text:
Big crowds turn out, benefit from buying local
Lining up at food trucks, sipping craft beer and perusing booths of art, furniture and clothes, big crowds turned out Sunday to the Louisville Water Tower for the seventh-annual Buy Local Fair, featuring local businesses and artisans.
The Louisville Independent Business Alliance event is meant to highlight the benefits of buying local - keeping more consumer spending in the local economy, reducing environmental costs of shipping and fostering businesses that give the city its unique character, participants said.
"Buying local is really important," said Joseph Farmer, who owns Lucky Clover Farm, which supplies some local stores. "In the last seven years, I've seen the movement grow quite a bit."
Crowds bought everything from tomato starts to bourbon bottle lamps at more than 100 tented booths that spilled across a grassy field near the Ohio River. They spoke to travel agents, tattoo artists and yoga instructors. Others tested out guitars, browsed jewelery and listened to live music at a sound stage.
Story continues after the gallery
Near the Ohio River, visitors sipped local brandy and bourbon on rocking chairs on the Back Porch, a new feature this year. WHY Louisville sold T-shirts from a yellow truck with a "jackalope" painted on the side.
Some business people said the turnout reflected a city that valued its quirky, independent stores. Chris Deferio, a manager at Sunergos Coffee, said the event also helped local business owners connect with both customers and each other.
"You come to an event like this as an artisan and see others doing it, it's really encouraging," he said. "There's a lot of great networking that goes on."
Reporter Chris Kenning can be reached at (502) 582-4697. Follow him on Twitter at @ckenning_cj.


text:
As part of Forthglade’s 50th celebrations, a nationwide birthday-themed POS competition ran throughout April and May to raise awareness of the landmark celebration and to promote Forthglade’s new Devon-made birthday meal for dogs.
More than 30 pet shops were chosen for the finals, each judged on their use of Forthglade’s birthday POS and window designs or in-store displays. Forthglade named Stef’s Pet Shop, in Bradford as the national winner for its ‘creative masterpiece’, with the busy store now set to receive £250 worth of Forthglade recipes.
Store owner Stef Peel said: “When we heard about the birthday pack POS competition the team couldn’t wait to get creative, especially as it was such a fun theme. We’re lucky as we have a fairly big store so can really make the most of the space for displays. The team had such fun bringing all the props to life, even baking a special cake and covering it in Forthglade treats.
“Customers have commented all month on how great they thought everything looked and were all keeping their fingers crossed for us to win the competition. We can’t wait to share the news with our customers and across our social media channels that we have indeed won. The POS encouraged us to create this fantastic display while it has really helped increase the sales of the natural meals and treats.
“Winning has just been the icing on the cake – no pun intended!”

domain: news


text:
Danes Specialty Coffee wins big at Australian International Coffee Awards
BeanScene Magazine has featured Danes as Champion Australian Roaster again for 2019
The Champion Australian Roaster trophy was awarded to Danes Specialty Coffee, making 2019 the second year in a row that the New South Wales roaster took home the prize.
Conducted annually by the Royal Agricultural Society of Victoria (RASV), the AICA was the first international coffee roasting competition in Australia, receiving 805 entries from 151 local and international coffee roasters including coffees from Australia, NZ, China, Greece, Hong Kong, the United States, Maldives, and more.
“The ACIA is a terrific example of our vision to identify the best of the best in the food and beverage industry. The esteemed awards garner overwhelming interest and submissions from coffee roasters all around the world and we look forward to continuing to distinguish and celebrate award worthy coffee for years to come,” RASV CEO, Paul Guerra says.
A total of 330 medals were awarded including 15 gold, 100 silver and 215 bronze, over three days of judging which took place at the Melbourne Showgrounds from 20 to 22 March, with a panel of industry experts led by Head Judge Melissa Caia assessing the entries.
“The AICA are an important measure used to recognise the high level of coffee quality within the industry. The awards ultimately drive coffee buyers to look for products that have had industry professionals critique the roasts and blends to give their quality approval. It drives the roasting profession and entrants to keep developing their processes and continue to look for ways to improve the products they are selling, ultimately providing the highest quality of coffee to the public,” Melissa says.
2019 Australian International Coffee Awards Champion Trophies
Champion Australian Roaster – Danes Specialty Coffee, New South Wales, Australia
Gold Medal for Espresso Blend – Ascension, Danes Specialty Coffee, New South Wales, Australia
Gold Medal in the Single Origin, Filter – Kenya Gakundu, Danes Specialty Coffee, New South Wales, Australia
For more information about the Champion Trophy winners click here.
This article was originally published on BeanScene magazine April 2019.


text:
BARCELONA: Million visitors in Barcelona are a headache, new Mayor Ada Colau wants to prevent this Mediterranean port from becoming a theme park.
Barcelona is the city of 1.6 million residents and is considered Spain’s second most populated city.
It known for hosting the 1992 Summer Olympics, world-class Conferences and expositions and many international sport tournaments.
The city is one of the world’s leading tourist, economic, trade fair and cultural centers, and its influence in commerce, education, entertainment, media, fashion, science, and the arts all give to its status as one of the world’s major global cities.
On Mass tourism problem, currently, the city is struggling with the continuous increase of their tourist which makes the city over crowded.
” Barcelona is a global tourism icon. But if the problems continue it could sully this image and end up affecting the city’s tourism.”
The new Mayor, Ada Colau, is now working for the harmonious of the city with this important economic sector, which generates 120,000 jobs. Her first concern was to stop issuing new licences for tourist accommodation for one year while a new strategy is being developed for the sector.
Gawking tourist who prevent locals from buying their goods was one of the complain raised by the vendors nearby historic La Boqueria market.
Mass tourism problem, Since 1992, when the city started hosting Olympic, their struggle of mass tourism also tourism also began.Painting of “Tourists go home” is mostly on the walls of buildings in the centre of Spain.
According to Francesc Lopez Palomeque, geography professor at University of Barcelona “The tourism boom has been a very quick process – in 25 years – and the city did not absorb it well. This has generated this tourismophobia,”. Palomeque worked on the city’s 2008-13 tourism plan.
The city’s local officials now banned tour groups during peak shopping times from entering the market.


text:
Wee Ee Cheong, Deputy Chairman and CEO, UOB, shares his personal experience witnessing the growth of SFF over the years. And what UOB will be showcasing this year.
Hear from 150+ global speakers who are already building the future of finance. Join us online at the Singapore FinTech Festival, the world’s largest FinTech Festival from 8th to 12th November.
SFF 2021 – Get your digital passes now https://www.fintechfestival.sg/


text:
McDonalds is Giving ‘Rick and Morty’ Their Szechuan Sauce!
For those who are a fan of the Adult Swim show Rick and Morty, you know the importance of the Szechuan sauce. The creator of the animated series, Justin Roiland has been trying to get his hands on the McDonald’s sauce one more time.
For those who were alive in 1998, you may remember the fast food chain’s brief run-in with the sauce. During the release of Disney’s Mulan, the company released the dipping sauce. Needless to say, the Asian inspired sauce became a hit.
During the season 3 premiere of Rick and Morty, the main character is attempted to get his hands on the sauce. While being imprisoned by aliens, Rick tells Morty that he would do anything to test Szechuan Sauce one more time.
After the episode premiered, it caused other people to wonder how they can also taste the dipping sensation one more time. There were a few online petitions floating around the internet asking McDonalds to bring back their promotional item.
Well, the fast food company definitely listened to what was happening because they are sending the show’s creators a jug of their sauce. As revealed by Roiland on a Comic-Con panel this past Friday, they promised to deliver a jug next week.
Currently, there is no word on if they are going to re-release the promotional item. However, a spokesperson for McDonald’s did reveal some information about the Szechuan sauce. In an interview with the Huffington Post, they stated that “We never say never, because when our customers speak, we listen.”
The spokesperson continued to note that their “sauce is so good that it is worth waiting nine seasons or 97 years for.”
Back in 2010, McDonald’s allegedly brought back the sauce for the Winter Olympics in Canada. However, Roiland stated that he was unable to get his hands on a single packet.
Starting next week, Roiland is not going to have to worry about running out of Szachuan sauce for some time.
Sarah is a Hufflepuff living in NYC. When she is not traveling or talking to random animals, she is working as a script writer. Tweet her at @lumpyspacederp


text:
Baby sleeping bags found to be 'potentially life-threatening'
The consumer watchdog found that 12 out of 15 baby sleeping bags bought from online marketplaces, as well as high street stores and online from leading brands, failed its safety tests.
All nine sleeping bags from online marketplaces AliExpress, Amazon Marketplace, eBay, Etsy and Wish failed at least one of Which?’s tests, with some posing major safety risks to babies’ lives.
Baby sleeping bags can be a safer alternative to traditional cot blankets as they prevent babies’ faces from accidentally getting covered during the night, which can lead to suffocation. Yet Which? found sleeping bags sold by third-party sellers on online marketplaces and even some popular retailers could be putting infants’ lives at risk.
The watchdog’s tests include checking the neck opening is the right size, ensuring fasteners and buttons are secure and that the sleeping bag is free from loose threads and strangulation hazards. Each bag is also checked to ensure it states accurate tog levels - so babies do not overheat - and includes all key safety instructions. If a product does not pass all tests, it is deemed unsafe.
Which? found that seven of the faults in the 12 sleeping bags that failed, were deemed to be serious failures meaning that they could cause a baby harm or endanger its life. A further five baby sleeping bags had less serious safety concerns but failed to meet British safety standards.
Raising the most concerns, Which? found that three sleeping bags, including one purchased from AliExpress, one from Wish and one from boutique retailer Jojo Maman Bébé, had wide-neck openings that were too big for the age they were advertised for. Neck openings that are too wide could lead to a baby slipping down into the bag and suffocating.
Natalie Hitchins, Which? head of home products and services, said: “Parents will find it completely unacceptable that Which?’s investigation has found such a high number of dangerous products that could pose a potentially life-threatening risk to their baby as it sleeps.
“Consumers must be able to trust that if they buy a product in the UK from a well-known retailer or online marketplace that it will be safe and meet the safety standards required in this country.”
She added: “The government must step in to make online marketplaces legally responsible for the safety of the products sold on their sites. We also expect retailers to remove any unsafe products from sale.”
Which? is to pass the findings of this research on to the Office for Product Safety and Standards.
All of the online retailers involved have been contacted for comment.
A spokesman for Amazon said the company encouraged customers to report concerns about items. He said: “Safety is important to Amazon and we want customers to shop with confidence on our stores. We have proactive measures in place to prevent suspicious or non-compliant products from being listed and we monitor the products sold in our stores for product safety concerns.”


