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DSV – two tuck-ins and one 'ego play'
Looking past the side dishes
“We began life as Clipper Logistics Limited in 1992, with a team of just three people and a single driver. Today, we’re one of the UK’s leading independent logistics companies with a turnover of £235m” – Clipper Logistics; turnover figures updated as at end of 2015.
This earnings season has challenged several logistics companies operating outside the e-commerce arena. Once again in the second quarter, many traditional freight forwarders – as well as a few shippers and carriers – tightened their belts ...
Rate erosion may be easing, but rock-bottom prices are 'not good for anybody'
West coast ports suffering as US container imports plunge by 37%
Cost-cutting FedEx Express to retire MD-11s for B767s and 777s
Carriers turn their gaze back to scrubbers as voyage results tumble
Billund sees launch of Maersk Air China link – 'a start-up on steroids'
The 'mother of all BAFs' looms for shippers as green targets advance
WestJet will 'disrupt' Canada with three 737Fs, but rivals aren't scared
Dachser's M&A in air and ocean freight – how serious is that?
CMA CGM eyes car-carrier market boom as liners are ready to invest
Asia services expanding as logistics players opt for a 'China+1' strategy
End-of-year cargo surge adds to operational challenges at JNPT
Comment on this article
Virgil L. RatliffSeptember 28, 2016 at 3:55 pm
Amazon is a big company. It will be an easy take down if they wanted to partner with clipper. For inquires on freight & logistics, visit us at: https://excelsior.ph/


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Maruti Suzuki AGM: RC Bhargava Says States Need To Realise Their Role In Promoting Manufacturing In India
The Narendra Modi government's ambition to make India a five-trillion-dollar economy can get derailed if states do not realise their role in promoting manufacturing, said Maruti Suzuki India Ltd.’s Chairman RC Bhargava on Tuesday.
Addressing Maruti Suzuki’s shareholders at the company’s annual general meeting, Bhargava said it is now time for state governments to become partners in making the manufacturing industry grow and recognise the importance of its role in the overall automobile industry.
The auto sector accounts for 49 percent of India's manufacturing gross domestic product.
"The automobile industry creates a lot of employment in states, but a slowdown or fall in sales conversely generates unemployment," said Bhargave, adding that the sector creates a lot of revenue for states and "all of this is affected when the industry falls" .
Elaborating on the significance of state governments' role, the Maruti Suzuki chairman said they have "much more to do with the cost of operating an industry".
"The taxation of the state governments is quite higher. Petrol tax for example is much higher and the affordability of a car is very much determined by state governments,” said Bhargava. They have much to gain or lose from how the auto industry grows, he added.
Bhargave also urged states to become partners in India's growth story. "Unless that contribution is made, it is very difficult for the country to achieve the 25 percent contribution of manufacturing or to reach $5 trillion target that the PM has set."
"Efforts of the central government can get derailed if some of the states don't recognise the important role they have to play in making this happen."
He cited the example of the steps taken by the Centre last week to give an impetus to the economy, and the auto industry in particular.
"The finance minister has communicated with the banking system and now we are seeing the reversal of that. One of the favourable things that has happened is that the financing costs (of automobiles) are coming down. We are grateful to the Finance Minister for making that happen," Bhargava said.
The central government has rolled back the proposed increase in registration cost of vehicles, "but I think it is necessary to understand the growth of manufacturing. The growth of economy is not entirely the responsibility of the central government,” he said. "The states governments have at least as much of a role, I believe, a larger role than the central government in ensuring that manufacturing and industrial growth and wealth creation takes place."
The impression one gets is that only the central government is responsible for the industry to grow or take the auto industry out of the slowdown, the Maruti Suzuki chairman said.
He also cited the example of nine states where road taxes have been hiked, thereby resulting to increase in vehicle costs by as much as Rs 97,000. This has "affected the ability of customers" to buy new vehicles, leading to drop in sales, he said.
The dip in auto sales were more pronounced in these states, Bhargava said, citing a study conducted by Maruti Suzuki internally.

domain: news


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Jive Software said Monday that it had raised $15 million from Sequoia Capital in what marks the collaboration software product maker’s first round of outside capital to support expansion of its platform product.
The six-year-old Portland, Ore., company raised the money after experiencing stronger demand than expected this year for its Clearspace product, which allows companies’ employees, customers and partners to foster greater collaboration through expanded use of social media.
Jive’s chief executive, Dave Hersh, told The Deal.com that the company talked to a small number of venture firms in raising the round and had multiple term sheets before accepting the offer from Sequoia, an early backer of Yahoo, Google and YouTube.
Mr. Hersh told the publication that the company was not interested in syndicating the deal and, without the need for a large amount of capital, it decided to bring Sequoia in as the first outside investor. A Sequoia partner will join Jive as an outside director, he said.


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Wenner Media’s Rolling Stone magazine, in the midst of a redesign and a substantial ad page slump, has tapped its fourth new publisher in two years.
William Schenck, formerly publisher at Wenner’s Men’s Journal, will replace Ray Chelstowksi, who had held the Rolling Stone publisher post for one year. Schenck became the publisher of Men’s Journal in 2005. On his watch, the title saw a 16% year-over-year ad page increase in 2007 and an 11% boost through September of this year.
Rolling Stone‘s ad pages are down 20% for the period of January to August 2008 compared to the same period in 2007.
“[Schenck] has been a very successful manager at Men’s Journal, where, since becoming publisher, he has grown ad pages by 30%,” noted Mark Neschis, corporate communications director, Wenner Media. “He’s really done a terrific job, and the thought was to move him over to the flagship brand as we move to launch this reformatted title.”
The employee shift coincides with a reworking of Rolling Stone‘s design. The traditionally oversized title will debut a new, standard-size look with its October 30 issue. The company says the new format will allow for more editorial pages and extended advertising opportunities, though skeptics are quick to point out that the trim may also be a cost-saving measure.
“The reformatted trim size affords our advertisers even more opportunities to reach a large audience of young readers,” Gary Armstrong, CMO of Wenner Media, explained in a statement. “We’re excited to take it to the marketplace.”
Chelstowski is leaving the company to “pursue other opportunities,” according to a company press release.
Rolling Stone has a rate base of 1.45 million (Spring 2008 MRI). Fifty-nine percent of these readers are men, and 87% of readers are between the ages of 18 and 49.


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US To Support Indias Expanding Role in Semiconductor Supply Chains
A memorandum of understanding is likely to be signed by India and the US, enabling upper-hand control for India on semiconductors supply chains.
The US Secretary of Commerce, Gina Raimondo stated that India and the US will sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on cooperation in semiconductors. The pact aims at proffering a greater role for India in diversified supply chains and thereby, identifying critical opportunities for joint ventures and technology partnerships.
A new initiative was proposed by Mrs. Raimondo and the external affairs minister S Jaishankar– the India-US Strategic Trade Dialogue, focusing on aligning the export control regimes of both the democratic nations for critical technologies.
Mrs. Raimondo and her Indian counterpart, Piyush Goyal are co-chairing the India-US commercial dialogue post a long gap of nearly three years. The summit aims at discussing ways to drive trade and investment, following the launch of the inauguration of the initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology (iCET).
Mrs. Raimondo expressed the interest of the United States in witnessing India playing an upper hand in the electronic supply chain, where MoU stands as a testament. Both India and the US are aiming to implement separate incentive programs for the semiconductor space while coordinating their respective semiconductor initiatives. It aims at sharing information, preventing over-subsiding of integrated kinds of chips, a joint mapping of supply chains, and alignments per the demand for semiconductors.
Both countries are introducing incentive schemes for Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors and Science Act (CHIPS), rebuilding their manufacturing and supply chains, and releasing the dependency on political conflict-driven nations. The MoU defines the pattern of sharing information about semiconductor commercial opportunities between the two nations, and a continued dialogue around policies, encouraging private sector investment in the semiconductor ecosystem.
Mrs. Raimondo insisted that a joint mapping of the supply chain will help both nations critically identify opportunities for joint ventures, technology partnerships, job training, and research and development partnerships. The pact will excel as a 1- or 20-year collaboration between the US semiconductor space and the electronic supply chains of India.


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Has the global slowdown forced your company to slash travel and technology spending? Soon you may pop into a local hotel and hold a face-to-face meeting with colleagues or customers on the other side of the world, by renting a high-end $300,000 video-conferencing suite for a few hundred dollars an hour.
Of course, the other people in the meeting will need similar equipment at their location as well.
Hoping to fill that need and expand the use of its technology, Cisco Systems will announce today that it has partnered with Tata Communications of India to install Cisco’s TelePresence video conferencing equipment at hotels and other locations — including a suite of rooms at a Cisco building in Silicon Valley — where they will be open to the public by on-line reservation.
Tata executives say they’ll open public TelePresence suites in 100 locations by the end of next year. The move follows a similar initiative by Hewlett-Packard, which announced in March a partnership with Marriott International to make HP’s competing video-conferencing technology, known as Halo, available to the public at selected Marriott hotels.
HP has not yet announced any locations for its suites. Cisco and Tata said they already have conference rooms in nine locations, including Santa Clara, Boston, London, Bangalore, New Delhi and other Indian cities. Rental fees are $299 to $899 an hour, depending on the size of the room.
Cisco and HP are leading players in a small but growing market for high-quality video-conferencing technology, along with two smaller companies, Polycom and Teliris. They use a combination of high-definition video equipment, high-speed network connections, giant screens and specially designed furniture to make it appear as if participants are sitting across from each other instead of half a world away.
Cisco has installed about 1,000 conferencing suites for corporate clients, at prices ranging from $34,000 to $349,000 apiece. Renting out suites to the public may be a good way to let future customers get familiar with the technology, said Paul Waadevig, a consultant with Frost & Sullivan market research firm, which recently estimated that sales of the technology amounted to $165 million last year and could grow to $1.4 billion by 2013.
In light of worsening economic conditions, Waadevig said companies may postpone buying the expensive conferencing equipment in the near future, but he said they may eventually decide the investment will pay off in time and travel savings.
Cisco and Tata executives say the suites can save money and reduce the environmental impact of jet travel — by individuals and employees of mid-sized businesses that don’t own their own systems, as well as larger businesses that need to hold meetings in cities where they don’t have the equipment installed.
In separate announcements Tuesday, Cisco also said it will increase its own spending on information technology by 10 percent this year despite the economic downturn, and that it’s working on new technology to increase the efficiency of electrical power grids.
Contact Brandon Bailey at firstname.lastname@example.org or (408) 920-5022.


