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In the daily government announcement on Wednesday, Ford, along with Health Minister Christine Elliott, responded to questions from the media about an open letter sent by a group of retailers asking the government to allow businesses to reopen not essential.
Ford said he should follow the advice of the province’s chief medical officer of health and temporarily shut down non-essential stores for the safety of Ontarians.
« [If] I put my hat on, I open these things in the blink of an eye, but I can’t. I have to listen to the health experts. It’s proven, it works, and that’s how we’ve been able to move forward all this time. I’m a businessman. I don’t want to shut them down, but health trumps my personal belief in doing something, ”Ford said.
In the letter, which was signed by around 50 retailers, they claim that “separating ‘non-essential’ retailers from those deemed essential could actually make matters worse.”
“Instead, he [the lockdown] channeled these shoppers and the corresponding health risk into fewer and increasingly crowded stores in Toronto and Peel, as well as adjacent communities, as we saw in Vaughan and Markham during the weekend. This potentially creates a greater health risk, ”the letter read.
Additionally, retailers say big box stores are benefiting from increased demand as many small businesses have had to close even though they sold many of the same products. As a result, many of these businesses are forced to lay off employees during the busiest shopping season of the year.
Instead, retailers are calling on the government to immediately reopen all retail outlets in the province and impose a 25% capacity limit on non-essential businesses in locked areas.
“It will put fewer people in more stores, increasing safety for everyone. The current policy does the opposite, ”the letter read. “Capacity restrictions backed by strong social distancing and other safety measures already in place will lead to better health outcomes in an efficient, equitable way that will save jobs and support people. local businesses and families. ”
Ford noted that the decision to shut down non-essential businesses was made to reduce the number of people in one setting at a time and, therefore, reduce the risk of transmission.
“If you go to the big box retailer, it’s kind of the one stop shop, and I know that’s not fair, trust me. I know it’s not fair, but it really prevents people from going out and making four or five, six stops on the way back to pick things up, ”he said.
Elliott reiterated that Ontarians should only leave their homes for essential services or to purchase essentials.
“When it comes to big box stores, we hope people will go there looking for essentials. This is the reason they are open. For drug stores and some of the grocery sections that a lot of big box stores have, ”she says.
Ford added that federal and provincial financial support is available to help small businesses and residents should shop nearby to help them as well.
“Go online, buy online, order meals online. Do everything you can online and not with the big online retailers, ”he said.
On November 23, the Toronto and Peel region entered a 28-day lockdown as part of the provincial government’s response to COVID-19.
The lockdown has forced the closure of non-essential businesses, indoor restaurants, gyms and movie theaters to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus in these hot spots.
The province recorded 1,723 new cases of the virus on Wednesday, including 410 in Toronto and 500 in Peel.
Another 35 deaths were also recorded on Wednesday, marking a tie for the highest single-day death toll since the start of the second wave of the pandemic.


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Luzerne County residents react to Domino's 'Paving for Pizza' campaign
(WOLF) -- There are pot holes nearly everywhere you look, plaguing drivers on their daily commute.
But Domino’s is stepping in to save the day, and its all for the sake of saving your pizza pie on the way to its destination.
The new campaign is called Paving for Pizza.
You can just go online, nominate your city, and Domino’s might just step in to fix some of those craters.
If there’s one thing most people can agree on, its complaining about road conditions no matter where they’re from.
“That street – I don’t know what street that is right there, but that is the most terrible street and I’m pretty sure its like a main entrance into the square,” Danielle Wilson, of Plymouth, said.
“Nanticoke has some of the worst roads in the valley. Main Street is bad. But I’ve got to give credit to our road crew down there, they are doing the best that they can,” Kevin Jones, of Nanticoke, said.
Local road crews could soon get some help with patching up those pesky pot holes, and its all thanks to Domino’s.
The pizza chain launched its Paving for Pizza campaign today – all for the sake of making sure your pizza stays in one piece on the drive home.
“Makes sense! If pizza gets there in one piece then we’re all happy,” Donald Clymer, of Wilkes-Barre, said.
This is how it works.
For the next twelve weeks, people can go online and nominate their municipality for road repairs.
Then, Domino’s will choose which lucky ones will get a grant towards those projects.
“Its pretty awesome that a corporation will send money to towns and fix the roads for you because municipalities and cities in this area won’t do it,” Michael Flaherty, of Wilkes-Barre, said.
Some people we spoke to say they would definitely nominate their hometown.
“Yeah, why not? I figure if there’s any way to make a change that I can do something about it, let me do something about it,” Clymer said.
While others aren’t so sure.
“Probably not, but I can see other people doing it because people talk about it and joke about it all the time,” Wilson said.
Domino’s has already helped four towns repair their roads, like Milford, Delaware and Burbank, California.
If you want to nominate your hometown for the Paving for Pizza campaign click here.

domain: news


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Are you an actor who wants to promote your latest project? Or maybe, you’re a director who needs to get people in the seats. It’s not easy spreading the word without a publicist and email blasts only go so far.
Now, there is a new app that puts a publicist in the palm of your hand for free. No PR contracts, no commitments, no fine print. All you need is creativity and a little bit of critical thinking.
The Publicity App guides actors and directors through the initial steps needed to launch any publicity campaign. It also helps them identify a PR plan based on the user’s publicity needs.
It was created by Macias PR – a New York based public relations firm that was recently named the 2015 top “PR Consultant Firm of the Year – USA” by Finance Monthly. The founder of the firm, Mark Macias, is a former Executive Producer with NBC and Senior Producer with CBS.
Macias says the app contains the same approach that his firm uses with all of their media campaigns. The firm has scored some major media placements with the Wall Street Journal, Good Morning America, as well as local news outlets like the New York Post, Channel 11 in New York and others.
He said that the app “was created to help the small business owner, entrepreneur, actor or anyone who wants to get publicity, but doesn’t know where to begin. Every successful publicity campaign requires critical thinking, creativity, even an assessment of the competition. The user will still need to think through their publicity and use creativity to identify interesting angles. But for the person who doesn’t know anything about PR, the publicity app will help them identify starting points.”
Macias says there are essentially six types of publicity campaigns and each campaign requires a different approach. He says they are:
1) Startup publicity
2) Credibility campaign
3) Crisis management
4) Revenue generation campaign
5) Online/SEO campaign
6) Event promotion
The app guides users through all six of those media campaigns. “Most actors or directors will want to focus on the event promotion section of the publicity app. In that section,” he said, it “guides users through the initial steps for identifying angles.”
The app also contains case studies and examples in the different categories so users can see how a successful campaign was executed in their area of need. And at the end, users get to test their knowledge through different PR games.
Users can learn more about the free mobile app at www.thepublicityapp.com.


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As Chinatowns have been devastated by the pandemic, it has become essential to share reminders of how much these places matter to all of us. Here are the stories of why that is very much so.
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Standing on the stage at this month’s TPM Conference, Matthew Shay delivered a pointed message to those responsible for months-worth of delays, millions of dollars in lost retail sales, and the loss of jobs and export opportunities: “Enough is enough! The interest of thousands” can no longer threaten the livelihood of millions.
News & Analysis
27 Jun 2015
U.S. agriculture shouldn’t expect dramatic improvements in cargo-handling productivity to come out of the new West Coast longshore contract, said Ed DeNike, chief operating officer at SSA Marine, said the contract itself will not deliver productivity.
16 Jun 2015
The Port of Rotterdam continues to position itself as a pre-eminent European port of call for mega-ships with the arrival of three new cranes at the ECT Delta Terminal at Maasvlakte.
12 Jun 2015
In its most aggressive move in the African market in years, APM Terminals has begun construction on a new container terminal at Ghana’s largest container gateway and plans to invest heavily on inland connections to allow growing volume to move more efficiently to and from the hinterland.
11 Jun 2015
The Port of Prince Rupert had another big month in May with total container volume increasing 45.6 percent over May 2014.
11 Jun 2015
The chief executive of the port of Piraeus is resigning as the Greek government proceeds with the controversial privatization of the leading Mediterranean container hub.
10 Jun 2015
APM Terminals estimates it will take 7 to 10 days for operations to return to normal after striking stevedores returned to work Friday at the company’s general cargo terminal in Callao, Peru.
08 Jun 2015
Port of Hamburg terminal operator Hamburger Hafen und Logisitik AG has ordered two new container gantry cranes for its Container Terminal Tollerort in preparation for the next generation of mega-ships.
03 Jun 2015
APM Terminals said that weeding out drug traffickers from its dockworker ranks at the Port of Callao is a priority as well as a main point of contention in an ongoing strike at the port.
03 Jun 2015
With more automation coming to ports around the world, marine terminal operators need to get aggressive or risk losing opportunities to those outside the maritime industry, futurist Gerd Leonhard said Tuesday.
29 May 2015
APM Terminals has fired 130 dockworkers at its general cargo terminal in Callao, Peru, where a strike has been ongoing since May 13.


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Skyscanner “all flights everywhere” is a new iPhone app that allows users to find the cheapest flights while on the go. Launched three weeks ago, it has already been download by more than 650,000 users, prompting the Skyscanner management to “completely revise download targets” for the project.
Skyscanner is so popular that it has hit the top spot in UK’s AppStore for Travel Apps and #2 in the AppStore out of all free Apps – as well as being #1 in Italy, Russia, Poland, Spain and other European markets. According to Skyscanner’s Barry Smith (Director of Mobile), the hard work doesn’t stop here, as they [Skyscanner] want to maintain this growth by continuing to develop the app and port it to other platforms, namely Android.
He also added: “With over 600k downloads in less than three weeks, the appetite for the Skyscanner ‘all flights everywhere’ iPhone app has far exceeded our expectations. We will continue to monitor the reviews to get user feedback, but early signs are that we have delivered the functionality that iPhone users want.”
Skyscanner (FREE) [iTunes link]


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A popular star hotel in the city concluded their two day anniversary celebration with the biggest names in the fashion industry.
Manish Arora, Tarun Tahiliani and Rohit Bal showcased their collection in a high profile fashion show. Models walked the ramp in outfits created by the designers.
The disappointing aspect of course was that Manish chose to showcase his old collection. But the highlight of the evening was of course, the Cricket match.
With Rohit and Manish as cheerleaders, everything came to a standstill as guests glued themselves to the big screen catching India's run chase. And when MS Dhoni hit a sixer to seal the game, the party had only begun.


