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Phishing scams, new focuses and fury dominate the subscription headlines this week: phishing hackers are targeting PayPal accounts, Politico has a new FDA-focused subscription that will cost as much as $75,000 a year, and angry HP customers take to Twitter to rant about HP demanding people sign up for monthly ink subscriptions. Also, Apple is looking at acquiring MGM, BBC will be making cuts as it shifts its focus to digital news, and Penguin Random House pulls certain titles from their unlimited-reading subscription service.
Last week, it became official. The Disney-Fox deal is now a done deal with The Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS) completing its acquisition of Rupert Murdoch's 21st Century Fox for a cool $71 billion. In a news release, Disney called this the "unprecedented collection of high-quality creative content, stellar talent and cutting-edge technologies" that will allow the company to expedite its direct-to-consumer (DTC) streaming strategy and expand its presence to new audiences. It's DTC offerings include ESPN+, ownership in Hulu and Disney +, its yet-to-be-launched streaming video-on-demand service coming later this year.
ast week, Digital Air Strike announced record 2019 results at CES 2020 in Las Vegas. The technology company reported record subscription growth of 32% compared to 2018, its highest year ever. In addition to being a featured panelist at the Automotive News Shift event, Digital Air Strike was named one of Arizonas 20 biggest software companies alongside other tech companies like Axway, GoDaddy, Truyo and Cerner. The technology company offers a range of digital, social media response, consumer engagement and reputation management solutions, working with more than 5,000 car dealerships and other businesses in the U.S., Canada and abroad.
Billionaire Warren Buffet is selling BH Media Group, which owns 31 daily and 47 weekly newspapers, to Lee Enterprises Inc. for $140 million in cash. This represents the first major newspaper condensation of 2020. Lee provides news, information and advertising in 50 markets in 21 states. The company boasts 300+ weekly publications, 1.1 million newspaper subscribers and 73 million monthly digital views. Berkshire Hathaway is providing approximately $576 million in long-term financing to Lee at a 9% annual interest rate. The proceeds from this loan will pay for the acquisition, refinance approximately $400 million of Lees debt, and provide cash to terminate Lees revolving line of credit.
Acquisitions appear to be in the air this month. Last week, Colgate-Palmolive Company (NYSE: CL) announced it plans to acquire Hello Products LLC, a premium oral care brand that sells a variety of dental products for everyone from three-month-old infants and toddlers to teens and adults. Available in the United States, Hello sells toothpaste, mouthwash, toothbrushes, dental floss, teething gel and other products in retail stores, online and via subscription. Their products use natural ingredients and are not tested on animals.
Yesterday Workday, Inc. (NASDAQ: WDAY), an enterprise cloud application provider for the finance and human resource industries, reported strong subscription growth in its fiscal 2019 second quarter ended July 31, 2018. The company brought in subscription revenue of $565.7 million, a 30.2 percent increase year-over-year, and reported a subscription revenue backlog of $5.5 billion, a 26 percent increase year-over-year.
Happy May! As the days get longer, weve got plenty of great subscription articles to share including how fitness subscriptions are making exercise and personal training at home more convenient, Meredith Corp. has Sports Illustrated on the bidding block and Authentic Brands appears to be the frontrunner, Facebook announces a major redesign, Instagram is testing a feature that hides likes and view counts, and LinkedIn shares top subscription jobs.
With subscription news headlines covering everything from SaaS and subscription boxes to streaming video and solar gardens, 2016 was an interesting year for the subscription economy. This made winnowing down the list of top stories a difficult task. After all, big names like Netflix, Microsoft, the New York Times, Spotify and Amazon were in the subscription news headlines almost every week. While those big players were adding new offerings and contemplating success strategies, companies like Walmart, The Skimm, Etsy, Medium, and Bed Bath & Beyond tested the subscription waters. Weve gone through all of those news stories and more to bring you highlights from 2016.
Lululemon Athletica Inc. announced it is buying MIRROR, a home fitness company, for $500 million. MIRROR uses a membership model for its fitness classes.
Netflix (NASDAQ: NFLX) acquired Millarworld, a comic book publisher founded by New York Times best-selling comic book writer and producer Mark Millar. Millar created popular characters and stories including Kick-Ass, Kingsman: The Secret Service, Jupiter's Legacy, Super Crooks and The Ultimates, some of which went on to become movies. Netflix and Millar will work together to bring character franchises to movies, series and kids' programs, exclusively to Netflix. In addition, Millarworld will continue to create and publish new characters and stories under the Netflix brand. This is the first acquisition ever for the 20-year-old Netflix. Terms of the sale were not disclosed.


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A allegedly unlicensed Santa Monica contractor has been charged with accepting a $15,000 down payment for a kitchen remodeling project and then refusing to perform any work or return the money, Santa Monica city attorneys said.
Hosayn Mandi, owner of New Line Interiors in Santa Monica, was arraigned last month at the Superior Court Airport Courthouse for criminal charges stemming from the recent remodeling job, Santa Monica deputy city attorney Gary Rhoades said.
The charges filed against Mandi and New Line Interiors November 6th include alleged contracting without a license, charging an excessive down-payment, theft and operating without a city business license, Rhoades said.
The count of unlicensed contracting is punishable by up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine. The other offenses are each punishable by up to one year in County Jail. Additionally, charging an excessive down payment has a maximum fine of $5,000.
Rhoades said the City Attorney’s Office has obtained a court order prohibiting Mandi and New Line Interiors from conducting any contractor business pending trial.
The city attorney’s Consumer Protection Unit filed the charges as part of an ongoing partnership with the Contractors State Licensing Board to crack down on illegal practices by contractors in Santa Monica.
The case against Mandi was the unit’s fifth such filing of 2008, and as the trial-setting hearing is scheduled for January 28th, the case will be one of the unit’s first prosecutions this year.
“The tightening of credit and a worsening economy may create more opportunities in 2009 for unlicensed contractors to take advantage of Santa Monicans who are trying to find bargains,” said Rhoades. “However, the vast majority of our complaints involve not just the lack of licensing, but folks who didn’t get close to what they bargained for. It will be cheaper in the long run if you insist on licensed work.”
The Consumer Protection Unit urges consumers to know their rights with contractors, including:
— the right to hire licensed contractors;
— the right to check a contractor’s license at www.cslb.ca .gov/ or (800) 321-2752;
— the right to pay only ten percent or $1,000, whichever is less, as a down payment; and
— the right to a written contract that specifies project costs, the down payment, a payment schedule and start and completion date.
The State Senate Oversight Committee ranks contractor fraud among the top five consumer complaints in California ñ a problem that costs consumers nationwide more than $100 billion annually, city attorneys said.
For any contractor problems in Santa Monica, call the Consumer Protection Unit at (310) 458-8336.

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The BlizzCon 2021 has unveiled a new teaser for "HearthStone" and it signifies a massive change in the game, particularly with an Expansion Pack for this year that could potentially change the gameplay. According to Blizzard's initial plans and revelations, the expansion pack would not be the same as the regular ones, as it would feature something new.
The popular card game that features the heroes from the "World of Warcraft," "HearthStone," has been teasing a new expansion for the game that could change the game's landscape and gameplay as teased by Blizzard. The developers have been brewing something new which would make 2021's expansion take a turn for the better and improve everything.
Blizzard Entertainment has not released much information from their BlizzCon release with Hearthstone, along with the teaser that only shows several iconic information and details. Because of the start of the new year, Blizzard would also impose a new season for "HearthStone," where players could start from their awarded tier and play their way to the top.
'HearthStone' 2021 Expansion Pack: Everything You Need to Know
Since Blizzard and BlizzCon's latest teaser trailer for "HearthStone" was released, the "Quill You Be Ready" video has already gathered buzz and speculations on where the setting of the expansion pack would be. There are two elements in the appearance and the name alone, which suggests the next location and plot of the expansion pack.
First, the "Quill" in the title's name suggests that "HearthStone's" 2021 Expansion Pack would be centered on the Quillboar Race that happens in the Barrens location. Also, the trailer shows an adventurer with only a torch, who travels a sandy area, which is speculated to be set in Kalimdor, which happens to also be in the Barrens.
Moreover, the character was in the savannah area which managed to be surrounded by a Horde logo around him, which fully confirms the next location and possible content of the Expansion Pack for 2021.
'HearthStone' 2021: New Season
According to GameSpot, Blizzard would also be debuting the regular Season change for "HearthStone" along with the expansion pack that is yet to come for the game. Moreover, Blizzard has dubbed 2021 as the "Year of the Phoenix" which was previously showcased in the calendar showing the content that would come this year.
These three new expansions would include Ashes of Outland, Madness at the Darkmoon Faire, and Scholomance Academy, which would be the central themes, according to speculations. Bonus updates are also expected to come anywhere in the season, as it awaits different modes including the Duel in Darkmoon Faire.
'HearthStone' Expansion Pack: New Core Set
The largest change for "HearthStone" this year would be the new Core Set which differs from the Classic and Basic set or decks that are widely available for all users. The change in the deck and cards would allow "HearthStone" to have more flexibility and equal opportunities for players of any background.
The Core Set would begin this year and would continue to reshuffle in the coming years, making "HearthStone" a unique game that would present new content annually.


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A U.S fruit company harvests and processes tropical berries with help from Amazon locals, while also teaching them how to preserve the forest. Photos by Ricardo Azoury/Redux.
Belém, known as the Amazonian Metropolis, is home to 1.5 million residents. The city boomed in the late 19th century, thanks to its rubber industry. Though now dirty and dangerous, the city is a major port for goods coming out of the Amazon. Its coastal location and river access make it ideal for exporting.
- Netflix to spend up to $8B on programming
- Will jetliner partnership push Boeing closer to Brazil?
- How much could Kaepernick win in NFL collusion case?
- Airbus buys majority of embattled jetliner program
- Trump's mysterious absence from conservative talk radio
- A messy Brexit would cost U.K. families $345 a year


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StockX, the American online market for sneakers, raised $195 million in a secondary tender offering by some of its employees’ shares and an additional $60 million in Series E-1 primary shares at a $3.8 billion valuation. Altimeter Capital led the all-cash offer, with the participation of existing investors and of a new institutional investor, the Dragoneer Investment Group, which has also invested in Peloton, Tonal and other start-ups.
The new valuation represents a 35 percent increase over the $2.8 billion appraisal given to the company in a previous $275 million Series E funding round closed in December 2020.
The result of the new fund-raising round “signals the broad recognition and excitement for the long-term value of StockX’s business as well as a growing appreciation for marketplace experiences,” said the company’s CEO, Scott Cutler, adding that it is ”just scratching the surface of what StockX can deliver for the millions of global buyers and sellers who count on the platform for a wide range of authentic current culture products.”
As we already reported, the gross merchandise value (GMV) generated on StockX’ marketplace grew to $1.8 billion in 2020 from about $1.0 billion in 2019, after more than 200 million visits to its website from 200 countries and territories. They led to a growth of more than 90 percent in the number of buyers. The business resulted in reported revenues of over $400 million last year, allowing the company to achieve break-even results in the second half.
Founded in 2016, the Detroit-based company employs more than 1,000 people in 13 offices and authentication centers around the world.