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Starbucks is ready to embark on an adventure into the metaverse. The CEO would not elaborate, but whatever it is, it will be done by the end of the year. Many conventional firms have been drawn to the metaverse, and many are now providing a new method for their consumers to interact with the virtual world. Starbucks is the most recent well-known company to join the metaverse.
Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz, a wealthy entrepreneur, disclosed in an Open Discussion on April 4, 2022, that the business expects to join the NFT industry by the end of 2022. The business verified the information a few hours later. Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz was just re-appointed. He indicated that Starbucks will use NFTs and the Metaverse in their business plan in the near future.
Schultz asked the crowd how many of them had heard of NFTs during his address. He also wanted to know how many of them had been associated with NFTs or invested in NFTs. Despite the fact that the audience became silent, Schultz noted that the environment was new and that Starbucks had the greatest resources and collections to help people navigate it.
“I can’t think of a single firm, brand, celebrity, or influencer that is seeking to build a digital NFT platform and business that has the treasure trove of assets that Starbucks has, from collectibles to the company’s whole history”, said Howard Scuhltz.
Starbucks may become even more crypto-friendly as a result of Schultz’s recent position as CEO. It is imperative to note that all other mainstream firms are not just supporting NFT drops, but also developing new crypto experiences such as metaverse shops and cooperation with other crypto initiatives.
The benefits of NFT integration to the Starbucks brand have been discussed by Schultz. Starbucks, according to the executive, is more than just a beverage company; it is a corporation with a long history, a rich past, and numerous collectors all over the world. Starbucks NFTs, according to the CEO, will be more competitive than those now on the market.
Our aim is to chase the future, innovations, and the latest trends of all things tech. We love to interact with industry experts, understand their diverse and unique perspectives, and spread their ideas.


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The year 2021 belonged to Bitcoin and ETH. Both the digital coins soared in a big way. We saw the former rising by 100 percent, and ETH went by 300 percent. However, in global crypto trading companies, these remained as hotcakes. Many research companies and groups have called Singapore the most popular place for Crypto. It is regarded as the top crypto-friendly coin in the world. By the end of 2021, we see too many robust economies now flourishing in the market, and we see a good surge taking place when we look at the adoption of Crypto in the market. However, there are several reasons behind Singapore emerging as the top crypto-friendly place globally. Some of the key reasons are in the following paragraphs. Here you can read about Bitcoin real or fake.
Crypto Protection law in Singapore
The regulators in Singapore have added too many reasons to nurture the industry of Blockchain. It has come up as the number one ranking company by groups like CoinCub that has proven right in the market. We have seen a good measurement in the country in the name of a protection law for Crypto known as the Monetary Authority of Singapore or MAS. It has emerged as one of the critical regulatory bodies wherein we see the market of Crypto in the market is seen crashing in Jan 2022 and then gaining the market region. In mid-January, we see MAS coming up like a consumer protection law for many more investors who are now exposed to specific reminders of digital assets coming through billboard ads and Crypto based ATMs. These now ban digital coins linked to ads and ATMs in the public domain.
The statement issued under MAS claims to provide a solid connection to the digital coins. It also encourages Blockchain technology to secure the coins making them innovative for different users and applications. However, we find the Crypto based trade to be a hazardous affair. Hence, the statement claims that general people can lose money, so the law has come to place to secure them. It also states that Crypto should be pushed in a good way never to reduce the higher risks found in the market. The trade should go smoothly in the market. Thus it is fair to say that using Bitcoin or any other crypt is a win-win situation in Singapore.
The Pay Service Act
In Jan 2020, we saw this act coming into place. It was introduced to secure people into Crypto or any other financial domain. It has come like an effect in the market that works as a Financial Action Task Force like AM and combating the financial term and the cross border guidelines in the market. We see a flexible framework coming into the market that works like regulation for any payment system and the payment service providers found in the country. It helps in connecting the registration requirements that remain as per CFT and AML guidelines for digital coins-based businesses. MAS is a selection when we talk about issuing the license to digital currency businesses acting as many applicants that further fail to give licenses to operate in any nation. One of the biggest banks in the country is known as DBS Bano K, and others like IBM, OCBC Bank, and others have embarked with their grade BTC funds. It has come from the Fintonia group in these banks allowing different groups to get the licenses to operate.
ICOs and taxes
With the ICOs coming into the market, we have seen MAS now publishing the guidelines on August 17, wherein we see them indicating the ICO deeming like an issue of security. It has even added the regulation that has come up with the MAS issuing in the market. Also, we see the guide now working as a digital token-based offering. It comes with a justification and direction that works fine as per the Crypto in the country. The next issue is the taxation part on Crypto. The top accounting firms like E and Y and others, digital payment coins have no tax when these are used for buying products or services. The country had this law in place in Jan 2020. Since then, there has been no tax gain in the country with Crypto.