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First of all, check out the line. We’re not at all impressed. The clothes look cheap and worthy of maybe a $5 boutique pop-up or a rack at Rainbow, not to knock the hood shops. Her accessories could be something more acceptable, though.
However, our opinion is just that. The line is another notch in Nicki’s belt as she expands her entrepreneurial enterprises as an artist and businesswoman. We are proud of her come up, showing what versatile ladies like herself can do.
Check out the photos below.
Also, in fashion debut news, Rihanna, whom we’ve been more impressed about as far as fashion is concerned, also collaborated with a popular brand for her own designs.
Rihanna for River Island now has the fall collection available.
Check out her new line here.


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On January 22, a company that is expected to reunite with CBS Corporation revealed that it had spent $340 million to acquire a free streaming television service serving U.S. consumers.
The deal formally closed prior to the Opening Bell on Wall Street Monday (3/4).
As such, Viacom — home to Bikini Bottom — has now added Pluto TV to its constellation of properties.
“The completion of this deal marks an exciting next step in Viacom’s evolution and a powerful opportunity for us to extend our consumer reach and broaden our ability to add value across the industry as the media landscape continues to segment,” said Bob Bakish, Viacom’s President/CEO. “Together with Pluto TV, we look forward to becoming a stronger partner to distributors, advertisers, content providers and audiences around the world.”
Founded in 2013, Pluto TV streams more than 100 channels and on-demand content spanning television and movies, sports, news, lifestyle, comedy, cartoons, gaming and trending digital series. Viacom reports that it has more than 12 million monthly active users across devices, including smart TVs, streaming players, mobile devices, desktops and gaming consoles.
If Pluto TV is wholly unfamiliar to you, watch out. Viacom says it will have a “crucial role” in expanding Viacom’s presence across next-generation distribution platforms as a standalone free over-the-top (“OTT”) product, a direct-to-consumer cornerstone, and a partnership solution for wired, mobile and OTT distributors to serve their broadband only and video bundle subscribers on a zero incremental cost basis.
At the same time, Pluto TV is seen as an acceleration engine for Viacom’s advanced marketing solutions (AMS) business, serving as a very significant incremental source of targeted inventory – particularly against younger demographics – “thereby strengthening Viacom’s ability to serve advertising customers and their associated agencies.”
Pluto TV will operate as an independent subsidiary of Viacom, led by President and CEO Tom Ryan.
As of 3:11pm Eastern, Viacom’s Class B shares were trading down 8 cents to $29.38.


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Despite huge ambition, Medal of Honor's VR adventure fails to go beyond the Call of Duty.
Bustin' makes me feel good.
Bigger and more feature-rich than last year's 4000 Series.
Big boost in performance, it claims.
Big specs, high price.
Shiny new quad-core chip in tow.
Serious price bump over the TK1.
Glues tiny RFID tags to their backs.
SODIMM form factor for industrial users.
"Learning Pen" has the Penguin inside.
AMD has launched the G-T16R embedded APU, a 4.5W part designed to replace the ageing Geode.
CUPP has confirmed that it is finding funding to develop PunkThis, a drop-in ARM-based side-grade...
December 11 2020 | 17:30
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COLUMBUS, GA (WTVM) -- You may want to think twice before you swipe. According to the American Institute of CPAs, the average American has racked up more than $4000 in credit card debt.
One easy way to get rid of yours, just stop charging. No, there's nothing scientific behind the suggestion, but research shows consumers who use their credit cards tend to spend more. In fact, officials with the National Foundation for Credit Counseling say people spend 20% less when they use cash or a debit card.
If you're thinking, I only use plastic for big purchases,the theory is true for even the smallest items.
One study reveals people who pay with plastic tend to spend about $10.00 more at the grocery store, and are much more likely to buy non-essential items.


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How American edutech unicorn Udacity is re-skilling Indians through nanodegrees
“Even in the US, we don’t have a brand that people automatically recognise,” grins Shernaz Daver, chief marketing officer of Udacity, when asked about the reason why a global tech unicorn is working under the radar and leading an obscure life in India. Daver, though, is quick to add a caveat: In the Ivory tower of Silicon Valley, the brand doesn’t need an introduction.
Cofounded by Stanford professor and former Google vice-president Sebastian Thrun, Udacity offers free and paid online certification courses for students who earn nanodegrees and learn skills such as front-end web developing, iOS and Android programming, or machine learning.
It recently rolled out ‘Introduction to Selfdriving Cars’ and ‘Flying Car’ nanodegree programmes to give students the skills to create autonomous flight vehicles. The idea is to do something unconventional: stitch a curriculum that finds takers among top tech companies across the world.
Back in India, Daver too is trying to pull off an unconventional task: making Udacity popular. “In the self-driving nanodegree programme, India is the second-largest globally in terms of enrolment of students,” she claims, adding that overall, outside the US and Canada, India is the second largest country for Udacity.
India, Daver knows, is not new to online courses. But most of them, if not all, have been under-graduate or post-graduate ones that don’t need learning technical skills. That’s what gives Udacity hope.
What also boosts the prospects of the fledgling startup in India is the dismal state of higher technical education. Nearly 80% of engineering graduates in India are not employable, according to a report by a New Delhi-based employability assessment company last year. Based on a study of more than 1.5 lakh engineering students who graduated in 2015 from over 650 colleges, Aspiring Minds National Employability Report found roughly 1.2 lakh of them unemployable. Another survey by the same company found 95% engineers unfit to take up software development jobs. Shockingly, only 4.77% could write the correct logic for a programme.
Two years in India, what would be the top learning for Daver? Nothing, but price. “The Indian market is pretty price sensitive,” she quips, adding that Indians have started realising the value of nanodegrees. Tie-ups with a bunch of tech companies such as Infosys, Wipro and Tech Mahindra help in conveying the message that there are takers for students.
Daver is banking big on the keenness of Indians to reskill themselves. The toughest task for Daver though is to spread awareness about Udacity, and that too in an unconventional manner: targeting the parents.
“We need to market the courses to the parents,” she says, highlighting the cultural differences that makes India different from other markets globally. While the millennial would get to know through word of mouth, it’s the parents who need to trust the course so that they can approve the students taking online technical education.
“These are still early days in India but I am super optimistic,” signs off Daver as she gets down to take more nano steps towards making her little-known brand more popular in India.


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Heroes of Order & Chaos Shyft Hero Spotlight
Heroes of Order & Chaos presents Shyft, a new assassin-style Hero that relies on teamwork to succeed.
Videos You May Enjoy
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- Thanatos Grand Opening Announced
- Inixsoft and JM Studio have announced the grand opening of Thanatos: Dragon Chaser, launching on November 3 on its game portal, gameagit.com.
- Facebook lend its support to Prime World: Defenders along with NVIDIA
- Nival, an independent game developer renowned for its strategy titles, has today released its cross-platform Tower Defense game Prime World: D...


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Tribe Delays Plans to Reopen Smoke Shop
Will wait on appeal, legal resolution
PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- The Narragansett Indian tribe said that it will hold off on reopening its tax-free smoke shop until legal issues surrounding the venture are resolved, according to an Associated Press report.
That decision was announced Monday. It is a reversal from last week, when the tribal government voted to allow tax-free tobacco sales to other American Indians.
The shop closed two years ago after state police raided it to stop what the state said was the illegal sale of tax-free cigarettes.
A federal [image-nocss] lawsuit followed. Recently, a federal appeals court ruled the state violated the tribe's sovereignty by forcibly entering the shop. But the court also found that the state is entitled to collect taxes on the tribe's cigarette sales to non-Indians.
The state plans to appeal part of the ruling. The tribe said it will wait for the outcome of the appeal before reopening the smoke shop.


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With the big three – Yahoo, Microsoft and Google – making their respective moves into the Voice-over-IM space, it is very likely that folks over at Skype are feeling the heat. Recent moves indicate, that company is slowly coming to terms with the harsh reality that easy growth in the west is over. So perhaps it is looking east.
There is news that Skype will be bundled with all Sony Vaio PCs sold in Japan, a good move given the strong presence of Sony in one of the most broadband-enabled countries. Then there is an increasing coziness between Hutchinson Whampoa of Hong Kong and Skype. Dow Jones reports that HW might buy 5% stake in the company. (There goes the IPO theory!) There is some boneheaded comment about Skype being valued at several billion euros. Oh well… Andy says he won’t be surprised by a handset joining the investor ranks as well. The company today announced a JV with TOM Online (also owned by the same guy who owns HW) which is majority owned by TOM, and will push the software/service to its wireless mobile customers.
But that’s just in recent days. I have received emails from Skype PR telling me that there are 400 partners who have developed Skype related hardware and software, and more will follow. They made the announcement on SkypeWeb and Skype Net. The company has been secretly reaching out to developers trying to use Skype API and Skype Platform. They realize that with the big three’s marketing muscle, their IM/Presence platform is under threat. The Gizmo Project guru Michael Robertson, is not impressed and says that Skype API is not really an API.
> Skypeweb and skypenet are just a smoke screen to convey that Skype is opening up, but they are really not. If you have to download a program (THEIR program) to talk to it that’s NOT an API. An API lets you talk to the service/format using a completely different program. Skype wants to SAY that they are open and that they have an API when they really don’t. They wrap their declaration in a friendly puffed up “we want to give back to the net”. And it’s not coincidence this came 2 days AFTER Google says they actually will use open standards and connect directories to others.


