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“Don’t tell us we didn’t warn you!” says the Sepang International Circuit (SIC), and with less than three months to the Shell Malaysia Motorcyle Grand Prix at SIC, the high demand for this year’s event has seen tickets for the Main Grandstand, K1 Grandstand, F Grandstand, Premier Roving, the VR46 Tribune and the Marc Marquez Tribune have all been sold out! No, that’s not a joke…
The event which drew crowds of more than 160,000 people last year, now has just the Hillstand tickets left for purchase this year. Only two ticket categories are available for the hillstand, the SIC Racing Team tribune located at the K2 Hillstand and comes with a special team merchandise are available at RM77.55 while the C2 covered hillstand are available at RM44.25 and can be purchased online via www.sepangcircuit.com, authorised agents and also Sepang International Circuit’s promotion booths.
“This is very encouraging, to have another sell out event this year with still three months to the big event. This confirms that the Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix is truly an event that is highly anticipated by motorcycle fans in Malaysia and also the region” said Sepang International Circuit Chief Executive Officer, Dato’ Razlan Razali.
“Last year we sold out three weeks before the event, and in previous year it was sold out during the race weekend. So, it’s great to know that MotoGP fans have booked their tickets in advance as this year will be another great year with thrilling actions in two-wheels racing” he added.
The hillstand tickets are left with less than 100 tickets for the SIC Racing Team tribune and more than half of the C2 hillstand tickets are taken up. Fans are encouraged to purchase their tickets now and not wait until the race week.
He went on to remind fans not to buy tickets sold by other than Sepang International Circuit as it would result in problems later on.
“Only purchase from Sepang International Circuit and our authorised sales point. We want everybody to enjoy the race and not be duped by the tickets sold in the black market” he said. The Sepang International Circuit continued their push to promote the Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix by organising the MotoGP live viewing session at the Gobox Concept in Kuala Lumpur last Sunday.
Fans were treated to a feast for their eyes – and their palate – as the tantalising Grand Prix of the Czech Republic was screened on the big screen at the restaurant. The live viewing session will be held again at the same venue in conjunction of the Austrian Grand Prix this weekend and visitors stand to an exclusive SIC Racing Team paddock pass when they join the contest at the event.
Due to the overwhelming support, SIC is also in planning to have a special demo run in the city this September to bring the MotoGP experience closer to the fans. Fans are encouraged to follow the news and announcement on SIC’s official Facebook.


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Local service providers continue to dominate the digital or e-wallet market in Indonesia, according to a recent report.
iPrice Group recently teamed up with App Annie, an app market data and insight firm, to provide the latest developments related to digital wallets in Indonesia (during the period from Q2 2019 to Q2 2020).
According to a study, local Indonesian online wallet providers have maintained their dominance by regularly offering special promotions and campaigns. They’ve also received support from the nation’s government which aims to make Indonesia a cashless society.
As first reported by Fintech News, GOPAY, Dana, LinkAja, and OVO are the top-ranked digital wallets in Indonesia, as they’ve been downloaded the most during the period from Q2 2019 to Q2 2020.
A separate study by Ipsos reveals that 58% of survey respondents chose GOPAY as the digital wallet they’re most comfortable or familiar with, and OVO was chosen by 29%, meanwhile DANA was selected by 9%, and LinkAja by only 4%.
GOPAY may be accessed through the Gojek super app, which reportedly has the highest number of monthly active users from Q2 2019 to Q2 2020.
OVO and Dana continue to rank in the top 3 digital wallets with the highest monthly active users. Both these companies are offering non-government online wallets which are mainly used for transferring funds (locally).
LinkAja is reportedly the only digital wallet that’s owned by BUMN, which is a state-owned enterprise.
The use of financial or Fintech apps in Indonesia has been rising. Most local residents prefer to use their mobile phones to access the Internet instead of using laptops or desktop computers, according to recent reports.
Data provided by iPrice and Jakpat reveals that 26% of 1,000 Indoensian survey respondents said they use e-wallets/e-money to make payments when purchasing items from online stores.
Fintech sector participants in Indonesia have revealed that Millennials are only saving 10% of their income due to low financial literacy.
Indonesia’s Vice President says digital technology and online payments have become “absolutely necessary” due to COVID-19.
Earlier this month, UOB Indonesia launched TMRW, its digital bank. OVO now claims it’s the country’s largest Fintech service ecosystem.

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Chief Minister of Nagaland, Neiphiu Rio officially launched the air cargo services at Dimapur Airport on Tuesday by flagging off 111 cartons of perishable and non-perishable fruits and vegetables including some finished products.
Addressing the inaugural programme, Neiphiu Rio termed the introduction of air cargo services as a historic occasion for the state.
He then said that Nagaland is blessed with vast land resources with varied agro-climatic conditions. He also said that the state has a wide range of potential to produce organic products.
Rio then said the farmers as well as the educated youth are showing interest in modern farming with the capacity to produce high quality and valued fruits and vegetables. However, to make those produces reaching to the cosmopolitan cities where there are demands would be a huge challenge for everybody. He, however, was positive that the farmers as well as the entrepreneurs would take it seriously, and also that the Agriculture, Horticulture and allied departments would not only stick to demonstration farm or working on pilot basis but they should also empower the entrepreneurs to be a partner in the supply chain and should also come to the rescue of post-harvest management like packaging and value addition so that right prices are fetched and the farmers are duly benefited. He added that unless farmers are stable and rich “we cannot say that our society is strong”.
Stressing on the challenges ahead, Rio said that the farmers should produce consistently and the produces should reach the air cargo station in the quickest time possible with the least cost and at the same time maintaining the quality. He also felt the need to educate the farmers and even the entrepreneurs through workshops or to have discussions to make them understand how better business can be done where farmers and the people who are involved doing business, transporting from farms to air cargo stations get their share of profits and the consumers should be satisfied.


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Beer remains a staple of the cold vault at convenience stores and other retail outlets, but times are changing. American consumers are increasingly turning to different kinds of alcohol, including wine and hard liquor, and craving more flavors and variety, according to research.
Another major shift is the rise of craft beer, sales of which are expected to grow to 17 percent of total beer sales within the next 10 years. But can this segment comprised of many microbreweries really pose a threat to longtime favorites like domestic and light beer?
To a degree, the answer is yes, according to some experts.
?There [are] just so many beers you can put anywhere,? said Eric Shepherd, vice president and executive editor of Beer Marketer?s Insights. ?I think there?s no question that craft has cut into more mainstream beers in space and sales.?
With competition for cooler space especially intense, mainstream domestic and light brands have been hit the hardest. While craft beer is more developed as a segment in supermarkets than in c-stores, the story is the same: ?Craft is growing faster than virtually any other segment,? Shepherd noted.
The increase in craft beer sales represents a change in priorities for today?s beer drinkers, according to Matt Paduano, vice president of category management at Canastota, N.Y.-based Nice N Easy Grocery Shoppes Inc. ?We?re seeing a lot of the losses in the popular priced ones? as consumers choose to trade up in quality and price, or ?down to the bottom feeders? to save, he explained.
One sign of the changing beer market is the lack of package variation available at c-stores today. Five years ago, retailers might have carried Budweiser in cans, bottles and numerous pack sizes, but now many are consolidating in order to make room for craft brews and items with higher profit margin. At the same time that c-stores are offering fewer large-size packs, ?one of the saviors out there is the growth in singles,? Paduano said.
Along with craft beer, flavored malt beverages and ciders have done well over the last year, with Shepherd noting a ?pop? in this area. In particular, Anheuser-Busch?s Lime-A-Rita and Straw-Ber-Rita have done surprisingly well, with Lime-A-Rita earning a spot on Information Resources Inc.?s top 10 New Products Pacesetters list for the convenience store market in 2013.
A BALANCING ACT
C-store retailers that want to maximize their beer revenue are obligated to change up their mix of offerings ? but only to a degree, as the traditional top beers still occupy considerable market share, and consumers tend to be loyal to their chosen brand.
?They have to know their consumer base,? said Shepherd. Like any other product category, a successful operator knows what kind of customer traffic they see and what brands those customers prefer.
Stores can develop a reputation for catering to craft enthusiasts, which has its benefits as well as its drawbacks. ?That?s where you start getting into more micromanaging,? Paduano said. ?Do I want to sacrifice cold space for something that might move less than a six-pack per week??
For c-store operators, it can be a tricky balancing act between craft beer, which offers higher margins per package, and those brands that sell in higher volumes.
More choice is always better, but unlike supermarkets, which tend to have more square feet to work with, c-stores have to be more efficient with what they offer, making knowledge of one?s customer preferences that much more critical.
Temperature is also an important consideration. ?Offering the product cold is the No. 1 advantage that you have,? with pricing second, Paduano said. At the same time, offering new brews warm on the shelf can serve as a trial period for the latest beers, rather than immediately sacrificing cold vault space occupied by existing sellers in favor of a product with no history.
?I?d rather have a craft brand earn its keep on the warm shelf before it works its way into the cooler,? Paduano said.
As retailers scramble to adjust to these changes in the market, they must also look ahead at changes yet to come. After facing struggles caused by severe weather incidents last year, Paduano is cautiously optimistic about 2014. ?If the weather cooperates, I expect the whole beer category to be up a couple percentage points,? he said, noting that while this is a small figure, it?s ?very healthy growth? when taking into account that it?s a reversal from a previous downward trend.
When considering a similar bounce-back for struggling mainstream brands, though, Shepherd is skeptical. ?History has been that when a big brand starts to decline, it?s very difficult to reverse that direction,? he said.
Still, the biggest breweries are devoting a great deal of time and effort to doing just that ? and in the meantime, they?re purchasing promising craft breweries as well, with Anheuser-Busch?s February purchase of Patchogue, N.Y.-based Blue Point Brewing Co. serving as a prime example.
For now, there?s nothing but good news for craft beer. The ?endless stream of new brands ? seems to be unsustainable,? Shepherd said. ?But every time you think that, more brands come out.?