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Austrian e-taxis pioneer charging pad system
In Vienna and Graz, the ‘eTaxi Austria Project’ is starting a large-scale test run to test a new type of charging-pad charging technology over the next two years. With the Easelink system, electric taxis can charge with a connection to a charging pad at the taxi rank. The approach holds much promise for fleet operators.
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In contrast to inductive charging technologies, Easelink‘s charging process does involve physical contact between the electric vehicle and the static charging source via a so-called connector that is lowered from the underbody of the vehicles and connects to the charging pad in the ground.
The eTaxi Austria Project is a thoroughly Austrian initiative. A total of ten taxi ranks and 66 electric vehicles are being prepared for the project in Vienna and Graz. The conductive charging technology called Matrix Charging comes from Easelink, a company based in Graz.
An AC power output of 11 kW with a transmission efficiency of more than 99 per cent will be transmitted at the Austrian taxi stands. Easelink says its Matrix Charging solution will “subsequently support up to 22 kW AC, 50 kW DC at 400 volts and 100 kW DC at 800 volts”. The VW ID.4 and the recently launched Hyundai Ioniq 5 will serve as pilot vehicles in Vienna and Graz. Easelink is providing both models with a retrofit solution that “can already be retrofitted into most of the electric vehicles available on the market today”, points out Hermann Stockinger, founder and CEO of Easelink. In Vienna, eight stands and 56 vehicles are being prepared for the project, in Graz there are two stands and ten vehicles. In addition, two classic HPC chargers are to be added in Graz “as a fallback level”.
The eTaxi Austria pilot project will run 66 taxis in full operation in an extended customer-oriented pilot phase before the system comes on the market. The project will run until 2024 but already in that year, the first series with the retrofittable version of Matrix Charging should also be available for customers. In addition to the retrofit kit, Easelink says it is currently working “with leading car manufacturers and suppliers on a series application of Matrix Charging”. In other words, new vehicles or vehicle parts will also be delivered with the solution ex works in the future.
Easelink does not yet want to communicate a price for end customers. However, the Austrian companies promise that “the cost structure of the technology will enable the use of Matrix Charging in all vehicle price segments”. Automated charging will thus be possible beyond the premium segment and also in the volume segment.
According to Easelink, tests are already underway with car manufacturers and suppliers, infrastructure providers and fleet operators as part of cooperation projects. Since summer 2020, the system has already been used by an electric car-sharing company in public spaces in Graz, and since this spring there has also been a development partnership with the Austrian Automobile, Motorcycle and Touring Club (ÖAMTC). Most recently, the charging system could be experienced in an electric vehicle platform from supplier Schaeffler at the IAA Mobility in Germany. At the end of last year, Easelink even reported interest from China.
The manufacturer is targeting both fleet operators and private individuals with its solution. Above all, however, all those who have to cover idle times during their working hours. The taxi industry is ideal in this context because interruptions for journeys to the next charging station can be avoided in this way. By eliminating bulky charging stations and cables, the charging infrastructure can be rolled out in densely built-up areas without requiring additional space. The company points out that the project enables year-round comfort for drivers and customers, such as cooling and heating the electric cars at the taxi stand without reducing the range, as well as simple moving forward and backward at the taxi stand without a cable.
Hermann Stockinger adds that the charging pads at the car park are robust and maintenance-free and can be installed in public spaces as well as in private garages. They can withstand a wheel load of up to 2.5 tonnes and have an automatic cleaning mechanism. In Vienna and Graz, the charging pads are now placed directly at the taxi stands.
In Austria, the initiative is significant in that the Alpine nation only wants to allow taxis with zero-emission drives from 2025. An entire consortium is behind the implementation of eTaxi Austria. In addition to Easelink, the core team consists of the Vienna and Styrian Chambers of Commerce, the energy companies Wien Energie and Energie Graz, the Graz Energy Agency, the companies tbw research GesmbH, Taxi 40100 and Taxi 31300 as well as ‘vibe moves you’ and Quintessenz Organisationsberatung. Other partners involved are the ÖAMTC and car manufacturer Hyundai.
The project is also funded by the Austrian Climate and Energy Fund within the framework of the Zero Emission Mobility Implementation programme. Of the projected project volume of 7.5 million euros, the public sector will contribute 2.2 million euros.
In the course of the above-mentioned cooperation projects, Easelink can now point to a number of supporters of its technology. Paul Gredler Oxenbauer, group manager of Charging Solutions at the energy group Wien Energie, states that “through the decentralised construction of the charging infrastructure and a high connection time of the vehicles with the charging points, a grid-serving integration into the urban electricity grid can be achieved”.
And Christian Klejna, expert for electric mobility at ÖAMTC, reports that “our experience in testing Matrix Charging within the ÖAMTC e-fleet has shown that Matrix Charging is excellently suited as a technically safe and robust solution for the eTaxi project”.
Easelink has been working on its automated conductive charging technology since 2015 and has secured “numerous patents and trademarks” in the process. The company currently employs 24 people and has locations in Graz/Austria and China. Easelink is also involved in several standardisation bodies for charging technology, such as the Charging Interface Initiative (CharIn), the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) and the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO).
easelink.com, etaxi-austria.at (project website)
Reporting by Cora Werwitzke
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International Leather Maker
If you inflate the carbon footprint of leather by inaccurately appropriating methane from cows, then replace leather with a material that is either virgin or post-consumer plastic, you can evidence a big saving, but this probably sits as a mix of virtue signalling and poor science.
It ignores the emissions benefits from the longevity of leather in use and the fact that alternatives produce dangerous microplastics. Additionally, while leather gets better with use, the alternatives wear out and look dirty.
There was a rush last week to install an emergency software update on all Apple devices when Apple announced that a vulnerability had allowed Israel’s NSO Group to inject its Pegasus spyware remotely. All sorts of governments use this software to secretly read encrypted messages, turn on the camera and microphone remotely and track locations.
Annoyingly, some of these devices are old and Apple no longer supports them. History tells us that Apple designs beautiful products and makes them well, but they are not intended to last. The company wants consumers to replace them regularly and they are not designed to be repaired. No wonder e-waste is one of the biggest garbage problems.
Dedicated to leaving the world a better place
Apple’s recent press release on carbon neutral products ends saying: “Apple’s more than 100,000 employees are dedicated to making the best products on earth, and to leaving the world better than we found it.”
It also says the business has a “longstanding and proven commitment to leading the fight against climate change” and that this policy now involves ending the use of leather across all its product lines.
Proper study and normal logic suggests instead that Apple should terminate the use of plastic wherever possible in favour of even more leather, since leather is sustainable, long-lasting and made of natural collagen, which offers the biophilic benefits needed by consumers overwhelmed by technology.
Ten years ago, when the carbon footprint of products was assembled using figures from flawed databases, non-scientifically trained environmental staff could easily be bamboozled. This was the issue with the Higg Index downgrading natural materials compared with synthetic polymers made from fossil fuels over many years. Today, good sustainability scientists and more thorough journalists have changed their approach as a result.
Apple’s Vice President of Environment, Policy and Social Initiatives is exceptionally well qualified. She has a master’s degree in Chemical Engineering from Princeton University and a bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from Tulane University, along with great experience including working for the EPA in the time of President Obama.
Any basic research would quickly uncover Walter R. Stahel’s founding paper of the circular economy. “The Product Life Factor” was presented at the 1983 Woodlands Conference, a symposium addressing the issues of sustainable societies where it was awarded The Mitchell Prize—a US$100,000 cash prize for the scholarly paper that best communicated the means and possibilities of transition to sustainable societies.
Making things that last longer
Stahel argued for the “service-life extension of goods” – use longer, repair and re-manufacture. Making things that last longer, which the consumer will look after and have repaired, is the best way to really reduce emissions. His 2016 update, published in Nature, highlights that recycling must be a last resort as collecting and transporting used goods, along with remaking, repacking and redistributing, involves too much energy and new resources.
Apple’s laudable goal to make every product carbon neutral by 2030 involves a lot of excellent elements, with the wide-ranging introduction of renewable energy extending out to counterbalance even some home charging. But there is little in the plan about repair and longevity beyond help with screens.
Apple’s VP is quoted as saying “Leather… has a significant carbon footprint, especially at Apple’s scale.” What does this even mean?
A calculation that shows leather to have a higher carbon footprint than the company’s new FineWoven material means that the estimations are fully loading leather with methane emissions from cattle and are happy to completely discount the fossil fuel content of FineWoven, since it is made from 68% post-consumer recycled textiles. This also ignores the microplastic particle production in use and subsequent landfill, which arrives quickly because of poor longevity.
A bit more research would show that as a non-determining co-product, it is wrong to put the emissions from cattle husbandry against leather in this way. The EU allows only 0.44% of cow farming emissions to be added to leather. A short trip to meet Dr Frank Mitloehner, professor and air quality specialist in the Department of Animal Science at UC Davis, would have uncovered how dramatically methane emissions have been reduced from livestock in recent years in California and how biogenic methane from cattle is not a problem if the global livestock population is stable. It would also show how CWP100 usage has been carelessly used to take potentially harmful decisions in some countries like New Zealand and Ireland where grass-fed cattle are important.
A project without logic
Not using leather will not reduce cattle emissions or the numbers of livestock, but it will likely create more damaging emissions by increasing the unused hides going to landfill. This is a project without logic.
Apple is an outstanding company primarily because its founder was absolutely determined to make well-made, well-designed products whose use would be intuitive. We loved him for it. But making short lived disposable items that are covered in a material whose fundamental credentials are unsound is not a business he would have been proud of. It is an abuse of a brand’s power.
More and more, we are actually seeing great brands and designers committing to the sustainability of leather with its fabulous credentials and long-lasting characteristics. Lisa Jackson should check with Leather Naturally and the Leather & Hide Council of America.


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By Susan Greco
Even as more boards fill up with outsiders, some businesses just won't give up their
company directors. What do insiders bring to the boardroom that outsiders don't?
Jim Ringler, an independent director on the board of The Dow Chemical Company, the $40
billion chemical manufacturer in Midland, Michigan, says that directors at other companies look
at him strangely when the conversation turns to board insiders. Dow has five, on a board of 14.
"They look at me like, 'How'd you get away with that?' " Ringler says. He understands their
surprise. The other boards he sits on--NCR Corporation; Autoliv, Inc.; and FMC Technologies,
Inc., among others--don't have nearly so many insiders. "But it works in Dow's case," he says.
When you give insiders some autonomy, "it works damn wonderfully."
United Parcel Service, Inc., the Atlanta-based $36.6 billion package delivery business, has four
insiders on its nine-member board, including former chief executive Jim Kelly and three current
officers. Independent director Gary MacDougal cites the company's nearly century-old employee
ownership ethic as a chief reason, saying the board wants to be "respectful" to UPS's culture.
Last year Burlington Resources Inc., a $5.6 billion oil and gas producer in Houston, actually
added two company managers to its 15-member board--the chief operating officer and the chief
financial officer. Previously the only insider on the board was the CEO. "No boards I'm aware of
see bringing on insiders wholesale as a good thing," says Barbara Alexander, an independent
director at Burlington Resources. But adding one or two shouldn't be taboo either, she says.
Burlington Resources, UPS, and Dow are exceptions to the latest trend in corporate governance.
Edward Lawler III, who conducts research on boards at the Marshall School of Business at the
University of Southern California, says insiders are fast becoming "a disappearing breed." These
days, only one insider h


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-These are not very known facts about your favorite fast food restaurants can make you think next time you order:
-McDonald’s reported the highest sales growth in the crisis year 2008, more than in 2006 or 2007, opening almost 600 new restaurants this year.
“>The circuit is able to take advantage of the recession by offering cheap food.
-User to Reddit, who says he is a former employee of the chain McDonald’s, says that once left on the counter Chicken Nugget longer and they “melt-through”.
“>Which does not prevent Nugget to be “still delicious,” he says.
-Fast food companies get huge profits at the expense of low pay of its employees. A report by the National Employment Law Project 60% of low-paid workers in the U.S. work for large corporations and 90% of these corporations have made a profit last year.
-And 40% of low-wage workers working in fast food chains.
-Most fast food chains clean everything, including trays and nozzles machines for beverages superkontsentrirani chemicals at the end of the day.
-If you are one of the first customers of the morning, there is a greater danger residues of chemicals end up in food or drink you.
-Traces of grill that you see are not real. “>Fast food chains are very precise in their ads, so the food there looks much more juicy and delicious than it actually is.
-Sad secret of chili that is made from outdated meat for burgers.
-If you want to eat healthy, you should forget even salads.
-In some of McDonald’s salads have as many calories as a Big Mac.
-In McDonalds beef for a burger is fully cooked for 38 seconds and a quarter chicken for 70 seconds.
-High temperatures accelerate the process of cooking up this amazing speed, but at the cost of very, very fat.
-A huge number of employees in fast food chains still believe in the myth of the 10 seconds, according to which if food falls and be lifted from the floor in less than ten seconds, it remains fully suitable for eating.
Most calorie food chain in the world served Outback Steakhouse. “>Potatoes with cheese chain contains 2900 calories and the simple fried onions – 2310.


