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It is no coincidence that all of this is occurring as the Northern Hemisphere, where most of the world’s population lives, is entering the cold winter season. With prices sky-high, food supplies dwindling and energy rates soaring, it is a perfect storm situation for unleashing global genocide.
Should energy blackouts occur, many people will freeze to death in addition to starving to death. As Pedo Joe Biden once warned, there is a dark winter on the way that will catch many off-guard who exchanged the truth for lies.
According to Pascal Leroy, senior vice president of core ingredients at Roquette Freres SA, a France-based food processing company, high energy prices are creating “inflationary pressure on every other cost” for food production.
If it has not already, these higher costs will eventually be passed onto consumers, which are already being punished with runaway inflation caused by the Federal Reserve and its toxic financial policies.
Despite all this, most people are still just sitting on their asses pretending as though everything is just fine, even when it is clearer than ever before that things are not fine, and are nowhere close to fine.
“We wouldn’t be surprised to see more nitrogen and chemicals production across Europe idled in the coming days until gas prices moderate,” admitted Joel Jackson, an analyst at BMO Capital Markets, in a report on this dire situation.
Media reports are also now admitting that this is an “especially serious problem” because it “threatens to starve out much of the world if it is not remedied, and soon.”
“With industrial food production having become the norm throughout much of the planet, the entire food supply system now relies on a steady stream of this fertilizer to continue growing crops using conventional methods,” reports warn.
The latest news about this impending manufactured genocide can be found at Genocide.news.
Sources for this article include:


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POTTSVILLE, SCHUYLKILL COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — The family-owned Yuengling Brewery based in Schuylkill County is taking its secret recipes on the road.
The brewery out of Pottsville will have tight security for the move. The 192-year old recipe book and Yuengling’s proprietary yeast are heading to Texas as part of an expansion.
THE LATEST FROM WTAJ:
Both will be loaded into an armored truck this Friday for the three-day journey. A facility in Fort Worth will start making Yuengling products later this year as the company expands further west.

domain: news


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Sectors are slowing down, fewer people are quitting their jobs, and open positions are decreasing. The labor market is still very strong–both wages and employment increased slightly–but new indicators suggest it is slowly but surely cooling.
Earlier this month, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released its monthly reports on the status of the US labor market. The Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) revealed that job openings declined from 10 million to 9.6 million in March, while layoffs increased to 1.8 million. These indicators reveal that the labor market is continuing to slow down from the historically low unemployment seen earlier this year. The Employment Situation report showed that in April, unemployment edged down slightly to 3.4%, and average hourly wages increased by 16 cents. While March pointed to significant cooling, April proved to be a particularly strong month. There may be a long way to go before the Federal Reserve achieves its goal of driving down inflation, but the process seems to be working so far.
With the Fed raising interest rates to the highest levels since before the 2008 financial crisis, it will be important to monitor the labor market closely to ensure that the fight against inflation doesn’t have an adverse effect on workers. “This is a little bit like when you’re making a hard boiled egg and you’re trying to time it exactly, to get that soft middle (or that soft landing),” said Lightcast Senior Economist Layla O’Kane. “I think we’re kind of approaching that nice jam center, and hopefully we’re not going to get to the point where it’s too hard boiled and overdone.”
Here are the major takeaways from the reports:
Job openings declined and separations increased–but the labor market remains strong.
In March, job openings ticked down 4% to 9.6 million, and layoffs increased from 1.6 million in February to 1.8 million.
While these rates are still far above their pre-pandemic levels, the gradual decline in openings suggests that the labor market is on the right track.
2. Each industry is reacting differently to the market cooling, and the trends reveal interesting insights about the overall behavior of the labor market. Here are some areas of the labor market that especially stood out:
The tech layoffs that took place earlier this year seem to be slowing, and the increase in job openings could be an indicator that the industry is beginning to return to normal, but with a smaller workforce.
The majority of jobs in the tech industry are categorized by the BLS within both the Professional and Business services sector and the Information sector. In April, Professional and Business Services saw an increase of 43,000 jobs and a simultaneous increase in layoffs. The Information sector added only 1,000 jobs, but saw a decrease in layoffs. While the minimal activity in the Information sector may seem like a red flag for tech workers, it is important to note that the unemployment rate in the Information sector remains very low at 1.4%.
The Warehousing and Wholesale Trade and Transportation sectors saw an increase in layoffs in March, pointing to a decrease in consumption of goods. It will be important to note the effects of this slowing, and how the impact of a cooler supply chain carries over into other sectors.
“It’s just part of that narrative of slowing down the economy and it starts with those good producing sectors, while consumers are still very actively spending money on services,” said Lightcast Senior Economist Elizabeth Crofoot.
The Healthcare sector saw 42,000 layoffs in March, which is unusual behavior for an industry that usually sees high demand for workers due to the aging population. Earlier this month, the Wall Street Journal reported that employment for temporary nurses at a number of hospitals had declined since last April, and more nurses seemed to be returning to traditional roles at hospitals. In April, the healthcare sector added 64,000 jobs.
“There’s a shift in the medical industry right now where nurses may be shifting from really high wage, high pressure demand areas to going back to where the demand, or the hospital jobs are,” said Crofoot. “[Nurses] want to have a contract for longer than a few months at a time. They’re not sure what the economy is going to look like, so this uncertainty is sort of pushing them back into a little bit more of a stable position,” said O’Kane.
Accommodation and food services
While wages for many white-collar jobs decreased in April, the wages for many service-based positions increased. As consumers continue to invest in services rather than goods, the demand for workers in service-based industries remains high. High wages are not only reflective of high consumer demand, but also a need to retain workers.
“If you drop your wages, one of two things is gonna happen. Either your quality of worker's is going to go down, or you just will end up with no workers,” said Lightcast Senior Economist Ron Hetrick.
In March, layoffs increased in the Accomodation and Food Services sector by 63,000, but job openings simultaneously increased. This could be indicative of the sector reorganizing in the context of higher demand, or consumer behavior changing slightly in terms of what types of services they consume.
The Construction sector has seen a decrease in workers this year, likely due to the unappealing housing market. As interest rates increase, fewer people are inclined to buy new properties, which means less building and less renovating. Demand for housing remains high, but with few active properties on the market and high home prices, the real estate market has been less active. The Construction sector saw more layoffs in March than any other sector, at 122,000 layoffs.
3. The effects of the Fed’s raised interest rates are beginning to become more apparent.
In March, the Commerce Department reported that the GDP had increased by only 1.1% for the first quarter, compared to the last report of a 2.6% increase. The GDP is still increasing, but the slower rate is a sign that attempts to cool the economy are having a significant impact. The growth is also an indicator that the economy is not technically in recession, meaning that a soft landing is not far away.
For the past few months, wages have also been increasing at a slower rate, an indicator that wage-based inflation may be slowing down. Though the rate of change ticked up slightly in April (at 0.5% compared to March’s 0.3%), the overall trend shows promise for cooling.
The past few months have looked promising in terms of achieving a soft landing. Inflation is slowly coming down without having too much of an adverse effect on the workforce. The slight increase of wages and employment in April, however, indicates that our labor market is still resilient. In the context of a banking crisis and a shift in consumer behavior, the Fed will need to keep a close eye on the labor market to best inform their next plan. As employers and jobseekers also adjust to this unique market, it will be important to stay informed with accurate data to make the best possible career decisions.


