPads and AirPods.


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Rita Ora says she took a risk while shopping for her wedding dress and ended up finding a see-through gown that was 'meant to be'
Rita Ora told Vogue the see-through, Tom Ford wedding dress she wore to marry Taika Waititi didn't need a single alteration.
Dua Lipa's boyfriend, a French director, comes from a family of show business, with a film-producer mother and Oscar-winner father.
A photoshopped image of Zendaya has blown up and duped some people into thinking she went to the Met Gala in the same outfit as another celebrity
Some Twitter and TikTok users said they thought Zendaya and Rita Ora were at the Met Gala in the same outfit because of a viral photoshopped image.
Rita Ora found it 'ridiculous' that fans thought she was in a throuple with Taika Waititi and Tessa Thompson
Ora told GQ Hype that the viral photos of her seemingly kissing Waititi and Thompson were just friends "letting loose."
From sheer lace to completely see-through mesh, Rita Ora has worn some daring fashion on red carpets and to more private events.
The couple married in a "very small" ceremony in London in August, according to a source who spoke with People.
Taylor Swift makes surprise appearance at the 2022 MTV EMAs alongside hosts Rita Ora and Taika Waititi. See all the best red carpet photos here.
The MTV Europe Music Awards took place in Germany on Sunday, and Swift was among the biggest stars to show up for the star-studded ceremony.
'Thor: Love and Thunder' stars Natalie Portman and Tessa Thompson dazzled at the London red carpet premiere. Here are the best 15 photos from the event.
Portman and Thompson stood out among the rest in stunning red and gold dresses as they attended the UK premiere of the latest Marvel movie.


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Cinedigm has now officially been rebranded as Cineverse, with the change designed to better reflect the company’s streaming goals and ambitions. Cineverse already owns and operates a number of streaming services, including its flagship Cineverse service.
More recently, Cineverse confirmed that it had acquired the Christian Cinema on-demand service. According to the company, the purchased was made with the intention of combining Christian Cinema with Dove Channel, another of the properties Cineverse owns, to offer a more substantial faith-focused service in general.
In terms of the rebrand, Cineverse is apparently a name that’s more in keeping with the company’s current position. In explaining the history of the original name, Chris McGurk, Chairman and CEO of Cineverse, said that Cinedigm reflected the company’s specialization in digital innovation within the cinema industry.
In contrast, the new Cineverse name reflects the company’s position as “a pure-play business in the exciting and dynamic streaming content and technology space.”
According to the announcement, the name-change won’t result in a change to the company’s intention of becoming a major player within the streaming space. If anything, it is designed to further highlight the company’s continued investment in the streaming space.
Cineverse says that the plan is to “continue expanding our media library, currently at over 60,000 titles and growing rapidly, so that we have more compelling content and streaming channels to offer audiences than any other player in the entertainment business.”
For those already using the Cineverse streaming service, the change in name also isn’t expected to result in any changes to the service, which Cineverse says is now “the sixth-largest video streamer in the world by number of titles” and boasts “a library more extensive than that of Netflix, Hulu, HBO Max and Paramount+“.


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Written by By Nick Whigham, CNN
The way Volkswagen operates has come under intense scrutiny following the scandal surrounding its diesel emissions testing procedures.
Now that fallout appears to be taking a toll on the company’s leadership.
The German carmaker’s top management announced on Wednesday that long-time CEO Martin Winterkorn will step down following an investigation into allegations of corporate misconduct.
But Volkswagen Group CEO Herbert Diess will remain in the top job, with “a reduced operational role,” during the company’s hunt for a new chief executive, said Volkswagen in a press release on Wednesday.
“The allegations are grave and relate to important decisions of the VW Group that were being implemented at the time. Volkswagen Group takes the allegations very seriously,” Diess said in a statement.
Diess, who was named Volkswagen’s chief in January 2016, will remain in charge of the company’s automotive division, in addition to overseeing the company’s ethical and legal issues.
The CEO changes will apply to the other divisions of the Volkswagen Group.
Chairman Hans Dieter Poetsch, who has held the post since 2011, will replace Winterkorn.
Winterkorn announced his decision to step down in a note to company employees on Wednesday, after a damning report detailing the company’s misbehavior led to months of investigations.
“It would have been appropriate for me to ensure that the organization had enough visibility and clarity on the situation before I left office,” Winterkorn said in the statement.
Winterkorn’s resignation follows a March report that his office was monitoring hundreds of internal communications, including meetings and emails from executives. According to Reuters, Volkswagen sent investigators to examine Winterkorn’s daily routine.
Disclosure after the magazine Der Spiegel published the story forced Winterkorn to acknowledge he knew about the scope of the diesel cheating. He was already facing calls to resign following the report.
In addition to Winterkorn, three other high-ranking managers are now out of a job at Volkswagen:
— CEO of the Audi group, Rupert Stadler, is out after being placed under investigation for suspected violation of import law and perjury.
— Michael Horn, head of the VW brand in the United States, who has been a vocal proponent of VW’s efforts to mend its image, will also leave the company.
— Herbert Diess, who was earlier derided as weak in the wake of the diesel scandal, seems to have won over the company’s board with his humility and connection to its customers. The company can now speak of a credible European automotive leader.
“Herbert Diess represents the proven strength and integrity of the Volkswagen brand with his proven ideas for transforming the automotive industry. I see him as a key player in managing the group and driving Volkswagen forward,” Poetsch said in Wednesday’s statement.
Volkswagen is attempting to come to terms with the scandal, which has wiped nearly $40 billion off its market value and dealt a severe blow to its credibility in the U.S.
Earlier this month, the company reached a $14.7 billion settlement with the U.S. Justice Department and state of California over charges that the company installed software in its diesel vehicles to cheat on emissions tests.
Some 482,000 U.S. vehicles were affected by the software. The automaker has said it is too early to estimate the financial impact of the settlement and will determine how much it should pay owners of cars affected by the emissions scandal.


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Just in time for Apple’s iPhone to make its first debut on a network other than AT&T, mobile..


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The port committee at Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) is expected to meet Transportation Ministry officials this week to resolve the issue after APM Terminals (APMT), the operator of Khalifa Bin Salman Port (KBSP), allegedly threatened to block the release of the empty containers over pending storage charges ranging between BD5,000 ($13,133) and BD80,000, Trade Arabia reported. Companies are allowed to store their empty containers at the port for 10 days before a tax is imposed, however, the owners claim they had an agreement with officials to hold the boxes depending on availability of space without enforcing additional charges. The GDN earlier reported that the companies were given a deadline to settle the dues, which ended (August 24). “We have received the case from the representative of the agents who are facing the issue,” said BCCI port committee head Khalid Al Murbati.
Wednesday, August 27- 2014 @ 0:19 UAE local time (GMT+4) Replication or redistribution in whole or in part is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Mediaquest FZ LLC.


