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David Jones has turned to computer giant IBM to help it build a better web presence to revive lacklustre internet sales
IBM won the contract, for an undisclosed amount, to develop and integrate David Jones' web design, online application development, social media, promotions, analytics and reporting.
It will also provide back-end capabilities for order and inventory management and sales fulfillment.
The announcement comes five months after the upmarket retail chain revealed less than 0.2 per cent of its sales, or $3 million, were made through its shopping website in its fiscal 2011.
"IBM will develop an end-to-end multi-channel e-commerce platform for David Jones that will enable it to provide customers with a seamless customer experience across its physical stores, its online stores and mobile devices," IBM said in a statement on Friday.
David Jones chief executive Paul Zahra said IBM had successfully implemented online retailing models for major international department stores.
David Jones' investment in technology and information systems will be funded from its $80 million capital expenditure budget and further details will be provided in a market update.
IBM said David Jones would be the first major Australian retailer to provide customers with a true cross-channel shopping experience.
"Customers will not only have the ability to browse and buy, but also pick-up and return items through the channel of their choice, including their mobile phones, online or at a physical store," IBM said.
Rival retailer Myer is expected to spend $9 million upgrading its online presence by April this year.
Retail analysts recently said David Jones had been fortunate that no major dominant online retailer had emerged in Australia.
Last month David Jones cast aside a difficult Christmas trading season to announce the opening of a new store in a high-growth area of Brisbane.
David Jones is expected to report a fall in second quarter sales later this month after an 11 per cent fall in the first quarter.


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There are lots of nice things about living on the University of South Florida campus. Easy access to the USF Marshall Student Center, short walks to all your classes, and you don't have to endlessly circle the commuter parking lots. Last Friday, a groundbreaking ceremony set in motion what might be the best perk yet -- a Publix right on campus!
The new USF Publix will be a dream come true for students living on campus. Right now residents have to shop for groceries at the Walmart on Fletcher Avenue (a notoriously dingy and dangerous place) or head to the Publix southeast of the USF Sun Dome on Fowler Avenue and 52nd Street (impossible without a car). With a Publix on the USF campus, dorm essentials, snacks, and those crucial Pub Subs will be right at students' fingertips. It will certainly fill the office freezers and mini-fridges of staff and faculty members all over campus too.
“We’re excited to bring a Publix to the campus at USF,” said Publix director of media and community relations Maria Brous in a statement. “Conveniently located next to USF residence halls, the short walk or bike ride will offer plenty of fresh grab-and-go options, including our world-famous Publix subs, deli teas, decadent desserts and sushi.”
Since several USF residence halls don't have full kitchens, and a lot of students wouldn't know what to do with them if they did, the USF Publix will focus on prepared foods and their renowned deli. It will be similar in concept to stores that recently opened in downtown St. Petersburg and in Gainesville, right next to the University of Florida. In those stores, Publix reimagined the ordering system in the deli to make it easier for customers to order subs and salads. They also enhanced the grab-and-go counters so customers could quickly find a lunch or dinner option and get it home to start eating.
Now the question every student is asking: wil they take FlexBucks from the USF dining plan? Details on that haven't been released yet, but the infamous "Freshman 15" pounds might become the Freshman 25 after a semester or two of chicken tender Pub Subs.
It's not clear yet when the USF campus Publix will open, but everyone -- and we mean everyone -- on the USF campus will be eagerly awaiting the grand opening.
While you're counting down the days until you can grab a chicken tender sub (or two, or seven) on the USF campus, check out places to eat, places to shop, and things to do around North Tampa on 813area. As always, don't forget to sign up for free email updates?
Photo of Publix courtesy of Josh Hallett via Flickr.

domain: news


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Last week I photographed Callaway’s new AeroWagen, which is basically a Corvette with a hatchback. I absolutely love the look of the car, although I know some may disagree. AutoWeek are the first publication to use the photos for a story, which you can read here.
My photos of the Le Mans winning Porsche 356 Gmünd coupe continue attract interest from publications, this time from French magazine Speedster, who made the car their cover story for issue #036. I can’t tell you what the text says, since it’s all in French, but you can view the article and the photos in the gallery below.
Hennessey has released the details of their new 2017 F-150 VelociRaptor, and several outlets have published the story featuring my photography:


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The precursor to "Catcher in the Rye" focused on Holden Caulfield's little brother. Credit: Getty
Despite dying in 2010, author J.D. Salinger is still making headlines. After a buzzworthy summer thanks to a new biography and documentary on the writer, new never-published stories have recently been found on eBay of all places. An unlisted eBay user posted a PDF of a paperback book called "Three Stories," said to have been written by Salinger in 1999.
USA Today reported that one of the stories, titled "The Ocean Full of Bowling Balls," is rumored to be Salinger's best work and a precursor to "Catcher in the Rye," but Salinger didn't want it to be published until 2060. Reddit reported that the book up for bid on eBay was the sixth of only 25 copies printed.
This all may sounds bogus, but Kenneth Slawenski, who wrote the Salinger biography "JD Salinger: A Life," told Buzzfeed that the scans appear to be of the true manuscripts.
The auction closed with a winning bid of 67.50 British pounds, or about $110.15.


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Millions of people around the world do not have access to shoes. On April 10, students can help raise awareness and spark a plan of action to help these people by participating in the worldwide event, One Day Without Shoes.
One Day Without Shoes is hosted by TOMS, a company that espouses the vision “One for One,” meaning that for every pair of shoes purchased from TOMS, a pair will be donated to a child in need.
TOMS is challenging people all around the world to go barefoot for the entire day on April 10. The idea behind the event is that it will make people more aware of what it is like to live on a daily basis without the comfort of shoes. Even further, walking around without shoes will spark “curiosity, conversation, action, change,” according to onedaywithoutshoes.com.
Last year, around 1,500 events, spanning across 25 different counties around the world, took place during One Day Without Shoes.
Seniors Nate Morris and Nikki Odderstol, who have a WCNU radio show called “Nate & Nikki En La Noche,” are partnering with STAND to make One Day Without Shoes happen at CNU.
“STAND’s whole goal is to raise awareness for human rights violations all over the globe,” junior Ally Collender, STAND president, said. “Even though people not having access to shoes in the world isn’t directly a human rights violation, it’s still a cause that STAND supports, because people should have access to basic things such as shoes, clothing and shelter.”
There are many problems that people, particularly children, face around the world when they do not have access to shoes. The One Day Without Shoes website says that some of these problems include injury due to broken glass, syringes or debris. Disease and illness is also a problem, as many diseases live in the soil. In Kenya, jiggers—“burrowing fleas that cause painful infection”—affect 1,890,000 children. The website also explains that children who do not have access to shoes risk not being able to obtain an education, as in many schools shoes are a requirement to attend.
“I didn’t even realize how dangerous it is for people not having shoes,” Collender said. “I thought it was just an inconvenience, but it’s actually a life-threatening danger.”
While not wearing shoes for a day may not directly impact those who do not have access to shoes across the globe, participating in the event is a good first step to raising awareness about the problem.
“It’s fun, and it’s a really easy way to raise awareness about people living in poverty around the world who don’t have access to something as simple as shoes,” Morris said. “I think you can forget how in need a lot of people are. We are kind of caught in our own little bubble, so I think it’s good to branch out of that, if just for a day, and then maybe just being aware of it will make people want to get involved.”
There will be a photo contest held on April 10, in which participants can send in a photo of themselves not wearing shoes to be put into a raffle. The winner that is pulled will receive a free pair of TOMS shoes. Students can visit onedaywithoutshoes.com for more information about the event.


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Cryptocurrencies could be a powerful tool for a digital war.
Which country will build alliances in digital payment technology?
Emerging markets could develop digital payment technology at a rapid pace.
As development and regulation evolve, cryptocurrencies, financial institutions, and the public and private sectors may become blurred.
Deutsche Bank (DB) Research published this January a three-part series called The Future Of Payments. Their conclusions imply that the time to develop infrastructure is becoming urgent. The reports look at the past, present and future of the payments industry. The research states cash will survive and digital payments will replace plastic cards. Digital payment services could grow quickly over the coming decade.
The reports provide a new rationale for addressing cryptocurrencies' potential disruption to Western economies.
Telecommunication innovations, though the 1990s, helped to advanced internet services. In the same way, blockchain innovations for cryptocurrencies and peer-to-peer technology could advance payment services. DB Research seems to support this idea in their series. The information for this article was taken directly from these reports (links are at the end of this article).
Cash settlements between the bank accounts of a merchant and a payer is a key topic. From the report, “The development of peer-to-peer payments and e-Wallets to facilitate noncash transfers between individuals will disrupt card platforms. An app can connect directly to a bank account and ensure e-Wallet settlements are finalized. If these platforms become widely used for merchant transactions, then they could also shortcut businesses that provide consumers with cards.”
Cryptocurrencies can disrupt and change the existing system because they are traded peer-to-peer without the need for a commercial bank or card platform.
Emerging markets, like China and India, are leading the world in the development of digital payment services. DB made the point, “We can deduce much about the future of payments from developments in China where the country is developing world-leading digital payments infrastructure. There, the value of online payments is equivalent to three-quarters of GDP, almost double the proportion in 2012. Today, just under half of in-store purchases in China are made via a digital wallet, way above the levels in developed markets.”
DB Research made a striking prediction, “As China (and India) develop electronic, crypto, and peer-to-peer strategies, the epicenter of global economic power could shift. China is working on a digital currency backed by its central bank that could be used as a soft- or hard-power tool. In fact, if companies doing business in China are forced to adopt a digital yuan, it will certainly erode the dollar’s primacy in the global financial market.”
Quoted in the third and final report, the European Central Bank President, Christine Lagarde, said, “My personal conviction on the issue of stable coins is that we better be ahead of the curve. There is clearly demand out there that we have to respond to.” In other comments made recently, at the World Economic Forum in Davos, in a panel discussion hosted by Sheila Warren (Blockchain Lead for the World Economic Forum), supports the same thought.
The reports suggest that Western governments should address and issue regulatory rules soon before technological disruption and changing services in emerging economies creates a potential crisis. Adoption will require, as noted in the final report, legitimacy from local governments and regulators. “To win that legitimacy, cryptocurrencies must achieve price stability and offer advantages to merchants and consumers. They must also allow for global reach in the payments market. To do this, alliances must be forged with key stakeholders: mobile apps, card providers, and retailers.”
Cash will survive. But digital currencies’ potential could re-balance global economic power.
As changes in payment methods advance at a rapid pace, two technological advances could disrupt card providers: peer-to-peer payments and cryptocurrencies.
Analysis of payment systems and the need to upgrade.