text:
Only on Che.com :: Latest News
February 1, 2013
First shipment of bio-based farnesene is made
The renewable chemicals and fuels company Amyris, Inc. (Emeryville, Calif.; www.amyris.com
) announced today the first commercial shipment from its new plant in Brazil. Amyris's first purpose-built industrial fermentation facility produces Biofene, the company's brand of renewable farnesene. The product is made from sugarcane to be used in a range of specialty chemical and fuel applications.
"This initial shipment marks the successful completion of our start-up activities. We have operated multiple tanks without contamination or surprises through several production runs during the first month of operation," said John Melo, President and CEO of Amyris.
"We are now focused on ramping up Biofene production and delivering product to our customers, from renewable diesel for bus fleets in Brazil to squalane emollient globally and soon a range of specialty chemical applications," Melo concluded.
Amyris's Biofene plant in Brotas, in the state of Sao Paulo, Brazil, sources its sugarcane feedstock locally. Prior to the start-up of this facility, Amyris relied solely on contract manufacturing for commercial production.


text:
With the Fourth of July holiday right around the corner, it is important to know what types of fireworks are legal within the town of Queen Creek, when they can be used, how to safely use them and tips to be QC neighborly.
Legal consumer fireworks include ground displays and sparkling devices; any devices that rise into the air and explode/detonate or fly above the ground are illegal (i.e. skyrockets/bottle rockets, reloadable shell devices, aerials, and single-tube devices that are shot up into the air).
State statute determines when legal consumer fireworks can be sold and used. The use of legal consumer fireworks is restricted to June 24 through July 6. Illegal fireworks are never permitted within town limits.
Legal consumer fireworks are only allowed on private property, and individuals who use, discharge or ignite permissible consumer fireworks are responsible and liable for expenses as a result of any emergency response that is required. With an increase in fires happening throughout the state, it is important to be extremely cautious.
“We continue to see overall dry conditions with destructive fires surrounding the Valley,” stated Queen Creek Fire Chief Vance Gray in a press release. “In addition to the safety precautions to protect people and animals, it is vital that fireworks are properly disposed of to prevent fires. By restricting your use to legal consumer fireworks and practicing the following safety tips, you reduce the risk to yourself, your loved ones and the community.”
To reduce risks associated with fireworks, Queen Creek Fire and Medical recommends the following safety tips:
Fireworks can also pose a risk to pets and livestock. The following safety tips are recommended:
Please remember during your time of celebration that fireworks are dangerous and that it is important to be QC neighborly.
If you suspect illegal fireworks are being used in your neighborhood, please contact the MCSO District 6 – Queen Creek non-emergency number immediately at 602-876-1011.


text:
This morning we reported that Rogers Wireless would be the exclusive North American partner for the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10, but we questioned if the Canadian carrier had learned from their upgrade issues.
It appears Rogers Wireless is on the ball because they actually reached out to us to clarify future updates for Android phones.
We know there has been a lot of interest from both you and your readers on the current status of the HTC Dream and HTC Magic with Rogers, and we wanted to reach out to you directly to let you know what users of these devices can expect.
While there has been a lot of confusion regarding software updates for these devices – we want to make sure that everyone knows that Rogers has been pushing hard to ensure the best possible outcome for all customers who have purchased an HTC Dream and Magic. Although we previously announced that we did not plan an upgrade to either device, we have reevaluated based on Rogers request and agreed to move forward.
First, we will be implementing an update for the 1.5 OS to both the HTC Dream and HTC Magic in the upcoming weeks. These will offer a number of benefits for these devices, including bringing the HTC Sense experience to the HTC Magic, although the OS version will remain 1.5.
By mid-year, HTC will issue an upgrade to Android 2.1, including the highly acclaimed HTC Sense experience for the HTC Magic.
However, due to certain limitations on the HTC Dream, the software path for the HTC Dream will not be developed beyond the next Android 1.5 update. While we regret not being able to offer the same updates to both devices, by bringing this upgrade to the HTC Magic, we are delivering the best solution possible given the situation at hand.
We also want to emphasize that the situation with HTC Dream and HTC Magic devices is true across markets, and is not limited to Canada.
While “Google Experience” devices built on the same platform (like the T-Mobile G1) do have different upgrade paths — this is due to the use of a stock Android build, rather than a custom build used on the HTC Dream and HTC Magic.Rogers Wireless
Sony Ericsson has announced that the Xperia X10 will “evolve” to Android 2.x, so hopefully this is good news for their customers.
Note that Rogers says the HTC Dream will not be getting the Android 2.1 update, but other devices like the T-Mobile G1 have “different upgrade paths”.
The latest T-Mobile rumors suggest the carrier is working on Android 2.x updates for the HTC Dream and Magic, but we have yet to receive any official confirmation. I have already stated my doubts that the G1 will ever get upgraded to Android 2.x, but maybe T-Mobile will find a way to surprise us all.


text:
Pizza Hut and Amazon have collaborated to bring flexible ordering to customers using a new skill via Alexa, starting December 15
PLANO, TEXAS (Dec. 14, 2016) – Pizza Hut, recognized as the pizza restaurant company which serves and delivers more pizzas than any other pizza company in the world, is expanding its ordering capabilities to include Alexa Voice Service on Amazon Echo, Amazon Tap, Echo Dot, Amazon Fire TV and Fire tablets. With a simple phrase, and not a single phone or laptop lifted, Pizza Hut’s new skill brings ease and convenience to the ordering experience for pizza-loving homes across the country.
The Pizza Hut skill differs from any pizza brand in the space by providing Alexa users with the convenience of ordering not only your favorites and past orders, but also directly from a menu of the most popular items from Pizza Hut.
“Pizza Hut has and always will be devoted to serving customers pizza anywhere, anyhow, and anyway, and using the latest technology is no exception,” says Doug Terfehr, Senior Director, Public Relations and Partnerships for Pizza Hut. “Amazon is great to work with and the Pizza Hut skill on Alexa is unlike any other pizza brand with flexible ordering from a menu of options without lifting a finger.”
Menu options include:
- Pepperoni Pizza
- Cheese Pizza
- Veggie Lover’s® Pizza
- Meat Lover’s® Pizza
- Supreme Pizza
- Cinnamon Sticks
- Diet Pepsi®
- Mist Twist
- Mountain Dew
Voice command options include:
- “Alexa, open Pizza Hut.”
- “Alexa, ask Pizza Hut for a pizza.”
“We’re thrilled to be collaborating with Pizza Hut to give customers hands-free, convenient ordering of pizza,” said Rob Pulciani, Director, Amazon Alexa. “Ordering from Pizza Hut pizza by just using your voice from inside the comfort of your home is a wonderful experience.”
Pizza Hut has increasingly added new ways to order over the last year. This summer, Pizza Hut was the first brand to announce the ability to order via “chatbot” on Facebook and Twitter messenger. Consumers can either repeat previous or favorite orders, as well as pick a pizza from a list of popular pizzas. They also announced earlier this year it’s new “Visible Promise Time,” which allows customers to see an estimated timeline of when their food will be ready prior to actually placing the order. The visible promise time works both for delivery and carryout, making it easier for customers to game plan around a timeframe.
The Pizza Hut skill for Alexa is available starting December 15 for placing a carryout or delivery order. For more information, visit blog.pizzahut.com or to order now, visit www.pizzahut.com.
About Pizza Hut
Pizza Hut, a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE: YUM), delivers more pizza, pasta and wings than any other restaurant in the world. The pizza restaurant began 58 years ago in Wichita, Kansas, when two brothers borrowed $600 from their mom to start a pizzeria.
What started out small has become the biggest pizza restaurant in the world and today operates more than 16,000 restaurants in more than 100 countries serving innovative pizzas, traditional favorites like the signature Pan Pizza, and much more. Pizza Hut also is the proprietor of the BOOK IT!® Program, which is a long-standing children’s literacy program used in more than 630,000 classrooms nationwide. For more information, visit www.pizzahut.com. Follow Pizza Hut on Facebook (www.facebook.com/PizzaHut), Twitter (www.twitter.com/pizzahut) and Instagram (www.instagram.com/pizzahut).
For all media inquiries, please contact Pizza Hut:
Doug Terfehr, 972-338-6992, Doug.Terfehr@yum.com
Courtney Moscovic, 972-338-8288, Courtney.Moscovic@yum.com


text:
American mobile game developer Cloudcade Inc. best known for games ‘Shop Heroes’ and the upcoming title ‘Card Brawl’ has just opened a developing studio in Pakistan.
A total of RS. 800 million investment has been made to ensure the Pakistani studio performs smoothly and help develop games for the company.
Cloudcade has hired Ammar Zaeem, the former co-founder of Caramel Tech Studios in Pakistan as the head of the Cloudcade studio Pakistan.
The Pakistani Cloudcade studio currently has a team of 50 artists, engineers, and quality assurance professionals ready to take on the challenges of developing high-quality mobile video games.
In a statement released by the President of Studios, Cloudcade North America, Jeffery Kong said he was thrilled to welcome the Pakistani team onboard.
We’re thrilled to welcome Ammar and the entire Pakistan team to the Cloudcade family. We’ve had a great relationship working together on multiple key projects, and they’ve proven themselves as capable and thoughtful partners.
Cloudcade aims to open more studios in Pakistan
This will not be the only Cloudcade development studio in Pakistan. The company aims to open multiple studios in the country in order to take video game development to the next level.
Cloudcade is very confident in the Pakistani team who has ample experience in developing video games for various other companies around the world.
Cloudcade current games
Cloudcade currently has one fully developed game titled ‘Shop Heroes: RPG Tycoon’. The game has a 4.3 rating on Google Playstore with 72,275 reviews and 1,000,000+ downloads.
The studio is now working on a new game titled ‘Card Brawl: Duel of Champions’ which will be a turn-based RPG/CCG looking to take on Blizzard’s massively successful ‘Hearthstone’.
You can download and play ‘Shop Heroes’ on Android, iOS, and Steam for free.
More about Cloudcade Inc.
Cloudcade was founded in 2014 as a free-to-play mobile games developer and publisher. They have a vision of creating beautiful and innovative game.
Their aim is to provide a superior user experience with games that use real-time metrics to drive key design decisions.
Cloudcade has its headquarters in San Francisco with development powerhouses positioned in North America and Asia.