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Japan's Mitachi to set up Malaysia unit for chip sale, services
KUALA LUMPUR, NNA - Mitachi Co. plans to set up a subsidiary in Malaysia in February to sell semiconductors and other electronic components and to offer electronic manufacturing services, the Japanese electronic parts company said.
The company will turn its local office into Mitachi International (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., a wholly-owned subsidiary with a capital of 1 million ringgit ($240,000), to cater to customer demand in Malaysia's electronics market, according to a news release Friday.
The unit in Subang Jaya in the western coastal state of Selangor neighboring the capital will have an initial staff of three and will try to expand sales to Japanese and local manufacturers, the news release says.
The Nagoya-based company set up in 1976 has engaged in business in Southeast Asia since the 1990s. Aside from Malaysia, it currently has bases in Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines in Southeast Asia.
In the year that ended in May 2020, Mitachi posted group sales of 33.9 billion yen ($323 million), down 12.1 percent from the previous year, and group net profit of 496 million yen, down 48.9 percent.
Its sales from domestic businesses were 23.3 billion yen, down 10.0 percent, and those from overseas businesses were 10.6 billion yen, down 16.4 percent. (NNA/Kyodo)


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The Wall Street Journal reported this week that Google plans to sell co-branded tablets made by several category-three companies in a new online store.
But buying Motorola for patent protection, co-branding tablets, selling them in a store and even the existence of the Android mobile platform are all means to an end, which isn't big bucks from the hardware business, but revenue from Google Play digital content, online services and advertising.
Google is the only player in category two that's in the position to profit from the bits without stressing about the low- or zero-margin hardware business. That's its greatest advantage. Google can grow the market with reckless abandon because every new customer brings additional revenue, but not additional costs or risks.
Amazon and Barnes & Noble? Not so much.
Why Amazon's tablet business model isn't sustainable
Everyone seems to think that Amazon will continue to succeed in the tablet market. I'm not so sure.
Amazon's $199 Kindle Fire tablet launched the company into the number-two spot for tablets. It appears to be a successful product. And it is. But that success can't last with Amazon's current business model.
The big draw for the Kindle Fire was the price , which Amazon achieved by selling at a loss. Every time someone buys a Kindle Fire, Amazon loses money -- somewhere between $10 and $70. The strategy is to get new and more active customers with the tablet, then make up the difference over time through Amazon.com sales. It's the same business model as printers, which are sold at a loss with the expectation of massive profits through the sale of ink cartridges.
The idea that Amazon and Google are competitors needs to be addressed.
Amazon appears to be a partner with Google as an Android hardware maker. But remember: Neither of these companies is in the hardware business. They are competitors in the digital content and online services business. That Amazon is shamelessly exploiting the software platform of its most direct competitor doesn't change the fact.
Here's the problem for Amazon. As prices come down, Google's partners will be able to sell tablets -- without losing money -- at or below Amazon's $199 price.
To stay ahead in the race to the bottom, Amazon will need to continue subsidizing tablets. So when, say, Asus and Google are selling a co-branded $149 tablet, Amazon might sell a comparable device for $99. When the Asus-Google tablet drops to $99, Amazon would need to sell a comparable one for $69 and so on.
It's a losing proposition.
The lower prices go, the broader the audience. You get a lot more people who are unwilling or unable to spend a lot of money on things.
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But Apple does not store any personal information through iBeacon, a spokesman said. The technology is designed to only work one way, from the hardware to the phone. The hardware component emits a signal and the phone recognizes it, but nothing is sent back to the hardware, the spokesman said.
Beyond improving the bottom line for its own stores, Apple hopes its iBeacon technology could usher in all sorts of applications. The technology could provide third-party apps "a whole new level of micro-location awareness, such as trail markers in a park, exhibits in a museum, or product displays in stores," Apple said in a statement.


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05 Nov TOYOTA SOUTH AFRICA PRODUCES ITS FIRST HYBRID VEHICLE
TOYOTA SOUTH AFRICA PRODUCES ITS FIRST HYBRID VEHICLE
Imagine taking a spin across the country overlooking picturesque views in a proudly South African first of its kind hybrid SUV (sport utility vehicle). Well, this is soon to be a reality.
Business has confirmed its share of voice when it comes to rebuilding South Africa. While the country’s economy has been affected by the pandemic, the private sector continues to support government efforts by playing their part in restoring the country’s economic recovery plan as a collective private public partnership.
The recent announcement by Toyota South Africa and President Cyril Ramaphosa that the new Corolla Cross Hybrid compact SUV model will be produced in South Africa, comes at an opportune time of need. Toyota made a commitment of R2.43 billion investments earlier last year.
“With this investment, Toyota South Africa Motors (TSAM) is solidifying its long-term commitment to local manufacturing, as well as the South African automotive industry,” said TSAM President and CEO Andrew Kirby in a statement in 2020.
With Team SA’s theme for November at Expo 2020 in Dubai being MOBILITY: SOUTH AFRICA’S INVESTMENT DRIVE, the investment will be beneficial in reducing unemployment and make a strong statement that South Africa has reliable resources for hybrid vehicle manufacturing and is globally competitive.
Toyota SA sees the Corolla Cross hybrid compact SUV model as the first most affordable hybrid model to be locally produced with sales scheduled to launch in November.
Toyota’s hybrid powertrain features the automaker’s self-charging technology, which means that owners do not have to plug the car into an electric socket to charge it. Instead, the electric battery can self-charge through the SUV’s petrol engine or by recovering energy via regenerative braking. This process is in a continuous loop, ensuring that the battery is always charged with enough power to engage electric vehicle (EV) mode.
Some interesting facts about the Toyota brand in South Africa;
- Toyota South Africa was established 60 years ago and has become the leading automaker in South Africa
- South Africa was first introduced to the Toyota Corolla in 1975
- The Toyota Corolla is now in its twelfth generation
- The Corolla Cross Hybrid is the most affordable vehicle of its kind in the country


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Bay Area Luxury Home Sales Reaching Record Levels
High-end homes throughout the Bay Area sold at a record pace in 2013, according to a recent article in the San Jose Mercury News.
Citing figures from research firm DataQuick, the publication reports that 2,604 homes priced above $2 million sold in the Bay Area last year, a 28 percent jump from 2012 and the largest number since the vendor began keeping records.
Some of these luxury homes are bound to induce a bit of sticker shock. Atherton had the largest Bay Area sale of the year, with one home selling for almost $37 million. A $35 million transaction took place in San Francisco, while the costliest in Palo Alto was $15 million.
Million-dollar-plus home sales were also up across the Bay Area as a whole, growing nearly 41 percent since 2012. Alameda and Contra Costa counties saw the largest increases at this price point: 70 and 63 percent respectively.
U.S. HOME PRICE GAINS BEST SINCE 2005
Home prices across the nation grew year over year for the 22nd straight month and saw the largest gains in eight years, according to CoreLogic’s December Home Price Index.
“Last year, home prices rose 11 percent, the highest rate of annual increase since 2005, and 10 states and the District of Columbia reached new all-time price peaks,” Dr. Mark Fleming, CoreLogic chief economist, said in a statement.
In California, December year-over-year price increases were the second highest in the country, trailing only Nevada. Including distressed sales, prices grew 19.7 percent from December 2012; excluding distressed sales, they increased 16.2 percent.
SILICON VALLEY ECONOMY EXPLODING
The current tech boom is bringing high wages and low unemployment rates to Silicon Valley, so much so that a recent SFGate article claims that its economy has returned to heights seen in the dot-com era.
Using data from Joint Venture Silicon Valley‘s annual index, SFGate reports that the region added 47,000 new jobs in 2013. Forty-five percent of households in Silicon Valley now earn in excess of $100,000 a year, and the per capita income is more than $70,000.
While all of those jobs have given the area an unemployment rate of less than 6 percent, they haven’t resulted in home construction meeting market demand. Last year, 33,000 people moved to the Silicon Valley region, yet developers built just 6,500 new homes.