text: David Nelms, chairman and chief executive officer of Discover, will present at the Morgan Stanley Financials Conference in New York City on Wednesday, June 11, 2014, at 1:00 p.m. Eastern time. A link to the live audio webcast will be posted on the day of the conference to Discover's corporate website at http://investorrelations.discoverfinancial.com/. About Discover Discover Financial Services (NYSE: DFS) is a direct banking and payment services company with one of the most recognized brands in U.S. financial services. Since its inception in 1986, the company has become one of the largest card issuers in the United States. The company issues the Discover card, America's cash rewards pioneer, and offers home loans, private student loans, personal loans, home equity loans, checking and savings accounts, certificates of deposit and money market accounts through its direct banking business. It operates the Discover Network, with millions of merchant and cash access locations; PULSE, one of the nation's leading ATM/debit networks; and Diners Club International, a global payments network with acceptance in more than 185 countries and territories. For more information, visit www.discover.com/company.


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Electronics maker, boAt has received a commitment of INR 20 Cr (about $2.9 Mn) in venture debt from BAC Acquisitions, which is cofounded by the Flipkart founder Sachin Bansal.
Commenting on the fundraise, cofounder boAt said, venture debt definitely helps us keep the capital structure intact. boAt's financial performance has been strong since inception. Our efficient and lean business model coupled with targeted business insights has allowed the brand to enjoy logical margins so that we can earn money and not burn money.
Founded by Aman Gupta and Sameer Mehta in 2016, boAt is a consumer tech brand which manufactures electronics products such as earphones, headphones, speakers, sound bars, travel chargers, and premium rugged cables. Its products are made through contract manufacturing in India and China.
boAt products are available both online (Amazon, Flipkart, Myntra, Snapdeal, etc.) and offline (Croma retail, Vijay Sales, Poorvika Mobiles, etc). The company had earlier raised seed funding of INR 6 Cr. (around $872 K) from Fireside Ventures in May 2018.
boAt claims to have acquired over 1.2 Mn consumers, and is currently selling over 8K units per day at an average of 5 units per minute. It claims to have recorded INR 100 Cr. as gross sales FY18 and is further eyeing INR 500 Cr. in sales over the next few years.
The current size of India's music industry is $122.2 Mn (including both physical and digital music platforms), showcases the growing demand for not just production but also on how it will be consumed. For example, income from subscription-based audio streaming stood at a staggering $31.6 Mn in India in 2018, a three-fold growth from subscription-based revenue in 2017.
The music accessory sector is crowded with a number of well-established brands, including popular brands such as Apple, Bose, JBL, Sony and Sennheiser, Indian players like Karbonn, iBall, Intex and MuVu, along with low-cost chinese products.
According to Inc42 DataLabs, with a total of 27 deals securing $111 Mn funding from 2018 to February 2019, the consumer technology sector looks promising. Industry reports state that the market of Indian appliances and consumer electronics (ACE) reached $31.48 Bn (INR 2.05 Tn) in 2017, making the country one of the largest electronics markets in the world.
The report has further predicted the market to grow at 41% CAGR between 2017-20 and reach $400 Bn. Analysts also forecast that with the rising number of startups such as GenRobotics, SectorQube, boAt and Planys Technologies, the consumer technology sector is set to make a mark in the overall Indian startup industry.


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As we close out the remaining weeks of 2012, Global Exchange is also beginning to gear up for our 25th anniversary next year. Before we look forward to another 25 years of social justice activism, let us look back at what we have been up to in the last few months.
Also, we’ve extended the deadline to give someone a special holiday gift of membership to Global Exchange and they'll unwrap a gift to a better future and a more just world. Order before midnight this Sunday, December 16.
Stick it to Super PACS
Just days before the most expensive U.S. election of all time we used email, phone, and social media to clog the gears of the ominous Super PACs. Thousands came together to put a wrench in the gears of Super PACs that were drowning out everything except big-money corporate speech. Stay connected with our Elect Democracy campaign as we go from challenging SuperPAC millions to lobbyist billions in 2013.
The election's four deepest democracy victories you missed
While many were excited about the progressive victories seen in the outcome of the 2012 U.S. election, Global Exchange's Community Rights Director, Shannon Biggs points out the four deepest democracy victories you might have missed. Away from the flashy graphics of the pundits, real victories were made by real people asserting their rights on Election Day against the powers that be.
Fair Trade your Halloween
For 31 days in October, we came up with 31 ways to go Fair Trade for Halloween. Fair Traders across the country took part in fun activities from eating Fair Trade bananas, hosting movie screenings, baking Fair Trade goodies, recycling Halloween costumes, and of course passing out Fair Trade chocolate to trick-or-treaters.
24 years of Reality Tours memories
For 24 years, Global Exchange has been sending people all over the world on Reality Tours to Meet the People, Learn the Facts, and Make a Difference. Throughout those years, those Reality Tours participants have often times come back inspired and have shared their photos with us to tell the stories of the people they met who have impacted their lives forever. We have compiled those memories in our new Reality Tours video in hopes to inspire others to join on a Reality Tour.
From Pakistan to Gaza
From meeting with drone attack victims in Pakistan to an emergency delegation to Gaza, Global Exchange co-founder Medea Benjamin was there. Read about the delegation of Americans that traveled to Pakistan to protest the drone attacks carried out by the Obama Administration and the 20-person group that traveled to Gaza to bring aid and witness the devastation from the November Israeli assault.
What About Peace? goes to Haiti
For six years the What About Peace? contest has attracted youth ages 14-20 years old to creatively answer the question, ‘What About Peace?’. This October, a Global Exchange Reality Tour headed to Haiti and graciously agreed to bring five of our favorite What About Peace? paintings that have been submitted over the years to a school in Haiti. Read the reactions of students in Port-au-Prince.
'Tis the Season to Shop Fair Trade
Earlier this month, the Global Exchange Fair Trade Stores hosted a special celebration for the Global Exchange community to come together and celebrate the power of Fair Trade. It was great to see members in the stores and take part in some Fair Trade holiday cheer. See some photos from our San Francisco store party.
Thanks so much for you support all year long. For a re-cap of Global Exchange updates, see our Winter, Spring, and Summer highlights.
P.S. Our Holiday Auction closes December 16. We have dozens of great items - spa treatments, theater tickets, fun outings and experiences, Fair Trade or locally made jewelry, and more. Browse and bid today!


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What do a farm-to-table restaurant, an outdoor clothing brand, a youth sports marketing firm and a laundry service all have in common? They all are using business as a platform to do good and ignite social change. As part of Philly Tech Week 2018, the Science Center teamed up with Venture Café Global Institute and CIC to present Innovation for Social Change: a Venture Café Experience. Representatives from Philadelphia-based organizations including the White Dog Café, United By Blue, LeagueSide and Wash Cycle Laundry provided us insight into their company ethos and philosophies.
Here are our top take-aways from the panelists:
For profit. For good.
We learned that to do good, businesses have more flexibility operating as a for-profit entity. For Judy Wicks, social activist and founder of the White Dog Café, a for-profit entity was more nimble. She could make decisions faster and avoid having to spend time and resources asking for money. Once White Dog became profitable, Judy was able to create her own non-profit using 20% of the restaurant’s profits. Each of the panelists agreed that creating a for-profit was a more sustainable business model for the work they wanted to do. “Social entrepreneurship is not just some little tiny group of people,” Wicks said. “It’s about changing the way we do business.”
Money doesn’t solve problems. Action does.
As Brian Linton, Founder & CEO of United By Blue put it, “Throwing money at issues doesn’t solve them. You need to roll up your sleeves and do the work yourself.” For every product sold by United By Blue, the company removes one pound of trash from the world’s oceans and waterways. Everyone at the company is rolling up their sleeves by removing plastic bottles, styrofoam, tires and old appliances from creeks, rivers, beaches and streams.
Judy Wicks added that, “When you separate doing well, from doing good, you separate profit from goodness. That’s how we create all the problems in the world… I actually believe that all businesses should have a social mission. That all businesses should do good while they do well.”
Empower people while powering the workforce.
A self-described data enthusiast, Gabriel Mandujano, Founder & President of Wash Cycle Laundry, was looking for a sustainable approach to creating entry-level jobs and upwardly mobile opportunities for cities’ most vulnerable adults. Mandujano was alarmed by employee retention statistics for welfare-assisted citizens and returning citizens. As he put it “Once you hear the statistics, you can’t unhear them.” Fast forward eight years and Wash Cycle Laundry has created more than 50 jobs, with over half filled by motivated adults re-entering the workforce after overcoming a period of incarceration, drug addiction, homelessness, or welfare dependence. What’s more, the company has saved over 1 million gallons of water with its high-efficiency machines, and has hauled 4 million pounds of laundry by bicycle across Philadelphia and Washington D.C.
Brand what matters.
Emily Haas, the first employee to join LeagueSide founders Evan Brandoff and Zubin Teherani, says creating relationships is an important part of the company’s philosophy. LeagueSide, a Venture for America-backed company, was inspired by Brandoff’s experience volunteering for a basketball tournament in inner-city Detroit. He witnessed first-hand how engaged families were during the games, but later learned that families face huge financial burdens when enrolling their kids in youth sports leagues. LeagueSide helps mitigate these costs by partnering with companies to use youth sports sponsorships as a new marketing channel – from placing logos on jerseys to tabling at tournaments across the country. Combining the power of branding with youth sports is changing the game for youth everywhere.
These panelists made it clear that no matter what your business specializes in, creating a community of shared values focused on stimulating social good can positively impact both the world and profit margins.
Venture Café powered by Quorum will return in the fall and take place every Thursday afternoon/evening at 3675 Market Street.