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Immersion Corporation, one of the leading developer of touch feedback technology has filed a patent infringement complaint against Apple with the US International Trade Commission.
According to the complaint, Immersion Corporation claims that Apple’s iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus and Apple Watch models infringe some of the patents related to haptic feedback systems.
Apple had announced Taptic engine with Apple Watch and 12-inch Macbook. The feature provides haptic feedback using force sensors integrated with the display or touchpad of the device. Apple also transformed that tech for its iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus calling it Force Touch.
Force Touch was undoubtedly the most important thing on new iPhones. It uses haptic feedback with pressure sensitive display. A gentle press on the display gives peak while the deep press opens up the image or file completely.
“Immersion and its employees have worked diligently for over 20 years to invent solutions and build an ecosystem of content and playback devices that enable realistic and rich digital experiences. Touch matters, as it informs, excites and humanizes the digital world we interact with every day. Many of our licensed customers are market leaders that benefit from our innovation in touch technology,” said Immersion’s CEO Victor Viegas in a statement.
Immersion Corporation’s complaint seeks an exclusion order preventing the importation of infringing Apple device into the US in the ITC complaint.
📣 The Indian Express is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@indianexpress) and stay updated with the latest headlines


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Companies hitching their strategy to electrification and the environment can start by engaging their own workforce
The suggestion from the Cascades Inc. employee made a lot of sense to management: Since Cascades is primarily a recycling company dealing in paper and packaging, why not encourage its employees to also reduce their environmental footprint?
The employee, an IT technician at Cascades’ head office in Kingsey Falls, Que., said he wanted to buy an electric car and would appreciate a place to charge it while at work. Management — which is also looking for ways to cut carbon emissions in its processes and supply chain — went a step farther and surveyed its 1,400 employees in town to ask what they wanted.
“It showed 60 percent of our employees would consider buying an electric car if the company installed charging stations, but [the survey] really told us two things,” says Hugo D’Amours, Cascades’ vice-president of communications and public affairs. “It told us the major obstacle was the price of the car, and they were worried about getting to work and getting back home without recharging their batteries.”
So, in November 2017, Cascades began a pilot project of installing Level 2 charging stations at all its plants in Kingsey Falls. It also offered a $2,000 subsidy to all employees who wanted to buy either an electric vehicle or a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle.
Today, the company has 50 charging stations across Quebec — where the provincial government pays up to half the cost of their installation — and has helped 80 employees to buy electric vehicles. Last month, it announced a similar program in Ontario, including the installation of another 30 charging stations.
Threat versus opportunity
For companies whose business more directly hinges on the transformation to electrified mobility — where employees might see the change as a threat to job security as much as an opportunity — similar initiatives carry even great weight.
Consider Volkswagen Canada. Its parent is betting the company’s future on a complete shift to electric vehicle production as of 2026. And so, last summer, as part of its effort to win over its more than 300 employees, the company extended an offer to them all: take a new, all-electric e-Golf home for the night, just to try it out.
“Letting the work force feel the change — in their own lives — is an imperative first step before we can take it to our customers and beyond,” explained VW Canada’s president and CEO Daniel Weissland, in a recent op-ed in The Globe and Mail. “They need to stand ready and willing to take on the challenge — and, by every indication, they’re up for it.
Weissland’s effort is the sort of initiative that Ron Groves, education manager for the non-profit Plug’n Drive lobby group, would endorse. As an organization working to increase awareness and use of zero-emission vehicles, he says the best promotion for ZEVs comes from drivers who experience them as fleet vehicles at work, and then want to bring their benefits home.
For people or companies that don’t have that opportunity, Plug’n Drive has an outreach program that takes ZEVs to businesses and community centres to offer test drives.
Overall, however, corporate support for EVs “is very sporadic,” says Groves. “It’s great that companies have been putting in charging stations, but it’s usually employee-driven, not company-driven.”
More fleets create more awareness
There are other exceptions. The federal government now has a “Greening Government” strategy, which calls for 75 percent of its new light-duty administrative fleet vehicle purchases to be either ZEVs or hybrids. By 2030, the aim is for at least 80 percent of the administrative fleet to be ZEVs. Already, all new executive vehicle purchases must be either ZEVs or hybrids.
“That’s massive,” says François Lefèvre, Nissan Canada’s chief marketing manager for the all-electric Leaf. “The key thing we’re lacking in Canada is awareness and education. If more companies buy electric vehicles, and more government fleets include electric vehicles, people will see the cars on the road and say, ‘Hmm, I’m looking at the price of gas at $1.33 a litre, and I’m seeing more Nissan Leafs on the road, I need to get with it.’”
Corporately, Nissan Canada has installed a half-dozen Level 2 chargers at its headquarters that are reserved for employees during work hours and a Level 3 charger available for anyone. Like other car companies, it offers employees a deal on vehicles, but nothing extra for EVs or hybrids.
D’Amours says Cascades was motivated to help its employees with the additional cost of buying an EV because “environmental considerations are slightly higher in our company than some others. A lot of people come to work for Cascades because of our values and how we do them.”
In fact, he says the company is considering expanding the program to more of its 11,000 employees in North America and Europe, though only to regions where the electricity is cleanly and sustainably created.
“It’s not what we call a material expense for the company. Frankly, I think the payback was very much the buzz that we created with employees, and the pride that employees have been showing in the company they work for that invests in a program like this.”
That’s the same sort of reaction VW Canada’s Weissland was after with its employee outreach. And he said he’s seeing it. “They’re excited by the change, and the challenge. And I think that flows from a place of true belief in the initiative. They know that more and more Canadians want to make the shift to an electric vehicle. Because many of them want the same thing for themselves and their families.”


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We will act on chicken E.coli, says food watchdog: FSA pledges to cut the use of antibiotics after it was revealed a quarter of birds have superbug strain
- Food Standards Agency said consumers faced a ‘significant threat’
- Antibiotic-resistant superbugs like E.coli found on quarter of chickens
- Such superbug strains kill more than 5,500 people a year in England alone
Bugs such as E.coli (pictured) have mutated to develop a resistance to antibiotics
The food watchdog has pledged to cut the use of antibiotics on farms after it emerged that a quarter of supermarket chicken has superbug strains of E.coli.
The Food Standards Agency said last night that consumers faced a ‘significant threat’ to health from antibiotic-resistant superbugs.
The FSA spoke out after the Mail reported yesterday on research that found antibiotic-resistant strains of the food-poisoning bacteria E.coli were on 24 per cent of 92 chicken samples from Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, Waitrose, the Co-op and Aldi.
Such superbug strains kill more than 5,500 people a year in England alone.
The rise of food-borne superbugs has been attributed to the use of antibiotics on intensive farms to treat chicken, pigs and cattle that fall sick.
Their emergence is said to be the biggest concern for consumers in terms of food and health.
Bugs such as E.coli, campylobacter and salmonella have mutated to develop a resistance to the antibiotics known as antimicrobial resistance, or AMR. Anyone who falls ill after coming into contact with these bacteria will be harder to cure.
The FSA has been carrying out its own tests to establish the scale of the problem, with results due out this year. It is also working with Government departments, supermarkets and farms to try and reduce the use of antibiotics on farms.
A spokesman said: ‘AMR is a significant threat to public health. We aim to reduce the use of antimicrobials in food production animals. An important part of that will be work with food manufacturers, assurance schemes and retailers to develop standards for the responsible use of antibiotics in poultry, pig and dairy sectors.’
Government health experts have described the rise of antibiotic resistant superbugs as posing a ‘catastrophic threat’.
The Food Standards Agency said last night that consumers faced a ‘significant threat’ to health from antibiotic-resistant superbugs used in chicken farming (stock image)
The supermarket testing was funded by the Alliance To Save Our Antibiotics, which includes the Soil Association, Compassion in World Farming and Sustain.
Spokesman Emma Rose said serious E.coli blood-poisoning infections were increasing, adding: ‘These findings show the level of antibiotic resistance on retail meat to be worse than expected.
‘Supermarkets must publicly commit to polices which prohibit the routine mass-medication of groups of healthy animals, and which reduce farm use of the critically important drugs.’
Andrew Opie, of the British Retail Consortium – the supermarket trade body, said: ‘Retailers have been crystal clear – antibiotics must be used responsibly.
‘Treatment of animals with antibiotics is controlled and we expect this to take place under the supervision of a vet. This ensures an appropriate balance between animal welfare and only using medicines when necessary.’
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- Facebook / San Antonio Beer Week
- Southerleigh head brewer Les Locke enjoys a malt beverage.
Les Locke, head brewer for the Southerleigh dining and brewing chain, is leaving San Antonio for upstate New York, MySA reports.
The relocation comes after Locke’s girlfriend, Briana Hinojosa, landed a job with SingleCut Beersmith near Cooperstown, New York, according to the site. Hinojosa, who has a biochemistry degree, currently works as a lab tech for Alamo Beer Co.
Locke, a founder and board member of San Antonio Beer Week, told MySA he’ll look for a job in upstate New York’s brewing industry.
“I’m looking into breweries in the area, which will help round out my experience in brewing,” he said. “It’d be really cool being able to get into a large brewery, producing a lot of beer with different equipment.”
JC Norris will take over Southerleigh’s brewing operations after Locke leaves in the coming weeks, MySA reports.
So many restaurants, so little time. Find out the latest San Antonio dining news with our Flavor Friday Newsletter.