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Although technology stocks fell with the overall market Monday, the overall decline could have mixed implications for the major companies and consumers
In late trading, the S&P 500 Index was off 5.4 percent and most tech stocks were off about the same, although both Hewlett-Packard and Cisco dropped more than 4.5 percent and Oracle and AMD both slipped nearly 8 percent. Still, if the overall rout continues, tech company executives may change their outlooks for 2012. Internet equipment providers including Cisco and Brocade Communications could see lower demand for networking products.
For sure, some of the tech companies that have mulled an IPO probably will hold off right now. They could include well-known names like Facebook as well as lesser-known ones such as Imperva, a Redwood Shores, California cyber software developer that already filed to go public.
The market has applauded some tech stock IPOs over the past 12 months such as LinkedIn and Open Table and looked at others with a yawn, such as Freescale Semiconductor, the former chip business of Motorola that was sold to private equity investors.
Prediction: any big uncertainty will stall the IPO market and probably send the new companies into the arms of bigger tech buyers, headed by IBM, Hewlett-Packard, EMC, Apple and Texas Instruments, which have deep pockets and need for new products.
Meanwhile, while a market downturn may slow down investment, the tech sector needs to constantly churn out new products. So the semiconductor industry is unlikely to stop spending on new plants which the Semiconductor Industry Association estimates cost at least $6 billion apiece.
GlobalFoundries, the California-based company that combines technology from AMD with Abu Dhabi's Advanced Technology Investment Corp., is spending $4.2 billion on a new plant in upstate New York. In fact, it has asked state authorities about building another one --- with some subsidization.
Korea's Samsung Electronics has spent $3.6 billion on a new plant in Austin, Texas, its only U.S. chip plant. And industry leader Intel is expanding two plants and spending more on two new U.S. chip factories to produce 14-nanometer units.
If there is a recession, interest costs are likely to remain low, so financing these plants shouldn't be a problem.
Intel itself has acquired scores of companies, such as security software leader McAfee, to get new products. New chips that add security to processing, computation, mobile communications and video need to be built somewhere.
Apple, which no longer manufactures products, works tightly with its developers and suppliers to achieve design supremacy and versatility. Analysts including Peter Misek of Jefferies believe the Cupertino, California electronics company will merge operating systems for its Macs with its iPhone and iPads into one chip, likely to be made in an Asian foundry.
Finally, one of the human costs of the U.S. recession has been fewer people are working as companies deploy technology for smarter performance. That means a steady, if perhaps slower demand for technology products. But Detroit will keep adding chips to new cars, Silicon Valley will keep upgrading product performance and industrial U.S.A. will seek technology to become more productive.
On July 30, even Taiwan-based manufacturer Foxconn, which is reportedly Apple's biggest contract manufacturer, announced it would buy as many as 1 million robots over the next two years. Foxconn employs about 1.2 million workers in Taiwan and China today.
Although it did not announce a vendor, most likely the robots will come from ABB, the Swiss-Swedish engineering giant. Every one of them will be crammed with chips, deploy multiple software operating systems and be linked to controls all run by technology products.


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Presumably there isn’t a prize for the greatest themed bra manufacturer in the world, but Triumph International would be hard to be beat if there was. And perhaps to prove this point, the lingerie maker has produced another winner with the ‘Post Privatization Total Surprise Bra!’.
What the total surprise is I don’t know, but the decision to make a bra supporting Prime Minister koizumi’s push to privatize Japan Post must have raised a few eyebrows to say the least.
The merits of the proposed privatization are very debatable, especially as the incorporated Postal Savings is one of the largest financial institutions in the world, with deposits in excess of 200 trillion yen; however, the use of scantily clad young ladies in promotional campaigns will no doubt go a long way in alleviating the nation’s fears.
Personally speaking, the post box themed underwear has won me over. So much so in fact that I could say it has given me the urge to go and make a deposit of my own. But I won’t, as it could be construed as being crude.


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Canadian metal fabricators posted their third consecutive monthly sales gain and reached a new montly sales high in November. PHOTO courtesy TRUMPF
Canadian manufacturing sales were flat overall at $72.3 billion in November, but metal manufacturers and several of the industries important to them managed to buck the trend with impressive sales increases.
Sales of durable goods were up 1.8% for the month, led by a 2.7% monthly gain in fabricated metal products sales. This was the third consecutive monthly sales gain for the fabricated metal product industry rose and marked a new high, reaching $4.5 billion. The growth was broad-based, with higher sales in 7 of 9 fabricated metal industries, led by architectural and structural metals (+6.6%). While prices of fabricated metal products (-0.4%) were slightly lower than the previous month, exports of these products rose 1.0%. On a yearly basis, sales were 20.6% higher in November.
There was also particularly strong uptick in the automotive sector, one of metalworking’s most important customers. Following three consecutive monthly decreases, sales in the motor vehicle industry rose 12.7% to $3.9 billion in November, as production in several assembly plants in Canada ramped up, which in turn led to higher capacity utilization rates amid supply constraints.
Sales in the primary metal industry meanwhile, rose 1.7% to $5.7 billion in November, mainly due to higher sales of alumina and aluminum production and processing (+12.7%) and non-ferrous metal (except aluminum) production and processing (+6.7%), mostly concentrated in Quebec.
“Prices for non-ferrous metal products increased 3.7%, while exports for other unwrought non-ferrous metal alloys rose 5.0%. Geopolitical uncertainties such as a potential ban on Russian metals and alterations in China’s COVID-19 policies have impacted metal markets. Year over year, sales of primary metals were down 0.5% in November,” Statistics Canada commented in its monthly update.


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JW Shinyak said on Nov. 24 that it acquired an exclusive license from Johnson & Johnson for distribution of the foam-based hair regrowth product Rogaine in Korea.
The formulation of minoxidil is the first topical hair-growth treatment approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for both men and women. “The biggest advantage of Rogaine is that it can eliminate the inconvenience caused by liquids and gels,” an official at JW Shinyak said.
With the deal, JW Shinyak has strengthened its product lineup for anti-hair loss drugs which was limited to oral dosage forms like propecia, sold under the brand name Monad and Neodart (dutasteride).
“We will step up our presence in the hair loss treatment market through synergies with existing products,” he said.
According to research firm Nielsen Korea, about 10 million people in Korea suffer from hair loss while the market for treatments was 4 trillion won (US$3.68 billion) in 2016.


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The renminbi value of China’s exports surprised in the first month of the year with double-digit growth as imports also came in well above expectations.
In local currency terms exports rose 15.9 per cent last month, jumping from growth of 0.6 per cent in December. That was more than ten percentage points higher than a median forecast of economists surveyed by Bloomberg that called for a 5.2 per cent rise.
Imports grew 25.2 per cent in renminbi terms, jumping from 10.8 per cent the month prior and coming in ten percentage points above a median forecast of 15.2 per cent.
Those trade flows brought China’s trade balance to Rmb354.5bn, almost Rmb50bn above expectations.
Stay tuned for trade in dollar terms, a set of more closely-watched figures that typically arrive shortly after renminbi trade data.
Get alerts on Front page when a new story is published


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Honda's new all-electric plug-in is fun to drive, has good range and doesn't disappoint with space.
The Ford C-Max Energi Hybrid may look like an appliance, but it is a surprisingly fun, peppy, and fuel efficient car.
In a surprise move, Motor Trend chooses electric car maker Tesla's Model S sedan as its car of the year.
Even the worst cars can have some redeeming value, but at $35,000 I was hard pressed to find any in Mitsubishi's plug-in iMiev.
Take a drive down memory lane with our favorite photos of the car through the years.
These are some of the most interesting new models and concept vehicles from the Big Apple's car show.
Median CEO pay inched up 9% in 2013 to $13.9 million. But not everyone got a bump last year. Here are eight CEOs who missed out.
From industrial supplies to educational software, Amazon is about more than just retail and books.
From massages and paper shredding to cookies and queso, celebrate the end of tax season with these Tax Day freebies and discounts.
Ford's Alan Mulally earned some $23.2 million last year. But that's only about a third of the $78.4 million Oracle's Larry Ellison made. What other CEOs took home big ...
It's finally time to put the top down. Here are our 10 favorite rides for the warmer months to come.
The most effective co-founders pair vision with fortitude to launch a business. Here are some of the best examples through the years.
You don't need compliance from colleagues and subordinates. You need ideas, willing collaboration, and participation.


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Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group Inc.'s
Thompson became CEO at the car-rental company in October 2008 and was previously the company's chief financial officer.
A long-running buyout saga involving Dollar Thrifty appeared to conclude in October when the company said it hadn't received any bids that eliminated regulatory risks, leaving Dollar Thrifty to push ahead on its own.
Despite the assertion, analysts at the time largely expected a bid from Hertz Global Holdings Inc. (HTZ) would eventually prove successful. Hertz later said it was putting its offer on hold, citing current market conditions.
Last month, Dollar Thrifty said its third-quarter earnings jumped as it benefited from a lack of merger-related expenses in the latest period and improved rental revenue.
Shares closed Friday at $69.58 and were inactive premarket. The stock is up 47% year to date.