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Having introduced the beta model of its blockchain-based donation platform GiveTrack in 2017, the BitGive Basis has now introduced the GiveTrack 1.zero at the mainnet.
The GiveTrack platform used to be created to convey transparency to the donation procedure. The usage of the platform, donations can also be made with bitcoin, permitting donors to trace the growth of the budget in actual time, making sure donations make it to the supposed charities and get used for his or her supposed reasons.
The most recent model of GiveTrack, which used to be introduced on the Latin American Bitcoin and Blockchain Convention in Chile, is an improve to the beta product, that includes a brand spanking new generation stack and simple onboarding for donors and nonprofits.
BitGive is the primary bitcoin-based 501(c)(three) nonprofit charity that makes use of bitcoin to make stronger world charity initiatives. The root has funded a large number of initiatives previously, such because the Maternal & Neonatal India Program and the Chandolo Number one Faculty Water Venture.
“We’re very excited to release GiveTrack 1.zero after many months of laborious paintings from our staff. It’s an honor to release with 4 wonderful NGO companions who’re doing vital paintings around the globe, and a excitement to have this instance on the Latin American Bitcoin Convention the place we’ve all the time gained an incredible quantity of make stronger,” Connie Gallippi, founder and government director of BitGive, remarked in an interview with Bitcoin Mag.
Along with the release, the nonprofit additionally introduced a International Bitcoin Fundraiser to make stronger the primary workforce of nonprofits added to the newly launched GiveTrack 1.zero platform. Afghanistan-based coding academy for women Code to Encourage, Desafío Levantemos Chile, The us Solidaria and Run for Water are the primary taking part nonprofits within the fundraiser. As the vacation season approaches, BitGive hopes that the neighborhood might be inspired to offer to those charities the usage of the brand new platform.
Commenting at the decision-making procedure used to make a choice the nonprofits for the marketing campaign, Gallippi mentioned:
“We sought out NGOs with various missions and places globally, who had been serious about being on the leading edge of bitcoin and blockchain generation, and had some enjoy below their belts within the nonprofit sector for attaining the appropriate audiences.”
Going ahead, nonprofits can leverage the facility of the blockchain for giving by means of registering at the GiveTrack platform to have their initiatives revealed.
BitGive may be operating a #Give1BTC marketing campaign, the place it encourages company donors to offer 1 bitcoin or $five,000 this vacation season to make stronger nonprofits at the GiveTrack 1.zero platform. RSK and Bloq are each kickstarting the marketing campaign with a $five,000 donation every.
“We’re thankful to our building spouse Koibanx for his or her determination to the mission, and to our kickoff donors RSK and Bloq to get the marketing campaign began. We look ahead to the Bitcoin and Blockchain neighborhood embracing this marketing campaign to stay the spirit of giving alive and reveal a formidable use case for this generation past hypothesis,” Gallippi mentioned.
Remaining month, BitGive participated within the AmazonSmile program, the place Amazon consumers had been ready to passively donate a portion in their overall acquire value to BitGive.


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The Division 2 Will Not Be Sold By Third-Party Sites After Launch
Earlier this year, it was announced that the PC version of The Division 2 would not release through Steam, with Ubisoft instead focusing on the Epic Games Store and Uplay as its preferred distribution platforms. However, it appears that the company has gone one step further, as there is now indication that keys for the upcoming title will be disappearing from third-party sites.
As posted by a user on ResetEra, Gamesplanet, a UK-based site that sells keys for games, has announced that Ubisoft will not be allowing any third-party sites to offer The Division 2 after its official launch on March 15. This means that PC players will only be able to purchase the title through the Epic Games Store and Uplay at that time. Gamesplanet has also indicated that the same will be true for any additional game content, such as season passes and extensions.
While Gamesplanet will be able to honor purchases made prior to the March 15 cutoff, it is stated that all further support requests will need to be directed toward Ubisoft. This is due to the fact that Gamesplanet will not have any further keys to offer to players that encounter problems.
Since the arrival of the Epic Games Store at the end of last year, the Fortnite developer has been active in pursuing exclusive releases for the platform. This has sparked an ongoing discussion within the community, with some players suggesting that exclusivity is not a competitive tactic that has the interests of consumers in mind.
This conversation reached its peak in January when it was announced that the PC version of Metro Exodus was being pulled from Steam, only two weeks before its release, in favor of an Epic Games Store exclusive launch. This led to some notable backlash from fans, ultimately prompting an official response from the game's publisher.
So too, many fans appear frustrated with the decision to remove The Division 2 from third-party sites — frustration that is reflected in the aforementioned ResetEra post. Indeed it seems that Epic has no intention in deviating from its goal of exclusive releases, or semi-exclusive in this instance, which is leaving some players wondering how to buy PC games moving forward.


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Nov-03 14:25 LIFESTYLE
China market to open further to most competitive US companie
Visitors view a car from US electric car maker Tesla at Haikou New Energy Vehicle Exhibition in Haikou, south China's Hainan province, on Jan 10, 2019. [Photo/Xinhua]
China's market will continue to open further for US companies in areas where the United States is most competitive such as energy, agriculture and finance, Chinese Ambassador to the United States Cui Tiankai has said.
"The answer is certainly yes," said Cui when former US Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson raised the question in a recent interview with the ambassador during the podcast program "Straight Talk with Hank Paulson."
"We're still making our best efforts to have further reform and opening-up. We will not give up. For American companies and other foreign companies operating in China, there will be better access, better opportunities and certainly greater predictability," said Cui.
"For the last four decades, China has implemented the policy of reform and opening-up, and it remains a basic state policy. It will not change. Even at the time of the global pandemic, we have initiated new measures for reform and opening-up in the last few months," he said.
For instance, he said, the new Foreign Investment Law took effect on Jan. 1 this year. "There is certainly better predictability for foreign investors, who will have better confidence in China. China still attracts a lot of foreign investment," Cui said.
What's more, the ambassador said that China announced the 2020 version of the negative list for the access of foreign investment and the negative list for pilot free trade zones, and the negative lists are getting shorter and shorter.
Also last June, China came up with a master plan for the development of Hainan Free Trade Port. It's the first time in an official Chinese government document that the idea of "zero tariff" and "zero barrier" is used.
"But at the same time, what is very challenging for us is that while we are trying to be more open to the rest of the world, some people in other parts of the world are trying to raise barriers to us," he said. "They are raising barriers for TikTok, Wechat and Huawei, etc. This is a real challenge for us. We are trying to open our door wider, but they are building walls. They're raising barriers. What should we do? "
"Actually, we have opened our financial sector more in the last couple of years. We have removed some of the restrictions on foreign investment in the financial sector," he said.
"For many very good high-tech American companies, they're increasing their investment or their operation in China. Companies like Tesla are a good example because they see the market potential. They want to be part of China's economic growth. They want to contribute to it and they certainly want to benefit from it. So we welcome them all and will create a much better environment for foreign investment, better rule of law, etc.," he said.
As for the concept of self-reliance, the Chinese diplomat noted, there has always been self-reliance throughout the 70 years and more since the People's Republic of China was founded in 1949, including the four decades of reform and opening-up.
"In this regard, it's extremely unfair to say that China has become the second largest economy in the world just by taking advantage of others or even by stealing things from others," he said, calling it "extremely unfair" to the Chinese people.
"You know China and Chinese so well. We have very hard-working people, very creative people. And we understand, for such a big country, for 1.4 billion people, you must have the spirit of self-reliance to develop. Otherwise, you cannot have achieved development," he said.
"The self-reliance is always there, but it's not to close the doors. We will open our door even wider because our real aim is to give full play to the potential of the domestic market, to make the domestic market function more effectively and much better, so that the two cycles could really reinforce each other," he said.
|Nation's e-commerce villages||U.S. judge halts order to re|
|China's industrial internet||Shanghai to play top-class r|
|China's catering industry to||Beijing tops Nature Index gl|


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Online ad revenue posted a 4.90% gain to $730.42 million. It was the first quarterly gain since the first quarter of 2008.
Overall print revenue fell to $5.25 billion, a decline of 11.42%. Classified ad revenue fell to $1.25 billion, a decline of 14.37%.
“At the core of these latest statistics is the fact that declines are moderating across the board and, in some instances, have turned positive,” NAA President-CEO John Sturm said in a statement. “Total newspaper online ad spending increased nearly 5% in the first quarter, a sign that marketers are returning to newspapers and recognize the highly engaged audience and brand power our medium continues to deliver in the digital space.”