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Retro-soul music's been in fashion for the last decade on both sides of the Atlantic. But while there is no shortage of Stax-style soul-shouters and postmodern Motown acolytes out and about, there has been a dearth of acoustic soul revivalists bringing back the earthy 1970s vibes of such natural-born soul men as Bill Withers, Terry Callier, and Van Morrison.
That's where Michael Kiwanuka comes in. The 24-year-old jazz-schooled singer and guitarist of Ugandan parentage hails from the Muswell Hill section of North London, where the Davies brothers of the Kinks grew up.
Kiwanuka possesses a rich, grainy voice that communicates extraordinary calm. He has grabbed the attention of everyone from Adele - he opened for her in the United Kingdom last year - to the BBC, which ranked him as its most likely star-to-be in its Sound of 2012 tastemakers poll; to the Black Keys' Dan Auerbach, who on a recent tour stop in London, produced Kiwanuka's song "Lasan," included on the American version of the singer's debut LP, Home Again. (The album is available digitally and comes out as a physical release July 31.)


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Los Angeles–area gas prices seemed to spike at the worst time, during the peak summer driving season.
But experts say they're finally settling down.
Fuel pump comparison app and website GasBuddy.com says retail prices in the Los Angeles area have dropped nearly 10 cents per gallon in the last week. Hallelujah! The app looked at prices posted by 2,135 gas outlets in Los Angeles.
The average price for a gallon of gas, however, remains high, at $4.16, says GasBuddy. That's better than what we've been seeing since earlier in the month, when low inventories of California-specific fuel sparked historic price increases, but it's still high relative to the rest of the nation.
“It was the ramifications of demand outpacing supply,” Patrick DeHaan, senior petroleum analyst at GasBuddy, told us.
The American average for a gallon of gas is, gulp, $2,73 a gallon, according to the site. Dream on.
L.A.-area prices were still 15.5 cents higher per gallon than a year ago and 60.2 cents higher per gallon than before the latest climb last month, the app says.
On Friday the Auto Club of Southern California declared our summer gas nightmare “over” for now.
“While this last gas price spike was particularly sudden and large, Southern California drivers are still saving a lot of money at the pump in 2015 compared to last year,” said Auto Club spokesman Jeffrey Spring.
The bad news is that the dip in prices could stall out. DeHaan says an slight increase in wholesale prices, about 30 cents per gallon since Friday, could slow down the dive or even give us another slight increase.
“There's still so much downward pressure on prices that this will slow the rate of decrease,” he said. The dip “may stall out as those wholesale increases show up. I can't rule out a slight increase.”
Fill up now if you can.
Longer-term, the news is better. As fall nears, demand goes down, and so do prices. Usually. DeHaan:
For now, it would appear that the latter half of the summer will bring cheaper gas prices than the first half, while this autumn is shaping up to give this past winter a run for its money in terms of cheap gas prices.
Advertising disclosure: We may receive compensation for some of the links in our stories. Thank you for supporting LA Weekly and our advertisers.


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Mazda Motor Corp. 7261 0.63 % clinched a deal on Friday with Italian auto maker Fiat SpA to supply the Mazda Miata roadster as the foundation for a new Alfa Romeo sports car, taking a high-profile step forward in its fight to survive in a world of global giants.
This is a tough time to be a small Japanese auto maker. A strong yen, political tensions in China, slumping sales in Europe and intensified competition from Korea's Hyundai Motor HYMLY 0.00 % Group, Germany's Volkswagen AG and the Detroit Three are squeezing Japan's second-tier car companies, particularly in the U.S. Suzuki Motor Co. 7269 -0.41 % last year gave up the fight to stay in the U.S. market.
Mazda Chief Executive Takashi Yamanouchi says he is determined to expand global sales and stand his ground in the U.S., using a strategy that combines a homegrown approach to building lower cost, more efficient vehicles with opportunistic alliances such as the deal with Fiat.
"We won't only stay, but reinforce our presence," Mr. Yamanouchi says of the U.S. market.
Securing a future for the Miata roadster is important to Mazda's brand. The car is Mazda's most distinctive offering and has an enthusiastic cult following. But the company's fortunes depend more on the reception for the new Mazda 6 midsize sedan and a redesigned Mazda CX-5 sport utility vehicle, featured prominently on Mazda's stand at the Detroit Auto Show that opens Saturday.
The Mazda 6 competes in a crowded segment with models such as the Honda Motor Co. Accord, Toyota TM 0.16 % Motor Corp. Camry, Ford Motor Co. F 1.41 % Fusion, Hyundai Sonata and Nissan Motor Co. Altima. The CX-5 is looking for elbow room in the compact crossover wagon segment that is dominated in the U.S. by Honda's CR-V, Toyota's RAV-4 and Ford's Escape.
Mazda is betting that consumers will be drawn to the fuel economy numbers achieved by an approach to vehicle design and technology the company calls SkyActiv. Under the hood, SkyActiv engines use higher compression and a new exhaust system to boost fuel efficiency without sacrificing power. The SkyActiv approach applied to body engineering cuts weight by as much as 100 kilograms, Mr. Yamanouchi says.
The result is that the CX-5's U.S. fuel economy is rated at 29 miles a gallon, compared with 26 mpg for the rival Honda CR-V.
Mr. Yamanouchi says the new CX-5 costs 150,000 yen less to produce than the outgoing CX-7 model it replaces.
"Even with the dollar at 77 yen, we could build this product in Japan at a profit," Mr. Yamanouchi said in a recent interview.
Over the next four years, Mr. Yamanouchi says Mazda plans 8 SkyActiv models, including the Mazda 6 sedan and the CX-5.
David Sullivan, manager of product analysis at researcher AutoPacific Inc., says Mazda faces a challenge re-connecting with customers disappointed by its recent models.
"What is SkyActiv?," he asks. "It doesn't resonate with green feeling or a fuel economy benefit. The message is lost in the marketing terminology."
Mr. Sullivan and other analysts say Mazda is one of the most vulnerable of the Japanese auto makers to the fluctuations in the value of the yen against the U.S. dollar and other currencies. The recent strength of the yen has sliced into profits Mazda earns on vehicles exported from Japan.
Mazda has forecast a profit of ¥10 billion for the fiscal year ended March 31, and in October reported a profit in the quarter ended Sept. 30 despite a sharp slowdown in sales in China. The company's share price has more than doubled since last October.
Mazda currently builds about 850,000 vehicles a year in Japan and about 400,000 vehicles outside of Japan. By 2016, Mr. Yamanouchi says Mazda expects to build about the 850,000 vehicles outside of Japan, while holding Japanese production at the current level.
Like other small auto makers, Mazda faces a stiff challenge keeping pace with larger rivals that have more capital to invest in fuel-saving technology, new models and new markets.
In the U.S., Mazda sold 277,048 vehicles last year, up 10.6% from a year earlier. The new CX-5 utility vehicle, and increased sales for the compact Mazda 3 and subcompact Mazda 2 models drove the increase.
For about 30 years, Mazda found shelter under the wing of much larger Ford, which owned 33.4% stake in the Hiroshima-based auto maker. But starting in 2008, Ford sold most of its Mazda stake and the two companies began to chart independent courses.
Ford and Mazda still share a 50-50 joint venture to build small pickup trucks in Thailand, and Mr. Yamanouchi says the companies will still collaborate on some research and development.
Mazda is now looking to other partners to plug gaps in its product lineup, and expand its revenue base. In addition to the deal with Fiat, Mazda also has a venture to produce small cars for Toyota at a Mazda factory in Mexico.
"Being a small player," he says, "we can't do everything on our own."
—Yoshio Takahashi contributed to this article.
Write to Joseph B. White at email@example.com