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The Like button, with its thumbs-up icon, has long been a staple of the world's largest social network. Now Facebook is adding six more symbols to help us express ourselves.
The FCC is dragging its feet on granting AT&T a waiver to offer a Wi-Fi calling feature, while letting competitors go ahead, says the company. The feature fails to meet accessibility rules for the disabled.
New features are coming to Android Wear, Google Glass is focusing on Enterprise business for now and the Galaxy Note 5 is coming in August.
Make calls, answer emails and download apps from the Google Play store without a smartphone.
Bluetooth me up, Scotty. An original series "Star Trek" communicator smartphone handset will make you feel like you're exploring strange new worlds.
Technically Incorrect: In Florida, a man on a motorbike decides to show his dexterity during a police chase. It doesn't turn out well.
While the microblogging service trails Facebook in usage and revenue, Twitter's impact on society can't be matched.
CNET highlights eight impressive smartphones that showed outstanding battery life in our labs' performance tests.
Automotive supplier Visteon makes advanced connected dashboard systems for cars, and is now showing off a system for motorcycles that gives riders navigation and communication.
The head of Apple Pay says the coffee shop will start piloting the mobile payments service this year and roll it out to about 7,500 stores next year. It's also heading for KFC and Chili's.


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Apple Music has announced (via TechCrunch) that it is using the shazam technology to include new DJ mixes on the platform and credit the original creators. It is the first time that the company makes use of the Shazam algorithm, a service it acquired in 2018, outside of the application itself.
Specifically, the integration of Shazam technology in Apple Music will allow spot the creator of the original song. In this way your name will appear in the mix and you will be able to receive the respective financial compensation. This is especially useful when the mix incorporates original music from different artists. The DJs, singers, record labels or other companies that are involved in mixing the song, will also appear credited and the proceeds will be divided among all of them.
This integration will also allow Apple increase your song catalog on Apple Music, most of these will feature lossless audio. The company has confirmed that it is working closely with DJs to add additional tracks. The changes, sadly, only apply to professional creators, and not to independent DJs.
Apple Music takes a step further from Spotify
The use of Shazam technology in Apple Music is undoubtedly very good news for original artists and mix creators. It is also for Apple, which gain advantage over Spotify. The Swedish service, like most streaming platforms, does not allow many of the mixed songs to be published due to copyright.
It is not the first time that Apple has gained an advantage against it thanks to the use of its technologies. The company announced a few months ago the possibility of listen to songs with spatial audio and Dolby Atmosas well as lossless audio at no additional cost on current Apple Music subscriptions.
Shazam, remember, was bought by Apple in 2018. The app uses a series of algorithms to identify the song that is playing in the environment and display it on the smartphone. The first change the company made after the purchase was to remove the ads from the app. In addition, it did not take long to improve the integration with Apple Music and adapt the interface. It was not until 2020 when Apple began integrating Shazam into iOS through the possibility of including a shortcut in the control center.


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Companies taking a stand against piracy caught in SOPA crosshairs
Posted in: Government & Policy at 13/01/2012 16:02
The debate over the Stop Online Piracy Act has been emotional. And as politicians consider the language of the House bill, Web users are taking matters into their own hands by compiling lists of companies that are said to support the bill and by calling for boycotts.
But not all of the companies that have been identified as SOPA supporters are actually backing the measure. Video game company Electronic Arts, for example, has been identified as in favor of SOPA simply because the company's name appeared on a letter calling for Congress to consider online piracy legislation.
To read this Washington Post report in full, see:


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Upham celebrates a year of record sales
Hampshire-based Upham Brewery is celebrating a year of record breaking sales by recreating their seasonal ale 1st Drop, which was first produced a year ago to mark the opening of Upham's state-of-the-art brewery in the heart of the Meon Valley.
The thriving brewery is a Corporate Friend of Hampshire Fare. Sales at the brewery have gone from strength to strength over the last 12 months with production having more than tripled. The brewery regular ales include Punter, Tipster and Stakes and four seasonal beers, which proved to be sell out successes as well.
Made entirely of British ingredients, 1st Drop has a light floral and spice aroma with sweet grass and orchard blossom that creates the perfect celebration of the start of the growing season.
The colour of deep chestnut combined with a smooth maltiness, Upham's spring seasonal special has the flavour of rich light fruits and follows in the wake of Upham's winter special, Winter's T'Ale. Such was the demand for Winter's T'Ale that production had to be doubled with the brewery working throughout Christmas to meet demand.
With similar demand expected for 1st Drop, Head Brewer, James Stephenson, who will be brewing the seasonal special for the first time having joined from Wells and Young last year, already has four brews planned as orders have already started to roll in for the spring ale.
With 1st Drop available from this week, James Stephenson said, 'The Brewery enjoyed a fantastic year in 2013 so it's great to be able to revisit one of the ales which kick-started our incredible growth last year.'
1st Drop will be available until April and those wishing to make an order please call Cleone Hilborne on 01489 861 383 or email@example.com.


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Tesco Ireland is recalling all batches of its Roast Garlic & Herb Butters, 100g, as well as two varieties of its 10g flavoured butter discs, Roast Garlic & Herb and Chilli, following the detection of Listeria monocytogenes at their production factory.
While none of the products have been confirmed as being contaminated by Listeria, Tesco has recalled them as a precautionary measure.
The retailer has issued point of sale recall notices requesting customers who have bought the affected butters either return them to the store or dispose of them.
Other flavoured butter products are also subject to the Tesco recall, however, these have not yet been distributed to their Irish stores.
© 2016 - Checkout Magazine by Jenny Whelan.


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Shenandoah gets social with tourism marketing
Shenandoah County got social with its marketing efforts in 2014. The result was a major boost in awareness and tourism across the county.
Jenna French, county director of tourism and marketing, recently announced that the county will be expanding its social media efforts in 2015.
The county saw major returns on its social media marketing investments in 2014.
According to the annual tourism report, Shenandoah saw visitors spending more than surrounding counties such as Warren and Frederick. Those visitors spend, on average, just over $525,000 a day.
“We’re excited to see the continued growth of travel expenditures … and that we are still number one amongst the surrounding localities,” French said.
French noted that the use of social media essentially helped refocus and repurpose the county’s tourism and marketing efforts.
“One of the challenges that we have in the marketing industry is that it is really hard to trace return on investment,” French said.
By increasing its use of Twitter, Facebook and YouTube, French and the county have been able to more accurately track the people they reach.
“We are able to go in and look at the analytics almost immediately,” French said.
This allows French and her staff the ability to pinpoint who is looking at the ads, who is responding, where they live and what their interests are.
In broad terms, the analytics showed French and her staff something she said they already knew: that Shenandoah has a variety of options for people of all ages.
The difference with social media, French said, is that the tourism council is able to accurately tailor each advertisement rather than “shooting arrows in the dark.”
“We cater who we are targeting based on what the message that we are trying to get across is,” French said.
This approach, French said, has been vital for the county in terms of reaching the audience more accurately.
“The fact that we are so easily able to actually trace the return on investment, you will see a lot more coming from us in the future with social media,” French said.
That return on investment applies to situations in which the tourism department has to spend $1,000 (or more) for a print advertisement for $10 to boost a post on Facebook.
However, French explained that typically only applies to “posts that are performing well.”
Moving forward, French said that tourism marketing for Shenandoah is “definitely shifting more toward digital.”
In 2014, Shenandoah saw a 442 percent increase in followers on its tourism Facebook page, http://tinyurl.com/k5zbbw5.
“We are not abandoning print by any means,” French said, adding, “We hear people say, ‘Print is dead,’ and we certainly don’t believe that.”
French said that they will continue measuring how the mediums are performing “to determine where to go in the future.”
French noted that the county be looking to expand this type of marketing to local businesses and entities within the county.
On Jan. 21 at the Edinburg Mill, the county will be holding a marketing workshop for any businesses interested.
Although it will be open to anyone, French said, “It is going to be tailored a little bit more toward businesses that are within the tourism, service and hospitality industry.”
French said that the upcoming workshop will be taught by Dave Neudeck, the integrated digital marketing director for the Virginia Tourism Corporation.
The program will feature information on Facebook marketing as well as content marketing, mobile strategies and even travel blogs.
“By us all working together and implementing these tools, it benefits all of us,” French said.
Contact staff writer Kevin Green at 540-465-5137 ext. 155, or email@example.com


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Intel has rekindled an old flame for its discrete graphics card development team headed up by Raja Koduri. Tom Forsyth, ex-Intel GPU designer and GPGPU Larrabee architect, is joining Intel once again, and likely taking a key role in another race against the clock to put together a whole new graphics product before a stringent deadline.
Forsyth will be joining Intel within the newly-formed Core and Visual Computing Group alongside Raja Koduri, the ex-AMD Radeon Technology Group chief who jumped ship shortly after the AMD Vega architecture launched way back in the final few months of 2017.
Need a little more horsepower to hit 144Hz on a new monitor? Here are the best graphics cards for any build – no matter the budget.
Koduri has been tasked with the mammoth job of putting together a discrete graphics product for Chipzilla, and Intel hasn’t given him and his team all that long to achieve that goal. Intel tweeted a picture of Raja’s face alongside a promise that Intel will deliver a discrete GPU by 2020.
Forsyth announced the move on his personal Twitter account, although his exact job role within the new Intel division remains unclear. This group has a huge scope, and covers massive segments of Intel’s business, including: client computing, graphics, machine intelligence, AI, and edge computing.
Personal job news – I start at Intel shortly as a chip architect in Raja Koduri's group. Not entirely sure what I'll be working on just yet. But do let me know if you have any suggestions.
Go on. Hit post. You know you want to. Whisper words of wisdom…
— Tom Forsyth (@tom_forsyth) June 19, 2018
However, one project seems particularly fitting for Intel’s latest hire and is almost certainly Forsyth’s destination – Forsyth also confirmed a focus on GPUs in his new position at Intel on Twitter.
If you aren’t familiar with Forsyth from his previous role at Intel, he was one of the key architects of Larrabee. This was Intel’s previous attempt at a multi-faceted GPGPU / CPU hybrid that ended in tears just before 2010 – the same year Intel had promised Larrabee would be ready to go as a discrete graphics product. Forsyth is also a staunch defender of Larrabee and Xeon Phi, and you can read his reasoning for that over at his tech blog.
So it only seems fitting that Intel’s discrete GPU would be the first point-of-call for Forsyth. But will Intel be following in Nvidia and AMD’s footsteps with a purely parallel GPU, or trying another frankenstein’s monster GPGPU / CPU all-in-one like last time?
We’ll have to wait until 2020 to find out what Intel hope to achieve past the all-encompassing goal of “a high-end discrete graphics solution for a broad range of computing segments” – but then again, Intel’s 2020 discrete graphics card release window may be just a little too ambitious.