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PUNE, India, April 24, 2017 /PRNewswire
According to the new research report "3D Food Printing Market by Ingredient (Dough, Fruits and Vegetables, Proteins, Sauces, Dairy Products, Carbohydrates), Vertical (Government, Commercial, and Residential), and Geography - Global Forecast to 2025", published by MarketsandMarkets™, the market is expected to be valued at USD 425.0 Million by 2025, growing at a CAGR of 54.75% between 2018 and 2025.
The growth of this market is mainly driven by factors such as growing market for customized food and increasing demand from the healthcare applications.
Commercial vertical expected to lead the 3D food printing market between 2018 and 2025
Commercial vertical is expected to hold the largest size of the 3D food printing market by 2025, and expected to grow at a high rate during the forecast period. Currently, the 3D food printers are mostly used to print chocolates, candies, and bread products due to the rise in demand of customized chocolates and cakes from the consumers. Most of the 3D food printer manufacturing companies focus on the users from the commercial vertical as their most potential clients as it is easy to provide training and maintenance services to them.
Market for carbohydrates expected to grow at a significant rate between 2018 and 2025
The 3D food printing market for carbohydrates is expected to grow at the highest rate between 2018 and 2025. The fastest growth of this segment is attributed to the preferable use of 3D food printers for the production of customized chocolates and other sweet food items such as donuts, candies, and pancakes, which involve carbohydrates as the main constituent.
North America expected to hold the largest market share in 2018, and the market in APAC expected to grow at the highest rate during the forecast period
North America is expected to hold the largest share of the 3D food printing market in 2018, and the market in APAC is expected to grow at the highest rate between 2018 and 2025. The presence of major 3D food printing companies in North America region is helping the growth of the market in this region. Also, the US government allocates a large amount of budget on the healthcare sector, which allows it to spend significantly on the application of this technology in the healthcare sector. 3D food printers provide food rich in specific nutrients, and this food eases chewing and swallowing for the old patients, aiding convenience in feeding the patients.
Illustration Photo: 3d printed muffins (credits: Yelp Inc. / Flickr Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0))


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The vessel is one of a series of five ships bearing the names of Latin American countries, including Chile, Brazil, Mexico and Panama, in addition to Argentina.
The arrival of the CMA CGM Argentina was celebrated by Port of Miami via its twitter account. "Today PortMiami set a new record with the largest container ship ever to call a Florida port with the arrival of the CMA CGM Argentina," the port said.
The ship, like its four sister ships, is 366 metres-long and has a capacity of 15,072 teu. In September last year, the CMA CGM Brazil set the record as the largest container ship to be received at a Canadian port upon its arrival at the Halifax port precinct, which it repeated in New York/New Jersey.
Copyright © 2021. All rights reserved. Seatrade, a trading name of Informa Markets (UK) Limited.


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Remodelers surveyed by a trade organization said they expected stronger sales growth in the next three months due to a postponement of projects (80%), low interest rates (50%) and improving home prices (35%).
Members of the National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI), which conducted the quarterly survey, also reports the following business conditions:
• Number of inquires has increased since last year;
• Requests for bids has increased since last year;
• Conversion of bids to jobs has increased since last year; and
• Sales value of jobs sold has increased since last year.
The findings were supported by a homeowner poll conducted on NARI’s website in May 2012, which showed that 28% of homeowners planned on staying in their home up to five years longer because of the economy.


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Suffolk brewery St Peter’s celebrates record sales following success of turnaround strategy
- Credit: Archant
A Suffolk brewery is celebrating record sales after a turnaround strategy was launched two years ago.
St Peter's Brewery, based near Bungay, has exceeded its targets, with sales at record levels and production at an all-time high, it said.
The firm is currently brewing 8,000 more barrels of beer a year - or 150 more a week - that it was previously, while sales have risen year-on-year, said chief executive Steve Magnall, who devised the strategy after taking over the reins at the company.
'All areas of the business are in growth: cask, export and supermarket sales,' he said.
'We are now working seven days a week on production and have brought extra capacity on site, by way of a tanker, to cope with the demand.'
You may also want to watch:
This year, the firm clinched new deals with Iceland, Asda and Morrisons, as well as export deals with the Cayman Islands and Norway. It is now on course for its most successful year to date.
- 1 Drink driver arrested after crashing into two trees in Norwich
- 2 Atlantis Tower up for sale after owner signs ‘outrageous’ loan deal
- 3 Jack-knifed lorry shuts A148 as police issue ice warning
- 4 9 of Norfolk's most famous blue plaques
- 5 Yellow weather warning for snow in place across region
- 6 Centre takes action after IT failure causes long queues for Covid jab
- 7 Map reveals the most serious crashes on the NDR since it fully opened
- 8 Covid rates continue to fall across Norfolk, especially in Norwich
- 9 The secrets and scandals of a former Norwich hotel
- 10 Out on the beat - we join police Covid patrol on the seafront


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‘Tis The Season To Start Preparing For The HolidaysMiCamp Solutions
We’re coming off of a massive holiday shopping season. Despite a slower-than-expected start to the year, sales were up nearly 6% in November and December. But, while many brands celebrated the end-of-year bump, 2018 has already been tough – think store closings, e-commerce shifts, and other consumer considerations.
While we’re still months away from “prime time,” more and more businesses are focusing on holiday shopping 2018, with an eye on mimicking the 2017 year-end boost. By getting ahead, you can ensure it’s a very happy holiday this year for your business. Here’s what you need to know.
- Consumers are researching early
According to the National Retail Federation (NRF), one in five consumers are researching holiday purchases before September. That means this summer your shoppers could be clicking around, reading reviews, and making their lists then checking them twice. By October, well over half of consumers will be solidly in research mode.
This gives well-prepared businesses an opportunity to make a serious impression and lock down a spot on their customers’ must-buy lists. So make sure you’re ready to go when they start digging around. Because when purchases start (even as early as Halloween) you need to be all in.
- Spring and summer are solid planning seasons
The optimal time to get started? Immediately after the last holiday shopping season. Revisit your sales and profits to determine what worked and what didn’t. After that, spring and summer are best time to prepare by building out gift guides and planning inventory for the holiday shopping season. By end of summer or beginning of fall, campaigns should be ready to drop.
- But don’t let offer fatigue set in
While it’s important to reach the early birds, don’t drop your holiday campaign or promotions and call it a day. Not only do those fall shoppers keep buying until go time, but plenty of buyers start researching well before they start making purchases.
“NRF data found that seven in 10 shoppers said they no longer felt pressured to immediately jump at holiday deals because they’re generally confident that good promotions and deals will last throughout the season.” If you allow your communications, messaging, and product offerings to get stale, customers will likely look elsewhere when it comes time to buy.
- Determining your holiday
Depending on the nature of your business, “holiday” could mean lots of different things. For many retailers, it’s Christmas. For others, the Fourth of July is the list-topper or a close second to December 25. For others, though, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa or even Boxing Day could be major opportunities to drive epic sales. While most businesses know where they fall, if there’s any question look at your customer base and sales trends from the last year or two to get a sense of when things pick up and slow down. You may have the luxury of time right now – use it to your advantage.
But the best way to prepare for the holiday rush? Make sure your point-of-sale is ready to protect your customers’ sensitive payment data. Contact us today to learn more about the layered security of EMV, tokenization, and encryption.


text: The inaugural Providence Book Festival happens Saturday, which happens to coincide with Indepdendent Bookstore Day for 15 local retailers. That’s a lot of books for one day. The festival features panels, workshops, and keynotes from poets (Marge Piercy, Denise Duhamel), children’s/YA authors (M.T. Anderson, Padma Venkatraman), novelists (Richard Russo, Thomas Cobb, Peter Golden, Helen Schulman), and journalist/historian Mike Stanton. That’s a lot of names, but that’s only a small selection of the authors that will be in town that day. Tickets are on sale now.


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News about Danish Antique
Coveted Finn Juhl furnishings star in Vallot’s Oct. 15 auction
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – On October 15 at 2 pm Eastern Time, Vallot Auctioneers will feature Finn Juhl furniture designs purchased in the late 1940s by the founding family of Wise Potato Chips for their Pennsylvania modernist residence. Absentee and Internet live bidding will be available through LiveAuctioneers.
Gallery Report: Magical mechanical bank conjures $288K winning bid
ATLANTA – At the beginning of every month, ACN columnist Ken Hall delivers top auction highlights from around the United States and the world at large. Here’s his October 2021 edition of Gallery Report. All prices include the buyer’s premium, except where noted. Kyser & Rex mechanical bank, $288,000, Bertoia Auctions A Mikado cast-iron mechanical bank […]
John Lennon interview tape sells for $58K at Danish auction
COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) – A cassette tape with a 33-minute audio recording of John Lennon being interviewed by four Danish teenagers 51 years ago as well as an apparently unpublished song by the late Beatle fetched 370,000 kroner ($58,240) September 28 at an auction in Denmark.