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IFA 2016 adds new areasGermany
PCR Women of the Year 2016London
Microsoft focuses on 'opportunity', digital transformation and higher margins at Partner ConferenceTech giant's corporate VP talks about day one from Toronto
How has Brexit affected the PC market and UK retail trade so far? Analysts weigh inPC sales continue to fall as smartwatch shipments look set to rise
Channel news roundup: Dell announces enhancements to PartnerDirect program, BT and Daisy join forces, Avast acquires AVG We round up the latest channel partnerships, distribution deals, news and more from the IT ...
Pokémon Go raises security and privacy concernsThe Android and iOS app has become a phenomenon
IFA 2016 adds new areasShow expands with 'Global Markets' area located outside the main exhibition grounds
There were almost 6m cases of fraud and computer misuse in the UK last year
The Office of National Statistics has published new data for the year ending March 2016
Security roundup: Average ransomware demand is £525, Mac malware targets webcams, CompTIA cybersecurity training
PCR rounds up the biggest security news over the past week
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Kingspan Joins Materials Carbon Action Network DELAND, Fla., Sept. 11, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- has joined the Materials Carbon Action Network (materialsCAN), a group of members of the building industry that is ready to act...... 14:00 GMT Wednesday 11th September 2019
Kingspan’s QuadCore Technology Chosen for Holiday Inn Hotel Rebuild DELAND, Fla., Aug. 20, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- announces today that its QuadCore Technology was specified for a complete rebuild of the Holiday Inn in Panama City, Florida, aft...... 14:00 GMT Tuesday 20th August 2019
Kingspan Insulated Panels Names Quincy McBride New Director of Marketing DELAND, Fla., Aug. 05, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kingspan Insulated Panels today announces that Quincy McBride has joined the company as the new director of marketing for North Am...... 19:30 GMT Monday 5th August 2019
Kingspan Insulated Metal Panel Products Now Available on BSD SpecLink-E DELAND, Fla., May 15, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- announces today that several of its products are now available in the Building Systems Design (BSD) SpecLink-E platform, one of th...... 14:00 GMT Wednesday 15th May 2019
Kingspan Launches Three New Insulated Metal Roofing Systems DELAND, Fla., April 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- is introducing three new roof panels to the market: . The new options give architects and specifiers additional options for eas...... 18:23 GMT Wednesday 17th April 2019
Kingspan Insulated Panels Named a Winner in Architectural Products Product Innovation Awards DELAND, Fla., Nov. 15, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- has been named a winner in 2018 Product Innovation Awards. The company won an Industry Leader Award for its commitment to sust...... 15:43 GMT Thursday 15th November 2018
Kingspan Announces Sale of Hercules to Senneca Holdings DELAND, Fla., Oct. 01, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- announced today the sale of Hercules, a leading manufacturer of high quality, custom, controlled environment doors to Senneca Hol...... 16:30 GMT Monday 1st October 2018
Kingspan’s QuadCore Technology Now Standard for All the Company’s Designwall 4000 Panels DELAND, Fla., Sept. 12, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- is introducing its most technologically-advanced metal panel insulation to its BENCHMARK Designwall 4000 architectural wall pane...... 14:00 GMT Wednesday 12th September 2018
Kingspan Launches its QuadCore Technology in North America DELAND, Fla., June 21, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- is introducing its most technologically-advanced metal panel insulation to the North American market, delivering performance that...... 14:00 GMT Thursday 21st June 2018
Kingspan Incorporates Green Natural Gas as an Energy Source at All its North American Locations DELAND, Fla., June 18, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- is now incorporating green natural gas at all of its business entities in North America, including Kingspan Insulated Panels, Kin...... 14:00 GMT Monday 18th June 2018
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April 6, 2022
Mtn Dew Game Fuel and American video-game streamer Dr Disrespect have announced the release of Championship Citrus Cherry. One of the most-requested Game Fuel flavors, Citrus Cherry, has been leveled up with the creation of the limited-edition Championship Citrus Cherry. The fan favorite includes a limited-edition can.
Gamers can get their hands on Doc's new flavor, which is available only while supplies last on GameFuel.com.
"The Two-Time is finally getting what he deserves – his very own flavor of that sweet nectar, Game Fuel,” says Dr Disrespect. “That's right, Game Fuel and I are taking it to the next level and I'm putting a Doc twist on one of the OG great flavors – Citrus Cherry. Get it while you can, Champions Club – it's going to go fast."
Mtn Dew Game Fuel x Doc Championship Citrus Cherry features a cherry-blasted flavor with a wave of citrus. The collectible 16 oz. can features Doc's portrait and logo, all in his signature red and black.
"Our partnership with Doc continues to grow," says Matt Nielsten, senior director, marketing, Mtn Dew. "Last year it was our hit video collaboration, Gamerobics, and now we're bringing back Citrus Cherry, one of the all-time greats for Game Fuel flavors. Turns out it's one of Doc's favorites too, so we decided to get the Two-Time's bold take on the original. Gamers will not be disappointed."
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Microsoft announced today the first free Xbox Live 'gold weekend,'
which will run March 31 through April 2.
Owners of the Xbox 360, who already have access to a limited version of Xbox Live, will be able to enjoy the full version of the service, which includes multiplayer competition. The weekend, which is being sponsored by Verizon, will offer non-stop events, including Xbox Live Arcade leaderboard tournaments.
Verizon, which provides broadband connections to more than 5.1 million homes in the U.S., is also backing a 'One Million Microsoft Points'
giveaway promotion, offering players the chance to win points to buy downloadable content from Xbox Live's Marketplace, including arcade titles, icons and themes.


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By Nam Phuong 23:20 | 19/03/2018
Leading seafood firm Minh Phu Corp. has grand strategies to defend the “King of Shrimp” title, following its comeback to the public market this month.
18:35 | 21/03/2018
16:20 | 19/03/2018
The Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI) has asked the Government to handle the State-owned enterprises (SOEs) that failed to ...
16:04 | 19/03/2018
ABB will showcase its leading robotics technologies as a participant at ProPak Vietnam 2018 on March 20-22, 2018.
14:13 | 19/03/2018
The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has opened an investigation into a series of deadly crashes in which airbags ...
13:38 | 19/03/2018
Shares of Hyundai Motor slid on Monday (Mar 19) after a US regulator said it had opened a probe into why some air ...
13:33 | 19/03/2018
Chinese tech giant Alibaba Group announced on Monday (Mar 19) it will invest an additional US$2 billion (S$2.6 billion) in Lazada.
By Nam Phuong 10:14 | 19/03/2018
Vietnam’s leading port and logistics firm Gemadept Corporation recently elaborated on its partnership with CJ Logistics and revealed its plans ...
By Ha Vy 09:57 | 19/03/2018
Sabeco refuted the state audit’s allegations about its violations in the management of its operations and investing activities.
By Nam Phuong 21:56 | 18/03/2018
The Vietnamese smartphone market has just became more cut-throat with the arrival of Huawei Group’s Honor.
By Chi Tin 21:50 | 18/03/2018
While Vietnamese enterprises are reducing the FOL, Pharimexco goes against the stream by decreasing the FOL to 32.57 per cent.
By Ha Vy 15:22 | 18/03/2018
Vietnamese taxi associations want a temporary policy to tighten Uber and Grab in place of Decision No.24/QD-BGTVT on the pilot ...


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Last month, Hyundai Motor confirmed that the company is in talks with Apple for the production of the tech giant’s ambitious project of making its own autonomous driving vehicle, which is currently being referred to as Apple Car.
While both the companies are expected to reach an agreement in March related to the development of Apple Car, information about the project keeps surfacing online. In the latest news (via Gizmodo), a longtime Apple analyst says that the company has picked Hyundai’s E-GMP platform as the base for its upcoming electric car.
Hyundai claims that the E-GMP platform is designed for battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and offers increased modularity and safety. At the same time, it also tries to maximize performance, driving range, and interior room for passengers and luggage.
The company further adds that high-performance cars based on the E-GMP platform could go from 0 to 60mph in less than 3.5 seconds, with top speeds of around 160 mph. It can deliver more than 310 miles on a single charge and the new charging system goes up to 350kw, allowing E-GMP-based vehicles to recharge up to 80% battery in just 18 minutes.
For those who are unaware, Hyundai had announced the E-GMP platform last year and it is the core architecture for the automaker’s next-generation battery electric vehicles (BEVs), including Ioniq 5 and Kia’s first dedicated BEV expected to launch this year.
Both the companies are hoping to produce around 100,000 vehicles in 2024 and the plan is to eventually reach the production goal of 400,000 vehicles annually. It is said that the “beta version” of the Apple Car
The timeline of making commercial cars by 2024 seems aggressive and has already been questioned by many, including notable Apple Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. Some reports indicate that it will take around 5-7 years for the Apple Car to go into production.
- Kia will reportedly lead Apple Car project work under Hyundai Motor
- Chinese giant Baidu gets permission to test self-driving cars in California
- Huawei is developing Smart Roads that can interact with driverless cars
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"It is an opportunity for us because I know firsthand what instability is like," Whitman said in the AP interview. "I think we are really well positioned for this next big shift in technology. We are excited about it and feel good about where we are."
Dell's decision to end its 25-year history as a publicly traded company has spurred speculation that HP might take a radical step, too, to boost its stock price. The most popular theory is that HP will sell or spin off its PC and printer operations to concentrate on more profitable technology markets in business software and various services.
"We have no plans to break up HP," Whitman said in an interview. "We are convinced that these divisions are better together than they are alone."
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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“Google magic is working for you, even on the tiniest screens." Google stated it by unveiling their new logo which meant to reflect above lines. Believing to be updated with the modern style of working and needs, Google has also tried to make its look trendier.
From being static to only desktop browser Google has now walked along to be in the race with Digital world. The main theme of this change is to be part of huge collection of sites, apps, and services that you visit on PCs, Chromebooks, smartphones, and anywhere you can find a web browser. Since 17 years, it had followed the tradition of putting same colours with changes either in its typography or putting shadow effects making the text bold or light. But this time Google has introduced a new logo and brought more reality to it through animation that wipes away the old logo and draws in the new one. The wordmark has been evolving since 1998 but this new one is the most creative and best from all. Though it has used same colour theme but the feel and style is different. With bidding adieu to “g” and signing in to “G” on browser tabs enclosed within Google colours makes it more appealing.
The story of Typography
According to an interview, back in 2014 Ruth Kedar, the graphic designer who developed the logo there were a lot of different colour iterations. He said that we ended up with the primary colour, but instead of having the pattern go in order, we put a secondary colour on the L, which brought back the idea that Google doesn't follow the rules of being primary. With its first logo in the year 1998 Google has used a serif word-mark (serifs are the filigree on the ends of traditional print typefaces like Times New Roman). With passing years the company has played not much with the typography but involved letter spacing and removing drop shadow. But the latest buzz about the 2015 logo is not about its typography but landing first time in the animation world. Though it has used the typeface geometric san-serif from serif that was in the last millennium.
Google love to play with colours, but during its reign it has also used logo without colours on a local homepage in recognition with the tragedy of several days. The favourite from its different style was Google Doodle which believed in new innovations. The first Google Doodle was in honour of the Burning Man Festival in the year 1998. Since then it has followed a trend to create new with every occasion. With this new logo we believe the Doodle also gets more interesting and innovating. We look forward to see more beautiful creations and ideation under the supervision of CEO, Sundar Pichai.