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The approach we lean your mobile while you’re regulating it could concede hackers to work out your pin numbers and passwords, according to new research.
Experts during Newcastle University analysed a transformation of a smartphone as a shade was used.
They contend they burst four-digit Android pins with 70% correctness on a initial theory and 100% by a fifth.
The group of cyber-experts explain tech companies know about a problem though can’t figure out what to do about it.
Dr Maryam Mehrnezhad, from a university’s propagandize of computing science, said: “Most smartphones, tablets, and other wearables are now versed with a crowd of sensors (gyroscope, revolution sensors, accelerometer, etc).
How to stay protected when you’re dating online
What fraudsters wish you’ll post online
Loads of we have a cue ‘Star Wars’
“But since mobile apps and websites don’t need to ask accede to entrance many of them, antagonistic programmes can stealthily ‘listen in’ on your sensor data.”
The investigate suggests there’s a problem in a tech attention since of a series of opposite sensors used by competing companies.
Dr Mehrnezhad said: “On some browsers we found that if we open a page on your phone or inscription that hosts one of these antagonistic codes and afterwards open [another one], afterwards they can view on each personal fact we enter.
“And worse still, in some cases, unless we tighten them down completely, they can even view on we when your phone is locked.
“People were distant some-more endangered about a camera and GPS than they were about a wordless sensors.”
The group pronounced it was means to brand 25 opposite sensors that come as customary on many devices.
The researchers found that all we do – from clicking, scrolling and holding to drumming – led to people holding their phone in a singular way.
So on a famous webpage, a group was means to work out that partial of a page a user was clicking on, and what they were typing, by a approach it was tilted.
They pronounced they’d told all a vital tech companies, like Google and Apple, about a risks though nobody has been means to come adult with an answer so far.
The group is now looking during a risks around personal aptness trackers related to online profiles.


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Lagoona Mall is unveiling a range of new shops and eateries in the February-April period in a bid to bring the latest high-end fashion, more restaurant brands and fresh cuisines to Doha.
The new fashion flagships include Tommy Hilfiger, the US lifestyle brand, offering designer clothes for men, women and children, and denim collections exclusive to Lagoona.
Another big name, Dune London, has opened an outlet this week with its range of footwear and accessories as well as popular brands like Dune Bertie and Pied A Terre.
The third fragrance outlet to open in Lagoona is the well-known Abdul Samad Al Qurashi, the house of oud, amber and perfumes. The brand captures the essence of Arabia through evocative perfumes.
On the culinary front, the Australian-themed Outback SteakHouse is another first for Lagoona Mall. It is set to open by April.
Then there is Marakesh Restaurant from Morocco, which opened last week and boasts of traditional home-made exotic dishes such as couscous, bourekas and many more, as well as a variety of desserts such as milk pastilla and sellu.
From colder climes in the UK, Lagoona Mall has brought SNOG, the pure frozen yogurt chain known for some of the healthiest dairy products in the market.
Speaking on the new additions to the luxury mall, its general manager Eamon Kelly said: “Lagoona Mall has become a truly five-star shopping mall in Doha, able to match any five-star hotel in Doha in terms of quality, luxurious ambience, customer service, ease of access and facilities.
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Speaker hails success of economic, trade policies in overcoming siege
Karwa takes part in ‘Batabit Mile’ event
Traffic awareness activities at Darb Al Saai
Mahaseel to showcase high-quality food products at Doha expo
Colourful fashion fest at Mall of Qatar
City jazz concert to mark Francophonie days
QM holds workshop on museum education
HBKU to present colloquium on role of Qatar International Court
QRCS celebrates 40 years of humanitarian service


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To get a closer look at the COVID-19 pandemic’s effect on African businesses, on June 6, the World Bank published a policy brief analyzing the results of a telephone survey examining the impact of COVID-19 on Ethiopian firms based in the country’s capital, Addis Ababa. The survey, which solicited responses from 550 firms between May 6 and May 27, was the second in a series conducted by the World Bank and the Ethiopian Jobs Creation Commission to monitor the impact of COVID-19 on formal firms in Ethiopia and inform policy responses to the pandemic.
As Figure 1 shows, firms in Addis Ababa report that the COVID-19 pandemic has affected their business mainly through a substantial decrease in demand for their products or services. The collapse in demand has increased since round one of the survey, when only 62 percent of all firms reported this effect of the pandemic on their businesses, compared to over 80 percent in round two. In contrast, the impact of other areas has declined since the first round of the survey, with fewer firms reporting an impact from forced closure of businesses, marketplaces, and shops, as well as restricted movement of workers. Notably, the impact of COVID-19 on firms varies depending on the sector of the firm. For example, firms in industry are more likely to be affected by lower supply and higher prices of raw materials and intermediate goods than firms in services, while firms in services are more likely to be affected by closures of businesses, marketplaces, and shops.
The policy brief states that since the first round of the survey, which took place between April 5 and May 5, firms in Addis Ababa have begun to resume operations, with the share of firms that completely halted operations decreasing from 41 percent in survey round one to 29 percent in round two. However, despite these reopenings, firms still face significant financial stresses, which have only increased over time. Figure 2 shows that while most firms report that the most significant financial problem they face is paying rent, financial stresses have increased across the board. In particular, payment of invoices as well as of staff wages and social security contributions have become substantially more difficult for firms since round one of the survey.
To address these issues, the survey also included questions about policy measures that would be helpful for firms to survive the COVID-19 crisis. The policy brief states that most firms indicated that waiving tax payments would be the most useful policy measure, followed by covering, reducing, or freezing operational costs and freezing or relieving debt payments.
For more on the impact of COVID-19 on African businesses, see Impact of COVID-19 on micro, small, and medium businesses in Uganda by Corti Paul Lakuma and Nathan Sunday.


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Updating its popular BTC price model, crypto analyst PlanB predicts the cryptocurrency could see a rally to $100K by 2021.
The model predicts that, as virtual currency becomes more.
Keywords: cryptocurrencies, exchange rates, asset pricing, payment systems.
become less sensitive to the impact of shocks to speculators' beliefs and their inflow into and outflow.
Bitcoin Price Speculation for 2019 Throughout the entire year of 2018, the market has yet to find its support. Each day news outlets and influencers have been calling bottoms, but with no avail.
Adam Back’s name has surfaced again in the crypto community’s favorite guessing game: Who is the anonymous creator of Bitcoin.
6 Feb 2018.
The spectacular rise of Bitcoin's price has attracted the attention of many, including government regulators and speculators and those who wish.
Paul Vigna Bitcoin Book Bitcoin Cash Just Exploded In Value 8 May 2020. Just over 17 months prior to the record value being hit, the cryptocurrency had undergone a rare event called a halving, which some analysts. Bitcoin Kya Hai In Hindi बिटकॉइन क्या है – What is Bitcoin in Hindi. Bitcoin kya hai what is bitcoin in hindi.
24 Oct 2019.
A review of Bitcoin's long term price action suggests that the 2020 halving.
Additionally, speculators have filled Twitter, commenting that Bitcoin should.
stock-to-flow model, might lead to a rise in price immediately after a.
Blockchain and price volatility (Preliminary and incomplete) Peter Zimmerman 18 June 2018 Abstract I show that the blockchain structure of cryptocurrencies makes their prices volatile. Payments in cryptocur-rencies are not ﬁnal until they are included in blocks on the public ledger (blockchain). A user can purchase priority by offering fees to the miner who includes her payment in a block.
Bitcoin, Litecoin and Ethereum: Price Speculation. By roadcrypto – July 9, 2017. SHARE. Facebook. Twitter. The month of July experienced a dramatic fall in Alt-coin prices. The rush for quick trading profits was momentarily disrupted with some issues surrounding the Ethereum blockchain and the saturation of new coins on the market (ICOs). When trading, it is important to be holding.
07/08/2018 · “The majority of transactions are used for price speculation.’’ Infante’s findings contradict the popular perception that Bitcoin is mostly being used by criminals such as the notorious
Bitcoin endured a surprising sell-off on Wednesday after a mysterious entity moved 40 BTC from an address that has been.
Bitcoin’s Energy Value is a function of energy input, supply growth rate, and a constant representing the fiat dollar value.
22/01/2020 · Bitcoin’s highly cited Stock-to-Flow model has been updated to account for a large portion of the BTC supply being lost forever, due to the disappearance of the asset’s creator. Satoshi Nakamoto was said to have over 1 million BTC, which could be forever locked away, altering the total supply of the first-ever cryptocurrency.
Bitcoin has been struggling to break over the $10,000 per bitcoin level since its highly-anticipated supply squeeze—but that.
18/05/2020 · Bitcoin Price Prediction & Forecast – Bitcoin Price is speculated to reach $23500 by 2020 End & $33788 by 2021. Get expert opition on short-term and long-term bitcoin price prediction, and learn what will be the value of Bitcoin in 2025 and 2030! Buy Crypto New Earn Free Bitcoin Bitcoin Price Prediction – BTC Price Prediction 2020. Anisa Batabyal | 18 May, 2020 | 2 min. Bitcoin.