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A nutrition expert explains to ABC viewers why adding more healthy fat to your diet will help burn off your fat reserves. And one easy way to get more healthy fats in, and trans fats out, is by cooking with Malaysian palm oil.
The qualities of Malaysian sustainable palm oil make it a newsworthy topic for television, radio, newspapers and magazines. Chefs and nutritionists have explained how to best use this sustainably produced oil in the kitchen. Dietitians and pharmacists have described how its rich nutrients may support health. Beauty experts have described its skin protecting and enriching benefits.
Also in the news are Malaysia’s forward-thinking sustainability policies. The Malaysian palm oil industry is one of the world’s most highly regulated agricultural sectors. The country is a leading producer of sustainable palm oil.
Learn from the experts in these media-based posts.
“Palm fruit oil is a superfood,” Donsky explained to viewers. It’s loaded with nutrients like vitamin E tocotrienols, which are important for heart and brain health.
American Public Television has launched a 13-episode series, Taste of Malaysia with Martin Yan. The chef extraordinaire and popular television host will take viewers on a culinary journey through Malaysia’s tri-cultural landscape.
While moderation is still recommended, some candy manufacturers are trying to do the right thing by making gluten-free choices, using eco-friendly ingredients and insisting on higher quality ingredients.
“Palm oil is in fact a good fat, but ONLY if the palm oil is responsibly sourced from Malaysia,” King wrote in her blog, “Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Palm Oil.”
King mentioned that many of the nation’s leading candy makers use responsibly sourced palm oil, such as Malaysian certified sustainable palm oil, for their products. By the end of 2019, Malaysia plans to have 100 percent of its palm oil MSPO certified.
Chef Gerard prefers Malaysian palm oil because it’s good for the planet – 50 percent of the country’s land is dedicated to sustainability – and it offers loads of other health benefits.
Chef Gerard is passionate about cooking with sustainable and nutritious ingredients. He frequently uses Malaysian certified sustainable palm oil because it is naturally trans-fat free, cholesterol-neutral and made without chemical processing.
In an Alternative Medicine magazine article, “The Nutrition Myth Buster” reported that major companies are launching hair-growth supplements made from tocotrienols, potent nutrients derived from Malaysian certified sustainable palm oil.
Palm oil is a common ingredient in many food products, ranging from better-for-you nutrition and sport bars to crackers and healthy spreads. Palm oil is also used in soaps, lotions and other skincare products.


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While we still don’t know what dessert will lend its name to Google’s next mobile OS version, it’s clear that we’re getting closer than ever to the release of Android O (also known as Android 8.0.0). Today the search giant has outed the fourth and final Developer Preview of O. This has always been scheduled to come in July, and the final release of O is expected to hit next month.
The Android O Developer Preview 4 is a Release Candidate grade build that includes the final system behaviors, the latest bug fixes and optimizations, and the final developer APIs. This means that app developers can start their final testing against the upcoming iteration of Android, in order to have O-compatible apps as soon as 8.0.0 drops next month.
If you want to test drive this release, the easiest way to do that is enroll your compatible device in the Android Beta Program. If you already have an enrolled device, expect to receive an over-the-air update to the final Developer Preview within the next few days. Alternatively, you can manually flash the new system images. Be warned however that going this route means you won’t receive an OTA update to the final build of O, unless you enroll your device in the Beta program.
As before, the only devices eligible for test driving Android O are the Pixel and Pixel XL, Nexus 6P, Nexus 5X, Pixel C, and Nexus Player.
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Bank of America faces trademark suit over virtual assistant
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Com Inc., sued Bank of America alleging the company infringed his trademark for virtual assistant E.R.I.C.A. That's an acronym for electronic repetitious informational clone application. The suit follows a cease-and-desist letter Underwood's attorney ...
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Inflation soft despite fuel hike
The cost of living rose by 0.7 per cent through the three months to the end of June despite a huge spike in petrol prices.
Figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics showed the consumer price index up to 1.5 per cent over the past 12 months – well below the Reserve Bank’s target band of 2-3 per cent.
The single biggest driver of prices was petrol which jumped by 12.2 through the quarter. It was the single largest quarterly rise in petrol prices since 1990.
There was also a 4.5 per cent lift in the prices of medical and hospital services and a 1.5 per cent lift in the purchase of new homes.
But there were some substantial falls in prices through the last three months.
Domestic holiday travel and accommodation dropped by 5.4 per cent while pharmaceutical prices edged down by 1.8 per cent.
Food prices dropped by 0.2 per cent in the quarter led by a 1.7 per cent drop in the cost of vegetables. However, fish prices were up by 2.8 per cent while beef prices increased by 2 per cent.
Prices in Perth lifted by just 0.6 per cent in the June quarter for an annual inflation rate of 1.2 per cent.
Petrol prices in Perth were up by a sub-national average rate of 9.2 per cent while medical costs were up by 3.8 per cent. Domestic holiday travel costs fell by 4.2 per cent.
The Reserve Bank’s preferred measures of underlying inflation lifted by 0.55 per cent for an annual rate of 2.3 per cent.
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Dec 19 (Reuters) – Winnebago Industries Inc, the No.
1 U.S. motor home maker, reported a 51 percent jump in quarterly
profit on Thursday as strong demand for its new line of
lower-priced recreational vehicles prompted dealers to increase
But the company’s shares, which have more than doubled in
value over the past year, tumbled as much as 13 percent, pulled
down by softer-than-expected sales.
CHICAGO, Dec 13 (Reuters) – Don’t believe the gassy hype.
The United States may be floating on an ocean of cheap,
domestically sourced natural gas. But its transportation sector
is more reliant on diesel fuel – and is using less natural gas -
than it was in the 1960s and 1970s. And industry executives say
regulatory and logistical challenges and uncertainties make it
unlikely the picture will change anytime soon.
That may come as a surprise to many investors. Over the past
decade, energy companies using hydraulic fracturing and
horizontal drilling have unlocked huge gas deposits trapped in
rock thousands of feet underneath the United States.
CHICAGO (Reuters) – U.S. manufacturers are pumping money into domestic operations again, according to government figures. But their outlay on machines, plants and other long-term investments has not returned to pre-recession levels and has failed to translate into a significant rebound in industrial jobs.
The figures on so-called “capex” spending from the U.S. Commerce Department’s Bureau of Economic Analysis offer a glimpse of the investment priorities of a sector that some argue is poised for growth after decades of contraction.
CHICAGO (Reuters) – Deere & Co (DE.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) offered an unexpectedly upbeat forecast for 2014 on Wednesday, saying sales of construction and forestry equipment should offset an anticipated slowdown in demand for agricultural machinery.
Shares in the world’s largest maker of tractors and harvesters rose nearly 4 percent in premarket trading as the company also reported higher-than-expected fourth-quarter results.
CHICAGO (Reuters) – A fast-moving storm system triggered multiple tornadoes in Illinois and Indiana on Sunday, killing at least two people, injuring about 40 and flattening large parts of the city of Washington, Illinois as it crashed across the Midwest, officials said.
The storm created tornadoes in Bone Gap and Miller City, Illinois, in Mount Carmel, Noblesville and Vincennes in Indiana, and in Paducah, Kentucky, the National Weather Service said.
CHICAGO (Reuters) – A fast-moving storm system that produced at least one tornado in Illinois threatened some 53 million people across 10 Midwestern states on Sunday, U.S. weather officials said.
“A confirmed large and extremely dangerous tornado” was spotted near Washington, Illinois, located about 145 miles southwest of Chicago, the National Weather Service said.
CHICAGO (Reuters) – Caterpillar Inc (CAT.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) said on Friday that it will close another plant and lay off 240 additional workers as it continues to respond to a sharp drop in demand for its earth-moving products from customers in the mining industry.
The planned shutdown of the Pulaski, Va. facility, which makes coal haulers and other equipment, is expected to be completed by mid-2014. It is the latest in a series of such closures announced by the Peoria, Ill-based heavy equipment maker.
CHICAGO, Nov 3 (Reuters) – Call it concealed-carry chic:
With all 50 U.S. states now permitting people to pack pistols in
public, it was only a matter of time before some company came to
market with an apparel line targeting the gun-toting crowd.
Remington Arms Co , which has been making
firearms for nearly 200 years, has just unveiled a collection of
clothing and accessories, including the “Smoothbore Field Coat”
($1,295) and the “Double Derringer Leather Vest” ($300).
CHICAGO, Oct 29 (Reuters) – Cummins Inc, the U.S.
maker of engines and other vehicle components, reported
lower-than-expected quarterly profit on Tuesday and cut its
full-year outlook, citing weak sales to most of the industries
its serves, including mining.
The news sent Cummins shares tumbling as much as 9.2
The Columbus, Indiana-based company said sales of all its
products had also contracted sharply in India in the most recent
quarter as a result of declining business confidence and
manufacturing activity there.
Oct 24 (Reuters) – Timken Co reported a
lower-than-expected quarterly profit on Thursday and cut its
full-year outlook yet again, citing a “slower-than-expected
economic recovery” that it said had depressed demand for its
ball bearings and specialty steel across all markets.
The news sent the company’s shares skidding as much as 11
percent on Thursday morning on the New York Stock Exchange.