text:
Brother, the innovative print and imaging product specialist, has renewed its advertising campaign with Unlimited’s mobile media division Brandyourcar.com for another six months. This follows a previous highly successful campaign with the medium generating product awareness on busy national and arterial roads.
Not only has Brother renewed its campaign, but the company has also increased its initial presence on the Brandyourcar.com fleet by 50%.
Brandyourcar.com Executive Head of Sales Jeff Ostrom says; “The increase in the number of vehicles branded for Brother is proof that the medium is delivering the required results for the brand.”.
“It’s also an excellent example of how Brandyourcar.com can meet a client’s inventory needs, as we have access to a database of well over 20 000 cars,” he says.
The campaign targets employed LSM 8 – 10 consumers, aged between 16 and 55, who are driving in peak hour traffic in Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town.
High mileage drivers have been selected by Brandyourcar.com in these areas to ensure maximum exposure of the campaign and significant reach for its client, in key business environments and on highways during peak hour traffic.
“Brandyourcar.com identified a profile match between Brother’s target consumers and drivers selected from our database, to ensure that the moving campaigns are visible in the environments in which the Brother consumers spend extended time,” says Ostrom.
Brandyourcar.com’s drivers are educated about the product and can handle all initial questions from interested consumers in terms of where they can purchase the product and who to contact.
While the renewal campaign incorporates some of Brother’s new products as part of the creative, the overall look and feel remains the same.
Brandyourcar.com provides advertisers with the unique opportunity to have their advertising campaigns carried on privately owned vehicles, selected from an extensive database of cross-demographic individuals who have made their vehicles available for branding. The consumer’s vehicle becomes an effective moving billboard within targeted audience communities and lifestyles.
For further information visit www.brandyourcar.com
The first of its kind in the country, this new media platform headed by media group Unlimited, connects consumer’s lifestyles with leading brands by branding consumer’s vehicles. Advertisers pay consumers simply for carrying advertising on their vehicles, enabling them to earn up to R2000 per month.


text:
What if Edward Snowden had been an NSA employee and not a Booz Allen contractor? Would he have kept the documents he had on the government’s spying apparatus to himself? Not likely, but those questions go to the heart of the tension between the gig economy and cybersecurity.
The initial findings of new research presented at the Enigma conference in January indicate that contractor-employees of “gig” services like Uber, Lyft, TaskRabbit, Handy, Fiverr, and Foodora are generally less safe online than full-time employees of other companies. Why? Because the companies they contract with aren’t communicating or enforcing best security practices as intensely.
Kendra Albert, a clinical fellow at Harvard Law School and one of the researchers behind the as-yet unpublished study, says traditional companies commonly install security or device management software on employees’ phones and laptops; gig services, on the other hand, rarely do this for their contractors. Gig worker app platform requirements such as uploads of identity or insurance documentation give the companies reason to trust their contractors, but the companies do little with their platforms to reciprocate that trust, Albert says.
“The mistrust that these platforms put in their workers have security consequences,” Albert says. And while cybersecurity training may not come close to stopping phishing attacks and other employee-targeted cybercrime, some claim that it is effective in reducing the success rate of those attacks.
Wombat Security, which runs an employee-training program based on research from Carnegie Mellon University, claims to have reduced employee susceptibility to phishing by 64 percent and saved its clients money. One of its clients, MSA Safety, reports that its employee cybersecurity training failure rate dropped from 25 percent to less than 8 percent in one year.
The gig economy’s investment in cybersecurity education and protection is hard to quantify, but it isn’t hard to see that it’s important. Scammers have stolen earnings from Uber drivers and used Moonlighting to trick job applicants into revealing sensitive personal data. Handy has tracked its cleaners’ locations for hours before or after gigs. And purported employers have used Amazon.com’s Mechanical Turk platform to phish and violate the privacy of gig workers.
In 2016, according to the Pew Research Center, 8 percent of Americans earned money from a gig platform. And more than half of them said the money they earned from gigs was “essential” to their survival. The National Bureau of Economic Research also concluded that year that “all of the net employment growth” in the United States between 2005 and 2015 was in “alternative work arrangements,” including online platform-driven gig jobs.
As the gig economy continues to spread to industries as complex as corporate legal counsel, controversial ride-sharing juggernaut Uber bears a lot of the blame for the gig economy’s impact on security, says Elizabeth Anne Watkins, a communications Ph.D. candidate at Columbia University who worked on the research with Albert.
Uber’s startup success has largely paved the way for an increasingly robust gig economy, Watkins says, but that success has also seen the security knowledge gap between gig workers and full-time employees grow into a chasm.
“White-collar workers have access to more security training, and have been documented as being more likely to take that advice home to their friends and family,” Watkins says. Knowledge of cybersecurity best practices, she adds, is “not making it across the digital divide.”
“Thinking about the power dynamics of the systems these companies create is important,” Watkins says. “Many of these companies treat all of these workers the same. Somebody at TaskRabbit or Uber who’s been there since the beginning is treated the same as somebody who’s joined last week.”
Uber is now taking steps to lead its “like Uber, but for” followers in better protecting contractors, says Melanie Ensign, head of security and privacy communications for the company.
“We have seen drivers targeted more often than riders because it’s more financially lucrative for the hacker,” Ensign says. In 2016, the personal details of 600,000 Uber drivers were breached alongside those of 57 million Uber customers, potentially resulting in millions of dollars of estimated losses.
Uber now warns drivers about phishing scams during the sign-up process, and stresses cybersecurity during its in-person driver meetups, she says. It also offers its drivers IT support, and reimburses them for losses they’ve sustained in Uber-related hacks or scams.
There are “economic consequences” for the security choices companies make, Albert and Watkins say. Companies whose business models depend on gig workers “have a lot of responsibility and obligation,” and they “need to think about the consequences before it’s too late.”


text:
- LG reveals more specification details of its upcoming smartphone.
- The device will support 48 megapixel primary sensor.
- It will be official on May 7.
After losing in the smartphone industry, LG is all set to come back with a new strategy, and for that, the brand is gearing up to launch a new device called LG Velvet and that will be a mid-range smartphone, we already have a decent idea about the upcoming device. Well, today the South Korean company shared official renders along with more specification details of the device.
The upcoming LG Velvet will feature a 6.8 inch display with a 20.5:9 ratio and the company names it as Cinema FullView display, and the same will also offer a notch. The upcoming smartphone will sport stereo speakers with the earpiece doubling as a speaker. LG will also offer the “AI Sound” technology which will automatically adapt the sound according to the content – whether it is games, videos, or something else.
Speaking about the camera department, the upcoming LG Velvet will feature a triple rear camera setup and that will be in the population of a 48 megapixel primary sensor with pixel binning technology followed by an 8 megapixel ultra-wide and a 5 megapixel depth sensor. The device will also support the ASMR recording feature which will allow utilizing two high-performance microphones for vivid sounds.
The device will also come with 4,300 mAh battery with 30W fast charging technology and 10W wireless charging support, the device will also support the 5G connectivity. Furthermore, it will also support LG dual-screen and LG Stylus Pen accessories and both of them will be sold separately.
Finally, it is also confirmed that the device will be available in 4 colour choices. LG will launch the LG Velvet on May 7 and in the South Korean market on May 15. You can read all the available information of the smartphone on our dedicated page.


text:
The contentious issue of AirAsia India’s ownership and control is back in the spotlight with the Civil Aviation Ministry claiming it was unaware regarding the nature of relationship between AirAsia India and its parent.
A report in the Mint news paper on Thursday says that the ministry is likely to file an affidavit in the Delhi High Court admitting that it was not aware about the brand licence agreement which gives the Malaysian partner the influence and control over key functions such as ancillary revenue, branding, revenue management, engineering and finance of the Indian airline.
The affidavit will be filed in response to Bharatiya Janata Party leader Subramanian Swamy’s petition challenging the grant of permit to AirAsia India.
Lawyers specialising in aviation law said at time of granting its approval the Civil Aviation Ministry seeks the shareholder agreement between the foreign airline and its Indian partner to examine aspects related to control but there is no specific requirement in rules to submit a brand licence agreement.
In April, Swamy told Business Standard that the permit must be cancelled for violating norms. Government rules dictate that substantial ownership and effective control of an airline must vest with Indian nationals.
AirAsia India has earlier denied it has violated rules and said that majority ownership and effective control is vested with Indians.
AirAsia India is co-owned by Tata Sons (51 per cent) and AirAsia Malaysia (49 per cent).
Lawyers say a company which grants a brand licence does seek safeguards for brand protection and there is a thin line on what constitutes protection of brand and controlling operations.
In an earlier comment, lawyer Nitin Sarin had said “If 51 per cent ownership vests with Indians, they have majority shareholding and all decisions may be made or vetoed by them. Entering into a licensing agreement is a commercial decision, which would have been approved by the majority shareholders (Indian)… with this limited information, there seems no illegality whatsoever in AirAsia India.”


text:
Yahoo Email Swaps Passwords for Smartphones
- Friday, October 16th, 2015
- Share this article:
The system will enable users to authenticate any device using their primary smartphone, which the internet firm claims will improve security and eliminate one of the biggest hassles facing Internet users on a daily basis.
The solution was introduced as the company unveiled a new version of Yahoo Mail for both the web and mobile phones. The updated system improves the search tool for both messages and contacts, and can be used to access messages from other email accounts including Hotmail and AOL.
Swapping passwords out for a mobile account key is a step beyond the two-factor authentication offered by many other email providers including Google, and represents another step in making smartphones central to all web activity.
Users who sign up for the account key service will receive a push notification on their phone the first time they attempt to log-in via desktop with the location of the computer requesting access. Once a computer is authorised, it will have password-free access permanently, or until Yahoo detects any unusual activity that might indicate a breach.
“Email is the most prevalent way people communicate online,” said Jeff Bonforte, senior vice president of communication products at Yahoo. “However, what we want from our inbox is evolving. Mobile use requires a faster and smarter inbox.”