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The US dollar is slightly higher today. The currency is the strongest against the Japanese yen and the Australian dollar. Yesterday, the dollar strengthened particularly during US trading hours. Thanks to a recent surge in crude oil prices, inflation expectations are accelerating and this is raising expectations for tighter monetary policy in the near future.
Last year, accelerating inflation expectations in the fourth quarter had a limited impact on the dollar. While the dollar traditionally strengthens when both growth and inflation are high (as these conditions are ideal for the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates), the currency weakened instead. One reason for the dollar's weakness last year was strong ex-US growth. As we described in our recent commentary on the US dollar, the currency tends to depreciate when global growth is accelerating. Now that ex-US growth is slowing (particularly in Europe and Asia), the outlook for the dollar is improving. While the currency has failed to react to rising inflation in the past, this may not be the case today. Of particular note is the dollar's recent strength against both the yen and the Swiss franc (both offer negative interest rates and are the least likely to raise interest rates in the near future). Our short-term outlook on the dollar is neutral, while our medium-term outlook remains bearish.
USD/JPY is up today and currently trading above 107.60. EUR/USD is flat and trading above 1.2330. The pound is down slightly, and GBP/USD is currently above 1.4050.
Looking at US economic events this week, the most important data release is YoY March retail sales. MoM March retail sales (0.4%) met expectations. FOMC members Bostic and Kashkari noted that wages remain weak. March build permits (1.35m vs. 1.32m expected) and housing starts (1.32m vs. 1.26m expected) were better than expected. MoM March industrial production (0.5% vs. 0.4% expected) and March capacity utilization (78% vs. 77.9% expected) were also better than expected. FOMC member Williams expected inflation to remain at or above the Fed's targets for several years. The Fed's Evans said that the institution can raise rates gradually. The Fed’s Beige Book suggested that growth is continuing at a moderate pace, while businesses have raised tariffs as a significant concern. New York Fed President Dudley said that three to four rate hikes this year remains likely. The Fed's Quarles said that the flattening yield curve is not a sign of a recession. Initial jobless claims (232k vs. 230k) were slightly worse than expectations. The Fed's Brainard said that asset valuations and business leverage were elevated. The Fed's Quarles did not comment on monetary policy in his speech on April 19. FOMC member Mester called for further rate hikes this year and next year. Later today, we'll hear from FOMC member Williams. Last week, the consumer price index for March met expectations.


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Located on Meridian Street, in the heart of East Boston, Meridian Market is a casual deli that’s been been serving homestyle Italian meals to the neighborhood since the seventies. Freddie Noviello is the charismatic king of cold cuts and Italian eats, with a big personality rivaled only by the enormous portions he and his family are serving.
More info on Meridian Food Market – East Boston
Meridian Food Market - East Boston - BingNews Search results
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'One in 30 million': Yet another rare orange lobster rescued, this time in Mississippi
On Monday, another carrot-colored crustacean beat the odds after being saved from a Red Lobster in Meridian ... Another was found at a Tops Market grocery store in Manlius, New York, in July.
Giant Eagle to brand new Shadyside store a Market District amid Meridian redevelopment
Echo is calling the new development the Meridian in its marketing ... About a block or two away is the East Liberty Target store. Next week, Whole Foods Market will move across the neighborhood ...
What’s next for Meridian Twp. after Tuesday's recreational marijuana establishment vote?
MERIDIAN TWP. – Attorney Bob Baldori said it was like “torture” waiting for the recreational marijuana establishments proposal votes to come in Tuesday night during the Michigan primary. He ...
Rethinking the traditional grocery store
Among those entrepreneurs is Alexis Cervasio, the founder of East Boston’s ... added that the market could be a boon for a community struggling with access to healthy food and widespread hunger ...
Salt City Market adds noted Ethiopian kitchen to its food hall lineup
Earlier this year, we conducted focus groups to find out what customers wanted to see next in the Salt City Market, and got a number of requests to see an African food concept, ...
The Worldwide Electrosurgical Devices Industry is Projected to Reach $7.6 Billion by 2027
Dublin, July 29, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Global Electrosurgical Devices Market (2022-2027 ... B Braun Melsungen, Boston Scientific, Bovie Medical, etc. Countries Studied America (Argentina ...
Full Plate: The maker of Grey Poupon ice cream is opening two local shops
Boston Market, headquartered in ... will have space in the back for food trucks and will offer packaged snacks. ChoLon Central Park, at 10195 East 29th Drive in Denver, launched a sushi and ...
Demolition starts at Haslett Village Square to make way for 132-unit independent senior housing
now christened American Home Meridian, is underway. A chain-link fence has been set up around the perimeter of the demolition zone at Haslett Village Square and the buildings on the east end are ...


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Monday, July 1, 2013
NHTSA investigating braking problem on Honda Odysseys.
The AP (6/29) reports the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is “investigating some Honda Odyssey minivans because they can brake without the driver pressing the pedal.” The agency received 22 complaints over the issue, which “is similar to one that resulted in the recall of about 250,000 vehicles worldwide in March.”
The Detroit News (6/29, 119K) notee, “Many of the complaints are from parents reporting the issue has happened on several occasions.”
Reuters (6/30) also covered this story.


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The iPhone has a ton of sensors, including an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a barometer, a magnetometer and more. Ivo Leko, an iOS developer, used the magnetometer for an interesting purpose, something we’ve never seen before.
Yesterday, a research paper put light on new malware called ‘WireLurker’ that is affecting Mac and iOS devices in China. WireLurker attacks iOS devices through USB cables that are attached to a Mac, and works even on non-jailbroken devices.
OS X Yosemite and iOS 8 have a new feature called Phone Relay, that lets you take incoming iPhone calls on your Mac, as long as both devices are nearby and signed into the same iCloud account.
Apple’s iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus goes on sale in South Korea and 22 other countries this Friday, October 31. So the country’s three biggest mobile carriers including SK Telecom, KT Corp and LG UPlus started accepting pre-orders for the new iPhones began last Friday.
Along with China, the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus also went on sale in India on the 17th of October. The two devices launched in India to a good response, with Apple’s authorised resellers opening their stores from 12AM midnight to queues of customers, who wanted to get their hands on the iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus before anyone else.


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Homespun and Homegrown are running workshops this weekend at the Cootamundra Arts Centre for all those interested in Sourdough, Worm Farms and Lacto Fermenting.
Emma Bonkain is the founder of Homespun and Homegrown. She said, “The store came about when we moved to Coota in 2018 and I started Homespun and Homegrown on Facebook just to document our gardening journey with family and friends back home. From there it just snowballed.”
After finishing her Diploma in Permaculture, Emma has now converted her quarter acre block into permaculture gardens, where she grows, “as many veggies and fruit as possible.”
Emma’s first workshop is on Saturday at 10am, where everyone comes and gets hands-on experience making a loaf of sourdough bread.
“Everyone gets a sourdough starter kit to take home and we make sourdough pancakes, and sourdough focaccia and everyone just gets a bit of all round knowledge on what they can do with the sourdough that’s not just making loaves of bread,” said Emma.
Emma welcomes all skill levels down, she already has multiple beginners booked in and a couple of returning sourdough lovers who are looking to perfect their skills.
In the Worm Farm Workshop on Sunday at 10am, Emma says, “We’re going to go through different types of worm farms for different situations. Everyone gets a PVC worm tower to take home to put in their garden and a worm starter pack from our worm farm.”
“We talk about ways of using the worm castings and the leachate from the worms in the garden and how to set up your worm farm from scratch with the layering and things like that,” she continues.
Her third workshop this weekend is Lacto Fermenting on Sunday at 1pm, where Emma says, “Patrons can learn to make sauerkraut and lacto fermented carrots. Everyone gets to take two fermentation sets home with jars and weights and silicone airlocks on the top.”
“We also talk about how and why it’s beneficial for your gut and try a variety of other ferments like honey fermented garlic, fermented seeded mustard, and then we talk about problem solving, in case anything goes wrong once they’re home,” she continues.
For those who love local products, Emma’s online store sells a variety of hand made products such as sourdough, sourdough kits, low toxic natural deodorants, and salves.
“I’ve got a calendula salve which is really good for any sort of skin condition and I’ve got a Cayenne Pepper salve as well ,which is good for achy joints and muscles,” Emma said.
If you are keen to learn something new this weekend or perfect your sourdough skills, contact Emma and Homespun and Homegrown on her website or facebook page about her engaging workshops.


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The voices said that you, too, can own Harley Quinn‘s baseball bat from Suicide Squad — and that’s true thanks to the creators at The Noble Collection. This replica prop will begin arriving via comic book dealer channels in the United States next month.
Do you like Buzz Breaks? Today’s your day then as we launch 12 in 12 — a series of a dozen breaks of past wax boxes and wax packs in a dozen hours. We’ll post one every hour on the hour all day long … and this is Hour 3.
The case: 2016 Funko Suicide Squad Mystery Minis vinyl figures
The cost: $12 Original cost: $83.88
The wait for the latest comic book blockbuster continues, but the wait for the new collectable caps does not.
Suicide Squad arrives in theaters on Friday, bringing a new group of DC Comics stars to the big screen for the first time but New Era has it covered already with the release of its Suicide Squad Collection today.
The first Saturday in may is a holiday for comic book collectors as it’s Free Comic Book Day.
A total of 50 books from nearly that many publishers have been created specifically for the day — and they can only initially be had by making a visit to a participating shop.
“We have an incredible selection of Silver comics for fans for Free Comic Book Day this year, and we couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate our 15th anniversary of the event than with such a diverse range of titles for readers of all ages,” said FCBD Marketing Director Dan Manser. “Free Comic Book Day is such an important day for celebrating fans and their local comic shops, as well as introducing new readers to comics. Our Silver-level supporters have really helped make this year special with such an interesting selection of titles.”
A dozen of the books are from Gold-level sponsors of the event, and you can see a gallery and list of all 50 books … if you keep reading.
There are plenty of movies that are probably on the radars of collectors these days, whether it’s the newest sports movie or one of the countless comic book-inspired releases coming soon.
While there’s inevitably plenty to collect for these films before their arrivals, what we see first are the trailers and that gave Buzz an idea … something extra that gets ’em buzzing. Up first is Suicide Squad, a DC Comics-inspired creation arriving on Aug. 5 that we’ll see plenty of in the coming months. This trailer arrived yesterday — check it out and tell us what you think.