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IBM Will Combine Varicent With Other Analytics-Related Acquisitions
Founded in 2003, Varicent has more than 180 customers using its software, including Starwood Hotels, Covidien, Dex One, Manpower, Hertz, Office Depot and Farmers.
IBM said it will combine Varicent with its R&D and prior analytics-related acquisitions, including Algorithmics, Clarity Systems, OpenPages, Cognos and SPSS, to expand IBM capabilities in business analytics and optimization across finance, sales and customer service operations. These acquisitions are part of IBM's larger focus on analytics, which spans hardware, software, services and research.
Officials at Big Blue said the company sees enormous opportunity to apply advanced analytics to sales functions that can help organizations uncover new, untapped growth opportunities. Indeed, IBM anticipates business-analytics revenue for the company will reach $16 billion by 2015. IBM has been building its R&D and acquisition assets to define this new business opportunity.
Moreover, IBM's software business continues to be highlighted as a key contributor to the companys bottom line. Over the last decade, the profitability of IBM software has nearly tripled to more than $10 billion in 2011, and revenue doubled in the same timeframe, the company said. IBM projected its software business would become almost half of IBM's profits by 2015.
In addition, IBM has almost 9,000 dedicated business analytics and optimization consultants and 400 researchers, and has secured hundreds of patents a year in analytics. The company continues to expand its ecosystem, which consists of more than 27,000 IBM business partners; and has also created eight global analytics solution centers in Berlin, Beijing, Dallas, London, New York, Tokyo, Washington and Zurich.
These investments have enabled IBM to introduce Smarter Analytics Signature Solutions to address issues, such as fraud detection, financial operations and customer service. They have also led to breakthrough technologies like IBM Watson, a new class of industry-specific analytical technology that uses deep content analysis, evidence-based reasoning and natural-language processing to identify relationships buried in large volumes of data that can be used to improve decision making.
IBMs acquisition of Varicent is subject to customary closing conditions and is expected to be completed in the second quarter of 2012. With the closing of this acquisition, it is expected that all of Varicents employees will join IBM's Software Group.


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3645 Gwatt (Thun), ch
+41 (33) 43938-34
Meyer Burger plans to adapt business model and enter strategic collaboration with REC
In exchange for adequate exclusivity protection for specific HJT and SmartWire Connection technologies, REC is prepared in principal to enter into a profit sharing agreement with Meyer Burger, which will create equitable benefits and significant long-term shareholder value for both parties. This new business model is expected to allow Meyer Burger to both benefit from the commercial value of its disruptive high-efficiency technology as well as protect its intellectual property in the coming years, thereby reducing the risk of commoditization which Meyer Burger has experienced in its main markets in the past.
Hans Brändle, CEO of Meyer Burger, states: “This represents a fundamental change to industrial dynamics, thereby valuing our leading edge technology and our continuous efforts to drive the PV technology roadmap.” A definitive agreement on the profit share and reach of exclusivity still has to be agreed between REC and Meyer Burger in the coming months and approved by the respective Boards of Directors. In particular, a longer term exclusivity agreement will have to be compensated by large equipment orders and a commensurate profit share calculated on the Watt peak capacity of Alpha solar module sales by REC.
This press release may contain “forward-looking statements”, such as guidance, expectations, plans, intentions, or strategies regarding the future. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties. The reader is cautioned that actual future results may differ from those expressed in or implied by the statements, which constitute projections of possible developments. All forward-looking statements included in this press release are based on data available to Meyer Burger Technology Ltd as of the date that this press release is published. The company does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this press release as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
The use of information published here for personal information and editorial processing is generally free of charge. Please clarify any copyright issues with the stated publisher before further use. In the event of publication, please send a specimen copy to firstname.lastname@example.org.


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LAS VEGASZINK Imaging, Inc. and Lite-On Technology Corp. have announced a strategic partnership, already underway, for the design, commercialization and marketing of a range of ZINK-enabled ink-free digital printing products, the two companies said at the CES show here.
ZINK Imaging, the inventor of the ZINK zero-ink technology and manufacturer of ZINK Paper, is collaborating with Lite-On, a Taiwanese maker of consumer electronics products, on the development of ZINK-enabled devices for various global companies looking to deliver ZINK's printing solution to their customers. These companies will bring ZINK-enabled devices and ZINK Paper to the marketplace under their respective brands. One of the products under development is a digital photo frame with a built-in 4-by-6 ZINK printer, the companies said, which is expected to ship in the second half of 2009.
At the heart of all ZINK-enabled products is ZINK Paper, a composite material with embedded yellow, magenta, and cyan dye crystals. A ZINK-enabled device uses heat to activate and colorize these crystals. A single sheet of ZINK Paper alone contains over one billion crystals. According to ZINK, the ability to print without ink allows these devices to be embeddable, mobile, simple to use, easy to maintain, and "more respectful of the planet than any other printing alternative."
In another ZINK-related item, Polaroid announced today the launch of its PoGo Instant Digital Camera, which contains an integrated ZINK printer.
|Complete CES 2009 Coverage


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All five caps in for Legacy
Not just Shatner.
With William Shatner having blown the lid on the old-days Trek captain's involvement in Star Trek: Legacy, Bethesda Softworks has now revealed that all five of the series' captains will actually be involved.
Shatner will be joined in the voice-booth by Patrick Stewart (no stranger to games himself - most recently as the first voice you hear in The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion), Scott Bakula, Avery Brooks and Kate Mulgrew, and all had nice things to say about Bethesda.
Well, we assume they did, but the quotes, once again, came courtesy of Shatner, who said he was "delighted to have the chance to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Star Trek with my fellow captains".
Legacy, as you ought to know by now, is due out on PC and Xbox 360 later this year.


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Weixin has more than 200 million users, but no profit to show for it.
Many people propose a similar solution to this dilemma: gaming. And they always refer to Kakao Talk and Line, the Korean and the Japanese Weixin respectively. Before they turned to gaming, both services faced the same dilemma as Weixin: millions of users, but mounting loses. Last year, Kakao Talk’s loss climbed from 4 billion won a year before to 15.2 billion won.
To counter this trend, Kakao Talk turned to gaming. The company signed up game designers to launch games specifically produced for the Kakao ecosystem, and started to recommend these games to its 30 million plus users. Kakao Talk also launch its own line of virtue currencies called “Chocos” to be used for all transactions, which Kakao Talk would then take a cut.
Kakao Talk’s foray was an instant hit. Within a month, 7 out of 10 most popular Google Play games was from the Kakao ecosystem, with the game Anipang occupying the top spot. By November, Kakao games have been downloaded more than 82 million times, of which 16 million went to Anipang, helping the game to a health revenue of nearly 200 million won a day.
Kakao Talk has prospered from the experiment. Its revenue has risen from 5 billion won in August to 14 billion won in September. In October, the number also tripled again, finish at 40 billion won at the end of the month.
Line has also experimented with gaming. In July, Line launched the game Line Birzlle, gaining a stunning 2 million players with a mere 24 hours. In less than 100 days, the game accumulated 10 million users. Line has also launched a virtual currency named “Line coins”.
Tencent, the giant backing Weixin, has already invested 400 million Yuan into Kakao Talk for a 13.84% stake, so obviously Tencent is smitten with Kakao Talk’s line of business, and implementing gaming into Weixin is only natural. But one must ask, how successful would Weixin be at this?
Let’s say Weixin succeed beyond imagination. But even Apple’s app store, the holy grail of all gaming platform wannabes, only accounts for 1% of Apple’s overall revenue. Granted, part of the reason for that is the fact Apple’s yearly revenue exceeds $100 billion, but the app store can’t even hold its own against the Itunes Store. No matter how you spin it, the bottom line is simple: app store is barely profitable enterprise aimed to sell more phones and pads, where Apple makes its money.
Similarly, Facebook, which profits immensely from gaming, only derives 17% of its revenue from it. That 17% amounts to nearly $600 million, and brings one third of Facebook’s profit, but that doesn’t change the fact that Facebook’s main line of business is advertising, both on the web and on the mobile front. In fact, gaming’s importance is already fading for Facebook and the business no longers grows and the future is increasing turning to mobile.
And these are the best of all possibilities. Having users doesn’t necessarily translate into being able to build gaming platforms, as Sina Weibo can attest. Similarly, having users doesn’t mean you can retain them, the fall of Kaixin is a perfect example of that.
That’s why even Kakao Talk is deciding to spread its bets. Kakao Talk professes to have the very limited ambition of being a alternative to Google Play and the app store for small developers. In addition to gaming, Kakao Talk is also trying other lines of business to see what sticks.
For Weixin, game is definitely something worth trying, but it shouldn’t be Weixin’s only bet. However, that’s not to say Tencent won’t find some way to convert users into profits. After all, this is the company that hit the oil with an IM service, succeeding where AOL and Microsoft came up dry.