text:
- The holiday video tradition "Vlogmas" was invented by retired beauty guru Ingrid Nilsen.
- Hundreds of creators this year are doing #Shortsmas, or 31 consecutive days of YouTube Shorts.
- The initiative is seeded by YouTube itself, with an internal group surveying trends and prompting challenges.
Vlogmas, the longstanding and lucrative YouTube tradition where creators release daily, holiday-studded videos in December through Christmas Day, is getting the YouTube Shorts treatment this year—with hundreds of creators partaking in a revamped trend called #Shortsmas.
Vlogmas was invented in 2011 by the retired beauty vlogger Ingrid Nilsen, she told Refinery29 in 2017, conceived as a kind of digital advent calendar. Nilsen's daily videos comprised festive theme songs and a firehose of holiday shopping and decor-related content.
As an end-of-year sprint driving hyper-engagement, Vlogmas has also historically served as a way for creators to capitalize on the high ad rates that tend to peak during the holiday shopping season.
Whereas Vlogmas features lengthy, day-in-the-life style videos, Shortsmas capitalizes on YouTube Shorts—the video giant's answer to TikTok, which can be sixty seconds max.
Shortsmas is entirely an invention of YouTube itself, with the video giant seeding the hashtag through its Shorts Creator Community—an internal resource group that shares trends and growth hacks with emerging creators through weekly emails, virtual webinars, and IRL networking events.
A separate group has been formed specifically for Shortsmas participants, said motherhood vlogger Kallie Branciforte, who counts 991,000 subscribers on her YouTube channel, But First, Coffee. That group comprises roughly 300 participants who have committed to posting Shorts every day in December. Currently, there are 3,400 videos from 760 channels touting the #Shortsmas tag, though not all refer to the 31-day endeavor.
YouTube hosts calls with Shortsmas participants on Mondays and Fridays, Branciforte said, sharing trends and prompting participants with different challenges: to show their unwanted Christmas gifts, for instance, or chronicle room decor transformations.
The challenge videos laid out by YouTube staff, which are not mandatory, are hashtagged #ShortsmasChallenge and set to "All I Want For Christmas Is You," Branciforte said—with Mariah Carey having christened the season with her very own Short on Dec. 1.
'Posting thirty-one Shorts felt a lot more attainable'
While there aren't explicit financial incentives for partaking in Shortsmas (though participants get a Shorts-branded pillow, said fashion and lifestyle vlogger Tanisha Cherry), Shortsmas allows creators to ride the wave of YouTube's fastest-growing format, which accounts for 30 billion daily views. (YouTube will begin sharing ad revenue with Shorts creators next year).
"Shorts definitely allows me to get in front of people that maybe aren't watching my long form," Branciforte said. "I had a Short that went viral in August and had double the subscribers that month than I would usually get."
Shortsmas also marks a more viable workload than its long-form predecessor, said Austen Tosone, who furnishes advice for aspiring creators to 12,000 subscribers, and who did Vlogmas back in 2018. While that was a depleting endeavor, Tosone said, she has pre-filmed all of her Shortsmas clips this year, and has received upwards of 1,000 views on each post thus far.
"Posting thirty-one Shorts felt a lot more attainable," Tosone said. "The one year that I did all twenty-four days, I was like, I don't think I could do this again."
Amid a kind of arms race for short-form content between the major platforms, Tosone said the hands-on approach of YouTube's Shorts Creator Community feels like something of a welcome anomaly: "It's nice to know that there's an actual human I can reach out to if there's ever an issue," she said, "unlike Instagram."
This isn't the first time that Vlogmas has been conducted in an abbreviated medium or off YouTube's shores. In 2019, Shane Dawson said he would post Vlogmas on his Instagram and Snapchat Stories. And many TikTokers this year are partaking in the roughly analogous #Tokmas. There are 8.8 million videos associated with that hashtag – though again, not all refer to a daily undertaking.
Those trying Shortsmas are free to repurpose their Shorts onto other platforms, participants said. And Cherry, who is more active on TikTok and has just 400 subscribers on her YouTube channel, sees it as a way to kickstart her channel after a months-long break.
"One of things I learned is that people are actually consuming more Shorts than are being created," said Cherry, who tried Vlogmas in 2021 but quit halfway through. "So it's a really great time to start pushing out that organic content."


text:
SuperShuttle, those signature blue vans that defined airport ridesharing in 1983 is calling it quits for good.
What is SuperShuttle?
SuperShuttle began in Los Angeles in 1983 when founder Mitch Rouse couldn’t fit his friends, baggage and ski gear couldn’t fit into a taxi cab. Necessity is the mother of invention so Mitch created the airport shared-ride van concept.
The iconic blue vans could be seen all over the Los Angeles area using the concept of shared-ride vans where two or three parties in a nearby pickup or dropoff area would ride together for a lesser rate.
In addition to the blue vans, SuperShuttle also operated a dedicated-ride division known as Black Cars (later renamed to Execucar). This division used black sedans and SUVs to transport customers to/from a single address.
What Happened to SuperShuttle?
Call it progress, competition or change of transportation options, they all took a toll on SuperShuttle. Lyft and Uber undercut Black Car rates with dedicated single-stop service. As the popularity of Lyft and Uber gained momentum and the use of a handy app, sales on the SuperShuttle side declined as well.
To be fair, Los Angeles Worlds Airports who operate the FlyAway buses to the Valley destinations is also facing a decline in ridership. Here is the statement from Los Angeles World Airports on the SuperShuttle closing:
Over the last three years, shared-ride operators lost two-thirds of their business with bus passengers on the FlyAway buses declining by the same amount. In the same time period, the number of rides using Lyft and Uber has more than doubled. It is clear to see that passengers have had a shift in preference to airport transportation.
Recently, Los Aneles International Airport has moved Lyft, Uber and taxi pickup points away from the terminals to ease traffic congestion on the arrival level. They allowed SuperShuttle to keep their terminal pickup locations but that was too little and too late to save SuperShuttle.
Service Has Already Ceased At Many Airports
In it’s prime, SuperShuttle had expanded across the U.S. to Latin America, Canada, Europe and Asia. The decline which began recently has seen service cut at Burbank (BUR), Sacramento (SMF), Phoenix (PHX), Baltimore (BWI), Minneapolis (MSP) and others. The final ride will go out on December 31, 2019.
The SuperShuttle website is still up and accepting reservations through December 31,2019. I priced a four-mile trip on December 24th and here are the results:
- SuperShuttle shared-ride was priced at $22.00
- Execucar dedicated-ride was priced at $50.00
In my opinion, these prices are too high for me to pay for a 10-minute ride on streets with very little traffic.
My Take On SuperShuttle’s Closing
I used to live near Los Angeles International Airport and those blue vans were everywhere. SuperShuttle used to be the best option to taking a taxi to and from the airport.
I have always said that consumers vote with their wallets. The SuperShuttle business model was great in 1983 but is obsolete by today’s standards. Finally, people’s preferences for point-to-point transportation has changed over the past three years. The tribe has spoken and SuperShuttle is out.


text:
INDORE: Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is maintaining a vigil over e-commerce gateway operators, many of whom store financial information about Indians on overseas servers, but is not imposing new stringent regulations on new form of transactions, RBI deputy governor SS Mundra said in city on Friday.
Mundra said the RBI is seized of the matter and e-commerce transactions are discussed practically at every high-level meeting of the central bank. "Innovation will bring in development in the country. E-commerce payment gateways and other high-tech transactions are a part of the innovation. We are keeping a close watch on all such transactions, but at this point of time we do not want to hamper such innovations with stricter and tighter regulations," Mundra told reporters here. On Panama Papers, Mundra said "We cannot comment much on anything at this point of time."
On RBI's plans to lower interest rate, Mundra said, "Business is growing and as we expect a good monsoon, decision will be taken in this regard. Economic policies have made the difference and with liquidity frame work, international situation and lower inflation rate as compared to earlier years, we expect a good change."
Speaking about the bank losses and shrinking deposits, Mundra said, "When the inflation rate and deposit growth are less bank deposits are less and bring in losses for banks. Over a period of time, inflation has come down and we hope banks would attract more deposits." Mundra was in Indore to launch a tablet application by Axis Bank to strengthen rural lending programme.
Speaking about rural economy, Mundra said, "Today land fragmentation is a big concern for us where the minimum land availability with farmers is less. As compared to the United States, we have a lower land holding. If pooling system takes place in the land it would be beneficial for farmers."
The Mumbai centre will house 72 international and Indian brands, 27 culinary outlets with cuisines from across the globe, an open-air weekend community market, pet-friendly services, according to the company's statement.


text:
Entrepreneur Kevin Czinger is excited about the future of cars. But instead of focusing on driverless vehicles like Google and Uber, he has something else in mind: 3D-printing.
Enter his revolutionary take on automobiles — the Blade, a car built out of 3D-printed aluminum joints that snap together like legos.
As the founder of Divergent 3D, Czinger is betting big on the idea that car parts can be designed, printed and then assembled in micro-factories all over the country.
Divergent 3D raised $23 million in a series A round in January, according to Cruchbase.
Czinger appeared on the season three premiere of CNBC's "Jay Leno's Garage" to show off his ultra-sleek 1400-pound, 700 horsepower prototype. Leno can be seen taking the car for a spin around Los Angeles in this YouTube video for his show.
"[Czinger's] real goal is to sell this technology to major manufacturers," Leno says. "And the cool thing is, it's made right here in America."
The Blade made its debut in June of 2015 at the O'Reilly Solid Conference in San Francisco, where Czinger touted the car's revolutionary manufacturing technology and lightweight body.
Forbes noted at the time of the car's debut that it was "unclear how auto-safety regulators may regard the Blade" but gave options for how the company may want to explore the issue.
Czinger also boasts that the production process is environmentally friendly — another facet close to Divergent's core mission.
"Society has made great strides in its awareness and adoption of cleaner and greener cars," says Czinger, addressing the audience at the O'Reilly Solid Conference. "The problem is that while these cars do now exist, the actual manufacturing of them is anything but environmentally friendly."
CNBC's "Jay Leno's Garage" airs Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET.