text: 1. "Gates: Vista Key to New Era of Multimedia Computing,"PC World, Jan. 30With great global fanfare, Microsoft kicked off the week with the Vista launch for home users and small businesses, even as enterprises for the most part continue to sit back and wait before migrating to the new Windows OS, released to that market in November. The fanfare, and its attendant coverage, was all the more impressive for the fact that pretty much anything that can be said about Vista had already been said and said and said. Bill Gates trumpeted Vista as "the key to the [computing] era we have today" during the launch event in New York, which was one of a number of global shindigs to mark the release. The buzz from the wider launch might have been knocked down a notch or three by this week\u2019s number-two story.2. "Vista Hole Opens Door to \u2018Shout Hacking,\u2019 "InfoWorld, Feb. 1Two days after the global event that was the Vista launch, word spread that a flaw in the new OS could allow remote hackers to use the speech-recognition feature to run malicious programs through prerecorded verbal commands. Microsoft was investigating reports of the vulnerability, which was more than just the first publicized flaw in the operating system, but also a novel development in security issues, given its use of verbal commands and speech recognition. It quickly garnered the name "shout hack." The effect of the vulnerability is expected to be minor because it would potentially trouble only those who have the speech-recognition feature enabled and have a microphone and speakers connected to their computer. Those who hope to rely on that feature might find it somewhat more bothersome, however.3. "Michael Dell Back in Charge as Rollins Departs Dell,"CIO.com, Feb. 1The Dell board decided to put company founder Michael Dell back in charge. He will again be CEO after Kevin Rollins, who was his handpicked successor, stepped down after two and a half stormy years at the helm. Dell will also continue as board chairman.\u00a0The company\u00a0lost its top PC vendor status to rival HP during Rollins\u2019 tenure and also is undergoing a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission investigation. Besides announcing the executive shuffling, the company said that its most recent quarterly financial results, scheduled to be released on March 1, will fall below analyst expectations. \n\n4. "Google Upgrades Mini Workplace Search Device,"CIO.com, Jan. 30Google overhauled security and search features for its Mini search device, which is a hardware box for small and midsize businesses and departments in larger companies. Version 2.2 was released with features that are part of the Search Appliance, a more sophisticated and powerful product for enterprises. Analysts and market watchers had expected Google to give the Mini an overhaul because in December, IBM and Yahoo launched a free, entry-level enterprise search application to compete with Google\u2019s offering. 5. "SAP Jumps Into On-Demand ERP Market,"Computerworld, Jan. 29SAP is getting into the on-demand ERP market, targeting midsize companies that want that software but don\u2019t want to mess with installing it themselves. The announcement represents a significant shift in SAP\u2019s approach to that market because its business model has been to have customers install and run SAP in-house. But rivals such as Salesforce.com have forced SAP into the on-demand space. SAP rolled out its first on-demand software last year when it released a CRM application. The company didn\u2019t offer much in the way of detail about the forthcoming ERP product, but analysts say it could be significant in the on-demand market.6. "SAP Names Team to Lead New Global SME Unit,"InfoWorld, Jan. 31. SAP has publicly said it wants more midsize business customers, so two days after it said it will get into the on-demand ERP market, it followed up by naming executives to head its new SME unit. SAP will focus more on customers and partners in the small and midsize market, and has also said it will improve its product alignment to help it achieve that goal. The new team will be in charge of delivery of SAP\u2019s upcoming hosted and on-demand business applications.\n\n7. "BT Buys Service Co. INS for Over $196M,"CIO.com, Feb. 1BT Group seems determined to make inroads in the U.S. enterprise market. Last year it scooped up Counterpane, and this week it said it is buying International Network Services, an IT consulting and professional services company. INS is based in Santa Clara, Calif., but has offices in 19 states offering services throughout the United States, and also has offices in Canada, Europe and Asia. The $196 million acquisition is expected to allow BT to combine Counterpane\u2019s managed security services with INS\u2019 network services, providing on-site consulting and remote management services to customers.8. "IBM Labs: The Next Five Innovations,"CIO.com, Feb. 1IBM gave business partners, analysts and journalists a peak at innovations being worked on in its labs, including real-time language translation, nanotechnology to purify water, medical monitoring over the Web and work on a 3-D Internet. Products resulting from the innovations should be on the market within five years, the company said. The real-time translation program is being tested by the U.S. military in Iraq to translate English into Arabic.9. "Daylight Saving Time: When Clocks Spring Forward This Year, Will IT Fall Down?"Computerworld, Feb. 1Daylight saving time will begin in the United States\u00a0the second Sunday in March this year, rather than the first Sunday in April, and will be extended to the first Sunday in November as part of an effort to save energy. But the initiative means that every software and hardware system that has time stamps needs to be evaluated and tested and possibly patched with software updates to make sure the time stamps work the way they should after the DST change takes effect. Research firm Gartner is urging companies to take the issue seriously because the DST change is likely to cause "disruptions at an IT infrastructure and application level," and that has "significant implications" for companies worldwide. Calendaring applications, billing software, security programs, travel and trading schedules could be affected. Even so, the change isn\u2019t comparable to conversion to euro conversion or Y2K.\n\n10. "Will Your Network Survive Super Bowl Monday?"Computerworld, Jan. 31. Here\u2019s something to contemplate between cheering for or against Payton Manning while watching Super Bowl XLI: The Monday after the annual big game brings headaches, other than those induced by too much celebrating or mourning, to network managers. Fans will relive the thrill of victory or the agony of defeat at work, clicking on video replays and other game-related applications that eat bandwidth. The loss of productivity among employees and networks will start before the game begins (it\u2019s undoubtedly already well under way in at least two cities we can think of) and will peak when football fans return to work Monday, with images of the game replaying in their minds. A survey found that 32 percent of those who responded had plans to check out websites related to the NFL or the Super Bowl before the weekend, with 27 percent confessing they will blow up to three hours online at work getting their Super Bowl plans together. Twenty-six percent expect to watch game-related content Sunday using corporate Internet access, while 29 percent\u00a0expect they\u2019ll watch, download and stream content on Monday using their work PCs. -Nancy Weil, IDG News ServiceCheck out our CIO News Alerts and Tech Informer pages for more updated news coverage.


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2013-09-24 04:53:44 - New Food market report from Business Monitor International: "Saudi Arabia Food & Drink Report Q4 2013"
Our outlook for the Saudi consumer remains bullish, with an uptick in private consumption and a regionally enviable demographic profile continuing to spur growth. Although a contraction in the oil sector has affected real GDP growth, the consumer continues to be buoyed by gains made in the non-hydrocarbon sector as well as by high governmental expenditure. We forecast private consumption to grow by 6.0% in 2013, revised up from 5.0% previously, and expect the retail sector to remain bright over the medium term, boosted by rising disposable incomes and increasing urbanisation.
Headline Industry Data
* 2013 food consumption growth in local currency = +9.8%; compound annual growth rate (CAGR) to 2017 = +8.9%
* 2013 confectionery value sales growth in local
currency = +8.6%; CAGR to 2017 = +7.4%
* 2013 mass grocery retail sales growth in local currency = +11.7%; CAGR to 2017 = +10.5%
Full Report Details at
- www.fastmr.com/prod/686341_saudi_arabia_food_drink_report_q4_201 ..
Key Company Trends
Almarai Continues Promising Growth In First Half: Saudi Arabia-based diversified food and drink company Almarai has been one of the Gulf region's fastest growing food and drink companies for a number of years now, with its very strong dairy business in its home market providing a foundation for growth. That said, it has taken some positive steps towards diversifying, both in terms of geography and business categories, spending a reported US$1bn on diversification since 2007. Almarai has recently reported a 15.8% year-on-year increase in sales to SAR5.3bn (US$1.4bn) for the six months to June 30 2013.
Tim Hortons Looks To Saudi Arabia For Growth: Coffee and doughnut specialist Tim Hortons, Canada's largest restaurant chain, has announced impressive expansion plans for Saudi Arabia. Complementing its wider Gulf Cooperation Council operations started in 2011, the company plans to establish up to 100 multiformat outlets over the next five years with regional partner Apparel FCZO. With Tim Hortons the latest international chain looking to benefit from the dynamic Saudi consumer, investment across the country's food and drink sector shows no sign of slowing in the near term.
IDJ Takes Full Control Of Teeba: In April 2013 it was announced that International Dairy & Juice Co (IDJ), a joint venture between Almarai and PepsiCo, had taken full control of Jordanian food processing company Teeba Investment. IDJ previously held 75% of Teeba and raised its stake to 100% by purchasing Alsafa Co's 25% share for JOD12mn (US$17mn). According to a statement made by Almarai to the Saudi stock exchange, this new ownership structure would allow IDJ to 'drive the Teeba investment forward'.
An Increasingly Energised Soft Drinks Industry: of increasingly dynamic consumer demand supports our view that with maturing carbonate sales, continued diversification within the soft drinks segment will stimulate growth and increase value sales. With a vast, youthful population, consumers will continue to spur demand for products such as functional, energy enhanced drinks, facilitated by our bullish outlook for increased consumer spending to 2017.
Risks To Outlook
Although our outlook for the Saudi economy in the next 18 months is relatively bullish, a sudden and persistent downturn in the price of oil would represent a key downside risk to our growth forecasts, and cannot be ruled out given the uncertain state of the world economy. The government would most likely scale back oil production to keep prices supported, while a deterioration in Saudi Arabia's fiscal and current account position could force a cutback in government spending. However, the government remains buffered by the size of its reserves and could likely keep expenditure elevated for some time, limiting the immediate impact on the economy.
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Nielsen is launching a final technical test before it officially expands its Online Campaign Ratings (OCR) to mobile this summer. Video ad platforms, BrightRoll, and TubeMogul will participate in the trial.
OCR measures the audience of digital advertising and has been adopted as the standard for buying and selling online ads. This includes video ad guarantees. The addition of mobile will mean that Nielsen’s OCR will be able to provide insight into a campaign’s full digital and cross-platform audience.
“Mobile has grown quickly to become an important part of brands’ marketing strategy, and as such, advertisers are seeking ways to more accurately measure campaign impact and engagement,” says Tim Avila, senior vice president of marketing operations at BrightRoll.
Nielsen’s expansion to mobile devices will use a similar approach to the methodology used to measure computer and tablet browsers. In addition to mobile browsers, Nielsen says that this expansion will measure in-app ads for the iOS and Android app eco-system.
The addition of mobile is part of Nielsen’s strategic development in 2014. In March, the company expanded its content measurement capabilities to include TV programming available online, through the launch of Nielsen Digital Program Ratings.
2017 will be a watershed moment for video, as consumption moves from the TV to other devices.
As it prepares for a 2017 IPO that could be the largest in the social media space since Facebook went public in 2012, all eyes are on Snapchat.
In 2015, Verizon purchased AOL for $4.4 billion. Now, the mega wireless carrier is leveraging its wireless network as part of a new ad offering called BrandBuilder by AOL.
As the ball drops on December 31st, make sure your media strategies are stacked with timely resolutions to make the most of 2017.