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The Ontario government has released framework to help Ontarians navigate the next phase of the pandemic – and this time, it’s colour-coded. This framework outlines rules, restrictions, and zones for every region throughout the province based on how they are faring with the virus.
However, it can be a confusing system to navigate. Especially because the framework acts as a guideline, meaning each local medical officer of health can add on more restrictions if they deem it necessary.
The colour-coded framework includes five different zones: Prevent-Green, Protect-Yellow, Restrict-Orange, Control-Red, and Lockdown-Grey.
The government recently announced that it would be extending the orders intended to combat COVID-19 until at least December 21.
All Ontarians are being asked to limit close contact to their immediate household, regardless of which zone they live in.
Those in the red or grey zones should only leave their homes for essential purposes, such as work, school, grocery shopping, exercise, and medical appointments, the government says.
With different rules and restrictions flying around, it’s important to know which rules apply to certain regions. Residents from grey or red zones should not be entering other zones, especially when the province is asking that they limit trips outside of the home.
Daily Hive has broken it all down for you to understand why the colour-coded system exists and how to navigate it.
What do the colours mean?
The Green zone is the most open, with only the highest-risk operations remaining closed. The Yellow zone includes fines and enhanced targeted enforcement to limit further transmission of the virus. There are also public health measures for high-risk settings in place.
The Orange zone includes enhanced measures, restrictions, and enforcement while trying to avoid any unnecessary closures. The Red zone has broader-scale measures and restrictions across multiple sectors to forcefully control transmission.
The Grey zone is most similar to the mandated lockdown imposed at the beginning of the pandemic, and includes widescale measures and restrictions, including closures, to stop transmission
Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced that several health regions across the province will face harsher restrictions beginning at 12:01am on November 23.
The City of Toronto and Peel Region will be placed in the grey zone for at least 28 days. This marks the first time the province has placed health regions under a second lockdown since the start of the pandemic.
At the same time, Durham Region and Waterloo will move into the red zone.
Under the grey category, no indoor organized public events or social gatherings will be allowed, except with members of the same household. Outdoor gatherings are limited to 10 people, as long as physical distancing is maintained.
Restaurants, bars, and food or drink establishments can only be open for takeout, delivery, and drive-through. Retail stores can only offer curbside pick-up and delivery.
Several industries are closed in the grey zone, including personal care services, casinos, bingo halls, cinemas (except for drive-ins), museums, sports and recreational facilities (except for high performance and professional athletes), and meeting and event spaces.
Supermarkets, grocery and convenience stores, hardware stores, beer, wine, and liquor stores, pharmacies, and safety supply stores will remain open at 50% capacity.
- Everything that will be closed in Toronto and Peel under the new COVID-19 lockdown
- Toronto’s top doctor says lockdown is “necessary decision” to combat COVID-19
- Ontario reports record-breaking COVID-19 numbers with 1,588 new cases
So which areas are in what colour?
Below are all of the Ontario Public Health regions and the corresponding colour-coded zone they will be in as of Monday, November 23:


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Starting today, Walt Disney World Cast Members will begin to receive their new specially designed nametags in the mail.
New Nametags for Walt Disney World Cast Members
Walt Disney World Cast Members will receive new nametags that were designed especially for them.
The new design will feature a gold star above a navy-colored silhouette of Cinderella Castle. This is to represent Cast Members as “the guiding light for The Most Magical Place on Earth.” The nametags also feature white stars throughout.
As we previously reported, Cast Members were to receive the new nametags soon, but won’t begin wearing them until May 16.
Cast Members with special themed nametags, such as Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, will receive the new designs but will continue to wear the themed ones in the parks.
Recently, Disney shared a video on Facebook of the nametag creation process at the Walt Disney World Engraving Department to announce the new nametags. The post reads, “For cast members, Disney is a calling to be part of something extraordinary, something magical, and something incredibly unique. Our Disney nametags are a symbol that connects us to our guests and each other, and this spring, Walt Disney World cast will receive a new nametag with a never-before-seen design just for them.”
The new design wasn’t shown in the video, only the current EARidescent 50th anniversary and Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge nametags. Disney wrote to Cast Members, “We’re not quite ready to reveal the design yet, but prepare for some magical mail.”
At the beginning of The World’s Most Magical Celebration, Cast Members were given sparkling nametags with a golden border and the 50th Anniversary Cinderella Castle logo at the top. Though the celebration is officially over, Cast Members were instructed to continue wearing their 50th anniversary nametags.
Disneyland Resort Cast Members received new Disney100 nametags recently that list their favorite Disney character instead of their hometown. Last year, Imagineers also debuted new shiny nametags celebrating 70 years of Walt Disney Imagineering.
What do you think of the new nametag design for Walt Disney World Cast Members? Let us know in the comments below.
For the latest Disney Parks news and info, follow WDW News Today on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.


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Facebook on Monday continued its mission to convince the world's top marketers that the standard means of measuring an online ad's performance — the click-through rate — doesn't matter.
The social network advanced its latest argument to a packed room of marketing execs at the IAB MIXX conference in New York featuring Director of Pricing and Measurement Brad Smallwood (pictured) and Tom Buday, head of marketing and communication at star pupil Nestle.
In his presentation, Smallwood compared social media to the early days of television, which lacked a standard metric until Arthur Nielsen introduced a ratings system in 1950. Smallwood proposed that the industry rely on the two measurements that have served TV well since that time: reach and frequency.
To bolster his argument, Smallwood cited research from Nielsen (the company, not the founder) that showed a 0.07% correlation between high click-through rates and actual sales. Smallwood also rolled out some new data from a study conducted with Datalogix that found 99% of sales generated from online branding ad campaign came from consumers who saw ads, but didn't interact with them. The report also produced fuzzier statistics, like campaigns that "maximized reach" generated an average 70% higher ROI than those that didn't and that campaigns that maximized frequency had a 40% higher ROI. Since Smallwood didn't outline what constitutes either maximized reach or frequency, the stat seemed short on specifics. However, he emphasized that each campaign is likely to have a different threshold for each.
Facebook's pitch to marketers was that the company would calculate such thresholds for them and ensure that each campaign reached its potential. To underscore its point, it showcased Buday's experience with Nestle. Buday criticized the idea of a media platform like Facebook having a set ROI. Instead, he reiterated that the quality of the marketing communication plays a big role. "The single greatest source of leverage is the quality of messaging, whether its a TV commercial or a post on a Facebook Page," he said. "It's not platforms that work or don't work, it's brand communications and messages that do."
To illustrate his point, Buday showed slides of Nestle brand Skinny Cow's highly engaged Facebook Page. "If you look at the typical Facebook Page, it's rarely this good," Buday said immodestly. To achieve its high level of success, Nestle not only followed Facebook's recommendations for reach and frequency (both of which are enhanced by ad buys), but adhered to a strict rulebook on communications on the platform. (Example: Go easy on the cow puns.) In Buday's view, the onus is on the brand marketer to compete for attention in the News Feed with "husbands, wives, kids and nephews."
Facebook, which has underwhelmed Wall Street with its ability to monetize its format, particularly the mobile iteration, via advertising, has been making the "clicks don't matter" argument for some time. Even the parallel with Nielsen Ratings isn't particularly new since the company has been pushing Nielsen's Gross Ratings Points as a metric since last August.
Whether Facebook will succeed in convincing Corporate America that CTRs are a relic of the past remains to be seen. Though there are plenty of doubters, including General Motors, there are proponents as well, including Scott Monty, Ford's global digital/multimedia communications manager who, like Buday, ridiculed the idea of measuring Facebook via clicks. "What's the ROI of a TV commercial?" he asked. "What's the ROI of a press release? What's the ROI of putting your pants on every day? It's hard to measure but there's negative consequences for not doing it."