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Small-business owners in the U.S. disagreed on the state of the economy in 2013, though slightly more thought the economy was recovering rather than contracting, an improvement over last year, according to recent data from a U.S. Bank survey.
Government spending was small-business owner's top concern, followed by unemployment, health care and taxes according to the survey from U.S. Bank, a unit of U.S. Bancorp (USB), which included 3,210 small businesses. During 2012, health care topped the list.
About 45% of the respondents said they thought the U.S. economy was in a recovery, while 43% thought the economy was in recession and 10% were undecided.
Source: Fox Business


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A NEW furniture shop was inundated with shoppers when it opened its doors for the first time yesterday.
A group of staff and volunteers had been working around the clock to get the new Warwickshire and Northamptonshire Air Ambulance (WNAA) shop in Market Street, Wellingborough, ready for the grand opening.
The charity has set up a shop selling furniture in the former Disabled 2 Able store.
The new shop is open plan with separate themed areas for the living room and bedroom.
The shop is also selling a range of smaller items and bric-a-brac, including books and various home accessories.
Crowds turned out to see the store officially open at 10.30am yesterday.
The opening was completed by a fly-over from the WNAA helicopter.
Guests at the opening included Clare Bloomfield and her son Harry, two, who was flown to hospital by the WNAA last year after he suffered burns from a spilt cup of tea in Rushden.
Clare said: “The shop looks good and the furniture is really nice, it seems almost like a new shop rather than a charity shop. I looked on the internet and the air ambulance’s shops have raised a lot of revenue, they rely on donations completely.”
Shop manager Caroline Poynter said: “I really think the shop will be a hit. When we were collecting furniture and bringing it in, the interest from people passing was absolutely amazing. We have got to thank everyone for their donations.”
Volunteer Susan Elliott from Kettering said: “I think it’s good, it’s well worth having a shop like this, and it’s for a good cause.”
Shopper Richard Cotton said: “I think it’s quite nice, it’s good for a charity shop.”
Shopper Ann Chesney said: “I think a lot of people will come in. People like charity shops in general and there’s some good stuff.”


text:
AFRICAN OXYGEN LIMITED - PRESS RELEASE Release Date: 29/04/2004 14:24:16 Code(s): AFX
AFRICAN OXYGEN LIMITED - PRESS RELEASE
29 APRIL 2004
African Oxygen Limited
(Incorporated in the Republic of South Africa).
Registration number: 1927/000089/06.
ISIN: ZAE000030920. South African share code: AFX. Namibian share code: AOX.
("Afrox" or "the Company").
AFROX POSTS 21% GROWTH IN NET PROFIT
PERFORMANCE IS GOOD IN DIFFICULT TRADING CONDITIONS
In a difficult economy, African Oxygen Limited (Afrox) performed well during the
six months to 31 March 2004 with an increase in net profit of 21 percent at R305
million (2003: R252 million) and headline earnings per share up 15 percent to
89,9 cents (2003: 78,4 cents).
Afrox concentrated on protecting market share and improving its market position
in most sectors, although the strength of the rand impacted on manufacturing
output, the mining industry and on Afrox"s export revenues and earnings from
Industrial & Special Products experienced a decrease in the selling price of
Handigas due to the lower rand price of oil and a consequent reduction in the
selling price of petroleum products. Operating margins nevertheless improved.
Process Gas Solutions maintained its market share and posted strong results
considering the economic climate.
Chief executive, Rick Hogben, said, "The difficult trading conditions that
prevailed during the six months impacted on group revenue which increased by 4
percent. On a segmental basis, our industrial business was particularly
affected with a decrease in revenue of 3 percent. But improvement in cost
management and efficiencies led to a 19 percent increase in net profit,
demonstrating our ability to manage costs, increase efficiencies and produce
acceptable results in challenging times. Healthcare"s revenue increased by 9
percent, due to sustained utilisation levels in the hospitals and healthcare
"Although the manufacturing and mining industries were depressed, Afrox is a
resilient company that manufactures and supplies products and services to many
other sectors, including hospitality, medical gases and, retail sales through
its national network of retail sales outlets. The company also benefits from
long term bulk gas contracts and annuity rental of cylinders," said Hogben.
Stringent cost containment and efficiency measures assisted the industrial
business in contributing 68 percent of the segmental group net profit whilst
healthcare contributed 32 percent.
Referring to the sale of Afrox Healthcare, Hogben confirmed that the Competition
Commission had recommended that the sale of its 69 percent shareholding to
Business Venture Investments (Pty) Ltd (Bidco), a BEE consortium, be approved
subject to certain conditions. Approval by the Competition Tribunal is the
final outstanding condition precedent for the acquisition by Bidco of all the
shares in Afrox Healthcare. Once this approval has been obtained, the Board
will consider the distribution of the proceeds to shareholders.
Afrox"s results show Afrox Healthcare as a fully consolidated subsidiary, but
with the impending sale of its healthcare interests, the results have also been
segmented into `continuing operations" representing Afrox"s industrial
interests, and `discontinuing" representing Afrox"s healthcare interest, due to
the potential sale of Afrox Healthcare. This year the interim dividend is
derived from the `continuing" operations only. Shareholders will receive a
dividend of 33 cents (2003: 33 cents).
Referring to the future, Hogben said, "While Afrox sustained profit growth
during the first half of the financial year, the uncertain domestic and
international economic climate makes it unwise to predict future performance,
beyond that we expect cash flow to remain strong and profits for the full year
to exceed those of last year on a like for like basis."
Issued by African Oxygen Limited
For further information
Chris Fieldgate (011) 490 0430 or 082 495 1481
Ros Beart (011) 490 0712 or 082 891 5149
Date: 29/04/2004 02:24:20 PM Supplied by www.sharenet.co.za
Produced by the JSE SENS Department


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Industry OGs will no doubt remember the heyday of Barneys New York's biannual brick-and-mortar warehouse sale (the department store launched a permanent e-commerce home for Warehouse back in 2013), but after sitting last year out, we're happy to announce its triumphant return — in... Continue reading
More is not always better, and that's the case when it comes to the New York State real estate market this July. According to a new report from the New York State Association of Realtors (NYSAR), New York State's home sales figured dropped year-over-year in July. However, the report also says median sales price increased 8.1 percent annually in July...
Succinct Summations for the week ending August 26th 2016 Positives: 1. Durable goods rose 4.4% in July, up from a -4% reading previously. 2. New home sales came in at an SAAR of 654k, well above the 580k expected. 3. Jobless claims fell to 261k, from 262k. Show More Summary
CR Note: When the New and Existing home sales reports were released this week, I was out of town and didn't post any graphs. Here are a few graphs and comments on the reports.The new home sales report for July was very strong at 654,000...Show More Summary
Yellen time updated (ht SBG)CR Note: It was an awesome trip, but it is great to be home. I'll be posting some catch-up graphs and comments on new and existing home sales tomorrow. Best to All.Friday:• At 8:30 AM ET, Gross Domestic Product, 2nd quarter 2016 (Second estimate). Show More Summary
The general headline response to this week’s announcement of 654,000 sales of new homes in July (seasonally adjusted, annualized): Best Since 2007! New York Times: "The Housing Market Is Finally Starting To Look Healthy." The figure did beat forecasts for 590,000 homes. And of course, we didn’t sell that many in one month...
There's a 'new housing crisis' across the US. In short, buyers outnumber the available homes for sale, especially in lower-priced units, and affordability is becoming a big problem. But the housing market in the South has done better...Show More Summary
A new home sales surge, which jumped to a nine-year high as a result of stagnating low mortgage rates and a lack of monetary policy change by the Federal Reserve, may not be as rosy as it is being portrayed. The Census Bureau released this bit of faux-optimism for the United States economy in their... Show More Summary
New home sales rose 12.4% in July, to a 654,000 annual rate. The Richmond Fed Manufacturing Index fell from 10 to -11 in August. The PMI Manufacturing Index Flash fell from 52.9 to 52.1 in August. Redbook reports that last week’s retail sales growth was unchanged from the previous week at a very weak 0.2%% on […]
Following yesterday's 7 standard deviation beat in New Home Sales, Existing Home Sales for July missed expectations by 2 standard deviations dropping 1.64% YoY - the first annual decline since Nov 2015. The blame for this collapse -Show More Summary
Housing markets are heating back up with new home sales reaching their highest level since the financial crisis and market crash of 2008. Trulia’s Housing Economist, Ralph McLaughlin, determined the hot 2016 markets to watch accounting for key factors such as: affordability, job growth and vacancy rates...
Think summer sales are over? Think again. Bundle Stars has kicked off yet another round of deals with an encore sale. While most of the games in the promotion aren't anything to write home about, we have spotted a few new items at even lower prices. The most noteworthy deal would have to be Avalanche Studios' excellent Mad Max for only $9.99. Show More Summary
Note: I'm in New York and posting will not be frequent (too much to do and see).Thanks to Joe Weisenthal for having me on Bloomberg's WDYM. And Barry Ritholtz on his MIB radio and podcast.Wednesday:At 7:00 AM ET, The Mortgage Bankers...Show More Summary
Wall Street's advance follows a large increase in sales of new homes, with builders in particular getting a lift
US and European manufacturing PMIs disappointed (but don't tell the mainstream media), European consumer confidence tumbled, Richmond Fed business survey crashed... but New Home Sales managed a completely normal 6 standard deviationShow More Summary
New home sales surprised most analysts this morning. The post Surprise! New Home Sales Surge 12.37% To 654k SAAR, Back To 1995 Levels was originally published at The Wall Street Examiner. Follow the money!
This morning's release of the July New Home Sales from the Census Bureau came in at 654K, up 12.4% month-over-month from a revised 582K in June. Seasonally adjusted estimates for April and May were revised.
Amid low mortgage rates are rising rents home buyers are snapping up today's new construction at levels not seen since 2007.
While the accuracy of the new home sales data is notorious questionable, with regular revisions wiping out both up- and down-side outlier prints, moments ago the Census reported that in July the US saw a whopping 654K new home sales,...Show More Summary
CR Note: I'm in NYC for a few days and having a great time. Sorry - no graphs until I return home.The Census Bureau reports New Home Sales in July were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR) of 654 thousand. The previous three months...Show More Summary