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Ivan Moroke, CEO of Kantar South Africa Insights Division, says, "South Africa's most valuable brands have been leaning into their home country's reputation for resilience and resourcefulness to meet the many health, social and environmental challenges they are confronting."
Moroke adds, "Through technology, sustainability initiatives and adding customer-centric services and expanding overseas operations, the strongest brands led by MTN have found avenues for significant growth as the country returns to steady financial recovery."
Fastest risers and newcomers
According to the report, MTN has leapt four places in South Africa's brand ranking to occupy the number one spot for the first time with a brand value of USD$3.7-billion. The telecom provider also claims the accolade as 2022's fastest riser, growing 85% in brand value year-on-year.
MTN is followed by number two, First National Bank with USD$3.5-billion and number three Vodacom with USD$3.1-billion as South Africa's top three most valuable brands, adds the report.
According to the report, 12 South African brands boast above-average growth (>21% rise in brand value). Rising with nine positions, Investec (number 16, USD$700-million) is the second fastest riser, followed by retail giant Checkers number 23, USD$531-million), part of the Shoprite Group that has focused heavily on accelerating its digital transformation.
Dis-Chem (number 27, USD$410-million), returns to the Top 30
after an absence of two years. Operating across multiple categories such as health, baby and beauty, the retail pharmacy is perceived by consumers as a well-trusted and purposeful brand that offers fair prices.
Brutal Fruit (number 28, USD$396-million) is 2022's newcomer to the ranking and has grown its revenue significantly, while extending its branding outside of its traditional core alcohol category and into cosmetics following the launch of its 'You Belong' fragrance. Resilience and recovery
Reflecting South Africa's broader economic resilience, the growth in the ranking's overall brand value was deep and distributed throughout.
Although the Top 30
ranking showed a slight decline of -3% in 2021, with only nine brands growing in value, 2022's picture is very different. Only two brands show any decline at all, while 28 grew, and 12 grew in value by more than 20%.Fundamentals for success
Stina Van Rooyen, Kantar BrandZ lead of South Africa, says, "2022 has been a banner year for South African brands, with sharp value growth and strategies that seem to be building several brand equity measures. Our top-performing brands are focussed on getting their four fundamentals for growth right, which are exposure, function, convenience and experience."
"Brand managers should continue more of the same: Investing in brand equity, expanding to new categories and geographies and helping young South Africans create a more equitable and sustainable society they desire," adds Van Rooyen.Diversification throughout the nation
According to the group, brands that are growing in South Africa tend to be:
- highly dynamic
- launching new products and services
- expanding into adjacent categories, and
- occasionally entering completely different ones.
For example, telecom providers are offering payment services, insurers are opening banks, pharmacy retailers are selling their own medical insurance and alcohol brands are launching fragrances.
Kantar's global research indicates that this is an excellent strategy for growth. On average, brands that operate in a higher number of categories grew 24.2% in the past year, while those that operated in a single category grew 13.8%.
Diversified brands also have much more potential to grow their brand value, with 53% of them achieving above-average growth, compared to only 28% of single-category brands, according to the report.
Hot on the heels of global brands
Despite a sharp reduction in advertising spending at the onset of the pandemic, South African brands made a strong return to the market, says the report. This has now put them on par with successful global brands.
It is not always about how much marketers spend on advertising, but the quality and efficiency with which they spend, adds the group. Ensuring that you're using the right channels and using messages that really connect with your customers can make your marketing budget go further.
van Rooyen says, "Our research shows that strong brands tend to be more resilient during downturns and return to growth more quickly when good times return. This may help explain the exuberant performance of the Kantar BrandZ Most Valuable South African Brands 2022
, which have greatly outpaced the broader economy."Special Awards
Woolworths has been awarded the 2022 Kantar BrandZ Sustainability Award
The following brands received special awards that recognise their performance in the four cornerstones of brand-building proven to drive consumer demand:
- Clicks was awarded for both Experience (offering superior experience across all touchpoints) and Function (creating a range of well-designed products and services).
- Checkers was the top-performing brand for Convenience (ensuring products and services fit well into consumers' everyday lives).
- FNB was recognised for performing highly on Exposure (cutting through with advertising, featuring memorable icons and messages).
The Kantar BrandZ Top 30 Most Valuable South African Brands 2022
ranking, report and extensive analysis can be accessed here
For more information, visit www.kantar.com
. You can also follow Kantar on Facebook
or on Instagram


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By Dimitra DeFotis
Brazil’s retail sales data contraction suggests economic weakness, but the market is rallying this morning.
The iShares MSCI BrazilCapped ETF (EWZ) is up 1.6%.
Despite the World Cup in June, data released Thursday showed retail sales fell 0.7% month over month. Analysts were looking for a 0.4% increase. Barclays was looking for a 0.8% increase. Including auto and building materials, broad retail sales had an even weaker performance, down 3.6%. Barclays’ Marcelo Salomon writes:
“The sector breakdown shows broad-based losses in sales. Only one sector experienced growth in sales during the month: supermarket sales rose 0.6% month over month, likely pushed by the lower food prices during the month. Auto sales had the biggest drop, down 12.9% month over month, a much more pronounced reduction than suggested by the 6.9% decline published earlier by the auto dealers association. Undoubtedly, [Thursday's] release continues to suggest a very weak outlook for economic activity, echoed by the still very low confidence index levels and the sluggishness in the credit market. These data push our monthly GDP proxy forecast for June to -0.5% month over month (from -0.3%), due to be released [Friday], although it keeps our second quarter 2014 real GDP tracker at -0.2% quarter over quarter, in line with our forecast for the period.”


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With government policies around the world easing up to allow more EVs on the roads, more and more investors are looking to learn more about what’s happening. Companies that pivoted to the EV shift on time have seen a rapid rise in revenues in the last few years, while others that failed to do so saw losses as well.
In this article, we’re going to explore the consumer preference shift to EV vehicles, and how that change might affect automobile stocks in the Indian markets.
You may also like: The pharmaceutical industry in India and its contribution to the world
The electric vehicle boom
India is all set to embrace a future in electric vehicles. 70% of tier-one Indian car consumers state that they’re willing to consider an electric car for their next vehicle, as compared to the record-high global average of 52%. This preference shift is driven by global climate policies, push for sustainability, and subsidies for the sales of EVs.
EVs have also become accessible to the typical automobile consumer in the country, with manufacturers announcing EV alternatives to vehicles in almost all segments. Today, the cost of ownership of an EV vehicle has achieved parity with the cost of owning a regular vehicle.
India is one of the fastest-growing vehicle markets in the world and now has millions of EV owners. More than 90% of its 2.3 million electric vehicles are the cheaper and more popular two- or three-wheelers — that’s motorbikes, scooters and rickshaws — and over half of India’s three-wheeler registrations in 2022 were electric, according to an IEA report
Here are some reasons why consumer preferences are shifting in favour of EVs:
- Environmental concerns: One of the primary reasons for the shift to EVs is the growing awareness of climate change and the desire to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. EVs produce zero tailpipe emissions, which significantly reduces air pollution and reliance on fossil fuels.
- Lower operating costs: EVs have lower operating costs compared to traditional internal combustion engine vehicles. Electricity is often cheaper than gasoline, and EVs require less maintenance due to fewer moving parts.
- Better driving experience: Electric vehicles offer instant torque and a smooth, quiet driving experience. This contributes to a positive perception of EVs in terms of performance, especially in acceleration and handling.
- Improving technology: Advancements in battery technology have significantly increased the range and efficiency of EVs. As battery costs decrease and energy density increases, EVs become more practical and cost-effective.
Can the EV boom cause regular auto stocks to fall?
The relationship between the electric boom and the potential fall in traditional auto stocks is not a straightforward cause-and-effect scenario. While the rise of EVs can impact some aspects of the traditional auto industry, numerous other factors are also at play.
Diversification within companies and categories is a big factor. Auto stocks don’t necessarily fall when EV stocks rise because of one simple reason: most companies that traditionally manufactured regular cars are also expanding to the EV segment.
For instance, companies like Tata Motors and Mahindra & Mahindra are pioneering the development of electric vehicles in India, both on the consumer and commercial side.
How are Indian auto stocks performing right now?
Auto stocks, surprisingly, are in the money right now. Margins have already started to improve on most auto stocks in India like Maruti Suzuki and Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M).
Although both these stocks have historically underperformed the benchmark, they have given decent returns. While Maruti rose almost 12 percent in this period, M&M advanced over 10 percent. In comparison, the benchmark Nifty Auto gained around 20 percent in the last 1 year.
Meanwhile, in 2023 YTD, Maruti and M&M rose 23 per cent and 18 percent, respectively, again underperforming the benchmark Nifty Auto, which added over 26 percent in this period.
In terms of earnings, Maruti recorded its highest ever earnings this year, posting a standalone profit of ₹3,716.5 crore in Q2FY24 versus ₹2,061.5 crore in the same quarter last year.
What does this mean for investments in auto stocks?
EV stocks are a great industry to get in if you’re looking to capitalise on long-term growth that’s not only sustainable, but also has proof of concept. Here are some stocks in India you should consider looking into if you want to capture significant value in the long-term:
- Reliance Industries
- TVS Motor Company Ltd.
- Tata Motors Ltd.
- Indian Oil Corporation Ltd.
- Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd.
- Hindalco Industries Ltd.
Make sure that you research industry leaders in the EV industry before investing. Bigger companies with larger R&D budgets have a higher chance of growing in the long-term even if they move slower with product launches.
Mergers and acquisitions in the EV space are also highly prevalent, so looking at a company’s acquisitions history might also help. M&A data will help you understand whether a company is identifying potential competitors and buying them, and if it’s generating enough cash flows to finance them in some way.
Hence, while the growth of EVs may impact certain segments of the traditional auto industry in the long term, the overall movement of stock prices is influenced by a myriad of factors beyond the rise of EVs, making a direct cause-and-effect relationship less straightforward or deterministic.
By analysing industry leaders, researching them fundamentally, and making investments with hedged risk, you stand a good chance to capitalise on the EV shift.


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In a recent survey of 4,000 mobile subscribers a quarter said they stay with their mobile carrier because it’s too inconvenient to switch, according to a new study by WDS, A Xerox (NYSE: XRX) Company.
The Mobile Loyalty Audit 2014, an annual report coordinated in partnership with MobileSquared and GMI, indicated that carriers are misinterpreting satisfaction metrics, overestimating customer loyalty and, therefore, misdirecting investment in customer retention.
Customer retention budgets have little impact
There is very little evidence to suggest that retention is being driven by proactive investment by mobile service providers, or that current allocated retention budgets are having any meaningful impact, according to the survey which reveals:
More than a quarter of customers interviewed (26 percent) admit that the only reason they stay with their current provider is that switching is “inconvenient.”
15 percent believe that all mobile carriers are the same and that they see no benefit in switching.
Over a third (35 percent) do not want to risk changing carriers for fear of losing coverage.
55 percent of retained customers say that they stay because their current carrier meets their service expectations.
Just 16 percent of mobile consumers feel rewarded for their loyalty.
“It’s been twelve months since we last ran the Mobile Loyalty Audit and while we have broadened the base to include subscribers from the United Kingdom, United States, South Africa and Australia, many of the issues facing carriers remain,” said Tim Deluca-Smith, vice president of marketing at WDS. “Carriers appear no closer to establishing what customer loyalty actually is, or how to proactively engender it. The data shows that customers avoid switching carriers because of the inconvenience related to technical, social or financial barriers. It has little to do with emotional attachment or loyalty to the brand.”
Satisfied customers still switch
The Mobile Loyalty Audit also underlined a large disparity between customer satisfaction and customer retention. The study shows:
Almost one fifth (18 percent) of customers who are considering switching, admitted to being highly satisfied with their current provider.
Less than half of retained customers (44 percent) are highly satisfied.
When customers were asked why they intended to switch carriers:
54 percent said they didn’t feel valued.
54 percent cited ineffective rewards and loyalty programs.
44 percent did not trust their carrier.
These findings reveal that mobile subscribers are simply not loyal. The survey suggests most feel unloved and harbor low levels of trust towards their carriers. This suggests that current efforts to increase customer retention and brand loyalty for the most part are proving ineffective.
“Many in the industry believe that customer satisfaction automatically translates to retention,” Deluca-Smith said. “This is not true. Certainly, customer satisfaction is correlated to retention and a highly satisfied customer is seven times more likely to be retained, but this cannot be relied upon.”
To download the full report: www.wds.co/ML14
Supporting infographic: www.wds.co/ML14info
WDS, A Xerox Company, provides multi-channel knowledge management, care automation and analytics to help wireless brands deliver a more effective customer service experience and protect customer lifetime value. Driven by our Technology, Services and Consulting practices, it’s our ability to help our clients improve their responsiveness to customer service threats and design failure out of the customer service experience, that means many of the world’s most recognizable wireless brands now trust the outsourcing of their customer service experience to WDS. To find out more, please visit www.wds.co.