text:
Pesticide applications are on the rise across the globe. Some of the most dangerous substances have been banned in the
European Union, but are still being used on a large scale in other parts of the world. Many are intended for the cultivation
of soybean and maize, which are destined mainly for use as livestock feed.
The worldwide use of pesticides has doubled since 1990, with over 4 million tonnes of active ingredients now applied every year to control weeds, insects and other plant pests. The quantities of pesticides traded are far higher than this, because the active ingredients are mixed with other chemicals and water to make them easier to apply and to boost their effectiveness. While applications have stagnated in many parts of the European Union over the last 30 years, they have increased sharply elsewhere in the world.
This increase results in part from the rising global demand for meat. This in turn stimulates the demand for protein-rich feed made from soybeans, the main producers of which are the USA, Brazil and Argentina. These three countries are among the world’s biggest pesticide users. The figures for China are contradictory. The country’s statistics office has given the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations a figure of 1.7 million tonnes – over 40 percent of global consumption. But an official Chinese specialized authority reports just 300,000 tonnes. It is unclear if the two numbers can be compared. Regarding herbicides, which are used to control weeds, the USA uses more than 250,000 tonnes, Brazil nearly 230,000 tonnes, and Argentina 161,000 tonnes. Together, that is nearly 70 percent of the global reported consumption.
Agrochemicals are used to produce many crops in these countries. Soybeans, most of which are processed into livestock feed, play a special role. In Brazil, 52 percent of all pesticide sales are for soybean production. Rising in parallel to soy production, which has increased almost sixfold since 1990, is pesticide use: nine times as much pesticide is sprayed today in Brazil as 30 years ago.
The rise in pesticide consumption in Brazil and Argentina is linked to the introduction of genetically modified soybeans at the end of the 1990s. These plants are resistant to glyphosate, a broad-spectrum systemic herbicide. Glyphosate can be sprayed on soybeans while they are growing in the field to destroy any weeds that compete with the crop. But the more glyphosate is applied, the likelier it is that the weeds will become resistant to the spray – forcing farmers to spray even more, and to use different types of weedkillers. A vicious circle ensues.
It is the pesticide producers that reap the rewards. The main beneficiaries are Syngenta, headquartered in Switzerland; Bayer and BASF in Germany; and Corteva and FMC in the USA. These five firms control over 70 percent of the world market for pesticides, which was valued at an estimated 60 billion US dollars in 2019. Syngenta is the global market leader, accounting for one quarter of industry sales alone.
The pesticides sold by the five firms vary in their mode of action as well as in the risks they pose. Non-governmental organizations estimate that in 2018, the firms generated a combined 35 percent of global sales from substances that are particularly damaging to humans or the environment. The NGO Pesticide Action Network classifies such substances as “highly hazardous” on the basis of assessments by various national and international authorities.
These companies are grouped into a trade association known as “CropLife International”. They do a particularly good business in highly hazardous pesticides for growing feed crops. Applications for soy and maize account for almost half their sales of such pesticides. In Brazil, their biggest market, soybean cultivation accounts for almost two-thirds of those sales.
The top seller is glyphosate, classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer as “probably carcinogenic”. Besides Bayer AG, which acquired most of its glyphosate business through its purchase of the US company Monsanto, hundreds of other companies have long since sold this controversial product. For soybean cultivation in Brazil alone, 246 glyphosate-containing pesticide products from 50 different companies are approved for sale.
Other highly dangerous substances are also in use. Paraquat, for example, is popular. Because of its high acute toxicity, this herbicide, developed in 1955, has been banned in over 50 countries, including the European Union, Switzerland, China and, since September 2020, Brazil. Syngenta and other firms nonetheless still sell it in countries where regulation and enforcement are weaker. German and US companies also continue to trade in many pesticides that are banned in their home markets because of known risks. The German firm Bayer AG sells insecticides in South America that are banned in the European Union due to their high bee toxicity.
Many of these pesticides are produced in the European Union and then exported. Under the EU-Mercosur trade agreement, this trade could increase further because the customs duties for chemical products – including pesticides – are to be reduced. Nonetheless, the European Commission wants to stop the production of chemicals for export if they are banned in the EU. A first success is in France, where such a ban will come into force in 2022. Exports from Switzerland were tightened in 2021, and the export of five pesticides is now banned.


text:
Activision Blizzard Game Workers Take Collective Action to Reduce Pay Inequities
Employees of video game publisher Activision Blizzard Inc. are comparing their salaries after an internal company survey revealed that more than half of the company’s workers were unhappy with their pay. Activision Blizzard had promised pay increases after conducting a pay equity study, but many game workers have expressed frustration about the raises provided.
The high ratio of CEO-to-worker pay continues to be an issue of concern at Activision Blizzard. Last year, Activision Blizzard’s CEO Robert Kotick made more than $30 million in total compensation, or 319 times the company’s median employee pay. The company’s disclosed CEO-to-worker pay ratio did not budge at all between 2018 and 2019.
Even Activision Blizzard’s shareholders are upset. Proxy adviser Institutional Shareholder Services noted that “the CEO’s legacy employment agreement provides numerous overlapping pay opportunities, which raise concerns over potential excessive payouts in the future.” At this year’s shareholder meeting, 43% of votes were cast against the company’s executive pay.
Working people are better able to negotiate a fair return on our work when we have information on rates of play in our workplace. Comparing salaries also can help prevent unlawful pay discrimination based on race or gender. Although 60% of surveyed tech workers reported pressure from their employer to keep salary information secret, sharing pay data is a legally protected right under U.S. labor law.
Game workers create the content that makes video game companies like Activision Blizzard so profitable. The action by game workers at Activision Blizzard is a powerful reminder that working people can reduce pay inequities by coming together collectively. That’s why last year I wrote an open letter pledging our solidarity as a labor movement with game worker organizing efforts.
As Activision Blizzard’s game workers have shown, pay transparency can be the first step to negotiating pay fairness in the workplace. It doesn’t matter if you are a computer programmer or a factory worker; all working people deserve fair pay and a voice at work.
Wed, 08/05/2020 – 09:50


text:
Larco U-WAV Touchless Sensing Wall Switch Opens Doors with a Wave of the Hand
Oct 09, 2014
EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. (Oct. 13, 2014) – Researchers at the University of Arizona found that it takes only two to four hours for a virus to spread through an office, hotel or healthcare facility after a doorknob or tabletop is contaminated. To help organizations reduce the spread of infection, ATEK Access Technologies, LLC today released the new and improved Larco U-WAV touchless sensing wall switch, a sensor switch designed for activation of automatic doors, lighting controls or call points.“The touchless capability is ideal for our customers who are worried about the spread of germs and bacteria,” said Neil Davaz, division manager for Advanced Entry Systems in Seattle. “The U-WAV’s low profile and sleek design looks great in any state-of-the-art facility. We’ve installed U-WAV units throughout six hospitals along the Puget Sound.”
The U-WAV touch-free switch is compliant with part 15 of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rules. The switch works by sensing motion—the wave of a person’s hand—at a selectable detection range from zero to 15 inches. It features blue LED backlighting and is uniquely designed to be aesthetically pleasing while providing reliable operation. Composed of durable Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) plastic, U-WAV’s universal plate design fits most standard single gang electrical boxes. The U-WAV cover is available in gray, black or white.“Touchless technology is a valuable tool in reducing the spread of infection,” said Scott Gardeen, senior product manager for Larco products. “The U-WAV touchless wall switch makes opening a door simple and germ free.”
In addition to healthcare facilities, U-WAV sensor switches are ideal for use in clean rooms, pharmacies, physician’s offices, restrooms, food processing plants, restaurants, and anywhere hygiene and convenience are required.
Larco is an ATEK Access Technologies brand and leader in access technologies for public entrances. For more information about Larco products, visit www.larco.com and follow them on Twitter at @ATEKLarco.
About ATEK Access Technologies
ATEK Access Technologies, LLC is part of the ATEK Companies group of technology and manufacturing businesses. Its industry-leading brands use the power of advanced machine-to-machine (M2M) technologies to provide customers access to superior efficiencies and savings, essential data and systems, improved safety and control, and expert solutions and support. Its brands include Datakey, Larco and TankScan. For more information, visit www.atekaccess.com.
Media Contact:Christina AlvarezMulberry Marketing Communications312firstname.lastname@example.org


text:
Specific Media Ad Network Raises $100 Million
It’s not clear exactly how much money Specific Media got in a recent round of funding. What is clear, though, is that the online advertising company intends to go on an acquisition spree.
In its current state, Specific Media isn’t exactly tiny; comScore puts it in third place behind Advertising.com and ValueClick, and its advertising network includes household names like ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, and Viacom. The fresh funding should take it even farther.
According to Specific Media’s own statement, it received “up to $100 million, with access to further resources as necessary . . .” That’s not as specific was one might like, and the company also didn’t identify any directions or particular targets for its acquisitions. Still, the theme of “growth” was quite plain.
“The ultimate goal is to be the largest independent ad network,” said Tim Vanderhook, Specific Media’s CEO, in an interview with Zachary Rodgers. “If there’s going to be a company that overtakes Advertising.com, we definitely have our sights set on it.”
All of this seems to point to a company that will remain independent, despite recent deals in the market involving Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft. And so long as Specific Media is able to bring in $100 million at will – why not?