text:
Ted Cruz has a tax plan with a bad name.
The senator from Texas and Republican presidential candidate has proposed a roundly conservative system. It would substantially reduce taxes in the United States, especially for wealthy Americans, while making it more profitable to invest. Republican wonks have been calling for a similar approach for decades.
Unfortunately for Cruz, however, he has proposed what economists and experts on taxation call a "value-added tax," or a VAT. The acronym is no better than a slur in conservative circles, partly because the system is popular in European countries.
"Bad! Europe! France! Greece! Ebola virus!" Those, said Daniel Mitchell, an economist at the libertarian Cato Institute, are a few of the words that conservatives associate with the letters V, A and T. The obscene syllable they form has been on the lips of rival Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) for months as he's criticized Cruz's plan in debates and on the stump.
Cruz denies that he has proposed a value-added tax. He prefers to describe it as a "business flat tax." As a result, the candidates haven't really been able to debate the merits of Cruz's plan, because they can't agree on what to call it. A controversy over the meanings of words has gotten in the way of a serious discussion about tax policy.
"The business flat tax that is in my tax plan is not a VAT," Cruz said, once again, in Saturday's Republican debate.
Cruz calls for reducing the individual income tax to a proportional rate of 10 percent for all taxpayers and eliminating the estate tax. He'd combine the existing payroll tax and corporate income tax into his "business flat tax."
Businesses would be responsible for paying this tax on a quarterly basis. They'd file a quarterly return with the federal government -- though not the Internal Revenue Service, which Cruz has pledged to abolish -- listing their revenues along with their total purchases (excluding wages and salaries). They'd have to pay the difference between their total revenues and their total purchases, multiplied by a flat rate of 16 percent.
Many conservative economists argue this kind of tax would be fairer and would stimulate the economy. All of a firm's output -- and, by extension, the total output of the economy -- would be taxed in a neutral way, they argue. Under the existing corporate income tax, a firm cannot immediately deduct any new investments in equipment and technology from its tax bill. As a result, the money the firm uses to make those purchases is arguably taxed twice -- first, when the firm pays its income tax, and second, when the supplier pays income tax on the money it receives from the first firm.
Under Cruz's plan, that redundant taxation would be eliminated, giving firms another reason to invest. They would simply pay tax on the difference between their output and their inputs. That difference is the amount by which the firm is increasing the size of the real economy -- what you might call the value added by its investors and employees.
This is a compelling argument for a value-added tax, and it's one of the reasons that these taxes are popular all over the world. The United States is the only developed country without one.
Cruz's plan is a "textbook" example of a value-added tax, said Len Burman, director of the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center. Blow the dust off your copy of Fundamental Issues in Consumption Taxation, the primer that economist David Bradford published with the conservative American Enterprise Institute in 1996. You'll find a description of "what is called in the jargon of the tax trade a subtraction-method value-added tax of the consumption type," with a description of the kind of tax that Cruz has proposed:
The tax base of a business consists of the difference between the payments it receives for sales of goods and services of any kind (including sales of assets, such as a building) and the purchases of goods and services from other firms. This total is then taxed at some predetermined fixed rate. That is it.
Compare that with Cruz's own description of his "business flat tax," in The Wall Street Journal. "This would tax companies' gross receipts from sales of goods and services, less purchases from other businesses, including capital investment," he wrote. "Simple, efficient, fair."
Burman is flummoxed about the controversy over whether Cruz's system is a value-added tax. "The fact that it's a debate is really just bizarre," he said.
Cruz and his supporters, though, point out that most value-added taxes around the world are collected using a different system. In that system, for example, a manufacturer would pay a sales tax on products supplied to a retailer, and the retailer would pay a sales tax on each transaction at the cash register. The retailer, though, could demand an invoice from the manufacturer showing what the manufacturer paid in sales tax, and receive a credit from the government for that amount.
Again, no firm's income is taxed twice in this system. Yet those defending Cruz argue that because the system of invoices and credits facilitates firms in passing the tax on to their customers, it is ultimately only the customer at the cash register -- who isn't eligible for any kind of credit -- who pays the tax. Under a plan like Cruz's, they argue, the incidence of the tax is broadly shared across the economy -- among shareholders and workers as well as consumers.
"The only 'real' taxpayer under the VAT-type sales tax is the retail consumer — the last one in the chain and the one who receives no tax credit," Ernest Christian, a conservative tax expert and a veteran of the Reagan and Ford administrations, wrote in Investor's Business Daily.
"A VAT in Europe is a sales tax. The business flat tax is not a sales tax," Cruz said Saturday.
In general, though, economists don't buy this argument. The math is straightforward. If you own a business, receiving a credit for a tax your supplier paid on a purchase at a certain rate is exactly the same as deducting the entire purchase from income on which you owe tax at the same rate in terms of your bottom line. As a result, there should be no difference between the two systems in terms of who pays.
"The equivalence between the two forms of VAT is not a matter of opinion," the Tax Policy Center's Burman noted. "It's simple arithmetic."
"It shouldn’t matter in the long term," said Alan Cole, an economist at the nonpartisan Tax Foundation. "This is definitely still a value-added tax."
The only clear difference is in how the rate is calculated. Cruz's rate of 16 percent would be imposed after the fact on total sales, so a business with $100 in value added would pay $16. A firm making identical transactions in Europe would charge customers $84 and then pay $16 in tax -- a rate of 19 percent. In other words, the rate in Cruz's plan is the equivalent of a 19 percent in other countries, close to the average for the rest of the developed world.
Some conservatives oppose a value-added tax on the grounds that its burden on voters is indirect. Businesses file the returns, which ordinary people pay in the form of reduced wages or increased prices at the cash register. As a result, Cato's Mitchell argued, there is less public opposition to a value-added tax, and such a tax is more likely to increase over time -- even if Cruz's immediate plan is to reduce overall taxes.
"Call it a polka-dot tax. It doesn't matter. It's a new source of revenue that would be nontransparent and easy to raise," Mitchell said. "The downside risk is you become France."
Cruz's response to this argument has been that, in imposing one new, indirect, invisible tax, he would eliminate two -- the corporate income tax and the payroll tax, which voters only know about if they read their paychecks carefully.
That hasn't mollified some observers, who dislike Cruz's use of the phrase "business flat tax." Conservative tax activist Ryan Ellis called it a "euphemism" that misleadingly suggests workers and consumers wouldn't be affected as well.
"I don't think there's any factual dispute that it's a VAT," he said. "They only want to talk about the positive elements of their plan. They deny the downsides of their plan."
Correction: In an earlier version of this story, Len Burman's group was incorrectly identified on first reference. It is the Tax Policy Center, not the Tax Policy Institute. We regret the error.


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Data security standard
Data security standard News
IBM's third annual Chief Information Security Officer study makes grgim reading read more »
Digital initiatives at the core of plans to achieve savings of £30 billion during next Parliament read more »
Insiders who have seen the memo believe the timing is no coincidence read more »
The contract for the Iris Precursor will eventually have a capability to update flight plans en-route read more »
The deal will let BlackBerry step up its cross-platform push with better security read more »
Security experts now believe that the Internet of Things will -- eventually -- be used for murderous purposes. read more »more news ..
Data security standard Blogs
Good progress, but more needed on security read more »
Time for a global debate about the limits of surveillance read more »
Time to stand up for your right to online privacy read more »
The problem of data flows, and why CETA's ISDS is a disaster read more »more blogs ..
Watch this on demand webinar which explores IT innovation, managed print services and business agility.
Check out our latest articles on Microsoft's next-generation operating system.
Join ComputerworldUK's editor in chief, Mike Simons, and Dell executives in a series of video discussions on how to respond to cyver criminals.
Following HP's dispute with Autonomy, we look back at other HP acquisitions in this Computerworld UK slideshow.
Data security standard In Depth
2014 - the year of the data breaches, online shopping and beacon technology read more »
Practical tips to help IT support increasingly remote employees read more »
Was lack of IT investment to blame for the banks 2012 IT fiasco? read more »
Ello, Wiper, Anonabox and others prove that Apple, Facebook and the like can't rest on their laurels when it comes to security. read more »
Payment Card Industry Security Standards Council leader warns against complaince complacency read more »
Infrastructure expert Jason Lehr has five questions businesses can ask a cloud provider to check if they're the real deal read more »more in depth ..
Data security standard Slideshows
Modularity, JSON, smart compilation -- Java's future offers compelling features to look forward to read more »
CIOs who want to drive innovation and change in their organisations should focus on making the lives of developers easier so they can innovate, produce great apps and deliver valuable IP read more »
Click through all the products being released at VMworld last week read more »
As the holiday period ends, it's a good time for your IT organisation to undertake some of those long put-off tasks. Here are tips from four CIOs and CTOs for cleaning up your IT environment. read more »more slideshows ..


text:
Melinda Lee, Meredith Corp. senior vice president/general manager of video, is joining BuzzFeed Media to become the first Chief Content Officer of BuzzFeed Media Brands, a new division comprised of the company’s lifestyle and vertical-specific brands, including food-focused Tasty, home-focused Nifty, health and wellness brand Goodful, and its two new brands: beauty-focused As/Is and parenting-focused Playfull.
In her new role, Lee will oversee editorial and business operations for the brands and work closely with the company’s advertising, commerce and studio teams on new partnerships, product development, licensing and original content development.
“I’m excited to see [Lee] apply her deep experience building out brand portfolios to help us quickly grow our media brands group by emphasizing brands that serve audiences, instead of the other way around,” stated Jonah Peretti, BuzzFeed’s founder and CEO.
“The growth and monetization of BuzzFeed Media Brands is an integral part of our strategy to diversify BuzzFeed’s business to a multi-revenue model," he added.
The BuzzFeed Media Brands portfolio currently reaches more than 600 million people monthly on Facebook and BuzzFeed properties, according to the company.
“Combined with their massive reach across social platforms -- and even now in department stores across the country -- there's a huge opportunity for brands like Tasty, Goodful, Nifty, Playfull and As/Is to grow revenue and embrace emerging models,” Lee stated.
Lee will focus on expanding the Tasty model of success to BuzzFeed Media Brands' other lifestyle verticals.
It is a strategy Peretti revealed last December in a memo outlining his plans to reorganize BuzzFeed’s ad sales department, focus on its lifestyle and service-journalism brands and evolve them into multiple revenue stream opportunities to fight the duopoly of Google and Facebook. “Taking the vast majority of ad revenue and paying content creators far too little for the value they deliver to users,” he wrote at the time.
Tasty, which started as a social-first brand known for its viral, shareable cooking videos on Facebook, now has a cookbook deal with Penguin Random House, content series on YouTube, a branded cooking device and a cookware line available through Walmart.
Lee joined Meredith in 2016 to oversee the company’s video studios and expand its reach through new products, programming and partnerships.
Before Meredith, Lee served as vice president, content and audience development at Hearst Magazines International, and launched the company’s first global content studio.