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Critics of legislation to curtail warning labels on food have adopted a personal strategy: showcasing ties that some lawmakers have to food industry lobbyists.
House Majority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, Majority Whip Roy Blunt, R-Mo., and several other lawmakers support a bill that would keep states from adding warnings that go beyond federal rules.
The lawmakers have family, friends and former staff among the lobbyists for the bill.
“This helps explain why the food industry has blocked any efforts to have hearings,” said Ben Cohen, attorney for the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a watchdog group.
“They think they’ve got it greased by using well-connected lobbyists to slip this thing through the full House without following the normal procedures,” Cohen said.
State warnings alert consumers to mercury in fish, arsenic in bottled water, pesticides in vegetables and many other potential problems. The food industry wants consistent warnings across state lines. The bill would let states petition the federal government if they want to add extra warnings.
Blunt’s wife works for food company
According to reports filed with Congress, the bill’s lobbyists include Blunt’s wife, Abigail, who works for Altria, parent of Kraft Foods. They also include former Boehner staffers Mason Wiggins, lobbyist for the Food Products Association, an industry group, and Brenda Reese, lobbyist for the American Beverage Association.
Also listed is Brad Card, brother of White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card and former top aide to Rep. John Sweeney, R-N.Y. Brad Card has lobbied on food labeling issues for the Food Products Association. The association is headed by a former congressman, Democrat Cal Dooley of California.
“It’s a perfect storm of insider access, big money and bad policy,” said Andy Igrejas of the Washington-based National Environmental Trust, which did the lobbying research. “They’re sweeping away 200 state laws without a hearing, all because very wealthy interests want them to.”
The House Energy and Commerce Committee sent the bill to the floor without a hearing. The bill has broad support and is expected to win House approval soon. Supporters expect a Senate version of the bill to be introduced soon.
Bill’s supporters respond
A bill sponsor said suggestions of lobbying influence are absurd. The bill has cleared the Commerce Committee on two occasions, said Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Mich.
“The reason the bill has moved swiftly is that a pregnant woman buying peas on a shelf in Michigan has the same right to food safety information as a pregnant woman buying peas in California,” Rogers said.
Rogers said congressional Democrats are using the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal — which involved millions of dollars from Abramoff clients to woo friends and win influence in Congress. “We’re going to hear this on every other bill,” he said.
A spokesman for the Food Products Association said the lack of a hearing probably comes from the bill’s broad support and not from industry input. There are at least 227 co-sponsors in the 435-member House.
“It hasn’t been a priority that the bill get through committee without a hearing,” said FPA spokesman Tim Willard. “Rather, our focus is on seeing the bill approved by the full House, by a bipartisan majority.”
A spokeswoman for Blunt said his wife does not lobby any House members but may have contacted members of the Senate.


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Innovation Centers Bring Science-Powered Innovations Even Closer to the Market
DuPont Presents Modest Version at NPE – the International Plastics Showcase
WILMINGTON, Del., March 21, 2012 – On the heels of two Innovation Centers opening in Mexico City and Brazil recently, DuPont Performance Polymers (DuPont) features a small-scale adaptation, welcoming NPE attendees to the DuPont “Global Collaboratory” during the April 1-5 event in Orlando, Fla. DuPont is complementing the experience with several talks aimed at helping improve performance and sustainability throughout the value chain.
DuPont Innovation Centers are designed to connect customers, strategic partners and academics with more than 9,500 DuPont scientists and engineers located in more than 150 technical centers around the world to better serve their consumers in industries such as food, consumer goods, automotive, agriculture and alternative energy.
With the new Brazil and Mexico facilities, DuPont now operates seven centers. Others are in Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, India and Japan. DuPont plans additional centers in North America and Europe this year.
|“Collaboration is critical and serves as the catalyst needed to solve pervasive and urgent challenges,” said Kurt Adams, DuPont Packaging & Industrial Polymers global technology director. “We are leveraging this concept and inviting collaboration at this international event in combination with technical sessions as a means of stimulating new ideas to tackle challenges in the plastics and packaging markets.”|
Located in Booth 35013, DuPont plastics, packaging, polymer modifiers and the bio-based ingredients business resulting from the recent acquisition of Danisco will highlight materials science and design techniques that can be used to deliver performance and sustainability.
DuPont (NYSE: DD) has been bringing world-class science and engineering to the global marketplace in the form of innovative products, materials, and services since 1802. The company believes that by collaborating with customers, governments, NGOs, and thought leaders we can help find solutions to such global challenges as providing enough healthy food for people everywhere, decreasing dependence on fossil fuels, and protecting life and the environment. For additional information about DuPont and its commitment to inclusive innovation, please visit www.dupont.com.
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The retail sales industry sells finished products to end-user consumers. This broad swath of the economy includes stores that sell clothing, shoes, electronics, computers, furniture, appliances and hardware, as well as department and convenience stores, mail order and vending machine companies and shopping malls.
The industry's leader in terms of federal campaign giving during the 2014 cycle was Uline Inc at almost $5.1 million. Following Uline in campaign contributions were home improvement and construction supply giant Home Depot at nearly $2.9 million, the ever-popular Wal-Mart at over $1.8 million, and Amway/Alticor Inc at around the same amount.
Since the 1990 election cycle, the retail industry has given more than $219 million to federal candidates and parties, giving 59 percent of that total to Republicans.
The retail industry spent a record $57.5 million on lobbying in 2014. The top spenders during that year were CVS Health at nearly $14.8 million, Wal-Mart Stores at $7 million, and the International Council of Shopping Centers at over $3.6 million.
Trade and import policy, taxes, antitrust and labor and workplace laws are among the top issues for the retail industry in Washington. One piece of legislation that the Inernational Council of Shopping Centers has lobbied heavily on in 2015 and in years past is the Marketplace Fairness Act. The bill would allow sales taxes to be collected in a given state during a transaction originating from online and catalog retailers, though only after that state has simplified its sales tax laws.
-- Alex Lazar
Updated August 2015
Feel free to distribute or cite this material, but please credit the Center for Responsive Politics.