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ROSEVILLE, MI – Ultimation Industries LLC announced that John Daugherty has joined the company as Vice President, Sales and Engineering.
"John is one of the most experienced, respected and capable leaders in the North America material handling industry, with a depth and breadth of technical knowledge that is unsurpassed," said Jacqueline Canny, CEO of Ultimation. "He will round out the leadership team to take the company to the next level in terms of technical capability and sales."
Daugherty's initial priorities will be expanding Ultimation's product offerings and further developing the application engineering team to build on the growth the company has experienced over the past eight years.
Prior to joining Ultimation, Daugherty was General Manager, Product Sales, at Daifuku Webb. His background in the conveyor industry includes several decades of experience in systems engineering, general management, sales and business development for Ford Motor Co., Durr and Jervis Webb.
Ultimation Industries LLC is a leader in the conveyor technology and automation industry, designing, building and installing conveyor equipment for customers throughout the Americas.
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A newly released study linked regular consumption of citrus fruits with an increased risk for melanoma.
The findings, however, did not indicate whether citrus caused the potentially deadly form of skin cancer, and the study's lead author said it should be interpreted with caution.
The analysis, published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, used data from about 63,000 women and 41,000 men between the mid-1980s and 2010.
Of the participants, those who consumed citrus between two to four times per week had a 10 percent increased risk for melanoma.
Senior author Dr. Abrar Qureshi, of the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University and Rhode Island Hospital, said citrus foods contain chemicals known to make the skin more sensitive to the sun.
Still, Qureshi and other experts said more studies were needed and did not recommend changing fruit consumption habits. Instead, they urged people who eat citrus to take extra precaution regarding sun protection.
"The citrus can't hurt you without the excessive sun exposure," Qureshi said.


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WASHINGTON, D.C. President Donald Trump on Wednesday criticized Nordstrom for what he said was its unfair treatment of his daughter Ivanka after its decision to not purchase her clothing line for this upcoming season.Shares of the retailer fell 0.7 percent after the president’s criticism. They later recovered to trade up 0.2 percent.”My daughter Ivanka has been treated so unfairly by @Nordstrom. She is a great person always pushing me to do the right thing! Terrible!,” Trump said on Wednesday in his post on Twitter.In a statement last week, Nordstrom said it routinely cuts brands each year and that the decision to pass on the Ivanka Trump brand had been based on its performance.A day after Nordstrom’s statement, luxury retailer Neiman Marcus Group also said it had stopped selling Ivanka Trump’s jewelry line on its website and a store in New Jersey, according to Yahoo News.In North Carolina, fashions and accessories from the Ivanka Trump line were also removed from the Charlotte-based Belk department store website over the weekend. Items will remain in some brick and mortar stores, according to reports.Since winning the presidential election on Nov. 8, Trump has targeted specific companies on Twitter. But this is his first tweet criticizing a business tied to his family since the victory.Ivanka Trump ran a clothing and jewelry business bearing her name, in addition to other work for the Trump Organization, before saying she would resign when her father was sworn in as president last month.ProPublica reported on Feb. 2 that the Trump Organization said Ivanka had resigned her positions but that it had not yet filed the changes. The Trump organization later said the filings would be done by Feb. 3, according to the report.
A federal judge rejected Google’s proposed class-action settlement with non-Gmail users who said it illegally scanned their emails to Gmail users to create targeted advertising on March 16. In a decision on Wednesday night, U.S. […]
WASHINGTON, D.C. President Donald Trump signed an order this week that will seek to dramatically reduce federal regulations, but the policy will not apply to most of the financial reform rules introduced by the […]
BOSTON — Seventeen years after it was born with the help of CIA seed money, the data-mining outfit Palantir Technologies is finally going public in the biggest Wall Street tech offering since last year’s debut […]


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Sara Lee has continued its break-up with the sale of its North American coffee business for $350m (£218.6m) to JM Smucker.
The deal comes as Sara Lee presses on with plans to split into two publicly traded companies – a US foodservice and meat business, and an international beverages business.
Four hundred and fifty staff will switch to JM Smucker as part of the latest deal.
“In recent years, our North American coffee business has been foodservice-based and largely unbranded, which is a challenge in a highly competitive marketplace,” said Sara Lee chairman Jan Bennink.
“Our decision to sell a major part of this business to Smucker is an example of Sara Lee Coffee & Tea’s renewed focus on sustainable, profitable growth and part of our mandate to create the strongest possible pure-play company.”
Last month Michiel Herkemij was hired as chief executive of Sara Lee’s international beverage business.
World News 5/2/11 (5 February 2011)
Sara Lee is target for Brazilian meat group (26 January 2011)


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Uber, the smartphone technology app that connects riders to drivers at the push of a button, has partnered with OwlPost to give its Lahore based riders a chance to get UberEIDI. OwlPost is a monthly subscription box which offers just released novels delivered right to your doorstep.
On Saturday, 2nd July, between the hours of 8 PM and 11 PM, Lahore based riders can participate by logging in to the Uber app and swiping the slider to request UberEIDI, which will be delivered completely free of cost at their doorstep. All Lahore riders are eligible to participate in getting the chance to order their UberEIDI, however, there will be limited availability.
Excited about the upcoming activity, Haseeb Ashraf Co-Founder of OwlPost said, “At OwlPost we believe in pushing the boundaries of our world forward to bring about a transition that changes lives through books and writing. We partnered with Uber to propagate and spread to Lahore the idea of our tireless and non-ending movement that we proudly initiated as #TheBookwormMovement, a movement which is in pursuit of reviving the art of getting lost in a good book.”
Uber has a long-term commitment to bringing a safe, reliable transport option to the Pakistan at the push of a button, as well as creating tens of thousands of jobs and entrepreneurship opportunities for the drivers that use the technology for work. Partnerships like that with OwlPost allow users to enjoy the reliability and convenience of the app beyond transport.
The technology company recently announced an investment of $250 million in the MENA and Pakistan, with a large portion going to growing the team, driver network and further expansion across the country. Uber has been operational for in Lahore since March 2016.


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Another day, another Sony-related web site gets hacked, according to the BBC. Hackers have managed to breach the security of Sony Ericsson Canada’s online store, reportedly stealing users’ personal data such as e-mails, passwords and telephone numbers. Sony has confirmed that this information has been stolen, but no credit card information was compromised.
Sony-related sites around the world have become the preferred target of hackers this this week; yesterday the website of the company’s Greek music division was hacked and the personal information of about 8,500 customers was stolen. A company spokesman told the BBC earlier this week that Sony’s Music Entertainment website in Indonesia and Sony’s Thailand website were also hacked, though no data had been stolen in those cases.
No hacking groups have claimed responsibility for compromising these four sites.