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Dumpling business fined for food safety breaches
The director of a Sydney dumpling business and the company itself Australia Yummy Pty Ltd have been fined $34,150 and $44,150 respectively and ordered to pay professional costs of $12,000 and $18,000 after its director pleaded guilty to 43 offences under the Food Act 2003 in the Downing Centre Local Court on Friday 28 June 2019.
The charges against the Belmore based company related to various hygiene and pest control offences, the breach of a Prohibition Order and providing false and misleading information to authorised officers.
A labelling complaint from a consumer led to an inspection of the premises, during which officers observed poor conditions with unclean fittings and equipment as well as live rodents, large amounts of rat excrement and a decomposed rat carcass on top of a machine in the processing area.
As a result of these observations Food Authority officers issued a Prohibition Order that ordered that the company immediately cease trading until it was deemed compliant by the Authority.
In a follow up inspection to the premises officers observed the business to still be trading, and had also failed to take steps to rectify the breaches of the Act that were previously identified.
After cleaning up its act, the company was subsequently issued a clearance certificate to trade but on a further follow up inspection was again found to be in breach of various hygiene and pest control requirements under the Food Act. A second Prohibition Order was issued to the business preventing it from trade.
NSW Food Authority CEO Dr Lisa Szabo has welcomed the outcome.
“The vast majority of food businesses in NSW do the right thing, but for the few that fail to do so, we will take action to ensure the safety of food in NSW,” Dr Szabo said.
“Consumers have the right to have confidence and certainty that the food they buy and consume is manufactured and prepared in a clean and sanitary environment.”


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Incyte Corporation (INCY) Issues Earnings Results, Beats Estimates By $0.11 EPS
Incyte Corporation (NASDAQ:INCY) posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday. The biopharmaceutical company reported $0.17 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.06 by $0.11, Bloomberg Earnings reports. Incyte Corporation had a negative net margin of 11.77% and a negative return on equity of 21.57%. The firm had revenue of $381.50 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $360.34 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.19 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 41.6% on a year-over-year basis.
Incyte Corporation (NASDAQ:INCY) traded down 2.18% on Wednesday, hitting $110.78. 449,018 shares of the stock were exchanged. Incyte Corporation has a one year low of $83.01 and a one year high of $153.15. The stock’s market capitalization is $22.79 billion. The company has a 50 day moving average of $114.88 and a 200 day moving average of $124.14.
A number of equities analysts recently commented on INCY shares. Oppenheimer Holdings, Inc. reaffirmed a “hold” rating and issued a $135.00 price objective on shares of Incyte Corporation in a research note on Thursday, August 31st. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price objective on shares of Incyte Corporation from $163.00 to $162.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 26th. Barclays PLC reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $165.00 price objective (down previously from $180.00) on shares of Incyte Corporation in a research note on Wednesday, August 2nd. Royal Bank Of Canada started coverage on shares of Incyte Corporation in a research note on Thursday, September 14th. They issued a “sector perform” rating and a $136.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Raymond James Financial, Inc. raised shares of Incyte Corporation from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $159.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Monday, September 11th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. The company has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $144.98.
In other news, EVP Steven H. Stein sold 2,111 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $125.00, for a total value of $263,875.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 18,687 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,335,875. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Paul Trower sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $125.25, for a total transaction of $375,750.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 11,853 shares in the company, valued at $1,484,588.25. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 101,147 shares of company stock worth $12,615,101 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 17.70% of the company’s stock.
TRADEMARK VIOLATION WARNING: This report was first reported by TheOlympiaReport and is owned by of TheOlympiaReport. If you are accessing this report on another domain, it was stolen and reposted in violation of U.S. & international copyright legislation. The legal version of this report can be read at https://theolympiareport.com/2017/11/01/incyte-corporation-incy-issues-earnings-results-beats-estimates-by-0-11-eps.html.
Incyte Corporation Company Profile
Incyte Corporation is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of therapeutics. Its portfolio includes compounds in various stages, ranging from preclinical to late-stage development, and commercialized products, such as JAKAFI (ruxolitinib) and ICLUSIG (ponatinib).
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- Grower - Australia
- Director of Marketing & Communications - Summerland (BC), Canada
- Lead Auditor
- Quality Assurance Team EA Region - Antwerp - Quality Assurance Supervisor
- Medior Sales Engineer - Netherlands
- General Manager Australia
- Chief plant protection agronomist
- Сhief agronomist
- Head of Sales for Mexico and Latin America
- Finance Manager for a Leading International Fresh Produce Business
Top 5 -yesterday
- Using machine learning to make cultivation recommendations
- Spanish growers join forces to market Adora tomatoes
- National broadcasters eagerly promote horticultural potential Zimbabwe
- Greenhouse tomato grower to introduce new vegetable products
- "Harmonization and simplification vital for future seed treatments"
Top 5 -last month
Top 5 -last week
"HortEx Vietnam 2018 to be sold out shortly"
The exhibition was launched last April and already at this point nearly all stands are booked.
Kuno Jacobs, Managing Director of Nova Exhibitions in the Netherlands states: “When we launched the exhibition we of course expected that the exhibition would have a successful start as the Vietnamese market is in need of such new dedicated platform for Horticulture and Floriculture, however we did not foresee that the exhibition would nearly be fully booked before the end of the year. Additionally we are very pleased to see that the interest is not only coming from international companies but also from Vietnamese companies, this is important as they contribute in the promotion of the exhibition locally.”
Currently the exhibition is host to exhibitors from 15 countries including Belgium, China, Ecuador, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Kenya, Malaysia, Netherlands, Spain, Taiwan, Thailand, U.S.A. and Vietnam.
In total the organizers expect over 100 companies to participate in the exhibition.
The exhibition is supported by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Vietnam, Lam Dong Tourism, Trade and Investment Promotion Center (TIPC), Vietnam Fruit & Vegetable Association (VinaFruit) and the Dalat Flower Association.
VinaFruit and Dalat Flower Association already reserved large areas in which a number of their members, Vietnamese growers, will participate. The presence of these growers in the exhibition creates an excellent interaction not only between the participants and visitors but also between the participants themselves.
Horticulture and Floriculture are one of the most promising sectors of the Vietnamese economy and HortEx Vietnam aims to serve all segments of this fast growing and promising industry with a targeted trade show.
Companies who are potentially interested are advised to contact the organisers shortly as available space is limited.
For more information:
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Other news in this sector:
- 10/18/2018 National broadcasters eagerly promote horticultural potential Zimbabwe
- 10/17/2018 A royal afternoon for HortiDaily and FloralDaily
- 10/17/2018 US (IA): Short course on production and management of high tunnel crops
- 10/16/2018 Data: what are the opportunities for greenhouse horticulture?
- 10/16/2018 Australia: Western Sydney greenhouse growers' tour
- 10/15/2018 US (CA): Managing organic production systems to promote plant health
- 10/15/2018 HortiFlor Zimbabwe in photos
- 10/12/2018 ESA Annual Meeting sets new record of attendance
- 10/11/2018 "AHC 2020 & Horti ASIA 2020 bridge science and commerce"
- 10/10/2018 Application Pro Manager Mastercourse Vegetables in full swing
- 10/10/2018 US (FL): New online course on irrigation water and treatment
- 10/10/2018 HortiFlor Zimbabwe opens its doors
- 10/10/2018 UK: Growing media developments in vegetable propagation
- 10/09/2018 Knowledge is key at 7th International Propagation Seminar
- 10/09/2018 "Diversity in visitors resulted in good quality attendance"
- 10/09/2018 140 kg large pumpkin brightens up Shanghai Chenshan Gardens
- 10/09/2018 “Once a good basis has been laid, it is about the fine-tuning, the details”
- 10/08/2018 Canadian Greenhouse Conference'18: here's the recap
- 10/08/2018 "Greenhouse as starting point for new products and updates"
- 10/08/2018 UK: Latest research to be revealed at Soft Fruit Day