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Cet article est seulement disponible en anglais
In part one of this feature, we introduced the bioeconomy and how Canada is working to become a world leader. In part two we look at specific sector developments from coast to coast — there are lots of them!
t’s a surprise to most of us. What’s the hottest bioeconomy subsector on the planet? Replacements for plastic.
Worldwide demand for biodegradable products is urgent and it’s growing, especially to replace single-use plastic items like straws, utensils, cup lids and plastic bags.
Fast-service restaurants in North America and beyond are also keen to avoid plastic as much as possible, including the plastic-based lining found in coffee cups that makes them waterproof, which is good, but also difficult to compost, which isn’t so good, especially for businesses that see a lot more regulation coming down the pipe.
Moldable pulp products (also known as pressed pulp products) have good plastic replacement potential. They’ve been around for a while (in the form of egg cartons, take-out beverage holders and more) but the range of use of these products is now being expanded in an effort to replace styrofoam products as well as plastic ones.
Most of the pulp for these products comes from wood, but materials from wheat straw and alfalfa are also being used.
Our first step in getting familiar with Canada’s bioeconomy market is to check in with Bioindustrial Innovation Canada (BIC), a non-profit government-supported business accelerator for the bioproducts/services sector. Since 2008, BIC has worked to build strategic capital investment in small and medium-sized enterprises.
On its own, BIC has invested more than $13 million in nearly 30 of these enterprises, and leveraged a further $270 million during investment rounds. The jobs provided by these new businesses now exceed 2,700.
BIC executive director A.J. (Sandy) Marshall notes that so far, BIC has built a successful foundation in the Sarnia, Ont. area (which now has a busy “biochemistry cluster”), and a dedicated staff person has recently been hired to do the same in eastern Ontario. “At the moment, we have no funding outside of Ontario,” Marshall says, “but this may change in the future.”
In addition, BIC has recently led a consortium to create a Canadian Bioeconomy Strategy. It was released in mid-May after a federal government review, involving Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Natural Resources Canada and Innovation, and Science and Economic Development Canada.
Some of the firms that BIC has supported over the last few years include the southern Ontario-based Cellulosic Sugar Producers Co-operative, which is developing new markets for materials extracted from crop residues. This co-op has also partnered with a firm called Comet Bio in Sarnia to build a commercial facility to produce high-purity dextrose sugar (for use in a variety of chemical applications).
Vive Crop Protection is another BIC-supported company. It has created a targeted system called “Allosperse” for delivering various crop protection products in the field. Another in southern Ontario is Origin Materials, which converts cardboard, wood waste and crop residues into renewable chemicals. In eastern Ontario, Advonix in Brockville makes bio-based lubricants and more, and Firerein in Napanee produces a bio-based fire retardant from corn starch.
Almost all other glycogen up to this point has been made from oysters. That’s expensive, and has allergy restrictions too.
In Manitoba and beyond, there is a growing interest in using natural fibres from bast plants (e.g. flax and hemp) as reinforcements in composite materials.
“Not only are the natural fibres a renewable sustainable source as compared to fibreglass or carbon fibre derived from petroleum-based sources, they offer opportunities for weight reduction in non-structural composite components,” says Lin-P’ing Choo-Smith, vice-president of the biomaterials program at the Composites Innovation Centre in Winnipeg. “Automotive, agricultural and construction equipment manufacturers are beginning to incorporate natural fibre mats as part of interior components such as hood and trunk liners, door panels and dashboards. Lighter-weight vehicles translate to less fuel consumption and reduced generation of greenhouse gas emissions.” These natural fibre mats can also be used for noise and vibration dampening in these vehicles.
Choo-Smith says another development is the use of biomaterials for green building construction applications such as hemp-based building blocks that provide the advantage of walls that “breathe” yet have reasonable insulation properties.
Meanwhile, with over 40 per cent of Canada’s arable land, Saskatchewan is a hotbed for all things crop-related, and it’s therefore no surprise that bioeconomy activity is strong there. Wilf Keller, president and CEO of Ag-West Bio, Saskatchewan’s bioscience industry association, says starch is a “hot” bioeconomy opportunity for Saskatchewan crop producers and bioeconomy firms.
“When you remove the protein from peas,” Keller explains, “there is a large volume of starch, and there are many ideas about what to do with it, from making biopolymers and compostable packaging materials to fuels.” (Plant-based protein use is a focus of the Protein Industries Canada supercluster, based in Regina, which is just getting up and running, and Keller says cluster funding may be used in future for investigating ideas for bioproducts as well. Uses for byproducts/co-products from crop processing are also being investigated through the Diverse Field Crops Cluster.)
Other bioeconomy opportunities in Saskatchewan, says Keller, include high-quality lubricants from industrial rapeseed oil, and the potential use of oilseed crops such as camelina and carinata as a source for jet fuel.
Among other provincial bioeconomy success stories is Milligan Biofuels located in the town of Foam Lake. It manufactures and sells biodiesel, fuel conditioner, penetrating oil, road dust suppressants, asphalt release agents and rust inhibitor from “off-grade” canola — seed that’s been frozen or diseased and is otherwise rejected for human food use. A firm called Keyleaf, with facilities in Saskatoon and Illinois, is another. There, workers create value-added ingredients for various products through extraction, refining, drying and more of plant materials.
Further west, Dr. Trevor Stuthridge, chair of the Bioproducts Institute at the University of British Columbia, believes high-end pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals and bio-actives from the emerging cannabis/hemp and natural products industry is another strong bioeconomy opportunity in B.C. “There exists the opportunity to help drive concepts of circularity in the bioeconomy,” he notes. “Advanced bio-based products would focus more on reusability or repurposing, rather than just compostability or biodegradability, and provide attractive materials to the Chinese and Asian markets which are looking for better bio-based alternatives to the current petrochemical products .”
In considering all of Canada, O’Donnell believes the bioeconomy presents the opportunity to do many things, including the building of multiple business/research clusters, the formation of major companies and the strengthening of rural economies, all while addressing the challenges of climate change.
“Strong partnerships coupled with intelligent market analysis will influence the opportunity areas that will emerge out of Canada’s strong bioeconomy foundation,” O’Donnell predicts.
For his part, Choo-Smith believes Canada has the potential to be a world leader in providing sustainable and renewable plant-based feedstock for development into high-value industrial products. “Canada has a rich history of developing products from the forestry industry,” Choo-Smith says, “and potential to do the same with the agricultural bioeconomy.”
A closer look at hemp
Besides replacements for plastic, perhaps the most exciting bioeconomy opportunity in Canada and beyond is hemp. Indeed, hemp is already being used for various non-food and feed products since it was legalized in 1998.
At the Canadian Hemp Trade Alliance (CHTA), executive director Ted Haney notes that the past 21 years of hemp production in Canada has paved the way for big growth in acreage, quadrupling to 450,000 acres by 2023.
Some of this will be based on dual-purpose (oilseed and fibre) varieties and some tri-purpose (early harvest for flowers as well).
It’s the flowers that are a hot new commodity.
Haney explains that flowers of existing cultivars already have a CBD content of about one per cent by weight. CBD, if perhaps you haven’t already heard about this wonder compound, is a “cannabinoid,” a class of compounds also found in cannabis, that can be used for pain relief, stress reduction, sleep assistance, epilepsy and arthritis treatment, and much more. And not just in humans. The market for CBD in the pet health sphere is also poised to explode (although these products are not yet legal in Canada).
The hemp sector would like the CBD content of hemp flowers boosted to at least six per cent, if not 10 per cent; anything higher than that involves levels of resin that are hard on combines.
Hemp chaff (flowers and leaves) were only allowed to be legally harvested and sold to licenced cannabis producers for CBD extraction as of last year. Haney says somewhere between 15,000 to 20,000 acres of hemp were harvested for that purpose in 2018, and adds that from anecdotal reports, it’s expected that acreage dedicated to collecting flowers and chaff is much higher this year. He says farmers will be putting lessons learned last year about chaff harvest and storage to good use.
Beyond CBD, Haney says hemp growers are also hoping for more private investment to develop the market for fibre. Hemp offers three types of fibre: inner, outer and microfibre dust, and some separation and utilization of these types is already occurring. “Fibre has been used in insulating and absorbent products, textiles, reinforced concrete, biocomposites and replacements for strand board,” notes Haney. “Microfibre has potential uses as a binding agent in composites, as a material in 3D printing and for its CBD content.”
In New Brunswick, hemp companies including 1812 Hemp, Arcadia Ecoenergies, Canutra Naturals and Global Hemp Group are pursuing cultivation, processing and market opportunities in the province. “There is considerable potential for New Brunswick hemp producers to connect into existing value chains such as feed production for the aquaculture and poultry industries,” says Jennifer O’Donnell, project officer at BioNB. “In the 2019 growing season, hemp will be studied as a potential rotational crop for potato, which is traditionally New Brunswick’s main crop.”
Hemp is also the main focus of InnoTech Alberta in Vegreville. Dr. Jan Slaski, principal plant sciences researcher there, says the agency is supporting investigations into the use of hemp fibre for such applications as energy storage technologies. Dr. Zhi Li, who heads the Sustainable Energy Storage Research Group at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, has already worked on developing structural material that can replace graphine in batteries, a crystallized layered structural material made from hemp cellulose that may be commercialized in future by a company that has licensed the technology. Among other projects, he is now working on developing high-quality nano-cellulose from hemp, which can be used for many things including flexible batteries and in composite plastics.
In order to provide hemp fibre for various products, more processing capacity is needed, as mentioned in Part 1 of this story. Canadian Rockies Hemp is building a hemp fibre processing facility in Bruderheim, Alta., that will be finished by October with plans to process by 2020. A pilot facility in Strathcona County, Alta., also began operations in mid-June.


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Advent calendars aren’t just for kids…
Rachel, Joey, Ross, Phoebe, Chandler and Monica will count us down to December 25th with “Friends: The Official Advent Calendar.”
- 25 favourite moments from the show
- 40 Friends themed ornaments, trinkets, recipes, booklets and more
The ‘Friends’ Advent Calendar will be released on October 27th, for only $18. Amazon already has them listed here.
Superfans of the show have another must-have coming soon: The Official Friends Cookbook is going to be available on September 22nd.


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In the past few hours, the FCC and CTIA finally agreed a deal to allow consumers from the five major U.S. networks to unlock their devices. It’s been one of the big sticking points of the carrier/smartphone industry for sometime and is yet another step in the right direction of giving control back to the consumers and not the carrier. This is just weeks after the FCC turned the screw to get action.
“CTIA is pleased to announce today that AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, U.S. Cellular and Verizon Wireless have committed to adopt the attached set of voluntary industry principles for the consumer unlocking of mobile wireless phones and tablets. CTIA and these companies share the goal of ensuring that America’s wireless consumers continue to benefit from the world-leading range of competitive devices and offerings they currently enjoy, and believe that these voluntary principles will enhance these consumer benefits.”
The PDF report available on CTIA’s page is clear to point out that just because the device is unlocked doesn’t mean that it’ll work properly on every other carrier. This is something consumers need to be made aware of. There are various handsets on T-Mobile that won’t be the same models as those on sale at Verizon or Sprint. And the same with AT&T and others.
As part of the agreement, each carrier will post on its website a “clear, concise, and readily accessible policy on postpaid and prepaid mobile wireless device unlocking.”
In terms of consumer rights, carriers will have to unlock devices requested by customers. With postpaid, that’ll come after a plan has ended, a finance plan has been paid, the device has been owned long enough or an early termination fee has been paid. With prepaid devices, carriers will be required to unlock a device within a year after original activation, “consistent with reasonable time, payment or usage requirements.”
What’s particularly great is the turnaround time. Unlocking must be done within two business days of request, ensuring that devices are not left locked for weeks without action. That is unless there’s good reason for delay, or rejection of the request.
Carriers have three months to start getting this going, and 12 months to implement it entirely.
UPDATE – 7pm Eastern
We got an official statement from Tom Sugrue, Senior Vice President, Government Affairs, T-Mobile US
“T-Mobile supports the voluntary agreement reached with the FCC as an important step in mobile device unlocking. Clear, fair and timely unlocking policies that enable consumer choice are good for competition. There is additional progress to be made on unlocking, such as the support of a robust secondary market in mobile devices, and we will continue working with the FCC to enhance the new policies announced today.”