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Cannabis businesses face many challenges it’s not easy being green!
Irish liquor lawyer goes green!
This week the Irish Liquor Lawyer goes green and talks about cannabis. Folks Mary Jane is coming to the State of Illinois and it is a matter of time before she is legal. So, with that in mind, we need to think ahead on how we should handle this industry.
Many states legalized cannabis including Alaska, California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Nevada, Oregon, and Vermont. Although the states are trending towards legalization, the federal laws still consider cannabis an illegal drug and this causes issues for the cannabis businesses. The lack of federal legal recognition makes it more difficult and expensive for cannabis businesses to operate.
Illinois needs to promulgate policies that address and may be somewhat remedy these issues, but at the same time maintain a safe and orderly marketplace for a dangerous substance.
How the state can help the cannabis industry
If the state legalizes cannabis we need to begin treating it like a legitimate industry and not some fringe element. This doesn’t mean we throw off the shackles and go laissez-faire on treating this industry. However, the state can promulgate policies that can benefit businesses and maintain a safe and orderly marketplace.
Illinois should consider favorable tax policies towards cannabis growers.
A federal tax return allows a business to report its income, and also allows it to deduct its business expenses to offset its income. But a business engaged in selling cannabis needs to report the income yet does not get the benefit of the expense deductions.
The IRS enforces a law that does not allow tax deductions or credits for the illegal trafficking of drugs. Because cannabis is an illegal drug, the sale of it is considered illegal trafficking. Yet, because the cannabis seller earns income, it must report the income even if illegal, because not doing so constitutes tax evasion.
Additionally, the federal government punishes the cannabis business by not allowing them to obtain traditional financing from a bank. Because cannabis is illegal at a federal level, the FDIC considers a bank working with a cannabis business as violating federal law. The DEA could also sanction a bank that loans money to a cannabis business.
With the traditional financing vehicles shut off, many cannabis businesses are forced to obtain nontraditional financing at a greater expense. These types of financing include everything from angel investors, crowdfunding, private equity investors, to home equity loans.
Based on the disadvantages present at the federal level, Illinois should allow deductions for cannabis sellers and in fact should consider providing additional and specialized tax credits or deductions for the industry. For cannabis producers, growing cannabis is an equipment intensive practice. A producer is required to utilize lamps for growing, a sound ventilation and hvac system, an extensive security apparatus which includes cameras and costly secured fencing, and tons of land. The State should think about providing a special accelerated deprecation for the equipment or a targeted sales tax exemption for startup equipment. This would not fully offset the federal tax disadvantages but would allow cannabis business some relief from business expenses.
Another idea is a specialized tax credit for a small cannabis business. Because of the different federal tax treatment and disadvantageous financing terms, running and starting a cannabis business is drastically more expensive than running a regular business. This means there is a higher barrier of entry for companies with less access to capital and running the business becomes relatively more expensive.
The state can not offset the disadvantages, but it could promulgate policies to offer relief.
Should we have minimum pricing
In the liquor world some states won’t allow a retailer to sell liquor below the cost in which they purchased the product. The theory being that if Walmart can sell the product below price, then a small liquor store that cannot afford to engage in this practice will be put in a competitive disadvantage, which in turn will lead to it going out of business. When the dust settles, there would only be standing the big box stores that can afford to utilize alcohol as a loss leader, while the small independent stores are shuttered.
I personally believe the market should settle the price. Amazon has put many stores out of business, yet we don’t require it to sell teddy bears at a minimum price. So why should we employ this practice in other areas?
A second argument for minimum pricing is that by allowing someone to offer cannabis at a low price, we could be flooding the market with cannabis. For example, if an ounce of cannabis is $10 at Store A, then it would induce more people to buy a harmful drug.
This could happen in theory but it is harder to imagine in practice. The expenses are so high in this industry, without the federal benefits allowed, that it would not make sense to engage in this practice. Also, unlike a Walmart, there is no loss leader element that would allow for the sale of cheap product.
Local and community input
Under the Illinois Liquor Control Act, the local government officials determine whether they want to allow the sale of alcoholic liquor within their borders. They control the issuance of retail liquor licenses and can deny a license or limit the number of licenses issued.
When cannabis becomes legal, the state should allow the local governments these same privileges. A locality should have veto power on whether a cannabis dispensary can setup shop in its jurisdiction. In fact, the state should go further and allow a locality the power to determine whether they want a producer of cannabis within their boundaries.
Although the state will legitimize the business by legalization, cannabis is still a dangerous substance and the locals should have a say on whether it should be allowed within its borders.
Safety and compliance issues
The state should consider safety and compliance measures carefully when it legalizes cannabis. Without these measures, the state is inducing an illegal and free wheeling drug market. Here are some suggestions to get ahead of the issue.
a) The state should utilize a tracking system for its marijuana plants. The state should use a bar code system where it can track the plants that are grown. This would ensure that the state can account for the legal supply at all times, and further it ensures that state growers are complying with federal law by not allowing cannabis to cross into other states and travel in interstate commerce in violation of federal law.
b) The state should require 24-hour video surveillance and should have an adequately fenced facility. I know it seems like we are turning the cannabis farm into a prison, however the facility needs to be secured tightly. The video cameras should not only watch over the growing area but the whole facility. This would ensure no employees are stealing the cannabis and selling it on the black market. Also, a secure fence, something akin to an eight-foot barbwire fence should be required. Although not a 100% deterrence, a barbwire fence along with the cameras would deter thieves from entering the property to steal cannabis.
c) Sell it only in dispensaries. Please don’t allow it sale in liquor or groceries stores. Further, make it illegal to enter if someone is under 21. We don’t want children around the product.
Even with legalized cannabis, there is a serious threat of a black market. What is the percent of black-market sales in the states that legalized cannabis? It is hard to get an exact and accurate figure but the percent ranges from 20%-50% black-market sales depending on the state. Even though it is hard to pin down an exact percentage, what is not disputed is that high tax rates will contribute to the increase in black-market sales.
I often hear people say legalize it and tax the hell out of it! Well great reasoning but taxing the hell out of it may induce more illegal sales. If we put a cannabis excise tax such as Washington’s sales tax rate of 37%, we can expect a healthy black-market in Illinois. The best solution is to highly tax it but do not go overboard. The legislature will have a balancing act of taxing the product high enough to not make it readily used, and not taxing it too much which would drive the price so high that it is higher than the black-market. Anywhere in the range of 15-20% tax rate is probably the best solution.
Also remember that cannabis is not a panacea for our budget woes! Remember your history, in Illinois the panacea was once the lottery and then legalized gambling. Cannabis will raise revenue but don’t depend on it to solve budget issues, only responsible budget policies can achieve this goal.
The safety and compliance issues of the proceeding section ties in with the black-market. To maintain a safe market for cannabis, we must ensure that it does not cross state lines. If the border states (Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri, and Wisconsin) do not legalize cannabis, there is an incentive for growers to send the cannabis to these other states. The state mandated security system needs to be so tight at licensed facilities that smuggling or stealing product is nearly impossible. The state cannot fully prevent the black-market, however, it can significantly reduce its presence.
Another possible policy idea is to limit how much cannabis is grown in Illinois. In Oregon cannabis suppliers grew so much product that the oversupply fed black-markets in other states. These consequences lead to violations of federal law and could lead the federal government to shut down or heavily sanction the Illinois cannabis market. I am personally against caps; however, this is an issue that policy makers could debate.
A further solution is the state should restrict how much cannabis a customer could purchase. Oregon has a limit of 1 ounce per day. By limiting these amounts, Illinois could cut down on a Sam’s Club type purchase that may be smuggled into the black-market of another state.
There are issues that may seem peripheral but are actually very important for maintaining a safe and orderly marketplace.
- Cannabis dispensaries should be limited in their hours of operation. Since there is not a long track record on legalization, the state should proceed cautiously. Oregon’s law on 10:00 pm closing times is a sound guideline.
- The state should consider a ban on consumption in public. Nothing is fouler than the smell of stale marijuana! The state may want to limit consumption to private property or homes. We should proceed cautiously before allowing cannabis consumption in a public place. A row of Amsterdam like coffee shops might not be appealing for a locality’s residents.
Cannabis will be legal but complicated. As indicated earlier, Illinois needs to strike the right balance between fostering a favorable environment for the cannabis businesses and maintaining a safe and orderly marketplace. There is not a long track record for the legalized states, so Illinois policymakers will make decisions with imperfect information. However, I think Illinois can run a decent system if they follow some key principles: 1. Provide reasonable tax benefits to the cannabis businesses; 2. Implement laws requiring sound security policies; 3. Work with local governments to obtain their consent; and 4. Make sound policy decisions to reduce the black-market.
Illinois has got it wrong often times, let us hope they get it right here!