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If there is one thing that male tech bloggers will profess is that sitting in front of multiple computer screens 14+ hours a day doesn’t exactly breed metrosexual hygiene. Certain daily tasks like shaving takes a back seat if we’re to be on top of the daily tech news. I’m not saying that we’re a stinky or dirty crowd, but come on, we are the faceless army of the Internet. Maybe this USB rechargeable shaver is novel enough to actually be used on our peach fuzz though. Plus, it’s only $22 bucks so most of us could actually afford it on our measly income.
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Tokyo, Japan — October 13, 2016 — Host Hortonworks® (NASDAQ:HDP) today announced the first Hadoop Summit Japan taking place in Tokyo. Hadoop Summit is the premier industry event for those seeking insight and best practices about the transformational impact of big data on organizations. The conference will take place October 26th – 27th, 2016 at the Hilton Hotel in Tokyo and features more than 60 speakers across 48 sessions.
Attendees with both business and technical perspectives will learn about the big data enablers, including Apache™ Hadoop® and Apache Spark that are fueling digital transformations. Hadoop Summit is a unique event where all sessions are by pragmatists and experts in their fields and have been selected by the community. Attendees will develop an understanding of key technologies powering new modern data applications and the value they generate for organizations. With successful events already this year in Ireland, USA, and Australia, Hadoop Summit has become the go-to event providing the global community-vetted practical guidance to novices as well as experienced data practitioners.
“The enterprises of today are undergoing significant digital transformation powered by Connected Data Platforms and modern data applications,” said Shaun Connolly, chief strategy officer, Hortonworks. “We are excited to extend community driven business and technical best practices to the North Asia region and thank all of our customers, partners and the community for their support.”
Hortonworks Chief Strategy Officer Shaun Connolly will deliver the opening keynote presentation titled “Data is Transforming Everything” and Hortonworks Founder and Apache Committer Sanjay Radia will give a technical demonstration keynote to demonstrate key connected data architecture trends. In addition, Nobuyuki Ishikawa, Manager, Big Data Product Development Group from Recruit Technologies will deliver a keynote. Hortonworks is proud to highlight Recruit Technologies as the co-host of Hadoop Summit Tokyo.
Complementing the keynotes are two “Future of Data” customer panels in which representatives from Coca-Cola East Japan, Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus, Yahoo Japan and LIXIL discuss their journey with Connected Data Platforms, from proof of concept to production.
To register for Hadoop Summit Tokyo, please visit http://hadoopsummit.org/tokyo/register/.
Hortonworks is an industry leading innovator that creates, distributes and supports enterprise-ready open data platforms and modern data applications that deliver actionable intelligence from all data: data-in-motion and data-at-rest. Hortonworks is focused on driving innovation in open source communities such as Apache Hadoop, Apache NiFi and Apache Spark. Along with its 1,800+ partners, Hortonworks provides the expertise, training and services that allow customers to unlock transformational value for their organizations across any line of business.
Hortonworks, Powering the Future of Data, HDP and HDF are registered trademarks or trademarks of Hortonworks, Inc. and its subsidiaries in the United States and other jurisdictions. For more information, please visit www.hortonworks.com. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
Marketing, Hortonworks Japan Co., Ltd.


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casual is working full time
The trend of casual wear has grown to today, 27-year-old Matt Smithyear-
Old Century City lawyers are seeking a \"connection\" on Tuesday \".
\"He wants to go to work in a suit, but he knows he will be laughed.
Instead, Smith wears a tie every Tuesday, hoping others in the office will follow suit.
So far, there is a couple.
\"It\'s just something interesting,\" he said . \"
Forget leisure Friday
In many workplaces, as the company\'s dress code has replaced fedoras and white gloves, it is casual every day.
From executives to receptionists, office workers now wear almost everything they want, sometimes revealing more cleavage, tattoos and body fat than colleagues
The workers want to see.
T-style of clothingshirt-and-jeans-
More than a decade ago, Silicon Valley\'s tech giants had even spread to law firms, accounting firms and corporate headquarters ---
The traditional fortress has kept Brooks Brothers generations of salesmen busy teaching customers how to fold the silk pocket square.
Polo shirts, sweater sets and custom casual pants--
What do many companies think is \"business leisure? -
Has given way to the sling top, rubber flapflops, T-
Shirts and jeans
This trend has even triggered
Pros choose a more buckled rebound-down look.
\"Wearing a tie was once a qualified sign.
But it\'s consistent to wear clothes now, and it\'s rebellious to wear clothes, \"said Robert Stephens, who founded the geek team Best Buy.
Computer Maintenance Service
Team members exercise for a short time
White shirt and black tie.
Credit young workers, who brought who-cares-what-I-
The attitude of wearing, their compartments, leisure-everyday trend. The hip-
Jeans and Silk
Their favorite screened T-shirts have caught up with the aging baby boomers, and many of them have started their careers from a closet full of pinstriped \"power\" suits.
Many women think they no longer need to dress properly.
Be taken seriously in the office like a man.
Today\'s casual wear also reflects the needs of parents who want to stay comfortable in staff meetings and their children\'s football practice.
Employers who used to take a hard line with suits and pantyhose realized that they could lose valuable employees unless they relaxed.
Many see their loose dress code as a potential recruitment tool.
\"It really helps us, especially for workers in Gen X and Gen Y,\" said Miriam vardak, senior vice president of Virginia International.
Some young workers told her that they would not consider a potential employer if they had to wear a suit and tie.
But today\'s lax dress code raises tough questions for managers, such as what is acceptable and what is too hasty, offensive or exposed.
Whether formal or informal, most companies have dress codes.
\"The company wants to be neat and clean, one notch higher than what you might wear at home,\" said John Challenger, head of recruitment firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc.
But some workplaces seem to have given up hope.
General Mills, packaging food giant
, There are no formal rules until the middle
Spokesman Kirstie Foster said that 1990, now just ask the staff to \"dress for your day \".
The company recommends that \"in the days when employees schedule meetings with customers or external customers, traditional business attire may be more appropriate. \"Credit --or blame --
Apple Computer ceo Steve Jobs in jeans
Because of the demise of ties and pencil skirts
If they can take off their suits and still be rich, many people think they should be free to do so, said the challenger.
This also explains that this shift is accidental.
Baby boomers \"feel the need to express themselves through work and become winners on this stage,\" said Peter Ross, partner at market research firm Yankelovich Inc.
He said the success suit worn by many young women in the 1980 s with a soft bow proved the ambition. But as Gen-
Xers entered the labor market at the end of 1980, \"they don\'t feel the need to show the feeling of \'I have to be a winner,\'\" Ross said, although many people are also driven. Gen-
Also known as the Echo wave generation-
Between the ages of 18 and 26. -
\"There is a more relaxed set of standards, and they particularly dislike being told what to do,\" Rose said . \".
He said a bare mid-waist or cargo pants might look sloppy for people in baby boomers, \"but in the Echo it would say, \'I need comfort.
The interview of \"echo tide\" wearing the nose ring without thinking, while the peak period of birth or root
\"Xers will think you\'re crazy,\" Rose said . \".
At the age of 29, Olga Shmuklyer, a public relations consultant in New York, crossed the line between Generation X and Generation Y.
\"My generation just wants to stay comfortable at work, but I can see how older people see us and think we\'re too casual,\" she said.
\"Older staff also do the same when dealing with children, sick parents and their own leisure activities.
\"People are too busy now,\" said Marshal Cohen, chief analyst at marketing information company NPD Group . \".
\"They are getting more and more into generic products and they can go to work and gym in it.
\"No one goes home again between each activity;
\"They don\'t have time or gas,\" he said . \".
Cohen said the fashion industry took advantage of the casual shift in clothing tastes, with $250 worth of jeans and $300 worth of jewelry flip --flops.
However, even some designers who profit from this trend are surprised by the casual dress of employees today.
\"You can\'t wear open clothes when I work at Marshall Field University --
Toe shoes, no matter how hot it is in the summer, you always have to wear hoses, \"recalls Anne Cahill, director of merchandising and design at Liz claiberne Inc.
Now she sees \"I \'ve never dreamed of wearing something to work\", including the woman who recently wore a bra on the floor --Top without straps.
\"For example, who did it? \" she said.
\"We are contributors to this situation,\" admitted Cashill . \". The New York-
The US-based company owns Super
Casual Juicy collection of fashion and Lucky Brand Jeans.
\"It\'s a very good thing for many of our businesses,\" she said of leisure trends . \".
The popularity of casual shoes has exceeded one of the last office dresses. no\'s --bare toes.
Guizot, vice president of insurance, said her workplace lifted the ban about a year ago.
Employees are still asked not to wear rubber flip covers
She said, \"but a lot of people will.
\"However, when the employees crossed the line, the executives of other companies told awkward conversations. At Merit Cos.
Employees dress in violation of the company\'s dress code-
For example, those wearing shorts and flip covers
Top with slippers or straps-
Sometimes they are sent home to change clothes.
Most people admit their mistakes.
Angela Genaro, director of human resources at Aliso Viejo, said stand up and take gentle condemnation with ease
Property Management Company.
\"When an employee said, \'Oh, when I got dressed this morning, I thought it might be suspicious,\" she said. I was always surprised.
But in some high
Technology companies, even rubber flip covers
The flip flops do not lift the eyebrows. \"Flip-
MySpace I Parker, 28, is the purchasing manager of MySpace. \"slippers are my summer shoes,\" she said . \".
Com in Beverly Hills
On the most recent business day, Parker was wearing jeans, a water-colored vest with lace and black beach shoes everywhere.
She said that she and her colleagues worked very long, so \"it was good to work in an environment that was not too tense about appearance\", although they did dress up for meetings with customers.
The decline in weekend clothing has now triggered some counter-trends, Cohen said.
Especially the baby boomers, he says, are trying to \"separate themselves from the younger generation \".
The same is true for ambitious junior professionals.
This reversal is most obvious in men.
Sales of men\'s custom clothing totaled $5.
1 billion compared to $4 in the 12 months ended.
According to the data of the NPD, the previous year was 6 billion.
Sales of women\'s custom goods have been flat.
Victoria Johnson says she has never bought a business casual dress.
\"For me it means the business is sloppy,\" 47-year-
She\'s in charge of Los Angeles.
Management consulting company.
Wearing a navy straight dress with a jacket, high heels and pantyhose, Johnson said she thought \"Your appearance is your business card;
It will speak before you speak.
\"A good first impression ---
Or at least memorable. -
12 years ago, when Stephens started the geek team, that\'s what he wanted.
A year later, after watching the movie Apollo 13, the moment of \"aha\" came.
\"Everyone at NASA mission control is in uniform ---
Shorts, black pants
White long sleeve shirt and clipon tie.
They just don\'t know.
\"NASA doesn\'t even wear it like this anymore,\" Stephens added . \" But his customers like it. *(
Start text of the infobox)
Dress for Success?
Here\'s where some people think it\'s appropriate to be in the office.
Traditional business leisure-
Casual suit (men)
Suit (wool trousers)women)
Casual pants NowBusiness casualKhaki (men)
Custom Navy casual pants (women)Way-
Hawaiian shirts, Oxford shirts, casual jeans (men)
Cargo pants rope (women)
* Silk tie (men)
Bow silk top (women)
Polo shirt (collar)men)
Silk scarf sweater twin set (women)Way-
CasualGold chain (men)
Stretch vest (women)
* ThenWingtip shoes (men)Leather pumps (women)
Now business personnel (men)Flats (women)Way-
Casual shoes (men)Beaded flip-flops (women)