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Thursday 19th January 2017
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Consumer sentiment rose in January to its highest level since April 2015 as economic momentum continues, the ANZ-Roy Morgan NZ Consumer Confidence index showed Thursday.
The consumer confidence index rose 4.2 points to 128.7 in January, with the current conditions index up 4.7 points to 129.8 and the future conditions index up 4.0 points to 128.1.
"The summer weather might be dodgy so far, but consumers have started 2017 on a high," said ANZ chief economist Cameron Bagrie, who said there are "good reasons" for the optimism, including a solid run in job ads, modest inflation and a huge improvement in the outlook for dairy. While the housing market may be leveling out, Bagrie noted "property-owning households have been given a huge wealth boost."
The survey of 1,000 people found a net 34 percent of respondents said they were better off now than a year ago and a net 48 percent expect to be better off in 12 months time. In December, a net 36 percent said they were better off while a net 46 expected to be better off in 12 months time. A net 65 percent of respondents see now as a good time to buy a big-ticket item, versus 58 in December.
The survey found a net 25 percent of respondents were optimistic about the economy over the coming 12 months, up from 22 percent in December while a net 25 percent were upbeat about the next five years versus a net 18 percent in December.
On inflation, respondents expect prices will rise an annual 3.7 percent over the next two years, compared to 3.4 percent in December, while house prices are seen rising at a 4.3 percent annual pace, compared to 5.4 percent in December.
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MARKET CLOSE: NZ shares up, Tourism Holdings and Fletcher Building gain while CBL drops
NZ dollar heading for a 0.4% weekly fall in nervous markets
Paymark lifts profit, sales in 2017
NZ First seeks minimum wage at $20 an hour within three years
Update: CBL shares fall 12% as reserves increase dents profit
NZ wool market improves at weekly auction
Spark chases quantum leap in 2019 earnings in latest transformation
Steel & Tube annual profit drops 22% in 'highly competitive' construction sector
CBL says 1H earnings dropped 36% due to increased reserves
UPDATE: Spark annual profit climbs 13% as sales tick up, chairman Verbiest signals exit


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NEW YORK — You could call it a hairy business: Lancôme is out to shift the shopping patterns of consumers buying high-priced hair care with its new collection, Hair Sensation, set to hit U.S. department store counters in March. ...
NEW YORK — You could call it a hairy business: Lancôme is out to shift the shopping patterns of consumers buying high-priced hair care with its new collection, Hair Sensation, set to hit U.S. department store counters in March.
Lancôme is entering what it hopes will be a profitable sector, which as yet is uncrowded in this channel of distribution in the U.S. A few other upscale brands peddle shampoo in department and specialty stores —?among them, Clinique, Origins, Frédéric Fekkai and Philip B. —?but the only ones with major department store muscle currently are Clinique, Origins and now Lancôme. Most shoppers buying high-priced hair care in the U.S. purchase it at salons, a pattern that Lancôme hopes to alter, said Dalia Chammas, senior vice president and general manager of Lancôme USA.
"Hair care is a $5 billion dollar business in the U.S.," added Maeve Coburn, senior vice president of marketing for Lancôme USA. This number includes shampoo, conditioner and styling products, but not hair color. "It’s a massive market, and only a tiny percentage is done at department stores. Consumers are spending it in other channels of distribution, and we felt we had a unique opportunity to build business in that area."
Coburn noted that there were other reasons as well: "Women have a real emotional attachment to their hair," she said. "As a beauty company, we need to give the consumer tools to address her needs in this area. As well, as a company, we have at our disposal access to the greatest hair care and skin care research laboratories in the world. We already have consumers coming to the department store for skin care and makeup — she’s in a beauty frame of mind when she comes to the counter. Why not sell her hair care as well?"
Lancôme also had plenty of resources to draw from when formulating its collection: in addition to funding research laboratories all over the globe, its parent company L’Oréal also owns several salon hair care companies, including Matrix, Redken and the recently acquired Artec.
The initial lineup consists of 12 stockkeeping units spread across four ranges: one each for flat/fine hair, color-treated hair, dry/damaged hair, and frequent use/normal hair. Each has white packaging with a color-coded band for immediate recognition: flat/fine is pale green; color-treated is coral; dry/damaged is gold, and frequent use/normal is pale blue.Five of the sku’s fall in the dry/damaged category: a 6.7-oz. Extra Rich Conditioning Mask, $22; a 1.69-oz. Damaged Tips Nutri-Serum, $22; a 3.3-oz. Smooth and Shine Treatment, $18; a 6.7-oz. Nourishing Daily Conditioner, $1, and a 8.4-oz Nourishing Treatment Shampoo, $16. Flat/fine hair has three sku’s: a 3.3-oz. Extra Body Non Rinse Conditioner, $17; a 5-oz. Extra Volume Mousse, $18, and a 8.4-oz. Volumizing Gel Shampoo, $16. Color-treated has two sku’s: a 6.7-oz. Extra Radiance Repairing Conditioner, $17, and a 8.4-oz. Reviving Treatment Shampoo, $16. Frequent use/normal also has two sku’s: a 6.7-oz. Express Shine Conditioner, $17, and a 8.4-oz. Vitality Gel Shampoo, $16.
Additional sku’s are in development, in collaboration with Lancôme editorial stylist Barnabe, who notes it is important to him to do "beauty products for hair." He said his four favorites in the current line are the Express Shine Conditioner, the Extra Rich Conditioning Mask, the Extra Volume Mousse and the Reviving Treatment Shampoo.
Each collection, noted Frederic Cervantes, assistant vice president of research and development for hair, L’Oréal USA, includes proprietary ingredients, including a mix of proprietary polymers. Added William Colli, director of marketing for sun, body and hair for Lancôme USA: "The technology of each of the collections is designed to work in collaboration with all other products in that category, which is why we suggest that they be used together."
"Education will be crucial to the success of this range, so we are putting a lot of effort behind our training, both for beauty advisers and for consumers," said Toria Garrett, vice president of fragrance, sun, body and hair marketing for Lancôme. The brand will begin beauty adviser educational training in January, she noted, and at the collection’s launch in March, will hand out more than 1 million brochures detailing the collection. As well, sampling is intended to be a key part of the campaign: more than 2.5 million samples, including packettes and deluxe samples, are planned. As well, a counter merchandising tester unit is planned for all doors, with about 500 doors also getting a freestanding, open-sell display unit on wheels. Open-sell walls are also planned.The collection will be available in Lancôme’s full distribution of about 2,000 department and specialty store doors in March. The line entered doors in Switzerland, Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Norway, Finland and select doors in Germany in October. It rolls out to France, the U.K., Germany and the rest of Europe in the first half of 2003. South America and Japan will get the line at the end of 2003 or beginning of 2004.
While none of the executives would comment on projected first-year sales, industry sources estimated that Lancôme would do about $30 million at retail in the U.S. in the collection’s first year on counter. Sources also estimated that the brand would spend about $7 million on advertising and promotion.
Teaser ads for the collection will break in national fashion, beauty and lifestyle magazines in February, with launch ads slated for April books.
While Lancôme is hoping that hair care will eventually be a big business for the brand, no one is expecting it to happen overnight. "It takes time to change established shopping patterns," conceded Coburn, who said she thought it would take "at least a year" to change mind-sets. Added Garrett: "It’s definitely a long-term, ongoing project."
Exclusive: @britneyspears is continuing to expand her brand. The pop icon, who appears in @kenzo ’s latest campaign, is partnering with Epic Rights to launch a line of branded merchandise. Read @hernameislex ‘s story, link in bio. #wwdnews #britneyspears
The Duchess of Cambridge channeled Princess Diana’s look upon giving birth to Prince Harry, when she and the Duke of Cambridge departed the hospital with the new baby Prince this afternoon in London. #wwdeye #princeofcambridge
The new Prince of Cambridge has arrived! The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge posed with the 8-pound newborn. She wore a look from one of her go-to designers, @jennypackham. Tap link in bio for more. #wwdeye #princeofcambridge
Jewelry label @alisonlou has made a name for itself with fine jewelry that speaks to the Millennial market. Now @twallz21 reports that the label is bringing those playful ideas to a new affordable line of lucite hoops with the launch of Loucite by Alison Lou. Here’s a look from the line modeled by @emrata. #wwdaccessories
@sarahjessicaparker and @gilt are teaming up on a bridal ready-to-wear line. Tomorrow, Parker will launch SJP by Sarah Jessica Parker Bridal — and as part of the launch, Gilt will offer 15 exclusive styles from the SJP by Sarah Jessica Parker footwear collection that were designed to complement the new line. Made out of 10 styles, the line is designed for a variety of occasions, from bridal showers to receptions. Get more details on WWD.com #wwdfashion
A grooming moment between @tanfrance and @antoni last night at the The LGBT Community Center Trailblazer Awards honoring Anna Wintour, Ricky Martin and more. See more photos at WWD.com #wwdeye (📷: @lexieblacklock)
“It was a very surreal feeling. It wasn’t like we were in the studio together coming up with it — it’s more like he discovered it and loved it. I didn’t let myself get my hopes up, but then it happened it was very exciting,” said singer-songwriter @nombe on discovering that @pharrell would be using his song, “Cant Catch Me” on his HBO documentary series “Outpost.” The German-born singer — named Noah MacBeth — talked to WWD about feminism, using art as a platform for political expression and personal style. Read more on WWD.com #wwdeye (📷: @jilliansollazzo)
This season, denim is going west – in influence. Brands like @fathersdaughterla (pictured here), @tommyhilfiger Jeans, @levis and more are opting for raw, top-stitching styles. (Styled by @thealexbadia; 📷: @ryanplett)


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timothy from the would-rather-have-a-condo-and-the-dvd dept.
think_nix writes "The local.se is reporting that, for around 200,000 USD, tickets for eager space tourists looking for that outer space adventure will be purchasable from the Sweden's Ice Hotel in Kiruna. The flights are planned to be run by Virgin Galactic, also allowing flights to be taken from New Mexico. The article further states that already around 300 tickets have been purchased."
You know, the difference between this company and the Titanic is that the
Titanic had paying customers.


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In an attempt to spur user growth, Snap’s chief executive, Evan Spiegel, announced that Snapchat would be redesigned to make it easier to use.
The Unsend function is expected to work on all types of messages, including text, images, videos, GIFs and documents.
The company said an update would "integrate missing features".
As the iPhone took shape, its designers found themselves torn between making a phone or a computer.
New 5.5in smartphone might be bulky, but its super-shiny back and pressure sensitive controls make up for it
Promo images released show people using various filters including flower crowns and bunny ears.
When you are snapping with the rear-facing camera, just tap the camera screen to find the new lenses.