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Coastal shipping is a cost-effective and ecofriendly option for moving cargo. Only bottlenecks that remain to be eased are availability of return cargo and higher transit time
There is lot of interest in coastal shipping but still the service has not been able to realise its true potential, remarked Capt Ashok Kumar Shrivastava, Founder & CEO, Sheel Shipping Synergy, moderator of the last session of the event, as he triggered the discussion on what ails coastal shipping and how its potential can be unleashed. Expressing confidence in coastal shipping, the session moderator said it will definitely happen and it is only a matter of time before the full potential in coastal shipping is realised, provided all the stakeholders come together to make it work. Steel is already moving from the east coast to different parts of the country and other commodities such as coal and agri-products can also be moved through coastal shipping.
Cement and clinker is already moving through coastal route, he revealed.
Ro-Ro is another important category in coastal movement. Many car makers such as Maruti and Hyundai are already exploring the potential. Anand Venkateswaran, Senior General Manager, Hyundai Motor India Ltd, gave an account of coastal Ro-Ro shipping. Hyundai plant near Chennai exports cars to almost 92 countries and has been the number one exporter of passenger vehicles consistently for the past 13 years. In 2015, 96 per cent of cars were moved by road and remaining 4 per cent by rail. In 2016, the share of road movement remained at 96 per cent, but the share of rail movement declined to 3 per cent and the remaining 1 per cent was through coastal shipping.
The pilot Ro-Ro shipment of Hyundai cars was done in February 2016 and full-fledged coastal movement of cars started in September 2016. The company has worked with various ports including Chennai, Ennore, Kandla, Kolkata and Haldia. On the east coast Ro-Ro movement of cars in bulk is only possible from Chennai to Kolkata. But the draft issues in using Kolkata Port had prevented Hyundai from using coastal service on the east coast. To ensure enough cargo for liners, Hyundai has also teamed up with other OEMs.
While Hyundai car production is located in South, Gujarat and Maharashtra are two states with high demand. Trucks carrying cars from Chennai to these states have to return empty as there is no return cargo. So there was a lot of empty running of trucks from west to south and north, which increased the logistics cost. Coming to rail transport, the government offers only 13 rakes which is insufficient for moving cars. When compared to movement by road, the cost breaks even for rail freight at 2,250 km. For moving cars from south to west the distance is below 2,000 km, so it is not feasible to use train. Rail logistics is suitable for moving cars to north-east (Guwahati and beyond areas) where it is cost and time efficient. So, the best option will be Ro-Ro shipping.
Initially, Hyundai tried moving cars by Ro-Ro from Chennai and Ennore to Pipavav but it was not economical as wharfage and vessel charges were high. So Hyundai moved to Kandla Port where it is able to use government concessions as well. Cars are moved from Ennore to Kandla, reaching Gujarat and NCR. 10,000 cars have been moved in the past four months. A major challenge in coastal shipping is load availability in return voyage.
Capt Henry Khin Maung, Chairman, Mahanadi Maritime Services and Aung Htoo, DGM, Myanma Five Star Line welcomed India to be part of Myanmar’s growth story. Detailing on the previous disconnect between Myanmar and India Capt Henry said, for the past 25 years the military government in Myanmar had been pro-China and so Indian traders were not offered a fair chance to invest and compete with Chinese counterparts in Myanmar projects, but with the new government in place Myanmar is opening up its economy and inviting India to invest in the country. By March 31 a small port on Kaladan river will be operational, taking India’s initiative of coastal shipping a step forward, informed Capt Henry. “Myanmar shipping sector is evolving and Indian participation is vital to this sector’s development.”
“Movement of steel by coastal shipping has become a necessity today,” revealed B Biswas, GM Materials Management, RINL. There are two reasons for it: one is almost all steel plants in the country are going for capacity expansion. RINL with current capacity of 4 million tonnes will upgrade to 7 million tonnes in the coming years. Currently most of the cargo is carried by railways. At present India produces 60 million tonnes of steel which will increase to 120 million tonnes in next few years. Railways alone cannot handle this huge volume and hence there is room for coastal shipping to carry this cargo. The logistics cost for steel is huge (15 per cent of the total cost), this can be brought down through coastal shipping. RINL currently needs 90 rakes per month for taking its cargo across the country. With production going up there will be demand for double the number of rakes. So, a better option will be coastal shipping and RINL is already moving 2.5 lakh tonnes of cargo by sea route.
When we talk of coastal shipping, it has to connect to inland waterways to cover the last leg of the cargo transit for reaching the hinterland. But Indian rivers are seasonal and it is difficult to maintain a uniform draft throughout the length of the river. Elaborating on this aspect, Cdr Prashant Kumar Srivastava, Chief of Hydrographic, IWAI said, unlike the seaports that have a small geographic area, rivers run through different states. For instance, Ganga runs through three different states. So maintaining a uniform LAD is a challenge so the entire length of the river is divided into different stretches based on LAD variation. This is the reason why IWAI has roped in the German company to design ships with a flat bottom that can float in a lesser draft of 2.5 metres.
As the discussion on coastal shipping continued, Ahamedul K Chowdhury, CEO, Pangaon Inland Container Terminal presented a detailed account of Indo-Bangla coastal shipping. Coastal shipping is a relatively new concept in Bangladesh. There are sufficient imports (about $6.1 billion) coming from India into Bangladesh, but exports from Bangladesh to India are only $462 million. India is the largest exporter of raw cotton to Bangladesh. Lack of return cargo is a major constraint for growth of coastal shipping. On the Bangladesh side, to make coastal shipping attractive tariffs have been reduced at Pangaon Terminal and discounts are being offered for cargo moving to Chittagong via Pangaon. Shipping a container from India to Chittagong costs $80 per teu, but shipping to Pangaon costs only $20 per teu and operational savings will be 62 per cent.
Sajan B Nair, Secretary General, Federation of Indian Coir Export Association, presented the case of coir industry in Kerala. The coir industry in Kerala imports jute from Kolkata and it takes 3-4 days by road to bring jute from Kolkata to Kerala where it is processed to produce mats and other floor coverings. Recently the coir industry in Kerala has explored that jute can also be transported in containers and Shreyas Shipping is providing the coastal service for moving jute to Kerala. The main constraints in this process are the jute industry in Kolkata is highly disorganised, the transit time is long (15-20 days) by coastal shipping, but it is slightly cheaper than road. In the current scenario of coir production and exports in Kerala, 2000 teu containers can easily be exported in a year, provided the transit time is brought down. The US is a huge market for jute products which Kerala can explore.
A positive sign is that coastal shipping is increasing on the east coast and Sravan Shipping is providing a dedicated fortnightly service connecting Kolkata, Vizag and transshipping to Cochin via Krishnapatnam, informed Sravan Kumar, Director, Sravan Shipping. A lot of rice is being exported to Cochin and tiles are being brought to Gujarat via Mundra, Rajasthan marbles are being shipped from Mundra to Vizag. The bottleneck in coastal shipping is poor last-mile connectivity and multiple handling which pushes the cost and time for moving the cargo to destination.


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26 MSMEs undergo business training, coaching loop in Wa
The Market Oriented Agriculture Programme (MOAP-NW) under the Ghana Agricultural Programme (EU-GAP) has graduated 26 Micro, Small and Medium sized Enterprises (MSMEs) business owners after successful completion of a 10 months business training and coaching loop in Wa in the Upper West Region.
The training was supported by the MOAP-NW and aimed at ensuring that owners of MSMEs were equipped with business entrepreneurial, coaching and skills to access financial services to develop their businesses for sustainability.
Speaking at the ceremony, the Deputy Head of Mission, European Union Delegation to Ghana Mr Pieter Smidt Van Gelder said the
graduation ceremony was a remarkable milestone to beneficiaries who had been equipped with essential business entrepreneurial skills and the knowledge to access financial services.
“As we celebrate your graduation today we look forward to hearing about your business expansion in future; your success stories will serve as an inspiration to others, paving the way for a vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem in the region,” he said.
He said their perseverance and the skills they had acquired would contribute to the prosperity of not only their businesses but also the local community within which they existed.
He said the activity was one of the key indicators of the project which aimed at ensuring that the capacity of private sector providers was enhanced for the implementation of inclusive business models.
Mr Gelder explained that the training was designed to help entrepreneurs who run small and medium sized business expand their skills and also enable them to increase the competitiveness of their businesses, create jobs and improve the income of their employees.
The aim of the training, he indicated was also to enhance entrepreneurial competencies of business owners of existing MSME to increase employment and income opportunities for poor people in rural and peri-urban areas.
Ms Portia Gban who spoke on behalf of the graduands expressed her appreciation to the organisers of the training and their partners for such gesture and was hopeful that such trainings would be organised frequently to help businesses rise to the top.
She said although they were running businesses, most of them had no idea how to go by it but after going through the training, their businesses had seen tremendous improvement.
Each participant was given a certificate for a successful completion of the ten months training.
FROM RAFIA ABDUL RAZAK, WA


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“This fourth-generation model, e-Choupal 4.0, will be an aggregator of agricultural services. Ecommerce will be integral to it,” said S Sivakumar, group head, agri and IT businesses, ITC. At present the e-Choupal concept reaches 4 million farmers.
e-Choupal is a concept linking the company directly with farmers via internet for procurement of agricultural products. As a part of its plan to foray into processed fruits and vegetables, the company will launch processed potatoes and dehydrated onions this month.
The company also plans to double farmer reach through its agricultural business in the coming years. “The company plans to spend Rs 25,000 crore over 65 projects,” said Sanjiv Puri, chief executive officer of ITC. “With a perspective of societal value creation and India-first, to become even more competitive… we are working on creating the new ITC with futureready capabilities,” Puri added.
ITC’s consumer business, which includes packaged food, personal care and educational stationery products, crossed Rs 10,000 crore in revenues in 2016-17, with sales growth of 8% to Rs 10,511.83 crore. The company said FY 2017 consumer spend on the brands from the new FMCG businesses are now close to Rs 14,000 crore with major brands such as Aashirwad and Sunfeast garnering Rs 3,500 crore and Rs 3,000 crore of sales respectively. It is targeting a turnover of Rs 1 lakh crore from the new FMCG businesses by 2030.
As a part of its India-first strategy for the future, the company will focus on building world class brands, investing in R&D with strategic investments in building competitive capacities and national assets, strengthening agricultural back end, leveraging the digital wave for Industry 4.0 readiness, strengthening trade marketing and distribution infrastructure, nurturing talent.