text:
SINGAPORE: Multi-currency mobile wallet operator YouTrip on Thursday (Oct 26) announced it has raised another US$50 million in funding.
The funds were raised from global venture capital firm Lightspeed for its Series B round. Lightspeed has also invested in Snapchat-owner Snap and tech company Stripe.
YouTrip previously raised US$30 million in 2021 and US$25.5 million in 2019.
Nearly five years after its launch, the Singapore-based app has become operationally profitable, chief executive officer Caecilia Chu told CNA in an interview.
YouTrip now processes US$10 billion in payments annually – comprising money that users spend while travelling overseas, shopping on international sites and corporate spending by small- and medium-size enterprises using YouBiz.
The bulk of the payments processed come from the consumer side of the business.
“It’s important under this current climate to show investors, and even to show ourselves, that we have a solid business model where we can scale in a sustainable manner,” said Ms Chu, noting that companies are trying to be conservative in an uncertain time.
Ms Chu, who is also the company’s co-founder, said YouTrip has grown 200 per cent year-on-year and reached profitability in April this year.
“In order to raise money in this current climate, you have to do both simultaneously,” she said.
The money will be used to invest in more technologies to improve YouTrip’s products.
Users can soon add their YouTrip cards to Google Pay, and QR code payments are “part of (the) roadmap in the near term”, Ms Chu said.
YouTrip also plans to introduce new features after the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) increases the amount of money that can be stored in e-wallets from S$5,000 to S$20,000 (US$3,600 to US$14,600). The 12-month payment limit will also increase from S$30,000 to S$100,000. The changes are slated to happen sometime this year.
“It really opens up a whole lot more opportunities for us to build more features like additional currency wallets, remittance services, more partnerships with merchants and many more features,” she said. Budgeting recommendations and financial insights are also in the works.
MARKET SHARE, EXPANSION PLANS
The CEO said YouTrip’s strategy is to stay consistent and focus on localisation.
“We customise the app and also the card face (design) in every market we go into. So we just don’t take something that works in another part of the world and plug it in here and assume people would like it,” she said.
YouTrip said its market share in Singapore is “quite high”, but declined to reveal specific user numbers for any country.
Expansion in Southeast Asia has been a goal since before COVID-19 struck, but the company could go beyond the region now that it is “well-capitalised” following its Series B fundraising, said Ms Chu.
“What it allows us to do is to also look at some of the international financial hubs that have similar characteristics with Singapore, so we are definitely broadening our minds in terms of where to launch going forward.”
Although YouTrip has diversified into e-commerce and business payments, travel is what has propelled the company’s growth since borders reopened after the pandemic.
Singaporean users are savvy and have been buying currencies when the rates are good, Ms Chu said. Some hold the currencies for many months before spending it overseas.
“For popular destinations like Japan, people do think they can exchange first and hold it, because no matter what, they will make a trip there,” she said. The US dollar and euro are also popular currencies to hold onto.
Cheques, passbooks and 1-cent coins: 5 ways money and banking transactions have changed in Singapore
Ms Chu said she believes consumers are moving toward cashless travel, but acknowledged that it remains difficult to completely avoid cash in some places – including Japan and Southeast Asia.
“We cannot make sure that every merchant can accept our card, but what we can do is open up free access (to ATMs),” she said.
“In some markets, we know it’s just not possible to only travel with a card. We still need cash in order to have that peace of mind.”
In June, YouTrip announced that it would waive its S$5 ATM withdrawal fee. Users can withdraw up to S$400 worth of foreign currency from ATMs for free every month, though a 2 per cent fee will be imposed for withdrawals beyond that amount.


text:
Century celebrations: BMW’s Head of Sales and Brand talks new GSs, electrics and 100 years of production
BMW’s Head of Sales and Brand has revealed that new models will be arriving next year to mark 100 years of the German motorcycle division, as well as fresh electric drivetrains appearing every 18 to 24 months.
Dr Alexander Wehr took over the position at the beginning of the year and confirmed that plans are well underway to mark the firm’s first century of motorcycle production, which began with the R32 in 1923.
“You can expect a great party along the whole year,” he said. “And of course, there are going to be new bikes and there may even be some centenary versions that I’m not allowed to disclose at this point.”
Despite not being drawn on what would appear, he was quick to rule out an update to the R nineT retro range. This is despite the platform still using the air/oil-cooled 1170cc boxer twin from the non-shiftcam R1200GS and at least three new larger-capacity GS models having been already confirmed for the future, thanks to a mistake on BMW’s own service website.
“There’s a really big fanbase on [the R nineT] and we’re about to pass 100,000 units in a few weeks’ time and the bike’s only been on the market for seven or eight years now,” the BMW man continued. “It’s been a huge success that we would have never expected.
“We started with a niche within a niche, but I think it’s fantastic and the family we have built up showing very different characters of the bike. I wouldn’t see the need in the short-term for a change.”
Away from retros, Wehr was able to shed a little more light on the incoming GSs, accepting that fresh metal was on the way and hinting that we may see radar cruise control which already features on the R1250RT and some R18s.
When asked about radar cruise, he said: “Everything you say makes absolute sense and if you do the mathematics, you may expect there are things to come.
“At some point there’s going to be a new family of our main blockbuster,” Wehr continued.
“I have seen the first concepts and I can tell it really is a step.
“I think that the current customer base will be very happy with what they’re going to see from the new GS family, and I think we may even get new and additional customers.
“We’re not the only ones, but I’m very confident with what I’ve seen in terms of a concept, in terms of clear character differentiation in terms of technology and practicability.”
We are also likely to see BMW invest more in electrification, with the potential for premium low-capacity plug-ins.
“As we always said on cars, premium doesn’t necessarily have to go with a big size. On the motorcycle side and specifically scooters, capacity is not so much necessarily combined or connected to premium.
“We want to have different interpretations to what we define as premium mobility,” Wehr continued. “I think every 18 to 24 months we’re going to have another offer with regards to electric drivetrain, so you can expect some more cool concepts and maybe a fully-fledged motorcycle with an electric drivetrain.”
BMW has already dipped a toe in this segment with last September’s 120kg, 14.8bhp CE 02 concept and we could be set to see more soon.