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Hewlett-Packard announced the next generation of its enterprise server line on February 13, along with a host of other datacenter focused improvements coming out of the company’s Converged Infrastructure initiative. Available now to a few select customers, The results of the latest round of that initiative, labeled Project Voyager, has focused on making servers easier to maintain in large datacenters by putting more intelligence throughout the server itself, as well as the rack. The new ProLiant Generation 8 (Gen8) servers are the centerpiece of the products that come out of Project Voyager. The servers, which will be generally released in March, are intended to reduce the manpower requirements associated with datacenter tasks—making them what HP claims are the “world’s most self-sufficient servers.”
A breach that caused Cryptome.org to infect visitors with virulent malware was one of at least six attacks reported to hit high-profile sites or services in the past few days. Others affected included Ticketmaster, websites for Mexico and the state of Alabama, Dutch ISP KPN, and the Microsoft store in India.
Cryptome, a repository of leaked documents and other information concerning free speech, privacy and cryptography, was attacked by hackers who left code on its servers that attempted to infect visitors using Windows PCs with a trojan spawned by the Blackhole Toolkit, the website reported on Sunday.
If we want to obtain 20 percent of our electricity from wind power by 2030, the US is going to need at least 50 gigawatts from offshore wind farms, according to the US Department of Energy. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) estimated that this wouldn’t be a problem—we could provide four times our 2010 electricity generation capacity with offshore wind power alone. The US hasn’t actually built any offshore wind farms yet, although there are at least 20 in the planning stages.
As part of that planning, the Interior Department recently performed a review, concluding there would be no significant environmental or socioeconomic impacts from wind farms off the mid-Atlantic Coast. However, according to a paper published today in the Proceedings of the National Academies of Science, we should be worrying the converse: the impact of the environment on the wind farms, from hurricanes in particular. In certain risky offshore regions off the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts, there is a high probability that at least one turbine would be destroyed by hurricanes within 20 years, and a smaller chance that half the turbines in a farm would be wiped out.
When major entertainment industries host their annual awards, it’s usually a major cultural milestone, with highly rated telecasts and breathless pre- and post-show coverage from the press. When gaming’s Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences hosted its Interactive Achievement Awards last Thursday, the event warranted cursory coverage from most of the press and ignorance or indifference from most gamers.
Nearly every day for the last couple years, I quietly suffer at the hands of iPhoto as I sip my morning coffee. I sit down, plug in my iPhone, transfer my photos from the last day or so, go to upload them to Flickr via iPhoto’s built-in service, and then I wait. Actually, I take that back—I wait several times during the process of attempting to upload my photos to Flickr. I wait when I click the little “Share” button on the left-hand bottom corner that brings up my sharing options. I wait after I select “Flickr” from the list. I wait (a lot) after I click either “Photostream” or “New set.” I wait again a few times as I adjust my options with the drop-downs that pop out, and then I wait after I click Publish.
And that’s just the beginning. Although iPhoto purports to be able to upload photos to existing photo sets on Flickr, my most recent sets don’t show up in iPhoto on most days. And forget adding tags on the fly, or adding those photos to any number of public Flickr groups that I belong to. If I click away from iPhoto at any point during these extensive waiting periods, all my “work” so far goes away and I’m forced to start all over. More waiting.
Last week, the Iranian government apparently started a new censorship program that blocks encrypted Internet traffic. Even Iranians who had taken steps to evade government firewalls were being stymied—and the immediate impact can be seen in usage of the Tor network.
Tor anonymizes Internet activity with client software that routs traffic through the Tor network, a worldwide network of relays and bridges set up by volunteers. Iran is second only to the US in Tor usage, with roughly 50,000 Iranians anonymizing their Internet traffic each day by routing it through the Tor network. Yet between Feb. 8 and Feb. 9, connections dropped from about 50,000 to fewer than 20,000, and plummeted to nearly zero by Friday, Feb. 10.
UPDATE: Google has now received the all-clear from the US Department of Justice’s antitrust division, which announced this afternoon that it has closed its investigation. The Justice Department also approved the $4.5 billion sale of Nortel patents to Apple, Microsoft, and RIM, and the sale of Novell patents to Apple.
Original story: European Union officials gave Google regulatory approval for its acquisition of Motorola Mobility today. The deal is expected to gain approval from the US Justice Department later this week.
“We have approved the acquisition… because upon careful examination, this transaction does not itself raise competition issues,” EU Competition Commissioner Joaquin Almunia said in a statement, according to Reuters. Google’s $12.5 billion purchase of Motorola is driven largely by the device maker’s portfolio of 17,000 patents, which Google hopes to use to protect Android from patent lawsuits, and perhaps launch a few lawsuits of its own.
The possibility that Google might abuse this patent portfolio was not worrying enough to lead the EU to block the merger. But Almunia said European authorities reserve the right to monitor Google’s handling of the patents, and they reserve the right to reopen their inquiries based on future actions. “This merger decision should not and will not mean that we are not concerned by the possibility that, once Google is the owner of this portfolio, Google can abuse these patents, linking some patents with its Android devices. This is our worry,” Reuters quotes him as telling reporters.
When Google announced the acquisition, it expected to close the deal by the end of 2011 or early 2012. It is still on track to meet that goal, if US approval comes this week as expected.
A teardown of the recently released Motorola Droid 4 reveals some quirky features, iFixit has revealed. The phone received a paltry score of 4 out of 10 for user repairability, but its innards contained some unusual wonders.
Though the Droid 4 comes with a rear panel removal tool that looks like a wind-up key, taking the back cover off revealed a sticker saying the battery is not user-removable, a big departure for Motorola’s Droid phones. The battery is held in with two Torx screws and a generous amount of adhesive—not insurmountable, but it appears Motorola wants the days of the pop-out battery to be over sooner rather than later.
Another of the more unfortunate features of the Droid 4 is that, unlike the Droid 3 that came out only six months ago, the keyboard’s pressure sensors are attached to the back of the motherboard. If one gets worn out, the entire motherboard has to be replaced. iFixit also found that that the raised rubber over the pressure contacts are in the shape of the letters they correspond to, a very odd design choice that they (and we) can’t see much reason for, other than ease of alignment. Overall, the authors praised the design and usability of the keyboard for texting.
More positively, the Droid 4’s display glass and LCD are separate pieces, so if owners manage to break the first but not the second, they can get away without having to replace both. On the downside, owners would have to take the entire phone apart to separate and replace those pieces.
The Droid 4’s 4 out of 10 score in user repairability is bested by the Droid 3’s 6 out 10. We’d argue the Droid 4’s superior QWERTY keyboard is worth that step down.
ThinkGeek announced on Monday a new iCade-compatible gaming controller called the iCade 8-bitty. The D-pad style controller will get its first public showing at the 2012 Toy Fair in New York City this week.
The iCade 8-bitty looks a bit like the classic NES D-pad controller, but redone with fake wood veneer reminiscent of Atari consoles form the 1970s. It connects to an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch using Bluetooth, and is compatible with a growing number of game titles including Atari Arcade Classics, Pac-Man, and Frogger Decades, among others. Developers can add support for all iCade devices using a free SDK.
ThinkGeek hasn’t announced when the 8-bitty will ship except to say it will be sometime “later this year.” At $24.99, though, it will be much less expensive than the original (and in our view, excellent) $99.99 iCade iPad cabinet.
Ion, which helped ThinkGeek turn the the original iCade from an April Fool’s joke into a real product, recently unveiled its own iCade devices at CES this year. The expanding line now includes an iCade Jr for iPhones and iPod touches, the iCade Mobile for iPhone and Android devices, and the iCade Core fighter stick.
Samsung has announced plans to release a “Galaxy Tab 2,” an official Android 4.0 follow-up to the first Galaxy Tab released in October 2010. The 7.0-inch Galaxy Tab 2’s specs are underwhelming compared to the offshoot Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus, a weird prospect given that the Tab 7.0 Plus is meant to be a bargain model.
The Galaxy Tab 2 will have a 1GHz dual-core processor of unspecified make, 1GB of RAM, a 3-megapixel “fixed-focus” rear camera, and a VGA-front facing camera. The tablet will be able to connect to both WiFi and HSPA+ networks, though Samsung has not yet announced a carrier. The whole thing will run on a 4,000mAh battery, and the 8GB/16GB/32GB storage options can be supplemented by a microSD card slot, up to an extra 32GB.
The Tab 2 comes only months after the Tab 7.0 Plus, which was released at a two-year contract price of $249 to compete with the Kindle Fire (through an extra $10 charge over the two years, customers would still end up paying the same $499 starting price as the original Tab). Despite the Tab 7.0 Plus’s low starting price, it has slightly better specs than the Tab 2: a 1.2GHz processor and a 2-megapixel front-facing camera.
The Tab 2 will come with Android 4.0, which is a plus, though no release date or prices have been announced yet. The mitigated specs and may mean the tablet could be released off of a contract, finally, for a reasonable price.
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France and the U.K. are edging closer to establishing a system to tax tech giants like Amazon.com Inc. and Alphabet Inc.’s Google, even as the OECD tries to reach global consensus on its efforts to rewrite international tax rules.
These countries and several others, including New Zealand, Italy, Austria, and India, have pushed forward with digital tax plans—with France poised to act as early as April.
Australia has abandoned its plans to launch the tax and said it will instead focus on multilateral efforts at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.
The uptick in digital tax proposals, which most jurisdictions indicate are temporary measures, makes it clear what’s at stake if efforts to find a global consensus at the OECD fail, tax practitioners warned.
“There is general acknowledgment that a coordinated global response to challenges posed by digitalization of the economy is preferred, and that the OECD is the right body to lead those efforts,” said Ross Robertson, a tax partner at accounting firm BDO LLP.
The OECD is working toward a global solution by the end of 2020 and will develop a working plan for next steps by spring 2019. Its work is spurred by concerns many countries have about multinationals not paying enough tax, or not paying it in the right places.
“What we need is an OECD approach that that will mean companies do not have to come up with completely different systems to comply with all these unilateral taxing measures,” said Giles Derrington, associate director of policy at TechUK, a tech industry group.
The EU proposed a digital services tax in 2015, but talks have stalled as some countries, including Ireland and Finland, remain staunchly opposed to it.
French lawmakers are set to debate and vote on the new tax April 7-10; it is expected to pass.
Tech giants could then have just six months to prepare for the first payment of France’s 3 percent digital tax due in October.
The time frame for the tax’s application and first payment was set out in a bill presented to the country’s cabinet March 6 by French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire.
Dubbed the GAFA tax—after Google, Amazon, Facebook Inc., and Apple Inc.—the levy would apply to companies with at least 750 million euros ($848 million) in worldwide digital revenue and 25 million euros of French digital sales.
The U.K. government indicated in its March 13 Spring budget that in coming weeks it will publish the results of a consultation into its proposed digital services tax, which closed in February.
The country proposed a 2 percent tax on the digital revenue of companies that generate at least 500 million pounds ($653 million) of global revenue and U.K. digital sales of 25 million pounds.
After the government publishes the results, it aims to include the tax as part of the Finance Bill 2019. If passed, the tax would be enacted into law in January 2020 and become effective from April 2020.
Australia has abandoned its plans to launch a digital services tax, Josh Frydenberg, the country’s treasurer, said in a March 20 news release, citing overwhelming negative response to a public consultation on the issue.
The government said it will focus instead on multilateral efforts at the OECD.
“Australia’s ongoing commitment to the multilateral process complements the strong action we have taken to strengthen the integrity of Australia’s corporate tax system and prevent multinational tax avoidance,” he said.
New Zealand said Feb. 18 that it was considering launching a digital services tax.
Finance Minister Grant Robertson and Revenue Minister Stuart Nash said at the time the government expects to publish a proposal in May .
“Highly digitalized companies, such as those offering social media networks, trading platforms, and online advertising, currently earn a significant income from New Zealand consumers without being liable for income tax. That is not fair, and we are determined to do something about it,” Robertson said.
Italy first proposed a domestic digital tax in 2017.
The Italian parliament approved a 3 percent tax in the 2018 Budget Law. But the Ministry of Finance will need to issue an implementation decree, which tax advisers said could be published April 30. The tax will take effect 60 days later.
Unlike the EU’s proposed tax, Italy’s 3 percent tax hits buyers of the service rather than the sellers.
Any businesses that make more than 3,000 business-to-business digital transactions in Italy during a calendar year would be liable for the tax. Companies can’t use the tax to offset Italian income tax.
The Austrian Chancellery proposed a 3 percent tax Jan. 10 that would be paid by sellers of online advertisements, like Facebook and Google.
The tax would be levied on any company with at least 750 million euros in worldwide revenue and 10 million euros in online advertising revenue in Austria.
The proposed tax is being reviewed by a government-appointed task force, whose findings are expected in the coming weeks.
Tech companies with users in India will have to wait several months to learn if they’ll be on the hook for the 40 percent tax rate that is already applied to foreign brick-and-mortar companies in the country.
The “significant economic presence” rules for the tax, set to take effect in April, will apply income tax to digital-business profits deemed to be derived from India.
Details of the thresholds have yet to be published and may now come after elections to be held in May or June of this year as a result, practitioners warned.
—With assistance from Matthew Brockett in Wellington, New Zealand (Bloomberg).