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2024 GMC Sierra EV pickup debuts with Max Power, long range and a huge price
GMC is pulling into the EV lead.
The automaker has unveiled the 2024 GMC Sierra EV Denali, which will likely make it the first brand with two electric pickups in its lineup.
The Sierra EV joins the Hummer EV that debuted this year and shares its Ultium electric vehicle platform but with a more traditional pickup style than its extreme off-road sibling.
“It’s really the mainstream pickup truck for the everyday customer that wants to drive that traditional size and width of vehicle,” chief engineer Nicole Kraatz told Fox News Digital’s The Fox Garage.
The four-door crew cab has a 5 foot, 11 inch bed that can be extended to 9 feet into the cabin by opening a MultiPro midgate that allows the seats to be folded down and the rear window removed.
A storage space GMC called the eTrunk is found under the hood where an engine would usually be.
The Sierra EV will launch in early 2024 with the top-of-the-line luxurious Denali Edition 1 trim, which is equipped with all the bells and whistles and priced at $107,000. But a $50,000 model will be added.
“If they’re going to make their first foray into an electric truck, Denali is where they want to be,” Molly Peck, GMC’s head of marketing, said GMC customers told the company during market research. “Denali for them signals the best.”
The Sierra EV Denali has a dual-motor all-wheel drivetrain that produces 754 horsepower and 785 pound-feet of torque in Max Power mode, which can accelerate it to 60 mph in about 4.5 seconds.
It has a 200 kilowatt-hour battery pack, the same as the top Hummer EV and the largest of any vehicle, which provides over 400 miles of range between charges.
The 800-volt electrical architecture is capable of charging at speeds of up to 350 kilowatts and can add 100 miles of electricity in 10 minutes at a public fast charging station. The battery can also provide enough off-board power to power essential home appliances for up to 21 days during an outage through an integration system that will be sold through the Ultium Home line.
The Sierra EV Denali Edition 1 trim has a towing capacity of 9,500 pounds and can carry up to 1,300 pounds on board. It rides on an adaptive air suspension system and is equipped with four-wheel steering that allows it to make tighter turns than a traditional vehicle and also drive diagonally at a 10-degree angle in what GMC calls CrabWalk mode.
The interior has a full glass roof and is trimmed in authentic open-pore wood, aluminum and stainless steel. A wide rectangular digital display serves as the instrument cluster while the infotainment system gets a 16.8-inch tablet-style touchscreen with an embedded volume knob and a row of multifunctional toggles beneath it.
Electronic driver aids include a 360-degree camera system and GM’s Super Cruise, which is a hands-off lane-keeping adaptive cruise control that is being upgraded to be able to operate on over 400,000 miles of pre-mapped roads across the U.S. and Canada, including Route 66.
The Sierra EV Denali will be sold alongside the Chevrolet Silverado EV that’s also built on the Ultium platform and will compete against the higher-end versions of the Ford F-150 Lightning and yet to be revealed Ram Revolution electric pickup.
Ford has raised the base price of the entry-level F-150 Lightning Pro work truck from $41,660 to,$53,769 over the course of this year, citing inflationary pressures, and the Hummer EVs price has been increased by $6,250. But Kraatz said GMC plans to hit the $50,000 mark when the base Sierra EV Elevation trim launches in 2025.
“We are actually going to be able to do it, absolutely,” Kraatz said.
A rugged Sierra EV AT4 off-road model will arrive with the Elevation at a yet to be announced price point.


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- Google will no longer name its Android operating system releases after desserts, the company says in a blog post Thursday.
- Its next release, previously known as Android Q, will be called Android 10.
- Google says the change is meant to make the operating system names more accessible to its global users.
Google is nixing its quirky naming convention for new versions of its Android operating system and using numbers instead.
The company has typically named its new Android releases after desserts, placing a statue of the treat next to the Android figure at its Mountain View, California, headquarters. The releases are named in alphabetical order, with its latest release, Pie, following Oreo, Nougat, Marshmallow and so on.
In a blog post Thursday, Google said its next version of Android, which it had previously referred to as Android Q, will be named simply Android 10. The change comes after feedback over the years that certain letters, such as L and R, are hard to distinguish when spoken out loud in some languages, making it difficult to understand to which version of Android someone is referring.
"As a global operating system, it's important that these names are clear and relatable for everyone in the world," Google said in the blog post.


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News tagged loss
Last update: Thursday 14 August 2014 [377 news items]
Suntech 3Q11 loss narrows
Nov 24, 11:56
Suntech Power Holdings, a China-based producer of solar panels, has announced financial results for its third fiscal quarter ended September 30, 2011.
ReneSola reports falling 3Q11 revenues
Nov 24, 11:49
ReneSola, a China-based solar firm, has reported a sharp decline in its third-quarter 2011 revenues. Net revenues for the quarter came to US$189.1 million, down 24.2% on quarter and...
SMIC posts 3Q11 loss
Nov 8, 15:14
Contract chipmaker Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp (SMIC) swung to net losses of US$88.1 million in the third quarter of 2011 from profits of US$30.4 million a year...
VIA suffers continued net loss in 3Q11
Nov 4, 17:07
VIA Technologies posted revenues of NT$990 million (US$34.1 million), gross margin of 27.82%, net operating loss of NT$189 million, net loss of NT$1.513 billion including a loss of...
CMI losses widen in 3Q11
Nov 1, 14:10
Chimei Innolux (CMI) saw its net losses widen to NT$17.257 billion (US$577 million) for the third quarter of 2011 from NT$13.01 billion in the previous quarter, according to a company's...
Asia Optical 3Q11 losses shrink
Oct 31, 11:26
Asia Optical, which makes optical lenses and digital cameras, has reported third-quarter losses narrowed significantly, with net loss reduced to NT$20 million from net loss of NT$309...
Winbond swings to small loss in 3Q11
Oct 31, 10:18
Winbond Electronics has reported net loss of NT$41 million (US$1.4 million) for the third quarter, compared to profit of NT$269 million in the prior quarter, with revenues sliding...
Rexchip swings to 3Q11 net loss
Oct 28, 15:02
Rexchip Electronics, the Taiwan-based production subsidiary of Elpida Memory, swung to net losses in the third quarter from profits in the second quarter and a year earlier.
Elpida swings to loss in fiscal 2Q11
Oct 27, 16:58
Japan's Elpida Memory swung to operating losses in the second quarter of its fiscal 2011 from profits a year ago, as sluggish growth in PC shipments led to a worsening of the supply-demand...
Motech reports narrower loss for 3Q11
Oct 27, 11:31
Taiwan-based solar cell maker Motech Industries has announced consolidated revenues for the third quarter of 2011 increased 17% sequentially with net losses narrowing to NT$574 million...
AUO posts loss of NT$15.8 billion for 3Q11
Oct 25, 15:01
AU Optronics (AUO) has posted consolidated revenues of NT$98.927 billion (US$3.25 billion) for third-quarter 2011, up 0.9% from the previous quarter. Gross profit was at negative...
Powerchip 3Q11 loss widens
Oct 20, 11:56
Losses have widened at Taiwan-based Powerchip Technology amid persisting oversupply of DRAM chips and dramatic price drops.
Nanya, Inotera post larger losses for 3Q11
Oct 19, 16:13
Nanya Technology and Inotera Memories both saw their net losses widen sequentially and on year in the third quarter of 2011, affected by falling DRAM prices.
I-Chiun reports 3Q11 net loss of NT$0.85 per share
Oct 18, 15:36
I-Chiun Precision Industry, a maker of LED SMD lead frames, reported January-September revenues of NT$3.744 billion (US$125 million), a 21.7% on-year decrease. Gross margin was reported...
Elpida sees loss in 1H of FY2011
Oct 14, 16:41
Japan's Elpida Memory has disclosed preliminary results for the first half of the company's fiscal 2011, estimating it slipped to the red with sales declining 51% on year.
HDD industry impacted by Thailand floods
Oct 13, 01:25
HDD players Western Digital, Seagate, Hitachi Global Storage Technologies (HGST) and Toshiba have all been impacted by the floods in Thailand amid power shortages and a breakdown...
Rexchip to report loss for 3Q11, says paper
Newswatch - Sep 19, 12:18
Rexchip Electronics is likely to fall into the red along with fellow Taiwan-based DRAM manufacturers in the third quarter of 2011, according to a Chinese-language Apple Daily...
UMC may see operating loss in 4Q11, say analysts
Sep 6, 11:33
Taiwan-based foundry chipmaker United Microelectronics (UMC) is likely to see its third-quarter 2011 operation fall short of its forecast made in early August, and suffer an operating...
CPT, HannStar post losses in 1H11
Sep 5, 16:16
LCD panel maker Chunghwa Picture Tubes (CPT) has posted total revenues of NT$29.76 billion (US$1.02 billion) for first-half 2011, declining 25% compared with the same period in 2010...
MTI suffers large 1H11 net loss
Sep 2, 10:38
Microelectronics Technology (MTI), a Taiwan-based maker of microwave and satellite communication products, saw net losses of NT$1.032 billion (US$35.4 million) in the first half of...
Neo Solar Power posts 2Q11 loss
Sep 1, 01:45
Solar cell maker Neo Solar Power swung to net losses of NT$1.05 billion (US$36 million) in the second quarter of 2011 from profits of NT$1.04 billion a year ago. This also marked...
JTouch reports losses in 1H11
Aug 31, 15:05
JTouch reported total revenues of NT$1.58 billion (US$54.47 million) in second-quarter 2011, with an on-quarter growth of 30% but with sliding gross profit margin due to postponed...
E-Ton reports 2H11 net loss of NT$4.77 per share
Aug 30, 15:03
Taiwan-based solar cell firm E-Ton Solar reported revenues of NT$5.424 billion (US$187 million) for the first half of 2011. Net losses were NT$2.039 billion, representing NT$4.77...
Giantplus reports operating loss for 1H11
Aug 30, 12:32
Giantplus Technology has reported consolidated revenues of NT$6.61 billion (US$228 million) with gross margin of 2.36% for first half of 2011. Operating loss came to NT$281 million...
FIH losses narrow in 1H11
Newswatch - Aug 30, 11:34
Foxconn International Holdings (FIH), the Hong Kong-listed handset arm of Foxconn Electronics, has managed to narrow its losses to US$18 million for the first half of 2011, down sharply...