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What you need to know
- Apple's iPhone demand is holding up "better than expected" according to one analyst.
- Wedbush's Dan Ives says that Apple is trending better than management guidance in the quarter.
- He also says that Apple's Asia iPhone supply chain is proving "surprisingly resilient" despite zero-COVID measures in China.
Apple's iPhone demand is "better than expected" for the quarter and its supply chain is proving "surprisingly resilient", according to one analyst.
Wedbush's Dan Ives took to Twitter Friday stating:
As of now we believe iPhone demand is holding up better than expected (despite the various supply issues that have plagued Apple and the rest of the tech sector) and are trending better than management's guidance thus far in the quarter.
Ives notes that Apple's iPhone demand is "trending better" than guidance in the quarter so far. He also put to rest some concerns about the supply chain:
Over the last few weeks our Asia iPhone supply chain checks have been "surprisingly resilient" despite the zero Covid driven demand issues in China that remain the elephant in the room for the Apple story.
As Ives notes, Apple's supply chain is under pressure in mainland China because of strict zero-COVID measures implemented by the government. Some factories have had to suspend operations, with others operating at limited capacity or keeping employees in "closed-loop" environments to prevent the spread of the disease.
Ives says AAPL remains a "top tech pick" despite some woes of late. Apple's share price has fallen 24.54% since the turn of the year, however, Ives has previously said that Apple is one of a few stocks that represent a "generational buying opportunity." The tumble has seen Apple unseated as the world's most valuable company by Saudi Aramco. Not everyone is so bullish on the company's fortunes. This week it emerged that Michael Burry, the 'Big Short' investor who cashed in on the housing market collapse in the mid 2000's, has a $36 million short position against Apple, suggesting he expects the stock to fall in the short term.
The report follows news Friday revealing that Apple captured 51% of the U.S. smartphone market in Q1 thanks to the success of its best iPhone, the iPhone 13, and the iPhone SE, with shipments climbing to 19.9 million, a 19% increase on the same period last year.
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Michelin describes Exelagri plans as ‘ambitious’
As reported last month, Michelin is gearing up to make some changes to its Exelagri dealer network in Europe. In a UK-market press release, the tyre maker describes these changes to its agricultural tyre dealer programme as “ambitious growth plans” and says its enlarged, 1,000 outlet network aims to gain a 50 per cent share of the agricultural tyre market by 2024. While the release does not specify where this growth will take place, Tyres & Accessories understands that Exelagri growth efforts will focus on Eastern Europe.
“Michelin is identifying new growth prospects for its Exelagri network and we are confident over the next ten years we will continue to increase our share of the European farm tyre market,” said Mike Lawton, commercial director of Michelin’s Agriculture division in the UK and Republic of Ireland. “We work in close partnership with our Exelagri dealers, ensuring they offer the specialist services required by today’s farmer. Farmers and contractors are much more aware of the impact their tyres play in their operation and so it is essential we have expert dealers out there who can offer the advice and support needed to ensure total performance is achieved from our rubber.”
Since the network was formed in 2004 it has grown to 770 certified outlets (according to Michelin UK; in Polish market PR, Michelin reports a 790-outlet Exelagri network) – 95 per cent of which are in Western Europe. The company has a 38 per cent share of the European agricultural tyre market – meaning close to four in every ten tyres sold in Europe today, regardless of brand, come from a Michelin Exelagri dealer. The first Exelagri dealer in the UK was accredited in 2006, and Michelin UK says 43 Exelagri points of sale operate here at present.
In a press statement released in German-language markets last month, Michelin also shared its intention to raise its Exelagri presence in Eastern Europe from 38 to 350 points of sale. This means a future network of 1,000 outlets would include a trimmed-down Western European network. In response to questions regarding the composition of tomorrow’s Exelagri network, Michelin said it is raising the entry criteria for the Exelagri programme, and therefore it “expects that the number of Michelin Exelagri points of sale in Western Europe will decline.” In Eastern European markets, Michelin has disclosed its goal of achieving a 65/35 per cent balance between Western and Eastern Europe in its future, 1,000-strong Exelagri network.
Michelin shares that successful applicants must first “meet a strict set of specifications” and be audited by an independent certification organisation.


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November 11, 2004 4:00 AM PST
TiVo hacks flourish
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Web services for your TiVo?October 8, 2004
Picture imperfect for Netflix, TiVoSeptember 8, 2004
Five tech firms at a crossroadsSeptember 8, 2004
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as long as the hacking didn't negatively impact TiVo's business, the company didn't plan to spend time addressing it.
The company has been working to beef up new service offerings to set its device and service apart from other digital video recording products. TiVo has a downloadable content service in the works with partner Netflix as well as a new interactive advertising tool.
As far as the hackers are concerned, TiVo's vision of the future--including its recently announced partnership with Netflix to provide movies on demand--just looks like yesterday's hack.
"TiVo's just once again copying utilities that we've been using for years," said MFS_FTP author Cassel, who has considered starting a business to fill in TiVo's gaps. "The Netflix thing isn't even news to us."
TiVo has a history of going against the tide, and that attitude has allowed it to outlive numerous predictions of its demise by critics who said it offered a feature easily copied by Microsoft and cable operators. While the company has survived, competitive pressures are only increasing as Microsoft continues to push PC-home entertainment convergence, and competition by other DVR providers press TiVo to compete on features.
But TiVo faces risks in developing new features, most importantly in angering large content companies, many of which have an investment in the company or are significant partners. New features such as TiVoToGo, which allows subscribers to transfer shows on a recorder to a home computer, have already drawn the ire of some.
That dynamic puts the hackers in the peculiar position of both fortifying TiVo customer loyalty in the way that Cuban described, and raising expectations for features that could exacerbate TiVo's existing tensions with Hollywood and other content providers.
Concern over copyright violations has already had a chilling effect on music recording devices that show even the potential for abuse. XM Radio, for example, pulled a recording device off the market amid concerns it could turn satellite radio streams into sources of illegally copied and shared music. Hackers have already restored a similar device to the market.
TiVo hacks are not exactly new--hackers have been extending TiVo practically since the product was first introduced.
But recent months have brought a wealth of interest and activity to the phenomenon. Enthusiasts congregate on TiVo hacking message boards. There are TiVo hacking FAQs, wikis, online how-tos warning of electrocution and voided warranties and specialty sites for Mac TiVo hacking.
For book-loving TiVo hackers, at least three volumes exist on the subject.
While TiVo has taken a hands-off approach to its hackers so far, the history of the digital music business suggests that could
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Patriotic front Matero ward 28 councilor Aggie Chinyanta has embarked on women empowerment programs to supplement governments developmental and empowerment programs in communities.
Ms. Chinyanta who is the only female councilor in Matero constituency says she has used her own pocket money to empower women in her ward with various businesses.
She says in as much as government is working, it is important that various communities are empowered with businesses to sustain themselves.
Ms. Chinyanta has empowered various women groupings from her ward with bags of rice, to start businesses and extend it to other groups as it expands.
She has further lobbied support from the Muslim community, to help the women with their nutritional needs, by giving them dairy products, such as goat meet.
And the recipients have thanked the patriotic front Matero ward 28 councilor aggie Chinyanta’s efforts in empowering them with some skills.
They have stated that, they will no longer have to wait until government starts employing them, but use the opportunity to improve their lives.


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Prices for a range of foodstuffs have remained stable across markets visited by The New Times when compared to last week’s rates.
A kilogramme of bananas costs Rwf180 in Remera Market, unchanged from last week, while that of beans costs Rwf350 and Irish potatoes at Rwf200fw. A kilogramme of beef also retained at the same cost for last week at Rwf2,000 in Kimihurura Market and millet flour at Rwf1,200. Rice cost Rwf700 per kilo, while sugar goes for Rwf800 per kilogramme in most shops visited in Remera and Kimironko. A kilogramme of fresh fish cost Rwf2,500 and a five-litre jerrycan of cooking oil is going for Rwf6,500.
Soap costs Rwf500 a bar and salt was at Rwf300 per kilogramme.
Antoinette Umurerwa, a trader in Kimihurura, said prices were stable due to the bumper harvests last month.
“The price of rice is stable because we have a lot of rice coming in from Tanzania and Uganda,” Anita Iragena, a trader in Kimironko Market, said.