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According to ZoneFinance consensus, based on 8 contributions, the markets were expecting revenues of 14,624 millions in Q4 (57,793 millions for Full Year), OIBDA of 5,520 millions (22,566 millions) Operating income of 3,160 millions (13,357 millions) and net profit of 1,686 millions (7,325 millions).
jeudi 26 février 2009
Telefonica - OIBDA at 5,893 millions euros in Q4
Telefonica announced today revenues of 14,804 millions euros for its fourth quarter in 2008, OIBDA of 5,893 millions, Operating income of 3,650 millions and net profit of 1,916 millions. For full year 2008, the spanish telecom company published revenues of 57,946 millions euros, OIBDA of 22,919 millions, Operating Income of 13,873 millions and net profit of 7,592 millions.


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Tata Crucible Corporate Quiz, India’s much anticipated business quiz, is back in a new online format for its 17th edition. The registrations for this edition will be open from 6th to 20th October, 2020. This knowledge initiative by the Tata Group is all set to roll out and invite participation from the best and the brightest minds from corporates across India.
In this pan-India quizzing competition to be held online starting with a pan-India prelim, the country is divided into 12 clusters and after two levels of online prelims, top 12 finalists from each cluster will be invited for wild card finals out of which top 6 finalists will then compete in the 12 online cluster finals. In each of the cluster finals, top scorer will be recognised as winner and the second top scorer will be announced as runner-up. The winners and runners-up at the cluster finals will receive prizes of Rs. 35,000 /-* and Rs. 18,000/-* respectively. The winner from each of the 12 cluster finals will compete in two semi-finals and finally six winners will qualify for the national final event scheduled to be held in December 2020. The winner of the National Final will receive a grand prize of Rs. 2.5 lakhs* along with the coveted Tata Crucible Trophy. The prizes for this edition are being supported by Tata CLiQ.
Renowned quizmaster Giri Balasubramaniam, aka ‘Pickbrain’ will continue to be the Quizmaster for the online edition Tata Crucible Corporate Quiz.
Speaking about the initiative, Atul Agrawal, Senior Vice President, Corporate Brand and Marketing, Tata Services, shared, “This new online version of the quiz promises to be as energetic and intense as the ground events. Now that the quiz is being held completely online, this is an opportunity for individuals from even the remotest parts of India to participate in the quiz, which will further increase the level of competition. We are confident that this new format will be appreciated by all Tata Crucible followers and we look forward to an enthusiastic participation in the quiz this time as well.”


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After a third-party review of our performance history and client results, we’re thrilled to announce that Spatially has been named an official Google Partner.
The honor comes just shy of a year into the launch of Spatially Ads, our self-serve ad platform that applies intelligent location targeting to campaigns in Google AdWords and Facebook Ads. Over the past twelve months, Google has been diligently tracking our progress to ensure that we met or exceeded the Partner program’s rigorous performance requirements and ultimately delivered top-notch results for our own growing customer base.
And today, we’re proud to say that we have met those goals.
The Google Partner badge comes as the latest seal of approval, following Spatially’s introduction to the Local Search Association and the Forbes Agency Council earlier this year.
What does working with a Google Partner mean for our customers?
The Google Partnership brings us one step closer to Google, opening up a direct line of communication for the Spatially team to advocate for our customers and promptly address and resolve any network-side errors and ad rejections.
Additionally, the thorough Partner requirements mean that you’ll be supported by a team of customer success managers and marketers who have completed multiple Google certifications and can guide you through your many options when it comes to advertising over AdWords.
To learn more about our Google AdWords expertise and partnership, browse our resources or connect your existing AdWords account to Spatially Ads to see the difference intelligent location targeting can make on your campaigns (free for the month of June!).


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The U.S. dollar enhanced against its crucial counterparts in the European session on Friday, as investors waited for next week’s talks in between the United States and China, following media reports that both sides had actually reached agreement on certain key areas throughout the meeting held this week.
A statement from the White Home stated high level U.S.-China trade talks today resulted in “advance in between the 2 celebrations” however kept in mind “much work stays.”
The U.S. trade secretary Steven Mnuchin tweeted that the conferences in Beijing were “efficient”, although he offered no more details.
The White Home said the U.S. intends to see extra progress as discussions at the vice-ministerial and ministerial levels continue in Washington next week.
Information from the Labor Department showed that U.S. import and export rates both fell by far more than anticipated in the month of January.
The report said import costs fell by 0.5 percent in January after tumbling by 1.0 percent in December, while financial experts had anticipated import costs to edge down by 0.1 percent.
The export rates likewise slid by 0.6 percent for the second consecutive month in January. Financial experts had expected export rates to slip by 0.1 percent.
The greenback held consistent versus its major counterparts in the Asian session, excepting the yen.
The greenback climbed to 1.1234 versus the euro, a level not seen since November 12, 2018. The pair closed Thursday’s trading at 1.1294. Next key resistance for the greenback is most likely seen around the 1.10 region.
Figures from the statistical workplace Eurostat revealed that Eurozone’s product trade surplus can be found in below financial experts’ expectations for December.
The seasonally changed trade surplus fell to EUR 15.6 billion from EUR 15.8 billion in November. Financial experts had expected a surplus of EU R16.3 billion.
The greenback advanced to 110.65 against the yen, from a 5-day low of 110.26 seen at 10:00 pm ET. On the benefit, 113.00 is most likely seen as the next resistance level for the greenback.
Having declined to 1.0046 against the franc at 5:00 pm ET, the greenback snapped back and reached as high as 1.0089. The greenback is seen finding resistance around the 1.02 level.
The greenback bounced off to 1.2789 versus the pound, from a low of 1.2832 touched at 6:30 am ET. Further uptrend is likely to take the greenback to a resistance around the 1.26 mark.
Data from the Office for National Statistics showed that UK retail sales rebounded highly at the start of the year, rising at a faster-than-expected speed, led by robust clothes and shoes sales supported by price cuts.
The retail sales consisting of car fuel rose 1 percent from December, when they decreased 0.7 percent. Economists had actually anticipated a 0.2 percent gain.
On the flip side, the greenback held steady versus the kiwi, after having decreased to a 10-day low of 0.6859 at 7:15 am ET. At the other day’s close, the set was valued at 0.6837.
The greenback was trading lower at 1.3273 against the loonie and 0.7111 versus the aussie, down from its early highs of 1.3313 and 0.7079, respectively. The next possible support for the greenback is seen around 1.30 versus the loonie and 0.72 against the aussie.
The University of Michigan’s initial customer belief index for February is set up for release at 10:00 am ET.
The material has been supplied by InstaForex Business – www.instaforex.com


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The House of Representatives has mandated the committees on Gas Resources and Petroleum Resources (Downstream) to investigate the reasons for the scarcity and incessant hike in the price of liquefied Petroleum gas (cooking gas).
According to the House’s resolutions on Wednesday, the committees would report back to the House within six weeks for further legislative action.
The House resolution followed a motion moved by Hon. Sergius Ogun who expressed shock that the price of cooking gas has been subjected to incessant hikes with the various players in the sector trading blames and ending up doing nothing to stem the rise in price which he said is usually preceded by the scarcity of the product.
“The cooking gas is sold to marketers and paid for in naira, unlike other petroleum products which are priced in United States dollars and are therefore subject to foreign exchange fluctuations which sometimes affect the supply and availability of the products.”
He further explained that in 2016, the price of 12.5 kilogrammes, of the gas increased from N2,700 to between N3,500 and N4,000 depending on the vendor and the same quantity of the product is currently selling for between N5,000 to N6,000.
The motion scaled through when it was put to vote by the Speaker, Hon. Yakubu Dogara.
Prior to the Yuletide season, 12.5kg of cooking gas was selling at an average price of N3,000 but currently, it is selling at an average price N5,000 to N6,000 per 12.5kg cylinder.
The Executive Secretary of the National Association of LPG Marketers (NALPGAM), Bassey Essien, told newsmen that the reason for the hike was due to the shortage in supply.
He said before December 2016, a tanker of LPG was sold at N4.2 million but in December, a tanker was sold at N6 million from the Bonny terminal.
“We have been on the issue of pricing for a while now. They are selling to us from the Bonny terminal at the international price when we are actually consuming it locally,” he said.
The Federal Government had instructed the NLNG to dedicate 250,000 tonnes for the domestic market, but the issue of pricing has always been subjected to controversy.
NLNG commenced supply of LPG to the Nigerian domestic market in 2007. That ﬁrst NLNG LPG cargo into the domestic market was discharged at Apapa jetty on December 26.
At the moment, NLNG has signed Sales and Purchase Agreements (SPAs) with 15 off-takers (all Nigerian companies) in which the company is committed to delivering up to 250,000 tonnes of cooking gas into the Nigerian market annually, in line with the commitment to grow the domestic LPG market in Nigeria.
The LPG Domestic Supply scheme, which has been an outstanding success, has led to a signiﬁcant reduction in the end-user price of LPG in the domestic market.
However, the issue of pricing is still an issue the regulators may have to look into to address the perennial scarcity that Nigerians face annually.