text:
Daimler Q1 profits beat expectations as Mercedes car sales continue to surge
12 April 2017
12 April 2017
In a surprise preliminary release in advance of the full Q1 2017 results being published on 26 April, Daimler reported on Tuesday that its earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) almost doubled from €2.1 billion in Q1 2016 to €4.0 billion in Q1 2017. The gains are largely attributed to an ongoing surge in demand for Mercedes cars, which only regained the premium car brand sales crown from BMW in 2016.
Earnings were further boosted by Daimler’s investment in Chinese OEM BAIC, a revaluation of the company’s stake in mapping specialist HERE and a one-off gain from the sale of MFTBC (Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation) real estate.
The core Mercedes-Benz Cars division sold 16% more cars in Q1 2017 than in the first quarter of 2016, which resulted in the unit’s profits rising 60% to €2.24 billion euros. The brand has been revitalised by the release of new versions of its core C-Class and E-Class models as well as the expansion of its SUV line-up with models such as the GLC coupe. A refreshed Mercedes S-Class is also due to be unveiled at the Shanghai Motor Show next week.
Daimler‘s profits were ′significantly better than market expectations‘ and this will especially delight CEO Dieter Zetsche as he embarks on an electric vehicle (EV) offensive, having only announced late in March at the annual shareholders meeting that the company has brought forward its EV plans by three years.
Photograph courtesy of Daimler


text:
The U.S. operations of video game maker Atari have filed for bankruptcy to break free from their debt-laden French parent.
Atari Inc. and three affiliates filed Chapter 11 petitions in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in New York Sunday. In Chapter 11, a company seeks relief from creditors to reorganize with the hope of emerging from bankruptcy in stronger condition.
Atari's leaders hope to break the American business free from French parent Atari S.A. and then find a buyer to take the company private.
They hope to grow a modest business focused on digital and mobile platforms, according to a knowledgeable person not authorized to discuss the matter.
Although the 31-year-old brand is still known for its pioneering role with video games such as "Pong" and "Asteroids," Atari has been mired in financial problems for decades. Since the early 2000s it has been closely tied to French company Infogrames, which changed its name to Atari S.A. in 2003 and in 2008 acquired all the gaming pioneer's American assets.
Chief executive Jim Wilson has been with Atari Inc. since 2008, and in 2010 became CEO of the French parent. Wilson has tried to rebuild Atari, which has just 40 employees in the United States, by developing games for smartphones and the Web based on well-known properties -- among them a successful compilation of arcade titles and an updated "Pong." He has also licensed the Atari logo for consumer products, a business that provides about 17 percent of the company's revenue.
There is evidence that the U.S. operation, which after the sale of other assets now makes up the bulk of Atari S.A.'s business, has been improving. The corporate parent has been profitable for the past two fiscal years, save for the effect of a money-losing French subsidiary, Eden Games, that has been up for sale. Before that, neither Atari S.A. nor Infogrames had been profitable for about a decade.
Still, its profits have been small ($11 million and $4 million, respectively, for the past two fiscal years) and revenue plummeted 34 percent in fiscal 2012 and 43 percent in fiscal 2011.


text:
Thursday, February 7, 2013
Magazines React to Post Office Cutbacks
Assorted press have picked up MPA and the magazine media industry's reactions to the Postal Service's plans to move to a five-day delivery schedule .
AAM Releases 2nd Half 2012 Circ Snapshot
AAM released the Snapshot (formerly known as FAS-FAX) report today, which includes top-line print and digital circulation data for all magazine members for second half 2012.
The 2013 Fulfillment Service Bureau Survey
Publishers continue to experiment with content and marketing models, which is putting pressure on the bureaus to program a variety of solutions, bordering on the bespoke.
Time Inc.'s All You Looks Beyond Walmart
The test, expected to take place on a regional basis, as early as June, grew out of a survey that found that nine out of 10 women consider themselves "smart shoppers" and who shop for deals.
GQ Teams with Mr Porter for GQ Selects
The multichannel initiative will live on linked pages of gq.com and the luxury e-tailer, with a promotional page in the print magazine driving traffic to the respective sites.
Mary Alice Stephenson Joins Seventeen
Gregory Dorn Joins Hearst Business Media
Digital Media Start-up Launched by Team Behind British Journal of Photography & Popular Science UK; Apptitude Media "to Help Reinvent the Magazine"
Dan Klaidman Named Newsweek/The Daily Beast’s National Political Correspondent
Lisa Schwarzbaum Departs Entertainment Weekly
Former Conde Nast Entertainment Exec to Lead Digital Push at Shout! Factory
Travel + Leisure Announces 2013 Design Award Winners
Can Ziff Davis Replicate Success with IGN?
Lucky Scales Back Frequency As Part of Strategic Evolution
Charity Ball for Turtles Sees Launch of New Mag
At 50, New York Review of Books Celebrates the Longevity of a Magazine, and a Mission
Net-a-Porter to Launch Magazine
Lee Radziwill Covers Deborah Needleman's First Issue of T
11 National Enquirer Stories That Turned Out to Be True
Lagardère Cites Declines in Ads, Circulation
Remedy Health Launches BerkeleyWellness.com
How We’ll Know When Google Play Really Has Caught Up to iOS App Store
Join a must-attend conference that tackles today’s most important issues at retail – driving sales, leveraging change and creating new opportunities. Philadelphia, June 10-12.
ASME is sponsoring a scholarship to attend the @YalePubCourse, 7/14-19 for publishing professionals. Apply by 3/15
February 07, 2013
In an ever-evolving media landscape, media companies are expected to distribute content from their brands across a variety of channels, platforms, websites, apps, print and more. During this webinar learn how to succeed in today’s disruptive environment, prioritize digital efforts and gain new customers in doing so.
March 28, 2013
Grand Hyatt New York
Come hear the world's most noted publishers, tech experts, financial pros and media pioneers as they share what's new - and what's next - in magazine media technology at the Swipe 2.0 Conference taking place at the Grand Hyatt New York, March 27-28, 2013.
© Quentin Bacon
Food & Wine: To celebrate Valentine’s Day, here are amazing recipes for two, decadent chocolate desserts, sexiest dishes and more romantic ideas.


text:
MANILA: Asean and the European Union agreed on Friday to work toward resuming stalled free trade agreement talks and counter a trend toward protectionism.
In a joint statement, economic ministers of Asean and European Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom said the global economic outlook had improved.
But they expressed caution over uncertainties arising from "growing protectionist and inward-looking policy stances" that often blame trade for the loss of jobs because of automation and industrialisation.
"We do see tendencies of protectionism and anti-globalisation across the world," Malmstrom told reporters after a meeting of economic ministers from both regions. "Closing borders and building walls, raising tariffs -- that will not be a solution, but will rather reinforce the problems."
The challenge for leaders is to make a strong case for open, fair and free trade and to ensure it is efficient, benefits small businesses and increases investment and jobs.
Philippine Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez said statements from some world leaders, whom he did not name, had added to uncertainty.
Negotiations on an EU-Asean free trade agreement were launched in 2007 but were suspended in 2009 due to differences over ambitions for the plan. The vast gap between affluent EU nations and developing countries in Southeast Asia also complicated the talks.
The EU then started bilateral trade negotiations with individual Asean members. It has FTAs with Vietnam and Singapore and is still negotiating agreements with Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines. Other Asean members are Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and Brunei.
Two-way trade between the two regions stood at €208 billion (US$220.5 billion) in 2016. The EU was the largest external source of foreign direct investment into Asean in 2015, at €23.3 billion ($24.7 billion).


text:
Girl Scout cookies are an American tradition: For a few bucks, you get to feel good about supporting a local troop, helping to assuage the guilt of nibbling on chocolate-covered Thin Mints.
For supporters in Northern California, however, those cookies now require a bigger chunk of dough. That's because the high cost of doing business in San Francisco and Silicon Valley has prompted the local Girl Scout council to bump the cost by 25 percent to $5.
With the price hike, the Girl Scouts of Northern California becomes the first council within the mainland U.S.A. to reach $5 per box, with most other regions asking supporters for either $4 or $3.50, said council chief executive Marina Park. The reason? Blame the high cost of living in Northern California.
"Just for people to live here costs a lot. Rents are crazy," Park said. "We have to pay a competitive rate for our staff. It's nothing compared with a tech company, but we have to compete with other nonprofits."
The only other council to charge $5 per box is the Girl Scouts of Hawaii, Park said. Hawaii, of course, is also known for its high cost of living.
The Northern California council serves girls from the border of Oregon to Santa Clara county, home to Silicon Valley, which includes some of the country's most expensive real estate markets. Median rent on a 2-bedroom apartment in San Francisco, for instance, is $3,350, while San Jose is hardly a bargain at $2,500.
At the same time, parents in Northern California are increasingly interested in boosting so-called STEM experiences -- science, technology, engineering and mathematics -- for their daughters, which has prompted the council to invest in programming to teach girls the basics of circuit design and design thinking, as well as to create robotics teams, Park said. The council is also providing more training tools online, which also adds to costs.
"Our volunteers want more technology," she said. "That's part of being in this part of the country. All of that takes money."
Park said her council has budgeted for a 15 percent decline in sales volume because of the $1 increase, with the expectation some some people may balk. Her council's cookie sale began on Sunday and will end on March 16.
From personal experience as a co-leader of a Girl Scout troop, running a cookie sale has helped our scouts pay for outings and camping, but we encountered a few raised eyebrows when our council boosted its per-box price by 50 cents to $4 a few years back. And some patrons can't help but to reminisce about back when a box cost just $1 or $2.
The business of Girl Scout cookies has grown increasingly complex -- and expensive -- with scouts and their parents seeking out cutting-edge technology and upgraded camp facilities.
At the same time, Girl Scouting is facing some significant issues, such as a decade-long slip in enrollment. Girls today have many more options than they did in previous generations, with some opting for sports leagues and after-school enrichment activities rather than scouting.
Councils rely on the cookie sales for about 80 percent of their revenue, according to The Chronicle of Philanthropy.
For the Girl Scouts of Northern California, about $3 of each sale will go to the council, which provides training, programming and runs the area's camps. Each troop will take home $1.02. Most of the rest of the cost goes toward the cost of producing the cookies.
At $5 per box, that means a package of Samoas costs about two-thirds more than a container of Nabisco Oreo cookies.
Complaints about the cost of Girl Scout cookies aren't new. Some wags have pointed out on Twitter that a box costs more than a gallon of gas. But such comparisons aren't seeing the whole picture, notes Girl Scouts of the USA chief communications executive Kelly Parisi.
"Simply, it is difficult to compare the act of buying Girl Scout Cookies to the act of buying other consumables because buying Girl Scout Cookies is, in fact, an investment," Parisi wrote in an email.
Northern California Girl Scouts are learning how to explain the higher price, a valuable skill in learning to be a business person, Park said.
"A critical skill set in business is being able to make the case for the value in why you are charging the price you are charging," she said. "I'm optimistic that the community will see the value of Girl Scouts and that they'll happily spend an extra dollar."