text:
It seems like the consignment sales just ended. In fact, they did last month. But it's already time to start getting ready for the fall and winter sales which start in the summer.
The vast majority of sales are in August through October. But the big one ... the Kids Exchange at the State Fairgrounds in Raleigh ... is set for mid-July. And if you're planning on selling or working this sale, the time is now to check the website and find out what you need to do.
The work exchange schedule opened Tuesday. Workers can shop early.


text:
The percentage of companies with at least 10 percent of their total revenue from e-commerce grew 14 percent in 2014 from 2013, according to the fourth annual 2015 State of E-Commerce in Distribution survey, conducted by MDM and Real Results Marketing.
The improvement marks a key shift for the e-commerce channel in distribution, which continues to mature as companies recognize an increased need for a robust digital sales platform, say Jonathan Bein and Dean Mueller in 2015 State of E-Commerce in Distribution.
Two trends are shaping e-commerce, according to Bein and Mueller: It is easier and less expensive to launch an online initiative, but many distributors experience more time in the nascent stage of e-commerce maturity, typically for three to five years.
"Distributors often underestimate how long it will take to work out the operational processes for e-commerce, including inventory management, fulfillment, product content management and even Web technical support," Bein and Mueller write. "Companies that stall after working out the operational issues usually do so because their e-marketing capabilities mature slowly."
However, the growth in e-commerce wasn't as strong as respondents projected in last year's survey. Also, the percentage of respondents with 5 to 10 percent of total revenue from e-commerce remained at 20 percent, and companies with nascent e-commerce initiatives (revenue less than 5 percent) declined slightly.
Distributors said their top priorities for e-commerce are to increase new customers and orders from the website; promote the company brand; and improve ease of use.
Read more about distributors' e-commerce expectations and priorities for the year, including analysis of the five categories of e-commerce platforms, in 2015 State of E-Commerce in Distribution.


text:
LONDON, July 30 (UPI) -- Some volunteers in the London Olympics Opening Ceremonies have called colleagues "crass" and "disrespectful" for selling props from the show.
Items including costumes, a book read to the audience by J.K. Rowling, programs and confetti from the Opening Ceremonies have popped up for sale on eBay and London 2012 officials said they were happy to see the props "go to a good home," The Daily Telegraph reported Monday.
However, some of the volunteers said they were disappointed with their colleagues for selling the items.
"I think it is a bit crass really. While we were told they were ours and were not told not to auction them, I still think it is very disrespectful," one performer said.
"A group of us joked ... as to how much our costumes would sell on eBay but it was very tongue in cheek. It is not really in the spirit, is it?" another said.


text:
EU completed all the formal procedures and now Georgia is the third country in the lists from where honey will be exported to EU.
As the Minister of Agriculture Levan Davitashvili announced, the ministry of agriculture implemented important activities to help the development of beekeeping and promoted the export of Georgian honey to European countries.
“According to EU demands, there have been legislative changes implemented, which aimed to improve the relations with EU. More precisely,it was a plan of monitoring of veterinary drugs and other remaining substances. Since 1st of July, 2015, “Honey Technical Regulation” was enabled and it creates certain standards for producing honey” -declared Levan Davitashvili.
Business operator is due to produce the honey which suits the technical regulation standards and sells it on the market according to regulations. Therefore, honey producers will have an opportunity to sell their honey on European market if they consider production standards.


text:
Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge
Nintendo has informed consumers in its home market of Japan that production and shipments of the Switch console and accessories will experience delays due to the effect of the new coronavirus. The Animal Crossing-themed variant of the Switch, which was only announced last week, has had its preorder availability pushed back from Saturday to an unspecified date. The company apologizes for the trouble and says it’ll keep on monitoring the situation.
It’s not clear whether the delays will affect shipments elsewhere. Nintendo specifically references hardware produced in China and sold in Japan, but last year the company started diversifying its supply chain and building some units in Southeast Asia specifically for the US market to avoid US…tech, The Verge, The Verge - All Posts


text:
GM Plans to Build 500K EVs Annually by 2017, Use Volt Batteries for Power Outages
November 15, 2012 6:59 PM
comment(s) - last by
GM is predicted to sell a total of 50,000 cars with electrification technologies this year
General Motors is looking to take huge strides in the way of electric vehicles (EV) and electric batteries: it wants to produce 500,000 EVs per year, and it wants to use
Chevrolet Volt batteries
to power homes during blackouts.
According to GM, it wants to sell 500,000 vehicles equipped with its electric technologies (plug-ins, EVs, hybrids) annually by 2017. If GM is able to do this, EVs would make up 5.5 percent of its total annual sales.
This is a pretty big jump considering GM is predicted to sell a total of
50,000 cars with electrification technologies
GM is taking EVs very seriously, and is proving that by focusing on its next generation propulsion technology that is currently powering the Volt. GM is looking into new ways of using extended-range electric vehicle (EREV) technology.
Speaking of the Volt, GM is looking to use the EV's battery pack in an innovative way: powering homes in the event of an outage.
GM partnered with automation and power technologies company ABB Group as well as Duke Energy to find useful applications for EV batteries after they've been exhausted in vehicles.
The end result was a unit that contains five
Volt lithium-ion battery packs
that can provide two hours of electricity to three to five U.S. homes during a blackout. According to GM, the unit can provide 25 kilowatt hours of power and 50 kilowatt hours of energy.
"This is an industry first to be able to do secondary automotive batteries in a grid-based application," said Pablo Valencia, GM's senior manager of battery lifecycle management.
GM said the battery could last 10 years on the road and another 10 years as part of the power unit for blackouts.
Duke Energy is looking to install the unit in a North Carolina neighborhood for testing in 2013.
The Detroit News
This article is over a month old, voting and posting comments is disabled
11/16/2012 1:34:17 AM
GM also talked up the ability to have the Volt power your home in a power outage situation. So does Ford.
Doesn't the Volt have a 15kw battery or something? That means it stores 15,000 watts of power. Since a refrigerator/freezer uses ~600 watts of power, that means you could run it for at least 27 hours non-stop (which refrigerators don't do, realistically you'd get at least a week out of it with moderate opening/closing.)
A full home uses about 10kw/day (the average annual electric bill is around 300kw/h a month according to my ComEd bill with a statistic from the EPA. So these cars in "generator" mode would power your home for at least 1.5 days if you continued using everything as if the power never went out. That's pretty good!
11/16/2012 3:26:12 PM
You can certainly cut back as well. A modern refrigerator uses a little over 1kWh per day, and another kWh for lights, microwave, cellphone, etc should let you get by almost a week on an EV battery in emergency circumstances.
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LOS ANGELES - A South Pasadena Farmers' Market vendor was arrested today along with two others for allegedly conspiring to sell and produce unpasteurized goat milk, goat cheese and other products without a license, according to the Los Angeles District Attorney's office.
Sharon Ann Palmer, 51, has allegedly operated without any type of license or permit for milk production since 2007. Palmer and her business, Healthy Family Farms, are charged in nine of the 13 counts.
Also arrested were Eugenie Victoria Bloch, 58, who works for Healthy Family Farms, and James Cecil Stewart, 64, who owns the Venice market Rawesome. Rawesome has been in operation for more than six years but has never had any type of business permit or license, prosecutors allege.
Bloch is charged in three conspiracy counts. Stewart is facing 13 counts.
While it is lawful to manufacture and sell unpasteurized dairy products in California, applicable licenses and permits are required.
Santa Paula-based Healthy Family Farms sells eggs and fresh chicken at the farmers' market, which is held each Thursday near the Gold Line Mission Station.
The three were charged in a 13-count complaint, which includes four conspiracy counts. Stewart and Bloch are expected to appear in Los Angeles Superior Court Thursday for arraignment, said Deputy District Attorney Kelly Sakir. Palmer's arraignment hearing has not been set.
The charges come after a year-long investigation, in which undercover operatives made purchases of unpasteurized dairy products from Healthy Family farmers' market stands in Los Angeles, Ventura and Santa Barbara counties and at Rawesome. The products included unpasteurized goat milk, cheese, yogurt and kefir.
In one case cited in the complaint, an investigator received goat milk, stored in a cooler in the back of a Healthy Family Farms van, in the parking lot of a grocery store.
Officials reported that Healthy Family Farms and Rawesome customers were required to pay a membership fee of up to $50, or purchase a one-time "day pass" at Rawesome to purchase products there.
According to the 21-page complaint, Bloch told undercover investigators that the membership payments and paperwork were needed for "legal" reasons, and that they were not supposed to sell dairy products to nonmembers.