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Samsung is currently gearing up to launch its brand new 2021 flagship, the Galaxy S21 series, later this month. However, it isn’t the only phone from the company to be released in the first quarter of the year, as its Galaxy A series is also expected to arrive within that time. Thanks to several recent leaks, we now have a good look at one particular model from the mid-range series: the Galaxy A72.
In no particular order, one of the aforementioned leaks showcases an alleged case mould of the upcoming phone, revealing the design of its sides and rear. Much like its predecessor, the Galaxy A72 is seen to be a large handset along with a prominent camera island on its back that supposedly features a quad camera setup. The mould also reveals that the device comes with a speaker grille, USB-C port and a 3.5mm jack located on the bottom, as well as the usual volume rocker and lock button on its right side.
This design also seemingly confirms the design renders that was provided by Steve Hemmerstoffer (aka OnLeaks) two weeks prior. Much like the mould, the leakster’s 3D renders of the Galaxy A72 also depict the same features and it was mentioned that it may come with a 6.7-inch flat display as well as an in-display fingerprint sensor.
Other than that, Dutch tech blog GalaxyClub claims that the new Samsung mid-ranger will sport a 64MP main camera, joined by a 12MP ultrawide, 5MP macro, and 5MP depth sensor. The Galaxy A72 is also rumoured to be priced between ~EUR450 (~RM2,225) for the 4G version, and ~EUR550(~RM2,720) for the 5G variant. Lastly, sources believe that the smartphone is expected to launch sometime in March.


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October 5, 2010
This spring, the Department of Commerce announced the creation of “an Internet Policy Task Force whose mission is to identify leading public policy and operational challenges in the Internet environment…” The Task Force’s agenda includes “conducting a comprehensive review of the relationship of copyright policy, creativity, and innovation in the Internet economy.” On July 1, the Task Force held a public meeting in Washington, D.C. to kick-off this review. The meeting was conducted in coordination with the U.S. Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator, Victoria Espinel, who recently published a “Joint Strategic Plan on Intellectual Property Enforcement.” Today, the Task Force issued a Notice of Inquiry.
As someone who believes that crafting balanced copyright and Internet policy should be a core focus of our government, I was pleased to watch thoughtful presentations at the July 1 hearing. I fully hope that the Task Force will achieve its stated goal of “develop[ing] a deeper understanding of the relationship of current copyright laws to consumer welfare, job creation, international trade, and fundamental democratic values.”
This is not, of course, the first effort to review the relationship between copyright and Internet development. Recent examples of agencies studying discrete issues include an FTC workshop labeled “How Will Journalism Survive in the Internet Age,” an FCC examination of the “Future of Media and the Information Needs of Communities in a Digital Age,” and a Copyright Office rulemaking regarding the impact of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act on lawful uses. However, our government has not taken a broad look at the interconnected nature of technological innovation and creative expression since the Clinton administration put forward a plan for the “National Information Infrastructure” in the 1990s.
At that time, the Internet was just emerging as a game-changer. Now, we have years of empirical evidence regarding how radically expanded access to information in digital form affects business, education, entertainment, and politics. Nevertheless, I worry that going-forward policymakers may be unable to ascertain the deeper understanding they seek due to the nearly opaque rhetoric accompanying copyright related debates – such debates tend to rapidly devolve into copyright owners claiming the sky is falling while technology advocates accuse copyright owners of secretly trying to destroy the Internet.
I spent the last several years of my life representing individuals and companies in the entertainment industry, and I can promise you that large copyright owners do not want to destroy the Internet. However, they do have a healthy fear of the Internet due to the apparently insatiable desire of some consumers to knowingly commit acts of obvious infringement (and the equally insatiable desire of many businesses to profit from such acts). This fear has led copyright owners to seek strong legal protection.
In response, intellectual property skeptics have understandably become concerned about the unintended consequences of laws designed to reduce online infringement. They point to burdens on free speech and overbroad theories of secondary liability that discourage investment in innovation as anathemas caused by overzealous copyright protection.
Although these complaints often have merit, thus far they have failed to convince most policymakers. In my view, this failure is not the result of corruption, as some prominent commentators claim. Rather, most policymakers accept that copyright laws need to be stronger because the evidence of widespread online infringement is staggering, whereas Internet speech and commerce are clearly flourishing. The facts, at least on the surface, simply favor the copyright owners’ arguments.
Advocates of limited copyright protection can continue to blame online infringement on copyright owners’ failed business models and stubborn refusals to change, but this rhetoric fails to explain away the problem. Those of us who want to protect the open Internet and preserve the balance between exclusive rights and users' rights should instead do our best to discourage acts that are unmistakably infringing, such as downloading commercial releases from peer-to-peer networks and online lockers. If we want to prevent changes in law enforcement from hindering fair use and other lawful conduct, we should convince people that committing slavish infringement is not in their best interest.
Thankfully, most commentators refrain from encouraging infringement, and some even discourage it on occasion. However, these discouraging words are often afterthoughts or throw-away lines included in long discourses implying content companies deserve what they get for being so greedy and short-sighted. Setting aside whether these diatribes occasionally contain nuggets of truth, they are counterproductive. They simply provide people already inclined toward illegal conduct with an excuse to continue their behavior, which in turn provides justification for increased copyright protection.
As has been noted elsewhere, so-called “educational efforts” by copyright owners and the government are unlikely to reduce infringement for the same reason that “just say no” commercials regarding “your brain on drugs” fell flat. But some academics, tech gurus and public interest advocates have established themselves as trustworthy netizens, and thus they can impact cultural norms in some ways that Hollywood can only dream of. In order to protect fair use, free speech and the future of the Internet, these advocates should make discouraging infringement a priority. If blatant acts of infringement decline, the government will be in a better position to reassess the impact of our copyright laws on legitimate online activities and democracy.


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The U.S. video game industry remained strong in May, as both hardware and software sales soared and accessories sales set new records.
American consumers spent $977 million on consoles, video games, and accessories in May, NPD reported on Friday, a 52% year-over-year gain compared to the $642 million consumers spent in May 2019. Console sales were up 56% year-over-year to $235 million and video game sales skyrocketed by 67% to $438 million. Accessories revenue topped $304 million, a 32% surge year-over-year.
While NPD doesn’t share unit sales information, analyst Mat Piscatella said the Nintendo Switch was last month’s top-selling hardware, topping the Xbox One and PlayStation 4. Gamepad, headset, and steering wheels all set new sales records last month, but Microsoft’s $180 Xbox Elite Series 2 Wireless Controller was the month’s top-selling accessory.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare was the top-selling video game last month, regaining the top spot from April winner Final Fantasy VII: Remake, which dropped to eighth place in May. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare’s continued success has propelled it to the top-selling game so far this year, and the best-selling title over the past 12 months, Piscatella said.
Grand Theft Auto V may have initially hit store shelves in 2013, but it was the second-best-selling video game last month, followed by Nintendo’s Animal Crossing: New Horizons. NBA 2K 20 and Mortal Kombat 11 rounded out the top five, according to NPD.
The data clearly shows another strong month for the video game industry, which has surged since the coronavirus pandemic swept across the globe and players locked inside by shelter-in-place orders increasingly turned to video games.
When the pandemic started, it wasn’t immediately clear whether game sales would surge. The lockdowns have wreaked havoc on developer timelines, some titles have been delayed, and there’s been a drop-off in major releases. And with the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X slated for a holiday launch, a lull in current-generation consoles seemed reasonable.
But the industry’s success hasn’t only been relegated to May. So far this year, gamers have spent $5.5 billion in the U.S. on video game hardware, software, and accessories, an 18% jump compared to the same period last year. Console sales have been especially strong, and have surged 34% from $1.1 billion last year to $1.4 billion through May.
NPD’s data includes retail console and physical video game sales. It also provides a subset of digital game downloads collected from a variety of publishers, including Activision Blizzard, Microsoft, and Sony.
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In less than 40 years India will overtake the US as the world’s second-largest trading nation, pushing today’s superpower into third place and Europe in to the little leagues, according to a new report by Citi.
“According to our projections, world trade in goods and services will grow from $37 trillion in 2010 to $149 trillion in 2030 and $371 trillion in 2050,” Citigroup’s William Buiter and Ebrahim Rahbari wrote in a research note released on Thursday.
“But at least as interesting as the growth in world trade that we forecast are the changes in its composition that we expect over the course of the next four decades, with today’s emerging markets set to gain much more prominence in world trade relative to advanced economies,” they added.
The report predicts that trade between emerging markets will overtake that between advanced economies in just four years in a clear sign that the world’s major economies of Europe and North America are set to lose relative importance to the global economy.
Full story here.