text: Almost 3000 food samples have failed the quality parameters in Jammu and Kashmir in the last five years. This shows how alarming an issue food adulteration is turning into. The increasing number of food adulteration cases has come to the fore despite several court directions to the successive governments to set up proper mechanism on the ground to check the quality of the food consumed by the people. Official data shows that over 300 people since 2016 has been convicted in cases involving food adulteration, and serving and selling substandard food products in Jammu and Kashmir. As per the consumer protection laws, states have to undertake regular monitoring, inspection and sampling of food items to check compliance of the prescribed standards and take penal action when the products are found adulterated, misbranded or are of inferior quality. Food adulteration is an issue that encompasses the entire society or at least the majority of its people. The increasing consumerism, which in turn is drastically pushing the demand and supply needs, is one of the main reasons why people resort to food adulteration. Lack of proper quality inspection mechanism and less number of workforce too impacts the overall idea of curbing this menace. If the same continues, the consumers will have to think twice before purchasing chilli powder, edible oils and other daily-used food items in the market, as the city and its suburbs have become a hub for adulteration of various commodities. Though food safety and task force officials are conducting surprise checks, the adulteration is continuing unabated. According to the Food Safety and Standards Act 1955, the chemicals used in food items need to be labelled. But many traders and shopkeepers fail to do so. However, the move to make the labelling mandatory is a step in the right direction. Doctors are warning against consuming such products as it damages one’s health. According to food safety department officials, adulteration of food can occur at various levels such as production, entrepreneurship or sale. Consumer vigilance is the need of the hour. There have been reports of chili powder being adulterated with brick; salt with powdered glass. It is alarming that around 68.7 per cent of milk and milk products sold across India are not as per the standards laid down by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). The World Health Organisation (WHO) had, in 2018, issued an advisory to the Government of India stating that if adulteration of milk and milk products is not checked immediately, 87 per cent of citizens would be suffering from serious diseases like cancer by the year 2025. Consuming adulterated food is one of the major reasons behind increasing number of life-threatening diseases. Kashmir is witnessing an increase in the number of cancer patients. Research shows that there is a clear link between consumption of sub-standard and adulterated food can be one of the reasons of a person falling prey to this dreaded disease. The government needs to take up the issue on a serious level and ensure that any loopholes in the existing mechanism of food safety are properly plugged and safety of the consumers is given utmost priority.


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|Videos||• Latest||• Feature||• Sports||• Your Videos|
After a city-wide effort to scrub too-literal English translations from street signs ahead of the 2008 Olympic Games, Beijing authorities are launching yet another linguistic rectification campaign - this time, targeting restaurant menus.
This Book - "Enjoy Culinary Delights: A Chinese Menu in English" was recently published to put an end to the often-too literal English translations seen on Chinese menus.
This may all look so yummy, but the menu might be a shock!
Reporter Xie Sisi said, "This Chinese menu was lost in translation. Don't worry, meatballs don't smile, ordering Chinese food can be so easy now with this book, so follow me."
This Book - "Enjoy Culinary Delights: A Chinese Menu in English” was recently published to put an end to the often-too literal English translations seen on Chinese menus. It contains recommended translations for more than 2,000 of China's most popular dishes.
The Director of the Beijing Foreign Affairs Office, who's also the chief of the editorial committee of the book, said it's the newest effort in promoting China's culinary culture.
Zhao Huimin, director of Beijing Foreign Affairs Office, said, "As Beijing is striving to become a "World City", we need a better language environment. And Chinese food has become more popular around the world in recent years, so it's essential to standardize the translation. The newly published book contains easy-to-understand English names of almost all mainstream dishes of China's eight major cuisines. It is for reference only, and is not compulsory."
Braised pork balls in gravy
China's dish names are infused with its culinary culture, and expressing them in English is not always so easy.
Reporter Xie Sisi said, "Take this iconic Sichuan dish - Kung pao chicken for example. 'Kung pao' was an official title during the Qing Dynasty, and the inventor of the dish - Ding Baozhen possessed the title, so his title was used to name the dish."
Foreign visitors in Beijing are welcoming the book.
Cao Hongling, the manager of a local restaurant, said the book is useful for both foreign and Chinese diners. He said, "Since our restaurant is located in the embassy district, we have a lot of foreign customers. The standard translation from the book can be a great reference to us. And the wine list translation in it can benefit our Chinese customers, to help them choose a wine."
The municipal government has tried to regulate English menus since 2006 and promoted the translations in more than 1,300 restaurants during the 2008 Olympic games.
The book is available on its official website：www.bjenglish.com.cn and can be downloaded from: www.bjfao.gov.cn.


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Sysco has announced plans to expand its presence in the southern United States; this week the company announced that it has acquired broadline distributor Doerle Food Services.
“We are excited to welcome Doerle and its rich, long history to the Sysco family,” said Tom Bené, Sysco's President and Chief Executive Officer, in a press release. “Doerle has a sterling reputation of providing the highest-quality products, cultivating deep, long-term relationships with customers and suppliers, and providing impeccable service. We believe these principles align with Sysco’s vision of being our customers’ most valued and trusted business partner.”
Headquartered in Broussard, Louisiana, Sysco’s newly-acquired subsidiary was founded in 1950 by Paul Doerle, Sr., as a small, local produce distributor. The family-owned company would grow to amass approximately $250 million in annual foodservice distribution sales and serve six states, including the following:
“As part of our strategic M&A plan, Sysco is focused on finding attractive growth opportunities which complement or expand the footprint of our core business,” continued Bené. “The acquisition of Doerle is a great fit for Sysco and reaffirms our commitment to creating value for our customers, associates, and shareholders.”
Sysco clarified in its press release that Doerle Energy & Marine is not part of the transaction. Sysco also stated that it expects to retain the executive management team of the foodservice distribution business. Details of the acquisition itself were not included in the release.
For more fresh-focused foodservice news, keep reading Deli Market News.


text:
Please enjoy ARK Disrupt Issue 119. This blog series is based on ARK Brainstorming, a weekly discussion between our CEO, Director of Research, thematic analysts, ARK’s theme developers, thought leaders, and investors. It is designed to present you with the most recent innovation takeaways and to keep you engaged in an ongoing discussion on investing in disruptive innovation. To read the previous issue, click here.
1. Waze’s Shortcomings Highlight Tesla’s Autopilot Data Advantage
Follow @tashaARK on Twitter
In Los Angeles, WazeGOOG has been sending unsuspecting drivers up one of the steepest streets in the US, causing accidents and confusion. While choosing the quickest route, the Waze app does not warn about the risk of driving up a 32% grade. Such warnings are not available on any of today’s navigation apps, probably because the mapping companies do not use deep learning and algorithms to assess such variables.
ARK believes that TeslaTSLA may be one of the only firms in the market today able to offer a multidimensional view of navigation. Using its installed base of more than 200,000 vehicles, Tesla regularly collects detailed driving data, including near accidents and driver behavior.
Tesla faced scrutiny this week as we learned that its Autopilot was activated during the fatal Model X crash in California a few weeks ago. Tesla announced that the driver in the fatal accident had his hands off the wheel for 6 seconds.1 before impact, suggesting that it is not liable technically for the crash.
Since the accident, a number of Tesla car owners have recreated the scenario leading up to the crash and found that the Autopilot does tend to steer cars toward the barrier in the highway. Clearly, it will have to send an over-the-air software update to its Autopilot system to guard against this risk in the future, which should give it a competitive advantage relative to most other auto manufacturers that do not have this capability yet.
2. Cobalt and EVs
Follow @skorusARK on Twitter
In the past year cobalt has appreciated from roughly $55,000 per metric ton to over $91,000 per metric ton. Prices have risen dramatically because of the increasing demand for electric cars and the perception of supply constraints. The largest cobalt mines in the world are in the Congo, accounting for roughly 58% of global cobalt production in 2017, and subjecting the market to significant geopolitical risks.
Since 2001 global cobalt production has increased from nearly 37,000 metric tons to 110,000 metric tons while reserves have remained fairly flat at roughly 7,000,000 metric tons. As shown below, at today’s production levels, the reserves of cobalt would last for 64 years, in line with or better than most other commodities except for lithium. Moreover, higher prices should encourage increased exploration.
Source: ARK Investment Management LLC, 2018; USGS Minerals Information2
Cobalt is a by-product of nickel and copper mining. Consequently, its mining and reserves are tied more closely to the price of those primary metals than to cobalt. Even if the prices of copper and nickel were to disappoint during the next few years, newer batteries are becoming less cobalt dependent. In an upcoming blog ARK will do a deeper dive into the different factors affecting cobalt supply and demand.
3. Apple Wants to Bring All of its Chip Design In-House
Follow @jwangARK on Twitter
AppleAAPL plans to ditch Intel and use its own chips in Macs starting as early as 2020, according to Bloomberg. Currently, Apple’s product line is bifurcated: iOS products use ARM CPUs3 while Mac products use IntelINTC CPUs. Apple custom designs ARM CPUs for the iPhone and iPad, often leapfrogging its competition. Intel’s CPUs cross PC platforms and cannot be custom designed. By switching to ARM, Apple would gain full control of its Mac platform, just as it has for the iOS platform.
While device makers rarely make their own chips, Apple already is the exception. Its goal is to make highly differentiated products that are easy to use. By designing its own processor, hardware, operating system, software, and services, Apple should be able to make all of its products work together in a way that others can’t.
Intel processors aren’t the only components facing replacement, as Apple also is designing its own GPUs4 and cellular modems. By 2020, Apple devices all could be powered by its own CPUs, GPUs, and modems.
4. China Issues More Fintech Regulations
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Over the past few years, China has enjoyed rapid growth in mobile payments, asset management, and online lending, as shown below. Now, fintech giants like Ant Financial are encroaching upon traditional banks with innovative business models and go-to market strategies. Consequently, Ant’s consumer lending hit a new high of $95 billion in the first quarter and its share of money market funds jumped to 28% through its Yu’e Bao platform.
Source: Financial Times
This week, the PBOC issued new regulations to lower risks to the Chinese economy, including capital outflows and other illegal drainage. The regulations include:
- New ceilings on asset management products.
- No guarantees on the rate of return from asset managers.
- A ban on unlicensed lending.
- No violence, intimidation or insults as micro-lenders seek to collect payments.
- The privacy protection of customer information.
- No online micro-loans unless proceeds are earmarked for a specific purpose
Following these changes in regulations, fintech companies have been moving cautiously by limiting subscriptions and capping the investable amount. While potentially slowing growth in the short term, these regulations should weed out nefarious and unreliable players in the financial services industry, adding confidence and stability to the industry.
5. CRISPR Has Another Bumpy Week, but Research is Pointing the Way Forward
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Last year, a study published in Nature Methods claimed that CRISPR-Cas9 caused thousands of off-target snips in the genome, sending CRISPR-based stocks into somewhat of a tailspin. Less than a year later, the authors from Stanford University retracted their findings, claiming that “the genomic variants observed by the authors in two CRISPR-treated mice cannot be conclusively attributed to CRISPR–Cas9.” The full retraction notice can be found here.
When first released, the study attracted much criticism, primarily because of its flawed design. It included only two mice of questionable genetic lineage and then questioned CRISPR technology’s viability for in vivo therapeutic applications. After the study was published, ARK highlighted the key flaws in the study in its June mARKet update webinar and reiterated our contention that CRISPR will transform health care as we know it today, curing many diseases.
Another study in pre-print this week purported to have found a potential solution for immunities that patients might have to CRISPR-Cas9. The study’s scientists contend that their “results shed light on the T cell mediated immunity towards the much-praised gene scissor SpCas9 and offer a possible solution to overcome the problem of pre-existing immunity.”
- Source: Tesla blog linked in this piece. ↩
- Shedd, Kim B. “Cobalt Statistics and Information.” USGS Minerals Information: Cobalt, 07 Mar. 2018, https://minerals.usgs.gov/minerals/pubs/commodity/cobalt/. ↩
- A CPU, or central processing unit, is the computer component that is responsible for interpreting and executing most of the commands from the computer’s other hardware and software. For more information, click here. ↩
- A GPU is a graphics processing unit used to accelerate computational workloads. For more information, click here. ↩
ARK's statements are not an endorsement of any company or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold any security. For a list of all purchases and sales made by ARK for client accounts during the past year that could be considered by the SEC as recommendations, click here. It should not be assumed that recommendations made in the future will be profitable or will equal the performance of the securities in this list. For full disclosures, click here.