text:
Coffee war continues as P&G files another lawsuit against Kraft
The Procter & Gamble Company has filed a patent lawsuit against Kraft Foods Inc., manufacturer of the Maxwell House Coffee brand.
The lawsuit, filed in the United States Federal District Court for the Southern District of Ohio in Cincinnati, alleges that the new four-pound plastic container for Maxwell House coffee, now being introduced in America, infringes key Procter & Gamble patents on Folgers Coffee.
In 2003, P&G introduced Folgers Coffee in a “consumer-preferred plastic container”. This innovation has grown the Folgers business for the past five years, according to P&G.
“We made large investments to overcome the technical challenges in making a lightweight plastic container that can withstand the pressure changes that occur between the factory and the consumer’s home,” reported Steve Jemison, P&G chief legal officer. “Many innovations in this container are covered by P&G patents, which we believe Maxwell House has infringed. We must protect our intellectual property.”
The lawsuit seeks to stop Kraft Foods from selling the Maxwell House Coffee package and also seeks damages.
A Kraft spokeswoman has advised that Kraft will “vigorously defend” themselves against the claim adding that, “Kraft does not infringe the valid patent rights of others.”
The lawsuit is not the first time P&G have been upset with Kraft, with a similar patent lawsuit filed 13 months ago alleging Kraft had violated patents on plastic coffee containers. That case has yet to be resolved.
Folgers and Maxwell House are the two leading coffee brands in the United States but have been under greater pressure in recent times as the popularity of gourmet coffee and coffee shops have stunted growth.
P&G announced earlier this year that they would be selling the Folgers brand to J.M. Smucker for $3 billion, but that deal is yet to be finalised.
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text:
Kirkcaldie & Stain's [NZX: KRK], Wellington's up-market department store, says it will recapitalise the ailing retail business after the sale of its inner-city office tower before returning any surplus to shareholders.
The Wellington-based company plans to overhaul its retail offering to deal with rising inner-city rents and increasing competition from online rivals, and will use a portion of the funds raised from the sale of its Harbour City Centre on Wellington's Lambton Quay towards building a viable business, chairman Falcon Clouston told shareholders at last night's annual meeting.
"Before we have any discussion on a surplus distribution to shareholders we must first recapitalise the retail side," Clouston said. "Some shareholders may not want to take the risk of owning an omni-model retail business and we may need to re-organise the shareholding of the retail business."
As a result of the decision to sell the Harbour City Building, which was last valued at $50 million, fund manager Chris Swasbrook of Elevation Capital withdrew his nomination seeking a seat on the company's board.
In a letter read by Clouston at the start of the meeting, Swasbrook said he supported the decision to sell the building and to restore the retail business to profitability.
The $50 million valuation put most of the value in the front building, which counts Contact Energy as an anchor tenant, and included just the bare land value for the back building, which will need to be earthquake strengthened or demolished, Clouston said.
Managing director John Milford said the company won't sell the building cheaply: "It's a premium property and we will get the maximum dollars for it."
Among the initiatives to improve the retail business, Milford said the company plans to expand it online services, introduce a home brand shared with other New Zealand department stores, and is looking at setting up a furniture store on the city fringe.
"We can't make money out of 150,000 people in Wellington, we need 4.6 million people in New Zealand to make a living," Milford said.
Milford said online competitors were eating into local retailers due to the government's limit on charging GST on overseas goods, and that something would need to change to make up the shortfall in excise duty.
He also took a swipe at Wellington City Council for failing to support retailers after last year's earthquakes closed two car-parking buildings and didn't try to encourage consumers to come into the city during the Christmas period.
In response to a question form a shareholder, chairman Clouston said Kirkcaldie's won't resume dividend payments until the retail business returns to profitability, which might be in the next financial year.
The company's shares were unchanged to $2.40 yesterday, and have gained 26 percent this year.
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These low-cost smartphones, which come with a new range of apps designed to run faster while using less data, are expected to play an important role in further expanding internet adoption
In quarter to December, JioPhone had a 27% market share followed by Samsung with 17% and Micromax at third spot, says Counterpoint Research.
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Vodafone and Micromax are set to jointly offer 4G smartphones at an effective price of less than Rs 1,000, which is similar to the price of most feature phones
The early onset of the festive season this year will lead to a longer period of tepid demand for more than two months, compared with usually just a month after Diwali
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text:
• Ralphs (Kroger): 25 stores, down from 30 in 2003. (Kroger also has 11 local Food4Less stores that wouldn’t be affected by a strike.)
• Vons (Safeway): 56 stores, the same number as in 2003. A Mission Hills store is slated to open next spring.
• Albertsons (Supervalu): 55 stores in the San Diego region, which includes part of Riverside County, down from 60 in 2003.
What it means
• Last week, grocery union officials gave a 72-hour strike notice to Ralphs, Vons and Albertsons stores that ends Sunday at 7 p.m. Workers could walk off the job after that. A strike could be delayed or averted if both sides continue to talk beyond the deadline.
• If there’s a strike, Ralphs and Albertsons said they will close stores but Vons is planning to keep stores open with temporary workers.
• Other grocery chains — such as Trader Joe’s, Costco, Food4Less and Sprouts Farmers Markets — would not be included in a strike.
Mike Knapp wasn’t sympathetic when he heard the news that grocery workers in Southern California might walk off the job in coming days.
“Go ahead and strike, lots of people need a job,” he wrote Friday in comments on SignOnSanDiego.com. “I will see all of you as I cross the picket line.”
He’s among many people who are criticizing the United Food and Commercial Workers for considering a strike on Albertsons, Vons and Ralphs at a time when county unemployment is at 10.2 percent, a record number of people are on food stamps and just about everyone is paying more for health care.
Many consumers are questioning if a strike or the move by some grocery store chains to close if there is a walkout makes any sense given the weak economy.
It’s not surprising that people who have lost their jobs or who are paying more for their health care may resent grocery workers for demanding more from their employers, said Esmael Adibi, director of the A. Gary Anderson Center for Economic Research at Chapman University.
“In San Diego County we have 160,000 people who are unemployed. To them, if they look at somebody else deciding to walk out of a job, they have no sympathy,” Adibi said. “Even those who are employed, it’s a national trend with health care that employers are shifting more of the cost onto employees.”
Strike could still be effective
While there appears to be less support for workers than in 2003, when the union went on strike for four grueling months, the disruption, bad publicity and lost business caused by a strike could still be an effective tool in forcing the grocery companies to compromise, said labor expert Jai Ghorpade.
“Many people I think are sympathetic, and I don’t see why what’s happening in the economy should change their minds,” said Ghorpade, professor emeritus of management at San Diego State University.
It’s typical for a strike to bring out strong feelings, including anti-union sentiment, but in the end, many people won’t want to interfere, Ghorpade said. “Many people, when they are actually faced with workers on the picket line, are reluctant to take them on,” he said. “When there’s a human face, people don’t want to cross that line.”
That includes customers like Charles Bradshaw, 35, of Escondido, who said he won’t shop at his local Albertsons if there’s a strike.
“I’m going to load up on anything I would buy there before a strike happens,” he said. While the economy is in bad shape, he said, “I don’t think there’s ever a good time to have a strike because it hurts everyone... It’s the highest level of labor conflict.”


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Trace ‘N Chase was present at the Paris Card Show this past weekend, the biggest card exhibition for sports cards in France and one of the biggest in Europe in a setup with more than 60 tables (collectors and shops) at an event where conferences, contests, signing sessions and a lot of discussions about the hobby with collectors from France and all over the world took place!
Organized by Thierry Lardoux, an avid collector that begun collecting cards in 1997 (growing up as a fan of Grant Hill and Stade Rennais F.C., the soccer team of his hometown Rennes in France), Paris Card Show, an event that as been in the works for ten years, took place at Le Five, a multipurpose indoor arena that hosts recreational soccer leagues. The participation exceeded all expectations with more than 400+ collectors, vendors and sports fans stopping by, with appearances from NBA television personalities in France and former members of the France men’s national basketball team like Frédéric Weis!
GTS Distribution Europe, Potes Cartes, German Trading Cards, Topps France, US Sports Fans Cards, Dave & Adams Europe and Pianeta Hobby DearBBall were some of the industry professionals that attended the event as well as no other than 2x Beckett Kobe Supercollector & Co-Founder of BBrothers Kiki.
Keep up with all products, blog posts and news posted on our website.


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America’s third biggest mobile phone provider, Sprint Nextel, reported a
staggering fourthquarter loss of $29.5 billion, after writing off most of the
remaining value of Nextel Communications, which it acquired in 2005.
This marks the fifthlargest quarterly loss by an S&P 500 company since 1990,
and essentially confirmed what investors had failed for months – Sprint’s
acquisition of Nextel has turned out to be an unmitigated failure for the
Shares in Sprint were down 9.6% yesterday after the company warned of continuing
subscriber losses this quarter and announced that it would stop paying dividends
for the “foreseeable future.” The stock has lost more than half of its value in
the last 12 months.
The $29.7 billion voluntary reevaluation, canceling out the majority of Nextel’s
$36 billion value, was coupled with Sprint’s announcement that it had borrowed
$2.5 billion under a revolving credit line.
Sprint has been bleeding customers to rivals like AT&T and Verizon Wireless for
over two years now as it struggles to integrate the Nextel brand name and
products under its own corporate umbrella.
“The fourthquarter financial results reflect the challenges facing our wireless
business,” commented Sprint CEO, Dan Hesse, a former Embarq executive who was
appointed to turn the wireless giant around. “We are making significant changes
across the organization in an effort to improve execution, stabilize our
customer base and deliver on the opportunity provided by our assets.”
“Given current deteriorating business conditions, which are more difficult than
what I had expected to encounter, these changes will take time to produce
improved operating performance, and our nearterm subscriber and financial
results will continue to be pressured,” Hesse admitted. “We will have a
difficult 2008 as we turn this ship around. This turnaround will not happen for
Sprint suffered a net loss of 683,000 postpaid cell phone customers during the
fourth quarter, while average revenue per user (ARPU) declined $2 to $52, and
quarterly subscriber churn rose to 2.3%.
** Check out our
Sprint Calling Cards
Sprint Phone Card,
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Sprint Prepaid Phone Cards


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Signagelive is building up momentum for the launch of its virtual player for Android at #ISEUROPE. You can see a video of how it works on the company’s website.
Signagelive’s Jason Cremins says, “We aim to offer the widest device support available to our customers and our new signagelive for Android player opens up tremendous opportunities for our resellers and customers to embrace the latest Android Tablet and Mobile Phone technology for digital media communication within their business.”
The virtual player enables both passive and interactive playback of media content including support for Media RSS feeds. The signagelive Android player will be demonstrated on both Tablets and Mobile Phones with features that enabled scheduled content to be deployed and played back based on dates and times, plus the ability to ‘swipe and play’ media using a unique gesture touch interface. Applications for iPhone and iPad are soon to come, according to Cremins.
The signagelive player for Android will be launched next week at Integrated Systems Europe on Stand 10N116 at the RAI, Amsterdam.
January 29th, 2011 at 03:10 @173
As I knew, 56iq.com, a Chinese digital signage company, has released andrpoid player (both software and box) last month
January 29th, 2011 at 03:25 @184
As I know, 56iq.com, a Chinese digital signage company, has released android player (both software and box) last month.