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Video viewing is switching from being TV dominated to being split between live TV, on demand, laptops, tablets and smartphones.
Although the UK is not as far along this journey as other markets – with this year’s AdReaction video study showing that 62 per cent of people watch a daily average of more than three hours video viewing on TV compared to an even split globally – all marketers need to adjust their thinking.
The range of digital options extends every day. Twitter’s decision to add full screen in app viewing this week is simply another option in an increasingly complex landscape of digital screens and platforms.
From Snapchat’s vertical ads to Facebook Autoplay, it is important that marketers have the opportunity to optimise video advertising across screens – as there are many nuances which can make consumers less likely to skip advertising in certain contexts.
Findings from the AdReaction Video study – conducted in 42 countries – identified five key changes that brands can take to ensure their communications deliver for multiscreen consumers:
Earn your right to be in the consumer’s space
55 per cent of total screen time is spent viewing videos in the UK - over three hours daily - higher than the global average, with the majority remaining on live or on demand. UK audiences are more accustomed to live TV advertising, but outside of this context receptivity is lower and consumers need to feel in control and have the option to skip digital ads. This applies across all devices but particularly for smartphones, where small screens can make ads more invasive.
Giving consumers control via formats such as YouTube’s TrueView, which offers consumers the chance to skip ads after a short time, makes them slightly more receptive to digital video than traditional TV advertising. Online video formats which offer rewards are also strongly preferred.
Aim for early impact in case viewers hit the skip button
Giving consumers more control triggers a new creative challenge. While advertisers may not pay if the ad is skipped, if you don’t show the brand in the first few seconds there is the potential to lose 50 per cent of your audience. Brands need to focus on capturing attention in the first few seconds.
So, considering digital early in the creative development process so that the content can be adapted and optimised for the relevant context, whether the ad is on YouTube or Facebook auto-play is essential.
Humour can be the way to maintain interest
Humour is the main way to prevent skipping ads; it was the top reason shared by consumers in 30 of 42 countries involved in the AdReaction study. Quickly establishing brand or category relevance also helps.
With 32 per cent of UK consumers saying it would make them less likely to skip and more likely to pay attention, compared to a global average of 37per cent, it’s the most powerful reason for consumers to be less likely to skip and more likely to pay attention to an ad. Other popular reasons for making people less likely to skip are rewards such as coupons or points (28 per cent in the UK), interest in the brand (29 per cent) and interest in the category (26 per cent).
Most video is viewed at home, but varying mind-sets when using different devices impact on receptivity to advertising – digital advertising needs to be adapted to reflect these nuances.
There is lower favourability to on demand advertising where people are in a more focused mind-set and looking for something specific, compared to live TV.
On the other hand, laptop use is more goal-orientated, with smartphones often used to overcome boredom while out and about.
UK consumers are more likely than consumers in the rest of the world to view smartphone video at school or college, while travelling or in a public outdoor space. In all these places UK consumers are as receptive, or even more receptive, to video ads than consumers in the rest of Europe and around the world.
Tone down the chase
Overt targeting is never popular with consumers who feel like their every online move is being tracked big brother-style. Targeting based on social media profile and search history is particularly less favourable in the UK. Consumers here are in broad agreement with those globally that they are most favourable about ads from brands they like or follow, those that are in line with their interests, or relate to online shopping history. Targeting by specific brands and personal interests increases the potential for video ads to be viewed.
It’s harder to please a digital audience – but it can be done. Brands need to work closely across agencies to adapt digital creative to limit skipping. The AdReaction study shows that thinking holistically about how video advertising will play across screens with each individual touchpoint and execution offering target consumers a specific experience relevant to that context is critical for those brands who want to succeed.
Amanda Phillips is head of marketing at Millward Brown UK


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Looking at business news and consumer issues from every angle
The Columbus Dispatch - January 31, 2013 12:59 PM
Roses are red, violets are blue, how much will consumers spend for Valentine's Day?
The National Retail Federation has a clue.
The industry trade organization's annual 2013 Valentine's Day spending survey conducted by Worthington-based BIGinsight shows that consumers will spend more -- but only slightly more -- on candy, cards, gifts and other items for loved ones this year.
On average, consumers will spend $130.97, up from last year's $126.06, the survey said. Total spending will reach $18.6 billion, making Valentine's Day one of the biggest gift-giving holidays of the year, NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay said.
The average male will make a big effort this year to please his loved one, spending significantly more than the average woman. Men will spend an average of $175.61 on jewelry, flowers, a romantic evening out and other items, while women will spend $88.78.
Rep. Pat Tiberi, R-Genoa Township, accepted the title of Knight of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic this week from Italian Ambassador to the United States Claudio Bisogniero.
Sen. Rob Portman and Rep. Pat Tiberi are renewing their push to give golfer Jack Nicklaus the Congressional Gold Medal.
As it turns out, we're a bit confused about understanding what is covered in our homeowner's insurance policy.
Kroger customers can double their fuel points by shopping on weekends, this summer. The Cincinnati-based grocer will double the points earned with grocery purchases on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays -- for a maximum of $1 off per gallon at the chain's gas stations -- through its 2x Fuel Points Weekends promotion. You also can save up to 10 cents a gallon at participating Shell stations.


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Here's what's pushing cable and broadband's buttons today.
The effects of Superstorm Sandy dimmed Cablevision Systems Corp.'s fourth-quarter numbers, as net revenues dipped 1.6 percent to $1.66 billion, while cable net revenues dropped 2.2 percent to $1.47 billion. Cablevision still managed a fourth-quarter profit of $116.6 million, or 45 cents per share.
Sandy played a big role in across-the-board subscriber losses at Cablevision during the quarter, as the operator reported a net loss of 50,000 video, 5,000 high-speed Internet and 10,000 voice customers. Cablevision noted that the figure includes a net reduction of 10,000 video, 9,000 data and 7,000 voice customers that "were located in the areas most severely impacted by Superstorm Sandy who we have been unable to contact and those whose billing we have decided to suspend temporarily during restoration of their homes." Cablevision ended the year with 3.19 million video, 3.05 million data and 2.43 million voice subscribers.
The storm did not have as severe an effect on Lightpath, Cablevision's big-business services arm, which saw revenues rise 3.4 percent, to $81.8 million, a figure that reflected a 13.2 percent increase in Ethernet services revenues.
D-Link Systems Inc. came out of CableLabs certification wave 96 with the stamp on two Docsis 3.0 products: the DCM-702 (802.11n wireless gateway), and the DCM-704 embedded multimedia terminal adapter, which supports 802.11n and PacketCable 2.0 voice. A spokesman says both gateways are based on a Broadcom Corp. chipset and can bond up to eight downstream channels and four upstreams. According to the latest CableLabs list of certified products (PDF), Taiwan-based CastleNet Technology Inc. is evidently the OEM partner for D-Link's new D3 models.
Recent trademark applications give a strong indication that DirecTV Group Inc. has some big plans for UltraHD/4KTV. The satellite TV giant filed for the brands 4KN, 4KNET, 4KNetwork, 4K Network and 4K on Feb. 21, according to FierceCable. There's a dearth of 4K content and 4K sets still cost a pretty penny, so don't expect DirecTV to roll out a 4K services anytime soon. But the application could give DirecTV some squatters' rights as its 4K TV intentions evolve. (See 3net Puts 4K TV in the Picture.)
The spectacle! The pageantry! The … Flixies? Yes, indeed! Netflix Inc. is apparently such a big thing now that it's justified in launching its own awards program. But it's all about the marketing, of course, as the awards comes with the tagline: "Honoring the ways you really watch Netflix." The video streaming giant launched the awards site this week, encouraging visitors to cast their votes in cheeky categories such as Best Bromance, Best Guilty Pleasure, Best Hangover Cure and Best PMS Drama. Voting (open to anyone, not just Netflix subs) closes on March 10, with the top three in each category announced on Monday, March 11. Oh, and there's this to get you in the award-voting mood:


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YOU would not accuse Tessa Sprauer of false modesty, or missing out on an opportunity to shine. “My mom,’’ she confided with a canny grin, “says I’m always reaching for a photo op.’’
Ms. Sprauer, 13, who will enter the ninth grade this fall, is highly particular about the looks that suit her, and those she deems spotlight worthy. “I’m thinking about something maybe not like so casual,’’ she said as she eyed a selection of dresses last week at Forever 21 in the Palisades Center mall in West Nyack, N.Y. “I never wear anything literally like basic,’’ she said. “Even your jeans have to be great-fitting and stylish, not just the average jeans.’’
Ms. Sprauer represents a growing number of teenagers who plan to ditch their rumpled, randomly mingled T-shirts, cargo pants and jeans this fall for a more thoughtfully orchestrated, if seemingly unstudied, back-to-school wardrobe. Many will be zeroing in on fashions with a frankly mature edge. Tunic tops, Empire dresses, argyle sweaters, mixed prints and skinny jeans — chances are that if they spied those looks on the runways or in the pages of Us Weekly or InStyle, they will be wearing look-alike versions this fall.
Savvier than their predecessors about trends, brand names and quality — and hipper about the image they hope to project — many teenagers are unabashedly style-struck. Accordingly, merchants and trend watchers predict that many teenagers will be investing sums, which previously have gone to electronic gadgets, on wardrobes that are meant to be the envy of their peers.
An intensifying infatuation with Hollywood and runway-inspired designs is pointing them to sophisticated youth-oriented brands like Marc by Marc Jacobs, Paul & Joe for Target, See by Chloé and J. Crew. According to retail analysts, that romance is expected to result in an increase of 5 to 15 percent in sales of back-to-school apparel. Indeed, clothing sales, which have been flat in recent years, are ahead perceptibly. Neither the rising price of gasoline nor an extended heat wave seem to have kept teenagers and their parents from the malls.Continue reading the main story
“I like getting more dressed up this year,’’ said Ally Zingarelli, 13. She is an eighth grader in Old Tappan, N.J., who also likes to dress competitively. “Everyone has to have accessories,’’ she said. “Big necklaces, clunky jewelry and longer shirts with leggings.
“Before, you’d wear a polo shirts and jeans,’’ she added. “Now it’s a polo shirt and jeans — and the right shoes.’’
Aileen McCluskey, 16, a junior at Culver Academy in Culver, Ind., wears a prep school uniform, but she tweaks it with headbands, big earrings and bangles, long necklaces and a profusion of clips and bows. “In junior high it was a lot of pajama pants and sweatshirts,’’ Ms. McCluskey said. “Lately we’re going upscale a bit more.’’
Marshal Cohen, the chief analyst at NPD Group, the market research firm, has taken note of the trend.
Today boys and girls “have got style in their minds,” Mr. Cohen said. “All of a sudden, dressing up is an important component of their lives.’’ Large numbers, he added, are forsaking “raggy, utilitarian clothing for statement pieces.
“This year, they are using clothing rather than gadgets to say, ‘We have style.’ ’’
Researchers say many teenagers are emulating celebrity idols like Mischa Barton, Lindsay Lohan, Hilary Duff and Chris Martin (the lead singer of Coldplay), some scarcely out of their teens themselves, to cultivate an impression of maturity. “Kids are going more covered up and more sophisticated, and the girls are more traditionally feminine,’’ said Rob Callender, the trends director at Teen Research Unlimited. “It’s a question of trying to look more adult. Teenagers today are 12 going on 25.’’
Paradoxically, their desire to look older is stoked in part by designer fashions — baby-doll dresses, shrunken blazers, schoolgirl jumpers and the like — that have an emphatically youthful demeanor. Often on the runways, “there is no real delineation of what is ‘child’ and what is ‘adult’ anymore,’’ said Gloria Baume, the fashion market director of Teen Vogue.
There are practical reasons, too, why fashion has become seductive to both teenagers and their parents. “Many of them rationalize that it’s less expensive to buy clothes than it is to buy a new computer, calculator or phone,’’ said Robert Passikoff the president of Brand Keys, a market research company. “And they haven’t bought clothes for a while, so there is a real market need.’’ Brand Keys is forecasting a 15 percent increase in back-to-school apparel sales this year.
Among the beneficiaries of a heightened interest in style are stores like Dillard’s, Target, J. C. Penney, Bebe and American Eagle Outfitters, which cater to teenagers. Some posted July gains in a range of 2 percent to 10 percent over the same period last year.
American Eagle Outfitters’ back-to-school fashion mix, in particular its successful interpretation of longer, more fitted shapes for boys and girls, helped boost sales by 7 percent last month, said Susan McGalla, the company’s president. At Abercrombie & Fitch a new emphasis on quality — higher thread counts, softer fabrics, more subtle washes — has resulted in a price increase of 25 percent in the last two years. “But the customer gets it and is willing to pay up for it,’’ said Tom Lennox, a company spokesman.
At stores like Abercrombie as well as Forever 21, Bebe and Intermix, young women are investing in an archetypically girl-y look, buying lavishly detailed tank tops, dresses and skirts with a grown-up flair, playing down their formality with ballet flats or heavy engineer boots and leggings. Boys are gravitating toward dress shirts and slimmer pants and the occasional blazer for nights out.
Their younger siblings prefer the slimmed-down, hip-slung premium jeans they see on their favorite rock stars. “We’re seeing a high-school-age person looking for very specific fashion items, interested to replicate the looks they see on some celebrities,’’ said Gregg Andrews, the fashion director at Nordstrom.
Boys, Mr. Andrews added pointedly, are: “more concerned about their appearance than ever before. They want to look nonchalant but in fact are quite studied. It might look like ‘Oh, I just picked this up off my bedroom floor,’ but the look is actually very calculated.’’
At Urban Kidz in Scottsdale, Ariz., designer jeans, fitted shirts, puka necklaces and coin chokers are among the most sought-after items for boys as young as 12 or 13. Lila Metcalf, the owner, says the average family is spending about $500 at the store on back-to-school items for each child this year. “And an increasing number of young men are putting that money toward clothing,’’ she said.
Teenagers at every economic level are displaying a new fastidiousness. Erika Sprauer, the mother of Tessa, teaches at a middle school in the East Ramapo, N.Y., and has seen a preoccupation with dress heat up among her charges. Few of her students are well-off, “but they spend a lot of money on their clothes,” Erika Sprauer said. “They match the colors of their shoes to their outfits, and they walk so they don’t crease their sneakers. Their clothes always look brand-new.’’
Well-off or not, teenagers know precisely what looks and effects they are after, having gleaned their fashion intelligence from an ever widening variety of sources. “We used to go to a newsstand and buy a stack of magazines,’’ Mr. Andrews of Nordstrom said. “Now the Internet allows kids to focus on fashion. They can spend a half hour at a time studying the way Pink dresses.’’
Stefani Greenfield, an owner of the Scoop chain, which caters to affluent communities in Chicago, Manhattan, Miami and Greenwich, Conn., said: “They go on Style.com. They know what’s hot, what’s in, what’s out. They know what Prada is.
“Juicy Couture to them is not high-end. And what they are going to wear back to school is a very big deal.’’
That news leaves some parents less than thrilled. “It’s not O.K. if kids see something in a magazine and emulate it outright,’’ said Karen DiDonato, Ms. Zingarelli’s mother. Still, she conceded, a teenager fussing over what to wear is “better than if your child simply rolls out of bed and pulls on her sweatshirt and jeans.’’Continue reading the main story


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Last month Pinpoint joined over 3,500 attendees across the world of eCommerce for Imagine 2019 in Las Vegas. The event, which has an aim to ‘Expand the Experience’, is highly anticipated and this year it certainly delivered! Sharing important announcements, running valuable customer panels and networking events, Pinpoint were proud to join industry-leading names, even taking to the stage to present our customer success story with beer connoisseurs, Beer Hawk.
As the first Imagine event since Adobe’s acquisition of Magento in 2018, the new partnership was naturally the buzz of the week. Core motives behind the partnership were highlighted with the overarching aim to create personal experiences that empower people. Further reasons behind the acquisition were uncovered including the synergy of the two companies’ cultures and Adobe’s plan to build upon Magento’s strengths for the future.
Many announcements were brought to the forefront, particularly the expansion of commerce opportunities. A prominent feature update was their integration with Amazon and Google sales channels (you can find more information on this new feature here on our blog). Integration of Paypal’s Braintree within Magento’s PWA Studio which provides a quick and simple solution for partners to implement safe and secure debit and credit payment options was also discussed. Magento’s blog covers other key highlights from Imagine 2019 and their aim to change the world through digital experiences.
Pinpoint, Beer Hawk and Klevu Take to the Stage
Our very own Lewis Sellers and Douglas Radburn took to the stage alongside Mark Roberts, Co-Founder of Beer Hawk and Claudia Ditri, UK Sales and Partnership Manager at Klevu to present our ‘7 Secrets to Successful Migration’. Using Beer Hawk’s successful M1 Open Source to M2 Commerce migration as a case study, we explained how this project has helped them conquer the craft beer market. Our presentation touched upon the approach we took and the collaborative partnership between Pinpoint and Beer Hawk, covering the challenges of data migration, the impact of internal users, and how third-party Klevu was introduced to provide essential personalisation through smart search.
From step one of agreeing the project scope, through to prioritising development in order to meet the seriously speedy project turnaround in just three months, we shared valuable tips on what made the project a success, providing attendees with a valuable glimpse into the migration process.
A successful event for all, we came away from Imagine 2019 with knowledge on the industry developments from leading technology partners and agencies, plus the very latest updates since the Adobe acquisition.
Watch the full presentation here!


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March 14, 2012
-- www.gkboptical.com, India’s largest multi-branded online eyewear store has launched “My Sunglasses, My Style!” contest to give participants in India an opportunity to explore their fashion creativity and win branded shades, totally worth Rs 1 lakh in value. The contest will run till 26th March 2012. Winners will be announced on 7th April 2012.
Announcing the launch, Dhruv Gupta, CEO, www.gkboptical.com stated, “We are delighted to have launched this contest which gives everyone a chance to win stylish sunglasses.”
Top five winners of the contest will win stylish Ray-Ban sunglasses worth Rs 4690 each, while the next 10 winners will get sunglasses worth Rs. 1500 each. www.gkboptical.com is also giving a voucher for a free sunglass worth Rs. 1200 to all contestants, on any purchase from www.gkboptical.com.
To enter, only thing a contestant needs to do is click on http://www.gkboptical.com/contests
. Each entry needs to choose two of their favorite sunglasses and describe the look they would pair it with.
www.gkboptical.com was launched in October 2011 by GKB Opticals, a known name in delivering cutting edge eye care for over 5 decades. The online store has witnessed strong traction and growth for quality optical products. It has registered a 50% growth month-on-month since its launch, and has already shipped orders to over 250 cities/towns across India.
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www.gkboptical.com is India’s largest online eyewear store launched by GKB Opticals Retail Group. It is the first online store in India to bring the largest and latest range of over 50 international eyewear brands.


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Lukoil has warned it could face a decline in sales abroad due to Russia's negative public image in other countries, according to a report.
In a quarterly filing for Russian audit standards, the Moscow-headquartered explorer said “a negative perception of Russian Federation's public image in the majority of the company's countries of operations... may lead to a short-term decline in retail sales” by association.
Russia’s largest independent oil producer also said the “negative development of the Ukrainian situation may have a negative impact on macroeconomy...including higher exchange rate volatility and business climate degeneration in general,” according to a report by Dow Jones Newswires.
The warning is being seen as indicating that despite Kremlin assurances to the contrary the Western sanctions against Russia are impacting the whole economy and threatening the companies not directly affected by them, the wire service said.
Last week, Lukoil chief executive Vagit Alekperov was quoted by Reuters as saying that the explorer would look to cut back on its investment programme and could sell more assets in eastern Europe over the fact that the sanctions would limit access to international finance.
"The sanctions are related to the country, we are a Russian company. This will impact us, just like everyone else," he said.
Lukoil itself is not under sanctions the West introduced against Russian officials and corporations in response to the Crimean crisis.
The company is due to release its full second-quarter results later this month.


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Pokémon Go looks set to announce Jirachi as the next mythical creature you can catch in the mobile game.
Niantic released a series of tweets with an image that no doubt confirms the wish-granting Pokémon.
— Pokémon GO (@PokemonGoApp) August 19, 2019
There were less than subtle hints that Jirachi would appear in the mobile title.
After the announcement that players completed over 36 million research tasks during the Global Challenge event, Niantic promised an ‘ultra bonus announcement’ on Pokémon Go’s Twitter page.
Thanks for helping Professor Willow by completing over 36 MILLION research tasks! As a result, you’ve helped Spark, Blanche, and Candela make some amazing discoveries—some new, some old, and some relatively unknown. ?
?? ULTRA BONUS ANNOUNCEMENT ??
Coming Soon pic.twitter.com/uvrajqF70m
— Pokémon GO (@PokemonGoApp) August 14, 2019
Then, not only did the company tell players to “make a wish,” it also produced a series of tweets counting down to the reveal using the star emoji.
Players have so far been able to capture two other mythical Pokémon during the game’s release, Mew and Celebi.
The announcement is due tomorrow so we should find out whether Jirachi is confirmed soon enough.
Source: CNET via Pokémon Go Twitter