text:
Las Vegas, NV, Oct. 24, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — through NEWMEDIAWIRE — Hemp, Inc. (OTC PINK: HEMP) updates its shareholders on the 1st phase of processing its higher cannabidiol (CBD) hemp crops in Medford, Oregon. According to executives, the Business has harvested what will be more than 85,000 pounds of higher CBD hemp flower. Hemp, Inc.’s drying method lends itself to generating its higher good quality variety of “King of Hemp” pre-rolls and higher CBD hemp flower. The sheer size and scope of this year’s crop is practically nothing brief of incredible and is anticipated to be a enormous game changer for Hemp, Inc. in terms of anticipated income. To get a glimpse of the size and scope of this operation, click right here.
The Oregon harvest is anticipated to place the corporation on the frontlines of creating some of the nation’s greatest smokable hemp flower. “Many individuals, authorities in the sector, have come out to see our develop and we’ve gotten a lot of optimistic comments. Several have stated it is the greatest crop in Southern Oregon,” stated Bruce Perlowin, CEO of Hemp, Inc. “We anticipate this to be the biggest on-going profit center in Hemp, Inc.’s 10 year history. The outcomes of this harvest are proving to be extremely promising. Moreover, our shareholders and prospective shoppers have a one of a kind chance to watch the prosperous roll-out, on a every day basis, of Hemp, Inc.’s pre-rolls and higher CBD smokable flower, as it goes via every of the unique actions of production.” These actions of production contain: preparing the field planting developing harvesting drying curing bucking trimming bulk packaging rolling and packaging the pre-rolls and, fulfillment.
The Business has employed more than 200 personnel through its harvest season to additional help the infrastructure vital for regional and huge scale farmers operating in the hemp space. According to Perlowin, sector authorities predict 65% of hemp grown in America will in no way make it out of the fields and into the final retail stage. Contrary to this statistic, “Hemp, Inc. has survived and flourished and will be aspect of the 35% that basically tends to make it to the marketplace,” says Perlowin. Hemp, Inc. executives anticipate millions of dollars in income.
The projected launch date of the pre-rolls, according to executives, is December 1, 2019. The Company’s “King of Hemp” solution line will offer you higher-finish items that are an successful and flavorful option to cigarettes, vaping and other hemp consumption techniques. The pre-rolls and higher CBD buds are compliant with federal regulations and do not exceed .three% THC, generating Hemp, Inc.’s pre-rolls legal in all 50 states primarily based on the 2018 Farm Bill.
To see one particular-minute videos of Hemp, Inc.’s existing activities, as it goes via the different phases of generating the “King of Hemp” pre-roll line, pay a visit to Bruce Perlowin’s individual Facebook web page, exactly where he shares every day posts of Hemp, Inc.’s activities about the nation. Moreover, adhere to Hemp, Inc. on Facebook, right here on Instagram, right here and on Twitter, right here.
CBDs are continuing to soar reputation as the Business continues to create their footprint across the nation by strategically creating out their hemp developing and processing infrastructure in Oregon to help the improvement of their “King of Hemp” solution line. The Business has also garnered an array of news coverage. Most not too long ago, the Business was featured in a major digital publisher of true-time monetary news, The Fly. The published report capabilities an exclusive interview with Hemp, Inc. CEO, Bruce Perlowin, for its current edition of “Rising High”. Through the in-depth conversation, in the report entitled “Rising Higher: An Exclusive Speak with Industrial Hemp Business Hemp, Inc.”, Perlowin discusses smokable hemp offering green options via a healthier, eco-friendly method the Company’s social mission, expansion, competitive benefit, challenges and possibilities and the essential value of infrastructure for hemp in America.
These interested in getting Hemp, Inc.’s pre-rolls really should e mail [email protected]
WHAT IS HEMP, INC.?
What is Hemp, Inc.? With a deep-rooted social and environmental mission at its core, Hemp, Inc. seeks to create a small business constituency for the American smaller farmer, the American veteran, and other groups experiencing the ever-rising disparity among tapering revenue and soaring costs. As a leader in the industrial hemp sector with ownership of the biggest industrial multi-goal industrial hemp processing facility in North America, Hemp, Inc. believes there can be tangible positive aspects reaped from adhering to a corporate social duty program.
FORWARD-Hunting DISCLAIMER AND DISCLOSURES
This press release may perhaps include specific forward-searching statements and details, as defined inside the which means of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and is topic to the Protected Harbor designed by these sections. To clarify the problem of OTC putting a quit sign subsequent to Hemp, Inc.’s stock trading symbol, that symbol indicates Hemp, Inc. does not report their financials. As a non-reporting pink sheet corporation, Hemp, Inc. is not necessary to report. The corporation does, nonetheless, pick to publicly report its quarterly and yearly financials on its internet site. According to the company’s CEO, the OTC quit sign is a misrepresentation of that reporting truth. This material consists of statements about anticipated future events and/or monetary outcomes that are forward-searching in nature and topic to dangers and uncertainties. Such forward-searching statements by definition involve dangers, uncertainties.
Make contact with:


text:
Apple are famous for their stringent (and some might say overzealous) enforcement of IP and patents, but they’re not the only people who are capable to fire a lawsuit at anyone they possibly can.
A Delaware company has acquired an old IP from BT, and is now aiming the lawsuit gun at just about every single mobile company you can think of.
Apple, HTC, LG, NEC, Motorola, Sony and many more are targets in the case, and it’s all to do with this:
That is US Patent 5,491,834, and it details a technique used by phones to decide whether to connect to a different mast.
BT filed the patent back in 1993, and are still listed as being in control of it – but the lawsuit brought by Steelhead (the company in question) assures all involved that the company have full rights of recover, and will be reclaiming what they believe is rightfully theirs (BT have stated that they are nothing to do with the lawsuit and will not be claiming any money from Steelhead).
For those wondering how this can happen, the simple version is this: Patents have to be renewed by the company who initially files them – and if they do not, the IP becomes available to others. Also, if a company purchases another, they will usually receive the IPs belonging to that company as well – and sometimes they will shed patents they don’t require.


text:
Wearing pyjamas, tracksuits, chinos with sneakers or loafers and just about whatever else you feel like, to a private soirée is now a thing.
This is all made possible by gender-fluid fashion god and Gucci creative director, Alessandro Michele — who recently threw an intimate party for the launch of his first Gucci women’s fragrance, Bloom.
The common understanding of an A-list party attire is that men suit up in their best tuxedos, while women throw on cocktail dresses, skirts and pantsuits. But Michele is not having it, and we’re about to get on his new trend in the most polished way possible.
The party attendees included newly-appointed Gucci Bloom spokeswoman and actress Dakota Johnson, Hari Nef, Petra Collins, Soko, Lana Del Rey, A$AP Rocky and more.
Some guests like Johnson took on the most Gucci-like of formal dressing, while others like A$AP Rocky, Soko, Sean Lennon and Miles McMillan, opted for Michele’s same unconventional sense of style — which has now become part of the Italian fashion house’ aesthetic.
The Fifty Shades actress wore a green dress, patterned with trees and lace features. A$AP Rocky, donned a blue leather track pant and a matching orange track jacket with a Spider-Man printed white T-shirt and Miles McMillan wore a green silk Gucci bee-embroidered jacquard pyjama.
Meanwhile, Soko wore yellow pants paired with black striped yellow top, a red and black checkered coat, similar to Sean Lennon’s black, orange and white checkered suit.
A$AP Rocky is not new to this rebellious trend, he has been wearing tracksuits to events for quite some time now but fashion has always been about the expression and reflection of our culture.
Right now, we’re settling into the era of digital revolution — where relearning and unlearning are taking place. We are seeing a lot of risk-taking and many designers are predicting that the future of fashion is headed towards a place with no boundaries.
Roger Federer’s Met Ball tux with an embellished cobra motif, which he aptly described as a “business in the front, party in the back,” ensemble is just one of many examples of risk-taking.
Clearly, Michele’s approach is a step in the right direction and in our latest issue of GQ Style, on shelves now, Zach Baron talks about his successful ways of creating radical change in the industry.
In his own words, the designer puts everything in perspective: ‘If you put something good on you and you try to play like a child with crazy things on you, it’s like you forget that you have to die. And death doesn’t recognise you.’


text:
The Governemt is set to put out a major post-Brexit announcement today, with ministers expected to unveil streamlined post-Brexit checks on goods coming to the UK from the EU. The checks, which are legally required under the Brexit trade deal with the European Union, have been delayed by the Government four times.
The Cabinet Office is expected to publish details of how the new customs and regulatory process will work later today.
The checks will not be introduced until later this year.
While the Government is expected to have reduced the checks as much as feasibly possible, there are still expected to be thorough checks on food and animal products.
A Cabinet Office spokesperson told the i: “The Government is delivering on our ambition to have the world’s most effective border.
“Our new target operating model will reduce the need for checks for many types of goods.
“We are working with stakeholders and are taking a pragmatic approach to phasing in these controls to give business the opportunity to prepare.”
This comes just days after queues engulfed the Port of Dover, as Easter holiday tourists attempted to make their way to France.
A critical incident was declared at the port on Friday as traffic built up at the port as a result of increased numbers of holidaymakers passing through the border.
Speaking over the weekend, Suella Braverman said it would be unfair to view the delays as “an adverse effect of Brexit”.
The PM’s official spokesman said a “combination of factors” were responsible for the issues, including French border officers “inspecting and stamping every single passport”.
MORE TO FOLLOW…


text:
You’ve got a new home, Charlie Brown
The marketing rights for Charlie Brown, Snoopy and the rest of the gang are changing hands.
Iconix Brand Group Inc. says it has acquired the “Peanuts” brand and other assets from United Features Syndicate Inc. and E.W. Scripps Co. for about $175 million in partnership with the family of Charles Schulz, who created the comic strip.
The New York-based fashion house said it would buy United Media Licensing, owner of the Peanuts and Dilbert character brands, through a newly formed subsidiary, in which Iconix will hold an 80 percent share and the Schulz family will hold the remaining stake. Iconix, which will fund its share of the acquisition with its existing cash balance, said on a pro-forma basis, the deal is expected to generate about $75 million in royalty revenue and add 12 cents to 15 cents a share to its earnings annually.
Peanuts has more than 1,200 licenses and generates annual retail sales of more than $2 billion. Iconix owns and licenses several consumer brands, including Joe Boxer underwear, Badgley Mischka, Candie’s and Mudd. The apparel maker said Tuesday its first quarter profits rose 58 percent. Other characters included in the deal are Dilbert and children’s book heroine Fancy Nancy.
There’s a lot happening in the world. Through it all, Marketplace is here for you.
You rely on Marketplace to break down the world’s events and tell you how it affects you in a fact-based, approachable way. We rely on your financial support to keep making that possible.
Your donation today powers the independent journalism that you rely on. For just $5/month, you can help sustain Marketplace so we can keep reporting on the things that matter to you.