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World of Tanks ASAP Episode 34: Update 9.9
Learn about the changes in update 9.9 with this latest ASAP episode.
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James Raiz to Attend TFCon Toronto 2015
Transformers comic artist James Raiz will be attending TFCon Toronto, scheduled for July 17-19 in Mississauga, Ontario. Known for his work at Dreamwave and IDW, James will be appearing throughout the weekend selling prints and offering commissions. Read on for the announcement and link.
TFCon’s website features this announcement about James Raiz:
We are pleased to announce that Transformers comic book artist James Raiz will be a guest at TFcon Toronto 2015. James is known to fans for his work as the initial penciller on Dreamwave’s Transformers Armada, as well a cover artist for IDW’s Transformers: Reign of Starscream, Beast Wars, Transformers: Infiltration, various Spotlights and most recently penciled Transformers: More than Meets the Eye #22 – Dark Cybertron. He will be selling prints and offering commissions to attendees all weekend long.


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Retaining its market share in India, Optoma has announced that it has retained its position in the 4K UHD, laser projector & Laser TV projector categories in India during the second quarter of 2022. According to the recent worldwide projector market information expert Pacific Media Associates (PMA) report, Optoma enjoyed a 49 per cent market share in the 4K UHD segment, a 43 per cent market share in Laser projector segment & a 60 per cent market share in the Laser TV Projector segments.
The overall projector market has witnessed good growth in the last year, according to the PMA report. The brand saw its share in the 4K UHD segment grow by 2.5 times, while the laser projector segment has registered a 9x growth in comparison to the 3x growth of the market in 2021. The report has also highlighted that Optoma is amongst the top 3 brands in the overall projector market.
“We are thrilled to retain our No 1 position in 4K UHD and Laser projector segments, as it is an acknowledgement of our quality products and offerings. We are able to outperform the competitors owing to our strength in the channel and a better understanding of change in consumer habits to consume entertainment. Going forward, we aim to capture a bigger chunk in the market in the second half of 2022 and will launch an exciting range of audio and visual solutions for home, corporate and education sectors,” said Mr Vijay Sharma, Country Head-India, Optoma Corporation.


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Powerlifting has been proudly putting Guyana on the sporting map especially in the last decade and corporate entities are beginning to take notice.
Branderz Guyana is one of them.
The Managing Director of the 254 Thomas Street (South Cummingsburg) establishment, Martin Brock, is aware of the lifters’ accomplishments on the international stage and will officially partner with the Guyana Amateur Powerlifting Federation (GAPF) next year to outfit its athletes on overseas assignments, just as they “quietly” did during the recently concluded Commonwealth Championships in Vancouver, Canada.
According to the GAPF’s president, Peter Green, athletes of the nation’s most successful indoor sport will benefit from the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the federation and the new merchandise company.
“Branderz Guyana have been quietly supporting powerlifting but come next year we will be signing an MoU to make the company our official apparel supplier and customizer.”
Green thanked the sponsor of the outfits worn by the nine-member team which lifted eight gold medals and a silver medal. The GAPF head then extended heartiest congratulations to the athletes on their unprecedented successful medal haul at the recently concluded championships.
In an invited comment, Brock expressed delight and pleasure at the success of the National team which he has always known would succeed at the highest level and stated that he looks forward to a fruitful partnership with the federation come next year.


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Infinix is scheduled to launch the Hot 11S in India on September 17. It is the successor to the Hot 10S, which was launched a couple of months ago. The Infinix Hot 11S may has a huge 6.82 FHD display and powered by a MediaTek G88 processor. This will be the second phone in India to come with a G88 processor. The latest leak discloses that the Infinix Hot 11S has a triple camera setup on the rear with a 50 MP Triple camera. It will have the widest aperture camera in the segment. It is expected to house a 5000 mAh battery with 18W fast charging technology.
Infinix has always kept the rate of its smartphones lower than the other OEMs. It is also expected to be priced under Rs 15,000 in India. Skye Chen, Head of Infinix Global Public Relations said that “Infinix is proud to be on the list of donors to the Greenwich Observatory as a supporter of astronomy. As a supporter of astronomy, Infinix has kept a true to heart brand spirit of empowering today’s youth in the emerging markets to explore themselves, which has deeply resonated with space exploration and Greenwich’s philosophy in exploring astronomy.”


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New recommendations from Europe's top privacy watchdog could have big ramifications for Google Play, Apple and application developers.
European privacy authorities approved a plan to come up with measures to curb Google's collection, combination and storage of its users' personal information before the summer.
European privacy authorities have threatened action before the Summer to curb Google's collection, combination and storage of its users' personal information, after growing impatient with the company's failure to respond to their criticisms of its re...
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2020 FORD SUPER DUTY FIRST LOOK BY AUTO CRITIC STEVE HAMMES. Serious work trucks are judged on 2 main criteria; towing and payload.
So Ford is ratcheting up both in their all-new 2020 Super Duty. Shipping to dealers this fall, the Super Duty lineup which includes the F-250, F-350 and F-450 is powered by a 6.2-liter gas V8 as standard or customers can upgrade to the next generation 6.7-liter Power Stroke diesel V8 making more horsepower and torque or opt for a new entry; a 7.3-liter gas V8.
Though numbers have not been released, Ford says they expect the 7.3 to be the most powerful gas V8 in its class. All 3 engines will use a new Ford-developed 10-speed automatic transmission designed for the harshest towing conditions.
Without citing specifics, Ford says this Super Duty offers its highest-ever conventional, gooseneck and fifth-wheel towing and payload ratings. Optimized cooling across the range is courtesy of a new front-end design that also enhances the performance of the LED headlamps.
Ford says the improved front bumper also makes using the utility hooks easier. The cabin has been completely refreshed, crafted with the use of even more luxurious materials on the Limited model and modern touches such as wireless charging, Wi-Fi, and Pro Trailer Backup Assist add technology, connectivity and convenience.
Though pricing has yet to be released, the current Super Duty lineup starts at under $35,000 while an F-450 Limited can cross $90,000.
The 2020 Hyundai Sonata will make its North American debut at the New York International Automobile Show next month. The eighth-generation Sonata showcases a sporty four-door-coupe look that embodies Hyundai’s Sensuous Sportiness design concept. Featuring a short overhang, sloping roofline and low deck lid to create a balanced feel, the all-new Sonata has a much sportier look than its predecessor.
Hyundai also announced the development of a ‘Digital Key’, which allows users to unlock and start their Hyundai vehicle via their smartphone. Replacing a traditional physical key, the new Digital Key can be downloaded via an app and used by up to four authorized people. As well as making it much easier for a Hyundai vehicle to be included in a car-sharing program, in the future, the Digital Key will be further enhanced to allow for features such as an alarm to be triggered when the vehicle exceeds a defined speed or travels outside a designated area.
2019 Nissan Pathfinder Rock Creek Edition First Look By Auto Critic Steve Hammes
The Pathfinder has a long history of being able to go where others can’t but with this current generation model, some Pathfinder faithful feel as though Nissan has left its trail days in the past.
Well, starting this spring the 2019 Pathfinder Rock Creek Edition aims to recapture some of that muddy glory.
Coming this spring is the feistiest version of the all-new Jetta; the small, sporty GLI.
Marking its 6th generation, the 2019 GLI swaps the Jetta’s 1.4-liter engine for the GTI’s 2.0-liter turbo, producing 228 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque – increasing its power over the previous generation.
TDN NEWS: 2019 Ford GT “Gulf” Heritage Edition VIN 001 To Be Auctioned in January Ford is donating proceeds from the sale of the 2019 Ford GT Heritage Edition with limited-edition Gulf Oil racing livery to United Way for Southeastern Michigan;…