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On Season 14 of Shark Tank, an entrepreneur from Los Angeles, CA, Melanie Masarin, pitches her natural nonalcoholic beverage, Ghia.
Masarin launched Ghia in June 2022. Since then, the company launched its Ginger Spritz, won five awards, grew the team to “7 full-time humans, and convinced over 100 restaurants in America to create non-alcoholic sections on their menu and serve Ghia,” among other accomplishments.
Ghia is getting 5-star reviews including one titled: “Took some time but now we’re best friends.” The customer admits: “The first time I tried I didn’t know what to think… I didn’t like it.” But the customer tried a different Ghia combination (with seltzer) and “it grew on me over time and now I just love it.”
Earlier this year, Ghia made Fast Company history by being named one of Fast Company‘s 2022 World’s Most Innovative Companies list in the Consumer Category – the first non-alcoholic spirit “to lead with flavor over function.”
New episodes of Shark Tank air Fridays at 8 pm on ABC, right before 20/20 at 9 pm. [BONUS: Stream any ABC show through the ABC GO Digital App found here. Download is FREE.]


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Technically Incorrect: Jared Fogle, who pleaded guilty to child pornography charges, had his porn collection discovered by a dog whose nose can differentiate between a thumb drive and an iPad.
The electronics giant stops into Europe's big tech show to talk up its latest gadgets, likely ranging from smartphones to cameras to TVs.
Schiit's cheap 'n' cheerful headphone amp and digital converter wow the Audiophiliac!
The search giant and Android maker will introduce two smartphones, one made by LG and the other by Huawei.
The company unveils three smartphones targeting affluent users, but still hasn't figured out how to avoid getting lost in the shuffle behind Apple and Samsung.
CNET's Marguerite Reardon says the wireless industry is offering more choices for how you buy devices and gives her advice on figuring out what works best for you.
Commentary: If super high-resolution screens are arguably unnecessary for your 65-inch TV, they're just about useless for your 5.5-inch phone.
Jen-Hsun Huang also says even with low sales of the tablet so far, Nvidia's in the hardware market for the long haul.
Acer took to IFA Berlin to push a full lineup of new Chromebooks, notebooks, desktops, and monitors with a strong emphasis on its new Predator gaming line.
Silk Labs wants to weave its software and services into all the new networked devices coming to homes of the future. Behind it: a trio fresh from the ambitious Firefox OS smartphone project.


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A video to promote lifestyle brand Bench’s summer clothing range has been created by Corporation Pop.
The ‘Power and Glory’ range is promoted in a two minute video which will be shown on big screens during music festivals - including Creamfields and Park Life - as well as on screens in major cities, in-store and on the Bench website.
Corporation Pop, which has worked with the client since November 2007, handled post production, including editing and graphics while also working on the brand’s ‘Art of the Street campaign, which aims to raise awareness of Bench’s autumn and winter ranges.
A 3D video is currently being re-edited, while a microsite and e-campaign are being developed by the agency which will be aimed at both trade and consumer markets.
Dom Raban, managing director at Corporation Pop, explained: “Our brief for Power and Glory was to create a summery feel but reflect the edginess of the range, which is more trend driven and fashion focused than the main Bench lines. The challenge was to display both the men’s and women’s ranges, both very different from each other, in the same video. Bench are so happy with the result that they’ve also commissioned a behind-the-scenes ‘making of’ video for online use"
Earlier this year Corporation Pop produced an internal video to promote Bench’s global presence, which is also being re-edited.


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Read the latest auto news, updates from motorsport, motorcycles world and tuning. Moreover, you can check lifestyle, gaming and gadgets news. Get the latest press releases as well as the full set of details, photo galleries and videos.
Jaguar Classic Reborn program is launched with unveiling of 1965 E-Type Coupe at Techno Classica show
Did you film an important event?


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Cultivated-meat company Omeat, which launched earlier this year, has completed construction of its state-of-the-art pilot plant outside Los Angeles, according to a company release. The milestone represents a crucial step toward future production and commercialization of Omeat’s products.
The 15,000-square-foot facility can house bioreactors up to 10,000 liters in size and produce up to 400 tons of product annually, filling an important piece of Omeat’s vertically integrated puzzle. It will provide essential data and insights for scale up of production while ensuring Omeat’s quality, taste and safety standards. It is expected to help Omeat demonstrate its process at scale and clear a path for regulatory review and approval.
Jim Miller, Omeat chief technology officer said in the release: “Omeat’s process begins at our farm with the collection of plasma from Omeat’s herd of Holstein cows. The plasma is transported to the new pilot facility, where it’s used to derive Plenty, Omeat’s affordable and effective proprietary growth factor that replaces the need for Fetal Bovine Serum (FBS). Inside Omeat’s bioreactors, Plenty and bovine cells are combined to produce Omeat ground beef.”


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A new smartphone app aims to give cannabis users personalised recommendations of which strain of marijuana is best for them.
Budzster, which is currently seeking to raise money through crowd-funding site Indiegogo, promises to "help consumers and caregivers to find the best budz for their personal needs."
According to a description of the app on the fundraising page "Budzster is a user-based recommendation application that accurately determines which budz are right for you based upon personal and strain genetics. Budzster becomes more accurate as it learns more about your anonymous username through usage."
While the majority of States in the US continue to impose a total ban on cannabis, there are a growing number of states which allow its use for medical purposes, and according to the developers of this app the prohibition on cannabis is "rapidly coming to a close".
The need for such an app, according to the developers, is that marijuana is "incredibly complex" with hundreds of different strains available, each of which contains a combination of several cannabinoids of varying strengths.
The complexity is increased when you consider that each strain reacts differently with your own "unique combination of cannabinoid receptors to produce medical, psychological, and, yes, recreational effects on the human body."
The fundraising campaign is aiming to raise $20,000 (£12,400) to help launch the app, but after almost four weeks it has so far raised just $710 and is unlikely to reach its goal by the time the campaign ends on 11 November.
The app is mainly aimed at what the developers call 'canna businesses' - those businesses such as cultivators and dispensaries who make their money from the legalisation of cannabis. The app will be available on a subscription basis to allow them see what strains are most popular in particular areas and adjust their stock as necessary.
"Budzster will provide dispensary owners with the tools to provide the best budz for each of their customers. Budzter will also provide access to anonymised user data directly from the users that shop in their establishment. Imagine knowing what strains your customers want as you work with your growers to customise inventory for your specific needs and clients."


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Global trade tensions are soaring just days ahead of the upcoming G7 summit with top U.S. economic partners like China and France both issuing fresh warnings that import tariffs announced this week by the Trump administration run the serious risk of creating a trade war in all directions: East, West, North, and South.
The moronic behavior of this administration has no logic, no bounds.
Stupid is as stupid does.
I can already hear Trump barking that the loss of jobs in the U.S. – that would undoubtedly occur – is “fake news”.
Or blaming it on Obama.
The Tarrifs are one of the few things Trump is doing right. Are we now the NEOCON left that would be against other countries selling us products without using our labor having to pay tariffs? THE EUROPEAN UNION CHARGES TARIFFS FOR THE SAME THING. And for good reason.
I swear this message of making it sound like it’s bad comes from the same people telling us trade unions are good. They’re only good for the billionaire corporations to sell countries their goods, while not using their labor, and putting the local competitors out of business by selling cheaper since they’re not paying tariffs and they’re using the cheapest labor somewhere else in the world. They take money out of an economy and never put it back in. Neocons and the truly uninformed are against Tariffs.


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just sent us a video showing us the process that goes into creating Fatalities in Mortal Kombat (2011)
. All bases are covered in this five minute feature: from initial designs, animation motion capture and in-game effects.
This feature debuted yesterday on Fear.net
, but has gone wide today.
Also in un-related news, the official Mortal Kombat Twitter Account
teased earlier today about classic costume news coming in two weeks:
Looking for Scorpion, Sub-Zero, Reptile, Ermac, Jade, Kitana, and Mileena in their old school attire? Consider this two weeks notice.
Time will tell what that news actually will be, but sounds like the timed retailer exclusive of those costumes are about to expire.