text:
It might be harder to source tantalum capacitors in the next couple years. Sharp cutbacks in tantalum ore mining could lead to supply tightness in tantalum capacitors in 2011 and 2012, according to a new report.
The problem is that a lot of tantalum production has ceased because of low prices for tantalum ore, says Patrick Stratton, an analyst with United Kingdom-based market researcher Roskill, who authored a recent report called The Economics of Tantalum.
“Capacitors are obviously a major user of tantalum,” says Stratton. “There is a strong possibility there could be a supply crunch of primary tantalum in 2012 and possibly as early as 2011,” he says. A supply crunch resulted in a severe shortage of tantalum capacitors in 2001.
Talison Minerals, which is a major producer of tantalum in Australia, ceased production because of weak demand and falling prices. Since Talison cut production last December, prices have fallen about $48/lb to $36, according to website metal-pages.com.
Other tantalum production operations in Mozambique and Canada have ceased operations and tantalum production fell by two-thirds this year and tantalum consumption fell by about 50% in the first half of the year, says metal-pages.com
Talison has said it won’t resume tantalum ore production until the price increases, but it has not said what the price needs to be.
Right now, cutbacks in tantalum production do not pose a problem because there are large inventories of tantalum which were built up since the last tantalum crisis. However, now “those inventories are being draw down” and it is not known how long the inventories will last, says Stratton.
Capacitor manufacturers don’t seem to be overly concerned about tantalum ore supply.
If there is a tantalum shortage “it won’t be a huge one,” says Dave Valletta, executive vice-president for worldwide sales at Vishay Intertechnology, based in Malvern, Pa. “The capacity is there, but it may mean there needs to be a certain price level to be established before that capacity comes back online,” he says.
A key question is how strong tantalum capacitor demand will be in the next few years. Researcher DECISION, based in Paris, says the global market for tantalum capacitors will decline from $2.3 billion in 2008 to $2.1 billion by 2010, but then increase to $2.3 billion by 2013.
How significant the impact of reduction of tantalum ore production on capacitor supply remains to be seen. Suppliers say there are high inventories levels of tantalum powder.
“Most manufacturers have a stockpile of tantalum powder built up and some of them have multiple years of inventory of powder on hand,” says Jim Wright, vice president of technology and marketing at NIC Components in Melville, N.Y.


text:
Owned by Wessanen UK, the organic and Fairtrade tea brand has signed a three-year agreement with the airline via its caterer, Gate Group.
The deal will see six organic teas from Clipper’s portfolio available to more than 90m passengers across 1,900 flights each day in 33 countries in Europe annually from October. The six variants are English Breakfast, Earl Grey, Peppermint, Lemon & Ginger, Redbush and Pure Green.
The teas will also be served in cups made from plants not plastic, that are fully compostable, made from sustainably-sourced card and lined with plant-based polylactic acid.
Clipper Teas was the UK’s first Fairtrade tea brand and is now the world’s largest buyer of Fairtrade tea.
Rebecca Vercoe, Clipper Teas brand controller at Wessanen UK, said: “Clipper has a strong heritage, commitment to ethical sourcing, and only uses the finest, natural ingredients to make a great-tasting cup of tea. These qualities are standing out during the tender process and helping us to create new partnerships in the foodservice sector. EasyJet were looking for an ethical tea company that could deliver great-tasting tea – a description that fits Clipper perfectly.
“We are thrilled to be supplying easyJet and look forward to seeing Clipper’s Fairtrade tea served in the skies for the first time.”
In April, Wessanen pledged to remove all traces of plastic from its teabags following trials at the company. During the same month, the business also appointed Cristina Ramsay as its new technical and corporate social responsibility director, with a focus on supplier assurance and food safety, legality and quality.


text:
Start the conversation
Starboard is pressuring Yahoo to halt the $20 billion Alibaba spin-off and instead sell its sputtering Internet business.
"If you stay on the current path, we believe the potential penalty for being wrong is just too great," Starboard wrote in a letter sent to Yahoo.
Starboard initially supported Yahoo's plan to sell its Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. (NYSE: BABA) stake. But that was before the IRS denied Yahoo's request for a private letter ruling on whether the Alibaba spin-off would be considered tax-free. Going forward without the IRS tax-free status approval raises the risk the agency could challenge the spin-off in a future audit.
It also means shareholders could be responsible for as much as $9 billion in taxes from the Alibaba spin-off.
Earlier this week, SunTrust analyst Robert Peck said he still believes the transaction will not incur taxes. Yet he cautioned that if taxed, the taxes "could equate to more than the full value" of the Alibaba stake.
In September, Yahoo said it would proceed with the planned Alibaba spin-off even after the IRS denied its request. And last month, Yahoo said it expected the spin-off to be completed in January.
Since Yahoo is already far along in the process and has communicated confidence about the outcome, it's unclear if Yahoo will reverse course and bow to Starboard's demands.
Here's what Starboard recommends Yahoo officials do instead of pursuing the Alibaba spin-off...


text:
U.S. beef and pork exports maintained their strong momentum in May, with double-digit increases in export value for both products compared to last year. Beef exports in May were up 5 percent in volume to 102,967 metric tons (mt) and 15 percent in value ($589 million). For the first five months of the year, export volume was up 9 percent to 479,344 mt and value increased 17 percent to $2.64 billion. May pork exports totaled 188,030 mt, up 4 percent from a year ago, while export value remained in the $600 million range for the third consecutive month ($599.6 million, +19 percent). For January through May, pork export volume (964,631 mt) was 9 percent ahead of last year’s pace, while export value was up 15 percent to $2.84 billion.
Dan Halstrom, U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) senior vice president for marketing and communications, further discusses these results in the attached audio report. He explains that while beef exports to Japan slowed in May, shipments to other Asian markets such as Hong Kong, South Korea and Taiwan trended higher. South Korea also stood out on the pork side, with export value up nearly 75 percent from a year ago. Halstrom also notes that Mexico continues to perform extremely well for both U.S. beef and pork in 2014.


text:
Snap Fitness and Hillman Racing Unveil Darlington Throwback Paint SchemeSnap Fitness
America’s Fitness Brand Honors Sterling Marlin’s Famous 9/11 Tribute Design
CHANHASSEN, Minn. (August 25, 2015) — While other sponsors are bringing back their “old school” logos and designs for the Bojangles’ Southern 500, Snap Fitness is paying homage to an iconic car: Sterling Marlin’s 2001 “God Bless America” paint scheme.
Marlin’s paint scheme ran for the first time in the 2001 Protection One 400, which took place a few weeks after the September 11 terrorist attacks. Chief Marketing Officer Steele Smiley called the design moving and timely for the upcoming Sept. 6 race.
“The ‘God Bless America’ paint scheme struck a cord with us,” Smiley said. “With Sept. 11 just days after the race, we thought this was a perfect opportunity to show our support for the victims of 9/11 and their families, as well as our appreciation for those who have served our country in the years since.”
The paint scheme for the most part stays true to the original car run by Marlin with two patriotic phrases around the car: “Proud to be an American” on the back quarter panels and “God Bless America” on the back rear. Snap Fitness added to the design with “9/11 Never Forget” on top of the trunk, complete with a skyline showcasing the Twin Towers.
This isn’t the first time Snap Fitness has showed its patriotism. All summer long, America’s Fitness Brand has ran a campaign to benefit Folds of Honor, an organization that provides scholarships to families of fallen soldiers. For every 30-day trial pass purchased until Labor Day, the fitness provider is donating $1 to Folds of Honor. Now, Snap Fitness is expanding its donation efforts in a special way with the announcement of its Darlington throwback paint scheme.
“As America’s Fitness Brand, we want to do as much as we can to help veterans and show our sincere appreciation for those who have served our country,” Smiley said. “The week of the Darlington race, every time someone shares or retweets any of social media posts that include #SnapHonors or uses that hashtag in any of their own posts, we will donate $1 to Folds of Honor.”
Cassill said he loves the continuation of patriotic paint schemes on the Hillman Racing No. 40 racecar.
“It was a defining cultural moment when Sterling ran this paint scheme on his No. 40,” Cassill said. “This paint scheme pays tribute to him and all those who were affected by the Sept. 11 attacks. This is America’s paint scheme – for all who have courageously served our country.”
Look for #SnapHonors on the Snap Fitness Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram accounts to get involved and give back with America’s Fitness Brand. Additional information about Hillman Racing is available on the team website, Facebook, and Twitter.
About Snap Fitness
With more than 2,000 clubs open or in development in 18 countries, Snap Fitness is one of the world’s largest 24/7 fitness franchises. Founded in 2003 by Peter Taunton, Snap Fitness is dedicated to providing members with more value than any other health club and entrepreneurs an opportunity with turnkey systems, financing options with low investments, and world-class support. For more information, please visit www.snapfitness.com.


text:
Android P code hints at wireless charging on the Pixel 3 series9
As discovered by XDA Developers, various strands of code hidden within the new software suggest deeper wireless charging support is on the way. See, since Android 4.2 Jelly Bean, the popular OS has supported wireless chargers in some capacity, but with the upcoming Android P release, it appears Google will be embracing the accessories further by creating a whole new category reserved expressly for wireless chargers within the “Connected Devices” menu. This assumption is primarily due to code that makes references to something called “dreamliner” along with various mentions of its wireless charging capabilities.
Currently, and upon inspection of the code, it’s clear that “dreamliner” isn’t related to anything that is publicly available at the moment but, perhaps more interestingly, is the fact that the code confirms that the product in question comes directly from Google and is designed to work specifically with a Google app. Now, due to its internal nature, there is currently no app available to download that would potentially allow for testing, but taking into account the various references to wireless charging and the fact that it only works when connected to Google’s own app suggests that “dreamliner” may well be Google’s own wireless charging dock that could be launched alongside the Pixel 3 series.
At this moment in time, this is simply speculative, but it's worth noting that the flagship devices aren't made out of a combination of glass and aluminum as originally thought. Instead, according to the source of yesterday’s images, it appears the smartphone lineup could feature an entire glass build, albeit with a frosted effect taking the place of last year’s metal portion, thus allowing for wireless charging support.