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Verizon has released a new update for Nokia 2V smartphone. Verizon’s new update has introduced Android 9 Pie to the Nokia 2V smartphone users. You can see the official changelog below.
Verizon Wireless is pleased to announce a new software update for your Nokia 2 V. Android 9.0 Pie improves your mobile experience with new system navigation and settings menu enhancements, as well as providing new functions and UI enhancements for your camera. This update also includes the latest Android security updates and bug fixes.
Camera – UI Enhancement:
- Simplified UI puts the most popular camera functions on top of screen.
- Replaces the “video” mode selection icon with a “switch front/rear camera” icon.
Camera – New Functions:


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More signs that container shipping’s pandemic-fueled bull run is starting to crack.
the National Retail Federation (NRF) on Wednesday released its latest Global Port Tracker report showing retail imports through major US container ports that were down year-over-year in July, only the third such drop in two years and the first since December 2021.
With inflation continuing and the Federal Reserve hoping to cool demand through higher interest rates, retail imports are expected to fall below last year’s levels for the rest of 2022, according to the NRF.
“Consumers are still buying, but the freight surge we’ve seen over the last two years seems to be slowing down,” said Jonathan Gold, NRF’s vice president of supply chain and customs policy.
While cargo volumes are still “solidly above pre-pandemic levels,” the growth rate has slowed and even dipped into negative numbers compared to 2021’s unusually high volumes.
“The key now is dealing with current supply chain issues around the world and with labor negotiations at West Coast ports and freight railroads. Smooth port and rail operations are crucial as we enter the busy holiday season,” added Gold.
Labor talks between the International Longshore and Warehouse Union and the Pacific Maritime Association continue after the last contract expired on July 1. Meanwhile, the freight railroads and their union have continued to negotiate after the recommendations of the appointed Presidential Emergency Board were published this summer. While both dockworkers and rail workers remain on the job, there are concerns about potential disruption the longer they continue.
“The number of vessels waiting to dock on the West Coast has dropped to near normal,” said Ben Hackett, founder of Hackett Associates, which produces Global Port Tracker on behalf of NRF. “But with some of the cargo shifting to the East Coast, the congestion and pressure on ports has shifted to the East Coast. The land-based supply chain, particularly rail, continues to face difficulties that have resulted in containers leaving ports being delayed, causing congestion at terminals that affects carriers’ ability to unload their cargo.”
As for the numbers, the US ports covered by Global Port Tracker handled 2.18 million TEUs in July, which is the latest month for which final numbers are available. That was down 3.1 percent from June and down 0.4 percent from July 2021. July 2022 is now only the third year-over-year decline in two years and the first since December 2021.
While ports have yet to report August figures, Global Port Tracker projects the month at 2.17 million TEUs, down 4.3 percent year over year. September is forecast at 2.1 million TEUs, down 1.8 percent; October also with 2.1 million TEUs, 4.8 percent less; November with 2.04 million TEUs, 3.3 percent less, and December with 2.01 million TEUs, 4 percent less.
The anticipated declining growth follows a monster first half of the year for retail cargo imports that will boost annual cargo volumes in 2022. The first six months of 2022 totaled 13.5 million TEUs, an increase of 5.5 percent. on the pace of 2021. But the forecast for the rest of the year would take the second half to 12.6 million TEUs, down 3.1 percent year-over-year. Still, for the full year, 2022 is expected to total 26.1 million TEUs, which would be 1.2 percent higher than last year’s annual record of 25.8 million TEUs.
The decline is also expected to continue in January 2023, which is forecast at 2.11 million TEUs, down 2.6 percent from January 2022, according to NRF.
The cargo data comes as NRF continues to forecast 2022 retail sales to be 6 to 8 percent above 2021. Sales rose 6 percent for the first seven months of the year.


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Starts Aug 14 -- "Chesapeake Shores" - a Hallmark Channel TV Series starring Meghan Ory, Jesse Metcalfe, Diane Ladd, Barbara Niven, and Treat Williams
Media startup Cheddar launches its streaming TV channel in Europe with French startup Molotov which won't be charged a licensing fee (Romain Dillet/TechCrunch) Romain Dillet / TechCrunch:Media startup Cheddar launches its streaming TV channel in Europe with French startup Molotov which won't be charged a licensing fee Business news network Cheddar has been partnering with social media platforms and OTT services in the U.S. And Cheddar is now looking at international markets…
24h News - Broadcast News TV Channel and News Magazine Template
Buy News - Broadcast News TV Channel and News Magazine Template by Via-Theme on ThemeForest. News – Broadcast News Template is build with the structure, content and style of a professional News TV Channel,.
The only news channel worth watching, Daily Asgardian News featuring Co-anchors Tom Hiddleston and Chris Hemsworth with Jeremy Renner for sports and Chris Evans on weather. Jeremy doesn't seem too happy about his job though Renner's face is priceless
Mrs Femi Peter Oyedipe @losheschocolate is our woman crush for this #FoodyWednesday. Femi Oyedipe is an entrepreneur chocolate enthusiast mother role model outlier and of cause a foodie. Founder of Loshes Chocolate- a Bean-To-Bar factory one of Nigeria's leading chocolate company known for using locally sourced cocoa beans and giving consumers that desired yummy pleasure in their taste buds. A Single Origin Chocolate Maker and Chocolatier operating in Lagos Nigeria. Loshes deliver hand…
Star Trek icon George Takei accused of sexual assault by former model || The latest sexual assault allegation in Hollywood has been made against Star Trek icon George Takei. http://www.channel24.co.za/TV/News/star-trek-icon-george-takei-accused-of-sexual-assault-by-former-model-20171111?utm_campaign=crowdfire&utm_content=crowdfire&utm_medium=social&utm_source=pinterest
NexG Tv Live TV News Cricket ANDROID APK IPTV PREMIUM NexG Tv Live TV News Cricket APK - Watch TV Series Live TV Channels Indian Movies Hollywood Movies Reality TV Shows Videos On Deamnd And Many More. NexG Tv APK Download IPTV NexG Tv Live TV News Cricket APK Android Apk IPTV APK IPTV PREMIUM APK


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Twitter and the NFL have come to an agreement which will see the giant social network stream ten Thursday Night Football games. According to Twitter COO Adam Bain, full games as well as pre and post game content would be streamed on Periscope.
Recode reported that Twitter’s closest competitors for NFL Thursday Night Football were Amazon and Verizon with it being rumored that the social network picked up the streaming rights for under $10 million.
As far as the specifics of the agreement, Twitter doesn’t have a good deal of the ad revenue rights that comes with streaming the games. Also, Twitter will be in the company of CBS and NBC who will be able to stream the games to cable subscribers. Both of these networks control most of the ad revenue coming from streaming the games.
How Twitter plans to get the NFL Thursday Night Football games out to users and integrate things with the main platform remains to be seen. There will likely be some highlights or live moments tweeted in the form of promoted tweets that will be users’ timelines to maybe attempt to draw users into the game. Expect Twitter to explain things in the coming months.