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After snapping a losing streak on Wednesday, futures tied to the S&P 500 are currently down 0.2%, with Dow futures falling 0.3%. However Nasdaq futures are trading up 0.4%. Investors are keeping an eye out for the weekly US jobless claims report (expected at 846,000 down from 881,000 last week), as well as producer prices for August.
Verint shares are rising about 9.7% in Thursday’s pre-market trading as the software company announced better-than-expected results for the second quarter of fiscal 2021, which ended July 31. “Our cloud-first strategy is working well. In Q2, we delivered strong cloud revenue growth, strong SaaS bookings growth, and an increase in the percentage of our software revenue that is recurring” cheered CEO Dan Bodner.
And RH is surging after the luxury furnishings retailer topped 2Q estimates. RH reported adjusted earnings of $4.90 per share, higher than analysts’ expectations of $3.41 per share. Revenues of $709.3 million came ahead of Street estimates of $707.14 million. “RH’s Q2 update impressed across the board with sharp demand improvement, a 29% EBIT beat and a surprisingly bullish 2H outlook comprised of ~18% sales growth and ~22% EBIT margins” exclaimed Wells Fargo’s Zachary Fadem.
Also in the green is Quest Diagnostics which has just boosted its FY20 Adjusted EPS guidance to $7.50-$9.00 from its previous range of $6.60-$8.60 vs. $8.03. Net revenue is now forecast at $8.4B-$8.8B (vs prior $8.0B-$8.6B vs. $8.55B). Organic testing volumes in its base business (excluding COVID-19 molecular and antibody testing), continued to recover faster than anticipated through the end of August, explains Quest.
Tesla is up 2.5% on reports that it is eyeing an extra 30 acres of land for ‘logistics’ purposes near its planned new German factory, says WirtschaftsWoche. Plus Electrek reports that Tesla is hoping for a “first completion” of Gigafactory Texas in May of next year. Tesla is planning to produce several vehicles at Gigafactory Texas- with the Cybertruck taking center stage.
However shares in GameStop are tumbling 15% this morning after the video gaming rental chain missed 2Q estimates due to lower store base and operating days amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Same-store sales plunged 12.7% year-over-year, with revenue down 27%- but global e-commerce sales spiked by an incredible 800%.
Meanwhile Zscaler delivered stronger-than-expected 4Q results, thanks to the robust demand for cloud-based cybersecurity solutions amid the COVID-19 pandemic-led remote working trend. However shares are trading down 2% in Thursday’s pre-market trading.
Post-print FuelCell is also currently trading 2.3% lower as EPS missed by $0.01, although it delivered a $2.65M revenue beat.
In healthcare news, AstraZeneca has announced that its Fasenra asthma therapy used in the treatment for a chronic inflammatory disease of the nasal passage linings, or sinuses met both co-primary endpoints in a late-stage trial.
Deal or no deal: India’s Reliance Industries is offering to sell a $20 billion stake in its retail arm Reliance Retail Ventures Ltd to Amazon, according to a Bloomberg report. Amazon has shown interest in investing in Reliance Retail but is yet to make a decision.
BP PLC and Equinor have also announced a strategic partnership to develop offshore wind projects in the US. As part of the deal, the UK oil and gas giant will buy a 50% interest in two of Equinor’s US wind assets – the Empire Wind and Beacon – for $1.1 billion.
Finally, the Street is coming out in support of a Tiffany/ LVMH deal, after Tiffany filed a US lawsuit against LVMH to enforce their $16 billion merger agreement. “Considering the deal was initially negotiated in November 2019 (pre-pandemic), the deal could still be finalized, albeit at a lower price,” Guggenheim’s Robert Drbul told investors. “We continue to believe LVMH is the optimal buyer for TIF, and TIF is a logical fit within LVMH’s portfolio of brands.”
Similarly, Oppenheimer analyst Brian Nagel also noted that the latest developments are likely part of an ongoing negotiation. “Our best estimate is that there now exists an 80-85% chance (down from 90%-plus) for a deal to occur at or above an acquisition price of $108/share (vs. a current offer of $135/share)” he wrote.