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American fast food is almost entirely made of corn
November 10, 2008
Study also shows that fast food restaurants are misleading consumers about the oils they use to cook their food products.
Using a stable isotope analysis of carbon and nitrogen to determine the origin of molecules present in hamburgers, chicken, and fries, Hope Jahren and Rebecca Kraft found corn to be the almost exclusive food source of the beef and chicken served in fast food restaurants. The researchers also uncovered evidence to suggest that fast food restaurants are misleading consumers as to the oils used in preparing french fries and that animals slaughtered for production are kept in confined quarters, rather than outdoors.
"Fastfood corporations, although they constitute more than half the restaurants in the U.S. and sell more than 1 hundred billion dollars of food each year, oppose regulation of ingredient reporting," the authors write. "Ingredients matter for many reasons: U.S. corn agriculture has been criticized as environmentally unsustainable and conspicuously subsidized.
"Of 160 food products we purchased at Wendy's throughout the United States, not 1 item could be traced back to a noncorn source. Our work also identified corn feed as the overwhelming source of food for tissue growth, hence for beef and chicken meat, at fast food restaurants."
U.S. Corn production, 1950-2007
Making consumers aware of the source of their food is a critical first step to improving the American diet, say Jahren and Kraft.
"Our work highlights the absence of adequate consumer information necessary to facilitate an ongoing evaluation of the American diet," they conclude.
CITATION: A. Hope Jahren and Rebecca A. Kraft. Carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes in fastfood: Signatures of corn and confinement. PNAS Early Online Edition for the week of Nov. 10-14, 2008.
King Corn (DVD)||
The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals
(4/25/2006) In a word, economics, though deeper analysis of a proposal in Indonesia suggests that oil palm development might be a cover for something more lucrative: logging. Recently much has been made about the conversion of Asia's biodiverse rainforests for oil-palm cultivation. Environmental organizations have warned that by eating foods that use palm oil as an ingredient, Western consumers are directly fueling the destruction of orangutan habitat and sensitive ecosystems. So, why is it that oil-palm plantations now cover millions of hectares across Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand? Why has oil palm become the world's number one fruit crop, trouncing its nearest competitor, the humble banana? The answer lies in the crop's unparalleled productivity. Simply put, oil palm is the most productive oil seed in the world. A single hectare of oil palm may yield 5,000 kilograms of crude oil, or nearly 6,000 liters of crude.
(5/17/2007) Ethanol production in the United States may be contributing to deforestation in the Brazilian rainforest said a leading expert on the Amazon. Dr. Daniel Nepstad of the Woods Hole Research Center said the growing demand for corn ethanol means that more corn and less soy is being planted in the United States. Brazil, the world's largest producer of soybeans, is more than making up for shortfall, by clearing new land for soy cultivation. While only a fraction of this cultivation currently occurs in the Amazon rainforest, production in neighboring areas like the cerrado grassland helps drive deforestation by displacing small farmers and cattle producers, who then clear rainforest land for subsistence agriculture and pasture.
Corn ethanol is worsening the Gulf dead zone
(3/10/2008) Proposed legislation that will expand corn-ethanol production in the United States will worsen the growing "dead zone" in the Gulf of Mexico and hurt marine fisheries, report researchers writing in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
U.S. biofuels policy drives deforestation in Indonesia, the Amazon
(1/17/2008) U.S. incentives for biofuel production are promoting deforestation in southeast Asia and the Amazon by driving up crop prices and displacing energy feedstock production, say researchers.
(3/7/2007) High above the forest floor on the remote Colombian island of Gorgona lives a lizard with brilliant blue skin, rivaling the color of the sky. Anolis gorgonae, or the blue anole, is a species so elusive and rare, that scientists have been unable to give even an estimate of its population. Due to the lizard&spod;s isolated habitat and reclusive habits, researchers know little about the blue anole, but are captivated by its stunning coloration.


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Tesla may be barred from sales activity in Texas, but it wants to build a new store in San Antonio, and has just received approval from the city’s planning commission.
The request now moves to the city council which will decide if it should rezone the land for Tesla’s proposed store.
Tesla isn’t applying for a license to sell cars in the area, but is asking the city to change the land use category on 4.563 acres from “mixed use center” to “regional center.” After a full review of the potential fiscal and neighborhood impacts, the planning commission approved the rezoning request.
“The subject property’s location along a major roadway and in an area that has seen rather extensive commercial development, make it appropriate for Regional Center land use classification,” stated the City of San Antonio’s Planning Commission. “The proposed amendment to Regional Center will provide consistency with the surrounding areas and allow the applicant to seek the appropriate ‘C-3 S’ zoning district. The proposed amendment to Regional Center land use will not significantly alter the land use pattern or character of the immediate area as the proposed change is compatible with the already-existing surrounding pattern of development.”
If the location is approved, it will become the third Tesla location in the state. The Houston Galleria and The Domain in Austin have floor models of the Model S and offer charging.
For all Texas locations, Tesla can display cars and explain the technology, but the company can’t sell or service vehicles. Current state law prevents the sales of new vehicles by the manufacturer, requiring a franchised dealer to broker sales. If a buyer wants to purchase a Tesla, or even get pricing, he is directed to the website or a representative outside of Texas. The automaker is also barred from servicing vehicles in Texas, even if they are purchased out-of-state.
The request in San Antonio follows a long and often heated battle for the automaker in the state. Tesla attempted to change the law in 2013, approaching Texas officials with the hope of amending legislation to allow its direct-to-consumers sales approach.
Despite offers from the Texas Auto Dealers Association (TADA) that would permit Tesla to maintain almost full control of the franchise dealer, CEO Elon Musk said he would use only company stores and adamantly defended his retail sales method.
“The ability to sell cars through Tesla-owned stores is important for sustainable transportation and is the best chance a new electric car company has of succeeding,” Musk told Texas legislators in 2013. “Our sales model allows for innovative technology to be more affordable to the broader population in an unconflicted way, without changing the dealer model for gasoline-powered cars.”
Because the Texas Legislature meets again in 2015, after its traditional one-year hiatus, Tesla has another opportunity this year to attempt a change at the legislative level. The automaker hasn’t said if will take a second stab at changing Texas’ law.


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The Fresh Market to open September 4 in Overland Park’s Prairefire
- Facebook: The Fresh Market
- The OP store will be open soon like this new location in Orlando, Florida.
Overland Park is getting a new grocery-store chain. The Fresh Market (6261 West 135th Street) opens in the Prairiefire at Lionsgate development at 8 a.m. Wednesday, September 4, with chef demonstrations, drawings for gift cards, and a reusable shopping bag for the first 1,000 customers. This is a massive grocery store, spanning 24,300 square feet, that will stock more than 400 kinds of produce, 200 kinds of cheese and an in-house bakery making 30 breads daily.
“The Fresh Market’s inviting atmosphere is reminiscent of European markets,” CEO Craig Carlock said in a release announcing the store opening. “The smell of freshly brewed coffee and bread right out of the oven, the sound of classical music, soft lighting with antique decor in an intimate setting, and the ability to select and taste fresh, high quality products all work together to create surroundings where customers are encouraged to experience the food.”
Seafood will be delivered several times a week, and the Overland Park store will also have a deli, butcher, house coffee and a host of prepared meals. The Fresh Market has 138 stores in 26 states. The first store opened in Greensboro, North Carolina, in 1982. It’s a publicly traded company that one Yelper suggested is the “Southern answer to Whole Foods.”
Anyone been to the Fresh Market in another state and care to weigh in on the shopping experience?


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Earlier this year, a report came out that aimed to shed light on just how much radiofrequency radiation some handsets dole out.
Unfortunately, the report did not paint a great picture as far as RF radiation is concerned, suggesting that some devices measure higher than the legal limit. And in the case of the iPhone 7, much higher. The Chicago Tribune‘s tests were conducted “according to federal guidelines at an accredited lab”, and included several different models, ranging from aging handsets like the iPhone 7 to newer devices like the iPhone X and smartphones from other brands like Samsung.
The results by the paper indicated that the iPhone 7’s RF radiation levels were not only high, but actually two times higher than what Apple’s own tests revealed, and what Apple reported to federal regulators.
Of course, the inclusion that Apple had misled federal regulators did not go over well with those regulators, and, as such, the FCC declared following the report’s release that it would be conducting its own tests. And now, four months later, it turns out that the FCC’s tests are in and the results indicate that Apple wasn’t misleading regulators, and that tested iPhones and Galaxy smartphones “didn’t violate agency rules on maximum radiofrequency exposure levels”.
JUST IN: The FCC says recent tests of mobile devices like the iPhone and Galaxy didn’t violate agency rules on maximum radiofrequency exposure levels.
An Aug. 21 Chicago Tribune report claimed that its own testing found excess levels of radiofrequency levels in these devices pic.twitter.com/caLNxXgkDw
— Bloomberg Quicktake (@Quicktake) December 19, 2019
Here’s one of the important bits from the report, indicating that the FCC tested the iPhone 7, iPhone X, and iPhone XS — and none of the new results were what The Chicago Tribune found:
All sample cell phones tested by the FCC Laboratory, both grantee-provided and FCC- purchased samples, produced maximum 1-g average SAR values less than the 1.6 W/kg limit specified in the FCC rules. Therefore, all tested sample devices comply with the FCC RF radiation exposure general population/uncontrolled limits for peak spatial-average SAR of 1.6 W/kg, averaged over any 1 gram of tissue as specified in 47 CFR Sn. 2.1093(d)(2), and these tests did not produce evidence of violations of any FCC rules regarding maximum RF exposure levels.
And… that’s all we have at the moment! Based on this report, it sounds like Apple wasn’t misleading regulators or the public, for that matter. Most importantly, though, the devices aren’t exceeding recommended RF exposure levels.
So, some good news leading into the weekend.


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National Coffee Day: How to get your fix
Coffee fiends rejoice. Thursday is your day!
Sept. 29 is National Coffee Day and a host of local and national coffee shops are celebrating the day with freebies, discounts, and special promotions.
Here’s how you can take advantage of the extra caffeine:
66 cent coffee. Guests can enjoy any medium sized cup of signature hot coffee for 66 cents. Fans can also get a special one-day-only snapchat filter, unlocked at any DD location.
$1 off Americanos, all day, any size
Coffee lovers can get a free 12-ounce coffee with any purchase.
Leg Up Farmers Market
Leg Up will be giving away a free cup of 12-ounce coffee on Thursday between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., while supplies last.
Caramel Pumpkin Pie Coffee will be sold on Thursday. A large latte will be sold for $3.50.
Pilot Flying J
Guests will be treated to one free small cup of Pilot Coffee, or another hot beverage of their choice, including tea and cappuccino. The promotion is valid all day and guests will need to display an online coupon found on the Pilot Flying J’s Facebook page.
Royal Farms will have free coffee on Thursday for customers who use their App. Anyone who has the app will get a notification in the morning that can be used at any Royal Farms to get their free coffee.
VIP Members will receive a free coffee. Customers must be a VIP member to receive the offer. The offer is for all brewed coffees including refills and any size. This does not include the Espresso Bar Coffees.
National Coffee Day marks the one-year anniversary of Starbucks One Tree for Every Bag Commitment, an effort to combat the plague of coffee rust in Latin America. On National Coffee Day, Starbucks will donate a coffee tree on behalf of each customer who purchases a brewed Mexico Chiapas coffee in participating stores.
Sheets will offer one free small Cold Brew coffee while supplies last to all customers who show their My Sheetz Card. Thursday will be the first day Sheetz will offer the Cold Brew, fresh ground coffee infused with cold water for 10 hours.
Turkey Hill will be running a Facebook coupon on National Coffee Day, giving customers the opportunity to buy one 16 oz. coffee and get one free on Thursday. Customers must show the Facebook coupon at the register to receive the discount.