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The Kentucky Center for African American Heritage is struggling with millions of dollars of debt and a need for millions more to refurbish the old trolley barn site in Louisville.
The Courier-Journal reports the Russell neighborhood complex near 18th Street and Muhammad Ali Boulevard has opened its doors mostly for space rentals and meetings over the last three years. Almost $15 million has gone into the refurbishing with a goal of being the museum and center for local and state African-Amerian culture.
According to the report, the renovation has been riddled with problems of money mishandling. Chairman of the foundation overseeing the center Raymond Burse said funds aren't available to pay a $705,000 court-ordered judgment for contractor The Mardrian Group or $1.8 million owed to Fifth Third Bank.
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Apple has acquired LuxVue, a company that has quietly been working on low power, micro-LED screen technologies, according to TechCrunch.com, who got the following non-committal statement from Apple when they tried to inquire about the purchase: "Apple buys smaller technology companies from time to time, and we generally do not discuss our purpose or plans."
LuxVue itself has stayed fairly quiet over the last few years (they don’t even have a website listed), but VentureBeat reports that they have filed a number of patents for micro-LED technology, which promises displays that are brighter and use less power than current screens.
This could be one of the two dozen companies Apple has acquired in the last year-and-a-half, something that Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook said (in a previous interview) is indicative that the company isn’t shy of buying technology it thinks is worthwhile.
It seems this is another acquisition along lines of Apple taking a controlling interest in companies producing key components for their devices, like chip designer P.A. Semi in 2008 and AuthenTec in 2012, the latter producing the finger-print sensor technology for the iPhone 5S. Could this be the display tech of choice for Apple's future wearable devices?
Image source: Patentdocs.com


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CHICAGO (MarketWatch) -- The strong sales showing in February lit the S&P Retail Index RLX, +0.00% in early trading Monday, but the fire went out by the session's end as investors pulled profits and tempered high-flying gains. The index lost its more than 2 percent gain to finish the session at 439.33, off marginally. Some retailers still managed to pound out 52-week highs, including Bebe Stores Inc. BEBE, -0.72% at $32.95 and Longs Drug Stores LDG, -22.86% at $30.50.
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Chinese wine consumption is at an all-time high, and Chinese wines are becoming more sophisticated (okay, relatively). Unfortunately, so are wine counterfeiting rings, who’ve evolved beyond churning out bootlegs with hilariously incorrect names on the label, and are now pulling counterfeit jobs that would put Frank Abagnale Jr. to shame, SMCP reports:
China’s case is a good illustration of the evolution of counterfeiting. Initially, criminals took advantage of the country’s twin weaknesses: consumers who were new to wine, and the fact they had the money to buy it for show.
That led to a flagrant production of fakes, whose labels simply piled on the names of as many famous vineyards and locales as possible.
But in the past two years, as more Chinese became connoisseurs, there has been an explosion in Asia of more refined counterfeits, says Mark Solomon, who co-founded truebottle.com.
……..For instance, counterfeiters buy up old, empty bottles from the best vineyards, so the wine would pass a test that sampled the bottle’s glass or inspected the label. A recent search on eBay showed several old, empty bottles were for sale, including a 1958 Chateau Lafite Rothschild, a 1928 Chateau Margaux and a 1971 Romanee Conti – all of which are some of the most counterfeited wines.
Anti-counterfeit measures are becoming equally or even more intricate in accordance:
Medina’s lab [lab run by French Finance Ministry in Bordeaux] runs a series of tests on bottles that come their way: measuring the isotopes of certain elements can determine which country a wine comes from, measuring the trace radioactivity in a bottle can broadly determine its age.
Wines that claim to have been bottled before the invention of the atom bomb, for instance, should have no cesium-137.
By contrast, bottles from the 1960s, when nuclear tests happened almost weekly, show a noticeable spike in cesium.
The lab also makes its own wines from grapes collected about every 50 kilometres across Western France. Each of the wines then serves as a reference point for a given year and micro-region. None of the tests is definitive, but, taken together, they can generally sniff out the fakes.
Yeah, basically wine counterfeiting has become more complicated than a Christopher Nolan plot, and more than sophisticated enough to dupe China’s wine drinking elite, who’s wine knowledge is fairly lacking (by their own admission).


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21-06-2021 | By Robin Mitchell
The current worldwide shortage of semiconductors has presented Intel with a golden opportunity to regain the title of the world’s leading semiconductor manufacturer. What caused the current semiconductor shortage, what challenges had Intel been facing, and how can this shortage help Intel?
The World-Wide Semiconductor Shortage
Recently, the world has been subjected to a shortage of semiconductors which has caused mayhem in most industries. The cause of this shortage is the result of global lockdowns to control the spread of COVID, but the link between COVID and semiconductor shortages is not direct.
Initially, lockdowns saw businesses suspended their operations due to the inability to make sales, and this inability to make sales rippled through the supply chain. More specifically, automotive manufacturers stopped manufacturing cars, and since most modern vehicles are heavily reliant on semiconductors this saw semiconductor producers suspend their production in automotive parts.
When lockdowns were lifted, and businesses began to reopen their doors, automotive manufacturers also restarted the production of vehicles. However, the world quickly discovered that semiconductors could not be produced quickly to meet demand. In fact, semiconductors can take up to a year between an order request and shipment of functional parts due to the complexity in manufacturing.
This lack of automotive parts resulted in semiconductor manufacturers shifting their focus into manufacturing car parts, but this came at the cost of reducing the output of commercial semiconductors. One year on, and the world is now suffering a major shortage of components which is seeing many products out-of-stock including GPUs, smart devices, and cars.
Intel’s Many Challenges
The shortage of semiconductors has been beneficial to many semiconductor manufacturers. It is seeing a boost in sales, but Intel (who is the largest US manufacturer of semiconductors) has been facing problems even before the pandemic started. Despite being one of the world leaders in processor design, Intel has struggled to fabricate devices below the 10nm scale. Repeated failures in their attempts to produce 7nm devices have seen other companies such as TMSC take the lead.
However, Intel’s failure to deliver 7nm devices had a knock-on effect on Intel’s position in the CPU market. Simply put, Intel has two distinctive divisions in their CPU products; the CPU designers and the CPU manufacturers. The CPU designers design their next generation of CPUs based on what the CPU manufacturing department can offer, and this is where Intel was punished.
Intel, having given the specification of their 7nm process to the design team, failed to deliver. This resulted in Intel being unable to release newer CPU designs to the market. From there, AMD was able to catch up and overtake Intel with regards to CPU technology.
A Blessing in Disguise
The semiconductor shortages have been hard on many companies, but the estimated delay for new products being around two years gives Intel a golden opportunity to play catch-up. While manufacturers rush to meet the current semiconductor demand, many fabless companies are somewhat left in the dark and unable to continue designing new products. While these companies can in-theory design new parts, these parts cannot be manufactured and tested until the shortages are over.
However, Intel designs and manufactures their own products, which allows Intel to continue their R&D into new chip manufacturing techniques. Furthermore, developing such technology can take years, and the shortage of semiconductors gives Intel the time it needs to regain its title as a world leader in CPU design.
Intel may also be able to take advantage of the latest move from the US government which seeks to provide funding and contracts to US-based IC manufacturers. This funding comes from the global shortage of semiconductors and the desire to make the US independent from outside nations for the manufacture of integrated circuits. While countries such as South Korea and Taiwan are allies to the west, their close proximity to hostile nations such as North Korea and China could see their manufacturing capabilities attacked, and this would have a detrimental effect on national security.
Overall, Intel has been handed a golden opportunity to regroup, upgrade, and catch up to its competition. If Intel fails to take advantage of this, it will continue to fall behind other companies, and the introduction of ARM and RISC-V in everyday machines will eventually see Intel fizzle out into a company that produces fringe products.


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The Indian government on Friday issued a stringent warning to all those investors who are investing unhesitatingly in virtual currencies such as Bitcoin. The seriousness of the latest warning can be gauged from the fact that government has compared cryptocurrencies with notorious ‘Ponzi schemes,’ that are known for duping the hard earned money of investors.
The warning comes closely on the hells of South Korea’s crackdown on bitcoin’s trading, which led to a significant drop of 8% in its value on Thursday. After enjoying the insane ride for almost a year, since past few weeks the world’s most popular cryptocurrency has been stung by a sudden downslide. Currently, Bitcoin’s value is hinging at nearly $15000.
“There has been a phenomenal increase in recent times in the price of Virtual ‘Currencies’ (VCs) including Bitcoin, in India and globally. The VCs don’t have any intrinsic value and are not backed by any kind of assets. The price of Bitcoin and other VCs therefore is entirely a matter of mere speculation resulting in spurt and volatility in their prices,” a statement issued by the finance ministry said.
The finance ministry has also highlighted the fact that cryptocurrencies are stored in digital or electronic formats and are therefore exposed to numerous risks like hacking and malware attacks. It has also brought to notice that transactions of virtual currencies are encrypted and hence are averse to being used for anti-social activities like terror funding, money laundering, drug trafficking etc.
The ministry further goes on to caution that the Central Bank (RBI) has not granted any license or permission to any company or organization to run schemes dealing with Bitcoin or any cryptocurrencies.
There can be little doubt that cryptocurrencies have been one of the central themes of this year. With Bitcoin’s price touching insane levels throughout the year, investors across the world have been in a mad rush to invest fortunes of money in the popular virtual currency. However, this sent several government agencies across the world into virtual tailspin. They have consistently argued that complete lack of regulations over cryptocurrencies makes it prone to financial scandals and misgivings.


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Elon Musk continued to drip feed details of his controversial plan to take Tesla Inc. private, saying late Monday that he’s getting advice from Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and private-equity firm Silver Lake.
In a tweet late Monday California time, the electric-car maker’s chief executive officer said he’s also lined up legal advisers for the possible transaction. A Tesla spokesman said Musk’s tweet refers to his own advisers and attorneys. Tesla board members didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.
Controversy has swirled around Musk’s plan since the moment he announced it in a tweet a week ago, with some investors and lawyers questioning his claim to have secured funding for the move. Musk’s tweet about taking Tesla private hadn’t been cleared ahead of time with the company’s board, the New York Times reported, and the Securities and Exchange Commission is scrutinizing his statements.
Earlier Monday, Musk revealed that Saudi Arabia has long been interested in taking Tesla private, which gave him the confidence last week to tweet that he was considering the blockbuster deal. He also confirmed the country’s Public Investment Fund recently bought an almost 5 percent stake and is interested in helping take Tesla private, as Bloomberg News reported Sunday.
Continue Reading at Bloomberg.com