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Hungry Howie's plans Birmingham expansion
- Lauren B. Cooper, Staff
Hungry Howie’s Pizza said it plans to expand in the Birmingham area.
The pizza chain opened its most recent Birmingham location in October in Vestavia Hills City Center and is planning five more in the area over the next five years, said a news release.
The Birmingham expansion is part of a push to open 45 total restaurants in Alabama, with plans also in the works to open stores in Huntsville, Montgomery, Phenix City and Decatur.
Hungry Howie’s currently has 20 locations in Alabama.
“Alabama residents are already familiar with Hungry Howie’s,” said Tom Kazbour, Alabama area developer for the franchise. “Their enthusiasm is one reason we know Alabama is a great market for the concept.”
Hungry Howie’s is based in Michigan and has more than 500 locations in 24 states. In addition to pizzas, it offers sandwiches, chicken wings, chicken tenders, bread and salads.
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The world’s strongest fibre is now available as Black Dyneema®
The announcement of Black Dyneema® fibre adds to the irrevocable proof that DSM Dyneema® is always working to enhance and improve their products. Their news has been well received the world over, including here at Atlantic Braids Limited where all of our products traditionally made with white Dyneema® fibre are now alternatively also available with the new Black Dyneema® fibre.
Some have pointed out that ABL has been manufacturing black Dyneema® rope for years, and have asked us, “what exactly is new?”.
Black Dyneema® fibre is new and yet exactly the same as the natural white Dyneema® SK75 fibre. It has the same strengths and characteristics except that it has a black colouring integral to the fibre itself so that the colour will never fade or wear off.
Till now, Dyneema® has only been available as a naturally white fibre. Any manufacturer of a “black Dyneema® rope” (unless it was a jacketed rope) had to apply a black colour coating to the white rope at some point during the manufacturing process. As you can imagine, a white rope coated black can often result in a dark grey rope and require additional coatings in order to reach a desired level of black. The Black Dyneema® fibre allows us to manufacture cordage that will maintain it’s dark and stealthy aesthetics with or without a coating applied. Black Dyneema® fibre can still be given a black or clear coating of our specially formulated polymer to enhanced the abrasion resistance and durability of the rope.


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Chinese technology has solution to all of Pakistan’s woes
AWN TV telecast a documentary recently about the technology developments that have taken place in China which should be interesting to the Pakistani people and government. The gist of the documentary is Pakistan will progress and prosper much more quickly if it whole heartedly goes to adopt the Chinese technological advances in all spheres of Pakistani life.
I watched the documentary aired in Dawn TV about China, the episode 1 Technology Changing Life clearly told what happened in Chinese technology today. In past 5 years, under the leadership of CPC with Mr. Xi Jinping at its core, China rapidly become a global innovation powerhouse thanks to improved education quality, input in research and development and policy support to innovation.
I visited China in July this year, I have a strong feeling that the current economic model of China is seeking a rapid transition from "Made in China" to "Created in China", and China is expected to rule the technology realm in various fields. Within the last five years, the government has dedicated itself to modernize the economic sectors and boost the industrial value-added and specified the ratio of innovation input in the national Five-Year Plan. Surprising, China’s Research and development (R&D) expenditures rose 52.2 percent from 2012 to 1.57 trillion Chinese yuan in 2016, and tech-based economy help China’s GDP expanded by an average annual rate of 7.2 percent during 2013-2016. What a amazing achievement.
Not only in the national level, Chinese companies are also soaring to the first class in the world. Just at Tuesday this week, Chinese tech and ecommerce giant Alibaba surpassed its U.S. counterpart Amazon as the world's biggest e-commerce company as the Hangzhou-based company reached the threshold of 470 billion U.S. dollars in market value.
It’s true that China still lags behind major innovation-driven economies such as Israel, the Republic of Korea and Japan, but we could clearly see what happened in past 5 years, our neighbor has reached the world’s top level in many realms.
Later this month, 19th CPC National Congress will be held in Beijing, after it China will run by a strong impetus, I hope Pakistan realizes that this presents an ideal opportunity to import new technology from China under the framework of CPEC. Let the latest technology from our greatest friends the Chinese, change the lives of the Pakistani people as quickly as possible.


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On March 11, 2013, a coalition of 15 taxpayer advocate groups wrote to Congress explaining the reasons why the proposal to tax internet commerce would be a disastrous idea:
[The Internet Sales Tax Bill] would countenance an enormous expansion in state tax collection authority by wiping away the “physical presence standard,” a baseline protection that shields taxpayers from harassment by out-of-state collectors. Current law dictates that a state can only require a business to collect its sales tax if it is physically present within its boundaries. Far from a “loophole” intended to advantage the Internet, it is the result of a Supreme Court decision grounded in a bedrock foundational principle of tax policy: states must not be allowed to extend their taxation and regulatory authorities beyond their borders. Dismantling this protection for remote retail sales would create a very slippery slope for states to attempt collection of business or even income taxes from out-of-state entities.
A second coalition letter in opposition, signed by over 50 organizations and key activists, was recently published by FreedomWorks:
[R]etailers would be subject to laws imposed by states with which they have no direct connection, and in whose political system they have no voice. It is regulation without representation, allowing politicians to raise revenue, without fear of a public backlash. The result would be added costs for retailers and American consumers, directly through the sales taxes imposed, but also through the added burden of collecting the taxes for the 9,600 separate taxing jurisdictions in the U.S., each with its own unique definitions, holidays, and rates. It is also unfair to require online businesses to collect and remit sales taxes from all their customers based on their residence but not to require brick-and-mortar businesses to do the same. No such requirement should exist for any type of business.
Further elaboration and opposition has been offered by a broad coalition of groups and media outlets working together and separately, including CNET, Reason, The Blaze, the Cato Institute, FreedomWorks, Tea Party Patriots and the Heritage Foundation, among many others.
Texas’ own Sen. Ted Cruz recently delivered a forceful and persuasive case against the internet sales tax bill:
The Internet is a thriving ecosystem of entrepreneurial freedom that should be protected and nourished. It has allowed new businesses to compete in the national marketplace in ways that would have been impossible 15 years ago, and it empowers consumer choice. But tax-hungry politicians view the Internet as yet another source of revenue to bail out their big-spending governments.
The misleadingly titled Marketplace Fairness Act is a job-killing tax hike, plain and simple. It is, in effect, a national Internet sales tax, which would hammer the little guy and benefit giant corporations.
Senators who vote for it are voting to impose audits, compliance costs, lost wages, and inefficiency on small businesses in every state. And they are potentially crippling an engine of new job creation at a time of economic struggle. This bill will not create jobs; it will not create new opportunities; and it will not create the economic growth our country needs and our people deserve.


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Nasdaq stocks drifted in a narrow range at slightly higher levels Tuesday,ahead of an expected afternoon announcement on interest rates from theU.S. Federal Reserve.
At midday, the Nasdaq Composite Index was up 15.87 at 1,967.05. The Dow JonesIndustrial Average was up 47.18 at 10,006.29, and the Standard & Poor’s 500stock index was up 8.32 at 1,179.13.
Federal Reserve policymakers are meeting in Washington Tuesday afternoon to decide what kindof interest-rate move would best revive the economy. A lowering of at least50 basis points in the central bank’s target overnight lending rate iswidely expected, with some Fed watchers looking for a 75 basis-point cut.
The meeting ends at 2:15 p.m. EST, and is likely to be followed bya public announcement of the Fed’s decision.
Lower interest rates would, at least in theory, make it easier for companiesto finance investment, leading to better profits for technology firms, whichare suffering as a slowing economy stalls demand for their products.
A series of rate cuts earlier this year, however, has so far done little tobolster corporate profits.
Meanwhile, profit warnings from technology companies continue to trickle in.Solectron (NYSE: SLR), a contract manufacturer of electronics, was downUS$2.12 at $19.37 after lowering itsoutlook for the year and announcing a plan to cut 10 percent of itsworkforce.
Likewise, Three-Five Systems (NYSE: TFS) was down $3.05 at $12.60 aftersaying results for the quarter ending this month will be worse thanpreviously thought because of “weak and uncertain demand in the cellularhandset industry.” Three-Five designs and manufactures display modules andtechnology for cell phones and other wireless devices.
Amazon Up, eBay Down
The E-Commerce TimesIndex was down 0.05 percent at midday. Among index members, Amazon.com(Nasdaq: AMZN), Barnesandnoble.com (Nasdaq: BNBN) and Egghead.com (Nasdaq: EGGS) were higher, while Drugstore.com (Nasdaq: DSCM), Travelocity(Nasdaq: TVLY) and eBay (Nasdaq: EBAY) traded lower.
Amazon was bolstered by a report that it is in talks with electronics retailer Best Buy (Nasdaq:BBBY) about a possible e-commerce alliance. Officials at the companiesdeclined to comment on the report.
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