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INDIANAPOLIS – Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller’s office filed a lawsuit against Selectionals furniture store for closing its doors after collecting more than $22,000 from customers.
Zoeller said the lawsuit was filed in Lake County against Carly E. Borrero doing business as Selectionals. The Attorney General’s Office received 22 complaints from consumers who made payments ranging from $220 to $2,954, but never received the promised furniture or refunds.
“In this case, customers didn’t realize they would not receive their furniture until the store had already closed its doors,” Zoeller said. “The Attorney General’s office is committed to holding businesses accountable for ripping off customers and will diligently pursue restitution to help make these consumers whole again.”
The store was formerly located at 2133 Southlake Mall in Merrillville and had collected money from customers since at least October 2012.
One additional consumer reported receiving her dinette set about two weeks after the scheduled delivery, but the set had a defective chair. According to the lawsuit, the company promised to fix the chair but failed to do so.
The state seeks an injunction, consumer restitution, civil penalties and attorney’s fees for violating the Deceptive Consumer Sales Act. Zoeller thanked Deputy Attorney General Mark Snodgrass for his work on the case and his dedication to the Consumer Protection Division.
Anyone who feels ripped off can file a complaint with the Attorney General’s office by visiting www.IndianaConsumer.com or by calling 1-800-382-5516.
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By Cosmin Dzsurdzsa - February 10, 2022
Businesses experienced a sharp increase in bankruptcies in the last quarter of 2021 according to the Canadian Association of Insolvency and Restructuring Professionals (CAIRP).
Insolvencies were up by 36.8% across the board during last year’s fourth quarter, marking a 35-year high. The brunt of the damage was caused by closures in the food, accommodation and construction industries.
“After nearly two years of record-low business insolvencies, the persistent uncertainty caused by the COVID situation is now forcing difficult decisions from Canadian business owners who are operating in the face of increased costs, supply chain issues and a tapering of pandemic-related government support,” said Jean-Daniel Breton, Chair of CAIRP in a news release.
“The figures do not tell the whole story because owners of small, fragile companies that were surviving through low-interest rates and government support may decide to walk away rather than consider insolvency or restructuring options.”
During the period, 733 businesses commenced insolvency proceedings.
According to CAIRP, revenues have not yet returned to pre-pandemic levels for many struggling industries.
Consumer insolvencies are also up by 5.5% compared to the previous quarter, with 22,266 individuals filing bankruptcies at the tail end of 2021.
“We may not start to see consumer insolvencies return to pre-pandemic levels until later in 2022, as the tightening of monetary policy and interest rate hikes apply pressure to personal finances,” said André Bolduc, Vice-Chair of CAIRP.
Recent statistics show that nearly half of Canadians are struggling to pay off their debts and monthly bills.
According to the latest MNP Consumer Debt Index, 43% of those polled reported struggling with their personal finances, while 45% were worried they couldn’t meet their living expenses.
“Unexpected expenses are one of the biggest contributors to household financial turmoil, and many are starting the new year being dealt another round of unexpected business closures, reduced working hours or job loss, and COVID-related health concerns,” said MNP LTD president Grant Bazian.


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After dominating 2016 global sales, topping the chart and removing Toyota from the first position, Volkswagen Groupe is on course of doing so also in 2017.
Up to the end of June, the Volkswagen Group handed almost 5.2 million vehicles over to its customers. This corresponds to a rise of 0.8 per cent compared with the previous year. In the month of June, new vehicle deliveries rose by 4.2 per cent to 920,700.
In Europe, deliveries by the Group continued to grow. In June, 411,700 (+3.1 per cent) vehicles were handed over to customers. Growth of 3.5 per cent in deliveries was recorded in the first half of the year. Strong impetus for growth continues to come especially from Central and Eastern Europe, where deliveries in June were 13.2 per cent higher than in the previous year, at 67,000 new vehicles.
While deliveries in the West European core markets also rose (+1.4 per cent), there was a fall of 2.3 per cent in the home market Germany in June.
Since the beginning of the year, 461,400 Group vehicles have been handed over to customers in North America, corresponding to a rise of 3.9 per cent. The upward trend in the South America region continues. In the first half, double digit growth of 11.4 per cent was achieved, with 248,300 Group models. Of these vehicles, 43,700 (+21.7 per cent) were delivered in June; growth in deliveries was also recorded as a result of the positive development in Brazil (+12.4 per cent).
The Asia-Pacific region reported almost 2 million vehicles handed over in the first half of the year (-2.7 per cent). These included 347,000 units (+4.1 per cent) delivered in June.


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Toyota to make a "strategic investment" in Uber.
Toyota and Uber have signed a memorandum of understanding which seeks to explore the possibilities of collaboration in markets where ridesharing is expanding.
The companies were coy on specifics but confirmed plans to conduct a number of trials different continues. No names were given but the companies will take several factors into consideration including local regulations, business conditions, and customer needs.
As part of the partnership, the companies will enable Uber drivers to lease a Toyota vehicle from Toyota Financial Services and cover their payments through earnings generated as an Uber driver. Toyota says the leasing periods will be flexible and based on driver needs.
Toyota and Uber also will explore other areas of collaboration including developing apps to support Uber drivers and establishing a special fleet program to sell Toyota and Lexus vehicles to Uber.
In return, Toyota Financial Services and the Mirai Creation Investment Limited Partnership will make a "strategic investment" in Uber. There's no word on how much Toyota is investing but it's likely a considerable sum.
In a statement, Toyota senior managing officer Shigeki Tomoyama said “Ridesharing has huge potential in terms of shaping the future of mobility. Through this collaboration with Uber, we would like to explore new ways of delivering secure, convenient, and attractive mobility services to customers.
His sentiments were echoed by Uber chief business officer Emil Michael how remarked, “We’re excited that Toyota, the largest automobile manufacturer in the world, is making a strategic investment in Uber as part of a broader global partnership. Toyota vehicles are among the most popular cars on the Uber platform worldwide and we look forward to collaborating with Toyota in multiple ways going forward, starting with the expansion of our vehicle financing efforts."


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Monday Morning Musings
It was an exciting weekend here in Seattle and around the (virtual) globe. Between the Seahawks win at home against Dallas, chart-topping iPhone 5 orders and some of the best online live-streaming we’ve seen, these stories have us talking around the office today.
Our top three links for this Monday morning:
Two million people from over 100 countries watched fashion retailer Topshop’s Spring/Summer 2012 broadcast from London’s Fashion Week. Not only could viewers watch the 10-15 minute fashion show, but they could click on clothes and accessories as the models walked the catwalk. Topshop estimates that “well over” 200 million people were exposed to images from the fashion show in the first three hours after it began. Now that is impressive.
Apple: iPhone 5 orders topped 2M in 24 hours
Have you ordered the iPhone 5 yet? Two million is more than double what the iPhone 4S raked in within the first 24 hours. The iPhone 5 is Apple’s first major revision to the iPhone since its introduction in 2007. It will be available at Apple’s 356 U.S. stores starting Friday. That is, if there are any left.
Seahawks show the world the team it can and wants to be
We Seattleites have a pep in our step this morning thinking about the Seahawks 27-7 win at home against Dallas. Steve Kelley of the Seattle Times said the Seahawks “practically pitched a perfect game…” Let’s hope there’s more where that came from!
And honorable mention to the current Seattle weather: thanks for making our Monday!


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The VR season has officially kicked off, with the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive now available to those who have been among the first to pre-order the devices while PlayStation VR will release in October 2016.
We've previously reported on early forecasts for the VR market. However, not everyone shares the same confidence: according to analyst firm Strategy Analytics, PC (Oculus Rift & HTC Vive) and console (PSVR) virtual reality devices will barely exceed 1.7 million devices shipped globally in 2016 due to prohibitively high pricing.
David Watkins, Director of Strategy Analytics' Connected Home Devices service, said:
Adoption of the more expensive, high-end PC and Game Console based devices will be limited to a subset of early adopter enthusiasts and hard core gamers. The high price of these devices will act as a significant barrier to more widespread uptake. The PC and Console powered virtual reality market is entering the classic chicken and egg phase whereby the major games publishers are waiting on the side-lines until there are enough VR headsets and users in the market for it to make financial sense for them to build a VR library of content. This is providing independent and niche developers the chance to make a name for themselves before the big boys arrive.
As a result, Strategy Analytics believes that lower priced smartphone based devices will dominate the VR market, leaving only 13% of the volumes in 2016 to PSVR, Oculus Rift and HTC Vive.
When you consider that the respective prices are $599 for the Oculus Rift, $799 for the HTC Vive and $399 for PlayStation VR (though you'll actually need to spend more for this one, as thoroughly explained here), it's hard not to see their point.
Are you an early adopter of the Oculus RIft or HTC Vive and if so, what are your first impressions? Let us know in the comments.


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50 new jobs have been announced for Killarney with the opening of a new restaurant and cocktail bar.
Located on Main Street, Hilliard's is a new development undertaken by the Sheahan Group, and is located on the exact site of the former R Hillard and Sons department store.
The new venture brings 50 new jobs to Killarney, adding to over 500 people currently employed by the Group.
House of Hilliard was originally established in 1848 and traded as a department store for 148 years.
The official opening of the new restaurant and bar is due to take place on Friday, July 8.