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Online usage amongst mobile phone owners in the US growing
A recent study by Pew Internet & American Life Project found that out of the 88% of U.S. adults who own a cell phone, 55% use their phones to access the Internet or go online – a considerable increase from April 2009 when 31% used their phones to go online.
Of the 55%, 31% of these “cell internet users” (as deemed by Pew) use their phones to go online more than they use their computers or tablets – or 17% of all cell phone owners. Owners who are young or non-whites are more likely to access the Internet primarily with their phone – 45% of 18-29 year olds; and 51% of African-Americans & 42% of Latinos compared to only 24% of whites.
Interestingly, the study also found that those with annual household incomes of less than $50,000 and those who did not graduate college were more likely to use their phone as their primary Internet source.
So why do 17% of all cell phone owners use their phones more than computers or tablets to access the Internet? The study revealed three major factors:
1) “Cell phones are convenient, always available” – 64% of cell-mostly Internet users agreed.
2) “Cell phones better fit people’s usage habits” – according to 18% of cell-mostly Internet users, their online habits make their smartphones “a simpler, more effective choice for going online.”
3) “Cell phones fill access gaps” – 10% of cell-mostly Internet users said they either do not have access to a computer or they do not have other sources of Internet connection besides their mobile one.
The study was conducted through telephone interviews with 2,254 adults age 18 and over from March 15 to April 3, 2012. Respondents answered questions like “Please tell me if you ever use your cell phone to do any of the following things. do you ever use your cell phone to…send or receive email?” and “Did you happen to use the Internet on your cell phone yesterday?” (which 74% of respondents said “Yes” to). To see more survey questions, you can visit here.


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As we enter 2020 and the start of a new decade I (Michael) have been once again reminded of the need for individual and locally based food security. I was watching a news report this morning of a mysterious new virus that has apparently being circulating among the population in the city of Wuhan in Southern China. Reports at this time are sketchy but the media are reporting that the virus appears to be quite virulent and closely related to the SARS virus that broke out in 2003. The reports from China are very concerning.
My hope is that this virus can be contained quickly and will not spread beyond the city of Wuhan. But this is once again a reminder of the many issues that can potentially affect our ability to feed ourselves today and into the future. We have seen time and again that it doesn’t take much to upset the already fragile global food system.
In our own small backyard home garden, we are currently picking tomatoes, capsicum, silverbeet, onions, cabbage and kale and are about to start digging up our potatoes. Next month we will also be saving the seed of various home crops for future years. Growing an abundance of foods in our backyard gives us some peace of mind in times such as this.
The virus that is currently circulating in Wuhan may or may not have an impact on global food security and indeed on other supply chains relating to manufacturing and supplies, but it is a reminder to anyone who is currently growing at least some of their own food that we are definitely on the right track in regard to our personal food security.
For those people who have not given growing their own food much thought before, perhaps now is the time to consider the need to invest some time, money and effort in the coming months and years to secure your own personal food security. And in addition to growing food you will also reap many other benefits associated with food gardening such as physical health, mental health, improved organic diet, pursuit of a productive hobby and best of all peace of mind in times such as these.


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You could go shopping on Black Friday, or you could spend some quality time with your friends and family. (Stocksy)
REI will be celebrating Black Friday in a different way this year — by giving its employees a paid day off.
The outdoor sports retailer announced Tuesday that it will be closed on Black Friday (Nov. 27), and the co-op company, is encouraging others to close shop and get outdoors as well.
“Instead of reporting to work, the co-op is paying its 12,000 employees so they can do what they love most – be outside,” the company said in a press release. “Starting today, the co-op is inviting the nation to join in by choosing to #OptOutside to reconnect with family and friends this Thanksgiving holiday.”
It’s a bold move for the company financially (but brilliant from a marketing standpoint) on what is known as one of the most lucrative days of the year for retailers. Some like K-Mart have started opening on Thanksgiving day to meet the growing demand, while others like Costco and Nordstrom have refused to open its doors on Thanksgiving itself.
The online support for REI has been overwhelming:
Well played REI well played. We couldn’t agree more: REI gives employees the day off to “spend time outdoors &… https://t.co/K7Yfw2ZkIQ
— Wildlife Friendly (@wfen)
— Civic Skunk Works (@civicskunkworks) October 27, 2015
The support for REI’s move points out the mixed feelings we have about Black Friday — many people “celebrate” the unofficial holiday, but also don’t feel great about doing so.
“Many people resent the start of the buying season coming at a cost of precious family Thanksgiving time,” licensed clinical psychologist Alicia H. Clark, PsyD, tells Yahoo Health. “These holidays are about family after all, and the incessant pressure to consume (food, goods, products) can be frustrating.”
While we may feel resentment at being tempted to shop on a holiday or right after it, many people do it any way…but still like it when retailers acknowledge that things have gotten a little out of hand.
“The idea that a huge business is actually putting their employees before their profit margin tugs at people’s heartstrings,” Erika Martinez, PsyD, a licensed clinical psychologist practicing in Miami, tells Yahoo Health.
The outdoors equipment retailer won’t take your money on Black Friday. (Alamy)
Even for people who love Black Friday, REI’s very public move makes us feel that they’re on our side on some level. And we root for them (and may even be more likely to shop there) as a result. “We love the maverick, the loner who stands up against all the odds,” clinical psychologist John Mayer, PhD, tells Yahoo Health. “We are cheering REI because they are standing up to the social pressure.”
REI will be taking online orders on Black Friday, but won’t fill them until the next day.


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By John Roberts
For a while now we’ve considered Oprah to be the richest black woman on the planet. It is now being reported that we were wrong. Nigerian renaissance woman Folorunsho Alakija has made her billions by being involved in many lucrative professions. Alakija is a fahsion designer, an oil tycoon and also a philanthropist. Forbes recently undervalued Alakija, claiming that her net worth is only $600 million dollars. In fact, Alakija is worth at least $3.3 billion dollars, placing her above Oprah who is worth $2.7 billion. Talk about being short-changed!!
Alakija does not have a rags-to-riches story. She was born into a wealthy Nigerian family and began her career as a secretary at the International Merchant Bank of Nigeria. Alakija left her job to study fashion design in England in the 80’s and began her own fashion label shortly after returning to Nigeria. Supreme Stitches became a high-end fashion label that styles the most fabulous women, from military wives to society women.
After acquiring an Oil Prospecting License (OPL) Alakija kept a level head and worked to figure out how to make it profitable. In 1996, Alakija made an agreement with Star Deep Water Petroleum Limited and retained 60 percent of the company.
Economically, Alakija truly is on top of the world. Earlier this year, she purchased a Bombardier Global Express 6000, which is a private jet valued at $46 million dollars. Alakija also purchased a property at One Hyde Park for $102 million dollars.
Alakija uses her wealth for good causes as well. She is the founder of the Rose of Sharon Foundation. The Christian organization gives out small grants to widows.
People of color throughout the world are inspired by the achievements of Alakija. Dr. Boyce Watkins, a Finance Professor at Syracuse University, says that there are lessons that we can all learn from this woman’s remarkable achievements.
“First, you have to realize that most people who get this rich do so because they own something,” says Dr. Watkins author of the book, “Black American Money,” which has become a textbook for those seeking to understand how to use wealth for personal and collective independence. “Secondly, it is important to understand that understanding the business model behind what you do makes all the difference. This is what separates Oprah and Jay-Z from Arsenio Hall and Nelly. It”s one thing to sell your product and another thing to own the capital base on which the product is being sold. Anyone, doing anything, anywhere in any field must learn the fundamentals of entrepreneurship.”
There is also the ethical question of whether or not billionaires in Africa should be elevated to the public in the middle of a continent where the suffering is so great. In many African nations, corrupt dictators and business people make themselves rich at the expense of suffering masses. While this is not the plight of Alakija, we have to ask if there is pride or shame in having so much in the middle of a nation that has so little.
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